Dino Attack RPG: Director's Cut

[PeabodySam]

July 1, 2005: Dino Attack RPG was born. BZPower's longest-running LEGO roleplay game has left a lasting legacy. Now, 15 years later, experience Dino Attack RPG all over again like never before. From the ashes of the BZPower Forum Archive, the definitive Dino Attack RPG reading experience shall rise anew.

Dedicated to the dozens of BZPower members who joined me on this seven-year-long journey and made my time unforgettable, and to Hahli Husky for making Dino Attack RPG possible in the first place. Thanks.

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Act 0: Prologue

Chapter 0: Welcome to Dino Attack

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Rookie agent Rex walked through the garage. All around him, engineers and mechanics worked on building and repairing vehicles, ranging from small ATVs to large jeeps. He also caught a glimpse of a massive tank that was being assembled, as well as a helicopter in the hangar above.

An exalted sense of newfound purpose filled Rex's body with a sort of euphoria. He was now officially signed up as a soldier for the D.I.N.O. Attack, dressed in the standard black and grey uniform. He felt proud to be able to serve on behalf of the world. Now, he would have the power to bring the fight to the Mutant Dinosaurs that had rampaged across the planet. And now, he was assigned his first mission.

Rex found a small group consisting of three soldiers gathered by one of the jeeps. One of them was a man who appeared to be middle-aged, with a round face partially masked by glasses and a full beard. His features were soft and his eyes glinted with a hearty and compassionate light. As Rex approached, the man smiled gently and extended his hand in greeting. "Good morning! You'll be training with us, right?"

"That's right," said Rex, nodding as he shook the man's hand.

"My name is Williams," the man introduced himself. Then, he gestured towards his two companions. "His name's Walker, and her name's Lisa. We're all rookies here, so don't worry if you haven't got any experience yet... we're all in the same boat."

"You'll need a bigger boat, Williams," joked Walker, who also shook hands with Rex. He, like Williams, wore glasses and had a beard, but their physical similarities ended there. He was tall but rather lanky, and although he appeared to be younger than Williams, his thin face had hardened features that hinted at a more caustic outlook on life. As Rex took note of Walker's appearance, he felt as though Walker was scrutinizing him in return with his narrow, beady eyes.

Lisa was a young woman with a pretty face, doe eyes, and short blonde hair. She looked Rex up and down and smiled, batting her eyelids. "Hello, handsome. Got any plans later this evening?"

"Oh, come on, Lisa," Walker said as he rolled his eyes, "do you have to flirt with every single guy you see?" He leaned in close to Rex and muttered, "Trust me, don't go out with her. She'll just break your heart, tear it into little pieces, and throw every piece into the incinerator."

"I'll take your word for it," whispered Rex. To him, the dino attack hardly seemed like a time to be pursuing romantic relationships and crying over broken hearts, so he saw little purpose in investigating Walker's claim. Raising his voice, he introduced himself to the others: "Nice to meet you all. My name's Rex."

"Rex?" repeated Walker, with a small smirk. "Really, we're going with that? Is that supposed to be your real name, or just a nickname?"

Rex shrugged. "It's just a nickname, but about as close I can get to a real name for now." He quickly told them about how he met Frank Einstein, their escape from Mercy Hospital, and the incident with the raptor and the rope that had given him that name…

*****

Slowly, I regained consciousness.  I was surprised to find myself waking up trapped between several slabs of rubble.  The small space I had was dark and cramped, and I did not like it at all.  This felt very, very wrong.

I struggled to remember.  Where am I?  How did I get here?  How do I get out?  ... Who am I?

I could vaguely hear some shouting from what sounded like a middle-aged man, maybe a little older.  As I struggled to comprehend what the voice was saying, I coughed; it was very dusty where I was.

The shouting stopped, then briefly resumed before silencing again.  I heard footsteps once again, then the voice spoke again, and this time I could make out the words: "Hello?  Is anyone in there?"

Weakly, I tried to reply, but my throat was so dry that I only coughed again.  That was a good enough for the voice, because a second later I heard the sound of brick moving against brick.  Then, one of the slabs was moved aside, and I could see out from my prison.

Then, another face appeared outside.  It appeared to be the middle-aged man I had heard shouting.  His face was thin and wrinkled, giving him a somewhat-elderly appearance.  His gray hair was a mess and looked as though it had never known a comb or a brush.  He wore glasses, and from behind these spectacles his eyes twinkled like the stars.

"Ah, good!" my savior said, smiling as he reached a hand down into the concrete prison.  "You're still alive!  Here, let me help you out!"

Gingerly, I reached out and grabbed the hand of my middle-aged savior, who proceeded to pull me out of the slab prison.  Looking around, I saw that I was in some sort of ruined facility.  One of the walls had been smashed down, allowing me to see out into a devastated apocalyptic city.

"The lab must have been attacked," my savior murmured.  Looking at him again, I now saw that he wore a lab coat and must have been a scientist.  "Looks like the two of us were trapped inside when it collapsed.  I'm afraid that I could not find any other survivors, but I have found help!"

The scientist looked me over, then scratched his head.  "You know, I'm afraid that we haven't met before."  He extended a hand again, but this time as a greeting gesture.  "My name's Frank Einstein.  And you are...?"

I stared blankly at the scientist, desperately searching for an answer.  None came to mind.

Biting his lip, Frank Einstein laid his hand on my forehead and looked me over.  "Looks like you had quite a nasty fall," he murmured, "and a bump on the head to prove it.  You might have a slight case of amnesia.  Can you remember anything at all?"

I thought and thought, but weakly shook my head.  Actually, I vaguely remembered a group of scientists, but it was a very unclear and confusing memory.

"Hmm," Frank said as he stroked his chin, "I'll see about giving you proper medical attention once we get to safety.  I'm not sure if you heard me shouting, but I saw a helicopter pilot and wanted to get his attention.  Unfortunately, the closest place he can land is atop Mercy Hospital, but it's only a few blocks away.  Come; we'll have to get there before we get attacked again."

Frank Einstein laid a hand on my shoulder, then we walked towards a stairwell.  Looking up, I saw that the upper floors were likely unreachable since the stairs had collapsed.  In fact, the stairs leading to the ground floor were barely intact.

One step at a time, we descended the staircase.  Luckily, it seemed to hold out just long enough to get us safely on the ground.  The ground floor was also a mess, and I could help but notice that the floor was covered with dust, rubble, debris... and blood.

Beside me, Einstein grimaced.  "This is most disturbing," he muttered.  "I must warn my superiors about this as soon as we get you to safety.  The Nexus Force needs to know what has happened here."

I had no idea what he was talking about.  Nexus Force?  Never heard of it before.  But I had the idea that it was something important.

As it turned out, the door had been blocked by a slab of rubble.  Einstein stepped forward and attempted to push aside the debris, but to no avail.  "Hey, can you lend me a hand here?" he requested.

Nodding, I stepped beside him and assisted him in pushing the rubble aside.  Our combined strength, it seemed, was more than enough, and the slab moved aside easily.  Einstein looked at me quizzically, but then shrugged and reached out to open the door.  The very moment he touched it, the heavily-damaged door fell off its hinges, and the street of a ruined city lay before us.

"We must move with haste," the scientist whispered.  I nodded.  Then, we bolted out onto the street, running as fast as our legs could carry us.  All around us were wrecked buildings and burning skyscrapers.  Lightning flashed from the skies, but no rain fell from the dark clouds.  Once or twice, I could have sworn that I saw a pair of glowing eyes peering at us from the shadows of darkness.

At last, we came to a stop in front of a large building, which I assumed to be Mercy Hospital.  The doors had been smashed in, and upon entering the lobby, we found more rubble, debris, dust... and blood.

"The elevator is probably a bad idea," muttered Frank Einstein.  "Let's check the stairwell."

We approached the stairwell, but all the lights were off.  Einstein flicked a light switch, partially illuminating the staircase... and revealing a large yellow-skinned reptile, grinning at us with saliva dripping from its jaws.

"MegaBloks!" shouted Einstein, who appeared horrified.  He grabbed me by my clothes and pulled me away before the creature snapped at us with its tooth-filled mouth.

We ran away from the stairwell.  Although I did not dare to turn around, I could tell we were being pursued.  Einstein rain to the elevator doors and repeatedly slammed on the button, frantically whispering: "Please work on emergency power please work on emergency power please work on emergency power...!"

There came a dinging noise, and the elevator doors opened.  My scientist companion grabbed my shoulder and we charged inside, then he slammed on the close doors button.  I could see the yellow-scaled reptile running towards the elevator.  As the elevator doors shut, it reared back, as though it were about to spit.  But that was ridiculous, a spitting lizard?

Seconds later, acid burned a hole through the elevator doors.  Einstein and I jumped back, recoiling from the acid.  The reptile reared back, ready to spit again, but luckily this time the elevator was already ascending.

Breathing heavily, I said my first words since being trapped under the rubble pile: "What... was... that?"

Hearing me speak made Frank Einstein startle in surprise.  He recovered quickly and replied, "Those... things are all over the city.  They are a major reason why the city is in ruins... unfortunately, they are not the only reason.  If you thought that one was bad... just wait till you meet some of the larger ones."

I nodded.  "I'll keep that in mind."  I stared at the hole that the acid had burned through the elevator door.  Was that creature spitting the acid?

At last, the elevator came to a stop at the top floor of the hospital.  As the doors opened and we stepped out, Einstein told me: "We still need to find a stairwell to the roof.  That's where the helicopter landing pad is."

No sooner had these words left his lips when everything went pitch black.  I had known darkness, but this felt unnatural.  I could not see anything at all.  It was as though I had been blindfolded.

Footsteps.  Then, I heard a hissing noise.  Was it another one of those reptiles?  Did this one spit acid too?  Could it see in this pitch blackness?

"Stay perfectly still," Einstein whispered, his voice barely audible.

The footsteps briefly stopped, as did the hissing.  Then, the footsteps resumed, but this time they sounded like they were becoming more distant.  Then, at once my sight returned to me.

I turned to ask my scientist companion if he knew what happened.  I saw his entire face contorted and wrinkled, with his eyes shut tightly and sweat on his forehead.  At first, I thought he had been afraid, but when I later looked back on it, I realized that he looked as though he had been concentrating incredibly hard.

Slowly, Einstein relaxed and opened his eyes.  "It's gone now," he whispered.

"Was that another one of the reptiles?" I inquired.

Einstein nodded.  "Yes, I do believe so."  He wiped the sweat from his forehead, then declared: "Come!  We must hurry!"

We walked down a hallway to the stairwell on the far end.  I thought I glimpsed another one of the reptiles down an adjacent hallway, but this one appeared to have black scales.  We passed a pair of double-doors, and just as we were about to step into the stairwell, the doors swung open and another reptile burst through.  This one was larger than either of the ones I had seen before and bore several small crests on its head.  It roared at us, exposing teeth even sharper than that of the other lizard.

"Look out!" I shouted to Einstein.

"It's a raptor!" gasped Einstein.  We jumped onto the stairwell and ascended the staircase, but the raptor roared furiously and pursued us.

I swung open the door at the top of the staircase, and we burst out onto the rooftop of Mercy Hospital.  Painted onto the rooftop was a large yellow circle with the letter "H" in the center.  I heard the sound of a chopper, and looked up to see a small helicopter descending upon the rooftop.

"Let's go!" I said to Frank Einstein, and I ran for the helicopter.  I did not stop running until I was safely aboard the air vehicle.  I gave a sigh of relief and nodded to the pilot.

The pilot stared at me.  "Weren't there two of you?"

I blinked, then glanced back at Frank Einstein, only to see that he was not there.  I couldn't believe it.  One moment, Einstein was there, running beside me - the next, he wasn't there anymore.  In horror, I looked back out to the rooftop and saw Einstein lying on the floor, being dragged away by the raptor.

I knew immediately that I could stand back and watch the raptor drag Dr. Einstein to a horrible death.  But, I was not aware of what was running through my head; everything just happened so fast.

I turned and saw emergency rope aboard the helicopter.  I grabbed it and jumped back out of the vehicle onto the rooftop.  Despite the pilot's protests, I ran towards the raptor and its prey.

I tossed the rope to Einstein, who grabbed it and clutched it tightly.  The raptor noticed me and snarled.  Taking advantage of its split-second distraction, I tugged on my end of the rope and pulled Einstein a few feet away from the raptor.

My triumph did not last long.  The raptor pounced onto Frank Einstein again, but this time the scientist was ready and kicked the beast in the snout.  Dropping his end of the rope, he crawled away from the raptor, slowly making his way to the helicopter.  I knew that unless I did something, he would not make it.

I ran towards the raptor.  The giant reptile was angry, baring its teeth at me.  I did not hear Frank Einstein or the helicopter pilot shouting at me to back down.  As the raptor lunged for me, I jumped out of the way and whipped my rope at it, causing the creature to recoil.

Then, the raptor jumped on me.  It slashed at me, tearing at my clothes.  I took the only thing I had, my rope, and struggled to tie it into a lasso while attempting to crawl away from the beast.  When the raptor looked ready to sink its teeth into my flesh, I made my move.

Flinging my lasso at the raptor, I rolled out of the way of its attack.  The rope caught the creature's maw, and with a slight tug, it tightened and clamped the tooth-filled mouth shut.  Acting quickly, I took the rest of the rope and tied it around the raptor's legs.  It collapsed on top of the roof, rendered immobile.

I breathed a sigh of relief.  I had won.  I had actually won!  I defeated a raptor with nothing but rope!

And yet, I knew my victory would not last long.  Rope could not possibly hold the beast for more than a minute.  Helping Einstein to his feet, I turned and ran for the helicopter.

Once we were safely aboard the air vehicle, I was breathing heavily.  Whatever adrenaline rush I had during the raptor fight was gone, leaving me sore all over.  Einstein's expression was stern.  "You fool!" he snapped.  "Taking on a raptor on your own?  You could have been killed!"  Despite his appearance, it was plainly obvious that he was grateful that I saved his life.

"You're quite handy with that rope," the helicopter pilot commented even as the vehicle began to ascend off the rooftop.  "And I've never seen such recklessly brave behavior from anything less than a T-Rex.  Those things go to great lengths to accomplish anything... I guess that's what makes them so scary."

I shrugged.  "Just making stuff up as I go along."

Now that the helicopter was safely in the air, the pilot turned over his shoulder to get a good look at us.  He stared quizzically at Dr. Einstein.  Pointing a finger at the scientist, he murmured, "You... look familiar.  I think I've seen your face before."  Frank Einstein introduced himself, and the pilot laughed.  "Oh, of course!  Frank Einstein, the famous scientist!  I almost didn't recognize you... what happened to your equally-famous thick bushy mustache?"

Einstein smiled lightly and chuckled.  "Even I feel like shaving it off sometimes," he said.  "I might just grow it back over the next few months, but that depends on... well, a number of factors."

"And you?"  The pilot gestured towards me.  "What's your name?"

I bit my lip.  "I... don't have a name," I muttered.  Frank Einstein quickly explained to the pilot about my amnesia and how he found me in the ruined laboratory.

"Hmm," the pilot murmured.  "Looks like you might have been wearing a labcoat, at least before that raptor tore it up.  And your bravery rivals that of even the T-Rexes.  You need a nickname to fit this... how about... Doctor Rex?"

Einstein visibly tensed.  "No!" he cried, drawing stares from the helicopter pilot and myself.  "I mean," he began in a quieter tone, "that's a little lengthy for a nickname.  Why don't we just call you Rex?"

I thought it over.  Rex.  Seemed like a good enough name.  "Sure," I said, nodding.  "Rex sounds good."

Turning his attention back to flying the helicopter, the pilot continued his discourse.  "Rex and Dr. Einstein, glad to see that you both made it.  There have been so few survivors.  Sometimes, I've gone days patrolling the city without finding someone.  It's a wonder I haven't been struck down by one of those flying things... Pterosaurs, I think they're called."

"So," inquired Einstein, "where are we headed?"

"I've been dropping most people off at an outpost at the outskirts of the city," the pilot explained.  "There, passage is arranged to Antarctica.  That's the only confirmed place that is not affected by this dinosaur outbreak.  I guess the dinos hate the cold."

"Isn't anyone going to do something about all these dinosaurs roaming the city?" I asked.

The pilot nodded.  "Yes.  Alpha Team's currently a little busy handling and overseeing the construction of refugee facilities.  The Agents have been doing some work to try stopping the beasts, but they often don't accomplish much.  The bulk of the work is being done by this new organization.  Those who don't go to Antarctica join the fight against the dinos.  They join the Dino Attack Team."

As soon as these words left his lips, some connection in my brain was made.  I could not tell why, but I knew that I suddenly had only one goal in mind.

Join Dino Attack Team.

*****

"So you don't remember anything?" said Lisa, blinking. "Not even your own name?"

Rex bit his lip and thought for a moment before answering. "I think that I used to be a scientist," he murmured, "and, as you can see, my memory is intact enough that I can still speak English, so it's not as though my mind is the blank slate of a newly-born infant... it's just... well, it's almost as though I remember the lessons, but I don't remember learning them. I can read, I can speak, I can tie my own shoes... but I can't remember my own name. So, unless I recover from my amnesia, I'm just sticking with 'Rex'."

"A scientist?" repeated Williams. "At least I can see such an occupation being beneficial to Dino Attack Team. They need all the scientists they can get so they can study the Mutant Dinos and figure out the root cause of their mutation. I'm a musician, on the other hand. I once went to Adventurers' Island to see the dinosaurs for inspiration for a song I wanted to write, but that's about as far as my experience goes. Lisa is an actress, and Walker's a director. We're neither scientists nor soldiers; we were drafted into the team by the conscription. You'll probably be a greater asset than the rest of us combined."

Rex shrugged. "Well, I suppose being a scientist would be useful... if I remembered anything more than working with other scientists and waking up in a labcoat in a wrecked research facility. Not that it matters; I'm just happy to serve the team in any way I can."

"Doesn't this worry you at all?" inquired Lisa. "I mean, if I had lost my memory and woke up in a ruined city overrun by dinosaurs, like you did..."

"... then I'd have bigger problems to worry about than my own memory," replied Rex, dismissively waving his hand.

Rex knew he was not telling them the whole truth, but he decided it was for the best. Why should he have to burden them with his own problems? Having nothing, not even memories to look back upon, left him with a terrible, overwhelming emptiness that often kept him awake at night. He often felt as though he was peering into a black hole, fearing that what little remained of him would soon be dragged into the darkness as well. At times, he could feel that it was only his sense of purpose in joining Dino Attack Team that kept him grounded in reality.

Walker nodded.  "I see," he said. "Don't worry; if you happen have any more memory problems in the future, you can count on me to remember everything for you. At least you have an excuse for going by a nickname like 'Rex'. Frankly, I don't get this whole nickname business that some soldiers are so fond of. Why do I have to call you by some ridiculous nickname? How would I look if I went around telling people to call me, uh, 'Classical Snob' instead of Walker? I'd look like a pretentious hipster, wouldn't I?"

"I think this whole 'nickname' thing got started by Alpha Team," suggested Williams. "They have to operate under codenames, being spies and secret agents and all. Quite a few Alpha Team agents were assigned to Dino Attack and were among the first members. Then, when Dino Attack started recruiting from the refugee facilities, some guys must have thought it was standard procedure and signed up under codenames, too."

"I think there's even this one guy," added Lisa, "who insists that everyone call him 'Batman'."

Walker's face turned bright red and contorted into an exaggerated scowl. "That guy? I hate that guy! I ran into him last night in the mess hall, and he wouldn't shut up about his credit card! What's even the point? It's the freakin' apocalypse; nobody cares about your stupid credit card since you can't even buy anything with it now that all the stores are all out of business! And he has the gall to call himself 'Batman'? It's a disgrace! An insult to the name of Batman! And-"

Rex bit his lip. "Uh, does he do this often?" he whispered to Williams and Lisa.

"Oh boy," sighed Williams, "here he goes again. Once Walker goes on a rant, not even the apocalypse itself can stop him."

Lisa rolled her eyes. "We probably shouldn't even get him started on that, or else he'll start ranting about how nonsensical and ridiculous the whole concept of a mutant dinosaur apocalypse is."

Rex laughed. "Let's hope things don't get any more ridiculous than this."

"G'day, mates!"

Rex, Lisa, Williams, and Walker turned around to see a Dino Attack elite agent marching towards them. He wore a sleeveless vest that showed off his arm muscles, with a large knife strapped to his belt. On his head, he wore a wide-brimmed fedora and grinned proudly through a face full of stubble. "Name's Rick, and I'll be trainin' you rookies today!"

"Look out," muttered Walker, "it's the poor man's Johnny Thunder. What pretentious nickname do they call you, 'Adventure'?"

Rick shook his head. "Nah, string bean, but I kinda like the sound of that. Adventure. Now that's a word that perfectly sums me up in one word. Although, 'Testosterone' or 'Explosions' would also work. And that's just what I expect to see from you. Now, I know you're just rookies and one of you is a mighty pretty lady," he paused to wink at Lisa, who returned the gesture, "but by the end of today, I wanna see the Fourth of July out there! No, even better... we'll make our own holiday, one with even more fire and explosions!"

Walker rolled his eyes. "So, we're making a Brichael May film?"

With a gleam in his eye, Rick dramatically pointed at Walker. "Now that's more like it, string bean! We're going out there and makin' the biggest Brichael May film ever to hit theaters!"

Although Williams and Lisa both stifled giggles, the reference was completely lost upon Rex. He frowned in his confusion, wondering if he would have understood what they were talking about if he were not still suffering from amnesia. Then again, he was not sure if he wanted to understand.

"Now," continued Rick, "if you wanted an easy training mission, you should've gone and joined the Headquarters Squad goin' down to Gold City to build an outpost, or maybe you should've gone marchin' up and down the square with that Sarge guy instead. No, what we're gonna do is a real man's work! A large nesting site for those overgrown reptiles has been found downtown at the old shopping center. It's up to us to neutralize the nest and exterminate those buggers before they run wild."

Rick pointed to the jeep parked next to the group. "Now, this beaut here is the Fire Hammer. Unfortunately, it's the only one available in the lot right now; production hasn't yet caught up to demand, though Bill Ding says he's working on that. I'll drive it into battle with you and keep you covered, but the rest of you gotta drive 'em Steel Sprinters instead." With that, he gestured to a nearby group of small ATVs.

The rookies looked on in undisguised disdain. "Hey, now, wait a second," said Lisa, frowning. "You're expecting us to be able to take on mutant dinosaurs... in those things? There's nothing separating the driver from a lizard's jaws! We're supposed to feel safe driving those around the city?"

"Sure," said Rick, shrugging. "Fast, reliable, good for quickly getting out of a pinch. Makes up for a lack of armor with speed and maneuverability. Besides, those reptiles will be the ones needing protection when you're packin' these guns!"

The elite agent handed out weapons to the rookies. They were the not rifles or machine guns that Rex was expecting, but rather futuristic in appearance, colored black and adorned with neon-green lights. They were big and bulky, but Rex was surprised to discover how light one felt in his hands. However, Lisa and Williams struggled to hold them, and Walker outright refused, declaring that his trusty pistol was a much better weapon of choice than some oversized possibly-unreliable prototype.

"Unreliable?" scoffed Rick. "These babies won't fail you! These Sonic Screamers are the products of the latest technology designed specifically to knock those mutants senseless! In fact, they were designed by Specs himself."

Specs. Rex had yet to meet the leader of the Dino Attack Team, but based upon what he heard from his fellow Dino Attack agents, he knew that Specs was a renowned multidisciplinary scientist, an unfaltering commander, and a man to be held in high regard. Looking over the Sonic Screamer in his hands, Rex nodded. "Seems good to me."

This time, Rex was the target of Rick's dramatic index finger. "I like your attitude, mate!" he said as he grinned. Then, scratching his chin, he looked Rex over. "Hey, ain't you that fellow who saved Dr. Einstein using nothin' but rope? That takes some real bricks, son, and that's what I wanna see! Rookies, I'm gonna call this guy 'honcho' because the rest of you should follow his lead!"

Rex suddenly found himself feeling uncomfortable as Williams, Lisa, and Walker all stared at him. Being thought of as a leader or a role model was not something he was accustomed to. He was also surprised that Rick had already heard about his rescue at Mercy Hospital; apparently, even if the other rookies had not yet heard about it, word spread quickly through Dino Attack Team.

Rick clapped his hands together. "Right! Now, let's see... you've got your guns, your vehicles, and you've all been given standard-issue radios, I'm sure-"

"That's correct," said Lisa, nodding as she held up her handheld radio. "My friend Danny showed me how to operate these a few years ago. What frequency should we use?"

"Set your frequencies to 140.15," continued Rick, "and keep those things on at all times. You'll hear some comm chatter from other squads, but that's normal. This way, we can keep in close contact even if we're far apart, and if you're in danger, send out a S.O.S. immediately." He turned away to turn on the radio on the Fire Hammer's dashboard. He also grabbed a bundle of rope, which he casually tossed to Rex. "Here, honcho, see what you can do with this!"

Rex wrapped the length of rope around his torso, allowing both hands to be free. Just as Rick said, he could overhear some chatter on the jeep's radio:

"Come in, Swerve. I repeat: come in, Swerve!"
"We just located four civilians who were trapped in a broken-down elevator at Mindstorms, Inc. We need a rescue vehicle so we can evacuate them out of the city as soon as possible."
"Steer clear of the water. I don't know what's in there, but it's big, it's got tentacles, and it's not friendly."
"Has anyone else seen these black vehicles?"

Then, Rick turned around one last time to face the rookies, and Rex saw that his expression had turned uncharacteristically serious. "Oh, and one more thing," he added. "Just remember. These mutants are practically machines. Killer machines that are programmed to terminate you. Don't bother bargainin' or reasonin' with them, 'cause they don't understand any of that. They don't know fear. They will always go for the kill... so you gotta shoot first."

Rex nodded firmly, remembering the savage behavior of the Mutant Lizards and Raptor he had encountered at Mercy Hospital. He locked and loaded his Sonic Screamer, prepared for battle. I'll stop at nothing until they're extinct once more, he thought with grim determination.

----

Surely, thought Roger Remous, we are cursed.

For only a few weeks, everything was perfect in the Remous family household.  Then suddenly, the world ended.

Was it nuclear war?  Catastrophic weather?  A zombie apocalypse?  No.  It was the most ridiculous and ironic apocalypse a professional paleontologist such as himself could have imagined: dinosaurs.  Out of nowhere, prehistoric beasts swept across the globe, leaving death and destruction in their wake.

Roger's whole neighborhood was decimated.  His house was flattened.  And now, once again… Roger and his sister Amanda were the sole survivors of a terrible Remous family tragedy.  His beloved wife Elisabeth, his son Tyler, his daughter Sarah, his newborn Theresa… gone.  All gone.

Now, Roger sat down next to Amanda.  They were in the cafeteria of a hastily-constructed refugee facility, located in the freezing tundra where the cold-blooded dinosaurs could not get them.  The quality of life here was dismal enough; these facilities were overcrowded and understaffed.

But, Roger suspected that this was not the reason why Amanda had looked so sullen the past few days.  He recognized this look… it was the same one she had throughout her years of post-traumatic depression.  After all it took to bring her back, this was a very alarming development to Roger.

In a vain attempt to lighten the mood, he picked up his sandwich and said, "If the blizzard outside doesn't kill us first, then this so-called 'food' will do the job."

Amanda glanced up at Roger, seemingly asking how he could possibly be joking at a time like this.  Didn't he understand the gravity of their situation?

Roger sighed heavily, putting the sandwich down.  "It helps me cope," he explained.  "I have to be strong.  Doubly so, for your sake as well as mine.  If I'm not strong, then I'll surely collapse under the weight of all we've been through."

Amanda looked down and started picking at her food in the same manner as someone who had already lost their appetite.

"It has been more than anyone should bear," murmured Roger.  "Even though there was nothing I could have done, I still feel survivor's guilt.  I wish I could've been there for them.  Maybe I could've saved them… or maybe we would've been united in death, instead of cruelly separated by fate.  My children… my little children… Elisabeth… oh, Elisabeth…"

In that moment of vulnerability, he became too choked up to continue.  He was overwhelmed with emotion.  He buried his face in his hands in a futile attempt to hide it from Amanda.  How could he be strong for her like this?

Amanda looked up in alarm, and then she leaned in and wrapped her arms around her brother in an effort to comfort him.

Roger chuckled softly as he wiped away a tear on his cheek.  "Perhaps I can't be strong for you any longer.  Now, you're the one who's strong for me."

Amanda intently locked eyes with Roger, reminding him that family looks out for one another.

"Yes," said Roger.  "I just hate the feeling of being powerless.  As I've said before, we can't change the past… we're bound to feel helpless if we try.  That's why I look out for you, because it's something I can do.  That's why I have to be strong.  I just wish there was more I could do."

Roger and Amanda sat together in silent contemplation.  Then, he glanced up at a poster hanging on a nearby wall.  He stood up and walked over to it, taking off his glasses and cleaning their lenses, and got a closer look.  It depicted a stylized capital letter D printed against a lime green background.

He recognized that this was a recruitment poster for D.I.N.O. Attack.  There were many of these posters hanging throughout the facilities, trying to recruit as many volunteers as they could so they would not have to rely so heavily on conscription.  Some of the more cynical refugees even speculated that the less-than-stellar quality of life in these overcrowded facilities was deliberate, to encourage more people to join the team and escape this gilded cage.

As Roger stared at the post, it dawned on him just how appealing the idea could be.  "This is it, Amanda," he realized.  "This is what we need."

He turned to face his sister, who was looking at him quizzically.  "Don't you see?" he exclaimed.  "We don't have to be powerless!  This is our chance to do something, not just sitting helplessly on the sidelines.  We can do our part in ensuring that there will never again be a family taken by this apocalypse.  No one will suffer the losses that we have.  Children will grow up with their whole lives ahead of them… which Tyler, Sarah, and Theresa never got to experience. Never again will these mutants take the life of your dearly beloved better half, as they have with mine.  Elisabeth… this is what she would have wanted."

Amanda stood up and walked over to the poster, examining it alongside Roger.  She gave her brother a skeptical look, a raised eyebrow asking how they would be qualified in fighting prehistoric mutants.

"It's perfect, really," explained Roger.  "I'm a paleontologist; I know these dinosaurs better than nearly everyone else in this cafeteria, and that's not an exaggerated claim.  Furthermore, I've overheard reports of underground nests that Dino Attack has been hesitant to neutralize due to last year's seismic activities; since they've had difficulty finding Power Miners or Rock Raiders to recruit, I'm certain that my studies in seismology would prove useful there.  I'd be able to guide the team, knowing which tunnels are safe and which would be prone to earthquakes or volcanic eruption.  And you, Amanda… you already have a lot of combat experience, don't you?  You know how to use a gun, a knife, a sniper rifle, and other weapons… you'd make a good soldier!"

At this, Amanda winced and averted her gaze.

Roger sighed.  "I didn't mean… Look, I know we both promised that you'd leave that life behind for good.  This… this is something different altogether.  You'll be fighting as part of something far greater than ourselves… a fight to save the world and all those who live in it.  You already have the skills… these are merely tools that can be used for good just as much as for evil.  It's your choice how you use them… and deep down, you already know the right choice to make."

Amanda looked up at Roger as he echoed the words that meant so much to her.

"This isn't just turning over a new leaf… This is redemption."

Now, Amanda seemed to seriously consider it.  Roger watched as the gears turned in her head.

"Once again, the best way to avenge a death is to save a life," said Roger.  "And maybe… just maybe… one of us will do something significant.  Something that will be written about in the history books for future generations.  Everyone will know Amanda Remous as the hero, long after the world has forgotten about villains like Silencia Venomosa and Don Bricassius.  And I promise to be right here beside you for as long as you need me."

Now, Amanda no longer seemed depressed.  She stood upright, her hands clenched into fists and a firm expression on her face.  Roger saw her confidence restored, but where there was once cold indifference to the world around her, there was now a fierce determination.  She looked… heroic, even.  It was as though she came to terms with who she was and what she could become.  She turned to face her brother and nodded.  She was going to do it.

Now that he had finally saved Amanda, it was time for Roger to save the world.  "Welcome to the Dino Attack cause," declared Roger, "my dear sister."

----

"We need backup!"
"Since when do T-Rexes shoot lasers from their eyes?"
"Excuse me! I'm in need of medical attention!"
"There's a raptor nest here, but some street gang keeps harassing us and won't let us neutralize it. Requesting authorization for... uh, aggressive negotiations."
"I'll slay every last one of you dragons!"
"Never give up, never surrender!"
"Did Zed just join Dino Attack Team?"

Just a few moments ago, the parking lot outside the ruined shopping center had been as quiet and still as the grave. Rex thought it was incredible how the arrival of Rick and his squad suddenly transformed the area into a chaotic battleground.

He steered his Steel Sprinter through the maze of rubble and abandoned cars, but the remains of downtown's pre-apocalyptic days were the least of his concerns. All around him, dozens of ferocious Mutant Lizards snapped their jaws at him, sometimes missing by mere inches. The air was filled with snarling and hissing as the lizards pursued their prey.

Rex took aim with his Sonic Screamer and fired. Without any prior experience in firearms, he struggled to aim the large weapon, but luckily, the lizards were so numerous that nearly every shot was guaranteed to hit a target. He already taken down a few, but for every one he shot down, another took its place.

"Looks like we've stirred the hive!" he called out as a pack of Mutant Lizards chased after his Steel Sprinter. Fortunately, the sounds of growling and hissing gave way to the firing of the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher as Rick's Fire Hammer provided cover.

"Yeah!" Rick's voice rang out on the radio. "How do you little buggers like that? There's plenty more where that came from, so come get some!"

"There's plenty more where they came from, too!" retorted Walker, who drove past Rex with at least dozen Mutant Lizards pursuing him.

Rex drove after Walker and tried to provide backup. He successfully shot down a few of the lizards, but was suddenly forced to swerve to the left to avoid a flying glob of acid. Turned around, he fired upon the lizard that had spat at him.

As the mutant fell, Rex took note of its yellow scales. He remembered that the acid-spitting lizard he and Einstein had encountered in Mercy Hospital was also yellow. "Interesting," he murmured under his breath, wondering if the colors of the lizards' scales denoted particular strains of the mutation.

"Hey, Walker!" Rex heard Lisa's voice on the radio. "Just pretend they're all carrying credit cards!" Seconds later, gunshots rang out as Walker started madly firing his pistol while yelling incoherently, followed by the sounds of screeching lizards.

Rex laughed and shook his head, impressed that Lisa's idea had worked so successfully. Then, frowning, his glanced around and looked for Williams, whose Steel Sprinter was nowhere to be seen. He briefly listened to the comm chatter, hoping to hear Williams' voice.

"... until SUDDENLY DINOSAURS."
"That's odd. Are the trains still running?"
"Bogey on my six. Get this reptile off of me!"
"Dinosaur activity has been reported at Enchanted Island. I'd recommend sending a squad of six heroes to take care of the problem."
"Last one to the Res-Q station is a rotten egg!"
"Nah, I think that was Raines."
"Dinosaurs, Francis! They're mutant dinosaurs, not dragons!"
"What? Don't be an idiot!"
"Hey, don't use that word. Say 'cool dude' instead."
"Did they send me children when I asked for men?"

"Williams!" Rex called out, feeling worried. "What's your stat-"

He was cut off by the unexpected sound of music. A bombastic military march resonated through the air as another Steel Sprinter raced past him. Rex felt relieved when he recognized the ATV's driver as Williams.

"Hey, are you playin' music, mate?" inquired Rick.

"Why not? I figured it could boost morale and make the action even more exciting," explained Williams.

"And it's workin', alright!" said Rick, laughing. "Why didn't I think of this? Remind me to install some subwoofers in the back of this Fire Hammer when we get back to the garage. Life calls for some adventure music!"

Rex steered his Street Sprinter around an overturned pickup truck and was immediately greeted by a group of Mutant Lizards. They eyed him hungrily, sneering with sharp teeth. He aimed his Sonic Screamer at them but did not get a chance to shoot.

A large van barreled through the parking lot towards them, plowing through everything in its path. Rex swerved out of the way even as the lizards scattered to avoid being run over. As it passed, he could see that the van was covered with makeshift armor composed of steel plates, lattices, and chains. The windows were barred and he could not make out the faces of those inside.

Just as quickly as it had arrived, the armored van was gone. Incredulous, Rex spoke into the radio. "Rick, did you see that van? It doesn't look like a Dino Attack vehicle to me."

"I'd reckon it's one of them survivors," suggested Rick. "Most civilians are still unaccounted for. Those who haven't been rescued and evacuated over the past two weeks learned to fend for themselves and make use of whatever scraps they can salvage."

Rex nodded. "How resourceful," he murmured. "We could use more men like that in the team."

"I found one of the nests!" reported Lisa. "It's over by-"

Rex did not hear the rest of the message. A Mutant Lizard with black scales screeched shrilly before pouncing onto the front of his Steel Sprinter. Startled, Rex scrambled to point his Sonic Screamer at the creature, but with a swing of its tail, it knocked the weapon out of his hand. Growling, it bared its teeth at him.

Thinking quickly, Rex slammed on the brakes. As the ATV skidded to a stop, the lizard was flung off his vehicle and landed beside a large black truck. The impact left the lizard with a large scratch across its snout. It was back on its feet in seconds and snarled angrily, ready to attack once more.

Adrenaline kicked in as Rex found himself in the primal choice between fight or flight. His eyes narrowed, he gritted his teeth, and he balled his hands into fists as he made his decision. Although he had lost his weapon, he was not going to back down. In an attempt to intimidate his opponent, he yelled: "Get some, you freak of nature!"

Then, a gaping red eye opened on the side of the large black form that, Rex now realized to his horror, was not actually a truck but rather the head of a colossal beast. Rudely awakened from its slumber, it produced a deep, guttural rumbling from its throat. Then, it lifted itself off the pavement and reached towards the heavens, bellowing an earth-shaking roar like the sound of thunder.

The Mutant Lizard screeched in terror and scampered away as quickly as it could.

Rex was awestruck by the sight, finding that he could not help but admire the behemoth. Such raw power, such unbound strength. A feral force of nature with the terrible wrath of a hurricane. "It's... beautiful..." he whispered, unable to pull his eyes away.

"It's a MegaBloking T-Rex!" screamed Walker. "Retreat!"

Rick laughed, almost maniacally. "Now this is more like it! C'mon, mates! Let's give it a burl!"

"Are you mad?" gasped Lisa. "You're gonna get us all killed!"

"What's the matter, sheila? Afraid of dyin' young? March forward, Williams! Tear those lizards apart, Lisa! Keep firing that pistol, Walker! And Rex, you-"

Rex did not hear his order, as it was cut off by the Mutant T-Rex's second roar. He shook his head, snapping himself out of his awed stupor and back into a very dangerous present reality. The T-Rex leered down upon him, and Rex was willing to bet that, after being rudely awoken by screeching and shouting, it was not in a pleasant mood.

The T-Rex raised one massive foot, easily the size of the Steel Sprinter, and Rex suddenly knew that he would be crushed like an insect if he did not act in that instant. He threw the ATV into reverse and floored it, backing away just before the foot came crashing down upon the pavement. The whole city block shook with the impact.

Even if Rick thought that a team of rookies in ATVs could possibly take down a T-Rex on their first mission, Rex knew that he would be dead meat if he did not regroup with the others. Shifting the gear back into drive, he turned around and sped away, making a hasty retreat.

The Mutant T-Rex roared in indignation. Daring to glance over his shoulder, Rex saw that the dinosaur was now pursuing him. Each footfall of the great beast felt like the firing of a cannon as it crushed everything in its path, leaving a trail of debris in its wake. Although the Steel Sprinter had a head start, the small vehicle would quickly be overtaken.

Unless...

Rex remembered what Rick had said about the Steel Sprinter ATVs: their greatest strengths were speed and maneuverability. It would not be fast enough to escape a T-Rex, but a beast that size would have difficulty reacting to the movements of a smaller, more agile target.

With that thought in mind, Rex waited until the T-Rex had nearly caught up to him before making a sudden sharp turn to the right. Sure enough, the T-Rex's bulk made it difficult for it to react, and so Rex was able to buy himself a few extra seconds as the dinosaur's momentum carried it in the wrong direction.

In those extra seconds, Rex came up with a plan. He unlimbered the rope that he had wrapped around his torso as he made another sharp turn to throw off the T-Rex again, then began tying it into a lasso. In his head, he could see the scenario playing out perfectly as he used the Steel Sprinter's agility to his advantage, weaving in and out between the T-Rex's legs while wrapping the rope around its ankles. "The greater the beast," he murmured to himself, "the harder he will-"

A shrill screech was the only warning Rex had before a dark shape hit him. Suddenly, he bore a great weight on his back and struggled to keep himself from falling off his vehicle. Straining his neck, he glanced over his shoulder and saw the face of a black-scaled Mutant Lizard staring back at him, with a familiar scratch across its snout.

"Great," Rex muttered. "The last thing I needed was an uninvited hitchhiker."

He tried to shake the lizard off his back, but it clung on tightly even as he swerved the Steel Sprinter left and right like a drunkard. The lizard tried to snap at him, so Rex responded with a quick punch to its snout. This only enraged the creature, which snarled and started to claw at him.

Rex realized that he would not have a chance to use the rope against the T-Rex as he had planned if the Mutant Lizard killed him first. Gritting his teeth, he threw his lasso up at the hissing, scratching, biting creature on his back, and then tugged with all of his strength. The lasso had wrapped around the lizard's neck. Feeling itself caught, the lizard began writhing wildly in an attempt to get loose, but its erratic movements only got itself tangled in the rope.

"Yes!" whispered Rex, grinning in triumph as the Mutant Lizard screeched again.

And then everything went black.

It was a strange sensation, to say the least. Rex could still hear, feel, and smell the world around him, so he knew that he was still alive and conscious, and there was nothing that hit him or could have otherwise impaired his vision. His eyes were wide open, and yet, as if he had been blindfolded, he had lost his sight and became trapped in a world of pitch-black darkness.

He remembered a similar incident in Mercy Hospital. Could it be the black-scaled Mutant Lizard that was casting this field of shadow?

With a feeling of panic, Rex realized that he was still driving his Steel Sprinter through a debris-filled city with a Mutant Lizard on his back and a Mutant T-Rex chasing him... and he was completely blind while doing so.

He scrambled through the darkness to pick up his radio. "Mayday!" he shouted. "Mayday! I'm driving blind and-"

CRASH!

Rex's stomach lurched as he felt a brief sensation of flying through the air before crashing down upon the ground. At once, his sight returned to him, and he was seeing stars. He ached all over and felt as though a rockslide had fallen on his head. Still, he was alive, and he found the strength to slowly pick himself up and look around, trying to get his bearings.

He found himself in what appeared to be a small deli, though much of the food was gone, most likely scavenged by survivors or dinosaurs. There was broken glass all over the floor, and he winced as he wondered if he had crashed through the window and potentially cut himself with glass shards. Fortunately, with most of his skin covered by his Dino Attack uniform, he appeared to be safe in that regard, though he was still sure that he must have been bruised from head to toe.

He found his Steel Sprinter, overturned and nestled between a smashed table and pair of chairs. Although Rex was no mechanic, he was willing to wager that it was in no condition to drive. Searching through the wreckage, he recovered his radio.

"This is agent Rex," he spoke into the radio. "My Steel Sprinter crashed in a deli on... uh..." He poked his head outside the building just for a moment to look for a street sign. "It's a deli called 'Tzenovich's Sandwiches' on Playwell Avenue. Please send help!"

In response, he only received white noise. There was not even any comm chatter from other squads.

Rex bit his lip. He prayed that the radio did not break during the crash. It appeared to be working, with a frequency set to 141.12, but for whatever reason, he could not contact his teammates. Worried, he paced around the deli as he considered his options.

If he left the deli, he would leave himself at the mercy of a dangerous city overrun by dinosaurs. If he stayed in the deli, he had no idea how long it would take before he could be found, and would he be found first by Dino Attack or by a hungry dinosaur?

Rex was so lost in his own thoughts that he nearly tripped over a body lying on the floor. Snapping back to reality, he regained his balance and then looked down to see who it was.

It was the black-scaled Mutant Lizard. It was still alive, but the creature was so tangled in rope that it could barely move. Several large shards of glass were embedded in its tail, which bled onto the floor.

Immediately, Rex knew what had to be done. He ran behind the counter and found a large knife for cutting bread and meat. Then, he walked back to the lizard, stood over its body, raised the knife, and prepared to end the miserable creature's life.

The Mutant Lizard stared back up at him. It whimpered softly and slightly raised its injured tail off the floor in a futile effort to ward him off.

Rex's hand stayed. Here he was, finally able to bring an end to this monster that had caused him so much trouble. This was doing his part to save the world from the threat of these beasts. So why was it so hard for him to finish the job?

Rex shut his eyes, and his breathing became heavy. "Just do it!" he whispered to himself through clenched teeth, but his arm muscles would not obey. He stole just one more glance downward at the pitiful creature.

There was no mistaking it now: there was fear in the Mutant Lizard's eyes.

He could not handle it anymore. Rex threw the knife down upon the floor, and it rang with a clatter when it hit the tiles. Angry with himself for his own weakness, he let out a disgusted sound as he sat down beside the lizard and buried his face in his hands.

Out there in the shopping center's parking lot, when it was Rex and four other soldiers up against a whole nest of Mutant Lizards, he did not find it difficult to shoot them down. It was different then. To him, they were a bunch of nameless, faceless, mindless monsters driven by urges to destroy and kill, and he was doing his proud duty to the world by exterminating them. The only thing holding him back was his inexperience in aiming firearms, for he surely could have taken even more lizards down if he had been trained beforehand.

However, this particular Mutant Lizard, which now lay beside him in a tangled mess of rope, was more than just a faceless shadow. Twice, it had pounced onto his Steel Sprinter and tried to kill him. The first time, they inadvertently woke up a T-Rex. The second time, they crashed into the deli and left him stranded without radio contact. For all intents and purposes, Rex knew that he had more reason to want to kill this particular lizard for all the trouble that it had caused him.

And yet, when he stood there over its fallen, vulnerable form, and they looked at each other eye-to-eye... he suddenly found himself unable to perform the act of ending this creature's life.

But why?

Rex glanced back at the Mutant Lizard beside him, which was still staring warily at him. "Why," he murmured, "would a mindless killing machine know fear?"

He exhaled slowly as an epiphany dawned upon him. Dino Attack's purpose is to destroy these monsters, he thought. How can we achieve that goal if we let ourselves become monsters in the process?

The tremors of great footsteps snapped Rex out of his thoughts. He looked out the broken window to see a Mutant T-Rex, most likely the very one that they had woken up, prowling Playwell Avenue. The beast's red eyes scanned the street and shops for prey, and Rex guessed that it was hoping to find those two pesky nuisances who dared to disturb its sleep.

I'm too close to the window, thought Rex. If it sees me, it can just poke its snout in and swallow me whole! Slowly, he rose to his feet, then took a couple steps back. He froze when he heard the high-pitched crunch of glass beneath his boots. The T-Rex instantly turned its head in his direction, and he could feel its red eyes boring into him.

Once more, the primal instinct of flight or fight kicked in, and this time, Rex knew that flight was the appropriate response. He turned on his heel and sprinted towards the deli counter, as far away from the broken window as he could get. However, halfway there, he skidded to a stop and glanced back at the Mutant Lizard on the floor, still helpless and tied up in rope. Already, the T-Rex had lumbered towards the deli.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," he muttered.

Before he could second-guess himself, Rex was running back to the Mutant Lizard's form. He grabbed the ropes and tugged with all of his might, dragging the lizard across the floor and towards the counter.

He did not get very far before the T-Rex poked its head in through the window. A pair of great nostrils loomed over Rex and the lizard, sniffing the air between them. Razor-sharp jaws were mere inches away, and he could taste its rancid breath as hot air washed over him. Fortunately, the window was not large enough to allow the beast to get any closer.

Beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, Rex continued to tug at the ropes and pull the Mutant Lizard to safety, putting as much distance as he could between them and the T-Rex's jaws. He did not stop until they were both hidden behind the counter.

The Mutant T-Rex let out a low growl as its prey literally slipped out from under its nose. Then, to Rex's relief, it pulled its head out of the deli and resumed lumbering down Playwell Avenue. While he had no doubt that the T-Rex could have easily ripped the building from its foundation, he guessed that, perhaps, the towering behemoth had decided that a pair of scrawny snacks would not have been worth the effort.

Rex's heartbeat did not return to normal until the beast's great footfalls were distant and no longer shook the street. Only then did he let out a long sigh, easing his tense muscles.

The trail of blood along the floor drew his attention back to the Mutant Lizard's tail. He pursed his lips. It would have been pointless to save the lizard from the T-Rex's jaws only to have the poor creature die from blood loss. He bent down and gently laid one hand on the lizard's tail. Then, with the other, he carefully grabbed the largest of the glass shards embedded in its flesh, then slowly pulled it out.

As he predicted, the lizard screeched and writhed in pain, but he kept his hand placed firmly on the tail, holding it in place so it would not hurt itself. "Hush," he whispered. "I know this hurts, but I'm trying to help you." He knew that the lizard would not understand his words, but he hoped it could understand his tone.

One by one, in a slow and meticulous procedure, Rex removed each glass fragment from the lizard's tail. They left deep, open cuts in the flesh, so when he was finished, Rex ripped off his left shirt sleeve and wrapped the fabric around the lizard's tail. It was, by no means, a sterile bandage, and he wondered if the wounds would become infected, but at the very least he hoped that it would help stop the bleeding.

"There we go," he murmured, gently patting the lizard. "That's better, isn't it?"

The lizard stared at him, then quickly glanced at a few strips of corned beef laid out on top of the counter.

Rex nodded, understanding what it wanted. He stood, took the corned beef, and put it down beside the lizard. It sniffed tentatively at the meat, then snapped it up in a couple quick bites.

Once more, Rex sat down beside the Mutant Lizard. He took out his radio and looked it over one more time. He sighed, shaking his head. It did not appear to be damaged. No dents, no snapped parts, no missing pieces. It just simply was not picking up anything at the frequency of 141.12...

"Wait a second, that's not right."

Rex blinked as a realization dawned upon him. For several minutes, he adjusted a dial and set the frequency to various different numbers before finally settling upon 140.15. Instantly, the radio crackled to life with comm chatter:

"Don't be ridiculous. He's got to be, what, a hundred years old by now? I don't care if he'd be up for a quest next year; he's too old to be fighting dinosaurs."
"Seriously, are you two still arguing about that?"
"I swear, this whole thing is just a shameless rip-off of that one movie with the dragons!"
"I love the smell of dinosaurs in the morning!"
"How many times do I have to tell you? This comm chatter is for serious discussions only. No more movie quotes or pop-culture references!"
"Ah, you're no fun anymore!"
"I repeat: come in, Rex, do you read me?"
"Backup has arrived!"

"Loud and clear, Rick!" Rex spoke into the radio. "This is Rex!"

Rick responded with a hearty laugh. "Honcho! You had us - uh, I mean, you had the other rookies worried! What happened?"

"I got blindsided by a Mutant Lizard and crashed my Steel Sprinter," explained Rex. "I've got more bruises than I'd care to mention, but otherwise I'm okay. The Steel Sprinter's busted, though, and it took a while to get the radio working again... the crash must have knocked it off the right frequency. I'm in a deli called Tzenovich's Sandwiches, located on Playwell Avenue."

"Stay where you are, mate," ordered Rick. "We're comin' for you! Now, just hang on tight, and we'll be there as soon as we can!"

With a sigh of relief, all tension seemed to leave Rex's body. They were on their way, and he would be rescued.

Then, he turned back to look at the Mutant Lizard. It still stared at him, unable to move or escape from the rope knotted around its form. Rex frowned. When Rick and the rookies arrived, they would surely notice that the creature was still alive, and he could not be sure that they would understand why.

Rex sighed. "You're nothing but trouble, aren't you?"

Slowly, he rose to his feet and returned to the broken window, where he retrieved the knife. Then, he walked back to the lizard, bent down, and solemnly raised the blade once more.

I can't take any chances, he decided. I have to do this now.

And he cut the rope.

No sooner had he done so that the Mutant Lizard sprang to its feet again and then pounced upon him, tackling him to the floor. Caught by surprise, Rex dropped the knife and now lay pinned beneath the lizard's claws. His heart pounded in his ears and he swallowed hard, knowing that he had just made a foolish mistake and was about to pay the ultimate price. The lizard locked eyes with him and pulled back its lips, hissing as it bared its teeth.

And then, to Rex's astonishment, the Mutant Lizard turned and scampered away.

Rex lay on the floor for a few more moments, unable to do anything more than blink in incredulity. He could not believe what just happened. The Mutant Lizard did not go for the kill.

When his breathing returned to normal, he stood and walked to the broken window. He only caught a brief glimpse of the black-scaled Mutant Lizard, with his left sleeve still wrapped around part of its tail. It briefly glanced back in his direction before quickly disappearing into a dark alley. Where was it going? Off to stir up more trouble for Dino Attack Team, he supposed.

Despite himself, Rex chuckled softly as he shook his head. "That's right. That's what you are. Trouble."

Only a few minutes later, Rex heard a triumphant militaristic march announce the arrival of the rest of his squad. The Fire Hammer, followed by three Steel Sprinters, parked in front of the deli.

Rick climbed out of the jeep, looked Rex over, and grinned. "Well, there you are, honcho. Too bad you missed out on all the fun!"

Rex wiped sweat off his forehead and shrugged. "I think I've had plenty of fun today."

Walker rolled his eyes. "Yeah, 'fun' is one way to describe it."

Williams smiled gently. "It's a relief to see that you're alright, Rex."

Lisa ran up to him with a worried look on her face and started asking a dozen questions too quickly for him to answer any. "Oh my First Builders! What happened to you? Are you okay? Were there any dinos? Why wasn't your radio working? I was trying a bunch of radio frequencies to reach you! What happened to your shirt? You're missing a whole sleeve!"

Rick laughed, patting Rex on the shoulder. "I see you just wanted to show off a little manly muscle, eh? Good on you! Keep followin' my lead, and you'll be an elite agent in no time!"

"I don't think being sleeveless has anything to do with ranking," muttered Walker.

"And that little bugger who blindsided you," continued Rick, "I trust you took care of it, right?"

Rex nodded firmly. "I took care of it, sir." That was all he said.

"Good, good," said Rick, grinning. "Now, you see, I could have easily beaten it with my bare hands the same way I wrestled 'em crocs back home, but I imagine you city folk don't see much of them, so this was a very good learnin' experience for you!"

"Yes," murmured Rex. "It was a very good learning experience."

Rick clapped his hands together. "Alright, rookies! I'd say this trainin' mission went brilliantly! Let's get back to base, because you earned a good rest. Be up bright and early tomorrow mornin', though, because we still got plenty to do! Another day, another adventure!"

With a beckoning gesture, Lisa said, "Come on, Rex. Let's take you away from this place."

Since they were now one vehicle short, Lisa volunteered to let Rex drive her Steel Sprinter while she took the passenger seat in Rick's Fire Hammer. Dino Attack Team would later retrieve the crashed ATV from the deli and bring it back to base for repairs.

As he climbed onto the Steel Sprinter, Rex leaned in close to Williams, who was parked right next to him. "What do you think about all of this?" he whispered.

Williams frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Exterminating the Mutant Dinos," explained Rex. "I mean, I understand why we're doing it... after all, they created the apocalypse... but maybe they're not the monsters we make them out to be. Perhaps they're just wild and confused animals trying to act on instinct in a world that's 65 million years beyond them. I don't think Rick, Walker, or Lisa would understand, and I'm asking you because... well..."

Williams chuckled. "I strike you as the sort of fellow who would rather see the dinosaurs as majestic, beautiful beings than dark, evil monsters?"

"Well... yes."

Williams shook his head. "I cannot deny that what we're dealing with is no ordinary outbreak of prehistoric reptiles. For whatever reason, these aren't like the dinosaurs at Adventurers' Island. These are mutants, and they seem far more volatile and vicious than their natural brethren."

"I know," sighed Rex, "but that being said... perhaps we should be focusing on capturing them and studying them so we can learn about their true nature and finding a cure for the mutation... you know, instead of just mindlessly killing them. It's the apocalypse, but we can't afford to sacrifice our humanity and become monsters in our fight for survival."

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness," murmured Williams. "Only light can do that."

Rex's eyes widened, and he nodded. "Yes, exactly!"

Williams smiled gently. "For what it's worth, Rex, I do believe that, in the end, life will find a way. It always does. And life... life is an awfully big adventure."

As the Dino Attack agents started up their engines and departed from Playwell Avenue, Rex shot one last glance down the dark alley where the Mutant Lizard had gone. He thought he might have imagined it, but he saw a pair of eyes in the shadows watching him leave.

For some reason, Rex thought, I've got a feeling that I haven't seen the last of that Mutant Lizard.

He continued to let his mind wander as he followed the others back to Dino Attack Headquarters. If we ever saw each other again, would we recognize one another? Yes, of course we would. So long as my left sleeve is still wrapped around that lizard's tail, I'd certainly recognize him. When we return to base, maybe I'll have the opportunity to speak with the founding members about this. I could try appealing to Specs' scientific nature. Perhaps, even, they could grant me permission to catch that little troublemaker the next time I see him. That way, we could study him and learn the truth about this mutation. We could certainly learn a lot more from a living specimen. Who knows? I might even learn how to train a Mutant Lizard!

Rex smiled to himself as he reflected upon Williams' words.

Life is an awfully big adventure.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 1: The Kotua Crisis

Chapter 1: Looking for Trouble

----

Rex hopped into the Iron Predator. He was ready for action. So far, he had seen none of the Mutant Dinos, not even the Mutant Lizards, but Rex knew the day was just beginning...

Only a few weeks had passed since Rex's first assignment as a Dino Attack rookie. In that time, he participated in dozens of missions and quickly climbed the ranks to become an elite agent. Now, he looked up to by his teammates and considered among the best of the best soldiers in the team, trusted to lead squads into battle, coordinate strategies, and personally man the impressive Iron Predator tank. He had worked hard to get here and was proud of his accomplishments, but he knew that this was no excuse to take it easy. After all, the hard work had only just begun.

Rex breathed in the cool morning air and let it out in a long, content sigh. Every day in the life of a Dino Attack agent was an exciting day. So many adventures, so many stories to tell. And, as more and more people signed up for the team, he could share these experiences with them. All of them fighting together in this worldwide war… that would be the greatest story of them all.

Smiling, Rex logged into the Dino Attack database to see who were the newest recruits to the team. "Time to see who I'll be sharing my story with today," he murmured.

Rex looked at the Agent Database. Two new agents had joined the Dino Attack Team: Kotua and Venom. "Well," Rex said to himself, "I'd better go and meet them!"

But suddenly, a Mutant Raptor appeared in front of Rex. He launched a net, careful not to hurt the Mutant Raptor. With its deadly claws and teeth tied up, Rex loaded the dino into his Iron Predator. "In time, I'll learn how to tame Raptors..." he said to himself. He checked the database again to see that agent Sereve had joined the team.

----

Kotua walked towards his Urban Avenger. Kotua had just gotten the vehicle, and needed to install an aiming system, as he had poor aim.

Soon, he began working on the vehicle. Little did he notice a Mutant Lizard approaching...

Kotua put a small computer system on the Urban Avenger, and began wiring it to the lens he had attached to the weapon on top. Kotua had added a few weapons on the side, mostly missiles to distract the Dinos and lizards. After finishing, Kotua hoped into his vehicle.

Kotua heard something, and turned around. A Mutant Lizard was running towards him! Kotua quickly turned on the engine, and drove the Urban Avenger out of the way of the lizard. Finally, a mutant animal appears, thought Kotua.

He activated his weaponry and began firing at the Lizard. The Lizard avoided most blasts and hopped onto the front of the Urban Avenger.

"Hey! The paint was barely put on yesterday!" said Kotua. Immediately, he drove the Urban Avenger in reverse, making the Lizard fall off.

"I hate to do this..." said Kotua, driving the Urban Avenger forward. The Lizard jumped onto the Urban Avenger again.

D'oh! thought Kotua.

Kotua began firing at it, forcing the Mutant Lizard to jump off the Urban Avenger.

Kotua drove in reverse, and then drove towards the Mutant Lizard, firing at it. The lizard ran off, but Kotua chased it through the street, avoiding parts of the city that were on fire. Kotua kept on firing at the lizard, until it finally collapsed.

"Yeah! I took one down!" said Kotua, getting off the Urban Avenger. He walked towards the Mutant Lizard.

Suddenly, he heard a roar. He felt the ground shake. A Mutant T-Rex walked towards him.

Kotua ran towards his Urban Avenger, and drove in reverse, and then turned around and drove towards the Dino Attack HQ, with the T-Rex running close behind...

Kotua drove through the streets. A fact sank in:

He was lost.

Man, next time I'm putting a shield and an electronic map in this thing... hey! I still got my weaponry! thought Kotua.

Kotua pressed a button on the computer, and the missiles turned to face the rear. Hopefully this will distract it... thought Kotua. He pressed a button, and two missiles flew out. They hit the T-Rex and exploded harmlessly. The T-Rex stopped, surprised by the explosions. Soon, it was after Kotua.

Kotua drove like crazy all over the city, until...

SMASH!

Kotua drove through an abandoned fire station and crashed into a Lizard nest. "I need to put an airbag or something on this thing," muttered Kotua, getting out of his Urban Avenger, and realizing where he was. Had he looked towards the front of the Urban Avenger earlier, he would have noticed the Mutant Lizards moving towards him.

Kotua walked out of the fire station to look for the T-Rex. After making sure the T-Rex was gone, Kotua turned to get on his Urban Avenger.

He screamed and backed away slowly, because Mutant Lizards were walking towards him, and they seemed hungry, very hungry...

----

Venom ran around the broken city of Chicago, searching for an experiment lab called Mutation Lab. It seemed so far away. When Venom reached it, he hacked a computer and got in the lab when he could have stayed in the safety of the outside.

Venom ran out of the Mutation Lab, hoping the dino in there never would come out. But sure enough, the strange hybrid dino came out.

The Mutant Dino, which Venom had nicknamed the "Dino-Nui", was a huge dino about 100 feet high and 150 feet long. It had the head and lower jaw of a Mutant T-Rex; the upper jaw of a Mutant Raptor; the wings of a Mutant Pteranodon; and the body, tail, and limbs with features of all three Mutant Dinos. Venom had also found out that the Dino-Nui could create an electric shock that can destroy anyone in ten seconds.

Venom had just encountered it. He knew it was powerful and was running as fast as he could. He was hoping he could find his Fire Hammer soon. Little did he notice that the Dino-Nui wasn't the only thing after him.

Venom jumped over a blast from the Dino-Nui. He had just left Chicago and was in an underground subway tunnel in LEGO City. He arrived at the Smithsonian Station. But that wasn't where his attention was focused. It was on the Dino-Nui.

The Dino Nui spat lightning bolts all over the room. Venom managed to jump over them, only to be hit with another round. Venom was only shocked for a second, then he jumped up and tried to kick the Dino-Nui on the jaw. The Dino-Nui responded with a stun blast; it was lucky that it only wanted him paralyzed, not dead. Venom almost saw the Mutant Raptors run over him before he fell, stunned.

Fortunately, Venom heard the sounds of gunfire. A Dino Attack squad stationed at the Smithsonian Station were quick to respond to the Mutant Dino threat. Although Venom could not move his muscles, agents Connors and Anju quickly lifted him up and slung his arms over their shoulders, carrying him to safety.

"We're getting you out of here," promised Connors. She glanced back at the battle that was unfolding. The Mutant Raptors were defeated, but the Dino-Nui was just getting angry. "Your survival depends on it."

"Thanks…" Venom said, his speech slurred.

Anju laughed humorlessly. "Just another day of staving off our impending doom, right?" she asked.

----

Sereve walked toward his Urban Avenger, helmet in hand, confident not to mess up this mission as he had the last one. Though he killed a dino, he also destroyed half of the base. It wasn't his fault he missed the shot, though. A Mutant Lizard was on top of his Sonic Screamer and knocked it off target, hitting the base. That little pest became roadkill several seconds later. Sereve hopped in his Urban Avenger, helmet on, opened one of the many garages lining the rear of the Dino Attack Team base, and then drove off to the next mission.

While Rex was checking the database, agent Sereve drove up at top speed, came to screeching halt, and then asked, "What did I miss?"

"Not much," said Rex, "just my latest catch. Name's Rex, nice to meet you."

As Sereve watched Rex leave, he decided to go back to his home town, Chicago, to reflect on what's happened to him over the years. And maybe kick some Dino butt.

----

Kai heard a loud thump. He heard another. And another. The thumps were getting closer. Kai turned around and saw a Mutant T-Rex. He attempted stunning the T-Rex with the Sonic Screamer. No use. It started chasing him.

"Bad day, bad day, bad day!" he yelled, as he took tight turns to lose the dinosaur. He swiveled his Screamer and fired at the T-Rex repeatedly in hopes of deafening it. His efforts were futile. While keeping his eyes on the road, he rummaged through his glove compartment -- and found a grenade. He pulled the pin and hurled it at the dinosaur, but inertia made him miss.

BOOM.

Next thing he knew, he still had the monstrous dinosaur gaining on him, and only a dozen Mutant Lizard carcasses between them. Nearby was Kotua, staring open-mouthed at what just happened.

Kotua watched Kai's Urban Avenger leave, and he walked towards his own Urban Avenger, shocked.

Kotua decided to drive back to the HQ, and took off at high speeds. Soon, he arrived at the HQ garage. He drove the vehicle in, and began adding a map system among other upgrades.

----

Several days later, Sereve reached Chicago, which was a smoky foggy wasteland. The Sears tower was gone. The top of the building was on the ground. He looked around with tears in his eyes. Then he remembered his old home. He sped off to the suburbs into his cul de sac where he used to live. He reached his house, which was in complete ruins. His whole family was dead from the lizards' rampage. He got out of his Urban Avenger, and knelt before the ruins of the place he was raised for most of his life. He started sobbing, until he heard a faint "Ruff!"

He looked up, gasped, and said, "Bailey?"

As the barking continued, he ran to where it was coming from, until it was loudest under a pile of charred wood. He dug through the wood like a bulldozer until he found a cute little dusty black-and-white dog shivering in fear. And when he saw Sereve, he jumped on the Dino Attack agent and started moaning with sadness. He said to the dog, "I know, Bailey, I know. Come on. Let's go home."

Sereve then strapped him in another seat, drove him to the Dino Attack base, went through the doors and said, "Bailey, welcome to your new house!"

Bailey then started running around ready to explore. But there was one problem: what will the guys think of him? "Oh well! We'll just have to wait and find out!" And so they waited for everyone to get back.

----

Kai did a diagnostic on his vehicle. Screamer, wheels, body... everything was good. He drove out of his garage, towards the site of carnage.

Kai checked around. The T-Rex had disappeared... somehow. He had a rough day and decided to return to base and fix up his roughly damaged car. Not only that, he would not like seeing the T-Rex again.

----

While tracking one Mutant Lizard, Rex found that another agent - Kai - had joined the team. "The more, the merrier!" he said to himself. Then, as he cornered the Mutant Lizard, a dozen more Lizards surrounded him. "Err, forget what I just said!" He fired the Iron Predator's Cryothermic Cannon to distract them, then launched nets to trap them - without hurting them.

Rex brought the trapped dinos to his small hideout: an abandoned prison complex on the LEGO City coast. Here, he kept the dinos when they were not being trained. And still, he only managed to tame the Mutant Lizards. He also fed the dinos daily. Some of the dinos - especially those which were tamed - he gave nicknames, such as Lizzy, Marlin, Toothy, and Terry.

To most of his teammates, he could not explain why he tamed dinos instead of killing them; those who knew about his tendency simply regarded it as a very strange habit.  But he knew why he did it, and his mind wandered back to his first assignment as a rookie Dino Attack agent…

Rex had found out that Hyrode had just joined. He wondered how many more agents would join. Then, he set to work feeding one of his captured Mutant Pterosaurs - Terry, Rex called him. After he finished feeding the others - and making sure those two particularly nasty Mutant Raptors would stop fighting - he hopped into the Iron Predator and drove off.

----

Kotua then started repainting the Urban Avenger, as the Mutant Lizards had scraped part of the paint off. "Annoying little creatures," he muttered as he painted his vehicle.

Sereve decided to introduce Bailey to the gang. Sereve picked up the small dog and carried him into the garage where Kotua was painting his Urban Avenger. Sereve walked in the door and said to him, "Hey man! We got a new member of the squad! His name's Bailey. He's my old dog! What do you think of him?"

"Fascinating," muttered Kotua.

"What's wrong?" asked Severe.

"Mutant Lizards scraped off some of the paint. I hope the team doesn't mind me taking the opportunity in repainting it in another color," said Kotua.

"I meant about Bailey," said Severe.

"As long as he doesn't mess with my stuff, he's okay. Where did you find him, anyways?" said Kotua, turning to repaint the Urban Avenger.

"Near my old home," said Severe.

"Wow, that dog survived the Mutant Dinos?" said Kotua, painting the tan part of the Urban Avenger black.

"Obviously," said Severe.

Kai stopped in the garage and just got off the Urban Avenger when he heard Sereve and Kotua talking. Ignoring it, he continued on with his repairs and attached a tranquilizer device to his Sonic Screamer. Now, he only needed to see if that worked on Mutant Dinos…

After Kotua finished painting the tan part black, he painted the dark-red parts of his Urban Avenger teal. "I hope nobody minds this color change," said Kotua.

With that, Severe and Bailey left the garage, and headed into the rest of the HQ. After that conversation with Kotua, Sereve really got wondering about Bailey. How could he survive such a catastrophe? Could it possibly be that he has the key to unlocking the secret of how to get rid of the Dinos?

He entered his room with the small dog. Sereve then said to him, "Now Bailey, I need to do some things that are important. You have to stay here."

Once Sereve started leaving, Bailey started crying. Sereve couldn't help but feel sympathetic for him, so he got a plate and some eggs, and made him some scrambled eggs. He put the eggs on a plate and carried it back to his quarters. He gave the plate to his dog, and then Bailey knew he had to go, so he went on his bed. Sereve closed the door and then went on to his next mission.

As he closed the door, his radar/watch, which was compatible to the one in his Urban Avenger, started lighting up. He pushed a few buttons, and then a radar should have showed up, but the whole screen was taken up by a gigantic blip. Sereve said to himself, "This is bad. Very, very bad." He then got into his Urban Avenger and drove off to see what this gigantic monstrosity is.

----

Strange... Isaac stood on top of a building. He was overlooking the city, burning and in ruins. The sky shared the orange color. The sunset was nice. Strange contrast.

He didn't have any encounter with the Mutant Dinosaurs today. He sat down and looked at the stars as the curtain of the night was covering the Earth.

Isaac moved forward cautiously. He knew the Mutant Raptor had to be here somewhere. He had his blade raised, ready to block anything. He peeked around a corner. Nothing.

He entered the ruins of a building. There were maybe a couple of walls still standing. The pitch-black night made it difficult to see anything. He noticed a moving tail. He slowly stepped forward. He raised his blade, ready to strike. But then he saw something he didn't expect to see.

A nest. The Raptor he had been chasing was a mother, and she had brought some food for her young ones. He lowered his weapon and backed off. If he were to be noticed, the mother wouldn't be so happy. I just hope the father won't be here soon.

And just as that thought flew through his mind, he felt something in his neck. Breathing...

----

Rex walked out of the Iron Predator - and stumbled into a nest of baby Mutant T-Rexes! "They don't look hungry," Rex sighed in relief. "Perhaps I'll finally learn how to tame one of these-"

"ROOOAAARRRR!!!"

Rex looked up to see a Mutant T-Rex - the mother - looking menacingly down at him. Rex, separated from both his Iron Predator and nets, transmitted a message on his PDA.

HELP! I AM SURROUNDED BY SEVERAL YOUNG AND ONE FULL GROWN MUTANT T-REX! S.O.S!
- AGENT REX

Then, Rex prayed that someone got his message...

*****

Rev looked into the pitch sky from just outside the HQ with his headlights on just enough to see in front of him without having dinosaurs attracted to the light. He didn't trust the air that night.

He began muttering to himself, "I guess the finger could be pointed at radioactive power plants, but even if they hadn't dumped the sludge there, those Ion Rays probably would have revived them anyways." He shut up for a moment and listened to wind, not even the scent of blood in the distance. "We've got all this technology so that we can beat our enemies and we're being destroyed, and if that's the case what good is technology?"

The Fire Hammer's GPS blared into action as Rev received the S.O.S.

As Rev drove toward the nest, he thought, This is a suicide mission unless I do this right. Rev then dimmed his lights again. "If I come up behind the mother and shoot her knee, he may be able to escape. I just hope this works."

Rev then picked up his radio and directed the message to Rex. "Rex, listen, I'm gonna come up and shoot the mother in the back of each knee. That way, she'll fall. You just need to back up quick when I fire and then we can escape the nest. P.S. I've locked your current position into my computer so the whole team can come down here tomorrow and destroy it. OVER."

*****

Kotua finished painting his Urban Avenger, and was about to see what else he could add, when he received a message. He read it and headed towards his Urban Avenger. Kotua quickly turned it on, and headed towards Rex's position.

Rev heard Kotua's Urban Avenger and sent his own message to him: "This is a rescue mission, not a fight, so get behind Rex and shoot a few babies in non-lethal positions so he can escape, and tomorrow we get the rest of the team and defeat them. OVER."

Rev realized he was closing in and slowed down and shut down any unnecessary systems to quiet his engine for the sneak attack.

Kotua got behind Rex and they both fired so he could escape. The great T-Rex fell to the ground at just the right time; the plan was a success. Rev, Rex, and Kotua all left the area and prepared for tomorrow morning when everyone would come down on there and wipe them out.

*****

Hyrode jumped in his Fire Hammer and took off towards the building being attacked. He sincerely hoped the blips on his radar weren't T-Rexes. This job wasn't exactly going three laps with Mr. Schumacher at Nürburgring. It was much worse.

Hyrode received Rex's message just in time to handbrake in a 360 degree turn. Taking a sharp right, and then through an alley, headed towards his location. He reached it and realized the fight was over. Or was it? he mused.

He noticed something odd. Bad odd. His Fire Hammer was in the middle of a T-Rex nest. And the eggs were hatching.

Darn it, darn it, darn it! Hyrode yelled in his head as he handbraked around the eggs. He thought he was home free until a baby T-Rex popped out of nowhere. He switched to reverse and ramped over the edge of an egg. Gunning the engine, he got out of the nest.

*****

Rex still didn't like the idea of destroying the baby Mutant T-Rex nest. Then, he set out in his Iron Predator to capture - and rescue - the T-Rex family before they could be destroyed. If he was lucky, he could also save the mother Mutant T-Rex. What other agents did not realize was that Rex's secret ambition was to tame a Mutant T-Rex. Even if it meant risking the very fate of the world itself...

Rex, in the Iron Predator, looked at the nest. The mother T-Rex was gone, but the babies were still there. Rex smiled. He launched a net, trapping them. When they began squirming, he began to start feeding them some raw meat, which quieted them for a moment. Then, he loaded them onto his Iron Predator. He then drove off for his hideout.

When he arrived, he deposited the Mutant T-Rex hatchlings in a cage. Most of them were still unfriendly, and Rex could imagine that they were not especially happy about being taken away from their mother. Still, one of them seemed to warm up to him fairly quickly, sniffing his gloved hand with curiosity. Looking at the T-Rex's big toothy grin, Rex decided, "I think I'll call you Maw."

----

Rev found himself patrolling outside again and, after sitting there doing nothing, he caught a scent: the scent of Mutant Lizards, at least five. He sent his GPS to show him everything in that direction. Ten Mutant Lizards over an abandoned Steel Sprinter. Beginning to fall off a cliff.

Rev saw the ten mutant creatures long before they saw him. Four of the freaks were holding onto the Steel Sprinter. He fired one missile, not at a Lizard, but at the gas tank of the overturned vehicle. It hit and caused it to explode and fly off the cliff. He heard mangled hisses from the cliff and knew that the creatures couldn't survive. He also noticed that one had been mostly vaporized by the explosion. He shot two missiles at two trees and took out one more by the trunk's weight.

Then, Rev sped up to 90 mph to match the lizards' running speed and drove towards the cliff, with four following beside him and one behind him. He stopped with his nose overhanging the cliff as the dawn began to break, and two lizards went flying into the ocean, where they vanished down into the black waters.

Now, it was one-on-one, and Rev turned around so that he wouldn't fall to the same fate as the other eight Lizards. His tires glided along the muddy ground and began to charge at the creature. The Mutant Lizard jumped moments before they would have collided. Rev instantly pulled a donut, and the airborne critter hit the launcher and was slingshotted into the forest with a broken neck.

Rev looked at the slaughter he'd done and had set up a memorial for them. It was the first time he had killed anything; even though he thought it'd be fun being a hero, it wasn't. That's when he decided to go to HQ and, even though it was his own idea in the first place, try and stop them from killing the T-Rexes. After all, Rex was attacked because he went into their territory, and if the mother attacked you could kill her, but Rev decided instead to use his nets to capture the babies and hopefully the mother, too.

As Rev rode to the nest, he noticed two things: tank treads towards the nest, and the momma T-Rex's footprints leading towards the HQ. Rev turned so quickly, his two right wheels came off the ground for a few seconds as he shuttled towards the base.

From a distance, he saw her. The mother picked up an unlucky trainee known as Condr and ripped him to shreds. He knew he'd have to kill her, and this time it wasn't a sneak attack. He grabbed a chain gun customized for tranquilizer darts and, when he got close enough to get the T-Rex's attention, his guilt was ripped to pieces, but this thing was going to die by lethal injection, not by missiles.

The T-Rex turned around and, in a moment, 20 darts were lodged into her left eye. She staggered towards the Fire Hammer and collapsed. Rev decided he had been nice; the T-Rex died in her sleep and felt no pain.

----

As soon as they arrived at HQ, Kotua started working on adding even more stuff to the Urban Avenger. One of the new additions was two lights at the front. Kotua added a windshield to the Urban Avenger. He put more programs in the Urban Avenger's computer.

After finishing, Kotua headed out and drove around, in hopes of catching more dinos. After a while of nothing, Kotua decided to go back, when a Mutant Raptor landed.

"Oh boy," muttered Kotua, going in reverse. The Raptor held tightly to the Urban Avenger.

"Why must they land on the front of my Urban Avenger?!" said Kotua, opening fire at the Raptor. The raptor flew off as the blasts hit it, and it landed on the ground unconscious. Unfortunately, more Raptors surrounded Kotua.

Kotua opened fire at the Raptors, stunning some of them. He pressed buttons, and missiles flew everywhere, hitting some raptors. He drove over two stunned Raptors as the rest chased him. He pressed a button, and the top gun turned to face the rear.

"I liked fighting Ice Drones and robots better," muttered Kotua, once again opening fire at the Raptors, making them collide with each other.

"See ya!" Kotua said cheerfully, heading into Dino Attack HQ...

----

A Fire Hammer drove down the streets of a ruined World City. Databoard sat at the controls, remembering this city just a year ago, and it looked much different. For starters, the skyscrapers were less damaged, and there was less fire everywhere. He could see a park, once green and filled with life, now it seemed brown and dead. He had seen much in his life, but this seemed the worst. He had never seen a place with so little life.

He soon found some life: four Mutant Raptors waking down the street. He charged up his Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher and aimed it at them. He knew he could hit about two of them before they attacked, and then - well, Databoard hadn't thought about it that far...

----

Another agent - Databoard - had entered the team. "Williams wasn't kidding; looks like quite a few Dino Attack recruits are former Alpha Team agents," Rex observed as he quickly skimmed over Databoard's profile. Then, he set to work feeding one of his tamed Mutant Lizards, the one he had nicknamed "Trouble".

Trouble was very special to Rex.  He was none other than the same darkness-breed Mutant Lizard that Rex had bonded with in the Tzenovich's Sandwiches deli on Playwell Avenue, the one that had forever changed his outlook on the war against the Mutant Dinos.  Sometime after his first assignment, Rex had recaptured the lizard.  He knew it was the same lizard; he recognized the scars on his snout and tail, and the dino seemed to recognize his scent.  After that, Trouble became the very first Mutant Lizard that Rex had successfully tamed.

As he brought his daily meal to Trouble's cage, Rex realized in shock that Trouble was missing! "Well," Rex thought aloud to reassure himself, "he's tamed, so I know that he's not going to wreck the city." But, a less reassuring thought entered Rex's mind: the other Dino Attack agents did not know about Trouble or the other tamed Mutant Dinos…

Rex quickly made sure that all the other Mutant Dinos were not able to leave the hideout, and then he hopped into the Iron Predator. He had to find Trouble before trouble found him.

----

Rev found himself at the computer screen studying the Mutant Lizard he caught. Bigger. Stronger. More destructive. Human hating.

And no known reason for their transformation. Blood Analysis nothing, Reproductive Fluids nada, Flesh Sample clean, Droppings and still nothing, no chemical reactions, no abnormalities and of course the other dinosaurs would be useless to test since we know nothing, and the food preferences still showed nothing.

The only remaining idea was injecting one regular lizard blood into one person, and a mutant one into another to see the results, but that was not optimal.

----

"Is this thing recording?" he glanced into the lens of his video camera, "I hope so... 'cause this is gonna be this reporter's biggest accomplishment!" He grinned as he put his finger against a headphone, listening to what seems to be static and a vague voice. He began to slide down a pile of rubble and paused, glancing around the area, until he spotted a shop window. ".... Mathias. My name is Mathias."

His name, however, wouldn't matter to the Mutant Lizard he was standing on. The lizard bust through the rubble, making Mathias a passenger. He tried grabbing onto the beast's neck to avoid being thrown, but it was too late. Rolling his body to protect the camera, he skidded to a halt. He smiled briefly, enjoying what could best be described as insanity. Sanity quickly set in as he leaped into a full run, heading to a small wall he could climb onto. He climbed over, with his camera filming the Lizard's snarling attempts to get him.

Glancing back, he groaned, "Out of the pan... and into the fire." A pack of Mutant Lizards was watching. He quickly put a dark lens over his camera and darkened his glasses. Pulling out what could be described as a flare gun, he launched a blinding light into the middle of the pack, hoping to blind the creatures in the back and distract the ones in the front to deal with their panicked brethren. He ran a short distance, then decided to film the creatures fighting against one another. He glanced around the area, now hoping this would not be the last thing he did.

Mathias's plan had gone as he hoped; he recorded for a few moments more, then turned off his camera, slinging it behind his back as he ran off, trying to find a place to recoup. He panted a bit and said, "Didn't expect to meet the locals so soon..."

He looked around to see vehicle tracks on the ground. He wondered briefly if the dinosaurs have learned to drive vehicles, before deciding to go ahead and follow.

----

Kotua decided to continue driving through the city instead of going back to the HQ. Kotua drove around the city, when he noticed an abandoned warehouse. What was odd was that light was inside.

There are more survivors? thought Kotua.

He drove his Urban Avenger into the warehouse. As he got closer, Kotua noticed other buildings. Kotua ignored them, and headed into the warehouse. He parked his Urban Avenger, and took out a flashlight and a blaster, just in case. He walked towards the warehouse and entered. Once inside, Kotua realized where he was. He ran to the other end, where a giant piece of cloth was over something.

"I thought I got rid of you," said Kotua.

Kotua pulled the cloth off, revealing an Alpha Team vehicle resembling a small sand-blue mech. It was known as the Robo-Blade, and Kotua had used it as his personal vehicle during Mission Deep Freeze.

----

Kai saw the S.O.S. He took his binoculars and looked around. Nothing of "interest" was to be seen. "Phooey. Looks like he took care of himself already." He stopped and got into his Urban Avenger. He had to have a "test run" for his tranquilizers.

And there it was.

Kai saw the same pack of four Raptors which Databoard was targeting. He armed his tranquilizer attachment and fired. It hit, and a Raptor slumped to the floor. In that moment, the other Raptors noticed him and charged.

Databoard saw the Raptors rush at Kai's Urban Avenger. He fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at the Raptors. It missed, but sent rubble flying, temporarily blocking the Raptors from reaching the Urban Avenger. Only now, they turned to face Databoard! "This didn't go as I planned..." Databoard muttered.

One of the Raptors leapt onto his Fire Hammer and prepared to smash Databoard. He put the Hammer into reverse, causing the Mutant Dino to lose its balance. He drove backwards through the city, pursued by the Mutant Raptors.

Databoard fired the Multi-Mode Launcher again and managed to hit one of Mutant Raptors. It tumbled to the ground, unconscious. He had been so busy fighting the Raptors, he hadn't noticed he was about to drive what was left of a bridge. He leapt out of his vehicle, but he didn't get out in time. The Fire Hammer, Databoard, and the two Mutant Raptors all plummeted into a river below.

The Mutant Raptors managed to get to shore unharmed, but Databoard had bigger problems. His Fire Hammer was slowly sinking, and he would have to get to shore fast. He managed to swim to the surface, and watched the Mutant Raptors fleeing into the shadows. But Databoard was wondering how he was going to get back to HQ without his vehicle?

Databoard walked through the ruined streets. Once he got back to HQ, he could get another Fire Hammer. The only problem was, without his vehicle, he couldn't get to HQ. He soon remembered the other DINO Attack agent he had seen earlier, Kai. If he could find him, he might be able to get Databoard to HQ! But that presented another problem: he didn't know where the other agent was...

----

Dust and smoke blew into Rev's face as cried out, "Whoohoohoohoo!" He had decided that, as long as people are attacked by the dinos, he hated them and he was hunting. "It's good to be out here instead of that lab. Out here, you can breathe," he muttered.

100 yards ahead of him, he saw it: a Raptor over a Sedan, and all that was in the vehicle was a long bloody piece of denim. He grabbed his chain gun, but not to shoot at the Raptor.

"Yeehaww!!!" Rev yelled as he started emptying a chain of tranquilizers into the air to make some noise. And when the raptor turned, a metal missile met with its chest and broke some ribs. The large lizard stood up and started running away, but Rev watched and he was hunting.

----

The Robo-Blade flew over the city. A few Mutant Pterosaurs tried pecking at him, but Kotua simply got rid of them with the Vulcan head guns. After a while, Kotua decided to land. He landed on a building, when he noticed a small dino walking through the streets.

"Time to test the effects of Beam through a dino," said Kotua, activating the Robo-Blade's Beam Rifle, little knowing he was aiming at Rex's tamed Dino.

Trouble quickly dodged the Robo-Blade's Beam Rifle. He snarled at the giant unknown vehicle. Then, he scampered off.

Something overcame Kotua. "Come here, little dino," he said.

Trouble ran off, but Kotua flew after him.

"Dumb thing," muttered Kotua, pressing a button. Immediately on the Robo-Blade's shoulders, a missile bay retracted. "I like fireworks," he commented, firing the missiles.

The missiles flew at the dino, but Trouble easily dodged four of them. The fifth hit the asphalt, sending part of the street's rubble into the air.

"Perfect," said Kotua, aiming his Beam Rifle at the confused Trouble.

Trouble ran through the streets. He did not understand why he was being chased by missiles. He had to find help before he found his doom.

Trouble saw the familiar form of an Iron Predator come into view. But, in horror, Trouble realized that Rex wasn't the one riding it.

Normally, Kotua would have stopped and let the poor dino go, but once again, a strange smell told him that wasn't happening today.

"Here, chomper! I'm not going to hurt you that bad," said Kotua, firing at the dino. The blasts hit the buildings to the left of Trouble. Kotua flew towards the dino, who scampered away.

Kotua then noticed an Iron Predator. "Back off! I'm on Alpha Team business!" said Kotua.

*****

Rev was tracking the large creature; for what it had done, he wanted blood. For the first time, Rev entered the city ruins. As he saw the raptor run down a street, he also saw a little Mutant Lizard. He aimed one of the missiles at the raptor's feet to knock it down, but an Iron Predator got in its way and it ended up with its artillery in the wall.

Rev looked at the lizard, seeing no blood on it and a tame look in its eyes. He waved to it to get in and it did so. He guessed Rex would want to know about a tame Mutant Lizard who wouldn't kill him. But, Rev was going to kill that Raptor and he couldn't let the Lizard see it, so when the raptor turned, a missile blew up the roof of a building and crushed it. And then, Rev turned to look for Rex.

*****

Rex was desperately looking for Trouble. Where was that little Mutant Lizard? He was so busy worrying about looking for Trouble that he nearly ran over a T-Rex.

There were two strange things that he noticed right away about this particular T-Rex.  First, it was not a mutant, unlike every other dinosaur he had seen; it appeared to be one of the natural ones from Adventurers' Island.  Second, it wore an armband, marked with the insignia of Alpha Team.  Rex could not decide which detail was more unusual.

The T-Rex growled at him, but it did not attack.  Rex saw a look of intelligence in the eyes of the dino, who appeared to be a young adult. Then, the T-Rex ran off.  Somewhere in the back of his head, Rex felt the oddest sensation that he had known this T-Rex before… but when, and where?  Like so much else, he could not remember.

*****

Kotua flew his Robo-Blade away to look for the dino, but it was too late; it was gone. "Oh well," said Kotua.

He continued flying, when he noticed another Iron Predator. "Hey you!" shouted Kotua.

"Huh?" said Rex, looking up.

"Have you seen any small dinos run around here?" asked Kotua.

*****

Rev heard another Iron Predator enter the city. He hoped it would be Rex, but he also heard Kotua and wasn't sure what to do. So, after five minutes of thinking, the Lizard pointed towards voices and whined quietly, and it sounded like "nice guy" just barely though. So he decided to head off in that direction.

Kotua noticed Rev. "Dino!" said Kotua.

Rev noticed the Robo-Blade fly towards him, one of its hands reaching for the dino.

Rev saw the hand of the Robo-Blade and began to wrestle it down to the city floor. Rev kicked and opened a sewer lid. "Find a dino down there, you freakishly strong machine!" he said as he threw it down there and closed it off and went looking for Rex. "What's your problem, Kotua? It's tame! You'll have to kill me to get at this!" he yelled.

"Fool," replied Kotua. He pressed a button, and his Urban Avenger silently followed Rev. "Soon, all dinos will cease to exist, even if it means destroying humans along with them..." decided Kotua.

Rev prayed the moment he set his radio to send a message to Rex: "Mayday, mayday! Rex, this is Rev! I've got a small Mutant Lizard that is tame and Kotua wants it dead and, since I won't let him kill me, I'm next on the list!"

And Rev turned and aimed his Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher at Kotua. "I respected you, not just as an officer and an equal, but when you helped Rex, I thought of you as a friend. So, is this your choice? Harming a tame dinosaur? Because, if it is, then I won't spare a single bit of power to show my respect."

"I'm on Alpha Team business," said Kotua.

"Your choice. This is mine!" replied Rev, firing at Kotua.

Kotua activated his beam shield, making Rev's blasts bounce harmlessly off the shield.

"I thought you wanted humanity to survive!" said Kotua, activating his Beam Rifle. Kotua's Urban Avenger drove behind Rev, and aimed at him. "You're working for Ogel, that's why you're protecting the dinos!"

"What?! Have you gone crazy!?" Rev shouted in disbelief.

*****

Just about then, Hyrode noticed the mayday on the radio. Listening carefully to the message, he hurried towards their location. He detached the turret, as his plan would need some extra speed. Flooring it towards Kotua's Robo-Blade, swinging the end of his Fire Hammer right into the Robo-Blade, he then continued to press his Fire Hammer against the Blade.

*****

Databoard walked around for quite a while. He was no longer in World City, having not found the Urban Avenger. He wasn't sure where he was, but he heard noises up ahead. He turned a corner to see an Urban Avenger, but it was being driven by a different person. It was fighting a… Robo-Blade? "What the...?" Databoard muttered.

Rex drove to the scene. He couldn't believe his eyes. Kotua was riding a huge unknown robot-like vehicle, trying to attack Rev, who was riding with… Trouble! But, Rex knew that he wouldn't stand a chance against the giant vehicle. "Alpha Team agents…" muttered Rex. "Where do they always get such wonderful toys?"

Rex was not the only one watching. Chompy, the T-Rex that Rex met earlier, was also watching this scene from a hidden vantage point. He felt a mixture of confusion and anger as he observed the events unfolding before his eyes. Why was Kotua trying to harm someone innocent? Chompy growled. Kotua had probably changed throughout the years...

Kotua noticed Databoard. "Data! Rev is an Ogel Drone! Let's get him!" said Kotua, firing his beam rifle. The blast missed, hitting his Urban Avenger. The Urban Avenger blew up with all the weaponry, Kotua fired again, deflating the tires of Hyrode's Fire Hammer.

Kotua then aimed at Rev again. "Drone..." he whispered.

"What?! Have you gone crazy?!" shouted Rev in disbelief. "I've studied the Alpha Team since before these dinos came out so I could be of help when the world's in danger! How do you think I got the skills to use a Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher properly?!"

"Then why do you keep that dino with you? Don't you like humanity?" Kotua answered.

"Of course, but it's completely tame, though. Don't you think I would have killed it otherwise? I mean, what's the point of killing a tame creature other than mindless death?" Rev answered.  Come on, Rex, get here already, I don't want to open fire again, he thought, knowing that this talk was delaying both sides. "And, of course, I'm no drone. Please stop! This is the Dino Attack Team you joined, and these Dinosaurs aren't like Ogel. They can be changed, like this one who I'm trying to bring to Rex!"

Databoard had severe doubts that Rev was really an Ogel Drone. "Kotua, snap out of it!" he shouted. "Why would Ogel be saving dinosaurs?"

Kotua didn't believe him. "You're not Data!" he shouted. "You're a Drone, too!" He shot at Databoard, who leapt out of the way.

"Kotua, what's come over you?" Databoard shouted. "I'm not a Drone!"

"You probably trained the Dino to listen to you, so that when Ogel invades the HQ, he can be aided by Dinos!" said Kotua.

"Kotua, listen to yourself! This is crazy!" yelled Rev.

"I've had enough talking," said Kotua, activating his head Vulcan guns.

Where are you, Rex? You can stop him, not us, Rev thought, again face-to-face with the insane Kotua, and with little but some help from Databoard.

"If you want to protect a dinosaur, then you must prove that you're not affiliated with the Dino Attack Team, so fire on me!" Kotua yelled.

Rev shook his head. "Not again, not ever again. Kotua was my friend and he's in there, so wake up."

Chompy burst out of his hiding place with a huge roar. Something wasn't right about Kotua, and Chompy was about to put an end to it. His sudden movement and noise caused Rex to flinch in surprise, and Rex accidentally activated the Iron Predator Cryothermic Cannon, hitting a building and causing debris to rain down upon them. Chompy glared at Rex, then continued charging forward, determined to stop Kotua from killing the innocent.

Mathias arrived at an area nearby Kotua's Robo-Blade, looking up with some curiosity. "A mech, huh?" He then glanced at Rex's vehicle, decided to take out his video camera and record footage of the mech, Rex, and his vehicle. "Who knew a ruined town could be so interesting..?" he mumbled to himself.

Mathias glanced around to make sure he wasn't being tailed by any Dinos. He leaned back, placing his hand on a scale-like object, glancing above his shoulder he saw a much larger Dinosaur than he'd seen before, but one smaller than the T-Rex. He cringed, and went into a full run again. "I wish I brought more flares!"

Hyrode decided it was time to end this, now. Jumping out of his Fire Hammer, he landed on Kotua's Robo-Blade, and began causing as much damage as possible for an eighteen-year-old to cause. Which is, surprisingly, a lot. Pulling on a power cable, he began yanking on the motor. No time for finesse, he thought, gotta do this now.

"Rex, you made it! Thank Builder! Put an end to this madness and arrest him, and then we can make some sense of what's going on!" Rev quipped. He saw Databoard looking just as relieved as he was. "Wait a second. Rex, you're from the Alpha Team; you have to know what's going on here and how to stop it."

"Alpha Team?" repeated Rex. "I'm not from Alpha Team! I don't know anything about this!" He did not mean to be shouting at Rev, but what he had just seen left him feeling rather agitated.

At the mention of Alpha Team, Chompy growled.

"And what's with that T-Rex, anyway?" asked Rex.

"Sorry, it's just that you've got the best skill here so I naturally assumed…" said Rev. "Also, you sorta look like Alpha Team agent Zed, so..."

"It's the goatee, isn't it?" replied Rex, rolling his eyes.

Databoard saw the T-Rex, which he remembered well. "Chompy?" he said.

Rex was confused. "Who?" he asked. "Who's Chompy?"

"That's Chompy," Databoard said. "He either belongs... or did belong... to an agent Frozeen." Chompy growled again. "I don't know what's gotten into him..." Databoard muttered.

Then, Rev noticed the hazard that Hyrode was about to get caught in: the Robo-Blade's engine was going to blow. One Xenon Uppercut Shot knocked the Robo-Blade, just as planned, and Hyrode landed in Rev's Fire Hammer just in time to see an engine fire start.

"You Drones never learn," said Kotua, pressing a button. The Robo-Blade charged in electricity, shocking Hyrode. He fell down, but luckily Databoard ran and caught him.

"Next time, Drones, I won't be so merciful..." said Kotua. The Robo-Blade flew into the sky, and before anybody could do anything, he was gone... but was he really gone?

Rev dropped Hyrode in his car. "You know, Hyrode, I'm almost the same age as you, and I don't do stuff that, um... I can't decide if it's brave or idiotic."

"That fool!" Hyrode said to himself. Jumping on top of Rev's Fire Hammer, he swung the turret in the direction that the Robo-Blade had gone, and he fired two bursts. "Listen, Kotua, we are not Drones! Now, I don't believe in taming Mutant Dinosaurs any more than the next guy, but killing humans, your friends, for one measly lizard is where I draw the line!" With that, he jumped off the turret and got in his Fire Hammer.

Now that they were safe, Rev remembered why he was looking for Rex in the first place. "I thought you might want to see this dinosaur, it's completely tamed," he said as he unknowingly returned it to the tamer.

"Hey, this Mutant Lizard you were protecting is Trouble!" Rex exclaimed.

"Well, I hope it isn't more trouble than it's worth," said Rev, and Rex could tell from his tone of voice that Rev misunderstood his statement.

"No, no, the name I gave this Mutant Lizard is Trouble," explained Rex. "I tend to tame dinosaurs rather than kill them."

Chompy nodded. He knew it would be just plain foolish for a T-Rex such as himself to befriend someone who mindlessly killed dinosaurs.

"Interesting, so I take it you're the reason the babies of the T-Rex were missing?" Rev asked.

"Yup," Rex answered.

"You're right about not destroying them. In fact, unless I know they've done something, I leave'm be. But, I kinda had a hunch about the T-Rexes, though; you left tread marks towards where ever you went. But… I had to kill the mother. It killed Condr and got 20 tranqs in the eye."

Chompy then ran off into the destroyed city. "Where is he going?" asked Rex.

"Only he knows," Databoard answered. "He could be looking for Frozeen and PBB; he could be looking for others to help; he could be looking for a cure for these Mutant Dinos..."

"So I see," Rex answered. "Well, I'm going to have to bring Trouble to my hideout." Then, he drove off.

Databoard returned to HQ and got a new Fire Hammer. Before he left, he grabbed a small microphone. Years ago, some of Ogel's Drones had used strange microphone on Databoard and Kotua, to make them try to kill each other. The one they had used on Databoard was destroyed, but Databoard had kept the one used on Kotua to examine it. He doubted it even worked after five years, but it might come in handy if Kotua showed up thinking he was a Drone.

----

Rex put Trouble back into his cage. "There you go, little buddy!" he said.

Then, his attention turned towards the two Mutant Raptors who were always fighting. "Break it up, you two!" he yelled. "I sure wish that I will be able to tame other dinos one day."

After Rex finished feeding lunch to the Dinos, he hopped back into the Iron Predator to see if he could capture a Mutant Dino or two at LEGO Studios – or, at least, what was left of LEGO Studios...

----

Kotua landed his Robo-Blade on the warehouse. He got out and looked around.

He walked into the other buildings in the same lot as the warehouse. He noticed the rooms in the buildings contained scientific equipment, specifically some sort of chemicals. He noticed a model of a dinosaur skeleton. Kotua quickly kicked the skeleton model. It fell onto the floor, breaking into different pieces.

Kotua noticed some computers on the left side of the room. "Let's see..." muttered Kotua, reaching to turn on the computer. The computer began humming. Kotua turned on the monitor, and began peeking around the computer.

"Who would leave a computer with important info without a password?" asked Kotua to himself.

"To lure people like you..." said a voice.

Kotua turned around, but there was no one.

Kotua got up. "Anybody there?" he asked.

He heard footsteps behind him, and turned around. No one.

"You better show up, or I won't have any mercy when I catch you!" said Kotua.

The lights went out, plunging Kotua into darkness. Soon, the lights went up, and Kotua got in a defensive stance, for men with guns had surrounded Kotua...

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 2: Black Operations

----

LEGO Studios was worse than Rex thought it would be. Many of the sets had been wrecked, and the sky was dark from all the smoke. Rex coughed, then looked for Mutant Dinos.

A screech came from above. Rex looked up to see a Mutant Pteranodon in the sky. Its black and dark blue colors made it an eerie sight. Rex loaded the cannon with a net. Then, he shot the net - and caught the Pteranodon! "Perfect shot!"

*****

Rev found himself gawking the sky when a net snagged a Pteranodon out of the sky. He knew Rex was working in the same place as him, but they had come with two very different reasons.

He got a mayday from not far from here, at Studio 10. The producers were stuck with some Mutant Lizards with shotguns and could barely keep them at bay, but they were running out of shells. He looked in the window, and he could see the ravenous creatures trying to kill the people in there, and there were at least 50 people in there.

He knew what he had to do. He looked at the artillery screen and selected Xenon Multi-Shot Mode. He shot at Dinosaurs and couldn't stop firing. At least 20 raptors died in those red five minutes. He barged into the studio and ended up running over a bunch of lizards. He jumped out to get the people when one lizard jumped on him. They wrestled quite a bit, and soon Rev bagged the lizard: a present for Rex.

Rev found himself scavenging for items to make a trailer for his Fire Hammer, and that he did. Using large carts' wheels for wheels, he sped out of the studio and found a swarm of Pteranodons after him. Their sleek bodies were so evil. He grabbed a tranq shotgun. He shot quite a few times and took a few down, and netted one because he wanted to study another breed of mutant. Then he finally escaped the studio with safe producers and threads of his life.

----

Kotua ducked, and tripped most of the men. Two quickly got up and started shooting at Kotua. He easily dodged the tranquilizer darts and kicked the guns away. One got up and shot him from behind. Kotua fell to the ground slowly as the tranquilizer began its effects. The men dragged Kotua into a black van, and drove off.

The van drove through LEGO Studios, but Rex, busy with the Pteranodon, didn't notice it passing by. Rex might have not noticed the ShadowTech van, but Hyrode did. He got in his Fire Hammer and followed the van closely. The men drove through the city, until they reached a black building. The guards let the van though, and soon they carried Kotua inside.

*****

Rex had succeeded in calming down the Pteranodon so it wouldn't fight against him. Then, he loaded the Mutant Dino into his Iron Predator, then drove off, unaware of the danger Kotua was in.

Rex brought the Mutant Pterosaur back to his hideout. Trouble was still in his cage, which was good news. But, Rex realized that he was running out of room for the Mutant Pteranodon...

----

Databoard drove away from HQ to look for more Mutant Dinos. He found a group of Mutant Lizards, but they ran away. He managed to stun a fleeing Lizard, which he would take back to HQ and analyze. Before he could, he heard a deafening roar. He turned around to see a Mutant T-Rex charging at him!

Databoard put the Mutant Lizard in his Fire Hammer and drove away, the T-Rex close behind. He couldn't outrun it forever, but fighting it would be suicidal. He fired his Multi-Mode Launcher into the air, temporarily blinding the T-Rex. He sped ahead, but he knew the Mutant Dino would soon catch up.

Databoard swerved between, over, under, and around rocks and trees trying to lose the T-Rex. It continued to follow him to matter where he went. He drove among a group of trees to try evading it. The Mutant T-Rex simply barreled after him, ripping up the trees in its path. Databoard sped up, hoping to outrun the dinosaur.

Databoard looked behind him. Yes, the T-Rex was still there, and yes, unless he thought of a way to escape, he was doomed. Databoard soon got an idea. An idea so crazy, so insane, so mind-numbingly nuts, it would have to work. He turned the Fire Hammer around and charged at the T-Rex. It was surprised at first, but it soon charged as well. At the last second, Databoard swerved out of the way, and the T-Rex rushed past. It tried to turn around, but tripped and crashed into a clump of trees. Databoard drove up to the unconscious giant and attached a tracking device to its leg. He then drove off towards DINO Attack HQ.

The Fire Hammer careened through the forest, barely missing trees in the way. Databoard had been so busy trying not to be T-Rex chow, he hadn't been paying attention to where he was going. Now he had to find a way back to HQ before the Mutant Lizard woke up. It can never be easy... Databoard thought.

The Fire Hammer screeched to a halt, having run out of fuel. Databoard muttered under his breath and banged the dashboard with his fists. At this moment, the Mutant Lizard woke up, and began to try getting out of the vehicle. Databoard remembered Rex talking about taming Mutant Lizards. Databoard would just have to get it to calm down somehow...

Half an hour later, Databoard was still trying to calm the Mutant Lizard. It was less angry than confused, but it was still dangerous to be in a small vehicle with one. Databoard got out of the car, while the Lizard ripped up the upholstery in the Fire Hammer. Databoard took out a flare gun and shot it into the air. With any luck, an agent would spot it and come, hopefully before any Mutant Dinos...

Databoard looked at the engine, trying to find a way to restart the engine. But he knew that without fuel, the Fire Hammer wouldn't move. He glanced at the Mutant Lizard and wondered: Could it support my weight? If he could ride it to HQ, he could come back with fuel for the Fire Hammer.

He snapped a leaf-covered branch from a nearby tree, stuck his bologna sandwich on the end, and walked over to the Fire Hammer. He opened the door and the Mutant Lizard leapt out. Clearly hungry, it started to snap its jaws at the branch. Databoard leapt onto the Lizard's back, holding the bologna out of the reach of its jaws. It began running towards the bologna, but like a horse after a carrot on a string, it would never reach it. Databoard would merely have to move the branch, and the Lizard would follow it.

Databoard steered it towards Dino Attack HQ, wondering what everyone would think then he arrived on a Mutant Lizard.

----

Kotua awoke, to see the men were on guard on the corners of the room, weapons ready.

A man in a suit approached Kotua. He had red hair, cut short and neat, and wore a pair of orange-tinted sunglasses. "Interesting. For a moment, we thought we had lost you!" said the man.

"Excuse me?" asked Kotua.

"I am agent Cane," said the man, "and we are ShadowTech.  You don't remember me, but I'm the reason why you exist."

"You're my dad?" asked Kotua.

"No. It's hard to explain, but you're our... well... uh... experiment," said Cane.

"This is a joke?" said Kotua, looking for a door.

"Unfortunately, with the dinos and all, we've decided to terminate the project," said Cane.

"And I'm here to...?" asked Kotua.

"Like I said before, the project has been terminated… sort of," said Cane, walking towards the door, and leaving. The ShadowTech men raised their guns.

"Uh-oh..." said Kotua...

*****

Hyrode stealthily entered the building, grabbing a tranquilizer dartgun. He heard what Cane said, then when the man came out, he stuck him with a dart. Then, when the ShadowTech soldiers raised their guns, he came barreling in, firing all he was worth. Then, one of the men swiftly approached him from behind and knocked him out.

Kotua ran towards Hyrode and picked him up. He then ran away as fast as he could, but the other ShadowTech agents seemed to be catching up. He noticed a bending machine and brought it down, slowing down the men, but Kotua knew he couldn't outrun them for long...

Hyrode quickly woke up. Realizing what was happening, he kept on firing behind them. "Kotua, my Fire Hammer's parked in an alley outside. Now, could you put me down?"

*****

On his way out, Rev had noticed tread marks: Hyrode's tread marks. He followed them to a building, and found an empty van and Hyrode's Fire Hammer. Rev grabbed the chain guns and thought, Yay, humans this time and that means fun, fun, fun. He entered with assassin-like stealth and, through a small window, he saw men with guns about to shoot Kotua and Hyrode. He was in full tilt run now.

The door broke off its hinges and smashed one of the three ShadowTech men into the wall. Then, he tranqed the two others, but as one of them fell to the ground, he shot at Kotua in the arm. Rev ran out to the Fire Hammer, drove it in, and put both men in it. As he drove to the HQ, he sent out a mayday for medics.

The agents drove away from the building, but black Fire Hammers chased them and began firing their weapons. "Oh boy," said Rev, turning to avoid the incoming blasts. The ShadowTech Fire Hammers chased them until they saw the Dino Attack HQ. The black jeeps drove off, and Rev drove the Fire Hammer into the HQ. The ShadowTech Fire Hammers returned to their own base.

Wow, Rev thought. Two missions in one day, saving guys and producers, and now he found himself just sitting and talking pointlessly with Kotua.

Not wanting to say anything he found, Kotua just said, "They kidnapped me," and no one pushed it after what he had done earlier.

----

Rex was too busy trying to capture a Mutant Raptor, and he did not notice that Mutant Lizards and T-Rexes were sneaking up on him. When Rex turned around, he was astonished. "Oh, great..." he muttered. He then quickly drove out of the neighborhood before the Mutant Dinos could react.

As Rex drove to safety, he once again found Chompy. "What are you doing here?" he asked the T-Rex. Chompy growled, then stalked off.

Chompy ran through the city on his own. The T-Rex's mission was simple: find Alpha Team agent Frozeen before the Mutant Dinos did. After his sudden disappearance, nobody - not even Chompy, his close teammate and adopted son - knew where Frozeen was hiding.

But, Chompy had met agent Rex. And while he couldn't put his claw on it, Chompy could sense there was something very strange about him... I'll have to keep my eye on that one, he thought.

----

Kotua awoke in Dino Attack HQ. After looking around, Kotua sneaked off into the garage. There he noticed another recruit looking at his Urban Avenger.

"Move!" said Kotua.

"Huh?" said the guy.

Kotua ran at him, and tackled him. Then he quickly got on the Urban Avenger and headed back towards the warehouse.

Kotua arrived, and ran towards the Robo-Blade. He got in and flew over the city. He looked for the building he had been taken. Suddenly, a missile flew past him. A black T-1 Typhoon flew towards Kotua.

"Oh boy," said Kotua. He flew towards the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon and began firing at it.

The T-1 Typhoon began firing back. Kotua activated his Beam Shield and flew through the streets, forcing the helicopter to shoot through buildings.

Kotua flew as fast as he could, T-1 Typhoon in pursuit. The ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon fired missiles, but Kotua easily flew out of the way, and the missiles hit a house, setting it on fire. Kotua heard anguished screeches and roars from the house. Mutant Dinos... thought Kotua.

The ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon began firing laser blasts at Kotua. Kotua charged his Beam Rifle, and took out the left gunner in the cargo hold of the helicopter. The T-1 Typhoon closed its cargo doors and then activated its side machine guns, firing at Kotua like crazy.

Kotua put his Beam Shield at full power, and charged his Beam Rifle as high as he could. Hope this doesn't kill me, thought Kotua. He fired a shot, which hit the cockpit glass...

BOOM

The black T-1 Typhoon, which wasn't beam-proof, was now a flaming ball in the sky. Kotua flew towards Dino Attack HQ. He had to somehow apologize for what had happened earlier...

----

Rev prepared to get in his vehicle, but found himself gawking at the T-1 Typhoon, the vehicle he wanted the most. He was mad; he had saved 50 people, 2 agents, killed roughly 85 Dinosaurs, was studying how to stop these creatures… and still no elite promotion. He was just going to travel the plain and try to find some Dinos that are hurting people. He wanted that reward that kept slipping out of his fingers.

Rev saw the LEGO City. A fire just down the mountain from him, and five Tyrannosaurus Rexes were at the gate. Rev set his launcher to rapid-fire mode, made his car go top speed, and as he went down at a speed he didn't want to think of, he heard the Cavalry song in the wind. He aimed just slightly up and opened fire. "Die you son and daughters of-" and Rev's last word was picked up by the wind and never heard again.

He was near the foot of the mountain, with fire coming from his wheels, and four were dead and the other hadn't seen him yet. Rev drove directly into the legs and dented the hood and ruined his paint job. The T-Rex was thrown into the air and crashed into the flaming tracks, never to move again. Rev tried to stop or turn or anything but he couldn't. He just lost speed inch-by-inch and, to slow himself further, he shot blindly down the streets. Just before he hit a skyscraper (or what was left of it), he stopped and turned around.

Maybe now that promotion will be mine, he thought to himself.

Rev looked at the skyscraper. It was perfect condition… well, mostly. He looked inside: no elevators, but a wheelchair ramp just big enough for the Fire Hammer. Soon, he was on the roof. He grabbed a paint can and, on the roof, he painted a circle with the letters "T-1" on it. When he would get his helicopter, this would be his secret base. He looked at the area and knew Pteranodons would love this place, so next time he came, he'd have a fresh paint job on the Fire Hammer, power tools (<To Fix Inside/Out>), cement, paint, and a few Pteranodon-sensing Land-To-Air Missile Launchers.

Rev looked at his Fire Hammer after having fixed it up. The paint dried moments ago. The gold he had painted on there was rimmed with red, and the rest was black, including his new tinted windshield. He also changed his headlights so, when they dim in the night, they would look like Mutant Dino eyes. He had also painted the trailer to match. 600 pounds of cement were in the trailer, along with tools, more paint, and eight Land-to-Air Turrets.

----

Rex looked over his latest catch: a single blue-scaled Mutant Lizard, which he named Sapphire. "Interesting," he noted, "this is the first time I've ever seen a blue Lizard. You're definitely coming back with me."

Rex reached the hideout in time to find Trouble trying to sneak out again! "No wonder I nicknamed you Trouble..." mumbled Rex as he grabbed the Mutant Lizard and put him in the same cage as Sapphire.

Trouble was trouble, but the two Mutant Raptors that always fought were even more troublesome. "Stop it, both of you!" Rex yelled. When they didn't stop, Rex got an idea. He grabbed one Raptor and moved it to another cage on the far end of the room.

"That'll keep you two from fighting," Rex grumbled. "Why don't you look at these two Mutant Lizards?" He gestured towards Trouble and Sapphire, who were nuzzling one another with friendly curiosity. "They get along well, so why can't you?" After that final remark, Rex left the hideout and went on his next mission.

Rex drove his Iron Predator to a wrecked subway station in LEGO City.  He noticed that many Mutant Dinos were coming out from the subway tunnel.  Could it be where the Mutant Dinos are coming from?  Could he learn the cure to the mutation?  Could he learn to... tame the Mutant T-Rex?  Suddenly, a pack of Mutant Lizards appeared.  "Those questions will have to wait," muttered Rex.

The Mutant Lizards flinched once a non-mutated T-Rex appeared. Chompy! The T-Rex roared at the Lizards, and they fled. "Thanks... Chompy," said Rex.

Chompy snorted in response, then ran off.

----

Sereve was headed into a trap, because if he looked at his radar watch hard enough, he would have seen that it wasn't one huge blip; it was many smaller ones. He drove his Urban Avenger toward where the radar was showing him, which was somewhere deep in the heart of New York City.

He looked around and saw nothing but ruins. He said to himself, "That's odd. Whatever it is should be right here." He then looked at his radar and saw no blips. He shrugged.

The warm air in the city was taking a toll on him, so he made himself a glass of water. He placed it on the dash board, and as soon as he did, there was a large THUMP, THUMP, THUMP. He looked in his water cup, which had ripples going through it with each thump. He said, "This reminds me a movie I used to watch. Gasp! Oh no. It is."

He then heard many beeps coming from his radar. They were back. He then checked to see how far the things were from his current location, and found that there were creatures going 50 miles back from his current location! "Oh no," he said. "It's just as I feared. A whole bunch of Mutant T Rexes!" As the footsteps came closer, he sped off in his Urban Avenger at top speed for the HQ, footsteps getting louder and louder.

Sereve reached the base, parked his Urban Avenger, and then ran inside his room. Bailey jumped up on him with joy of him being here, but Sereve was too worried to pay attention to him now. After shifting around in his closet, he then said, "Aha! Found it!" It was a M36 automatic. He locked the door, grabbed Bailey, raised the gun, and waited for the onslaught of T Rexes.

An hour or so has passed in silence. Sereve was starting to fall asleep when more thumps were heard. They kept getting louder and louder until they were right outside one of his walls. They stopped.

Then, the wall exploded in a shower of concrete. To Sereve's horror, the dinosaurs were breaking in! Bailey in arm, Sereve opened fire at the Mutant T-Rexes. He took down one, but they kept coming. He was then backed up against the door with the horrid creatures breathing down his neck.

Sereve was scared half to death, but Bailey wasn't. One of the T-Rexes growled loudly. Bailey returned the growl with his own vicious snarl, followed with an act that no one would have seen coming. The small dog opened his mouth, and what came next stunned Sereve: Bailey was biting the T-Rex's snout!

The Mutant T-Rex roared in anger. It was only a momentary distraction, but it bought Sereve and Bailey enough time. More Dino Attack agents were responding to the attack on their base, and a defense force pushed back against the T-Rexes. An Iron Predator fired its Cryothermic Cannon, taking down the T-Rex that had been so close to killing Sereve and Bailey. Within the hour, half the dinosaurs were defeated, and the rest retreated.

Sereve, still backed up against the wall, nervously said to Bailey, "Good boy." He picked up the small dog, and had a disturbing thought: I've never seen Bailey act that way before. Maybe Bailey was mutated along with the dinosaurs? Maybe he went into a state of hibernation when our house was being destroyed? No, it couldn't be. Or could it?

----

Rev was beyond tired next morning, since he had fixed almost everything in there, cemented the outside, painted the walls, and set the turrets so that they would only fire at dinosaurs within five miles of the building. Now, he realized what he had forgotten: a bed and some metal shutters.

Rev plopped into his vehicle and slept, which was hard since the chair was made to keep one up. It was noon when he found himself standing on the roof. He heard a piercing screech above him as a Mutant Pteranodon launched itself at him. Then, as the turrets fired upon it, the creature was driven back and barely fell out of the explosion range and flapped away.

Then Rev left, heading back to Dino Attack HQ. He was smiling with so much proud satisfaction that he looked like a great ball of light when he did so.

*****

The next day was busy one for Sereve, trying to repair the wall to his room. Eventually, he finished. And as soon as he did, his radar started going off. He grumbled, "Oy vey. Not now."

As he started to leave his room, he looked down at his rambunctious dog and thought, Maybe he'd be a great asset in battle? He picked Bailey up and left.

As Sereve was walking down the main hallway, he saw Rev walking down the hallway. Sereve said to him: "Hey Rev! Look, I was just going on a mission and was wondering if you wanted to come with?"

Rev replied, "No, man. I just spent a while fixing up my Fire Hammer and just want to take a breather for now. And why are you bringing your dog?"

Sereve looked at the small, panting dog and then said, "...Because I feel like it. Ahem."

Rev said, "Okay..."

Sereve said back, "Look, when I get the team together, I'll explain." He then ran off to his Urban Avenger.

Puzzled, Rev looked down the hallway at him and said under his breath, "Weird..."

Three Dino Attack members had seen Rev take the first trip back to his secret hideout. They were the triplets Len, Tren, and Gwen, well-known among their teammates because they all use Steel Sprinters. "So," they asked in unison, "where did you go with all that equipment, Rev?"

"You three don't ask unless you know, so unless you want to help, don't bug me," Rev said.

"Cranky," they replied. "We won't tell, but we won't help."

"Fine with me," Rev said happily. Soon, he loaded more stuff in there, A wall-bed, tons of special window blockers, computer-controlled doors, and computers.

Rev wasted no time setting the stuff up since he was still tired. When that bed came down, he swore he was the happiest man alive.

----

Several guards stood outside Dino Attack HQ, when they saw a strange sight: Databoard riding towards them on a Mutant Lizard! They raised their laser guns in defense, but Databoard yelled for them not to shoot. He managed to get the Lizard to stop, and he led the mutant inside.

Several minutes later, Databoard was in the laboratory, examining DNA samples from the Mutant Lizard. He glanced over to the Lizard, which was sitting in a nearby containment pen. Databoard was trying to find what enhanced them, but he couldn't find out what if he didn't have normal dinosaur DNA to compare with. He decided on something: he would refuel his Fire Hammer, and then he would head to Adventurers' Island.

----

Rev was woken up by the sound of missiles launching and exploding. He opened one window. The Mutant Pteranodon from earlier was back with friends, whom it had taught to dodge the explosions.

He rode the Fire Hammer out there and saw that they went to the southeast of the explosion. They dodged and weaved as Rev fired at them with stun shots, although he still managed to hit some of them. They wouldn't go away, no matter how many fell to the ground. He recognized the lead Pteranodon that dodged the next blast, and it found itself obliterated when he fired at it. Screeches filled the air as the Mutant Pteranodons squawked at one another. Rev shot once more at the flying reptiles, and finally they went flying away.

He then felt the skyscraper hideout shake. A Mutant T-Rex, at least 200 feet tall, was trying to bring the building down. And then, within that moment, a missile flew down towards the T-Rex and hit in front of it. It was hurled back but only fell. Rev aimed at it and yelled, "Shoo... You know the other option." And so, it left.

Less than an hour later, Rev was heading to Dino Attack Headquarters. Once there, he found himself in the Dino Study Dome. The three mutants in there had shock collars on. Now his goal was to tame the Pteranodon and the two Lizards. What he saw next was amazing: the second Lizard, that was found smashing cars out on the streets, had been placed in here only 3 or 4 days ago, and already they had a huge nest of eggs.

Rev smiled. Well, I see the locals are getting along, alright, he thought. Rev was going to take an egg but knew they'd get angry and it was better if he didn't.

Rev looked up when he heard a hiss from above him. He saw the female Mutant Lizard glaring down upon him from her perch. "Well, hey there, Helba," Rev said kindly, deciding to nickname the Lizard just like Rex would. "I didn't know you could climb trees." She slowly came down, feeling trust towards this foreign human. "Yeah, you can trust me, I'm not gonna take your eggs."

Within fifteen minutes, both Lizards trusted him, but he'd need some way to reach the Pteranodon.

----

Sereve hopped in his Urban Avenger with Bailey and drove off. He was reminiscing about the days when Rev taught him how to drive so quickly, despite the age difference. He let him use a Steel Sprinter as a training vehicle and remember him telling him how to stop, turn, and go to top speed, all on a dime. He was so grateful for him. Sereve said to himself, "Man, why hasn't Specs promoted him to Elite Agent yet?"

As he finished saying that, he stopped abruptly when he noticed his radar going crazy. It said nonsensical things like "will not exceed visoring tumblers" and "cannot push forgetful sanders". Sereve muttered to himself, "What the heck...?"

He then felt the back of his Urban Avenger getting heavy and falling backwards. He unbuckled and climbed on top of the Urban Avenger. He saw five Mutant Lizards latching onto the back of his vehicle, chewing at the wires that connected to the onboard radar! Sereve said, "Oh no, you don't! I had just about enough of this!"

He then reached toward the mounted Sonic Screamer and was about to turn it toward the Lizards, when it started moving by itself! Or was it? He looked down, and saw Bailey with his paws on the steering wheel, which was currently controlling the Sonic Screamer. Bailey looked up at the agent, panting excitedly.

"Bailey! Go to the left!" said Sereve. Bailey then fell on his seat toward the left, turning the Sonic Screamer toward the Mutant Lizards who were still chewing through the wiring. Sereve then swung himself into the cockpit of the Urban Avenger and said, "See ya suckers!" He then hit the button that activates the Sonic Screamer. The Lizards were done with quickly.

Unfortunately, the radar was still displaying nonsense. Sereve later said, "Aw man. Now I need my radar fixed. Better find Databoard." He then sped off to find agent Databoard.

----

It had been a day since Rev had made friends with the Mutant Lizards. He had just spent hours collecting food for them, and now he was bringing a small cage back. As he entered the Dino Study Dome, he opened the cage and took out its occupant, a possum. He went to the nest and found it being sat on by Dash, the male. "Well, I guess you can't hunt today... no sir, 'Mr. Mom'... so I brought you a treat," Rev said as he gave the possum to Dash, who squealed in delight.

Rev heard a cracking sound, and saw one egg hatch, and another, and another, until all eggs had finally hatched. "I guess I'll go find Helba and tell her, but you have to teach your kids to hunt," Rev told Dash.

"Gnee, Gnee!" squawked one little hatchling that kept jumping, as though it was trying to fly.

"Well, little thing, I guess I'll call you Hawk," Rev said, patting the small critter.

Then he found Helba with a squirming rat-tail. "Don't play with your food, Helba," he joked. "Oh, by the way, your eggs hatched," he added as he walked away.

Before leaving the Dino Study Dome, Rev had all the babies set with shock collars as well. Couldn't have 'em killing each other, he thought, no sir!

Afterward, Rev Raptor was cruising around anywhere looking for Dinos, unprepared to return to his base. He swore he heard Sereve nearby but decided he was wrong... then again, he decided to follow his senses towards the sound.

----

A boat with the words "DINO Attack" on the side landed at Adventurers' Island. Databoard unloaded his Fire Hammer and looked at the island. Destruction was everywhere, and smoke filled the air. "Whoa..." Databoard muttered. "This isn't what it looked like in the brochures... it's far worse than when I was last here with Alpha Team."

He climbed into the Fire Hammer and drove across Adventurers' Island, or at least what was left of it. As Databoard drove his Fire Hammer along the barren remains, he had expected it to be quiet here, but it actually wasn't. He could hear the crackling of burning trees, stone crumbling nearby, and the roar of dinosaurs, both natural and mutant. Databoard continued to drive, but the whole place, to put it simply, creeped him out.

Just then, Databoard heard a vroooooooooooom! He looked behind him to see a cloud of dust behind a Urban Avenger. The Urban Avenger was several yards behind the Fire Hammer. When Sereve's vehicle came next to Databoard's, it stopped, sending dust everywhere.

Once it cleared, Sereve called out to him, "Hey Data! Hey, I need you to do me a favor! Do you think you can fix my radar? It was chewed up by Lizards." Sereve then held up Bailey and said, "And finally I hope you like dogs. We have new one on the team."

Databoard replied with some uncertainty, "Well, I don't know..."

"There's a catch!" added Sereve. "He's not afraid to fight Mutant Dinos!"

"That changes everything," replied Databoard.

Sereve then said back, "Now about my radar..."

Databoard examined the busted radar. "It shouldn't be hard to fix," he muttered. "Just a few wires missing. Now if it was completely bashed in, that would be a different story." He got a few spare wires from a storage compartment in his Fire Hammer. "This should only take a few minutes."

He fixed the radar, and got back into his vehicle. "Now if you'll excuse me..." Databoard said, "I have some dinosaurs to find."

Sereve said to Databoard gratefully, "Thanks dude! See you later." Databoard then sped off into the distance. Just then a green blip appeared on his radar, which indicated an approaching agent. He heard the vrooming of a Fire Hammer far in the distance. Sereve squinted really hard and then said, "Rev?"

Stopping right beside Sereve, Rev said, "On the button."

"What are you doing here?" asked Sereve.

"I came here to stop some Mutant Dinos, you know?" replied Rev.

"I can't believe we ended up here at the same time, though," said Sereve.

"Hey, crazy idea that don't happen much... I betcha we could stop a few monsters together, but I'm here to catch a regular dinosaur for DNA comparison, ya know?" Rev said.

"Not really, no, but why not go somewhere else afterwards?" Sereve prodded.

Rev made the "on the nose" motion then suggested: "Castle Cove sound good? I've heard rumors that mutant dragons are there, and I've just gotta catch one."

"I'll think about it," Sereve said.

For a little while, they didn't speak and just continued their mission in silence, but then Rev couldn't hold it in anymore. "Listen, Sereve, I found a great base in LEGO City and rebuilt it. You can pop in whenever," he said.

Sereve laughed. "I'll try not to wear out my welcome."

*****

Databoard drove across Adventurers' Island, still looking for normal dinosaurs. He soon saw a group of small dinos running through the jungle. "Perfect," Databoard muttered. Before he could get close, more dinosaurs ran by, and these were larger ones. Databoard was confused by this, but he soon found out why: a Mutant T-Rex was charging at them. Databoard grumbled something, but it couldn't be heard over its roar.

Databoard put the Fire Hammer into its highest gear, and shot ahead of the Mutant T-Rex pursuing him. He swerved behind some trees, but the T-Rex just ran past him. "It's after the Dinos..." he muttered. He fired the Multi-Mode Launcher at the T-Rex. The blast barely hurt the T-Rex, but it distracted it from the dinosaurs. Databoard hid the Fire Hammer behind several trees, and the confused T-Rex walked past him.

Databoard drove along what remained of a dirt road. Ever since the Mutant T-Rex had shown up, most of the natural dinosaurs had been hiding. He finally found a small dinosaur running away and caught it. He stunned it long enough to get a DNA sample, and then it ran away. Databoard loaded his Fire Hammer into the boat and left, hoping never to return to Adventurers' Island again.

----

When Rev and Sereve arrived at Castle Cove, they came across a cave in the Fright Knights' region.  It was a dark hole that required headlights, which the agents provided. They drove down the mysterious and fairly small cavern slowly. Sereve could feel Bailey trembling and hide underneath Sereve's seat.

"This place is freaking the heck out of me," Sereve said.

"Don't worry. I've been down here before. Maybe, if we're lucky, we'll get attacked by a mutant dragon!" said Rev, half-jokingly.

With an annoyed look, Sereve replied, "Great."

As if on cue, they came across a dragon, larger than any other dragon they had seen before.  Its hide was covered with pitch-black scales, with a deep bluish-purple glow faintly illuminating its form.  Just the sight of this dragon gave Sereve a terrible feeling that this mutated monster was an unstoppable force of destruction, much like a hurricane or a maelstrom.

Rev, on the other hand, seemed unfazed.  He said, "Oh, look! Here's one now. Okay, Sereve, when I say 'Now,' you're going to launch your net at the dragon."

"But wouldn't it be easier to just take it down?" Sereve asked.

"Nope. You couldn't take one of these down with a T-1 Typhoon. Ironically enough, I bet they're easier to tame than a Mutant Lizard," Rev replied with a know-it-all tone.

"Okay. We'll net it, but I'm not keeping it," Sereve said, a little annoyed.

"Heh. Fine with me!" Rev said smiling. "Now!"

Just then, two nets launched out of the fronts of the vehicles at 50 MPH. In the darkness, there was a loud growl as the dragon collapsed.

"Woohoo! We got him!" said Rev happily.

However, Rev spoke too soon.  Merely flexing its muscles, the dragon tore through the nets.  Roaring angrily, it opened its mouth, and a jet of purple-tinged flames erupted from its jaws.  Sereve knew that it was time to make a tactical retreat, and Rev followed him out of the dragon's den.

"So, you want to come back to get him, Sereve?" said Rev.

Sereve replied, "No thanks. I'll stay here with my dog… who won't breathe fire on me."

"Oh, come on. Have you even seen these things before?" asked Rev.

"No. That's why I want to stay here," replied Sereve.

"Fine, suit yourself," said Rev.

Sereve exclaimed, "Oh man, I forgot! I need to get all of the agents in the conference room! I'll meet you there."

"Wait. Why is it so important that you need ALL of the agents here?" asked Rev.

"Look, I'll explain later. Just meet me there at 7:00," said Sereve.

And with that, Sereve drove off to Dino Attack Headquarters. It was nearly empty, with everyone else out on missions. A little creepy, even. He went into the conference room, Bailey in arm, sat on the head chair, and then sent out a message to every agent. It said, "Must meet in HQ conference room immediately. When you're here, say your code name and here. I.E. Sereve here. Meet here at 7:00."

Sereve then waited for the agents to come.

----

Rex returned to his hideout, and found out something just amazing. Earlier, he had put Trouble and Sapphire in the same cage together. He had not thought much of it before, but now…

Rex couldn't believe it: Sapphire was a female, and just laid eggs! "Wow!" Rex said excitedly. "Two tame Mutant Lizards just had eggs in captivity! This is incredible! It must have something to do with your charming personality, Trouble!"

Trouble grinned proudly.

But, Rex's moment of elation was short-lived. He knew that he would have to report this to his superiors, and he had a bad feeling that Shadow would not take the news well when he learned that Rex's mutants were breeding.  This would be trouble, and not the kind that was grinning at him.

----

Kotua arrived at Dino Attack HQ. The guards raised their blasters, and began trying to destroy Kotua.

"Hey!" said Kotua, activating his beam shield. He activated the Vulcan head guns, and knocked out the guards...

*****

Databoard was driving his Fire Hammer towards Dino Attack HQ. He saw Kotua in a Robo-Blade, knocking out the guards. "That's not good..." said Databoard. He drove into the garage, grabbed a nearby laser rifle, and rushed to stop Kotua, thinking he was here to say everybody was a Drone...

Kotua noticed the "drone dressed as Databoard". "Faker!" shouted Kotua, who started firing at the Databoard.

Databoard fired back, but Kotua blocked it with his Beam shield. Kotua then fired two missiles, which flew towards Databoard.

Databoard fired the two missiles with the laser rifle, and one exploded. He jumped out of the way of the other missile, and it blew up the wall behind him.

"Die, Drone!" Kotua yelled. He fired another missile.

"Oh good; I was staring to miss people calling me a Drone," Databoard muttered as he leapt over the missile.

As if matters couldn't get worse, a ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon appeared. Kotua immediately turned and began firing at it. The black helicopter started shooting at Kotua, with no luck.

"Why can't people fight away from here?" muttered Databoard.

Databoard aimed the laser rifle at the black-colored vehicle. He fired a few shots at the helicopter, but it did very little damage. It fired at Databoard, who jumped out of the way. Seconds later, the spot where he had been just been standing seconds ago was a smoking crater.

Kotua charged his Beam Rifle, and fired at the cargo section of the copter, where the side gunners were. Databoard saw as two burning bodies fell. Kotua then fired again, but the copter flew upwards and began firing all its weaponry on Kotua, from missiles to laser blasts. Databoard used the opportunity to fire at the copter.

Databoard fired lasers at the black T-1 Typhoon like crazy. He didn't hit the pilot, but that didn't stop him from trying. The copter shot at him again, but he leapt out of the way. Databoard returned to shooting at the black helicopter, trying to hit whoever was piloting the vehicle.

Kotua flew away from the copter, and grabbed an Urban Avenger. He swung it around and threw it at the helicopter. The copter quickly blew it out of the sky. Kotua found another Dino Attack vehicle, and swung it in the direction of the copter. Databoard also fired, but at the right missile pod. Soon, it got so hot it started burning, causing the missiles to explode.

"Nice fireworks display," Databoard muttered as the missiles exploded. The helicopter was still largely intact, though. It shot at Databoard with the left missile pod, but Databoard dodged it again. He returned fire, but again missed the cockpit. He jumped as another missile shot at him, then fired back with his laser rifle.

A Steel Sprinter hit the left missile pod, destroying it. Kotua swung another, but the helicopter backed away, as the mission turned harder than they anticipated. The copter flew away. Kotua, still crazy, flew for a Fire Hammer.

"Kotua, no!" said Databoard, but Kotua swung it. And stopped.

Kotua dropped the vehicle, and flew towards Databoard. "Tell the others, I'm sorry about earlier with the dino..." said Kotua, and then he flew off to the warehouse...

----

Rev drove around, not planning to go to the HQ or his base. He was heading to the sea's black mark, LEGO Island, even though it was thought a suicide mission because of the Mutants' colors. Rev had lights mounted all over his car; he had a plan. Rev drove into the middle of island and, for a second, did nothing. Rev flipped the switch on the dashboard and became a ball of light. He heard the dinos coming, and he gave the signal to his teammate, agent Dragon, so he would know to shoot in the faces of the dinos.

Raptors, 50 minimum. The one in front was the first one to be fired upon, and since that just knocked it down, it was caught. 3 mutants down, 1 to go, Rev thought. Then the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher was set to Auto-Rapid Fire.

Rev grabbed something he knew would slow anything down: a double-barreled shotgun. He aimed roughly for one's head and pulled the trigger. The raptor stopped then began charging again. Boom. And with that, it fell over, knocking a few down and was then trampled.

He was out of shells since he only brought 4 so he turned back to his chainguns which he had named Lethal and Injector. He started pumping tranqs into them but without avail. Soon he was out of ammo. Oh well, twenty have been stopped, Rev thought to himself.

He started to drive towards the ocean, the ship just pulling away from the cliff. "Well, I knew this thing has over 1000 horsepower for something!" Rev said as he accelerated. He watched the raptors as he dimmed his lights so they couldn't see the cliff ahead. As Rev flew off the cliff, 5 raptors jumped after him but fell in the stormy waters below.

Rev had added an adjustment to his Fire Hammer. He held out a small device designed to bring the Fire Hammer to him, or send it back to base. It also was a portable commlink for the Fire Hammer so he can receive a mayday anywhere. At the moment, cornered by about 100 lizards, he was glad he did.

The Fire Hammer pulled up as the pack jumped towards him. Well, that was worth the time it took to install it, Rev joked to himself. He hightailed it out of there. "There'll be no carnage today, my scaly friends!" he yelled.

----

Rex looked around Castle Cove. Once home to many knights - including the Dark Forest bandits, the knights of Morcia, the Fright Knights, the Royal Knights, and many more - it was now very empty. Rex drove to what seemed to once be Willa the Witch's fortress, now a looming structure. "Goodness knows how many Mutant Dinos are in there," Rex thought. He walked inside.

Rex's eyes widened at the sight of the interior of the Night Lord's Castle. Potions were scattered and broken. All of Willa's portraits (of herself!) were lying on the floor. And, the further Rex walked, the louder he could hear the low growl.

Rex listened to the growl. It didn't belong to Mutant Lizards, too low, but it was too high-pitched for a Mutant T-Rex.

Rex stopped in his tracks, realizing what it must have been: Mutant Raptors. And he did not have any nets with him. He was thankful once he found a fork in the passageway. He took the corridor that the raptor growl wasn't coming from. But, he realized he had run into something else blocking the path.

A dragon - black and red in color - guarded the passage. Rex just barely dodged a fire blast. The dragon flew up into the air, and Rex slid under it, running for his life. The dragon was furious that its prey had escaped. Suddenly, a Mutant Raptor appeared. Rex had to change directions. When he saw a Mutant Pteranodon, he turned again. Now, he had a dragon, Mutant Raptor, and Mutant Pteranodon chasing him.

Rex looked desperately for his Iron Predator. Although he didn't find the vehicle, he found Chompy. The T-Rex noticed the danger, then lowered himself down and snorted to Rex.  The Dino Attack agent was surprised, but he knew what Chompy was telling him to do.  Rex climbed up onto Chompy's back, riding the T-Rex as his steed.  Then, Chompy took off, running as he looked for a safe way to avoid the dragon, Mutant Raptor, and Mutant Pteranodon.

Chompy roared as he picked up speed. The Mutant Raptor was falling behind, but the dragon and Mutant Pteranodon were still hot on their trail. When the Iron Predator was found at last, Rex hopped off Chompy and ran for the Iron Predator. Chompy stayed back and braced himself for a battle against the dragon and Mutant Dino. Rex drove away as quickly as possible. He wished never to return to Willa the Witch's Fortress again.

Rex drove through the burned Dark Forest, barely dodging the burned trees along the way. The Dark Forest made way to the Royal Knights Kingdom. Once a peaceful, quiet village with a few castles, it was now a sign of death. Skeletons hung around the place, and the small rivers were dried up.

Next was a barren desert, which led to Morcia. It almost seemed as if the Moorlands had stretched out and taken over the kingdom itself. A few Mutant Lizards were nearby, but Rex didn't stop to catch them. He wanted to get out of Castle Cove as quickly as possible.

----

Kotua arrived at the warehouse. Suddenly, two ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons appeared. He flew away from them, but the black copters followed Kotua and began firing at him.

Kotua activated his Beam Shield, and flew into the cargo bay of one ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon.

"Hey!" said Kotua, firing into the T-1 Typhoon's engines. The pilots jumped off the copter in parachutes. The other T-1 Typhoon waited until the men were out of the way, and then sent missiles at Kotua. The missiles flew to the side.

Smart missiles? thought Kotua, firing at one.

The missile dodged the blast and headed towards Kotua. Kotua adjusted the Beam Rifle, and fired. The blast hit one missile, but there were more missiles. The Robo-Blade was losing power, which forced Kotua to retreat. Unfortunately, the missiles followed him...

Kotua flew through the streets. He noticed a storm on the horizon. Kotua quickly fired at a car nearby. The explosion triggered one of the missiles, destroying it. The rest flew around it, and continued pursuing Kotua. The ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon followed him...

*****

"Now what, Sir?" asked the pilot of the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon.

"Fire again. If it doesn't destroy him, then retreat," said his commander, agent Cane, over the radio.

"Easy for you to say. You're in base, I'm on the sky, following a maniac," said the pilot.

"Well, it's going to be worse if you don't..." said Cane.

"Yes, Sir!" said the pilot, trying to hide his anger.

*****

Kotua fired low power shots, but the missiles easily avoided them. Where is help when you needed it? thought Kotua.

Kotua looked back at the missiles, which oddly enough, backed away. I have a bad fee- thought Kotua, before the Robo-Blade smashed into a skyscraper...

----

Snake of Spades just got his Urban Avenger, so he had to install some important stuff. Soon, he heard some breathing. He looked up, and saw a Mutant Lizard.

Snake of Spades hopped into the Urban Avenger and hit 210 m.p.h.! The lizard swerved and hit a rundown building. "Alright!" Snake thought. "A perfect target."

POW! The Sonic Screamer hit the lizard. "Great! One down, a million to go."

Soon, a few Mutant Raptors surrounded Snake of Spades. He swallowed nervously and attempted to calmly say, "Nice raptors, nice."

They responded by growling viciously at him.

"REX!!!" screamed Snake. "HELLLLLPPPPP!!!"

Then suddenly, KER-SLAM!!! Specs and his Fire Hammer blasted through a wall. "Need some help, agent?" asked Specs.

Snake said, "Yup."

"Then let's take them down!!!" Specs cried. Together, they fired upon the Mutant Raptors. Snake's weapon did not have much effect on the Raptors, but Specs's Cosmotronic Ray was able to pierce their force fields.

"Wicked," Snake said.

Digger, Viper, and Shadow flew in, arriving in their T-1 Typhoon. "Hey! Over here!" yelled Snake of Spades.

"What's up?" said Digger as he came out of the helicopter.

"Well, I need a transport to Adventurers' Island."

"You see it right behind me!" said Digger, gesturing back at the T-1 Typhoon.

"GRRRR..."

"D-D-Digger," stammered Snake, "l-l-l-look be-h-h-hind y-y-you." Digger looked behind him, and stared into the eyes of a Mutant T-Rex. They screamed.

"GET IN THE COPTER, NOW!!!" screamed Shadow. Snake and Digger ran into the T-1 Typhoon and flew away.

When they arrived at Adventurers' Island, a pack of Mutant Raptors were running into the Sphinx area. "Land by the Sphinx," said Snake of Spades. When they landed, Snake grabbed a Sonic Screamer and got out. The founding members flew their T-1 Typhoon back to LEGO City while Snake went on his mission.

Snake looked inside the Sphinx. A pair of glowing eyes stared right back at him...

----

Rev found himself at his secret base again. He went to the roof to find no Pteranodons anywhere around here, which didn't surprise him because a storm was coming, a storm that was big enough to scare even the Mutant Dinosaurs. Rev sat over the edge envisioning… daydreaming… or, in his case, a nightmare.

The pack of lizards surrounded him, when he pressed the button. Moments before the pack jumped at him, the Fire Hammer should have been there, but the button failed. They hurtled themselves at him and became a huge shadow and absorbed him.

A mirror was there. He ran for the mirror, only to find himself Half-Dino, Half-Human. The mirror morphed into a crystal ball and he couldn't stop looking at it.

In it, he saw himself facing the rest of the Dino Attack Team in battle. "Die, Dino Attack goons, you can't stop me from heralding an age of Mutant Dinosaurs!" he heard himself say as he fired a huge barrage of missiles at them. Then, he went for Sereve and brought his clawed hand into a strangle hold and started to kill him.

"No, I won't let you kill Sereve, you 4+ Figure!" Rev screamed, waking in his bed in Dino Attack Headquarters.

"Won't let who kill me?" said Sereve, whom he hadn't known was there.

Rev jumped backwards in his bed. "What are you doing here?"

"I came and visited your base, like you said I should, and I noticed you on the roof and brought you in moments before the storm started," Sereve answered. He helped Rev up and said, "Had a bad dream?"

"Oh yeah," replied Rev.

Then Sereve said, "Thank Builder it was just a dream."

"I'm beginning to doubt Him; I mean, why would He let this happen?" Rev replied.

Sereve glanced out the window. "Yeah. This storm is a bad one. Bailey's been barking at the sky all day."

"Speaking of your dog, you were looking a little nervous around him. Why is that?" asked Rev.

"Because, well, this is going to sound farfetched to you, but… I think he might've been mutated."

"What?" Rev asked, very puzzled.

"I don't know, I could just be imagining it, but he's been acting weird recently, especially around the Mutant Dinos. I mean, he looks normal, but lately he's been showing an aggressive and violent streak that wasn't there before. Considering that he somehow survived the attack on Chicago all by himself… well, what if he was affected by whatever's causing all of this?"

"Interesting," commented Rev.

"Tell me about it," said Sereve.

Just then, a loud crash was heard.

"Want to go check it out?" asked Sereve.

"You know I do," replied Rev.

They then ran out of the room, Bailey running after them.

A huge lizard/human-like creature was standing in the conference room where everyone was supposed to meet. He wore what appeared to be the tattered remains of a lab coat. He was a mixture of all of the mutants. He had glowing, fierce, red eyes that burned with madness. Shocked, Rev stared at this horrible creature, which bore an uncanny resemblance to the monster from his nightmares.

The creature started walking toward Sereve, with movements like a zombie's unbalanced gait. In a wavering, unsteady voice, he said, "I… I am… Landro. You, Sereve… I have been searching for some time now."

"Me? Why me?" asked Sereve.

"You see, Sereve, you have something of mine. Yes, yes, of course you do. You have the crystal of Crux!"

Confused, Sereve said, "A jewel? What? No, I haven't-"

Landro's eye twitched. "Sereve, you don't get it, do you? Oh, no, no, you don't, but… but you will! Crux is where these dinosaurs are coming from. Oh, yes! We… we sent them down. We caused the mutation wave, yes, we did. I'm their king, yes, I would know, I would know."

Landro then came face-to-face with the scared-to-death agent. He said with a lower tone, "We know you have the crystal, Sereve. You can't hide it. You take it, they… they will come. Yes, they will. They always do!"

Sereve furrowed his brow. Landro was rambling incoherently and was not making much sense at all, but he was certainly scary-looking enough that Sereve did not want to anger him. "I... I swear I don't know what you're talking about," Sereve replied.

Landro shook his head, gritting his teeth.  He mumbled, "No, no, no. You're lying, Sereve." Just then, Landro grabbed Sereve by the throat and continued, "Lying is bad. Yes! Bad!"

Rev then yelled at him, "No, I won't let you kill Sereve, you 4+ Figure!"

Landro turned around and, for the first time, looked directly at Rev. Rev's eyes widened, and he felt his heart skip a beat as a terrible realization dawned upon him. He did not know how, but he knew one thing for certain: he had met Landro before.

Suddenly, Landro cried out. A familiar black-and-white dog was biting his leg. Distracted, he let go of Sereve, who fell to the floor. The Dino Attack agent looked up and said, "Bailey?! Look out!"

Snarling, Landro kicked Bailey aside. "I'll get you both!" hissed Landro, glaring at Sereve and Rev. "And your little dog, too! Yes, yes! You'll be mutants, just like me! Oh, but… but maybe you already are, much like the mutant wearing man's skin… maybe, maybe." Pointing at Bailey, he said, "You can't fool me, Ba… Banchito! I know who… who you are!"

Angered, Sereve got to his feet. "His name is Bailey!" he said, and then he punched Landro hard in the face. "And don't you dare come near him again!"

Recoiling, Landro said, "Fools! I'm not… not defeated! You… have just angered me! More waves of dinosaurs and chaos will hit your planet! Yes, yes! There's no hope for you! No hope!" Before either Sereve or Rev could stop him, he jumped out a window and fled the base.

Turning towards Rev, Sereve noticed that his partner was very pale. "Something wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Rev then said, "This is very bad. Very, very bad. Landro, he's…"

"I have no idea what the heck he was talking about," said Sereve, shaking his head. "And I don't think he does, either. Did you see the way his eye twitched? He's clearly a madman… lizard… thing, rambling about crystals and chaos. We can't trust anything he says."

Glancing at Bailey one more time, Rev wondered, "But what if some of the things he said… were true? That thing, Landro or whatever, I… I transformed into him… the dream, the storm, the whole team they were all there but I was Landro. I destroyed the Dino Attack Team and the guy I yelled at in my dream there, all me!" Rev was worried.

"It's impossible for a dream to be anything more than a dream, don't worry," Sereve reassured him.  "Right?"

Rev fell silent, and so did Sereve.

----

The ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon flew away as the missiles flew into the Robo-Blade. "Mission accomplished," said the pilot.

"Good job, now get back here!" shouted Cane.

"Yes, Sir!" said the pilot.

The T-1 Typhoon left as a black Steel Sprinter pulled up. The driver, dressed in black ShadowTech suit and helmet, slowly and stealthily entered the skyscraper. His mission was simple: Check Kotua was dead.

He walked into the building. The building seemed to be for business, as desks were around the first floor. There were a few skeletons in their suits, just sitting there...

*****

Kotua coughed, and pushed away some rubble. Obviously the Robo-Blade was damaged, but it didn't matter. If he could get access to either the building with the black vehicles, or Dino Attack HQ, he could probably rebuild the Robo-Blade. He looked around. He noticed an elevator.

Too bad the power is restricted to shelters and places like Dino Attack HQ, thought Kotua.

He opened the door. He looked at the wall. '26TH FLOOR' read a sign.

Kotua groaned, and walked down slowly.

*****

The ShadowTech agent was already on the 3th floor. He opened a door, and peeked in.

"No Kotuas here..." muttered the man, before closing the door silently...

*****

Kotua was by now on the 23rd floor. The ShadowTech agent was barely at the 5th floor.

Kotua at last decided to enter one of the floors, rather than walk all the way down. Kotua entered the 22nd floor, which was odd. Large tanks of water were on the walls. Unfortunately, the water was green, and the dead fish floated there.

"Ugh," said Kotua. He walked further, where he noticed a vending machine. Kotua looked around. He noticed a closed office. He walked to it, and kicked the door open. Kotua looked around the room. Then he saw what was on the chair...

Cookies! Kotua quickly tried getting them, but then he realized they weren't good to eat, as bacteria were growing on it. He threw the cookies away. He then headed back to the stairs, and continued walking down the stairs.

Kotua ran down the stairs, hoping to soon reach the bottom. Now he was on the 18th floor. Kotua looked down. There was still a long way down, unless...

*****

The man searching for Kotua sat down. He was going to wait for Kotua to pass through here.

The ShadowTech agent was falling asleep, when he heard somebody screaming.

He looked up. Nobody was there.

"Oh boy," muttered the man, taking out a gun...

*****

Kotua sat on the floor. He had thrown himself down the 18th floor, and he was barely able to grasp anything to break his fall on the 10th floor.

After resting for a while, Kotua got up, and walked down the stairs.

After a while, Kotua had reached the 8th floor. He stopped to rest again, and after an hour, he began walking down again.

Kotua soon reached the 5th floor. He heard a gun fire, and the bullet pass by him.

"D'oh!" grunted a voice.

"Who's there?" asked Kotua.

The ShadowTech agent dropped his gun and ran at Kotua, then jumped and tried doing a midair kick. Kotua ducked beneath his kick, and punched him in the stomach. The man punched Kotua in the face, making him stagger back. Kotua rolled under the ShadowTech man and kicked him again. Kotua quickly got up while the man collapsed in pain.

Kotua ran outside. He raced towards Dino Attack HQ...

The ShadowTech agent got up. "He's going to pay for this!" he growled, walking towards his black Steel Sprinter. He rode it back to ShadowTech's base...

----

Bailey smelled the air anxiously. "Another storm is coming is coming," Sereve said. "It's going to be the strongest yet."

"Well, what can we do?" asked Rev.

Sereve sighed as he looked at his small dog. He wondered if there was any truth to what Landro had said. "I think it's best if I find a place for Bailey to stay," he decided. "Our best bet is Antarctica. Rev, stay here with Specs and the rest of the team, and let them know what's happened. I'll be back to base as soon as I can. In the meantime, we will plan our next move."

"Good luck, you two," said Rev.

"Same to you," said Sereve. Then he left with Bailey. He drove his Urban Avenger to the nearest evacuation point. They boarded the next helicopter to Antarctica, along with a few civilians that had been rescued by Dino Attack Team.

Sereve decided to try talking to Bailey to keep the little dog calm as possible during the flight. He chuckled softly as he reminisced on his childhood. "So, I guess you didn't like it when I baby-talked you when I was a kid, huh?"

Bailey's ears perked up, and he replied with a bark.

"Yeah," said Sereve, "I figured I was taking it too far somewhere along the line. Still, I'd never have imagined you'd be an apocalypse survivor, you tough little indestructible pup. Heck, I think you're going to outlive me at this rate."

He looked out the window as they crossed the ocean to get to Antarctica. The helicopter was moving quickly over the water, but he still fell asleep and woke up multiple times during the trip.

Finally, they reached the border of the deserted continent. Soon enough, they landed at the Antarctica refugee facilities. Although there were certainly complaints that life in the facilities left much to be desired, Sereve still marveled at the fact that Alpha Team and their allies could get such a large base set up so quickly. I could hardly build an igloo out here, he thought, let alone a sturdy facility designed to hold most of the world's population. The cafeteria alone must be at least an acre long!

Sereve and Bailey met up with some old friends from Chicago, who agreed to look after the dog while Sereve was gone. They then sat down and started planning a way to destroy the endless upcoming army of dinosaurs...

----

Kotua continued running towards Dino Attack HQ. The guards there surrounded him. They took him inside the HQ, and put him in a little padded room in the base's detention blocks.

The guards of Dino Attack HQ sent a message to all the agents, telling them they had captured Kotua.

Kotua sat in his cell. He hoped his fellow agents weren't going to kill him for what he did, but he might be safer in here than in ShadowTech's hands...

*****

"What?! You let him escape?!" shouted Cane.

"He took me by surprise!" said the ShadowTech agent.

"Where is he now?" demanded Cane.

"I don't know..." replied the agent.

"Well, you better find out where he went... or else," said Cane.

"Yes, Sir!" replied the agent, obviously still in pain.

----

Finally, Rex was out of Castle Cove. Then, he began his journey to the hideout to check on Trouble and Sapphire. "I sure hope that they - and their eggs - are okay," hoped Rex. He was still amazed at the fact that they laid eggs.

Rex found that the eggs were no longer there. But... hatchlings were in their place! He noticed that the hatchlings were also mutated. "That's interesting," Rex said, "both parents mutated, so are their hatchlings.  And they hatched so quickly, too… is this part of the mutation?"

Trouble grinned at Rex, clearly proud of his offspring.

Rex smiled as he noticed one troublesome baby Mutant Lizard that already appeared to be pulling mischievous pranks on its siblings. "Hey, it's Trouble Junior!" he said, laughing.

After feeding the Mutant Dinos - and the new family of Mutant Lizards - Rex walked out to his Iron Predator. Then, he drove off to Dino Attack HQ. Checking the database, he also found out that agent Gojira had joined the team.

"Always good news to know that our team is expanding," Rex said. "Now, I'm going to capture a few Mutant Dinos." He drove through LEGO City. To his surprise, there was no dinos in sight.

----

Gojira approached the Urban Avenger. Suddenly, a hiss came from behind him. He turned and stared into the face of a Mutant Raptor.

Surprised, Gojira jumped back into the Urban Avenger and tried to fire the Sonic Screamer at the Mutant Raptor. It dodged the sonic blast and jumped onto the Urban Avenger's roof. "Aw great," muttered Gojira, "now I got an overgrown raptor on top of my own car."

Gojira turned the ignition on. He tried to shake the Raptor off by going down low-roof tunnels at 60 mph, but when he stopped the buggy, he was shocked to see the Raptor still clinging on. He hit the acceleration and sped down past the HQ. As he passed, Gojira yelled back: "Hey, a little help here, anyone?!"

A black ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon noticed an Urban Avenger diving at full speed. "Hey, look, target practice!" said the pilot to the left gunner.

"Fifteen bucks I can blow it up from here," said the gunner.

"Might as well pay now," replied the pilot as the gunner aimed at Gojira's Urban Avenger.

Gojira drove at full speed, activating his weapons to try to get the dino off, but with no success. Suddenly he heard a sound. "Hmm?"

He turned and screamed, because a missile was headed for him!

Oh man, thought Gojira, gotta think fast gotta think fast. He made a sharp U-turn to see if he could get past it. The missile flashed by in a blaze of speed and sound. "Wow, that was close!" he exclaimed. "I hope it isn't a heat seeker..."

"See?" said the ShadowTech pilot, laughing.

"He moved!" the gunner angrily retorted.

"This is how I do it," said the pilot, pressing a button.

Gojira noticed the Mutant Raptor was gone. "At least it helped," muttered Gojira. Suddenly, he heard the sound again, but louder this time. He looked up. Four missiles were flying for him! Gojira quickly them shot down with the Sonic Screamer mounted on the Urban Avenger.

"Yeah, real sweet," said the ShadowTech gunner, with a smug grin.

"Shut it, fool," the pilot snapped.

Well, thought Gojira, if this works on their cheap missiles, maybe it will blow that thing out of the sky. He turned his Urban Avenger and fired a shot at the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon's cockpit.

"Hey!" said the pilot, flying towards Gojira. The helicopter fired back, launching four more missiles in retaliation.

Oh great, thought Gojira. Out with the raptor, in with the copter. I guess I'll have to find a way to make this thing kill itself. First, I might as well fry those missiles. Gojira continued firing his Sonic Screamer in rapid succession, but soon his mounted gun was blown off by one missile. "Uh-oh!" exclaimed Gojira.

Immediately, he drove off, with the black T-1 Typhoon in pursuit. He began driving back toward one of the low-roof tunnels.

The pilot of the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon noticed Gojira driving into a tunnel. "Let's go after it!" said the gunner.

"That thing doesn't have a gun," replied the pilot. "Sooner or later, a dino is going to do the job for us... get it?"

"Yeah, I do," muttered the gunner. The ShadowTech gunner noticed a Mutant Pteranodon flying around. "Dumb bird," he muttered, firing a net at it. "But dumb birds are good for experiments... Cane will be pleased when I bring this to him..."

"It's my copter, so I claim credit for catching it!" said the pilot.

"I was the one who caught it!" said the gunner.

*****

As Gojira drove into the tunnel, he expected to hear a crash behind him as the black T-1 Typhoon gave pursuit. But he noticed that no such explosion came. Odd, Gojira thought. Might be a trap. Let me just keep driving.

Gojira kept driving, when suddenly...

"ROAR!"

Gojira had driven into a Mutant T-Rex's foot, and the T-Rex doesn't like when somebody squashes its foot...

"Aw no, a T-Rex!" exclaimed Gojira. He hit the reverse in the Urban Avenger and make another U-turn. Unfortunately for Gojira, the tire ran over its foot again, getting it even madder. With no defense or place to hide, Gojira drove toward the other end of the tunnel, hoping that the T-1 Typhoon was gone.

As Gojira approached the end of the tunnel, he noticed that the ShadowTech helicopter had left. He muttered under my breath, "Today just isn't my lucky day. First I get attacked by a Raptor, then a T-1 Typhoon, now a T-Rex. Just great."

The Mutant T-Rex roared behind him and started to pick up speed. Gojira hit the acceleration and sped by countless roads he could have driven away on. Cursing, he finally turned onto a side street. Too late did he notice that it led to a very narrow alleyway. "Aw great, I'm gonna be trapped!" The T-Rex roared behind him again, and Gojira made up his mind it would be better to keep going that way than being eaten.

As the Urban Avenger came to a loud crash at the back of the alley, another louder crash came as the Mutant T-Rex tried to squeeze its way through the alley. For now, he was finally safe.

This gave Gojira a while to sit down and think. Mostly, it brought along the following thoughts: Why are all of the mutants carnivores? What was causing the rapid growth and mutations of the mutants? For example, these Raptors are growing almost four times their normal size!

----

Rev decided to hightail it out of the base as soon as he could. He knew Sereve wasn't completely comfortable with what he had heard.

Rev wanted blood and he was going to stop any possible Mutant Dinos. He was on his way back from Dino Attack HQ to the city where he had set up his secret base. He had bombs, and he was going to bring down the buildings (other than his) in that city and trap the creatures in there so he could bomb them from the air, half certain that he was going to become an elite agent real soon.

The wind and rain chilled him and he had to put a protective barrier around most of his car because the hail was the size of basketballs. In a matter of minutes, he had the bombs set and designed to blow everything away from the skyscraper in the middle of the city.

Rev heard no explosion when he triggered the bombs... just cement cracking and smashing buildings. Rev had set up the bombs differently than he was going to at first; now, they were rigged to collapse and bury the dinos in the four walls. Rubble and dust were thrown into the air and collapsing in front of the city gates.

Rev was glad Sereve had left before this because Rev had just realized how idiotic he had been. He had no way out.

"Mayday, Mayday! This Agent #153012-D Rev Raptor of Dino Attack Team. Trapped in dinosaur-filled city. Gate purposely blocked to stop Mutant Dinosaurs here from rampaging through the island. Requesting arial pickup from the tower that's still standing ASAP. Over."

And Rev hoped he'd be picked up soon.

----

Gojira sat up with a start. "Oh man, what happened?" he said as he noticed the passage of time. "I must have fallen asleep." He looked back to see if the Mutant T-Rex was gone. It was. Gojira put the Urban Avenger in reverse and backed out of the alley. "Now, just gotta make some repairs."

"Some" was an understatement. The Sonic Screamer had been blown clean off, and the back right tire had been knocked off, not to mention the front end was in a misconfigured position causing the progress of the car's movement to slowdown.

As Gojira searched for someplace to get repairs, he found an abandoned ammunition shop. All that was inside was a rifle and a bunch of tranquilizer darts. "This ought to do well for now," he muttered and dragged the weapons into the back seat.

Gojira drove around some more and found an Octan automobile repair shop. From the first glance, it seemed empty, and he began the repairs. Then he had completed as much work as possible: finding a new axle and refitting it to the Urban Avenger; discarding the broken axle; and beating out some of the damage on the front end with a hammer.

Suddenly a hiss came from behind Gojira, and a Mutant Lizard crawled out from a pile of old boxes. "From what I've seen today," scoffed Gojira, "you're just a small fry." He grabbed a couple of tranquilizer darts and loaded them into the rifle's barrel. He aimed and fired just as the Mutant Lizard jumped forward. The Lizard flipped backward in midair and landed on the ground.

----

It had been an hour since the mayday, but now Rev could hear it: a T-1 Typhoon. "Rev, what are you doing here?" said a familiar voice.

"Specs! It's about time you got here," Rev answered.

"I see you made a base and trapped yourself in here," Specs observed.

"I needed my own place to stay, and plan, and stuff," said Rev.

"Get in the back," demanded another voice.

"Shadow, still grouchy as ever," Rev commented.

He heard two more voices say, "Listen to Shadow. Or else you could ride the rope and ride the cable all the way home." They started murmuring amongst themselves in agreement.

"Digger, Viper," said Rev, "I know you wouldn't do that."

Mischievous smiles crawled over the four faces of the founding members. "Yes, we would," replied Viper.

Rev turned pale. Although he loved flying, he was actually scared of heights outside the safety of a cockpit. "Okay, fine, I'll go in the back," Rev said as he jumped in and slammed the side door shut.

----

The bickering gunner and pilot landed the black T-1 Typhoon at ShadowTech HQ.

"I have better aiming than you!" said the gunner.

"Quiet," said Cane, who went out to meet them.

"You wish you did!" replied the pilot.

"I said be quiet, you two," said Cane, raising his voice.

"At least I caught this!" said the gunner.

"Silence!!" shouted Cane.

Another black T-1 Typhoon flew towards Dino Attack HQ. The Dino Attack guards readied their weapons, but the ShadowTech helicopter launched gas grenades that put them to sleep before they could fire back.

The helicopter landed, and four armed ShadowTech men went in. They searched everywhere until they found the detention blocks. Right now, there was only one occupant in the complex. They shot down the door, and grabbed Kotua, who had his hands tied behind his back.

"Hello there," said Kotua.

"You're coming with us," said the squad leader, agent Obsidian. The ShadowTech men then escorted Kotua back to the copter...

*****

Rev was finally set down not far from Dino Attack HQ. I'm such an idiot, he thought. Those dinosaurs will be able to dig out soon, and I will have detonated all those bombs for nothing. He knew there was a lack of T-1 Typhoon pilots to destroy them but he knew these would count towards his score. Rev then decided that he would park in front of the rubble so that when the dinos escaped, he'd be able to pick them off.

Rev found himself wondering, What if Landro isn't the main source of the Mutant Dinos, like he claims? Maybe his memories were altered when he was mutated. Or... would that mean my own memories could be altered? Rev just wasn't sure anymore if he ever was.

Rev noticed the sleeping Dino Attack guards and the black T-1 Typhoon. "Something's not right here..." he said.

Suddenly, he noticed ShadowTech agents walking towards the helicopter, taking along Kotua. "What in the world?" said Rev.

"It's too complex for you to understand," said one of the ShadowTech guards.

"That's why I decided to hurt you until you tell me," Rev said, punching and knocking one of them down.

The other one lunged at Rev, and Rev flipped over his opponent. Finally, having Jecht Raptor as a father has an advantage, Rev thought, thinking of his famous father who insisted upon giving his son physical training. Rev then pressed the button to remotely summon his Fire Hammer while he focused on blocking most of the ShadowTech guy's punches.

After a grueling fight, he saw the Fire Hammer coming. He flipped over the ShadowTech agent again, landed in the Fire Hammer and knocked the guy over his hood, then stopped and watched him go flying into a wall.

"Jeez, Kotua," Rev said putting him in the Fire Hammer again. "Lose some weight... and these guys."

"No idea who these ShadowTech guys are..." replied Kotua.

"Okay," said Rev.

Suddenly, a missile whizzed past the Fire Hammer. Rev looked back. A black Fire Hammer was firing at them. "Oh boy," he muttered.

Rev started driving in reverse, hitting the ShadowTech Fire Hammer. Then Rev drove off, with the black Fire Hammer and two black T-1 Typhoons following them.

"Kotua, you don't know who ShadowTech is, but can you tell me why they're after you?"

"Just trust me here," Kotua said, "and focus on escaping."

"Ya know," said Rev, "I can escape from anything on the ground, but T-1 Typhoons are next impossible to shake off."

Rev was near the blocked-off city when he shot one T-1 Typhoon down with the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. It hit the ground, and Rev realized he could use its wreckage like a ramp. He pulled a Dukes of Hazzard jump and drove into his tower hideout. He made his way to the roof and was on top of the building in less than a minute. Manning the Land-to-Air missiles, he shot down the other T-1 Typhoon down. As it crashed down, it cleared enough rubble to make a path out of the city.

Rev and Kotua left the destroyed city, and both let out a long sigh of relief. As they made their way back to Dino Attack HQ, Rev said, "Kotua?"

"Yeah?" Kotua responded.

"Avoid them from now on."

Kotua chuckled humorlessly. "Trust me, I try."

They were joined by Hyrode. "I can't leave you guys alone for a second, can I?" he joked as he saw the black wreckage of the ShadowTech vehicles left behind by Rev and Kotua. Suddenly, he got serious. "What is going on here?"

Kotua just shrugged.

Hyrode replied, "Then let's find out."

----

Venom ran through the courtyard. He had just been to Castle Cove and, in one of the castle libraries, he found a book with an illustration: armies of draconic beasts emerging from the eye of a violent storm to wreak havoc upon the world. But when he peered closer, he realized that these monsters looked less like traditional dragons... and more like Mutant Dinos.

When Venom got to his Fire Hammer, he radioed Rex. "I think I've found a clue behind where the dinos came from," Venom said into the radio. "It is..."

*****

Rex heard Venom's message, but he couldn't hear the last part of it. "Say the last part again?" asked Rex.

No reply.

"Venom?"

The line was dead.

"This is not good," Rex said to himself. Not only do I not know what Venom potentially learned about the Mutant Dinos' origins... but I fear something has happened to Venom!

Rex hopped into the Iron Predator. He had to rescue Venom and find out who was the cause of all these Mutant Dinos before it was too late. But, where was Venom?

Rex groaned. One thing was for sure - Venom was not in LEGO City. So, Rex drove out of there. He was barely one mile away from the edge of LEGO City when a Mutant T-Rex appeared. "Not good at all," mumbled Rex...

Rex fired the Cryothermic Cannon. It hit a wrecked building, causing it to collapse. The loud noise and commotion distracted the Mutant T-Rex, giving Rex the time to drive out safely of the way. Then, he resumed his search for Venom.

----

Cane looked through the window. "Your team failed me," he said.

"Maybe they anticipated the attack..." said Obsidian.

"Doesn't matter," said Cane. "I traveled south of LEGO City, into a LEGOLAND military factory. I've seen the project they're working on. Their newest vehicle will do the job better than you will ever be able to."

"No it won't, because this time, I'm going with the next squad," said Obsidian.

"If you don't succeed 'next time', don't bother showing up here," said Cane. "Not if you want to live."

Two black Iron Predators moved from the ShadowTech HQ and drove towards Dino Attack HQ, weapons loaded...

----

Kai checked about. Not a dinosaur was to be seen. Soon, he heard more thumping, only twice as frequent. It didn't look good. Looking out, there wasn't one, but two Mutant T-Rexes towering over him! Kai sent a message:

Help requested -- I'm being targeted by two Mutant T-Rexes! Coordinates are 596-305, and get an Iron Predator here if possible.

*****

Rex received Kai's message. "Just great," he muttered. He had to find Venom but also had to rescue Kai. Which first?

Rex weighed his options. "I'm much closer to Kai's coordinates," he reasoned, "than I am to Castle Cove. Besides, there's the possibility that Venom isn't even in any danger; his line went dead, and there might be nothing more to it than that. Kai, on the other hand, is in clear and present danger... so that means I should rescue Kai first."

As he set out towards Kai, Rex chuckled to himself. "Mutant T-Rexes, eh? This is gonna be good!"

Rex found Kai pursued by two mammoth Mutant T-Rexes. Rex smiled, knowing what to do. He fired the Iron Predator's cannon to catch their attention, then launched a net at them. He specifically designed this net to capture the T-Rexes, calculating what it would take to hold them.

To Rex's surprise, the nets were quickly ripped apart by the strength of the Mutant T-Rexes. Evidently, his calculations were not correct, and that net would have to go back to the drawing board.

"Not good at all..." mumbled Rex.

*****

Cane walked down the hall as he made his way through ShadowTech HQ. Perhaps it's time to take real action, thought the commander.

Cane contacted the two ShadowTech Iron Predators. "There's been a change of orders..." said the commander.

"Yes Sir!" replied the drivers of both units. Then, they split off, heading in separate directions.

One of the black Iron Predators arrived at Dino Attack HQ and fired at the base. A Dino Attack Iron Predator came out and started firing back at the black vehicle.

*****

Rex saw in his radar that another Iron Predator was approaching. He hoped that they were going to help them. He knew that his Iron Predator alone might not be strong enough to fight off two Mutant T-Rexes.

"Get in!" Rex shouted as Kai climbed aboard his Iron Predator. They sped off towards the other Iron Predator, but he knew that they couldn't outrun the Mutant T-Rexes for long. The T-Rexes were gaining on them.

At last, they reached the arriving Iron Predator. When Rex saw the tank's black colors, he suddenly felt uneasy. Still, he knew the importance of strength in numbers. Together, the two Iron Predators fired multiple shots at the T-Rexes, bringing them both down.

Rex sighed sadly. He hated resorting to violence against the Mutant Dinos. I would have liked to capture those T-Rexes, he thought, glancing at Kai. And I risked your life because of it.

Several men jumped out of the black Iron Predator. They were all dressed in black combat gear with armored vests and helmets. One of them beckoned to Rex and Kai, who traded glances before climbing out of their own Iron Predator.

"Is there a problem?" asked Rex.

The man walked towards them. "So, you're part of Dino Attack Team..." he said.

"Yeah, so?" said Kai.

"We don't like Dino Attack Team..."

Suddenly, the ShadowTech agents had surrounded Rex and Kai. Within seconds, both Dino Attack agents were restrained with special high-tech electromagnetic handcuffs. Despite their protests, they were dragged into the black Iron Predator.

Hyrode watched the scene unfold. He had arrived in response to Kai's distress signal but was too late to save them. "Aw, durn," said Hyrode, noticing his captured teammates and recognizing the black-wearing ShadowTech agents as the same guys who captured Kotua earlier.

On an impulse, he ran out, yelling: "Hey! Hey you! If you're going to take them, you might as well take-" Before he could say anything more, he was caught by ShadowTech and taken away in handcuffs as well. "Durn," he breathed.

----

Rev sat atop the mountain and watched T-1 Typhoons bomb the city to exterminate the trapped Mutant Dinos. Dang, looks like I'll have to fix her up again, Rev thought, looking at the central tower that was his secret hideout.

A warm breath crept across Rev's neck. A Mutant Raptor was reflected on the glass of his dashboard. Rev backed up quickly and the thing tumbled perfectly over. He landed a shot, hitting the Raptor in the rear and knocking it down the mountain.

Well, it could have been worse, Rev thought. Kotua could have been captured again.

----

Hyrode was dragged into the holding area of the black Iron Predator. "Hey, what's going on-" he said, interrupted by a swift blow to the neck.

Rex wasn't happy about being held captive by these men. The ironic thought crossed his mind that this is probably how the Mutant Dinos felt whenever he captured them. The difference is that I catch the dinos to bring them to safety and spare their lives, he noted. I doubt these guys will be so merciful.

He watched as Kai and Hyrode tried to pull apart their electromagnetic handcuffs, to no avail. He wanted to help them, but could not find a single weak spot on this gadget. That didn't improve his mood.

"So, agent-uh..." asked Obsidian.

"Rex," he replied tersely.

"Agent Rex, I want you to call off all your team members... or else..." said Obsidian.

"Why?" asked Rex.

"Now, now... I won't want to reveal my secrets now, would I?"

"So what do you mean by 'or else'?" said Kai.

"Or else you will face something worse than anything you've seen in your nightmares."

"Worse than my nightmares, eh?" repeated Rex. He rolled his eyes. "Well, that sets a high bar. The current state of the world is pretty nightmarish, don't you think? And yet, you 'don't like Dino Attack Team', founded specifically to end that nightmare. Do you even care for this planet, or do you-"

As he spoke, Rex did an exaggerated shrug. Obsidian's eyes widened in shock, and Kai and Hyrode were equally surprised. It took Rex a second to figure out why. "What the-?" he murmured as he looked down at his hands. Somehow, while shrugging, he had effortlessly pulled the magnets apart.

"Who gave you defective cuffs?!" Obsidian demanded. He glared angrily at one of his subordinates, who quickly shook his head in a futile effort to escape blame.

Before Rex could react, the ShadowTech men acted quickly: they removed his handcuffs and promptly placed a new set of cuffs upon his wrists. "This all seems excessive," commented Rex.

"Do you think I'm a fool?" said Obsidian. "If given the opportunity, you would break free and help your friends escape, wouldn't you?"

Rex glanced at the numerous ShadowTech agents surrounding them in the Iron Predator's holding area. "There's no way I'd be able to get very far..." he protested. However, he knew that the ShadowTech agent was right; Kai and Hyrode were already looking to him to come up with a plan for escape.

As soon as the ShadowTech men were not looking, Rex quickly looked down at his wrists and attempted to discreetly repeat the casual gesture that pulled apart the magnets. To his surprise, his handcuffs came apart very easily once again, with very little physical effort on his part. The electromagnets locking my cuffs together must be really cheap, he thought to himself. Still, he held his wrists together, glanced at the ShadowTech agents to make sure they hadn't noticed, and pretended that he was still their helpless prisoner.

"I do care for the planet," said Obsidian. "However, our goals require humanity to properly fight off the Mutant Dinos. In order to get rid of these mutant disasters, we need to kill them, not trap them... they don't deserve to live as your little pets. And we need to talk with agent Kotua..."

"You're wrong," retorted Rex. "Those dinos aren't any more monstrous than you, for wanting to kill them... so no, I'm not helping you."

"Well, we're doing it the hard way, then?" said Obsidian. He signaled to his squad, and they pointed their guns at the Dino Attack agents, with Rex guarded even more than Kai and Hyrode combined. They moved out and drove off.

"Where are you taking us?" demanded Hyrode. "To your base?"

"No," replied Obsidian. "We're taking you to Castle Cove, far from the prying eyes of modern minifigure civilization. The perfect places for 'aggressive negotiations'. You have one last chance to help us, Agent Rex."

Rex smiled as he remembered something: he had last seen Chompy in Castle Cove. Hopefully, the Alpha Team T-Rex was still there. And watching out for them. And already thinking up a plan to help them escape.

As the black Iron Predator passed through the Dark Forest, they heard a loud growl coming from the nearby bushes. A few men of the ShadowTech squad were sent to investigate. They rushed over to the bush, prepared to kill whatever was in there, only to find it empty.

Then they heard another growl, this time coming from a tree. The squad rushed from the empty bush to the tree, only to discover that there was nothing there either. They started to panic in confusion, desperately trying to find the source of the growl.

If that's Chompy, keeping them on a wild T-Rex chase, thought Rex, this is going to be entertaining.

But then the squad backed off, and the black Iron Predator fired its Cryothermic Cannon, destroying the trees and bushes in its path. There was no sign of Chompy or any other dinosaurs in the vicinity.

The Iron Predator took a turn, and they reached a cliff. "You're not thinking... of throwing us down the cliff, are you?" asked Kai.

"Easy way to get rid of those that don't cooperate," said Obsidian. Two other men dragged both Kai and Hyrode to the cliff, while he turned towards Rex and said: "This is your last chance to save them, Rex. All you have to do is stand down."

"You might as well throw me off the cliff, too," declared Rex, glaring defiantly at his captor.

"Very well then. Any last words?" said Obsidian.

Rex smiled and said, "Yes, in fact, I have just two words... I'm free!" With that, he pulled apart the handcuffs. Before Obsidian could react, Rex had darted forward, grabbed the pistol off his belt, and pointed it at him.

"Great... just great," muttered Obsidian, just before Rex opened fire. The ShadowTech squad leader fell to the ground; Rex knew his bulletproof vest would keep him alive, but the sheer kinetic force would surely knock the wind out of him.

Wasting no time, Rex turned and fired at the two ShadowTech men guarding Hyrode and Kai. "Come on!" he urged his teammates, beckoning for them to follow.

Rex, Kai, and Hyrode quickly made their escape. They took off, pursued by the rest of the ShadowTech squad. They ran back into the Dark Forest, where Rex had a feeling that they would find a good place to hide. They took refuge in a dark cave, and Rex quickly covered up the cave mouth with foliage so that the ShadowTech Iron Predator would not see them when it passed by.

Having narrowly escaped danger yet again, Rex let out a long sigh of relief. Then he turned towards his teammates and said, "Don't worry, I'll have you out of those cuffs in no time."

"How'd you break free?" asked Kai.

"I just pulled them apart like this," replied Rex, demonstrating the particular motion he used.

"Oh, that looks easy," said Hyrode. "Why didn't I think of that? I can do that myself!" But Hyrode and Kai both struggled to break free of their own handcuffs, to no avail. Nothing happened no matter how hard they pulled; the electromagnets held firm.

"Here, let me try to help," said Rex, putting his hands on Kai's wrists as he attempted to guide them through the motion. When Rex assisted Kai, the electromagnets came free just as easily as they had for Rex before.

They stared at him with wide eyes. "I don't think those electromagnets are defective," said Kai.

"Strange," murmured Rex. "I guess machinery has a knack for falling apart when I touch it?"

"Better keep you away from Databoard!" joked Hyrode.

"Either that," suggested Kai, "or you're just... strong?"

Rex shook his head as he helped pull apart Hyrode's cuffs as well. "I don't think so. I never experienced anything like this before. I guess that the only thing I'm doing is finding a weak spot, because I'm certainly not nearly as strong as other guys on the team. You should see this one guy, Bear..."

Rex, Kai, and Hyrode waited for the ShadowTech squad and their black Iron Predator to pass the cave. Thankfully, they could hear them keep going, unaware of their hiding spot. Soon, the roar of the Iron Predator's engine faded away... only to be replaced with a different kind of roar.

"Uh, Rex?" called Kai.

"What?" asked Rex.

"There's something else in this cave..." Kai said. "And I think our conversation disturbed its sleep..." A reddish-orange glow came from the other side of the cave as a dragon opened its jaws and breathed fire.

"RUN!" yelled Hyrode. The trio brushed through the foliage blocking the cave and darted away, thankful that they would not have to deal with ShadowTech and an angry dragon at the same time.

"We're going to have to be careful here," Hyrode said. "We don't have our vehicles or weapons."

"Or nets," mumbled Rex, who thought he glimpsed a pair of Mutant Raptors stalking them through the trees. "So, how are we going to find a way out of here - on foot - before ShadowTech catches up with us?"

"Who said we're going on foot?" asked Kai, pointing to the familiar form of a dinosaur running towards them. Fortunately, this one was not mutated. "Heya, Chompy! How are you doing?"

"You know him?" asked Rex, surprised.

"Sure," replied Kai as Chompy came to a stop in front of them. "I was in the Alpha Team a few years back and that's when I met Chompy, along with Kotua, Databoard, and Frozeen."

Rex chuckled softly. "Why is it that seemingly everyone has connections to Alpha Team, except for me?"

Fortunately, Chompy was big enough to carry all three Dino Attack agents on his back: Kai in the front, Hyrode in the middle, and Rex in the rear.

The dinosaur ran across the terrain. Due to accommodating the extra weight, Chompy could not run at full speed, but he still covered ground much faster than the minifigs could have on foot.

Since they were in a different area and had a different destination, their path was different from the last time Rex was in Castle Cove. They started in the Dragon Masters' territory (which explained the dragon cave), then passed through the Wolfpack's hideout, then the Black Knights' kingdom, and the Crusaders' kingdom. Each castle they saw was older than the last, but the Dino Attack had taken its toll on all of them. Once they finally made it out of Castle Cove, Chompy escorted the Dino Attack agents to an outpost where they could arrange transport to LEGO City.

Soon, they returned to their vehicles, finding them left behind at the site of their kidnapping.

Rex was so tired, he barely could drive back to Dino Attack HQ. When he got to his bed, he plopped down immediately. But to his surprise, he couldn't sleep. He couldn't think of anything more unpleasant than being very tired but unable to sleep. He groaned, waiting for him to drift off to sleep. He didn't.

The next morning, Rex was more tired than ever...

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 3: High Voltage

----

Kotua walked back to Dino Attack HQ, and began looking for materials for rebuilding his Robo-Blade. He reached for his pocket, and took out a round device that he had retrieved from the warehouse. It was marked with a yellow circle, with a yellow lightning bolt in the center.

"Uh-oh," said Kotua, after realizing what it was.

Kotua pressed a button. The device's little screen turned on. He pressed another button.

*****

Agent Crunch was patrolling the area around the Antarctica border, making sure no Dinos had arrived on the frozen continent (as unlikely that might seem, one could never be too careful). Then suddenly, the ground trembled.

"Earthquake!" shouted Crunch. The earth split open as Crunch stumbled towards Alpha Team's base.

Crunch turned around, and he almost gasped in surprise. A giant airship was slowly rising from the snow. As soon as the craft was high on the air, it started moving away.

Soon, the airship was flying faster over the ocean. Its robot crew, activated for the first time in half a decade, kept the craft flying as smoothly as possible. Some of the robots repaired and charged the weaponry, including the main weapon located at the front of the ship.

*****

"I hope nobody lives on top of where it was hidden," said Kotua.

He looked around. He couldn't tell anybody from Dino Attack HQ about the craft. Especially since it had a potent weapon.

"This is probably what Cane wanted from me," Kotua said to himself.

Kotua slipped the round control back into his pocket, and took out what he was originally looking for: a knife. He opened a box, and began using it to draw the Robo-Blade's blueprints...

*****

Specs looked around in the Iron Predator. He noticed a giant airship flying over him. "Oh my..." he said.

Specs noticed the craft bore a symbol: a yellow circle, with a yellow lightning bolt...

*****

Kotua was looking over the blueprints he had worked on overnight, when he noticed Rex. "Hey Rex, are there any spare parts? I'm going to rebuild my Robo-Blade," said Kotua.

"...sure... I think..." muttered Rex.

"You okay?" asked Kotua.

"...just... tired..." replied Rex.

"Oh," said Kotua.

"Yesterday was... a long day..." explained Rex, "but... unfortunately... last night... I couldn't... sleep..."

"Wow, that's bad," agreed Kotua. "How 'bout some coffee?"

"I... guess..." answered Rex.

Kotua got Rex some coffee, and returned to looking at the blueprints for the Robo-Blade. "Maybe I can salvage somethings from the previous Robo-Blade?" said Kotua.

"...huh...?" mumbled Rex, who was sipping his coffee.

"I crashed my Robo-Blade, that's why I'm building another," explained Kotua.

"Perhaps that'll work," Rex said, now awake. "I don't imagine Alpha Team has extra Robo-Blades? It seems like an Alpha Team vehicle."

"The original Robo-Blade came from my Ice Blade," Kotua answered. "It was created by an insane inventor named Dr. Voltage, but I took it and continued to use it throughout the rest of Mission Deep Freeze... along with his personal airship, the Voltage. Speaking of Alpha Team, weren't you an Alpha Team agent?"

"No," Rex answered softly. He took another sip of his coffee, then continued. "I actually have no idea what my past is. The oldest memory of mine was waking up in the middle of the Dino Attack, wanting to join the Dino Attack Team. I don't remember anything before that. Dr. Einstein thinks I probably hit my head and got amnesia or something."

"Hmm, that's weird," said Kotua.

"Yep," said Rex.

Suddenly, it got dark outside, like a massive cloud had just blocked out the sun. "What's going on?" said Rex.

"I don't know," Kotua said uneasily.

Specs came running in. "There's some sort of massive airship!" he said, running to tell the others. "It doesn't seem to be Alpha Team or LEGOLAND, so be on your guard!"

Rex and Kotua peered outside. The aircraft was now flying over Dino Attack HQ. A squadron of A.I.-controlled Robo-Blades launched off the craft and landed on the street below. They were armed with beam rifles.

"You know them?" asked Rex.

"Er... no!" said Kotua. Rex looked at him, puzzled. "Yes..." he whispered.

"Are they bad?" asked Rex.

"No," said Kotua. "But the Voltage is very powerful... I remember using its weaponry to fight the Evil OGEL Empire. If ShadowTech ever finds out, well..." He didn't need to finish the sentence.

"Speaking of ShadowTech," Rex said, "Kai, Hyrode, and I just got captured by them yesterday."

"No wonder you're tired," Kotua said. "Did they do anything to you guys?"

"Almost threw us off a cliff," answered Rex. "They wanted me to call off the Dino Attack Team, and they wanted... well, they wanted you."

"Huh," Kotua said quietly.

They watched as a ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon flew towards the Voltage. Immediately, the airship's beam weaponry took care of the black helicopter, sending it down in flames.

*****

"It shot the chopper down, sir," said a ShadowTech soldier, looking at his computer's data.

"What?! Send in jets," ordered Obsidian.

"Yes, Sir," said the soldier. Immediately, ShadowTech pilots scrambled to get into their jets.

"Remember, its weaponry is powerful," Obsidian said to the jet pilots over radio.

"Don't worry, it's going to be as easy as taking down dinos," said one of the pilots.

The ShadowTech jets armed their weapons, and began to fire on the craft. The blasts hit its shields harmlessly.

"Did you see that?" said the first pilot.

"Yes..." said the squad commander, just as surprised...

"I'd rather go fight the dull dinos..." said another pilot.

The Voltage continued firing at the ShadowTech jets. One flew under the craft, avoiding the blasts.

Another jet aimed its missiles. "Take this!" said the pilot, pressing the trigger.

A blast flew from one of the Voltage's laser turrets, wiping out the jet before its missile could fly out.

The rest of the ShadowTech jets just fired like crazy, worrying more about avoiding the Voltage's blasts.

"You idiots!" shouted Obsidian. "Just shot one spot, until the shield is weakened."

The Voltage opened its missile bay, and missiles flew towards the jets. One jet started firing at the missiles, but the missiles simply flew out of the way.

The Voltage fired like crazy at the ShadowTech jets, aiming to destroy them all. Most jets flew out of the way of one blast only to be in the way of another.

Soon, there were only three ShadowTech jets. One of the pilots flew away towards downtown, getting out of the range of most blasts. Another quickly fired missiles at a seeming weak spot in the craft's beam shield. The Voltage opened fire again, taking down the third jet, which was just randomly flying around. It then aimed at the two surviving jets.

"Let's get out of here!" said the pilot of the jet heading downtown.

"I agr-" said the other pilot, before ten blasts hit the jet and swallowed him up in an explosion.

The remaining ShadowTech jet flew fast, while the Voltage fired all it had at it. Blasts hit buildings around the jet, causing multiple fires.

Forty missiles flew around the last jet. It fired back, destroying some of the missiles, but the rest hit the jet...

*****

"So now, you're rebuilding the Robo-Blade," Rex said. "Good luck with that. Well, if you need me, you know where I'll be."

"In your room?" asked Kotua.

"Actually, I, well, uh... yes, in my room," answered Rex. He began to walk away, but then he looked back at Kotua. His expression was dark, regarding Kotua with suspicious narrowed eyes. "There's still one thing I don't get, Kotua. The other day... why did you try to use a Robo-Blade to kill agent Rev?"

"I did?" said Kotua, who acted surprised.

"Yes," said Rex. "I saw it happen, and so did multiple other Dino Attack agents. If Databoard and Rev hadn't been putting in a good word for you, you'd probably be sitting in a detention block right now instead of tinkering with your vehicles."

"I don't remember anything," lied Kotua.

"You sure?" pressed Rex.

"Yes... besides, if I wanted to attack you, wouldn't I have used the ship above us?" said Kotua.

Rex nodded, then walked away. But he gave Kotua one last suspicious glance, suspecting that his teammate was not telling the whole truth. Being amnesic like Rex was one thing, but deliberately lying was another.

Maybe I'm making a mountain out of a molehill, Rex thought. Maybe Kotua really was telling the truth...

But Rex still couldn't shake the feeling that Kotua was lying. He might've been brainwashed, but who would've done that? ShadowTech, probably. But then why didn't ShadowTech just brainwash Rex, Kai, and Hyrode? It had to be a lie, without many other confusing questions falling into place.

Kotua watched Rex leave. I've got to get rid of him soon, thought Kotua. He's asking too many questions.

Kotua slowly took out the device and selected a target. He quickly put it back in his pocket.

*****

The craft recharged its turrets. Two turrets aimed at the new target: Elite Agent Rex...

----

Kai jumped back in his Urban Avenger and drove off. He headed towards the helicopter pad which was once the Arctic jump point, used by research teams back in 2000.

The helicopter still stood there, unscathed. The Mutant Dinos hadn't found it yet. He jumped in and took off, but instead of north to the Arctic, he headed south. Back to the Alpha Team base.

----

"Sir, the whole squadron has been wiped out," said a ShadowTech soldier.

"WHAT?!" shouted Obsidian.

Cane walked towards Obsidian. "Test one seems to be successful," said Cane.

"Too late! I lost a squadron of jets against the Voltage!" said Obsidian.

Cane hardly batted an eye. "It would raise suspicion if it were any other way..." he said. "And, given your... ahem, track record so far... it seemed only fitting to set you up for failure."

Obsidian grumbled under his breath.

*****

Rex himself had lied to Kotua. He said he'd be in his room, but he actually went to his Iron Predator and left Dino Attack Headquarters.

Rex looked up to see the Voltage flying over him. He picked up his binoculars and looked through them, and he realized the turrets were aiming at him! He quickly accelerated the Iron Predator to top speed and drove around LEGO City, trying to dodge the turrets' blasts as they rained down upon the streets.

Then the airship launched homing missiles, giving chase to his Iron Predator. "One sharp turn, please," Rex muttered under his breath, "please, please, a sharp turn!"

He had luck. The road ahead of him turned sharply, and Rex made a sharp turn. The missiles didn't have the time to turn. They slammed into a building with a great explosion.

Rex drove around LEGO City, with the Voltage firing him. "This is crazy..." muttered Rex.

A Mutant Pterosaur tired divebombing the Iron Predator from above, but was struck and vaporized by a blast of the Voltage's turrets. The craft seemed to only care to destroy him...

*****

"He can't outrun it forever..." muttered Kotua.

"Hey Kotua, we should be ready in case this airship turns towards us..." said Specs.

"Don't worry..." said Kotua. "It only hunts down evil villains... like Rex."

"What?" said Specs.

"Don't you find it strange he wants to 'help' these dinos?" said Kotua. "We're supposed to stop an apocalypse, not be nurses to dinos... I bet Rex is secretly working for whoever is behind the Dino Attack, and they're infiltrating our team..."

"You okay?" asked Specs.

"Yes..." Kotua said in a low voice.

"Rex helps the dinos because they're living beings," said Specs. "I've personally approved his studies and his research. What you're proposing is preposterous." He started to leave.

"If you're siding with traitors..." said Kotua.

Specs turned around. "What?" he exclaimed.

Kotua shot Specs with a tranquilizer dart. "The only good traitor is a silenced traitor," said Kotua. He dragged Specs towards a utility closet and stuffed him there.

Kotua then walked towards the garage, ready to make the Robo-Blade Mk. II...

*****

Rex gritted his teeth as the Voltage continued chasing him. He fired back with the Cryothermic Cannon, but nothing got through the airship's beam shield.

"That Kotua...!" he ranted. "I should've known all along! He's planning to betray Dino Attack Team by killing his teammates, and he's starting out with the elite agents! No, that's not right, his first target was Rev, who isn't an Elite Agent yet, but either way Kotua is a traitor! Once I get my hands on him, I swear, I'm gonna..."

It was a wonder that he could focus on where he was going, since he was driving the Iron Predator, aiming the Cryothermic Cannon, and ranting angrily about Kotua all at the same time.

Rex noticed Robo-Blades were deployed from the craft.

Rex still continued his ranting, which had escalated from grumbling to outright yelling. "Kotua's next targets are going to be the founding members - Specs, Shadow, Viper, and Digger!" he ranted. "He's not just betraying Dino Attack – he's betraying the entire world! Man, am I gonna KILL that traitor when I see him! Cut him up into little pieces and feed him to the Mutant Dinos!"

He paused to catch his breath, letting himself calm down just for a moment. He realized how carried away he was getting. "Okay, maybe not that extreme... but when I learn to tame a Mutant T-Rex, Kotua's going to wish that he'd never been born!"

He fired the Cryothermic Cannon at the Robo-Blades. "Right now, I think I'd rather be chased by a hunting pack of Mutant T-Rexes."

The Robo-Blades blocked the cryothermic blasts with beam shields. They fired back, nearly destroying the Iron Predator with their beam weaponry.

*****

Kotua grabbed a radio. "This is going to be fun..." he said.

*****

"Hello, agent..." said a voice.

Rex was surprised to hear Kotua's voice. He noticed it was coming from his handheld radio. "What's your problem!?" yelled Rex.

"I ask the questions... agent... and you'd better answer, or else!" said Kotua.

"Or else what?" demanded Rex, but Kotua ignored him.

"So, agent, why do you help dinos? Who's paying you? Evil Ogel? Lord Sam Sinister von Barron? Dr. Inferno? ShadowTech?"

"Yeah, as if I would be working for a villain!" Rex snarled. "I help the Mutant Dinos because I believe it is better not to use violence!" But, his anger got the better of him. "But it seems someone isn't getting that through their thick head! So, you want me to kill instead of tame? Is that what you want? Well, then I'm going to kill you!"

Ordinarily, Rex would never lose control like this. But there was just something that drove him to act this way. It was as though there was some deep-rooted rage that he had unknowingly been suppressing, and now it was trying to break free...

"Aha!" Kotua said. "Proof you're working for a villain!"

"Why don't you come here and say that to my face?!" snapped Rex. "Then we'll see which villain you're actually working for!"

"Why should you care?" Kotua asked casually. "You're the villain, not me."

That did it. "You know what? SHUT UP!" screamed Rex, fully losing his temper. "SHUT UP, YOU TRAITOR! YOU'RE NOT KOTUA, AREN'T YOU? YOU'RE A DRONE! SO STOP TERRORIZING US, DRONE! HOW DO YOU LIKE IT NOW THAT YOU'RE BEING CALLED A DRONE? HUH? HUH?"

"Eat beam, traitor," said Kotua.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU, DRONE!" yelled Rex. Suddenly, he heard a whirring sound over him. Rex looked up and gasped.

The front section of the Voltage had opened, revealing a giant weapon that resembled a speaker. Energy seemed to be forming as a yellow ball was growing in the center of the beam cannon.

"And tell your boss he needs to give up..." said Kotua.

Rex was bewildered. But, he had an idea. "Oh, no!" he began shouting into the radio. "There's, uh, a Mutant T-Rex attacking my Iron Predator! Uh, please don't eat me! AAAAHHHHH!!!" Then, he threw the radio at the ground in front of him, and ran it over with his Iron Predator.

CRUNCH! Not exactly the kind of crunch he wanted, but close enough. He would think that Kotua would think that a Mutant T-Rex had devoured him. If he was lucky, then Kotua would call off the beam cannon before it fired...

*****

Kotua smirked. "Heh, got what he deserved. Devoured by the very creature that he wanted to tame! What delicious irony!" Then, he frowned. "But I never found out who Rex was working for..."

As he started to walk away, he realized something was off. "Wait a minute... T-Rexes usually roar..." he murmured. "I heard a crunch, but not any roar..."

He quickly put more power into the beam cannon.

Kotua suddenly felt odd. He started getting a crave for pies. He walked towards a fridge in the Dino Attack HQ cafeteria, and grabbed a pie. He sat down and began eating it.

******

"Yeah, real sweet," said Cane, with a satisfied smirk. "The mental conditioning has been quite effective."

"We can try again later," said Obsidian.

To Obsidian's surprise, Cane shook his head. "No. Next time, I want control of agent Rex... he is one of the leaders. Get contact, and stop Kotua from killing Rex!" said the ShadowTech commander.

"Yes..." muttered Obsidian.

*****

Rex continued driving and avoiding the Robo-Blades, which had sent missiles after his Iron Predator. He sure hoped that Kotua had fallen for his bluff, because what he needed was a break from these Robo-Blades. But, while Rex was slowly tiring, the Robo-Blades kept persistent.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, another airship descended from the skies. Rex could see that this one was decorated with the colors of Alpha Team and marked with the name Pallas Athena. It opened its hangar doors, large enough for Rex's Iron Predator to drive inside. "Robo-Blades?" said a voice broadcast over an intercom. "Never thought I'd have to fight Kotua again... Quickly, Rex come aboard! It's a lot safer inside!"

Rex had no idea who was piloting the Pallas Athena, but he decided to take his chances. He drove the Iron Predator into the hangar, and the airship lifted off. The hangar doors shut and held firm as the Robo-Blades' missiles impacted its armored exterior.

As Rex climbed out of the Iron Predator, he was surprised to see Chompy as one of the ship's crewmembers. "Hey, thanks for saving me again," Rex said. Chompy replied gruffly with a low growl.

Chompy was not the only crewmember of the Pallas Athena. Rex met a diminutive droid that resembled a large tin can with arms and legs. "Beppo, biip bo beep boo!" the robot enthusiastically greeted him.

Rex chuckled. "Err, nice to meet you too!" he said, hoping that he got the gist of the robot's beeps and boops.

Chompy and the robot led Rex to the command deck to meet the airship's captain. As Rex looked around the command deck, he realized that the rest of the crew consisted of Brickster-Bots wearing Alpha Team uniforms. "What are Brickster-Bots doing piloting an Alpha Team airship?" wondered Rex.

The figure in the captain's chair was facing away from Rex, but he replied: "Haven't you heard that not all Brickster-Bots are evil? That not all who are destined to be villains become villains in the end? These are actually FMB-Bots: modified Brickster-Bots designed by Alpha Team agent Frozeen. They may lack self-aware A.I. and can only perform basic functions, but they are built to serve us. You can trust them, as you can trust me."

"And... who are you?" asked Rex, who could not see the captain behind his tall chair. At the very least, he recognized the captain's voice as the one over the intercom.

After pressing a button, the captain spun his chair around to face Rex, who gasped. He appeared nearly identical to the other FMB-Bots, except for the purple coloration of his head and uniform.

"You're… you're a Brickster-Bot, too!" Rex realized. "But you're the captain, and I thought you just said FMB-Bots lack higher functions…?"

"ERROR 404: DOES NOT COMPUTE!" responded the captain, who then laughed. "Don't worry, I'm only kidding! My name is PBB. I was the first FMB-Bot, and I was programmed with self-aware A.I. to be a unique individual. I had actually come here in search of Frozeen, but then I saw your Iron Predator under attack, and so I have assigned myself a new mission: I'm here to help out Dino Attack Team."

Then, the Pallas Athena shook as it was attacked by the Voltage and its Robo-Blade fleet.

"Looks like we'll need all the help we can get," remarked Rex.

"I see you're already acquainted with my teammates," continued PBB, gesturing towards Chompy and the small droid. "I've known Chompy since the day I was made. And you can always count on Little Bot in a pinch."

"You are... Little Bot?" repeated Rex, glancing at the robot.

"Beepy Bop, be boop bepbeep," said Little Bot. Chompy growled in response and rolled his eyes.

"What did he say?" asked Rex.

"He said, 'Little Bot, at your service'," PBB translated. "He always speaks in beeps and boops. Never spoken a single word, no matter how much it annoys Chompy."

Rex chuckled softly. "I can imagine that a mighty T-Rex isn't happy about working alongside a walking trashcan," he commented.

Chompy made a satisfied grunt, while Little Bot started waving his arms frantically and beeping, "Beep bop!"

"I'd advise you not to call him a 'walking trashcan'," said PBB. "It's a... sore spot for him. But he's a valuable asset to the team. Little Bot once manage to infiltrate Ogel's base all on his own and remain undetected for years, and he's got plenty of tricks up his proverbial sleeves. You'd do well not to underestimate him, and not even Chompy can deny that."

----

Kai touched down at the Alpha Team base. He was greeted by the Alpha Team's agents.

"Have I missed anything?" asked Kai.

"Some of our agents have left to fight some giant dinos or something. Maybe you could tell us a little more?" said Charge.

"Yeah," said Kai, "I met some of the former Alpha Team agents. Those dinos are just destroying everything in their paths, and chaos is everywhere -- except here, that is."

"Suddenly, Ogel's World Freeze plan doesn't sound so bad after all," said Diamond Tooth.

"Well, the Dino Attack Team could use some help. Maybe we could join forces and get rid of the dinos?" suggested Kai.

----

The beam cannon charged, and the beam flew towards Rex's direction. The blast shook the Pallas Athena violently.

"Kotua sure has interesting tools," muttered Rex.

"Unfortunately," agreed PBB. "I knew Kotua pretty well. He was a good guy during most of his service to Alpha Team. But, there were... incidents. He is great at technology, but... in the wrong hands, such as Evil Ogel or Dr. Voltage, that technology is a serious threat..."

The Voltage flew towards PBB and Rex. It started charging its main beam cannon again. The Robo-Blades flew back into the craft as it got ready to cease the existence of the Pallas Athena...

*****

After finishing the pie, Kotua left the mess hall and saw the Voltage outside. "When did that get here?" he wondered.

"Don't you remember?" asked a voice. Kotua turned around to face the end of Specs's blaster. Shadow, Digger, and Viper were there, too.

"Woah, what's going on?" exclaimed Kotua.

"You stuffed me in a closet, that's what," said Specs.

Kotua looked at the four founding members. These guys are lunatics! he thought. First chance I get, I have to get out of this place, before they think I'm trying to kill Rex, or Rev... sheesh...

"I don't know what's gotten into you Kotua, but we can't have you around," said Specs.

Viper looked at the team leader with great concern. "You're not planning on killing him? Are you?" he asked.

Specs sighed grimly. "If it's for the best..." he said.

Kotua quickly ducked, and ran out the room, with the four agents chasing him. "These people are crazy!" said Kotua, jumping into an Urban Avenger and taking off....

*****

"These people are crazy!" PBB muttered.  He immediately set to work ordering his crewmembers to defend the airship: "Little Bot, fire the zeta missiles!"

"Beep!" Little Bot beeped as it ran over to a button.

"Chompy, man the gamma cannons!"

Chompy growled, then ran over to another switch, which was apparently designed to be operated by a T-Rex.

Finally, PBB said, "Rex, could you get the alpha blasters?"

"Where are they?" asked Rex.

"Oh, right here," said PBB, gesturing towards the weapon controls.

All four Pallas Athena passengers knew that it would not stop the Robo-Blades. But, as PBB hoped, it did delay them. "Right now," Rex said as he was manning the alpha blaster, "I'd actually rather be chased by a Mutant T-Rex..."

The Voltage started firing at PBB's airship. The Robo-Blades flew out of the alpha blaster's range, and started firing at the airship.

"This is not good," muttered PBB.

"Both the Robo-Blades and the craft are shielded!" said Rex.

"Drat!" PBB said. "I thought that Rebel Drone made it so that these could even pierce Robo-Blade shields-"

"Rebel Drone?" repeated Rex. "You mean like an Ogel Drone?"

"Don't worry," PBB quickly explained, "he was an enemy of Ogel; that's why we call him 'Rebel Drone'."

First Alpha Team Brickster-Bots, thought Rex, now Ogel Drones that rebel against Ogel… what's next? A Mutant Dino trying to save the world?

The Voltage fired another big beam, rocking the Pallas Athena.

"We're not going to make it if this continues!" said Rex.

"I know!" said PBB.

Chompy merely growled.

A Robo-Blade activated its Beam Saber and started trying to make a hole in the airship.

"I sure wish that I had the time to add a shield to this yesterday," muttered PBB. "If this airship goes down, then we will crash, your Iron Predator will be destroyed, you and Chompy will be killed, and Kotua will probably turn Little Bot and me into scrap metal."

"There's a huge flock of Mutant Pterosaurs ahead!" Rex noted. "They'll also get killed if we don't succeed!"  While he ordinarily had more pressing concerns than the safety of some wild Mutant Dinos, Rex was disgusted by Kotua's thirst for mindless violence against the Mutant Dinos.  It just wasn't right.

PBB glanced in the direction of the Mutant Pterosaur flock, and then he nodded slowly.  "So, I guess you are the Dino Attack agent that I had heard about… the one who wants the Dinos to live," PBB realized. Then, he looked at the scanner. "Oh, my! There's a T-Rex aboard the aircraft!"

"Where? Where?" Rex asked as Chompy looked around.

PBB laughed. "Relax, I think it's just picking up Chompy!"

Rex laughed, while Chompy growled, annoyed.

*****

Kotua drove away from the agents, but soon black T-1 Typhoons were after him. "Can't they leave me alone!?" said Kotua, avoiding a blast from the ShadowTech copter.

Kotua drove like crazy to avoid the T-1 Typhoon's blasts, but it had now fired missiles. Kotua drove out of the blasts' way and fired back with the gun mounted on the top of the Urban Avenger...

*****

Databoard walked out of the lab, after spending a while examining dinosaur DNA. He walked down to the garage to make sure his Fire Hammer was in working order, when he looked out the window. Outside was an airship with Robo-Blades flying around. Databoard recognized the Voltage. "What the?" he muttered.

Databoard looked up and saw the Robo-Blades attacking a nearby airship. An airship that looked an unusual amount like an Alpha Team airship. Databoard got into his Fire Hammer and turned on the engine. He drove out of the garage to try and figure out what was going on.

Databoard drove towards the Pallas Athena's location. Robo-Blades were attacking the ship, and it might not last much longer. Databoard tried to think of anything that might help, but from down here there was little he could do. The Robo-Blades were beam shielded, and it would take quite some to disable that, even with a Multi-Mode Launcher. Databoard didn't have time to think any more, for several Mutant Raptors were headed for him!

Kotua saw Databoard. Kotua knew Databoard would help him. Kotua immediately started driving towards the Raptors, firing at them. The ShadowTech copter behind them fired at Kotua, but the blasts took down the raptors.

Databoard immediately shot down the black T-1 Typhoon. "What's going on?" said Databoard.

"Everybody is chasing me, and I don't know why!" said Kotua.

"Why are the Voltage and the Robo-Blades attacking the Pallas Athena then?!" said Databoard.

"I don't know!" said Kotua.

"Don't lie to me, Kotua, something is wrong with you!" said Databoard.

"No, there isn't!" said Kotua. Quickly, he jumped into his Urban Avenger, and drove off.

*****

Hyrode blasted his way through Robo-Blades on the ground, attempting to get towards the two battling airships. Suddenly, a beamsword was flung into the window of his Fire Hammer, hitting the control board. If Hyrode had had enough time, he could have hotwired the engine into working again. If he had the time.

Jumping out of his Fire Hammer, Hyrode sprinted away from the battling airships.

Running into a garage, Hyrode desperately looked for transportation. The only vehicle in the garage was a motorcycle. Hyrode jumped on, and slammed through the door.

*****

"Hopefully," said PBB, "I can prevent this airship from crashing. I've had experience with Kotua's pilotless Robo-Blades. Since nobody's actually driving them, they won't react as quickly to sudden changes in patterns. All we need is to make a sudden change in the direction we're going..."

... Unfortunately for PBB, the Robo-Blades flew off.

"Looks like they gave up..." said Rex.

"No, the craft is going to fire again," said PBB.

The Voltage began firing at the Pallas Athena, and charged up its other super blast: the Ice Ray. The Robo-Blades flew back in, getting ready for attacking the soon-to-be-frozen airship...

"Oh, MegaBloks!" PBB shouted suddenly. "The Voltage is about to use the Ice Ray! Chompy, forget about the gamma cannons - they're useless right now! Use the Magma Heat Coating instead!"

Chompy nodded, then ran to a button.

"Don't push yet," PBB said. "Wait for the Voltage to shoot at us, then surprise it."

The Voltage fired the Ice Ray at PBB's airship.

"NOW!" PBB shouted, and Chompy pushed the button.

Less than a second before the ray hit the Pallas Athena, the airship was surrounded by flames. The more ice that hit the flames, the better. Soon, the airship was surrounded by a field of steam. And once the steam cleared, the airship was long gone.

The Voltage activated its cloaking field...

----

Suddenly, a blast passed Kotua. Immediately, he looked back. A ShadowTech Urban Avenger was moving towards him.

"You'd think they would have learned by now," muttered Kotua, turning the Sonic Screamer back. Kotua then fired, and the blast hit the ShadowTech pilot, sending the black Urban Avenger out of control.

Soon, more ShadowTech Urban Avengers had appeared, and these had Beam Shields.

Apparently, they never give up... thought Kotua. He drove around the corner, and into an underground parking lot. The black Urban Avengers followed, firing.

Kotua quickly turned and fired at a few parked cars, destroying them. One jumped a foot into the air in flames, distracting the ShadowTech drivers.

Kotua immediately drove off, but the ShadowTech agents soon drove after him.

Kotua got out of the parking lot and turned to the left, black Urban Avengers following him. Suddenly, a black T-1 Typhoon flew from one of the buildings, and the gunner fired. A tranquilizer dart hit Kotua, and he drifted into sleep... as his Urban Avenger crashed into an abandoned supermarket...

The black Urban Avengers stopped, and the ShadowTech drivers got off them. Quickly, they grabbed the unconscious Kotua. The T-1 Typhoon landed, and they strapped Kotua into a chair in the copter. The T-1 Typhoon took off and flew towards their HQ...

----

PBB laughed. "Well, we got out of that pickle quickly!"

"No, we aren't out of that pickle yet..." murmured Rex.

PBB followed Rex's eyes, but did not see anything. "There's nothing there, Rex," PBB said.

"Maybe I just imagined it..." said Rex.

Then, Chompy walked over and sniffed the air. A low growl told PBB something was wrong.

PBB nodded slowly. "I may possess advanced programming and heightened senses," he said to Rex. "But you and Chompy have something special, something I cannot have: instincts. Trust them, Rex. I'm certain that they serve you well, my friend."

As they got closer, they were finally able to see what it was. "A bunch of Mutant T-Rexes?" PBB said. "This isn't good... Mutant T-Rexes have the hardest hide to pierce, so we're going to need our strongest weapons."

"Wait!" Rex interrupted. "Why kill them? They could be faithful to us someday, if we let them live but tame them. After all, they are living beings."

A smile spread across PBB's face. "Indeed, you are Rex, the one Chompy told me about, who wants others to live."

"Except for Kotua," muttered Rex. "He's going to pay for betraying the world..." Raising his voice, he said, "Okay, here's our plan: we drop nets on top of them, then transport them to a place where they can cause less damage. With me?"

"Affirmative!" PBB said.

Chompy snorted.

"Beep by boop," said Little Bot, who seemed rather worried.

"Yes, our nets aren't strong enough to hold a Mutant T-Rex," agreed PBB.

Rex smiled. "Ah, but my latest nets are not made for strength. They are made to entangle Mutant Dinos. The more they struggle to escape, the more they get themselves tangled up and can't move."

PBB nodded, so they launched the nets at the Mutant T-Rex pack. Sure enough, they were so tangled that they couldn't move.

"Maybe they're perfect if we leave them just like that," PBB said.

"Nah, they'll escape eventually," Rex said. "We must move them."

A grappling hook lowered from PBB's aircraft. It latched onto all of the nets, then began to raise them into the air.

"Okay, we've got them," PBB said, "now where do we put them?"

"On that small empty island seems okay," Rex said. "They'll be able to hunt for food, but won't be able to swim back to the mainland."

----

The black T-1 Typhoon landed, and the pilot and gunner carried Kotua into the ShadowTech base.

"Now we'll get rid of Dino Attack Team, just as soon as I find the control..." said Cane.

"Sure thing, boss..." replied the pilot.

Cane searched Kotua's pockets and took out the circular device. "Now to get rid of agent Rex..." said Cane...

----

"Just in case that Voltage tries to find us again..." PBB said as he reached for a button. "We should block us from all missile targets or scanners. If anyone fires a homing missile, they'll only hit themselves."

"Good idea, PBB," Rex said. "Kotua could never have known where I was while I was driving around the city in my Iron Predator… he probably targeted his weapons at me to find me. With your cloaking device, they'll never find us using targets or scanners."

PBB nodded, activating the Pallas Athena's cloaking device. Now, nothing - not even Alpha Team or the LEGOLAND military - would determine their location.

"We better stay in this airship until Kotua gets some sense knocked back into him," Rex said. "If any of us try and leave the airship, they will be able to target us. So, we better stay hidden from Kotua's radars, scanners, and missile targets."

"I still wonder what's up with Kotua," PBB murmured.

"Well, if he's pure evil, then we will demolish him," Rex said. Seeing the way that PBB looked at him, he repeated, "If he's pure evil."

"I hope it never comes to that," said PBB. "I'm sure Frozeen would be unhappy if we had to kill his old friend."

Frozeen. That name seemed to keep popping up and follow Rex around for the past few days. Or maybe Rex was the one following Frozeen around? He couldn't be sure. "So, who's this Frozeen guy I keep hearing about?" he asked PBB.

"He's an elite Alpha Team agent with a specialty in mining who disappeared during our last mission," replied PBB. Rex waited expectantly, but PBB did not say anything more.

"And...?" said Rex, frowning. "That's it?"

"I could tell you every single excruciating little detail about him," said PBB, "but I tend to bore people whenever I act like a talking encyclopedia, so I figured to just stick with the essentials for now."

"I just thought he would've been someone really important," commented Rex.

PBB shrugged. "True, Frozeen may not be as 'important' as Dash or Zed. But he is my creator. He raised Chompy. He rescued Little Bot. He is a close teammate of Kotua and Databoard. He is the archnemesis of General Evil, the brother of Ogel himself! To us... indeed, he is really important."

Rex nodded. "I see. In that case, I hope to meet him someday."

----

At the Antarctica refugee facilities, Sereve paced back and forth in front of Bailey as he thought aloud, considering his options.  "So, we have a mad lizard-man after us, with an endless army of lizards. We have a small army of men, a full arsenal of vehicles and weapons, and… one dog. What do we do?"

Bailey cocked his head and whimpered softly.  Sereve was grateful to have someone listen to him, even if that "someone" was just his dog.

Sereve wondered, "Well, Landro says he created the mutants, right?  Well, the only way we would be able to find out if that's true is if we find him, and then we can find out the truth about the Mutant Dinos.  So, all we need to do is find him, right?"

Bailey barked.

"Yes. He's probably long gone by now. He's most likely not coming back." Just then, Sereve had a stroke of genius. He said, "But, he was looking for that jewel… if I somehow send him a message pretending that I really do this crystal in my possession... he'll do anything to get it. He might likely have some means of listening in on Dino Attack communications, so that he can find us and find this crystal."

Bailey did not appear to follow along with Sereve's plan.

"Long story short: when Landro arrives, we'll need to capture him. And we'll need backup."

Bailey barked again.

"I guess you're thinking what I am thinking," said Sereve. "If by that bark you mean 'Gather the guys', then yes."

Just then, Sereve sent out a message to all of the agents about the plan, and their coordinates. He both hoped that the agents would come, and with plenty of guns.

*****

Kai arrived in his Urban Avenger at the coordinates which the message mentioned.

"I brought a few friends," said Kai.

Behind him, two Ice Gliders appeared out of their stealth modes. In one was Dash, and manning the other one was Joey, Kai's old friend.

"And equipped with weapons suited for fighting the dinos," added Joey.

Sereve said, "Welcome, Kai and friends, to Antarctica! Kai?"

Kai was staring at Bailey, who was standing right behind Sereve. A second later, he shouted, "Sereve! There's a wolf behind you!" Just then, he pulled out a handheld Sonic Screamer and was beginning to fire.

Sereve yelled out, "No! He's my dog!"

Then Kai put down his Sonic Screamer and said, a little weirded out, "That's your dog? What's your dog doing here?"

"Look, it's a long story. Let's just wait for the others. Let's go to Rev's base and wait for them."

"Base? What base?" asked Joey.

"It's going to blow your mind," replied Sereve. So, they waited in the base and for the others.

----

Kotua awoke. He looked around, confused. Last thing he remembered, he was driving away from the ShadowTech Urban Avengers. There were men dressed in black suits, holding machine guns.

Somehow, I doubt anybody will want to help me out of this place... thought Kotua.

Doors opened, and a familiar man in a black suit entered: Cane.

"You could have killed me when you knocked me out..." said Kotua.

"This time, we're not killing you… yet. We know you have made plans for new weaponry..." said Cane.

"Well, I'm not giving them to you. You already made me betray my fellow agents, and I won't do it again," said Kotua.

"You think you have a choice? Give them, or we'll take them by force," said Cane.

*****

After searching for agent Rex via LEGOLAND Military satellites, the Voltage flew towards its next target: agent Specs.

The Voltage flew towards Dino Attack HQ, where agent Specs was. The craft opened its front hatch, and aimed its destructive beam at the agent...

*****

Kotua watched in horror as the Voltage opened its front hatch.

"So, are you going to give it to us? Or are you going to let your 'fellow' agents die?" said Cane.

"Why do you want it?" said Kotua.

"We'll get rid of the dinos quicker, and of course the remainder of those things will be our test subjects," said Cane.

"I never made plans for other vehicles, or devices, or anything!" said Kotua.

"Bring the machine," said Cane.

Two soldiers ran out the room, and came back pushing a chair with wires, and a computer connected to it.

"I'm sure it brings memories, no?" said Cane.  "We have made a few adjustments… injected a little bit of our own special brand of chaos into it."

Kotua remembered the machine from when he was an Alpha Team agent.  He had not seen it since Mission Deep Freeze, but he recognized it all too well. That machine had been used on both Databoard and Kotua.  It brainwashed both of them, forcibly turning the loyal Alpha Team agents into servants of Ogel against their will.

Databoard had overcome the effects, but as for Kotua...

----

The Pallas Athena passed over the ruins of LEGO City. Every time a Mutant Dino would appear, Rex and PBB would launch a net at it. So far, there had been no more signs of Mutant T-Rex. Rex was thankful for this, since that they had already run out of their "tangle nets". All they saw were Mutant Lizards and Raptors.

From LEGO City, they flew to Adventurers' Island.  "Data was right," Rex said, astonished. "This place looks awful!"

From what he could see, the huts in the native TumTum villages were torn up; many pyramids in the Sphinx Area were now ruined piles of bricks; and, the most disturbing feature: entire areas of the island's huge jungle were now charred remains.

PBB looked at the frightened native Dinos scampering away from the Mutant Dinos. "Are you thinking that the Mutant Dinos are possibly coming from-"

"Nope," Rex said. "There's no sign of mutating devices here. And plus, even if the Mutant Dinos came from here, it doesn't add up. The Dinos that naturally live here are T-Rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, and Pterosaurs. The Mutant Dinos are T-Rex, Raptors, Pterosaurs, and… well, whatever the Lizards are supposed to be. Sure, the T-Rex and Pterosaurs match, but Stegosaurus and Triceratops don't match with Raptors and Lizards. So, they must be coming from somewhere else."

----

Specs looked around Kotua's quarters for anything which might help, but Kotua didn't have anything other than a laptop, a few wires, and empty electronic equipment.

*****

The Voltage finally gathered enough energy, and fired...

*****

Shadow looked around the garage for any recording equipment Kotua may have put, when suddenly a blast passed through the roof, destroying some Steel Sprinters and an Iron Predator.

Shadow ran into the HQ itself as the Voltage fired at the garage, destroying weaponry and vehicles along the way.

"What's going on?" said Specs, running towards Shadow.

"Blasted flying thing tried killing me," muttered Shadow.

"Kotua..." muttered Specs...

----

After putting Kotua in the machine, and forcing answers out of him, ShadowTech took Kotua outside, and dropped him in a nearby building.

Soon Kotua awoke... He looked into the sky. "So, agent Rex escaped the blast... I'll destroy him next time..." said Kotua, getting up.

A Mutant Raptor walked closer to Kotua, getting ready to attack him. Kotua simply stood there as the dino approached...

A moment later, Kotua looked at the remains of the Dino. "You asked for it. Just like agent Rex," he said, walking away...

----

"If we move quickly," Rex said, "then maybe we could avoid contact with one of Kotua's Robo-Blades or the Voltage."

Chompy growled softly.

"I agree," said PBB.  "It's ironic that Kotua would end up following in the steps of Dr. Voltage, the villain who originally created the Voltage airship and Robo-Blades during Mission Deep Freeze."

Rex frowned. "All the more proof that Kotua is a villain!"

"You think he's a villain now?" said PBB. "Just wait until you hear these two reports!" PBB read the two events concerning the Voltage trying to attack Specs and Shadow.

Rex was aghast.  "He's a villain, alright," he grumbled. It was bad enough that Kotua already attacked Rev and Trouble, attempted to attack Databoard, and almost killed Rex and Chompy… but now, adding two of the team's founding members to the list of Kotua's victims was truly horrible. Now more than ever before, Rex felt a growing hatred for Kotua...

"Just take your mind off it," PBB suggested. "As long as this airship is cloaked and moves quickly, we won't have to deal with Kotua."

"Yeah, you're right," Rex admitted, "but the other agents aren't safe from Kotua." Looking at the charred remains of one of the TumTum villages, he shuddered. "Thank goodness that the Mutant Dinos hate the cold. And thank goodness that the survivors are hiding where it is coldest, such as Antarctica and the Arctic."

The Pallas Athena continued its course along Adventurers' Island. The volcanic mountain range did not have many Mutant Dinos on it, probably due to the fact it was a very dangerous place. However, in lower areas such as the Sphinx Area, the island was filled with Mutant Dinos.

So far, PBB's airship had captured 10 Mutant Lizards, 6 Mutant Raptors, 5 Mutant Pteranodons, and 2 Mutant T-Rex - just in the Sphinx Area. "These Mutant Dinos are really spreading," Rex muttered.

----

Databoard drove down the streets of World City. He knew something was up with Kotua; he was the only one who controlled the Voltage. But something was out of place; why would he be doing this? Databoard had no guesses in his mind that something was wrong, all the more heightened when he received a report the Voltage attacked agents Specs and Shadow. Databoard would not be surprised if every single agent considered Kotua a threat.

Databoard turned around. First, he was going to find Kotua. Then, he was going to get to the bottom of this.

Databoard drove down the streets of LEGO City, trying to locate Kotua. He soon found his Urban Avenger, crashed into a supermarket wall. Databoard looked at the cockpit and found that Kotua was no longer inside. Doubting Kotua could have walked away unharmed, Databoard got out and began searching the area.

Databoard looked around for Kotua. Not finding him, he got back into his Fire Hammer and began driving around. He soon found something odd: a crashed Urban Avenger, only it was entirely black. Databoard looked at the pilot, and could tell he was no Dino Attack Agent. He got back in the Fire Hammer, but not before taking a broken part of the vehicle to study later.

Databoard heard a noise. Overhead, a Mutant Pteranodon flew overhead. Databoard aimed the Multi-Mode Launcher. He needed to look for Kotua, but his mission was to stop these Mutants. He aimed at the Pteranodon, which was flying towards an abandoned building. He fired, but missed. The blast hit the building, sending a small chunk of rubble plummeting into the street. In an instant, almost a hundred Mutant Pteranodons flew from out of the buildings. They seemed to have made a nest in that building, and they didn't like people attacking them. Databoard shot forward as the Mutant Pteranodons swooped down at him.

Databoard swerved down an alley, and the Mutant Pteranodons, seeing better at night, went right past him.

----

Glide was being chased by two Mutant Raptors. The shells from the Fire Hammer were useless. He sent a message to all members:

Help. Glide. Chased. 2 Raptors.

*****

Just when Databoard thought his work was done, he received a message from an agent named 'Glide', stating he was being pursued by two Mutant Raptors. Databoard revved up his Fire Hammer and drove to Glide's location.

The Mutant Raptors were about to close in on agent Glide, when Databoard's Fire Hammer sped around the corner. The Raptors continued chasing, knowing the Multi-Mode Launcher would do very little against them. Databoard continued driving towards them. One Raptor, learning that Databoard was not going to stop, scurried away. The other leapt atop Databoard's vehicle, but he made a sharp turn, sending the raptor through the side of the building. Before Glide could even say anything, Databoard was gone, returning to his search for Kotua.

----

Soon, a cloaked Robo-Blade picked up Kotua and took him to the Voltage.

"They're all trying to kill me... How to stop them? Heading in in direct assault won't work. Maybe..." thought Kotua aloud.

"Military satellites have missiles, I'm sure," said an advisor bot.

"I have a better idea. Rex tames Dinos because he knows people are safe on the Antarctica, and cold parts. But if we engineered an Ice Dino, I'm sure he'll be forced to help mankind, unless he's too much into his 'Dino friends'," said Kotua, walking to a console. Immediately, he pressed a button.

*****

Orbiting around the planet, an Ogel satellite received a signal. Immediately it relayed it to the bigger Ogel satellite.

*****

Agent Cam was investigating the crater with the other agents, when suddenly a yellow beam hit the ground, melting ten feet of snow...

*****

Kotua changed coordinates, and fired again. "Hope nobody of importance was there," said Kotua.

*****

Kai had exited the base, when a blast hit the roof, melting the snow off.

*****

The Voltage started firing at a skyscraper, taking it down.

Databoard was driving his Fire Hammer, when a piece of a building fell on front of him! He looked up, and saw blasts coming from nowhere.

Kotua... thought Databoard.

Databoard looked as more blasts destroyed the rest of the building in front of him. He backed up to avoid being hit by rubble.

Databoard thought, Kotua, have you gone mad? He would have to get up to the Voltage and find out what was going on. The only problem was he didn't know how he would get to a ship he couldn't see.

*****

"No tall buildings..." muttered Kotua.

He noticed a Fire Hammer. "Ah, it must be agent Rev. Destroy it," ordered Kotua.

*****

The laser turrets aimed at Databoard, and began firing. Databoard drove in reverse, avoiding the blasts.

Perhaps it's the microphone... thought Databoard, remembering the Ogel device that had brainwashed him back in Mission Deep Freeze.  He also remembered that only one microphone had been destroyed, and the one used on Kotua remained intact.

But I have the thing off... thought Databoard.

Databoard swung down an alley, giving him time to turn around and drive forward. He zoomed out of the alley moments before the turrets brought rubble raining down on where his Fire Hammer was seconds before. Databoard swerved down the street, narrowly avoiding the Voltage's blasts.

*****

Kotua watched the Fire Hammer driving away. "Fire!" he ordered.

The front hatches opened, and this time the Super Boom Blaster readied to fire...

*****

Databoard saw the Super Boom Blaster gather energy. He drove like crazy as it fired, and the blast flew towards him.

Databoard stepped on it, but the beam hit the back of the Fire Hammer, lifting the vehicle and sending it into the wall of an apartment. Databoard jumped off before it hit the apartment, and fell hard onto the asphalt.

The Voltage flew towards him, ready to make sure he was gone.

Databoard slowly got to his feet, but he had been injured in his fall. He saw the Voltage moving towards him, so he dragged himself behind a pile of rubble. He would just have to stay hidden until the Voltage went away, and then he would have to get back to HQ.

The Voltage flew over the now-burning Fire Hammer, and started going towards the ShadowTech HQ.

Databoard watched as the Voltage began to fly away. It was still at just a low enough altitude that he got an idea that might just work. Databoard reached into his pocket and took out a Satellite Tracking Bug. He flung it into the air and it attached to the side of the Voltage, allowing him to determine its location later. He then slowly began heading for Dino Attack HQ...

----

After catching a lot of Mutant Dinos on Adventurers' Island, the Pallas Athena moved to the shadowy remains of LEGO Island. It was bad enough seeing the place looking so empty and desolate; the shadows surrounding the island almost seemed to be alive, reaching out and trying to devour the airship. Rex launched a few nets at Mutant Raptors and Lizards, and PBB stunned a Mutant Pteranodon.

"Look over there," Rex said. There was an empty and ripped-up cover of a book: the Constructopedia. All of pages were torn out. "I wonder where all the pages are..."

"They're probably all ripped up and destroyed, too," muttered PBB. "Plus, we're going to have to worry about things other than that right now!" He pointed at a Mutant T-Rex rampaging through what used to be the racetrack. Rex prepared another one of those "tangle nets" and launched it at the Dino, tangling it up.

"Where to now?" asked PBB.

"How about Sabatina?" suggested Rex. "We'll be able to catch many Dinos there at Port Royal and Eldorado Fortress, I'm assuming."

----

The Voltage was nearing ShadowTech HQ, and began firing at it. Immediately, ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons and jets flew to stop Kotua, but most ended up on the ground as piles of flaming metal.

Soon the Voltage started destroying ground units. The ShadowTech agents ran off, scared for their life.

"Destroy them all," muttered Kotua, aiming for the most potent vehicles.

*****

Databoard finally made it to Dino Attack HQ, and headed towards the medical room. "What happened?" said a surprised doctor.

Databoard walked inside the room. "Kotua happened, that's what," Databoard said.

The doctor looked at Databoard. "Well, you don't seem to be injured badly," he said. "But, you may need time to rest."

Databoard walked out of room. He got into a spare Fire Hammer and drove off. He still had to find out what was up with Kotua....

----

The first thing that Rex, PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot noticed about Port Royal was all the broken wood. The second thing was the snapped rope. The third thing how empty it was. There was not a single Mutant Dino in sight. "Strange," Rex noted.

"Of course!" Rex said. "The Mutant Dinos are all hiding in the mine! It must be a wreck in there."

"There's no way that this airship could go into that mine undetected," PBB said.

"Ah, but I have bait!" Rex smiled as he held up a dish of raw meat. He threw the meat out of the airship, reflecting upon the fact that it must have looked like tasty dinner to the carnivorous mutants.

It was not too long before Mutant Raptors came out of the mine and hurried to the piece of meat. They started fighting over the food. Rex and PBB smiled, and they launched nets at the bunch of distracted Mutant Raptors.

----

The Voltage stopped firing on ShadowTech and moved on, as it spotted a Mutant Raptor nest.

"Stinking Dinos, making our towns into their nests. It's disgusting how Rex can feel sorry for these things. Wiping them out is the only way, the safe way, to stop the dinos from wiping out us," said Kotua.

The Raptors ran as the blasts vaporized their nest. "Don't let them escape!" shouted Kotua. Immediately two Robo-Blades flew out to destroy the Raptors.

*****

Databoard noticed the two Robo-Blades. This is my chance, thought Databoard. Immediately, he fired at one Robo-Blade, which didn't have a Beam shield. The glass cracked, and the robot smashed into the ground.

Databoard ran and saw the broken glass. He dragged out the robot pilot, and flew the Robo-Blade back to the Voltage.

Databoard landed the Robo-Blade, and he sneaked out of it and into the command deck. Kotua was watching as the other Robo-Blade tried destroying the Dinos. Then a robot came up and reported the first Robo-Blade had returned.

Hiding, Databoard heard the robot. Databoard looked around, it seemed he-

BEEP!

A cleaning robot opened its claw, dropping its broom, and grabbing Databoard.

Kotua noticed him. "Trying to kill me? Rex must be stepping up anti-human actions. You probably have your own army of Dinos, and you've gone corrupt with the power!" said Kotua.

"You're the corrupt one! Blowing up anything that defies your thoughts and ideas!" said Databoard.

"So then you're saying that when we fought Ogel, we were corrupt?" asked Kotua...

"Ogel is a criminal mastermind!" Databoard shouted. "He doesn't fight for thoughts and ideas, only conquest!"

Kotua didn't seem to care. "You came here to kill me, Data!" He said.

Databoard managed to slip a small device onto the cleaning bot, electrocuting and shorting it out. He pushed the disabled robot aside. "You're the one who tried to kill me!" he replied. "Have you gone mad?" The security robots surrounded Databoard, lasers armed. "Kotua, think about it!" Databoard shouted. "Why would I betray anybody?"

"How did you get up here? If you weren't planning on betraying me, why come here?" asked Kotua.

"Because something's gotten into you! You think everybody wants to destroy you!" said Databoard.

"It's the truth. Take him to the cells," said Kotua.

The security bots took Databoard to the cell, and took away his devices. Then, they locked him in.

----

"Ooookayyyy... Mutant Dinosaurs?" said Colonel Jack O'Neill, preparing some explosives. "Dinos go boom."

----

Databoard banged on the cell door. "Kotua, come to your senses!" he yelled, but he knew Kotua wouldn't hear him. "I came here to help, not to kill you!" Databoard looked around the cell. A laser cutter would get him out quickly, but he didn't have one. "KOTUA, HAVE YOU GONE INSANE?!" Databoard shouted.

The Security bots, thinking Databoard was yelling of hunger, pressed a button on the cell keypad.

Immediately inside the cell, a small hole opened, and an open can of noodles landed on the floor, not spilling its contents. Databoard stared at it, and decided on a risky plan.

"I ACCIDENTALLY SPILLED THE FOOD!" shouted Databoard.

After a few minutes, a cleaning bot entered, and began cleaning the mess. Databoard leapt over the bot, and sprinted out of the cell...

Databoard soon found the security bot with his equipment, and kicked it into a wall. He grabbed his devices and rushed towards the command deck. Even if Kotua wouldn't admit it, there was something quite wrong with him. And if he didn't get that through his skull soon, he would be blown out of the sky by DINO Attack.

*****

Kotua was on his chair on the Command Deck. He watched peacefully as the craft flew.

"You know, I think we can end Rex's reign of Dinos by destroying the HQ," said Kotua.

"How?" asked an advisor bot.

*****

Databoard reached the door to the command deck.

There has to be another entrance, thought Databoard. He looked around. Looks like there isn't, he thought. He took out his blaster, and opened the door.

To Databoard's surprise, four security bots were aiming at him.

"Wrong door?" said Databoard.

Four security bots hovered behind Databoard. "Wrong move," said one of the bots.

Databoard looked around at the security bots. "Hands up," one of the robots said. Databoard reached for one of his devices, a medal tube. He flung it at the robots and ducked. Seconds later, lasers began firing from the tube, sending the robots fleeing. Databoard rushed past the fleeing security bots onto the control deck.

Kotua noticed Databoard enter. "Not betraying me?" Kotua asked mockingly.

"Look, Kotua, Rex and the DINO team isn't trying to kill you! We're trying to stop a Dino attack," said Databoard.

"Rex is using that excuse to get more dinos he can 'tame'. I'm stopping the dinos from attacking by destroying the dinos..." said Kotua.

"Kotua, why won't you listen?" Databoard said. "Senseless destruction never solved anything!"

"You're lying!" Kotua said. "DINO Attack wants to kill me!"

"Because you're trying to kill us!" Databoard said. "You've nearly killed several agents!"

"Because you're protecting those dumb things! I'm helping humanity by getting rid of these 'Dinos', and Rex and the rest think keeping alive those things will help..." said Kotua.

"Because Dinos have lives too, you know?" said Databoard.

"Correction, they used to. As we speak, Mechanic Bots are fixing the front blaster with a special blast that will get rid of Dinos only. Humans and structures will remain unharmed. Not sure about cars though..." said Kotua.

"Kotua, don't you see what you're doing?" Databoard yelled. "A mass extermination never solved anything! You say you're saving humanity, but you're just adding to the destruction!"

"You've seen what they're doing, Databoard!" Kotua said. "They're the ones who are destroying!"

"I don't know if it's due to you attacking HQ, or the obliteration of my Fire Hammer..." Databoard said. "...But I don't believe you!"

"You don't know them, Databoard..." said Kotua.

"And you do?" said Databoard.

"I helped create some of them with the man in black... but I never knew they would be out of control..." said Kotua.

"You're lying again!" said Databoard, calling Kotua's bluff.

"How would I make an anti-Mutant Dino formula if I didn't know?" said Kotua, trying to save face.

"Kotua, you have to stop this madness!" Databoard said. "Stop it before every DINO Attack agent wants to kill you!"

"Let them try," Kotua said. "I'm safe on the Voltage."

"I managed to get up here," Databoard replied. "Now imagine what would happen if someone who wanted to hurt you got aboard."

"You're the one who wants to hurt me!" Kotua shouted.  "Rex sees the Dinos as any animal, but they learn and quickly adapt. Soon, no weapon known to us will able to even make a dent to them, so why not destroy them while they're weak?"

"How do you know we even need to put a dent in them?" Databoard said. "They aren't beyond saving."

"You're beginning to sound like Rex," Kotua said.

Databoard glanced at the door, and noticed the Security Drones getting up. He would have to act fast. With no other options, he turned towards Kotua. "I'm sorry, Kotua..." Databoard said. "... But I have to stop you."

Kotua quickly dodged Databoard and leapt over him, and ran out the door. Databoard chased after him, but the security bots shocked him, forcing him to drop his weapons.

The Security Bots pushed Databoard to the hangar side of the craft. Kotua walked towards Databoard.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, but your idea to ignore humans for dinos is quite ridiculous. Maybe next time you'll get a better life..." said Kotua.

The Security Bots pushed Databoard off the Voltage.

"He'll find a way to live, I'm sure of it!" said Kotua.

----

Turahk-Kal started in Antarctica, where he prepared his weapons and vehicle for the rest of the world. Then, Turahk-Kal got on a barge, heading to LEGO Studios.

Turahk-Kal arrived at LEGO Studios and drove up in the Fire Hammer. While staying away from Mutant Lizards, he made his way to Studio #1. He found a film crew hat and put it on. After looking around, he drove to the dock and began a voyage to Adventurers' Island...

Turahk-Kal reached Adventurers' Island. He drove up on beach and saw a horrible sight. The jungle was ablaze and the natural dinos were running everywhere. A Mutant Raptor in the distance was picking them off one by one.

A young T-Rex ran and hid under the car. "Don't be afraid, little guy," Turahk-Kal said as he picked him up and put him in the back. He began driving to Sphinx through the desert to protect the ruins.

Turahk-Kal reached the outskirts of the Sphinx, only to find two Mutant T-Rexes slowly demolishing the place. Parking the car a distance away and placing concussion mines around it, Turahk-Kal made an improvised entrance by blowing a hole in the wall. Before the T-Rexes noticed, he swiftly ducked inside.

----

Databoard plunged down the Voltage, next to a skyscraper.

He looked around, and took out a piece of rope, with a hook on one end. Databoard swung the rope, and flung it. The hook smashed into open of the windows, and latched onto a pillar.

Databoard stopped abruptly, and swung until he smashed the window on the floor he was. He got up, brushing off pieces of glass, and walked towards the elevator...

*****

"I can't believe Rex turned even Databoard against me!" said Kotua.

"It was to be expected," said the advisor bot.

"Well, I think maybe the blast might be weakened by the settings of 'no harm humans and buildings'. Let's put it full power. I'm sure Rex hid the dinos in the Dino Attack HQ, and if we fire there, we'll kill two birds with one stone..." said Kotua.

*****

Databoard got up to an observation deck as the Voltage began to head off. Databoard fired a cable launcher at the bottom of the ship as it passed overhead. Once he was one the hull, he took out a laser cuter and began making a hole in the Voltage's underside.

The Voltage's front hatches opened, revealing the giant cannon. Energy for the Ice Ray, the Beam Blast, the Super Boom Blaster, and another new weapon mode, began charging up.

Databoard saw this, and tired harder and faster to cut a hole, but the hull was stronger than he thought. It would take a more powerful beam...

Databoard put the laser cutter away and pulled out a laser rifle. It was much more effective than the smaller laser cutter, or a standard handheld laser, but it was still taking a long time. Databoard glanced at the Voltage's weapons, which were still charging up. He would have to get inside soon and stop Kotua's plan.

*****

Kotua watched as the weapon charged up, and the Voltage was arriving at Dino Attack HQ. A T-1 Typhoon flew into the air, and fired its weapons, but the Voltage fired back with a laser turret, destroying the T-1 Typhoon's rotors. The helicopter plunged down, smashing into a police station.

Kotua commanded most energy in the Voltage to shields, and the turrets, with what was left for the blast. After that, Kotua immediately closed the doors to the engine room, and other critical points. He also closed the hangar doors...

*****

Databoard finally made a hole in the underside. It was very small, but wide enough for Databoard to slip through. He began sneaking towards the front of the ship, where the weapons were located. If he could disable the weapons, then he could stop Kotua from destroying DINO Attack HQ.

Databoard managed to sneak onto the place where the wires and other things were connected to the giant cannon. If he cut a wrong wire, the craft could fire, and would still cause great damage, even if the craft wasn't fully powered. Databoard of course didn't know the blast was 50% charged...

Databoard heard the sound of a cleaning robot approaching. He quickly ducked behind a stack of crates as it walked by. It walked by, soon followed by several more. Once they passed, Databoard returned to the wires.

To make sure no one would catch him, Databoard wired his PDA into the security system. He noticed the display was stating all crucial doors on the Voltage were locked, including where he was, the weapon's system room, and the shields were up as well. Well, there goes sneaking out once I'm done... Databoard thought.

*****

After rebuilding some of the destruction by Kotua, ShadowTech sent more jets to stop Kotua.

The ten ShadowTech jets were now arriving at Kotua's location, and began firing. The Voltage fired nine blasts which took down five jets, and crippled two more. The remaining three jets scrambled, and activated their Beam analyzer systems. With the system, they could find a weak spot in the Beam Shield surrounding the craft... that is, if they weren't shot down before they found it...

"Weapon 60% ready," said a computerized voice aboard the Voltage.

The five remaining ShadowTech jets flew everywhere, avoiding the blasts. The jets activated a phasing mode, and passed through the blasts unharmed.

"Old tricks? This ought to teach them!" said Kotua, pressing a button

The turrets charged a little, and fired again. The jets avoided the blasts, but one was stuck.

"It won't hit me anyways!" said the confident ShadowTech pilot. The blast hit the craft, scattering the jet's molecules everywhere, ceasing its existence.

"Uh-oh!" said another pilot. The now four remaining jets fired their weapons at the Voltage, but the beam shields blocked the blasts.

"They must be working with Rex... but they won't stop me from defeating him!" said Kotua. He walked to another control.

The turrets started firing more frequently, taking down two jets. The two remaining jets unphased, only to be hit by beam blasts...

*****

Databoard looked over the mess of wires that powered the weapons. If he didn't cut the wire in the right place, well, it could be summed up in one word: BOOM. Just once, I'd like to open the control panel to a weapon, and find a neon sign saying 'Cut this wire', Databoard thought.

Databoard slowly looked around the wires. He needed to find the right wire, or DINO Attack HQ would be destroyed. He could hear vehicles attacking outside, which might distract them long enough to disable the weapon. He looked through the wires more. The wire had to be there somewhere...

*****

Dino Attack agents ran away from Dino Attack HQ, and into abandoned buildings. Some made it... and some didn't...

"Rex must have moved the Dinos somewhere else. Oh, well. By destroying this place, he won't be able to hide them here!" said Kotua. "Look at those Rex-helpers run. I'm barely just getting started!"

Missiles rained down, seeking agents. Most blasted them with blasters, but there were more missiles than agents.

Suddenly, fifty black jets flew towards the Voltage...

----

Rex, PBB, Little Bot, and Chompy were unloading all the captured Mutant Dinos to his hideout at the abandoned prison. "They'll be safe there from Kotua," Rex said. "I just pray that the other agents are safe from Kotua as well..."

PBB frowned. "Something's not right..." he muttered.

BING! Rex looked down. Another report was in. "Kotua attacked Dino Attack HQ?!" he read. "This is an outrage! Kotua definitely has gone crazy!" After continuing to rant, he read on to find out that several agents had died. "This is insane!" he yelled.

Then, Rex sat down. "It's all my fault. I tamed the Dinos, or at least I hoped I could. Then Trouble got in trouble, and nearly got Rev killed. If I hadn't tamed Trouble, then Rev wouldn't have tried and save Trouble, which meant that Kotua wouldn't try to harm Rev. Then, Kotua didn't like that I was taming - not killing - the Dinos, so he tried and kill me. I guess several agents sided with me - the several agents who later got harmed just for being in Kotua's way. And now, Kotua is attacking Dino Attack HQ. All because I couldn't get over my strange habit of taming." After a pause, an uncomfortable silence, he added: "I was never meant to be a Dino Attack agent."

PBB sat beside Rex. "Don't talk like that," he said, trying to cheer up Rex. "You are an excellent Dino Attack agent, you just… have a different... feeling towards these Mutant Dinos."

"Yeah," Rex said, "different enough to have Kotua turn into a killer maniac."

PBB felt that it was best to change the subject. "So, what career did you have before being a Dino Attack agent?"

"I don't even remember my own past," Rex said. He thought for a moment. "Actually, I have a very, very faint memory of... scientists. They were crowded around something. I remember one saying something like, 'Oh, no! Now it completely thinks it's human!'" He laughed. "I guess I was a scientist. Might've gotten accidentally brainwashed by an experiment, though."

----

In a secret laboratory, several scientists were crowded around a screen showing Kotua's attack upon Dino Attack HQ.

"Ah, so Dino Attack Headquarters is being attacked by one of their own agents?" asked one, a man with short black hair and a pair of glasses.

"Yes," answered another, a beautiful woman with her long red hair tied back in a ponytail. "This is exactly what we wanted!"

"It's more than just 'what we wanted'," said the lead scientist, a charismatic bald man who gently stroked his goatee with satisfaction. "If my intel is correct, agent Rex is the main reason why Kotua is doing this. Our plan, which we had once feared to be a failure, is working in the end! Soon enough, Rex will bring about the end of these so-called 'heroes', and no one will be left to interfere with our goals!"

The group of scientists cheered.

----

Suddenly, black vehicles pulled up and began firing at the Voltage.

"What's going on?" asked Specs, who was hiding too.

"No idea," muttered Shadow.

"I know," said a voice. Both Dino Attack agents turned back. Cane was standing there. "I've decided to help you. After all, you know the new Kotua better than me and my team do."

"I think you want something else..." said Specs.

"I want Kotua alive..." said Cane.

"Okay, we'll do our best. We need to take him down as fast as possible though," said Shadow.

Black ambulances pulled up, and the doctors carried the wounded and the dead to the ambulances, and then drove them to the HQ...

*****

The ShadowTech jets scrambled, and began firing at the Voltage.

"Sir, they'll break through, we must surrender!" said one of the bots.

"No. I'm not going down without a fight. I'll show you how to deal with jets. Besides, there are a lot of tools that haven't been used!" said Kotua.

The jet leader flew over the craft, and got his trigger ready. He pressed the trigger, but to his surprise, nothing happened! The turrets turned to face him. The pilot jerked the control stick to the left, but the jet continued flying towards the craft.

"Mayday! Mayday!" shouted the pilot through his commlink. The other jets suddenly flew away from the craft, even though the pilots pulled the control sticks as hard as possible...

The out-of-control jets flew into buildings, unable to regain control.

The Voltage was now at 70% of energy. The black ShadowTech vehicles fired, but the Voltage's Beam Shields stopped any blast from impacting the craft...

*****

Databoard wiped sweat off his forehead. He could hear the Voltage's main weapon charging. He didn't know how close it was to full capacity, but he would have to stop it soon. Outside, he heard weapons bashing against the beam shield, causing no damage. If he didn't do something fast, DINO Attack HQ would be a pile of rubble.

*****

The Voltage fired back, blowing up half of the ShadowTech vehicles. The remaining vehicles continued firing back, but the drivers and gunners were giving up hope.

Kotua checked the weakest point in the Dino Attack HQ. "Soon, Rex will pay!" said Kotua.

Kotua then remembered the Dino Attack agents in Antarctica. I'll deal with those later... with the satellites, thought Kotua.

----

After completing his mission at Adventurers' Island, Turahk-Kal boarded a barge headed for LEGO City.

While sitting on the barge eating a microwaved burger watching TV, Turahk-Kal turned to the news and saw a reported behind a devastating scene. Dino Attack HQ was in pieces. Dead and wounded littered the streets. Setting a course, Turahk-Kal prayed Kotua would be stopped...

Turahk-Kal drove down the dock in the Fire Hammer and witnessed a horrific sight: the Voltage was over Dino Attack HQ, firing at the black vehicles. Flooring it, he began speeding to Dino Attack HQ.

*****

Kotua spotted agent Turahk-Kal. "Hmm... another one..." muttered Kotua.

*****

Turahk-Kal got out of his Fire Hammer, when a blast hit it, destroying it. "Hey!" said Turahk-Kal, but he soon ran as more blasts tried to hit him.

Turahk-Kal ran down the alley behind an abandoned police station. He went inside and realized, duh, it was a police station, therefore, security was tighter and most of the inside was intact. Quickly looking on the roof, he discovered a helicopter. Getting inside, he powered it up and headed towards Antarctica to get a new vehicle and protect the last area where agents could be safe...

*****

Weapons could be heard firing everywhere, giving Databoard a terrible headache. He worked fast to try and disable the weapons systems, and then try and get Kotua to come to his senses. He continued searching for the right wires for the forward weaponry, because if he would that he would disable the weapon.

The blast was now at 80%. Databoard looked, but there were too many wires...

The sound of the weapon was now so loud that it drowned out all other noise. Databoard couldn't find the right wire in this mess, and there was next no time left. He looked at the wires again, but he couldn't find it. He took a wire cutter out of his pocket. He would just have to make a guess.

Databoard cut a wire....

There was a silent two minutes...

Then, a loud sound, and then it quieted down...

*****

Fifty more ShadowTech jets flew out to fight the Voltage. The jets scrambled as giant energy ball fired from the Voltage and flew over the horizon...

*****

Databoard got out of the wires, and started looking for a way to get to Kotua.

Databoard placed a device on the door to the weapon system room. Electricity surged through the door, disabling the locking mechanism. He rushed through the now open door, laser rifle in hand. He headed for the command deck, guessing that was where Kotua would be.

Databoard barged into the Command Deck. It was empty. He ran to the hangar, which also was empty. Databoard ran across the Voltage, which seemed to be entirely empty.

What in the world happened? Was this what was going to happen to Dino Attack HQ? thought Databoard...

Suddenly Databoard felt pain, and closed his eyes...

Databoard opened his eyes to see an angry Kotua. "So, you think a few wires will stop me?! You're wrong!" said Kotua.

Databoard realized Security Bots had disarmed him.

"Any last words?" said Kotua...

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 4: The Great Escape

----

"Kotua, don't you see what you're doing?!" Databoard said. "The only reason I came here was to help you, not to hurt you! I never even thought about inflicting harm upon you, even when you attacked my Fire Hammer. Killing me will merely once again prove to DINO Attack that you're a threat. It won't accomplish anything, Kotua."

Kotua fired, but Databoard gained enough strength to roll out of the way. "Kotua, don't!" he shouted, before having to roll out of the way again. Kotua continued shooting, and Databoard kept evading the blasts with all his strength.

Databoard slowly gained enough strength to get to his feet. He ducked to avoid getting hit by Kotua's blasts. Databoard had no weapons to fight Kotua, so he had to avoid being shot. "Kotua, I'm not here to harm you!" he shouted. "Even if everyone else wants to take a laser rifle to your head, I don't!" Kotua shot again, and Databoard ducked out of the way. "Kotua, get it through your head!"

Security Bots flew towards Databoard and shocked him.

"You stop me from neutralizing evil forces. How is that helpful?!" said Kotua.

"You're the one who's having a fantasy about Rex and the rest being evil!" said Databoard.

"Well, I'm sure you can tell Rex when he joins you," said Kotua. He raised his gun, and aimed at Databoard's head. "See ya..."

"Kotua, I'm not evil!" Databoard said.

Kotua was about to fire when the Voltage shook, knocking the weapon from his hand. All the DINO Attack vehicles and the ShadowTech vehicles were firing at them. "I told you they were against me!" Kotua said.

Databoard replied: "Well, when you try to destroy their base, they aren't very nice about it."

"Reminds me of Ogel..." muttered Kotua.

Kotua walked towards the control panel, and pressed a button. "Time to retreat!" said Kotua, sitting on a chair, and strapping on.

The Voltage shook.

"Now we'll see whether Rex really cares for anything else other than those dumb creatures..." muttered Kotua.

*****

Everybody on the ground was shooting at the craft, when its thrusters glowed and it flew off at the speed of light.

A Fire Hammer waited in neutral gear with its cannons ready.  A dark figure exited the jeep, walked up to the LEGO City waterfront, and removed his hood.  "Boo," he grumbled under his breath.

Glide had been trailing after the Voltage, hoping to rescue Databoard.  He even brought his patented 'Disappearing Gear' (only to be used in emergencies) and grappling hooks just for the occasion.  But, he had arrived just in time to see the Voltage flying away at impossible speeds, zooming out over the ocean.

Of course, his Fire Hammer was not equipped for water travel.  Now, all Glide could do was wait for the Voltage to return to the mainland…

----

Rex noticed that agent "Turahk-Kal" had joined the team.

PBB thought for a moment. "I believe I may have heard that name before," he said. "My databanks suggest that the codename may have been derived from the names of several mythology deities worshipped by the native tribes of Enchanted Island."

Rex shrugged. "I just hope he's safe from Kotua." He looked at PBB. "Is there any weapon on this thing that is strong enough to destroy the Voltage? Or at least hard enough to whack some senses into Kotua?"

PBB began to say something, then thought about it. He immediately checked the large panel filled with buttons. Then, he looked at Rex. "I believe there is something..." he said. "The Voltage may be cloaked, but we know where Dino Attack Headquarters formerly stood. So, let's quickly get there!"

"Okay!" Rex said. He was about to go to the controls when a Mutant Raptor pack appeared on the ground below. "This isn't good," Rex muttered. "Why did it have to be when we were trying to stop Kotua?"

----

During the trip to Antarctica, a warning light flashed on the console. "A pteranodon must have punctured the fuel tank," Turahk-Kal thought aloud.

The fuel meter reached zero and the craft slowly descended to the ocean. With a thud it landed on the surface. To Turahk-Kal's surprise, the helicopter didn't sink. It just floated there.

"Well, looks like I'm dead in the water," Turahk-Kal said to himself. Rummaging through the back of the copter, Turahk-Kal found a survival kit. Included was a radio. Turning it on, he sent a S.O.S. to whoever might be listening.

Eating a granola bar, Turahk-Kal continued to send out a S.O.S. to anyone. It was getting dark and becoming very cold. He rummaged through the survival pack and found an emergency sleeping bag. Putting it on, he sat in the chair and fell asleep...

*****

The Voltage stopped over the ocean. It was now dark, and the craft activated lights.

Agent Turahk-Kal was sleeping, when a blue light appeared from above. The sleeping agent didn't feel anything as the Voltage picked him up.

"Wake up!" said Kotua.

Turahk-Kal woke, to find he had been thrown in a jail cell, along with agent Databoard.

"So, Rex thought you'd be a good scout for when I retreated?" said Kotua.

"No, I was stranded, and decided to sleep since I couldn't do anything," said Turahk-Kal.

Kotua left Turahk-Kal and Databoard alone, locked in the cell. He walked back to the command deck, and pressed a button. Four robots flew towards the wires Databoard had cut, and began repairing them...

*****

The Pallas Athena arrived too late at Dino Attack HQ. But, a report on Turahk-Kal's disappearance near the Voltage gave Rex a clue where the Voltage was. "Now we have to help both Data and Turahk-Kal!" he said. "PBB?"

He turned around to see PBB holding one Green Brick and three White Bricks. He threw them into the engine. Suddenly, they were warped into a blue vortex, and then reappeared in pursuit of the Voltage.

"What was that?" Rex asked, shocked.

"That," PBB explained, "was the turbo boost. Upgraded enough to send us through a vortex."

The Voltage was firing at the vehicle that Turahk-Kal had been on. The craft slowly moved away from the now-burning vehicle, unaware of PBB's arrival.

"Hopefully," Rex said, "the Voltage won't turn around. It won't detect us by scanner or anything like that due to the fact we're still cloaked. Now, what are we going to do?"

PBB thought. "That's a problem right there alone. The only ones who know that much about Kotua's technology and its weaknesses are either captured... or disappeared. As far as I know, shooting at the Voltage won't work; even if would could pierce its Beam Shields, it's too armored for our weapons to deal significant damage. We can't sneak onboard either; it's crawling with security bots, and we'd be quickly captured. Kotua would probably kill you and Chompy, and disable Little Bot and me."

"Well, we need a plan," Rex said.

Chompy grunted.

PBB shot a glare at Chompy, and Rex raised an eyebrow in bemusement.  "Chompy says 'No duh!'," translated PBB.  "And that's a rather… tactful translation."

*****

"You don't have any equipment, do you?" Databoard muttered.

Turahk-Kal shook his head. "Nope, they took everything."

Databoard looked around the cell. He knew the only way out of a Voltage cell was with a phasing device, or a clever trick. "We have to get out of here," Databoard continued. "They're no doubt repairing that wire I cut, and then he'll return to DINO HQ."

Databoard got up, looking at the door. "Fortunately, I have a backup plan." He opened a hidden pocket, nearly invisible to the human - or robot - eyes, and took out a small tube. He pressed a button, and an orange spray shot at the door. Within seconds, it was covered in rust. "Instant corrosion spay," Databoard said. "Homemade weapon." With that, he charged at the door, and it fell over, weakened by the spray.

"Let's go!" Databoard said, putting the tube back in the pocket and rushing off, grabbing a nearby laser rifle as he did.

Kotua made sure all places were locked down, forcing Databoard and Turahk-Kal to go to the top of the craft. There were more cannons, and walkways to them. They could see clouds passing through them. Databoard sprayed one of the turrets, but the metal on them was rust-proof.

The staircase they had come through closed, and all turrets turned towards them.

"This is not good," Databoard muttered. The turrets began firing at the two, Databoard grabbed Turahk-Kal, and dove out of the way. They kept evading the lasers as there were fired at them.

"We can't keep this up forever!" Turahk-Kal said, dodging another blast.

Databoard leapt over a blast. "We only have to keep it long enough to come up with a plan," he said.

The Voltage continued firing at the two agents, forcing them to run. Then the turrets went into their hatches.

"Something bad is about to happen," said Databoard.

*****

"Sir, we're 70% ready to activate the turbo thrusters again," said the robot.

"Good," said Kotua. He walked to a control panel, and set the coordinates...

*****

Databoard began wondering what was going on. He was half expecting a larger laser to come up and blow them away. He rushed over to the door and began melting a hole in the side with the laser rifle, but it was taking much too long.

Databoard heard the engines roar.

*****

"80% sir," said the robot.

"Good," said Kotua.

*****

A turret popped out and began firing at both agents. Turahk-Kal leapt out of the way, and Databoard ducked. Turahk-Kal ran off as the turret fired.

"Turahk, come back!" said Databoard.

Turahk-Kal ran across the walkway, until he reached the back of the craft. Turahk-Kal looked down. He could hear the water splashing.

Databoard took out the laser rifle and began firing at the turret. Most of the lasers did very little damage, and it shot at him again. He got out of the way, and the lasers left a scorch mark on the Voltage. Databoard shot again, leaving very little damage yet again.

Turahk-Kal ran back, holding a piece of the rail. "Kotua sure made the rails cheap," said Turahk-Kal. He leapt at the turret, and hit it with the rail.

While the turret was busy with Turahk-Kal, Databoard returned to making a hole in the door. He hadn't expected the door to be so thick, and he didn't know how long until the turret was no longer distracted. He continued to shoot at the door, slowing boring through the door...

*****

"90% sir," said the bot.

"I wonder whether we'll be able to fire the blast at the HQ again," said Kotua.

*****

Another turret surfaced and began firing electricity bolts at Turahk-Kal.

Databoard slowly made a hole in the door. He already made a small hole in the door, and working on enlarging it so a person would fit. The turrets were still firing at Turahk-Kal, giving Databoard more time to make the hole larger. It was almost large enough, just a minute or two...

After a few minutes, Databoard dragged the unconscious Turahk-Kal and pushed him into the hole, and then jumped in.

*****

"100%."

*****

Databoard was about to move, when he slammed against the wall.

The turrets that had popped out were ripped out by the wind.

Databoard tried to haul himself along the deck, dragging the knocked-out Turahk-Kal with him. He slowly headed towards an elevator, but he was unable to hold on. He was sent flying backwards into a wall. He would just have to wait until the Voltage slowed down...

The craft soon was back in the city. Databoard got up, but before he could do anything, security bots surrounded him.

"So you escaped," said Kotua.

"We're trying to help you!" said Databoard.

"Then you should have let me destroy the HQ. Rex won't use it to hide the dinos..." said Kotua.

Databoard aimed his laser at the security bots. They tried to shock him, but he jumped over them and blasted them to bits. "Kotua, Rex doesn't even have dinos there!" Databoard said. "I don't even know where he keeps the dinos he tames!" Kotua pulled out a laser, but Databoard took out his corrosion spray, and the weapon was useless within seconds.

"You're lying!" said Kotua, and the security bots flew at Databoard. Kotua ran towards Databoard, and kicked his spray away. "Give up!" said Kotua, trying to punch Databoard.

"Rex is just trying to keep everybody alive!" said Databoard.

"You must be quite dumb to believe him..." said Kotua, kicking him into a wall.

Databoard ducked to avoid a security bot, then blasted it with his laser rifle. He jumped over another security bot. He was then nearly punched by Kotua, but he got out of the way. Kotua then kicked the laser out of Databoard's hand.

Kotua kicked Databoard, and then he jumped at Databoard, and began punching him. Databoard pushed Kotua off, and kicked him. Two security Bots dragged Turahk-Kal away...

Out of nowhere, Glide appeared.  "Who are you?!" demanded Kotua.

"Isn't it obvious, you mad dog?" Glide said. "Your worst nightmare!" He threw a black sphere onto the floor, which released a smokescreen and allowed him to sneak behind Kotua. "Shall we dance?" said Glide, sneering.

"How did you get past the beam shields without the proper technology?" asked Databoard, teaming up with Glide and using his instant corrosion spray to add to the mayhem as they were swarmed by robots.

"I just used the old-fashioned way," boasted Glide.  "Ram into anything hard enough, and you'll get through."

"Wait, what?" said Databoard.  "The beam shields produce extreme heat!  How are you still standing?"

"I'm okay!" insisted Glide.  "Just feeling a little parched, that's all."

Glide was about to kill Kotua, when Kotua suddenly jumped up and punched him in the face, knocking him to the floor.

"The things I get myself into…" muttered Glide as he got himself up.

*****

Slowly, light returned to Turahk-Kal's eyes. He glanced around and realized he was being dragged away by security bots. Wriggling a little, he worked one hand loose. Before the bot could react, he reached in his hidden pocket and pulled out two magnetized cherry bombs. Quickly, he threw them at one bot. They attached and exploded, creating a hole in the bot.

The other bot came after him. He ducked as it swiped at him and kicked it on the underside. It flipped over and fell with a crack. Quickly getting up, Turahk-Kal ran in the opposite direction of where they had been taking him.

The Security Bots went into battle mode.

Turahk-Kal was running when two appeared, and one had swords. Turahk-Kal jumped as one swiped. The other fired electricity bolts, taking down Turahk-Kal and the other bot.

The Security Bot then fired an immobilizer blast, immobilizing Turahk-Kal. The bot then locked him in a cell...

*****

Glide fell to the floor, the effects of passing through a beam shield now becoming apparent. "Need... water..." muttered Glide.

"Too bad..." said Kotua, and four Security Bots dragged Glide to another cell.

Databoard fired, but Kotua dodged the blast. Four more security bots flew at Databoard and immobilized him.

"You'll pay..." said Kotua.

The Security Bots dragged Databoard to another cell. Soon, the three agents were in three different cells.

*****

Dromus climbed into her brand-spanking-shining-new Urban Avenger, smiling to herself as she sped off to the HQ to introduce herself.

Dromus arrived at the HQ, to see the agents evacuating. Most were looking up, with scared faces. Then she looked at the sky. A giant craft, the Voltage, was flying above the HQ, firing at the people below.

Kotua pressed a button. The craft's front hatch opened, revealing the giant cannon. It aimed at the HQ, and began charging.

Dromus heard someone mutter, "Not again..."

"What's going on?" Dromus asked one of the Dino Attack agents, who looked like he had pooped in his pants.

"That thing wants to destroy us!" said the agent.

"Why?" asked Dromus.

"I don't know. It just began firing at the HQ..." said the agent.

*****

Databoard banged on the cell door. He now had no weapons whatsoever, as he had dropped the corrosion spray when he fought Kotua. There was no way out other than a ventilation shaft near the ceiling, but that was bolted shut. Of course, Databoard didn't care, as he disliked being stuck in a prison cell. He pulled on it with all his strength, but only succeeded in loosening it a little. He kept pulling, until the bolts could take no more. They snapped in half and the vent burst off. Databoard hauled himself into the vent and snuck off.

Turahk-Kal didn't have as much luck as Databoard. He pulled on the bars, spat on them, but nothing happened. His vent was out of the cell. He lay down and once again fell asleep...

*****

Kotua watched as the machine achieved 30%.

The black ShadowTech vehicles tried to take down the craft, but Voltage wiped out the remaining vehicles. There were no more jets left, and only the remaining Dino Attack Team vehicles were available...

*****

A cleaning robot was walking down a corridor when a vent landed on its head. Just as it was about to go complain about the faulty construction, something else landed on it: agent Databoard. He got up off the disabled robot and rushed off to try and stop Kotua...

*****

Kotua watched the ray reach 40%. I need to speed up the energy... thought Kotua.

He looked over the different tools. Gah! thought Kotua.

Immediately, solar powered satellites beamed their energy at Kotua's craft, raising the energy level to 60%...

*****

Databoard rushed down the corridors of the Voltage towards the place where he knew Kotua was: the command deck. He had found his laser rifle, along with most of his equipment. He was soon near the door, and burst inside.

Kotua turned around. "What?! How could you escape?!" said Kotua.

"That's not what matters. What matters is that I stop you from destroying Dino Attack Team," said Databoard.

"I trusted in you, Data..." said Kotua, pushing a button.  "But, I now trust in someone else... You might remember him..."

Databoard heard metal footsteps. He turned around to see a robot at least three times his size, armored in green and yellow metal. With a sense of dread, he instantly recognized the robot, having fought it (or rather, its previous iterations) during Mission Deep Freeze.

"Meet Guardian Mk. IV," said Kotua proudly.

The robot swung its fist, sending Databoard through the window in the Command Deck. Databoard fell outside the craft's command deck, and landed on a Jet Runway of the Voltage.

"Great," muttered Databoard.

Guardian Mk. IV leapt down after Databoard, who barely got out of the way. The robot's impact was so hard, it sent Databoard flying. Guardian tried to step on the agent, but he rolled out of the way. The Guardian punched Databoard, hurling him into a wall.

"I hope the paint job doesn't get ruined," said Kotua.

Databoard fired at Guardian IV, but the robot phased and the blast went through. Guardian un-phased and its eyes charged up. Databoard leapt out of the way as Guardian fired, hitting a turret.

Databoard avoided being hit by more blasts, until the Guardian kicked him across the runway. He fired a grappling hook up to the command deck, but the robot grabbed him as he went up. The Guardian flung him across the entire runway. He hit the ground and skidded until he was a few feet from the edge. Databoard tried to get up, but he was in too much pain.

Guardian Mk. IV flew towards Databoard, and picked him up. <Foolish agent. Nobody can defeat me!> said the robot, flying back towards the Command Deck.

"So, Data, you just tried to kill me!" said Kotua.

"So did you..." muttered Databoard.

"You could have safely stayed in the cell..." said Kotua.

"Kotua, you know me, I hate being stuck in a cell," Databoard said weakly. "And I also don't like it when agent I thought I trusted tries to blow up everybody."

"I TRUSTED YOU!" Kotua roared. "You betrayed me!"

"Kotua, for the billionth time, I'm not evil," Databoard replied. "Why don't you believe me?"

"I don't trust you because you tried to kill me! And I don't want to blow them up, or I would have used the military nuclear bombs... hmm, not a bad idea, Data! If I use nuclear bombs..."

"There are no bombs left to use," said Databoard.

"Tell me one reason I should trust you and Rex, and the rest…" said Kotua.

"Because I can't think of a time where I betrayed you!" Databoard shouted. "I'm not against you, Kotua! No offense, but get that through your thick skull!"

The Guardian squeezed Databoard tighter, signifying Kotua's response to that statement.

"Thick-headed! We'll see who's thick-headed!" said Kotua.  "I can think of a time you did betray me. When I chased that dumb dino Rev protected..."

"Because the dino was tamed!" said Databoard.

"Sure..." said Kotua sarcastically.

"Will you figure out that I'm not against you?!" Databoard said. "No one is against you! Well, until you tried to blow up HQ..."

"So you're admitting that DINO Attack HQ is against me!" Kotua said triumphantly.

Databoard rolled his eyes. "Yeah, thanks to your own sheer stupidity!" Databoard shouted. "You tried to destroy DINO Attack HQ! Did you think they're going to say: 'Thank you Kotua'?"

"Hey, rebuilding might cost less," said Kotua.

"Just stop firing and we can work something out..." said Databoard.

Kotua looked at a security camera, seeing the remains of the vehicles that were attacking the Voltage. He grimaced as he saw both ShadowTech and Dino Attack vehicles among the wreckage.

"They're working with ShadowTech... that's why they sent you... because they want me alive for their sick experiments..." said Kotua.

"You forced them to cooperate when you wildly fired everywhere!" said Databoard.

"You did betray me!" said Kotua.

"I didn't even know we were working with ShadowTech until just now!" Databoard shouted. "I don't even know who these ShadowTech people are, Kotua!"

"LIAR!" Kotua shouted. "You did betray me! I see right through you!"

"Kotua, why won't you believe me when I tell you I haven't betrayed you?"

"You're a traitor..." said Kotua.

Databoard looked at Kotua, worrying about what might happen, when he remembered the microphone, which was probably lying in the ruins of the Fire Hammer...

Databoard rolled his eyes. "I'm not a traitor," Databoard replied. "Why is that so hard to believe?"

Kotua still didn't believe him. "I know you're a traitor," he said, ignoring Databoard's question. "You can try to fool me, but I'm smart enough to not believe you."

"Are you sure the word you're searching for is smart?" Databoard snapped back.

"Snapping back? I'm not even questioning you, and you're already nervous," said Kotua.

"What are you talking about? You can't even realize what's going on!" said Databoard.

"Oh, but I can. I can also decide to kill the other agents. I'm haven't killed them, because I wanted to see what you would do. You didn't even care what would happen to them!" said Kotua.

*****

All the while, the Pallas Athena was quietly following the Voltage. "The Guardian is on board," muttered PBB. "This isn't good."

"The what?" asked Rex.

"Guardian," answered PBB. "It was a robot that Alpha Team faced six years ago. However, now it seems to have joined Kotua. Which isn't good at all." He looked at Little Bot. "You think you can hack into the Guardian?"

"Beep bepit bo," beeped the small robot. Rex guessed what its response meant.

"I didn't think so either," PBB said. He sighed, which was clearly programmed as an emotional response since the robot did not need to breathe air.

*****

The sky had gotten darker, and lightning struck around the city.

The craft had reached 80% in the blast energy.

Guardian IV put Databoard in another cell, which had a small vent.

Two maintenance bots replaced the broken window, while Kotua searched again for Rex. "Where could he be...? He's probably with ShadowTech..." said Kotua

*****

At that moment, Rex was certainly NOT with ShadowTech. After all, his only experience with them as their prisoner would not make him very open to working with them. He still did not know that they formed a temporary alliance with Dino Attack Team.

But, Rex somehow had a feeling that Kotua was looking for him. The only thing keeping him and his comrades from getting captured was the fact that PBB's airship was both swift and cloaked. But, they still needed a plan...

*****

Kotua pressed a button.

The energy blast fired, and hit Dino Attack HQ, destroying the communications tower, and the energy tower.

"That should be good enough," said Kotua.

*****

"What is with him and destroying HQ?" whispered Rex.

"That's what crazy people do," PBB answered.

"Yeah, he's mad, alright," Rex whispered back.

Chompy began to growl, but in response to something else. They looked out the window to find the Pallas Athena surrounded by Mutant Pteranodons!

Rex and PBB did their best, rapidly shooting nets at every pteranodon they saw. Once the whole flock was captured, Rex got ready to collect them, but PBB said, "Come on, let's catch up with the Voltage!"

"But the Dinos-"

"Forget about them! Don't you want to save Turahk-Kal, Data, and Glide? Or do you care more about taming the Mutant Pteranodons?"

For a moment, it seemed as if a fire was burning inside Rex. He glared angrily at PBB. How dare this robot question him? It could never understand the importance of ensuring the dinosaurs' safety, especially now that Kotua was on the loose.

Then, shaking his head, Rex came back to his senses. "Yes, you're right. Data, Turahk, and Glide must be rescued first."

*****

Databoard heard the explosion, meaning Kotua had fired on DINO Attack HQ. "Kotua, you madman..." Databoard muttered. "I just hope he didn't cause too much damage..."

Databoard placed a short-out device, as Guardian had neglected to take his equipment, on the door. The locking mechanism was disabled, and Databoard walked out of the now-open door. He soon found Glide and Turahk-Kal, and got them from out of the cells. He gave each of them a laser rifle, and the three left the cell area.

Databoard, Glide, and Turahk-Kal stormed the command deck. The Guardian turned to fire at them. "Catch, Guardy!" Databoard shouted, flinging a short-out disk at the robot. Electricity shot across the Guardian, but it was unharmed.

"Uh-oh...!" Turahk exclaimed before the Guardian began firing at them. The three began firing at the Guardian, as well as whatever security bots that attacked.

*****

Hyrode drove wildly out of the HQ, shaking remains off his arm. Pulling into a wheelie, he jumped through the skylight. Blasting the engine to full throttle, he jumped off the bike, landing with a thump on top of the Voltage airship. Hyrode watched his bike plummet below...

*****

Databoard rushed towards Kotua, jumping over several security bots. "You don't call this trying to kill me?!" Kotua said.

Databoard turned around to blast an attacking security bot, then faced Kotua again. "I'm not here to kill you, just to stop you from destroying more of DINO Attack HQ," he said.

The Guardian moved towards Databoard, but Turahk leapt onto the robots, clinging onto its back. As the robot tried to shake him off, Databoard destroyed several more security bots, then turned around to find a laser aimed at his head.

----

It was a Mutant Pteranodon! Snake of Spades raised his gun, but didn't fire. It seemed to be... hurt.

Snake heard a snarl. Soon, five Mutant Lizards surrounded him. "Gulp," swallowed Snake. He sent a message: HELP, I'M SURROUNDED. S.O.S AGENT SNAKE

----

Databoard received Snake's SOS, but at the moment he had bigger things to worry about, specifically the laser pointed at him.

"See ya, Data..." Kotua said, and prepared to pull the trigger. Before he could, Databoard pulled out his laser rifle. In one swift motion, he fired, hitting the laser and knocking it from Kotua's hand.

Meanwhile, Turahk-Kal had been flung off the Guardian. "Databoard, look out!" he shouted. Databoard jumped out of the way of one of the Guardian's blasts, which barely missed Kotua.

"Don't worry, Snake, I'll be right there," said Glide. "Just as soon as I'm done here."

It all happened at once. Bots noticed and fired upon him. Glide threw a black sphere down on the floor, releasing another smokescreen. Vanishing from view, Glide fired at Kotua, knocking the gun out of his hand. And then, just like that, Glide was gone.

----

At the smoking crater at which he left the base, Kai looked around. He drove across the tundra and found a set of footprints. Following them, the footprints came to the shape of a person lying in the snow. Around were a few other footprints and the trail stopped abruptly. Either I've been following it the wrong way, or something lifted it. People don't just disappear... he thought.

Kai tried sending messages to anyone at the Dino Attack Team base. Nothing but static. Rushing off to the base, Kai brought Joey along just in case that there would be serious trouble. Joey was an Alpha Team mechanic and a close friend of Kai.

The HQ was pretty much unscathed, but the communications tower and energy conduits have been destroyed. "Just my luck," grumbled Kai. He received the SOS and got there as soon as possible, but got blocked by another a T-Rex and two Mutant Pterosaurs. Kai sent a message to Snake of Spades:

"Found more trouble here. Lure the Mutant Lizards to coordinates 501-744 and we can take care of all of them at once."

----

Databoard landed next to Turahk-Kal. "How do we stop that robot?" Turahk-Kal shouted.

Databoard shook his head. "We can't," he replied. "I've seen Guardians in action before, and this one is much more advanced. Can you distract it long enough?"

Turahk-Kal looked at him like he was insane, but nodded. Turahk-Kal leapt at the Guardian, dodging its blasts.

Databoard ducked behind a control panel and sent out a distress signal: SOS: ME AND AGENT TURAHK ARE ON VOLTAGE, FIGHTING GUARDIAN. CANNOT WIN. HELP. AGENT DATABOARD. He doubted anyone would receive the SOS, and if they did, would not be able to get through the beam shield.

Looking to his right, Tuahk-Kal found a box of grenades in a corner. Quickly grabbing two, he flung them at the Guardian. "Data, catch!" he said as he tossed one to Databoard.

The Guardian jumped out of the way of Turahk-Kal's grenades, which blew a hole in the floor where it just was. Databoard prepared to throw the grenade, and aimed at the Guardian. A security bot leapt at him, knocking the grenade from his hand. The robot picked up the weapon, and was about to throw it at Databoard when exploded, leaving a burning hunk of medal in its place.

Standing next to the box, Turahk-Kal began expertly throwing more grenades at the Guardian. It dodged many of them easily, though a few nicked its legs.

Kotua reached for a pocket, and took out his device. "I hoped I wouldn't have to resort to this," said Kotua. Immediately, the satellites in space aimed at Dino Attack HQ...

The Voltage flew over Dino Attack HQ as it started raining. Hard.

Guardian IV phased, and fired at Databoard and Turahk-Kal. Databoard ran at it, but Guardian un-phased and flew at him, beam guns readying.

Databoard jumped out of the way of the blasts from the Guardians beam guns, then charged at it again, firing like crazy. The Guardian phased again, letting the blasts pass through it, before unphasing and attacking. Databoard got out of the way before where he had been standing was a smoking crater.

Kotua ran off, sealing the room. Turahk-Kal and Databoard were trapped with Guardian IV...

Kotua checked the portable Voltage control, and pressed a button. The satellites moved again, this time targeting something else...

*****

"This is hopeless, Data!" Turahk-Kal yelled, pocketing four grenades and tossing two at the door. They exploded, leaving a gaping hole. Turahk-Kal swiftly moved through this to stop Kotua.

The Guardian moved towards Turahk-Kal and Databoard. "What do we do?" Turahk-Kal shouted.

Databoard grabbed Turahk-Kal and ran in the other direction, turning off the beam shield as he did. "Time to abandon ship!" Databoard shouted, leaving out the command deck window, and sending the two agents speeding towards the street below.

"Have you gone mad?" Turahk-Kal shouted as they plummeted. Databoard fired a grappling hook, which attached to the Voltage, stopping their fall and allowing them to swing to the safety of a nearby building, away from the Guardian.

*****

Kotua re-activated the beam shield. "Next time, they won't get off easily," said Kotua.

The Voltage began firing at the remains of Dino Attack HQ, destroying equipment and other tools...

*****

Databoard and Turahk-Kal watched from the rooftop as Kotua blasted DINO Attack HQ. "We can't just stand here and watch HQ get destroyed!" Turahk-Kal shouted. "There's got to be something that we can do!"

"Well, I could get into the command systems on the Voltage and order it to stop firing," Databoard said. "But that would require a computer console, which I don't have, and no doubt Kotua will prevent anybody from secretly accessing the Voltage."

Databoard then rushed off down the streets of LEGO City, followed by a very confused Turahk-Kal.

"Where are we going?" Turahk-Kal asked, but Databoard kept running.

He soon found what he was looking for: what was left of his Fire Hammer. He opened the door, or rather, it snapped off when he opened it. He got inside the wreck and began looking around inside.

Databoard searched through his wrecked Fire Hammer. The inside hadn't been very damaged, but it was bashed around a bit, making it hard to find anything. Thanks a lot, Kotua... Databoard thought sarcastically.

He soon found what he was looking for: the microphone the Ogel Drones had used on Kotua several years ago. It seemed largely undamaged in the crash. Databoard wasn't sure it would work, but it was better than Kotua going on a killing spree.

*****

The Voltage continued firing. Four jets flew out to try to stop the craft, but were easily destroyed.

Kotua watched as the craft fired, taking down Dino Attack HQ. The blasts were now destroying what was left of the garage.

Kotua walked to a room. Guardian IV was there, turned off. "Time for another upgrade," said Kotua. He walked towards a small cabinet, and took out some tools.

*****

A Robo-Blade flew out of the Voltage, and began hunting down Dino Attack agents. The Robo-Blade activated its Beam Shield.

A Mutant Raptor, not knowing what it was, ran at the Robo-Blade, and tried to bite it. The Robo-Blade fired, and the Raptor fell to the ground. However, more Raptors arrived. The Robo-Blade flew upwards, and fired, taking down a few Raptors. The rest ran after the Robo-Blade, which sent missiles.

The Robo-Blade flew to another area, where it spotted an agent in an Urban Avenger trying to take down a Mutant Lizard. The Robo-Blade aimed, and fired. The Urban Avenger's engine exploded, taking the driver and the Lizard along with it.

Before Databoard could find out if the microphone still worked, the Robo-Blade that had been attacking DINO Attack agents in the area saw them. "Databoard, look out!" Turahk-Kal said, pushing Databoard out of the way of a blast, knocking the microphone from his hand as well. The microphone slid out of view, and the blast destroyed what was left of the ruined Fire Hammer. The Robo-Blade flew towards them.

"Act dead," Databoard whispered to Turahk-Kal. The Robo-Blade bought the act, and flew away.

The Robo-Blade flew over the city, when it spotted Digger in a Steel Sprinter. Digger noticed the Robo-Blade, and fired his Cosmotronic Ray, but the blast bounced harmlessly off of the Robo-Blade's Beam Shield. The Robo-Blade then fired a shot. Digger quickly got off the vehicle and ran as the blast hit the ATV, and destroyed it.

The Robo-Blade fired again, but Digger ran into a warehouse. Inside, Digger hid behind some crates. The Robo-Blade noticed what Digger had not: the crates had fireworks. The Robo-Blade activated its head Vulcan guns and fired at the crates. Digger reloaded his Cosmotronic Ray, when a blast behind him sent him into the wall. Digger had dropped his ray during the explosion, and the Robo-Blade flew towards him.

Digger ran as the Robo-Blade took out its Beam Saber and flew full speed. Digger ran into an airport, and exited on the other side, Robo-Blade in close pursuit.

Digger ran, but he knew he couldn't outrun the Robo-Blade forever. The Robo-Blade flew nearer to Digger... when a blast hit it, sending it flying back. Digger looked for the source of the blast. It was Specs and Shadow in a Fire Hammer! Both drove, firing at the Robo-Blade that, realizing what hit it, began firing back.

Digger ran towards the Fire Hammer, and joined Specs and Shadow. Shadow aimed at the Robo-Blade and fired. The Robo-Blade blocked the blast and activated its Beam Rifle. It fired, deflating the front tires. Specs continued driving towards the Robo-Blade, with Shadow firing.

The Robo-Blade fired missiles, which struck the Fire Hammer, sending the three agents flying. The Robo-Blade aimed its Beam Saber at Shadow and fired.

Shadow moved out of the way and ran off, with the other two agents following him. The Robo-Blade flew after them.

The Robo-Blade fired at a car next to the agents, causing it to explode. The agents hit the ground, and the Robo-Blade, thinking it had killed them, flew back to the Voltage, where it would get ready to find the other agents...

*****

Kotua was halfway through upgrading Guardian...

*****

Databoard found the microphone, only to discover it had been damaged when it was knocked from his hand. He could repair it once they got to relative safety. "Come on!" Databoard whispered. "And try not to be seen."

"Why?" Turahk-Kal asked.

Databoard didn't even turn around as he answered, sneaking through the shadows. "Because Kotua will think we're dead," Databoard replied. "And that will give us an advantage."

Turahk-Kal and Databoard slipped silently along the shadows of a ruined building. To anyone around them, they were nearly invisible. They snuck inside a nearby building, locking it as they did. Databoard began working on fixing the microphone, while Turahk-Kal stood guard in case anyone came in.

Databoard worked fast to repair the microphone. That Robo-Blade was most likely attacking other agents, and they wouldn't stand a chance; no one could fight a beam shielded Robo-Blade. He continued fixing the device, praying it would stop Kotua's path of destruction, for now at least.

Before Turahk-Kal could react, a Mutant Raptor burst through the door! It was about to eat Turahk-Kal when Databoard grabbed a weapon he had designed. A ball of green energy shot out, stunning the creature and containing it safely it a net of energy. Suddenly, more Raptors burst in, jaws snapping. Databoard grabbed the microphone as he and Turahk-Kal fled out the back door.

Databoard and Turahk-Kal rushed down an alley, pursued by the Mutant Raptors. Databoard had subdued a few with his energy net device, but they kept attacking. Databoard fired a grappling hook up at a nearby rooftop. "Going up!" he said, grabbing Turahk-Kal as the grappling hook retracted, pulling them to safety.

*****

Kotua watched as Guardian IV turned back on. "I want you to bring some friends..." said Kotua.

Guardian IV understood Kotua. <BladeBugs?> asked Guardian IV.

"Yes..." muttered Kotua, remembering the saw-like robots from Mission Deep Freeze.

Kotua watched as Guardian fixed a small radio-like device. <Ready.> said Guardian.

"Good," said Kotua. He walked back to the Command Deck. The weather seemed to worsen, as low streets flooded with rain, and lightning struck the higher buildings.

Once Kotua was on the Command Deck, he ordered some things on the craft be changed, obviously because of Databoard's constant escapes. The robots scurried around, making smaller vents on the cells, and putting other things on the doors so they wouldn't rust. The part where Databoard and Turahk-Kal faced Guardian was fixed. The glass on the Command Deck was replaced for an impact resistant one.

Then Kotua ordered crazy things, like an oxygen-making machine. The robots were building spacecraft capable of atmospheric reentry. The engines were given upgrades for space. And the front cannon was being upgraded for an even faster one.

The robots finished building a space probe, and launched it into space, despite the weather.

"Soon, those Dino Attack agents will have nowhere to hide!" said Kotua.

The robots moved to the next project, and Kotua walked to the Command Deck and sat in his chair. The Voltage remained over Dino Attack HQ, even though the bad weather continued.

*****

Rex and PBB were having a hard time catching up with the Voltage, Robo-Blades, Kotua, Turahk-Kal, and Databoard. They all seemed to be going in different directions. "To the Multi-Pods!" PBB shouted. "We'll be able to split up to catch up with them!"

"Okay!" Rex answered as he ran into a Multi-Pod, which turned out to be one of several small pod-shaped vehicles in the airship's hangar. So did PBB, Little Bot, and Chompy. Then, they ejected from the Pallas Athena and began to hover across the ground.

Already, Rex was seeing the other pods go in different directions. "Which leaves me to face... oh great," muttered Rex. He was heading directly for the Voltage - and Kotua.

*****

Databoard aimed his energy net launcher, in case any dinosaurs tried to come up. So far, few had, as those who did wound up stunned.

"Hey Databoard, look at that!" Turahk-Kal shouted. A strange pod-shaped vehicle was flying towards them. Turahk-Kal waved towards it, trying to get its attention.

Databoard heard lightning strike nearby buildings. The roof they were on wasn't very tall, so they would not be hit. Databoard was more worried about lighting hitting the pod, but that wasn't happening, as it continued to move towards them.

The pod slowly continued towards them. Turahk-Kal looked down and noticed a pack of Mutant Raptors walking around the base of the building below them. One entered, followed by the rest. "Hurry up," he thought.

The pod landed on the roof a few feet from them. At that moment, the Mutant Raptors started charging towards them Databoard began firing at them, trapping them in energy nets. Soon, all the raptors were lying stunned around them. They then walked over to the pod, to see who was inside.

*****

The Voltage cloaked, disappearing from view of everybody. The Robo-Blade launched again. As it flew towards Dino Attack HQ, it noticed agents Turahk-Kal, Databoard, and some pod-shaped vehicle. It flew down to them, and started firing at them.

"Run!" said Databoard, running. Turahk-Kal ran after him as the Robo-Blade fired its Beam Rifle.

Turahk-Kal, fed up with running away, turned around. The Robo-Blade flew at him, and begun firing. Turahk-Kal dodged the blasts, and ran into a building. Inside, he looked for any tool that might help him take down the Robo-Blade.

The Multi-Pod near Databoard and Turahk-Kal opened to reveal PBB. "There's not much time!" he said. "We must hurry, before Kotua catches up with us again!"

Databoard nodded in agreement.

Turahk-Kal stepped outside the building. As he looked at their new companion, his expression turned confused. "A Brickster-Bot?" he asked.

"Long story," Databoard said. "PBB's right. But we also have to stop Kotua and the Voltage as well."

----

A pack of Mutant Raptors showed up. Happy for something to do, though scared out of her pants, Dromus told the Raptors best she could to go away. When they refused, she shrugged, whipping her chain around their legs, tripping them, and effectively tying them up.

She climbed in her Urban Avenger, still wondering what the heck was going on.

----

Rex wasn't having good luck at all. His Multi-Pod was dodging the Voltage's lasers and cannons quickly, but he knew that eventually something will go wrong and he will end up as roasted. Or worse. Plus, once he would get out of the pod, then he would be exposed to the lasers, guard robots... and Kotua.

*****

The robots reported the pod to Kotua.

"Fire missiles!" said Kotua.

*****

Missiles fired from the bottom of the craft, and flew towards Rex.

Oh boy, thought Rex. Then he got an idea. He flew towards the Voltage's beam shield, and right when the missiles were close enough, Rex moved out of the way. Unfortunately, the missiles anticipated the maneuver, and hit the Multi-Pod.

A Robo-Blade flew down, ripped open the pod, grabbed Rex, and flew back into the airship.

Rex tried his best to send a S.O.S. to PBB - or at least someone - as the Robo-Blade carried him.

HELP! AGENT DOWN! CAPTURED BY A ROBO-BLADE!

He had enough time to type "AGENT REX" before the Robo-Blade ripped the transmitter out of Rex's hands. "This is not a good day..." muttered Rex.

The Robo-Blade landed inside the craft, and dropped Rex. Before Rex could do anything, security bots surrounded Rex, took away all of his equipment, and put him on a cell.

Kotua walked towards the cell. "So, agent Rex, I think we have some issues we need to get over with," said Kotua, taking out a blaster.

It wasn't Rex, PBB, or anybody who scattered the Security Bots. It was a convenient circumstance that did. One robot ran over, yelling over and over: "Mutant Dino onboard Voltage! I saw it on scanners!"

"Well, what are you waiting for?!?" Kotua said. "Find it! Destroy it! Oh, and if possible, do it in front of Rex!"

Rex felt hatred burning inside him. This traitor was holding the innocent hostage, destroying Earth's only hopes, and killing what could be saved.

After a while, the Security Bots had no luck in finding the Mutant Dino. Kotua wasn't happy about this, while Rex was relieved that they wouldn't be able to kill it. But, something else made Rex's heart sink.

"Intruder aboard as well," reported one bot. It held up the form of an object that resembled a can with limbs: Little Bot. "It was caught trying to hack into the systems."

"One of your friends, eh?" Kotua sneered at Rex. "Just as well. Fry it and clog its innerworkings!"

Thinking quickly, Rex said, "That's a waste of a perfectly good robot!"

"Then again, your friend would make a great can opener. The one we use with the noodles is already faulty," said Kotua.

The Security Bot took Little Bot to the Builder Bots.

"As for you..." said Kotua turning to look at Rex. "We're going to fry and clog your organs!"

"You've gone crazy, Kotua!" said Rex.

"Have I? Data may have escaped to inform you of my location, but you're not going to be as difficult to hold captive like he was..." said Kotua.

The Security Bots dragged Rex away.

"Now, to get the others here..." said Kotua. He remembered his PDA. Kotua took it out, and typed a message, pretending to be Rex:

HELP! KOTUA IS PLANNING TO KILL ME SOON! PLEASE HURRY!
AGENT REX.

*****

The pod flew up towards the Voltage, which luckily hadn't noticed them yet. "How are we going to get in?" Turahk-Kal asked. "It's got those beam shield things."

"There's something true about every device in history: it has a flaw that can be easily exploited," Databoard said. "We just have to find it."

Databoard received Rex's distress signal and showed it to the others. "We have to help him!" Turahk-Kal shouted. "If he's planning to kill him-"

"Then he'd have very little time to send a distress signal." PBB replied. "Wild guess is it's a trap set by Kotua."

"But that means Kotua has Rex's PDA!" Turahk-Kal shouted. "We have to do something!"

Databoard smirked. "We spring the trap," he said. "Take us in full speed, PBB."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 5: Search and Rescue

----

The Security Bots continued to pull Rex away, when Rex noticed a water bubbler. Apparently, even Kotua could get thirsty aboard this ship. He walked over to it, and one bot hit him hard in the chest. "What was that for?" he asked angrily. "All I wanted was a small drink of water."

"Halt!" the bot commanded. "No drinks for you!"

"All I wanted was a drink," repeated Rex.

"None!"

"Please?" asked Rex.

"No!"

"Why not?" asked Rex. "I'm no use to Kotua as a prisoner if I die from dehydration!"

"Because, well... alright. Go ahead," the robot finally relented.

Rex poured water into a cup. But, instead of drinking the water, he threw it at the Security Bots, causing them to short-circuit. Then, he ran.

*****

In the Building Bots room, chaos was everywhere. An airborne chemical had suddenly filled the room, going into the Building Bots' innerworkings and causing them to rust. The malfunctioning robots were going crazy.

Little Bot sat in one corner of the room, smiling to itself. "I beppit beep!" it beeped proudly, having warned the Building Bots not to mess with it, but of course they had not heeded his warning. Then, the small robot ran out into the hallway.

*****

"Time for reinforcements..." said Kotua.

Guardian IV phased, and walked towards Rex...

*****

PBB sent the Multi-Pod speeding towards the ship. "Head towards the command deck," Databoard said. "Get their attention."

Turahk-Kal looked at him like he had lost it. "You're insane, have I mentioned that?" Turahk-Kal said. The pod zoomed towards the ship, flying close enough to the command deck to wave 'Hi' to the bots inside.

Databoard heard a sound. He turned to look, and gasped. "No, it can't be!" said Databoard.

"What can't be?" asked PBB.

"BladeBugs," said Databoard.

Like rapidly-spinning saws, the BladeBugs flew towards the Multi-Pod, their blades ready to turn them into shreds.

PBB piloted the Multi-Pod away from the BladeBugs. "This is bad," Databoard said. "I had no idea Kotua had sided with the BladeBugs..." He was cut off by a BladeBug, which tried to slice its way inside.

"What do we do now?" Turahk-Kal shouted, as yet another BladeBug tried to get to them.

As if it wasn't bad enough, the BladeBugs released the Child BladeBugs, which were armed with beam blasters. The Child BladeBugs flew towards the pod, firing.

Databoard felt the Multi-Pod shaking as lasers pounded its hull. The pod wouldn't last very long, unless they did something. A blast tore a small hole in the craft, but did not hit its three occupants. The pod was pushing the limits of its engines as it flew along the side of the Voltage, trying to outrace the impending doom.

The pod could take no more damage, and it was slowly losing power. "We can't take this anymore!" PBB shouted. The Multi-Pod was spinning out of control, careening towards the side of the ship. The craft pulled up at the last second, but the beam shield managed to take part of the bottom off as they did.

Something glided through the sky and landed on Databoard's smashed Multi-Pod. He thought it was a pteranodon but he had a small hunch it could be...

"GLIDE!" the hooded Dino Attack agent announced himself. "Reporting for duty! Need to rescue Rex? Take these smokescreen spheres!"

With that he took out one of his own, threw it on the ground in front of him and was gone in a puff of smoke, but he left a handful in Databoard's lap.

Databoard looked at the spheres Glide had given them. He knew how to use them, based on how Glide disappeared, but didn't know how much use they would be against the robotic enemies. Still, he had run out of options.

He threw one to the floor, and he suddenly found himself inside the Voltage. Apparently, Glide's smokescreen spheres were equipped with teleportation technology, which explained how he so easily disappeared whenever he used one. Moments later, Turahk-Kal and PBB followed.

Outside, BladeBugs tore up the Multi-Pod, unaware no one was inside it.

*****

Rex and Little Bot collided. "Good to know that you're safe," Rex said. "Now, we need to find a way out of here."

"Beepy!" cried Little Bot.

"What?" Rex asked. He had no idea how PBB could understand this thing.

"Beepy!" Little Bot repeated. "Beep beppit boo!"

"You two escaped?" asked a voice behind them. Rex turned around to see Kotua glaring at him.

"Uh-oh..." whispered Rex.

Guardian IV walked towards Rex and Little Bot.

"This isn't good," muttered Rex.

"Beep bepity boop," said Little Bot.

The wall opened, and Kotua took out a sword. "Your escape ends here, traitor!" said Kotua, charging at Rex. Rex moved out of the way as Kotua tried to stab him.

Little Bot wasn't winning against Guardian IV, which was hanging the bot upside down and banging on it.

Rex dodged another one of Kotua's attempts to stab him, and then Rex kicked him. Kotua stumbled back, but then he ran again at Rex. Rex backed up a bit and ran at Kotua, who raised his sword to bring it down in a slicing motion.

Rex felt the sword make a small cut on his arm. Fortunately, it was not a deep cut, but now he was wounded and bleeding. Kotua immediately brought back his sword, and tried stabbing him again.

Rex, weaponless, was forced to dodge Kotua. Little Bot tried shortening Guardian's circuits, but Guardian's fragile components were protected by thick non-rusting metal.

Kotua ran at Rex and swung his sword, forcing Rex to run the opposite way. Kotua chased after him. Finally, Rex kicked a security bot, grabbed its shocker spear, and ran back towards Kotua.

Rex activated the spear, and fired an electricity bolt, shocking Kotua. Kotua recovered quicker than Rex expected, and swung his sword. Rex dodged the sword, and shocked Kotua. Kotua ignored the electricity, and swung his sword again, cutting Rex again.

Rex ran off, while Kotua stayed behind. Rex looked back, and was surprised to see Kotua not chasing him.

Kotua, of course, put the weapon back and took out a blaster...

----

Rev looked at his small built-in calendar on the dashboard. His Fire Hammer was okay (enough so to run) and he couldn't believe he was alive after 12 days of being unconscious in a damp cave. He remembered saying, "At least Kotua wasn't captured again," just before a black T-1 Typhoon came up behind and blasted the rock he was on. He skidded down into a cave after debris hit him and he could barely see, and then they shot the overhang and trapped him as he fell into darkness.

He felt the bump on his head. It was still throbbing, and when he touched it, he felt it start to bleed.

He tried to turn on the car, only to hear a strangled sound and the battery fail. Headlights, he thought. I left on my MegaBloking headlights when I collapsed. He knew the calendar battery would be enough to get the same result with the car. I'm doomed, Rev thought only for a second when he realized he had GPR (Ground Penetrating Radio) that was on a separate electrical system than his car.

"Mayday, Dino Attack Agent Rev Raptor buried in cave near a small city that roughly 12 days ago was bombed, barricaded with no car energy and substantial head wound which left me unconscious for 12 days, over."

Rev wasn't sure his mayday was heard and he tried it again. He started to fall asleep so he tried to get his Sleep-Free Pills but the glove compartment was electronically locked. Rev finally knew why he had a machete and a hammer in his car. He placed the blade in the groove and tapped it until it could stand on its own, and then smashed it hard as he could, and the compartment fell open.

Still no sign of anyone coming. "Mayday, severe head wound, dysfunctional car, barricaded in a mountain cave blocked by rocks, bleeding head wound, likely infection. Mayday, freaking mayday, over."

Finally, a familiar face arrived to rescue him. "Having a little trouble?" Sereve asked.

"Usually, I'd call you a showoff 4+ figure, but my engine doesn't work, I've got a bleeding head wound, and I need to see a medic within 3 hours or..." Rev then collapsed.

----

Databoard, PBB, and Turahk-Kal snuck down the corridors of the Voltage. "Do either of you know where you're going?" Turahk-Kal asked. "I mean, we've been going around for a while now."

"Simple, we find Kotua," Databoard said. "Find Kotua, we find Rex."

"I was worried you'd say that," Turahk-Kal muttered.

Databoard looked around the corner to see if any security bots were coming. Seeing none, he signaled to the others. They had been searching for almost ten minutes, and still they hadn't found him. "How do we know he's even on this ship?" Turahk-Kal said. "He could have gotten Rex's PDA-"

"Shhhh!" PBB shouted. "Do you hear that?"

Databoard and Turahk-Kal, not having advanced hearing like the FMB-Bot, shook their heads.

"That way!" PBB said, rushing off, followed closely by the two Dino Attack agents.

The agents and PBB ran, when suddenly Guardian appeared, holding Little Bot in one hand. <Surrender, fools.> said Guardian.

"Uh oh," said Turahk-Kal.

"What if we don't?" Databoard shouted.

Guardian motioned to Little Bot. <I'll crush your friend like the tin can he is.> Guardian said. <So surrender!>

"Very well then," Databoard said. Turahk-Kal was confused, but PBB knew Databoard well enough to know he was daring, but knew when the odds were against him. And PBB also knew Databoard always had a backup plan.

Guardian looked right at Databoard, apparently recognizing him for the first time. <Traitor Located: Destroy!> said Guardian, activating its Beam Rifles and firing at Databoard. Databoard ducked as the Guardian fired. Security Bots appeared with shock staffs, and they fired at PBB and Turahk-Kal.

"Hey, what part of surrendering don't you understand?" Databoard said. "Specifically the part about not blasting us to bits!" Databoard pulled out a laser rifle and began firing at it. The blasts did little damage against the Guardian, who moved towards Databoard, beam rifles ready.

Guardian activated its Beam shield and continued firing at Databoard, ignoring PBB and Turahk-Kal. The Security Bots activated their beam shields, and began firing at PBB and the two agents.

<Surrender, fools.> said Guardian, firing missiles at them.

"I told you, we surrender!" Databoard said, avoiding a missile. "Is your circuitry fried or something?" Another missile rushed towards him; only by ducking at the last second did he avoid it. More missiles flew at him, blowing holes in the wall. If this kept up, the corridor might collapse.

Guardian stopped firing, and walked towards Databoard as the Security Bots floated towards PBB and Turahk-Kal.

Databoard aimed his laser rifle at the Guardian's head. Before he could fire, the robot hit him with its free hand, knocking him into the wall. Then Guardian picked up his laser and crushed it in its hand. Throwing the useless weapon aside, it moved towards Databoard.

While Turahk-Kal and PBB were taken away by Security Bots, Guardian brought Databoard to the command deck. There, he was confronted by Kotua, who mocked him for his futility. Then, Kotua left Databoard in the custody of Guardian.

*****

Turahk-Kal was locked in a cell and about to be gassed to death. Rex found the security bot overseeing the poisonous gases, so Rex stunned the robot with the shocker spear long enough for PBB to disable the gas and free Turahk-Kal. After arming himself with a shocker spear, Turahk-Kal joined PBB and Rex in confronting Guardian and rescuing Databoard.

Rex, Turahk-Kal, and PBB distracted Guardian long enough for Databoard to break free of the robot's grip. The team started to battle the Guardian and Security Bots, while Databoard attempted to work out a plan on how to use the microphone to stop Kotua.

Kotua was by now back on his chair, effects of the microphone far away to harm him...

----

The BladeBugs flew down to the HQ, where they began shredding everything in sight.

Scratch that, this REALY stinks, Dromus thought. Now, shortly after surviving the encounter with that Mutant Raptor pack, she found herself attacked by BladeBugs. She desperately wished she had her chain.

As if in answer to her thoughts, her long silver chain came flying through the air. She caught it, bewildered, and saw the Raptors she had tied up, now freely on the rampage. They stampeded through the saw-like robots, not giving them time to react, stepping on them, squishing them flat. They let out almost simultaneous howls of pain from the spikes and collapsed, one by one.

Dromus let out a whoop of joy. "THANK YOU, LADY LUCK!" she screamed. Then she saw the moaning Raptors, and her heart gave a pang of pity. She knew that the scavengers would be here, in the heat of battle soon, to eat them alive. No creature deserves that she thought. Pulling out her gun, she put them out of their pain.

Dromus started driving around again, talking aloud to help her think: "What stops these things? I may not be so good with a gun, but how can I stop them with what I have? Clearly, they aren't living beings, I tried talking to them, they must be robots. The only thing I can think of offhand is homing missiles, and I don't exactly have those handy... They're robots, that must be their weakness, how can I use it against them? Robots..."

She continued musing: "Gotta disable their circuitry... water! Of course! Water will short-circuit it! And I always bring a big thermos with me. Cool!"

And feeling substantially cheerier about all this, she continued driving fairly aimlessly. Dromus was still driving around when more BladeBugs flew in.

She threw water at them, but it only splashed them, as their circuitry was hidden deep underneath the armor plating of the BladeBug.

They tried shredding her, but Dromus drove out of the way, firing at them...

Why won't they leave me alone!? Dromus thought. She also thought some explicit words that would not be allowed to be mentioned on a family-friendly website. Nothing seems to work against these, other than dinos squashing them. What can render them useless? Finally, she pulled out a large knife out of the glove compartment, and threw it, hoping to cut off the spikes, or at least their tips.

The knife hit the BladeBugs, but it bounced off harmlessly.

Dromus drove off, but the BladeBugs followed, trying to shred her. After a while of chasing her, the BladeBugs flew off, to hunt something more defenseless...

----

Guardian brought back its hand, and fired missiles at Databoard. PBB took down two Security Bots, and three flew towards him, spears ready. Turahk-Kal fired at the bots, but these poured in to fight the agents.

Databoard brought the shock spear down onto a security bot, then kicked several into a wall. He ducked to avoid a missile, which destroyed several bots behind him. <Surrender!> the Guardian shouted. Databoard avoided another missile and then charged at it, destroying all the security bots in his way.

Turahk-Kal glanced upward. Did a Minifig with wings just fly overhead? Weird. Rex noticed the wings were connected to a backpack and realized that it was just a jetpack.

The jetpack was worn by Glide, who was gliding over the bots toward Databoard. But, one bot held its shock spear high enough to zap Glide, who fell out of the air and landed in front of the Guardian. More bots closed in and shocked him with their spears. Guardian simply reached down, picked up Glide, and flung him across the room.

In the air, Glide yelled to Databoard: "Get Kotua, and then get out of here!" Then, Databoard saw him slam into a wall and fall to the floor, unconscious.

The Guardian slammed Databoard into a wall, and he tried to drive his shock spear into its shoulder. He did very little besides create a large scratch on the robot. Databoard was flung across the room again, crashing through several security bots as he did. The Guardian leapt at Databoard again, and he rushed out of the way.

Databoard readied his shock spear as Guardian charged again. He leapt onto its back, attempting to drive the shock spear into its main systems and short the robot out. Unfortunately, the Guardian knocked him off, causing Databoard to crash to the floor. The Guardian fired another missile, but Databoard dodged it. The missile destroyed a nearby security bot.

Guardian phased and flew towards Databoard. Databoard ran the other way. PBB fired more bolts, but the Security Bots activated Beam Shields and fired back with Beam weapons.

"This isn't good," muttered Turahk-Kal.

Guardian continued firing at Databoard, and prepared to fire electricity bolts...

Rex dodged one of the Security Bots' blasts. He spat at the robot, in a last-ditch effort to try short-circuiting it with his own saliva. Unfortunately, the bot effortlessly deflected the hopeless attack with its beam shield.

More Security Bots pulled in and continued firing at the agents. By now, fifty Security Bots were there, firing at the agents, which were forced to drop the spears and dodge the blasts as fast as they could.

Databoard dodged the blasts coming at him. "This is fun," Databoard muttered to PBB. "I was staring to miss everybody wanting to kill me."

The Guardian flew at him again, and he dodged it. It fired an electricity bolt at him, which he quickly dodged. He then dodged an attacking security bot, which wound up being hit by another bolt.

Four Security Bots jumped on top of Rex and tried to crush him, but PBB managed to trick other Security Bots to fire blasts at them.

Databoard looked around. The odds were turning against them fast. "What do we do?" Turahk-Kal said.

Databoard dodged another security bot. "We run!" he shouted. The four rushed away from the security bots, PBB shooting energy-fire behind them to slow any attackers.

A Security Bot tried to attack Databoard, but he grabbed its shock stick and flung it into the wall, taking its shock stick. He began using it to fight whatever bots attacked him. They were headed towards the hangar to try and escape using Robo-Blades. More bots attacked, and they continued to retreat.

Rex was lagging behind, not being such a good runner. He always got cramps on his feet and sides when he ran. One security bot pushed Rex right through a metal railing, and he hit his head hard. "Why is it always me and metal?" Rex muttered before he blacked out.

----

When he woke up, Rev found himself in the most sanitized bed he'd ever seen, inside a Dino Attack outpost.

"You're gonna be fine, Rev. They've given you a patch to heal up the scratch and reduce swelling," Sereve said in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Well… usually, I'd call you a showoff 4+ figure, but you saved my life and waited here till I woke up, so I'll pardon that," Rev said.  After a minute, he groggily added, "Something hit me like a 50-pound rock."

"I found a blood-covered rock that was exactly 50 pounds," Sereve said.

"I owe ya me life," Rev said, reverting to his Scottish accent with the pain.

"Forget about it," Sereve said.

Since his Fire Hammer had been wrecked in the cave, Rev had decided to remodel it. First, he replaced the battery and found out how lucky he was; the gas tank was so damaged, it's amazing it didn't blow up, so that was the next to go. He ended up replacing some systems so that he'd use gas up slower and reach higher speeds. Then he updated the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher with some new modes, increased radio distance and got an attachment for a smoother sounding GPR. Rev painted it so it looked like its old self and then installed the cockpit glass from a T-1 Typhoon on there. Rev's hands were now black from grease. Now, he was Revvin' to go.

Rev got behind the wheel and turned the key, only for the engine to sputter out and die. He groaned. His Fire Hammer was still not working, despite the extensive remodeling.

"I'll be able to fix your damaged engine easily," said Tex "Tech" Holdem, a fellow Dino Attack agent stationed at the outpost.

Rev sighed. "I wish I could believe you, Techie, but it's too busted up. It's beyond repair."

"Nah, nothin' is beyond repair. You just have to set your mind to it." Tech then walked over to the engine section, holding a monkey wrench in his hand. He got right to work, with the rhythmic percussion of clanging metal ringing through the garage. In a few minutes, the engine was better than new. "Or you could hit it a few times with a wrench and have several university degrees in fixin' things," said Tech.

Rev nodded, impressed. "Usually, I'd call you a showoff 4+ figure, but you fixed my vehicle. I guess I owe you both one."

"No need," said Tech. "Helpin' you out is enough. Right, pardner?"

"Well, I'll still have him owe me," said Sereve.

"Come on. Let's get out of here," said Rev.

And so, the two friends left the garage.

----

"Don't look now -- look behind you," said Kai. Snake of Spades turned and saw the T-Rex towering over him.

"Focus on the big guy. The little ones can be taken care of later," said Snake. He turned and saw the Mutant Lizards already lying in a pile on the ground.

"Spoken too soon?" said Joey, de-cloaking his Ice Glider for a moment.

"Ready your weapons!" yelled Kai as the T-Rex took a step towards them.

Kai and Snake blasted repeatedly at the T-Rex, using a few tranquilizer darts and other whatnot. Joey used his cloaking to sneak around the T-Rex and shoot it in the back. Soon, the T-Rex was out cold, leaving the Pterodactyls, which were being taken care of by Joey's Blue Eagle.

Snake of Spades had an idea. He hopped into the Urban Avenger. "What are you doing?" asked Kai.

"Helping Joey," Snake whispered. Snake saw something that resembled a ramp. He hit the gas, flew up the ramp, and fired his Sonic Screamer a few times. POW! POW! POW! POW! POW! Down went the Pteranodons.

"Thanks!" yelled Joey.

After Snake and Joey landed, they heard a SLAMMMMMMM! They looked up and saw the Voltage flying above them.  "Uh-oh," they said in unison.

"Anyone else think that 'The Imperial March' should be playing right about now?" asked Snake.  "Because it totally should be."

"Let's get out of here," suggested Kai.  "After all, I think Sereve might be just about ready for our help."

----

Dromus continued driving around, passing by a steakhouse. Abandoned, by the looks of it. Recently though, she thought. She looked at a puddle of water. It vibrated. And again. She could hear: Whomp! Whomp! Over and over. She looked up. And peed in her pants.

"Eep."

There was a big Mutant T-Rex.

This is not my day. Mustering up all the confidence she could, she told it to go away.

It responded with a simple grunted "No."

There is NO WAY I can fight this. A sonic screamer isn't going to do anything.

Mind racing, she tried to think of a way to make it go away. It lunged at her, mouth gaping...

And she dodged. This continued for a while, until she started to tire. Then she figured it out. She could practically the click in her head.

"Don't you smell that?" she asked. "Do you smell that meat?" she asked again, indicating the old steakhouse. "There's way more there than on me."

The T-Rex stood, apparently considering.

"It's probably still warm," she added.

The T-Rex left for the steakhouse and Dromus drove away as fast as she could, hoping she met no BladeBugs.

----

Kotua glanced around the command deck.  Why was the Voltage turning around in a U-turn?  He walked towards the helm and saw Glide steering the Voltage.  "Get out of my way or I will feed you to mutant dinos, like I will to Rex!!!" Kotua roared.

Glide had a trick up his sleeve.  "OOOOOhhhhh, so that's what you'll do to us," he said, grinning. "I know just the right dinos!" Then, he threw his last teleporting sphere onto the ground as the Guardian and a dozen security bots charged at him. Its coordinates were predetermined, set when he had stumbled upon a particular building.

When the smoke cleared, Glide found himself in an abandoned prison. Now, its inmates were a bunch of Mutant Dinos. Glide glanced around at all the dinos staring warily at him, and he knew he had found Rex's tamed dinos...

*****

Databoard, Turahk-Kal, and PBB rushed to the hangar, where they got into Robo-Blades. The beam shield was off at the current moment, allowing the three to escape. "What do we do?" Turahk-Kal said. "I mean, Rex is still in there!"

"You and PBB got back to HQ and tell them Rex has been captured," Databoard said. "There's something in need to get." As the other two headed for what remained of HQ, Databoard punched in the coordinates for Antarctica and flew away.

Turahk-Kal received a holo-message from Glide. "Ah, good to hear from you.  Are you captured?" asked Turahk-Kal.

"Um," Glide replied, "I'm not really captured, like, in a cell. I'm surrounded by hungry Mutant Lizards!"

"Don't worr-" Turahk-Kal started to say.

Glide's voice was a whisper: "They're Rex's. They won't hurt me. I've got a plan to rescue Rex. We'll meet you at the temporary backup hangar. Copy to PBB. END OF TRANSMISSON......"

The Robo-Blade arrived in Antarctica.

Ah, Antarctica. Bleak, inhospitable, cold, and cruel, Databoard thought. It's good to be home.

He flew over the icy plains, searching for the wreckage of a certain device. There was one way to shut down a beam shield, short of sneaking aboard and turning it off. The device was around here somewhere, he just had to find it first.

A blizzard was raging across the area, so the Robo-Blade was forced to land and search on the ground. He kept looking around, knowing it would be around here somewhere. He had been searching for what seemed like hours, and just when he thought it was hopeless, he found what he was looking for.

Databoard took out a laser cutter and rushed over to the wreckage of a black-colored fighter jet. The blizzard was getting worse, so he had to work fast. After a few moments of salvaging the wreck, he pulled out a device known as a beam shield disruptor. He loaded it into the Robo-Blade and flew away.

*****

As Glide headed to the hangar, riding on the back of one of Rex's Mutant Lizards, what he did not see the Voltage slowly following. If he had seen it, he would have surely imagined "The Imperial March" playing as the airship approached…

Glide and his Mutant Lizard steed only noticed the Voltage once it was directly above them. Kotua, looking out the bottom periscope, had noticed them notice him, so he activated beam shields and prepared to fire.

Glide took out some old battle amour and oversized grapple gear. The body armor went on the lizard's head and the grappler went on either side. "Hang on, Rex, I'm coming for you," Glide whispered. Once he was ready, Glide shot grapplers and they grabbed the main steering fin.

Glide thought Kotua was in checkmate. Either the Voltage could be smashed into the ground, or it could lose its steering fin. Instead, Kotua chose option C.

BladeBugs came out, cutting the cord and flying at Glide. He sent a message to all agents: BLADEBUGS. 2x. LOCATION: 439568473950-9087

The Voltage jumped again, leaving the city behind, headed back to the ocean.

Glide saw none of the agents responded to his call. "How complimentary," he joked darkly. BladeBugs dodged all the attacks from the hangar. They smashed it, leaving Glide half-buried. The bugs hovered above, awaiting Kotua's commands.

*****

Kotua noticed Guardian enter the Command Deck. "You failed me," said Kotua.

<Sorry.> said Guardian.

"I'll give you only one chance to prove yourself, or I'll replace you with a new Guardian," said Kotua.

<Yes Sir... And what of agent Rex?> asked Guardian.

"Dispose of him... without making a mess..." said Kotua.

<Gladly.> said Guardian, walking towards Rex's holding cell.

Guardian was surprised to see a missing bar in Rex's cell. "How weak can this metal get?" Rex asked. "I just lightly poked it and this fell right out!"

<Defective bars...> Guardian thought as he grabbed Rex.

"Hey, let go of me!" Rex said.

<Why?>

Rex tried to think of something – anything – that he could say to slow down the Guardian.  "Because, well, uh..."

<No reason?> said the Guardian, who surely would have been smirking if it had facial expressions. <You are a threat to Kotua and the world! Prepare to die!>

"Hey... isn't that, uh, a Mutant Raptor in the hallway behind you?"

<Negative. Your futile attempt at bluffing is futile.>

"Drat..." muttered Rex.

<Since, clearly, you are lying about the Mutant Raptor, I should just kill you right now without being delayed by any further distraction.> declared the Guardian.

Rex squirmed within the Guardian's tight grip. He felt his stomach knotting at the prospect of impending doom. "Oh, sure just what I need: to be killed!" Rex muttered. "Don't you have something else to do right now?"

<No.> If it was possible for a robot to sound annoyed, the Guardian certainly sounded like it.

"Well, isn't there a huge water spill in the hall?  You could help clean that."

<That is being cleaned by the Cleaner Bots.>

"Uh... doesn't Kotua need help with his big evil plan?"

<Yes. Killing you!>

Beads of sweat dripped down Rex's forehead as he felt feverish.  He then came to the realization that the knotting in his stomach was not actually from fear or anxiety.  "Don't you have puke all over yourself?" he asked.

<Negative! Now shut up while I kill you!>

"Are you sure there's no puke on you?"

<YES!>

"Then what's that?"

<What?>

Then, Rex began to vomit on the Guardian, which let go of him as it reeled in surprise. Rex spat in disgust and wiped his mouth, but at least his stomach felt better now.  "Better let Kotua know that the canned noodles he serves his prisoners are way past their expiration date..." he muttered as he ran away from the puke-covered Guardian.

----

Keys looked up and saw a dozen Mutant Pteranodons. He was called over by his commanding elite agent, who readied his T-1 Typhoon. Despite only being a rookie agent, Keys became part of the crew since they needed him as they went up to communicate with the flying mutants.

----

Zero went to LEGO City to join the Dino Attack Team. "Mutant dinos, eh? I hope I can help!" he said to himself. He jumped into his Urban Avenger and drove into the city, knowing little about Kotua or the Voltage.

Zero was still driving around the city, trying to find the HQ, when he found a... "Mutant Raptor? Eat Sonic Screamer!"

As Zero shot inside the raptor's mouth, it had no effect. "What? No one told me it could really eat it!"

Zero was left with no choice but to run away, but the raptor followed him closely. "Strange... That raptor looked stronger than the one I saw on my TV, before it was destroyed. Maybe they get stronger with time?"

----

Databoard landed the Robo-Blade outside what remained of HQ. Brick League United had arrived at the scene, presumably to help rebuild HQ as fast as possible to stop the dinosaur threat. Databoard began gathering parts from wrecked vehicles and started assembling more beam shield disruptors. He then set to work setting them up at various points around the base.

After a about a half-hour of working, a web of green disruptor beams around the base had formed, making it impossible for the Voltage or a Robo-Blade to get close to base without its beam shield being disabled. Databoard then walked back to HQ to get a new Fire Hammer.

Databoard rushed into an unused Fire Hammer and drove out away. He took out his PDA and opened up a GPS program. Assuming Kotua still had Rex's PDA, he could use that to locate the Voltage. He soon picked up the signal, which was coming from nearby. He turned the Fire Hammer towards its location and zoomed off at full speed.

*****

Kotua, realizing that agents could come to the Voltage by locking on Rex's PDA's location, was glad he had the PDA in his hands. "I'll just be able to catch them quicker! Like luring fish to the bait!"

*****

The Guardian, furious about being vomited on, took off after Rex. Suddenly, a Cleaner Bot got in Guardian's way. It began cleaning up the puke, refusing to get out of the way.

Although the Guardian had been delayed by the Cleaner Bot, Security Bots were after Rex. But this time, Rex was able to guess where they'd strike. He dodged each attack and laser shot.

The Security Bots turned a corner to find that Rex had disappeared. "Where'd he go?" asked one.

"I don't know!" answered another.

Rex had hidden behind a cardboard box that was in the hall. He managed to creep past the Security Bots undetected. But, not for long. They noticed the moving box and promptly disintegrated it. Rex then took off, once again chased by the Security Bots.

Rex prayed that help would come soon, because now he was once again getting cramps in his sides and feet from running. He was about to take out his PDA when he remembered that Kotua stole his PDA. Rex cursed under his breath.

Rex knew that the Security Bots were catching up. When he came to a corner, he dove behind a large machine. The Security Bots did not see him, and continued.

Rex was reputed for his skill of improvising with rope, but he had no rope. However, he remembered the words of fellow agent Baudelaire: "There's always something." He began to rip cables and wires off of the machine. They were long, thin, and strong, just like rope. Rex began to feel at home as he readied to defend himself against any Security Bots that dared cross paths with him.

Rex found that there was a huge gap in the floor, with the engines directly below him. If he fell, he would've been burned alive. Thankfully, there was a hook above the huge gap. Rex swung his makeshift rope to it, and it caught the hook securely. Then, he swung across the huge gap and landed on the other side.

*****

Databoard drove towards the Voltage at full speed. It soon spotted him zooming towards the ship, and began firing. Databoard swerved to avoid getting hit, leaving steaming tire tracks behind him as he did. He rushed down the street, explosions occurring several feet away from him. He drove across a bridge as blasts tore large holes in the structure, threatening to collapse it.

The Fire Hammer slammed clear through a brick wall, leaving a large hole in the building it hit. It then smashed through the other wall, as the building was soon destroyed by more lasers. The Fire Hammer had sustained minor damage, such as its headlights were now broken but it didn't affect its driving. Databoard gunned the engines, shooting ahead of the Voltage's blasts.

Databoard drove up a destroyed bridge and off the edge, landing on the roof of a nearby building. He continued to speed up, rushing off the roof and flying over the street before landing on another building. Databoard continued to accelerate, zooming off buildings before the Voltage could even target him. The Fire Hammer hurtled high over a street, and landed safely on the others side. Databoard didn't even stop or slow down, as that would mean his Fire Hammer would plummet to the street below.

Databoard looked at one of the beam shield disruptors, which he had brought with him. The Fire Hammer screeched to a halt on one of the rooftops. He fired the disruptor, which shut down the beam shield. He fired the Multi-Mode Launcher repeatedly, blowing a hole in the side of the Voltage. He fired a grappling hook at the hole, and got aboard the ship.

Databoard walked down the corridors of the Voltage. He soon found the place where the wires had been. He wired a detonator into the weapons, to stop Kotua if he tried to fire on HQ again. He then disabled the beam shield again, and returned to the hole he made.

He found a rope had been attached to it. Good, that means Rex escaped, Databoard thought. He grabbed the rope and swung down to his Fire Hammer.

----

Rex was back in his Iron Predator, since the Voltage hadn't destroyed the Pallas Athena and Rex's Iron Predator. There, he gathered new tools - rope, nets, rope, Sonic Screamers, and more rope. He loved rope. Then, he drove off to find a place where he could at least try and figure out what in the world had happened to the loyal and good Kotua he knew back when Kotua first joined the team.

Suddenly, a figure fell out of the air and landed in his Iron Predator. Rex looked down to see Little Bot. "Well, there you are," he said, relieved to see the small robot made it out okay.

----

When Zero reached HQ, he looked back. The raptor was nowhere to be seen. "Good! This is the first time today I get good news... Oh no!"

Zero was surprised to find the HQ destroyed! "Me and my big mouth!"

But that wasn't all. When he was returning to his Urban Avenger, the raptor was here. "Don't you ever give up?" Zero said, as he hopped inside his vehicle and ran away... again!

----

Kotua walked back to the engine room.

"Sir, Rex has escaped," said one of the bots.

"Did he disable anything?" asked Kotua.

"Not that we know of," said the bot.

"I think he did. It's time to use our last resort to end Rex's reign of evil," said Kotua, looking at the nuclear engines.

"Yes sir," said the Bot.

<Sir, he escaped.> said Guardian.

"Really?" asked Kotua.

Guardian heard the Voltage's floor rumble.

"I think you're broken. We need to get rid of you," said Kotua.

<No!> said Guardian backing off, scared.

"The craft could use some of your wires," said Kotua.

<N-> managed to say Guardian, before the other robot sliced his head off.

"Take the rest of Guardian apart. Whatever can be re-used, re-use it, whatever is junk, put it in the trash..." said Kotua. He then turned to face the robot and muttered, "You better not fail me, or else..."

Kotua walked back to the Command Deck, and pressed a button.

Immediately, missiles flew out, seeking Dinos...

*****

Dromus was driving across the city, when more BladeBugs appeared. She fired at them, and soon one fell to the ground in a violent explosion. Little did she notice a Robo-Blade with teal markings...

Dromus' gun was blown off by a beam weapon. She looked back, and gasped. A Robo-Blade with teal markings was aiming its weapon at her. The Robo-Blade fired again, taking down the wheels of the vehicle. Dromus began running, but the Robo-Blade shot its hand, and caught Dromus. Then the Robo-Blade flew back to the Voltage.

The Robo-Blade landed on the Voltage, and security bots made sure Dromus did not have any tools to aid in her escape, and put her on a cell...

*****

Databoard got into the Fire Hammer. He revved the engines and shot of the roof. He landed on a smaller building, and then on the street. He then drove away from the Voltage, having infiltrated the ship without being noticed. He then headed back to HQ to repair the vehicle.

Databoard drove his battered Fire Hammer down the roads. He had been able to make sure at least two of the Voltage's devices would not work if Kotua attacked HQ. He stopped and glanced at the Voltage, which was still floating over the city. Why are you doing this, Kotua? thought Databoard.

As Databoard worked on repairing his Fire Hammer, he made a slight modification. He added a hidden compartment with an energy net launcher. This way he could capture Mutant Dinosaurs and study them, as Kotua destroyed all his previous work in his attack. At this point he received word that an agent named Dromus had been captured by Kotua. Time for another daring rescue mission... Databoard thought as he drove off to help Dromus.

*****

Sometime later, Zero even forgot about the raptor that was chasing him. While he was driving, trying to find the others, he saw a giant craft (the Voltage) launching missiles! "Whoa!" he exclaimed. "What's that? I thought only mutant dinos were attacking the city!" But Zero didn't realize that one of the missiles was trying to hit him...

BOOM! A missile blew up right behind Zero! "Wow, that was close!" he remarked. "And that raptor still was following me? He really doesn't give up... Now let's see... I must find a way of getting inside the craft... Wait! I can see a hole! I could get in from there, but how I would ever get up there?" Zero drove underneath the Voltage, trying to find a way to get in...

The Voltage slowly flew higher, making it impossible to reach, unless by another aircraft.

"Alright, now I can't get in. Maybe I should try to find the others..." Zero said, as he drove away from the Voltage.

*****

One of the maintenance bots noticed a detonator on the wires for the main guns. The robot flew towards Kotua to tell him of the detonators.

Kotua walked to the construction bots. The robots were building more robots. "Next time they enter my craft, they won't get away as easy..." said Kotua.

Kotua watched the city below through the air probe he had released. If these mutant dinos had spread, chances were they might be near Dino Attack HQ. If he could persuade the dinos, he might get rid of Rex...

The probe flew over the city, tracking down a Mutant T-Rex. The probe was cloaked, and thus could not be seen by anybody.

Kotua stopped watching the probe's camera view, and switched to that of a Robo-Blade getting what was left of Dromus's Urban Avenger.

Kotua pressed a few buttons...

----

Rex drove to his hideout in the abandoned prison.  Much to his relief, it was still intact, untouched by the lasers and missiles of the Voltage. Rex entered it and made his way to the cage where he kept Trouble, Sapphire, and their hatchlings. To his surprise, he found one of the infant Mutant Lizards was covered with scorch marks, while another was half invisible. "Fascinating," he remarked.  "It seems that they are maturing and developing their powers now."

With a spare PDA, he started taking notes.  Trouble was black-scaled and had darkness powers, while Sapphire had blue scales and… well, Rex still was not quite sure what her abilities were.  Since their offspring could have other scale colors and abilities, this data showed that powers were apparently not passed down through genetics.  But if it was not hereditary, was there any order that dictated the different strains of mutation?  Or was it all random chaos?

"Rex…"

Rex started.  He thought he was alone as usual, but he just heard someone else's voice.  He turned around and was prepared to meet anyone, friend or foe.  But nobody was there.  Just his cage of captured Mutant T-Rex hatchlings, who were growing quickly over the past couple weeks but were certainly not capable of speaking.

"W-Who's there?" Rex called.  There was no reply.  He felt stupid talking to nothing.

Rex turned to look at the Mutant Lizards again.  Trouble was staring at him in a very curious manner.  "Great," Rex muttered, "now I'm hearing voices.  And I'm confiding in a Mutant Lizard since no one else is around.  Well, at least I can trust that you won't judge me for it.  I don't need any more reasons for Kotua to think I'm crazy."

Rex spent some time studying his other captured Mutant Dinos.  He watched with intrigue as Fang the Mutant Raptor demonstrated her force field ability, and he was fascinated by the lightning crackling around the wings of Terry the Mutant Pterosaur.  He started to transmit this new info to other agents and scientists on the team, knowing that they would also find it interesting.

As Rex did his rounds, he noticed that one of his cages was missing a Mutant Lizard.  Remembering when Trouble escaped and nearly got killed by Kotua, he started to worry.  "Where did it go?" he wondered aloud.

"Friend… your friend was here…"

"What?" stammered Rex.  He heard that voice again, or at least another voice similar to the one he had heard before.  He turned around, but still there was no one there.  He just saw Fang watching him from her cage, and she was growling softly.

Rex groaned, knowing he was still not going to get any answers from the voice.  He investigated the cage to see how the lizard could have escaped.  To his surprise, he found the defunct remains of Glide's teleporting sphere.  "My friend was here…" he repeated, putting the pieces together.

This voice knew things that Rex did not, which at least confirmed that it was not just in his head.  But, as he left the abandoned prison, Rex was troubled.  Who did that voice belong to?

----

While Zero was driving, trying to find the others... "Now, the city is REALLY deserted. I wish I could find someone - or something - here..." Then, the earth started to shake... "Whoa! Earthquake?!?!?" No, it was a Mutant T-Rex! "Alright, forget what I said!"

As the Mutant T-Rex roared, the ground melted from the nuclear radiation in its breath! "Wow!" exclaimed Zero. "He really could use some mint!" The T-Rex started to run, and every time he touched the ground, it shook! "He should start to eat less, too!" Then, the mutant followed Zero as he drove away.

The T-Rex managed to destroy Zero's Urban Avenger's Sonic Screamer with laser beams. "Alright, plan B... Get back to HQ!" decided Zero.

After some time, Zero could finally lose the T-Rex from sight. "Wow, I thought he was never going to get away! Now, I just have to find the HQ... There, I can fix the Sonic Screamer! The hard part is getting there..."

----

Databoard glanced at the Voltage, which was impossible to reach now. He would have to find some other way to get aboard. He looked around for any buildings that were close enough, but the ship was up too high. Databoard looked around for any form of transport. Seeing none, Databoard would have to find another way up there.

Databoard grabbed a grappling gun and rushed into the building nearest the Voltage. He waited until the Voltage was at its closest, and fired the gun. Unfortunately, it was too far away and the rope caught empty air, failing to reach the ship.

At this point, one of the Voltage's turrets aimed at Databoard. He ran towards the stairs, but blasts destroyed the roof of the building. Databoard jumped off the side and plummeted towards the streets below. He fired a grappling cable and swung into nearby building.

Databoard got into his Fire Hammer and drove away from the Voltage. He needed a plan, and it would not be long before the ships turrets targeted him again, so he would have to move fast. He headed back towards HQ, luckily without being noticed by anyone on the Voltage.

*****

A robot on the Voltage scanned the building for Databoard, to make sure he had not survived. Seeing no sign of him, but not knowing that was because he was not in the building, contacted Kotua and told him Databoard had been destroyed.

Kotua of course, didn't believe the robot.

The Robo-Blade brought back Dromus's Urban Avenger, and Kotua waked to it. "Repair it as soon as possible!" said Kotua, and robots rushed to repair it....

The robots were soon done with the car's repair. Several things had been added as many people were targeting Kotua.

"Nice... protect the craft until I come back!" said Kotua.

----

Rex transmitted the latest intel on Mutant Dinos to the rest of the Dino Attack Team.  However, he decided to specifically exclude Kotua from the recipients list.  He sighed and shook his head, still unable to believe that Kotua had betrayed the rest of his team.  He wondered if Kotua was ever good in the first place, or if it had all just been one big deception from the start.

Rex hopped into his Iron Predator and drove off. He knew that the Voltage was still on the loose. Kotua still remained evil. The other Dino Attack agents were still in danger. And Rex needed to stop all of that before LEGO City would become a massive graveyard.

Rex drove as fast as he could. He prayed Kotua would be outside of the Voltage, which would make the rogue agent a little more vulnerable.

Suddenly, he heard a voice again. It was similar to the last voice he heard, but lower in pitch, and very aggressive in tone, as though its speaker was growling.

"Kill... kill... we must kill these hunters... kill... which one first?... Kill... whichever finds us! Kill... the one they call Kotua... no, Rex..."

Rex drove towards where the voice was coming from. Its source was moving quickly, but he was determined not to let it get away. Rex turned a corner…

… only to find himself face-to-face with a Mutant T-Rex.  The great beast leered down upon him and his Iron Predator, and it pulled back its lips to reveal its sharp teeth as it snarled menacingly.

The voice spoke again: "One of the hunters... Kotua... we will kill him!"

Rex didn't have much time to react. The Mutant T-Rex ran forward. Lasers shot from its eyes, damaging the sides of the Iron Predator. "As fascinating as they are," Rex muttered, "I wish that these Mutant Dinos didn't have these mutant powers."

He shot with the Cryothermic Cannon, knowing better than to launch nets at the strongest of Mutant Dinos. The blast hit a building, bringing it down on the Mutant T-Rex. He only intended to scare off the dinosaur, but instead a stray chunk of debris hit the T-Rex on the head, knocking it unconscious. It was about to be buried alive.

Rex gasped. He hopped out of the Iron Predator and ran towards the collapsing T-Rex, hoping he could save it. But, there was too much falling debris. He tripped, and then one block of cement fell on his leg, trapping him in place. The rubble continued falling on the Mutant T-Rex… and Rex along with it.

Rex coughed. He could not see a thing. Only darkness. He tried to move, but he was held firm. Everything around here was hard. Hard as rock. Rex realized he had survived. He pushed on a block of cement. It moved. He pushed harder. It moved out of the way all together. However, three more pieces of cement fell in its place. Rex groaned. It was going to take a long time getting out of the debris.

----

An Urban Avenger sped down the streets of LEGO City.

Databoard, who was hiding on a building, noticed Kotua riding the Urban Avenger. Kotua also noticed Databoard, and fired at him...

Databoard pressed a button in his Fire Hammer, and the energy net launcher came out of its compartment. He fired at Kotua, who swerved out of its path. Databoard fired several more, and they missed. Kotua fired back, breaking the Fire Hammer's windshield. Databoard fired the energy launcher again, but Kotua avoided it.

Kotua pressed the pedal, and drove off, with Databoard driving after him. Kotua pressed a few buttons, and the Sonic Screamer aimed back. Databoard was ready, and fired at the gun, taking it off, but Kotua still had more weaponry, and even turned on his Beam Shield.

Kotua sped ahead, firing various weaponry behind him. Databoard swerved out of the way of the attacks, forcing him to slow down and break off the chase. Just as Kotua though he was gone, the Fire Hammer swerved out from behind a corner. Databoard fired the launcher again, and Kotua swerved wildly to avoid being hit.

Kotua once again drove off, this time into an underground parking lot. Databoard drove after him, before realizing something. Databoard stopped, and began firing at a pillar. The whole building came down on the Urban Avenger, trapping Kotua… or so Databoard thought...

Databoard got out of his vehicle, and readied a laser rifle. He had a good feeling that Kotua was still alive under there, and he had intended to keep Kotua alive. He began looking through the rubble for any sign of the agent, laser still in hand.

Databoard felt a blaster's tip on the back of his head.

"Be a nice agent, or agent Dromus will remain buried under that building," said the person behind him.

"What?!" said Databoard.

"You really thought I would drive around the city in a car like that? I put the unconscious Dromus on the Urban Avenger, and put a hologram of me to distract you," said Kotua.

Robo-Blades landed around, and one grabbed Databoard.

"Kotua, what is wrong with you?" Databoard shouted. "You've gone too far, Kotua!"

Kotua put the blaster away, as there was no way Databoard could free himself from the Robo-Blade's grip. Databoard managed to free one hand, and threw a short out device into the Robo-Blade's cockpit. He jumped into the Fire Hammer and turned on an "Auto Pilot" button he had also installed. The vehicle shot off as Databoard slipped out the other side. The Robo-Blades pursued, believing Databoard to be inside the vehicle.

Kotua took out a device. "You have three seconds to come out, Data, or Dromus dies," said Kotua, getting ready to press the button...

Databoard stepped out from the shadows. Kotua raised his laser and prepared to fire. Before he could, a laser beam knocked it from his hand. "Backup, eh?" Kotua said.

Databoard shook his head.

"Huh?" Kotua said. A Mutant T-Rex charged at Kotua, lasers shooting from its eyes. Kotua ducked out of the way as lasers destroyed where he just was.

Kotua ran away from the T-Rex, which seemed to want to kill him. "This must have been agent Rex's doing!" said Kotua, ducking from another blast...

While Kotua was distracted by the Mutant T-Rex, Databoard rushed over to collapsed building and began clearing away rubble. The T-Rex had not yet noticed him, and Kotua was distracted with the dinosaur which gave Databoard some time.

The Robo-Blades returned, and fired at the T-Rex. Kotua ran towards them, when he noticed Databoard had dug out a small hole.

Kotua ran towards him and kicked him into the hole. Kotua then grabbed a piece of rubble as Databoard tried getting out, and dropped it down, knocking out Databoard. Kotua turned to see the T-Rex run off with pieces of a Robo-Blade.

"Pity Data fell for the same trick twice," said Kotua.

Kotua was picked up by another Robo-Blade and taken to the Voltage, where Dromus was still locked in a cell...

Kotua watched the rubble where Databoard laid, unconscious. Kotua took out the device, and pressed a button.

The Urban Avenger's engines beeped, and exploded, sending most of the rubble everywhere, and soon dust surrounded the place.

Databoard luckily survived, as he was deep under rubble and far from the explosion. Unfortunately, now it would be harder for Databoard to get out of the hole.

Kotua watched as a Robo-Blade flew down to check whether Databoard was unconscious. The Robo-Blade landed, and began searching for Databoard.

Soon the Robo-Blade found Databoard's body and dug him out. Then the Robo-Blade took him back into the Voltage, and took out all of Databoard's tools and equipment. Then Databoard was put on a jail cell far from Dromus, since Databoard still thought Dromus was buried...

*****

Kotua walked back to the construction bots, which had made new security bots which were water, fire, and rust-proof. The Security Bots flew out to protect the cells and other rooms...

Kotua walked to the hangar, where more construction bots were fixing the Robo-Blades and putting on Double Beam Shields...

Kotua walked to the jail cells, and poked Databoard with a shock spear five times, before closing the cell and walking off. Dromus just watched Kotua leave, and tried opening the door, but it was useless.

Kotua walked to where chef bots were making food. He reflected that it was odd that the craft could carry enough materials to make different meals, yet the prisoners were only ever fed canned noodles...

----

A curious Mutant Lizard stalked over to the huge pile of debris that now littered the street. It hoped that it could find some fresh meat buried underneath. It poked at the rubble. Almost unmovable, but not to a Mutant Dino.

The Mutant Lizard spat some acid onto the debris, and then it was gone. It kept spitting acid until it made a large opening through the rubble. Indeed, there was something in there. The Mutant Lizard peered closer, only to see two eyes glaring at it from the shadows. It was still alive, but what was it? The lizard sniffed the air, and then let out a terrified shriek before running off.

Rex crawled out of the rubble, through the opening that the Mutant Lizard had made. Why was the Mutant Lizard scared of him? Then, he guessed that it must have picked up the scent of the Mutant T-Rex, and it probably mistook him for a much larger Mutant Dino. He looked back at the debris. The Mutant T-Rex was probably dead.

And that mysterious voice… whoever it belonged to… was gone.

Rex felt awful. He didn't actually mean to kill the Mutant T-Rex, just scare it off. But, he ended up killing it. He had taken a life, and he should have known better. Did that make him any better than Kotua?

"When I stop Kotua's madness," he promised himself, "I'll make sure no one else has to die.  I cannot let anyone else die on my watch... Minifig or Mutant Dino."

Rex hopped into his Iron Predator. It wasn't damaged much, though it certainly needed a new paint job! That would have to wait. First, he had to find Kotua. And stop him.

Rex kept driving. He had to find Kotua and stop all this nonsensical nonsense. He didn't bother attacking the Mutant Lizards that were on Legohn Road, even though they were burning and acid-spraying everything on that street; he had his mind set on finding - and stopping - Kotua.

Rex noticed the craft flying higher than any building nearby. He had to get on PBB's airship in order to reach the Voltage.

----

A Security Bot opened the cell to check on Dromus, when she leaped over it and ran off. Dromus ran, until two metal doors sealed off the hall in front of her. She looked back, and saw the Security Bots flying towards her...

Dromus pulled out her diamond and cut a hole just large enough for her in the metal door. She hopped through and ran as fast as she could, away from the cells... And as she ran, she thought that this was not a very lucky day for her.

Dromus ducked as one of the Security Bots swung its Shock Staff. The other Security Bots activated their Beam Shields, protecting them from the blasts...

MegaBloks! Dromus silently cursed. I HATE BOTS!

As she continued dodging the Security Bots, she quickly thought of a plan.  Acting lessons, I took acting lessons, maybe...

Suddenly she collapsed, wheezing convincingly. "Asthmatic," she wheezed, "I need my inhaler... I need a medic..."

One of the Security Bots dragged Dromus to a Medic Bot, with her gasping and wheezing all the time. Maybe that musical theatre training when I was 11 was a good idea after all... she thought.

The medic gave her an inhaler, which she pretended to use, though she did not technically need it. While the medic was telling the other bots that she would survive, she made a break for it, yelling over her shoulder, "Haha! Stupid bots!"

----

Rev finally stood up from the computer desk and slammed his fist down. "Why, father?" he asked, struggling to hold back tears. "Why?"

His father, Jecht Raptor, had always been so good at everything. Jecht was a renowned scientist. Jecht was Rev's role model, his personal mentor, and all his life Rev had been told that he would follow Jecht's footsteps.

But now, for the first time, Rev wished that would not be any further from the truth.

Now, he recognized something in the Mutant Lizard DNA he had been studying. It reminded him of the genetic engineering that Jecht had performed. Jecht had disappeared a few years ago, after saying he was going on an offworld assignment. And as soon as he thought about that, Rev realized why Landro seemed hauntingly familiar to him. The truth was horrifyingly disturbing, but he could no longer deny it.

Landro was Jecht Raptor.

----

"KOTUA, YOU NO-GOOD LYING MONSTER!" Databoard shouted. He was through trying to help him, as he just wound up back in a cell on the Voltage.

He banged on the door with his fists, shouting angrily. A few Security Bots looked up, thinking Databoard had lost it completely. He kicked the wall in anger, trying to make as much of a scene as possible. A medic bot came in to check Databoard - only to be flung out moment later with its robotic head bashed to bits. Databoard rushed out of the cell, grabbing a shock stick and destroying all the robots in his path. Security Bots would try to restrain him, and they all met the same fate, discarded in a pile of scrap.

Security Bots activated their Beam shields, and flew at Databoard, who slid under them, and ran towards Kotua. Databoard would stop Kotua, whatever it took.

More Security Bots with Beam shields arrived, and these formed a barrier around Databoard. Dromus used the distraction to escape, if it hadn't been for Riot Bots. These arrived, and they scanned the room. They noticed Dromus, who began to run, but the Riot Bots threw a gas canister at Dromus, and she fell back to the floor, too weak to continue. Databoard was also forced to breathe the gas, and was accidentally smashed into the wall by the Security Bots.

Then they were dragged back to the cells, and robots tied up both of them. Kotua soon arrived. Databoard was still weak.

Kotua took out a blaster.  "Data, you never learned to back off... pity," said Kotua. He aimed at Databoard, who was too weak to move.

----

LEGO City.  7:13 A.M.  Rev and Sereve's hideout was under siege.

Countless Mutant Raptors swiped and bit chunks out of the entrance.  The abandoned skyscraper had been converted into a Dino Attack outpost but was in no shape to withstand an attack of this caliber.

Sereve, Tech, and the other surviving Dino Attack agents cowered in the underground garage section of the base as the raptors started to swarm and destroy the hideout.

Things were not going according to plan.  Sereve had tried to assemble a strong team in preparation for this day, but Kai and Joey still had not shown up; Connors had suddenly gone silent and stopped responding to her messages; nobody knew what Len, Gwen, and Tren were up to; and Rev had buried himself in his research, leaving the hideout barely defended against the Mutant Dino attack.

"I fear this is the end," said Sereve.

"Though I don't give up normally, I have to agree with you," said Tech.

The sounds of the angry dinosaurs came closer and closer. Soon, there were loud footsteps coming closer and closer. With every footstep the roof started to come down bit by bit. All hope was lost. Sereve's Urban Avenger was totaled by the raptors, leaving them with no escape. The footsteps were coming closer and closer until they were right outside the wall that separated the safety of their last sanctuary, with the horror of horrible demonic creatures.

The footsteps stopped for a second, before the wall exploded and the raptors arrived. Sereve was useless without a weapon, and his fellow Dino Attack agents were too scared to do anything. The future might as well be over for them as nothing could save them now. Little did they know that they were about to be saved by the last possible person or thing they could think of.

Suddenly, the Mutant Raptors ceased their attack.  They obediently parted as a figure stepped through the crowd.  Sereve recognized his twisted mutant features and tattered labcoat.  The horrifying hybrid of man and lizard raised a clawed finger and pointed it directly at Sereve.  "This one..." Landro hissed.  "I want him alive!"

----

Suddenly the Voltage shook. A robot flew up to him.  "Sir, we're under attack by a pteranodon fleet," said the bot.

"Fire at them!" said Kotua.

The craft shook again. "They're too fast," said the bot.

"Then take them down with missiles," muttered Kotua, losing some patience.

"They use lightning bolts to take them down..." said the bot.

"Send Robo-Blades after them!" said Kotua.

"Yes sir..."

Kotua walked back to the Command Deck, and was surprised to see security bots rushing in from the other entrance of the Command Deck, firing at Mutant Pteranodons. The windows had been broken, and the Beam Shield seemed to be failing.

"Phase!" shouted Kotua at the remaining deck bots.

The bots managed to phase the Voltage, and the Pteranodons were left with little to harm...for ten seconds...

"Defend the Voltage," said Kotua, running to the hangar. Once in the hangar, Kotua climbed into a Robo-Blade.

----

After three hours, Zero finally managed to reach the ruins of Dino Attack HQ. "Finally..." said Zero.  "Now I can fix the Sonic Screamer! Hmmm, I hope there is something here that I can use to contact the others..." Then, he started to work on the Urban Avenger, using materials salvaged from the wreckage.

Zero did not find any Sonic Screamer to replace the old one. "Well," he said, "I have two options: Stay here and wait for the others, or go look for them... Well, I'm staying here!"

"Argh," groaned Zero, "this is so BORING! That's it! I'll go look for the others and try to find out what's with these mutant dinos!" Zero hopped into his weaponless Urban Avenger, but before driving off, he realized: "Oh, wait... Without something to protect me, I'll be dino food! I think I can build a net launcher or something like that."

----

Four ShadowTech jets flew towards the Beam Shield-less craft, and activated their missiles...

Kotua flew out, and spotted four jets flying towards the Voltage. Immediately Kotua activated his Beam Shield, his Beam Rifle, and flew towards the jets, firing. The jets avoided the blasts, and fired at the Voltage.

Kotua easily took down the fourth and third crafts before they could fire, simply by blasting the fourth craft. Kotua started firing at the rest, but then stopped.

Fifty black T-1 Typhoons flew in, and started firing at the Voltage. Two more jets flew towards Kotua, and started firing at him.

"This is their plan?" muttered Kotua, firing at them.

----

Rex noticed something strange. Green. He drove over to a building. Green moss and plants were growing on it. But the strange thing was that these species of moss and plants were not present-day flora.

They were prehistoric plants.

Rex felt there was something else going on other than the destructive Mutant Dinos...

Rex found these prehistoric plants growing on other buildings as well. "Strange... strange indeed," he said. Carefully, he took a sample of each plant and put them into jars. "Dino Attack Team would like to know about this," he muttered, "but first I must deal with Kotua."

Rex determined that the Voltage was under attack by ShadowTech and no longer had its Beam Shield active, which could provide the distraction he needed. Therefore, Rex began driving around the city in search of the Pallas Athena, but he could not find it.

Rex glanced at one building that was half covered in prehistoric plants. It was, like the other buildings with the plants, no longer on fire. It almost looked like a natural rock cliff with plants growing on its side. "Something's definitely not right..."

----

Databoard studied the room, no longer as enraged as he was a few minutes ago. "What do we do now?" Dromus whispered. A security bot flew by, and the two pretended not to be planning another escape.

"Once the stun gas wears off, we make as silent an escape as possible," Databoard said once the bot was gone. "I managed to grab a laser cutter before they dragged me into the cell."

He managed to get the laser cutter out of his pocket. After they were untied, Databoard began making a hole in the wall. It took a while to make a hole, but they soon escaped. Once in the open hangar, Databoard fired a grappling hook to a nearby building. The two agents then snuck off the ship while everyone was distracted.

----

Rex drove quicker. The faster he could stop Kotua, the faster he could learn what in the world was going on and causing these prehistoric plants. Probably had some connection to the Mutant Dinos.

Suddenly, two lasers fired at him. Rex turned around to see a pack of Mutant T-Rexes. And he heard the voice again.

"There he is! The killer! Kill him! He'll pay for killing that other T-Rex!"

"I have no idea who you are," Rex muttered, "but you're not going to kill me with your Mutant T-Rexes!"

"You will die, Kotua!" the voice said. The Mutant T-Rexes walked closer to his Iron Predator.

"Kotua?" repeated Rex. "I'm not Kotua!"

"Nice try, but I know you're Kotua!"

Rex drove as fast as he could away from the Mutant T-Rex Pack. "He's escaping!" the voice yelled. "After him!" They chased him, shooting lasers at him from their eyes. Rex, on the other hand, was feeling as if he was in a dense jungle, not a wrecked city.

Rex fired the Cryothermic Cannon behind him, hitting a building. The structure collapsed, blocking the road. It delayed the Mutant T-Rex Pack... for three seconds! They jumped over the debris and continued chasing Rex.

Then, Rex began throwing his latest invention. These were tiny spheres that stuck to the hide of each Mutant T-Rex. Then, they split open and enlarged into a cage, trapping the Mutant Dinos.

----

If Sereve was scared, he was determined not to show it.  He boldly stepped forward, standing between his fellow Dino Attack agents and the pack of Mutant Raptors.  "Landro!" he called.  "So, you've come to bargain?"

"I've come to take... take back what is rightfully mine!" shouted Landro.

"Right," said Sereve, "the jewel.  Which, as you know, I totally have.  But I'm not going to just hand it over to you."

"And why not?" asked Landro, grinning savagely.  The Mutant Raptors surrounding him took a step forward, eager to tear apart the Dino Attack agents.

"See, that's not a fair deal," explained Sereve.  "I give you the crystal, you get what you want, and then you kill us all.  It's pretty one-sided... doesn't exactly sound appealing to me.  So, how about this?  You send away your raptors, let my friends go safely, and we can settle this one on one.  Man to man... err, mutant monster thing."

Landro was silent for a moment, weighing his options.  Then, he raised his head and, like a wolf howling at the moon, let out a bestial roar.  The Mutant Raptors departed from the base, leaving their master behind.  "Now, you… you do the same," growled Landro.

"You heard him," Sereve told the other Dino Attack agents.  "Go."

"Are you mad, son?" said Tech.  "You can't take on that big mean mother-Znapper by yourself!"

"Don't worry," whispered Sereve.  "I've got this.  I'm ready."  With that, the Dino Attack agents safely exited the hideout.

Now, it was just Sereve and Landro, staring each other down.  "The crystal of Crux..." hissed Landro.  "Give it... give it to me!"

Sereve smiled as he took several steps back.  With open arms, he beckoned to the mutant hybrid and said: "Come and get it!"

Landro sneered and started moving towards the lone Dino Attack agent.  As Sereve expected, Landro's eyes were on him, not where he was walking.  He stepped right into the trap: when Sereve pushed a button on a handheld remote, four tall posts positioned around Landro activated, generating an electric fence keeping him in.  "What... h-how...?" the mutant stammered.

"Just a little something that Tech cooked up," replied Sereve.  "I knew you couldn't resist the bait if you thought I had the jewel, and you won't get away so easily this time.  Now that I've got you where I want you, it's time that you start answering some questions.  Who are you really, who do you work for, where did the Mutant Dinos come from, and what's so important about this crystal?"

Landro's face twisted into a hideous scowl.  He charged forward, straight through the electric fence.  He was shocked with high voltage and let out an agonizing scream, but it did not stop the angry mutant as he broke through the barrier.  The blood drained from Sereve's head as he saw his trap fail, leaving him with nothing to stop Landro.

Landro grabbed Sereve by the neck and lifted him high into the air.  "You never… never even had the crystal, did you?" he said furiously as his eye twitched maniacally.  "Then you... are useless to me!"

Sereve gritted his teeth.  "Go to MegaBlokland, you 4+ Figure!" he hissed, preferring to die with dignity.

Sereve's final thoughts were for Bailey.  He hoped that his dog would be kept safe in Antarctica.  Then, Landro snapped his neck and dropped his lifeless body to the floor.

"Sereve, no!"

Landro turned around just in time to see a pair of blinding headlights.  A Fire Hammer drove into the outpost and slammed into him, sending the mutant flying across the garage.  The jeep came to a stop, and Rev Raptor jumped out of the driver's seat.  He ran to Sereve's side, only to see that he was too late to save him.

"What did you do?" he screamed at Landro, who was already back on his feet.

"Without the crystal," proclaimed Landro, "you have no hope... no hope of stopping the Mutant Dinos!  The architect of darkness is coming!  Chaos and destruction will reign across the planet... like a storm of malevolence!  You all... will die!" 

Landro ran at Rev with murderous intent in his maddened eyes.  With the unnatural speed of a Mutant Raptor, he was too quick for the Dino Attack agent to react.  He slashed with his claws, tearing through Rev's flesh like a knife.

Rev lay incapacitated on the floor, clutching his chest in pain.  He was rapidly losing a lot of blood, and he knew that the end was near.  He looked up at Landro, who had just killed Sereve and sealed Rev's fate, and knew there was no hope of redeeming Jecht Raptor.  "You've gone too far... Father..."

Landro froze at that last word.  Whatever was left of Jecht, deep beneath the mutant monster, had heard him.  He stared at Rev as though seeing him for the first time.  "Rev..." he murmured.

Rev's breathing grew ragged.  "And that's why... I have to stop you."  He pulled out a pistol and fired.  Even lying on the ground while bleeding out, his aim was true.

Landro collapsed to the floor beside him.  He locked eyes with Rev and, with his final breaths, whispered: "My son... You were... destined... to follow my footsteps.  It is... in your blood..."  Then, he lay still and said no more.

As Rev's consciousness started to slip away, he watched as the pool of blood from Landro's body mixed with his own.  In my blood… he thought.  He remembered his nightmare, where he was mutated like Landro and was gleefully killing Dino Attack agents, and he wondered if there was more to it than just a dream.  He remembered Landro's earlier suggestion that he might already be a mutant.  If my father was the king of the Mutant Dinos, was I meant to be the prince?  Was that my destiny?  No!  I can't...

Rev was only dimly aware when another Fire Hammer arrived at the hideout.  Kai, Joey, and Snake of Spades rushed to his side.  "Rev!" cried out Kai.  "No, we're too late!"

"He's still alive," reported Joey.  "Somebody call a medic; we might still have enough time to save him!"

Weakly, Rev shook his head.  "No, it's okay..." he whispered, lacking the strength to speak any louder.  He was sure that this was the only way to end Landro's legacy.  "It's over now... You have... to let me... go..."

Kai, Joey, and Snake traded glances.  "Are... are you sure?" Snake asked, and Rev nodded in response.

"We'll stay with you," promised Kai, "until the end."

A solemn silence fell over the group as they respected Rev's final wish.

----

Rookie agent Anubis was drafted into Dino Attack Team by the conscription due to the team suffering heavy losses against Mutant Dinos, as well as other threats such as ShadowTech. While traveling to his first mission via boat, Anubis was caught in a fierce storm and fell overboard, with a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs flying in for the kill.

Miraculously, Anubis survived through unknown means. Anubis insisted that he was rescued by the spirit of Rev Raptor; although there was little evidence to support this claim, reports have confirmed that this event took place immediately after Rev's death.

----

One ShadowTech jet locked on and fired, but before the missile could leave the jet, it was struck by Kotua. The second jet continued firing at Kotua, avoiding blasts. This one was not going to risk his life like the other one.

Kotua continued firing at the jet, but it evaded Kotua easily. Kotua finally fired, and the blast took the left wing of the craft. "Take that!" said Kotua, firing at the right wing.

Kotua flew away from the flaming jet, and noticed two T-1 Typhoons. I bet this is Data's 'friendly help', thought Kotua. He fired at one, hitting the pilot of one of the vehicles...

As the first T-1 Typhoon flew down, the second one fired at Kotua. The Robo-Blade's Beam Shield blocked the attacks. Kotua fired back, taking down one of the side guns.

Kotua flew under the copter, and shot down the gunner, and the tail of the copter. The Voltage suddenly regained its Beam Shield, frying the Pteranodons pecking the craft.

Kotua flew back into the Voltage. There, Kotua walked back to the cells. To his surprise, both agents were gone!

"They'll pay!" said Kotua, walking back to the command deck...

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 6: Ground Zero

----

Now, with the Mutant T-Rexes - and the mysterious voice - out of his way, Rex continued driving through the deserted city.

The Voltage flew over Rex, who didn't realize it...

Kotua watched the robots work, when one approached. <Sir, should we fire upon the vehicle below?> asked the bot.

"Yes... " said Kotua.

Suddenly a blast impacted the road in front of Rex. Rex stopped the Iron Predator before it fell down the crater.

"Great," Rex muttered, "the one time the Voltage appears, I don't want it to!" Rex drove around the crater, but every time he got past one, the Voltage blasted another. Rex just had very good reflexes. And his Iron Predator had good brakes.

Kotua watched Rex avoid the blasts. "Use the other turrets too!" said Kotua. The other turrets aimed, and fired.

Rex looked up, and stepped on the pedal as behind him dozens of blasts hit. "Doesn't he ever run out of energy?" said Rex.

"Chased by the Voltage, Rex?" a voice said on Rex's radio. PBB!

"Yes!" Rex answered.

"Let's see how well it defends itself against two vehicles!" Suddenly, the Pallas Athena appeared. PBB's plan was obviously to distract Kotua.

The Voltage ignored PBB's airship and continued firing at Rex. Fifty missiles flew out towards Rex, and the blasts were big enough to destroy the Iron Predator on one hit.

While the Voltage and Robo-Blades were impervious to damage, the missiles weren't. Cannons came out of the Pallas Athena's sides and blasted at the missiles, shooting them out of the sky. Pretty soon, they were all destroyed. Kotua wasn't happy about this.

The turrets switched to rapid fire blasts, destroying the back of Rex's Iron Predator. Rex got out and ran as the blasts consumed the vehicle.

"I'm going to kill Kotua..." muttered Rex. The Pallas Athena sent down a grappling hook. Rex grabbed it, and was pulled up. Then, PBB's airship disappeared in a blue warping vortex.

"I must say, I love that warp drive!" said PBB, laughing. Indeed, it had saved them from being blasted by the Voltage.

----

Databoard and Dromus arrived at Alpha Team HQ. Databoard quickly rushed off to plan a battle strategy. There was no way he could take on all of Kotua's forces. He would need a few more agents, which would increase the chances of someone coming to the rescue of any captured agents. He then realized Kotua still had Rex's PDA, and could be monitoring the system for messages. He would have to find some other way of informing other agents.

Databoard began pondering how to inform anyone about the attack he was planning. Most of the agents weren't around, and those that were here were no doubt afraid of the one who did what the Mutant Dinosaurs hadn't: cause major damage to HQ. Besides, there was still the matter of getting aboard the Voltage...

Databoard was now working on the equipment for his mission. At the moment he was making a bulletproof vest-like piece of armor, coated with rubber to prevent attacks form shock sticks. He also had a more portable gas mask for combating the riot bots. He also built a more portable version of a beam shield disruptor to fight beam shielded bots. The only way he could be protected more was with a beam shield, which he didn't need.

----

"There it is!" another voice yelled. "The Voltage! Kotua's vehicle! Let's destroy it before it destroys us!"

Kotua didn't hear this, but he noticed the Voltage surrounded by the lightning-shooting Mutant Pterosaurs, force-fielded Mutant Raptors, and laser-firing Mutant T-Rexes. The T-Rexes and Pterosaurs would be somewhat easy to defeat, Kotua thought, but not the force-fielded Mutant Raptors.

"Jump!" said Kotua. The Voltage quickly charged and flew off, to stop on an ocean, far from the dinos.

"This is not good, not good at all..." said Kotua.

The Voltage flew back towards the city, ready to take down the dinos. Along the way, some Pteranodons tried to take on the Voltage, but the turrets blasts sent them into the water.

Unbeknownst to the Dino Attack agents, satellites began moving, targeting agents and dinos in the city...

Kotua saw the outline of the city. "If they attack, this time we won't retreat into the ocean... we'll activate the nuclear engines to take them down too..." said Kotua.

The Voltage flew over the city, and soon Mutant Dinos ran after it, Mutant T-Rexes fired their laser eyes, and Mutant Pteranodons tried to attack the craft.

"Fire!" shouted Kotua.

The turrets aimed, and fired at the Mutant Dinos. The Pteranodons soon fell, but the T-Rexes were going to take longer to defeat.

Kotua looked at the display screen on his chair. The Beam Shield was now weaker from the blasts.

"Phase!" shouted Kotua, and the Deck Bots got to it. The craft phased, and the blasts went through, without harming the craft. The turrets continued firing at the Mutant T-Rexes.

The Voltage un-phased, and continued firing at the T-Rexes. By now most were down, hit by the blasts. More Dinos ran towards the Voltage, but the craft easily destroyed them.

Kotua watched as even more Mutant Dinosaurs approached. T-Rexes fired their eye lasers, while Pteranodons fired lightning bolts.

"Destroy them all!" shouted Kotua.

The front compartment opened, and fired, destroying the Pteranodons on the front of the Voltage.

*****

Zero could make a net launcher out of some things he found at the HQ. "Well, this will do... I hope!" Then, he jumped into his Urban Avenger and drove into the city.

While Zero was driving around, he saw T-Rexes firing lasers at the craft he saw earlier. "What now? I don't know if I help or run..." he wondered.

"Well," decided Zero, "if he's so easily destroying dinos, then he's probably in no need of any help. I'm running away!" Then Zero ran away, hoping to find someone.

----

"I'm no mechanic," Rex said, "but I know that my Iron Predator's beyond repair."

"Affirmative," PBB said. "There's nothing left except ashes."

"I see," Rex said with a sigh.

Rex and PBB captured many Mutant Dinos at Castle Cove, along with a few dragons. "I would like to know where the dragons came from," Rex said.

"In western culture, dragons originated from medieval mythology and folklore, so it makes sense that they would be found here," PBB answered.

"Somewhat," Rex added.

"So, you told me your oldest, faintest memory was of scientists crowded around something, saying 'it thinks it's completely human!'" PBB said. "What were they looking at?"

Rex laughed. "That memory... I'm not really sure if it's real. I don't remember what they were talking about. Maybe we were doing experiments with lab mice, and they got too smart! It still cracks me up thinking of all the things it could be!"

----

Snake of Spades saw Voltage fly slowly over them. With Kotua's attention focused on the Mutant Dinos attacking the craft, he fortunately had not noticed the Dino Attack agents yet. Then he remembered: he had a grappling hook on his belt. "Kai, Joey, let's hitch a ride," said Snake.

Kai shook his head.  "I don't think that will work," he said.  "The Voltage is flying too high; we'll never reach it from here."

"Dang it," muttered Snake.  "I would've liked to surprise Kotua with a barrage of Sonic Screamers.  Of course, he'd probably retaliate by sending Security Bots after us… but hey, it's the thought that counts."

----

Rex found it hard to concentrate on his work. Too many questions filled his mind. Why was Kotua still evil? Who was the voice? Why did it think that he was Kotua? What was the prehistoric plants doing all over the city?

The prehistoric plants! He had nearly forgotten about them. Rex pulled the container out of his pocket, and walked towards PBB. "PBB, can you examine this?" he asked.

"I'll try," PBB answered. "These are prehistoric plants, you know. Even Adventurers Dino Island and Adventurers' Island don't have prehistoric plants like this. How intriguing that you would find them growing in LEGO City."

"Yes, that's why I'm asking you to analyze them," Rex answered, a little annoyed that PBB was explaining the obvious. "I was wondering if you could figure out where it came from."

"I'll see," PBB said.  He studied the plants while the airship returned to LEGO City.

Later, PBB came back to Rex with the results. "I found nothing on these plants," he reported. "However, my databanks are lacking sufficient data on the flora of Dinosaur Island."

----

The Beam Shield was now at a low capacity. "I guess this is the end..." muttered Kotua.

The craft continued firing, but most Dinos were moving too fast or were too strong to be defeated...

The Voltage started shaking as the blasts hit it.

"Ready the engines!" said Kotua.

Immediately, maintenance bots put detonating devices on the engines, ready to cause the explosion at Kotua's command.

The Voltage was now lower, as most thrusters had been destroyed. The turrets fired, but the dinos avoided the blasts, and some were resistant. Kotua walked to the engine room. He noticed bots moving about, preparing for impact… or an explosion...

*****

Databoard saw the Voltage coming lower to the ground off in the distance. "What?" Databoard muttered. He grabbed his equipment and rushed down to his Fire Hammer, not even bothering with the fact the windshield was still broken. He drove off slowly, to avoid being noticed by the bots aboard.

The craft stopped from falling down as it hit several buildings. Databoard noticed this, and knew that soon the buildings would collapse.

Databoard kept a good distance away, not wanting to be around when those buildings went down. He was puzzled greatly by this move: why would Kotua go lower, when he was protected at the height? He continued to watch, deciding it would be best to figure out what Kotua was doing before he leapt into a fight.

Databoard then noticed most of the side thrusters, which kept the Voltage airborne, were damaged. Databoard's eyes widened as the Voltage began to fall. The Fire Hammer shot into reverse, as Databoard would rather not get to close when it impacted. The Vehicle shot backwards down the deserted road, trying to get as far away from the Voltage. Databoard accelerated his vehicle, as Kotua's ship got farther and farther away...

*****

Rex looked out the window. He caught sight of the form of the Voltage slowly lowering to the ground. "Kotua's up to something," he muttered, "or the Voltage has somehow been defeated. But if Dino Attack Team could not defeat the Voltage..."

"Then it may have been Mutant Dinos," PBB suggested.

"See what I mean?" Rex said, grinning. "The Mutant Dinos did turn out to be helpful in the end! Although these ones probably aren't my tamed dinos..."

*****

Kotua arrived at the engine room, and noticed the bots had already set up everything.

"If we don't impact soon, then we'll have to do this," muttered Kotua.

The buildings fell as glass shattered, and the Voltage fell, slowed only by the few working thrusters...

<Sir, an airship is flying closer. It meets specifications.> said one of the bots.

"Good, PBB won't escape this time..." said Kotua, lifting a case... with a red button.

<Looks suspenseful, no?> said one of the bots.

"I SAID DON'T PAINT THE BUTTON!" shouted Kotua.

The robot frowned, and flew off.

*****

"We'll have to move closer - just a bit - to see what has happened with the Voltage," Rex said. "If it was defeated, then it would be damaged. And Mutant Dinos everywhere. Pleasant."

"Try not to get too close to the Mutant Dinos," PBB warned. "Even though they helped defeat the Voltage, they're still not friendly."

The Pallas Athena flew closer to the form of the falling Voltage. Sure enough, the closer they got, the more the Voltage appeared to be damaged, with scorch marks indicating lightning blasts from Mutant Pterosaurs and laser vision from Mutant T-Rexes. "Looks like Kotua got what he deserved!" declared Rex.

The turrets on the Voltage aimed at PBB's airship and the retreating Databoard. The turrets glowed, and fired green blasts. PBB was surprised when the green blasts hit the Pallas Athena, slowly melting the impacted spots.

Databoard sped up, trying to outrace the blasts. All around him there were explosions, destroying parts of nearby buildings. Databoard was pushing the vehicle to its limits to avoid the blasts. He kept racing backwards as blasts barely missed the Fire Hammer, sending smoke and rubble everywhere.

*****

"Begin the operations!" shouted Kotua.

The Voltage was flying few feet above the city, Beam Shield out.

Kotua flipped a few switches. "It's time," he said.

----

Agent Radia was walking outside Alpha Team HQ, when various blasts hit the HQ, destroying its communications equipment.

Radia was surprised, and unfortunately didn't notice the second batch of blasts....

More military satellites fired, taking down communications towers and equipment across the world.

----

Cane noticed the Voltage flying close to the ground from a black T-1 Typhoon.

"I can't believe he's risking losing the craft," muttered Cane.

*****

Databoard had been so busy avoiding blasts he hadn't noticed an unfinished on ramp directly behind him. His vehicle shot off the ramp, and into the air. The Fire Hammer crashed into a nearby building, leaving a hole in the wall. Moments later, blasts hit the building, bringing it to the ground...

At the demolished building, all was silent for a long time. Then, a hand burst out of the rock, followed by the rest of Databoard. He dragged himself out of the rubble and hid in the shadows. He had been injured very badly when the building collapsed, and he was lucky to have survived. Databoard slowly got to his feet, but the unbearable pain forced him back down.

Databoard glanced at the Voltage. They hadn't noticed he was still alive, giving him a chance to escape. He would have to get back to HQ, despite not having a vehicle and the fact he had been hurt in the crash. This could be hard... Databoard thought.

*****

"This is not good," PBB muttered, "not good at all. Our communications are down, and parts of my airship have melted. It seems Kotua wasn't defeated after all."

"We have to get away," Rex said. "Even if Kotua was defeated, the Voltage would make an explosion or something on impact to the ground. We have to get out of here!"

As a former Evil OGEL Empire airship that was captured and rebranded by Alpha Team, the Pallas Athena was very easy to see flying through LEGO City. Which was why it attracted the eyes of many Mutant Dinos. Mutant Pterosaurs began blasting lightning at the engine, while Mutant T-Rexes shot at the sides with laser eyes. But, when Rex activated the Warp mechanism, the Mutant Dinos accidentally shot each other instead. Then got mad at each other. Then started violently fighting one another. Then... well, you get the picture.

----

While Zero was driving around, he started to think. Hmmm... maybe these Mutant Dinos have different breeds and variants found throughout the globe... But where I can find different mutants to study? Well, there is this island called Enchanted Island, and I've heard that there haven't been many missions there yet... I'll go there for research!

On the boat to Enchanted Island, Zero moaned: "Ohhh... I'm getting seasick..."

The moment he reached shore, Zero cried, "AHHHH! LAND!" He was REALLY seasick, and he was about to lose his lunch. "Alright... now where I can find some Mutant Dinos? I'll start in the jungle."

After finding multiple species of Mutant Dinos, Zero finally got lost. "Well..." he said to himself, "I got Mutant Dino DNA. Now, I have to get back to HQ. I just need to find the boat... I'm sure I'll find it soon!  I just need to walk along the beach."

Three hours later, Zero was still walking along the Enchanted Island coastline and was no closer to finding his boat.  He moaned, "Ohhhh... I'm thirsty... and hungry... I could really use a SANDwich..." Then, he saw something. A large statue, and rising smoke...

Zero discovered that the statue was built by the Indigo Islanders, the natives of Enchanted Island.  There appeared to be the remains of a camp, though it was abandoned.  He was not sure if the Islander had simply moved on, or worse.  Still, what was important was that there was still good food at the camp.

After finding the camp and food, Zero also found the boat. "Ohhhh... I'm getting seasick again..." he moaned.

----

"This thing's going to need to be repaired," Rex said, "before we end up crashing."

"I know," PBB answered. "What about your Iron Predator?"

"I'm probably going to build a new, custom version of it," Rex said. "Instead of the Cryothermic Cannon, it shall have a huge cage attached to it, big enough to carry a Mutant T-Rex.  It will suit my needs a lot more."

Rex was throwing nets at a few Mutant Dinos that were on Ogel's Island. PBB kept grumbling, "Why did we have to come to Ogel's Island?"

"It's got a large humid swampy jungle," Rex answered, "the perfect place to catch a few Mutant Dinos!"

"What I mean is: of all the places we could have gone, why did you have to pick the island base of my mortal enemy?" clarified PBB.

Rex grinned sheepishly.  "Oh, right, you're from Alpha Team. Well, if there's one good thing about the Dino Attack, the Mutant Dinos most likely destroyed Ogel's base!"

"I guess that is true," PBB conceded.

"Once we defeat the Mutant Dinos," speculated Rex, "this place will be refined into a great vacation resort! And no more Ogel!"

PBB raised an eyebrow skeptically. "This place, a vacation resort? Really?"

----

Kotua pressed the button.

*****

Databoard was arriving at HQ, when an explosion rocked the whole city. Databoard looked back, and noticed mushroom cloud.

"This is bad, very bad" said Databoard.

Shadow also noticed it. "We have to evacuate quickly..." he said, running to call the rest of the agents on the city, before he remembered: the comm tower was destroyed.

Databoard got into a nearby Fire Hammer and glanced at the cloud. "Kotua, you madman..." Databoard muttered to no one in particular. "This is your solution? Cause mass destruction and hope it takes care of your enemies? That's not the solution to anything." He then drove off in his Fire Hammer.

Databoard drove along the city, and could see the smoke clearing. The whole area was demolished from the explosion. And there was rubble everywhere. Kotua would have destroyed any Mutant Dinosaurs in the area, but also anything else in that area as well. Great solution, Kotua... Databoard thought.

Databoard didn't notice the probe, which silently followed him...

*****

"Did you hear that?" Rex asked.

"Hear what?" PBB said.

"That noise?"

"What noise?"

"Didn't you hear a faint boom?"

PBB shook his head.  "No, I didn't."

"Grr..." Chompy growled.

PBB glanced at his saurian partner.  "Chompy heard it too," he explained.  With a smile, he added: "He usually is not this agreeable.  I'm assuming you two get along very well together."

Rex shrugged as Chompy grunted.  "Well, most of the time he runs off on his own."

Rex hoped that it was the Voltage that exploded, but that hope lasted only for a second. What if there were prisoners aboard? What if there were Dino Attack agents nearby? They would've died. "This isn't good, not good at all," Rex muttered.

*****

Kotua watched the explosion from Ogel's abandoned space base.

"Without towers, they can't inform the rest, but most probably saw the explosion..." muttered Kotua.

He turned to look at the whole crew of the Voltage buzzing around, fixing the station, adding teal paint, adding weaponry...

Kotua watched as every agent drove off. "Oh well, at least the dinos won't be around the city for a while," muttered Kotua, when he saw the remains of the dinos around the Voltage.

"We should try it again someday," he said to the cookbot next to him...

*****

Rex, by now, had caught five Mutant Pterosaurs and eleven Mutant Lizards during the return trip to LEGO City. But he could still not take his mind off worrying about the Dino Attack agents - and Mutant Dinos - that were near the explosion. Did most of them survive? Or did more die?

"Well, with the communication down," Rex said, "we can't call every Dino Attack agent and find out if they're all right."

"I know," PBB said. "One good thing led to a bad thing. The Voltage being defeated was the good thing, but the fact that we are ignorant on what happened and who survived is the bad thing. The whole LEGO City population of Mutant Dinos and Dino Attack agents could've been wiped out!"

"And our evidence of prehistoric plants has been destroyed," Rex added.

PBB activated the Pallas Athena's cloaking device, then Rex flew the airship very quietly and slowly towards LEGO City. It was the only way to receive news on what happened, and he wanted to rush in as quickly as possible. But he didn't want to attract Kotua, so he only went very slowly and quietly.

At first, Rex and his friends did not notice much of a difference. Then, they began noticing smog. Then buildings that were getting shorter the further they went. Then, burnt Mutant Dino carcasses were everywhere. Finally, they found the ashes that were once the Voltage. But, no sign of dead Dino Attack agents.

"Looks can be deceiving, you know," warned PBB. "We might not see any, but there might be a dead agent, or potentially injured agents who are still alive and in need of rescuing.  We need to do a more thorough scan."

Rex, PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot (who somehow made it aboard) scanned the city for any sign of alive, injured, or dead agents. So far, they only found Databoard to be alive, according to the scanners. But the scan wasn't complete when a laser was shot at the airship. Rex turned around to see Mutant T-Rexes.

*****

Databoard turned on his PDA. He couldn't make long range communications, but he could find out if anyone was still alive in his area. He began typing out a message:

IS ANYBODY ALIVE OUT THERE?
AGENT DATABORD

After transmitting the message, Databoard put the PDA away, doubting he'd get any response.

Suddenly Databoard's PDA beeped. He got it. Someone had responded, but not what he expected.

YOU MAY HAVE ESCAPED THIS TIME, DATA, BUT NEXT TIME I WON'T BE AS NICE TOWARDS YOU
KOTUA

Databoard frowned, and was going to put it away when it beeped again. There was no message, but a spot on a map, indicating somebody was nearby. Somebody probably buried under the rubble...

----

The new Voltage arrived at the International Space Station. Construction bots opened the airlock and entered, followed by Security Bots and Kotua. The bodies of the astronauts floated there. In all the chaos of the dino attack, earth had forgotten them. They obviously ran out of food, which explained one missing astronaut.

"And Rex says the Dinos are good. They caused this. They deserve to be extinct again. I will make sure that happens," Kotua said.

He floated to the dock, and noticed a shuttle. "That will greatly help us fight back against the dinos, and their allies," said Kotua, opening the airlock, and floating into the shuttle. Everything seemed intact, but that was the inside.

He floated back out the shuttle. "Check the shuttle. If it is missing anything, fix it. Oh, and arm it with at least five blasters," said Kotua.

----

Then, as its crew scrambled to respond to the Mutant T-Rex attack, the Pallas Athena was filled with chaos and panic - and lots of noise.

"Let's get out of here!"

"GRR!"

"Where did it come from?!?"

CRASH!

"Bep!"

"OW!"

"Someone get to the controls!"

"Grr..."

Chompy ran to the controls. Having claws instead of fingers, it wasn't easy for the T-Rex trying to steer the airship.

Rex threw his remaining "cage spheres" at the Mutant T-Rexes to capture them. But, when there were three T-Rexes left, Rex ran out of cage spheres. Chompy, trying his best, flew the airship away from the Mutant T-Rexes, but they were close behind.

The Mutant T-Rexes chasing the airship were roaring loudly. Somehow, over all that noise, Rex could hear that mysterious voice again: "You'll never escape us! Earth is ours, and forever shall be ours!"

This was the first time Rex heard the voice in the presence of someone else he could talk to, so he whispered to PBB, "Do you hear him?"

"Who?" PBB asked.

"A voice," replied Rex.

"Rex? What voice?"

"Didn't you hear it? Someone was shouting rather loudly just now."

PBB shook his head, and he seemed very worried.  "Rex, I didn't hear any voice. But, I must warn you. Hearing voices is not a good sign."

Rex threw everything he could at the Mutant T-Rexes. Including papers, chairs, a model elephant, spoons, forks, dishes, a clock, and a strange orb that was white, blue, and red in color. Nothing did anything except the strange orb, which froze one Mutant T-Rex in place within a block of ice.

PBB stared at the frozen Mutant T-Rex. "Where did you get that Ice Orb?" he asked Rex, speaking in a low voice that sounded surprisingly intimidating coming from the robot.

"I found it back here in the supplies," Rex answered. "That was an Ice Orb?"

"They are very dangerous," PBB said. "If you had missed, then the results could have been catastrophic."

"Well, we need to stop those two remaining Mutant T-Rexes," Rex said. "With or without any Ice Orbs."

Cannons came out of the airship's sides. They blasted at the pavement directly in front of the Mutant T-Rexes; they could have easily shot the T-Rexes themselves, but PBB respected Rex's wishes to keep them alive. The mutants tripped and fell, giving the Pallas Athena enough time to escape. "That solves that problem," Rex said.

----

After the ride, Zero drove to the city just to find everything more destroyed than before. "Wow, looks like a huge explosion..." he murmured to himself.

Zero stopped at a Dino Attack Outpost. "Alright," he said, "I'll leave the dino DNA samples here. If that really was an explosion, then someone might be injured." And he sped toward the city, once again.

*****

Databoard drove up to where his scanners indicated someone was. He got out, but kept a laser ready, not wanting to fall into a trap. He looked around for the person, ready to grab his laser at a moment's notice. "Hello?" Databoard said. "Anybody out there?" He doubted he get any answer, given the person was most likely buried.

Databoard began looking around for any place where anybody could be buried. He heard somebody moaning in pain, and walked slowly to where he heard it. A building, an apartment. Databoard began lifting the rubble he could, hoping he could rescue the person.

Databoard glanced at the laser, just to make sure he still had it. He then continued moving rubble, but it was taking a long time. He tried to move a large chunk of rock but it would not budge. Reluctantly, as Databoard did not want to risk harm upon whoever was in there, he took out the laser and destroyed the rock. The building shook, and it might collapse soon. Databoard pushed away more debris, trying to work as fast as possible.

All of a sudden, a Mutant Lizard leapt through the window at Databoard. He aimed the gun at it and fired, but the Lizard avoided it with ease. It leapt at Databoard knocking the weapon from his hand. He kicked the Mutant Lizard with all his strength, knocking it off him. He then grabbed the laser and aimed at the lizard, but missed again.

Before Databoard could fire again, the Mutant Lizard knocked him to the ground. His laser landed just out of reach, but Databoard was more concerned about holding back the Lizard's jaws. He kicked the Lizard, tripping it and freeing himself. He grabbed the laser and aimed again. The Lizard leapt at him, but he managed to fire as it did. He hadn't been able to him the creature directly, only enough to stun it. After seeing that it hadn't sustained major injuries, he sealed the creature off with pieces of rubble. It would hopefully hold it off until he rescued the trapped person.

Databoard returned to the pile of rubble, working fast to clear away the rubble. All of a sudden, what was left of the building began to collapse. He rushed out a door as more rubble came down, making it harder to get to the person. Databoard groaned, then began clearing through the debris.

Databoard continued to move the rubble of the building. "Are you still alive down there?" he shouted. Databoard could hear someone moaning beneath the rubble, so he took that as a 'yes.' Databoard blasted a slab of rock that he could not move, and continued to search through the debris.

Databoard continued to move the rubble away. He then looked around to see if anyone else was around to help him, but aside from the occasional injured dino, there was no one. He had doubted anyone would be in the area, though, as this whole section of the city was flattened, and most of the agents had left after the explosion. Databoard turned his attention back to the rubble, and continued moving it away.

Databoard slowly lifted another chunk of rock and moved it aside. He had cleared about a foot or two of rubble, but he still had a while to go. He began to push another rock away. It would take forever to clear rocks like this, and he would have to find a faster way. Unfortunately, he could not do anything else without risking injury to the trapped person.

----

Zero was driving around the town, when he saw another craft: the Pallas Athena. "Wow, another ship..." murmured Zero.  "Maybe the guys in there are good, because these T-Rexes over here just fainted..." Then he started to call the airship...

*****

Rex looked for other Dino Attack agents. He hoped that he could find someone other than Kotua. If nothing else, he was so relieved that the Voltage was finally destroyed.

"The scanner is still looking for more surviving agents," PBB said.

"Well, if Data is the only agent still alive, I'd be concerned," Rex said. "Sure, Data's great, but how can just two people hope to defend themselves and the entire world against a whole army of Mutant Dinos? That's why we need a team."

Then, Rex spotted movement on the ground. "Hey, look!" he said, pointing below. "Agent Zero!"

"You said that just before the scanner picked him up!" PBB remarked, and then he laughed.

"Does he need a ride?" wondered Rex.

"We'll see!" promised PBB.

The scanner kept going, and after a while, it picked up Kai, who was headed in PBB's direction.

PBB assessed the damage caused by the Voltage and Mutant Dinos.  "Unfortunately, my airship is too damaged to offer transport to other Dino Attack agents," he reported. "I cannot risk more deaths aboard this airship should it get destroyed. Therefore, Rex, I'm going to have to let you-"

"You're kicking me out of the airship?!?" Rex said. "You're crazy!"

PBB smiled.  "Not too crazy, but I have a plan-"

"Throw me out and get me killed by Kotua. Great plan," muttered Rex.

PBB sighed, then he walked over to a button and pushed it.

*****

Alpha Team agent Crunch shivered as he patrolled Antarctica. Thank goodness that Mutant Dinos didn't come here, he thought to himself. Then, I'd have to deal with both dinosaurs and freezing cold.

Suddenly, the snow in front of him erupted. Crunch just barely dodged the flying rocks and snow. He gasped at what was in front of him: it was a giant silver mechanical scorpion.

The giant scorpion shifted into flight mode and then flew out of Antarctica. Crunch was bewildered. Was this Ogel's doing? Or something else?

Crunch walked back to Alpha Team HQ, when he heard a whirring sound.

"Don't move," said a voice behind him.

Crunch turned around, taking out his laser pistol.  He saw a robot dressed in the likeness of agent Frozeen, which he recognized as one of the robotic duplicates of Alpha Team agents that were created by the villainous Dr. Voltage during Mission Deep Freeze.  He thought they were all decommissioned, and yet…

"Warned you," said Robo-Frozeen, raising his gun...

----

Databoard was exhausted, but he had no time to take a break. He slowly moved another rock, but it was rather tiring. He still had much rock to clear, and he didn't know how much oxygen whoever was down there had left. He gradually moved another rock away, stopped to catch his breath, and returned to shifting through the rubble.

After clearing about five feet of rubble, Databoard was very exhausted. There were still about three-or-so feet left, and that could take more time. Databoard pulled out a laser cutter and made a small shaft into the rubble so that whoever was down there could breathe. After spending a few minutes catching his own breath, he returned to clearing rubble.

Databoard pulled aside another chunk of rubble. He was almost to the person, as the moaning was getting louder. He managed to shove away another chunk of rock. He moved chunk after chunk of the debris, getting closer by the minute. He lifted the last chunk of rubble to find a cop.

Databoard put down the piece of rubble, pulled off the rest of debris, and dragged the cop to the Fire Hammer.

"More... inside..." muttered the cop, who was badly wounded.

Databoard looked back at the building. He doubted anybody else survived....

----

Kotua floated back to the new Voltage. Construction bots took the Space Station's solar panels, along with other tools and equipment. Other construction bots studied the shuttle so they could make another.

Kotua floated on the Voltage, and noticed construction bots struggling with a door. Apparently, the door was marked with the emblem of the Evil OGEL Empire. Kotua walked to the door and punched it open. The door broke off its hinges.

"You bots are getting rusty," he said, before entering the room.

Kotua looked around the room. He noticed something.

----

The silver scorpion mech landed next to the Pallas Athena. Rex looked out the window. "What in the world?" he asked.

"That, my friend, is the Silver Scorpion," PBB explained. "It once belonged to Ogel and General Evil, but Frozeen and I have stolen it from them. It is practically indestructible. There was only one weapon powerful enough to penetrate its armor, the Valesk Cannon, and that was destroyed by Kotua two years ago during Alpha Team's last mission. Now, without any weaknesses, the Silver Scorpion is indestructible. Even the Voltage can't destroy it. So, use it, and be safe."

Rex hopped into the Silver Scorpion's cockpit. This vehicle would have to do, at least until he repaired his Iron Predator. But now, he needed to get used to the controls…

A Mutant Raptor turned around. It caught a glimpse of the Silver Scorpion crawling down the street. Growling, the Mutant Raptor followed it. Suddenly, the tail of the scorpion mech swooped down, knocking over the Mutant Raptor.

"That was cool!" said Rex, laughing.

*****

Zero watched the Silver Scorpion with interest. "Wow," he remarked, "that silver scorpion thing is cool! But that airship looks too damaged... Hmmm, I got a pen and a cardboard here..." Then, Zero wrote on the cardboard in large letters:

YOU CAN USE MY URBAN AVENGER'S PIECES TO FIX YOUR SHIP? AGENT ZERO

Zero realized that, even writing in big letters, getting the cardboard visible to the Pallas Athena was going to be hard. He tried to think of another way to communicate with PBB.

Zero tossed aside the cardboard and thought about what PBB could see.  "I think I remember seeing a spare PDA at the ruined headquarters... I'll go get it!"

----

Flex ran out of Alpha Team HQ as an angry Charge chased him. "I won't do it again!" said Flex, before tripping over something. Flex quickly got up.

Charge noticed what Flex had tripped over. He walked to it, and pulled it out of the snow. It was Crunch, tied up. Apparently, somebody had stolen his gear.

Soon, Alpha Team agents – Dash Justice, Flex, the still-angry Charge, and Crunch – walked through what they guessed to be Robo-Frozeen's path, and found a Tundra Tracker missing tires, cockpit glass, drill, and the computer equipment. Plus, it seemed somebody re-painted it with a spray can.

"Wonder who did this," said Dash.

"Ogel?" said Charge.

"Dr. Voltage?" said Flex.

"Some sort of robot..." said Crunch.

----

Kotua watched the first Evil Orb go down towards the Earth. "Soon those Dinos will wish they hadn't messed with me..." muttered Kotua.

Kotua watched Earth through a window. "I wonder if we can make part of the old Voltage fly again," said Kotua.

Kotua floated into the new Command Deck. "How's it going?" asked Kotua.

"Everything is going according to schedule, sir," said the bot.

Kotua noticed some construction bots testing the beam shields and other equipment.

----

Robo-Frozeen ran back to Dr. Voltage's base. There, the other Robo-Agents lay. Kotua had awakened Robo-Frozeen, and he knew what Kotua wanted. Robo-Frozeen, of course, also had some fun doing his job.

The Robo-Agents ran to Dr. Voltage's vehicle room, which had many different vehicles. The Robo-Agents dismantled most of Dr. Voltage's vehicles, and they sent the metal into space to Kotua.

The last vehicle left on the hangar was a hovercraft big enough for the Robo-Agents to ride. The Robo-Agents climbed in and flew towards another part of Dr. Voltage's lair, which had spare metal.

"Oops," said Robo-Frozeen.

"We'll send it now," muttered Robo-Subzero.

----

Inside the remains of the old Voltage, Guardian finished re-assembling himself. He floated out the craft, and used a small antenna to search for anybody nearby. He received coordinates, and flew to the location, which was very close.

----

PBB looked at Chompy. He could tell that the T-Rex was worried. "It's okay," PBB assured Chompy. "Rex seems to be doing fine. And remember, nothing can destroy the Silver Scorpion, so he's safe. Okay?"

Chompy nodded.

----

Databoard doubted anyone else was in there, but he couldn't just leave. He rushed over and began moving more rubble, dragging debris away. But it was taking too long, and he didn't know how far buried they were. He would need help, and he would need to get it fast.

Databoard rushed back to the Fire Hammer and searched for anything he could use to request assistance. His PDA, without the communications tower, didn't have a wide enough range. He soon found something that might get someone's attention: a flare gun. He aimed the flare gun and fired into the air. Hopefully, an agent that in the area would see and come to investigate...

*****

At the HQ, Zero quickly found the PDA. "Here! Now, I'll try to contact someone..."

The first person Zero tried to contact was Rex.

REX? ARE YOU THERE?
-AGENT ZERO

When he sent the message, he saw a flare. "Well, I'd better check it out!"

*****

Databoard continued digging. As he progressed deeper into the rubble, he found another person. It was another man, but this one had no heartbeat. Databoard placed the body near the Fire Hammer, and continued digging.

Guardian turned at a corner.

Databoard heard a sound, like fans rotating. He quickly grabbed his laser and turned around.

Guardian activated his Beam Shield when it noticed Databoard aiming at it.

"Back off!" said Databoard. Guardian did not respond.

Databoard aimed the laser. "I said BACK!" Databoard shouted. He knew such a weapon would have no effect on the Guardian, but it was better than nothing. The Guardian knew that fact as well, and looked unconcerned at the laser aimed at him.

"Keep away, Guardian," Databoard said, began backing back towards the rubble, but with no change of expression. He had no way of fighting this metal monstrosity, but he wasn't about to back down. He considered explaining he was in the middle of a rescue mission, but he doubted the Guardian would care. He didn't know if Guardians could feel compassion, so explaining would be rather pointless.

Guardian hovered there, and after a few minutes hovered away, seeking something. Databoard just stood surprised, and then continued searching for others.

Normally, Databoard would wonder why the Guardian would just leave, but he had bigger problems at the moment. He moved more rubble, trying to find anyone else buried under the debris.

Databoard continued to move rubble away. He had cleared away much of the debris, so any trapped people would have to be nearby. He pulled a chunk of rock away, getting closer to any trapped people with every rock he moved. He pushed another rock out of the way and returned to digging through the rubble...

----

The Robo-Agents flew over the ocean at high speeds. Since they were robots, they flew faster than any human could go....

----

Viper looked around while driving the Iron Predator. Specs also looked around, gun ready. They had evacuated most agents and people, but they had no idea where some agents were. Suddenly a small craft flew over them, and hovered away....

----

Databoard had slowly cleared away much of the rubble, with only little debris left. He moved chunk after chunk of rubble, slowly moving it outside the ruins of the building. He tried to drag a large chunk of rock, but it was too large. Rushing to the Fire Hammer, he grabbed a laser cutter and reduced the chunk into smaller debris, which would be easier to remove.

Databoard was dragging the debris when he heard someone walking towards him. "Miss me?" said a voice. Databoard looked up to see Robo-Databoard standing there.

"What do you want?" asked Databoard.

"For you to be dead," said Robo-Databoard, aiming his blaster.

"Why can't I get at least a day without somebody trying to kill me?" muttered Databoard, raising his blaster.

Robo-Databoard looked at the debris. "What happened, you drove into the building?" asked Robo-Databoard.

"As a matter of fact, this building collapsed when Kotua blew up everything in this entire area," Databoard replied coldly. "And if you don't mind, I'm in the middle of a rescue mission."

"What, to rescue more Dino Attack agents?" Robo-Databoard replied. Databoard didn't answer, as he didn't know who was buried under there.

Robo-Databoard was about to destroy the real one when a Mutant Raptor leapt at them. Robo-Databoard began firing at it, but the blasts were deflected by its force field. Databoard hid behind a rock so the Raptor wouldn't notice him. Robo-Databoard continued to try and shoot the Mutant Raptor, while Databoard quickly began digging through the rubble.

----

LEGO Island was a mess. The island had once been Voltage's home, before they were driven out by the Mutant Dinos. But now he stood in the remains of the Pizzeria, awaiting orders to attack the dinos running loose on the streets.

"Lieutenant Volant, do you copy?" said the voice through his radio, the static growing louder.

"I hear ya' loud and clear, Commander," Voltage muttered.

"Commence attack on dinos."

"Roger that" he replied, stuffing the radio back in his jacket pocket.

Crouching behind the sign that read 'Pizzeria', he dodged through the rubble, occasionally checking his GPS unit. The dinos were close. Possibly too close. He was now somewhere near the Information Center. The dinos were by the wall adjacent from him. He drew out two pistols. Cautiously, he leapt out from the wall and shot the three Mutant Lizards. They slumped against the glass and slid down. These were tranquilizer darts, so they were only stunned.

"AAAaaaaaahahahhhahh!!!"

"What the heck was that?!" yelled Voltage, startled. In the distance he could make out a Mutant Lizard inching toward something on the ground. Voltage sprinted to the spot and shot the dino with a tranquillizer dart.

"Dude, my pizzas were ineffective!" said the person on the ground.

"Pepper?!" exclaimed Voltage.

"Yeah, I sorta need to get to Antarctica, dude," said Pepper Roni.

"We'll get you there. I'll call a chopper," He pulled his radio back out. "Commander, Pepper Roni is here on LEGO Island we need to get him back to Antarcticaaaa!"

They were knocked backwards by the powerful foot of a giant Mutant T-Rex.

Voltage dove for his laser rifle. Pepper scrambled out of the way as Voltage shot multiple blasts at the massive dino. One of them hit its eye. Blinded, it swayed for a moment and fell, heading right towards Voltage, Pepper, and the Fire Hammer. They both scrambled in the car.

"Drive, dude, drive!!!" yelled Pepper as they sped away. There was a huge crash as the dino fell through two solid layers of concrete.

"My work is finished here," Voltage said to Pepper. "You can either stay here or come with me to Antarctica. I have a job to do with the Alpha Team..."

"Go to Antarctica, dude," said Pepper.

"We're just a few miles from a heliport," said Voltage.

----

No answer from Rex. Zero decided, "I'm going to call him later... What's that?" From afar, he could see the communications tower was destroyed. "Well, that's why I didn't get any answer..."

A while after, he reached the place where Databoard was and saw a robot firing at a Mutant Raptor. He also saw Databoard digging.

Databoard saw agent Zero rushing over. "What's going on?" Zero said. Robo-Databoard managed to get away from the Raptor and started firing, forcing the two agents to duck out of the way. The Mutant Raptor leapt at Robo-Databoard, forcing him to stop firing.

"No time to explain," Databoard said, tossing the laser rifle to Zero. "Just try and keep him from getting too close."

Robo-Subzero arrived at the scene. Programmed with the ability to shoot blasts of ice and cold from his hands, he froze the raptor solid and then walked towards Databoard.

"You can't hide forever..." he said.

Databoard grabbed the laser rifle back from Zero. "There's an injured cop in my Fire Hammer," Databoard said. "Get him as far away from here as possible."

Zero nodded and rushed off. Databoard then stepped into the open, laser in hand. The two robots moved in on Databoard, but he kept the laser rifle ready.

The other Robo-Agents appeared behind Robo-Databoard and Robo-Subzero.

"Give up!" shouted Robo-Subzero. Databoard fired, and Robo-Diamond fell to the ground, as his main components were hit. Databoard realized these did not have Beam shields

"Go away or you'll suffer the same fate!" said Databoard.

The Robo-Agents ran away.

"That was too easy," muttered Zero, who was carrying the cop.

"Yeah... too easy," muttered Databoard, returning to the rescue. Then he stopped. "There should be a Res-Q HQ nearby right?"

"One of the few surviving buildings," said Zero.

"Bring their equipment!" said Databoard, returning to digging...

Zero was driving around, trying to find the Res-Q HQ. "Well, it should be around here... There!" For Zero's surprise, the building was almost intact! "...Weird. Ah! The equipment..." He loaded them into the Urban Avenger and rushed to meet Databoard.

Zero soon returned with equipment from the Res-Q HQ. Databoard took a jackhammer and began drilling through rubble. He was very careful as he did, as he didn't want to risk drilling into anyone trapped in the rubble. He made fast work of the rocks in his path, and quickly moved the remaining debris out of the ruined building.

Zero returned from a second trip to Res-Q HQ, with a portable generator, medicine, medical equipment, and some lights, as night was beginning.

Databoard and Zero cleared away much of the rubble in the building. Lights had been set up around the area, and the cop was lying on a medical bed Zero had brought in. Databoard stopped looking through the debris to check their progress. Most of the rubble had been cleared away at one end, but there was more to clear on the other side. He then returned to digging.

Two Mutant Lizards watched the two agents digging.

More Food!....

----

Kotua noticed more metal come in. "Great," said Kotua, turning to look for a construction bot.

Kotua looked at the space station, floating in space, mostly now in pieces as Kotua had ordered to take it apart. The Voltage was now space-equipped. He looked back at Earth.

"I wonder if I really used every part of the engine...." muttered Kotua.

----

Voltage and Pepper arrived at Antarctica shortly after. Pepper trudged off to find Luna Rom and Snap Lockitt. Alpha Team HQ was closer than he thought. The towering walls of the frozen base seemed to camouflage with the snow.

Voltage drew out a badge from his jacket pocket. He held it up to the ID scanner. "Agent Voltage, 22, Dino Attack Squad," Voltage said. He used to be an Alpha Team agent during Mission Deep Freeze, so the computer would automatically remember him in.

"Enter," it replied in its mechanical voice. A door slid open in the wall. Voltage ran inside.

Dash Justice was waiting in the doorway. They almost collided.

Dash got right to the point. "We're going to send you off to Dinosaur Island with one of our agents and one of your fellow agents."

"Great! Uh, who?" asked Voltage.

"Axel is a new agent. And you know Databoard?"

Voltage nodded. "We've met before."

"You three will go tomorrow at noon," reported Dash.

"Well, bye then!"

----

Snake of Spades saw the Silver Scorpion. He turned on his walkie-talkie. "Rex, I've got a chaos call coming from Enchanted Island. I think a... T-REX!!!" screamed Snake.

Rex continued his path. He heard the mysterious voice again. "What's that? It's an intruder! Destroy it!"

"Let him try," muttered Rex. "If not even the Voltage can destroy this, then Mutant Dinos can't. I think now I'll be able to catch Mutant Dinos better than ever now!"

Rex continued patrolling LEGO City, looking for Dino Attack agents and Mutant Dinos. In the meantime, he looked at all the controls in the Silver Scorpion: Homing Missiles, Scanner, Auto-Drive, Tail Controls, Claw Controls, Drilling Rockets, Ice Cannons, and others.

Rex noticed some movement down on Cherry Road. The Silver Scorpion marched down the street. He came to a huge pile of rubble and debris. According to the vehicle's scanners, something was buried inside. Using the Silver Scorpion's claws, Rex removed the rubble to reveal...

Lord Sam Sinister von Barron, Evil Ogel, Lord Vladek, and the Brickster! Four of the world's most notorious LEGO villains, all huddled up and cowering together. Rex had no idea what they were doing in LEGO City, but they must have been trapped in the debris resulting from the Voltage's explosion. Rex considered covering them with rubble again, but before he could do so, a Mutant T-Rex leapt over the Silver Scorpion and walked towards the scared villains.

Part of Rex wanted to just leave and let the villains get eaten. But then, another part of him thought: You want the Mutant Dinos to live. You think this because you know that dinos, mutant or not, have lives too. So why are you just going to leave these villains behind? They have lives, too. Perhaps you can strike a deal with them... save their lives, they won't cause any more villainy...

Rex didn't save the villains; their henchmen did. A giant airship flew above them. It was black and red in color and decorated with an enormous skull on the front, clearly the emblem of the Evil OGEL Empire. A grappling hook, operated by Ogel Drones and Shadow Knights, was sent down to grab their masters, while Brickster-Bots and Sam Sinister's henchmen manned the airship. Soon, the villains escaped.

Rex muttered, "Well, at least that means I don't have to save them..."

"Psst," a voice whispered. Rex turned around to find... Trouble?

----

One of the Mutant Lizards leapt at Databoard, who barely got out of the way. He flung the jackhammer at it, but its jaws made quick work of it. Databoard reached for his laser, only to have the Lizard leap at him, knocking the weapon from his hand. He got out from under the beast, and rushed over to the rubble. He grabbed one of the smaller chunks of rock hurled it at the Mutant Lizard, which simply avoided it.

While Databoard and Zero dealt with that Lizard, the other sneaked up, and sniffed around where the agents were digging.

Food...

Databoard grabbed his laser and began firing at the Mutant Lizard, which dodged the blasts. Databoard then ducked out of the way as it leapt at him, and he fired at it again. It avoided them again, and then attacked Zero, who ducked out of the way and began throwing pieces of rubble at it, but ending up only making it mad.

Both Mutant lizards jumped at the agents. Databoard fired as one was in the air, catching it by surprise. Zero tried to do the same thing, but only angered the other lizard. Databoard ran at it and fired at it. It looked up and jumped at Databoard, but Zero fired at it.

"Whew, that was close. And something: never throw rocks at Mutant Lizards..." said Zero.

"Well," said Databoard, "if the Mutant Lizard was looking for food, then there's really someone down there."

"You're right. Let's keep digging."

Both agents continued removing the rubble for a while until Databoard noticed another person, a woman, also trapped. Databoard moved closer. She was unconscious.

Databoard dug out the unconscious woman and put her on a medical bed. He then returned to searching through the rubble for anyone else. He continued to clear away the debris and rocks, trying to see if there was anyone else still alive.

"Hey Data," said Zero, while they were digging. "Maybe now you can tell me what's going on here? I thought only Mutant Dinos were attacking the city, but I saw two huge airships flying around."

"Well, there's a certain agent Kotua," Databoard said, "who went a little a little nuts and is trying to kill us all. One of those ships is his, called the Voltage. The other is the Pallas Athena, which belongs to someone known as PBB, AKA Purple Brickster-Bot. I know both of them from when I was in Alpha Team." Databoard then returned to digging.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 7: The Monsters Within

----

"Trouble?" Rex exclaimed. "How did you get out of your cage?  And… are you... talking?"

Trouble shook his head as the voice spoke again. "No, of course not! But, I have told Trouble to lead you to me. Will you follow him?" Rex couldn't see where the voice was coming from, but at least he could sense that it wasn't just in his head like those other voices he had been hearing.

"Who are you?" Rex asked.

"You'll know soon, for my identity isn't important now, Rex. Just follow Trouble."

Called by a whistle, Trouble began walking away. Rex, trusting his Mutant Lizard, followed him. They went together, walking through the labyrinth of ruin. Finally, Trouble stopped in a dark alleyway. It was too narrow for the Silver Scorpion, so Rex had to climb out of the safety of his vehicle and investigate on foot.

Rex looked up, trying to see who the voice belonged to. He could just barely see a figure drop down from a rooftop, landing in the darkness ahead of him.  He appeared to be wearing a long black hooded cloak, which masked his appearance even further; Rex could not make out any of his features. "This is a safe place where we can talk," said the shadowed figure, speaking in a low voice. "You may call me… the phantom."

Rex did not trust someone he could not see. "Show yourself!" he ordered.

The phantom did not reveal himself. "It is important that I remain hidden. These are dangerous times. If I did show myself, then I would never be able to tell you what I want - no, NEED - to tell you."

"What is it?" Rex asked.

"One of your Dino Attack agents is actually a sleeper agent working for the ones responsible for the Dino Attack."

"Kotua…" Rex immediately thought aloud.

"Perhaps not. You see, this infiltrator is… a Mutant Dino."

Rex blinked in surprise. "What? A Dino Attack agent is a Mutant Dino…? How is that possible?"

"I'll tell you."

----

Vex looked around.  Enchanted Island looked far more different than it used to be.  He wished his old friends and everyone else had not forgotten him when they left.  But then, he snapped out of it and remembered his mission: find three Mutant Raptors.  That was going to be hard.  Then he saw them and started up his Fire Hammer....

----

Databoard was finished digging; they had scanned the area at least twice. He was now headed to base. When he arrived, he was informed of his mission to Dinosaur Island. Voltage greeted Databoard and they set off.

Databoard groaned at the thought of going to Dinosaur Island. After seeing the condition of Adventurers' Island, in which the two types of dinosaurs were at war, he wasn't eager to go to an island where the Mutant Dinos had taken over. He would also rather be trying to find out what was wrong with that madman Kotua.

They soon arrived at Dinosaur Island, which made Adventurers' Island look like a very nice place to be. The island was under Mutant Dino rule, which was never a good thing. "Not a pretty sight, huh?" said Voltage. It was true, none of them really wanted to come here. Voltage could see the dinos coming, fast.

"Hey Axel," called Databoard. "What expert are you?"

"I'm a weapons expert!" Axel responded cheerfully.

"He'll come in handy," Databoard and Voltage muttered to each other.

About 30 Mutant Lizards leapt from behind nearby bushes and rocks, and they quickly surrounded Axel, Voltage, and Databoard. Axel readied a laser, but Databoard motioned for him to lower it. "If we attack, they'll all attack at once," Databoard said.

Axel looked at him with a puzzled look. "And what do you propose we do?" he asked.

Databoard quickly studied his surroundings, trying to come up with a plan. The Mutant Lizards moved closer. Axel pulled out a laser rifle. Instead of aiming at the Lizards, he aimed at a large tree nearby. It collapsed, causing several Lizards to scatter. Axel rushed down the path he created, followed closely by Databoard and Voltage, with the Mutant Lizards close behind.

Databoard looked behind him. The Mutant Lizards were still behind them, jaws ready to tear them to bits. He ran faster, not wanting to see those jaws up close. One leapt at him, but he ducked out of the way and pushed it into a nearby ditch. He then rushed away before it could get up.

Several Mutant Raptors leapt out in front of Databoard. Axel, not the most experienced with Mutant Dinos, fired at it. The blast was simply deflected by its force field. "This can't get much worse," Axel muttered.

More Lizards appeared, surrounding the agents. "Do you want to take back your statement?" Databoard muttered.

----

Kai and Joey went back to Antarctica, discussing on what they could use to solve the dinosaur problem.

"Hmm... Many dinosaurs got killed by a meteor which hit the planet, but it's purely impossible to control a giant rock to smash the dinos. More importantly, our lives are at stake," said Kai.

"Well, maybe a second Ice Age can do..." said Joey.

At this point, Kai had a brainwave. "That's it! Freeze them! We still have our original Alpha Team Scorpion Orb Launcher, don't we?"

"Okay, but how do we get it out of Antarctica?" asked Joey.

"There's the problem," said Kai.

----

Nearly everyone had evacuated the city, making it the perfect place for Kotua to return. A few Mutant Pteranodons tried attacking the craft, but the Voltage's double Beam Shields blocked the attack. Kotua had learned of people trapped by rubble from the probe. He pressed a button on his Command Deck chair. Immediately, the ship began a scan of the city.

The Voltage flew to the location with the most people. Construction Bots got rescue equipment, and hovered down, followed by Security Bots. Soon, the Construction Bots drilled holes and started getting people out of the rubble. Not everyone made it. The few that did were taken to the Voltage.

The Voltage flew over the city after rescuing people, and the construction bots took any material that could be useful to the craft (and not near a T-Rex).

Kotua noticed a train pass on the rails. That's odd, thought Kotua. The train continued on, passing into a tunnel...

----

"D'oh!" Snake of Spades thought aloud. Rex didn't get his message. Suddenly, a T-Rex, four Raptors, ten Mutant Lizards, and a Pteranodon appeared. Snake sent a message on his PDA:

HELP, I'M SURROUNDED BY EVERY TYPE OF DINO!
AGENT SNAKE

*****

After Databoard left, Zero sped off to find someone else that's alive.

Zero was driving around, when his PDA beeped. It was agent Snake of Spades. The PDA worked, so he couldn't be far. A bit later, he saw agent Snake, surrounded by LOTS of dinos. That's going to be hard... Zero thought.

Zero shot nets at the Mutant Lizards and Raptors, but the T-Rex were too strong and the Pterosaurs were flying too high. He drove to near Snake of Spades and shouted, "GET IN!!"

Snake hopped into the Urban Avenger and they sped away, Mutant Pterosaurs and T-Rex right behind.

Zero and Snake of Spades arrived at HQ. They left the people Zero and Databoard found earlier there, and Snake got another Urban Avenger. After that, they left. Zero went to search the city again, hoping to find PBB or other agents.

----

Kotua came out of the Voltage, and landed the small craft on a gas station. An Octan truck was parked there. Blood was on the door handle. Kotua walked towards it, blaster ready. He looked inside. The truck was empty. He turned, and looked around the pumps. One of the hoses was on the floor. Obviously, the Octan worker tried drowning the dino, but didn't succeed, then he tried running to the truck.

Kotua walked and looked around once more. Some damaged cars were on the street. Some parked, some on the road, crashed until their gas ran out. Kotua entered the convenience store. More blood splatter. Kotua looked at most products. Most food had spoiled, mainly the food on the shelves. The drinks had lasted somewhat longer, as the dinos didn't break the doors to the cold drinks. The cashier's body was on the floor, obviously bitten thousands of times.

"Anybody alive here?" asked Kotua.

Silence.

Kotua walked back out, and walked towards the store on the front of the station. He entered the store and noticed products on the floor, scattered. There were bodies of people, too. Kotua walked around the store, looking for any survivors. It seemed nobody survived. He noticed that the pet section had the water tanks broken and dark water on the floor, along with small pebbles. Kotua walked out the store.

"Dinos beat us to it," said Kotua into his commlink.

"You sure about it?" asked the person on the other commlink. She had lived on near the station and store, and had wanted to rescue anybody left. She, along with a few of the other survivors Kotua rescued, had begged Kotua to check the place.

Kotua noticed two Security Bots land. They started hovering towards Kotua, when the gas station exploded, engulfing the gas station and the two Security Bots. Kotua threw himself to the floor as pieces of the station, the Octan Truck, and the Security Bots went flying everywhere.

Kotua stayed on the ground for a few minutes. He heard some of the pieces that flew up into the air land nearby. Kotua got up and looked around. What was left of the gas station was now in flames. Kotua ran out into the street. He looked around, and noticed a fire station. Kotua ran towards it, when he stopped.

He heard a sound of a car. He looked around. Behind him, a car approached. Kotua noticed four people were in it, holding rifles. Kotua had the feeling they were going to be nothing but trouble.

One stuck his head out of the car. "Loser!" he yelled, taking out his rifle, sitting on the door, and aiming at Kotua.

The car picked up speed and the man fired at Kotua. Kotua quickly fired at the man, and jumped out of the car's way. The man dropped his rifle and fell out of the car. The other two looked at the dead man on the road, then at Kotua.

Kotua ran as the car tried to ram him. Kotua looked back, and his eyes widened as the second man took out a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher and loaded it. Kotua ran, knowing better than get into a building. He heard the RPG launcher fire, and ran to the left as the rocket flew over the road and kept going until it hit a black Urban Avenger.

Kotua fired at the two men trying to kill him, but the shot missed and hit a trash can nearby. Kotua ran again, but black vans appeared out of nowhere and stopped in front of Kotua. The other two men fired another RPG, blowing up one of the vans. Kotua used the distraction to run.

"Help!" said Kotua into his commlink. Static.

Kotua turned. One of the vans had radar dishes.

Darn! thought Kotua.

Soon, the ShadowTech agents knew where Kotua was hiding because of his call, and they walked towards him... just as the Voltage appeared. It began firing at the vans, destroying them. The other two men drove off, and Kotua ran towards the black van with dishes, and started firing at the dishes. Soon they fell, and Kotua called for Security Bots.

Security Bots landed and began blasting the ShadowTech agents. Kotua helped the Security Bots by deflating the van's tires. Kotua looked inside the van with dishes. Some computer equipment. Kotua fired at it all, until it was too useless to use. Kotua turned to exit the van, when the door closed on him! Kotua turned. The computers were fake. It was a trap!

These ShadowTech men get dumber by the day, thought Kotua. Immediately he raised his blaster and fired at the doors, making a hole where the lock should be. Kotua opened the doors, and kicked a man trying to shoot him. Kotua ran towards the security bots, firing at any ShadowTech agent that tried to get him.

Kotua ran as more ShadowTech men arrived, with plenty of weapons to kill them. Kotua noticed the small craft flying towards him. Kotua quickly jumped on to it, and got the controls. Kotua pressed a button, and it flew full speed towards the Voltage. The Security Bots flew behind Kotua, making sure the craft wasn't hit...

----

Databoard looked around the Mutant Dinosaurs that had surrounded them. "Axel, got any grenades?" Databoard asked. Axel quietly handed him three grenades. Databoard flung them randomly, not hitting any Dinos but causing confusion as he did. Databoard, Voltage, and Axel rushed past several panicked Mutant Lizards. Just when they thought they were safe, they heard a crashing noise, and a Mutant T-Rex rushed at them!

Databoard, Axel, and Voltage rushed off in separate directions to avoid the Mutant T-Rex's laser eye beams. Axel took out a laser and fired, but did no good. It charged at Axel, who leapt out of the way. It fired its eye beams again, hitting a cliff and sending rubble everywhere.

Databoard ducked as debris rained down. Axel had hidden under a rocky outcropping in the cliff, and Voltage was too far away to be hit by rubble. The T-Rex charged at him, and fired its eye beams again. Databoard leapt out of the way, and the spot where he just was reduced to a smoking crater.

Databoard dodged the T-Rex's eye beams by mere inches. Axel shot at the T-Rex again, distracting it from Databoard. As the T-Rex turned towards Axel, Databoard leapt at it. This turned out to be a mistake. With a swing of its tail, Databoard went flying in the other direction, crashing through a dead tree.

Databoard slowly got up, but he had obviously been hurt, either from when the tail hit, when hit slammed through the tree, or most likely both. The T-Rex continued walking towards where Axel was, who was firing at it desperately. Databoard was about to help, when he was surrounded by ten Mutant Lizards. One leapt at Databoard, who barely avoided becoming its lunch.

----

"When the Mutant Dinos first appeared," the phantom explained, "the ones who mutated them… unfortunately, I still don't know who they are… they had created 'prototype' Mutant Dinos based upon an old formula created by Evil Ogel. They were the first Dinos to get mutated, but the mutation wasn't exactly the same. The 'prototype' Mutant Lizard was highly adaptive, but it could not spit acid or breathe fire. The Mutant Raptor had only the heightened senses of smell and hearing, no force fields. The Mutant Pteranodon was quick, but didn't shoot lightning bolts. The Mutant T-Rex was extra strong, but lacked the laser eyes and furnace mouth."

Rex chuckled softly. "If only those were the Mutant Dinos we were fighting," he muttered. "This war would be much easier."

"After the mutation was changed so they would have powers, they tried to put the 'prototypes' to sleep. But one resisted. So, they found another use for the 'prototype.' They found out that the Dino Attack Team was forming, so they disguised the 'prototype' Mutant Dino as a person."

"I still don't get it," Rex wondered. "How on Earth could they do that? Even a Mutant Lizard can't fit into a disguise that looks - and is the same size - as other people!" Just thinking about that gave Rex cramps.

"The people who created the Mutant Dinos are clever," the phantom replied. "Clearly insane, but also clever. They developed a serum that could shrink down a dinosaur, and an organic minifigure suit that looks indistinguishable from a real person. Their plan was that the 'prototype' would join the Dino Attack Team, and then… when they trusted it the most… it would rip out of the disguise and kill them before they would find out the secret of the Mutant Dinos."

"That's horrible!" Rex exclaimed. "We better find this agent before he - or she - puts the plan into action!"

"But something went wrong, Rex..." the phantom continued. "They planned to alter the 'prototype's' brain slightly so that it would act and talk like a normal person. However, they altered too much. The 'prototype' completely forgot that it was a Mutant Dino and what its mission was. It completely thought that it was human."

Rex gasped. Could it be? His faintest memory of the scientists suddenly didn't seem funny anymore. "Oh, no! Now it completely thinks it's human!" they had said. Rex had often laughed at this memory, thinking that it was hilarious because of all the random possibilities it could have meant. Yet now, the pieces of the puzzle fit a little too well.

Was he a villain? Was he helping them cause these mutations? Could he have been the one who came up with the plan? Rex prayed that "no" was the answer to all the questions...

"How did you learn this?" Rex inquired.  If there was any plausible deniability, any reason to doubt that he was implicated in this revelation, then he had to take it.

The phantom sighed in a way that sounded nostalgic. "I… used to be friends with someone who could understand the language of dinosaurs.  He taught me how to communicate with them.  These mutants speak a different language from their natural brethren, something I can only describe as more… chaotic.  But, the basic principles are the same, and I learned and adapted where my old friend could not."

"So, you can talk to the Mutant Dinos, like Keys can?" asked Rex.  "Could you teach me?"

The phantom chuckled. "After all your work with taming them, surely you must know a thing or two about communicating with them yourself."

Rex thought about that mysterious voice he kept hearing.  "Is it like… hearing a voice in your head that no one else can hear?"

"No… well, at least, it isn't for me.  Perhaps a mind that's fluent in the language would have the ability to understand their roars and growls just as easily as understanding English, to the point where the two languages are nearly indistinguishable, but I'm getting ahead of myself.  The point is that I communicated with the Mutant Dinos in an effort to learn where they came from, and while they never would give me a straight answer that I could understand, they would sometimes give me bits and pieces of information.  There were rumors of their early forefathers, including the one they called 'the mutant wearing man's skin'.  Not nearly enough to act upon… if it weren't for Landro."

Rex remembered reading the recent reports by Rev and Sereve about the hybrid they encountered.  He wondered if they had any success tracking him down.  "You met Landro?  What did he say?"

"He was babbling a lot," the phantom continued, "and a lot of it didn't make sense.  Ordinarily, I wouldn't take the ramblings of a madman at face value… but these aren't ordinary times, and there was just enough truth behind his madness.  He spoke of the same 'mutant wearing man's skin', and said that this man would walk among the Dino Attack Team until it was time to destroy them, among other things.  Piecing it all together with what I had learned from the mutants, it became clear to me what it all meant.  Do you understand, Rex?"

Rex felt a knot in his stomach.  He did not know much about the reliability of Landro and the Mutant Dinos, but if they corroborated the phantom's story… then it would be even harder to deny its truth.  Now, it was all too clear to Rex.

I'm one of the scientists who put this plan into action.  I worked alongside Landro.  I… was one of the villains.

----

Kotua soon arrived at the Voltage. The Voltage flew away from the site, and stopped far from it. Kotua flew down again. He looked around. He noticed a gas station, and then he noticed a train station. Kotua walked towards the latter. Inside, Kotua noticed one of the trains was slowly picking up speed. Kotua ran towards it, hoping to help the people in it.

The train took off, and Kotua stopped. He noticed two Security Bots behind, following him. "Hey, you!" said Kotua.

Kotua held on to the Security Bot as it flew after the train. Kotua, the Security Bots, and the train mysteriously disappeared from the Voltage's radars, which seemed odd for a craft which had unscrambled radars.

Kotua grabbed onto a handle of the train, and got on. Kotua kicked the door repeatedly, until he opened the door. Kotua looked inside. It was empty, just rows of chairs, and a restroom. Kotua walked towards the front of the train, wondering whether anyone was in front.

Kotua ran to another rail car. It was empty. The train had several cars, and it was going to take a long time to get through them all... unless…

Kotua ran on top of the cars. The Security Bots looked through the windows. After a while they were at the front. The engine was the only thing left. Kotua dropped to the engine, and walked to the door. He looked inside...

THUD!

----

Databoard pulled out a laser and fired at the Mutant Lizard, which avoided it and tried to attack him again. Databoard got out of the way, but the laser was sent flying into the crowd of Mutant Lizards. He ducked to avoid the Mutant Dinos' jaws again, and leapt over it as it tried to bite at its legs. He tried to kick the dinosaur, but another Lizard leapt at him, forcing him to duck out of the way.

Databoard leapt over another Mutant Lizard, and ducked to avoid another. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Voltage and Axel trying to fend off the Mutant T-Rex. More Mutant Lizards came towards Databoard, who tried to fight his way out of the attacking Lizards. He ducked as a Mutant Lizard leapt at him, which landed on another and knocking both to the ground.

Databoard avoided more Mutant Lizards, and managed to get away from the Lizards. They followed him as he rushed towards Voltage, who was headed towards the Mutant T-Rex. It turned around and fired its eye beams at Databoard. He ducked out of the way and the eye beams sent the several Mutant Lizards went flying into the air.

The Mutant Lizards now believed that the Mutant T-Rex had attacked them on purpose. They all began leaping at the T-Rex, who tried to ward them all off. More Lizards began coming and attacking the T-Rex. It was overwhelmed by sheer numbers, and it fled, pursued by the Lizards. Databoard snuck over to Voltage and Axel. They left the area before any Lizards came back.

----

Zero got his PDA and sent a message, hoping anyone was around. Nothing. "If I at least could fly around..." When Zero finished the phrase, he was surrounded by Mutant Lizards. "Oh great..."

Zero shot nets at some of the Mutant Lizards, but not all. One was left, and it hopped into the Urban Avenger and spat fire in the net launcher. It was gone... "OH GREAT!" snapped Zero.

Zero drove away, with the Mutant Lizard on his Urban Avenger. He suddenly stopped, and the Mutant Lizard fell off. Then, he sped again... driving over the Lizard. "I'm getting tired of these guys!" grumbled Zero. "I have to find a way of repelling them... Wait! That's it!"

Zero drove back to Res-Q HQ. "If this building is still intact," he said to himself, "then something inside must be repelling the Mutant Dinos!"

Inside, everything was deserted... but then Zero noticed some crates that were closed. "Let's see what's inside them... AAAAH! AAAAHHH!" screamed Zero. "WHAT... AN... AWFUL... SMELL!!! These are... rotten eggs? The smell should have scared the Mutant Dinos away... Well, no wonder! I'll just leave them here!" Zero got into his Urban Avenger again and drove away.

"I'm glad I left that place. The smell was horrible!" Zero was still driving around the city thinking... Hmmmmm... I wonder where these Mutant Dinos came from! They could be hybrids of some other creature, maybe even aliens. I will try to find the other agents, and tell them my theory.

----

With grim resolve, Rex clenched one hand into a fist.  No, he decided.  It doesn't matter who I was. Now, I'm a Dino Attack agent.  If I was one of the scientists who created the Dino Attack and planted this infiltrator among us, then I will find redemption by preventing this disguised mutant from ever accomplishing his evil mission.

"So," Rex asked, "who is this Dino Attack sleeper agent?  This 'mutant wearing man's skin'?"

The phantom paused before replying: "You should already know by now, Rex.  Don't you remember?  You were there."

"Enough with the riddles and mind-games!" demanded Rex.  "You're right; you've gotten me to realize that I'm involved in all of this, but I don't remember!  And while we're wasting our time here, they may be getting closer to completing their mission!  You clearly know more than I do, so tell me, now!"

"He's here," the phantom replied ominously.  "Right in front of me."

Rex spun around.  He instinctively balled his hands into fists, as though he was ready to punch the sleeper agent in the face.  However, he did not see anyone else in the alleyway, except for Trouble waiting loyally.  "Where?" he declared, quickly turning around to face the phantom once again.  "There's nobody there.  This isn't funny, phantom!"

"You weren't listening, were you?" the phantom replied.

Rex glanced over his shoulder, back at Trouble again.  "You mean Trouble?" he asked.  "Look, I've known Trouble for a while now; I'm pretty sure he's just an ordinary Mutant Lizard.  I mean, he has darkness powers, so he can't be one of the 'prototypes' you mentioned."

The phantom sighed.  "I never said behind you," he explained, "I said in front of me."

Although it was dark, Rex could tell that there was no one else standing by the phantom.  "You must be confused," said Rex.  "I know now that I must have been one of the scientists involved in the sleeper agent program, but-"

"I had tried to ease you into this revelation," muttered the phantom, "but you're clearly not getting it, are you?  Then I must show you."

The phantom approached Rex with surprising speed.  He reached out and grabbed Rex's right hand; either the phantom's own hand was robotic or it was armored with a gauntlet, but either way it was an iron grip.  Trouble screeched a warning, and Rex saw light glinting off a metal blade… just before the phantom sliced open Rex's palm!

Rex screamed in shock.  The phantom let go of his bleeding hand, and Rex clutched it against his chest.  Trouble bared his teeth and was poised to attack, but the phantom raised his own hand and commanded the Mutant Lizard to stay with a strong, firm voice.

"GAH!" Rex yelled.  "YOU MEGABLOKING 4+ FIGURE!  WHY DID YOU DO THAT?"

"I'm sorry," said the phantom, "but it's the only way to make you see.  How do you feel?"

"HOW DO YOU THINK I FEEL?" snapped Rex.  "YOU SLICED MY HAND OPEN!"

"But it doesn't hurt as much as it should, does it?" the phantom prodded.  "The nerves, the blood vessels, they all seem real enough, but that wound would be a lot more painful if it was real."

Rex breathed heavily as the phantom's words sunk in.  Now that the phantom pointed it out, he realized that the pain he experienced was muted, like a sound he heard while covering his ears.  It was more the shock and surprise of having his palm cut open than any real pain.  "Are… are you saying…?"

"Take a closer look at your hand."

Slowly, Rex looked down upon his right hand.  Yes, there was blood coming out of the wound, but not nearly as much as he expected to see.  In fact, now that he looked closer, he could see… something… beneath his skin, exposed by the cut on his palm.  It wasn't muscle, tendons, or even bone.  His eyes widened, and he felt a shiver down his spine.

Trouble watched with keen interest.  He looked to Rex and whined softly.

Rex couldn't help it… there was a morbid curiosity… an itch that needed to be scratched… now, he just had to know.  With his left hand, he pressed two fingers into the open wound.  He winced, but again the pain was not as strong as he expected.  Peeling back his Minifig skin ever so slightly, he could now see what was masked beneath.

A layer of tough, hard, black scales.

The black scales of a Mutant Dino.

----

The Voltage flew over the train tunnel. Over the tunnel was water.

"That's odd," said one of the survivors, looking at Kotua's last location.

*****

Kotua awoke, and looked around. It was dark. He heard the train engine. What in the world? he thought.

Suddenly the lights went on. It was night, and in front of him was Cane. "Missed me?" asked Cane.

Kotua looked at him. "What do you want from me?" asked Kotua.

"You didn't kill agent Rex. I'm disappointed in you," said Cane.

"You didn't, either," said Kotua.

The ShadowTech guards aimed their guns at Kotua. Cane waved his hand, and they lowered their weapons.

"Don't try to shame me, or else," said Cane.

Kotua jumped and punched Cane. The guards raised their guns, but Kotua grabbed Cane and used him as a shield. None of the guards wanted to fire at their boss, so Kotua stepped out of the train. The guards followed, and Kotua punched Cane and threw him over the train, and he screamed as he fell on the river. Kotua then threw himself as the guards fired at him.

Kotua landed in the water. He swam up to the surface, and was surprised to see the train turn. The water belonged to an underwater cave, with a base built into it. While he did not see a body, Kotua saw red rise from the location Cane landed.

"If you killed our boss, you're going to pay!" shouted one of the ShadowTech guards.

Kotua swam towards some rocks, and tried to climb to the base, but he heard something swim towards him... something... mutated.

Kotua continued swimming, but the thing was catching up to him. Kotua finally grabbed the rock, and climbed up. The guards rushed to get guns, and the mutated thing jumped out of the water. Kotua watched as the squid-like monster moved towards him.

The mutant creature grabbed Kotua with one of its tentacles and plunged back into the water. Kotua struggled until he finally broke free of its grip. He continued swimming, and reached the surface. He climbed up a ladder that was there probably for small craft, and activated his jetpack... but it didn't work!

----

Dromus looked up, seeing that the communication tower was destroyed. Well, whoopie! I am here, don't know how many agents besides me are alive, and plus, there are loads of dinos here! Which I can probably handle better than the Voltage though. She wondered idly if Kotua was dead. And what about any other agents? Where they near the Voltage and blown up as well?

Dromus, still worried about the other agents, started to see if she could find any in the wreckage.

----

"Okay, here's the plan," Voltage muttered. "Our mission is to find the non-mutated dinos and move them to a safe location."

Axel looked a little surprised. "Why do we want to do that?"

Databoard and Voltage stared back at Axel, dumfounded by his question. "Why do we want to do that? So no other dinos get mutated!" Voltage replied.

"A good place to put them would be Creator Isle, but first we have to get the Mutant Dinos out of there first," Databoard suggested.

"I can get some agents over there," Axel said.

"Great!" said Voltage. "Data, let's get a T-1 over here."

"I'm on it," Databoard replied.

Axel radioed some agents to secure the dinos on Creator Isle.

Databoard called for transport: "Databoard to base. We need a T-1 over here to get to Creator Isle."

"Roger that, Data. We'll send one over."

In minutes, a T-1 Typhoon landed at the nearest heliport - piloted by Snake of Spades and Hyrode, the weapons manned by Kai and Venom. Voltage, Databoard, and Axel hopped in the T-1 Typhoon and they flew off to Creator Isle.

The journey was short and calm. When they flew over Creator Isle, there was no sign of any mutant dinos.

They landed and saw a group of Alpha Team members coming towards them. "We've secured all the dinos," one of them said.

"Not all of them!" Voltage yelled as three Mutant T-Rexes appeared. "Run!!!"

----

"Oh, Ole Kirk," whispered Rex.  "No, no, no…!"  His whole world was turned upside down.  He felt as though he was about to faint.  As the blood drained from his head, he grew dizzy and fell backwards.

The phantom acted quickly, catching Rex before he hit the ground.  "On your feet, soldier," he said.

Rex stood back up.  "This is impossible!" he tried to tell himself. "I'm dreaming. I'm not a Mutant Dino. I'm..."  But he did not wake up, and the sliver of black scales visible through his open wound would not disappear.

"Discovering your true identity… it's rather like a splash of cold water, isn't it?" the phantom remarked.  "But I can see you're rather upset about it."

"Rather upset?" repeated Rex, raising his voice and shouting again.  "Why wouldn't I be upset?  I just discovered I'm a Mutant Dino!  One of the enemies in this war!  I'm the villain!"

Despite Rex's freakout, the phantom remained calm.  "I know.  When I learned who I really was… I was shocked, confused, scared.  But, it was something that I needed to know… so that I could choose who I would become.  I chose not to be the villain that I was destined to be… I chose to be the hero.

"And now," the phantom continued, "you know who you are, and now you can decide for yourself who you will become.  I would have told you sooner, but I needed to be absolutely sure it was you… I was not about to repeat the mistakes of agent Frozen."

----

Ammo climbed out of his Fire Hammer and examined the vehicle. What had caused it to stop? It seemed unharmed until... aha! He spotted some small holes in one of the front tires... wait, were those teeth marks?

WHAM

A small Mutant Dino slammed him to the ground. Dodging its attempt to take a bite out of his face, he managed to kick the creature off. He hoisted his Cosmotronic Ray off his back and sent a powerful blast at the dino, stunning it. After wrapping it carefully in a net, Ammo tossed the now-helpless creature into the trunk of his vehicle.

LEGO City was miles away. He sighed and sat down, waiting for help to arrive...

----

The submarine captain watched from a security camera as the torpedo hit the wall Kotua was climbing.

"Sir, Target has not been eliminated," said one of the soldiers.

"WHAT!?" roared the captain.

Then he noticed something fly out of the smoke. The captain reached for a radio.

"Target has not been eliminated, begin aerial pursuit..." said the captain.

*****

Kotua flew towards the ShadowTech base, when a missile flew past him.

You'd think they would actually hit me instead of missing and warning me, thought Kotua.

He flew lower, and turned at a building. The jet also turned, but there was no sight of Kotua, yet the radar indicated Kotua was nearby.

Suddenly, Kotua shot out from under the jet. "Your pilot skills need work!" shouted Kotua.

The pilot simply fired a missile. Kotua evaded it, and the missile struck a building. The jet followed Kotua, and readied the other missile. Suddenly two more jets joined the pursuit. Kotua flew into a glass building, and ran towards the other side of it. The two jets fired their two missiles, and the first pilot readied his missile.

Kotua reactivated his jetpack, and flew off the building as flames consumed the floor. The first pilot flew around the building, and targeted Kotua.

"You're doomed!" said the pilot, pressing the trigger. The missile launched, but it got stuck as its wires were glued to the jet. Kotua flew down again as the flaming pieces from the jet flew around him.

A black T-1 Typhoon flew from its hiding spot and stated firing at Kotua, who flew down and into a tunnel.

----

Databoard, Voltage, Axel, Snake of Spades, Hyrode, Kai, and Venom traveled to Ogel's Island to search for Ogel, following a false lead pointing to the infamous villain as the Dino Attack's source. There, they were surrounded by Ogel Drones, pointing spears and firearms at them. "This is a trap! Now, hand over your weapons!" the commanding Elite Skeleton Drone demanded.

"This isn't the end!" declared Voltage. "We will stop Ogel and his Mutant Dinos!"

The Ogel Drones traded glances, and their empty eye sockets seemed to widen in fear. "The Mutant Dinos are enemies of the Evil OGEL Empire," the Skeleton Drone said, "and our own tech isn't enough to stop them. Why else do you think we want your weapons?"

The Dino Attack agents escaped from the drones' trap. In the ensuing chaos, Hyrode was injured, Snake nearly fell off a cliff, and Databoard was separated from the rest of the team.

Databoard rushed across the ruined forest, careful not to be seen by any Mutant Dinos. He wasn't careful enough, though. Five Mutant Lizards spotted him, and chased after Databoard. He ran faster, and the Lizards sped up as well. He turned around a corner and hid in a ditch. The Lizards rushed by, not realizing Databoard was hiding. Databoard then got up and turned around - to find himself face to face with a Mutant Raptor.

Databoard turned and ran, but the Mutant Raptor could outrun him with ease. Databoard tried to lose the Raptor in a patch of dead trees, but it kept following him. Databoard looked for anything that could be used to distract the Raptor, he had nothing that would work. He jumped over a group of rocks, but that was not a roadblock for the Raptor.

Databoard tried to outrun the Raptor, but it was gaining on him. Databoard ducked under several trees that had toppled over, slowing down the Raptor. As the Raptor ripped the trees apart, Databoard rushed away, and the Raptor saw him doing so. Databoard ducked around a corner, and found himself at the river again. Holding his breath, he jumped in the river and hid. The Raptor looked around for Databoard, but didn't see him. Databoard had been hoping it would leave, but it kept looking for him. He didn't know how much longer he could hold his breath...

Databoard could hold his breath no longer, and the Raptor was still searching for him. He began to swim away, but then the Raptor noticed movement underwater. It leapt in after Databoard, who swam into deeper waters, where the Raptor could not reach him. Unable to hold his breath, Databoard surfaced. Then he realized he was headed for a waterfall.

Databoard went off the edge of the waterfall and into the air. His fall was stopped when he landed on something. Unfortunately, he had landed on a Mutant Pteranodon. This just gets better and better, doesn't it? Databoard thought as he clung on to the Mutant Pteranodon as it tried to knock him off.

The Mutant Pteranodon swooped low, doing all kinds of loops and dives trying to Databoard off it. He clung onto the Pteranodon as it swerved wildly. It began to speed up, trying to make it harder for Databoard to hang on. His grip slipped, and he went flying into the air. He then crashed into a dead tree and blacked out...

----

Kotua saw through his goggles (which he put on Night Vision), waiting for most of the ShadowTech agents to go to sleep. When he was sure, he sneaked towards the gate. Once in, Kotua walked through the base, until he reached the cafeteria. Kotua placed bombs on the vending machines (he also used the opportunity to steal some snacks and something to drink) and then walked to the quarters...

Kotua ran out of the quarters, and fired at two approaching guards. Kotua ducked as a missile flew over him. Kotua shot at the soldier that fired at him, and then Kotua ran off. Kotua kicked a door open and ran to the gates, when a blast flew over him, knocking him to the ground. Kotua got up, to see tanks and other vehicles move towards him. He noticed guards walking past the cafeteria.

A man in a grey suit looked at the destroyed building, and the dead soldiers around. Then he turned to face the person who did it: the chef.

Kotua laughed as he saw the chef being dragged by soldiers, who thought it was his fault.

Kotua walked back to the location where the Voltage was. Kotua swam into the craft, and flew out of there and back to Alpha Team HQ.

The Voltage arrived near Alpha Team Antarctic HQ, but Kotua decided to fly the craft somewhere else and hide it deep in the snow. No one knew where it was, and no one could find it, except Kotua...

----

Voltage lifted Snake of Spades up from the cliff.

"Are you... okay... what it that?!?!" Voltage asked, pointing to green goo on Snake's shirt.

"What... Ew, sick!!" Snake shouted as he ripped off his shirt and threw it to the ground. "Earlier, I was investigating an abandoned lab, and I found a sample of this weird serum in a test tube… I guess the tube must've broken when I went over the cliff."

Axel ran over to take a look at it. "That's disgusting!"

"Don't worry; it's probably only radioactive sludge," Kai said.

"Wait, what was that?"

But it was too late. Axel had already spread the goo all over his fingers to look at it. The sludge started crawling up his arm, as if it knew where to go. Axel's arm started morphing, slowly, steadily, into a claw. In seconds, it had spread to his leg and neck, scales erupting in those places.

"He's turning into a dino!!?!" Voltage yelled.

Axel screamed. It started out as a scream, then turned into a roar.

"We've got to get out of here!" Voltage yelled, starting up the Fire Hammer. Once again, the agents piled into the back.

"Yeowww!"

Someone had accidentally climbed onto Hyrode.

Voltage had completely forgotten about Hyrode. That was a dino's favorite: wounded prey.

They had to get out, and fast.

----

Zero decided to return to Enchanted Island for another mission.  He met an Indigo Islander named Kothu, who told Zero to follow him.

After reaching a village, Kothu showed Zero to King Kahuka. "Great King," explained Kothu, "I was walking around and found this person. He said he came here to fight the monsters! His name is Zero."

"Ah, yes… We saw the monsters' arrival on the stars, days before they came," said the tribal chief.

"Oh... but why have no Mutant Dinos reached this place?" asked Zero. "And why weren't you evacuated to Antarctica like the others?"

"Well, this village is the Great Refuge, a land where no evil can enter," said Kothu.

King Kahuka pointed to a large statue that overlooked the village.  "The Tiki Golem watches over us and protects us," he added.

"Well, I have some Mutant Dinos to catch, so I'll be going," said Zero.

"If you ever need help," said King Kahuka, "ask the legendary golems. They are fighting the monsters. But, beware the Sons of Atukam… they are far more powerful than the other beasts."

Then, Zero left the Great Refuge. Exploring Enchanted Island, Zero once again traveled along the sandy beaches, this time on his Urban Avenger. "Now, this is a lot faster!" he exclaimed. Then, he saw something ahead. And it was running toward him...

----

Kotua hid, and stole some materials at night. The next day, Kotua made a small boat. He pushed the boat out into the water, and he got on it. He took out the oar he made, and began paddling towards LEGOLAND.

A storm passed over Kotua's boat. Kotua did his best to hold on to the boat and to the oar. He started to regret leaving the Voltage.

Kotua continued holding, but now waves were splashing into him. His oar slipped. Now he was really stranded. The boat flew in the air and landed, making Kotua rise a few feet and then slam into the boat.

Suddenly another wave hit the boat, and flung Kotua off the boat. Kotua landed on the water. He tried swimming, but the storm made it harder to swim back to the boat.

----

"So, Rex," said the phantom, "now that you know who you are, who will you choose to be?"

Rex stared at the palm of his hand.  He desperately wished that it was all just a dream, but in his heart he knew it to be true.  It explained all the strange events he had encountered so far: easily breaking apart ShadowTech's handcuffs; poking out bars in the Voltage jail cell; the voices he was hearing around Mutant Dinos; even the Mutant Dino that showed up on the Voltage's scanner that no one was able to find.  It was all him.  Even his goal from the very beginning, his compulsion to join Dino Attack Team, was just a result of his mental programming as a sleeper agent.

With grim resolve, Rex put on a pair of black gloves, masking the cut on his right hand.  "They made me a Dino Attack agent," he declared.  "Well, they should've been careful what they wished for.  I will continue to be Rex, elite agent of Dino Attack Team, and I will help Dino Attack win this war.  This is who I am, and I will no longer let my past determine my future.  No one will ever know that I was anything other than a heroic Minifig."

The phantom chuckled softly.  "See, was that so hard?  I've answered your questions about your past, and now you can answer your questions about your future, no matter where it takes you.  With that being said…"

"There's more, isn't it?" asked Rex.

"It is still possible to reconcile your heroism with the monster within, just as I have.  You can do a lot as a Minifig, but there are things that no man can do… but perhaps, a mutant can.  Your disguise holds back your true strength, and you may need it someday.  But, be warned: if that day comes, there is no going back."

Rex nodded in understanding.  "If I take off this disguise, I can't put it back on.  The dino will be let out of the bag.  But, if my brain really was modified… would I still be in control?"

"I believe that you will," suggested the phantom.  "You wouldn't suddenly go feral or become a monster.  You will still be Rex, hero of the Dino Attack, even in the body of a Mutant Dino.  Just imagine."

Rex imagined himself with the full power of a Mutant Dino, the very creatures he admired and watched with awe.  It did sound very tempting.  He shook his head, clearing his mind of such thoughts.  "No," he determined.  "I will stay as a Minifig."

"For now…"

----

Databoard awoke, hurting all over. He climbed out of the tree, trying to find the other agents. He had managed to get even farther from where the others were. He walked away to try and find anybody in the area.

Databoard walked around, looking for anyone in the area. Some Mutant Lizards noticed the injured agent and moved closer to Databoard. He picked up the pace, not wanting to become their lunch. They leapt at him, and he ran as fast as possible. He turned around a corner, trying to lose the Lizards, but he wound up at edge of a very steep cliff.

Databoard turned towards the Mutant Lizards that had surrounded them. One leapt at him, causing him to lose his balance and they both plummeted off the cliff. Databoard and the Lizard both plummeted about 50 feet down the side of the cliff. Databoard managed to grab hold of the cliff, but the Mutant Lizard was not as lucky. It plummeted all the way down the side of the cliff to the ground.

Databoard looked up to see the other Mutant Lizards. He then looked down to see the 30-foot drop to the ground. He was literally trapped between a rock and a hard place. Databoard then remembered he had an emergency transmitter in a waterproof pocket. He took it out. With his free hand, and turned it on. With any luck, any agents in the area would pick up the signal and find him...

*****

Bleeeppp! Bleeeppp!

"Oh, what now?" Voltage muttered. He answered his radio.

"Voltage, is that you?"

"Data? Where are you?"

"I'm in quadrant four and I'm surrounded by mutant lizards."

"I'm in quadrant two being chased by an agent-gone-bad."

"Kotua?"

"No, Axel! He's been mutated!" Voltage replied, looking back at the pursuing Axel. The sunglasses he usually wore were cracked and broken, since Axel now had the head of a Mutant Lizard.

That's when he lost contact.

Voltage increased the speed to practically 153 MPH, crashing through trees. Apparently, Axel's mutant power was speed, because he was gaining fast.

They broke through the trees onto a cliff, where they saw Mutant Lizards everywhere. Voltage threw on the brakes and they skidded to a halt. Axel, unaware of the sudden stop, smashed into the rear of the truck.

For a second, Databoard thought the agents in the back were flung off during the drive, until Kai, Snake, Venom, and Voltage hopped out, guns in hand.

Voltage shot his Sonic Screamer at one of the dinos, who collapsed and rolled off the cliff. The others were shot down by the other agents.

"Data?" Voltage yelled.

"Down here!" He heard a faint voice reply.

Voltage got a rope out of his jacket pocket and threw it down. Databoard climbed up to the top.

Axel-saur came poking its head into the rear of the truck, smelling the wound. When he went for a bite, Hyrode gave him a hard kick with his uninjured leg. It knocked him cold, but it also got some sludge on his foot. He scraped it off into a test tube soon, but not fast enough to avoid a claw sticking out of the sole of his shoe. Just great, he thought, now I have a broken leg, and I'm part dino. Maybe I should have taken that gig with Ferrari, after all.

----

Now, Zero could see that the "something" was a Mutant Lizard. As it was about to attack Zero, a large boulder knocked it out of the way.

Zero turned around to see the source of the boulder.  To his surprise, he saw one of the Indigo tribal statues, much like the one he saw at the Great Refuge.  And it was moving!  With its big strong hands made of stone, it reached down and lifted an enormous rock over its head.

An Indigo Islander emerged from the jungle, with a bow and arrow at the ready.  "Are you alright?" asked the Islander.

"Um, yeah..." said Zero.

The Islander introduced himself: "I'm Thu. Me and the golems are fighting the monsters. You'll help?"

"Sure!" said Zero, laughing.  "I came here to rescue you guys, but it looks like you are the ones rescuing me!"  He saw that the Mutant Lizard was getting up again.

Zero hopped into the Urban Avenger and slowed the Mutant Lizard down using a net, while the Tiki Golem hurled another boulder at the mutant and Thu fired an arrow from his bow. Soon, the creature was defeated.

"Wow, that was some fight!" said Zero.

"Thanks," replied Thu. "But more will be coming. It's better you find some safe place."

"Alright... Thanks for the help!" said Zero.

"You're welcome!" said Thu.

----

"Where are Hyrode and Axel?" Databoard asked.

"I'm over here..." came a groan from the back of the Fire Hammer. "Axel's over there..." Hyrode pointed to a heap of scales on the ground.

"Axel? What happened?" Databoard asked Voltage, walking toward Axel.

"He was looking at some sludge and it mutated him."

Databoard turned around to see Hyrode's claw-foot in his face. "Woah! He got Hyrode too?"

"What?" the other agents said in unison, rushing over. It was true, there was a claw sticking out of Hyrode's foot.

This just gets better and better, doesn't it? Voltage thought.

"We have to get back to HQ," Databoard said. "They might be able to help them once we get there." They got Hyrode and the unconscious Axel into the back of Voltage's Fire Hammer, and they began driving away. Several Mutant Lizards appeared and began trying to attack them. To make matters worse, Axel woke up.

Snake of Spades saw Axel wake up. "TIME TO GO BACK TO SLEEP!" Snake cried as he gave Axel a perfect uppercut.

"Whoa. Where'd ya learn that?" asked Databoard.

"Karate. I'm a black belt," said Snake, proudly.

"Oh," said Databoard.

Snake may have kept Axel unconscious, but there were still the Mutant Lizards to deal with. They leapt at the vehicle, trying to rip it apart. One managed to get onto the back and tried to attack Databoard. Before it could, it was pushed off the vehicle by agent Snake. It got up moments later, and tried to get onto the vehicle again.

Hyrode groped toward the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher. This broken leg thing would take some getting used to. Gripping the trigger, he fired multiple blasts into the group.

Voltage drove as fast as he could. The Mutant Lizards were gaining fast. He swerved through the trees, trying to find a T-1 Typhoon.

"Agent Kai?" Voltage called.

"Yeah?" responded Kai.

"Radio HQ. Tell them we need a Typhoon, and fast!"

"I'm on it."

They broke through the trees and nearly smashed into the remains of the T-1 Typhoon. Voltage slammed on the brakes, swerving wildly. The Fire Hammer toppled over, sending agents, dinos, and dino agents flying. The car would have crushed him, if he had not been pulled out of the way by Kai.

The Mutant Lizards surrounded the agents. "Mutant Lizards..." Databoard muttered. "Why is it always Mutant Lizards?"

At this point, several Mutant Raptors saw the agents and came closer to see what was going on. "Do want to take what you said back?" Snake muttered to Databoard.

"It could be worse. At least it's not Mutant Pteranodons," Hyrode said with difficulty. Suddenly, several shapes came swooping overhead.

"Wanna go for T-Rexes?" muttered Databoard.

"Wait a minute, those aren't pteranodons!" said Kai gleefully. "They're T-1s!"

"Black T-1s," groaned Hyrode. "Not what we had planned."

But it was too late for bickering now, as the choppers were closing in.

"And I thought when I got up this would be a bad day..." Databoard muttered. The Mutant Lizards and Raptors were coming closer, and there were no escape routes Databoard could see. He grabbed a laser rifle from the Fire Hammer and readied it. He doubted they'd be able to fight their way out, but it was worth trying.

More Raptors and Lizards arrived, making fighting their way out more impossible. Databoard looked up to see the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons approaching, as did the Mutant Dinos. The Lizards came even closer, with the Raptors directly behind them. It was only a matter of time before one leapt at them. The agents were quickly running out of options.

Everybody readied their weapons as the Mutant Dinos came closer. Databoard aimed the laser rifle, ready to defend against any Lizards that attacked. But then, the Mutant Raptors leapt over the Lizards knowing the agents would not be able to fight them as well as they would fight the Lizards.

----

Kotua opened his eye, and looked around. He had made it to some sort of island. He noticed there was a black building with yellow windows. The building had radars. Kotua walked around it, and entered the small building. It had various computers, buttons, and levers. Kotua sat on the only chair, and waited for anybody to come.

Kotua stayed inside the building, which was colder than outside. Kotua looked around the computers, looking for any manuals of the equipment.

Then he noticed a symbol on one of the computers. Three yellow upside-down equilateral triangles arranged in the shape of one large triangle, overlaid with a lime-green stylized capital letter "B".

Blacktron? realized Kotua.

----

"Have you learned enough?" the phantom asked.

Rex nodded.  "Yes," he replied.

"Good.  Then my mission here is done." Then, the phantom took a few steps back and vanished back into the shadows of the dark alleyway.  Rex could hear him climb back up to the roofs above, but he could not see the mysterious stranger leave.

Now, it was just Rex and Trouble alone together.  After a moment of silence, Rex took a deep breath and turned to Trouble, who was staring at him quizzically.  He wondered how much of the conversation Trouble was able to follow; did the Mutant Lizard know that Rex was a fellow mutant?  "Why do I have the feeling that we haven't seen the last of that phantom?" he wondered aloud.

----

After his exposure to Mutant Dino Serum, Hyrode fully mutated into a Mutant Lizard and was separated from the rest of his squad after saving them from a Mutant Deinonychus attack. Unlike Axel, Hyrode still retained his consciousness and identity, fighting back against the feral destructive nature that threatened to consume his mind. Unfortunately, he was unable to communicate with his teammates in this new form.

As they traveled in pursuit of Evil Ogel, Databoard and his teammates found themselves battling Ogel Drones and Mutant Dinos in the swamp. Meanwhile, the mutated Axel was bound in rope and left safely in a nearby cave.

----

Night had fallen when Zero boarded a boat and returned to the sea.  "Wow," he thought aloud, "good thing I brought this flashlight. But I wonder if any Mutant Dinos are around here?"

THREE HOURS LATER

"I'm sailing in circles! Oh, wait... What's that?" On the horizon, Zero saw the mainland, and the outline of a city...

Zero arrived at Astor City. There, he stumbled upon an abandoned LEGOLAND military facility. While exploring the facility, he found a broken Hypno Disk and salvaged several suits of prototype high-tech suits of armor. Either not knowing that it was a LEGOLAND facility, or else not wanting the LEGOLAND government to know that he was snooping around their secret compound, Zero reported that it was an old Time Twisters hideout.

----

Rex was attacked twice by a rogue Alpha Team agent codenamed Phantom, who was piloting a modified Blizzard Blaster. Phantom was searching LEGO City for fellow Alpha Team agent Frozeen and demanded to know his location. Rex did not know where Frozeen was, but Phantom would not believe him. Piloting the Silver Scorpion, Rex managed to escape from Phantom.

Shortly afterward, Zero met Rex after freezing several Mutant Dinos. Phantom returned and once again demanded to know where Frozeen was.

When Rex relied on the Silver Scorpion for protection, Phantom taunted him and said, "It's always like this, isn't it? Every time you see me, you run to the Silver Scorpion like a scared kid! Because you can't fight without it!"

Then, Phantom noticed that they were being silently watched by a figure in a G.E. Body: a cybernetic exosuit of powered armor originally designed as a life-support system by the Evil OGEL Empire.  Phantom recalled that Frozeen once stole a G.E. Body from Ogel and had been using it for his own survival since Mission Deep Freeze. Therefore, Phantom abandoned Rex and chose to pursue the mysterious figure, believing that he had finally found Frozeen at last.

Too late, Phantom realized that it was a trap.  The person in this G.E. Body was actually General Evil: the brother of Evil Ogel, leader of the Evil OGEL Empire's drone armies, and archnemesis of Frozeen.  "I know you're looking for him," said General Evil, "but I will not allow him to be found."

Phantom was a skilled fighter. But with the four arms of the G.E. Body, General Evil easily overpowered Phantom in hand-to-hand combat.  Defiant to the end, Phantom hissed, "Go ahead.  Kill me.  Put me out of my misery."

General Evil responded with a sinister chuckle.  "No," he whispered, "I think this will be much more fun.  You may still be useful to me alive, but until then… you won't even know who you are."  He took out a canister and sprayed Phantom with an airborne chemical that induced temporary amnesia.  General Evil left to rendezvous with the other villains, leaving the confused Phantom to wander aimlessly.

With no memory of his search for Frozeen or antagonistic behavior towards Rex, the now-amnesic Phantom decided to team up with Rex and Zero as searched for PBB in the Silver Scorpion. "Nice to meet you guys, what's your names?" asked Phantom.

Rex and Zero traded nervous glances. To avoid potentially jogging Phantom's memory, they decided to introduce themselves under codenames:

"I'm Peasam," said Rex.

"And I'm Norik!" said Zero.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 8: Blacktron Legacy

----

Kotua met with General B and formed an alliance with Blacktron, which agreed to allow Kotua to use their ships to eliminate the Dino Attack Team. Kotua flew a Blacktron Renegade ship into battle with the LEGOLAND military.

The missiles struck the Renegade. Smoke surrounded the craft. The military personnel fired again, not willing to underestimate any opposing force.

The smoke cleared, and the Renegade continued flying, unharmed. Kotua aimed at two jets, and fired. The jets spun to avid the blasts, but Kotua fired missiles. The missiles flew towards the jets. The jets fired at the missiles, but the blasts bounced off. The jets flew away, hoping to outrun the missiles, but no luck.

Kotua flew towards the military helicopters and fired at them. The blasts struck the glass on the copters, killing its pilots. The Renegade rammed through another jet and fired at the HQ they were coming from.

The people in the military base ran as their vehicles were being destroyed. Kotua fired non-stop, setting half the base on fire. After a while, Kotua flew back up again.

"Maybe we shouldn't have given him the most powerful craft until he had finished his training..." said one of the Blacktron soldiers...

----

General Evil walked calmly through the ruined streets of the city. He was escorted by loyal Skeleton Drones that obeyed his every command... unless his word was superseded by Ogel's, of course. Although, he did not really need this entourage; the villainous cyborg was more than capable of defending himself against most threats. These drones were merely cannon fodder. A meat shield (or perhaps, "bone shield" would be more apt?) to protect him from hungry Mutant Dinos.

He was invulnerable, untouchable, unstoppable. His cybernetic enhancements made him stronger and faster than any Alpha Team agent; two extra arms gave him double the advantage in hand-to-hand combat; and his body armor was crafted from the near-indestructible G.E. metal. Not to mention that his helmet, resembling a stylized skull, gave him a terrifying visage... for many Alpha Team agents, he was their Grim Reaper.

General Evil signaled to his Skeleton Drones to halt at a burning apartment building. A lone Dino Attack agent lay on the pavement; she was terribly mauled and burned in what must have been a fire-breathing Mutant Lizard attack, but still barely clinging onto life. Taking ragged breaths, the dying soldier looked up at General Evil with terrified eyes. "Help..." she whispered, although she knew there was no one to rescue her.

General Evil looked down upon the pitiful woman. He snapped his fingers, and one of the Skeleton Drones promptly handed him a laser pistol. Then, without hesitation or compassion, he pointed the gun at the Dino Attack agent and fired, ending her life just as easily as he had ended the lives of so many Alpha Team agents before her.

Then he looked up at the burning building. He stood there in silent contemplation as the flames reflected off his eyes, the only visible part of his organic body encased in the G.E. armor. He recalled a day nearly ten years ago, memories conjured up by the raging fire.

A group of Alpha Team scientists had infiltrated an Evil OGEL Empire outpost to steal data and intel on Ogel's projects, likely in hopes of finding a cure to his Mind-Control Orbs. General Evil and a squadron of elite drones were sent in to stop them. He could have succeeded if only Alpha Team hadn't rigged the base with explosives. He was trapped beneath a fallen support beam and unable to move as the fire consumed him.

Ogel would later refer to this incident as "the accident". That was an understatement. General Evil knew this was no accident. Alpha Team wanted him to die that day. Instead, he burned alive.

He did not know the full extent of the data files taken by Alpha Team. He did not know who the other scientists were, even as one of them shouted that it was time to go. But even through the smoke and flames, he could see the Alpha Team squad leader who had left him to die: Dr. Zachary Abody. And that was all that mattered to him.

General Evil's eyes narrowed; his visible eyelids were scorched and scarred tissue that time could not heal. He clenched his fist, a robotic prosthetic built to replace the hand that he lost in that fire. The cold-hearted villain was kept on life support by his G.E. Body, but it was hatred and spite that truly kept him alive all these years later.

"On that day, I swore to ruin you and your legacy," growled General Evil. "And I shall not rest until I've finished with your son, Frozeen."

He turned and walked away from the burning building, and his drones followed his lead. The amnesic Phantom would play into his plans, of course, but there was only one person who was allowed to kill Frozeen. And that was General Evil.

*****

Ogel, Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek landed Villains Headquarters in a safer zone of LEGO City. After meeting up with General Evil, they began discussing how to handle the Dino Attack Team.

When General B arrived and offered Blacktron's assistance, Ogel turned down the offer; he had learned that Kotua was working with the Blacktron, and he did not want to trust any Alpha Team agent, even a former one. "I've brainwashed Kotua into a minion before," Ogel explained, "and believe me, he's more trouble than he's worth. I'm sure you'll find out for yourself soon enough."

After General B left, they met four mysterious villains, who were representatives of the Foundation of Unstoppable Terror and Ultimate Ruthless Evil (abbreviated as FUTURE), offering its assistance to Ogel and his fellow villains. To better convince Ogel and the others of FUTURE's cause, the groups split up so that each FUTURE representative spoke individually with one of the villains.

As they walked together, Sam Sinister could not help glancing at the FUTURE villain beside him. The figure was dressed entirely in black, with a large hooded cloak over a suit that was somewhere between aristocratic and militaristic, commanding a menacing air.  Few of his facial features could be made out, largely concealed behind his glasses and thick grey facial hair resembling a combination of mutton chops and a goatee, but what could be seen was a malevolent sneer.  His most visually defining feature was that he had no hands; emerging from the cuff of each sleeve was a hook fashioned from crystalline red material.

"So, who are you?" asked Sam Sinister.

"Until you learn my real name, you can call me 'Hooks'."

"So, 'Hooks', what in the world is going on? I mean, you suddenly appear out of nowhere with your peculiar colleagues, saying you're going to help us. What's going on? Where did you come from?"

"Patience," Hooks said calmly. "Do not go rushing headfirst into things like you usually do. Don't tell me you feel uncomfortable around me."

"Yeah, I'm comfortable, all right!" Sam said sarcastically. "I feel very comfortable taking a walk alone while Mutant Dinos are on the loose, with my only company being some strange guy with hooks for hands who looks like, any minute now, he's going to kill me! Very comfortable!"

"Maybe it will comfort you to know that we're very much alike," Hooks said. "For example, we're both enemies of Johnny Thunder."

"You're an enemy of Thunder, too?" Sam Sinister said, surprised. "I thought I knew all of his rivals and adversaries, and yet I never heard of you before."

"Yes, he always gets to that confounded treasure before me," Hooks said, grimacing.

Sinister chuckled humorlessly.  "Same here."

Hooks glanced down at the hook in place of his right hand. "And, after the time he cut off my hand by 'accident', I never forgave him."

"What about your other hand?"

"Lost it while stealing treasure from India."

If it had been Brickster or Vladek, they would've laughed at Hooks' misfortune. But, Sam Sinister was able to relate all too well. "Same here," he murmured. "India was where I lost my left hand as well, and I was also stealing a diamond. Good thing I haven't lost my other hand yet." He adjusted his monocle as he spoke.

"Your eyesight isn't what it used to be, I suppose," observed Hooks.

"You're one to talk, four-eyes," muttered Sam Sinister.  "At least I still have one good eye." He chuckled again, but this time he was feeling a bit more comfortable around the stranger.

----

Rex looked at the Silver Scorpion's scanner. While it was searching, Rex noticed that it said that it detected a Mutant Dino inside the vehicle. He quickly covered that up with his hand before either Zero or Phantom could notice it.

"I don't know if I'm right," said Phantom, "but I think I remember this PBB guy..."

"Really?" said Zero, looking at Rex as though he was saying, "Rex, do something!"

Suddenly, something jumped into the Silver Scorpion. They looked up, to see a... "Mutant Raptor!" yelled Zero, shaking the controls.

"A what?" Phantom was confused.

"A Raptor! A big nasty dinosaur with tons of teeth!"

"Don't worry!" Rex yelled above all the noise. "As long as this thing is as indestructible as PBB said it is, we won't get harmed! Even the cockpit is almost unbreakable!"

A Mutant Lizard swarm ran towards the Silver Scorpion and Mutant Raptor. The yellow Lizard hissed, reared its head back, and spat acid at the larger Mutant Dino. It fell back, roaring angrily as the corrosive liquid burned through its skin.

Rex swallowed. "At least, I hope PBB was right…"

"But was this ever tested against the powers of Mutant Dinos?" asked Zero. "The fire-breathing Mutant Lizard, the red one, can set anything on fire, indestructible or not!"

"Well, then I hope this is fireproof!"

Zero and Rex were talking, and Phantom fainted.

The Silver Scorpion's stinger stuck the red Mutant Lizard. Then, pressing another button, Rex fired the vehicle's cryothermic stasis beam, freezing the dinosaur and effectively putting it into stasis. "One down, five to go..."

----

Snake of Spades heard something emitting from his radio: "Target found... trajectory aiming... fire in the hole!"

Kai recognized the voice, and said, "I know what that means. Take cover!" An Ice Orb plummeted down at the swamp, freezing the monsters. Kai smiled and said, "Joey has arrived."

Just when Databoard and his teammates thought they were saved, a Mutant Raptor leapt at them and prepared to rip them apart. Another Ice Orb flew through the air and hit the Raptor, but it was deflected by its force field. Seeing no other choice, the Dino Attack agents ran across the frozen swamp, pursued by the Mutant Raptor.

Voltage hurled himself across the lake, just as the Mutant Raptor's tail flew over him. Drawing his two pistols, he flipped over and shot several bullets into its gut. It keeled over, apparently thinking Voltage was a good pillow.

"Guys, can you help me?" he shouted.

The other agents helped Voltage stop the massive carnivore from crushing him.

The Mutant Raptor was defeated, and the Ogel Drones were smarter than they looked. In minutes, the orbs started flying again. Voltage ducked as one of them went whizzing by his head.

There was a giant roar. Apparently, Axel-saur had managed to gnaw his way out of his binds. Axel gave another roar of triumph, stepping out of the cave, only to be struck by an Ice Orb and frozen.

"How long do you think he'll be in there?" Voltage asked Databoard.

"A few hours," Databoard replied.

"Dang, I was hoping to put this in my house as a sculpture," Voltage said, his twin pistols firing at the drones. He pictured the scarabs on their torsos to be targets. As the last few on the ground were shot down, another wave of them stormed out of Ogel's fortress.

Databoard looked down at the ice they were standing on. The weight of the Drones was causing it to break. "Guys, we have to get out of here, now!" he shouted. The other agents rushed away, bringing the frozen Axel with them and firing at the Drones behind them.

Databoard fired at the ice beneath the Drones, which was already giving way. They all fell into the swamp.

"Nice shooting!" Voltage complimented Databoard. At this point, the frozen Axel was beginning to thaw. Voltage looked at Axel and saw the reflection of a helicopter rising in the air.

"Oh no, you don't," Voltage said, loading his Sonic Screamer. "This isn't over yet." He took careful aim and shot. The gas tank exploded, shooting bits of metal and spraying gas everywhere. The copter slowly fell to the ground, sinking into the snow. The five agents ran over to the crashed copter to find Ogel, buried underneath massive piles of rubble.

"Hello, Ogel," Voltage said. "You're coming with us."

Ogel gave a sort of combination between a grunt and a burp. "Nice try, agents." Ogel said, and threw a grenade into the air. As the agents ducked for cover, Ogel freed himself from the rubble and ran. Databoard fired his laser rifle, and Ogel went down. The agents rushed over to him, and discovered it was just a Skeleton Drone in disguise, not the real Ogel.

"What a rip-off!!!" Voltage yelled. In the distance they could see another Ogel flying away, and he hoped it was the real one. "Into the T-1!"

The agents hopped in the T-1 Typhoon. Voltage got in the pilot's seat, and Databoard was his copilot and front gunner. Kai and Venom were the rear gunners, and Snake of Spades worked the console.

"He's headed towards LEGO City!" Snake shouted to the other agents. Only a few of them heard him over the wind.

Voltage increased the speed to almost 140 MPH, and set coordinates for LEGO City. He put the vessel on auto-pilot and climbed out of the cockpit.

"We've got company!" Venom called. The auto-pilot swayed the craft so violently to avoid the laser bolts that Voltage was knocked off his feet. The ship swayed to the right, and Voltage slid down the side. He just barely grabbed onto the railing on the hull, and avoided certain death.

"Hang on!" Snake called. He inched his way across the floor as the ship leveled out. "Gotcha!" Snake said triumphantly as he grabbed Voltage's hand. Another jolt sent Snake sliding in the other direction.

"Stupid auto-pilot!" Snake yelled, as he went sliding across the ground. He too grabbed hold of the railing and hung there. There was another failed attempt to rescue a fellow agent when Kai went skidding in Snake's direction. Now Kai, Snake, and Venom were clinging to the railing.

Databoard, piloting, and Venom, gunning, were the only agents left.

"Data! Shut off the auto-pilot!" Venom called.

It was too late.

----

"You don't get to be as wealthy as I do," continued Hooks, "without learning a dirty trick or two.  Why, there was even one time where I promoted a non-profit concert for my fellow esteemed members of the rich upper class, who were oblivious as I sent my henchmen through the audience to steal their priceless jewelry!"

Sam Sinister chuckled. "Sounds like something I would do!"

"Like taking candy from a baby," said Hooks. Sinister recognized this as one of his own favorite expressions.

"A brilliant plan!" commented Sinister. "Assuming, of course, you did not get caught."

Hooks grimaced.  "Well…" he admitted, "once they found out it was me behind it all, I needed my sister to bail me out."

"Doesn't that always happen?" said Sinister, rolling his eyes.

"Quite so," said Hooks.  "Well, you seem to be in better spirits. Are you feeling a little more comfortable now?"

Sam Sinister nodded.  "Alright, go ahead! Tell me FUTURE's plan!"

"Well," Hooks explained, "your own plan was basically perfect, except for several major flaws that will cause it to all fall apart. One, as you are already aware, there aren't enough villains ready to organize and combat the Mutant Dinos. Two, Dino Attack Team and Alpha Team would surely interfere. Now, we're going to help you out with solutions. As representatives of FUTURE, we will provide the numbers and support you need to survive against the Mutant Dinos. And as for Dino Attack Team, Alpha Team, and anyone else who dares stand in our way… we'll kill them!"

Sam Sinister shuddered. "K-kill?" he stammered. "That seems a little… excessive, doesn't it? Bad form, some might say. It's just not how things are done. Shouldn't we just leave the heroes in a booby-trapped room while we just walk away, like I always do?"

"Oh, Sam, so innocent and naïve," said Hooks, who chuckled at the irony of calling a fellow villain 'innocent'. "If you wish to be recognized by FUTURE, then you will realize that the days of playing well are long gone. Besides, if we do not eliminate Dino Attack Team, then they will get all the credit, not you."

"Credit?"

"Think about it. Save the world from the Dino Attack, and they might give you an award. Like... all of the world's treasure!"

That was all it took to convince Sam Sinister. "I'll be richer than ever! Brilliant! I like the way you think," Sam Sinister said. He was anxious to get all that treasure. "You were right. We're very much alike, after all."

"Yes," Hooks said. "You probably know who I am by now, don't you?"

"Obviously, you told me that you were Hooks," answered Sam Sinister.

"No, I said you could call me that until you learned my true identity!" Hooks said.

Sam Sinister thought. He knew the answer, but prayed it was wrong. So, he said, "No, I don't know."

----

Soon, half of the Mutant Lizards had been taken down by the Silver Scorpion. In addition to the red Mutant Lizard, they had frozen a green Mutant Lizard and a violet Mutant Lizard: "Huey, Dewey, and Louie," Zero had jokingly called them. But, it seemed that the Silver Scorpion was suddenly losing power.

"It's a Mutant Pterosaur!" screamed Zero. "It's striking the Scorpion with its lightning bolts!"

"Where is it?" asked Rex. "I don't see it!"

"Right above us is a good place to check!" answered Zero.

"Quickly!" shouted Zero. "Take down that Pterosaur before the power is completely drained!"

Rex waited until the Mutant Pterosaur swooped down low, lightning crackling from its wings.  Once it was in his sights, he fired the cryothermic beam again, and the winged reptile crashed down onto the ground.  With that threat taken care of, the Silver Scorpion was starting to regenerate its power.

"Good going, Rex!" said Zero. "But watch out for that Mutant Raptor! It can strike fear into your heart!"

"Alright..." said Rex as he focused on the Mutant Raptor, who looked even more grotesque and vicious after being sprayed with acid.

----

On another street of LEGO City, the Brickster was walking with the FUTURE villain who called himself "Robo-Limb". He wore a black cloak like the other FUTURE representatives, with a hood so that most of his recognizable facial features were kept in the dark, though Brickster could make out a scruffy, grizzled face with piercing green eyes. True to his nickname, Robo-Limb's defining feature was that both his arms and his legs were replaced with cybernetic prosthetics.

Brickster was not so sure that he could be happy alone with the stranger. "At least I don't have the hook-handed man or the boss," Brickster muttered to himself.

So far, the Brickster did not learn much about Robo-Limb.  The FUTURE rep refused to give his real name, and he could not recognize the face under that mysterious hood.  Robo-Limb seemed happy to be with the Brickster. If only the Brickster felt the same about Robo-Limb...

"At first, I didn't like having robotic arms and legs," Robo-Limb said, not paying attention to how nervous Brickster was. "They had to be oiled and all that jazz. But, they became quite useful. The legs help me run faster than any copper's motorcycle, and with my flamethrower, I never went into jail again! Not for a very long time, at least!"

"Flamethrower?" repeated the Brickster.

"Oh, yes. Watch!" Flames erupted from Robo-Limb's mechanical hands. Brickster jumped back in surprise, while Robo-Limb laughed. "Unlike you, I don't need to trick Pepper into giving me a hot pizza in order to break out of prison!"

"Although tricking him is fun, since then I could make fun of him..." muttered the Brickster.

----

Ogel touched down on the nearest landing pad.

"I lost them!" Ogel cackled, stepping out of the copter. "I lost them! Aaaaaaahahahaha!"

At that moment, the T-1 Typhoon fell out of the sky, slamming into Ogel's copter. Agents, metal, and evil villains flew everywhere.

"Bummer," Voltage muttered.

Kai looked down. A familiar Scorpion Orb Launcher in Alpha Team colors was below them, but he had to get down nicely...

"Kai? Kai, do you read me?"

Kai grabbed his radio with his free hand. "I read you, Joey. I'm dangling in mid-air -- badly. Hurry and open the top hatch!"

"Right away. You guys jump when I say it's open."

Kai turned to the other agents and told them what to do.

"Hatch open! Drop in! Drop in!"

Kai, Venom, and Snake let go, falling down into the open Alpha Team Scorpion Orb Launcher...

The crash had knocked Voltage under piles of rubble. "Kai? Venom? Snake? Data?....."

"I'm over here!" Databoard called back. He was not covered in metal, so he ran over to Voltage and helped him up. They were both badly hurt. Voltage had a piece of metal stabbed into him. Databoard was piloting and was more protected, but he got a few cuts.

"Data, Voltage, do you read?"

"We read you loud and clear, Joey!"

"My Scorpion Orb Launcher is down here somewhere. Climb in, we've got medical supplies, food... Oh yeah, and Kai, Snake, and Venom are here."

"We see you," Voltage said, pointing at the Scorpion Orb Launcher. "We'll drop in."

Voltage and Databoard grabbed Ogel and jumped off and into the Scorpion Orb Launcher.

Voltage rummaged through the medical supplies. He found a bandage and wrapped it around the bleeding wound on his arm. They were driving around LEGO City, having just captured Ogel.

"Let me go!" Ogel yelled, struggling against his bonds.

"Why?" Joey shouted from the driver's seat. "So you can wreak havoc all over the city? I don't think so!"

Voltage climbed into the cockpit and slumped into the passenger seat.

"Where are we headed?" Voltage asked Joey.

"We're headed over to a T-1. Alpha Team is there and they're gonna turn Ogel in," Joey replied.

"He's not gonna be in there for long," muttered Voltage.

"What do you mean?" asked Joey.

"He's gonna break out."

"I'll tell them to put in extra security." They arrived at the T-1 Typhoon.

Voltage dragged Ogel out of the Scorpion Orb Launcher. As he did so, Ogel's helmet came off, revealing the skull of yet another disguised Skeleton Drone.

"Really?" Voltage spat in disgust. "All that, just for another drone? Looks like we're the ones who were foiled yet again, Ogel." Regardless, he handcuffed the Skeleton Drone and flung him into the T-1 Typhoon.

As the T-1 Typhoon flew off, Voltage received a call from HQ: Crisis call from Adventurers' Island. Dinos everywhere. Need help fast.

"Guys, we're going to Adventurers' Island!" Voltage announced.

"Voltage, everyone got the call," Snake said.

"Oh."

"Look out!" Kai yelled, as the tail of a Mutant Raptor missed Databoard's head by inches.

Databoard ducked to avoid being hit by the Raptor's tail again, and pulled out a laser. He fired at it, but its force field deflected the weapons. The other agents began firing at the Raptor, but it did no effect. Snake pulled out a grenade and threw it at the Raptor, but it bounced of the force field and landed next to a building near Databoard. He ran from the building as the wall was ripped apart, sending rubble everywhere. A small chunk of debris hit Databoard, knocking him out...

----

The last Mutant Dino standing was the Mutant Raptor. It roared ferociously and then slashed at the cockpit. Thankfully, the Silver Scorpion's armor was strong enough that it did not even leave a scratch. Then, with another shot of the cryothermic beam, the Mutant Raptor was disabled.

"Nice going," Zero said.

"Thanks," Rex answered.

Zero laughed. "You know," he said, "I hope the people responsible for the Dino Attack are watching us winning this fight.  And then they say some typical and over-the-top monologue like any other villain, like… 'Why... Why everyone I send to destroy my enemies always get destroyed! ...That's it! For the first time, I'll destroy them... BY MYSELF!!!' And then, just like that, we get to fight the final boss, and it's a big epic battle but we win, and that means we've won the war! Wouldn't that be something?"

Rex chuckled, but his laugh was humorless. "Yeah…" he muttered, averting his eyes. "If the ones behind the Dino Attack were here, I can just imagine what they'd think…"

----

Databoard slowly regained consciousness. He looked up to see the Mutant Raptor standing over him, its jaws ready to rip hit apart. Voltage charged at the Raptor, firing his weapon. It had little effect, but it gave Databoard a chance to get away from the Raptor. He grabbed his laser, which was lying on the ground nearby, and charged at the Raptor again.

Databoard ducked out of the way to avoid the Raptor's jaws. He fired his laser, but the blasts were once again deflected. He leapt into the air to avoid being hit by the Raptor's tail. He didn't jump high enough, and was sent flying through the window of a nearby building.

Kai had one final resort. He turned and asked, "Joey, where are the manual Ice Orbs?"

Joey opened a compartment in the damaged Scorpion Orb Launcher. He picked one up and threw it at Kai.

Kai caught it and pressed a few buttons. "Fuse time... 3... sticky mode."

"'Sticky mode'?" asked the puzzled Snake of Spades, dodging the Raptor again.

Kai charged at the Raptor's force field and forced the ice orb at its skin. It penetrated the force field and stuck tightly to the Raptor.

"Everyone down!" yelled Kai, as the Ice Orb fuse counted down.

3... 2... 1...

Databoard looked just as the Ice Orb was about to detonate. Realizing what was about to happen, he ducked to the ground just as the countdown hit one. Voltage threw himself out of the way as the Ice Orb detonated. There was a brief flash of light, and Databoard then looked out the broken window to see the Raptor frozen under a sheet of ice.

----

"Did I mention I'm a bit of an inventor?" Hooks said to Sam Sinister. "I've been tinkering a lot with Robo-Limb."

Sam Sinister smirked. "Funny that FUTURE would have the funds for complete prosthetic limbs, and yet cannot spare enough to build you a couple new hands."

Hooks raised his red hooks into the air.  Their crystalline appearance subconsciously reminded Lord Sinister of the Pharaoh Hotep's magical Re-Gou ruby that he had once coveted.  The hooks began to glow bright red, and then fired a burst of energy that demolished a nearby fire hydrant.

Sinister swallowed nervously. "Point taken."

"In addition," continued Hooks, "my glasses are no mere ordinary spectacles.  They are specifically wired to enhance my sight.  Can your primitive monocle zoom in like a telescopic lens?"

"No," grumbled Sinister, "but at least it looks much more fashionable for someone of my class."

Hooks showed Sam Sinister several more of his inventions. One was a pistol, modified so that it could be used with hooks. Another was a radar, able to detect far away treasure.

But, Hooks' favorite one was what looked like a cross between a tube, a handle, and two claws. He demonstrated it for Sam Sinister. One claw attached to his body, while he held the handle with his right hook. Hooks took a diamond out of his pocket and handed it to Lord Sinister. "Go stand fifteen feet away," he instructed. Once he was in position, Hooks pulled the handle, and the other claw sprung forward on the extending tube to snatch the gem from Sinister's hand.

As Hooks pocketed the diamond, he said, "I use these inventions to help me steal treasures. They have far greater utility than your outdated tools from the early 1900s. You really should modernize."

----

The flight to Adventurers' Island was smooth; they had no delays or enemy ships.

Voltage sat behind the driver's seat again, piloting through the fog. They touched down and were greeted by Dr. Kilroy, Pippin Reed, and a young man whom Voltage did not recognize.

"And you must be…?" asked Voltage.

"Josh," the young man replied. "Josh Thunder. Johnny's my old man. He's off on a mission in the Nimbus System with the Venture League; I stayed behind to help out here."

"Nice to meet you," said Voltage, shaking Josh's hand. "Must be cool, having such a famous father?"

Josh Thunder grinned. "Well, mate, I'll admit it ain't always easy livin' up to his legacy. But maybe, if I help you out with the dino-hunting, I can make a name for myself, eh?"

Databoard muttered under his breath about being on Adventurers' Island again. The island looked about the same, and this wasn't a good thing. The island was still in ruins, and he could still hear the roar of Mutant Dinos and normal ones alike. The whole place just gave him the chills.

"Roit, the police've put the campsite under lockdown, so it's your job to search there, allroit?" Josh Thunder said.

"Right," Voltage replied.

"There's been an invasion throughout the temples," added Pippin Reed. "We need you to exterminate the mutant dinos."

"Okay, can we go now?" asked Voltage.

----

Kotua flew off, two Blacktron Allied Avengers chasing after him. Kotua spun his Renegade and fired. One of the Allied Avengers was hit by the blasts, while the other managed to dodge them.

Kotua fired at the remaining Allied Avenger again, taking it down. Kotua then flew off to find Rex.

Kotua was flying out of the city when ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons flew towards Kotua, firing. Kotua turned around, and fired back, taking down the copters. More T-1 Typhoons rose and began firing at the Renegade, but Kotua's craft was resistant against the blasts.

Using the Blacktron satellites, Kotua was able to trace Rex's position. Kotua put the Renegade at its fastest speed.

Kotua was over flying over the ocean, when more Allied Avengers flew towards him, ready to fire...

----

Snake of Spades, Joey, Databoard, Venom, Voltage, and Kai wandered through the halls of one of the last remaining temples. It was extremely dark; the lanterns were trampled to smithereens.

"What was that?" Kai asked, looking around.

"Echoes," Snake replied.

"No, that!" Kai said, straining to hear the faint sound of moaning.

"What is that?" Databoard asked.

"Skeletons!" Joey called.

"Are you crazy? There's no skeletons!" Venom said.

At that moment, hundreds of skeletons slid out of cracks in the wall, illuminated by the lantern Databoard was carrying.

"Would you like to take that last statement back?" Voltage asked Venom.

Snake of Spades just stood there, eyes shut tight. Two moments later, Snake opened his eyes with a new look of fierce determination. He kicked a few skeletons in the ribs. He saw two skeletons, talking to each other. Snake grabbed their necks and cried, "TIME TO PUT OUR HEADS TOGETHER!!!" as he knocked their heads together.

"He is just crazy...." mumbled Databoard as he punched a skeleton.

Databoard swung the lantern into a skeleton, knocking it to the ground. He swung it at another skeleton, but it ducked and knocked the lantern from his hands. It hit the ground and smashed to bits, plunging the room into darkness. Databoard looked around, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the complete darkness, as well as trying to hear any skeletons nearby. Lucky for the agents, the skeletons were not the quietest around. Databoard kicked a skeleton that had been trying to sneak up on him, knocking it into another.

Voltage spun around, kicking the approaching skeleton so hard that it shattered. He drew his Sonic Screamer and swung it at a skeleton like a melee weapon. The head fell off and rolled to the feet of another skeleton. The skeleton charged, and Voltage did likewise with his Sonic Screamer. When it had reached maximum power, he released a powerful burst that disintegrated the skeleton to dust. He kicked the other skeleton's head at the door. It opened on contact.

"Everyone, through the door!" Voltage yelled, rushing through himself. The agents dove through the closing door, crushing a skeleton beneath it.

----

Zero said, "Hey, Rex. Can we go to PBB's ship? I want to show him this!" Zero showed Rex some of the tech he excavated from Astor City.

"Wow," said Rex, "what's that?"

"I don't know," Zero replied, "that's why I want him to check it out."

Rex looked at the tech that Zero had found. "Looks like it could be worn like goggles," Rex thought aloud.

Then, the Pallas Athena came into view. "There it is!" Zero yelled. Rex put the Silver Scorpion into flight mode, and they sped up to the airship.

"Hey, PBB!" called Rex. "Chompy! Little Bot! It's me! Guys?" They were nowhere to be found. Apparently, they were not on the airship. Only the FMB-Bot crew was present, simply maintaining the current flight path of the airship and not responding to any questions.

"Just great," Rex muttered.

"Weird…" said Zero. "I wonder where they are?"

"I don't know..." said Rex.

"What if we wait for them here?" suggested Zero. "I'm going to study this tech in the meantime."

"Uh-oh," Rex said. "They left the airship uncloaked! Kotua - or someone else - could attack us!" Immediately, he pushed the button to activate the Cloaking Device.

Zero was looking at the green and white brick piles. "Hey, I remember how to use these!" he said. He grabbed one green and three white bricks and threw them into the engine. Then, the Pallas Athena traveled to another location.

"Don't worry, we will hopefully be safe," Rex said to Zero and Phantom. With the airship cloaked and no longer in the same location, there was no way that Kotua could find them! Or so they thought...

Zero was checking one piece of the tech, and he noticed that Rex was right about them resembling goggles. "Weird..." he murmured.

Zero put the goggles over his eyes. Then, he gasped. He saw… so much. Too much to all take in at once. They were like night vision goggles, but they displayed a lot more information in its user interface. Different settings for scanning, combat, heat signatures, X-rays, echolocation…

Zero took off the goggles. "Woah..." he whispered.

----

Databoard, Voltage, and the others sprinted through the dimly lit room. They found a cavern at the end of the hall, filled with coffins, candles, and mutant dinos.

"Woah, creepy," Databoard muttered. So far, the Dinos hadn't seen them, but all the agents knew that wouldn't last for long. Databoard looked back down the hallway to the door they had come through. Turning back wasn't an option, as they would have to face those skeletons again. The only other way was through this cave. "Does anyone else get the feeling that this was a bad idea?" Databoard muttered.

The six agents crept through the cave, trying to make their footfalls as quiet as possible. The dinos were distracted, so it was their chance to sneak by. They went to the door, and it would not budge. "How do we get out of this?" Venom whispered.

As if by magic, the dinos turned and noticed the intruder. "How do we get out of that?" Snake of Spades said.

The other Mutant Dinos turned around and saw them as well, causing Databoard to mutter several nasty words. The agents then began attempting to blast the door down as the Mutant Dinos came even closer. There was no way they could get out in time before the Mutant Dinos got them. Right about now Databoard wished they were still fighting those weird skeletons...

"Man, I wish we were still fighting the skeletons!" Databoard called to Voltage, both fighting Mutant Raptors.

"Aahhh!!!" Voltage punched the dino, and it fell back. "How do we open the door?"

"I don't... wait, that lever over there!" Databoard kicked away his Mutant Raptor and dashed towards the lever. He pulled the lever.

Rrrrrruuuuummmmbble!!!

The floor gave a giant lurch, as fragments of the temple came crashing down. Voltage dove out of the way as a stone knocked Databoard's raptor out.

"Voltage! The door! It's opening!" Kai shouted, pointing at the door.

Voltage looked to see the door wide-open. "Come on!" Voltage called as he ran through the door, closely followed by Databoard and Joey.

"Venom, Kai, Snake! Hurry up!" Joey shouted.

Venom turned to see the door closing. "Kai, Snake! Come on!" Venom yelled, rushing through.

Snake and Kai dove through the door, as it closed.

----

James "Jimmy" Beatles was at the Arctic Base. He had heard of Creator Isle from some of the team. He had decided to journey to this place.

As he drove around Creator Isle, he found the road blocked by boulders too big to move. "I never liked the road," he muttered. He drove on the burnt grass and fell into a ditch. He hit his head and was knocked out, lying unconscious on his Steel Sprinter.

----

The Mutant Dinos charged at the door, trying to open it, but it would not budge. Databoard kept his laser ready just in case. The other agents had begun heading down the tunnel, looking for a way out. Databoard followed, but continued to look back at the door. He thought about the skeletons and the Mutant Dinos, and started to wonder what nightmare was up ahead.

"That was really close," Snake muttered.

Voltage pulled out his GPS and looked around. The area was deserted, except for the dinos and the skeletons. He pulled out a gas grenade. Spotting a crack in the door, he pulled the ring and wedged the grenade in the crack, so the gas would go into the dino room.

"Not another hall!" Kai yelled, turning around. His voice echoed as Voltage lit another lantern. Joey and Databoard drew their weapons. They had faced dinos, skeletons...what would be their next enemy?

Venom leaned on the wall. The tile slid aside, sending Venom tumbling to the ground. "Secret passage! Secret passage!" Venom yelled.

Kai shrugged and dove in, followed by Databoard, Snake, and Joey. As he saw Joey fall, Voltage muttered, "What the heck," and dove in.

When he hit the ground, his fall was broken by a tall pile of bones. He fell over and rolled down the hill of corpses, to end up next to Databoard on the ground.

"This does not look good." Voltage looked up to see Kai, Venom, and Joey.

"Where's Snake?" Voltage questioned.

"Mmmphhhpmmhhh!!!" came the muffled sound of "I'm over here!!!"

Voltage rushed over to the pile of skeletons he just rolled down. He dug his hands into the bone, and began digging. After the first few handfuls, he uncovered Snake's hand. He slowly pulled Snake out of the bones.

"Ow," Snake mumbled. "I fell on a sharp bone."

"Are you hurt?" Joey asked.

"Yeah... yeah, I'm fine. Just a little scratch that's all," Snake replied, pointing at the deep gouge on his arm.

"Here's some medical supplies," Kai said, tossing them to Voltage, and he wrapped a bandage around Snake's arm.

"Note to self: never go down a secret passage again," Databoard muttered as he looked at the area they were in. "It never, ever leads somewhere good." He looked around for any way out of this strange place, but guessing from the bones in the area, there weren't many.

Suddenly, a hiss resonated from the corner of the secret passage. Every agent instantly looked toward the corner, and Mutant Lizard crawled out of a crack. The Lizard was instantly recognized as the one that had helped them fight the Mutant Deinonychus on Ogel's Island. It hissed again, then gestured toward Snake. The team realized it was telling them that it was wounded and needed medical attention. That Lizard seemed to have an uncanny likeness for them....

Voltage, still carrying the medical supplies, walked over to the Mutant Lizard and tended to it.

"How do you know it won't bite you?" Kai said.

"I don't," Voltage replied. When it was treated with medical supplies, the Mutant Lizard nodded towards the medical backpack. Voltage swung the pack over his shoulder and they set off.

Databoard looked around to see if anything was moving around besides them. Fortunately, nothing was moving nearby. They kept moving around, making their way quickly across the bone covered room. Databoard glanced at the Mutant Lizard, which was looking from the medical backpack. It seemed oddly familiar, but he didn't know why...

----

"What do I do? Why am I here" Louis "Dryptosaurus" said, grasping his tranq rifle gun as he rode his vehicle across the desolated streets of Astor City. He constantly thought how to get out of here. He was packed with tons of equipment: a magnetic grappling gun, 2 Magnum guns, 20 shells, a tranq rifle, a couple of AKs, a laser sword, his Steel Sprinter, and a new weapon he had yet to test.

He was left alone in Astor City after his friends took him on a vacation to an uncharted place his archaeologist friends found. He complained, thinking that he isn't an archaeologist and should be digging bones somewhere in South America or even in North America, but his dumb archaeological contacts begged him to come, as they had found metallic remains of some mechanical beast, and needed my opinion. They recognized Louis was young, but he was a child prodigy. He was already in college, and paleontology was his hobby, yet most of his friends were archaeologists. They bought him with the silly excuse of "ooh we found an unknown civilization blah blah". He got interested when he heard the word "buried underground".

There he was, all alone, all his friends eaten by strange creatures Louis thought of as overgrown Coelophysis with strange unnatural abilities. Why did he have the idea of bringing his ATV and the untested gun? Because this was not his first encounter with the creatures. He was in a conference in Los Angeles when suddenly there were reports of strange creatures overrunning the city. He scrambled to safety and that's where he met the team, who could use his help...

All of this was some months ago. After the encounter, he learned to handle guns and such objects. Weapons... He always had thought of them as barbaric instruments made in uncivilized eras. Then he started liking shooting a gun after he had killed one of those strange lizards. He took the lifeless body down to his lab, and the creature was dead, yet its impulses were alive. It was as if the creature was a zombie. He wanted to keep investigating the matter, but for his safety he shot the barely-living creature in the head, destroying any electrical brain impulse it had left. After his funds were violently cut off, since the people who used to endorse him died in "freak" accidents, he dropped the subject and continued his old-fashioned paleontology, discarding the dinosauroid creatures as "mere monsters"...

Now, about two months later, he would reassert his beliefs about the creatures. They WERE monsters... and they were breeding... down in Astor City, he discovered a hive, full of the creatures... thriving in the darkness of the now-abandoned city...

All he has to do now is get out of the city any way he can and contact some help... There was a command post with a radar, established on the nearby Enchanted Island by other Dino Attack agents. It was located near a volcano. The temperatures are hot there. Louis did not know if he will survive or not...

"What am I doing here?"

----

Suddenly, blasts started hitting the Pallas Athena. Rex looked out. A black craft with yellow glass was firing at them.

Kotua avoided the airship's blasts, and fired back. This time Rex, I'll really finish you off.

"Quick!" Rex shouted to Phantom and Zero. "We'd better get into the Silver Scorpion!"

"Why?" asked Zero.

"This airship isn't nearly strong enough to defend against Kotua's... uh, spacecraft! And if this thing falls..."

"...then we will get killed, unless we go into the Silver Scorpion!" completed Zero.

"'Not even the Voltage can destroy it,' according to PB - err, you-know-who," Rex said. Saying "PBB" might have triggered Phantom's memories, and that was the last thing they needed while they were already under attack by another rogue Alpha Team agent.

Kotua fired again at the Pallas Athena. The entire craft shook as a hole was blown open in the hull, sending burning debris everywhere. One piece of metal clipped Zero on the arm.

"Gah!" cried out Zero.

"What is it?" asked Rex.

Zero grimaced. "My arm... It hurts..."

Zero brought the rest of the Astor City tech with him as everyone scrambled into the Silver Scorpion. The airship's FMB-Bots were steering the craft away from the Renegade, but for naught.

"We end it now, Rex!" Kotua said as he blasted a final shot at PBB's airship.

The Pallas Athena exploded in mid-air. The Silver Scorpion flew from the ship as it exploded.

----

Voltage could see the Mutant Lizard walking alongside them. It seemed oddly familiar, like he had known it once.

He shook off the thought. Come on, you don't know any reptiles, Voltage thought. Well, except Snake, but he's not an actual snake.

Snake of Spades walked over to him. "Can I see the GPS?" he asked politely.

"Sure," Voltage said as he tossed the GPS to Snake. The Mutant Lizard looked over Voltage's shoulder, as the agents crowded around the GPS.

"Okay so we're here," Snake said, pointing at the six glowing red dots on the GPS. "And we need to get here," he said, pointing at a blinking blue light.

"Not that far away," Kai remarked.

"Ten miles!" Joey replied. "That's a pretty long hike if you ask me!"

Voltage looked around the cavern and the tunnel ahead. "That tunnel could fit six small vehicles," he said, pointing at the tunnel.

"Steel Sprinters perhaps?" Venom suggested. "I'll radio some in."

They walked a quarter of a mile until the Steel Sprinters arrived. The next five miles were smooth until the cave began to collapse.

A rock knocked Databoard's Steel Sprinter over, and he rushed from the wreck on foot. More rocks began to fall, causing a portion of the cave to collapse. When the dust cleared, Databoard was cut off from the rest of the other agents. Oh well, I guess I'll have to find another way out... Databoard thought as he looked around the cave.

Databoard looked around for any way out. He took out a flashlight and began searching the tunnel. He found a small opening near the side of the tunnel that, with any luck, should lead him to the other agents. He took out his flashlight and aimed it into the tunnel. After ducking to avoid the bats that swarmed out, he rushed inside.

Databoard walked down the passageway, flashlight ahead. He continued to head down the tunnel when it opened up into a cave. Unfortunately, he soon discovered that it was a Mutant Lizard nest. This is bad... Databoard thought. He was about to turn around and find another way out, when he discovered the path was blocked by several Mutant Lizards. This is really bad... Databoard thought as more Lizards surrounded him...

----

"You only ever think about deconstructing LEGO Island," Robo-Limb continued. "You need to think a lot bigger."

"Hey, I actually completely destroyed LEGO Island!" declared Brickster. "Then, of course Pepper just had to put it back together again…"

"Bah!" spat Robo-Limb. "That kid can't even read!"

"It's fun to tease him when he reads 'Pizza' as 'Pizaz!'" Brickster laughed. "Or how he writes his name as 'Paper!'"

Robo-Limb nodded. "Yes, and so is teasing Papa about his singing, or Mama about her sight..."

"How'd you know all that?" asked Brickster.

"I lived on that island for many years," replied Robo-Limb.

"Funny," remarked Brickster, "and not the 'haha' kind of funny. I definitely would've remembered seeing someone like you on LEGO Island. Unless you're secretly Captain Click, hiding in that cave all those years?"

"That dumb old pirate skeleton?" scoffed Robo-Limb. "C'mon, you know what he looks like; you played soccer with him that one time!"

"Oh… right." After a few moments of silence, Brickster wondered, "Maybe you're a distant Italian cousin of Captain Click?"

Robo-Limb and Brickster were now getting along, passing jokes, making fun of Pepper and Infomaniac, and others. Brickster was now at ease, finally, when Robo-Limb asked the question that Hooks asked Sam Sinister: "You probably know who I am, don't you?"

Then, the Brickster silenced. He didn't know who Robo-Limb was, unless... no, that was impossible. So, Brickster answered, "No."

----

Databoard readied his laser. He looked around the Mutant Lizards, which were preparing to rip him to shreds. He could tell fighting was crazy, as he was hopelessly outnumbered. He also knew surrendering wasn't an option either, as he doubted the Dinos even knew what that was. He would have to get back into the tunnel, because the Dinos couldn't fight him all at once there. The tunnel was nearby, but it was blocked by about ten Lizards.

Databoard began firing his laser wildly and charged at the Mutant Lizards blocking the door. He was about to reach the tunnel when a Lizard shot acid at the tunnel, causing it to collapse, leaving Databoard trapped. He looked over the cave. There would have to be another way out, otherwise there wouldn't be so many Lizards here. He saw a large opening higher up in the cave. He would just have to get up there somehow...

Databoard leapt, dodged, and ducked through the Mutant Lizards towards the cave exit. The Lizards tried to tear him apart, but he continued to dodge their attacks. He soon got to end of the cave, which meant there was only a twenty-foot climb to the exit. Which was bad, considering the Lizards were closing in around him.

Databoard flung a grappling hook up to the tunnel and began climbing at him. A Lizard leapt at him but he managed to knock it to the ground. He made it up to the tunnel and took out a grenade. He flung it into the air and ran. The grenade caused portion of the tunnel to collapse, trapping the Mutant Lizards for now.

----

While the Silver Scorpion flew away from the Renegade, Zero was feeling such an intense headache that he fainted.

Kotua flew under the burning airship and fired at the Silver Scorpion, leaving a few dents. "Not so invincible now?" said Kotua.

The Silver Scorpion flew down, and tried different maneuvers to lose Kotua, but Kotua and the A.I. of the Renegade kept going behind them, firing.

Blacktron Aerial Intruders flew towards Kotua, ready to blast him to bits... or so they thought. Kotua's craft was too strong for the blasts. The Silver Scorpion managed to fly off, and Kotua turned and began firing at the Aerial Intruders...

----

Voltage realized Databoard was cut off from the rest of the team. They drove their Steel Sprinters carefully, avoiding the falling rocks. One hit Voltage's.

"Aaahhh!!!" he yelled, as he was flung off, his car careening off course. He ducked, as the Steel Sprinter flew over him and crashed into the wall, shards of stone going everywhere. When one cut him on the shoulder, the friendly Mutant Lizard crawled out and slapped a bandage on him.

"What the..." Voltage thought aloud.

The boulders stopped falling, and the agents came to a halt. They dismounted their Steel Sprinters.

"Come on! Let's get outta here!" Kai yelled, running to the hole Voltage's Steel Sprinter had made.

"What about Data?" Snake asked.

"You guys really don't get it, do you?" Kai said, slyly.

"Get what?"

"Check the GPS!"

"Oh, right," Snake said, getting out the GPS. "He's not far from here, just a few floors down, to the right," he concluded.

Kai ran through the hole.

"Let's gooooOH MY GOSH!!!" Kai yelled. He was now hanging on the ledge of an endless abyss.

Voltage, having quick reflexes, darted to the spot, grabbing Kai's hand before he plunged to his doom. He pulled Kai up.

"That was even closer!" Kai said, remembering the dinos.

They used their grappling hooks to get to the level Databoard was on (level 9, according to the GPS), and found a door to the right. They opened it in time to see Databoard, running from something.

"Data!" Joey called, getting Databoard's attention.

"You found me!" Databoard said running to the spot. "I just got rid of a bunch of dinos."

"The last ones, I guess," Venom said, pointing to the GPS, which showed no dinos in the area. They found a staircase and climbed up it.

"Mission accomplished!" Databoard said, triumphantly. When they reached the top, they got a nasty greeting: five Mutant Lizards, flanked by two Mutant Raptors and a T-Rex.

"We need backup!" Voltage shouted into the radio.

If no one came, they were extremely outmatched.

The situation was grim. The Lizards they could handle, the Raptors would be a little harder, but the T-Rex was nearly unstoppable. They would need backup, but he doubted it would get here in time. Databoard readied his weapon, as the Mutant Dinos closed in on them. The Lizards were coming first, followed by the Raptors, with the T-Rex in the back.

"Let's see, we can either fight and be killed, or run and be killed later," Databoard muttered sarcastically. "Don't you just love choices?"

"How about fight, then run?" asked Kai, shooting a few tranquilizers at the T-Rexes. "At least we'll still live longer."

----

As Louis dragged on with his Steel Sprinter, he found the ocean and realized that he must have been in the Coleport District. With the sun reflecting off the water's surface, it was so shiny that it nearly blinded his eyes. He grasped his binoculars and saw what happened to be a bridge leading to a small island just off the coast. Louis scrambled among the ruins of what looked like transports and fallen tubes made out of green transparent "plastic". One of the inscriptions read "Pointer Island". His Steel Sprinter ran across tons and tons of old debris covered by inorganic webs made out of a material he'd never seen before. But he hardly had a mind to concentrate on such extraordinary remains, including technology he could have never imagined...

Louis had been to most major parts of the city, and uncovered breeding grounds on what happened to be some sort of grand museum in times past. Louis was almost certain this was the point where they were emerging from. But, he discovered there was an abandoned laboratory on Pointer Island. Perhaps this was a place of experimentation?

Louis had been recording everything he saw on his camera. If he could get that to the government of the world, he could show living proof of the behavioral patterns of such creatures, and how they weren't "official" dinosaurs per se. They were so much more than a normal dinosaur from ages past. These were actual monsters. The lizards only barely resembled Coelophysis; the so-called T-Rex looked more like a giant Ceratosaurus on steroids; and the raptors looked like… ah, he could imagine few things that actually had force fields such as the raptors.

Louis knew that it would be harder on the tribal island. He had gotten pretty far. Now if he could find a boat, or find something to use as a boat, he would be able to get to Enchanted Island. Then he could call for emergency. But he looked back and he saw a horde of Mutant Lizards after him...

"Oh crud, what am I gonna do? ...I think it's time to see what the cosmotronic weapon does..."

He aimed at one Mutant Lizard and shot the ray, and it got paralyzed. He had 20 shells left... He aimed at another one, and it happened to be a camouflaged one. That one also got paralyzed. He kept going forward and had to put the weapon down, since it was so heavy.

----

The group seemed outmatched. Even with the friendly Mutant Lizard striking everything in reach, the Dinos seemed invulnerable. Or maybe...

"Guys!" Databoard yelled. "The raptors are shielding them!"

"Sonic Screamers, pull 'em out!"

"Fire!"

The nearest raptor fell down with a thud, but a new one soon landed next to its fallen comrade. The Mutant Lizard hissed at it, rearing back to strike. The Raptor decided it didn't like Lizards hissing at him, so he took a bite at it. The Lizard scampered away hurriedly.

Voltage dove aside as the mutant dinos attacked. They were extremely outmatched. The agent on the radio said backup was on the way, but how far away was 'on the way'? They were in big trouble. The T-Rex reared up, flinging a Steel Sprinter at Voltage with its tail. He ducked, just in time, and it smashed down the stairs, blocking their only exit.

"That was even closer than when I said it was closer than when I said it was close!" Kai yelled.

"What?" Voltage wondered.

Databoard fired at the Mutant Dinos, but there was little they could do to fend then off. The T-Rex fired his laser eyes at him, but he dodged the beam. Suddenly, he was knocked to the ground by a camouflaged Mutant Lizard. The other agents saw but could do nothing, as they were busy with the other Dinos. He readied his laser, but it was hard to fight something you couldn't see...

----

"That was a close one," Rex said. "If it weren't for the Silver Scorpion, we'd be dead!"

"Or worse," Phantom added. "Now, this whole 'PBB' thing seems familiar to-"

"Ooh, look at that shiny rock!" Rex said, trying to distract Phantom from getting his memories back.

"Nice move," Zero whispered to Rex. Zero was still feeling intense pain in his arm. "Argh…"

"Are you alright?" asked Phantom.

"Yes... But my arm isn't... And I also have a headache, must've been from wearing those goggles…"

"Do we have any medical supplies?" asked Rex.

To his surprise, a voice answered, and it did not belong to either Phantom or Zero: "Yes, in the back."

"Who are you?" asked Rex, afraid he was hearing Mutant Dino voices again.

"Probably the Silver Scorpion's computer," Zero guessed.

"Affirmative," the computer voice answered.

Rex was already in the back of the Silver Scorpion cockpit, looking for medical supplies. His choices were: a bag labeled "Blah", a box filled with ice, or a white suitcase with a red cross on it. "Pretty obvious," Rex muttered, grabbing the suitcase. He walked over to Zero. "Are you a medic?" he asked.

"Not quite," Zero answered.

"Are you?" Rex asked Phantom.

"No," Phantom replied.

Rex sighed. "Neither am I."

"Well, I'm going to rest in the back, then..." suggested Zero.

"Alright," said Rex.

Zero went to the back of the cockpit, where the icebox and the "Blah" bag were kept, and he fell asleep.

Rex watched as Zero slept. He hoped that Zero was okay. If he was not, then there could be something very wrong going on.

Phantom was still trying to look for the "shiny rock" that Rex "pointed out" earlier.

----

For the third time in the day, Voltage muttered "We are really outmatched."

"Would you stop saying that?" Kai said, annoyed.

Voltage's Raptor charged, and he shot it with his Sonic Screamer. Nothing happened.

"Okayyy... That didn't work," Voltage muttered. He ran back a few feet and threw a grenade. There was a giant roar, followed by an ear-shattering explosion. Voltage looked up. The dino still stood there, not only unharmed, but extremely aggravated.

"How much does it take to rub out a couple of dinos?!" Voltage screamed.

The Raptor charged again, and Voltage dove out of the way, getting irritated.

Venom had managed to tie one Mutant Lizard up using the remains of his grappling hook; Databoard lured one Raptor and one Mutant Lizard into a trap set by Snake of Spades; but Joey, Voltage, and Venom were having no luck defeating their dinos. But the ones who did had a bigger problem: a T-Rex.

"Voltage, we are in close proximity to your area," a voice in the radio said.

"How long will it be?" Voltage asked quickly. He could see Venom and Joey fighting off three Mutant Lizards.

"Half an hour, sir," the voice replied.

"You've got to be kidding me," Voltage said, shutting off the radio. Next thing he knew he was flung off his feet, the radio crushed into tiny fragments. "Uh-oh, not good." Voltage realized what the Raptor had done. It had just destroyed their only communication. "Not good at all."

The T-Rex tried to swipe at Snake with it arms, but Snake dodged the blow. A Mutant Lizard camouflaged itself in the temple wall. Snake saw the lump. He reloaded his gun. The Lizard jumped onto Databoard. Snake shot at it and the Lizard collapsed on top of Databoard. Snake picked up the Lizard and threw it at the T-Rex. It hit the creature with a powerful blow.

The Raptor swiped at Voltage's head. He ducked and drew out his Sonic Screamer. Setting it to electricity mode, and blasted the dino. Thousands of volts of electricity electrocuted the dino, and it fell over, stunned. Now that it was stunned, it couldn't use its powers, so Voltage killed it with another blast.

He set the gun to normal mode, and rushed over to help Venom and Joey with the three Raptors.

One leapt at him, and kicked it away, shooting it. It struck the dino in the chest, but did no damage. As the Mutant Lizard charged again, Voltage really wished they were still in LEGO City.

Databoard rushed to help Voltage, but was hit by the Mutant Lizard's tail and knocked backwards. "These guys actually make Ogel's Drones seem fun," Databoard muttered, getting back up to his feet. He soon found himself facing another Mutant Lizard. Suddenly, a missile hit the Lizard, knocking Databoard backwards. He looked up to see a plane flying above them. That might help, but he did not know if it could take down the Mutant T-Rex.

----

Cobra sped through LEGO City. He had been informed about people on Adventurers' Island, and decided to use a borrowed jet to save them, if he could outrun the raptors chasing him.

Cobra used a hologram to fool the raptors. It bought him a second. He turned his Cosmontronic Ray on the raptors that had their force fields down. He fired his ray and sped off. He reached his jet and flew off. He did not notice what was chasing him...

*****

Kotua flew under the flying Silver Scorpion. A small robot arm surfaced from the Blacktron craft, and implanted a device on it. The Blacktron craft flew back, and Kotua pressed a button.

The device glowed, and started shaking.

*****

Rex was thinking about Zero, when he suddenly felt extreme pain. He sat down, but the pain was too much for him...

*****

Kotua pressed a button, and the Blacktron craft fired a Mutant Dino-Seeking missile. To his surprise, it went towards the Silver Scorpion, having detected Mutant Dinos on it.

Seems Rex is now giving Dinos luxury transport to kill others... thought Kotua as the missile neared its target.

The Silver Scorpion flew away from the missile, which relentlessly pursued the craft. Kotua flew behind it, ready to blast the Scorpion Orb Launcher into pieces.

*****

"Peasam, are you alright?" asked Phantom.

"No," Rex stammered. "Extre-eme p--pain."

"Oh no," Phantom muttered. "The pain is spreading from Norik to you? This is not good! GET ME OUT OF HERE!"

"Don't!" Rex yelled, just as Phantom was about to jump out of the Silver Scorpion. "If y-you go out there, then you'll be v-v-vulnerable to Kotua's ship! And that would be even more painful! Besides, I think it's just a c-c-coincidence that Zero and I have-"

BAM! A sudden bang rocked the Silver Scorpion. Phantom wisely stayed inside. "What was that?" asked Zero, suddenly waking up.

"I don't know," Rex said. "But I hope it d-doesn't harm the Silver Scorpion! Is it p-p-possible that Kotua rebuilt the only weapon that could destroy the Silver Scorpion?"

Zero did not answer.

*****

Cobra flew in his jet high in the air. Then he spotted the Silver Scorpion. He sent a transmission saying he can help them sneak away. He noticed the attacking ship was not friendly. He launched a missile between the two ships which exploded making a cloud of smoke. He only hoped the Silver Scorpion escaped.

Kotua flew through the smoke cloud, and fired at the Silver Scorpion. Kotua opened another panel of buttons. Since mutants are on the vehicle... he thought, pressing a button. Four missiles flew from the craft, and hit the Silver Scorpion.

*****

Rex was still in pain, when he noticed smoke entering the Silver Scorpion. "This isn't good..." said Rex.

Zero did not even pay attention to what Rex said: he was sleeping again. When he woke up a while later, his headache was gone. He put the goggles on again, and this time when he activated the goggles, he noticed that some of the other Astor City tech started to light up. It looked almost like a suit…

----

Turahk-Kal woke up from a long rest. He was in a makeshift bunker in an abandoned mall in LEGO City. He still had lost his Fire Hammer from his encounter with Kotua, and needed a vehicle to get to Adventurers' Island. Gathering his belongings, he began walking down the street in hopes of finding a vehicle.

Soon, Turahk-Kal was flying in a jet across the ocean. He had "borrowed" it from a pilot and was speeding towards Adventurers' Island. He had carefully made sure that his tank was full so he didn't get into the situation he got into last time. The sky was mostly clear today, only a few Mutant Pteranodons here and there, and he was too fast for them to catch up to him anyway...

*****

Cobra continued to Adventurers' Island, when his stalker attacked: a dozen Pteranodons. Cobra got all of them with his remaining Dino DNA Seeking Missiles. He never really liked killing dinos. He stopped and refueled, reloaded, and fixed his jet.

Cobra soon reached Adventurers' Island. He learned Turahk-Kal was on the way. After a few times around island, he found them. He saw there was another plane there. He took down a Raptor and a few Mutant Lizards. He launched a missile at the T-Rex. It did not do anything. This is going to be hard, Cobra thought.

Cobra had an idea. It was crazy, gross, and slightly barbaric, but it might work. Maybe he could get the T-Rex in his unarmored places, like his mouth, but anything that would reach his mouth would have to get past his laser eyes and furnace mouth. Cobra launched his best tranqs at the T-Rex's eyes and mouth.

"Cobra! Finally, someone comes!" Voltage shouted in his headset. The headset only worked for close range communication, so he had been unable to contact base.

"Turahk-Kal is coming, too!" Cobra said, via his headset.

"Good. We need all the help we can get!" Databoard said, joining them.

"And, before my radio was crushed..." said Voltage, glaring at the dead Raptor that had crushed his radio, "base said they were sending over reinforcements!"

Just as everyone began to lighten up, the situation got worse. There were now ten Mutant Lizards, in addition to the five that were already there, and five more Raptors bounded out of a nearby cave. But, to their delight, another T-Rex did not show up.

"Bad really bad really bad really bad..." Kai muttered, seeing the approaching threat.

"Why do they keep coming?" Voltage said, frustrated.

"They probably called for help!" Cobra suggested.

Kai grumbled, "Great! Now the new dinos are gonna cry for help, and then the new dinos are gonna cry for help, and then the new dinos are gonna cry for help, and then the new dinos are gonna cry for help, and we're all gonna die!"

"Don't worry, the reinforcements are gonna get here soon, I hope," Voltage muttered.

The new dinos hesitated, as if waiting for something.

"Okay we could just back away..." Venom said, "Slowly and quietly," he continued, until he was tackled by one of the five original Mutant Lizards. "Not good!" Venom yelled.

Voltage shot it.

"Thanks!" said Venom. "Who could believe a Mutant Lizard was that easy to defeat, eh?"

"It's not dead..." Voltage said.

".........Oh.........."

"Turahk-Kal, come on..." whispered Voltage.

Turahk-Kal swooped in in his jet. He locked on to the T-Rex and fired two missiles. He pulled up and watched as one missile slammed into the T-Rex's side, while the other hit the ground and created a large black cloud. He turned around and fired the remaining two into the T-Rex. They both hit it in the neck. It let out a roar of pain, and landed with a crashing boom on the sand. It did not get up. Turahk-Kal swooped around and prepared to do what he could with the remaining dinos...

----

"Oh," Louis sighed with relief, "I finally got rid of those things... now, on to Enchanted Island..."

Louis docked his boat at the shore of Enchanted Island. Up ahead appeared to be some Indigo temple ruins. He stared for a moment and continued his way through. It looked like a long stairway, and he thought he would be at the volcano in at least two hours.

One hour passed. He finally saw where the stairs led. They led into many dark chambers. They were full of Mutant Dino nests. He found eggs of the creatures inside, some of which were still not yet hatched. The problem was that he could not touch them to destroy them. If the mother dinosaurs were in the area, they would be alerted and they would come to attack him.

He kept going up until he found no more stairs, but a dark, dark chamber. He thought of going left or right. To the right there were more stairs, and must have led to the surface, but he went left, to explore the place further. Then he found a giant chamber, with a strangely shaped pedestal, and the remains of several Mutant Dinos. In that chamber he also found the remains of two huge statues. He found a plaque that referred to "Golems". He found the place crawling with the eggs. And he saw one of the T-Rexes there... must be the female. He found about ten Raptors and thousands of the Lizards. He shuddered, and crawled his way back to the right, scared like he had never been scared before. These creatures were all over Astor City and Enchanted Island.

He kept going right until he found the stairs again. He walked upstairs for five minutes until he found another great chamber. Another plaque read "Darkness". Louis stared at the sign "... Darkness?" he muttered. "Really, more darkness? Gosh... I'm so tired..."

He kept walking until he entered chamber with another couple of remains of a strange crab-like beast. He crossed the chamber, entered a smaller chamber covered with webbing and metallic debris on the floor and he read "Atukam". "What's an Atukam?" he thought aloud. He entered the chamber, which was spotless. Completely spotless. But it was mildly scarred though, and he encountered a strange silvery fluid in a strange symbol.

He kept moving and saw more stairs. The air was getting hotter and hotter. "I bet that leads to the volcano!" he said to himself. He saw a strange looking device. It reminded him of an elevator, and he wondered if it was installed by the Dino Attack agents who set up the command post, or else the Indigo Islanders were more advanced than they let on.

He ran towards it, and suddenly six Mutant Lizards came out of nowhere! One was red, the other one was completely black, one was yellow with black spots, one was black with blue spots, and the two others were green. "Oh no... no, no, NO!" he screamed at them. He quickly grasped two small guns from the holsters on his hip, and then he shot one lizard to its death. He kept shooting, but the creatures moved very quickly. One of them shot acid at one of his guns, destroying it. Another one spat fire embers at him. Louis dodged them quickly... Then he took out the Cosmotronic Ray out, and shot two lizards with it, paralyzing them. Then he took out a special gun. It shot 5 bullets at a time, killing another beast. Two were left, the one with acid stealth and the red one that spat fire. They retreated. "Yeah, you run away, cowards!" Louis screamed.

Then he reached for the elevator and left the horrible temple. "Command post, here we go!" he said excitedly, with a hint of fear within his voice....

----

Cobra launched a missile that destroyed two Raptors and three Mutant Lizards. He took two more Mutant Lizards down with his Cosmontronic Ray. Cobra told Voltage to keep the dinos at bay. He told Turahk-Kal to launch missiles at a nearby wall, while Cobra took down a tree. The pileup buried the dinos, but luckily everyone got away safely.

Voltage said, "Good job, but don't celebrate yet. More may come." The ground shook, then there was a big roar....

Voltage saw Turahk-Kal's ship hovering in the air. It disappeared behind the temple and landed. The situation would be under control in a few minutes. Turahk-Kal rushed over, and the number of dinosaurs decreased. There were only four left when Voltage noticed the T-1 Typhoon they arrived in.

"Where's Axel?" he asked. Suddenly, Axel jumped onto Voltage, but Cobra shot Axel. "Did you kill him?"

"No, that was just a tranq," replied Cobra.

They soon got all of the dinos, but two T-Rexes appeared. Cobra ran into his jet. It only worked on one T-Rex, and he was out of tranqs. He remembered he had an Ice Orb. He dropped it out of the plane. It went into her mouth and worked. They were about to leave when it happened....

----

Louis finally reached... ANOTHER CHAMBER! But this one was illuminated by glowing crystals! It was also "new"... it looked clean - the floor, everywhere. He walked through the chamber and saw a strange pedestal but he did not check it... Was this the one place the mutant dinosaurs hadn't gotten to? In every chamber he had been, he had seen nests. Looked like the creatures were born quickly in an insect-like fashion, not like reptiles or mammals. Like flies, born out of a fat disgusting cluster of eggs. Or even like bees...

Louis kept walking, exploring the room, and he quickly figured why none had gotten to the room yet. There was a huge door blocking the exit. It had some strange symbols... why would this incredible civilization make traps? Perhaps they were driven away by the creatures? That couldn't be, as the creatures appeared recently, and the door was older than these things.

Louis tried to solve the "riddle" the old inhabitants had left him. He quickly turned to the pedestal, and saw more hieroglyphs. "Place a light-stone here," it read.

"Such civilized instructions? These people tried making everything as simple as we do today..." Louis thought aloud. He quickly shot one of the glowing crystals out of the ceiling, and he grabbed it before it reached the ground. "One less bullet... geez..."

He placed the jewel on the pedestal and it shone very brightly. The door opened. Louis sighed at the fact that there was nothing else in that room; it was like the one he was in, except there was no pedestal, but an entrance to a tunnel that probably led to the volcano... he hoped it did.

He kept going into the tunnel, and the light grew dimmer with each step. He turned on his high-power lamp to follow his way through. After a couple of minutes, he reached some stairs with a sign that read: "Tribal Island Trail... Beware of alligators!" Scribbled under the sign, it read: "Uhu was here!"

He thought it was funny. "Woah, old-style graffiti... He must have gotten the lynching of his life... ha ha!" Louis said to himself. He followed the stairs until there was more light, and suddenly he was standing on a beautiful beach paradise, but littered with tons of debris. The alligators were gone; no inhabitants, either. He wondered how to get to the beach where he docked his boat.

He looked in the distance and saw the volcano. "The command post must be close... at least 30 minutes from here," he thought... But he encountered problems. There were more mutant creatures on top of a strange formation with a bright object on it. "These are good binoculars," Louis joked to himself...

He then had to swim his way through. There seemed to be no fish and tons of debris on the bottom of the lake. He swam to the beach that led to the volcano… it was nearby. He got out of the water, and tried to sneak his way through the creatures that were busy playing with the shiny thing. Everything was being recorded by Louis. He moved towards the molten lava, and he heard a loud thumping noise. It was a Raptor!

"You... YOU!" he screamed at the monster, who roared back at him. Louis equipped his rifle and shot it at the monster, which shielded itself. He kept shooting the ray until the Raptor's eyes glowed red, and then it slashed with its claws, shredding the rifle to pieces! Louis was really mad now. He took out his special magnums, which shot 5 bullets every time he pressed the trigger, but the Raptor repelled every single one of them.

Then, the Raptor moved in for the kill. Now it was on top of Louis... Louis did not know what to do... He was certain he would die... then he remembered he had the Cosmotronic Ray! He thought the rays could pierce their way through the shield. The dino task force told him that their research said that the shield was not perfect. While bullets would be ineffective, the experimental Cosmostronic Ray would be effective against the Raptor. He grabbed the gun and shot one single blast that efficiently refracted its way to the creature's eye, blasting it off and leaving the raptor in great pain, and it moved out of Louis's way.

Louis ran to the volcano. It was so hot in there that he took his shirt off and wrapped it around his waist. Even then, he was burning up. After all, he was at a volcano. He heard rumors of a village in the volcano, but there was no such thing. Then where would Dino Attack leave the radio transmitters? The guard house! He ran towards it and saw the radio transmitter.

...

...

TRANSMISSION 3344 Delta Chi...

...

"I'm calling any nearby helicopters, I'm on an island... named… Enchanted Island... it's uncharted. I need rescue, this was an exploration mission, but we've encountered a great loss of life and the remaining one is in grave danger, please, send help immediately!"

He sent the transmissions to all frequencies within the U.S. and LEGOLAND. He hoped that they would rescue him, that they would somehow follow the signal, and get him out of that infernal place.

----

Zero looked at the tech that had activated when he put on the goggles. Now, he was certain that it was some sort of powered cybernetic armor-suit. Why not put it on? he wondered. My arm still hurts, so it would be nice to have some extra protection.

While Rex and Phantom were still focusing on evading Kotua, Zero put on the powered armor. It was black and metallic, highlighted with neon green lights to perfectly compliment the goggles' aesthetics, and the gloves went over his hands like a pair of large claws. Now this is more like it!

Zero was trying to understand what was going on, when he heard explosions outside. He wanted to see what was happening, but he could not leave the vehicle... not during a battle like this...

Rex was still in pain when he fell down, barely conscious.

"This isn't good," Phantom said.

*****

Kotua continued firing at the Silver Scorpion, which was now filled with anti-Mutant Dino chemicals.

Kotua pressed another button. The Renegade sped up and rammed the Silver Scorpion. Kotua then flew back a bit, and rammed the Silver Scorpion again. He noticed more dent marks on the vehicle's armor.

Soon, I'll destroy the Scorpion Orb Launcher, and Rex will have nowhere to hide! thought Kotua

To Kotua's surprise, the Silver Scorpion's armor regenerated. "This isn't going to be easy," Kotua muttered.

Suddenly, where there was just one Silver Scorpion before, there were inexplicably two. One immediately began scrambling away from Kotua's craft at top speed, while the other stayed behind. Kotua realized that one of them was an illusion. Guessing that Rex must have been in the fleeing one, he pursued it.

*****

From the ruins of a nearby movie theater, PBB watched as the Blacktron spacecraft pursued the other Silver Scorpion. "It worked," he remarked with satisfaction. "It looks like we still can get some mileage out of this old Alpha Team holographic generator."

"Indeed," said the shadowed figure who stood behind PBB. "Kotua has been tricked, and it may buy Rex and his friends the time they need to escape. We can't let them die."

PBB nodded. However, he did not know what to think of his mysterious new companion, who had introduced himself as 'the phantom'. He wore a dark cloak that concealed his appearance, and while PBB possessed proficient voice recognition software, the phantom was deliberately speaking in a low, husky voice that rendered the software unable to detect a match.

As the phantom turned to walk away, PBB asked: "Who are you, really? I know you're trying to hide your identity, but I do not understand your purposes in doing so. You can trust me."

"Look what's going on out there, PBB," said the phantom. "Kotua is trying to kill his own teammates. Earlier, Phantom was attacking Rex in his search for Frozeen. It's not safe for anyone… least of all, someone such as myself."

PBB glanced back at the Silver Scorpion. "Special agent Phantom was… searching for Frozeen, too?" he murmured. "But, why would he be looking for… unless… oh my Builder." He had already computed an answer to his own question, and he did not like it. He urgently turned around to face the phantom again, but the mysterious figure had already disappeared into the darkness, leaving PBB alone.

*****

Zero continued to sit in the back of the cockpit as he talked to Rex. "Rex, what were all those sounds?" he asked.

"Kotua was shooting missiles at us," said Rex. He grimaced from the pain he was feeling, but he focused on Zero's health: "How are you feeling?"

"I'm... fine," replied Zero. He wondered if the powered armor was administering endorphins to ease the pain in his injured arm.

*****

After a while the signal wasn't as strong, and Kotua realized he had been fooled. He turned around and flew back after the real Silver Scorpion. Once he tracked it down, he fired multiple shots.

A Blacktron missile entered the atmosphere, shaking, and heating up...

Kotua continued firing.

Rex noticed on his radar that something else was headed for them!

The Blacktron missile flew fast, and was now going straight towards the Silver Scorpion.

Rex managed to pilot the Silver Scorpion away, with Kotua flying after it.

The missile smashed into the Renegade, sending multiple of the Blacktron craft's pieces and ammo in all directions. The missile exploded, sending a powerful blast. The Silver Scorpion tried outrunning it, but the blast damaged the thrusters, disabling the vehicle's flying ability.

The Silver Scorpion landed hard on the ground, and moved away fast. Rex recovered once the Silver Scorpion's air circulation systems removed the anti-Mutant Dino gas. The scanner detected PBB, Little Bot, and Chompy nearby, so they started to head in that direction.

----

Louis hoped that someone would "HURRY UP AND GET ME," but he had new concerns...

He decided to explore his vicinity. Behind the Dino Attack command post was something that looked like... a racecar? It even had a full tank of gas. Why did the Indigo Islanders have racecars? Why was it untouched by the Mutant Dinos? Louis decided not to ask any more questions and got out to explore the island.

Once he was out of the heat, he put his shirt back on, which was still wet from his swim and felt refreshed. He took out a bottle and drank some iced tea from it. He moved to where the landing strip was, close to the beach. Then he moved to where the bright object was. Mutant Lizards were nowhere to be seen, only leaving their footprints in the sand...

He moved up the naturally formed stairs and reached the bright object... It looked like some sort of ancient telescope, with a priceless gem instead of glass lens. No wonder the pirates always wanted to plunder this place. He saw through it, and saw the stars. He noticed some strange forms on the base of the telescope. They all looked like prophecies of some kind. "If these Indigo Islanders were really able to see the future," Louis muttered, "then they should've seen the Dino Attack coming a long time ago. But where are they now? They've been here for thousands of years, and I heard many weren't evacuated to Antarctica. Most things are as if someone was still here... or left recently..."

Louis sat down to chow down on some bread he kept sealed in his bag, and some energy cookies. He looked down at the landing strip.

"Munch, maybe, gulp munch, the lizards will come back and eat munch me... wohoh! I hope munch they munch received my message, gulp."

----

Snake, Voltage, Databoard, Joey, Kai, Venom, Cobra, and Turahk-Kal defeated the dinos and hauled Axel into the T-1 Typhoon. They were taking a big risk; Axel was only tranquilized, and could wake up at any time.

Voltage had not forgotten to bring the friendly Mutant Lizard along. He took out some food and the Lizard took it with delight.

There was a small Dino Attack control center in a remote area of Pirates Forbidden Island. They all hated it there, but they had to go if they wanted to de-mutate Axel.

The eight agents hopped off the T-1 Typhoon when they arrived, carrying Axel with them. When inside the control center, the scientists turned their heads from their projects and stared at the newcomers. They rarely saw agents around the lab, unless it was urgent.

"We need him de-mutated and fast!" Voltage said, plopping Axel down on a nearby table. "This is Axel, he was our friend until he got mutated."

The Mutant Lizard stepped forward and nodded. Finally putting the pieces together and realizing who it was, Voltage added: "And this is Hyrode. Same story, but he's still our friend."

One of the scientists examined Axel and Hyrode. "We have no de-mutation antivenom here, but we will have some in tomorrow."

"Good. We'll leave him here with you, you know, so you can test him and such," Voltage replied.

"What about a test?"

"I don't know, whatever you scientists do," Voltage said as the group headed out into Pirates Forbidden Island.

While waiting for Axel and Hyrode to be cured, the rest of the team battled Mutant Raptors and Mutant Pterosaurs. They arrived at the island's coast and tried to take a pirate ship, but their progress was halted by ShadowTech. They hid from a ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon in an old pirate hideout, and fled when the helicopter destroyed the hideout. They escaped the island in a Dino Attack T-1 Typhoon piloted by John and traveled back to LEGO City.

----

Kotua awoke in the burning wreck of the Blacktron Renegade ship. Kotua felt as somebody removed the rubble on top of him. Kotua readied his blaster. As soon as he had a clear shot, he fired. The police officer fell to the ground as his foot was vaporized. Kotua pushed some of the rubble, and got out. The officer drew his gun and fired, but the bullet bounced harmlessly off the armor.

Kotua lifted his gun, and aimed. "Any last words?" said Kotua, and then he fired.

Kotua walked around. He was in a city. He found the officer's jeep, and looked at the steering wheel. Keys were missing. Kotua turned, and walked back to the officer. Kotua searched the officer, and took his tools and the key. He walked back to the jeep, turned it on, and drove off to find the Blacktron HQ. He was eager to get revenge for being shot down with a missile.

Kotua turned on the radio, and was surprise to hear a person calling for helicopters at a target. Kotua heard the sounds of the helicopters, and looked up. One of the helicopters was there to stop Kotua, and the other to transport him to jail.

"I don't have time for this. Rex could be gone off the Blacktron Radars..." muttered Kotua, driving into an underground parking lot. Kotua soon heard police sirens. He looked behind, and saw the sirens of the police cars, coming towards him. Kotua took out a small device, and put it on the radio. Now Kotua could listen to the police's orders without them using the radio to track him.

Kotua drove up the ramp, and out of the parking lot. Kotua heard bullets fired, and looked around. Two police cars were driving towards him, cops firing at him. Kotua took his gun and shot the driver of one of the cars, and then he blasted the engine of the other car.

Kotua's escape from the police soon escalated as the LEGOLAND military became involved. He abandoned the police jeep and instead hijacked a military Hummer.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 9: Unleashing Chaos

----

Answering a distress signal from Enchanted Island, the squad rescued Louis and fought the Mutant Dinos on the island. The team was split up again, with Turahk-Kal traveling ahead with Louis.

"You guys need the most support you can get," Louis said to Turahk-Kal. "Here… have a rifle."

Turahk-Kal turned down Louis's rifle. "Already got one, let's go." They began walking to the beach to find a transport to Astor City.

"Do we really need a vehicle?" asked Louis. "We can just go down the way I came from... I know the way, and I left a boat at the beach."

Louis and Turahk-Kal found their boat and began their journey to Astor City.

*****

Cobra took out an electrical gun that he invented. He shot it at the Mutant T-Rex, which collapsed.

"That's only one of the creatures we'll be facing," Voltage said, kicking the mutant on the ground. The agents walked away, and Voltage decided to be more cautious.

The team of agents wandered down the corridors of the temple, unsure of exactly where they were going.

"Don't they have an exit sign somewhere?" Kai questioned.

They turned a corner and Voltage walked right into a sign. He stepped back, dazed.

"Okay," Kai said, looking around the room. "Does anybody know how to read Indigo?"

"No idea," Hyrode said. Taking a look at the letters, he saw some patterns, some lines, and some circles. "Okay, this symbol looks like a D, I think, and that one I have no idea, that might be an N, see, and then another weird one, then I have a hunch this might be an E, and that one looks like an R. That leaves us with, like, two options. The sign could say dinner, or it could say danger. I, for one, doubt it being the latter."

"Okay, I'm starved," Voltage said. It was true, he hadn't eaten since yesterday.

Voltage stepped into the room, and the ceiling gave a little shake. The cavern was bare, except for another corridor at the end.

"Where's the food?" Voltage said. Venom stepped in the room and examined it. The ceiling gave another shudder.

"I don't see any..." Venom said, who was also famished.

Hyrode, Kai, and Cobra stepped in. Nobody noticed, but the ceiling now began to crack. Then Joey, Snake, and Databoard stepped in, and the ceiling gave a huge shudder, catching the agent's attention.

"The ceiling's going to collapse!" Voltage yelled, and he spotted the other corridor. "Through there!"

The agents dove in as the ceiling collapsed, trapping them there.

----

Kotua continued driving away from the base. Military helicopters flew overhead, and soldiers aimed at Kotua. He would have fired back, but he needed a gunner for that.

Kotua noticed a bridge ahead. He pressed the pedal when he noticed the warning gate going down and the bridge raising. He knew they were trying to stop him. Bullets bounced off the hummer as the soldiers tried aiming from the helicopter.

A missile struck the pavement as Kotua swerved it. Some hummers drove in front of him and stopped, making a roadblock. Kotua turned the steering wheel, and the hummer spun to face back. Kotua sped off, swerving as he passed the helicopter.

Kotua noticed big military airplanes on the sky. They seemed to be dropping something. Kotua continued driving. He heard the THUD of someone landing. They were soldiers in Power Armor. The soldiers fired the Power Armor's weapons, blowing off the rear tires. Kotua heard the grinding of the wheel.

Kotua was now driving into the Mutant Dino-infested district. The military stopped chasing him, not willing to lose men to the Mutant Dinos. Kotua continued driving, until a Mutant Raptor walked into the street. Kotua hit the brakes, but it was too late. The hummer slammed into the Raptor faster than it could activate its force shield.

A missile struck the Raptor. Kotua looked up. Black T-1 Typhoons landed around. ShadowTech soldiers in black Power Armor surrounded him. They tore the driver's door open, and grabbed Kotua.

Kotua struggled, but he was still stunned from the airbags hitting him...

----

"Great," Snake of Spades said, glumly. "We're trapped."

"We're only trapped from that way," Voltage said, pointing at the massive pile of boulders that completely covered their entrance. "But we can still go that way." Voltage pointed again down the corridor.

The agents walked down the corridor. There was no light, except for the glowing stone in Voltage's hand. It proved as a good light source. Along the way he found the remains of a torch that had been bracketed to the wall on the floor. He removed the brackets, got out some tape and taped the stone to the top, as sort of a fake torch.

The agents could not see the end of the corridor, and Voltage assumed it was very far away. Their footsteps echoed as they all grew tired and hungry.

Databoard was wondering why the Mutant T-Rex had been so enraged when it smelled the shards of that container. Maybe it had been in that container and the thought of the confinement enraged it. Or it could be enemies with what had been in there, which meant something dangerous was loose around here. Databoard hoped the reason was the former and not the latter...

Meanwhile, some of the rocks blocking the path gave way, and two evil red eyes glared from the darkness. Out of the rubble came a yellow Mutant Lizard, but this one was unlike the acid-spitting ones Dino Attack Team had known. It wore light armor, fashioned in the traditional style of the Indigo Islander warriors, and it carried a spear in its claws. Electricity surged through its body. It silently rushed down the darkened corridors, following the Dino Attack agents.

The agents walked down the dark hallway. All around them were strange and sometimes bizarre creatures contained in the tubes. Databoard paused to look at one particular specimen, when suddenly a bolt of electricity shot through the air. Databoard was sent flying into the stasis tube, but it didn't inflict enough damage to free the creature. The yellow armored Mutant Lizard stepped towards them, ready to fire electricity at them.

Cobra turned his electric gun on the Mutant Lizard, to be met by a lightning bolt. He tried a Cosmotronic Ray, but it did not work. He used all his weapons except his mini battering launcher, which he aimed at the Lizard's head. He fired it, and the Mutant Lizard recoiled as its helmet shattered.

However, the Mutant Lizard quickly recovered and turned towards Cobra. With a blast of electricity, it knocked the weapon from his hand. Databoard fired his laser, but the Lizard dodged his attacks. It charged at Databoard, forcing him to dodge the creature's spear.

The agents kept shooting the Mutant Lizard, but it had no effect. Then Voltage remembered something. He had made it back when he was an Alpha Team agent. He got out a gauntlet from his pack. He had not used it for years, but it still worked. Time to give the Lizard a taste of its own medicine.

Voltage slipped the gauntlet on, and pushed the button on the side. Thousands of volts of electricity surged through the Mutant Lizard, so much that it disintegrated the creature. The spear, now without an owner, crashed to the ground.

The agents continued to walk away from the remains of the electricity Mutant Lizard, when three others leapt at them: one was green with blue spots, the second was pure white, and the last was blue with brown stripes. Like the yellow one, they all were armored and carried spears, and they had evil red eyes instead of the usual white eyes.

Voltage fired his electricity gauntlet at the blue Mutant Lizard, but it teleported away and wound up behind him. He swung his staff at Voltage, who dodged, but the gauntlet was knocked from his hand. Databoard fired at the green one, but suddenly, vines sprouted up and grabbed the laser from his hand. The white one started firing bolts of lightning from its staff, forcing the agents to dodge.

Fortunately, when Voltage recovered the gauntlet, it was still intact. He used it on the white Mutant Lizard, and its armor and spear exploded in a burst of electric energy. He knew the gauntlet would have no effect on the other two, the green one with the vines and the blue one with teleportation, so he put it away. He did not want it to get damaged.

The blue one leapt at him, and he barely dodged, wishing he had its power. He rolled across the room, avoiding the Mutant Lizard's attacks. He could not fight it forever. It had to have a weakness...

----

Suddenly, while Rex and Zero were tracking PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot, the Silver Scorpion received an incoming message: "STAY AWAY FROM ENCHANTED ISLAND, OR FACE THE WRATH OF ATUKAM."

"That can't be good..." said Zero. "I recognize that name from my missions to Enchanted Island…"

Rex continued piloting the Silver Scorpion in the direction of PBB and his friends. "With any luck," Rex told Zero, "they will still be nearby. They can't have gone far. And if this Atukam guy causes any trouble, we'll need all the help we can get."

"Speaking of being cloaked," Zero said, "we should cloak the Silver Scorpion from Kotua and Atukam while we're still alone." He reached for a button labeled "Cloaking Device".

Rex chuckled. "While that Blacktron incident was a close call, I'm sure that not even Kotua can destroy this thing now!"

Little did Rex know, somehow the cloaking device had been tampered with...

"This is made from a fascinating material," Rex said. "I mean, the metal that the Silver Scorpion armor is made from. Practically indestructible - actually, now completely indestructible. If I could get more of this metal, then I'd be able to help all the Dino Attack agents."

"Yeah," Zero said.

----

Databoard managed to free his laser from the vines and fired at the green Mutant Lizard, destroying its armor. He then turned to the blue Mutant Lizard and fired, but it did no good. The Lizard kept teleporting, and attacking from somewhere else. After watching it teleport, he got an idea. He yelled to the others, and they all began firing. It kept teleporting, but it was always finding it hit by a laser blast. It was getting exhausted from teleporting so much, and it was taking damage until finally its armor shattered.

The Mutant Lizard screeched as a dark force was ejected from its body. It flew through the air and landed on Databoard's face, manifesting as a mask-like form. He screamed, trying to pull it off.

Voltage shot it, and it slid off Databoard, leaving him covered in vile-looking slime. "Data, are you alright?" Voltage asked.

Databoard pulled out his laser. "I'm fine," he said, looking rather maniacal. "But you aren't going to be..."

"I'll keep an eye on him," Cobra whispered to Voltage. The ground started to shake. "Did you feel that?" A Mutant T-Rex ran past them, nearly crushing them. "I have a feeling something bad is in the direction we're heading."

Databoard charged at the Cobra and Voltage. Suddenly, a wall gave way, and more T-Rexes came bursting through. Voltage leapt to safety, and Databoard and Cobra were stuck on the other side. Dodging the stampeding dinos, he fired at Cobra, who ducked and avoided being shot.

The agents cornered Databoard, holding him to the ground.

"Stay still!" Voltage yelled, as he tried to get his medpack. He drew out a syringe, filled with liquid. He stuck the needle in Databoard's neck, and he calmed down.

"Where'd you get that?" Cobra asked.

"King Kahuka gave it to me," Voltage answered. "It's some sort of serum. He said to only use it in emergencies."

Databoard returned to normal within the hour. He was unconscious most of the time. He awoke and sat up.

"Thank the First Builders he's alright..." came a weary voice from behind them. Voltage whirled around. A female Indigo Islander paced around the room.

"Who are you?" Voltage questioned.

"I am Queen Amaritza, and my husband King Kahuka said it would be best if I checked up on you," she said. "I'll be going now..."

"Wait!!" Voltage yelled after her, but she was gone.

----

Kotua looked around. He was on a small room, somewhere in the world. There was a metal door leading to outside. It had a small window with bars on it. Kotua looked through it. Two guards in black gear stood there. They were hard to spot, as the walls were black. Kotua felt the heat, and knew the guards had it worse, as they were wearing black...

Kotua sat on his cell. After a while, the cell door opened, and two guards entered. They grabbed Kotua by the arms, and dragged him to the other side of the place.

Kotua kicked one of the guards, and grabbed his weapon as the soldier let him go. Kotua swung the rifle, hitting the other guard in the head. Kotua pulled his arm out of the unconscious soldier's grip. He swung the rifle again, hitting the other soldier.

Rookies, thought Kotua as he took all the tools from the ShadowTech soldiers.

Kotua continued running through the ShadowTech base. After a while, the cell doors ended, and he was facing doors in front labeled: LAB.

Kotua pushed the doors open, and readied his weapons. It was an empty corridor, except for one scientist kicking a vending machine in anger. Kotua fired at the distracted scientist, taking him down.

Kotua looked around LAB. Doors with small windows were around. Inside, ShadowTech scientists performed experiments. Kotua walked, looking through the window. Some had soldiers testing Power Armor. One fired at its target, destroying it, and charring the tripod that the target stood on.

Some had liquids doing strange things. One of them turned guns into fire ants, others simply melted the guns. Soldiers seemed to be forced to be guinea pigs for these experiments.

In the last room, Kotua noticed scientists around a pool of water. One was holding a stone tablet. Kotua silently opened the door, slipped in, and closed the door.

The scientists were looking at the pool. The scientist holding the tablet put it back in a box designed to keep the artifact intact. Kotua watched purple-tinted ripples in the water increasing, swirling into a vortex...

"Chaos…" he whispered, recognizing what they were doing. "You madmen…"

----

Databoard did not talk to anyone for quite a while after he woke up. He still felt a little weird from what had happened with that shadow-mask. While he had been infected, he had heard a voice… a dark, evil voice. He didn't know who it was, but he had a feeling it was whatever controlled those strange spear-wielding Mutant Lizards.

He got up and decided to go for a walk. He walked for a while, noticing several badly injured alligators lying along the pathway. He soon discovered what had attacked the beasts, as he was soon surrounded by Mutant Lizards. To make it worse, he had left his laser with the others.

Databoard hid behind a column. He pushed it over, and it landed on one of the raptors. Another leapt at Databoard, but he was able to lure it into a pit and trap it. This would be useful in studying the Mutant Lizards, but first he had to get out of here. He turned to the others which were about to attack him. He noticed several arrows and a longbow near a skeleton. He grabbed the arrows and fired at each of the Lizards, carefully taking them out one by one.

Now, there was only one left, and Databoard fired another arrow at it. Unfortunately, he missed, which only succeeded in getting the dino's attention. As the Mutant Lizard turned towards him, he saw that it was a freakish experiment with three heads and natural body armor. Databoard fired another arrow, and it bounced harmlessly off the Mutant Lizard's body.

Suddenly, it collapsed, apparently asleep. Databoard looked up to see a maroon Mutant Lizard walking up to him, and it was armored and carrying a spear just like the other unique Mutant Lizards they had encountered earlier. It pointed its staff at him, and Databoard fell asleep as well.

----

The Silver Scorpion had not received any more messages from Atukam. "Hopefully, that means he's gone," Rex guessed. "Un-hopefully, Atukam has cloaking technology like we do, and we won't see him coming."

"Un-hopefully?" repeated Zero. "What the-"

"Okay, I just couldn't think of another word," muttered Rex. "I'm a soldier, not a poet."

Rex looked around. He had begun to hear the voices again, and he knew that Mutant Dinos were near. There were many Mutant Dinos, since the voices were talking over one another. "Onward, we must... what do... shut up, you... get ready to... nobody will... what shall we do... interfere with our... loyal to you, great Sharptooth..."

"'Sharptooth' is probably their leader," muttered Rex, not noticing he was thinking aloud.

"Sharptooth? Who's 'Sharptooth?'" asked Zero.

"I was about to ask that first," Phantom grumbled.

"Oh, nothing!" Rex said quickly. "You must've heard me wrong!"

"Uh, Peasam?" said Zero.

"Yes?" asked Rex.

"Looks like there are Mutant Dinos around," remarked Zero.

"Not these giant lizard things again! I wish I could repel them!" grumbled Phantom.

Zero suddenly remembered the rotten eggs at Res-Q Headquarters. "I know a way to repel them! Let's go to Res-Q HQ!"

"Res-Q HQ?" repeated Rex. "But we're nowhere near the coast!"

"Don't worry," Zero said. "This thing can fly, can't it?"

"Hold on," Rex said. "Why should we have to travel all the way to Res-Q HQ when we could just..." A Mutant T-Rex appeared, and roared at the Silver Scorpion and its passengers. "... yeah, we could just RUN!" He quickly piloted the Silver Scorpion away from the Mutant T-Rex, and fortunately he realized that the beast couldn't keep up with the Scorpion Orb Launcher. "Then again, what's your plan?" he asked Zero.

----

Databoard awoke, and looked around. The armored maroon Mutant Lizard was gone, and the other Mutant Lizard was still asleep. Databoard got up and began to walk away, wondering why he was not eaten while he was unconscious.

Suddenly, the tunnel got even darker, and an Indigo Islander appeared in the shadows. He was dressed similarly to King Kahuka, but looked much more menacing and barbaric with armor fashioned from human bones. Two red eyes glowed through the demonic-looking mask he wore.

"Who are you?" Databoard shouted.

"I am shadow. I am darkness. I am Atukam," a voice said, which Databoard realized was the voice he heard when he was infected.

Databoard stepped back a bit. "Y-you don't scare me!" he shouted.

"Don't insult my intelligence," Atukam said. "You cannot hide your fear from me."

"Well, what do you want?" Databoard shouted.

"This island shall be mine," Atukam said. "For many years, I have waited in this temple in exile after Kahuka and Amaritza banished me. But now, the Mutant Dinos will herald a new age. I sensed the dark powers of chaos and destruction coursing through their veins. With my own dark magic, I have created my own loyal mutants, the Sons of Atukam. These Mutant Dinos will keep the Indigo Islanders occupied and unprepared for attack."

"And let me guess, we're interfering with this plan?" Databoard said.

"Yes, now go. Tell the others to leave by tomorrow morning, or else face my wrath," Atukam said. "And if you tell anyone of my plan, you will be destroyed." And with that, Atukam vanished into the shadows, and the tunnel returned to normal.

Databoard stood there for a while, in a state of shock. "Hey, there you are, Data!" Voltage shouted as he and Cobra walked over. "Everyone's been looking for you!"

"Yeah, you've been gone almost an hour!" Cobra added. "Where were you?"

Databoard then told them what Atukam had said.

"Well, no vengeful native with glowing eyes is gonna scare me away!" Cobra said.

"Cobra, Atukam is the one who infected me, and he's in charge of those armored spear-wielding Mutant Lizards, the Sons of Atukam, and trust me, they're bad," Databoard said.

"Well, we can't just give up on our mission!" Voltage said. "We should take extreme caution."

Atukam watched as the three agents left, taking the unconscious Mutant Lizard with them. "So, the fools have chosen to stay..." he said. "They shall be forced to pay."

He turned to a magical pool in his chamber. Atukam snapped his fingers, and something rose from the silver liquid. Out stepped what looked like a cross between a Mutant Lizard, a Mutant Raptor, and an Indigo Golem. It had the abilities of the Raptor and Lizard, but it was crafted from stone and animated by the same magical power that brought the Tiki Golems to life, combined with Atukam's own addition of dark chaotic energy. It would be perfect for destroying the Dino Attack agents...

----

Kotua noticed the water rising, taking shape. It had to be Chaos. He remembered the legendary Mayan beast from his days in Alpha Team. Kotua and Databoard had sealed Chaos in a crystal in its temple; he had no idea how it could have gotten out, but somehow it was now here in the ShadowTech LAB.

Now, the water had formed a creature with vaguely reptilian features, not unlike the Mutant Dinos. It stared at the ShadowTech scientists with bright green eyes, but it did not move.

The ShadowTech scientists cheered. "Finally! We've actually done something! Not like the other guys still in prototype phase!" said one.

"Yeah! Finally, now that we have means to study the destructive energies of Chaos and understand the First Builders' true potential, we can proceed to step-" said another scientist, before suddenly getting punched in the face by the water creature.

Kotua aimed at Chaos. The scientists scrambled as the monster grabbed another scientist. Kotua fired, and noticed the bullets hit Chaos. The bullets slowed down and harmlessly fell off its body. The water creature ignored the bullets, and continued beating the scientist. The other scientists pressed the alarm, and soon soldiers in Power Armor came in. They fired at Chaos with their blasters, but the blasts had no effect on the water entity.

Chaos dropped the scientist, and leapt towards the Power Armor Soldiers. The soldiers fired, but the water creature punched and kicked them until they were too weak to fight back. Soldiers ran to get to the monster, but it stretched its hands and closed the doors.

Kotua fired at Chaos, but it was useless. The water entity seemed invincible. Chaos looked around. It noticed the water sprinklers on top. The creature stretched itself, and went into the water sprinklers....

Outside, ShadowTech soldiers used battering rams to force the doors open. Unfortunately, the doors were force-proof. The only way was through the main computer, or if the persons inside opened the door. And since the main computer was being repaired, they had to try to break the door open. Little did they notice Chaos above them, traveling into another section of LAB...

----

Databoard and the others were preparing to fight against the Sons of Atukam when suddenly there was a loud explosion that filled the room with smoke. When the smoke cleared, two Sons of Atukam were standing in front of them: one purple, and the other light-blue. The agents raised their weapons, but the light-blue Lizard aimed its staff and their weapons were ripped apart into atom-sized bits.

Databoard charged at the purple Mutant Lizard, only to be blown back by a sonic blast that deafened him for several minutes. He got back up as more Sons of Atukam came out. One was tan, another was orange, and the last was grey. Then part of the ceiling gave way, and the Golem/Mutant Dino leapt through the debris at them.

"The only thing we got is these arrows I found," said Databoard.

"You mean these?" said Cobra. "I think my Ice Beam will be more effective." He fired upon the Sons of Atukam and froze them solid, but had no luck with the Dino Golem. The monstrous creature charged at them and slammed into Cobra. Everything went black.

----

Meanwhile, while Hooks traveled with Sam Sinister and Robo-Limb chatted with Brickster, Vladek was paired up with the black knight of FUTURE. Vladek was more at ease than his fellow villains, but still could not shake the same feeling of dread.

"Who are y… err, thou?" asked Vladek.

"Thou can call thee 'Dark Sword'," the black knight introduced himself, "until the time of which thou learneth thy true name."

Ah, thy see that thou speaketh Olde English just like thee, thought Vladek. Thy kneweth that thy had not mixeth up the pronouns after all! "Thy doth not see any reason to trust thou," he said. "Thy knoweth better than to let a fellow dark knight standeth in thy way of conquering Morcia."

"Believe thee," Dark Sword insisted. Vladek continued to refuse, until Dark Sword said, "There art greater rewards than just Morcia if thou believe thee!"

"A reward greater than just taking over Morcia?" Vladek repeated. "Well, tell thee!"

"Patience," Dark Sword said. "First thou must knoweth thy team's plan!"

"Tell thee!" Vladek insisted again.

"FUTURE's plan is to stop the Mutant Dinos... and the Dino Attack Team!"

"Why the Dino Attack Team?" asked Vladek. "Thy mean, it's the Mutant Dinos that art the problem, and thus-"

"Silence!" shouted Dark Sword. Vladek, eyeing the spiked flail that Dark Sword carried, quickly quieted down. "Of course, if thee destroyeth just the Mutant Dinos, then the world would be safe. But that Dino Attack Team wouldeth get all the credit! So, if thee attacketh the team and kill them, then thee wouldeth get credit instead!"

"But why would thee want the credit?" asked Vladek. "Thy hath been lying low for good reason."

"Imagine," Dark Sword said. "Why taketh over Morcia with those nasty pesky knights to foil thou... when all of Castle Cove could be so grateful for thou saving them… and they willingly giveth thou the entire Castle Cove to rule! How doth that soundeth?"

----

The next thing Cobra knew, they were further down the tunnel.

"You got knocked unconscious. When you were asleep, we delayed the dino by bringing down the ceiling, but he should catch up with us," explained Kai.

"Oh," said Cobra.

"Guys I've got more bad news..." Databoard said. They looked down the tunnel to see the armored three-headed Mutant Lizard heading towards them.

"What is that?" Cobra said.

"I think Atukam has been experimenting with Mutant Dino genetics, and he turned it into that armored... thing," Databoard explained. "It's also invulnerable to arrows and other piercing weapons, so our only hope may be to capture it."

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Voltage asked.

"With that!" Databoard said, pointing to one of Atukam's stasis tubes.

The three-headed Mutant Lizard crept towards the agents and they readied the stasis tube. Suddenly, part of the tunnel wall gave way, and the Mutant Dino Golem leapt out, followed by the now-unfrozen Sons of Atukam. The three-headed Lizard ran away, frightened by these Sons of Atukam.

"What do we do?" Kai shouted.

"We run!" Databoard shouted. They did just that, with the Sons of Atukam in close pursuit.

The agents struggled to keep ahead of the Sons of Atukam, but they were too fast. Within moments, the lizard-like beasts were upon them. Databoard found himself facing the purple Lizard. Cobra fired his Ice Beam at the Lizard, and it was encased in ice. Suddenly, the ice shattered in a sonic blast, forcing Databoard to dodge the icy shards. He was then blown back into a wall by another scream from the Son of Atukam.

Databoard fired his laser pistol at the purple Son of Atukam, and it recoiled in pain long enough for him to put distance between them. Meanwhile, he could see Voltage trying to fight the orange Son of Atukam, which was summoning swarms of insects. Databoard called to Cobra, who fired his Ice Beam again and froze the insects and the Lizard. Cobra fired another blast at the tan Lizard, which appeared to have an elastic power. It hit, and the Son of Atukam was frozen in place. Databoard fired at the grey Lizard, incapacitating it. The agents surrounded the Mutant Lizard, but suddenly the maroon Son of Atukam showed up. It waved its staff, and all the agents fell asleep...

----

Kotua looked around LAB. There was no way out. Vents were too small. Then Kotua noticed the emergency fire exit. Kotua ran, and opened it. Immediately the fire alarm sounded, and all doors on LAB opened. The ShadowTech solders carrying the battering ram went through and fell on the floor. Kotua ran, and soon reached a gate. The gates were open as a truck was delivering crates. Kotua hid behind one crate, and fired at the soldiers. Another soldier inside the truck looked up and was also hit. Kotua got up and ran through the gates as the Powered Armored soldiers came out from LAB.

Kotua ran, and hid. One ShadowTech solider noticed him, and walked towards him. Kotua noticed the Power Armor, and the helmet. Kotua raised his gun, and took aim...

A few moments later, Kotua put on the helmet of the fallen ShadowTech soldier. It was semi-protecting his head. Kotua tested the Power Armor. It worked fine. Only trade-off was that it was big, so he wouldn't be able to hide as easily...

----

The agents awoke. Voltage looked around. They seemed to be in a large chamber, with large pillars holding the ceiling up and strange markings all over the place.

"Where are we...?" Voltage said, still drowsy.

"This is the lair of shadows..." a voice hissed. The speaker was shrouded in darkness, but they could make out a faint outline of him. "Welcome to your doom..."

Databoard looked around the lair. It was dark, and the only source of light was from a strange, silver pool.

"I told you to leave," Atukam said. "You should have listened!"

"Listen, you can threaten us, but we aren't about to leave!" Databoard shouted.

Suddenly, Atukam stepped out from the shadows, revealing his menacing form. "Perish, foolish agent!" he shouted, and fired a shadow magic blast at Databoard. Voltage grabbed Databoard, and pulled him out of the way. The dark spell impacted where they just were and left a deep crater in the ground.

Databoard and the other agents looked for any way to escape, but there was one gate that was blocked, and the other was shut. "There will be no escape for you..." Atukam said. "Now die!" He fired another shadow blast, causing the agents to run for cover.

Voltage and Hyrode dove behind a pillar. Atukam blasted it with more dark magic, and it fell to the ground, exposing them. Another blast missed them by inches, and jumped behind the pillar Venom was hiding behind. Atukam started attacking the other agents, and Voltage peeked out from behind the pillar.

"I wonder if he has a weakness," Voltage said.

"What do you mean?" Venom said.

"A way to defeat him...."

"Ungh!" Cobra grunted. He saw Databoard and Voltage dodging shadow magic.

"You shall perish!" said Atukam, who shot a shadow blast at Cobra. He just barely dodged it. They continued dodging.

Cobra said, "Any plans? Wait! What if we brought down the pillars except one? We need to bring them down with his shadow blasts!" They put their plan into work. Atukam accidentally brought most of the pillars down.

The agents dodged the blasts, and Voltage built off of his 'weakness' idea. Then he got it. "Does anyone have any weapons?"

"Nope, I think the Sons of Atukam must have taken 'em," Databoard said. Then he looked at the closed gate. "I've got an idea..." he said, and ran forward.

"Are you insane?" Voltage shouted, but Databoard did not listen.

Atukam shot shadow magic at Databoard, and he leapt out of the way. He dodged the blasts, and headed closer to the gate. "Can't catch me!" Suddenly, a shadow blast hit him, propelling him through the gate.

The other agents quickly rushed through the shattered gate to him. "Databoard, are you okay?" Cobra asked.

"I've been better," Databoard muttered sarcastically, being hurt badly by the blast.

"Now, to finish you!" Atukam shouted, preparing to destroy them. The agents turned and ran out of Atukam's temple, with Atukam close behind. They soon found themselves at the edge of a large cliff, overlooking a sea with Astor City in the distance. They were trapped.

"Jump and grab each other's hand!" said Cobra. They did that, and Cobra broke their fall by digging his spike shoes into the cliff wall. His plan worked. They did not hit the water too hard. Atukam waited, and then he left once he decided they must have drowned.

----

Kotua walked across the street. He felt the suit tell him the coordinates of his "pals". Kotua charged the Power Armor blaster, and hid behind a chewed SWAT van. The helicopter flew over, and one soldier opened the cargo door and aimed his RPG launcher. Kotua fired, and the soldier was pushed into the copter by the blast. Kotua fired again, this time at the rotor, sending the helicopter down in flames.

Kotua walked around, and noticed a tank moving towards him, escorted by two Power Armored Soldiers. Kotua fired at the soldiers first, taking them down momentarily. Then there was dealing with the tank...

Kotua fired again at the stunned solders, trapping them in their Power Armor. He then ran towards the tank. However, the tank fired, and the blast sent him straight into a building.

Kotua got up and fired back. The blasts bounced off the tank, however...

----

Databoard, Voltage, and their teammates treaded water until Louis and Turahk-Kal came by in their boat and picked them up. They proceeded onward to Astor City, dropping them off at the Coleport District.

"We need to get weapons," said Voltage.

"Let's hope we can," said Cobra.

After Databoard had recovered from being blasted through a wall, they set off to find the Mutant Dinos. Since their lasers had been destroyed by Atukam, they recovered experimental projectile-launching weapons (called "stud launchers") from the abandoned Pointer Island laboratory to fight the Mutant Dinos. They soon encountered several civilians running from a group of Mutant Lizards. The agents rushed over and prepared to defeat the Lizards.

Voltage had only enough ammo for five shots with his stud launcher, so he had to use them well. He told everybody to be careful and stay alert, because none of them knew what would happen when they used the weapons. Voltage fired his first shot at a Mutant Lizard. The projectile was knocked away easily, but it came back around like a boomerang and hit the Lizard squarely in the back. The creature collapsed, too weak to fight.

Cobra hit one with a stud that caused it to shrink. They could just barely see it. Cobra started stomping around.

"What are you doing?" asked Voltage.

"Yeah, seriously, what are you doing?" Databoard said, and returned to fighting the Lizards. He loaded a stud into the launcher and blasted it at one of the Mutant Lizards. It tried to get out of the way but was hit by the projectile, which froze it solid just like Cobra's Ice Beam.

He looked through his remaining ammo. He realized that the effects depended on which studs they used. He did not want to use anything that would teleport the Mutant Lizard away, as it would just mean they would have to fight it elsewhere. He got an idea; he took out one of the same "weakening" studs that Voltage used, and he blasted it at the ground beneath a Mutant Lizard's feet. He then fired a high-power "enlarging" studs at the Lizard, causing to grow to huge proportions. The ground under its feet was too weak, and it collapsed under its weight. Databoard then fired one of Cobra's "shrinking" studs, returning the creature to normal size. At its regular size, it could not get out of the pit it had created. Databoard loaded another shot and rushed off to deal with the other Lizards.

A Lizard bit Snake's arm. "ARRRRGGGGGHHHH!!!" he cried. His stud launcher slipped from his hand. Databoard shot the lizard for him.

Voltage ran over and said, "Data, radio in a T-1."

Soon, a T-1 Typhoon flew in. "Set the course for Port Royal on Sabatina. There's a Med Station there," Voltage told the pilot. Unfortunately, Snake fell unconscious.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning hit the T-1 Typhoon, causing it to crash. About ten Mutant Pteranodons swooped over them. Databoard aimed a "freeze" stud and fired at a Pteranodon. It dodged and fired a lightning bolt at Databoard, who leapt out of the way. The others fired studs as well, but the Pteranodons simply dodged them.

Voltage was able to knock a few out of the sky with the rear guns, but they ran out of ammo after the third Pteranodon.

Databoard kept firing studs, but noticed that the gunshells had stopped falling. "Out of ammo?" he inquired.

"Unfortunately..." Voltage yelled, irritated by their quick loss of ammunition. The agents were down to about five studs each now.

They hadn't gotten far; they were still above Astor City.

We can make it! Voltage thought. At that moment the rotor in the back of the copter blew off. We're not gonna make it.

One last zap from a Pteranodon and they went crashing down to the Astoria District.

The Pteranodons attacked, as everyone recovered from the crash. They were out of weapons, and they had lost their stud launchers in the crash. Their only option was to hide. The T-1 Typhoon was on its side, so the agents hopped into the space in it. Voltage pulled the cockpit windshield over the space. It made a nice cover. The glass was tinted from the outside, so the Pteranodons could not see them.

"What do we do now?" Kai asked Voltage.

"We sit," Voltage replied. "And wait."

----

After an hour or so, the Silver Scorpion reached Res-Q Emergency Response Center. "I'm too tired to leave, can you two go alone?" asked Zero.

"Sure," said Rex.

"Just hold your breaths..." Zero warned them.

Rex and Phantom held their noses as they entered the HQ, but even then, it couldn't stop some of the awful scent from reaching into Rex's nostrils. It threw off his Mutant Dino side and his every instinct told him to get out of there, but he remained calm.

Rex and Phantom came back with a box that smelled like rotten eggs. They were going to open it, but it was upside-down, and all the eggs fell inside the Silver Scorpion.

"RUN!" shouted Phantom.

Everyone got outside the vehicle, including Zero. Now, Rex and Phantom saw him wearing the high-tech prototype armor for the first time.

Still reeling from the smell of rotten eggs, Rex was so lightheaded that he took a step back… and promptly fell off solid ground and landed into the water. Rising to the surface, he flailed his arms. "Help!" he yelled. "I can't swim!"

The Silver Scorpion's computer immediately turned on an air conditioner to remove the rotten egg stench, but neither Phantom nor Zero noticed. Phantom ran to help Rex.

Rex had to be saved by Zero, who used the opportunity to test out his new prototype armor. As Zero pulled Rex out of the water, they encountered a swarm of Mutant Vinscale Octomus: giant cephalopod monsters that had apparently undergone the same mutation as the Mutant Dinos. At that point, Zero declared, "Nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, nope, NOPE!" and they immediately fled inland, meeting up with Chompy.

----

Eventually, the Pteranodons went away, and the Dino Attack agents entered Astor-Com Inc. headquarters, hoping to find some communication.

Snake of Spades woke up. He looked at his arm. It was covered in green gunk.

Voltage spoke with agent Nordic, who was one of the T-1 Typhoon pilots who arrived. "Guys, we have to stay here until tomorrow. It's gonna take all night to set up communications. Snake, are you okay?" Voltage said.

Snake just stared blankly at his arm.

"Hello, Earth to Snake?" Voltage asked. Databoard grabbed a med kit. Cobra poured some ice on him.

Snake muttered: "Kill. Kill. KILL!!!"

"What is wrong with you?" Voltage yelled. Snake tackled him. Voltage tried to defend, and kicked Snake in the stomach. He fell backwards, giving Voltage time. The second Snake stood up, he fell right back to the ground.

"Tranquilizer dart," Hyrode said. "He'll be out for a few hours. In that time, we need to know what's happened to him."

"I think I know what happened..." Nordic stepped forward. "What happened was-"

"This green stuff must have had some kind of effect on him," Databoard said, looking at the substance on Snake's arm. "It may cause some kind of mind control, but I'm not quite sure." He then looked up to see Nordic looking slightly annoyed over his stolen thunder. "Oh, sorry about that," Databoard said.

"Well let's get it off," Voltage said. He grabbed a pair of gloves out of his pocket and began scraping the slime off Snake's arm.

"Put it in here." Cobra showed Voltage a container. "Why? For studies. It's an interesting substance."

Louis descended into the lower levels of Astor-Com Inc. headquarters, wondering if he would find anything interesting.

Snake of Spades told Nordic that he needed a weapon. Two minutes later, in came Nordic carrying a Sonic Screamer. "Thanks," Snake said.

Suddenly, a Mutant Raptor jumped into Astor-Com Inc. headquarters. Snake hissed and growled. The Raptor roared. Snake's teeth got sharper. A tail shot out of his body. His eyes glowed blood red.

Too late, Snake's teammates recognized the green substance as the same serum that had infected Axel and Hyrode.

"Not this again!" said Cobra as he picked up a broken chair and swung it like a makeshift club, knocking out the Raptor. He then looked at Snake of Spades. He was so startled he took a step back, tripped, and fell down through a smashed window. His life flashed before his eyes, then everything went blank.

"COBRA!" Databoard shouted as the agent plummeted of the side of the tower. He rushed to help him, but the mutated Snake leapt at him. He ducked out of the way and grabbed the nearest thing that could function as a weapon: the med kit. As Snake charged at Databoard, he swung the med kit and rendered Snake unconscious.

Cobra was as lucky as the man who fell out of an airplane without a parachute and landed in a mattress factory, almost. He got two sprained ankles, a broken arm, and aches all over, but he was alive.

What surprised Cobra the most was that something had jostled his memory. Maybe it was the way he hit his head on the ground. Suddenly, he could recall the antidote to the Mutant Dino serum that had transformed Snake of Spades… but he did not remember how he knew it.

Weakly, he picked up his radio. "Voltage," he said, "I can cure Snake… you're not going to believe this."

----

Rex, Zero, Phantom, and Chompy entered a nearby LEGOLAND military camp, and the soldiers were frightened by the sight of Chompy. Therefore, the soldiers attacked, pursuing Chompy in their jeeps. Rex, Zero, and Phantom fought the soldiers to defend Chompy.

Kotua arrived, and then Chaos emerged from a manhole and flooded the military camp. Kotua, Rex, and Chaos were then locked in combat with one another, but Kotua was knocked out by Chaos during the fight, letting Chaos turn its full attention to the Silver Scorpion and its occupants.

Rex screamed. Zero screamed. Phantom screamed. Everyone was screaming as Chaos approached the Silver Scorpion.

"That's it!" declared Phantom. "I'm not taking any chances; I'm going to follow Norik's example!" He reached into the back of the cockpit and pulled out the other high-tech prototype armor suit retrieved from Astor City, which appeared similar to Zero's armor but had red highlights instead of green. He wasted no time in putting it on.

That leaves me without any armor, Rex thought bitterly.

"Now you're just like me!" said Zero. "But yours doesn't come with goggles like mine. Maybe it's got different features, like a stealth mode, or a jetpack, or maybe even a stud launcher!"

"A what launcher?" asked Phantom.

"A stud launcher, I got one at my Urban Avenger... My Urban Avenger!" Zero said with a start. He turned to Rex excitedly. "Peasam! I know how to make all the Mutant Dinos disappear! Let's go!"

WHAM!

"Now's not a good time, Norik…" muttered Rex.

"Ah! What's that noise?" cried out Phantom.

----

Voltage tried again for Rex. No answer.

"Dang it!" he mumbled. He decided to call again in a minute.

Voltage was shocked that Cobra could not remember anything. Cobra had the antidote to that goo, and was the only one who knew how to make it. He had also said he knew how the dinos got mutated, but all of that knowledge was gone now.

Bzzzzzzzp.... Bzzzzzzzp.... Bzzzzzzzp....

"What is that?" the newly-cured Snake said. It was the communicator.

"I'll try to remember this," said Cobra. He started mumbling scientific phrases. "Are there any medical labs near here? I know how to retrieve lost memory with the right tools." Cobra picked up a Cosmotronic Ray, stud launcher ammo, and some tools. He started doing work on the studs and ray.

Voltage answered the communicator. It was General Jim of the LEGOLAND military, looking for a report.

"Uh... Hi. You again. Well, Cobra's lost his memory..." Voltage peered over the top of the roof to see Databoard fighting off Mutant lizards. "... And Data's cornered by Mutant Lizards," he finished.

"Listen here, Voltage..."

"Sorry, gotta go!" he said, and hung up. It rang again. "Don't answer," he told Cobra, who was working on a cure for amnesia.

He told everyone and they rushed down the hall to help, but were cornered by Raptors by the elevator. One swung its tail at Voltage. He leapt aside and drew out his two pistols.

He dodged the Raptors' blows and snuck up on the other one, meleeing it in the spine, so it collapsed. The other one was more aggressive. After swinging several would-be-fatal blows at the agents, they took aggressive force.

----

The phantom rescued Chompy from a LEGOLAND military jeep. When the soldiers opened fire upon the phantom, the bullets were harmlessly deflected off his body, causing the soldiers to panic and think that he was really a ghost.

"He's a demon!" a soldier cried. "A monster! A ghost! A phantom!"

"That's the phantom to you!" snapped the mysterious cloaked figure.

Three seconds later, all of the LEGOLAND soldiers were running away, screaming in terror. Chompy snorted, unimpressed by the phantom's display.

Although his face could not be seen beneath the dark hood of his cloak, the phantom must have been smiling as he chuckled softly. "Does anything ever impress you, Chompy?"

Chompy blinked in surprise. How did the phantom understand him?

*****

Rex, Zero, and Phantom started screaming again as the entropic energy blasts from Chaos hit the Silver Scorpion. The water creature flooded the streets below the falling Scorpion Orb Launcher, and grasped it... Rex had no idea how much more the Silver Scorpion could withstand.

Chaos moved closer to the Silver Scorpion. Its liquid form morphed into a vaguely crocodilian head with razor-sharp teeth. The water beast opened its mouth and started trying to bite the Scorpion Orb Launcher.

Rex, Zero, and Phantom looked at each other. "It can't break through… can it?" whispered Rex.

Chaos continued growing, and the street below cracked under the pressure of the water below the street and above it. And then, its water started to pulse with a purple glow…

The water creature bit one of the Silver Scorpion's claws, and started ripping it off the vehicle. The purple glow grew even more intense as the impervious armor melted away, to the horror of Rex, Phantom, and Zero.

"That d-doesn't make sense!" Rex frantically stammered, unable to believe what he just saw. "There's absolutely no way that water could destroy…"

But at that moment, Rex saw their possible salvation. When Chaos arrived on the scene, it drowned most of the Mutant Dinos on site, but there was one single Mutant T-Rex that managed to survive. Nothing could survive the T-Rex's nuclear furnace mouth, which would surely evaporate water in an instant. It seemed that the Mutant T-Rex also realized this. With a final burst of energy, it threw itself onto Chaos and closed its jaws around the water entity's head.

If it had been any other creature, this bite would have been lethal. Unfortunately, Chaos was no monster of solid matter, and its liquid form slipped easily out of the dino's mouth, unharmed. A moment later, the T-Rex was drowned.

With its distraction eliminated, Chaos glowed purple once again as it tore the Silver Scorpion in half. Water rushed up and took the form of a hand. It grabbed Rex, and threw the wrecked Silver Scorpion to the side, where its pieces smashed into a building.

Rex cursed. This was not going to end well. As the water engulfed him, he started to lose consciousness. The last thing he saw before he blacked out was the arrival of an airship looming overhead…

----

Databoard was walking outside Astor-Com Inc. when he was surrounded by Mutant Lizards. One charged at him, but he jumped over it. It walked into a wall and knocked itself unconscious. That took care of one, but now he had to take care of the rest...

Two Lizards charged at Databoard, who jumped out of the way and ran into each other. Another leapt at him, but he ducked and it tripped. More attacked, and he continued to dodge the Lizard's attacks, but they kept charging at him. He leapt over another Lizard, and it ran directly into another Lizard.

Databoard ducked, dodged, and evaded every Mutant Lizard that attacked him. Fortunately, they had not yet realized that he could take them on if they attacked him one-by-one. Unfortunately, that soon changed: they all attacked him at once. Databoard did the only thing he could; he leapt up and grabbed part of the Astor-Com Inc. wall. He was now trapped and dangling over several Mutant Lizards.

Databoard looked up, only to see no way to climb to safety. He would have to find some other way out of this mess. Gathering all his strength, he leapt off the wall and over the Lizards. He rushed off, the Lizards close behind. He rushed into another building, slamming the door behind him.

----

When Rex awoke, he found himself in a room that seemed eerily sterilized. He was sitting in a chair, and from his position he could see two men standing at a nearby control panel.

One of the men walked over to him. He was dressed with a large hooded cloak worn over a black militaristic suit. "So, you have awakened," he spoke in a baritone voice with a light Germanic accent. "You ought to thank us for rescuing you from Chaos. It would have been a shame if you drowned on dry land, after all."

There was something about the man that made Rex feel very uneasy. "Right, and I think I should be getting out of-" Rex was about to get up when a bar was flung in front of him, securely locking him into the chair.

"We seek the same end goal, you and I," the hooded man continued, "the extermination of the Mutant Dinos. So, why don't you stay and chat for a while?"

"You know nothing of my end goals," Rex said through gritted teeth, hoping to hide his anxiety at being trapped. His Mutant Dino instincts made him feel like a caged animal.

His captor chuckled in a sinister manner. "Oh, but I do. I know exactly where your future lies, my boy. The Foundation of Unstoppable Terror and Ultimate Ruthless Evil knows all about you. But, the things that won't be mentioned in the history books… now, that's what interests me. So, I need you to divulge the greatest secrets of Dino Attack Team. We will find your weakness, and you are going to tell me!"

"You're not getting anything out of me!" declared Rex.

For the first time, Rex noticed the person had red hooks for hands. "I knew you would say that," said the hook-handed villain. "Now, what was it I said before? That it would be a shame if you drowned on dry land? Well… I can arrange that."

The hook-handed villain turned around. "Sam Sinister, bring it out!"

Rex now recognized the other man at the controls as Lord Sam Sinister. "Right away, Hooks!" he said. He pushed several buttons, and then a giant machine lowered from the ceiling. It looked like a mass of wires and tubes, with one extended hose nozzle-like structure pointed towards Rex.

Rex's eyes widened. Despite trying to stay calm, he could feel himself panicking like a cornered animal. "What is that thing?" he yelled.

Hooks grinned menacingly. "It's my latest addition to Villains Headquarters. I call it the Truth Receiver. It's time for you to become well acquainted with it… I'm sure the two of you will be great friends."

Hooks went to the controls and turned on the Truth Receiver. The machine started slowly moving closer to Rex as the nozzle sucked up air like a vacuum. "You will know what it is like to suffocate," declared Hooks. "All the air in your lungs sucked out. Over and over again, without the mercy of passing out, until you are ready to tell us the truth."

"The Truth Receiver is a torture device?" gasped Rex. "What, you couldn't make something that just reads my mind, extracts the truth, and gets it over with quickly?"

Hooks laughed. "Now, where is the fun in that?"

The machine drew closer and closer to Rex…

*****

Zero awoke inside a cell. He was alone, too. "How I can get outta here?" he wondered.

Luckily, Zero was still wearing his high-tech armor; whoever had captured them had not thought to confiscate it. His goggles analyzed the material of the cell bars and calculated a 94.7% probability that it would not withstand a direct punch from his armored fist.

"So, this armor enhances my physical strength?" Zero observed. "Neat!" He clenched his hand into a fist and punched the cell bars, and they collapsed easily.

And suddenly, he heard someone screaming from an adjacent room.

"Rex!" Zero whispered urgently.

----

Kotua thought about his predicament. At first, he was the prisoner of Chaos, until he remembered how he had controlled it last time during Mission Deep Freeze. Databoard had foiled his plan last time. But not this time. This time he would succeed, and he would find the special Chaos Emeralds the creature used to become its most powerful, purest form. Kotua felt even more confident as he knew that no agent could harm him now.

Kotua landed on the broken streets, and walked into a jewelry store. Kotua walked to the safe and took out a scanner. He detected the Chaos Emerald inside.

Kotua made a signal to Chaos, and stood back. The water creature slammed the safe until it opened. Kotua reached inside, and took the red Chaos Emerald. Chaos retracted his arm and waited. Kotua then faced Chaos.

"Finally," muttered Kotua, as Chaos lowered his head and opened his mouth. Kotua put the emerald in Chaos's mouth and watched as the water monster absorbed the power of the emerald.

Kotua flew over the wreckage of the city and landed in front of a house. Chaos followed through the sewers. Kotua entered the house and walked into a bedroom. Once again Chaos used his power, but this time to break a wall. Kotua grabbed the green Chaos Emerald.

"Soon, you'll regain all that power!" said Kotua.

ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons flew over Kotua and Chaos. Chaos simply sent water spikes towards the T-1 Typhoons, sending them down again...

----

Voltage flipped around and kicked the Raptor. He had an idea. If he could get in the elevator, he could go back up to the top and snipe out the Mutant Lizards.

"Distract him! I'll be back!" Voltage yelled. He dove in the elevator. It took him to the top, and he got an electro-plasmic sniper rifle.

Picking off the dinos was not easy, as they were constantly moving. Voltage could see Databoard in the building next to him through a window, with the dinos trying to break in. He had shot two or three of them before they realized what was happening.

He fired at another Mutant Lizard, and it dodged. Then another Pteranodon fired lightning at him, forcing Voltage to duck. He thought it had missed him, when it came back around, hitting him square in the back. He tumbled off the railing, catching the edge with his fingertips.

He was slipping. He could use his grappling hook, but the Lizard would strike again. Everyone else was fighting the Raptor, and Cobra was trying to get his memory back. And the fact that he was dangling from a tower 500 feet from the ground didn't help a bit.

Suddenly, a rocket whizzed over his head, striking a Mutant Lizard. The rest tried to escape, but Voltage saw these were heatseeking rockets. After only a few minutes, they were all gone.

Voltage looked up, to thank his rescuer, but he saw no one. He had to find out who their new heatseeking-rocket-firing ally was.

Using his grappling hook, he lowered himself to safety, and entered the building Databoard was in.

Voltage met up with Databoard. He told him about the mysterious heatseeking rocket-firing person that had helped him.

----

Suddenly, the Truth Receiver turned off, with the nozzle mere inches away from Rex's mouth. He let out a long sigh of relief.

"Oh, what happened?!?" yelled Hooks, glaring at his companion.

"I-I don't know!" stammered Sam Sinister. "It's your machine, I just-"

"You pathetic excuse for a villain! If you want to be half as evil as I am, then you had better familiarize yourself with my inventions! Now, fix it!" Hooks demanded.

"Yes, sir!" Sinister ran to the machine, holding a wrench.

*****

Zero slammed against the door. Even with the enhanced strength of his powered armor, it was not enough to break through.

*****

Hooks heard someone pounding on the door, and he walked off to investigate. However, he paused when he saw the Truth Receiver's power cable frayed. He groaned, frustrated that even FUTURE's advanced technology could have such fatal flaws. But who was responsible for severing the cable?

*****

Rex did not know how long he had before Hooks came back, or before Sam Sinister repaired the Truth Receiver. Fortunately, it seemed the Lord von Barron still did not know how to fix the machine as he fumbled about with the wrench.

"Hey, Lord Sinister," Rex said to the villain, who was trying to find the flaw in the machine. "Why are you letting this Hooks guy boss you around? Who does he think he is, anyway? I can tell you don't like following his orders. Let me out, and I can help you take him down."

Sam Sinister glanced up at him, with an odd mixture of anger and fear in his features. "You know nothing about Hooks or FUTURE," he said. "I suggest you start complying with us before things get worse." He went back to work.

Rex tried to bluff. "Look, you hear that banging noise? I've got, uh, a very powerful friend backing me up. Yeah, he's like... um... a cyborg... who can, uh... cause earthquakes and stuff! If you want to be saved, just get out of here."

This time, Sinister did not even bother to look up. "As a proudly dishonest man," he scoffed, "I'll honestly tell you that you are a terrible liar-"

But to both of their surprises, Sam Sinister got snatched by a pair of hands that came out of nowhere!

----

Meanwhile, in Astor-Com Inc. headquarters, Kai, Venom, Hyrode, Snake, and Joey were fighting off the Raptor. It was fast, but its speed had made him crash into the walls several times because there was such little room in the corridor. It got stuck several times, but managed to bash holes in the walls to make more room. It advanced, and Joey kicked it hard. It reared up and got payback by hitting him across the face.

Their guns had no effect, but one gun, one of Databoard's inventions, could slow or stun the Raptor for a short period of time, but took five minutes to recharge.

Suddenly, the Raptor was blown back. It seemed to be getting hurt, but the cause was not visible. The damage from the unknown source resulted in the inevitable defeat of the Raptor, which slumped to the ground.

The other agents sprinted down the hall to the elevator. They got down to the floor and met up with Voltage and Databoard. They told them about the mysterious raptor-demolishing person that had helped them.

"The same thing happened to Voltage!" Databoard said. "Weird...."

----

Hooks charged up his hooks and fired a precise beam of energy, fusing the frayed power cable back together. He could hear the Truth Receiver turn back on, so he returned to the control panel to monitor its progress.

But when he got back, he discovered Sam Sinister was the one sitting in the chair, and the nozzle was already up to his mouth!

"What happened?" Hooks yelled, turning off the machine. "Where's Rex?!?"

Weakly, Sinister pointed left. As he fainted, Hooks ran in pursuit.

*****

Rex ran for his life alongside his unexpected savior: a familiar mysterious figure dressed in long dark robes. "It's you… the phantom!" he realized. "What are you doing here?"

"No time to explain!" the phantom answered. "What matters is that you get out of here, and now!"

Rex and the phantom ran towards a staircase, only to be blocked by two figures who jumped down the stairwell. Rex recognized one as the Brickster, while the other was an unfamiliar man with robotic limbs. "Just dropping in!" laughed Robo-Limb.

"Quick!" the phantom said. "Change directions!" Rex and the phantom ran down the opposite corridor. Brickster and Robo-Limb were about to pursue, but crashed right into Hooks.

Hooks rubbed his head. "Watch where you're going, you incompetent idiots!" he said.

"Well, excuuuse me!" muttered the Brickster.

"Get them!" yelled Robo-Limb, pointed at their fleeing prisoners.

----

Kotua continued on. Some LEGOLAND soldiers who worked up the courage tried stopping Kotua, but Chaos easily slammed them into the street. After a while, the military just flew off, away from Kotua and Chaos.

Kotua looked at the LEGOLAND government building. He had to get to Andrew Yellowstone's office. He had the yellow Chaos Emerald. Andrew obviously expected Kotua, as two LEGOLAND Robo-Blades flew from their hiding spot.

Chaos slammed the Robo-Blades, but more landed and started firing back. Chaos absorbed the blasts and destroyed the Robo-Blades.

Kotua went through the walls of the building, and flew to the top of the building. Andrew Yellowstone was boarding an armored T-1 Typhoon.

"Finally..." said Kotua.

Andrew did not notice Kotua or anything other than a safe he was carrying. "Great..." muttered Kotua, realizing where the yellow Chaos Emerald must be kept.

Kotua watched Andrew Yellowstone take the safe into the T-1 Typhoon. There has to be a way to distract him from the safe... thought Kotua.

Chaos was not having much luck below. Robo-Blade after Robo-Blade dropped down to fight Chaos. All were destroyed, but were replaced by even more Robo-Blades.

Kotua successfully retrieved the yellow Chaos Emerald from Andrew. Battling their way through Dino Attack Team and ShadowTech, Kotua and Chaos found two more emeralds, including one in the Lens Pioneers company building.

"That's weird," Kotua thought out loud. "Lens Pioneers manufactures cameras. What would they be doing with a Chaos Emerald?" He glanced over at Chaos, who appeared to shrug in response.

Their search ultimately led them back to the ShadowTech LAB, where Kotua found the last two emeralds in the same room where ShadowTech was studying Chaos.

Kotua looked at Chaos and smiled. "It's time," he said.

----

"Fire this at me," said Cobra handing Voltage his invention. "If it works, I should fall asleep, then when I wake up, I should regain my memory."

"What will happen if it doesn't work?" asked Snake of Spades.

"It could make me crazy, but it's worth the risk," said Cobra. Voltage fired the gun. Cobra fell asleep. He woke up in about a minute. Cobra started running into walls like he was crazy.

"Oh no!" all of the agents said at once.

Cobra started laughing. "I can't believe you guys fell for that!" he said.

Then they were surrounded by Mutant Lizards. Cobra started hitting them in certain weakpoints that he now remembered. Soon, they were all on the ground. "Now guys, it's time to explain where the Dino Attack came from..."

----

Zero and Rex crashed into each other. "Rex!" said Zero, relieved. "I was looking for you!"

"Good to see you too, Zero!" said Rex. "Now, let's find Phantom and get out of here!"

Two more figures stood in their way: Vladek and a black knight. Dark Sword raised his flail in the air, and as he swung it around, the spikes began to glow red.

"Get down!" the phantom shouted in time. He tackled Rex and Zero to the floor as lasers shot out of the flail in every direction.

"Thou shalt not escapeth from thee!" Dark Sword declared.

The phantom, Rex, and Zero fled from the Brickster, Vladek, Robo-Limb, and Dark Sword. Rex and Zero met up with Phantom as they made their escape, while the phantom stayed behind to fight the villains.

Rex, Zero, and Phantom had nearly exited Villains Headquarters, only to discover that they were several miles above the ground. Rex realized, "Whoa! This headquarters is actually a giant airship!"

Phantom replied, "So, going out the door before it lands would be just like hopping off a plane, without a parachute, and missing the mattress factory by a mile."

Rex, Zero, and Phantom escaped Villains Headquarters on the backs of Mutant Pterosaurs, which were called by Rex.

----

"I used to work for the Experimental Scientific Group, or ESG," explained Cobra. "We were doing research on dinosaur DNA. It was a fairly small team, a research division of a larger organization that gave us most of our work. We took dinosaurs and mutated them, let them reproduce, and then we mutated them even further. We were breeding enhanced Mutant Dinos, making them bigger, faster, and stronger too."

"And then there was an outbreak, I assume?" asked Kai. "The mutants accidentally got out?"

"No," said Cobra. "How do I know it wasn't an outbreak? ESG's parent organization was planning the Mutant Dino invasion all along. These people weren't idiots. They could put you in suspended animation where you stand, wake you up a thousand years later, and you wouldn't have aged a bit. Wait, oh no! They also designed disguise technology… it's so advanced, they could even disguise a dino as a human, and you wouldn't even know! They could have put one of the original mutants, ones that don't breathe acid or do anything like that, but are much harder to kill and even stronger-"

"And you just went along with this?" asked Voltage.

Cobra shook his head. "I was just an intern fresh out of high school; I didn't know much about the end goals of ESG or the people we worked for. I just decoded DNA. I didn't even know we were working with dinosaurs until I accidentally stumbled upon a classified file. I tried to stop them, only to get caught and memory-wiped as punishment. But I remembered just enough to make this invention, which can restore lost memories."

"So, who was your boss?" asked Snake of Spades. "What was ESG's parent organization?"

Cobra shrugged. "Again, I was pretty much at the bottom of the totem pole. I never met my boss, but I did meet the guy who was pretty much second in command. Well, that is until he quit after he was in a lab accident. Nobody ever saw him again. I didn't know anything about the parent company, either… since ESG is a pretty obscure group, I don't know if it's publicly available information which organization we worked for."

Then Cobra picked up his PDA. "I need to tell Rex," he said. "He should know about this, especially if we have a disguised mutant in our ranks." He was going to call Rex, when he heard a big roar.

"T-Rex," muttered Databoard.

Cobra altered his Cosmotronic Ray. "Let's go." When they reached the Mutant T-Rex, they all started firing. "Come on, you overgrown chicken!" he shouted at the dinosaur.

"Well, a T-Rex is a close relative to chickens," said Voltage.

It was a fierce fight against the Mutant T-Rex. While they emerged victorious in the end, it was not without cost: Louis was killed by the tyrant lizard king.

Once the T-Rex was defeated, the team decided to leave Astor City and head back to LEGO City to locate the ESG laboratory. "Do you think Kotua is still on the loose?" asked Hyrode.

"I have an idea…" murmured Databoard. "It's time to bring out the big guns."

----

The phantom emerged victorious from the fight against the villains. He cut the airship's power and escaped. By the time the villains recovered, the Villains Headquarters was rapidly losing altitude, forcing them to crash-land the airship in an enormous lake at the outskirts of LEGO City.

"Bah!" Vladek muttered, shaking the water off him. He was not quite sure why Sam Sinister and Hooks were carefully wading through the water. Dark Sword joined them, reached into the water, and pulled out a pair of glasses. Hooks quickly took the glasses back, restoring his eyesight.

Robo-Limb was not happy about being near water. He stayed on some debris, high above the water.

"C'mon," Brickster teasingly called to Robo-Limb, "you can come down! Go for a swim, the water's fine!"

"No way!" Robo-Limb yelled. "I hate water! Plus, it'll short-circuit my robotic limbs!"

"Suit yourself," muttered Brickster.

Suddenly, Mutant Pteranodons swooped above the villains. "Get out of the water!" yelled Hooks. They just barely made it before a lightning bolt hit the water, which would have electrocuted anyone still in the lake.

"Say," Sam Sinister said, breaking the silence, "where's Ogel? Where's your boss?"

"Still explaineth the plan to Ogel...?" guessed Dark Sword.

----

Rex, Zero, and Phantom had a moment of rest at last. Things were peaceful and quiet. Granted, it was "peaceful" and "quiet" by the standards of a ruined city infested with mutated dinosaurs, but it sure beat being trapped aboard Villains Headquarters.

The tranquility was suddenly broken by the arrival of Kotua. Needless to say, Rex was not happy to see him again.

Of course, Kotua was not alone, having brought along Chaos. That would have been bad enough, but then he gave Chaos the two remaining Chaos Emeralds. As the water entity absorbed their energies, Kotua announced, "These crystals will unlock Chaos's full potential, unleashing its true power!" It was a foolish and borderline suicidal act, even if Chaos was supposedly his minion, but Kotua was so determined to see Rex die that he simply did not care about the consequences. And now, he had sent the ancient water monster to do the deed.

The last time Rex, Zero, and Phantom encountered Chaos, they nearly drowned. The revelation that Chaos was not at its full power during that battle did not bring any comfort to Rex, who only shuddered to imagine what it could be capable of at such power. Now that Chaos had attained its perfect form, Rex had no intention of sticking around and finding out what it could do.

"I signed up for a war against dinosaurs. But shadowy organizations, a madman with robots and airships, and now an eldritch horror made of water? I didn't sign up for this!"
"Right now, I'm rating this apocalypse a 7.8 out of 10."
"Doesn't this remind anyone of that one videogame with the blue guy who runs fast and collects rings?"
"Uh, guys? What's up with the tower?"
"That Alpha Team agent is not our friend! He's mad and spreading chaos across the city!"

"Floor it, floor it, floor it!" shouted Rex, yelling to make sure that his own voice was heard over the multitude of voices coming in through the comm chatter. He wondered how anyone could hear anything over the loud sounds of rushing water that seemed to come from every side around them.

Zero sat behind the steering wheel of their shared Fire Hammer. "I'm already flooring it!" he retorted, gritting his teeth as he swerved the jeep left and right to avoid incoming rubble and streams of water.

"Well, floor it harder!" snapped Phantom, who sat behind them. "Because we're still not going fast enough!"

Despite his better judgment, Rex stole a glance at the rear-view mirror to look at their pursuer. Like a towering tidal wave bearing down upon them, Chaos grew closer and closer. With a multitude of tendrils, it lashed out at anything in its path, knocking aside cars, streetlights, and even buildings as though they were made of paper. Its gleaming green eyes were locked upon the Fire Hammer as it opened its gaping reptilian jaws and bellowed, a sound that shook the very earth.

A torrent of rain and hail showered the Fire Hammer's windshield; an especially odd occurrence of precipitation, since the skies were clear. One of Chaos's lengthy tendrils slammed down, crushing a department store to their left. Seemingly solid one moment then fluid the next, the appendage dissolved into a wave of water that washed over the street, dragging out rubble and debris from the wrecked building. His quick reflexes saving them all, Zero turned the steering wheel left and right quickly to avoid the incoming obstacles. The Fire Hammer skidded over the wet pavement, swerving as though its driver was drunk.

Rex heard Chaos roar again, and the sound was drawn out like a strong gust of wind. Glancing at the rear-view mirror again, his eyes widened at the sight of cyclones of wind and water, like miniature hurricanes, quickly closing the distance between Chaos and the Fire Hammer. "Incoming!" he shouted.

As they approached an intersection with a malfunctioning traffic light, Zero made a sharp right turn onto the adjoining street. The water cyclones passed on by behind them, continuing down the road they were previously on, and Rex silently prayed that they would not cause much damage before they eventually dissipated. Undeterred, Chaos did not wait until it reached the intersection to continue its pursuit, instead clipping through the city block and smashing through buildings in its path with the force of a tsunami, and thereby quickly gaining upon the Fire Hammer with this shortcut. It opened its mouth, pooling together pure destructive energies to fire upon its prey.

Rex cursed under his breath. Nothing, it seemed, could slow down Chaos's rampage. They were running out of time.

"Hey, look over there!" called Zero, pointing at something in the sky. "It's an airship!"

At first, Rex feared the worst: Kotua had rebuilt his personal airship, the Voltage. But then, he realized that this airship was decorated in Alpha Team colors, rather than Kotua's preferred palette of black and teal. Its loyalties were made clear when it opened fire upon Chaos with dozens of laser cannons, finally diverting the beast's attention away from the Fire Hammer. Rex squinted his eyes and made out a word printed on its hull: Saber.

A voice boomed over loudspeakers, echoing as it resonated across the city. "Kotua! Your fight is with me! It's time that we even the playing field. Do you remember the Saber, Chaos? I've fought you before with it... and I'll do so again!"

Rex recognized the voice as belonging to Databoard. It was clear to Rex that, if anyone had a chance of defeating Kotua, it was Databoard. There was no doubt an element of tragedy to the conflict of former friends, but if that was what it took to save the world, then it was something that any Alpha Team agent should be prepared to do, a sacrifice they must be willing to make.

The Saber and Chaos engaged one another in combat. Such a showdown would have doubtlessly been an awesome sight to behold, but no sane individual with any sense of self-preservation wanted to stick around and watch. Zero took advantage of the monster's distraction and drove the Fire Hammer as quickly as he could. He did not slow down until the sounds of battle were distant. Only then did Rex, Zero, and Phantom unanimously breathe a heavy sigh of relief.

"That was close, huh?" remarked Zero, laughing.

"Too close for my comfort," Rex muttered, shuddering involuntarily. Although he thought it was foolishly naive, he silently admired Zero's ability to just laugh it off like it was nothing more than a fun little romp. "Thank Builder that Databoard showed up just in time. It's about time we have an airship on our side again... especially after PBB's airship was shot down by Blacktron."

"Speaking of which," suggested Phantom, "I think we should resume our search for this PBB guy you two keep talking about."

"He's right," agreed Rex. "Did you hear what Databoard said? He fought Chaos before, and with the Saber, too. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd think that means that Alpha Team knows how to defeat Chaos. If we can find PBB, then we might be able to learn that, too, and spread the word throughout Dino Attack Team. Of course, then again, we don't have to find PBB specifically, I'm sure any Alpha Team veteran could help us... well, except you, Phantom."

"Of course," grumbled Phantom, "if I didn't have this stupid amnesia, then maybe I'd be able to remember..."

Rex and Zero traded nervous glances. "Yeah," the latter said in a not-altogether-convincing tone, "too bad about that memory loss."

"So," wondered Phantom, "where to begin? Then again, I suppose it's important to know our own location before we go looking for PBB's... and where are we, exactly?"

Rex glanced around at the buildings they passed as they continued to drive down the road, realizing that they felt familiar, even if they were in even worse condition than he remembered. Catching a glimpse of a street sign, he realized why. "I know where we are," he murmured. "We're only a few blocks away from Dino Attack Headquarters... or, at least, where headquarters used to be before Kotua razed it to the ground a few weeks ago. I haven't been here since then."

"Let's go check it out," suggested Zero. "I've been to ground zero a couple times, salvaging resources from the wreckage. I'm sure there's still plenty more we can find."

Rex shrugged. "I suppose it can't hurt. I mean, I doubt we're going to find anything life-changing, but we've got nothing to lose at the moment."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 10: Love and War

----

A few minutes later, they arrived at their destination and parked their Fire Hammer. As Rex stepped out of the jeep and beheld the site where Dino Attack Headquarters once stood, he frowned and scratched the back of his head. "Wait a minute," he muttered. "This isn't... what I expected to see. Uh, Norik, do you...?"

Zero shrugged. "I swear, this wasn't like this the last time I was here."

"I thought you two said this was ground zero," said Phantom, who somehow sounded even more confused than either Rex or Zero. "This doesn't look like a ground zero to me. Dino Attack Headquarters looks perfectly intact to me."

Rex shook his head. "This is ground zero, Phantom, and that's not Dino Attack Headquarters... but, that just raises the question: what is it?"

He was hardly able to believe his eyes. Only a few weeks ago, this particular city plaza was home to a large military base, which had been quickly converted into Dino Attack's main headquarters when the team was founded to combat the mutant dinosaur threat. Then, the entire building was flattened by the Voltage, leaving behind a crater full of rubble and debris. But now, where Dino Attack Headquarters once stood, another never-before-seen building was in its place.

It was a tower, reaching up towards the heavens like a skyscraper in the midst of the ruined city. Looking at it, Rex estimated that it had to be at least twelve or thirteen stories tall. It had a dark color scheme, consisting largely of black and grey, and had a strangely bare-bones aesthetic that gave the impression that it was unfinished. Even so, a building that size could not have realistically constructed in so little time.

Combining these factors together, the mysterious tower provoked a rather sinister overall first impression from Rex. He had seen enough weird and dangerous situations thus far that he could not shake the feeling that, if he was not careful, the interior of this building could potentially be the last thing he would see in his mortal life.

----

At last, when its energy was low, Perfect Chaos retreated through the sewers, preparing to strike again. After the battle against the Saber, Kotua arrived at the ruins of the ShadowTech LAB.

"Alright Chaos, I'm going to need your help..." said Kotua.

Kotua grabbed a pencil and a piece of paper laying on the floor, and he wrote down what he needed. Chaos looked around, bringing what he requested.

"Soon Rex, Databoard, and Dino Attack Team will wish they had given up when they had the chance!" said Kotua.

Kotua looked around. Chaos had brought all the power armor he could find. Kotua inspected the armor, took them apart, and began rebuilding something new...

----

The Saber was damaged in battle against Kotua and Chaos. Databoard's teammates took refuge in a building while he repaired the airship, but the building was soon under attack by Mutant Dinos.

Axel's heatseeker proved very effective against the pteranodons, but he soon ran out of ammunition. The agents concentrated fire on the pteranodons, because the raptors could not reach them.

They were soon corrected when a massive spurt of flame came from a raptor, enflaming the building. Voltage, who was sniping on the guardrail, yelled out and flung himself away as the fire came at him. "Whoa!!!" he yelled. "Normal raptors don't do that."

"You mean normal Mutant Raptors?" Snake said, slyly.

"Yeah, whatever..." Voltage replied. "Cobra, could these be the mega dino things you were talking about, the enhanced mutants created by ESG?" he continued, pointing down at the oddly-colored fire-breathing raptors.

"Could be," Cobra replied.

"Hey, Cobra," Hyrode said. "You're the science expert. How long do you think we have before the building collapses?"

"Ten to fifteen minutes."

Voltage hoped Databoard could finish the Saber in time, or either they would be pteranodon food, mega raptor dino food, or toasted to a golden brown like a cookie. The thought of cookies made Voltage hungry.

"WAIT!" said Cobra. "These are the babies! They laid the eggs! We have a big problem! The adults are much bigger, and they're heading toward us! Now, we only have one minute." The gigantic dinos were the size of the building they were standing on.

"Let's get out of here!" said Voltage.

"Saber's fixed, everybody get in!" Databoard shouted. The agents rushed inside, and Databoard engaged the beam shield, preventing any of the Mutant Dinos from entering the ship. The Raptors shot fire, but it did no good, and weakened the building even more. Databoard engaged the engines and the Saber flew away as the building crumbled away behind them.

Voltage could see the flaming building crumble to the ground as the agents readied their lasers. Soon, they found the dino offspring were harder to kill than they thought. Particle shields, not unlike the one on the Saber, appeared and deflected the oncoming fire.

The agents decided to touch down where the dinos could not get to them. It was in a parking garage, and Databoard had carefully maneuvered it into the small opening. They would be safe there, considering the dinos were too tall to get in.

----

"Look, here comes a Fire Hammer!" Zero pointed out the approach of another Dino Attack jeep that parked next to them.

"Good," said Rex, nodding. "Let's hope they have some answers."

A pair of Dino Attack agents stepped out of the jeep. One was a man, the other a woman, and as such they obviously had distinctive characteristics that made it very easy to tell them apart; for example, the former had a mustache, the latter had longer hair. However, Rex noticed that they shared certain physical features; for example, they both had the same grey eyes and the same brown hair. He also guessed they were roughly the same age, probably in their late-twenties to mid-thirties and maybe five or six years apart at most. Therefore, he wondered if these two agents happened to be siblings.

The man surveyed the structure that stood in place of Dino Attack Headquarters. He briefly took off a pair of glasses and wiped them to make sure they were clean. Frowning, he glanced at his companion, who stood close to his side. With a puzzled expression, she shook her head and shrugged, wordlessly conveying a response to his unspoken question. Then, he turned towards Rex and asked, "Err, I don't suppose you know what that building is doing in the place of Dino Attack Headquarters?"

Rex shook his head. "Unfortunately, I was just about to ask you the same question, agent...?" He extended a hand towards the two newcomers.

"Agent Remous," he introduced himself, shaking Rex's hand. "Roger Remous. Paleontologist and geologist." Then, he gestured towards his companion. "And this is agent Amand - uh, Claw."

With a polite smile, Rex held out his hand to her. "Nice to meet you, Amanda Claw."

Amanda Claw took his hand and shook it. She grinned, but Rex found the expression rather peculiar. It was not the expected polite expression one would make when meeting someone new. Instead, there was a glint in her eyes that hinted at amusement, as though she thought there was something funny about Rex. In return, Rex thought there was something oddly fascinating about her, the way she made this expression, but he could not place his finger on what it was.

The source of her amusement became clear when Remous sheepishly cleared his throat. "Actually," he explained, "it's just Claw. Her codename, I mean. Amanda's her real name. I'm still not used to this whole codename business... you know, old habits die hard, especially when it comes to addressing your younger sister by her real name."

As Zero giggled, it was Rex's turn to feel embarrassed for misinterpreting Remous's flub. Chuckling nervously, he stammered, "Oh... well, this is, uh, awkward. Heh. My apologies, Claw."

Claw's amused grin grew a little wider. Then, she turned her head towards her brother and raised her eyebrows. Her shoulders also rose slightly in a downplayed shrug.

"No need to apologize," Remous assured Rex. "She doesn't mind; in fact, she actually thinks it's rather amusing. Hmm, 'Amanda Claw'. Not a bad nickname. Has an interesting ring to it. Maybe she'll even consider making a special case for you, letting you call her that instead of simply 'Claw'."

Rex raised an eyebrow. Now, he was sure that there was definitely something odd about the two siblings. Although she had been quite expressive, Claw had not spoken a single word since they met, while Remous seemed to do all the talking for her. "Well," he inquired, "isn't she going to speak for herself?"

Claw's smile vanished as she withdrew, averting her gaze and refusing to make eye contact again. Rex immediately regretted asking the question, realizing that it was a touchy subject even before Remous explained: "She took a vow of silence years ago, and hasn't verbally spoken a single word since then. Since she's my sister, I can usually tell what's on her mind, but... well, not everyone knows her as well as I do."

"Ah," said Rex, nodding in understanding. Now it all made sense to him. The reason that Claw's expressions had stood out to him was because they were largely her only means of communication. She was like a character in a silent film, who had to emote solely through her body language. A glint in her eyes, a grin that widened a little, a slightly raised eyebrow... these small nuances all had to speak volumes for her in the absence of words or tone.

In particular, it reminded Rex of a subject that was very familiar to him: the way that the dinosaurs, whether mutant (like Trouble) or not (like Chompy), communicated with one another. He knew that, while verbal cues such as roars and growls certainly supplemented their meaning, body language was arguably an even more crucial component of their language. This basic principle was something he started to grasp when he began to tame Trouble. Perhaps, he wondered, if he paid close enough attention, he could apply the same concept to Claw's way of speaking...

"I'm sorry, I don't think I caught your names," said Remous, breaking Rex's train of thought.

"Elite agent Re..." Rex trailed off, glancing at Phantom as he remembered that he was still in the presence of the amnesiac. Speaking of hard-to-remember codenames, he thought to himself, clearing his throat. "... uh, Peasam."

"And I'm Norik!" Zero chimed in. When Phantom did not introduce himself, instead momentarily staring off into space, Zero gently elbowed him in the ribcage and added: "And this easily-distracted fellow here is Phantom!"

"Pleasure to meet you three," Remous said with a warm smile. "It's good to find some allies amid all this chaos."

"Chaos," repeated Rex, wondering if there could possibly be a more apt word to describe the current situation. It was then that he noticed that Remous's Fire Hammer was dripping with water, as though it had just driven through a heavy rainstorm. Glancing upward, he saw the clear sky, without a dark cloud in sight. "Let me guess..."

"We just escaped some big water monster," explained Remous, confirming Rex's suspicions. "I don't know if we would have made it if it weren't for an airship that arrived and started firing upon the beast."

"Same here," said Rex, nodding. "First, an eldritch abomination made of water. Then, a mysterious tower in place of Dino Attack Headquarters. Could this day possibly get any stranger?"

----

Ogel walked with his brother General Evil as they listened to the leader of FUTURE, who called himself "Boss". Ogel and General Evil were two of the most accomplished villains on LEGO Planet, and yet there was something about Boss that made them feel a rare emotion… fear.

Unlike the other FUTURE representatives, Boss did not bother wearing a black hooded cloak to hide his identity. He proudly showed off the fact that he was in a pitch-black G.E. Body, a more advanced model than General Evil's own cybernetic life-preserving armor, featuring an extra pair of arms among other upgrades. Ogel knew that there was only one such black G.E. Body ever made, and he had personally crafted it for his own personal use; that fact alone was enough to put him on edge when he saw Boss for the first time. General Evil had kept silent the whole time, wary of the more powerful villain; whether he was frightened or jealous could not be said.

When he spoke, Boss's chilling deep voice almost sounded more machine than man; such was the extent of his wounds that required him to use the G.E. Body for his own survival. He had lived through a lot and seen a lot, and now he was determined to use his experience to mold Ogel and the other villains in his image.

"... and, so you ask, 'What am I doing here?'" Boss said. "Well, the truth is that FUTURE is not simply a clever acronym. My fellow villains and I are all actually from the future… the year 2035, to be exact."

Ogel gasped. "I-I knew your voice sounded familiar! Too familiar..."

"So," murmured General Evil, "the reason why Hooks chose Sam Sinister... and Robo-Limb chose the Brickster... and Dark Sword chose Vladek..."

"Yes," Boss said. "'Hooks' is Future Sam Sinister, 'Robo-Limb' is Future Brickster, 'Dark Sword' is Future Vladek... and I am Future Ogel!"

----

Two Mutant Raptors were eating the remains of four soldiers when something metallic stepped onto the bodies.

<Prepare to be destroyed.> said Guardian IV

The Mutant Raptors charged their Force Fields. Guardian IV merely laughed, and fired. One of the Mutant Raptors hit the ground, dead. The other charged at Guardian IV, but the robot merely grabbed the Mutant Raptor and swung him around, and then let go, sending the Mutant Raptor flying.

Chaos spotted Guardian IV.

Guardian IV recognized Kotua. <Master.> said Guardian IV, kneeling.

"You survived, it seems," said Kotua, busy building robots out of Power Armor.

The Voltage soon arrived over LAB. Kotua, Perfect Chaos, Guardian IV, and the robots boarded the craft...

----

"Hey, guys!" called Zero. "Look, it's Chompy!"

Everyone turned to look in the direction Zero was pointing. A lone T-Rex stood at the edge of the plaza. This one was clearly not a mutant, since it was considerably smaller, lacked the characteristic head crests, and had natural green scales instead of black coloration. While it was no doubt jumping to a conclusion to say that this particular T-Rex was Chompy, there was only one natural T-Rex walking the streets of the city as far as Rex knew, and so its identity was a logical deduction.

"Who's Chompy?" inquired Remous, clearly confused. This reminded Rex that not everyone else on the team was familiar with Alpha Team's resident dinosaur.

Beside him, Claw warily eyed the T-Rex, occasionally glancing around the plaza. Rex looked at her and, imagining that he was looking at the familiar body language of Trouble, tried to decipher what she was thinking. Something subtle about her pose told Rex that she was sizing up the dinosaur; if he could be fought, then how to use the lay of the land to her advantage, and if he was too great a threat, then what would be the best escape route. Her gaze held on the tower for a second, and Rex wondered if she was right: if danger struck while they were in the plaza, would the mysterious building be the safest place to be?

"Don't worry," Rex assured them. "Chompy's our friend. As long as you stay on his good side, he won't hurt you. But... what's he doing here?"

Zero shrugged. "Maybe now that Perfect Chaos is on the loose, he's come to help us out again. Or perhaps PBB sent him to give us a message. Who knows? Maybe he even found that Frozeen guy! Well, we won't find out just sitting here and talking about it. C'mon, let's go say hello!"

"Frozeen..." Phantom whispered, barely audible.

"Fair enough," decided Rex. "Let's go see what Chompy has to say."

With that, the four Dino Attack agents and one ex-Alpha Team agent walked across the plaza to greet Chompy. As they got closer, Rex glanced at Claw and noticed that her body language - the tight shoulders, the clenched fists, the narrowed eyes - indicated that she was even tenser than before. He wondered why; did she see something that he and the others had missed?

Then, looking back at the dinosaur they were approaching, Rex felt a growing sensation that something was terribly wrong. There was something indescribably... off... about the T-Rex. A sort of uncanny valley, like an obviously CGI model in those cheesy nineties live-action movies played in the Dino Attack Headquarters' rec room. It just did not look like it was part of the surrounding world.

When they were only a few meters away, the T-Rex noticed their approach and stared at them with dull lifeless eyes. Rex stopped dead in his tracks, repulsed by what he saw. "That's not Chompy," he whispered. "I don't know what that thing is, but it's definitely not Chompy."

They began to back away, but it was too late. The T-Rex, if it could even be called that, closed the distance between them in only a couple strides. It stood over them, with its size and bulk giving it a formidable presence. It looked down upon them and roared, letting them know what would happen if they tried anything foolish.

Rex heard the sound of laughter. "Fools!" proclaimed a baritone voice with a light Germanic accent. "You have fallen into my devious trap! Of course you did... you should know better than to trust your eyes in the presence of a dishonest man such as myself." Then, as they turned around, Rex and his companions beheld the hook-handed man who had spoken.

"It's Hooks!" exclaimed Rex. "That villain who tried to interrogate me aboard that airship with the other villains!"

Remous blinked, and then narrowed his eyes as he scrutinized the villain's appearance. "Sam... Sinister?" he slowly whispered. "But, how...?"

Rex shook his head. "That's not Lord Sam Sinister. I know, it's confusing, with so many hook-handed villains running amok in this city..."

"But look at his face," insisted Remous. From his serious expression, Rex could see that he strongly believed in his words. "Listen to that voice, that Barron accent, that proud and shameless admitting of dishonesty. I don't understand how he could possibly have aged so much in so little time, or where he got an extra hook, but it's got to be him. I've had my fair share of run-ins with Lord Sinister over the years, trying to steal some rare crystal or valuable fossil from our work sites. I'll never forget his face or voice."

Surprised, Claw glanced at her brother and raised her eyebrows.

In response, Remous chuckled. "Didn't think my life of looking at boring old rocks was quite so thrilling, did you, sis? I wasn't kidding when I wrote you that letter!"

Rex looked again at the hook-handed man. He was still not convinced that this was Lord Sinister, but as he trusted Remous and took his words into consideration... yes, those facial features did seem remarkably familiar... and that voice certainly sounded like it could have been coming from Sinister's mouth...

"But, he can't possibly be Sinister," explained Zero. "They're working together. I saw them both standing in the same room at the same time... and chasing me down the same hallway at the same time... it's impossible! Unless..." He trailed off as an epiphany seemed to dawn upon him.

"Well," asked Phantom, "if this isn't Sinister, then who is this guy?"

"Unless time travel is involved..." whispered Zero. "Oh my Builder."

While they debated, Hooks had stood there with a smug expression, patiently waiting for them to deduce his identity before speaking up. "Yes, you are quite astute in your observation. I do remember you, Herr Remous, for I am, indeed, Sam Sinister. However, presently, there is more than one Sam Sinister here in LEGO City tonight... and no, I am not referring to my former cohort, Slyboots. Therefore, for the sake of simplicity, you may call me..." He paused for dramatic effect, letting his cape billow in the wind as he raised his hooks to the sky before proclaiming his name: "Finister!"

Rex raised an eyebrow, trading glances with his companions. "... Finister?" he repeated.

Finister grinned proudly. "Yes, Finister. Get it? It's 'Sinister', but instead of the letter 's', it starts with the letter 'f', like the word 'future', which is where I come from. Clever, isn't it?"

"No, not really," commented Zero, chuckling. "Looks like someone's not very good at coming up with creative names. It's actually quite stupid-sounding. I mean, what would you call future Ogel? Fogel? Hah, now that's a name nobody could ever possibly take seriously!"

Finister seemed less than amused. "I wasn't asking for your opinion," he grumbled.

"So you came back in time to help your past selves," realized Rex. "But why?"

"Isn't it obvious?" replied Finister. "To take over the world!"

"Of course," muttered Rex, rolling his eyes. "I should have guessed it. You villains are always so predictable."

"Villains?" scoffed Finister. "No, not villains. We are the heroes! Or, at least, we will be. See, when we are the ones who save the world from the threat of the Mutant Dinos, then we will be hailed as saviors! They will shower us with praise and embrace us with open arms. Then, there will be no one to oppose us, no one to stand in the way of our goals, for who would dare to oppose the heroes who saved them from extinction? We will be unstoppable! Of course, in order for us to do that, we need to eliminate our competitors in this race. Can't let Dino Attack Team take all the credit for saving the day, you know, or else our contributions will be overshadowed. And therefore, we..."

As the FUTURE villain rambled in his monologue, Rex watched Claw and Remous in the corner of his eye. He noticed that Claw had one hand gripping the handle of a knife sheathed on her belt. Indeed, her overall posture looked very much like she was poised to attack; she wanted to act now and take advantage of their distracted foe. However, her facial expression looked considerably more doubtful, or perhaps conflicted; for one reason or another (most likely, Rex assumed, because of the uncanny T-Rex that stood over them, probably waiting to attack them if anything happened to Finister), she did not think it was a good idea. Remous noticed this as well, and he gently laid his hand on her shoulder, almost as though he was holding her back. She locked eyes with her brother, nodded, and her tensions appeared just slightly eased as she let go of the knife handle.

"... where this beautiful creation of mine comes in!" Finister gestured towards the T-Rex. Carefully enunciating each word for full effect, he proclaimed: "The Holographic... Robotic... Dinosaur... Bomb! Or, for short, the H.R.D.B.!"

"Which spells... 'Hurduhbuh'?" remarked Zero, smirking. "Looks like someone's not very good at coming up with creative acronyms, either."

"Oh, shut up!" snapped Finister. Clearing his throat, he continued: "It is an invention of mine from the future. Even in these apocalyptic ruins of days past, I found the necessary means to construct one here. Wonderful, isn't it? That you can build nearly everything out of anything in this universe?"

"Holographic?" repeated Rex, glancing back at the T-Rex. "No wonder it looks fake; it's not real."

"But it looked real enough to lure you into my trap!" retorted Finister. "The outward appearance of a dinosaur may only be a hologram, but it masks a very-real robotic skeleton underneath. A robot that is programmed to self-destruct in a fiery explosion when it reaches its destination... and I've set this one's destination to Dino Attack Headquarters!" Then, he gestured towards the tower that stood in the plaza.

"Uh, yeah, about that," said Zero, scratching his chin with one hand. "That's not Dino Attack Headquarters."

Finister frowned skeptically. "Not Dino Attack Headquarters?" he repeated. "What, do you expect me to believe that Dino Attack Headquarters vanished and some mysterious new building magically appeared in its place all of a sudden? As a proudly dishonest man, I'll honestly tell you that you're a terrible liar."

"Truth is stranger than fiction," murmured Remous. "We already have an ancient water monster on the loose, and a villain from the future using a robot disguised as a dinosaur, among other things."

Among other things, indeed, Rex silently agreed. His own role in the Dino Attack was proof enough that the truth could be very strange. In the back of his mind, he wondered what "other things" Remous was referring to specifically.

"Is a mysterious tower in place of Dino Attack Headquarters really that much harder to believe?" continued Remous.

"Perhaps not," Finister conceded, "but that doesn't change my mind. I'm still sending my H.R.D.B. to demolish this ostensibly-not-Dino Attack Headquarters, and you five will be coming with me as my prisoners. We have so much to talk about... and I imagine you'll be quite thrilled to reunite with your old friend, the Truth Receiver." With that, he raised his two hooks into the air and clapped them together. In response, the H.R.D.B circled around the group and began its march towards the tower.

Rex was aware that his teammates were all looking to him. As an elite agent, it was his duty to lead his fellow Dino Attack agents in times of danger. He quickly put together a plan. The first step was getting Finister out of the way, and to do that, they needed to act on the element of surprise. But, if he gave a verbal order, he would lose that surprise...

He looked at Claw and Remous. Claw still appeared poised to attack, but unsure if she should. Moving only her eyes, she quickly glanced at Finister, then back at Rex. It was the first time that she had made eye contact since he asked about her silence. Even though she had not spoken a word, Rex knew that she was asking for his approval to act. Remous opened his mouth, about to translate for her, but Rex cut him off with a simple nod, giving Claw the order. With the threat of the H.R.D.B. no longer literally looming over them, she did not have to hold back.

Claw performed a double-take, briefly staring at him with wide eyes. Rex guessed that she was surprised that he was able to understand her; evidently, other than her brother, nobody else had done that before.

Remous let go of her shoulder, and Claw bolted forward, surprising Finister with a clean uppercut to the jaw. The villain reeled as his glasses flew off his face. Gasping, he bent down to the ground and started fumbling about, desperately trying to find his spectacles without accidentally breaking them (a task made even more difficult due to his lack of hands), serving as the distraction they needed.

"Great work, Amanda Claw!" said Rex, clapping his hands together. He immediately realized that he once again referred to her by his flubbed nickname but, knowing that she did not mind, did not try to correct himself.

Claw smiled to him. It was a more relieved smile, compared to her earlier amused grin. She seemed to let go of her tension, letting out a satisfied sigh as she watched Finister struggling to find his spectacles. Rex wondered if her relatively pacifistic means of incapacitating the villain, why she merely used her fist instead of her knife, indicated that she tried to avoid unnecessary violence. That would be something we have in common, he thought.

"Able to give orders without even saying a word." Remous chuckled, giving Rex a pat on the back. "I can see why you are an elite agent!"

Rex motioned for his teammates to gather around him as he briefed them. "Now, here's the plan. We need to stop that H.R.D.B. from destroying the tower, because when that robot explodes, the tower might be the safest place to be. Phantom and, err, Norik, I need you two to go on ahead to the tower while the rest of us disable the robot."

"But we can fight, Peasam!" insisted Zero. "Phantom and I have T.O.A.!"

Confused, Rex raised an eyebrow. "Wait, what's a Toa?"

With one hand, Zero made a broad gesture to the high-tech armor he was wearing over his Dino Attack uniform. "Tactical Operations Armor," he elaborated, "or T.O.A. for short. I decided to give these prototype armor suits a cool-sounding name, especially since I'm better at it than some people here."

"I heard that, you 4+ Figure!" snapped Finister, who was still searching for his glasses.

Rex nodded. "You're right about that armor; it could certainly give you an advantage against the H.R.D.B. But, we don't know what trials are waiting for us in that tower. If you're up to it, then I need you and Phantom to clear the way for us so that, when this thing blows, we'll have someplace to fall back to."

"If I'm up to it?" repeated Zero, raising his eyebrows. "Up to stepping foot inside a mysterious building without any idea what's inside, other than the high probability of certain death?" Then, with a grin, he declared, "Well, what are we waiting for? C'mon, Phantom!" With that, Zero and Phantom raced to get to the tower before the H.R.D.B. Fortunately, the robot moved at a fairly slow lumbering pace due to its size, and the T.O.A. suits enhanced their users' physical strength and endurance, allowing them to outrun the bot.

"And what about Finister?" inquired Remous.

"I think he's not going anywhere soon," said Rex, smirking as he watched Finister continue to fumble around on the pavement. "Let's turn this thing into scrap metal!"

----

While they were safe in the parking garage, Databoard found some buckets of red and beige paint: the Dino Attack colors. He then set to work repainting the bluish colors of the Saber into that of Dino Attack. Once he was done, there was an explosion nearby, and he looked up to the Mutant Pteranodons swarming outside a ruined portion of the garage.

Databoard looked to see that more of the parking garage was coming down. He rushed inside the Saber and took off. Chunks of the parking garage went flying as the ship shot out. He sped up over the buildings, and the parking garage was collapsing. More Pteranodons fired lightning, but the Saber was not damaged.

Databoard looked at the Mutant Pteranodons that were attacking the ship. The agents were firing the turrets at the attacking Pteranodons, but they were very hard to target. A few were hit by the laser turrets, but more Mutant Pteranodons were coming.

Databoard pressed a few buttons, and heat seeking missiles were fired. This sent many Mutant Pteranodons fleeing, while others simply destroyed the missiles with their lightning. Within a few minutes, most of the Pteranodons had fled to avoid the missiles.

That took care of one of their problems. The fire-breathing dinos were still chasing them.

----

"Track Databoard's aircraft," said Kotua.

The command deck robot nodded, and relayed the orders to the other robots on the deck.

"I also need some mechanic bots to report to the Engine room," said Kotua.

The robot also relayed those orders.

Kotua turned and exited the Command Deck. Perfect Chaos was in his smaller form, which was close to human size.

Kotua studied Chaos. "You seem indestructible..." he muttered. Kotua then took out a pencil and a piece of paper, and began planning his newest robot...

----

Knowing that they did not have time to run back to the Fire Hammers and equip stronger weapons such as Cosmotronic Rays or Z-1 Kinetic Launchers, Rex took out a smaller standard-issue Dino Attack laser pistol, and Remous did likewise.

At first, without even looking, Amanda Claw immediately reached for her knife again. However, as she started to draw the blade, she hesitated. Her eyes drifted down to the weapon, and she frowned in a peculiar way; Rex could not be sure, but he thought he recognized a hint of regret in that facial expression. Slowly, she put the knife back in its sheath before taking out her own laser pistol.

Rex thought this was odd, but decided that there was a very practical explanation: a knife was not a suitable weapon for combat against the H.R.D.B.

Running after the H.R.D.B., Rex, Remous, and Claw fired upon it to catch its attention. To Rex's relief, it worked. He was not sure if a machine programmed for self-termination would have any sense of self-preservation, but he supposed that it was logical that the robot would know to defend itself long enough to reach its destination before exploding. The H.R.D.B. turned around and faced the three Dino Attack agents, simulated a T-Rex roar, and then began lumbering in their direction.

Of course, that meant that they were now fighting a robot that was large enough to crush them underfoot, yet volatile enough that it could possibly self-destruct and take them with it.

"Aim for the T-Rex's head!" suggested Rex. "Maybe that's where its cranial processing unit is located!" However, to his surprise, their shots passed cleanly through the dinosaur's form. "The head isn't real," he realized. "Just part of the hologram."

"I guess Finister was just clever enough to avert that trope," murmured Remous. "At least this means that those teeth aren't real, either! But, it would be helpful to know what is real underneath that hologram so that we know what we're actually up against."

They ducked as the H.R.D.B. swung its tail at them. The rush of wind over his head was enough to tell Rex that it was real. "Any ideas, Claw?" he asked, remembering that she was one of the first to notice that something was off about the H.R.D.B. Like Zero, she seemed to have a strong attention to detail.

For a few seconds, Claw scrutinized the T-Rex hologram. She pointed to a spot above the dinosaur's ribcage, which appeared to have a slight glow. When she was sure that Rex and Remous saw it too, she aimed and fired with her laser pistol. The shot connected, and then the T-Rex hologram glitched and vanished, exposing its true form for just a fraction of a second before the image returned. Now, the spot had dulled, but a number of other similar spots on its form glowed even brighter.

"Those spots must be where the hologram is projected," suggested Remous. "Disable one, and the others have to work harder to maintain the illusion."

"Then we disable all of them!" declared Rex. "Circle around the bot and shoot anything that glows!"

The three Dino Attack agents did just that. They split up, going in different directions as they circled around the H.R.D.B. Rex watched as Claw and Remous took advantage of their surroundings and took cover behind rubble and debris. He concealed himself behind the wreckage of a Fire Hammer and watched.

The H.R.D.B. scanned the area, searching for the Dino Attack agents that were no longer in plain sight. The robot raised one foot and stomped the ground. The impact shot cracks through the asphalt and shook the plaza. Rex stumbled, but managed to remain steady. A nearby pile of debris collapsed, but fortunately nobody was hiding behind it.

Then, he stepped out from behind his cover and fired upon the H.R.D.B., drawing its attention towards him. As he did so, he watched Remous and Claw aim their weapons. The H.R.D.B. lumbered towards him, but when Remous emerged from his own hiding spot and shot at the bot, Rex took advantage of its distraction and ran toward a pile of rubble.

Then, from his new position, he took aim at one of the H.R.D.B.'s glowing spots, located on its hip. He pulled the trigger, and the laser beam hit its mark, causing the holographic T-Rex to briefly glitch once again, as well as distracting the robot long enough for Claw to find a new hiding spot.

Like a most dangerous game of hide-and-go seek, the three Dino Attack agents took turns shooting at the H.R.D.B., holding its attention, and running to a different cover whenever the H.R.D.B. was looking the other way.

For each glowing spot they shot, the length of time where the hologram would glitch out was slightly extended. The hologram grew duller and duller even as its remaining projectors grew brighter and brighter. The H.R.D.B. fought back - charging whenever it saw one of them, swinging its tail to smash through obstacles, and stomping the ground hard enough to leave impacts in the asphalt - but the Dino Attack agents surrounding it and attacking from all sides, all the while taking cover, made it difficult for the bot to defend itself from foes it could scarcely see.

Their work was nearly finished. As Remous diverted the H.R.D.B.'s attention, Claw ran towards Rex's position behind a concrete roadblock, since it was the nearest cover. She was halfway there when the robot unexpectedly turned away from Remous, as if it had finally caught wise to the Dino Attack agents' strategy. It charged at the wrecked Fire Hammer and then, with a swing of its tail, sent the jeep careening towards Claw.

Rex watched in horror. As athletic and agile as Claw had shown herself to be, Rex feared that she had neither the time nor the space to dodge such a large incoming vehicle. He knew immediately what he had to do.

Adrenaline surged through Rex as, without giving himself enough time to think it through, he abandoned his cover and sprinted towards Claw. He reached her just barely in the nick of time, tackling his teammate to the ground less than a second before the Fire Hammer hit. He instinctively positioned himself so that he shielded her with his own body, taking the brunt of the impact.

Rex cringed and gritted his teeth. He shuddered as he felt a sharp pain in his shoulder. However, whether it was due to the adrenaline or his seemingly unnatural endurance and high tenacity as a Mutant Dino in a Minifig disguise, he knew that it hurt a lot less than it should have. Aches and bruises were far preferable to bones broken and crushed underneath jeep wreckage. That was why he did it, because he knew he could take the blow... and he could protect his fellow teammate.

Once the Fire Hammer sailed overhead and the immediately danger had passed, Rex realized that his eyes were tightly shut from the brief episode of acute pain. Slowly, he opened them again to see Amanda Claw staring at him with wide eyes. She took short, tense breaths that slowly relaxed as the life-threatening situation had passed. Rex managed to crack a faint smile, nodding to wordlessly tell her that they were safe now. She nodded, too.

In that moment, as their gaze met, the two Dino Attack agents held a mutual understanding of one another. She learned the lengths that Rex would be willing to go to keep his teammates safe, and he sensed that Claw now held newfound respect for him.

Rex looked up to see a hand reaching down to him. It belonged to Remous. He gratefully took it, and Remous helped him and Claw to their feet.

Now, they were once again gathered together in one spot, and the H.R.D.B. was glaring right at them. As the robot roared and charged, Rex muttered, "So much for dividing and conquering."

"We only need one last shot!" declared Remous, grinning. Then, he took aim and fired one last time, and the hologram vanished for good.

The H.R.D.B. froze, and the roar fizzled out. Now, the three Dino Attack agents saw its true form. The predominantly silver and black robot vaguely resembled a T-Rex in terms of anatomy, albeit with a blockier torso and thinner limbs, suitable for masking itself with the hologram. The tiny projectors along its form were now fully visible, spraying sparks from their damaged cores. As Rex had deducted, the H.R.D.B. lacked a true head. In place of its neck, the robot had a number of red cylinders and a small digital display that flared to life, reading "5:00", then "4:59", then "4:58".

"It's counting down!" shouted Rex, alerting his teammates.

Rex turned around to the sound of Finister cackling. The villain was back on his feet, once again wearing his glasses. "Did I forget to mention?" he announced. "If the H.R.D.B.'s hologram is prematurely disabled, it automatically initiates the self-destruct sequence. I'd tell you to run... but can you run from a bomb that's chasing after you?"

Claw turned to look at Remous. She glanced at the H.R.D.B., then looked down upon the cracked asphalt where they stood, and then back at her brother as she inquisitively raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, indeed," Remous murmured. The ends of his mustache curled upward as a grin crossed his features. "Time to put that paleontology to good use!" Turning towards Rex, he said, "Since this bot shares a real T-Rex's anatomy, I'd say it most likely shares the inherent weaknesses of that body build. It probably compounds upon them, too, being a crude robot instead of an actual living creature. Even from just looking at fossils, it's clear to me that the T-Rex relies on its tail for balance, properly distributing its body weight. If we can topple the robot and disconnect its tail before it gets back up..."

Now, Rex smiled as well. "'The harder they fall', as they say."

"Do what you will," said Finister. "But, your efforts will be futile in the end. The clock is ticking, after all... and even if you somehow survive, I'll be back very soon, with another nefarious scheme up my sleeve. In the meantime, have a blast!" With a menacing chuckle, the villain turned and started to make his exit.

"We can't let him escape!" shouted Rex.

Claw took a step forward, but Remous held up his hand. "I'll go after him," he declared. "As I said, I've dealt with his past self before, and I can do so again. Lord Sinister has always been a pathetic wimp who never put up much of a fight, after all. I'll be back soon enough, with that crook captured and ready to be thrown back behind bars, where he belongs. I'm sure that you two can handle the H.R.D.B."

Claw appeared unsure, her features betraying concern for her brother. In response, Remous smiled gently and gave her a quick hug. "Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll be fine, I promise! I'd never let you down, sis. Never. And I know you'll do just fine without me." This seemed to do the trick, as Claw appeared comforted by his words.

"Builderspeed, Remous," wished Rex, saluting his fellow Dino Attack agent. While they had only known each other for a brief while, he could see that Remous was certainly a brave and capable Dino Attack agent. He did not doubt that they would be seeing each other again very soon.

Remous returned the gesture. "Same to you, Peasam."

Rex chuckled. "Look, Phantom's not here; you don't have to keep calling me 'Peasam'."

"Excuse me?" said Remous, raising an eyebrow.

Rex blinked, only just remembering that he introduced himself to Remous and Claw with his false identity. "Oh... uh, long story, but basically, don't call me by my real name around Phantom, or he might try to kill me."

Remous and Claw traded glances. "Then what should we call you?" inquired the former.

"Rex."

"Then good luck," said Remous, nodding, "elite agent Rex. Take good care of Amanda for me while I'm gone."

The two siblings locked eyes and shared one last unspoken yet clearly tender goodbye. Then, Remous turned and departed in pursuit of Finister. Amanda Claw's gaze lingered on her brother until she forced herself to look away. She faced Rex, and he could see the firm resolve in her expression as she nodded, indicating that she was ready.

----

"I'm... you... in the future?" Ogel said.

"Yes," replied Fogel. "Why, did you not expect that one day you would be using this G.E. Body?"

"No," Ogel said. "In fact, I had hoped I would never need to use it. But, if you, Finister, Frickster, and Fladek are all from the future, then why have you traveled back in time?"

General Evil was silent once more. The pressing thought on his mind was: If you are Ogel, then what happens to me in the future? He did not dare to ask.

Fogel answered, "You see, in our time, the Dino Attack Team succeeded in wiping out the Mutant Dinos, and they were hailed as heroes and saviors. Soon enough, the world rebuilt itself, and you would never have known there was a dinosaur apocalypse. Too late, I realized that I had missed my golden opportunity; during the Dino Attack, I only concentrated on protecting my bases from invading Mutant Dinos, just as you are doing now. After that, when I tried to take over the world again, one final battle with Alpha Team nearly cost me my life."

"My future lies in defeat?" Ogel said in disbelief. "No, I will not let that happen! Tell me how to prevent this!"

Fogel chuckled softly. "With the benefit of hindsight, I determined that the world would have been at its vulnerable state when it is in shambles… if we villains had properly united and used our combined forces to wipe out the Mutant Dinos ourselves rather than waiting for Dino Attack Team to do it for us, then we would have been the great saviors, and we would have been the ones to oversee its rebuilding… in our image. Now, we have the opportunity to correct this mistake. Thanks to an old report by Dino Attack agent Zero, we were able to locate and steal a Hypno Disk from a secret facility in Astor City. We built our time machine and traveled back to this year, with a brilliant plan to change the past in our favor."

----

Suddenly, Voltage turned his turret to see a flaming dino sprout wings and fly. "Uh-oh."

Databoard looked at the dinosaur that was attacking them. It was evading all their attacks. It shot fire at the Saber, buts its beam shield protected the ship. More started firing, and then Databoard noticed something. The beam shield, which appeared to have been damaged in the fight with Chaos, was starting to fail. And when it did, it would leave the Saber vulnerable to attack.

The Saber swooped low to the ground to avoid the fire coming from the beast. The beast landed and stretched out its massive arms that were much more useful than a T-Rex's, and slashed at the Saber. Deep scratches appeared in one of the engines, and they went down.

Databoard struggled to regain control of the Saber as it plummeted towards the street. This can't be happening. The Saber can handle a lot more than a dinosaur scratch! Databoard thought. If it's that powerful, how are we gonna stop it?

Databoard managed to stop the Saber's deadly fall, but now they were headed directly for an abandoned building. "HANG ON TO SOMETHING!" Databoard yelled as the ship flew straight through the side of the building. Fortunately, it came out the other side largely undamaged. The building, however, was not as fortunate. It was quickly reduced to rubble moments later. The Saber crashed into the ground.

"Bad news is, we could a million of those by the end of the week," said Cobra.

"Any way we can stop them? EMs, or something?" said Voltage.

"Too strong," said Cobra. "Maybe high doses of the strong radiation force, but that can kill people. We can't just go around killing them. We can barely kill one T-Rex, and one of these is equal two a thousand T-Rexes!" They all got up and ran as they saw Raptors pass.

Databoard got the Saber back into the air. "We can talk about how to defeat those dinos once we're away from them." He flew a short distance away and landed on a nearby rooftop. He then repaired the Saber's engines and set to work repairing the beam shield. It would take some time, but he could fix it.

----

Together, Rex and Claw fired upon the H.R.D.B., ensuring that they held its attention so it would not try to follow Remous. The robot lumbered towards them at a quicker pace than before, no longer having to devote so much energy towards maintaining the hologram. The digital timer was still counting down, and Rex realized that they had less time than he thought, but he tried not to waste any more time worrying about this.

"Shoot its left leg," said Rex. "I'll go for the right leg." The two Dino Attack agents split up and started to circle around the robot again, each aiming and firing at one of its legs in an effort to force the H.R.D.B. to stumble. However, most of their laser blasts were simply deflected off the robot's armor.

The H.R.D.B. performed a low sleep with its tail as it had done before, albeit faster this time, like the rest of its actions. Rex and Claw ducked just in time, but then the robot unexpectedly followed up by whipping its tail in the opposite direction. Claw, caught off-guard, was struck in the chest and sent sprawling across the pavement.

"Amanda!" shouted Rex. With only a half-second to spare, he shook himself out of his stupor and dodged the H.R.D.B.'s attack before he too was sent flying. Now, he held the robot's attention, as it lumbered towards him and away from the seemingly-incapacitated Claw.

As Rex backed away from the incoming H.R.D.B., firing upon it in an attempt to slow it down, he kept Claw within his field of vision. He was relieved to see that his teammate was not down for long, but instead quickly back on her feet. However, she looked down upon her empty hands, with her laser pistol nowhere to be seen. Then, she glanced around until her gaze fixated upon a chain lying on the ground amid other debris, which she picked up before chasing after Rex and the H.R.D.B.

Rex knew what she intended to do. He continued to fire upon the H.R.D.B., making sure that it kept its focus on him. At the same time, he slowed down his pace, and the robot did likewise, giving Claw more time to catch up to them. Once she did, Claw wrapped the chain around the robot's legs, then beckoned for Rex to move quickly.

The H.R.D.B. took another step and stumbled forward. Rex ducked out of the way as it crashed to the pavement. Already, the robot was trying to get back to its feet, so Rex and Claw wasted no time in trying to break its tail, as Remous had recommended.

Claw took the chain again and, like a whip, repeated lashed it against the H.R.D.B.'s tail with the intention of breaking it. It could certainly have worked, but they did not have enough time.

"Here, pull with me," said Rex, grabbing hold of the bot's tail by its base. Judging from her expression, Claw seemed skeptical, but she followed his lead and, together, they pulled. Rex put his full strength into the motion, and seconds later, the robot's tail snapped off, spraying sparks into the air as it clattered lifelessly to the pavement.

Incredulous that it worked, Claw stared at Rex with wide eyes. With a shrug, he handwaved it with, "Machinery has a tendency of falling apart whenever I try to touch it." While he now knew that it was actually his Mutant Dino strength that allowed him to perform such feats, he was still determined to keep it a secret for now.

The H.R.D.B. slowly rose to its feet, but without its tail to properly balance its weight, it promptly fell forward again. A second attempt yielded the same result.

"It's not going anywhere now," remarked Rex, smirking as he watched the robot's failures. "We did it! That's some good teamwork, right, Amanda Claw?"

Amanda grinned, but her cheer was short-lived as an alerted expression took its place. Rex looked back at the H.R.D.B. and read the counter on its display. They had ninety seconds remaining before the robot self-destructed.

"I agree," Rex spoke quickly. "We need to get out of here!" Claw looked to the tower, reminding him that he sent Zero and Phantom to investigate and see if it would provide a safe haven from the inevitable explosion. He took out his radio. "Zer... uh, Norik! What's the update on the tower?"

"All clear!" responded the familiar voice of Zero. "Come on in; I promise, you'll like what you see! Security's a little overboard at the moment... it was a pain in the neck getting in through the front door... but I'll make sure they know to let you in."

"Did you catch that, Remous?" asked Rex. "We're heading to the tower. Meet us inside!"

No response, which prompted a concerned frown from Claw, but they did not have the luxury of waiting for one. Rex and Claw nodded to one another, and then, together, they ran across the plaza towards the tower as quickly as they could. He felt those uncomfortable cramps that cropped up whenever he tried to physically exert himself, but the knowledge that there was a bomb about to go off behind him provided enough adrenaline to fight back and ignore the pain for now. They did not stop or look back until they reached the front doors of the mysterious building.

Rex pulled on the doors. They would not budge. Trying again did not improve the result. "Oh, come on!" he grumbled. "What, do I have to solve some stupid riddle or something just to get inside?"

Amanda Claw turned around and suddenly drew in a quick tense breath, like a small muted gasp. Wondering what she saw, Rex followed her gaze to the edge of the plaza. Atop one of the buildings was the unmistakable figure of Finister, watching the two Dino Attack agents during their flight from his creation, his long black robes billowing in the wind. Claw never seemed afraid of the hook-handed villain, so her reaction seemed puzzling to Rex at first. But then, a second glance told Rex why this sight affected her the way it did.

Finister was alone. Despite leaving in pursuit of the villain, there was no sign of Remous.

Knowing he had no time to dwell on that thought at the moment, Rex tried the doors once more, ready to apply his full strength again if necessary. This time, to his relief, they opened. "Come on!" he shouted as he took Amanda's hand and, pulling her along, dashed inside the mysterious building as quickly as he could. Behind them, the doors swung shut.

Only a second later came a loud boom.

Instinctively, Rex held Amanda Claw close to him so that, if the doors behind them blew out, he would shield her with his own body. However, while the explosion from across the plaza shook the whole city block, the building held firm and the doors did not give way. Only then did he relax and let go of her.

Claw spun around and stared at Rex with wide eyes. Everything about her, from her worried facial expression to her tense posture, told him that she was frightened for the safety of her brother, and she wanted nothing more than to run back outside and find him.

Rex decided it was best to assure her with comforting words, even if he did not entirely believe them himself. "I'm sure Remous is alright. He must have simply lost Finister and decided it was best to take cover before the H.R.D.B. exploded. But if we're going to go after Finister and look for Remous, we'll need a bigger squad to help us."

Claw did not appear convinced. Rex thought he recognized the look of sheer determination, someone who thought that they could accomplish an impossible feat on their own. Perhaps she was capable of it, but he was not ready to take that chance.

"It's too dangerous," he insisted. "Not only do we have villains from the future out there along with their present-day selves, but there's Kotua, Chaos, ShadowTech... and Mutant Dinos, of course. Let me talk to Specs. He'll know what to do."

Amanda Claw bit her lip, but with a sigh and a small nod, she relented. Tension seeped away from her posture, though she seemed resigned rather than at ease.

----

Kotua stood, proudly watching his Robo-Chaos in action.

Robo-Chaos walked to Kotua. "Now, to find them..." said Kotua.

Kotua added other things to Robo-Chaos, like a new Anti-Databoard program in its AI, designed specifically to counter Databoard's favorite strategies. Kotua watched the Robo-Chaos practice again.

*****

The Justice slowly came to a stop, dropping its anchor.

Andrew Yellowstone looked into the sky. The Voltage was floating there. Andrew turned, and looked at the marine next to him. "Ready the weaponry..." he said, walking back into the cabin...

The marines readied their weapons as they got on boats. However, none of them noticed the Fog surrounding LEGO City.

The Fog settled in, cutting off communications with anybody outside LEGO City.

A soldier flew his jet fighter over the sea, and flew towards the fog. He pressed a few switches, activating the recon equipment.

The jet flew back after flying around the Fog. The Jet landed on the Justice. The pilot came out, and walked towards the cabin. "Sir, it just seems to be a tighter fog. Nothing else changed during the flight," said the pilot.

"I highly doubt it, but I am slightly more satisfied that it doesn't seem to be harmful," said Andrew Yellowstone.

----

Rex wanted to say more, but then he noticed a familiar Dino Attack agent clad in a T.O.A. suit rushing up to greet them with a big friendly smile. "Rex! Claw! Glad you could join the party! Sorry about the front doors not opening at first... as I said, security's a little overly tight at the moment."

"Zero!" Rex said with a grin, feeling a strange sense of slight relief that Phantom was not with them so he would not have to worry about remembering some silly nickname like Norik. "Thanks for clearing the way for us."

With a shrug, Zero replied: "Truth be told, the mysterious tower of trials... really didn't have any trials for us to clear. But, I've got exciting news for you: welcome to Dino Attack Headquarters!"

Rex blinked. "Wait, what?" he stammered. For the first time, he looked around and took in his surroundings now that he was inside the tower.

They were in a large room. That was about all that Rex could really tell about it, since the building appeared just as unfinished from the inside as it did from the outside. It was dark, with only a few rudimentary light fixtures to temporarily provide illumination until a better system could be installed. What could be seen were plain colorless walls and a dull grey tile floor. In this empty room, the only real feature of note was a pile of construction materials in the corner of the room.

"Yeah!" continued Zero. "Believe it or not, this is the new Dino Attack Headquarters, which is why it's literally in the place of the old one. It's being constructed by Brick League United, whose greatest master builders have been working hard to get this base finished as soon as possible, but bigger and better than the old one! There's still a lot of work to do, I hear."

Glancing around, Rex murmured, "Well, that certainly explains the aesthetics."

"This big empty room's going to be the lobby when it's done," explained Zero. "They'll set up the secretary's desk right there, put some chairs along that wall, and so on. It's also not going to be just a tower forever. They're going to add on a huge garage, and a whole wing for the development of science and technology! Specs said that, when all's said and done, everything will be awesome!"

Rex raised an eyebrow in amusement, unable to imagine Specs saying those exact words. Then, with a start as he realized the implications of what Zero said, he asked: "Is Specs here in the building right now? Can I speak with him?"

Zero nodded eagerly. "Yeah, sure! I'll bring you right to him!"

----

After repairing the beam shield, Databoard turned it on. He did not want to leave the ship vulnerable in case the Mutant Dinos or Chaos attacked. Then, he walked up to the control room, where the other agents were as well. He then looked out the window for any Mutant Dinos, but did not see any.

"Power's back," said Databoard.

Snake of Spades found Cobra's container of Mutant Dino serum. Some of the Mutant Lizard venom still roamed his veins, compelling him to give in to the addiction. He looked around. Everyone was busy. He drank it. A jolt flew through him. His eyes glowed red. He started to grow wings. His mouth became a beak. He roared.

"D-D-Data, l-l-look at-t-t S-S-S-snake," Cobra stammered.

Snake roared. He shot lighting at Cobra. Cobra fell. Voltage fired his pistols. Snake blasted a hole through the roof of Saber. Snake flew out and saw a T-1 Typhoon fly over. KA-BLAM!!! Down flew the T-1 Typhoon, right towards The Saber.

Databoard repaired the hole in the Saber's roof, Fortunately, the ship was protected better on the outside, so the ship was protected from the mutated Snake. The Saber had some medical equipment aboard, so the other agents helped Cobra. Databoard meanwhile was trying to think of a way they could turn Snake back to normal.

Databoard then set to work building an energy net launcher for the Saber. Much like most of the ship weapons, it was hidden by a plate of armor. He did not know how effective against Chaos it would be, but he knew it would work for capturing Mutant Dinos.

Databoard continued to work on adding several more energy net launchers. He had added four, each of which he could control from the pilot's station. He also worked on increasing the overall power of the beam shield, which would make the Saber even harder to damage.

Databoard finished his repairs to the Saber. He then began wondering what had made Kotua go evil. He remembered when Kotua went evil almost six years ago, and wondered if this had anything to do with it. Or Kotua could just be paranoid; there were a lot of possible explanations.

----

Kotua walked back to the deck, wondering what scheme Databoard and Rex were cooking up in their Dino Loving Center.

Kotua arrived at the deck, to find the robots looking at the Fog. "Activate BIOHAZARD mode," said Kotua, knowing what the Fog meant.

Kotua came back into the Command Deck in BIOHAZARD gear. "Let's use this to our advantage," said Kotua.

The Voltage flew over the city and picked up two humans wandering around, along with two Mutant Dinos. The Voltage flew through the fog, ventilating it into the two people and the two raptors.

"Let's hope this works," said Kotua.

Kotua and the robot crew watched. "Check them," said Kotua.

----

Rex and Claw followed Zero through the new Dino Attack Headquarters. Like the lobby, most of it was empty and unfinished. Along the way, they occasionally passed other Dino Attack agents, showing that the incomplete base was already starting to provide a safe haven for the team.

At last, Rex recognized Specs himself. The team leader was speaking with another familiar face, the team's chief scientist Frank Einstein. Einstein greeted Rex with a warm smile, while Specs acknowledged their presence by nodding to them and addressing them by rank and name: "Elite agent Rex, agent Zero, agent Claw."

"Commander Specs," said Rex. "I have an urgent matter. We need to find and rescue agent Remous, who was last seen leaving the plaza in pursuit of the villain responsible for the explosion just now."

After letting Einstein know that he was dismissed, Specs looked at Rex and said in a serious tone: "I need to speak with you privately, Rex."

Rex turned towards Amanda Claw and whispered, "Wait here; I'll be right back. Probably just some elite agent business." Then, he followed Specs into another room, which was also empty and featureless due to being under construction.

Even after shutting the door behind them, Specs spoke in a low voice to prevent anyone from eavesdropping. "Here's what we'll do," he explained. "I'll try to contact agent Remous on his personal emergency channel. If he doesn't respond, then I'll deploy a search and rescue squad. If they fail to find him and we still hear no word from him, or should we learn that we were too late... then we shall inform agent Claw that Remous has been located and is currently deployed on a mission to investigate mutant activities in the Goo Caverns. He is, after all, a paleontologist and geologist; it would make most sense that, if he was sent on a special mission, that's where he would be."

Rex blinked, left feeling incredulous over the unexpected turn the conversation had taken. "You mean, we're going to lie to her? Deliberately deceive her into thinking that her own brother is safe and sound, when he could be dead... or worse? This just isn't right!"

Specs leaned in close, locking eyes with Rex. "Listen, Rex. Remous confided in me about Claw. He said that she's... troubled. They lost their whole family in the Dino Attack, and they only have each other for support. He privately feared that he was her last tether, the only thing keeping her grounded. Do you understand?"

Rex reflected upon his own experiences. His memory was only just starting to slowly come back to him, especially after learning the truth about his past from the phantom. Before that, when he was only a rookie in the Dino Attack Team, the gaping abyss of his amnesia threatened to consume him whole at times. The only thing that kept him from falling in was the sense of purpose that he felt in joining Dino Attack and partaking in the fight to save the world. That gave him an identity in a time when he had none. If he had been stripped of that purpose, of that identity...

While he wondered if it had any connection to her vow of silence, Rex knew that he could not possibly imagine what it was that left Amanda "troubled". In that regard, he knew that he could never truly understand. But, he knew what it was like to have a tether to reality, and how important it was that he not let go, no matter what. "Yes, sir," he said, nodding.

"Then keep an eye on her." Whether Specs meant that as a request or an order did not matter; its meaning was well-understood.

----

Suddenly, a few Mutant Raptors began attacking the Saber. Databoard pressed a button, and the ship flew above them. He fired an energy net at a Raptor, which not only kept it inside, but prevented anything from the outside to pass through the net, keeping it safe until he was ready to study it later. The other Raptors fled, surprised that one of them had been subdued so quickly.

Databoard fired a few more energy nets, and trapped some of the other Mutant Raptors. He then landed the Saber and brought the stunned Raptors inside. He did some quick scans, then brought the stunned creatures into the cargo bay so they could study them later.

Databoard looked at the security camera for the Saber's cargo hold. The Raptors were now awake, and trying to break out of their confinement. Fortunately, the cargo hold was well armored, and there was little chance of them breaking free. He then looked at the computer display which was showing him information about the Mutant Raptors.

Databoard continued to study the Mutant Lizards, but the information he got from the scan was limited at best. He would need a laboratory to examine them any further. Unfortunately, most of the labs in LEGO City were destroyed or ruined. He continued to look at the computer, looking over every bit of data.

----

Ogel, General Evil, and Fogel approached a Dino Attack medical lab. General Evil effortlessly broke down the door, and the three villains barged inside to see a group of frightened doctors staring at them.

In his typical hammy fashion, Ogel laughed evilly and announced: "I am Ogel, and you will all surrender to-"

Fogel stepped forward and grabbed one of the scientists. He slammed the poor man down on the floor, and there was a sickening crack. The other doctors screamed and started to flee, but Fogel quickly caught up with them and swiftly killed them all.

Ogel and General Evil watched with wide eyes. "That's… that's not…" whispered General Evil.

Fogel rejoined them, and he must have been smirking beneath his helmet. "This is the FUTURE way of villainy," he declared. "The time for playing well is over. You… and I… realized that when I needed this G.E. Body just to survive."

"Well," said Ogel, "it's simply not pragmatic. I suppose the scientists could have been useful to us alive. We could have questioned them, or brainwashed them, or-"

"We don't need them," Fogel said, searching the lab benches as he looked for something. "We don't even need most of this stuff! If you want to be 'pragmatic', then I am simply trimming the fat. All we needed from this place are this... and this." He pulled up two objects. One was a biohazard bottle labeled "Mutant Dino DNA Serum", the other was an injection needle.

"Why do we need those?" asked Ogel. "How does that help us defeat Dino Attack Team?"

"You'll see, you'll see," Fogel answered cryptically, and then he laughed even more evilly than his present-day counterpart.

----

Specs dismissed Rex, who left the room and soon found Amanda Claw standing beside a window, looking out over the plaza. They could see the blast marks, fire, rubble, and smoke left behind in the wake of the H.R.D.B.'s explosion, as well as the building where they last saw Finister. However, neither of them could see any sign of either Finister or Remous.

She turned to look at Rex, her eyes full of questioning. He could tell that she wanted nothing more than to hear some good news, even though he had none to give.

"I spoke to Specs," he reported. "He's sending out a search and rescue squad to find Remous." With a comforting smile, he added: "Don't worry; I'm sure they'll bring him back home safely. I know they will."

She looked away, once again staring wistfully out the window.

Rex knew that Specs would keep true to his word and do whatever he could to try to save Remous. If he succeeded, then there would be nothing to worry about. However, that was still a big "if".

As an elite agent, Rex had overseen a variety of Dino Attack missions, most often with squads consisting of new recruits who had been drafted and never before seen action on the front lines of a battlefield. Unfortunately, despite his best efforts, it was inevitable that not everyone always returned safely. It was then his duty to keep the morale of his survivors high, because that was what mattered most in the face of unavoidable loss.

As much as he resented it, he accepted that it was perhaps in Amanda's best interest if she had to remain in the dark about her brother's fate. If Remous really was her tether in times of trouble, the only thing keeping her grounded, then the comforting lie might be necessary, at least until she could find another tether just as strong. Believing that her brother was out there, alive and well, would keep her morale high. It would be for her sake.

"I've only known the two of you for a few minutes," continued Rex. "But, in that time, the impression I got from him is that he's a brave and resourceful individual who does not give up, no matter what. I'm certain that he's alright. That mean old Finister is not going to get him down. If he doesn't return to base on his own, then the rescue team will find him. You'll see him again soon, I promise."

Amanda Claw turned her head towards him. For the first time, Rex noticed the dark circles under her eyes, the tell-tale sign of sleepless nights. The ends of her lips slowly lifted into a smile, the first time she did so since the H.R.D.B.'s defeat. He was not sure whether or not she believed his words, but at the very least, they did bring some much-needed comfort and warmth.

Did I go too far? wondered Rex, who already felt guilty. It had not even come to the point of lying yet, but he had just made a risky promise that might be impossible to keep. In addition, it was he who insisted that someone go after Finister, leaving him responsible for whatever happened as a result. I can't dwell on that, he decided, quickly burying those thoughts. What's important now is that we keep moving forward, no matter what happens. That's my responsibility now.

Responsibility. He remembered Remous's last words to him: to take care of Amanda. He thought about his private conversation with Specs and his assignment of keeping an eye on her. Nodding to himself, he knew what he had to do. "No matter what happens," he said quietly, "we'll look out for each other. Right?"

Amanda Claw subtly shifted her stance, and now she was leaning her side against Rex, to his surprise. Their eyes met for a second, then she looked down, closed her eyelids, and slowly drew in a long breath. Rex realized that this gesture meant that she felt comfortable in his presence, perhaps even if only because he was one of the few who could figure out what was on her mind. One who could understand her.

"Right," he whispered.

----

Suddenly, a bolt of electricity hit the Saber. Databoard looked out the window to see Mutant Pteranodons attacking the ship. He rushed to controls, and the other agents were firing their laser turrets. Databoard fired the energy net launchers, but the Pteranodons were able to avoid their attacks.

Cobra got up. He looked out the window and saw Pteranodons. He walked up to a computer, and typed something in. All of the Mutant Pteranodons flew away. Cobra then typed something else, and one Pteranodons flew in the way of the net.

"What did you do?" asked Databoard.

"Magnetism annoys them. I used it to guide them," explained Cobra.

Databoard and Cobra then started to study it. To their surprise, they found out that the dinos were changing, and that this can be sped up if bitten by a newborn super dino. By sheer luck, this particular Mutant Pterosaur conveniently turned out to be Snake of Spades, so Cobra wasted no time in administering the antidote to return him to normal.

Then on the radar, they found something: the super dino nest. They set out to destroy it.

The Saber rocketed towards the super-dino nest, landing on a building close to the coordinates. They took the elevator down and stealthily crossed the street, sure that dinos would jump out at them. None did.

They reached the building and stepped inside. The walls were burnt and there were eggs everywhere. "Alright," Voltage said. "Cobra, how do we destroy them?"

"We need explosions, fire, and radiation. Plant these in the four corners of the nest, and run for your life," said Cobra. He handed them explosives. He saw two adults running towards the nest.

"Hurry!" shouted Databoard.

They rushed to plant the explosives. The two adult dinos had closed in on them. Everyone but Databoard looked scared. Databoard pulled out a remote and pressed a button. A large portion of the super dino nest exploded, and the Saber flew through the smoke. Databoard pressed another button, and the lasers targeted the Mutant Dinos. "Quick, while they're distracted!" Databoard shouted, and they hurried to plant the explosives.

The final explosive was laid. "Run for your lives!!" shouted Cobra. The explosives blew, destroying the nest. They all got in the Saber. Cobra pulled out a switch. Thousands of super dinos ran toward the nest, to their doom. "That's the end of them," said Cobra. Out of the fire, rose one of the Super Dinos, and it was an adult.

Voltage gazed out the window at the ruined building where the nest was. He had a strange feeling that more were coming, and that was not the last of them.

"We have to get to that ESG base you were talking about, Cobra," he said. "To end the dino attack."

"It's somewhere around here..." he replied, scanning the area. "There!"

Cobra guided them to the secret ESG lab, and they landed the Saber in front of the lab.

They all went in and split up. Cobra went into a room with a dino cage. He saw a full arsenal of weapons. The lights went out. A figure dressed in black appeared. "You know too much, agent Cobra. Prepare to die," said the ESG security guard. He took out a pistol.

*****

Databoard snuck down a corridor, laser in hand. He snuck into a room with a computer. He tried to look at the information, but it appeared to be encrypted with codes he had never seen before. He took out a disk, and began downloading the information onto it, so he could look at it later. He did not see the black-dressed ESG security guard sneaking into the room towards him...

Suddenly, Databoard saw something in the reflection of the computer's monitor. That something had a gun. He ducked out of the way, ejecting the disk as he did. At that same moment, a laser bolt flew past his head, slamming into the computer monitor and destroying it. "Hand me the disk and your death will be less painful," the ESG security guard said.

"I don't think I will," Databoard said, pulling out a laser and putting the disk into his pocket. The ESG agent fired his weapon again. Databoard jumped out of the way and fired back.

The ESG soldier shot at Databoard, who ducked out of the way. He continued to shoot at the other person, but he would avoid his shots. Suddenly, two more ESG agents entered the room and began shooting at him. He ducked out of the way and the laser bolts missed him.

*****

They searched the ESG labs and found valuable information, but no workers or Cobra's boss.

"What did you find?" Voltage asked Kai.

"I found some plans for dinos and stuff like that."

"I found dino DNA," Voltage replied.

"If we really are going to stop the Dino Attack, then we need to find the boss," Kai said.

They entered a corridor with two rooms. They split up and Voltage went into the room at the right. There, he was cornered by two ESG security guards.

*****

Kai went through the door on the left. Soon he was face-to-face with an ESG security guard. "Trespassers will be eliminated," he said, and loaded his gun.

Kai took out two blasters, one in each hand. "Feeling brave?" asked Kai confidently, pointing both guns at the ESG agent. Soon, he heard more loading sounds, and five more men with loaded guns came out from the darkness of the room.

Kai gulped. It seemed that these ESG guards were trained soldiers, not mere mall cops.

*****

"I don't think so!" Cobra said as he kicked the ESG guard in the face, took his weapon, and shot him. He reached down and took off the security guard's helmet, revealing a robotic face underneath. Vaguely, Cobra recalled that ESG used robot security guards in lieu of humans in order to maintain secrecy. They must have known I would be coming back, thought Cobra, and evacuated the scientists while leaving the guards behind to ambush us.

Cobra found Databoard and he took down the ESG soldier. Cobra walked up to a computer, typed something in, put a disk in, and waited. The entire database of the lab uploaded onto the disk. He took the disk out, turned, and found a gun at his head. He shot the guard, then took down another guard attacking Databoard. He heard gunshots. Cobra and Databoard left to save everyone else.

Databoard and Cobra rushed down the hallway, looking for the other agents. Databoard looked into a room and saw Kai fighting off six ESG security guards. They took out their lasers and charged into the fight, surprising both the people in black and Kai as they attacked.

Databoard, Cobra, and Kai quickly took down about three of the ESG agents. Suddenly, more ESG soldiers attacked, but they were able to defeat two quickly. They then fired at the remaining guards; two more guards were taken down, but the rest dodged the attacks.

----

Kotua walked back to the Command Deck. "Alright, let's see if we can get Rex to come to us," said Kotua.

The Voltage flew off, and slowed down over the still-populated part of the city. Some people looked up, and others kept going. Suddenly, it opened fire on them, sending vehicles into the air with explosions as burnt buildings collapsed.

Kotua pressed a button, and canisters flew from the Voltage. The canisters crashed into the ground, releasing its contents. The Voltage flew as the people fell to the ground, overcome by the bacteria.

Kotua looked around. "Mission accomplished. Now to find Rex and Databoard," said Kotua.

Some robots stepped out of the Voltage and flew around, making special repairs...

----

"Hey, Peasam!"

The mood was broken and Claw's eyes opened suddenly as the two Dino Attack agents spun around to see Phantom approach. "Norik was just telling me that he thought he saw a strange-looking Mutant Pterosaur hiding in the hangar on the top floor. He thinks it's gotten loose and escaped into the city, but it may have left a nest behind, so he's searching the hangar for it. While he's doing that, he was hoping that you and I could search the neighboring streets and see if we can spot the thing flying around."

Rex's interest was immediately piqued by the news of a unique Mutant Pterosaur. While he knew now that he was never actually the scientist he once claimed to be, he had since taken up the hobby of capturing and studying Mutant Dinos. If there really was a different Mutant Pterosaur, what could that mean? New strains of mutations leading to previously-unseen adaptations? Enhancements caused by lengthened exposure to unknown elements before hatching? A secretive villainous faction modifying Mutant Dinos to their own ends? Or yet another loose thread doomed to forever be left hanging? Whatever it was, now he wanted to find out.

"Yeah, sure!" Rex replied, nodding eagerly. "I'll come along." He took a few steps toward Phantom, and Amanda Claw started to follow, only to be stopped when Phantom held up his hand.

"Hold it there, little lady!" said Phantom. "Peasam and I can handle this one on our own. You just stay here and keep looking out the window."

Claw frowned indignantly, and her hands clenched into fists. It was clear to Rex that she did not like being told what she could not do, especially when being called "little lady" in a less-than-endearing tone. As a multinational organization comprised of anyone who was willing to fight the prehistoric menace, Dino Attack Team was not discriminatory towards religion, race, or gender (after all, such petty differences scarcely mattered in the face of the apocalypse), so the suggestion that she could not participate in their mission due to being a woman was one that offended Rex as well.

"Phantom," Rex spoke sternly, "I'd say agent Claw has more than proven her capabilities in the fight against the H.R.D.B."

"And I don't disagree," insisted Phantom, shaking his head. "I was merely suggesting that there's strategic value to having one of us stay behind and keeping watch from Dino Attack Headquarters. It is a nice view you've got up here. But, Peasam, we need to get going immediately if we're going to catch this thing, so let's not waste any more time. We've got very important business to attend to."

Sighing, Rex relented as he saw Phantom's point. He turned to face Amanda Claw. He knew that he had promised Specs that he would keep an eye on her, and he did not wish to neglect his duty to Specs, Amanda, and Remous. But, realistically, such a task would be impossible to do 24 hours a day. Besides, they had only just met, and he feared that she might grow suspicious for all the wrong reasons if he stuck to her like studs on a brick.

"We'll be back very soon," he assured her. "In the meantime, if you see anything, you can send a text message to my PDA. Okay?"

Claw no longer looked offended, but she still frowned, scrutinizing Phantom with narrowed eyes. Then, she locked eyes with Rex and nodded, with more than a hint of concern in her expression. He took this as a warning to be careful while they hunted the Mutant Pterosaur.

"Don't worry about me," he promised. "I've dealt with Mutant Pterosaurs before... they're a real pain in the neck, but I can handle them. I'll be fine." With that, Rex gave Amanda a quick smile before joining Phantom. He could sense that she was watching them as they departed Dino Attack Headquarters.

----

From a distance, the phantom observed the crashed Villains Headquarters airship. The villains survived the crash landing and were already starting to make repairs. "My work is never done..." the phantom muttered before departing.

Fogel, Ogel, and General Evil found the other villains, both the present and the future, as they returned to Villains Headquarters. "There you are!" Finister said. "Did you tell Ogel who you really are?"

"Yes," Fogel answered. "Actually, he figured it out himself. Have you told the others?"

"Indeed," replied Finister. "Unfortunately, only Vladek guessed himself. The present Brickster and Sinister had to be told."

"I figured it out," muttered Sam Sinister. "I just didn't think it could be true…"

"And you destroyed Dino Attack Headquarters and captured agents Rex, Remous, Claw, and Zero, according to plan?" inquired Fogel.

Finister faltered. "Well… not quite. When they disabled the H.R.D.B. hologram and initiated its countdown, I was forced to make a tactical retreat. But Remous… yes, I got him."

At first, Fogel was furious. It seemed that he was about to strike Finister for failing to capture Rex, Claw, and Zero. But then, he relaxed and chuckled contentedly. "Remous may be the key to everything," he said softly. "Like a snowball that leads to an avalanche, his doom shall be the catalyst setting into motion everything we need for Dino Attack Team to fall."

----

Kotua sat on his chair and pressed a button. Immediately controls popped up, and Kotua got them. Buttons also appeared around him.

Kotua put on a microphone headset. "Initiate Assault sequence," said Kotua.

The Voltage powered its thrusters and flew off. Two jet fighters flew after the craft and fired, but Kotua pressed a few buttons, and acid melted off the fighters.

The Voltage flew around the city, looking for the ShadowTech base...

----

Together, Rex and Phantom walked the streets of the city. After a long day of weird and unusual sights, from water monsters to exploding robots, there was an oddly conspicuous lack of any more strange encounters during their search. It just seemed like another typical day of the Dino Attack, full of city ruins, abandoned cars, crumbling asphalt, and the occasional encounter with a hungry Mutant Lizard.

It felt like they were searching for at least an hour, but there was still no sign of the strange Mutant Pterosaur. Rex did not even know what was so strange about it, having not seen it himself, but Phantom promised, "You'll know it when you see it."

Rex kept thinking back to Amanda Claw. They had only received a single PDA message from her, which Rex tactfully read aloud as, "She has, uh, only seen normal Mutant Pterosaurs so far. Nothing unusual."

This prompted a snide remark from Phantom: "Well, that's really useful of her. Glad she's being such a big help by telling us that she has nothing to tell."

In actuality, the text message contained a much more worrisome warning that kept gnawing at Rex from the inside. Upon reading it, he wondered if he had misinterpreted the source of her concern before they left Dino Attack Headquarters. The message was only two words that carried a lot of weight.

Stay alert.

It was incredibly vague, but the more that he thought about it, the more that Rex was unable to shake the feeling that it was intentionally vague. She clearly did not trust Phantom the way she trusted Rex, and there was a warning she wanted to give Rex but could not risk letting Phantom read it as well, which was why Rex chose to flat-out lie about the message's content. But why?

Or, maybe he was looking too deep into it. Maybe it was simply a general warning of danger heading their way. Chaos, perhaps? The fact that Rex had gone at least a few hours without Kotua and Chaos trying to kill him was surely not a good sign.

Then again, everything about the way Amanda Claw normally communicated required "looking too deep into it" to understand, so he could not shake the feeling that something was not right. Nor could he shake the feeling that someone was silently following them.

Still, Rex and Phantom continued to search the streets for any sign of the enhanced Mutant Pterosaur. Dino Attack Headquarters grew farther and farther away, eventually disappearing behind other tall buildings as their journey led them deeper and deeper into the city. The shadows grew longer and darker as the sun sank ever closer to the horizon.

At last, Rex sighed. "I don't think we're going to find anything at this point. We'd better return to base before nightfall... we don't want to be on our own, this far from the rest of the team, when the nocturnal city life wakes up."

"Very well," agreed Phantom. He started to turn around, but then his eyes widened. He pointed to a nearby apartment building that was several stories high. "There!" he whispered urgently. "I just saw it! On the roof!"

Rex's gaze followed Phantom's finger. He could not see the Mutant Pterosaur from his position, but did not have time to get a better vantage point before Phantom ran to the alleyway separating the apartment building from a neighboring barbershop, then beckoned for Rex to follow.

"We can use the fire escape to get to the roof before it flies away!" suggested Phantom. "Come on, hurry!"

Rex caught up with him, but took a look down the alleyway. The sun was just at the right angle, low enough in the sky to visually transform the alley into a long, narrow, black hallway without a ray of light. From his training in Dino Attack Team, Rex was already thinking of all the potential hiding places of Mutant Lizards (or worse), waiting to ambush any prey foolish enough to walk the path between the apartments and the barbershop. It was clearly the set piece of disaster waiting to happen, and Phantom was suggesting that they walk through it.

"Look," he said, "we really shouldn't be wandering down dark alleys without backup. I mean, they were bad enough before the Dino Attack. Then, Mutant Dinos just made them a lot worse. But now, with those mysterious ShadowTech agents lurking in the shadows and waiting to abduct us Dino Attack agents... not to mention Kotua and his uncanny ability to show up at the least convenient moment..."

"Backup won't be necessary," insisted Phantom. "Two is a perfect number for what we're about to do, you and me. Three or more would just attract unwanted attention." Before Rex could argue further, the amnesic Alpha Team agent stepped into the alley.

Rex groaned in resignation. Stay alert, he reminded himself as he followed Phantom into the alleyway.

----

Voltage flipped over and kicked one of the ESG soldiers down. Laser bolts flew as he dodged them with ease.

A bolt flew, and he ducked so it flew over him and hit one of the guards in the face, right in the eye. He then slid forward and tripped one of them, who went flying into another, and they toppled over onto some computers.

He flipped over one of the ESG agents, throwing his pistols in midair, and meleed him in the spinal cord, so he fell into a heap on the floor.

Plasma ricocheted off the walls and destroyed several computers, which Voltage thought was a good hiding place until one fell on his head. Rubbing the bump the computer had made, he was cornered by the five other security guards, when many more ESG robot soldiers stormed in.

"Freeze!" one of them shouted, drawing its M-16s.

So now we're working with conventional weapons, Voltage thought. Okayyyyyy....

This would be harder to deal with, seeing as no one usually used actual bullets when they could get their hands on high-tech plasma pistols.

He really needed help right now, and badly.

*****

Snake of Spades and Joey had gone into a room with six ESG security guards. They were apparently guarding the place, seeing as ten others were guarding the entrance before they got in. Snake fired a well-placed shot at one, who toppled over a desk and hit a computer.

Dang! There could have been valuable information in there... Snake thought, fighting off two of the guards. He ducked and rolled as the robot threw a fist at him, and he shot him from behind.

Joey nailed one ESG agent in the face with a punch, knocking him out cold. He found a pistol lying on the ground and threw it, hitting another in the head, knocking him out.

The two remaining ESG soldiers were disposed of and they decided to find the others.

Voltage was relieved when Snake and Joey burst through the door. It would be easier to dispose of twenty ESG soldiers when you had three people on your team.

Kai and Databoard burst through another door, summing the team up to five. Still outnumbered, the group held their ground, waiting for the twenty ESG agents to make their move.

"Attack!!!"

The ESG soldiers charged, firing bullets everywhere. Voltage swept to the side and tripped one. Three more cornered him. Voltage ducked and rolled, landing several punches in one's back. The ESG agent drew his weapons and fired at Voltage, who dodged and leapt off the wall. He landed a fatal kick to the head of the robot, and at the same time kicked the gun out of another's hand.

"Reinforcements! We need rein..." the ESG agent said as Voltage shot him.

Axel burst through the door and was immediately covered by ESG soldiers, but he kicked them away easily.

Snake and Joey were trying to hack into the mainframe, covered by Kai and Databoard.

"I think I found something!" Joey yelled.

"He found something! Get him!" an ESG agent yelled and ran forward.

"Not so fast," Kai said, kicking him out of the way.

"Shut up, I'm trying to concentrate!" Joey yelled, ejecting a disk from the CPU.

----

Kotua flew over the new ShadowTech base. Scans showed that it was protected by beam shield.

"Hack into it and get us in," said Kotua. One of the robots began hacking into the base.

ShadowTech soldiers ran to their battle positions and fired at the Voltage. Kotua laughed as his aircraft fired back with acid blasts, melting off the soldiers. The Voltage slowly landed one top of the hangars, crushing their aerial units.

One ShadowTech squadron managed to make it out, so Kotua responded by sending out a pair of Robo-Blades. One of the Robo-Blades readied its laser and fired at the lead fighter jet. However, the pilot expected this and flew over the blast. The other Robo-Blade took its Beam Sword, and wedged the beam in the cockpit. The Robo-Blades activated their head Vulcan guns, and finished off the remaining fighters as the Voltage's cannons wiped out the shuttles.

The soldiers ran off as Kotua's probes, now with no aerial enemies, took them down. Some ShadowTech soldiers got on military vehicles, only to be blown up by the probes. Kotua pressed a button, and the giant cannon of the Voltage blew off the remaining ShadowTech soldiers.

"Now, to find agent Cane," said Kotua. Kotua came out in a hovercraft, accompanied by Chaos. They hovered into the base, and started looking for Cane...

----

Rex carefully and deliberately took each step, making sure the coast was clear before he took the next step. His eyes darted from the brick wall on his left to the brick wall on his right and then back again, looking for any sign of movement in the shadows. He still could not shake the feeling that some unseen individual was watching him.

At last, in the center of the alley, they found the apartment building's fire escape. Rex's shoulders sank with the discovery, however, since the ladders had collapsed, leaving them with no easy means of ascending to the roof. "We should turn back," declared Rex. "Maybe the enhanced Mutant Pterosaur has already flown away."

"Or maybe there is no super Mutant Pterosaur," murmured Phantom. "Maybe Zero just hallucinated its existence. Maybe I just lied about it to bring you out here."

Like before, when he saw how uncanny the H.R.D.B.'s hologram looked, Rex found himself filled with a dreadful feeling that something was horribly wrong. "What are you saying?"

"It's a terrible thing, isn't it?" mused Phantom. "To have no memory of your life, no sense of identity, relying only on the small scraps of information others will give you, regardless of whether or not they're true. Wouldn't you agree, Rex?"

Rex felt his heart skip a beat when Phantom referred to him by his real name, something he had not done since he lost his memory. Concerned, he tried to play dumb and asked, "Rex? Err, who's Rex? My name is, uh, Peasam. Are you feeling alright? Perhaps we should go back to base and take a rest. It's been a long day, and you'll feel better in the morning-"

"Don't patronize me!" yelled Phantom, grabbing Rex by the cuff of his uniform and slamming him against the brick wall. "I know who you are, Rex! And I'm sick of all those MegaBloking lies you and Zero have been force-feeding me for the past few days! Now, where were we... ah, yes, I remember. You were going to tell me where Frozeen is."

Much like Specs, Phantom wore a balaclava that covered most of his features. His eyes remained fully visible, and as they locked eyes with one another, Rex saw the unmistakable look of pure madness in the ex-Alpha Team agent's pupils. There was no denying it now: Phantom's memory had returned, and along with it, all of his chaotic anger.

Rex's features hardened as he knew that there was no escape this time; he had to confront Phantom directly now. "If your memory really has come back, then you should remember me telling you that I have no idea where Frozeen is. My answer still hasn't changed."

Phantom raised an eyebrow. "Are you so sure about that?"

"Look," groaned Rex, "I don't know why you're so convinced that I know anything more about Frozeen than you do! I haven't even met the guy!"

"Oh, please," muttered Phantom, rolling his eyes. "Everyone has certainly noticed how you're best buds with PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot, spending days with them flying around the globe on their private airship. They even lent you his old vehicle, the Silver Scorpion... or, should I say, the ultimate coward's cheap invincibility clause. At the very least, you'd practically qualify as a suspiciously similar substitute at this point."

Now it was Rex's turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, so maybe I've walked around in his shoes for a bit. That doesn't mean anything. I'm, uh, just a scientist-turned-soldier, not a professional secret agent, and I'm sure that if you compared our personnel files, you'd find quite a few differences in skills, personality, background... you know, the things that give a person his or her character! And even if I was his identical twin, or maybe even his adoptive nephew twice-removed, do you think that means I have some sort of telepathic connection to him so I know where he is? Guess what? I don't!"

"Perhaps not," agreed Phantom. "But, with all that time being chummy with Frozeen's posse and riding around in his personal vehicle, even a fool could see that you'd know more about Frozeen than the rest of us. Surely, you must have checked the Silver Scorpion's logbook. Or PBB told you something. Yes, I'm sure he did."

Rex shook his head. "He only told me that Frozeen had disappeared since Alpha Team's last mission. And if you're so convinced that PBB would know something to tell me, then why don't you ask him? Or are you too afraid that a robot with flamethrowers for hands would not be such an easy target to ambush and interrogate, so here you are, picking on someone you see as much more vulnerable? And yet, you're calling me the coward!"

"Shut up!" snapped Phantom. "I am not afraid of that purple blockhead! However, you are right that PBB would not be so easy to interrogate... after all, he is a machine. He will follow his programming to the bitter end, and if that means hiding intel from me, then he'll do just that. You, on the other hand... you're only human."

"Are you so sure about..." Rex cut himself off before he could finish that retort, realizing that if he even hinted at the truth of his Mutant Dino origins, then Phantom could possibly use that information to blackmail him. Instead, he changed his question to, "... err, about wanting to find Frozeen? Why do you even want that so badly? What, does this guy owe you twelve bucks or something?"

At first, Phantom grimaced and drew back his fist, and Rex anticipated that he would respond with a punch to the gut for daring to question his motives. But then, the rogue Alpha Team agent's hand fell to his side as the anger seemed to slip away from him, leaving behind only sadness. "You really want to know?" he asked softly. "I'll tell you what he did. He ruined my reputation... my career... and my life."

Rex blinked, unable to believe what he just heard. "What?"

Phantom turned away and stared wistfully into the distance. "Mark my words, Rex. I was always loyal to Alpha Team. I've done my part in protecting the world from evil. I was proud of who I was and what I did. But, remember this: gratitude is a fickle friend. Oh, how quickly they forget."

Then, his voice turned bitter. "And what gratitude do I get for my years of service? I was framed! Frozeen accused me of being a traitor and got me convicted by planting false evidence! I was stripped of my rank as special agent, discharged from the team, and cast out as an outsider... and I did nothing wrong. It's all his fault. He took everything from me."

Rex's jaw dropped. While he did not personally know Frozeen, it was true that they had mutual friends such as PBB, Chompy, and Databoard. None of them had even remotely hinted at Frozeen doing something like this, and it did not mesh with the mental image he had conjured up of the disappeared Alpha Team agent, leaving him feeling astonished. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "It can't be true..."

"I told myself the same thing," sighed Phantom. "I kept hoping I'd wake up and find that it was all just a bad dream. And yet, here we are, having this conversation in the year 2010, and I still haven't woken up from this nightmare."

Then, when he turned to look at Rex again, the Dino Attack agent noticed a fire in his eyes. "However, today is another day. It's a very different world from the world I used to protect as an Alpha Team agent. A civilization in ruins... a society in shambles. It's a lawless wilderness, like the old west. You know how people settled disputes there. And, now that you know what he did to me, that's why you're going to tell me where Frozeen is. So, at last, I can hunt down that 4+ figure... and satisfy my craving for revenge! So, I'll ask again... where is Frozeen?"

Although Rex pitied Phantom, he was also disturbed by the fiery lust for revenge. It was a reminder that, tragic backstory or not, Phantom was still a dangerous madman. Additionally, it did not change the fact that Rex still had no idea where Frozeen was. He did not even know if Frozeen was still alive. Therefore, he said, "Look, I'm sorry for your loss, I really am... but I can't help you. I still can't tell you where he is if I don't know that myself."

Phantom's visible features suddenly contorted into a hideous scowl, and then he punched Rex in the gut. As the Dino Attack agent doubled over in pain, Phantom screamed: "Stop lying to me! I see right through it! You're trying to protect him, aren't you? Of course! You're with him! I know it! You're just like the others I've interrogated... all conspiring against me, out to finish what your best friend started!"

Clutching his aching abdomen, Rex could only manage to whisper, "The... others...?"

"You think you were my first target?" hissed Phantom. "No, I've previously tracked down some of Frozeen's other old friends from Alpha Team. When they didn't give me what I wanted, I executed them, just as I will do to you if you don't cooperate. Databoard is next, and if he won't talk either, then I'll just keep moving up the food chain... whoever it takes to find Frozeen!" With that, he pulled out a pistol and pointed it at Rex's forehead. "But first... you."

I need to end this ruthless search, decided Rex. Databoard is the only one who stands a chance against Kotua... I can't let Phantom get to him! For all the good that it would do, Rex slowly raised his hands as he got to his feet. "Listen, Phantom-"

"No!" declared Phantom. "I'm done listening! I won't hear any more of it until you have something useful to say! And if this is what it takes to get you to talk, then so be it!"

There was movement behind Phantom. Suddenly, the rogue Alpha Team agent choked as a chain caught him by the neck and pressed against his throat. Then, Rex recognized the female Dino Attack agent holding the chain, with a fiercely protective look in her eyes. Amanda Claw! She followed us here!

Without thinking, Rex sprang forward and tried to seize the gun out of Phantom's hand. However, even ambushed and outnumbered, the former Alpha Team special agent clad in T.O.A. was far from outmatched. The following seconds became a confusing blur. The next thing Rex knew, he was thrown down upon the pavement, with Amanda's chain cast uselessly by his side.

Phantom still held his firearm, but now, with his other hand, he held Amanda close to him. "Well, well, well," he said, chuckling. "What do we have here? If it isn't your precious girlfriend! I think this will give you some incentive to talk, Rex. If you won't tell me what I want to hear, then I'll put a bullet in Claw's head." With that, he pressed his gun against Amanda's temple.

In a less tense situation, Rex would have been confused by Phantom referring to Claw as his girlfriend. They had only known each other for less than a day; why would they be dating already? That matter of terminology was of little importance at the moment, however. Girlfriend or not, her life was on the line.

Feeling anger build up inside of him, Rex's every instinct told him to attack, to knock that pistol out of Phantom's hand and save Amanda. But, he knew that if he attempted such a daring feat, then Phantom's trigger finger would all-too-definitely be faster.

He locked eyes with Amanda, who understood the same principle and ever-so-slightly shook her head, warning him not to try anything foolish. She had an indignant expression over her predicament, as though it was a mere annoyance rather than a life-threatening situation. Although Phantom held her tightly and would not let her run, her hands were free, and one hand slowly drifted to the knife sheathed on her belt.

Rex knew what he had to do. Drawing in a deep breath, he said, "Okay, okay. Fine. You want to know where Frozeen is? Then, listen very closely, because I'm only going to say this once."

As Phantom took the bait, drawing just enough of his attention away from his hostage, Amanda seized the moment. In one impossibly-swift motion, she unsheathed her knife and buried the blade in Phantom's knee, where the T.O.A. sacrificed armor for the sake of necessary mobility. As Phantom dropped his gun, Amanda spun around and struck him with her elbow.

Rex scrambled to pick up the fallen weapon, but he was too slow. Growling, Phantom grabbed Amanda with both hands and then threw her down upon Rex. Instinctively, Rex tried to hold her in a way that shielded her with his own body, only to realize that she was trying to do the same for him. The end result was that neither one of them did a particularly effective job at protecting the other.

Grunting in pain, Phantom knelt down, retrieving his pistol with one hand while he used the other hand to pull the knife out of his knee and toss it aside. As he rose to his full height, he pointed his pistol at Rex and Amanda with shaking hands, his eyes ablaze with fury. "Do you know who I am?" he screamed. "I'm an Alpha Team special agent! The best of the best, greater than even the elite! I've been trained to push myself to the limits of any man can do! I'm faster, stronger, smarter! None of you stand a chance against me! I've been denied everything... but I will not be denied my revenge!"

"I think not."

Phantom blinked, just before a hand sprang out from the shadows behind him and grabbed his throat. The rogue Alpha Team agent was lifted clean off the pavement by his attacker, who stepped out of the darkness.

This newcomer, like Finister earlier that day, wore a long black hooded cloak. However, the low lighting of the alley combined with the size of his robes completely concealed his features, leaving barely anything visible under that hood. Still, Rex recognized the figure's voice, as well as his penchant for dwelling in the shadows and hiding his identity. The phantom!

The phantom's voice was as firm as his grip. "You dare to call yourself an Alpha Team agent? It's your duty to protect the world from threats like Ogel. And yet, here you are, ignoring the Dino Attack as you dare to hurt innocents in your selfish quest for revenge! You may have once been a loyal Alpha Team agent who was unfairly wronged... but now, you are not even that. You've let yourself be consumed by anger and madness... you've chosen the path of the very villain you once swore to destroy... and now, justice shall be served."

"You...!" wheezed Phantom, his eyes widening.

Then, the hooded figure threw Phantom across the alley. Rex instinctively winced as he saw the Alpha Team agent strike the concrete wall headfirst and then crumple to the floor. Phantom let out one last sigh, shut his eyes, and did not move again.

For several moments that were as silent and still as the grave, Rex and Amanda continued to hold one another, wordlessly watching Phantom's form. Slowly, Rex rose to his feet and then helped Amanda up as well. Then, he walked towards their foe, knelt down before him, removed his balaclava, and placed two fingers on his throat. He could not feel a pulse.

"If he is fortunate," murmured the phantom, "then he is dead."

"You killed him..." whispered Rex, aghast over the dark conclusion of the night's events. Even after all that Phantom had done, his tragic backstory had garnered at least a little sympathy from Rex, and he could not help feeling shocked by the phantom's unhesitating act of ending another's life. Standing once more, he turned to face the cloaked figure and, in a demanding voice, asked: "How could you be his judge, jury, and executioner? He deserved a fair trial, just like anyone else, and you just... killed him!"

"I saved your lives," the phantom retorted in a hard tone. "It was a necessary act. You may be a wide-eyed idealist, Rex, but I'm sure that even you will learn this lesson soon enough in this war. You can't save everyone."

Then, he sighed, his voice softening. "Still, you must believe me when I say that it wasn't an easy act. As much as it pained me to do so, I granted him a swift and merciful escape from the life he had chosen for himself. I truly wish it didn't have to end this way. He was a victim of unjust circumstances, and I pity him, because what happened to him should not happen to anyone... especially not a loyal Alpha Team agent. But, when I saw how far off the slippery slope he had gone, what he was willing to do to you and anyone else who stood in his way... I knew that there was no going back."

Rex felt a gentle hand on his shoulder. He glanced at its owner, Amanda, and wondered what she thought of the matter. She nodded solemnly, agreeing that the phantom's actions were justified.

Then, he looked down upon Phantom for the last time, thinking about the wild look of madness in his eyes. Once a great Alpha Team agent, fallen from grace and turned into a psychopathic madman... much like his fellow ex-Alpha Team agent, Kotua. Rex's fist clenched just thinking about him. "Is Kotua heading down the same path?" he wondered aloud. "Right now, he is our greatest enemy... he, too, must be stopped, but at what cost?"

"I must stress the importance of Phantom having chosen his own path," replied the phantom. "While it was not his fault that he was wrongly discharged from Alpha Team, he had no one to blame for his later actions but himself. Phantom had every right to be more than angry with Frozeen for what he did... but that does not justify or excuse his actions at all. On the other hand, Kotua... I believe something's not right with him. Shadowy organizations... ancient water deities... there are greater powers at play here, and Kotua, stuck in the middle of it all, isn't in control of his actions. It wouldn't be the first time Kotua fell victim to a villain's mind-control, and each time that happened, he bounced right back to being the hero once he was freed. At least, that is my hope, for his sake. If I'm wrong... then, yes, Kotua must be stopped... at any cost."

Rex noticed that the phantom, too, was directly referring to Frozeen as the source of Phantom's downfall. "So, it's true, then?" he murmured. "This guy, Frozeen, who used to work with PBB, Chompy, Databoard, and others I've known... he really did falsely accuse Phantom of betraying the team?"

Sighing, the phantom nodded. "Unfortunately, it's true. Frozeen made a lot of foolish mistakes, and that was undoubtedly one of his worst. His judgment was clouded, and he fell victim to suspicion and paranoia as he combed Alpha Team's ranks in search of Ogel's eyes and ears, never realizing the truth staring at him in the mirror until it was too late... and by then, he had already ruined several lives too many."

Rex shuddered to imagine such a scenario. Being set up and framed for a crime he did not commit, then discharged from Dino Attack Team without the ability to prove his innocence. That would certainly sever his tether to reality and leave him lost, alone, without purpose. What would he do, then? Would he give in to the same madness and lust for revenge?

"You two are safe, now," the phantom suddenly declared. "I trust you know the way back to Dino Attack Headquarters. I must be off." Then, the cloaked figure turned away.

"Wait!" called Rex. "You always seem to know so much... about myself, about Phantom, about Kotua... and I have to ask. Do you know where Frozeen is?"

The phantom stopped, but did not turn to face them again. "Yes," he spoke quietly, "I do. However, he does not wish to be found just yet. He still needs some time to clear his head, to conquer the last of his personal demons, to be sure that he will never again repeat those mistakes he made. Only then will he step into the light once more. Until we meet again, Rex." With that, the phantom silently departed into the shadows.

----

"Freeze!" said Cobra walking into the room while carrying an unconscious person: Emmerich, the leader of ESG. "Or your boss gets it!" The ESG soldiers froze. The Dino Attack agents got out of the way, and Voltage threw a grenade under the ESG agents. It exploded, neutralizing the robots.

"You destroyed computers with valuable information!" said Joey.

"Everything on the main computer, which I took the data from. Let's leave!" said Cobra. Once they got out the door, they saw one super dino prowling around. It survived and was the last of its kind, and it had already mated. It ran away. The agents ran after it after they tied Emmerich up to a telephone pole.

The agents followed the super-dino out to the streets. Little did they know the ESG boss was being untied....

Voltage slipped quietly through the narrow alleys between buildings, tracking the dino with his GPS. It was moving rapidly, and Voltage assumed it was returning to its nest. This was a good thing, because they could track it all the way there and since there weren't many dino offspring yet, one grenade would surely destroy the nest.

But then he noticed something. Two tiny purple dots on the GPS were moving frantically about, but stayed in the same spot. Then, they started sprinting away from the spot, apparently in a big hurry.

"The boss!!" Voltage yelled. "Data, Snake, Axel, come with me! We'll meet the rest of you at the nest!" he continued, racing off, closely followed by Snake, Databoard, and Axel.

"Tell him I deserved that raise!" said Cobra. When they arrived at the nest, they realized how big it was. It covered a block. "We need aerials," Cobra said into his radio. A T-1 appeared and destroyed the nest. They saw the ESG boss run past with Voltage, Snake, Databoard, and Axel chasing him. They joined the chase.

"You always were my worst employee!" said Emmerich.

"Only because I was your only 18-year-old employee!" said Cobra.

The person that had freed the ESG boss was another security robot disguised in a black ninja suit. Voltage assumed it was the attire of one of the ESG Special Forces; apparently, ESG's parent organization spared no expense in funding their security. The guard stopped and turned around, cutting them off from the boss, who stood there, as if unsure what to do.

"Run, you fool," the ESG agent said, and Emmerich ran off behind a building and out of sight. The elite guard then pulled a long machete from the sheath at his side, waving it threateningly.

Voltage charged and barely missed a slice from the sword that would have surely cleaved him in two. The other agents attacked too, pulling out various guns and swords.

Apparently, it was hard for the ESG agent to keep up with all of the attacks, but he hadn't been scratched yet. He began to retreat and ran off in the direction Emmerich had gone. The Dino Attack agents pursued, and Voltage could finally see the old boss still running as fast as he could.

The Dino Attack agents were gaining, and the ESG agent quickened his pace. More ESG soldiers arrived and attacked the Dino Attack agents.

----

Rex and Amanda Claw exited the alley as well, leaving the darkness and Phantom's body behind them. As they stepped out onto the street, Rex could see the last rays of sunlight peeked out over the horizon, just enough to light the way back home to base. It was a welcome escape from the ghastly sight that remained in the alley, one that he wished to take his mind off of as soon as possible, lest it haunt him forever. He needed a distraction, to focus on something else, anything else.

So, Rex glanced at Amanda, knowing that it could have been his own corpse left forgotten in the alley if she had not intervened. Scratching the back of his head, he wondered how to best articulate his gratitude.  "Look, Amanda Claw... I haven't gotten the chance to properly thank you for what you did back there. I'm sorry that I had to get you involved in this mess, and you didn't have to follow me, but... well, I'm very grateful that you did."

Amanda smiled and nodded, letting him know that she accepted his thanks. It was not exactly a happy smile, and Rex could once again sense that unwillingness to resort to violence, which she had to set aside in her encounter with Phantom. However, it was clear that she did not regret what she did.

"So, uh..." asked Rex, hoping that she would not mind the question, "why did you follow me when I told you to wait at headquarters? Just some random guy you met a few hours ago, who was too thick-headed to realize that he had just made the mistake of going out alone with someone who wanted to kill him?"

Amanda looked at him. Then, she raised two fingers and pointed at her eyes, then at his eyes, and then back at her own again, punctuating by raising her eyebrows.

Rex blinked, and then chuckled as he got her meaning. "That's right, I did say that we'll look out for each other!" He could see that she did not make light on promises or commitments.

Amanda smiled for a few more seconds, but then the expression faded away. She glanced up at the buildings around them, and then she sighed longingly.

"That's not the only reason, is it?" realized Rex. "You wanted the opportunity to go out into the city and look for Remous, too. And... you haven't seen him, either."

Her gaze fell down upon the ground. She sighed again, admitting defeat.

"You defied the orders of an elite agent, you know," said Rex. "I told you to wait back at the base, and that Phantom and I would be back soon. I promised you that Specs is doing everything he can to make sure your brother comes home safely. He will come home safely. But you, coming out here alone without anyone knowing... you could've gotten yourself killed."

Claw looked up at him again. Her expression was almost a glare, with a lightly furrowed brow and pursed lips, as she looked indignant. It was clear to him that she could not believe that he was scolding her for what she had done. In a way, this was the response that he had intended to provoke; it was what he expected to see from her.

However, Rex was not yet finished. "But I can see now that nothing, not even death, would have stopped you. You would've gone with or without orders, since I see that you value another's life above the mere words of your superior officer."

With a long exhale, he locked eyes with Amanda. "And because of that... because I am still breathing, still standing, still alive to speak with you... for disobeying my orders, I thank you, sincerely, from the bottom of my heart. You are a disobedient yet loyal teammate, and I am honored to be able to serve with you. You'll surely make Roger proud, and you'll have quite the stories to share the next time you see him. I know you will definitely do good, fighting alongside Dino Attack Team on behalf of the whole world. I know it, Amanda Claw."

Amanda stared at him and did not break eye contact. At first, Rex thought that there appeared to be something somber about her expression. But then, there it was again - that sweet smile, the one that he so rarely saw cross her features. It made her look younger, happier, freed from some burden that had spent years resting on her shoulders.

Gently patting her shoulder, he said, "Come. Let's get back to base for a well-deserved rest."

As they walked together, Rex considered the fact that he was alone in the Dino Attack. Almost everyone else had family and loved ones, someone worth fighting for. Sure, he had friends like Zero, and he was very fond of Trouble despite all that had happened between him and Kotua, and it was his duty as a Dino Attack elite agent to be willing to lay down his life to protect his teammates. But, whether it was because of his shady past or because of the day-to-day dangers of living in the apocalypse, Rex never let himself get particularly close to anyone.

But what if I allow myself to open up to someone? wondered Rex.

For Amanda, it was her brother Remous who gave her the will to keep fighting. Now that Remous was missing in action, Rex knew that he could not let her lose herself, just as Phantom had lost himself after being discharged from Alpha Team. She needed someone to help her carry through these troubled times. A shoulder to lean upon.

A friend.

Could Rex let himself become that friend? He could provide the tether that she needed, someone she could trust to keep her feet firmly planted on the ground. She could grant him what he had never truly experienced before, a close companion through times of levity and danger alike. Despite the ever-present threat of the Dino Attack, one that could easily tear them apart in a single tragic instant, perhaps this could be the best time and place to form such a mutually-beneficial relationship. After all, it might ultimately be the only time and place.

Without thinking, Rex slowly let his hand drift towards Amanda, and then gently took hold of her own hand. He could feel her muscles involuntarily tense, and she glanced at him with a look of surprise, but then she slowly relaxed. She trusted him.

Rex could not help thinking about that one classic film he saw playing in the rec room that one time, which ended on the note of two major characters walking out into the distance together. Unable to help himself, he quoted the film's last line of dialogue, one that prompted an amused smirk from Amanda Claw.

"I see this as the beginning of a long and beautiful friendship."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 11: Entropy

----

Rex, Zero, and Amanda Claw spent the next several days at Dino Attack Headquarters, protecting the base from Mutant Dino attacks during the construction process. During that time, Rex and Claw found themselves growing closer together.

Rex looked over blueprints for a new Dino Attack vehicle. He had commissioned the vehicle designers to come up with something that was anti-Kotua, anti-Chaos, anti-Voltage, and anti-anything-that-has-to-do-with-Kotua. He was tired of always having the underdog fight against Kotua, and wanted to turn the tables.

The proposed blueprints resembled a cross between a Fire Hammer and an Iron Predator. Its all-terrain treads would drove over anything with ease. It would have giant cannons on the top, with a high-powered taser device, a deep-freeze cannon, and both low-voltage and high-voltage electro-launchers. Twin electro-prods near the front will also ensure that Kotua or Chaos could not destroy the vehicle. Most of the weapons were electric, due to the fact that Chaos was a water-creature and water would be especially vulnerable against electricity. Even Kotua's robots would fry, too. The vehicle designers called it the High-Voltage Half-Track.

"Now, Kotua," muttered Rex, "it's our turn..."

Afterward, Rex began testing out a sample of G.E. Metal and Ssol Metal that he had retrieved from the Silver Scorpion before its destruction. These were the nearly-indestructible metals that armored G.E. Bodies and the Silver Scorpion, respectively. Rex discovered that, if the G.E. Metal had certain properties, the two metals would fuse into a new metal, which he dubbed "Silge".

"Now that we've got a proper base again," Zero said as he walked up to Rex, "we can get new vehicles!"

"That's great!" Rex said. "It would be good to replace my Iron Predator after Kotua destroyed it."

"Definitely," said Zero.

"Oh, by the way, Zero," Rex said, "I've got to get back to my lab so I can, err... test things out. But you are welcome to swing by if you're interested."

"Hopefully, I will," Zero said. "I'd like to check out your lab sometime."

"Okay," Rex said.

----

There were fewer ESG soldiers still in the fight, but the battle was still fierce. Kai spun around and kicked one in the face, and the robot fell to the ground. Kai then took the guidance system that hugged the droid lower arm.

"Everyone, get a guidance system!" Voltage shouted. "They'll come in handy!"

Everyone was keen to get one, seeing as the guidance systems enhanced maneuverability and accuracy. Not long after Voltage had yelled out, everyone had a guidance system.

Databoard, combining a stolen guidance system with his training from when he was an Alpha Team agent, was doing well against the ESG soldiers. He dodged the lasers as they were leaving the ESG's weapons, and then attacked with accuracy, defeating several at once. He then dodged a laser blast that came from behind, while at the same time spinning around and firing a laser at his attacker.

Like Databoard, Voltage had also received and underwent Alpha Team training, and was able to dodge the ESG soldiers with precise accuracy. He flipped over one, striking him in the back and kicked another behind him, and the two flew into a building.

"Heh, this thing fits like a glove, pun intended," said Kai. "Not only that, I can do this--" He dodged a flying laser beam Matrix-style. "-- and that!" He jumped Matrix-style over a laser beam and kicked an ESG soldier in the face. Kai then whipped out a blaster and started shooting.

"Ha!" Voltage leapt to the side, avoiding a laser bolt and kicking an ESG soldier into a building nearby.

The Dino Attack agents were outnumbered but steadily closing the gap, and they were going fast, seeing as most of the agents had Alpha Team training.

Kai and Venom paired up to get six ESG soldiers, and the others did the same. If each agent took down two soldiers, then none would remain.

But the ESG soldiers just kept coming. By the time they were down to just three, even more came through the windows at the tops of each building in the ESG complex. The numbers were ridiculous; ESG must have had more soldiers than scientists at this rate!

Databoard ran toward one of the buildings that the ESG soldiers were coming from. He climbed up a fire escape and began fighting the soldiers. They had less room to fight on the fire escape, but Databoard could still defeat them with ease. Fewer soldiers were coming out of that building, but there were still more to deal with.

Venom set up a sniping position and Voltage covered him. One by one, the ESG soldiers fell off of the buildings and to the ground.

Cobra may not have Alpha Team training, but he did know how to fight. He did take a training session or hundred. Cobra flipped an ESG soldier over that fell on top of another droid. He took out a gun and started to work his way to the boss. He powered through, and finally got out of the crowd. He looked at his GPS and went on the path to Emmerich.

----

Although Kotua and Chaos failed to locate agent Cane, Kotua decided it was time for a bigger plan. LEGOLAND could not belong to the Mutant Dinos or ShadowTech, and he was determined to ensure that by any means necessary.

"Take us into orbit," Kotua said to his robot crew upon returning to the command deck, and the Voltage ascended to a higher altitude than it had ever been before. "Prepare to initiate Operation: Termina."

Chaos grinned eagerly. Kotua could sense that the water entity approved greatly of this plan, especially considering how it would impact the LEGO Planet's tides.

"The Voltage really wasn't meant for space," said a bot.

"We'll worry about it later!" said Kotua. He walked to the engine room, furious. "Why are the engines frozen?!" he shouted.

"They're not made for space," replied the mechanic bot.

"Make them space-equipped," ordered Kotua.

Kotua walked into the command deck, to find the moon was only a few minutes away from the target range. "Finally! And unlike that bumbling fool, Ogel, my plan will succeed!" said Kotua.

The moon would soon fall. The robots in the command deck kept reviewing the plan, and setting up for the big gravitational blast. Kotua was confident. Once they drew the moon closer to the Earth, LEGO City would soon be flooded by the rising tides...

"Sir, the main cannon has frozen!" said one of the bots. The alarm activated at the same time.

"Great. Divert power to engines and side cannons," said Kotua.

Suddenly the main controls exploded, sending the robot in charge of diverting energy into a wall.

"You! Divert the power!" said Kotua, pointing to another bot.

The second robot slowly moved towards the controls when they spewed out more bolts, causing the bot's head to explode.

Kotua ran to the door of the command deck, and grabbed the fire extinguisher.

"The Voltage is going to explode!" said another bot, its self-preservation A.I. kicking in. The robot busted the door open, and moved to the emergency pods, soon followed by others.

Kotua just stood there, surprised.

The Voltage trembled as some sections received too much or too little energy. The craft started shaking violently as more explosions occurred.

Suddenly, the Chaos Emeralds reacted.

*****

Andrew Yellowstone was walking down a street in LEGO City, when he noticed a bright star in the sky.

That's odd, it isn't even night yet! he thought.

Then the star disappeared...

----

Amanda was also ready to go, so they walked out of the base together. "So, where are you going?" Rex asked her.

Amanda shrugged. She loaded a gun and gestured to a Mutant Lizard corpse.

"Off to fight some Mutant Dinos?" said Rex.  "Will you be alright on your own for a little while? I have some research I need to do… but you're welcome to come by the lab, of course. My door is always open for you; you know that, right?"

Amanda gently took hold of Rex's hand. She looked him in the eyes and smiled.

Now, Rex was unable to help smiling as well. "Okay, have a good time!" he wished her. He watched her as she jumped onto a Steel Sprinter and drove off, and he kept watching until he could see her no more.

Rex gave a low whistle. As if on cue, Trouble appeared beside him. As Rex glanced at his Mutant Lizard companion, he rolled his eyes and chuckled. "Why do I even bother trying to lock you up?" he muttered.

Rex was going to borrow a new vehicle while waiting for his Iron Predator to be repaired, but decided that he felt safer traveling with Trouble, so he hopped on the Mutant Lizard's back.

"You know where my lab is, right?" asked Rex. Trouble nodded. "Good, my friend, since I have some experimenting to do."

As Rex rode Trouble away, he found his mind wandering back to Amanda Claw. The way that she held his hand, the way that she trusted him… no one had ever been like that to him before. He sighed longingly, wondering when he would see her again.

Rex intended for their relationship to be strictly platonic. And yet, he found himself wondering: Is this what love feels like?

----

Databoard defeated more ESG soldiers that were coming towards him. He fired lasers at the fire escape he was on, and it started to collapse. He then leapt off the fire escape, landing on an ESG guard and knocking it prone. He then rushed off and began fighting the other ESG agents.

Databoard fired his laser, defeating another ESG soldier. He then leapt over one, kicking him into a wall and knocking it offline. He then defeated a few more. Suddenly, the wall of a building exploded, and more ESG soldiers rushed from the rubble, lasers firing. The Dino Attack agents dodged and fired back at the ESG guards.

Databoard fired at several ESG soldiers, destroying their weapons. They all charged towards Databoard at once. He could not dodge them all, and one of them slammed him through a window into the abandoned building. Databoard defeated the ESG agent, but suddenly found himself surrounded by more ESG guards.

Databoard ducked as several laser bolts were fired. The ESG soldiers dodged to avoid being hit by the lasers, but several were not able to get out of the way in time. Databoard took advantage of this and leapt over them. He tried to rush towards the exit, but found his path blocked by several ESG guards.

Databoard was surrounded by ESG soldiers. He might be able to dodge the lasers, but he didn't know for how long. They started firing at once, and Databoard ducked and dodged like crazy. He shot back, taking down a few ESG agents, but those that were still there shot even more, forcing him to dodge again.

Databoard fired his laser, defeating yet another ESG droid. He then ran up a nearby staircase. He soon found himself on the roof of the building. And he was surrounded by ESG soldiers again. And now, there was nowhere else to run. They were blocking the stairs, and there was no way he could defeat them in such close quarters.

Databoard continued to dodge the ESG soldiers, but it was difficult, as there was not enough room on the rooftop. He was able to defeat one, but there were still more. He leapt over a group of ESG agents, but soon found himself trapped at the edge of the building. There was no room to dodge.

As the ESG soldiers fired, he leapt over the edge. He tried to grab onto a fire escape on the way down, but failed. Fortunately, this slowed down his fall enough to keep himself from getting killed, but he had still been hurt. He saw someone in a grey suit walking towards him, but his vision started to blur and he could not tell who it was. Then, he lost consciousness.

All the other Dino Attack agents were busy fighting the ESG soldiers, so no one noticed Databoard lying unconscious in a nearby alley. The man in the grey suit walked over to him. After making sure that he was unconscious, the person dragged Databoard away. He got inside a nearby van and put Databoard in the back of the vehicle. He then drove off down the street. None of the other Dino Attack agents even knew this had happened.

----

In a remote location in the US:

A Fire Hammer drove through the off-road. In front of it was a Raptor, running for its life. A soldier got up, and aimed his rifle at it.

He fired, but the Fire Hammer jumped, making the shot go above its target.

"Send in team two," the driver said into his radio. The Fire Hammer turned, and headed back as a group of ATVs drove out of their hiding spots. One of the soldiers on the back of the ATV took aim and fired...

Several hours later, the Fire Hammer arrived at a large building. Immediately, a special forklift drove up and picked up the cage. The forklift drove in reverse, and turned to drive back to the building.

The forklift stopped once inside the building, and placed the cage on a small monorail. The monorail took off, and moved from one part of the building to the other.

There, another forklift grabbed the cage, and opened it, releasing the dino into a permanent cage. The cage was gassed, and the barely-awake Mutant Raptor went to sleep again, barely noticing the two scientists entering with syringes...

The scientists took blood samples of the Mutant Raptor, and put them in test tubes. The scientists then took the test tubes to the laboratory. They put the blood samples in a machine that had its lid open, and closed the lid.

One of the scientists pressed a button, and the machine started humming as it did its job. Another scientist pressed another button, and the machine stopped humming. They opened the lid, and took the Mutant Raptor samples.

The scientists put the Mutant Raptor on another machine. After a while, a printer turned on and started printing the results.

The scientist there was sleeping, with a book on his lap, when he heard the humming of the printer. He got up, and quickly grabbed the falling book. He then walked to the printer, and grabbed the paper with the results.

"This... this can't be right!" said the scientist. He put the book on a table and ran to tell the others of the results.

Soon, there was a line of soldiers towards the lab, as they were being given the shot for "Mutant Raptor Disease".

----

The Voltage slammed into the ocean, sending water into a nearby coastal town.

Kotua got up slowly. He walked to his chair and pressed a few buttons. He groaned when he saw the damage report. The bottom deck, containing the garage, was now underwater. Next time, I'll close the doors before trying to destroy Earth, thought Kotua. He paused for a moment. Why did I ever think Operation: Termina was a good idea? Was it… even my idea?

Kotua heard helicopters and boats coming towards the Voltage. "This is the Coast Guard! Identify yourself!" said a voice over a loudspeaker.

My craft has no power, you fool! How do you expect me to respond? thought Kotua.

"We'll give you until the count of three!" said the Coast Guard speaker.

Kotua ran for the weapons room, knowing the Coast Guard would not understand.

"One!"

Kotua ran down the corridor. He took out a flashlight from his pocket to see where he was going.

"Two!"

Kotua reached the weapons room, and closed the door behind him manually.

"Three! This is your last chance!"

Kotua grabbed his jetpack and as much weaponry and ammo as he could.

Suddenly, the Voltage was rocked. Immediately, the engines defrosted, and the craft went back online.

Ten Coast Guard officers boarded the Voltage. They looked around. "Hello?" shouted the commander of the group.

He was answered with a laser blast to the neck. The other officers backed up, and raised their rifles. None of them could take on the Voltage bots, which were armed with superior technology and armor.

Kotua arrived to see the officers' bodies. The top of the Voltage was now covered with the flaming wreckage of the Coast Guard helicopters that didn't dodge the craft's cannon blasts. Most of the boats had also been destroyed by the cannons.

"Now, to see how the city itself is doing," said Kotua.

He dropped the weapons he had gotten back in the weapons room. He switched to a more compact jetpack and covered it so it looked like a backpack...

----

Amanda could not take her mind off Rex, either. It was good to have a companion that she could trust. But for now, she could not afford to dwell on it too much; she had to focus on her mission. Eliminate any Mutant Dinos in her path… and continue to investigate the disappearance of her brother, Roger.

She spotted a Mutant Raptor ahead. It ran off, hearing the engine of her Steel Sprinter as she approached. Parking her vehicle at a wrecked police station, she silently pursued the raptor on foot.

The Mutant Raptor was out of sight, but she knew she was far from safe…

*****

Fogel looked down at the street below him, and then beckoned to Ogel. "Come and have a look," he said. "Do you see that Dino Attack agent, foolishly wandering the city alone? She is our next target, agent Claw."

Ogel nodded as he observed the agent. "So, what's our plan?" he asked. "If she is as important as you say, then I presume you intend to just kill her here and now."

"There are fates so much worse than death," Fogel explained with a sadistic chuckle. "Did you know that she's apparently mute? It makes me wonder… as we subject her to her worst nightmares, will she even scream?"

*****

Amanda walked slowly, treading lightly as she searched for the Mutant Raptor near the police station. She held her gun at the ready, alert for any sound or movement.

She heard something hit the pavement behind her. She spun around, expecting to see the Mutant Raptor ambushing her. Instead, to her surprise, she saw a humanoid figure covered with pitch-black cybernetic armor. Instinctively, she immediately raised her gun and fired, but the shot deflected harmlessly off the impervious armor.

Fogel responded with a sinister laugh as he approached. Amanda realized that she was at a severe disadvantage and quickly backed away, but the FUTURE villain was upon her in seconds. Amanda reached for the knife on her belt, even though she already knew it would be ineffective against his armor. As she swung the blade in an attempt to ward him off, Fogel effortlessly caught her arm with one hand. Then, with another hand, he grabbed her other arm, preventing her from grabbing another weapon; he was not about to repeat Phantom's mistake of underestimating her.

Amanda tried valiantly to fight back against her foe, refusing to surrender. Unfortunately, the advanced G.E. Body had four more arms than she did, leaving her physically outmatched. Two more hands grabbed Claw by the waist and pulled her in close, leaving her face mere inches away from his helmet. She struggled to break free and kicked his armor desperately, but his iron grip did not let go. Now, she could see what he held in his last two hands. Her eyes widened in shock and she gasped.

"I'll send agent Remous your regards!" Fogel whispered in her ear.

----

Voltage had an idea and took out his electro-gauntlet. It was easy to shoot ESG soldiers, but it was easier to shock them, especially since it was super effective against robots.

One lunged at Voltage, but he quickly flipped it over. The second attacker was destroyed instantly when 1,000 volts fried its circuits.

Cobra ran down swiftly and turned until he found the ESG boss. He threw a rock at his head, and the boss fell unconscious. In a hurry, Cobra handcuffed the boss, but then he realized it was only a soldier in disguise. He ran to find the real Emmerich.

"Cobra, wait!" Voltage yelled. "Axel can get the boss!" They needed every agent they could get.

Cobra did not come back, but soon a T-1 Typhoon appeared, with John and Cobra flying it. They fired and took down most of the ESG soldiers without hurting any Dino Attack agents. They landed and started fighting the remaining ESG guards.

"What happened?" asked Voltage.

"I decided to come back," said Cobra. He did a spin kick and took out another ESG soldier.

----

Rex had set up his personal studies in the same abandoned laboratory where he initially woke up. With the help of Frank Einstein, he had cleaned up the area and rebuilt the lab, and agent Tech had recently helped him set up a new security system to ward off Kotua and ShadowTech.

Rex walked up to the laboratory entrance. The door was guarded by four locks. First, he pushed a series of buttons on a keypad in a specific order. Second, he placed his hand on a scanner. Third, he looked into an eye scanner. Fourth, he spoke into a small microphone: "Agent Rex." The four locks were cleared, and the door opened. Anyone who failed to match his credentials would be shot by a hidden laser turret.

Once inside the lab, he pulled out the "Silge Metal" and placed it inside his experiment hood. "Alright," he murmured, "let's see what you can do…"

"Test one," Rex muttered. The metal was thrown into a nuclear furnace, intended to approximate the destructive energy of Chaos. When the furnace was turned on, the Silge remained whole!

After several more tests, Rex concluded that Silge Metal was nigh indestructible, possessing neither of the weaknesses of G.E. Metal or Ssol Metal.

----

Kotua looked around the city. It was cold, so he didn't look out of place with the coat or backpack. It was also raining, which Kotua thought was odd considering that rain had not been in the forecast today. He walked around the city, fascinated that it was as if the Dino Attack never happened. Kotua wondered what had happened to the Voltage and Chaos.

Kotua looked through the window of a store at a TV that was turned on. "Welcome to the morning news. Today is February 5, 2005," said the news reporter.

2005? I must have gone five years back in time! thought Kotua.

Kotua started walking back to the Voltage, when two police cars passed by, heading somewhere. Kotua ran after them.

Kotua soon caught up to the cop cars to find a burning building. He noticed firefighters trying to put out the fire, but to no success. He overheard the police officers talking about a "Mr. Schattenberg", who was reportedly holding hostages in the building.

Kotua heard the screams of people still trapped inside. He took out a device, and then he ran to the only entrance that was neither on fire nor surrounded by firefighters.

Kotua kicked the door open and looked around. "Anybody there?" asked Kotua.

A man in a black suit stepped from the fire, pointing a gun at a small baby. Mr. Schattenberg, I presume, thought Kotua. He thought the man looked familiar, but he could not figure out why.

"I said no cops!" said Mr. Schattenberg, walking farther into the flaming building.

"The building's on fire!" said Kotua.

"I know that. But until I get what I want, I'm not releasing him," said Schattenberg, gesturing to the baby.

"We can slowly talk this out," said Kotua.

"Wait a minute, you're not a cop!" said Schattenberg, running off.

Kotua regretted to do so, but still took out his blaster. He fired a shot at Schattenberg's leg, taking him down. The man dropped his gun as he tried not to crush the baby. Kotua put the blaster back in its holster, and ran towards Schattenberg. Kotua grabbed the baby from the man.

"Get up!" said Kotua, once again drawing his blaster.

Kotua managed to get Mr. Schattenberg to a place near the police officers. He then knocked out the man, and left the baby nearby. He looked around. Nobody had noticed him. Kotua grabbed a small stone off the ground and threw it at a police officer, and then ran off. The police turned and ran in the direction of where the stone had been thrown, to find a suited man and a baby...

----

Voltage did a spin kick and slammed an ESG soldier into a nearby building. "Where's Databoard?" he asked.

"He went into that building," Cobra replied, fighting off two ESG agents with one hand.

The final ESG soldiers were disabled by Venom and Hyrode, and then there were none.

"Axel," Voltage said into his commlink, which, he had discovered, was integrated into his guidance system; he was starting to like this handy gadget. "Do you have Emmerich?"

"He's right here sir," a voice replied from the commlink. "This man won't be making any easy getaway, if he ever does that is."

"Good," said Voltage, "we're in a complex of buildings near the ESG research lab..."

"Gotcha on my scanner sir, trackin' ya' down."

"Get here as fast as you can," said Voltage.

"Sir, what frequency are you using?"

"It's a... Never mind, long story."

"Alright, sir."

Minutes later came Axel, riding up in Voltage's Fire Hammer.

"What the... How'd you...?" Voltage stammered.

"Just get in the truck, sir," said Axel.

----

Databoard slowly regained consciousness. At first, his vision was too blurred to tell where he was, but slowly everything came into focus. He was in a dimly lit room, with no windows anywhere. He was tied to a chair in the middle of the room. He didn't even have a clue where he was, or how he got here.

Databoard had been in that room for nearly an hour. Suddenly, a door opened, and the person in a grey suit entered. "Darkforce?" Databoard said, now clearly recognizing the man as a fellow Alpha Team agent. "I thought you reportedly died in Antarctica in 2005! How are you still alive?"

Darkforce let out a slight laugh. "Even if I was allowed to tell you, do you really think I would?" he said.

"What do you want?" Databoard asked.

"Well, for starters, information on the Dino Attack agents, and while you're at it, everything you know about Mutant Dinos," Darkforce said.

"And what if I don't tell you?" Databoard asked.

"We'll make you tell us," Darkforce said. "Or worse."

"And just why should I tell you any of that?" Databoard said.

"Because your fellow agents know you're missing," Darkforce said. "Wouldn't it be a shame if they were all... obliterated into the dust?"

"They will fight back," Databoard said.

"They'll try," Darkforce said. "But they might not succeed. Are you willing to risk their lives?"

----

"Wait," Voltage said as the agents got in the Fire Hammer. He put his gauntlet away and turned on the communicator in his guidance system, getting in his assault vehicle after doing so.

"Where are we going?" Hyrode questioned Voltage.

"Axel said that there was an outpost near here where we could leave Emmerich. Then we wait for a call from the general, unless something comes up." He was unsure that the general would call. He had been acting strangely lately.

Voltage climbed behind the wheel, insisting that since it was his truck he got to drive it. A disappointed Axel got out and into the back.

"Order from the general," Kai said lazily.

"What?" Snake replied.

"Shoot anything that has scales and moves."

The vehicle gave a jump as it revved up, and soon they were off.

"There's something with scales and moves," Venom said, pointing to a T-Rex wreaking havoc on a burning building.

"Sounds like there are still people inside," John said.

"No," Cobra interjected. "That's a mating call."

"Great, another nest to deal with," Joey remarked.

The T-Rex turned, noticing at last the oncoming vehicle. Spewing fire from an open mouth, the giant Mutant Dino lunged at the Fire Hammer.

"Data, I need you to..." Voltage stopped when he realized that Databoard was not there.

----

Zero was making modifications to one of the Urban Avengers. After a very long while, he was finished! But now, he needed to perform a test-drive.

Zero was ready to drive his new Urban Avenger when an alert popped up on the HUD of his goggles. Apparently, the T.O.A.'s energy was running low and needed to be recharged.

"Hmmm..." said Zero. "I guess I should give the T.O.A. a rest for now. Can't be wearing it all the time, I suppose. I know - it can be my secret weapon!" With that, he took off the Tactical Operations Armor.

Zero wondered where Phantom was, since his T.O.A. probably also needed a recharge. Not wanting to wait around and find out, he just jumped into the Urban Avenger and drove away at an incredible speed...

----

Kotua was walking back to the Voltage, thinking about the fact he just entered the burning building to rescue anybody trapped inside and then rescued the baby from the man in the black suit. He wondered what had made him do that.

Then something else came into Kotua's mind. He finally realized why he recognized Mr. Schattenberg:

That was Cane!

Of course, he was five years younger, but it was certainly him. What was the leader of ShadowTech doing, holding babies hostage in burning buildings in 2005? Kotua ran urgently to the Voltage, sensing that something was not adding up.

Suddenly four police cars drove in and stopped in front of Kotua, followed by SWAT vans. "Agent Kotua of Dimension 525, put your hands in the air where we can see them!" shouted a familiar voice.

"Andrew!" exclaimed Kotua.

"Excuse me?" said Andrew Yellowstone.

Something's wrong, thought Kotua. Andrew never worked for the police on the field, just inside on a desk. I think I didn't just go back in time, but landed in an alternate universe!

Kotua escaped the SWAT team and hurried back to the Voltage. The weather was getting worse; the rain had escalated into a heavy storm (not that Chaos seemed to mind at all; it appeared quite comfortable). But, as Kotua made his way to the command deck for a status report, he was pleased to see that the Voltage's repairs were complete, and it would be ready for flight once again.

"Get us back in the air," said Kotua. The Voltage shuddered as it rose from the ocean and took off in flight. "Now, let's find a way to get back to the prime reality..."

"Sir, there is an unidentified craft in pursuit!" reported one robot. Kotua turned to face the viewscreen. An airship was flying across the ocean, beelining towards them. It looked remarkably like the Voltage...

Kotua's eyes widened. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead. "Whatever it is we did with the Chaos Emeralds, do it again!" he exclaimed.

"But sir-"

"Just do it!" demanded Kotua. "Get us out of here!"

The Voltage put its engines on full power, while also diverting energy through the Chaos Emeralds. Time and space rippled around them as they crossed through dimensions once again.

"Give me visuals on LEGO City," ordered Kotua. The familiar city appeared on the viewscreen. It was ravaged and ruined, with Mutant Dinos prowling the streets and battling Dino Attack Team. The sky was clear, the weather calm. Kotua let out a sigh, almost relieved to see the Dino Attack again.

Good, he thought, we're back in our universe again. Let's hope that strange little excursion into that alternate reality will be nothing more than a blip on today's radar...

----

Darkforce had planted a clone of Databoard (known as Dataclone) in LEGO City to fool Voltage and his teammates. Databoard escaped from Darkforce's base and fled into the surrounding jungle.

Databoard rushed through the jungle, Mutant Lizards close behind him. He ducked and dodged through the dense vegetation, trying to lose the lizards. But they just tore through the trees and vines, closing on him fast. He continued to run, but soon found himself at the base of a cliff, and he had nowhere else to run.

Databoard turned to face the Mutant Lizards, but suddenly, a laser blast hit a nearby tree. Databoard looked up to see one of Darkforce's fighter jets swooping down, firing its lasers. This startled the Mutant Lizards, which fled in fear. Databoard ducked out of the fighter's range. Nearby, he saw the fighter land and its pilot get out, searching for him. Databoard snuck into the fighter, closed the cockpit, and took off. The pilot fired a few lasers, but didn't cause serious damage.

Databoard was flying over the ocean when he noticed that the jet was running out of fuel. He tried to speed up and get towards any landmass. But the engine started to sputter and die, and the plane zoomed towards the ocean. Databoard tried to eject, but the pilot's lasers must have damaged the jet's eject function.

The jet crashed into the water, and slowly began sinking towards the bottom. Databoard tried to open the cockpit, but the controls were completely fried. He tried to bash open the glass, but he was having no luck. To make it worse, there was water slowly leaking inside the cockpit.

Databoard managed to smash open the cockpit, and began swimming towards the surface. He glanced down to see the jet sinking down into the dark waters below. He then looked back up and began swimming towards the surface. He soon swam up and was at the surface. He just had no idea where he was.

----

Kotua returned to the Mayan Temple where Chaos was once imprisoned. They found the temple occupied by ShadowTech. The ShadowTech soldiers ran out of the way and fired back.

Kotua flew over them, and went into the temple. The ShadowTech men ran after Kotua, but he was already gone.

Kotua flew down the temple, until he reached the small tunnel. He got off his craft, and walked down the tunnel. Once he reached the other side, he noticed the bridge had been rebuilt. Kotua walked across it to the emerald. He touched the emerald, and it glowed.

Kotua looked at himself. He now wore the same golden Mayan armor he had worn back in 2004, the last time he trapped Chaos in the emerald.

Kotua thought for a second, and then looked at the crystal as a realization dawned upon him.

Wait a second… thought Kotua, touching the emerald again. Chaos is still trapped in here!

Kotua was puzzled. If Chaos remained trapped in the emerald, then who was the other Chaos in reality? Was it nothing more than a synthetic duplicate created by ShadowTech in LAB?

The emerald glowed, and a portal dropped the real Chaos. Upon seeing Kotua, Chaos lifted his fist threateningly.

"I'm sorry about last time, but you got out of control. Now, it won't matter much," said Kotua.

Chaos threw a punch, sending Kotua flying into a wall.

"If that's how you're going to be..." said Kotua. He jumped back to the ground and got in a defensive stance.

Chaos charged, and Kotua kicked him. Chaos jumped again, but this time punched Kotua hard enough to knock him out. Chaos lifted Kotua's head as its water droplets seeped into the unconscious agent's orifices.

Payback time... thought Chaos.

----

Databoard swam to a nearby shore, unsure of where he was. He was very sure he was nowhere near LEGO City, unfortunately. He walked along the shore, before coming upon an abandoned castle flying the flag of King Leo's Lion Knights. I must have wound up on Castle Island, Databoard thought.

Databoard continued walking, when all of a sudden, five Mutant Lizards leapt out from behind bushes. Databoard fired his laser, and it didn't work. "The water must have shorted it out," Databoard said. He leapt over one of the Mutant Lizards and ran. The Lizards soon rushed after him.

Databoard hid behind a ruined wall. He took out a small device and pressed a button. Far off in LEGO City, the Saber took off, flying towards Databoard's signal at full speed. Within about half an hour, it would arrive. Suddenly, a Mutant Lizard leapt onto the ruined wall, and prepared to leap down at Databoard. He got out of the way and ran into a ruined castle.

Databoard snuck through the dark corridors of King Leo's abandoned castle. He could hear the Mutant Lizards coming. He located a crossbow lying on the ground, but he would only have one shot. He aimed it and fired. The arrow shot through the air, missing one of the Mutant Lizards and embedding itself in the wall. The Mutant Lizards turned and charged at Databoard.

Databoard rushed down a hallway, followed by the Mutant Lizards. He knocked over a few small statues to slow the Lizards down, but they simply leapt over them. He turned down a corner, and found himself at a dead end. He turned around to see the Mutant Lizards coming towards him.

As the Lizards closed in, Databoard charged at them. Just as they were about to attack, Databoard leapt into the air, landing behind the Lizards. He rushed off down another corridor, and ran outside the castle before the Mutant Lizards could come after him and attack.

----

"Kotua" walked out of the temple.

"Time to meet a few friends..." said "Kotua", speaking to the LAB Chaos.

They both boarded the Voltage, and fixed it enough to fly off.

Arriving in a feudal region of Japan, "Kotua" walked up to the home of Shogun Gi-Dan. Two guards noticed him, and drew their katanas.

"I come in peace," said "Kotua".

The guards continued holding their katanas, but let "Kotua" through. The guards closed the door and turned around, only to be kicked by the LAB Chaos. The kick had enough force to render them unconscious. Chaos grabbed their katanas and armor, and tore through the door.

*****

Two guards let "Kotua" to Shogun Gi-Dan, who was having lunch with his wife and children.

As soon as he saw them, Kotua's body dropped to the floor, and Chaos popped out, knocking the guards. The Shogun tried calling out for help, but Chaos lifted the shogun's wife, holding a katana.

*****

Meanwhile, the LAB Chaos ran down the corridor, slicing through the guards.

Soon, both versions of Chaos met up.

"I feel the presence of that other agent," said the original Chaos

"His puny army won't be a match for our army!" said the LAB Chaos.

They turned and walked back to the place the Shogun and his family was...

----

Databoard walked away from King Leo's abandoned castle. He then heard a roaring noise overhead, and looked up to see the Saber landing nearby. He rushed into the cockpit and began to set a course for LEGO City.

Suddenly, a laser bounced off the Saber's armor. Databoard saw several of Darkforce's jets flying towards him. Databoard engaged the beam shield, protecting him from the attack. He then brought the Saber's auto-defense system online. The ship's turrets started firing by themselves, destroying several jets.

Databoard blasted several of the jets into oblivion. Suddenly, lasers hit the side of the ship, but were deflected by the beam shield. The turrets turned towards their new target: Darkforce's plane. Databoard held the advantage of being able to deflect the attacks, but a swarm of fighter jets swarmed out of the plane. They were not very effective at defeating the Saber, but they made it harder for the auto-defense system to target the plane.

The Saber's turrets blasted several jets, then shot forward towards Darkforce's plane. The turrets fired, inflicting damage on the ship. It flew forward, followed closely by the Saber. The jets tried to draw fire away from the plane by attacking it, but were unsuccessful.

Databoard flew after Darkforce's plane. Unexpectedly, the jets flew back into the plane, seemingly giving up their attack. Suddenly, the engines on Darkforce's plane ignited to full power, and the plane shot off into the distance. Databoard tried to pursue the plane, but it was going too fast for the Saber to pursue.

Databoard brought the Saber to full power, and it rocketed away from Castle Island. It would take him about half an hour to arrive at LEGO City, even at this high speed. He kept the ship's holographic display on, to warn him in case any of Darkforce's jets came to attack him.

----

Kotua awoke to find himself tied up, in a room with some Japanese people. He had no memory of where he was or how he got here.

"Uhh... hi," said Kotua.

Shogun Gi-Dan just frowned.

Kotua searched in his pockets for anything that might help him escape. He took out a small knife, and started cutting the ropes binding him. However, before he could finish, Chaos entered, followed by the LAB Chaos.

"Foolish Kotua. You thought you had gotten rid of me in the emerald, when all along I controlled you," said Chaos.

Kotua's jaw dropped. As though a veil had been lifted from his eyes, it all suddenly became clear. That anger, that madness, that urge to fill the world with chaos… gone. The effects of ShadowTech's machine were cleared from his mind. He no longer had any desire to attack his fellow Dino Attack agents, not even Rex…

But as far as they all know, realized Kotua, I am the enemy. Chaos has framed me as the villain!

"If you did control me, why did it take so long to get you back out?" said Kotua.

"Because I needed the other Chaos," said Chaos, pointing to the LAB Chaos.

"That makes no sense at all!" said Kotua.

"It will in a few minutes," said Chaos.

Then Kotua realized it. His eyes widened.

"For a smart one, you were late to figure this out," said Chaos, jumping into the air. LAB Chaos also jumped into the air and into the original Chaos. They fused together, their amorphous liquid bodies becoming one. Alpha Chaos was now in the place of them.

"How are you going to defeat me this time?" said Alpha Chaos.

----

Meanwhile in LEGO City, Dataclone was with the other Dino Attack agents, fighting the Mutant Lizards. Suddenly, Dataclone's PDA beeped. He ducked behind a rock and turned it on. One it was a message with only one word on it:

SHADOWS

Suddenly, something seemed to snap in Dataclone. He got up and aimed his laser at the other agents. He fired, nearly hitting Cobra. "Data, what was that for?!" Cobra shouted.

Dataclone didn't answer; he just kept firing at the agents.

The other agents were confused by the fact that who they thought was Databoard had unexpected started attacking them. Cobra and Voltage fired at Dataclone, who jumped out of the way and shot back. The agents ducked behind several rocks to avoid both attacks by Dataclone and the Mutant Lizards.

----

Now it was Alpha Chaos's turn to be surprised.

Kotua cut the rope binding him, and activated his golden armor. To his further surprise, the Mayan armor shifted into Japanese samurai-like armor, complete with a katana. Seems the armor is influenced by its surroundings, thought Kotua.

"So you have fancy armor, you still won't be able to defeat me again!" said Alpha Chaos.

Kotua charged, drawing the golden katana. Alpha Chaos merely stood there. Kotua smashed into Alpha Chaos, and was sent flying through the wall and into the Shogun's garden.

Alpha Chaos walked towards Kotua. "And when I finish you off, I'll hunt down your 'fellow agents'. Let's see how they like being hunted for a change," said Alpha Chaos, throwing a punch at Kotua, sending him flying into bamboo plants.

Kotua swung his katana, cutting the bamboo. Then he swiftly grabbed the stalks and threw them at Alpha Chaos, who simply raised his arms to block the bamboo. Kotua then charged again and swung his sword, cutting part of Alpha Chaos before he landed more punches.

Kotua hit the ground again. Alpha Chaos's punches were becoming more lethal. If he didn't do something soon, Alpha Chaos would definitively be near invincible.

Kotua jumped out of the way as Alpha Chaos punched the ground. Kotua ran back. He would have to retreat until he had the advantage...

----

Rex went to Ogel's Island to collect more G.E. Metal, with the intent of forging more Silge Metal as armor for Dino Attack Team.

Rex cut through the burnt overgrowth of the jungle. He had avoided the Skeleton Drone guards with ease. What are they doing outside with the Mutant Dinos attacking? he wondered, considering that it would be safer to stay in the base.

Ogel's Island was much bigger than it seemed, especially the jungle. "The cave containing G.E. ore is somewhere near the volcano in the center of the island," he reminded himself, "so that means I have to go towards the center. I just hope no Mutant T-Rex has brought down the place."

The jungle gave way to a very rough area of rock. Rex ran over the rocky terrain. Already, the volcano was in view. "Come on," Rex whispered to himself, "you're a Mutant Dino! You should have enough strength to cross this rocky area!" But already, he was wearing out.

By the time he reached the ore mine, Rex was completely exhausted. But there was no time for coffee; Ice Drones were guarding the cave! "You shall not pass!" they said.

"Great, but just to warn you... do you take breaks?" asked Rex.

"Yes, lunch breaks!" the Ice Drones answered.

"Uh-oh... because I'm pretty sure I saw a swarm of Mutant Lizards sneak into this cave while you were at lunch-"

The Ice Drones gasped as their eye sockets widened. "REALLY?!?" Then, they ran away, screaming. It was not a trick that would have worked on any Ogel Drone, but fortunately Ice Drones were known to be rather undisciplined.

"Gets 'em every time!" said Rex, chuckling. "I bet I would've made a good Alpha Team agent!"

After collecting G.E. ore from Ogel's Island, Rex traveled to Antarctica and collected Ssol ore from another one of Ogel's mines. He planned to fashion Silge armor for his tamed Mutant Dinos.

----

Databoard slowed down the Saber as it neared LEGO City. The heavily-modified airship began hovering over the ruined city. Databoard looked down to see something that surprised him greatly. The other Agents fighting several Mutant Lizards and… himself? Surprised, Databoard piloted the Saber until it landed on one of the less damaged buildings. Grabbing a spare laser, Databoard rushed from the ship to figure out what was going on.

Databoard rushed through the streets of LEGO City towards where the other agents were. He turned around the corner to find Dataclone attacking the agents while completely ignoring the Mutant Lizards. Databoard fired his laser at Dataclone, who ducked out of the way. The two of them started firing lasers at each other, while the other agents fought off the attacking Mutant Lizards. Databoard climbed up a fire escape to avoid the lasers Dataclone was relentlessly firing. He also fired down at Dataclone, who was forced to dodge while still climbing after him.

Databoard reached the top off the building, and waited for Dataclone to show up. Suddenly, he heard a laser fired behind him, and he leapt out of the way. The laser bolt missed by about a foot. Databoard whirled around to discover that Dataclone had in fact climbed up the other side of the building and was now shooting at him.

Databoard dodged the lasers and shot back. Dataclone dodged, but tripped and banged his head on the roof. Databoard rushed over, laser in hand.

"Who are you?" Dataclone said, looking startled and reaching for his laser. "And why do you look exactly like me?"

"I'm Agent Databoard, I'd like to know who you are," Databoard replied.

"I'm Agent Databoard, you liar!" Dataclone shouted.

Databoard rolled his eyes. This was going to be harder than he thought.

With the help of Voltage and his team, Dataclone was detained. Databoard was able to use a test to prove that he was the real Databoard. Databoard and Voltage were each promoted to Elite Agent rank.

----

Kotua ran back to the Voltage, with Alpha Chaos right behind him. Kotua cut down a tree, which Alpha Chaos merely ran through, breaking it like a twig.

Kotua activated the Voltage, and continued running from Alpha Chaos. Kotua felt himself getting tired. He hoped that the Voltage would arrive soon, because if it didn't...

The Voltage flew over Kotua. He took out a small device, and threw it in the floor. Smoke surrounded him. Alpha Chaos jumped into the smoke, but it was too late; Kotua was now in the Voltage.

Kotua entered the command deck. "Let's get out of here!" he said urgently. The robots set coordinates, and the craft flew away from Alpha Chaos.

----

Clear skies... I can't remember the last time I saw such a thing.

He stood in the command deck of his personal airship, surveying the new reality he had entered. In some regards, it was similar to what he had known all his life... in other ways, it was foreign in ways he could not possibly imagine.

"Analyzing quantum space-time coordinates," reported an Astro-Bot at the computer. "Data appears to match the signature of Dimension 525."

For two years, he silently reflected, I've sought a way to cross the gap between worlds. How... ironic it is that their own interference would finally grant me the opportunity I've desired.

As the cloaked airship glided over the ravaged LEGO City, he raised his eyebrows at the sight of monstrous dinosaurs prowling the streets. The savage beasts were fighting against military forces, whose vehicles were colored tan and dark red. The battle intrigued him; of all the things he expected to see in this universe, urban warfare against prehistoric creatures was not one of them.

"I'm picking up some comm chatter from the soldiers below," another Astro-Bot said. "Tuning in now."

He nodded and listened in keenly as they broadcast the messages:

"... feels good to get back to attacking dinos, right guys? I almost forgot why I joined Dino Attack!"
"Did you hear about that new project the LEGOLAND military is working on? I think it's called the Anti-Dino Project?"
"Stay alert. If you see any airship that isn't from our side, shoot it down."
"As long as Kotua has Perfect Chaos at his beck and call, he'll be unstoppable."
"Ugh. Builder-modding."
"Doesn't mean I'm going to lay down my arms and call it a day just because Kotua's so ridiculously overpowered. No, sir! I'm going to keep on fighting!"
"Of course not. We must prevail; let's ensure that this is the only reality that can exist in the end. After all, our whole world is depending on us to win the war."
"No pressure!"

He scowled. He might have reconsidered if only he had known the full context behind the comm chatter, but due to confirmation bias at a critically poor moment, he heard exactly what he needed to hear. His mission was clearer than ever. There was no turning back now.

"Deploy the Shadow-Blades," he ordered the Astro-Bots. "This is a brave new world we've entered. We need to know what we're up against."

As his robot crew carried out his commands, he summoned up his resolve for the task ahead. He stared ahead, once again surveying the world before him. He narrowed his eyes and clenched his fist with grim determination. "Today," he monologued out loud, "Dimension 525 will know me as the new face of their enemy. It's time for them to finally meet Anti-Kotua."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 4, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 2: Opposing Forces

Chapter 12: Dark Horizons

----

Voltage and Databoard ducked out of the way as an enemy fighter jet fired down upon them. Databoard dodged several more lasers, then pulled out a grappling hook. As the jet swooped in low to attack, Databoard fired the hook. It flew towards the air and embedded itself in the jet's fuselage. Databoard, holding onto the rope the grappling hook was attached to, was pulled up into the air as the jet shot past, and was now barely avoiding being slammed into buildings. He slowly pulled himself up towards the jet's cockpit...

*****

Voltage wished he could have got an answer out of Databoard before he zipped up to the ship. Who were these people, and why were they after the Dino Attack agents?

*****

Databoard managed to get up to the jet, and climbed along the jet until he reached the cockpit. After smashing open the window, he struggled to gain control of the vehicle from the pilot. Suddenly, they noticed that the plane was about to crash into a building. The pilot ejected, hoping to destroy Databoard. The pilot parachuted down right in front of Voltage, who made sure he didn't run away. Databoard the grabbed the now-vacant controls, and piloted it to a somewhat shaky landing near where Voltage was. He got out and rushed towards the pilot. It was time to get some answers.

Databoard rushed over to where the pilot was. "Who are you working for?" he asked.

"Why should I tell you?" the pilot said.

"Because... we said so?" Voltage said.

"I'm still not about to tell you anytime soon," the pilot said.

Databoard rolled his eyes. He had a bad feeling this wasn't going anywhere.

Databoard continued trying to get information from the pilot, but so far he would not talk. He then walked over to the jet and began searching it for anything that would give him information. He began taking apart the cockpit, searching for an onboard computer or anything like that.

Voltage thought he knew how to get some answers to his oh-so-many questions. He showed off his gauntlet.

"What's that?" the pilot asked casually.

"A weapon," replied Voltage.

"What'cha gonna do with it?"

"Maybe, oh, say, surge thousands of volts of cryothermic electrical energy through your body, incapacitating and/or killing you if you don't give me some answers."

"Oh." The pilot thought for a moment. "Let me reconsider."

----

In LEGO City, Specs and a squad of Dino Attack agents were investigating Mutant Dino activity near a police station when they made a disturbing discovery. Specs pulled out his radio as he decided, "Elite agent Rex should know about this."

Suddenly, two LEGOLAND military helicopters flew over the police station, and landed. The cargo door of the helicopter opened, and a soldier poked his head out. "Any of you are Dino Attack agents?" asked the soldier.

Specs raised a bemused eyebrow, glancing at himself and his fellow agents wearing Dino Attack uniforms. "Is this about the 'Mutant Raptor Disease' and the Anti-Dino Project?" asked Specs.

The soldier nodded grimly. "I'm here to report that we have some… bad news about the vaccine delivery…"

*****

Anti-Kotua and two of his robots walked towards a flaming wreckage.

"The vaccines should be here," said Anti-Kotua. "Now, let's see what's so special about this 'Anti-Dino Project'..."

----

The Voltage flew peacefully over the ocean. Kotua was sleeping in his quarters while robots attended to their duties. They had rescued two civilians, Peter and Bob, who were now tracking the weather and looking for anything of importance.

Kotua awoke as he heard the emergency alarm sound. He ran up to the command deck, where he asked: "What's going on?"

"The temperature has dropped," said Peter, pointing outside.

Kotua looked out, amazed. The ocean was frozen as far as one could see.

"Why the alarm?" asked Kotua.

"This," replied a robot, bringing the damage screen into view: the engines had frozen.

Kotua pressed a few buttons on his chair, but nothing happened.

"The craft must be freezing..." said Peter.

"Impossible! This craft was designed for snow combat!" said Kotua.

"Brace for impact!" said a bot...

----

Upon returning to LEGO City, Rex received a message from Specs, telling him to come to a police station. There, Rex learned that Amanda was apparently murdered, with nothing left behind except her torn uniform. Rex was left devastated and miserable as he returned to headquarters.

Rex was unable to sleep.  Throughout the night, he lay awake in bed thinking about Amanda Claw. He had witnessed the deaths of many fellow Dino Attack agents, but her terrible fate had affected him greatly. Why was she so different? If an agent died under his command, then he had done all he could... but he knew that he was not there for Claw when she needed him most.

He cursed, furious with himself as he thought about the tattered remains of her Dino Attack uniform. "It was my job to look after her," he whispered, "a promise I made to Remous and Specs... and I failed to keep her safe.  And all for what?  Just so I could look at some stupid fancy metal!"

Rex thought about what had crossed his mind earlier: if his feelings towards Amanda might have been the seeds of romance. He grimaced, wincing at his naivety.  "I guess I was right all along," he solemnly decided.  "It's too risky to form any close relationships during this war.  Especially with me.  After all, she's human, and I'm... just a dinosaur, wearing man's skin." He spat out the word "dinosaur" as if his own identity disgusted him.

Rex let out a long, sullen sigh. Once again, he felt alone in the world as he wallowed in his self-loathing.

Rex knew he was not going to get any sleep, so he got out of bed and traveled to the abandoned prison where he kept his captured Mutant Dinos. It would give him something to do, and take his mind off of Amanda Claw.

Maw, the Mutant T-Rex hatchling he had adopted several weeks ago, had already grown so large that Rex did not feel right keeping him cooped up in a cell all day long. Therefore, he let Maw out. "Come on," he said, "let's go for a walk." Even now, he sounded half-hearted as he spoke.

Rex and Maw walked past Trouble, who eyed them eagerly. "Alright, you can come too," decided Rex. With Trouble and Maw both tamed, he trusted that they would stay well-behaved under his supervision.

----

Databoard soon found the central computer and began downloading the information onto his PDA to study later. He then brought the captured pilot to a Dino Attack outpost, where he also decided to get a new vehicle, seeing as he had no idea where his Fire Hammer was and he doubted it was still in one piece. So this time, he got a T-1 Typhoon.

Before he took off, he analyzed the information. Unfortunately, there didn't seem to be much information, but he did find out the name of Darkforce's organization: the Shadows.

Databoard flew his T-1 Typhoon to where Voltage was. It turned out he'd managed to get some information from the pilot before Databoard took him to the outpost. The "Shadows" seemed to have been around for the past four years, but had been in hiding up until the Dino Attack began. Their main base of operations was in Antarctica, which made sense, because that was where Darkforce had supposedly met his end. He had also discovered that the Shadows, while not responsible for the creation of the Mutant Dinos, was planning on using this threat to the world to gain domination.

"Wow, this guy's almost as good as Ogel," Databoard muttered after hearing what Voltage had found out. "It explains why he wants us out of the way. We stand a chance of stopping the Mutant Dinos."

"Let's get out of this dump," Voltage said. He was literally referring to the metal peeled off the buildings and the shattered bricks on the ground. With all that and more littering the ground, it looked like a dump.

All the agents climbed aboard and they took off, rising into the smoke-filled skies of LEGO City.

Voltage's Fire Hammer was running low on fuel, so he told it to go back to Antarctica, where it would be treated for damage and refueled.

"So, guys, where to?" Databoard said from the pilot's seat. He turned around to the other agents and, with a hint of dread, realized that Dataclone was not with them. He must have woken up and walked off, and he might still be acting odd and attacking other Dino Attack agents in the area.

"I don't know," Voltage replied truthfully. They had been to almost all the locations of dino sightings.

"I vote we head to Antarctica," Databoard said.

"What?" Cobra asked, sounding rather confused. "There are no Mutant Dinos there, they hate the cold!"

"Yes, but there are the Shadows there, and I for one want to figure out what they're planning," Databoard replied.

"I think Antarctica would be fine," said Voltage, "but the dinos are the main problem currently. What do you think guys?"

"I think we should go," Venom, Kai, Snake, and Joey said.

"It's settled then," Voltage said. "Let's try to stay together this time," he continued, thinking about Databoard's disappearance. "We have to be stealthy, so we need a map of the area. Databoard, where is that datapad you had earlier?"

Databoard looked over the information he had downloaded from the jet's computer, and was able to find a map to the Shadow's base. "Okay, we're off!" he said.

----

"Ah, yes," Ogel reported to the other villains. "agent Claw just loved the Dino Attack so much, she simply could no longer imagine a life after it!"

"Allow me to tell the story," insisted Fogel. "You see, she was walking all alone, not suspecting a thing. She did not hear or see me coming. I knew she was supposedly mute, but I guess this makes her deaf, dumb, and blind!" Everyone laughed. "And then I-"

"Fogel!" cried the Frickster, suddenly running into view.

"Do not interrupt me!" growled Fogel. "But I suppose you must have something important to say. Well, what is it?"

The Frickster tried to explain: "Agent Rex is... well, uh... how do I say this... he was, err, walking dogs, but the dogs ain't dogs, they were Mutant Dinos, so he wasn't walking dogs, and-"

"Just get on with it!" shouted Fogel, causing the other villains to tremble in fear.

"S-sorry, boss!" the Frickster stuttered. "Well, Rex is walking with two Mutant Dinos - a Mutant Lizard and a Mutant T-Rex - and he's not far away! Should we attack?"

"Not directly, that's for sure," Fogel said. "We need to find a way to take care of those mutants before we engage Rex. But how...?" He began to think up a plan.

----

After about an hour and a half, they arrived in Antarctica. Unfortunately, they flew right into a really bad snowstorm. "I'm going to have to land!" Databoard said. Mutant Dinos didn't like the cold, but humans couldn't take it much longer either. He landed the helicopter and they waited out the storm.

The T-1 Typhoon took off again and the agents were spared of having to walk fifteen miles to the base. It was a speedy trip, and they landed out of sight behind a large snowbank.

They began to trudge through the snow, careful not to be seen by cameras.

They reached the wall, and Databoard took out the datapad. "Security is extremely tight, so I suggest we go through here," he pointed to a tunnel leading to the base, "because it lacks cameras and guards."

The agents slipped through the corridors of the base. So far, none of the people in there had noticed them. When I left Alpha Team, I'd expected not be doing this anymore, Databoard thought. They snuck down another corridor, and noticed a security camera. Databoard took out a device and scrambled the camera's controls, allowing them to pass by without being noticed.

They found a room with a computer, and Databoard began downloading information into his PDA. "This should take a few moments before I can get all the information downloaded," said Databoard.

Voltage glanced out the door. "Um, Data? You better hurry up, we've got company!" he said. There were several members of the Shadows coming in their direction.

Databoard managed to get all the information onto his PDA, but then the Shadows rushed into the room. The agents fought well against them, but in the end, they were disarmed and captured.

The Shadows brought them down the corridors until they reached a large room. Inside were Darkforce and several other members of the Shadows. "Ah, Databoard, nice to see you again." Darkforce said. "And I see you've brought some friends with you."

----

So far, PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot had trapped over a hundred Mutant Dinos in downtown LEGO City. "Do you think Rex is still alive?" asked PBB.

Little Bot shrugged and replied, "Bo beep."

Chompy responded with a low growl.

"I sure hope he is," PBB said. "After Frozeen's disappearance and Rebel Drone's death, I'd hate to lose another friend."

----

Voltage took out two Shadows members with one blow to the neck each, spinning around and kicking another aside so he smashed into the now-useless computer. He then drew two machine guns, threatening to blast Darkforce's head off.

"Don't try it," Databoard said.

When Voltage did, Darkforce disappeared. "Where'd he go?" Voltage said in disbelief.

Then Darkforce appeared and, with one near-fatal stroke, sent Voltage slamming through the wall to his left. He tripped several cameras and reinforcements on the way.

Databoard swung around, kicking the Shadows member who was holding his laser. He took his weapon, and began firing at the Shadows members. Suddenly, lasers were fired from almost nowhere. Databoard fired back, guessing it was the invisible Darkforce firing at him. More lasers came at him, and he was able to dodge.

"Very impressive," Darkforce said, his voice coming from nowhere. "But can you defeat someone you can't see?"

Databoard fired randomly, trying to hit where he thought Darkforce was. However, he kept moving, avoiding Databoard's lasers and making it hard to figure out just where he was. Several Shadows members charged at him, but he evaded their lasers and fired back.

Databoard fired his laser at where he thought Darkforce was, but he got out of the way again. Databoard dodged to avoid attacks by several Shadows members, and then got an idea. He fired his laser at an overhead pipe, sending a spray of water into the air. It didn't harm anyone, but now it was easy to figure out where Darkforce was now that his shape was outlined by water droplets.

Suddenly, large laser cannons came down from the ceiling and started firing at the agents. "Run!" Databoard said. "We're getting out of here!"

----

The Voltage smashed into the frozen ocean. Kotua could feel the underside of the craft being damaged by the surrounding ice. The whole craft shook, and the robots tried stabilizing it. Finally, the shaking stopped.

"Damage report!" said Kotua.

The robot didn't respond. In fact, nothing worked.

"Oh no..." said Kotua. He got out of his chair and ran to the engine room. Peter and Bob ran after him.

They reached the room to find an Ogel Drone. "Stand back, I'll deal with it," said Kotua

The Ogel Drone raised a staff as Kotua drew and fired his blaster. The laser blast froze in midair.

"If you want to go old-school on me, fine," said Kotua, throwing his blaster aside, and charging towards the drone.

Kotua punched the Ogel Drone twice, sending him stumbling back. The drone finally regained his balance and did a spin kick, which Kotua easily blocked with his arms.

The Ogel Drone raised his staff and stabbed Kotua with it. Kotua took a step back and tried ignoring the pain. The drone tried yanking the staff out, but it was stuck!

Peter grabbed the frozen beam and repeatedly hit the Ogel Drone with it. The drone finally hit the floor, and Peter and Bob helped Kotua to the infirmary. When they got there, the medic bots took out the staff and injected some medicine to help Kotua's arm heal.

----

The agents rushed from the Shadows base and got into the T-1 Typhoon. They took off and were about to fly away when a laser nearly missed the helicopter. They looked around to see several Shadows jets flying after them.

Voltage, in the rear of the T-1 gunning, identified Darkforce's fighter. He aimed and fired, shooting rapid bursts of plasmic energy into the ship's hull. It went down, and Voltage watched it sink out of view. "That's for knocking me through a wall," he said.

Databoard fired the T-1 Typhoon's weaponry at the fighters. Suddenly, he heard Cobra shouting: "Look, over there!"

Databoard turned around to see Darkforce clinging to the tail of the T-1 Typhoon. "He must have ejected when Voltage blasted his fighter out of the sky," Databoard said.

Voltage saw Darkforce climbing up the tail and considered blasting him off, but he was sure that it would damage the tail.

Databoard tried to shake Darkforce off the tail, but he clung on. "Could someone get that guy off the helicopter?" he shouted. A fighter flew by and began firing at the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard blasted a hole through its wing and it was forced to pull away from them. But there were still several other fighters pursuing them.

Darkforce continued to climb up the tail, and fiddled with his invisibility device. A large scythe-like blade protruded from the glove, better helping him up the tail.

Voltage saw this, and shouted for Kai to take over gunning. He peered around the T-1 Typhoon and fired several shots at him. Two missed, but the third hit his gauntlet and knocked it off. "Yes!" he said, watching Darkforce struggle to hang on.

Darkforce continued to hang onto the tail of the T-1 Typhoon, despite the agents' best efforts to knock him off. Databoard had bigger things to worry about, as there were fighter jets firing at them, and he had to do his best to stop them. So far, he'd been able to damage several and force them to break off their attack, but there were at least ten more to take care of.

Voltage continued to try to blast off Darkforce, but he clung to the tail and climbed up to the main hold. When he reached level ground, he attacked Voltage, who slammed into the wall of the T-1 Typhoon. Voltage counter-attacked with his electro-gauntlet, and Darkforce let out a wail of pain.

Databoard had managed to defeat all the attacking jets, and then rushed to help Voltage with Darkforce. He had gotten his cloaking device working again, and now Voltage was struggling to figure out where he was. Databoard fired his laser in Darkforce's general direction, but failed to hit him.

Voltage was knocked off his feet by Darkforce, who was now invisible, and nearly fell out of the T-1 Typhoon. He staggered and got to his feet, hoping to get a glimpse of where Darkforce might be.

Darkforce leapt on him, but this time he was ready. He spun around and landed a kick on Darkforce's head, and kicked him again in midair. Darkforce was taken by surprise and flew off the T-1 Typhoon, but he managed to cling onto a section of railing on the side. Voltage stood over Darkforce.

Darkforce smiled. He whipped over Voltage and landed a sharp kick in his back, and the Dino Attack agent fell onto the cold wet floor of the T-1 Typhoon. It was wet with blood.

Now, Darkforce was standing over Voltage, ready to make the final blow.

Databoard charged at Darkforce, taking him by surprise. He fired his laser, but a kick from Darkforce knocked it from his hand. He punched at Darkforce, who ducked out of the way. Each of them kept avoiding each other's attacks, until Darkforce ducked out of the way and pushed Databoard off the side of the Typhoon. Databoard grabbed onto the side and slowly climbed back up into the helicopter.

Databoard climbed back into the Typhoon and was, taking Darkforce by surprise, knocked him from the vehicle. He landed on a nearby mountain side, where he was knocked out cold. Databoard knew it wouldn't be the last they'd see of him, and piloted towards LEGO City. He also found a med kit and began helping Voltage.

In no time, Voltage recovered, and they flew off back to LEGO city.

----

After a few minutes, Kotua realized that the Voltage was working again. Kotua walked back to the command deck, and soon the craft was flying full speed towards LEGO City...

Kotua took out his PDA. He wondered how he would convince Rex, Databoard, and the other Dino Attack agents that he was good now. He decided to talk to Rex.

Kotua wrote a message to Rex:

MEET ME BY THE FACTORIES...
AGENT KOTUA.

The Voltage flew by the factories, and Kotua flew out in his jetpack. He doubted Rex would come to talk, so Kotua also brought a stun gun, just in case...

----

Rex received the message from Kotua. He rolled his eyes, unamused. "Whatever, I'll log that away," Rex muttered. "If Kotua had learned a darn thing, it would be: to lure Rex into a trap, signing your name is a VERY 'smart' idea!" He deleted the message and continued to walk Maw and Trouble, hoping that he would never see Kotua again.

A Shadow-Blade followed Rex silently. Trouble felt the presence of it, but thought it was a mere rodent. The Shadow Blade studied Rex with various equipment. It raised its hand, and two small probes flew from its wrist and started taking blood from Rex. Rex swatted at them, thinking they were merely mosquitos. One fell down, destroyed, while the other returned to the Shadow-Blade. Rex continued walking, but the Shadow-Blade didn't follow again, having got all that was needed.

Although the Shadow Blade did not follow Rex, someone else continued to track him: Finister and Lord Sam Sinister. It had been Finister, not Fogel, who came up with the plan for disposing of Rex.

"Do it," whispered Sinister. "Now's your chance!"

"No," Finister replied, "you do it." He handed Sinister a silenced pistol, specially modified so that its bullets could penetrate the thick hides of Mutant Dinos.

Sam Sinister's eyes widened as he looked at the weapon. "Err, I'm not so sure this is a good idea," he said. "As you know, we've had plenty of experience hunting dinosaurs, but this is a Mutant T-Rex… things could go very badly if I-"

Finister pressed one of his hooks against Sinister's neck. "If you want to be a great villain in the future instead of the spineless coward you are in the present," he hissed, "then I suggest that you start now! Get into position, ready your shot, and wait for my signal!"

"Fine!" Sam Sinister grumbled.

----

Agent X was fighting off a swarm of Mutant Lizards. Just as he was about take those Lizards down, one of every Mutant Dino showed up. "Agent X to base," he said into the radio, "send help to Astor City immediately! I need to get out of here!"

The radio responded with static.

"Base, I need help!" X said frantically, shouting into his radio. "Immediately! Please! I'm running out of defense!"

The radio only responded with crackling static: "ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ CRACKLE ZZZZZ CRACKLE BEEEEEEEP."

"Help, someone!" screamed X. He heard an explosion. "Huh?" Agent X looked back to see his former vehicle ripped to shreds and a velociraptor standing over the remains... "AGENT X TO BASE, SEND HELP!"

Agent X looked around. Devastation was everywhere. He was so affected by the sight that he did not even notice a Mutant T-Rex sneak up on him. The T-Rex chomped down with its jaws, and X thought that would be the end of him.

----

After arriving in LEGO City, Databoard began pouring over every bit of information that he had downloaded. He now had information on the basic design of the Shadows vehicles, and where their weakness was. Other than that, there wasn't much other then what they'd already learned.

After studying every last bit of information, Databoard set out to repair the T-1 Typhoon, as some of the fighter jets had caused minor damage to the vehicle. The amount of damage was fairly minimal, so it did not take him very long for him to make the repairs.

Databoard finished his repairs and walked outside. Suddenly, several Mutant Lizards leapt from behind a ruined building. Databoard pulled a small device from his pocket. He fired a small sonic vibration from it, which stunned one of the Lizards. He defeated several more with it, but several more jumped out from behind a ruined wall, nearly him by surprise. He barely got away from them as they attacked.

Voltage dispersed of some Mutant Lizards with his gauntlet, but it was hard to move with so much pain.

After about fifteen minutes, Databoard was able to stun all the Mutant Lizards. But then he realized he would have to figure out what to do with them. He didn't have long to think about that as some of the Lizards were waking up. Databoard threw a grenade in a random direction, which startled the Mutant Lizards, and they fled into the distance. Databoard then walked back to his T-1 Typhoon.

----

"We meet again, agent Rex!"

With a start, Rex glanced up at the balcony of a nearby hotel. Standing there was none other than Finister, looking down upon the Dino Attack agent and his two Mutant Dinos. "You!" shouted Rex, balling his hands into fists. "What have you done with Remous?"

"Exactly what I promised I would do," replied Finister. "I captured him, brought him back to Villains Headquarters, and... had a nice little chat with him."

"You mean you tortured and interrogated him?" Rex said, calling out his euphemism.

Finister chuckled. "I'll give the man credit where it's due... the Truth Receiver could not receive any truth from him. He may have been an overconfident fool to try taking me on by himself, but he had nerves of steel and did not give up. Alas, it's almost a pity what happened to him. See, because he was being uncooperative, I got a little frustrated... and in my frustration, I let the Truth Receiver run a little longer than I should have..."

Rex felt the blood drain from his face as he imagined Roger Remous, unable to breathe while the Truth Receiver vacuumed out all the air in his lungs. "He suffocated," realized Rex. It was a ghastly way to die.

"And his poor sister will never know what happened to him," mused Finister. "What a shame."

Rex became alert at the mention of Amanda Claw.  "What about her?" he demanded.  "What did you do with her?"

Finister shrugged. "Yes, I killed Remous, but as for agent Claw, I did not have a... hand in her fate. After all, she was of no use to me; I can't interrogate someone who can't even speak! But, I assure you... what FUTURE did to her was cruel."

Now, Rex was furious. "Bold words," he growled, "for someone within a short distance of a couple Mutant Dinos. If I give the word, they will tear you apart." As though they understood exactly what he said, both Trouble and Maw started to snarl and bare their teeth.

"Go ahead," dared Finister. "Sic your beasts on me, and prove to the world that they really are the savage monsters that everyone thinks they are."

Rex gritted his teeth, but he motioned to Trouble and Maw, telling them to stand down.

Finister smirked. "Hah! I thought not."

"Is that why you've come here?" asked Rex. "To mock me as you boast about your victims and monologue about your great plan to do the same with the rest of Dino Attack Team?"

"Me?" said Finister, laughing as he raised his hooks into the air. "Oh, I'm not going to do a thing.  I won't be the one who brings down the rest of Dino Attack Team... you will."

From his hiding place, Sam Sinister saw Finister raise his hooks into the air. That's the signal, he thought to himself. He took in a deep breath to steel himself, and then he raised the silenced pistol and fired at the Mutant T-Rex.

----

Databoard sat inside his Typhoon, confused over the fact that Darkforce was in charge of the Shadows. He had supposedly died, so how could he have survived? And why did he wait until now to return, which was nearly five years after that incident? Databoard had a feeling he wasn't going to find the answers anytime soon.

They took off again, this time to survey the city. Voltage wished he could have helped Databoard with the Mutant Lizards. He was getting better, and his position was to fight, not hang around in T-1 Typhoons all day.

Databoard walked back to the T-1 Typhoon, and Voltage asked, "What'd you find out?"

"Nothing we didn't already know," replied Databoard. "But get this, Darkforce 'supposedly' died five years ago!"

"Strange...." muttered Voltage.

"Yeah, it's strange!" agreed Databoard.

Voltage got up and moved to the tracking section of the T-1 Typhoon. The radar showed just them, alone in the sky.

Everyone was either sleeping or trying to keep themselves awake. It had been about five days without sleep, and Voltage was tired. He fell asleep.

----

Suddenly, Maw raised his head towards the sky and roared. The sound shook Rex and Trouble, and even Finister flinched involuntarily. Then, Maw charged, running down the street at full speed, demolishing everything in his path. "MAW!" called Rex, but it was too late, and the T-Rex was already out of earshot.

Rex and Trouble exchanged glances. If Maw kept running in his current direction... then he was heading straight for Dino Attack Headquarters! Rex jumped onto Trouble's back and rode the Mutant Lizard in pursuit of Maw. "NO! MAW! STOP!!!" cried Rex, but it was no use.

Finister watched them go, and he chuckled softly in satisfaction. "Exactly as planned," he said to himself. "Now, by the end of the night, elite agent Rex shall be no more!"

And he would be right.

*****

Zero was back at HQ, looking for some things on the internet.

He absent-mindedly glanced out the window, when he saw a Mutant T-Rex running towards the base! And Rex was right behind him!

"Oh no!" exclaimed Zero.

----

The bleeping of an alarm woke Voltage with a start.

"We're being tracked!" Cobra said, rushing up to him.

"By who?" asked Voltage.

"I don't know," said Cobra, "but whoever they are, they're very good at it."

Databoard, being the pilot of the Typhoon, was one of the few people who were awake. He was almost about to fall asleep at the controls when an alarm started beeping. He heard Cobra shout about being tracked.

"This is just excellent," Databoard said. He started running checks to see if he could figure out who was tracking them.

"They're not on the radar or anything!" Voltage exclaimed, punching buttons on the console.

"They must have cloaking devices," Cobra suggested.

Databoard looked over every piece of equipment on the T-1 Typhoon, but still couldn't get any information on whoever was tracking them. He looked around the area, but couldn't see anyone else. They were just about the only vehicle in the air, and Databoard had a good idea they could see them if they were on the ground.

A blast rocked the T-1 Typhoon.

"What was that?" Voltage asked. The siren that still rang was getting annoying. "Data, can you shut that off?"

"Sorry," Databoard said, flipping a switch. "Scanners are still reading normal," he reported, "But I think we lost some power in the engines."

Voltage peered outside the T-1 Typhoon to make sure the scanners were not mistaken.  "How can they be tracking us, anyway?" he said. "There's nothing on the hull."

"The only other way would be to wire it into the systems, and you can't do that in midair," Cobra commented.

"Data?" called Voltage.

"I checked before we left," said Databoard. "No one in sight."

Another blast from the invisible enemy.

"Well, we can't figure out what's going on if these guys blast us to pieces," Databoard said. "I'm taking the Typhoon down lower where we'll have more cover." He brought the helicopter down low over the ruined streets, and a blast barely missed them, impacting on the side of a building.

Wind rushed by Voltage's face as they descended. It did give them much more cover, but they ran the risk of smashing into a building.

There was an electrical sound, and Databoard said, "We have them in range!"

Sure enough, the scanner showed over fifty tiny moving dots closing in on them.

Who are these guys? Voltage wondered.

----

The Shadow-Blade reached the Anti-Voltage, and delivered its info to Anti-Kotua. Anti-Kotua walked to the lab section of the craft and called upon its Astro-Bots to come.

"Now then..." said Anti-Kotua, putting Rex's blood sample on a thermocycler machine.

The thermocycler stopped after copying Rex's DNA, and Anti-Kotua walked to the machine to take out Rex's blood sample. Anti-Kotua put the blood sample in another machine and pressed a button. "Now, my 'friend', to see your weakness," said Anti-Kotua.

After a few minutes, a screen turned on and displayed the results of the sample. "Hmm, that's… unexpected," observed Anti-Kotua, unaware that the blood was collected from a minifigure disguise and not a real person. "Rex appears to be a 20-something-year-old man, but this DNA is as fresh as a newborn baby. It seems Rex is hiding a secret or two."

Anti-Kotua walked towards an Astro-Bot. "So... what are you doing just hovering there!?" shouted Anti-Kotua. The Astro-Bot flew off to find something to do.

Anti-Kotua took Rex's blood sample and put it in a refrigerated area with the other blood samples.

Then, Anti-Kotua walked to the hangar. "Find the other Dino Attack agents, and bring them here..." said Anti-Kotua.

The Shadow-Blades nodded, and flew off. The Shadow-Blades looked through their sniper scopes at the Dino Attack agents below. The two agents were new to the team, and were busy fighting off two Mutant Lizards. One of the Shadow-Blades fired, and one of the agents fell to the floor. The other looked around, trying to find the source of the killer...

----

Databoard readied all the weapons on the T-1 Typhoon and began firing at their invisible enemy. They couldn't tell if they were hitting anything, as the attackers kept moving to avoid their blasts. Another blast hit near the T-1 Typhoon, causing an abandoned building to give way and collapse.

Then, the invisible fighters began taking hits. They fell from the sky as blazing balls of fire. Some of them were hit in their cloaking devices, revealing portions of the enemy crafts.

More blasts leveled a few buildings behind the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard was able to hit one of the enemy fighters, causing it to spin out of control and slam through the side of a building, exploding as it did. They continued to fire, but most of their lasers missed their targets and hit nearby buildings.

Databoard continued to fire at the invisible fighters. He managed to blast one of the jets wings, but it continued to fly. Lasers barely missed the T-1 Typhoon, smashing through the windows of a nearby building. Voltage fired his laser, hitting one of the jets with several lasers.

They continued to shoot at their invisible enemies, succeeding in the destruction of several fighters. Databoard flew even lower to the ground, with the ruined buildings making it harder for the fighters to get a clear shot at the T-1 Typhoon. It also meant that the jets would have less maneuvering room.

Laser hit the buildings nearby, sending debris flying. Whoever was attacking them was getting very annoyed that they were evading their attacks. More blasts flew into a nearby building, destroying a small portion of it. Databoard fired into the air, and blasted one of the fighters out of the sky.

Voltage spotted a cylindrical object floating in the air, so he fired at it. There was an ear-shattering explosion, and the fighters became visible in a flash of light.

"That was the cloaking generator," Voltage said. Now their enemy would be an easier target.

Databoard started firing at the now-visible fighters, blasting a few out of the sky. They swerved to avoid the weapons firing, some nearly crashing into each other while maneuvering. Voltage was also firing at them, and took down several fighters with laser blasts.

Voltage noticed that on the side of the fighters there were markings that distinctly read Beta Force. What was Beta Force?

----

Kotua walked around the factory, looking for Rex. Suddenly a fist of water slammed into Kotua, sending him flying.

Kotua slammed against a conveyor belt. He wiped water off his face and grimaced, looking up to see Alpha Chaos approaching. "Good to see you too..." he muttered. He pulled out his stun gun and aimed it at his foe, already knowing that it was futile.

The water entity opened its crocodilian jaws and laughed menacingly. "You know Rex isn't coming to save you," hissed Alpha Chaos. "He's leaving you to die, as a traitor deserves." It extended an appendage above the Dino Attack agent and slammed it down.

Kotua rolled out of the way just in time, dodging the attack as it demolished the conveyor belt. "Then I should thank you," he replied. "Rex and the rest of Dino Attack Team will see where my loyalties truly lie and welcome me back... once I've defeated you for once and for all. I will no longer be a puppet for you or ShadowTech!"

Alpha Chaos swiped with its tendrils, forcing Kotua to back away as it smashed through crates. "Defeat me?" it said mockingly. "You think you can defeat a hurricane? You believe you can defeat oblivion? I am a creation of the First Builders, ancient when the world was new. You're just one man."

Kotua knew he could not win this one-on-one fight, so he sent a signal to the Voltage. In the meantime, until his airship arrived, he simply had to survive. "If you're so special," he prodded, "then how could ShadowTech copy you?"

Alpha Chaos simmered with a purple pulse; the water forming its body began churning like a cyclone. "My other half may be... manmade... but it is man's foolhardy nature that continuously corrupts and perverts the First Builders' legacy and only makes me stronger. Through my other's birth in ShadowTech's LAB, my eyes have been opened to what has transpired across the universe. I now know the truth about the Dino Attack. I see the apocalypse that the mutant dinosaurs are bringing forth. The unbridled destruction, the season of death. It is... beautiful. If only you would live long enough to see it."

Alpha Chaos lunged, barreling towards Kotua like a tidal wave. Kotua quickly activated his jetpack and took to the air to avoid Chaos's assault. The water entity swung its tendrils, smashing through metal and concrete as the Dino Attack agent just barely dodged in time. Kotua fired his stun gun at Chaos, who simply laughed before pooling its entropic energies and responding with a destructive blast that blew a gaping hole in the side of the building.

Kotua flew higher and higher as Chaos continuously lashed at him. The water beast bellowed, and the entire factory shook. A water main burst. Pipes ruptured. Sinks and toilets overflowed. Alpha Chaos was summoning every last drop of water it could muster from the building, making itself bigger and bigger.

Gotta get to the roof, thought Kotua, before this factory becomes my tomb. He piloted his jetpack as fast as it would go, perilously ducking and weaving as Chaos's tendrils came at him from every direction. Streams of water shot past him. They whipped and lashed with enough force to destroy anything in their path. Kotua noticed that each appendage appeared to end with a pair of jaws, reminding him of the mythical Hydra. Every time he attempted to shoot one down with his stun gun, it would just reconstitute and come back at him again.

Kotua flew into an emergency stairwell. He was grateful for his jetpack and did not have to run up the staircase himself. Alpha Chaos pursued by flooding the stairwell. Water rushed up the steps as though it was swallowing them. Given that the water appeared to be a sea of ravenous mouths, perhaps that comparison was quite apt.

Kotua passed a Mutant Lizard that was scurrying up the stairs. The unlucky creature did not last much longer before it was pulled underwater by Chaos and then drowned.

Reaching the top of the stairwell, Kotua threw open the door and emerged on the rooftop of the factory. He disturbed a nest of Mutant Pterosaurs, which took to the air and started screeching indignantly. There was a dark shape in the sky above, and he hoped it was the Voltage, but he could not get to it with the mutants in the way. 

There came the sound of exploding glass as water smashed through windows and poured out. The rooftop cracked apart and more water sprayed upward like erupting geysers. The liquid congregated together and morphed into the familiar shape of Alpha Chaos, now a towering behemoth that made Perfect Chaos look like a meager Mutant Lizard in comparison.

The Mutant Pterosaurs' anger turned to panic. Seeing a brief clearing as the flock scattered, Kotua flew upwards. If he could only get to the Voltage in time, then he might stand a chance against Chaos...

Alpha Chaos opened its enormous jaws and inhaled deeply. Its breath became a powerful vortex, pulling in air and water like a whirlpool. Kotua had his jetpack on full thrust, but it was not strong enough to fight the current. Beads of sweat ran down his forehead as he realized he was being sucked in. He was not going to make it.

Dozens of Chaos's tendrils spiraled around Kotua and then ensnared him. He could not be certain whether they grabbed him with hands or mouths. He struggled with all his might, but they would not let go.

Kotua was forced to watch as Alpha Chaos loomed over him. "You cannot forestall your fate," said the ancient water entity. "I will flood this entire world and wash away the pestilence of minifigkind. The universe is doomed to chaos."

Alpha Chaos's eyes glowed brilliantly. It opened its gaping maw unnaturally wide and lunged at the agent in its grasp. Knowing that he was about to be swallowed whole and then drown on dry land, Kotua instinctively shut his eyes and waited for the end.

----

Suddenly, Maw made a sharp turn, narrowly avoiding collision with Dino Attack Headquarters. He continued to run down the street and was picking up speed. Not even Trouble's light feet could keep up with the speed of the Mutant T-Rex. Soon, Rex and Trouble completely lost track of Maw.

Rex and Trouble arrived at a scene of devastation. The street was littered with the wreckage of multiple Dino Attack vehicles. Rex spotted Specs, Shadow, Viper, and Digger pulling wounded survivors out of the remains of an Iron Predator. "Hey, guys!" Rex called. "Have you seen a Mutant T-Rex that was on a rampage?"

"What do you think?" snapped Shadow, glaring at Rex before gesturing towards the ruined vehicles.

The blood drained from Rex's face as he realized that Maw was responsible for destroying the vehicles. While the four founding agents seemed to escape with only minor injuries, the same could not be said for the other Dino Attack agents caught in the T-Rex's path. "Oh no," he whispered. "What have I done?"

Zero went to where Rex and the others were talking. "Hey guys! What's up?" he cheerfully greeted them, before noticing the wreckage of the vehicles. "... Oh yeah, that's up. Who did this?"

"A Mutant T-Rex..." replied Digger.

"His name was Maw…" Rex said quietly.

"Rex, was that one of your 'tamed' Mutant Dinos?" asked Viper. Trouble snorted, annoyed by his tone.

"Well, n-no - I mean, uh, yes, err..." Rex said, his voice shaking.

"Rex," Shadow growled, "I've tolerated your 'taming' of these... monsters…" Trouble growled at that remark. "But this is intolerable! You are responsible for the casualties of good men! This has to stop, now!"

"Specs, please," Rex appealed, "you must understand that I didn't mean for this to happen."

Specs let out a long sigh. "As a scientist and idealist," he declared, "I had previously sided with you and endorsed your taming project… but as the team leader, I simply cannot allow something that puts the lives of my fellow Dino Attack agents at risk. You are to cease this activity, effective immediately."

Zero looked from Specs, to the ruins of the Dino Attack vehicles, to Trouble's worried expression, and then to Rex, whose expression made Trouble look calm by comparison.

"I-I can't just stop taming them," insisted Rex, trembling. "After all, they are living creatures and deserve to live just as much as we do. But-"

"But what?!?" screamed Shadow.

"But that I don't know what went wrong!" said Rex. "Maw was perfectly tamed, I swear! Very calm, very easy-going, not one to suddenly go on rampage like this. It… it must have been FUTURE; they must have done something to-"

"Obviously, the beast was not as 'tamed' as you thought," Shadow declared. His eyes narrowed with suspicion. "Unless… you have been training them to attack us! Maybe Kotua was right all along about you!" He raised his weapon and pointed it at Trouble, who hissed and poised to attack.

Rex jumped between Shadow and Trouble with his arms stretched out wide, preventing either from attacking the other. "No!" he cried. "I am on your side, and I always have been! Specs, you have to believe me!"

Specs shook his head. "Rex," he said sternly, "you have to let your dinos go. It's over now. That's an order; if you disobey, there will be consequences."

"NO!" screamed Rex, but then he realized he said the wrong response.

Specs locked narrowed eyes with Rex. "Then I am hereby relieving you of your duties," he declared. "Effective now, you are discharged from Dino Attack Team. You will board the next transport to Antarctica and remain at the refugee facilities."

With that, Specs turned away from Rex and Trouble, ignoring them entirely as he continued to focus on helping the wounded Dino Attack agents. Viper, Digger, and Shadow followed his lead, with the last of the founding members shooting Rex one last glare before turning away.

Rex felt his heart sink. His one purpose, his one driving force, was to be a Dino Attack agent and save the world… and now, it had just been stripped away from him. With nowhere else to go, Rex and Trouble solemnly walked away as though they were in a funeral procession.

"Rex, wait!" cried Zero, the only Dino Attack agent who still acknowledged him. "You can't just go! Will I ever see you again?"

Rex looked back at his friend, tears forming in his sorrowful eyes. Then, wordlessly, he turned away and departed with Trouble.

Zero's eyes narrowed as he surveyed the scene. Something's not right, he realized. There must have been some sort of evil plan going on... someone did this to get Rex discharged... they knew this would happen... but how can I prove who did it?

----

Beta Force? Voltage had known someone named Beta, but that was a long time ago, and...

Could it be him? Voltage doubted it. If he knew Beta, he wouldn't advertise like that all over his fighters.

Well, they were cloaked, Voltage thought.

Databoard continued to shoot at the fighters, which evaded his attacks. A few were hit and spun out of control, but they soon regained control and continued their assault. He was able to defeat a few, but they continued to attack. One flew near the T-1 Typhoon and tried to attack it, but a laser bolt stopped that plan.

The fighters swarmed around the T-1 Typhoon again, and Voltage blasted half of them out of the sky. The useless piles of burnt metal descended through the clouds and out of sight.

A fighter came towards them at full speed, bolts of energy firing rapidly from its laser cannons. Voltage and Databoard fired at it, but it was no use, as it kept evading their attacks. Finally, one of the lasers hit the cockpit, spinning out of control, where it crashed into the side of a nearby building.

"Wow," said Cobra. "Did you see what it said on the side?"

"Beta Force," said Voltage.

A T-Rex passed by, and roared. Then tons of roars filled the air, and they all belonged to T-Rexes. "That's not good," said Databoard.

Several lasers from the Beta Force jets barely missed the T-1 Typhoon. It moved in to attack again, but suddenly, the eyebeams of a Mutant T-Rex bored a hole through the side of the jet. More of the T-Rex started attacking, forcing them to fly higher up to avoid their eyebeams. This gave them less cover from the Beta Force vehicles, unfortunately.

"You guys try and keep back those jets!" Databoard shouted. "I'll see what I can do against those T-Rexes." He turned out the XL-4 Voltaic Launcher and aimed it. It hit a T-Rex dead on, slamming it backwards through a nearby building. After maneuvering to avoid lasers fired by the Beta Force vehicles, he continued to fire at the attacking Mutant Dinos.

The Beta Force fighters still attacked, but there was a new combatant on the field: the Pteranodons and the T-Rexes. Pteranodons shocked the fighters from the air while the T-Rexes ripped them to shreds from below.

A fighter exploded, and the driver hit Voltage's windshield with a discouraging splat!

"Ewwww!!!" Voltage said as he triggered the emergency windshield wipers.

Several Mutant Pteranodons swooped down and fired bolts of electricity at the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard launched the Voltaic Launcher at them, but they evaded the blast. Voltage fired at them repeatedly, but they avoided and sent more electric bolts at the T-1 Typhoon.

Databoard, Voltage, and their squad encountered creatures mutated by Beta Force. Snake of Spades was badly wounded in the battle and needed to be brought to the Dino Attack Medical Wing by Viper, so he could not accompany Databoard and Voltage on their mission. By the time they reached the Medical Wing, his wound had become infected, so his whole arm had to be amputated. It was then replaced with a mechanical prosthetic arm.

-----

Kotua's next sensation was that he was cold. So cold.

Well, he thought, if I feel cold, that means I'm... not dead? No bright light, no voice telling me "It is time..." Yep, still alive.

Slowly, he opened his eyes. Alpha Chaos's gaping jaws were still there; that much had not changed. But the entire being had frozen in place... literally. The water entity had turned to ice, rendering it completely immobile. Not even its alpha fusion could overcome that innate crippling weakness. Now, Dino Attack's most powerful enemy was nothing more than a very large, very intimidating ice sculpture.

But what was responsible for flash-freezing Chaos?

A shadow passed over Kotua and Chaos. Straining his neck, Kotua was able to look over his shoulder at the airship that he had seen looming overhead. At first glance, he thought it was the Voltage, and he recognized the enormous cryothermic freeze ray cannon built into its bow. And yet, the longer he looked, the more different the airship appeared to be...

A minifigure descended from the airship, flying a jetpack of his own. He was wearing an Alpha Team uniform, albeit an older one from about five years ago, and his teal-colored sleeve marked him as a tech expert just like Kotua. In fact, he looked just like...

"It's me!" realized Kotua, his eyes widening. Raising his voice, he shouted: "Now's your chance! You need to seal away Chaos before it thaws again! Hurry!"

"I'm on it!" responded Anti-Kotua. He was equipped with a pair of high-tech gauntlets; in one hand, he held a large neon crystal. He pointed his gauntlets at Alpha Chaos and fired a beam from his palms. The crystal began to glow brightly as Chaos's frozen form slowly shimmered and faded away, transforming back into entropic energy that was drawn in by the gauntlets.

As Chaos dissolved, so did its hold on Kotua. He started to fall, but he quickly activated his jetpack and slowed his descent until he landed gently on the factory's roof. By the time Anti-Kotua set down beside him, Alpha Chaos was gone at last, its essence contained within the crystal.

Kotua let out a long sigh of relief. "Thanks for that," he said gratefully.

"You lost control over Chaos, huh?" commented Anti-Kotua. "Can't say I'm terribly surprised."

"Truthfully, I don't think I ever had control over Chaos," replied Kotua. "It was just using me as a pawn in its plot to flood the world. If you hadn't gotten here in time..."

"In my reality, Chaos practically wiped Latin America off the map, washing away the land with its floods and hurricanes. I was forced to race against the clock to develop the necessary tech required to defeat it. Once again, your world got off lucky." As he said those last words, Anti-Kotua glared at Kotua with envious contempt.

"You're from that other universe, aren't you?" realized Kotua. He glanced up at Anti-Kotua's ship overhead. "You were in the airship pursuing us; you must've crossed over when we returned home."

Anti-Kotua nodded. "Yes, I'm Kotua from Dimension 8231. Your friends at Lens Pioneers would call me Anti-Kotua."

"Lens Pioneers?" repeated Kotua. "The camera company?"

Anti-Kotua suddenly pointed a gun at Kotua. "Don't play dumb with me! I'd expect better from myself. You are an agent sent by Dimension 525 into my world to cover up Dr. Wallace Bishop's research."

"What?" exclaimed Kotua. "I don't know what you're-"

"Is it not true that you used the interdimensional properties of the Chaos Emeralds?" inquired Anti-Kotua. "You arrived in my universe in the Voltage, an airship built for war? You even brought Perfect Chaos with you? And then you attacked the coast guard and fought against law enforcement?"

"Well, yes, but this is all a big misunder-"

"No," said Anti-Kotua, grimly shaking his head, "it's an act of war. Your interdimensional interference has threatened the multiverse. My world may soon be on the brink of destruction thanks to the devastating storms you have brought upon us." He looked down upon the crystal he held, and his lips curled into an unsettling grin. "Perhaps I should return the favor?"

Kotua narrowed his eyes and pointed his stun gun at his alternate self. "You don't want to do this," he said. "And I don't want to be your enemy. But I will stop you if I have to."

"Oh, but I do want justice, and it's a dish best served cold," said Anti-Kotua. "And it seems to me you're nothing more than a pawn in someone else's chess game, just a braindead minion like Ogel's drones. Why should I believe you have any real agency when you just admitted to being Chaos's tool? Make no mistake: you are already my enemy. We're at war, and my reality is the only one that can exist in the end!"

There's no reasoning with this guy, thought Kotua. Is this how I sounded as an evil megalomaniac? Yeesh, no wonder Data couldn't get through to me!

Anti-Kotua fired his gun just as Kotua activated his jetpack. The shot hit the jetpack and made Kotua spin out of control. He plummeted down to the street below and made a hard landing, but quickly got back to his feet and ran. "I've got to find Dino Attack..." Kotua grunted to himself. "Got to convince them somehow..."

Anti-Kotua did not stop his primary universe self from fleeing. "Go," he said coldly. "Tell the world that Dimension 525's days are numbered. Let them know that Anti-Kotua has come for their reckoning."

----

Deciding that his life had little meaning anymore, Rex continued to wander LEGO City with Trouble and Maw as he contemplated suicide. He managed to find Maw, who had calmed down and was now limping. Rex took a close look at Maw's injured foot and saw the bullet wound from Sam Sinister's silenced pistol. "Looks like we were both framed," Rex said with a heavy sigh.

Suddenly, the phantom appeared, jumping down to the street from one of the rooftops. "Rex, you have to come with me!" he said urgently. "It's Josh Thunder; he's in danger!"

"Josh Thunder?" repeated Rex. "You mean the son of the famous Johnny Thunder?" Thunder was certainly a very high-profile name among Dino Attack Team, who owed much of their understanding of modern-day dinosaurs to the Adventurers who discovered them.

The phantom nodded. "He came here to the city to do some dino-hunting training with some rookie Dino Attack agents, but they were attacked by a Mutant T-Rex," he explained. "They're trapped in a small shop, and I can't get to them with the T-Rex in the way. We haven't got much time; hurry!"

Rex shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, but I'm not a Dino Attack agent anymore, I was just discharged-"

"Frankly," the phantom interrupted him, "I don't care, and neither should you! Not when there are lives on the line! You don't need to be a Dino Attack agent to be a hero. Now, come on!"

Rex knew that the phantom was right. When he learned that he was a sleeper agent, he promised himself he would be the hero regardless of what he actually was. Mutant Dino, Dino Attack agent, or just an ordinary civilian... it did not matter. Perhaps, Rex thought, saving Thunder and the rookies might convince Specs to let me rejoin the team, and if not... well, I could always continue to be an independent ally, like PBB or the phantom.

Rex, Trouble, and Maw followed the phantom down the street as he led them to Thunder's location. Sure enough, the scene was exactly as the phantom described. There was a Mutant T-Rex bull, a full-grown male, and it was reaching through the smashed windows of a small shop. Rex could hear the minifigs trapped inside, screaming and shouting for help.

"If you can distract the T-Rex," the phantom suggested, "and hold its attention for a few minutes, then I can slip in there and lead them to safety. But be careful; if it notices us... well, not even I can survive a Mutant T-Rex attack. I'm not really a phantom, you know."

"Got it," said Rex. As the phantom slipped way into the shadows, Rex glanced at Trouble and Maw to check that they were ready. They nodded to him, and so he stepped forward and shouted: "Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?"

The Mutant T-Rex turned his head towards Rex. If he was at all surprised to see a minifig flanked by a pair of Mutant Dinos, he did not show it. He bared his teeth and snarled, which Rex was able to understand as, "Do not come between Sharptooth and his prey!"

Rex recalled hearing that name before, back when he was exploring LEGO City with Zero. "Ah, so this must be the great Sharptooth," he said. "You know, I thought you were the leader of a T-Rex pack, proudly respected by your kin. Instead, you're just scavenging for a few measly scraps of meat like a coward!"

Dinosaurs are naturally proud creatures, and none are more prideful than the T-Rex. To audaciously insult one is a death wish. Sharptooth glared at Rex, and then his eyes started to glow red. Rex jumped back just in time before a pair of laser beams fired at where he once stood, striking the pavement.

Angered by this threat towards his adoptive father, Maw stepped forward and roared at Sharptooth. Rex realized that the young T-Rex was challenging the older bull, who responded by firing more eye beams at Maw. Maw was singed, but this only made him madder, and now Rex was furious, too. As the two Mutant T-Rexes bellowed at each other, Rex glared intensely at Sharptooth and gave a sharp whistle, cuing his tamed dinos to attack.

Maw charged at Sharptooth, with Trouble scampering after him. Rex pulled out his laser pistol and took aim. Maw and Sharptooth snapped at each other, their fearsome teeth digging through flesh in a violent display. Trouble climbed up Sharptooth's leg, got up on the T-Rex's back, and started biting and clawing viciously. Rex circled around Sharptooth, firing his gun whenever he could be sure that he would not hit Maw or Trouble.

Out of the corner of his eye, Rex watched carefully as the phantom silently slipped past the fighting dinosaurs and entered the shop. Now, all they needed to do was to hold Sharptooth's attention a little while longer while the phantom, Josh Thunder, and the rookie agents escaped.

But then, the tables turned. Sharptooth reached over his shoulder and grabbed Trouble in his jaws, then threw the Mutant Lizard down upon the street. Then, freed from any distractions, Sharptooth clawed at Maw's face, causing the younger T-Rex to instinctively flinch. Seizing his advantage, Sharptooth slammed into his opponent and forced Maw down onto the ground. Maw landed on top of Trouble, his enormous and heavy body becoming the Lizard's prison. The juvenile T-Rex tried to get back up, but the bigger and stronger adult would not let him have the chance. Maw let out one last roar, a cry for help.

Rex's mouth felt dry as he watched the battle with wide eyes. "No, no, no!" he whispered. He fired his gun again and again at Sharptooth, but the T-Rex just ignored the lasers as he loomed victorious over his fallen opponent.

Sharptooth opened his deadly jaws and closed them around Maw's throat. The young tamed Mutant T-Rex fell still and never moved again.

Rex looked directly at the phantom, Josh Thunder, and the Dino Attack rookies standing in the doorway. They were out of time. "RUN!" Rex screamed at them, his voice cracking as he struggled to hold back tears. But, as the minifigs trapped in the shop prepared to move, Sharptooth suddenly turned his attention towards them again, not willing to let his prey sneak away so easily.

Desperate, Rex ran towards Sharptooth and shot at one of the T-Rex's eyes. Sharptooth winced and snarled, shaking his head violently. Once he regained his focus, he locked his red eyes upon Rex and then fired his laser vision again. The eyebeams struck Rex in the chest, knocking him down.

The burning sensation stung intensely even through the minifig disguise, but Rex summoned his strength and stood back up. As soon as he did so, he tried to shoot his gun again, only to realize too late that it was out of ammo. He was left wide open as Sharptooth swung his tail low, slamming into the former Dino Attack agent and sending him flying. Rex crashed through the walls of an apartment building and crumpled to the floor.

Rex hurt all over. He hardly had the strength to move. It took all of his stamina to not lose consciousness.

This was it, then. Maw was dead... Trouble was trapped... the phantom, Josh Thunder, and the rookies were goners... and Rex had no chance of stopping Sharptooth. With no weapons, no vehicles, and no team, there was nothing that just one minifig could do. He slumped down and closed his eyes, letting out a long sigh as he resigned to his defeat.

But then, the phantom's words echoed back to him: "You can do a lot as a Minifig, but there are things that no man can do… but perhaps, a mutant can."

Rex's eyes shot open. He looked down at his right hand and pulled the glove off, exposing the cut in the minifigure disguise that he had kept hidden for the past several weeks. This was the ace up his sleeve, the only thing left that could defeat Sharptooth. If a minifig could not defeat the Mutant T-Rex, then perhaps another adult Mutant Dino could do so.

But, he knew there was no going back. If he took off the minifigure disguise, he would never be able to put it back on again. There would be no more Dino Attack elite agent Rex.

Rex gritted his teeth and clenched his fist. He had no ties anymore to his life as a minifig. All of his friends in Dino Attack Team were either dead or had turned their backs on him when he was discharged. He had nothing left to lose. The life of elite agent Rex was already over.

With that thought in his mind, Rex grabbed the cut flap of skin on his palm, and he pulled. He winced involuntarily as he literally tore his flesh off, but he did not stop until he had fully exposed what lay hidden underneath all this time. Now, where he once had the normal hand of a human minifigure, he now saw a black-scaled reptilian claw attached to his wrist, dripping with an unidentified liquid like the amniotic fluid caking a newborn baby.

His right hand was freed. With it, he grabbed onto his left wrist, and his razor-sharp talons punctured the fake minifig skin. As if he was pulling off a glove, he pulled off his left hand, exposing a second claw. He looked at his claws, his real hands, and prepared himself for what he was about to do next.

Rex ripped open his gray jacket, and then he tore open the black shirt underneath; there would be no need for his Dino Attack uniform any longer. He looked down upon his torso, and in his mind, he pretended that it was just one more shirt to take off. He imagined Clark Kent famously ripping open his buttoned shirt to reveal the Superman costume underneath.

"There's no going back now," Rex whispered to himself.

And then, he dug his sharp claws into his chest, tore it open, and pulled it apart over his head... now, for the first time, emerging as the Mutant Dino that was hidden inside all along.

His whole body was dripping with the fluid, but it very quickly evaporated. As his skin - his real skin, covered with a thick hide of black and green scales - became exposed to air, some sort of chemical reaction took place. The advanced biological chemistry that was applied to reduce his size to that of a minifig was reversed. He grew larger and larger in a matter of seconds, until he was nearly as tall as some of the buildings around him.

Rex was no mere Mutant Dino. He was a Mutant T-Rex, the fearsome behemoth that he had admired above all. Since he was only the "prototype" Mutant T-Rex, he was smaller than Sharptooth, lacked certain distinctive features such as the head crests, and did not have any mutant abilities such as laser vision... but despite all that, he was still a Mutant T-Rex, the great tyrant lizard king. And it felt good to be king!

For a few seconds, Rex simply breathed slowly, inhaling and exhaling the cool refreshing air, taking in the moment. No longer was he stuffed inside a cramped disguise, wearing a skin that did not belong to him. Now, he was free to be who he truly was all along. He would have basked in his own power even longer if he had not heard the screams and cries for help from the minifigs in danger.

Snapped back to reality and reminded of his purpose, Rex turned his attention to Sharptooth. The sight of Maw's lifeless body instilled a great anger in Rex, having raised the young T-Rex since he was a hatchling. And yet, despite having a much larger meal available to him, Sharptooth was still hunting the minifigs, too proud and too ruthless to allow any survivors to escape.

Rex meant to shout, "Hey, Sharptooth, it's time for round two!" But instead, what came out of his mouth was a mighty roar, calling upon his most primal instincts. It still plainly got the message across, and it diverted Sharptooth's attention away from his prey, allowing the phantom to lead Josh Thunder and the others to safety.

Rex charged at Sharptooth. The ground shook with every footfall; that same weight and awesome power of every T-Rex he had ever encountered now lived through him. He no longer felt cramps from physical exertion now that his body was freed of its shackles. The strength and power were practically intoxicating.

Rex and Sharptooth bit and clawed at each other viciously as they met in melee combat. Even now, Rex knew his chances of emerging victorious from this one-on-one fight would be slim. Sharptooth had the size advantage as well as mutant abilities, and would surely kill Rex just like he had killed Maw.

But, Rex still possessed the tactical mind of a Dino Attack elite agent and knew that he did not have to fight alone. He whipped his tail into Sharptooth's face, stunning his opponent for a second. While Sharptooth was recovering, Rex quickly grabbed Maw's lifeless body and dragged it off of Trouble, freeing the Mutant Lizard underneath. Now, it was a two-on-one fight.

As soon as he was free, Trouble immediately leapt onto Sharptooth and latched on with his teeth. As Sharptooth tried to shake the Lizard off, Rex lunged forward and closed his jaws on the enemy T-Rex's neck, then wrestled his foe to smash him into an abandoned bank. Metal, glass, and concrete showered Sharptooth and rained down upon the street.

Rex continued to smash Sharptooth through buildings, using the debris to injure his opponent and keep him disoriented. Trouble nimbly jumped back and forth between the two T-Rexes, relying on Rex for cover and attacking Sharptooth whenever he saw an opening. With Rex and Trouble tag-teaming Sharptooth, they would not give their enemy the opportunity to recover or fight back.

At last, Rex and Trouble had cornered Sharptooth at a monument, built as a testament to the LEGOLAND Space expedition of 1978, at the edge of a large reflecting pool. Here, Sharptooth made his last stand. Bleeding and wounded, he roared ferociously at them and then lunged for Rex's throat with his deadly jaws. At that moment, Trouble used his darkness powers to cast a field of shadow around Sharptooth's head. With his opponent blinded, Rex wasted no time and thrust his entire weight into pushing Sharptooth back one last time.

Rex slammed into Sharptooth and smashed him through the monument. Sharptooth continued to fall backwards into the reflecting pool, as the monument came crumbling down on top of him. Trouble stood at the water's edge, fiercely staring into the pool as he concentrated intensely on maintaining the field of shadow. The blind Sharptooth was completely disoriented in the water and, although the reflecting pool was fairly shallow, he could not find his way back to the surface. Trouble did not dispel his shadows until the air bubbles had stopped rising from the water, and then all was quiet and still.

Rex blinked, not sure whether to be impressed or disturbed by what Trouble had done. Never underestimate Trouble, Rex decided, because a clever Mutant Lizard can take down even a Mutant T-Rex.

Now that metaphorical dust had settled, Trouble turned to look at Rex. He regarded his new T-Rex companion with wide, curious eyes, and he cautiously sniffed the air between them. Then, he softly asked: "Rex? Is that really you, my friend?"

Trouble spoke! Or rather, he did not communicate any differently from before, still vocalizing through growls, hisses, and screeches. But whereas Rex could previously only catch a few words here or there, he now understood Trouble perfectly. Evidently, removing the disguise had also removed whatever was suppressing his fluency in the Mutant Dino language.

Rex nodded slowly. "Yes, Trouble," he replied, "it's me." Somehow, Rex knew that he was still speaking English out of habit. The alterations made to his vocal cords made it possible, even after shedding the disguise. And yet, the sound of his own voice was... different. It sounded deeper, guttural, and bestial, most likely as a result of his larger size.

Then, Rex glanced over his shoulder, back in the direction where the fight against Sharptooth had started, where Maw made his final resting place, where a group of minifigs were led to safety by a mysterious phantom. "And yet," he continued, "I'm no longer the same Rex you once knew. That chapter of my life is over now, and there's no going back."

"Then what now?" wondered Trouble. "Where do we go from here?"

Rex smiled as he looked down upon Trouble, the first friend he made and now the last friend he could trust. "Now," he decided, "it's time to begin a new life, as a pair of Mutant Dinos setting out to do whatever good we can. Come on, Trouble... let's start a new pack together."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 13: Cane's Labyrinth

----

Magma was reassigned by Alpha Team to the Dino Attack Team, along with a large number of fellow Alpha Team Agents, including Shark and Sting, because Alpha Team had agreed to help fill a portion of the team's ranks. He was assigned initially to simple missions where he fought Mutant Dinos in LEGO City. However, he was also sent on missions to take care of villains who were getting in the way of the Dino Attack Team, since as an Alpha Team Special Agent he was capable of dealing with them.

Initially, Magma was ordered to defend a remote Dino Attack Team base against a major Mutant Dino attack. He helped successfully defend it until help arrived in the form of Shark and Sting, who, while not assigned to Dino Attack, decided to help their friend out. They arrived in the Aqua Hover, a prototype airship that had been built by Magma during Mission Deep Freeze.

After this battle, Magma realized that using Ogel's Ice Orb technology might be a good way to fight Mutant Dinos. After all, Mutant Dinos were cold-blooded and could not function in the cold. Along with Shark and Sting, Magma traveled back to Antarctica in the Aqua Hover to see if there was anything salvageable there.

In Antarctica, Magma travelled to an old abandoned Evil OGEL Empire outpost, constructed as a point for launching raids on Alpha Team's Antarctic HQ. where he found an abandoned wing of wrecked Snow Crawlers, complete with Ice Orbs. The small outpost had a hangar bay of about twenty Snow Crawlers, all old and in need of repairs. There was also a supply of Ice Orbs. So, Magma, Shark, and Sting repaired the Snow Crawlers, and upgraded them and repainted them as Dino Attack vehicles. Magma christened the new vehicles "Orb Bombers" and sent a message to Alpha Team to send a squad to bring them back to base, where they could be assigned to Dino Attack agents.

However, before that team arrived, the Orb Bombers were immediately put to the test, as Ogel Drones on Ogel's Island had received a report about this. They dispatched the prototype vessel Iron Hammer, an airship designed by Ogel himself as a vehicle powerful enough to be capable of neutralizing and wiping out Mutant Dinos. The Iron Hammer had detected Alpha Team agents operating near Ogel's Mountain Fortress, and arrived to destroy them.

In the following battle, the Aqua Hover was destroyed, but the Orb Bombers were able to hold off the Iron Hammer long enough for Magma, Shark, and Sting to board the Ogel airship and seize control of it. They were able to set onboard security systems to fire on Ogel Drones, which left them in control of the ship. When the Alpha Team agents arrived, Magma ordered them to crew the ship with Dino Attack agents and fly it back to Dino Attack HQ. He intended for it to be used by the Dino Attack Team as a support vessel to Kotua's Voltage.

----

One of the first things Hotwire did upon being promoted to standard agent rank was add repulsorlift turbines, provided to Dino Attack by Alpha Team but largely unused, to the underside of his newly-issued Fire Hammer, and -- in light of his recent experience with Mutant Raptors -- a concealed Cosmotronic Ray next to one of the headlights.

Soon after leaving HQ on patrol, he was attacked by a group of dinos, and received aid from Kotua. While making their escape, they were also pursued by a ShadowTech Fire Hammer.

Kotua told Hotwire to "convince Dino Attack" -- meaning, of course, convince the rest of Dino Attack Team that he was on their side again. Hotwire, who had not yet heard of Kotua's maligned reputation, did not know what Kotua meant and mistakenly thought he was somehow referring to the ShadowTech vehicles.

Kotua and Hotwire drove through the city, when two Mutant T-Rexes stepped in front of the Fire Hammer. Hotwire reached to activate his repulsorlifts, but Kotua stopped him, and pressed the brake with his foot.

"What was that for?" asked Hotwire.

"If we jumped, they would have managed to bite us," said Kotua.

Hotwire drove in reverse as the Mutant T-Rexes came running towards them, obviously hungry for human minifigs.

Kotua climbed back out, activated the targeting system of the Fire Hammer, and began firing from the back weapons.

Hotwire turned the steering wheel and the Fire Hammer spun. It stopped facing the opposite side, and Hotwire set the vehicle from its reverse to drive. The Mutant T-Rexes were close behind. Kotua turned the missile launcher, and fired the stun missiles, dazzling one of the Mutant T-Rexes.

The Fire Hammer continued on as the other Mutant T-Rex continued chasing him. Kotua fired more missiles, but the Mutant T-Rex dodged them and sent a nuclear blast after them.

"Turn!" screamed Kotua.

"I know!" responded Hotwire.

Hotwire spun the steering wheel, and the Fire Hammer turned and went into another street, leaving it safe from the nuclear blast.

The Mutant T-Rex chased after the Fire Hammer and launched another nuclear blast.

"We need to bring it down... but our missiles are too slow," muttered Kotua.

Hotwire continued driving, when he noticed that the dashboard indicated that the gasoline was getting dangerously low. "We're going to have to hide somewhere, and fast!" said Hotwire.

"But where could we hide a vehicle of this size?" asked Kotua.

Hotwire looked around. He noticed a parking lot. Unfortunately, it wasn't very safe as plenty of Mutant Lizards were walking around.

Kotua was too busy distracting the Mutant T-Rex to look for a hiding spot.

Hotwire then noticed a tunnel big enough for the Fire Hammer, but not for the T-Rex. "Hold on, Kotua!" said Hotwire, turning to drive into the tunnel.

The Mutant T-Rex followed, but was so busy avoiding missiles that it smashed onto the tunnel entrance. The T-Rex backed away a little and began roaring, but Hotwire and Kotua were deeper into the tunnel...

----

A lone Mutant T-Rex walked through LEGO City. Most T-Rexes behaved as the ferocious kings of the prehistoric world as they hunted their prey, roared with pride, and smashed anything in their path. However, this one behaved differently. She walked slowly and cautiously, carefully avoiding being seen by Dino Attack patrols; she had learned the hard way that sufficiently armed Dino Attack agents responded to her presence by firing upon her. Nor did she make any attempt to seek out other Mutant Dinos, whether as her prey or as her kin.

If one took the time to watch her, they might have observed that this Mutant T-Rex appeared to be depressed. Of course, no one would know what would sadden such a T-Rex, since no minifig would know how to communicate with her. However, it would seem that she was lost, alone, and afraid for her life, without anyone who could help her.

But then, the Mutant T-Rex suddenly stopped walking. She listened closely and sniffed the air. She sensed something… familiar. At once, her demeanor changed as her eyes brightened. Now, with full energy, she took off into a run.

----

To test the Iron Hammer, Magma had it launch a raid on a Mutant T-Rex nest near LEGO City. Magma landed his Urban Avenger and, with a handful of other agents (plus the firepower of the ship), defeated the T-Rexes. Since the ship was equipped with laboratories, Magma ordered a T-Rex and an egg brought onboard for analysis. He discovered, to his surprise, that the T-Rex had been mutated beyond what was normal in a Mutant T-Rex.

Magma determined that the genetic material in these T-Rexes had been altered to be more like the originals. Magma then compared their DNA with other samples, and found this set of DNA to be more like regular Dino DNA. Still frustrated with their progress, he scanned the area. To Magma's amazement, he found a small laboratory nearby, where several Mutant T-Rexes were standing around.

"That must be where these enhanced Mutant T-Rexes are coming from!" Shark exclaimed.

Magma jumped into an Orb Bomber, and gave orders to attack and freeze the lab. However, three Mutant Pteranodons spotted the Iron Hammer and started using their lightning bolts. Sting sent a burst from the built-in Radar Ray, making one Pteranodon crash into another. The last was captured by the Iron Hammer. Magma launched three Orbs, freezing the T-Rexes. Then, a modified Dino Attack version of an Ogel Boggle Rocket began attacking the lab.

Magma entered the laboratory, and he found a person working and three guards with odd-looking staffs. He tried firing at one, but the guard raised his staff, and it absorbed the blast. Then, the staff's top flipped forward, shooting an electrical current at him, knocking him into the wall. The other agents had the same thing happen to them. Another guard came forward and threw a net around Magma, and he pulled him deeper into the lab with another agent, Fireball.

Fireball was taken under a machine, while Magma was thrown into a jail cell. A scientist pressed a large button, and green beams hit Fireball, erasing his memories, but keeping his skills. Fireball was brought to another chamber, while Magma was being tortured for information.

The leader of the laboratory told Fireball that he had suffered amnesia, and that he was a hired warrior that defended the laboratory against the Dino Attack team. He gave him a lot of parts to build into a vehicle.

Fireball's memories came back to him when he checked the lab cell and saw Magma. He grabbed two lasers from the guards, and started shooting the security guards. Then, he pressed a button that opened the torture cell, freeing Magma.

Magma grabbed the staff out of a guard's hand, and used it to deflect the lasers of other guards. He also planted a bomb on the wall, and sent a message to the Boggle Rocket to pick him and Fireball up. It landed right outside the complex, and the two agents hopped in and headed back to the Iron Hammer.

The laboratory exploded, and the Boggle Rocket docked with the Iron Hammer. Magma went to the ship's laboratory, and inserted a tube into a scanning machine. He then downloaded the results to his handheld computer. He saw that the lab workers were trying to make T-Rexes with powers of other creatures. For example, one prototype could create a forcefield. They also made a Raptor that could use laser vision. Apparently, there were many laboratories scattered over areas that the Dinos had destroyed.

----

Rex and Trouble were walking together, when suddenly Trouble screeched a warning: "Look out!"

Rex turned around as quickly as he could… and nearly got trampled by another Mutant T-Rex!

"Ouch!" yelped Rex, recoiling from the other Mutant T-Rex. "Hey, watch where you're going!"

The Mutant T-Rex backed away, giving Rex a little space. She appeared to look sheepish for running into him, but she did not answer with any roars or growls. That was unusual; T-Rexes would normally respond more aggressively.

Rex glanced at Trouble. "Is this a friend of yours?" he asked.

Trouble shook his head.

The female Mutant T-Rex still did not leave. She stared intently at Rex; she clearly wanted something, but Rex could not tell what it was, and it was making him feel rather uncomfortable.

"Uh..." Rex fumbled, "just move along. Go! Go chase some prey or something, but keep away from Trouble; he's mine."

The Mutant T-Rex glanced down at Trouble, and then she just shook her head, sighing.

"Alright, good news, you're not on the menu tonight," Rex muttered to Trouble.

The Mutant Lizard responded with some noises that sounded suspiciously like laughter.

"Well," decided Rex, "if you're not going, then I'll be going." That was Rex's big mistake. He wanted to get away quickly, so he ran. But, the mysterious Mutant T-Rex chased him until he ran into a dead-end street with nowhere else to turn.

The female Mutant T-Rex walked closer to Rex, maintaining eye contact. Rex tried to back away, but he backed up against a building. Once she was close enough, the female T-Rex gently nuzzled him, rubbing her head up against his neck as she let out a long sigh.

Now, Trouble really seemed to be laughing. "It's not me she's interested in," he commented. "She wants you! Looks like you found yourself a mate!"

Rex could feel his dinosaur instincts going wild with excitement at the prospect of a female attracted to him. "Oh, boy…" he worriedly whispered as he tried to suppress those feelings.

Rex proceeded to act cold and aloof towards the female Mutant T-Rex, telling her that he did not want to return her affections. He chose to push her away because he remembered how much it hurt when he heard that Amanda was killed, and he did not want to relive that pain.

The female Mutant T-Rex still would not leave. "Don't you take 'no' for an answer?" growled Rex. "I told you that I don't want you anywhere near me! Now, scram! Go! And I never want to see you again!" When she still refused to move, Rex let out a ferocious roar.

The T-Rex backed away in fright, then took off. When she was alone, she began whimpering, once again feeling lost and alone.

----

While Snake of Spades was in recovery, Databoard, Voltage, and the others tracked the mutants' origin to Beta Force's laboratory and investigated. Voltage shot a computer, which caused the building to go under lockdown to prevent a containment breach.

Databoard was thinking about what Beta Force was planning to do with these mutants. Maybe this 'Beta' person had seen what the Mutant Dinos had done and decided to make some mutants of his own. Databoard had a feeling they would eventually find out what these mutants were for.

As the Dino Attack agents left the room, Databoard tried to remember if he had ever met an agent named Beta when he was an agent in Alpha Team. He didn't recall ever meeting an agent by that name, so he hoped that Voltage would explain what had happened to Beta.

The elevator continued up, and when the door opened, they quietly slipped into the room. It was the apparel distribution level, where the guards got uniforms. Unfortunately, it required an access key to get into the machine.

"Wouldn't have been able to get disguises anyway," Voltage said, commenting on an earlier idea.

"We could try to jack into it," Kai suggested.

"It's probably covered in alarms. If triggered, we could have the entire army on us, or even worse, all the mutants," Databoard said.

"Up to the next level, I guess," Voltage said. "Speaking of the entire army, this building seems relatively small to house such a large army. There must be more than just this."

On the next level, they exited the elevator to see no guards within the level. It was packed with doctors and nurses frantically running around examining clipboards with X-rays and medical pictures on them. It was easy for them to go across the hall to reach the other elevator. Many of the rooms along the trip were filled with guards with very severe wounds, and Voltage assumed they were from the mutants.

The agents walked over to the other elevator. "So, to the next level, right?" Cobra asked when they reached the elevator door.

That would be the labs. I wonder what's up there? Databoard thought. Maybe it has something to do with the mutants. The elevator doors opened, and they all went inside.

When the agents walked through the elevator doors into the lab, they gaped in awe at the room. It was enormous and packed with long tables and equipment. Many of the test tubes, beakers, and syringes held a lime green fluid.

"That must be what Beta's using to mutate these creatures," Voltage said, picking up one of the test tubes. He corked it and put it in one of his pockets for further examination.

The room was empty of scientists. They're probably all gone because of the lockdown, Voltage thought.

Databoard, whose PDA had a built-in scanner function, was using it to take quick scans of several test tubes. He was trying to figure out if any of these had to do with the mutants they encountered earlier. He looked at one, but he wasn't sure if it was what they had used for the mutants.

"This serum," Hyrode said suddenly, "isn't it the same stuff that mutated Axel and me so long ago?"

Databoard looked at it thoughtfully. "You're right, it is. Why would this Beta guy want it?"

----

Hotwire pressed on the brakes after driving deep into the tunnel. Kotua got off the Fire Hammer, and unloaded his motorcycle.

"I'll distract the Mutant T-Rex while you drive off to safety," said Kotua.

"But you're the one that has no weapons! My Fire Hammer is made for combat, so the plan should be the other way. I'll distract him," said Hotwire.

"Fine," said Kotua, climbing into the motorcycle and starting it.

Kotua watched as Hotwire drove his Fire Hammer towards the Mutant T-Rex, firing his weapons at it along the way. Kotua drove close behind, making sure the Mutant T-Rex hadn't noticed him. Hotwire drove straight into the Mutant Dino, pushing it out of the way as Kotua drove out to the street.

However, the Mutant T-Rex did notice Kotua and ran towards him, ignoring Hotwire. Hotwire went after the T-Rex, firing all the weapons on the Fire Hammer he could think of, but the Mutant T-Rex continued going after Kotua.

Kotua continued driving through the streets of LEGO City as the Mutant T-Rex ran behind him. Hotwire took a turn and disappeared for a few minutes, and then reappeared as he rammed the Mutant T-Rex. Hotwire slammed the brakes, and the Mutant T-Rex was sent into the wall of a building. Hotwire quickly turned and drove off after Kotua.

----

Magma went to the hangar room, and jumped into his Urban Avenger. He then drove around the area, until he spotted a Mark II Mutant Raptor. Magma sent a sonic scream at it, but the Raptor used its laser vision on the Sonic Screamer. Magma then pressed a button, and two Stasis Rays popped out of side compartments, and froze the Mutant Raptor. Magma then called for the Iron Hammer to pick up the Raptor.

*****

Sting was readying a fleet of Orb Bombers to neutralize a Lizard spawning nest. They flew over, dropping bombs. However, it was a trap. Pteranodons flew out, and shot lightning bolts at the Orb Bombers. Sting sent out a distress call to Iron Hammer. "Shark, this is Sting... ambush... many vehicles destroyed... send help..." Sting broke off as his fighter went into a nose dive, crashing into a building.

*****

A rescue expedition had been sent down to find Sting, but with no luck. Magma, furious, hopped into his Urban Avenger. His goal: find Sting, and eliminate all Mutant Dinos in his way.

Magma spotted three Mutant Lizards hiding above him that could shoot fire. They were about to fire when Magma pressed the "Eliminate" button. This fired every weapon he had installed at the target. Magma drove on, and found a small bridge.

Magma drove across the bridge, straight into a Mutant T-Rex. Stupid animal... Magma thought. He pressed the button, and sonic rays distracted the T-Rex, as Stun Rays pushed it over the cliff. Magma drove on, not noticing a horde of rampaging T-Rexes behind him.

Magma turned into an alley, and he saw the Mutant T-Rexes. He turned around his Sonic Screamer, knowing it wouldn't do much against hundreds of Mutant T-Rexes.

Laser vision destroyed Magma's Sonic Screamer. He drew a Cosmotronic Ray, and set the Urban Avenger to autopilot. Then, he jumped out the window, climbed up to the top, and strapped himself in using power cables. Then, he started blasting all of the T-Rexes.

*****

The Iron Hammer was looking for more of the labs. They spotted one, and waited, unsure of what to do. Shark said, "Magma ordered that we destroy all of the labs we find." The weapons locked on, and destroyed the laboratory, making a swarm of Pteranodons with acid blasts counterattack.

The Iron Hammer was being heavily attacked by Pteranodons. Shark ordered Orb Bombers deployed, as well as T-1 Typhoons. They cut through Pteranodons, blasting them aside, as bombardment of the lab commenced.

The Pteranodons had been eliminated. The Iron Hammer armed its Voltaic Rockets, and opened fire on what was left of the laboratory, destroying it. Shark went to the scanner room, and started scanning for other labs, or the master lab.

*****

Sting was alive, but he had crawled away from the crash site. He didn't know where he was, until he saw he was in a cave with an Evil OGEL Empire insignia. He groaned. He was in the Goo Caverns.

Sting spotted two Miner Drones working away at a section of the cave wall. It would collapse if they continued working where they were, but these Drones didn't see that. Sting ran and grabbed two brown Rock Saws.

Sting ran through a tunnel, until he came to an entrance into an Ogel Rock Tower. It went up into the surface, making it look like a small hill, while it really was a communications and listening post. If he could get in, he could use the comm systems to send a distress signal to the Iron Hammer.

Sting snuck in, and a Lurcher Drone saw him. He threw one of the Rock Saws, and snuck around into the communications room. A Drone was manning it. He saw Sting, but Sting hurled the other Rock Saw. Sting tried to get the system to work, but it would take some time...

Sting finished sending his message. Suddenly, three Drones burst in, and charged toward Sting with Rock Saws. Sting shot one with a laser, grabbed another's Rock Saw, swung it at the other Drone, and shot the last Drone.

----

Anti-Kotua walked towards the command deck of the Anti-Voltage. He looked at the Astro-Bots. "Is it ready?" he asked.

"Yes, Sir," replied one of the robots.

"Good," said Anti-Kotua.

----

Kotua and Hotwire stopped at a gas station. Kotua got off his motorcycle, and went into the small store. As soon as he stepped inside, he found himself looking at the end side of a gun...

The man with the gun made Kotua kneel, and take out all his weapons. The man had a ski mask over his face, so Kotua couldn't tell who it was. Normally, Kotua would have taken out his weapon and fired, no matter what, but this time there were civilians. Kotua didn't want to risk harming them. He would have to wait for the window of opportunity.

*****

Hotwire stayed inside the Fire Hammer, waiting for Kotua to come back from the store. After a while, he sensed something was not right.

Hotwire got off the Fire Hammer. He put a hand on his gun holster, ready for anything. Hotwire reached the store, stood on the side of the door, and grabbed the doorknob.

*****

"See? It ain't over!" said the man to another.

"So you got a cop, so what?" said the other man, obviously not impressed.

"I have the money. Let's split before more cops arrive," said a third man. He got up from the counter, grabbed his machine gun, the money, and prepared to walk out the door.

The man opened the door, and Hotwire fired at him when he noticed the gun. The masked man fell to the floor as the two masked men were tying Kotua and two other persons there.

"Don't take another step, Copster, or your friend here gets it!" said one of the masked men.

Hotwire lifted his gun and aimed at the other masked man. "If you do anything to my friend, then your friend 'gets it'. Got it?" said Hotwire.

"He ain't my 'friend'. So you just wasted your time!" said the masked man. Hotwire fired, taking the other masked man down. The remaining masked man grabbed Kotua and ran.

Hotwire began running after him, but the second masked man grabbed his ankle. "IT AIN'T OVER!" said the man, raising his gun.

Hotwire fired at the man's hand, blowing the gun off. The man screamed in pain.

"You shouldn't have played with guns," said Hotwire, putting his gun on the holster...

----

Shark picked up the distress call. They flew to the Goo Caverns. However, an armada of Evil OGEL Empire vehicles intercepted them, and opened fire.

Shark stopped the Iron Hammer, and ordered everything deployed. Many T-1 Typhoons, Boggle Rockets, Orb Bombers, Snow Crawlers, and Sky Spiders launched, attacking the Ogel vehicles. Iron Predators, Fire Hammers, Urban Avengers, Steel Sprinters, Command Strikers, and Scorpion Orb Launchers landed and opened fire on the ground vehicles.

The Dino Attack forces had defeated the OGEL Empire armada. However, all of the entrances into the Goo Caverns had been sealed off. They were trying to bring one down, with no success.

*****

Magma kept blasting, but the T-Rexes were gaining. All of a sudden, energized rockets impacted in the middle of the horde. More volleys blasted T-Rexes aside. Agents Icicle and Eye were in a Bomb Squad vehicle. However, a Pteranodon came down, and prepared to attack Icicle. Eye saw this, and blasted the Pteranodon with a laser. However, the Pteranodon electrocuted the part of the vehicle Icicle was in.

Magma met up with Eye. "What happened to Icicle?" Magma asked.

"He died. No one could have lived through that," replied Eye. Magma got back into his Urban Avenger, and Eye got back into his vehicle. They headed on, searching for Sting.

Magma and Eye arrived at the Goo Caverns. They saw an Iron Predator ram a gate, and it still didn't open. Magma contacted Sting on the communicator. "Can you open the main south gate?"

----

The masked man put Kotua in the back of a police car and drove off. Kotua struggled with the rope, but it was too tight. He wasn't going to be escaping anytime soon. The masked man continued driving, until he stopped at a building. The door opened, and two ShadowTech soldiers took Kotua out.

"How much money am I getting?" asked the masked man.

"None," replied Cane.

"Excuse me?" said the masked man. The soldiers turned and opened fire at the masked man.

"Oops..." Cane said sarcastically.

The ShadowTech soldiers took Kotua inside. The soldiers opened a door in a room, and put Kotua there. He noticed that it was a maze.

"What the-?" said Kotua.

"You'll never get out alive!" said a voice.

Suddenly, the ceiling above Kotua collapsed, and a robot fell through. Before reaching the ground, it activated its booster jets and landed safely on the ground. Kotua had run out of the way when he heard the ceiling collapse, and now he got up and ran as the robot loaded its guns...

----

Sting received the message, and used the controls to open the gate. He then ran out, heading for the door. However, two Lurcher Drones saw him, and chased him.

Since the Goo Caverns' defenders were spread thinly due to Mutant Lizard infestations, there were only a handful of Rock Drones able to guard it. Its defenses were penetrated and Sting was rescued.

Soon after, agent Eye was on another dino-hunting mission when he was captured by a sinister organization called the Minifig Hunters. Magma began investigating this, as one of his main missions was to stop new villains from arising during the Dino Attack. Magma, however, was unsuccessful until he received a threat from C-Eye, a clone of Eye (evidently created by the Hunters). The clone, speaking for this organization, gave Magma one day to convince the Dino Attack Team to surrender before their organization attacked. Their attack would use a new breed of Mutant Dino, the Mutant T-Pterosaur: a cross between a T-Rex and a Pterosaur.

However, sending this threat proved to be a foolish thing to do, as Magma was able to trace the communication to a secret base. The Iron Hammer proceeded there, where it opened fire, shelling the tower. Magma and a team of other Dino Attack agents attacked the tower in an attempt to find and rescue Eye. They succeeded, fighting and defeating a Hunters agent called Midgard.

Shark had run into the Hunters shortly before joining Dino Attack, when the Hunters had first been created. Shark felt responsible for failing to stop them, and once they resurfaced during the Dino Attack, decided to go after them.

----

Kotua ran as the robot flew after him, firing non-stop. He took a turn and another, and hid behind another corner. The robot turned but was confused and flew another way. Then, the ground shook and a turret popped out from the floor! Kotua jumped on it, sending it back down. Then it popped up again, and then the turret deployed its machine guns.

The robot was drawn towards the noise of the machine guns, making it worse for Kotua. The robot fired two rockets, which Kotua dodged. They smashed against a wall, revealing a hoverbike. Kotua leapt onto it, activated it, and flew off as the robot was destroyed by the turret's bullets.

*****

"What?! How can that be?! Who was the dummy that left the hoverbike there?!" said Cane.

*****

Kotua noticed two ShadowTech soldiers in military-grade hoverbikes. Kotua fired first, taking down one of the soldiers. The other began firing back, destroying the hoverbike. Kotua jumped off the flaming hoverbike which smashed into a wall.

The ShadowTech soldier in the hoverbike flew off, probably to get backup, leaving Kotua with the soldier who had crashed. Kotua kicked the soldier off the bike, fixed it as best as he could, and flew off as ten soldiers in hoverbikes headed towards him.

Kotua escaped the ShadowTech maze and joined up with Hotwire again.

----

"Looks like I finally got rid of her," Rex said once he was certain that the female Mutant T-Rex was gone.

Trouble nodded, although he did not seem to fully understand why Rex would turn down a potential mate. "Don't you think you went a bit hard on her?" he asked, glancing in the direction she had gone.

"Well, I had to make sure I got through to her," Rex answered. "I'm sure that she would be much happier without me."

Trouble decided to change the subject. "You still speak like a human," he observed. "What do you think would happen if a human heard you talk?"

Rex thought about his answer. "I guess I would have to come up with a great excuse," he replied. "Like, say… uh, since we dinosaurs are related to birds, I learned to, err, parrot Rex's speech patterns!"

Trouble snorted in a snarky manner. "That's the best you can come up with? Who will believe that?"

"Well, what choice do I have?" Rex pointed out. "If I told them the truth, that I was a dino all along and my voice chords and brain were altered by the scientists responsible for this whole mess, they would never trust me."

----

On the Fire Blade, Midgard used the vehicle's fire tail to latch through the beam shield. Then, only the armor defended the defenses against the Fire Blades. Shark fired a Radar Ray, and several of the Fire Blades smashed into each other.

Midgard used his lasers and missiles to damage the turrets firing at him. Suddenly, something shot him. The ship crashed on the ground. Midgard got into an escape pod, and flew away, back to base.

Shadow fired another burst, damaging Midgard's engines. The T-1 Typhoon and the Iron Hammer landed. Shark came out, and began repairing the Fire Blade for Dino Attack to use.

----

Hotwire thought about what Kotua had just told him. Then something clicked in his mind. He turned the Fire Hammer off the road and into an alley. "What are you doing?" asked Kotua.

"Just wait," said Hotwire. "I need to show you something I discovered."

As Hotwire drove to the location, Kotua thought out loud: "I wonder whether they're after the mutant dinosaurs, too. I mean, they seem more interested in capturing a human than a Mutant Dino."

"Their thinking probably consists of 'there's plenty of mutant dinos, but not many humans'," said Hotwire...

----

As the walls of the tower collapsed, Magma latched a grappling hook into the wall. He climbed up as the tower and C-Eye fell to the ground, killing the clone.

Magma climbed into a hidden cave. He found a laboratory where several creatures that looked like winged Mutant T-Rexes in a nest. Several scientists were working. Suddenly, Midgard's plan hit him. These people were Hunter agents that were working for Midgard to get revenge on Shark. Suddenly, the cavern exploded. A craft that looked like a fusion of a Blue Eagle, a Fire Blade, an Airship, an MSO Jet, and a T-1 Typhoon was hovering outside. It fired another missile, destroying the ground in front of Magma. A claw extended and grabbed Magma, bringing him into some sort of cargo bay.

Magma was forced into the cockpit. He was standing next to agent Fafnir, head of the Hunters. Fafnir said, "Ah, agent Magma. You are standing inside of the Shadow Predator. I am about to destroy Dino Attack, and then unleash mutated Mutant Dinos to conquer the world. But first, I am going to..."

Magma activated his laser implant, blasting the chair into the controls. The Shadow Predator dived, as it prepared to crash. Magma then used his computer implant to link with the security systems. The ship's weapon turrets started shooting all over the place. Magma blasted the door, and grabbed his equipment. He used his jetpack to land near the ruins of the tower.

A helicopter saw him, and Magma stepped in it. The helicopter flew back to the Iron Hammer.

----

Zero used what was left from his old Urban Avenger to drive around the city. "Let's see if I can find something interesting around," he decided.

Zero was looking around, when he saw a Mutant T-Rex. She looked sad...

The female Mutant T-Rex looked up to see Zero walking slowly towards her. She eyed him warily as he approached.

"Whoa..." said Zero. "Calm down, I'm not here to harm you... I can see that you're sad."

The female T-Rex seemed to ponder this for a moment, and then she nodded, seeming to believe him. After deciding that he was not a threat, she started to walk away.

"Wow..." Zero murmured to himself. "That's the first time I ever talked to a Mutant T-Rex. Hmm?"

He noticed that the T-Rex had stopped walking. She glanced back at him and beckoned with her head for him to follow.

Zero was surprised that the female Mutant T-Rex was trying to communicate with him, even if she could not actually speak. "I had better follow her and see what she wants," he decided. "Maybe she's one of Rex's tamed mutants… maybe she knows where he is, and she's trying to lead me to him!"

----

The villains, both the present and the future, were at work making repairs and upgrades to the Villains Headquarters airship. It was still not ready for flight again, but it would be soon.

So far, Frickster, Vladek, Finister, and Ogel had drawn the blueprints. Brickster, Fladek, Sam Sinister, Fogel, and General Evil were searching for parts to use in building the HQ. All the while, they blasted every Mutant Dino in sight. "We mustn't let Dino Attack beat them first," as Fogel had said.

"Agent Rex has completely disappeared since he was dishonorably discharged," reported Finister.

"And so," Frickster recalled, "Dino Attack Team has just lost yet another key player in their victory. Soon, they will have no chance of winning the war themselves, allowing us to step in and take the win."

"Everything is going perfectly according to plan," declared Fogel. "At this point, it's easier done than said!"

The FUTURE villains started laughing. Their present-day counterparts joined in the laughter, glad that time was on their side. Only General Evil remained silent as he contemplated FUTURE's plans. If we are ensuring that Dino Attack Team cannot win, he realized, then I hope we aren't digging our own graves as well.

----

Magma arrived at the Iron Hammer. He found Sting in command. "Where's Shark?" he asked.

"He went to destroy those people, called the Hunters," Sting answered.

Suddenly, Magma ordered course set for Antarctica. He had a plan.

Magma landed. He entered the remains of Ogel's Mountain Fortress, and he searched the base until he found a spherical control panel. He pressed switches and buttons, until the panel glowed blue. Satisfied, Magma headed off back to the Iron Hammer.

*****

A dark cavern located near Australia:

Millions of Ogel Assault Robots awoke. These droids had once been reprogrammed by Magma during Mission Deep Freeze to turn on Ogel and serve Alpha Team. Now, they realized they were awoken to find the Mutant Dino invasion. They flew off to capture all of the Dinos they could find.

*****

Magma saw another laboratory. This time, many Ogel Assault Robots were attacking it! They destroyed it, and the Iron Hammer moved on.

----

Databoard looked at some of the chemicals in the lab. Several of these seemed to be for the mutated creatures they saw a few levels down, but without a good knowledge of their components, he couldn't be too sure.

Suddenly, the elevator door opened, and several Beta Force guards came inside. "They must have followed us in here," Cobra said as the guards started firing at them. The Dino Attack agents took cover behind some tables and fired back at them.

Databoard ducked behind a table with chemicals on it, and fired at the guards. They shot back, but he could tell they were having trouble trying not to hit the chemicals on the table. He fired back at them, hitting several guards with lasers. They fired at him some more, but he ducked behind the table again.

Databoard fired at the guards. They had also taken cover behind several desks and tables and were firing back at the Dino Attack agents. Databoard noticed that several guards were so busy concentrating on taking down a specific agent, they were leaving themselves vulnerable to attack from other agents. Databoard took advantage of this, hitting several guards, but others were able to duck out of the way and avoid the lasers.

Databoard fired at the soldiers, but they ducked and hid behind the tables. They fired back at him, and he barely avoided their lasers. He fired at them from behind the table, and was able to defeat several with his laser. They fired at him, but he ducked again and the lasers missed him.

----

Shark, in the customized Fire Blade, had located another Minifig Hunter HQ. He headed toward it. Suddenly, several jet-like flying vehicles called Steel Smashers emerged to attack him.

Shark fired his weapons, destroying several of the enemy crafts. He landed, and put on his holographing cloaking device. He snuck through the base, and used his PDA to open doors and to download information.

Shark blasted an agent guarding a heavy door with no locks or terminals. On a hunch, he walked through. It was a phasing door. Fafnir was talking to Midgard, and they were in the middle of a lot of computers, and were surrounded by guards.

Shark tossed a laser bomb at the guards. Many of them were blasted. With them aside, he continued up the stairs to the center chamber.

Fafnir and Midgard were huddled close. Then, unknown to Midgard, Fafnir took a laser dagger. He prepared to kill Midgard, when Shark blasted it out of his hands. Midgard saw what had happened, and he furiously took out his own weapon. He and Shark both started attacking Fafnir.

When Midgard had a chance, he said to Shark, "You think I torpedoed that ship. You are wrong. It was Fafnir, and he planted evidence that said I did it."

Shark half-believed him, but he had to concentrate on defeating Fafnir. Shark took a grenade, and hurled it at Fafnir. Fafnir stepped back as the ground exploded beneath Fafnir's feet. Midgard used his bi-laser to blast beams around Fafnir, trapping him. Shark took a grenade net, and hurled it, putting a net around Fafnir. Midgard used his laser to shoot the laser out of Fafnir's hand.

Shark then said to Midgard, "Come with me. We will take Fafnir to the Dino Attack Command Shelter, where we can see if you're right about all this." The three used phasing devices to sneak out to the Fire Blade.

----

Cane crouched as he saw the Dino Attack Fire Hammer drive through the street. "Get the teams in position to capture specimen 2-9-5," he said.

"Yes, Sir!" said a ShadowTech soldier standing next to him.

*****

Hotwire drove to the back of the alley and stopped the Fire Hammer. "Come on, get out," he said to Kotua.

"What are we doing here?" Kotua asked as he hopped down from the vehicle.

"You'll see," said Hotwire. He pulled a flashlight out from a storage crate inside the Fire Hammer and used it to light the way into the tunnel. About a hundred yards into the tunnel, they came to a nest of...

"Mutant Lizards?!?" Kotua exclaimed, feeling very confused.

"No. Not mutant," said Hotwire quietly. He stepped closer to one of the lizards, and it seemed to recognize him. "I had to steal a helicopter from Alpha Team to get here. I ran out of fuel above this area, and crashed. I expected to die, but these lizards took me in. I couldn't understand why mutant dinosaurs would help me. When you told me about the scientific organization, I realized they were capturing dinos and mutating them. These probably escaped from a lab somewhere. The dinos probably have similar DNA to the shapeshifting ones on Dinosaur Island."

"I see…" said Kotua.

The two Dino Attack agents walked back out of the tunnel. What they saw when they emerged caused their jaws to drop.

The Fire Hammer was gone.

Suddenly, black Fire Hammers and Urban Avengers drove into the alley as ShadowTech snipers aimed from the buildings above.

"Why is it that everywhere I go, they're there to capture me?" said Kotua.

"Specimen 2-9-5, we're not here for you, but for your 'friend'. I'm sure he will make a great test subject for our new... tool," said Cane.

"Got any ideas?" asked Hotwire.

"Just one... RUN!" said Kotua. Before they could run, however, tranquilizer shots hit both Dino Attack agents.

"I love my job," Cane said as both agents lost consciousness.

Cane watched as the ShadowTech soldiers loaded Hotwire and Kotua into black vans. "I want the rest of the Dino Attack Team captured and brought into the lab. Got it?" he said.

"Got it, sir. We'll start with government buildings, and work our way down to less obvious places," said the squad leader.

The ShadowTech squad leader said something into his radio, and immediately a sniper aimed and fired at one Dino Attack agent.

"Another down," said the squad leader as a black van pulled up and loaded the unconscious Dino Attack agent inside.

*****

Magma spotted some people wearing black coming toward a Dino Attack agent in a government building. He ordered the ship to stun them and take them prisoner. Sting began trying to find out where they came from.

Magma walked in front of the holding cells on the Iron Hammer. "Who are you, where did you come from, and what are you trying to do?" asked Magma. The ShadowTech soldiers just glared at him.

Magma returned to the bridge, and met with Sting. Sting put a tracer beacon on the ship's navigational computer. It slowly moved toward a location: the computers said this was most likely where the ShadowTech agents came from.

----

Voltage loaded his machine guns and darted behind a lab table, occasionally popping out to annihilate a few Beta Force soldiers.

"Containment breach in sectors 3, 4, 6, 7, and 9."

"Oh, great. That must have been what happened when I blasted that computer earlier!" Voltage exclaimed, warning them not to blast any more computers. A bullet ricocheted off the table, causing him to duck back down for cover.

"Expect lots of mutants soon,'" Venom said.

Voltage raised his machine gun and blasted the door panels, causing it to slam shut violently. He hoped it would be enough to keep the mutants and any more soldiers out.

Databoard leapt out from behind the table, firing his laser. He hit a good number of the guards with lasers, but they turned and started shooting at him. He then ducked behind a nearby desk as lasers missed him by inches. He then fired at them again, but they ducked out of the way before they could be hit by lasers.

Databoard continued to fire at the Beta Force guards. They had managed to stop a number of them, but those that remained were making sure they were harder to hit. They were avoiding the agents' lasers, and constantly ducking behind anything that could provide cover. Databoard ducked as a laser missed him, and then fired back.

----

Shark was at the Command Shelter with Midgard. He was interrogating Fafnir, while Midgard worked with a computer agent to find proof that Fafnir sunk the ship, not Midgard. Shark walked back to the windows, and pondered whether or not he should trust his old friend from the Minifig Hunters.

Shark had found the evidence he needed. Midgard did not attack that boat, Fafnir did. Shark walked over to Midgard and said, "You should join the Dino Attack Team. You would make a great agent." So, Midgard went down to the hangar and got a Steel Sprinter.

Shark and Midgard flew up in a T-1 Typhoon to return to the Iron Hammer. They spotted some scientists in Minifig Hunter vehicles transporting Dinos in some sort of cage/car. Midgard loaded the XL-4 Voltaic Rocket, and fired it, destroying one of the car/cages.

Shark loaded a small plasma cannon he had built on, and fired it. Some Minifig Hunters fell over. Encouraged, Midgard jumped into the rear cockpit and used his Sonic Screamers to annoy the Dinos.

Midgard decided he had to change his name, so he picked Flash.

----

Kotua awoke to the sound of a motor. He got up and looked around. He was in a jail cell, and from the window, it seemed he was in the sky...

Kotua noticed that Cane walked in. "Now then... we begin," he said.

Kotua was puzzled. "Start what?" he asked.

"You'll see... I hope," said Cane.

Cane and Kotua were in a ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon, flying over some Mayan ruins. "Seem familiar?" asked Cane, putting on his sunglasses.

"I don't know," lied Kotua.

"That's where you summoned the original Chaos," said Cane. "Impressive work, considering that we had to make do with creating our own synthetic Chaos just to study him."

"I already summoned Chaos, and Anti-Kotua defeated him, so you're wasting your time," said Kotua.

"Who said I came here for Chaos?" said Cane.

----

The Iron Hammer arrived at small tower. Magma checked the sensors. This was where the trail led to. Sting fired some missiles at the tower, and it exploded. Suddenly, a bunch of black T-1 Typhoons came out of nowhere and fired at the Iron Hammer. Magma responded with several Blue Eagles launched out of the hangars.

As the flying crafts fought each other, it was obviously a standoff. Magma, in a foul temper, pressed the Fire At Will button.

Immediately, several Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers installed throughout the ship elevated, and began firing at the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons, who had no chance.

The remains of the ShadowTech T-1 Typhoons were being examined by Dino Attack engineers. Magma, growing impatient, ordered his crew to find something else to attack.

----

The villains had a bit of downtime as FUTURE prepared to eliminate their next target. During this time, the Brickster decided to chat with his FUTURE counterpart.

"Anyways, how'd you get your robotic limbs?" asked Brickster. "You never did tell me."

The Frickster grimaced. "Bleh, it's an embarrassing story," he said.

"But if you don't tell me, it's still going to happen to me," Brickster pointed out. "So why don't you tell me so I can avoid it in the future?"

"Oh, fine!" Frickster decided. He cleared his throat as he began to tell his story: "I had just escaped jail, and I joined a traveling circus to cover up my escape 'til I could come up with a new idea on how to deconstruct LEGO Island. However, the circus traveled to Castle Cove, and it just so happened that King Leo and Queen Leonora of Castle Island were visiting Castle Cove. They recognized me despite my clever disguise, and that darn Pepper Roni arrived in no time to capture me because of course he does; even as an adult, he still can't read, so it ain't like he's good for nothin' besides delivering pizzas and catching crooks!"

"Sounds about right so far," said Brickster, nodding.

"Anyways, while fleeing the knights and Pepper, I ended up in the Black Falcons Kingdom and came to a bridge guarded by the Black Knight. I wanted to cross the bridge, but he wouldn't let me. First, he chopped off my left arm! Then my right arm! He thought I was done, but then I began kicking him. So then, he cut off my left leg. And then he chopped off my last leg. At that point, I said, 'Let's call it a draw: since you got to cut off my limbs, let me pass!' And wouldn't you know, he still wouldn't let me cross that bridge, even after all that! What a jerk!"

The Brickster winced. "Okay, note to self: stay away from bridges."

"So, I wasted no time in summoning a portal to OGEL Island, and two Brickster-Bots to help me get through the portal. There, I ordered the dismembering of one of the Brickster-Bots, and a medical Brickster-Bot arrived to attach these robotic limbs to me. That's right; these limbs are modified from the same tech used to build our Brickster-Bots."

"Boy, that's embarrassing," Brickster muttered. "But one more question: How will Sam Sinister lose his right hand?"

"That is not my story to tell," Frickster answered. "That is Finister's story, and he does not like to tell it."

----

Agent X unexpectedly woke up. He had been rescued by Dino Attack Team just in the nick of time, though he had suffered grievous injuries. As a result, he was taken to a Dino Attack medical center and fitted with cybernetic implants to keep him alive.

X looked down upon his half-robotic arm. He mused, "Huh. If I am half-robotic now, am I really still alive, or just a ghost in the machine?" Shrugging off such philosophical thoughts, he decided: "Now, time to defeat some dinos."

He exited the hospital wing and went back to the garage to get a new vehicle.

Agent X went right to work building all-new vehicles: the Fire Predator and the Urban Sprinter. He used pieces of his wrecked vehicle along with a scrapped Iron Predator to make the Fire Predator, and he used a scrapped Street Sprinter and Urban Avenger to build the Urban Sprinter. His half-robotic arm made it easier for him to assemble the vehicles.

He sent out a message to the rest of the base: I HAVE BUILT TWO DIFFERENT VEHICLES. COME AND GET THEM!

Agent X hopped into the Fire Predator and drove off, on to his next mission.

Agent X decided to change his codename to Robo-X, at least for the time being, to reflect his new existence as a cyborg. He drove along deserted alleyways when he heard shouting: "Somebody help me!"

Robo-X saw ShadowTech soldiers kidnapping Dino Attack agent Anubis. He fired at the soldiers, forcing them to flee. As he rescued Anubis, he asked: "Where did these ShadowTech guys come from?"

----

Zero heard a sound in his pocket. It was from his PDA. Unfortunately, a nearby swarm of Mutant Lizards heard it too.

The Mutant Lizards surrounded Zero, hungry for some fresh meat that foolishly wandered into their territory. Zero was about to panic when the female Mutant T-Rex came to his defense. She stood over him and bared her teeth menacingly at the Mutant Lizards. This frightened them away, since they knew better than to attack an adult T-Rex.

Zero calmed down now that he was no longer in danger. "I have no idea who you are," he said to the T-Rex, "but it's clear that you must be one of Rex's friends!"

Before Zero continued any further, he checked the PDA and saw a new message: Mutant Dinos found the Vikings Isle. Send this to the other agents, and go there.

"I wonder who sent this..." wondered Zero.

The female Mutant T-Rex was walking away, so Zero made sure to follow. She led Zero to a police station. Zero realized that this was the police station where Amanda Claw was reportedly killed. The T-Rex glanced at Zero to make sure he was watching, and then she sniffed a trashcan.

Zero knew that Rex was hit hard by Claw's death. No doubt that contributed to him being discharged by Specs. Maybe this T-Rex was here and saw what happened, thought Zero. If she can help me solve the mystery behind Claw's murder, then I can find Rex and let him know what really happened! Give him some closure so he can feel better and move on!

Zero walked up to the trashcan and started searching through it, suspecting that there was a clue hidden in there. While he sifted through the garbage, the Mutant T-Rex walked away.

----

Blade checked his supplies. "Okay," he said to himself, "I think that does it. Time to hit the road."

He jumped into his custom yellow Urban Avenger and drove off. "Okay, according to radar there's nothing in sight. Man," groaned Blade, "this is so boring."

As soon as he said that, his radar suddenly went berserk. It seemed that an entire army of Mutant Lizards were swarming in front of him. "Oh boy. I am so dead..."

"Wait a minute," said Blade, "I have an idea." He pulled out his rocket launcher and shouted, "SAY HELLO TO MY LITTLE FRIEND!" as he fired a rocket, killing the Mutant Lizards.

With a sigh of relief, Blade said, "Well, that was easy enough." Two Mutant Raptors dropped behind him. Without turning around, he whispered: "There's a couple of Raptors behind me, aren't there?"

----

Magma was studying a peculiar sample retrieved from a wrecked ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon. He had never seen something like this before. It was a vial of liquid that glowed with a bright purple aura but somehow did not cast any light. One of the ShadowTech prisoners would not say what it was, only insisting that ShadowTech intended to study it and, if possible, destroy it.

Naturally, that only piqued Magma's interest.

As Magma analyzed the sample, he noted that it almost seemed to be… alive. It did not behave like a normal liquid, instead reacting to his presence as though it were a caged lion. Finally, it grew so volatile that it burst out of the vial and latched itself onto Magma's arm.

Magma suddenly realized that his arm was mutating. It appeared to be a purple scale-coated arm with a claw partway fused into his laser implant. He quickly injected a tranquilizer to stop the spread of the virus. But the arm stayed the way it was. He pointed it at a wall, and instead of the usual laser bolt, highly-destructive plasma sparks flew forward.

Is this the same substance that mutated the dinosaurs and gave them their abilities? wondered Magma. He decided that he would go to Vikings Isle to test his new weapon.

Magma arrived at Vikings Isle. From the air, he had spotted many fire-breathing Mutant Lizards on the shores locked in combat with some wolves. He decided that he would rather the wolves win, so he shot several Mutant Lizards.

Magma ran in a cave, and found several Viking guards. They showed him inside, after checking that Magma was unarmed. He gasped at what he saw. The Vikings had found an underground lake and built a Viking Fortress there, with several boats cruising up and down the lake. All over the place, Vikings scavenged for supplies.

Magma looked around, until a gold-helmeted Viking came forward. "I am the leader here. Why do you disturb us?"

Magma answered, "I come to ask your help to defeat the Mutant Dinos on this shore." A battle cry went up from the Vikings, and they, with Magma, charged out onto the shore.

It was a grim scene. A huge dragon swept down, smashing and killing Mutant Dinos. Magma raised his mutated arm and fired a plasma pulse at the dragon.

The dragon screeched and flew away, crashing into the water, where a Sea Serpent ate its carcass. Magma then fired several pulses at the Mutant Lizards, but they absorbed the heat. So, a group of Viking swordsman and Viking axeman dealt with them, as Magma fired pulse after pulse at some flying Mutant Pteranodons.

Suddenly, what was left of the Mutant Dinos and Viking Monsters combined forces and charged at the defenders. It seemed that the tables had turned, when several Vikings tore away some rock and rubble, revealing a Viking catapult. They manned it and fired several shots.

Magma continued to fire at the enemy creatures, as dragons and Pteranodons swooped in, and wolves and Mutant Lizards charged in. The Viking catapult was keeping the horde at bay, and several Vikings carrying shield-pikes charged in, and set them up at the cave entrance, blocking it. The enemy tried to charge the pikes, but they poked at creatures, spearing them. A Viking chieftain took an axe, and hurled it at the lead Pteranodon. It screeched, and the other creatures began to retreat as they could not destroy the catapult or break the shields.

Eventually the attack stopped. The majority of monsters had been repelled into the oceans where Sea Serpents had them for lunch. A Viking chieftain was planning to build a Fortress on the shores, but Sea Serpents would attack it. Magma helped the Vikings built a longboat with a metal bottom so it didn't get destroyed. Then, Magma and some Vikings got on, and sailed back to the Command Shelter.

----

Hotwire came to slowly, finding himself in a maze. He found a Cosmotronic Ray in one of the corridors, and something inside told him he would need it. Hotwire hefted the ray onto his shoulder and continued down another hallway...

Hotwire spotted movement down a cross-corridor. Raising his Cosmotronic Ray, he moved cautiously down the corridor. He rounded a corner and came face-to-face with a girl slightly older than himself. Both Hotwire and the girl jumped back in surprise.

"Oh, great. Thanks, you found the ray," the girl said. "It was getting too heavy to carry, so I put it down. Then later I realized I could've used it to blow my way out. By the way, I'm Kat. What's your name?"

"Um, I'm Hotwire," said Hotwire. "But, the Cosmotronic Ray is for stunning mutant dinosaurs, not blasting through walls."

"What...?" said Kat. "Oh, I see. I didn't mean blow my way out that way. Come on."

Hotwire followed Kat to a wall, which was made of brick rather than metal like the other walls of the maze. Kat flipped open the ammunition compartment on the Cosmotronic Ray, cracked open the stun charges, closed the compartment. After setting the ray to 'Overload', she grabbed Hotwire and pulled him further back into the maze.

BOOM

Hotwire and Kat stepped out of the maze and into an alley. "Where did you learn to do that??" Hotwire asked.

Kat grinned. "I'm a bit of a pyromaniac," she admitted. "I've done a lot of research on explosives."

Hotwire and Kat scouted out the exterior of the building, and came upon a hidden garage, filled with black Dino Attack vehicles and littered with tools. Kat walked over to a certain Fire Hammer. "Let's take this one," she stated.

"Why that one?" asked Hotwire.

"It's been outfitted with so many extra devices. See, there's those repulsorlifts on the underside-"

At the mention of repulsorlifts, Hotwire jumped in shock. He dashed over, grabbed a wrench off the ground, and scraped it down the side of the Fire Hammer. Black paint peeled away to reveal red and tan metal. "This is my vehicle!" Hotwire growled, enraged. "Come on Kat!"

He leapt up into the Fire Hammer. Kat climbed in just as Hotwire finished tying and clamping several wires in the dashboard. A few seconds later, the Fire Hammer was roaring out into the street.

----

On the Longboats, Magma and the Vikings were ready for an attack. Then, they spotted the Iron Hammer at the Command Shelter, fighting off thousands of Mutant Dinos. Vikings drew their weapons, and the catapult fired several shots into the Dino hordes. Shark, Midgard, and Sting were using their vehicles to damage the Dinos, when Magma and a bunch of Viking Berserkers charged onto land.

Shark fired his cannons again, blasting aside a Mutant Dino. He remarked to Midgard, "What are those ships doing?" Midgard was about to answer, when they both saw some flaming balls hit the Dinos. Then, Magma and a bunch of Viking Berserkers charged out from the ships, attacking the Mutant Dinos.

Magma led the charge, using his plasma burst to hold off the Dino ranks. So, as the Dinos charged at the charging Vikings, they fell. Viking axes, spears, and swords slashed at the Dinos. Since these Vikings were Berserkers, they could survive a lot of wounds. A Mutant T-Rex stabbed one Viking with its claws, and the Viking put a spear through the creature.

Sting, in command of the Iron Hammer, had activated all weaponry, and turrets, laser stings, and cannons began firing. A Raptor had destroyed a viewport, and Sting was firing a Cosmotronic Ray out of it.

Midgard used his Fire Blade to literally tackle the Dinos, as Shark fired weapons on his T-1 Typhoon while the Dinos were distracted by Midgard.

Magma plasma-bursted a Mutant Pteranodon, as the rest of the Mutants flew off. Magma and the surviving Vikings breathed heavily, as they entered the Command Shelter. Some Dino Attack medics came up and began healing the wounds.

"Magma, we can help you defend your Command Shelter by building a Viking fortress at the seaport," the captain said. Magma agreed, and watched as some Vikings went back to their metallic Longboats and boats, with some Dino Attack agents to help. The others started construction of the defenses around the Command Shelter.

Midgard watched in amazement as he saw an array of spear-shields positioned around all the entrances to the Command Shelter. Nearby, on several hills, Vikings aligned catapults. And then, at the seaport, a Viking Fortress was built, with some smaller boats to scout.

Midgard went back to the hangar and got a Steel Sprinter. He met with agents Eye and Magma, getting into their Fire Hammer and Urban Avenger, respectively.

"Ready?" asked Eye. Two nods were received. The three agents zoomed out of the Command Shelter.

*****

In a wreckage far away, a groan could be heard. Icicle shoved rubble away, and rubbed his eyes. The car part of a Bomb Squad was nearby. Determined to get back to an Alpha Team HQ, he hopped in and drove off.

----

"Whoa, what's happening here...?" Hotwire indicated a rapidly flashing radar screen. Down another street, they saw a pair of raptors cornering a yellow Urban Avenger. "Looks like he could use some help."

Blade did not notice their arrival yet. "Okay, let's see here," Blade said to himself, assessing the situation. "Two raptors, I used my last rocket on those lizards, and I'm all out of ideas."

One of the Mutant Raptors slashed the Urban Avenger and flipped it over. Blade jumped out of the Urban Avenger at the last minute. "Hey!" he cried. "That took me two months to modify! You're going to get it now!"

Blade took out a Stun Grenade and threw it at the Raptor. The Mutant Raptor ate the grenade and roared. The grenade exploded inside it stomach, and the Raptor passed out.  "Yes!" exclaimed Blade.

He then jumped out of the way as the second Mutant Raptor swung its tail. "Oh yeah," he realized, "I forgot about the other one." He took out his signature weapon, the White Tiger Blade.

Hotwire and Kat watched as Blade and the Mutant Raptor circled each other warily. Blade slashed out at the raptor with his sword, but the raptor snatched it and snapped the blade of the sword in half with its claws.

"Looks like he could use a hand," said Kat.

Shocked, Blade looked at the shattered White Tiger Blade. "That sword..." he said, breathing heavily, "was given to me... by my father... NOW YOU'RE GOING TO GET IT!"

The Mutant Raptor swung its tail. Instead of ducking, Blade jumped onto the tail. As the Mutant Raptor looked around, Blade shouted: "Over here, Big, Black, and Ugly!"

The Mutant Raptor turned its head to look at Blade, who took out a smoke bomb. "Prepare to die. Or something like that," said Blade, and then he threw the smoke bomb at the Raptor's eyes. The Mutant Raptor roared in pain before passing out.

"That's that," Blade said solemnly as he gathered the pieces of his White Tiger Blade.

The other raptor began stirring. "Look out!" yelled Kat.

Blade spun around, scooped the Sonic Screamer out of the ruins of his Urban Avenger, and shot the raptor full in the face at point blank range. The raptor rocked back and forth, startled, and then prepared to lunge at Blade.

Wasting no time, Hotwire scrambled out the back of his Fire Hammer and fired the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher repeatedly at the raptor. The mutant dinosaur keeled over. "Looks like we won't being seeing from him anytime soon," said Hotwire. "Hop in, let's get back to the outpost. You need a new vehicle, and I need to get this ugly black paint off of mine."

Hotwire, Kat, and Blade drove back toward the Dino Attack outpost. "If I were you," Kat said to Blade, "I wouldn't paint my next vehicle yellow. The dinos are no doubt attracted to bright colors."

"I'll keep that in mind," said Blade.

Then Hotwire spoke up: "Three of us in a Dino Attack vehicle... I bet Kotua's going to pop up any second." Kat and Blade looked at him, confused. "It's sort of a long story," said Hotwire as they neared the outpost.

----

Magma, Midgard, and Eye arrived at Fort Legoredo. Mutant Raptors were rampaging the surrounding lands, and charging into the walls. Magma fired his Sonic Screamer several times, until a Raptor bit it off.

Magma remarked to Midgard, "I'll show you how it's done!" Magma swung up to the roof, and strapped himself in. Eye covered him with projectiles from his Fire Hammer, and he opened fire. Cosmotronic Ray blasts flashed everywhere, sending Raptors and Lizards into the walls of the Fort, where Midgard shot them.

After helping the fort, the three agents headed toward Castle Cove. When they arrived, Eye spotted some Lion Knights defending the Castle against many Mutant creatures. Even some Dragon Knights, who were there to attack the castle, were helping. Magma, whose vehicle was on autopilot, came screaming in, shooting several hundred Dinos before Eye and Midgard caught up. Midgard used his Cosmotronic Ray for close range defense, and Eye used his Xenon launcher to devastate the Dinos.

Once the Dinos were dealt with, the Dragon Knights attacked. A lot of Lion Knights rushed to defend, and a furious melee ensured. Magma fired his Cosmotronic Ray at a retreating Dino, and the three agents left again, this time they headed back towards the Command Shelter.

----

Hotwire's statement was correct... somewhat.

The Anti-Voltage flew overhead above the Fire Hammer. Anti-Kotua flew out, followed by Astro-Bots and Shadow-Blades. "Looks like three-in-one shot!" Anti-Kotua said quite loudly, causing the two Dino Attack agents and Kat to look up. Anti-Kotua frowned as he realized, "You must be newbies to Dino Attack Team."

"We'll see about that," said Hotwire. "Who are you, and why do you look like Kotua?"

"I am Kotua. But here, in Dimension 525, you may know me as Anti-Kotua!" the alternate universe version of Kotua introduced himself. "You puny newbies are merely appetizers until I get to the real deal!"

Blade pulled out a grenade launcher. "NEWBIE THIS!" he shouted, firing the launcher and destroying one of the Astro-Bots.

"Not bad," commented Anti-Kotua.

"I'm just getting warmed up," said Blade, taking out a machine gun. "Take this!" He fired and destroyed another Astro-Bot. But when he fired upon the Shadow-Blades, their beam shields harmlessly absorbed the bullets.

Hotwire watched as Blade blasted several more of Anti-Kotua's Astro-Bots into oblivion. "This is sort of ironic," he said to himself, "considering that Blade actually is a newbie."

Meanwhile Blade was running out of ammo in his machine gun, so he put it down and picked up the grenade launcher again, which he quickly found to be empty. He was about to give up when Kat grabbed a handful of Styrofoam packing peanuts, tied them into a ball inside a rag, doused the bundle in oil, and shoved it down the barrel of the grenade launcher. Blade appeared confused.

"Just shoot it," said Kat. "And aim for the Astro-Bots' rockets."

Blade obeyed and pulled the trigger. The strange bundle sailed lazily through the air and passed under the rockets on one of the Astro-Bots. The bundle exploded so violently it caused the Astro-Bot to explode as well. The explosion spread to the other Astro-Bots.

When most of Anti-Kotua's robotic minions had gone up in flames, Anti-Kotua regarded the threesome in the Fire Hammer with slightly more caution than before. "Impressive," said Anti-Kotua. "I'll look in on you again sometime."

"Yeah!" said Blade. "Why don't you just go fly back to your airship now? We took down the Astro-Bots, and we'll take you down too!"

Anti-Kotua merely laughed. "So you destroyed my Astro-Bots. So what? Any person with a blaster could take on them. Now fear... me!" said Anti-Kotua, activating his gauntlets.

The two Shadow-Blades flew towards the Fire Hammer. Blade drove in reverse but the Shadow-Blades picked up the vehicle. Anti-Kotua made a signal, and the Shadow-Blades ripped the wheels off the Fire Hammer.

"You just got defeated. What a pair of newbs..." Then, Anti-Kotua turned to look at Kat. "Say... You don't look like a Dino Attack agent."

Blade felt his anger building. "Nobody calls me a noob and gets away with it!" he shouted. He charged at Anti-Kotua and punched him, sending him flying and crashing into a flagpole.

"Shadow-Blades, get him!" ordered Anti-Kotua. The two Shadow-Blades rushed towards Blade.

Wasting no time, Blade rushed towards Anti-Kotua again before the Shadow-Blades could reach him. He delivered an uppercut, sending Anti-Kotua flying again. "See you next time!" said Blade.

"I will have my revenge!" declared Anti-Kotua. "Dimension 525 will pay for its crimes, and you cannot stop me!"

----

The ShadowTech T-1 Typhoon landed on a grassy field, and Cane pushed Kotua out. Two ShadowTech soldiers unboarded; Kotua recognized that they were former operatives of Missions & Special Operations (MSO), a defunct corrupt organization that battled Alpha Team during Mission Deep Freeze. Cane grabbed Kotua by the cuffs in his hands, and forced him to walk. "Interesting the protection this place offers," said Cane.

They walked until they reached a small mountain and a cave. They went in, and they stopped at a metal door. "Special agent Cane orders you to open!" said Cane.

The metallic door opened to reveal... "Operation Egg Beater," whispered agent Cane.

Cane pushed Kotua inside. The door closed behind, leaving the guards outside.

Kotua noticed white Hardsuits. "Quick and Agile. Easily made. Only thing going against it is that your feet dangle," said Cane.

"Minifigkind will fight against any evil you have!" said Kotua.

"My intentions are only for the good of all. If they're under control, there won't be any wars, or riots, only... equality," said Cane.

Cane and Kotua observed as two soldiers climbed into the hardsuits, and demonstrated its power by making the hardsuits pick up a titanium safe and crush it in seconds.

"I've seen more powerful," said Kotua, unimpressed.

"These are energy stable. Their energy could remain constant even if one unit is left on for years! Don't you find it marvelous?" asked Cane.

"What exactly is your organization's agenda?" asked Kotua.

"That's why I brought you here. I want your expertise," said Cane.

"Really? I refuse," said Kotua.

"Oh, and you don't have much choice. Either you cooperate, or we'll use your favorite machine on you. Your choice. One time only. Non-refundable... et cetera, et cetera...." said Cane.

"Fine... you win. What do you want my expertise on?" asked Kotua.

"Beam Technology. I believe our scientists have made a breakthrough with your beam technology blueprints," said Cane.

"But I only wrote those on my scientific journal after leaving Alpha Team," said Kotua.

"Ever wonder why your apartment was squeaky clean when you arrived?" said Cane.

"It also explains why there was new groceries there. Great, how many corrupt organizations are there?!" said Kotua.

"Corrupt? Dino Attack Team is corrupt. Our organization, ShadowTech, strives to protect minifigkind from Mutant threats," said Cane. "But only in the long run, in the same manner as the immune system building resistance to a disease that it successfully fights off. Dino Attack Team is trying to let the weak survive with the strong, and I cannot allow that."

"You think that survival of the fittest is the only option?" said Kotua. "You sound like Ogel trying to justify his motives!"

"Ogel's orbs were not originally zombie-making monstrosities. They were supposed to be vaccines for neurodegenerative diseases," said Cane.

"I wasn't born yesterday, you know," said Kotua. "That's a load of MegaBloks, and you know it."

"It's the truth. ShadowTech's only priority is to make sure minifigkind is safe from threats like those Mutant Dinos," said Cane.

"You're starting to sound like a broken record," muttered Kotua.

Kotua was taken to a room with other ShadowTech scientists.

"First of all, Kotua," said Cane, "Dino Attack isn't the only thing that's thwarted our attempts to take the Mutant Dinosaur invasion into our own hands. Some gang in LEGO City that calls itself 'The Raptors' seems to be bent on making sure Mutant Raptors don't get harmed. The Raptors aren't garden variety gangsters. They seem to have knowledge of military weapons, and seem to intercept signals from Dino Attack and ShadowTech. Unfortunately, we can't trace them back."

"The Raptors? I think I may have run into them earlier," said Kotua.

"Well anyways... we had put your fellow agent Hotwire in a maze," said agent Cane. "He escaped."

"Not surprising. Your maze is lame," said Kotua.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 14: Eye of the Hurricane

----

Anti-Kotua grew bored of the Dino Attack agents and flew off, followed by the Shadow-Blades.

"Yeah, you'd better run!" said Blade.

"Run in which direction?" said Hotwire. "Back to the tower or following Anti-Kotua?" Kat chuckled and Blade rolled his eyes. Hotwire turned around and headed towards the Dino Attack outpost tower.

At the Dino Attack outpost, Blade decided to get a dark red Fire Hammer for his main vehicle. "I think we have a winner," he said to himself. "Now that equipment repairs are complete, time to get to work."

After several hours of work, Blade proudly announced: "The Armada Cycle is now operational."

----

Magma, Flash, and Eye got onto a large vehicle lift copter. It transported them across the oceans to India, where they got back in their vehicles, and went on patrol.

Flash moved his Steel Sprinter around the jungles of India, scouting. Then, he spotted a person with a curved sword being chased by Dinos. He radioed back to Magma and Eye, and they appeared. Magma recognized the figure. "Maharaja Lallu..." he whispered. Trying to decide whether to rescue such an evil person, he accidentally pressed the trigger on his Cosmotronic Ray. A beam shot forward, hitting the T-Rex.

Maharaja Lallu ran, screaming back towards his Scorpion Palace. His guards greeted him and opened the door. Magma got off his Urban Avenger and silently crept forward, following the Maharaja. The Maharaja walked toward a pit, where a Mutant Lizard was chained up. Some guards held ropes, and Magma guessed the Lizard could be used as a weapon against enemies.

Magma took out a laser grenade and tossed it right at a crucial pillar that supported the Scorpion Palace. Magma ran out, and it exploded. Maharaja Lallu yelled orders to his guards as he went to quickly make sure no treasure was lost.

Then, a figure ran up, and he grabbed the jewels and treasures hidden in the Scorpion Palace. Magma narrowed his eyes. It was a pirate commonly known as Coral, but Magma knew him by another name...

Magma slowly entered his berserker rage state. He confronted Coral, who responded by entering a berserker state as well. Shocked, he realized that Coral must have done training as well. The two hurled themselves at each other, using their own bodies as weapons.

Coral rolled away, and Magma took out a laser and pointed it at him. However, Coral ran away with the treasures.

----

Kotua sat down and checked what the ShadowTech scientists had made so far. Hopefully, I can make something to keep Dino Attack ahead of them and those "Raptors"... thought Kotua.

Kotua noticed agent Cane leave. "So... have you finished anything?" Kotua asked the ShadowTech scientists.

"Yeah... this!" said one of the scientists, lifting a laser and firing at Kotua.

Kotua ducked in time as the blast hit the wall, leaving a small crater where the blast hit. Kotua grabbed some of the papers on the table and threw them around, making it somewhat harder for the scientists to spot Kotua. The borrowed time allowed him to get under the table and grab the scientist with the blaster.

Kotua pulled the ShadowTech scientist and, as he came down, Kotua punched him in the face repeatedly. "Take that!" said Kotua, punching him again.

The scientist dropped the weapon, and Kotua grabbed it. He rolled to the side of the table and looked up to see two soldiers in familiar powered armor…

Kotua kicked the soldiers and ran, as ShadowTech soldiers in their hardsuits landed, and began firing at Kotua. He ran down the corridor as more ShadowTech soldiers ran into the corridor, took aim, and fired at Kotua.

Various blasts hit Kotua, sending him crashing into the ground. The ShadowTech soldiers surrounded him and powered their weapons. Kotua turned and quickly fired at the ShadowTech soldiers, taking out five.

Kotua ran off again as more and more ShadowTech soldiers ran towards him. Finally, Kotua jumped onto one of the hardsuits and activated the hardsuit gun, sending rapid laser blasts towards the ShadowTech soldiers.

Kotua activated the hardsuit thrusters and flew off. ShadowTech soldiers rushed up and fired, but it was too late. Kotua fired at one of the windows, breaking it. He then preceded it to fly through it. When he was outside, Kotua took out his PDA, and typed a message.

I NEED HELP. SHADOWTECH IS SEARCHING FOR ALL DINO ATTACK AGENTS. ALSO, THERE'S SOME KIND OF RAPTOR-LOVING GANG IN LEGO CITY.
AGENT KOTUA.

Kotua hoped that they wouldn't dismiss the message. He had to find Rex, and ask to be forgiven, especially now that ShadowTech was searching for Dino Attack agents.

Kotua turned to see a fireball heading towards him! He outmaneuvered it, but more fire blasts headed towards him. Finally, one hit him, sending him down...

----

Cobra shot at a Beta Force guard. The guard fell and got in the way of another guard. Cobra killed the other guard with one shot. A laser whizzed by his ear. Cobra dove behind a desk barely missing a death by lasers. "C'mon! Is that the best you got?" he shouted.

Cobra fired another shot, but his gun was out of ammo. Suddenly, Machine758 raced around a corner in the lab and said to them, "Get ready! There's nine Mutant Lizards coming our way!"

Machine758 tossed Cobra a spare gun. Cobra grabbed the weapon and pivoted around to face the dinos.

Databoard ducked as two Beta Force guards charged at him, tearing the table he was hiding behind to pieces with their lasers. The other agents were busy fighting the other soldiers. Looking for a way to get away from them, he noticed a hallway nearby. Databoard rushed down the hallway, followed by the two guards. He continued to run, firing lasers after them.

Suddenly, two lasers hit the guards, stopping their pursuit rather abruptly. Databoard turned around to see who had fired the lasers. When he did, two members of the Shadows leapt out from nearby. They knocked Databoard's laser from his hands and aimed their own lasers at him. "What are you doing here?" Databoard asked. "Are you working with Beta Force?"

The two Shadows looked offended. "The Shadows need no allies," one said.

Pointing their lasers at Databoard, they took him towards an elevator. They then lead him outside, until they got to his T-1 Typhoon. "Get in," they said. Databoard had a guess why they were leaving in his own vehicle: if there were any other Dino Attack agents in the area, they didn't want them to get suspicious. One continued to aim his laser at Databoard, while the other got into the cockpit and the helicopter began to fly away.

----

Furious, Magma walked off and rejoined the other Dino Attack agents, when a mutant creature unlike any seen before flew down. It was a Mutant Pteranodon-Rex, a combined mutant of both creatures.

Magma fired his Cosmotronic Ray, blasting the Mutant Pteranodon-Rex. It roared in rage, and used laser vision to destroy the Urban Avenger and Steel Sprinter. Magma and Flash rushed aboard the Fire Hammer.

Eye fired his Xenon Launcher. The creature destroyed one blast with lightning, and another with laser vision, but one hit the Mutant Pteranodon-Rex, sending it into stasis. Magma attached some treads to both the Fire Hammer and the Mutant Pteranodon-Rex, and pulled the creature back to the drop point. When there, a Dino Attack airship pulled both onboard and flew to the Command Shelter.

When the craft landed at Alpha Team Headquarters, Magma got out and did a scan on the sedated super dino. He walked off to the lab, and began building a new vehicle. When he nearly was completed, he saw a vehicle being chased by Mutant T-Rexes. Magma rushed to the defensive turrets and opened fire on the T-Rexes. Other agents drove Iron Screamers to the walls and fired as well.

----

Robo-X was walking away from the alley when he heard something. He spun around. Nothing. "Must have been my imagination," he said. Then something tackled him from behind.

"Leave this city alone or PERISH!" a voice whispered in his ear.

"Huh, what are you?" asked Robo-X. "Who are you? Why are you after me?!" So many thoughts he thought, so many. Just then, he blacked out and was being carried away by his attacker...

Robo-X woke up in some kind of jail cell. His captor stood outside and said, "You would not listen to me, so you-"

Robo-X raised his half-robotic arm and fired. Zap! A laser bolt hit his captor, who stumbled backward. "Whoa!" exclaimed Robo-X.

Robo-X couldn't believe his eyes. His captor had Mutant Dinos following him and listening to his orders, as though they were his henchmen!

Suddenly, Robo-X suspected that he knew the truth about the Dino Attack…

----

Cobra shot down a Beta Force guard and said, "These guys won't stop coming."

Voltage said, "Yeah, it's like there's an infinite amount of guards. Right, Data? Data?"

Out of the corner of his eye, Voltage could see Databoard being escorted out of the building.

"Data!" Voltage shouted, but Databoard did not seem to hear. Voltage tried to pursue but was blocked by two Beta Force guards. He easily disposed of one with a kick-drop and a punch, but the other drew heavy arms and began firing.

Voltage dodged the bolts and flipped over a table, firing back with his sub-machine guns. The guard fell, and he ran to the door, just as it closed and locked, layers of steel preventing him from rescuing Databoard.

He pounded on the door with fury. "Dang it!" He convinced himself that he would be able to rescue Databoard, and turned to see Cobra being cornered by three guards.

Voltage quickly flipped, landing on the first guard and shooting the other one. The other fell to Cobra's weapons.

"We better get out of here, and fast," said Cobra. He noted the decreasing number of guards.

Clang... clang clang....

The doors suddenly gained several dents in the dense metal.

"Oh no," Voltage whispered.

The doors burst open, sending large, thick shards of metal flying about the room. A screech filled the room as a six-foot tall humanoid mutant stalked in... then two... then five...

The room filled with mutants. One jumped at Kai, fangs bared.

"Die!" Kai said, and the blast echoed in the room as limbs of the creature fell about the floor.

The shocked Beta Force guards tried to run, but were caught by the mutants quickly. Some put up a good effort to fight back the monsters, but eventually did not hold up the bombardment.

Three monsters ran at Voltage at the same time, and he added on his rocket attachment and fired, annihilating the savage beings. Venom, Axel, Hyrode, Joey, and Machine758 were all fighting off the monsters.

Voltage ducked out of the way as a bolt ricocheted off a table. The Beta Force guard who had fired it was immediately tackled by a mutant.

"Grenade!" Voltage announced, and a sphere of flaming blue plasma landed at the feet of several mutants.

He had to cover up the entrance to the door somehow, or else the mutants (and/or soldiers) would keep coming. Then he spotted a large crate that was capable of blocking up the doorway. He tried to move it with much effort and called over Cobra to help him. The two successfully jammed the crate between the two sides of the destroyed door's frame, so that the entrance was blocked to chest height.

Voltage himself was wondering what Beta was planning. He had no time to finish telling the story now. He recalled it in his head...

*****

Beta, Vax, and Voltage had gone to Ogel's base to free Shox, the agent's friend. The plan had gone awry when Beta was "entranced" by the means, technique, and procedure of the mutations Ogel was doing to take control of the drones' minds. Voltage had tried to stop him, but he hacked into the computers and downloaded all the data. Alarms went off everywhere, and the mind-controlled drones swarmed in.

Vax was able to wrench Beta away from the computers long enough for them to get out of the quadrant. Shox was nowhere to be found; they had failed their mission to save him.

As they sped in attempt to reach the hangar, pursued by drones, he couldn't help thinking something was wrong with Beta. He didn't seem... the same. The information that Beta could have accessed plagued him into imagining if he would use it for the wrong purpose.

Vax stopped to fend off the drones, while Beta and Voltage ran through the hallways. They stopped to catch their breath and Vax came running in, throwing a grenade over his shoulder.

"Why did you have to do that?" Vax had yelled, closing the blast doors behind him. "We were in perfect stealth until you just had to hack into their systems! That's not why we're here, you know!"

"I can do whatever I want," Beta retorted. "You aren't the boss of me!"

"I outrank you! We're in the same raid! Think about it!"

This enraged Beta, as he had always thought himself superior (apart from the fact he was only a corporal) and intended to live up to it. "I don't care!" Beta screamed. "Do you think I care at all about being a corporal? Do you think I care about you? Voltage? Anyone in the Alpha Team? I hate you all!"

"Traitor!" Vax yelled, running at Beta. Beta attacked back, but harder and fiercer.

"Guys, don't!" Voltage yelled, but they persisted against each other. Beta had knocked a metal pipe off the wall, fogging the room with steam as Vax dodged his blows.

As Voltage ran to stop Beta, an attachment to the pipe broke off, slamming into Vax's chest. He slumped against the wall and stopped moving.

"You killed him!" Voltage yelled, running over to Vax to check his pulse. Beta just glared at him.

Voltage had gotten up and walked across the room, ready to close the blast doors. Beta leapt through them, ready to attack Voltage.

Voltage went into a sprint, closely followed by Beta. He reached the hangar, where he hopped into the nearest speeder he could find. He started it up when Beta tried to grab Voltage's arm. Voltage kicked him away and sped up, trying to get through the mile-long hangar. Again, Beta was in pursuit, amazingly reaching his speeds. Beta fired a grappling hook at Voltage, but it hooked onto an exhaust vent on the vehicle, dragging him along the metal floors. He pulled himself up the rope to the end of the speeder and tore into the metal, ripping the wires.

The speeder skidded to a halt and, after recovering from a serious whiplash, Voltage furiously tried to jack into the systems to start it again.

Beta jumped in front of the vehicle just as it powered up and shot off, severing his legs at the knees.

That was the last he ever saw of Beta, sprawled on the floor in agony.

----

Databoard sat in the T-1 Typhoon, trying to plan his escape. Without his laser, he wouldn't stand a chance in a fight with the two Shadows. Trying to get out of his vehicle wouldn't do much good, as the ground was a good distance away. He decided it would be best to see where they were taking him, and then try to escape.

The T-1 Typhoon soon arrived at the Shadows' Antarctic base. The two soldiers took him out of the vehicle and lead him down a corridor, until they reached the room the other agents and he had faced off with Darkforce in.

Darkforce was there, and he walked over to Databoard. "Nice to see you again, Databoard," Darkforce said.

"Get to the point, Darkforce," Databoard replied, glaring angrily at the former Alpha Team agent. "I don't have time for this."

"I need you to get me something," Darkforce said. "A phasing device."

"What makes you think I know where one is?" Databoard shouted. "And what makes you think I'd ever give one to you?!"

"When we first captured you, we copied your memories into a machine to study," Darkforce said. "We know you hid one somewhere. We also know it has a biometric lock to prevent anyone but you from opening it."

"So, why don't you just get that Dataclone guy and make him open it?" Databoard replied.

"Even if we knew where he was, that wouldn't work," Darkforce replied. "He's an imperfect copy, and for that reason wouldn't be able to help us."

"Well, that's too bad, because I'm sure not going to help you!" Databoard shouted.

"Oh, but you are, Databoard," Darkforce replied, as all the Shadows guards in the room aimed their weapons at Databoard. "Because if you don't help us, you will die."

"I would never help you!" Databoard declared.

"Very well then..." Darkforce said, and the Shadows guards started firing.

Databoard ducked, avoiding the lasers. He then disarmed a guard, and took the laser. He rushed out of the room followed closely by the guards. He rushed into his hangar, jumped into his T-1 Typhoon, and took off. Two jets followed him, but he defeated them and escaped.

Darkforce watched as the Typhoon flew away. He then turned to the two Shadows that had brought Databoard there. "Did you plant the tracking device on that helicopter?" he asked.

"Yes," one of the Shadows replied. "He won't know it's there."

"Excellent," Darkforce said. Nearby, two Shadows jets took off, and silently followed the signal from the tracking device...

----

Kotua got out of the hardsuit and ran off into the depths of the jungle. After a while, Kotua found a small airport. "Can you help me?" he asked the woman that was at the ticket booth.

"Help you with what?" asked the woman.

"Airplane!" said Kotua.

"I'm sorry. There is no way you're getting on the plane without paying!" said the woman.

"Fine. Sorry for bothering you," said Kotua, leaving.

It was dark, but Kotua had managed to get some device to help him see in the dark. He crawled into the airport warehouse, and hid behind some crates of bananas. "Now, to get into the plane without giving myself away or calling attention," he said to himself.

Kotua noticed two workers loading packages into the plane that had just come in. "This will be a piece of cake," said Kotua. He grabbed a stone off the ground and flung it at one of the workers.

"Hey! Why did you hit me?!" said the worker.

"I did not. You're just angry I got a raise!" said the other worker.

The two continued arguing, and eventually fighting, giving the chance for Kotua to jump in. He waited there, until they loaded everything, and the plane took off.

After a while of flying in the air, Kotua looked around. He noticed that the cargo section was once a passenger section, as windows lined the walls, and the floor had signs of where bolts held chairs once. Kotua sat on the ground, and heard his stomach growl. He looked around, and opened one of the banana crates. Instead of bananas, he found... tracking devices!

"Something tells me I'm not going to a good place," said Kotua, grabbing a handful of the tracking devices and putting them in a backpack near him. He sat down, and looked through the window. A T-1 Typhoon was flying in the different direction below.

Kotua took a blaster from another crate and blasted the cargo door.

*****

"The cargo bay has opened!" said the pilot.

"Right" said a Shadows agent, walking towards the back. He opened the door to find the cargo door blasted through...

*****

Kotua took out a piece of rope, and flung it at the T-1 Typhoon. He successfully got the front metal piece to attach to the side of the helicopter. He climbed on, and got on the back of the copter.

Databoard noticed Kotua on the back, sitting down.

I sense trouble... he thought.

Databoard turned around to face Kotua, laser in hand. "Care to explain what you're doing here?" he said, confused by the fact that Kotua (who Databoard didn't know was no longer evil) was now in his vehicle. "And could you also explain why you're not trying to kill me?"

"Data, I'm no longer evil!" said Kotua, backing up.

"Sure. And I was born yesterday," said Databoard.

"You have to believe me. The people in black, they're ShadowTech and the-" said Kotua.

"ShadowTech? Something tells me they work with Darkforce," interrupted Databoard.

"Perhaps. I escaped from them, and got on a plane. That's where I found these!" said Kotua, reaching into his backpack and taking out tracking devices. They were obviously off.

"Look, I don't know what trick you're trying to pull, but it won't work," said Databoard.

"You have to trust me. How can I make you understand I'm good again?" asked Kotua.

Databoard stopped to think for a moment. The fact that Kotua hadn't tried to kill him might mean he had possibly turned good. Still wary of Kotua, he lowered his laser, but kept it ready. "I guess, since you haven't made any attempt to kill me, you might be good," Databoard said. "But if you're trying to trick me, I wouldn't recommend it."

"Thanks," said Kotua, sitting down.

"I think that these tracking devices could be useful if re-engineered," said Databoard.

"Right," said Kotua, taking one of the devices apart.

The T-1 Typhoon soon arrived over LEGO City, and Databoard landed at a small house. He had lived in this house shortly after leaving Alpha Team, and until the Mutant Dinos attacked. He rushed inside, and soon retrieved a small box, the one that contained the phasing device.

Suddenly, lasers started blasting through the roof, destroying various things. Databoard looked out the window to see two Shadows jets flying towards them, firing lasers. "They must have followed me here!" Databoard said as he dodged lasers fired by the jets.

Kotua drew his blaster and began firing at the jets. He took out the tracking device he was working on, and flung it. It hit the windshield of one jet, smashing the glass. The surprised pilot lost control and smashed the jet into another house.

A laser blasted nearby Databoard, knocking the box from his hand. Another jet arrived, and landed near the house. The Shadow blasted a hole through the wall, grabbed the box, and ran out. Databoard took out his laser, and fired at him. But he was too late, as the Shadow jumped into his jet and took off. The two jets flew away and soon disappeared into the distance.

From the roof of another house, Blade watched the situation. "Those two look like there need some help," he said to himself. He took out a sniper rifle and shot one of the jets in the exhaust pipe. The plane exploded.

"What just happened?" asked Databoard.

Blade jumped down from the roof and approached Databoard. "I just happened."

*****

Hotwire and Kat sat in the Dino Attack tower removing the black paint from Hotwire's Fire Hammer. After half an hour of silence, Kat spoke up. "Where's Blade? He said he'd be back by now. He was just scouting the area around the outpost."

"Oh, he's probably just out there, blasting dinos and getting into all sorts of trouble," said Hotwire.

Suddenly, not-too-distant explosions rocked the ground. "Okay," said Kat. "Now I'm starting to get nervous."

Hotwire jumped up into the Fire Hammer and started it up. "Come on," he said. "We should go see what's happening."

----

"Wake up."

"Zzz..."

"Waaaaake uuuuup!"

"Zzz..."

"Wake up, Snorehead!"

Rex opened his eyes, waking up. He saw Trouble staring at him. "I do NOT snore, you little troublemaker!" he growled.

Trouble raised an eyebrow. "Oh, please," he hissed playfully. "You T-Rexes snore so loud, the whole world can hear you!"

Rex groaned groggily. It was not worth arguing with a Mutant Lizard when he was so tired. "So, why'd you wake me up?" asked Rex.

"Someone wants to see you," answered Trouble.

"Who?" wondered Rex.

"Take one guess," said Trouble.

Rex quickly realized whom Trouble was referring to. "Her?"

"Yep."

----

Databoard looked at the ruined jet that Blade had shot down. It unfortunately appeared that it did not have the box with it, and the one that had the box had now escaped. There was no way they could stop it before it got to the Shadows base, where they would no doubt start examining it.

Kotua put his blaster on the gun holster.

"How did they find us?" asked Databoard.

"They probably placed one of these," said Kotua, picking up a tracking device, "and hid it in the T-1 Typhoon."

"Obviously," said Blade.

"Well, let's find it then. And then try to find the pilot who took the box," said Databoard.

"Done," said Kotua, taking out his PDA, and pressing a button. Databoard was amazed as the map showed the jet's current location.

Databoard got inside the T-1 Typhoon, and soon began looking for the tracking device. He started at the back, and began searching towards the front. He soon found the tracking device, which had been hidden in the cockpit. He deactivated it with his laser, and removed the destroyed tracking device from the vehicle.

"We better get going," said Kotua.

Suddenly dark red cars drove up to them. Raptors gangsters got out of the car, with guns in their hands.

Databoard took out his laser, and aimed it. He didn't know who these people were, but he guessed they meant business. "I'm warning you guys," he shouted. "You come any closer, you're going to regret it!" They didn't seem to care, and aimed their guns at the agents.

"I'll take care of these guys," said Blade. He turned to face the gangsters, and then he shouted, "OMG IT'S A MUTANT RAPTOR!"

The Raptors gangsters looked around randomly, crying, "Where!?"

Blade sniped them in the back. "Don't worry," he said to his teammates. "Those bullets held a sleeping medicine. These weren't designed to kill anything."

However, Blade hadn't gotten all of the Raptors, and the still-conscious gangsters started firing at the agents. They got into the T-1 Typhoon, and Databoard took off. The Raptors gangsters got back into their vans, and started to fire at them as Kotua and Blade fired back at them. Databoard continued to fly away, hoping to lose the vans.

*****

Hotwire and Kat arrived at the scene of the explosions just in time to see Blade climb into a T-1 Typhoon. "Can we follow him from here?" asked Kat.

"'Fraid not," said Hotwire. "but I bet we could track the T-1 on radar."

Kat switched on the radar screen, but all they got was static. "There's probably a storm brewing," said Kat.

"Here, lemmee at that thing," Hotwire said, and crouched down, opened a panel on the radar device, and began cutting, twisting, and reattaching wires to several extra computer chips, which he hooked up to the chips already there.

*****

"I got an idea," said Blade. He took out a rocket launcher and fired at the road.

"Hate to break it to ya," said Kotua, "but your aim is off!"

"Oh, is it?" asked Blade. As the road exploded, the vans were forced to come to an abrupt stop. "You sometimes have to think a couple of moves ahead of your opponent."

Databoard continued to fly away, but the Raptors vans found another way to follow them. Kotua and Blade continued to fire, but they continued to follow them. Blade fired at the road again, but the vans simply drove around the craters, and continued to fire at them. Databoard had the helicopter going at full speed, but the vans continued to follow them.

"I've had enough of this!" declared Blade. He pulled out a sniper rifle and sniped the vans' tires. The vans came to a crashing stop. "That should buy us some time."

Kotua looked below with a telescope-like device. The Raptors gangsters didn't look surprised or frustrated. They just looked... serious.

"I don't think it's over yet. Data, do you have anything on the radar?" said Kotua.

"Nope. Clear skies," said Databoard. "Keep the weapons ready. If there's more out there, we should be ready for it." He continued to fly away from them, with the Typhoon's weapons ready, in case something else came to attack them. There didn't seem to be anything out there, but there could be some others hiding nearby.

Kotua looked at the city below. He noticed a ShadowTech van. "Looks like they'll be the ones chasing us now..." said Kotua, pointing out the van.

"Why do you say that?" asked Blade.

"They want to get Dino Attack out of the way for their own plans," replied Kotua.

Kotua looked down to see that the ShadowTech van had disappeared from view. "Guess not," said Kotua.

The T-1 Typhoon continued flying over LEGO City, as dark rain clouds loomed over the horizon...

----

"No one says 'no' to Gaston!"

"Just give it a rest already," muttered Danny, rubbing his forehead in exasperation since he was not used to people not listening to him.  From the passenger seat, he checked the radar on the Fire Hammer's dashboard to see how far away they were from the S.O.S. signal.  They still had at least another few blocks to go.

Sitting in the driver's seat next to him was Francis, a tough-looking guy with more tattoos than hair.  Danny had heard that Francis was a small-time crook before the Dino Attack, and Francis never bothered to deny these rumors.  "You asked me why I hate small talk," he said gruffly, "and this is why.  Now we gotta put up with him talking big and not shuttin' up."

Francis turned the steering wheel and swerved the Fire Hammer around a wrecked garbage truck where hungry Mutant Lizards were scavenging for snacks.  When a few of the reptiles decided that the Dino Attack agents would provide a better meal, they were quickly dispatched with a few shots of the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher.

"If you weren't such a good gunner," shouted Francis, "I'd have kicked you off this jeep as soon as you opened your trap, Gaston!"

From the mounted Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, Gaston laughed heartily.  "Really, guys, I'm serious!" he declared.  "Next time I see her, I'm going to propose to her.  She's beautiful, I'm handsome… we're the perfect match for repopulating the LEGO Planet as soon as this apocalypse is over!  She'll just have to accept!"  He proceeded to flex his muscles, showing off to no one in particular.

"You know what they say about girls who'd still say 'no' even if you were the last man left on Earth?" retorted Francis.  "I think this apocalypse is gonna prove that one right."

"Yeah," agreed Danny, "this war hardly seems like the best time or place for poorly thought-through romances.  Remember what happened to Johnny?  I'll just sit back and watch from afar as it tears itself apart in the end."

"Au contraire," insisted Gaston, his native French slipping through.  "A big game hunter like me would be the perfect love interest in this story, taking place in a world ravaged by these monsters!"  In demonstration, he aimed and fired the launcher at a Mutant Raptor that was pursuing them.

"You do realize how Beauty and the Beast ended, right?" asked Danny, unable to resist the urge to draw the obvious comparison.

"I don't bother with fairy tales," scoffed Gaston.

"That's rich," Danny muttered under his breath, "coming from the guy who believes that repeatedly harassing an uninterested girl will make her fall in love with him…"

"Those fairy tales were right about one thing, though," commented Francis.  "Dragons are real, and we're fighting them right now!"  He pointed ahead to a Mutant T-Rex prowling the streets.  It locked its glowing red eyes on the Fire Hammer and roared, and Francis quickly swerved out of the way to take an improvised detour.

"Dinosaurs aren't dragons," Danny pointed out.

"Everyone keeps saying that," said Francis, "but I've seen all the Dino Cop movies and these don't look like any dinosaurs I've ever seen.  They fly, they breathe fire… they're totally dragons, I swear!"

Although he knew that "flying" and "breathing fire" were mutually-exclusive traits among Mutant Dinos, it was at that moment that Danny decided it was not worth arguing.  Sighing, he looked back at the radar.  They were close now to the source of the emergency beacon.

In the old days as a famous radio talk show host, Danny would not have been ordinarily hanging out with men like Gaston or Francis.  He had always prided himself on interviewing people of a much higher profile than this lot.  However, the Dino Attack meant that everyone needed to come together and work towards the common goal of saving the world.  Today, that meant being the first responders to a fellow agent's distress signal.

At last, they reached their destination, which Danny recognized as a Dino Attack outpost on LEGO City's waterfront.  It was a small outpost, more of a safe house for resting and resupplying between missions rather than a true base of operations.  The squad that was currently stationed there had been getting ready for a mission to Castle Cove.

The three Dino Attack agents climbed out of the parked Fire Hammer and grabbed weapons.  As the best soldier among them, Gaston led the way, shooting at a swarm of Mutant Lizards that had shown curiosity towards the new arrivals.  When they reached the front door, Gaston nodded to Francis, who kicked the door open in a way that suggested he had a lot of experience doing so.  Gaston charged in, ready to shoot anything that moved, but he did not fire a single shot.

Francis followed and looked around, confused why Gaston was uncharacteristically not shooting anything.  He groaned, "Ah, man, the dragons already won!"

Danny entered last and was horrified to see the room littered with dead bodies wearing Dino Attack uniforms.  It was a massacre.  "We're too late!" he realized.

Furious, Gaston kicked over a chair.  "Znap this," he growled, "I didn't sign up for a losing battle!  I'm done here!"  He stormed out of the outpost, slamming the door behind him.  Danny could hear him opening fire on absolutely nothing just to vent his anger.

The ghastly sight of the corpses around them made Danny sick to the stomach, but he could not look away either.  He knelt down beside the body of elite agent Nails, whose eyes were wide open and staring blankly into infinity as her face was frozen in agony.  Respectfully, he gently closed her eyelids with two of his fingers, in an effort to make her look like she was sleeping instead.

However, something about all of this felt… off.  Many of the bodies showed signs of gunshot wounds, snapped necks, and slit throats, with hardly a tooth or claw mark anywhere to be seen.  "Francis," Danny said to his teammate, "these dinosaurs… or dragons, whatever you want to call them… they typically eat their victims, right?  They don't leave much of a corpse behind."

Francis thought about it for a moment, then slowly nodded.  "Yeah, I guess that makes sense."

Danny gestured to the bodies around them.  "These Dino Attack agents weren't killed by mutants.  They were murdered."

Francis grimaced once he understood what Danny meant.  "MegaBloks!" he cursed.  "C'mon, let's get out of here before we're left for dead, too!"

Grimly, Danny raised his standard issue handheld radio to report their unfortunate discovery.  "Danny to HQ… we have a problem."

----

After dealing with the Mutant T-Rexes, Magma returned to the lab and finished his new vehicle. It resembled a flying creature that was completely mechanical. It almost looked like one of those dragons from Vikings Isle. Running into it, Magma flew off to attack some Mutant Dinos.

The craft spotted a Mutant Pteranodon electrocuting the Nile River. Magma swooped low and fired his heat cannon, sending the Pteranodon crashing into the ground. Then, he headed down, using the 'tail' to whip a Mutant Lizard into the river. Magma flew over the dead mutant creatures, back to the Command Shelter to report his success.

When Magma arrived back at the Command Shelter, he reported to the other agents that the new vehicle had dealt with the Dinos effectively. So, they told him to patrol the ocean, to take out Mutant Pteranodons. When he was midway over the ocean, he spotted five electrocuting the water. Magma flew down, firing a heat missile and using his energy claws at the same time.

Magma flew off, when he saw a craft of some kind coming towards the base, being pursued. In the cockpit was... Icicle! A T-Rex was behind him. Magma swooped in, firing a heat missile and using his laser wings to knock out the T-Rex. The two launched into combat, fighting each other for their lives.

Magma used his laser wings to bat the T-Rex away. He spotted a T-1 Typhoon, manned by Flash, coming to assist him. Magma landed, and got out, meeting with Icicle. After a brief conversation, Icicle went into the hangar to get a Fire Hammer.

Icicle drove around in his Fire Hammer, when he spotted a wounded Mutant T-Rex. Icicle threw an energy net around it, and pulled the T-Rex back to the Command Shelter. Magma watched it, and scanned the creature. He went back to his workshop to add more parts to his vehicle...

----

Kotua checked the Voltage controls. "The Voltage's radars seem to have spotted another aircraft inside the clouds," said Kotua.

"No doubt Darkforce's..." muttered Databoard.

"Who?" Blade said, not knowing about Darkforce and the Shadows.

"Darkforce was a former Alpha Team agent. I had thought he died five years ago, but it turns out he survived," Databoard explained. "And now he's bent on using the recent Mutant Dino attacks to his advantage. Which means he needs the Dino Attack team out of the way first."

"Sorry I asked," Blade muttered.

Kotua looked at the readout the Voltage was sending him, although the wind had picked up speed, and Blade went into the rear gunner's station, not wanting to fall off. Kotua climbed into what seemed to be the front gunner's station. Kotua put on the seatbelt, and looked at the readout again. His eyes widened, and he activated his headset.

Kotua said, "It's not Darkforce, or ShadowTech... It's Anti-Kotua."

"Who?" asked Databoard.

"I bet it's another megalomaniac with an organization," said Blade.

"It's an alternate universe version of me," said Kotua. "I accidentally jumped into Dimension 8231 a while ago, and he followed me back. He says he wants revenge for something our universe did to theirs. Apparently, he still acts like I did when I was evil."

"Just great," Databoard muttered after hearing what Kotua said. "Alright, get all the weapons ready, I have a bad feeling that we're going to need them." Blade and Kotua nodded, and prepared the Typhoon for battle. Databoard looked through the stormclouds, waiting for Anti-Kotua's vehicle to descend.

*****

Ten minutes, a few small electric shocks, and several kicks to the machine later, Hotwire finally got the radar working. They honed in on the T-1 Typhoon, and saw it flying towards a larger aircraft.

"What is that?" Kat wondered.

Hotwire focused the radar on the larger craft. "Oh dear..." Hotwire muttered after skimming the readouts on the ship. "That's Anti-Kotua's airship. Where they're going, we can't help them."

Hotwire and Kat turned around and drove back toward the Dino Attack tower, unaware of the squadron of Shadow-Blades that had launched from the Anti-Voltage and were closing in on the Fire Hammer all too quickly...

*****

Soon, storm clouds were all around the T-1 Typhoon.

"We're going to have to land!" said Blade.

"If we do, Anti-Kotua will blow us to pieces!" replied Kotua.

"If we stay on the air, the wind might send us down even worse," said Databoard.

"Perhaps so, Data, but here we can fight back," said Kotua.

Soon the Anti-Voltage showed up. Kotua was reminded of antique Japanese buildings, as Anti-Kotua's craft had many curved spikes. It truly looked evil.

The wind picked up even more speed, and two tornadoes formed in the distance. "How does he do that?" asked Blade.

"His technology is more advanced," replied Kotua.

The front of the Anti-Voltage opened, revealing a hangar. Suddenly Databoard's headset malfunctioned. Kotua and Blade tried calling him, but only static could be heard.

Finally, Databoard answered. "He wants us to go inside his craft," he said.

"I have a very bad feeling," said Blade.

"We have no choice. Maybe we can outsmart him and get him to shut off the bad weather," said Kotua.

"I don't know about the rest of you, but going inside is the worst idea ever," Blade said.

"I don't know if we have a choice." Kotua said.

Databoard took out his laser rifle, and slowly flew towards the Anti-Voltage's hangar. He didn't know what was Anti-Kotua was planning, but it was better than trying to survive this storm.

----

"What do you want?" snarled Rex when he saw the female Mutant T-Rex approach. "I thought I made it clear that I do not want you hanging around me!"

The T-Rex did not reply, but simply gestured towards herself. Then she walked away. When Rex didn't follow, the T-Rex returned and beckoned once more.

"You want me to follow you?" realized Rex.

The female T-Rex nodded. Curious about what she had to show him, Rex followed the Mutant T-Rex.

Rex and the female Mutant T-Rex arrived at the police station. Rex felt a metaphorical knife twist in his heart when he recognized the site of Amanda Claw's death. "Why did you bring me here?" asked Rex. "This is a ghastly place!"

The female T-Rex gestured towards the police station.

Rex looked closer and saw that they were not alone: Zero was searching through a garbage can outside the station. His eyes widened in fear. "Oh no," he whispered. "Zero can't be here alone; it's too dangerous!" Turning to face the female T-Rex, he growled, "Don't you dare harm him or any other Dino Attack agent! If you do, I swear, I will-"

The female T-Rex shook her head, affirming that she had no intention of hurting Zero. Then, she gestured again towards the Dino Attack agent, urging Rex to pay close attention.

----

Databoard landed the T-1 Typhoon in the hangar of the Anti-Voltage as the storm worsened significantly.

"Now what?" asked Blade.

"We wait here," replied Databoard.

"You do that. I'll deal with Anti-Kotua," said Kotua, getting up.

"You're not that foolish, Kotua. You'll need help. And we might find useful stuff here," said Databoard.

"So then, we're going?" asked Blade.

"Alright," said Kotua. "Here's what we'll do. I'll distract Anti-Kotua while you deactivate the Anti-Voltage. Then you get back on the T-1 Typhoon, and leave to look for that box."

"To be honest, I don't think that's the best plan," Databoard said. "But it doesn't seem we have much choice then to try it." Laser rifle at the ready, he got up from the cockpit. Kotua and Blade got up as well, taking out their own weapons. Ready for anything that might be waiting for them, they headed out of the Typhoon...

... only to find Anti-Kotua waiting for them, with astrobots pointing their multiple guns at them. "Drop your weapons, all your gear, and your spare guns," said Anti-Kotua.

Databoard noticed cameras with laser machine guns. "Looks like it's over," said Databoard.

The three Dino Attack agents were forced to change their clothes to plain orange, and their old clothes were searched for gear. Then they were put in jail cells.

"I knew it would never work," muttered Blade.

Databoard searched the area for any way to escape. "Give it a rest," Kotua said. "There's no way out of here."

"That's not true," Databoard replied. "There could easily be some kind of mistake or flaw that could allow us to escape."

"Then why aren't we out of here yet?" Blade muttered.

"I just haven't found how to get out yet," Databoard said, as he continued to study the cell.

The top opened, and a small can of noodles dropped.

"He has the same sick sense of humor as you did when you were evil," Databoard said to Kotua.

"I sure am hungry!" said Blade, reaching for the can of noodles.

"Don't!" said Kotua.

Databoard and Blade looked at Kotua.

"It's simple, really," said Kotua, reaching into the can of noodles, and taking out a grenade from it.

"Nice magic trick," said Databoard sarcastically.

"Anti-Kotua is playing games with us," said Blade.

"He obviously knows we're going to escape using this, or through some other means," said Kotua.

"Well? Let's get out of here!" said Blade.

"It's our only weapon at the moment," said Kotua.

"Well, let's see if we can find the flaw it has," said Databoard.

"Think outside the box," muttered Kotua.

Databoard noticed the guard robot. "That guy won't go down with a hit to the head," he said.

"Improvise," said Blade.

"If we can get the guard robot to come close enough to the cell door, we might be able to use the grenade to destroy both," Databoard said. "But Anti-Kotua most likely expects something like that, and has something else prepared. But maybe if we used the grenade to take out one of the walls or the floor, we might be able to escape."

"If we use the grenade now, we're not going to be able to fight whatever Anti-Kotua has. Even his security cameras have laser machine guns," said Kotua.

"Maybe if we get it to come close, Kotua and I get it while you deactivate it?" said Blade.

"I guess so, but we don't know its strength, or where its CPU is," said Databoard. "Also, since Anti-Kotua took my tools, I can't even get to its CPU to begin with. And even if I do get to it deactivating it is even harder. Without wirecutters or anything like that, I can't deactivate it without risking getting an electrical shock."

"I hate to say it, but we're really trapped," said Kotua.

"Don't be negative. I'm sure we'll find a way out. We always do," said Databoard.

"Not this time, though," said Blade.

"We might be able to escape," Databoard said. "The security cameras have laser right? Maybe we could try to use that to our advantage. We could lure the guard towards one of them, and while it's trying to hit us, we get it to hit the guard by mistake."

"Then what do we do about the camera?" Kotua asked.

"I guess that's the part where we disable it," Databoard said.

"So, if we get the robot guard near us, and in range of the laser camera, maybe we can bust out of here!" said Kotua.

"But then what do we do about the camera?" asked Databoard.

"We scatter and, while Blade and I distract it, you run towards it and disable it. From that, we can turn it into a gun, and use it as a weapon," said Kotua.

"Sounds like a good plan, and it just might work," Databoard said.

"Let's see if it does," Blade said.

Kotua nodded, and picked up the grenade. He then put it near the cell door, and prepared to set it off. Once he had, the agents headed towards the back of the cell, not wanting to be near the grenade when it went off.

The grenade exploded, leaving the cell open. The camera started firing at the agents. Kotua threw the can of noodles at the guard bot, angering it. It hovered towards them and drew its blaster... only to get shot down by the camera.

"Now!" said Kotua, scrambling out of cell, followed by Blade and Databoard.

Kotua and Blade ran around like crazy, giving the camera a hard time. Databoard picked up the guard bot and used it as a shield as he charged the camera. He reached the camera, and tossed the destroyed remains of the guard robot aside. He began working to try and find a way to deactivate it.

"Could you hurry up?" Kotua shouted.

"I'm working on it!" Databoard shouted. He opened up the camera, and began looking for how to disable it. He took a sharp piece of metal from the ruined guard robot, and used it to cut a wire in the camera, shutting it off.

Kotua and Blade ran towards Databoard. "So... to turn this into a useful gun…" said Kotua, picking it up.

A short while later…

"Done!" said Kotua, picking up something that looked like a gun.

"Good," said Databoard.

Kotua walked to the door, and kicked it open. As Kotua and Blade went into the next room, Databoard walked over to the guard robot and looked at it. It had suffered some damage from the security camera laser, but its weapon was still functional. He picked up the guard robot's laser and followed after Kotua and Blade.

The three Dino Attack agents ran across the hallway. They found three changing rooms that had their Dino Attack uniforms.

"Anti-Kotua has a really sick sense of humor," said Databoard.

All agents grabbed their clothes, entered the three separate rooms, and changed back into their uniforms.

"All our gear is here," said Kotua, taking out his blaster.

"Good," said Blade.

Databoard grabbed his laser rifle, tossing aside the stolen blaster. He then grabbed the rest of his gear. "So, what's the plan now?" he asked Kotua and Blade, who had gotten their own weapons and gear as well. "Do we go with Kotua's original plan, or do we just try and get off the Anti-Voltage as fast as we can?"

"Let's get the Znap out of here!" said Blade, running off.

"You follow Blade, make sure he doesn't get hurt or do something completely dumb," said Kotua.

"No way! You might end up doing something dumb, or hurting yourself!" said Databoard.

"Yeah, but you have to get the box, and Blade can't deal with Anti-Kotua, not right now in his 'I got to survive' mode," said Kotua.

"Alright, I guess it would be better to go after Blade," Databoard said. "Just don't get killed or anything like that." He then rushed off to find Blade fighting off two astrobots. Databoard charged at the astrobots, firing his laser. He quickly defeated them, and they continued down the hallway.

*****

Kotua ran the opposite side of the corridor. He knew that the Anti-Voltage was the same as the Voltage location-wise.

He ran, when suddenly two Astro-Bots jumped out. Kotua fired at them, destroying them. A camera took aim but was taken down by blasts from Kotua's gun.

"Great. I'm not even halfway," said Kotua, running off as more Astro-Bots flew after him...

Kotua fired at an Astro-Bot that came down a ladder, destroying it and blocking the way for other Astro-Bots. Kotua then ran down the corridor, and turned to see the doors to the Command Deck.

"It's showtime!" said Kotua, busting through the doors.

*****

Databoard and Blade continued down a hallway. Blade turned around a corner, only to nearly be hit by a laser from one of the security cameras. Databoard fired his own laser at the camera, destroying it. They then rushed down the corridor before anything else showed up.

Databoard and Blade opened the door to find it led to a thin walkway over the hangar.

"We're here!" whispered Blade excitedly.

Databoard looked closer. The T-1 Typhoon had been painted black. "Somethi-" said Databoard, before being interrupted by somebody grabbing him from behind.

Databoard tried kicking the person, but it thrust him into the walkway. Databoard turned to see a ShadowTech agent with orange sunglasses and a black suit.

"Nice knowing ya," said Cane, taking out a gun and aiming.

Databoard got up, to see Blade take out two ShadowTech soldiers with a single spin kick. Blade ran off to find the weather control room and complete the mission.

"Know me?" asked Databoard.

"Long story," said Cane.

Cane was about to fire at Databoard, but he took out a laser bomb and threw it. The ShadowTech agent let go of Databoard as he ducked to avoid the lasers. Databoard got out of the way as well, and took out his laser. "Obviously, you don't know me well enough," Databoard said. Cane fired his gun, but Databoard dodged it.

Cane continued shooting at Databoard, but he had obviously underestimated him. Databoard continued to dodge, and then began firing lasers at the ShadowTech agent. They continued to fight of the walkway, with each trying to defeat the other, but neither was succeeding. Databoard fired another laser at Cane, but he dodged it.

"Give up," Cane said, firing at Databoard. "There's no way you can win."

"I don't think so!" Databoard said, firing back.

They continued to attack each other, still failing to hit the other. Cane fired, nearly hitting Databoard, but he missed by several inches. Databoard fired back, but Cane ducked to avoid the laser.

*****

"Okay," Blade said to himself. "All I need to do is find to weather control room and disable the generator. Only problem is, I have no idea where I am."

He found a room titled Internet Experiment Lab. "Might as well check this place out," he decided. He entered the lab and called out, "Hello?"

There was no reply.

"Woah," Blade said as he walked up to a pedestal. There was a small device placed on it, resembling a wristwatch with a small screen instead of a clock. He picked it up and put it on his wrist, and then pushed the power button to turn it on.

Blade read the text that appeared on the screen as the device activated: "Cyber Matrix: 35 Programs Loaded."

"Huh?" murmured Blade. He scrolled through the 35 programs and saw that they consisted of various techniques and skills, with detailed instructions on how to learn and use them. "Oh, cool, it's like a Constructopedia I can carry around on my wrist!"

Another message appeared on the screen: "For optimal performance, please authorize direct interface with user nervous system." He was given options to accept or decline.

"Sure, why not?" said Blade, who admittedly did not fully understand what the message meant; it just sounded cool. He pressed the button to allow the direct interface. Then, he winced involuntarily as he felt something like a jolt of static electricity on his wrist.

"Connection established. Testing motor functions."

Blade found himself giving a thumbs-up. He was not even thinking about doing so, as if it was a subconscious action. Then, he realized that it was not his own consciousness that had compelled him to perform the gesture.

"Test successful."

*****

The doors opened, and Kotua stopped to look around, blaster ready. No one was there.

Odd... this is where I thought I would find him, thought Kotua.

"You escaped... and got your gear back... but it's not over yet!" said someone behind him.

Kotua turned, and was kicked back. Kotua crashed into the floor. He immediately got up and drew his blaster. "It ends here, Anti-Kotua!" said Kotua.

"You really think you can beat me?" said Anti-Kotua.

Kotua charged, and fired at Anti-Kotua, who merely raised his hand, revealing a glove. The glove glowed, and sent a blast at Kotua...

*****

Hotwire drove towards the Dino Attack tower. Kat, feeling bored, idly switched the radar back on. She jumped when she saw a dozen or so tiny blips careening to the center blip that was the Fire Hammer. "Whoa, look at this," she said.

Hotwire glanced over and with a muttered "Drat!" switched to a higher gear and drove faster.

"Couldn't we just blow them up?" Kat asked.

"No, these Shadow-Blades would have beam shields, so only a nuke, or probably a variable speed beam could defeat them," explained Hotwire.

Hotwire drove faster and faster as the Shadow-Blades closed in on them. Hotwire and Kat were nearly back to the tower when the Shadow-Blades attacked.

Suddenly two blasts smashed into a Shadow-Blade, one disabling the Beam Blade of the Shadow-Blade, and the other destroying it. Hotwire and Kat turned to see Robo-Blades flying to the rescue. They surrounded the Fire Hammer, and put the power to the Beam Shields. Other Robo-Blades landed and started firing at the Shadow-Blades or activating their Beam Swords.

Having destroyed or driven off the Shadow-Blades, the Robo-Blades escorted Hotwire and Kat safely back to the Dino Attack tower outpost. "So... what do we do now? Is there any way to help Blade?" asked Kat.

"I'm sure Blade can take care of himself. He's strong, has guts, and is usually armed to the teeth," said Hotwire. "I'm more worried about Kotua. He disappeared before I collided with you in that ShadowTech maze, and might have to confront Anti-Kotua at some point. I know if I had to fight an evil version of myself, I'd lose. But right now, I have something to do that should take our minds off the subject... and a surprise for Blade the next time we see him."

Hotwire rummaged around in the Fire Hammer's storage bin and pulled out several shards of whitish metal. Kat realized his plan and grinned.

*****

Kotua hit the floor. He got up, and noticed that he was on the opposite side of the Command Deck, apparently teleported by Anti-Kotua's gauntlet. His blaster had fallen to the floor beside Anti-Kotua. Before he could get to the blaster, he was zapped again.

Kotua hit the floor again, now disoriented as he was teleported to another part of the deck. As soon as he was back on his feet, he was zapped again.

Kotua hit the floor a third time and did not get up, dazed from the rapid teleportation, as Anti-Kotua took out a gun.

"I don't think so, Anty!" called a familiar voice.

"Huh?" asked Anti-Kotua, turning around.

Blade rushed into the room, wielding a laser saber with his left hand. He slashed Anti-Kotua's gun, which fell to the floor in broken pieces.

"What the heck?!" said Anti-Kotua.

Blade closed his right hand into a fist and sucker-punched Anti-Kotua.

"OOF!" grunted Anti-Kotua as he crashed into a pile of boxes.

"How'd I do that?" taunted Blade, showing off the device strapped to his wrist. "Looks like this little gadget here knows just what to do!"

"THAT'S IT! YOU NEWBIE! ... YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!" screamed Anti-Kotua, firing his gauntlet at Blade and teleporting him away. Blade smashed into a metal railing, stunning him long enough for Anti-Kotua to charge up his gauntlet and then teleport Blade out of the Command Deck.

"Now that newb-boy is out of the way..." said Anti-Kotua, taking out two spare guns.

"Great..." muttered Kotua, getting up.

"Indeed... great!" said Anti-Kotua, kicking Kotua with enough force to send him flying into the Command Center window. Outside the storm was getting more intense. Kotua hit the floor, and got up again.

"How about fighting... fair?!" said Kotua. He ran, grabbed a fire extinguisher, and began firing blasts of fire retardant at Anti-Kotua.

*****

Blade struggled to get his bearing as he was teleported... and then he realized that he had dropped into the black-painted T-1 Typhoon.

"About time!" Blade said, taking aim. He was in the rear gunner's seat. He noticed Databoard and Cane fighting. Blade took aim, and pressed the trigger. To his surprise, only a clicking sound could be heard.

"Great...the ammo has been taken out," said Blade.

----

Zero groaned as he searched through the garbage. "Uhhh... What happened? I saw that depressed-looking T-Rex, and now I'm digging through trash on a whim... This had better be worth it!"

Zero continued to sift through the trash until he finally found two items of interest. One was an injection needle, still containing trace amounts of a green liquid in the syringe. The other was a bottle with a biohazard label. "Mutant Dino DNA Serum," he said, reading the label aloud. "Huh, that's not something you'd expect to find out here."

Zero put the bottle into his bag, deciding to bring it back to base as evidence. Perhaps these were the clues that would solve the mystery. However, deciding it was unwise to carry around an exposed uncapped needle, he gently put it back in the trashcan and intended to come back for it later.

Then, Zero remembered the message he received. He wanted to go to Vikings Isle to stop the dinos there, but his Urban Avenger was destroyed again... He needed to find a new vehicle. So, he had to head back to Dino Attack Headquarters. He did not notice the two Mutant T-Rexes watching him as he left.

Now that Zero was gone, the female Mutant T-Rex glanced at Rex. She was staring at him very intently.

Rex processed what he had just witnessed. He put the facts together in his head. Zero was investigating the site where Amanda was last seen alive, with nothing left but her shredded uniform. He had found something that Dino Attack investigators had not found at the scene before: an empty bottle containing the mutagenic serum discovered by Voltage and his teammates. A serum that somehow had the ability to override minifigure DNA and turn them into Mutant Dinos…

Rex's eyes widened in shock. The realization hit him like a bucket of cold water. Now, as he turned to face the female T-Rex, he could only say one name:

"A-Amanda?"

----

Kotua kicked Anti-Kotua, sending him into the corridor.

"Why, I ought to…!" Anti-Kotua said, raising his gun and firing twice at Kotua. Kotua dodged the blasts, and fired again at Anti-Kotua...

Kotua continued pressing the fire extinguisher to release fire retardant, slowing down Anti-Kotua. Eventually the fire extinguisher was empty, and Kotua used it as a club to smack Anti-Kotua. Anti-Kotua grabbed the fire extinguisher and ripped it out of Kotua's hands.

"You really have guts... which is why this is the last place you'll ever see!" said Anti-Kotua, kicking Kotua repeatedly.

Anti-Kotua kicked Kotua again. Kotua tried to fight back, but Anti-Kotua dodged any kicks or punches Kotua threw. Anti-Kotua kicked Kotua again, and walked off. Kotua slowly got up. He had to take Anti-Kotua down.

Kotua ran towards Anti-Kotua and kicked him. Anti-Kotua turned and punched Kotua. Kotua kicked Anti-Kotua, sending him into a door...

*****

Deciding neither was about to win anytime soon, Databoard turned and ran down the walkway. He took out a grappling hook and jumped over the side of the walkway. He swung down and began running for the T-1 Typhoon. Cane grabbed the grappling hook and swung down after him.

Databoard stopped when he saw ShadowTech soldiers taking out Blade and pointing their guns at him. They wore iron helmets on their heads, and they had breathing apparatuses connected to their backpacks. Their eyes were covered with the same breathing apparatus, and two dark pieces of glass allowed the soldiers to look, but looked dark to others. All their gear was black. They almost looked like robots.

Databoard turned to run, but Cane landed and aimed his gun at Databoard. "What are you going to do now, Dan?" asked Cane.

Dan? Databoard thought. How does this guy know my name?

"Well, what are you going to do?" Cane asked.

"Just... this!" Databoard shouted, and quickly knocked the gun from his hand. He then rushed away as Cane picked up his gun. As he did, Databoard fired his laser at him, but Cane was able to dodge it.

"You really want to test my patience, don't you?" said Cane.

Databoard fired again, but the ShadowTech agent dodged the blast.

"Give up, Dan, or your friend here will cease to live," said Cane.

"I'll give up if you let him go!" said Databoard.

"Be reasonable, Dan. There is nowhere to go for help. All we're waiting is for you to give up," said Cane.

"Who are you?" asked Databoard.

"Who am I!? Who am I!? You don't recognize me!?" shouted Cane.

Oops... wrong question, thought Databoard.

Databoard looked around. He would have to find some way to rescue Blade and stop this person at the same time. He fired at Cane, who once again dodged it. "Just give up, Dan!" he shouted.

Databoard continued to think of a plan. If he was going to do something, he would have to do it fast.

"Face it, Dan; ever since MSO, your skills have lowered. It's not the same... Give up now!" said Cane.

How does this guy know all this? Databoard thought, confused by this person's knowledge of him.

"Alright, Dan, time is running out," Cane said. "Give up now, or your friend over there dies."

Databoard looked at the two soldiers aiming at Blade. He might be able to take out one with a laser, but the other could just as easily fire at Blade while he was doing that. So, he would have to think of something else.

Okay, thought Blade. Time to put this new Cyber Matrix to the test.

While the two ShadowTech men were distracted by Databoard talking to Cane, Blade jumped next to the T-1 Typhoon. The men fired at him. Blade quickly ducked behind the cover of the T-1 Typhoon.

Alright, time to see if this can provide anything useful in getting rid of these guys, thought Blade. He scrolled through the programs until he found one that seemed perfect for the situation. Following its instructions, he pulled a plug out from the T-1 Typhoon, modified it slightly, and pointed it at the ShadowTech soldiers. It produced a bolt of electricity. They both got electrocuted and passed out.

"Cool," said Blade.

Six mechanical ninjas jumped in front of Blade. "Now, what the heck are you guys supposed to be?" asked Blade.

"We're ShadowTech Robo-Ninjas, here to defeat you," said one of the ninjas.

"Okay…" Blade said slowly. "Well, this is random!"

"Ninja Star Assault!" said Robo-Ninja 1. It started throwing several shuriken at Blade.

Ducking behind cover, Blade scrolled through the Cyber Matrix programs again until he found one that seemed appropriate: 42 Extraordinary Things That Can Be Done With An Ordinary Hammer. Grabbing a hammer from a toolbox, he said, "Now you're asking for it!" and then swung the hammer at Robo-Ninja 1, smashing it.

"Explosion Star!" said Robo-Ninja 2, throwing another shuriken at Blade. Blade deflected the shuriken with the hammer and sent it flying back towards the robot. The shuriken nailed Robo-Ninja 2 in the head, and the resulting explosion sent its parts flying everywhere.

Blade went on the offense. He whacked Robo-Ninja 3's head off, which collided with Robo-Ninja 4 and deactivated both of them. Then, he whacked Robo-Ninja 5 down through the floor.

Robo-Ninja 6 eyed Blade as he salvaged pieces from Robo-Ninja 3 and used the Cyber Matrix to assemble a makeshift flamethrower. "Let's see if you can't take the heat," said Blade, just before engulfing Robo-Ninja 6 in flames and disintegrating the bot.

----

"There is, however, one small piece of good fortune," reported Bogart.  "While they were otherwise very thorough in covering their tracks and leaving no surviving witnesses, they neglected to disable the outpost's security cameras.  We caught our murderers on film, at least."  With that, the private detective handed over the disk, containing a backup of the security footage, to Dino Attack leader Specs.

"Thank you, Bogart," said Specs.  "That will be all."

As the hired detective left the office, Specs took the disk and put it into the computer on his desk.  The other three founding agents – Digger, Shadow, and Viper – gathered around to watch the screen as well.

"Time to see who the villains of the week are this time," murmured Specs.  "ShadowTech?  ESG?  Shadows?  Beta Force?  Minifig Hunters?  … Raptors Gang?"

Viper sighed.  "Who'd have thought that, with so many scaly monsters to kill, us Minifigs would spend so much time fighting ourselves instead?"

"Dinosaurs are 'wow' enough," commented Digger.  "I don't know why we need so many other enemies to fill a void that isn't there."

"The world is an unstable power vacuum right now," muttered Shadow.  "Everyone sees the Dino Attack as an opportunity to fill it."

Specs fast-forwarded through the recorded footage until he received the approximate time that the S.O.S. had been sent out.  He watched the video as Dino Attack agents stationed at the outpost were bracing for a fight, running around the room and grabbing weapons, and elite agent Nails was valiantly organizing the defense.  Even so, they were not ready in time when the lights went out.

When the backup lights came on a few seconds later, casting the room with red illumination, there was now a tall figure standing in the room, armored in a pitch-black exosuit with what appeared to be a long black cape (although, in the grainy video footage, it almost looked like bat wings).  As Nails gave her order, the Dino Attack soldiers fired their weapons at the newcomer, but he simply shrugged off the barrage as his cybernetic armor shielded him.  Although the Dino Attack agents were brave, they were simply outclassed by their foe.

The villain laughed dramatically before raising his right hand and snapping his fingers, signaling to his three followers to enter the room.  They all wore black cloaks, making the four of them standing together look like a sinister cult.  The first appeared to be a medieval knight clad in dark armor; the second had a pair of bright red glowing hooks emerging from the cuffs of his sleeves; and the third had arms and legs that were entirely robotic.

In one hand, the dark knight swung a flail that fired laser beams in every direction, striking numerous Dino Attack agents and knocking them down.  As they struggled to recover, the knight rushed in and slashed with a wicked-looking sword.  The hook-handed man fired special pistols designed to be equipped by his hooks, while the man with robot limbs sprayed fire from his hands like a pair of miniature flamethrowers.  They moved quickly and efficiently, dispatching Dino Attack agents left and right with ease.

The Dino Attack agents fought valiantly, but they were overwhelmed by the coordinated attack.  In the end, the room was littered with the bodies of fallen soldiers, just as the rescue team had reported.  There was just one survivor: elite agent Nails.  She was wounded and lying on the floor, but still alive.  She might have escaped if only the villains' boss, the one in the exosuit, had not looked right at her.  As he walked slowly and menacingly towards her, one step at a time for full dramatic effect to intimidate her, she raised a gun and fired at him in one last act of defiance, but her efforts were just as fruitless as before.  He reached down, grabbed her by the neck, and lifted her struggling body into the air.

That was when the man with the robot limbs pointed directly at the security camera, turning the boss's attention towards it.  The boss paused for a second, and then he approached the camera while still holding onto Nails.  He got in close, wanting to make sure her face was visible in the video feed.  This elite agent was known for being tough and unyielding, but now even her eyes betrayed the terror of someone who knew she was about to die and was powerless to stop it.  The villain's own face could not be seen through the exosuit's helmet, but he surely must have been smiling sadistically as he gently caressed his hostage's check… and then snapped her neck.  He dropped her lifeless body on the floor like a broken toy that he had grown bored of.  Laughing, the four villains exited the outpost.

Sickened by what he just witnessed, Specs shook his head.  He had never met these four individuals, but they matched the descriptions in the report written by elite agents Rex and Zero.  "As I feared," he murmured.  "It's the Foundation of Unstoppable Terror and Ultimate Ruthless Evil… FUTURE."

----

Kotua ran into the room where he had kicked his alternate universe counterpart... to find a map room. Anti-Kotua was on the floor next to some sort of giant compass, with a neon rock inside of it, pointing a light towards the southwest. The glowing stone appeared very similar to the crystal that Anti-Kotua used to seal away Chaos, although Kotua could not be certain if it was the same one.

"Seems you're stronger than I anticipated," said Anti-Kotua.

Kotua tried kicking Anti-Kotua again, but Anti-Kotua grabbed Kotua's foot and forced him onto the floor.

"Ow," muttered Kotua.

Kotua punched Anti-Kotua, sending him back. Kotua kicked Anti-Kotua, sending him out the map room. Kotua then ran out the room after him, and kicked him again. They continued fighting until they reached a walkway over a hangar in the Anti-Voltage.

Kotua then kicked him again. Anti-Kotua grabbed him, and threw him off the walkway. Kotua managed to hold onto the walkway. Anti-Kotua raised his foot, and prepared to squash Kotua's fingers until he let go...

*****

More ShadowTech soldiers rushed in, and fired tranquilizers at Blade, making him fall asleep.

Cane turned to face Databoard, and received a kick at the face. Databoard ran over him and pushed a soldier that had run towards him to confront him. Another soldier rushed up to Databoard, but he grabbed the soldier by the neck and punched him until the lenses on his breathing apparatus broke.

Databoard then ran towards the barely-conscious Blade and lifted him up. He turned to see more soldiers had rushed in, and were surrounding him.

"You shouldn't have kicked me, Dan. But then again, you did do things to disappoint me," said Cane.

Databoard looked around. He had been cornered into a wall. All the soldiers had breathing apparatus, making Databoard wonder why ALL of them had them. The soldiers came closer, taking slow steps, loading their guns, and taking aim... all slowly...

----

Magma called his new vehicle the Sea Wolf. It was a large, fighting machine, with four sets of wings, a large torpedo tail, a cargo bay, and covered in weaponry. Its 'head' featured a cockpit, with several chambers in the mainframe. Magma hopped onboard, and flew off to find the Iron Hammer.

Magma, Shark, Sting, Flash, Icicle, and Eye all gathered onboard the briefing room in the Iron Hammer. A communication array was transmitting recent commands from Viper: "A massive Dino invasion has just occurred. More Mutant Dinos then we have seen before have invaded the castle coves and kingdoms. What's worse, two armies are engaged in war at the same time."

All the agents understood what Viper wanted. Sting walked onto the command deck, and sat down in the cockpit. The Iron Hammer shot away towards Castle Cove.

When the craft landed, Magma and the other agents got into their normal vehicles. A heavily armed group of Lion Knights charged at a group of Dragon Knights. The Lions were winning, until the Dragon Knights brought up a cage, and a Mutant Raptor came out. Magma fired his Sonic Screamer, sending the Raptor flying at the Dragon Knights. The Lion Knights army chased them. Flash used the time to net the raptor.

The Dino Attack agents defeated the Mutant Raptor, but more Dinos were in the area. Lion Knights were fighting Dragon Knights and Dinos, Dragon Knights were fighting Lion Knights and Dinos, the Dinos were fighting knights and Dino Attack, and Dino Attack was only fighting the Dinos. In other words, it was mass chaos.

Magma's thin patience had expired. With some assistance from a nearby catapult, he jumped onto a tall rock in the middle of everything. He took some heavy-powered sonic grenades, and activated them. Immediately, the battle stopped. "If you fools would stop fighting for a minute and help defeat these Dinos, it would be a lot better off!" he shouted. So began the alliance of the Lion and Dragon Kingdoms against the Dinosaurs.

When the Dinos were finished off, the battle between the Lion Knights and the Dragon Knights resumed again. Shark said, "Let's get out of here!" All obliged, driving for the Iron Hammer.

Sting jumped into the pilot room, and they took off. Then, many Pteranodons flew down, electrocuting the craft. Turrets rose from the Iron Hammer, firing on Pteranodons. Orb Bombers took off, aiding in the fight.

----

At that moment, a loud BOOM could be heard. Anti-Kotua turned, surprised. Kotua swung himself and went up, sending his feet into Anti-Kotua and pushing him off, while Kotua landed on the walkway.

"I won't give you any mercy because of your evil actions... and I know no jail cell could contain you forever..." said Kotua, kicking Anti-Kotua until he let go...

*****

Databoard (carrying the half-conscious Blade) ran as the ShadowTech soldiers ran after him. He had dropped a smoke bomb with sound, making it seem like a bomb, and giving him time to run!

Blade woke up. "What happened?" he wondered.

"You got hit with tranquilizers," replied Databoard, who was still running and still carrying Blade.

"I see," said Blade.

"There are ShadowTech soldiers chasing us!" said Databoard. "Think of something!"

Blade scrolled through the programs on the Cyber Matrix until he found a program called the Dino Attack RPG Player's Guide. "Hmm. According to this, Shadow-Blades have Beam Shield capabilities, which cancel out everything except nukes, VSLG, and Lightsabers. And they have 215 HP."

What? Does he think this is a game? thought Databoard. "I said ShadowTech, not Shadow-Blade!" he snapped. "And if that is all your little gadget does, then WE'RE GONNA DIE!"

"Hang on," said Blade. "Stop running. I have a plan."

Databoard came to a stop. Blade flew out of his hands and landed a few feet in front of him. "Care to share this plan?" asked Databoard.

"Do you know what happens to a ShadowTech soldier that gets blasted with a Laser Cannon?" inquired Blade.

"Err, no, what?"

"The same thing that happens to everything else!" proclaimed Blade.

"Dude, that line sucks," groaned Databoard.

Blade shrugged. "Whatever. Just distract them while I whip up some Cyber goodies."

Several ShadowTech soldiers fired at Databoard, but he turned and fired back. They took cover and continued to fire. Cane leapt out at him as well, firing his gun. "Give up, Dan!" he shouted. "You can't run forever!"

"Just watch me!" Databoard shouted back. He pulled out a small canister and tore it open, sending up a cloud of smoke into the man's face. While he was distracted by this, Databoard turned and ran towards the T-1 Typhoon.

Databoard arrived at the hangar, along with Blade. They got into the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard got into the cockpit, while Blade got in the rear gunner's station. Blade then remembered the ammo, and switched the rear gun's ammo to laser.

Databoard prepared to take off, when several of the ShadowTech soldiers arrived and started firing at them. Blade began firing the rear gun at them, and several of the soldiers were hit by lasers. But the others were able to dodge the lasers, and continued shooting at the T-1 Typhoon.

*****

Kotua ran down the corridor, avoiding the armed security cameras and Astro-Bots. Suddenly, ShadowTech soldiers surrounded him.

"What do we have here?" said Cane.

"Don't you ever have enough of me?" asked Kotua.

"No... but right now, I'm more interested in your pal Dan," said Cane.

"Really..." said Kotua, reaching for something in his pocket.

"I wouldn't suggest it," said Cane.

"I would," said Kotua, taking out a smoke bomb and activating it.

"Fire!" said Cane.

Kotua ducked as the soldiers opened fire, trying to kill him.

Kotua took out his PDA, and wrote a message to Blade and Databoard:

ANTI-KOTUA IS GONE...WEATHER STILL BAD...DON'T GO OUTSIDE!
AGENT KOTUA

He continued running as ShadowTech soldiers ran after him, followed by Astro-Bots. Kotua continued running until he ended up in the map room. He immediately closed the door, and looked around. He reached for the neon rock in the compass thing. To his surprise, it was hot.

Kotua grabbed the stone, and turned. There was no way for him to go... except up.

*****

Databoard read Kotua's message. It doesn't seem like we're going anywhere anyway, thought Databoard as more ShadowTech soldiers entered the hangar. Blade continued to fire at the soldiers, but they continued to evade the lasers. Several soldiers fired lasers at the cockpit, missing it by inches.

"Great," said Blade. "We're outnumbered and out of options." Then, the ship started shaking. "What now?"

A computer voice said: "Approaching Destination. All personal please report to Hangar Bay 6."

More soldiers ran inside, and began firing. Databoard pulled out several laser bombs and threw them out of the T-1 Typhoon at the soldiers. They exploded, sending laser bolts flying in every direction. Several of the soldiers were hit by the lasers, while other ran for cover, still firing lasers at the T-1 Typhoon.

Databoard looked around. There were still many ShadowTech soldiers firing at them. Suddenly he heard a THUD. He looked outside, to find Kotua had dropped down from the air ducts, and broken his fall by throwing some soft stuff before jumping.

"Good to see you alive again," said Databoard jokingly.

The ShadowTech soldiers continued to fire at them. Databoard tossed another laser bomb at the soldiers, who quickly rushed away to avoid the lasers. However, several were hit by lasers, decreasing the numbers of attacking soldiers. Blade fired at some of the soldiers, defeating several of them.

Kotua showed Databoard the neon crystal. "I wonder why Anti-Kotua would have this stone..." said Kotua.

"The thing I wonder is why the man with the orange glasses knows me," said Databoard.

Databoard look out his laser rifle, and began firing at the ShadowTech soldiers. They ducked to avoid the lasers, but several were hit. Meanwhile, Blade fired the rear gun, and several soldiers were hit by lasers. However, there were still many soldiers, and they were slowly surrounding the T-1 Typhoon.

"I think that stone is the reason for the weather," said Blade.

"What?!" said Kotua.

"Well, it's simple, Kotua. The Anti-Voltage is surrounded by the bad weather, but it's completely unaffected. The stone is generating the storm and is the only way to safely pass through," explained Blade.

Kotua was skeptical. "Right. Sorry, Blade, if I don't believe this one."

"Alright... I say we give it a chance!" insisted Blade.

"I don't want to trust a stone to stop the weather, but if we don't get out soon, we're going to be prisoners of ShadowTech," said Databoard.

"Well, the hangar doors are closed," said Kotua.

"We're going to have to blast our way through... simple, really," said Databoard, pressing a few buttons.

The frontal cannon slowly came out of the bottom front of the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard took aim, and began firing at the hangar door.

Databoard blasted at the hangar doors repeatedly, trying to blow a hole in them big enough for the T-1 Typhoon to get through. Meanwhile, the ShadowTech soldiers continued to fire at them, and Kotua and Blade fired back at them. Databoard continued to fire at the hangar doors.

Kotua took out a small device and flung it at the ShadowTech soldiers. It hit the ground behind them and exploded, electrocuting many of the soldiers. Databoard continued firing, and activated the side pods of the T-1 Typhoon to help blast the doors.

The hangar doors were starting to take on damage from the constant barrage. The ShadowTech soldiers continued to fire, but their numbers had been greatly decreased by Kotua's device. Databoard fired some more, and was starting to make a hole in the hangar doors.

Kotua took out the same device, and flung it. This time ShadowTech soldiers spread out, making only two soldiers fall victim to the device. Kotua took out a third one, made some modifications, and then he flung it. It exploded, claiming more soldiers and destroying any remaining Shadow-Blades that had been used as cover.

"I'm through! Let's go!" said Databoard, piloting the T-1 Typhoon away and into the storm.

The T-1 Typhoon flew off, leaving the ShadowTech soldiers to rest, somewhat. One of them took out a radio. "Sir, they got away," said the soldier.

"What!? Well... tell the Elite Team to report to the Command Deck, and tell the others to get into battle positions!" said Cane.

"Yes, Sir!" said the soldier, shutting off the radio, and getting up to inform the soldiers of the orders...

----

Zonic jumped in his Steel Sprinter, muttering under his breath, "Time to blast some Dino scum."

After finishing off a gaggle of Mutant Lizards, Zonic walked into a now-ruined building. "This place is a dump..." he muttered as he walked near an elevator door. He heard a loud whirring noise as the elevator started to descend to his level. Fearing it was a Mutant Lizard, or worse, a Raptor, he ran out of the building and loaded a rocket into his launcher.

Zonic drove his Steel Sprinter to an abandoned warehouse where Mutant Lizards have been seen. He parked his Sprinter, loaded his rocket launcher, and went inside. He whispered, "MegaBloks!" as he saw not a Lizard, but a full-grown Mutant Raptor.

Without thinking, Zonic fired five rockets at the raptor. "Let's see you try to eat this!" Zonic shouted. The Raptor was too agile and dodged all of them. Desperately trying to reload his launcher in time, he didn't see the Raptor running right towards him.

The Raptor knocked Zonic into a wall. As he felt a drop of blood trickle down his forehead, he slipped into unconsciousness. The last thing he heard was a Raptor's roar and a sonic emitter opening fire...

----

Databoard flew through the storm. The high winds made it hard to pilot, but it was nothing he couldn't fly though. The rain reduced the visibility, however, and made it harder to see where he was going. He nearly flew into the side of a nearby building, but was able to steer away from it at the last second.

The storm worsened even more, pulling the T-1 Typhoon into the eye of the storm. Databoard maneuvered out of it, but it eventually pulled the T-1 Typhoon in. Suddenly a blast hit near the T-1 Typhoon, and the blast was quickly absorbed into the eye.

"We have to move out of the eye, or one blast might hit us!" said Kotua.

"I know!" said Databoard.

Databoard began to maneuver the T-1 Typhoon away, but it was hard in such high winds. He was pushing the craft to its limits, trying to get out of the storm. The helicopter was slowly being pulled back in, but Databoard continued trying to fly out. The T-1 Typhoon slowly began moving away from the storm's eye...

Suddenly, the small crystal Kotua held began to glow, and a small section opened in the eye of the hurricane. The crystal emitted a light, which pointed into the small section.

"I think were supposed to go in," said Kotua.

"I'm sure of that..." muttered Databoard, piloting the T-1 Typhoon towards the small section. Suddenly, blasts flew over and under the helicopter. "Looks like the Anti-Voltage is still flying."

"I don't doubt it," said Kotua.

Databoard continued trying to fly towards the small opening in the storm, but trying to maneuver towards it was hard. Avoiding the blasts being fired was just as hard. He continued to fly the T-1 Typhoon through the storm, trying to get to the small opening. Unfortunately, the storm made it hard to do that.

Kotua watched as the Anti-Voltage fired multiple blasts again, nearly hitting the T-1 Typhoon. Since the craft was still too far, they were out of range of Blade's counterfire.

Blade was oddly calm as he said, "Don't worry. I have a felling the ship will be stopping..." Explosions could be heard from the Anti-Voltage. "… Now."

"What did you do?" asked Kotua.

"I set up a bomb in the gas chamber," explained Blade.

"You sly fox!" said Databoard.

"Thank goodness for that," said Kotua.

"You're welcome," said Blade. The helicopter continued as the Anti-Voltage flew off.

The helicopter continued until they reached the eye of the storm, which was big enough to contain a city. They landed on a small patch of grass. Inside the eye, it was calm. The sun shined through. However, the dark clouds of the hurricane surrounded the land.

"I think I have an idea where we are," said Blade.

"Okay. Shoot," said Databoard.

"We're on Voya Nui."

"What makes you say that?" asked Kotua.

Blade pointed. "I see a Piraka fighting a Raptor," he claimed, but Databoard and Kotua did not see anything. Kotua waved his hand over Blade's eyes. "And there's a donut stand too!" said Blade, running off into the ruins.

"What's with him?" asked Kotua.

"He was hit with tranquilizers earlier... I think it's some sort of side-effect," said Databoard, walking after Blade.

"Oh boy. I remember the last time someone lost it," said Kotua, following Databoard.

"I wonder whether Frozeen remembers..." said Databoard. "Alright we should go after Blade, before he hurts himself. And then we work on getting out of here."

Kotua nodded, and they headed off to get Blade. As they followed him, Databoard was wondering who that sunglasses-wearing man on the Anti-Voltage was, and why he knew so much about him.

Kotua looked around. Although the place was now in ruins, there could still be a lot to tell of what the place was like. It seemed lowtech, as there were no telephones in sight, or anything, other than buildings, buildings, and more buildings.

"Hey guys! There's donuts!" said Blade, obviously still under the side-effects of the tranquilizers.

Kotua walked into a building as Databoard held off Blade from jumping into a "pool" which was really a hole.

Kotua took out his flashlight, and looked around. There was a lightbulb. He looked around for a switch, and turned the lights on. It was a hotel. There were elevators.

So the people who lived here, if any, weren't low tech, thought Kotua.

*****

Cane watched the storm, tinted through his orange sunglasses.

"There is no way to make it with this damaged craft," said a ShadowTech soldier.

"If we make it through, get those Dino Attack agents, and head back to base, I'll quadruple your salaries," said Cane.

When the soldiers heard that, they began working hard, trying to fix the damages, and moving closer to the eye of the hurricane. The path that had opened for Databoard, Kotua, and Blade had now closed, meaning that the soldiers would have to brave it...

----

"I-I'm so sorry," Rex stammered, "I didn't know. I… I thought you were…"

Amanda smiled gently, accepting the apology. She rubbed up against his neck and nuzzled him with her snout, indicating that she was just happy to be reunited with him.

Rex was so relieved that she was alive, he could not help smiling. He returned the gesture, which was probably as close as two T-Rexes could get to hugging one another. "I'm just so happy that you're alright," he said.

But then, Amanda's smile faded away. She glanced back at the police station where her uniform was found, and she sighed heavily. While Rex had embraced his true form, Amanda did not belong as a T-Rex. No, she was not alright in this state.

"Was it FUTURE that did this?" asked Rex, suspecting that he already knew the answer.

Amanda responded with a nod, and there was visible pain in her eyes. She had been overpowered by FUTURE, and she did not like the vulnerability and helplessness of being their victim.

"Why would they do this to you?" wondered Rex.

Amanda silently opened and closed her mouth, and then she shook her head.

"Of course," realized Rex. "Finister said that they couldn't interrogate you, so they had to come up with something cruel: turning you into the enemy of Dino Attack. They counted on you going feral and killing your own teammates… or else your teammates killing you because you couldn't tell them who you really are."

Rex remembered reading the reports. Axel and Snake of Spades were both turned into vicious monsters when exposed to the serum, having completely lost their own identities as they gave into the urges to destroy. And yet, Amanda remained herself, even in this transformed state. It's as if she already knows how to control her inner demons, he thought to himself.

----

By now, Blade's side effects had worn off, meaning that he was confused how he got from the Anti-Voltage to the eye of a storm. Databoard explained it as Kotua checked the buildings.

"I haven't found anything that would help Anti-Kotua... I wonder why he wanted to get here," said Kotua.

"Maybe because there isn't anything here. Not anymore, at least. Maybe this is where the crystal came from, and then Anti-Kotua took it to create that storm... I mean, only those with the crystal could get through, so that means that nobody could destroy him inside the hurricane. And now, we're returning the crystal to its original location, but that's all just speculation on my part," said Databoard

Kotua continued walking. The crystal had stopped shining as brightly, and now had only a faint light. "Interesting," said Kotua.

"What's interesting?" asked Databoard.

"The light of the crystal stopped shining," said Kotua.

"I say we get the Znap out of here before something comes out," said Databoard.

"I say we look for food," said Kotua.

"Yeah. I am sort of hungry, now that you mention it," said Databoard.

"I'm sleepy," said Blade.

Kotua, Databoard, and Blade continued walking, until they found a restaurant. Kotua looked in the kitchen, and found a refrigerator, still running. He opened it, and found some drinks, mostly sodas, but there was also water and various others.

"There's some stuff here to drink," said Kotua, closing the fridge to look for some glasses. He found some on a cabinet.

"On second thought, I'll remain awake," said Blade, taking one of the glasses, taking out a soda from the fridge, and serving himself some.

"Don't you check to see if they're past their expiration date?" asked Databoard.

"I did. They're fine. I took some chemistry. I know they're okay," said Kotua

"Well..." Databoard said as Kotua looked for some food. "What if the people here find us eating their stuff?"

"We'll explain and try to make it up to them. Not breaking stuff would help, too," said Kotua, taking out some bread from a machine. "This civilization seems to have found a way to make sure food doesn't go spoiled."

After getting out the food, and eating, Blade fell asleep... on the table. "I guess all that fighting got to him," said Databoard.

"Well, at least nothing bad is happening," said Kotua.

----

Zonic woke up in a familiar place: a Dino Attack outpost. The fact that the dinos hadn't found the location didn't surprise him; only about four inches of this facility was above ground, while most of it was underground.

Rip, the facility's medic and weapons tester, said: "You're lucky the Raptor didn't kill ya. And we were lucky to pull you out in time. Especially with our... startling discovery."

Zonic replied, "Um... what startling discovery are you talking about?"

Rip told Zonic, "We have discovered a new breed of mutant dino; we call it a X-Rex. It's twice as big as a T-Rex and twice as mean. Oh, and it's invincible to normal weapons. But we have been working on a new type of weapon. We call it a SuperRocket Launcher. Sorry for the clichéd name, but it is far more powerful than a normal rocket launcher and we predict it could take down a X-Rex."

"Interesting, very interesting..." Zonic muttered.

An hour later, Rip went to check on Zonic only to find him missing. He ran throughout the outpost but could not find him. "Zonic? ZONIC? Where could he be...?" Rip shouted. There was only one room Rip hadn't checked: the prototype weapons room. He opened the door, and he saw two of the four SuperRocket Launchers were gone...

----

Suddenly, the ground slightly shook as the sound of an explosion could be heard.

"Did you feel that?" asked Kotua.

"Barely," said Databoard.

"I think we've got company. Blade!" said Kotua, shaking Blade.

"Wha-" said Blade.

"Let's go! We need to get to the T-1 in case it's ShadowTech," said Kotua.

"Oh..." said Blade, getting fully alert.

The three agents ran towards the T-1 Typhoon, only to find that the spot where they had landed the helicopter had crumbled away, taking the vehicle with it!

Suddenly, the ground shook slightly and another small explosion could be heard. Kotua ran towards the edge of the land. There was more land below, where the Anti-Voltage was. They were busy busting some doors open with explosives, and by chance not realized that Kotua, Blade, and Databoard were watching them. The soldiers were all wearing the breathing apparatus.

"What's with that?" asked Databoard, pointing to the devices.

"I don't know. The breathing apparatus is only used when there is gas around, which there isn't," said Kotua. He took out his PDA to warn the others, but to his surprise, there was no signal. "I guess we're on our own."

----

Zonic saw it. The X-Rex. It towered above the skyscrapers. He hadn't seen anything like it before. Grabbing the two SuperRocket Launchers he had "borrowed" from Rip, he ran towards the building nearest the X-Rex.

When he got to the roof, he saw the great beast's head. "Hey, you! Slime brain!" Zonic shouted. The X-Rex turned its head towards Zonic and roared. The force of its roar almost knocked Zonic backwards.

Aiming the two SuperRocket Launchers at the beast's head, Zonic uttered a phrase from one of his favorite movies, a movie like one he'd watch before the War. Clutching the trigger, Zonic shouted, "Do you feel lucky? Well, do you, punk?"

That's when Zonic noticed the storm above. Odd... thought Zonic.

Suddenly a T-1 Typhoon fell right in front of him, severing the SuperRocket launchers! "D'oh!" said Zonic.

Zonic would not let this X-Rex get away. He ran down to the street and fired at the X-Rex's torso. The rockets found their target, and the X-Rex fell to the ground, creating a crater.

Zonic looked up at the sky. "That's a mighty big storm if ever I saw one." he commented.

As Zonic parked his Steel Sprinter in the garage of the underground outpost, Rip ran up to him. "Where have you been?" Rip shouted.

Zonic replied, "I killed it. It's dead."

"The X-Rex?" asked Rip.

"Yessiree bob," said Zonic.

Rip worriedly looked at Zonic. "Well, there's a problem. There's two more X-Rexes. And more bad news. You know your two kids, Megan and Tre? Well, we have a video recording of them getting ripped to shreds by a pack of lizards. I think Megan must have left something behind and forgot to bring it when the city was evacuated, so she must've gone back for it."

Zonic punched the wall in anger. "Builder dang it, Rip, too many people are dying in this war! We have to end it now!" he shouted.

"Well, what should we do?" Rip said.

Zonic replied, "We have to take the fight... to the nest. Get a Fire Hammer ready."

*****

Hotwire and Kat had finished welding the metal shards when they felt tremors in the ground. They hopped into the Fire Hammer and drove toward the source of the tremors. Once at the site, they saw what appeared to be a giant T-Rex lying on the ground near a crashed T-1 Typhoon. And beside the T-1 Typhoon, Hotwire and Kat saw two figures leaving.

*****

Out of an opening in the mostly underground outpost, a Fire Hammer screamed out. "That storm's getting a little too close for comfort!" Rip shouted over the hum of the helicopter.

In an almost panicky voice, Zonic said, "Don't worry." Zonic sat down in one of the Fire Hammer's chairs.

"Are you alright?" Rip shouted.

Zonic replied, "It's my kids. I can't stop thinking about them. Them just... gone."

Rip sighed and said, "A lot of men lost their families in this war. I lost mine..."

After a moment of silence, Zonic said, "Pull up, the storm's right ahead."

Rip shouted, "I can't, we're being sucked in!" As Rip lost control of the Fire Hammer, it smashed into a wall.

Zonic, Rip and the two pilots crawled out of the Fire Hammer and surveyed the damage. "It doesn't look too bad," said Rip. "I might be able to get this up and running by tomorrow. Let's get to work."

As they walked near the engine, Rip stopped in his tracks. "What is it?" Zonic inquired.

"The modulator..." replied Rip, "we can't get this thing running without it. It must have fallen off when we were sucked in by the storm."

Grabbing a Rocket Launcher and an AK-47 machine gun, Zonic calmly said, "I'll find it. Wait here."

----

"This is the third reported incident this month," muttered Specs, "and yet we're no closer to catching these sons of MegaBloks.  I fear that they might be our greatest threat at the moment."

Digger skeptically raised an eyebrow.  "These guys?  They're dangerous, sure, but our 'greatest threat'?  Given everything else out there, I find that a little hard to believe."

"Especially with the Mutant Dinos," grumbled Shadow.  "Need I remind you that's why we're here in the first place?  FUTURE is nothing more than a brief distraction.  A nuisance."

"That 'nuisance' just killed a whole outpost of Dino Attack agents," Viper pointed out.  "It was like a scene out of a horror movie!"

"This is war," Shadow said gruffly.  "Every single one of our enemies is killing our agents.  FUTURE isn't as significant as ShadowTech or the Shadows, hardly amounting to more than a thorn in our side.  Their attacks are random, with no clear goal or motivation.  What makes them so special?"

"True," said Specs, "FUTURE doesn't have the resources of ShadowTech or the forces of the Shadows, nor are they our primary target like the Mutant Dinos.  But, they have the most powerful weapon of all."  He tapped the side of his head.  "Knowledge."

Viper stifled a giggle.  "Really?  That sounded like some cheesy slogan for a DUPLO school library."

"Don't smirk, Viper," Specs said sternly, "I'm being dead serious.  FUTURE has invaluable knowledge about the Dino Attack that no one else has.  If Rex and Zero's report is accurate, then FUTURE has come back in time from a future where we have already won, and their goal is to steal our victory from us.  They know how history plays out.  They know what it takes for us to win.  And now, they are using that knowledge to sabotage our victory and change history before it happens.  They are using our own futures against us, and we don't even know it."

Silence fell over the founding members as they considered what Specs said.  "Can they even do that?" Digger wondered aloud.  "Change history, I mean.  If time is set in stone, then their efforts may be futile."

"You mean like those sci-fi stories," suggested Viper, "where you go back in time to change the past, but it turns out you already went back in time, so you already changed the past?"

"A stable time loop," murmured Specs.

Shadow solemnly shook his head.  "No, it's not a stable time loop.  It's possible to change the past… it's already happened before."

"What?" gasped Digger, who almost sounded excited by the possibility.  "When?  How?"

"I once read a highly-classified Alpha Team report," explained Shadow.  "The entire team was killed by Ogel during Mission Deep Freeze… but a lone surviving agent, Frozeen, went back in time and prevented that from happening.  If one Alpha Team agent can change history for the better, then four villains are certainly capable of changing it for the worse.  It's one of the reasons why Hypno Disks were declared illegal."

"Then it is exactly as I feared," sighed Specs.  "To us, FUTURE's attacks may seem random and inconsequential, but I've been kept awake at night wondering if they might spell our doom somewhere down the line.  They're probably targeting agents who played a significant role in the original timeline, and we don't even always know what it is that they did in the original timeline!  At least… not until it's too late."

Specs placed a file on his desk.  "Agent Connors," he reported.  "She was assigned to assist agents Rev Raptor and Sereve in tracking down the mad scientist Jecht 'Landro' Raptor.  But, she was terminated by FUTURE before she got there… now, both Rev and Sereve are dead."  He placed another file on top of Connors' file.  "Agent MacFly.  He was delivering a vital report containing pertinent intel about Chaos, which could have potentially ended the Kotua crisis much sooner.  FUTURE made sure the report was erased… along with MacFly himself."  Another file.  "Agent Remous.  I was planning on sending him and Claw on a special mission investigating Mutant Dino activity in the Goo Caverns.  Instead, he's missing and presumed dead after attempting to pursue one of FUTURE's members, and I've lost my opportunity to send another squad in their place since Ogel just recently doubled the Goo Caverns' defenses."

Specs rubbed his brow as he sighed in frustration, looking wistfully out the window to the ruined city skyline beyond.  "Now," he whispered, "that video is going to haunt me forever.  FUTURE was surely taunting us in the end; they want us to know that they are five steps ahead of us.  And we will never know why elite agent Wanda 'Nails' Nielsen was so important that she had to die."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 15: Clone Wars

----

While tracking Blade, Kotua, and Databoard, Hotwire was captured by ShadowTech. As Databoard and Blade began their search for Hotwire, Kotua was also captured by ShadowTech and held prisoner in an underwater base.

"Great... before, we were just looking for Howire. Now, we're looking for Kotua too," muttered Databoard as he worked on the sensor.

"True. And what about the box that those people took?" asked Blade.

"Yeah, I have a bad feeling the Shadows might have gotten it open by now," Databoard said as he continued to fix the sensor. "It was laserproof and capable of withstanding some explosives, but it's not indestructible. Darkforce could have managed to get it open by now."

Blade looked around. "I can't believe we're fighting humans during this Mutant Dino crisis..." he said.

"Well... Not everyone sees things the same way," said Databoard.

"So, what are we going to do: contain the Mutant Dinosaurs, find Hotwire and Kotua, or go after Darkforce?" asked Blade.

"Well, that is a tough decision. Both the Mutant Dinosaurs, ShadowTech, and Darkforce present an immediate threat," Databoard said. "But there are other Dino Attack who are fighting the Mutant Dinosaurs, so I think we should either try to find Kotua and Hotwire, or go after Darkforce."

"Very well then..." said Blade.

"Either of those options will be difficult," Databoard said. "I don't know where any ShadowTech bases are, and Darkforce has a plane that can act as a mobile base that he might have taken the box to. However, the plane is fairly big, so if we're in the area, it should be easy to spot."

"Well... Kotua and Hotwire could be in more danger..." said Blade.

"True... let's see which place we find first..." said Databoard. "Given the amount of time since Kotua was captured, I don't think ShadowTech could have gotten far away from LEGO City. I suggest we start looking for him in the area in and around the city. Hotwire might be in the same place as Kotua, but I doubt it." He repaired the sensor and they took off to start searching.

*****

Kotua awoke. He had been strapped onto a table.

"Comfortable? You should be..." said agent Cane.

"I'm not comfortable until ShadowTech goes down!" said Kotua.

"Like MSO did. Well... guess what... we're not MSO. We're going to win... and I doubt any of your Dino Attack friends will be able to find you... unless they have a submarine..." said Cane.

Kotua watched as Agent Cane walked off, and water started pouring onto the room he was in.

So he's going to drown me... thought Kotua.

Kotua watched as the water moved up. "What do you want from me?" shouted Kotua.

"For you to cease to exist," said a voice over the intercom.

*****

Databoard and Blade flew over LEGO city, looking for Kotua or Hotwire.

Suddenly, Databoard spotted someone running from Mutant Lizards. He activated the T-1 Typhoon's bottom camera, and zoomed in. "Circuit?" he said.

Databoard flew down towards the Mutant Lizards and began firing. Several of the Mutant Lizards were hit, while others were able to avoid the lasers. Several Mutant Lizards attempted to leap at the low-flying T-1 Typhoon, but were unable to reach it and were subsequently defeated by Databoard and Blade.

Ex-Alpha Team agent Danield "Circuit" Hopkins watched as a T-1 Typhoon flew around, taking out the Mutant Lizards. Soon the T-1 Typhoon landed, and Circuit climbed in to find Databoard. "Hey, Data! I didn't know you were part of the Dino Attack team," said Circuit.

"Hi, Circuit. What are you doing here?" asked Databoard.

"I was sent by the LEGOLAND government to see if I could check out about project AD," said Circuit.

"Project AD?" asked Databoard.

"Didn't you Dino Attack agents get the information along with the vaccines?" asked Circuit.

"No... we haven't received anything from the government," said Databoard.

"That can't be! The government sent two helicopters with all the stuff, along with escort battle helicopters!" said Circuit.

"Then someone in this city has all that stuff," said Databoard.

Blade finally opened the door. "Hello there!" he said cheerfully, not aware of the conversation Circuit just had with Databoard. "Who's that?" Blade asked when he saw Circuit.

"He's an ex-Alpha Team agent named Circuit," Databoard explained. "Expert in technology and forensic science."

After saying hello to Circuit, Blade went back into the gunner's cockpit.

Databoard then turned his attention back to Circuit. "So, what was this project you were talking about?" he asked.

"Well, through testing, we found that some Mutant Dinosaurs weren't originally Mutant Dinosaurs... but humans," explained Circuit.

Databoard nodded. "Yes, that sounds like that Mutant Dino DNA Serum that Snake discovered," he murmured.

"The Anti-Dino project was a series of Anti-Mutant Dinosaur machines designated to eliminate the mutated DNA. The machine was planned to be sent here, despite being still a prototype. As such it could be reprogrammed for anything, as we've actually been able to vaporize any metal as we put its 'code'," said Circuit.

"Great. We have a machine out there with dangerous capabilities... Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse," muttered Databoard.

"Yes, well, we don't know how well it works, since you guys were supposed to get the machine and report," said Circuit.

"Only we didn't," said Databoard. "So, I guess we'll have to find where it went. I suppose that's what we should do."

Circuit replied, "I have a bad feeling ShadowTech took it. I don't know who else has the ability to take it."

Databoard said, "I'm afraid to think about the danger to Dino Attack if it's in their possession."

Kat came out of hiding and yelled up to the T-1 Typhoon. "HEY! Help!!"

Blade looked down from the conversation with Circuit. He pulled out a pair of binoculars and saw that the person on the ground was Kat. Blade lowered the winch on the boom crane to hoist her up. Once Kat was in the T-1 Typhoon, introductions went all around.

Databoard was still thinking about whether ShadowTech was responsible for the disappearance of the Anti-Mutant Dino machines. If they were, it created more need to locate their base, along with finding Hotwire and Kotua. He wasn't certain ShadowTech took the machine, but he didn't know who else might have taken it.

*****

Agent Cane walked into the room.

"You know, if you wanted to kill me, you already would have. You want something, so spit it out...what is it?" said Kotua.

"The Anti-Dino Machine. Where is it?" asked Cane.

"Good question... No idea what you're talking about," said Kotua.

"Wrong answer!" said Cane, hitting Kotua.

Kotua looked at Cane. "What is this machine you are talking about?" asked Kotua.

"You know, you foolish and stupid Dino Attack agent!" said Cane.

"If we Dino Attack agents are dumb as you say, why is it that you only have me?" said Kotua.

"And agent Hotwire!" said Cane.

"Riiight. Well, where is agent Hotwire?" asked Kotua.

"You think I'm dumb enough to tell you where he is?" said Cane.

Kotua looked thoughtful for a bit. "Yeah," he said.

*****

Databoard decided to start searching the area, just in case it wasn't ShadowTech that took the machine. He began taking scans of the city, looking for anything that seemed out of place, for if the Anti-Dino machine was in LEGO City, it would be bound to stick out when he took scans of the area.

Databoard piloted his T-1 Typhoon over city, scanning it. To his surprise, it wasn't anywhere... or so he thought.

Two Raptors gangsters noticed the T-1 Typhoon. "Finish them off," said the leading Raptors gangster.

"Yes, Sir!" said the Raptors gangsters, jumping into cars, and driving off after the T-1 Typhoon...

Databoard continued to run scans of the city, but still couldn't locate the machine. Maybe the T-1's scanners aren't designed to locate the machine... he thought. Databoard looked at the scanner, and noticed there were two cars moving towards them. He turned on the weapons. It was most likely nothing, but he decided that it was better than to walk into an ambush.

The Raptors gangsters took out a missile launcher, and fired. Blade fired back, destroying the missile.

"Looks like those people below don't like us," joked Blade.

"Obviously," said Databoard, turning the T-1 Typhoon and opening fire down below at the gangsters.

Another missile flew at them, but it was destroyed in midair before it could hit the T-1 Typhoon. Just once, I'd like to go a day without someone trying to kill me, Databoard thought as they fired at the people attacking them. Another missile flew by, but this one missed the T-1 Typhoon and hit the side of a building.

*****

Shark and Eye had been on the ship all the time. While the rest were talking, Shark was scanning the area for where ShadowTech went. A course appeared, showing a trail to the ocean, where it was cut off. Shark ignored this, and continued his scanning.

Shark activated his signal transmission beacon. Magma and Sting saw the signal, and they set course to the area. "Dino Attack airship cruiser Iron Hammer to T-1 Typhoon, respond," Magma said.

*****

"This is T-1 Typhoon," Databoard replied. "I'd love to stay and chat, but I'm a little busy avoiding missiles to talk."

Databoard fired at another missile, causing it to explode. His plan was to avoid the missiles until these people ran out, and then he would see why they were attacking them.

Databoard fired at an incoming missile, causing it to spin out of control. It fell towards the ground and exploded near the two cars, causing the person with the missile launcher to temporarily duck for cover. Databoard fired near him, trying to knock the launcher from his hand, but he was able to avoid the lasers by jumping behind one of the cars.

The Raptors gangsters decided that this target was not worth wasting on ammo yet, and they drove off, leaving the gangster with the missile launcher.

Blade got out of the T-1 Typhoon rear gunner's seat and got some rope. "That person down there will surely talk in a few minutes..." said Blade.

As Blade got out to deal with the gangster with the missile launcher, Databoard continued to scan the city for anything out of the ordinary. He wasn't just looking for the machine, but anything that might be a ShadowTech base. He began looking over every inch of the scans, searching for anything that could give him a clue to the location of either.

Blade landed, and threw the rope in a way that wrapped around the missile launcher. Blade then pulled, taking the weapon away from the surprised gangster.

Databoard had looked over the scans of the area, but didn't see anything. He would need to get back into the air again before he could take any more scans. Databoard decided to run the scans through the T-1 Typhoon's computer, in case there was anything in there that he had missed.

*****

Agent Cane left the room, leaving Kotua there. The water had now been drained, which puzzled Kotua.

Two ShadowTech guards came in and untied Kotua. He rewarded them by doing a spin kick. Both soldiers dropped down, stunned. Kotua jumped off, and grabbed their weapons. He ran out and fired at two guards there, who were hit by the blasts and hit the ground in an eternal sleep.

Kotua hid in a room. He realized he had his PDA. He took it out, and typed a message to Databoard.

I'M IN SHADOWTECH BASE UNDERWATER. THEY ASK ABOUT SOME "ANTI-DINO MACHINE". PLEASE FIND OUT WHAT IT IS, AND MAKE SURE SHADOWTECH DOESN'T GET THEIR HANDS ON IT!
AGENT KOTUA

*****

Databoard read Kotua's message and quickly responded.

I ALREADY KNOW ABOUT THIS MACHINE. IT'S SOMETHING THAT CAN BE USED AGAINST THE MUTANT DINOSAURS. HOWEVER, IT WENT MISSING. I'D THOUGHT SHADOWTECH HAD IT, BUT NOW I THINK SOMEONE ELSE HAS IT.
AGENT DATABOARD

Databoard put away his PDA. He was afraid to ask who else might have the machine. Kotua had also mentioned he was in an underwater ShadowTech base, which would make any attempt at rescue very hard. He decided to wait and see if Blade had been able to find out anything.

Magma sent the T-1 Typhoon a docking confirmation message, and pulled the craft into the hangar of the Iron Hammer. He came onboard, and talked with Databoard. Magma immediately offered a way to help. He would go into space, and set up two hundred surveillance satellites, which would monitor for the machine.

*****

Kotua read Databoard's message. However, before he could respond with his thoughts, two ShadowTech agents opened the door. Kotua fired at them, sending them down. He quickly typed his thought to Databoard.

SOME AGENT CANE THAT WORKS FOR SHADOWTECH SAID SOMETHING ABOUT A GANG CALLED "RAPTORS", WHICH WANTED THE MUTANT RAPTORS TO REMAIN, AND THAT THEY HAD TAKEN DOWN BOTH SHADOWTECH AND DINO ATTACK AGENTS...
AGENT KOTUA.

He quickly looked around, and grabbed the ShadowTech soldier's tools, and ran off...

*****

The T-1 Typhoon had undocked, and Magma headed into orbit. Once there, he launched 200 or so satellites that could triangulate on where Kotua or the Anti-Dino machine was located. Since this task was done, the Iron Hammer returned to Earth, where it monitored the satellites to see if any transmissions came through.

Magma picked up a signal from one satellite: it had the location of a Raptors gangster base. The "nest" was located near the factory Magma had imploded. He signaled Databoard and the T-1 Typhoon, and got onto his Urban Avenger for reconnaissance mission to the factory ruins. Overhead, Sting and the Iron Hammer were ready to bombard the "nest" once Magma had captured the leader.

Magma arrived to see three gangsters in raptor costumes with claws on their hands, but they were carrying lasers and missile launchers. Magma dealt them three bursts of sonic energy, and they collapsed. He drove on, into the base.

About thirty gang members were in this particular "nest", and one was the leader; he had a gold Raptor costume. Magma got out of his vehicle, and climbed an old service pipe. He took out a hook gun, and shot the leader. The hook latched onto the Raptors leader, and Magma pulled him up to the service pipe. Before the gang could respond, flaming balls fell from the sky. The Iron Hammer had arrived.

What Magma didn't know was that the guy in the golden Mutant Raptor costume wasn't the leader... but a mere "general".

Through unauthorized methods, Magma had got the "general" guy to talk. He knew the locations of five other "nests", where the Raptors operated from. There were two main big ones, and he input the data into the computers on the Iron Hammer. Sting headed towards the large one first, but this was actually not the location of the Anti-Dino Machine.

Magma spotted several Raptors gangsters with missile launchers, and one in a war turret. Grimly, he went down to the hangar. The agent pressed a button, and then did a flip, landing inside a yellow war mech called the Fire Defender. Magma launched himself out of the hangar, into the midst of the Raptors base. He didn't even bother noticing the weapons coming at him, he concentrated on destroying Raptors Turrets and missile launchers. Then, one machine was pulled up. It looked like a mobile furnace with a rocket launcher. It was fired, hitting the Fire Defender, destroying it. Magma leapt out, furious. The Berserk rage was upon him, as he used his lasers to kill all of the Raptor gangsters, having no mercy,

*****

Soon Kotua ran across the ShadowTech base, looking for a way to escape. He noticed a door labeled VEHICLES, but it had a slot for IDs, and fingerprints, so there was no way Kotua could get there without attracting attention.

Kotua continued running. He noticed a ShadowTech guard. He fired at the guard and searched for his ID. He found it, and took out a piece of tape. He put it on the guard's thumb. He then walked to the door, inserted the ID, and put the piece of thumb on the thumbprint place. The door clicked, and Kotua opened the door.

He was on some sort of small dock-like hangar. Outside were submarines. The doors were open, and water was out on the "hangar". Kotua noticed the door close, and the water drained. He then opened the door and looked around. He noticed a small submarine like those of Alpha Team. He climbed onto it, as it had the most familiar controls. He closed the cockpit windshield as the doors were opened again.

Kotua piloted the sub into the ocean. He activated the GPS. He gasped.

According to the GPS... he was beneath LEGO City!

Kotua continued piloting the submarine, when he noticed two ShadowTech submarines heading towards him. Kotua moved back and fired torpedoes at the submarines, but it was of no use, as their metal was heavily resistant...

*****

Databoard landed the T-1 Typhoon again, near where he was originally landed. Blade should be done dealing with the Raptors gangster with the missile launcher, and with any luck, they might be able to find out some information, possibly involving the Anti-Dino Machine. He got up from the pilot's seat and waited for Blade to return to the vehicle.

Two ShadowTech soldiers slowly sneaked under the T-1 Typhoon. The ShadowTech soldiers put some mines on the underside and landing gear of the T-1 Typhoon.

Databoard was looking around when he noticed two ShadowTech soldiers sneaking away. He got out, to see what they had done. He found several mines attached to the vehicle. He carefully detached them, and put them a safe distance away from the vehicle. He then went back into the vehicle as the mines exploded, blowing away part of a nearby road.

*****

Once he returned to Dino Attack HQ, and after going on several more mundane missions, Magma was briefed about the ShadowTech organization. He was given a mission to attack a ShadowTech base that was located underwater. Magma piloted a submarine there, but was attacked by a fleet of submarines. While he fought off these attacks, his attempt to penetrate the base failed and he was taken captive by ShadowTech.

A torturer working for ShadowTech attempted to interrogate him, but failed to gather any useful information. When Agent Cane arrived to check on the status of the interrogation, Magma was able to escape. He set off explosives and stole a submarine from the hangar to escape. The base was badly damaged, but not destroyed.

Magma spotted something going on by the shore, and flipped open the hatch. He used the Turbo Tubes built in to bounce himself to the shores, where twenty ShadowTech soldiers and one Aquatic Drill were assembled. The Aquatic Drill was a ShadowTech submarine equipped with a large drill. Magma drew his laser, and fired several times, defeating the ShadowTech soldiers.

Magma got onboard the Aquatic Drill, and moved to a pickup point where his Urban Avenger and the Iron Hammer was waiting. Once there, the airship loaded the Aquatic Drill and a computer chip onboard, and Magma got in his Urban Avenger.

*****

Using assets found aboard the Anti-Voltage, ShadowTech created an evil Robo-Hotwire, which the real Hotwire nicknamed "Coldwire". During the creation of Coldwire, Cane had realized that Kat was no longer in the maze, and thus ShadowTech was compromised.

Coldwire attacked Hotwire as the latter was trying to escape from the ShadowTech prison, but Hotwire was rescued by Databoard and Kat, who were flying Databoard's T-1 Typhoon. Meanwhile, Blade went off in pursuit an individual known as Scoper, who was planning Operation "Fusion".

Kotua watched as Databoard piloted the T-1 Typhoon around the Mutant Pteranodons. Kat and Circuit held on to the T-1 Typhoon, and held Hotwire.

Hotwire woke in the T-1 Typhoon, which was violently dodging pteranodons. He grabbed on to keep from falling out. Suddenly he spotted a rider on one of the mutant pteranodons. Hotwire recognized the rider as Coldwire. "Oh no..."

"Who is that?" Kotua asked.

"That's Coldwire," said Hotwire. "Apparently, he's the evil robot version of me. Redundant, isn't it?"

"There's a robotic version of me..." said Kotua.

"Then you understand," said Hotwire.

*****

One of the old Alpha Team Robo-Agents, the original Robo-Kotua, had gone rogue. He was searching for Kotua, seeking to fight him and Dino Attack Team.

Robo-Kotua got up. Before he could go anywhere, an Aqua Drill submarine burst from the ground. From the top, the hatch opened, and a person in a black suit got off it. "Hello, Robo-Kotua. I'm Agent Cane with ShadowTech forces," said Cane.

"I don't work with humans," said Robo-Kotua, whose hand reconfigured into a laser cannon.

"We can 'help' you. I don't think you can take on Dino Attack Team without your own team..." said Cane.

"I see where you're going. I'm not going to let you near my inner machinery," said Robo-Kotua.

"You don't have to," said Cane.

Robo-Kotua watched in surprise as a large airship flew out of the clouds.

"Since our aquatic base was recently compromised," said Cane, "we've moved operations to the Anti-Voltage; no sense in taking the risk of getting captured on a malfunctioning base. The aircraft will take us to a military assembly line we captured from the government. There, we will build you some 'buddies'. So, are you in?"

"Definitively," said Robo-Kotua.

The Anti-Voltage flew over the city and headed to a hidden island. The aircraft landed on the ocean, and a small bridge flew from the building there, attaching to the Anti-Voltage doors. Robo-Kotua, Agent Cane, and his soldiers which were hidden in their breathing apparatus, walked out to the bridge.

"So, this is the place?" asked Robo-Kotua.

"Yes. When you agreed, I told the lab to begin production of your fellows. They build the Dino Attack agents to their best, but they needed the DNA of the agents. Which the ship here has plenty of, thanks to Anti-Kotua and his Shadow-Blades," said Cane.

Robo-Kotua watched as Robo-Databoard, Robo-Rex, and Robo-Blade were being built, along with robotic versions of other Dino Attack agents who did not know their DNA had been collected.

"So, do I get something to get back to finding Kotua?" said Robo-Kotua.

"Vehicles... plenty of that," said Cane.

Suddenly, another Robo-Kotua stepped from the shadows. This one was modeled after Kotua as a Dino Attack agent, rather than as an Alpha Team agent.

"You lied!" said the original Robo-Kotua.

"We had to get you to come," said Cane, smiling.

"I'm leaving!" said the original Robo-Kotua, flying off.

The new Robo-Kotua leapt, and its hand morphed into a drill. He punched the drill into the original Robo-Kotua, taking him down. The old Robo-Kotua punched the new Robo-Kotua away, and flew off. The new Robo-Kotua morphed its hand into a missile launcher and fired. It hit the original Robo-Kotua as it flew over the ocean, destroying it.

Cane was satisfied, seeing that the new Robo-Agents were superior to the originals. "Now then... Get those Dino Attack agents, and their Anti-Dino Machine... Do whatever is necessary to do so... No civilian is invaluable... but an obstacle," said Cane.

"Yes, Sir," replied the Robo-Agents, flying off...

----

Magma drove around in his Urban Avenger until he spotted a Mutant Raptor, and engaged.

The blast impacted the Mutant Raptor, doing nothing. Magma realized the truth: the Raptor was a machine. Robo-Raptor leaped, and C-Eye jumped down onto the Robo-Raptor. Magma groaned. Great, a cloned maniac with a bloodthirsty robot...

Magma fired his Urban Avenger several times, hitting C-Eye, knocking him backwards. The Robo-Raptor growled, and used laser vision to destroy the Sonic Screamer. C-Eye advanced, holding a laser, and fired, damaging Magma's wheels and defenses. The Robo-Raptor launched forward, preparing to eat Magma. Running out of options, he took a flamethrower, and fired, torching the Robo-Raptor.

The Robo-Raptor leaped back, and it retreated with C-Eye. Magma pressed a button, and the Iron Hammer shot down, and Magma got onboard. He walked into the command areas, and scanned the area.

C-Eye was retreating towards the north, but where he was going, they couldn't say. Sting put in a course for the north, and Magma went down to the hangar bay to check out his new vehicle.

Magma saw the craft, and it reminded him of his old faithful hovership, the Aqua Hover. He decided to name it Subdriller, and made a plaque commending the old craft inside it. Magma leaped onboard, and took off, in pursuit of C-Eye and his Robo-Raptor.

----

The T-1 Typhoon continued dodging the Mutant Pteranodons and Coldwire.

Databoard fired at the Mutant Pteranodon, but they continued to evade them. The one Coldwire was riding came down, firing lightning bolts repeatedly. Databoard responded by firing back at him, forcing him to pull off and stop his assault momentarily. Databoard fired at an incoming Mutant Pteranodon, which was too occupied with its attack to dodge in time, and was hit before it could get away.

Databoard had defeated several of the Mutant Pteranodons, but more had arrived and were now trying to take down the T-1 Typhoon. A lightning bolt missed the helicopter as a Pteranodon swooped down towards them, and Databoard responded by blasting it out of the sky.

"I'm really getting tired of these Mutant Pteranodons," Databoard muttered as the attacking Pteranodon avoided his lasers. One flew down from behind, trying to catch them off guard. It had the opposite effect, as Databoard swung the T-1 Typhoon around suddenly, and the Pteranodon was unable to get away in time.

Several more Mutant Pteranodons arrived and began attacking the T-1 Typhoon. "There's too many of them!" Databoard shouted. "I'm going to have to land the vehicle!" He landed the T-1 Typhoon in between two tall buildings, which would make it next to impossible for the Mutant Pteranodons to attack without putting themselves at a major disadvantage.

"Now what?" asked Hotwire.

"We wait for them to leave," Databoard replied.

Suddenly, Coldwire's Pteranodon swooped towards the T-1 Typhoon. With speed and agility no one had imagined it was capable of, the Mutant Dino extended its claws and snatched Hotwire, and sailed off.

"Data! Go after him!" shouted Kat.

"Can't! The Pteranodons are still out there!" Databoard replied.

"Forget about the Pteranodons! We can fight them off," said Kotua. Reluctantly, Databoard started up the T-1 Typhoon and flew off in pursuit of Coldwire.

The Pteranodons swooped down to attack, but Databoard was ready. As soon as they appeared, he began firing at them, and many were hit while trying to get out of the way. He evaded the remaining Pteranodons, and began flying after Coldwire and Hotwire. The remaining Pteranodons gave chase, firing lightning bolts. "Will someone deal with them?" Databoard shouted as he attempted to evade the lightning bolts.

Kotua scrambled to modify the side guns. He changed their weaponry and various other things. Finally, he took aim and fired, stunning one Mutant Pteranodon, sending it down into a field of abandoned mattresses.

Databoard continued to pursue Coldwire's Pteranodon. He fired to try and slow them down, but that didn't work. The Pteranodon flew through an alleyway that was too narrow for the T-1 Typhoon to follow. Databoard flew over the building and resumed his pursuit.

Behind him, Kotua continued to fire at the Mutant Pteranodons pursuing them. Kotua shot down another Pteranodon, which wasn't as lucky as the previous Pteranodon.

Coldwire flew between buildings, trying to lose the T-1 Typhoon. But Databoard continued to pursue him, following him no matter how hard Coldwire tried to lose him. Coldwire flew down lower in the hope that Databoard couldn't follow, but he followed continued to follow Coldwire's Mutant Pteranodon.

----

Rex and Amanda wandered through LEGO City together. Trouble had gone off on his own to check on Sapphire and their hatchlings; Rex was sure that they would see him again soon enough. In the meantime, it was safer to travel together.

Eventually, they came across a small encampment where they found PBB, Little Bot, and Chompy. PBB was about to fire at them, but he hesitated when he saw Rex. "That's interesting," he mused, "I don't think I've seen this kind of Mutant T-Rex before."

Rather than trying to flee, Rex decided to speak to his old friend: "At ease, PBB. You are safe with us."

PBB, Little Bot, and Chompy traded glances. Chompy eyed Rex warily and sniffed the air between them. "I'm not sure which is more surprising…" said PBB, "that you can talk, or that you know my name."

"We're… friends of Rex," said Rex, not ready to admit the truth about his identity. He considered a new name for himself; while he could have gone with "Peasam" again, he thought about Maw's sacrifice and chose to honor him. "My name is Maw, and this is my friend, Claw. We were tamed and raised by Rex, and I was even trained to speak. Rex is gone now, but we can still help you."

PBB lowered his weapon and smiled. "Then I am pleased to meet you. We need all the help we can get."

Rex, Amanda, PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot camped together, now that PBB and his teammates trusted the two Mutant T-Rexes. Rex and Amanda were just glad to have somewhere to camp safely without needing to worry about being discovered by other Dino Attack agents.

But they were wrong about how "safe" they really were…

----

Nui stepped up to the Urban Avenger. All around him, in LEGO Island, was darkness, flame, and rubble. He could see, through the thick smoke, the old pizza parlor of the Brickolinis. Suddenly, behind him, he heard the roar of a Mutant Raptor.

----

The Robo-Agents flew over the ocean full speed. A ShadowTech plane disguised as a civilian jet flew after them.

Meanwhile, Cane walked around the assembly factory. ShadowTech soldiers in breathing apparatus and masks walked behind him.

"Sir, this Kotua is really slowing us down. Normally, you'd have him dead... but this one is resistant," said one soldier, codenamed agent J.

"Now, now, J, you know that we're conducting an experiment, and 'accidents' are part of the scientific process," said Cane.

"That's not what Ms. Schattenberg used to say," said agent J.

Cane scowled at the mention of his old boss. "She didn't know the difference of anything..." said Cane, walking into the kitchen of the building. He walked towards the section where chefs were preparing the soldiers' dinner. The chefs stood back as Cane took out a small vial.

"And sometimes, we have to eliminate the foolish," said Cane, pouring the contents of the vial onto agent J's food.

Cane happily walked out the kitchen... and bumped into agent J. "Uh... hi, J," Cane said worriedly.

"I know what you were trying to do..." said J. His loyal soldiers stepped up, and aimed their weapons.

Cane threw orange orbs at them. A hologram of Cane was broadcasted from these orbs, saying: "Bye-Bye!"

The soldiers realized what it meant, and ran, but were too late as the bombs activated, sending a green blast over them, vaporizing them except for their bones.

Cane ran out of the plant as his twenty spare bombs detonated, destroying the place. Cane leapt onto a hovercraft, which activated its bubble shield and protected him from the explosion...

----

Blade was still on Scoper's tail, chasing him through a long tunnel. "Almost there," Scoper said to himself.

As Blade emerged from the tunnel, he wondered, "Okay, where am I?" He thought he recognized various landmarks in the high-tech city. "But that would mean... I need to check this place out?" Upon finding the main headquarters of Astor-Com Inc., he realized, "Well, this proves it. I'm in Astor City! You know, If I wasn't so freaked out, this would be cool."

Scoper fired at Blade, making him duck. To make matters worse, Scoper shouted: "Look, here comes a Robo-Blade!"

Blade looked over his shoulder, expecting to see one of Kotua's mech-like vehicles. Instead, he saw a robotic copy of himself. "Right," he muttered. "Robo-Blade, now I get it."

Robo-Blade landed, and morphed its hand into a laser saw.

After dodging many attacks, Blade exclaimed, "This is ridiculous!" He spotted a manhole cover. "That's convenient."

Blade picked up the manhole cover and threw it like a disk at Robo-Blade, who deflected it. Blade appeared right behind the disk, wielding a sword in his left hand. "You win the sword prize!" he announced before cutting Robo-Blade in half.

Scoper observed the fight on his HoverBike. "Not bad, Cyber-Kid," he said. "But my mission was to strand you here. You'll never stop Operation 'Fusion'!" With that, he flew away.

"Well, this sucks," muttered Blade.

----

Kotua continued firing at the Mutant Pteranodons that flew towards them. That's odd; normally they would have backed off. Something in this vehicle is attracting them, and I want to know what, thought Kotua.

Circuit went into the rear gunner's station of the T-1 Typhoon, and took out a small device. The Anti-Dino Machine was below them.

*****

Two government soldiers dressed as civilians loaded a crate of fruits on a truck, or so thought people around. The soldiers got on the truck, and drove off.

*****

"Agent Circuit, status report!" said General Jim over the radio.

"They're working to get the machine!" said Circuit.

"When you told me to postpone the attack, you said your 'friends' would have the Anti-Dino Machine ready soon. For your information, the deadline has passed... long ago. Either get the Dino Attack agents to find the machine soon, or consider yourself a moving target..." said the general.

Databoard continued to follow Coldwire, but several Mutant Pteranodons flew in front of him, forcing him to make a sudden turn to avoid them. They fired lightning bolts at the T-1 Typhoon, but Kotua fired back at them, forcing them to stop and evade the lasers. Another flew at the T-1 Typhoon, but Databoard quickly defeated it.

Kotua continued firing. By now, most Mutant Pteranodons had learned of the power of the modified gun, and flew off to find something less powerful to fight. Still, many Mutant Pteranodons remained. Kotua fired at them, but as there were fewer, they were harder to hit, and even harder to lock on to fire a missile.

Kotua took aim, when he noticed something in the horizon. "Uh-oh!" said Kotua as they came closer towards them.

"What?" asked Kat.

"Robo-Agents," said Kotua, pointing towards them. Robo-Kotua, Robo-Databoard, and Robo-Rex were headed towards them, blasters deployed.

"Great," Databoard muttered as the Robo-Agents came closer. "Just great." He aimed at the Robo-Agents, and prepared to fire at them.

The Robo-Agents aimed their lasers at the T-1 Typhoon, and prepared to fire as well. Databoard waited as the Robo-Agents came closer, because they weren't within his range yet.

The Robo-Agents continued flying towards the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard fired when they entered the range, but the Robo-Agents flew out of the blast's way.

Robo-Rex landed on the gunner's station and grabbed Circuit. "Give up, or your friend's life ends here," said Robo-Rex.

How ironic, thought Circuit.

Before Kotua could reply, Robo-Kotua landed, and kicked Kotua off the T-1 Typhoon. Kat tried fighting Robo-Kotua away as Kotua grasped onto the side of the vehicle, and tried climbing back up. Robo-Databoard landed on him and sprayed him with a sleep-inducing gas...

----

Magma and his ship landed at the icy forests to the south where several creatures could be seen. Without a glance, Magma saw that they were Robo-Raptors. The one that he had fought was with them as well. Roaring his challenge, Magma turned the engines on, and flew over. The weaponry of the Subdriller easily defeated the Robo-Raptors. Magma leaped off his craft for close range reconnaissance. For situations like this, he had included a mix between a Chill Speeder and a Steel Sprinter.

The "Steel Speeder", as it was called, responded to Magma's command. He leaped onto the vehicle, and set off. The Steel Speeder stopped right in front of an icy tree, which turned out to be a secret tunnel entrance. Magma blasted some rock aside, and crawled down.

When he got to the other end, a forest clearing was in site. A great army of Robo-Lizards and Robo-Pteranodons were there, as well as Robo-Raptor guards and reprogrammed Meda-Drones. At the edges of the clearing, a figure with a black helmet, claws on hands, and a laser sword was waiting. Magma tore off his armed gauntlet, revealing his mutated arm. He raised it, generating plasma, and flung it, hitting the laser sword.

The black figure caught the blast, and hurled it back at Magma, whose arm glowed purple. He raised it, covering it in plasma, until a small sword of plasma energy came out of his hand. Magma charged forward, shooting plasma into the cloaked figure.

The cloaked one touched his helmet, and lasers and sonic beams shot out, impacting Magma. The agent armed his plasma sword and hurled it into the helmet, destroying it.

It revealed the figure was a Minifig Hunters clone of Shark, much like C-Eye. However, this clone was grotesquely mutated, similar to Magma's arm; his skin had turned shades of purple and black, his disfigured arm was fused with a cannon, and some portions of his flesh had rotten away to reveal exposed bone.

Laughing, C-Shark fired his arm-cannon and hurled dark beams at Magma. They hit Magma's mutated arm, which glowed a bright violet color as it charged with destructive energy. Magma laughed in return, and fired two beams of plasma at C-Shark, killing him.

Magma watched as the glow faded from his mutated arm, now concerned about what would happen if the mutation progressed as it did with C-Shark. Magma slipped a gauntlet over his mutated arm to contain it, and then he proceeded into the base of the Robo-Dinosaurs.

----

Robo-Blade repaired himself, and morphed his hand into a saw. He then leapt onto Blade, surprising him.

After dodging many of Robo-Blade's attacks, Blade said, "You know, for a robot version of me, you're not a bad fighter."

"You're not bad yourself," replied Robo-Blade, returning the compliment.

"But this fight is coming to an end," declared Blade.

"Huh?" said Robo-Blade.

Blade jumped up and stabbed his sword in Robo-Blade's head. He jumped back, pulled out his energy rifle, and started charging.

"Do you really think this will stop me?" asked Robo-Blade.

"No," said Blade. "But this will! HYPERDOKEN!" He fired the overcharged rifle, obliterating Robo-Blade in an energy blast. He staggered back from the recoil. "And... the winner is... Blade..." he whispered before passing out due to exhaustion.

*****

"Sir, Robo-Blade has been destroyed," said an operator.

"Good... Roll out the prize, then..." said Cane.

----

Databoard went out and kicked Robo-Kotua off of Kat, as Robo-Rex flew in and grabbed Kat. "Looks like it's now TWO of your friends' lives at stake!" said Robo-Rex.

Kotua tried holding on to the T-1 Typhoon as Robo-Databoard lamely tried pulling him off.

"I'm about to change that number," Databoard replied. He suddenly charged, knocking Robo-Rex over and causing him to let go of Kat. Unfortunately, he hadn't thought the plan through entirely, and was soon kicked backwards by Robo-Rex. Before Robo-Rex could try to attack him while he was down, Databoard pulled out his laser and charged at the robot.

Kat attempted to fight off Robo-Kotua, but he pushed her out of the T-1 as if brushing away a fly. Kat managed to grab the barrel of the side cannon. If anyone decides to fire this thing, I'm toast, she thought.

Suddenly, she noticed that Coldwire's Pteranadon, still carrying Hotwire, was about to fly directly under the T-1 Typhoon. She let go, and dropped... and grabbed onto the Pteranadon's tail. The creature tried wildly to shake Kat off, dropping Hotwire and throwing off Coldwire in the process. It managed to throw Kat, who went flying into a skyscraper through a large broken window.

Hotwire plunged down towards the hard, cruel concrete streets below. He saw a flash of motion above him, and realized Coldwire was falling too. Suddenly, Coldwire managed to activate his rocketpack and fly off.

Whatever, Hotwire thought, and continued to plummet towards the unyielding ground...

A Fire Hammer caught Hotwire before he hit the pavement. The driver asked him, "Are you okay?"

"Blade?" asked Hotwire, dazed.

The driver shook his head. "Sorry, I'm Laser. But I am a crewmate of Blade on the Neutron Tank."

"Neutron Tank?" repeated Hotwire. In response, a modified Iron Predator rumbled down the street, crewed by agents Fury, Flame, Bolt, Snapper, Cyclone, Teckno, and Floyd. "Woah," remarked Hotwire.

Hotwire gasped in amazement at the vehicle that roared toward himself and Laser. "Wow," he said. "Blade sure is one heck of an engineer."

As the Neutron Tank joined up with Laser's Fire Hammer, Hotwire heard the radio crackle to life:

"Bolt here, ready for action!"

"Cyclone here, all set!"

"Be ready for deployment," Laser instructed his teammates.

*****

Databoard fired as Robo-Rex used Circuit as a shield. The blasts hit Circuit, who was as shocked of the turn of events as Databoard. Robo-Rex saw this, and spin kicked Databoard's laser away. Seeing how Circuit's life was slipping, he dropped him on the T-1 Typhoon floor and charged at Databoard, who charged as well, determined to avenge his fellow agent.

Robo-Databoard pulled Kotua off, but the Dino Attack agent managed to activate his jetpack, overheating the robot.

Databoard charged at Robo-Rex, who kicked at him. But he jumped out of the way, and the slammed into Robo-Rex, knocking him into the side of the T-1 Typhoon. As Robo-Rex got up, Databoard grabbed his laser from the floor and began firing at the Robo-Agent. Robo-Rex saw the lasers and immediately ducked out of the way, avoiding the lasers.

Robo-Databoard let go, too overheated to think. Robo-Databoard flew down into the city, slamming into a building.

Robo-Rex activated his anti-laser shield, blocking Databoard's lasers. Databoard jumped and kicked Robo-Rex, sending him flying off. Databoard then noticed Kotua flying out of control around the T-1 Typhoon, and Robo-Rex noticed Robo-Databoard flying out of a building, also out of control.

Databoard finally managed to pull Kotua into the T-1 Typhoon. By now all traces of either Coldwire or the others were gone...

----

When Blade awoke, he found himself in a building that he did not recognize. "Who? What? When? Where? Why?" he stammered.

"Relax," said the Dino Attack agent standing beside him.

"Who are you? And where am I?" inquired Blade.

"My name is agent Nordic," the agent introduced himself. "And you're in the Dino Resistance Force Headquarters, Dino Attack's newest outpost in Astor City."

Nordic showed Blade around the outpost. "I arrived a few weeks ago to assist a squad of agents in the city," explained Nordic. "Ever since then, we have been fighting a losing battle to reclaim Astor City."

"And where do I fit into this?" asked Blade.

"I saw you defeat your robot counterpart," replied Nordic. "With your skills, we might be able to turn the tides of the war."

Nordic then noticed two Robo-Blades heading towards them. "Looks like your fight isn't over yet..." said Nordic.

"Oh boy," said Blade, heading to fight his two counterparts.

Robo-Blade 1 landed and began kicking and punching at Blade, who ducked and dodged every attack. Robo-Blade 2 landed and fired a small missile, which landed below Blade. Gas was dispersed.

Blade landed and looked around. Suddenly, Robo-Blade 1 slammed into his stomach while Robo-Blade 2 slammed into his back. The two robots flew off as Blade hit the ground, in obvious pain. Blade got up, but the gas obviously made it harder for him to react, making him an easy target.

Blade quickly scrolled through the Cyber Matrix programs and selected.... Showing Off Fancy Cooking Skills with a Spatula. "What the Znap!?" said Blade. "How is that supposed to help me?"

The two Robo-Blades landed, and began landing punches at Blade. He ran into the outpost kitchen, grabbed a spatula, and desperately used it to hit both robots.

Blade dodged many attacks from the two Robo-Blades. He threw aside the useless spatula and declared, "I've had enough of this!"

Nordic tossed Blade a loaded stud launcher. "This might help!" he called.

Blade fired the experimental weapon at both Robo-Blades. They were teleported away in an instant, sending them to the Southgate district. "That ought to buy me some time," Blade hoped.

----

Fogel, Ogel, General Evil, Frickster, and Sam Sinister were observing PBB's encampment. "Ah, yes," murmured Ogel, "I recognize some of them as Alpha Team assets."

"PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot," muttered General Evil, recognizing them from his many encounters with Frozeen. "It will be satisfying to finally take these thorns out of our side."

"What are they doing with a pair of Mutant T-Rexes, though?" wondered Sam Sinister. He glanced at their FUTURE companions, hoping that they might have an explanation.

However, the Frickster seemed equally confused. "There ain't nothing in the historical records about them working with any Mutant Dinos," he noted. "I'm thinkin' our actions may have already significantly altered the timeline."

"You mean to tell me," realized Ogel, "that we are now operating in the dark? Your knowledge of the future is now meaningless? Your plan has set us up for failure!"

"No, we will not fail!" Fogel declared furiously, silencing his present-day self. Then, taking a moment to regain his composure, he calmly stated, "We can still play the hand that have been dealt. In fact, we will even use this to our advantage. The world will have no choice but to believe our narrative once we show them that Alpha Team is consorting with the enemy. In fact, they will thank us for what we are about to do!"

The Frickster grinned. "Beam them aboard," he radioed back to Villains Headquarters.

*****

While the present and FUTURE villains observed PBB's encampment, they were being spied upon in turn. The phantom watched silently, noting that he had both General Evil and Fogel in his sights. He glanced down upon the device he had tucked into his cloak. This may be my one chance to end it all, he thought.

But then, he saw PBB, Little Bot, Chompy, and the two Mutant T-Rexes as they started to be enveloped in a blue glow. His eyes widened. He realized that he only had a few seconds to act… but would he choose his friends, or his enemies?

----

Kotua soon reawakened. Databoard had landed the T-1 Typhoon as a swarm of Mutant Pteranodons flew above. "What happened?" he asked Databoard.

"Those Robo-Agents really hit us. Kat and Blade are somewhere in LEGO City, and so is Hotwire... Circuit didn't make it..." said Databoard.

"Those Robo-Agents will pay... but first we must find who made them. The only person capable of it is now dead, so there shouldn't be any Robo-Agents..." said Kotua.

"Then Dr. Voltage worked for MSO? It's just not possible," said Databoard.

"Perhaps that was the point," said Kotua.

"Maybe someone found designs for the Robo-Agents..." Databoard said. "I don't know how else it could have worked, as I highly doubt Dr. Voltage would have told anyone how to make Robo-Agents."

"But that doesn't tell us who made them," Kotua replied. "It's important that we figure that out." Kotua thought for a moment. "Do you still know the location of the MSO base?"

"Yes. You think that there still might be info there?" said Databoard.

"Indeed. Maybe it'll answer most of our questions, and help bring down ShadowTech..." said Kotua.

"I don't know how much information is still in that base. After all, MSO was ended about five years ago," Databoard replied. "But there might be some information that could help us."

"So, do we get going now?" Kotua said.

"Well, there's a swarm of Mutant Pteranodons above that were surely destroy us, but if you want to go, feel free," Databoard replied. "We get moving as soon as they leave."

----

Both Robo-Blades frowned. The real Blade was some real trouble.

"He might have gotten some time... but it's just the time to say goodbye... because when we find him... we'll make sure it's the last battle!" said Robo-Blade 1.

As both Robo-Blades walked through Southgate, some police ran towards them, thinking they were criminals. One of the Robo-Blades turned as the police raised their guns. Robo-Blade 2 smiled, and morphed his hands into arm cannons. It immediately aimed and fired, blasting holes in the police officers.

The two Robo-Blades entered the Astoria district. Robo-Blade 1 approached a Dino Attack agent. "Tell me where Blade has gone," he said.

"I don't who you're talking about," replied the Dino Attack agent.

Robo-Blade 1 grabbed the agent with his right hand, while his left hand reconfigured into a drill. "Don't make me use this on you."

"Really," stammered the Dino Attack agent, "I-I don't know who you are talking about!"

"Let him go," said Robo-Blade 2. "He obviously knows nothing."

"But-" said Robo-Blade 1.

"Just do it!" said Robo-Blade 2. Robo-Blade 1 threw the Dino Attack agent into a pile of bricks.

----

One moment, Rex and his comrades were in LEGO City. Then, there was a bright blue light. The next moment, they were in a large circular chamber covered with smooth metallic surfaces. "Hey, wait," Rex muttered. "How did we get here?"

Amanda and Chompy glanced around, alert. PBB and Little Bot investigated the room they were in, searching for a clue to where they were and how they got there. They could not find any doors or windows, only a large television screen hanging high on the wall.

Then, with a start, the group realized that they had been joined by one more: the phantom. Little Bot started beeping frantically, which PBB translated as: "You weren't with us before. What's going on?"

The phantom sighed wearily. "I'm sorry… I tried to warn you, but I just wasn't fast enough. I got beamed here with the rest of you. It's FUTURE, they-"

Amanda glared suspiciously at the phantom, baring her teeth. Rex realized what was on her mind. "I think it's time that you start talking, phantom," he declared. "You showed up around the same time as FUTURE, dressed in a long black cloak just like the rest of them, and you are really keen on hiding your identity from us. Who are you really?"

"I'm swear, I'm not from the future… not this time, at least… but you're focusing on the wrong issues at the moment!" the phantom insisted. "Because here, right now, in the present… we've been captured! This is a prison cell! And I'm trapped here, same as all of you, unless we find a way out!"

The television screen turned on. It showed Fogel, Ogel, General Evil, Finister, Sam Sinister, Frickster, Brickster, Fladek, and Vladek. "Welcome to Villains Headquarters!" Fogel announced, laughing dramatically. "We hope you enjoy your stay… it will be a permanent one."

At the sight of FUTURE, Rex and Amanda both grew very angry. "Let us go," Rex snarled, "you miserable little filths!"

If the villains were surprised by a talking T-Rex, they did not show it. "Us, miserable?" said Ogel. "Oh, you must be mistaken, because we are having a wonderful time. You're the miserable ones!"

----

"That was close," said Blade.

"They'll be back," said Nordic.

"But how can I defeat him?" wondered Blade. "My energy rifle can only do Hyperdoken once every other day if I don't want it to explode in my face."

"Then it's time to show you the true purpose of the base," decided Nordic.

Nordic led Blade into another part of the Dino Resistance Force Headquarters. "Welcome, Blade," announced Nordic, "to the hangar!"

Blade looked around the hangar. It was filled with dozens of Dino Attack agents running around, assembling experimental Dino Attack vehicles. There was the Single Occupant Rapid Assault Submersible, the Dragon Light Attack VTOL, the Steel Leviathan, and the Hummingbird Drone, among others. Nordic also introduced Blade to one of his fellow mechanics, agent Manga, who had clearly applied his inspiration from Japanese pop culture in designing the vehicles.

"Wow," whispered Blade.

"So, what do you think?" asked Nordic.

"This is the most incredible thing I ever saw," Blade said with awe in his voice.

"Would you like one?" offered Nordic.

Blade grinned ecstatically. "Would I!"

"Follow me," said Nordic. They approached the Steel Behemoth, a medium-sized mech armed with a large claw and multiple projectile launchers. "This is yours."

"Cool," said Blade, getting in the Steel Behemoth.

"Now go," said Nordic. "Your friends need you."

"How did you-" Blade started to ask.

"Just go!" said Nordic.

The Steel Behemoth took off. Blade flew through the tunnel that he had followed Scoper through. "Don't worry, guys," he whispered. "I'm coming."

Little did Blade know a Dragon Light Attack VTOL was following him.

----

Magma took the gauntlet off again, shocking Robo-Raptors that tried to stop him. Robo-Lizards were being massed in the fighting pen where Meda-Drones supervised, training and building. Magma leaped over, firing and shocking the Robo-Lizard pens, and shooting the Meda-Drones. A Meda-Drone raised its deadly energized spear, and shot a bolt of planetary energy, causing a tremor as it was shot. Magma caught it in his arm, and obliterated the fighting pens.

Magma fired at another pen, which contained Robo-Pteranodons. Suddenly, C-Eye appeared, riding a Robo-T-Rex. Magma fired his arm at the robotic creature, shocking its circuits.

C-Eye cried, "No! Rexbot!"

Magma merely laughed and shocked C-Eye, sending him flying. The agent returned to his craft, and flew back to his airship.

----

Kat awoke slowly, her head spinning. She jumped up as she saw Databoard's T-1 about to move away. She ran to the window, yelling and waving to get their attention.

Kotua turned to look. "It's Kat!" he said. "Pull her in!" Using the boom crane, the two agents pulled Kat on board.

"I need to warn you!" she cried. "I've figured out what the Robo-Agents are for!"

Kotua and Databoard were very confused.

Worriedly, Kat explained: "ShadowTech is activating its master plan: to dissolve Dino Attack. They've already infiltrated the Dino Attack tower, and now they're sending out the Robo-Agents to get rid of the real agents."

"How do you know all this stuff?" asked Databoard.

Kat looked around very fearfully. She suddenly appeared smaller, and in a nervous voice, admitted the truth.

"I worked for ShadowTech."

Before either Databoard or Kotua could reply, an explosion occurred nearby. Databoard turned around, to see a Fire Hammer firing at them. The Mutant Pteranodons had moved off, so Databoard took off. The Fire Hammer continued to follow them, blasting everything in its path to follow them.

Databoard looked behind him. The Fire Hammer was still following them. "Who is this guy?" Kotua asked.

Databoard wondered that, too. It couldn't be ShadowTech, because the Fire Hammer was painted in normal Dino Attack colors. And no other evil organizations would ride around in Dino Attack vehicles. Which meant this was either a rogue agent, or someone who had stolen a Fire Hammer. Either way, it wasn't a good thing that its driver was attacking them.

*****

Cane slammed his fist on the desk. "I want all of those Dino Attack agents here, alive or dead!" he said.

He looked up to see a primary synthfig step out from the assembly line, a perfect facsimile of Kat. Although she was not a true Robo-Agent like the ones created from the Anti-Voltage, Cane called her Robo-Kat. "Silence her..." said Cane.

Robo-Kat nodded, and flew out of the building, heading towards LEGO City...

*****

Databoard turned around and began firing at the attacking Fire Hammer. He hit the wheels, and the vehicle crashed to a halt. Databoard began flying down low towards the vehicle.

"What are you doing?" Kat asked.

"I want to find out who's attacking us," Databoard replied. He landed the T-1 Typhoon and got out. Laser in his hand, he moved towards the ruined Fire Hammer. Someone moved in the debris, and began to try to climb out.

As Databoard went to find who was the driver of the Fire Hammer, Robo-Rex and Robo-Databoard landed, followed by Robo-Kotua. "Time to give up!" said the Robo-Agents.

"No way!" said Kotua, firing at Robo-Rex's feet, sending the robot flying off again.

"This time, we're finishing you off..." said Robo-Kotua, walking slowly towards Kotua and Kat.

Kat threw a fire grenade, which exploded, sending Robo-Kotua into a building. Robo-Databoard flew towards them, lasers ready...

Suddenly, a piece of ruined debris shifted away, and Databoard found himself facing someone who looked exactly like him. It took Databoard a second to realize who this was: Dataclone. Seconds later, a laser flew past Databoard's head. "Are you crazy?" Databoard shouted. "What was that for?"

"Quiet, you liar!" Dataclone shouted. "I know I'm the real Databoard!"

"Are you feeling alright?" Databoard asked. "I did a test that proved you only think you're me."

"It took me a while, but I realized you were lying," Dataclone shouted.

"Okay, you are crazy," Databoard replied, only to have to duck again as Dataclone fired another laser.

Suddenly, Kotua flew between Dataclone and Databoard.

Both Databoards turned to see Robo-Databoard land, one hand morphed into a cable, which was tied tightly around Kat.

"Now then... Databoard... give up!" Robo-Databoard said to Dataclone, thinking he was the real Databoard.

Databoard snuck off, as Robo-Databoard continued to shout at Dataclone. Has every fake Databoard decided to suddenly show up? he thought to himself.

He then snuck up behind Robo-Databoard, who was still confronting Dataclone. He was a bit concerned about what Dataclone would do in this situation. The real Databoard would not try to attack unless he knew he could defeat his opponent, but Dataclone was obviously not in a sane state of mind. Databoard, now in a hiding place behind Dataclone, aimed his laser.

Kotua groaned in obvious pain. He had hit a trashcan, and luckily not hurt himself lethally. Dataclone and Robo-Databoard were distracted.

"Another evil goon!" said Dataclone.

Goon? This isn't the real Databoard! thought Robo-Databoard.

That was when Databoard's blaster fired, hitting Robo-Databoard's head. Dataclone turned, only to find himself face-to-face with Databoard.

Robo-Databoard reverted to his default setting, which meant the cable-hand turned into a normal hand, freeing Kat.

Databoard aimed his laser, Dataclone and Robo-Databoard did, too. "There's only room for one Databoard," Dataclone said, and fired his laser at Databoard. He ducked, and fired back. Dataclone also got out of the way, while Robo-Databoard started firing at both of them, but failed to hit either.

Databoard, Dataclone, and Robo-Databoard continued to fire at each other. Dataclone, who clearly wasn't in a proper state of mind, was almost firing randomly, as most of his lasers didn't come close to Databoard. Unfortunately, Robo-Databoard was coming close to actually hitting his target. Databoard fired back, and then ducked behind a nearby wall as they both started firing at him.

Databoard looked around. If he could get back to the T-1 Typhoon, he could defeat them quickly. But, with all the lasers flying by, he might not be able to get to it.

----

"Ogel!" the phantom shouted. "You have gone too far this time!"

General Evil's eyes widened in shock. "It's you…!" he whispered. "I'd know that voice anywhere!"

"I thought you might," the phantom said. Although nobody could see his face, he smiled as none of the other villains seemed to react. "What, nothing from Ogel or Brickster? You don't recognize my voice?"

"No, I don't," Ogel admitted.

"Seriously?" said General Evil, giving his brother an incredulous look. "We have only been fighting him for the better part of the past six years!"

Ogel shrugged. "If you mean to suggest that he is with Alpha Team… well, so many Alpha Team agents come and go so quickly, I can never keep track of all of them."

"I ain't got nothing, either," said Brickster.

"You don't remember the man you once called your brother?" asked General Evil, exasperated.

"Hmm," Rex muttered, "If only General Evil remembers, then I guess villains have very short memories... that would explain why they are so quick to fall for the same mistakes over and over."

"It seems that only I consider you worth remembering," General Evil muttered.

"How flattering," the phantom replied as Rex, Amanda, PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot looked at him. "Would you like to tell the whole class… who am I?"

The phantom reached up and pulled off the hood of his dark cloak. For the first time, he revealed that he was wearing a helmet nearly identical to the one worn by General Evil, although his visible eyes were different in color. Just like Evil and Fogel, he was forced to sustain his life on a G.E. Body cybernetic exosuit. PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot reacted with shock and surprise as they clearly recognized him.

The Brickster gasped. "It's… future General Evil!" he guessed. "Uh, I think?"

"Impossible!" declared Fogel. "I killed you for daring to question my orders! And now, you betray us, you worthless excuse for a brother-"

General Evil proceeded to smack both Fogel and Brickster at once. "You idiots!" he snapped. "That isn't me! I am not the only one with a G.E. Body, you know."

Silently, he added, Now I know why I didn't go back in time with the rest of FUTURE. He glared at Fogel now that his worst suspicions had been confirmed, and if looks could kill, then the FUTURE Ogel would have been dead on the spot.

Turning his attention back to the phantom, General Evil declared: "I nearly killed you once before, but you survived by taking one of my spare G.E. Bodies. Since then, we have been archenemies during the battles of Alpha Team and Evil OGEL Empire. Even when you disappeared last year, I knew I had not seen the last of you until I could finally end your life myself. Of course I know who you are... you're agent Frozeen!"

Rex's eyes widened. That name, Frozeen, which had come up so frequently over the past several months. From working with Frozeen's close friends, to piloting Frozeen's old vehicle, to being targeted in Phantom's murderous search for Frozeen… and now, it all led him back to the mysterious phantom who had been following him around.

"You're right, Evil!" said Frozeen.

The other villains were not particularly impressed to learn Frozeen's identity.

Occasionally pausing to laugh evilly, Fogel said, "This chamber has no windows and no doors. Which offers you this chilling challenge: to find a way out! Of course, there's always my way..."

----

Kotua got up, only to be slammed by Robo-Kotua. Kat had run back to the T-1 Typhoon, only to be stopped by Robo-Kat.

Kotua activated a smoke grenade, which released a cloud of smoke. Kotua crawled away as Robo-Kotua tried dealing with the smoke. As the smoke cleared, Robo-Kotua turned to see Kotua aiming at him with his gun.

Robo-Kotua raised his own gun. Suddenly, they heard Blade shout, "I don't think so!" as he fired and knocked the gun out of Robo-Kotua's hands.

"What the?!" exclaimed Robo-Kotua, seeing Blade arrive in the Steel Behemoth.

"Round One, bothead," declared Blade.

Kotua fired two shots, which Robo-Kotua easily dodged. Robo-Kat flew off into the air, carrying an unconscious Kat.

Great... No good can come from the Robo-Agents flying off with Kat... thought Kotua.

Robo-Kotua noticed Kotua's distraction, and kicked the gun from Kotua.

Blade flew the Steel Behemoth in front of Robo-Kat. "If you want to leave with her," he said, "you'll have to go through me first."

Kotua, Databoard, and Blade defeated the Robo-Agents and fled from Dataclone.

Later, Shadow encountered Kotua on the streets while driving a new Urban Avenger. Not knowing that Kotua was no longer a traitor, he tried to run Kotua over and shoot him with the Sonic Screamer mounted on the Urban Avenger's roll bars. However, the two of them worked together to take down a pack of Mutant Raptors. Now believing Kotua's switch of loyalties, they rode together in the Urban Avenger to spread the warning that Robo-Agents were flying around. They encountered a ShadowTech Urban Avenger, which was quickly defeated.

----

Magma returned to Dino Attack HQ, where Evil OGEL Empire mercenaries disguised as Dino Attack agents "arrested" him. They flew him to the North Pole to meet rogue Dino Attack agent Dragon at Ogel's Arctic Command Base. Dragon believed he was a far better leader than Specs, and Ogel had funded a plan by Dragon to take over the Dino Attack Team.

Using Ogel's factories, an army of Robotic Mutant Dinos would be produced. Then, when Dragon was ready, these would be unleashed onto the Dino Attack Team, devastating them. Dragon would pretend to have developed a way to neutralize them (a built-in virus into the Robotic Mutant Dinos), but would only employ it if Specs agreed to step down. Dragon knew Specs wouldn't agree with this, but was counting on popular support from other Dino Attack Agents (who liked Dragon and would want him to stop the attackers) and Specs' inability to deal with the Robotic Dinos. Dragon knew Specs would eventually step down if that was the only way to stop the Robotic Dinos, and he believed they were well-built enough that eventually, his option would be the only way.

The Evil OGEL Empire mercenaries were responsible for flagging Dino Attack agents who might be willing to support Dragon. They would kidnap these agents and bring them to the Arctic Command Base, where Dragon would try to persuade them to join him. If they refused, they would be executed. Agent Magma was selected as one of these agents because of his realist perspective and because he and Dragon agreed on several key issues. However, they failed to consider Magma's absolute incorruptibility and his strong sense of personal right, plus Magma's distrust of Ogel (since Magma was an Alpha Team agent).

Dragon first offered Magma a chance to join him. Magma was horrified by the discovery that Dragon had turned against the Dino Attack Team and was working with his sworn enemy Ogel, so he refused. Dragon ordered him executed, but a squad of bumbling Ice Drones was given this job. Magma was able to escape, due to the incompetence of the Ice Drones assigned to kill him.

Magma then changed his identity to the Cloaked Hunter. He wore a blue/black cloak over laser armor. His cloak only had eye, nose, mouth, and ear holes, and he carried weapons underneath his cloak. His mutated arm was covered in a gauntlet with a hole near the hand, where he can shoot plasma.

----

The lead scientist walked up to the door to Rex's laboratory. He knew it was secured by four locks, the first of which required pressing buttons on a keypad in a specific order. Fortunately, his most trusted spy had already determined the combination, so he entered the correct code. The other three locks should have kept out anyone other than Rex himself. But, the scientist proceeded to use the hand and retinal scanners, and then he spoke into the microphone, "Agent Rex," in a flawless impression of Rex's voice.

The door opened. The scientist smiled with satisfaction and stepped inside the lab. Soon enough, he found what he was looking for: Rex's notes about the newly-synthesized metal, Silge. As the scientist read over the notebook, he was impressed by what he learned. A sketch caught his eye, depicting a Mutant T-Rex wearing armor that Rex had planned to fashion from Silge; a note scribbled on the page read, "SHOW THIS TO ZERO, HE'LL THINK IT'S COOL".

"Fascinating," the scientist murmured. "It seems you were still worth something, after all." The scientist took photos of the relevant pages, and then carefully put the notebook back in its place. He left the laboratory seemingly untouched, just the way it was when he arrived.

But, as the scientist stepped out the door, he was immediately confronted by a Robo-Rex. The robotic copy of the Dino Attack agent raised a blaster and pointed it at the scientist. "Surrender, human!" it said.

The scientist smirked as he looked at the robot, recognizing that it was based on Rex's minifigure disguise rather than the mutant contained within. "Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery," he remarked. "But that's all you are, just a cheap knockoff of the real Rex."

"I am superior to you organics in every way," insisted Robo-Rex. "I am faster, stronger, and smarter."

"Nothing beats the original," the scientist declared. With that, he pulled out his own blaster and immediately fired at Robo-Rex. The Robo-Agent now had a gaping hole in its chest, and it collapsed to the floor. As the scientist stepped over the disabled robot and walked away, he chuckled and added, "Especially when you don't shoot first."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 16: Mech Assault

----

The Robo-Agents had served their purpose in distracting Dino Attack Team. Now, it was too late to stop Cane from finding the Anti-Dino Machine.

The giant vessel continued flying, and landed on the waters. Its propellers were activated, and it soon reached shore. The doors opened, and a giant yellow quadruped spider-like mech stepped out into the sand.

Cane adjusted the visor over his eyes. Immediately, info began being fed into his helmet. Cane smiled. He pressed a button, and the targeting system activated. The quadruped machine lifted one foot and stepped back into the sand, this time farther away than before.

A Mutant Pteranodon flew above the mech. Cane aimed at it and pressed the trigger on his controls. Immediately, the side guns on the cockpit activated, and began firing at the Mutant Dinosaur. Cane smiled as the Mutant Pteranodon's lifeless body hit the sand.

"All of those Mutant Dinosaurs will soon be exterminated... along with Dino Attack Team!" said Cane.

----

Databoard flew around, looking for a place to land. The Mutant Pteranodons had managed to cause some damage, and he wanted to get it fixed as soon as possible. However, most of the buildings were too damaged for a safe landing, and if he were to try, he was almost certain that the roof would collapse.

Databoard was still looking for a place to land, when a Mutant T-Rex started attacking him from below. It began firing its eyebeams, and Databoard was forced to avoid them. He fired back and sent debris flying from a nearby building, distracting the T-Rex for a moment. Databoard fired again, but failed to defeat the T-Rex.

Databoard fired behind the Mutant T-Rex, sending debris flying at it. Databoard hoped the T-Rex would be knocked out by a piece of rubble, but it destroyed any debris that went near it with its eyebeams. It then fired its eyebeams at Databoard, who avoided them, and the eyebeams slammed into a nearby building, destroying a small portion of it.

Databoard flew down, and began firing repeatedly. Several lasers hit the T-Rex, startling it, but enraging it just a much. It fired at him again, forcing Databoard to make a sudden turn. As he was still firing at the time, he hit the wall with lasers as he avoided the eyebeams. This sent debris down on the T-Rex, leaving it half-buried and unconscious.

----

Shadow and Kotua continued driving through the streets of LEGO City. This time, a ShadowTech Fire Hammer drove towards them. Shadow fired at them, but the Fire Hammer's armor was stronger, and the blast only left a minor dent on the hood of the vehicle.

Shadow drove in reverse as the ShadowTech Fire Hammer fired back, nearly toasting the Urban Avenger and both Dino Attack agents.

Shadow and Kotua drove away from the ShadowTech Fire Hammer, which was bent on destroying them.

----

The Cloaked Hunter landed his craft at the volcano fortress. Immediately, he was captured, though no one tried to remove his weapons. C-Eye and a squad of reprogrammed Meda Drones brought him into a lava torture chamber.

"Mwuhahahahaha!" laughed C-Eye. "We shall build up a majority of rogue Dino Attack agents, then unleash the Robo-Mutant Dinos! Dino Attack will be blamed, and we will destroy them! Then, we will use our cloned armies to take over the world. Mwuhaha..."

C-Eye's laughter died in his throat. The Cloaked Hunter, eyes blazing with anger, held out his hand. A huge blast of plasma shot out of it, impacting C-Eye, killing him. He then flung plasma at his restraints, opening them. It was easy to blast any clone or robot enemies throughout the fortress. He smashed open a door to reveal agent Dragon.

"Who... Who are you?" shouted Dragon.

The Cloaked Hunter smiled in a sinister way. "I am the Cloaked Hunter. I was once called... Magma." With that, the Cloaked Hunter grabbed his energized laser sword. Dragon grabbed one, and they began to duel. However, this time, the Cloaked Hunter's rage and fury beating at him overpowered Dragon's sword-fighting skills. He had him at the neck with a laser sword.

"Fool... already unleashed... can't stop Robo-Dinos... I win..." whispered Dragon.

The Cloaked Hunter struck downwards, and then worked at the control panels. The Robo-Dinos were unleashed. So, the rogue agents' plan had worked. Dino Attack would be destroyed if they couldn't destroy the Robo-Dinos.

The Cloaked Hunter felt rage building inside him. He pointed his arm at the self-destruct button and fired, setting it off. Then, he grabbed some armor and weaponry, adding it to himself.

The Cloaked Hunter leaped into his Dragon Hunter, and thought to himself. The Robo-Dinosaurs cannot be recognized, but their powers are twice as strong, with extra abilities. There was no way to tell if a Dino was robot or organic. So, they needed to be destroyed. No, they would be destroyed.

He returned to Dino Attack Headquarters, got into his old Urban Avenger, and made a lot of modifications, increasing every weapon to fatality level. Then, he began his hunt.

----

"Smile, you are all on camera!" announced Fogel. "This recording will soon go viral. The world will see Alpha Team consorting with the enemy, these Mutant T-Rexes, and they will see us crush you with ease. Alpha Team shall be demoralized, and FUTURE shall be hailed as the true saviors. Now, die!"

As the FUTURE villains disappeared from the screen, a panel on one of the walls slid away. "I think we're about to have a fight," Rex realized.

Rex's prediction was correct. Fogel and the other FUTURE villains sprang forth, each one attacking the heroes. "I have a bad feeling about this," muttered PBB as he fired his flamethrower hands at Frickster.

"No kidding!" Frozeen returned, dodging one of Fogel's blows.

Finister charged up his hooks and slashed at Chompy, who ducked in the nick of time. His left hook struck the chamber wall and became embedded in the metallic panel. "Blast this hook!" he snarled. Chompy snorted in triumph as the villain desperately tried to pry his hook loose...

The Frickster launched himself at PBB. PBB deftly dodged the attack with the superhuman reflexes of a robot. But the villain anticipated this maneuver and swung his leg low, tripping over the FMB-Bot...

Finister pulled and pulled, but his hook would not come loose. Seeing the opportunity, Chompy charged at the helpless villain, his maw opening wide...

Fladek raised his laser flail in the air and spun it around. It fired lasers at Rex and Amanda, but the bolts could barely hurt the thick hide of the two Mutant T-Rexes. "You fool," Rex muttered. They took a step forward, and Fladek quickly took one back...

Frickster did not wait for PBB to get back up. His robotic hands opened, and flames poured out. PBB rolled away just in time. "You think you can defeat me with my own weapon?" he muttered, getting back onto his feet...

Finister pried his hook loose just in time to get out of the way. Chompy crashed head-first into the wall and was stunned. As the villain gloated over the dazed T-Rex, he raised his hooks, preparing for the final blow...

----

Blade and Hotwire were joined up by Dino Attack agent Manga, who had piloted the Dragon Light Attack VTOL following Blade back from Astor City. "Now let's get out of here before ShadowTech finds us," said Blade.

A Mutant T-Rex dropped down from behind them and roared.

"Or something else finds us," said Hotwire.

"RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!" shouted Manga.

Blade piloted the Steel Behemoth, Manga flew the Dragon Light Attack VTOL, and Hotwire drove the Fire Hammer as they fled from the Mutant T-Rex. "There are millions of Mutant Lizards in this city," muttered Blade, "and we end up crossing paths with a T-Rex!"

"And this is one heck of a chase scene, too," added Manga.

"Is there any way out of this mess?" asked Hotwire.

Another T-Rex came down the street from the opposite direction. "Evasive maneuvers!" shouted Blade. Blade, Manga, and Hotwire went down another street while the two T-Rexes fought each other over their prey.

"Guess that answered my question," said Hotwire.

"Glad that's over with," said Manga.

An Urban Avenger raced by them. "Was that Kotua?" Hotwire asked as a ShadowTech Fire Hammer also raced by in hot pursuit.

"And he's being chased!" said Blade. "You guys stay here. I'm going in!" He followed the ShadowTech Fire Hammer. Despite Blade's order, Manga and Hotwire drove after him.

Blade activated the Steel Behemoth's missiles and fired. The turret of the ShadowTech Fire Hammer turned and fired a missile that destroyed the one from the Steel Behemoth. Suddenly, a beam flew overhead, hitting a Mutant Pteranodon, frying it...

----

Zero solemnly picked at his breakfast with his fork. He hadn't been in a good mood these past few days, with more and more people being reported missing and fewer people around the place that he knew personally. With Rex gone, Kotua busy off somewhere, and Databoard doing who-knows-what, it was feeling quite lonely for him as a Dino Attack agent.

"Hello?" Zero turned to see an agent he hadn't met before with a cup of coffee. "Mind if I sit next to you?" said the agent.

"Oh, no, sure, go ahead."

"Thanks. I'm Ata, I just started out here, and was hoping to get to know some people. You want this coffee?" He held the drink out to him.

"Isn't it yours?" Zero asked.

"Nah, I was hoping to give it to whoever as a sign of friendship."

"Heh, well, thanks," said Zero, taking it and having a sip. It tasted bitter, but still pretty good by Dino Attack food standards.

"So I've read that you've had quite a few adventures in particular with this team, Zero," said Ata.

Zero smirked. "I guess I have, yeah. You want to hear them?"

"Sure, I'd be glad to hear your perspective on those grand adventures."

"Alright." Zero took a breath in and started to think over his history. "Well, I joined this team pretty early on, about a month or so into the war. So you could call me a veteran of a sort"

"You see any cool places? Something almost out of this world, even?"

"Uh... yeah, yeah, can't forget this! I went to Mata Nui once and ventured into the remains of Metru Nui. I had a wild time there, finding magic disks and discovering the secret to time travel."

"Certainly sounds crazy," Ata said eagerly. "And Rex? Did you two ever meet?" 

"Yes, actually, under really funny circumstances. I ran into him just as some guy named Phantom came around in an Alpha Team vehicle freezing Mutant Dinos and trying to kill him. Luckily, I was there to help. Eventually, this Phantom guy started demanding a 'Frozeen', but it just so happened that some guy in General Grievous-esque armor came up and seemed to satisfy his demands. Then Phantom came wandering back a bit later with amnesia, not remembering us or what he was doing. Bad news for him, good news for us.

"So we three found this wrecked airship, got chased off by crazy Kotua, and then found this big silver thing called a Scorpion Orb Launcher. It was one of Ogel's old things. Anyways, I finally took to examining those disks I found, and was surprised when the black one just vanished into thin air when I was gripping it. Boy, did I get a surprise when I woke up from a nap later on, though: I had turned into a big black robot, like the one on the disk that had vanished!"

"Seriously?" Ata asked, amazed.

"Seriously," Zero responded. "I tried to keep it secret, but being turned into something like that didn't last long. Particularly when the Silver Scorpion Orb Launcher we were riding in got destroyed and I couldn't hide in shadows. I wasn't lonely like that, though. Rex stuck around, and Phantom touched the red one and got turned into one of those robots as well."

"Cool. So... how are you not one of those big robots now?"

Zero took another sip of coffee before going on. "Well, eventually we came back to Dino Attack Headquarters. Or the site of it, Kotua had done a number on it sometime before. Only once we got there, we found this big black building occupying its space: the Tower of Eight Trials. Don't ask me how it got there, I only ever had groundless theories. ShadowTech, Blacktron, maybe another one of Kotua's things, Ogel and friends... Anyways, eventually I on a whim tried to pull the mask I was wearing as a robot off, and wouldn't you know it, it worked! I was a minifig again! Phantom too, when I told him about the trick."

"Impressive," Ata remarked. "So what's it been like since then?"

Zero sighed. "Eh, not much. This building was adapted into a new HQ, more odd missions around the place, old friends continue to vanish into thin air. Rather uneventful, really."

"I see," Ata nodded as Zero took another long sip from his gifted coffee. "So what's going on with you now?"

"Got a mission to LEGO Studios coming up in a few hours. Care to join?" offered Zero.

"Nah, I'm in training to handle communications and monitoring systems. Nothing fancy, but I'm hoping one day I'll be doing more famous. Maybe something to match the craziness of your adventures."

Zero smirked. "I'm sure you'll get there someday. Well, I think I've had enough breakfast, best I get ready for my mission. Hopefully, we'll talk again."

"I'm sure we will," Ata said with a chuckle. "It was nice getting to know you."

Zero nodded as he got up and dispensed his dishes near the trash cans. He nodded to a few agents who politely said hi as they passed each other coming in, and headed to his room to prepare for his mission today. He hoped his allies would be ready as soon as he was.

----

Databoard flew away from the unconscious T-Rex. He noticed several Mutant Pteranodons flying by. They noticed him as well, and began firing lighting at him. He avoided them and fired back. They evaded, but one was hit. Another flew towards him and fired a lightning bolt. He avoided it, and fired back at the Pteranodon.

Databoard defeated the Mutant Pteranodons, and found a building stable enough to land on. He took out some spare parts of metal, and welded them onto the T-1 Typhoon. He then painted over the replaced metal in Dino Attack colors, and went back inside the T-1 Typhoon. He then took off and resumed flying over the city.

Suddenly, he noticed several objects approaching. He could see several Shadows jets flying nearby. One swooped down, and fired a beam of energy at an Urban Avenger that was chasing a Mutant Lizard. The Dino Attack agent leapt out as the beam hit, but his Urban Avenger vanished.

Darkforce is using my phasing device to try and destroy Dino Attack, Databoard thought. Suddenly, two of the Shadows jets flew towards him, and Databoard was forced to evade one of the phasing beams.

Databoard fired back at the Shadows jets, but the jets evaded them. One fired at the T-1 Typhoon, and Databoard barely evaded it. He fired again, managing to damage a jet and forced it to fly off. The other was harder to defeat, as it kept evading his lasers. Fortunately, that meant it had to spend more time avoiding lasers instead of firing at Databoard.

Databoard fired at the plane, and managed to damage it, forcing it to spin out of control. The pilot ejected, and the plane crashed onto the roof of a nearby building. Databoard landed on the roof, and rushed over to the crashed jet. He began looking over it, trying to figure out how the phasing beam worked, and if he could find a way to stop it.

----

Cane piloted the Anti-Dino Machine into the city, where he began firing at a Dino Attack outpost. Soon, it was reduced to rubble. One of those Dino Attack agents ran for his Iron Predator, but was stopped by the side machineguns.

And I haven't even activated most of the weaponry... thought Cane.

Cane piloted the Anti-Dino Machine into the city, where LEGOLAND military tanks drove up to try to stop the mech. Cane simply laughed and opened fire, destroying the tanks faster than they could arrive.

The Anti-Dino Machine stepped its four gigantic legs over the ShadowTech Fire Hammer, the Steel Behemoth, and Kotua's Urban Avenger. Two guns in the yellow mech turned and aimed at the Steel Behemoth.

Blade screamed at the top of his lungs. Then, he shut his eyes and waited for the end as the Anti-Dino Machine fired at him.

Kaboom!

"... Wait a minute. I'm not dead," realized Blade. He opened his eyes and spotted a Dino Attack Hummingbird Drone. "Where'd that come from?"

Blade heard Nordic's voice over the radio: "Someone call for backup?" Then, Blade looked up to see the Astor City Dino Attack agents arriving in their experimental vehicles.

"Now this is what I call a cavalry," said Hotwire.

However, the Astor City vehicles were no match for the Anti-Dino Machine and were quickly destroyed by the yellow juggernaut. The surviving Dino Attack agents were forced to flee. Blade was the only one who had managed to keep his Steel Behemoth by avoiding blasts, but then Cane activated a missile...

"ROAR!!!"

"What the-?" exclaimed Cane.

Two Mutant T-Rexes crashed through the building to the side of the Anti-Dino Machine. "Hey, it must be those same T-Rexes from before," said Hotwire. Apparently, they set aside their differences and teamed up to hunt the prey together.

"I have had up to here with this!" declared Cane. "You animals are going down!"

"I think it's a good time to leave," decided Blade, making an escape with Hotwire, Shadow, and Kotua.

"But where are we going to go?" asked Hotwire.

"I have a good idea," said a voice on the radio. They looked up to see a variant of the Steel Behemoth, called the Steel Leviathan. It was badly damaged by the Anti-Dino Machine, but still just barely functional.

"Nordic!" exclaimed Blade.

"You didn't think I'd give up that easily," said Nordic.

"What was your idea anyway?" inquired Hotwire.

"It's time to go back to Dino Attack Headquarters," said Nordic. "But we will need someone to cover us…"

----

The most difficult FUTURE opponent was Fogel, of course. He engaged Frozeen in combat, one G.E. Body fighter versus another. And Frozeen, who had not faced a more powerful opponent in over five years, finally found one...

Fladek was fighting a losing battle against the two Mutant T-Rexes. Fortunately, he didn't know it and was too proud to admit defeat. "Thy hath slain fiercer dragons than thou!" he claimed. "Cometh and faceth thy true might!"

"Hey, Amanda," Rex whispered into his companion's ear, "I've got a plan..."

PBB prepared to finish the battle as quickly as he could, pooling his energies into a Power-Fire Blast. But, in the time it took for PBB to charge the attack, Frickster had swung his robotic fist into PBB's head. The sound of metal striking metal rang throughout the chamber...

Chompy swung his tail low, tripping Finister and giving him enough time to recover. Chompy raised his foot and stomped down upon the villain, pinning his opponent against the floor...

Throughout the battle against FUTURE, the only one without an opponent was Little Bot. And the small robot was going to use that to his advantage...

Frozeen blocked Fogel's top left-hand. Then the bottom-right. Then the mid-left. Then the top-right. Unfortunately, Frozeen had run out of hands, and Fogel's advanced G.E. Body still had two more. Fogel smiled, as he prepared to give Frozeen a hard blow with his mid-right and bottom-left hands...

Rex and Amanda circled around Fladek. The villain continued to swing and fire his laser flail with one hand, while with the other hand he charged up his wicked-looking Lightning Sword and readied for a strike. Amanda focused hard on the sword, and then her eyes glowed red. Fladek wasn't ready when she used her laser vision to shoot the weapons out of his hands. Then, Rex sprang forward and closed his jaws around the armored villain; he did not intend to kill Fladek, just to hold onto him for a few crucial seconds…

Frickster raised his arms in a familiar way. PBB's eyes widened in realization as a portal opened and enemy Brickster-Bots came out. PBB was outnumbered…

Chompy opened his maw. All was going perfect - in just a moment, this treacherous villain would be dead! But Finister wasn't finished yet. He stabbed his hooks into Chompy's foot and dug in, and all the T-Rex could feel was stinging pain…

----

A lone Mutant Pteranodon flew slowly around the area. It sniffed, watching for food. Then, scents and sounds flooded by, as an Urban Avenger was passing. The rider was cloaked and armed. The Mutant creature spread its wings and flew in for a kill.

The Cloaked Hunter, without so much as an upward glance, gave an eerie howl, and fired his modified Sonic Screamer at minimum setting, killing it instantly.

Immediately, Pteranodons and Raptors swarmed in, some of which were Dragon's robots. The Cloaked Hunter screamed a cry, "Death to Dinos!" and fired his weapons at the mutants, killing them steadily as more came. Eventually, a pile of Dinos was in front of the Cloaked Hunter, and they had stopped coming.

The Cloaked Hunter drove on, searching for more Dinos to kill...

----

Kat struggled to escape her captor. He let her stand but stayed behind her. Once, she tried to make a break for it, but he tackled her again.

"Just relax," he said malevolently. "I'm not letting you leave anytime very soon."

----

Fogel punched Frozeen in the face repeatedly. Even though he wore a G.E. helmet, Frozeen still felt the impacts. With no free hands, Frozeen raised his leg and kicked Fogel. It barely hurt the FUTURE boss…

Fladek screamed and squirmed, but he couldn't get out of Rex's maw. Rex swung his head and opened his mouth, sending the FUTURE knight flying into a wall. The villain's helmet hit the metallic surface with a loud CLANG, and then he crumpled to the floor, unconscious. For now, Fladek was no longer a threat. "One down," Rex said, nodding to Amanda, "just three more to go..."

PBB blasted at the Brickster-Bots, but every time one fell, another was in its place. PBB backed up against the wall, knowing his time was about to run out…

Chompy yelped in pain. He instinctively lifted his foot, freeing Finister. Finister jumped to his feet and moved to attack, but then the villain tripped over something. It was Little Bot! The short robot nodded to Chompy, and they went to finish off the devious villain…

PBB saw that Rex and Amanda were done fighting Fladek. "Hey, Rexes!" he called. "A little help here?"

Frickster gasped. "No, this ain't happening! Not now!" he cried. The two Mutant T-Rexes charged forward, attacking the army of Brickster-Bots…

Chompy and Little Bot advanced on Finister. "This is what the great Alpha Team has to fight me?" jeered the villain. "A stubborn T-Rex... and a garbage can with legs!"

Little Bot almost seemed to hiss at that insult, though it was probably just a beep. Chompy roared and charged at the hook-handed man. And this time, Chompy was determined to finish him off for good…

----

"Well done, agent Semick," Digger was saying to the newly-standardized Dino Attack agent, "Glad to sign you off to your new rank."

"More than happy to accept it, sir," Semick replied. "Though frankly, this whole 'Rookie' business seemed a bit restrictive."

"No offense taken, it wasn't even my choice, really. Once Alpha Team helped us manage our team organization beyond us Founding Members, they told us they needed a method to filter out the young and reckless rookies at the minimum age of recruitment who wouldn't be able to handle being on the team."

Semick leaned back on his chair. "I can imagine that. For every three young men who realized their video game experience isn't enough and get the life of a dinosaur fighter fast, there's at least one or two who break down and want to go home. In the last job I had, our recruits were at least restricted to one occupation; you're bringing in all walks of life."

"Indeed. And perhaps it's best that in case of those people, they're not managing much more than a glorified ATV." Digger smirked. "Don't tell the mechanics I said that, though."

Semick nodded. "Well then, I best be busy again. Any missions you might advise me to take?"

"Yes, actually," Digger responded, getting out of his seat and looking over a piece of paper on his bulletin board. "Specs has had enough from the Hollywood people concerned about their dinosaur actors and is organizing a mission to LEGO Studios to investigate their whereabouts. He wants about a dozen agents for it, give or take, and there's still room for a few more."

"Only a dozen?" Semick asked, an eyebrow raised.

"LEGO Studios isn't a massive complex," Digger replied, "and though they're stocked with dinosaur-favored food for whenever they need to cast another Dino Cop film in a hurry, I doubt there's that many Mutant Dinos left by now. Besides, we're so spread out to ensure some progress on containment and actually getting to the bottom of the mystery of where these mutations came from, we can hardly organize full-scale operations."

"I see. Who's in the team we've got?"

"Most of them are volunteers I can't tell you much about. We have asked Elite Agent Redshirt to command it, though. Ignore the name, he's a rising star of a commander. Not unlike yourself, considering your record."

Semick shifted in his chair, trying to show humility. "I thank you for your compliment, sir. And don't worry about me getting illusions of grandeur, I know when to help when someone else is in charge."

"Good, though I certainly wouldn't leave any write-ups on your record if you did. You got yourself up to Standard rank after one mission in England, after all."

Semick simply nodded. 

"Moving on," Digger continued, "you'll also have a Futuron technician by the codename of Bluetooth on board. Not that skilled at fighting, but he tells me he has enough experience from Blacktron and Spyrius lunar assaults to take on anything. There'll be a rookie by the codename of Wyldstyle as well (at least I think it is, she kept changing it during the crash course training), who's proving to be good with bricks and mechanics. I'm even told Zero might be on board."

Semick raised an eyebrow. "Who?"

Digger shook his head. "Sorry, thought you might've heard of him. He's rather well-known to some of the other agents due to some escapees involving some former/MIA agents. Anyways, Zero's experienced enough that I don't doubt he'll be a fine asset. You'll be in good companionship out there."

"Good to hear. When will they be departing?"

Digger glanced again at the paper again, and his eyes widened in a bit of surprise. "Woah, it's within the next two hours. Forgot that, eh... you wouldn't mind immediate departure?"

"I've seen worse, I'll gladly head down there now." The agent got up out of his seat and headed for the door.

"Good luck out there, agent Semick," Digger said to the agent.

"Thank you, Digger," the former Power Miner remarked with a smirk.

----

As the Dino Attack agents ran off, LEGOLAND Military Jets flew towards the Anti-Dino Machine.

"Ready?" asked the pilot leading the mission.

"Ready!" responded the other pilots.

"Let's take this thing down!" said the Commanding Pilot.

"Le-"

BOOM!

"We've lost unit two, sir!" said a pilot as the jet to the side of him flew down in flames.

The Commanding Pilot prepared to answer back, when a blast from the machine destroyed him. Soon the other pilots were hunted, and destroyed.

Cane laughed as he headed for Dino Attack HQ.

Kotua ran towards the Anti-Dino Machine, determined to slow it down from destroying Dino Attack HQ. Kotua drew his blaster, and began firing at one of the legs. Shadow drove in his Urban Avenger, firing at the mech's anti-ground cannons, which had already a hard time locking onto Kotua as he ran around and fired at the machine.

Cane would normally not care, but Shadow was firing continuously at the anti-ground cannons, and he had no doubt Dino Attack Team backup would soon arrive...

*****

Blade and Nordic arrived at Dino Attack Headquarters, with both of their mechs looking worse for wear. "How are we going to beat that thing?" wondered Blade.

"There's only one way to defeat Cane," said Nordic.

"And that would be?" asked Blade.

Nordic climbed out of the Steel Leviathan and started to disassemble it for parts. "We must combine the Steel Behemoth and Steel Leviathan," he said. "One fully-powered mech is better than two mechs on their last legs. And I want you to do the honors."

----

Databoard sat inside the T-1 Typhoon, examining the phasing beam generator. The original phasing device had limited time, as the user would be ripped apart at a molecular scale after ten minutes of use. Here, it appeared the beam skipped right to the ending.

Databoard also knew that the phasing device's after effects were only short term, and the person would return to normal after several months. This meant the same for the phasing beam, but by the time it returned a Dino Attack agent who had been hit a beam to normal, Darkforce could have already won.

----

Blade flew back into battle against the Anti-Dino Machine. "Hey, Cane!" he announced. "I would like to introduce you to the new and improved Steel Behemoth!"

Kotua stopped running, and Shadow stopped near him. Kotua climbed onto the Urban Avenger. He was already tired from running around, and even Shadow could notice. Shadow drove off as the Steel Behemoth stepped towards the Anti-Dino Machine.

"Hey Cane!" shouted Blade, annoyed that Cane did not react to his arrival.

Cane turned the cockpit slightly. He noticed the Steel Behemoth. He then turned back, and walked off towards Dino Attack HQ.

"He's running away! Coward!" said Blade.

The back of the Anti-Dino machine opened, revealing two cannons. They aimed at the Steel Behemoth, which was prepared to fly around the blasts... until the cannons fired, and rapid blasts flew out, hitting the Steel Behemoth's arms, destroying them.

"Great... now how do we take on this thing?" asked Blade.

Manga flew in close with the Dragon Light Attack VTOL. "We re-"

BLAM!

"Manga!" shouted Blade, running towards the falling VTOL just before it exploded...

----

With a single swing of his tail, Rex sent dozens of Brickster-Bots flying, effortlessly demolishing them. Amanda and PBB took the honor of cornering Frickster. "Why me?" the FUTURE villain cried as Rex picked him up in his maw and threw him into the wall, landing unconscious on top of Fladek.

"Two down," Rex said, smiling.

"And two more to go," PBB replied. "We should split up. I'll go help Chompy and Little Bot; you two can help Frozeen."

Rex and Amanda agreed. Then, they split up to defeat the remaining FUTURE villains - Fogel and Finister…

*****

Meanwhile, the present-day villains were watching the battle. "This isn't good," muttered General Evil. "They're down by half, and now Brickster and Vladek aren't taking it well!"

Sam Sinister glanced at the two villains, and indeed they looked very demoralized. "I can hardly blame them," he said. "You would be if you found out that a more futuristic, more powerful version of you came back in time to help you, only to get beaten up."

Vladek looked up. "Fladek was the first to fall!" he added. "A very embarrassing stain on thy legacy!"

"At least you two are still alive in the future," grumbled General Evil, glaring at Fogel down below.

Brickster wondered, "But what's gonna happen if Fogel and Finister fail, too?"

"Then it's up to us," Ogel answered. "We mustn't let Dino Attack win!"

----

Suddenly, two LEGOLAND military tanks drove in and began firing at the Anti-Dino Machine. Databoard stopped running briefly to look at the military tanks, which were smaller than the Anti-Dino Machine. He then resumed running as one of the tanks exploded.

Hotwire, Blade, Shadow, and Kotua drove after the Anti-Dino Machine. "Let's see if we can find its weakness," said Hotwire.

Databoard ran towards the building the Saber had been in. The building was badly damaged, little more than some walls and a bashed in roof. Inside, the building appeared empty, but it really wasn't. The Saber was using a holographic cloaking device to remain hidden.

Databoard went inside the ship and into the control room. He engaged the auto-defense system, which meant the ship would fire at anything that attacked them, and the beam shields.

Databoard flew the still-cloaked Saber towards the Anti-Dino Machine. Cane had no idea he was here, but the auto-defense wouldn't work unless something fired at it. So, Databoard turned off the cloak, and the Saber was now visible. Cane seemed to have been surprised for a moment, but he soon fired at the airship. However, the beam shield protected it, and the auto-defense system turned on, firing at the Anti-Dino Machine.

----

"Three against one isn't fair!" screamed Finister as he backed up into the wall of the chamber, surrounded by PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot. "Even if one of them is a can with legs…"

At the other end of the chamber, it was the opposite scenario: Fogel had Frozeen backed up against the wall. "Prepare to die," declared Fogel, "and see what will become of Alpha Team!" He placed one hand on Frozeen's helmet, ready to stick his fingers into the helmet's exposed eyeholes to deliver a double serving of excruciating pain… but then, suddenly, Fogel was knocked aside and was sent flying.

Frozeen looked up to see Rex and Amanda standing there. "Need a little help?" Rex asked, smiling. Frozeen smiled back.

"Give up, Fogel," declared Frozeen. "Half of FUTURE has already fallen."

"You fools," Fogel scoffed. "It is far from over. The defeats of Fladek and Frickster mean nothing; they are merely pawns to be sacrificed for their king. You shall not find me as easy to beat as my idiotic accomplices!"

"Oh, really?" Rex said. He lunged forward, attempting to capture the villain in his jaws just as he had done with Fladek and Frickster. Instead, Fogel moved aside with great agility. When Rex's jaws closed around empty air, Fogel swiftly retaliated with an attack…

*****

Meanwhile, in the observation deck, Brickster and Vladek were glaring angrily at Ogel. "What doth thou meaneth, 'idiotic accomplices'?" snapped Vladek, pointing his sword at his great-great-great-great-great grandson. "Thy descendent ought to have more respecteth for thour ancestors!"

"If I wasn't your biggest fan," muttered Brickster, "then I'd show you a nice electric chair to sit in! I ain't no pawn of yours!"

"Shut up, both of you!" growled Ogel. "We don't have time for this!"

----

Nick Lightning was riding his pet raptor named Razor. He had been for some time, trying to find the dinos, and he was starting to get tired. There were still some Mutant Dinos in the destroyed remains of his town on Adventurers Dino Island. He had an Urban Avenger, but had chosen not to use it for this mission. Then he found a building covered in Mutant Lizards.

Nick shot at some of the Mutant Lizards with his pistol. A small group of them jumped up at him, but he cut them with his sword. More and more were coming after him, and they surrounded him.

"Razor, spin around and hit them with your tail!" he told Razor. Razor did and cleared most of the lizards.

After all of the Mutant Lizards were dead, Nick said, "Let's go see what's left of our home."

Nick Lightning saw the burning remains of his home. There was nothing left of it.

"Let's go to World City," suggested Nick. "I hear that's where my friend Mocaw was before the dinos attacked."

They took a boat to the city, and saw the damage done there. "Let's look for Mocaw, come on!" declared Nick.

Nick Lightning left Razor behind and used his Urban Avenger to search World City.

----

"So you worked in space?" asked the rookie Dino Attack agent.

"Yep," Bluetooth replied, "experienced Futuron technician aboard the lunar bases who got himself stuck here when we made a supply run just as the Dino Attack hit the planet."

"Ouch, that sucks. I hear the moon's nice this time of year." The rookie briefly paused to adjust strands of pink and blue among her predominantly black hair. "Or so my one friend says."

"Oh, it's grand. We haven't changed too much since the 80s, but we're still the best at intergalactic colonization and scientific study. Not too shabby at robots, either, Mindstorms' RCX & NXT systems haven't failed us yet."

"Even after what happened in '02?"

"Especially after '02," Bluetooth responded firmly. "Futuron operates on loyalty, trust, and all that is good for Minifigkind in our quest to bring us across the universe. And in no way would we let an ally of our cause crumble from corporate bickering, heartless assassins, and pushy upstarters like UITech thinking they can just waltz right in out of nowhere and fill trusted-"

"Woah," the rookie muttered, backing away a bit, "sorry, touched a nerve there."

Bluetooth shook his head and breathed in a few times. "It's fine. Criminal topics like assassinations and corporate power struggle gets my blood boiling, and 2002 was a bad year for that all around. I'll just remind you that Mindstorms is 'The Trusted Brand of Robotics by Futuron Corportation'."

Bluetooth had been killing time with casual talk as part of the group between the pair of T-1 Typhoons assigned for the LEGO Studios mission. It was less than an hour before mission start and the two were among those who had come early enough in a sign of preparation. By now, there were only three more agents short of the needed twelve.

"By the way," said Bluetooth, I don't think I caught your name. Or codename, at least."

"It's Wyldstyle," she replied with a grin. "A fitting term for my mojo, if you catch my drift."

"I'll say," Bluetooth remarked, looking over her outfit. "I know we're lax about dress code, but I've yet to see an agent wear a hoodie as part of their uniform."

"I prefer to question the norm," Wyldstyle said with a smirk while adjusting her zipper. "You never know when rain will strike. Plus, it's cooler than a helmet."

"Helmets save lives, you know," said a new voice. Bluetooth turned to see an agent, who looked to be in his thirties and had a strong yet thin beard, approach the group around the T-1 Typhoon. He seemed to have interjected into their conversation in passing, as he was walking up to an agent in the center of the assembled group who was pacing around. "Elite Agent Redshirt, I presume?"

The veteran agent nodded. "I see my reputation precedes me. And who might you be?"

"Semick, newly appointed Standard Agent."

"Glad to have you out of the Rookie restrictions; you seem like the capable sorts. We're just waiting on at least two more seats to get filled so we can get going. Meet anyone on the way?" asked Redshirt.  
 
Semick shook his head.  
 
"Aw well, hopefully, we'll-"

The sound of several tires and fuel barrels clattering to the ground caught everyone's attention. Bluetooth stared in befuddlement as an agent with a red t-shirt under his vest and messy black hair stumbled through the discarded bins and jogged over to the assembled team.
 
"Eh, Rookie Agent Raider reporting for duty, sir!" he announced, saluting Redshirt. After a moment of staring, he lowered his arm, looking quite embarrassed. "Sorry, force of habit from the army. Not the mess thing, the saluting."

"I see..." Redshirt muttered with a cautious look. "You were in a hurry, I see."

"I was just told by Viper about this; I thought this would be a good first mission. Lots of space, not many dinos, and movie studios are bound to have some pyrotechnics I can use. I was a demolition expert with both Reliable Excavation Deconstruction and the army, you see." He grinned as he said the last part.

"I don't know if we'll need many explosions, but if you're army material, I'm glad to have you around."

"Thank you sir, I won't let you down!" Raider saluted the Elite Agent again before becoming sheepish at realizing what he was doing. He then quietly walked towards an empty seat between two agents with a baseball cap and trilby. 

"Okay, just one more..."

"Look no further!" said a voice as an agent in a standard Dino Attack helmet and simple face approached the group, a backpack slung over his shoulders. "Elite Agent Zero calling in and standing by!"

There was some murmuring as Zero took a seat on a bare metal crate. Bluetooth was mildly surprised to see someone so often rumored about in the cafeteria joining him on a mission, and tried his best not to stare too much as to not inconvenience him with excessively marveling him. It was by glancing away at him that he barely noticed him turning to interact with someone.

"Okay, everyone's here," Redshirt said quietly before speaking up for the benefit of the assembled team. "Alright agents, listen up! I'm Elite Agent Redshirt, and by request of Founder Specs himself, I will be commanding this mission. Our objective is simple: travel to LEGO Studios, and investigate for leads regarding the whereabouts of its MIA dinosaur actors. They were unaccounted for in the complex's evacuation following the initial Mutant Dino attacks, and our correspondents in Antarctica are telling us that concern for them is growing with each passing day."

"That's one way to put it," Bluetooth overheard Semick mutter. He had little time to ask what he meant before Redshirt was continuing. 

"For the sake of ensuring their safety as equals to any other actor seen in a Steven Spielbrick production, it has been asked of us to enter the grounds of the primary LEGO Studio lot in Hollywood and find out what has become of them. Dinosaurs they may be, but with all their time mingling with Minifig celebrities, it's unlikely they have the same strong survival instincts that their brethren on Adventurers' Island and Dino Island have. As such, it now our job to seek them out, or at least find some sort of answer as to what fate has befallen them. Any questions?"

There was a few moments of silence, then an agent with a large trench coat spoke up. "How exactly are we supposed to find evidence of these dino actors?"

"It won't be easy, Barrowman, I admit that, but we can adapt our techniques of tracking Mutant Dino footprints and signs of feeding for the specific cases of the dino actors. I know at least one of them has a strong taste for rhubarb pie, so keep an eye out for signs of eaten baked goods, for starters."

"Certainly would be a good time for that, days like this," muttered a female agent with long brown hair.

"And I have more information on their favorite foods we can go over during the flight. In addition, we've got our hands on records taken by Johnny Thunder's expeditions to Dino Island in regards to the habits and instincts of these dinos. They came from these islands long before they became actors, so it's plausible those instincts will still stand."

"Assuming they didn't drop everything for city life," remarked a Bricklynn-accented young rookie agent in a baseball cap and headset. "Those tabloid stories about how that brontosaurus guy's obsessed with partying at disco bars have to come from somewhere, y'know?"

"We'll find out for sure soon, Recon," said Redshirt, annoyed at the interruption. "Anyways, I know this may seem daunting, and perhaps hopeless knowing how many of the actors were tamed herbivores as opposed to these carnivorous mutants, but it's our duty in fighting off this invasion to preserve our ways of life, and that includes locating significant groups of missing persons, be they minifig or beast. Thankfully, you have all volunteered for this mission as opposed to being assigned, so I assume you are all ready and willing to aid in such a mission. It will be a much more difficult time when we're all being forced en mass on missions we have no real interest in."

Redshirt turned towards the ladder into one of the T-1 Typhoons. "Alright, enough talk, I can guess that several of you are twitching to hop into action. Let's not hold that back any longer. Everyone aboard the T-1s!"

With that, the team scrambled into the two T-1 Typhoons. There was a bit of a rush of agents hoping to get into the T-1 Typhoon with Redshirt, so Bluetooth made it easier on himself and went for the second one. He found himself followed by that Semick fellow, along with the long-haired female, a blond minifig with a mustache and military-style cap, Barrowman, and a guy with a nice-looking fedora hat. It was a little disappointing to him that Zero wouldn't be part of his crew, though. He must be friends with Redshirt or something.

Climbing in, Zero manage to grab a seat near the PLARXX Radar Ray console, finding it a comfortable spot that reminded him of the computers at the Futuron lunar bases. Semick decided to take a seat next to him.

"I've always admired these T-1s," Semick remarked as he looked around at the cabin's interior. "Their size reminds me of the drilling rigs I've been in. Kinda like the Thunder Driller in particular."

"Ah yeah," said Bluetooth, recognizing a chance for conversation, "the Power Miners took a lot of inspiration tech-wise from space age technology. Futuron actually cooperated with the Galactic Miners in ferrying all the tech in record time to start handling those massive earthquakes.

"So I've heard when I was down there."

Bluetooth's eyes widened. "You're a Power Miner!? Oh wow, you're one of-"

Semick raised his hand up and gestured for him to shush. "I'm not really one to blabber about my past, agent. I've gotten into too many arguments over Rock Raiders that way."

"Sorry," Bluetooth muttered as he sagged back into his seat. At this point, the T-1 Typhoon's pilot got everything in gear, and the massive helicopter rumbled to life and began moving out of the hangar and into the open air. Studying the PLARXX display board, Bluetooth was able to watch as they and their second T-1 Typhoon rose together from Dino Attack Headquarters, finally heading west towards Hollywood and LEGO Studios.

----

Deep beneath the earth, there was Coreport L, a compound fortress built in the magma. Attached to it was a medium-sized craft loaded with soldiers. The commander felt his master's call, and they shot into the magma section, heading for above, where his master needed him.

The Cloaked Hunter drove his craft around, then spotted an earthquake. A medium-sized ship flew out, and hovered above his Urban Avenger.

The Cloaked Hunter gasped at the ship floating above him. It was the Cold Flame, an Alpha Team ship he had used many times. Two doors opened up, and a mechanical claw reached down, seizing the Cloaked Hunter and his ship. When the Urban Avenger "landed" in the hangar, all the robots and humans assembled to greet their commander.

All the crew leaped to their stations, and the Cloaked Hunter went up to talk with Hubor, the captain of the ship. "Commander Magma, what are your..."

The Cloaked Hunter interrupted him. "You will call me the Cloaked Hunter. Magma is dead."

Nodding, Hubor continued. "Anyway, much modification has been done to the ship, continuing your orders. We are at your command, Hunter."

The Cloaked Hunter spoke to his commanders, and Hubor stood at front with him. "I want several Dino Attack vehicles modified with certain specifications," he said, tossing the specifications to the engineer. "Anyway, also modify heavy planes to become a combination with a T-1 Typhoon. Send the Dino Attack craft out to search out the mutants, and then crush them with our combined vehicles."

One officer replied, "Yes sir, Commander Magma!"

The Cloaked Hunter charged forward, grabbing the unfortunate officer. He hissed, "My name is the Cloaked Hunter!" With that, he returned to his station much calmer. "Anyway, I want this ship modified with Dino weaponry, but while this is carried out, return us to Coreport L."

The Cold Flame dived back into its tunnel. After a short time, warnings began to light up. Still, the ship flew down and down until it was deep beneath the surface. The crew spotted Coreport L, a large structure surrounded by Shield Satellites, which protected anything within a certain radius. Beams came out of the satellites, hitting the ship, and a metallic voice rang out. "Identification code required." The Cloaked Hunter gave the code. "H-1AM 95831-SSM" The beams pulled the ship into the shield radius and docked it with Coreport L. The Cloaked Hunter walked into the Coreport, and saw several other craft like his ship under construction.

The Cloaked Hunter gave his orders, and then returned his new fleet to the surface. He boarded his heavily upgraded Urban Avenger, the Dino Attack pilots boarded their own modified vehicles, and the heavy air taskforce was residing in a small fortress some engineers and technicians had constructed above the rupture in the earth. Then, the group of large ships headed into the farthest reaches of the atmosphere. Whenever a Dino Attack ship spotted a group of Dinos, either one of the air taskforce or one of the larger airships would come to destroy the Dinos.

----

At the Antarctica Alpha Team HQ, agents were preparing Blizzard Blasters to help the Dino Attack Team. Underwater, large Alpha Team submarines loaded with agents armed with Dino Attack weapons headed to the surface. Alpha Team was going to assist Dino Attack.

Two Alpha Team submarines loaded with agents and tools to assist Dino Attack moved from the Antarctic HQ.

"Sir, the sonars are picking up something not too far from us!" said one of the sonar operators.

"Sir, our frequencies are jammed! We can't get contact with the other submarine," said a panicked communicator.

"Alright, fire at the object. No doubt it is some remains of Ogel's stuff," said the commander.

Suddenly they heard a sound similar to nails scratching a board... only worse. "ARGHHHH!" shouted the crew, some falling to their knees.

"Fire!" said the commander.

"Yes, Sir!" responded one of the Alpha Team agents, crawling to get torpedoes.

Suddenly the sound stopped.

"I think I saw something like this happen in a movie once. After the sound, the thing attacks, and destroys the submarine," said one of the Alpha Team agents.

"Shut up about the movies! You're always wrong!" shouted another Alpha Team agent.

Suddenly the submarine was rocked as something hit it. The sound resumed. The Alpha Team agent loaded the torpedo, and another targeted the enemy object.

They never got to fire at it...

----

The Anti-Dino Machine shot everywhere it could in a frenzy.

"We need to stop this thing!" said Blade.

"You don't think we already know that!?" shouted Hotwire.

"Blade is right," said Kotua. Kotua and Shadow drove towards Dino Attack HQ. When they arrived both agents got off, and headed towards the garage. Shadow got his T-1 Typhoon, while Kotua got into another Urban Avenger. Both agents drove out, and headed back to fight the Anti-Dino Machine.

On the Saber, Databoard prepared to take down the Anti-Dino Machine by destroying its legs. Databoard pressed a few buttons, telling the auto-defense system to target the Anti-Dino Machine's legs. Cane responded by moving randomly to try and confuse the Saber's computer, but it continued to track its movement. The Anti-Dino Machine continued to bombard the Saber's beam shields, hoping to knock them out.

Databoard pressed a few buttons, and several missiles were launched from the airship and flew at the Anti-Dino Machine. The blasts bounced off the legs.

"What are they made of?!" shouted Databoard. He pressed a few buttons, and the Saber began scanning the Anti-Dino Machine.

"RESULT: SSOL METAL ALTERNATE."

"What is that?" said Databoard.

Databoard flew behind a row of buildings to try and figure out how to stop it. He didn't know what Ssol Metal Alternate was, but he knew Ssol Metal would be almost impossible to destroy. He turned on the computer and looked for anything that could get through the armor. Nothing.

Suddenly, the Anti-Dino Machine's lasers ripped through the building, stopped only by the Saber's armor. The defense system engaged, and fired again, deflected by the armor.

Agent Cane was now sweating, but not because of nervousness. The Anti-Dino Machine produced much heat because of its computer systems. Cane activated the AC, and sighed as fresh air reached him. He then returned at the task at hand.

He aimed at the Saber, and fired again. The blast was reflected by the armor of the airship, and then headed back to the Anti-Dino Machine. The blast bounced off the Anti-Dino Machine, and headed back towards the Saber.

Databoard pressed a button, increasing the power of the beam shield. The blast was deflected off the beam shield, flying back at the Anti-Dino Machine. It bounced off again, hitting a nearby building.

As the turrets fired at the Anti-Dino Machine, Databoard quickly began looking over the scans of the mech. If there was some kind of weakness, he needed to find a way to use it and destroy the machine. Another blast bounced off the beam shield, as lasers were deflected off the Anti-Dino Machine.

Cane aimed at the Saber, and fired. The blast flew out, but the Saber flew out of the way. "I hope no one gets hit by that blast..." said Databoard.

Kotua and Shadow arrived at the battle. "Oops... that mech has that weird device that will destroy our vehicles' electrical systems..." said Shadow.

"I forgot about that... Looks like Databoard will have to deal with the Anti-Dino Machine for the moment," said Kotua.

"For the moment?" asked Shadow.

"I'm going to get to the Voltage, and come back to help the Saber," said Kotua.

Databoard began maneuvering, avoiding the blasts fired from the Anti-Dino Machine. Cane responded by firing more rapidly, and more blasts came at the Saber. Databoard continued to avoid them, and those that remained were deflected by the Saber's beam shield. The turrets continued to fire at the Anti-Dino Machine, but the lasers were still deflected by the armor.

Databoard blew behind a building, which Cane began trying to destroy. Databoard then came around the building and attacked the Anti-Dino Machine from another angle. However, these lasers were simply deflected, and the Anti-Dino Machine turned around to face Databoard. Another blast hit the beam shield, deflecting it and sending it into a building.

Aboard the Saber, Databoard continued thinking of how to beat the Anti-Dino Machine. He knew both the Saber and the Anti-Dino Machine were equal in power, so he ruled out using the cannons at full power to try to destroy the mech.

Cane laughed hysterically. The airship matched the Anti-Dino Machine in power. But not for long...

*****

Kotua drove his Urban Avenger towards the place he had left the Voltage. A small hover pad flew from the airship, and landed to pick up Kotua in his Urban Avenger.

Kotua put the Voltage in battle mode, and headed towards the Anti-Dino Machine...

*****

Databoard continued to fire at the Anti-Dino Machine, but it was no good. Both of them were equally matched in terms of defense. No matter how hard Databoard tried, he hadn't gotten through the Anti-Dino Machine's armor, and the machine's blasts were deflected by the beam shields. Databoard looked over the scans again looking for any weakness the machine might have.

Cane continued firing at the Saber, which used its Beam Shields to deflect the blasts.

As the Voltage headed arrived at the battle, Kotua noticed the destruction the Anti-Dino Machine was absent-mindedly doing. Buildings destroyed, streets ruptured, cars and lightposts on fire, and some fire hydrants wiped out.

By now, both Databoard and Cane realized they were at a stalemate. Neither could outmatch the other. That was until the Voltage showed up.

With the arrival of the Voltage, the two airships fired upon the Anti-Dino Machine with their combined might. The Neutron Tank also joined the battle. Finally, the Anti-Dino Machine was destroyed, but the giant mech subsequently unleashed a magnetic wave, forcing the Voltage, the Saber, and the Neutron Tank to flee.

Kotua also struggled to keep the Voltage from collapsing onto the magnetic wave. Blade had managed to jump out and land safety... but the same could not be said of the Neutron Tank, which was now a ball of metal...

When it all ended, Blade observed, "Hey, the magnetic waves stopped. Luckily, the crew managed to get the vehicles to safety." He held up a mortar cannon; that was all that's left to the Neutron Tank.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 17: Staging a Fight

----

Soon, the Saber and Voltage flew over the wreckage of the Anti-Dino Machine. "Glad that's over," said Databoard.

"Indeed," replied Kotua.

Suddenly, the alarm beeped. "Sir, we've got a capital airship coming our way," said one bot.

"Get some info on its alliance, weaponry, and agenda..." said Kotua.

"It is the Hyperion. Its classification is LEGOLAND Airforce. The weaponry consists of various Variable Speed Beam cannons, and two Yamato-classification heavy cannons," said the bot.

"Open a channel with the airship. I want to know why it's here," ordered Kotua.

Soon, the big screen rolled down from the Voltage Command Deck ceiling and activated. The screen showed a man in LEGOLAND Airforce uniform. His insignia showed his superior rank, and a tag showed his name... General Jim. "Crew of the Voltage, you are ordered to surrender your craft to us, as you are in violation of LEGOLAND airspace," said General Jim.

Kotua merely replied: "Why would I give up my airship? We have used it to do the job you're supposed to do. We've been using it to fight off the Mutant Din-"

"Because, as it's been brought up MANY times before, Dino Attack unit is unsuccessful at defeating this so called 'threat'. This operation is now being taken over by the LEGOLAND Airforce and Agents Defense Organization. We shall make sure the job gets done... and we won't put up with resistance... especially from a person like YOU," interrupted Jim.

"Go back to your base, Jim, because Dino Attack is more than capable of dealing with the Mutant Dinosaurs," said Kotua. "And we definitely do not need the help of the Agents Defense Organization!"

"We won't be told what to do. You will either give up your craft peacefully, or we'll take it by force!" said Jim.

"I'd like to see you try," said Kotua.

"Oh... you will," said General Jim. The transmission ended.

"Sir, we've detected LEGOLAND Airforce ships uncloaking around us!" said a bot.

"What!?" said Kotua.

Databoard watched as fighter jets, helicopters, and other crafts of the LEGOLAND Airforce appeared around the Voltage. "Great... we've gone from fighting one crazy mech to fighting an entire fleet capable of outpowering us..." Databoard said with disgust. Suddenly, two missiles hit the Saber, jamming it.

The LEGOLAND Airforce fired upon the Voltage. Kotua struggled with whether to fire back or focus entirely on maintaining the Voltage's defenses; he knew there were good men serving in the LEGOLAND military, and he did not want to kill them for General Jim's stubbornness… especially not now that he had finally proven to Dino Attack Team that he was not an insane killer.

The lead LEGOLAND Airforce Airship, the Hyperion, powered up its frontal cannons. To the surprise of Databoard and Kotua, the weapons charged in mere seconds. The blasts fired, impacting the Voltage.

"Sir, we've lost all shields, our hovering system is non-operational, and our armor is already on fire!" said a bot.

"Great..." said Kotua as he noticed the Hyperion charge up its frontal cannons and fire...

Databoard was wondering why the LEGOLAND Airforce was attacking the Voltage. He didn't know if Kotua's airship could take much more of this attack. Databoard increased the power to his beam shields. The LEGOLAND Airforce seemed to be concentrating on the Voltage, but Databoard didn't want to risk the possibility that they would attack the Saber.

The Voltage was already slowly descending upon the city. As the robots panicked, Kotua knew he was running out of time. He ran into an escape pod and evacuated the airship before the LEGOLAND Airforce Airship could fire again. Hopefully, he could reach the Saber before it was too late.

Pieces of the Voltage's external armor flew everywhere as if they were comets, impacting everywhere. Kotua's escape pod was struck by one piece of debris, causing it to spiral downward toward the ground. Kotua closed his eyes as his craft reached the ground.

Databoard watched in shock and horror. He let out a long sigh as he could not be sure whether his fellow agent had just been killed by the LEGOLAND Airforce. He wondered why they would go to such trouble.

"What do we do?" asked someone.

Databoard could only stare at the Voltage, as smoke filled the air. A piece of flaming debris flew through the command center window, only to be smashed into small scraps of metal by the beam shield. Databoard barely even noticed it, he was too busy staring what little remained of Kotua's escape pod...

The escape pod was soon on the ground, a flaming wreckage. Databoard continued to stare in disbelief.

"What should we do?" someone asked again.

Databoard quickly pressed a button, engaging the Saber's cloak. Instantly, the airship disappeared from both view and the LEGOLAND Airforce's sensors. Databoard had a bad feeling the Airforce might go after his airship next, and he didn't want to risk that. He was still wondering why they would destroy the Voltage, but he doubted he would get any kind of answer from the LEGOLAND Airforce.

*****

Aboard the Hyperion, General Jim was smiling. "Well, we took care of the main threat. Now I want all traces of Dino Attack to be non-existent!" said Jim.

"Yes, Sir!" said the crew of the LEGOLAND Airforce Airship.

----

Nick Lightning passed several other Dino Attack agents, one of them being Viper.

There was a burning building with someone trapped inside. Nick ran into it, when suddenly a T-Rex appeared.

Nick Lightning had made a living capturing dinosaurs, but these new mutants were nothing like the ones on Adventurers Dino Island. Nick reached for the man who was trapped. He pulled him out and tried to find a way to stop the T-Rex.

The T-Rex grabbed a nearby mailtruck and flung it at Nick Lightning. He dodged but only by a few centimeters. Nick aimed for the dino's eyes and blinded it with his pistol. He then killed it with his sword, letting rage fill him.

"Now, that felt good..." Nick said.

Nick Lightning found the building that Mocaw was hiding in. "Hey, come with me back to Dino Attack base," Nick told him.

"No, I'll go somewhere where the dinos won't go. But I'm not sure where," Mocaw answered.

"You should go to the Arctic zone; I'll take you there now," said Nick. And so, they left for the Arctic...

----

In the abandoned Minifig Hunters base, the figure cackled and pressed a big, red button. Blue auroras appeared all over the area. Greatly enhanced Mutant and Robo-Dinos were caught in blue flashes, being transported across the planet. And then, the figure entered a strange machine, which also transported through space.

Squads of Dino Attack vehicles pursued fleeing Dinos to the outskirts of the city. The attack there had ended. However, the Dinos ran into caves, and thousands of huge, powerful Dinos charged out, attacking the Dino Attack force and destroying it. The figure then stepped out of the cavern, revealing himself as C-Magma.

C-Magma walked into a T-1 Typhoon and flew off. The rest of the enhanced Robo-Dinos charged, bringing chaos to the world and hunting down the Cloaked Hunter.

The Cloaked Hunter was driving along when three large Raptors appeared. They suddenly shot acid, protecting themselves with their forcefields. The Cloaked Hunter was forced to retreat. All of a sudden, a T-1 Typhoon flew over, and began using weapons ten times as powerful as ordinary weapons.

----

Zero smiled. He had been out of action for way too long, and he had almost forgotten what it was like to ride in a Dino Attack aircraft. Sure, T-1 Typhoon interiors were no Silver Scorpion Orb Launcher, but it was feeling good to be riding again with fellow agents on a mission to a famous location to stop these monsters from tearing down everything they knew.

"You doing alright, Zero?" The agent looked up to see Elite Agent Redshirt looking at him with a face of concern. "You seem out of it. You have coffee this morning?"

"Yep, sure did," Zero replied. "I feel fine, just a bit reminiscent of the early days."

"With Kotua, Databoard, and the others?" Redshirt asked. Bluetooth nodded. "After what you've been through, I suppose I can understand that, but remember not to dwell on the past too much. If I'd did that, I'd just be in my room looking at my kids' baby photos all day."

Zero laughed. "Don't worry, I'm not letting the past distract me. In fact, it's given me a bit of a secret weapon I think might come in handy today." He tugged at his backpack strap.

"Oh? What exactly do you have? It would help if I was aware of this as I'm planning my strategies."

"With all due respect, sir, I'd like to leave it as a surprise."

"I see..." Redshirt rubbed his chin. "I've read your records, so I can guess at what you're talking about, though I'm surprised that either you think such a thing will be so effective or that bag is bigger on the inside. Still, just remember to follow my lead."

"Will do," Zero said, nodding. Redshirt returned to the front cockpit area, while Zero turned around and started watching the skyline through a window.

"See anything interesting?" said a girl's voice. Zero looked behind him to see an agent with colored hair and a hoodie walk up to him.

"Not much, just overgrown farm fields, buildings wrecked to various degrees, and some occasional smoke clouds. Can't see too much from up here."

"Too bad," the agent replied. "You know, I've always wanted to take the LEGO Studio tour, but I just never got around to it. I hear it's the number one way to break into Hollywood."

"Yeah, I've heard the stories," said Zero. "They say you may only get away with doing a wardrobe test, but sometimes you can weasel your way in as a gofer or substitute as a stuntman. I ever heard one person became a director just from helping out around the place!"

The agent smiled. "Man, it would be awesome if I could get into films. I've always fancied myself an actress. Though I suppose I could manage set building in the meantime, I'm not bad with bricks."

"Good enough to call yourself a master builder?"

"Heh heh, perhaps." She winked at Zero. "I'm Wyldstyle, by the way. And I know who you are."

Zero grinned. "Indeed. You've heard it all, I presume? Chaos, the Silver Scorpion Orb Launcher, that weird Toa tech, Rex?"

"All of it and more," Wyldstyle replied. "Can't imagine what it was like for you when he was discharged."

"You wouldn't know the half of it," Zero sighed. "I searched all over the city for any sign of where he went after they fired him, but no luck. All I got was some of his ropework from the wreckage of Mercy Hospital, some crazy story from construction workers seeing him and Dash Justice running from two or three Mutant T-Rexes, and some equipment in a Mutant Dino-infested dockside warehouse with his handiwork. None of it added up to anything." 

Zero looked out the window. "I just know he's still out there somewhere, fighting the good fight against whatever's brought this Dino Attack on the world. And if I have anything to say about it, I'll be the first one to welcome him with open arms when he gets back. Forget what Specs says, he's a Dino Attack agent to the end."

Wyldstyle nodded. "Couldn't agree more. Question authority all the way!" 

"Don't say that in front of Redshirt, though," Zero added, and they laughed. 

"Have to say, you're a nice guy, Zero. Everyone who becomes a household name in the mess hall is treated like a Founding Member, but you're quite approachable."

"Aw shucks, it's nothing. Just be open to talk to and help whoever's in need, that's my motto."

There was a sudden jerk of the copter, and Zero found himself clinging to a hatch door handle. "Woah, what the heck?!"

"Hold steady! Grip, start up PLARXX!" Redshirt called out. A blue-hatted redhead started pushing buttons on the helicopter's central console. On the big screen in front of him, Zero could see lots of little red dots swarming among the two green dots he presumed was their T-1 Typhoons. "Mutant Pterosaur swarm, must've come in from the city to intercept us! Recon, Defend, keep up the cannons!"

Zero and the others stared out the other window. The other helicopter's gunners seemed slower to react than theirs, and few Mutant Pterosaurs seemed to be falling to the PLARXX Radar Ray. Soon, it was facing a barrage of Pterosaur lightning bolts, and struggling to steer through the swarm. 

Eventually, one of the bolts struck the base of the helicopter's propellers. As fire and smoke exploded atop it, an immediate buzz from their PLARXX console and cockpit radios gave the bad news. The T-1 Typhoon was going down.

"Blast!" Redshirt cried out from his spot near the PLARXX station. "Try to aim your descent! Fly into one of the empty lots of the studio grounds!"

A response came out too fast and messy for Zero to understand. The other helicopter rapidly lost altitude and started soaring down towards the grounds in a trail of smoke. Despite the feeble spinning of the rear propeller, the helicopter dived uncontrollably towards a large building on a lot of buildings surrounded by yellow brick walls. Seconds later, it plowed through the building's walls and roof and vanished in a cloud of fire and smoke.

"Znap!" Redshirt cried, pounding on the console. After a moment, he got himself together and walked for the weapons rack near the hatch doors. "Team, our mission hasn't changed. We look for signs of the dino actors and try to save them. But darn me to MegaBlokland if we can't rescue any agents that survived that crash. If there wasn't a big fireball, they're possibly still alive."

"Sure thing, boss!" said Raider, following him to the racks and grabbing a heavy-duty Cosmotronic Ray. "I'm ready to send some Lizards flying for our team!"

"Heh-heh, yeah!" Recon said, literally jumping from his front gunner seat, spinning a revolver on his finger. "Let's show those chuckleheads how we roll-"

"Recon, get back to your station, there's still Mutant Pteros all around us!" Redshirt yelled as the T-1 Typhoon shook from another pterosaur attack. "Pilot! Push through this swarm and land in Lot 2! It's the biggest out of all three of those big courtyards!"

Zero took a deep breath. He looked over at Wyldstyle beside him, at Grip at the console, at Defend and Phantom in the back, Raider at the hatch, and Redshirt and Recon upfront. All as a ragtag team of strangers going into danger against Mutant Dinos at a household name of a place. They all had their specialties, their abilities, and with them Zero was confident that they would survive and win the battle.

"Just like the good old days..." he said, smirking.

----

Now that the Saber was gone, a small cloaked craft flew into the hangar of the Voltage. A squad of secret agents, dressed in blue and green uniforms, stepped out and surveyed the airship interior. Their leader, Colonel Covert, picked up her radio and said, "Agents to Hyperion: the mission is underway."

The Agents Defense Organization was formed back in 2008, when the LEGOLAND government felt that Alpha Team had run its course and should go into retirement. Although both the Alpha Team and the Agents worked for the same cause, to save the world, they both resented each other and thought of the other as a rival team. This feeling was also shared between their respective villains, Evil Ogel and Dr. Inferno, since the former was outraged that the latter was trying to take over the world. As such, while they never directly attacked each other, the Alpha Team and the Agents always tried to outdo one another.

Then, when the Dino Attacks began, the Dino Attack Team was founded by Specs, Shadow, Digger, Viper. Dash Justice, while not one of the founding agents, played a large role in getting the government to fund the Dino Attack Team, thus the Dino Attack Team and Alpha Team had a mutual respect for one another. The Agents, on the other hand, stepped in and said that they would take care of the problem. Thus, the Dino Attack Team shared part of the resentment towards the Agents.

It wasn't as violent a rivalry, per se, as the Montabricks and the Capulegots, but it was enough to get both Dino Attack members and Agents irritated in the presence of one another. But now, this secret mission had reached a whole new caliber for the Agents, who had never attacked the Dino Attack Team before. The Agents had decided that Dino Attack was operating outside of its remit by fighting off villains who weren't responsible for the Dino Attack, and several of its rogue members (like Dragon and Kotua) had proven that the team could not be trusted. But the Agents didn't want to provoke Alpha Team, so they decided that their attack would have to be a secretive black operations mission privately sanctioned by the LEGOLAND Airforce.

While the LEGOLAND Airforce fired on the Voltage, the Agents had remotely uploaded a virus into the Voltage and its robot crew, making the robots and the ship's logs overstate the damage done by the LEGOLAND Airforce to make it seem as though the Voltage had been destroyed by the Hyperion. They hoped to arrest Kotua and put him on trial for his crimes, but since he had evacuated the ship, he was nowhere to be seen; evidently, reprogramming the robots to declare that the ship was about to be destroyed had worked a little too well.

The Voltage was certainly damaged, but far from unflyable. Most of its weaponry was still fully functional. Covert and her teammates made their way to the Command Deck, where they ordered the robots to repair the Voltage.

The hijacked Voltage flew over LEGO City, looking for anything Dino Attack. They spotted a small Dino Attack outpost. Immediately, the Voltage charged up its cannon and fired, destroying the outpost. With Kotua and the Voltage already having the reputation of firing upon Dino Attack, it would be all too easy to pin the blame on Kotua as a scapegoat… nobody would suspect that the Agents were behind the attack.

*****

Databoard was in the hangar of the cloaked Saber, which he had landed inside a ruined building. He had also picked up his T-1 Typhoon, which was now inside the hangar, and he was repairing the damage it had suffered. But he knew that something bad was going on as he repaired it. Two separate but powerful forces, the LEGOLAND Airforce and the Shadows, were going through the city, trying to wipe the Dino Attack team off the face of the earth.

Databoard was finished with his repairs to the T-1 Typhoon. He then began looking at the phasing beam generator, trying to find a way to stop it. Aside from the fact the effects were only temporary, there was no possible way to stop it. Databoard looked at it again, and got an idea.

He creating a small cannon which he attached to the phasing beam generator, and took out a small box. He began reprogramming the device, and pointed it at the box. He pressed a button, and the box vanished. After ten minutes, the box reappeared.

Databoard realized he had found a way to negate the phasing beam's effectiveness. But it would only work if he could find a way to change the phasing beams on all the Shadows jets.

*****

The Hyperion hovered by the burning outpost to mop up the Voltage's mess, with LEGOLAND soldiers arresting any surviving agents that tried escaping the outpost or shooting anyone who tried to resist. By now, only two Dino Attack agents remained, and they had either the choice of being arrested or being fired upon... neither had a happy ending...

Hotwire's Fire Hammer raced into an alley to escape the LEGOLAND Airforce. "As if ShadowTech and the dinos weren't enough, now LEGOLAND itself turns on us, what next?" he muttered. "Where the heck did they get the firepower to take on an airship like the Voltage anyway?"

The Voltage continued on, destroying more Dino Attack outposts and bases with their frontal cannons. Few Dino Attack vehicles resisted being destroyed, but the Voltage's New Beam Shields not only blocked the blasts from Dino Attack vehicles but also returned the blasts back, destroying the vehicles with their own attacks. It seemed there was nothing to stop the Voltage from reaching Dino Attack Headquarters...

*****

The Cloaked Hunter dodged a heavy missile. Suddenly, the Iron Hammer zoomed down, and fired, hitting the T-1 Typhoon. Three other T-1 Typhoons flew down, as well as a huge warship. C-Magma jumped out of his wrecked craft into the large craft. Suddenly, the Cold Flame and the rest of the Cloaked Hunter's army flew in, and opened fire.

The Cloaked Hunter was lifted aboard the Iron Hammer, and he spotted Sting in the command room. The sight of his teammate triggered nostalgic memories. It was as if he suddenly remembered he was Magma, special agent of the Alpha Team, and not just some crazed hunter of prehistoric beasts. He decided to forgo his new identity and go back to being Magma.

"Crew, fire!" shouted Magma. Heavy torpedoes were fired, impacting one of the T-1 Typhoons.

On the Cold Flame, Hubor gave similar orders. Strange disks were launched, impacting the large warship, destroying its First Outer Beam Shield.

The Dino Attack vehicles fought against C-Magma's Mutant Dino horde. The other flying ships fired their own weapons, destroying the remaining T-1 Typhoons.

On both ships, Magma and Hubor gave the same order: "Destroy." Voltaic launchers and Cosmotronic Cannons powered up on the Iron Hammer, impacting C-Magma's ship. C-Magma retaliated, shooting some special missile destroying one of the Cold Flame's ships.

Suddenly, a blast from another airship intercepted C-Magma's warship, destroying it. Magma was puzzled, until the Voltage emerged and aimed its cannons at the Dino Attack fleet.

----

With one last slam on the hatch door, the beaten locks gave way and the door went flying off. Bluetooth peered out of the gap and saw burning piles of bricks and the remains of various styles of building and environment all around him. It answered his question of whether they had actually landed in LEGO Studios for sure now. The absence of living Mutant Dinos or entrapping walls of flame also answered his more immediate concern.

"We're clear," he called out to the rest of the crew, hopping out onto debris that was on close to equal footing with the T-1 Typhoon hatch. "Nice quick thinking, Baudelaire, that trick saved us a lot of time."

"A little something I learned with my siblings in a middle-of-nowhere town," the agent replied as she followed him out, her hair now pulled up from her eyes with a ribbon, putting down a canister of fuel from one of the T-1 Typhoon's side cannons. "With the right acid and a good battering ram, and you can get past most anything. Don't ask why we had to learn that, long story." 

"At least you didn't propose something silly like super-speed," said Python as he tossed a broken Cosmotronic Ray out of the opened hatch. "Did I tell you all some rookie was rambling about being able to run as fast as to pass though solid objects? Honestly! What are we, D.I.N.O. or the X-Men?"

"You'd be surprised at how life is stranger than fiction," said Lovhaug as he hopped out of the helicopter, adjusting his hat. "Have you actually read any of Alpha Team's public statements on Ogel's activities? Once, he tried to take over the world with a freakin' weather-controlling piano organ! Seriously!"

Bluetooth studied the interior of their crash site more closely. It was clear that they had crashed into one of LEGO Studios' studios; the set dressings told him that much. There were plenty of replica parts of skyscrapers, Western towns, race tracks, and even a national bank slid up into the corner. There were also several trailers scattered around the floor perimeter, each in varying stages of distress.

Hearing the sounds of dragging and a struggling Minifig, Bluetooth turned back to see Barrowman as he slowly made his way out of the T-1 Typhoon with another Minifig lifted over his shoulders. "Ergh... well, we were right," he said. "Kord and Garret in the front cockpits didn't make it. Semick's still breathing, but he's knocked out and injured. I patched him up as best as I could."

Once out, Barrowman laid the unmoving agent onto a 2x6 plate that happened to be sticking out from the rubble. Getting closer, Bluetooth could see his chest was slashed through the uniform and was now bandaged up, while his helmet had suffered a large dent. Guess he was right about the importance of wearing those items.

"Carrying him out's not going to be easy," Bluetooth remarked. "This plate can work as a makeshift stretcher, but it'll still be tedious to carry on its own."

"Leave that to me," said Baudelaire, adjusting her hair ribbon. "With a studio like this, there's plenty of parts we can use. If I can just find some wheels from a mobile camera rig, that'll be half the effort gone right there." With Lovhaug following her for extra protection, they headed to some nearby debris piles to scavenge parts.

"Well," said Barrowman, "the good news is that we likely won't have too many Mutant Dinos to deal with running about. I was with the teams sent to investigate on the government's behalf after the Kotua incident, and we wiped the area pretty clean in our survey... though there might be a few nests left over within the deeper parts of the studios..."

"So we'll just have to remain on alert as usual," Python replied. "Should be relatively easy to regroup with the others, that way."

"We should probably do some run-throughs of this studio for signs of the Dino Actors, though," Bluetooth added. "We do still have a mission here, after all."

"But our first priority should be ensuring that our command knows we're still alive," Python retorted, poking a finger at Bluetooth's chest. "Do you just want to leave our leaders in the dark about-"

"Calm down, Python," said Barrowman. "Might as well cover our bases here while we're present. Saves us a trip later." From a pocket in his trench coat, he pulled out an old, worn copy of a LEGO Studios tour brochure and unfolded it, showing a map of the full complex. "From what I saw as we were coming down," he continued, pointing at parts of the map, "we crashed into the Stage 2 building. By my reckoning, Redshirt will land somewhere with open space and a lack of risk from rubble, which will be either the lots or out by the front entrance. Considering searching the studio buildings is our primary means of tracking the dinos, he'll likely have gone for the former."

"So we'll make our way there once we reach an exit then," Bluetooth commented. "Makes sense."

A few seconds later, Lovhaug and Baudelaire came back, carrying several more plates stacked on top of a set of trolley wheels. "This should be enough to build a secure harness," said Baudelaire. "And with a bit of rope from the T-1's cable systems, we should be able to bypass any height obstacles."

"Good," Bluetooth nodded. "Barrowman has a map of the place, so once you're done with that, we should be able to find our way out of here and reach the others. Until then, we should try to knock an objective off our list and check out those trailers for signs of the Dino Actors."

"Sure thing," Lovhaug nodded, taking out a PDA device. "I have a few things up my sleeve from R&D that should help out with that process."

"I like the way you think," Barrowman smirked, lifting his own sleeve up to show a wrist-mounted device. "We'll cover the trailers, and Bluetooth, you can help Baudelaire and Python here with Semick."

"Will do," Bluetooth nodded. "Good luck over there."

Barrowman and Lovhaug turned to leave, and Baudelaire started to climb into the T-1 Typhoon to reach the cable controls. Python grumbled something about precision drilling, but started to work with the parts to start making Semick's proper stretcher.

It only occurred to him as he watched the two agents walk away how much initiative he was taking with their current status, cut away from leadership and working on their own to survive and succeed. It was a task he'd figured Semick here would've been doing, at least based on his authoritative first impression from back at base, if he was still awake. As it were, it seemed that he, a simple technician from the moon, was able to work with directing their actions just as well as the militaristic Python and experienced-looking Barrowman.

Perhaps what the repairman back on Luna say were right, Bluetooth thought to himself as he took hold of a 2x4 plate from Baudelaire's supply. I can get a bit bossy under stress.

----

Kat awoke suddenly, as a series of explosions rocked the city. She found herself in an alley. The last thing she remembered was escaping from Agent Cane... How did she get out here?

Kat frowned. No matter how hard she concentrated, she couldn't remember how she had made it out here. However, she could remember that with the mutant dinos and ShadowTech out to get her, she would need some way to protect herself.

Suddenly, she found an abandoned Steel Sprinter. "Looks like my luck is starting to change," she said. The Steel Sprinter only needed a few minor repairs, so she got to work.

A figure watched Kat from around a corner. A malevolent grin came across his face. Soon... he thought. The strange figure who had kidnapped Kat saw that she was almost done fixing the vehicle. He snuck back to his own vehicle, a black Urban Avenger, and started it up.

----

Aboard the Hyperion, General Jim watched from a screen as the Voltage decimated the Dino Attack Team.

"Looks like it's a success..." said someone behind Jim.

"Perhaps, Gil," said Jim, "but I will not be satisfied 'till all Dino Attack has left is a mere two particles."

"Ouch," said Gil.

"Indeed," said Jim.

"Should we prepare more ships?" asked Gil.

"Prepare the signal. I want to see Dino Attack really struggle," said Jim.

*****

Databoard went back up to the command center, and the Saber began flying cloaked over the city. Databoard turned on the holographic display, and began scanning the city. It seemed that the LEGOLAND Airforce was moving throughout the city, attacking Dino Attack outposts and vehicles. It also appeared that the LEGOLAND Airforce had beam shields that could deflect lasers back at their targets. Databoard knew the Saber could withstand its own weapons, so he wasn't worried about that, but he was worried about other Dino Attack vehicles, which lacked its shielding.

Databoard frowned. He did not know where the LEGOLAND Airforce would have gotten such technology. It almost sounded as though they were using the Voltage… but that could not be true, could it?

Suddenly Databoard's scanner started beeping fast. "MUTANT DINOSAUR UNITS DETECTED!"

"As if taking on three enemy organizations composed of the same species wasn't annoying enough..." muttered Databoard.

He looked at the scanner. His eyes widened. There were so many Mutant Dinos that they appeared on the scanner as big blobs. They were coming from the east...

Databoard was surprised at the number of Mutant Dinos. Of course, with all the other threats they'd been dealing with, this could be expected. The Mutant Dinos hadn't seen him due to the cloak, but he couldn't fight them with the cloak up. He readied the Saber's weapons and prepared to turn off the cloak...

*****

"Good job, Gil," said General Jim. "For once, you didn't screw up."

"Thanks, sir..." said Gil.

"Now, stop smiling like a dummy, and get me something to eat!" ordered Jim.

"Yes, sir," said Gil.

*****

The few Dino Attack agents on the ground that still remained were forced to flee from their covers as hordes of Mutant Dinosaurs rampaged through, destroying everything they could reach and couldn't reach. The Voltage took aim and fired at both Mutant Dinosaurs and fleeing Dino Attack agents...

The Voltage began heading towards Magma's fleet. Left with no option, Hubor pressed a switch. Grappling claws came out of all the ships and attached to the Iron Hammer. Hubor reported, "Operation Fused Ship Complete."

Magma pressed a switch and gave an order. "Fire at will!" Rows of Anti-Beam Shield missiles were launched at the Voltage, impacting them and neutralizing the New Beam Shield. Other weapons, like bombs, were shot at the Mutant Dino horde.

The Dino Attack agents on the ground suddenly spotted a mechanical colossus overhead. Small pods with Dino Attack insignia shot out and landed. The agents ran inside, and the pods were pulled back up to the Iron Hammer.

*****

"Sir, it seems that the Voltage has had its Beam Shields neutralized," said Gil.

"Is that so? Well, they still have to deal with the Mutant Dinos..." said Jim.

"Erm... they're also successfully keeping the Mutant Dinosaurs at bay," said Gil.

"Seems like I told you," muttered Jim.

*****

The Voltage, despite having no Beam Shields, activated its frontal cannons. Before they could fire, the Iron Hammer fired EMP pulse missiles, temporarily knocking out the energy the Agents needed to charge and fire the frontal cannons.

"Take that!" shouted Magma. The Voltaic Launchers, which were deactivated while New Beam Shields were online, activated and began targeting the neutralized Voltage. However, some Robo-Blades launched from the Voltage, which flew over the Fused Iron Hammer and dropped the Agents' infiltration bombs, which spread viruses over the computer system. They planned to hack the Iron Hammer just as they had hacked the Voltage.

"Sir, enemy infiltration in main computer," reported agent Hacker.

"Then remove the infiltration!" shouted Magma. Computer crews began working on the computer, and fixed it.

The Saber arrived at the battle. Databoard's eyes widened when he saw the Voltage, still flying and battle-ready, as it attacked the Iron Hammer.

Databoard decloaked, and the Voltage charged up its frontal cannon and fired. Databoard flew out of the way, and the blast flew past the Saber, destroying a nearby building. The Voltage began charging up the cannon again, but Databoard turned on the heat beam, fusing the cannon shut. The energy on the Voltage continued to charge up, and an explosion destroyed the frontal cannon. Another flew towards him, but Databoard evaded the blasts and fired back.

Magma contacted Databoard via radio: "Databoard, it looks like Kotua is at it again! Help me put him down for good this time!"

Databoard shook his head as he replied: "That's not Kotua flying the Voltage."

"Then who?" wondered Magma.

Databoard evaded a blast from the cannon of the Voltage, and fired back at it. Another blast flew by, but Databoard continued to evade it. He fired the heat beam, but after seeing how he had used it before, the Agents aboard the Voltage had made sure that the vital components of their ships were kept away from the heat beam.

Databoard continued to fire at the Voltage, when a group of Mutant Pteranodons attacked the Saber, but failed to penetrate the beam shield. Databoard fired at them, causing them to flee. Suddenly, a blast slammed into the airship, knocking it backwards. Databoard inspected the damage, and fortunately, backup beam shields had been activated. Databoard reminded himself not to let the Voltage out of his sight again.

Databoard noticed a Dino Attack agent running for his life. Suddenly, the Hyperion released a strange craft, which flew after the agent. Databoard tried destroying the craft, but instead destroyed a fighter jet that had been cloaked. The strange craft fired, and a spiked ball releasing green fumes flew out, directly hitting the agent. And then, to Databoard's horror, the agent mutated into a Mutant Lizard. The craft flew back to the LEGOLAND Airforce Airship.

*****

"Sir, the Special Intelligence Bureau just got us info of the success of weapon codenamed 'Gamma'," said Gil.

"How successful?" asked General Jim.

"Target was mutated into a Mutant Lizard," said Gil.

"Good. Tell the SIB to keep me posted... and tell them not to screw up again," ordered Jim.

"I'm sure they'll say, 'It won't happen again'," said Gil.

"Let's hope so," said Jim.

----

Clambering out of the T-1 Typhoon, Zero joined the others in preparing for their operations and reunion with the crashed copter's crew.

"So this is the area that was behind those locked gates," Raider remarked, looking around at the empty space. "They never were open when I went on the tour... frankly, I'm underwhelmed."

"They probably save this space for outdoor filming," said Wyldstyle. "That, and storing miscellaneous parts of sets and the like."

"Well, whatever it is, we can't stay long," said Zero. "So, first step is to recon with the team, I presume?"

"Indeed," Redshirt called out, raising his laser rifle. "Studio B is just up the way, but stay cautious everyone, we have no idea how many Mutant Dinos have come in here from the city since the last op here."

As one, the team headed for the remains of the gate that had once sealed off the lot from the rest of the complex. Immediately out of it, coming from the old gateway to the front of the studio, the group spotted a group of Mutant Raptors bunched together over a fire burning from the wooden gate parts. As the team stepped over the bricks, the raptors turned and sighted them.

"Spread out and open fire!" Redshirt called out, running to the right and followed by Grip and Raider, their guns firing off like mad.

Raider went to town with most of the Mutant Raptors and the rest of the Mutant lizards, mowing them down with his heavy Cosmostrophic Ray and gleefully loving every moment of it. "Yee-haw!" he cried out. "Take that you overgrown lizards! If Ellis could see me now!"

Zero, Recon, and Wyldstyle chose a slightly different method, trailing to the left and towards the rear of the raptors. The rest of the T-1 Typhoon's crew kept up the rear.

Recon took initiative with an abandoned metal bat in the lot and leaped up top one of the raptors, slamming it in the head with it. "Woo-hah! Bonk!"
 
"Nice one!" Wyldstyle cried, shooting at the raptors in the legs. As some of them tried for a clawed attack, she stared ducking and weaving through them, striking back with well-aimed punches and kicks.

Zero used the opportunity to strike at their eyes with his laser rifle, keeping a keen eye on their blind spots. "Aim at the one on the left, Phantom!" he called out to one of the agents behind him. Said agent nodded and took aim, but it was Pilot who ended up making the shot, although he was a bit surprised at it. Zero shrugged. "Good shot, anyways!"

Within a few minutes the raptors were taken care of, and the team took a moment to catch their breath.

"Alright, yeah," Recon said, patting Raider on the back, "that's- naw, that's a pretty good job, brotha. I like yer style."

"Same to you too, Bonk-Boy," Raider replied, flashing a thumbs up.

"Okay you two, don't get cocky," Redshirt said to the two of them. "We still have a lot of ground to cover before this night is over."

Zero went up and patted Phantom on the shoulder. "Glad to have you around, old buddy."

"No problem," Phantom replied, "I'm always here to help."

"Who are you talking to?" Wyldstyle asked.

"Oh, he's Phantom," Zero explained. "He's an Alpha Team agent. My old friend and I met him during some crazy hijinks involving a Silver Scorpion Orb Launcher and villains from the future early on in the war, and we've been good allies ever since." Phantom nodded in acknowledgement.

Zero then moved closer to Wyldstyle and whispered into her ear. "He also targeted me and Rex to find this guy named Frozeen before he got hit in the head. We kept our real names secret around him for a while in case it cleared his amnesia, but by now he seems to be able to respond to me being called 'Zero' as well as 'Norik' without going nuts. Still haven't tried 'Rex' around him, though, and I think I'd better keep it that way."

Wyldstyle looked surprised, but nodded regardless. "Alright, sure."

"Alright team," Redshirt said loudly, "Enough chitchat. We have people to save here."

With that, the team moved on towards the Stage 2 building.

----

Databoard evaded as the Voltage fired at the Saber. Databoard fired the heat beam at the airship. He didn't get the cannon, but he did cause damage to its engines. The Voltage had started charging its cannon again. Databoard sped forward, and the blast demolished several buildings nearby.

The Voltage continued firing at Databoard, this time also with side lasers. The lasers were deflected off of the Saber's beam shield. Databoard pressed some buttons, instructing the auto defense system to target the Voltage as he aimed the heat beam at them, which forced them to take evasive action. Databoard fired some missiles at well, which slowly weakened some of the Voltage's beam shields.

The Voltage fired strange-looking cannons, hitting the Iron Hammer and penetrating its hull. "Sir, we can't hold them for long!" shouted one crewmember.

Magma was forced to accept the truth: the Iron Hammer was outgunned, outmatched, and outflown by the much more powerful Voltage. Magma snapped his fingers, and small pods were released from the Iron Hammer. "Send a general distress signal to anyone who might aid us... Alpha Team definitely," ordered Magma.

Another crewmember charged up. "Sir, incoming signal."

They received a transmission from General Jim. "So, I thought the Voltage was the worst threat... Surrender or be destroyed," he said.

Magma smiled, and pressed a switch. Three EMP missiles hit the Voltage. Then, every weapon on the Iron Hammer targeted and fired at it. With their shields down and their engines failing, Magma diverted all of the ship's energy into firepower. "If we are going to be destroyed," Magma declared, "then let it be a mutually-assured destruction!"

The Iron Hammer and Voltage fell out of the sky together, crashing down towards LEGO City below. "You may have destroyed the Voltage, but you will still lose!" shouted Jim, who ended the transmission.

The crew of the Iron Hammer evacuated in escape pods. Upon entering his own pod, Magma pressed another button. Rocket engines activated on the bottom of his pod, and he blasted off.

*****

"We've been defeated in battle!" exclaimed General Jim.

"Let me guess, Kotua rose again and took back the Voltage," said Gil.

"No... it was another ship. Covert and her Agents were forced to use the escape pods!" said Jim. "Well, then. Looks like Dino Attack really wants to stay."

"So, we're leaving LEGO City to them?" asked Gil.

"No, you bumbling fool! We make them wish they gave up when they had the chance!" snapped Jim.

----

Nick Lightning decided to stay in the Arctic zone for a while, then he traveled to Adventurers' Island. There, he walked around and ran into a giant mutant spider, nearly the size of a Steel Sprinter. It was the most terrifying creature Nick had ever seen, possibly mutated by the same force as the dinos. It had a purple fleshy mass for a body, with multiple metallic appendages sticking out of its form and six glowing yellow eyes blinking on its hideous face. The spider ensnared Nick in a web and dragged him back to its nest.

Nick reached for his sword with his free hand, pulled it out, and cut the web. He slashed at the mutant spider and went for the kill. It slammed him into the wall without any effort at all and then crawled away, headed to a faraway temple, barely visible from where Nick stood.

Nick Lightning took an abandoned transport to Enchanted Island. He did not see any people there. And then, the Mutant Raptors came out of hiding...

Nick slashed at the Mutant Raptors with his sword. "Back, you foul creatures! One more step or I'll..." he said. "Wait, where have I heard that before? Must've been watching too much TV."

One of the Raptors jumped and cracked Nick's helmet, "Oh, you'll pay for that!" he said and killed it...

----

The Iron Hammer escape pods flew across LEGO City, as Magma tried to pursue the cloaked escape craft that exited the crashing Voltage. They played cat-and-mouse for a while before the Voltage escape craft ultimately got away, but Magma recognized something familiar about its flight patterns. He had not faced a skilled pilot like that since…

"Covert…" whispered Magma, recalling his rival among the Agents Defense Organization.

Hubor and Magma contacted each other via radio. "They're too strong for a direct assault... we need more agents," said Hubor.

Magma barked out a command. "Ready the landing crafts!" Some smaller ships were jettisoned, landing at Dino Attack HQ.

Dino Attack agents were told to come to that area. They did, but the LEGOLAND Airforce was drawn towards it. "Surrender or be destroyed!" shouted General Jim from the Hyperion.

"Not this time!" replied a new voice. Twelve Blizzard Blasters assembled and began defending the ships while they took off. The Blizzard Blasters were destroyed, but they allowed the Dino Attack agents to escape.

*****

"Our men have made it out to space," said Gil.

General Jim chuckled. "Everything seemed to be a fun challenge... until they put themselves into my line of fire... Dummies."

*****

The Space Police had enforced a blockade of LEGO Planet to prevent anyone from smuggling Mutant Dinos off-planet. However, LEGOLAND had agreed to a compromise, allowing astronauts to reach a low orbit of the planet as long as they did not travel off-world.

In a floating asteroid orbiting Earth, two LEGOLAND Airforce officers prepped the "asteroid", which was really a battery. They pulled it towards the abandoned International Space Station and floated towards the center.

"Ready?" asked one.

"Of course," replied the other one. As they placed the battery, and activated the station, a piece of goo- like material landed on the shoulder of one LEGOLAND Airforce officer.

"What in the world?" said the first officer.

They both looked up. Above them stood a raptor-like alien creature, with sharp blades instead of claws, and strange orange spikes. The creature leapt onto one of the officers. The other stumbled back and drew his blaster, but another alien from behind grabbed him...

*****

On Earth, Alpha Team was on full alert. Lockdown was activated, and no one could leave HQs or enter them. Many agents headed underwater to the Aquatic Bubble HQ, where Mission Deep Sea was fought. None noticed the LEGOLAND Airforce shoot submarines down, following them.

Alpha Team Aquatic Bubble HQ was not ready to support every single Dino Attack agent around. So, construction crews were sent to the ruins of Ogel's Underwater Base to convert it into an Alpha Team Undersea Base, where the rest of the agents could live temporarily until the crisis was over.

----

Databoard was looking around when he noticed a Shadows jet flying towards him. It fired a phasing beam, which Databoard was forced to avoid. The Saber could take lasers, but not phasing beams, which could get through beam shields. He fired back at the jet, destroying it. Suddenly, more jets flew up, and started firing phasing beams at the Saber. Databoard evaded them, and fired back.

Databoard cloaked the Saber, confusing the pilots of the Shadows jets. He then flew behind them and decloaked, destroying them before they could attack. Databoard decided that he should start trying to stop the Shadows. He cloaked the Saber so that neither the LEGOLAND Airforce nor the Shadows would know where he was, and then landed the airship a short distance from LEGO City.

Databoard looked at the phasing beam generator that he had reprogrammed. This would completely negate the phasing beam's effectiveness, but it would only work if all the phasing devices were modified at once, and that would be impossible to do. Or is it...? Databoard thought as he studied the device.

Databoard looked over the information he'd managed to gather on the Shadows jets. All the functions on it, including the phasing beam, were connected to the main computer, which could receive commands from the main computer in the Shadows' Antarctica base. If he could gain access to the computer, he could use it to modify the phasing beams on all the Shadow's jets, as well as on Darkforce's plane.

----

"Of all the places to find discarded food," Python was muttering as he tied the knot on the stretcher, "what kind sense is there in putting it on the top of a scaffolding rig that's fully entangled with live power wires?!"

"Guess people will sit anywhere for a lunch break," Barrowman replied as he prepared to pull on the rope. "Besides, everything must've gone nuts here in the Mutant Dino outbreak."

"Besides, tights spots like handling live wires are good times for something as good as rhubarb pie!" Lovhaug piped out as he bagged the pie slice he had found. He started to snap his fingers as he muttered a song. Bluetooth had to admit he had a good singing voice. "Yes, just one little thing can revive a guy, and that is a piece of rhubarb pie! Serve it up, nice and hot, maybe things aren't as bad as you thought!..."

The team had managed to finish building Semick's stretcher and harness, and had made their way to one of the exterior walls of the studio, where collapsing floor structures left their only way up to the main doors and the exit (for they had discovered that the existing stairs upstairs had collapsed into a mess of wreckage). With Barrowman and Bauldelaire's physical fitness, they had managed to climb up and prop up a ladder salvaged from a camera crane for the rest of the team to use, and were now finishing up a pulley system to carry up Semick's unconscious form.

Bluetooth looked around him at the current space. Currently, it seemed set up for a movie set in a robotics factory of sorts, with various costume pieces in the form robot parts littered about, and a podium in front of a wall plastered with a logo featuring a giant H. He wondered if it was for something original or some kind of tie-in to that one robotics company in the Makuhero system. Of course, the set had taken an extreme beating, but for their purpose, a gaping hole in a wall just to their right held the promise of escape from this building. All that needed to be done was the clearing of a large pile of rubble and they'd be home free.

"All set up," Baudelaire said as she secured the other end of the rope on a very large fallen brick from the roof. "Pull away!"

With that, Bluetooth and Barrowman began pulling on the rope and guiding Semick's stretcher up to the next floor. It wasn't easy, but the combined effort of the two agents, made things run quickly and smoothly. Within only a minute, the stretcher had reached the edge of the hole, and Baudelaire was pulling on it to guide it onto solid ground. Lovhaug and Python were making their way up the latter to help her with this task.

When the stretcher finally had all four points of support placed firmly on the ground, Bluetooth let go of the rope and walked up for a closer look. Semick was still out, but he seemed to be starting to breathe again, meaning he would likely wake up soon.

"Alright," Barrowman said as he walked towards the debris pile. "Guess that's the easy part done. Now about this pile of-"

Suddenly, a loud rumbling could be heard from just beyond the debris pile. From above it, Bluetooth could see a glimpse of tan spikes and a thick, black tail moving behind it. Just as he registered this, and the building shook as a large mass stuck at the debris pile, causing bricks and rubble to scatter. Barrowman just managed to get away before a large chunk of ceiling fell on him.

"Okay, this is definitely the hard part," he muttered. Bluetooth couldn't agree more, backing away with an expression of worry beneath his glasses.

----

As Rex recoiled from Fogel's attack, Amanda charged forward and slammed into Fogel, smashing him against the wall. She glared fiercely at him, eager to get revenge on the villain who had previously overpowered her. Rex nodded to Amanda, and they were both ready to attack the FUTURE boss.

Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen approached Fogel, who was breathing heavily as he got back to his feet. "I... cannot lose!" Fogel growled as he clenched his hands into fists. "Not to the likes of you!"

"It's over, Fogel!" announced Frozeen. "Face it, you're outnumbered, outmatched, and fighting a losing battle. You foolishly thought you could take us all on at once... and now, you'll pay for your hubris."

"And then what? Your short-lived victory will be meaningless in the end," declared Fogel. "Even if we cannot take over your timeline, then we'll just find another timeline where we'll win. Time will always be in our favor. FUTURE... is... inevitable!"

With that, Fogel launched himself at Frozeen, tackling him to the floor. The two cyborgs wrestled each other, their multiple arms moving too quickly for Rex to follow. Fortunately, Fogel's black armor made him easy to distinguish from his opponent, so Rex wasted no time in swinging his tail and knocking the FUTURE villain off of Frozeen.

As Fogel reeled, now it was Frozeen's turn to attack. The Alpha Team agent blocked and punched his way past Fogel's defenses. While Amanda circled around the combatants, Rex lunged at the FUTURE boss. However, Fogel grappled Frozeen and threw him aside, then he dove out of the way of Rex's attack and prepared to retaliate.

Amanda slammed her foot down upon Fogel, as though she was squashing a repulsive bug under her shoe. She raised her foot and then, when the villain tried to get back on his feet, crushed him again. It would have surely killed him if not for the protection afforded by his G.E. Body.

She bared her teeth in a silent snarl as she leered down upon Fogel. Then, with a savage look in her red eyes, she opened her maw and lunged at him, going for the kill.

"Stop!" shouted Rex. "Don't do it; this isn't you!"

While Amanda had managed to remain in control of her Mutant Dino instincts, in this moment she seemed dangerously close to giving in to the feral beast. In truth, Rex couldn't blame her, knowing what Fogel had done to her, and it would be poetic justice for him to be killed by the very same mutant he turned; G.E. Body or not, surely no one could survive a Mutant T-Rex's internal nuclear furnace. However, Rex could not let Amanda give into the darkness; it was the very least that he owed Remous.

Fortunately, Amanda listened, and she stopped herself before she could chomp down on Fogel. She shook her head and glanced at Rex, looking ashamed of what she had nearly done. She backed off and stepped away, but not before shooting Fogel one last death glare. Now, Rex could finish off the FUTURE boss... non-lethally, of course.

Taking the opportunity of the fact Fogel was still recovering, Rex lunged forward, attempting to catch the villain in his maw. He almost did, but Fogel quickly got up while in his open maw and raised his arms, preventing Rex from closing. "A lil' 'el' 'ere?" said Rex, trying to ask for help.

"Boost me up," Frozeen asked Amanda as he climbed onto her snout. Amanda agreed, then lifted Frozeen up until he was eye-to-eye with Fogel. Now, using all six of his hands to hold Rex's jaws in place, Fogel realized that he was unable to defend himself from Frozeen.

"For years, I have waited to do this to Ogel," said Frozeen, smirking beneath his helmet. "Doing this to you is even better!" Then, Frozeen rapidly punched Fogel in the face with all four of his hands, until finally the relentless blunt force was enough to knock Fogel out.

As Fogel lost consciousness, he could no longer hold Rex's mouth open, and the T-Rex closed his jaws upon the villain. The G.E. Body was impervious to the razor-sharp teeth, so Rex did not feel any need to hold back. Rex threw Fogel at the wall, and there was the loud clang of metal impacting metal as the FUTURE boss's helmet collided with the wall. Finally, Fogel fell atop the pile of unconscious FUTURE villains.

"Alright, Fogel's defeated!" cheered Rex. "He's going to wake up with one nasty concussion after all this. That means the only FUTURE villain still conscious is..."

"Finister!" completed Frozeen, looking over at the other battle…

----

Magma and his crew arrived at the secure bunker. "We can't just sit here, they might have orbital units. And, we need to defeat them, whoever they are. Contact Kotua, he might help," ordered Magma.

Agent Porter came up to Magma. "Sir, the Voltage reportedly got destroyed by the LEGOLAND Airforce Airship Hyperion, even though we fought it just now, and it was the first and last Dino Attack ship to make conversation with the LEGOLAND Airforce," said Porter.

"So, Kotua said something to anger them, or the other way around. Any signs of Kotua?" asked Magma.

"Not yet, but the nuclear engines of the Voltage released nuclear particles during the attack, which we've determined will take a week to fade off and let us really search," said Porter.

"So, we can't count on Kotua..." muttered Magma.

"We've got a transmission from the LEGOLAND Airforce," said Hacker.

"What do they want? Put up the transmission," said Magma.

The screen activated, showing General Jim. "Agents, you are to stand down and surrender ALL your vehicles, HQs, and other equipment within 24 hours, or else you shall find yourselves banished from Earth," said the LEGOLAND Airforce commander.

"Amusing. How are you going to 'banish us'? With your puny airships?" said Magma.

"Oh... Not exactly. But you'll wish so," said Jim.

"Well, I'm not giving up because you throw a tantrum," said Magma.

"How dare you! You'll wish you hadn't said that," said Jim, cutting off the transmission.

"We've located activity on the abandoned ISS," said Porter.

"So that's the big plan?" said Magma.

"Apparently, they managed to activate the cannons, but immediately after that all readable life within the ISS ceased to exist," said Porter.

"Readable?" asked Magma.

"We're getting some questionable readouts of other beings."

"Emergency power!" shouted Magma. He turned and walked back to the main room. "Target the ISS with sensor probes! Get me some information!"

A worker nodded. "Yes sir, it shall be done." The sensor probes were launched, heading for the ISS.

*****

On the surface, a lone Dino Attack agent walked into her Iron Predator. She prepared to move it, when she spotted a LEGOLAND Airforce jet. So, she activated the cloaking device and the jet just flew right over.

The Dino Attack agent activated repulsors, and the Iron Predator hovered over the oceans, heading to Antarctica, where she spotted an Alpha Team agent heading underwater. "I'm looking for special agent... Magma? Where is he? I have important information," she said.

The Alpha Team agent said, "I don't know, but he joined Dino Attack the last I heard. What's your name?" he asked.

"Wingman. Agent Wingman," she responded.

Agent Wingman had found Magma's location-signal beacon, with almost every other agent. She entered a transport shuttle, and blasted off, heading to their location, carrying important information.

*****

The sensor probes flew out but were destroyed before they could target the ISS.

"Looks like they have LEGOLAND Airforce crafts to protect the ISS," reported Porter.

"They really do know how to annoy us..." muttered Magma. "Launch more probes, this time with a decoy!" he shouted.

The probes flew out, followed by a balloon in the shape of a Dino Attack shuttle. The balloon continued flying, while Magma and his team boarded a real T-1 Typhoon.

The LEGOLAND Airforce noticed the balloon and mistook it for a real Dino Attack shuttle. They fired, destroying it. Soon, they realized it was a decoy as they were targeted by Magma's T-1 Typhoon...

"Sir, enemy spotted," reported a robot.

Magma answered, "Forward batteries, fire! Special Weapons, fire!" Blasts impacted one LEGOLAND Airforce craft, crippling it, and special weapons downed another. Fortunately, these smaller crafts did not pose nearly as great a threat as the full-sized airships.

----

"Hasn't been too interesting so far," said Recon as the team walked. "Not many Mutant Dinos out in the open after that first attack."

"That's good, we must've stirred the most of them with the crash and landing," Redshirt added. "But nobody better be letting there guard down. There could always be something else still lying in waiting."

"Don't worry," said Raider, cocking his Cosmotronic Ray, "I doubt it'll be enough to stop us in our-"

RUMBLE

"You just had to jinx it," Grip remarked.

The team had nearly made it to Stage 2's entrance when they heard a lumbering sound off to the right. From around the studio's corner, a red-scaled Mutant T-Rex marched in front of the building, its eyes staring at a pile of debris that had covered what looked like the building entrance. It sniffed the pile for a moment, then started to pound at it with its head and tail.

"It must've picked up the other agents' scent," said Redshirt. "It's trying to break through and go after them!"

"How are we going to get to them through that thing?!" Pilot said in disbelief.

"We'll have to distract the big guy away, that's for sure," Redshirt replied. "Spread out and start firing at it! Divert its attention on my command!"

The team split into action. Raider and Recon, feeling daring, darted towards the rubble of the studio commissary, while Redshirt, Grip, and Pilot stood back and took cover behind the remains of a phone booth and several broken cars. Zero, Wyldstyle, and Phantom moved around the T-Rex and took cover behind several LEGO Studios-marked crates by the Wardrobe Department building.

Zero kept watch on Redshirt. After getting into position, he looked towards Raider and Recon's position and waved an arm. Seconds later, a barrage of laser blasts and gunshots went off, and the Mutant T-Rex turned from Stage 2 towards the commissary. It roared and moved to attack with its tail, but a "Too slow!" from Recon indicated that it wasn't working.

A sudden tug on Zero's backpack made him turn to face Phantom. With a sly-looking eye through his balaclava, he gestured towards the pack and tugged at his face-covering mask. Zero understood quickly, grinning.

"Redshirt's eyeing us," said Wyldstyle. "Get ready to act."

"I'm more than ready," said Zero, pulling his backpack off and opening it. Out of it, he pulled a familiar black mask.

Wyldstyle turned and looked at him with confusion. "Uh... Zero? What are you doing?"

"Equaling the playing field," Zero replied. With that, he ran out of the cover of the crate. The Mutant T-Rex was swiping claws at Recon, currently running in circles around its legs. As the T-Rex looked up in frustration, it saw Zero approaching, and its eyes narrowed.

Redshirt yelled something out, but Zero was too in the moment to register it. Without any hesitation, he put the mask to his face.

A flash of light later, and Zero was standing tall in black armor, baring large silver drills, and staring the Mutant T-Rex down with glowing green eyes.

"Alright, big guy," he cried out, clenching his fist and clicking his tools together, "time for a taste of Toa action!"

With that, Zero ran at the Mutant T-Rex with drills barred. The Mutant T-Rex charged at him, sending Recon scattering, and swung at him with his claws.

----

"I still have tricks up my sleeve!" declared Finister, who proceeded to reach up one of his literal sleeves and pull out one of his inventions, which resembled a lasso. He swung it around and caught it around Chompy's head, ensnaring the T-Rex's jaws like a muzzle. Chompy frantically tried to get loose but his efforts only made the muzzle tighter.

Finister climbed up onto the T-Rex's back, and then started charging up his hooks. Pointing them at PBB and Little Bot, he threatened, "This is the Re-Gou's power! If you dare come near me, I will fry your circuits!"

Chompy desperately tried to escape from Finister, but Finister held tight despite having hooks for hands. Neither PBB nor Little Bot would be able to attack head-on, due to the danger posed by the charged hooks. So, the two robots began to devise a plan.

PBB and Little Bot split up. They circled around Finister and the trapped Chompy. Every now and then, one would pretend to attack, distracting the villain from the other, who would then try to attack. Unfortunately, Finister seemed to be catching on to their plan, as he stopped falling for that trick... and even worse, he was losing his patience.

He was just about to actually fire his charged hooks when Rex, Amanda, and Frozeen tackled him to the ground all at once…

----

"Sir, sensor probes scanning, scanning..." droned the robot. Some crews had taken debris from the fallen LEGOLAND Airforce craft, specifically, the main computer. They were analyzing it in the laboratory.

Suddenly, a LEGOLAND Airforce intercept craft moved towards the hangar of an airship, which Magma recognized as the flagship Hyperion. "Bring our T-1 into the hangar!" commanded Magma. "And get a robot security team and some human officers too!" The security force headed down to the hangar.

Magma forced open the hatch of the Hyperion. LEGOLAND soldiers came out and were blasted by the robots.

"Robot team, stay here and guard the entrance. Human team, follow me!" Magma ordered.

After they had entered a side passage, LEGOLAND soldiers appeared everywhere. Magma tossed his laser aside and removed his metallic gauntlet. His mutated arm, a mass of purple material, glowed. Plasma covered it, and emerged, killing the LEGOLAND soldiers. Then, he melted a door that stood in his way.

----

Up in the observation deck, Ogel was rendered utterly speechless that Fogel, his future self and leader of FUTURE, had fallen in battle before Finister did. How could this be? He was supposed to be the greatest LEGO villain of them all! But all that Ogel saw now was a pitiful failure.

Sam Sinister, on the other hand, was very glad. "Yay!" he cheered. "You see? You all treat me as if I am the weakest villain, but I'm the last man standing in the end!"

"You will be the weakest… once I destroy you," snarled Ogel, finally finding his voice.

"Now, now," Brickster said, stepping between the two villains, "what matters is that there still is one FUTURE villain still conscious."

"Furthermore," added Vladek, "thour FUTURE selves art merely unconscious and shalt soon waketh up; don't thou worry."

"Vladek's right," Sinister said. "They're bound to wake up sooner or later… and when they do, these heroes won't survive a rematch."

----

Suddenly, Databoard saw a Fire Hammer crash through a group of trees, coming to a stop near the cloaked Saber. The Fire Hammer had taken on some major damage, it was covered in dents, the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher was gone, and the windshield was smashed in. Databoard assumed this was a Dino Attack agent whose vehicle was damaged by the LEGOLAND Airforce.

Databoard went outside the cloaked vehicle, closing the hatch behind him. He walked over to the Fire Hammer, unable to see who was driving it. As was about to go inside it, someone leapt out and kicked him, knocking him backwards. Databoard got up and saw his attacker: Dataclone. Databoard took out his laser, while Dataclone took out his as well, and they both started firing at each other.

Databoard fired his laser, which blasted Dataclone's laser away. He fired at Dataclone again, but dodged it he leapt at Databoard, and knocked the laser out of his hand. Databoard dodged as Dataclone tried to attack him, trying to get back towards the cloaked Saber. Databoard leapt at Databoard, who jumped out of the way and knocked Dataclone to the ground. Databoard then rushed towards the Saber, with Dataclone not far behind him.

Databoard opened the cloaked hatch of the Saber. He started to run into the airship, but Dataclone grabbed him and flung him out of the Saber. Databoard got up, only to have to dodge Dataclone's fist. He continued dodging, until Dataclone kicked him backwards. Databoard was sent flying backwards until he collided with the cloaked Saber.

Dataclone picked up Databoard's laser, which was still lying on the ground, and aimed it at Databoard. "This is where it ends..." Dataclone muttered.

Dataclone was about to fire the laser. Databoard knew that at this range, there was no way he could get up and dodge the laser in time.

Dataclone was seconds from pulling the trigger, when he suddenly dropped the laser. Databoard quickly grabbed the laser and got up. Meanwhile, Dataclone stumbled backwards, until he collapsed to the ground, dead.

Databoard just stood there, confused by what had just happened.

----

The sheer force of two T-Rexes and one G.E. Body knocking Finister off Chompy's back would have been enough to knock the wind out of him. And yet, the cloaked FUTURE villain got back to his feet. He spat out a loose tooth, blood dribbling down his beard, and laughed almost maniacally.

"It will take a lot more than that to defeat me!" Finister proclaimed. "I have survived a mummy's curse… a yeti attack… flying into the sun… a doomed elevator of my own design! I have hunted dinosaurs and already lived through the entire Dino Attack once before! I am Lord Sam Sinister von Barron, the hateful man with the evil eye! And I will not be-"

As the villain was monologuing, Amanda focused her gaze on him and fired another pair of eye beams, striking him in the chest. Finister stumbled backward but stayed on his feet. Cackling, he charged up his hooks again, and his eyes actually appeared to be glowing a bright crimson as though they were a pair of rubies. "What did the mummy say when faced with impossible odds?" he hissed. "He said, 'no fair-aoh!'"

With that, Finister started firing wildly in all directions, the energy crackling like lightning from his hooks as he continued to laugh maniacally. Even with the thick hide of a Mutant T-Rex, Rex could still feel a sharp burning sensation when one blast struck his shoulder. He wondered if it was actually some sort of cursed magic that was powering up Finister. Whatever it was, he knew that his allies would not stand a chance if Finister kept up this attack.

I need to stop him now! thought Rex. Ignoring the intense pain as more blasts hit him, Rex summoned his strength and then lunged forward and closed his jaws around Finister's outstretched arms. The crimson hooks shattered into crystalline fragments, sheared by the razor-sharp teeth of a Mutant T-Rex. Finister gasped weakly as the red glow faded from his eyes and his strength left him. Without that extra power, he was just a frail old man.

"This... is for Maw!" growled Rex. Then, he opened his mouth again and closed his jaws around Finister. His every instinct wanted to bite down hard and kill the FUTURE villain, but he continued to hold back. Instead, he threw Finister at the wall, adding him to the pile of unconscious bodies.

The battle was won. "It's over now," said Rex, breathing a heavy sigh of relief. He looked over at Amanda and smiled at her.

However, Chompy growled. PBB nodded in agreement as he said, "Yes, they're unconscious right now, but when they wake up…"

"I've been thinking about that," said Frozeen, walking over towards the defeated villains. "If they're from the future, then they must have come back in a time machine. If we can find that time machine and send them back to their original time…"

Little Bot started beeping excitedly. PBB listened intently, though Rex still had no idea what the small robot was saying. "That's a good idea," remarked PBB.

"Just one question, though," said Rex. "How do we get out of here?"

PBB pointed to one particular wall panel that looked just like any other. "The FUTURE villains came in through that hidden entrance," he said, "according to my memory databanks. They were not counting on me surviving long enough to inform you of this. I'm certain that if we remove that one panel, we will find our way out!"

----

The Mutant T-Rex's attack had cleared most of the debris, but there were many large chunks left in the entryway of Stage 2. Bluetooth and the others took the advantage when the T-Rex was lured off to start clearing the rest, working at such a fast and hurried pace that they couldn't stop to try to see what was going on outside.

When Barrowman finally managed to push the last rock out of the way, Bluetooth stopped to catch his break and see what was going on. He saw the Mutant T-Rex charging off past the stage building, ignoring the shots of Dino Attack guns shooting at it. Where it had been, he could glimpse the bodies of two or three Dino Attack agents, though they were too far off to be identified as dead or knocked out.

Whatever it was, it was clear that the other half of the team were caught in a losing battle.

"This isn't good," Baudelaire said as she observed the ongoing battle. "They're going to get wiped out at this rate."

"They must've been trying to distract the T-Rex away," said Python, "but they must've toyed with her a bit too much."

"No sign of the other T-1's firepower either," Barrowman observed. "The pilots must've left with the rest of the team, and I don't think they'll be able to get back to it in time."

"Then maybe we should give them time," said Bluetooth. The others turned to look at him, and he stared back at them. "Well, it's the only option we have if we want to help. Does anyone have any weapons?"

Silently, Barrowman pulled out a laser pistol from his coat. Lovhaug followed with an old-looking flintlock pistol with a dramatic unholstering. "It's more than meets the eye," he said. "Trust me."

"Alright," Bluetooth nodded. "We better work fast then. Here's what I suggest we do..."

----

A LEGOLAND Airforce shuttle docked with the International Space Station. Since the hatches were closed, two soldiers had to force the hatches open with special machines. They entered the ISS. The hatch entrance led them through a long corridor that directly went to the control room.

"Alright, looks empty, but just in case, we should proceed with caution," said Pvt. Twoson.

"Loser. There are no threats. The other losers probably sent themselves out the hatches," said Pvt. Prima.

"Perhaps," said Dr. Einsberg.

Then the lights went out. Since the soldiers and scientists were in special spacesuits, they activated the lights in them. "Seems to be a power failure," said Dr. Zweistein.

They continued walking towards the control room. As they arrived, the artificial gravity deactivated, and they were forced to use special handles on the walls and ceiling.

The scientists looked over the controls. "Odd, power is at 100%. There is no way a power failure occurred... unless something got caught in the wires in the generator room," said Dr. Zweistein.

"I'll go check it out," said Prima. The soldier floated towards the generator room, which was far from the control room. He opened a hatch into the ceiling, and climbed in.

Inside, he was surprised to find all the wires were intact. "What other sections could have been affected?" Prima asked into his commlink.

He got nothing but static.

Prima looked around. He noticed a hand sticking out from some fans. I'd hate to be that guy... thought Prima, reaching to unwedge the hand. Suddenly, the hand came to life and pulled the solder into the fan, hitting him until the fan broke...

*****

"Sir, we've lost control of our probes!" said Porter.

"What? how can that be?" said Magma.

"Oddly enough, the power signatures of our probes and the LEGOLAND Airforce ships around the International Space Station seemed to have shut down. All of those vehicles are probably running on emergency power," said Porter.

"Something must be going on at the ISS. We better destroy it," said Magma.

"I somehow have a bad feeling about going closer towards the ISS..." said Porter.

"I agree. Prepare some more probes, load some torpedoes into them. Launch them, and use that decoy again," Magma ordered.

Then, Magma entered the command room of the Hyperion. No one resisted, and Magma pointed his mutated arm at General Jim, who recoiled in fear from the scaly, reptilian arm which seemed to be surrounded by plasma. "Why do you want Dino Attack destroyed?" Magma yelled.

As the new probes reached the Space Station, they also went out. "We've lost control of them again, sir," said Porter.

Magma turned to face the LEGOLAND Airforce commander. "You better have answers for all of this... now then, why do you want Dino Attack Team destroyed?" yelled Magma.

"We were told that Dino Attack team was a lost cause, and the government decided that if they made Dino Attack look bad in citizens' eyes, it would justify us eliminating you and the rest of the Dino Attack agents..." muttered Jim.

"And the International Space Station?" inquired Magma.

"There was a cannon installed there. We wanted to access it, but we already lost two soldiers, and four more are trapped in there..." said Jim.

"Aim that long-range laser cannon, computer," Magma ordered as he looked over the data for the ISS cannon. "Computer? Computer? Computer! Respond!" he shouted.

"Weapons offline. Power grid offline. Gravity offline. Shields offline. Self-destruct online. Self-destruct activated," the computer said. "Beginning countdown, ten minutes."

"You! Go and shut down the main computer power!" Magma shouted. As a Dino Attack agent went to do this, the doors around them shut closed. Jumping back, the agent tried to blast the doors, but it was reflected back, killing him. Enraged, Magma aimed his arm (which was pulsating quite rapidly) and fired, breaking the door. He tried to run through, but electric fields activated, trapping him.

"Sir, seems that the Space Station is causing trouble," said Gil.

"Is that so? Well, they brought it on themselves..." said Jim.

"It's causing trouble for everybody. All electronic equipment in range of it seems to malfunction. Some continue doing their job, but deny access to us. It's as if they switched sides!" said Gil.

"Nonsense," scoffed Jim.

Magma frowned, and raised his arm. Waves of plasma flooded the corridor, searching for the control panel. When the plasma found it, the plasma melted it, shutting down the forcefields. He ran forward to the control terminal, and did a quick virus check, finding the same computer virus that had been uploaded to the Voltage and Iron Hammer. He deleted it, and returned to the main control room.

----

Rex and his friends made their way through the halls of Villains Headquarters. Rex, Amanda, and Chompy carried the unconscious FUTURE villains on their backs as Frozeen and PBB led the group.

Eventually, they found a room with an odd vehicle in it. It resembled an enormous metallic eyeball, with a swirling red and white pattern in place of its pupil. Frozeen, PBB, and Little Bot opened its hatch and stepped inside. They saw that its high-tech interior was full of control panels, flux capacitors, energy reactors, and other time-traveling equipment. There were also four standard-issue Dino Attack helmets; they appeared authentic, and yet they were much older than any helmet worn by the team today.

"This is it," Frozeen confirmed as he stepped outside. "This is FUTURE's time machine."

"Good news," reported PBB. "I've analyzed the time machine's quantum space-time controls, and it is programmed with an anti-paradox failsafe mechanism that will send it back to its origin timeline in the event of a timeline divergence. They will not be able to return to our time, and we won't have to deal with them suddenly returning in the future."

"Uh… okay, sure," said Rex, who did not quite understand all of PBB's techno-babble, "so let's send them back before they wake up." Since the T-Rexes were too large to fit inside the vehicle, Frozeen and PBB carried the unconscious FUTURE villains aboard the time machine and secured them into their seats.

Frozeen glanced over at PBB as the FMB-Bot plugged in the time coordinates for their return journey. Then, Frozeen slipped one hand into his cloak, pulled out a device, set the timer, and placed it underneath Fogel's seat.

"What is that?"

Frozeen froze, and then he sighed wearily. PBB had noticed what he was doing. "You know exactly what it is, PBB," Frozeen said quietly. "It's a Panrahk XP explosive."

PBB shook his head in disbelief. "One of Alpha Team's most powerful bombs... and you were carrying it around, tucked into your cloak, the whole time we were fighting FUTURE?"

"I was saving it for General Evil... and myself," confessed Frozeen. "I figured that, if I had the opportunity to do so, then I would take down General Evil with me, sparing the world of both of us. But I see there's a much more pressing need for it right now... or rather, in the future. It's one of the few weapons we have that can destroy a G.E. Body... we must use it to kill Fogel and destroy FUTURE's time machine. I've rigged it to detonate once they leave our timeline."

"So, you're sentencing them to death instead of just returning them to their time?" said PBB. "This isn't right!"

"None of this is right, PBB," retorted Frozeen. "FUTURE crossed a line when they created this machine with the intent of disrupting the space-time continuum. Fogel was right about one thing… even if we send them back and our timeline is safe, they will just try again and again until they succeed… how many more timelines will they devastate? I know, better than most, what a time traveler is capable of doing… leaving this technology in the hands of FUTURE will risk everything. That's why we need to destroy the time machine and wipe out FUTURE and their leaders, stopping the problem at its core. And if you're not willing to do it, then I am."

"Is this what a heroic Alpha Team agent would do?" demanded PBB. "Would your father have wanted you to become a murderer when you joined Alpha Team?"

Frozeen bristled at that question. He already had blood on his hands, even if PBB did not know what happened to Phantom. He was not ready to answer that question. "Override emotional responses," he stated with a particular inflection in his voice.

At once, PBB stopped protesting.

"Analyze all possible scenarios and outcomes," continued Frozeen. "What would you recommend?"

In a cold, emotionless tone, PBB responded, "Your plan is… logical."

"Good," Frozeen said. In truth, it pained him to treat PBB, his own creation and most trusted friend, as an emotionless machine. After all, it was his emotions and personality that gave PBB his own unique identity, setting him apart from all the other FMB-Bots. "I promise, after we get out of here, we will have a long talk and I will let you speak your heart. But, for now… come along, we still have much work to do."

With that, Frozeen and PBB exited the time machine. A few moments later, the machine activated. The Hypno Disk swirled faster and faster… and then the time machine blinked out of existence, never to be seen again in this timeline.

"Well, that's that," Rex said. "Come on, let's get out of here." As the group of Dino and Alpha Team Agents left the chamber, little did they know they were being stalked...

----

Everything was blurry. He could see vague black shapes above and below him, a big grey thing right in front of him, but not much else. Around him, loud noises made him think for a moment he was back at his senior year's big championship football game.

Blinking his eyes, Semick felt for his arms, felt a surface below him, then started to push up. Doing so resulted in several stings of pain from his chest area, so he relaxed his posture and settled for tilting his head up.

"Good to see you're awake, soldier," he heard Python saying to him from behind. Semick shifted slightly and turned his head to see, as his eyesight cleared, the mustached Minifig staring down at him. "Took a bad hit to the head and stomach, but you'll make it."

"Ergh..." Semick groaned, leaning down to see the greyness was in fact the overcast sky. "Part of the chopper crash, I assume?"

"Afraid so," said Baudelaire from in front of him. "We've just gotten out of the building we crashed in, but we've got our hands full with a T-Rex sized problem."

By now, the sounds from nearby were a bit clearer to understand, now being identifiable the heavy steps of a Mutant T-Rex, and the sounds of pistols and Dino Attack weaponry firing off.

"Python, hand me that brick by your feet," said Baudelaire, "let me prop him up."

Python looked at her as if she were crazy. "And put the wounded in further danger?!"

"Shut up and let the wounded do as they wish, it's not like he's asking to fight."

With a look of disapproval, Python handed Baudelaire a 2x2 slope brick, and the latter placed it onto the stretcher, allowing Semick to shift onto it and sit up to watch what was happening.

He and the other agents were in the rubble of what looked like a cafeteria, propped just by what was left of the entryway. Alongside them, agent Recon was propped up against the wall, his chest and left leg wrapped in makeshift bandages from spare uniform, and his face hit with a black eye and bruised nose. Besides them, Raider, the sleeves of his uniform now torn away, was crouching down, a worried look in his eye as he aimed a heavy Cosmotronic Ray off in front of him.

Following Raider's line of sight, he saw a red-bellied Mutant T-Rex stomping and roaring between a black building and a white building, facing down the fire of various weapons, but trying to keep moving forwards down the alley between the buildings

"OVER HERE!"

Looking to the side of the white building facing towards his group, Semick saw Bluetooth run into the view of the T-Rex from the cover of said building side. He took off his Futuron baseball cap and started waving it in the air along with his arms to catch the Mutant T-Rex's attention. "COME OVER HERE! I'M PREY YOU CAN CATCH WITHOUT GETTING SHOT AT!"

Semick didn't know if wild Mutant T-Rexes understood what Minifigs could say, but what Bluetooth shouted seemed to catch its eyes regardless. With narrowed eyes, it turned and started stomping towards the Dino Attack agent, who promptly turned and started running off to the right.

The Mutant Dino was had just made headway in following Bluetooth when gunshots went off and started hitting it in the face. Roaring in anger, it diverted and started heading towards the white building just to the right of the wrecked cafeteria. As it approached, Barrowman ran into view and started down the alley between the two buildings.

"HEY YOU! YES YOU, REXY!"

From behind the cover of several LEGO Studios-labeled crates near the far end of the lot, Lovhaug ran into view, catching the Mutant T-Rex's attention anew. It stared at him in anger. "You think you've got everything going for you with your mutant powers and bulk strength, huh, big guy? Well let me tell you something..." 

He aimed his flintlock pistol at the T-Rex. "You are an animal. I AM A MINIFIG!" With that, he pulled the trigger, his gun shooting not a bullet nor a normal energy blast. Instead, a ball of red energy shot forward, expanding rapidly until the T-Rex was struck with a blast the size of its head right in the chest.

Semick watched with befuddlement. "He has a magic gun?!" he remarked.

"Wonder where he purchased that," Baudelaire pondered.

As the Mutant T-Rex nearly ran over Lovhaug, Barrowman took up firing again, this time from atop the walkway on the white building. Seeming more than frustrated with him, the Mutant T-Rex turned to face towards the Dino Attack agent, its eyes glowed bright, and a beam of heat vision shot towards the agent. Not reacting fast enough, the blast hit Barrowman in the head, and he fell off the walkway to the pavement below. A large burnt hole was visible in his forehead.

"BARROWMAN!" Python cried out, before looking towards the Mutant T-Rex with a look of anger. Shaking his fist, he cried out, "You'll rue this day for what little time you have left, infernal reptile!" 

This shout also got the T-Rex's attention, and its hot red eyes now turned towards the cafeteria. The beast began lumbering towards them.

"Nice going, officer guy!" Raider cried out, firing off his weapon as the T-Rex approached, to little avail.

"We gotta get out of here, c'mon," said Baudelaire, grabbing Semick's stretcher and pulling him back deeper into the wrecked cafeteria. Python, looking shocked and disappointed in himself, moved to help nary a second later.

But suddenly the noises of the T-Rex's angry steps were joined by another series of rumbles. Semick turned to try and face the source of these new tremors.

Somewhere in-between the large black building and a white office building at the far end of the lot, another loud rumbling was heard. Though limited from his position, Semick could see what looked like another Mutant T-Rex, albeit this time with a green underbelly. Strangely, something about its demeanor seemed off from the usual T-Rexes. It seemed less fierce, wearier, and certainly not as hostile as others. For some reason, Semick's first reactionary thoughts came to Elite Agent Rex, but he quickly discarded it. They were on the far side of the country from LEGO City, no way could have any of his "trained" Mutant Dinos made it here.

The new Mutant T-Rex seemed to eye both its fellow Mutant Dino, then Lovhaug, still standing nearby and trying to find cover, and the laser shots Raider was firing off. Then, it charged towards them. Semick braced for the worst and closed his eyes.

Seconds later, a loud slam and the breaking of brick walls was heard, but alongside the angry yelling of two T-Rexes. Opening his eyes, Semick saw to his surprise the green T-Rex standing over the red one, having slammed it into the side of the black building off to the left.

Within seconds, the red T-Rex started to push itself up, its eyes ignited with fury. It charged at the green T-Rex and started to claw and bite at its scales, and soon the two were in the middle of a duel.

As the T-Rexes fought, Bluetooth and Lovhaug reached the cafeteria and ran to join their teammates. "Redshirt and the crew should've made it to the T-1 by now," said Bluetooth. "They take care of the Dinos, and we can get out of here." He then turned to see Semick staring at him, his eyes widening. "Oh, Semick, you're awake! Not the best of circumstances to awaken under, I know, but-"

"It's fine," Semick replied. "This is what I expected when I signed up, after all."

"Tell me about it," Raider remarked, grinning at what he was watching. "Mutant Dino on Mutant Dino action! Awesome!"

The red Mutant T-Rex seemed to be more adept in fighting in green one, and after a tense minute, it was pushing the green T-Rex back into the wall of the white building. Clawing at its legs and biting on its chest, the red T-Rex forced its opponent into the side of the building, breaking through the front facade, and ultimately bringing it to the ground. It then roared into the air in triumph, and turned its head back towards the cafeteria.

But before it could charge at the wrecked building, a barrage of green laser fire hit the Mutant T-Rex right in the head. From the left, the team's last T-1 Typhoon was flying towards the Mutant Dinos, its XL-4 Voltaic Launcher and Quintronic Sonic Beam Emitters were firing at full force, hitting the Mutant Dino with everything it had. The creature tried to push through it and attack, but its recent battle had taken a heavy toll on its endurance. Within a minute, the T-Rex leaned over and fell to the ground, bested for good.

The coast cleared, the T-1 Typhoon lowered down to land, and the grounded Dino Attack agents made their way out of the cafeteria, walking towards the downed Mutant Dinos with amazement at what had just happened. Semick had to admit to himself that this wasn't something you saw every day.

"Well, how about that," Raider remarked, holding his weapon by the barrel in one hand, and cradling Recon over his shoulder with the other. "You know what they say, the bigger they are, the harder they fall."

"Yeah, heh-heh," Recon laughed weakly. "He wasn't no force of nature, that's for sure."

Bluetooth and Wyldstyle approached the green T-Rex with curiosity, the two showing looks of amazement and sorrow. "It's remarkable," Bluetooth muttered. "It just came out nowhere and focused solely on the other T-Rex..."

"It's almost as if..." Wyldstyle added, "it was trying to help us... but that can't..."

Suddenly the two shared a look of realization. Just then, the Mutant T-Rex began to groan, and its eyes began flickering open.

Instantly, the T-1 Typhoon was moving into the air again, nearly dropping Elite Agent Redshirt, who had just been stepping down a rope ladder to talk with the team.

Acting quick, Bluetooth ran in front of the T-1 Typhoon's line of fire, waving his arms and drawing his PDA. "HOLD YOUR FIRE!" Bluetooth yelled into the PDA communicator, "THIS T-REX IS NOT AGGRESSIVE, YOU HEAR ME!?" He looked towards Lovhaug, who had instinctually drawn his magic pistol. "Lovhaug, give me the rhubarb pie!"

Confused, but willing to listen, Lovhaug complied, pulling his pack out and bringing forth a slice of pie in a plastic bag. Before Redshirt, who had dropped to the ground and was running to intervene, Bluetooth took the pie, unbagged it, and ran towards the Mutant T-Rex, moving to its head as it began to rise from the ground.

"If I remember my Dino actor trivia right..." he said, holding the pie out to the T-Rex's mouth. The creature looked at him in the eyes, and Semick wished he could read dinosaur faces better to help him figure out what was happening.

A tense few seconds past, then the Mutant T-Rex opened its mouth... and closed down on the rhubarb pie. It chewed down on the pie quickly, then gulped. Then it seemed to groan happily, almost like a purr. The corners of its mouth smiled, and it nuzzled Bluetooth's chest. Surprised, but gleeful at the fortunate turn of events, he patted the creature's nose, grinning giddily.

"I don't believe it..." Redshirt smirked as he walked between Semick's stretcher and an open-jawed Python. "We've found Rex the movie star himself! Talk about chance encounters!"

"Rex?" repeated Python. "That ex-Dino Attack elite agent Rex was a movie star and a T-Rex all along? Now that's the most ridiculous thing I've heard today!"

"No, this is a different Rex," Redshirt clarified. He walked up alongside Bluetooth, patting Rex on the muzzle. "Hello there, sir. Your friends sent us here to look for you and your co-stars. I see you got a... bit of makeover while everyone was gone."

The T-Rex nodded, his mouth curling into a grim look. Slowly, he began to push on its legs and arms and start to stand up. Then he started growling and roaring, apparently trying to communicate.

"Sorry, we don't speak Dino, buddy," Redshirt said, shaking his head. "Don't worry, we have guys back at HQ who can interpret you, we'll get you everything you need, including a cure for your mutation."

Rex took Redshirt's words in for a moment, then nodded.

"Still, can you at least tell us if you know where any of your co-stars are?"

The T-Rex's mouth seemed to frown, looking down at the ground, but gave a shrug of its arms as opposed to a definite "no".

"I see. You think some of them are still alive at least?"

Slowly, Rex nodded.

"Alright," Redshirt nodded. "That's the best we can hope for." He then turned to face the rest of the team. "Men, this definitely didn't go as well as it could've been, and we took more causalities than expected, but you've all done well here, and we've made a major accomplishment in our mission objective. We'll contact the Carlsbad outpost to give Rex here refuge, have them fly over a cure and interpreters, and get a new party to work to find the rest of the Dino stars. Then we'll dismiss you and let you head home and lick your wounds. Sound good?"

The team members nodded, each of them looking to be relieved to various degrees, though still dealing with a range of reactions. Raider and Recon felt pretty pleased with themselves, while Wyldstyle and Bluetooth still looked giddy about their actions, and Python was shaking his head at the absurdity of the situation.

Looking around, Semick was able to count the heads of everyone present, as well as those who weren't. He knew about Barrowman, and a quick inquiry to Baudelaire enlightened him to Kord and Garret's fate. The other T-1 crew could be assumed to be in the T-1 that left, so that left one other person.

"Excuse me, Redshirt?" Semick inquired to the Elite agent. "What happened to Zero?"

The members of Redshirt's T-1 Typhoon team were silent, and for a moment Semick feared the worst. Then, Wyldstyle spoke up. "He's fine... at least, physically he is. I pulled him off to safety once you guys lured the other T-Rex away. But..."

"Zero? That 'cool dude' nearly got us all killed!" Recon cried out in anger, wincing as he leaned on his bad leg. "What the ****** was that guy's problem? A major malfunction?!"

"'Malfunction'?" Bluetooth asked, his eyebrow furrowed. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Let's just say..." Redshirt muttered, trying to think of a good response, "...he made a questionable choice when we were trying to distract the first T-Rex."

In response, Wyldstyle reached into one of her uniform's larger pockets and started to pull something out. With enough effort, she pulled out a pair of goggles with two telescoping, green-tinted lenses and several adjustment knobs and systems.

"He ran at the Mutant T-Rex wearing these and started yelling stuff about 'Toah' or something. Then he got swatted into the side of the wardrobe building. Does anyone know what was going on with him?"

Nobody had an answer.

----

Databoard soon figured out what had happened to Dataclone: his brain had stopped functioning at the exact moment he was about to shoot at Databoard. It also showed this had taken a while to occur, which explained Dataclone's failing mental health. Databoard didn't know why this happened, but he guessed that Darkforce's cloning process was rather limited, which had ended up causing this.

Databoard turned on the Saber's communication system. He was planning on stopping Darkforce and the Shadows, but he knew he couldn't do it alone. He sent out a message to any Dino Attack agents in the area, being as vague on information as possible, just in case someone other than Dino Attack picked up the information.

Databoard looked out of the window of the Saber's control room, at the ruined city nearby. So far, two agents had responded to his signal, but he didn't know whether it would be enough to stop the Shadows. All Databoard could do at the moment was wait until more agents showed up.

Databoard walked away from the control room window, and began making plans to stop the Shadows. The Saber would attack the Shadow's HQ, and once they got inside, they would find the main computer, and sent a command to all the Shadows jets. It would reprogram all the phasing beams so they wouldn't work properly. Now, all he needed was more agents, and the plan would be ready for action.

Databoard made the last preparations for his plan. The T-1 Typhoon was ready, the Saber was in full working order, and all he needed were agents to carry out the mission. After he was done checking all the equipment on the Saber, Databoard went back up to the control room.

*****

Kotua awoke. Somehow, he had managed to survive. He got up, feeling pain all over. He looked around. The escape pod had been burnt completely.

Kotua walked out of the wreckage of his craft. He later went back to salvage usable pieces from the escape pod. He had no doubt that ShadowTech would use this opportunity soon.

Kotua took out his PDA, which had miraculously survived. It was beeping. He opened it up, and read the message from Databoard. He responded:

I'LL HELP YOU...
AGENT KOTUA

Kotua watched as the Saber flew above him, and a small hover-vehicle landed to help him fly to Databoard's aircraft.

*****

"Voltage, I'm getting a distress signal. Should we check it out?" said Cobra.

"I don't know. We should get cover first," said Voltage.

"Voltage, it's Data!" said Cobra.

Voltage said, "Then respond, let's help him!"

WE WILL HELP YOU
AGENT COBRA

*****

Databoard looked out the window and noticed a group of Shadows jets flying through the city, attacking anything in Dino Attack colors. This only heightened the sense of urgency for the mission, as they needed to stop them now, and quickly. Databoard told one of the agents there to target the jets, and the Saber decloaked and began firing. The Shadows jets fought back, but were quickly destroyed.

Kotua entered the Saber, and noticed Databoard and the others dealing with the Shadows jets.

----

"So, our future selves have failed?" asked Brickster.

"Yes," answered Ogel. "Time to attack!"

"I'll deal with Frozeen," General Evil said. "I have been longing for years to end his life myself."

"Brickster and thy shall taketh care of PBB," Vladek volunteered. "Thy hath got a plan."

"As for me," Sam Sinister said, "I'll deal with the reptiles. I'm the best when it comes to hunting dinosaurs!"

"What about that can with legs?" wondered General Evil.

"That is nothing to worry about," Ogel dismissed. "But, if you insist, maybe some Skeleton Drones, Brickster-Bots, and henchmen could teach that robot the meaning of pain!"

Ogel and the other villains attacked their prisoners before they could escape Villains Headquarters. Sam Sinister fired his tranquilizer gun at Rex, Amanda, and Chompy. Frozeen was pinned down and knocked unconscious by General Evil, who would have killed the Alpha Team agent but restrained himself under Ogel's orders. Little Bot was brought to a nearby Torture Room, where he was subjected to electric torture.

Rex awoke in a cage, along with Amanda and Chompy. Frozeen was contained in a nearby Trouble Tube. Ogel, General Evil, and Sam Sinister showed them a television screen that was receiving footage from a camera set up just outside Villains Headquarters. Through the screen, they watched helplessly as the Brickster and Vladek chained down PBB and placed a timed explosive near him. PBB struggled to break free of his bonds and nearly succeeded, but time ran out and the bomb exploded, destroying PBB.

Rex's heart sank. "PBB..." he whispered. He had always just taken it for granted that someone as experienced as PBB would survive... and just like that, he was gone forever. Sadness and anger welled up in him, but it was nothing compared to Frozeen's reaction.

"I'll kill you for that!" Frozeen shouted furiously. He struggled to break free of the Trouble Tube, to no avail; the device built to hold Alpha Team prisoners would not let him go.

General Evil laughed in triumph. "How can you kill us when you won't be getting out of there? You're in no position to do anything. And nobody is coming to save you now!"

Suddenly, the Torture Room door was blown off its hinges, followed by the remains of Guard Drones and Brickster-Bots. Smoke billowed through the open doorway as a familiar figure stepped into the room: Little Bot.

The small robot glared at Ogel and the other villains, who were continuing to chortle, snicker, and giggle. They saw no reason to fear the diminutive droid. "Your time is up!" announced Little Bot, speaking in a deep synthesized voice instead of high-pitched beeps. "And I have waited a long time for this moment, Ogel!"

Rex blinked in surprise. "Little Bot, you can speak?" he exclaimed. He glanced at Frozeen, who seemed just as shocked by this revelation.

However, the villains were even less impressed, and they proceeded to laugh even harder at the sight of Little Bot threatening them. "Oh, isn't this just precious!" Ogel said mockingly. "The walking trashcan thinks it can take down the great Ogel himself!"

Ogel's comment was followed by more laughter… but this time, it was Little Bot who was laughing. "That is the last time anyone will ever call me a 'walking trashcan'!" he declared.

Then, Little Bot unveiled his true form. His cylindrical body opened up and reconfigured into a more humanoid shape. His telescopic limbs extended and doubled in length; each leg split into two arthropod legs, while his hands elongated into large pincer-like claws. When the transformation was complete, there stood a powerful cybernetic insectoid being; his bright blue eyes were the only recognizable remnant of Little Bot.

Now, for the first time, the villains regarded Little Bot with fear and alarm. The Brickster, Vladek, and Sam Sinister panicked and fled, but Little Bot managed to imprison Ogel and General Evil inside an energy sphere fired from his hands.

Little Bot disabled the Trouble Tube and opened up the cage, freeing Rex, Claw, Chompy, and Frozeen from their own imprisonment. Together, they left Villains Headquarters, leaving Ogel and General Evil trapped inside.

Rex called over a nearby group of Mutant T-Rexes. "This ship is a nest of the evil hunters," he said to them, speaking in the mutant saurian language. "Do with it as you will."

"With pleasure," replied one of the Mutant T-Rexes, who was grinning savagely. The heroes walked away and did not look back as the T-Rexes wrecked Villains Headquarters.

----

"Okay, let's start again. Who ordered you to destroy Dino Attack Team?" Magma asked Jim.

General Jim glared at him but remained silent.

"Fine," Magma said as he charged his mutant plasma arm.

The LEGOLAND Airforce commander gulped nervously.

"Answer my questions or die, fool!" Magma shouted.

"What scheme did you get involved in now?" asked a voice.

Magma spun, and fired his plasma arm. The speaker barely dodged the highly-destructive blast. "Traitor!" Magma shouted.

"How many times do I have to tell you, I'm not a traitor!" replied agent Wingman, who had stepped out of the shuttle.

"Guards!" Magma said. "Take her to holding." Three guards nodded, and took Wingman to the cells. Magma turned again to General Jim, and charged up his arm.

Magma turned to a display screen. His heavy laser was powering up, and would soon be able to fire. The shields were at full power, and all reserve power was ready to be activated. Protective suits were being worn by all the crew, and the internal defense network was ready.

The LEGOLAND Airforce ships that still had control retreated from the area of battle, not wanting to become victims to the International Space Station.

"Sir, we're regaining control of our probes, but it's also causing the controls to overload... what do we do?" said Porter.

"Find a way to not kill us all," said Magma, still aiming at General Jim.

"Sir, it seems that the LEGOLAND Airforce is retreating," said Porter.

"That's both good and bad for us..." muttered Magma.

At that moment, Magma noticed General Jim bite down really hard. He realized what was happening but was too late to stop it: Jim had cracked a cyanide molar planted in his mouth. The LEGOLAND Airforce commander grinned widely as a last show of defiance before the cyanide took his life. "Hail ShadowTech..." he whispered, and then his heart stopped beating.

Magma grimaced, slamming one hand against the wall in frustration. "MegaBloks!" he cursed. "Porter, contact Databoard immediately. Jim was a planted agent, working for ShadowTech all along!"

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 18: Skyfall

----

Databoard, Cobra, Venom, Hyrode, Voltage, and Kotua travelled to the Shadows' Antarctic HQ.  When they arrived, the base was under attack by ShadowTech.

Kotua was surrounded by Shadows agents. Suddenly a shot was heard, and one of the Shadows hit the ground. Soldiers turned, but the door exploded, sending them crashing into the ground.

Soldiers in completely covered in black entered. They had breathing apparatus that connected to their gas mask, which had a slot where it was connected. The mask completely covered their faces and had three glass openings where they probably saw through. On their heads, they had a black soldier helmet modified to fit them.

One of them removed their breathing apparatus. "Nice to see you again," said Cactus.

"Nice to see you again, too," said Kotua, recognizing his old teammate from Alpha Team.

Cactus signaled to the others to untie Kotua. "Unfortunately, I have orders to capture any Dino Attack agent in this place," said Cactus.

"Come on, Cactus... You're really going to go through with this?" said Kotua.

The soldiers dragged Kotua out of the Shadows base. Cactus turned and said, "Don't you ever call me Cactus again. Got it?"

"What do you want me to call you?" asked Kotua.

"I am now ShadowTech special operative Thorn."

"Fitting name," muttered Kotua.

A ShadowTech plane landed, and Thorn led Kotua towards it.

"Come on, Thorn, you can't do this! You know it's wrong," whispered Kotua.

"Perhaps. But I have power beyond any Alpha Team or Dino Attack Team could ever give me," Thorn whispered back.

A few of the ShadowTech soldiers turned, as they heard whispering. "What's going on?" asked one of the soldiers.

"Nothing, Tomson," said Thorn.

Tomson grumbled something and walked towards the plane.

"At least let me go... for old time's sake," whispered Kotua.

"And get myself killed? No way," Thorn whispered back.

"Then loosen up my ropes, and I'll try to escape," suggested Kotua.

"Have you even been listening to what I just told you?" muttered Thorn.

"Yes," replied Kotua. He jumped back, slamming into Thorn. The ShadowTech soldiers turned. Thorn tried pushing Kotua down, but Kotua had managed to untie himself. He grabbed Thorn's rifle and fired at the ShadowTech agents, who cloaked.

How annoying... thought Kotua.

Acting on instinct, Kotua looked down. Despite cloaking, the ShadowTech agents still left footprints that Kotua could see. He fired again, taking down two ShadowTech soldiers.

Thorn leapt at him, trying to take him down, but Kotua threw him off, and into another ShadowTech soldier. "Thanks for being part of the distraction, Thorn!" said Kotua, running off.

----

Snake of Spades and his younger sister Shona were taken prisoner by Gree. To pass the time while they waited in their cell, Snake said, "You know, I just heard the craziest rumor. You know about elite agent Rex?"

Shona shrugged. "A little bit; I never met him myself. I heard that he was kicked off the team for harboring mutants, but mysteriously vanished before heading back to the refugee facilities."

"Well, get this," said Snake. "I just heard Rex himself is a mutant..."

"Really?" asked Shona, her eyes widening.

"Yep," said Snake.

Snake and Shona both perked up as they heard a series of explosions and gunfire. It was getting louder and louder.

KABLAM!!!

Shadow burst into the room, pointing a Cosmotronic Ray at Gree. "Hands up, Gree," Shadow said.

"You win this time, loser," growled Gree. Shadow raised an eyebrow, wordlessly commenting on Gree's self-contradicting choice of words, but he was not about to argue with someone who was surrendering.

"Whatever," said Snake, rolling his eyes. "Take us to Adventurers' Island. Step on it!"

"Transport has already been arranged," Shadow replied as he freed Snake and Shona from their cell.

----

Magma looked at a control panel. Obviously, the Shadows forces had a base somewhere, as there were too many Shadows crafts. But, it was hidden. All Magma could do was continue defending the main T-1 Typhoon, while the Shadows threw ships and squadrons at them.

Magma watched as the cannons powered down. Then, a voice called out, "Stop!" Magma turned. Agent Wingman stood there, a laser aimed at Shark. Enraged, Magma raised his plasma arm, but agent Flash forced the gauntlet on him.

"Magma, listen..." Flash said. Magma fired his laser, but Flash fired his laser at the same time, and they destroyed each other's weapons. He then turned to Wingman. "What now?" he shouted.

"I tried to give you information peacefully, but you make me do this!" insisted Wingman. She jumped to the control station and began typing and pressing buttons.

Magma, seizing his chance, raised his arm, and the gauntlet melted. He tackled agent Flash and grabbed his laser. A few soldiers tried to resist, but Magma blasted them with the laser, and aimed the plasma beam at Wingman. The rest of the mutinous agents were taken down by loyal troops.

----

Zero woke up, dazed and confused at the whiteness that seemed to surround him. Shaking his head and closing his eyes, for a moment he swore he almost heard some deep voice saying, "It is... wait, no, not quite..." from very far away before his senses fully kicked in.

As clarity came to him, he saw that his white room was in fact a gray and beige one, with a large mirror in the wall opposite of him, and the only furnishings a table and two chairs, one of which he was sitting in.

Zero looked over himself. He was a Minifig again, so apparently whoever had found him knew how to reverse the biomechanical being state. But had the future villains, ShadowTech, or whoever built the new Dino Attack HQ captured him? Was he about to be interrogated or something?

A door opened from one side of the room. In stepped a Dino Attack agent, though not one he had met before. He was dark-haired and skinned, his uniform trim and crisp, and his face looked cold and intimidating. Yet there was an odd look in his eye, one that seemed both curious and disturbed.

He sat down in the other chair and straightened a set of papers he was carrying. "Elite Agent Zero," he said, "I am Elite Agent Pharisee. I've been asked to question you about what happened on LEGO Studios."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Uhm, okay... why am I being questioned about this?"

"The matter is simple, from a factual perspective: You were knocked unconscious while confronting a Mutant T-Rex near the end of the operation. But your commanding agent, Redshirt, felt concerned about your behavior and actions taken, so we have taken you in for an examination and questionnaire to figure out what was going on from your perspective."

"Uh... okay. What do you want to know?"

"In your own words, when you were attempting to respond to a Mutant T-Rex, with what means were you trying to combat it?"

"Well," said Zero, rubbing his neck, "I know it sounds weird, but it makes sense if you read my reports. Ages ago, I found this set of six disks on a mission to Metru Nui that, when grasped, granted one the power of these big biomechanical guys with weapons and elemental powers. Me and Phantom both used them, but both of us reverted by taking the masks of our new forms off, and we were able to use them to transform on and off when needed. Simple really, I thought they'd prove effective in battle against a T-Rex... though I can't remember what happened, for some reason..."

Pharisee stared at Zero hard, as if trying to review a painting. "Is this the truth, Agent Zero?"

Zero nodded. "Of course it is."

"Well, that's not what our records say."

Zero started at Pharisee with surprise. "What do you mean? I filed those masks and disks in with the tech guys and everything months ago! Those guys are probably tearing over our stuff so much that they should be having a field day w-"

"Redshirt reported that you ran at the Mutant T-Rex with a pair of night-vision goggles, only to be hit unconscious and miraculously survive being thrown into a wall with few major injuries. As a result of your actions, the rest of the team was endangered, and Elite Agent Barrowman was killed in the resultant battle."

Zero was silent, shocked at the idea he was indirectly being blamed for a fellow agent's death, as well as the report contradictory to his memory. "But... the mask... how... night-vision?"

"As for your claims of 'disks'..." Pharisee continued, "What you are recorded as filing in were advanced powered armor and a set of night-vision goggles you reported as salvaged from an old Time Twisters hideout on Astor City. We've been using them to arm up our systems and are trying to put them to proper use with a commando team. Potentially valuable as they may be to our efforts, magic mask that turn you into giant robots were certainly not we got."

"This is ridiculous..." Zero muttered, holding a hand to his head. "Something's wrong with the records. Where's Phantom? He can clarify everything!"

Pharisee raised an eyebrow. "Phantom?" he asked. "Former Alpha Team special agent Phantom?"

"Yes, of course!" Zero replied. "He was there at LEGO Studios with me! He can tell you all about what I was doing! He knows what I went through!"

Pharisee shook his head. "Zero, Phantom was not at LEGO Studios with you. Redshirt has provided a clear report to that effect. Furthermore, he is dead."

Zero was stunned. "W-what?"

"Phantom died months ago, before our new HQ was even finished, Zero," Pharisee replied calmly. "According to the late Elite Agent Rex, he was overwhelmed by Mutant Raptors while the two of them were investigating a Mutant Pterosaur sighting. Surely, you recall this from being one of Rex's close allies? He would have informed you of this, wouldn't he?"

"Yes, Rex and I, but... No... No, that's not right... It can't be right..." He held his head in his hands in confusion. 

"He is long gone, Zero," said Pharisee. "What made you think he was travelling with your team?"

"I..." Zero couldn't think of anything. This was madness, the things he was being told! "...Well, where's Databoard? He can back me up, I've told him everything about the disk stuff that happened between me, Rex and Phantom! Heck, he's even been to Metru Nui with a bunch of other guys! He can vouch for that, too!"

"Perhaps..." Pharisee said with a disbelieving look. "However, even if he can, the fact of the matter is that Databoard is nowhere near our current operations. He is busy with Standard Agent Kotua on an extraneous mission involving third-party forces."

"Oh, c'mon!" Zero pounded the table. "Well, plenty of guys here have gone to that place, and its sister island Mata Nui, too! Where's Voltage, for instance?"

"Gone, reports indicate he left with Kotua and Databoard," Pharisee replied flatly.

"Darn it! Cobra?"

"Also on the same mission."

"Turahk-Kal?"

"MIA."

"Snake?"

"Captured. Shadow has yet to report back on his rescue mission."

"Argh!" Zero cried out, slamming his head on the table.

Pharisee took a new sheet of paper from his stack. "Furthermore," he said, "all agents you have mentioned relating to 'Metru' or 'Mata Nui' report partaking in missions at the locations Enchanted Island and Astor City, including yourself. Your belief about these other locations are, by all accounts, a fabrication of some sort."

Zero was stunned silent, and couldn't think of anything to say back at Pharisee or the things he was talking about.

Pharisee took a deep breath. "Elite Agent Zero," said Pharisee, grabbing another sheet of paper, "this is undoubtedly hard for you to accept, but in reviewing your actions in LEGO Studios, recent conversations with fellow agents within headquarters, and taking into account what you just told me, we believe you've been mentally compromised. The stress of war must have taken a toll on you, creating false memories and erroneous recollections of your experiences, as well as visual and auditory hallucinations. It is the recommendation of the Dino Attack medical staff that you take a leave of absence to recollect yourself and recover from the trauma you have experienced."

No. No, it couldn't be true! How could he be imagining missing people, and transforming disks?! How was that too hard to comprehend!?

"I know it's hard to accept, considering the dire situation of the world, as well as how you might imagine Antarctica to be uncomfortable, but let me assure you that Alpha Team and the Ag-"

"NO!" Zero cried out, standing up and running for the door. "This is a ruse, all of it! I'm not falling for it! Ogel, ShadowTech, Blacktron, whoever you are, you're not fooling me!"

Faster than expected, Pharisee grabbed Zero's arms, pulled them behind his back, and held him tight as he pushed Zero to the floor. "Zero," he said sternly, "I do not wish to use this kind of force on you, but if you insist on resisting necessary aid, I will do what I have to keep you from lashing out at your fellow man. Now stand down and-"

SLAM!

Zero felt Pharisee's grip slack and his body stumble off him. Somebody had opened the door to the room and hit the other Minifig on the head. The newcomer also seemed dressed like a Dino Attack agent, but was bald and had Egyptian make-up on his face. "Pharisee?" he was saying. "I've got the documents on Zero's Enchanted Islan-Oh, boy!"

It was his only chance. Pushing himself out of Pharisee's reach, he shoved past the newcomer and rushed past him. From the looks of things, this seemed like Dino Attack Headquarters, somehow, despite what he had just been through.

He didn't have much time to act. If this was HQ, then maybe he could reach the science wing and find the rest of the Toa Disks. Maybe Pharisee would believe him when he suddenly turned into a green-colored robot being after having a disk shoved into his hands. If the wing wasn't there, he would have to run, get out this place, find the real Dino Attack or Alpha Team or someone who could help him.

And so, Zero ran.

----

Databoard and the other agents moved through the Shadows HQ. A group of Shadows spotted them and fired their lasers at them. The agents ducked out of the way and fired back. They quickly defeated them, and continued towards the room with the Shadows' main computer.

As Databoard passed through Shadows HQ towards the main computer room, ShadowTech soldiers burst into the HQ from the opposite side and began firing at the Shadows, who fired back.

Databoard rushed through the corridors, heading for the main computer room. So far, they hadn't noticed too many more Shadows; they seemed to be busy fighting elsewhere. They reached the computer room and defeated all the Shadows on guard. Databoard walked over to the computer, as the other agents guarded the entrances to the room.

*****

The ShadowTech soldiers fired at the Shadows, defeating several of them. Suddenly, several Shadows came in, carrying large, cannon-like weapons. They fired them, and phasing beams hit some of the ShadowTech soldiers.

The remaining ShadowTech soldiers disappeared from view. "Do you think it was an illusion?" asked one Shadows soldier.

"Wel-"

BLAM!

The other soldier fell.

"Looks like they've cloaked. Activate all special cameras!" said the leading soldier.

The cameras popped out and scanned the room, but to the soldiers' surprise, the cameras didn't pick up any enemies! Still, one by one, Shadows soldiers hit the ground as enemy fire hit them.

Soon, two ShadowTech soldiers uncloaked and walked forward towards the main computer room...

*****

Darkforce was in the central room, when several Shadows soldiers came in. "Sir, a group of soldiers were killed by some attackers!" the lead solider said.

"Dino Attack?" Darkforce asked.

"No, someone else," the solider replied.

"Send as many troops as you can to the main computer room," Darkforce replied. "That's where they'll be."

The solider nodded, and left the room.

*****

Databoard hurried to download the command code into the main computer. Suddenly, the sound of lasers could be heard near Cobra, who barely got out of the way.

Databoard turned around to see several ShadowTech soldiers coming down the hallway. Cobra fired at them and took down several. He then shut the door, and locked it to keep the ShadowTech soldiers from getting inside. "You better hurry up, Data!" Cobra shouted.

Databoard hurried to download the command into the main computer. Nearby, the ShadowTech soldiers were close to bashing down the door, and all the other agents were standing in front of the door, ready to fire at the soldiers the instant they came through.

Suddenly, lasers could be heard being fired, as well as phasing beams. The door vanished as it was hit by a phasing beam. The agents looked down the hallway to see Shadows soldiers firing their phasing beams randomly. Just as they were about to wonder why, a phasing beam stopped in midair, revealing a ShadowTech solider for only a second, and then the effects of the phasing beam set in.

Databoard watched this, and hurried to finish. The arrival of the Shadows soldiers had given him more time, and he was going to put it to use.

Voltage fired into the corridor from which the ShadowTech soldiers were firing. He hit a few, but lasers and phasing beams kept coming.

Databoard was almost finished downloading the command code. A laser hit the wall near him, delaying him as he ducked out of the way. Finally, he was finished, and took out his laser. He rushed over to the other agents, and fired at the ShadowTech and Shadows soldiers.

"Now what?" Voltage asked.

"Well, if this worked, it should take about ten minutes for us to tell," Databoard replied as he fired.

"Oh great," Voltage said, firing at the ShadowTech soldiers. "I'm 'nading them," he said and tossed a grenade in the direction of one of their turrets. The grenade exploded and the turret and its operator were destroyed. Several other soldiers went flying as well.

Some ShadowTech soldiers hid behind large crates in the hallway. Voltage spotted similar crates in the main computer room. We can use those to our advantage, he thought. "Cobra, help me with these crates!"

They both stopped firing and picked up the nearest crate, Venom and Hyrode giving them cover, and jammed in the door frame.

"Now we've got some real cover," Voltage said, leaning on the crate and firing at the soldiers.

Databoard soon realized his plan was working, as the soldiers who were hit by phasing beam were being returned to normal much quicker than they should be.

Databoard opened a side exit, and the agents rushed out as the Shadows and ShadowTech fought. They reached the hangar and got back into the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard took off and they flew towards the Saber.

*****

Darkforce was in the main room when several Shadows rushed in. "Sir, our phasing beams aren't working!" one shouted.

"How so?" Darkforce asked.

"Things hit by the phasing beams go back to normal too quickly," the Shadow explained.

"The plan will still work," Darkforce replied, and then he got up. He walked out of the room, followed by the other Shadows.

----

Kotua continued running until he could run no more. He looked back. Despite the fact nothing but snow could be seen for miles, Kotua felt the ShadowTech agents nearby.

Suddenly Kotua heard the engines of a plane. The ShadowTech plane flew above, and a door opened on the side, from which the ShadowTech agents came out and began firing at Kotua, forcing him to run again.

The ground collapsed below Kotua, sending him down into a crevice. The ShadowTech plane landed nearby, and the ShadowTech soldiers, led by Thorn, ran towards the crevice.

"Now what?" asked Tomson.

"I'll deal with him. The rest of you, make sure he doesn't get out through here," said Thorn.

Thorn watched as the ShadowTech soldiers built a winch and helped him into a special harness.

----

Databoard got out of the T-1 Typhoon with the other agents and headed up to the control room. As they did, a hangar opened up in the side of a nearby mountain, and Darkforce's plane shot out from it. To their surprise, there was no effort to destroy the Saber. It sped up and flew up into the sky. Databoard suddenly realized that the engines appeared to have been modified.

"Scan that ship!" Databoard said to Wire, the Dino Attack agent who had been manning the pilot's station while he was gone.

Wire nodded, and he scanned Darkforce's ship. "It appears to have been modified to travel into space," Wire replied.

"Follow them!" Databoard replied, and turned to the other agents. "You might want to hang onto something." They found other seats and got into them. The Saber's engines went to full power, and they sped after Darkforce.

Databoard looked out the control room window at Darkforce's ship. It was now in a low orbit over the planet. The Saber followed it, and was about three hundred feet behind the ship. Databoard got up from his seat, as an artificial gravity engaged.

He looked at Darkforce's ship, and noticed its lasers were armed. "They've targeted a Dino Attack outpost on Adventurers' Island," said Wire, who was at the control. Moments later, Darkforce's ship fired all its lasers, which flew towards the surface. "The outpost is gone," Wire reported in a shocked, solemn voice.

Databoard watched as Darkforce's ship targeted a group of Dino Attack vehicles moving across Castle Cove. "Okay, that ship doesn't look like it has beam shields, so try to attack it," Databoard said to the agents at the controls, and then to the agents that had gone into the Shadows HQ: "You guys, come with me." They followed him into the hangar, and they headed for the Saber's mini-ship as the ship's lasers began firing.

The mini-ship shook as lasers flew past it. The Saber fired at Darkforce's ship to distract it from the mini-ship, but lasers still flew near them. "What's the plan?" Voltage asked as they sped towards the ship.

"We get inside, find a way to destroy it, and get out," Databoard replied as he evaded lasers.

"How are we going to do that?" Cobra asked.

"I'm not sure yet," Databoard said.

"How comforting..." Voltage muttered.

Databoard was close to Darkforce's ship, when a hangar opened up on the side and a group of modified Shadows jets flew out, firing at the mini-ship. Their phasing beams didn't work anymore, but they still had lasers. Databoard made a sharp turn, and avoided several lasers.

Databoard tried to move and avoid several lasers, but they hit, damaging the mini-ship and sending it spinning out of control. Suddenly, two of the Shadows jets flew up, and panels opened in the underside. Cables flew out of them, and attached onto the mini-ship, pulling it into a hangar on Darkforce's ship. Once the hangar was closed, the ship changed its orbit and sped away from the Saber.

Inside the hangar, a group of soldiers, armed with stun lasers, went into the mini-ship and began firing at the agents inside. They fought back, but one by one, they were hit by stun blasts and knocked out.

----

Nick Lightning spent hours searching for the creature, but found nothing. He left the island, and headed to wherever he could find Mutant Dinos.

Nick Lightning stopped briefly at Vikings Isle, his old home. He could see some dragons, and mutant dinos too.

After returning to LEGO City, Nick Lightning hopped into his Urban Avenger and drove through the city. He targeted a black Mutant Lizard and fired off a net, capturing it. He boarded it onto the transport and headed for Dino Attack Headquarters. It was time to study these dinosaurs.

The next day, Nick Lightning made a sketch of the dino. After all, sketching used to be one of his favorite hobbies before the dinos came. He knew he wasn't the first to do this; Rex had even tried to train them once, but rarely succeeded with anything bigger than Mutant Lizards.

Next, Nick Lightning stopped on LEGO Island, where fires burned across the once beautiful city. It had been so long since the dinos had come, he thought. When would this war be over?

Nick Lightning had never actually been to LEGO Island before the Dino Attack, but he had heard very much about it. There were the remains of a pizzeria, the only restaurant on the island, with only a sign sticking out. A Mutant Raptor was running around, and Nick drove after it.

Nick Lightning was now at the top of Space Mountain, and sharp-toothed Pteranodons were flying in all directions. He jumped on one's back and flew it into the others. Eventually, they knocked Nick off. He set a bomb on the nest and jumped off of the edge, using a small parachute to get down safely.

----

"So you were able to direct everyone to provide support," Semick was saying, "get me out of that building, and distract that Mutant T-Rex away from Redshirt? That's quite impressive work, Bluetooth."

"Heh, well I can't take all the credit," Bluetooth replied, shrugging. "Barrowman helped a lot in keeping everyone together, but I suppose I played a role in things as well."

The two were walking away from the medical wing, Semick now free to leave after enough treatment of his injuries. Bluetooth had come specifically to see him out, and they had found common ground in their duty to Dino Attack in their discussion of the events that had occurred in LEGO Studios.

"Well, from one man who took a leadership role in a time of crisis to another," Semick said, patting Bluetooth on the shoulder, "I'd say you did a good job out there, Bluetooth. I'd be glad to see you work alongside me more often, I have to say."

"Well, thanks, Semick!" Bluetooth remarked, feeling a bit shy from the praise. "Coming from a Power Miner, that's a great thing to hear! Even with the rep the Rock Raiders and Galactic Miners have, we at Futuron respect anyone who can help save a-"

"OUT OF MY WAY!" cried a familiar voice. Bluetooth looked where they were going just in time to see Zero charging down the hallway. Frozen in confusion, it took the intervention of Semick pulling him out of the way to avoid being run over.

Semick was staring at the spectacle with befuddlement. "What in the-"

"Don't let him get away!" cried a large dark-skinned agent as he ran in the direction Zero had gone, followed closely behind by an agent with Egyptian-style makeup. "Forget what you've heard, Zero's gone mad!"

Bluetooth watched the scene with bewilderment. Agent Zero, a respected member of the team, off his rocker? What was going on here?

"Might as well follow," said Semick. "See if we can help, and good for me to get some exercise after all that time cooped up.

Though hesitant, Bluetooth nodded, and the two of them followed the chase.

----

Kotua winced as he moved to get up. Suddenly he heard a sound. He kept hearing the sound, and realized it was a winch. He got up quickly and ran along the tunnel he spotted. He noticed a small opening in the rock, and he jumped in, just as he heard something land.

Agent Thorn walked along the cave, looking around with his special goggles. He noticed Kotua before Kotua noticed him. Thorn took aim and fired as Kotua scrambled out. Kotua was hit by a blast and was sent flying, crashing into a wall. Kotua quickly jumped and tried running off, but Thorn fired again and again, sending Kotua down.

"If you hadn't made a fool of me, you wouldn't be lying here in pain. I'm about to make wish you had given up peacefully!" said Thorn, taking out a dagger.

"Who said I was in pain?" said Kotua, leaping at Thorn and punching him. Thorn crashed into the floor as Kotua punched and kicked at him.

"This can't be! How is it possible?!" Thorn said just before he lost consciousness.

Kotua lifted the unconscious Thorn and put him inside the small opening. "I hate doing this to you, but you brought it upon yourself," said Kotua.

He had managed to get some tools and weapons from Thorn, as he knew that the ShadowTech soldiers would eventually come down to see what happened to their teammate.

----

Databoard woke up, surrounded by Shadows soldiers. The other agents were also there, and wondering what to do. Databoard noticed his laser and PDA were gone, and then saw their equipment was on a table nearby.

Suddenly, a door opened, and Darkforce walked in. "Ah, Databoard," he said. "You're just in time to witness the destruction of the Dino Attack Team!"

"Your plan isn't going to work!" Databoard shouted.

"Well, you're going to see for yourself," Darkforce replied, and he motioned to a group of Shadows who were sitting near what appeared to be the controls to the ship.

One pressed several buttons, and one of the walls moved away: revealing a window. Databoard and the other agents walked towards it, with the Shadows soldiers right behind them. They looked down at the planet below them, and saw a familiar location: LEGO City.

Darkforce turned to the Shadows at the controls. "Arm the lasers," he said. "And prepare to fire."

Just as the lasers were about to wipe LEGO City off the face of the map, the ship shook violently. Databoard looked out the window to see the Saber flying towards them, all lasers firing.

As the ship shook again, Databoard took advantage of this, knocking a Shadows solider over and taking his laser. He fought his way over to the table with their weapons. He tossed the other weapons to the agents, who began fighting off the other Shadows. Databoard charged through the room, using both his laser and the stolen Shadows one to fight the soldiers.

Darkforce pressed a button on a nearby comm. "Send all fighters to deal with that ship!" he shouted. "And get all as many soldiers as you can down to the control room."

----

Using bricks from rubble around them, Frozeen and "Little Bot" had built a small camp to stay for the night. Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, Chompy, and "Little Bot" finally had a moment to settle down and relax after their battle against the present and future villains. Now, they had time to answer a very big question.

"So, Little Bot," Rex asked, "how exactly were you able to transform from a can with limbs into this insectoid form?"

"Well, I'll tell you my story from the start," he explained. Then, he began to tell his tale.

"My true name is not Little Bot," began "Little Bot". "It is actually Libo. I was the leader of a team known as the L.A.… Libo's Army. You may remember this from reading historical documents, Frozeen, but since the others don't know: L.A. was an advanced group of cybernetic lifeforms created by scientists using Futuron's latest technological advances, with the goal of defending the world from any threat.

"It was a good life. We'd face just about every threat, defeat it, and return back to HQ before lunch. I always kept my closest members by my side, including my lieutenant Rotitan. No one would dare to stand against us - they'd have to deal with Rotitan and myself!

"Unfortunately, life like that was not to last..."

Libo sighed heavily before continuing. "The Evil OGEL Empire arose in power, and we severely underestimated their power. We thought we could take Ogel down easily, but we were wrong. One by one, my teammates fell. A few L.A. operatives had even joined Ogel's side, including Rotitan… my own trusted lieutenant betrayed me! All too soon, it was only me and our messenger, Ujun, who were still alive and standing against the OGEL Empire.

"Ujun and I decided that, in order to survive, we had to split up. Alas, I'm not sure what became of Ujun… I never saw him again. I, on the other hand, began to recruit a new team: the Trans-International LEGO Team, which would soon be rebranded as Alpha Team. I was certain that Alpha Team could save the world from the Evil OGEL Empire, where the L.A. had fallen. Then, Libo was never heard from again.

"Now, you must understand something else. That was the story you know, the story written in the historical records. What you don't know is that each member of the L.A. was equipped with an alternate disguise form, intended for stealth operations. If they needed to spy on something or hide from danger, we'd shift into our disguise forms, appearing as small, unassuming, harmless robots and droids."

"Then Little Bot was your disguise form," realized Frozeen.

"Exactly," replied Libo. "I took on the name of 'Little Bot' for two reasons: one, since I appeared to be, well, a small robot, and two, it was a clever disguise for my real name, Little Bot. I also adopted the 'Beep!' language, fearing my voice would get me caught. After the Alpha Team had been founded, I went into hiding. But not for long...

"Despite the fact that Alpha Team now had the job of defending the world against Ogel, I decided to could continue my work as well. Shifting into my Little Bot form, I made my way to Ogel's base and infiltrated it. There, I planned to interfere with Ogel's plans… by taking the Evil OGEL Empire down from the inside.

"I was able to modify a single Mind-Control Orb. It was a risky move and I was nearly caught in act, so I would not dare try again. But one Mind-Control Orb was all it took… to create an Ogel Drone who was not a blind servant of Ogel, while Ogel himself remained none the wiser."

"You created Rebel Drone?" realized Frozeen.

Libo nodded. "Soon afterward, I met the Ice Drone I-R3831. He was the only Ogel Drone who realized that there was something wrong with trying to take over the world. So, he secretly rebelled. When I first met him, I mistook him for yet another enemy Ogel Drone, and he mistook me for a probe made by Ogel to execute him. After a while, we understood each other, but I had to keep my disguise. That is how I became friends with Rebel Drone.

"The rest, of course, you know."

----

Databoard ducked behind a console, which moments later was reduced to a flaming piece of metal by a wave of lasers as more Shadows soldiers burst into the room. The other agents also ducked out of the way as lasers flew through the room. Databoard fired at the soldiers, but there were just too many to fight them all.

"What do we do?" Voltage shouted.

"We'll try to get back to the Saber, and then try to find a way to destroy this ship!" Databoard replied as he fired at the Shadows soldiers.

The ship shook again as it was hit by lasers from the Saber. The Shadows jets were proving to be a distraction for the agents on the Saber, but they still managed to inflict some damage.

"Get us out of here!" Darkforce shouted to one of the Shadows at the controls. He nodded, and turned to get away from the battle between the Saber and the jets.

Databoard charged towards the Shadows, hoping to gain control of the ship and stop then from causing any more destruction. However, Darkforce engaged his cloaking device, hiding him from view. Databoard soon found himself ducking out of the way as lasers appeared to be fired from thin air.

Databoard dodged more lasers, as the invisible Darkforce continued to shoot at him. Databoard tried to fire back, but Darkforce kept moving, making it impossible for Databoard to tell where Darkforce was.

Databoard ran over to Voltage, still dodging Darkforce's lasers. "You get the other agents out of here!" he shouted. "Get back to the mini-ship, and head back towards the Saber! I'll try to buy you some extra time!"

"Are you crazy?" Voltage shouted.

"Just go!" Databoard shouted, and jumped out of the way as Darkforce fired at him again. Voltage reluctantly told the other agents to follow him, and they rushed towards the door.

As they ran down the hallway, the soldiers ran after them, but Databoard charged at them, and many of them were hit by lasers before they could react. Databoard ducked out of the way as they fired back, but Darkforce was still firing at him, meaning he couldn't stay in one place for long. "I hope this works..." Databoard muttered to himself.

----

ShadowTech agent Coal landed on the ground of the crevice. "Uh... boss? You here?" asked Coal.

No reply.

"Guess not," Coal whispered to himself. Coal took out flashlight, and headed deeper into the cave, looking around for any signs of Thorn or Kotua.

"This is ShadowTech agent Coal. There is no sign of Thorn or Dino Attack agent Kotua," said Coal into his commlink.

"This is ShadowTech agent Crystal. Wait for us there, and DON'T fall asleep!" replied agent Crystal.

"Yes 'Ma'am'," Coal said sarcastically.

*****

As Coal waited for Crystal to arrive, Kotua ran deeper into the tunnels.

After a while, he reached a "fork" in the tunnels. "I hate it when this happens," muttered Kotua, heading to the one on the right.

*****

Coal tapped his feet as he waited. Suddenly, he heard someone moving. "Freeze!" said Coal, drawing his gun.

"It's me, you fool!" said a familiar voice.

"'Me' who?" said Coal.

"Me as in Thorn, you dummy!" said Thorn.

ShadowTech agents Thorn, Coal, and Crystal ran down the tunnel, weapons ready (except for the weaponless Thorn).

"I can't believe I got stuck with fools like you," muttered Crystal.

"Fools!? We're no fools!" said Coal.

"First, we have to finish this mission. Then, we can argue all we want," said Thorn.

Suddenly they heard a scream, and something being slammed.

"We've got him!" said Thorn.

*****

Kotua rose to the cave roof. The water was rising slowly, and the only reachable exit blocked by a boulder.

Not to mention those ShadowTech losers probably heard me, thought Kotua.

----

This was all wrong. They were all wrong. He knew they were wrong about the disks and masks and robot transformations; how couldn't they be? He had been on those islands himself, others had, too! There was even a report of an agent fighting alongside its biomechanical inhabitants in battle machine mechs, how was that deniable?!

Somewhere behind him, Zero could still hear Pharisee calling out loudly. The noise only made him run faster. He had to try and get to the other disks before he was caught.

As he ran for the laboratory, he made his way past a series of obstacles in the form of fellow agents. He charged between two Minifigs, one of them carrying a katana while the other a large backpack, knocking them to the ground. He ducked under the arm of a large dog-like being accompanying Standard Agent Sereve, and pushing past an agent running the other way while carrying a small snake. He ran past a startled Kotua and several other agents with a similar face, and almost tripped over a beeping trash-can shaped robot extending a clawed arm from one of its legs.

Finally, he burst through the laboratory doors, startling scientists all over the room. They stared at him with wide eyes, but he paid no attention to that. "WHERE'S THE DISKS?!" he cried out.

Nobody answered. They were all still staring at him.

"C'mon, guys, this is important! Where are the Toa Disks!? This is a matter of proving my sanity here!"

Still no response. Fed up, Zero went for the cabinets, cases, and anything else that looked like they could hold something. He tore through boxes of beakers, cabinets full of clipboards, desks full of doohickeys, and lockers full of labcoats, but couldn't find any of the disks. None of the scientists tried to stopped him, either due to shock or not being able to take people down.

After pushing his way into a testing chamber of sorts, Zero finally found what he was looking for: A big storage locker with a piece of tape placed over it labeled "T.O.A." Finally, he found them!

The sound of the laboratory doors bursting open shot out. "WHERE'S ZERO?!" cried Pharisee from somewhere behind him. He got no answer. "Have you all done nothing?!"

This was it, do or die. Zero darted towards the locker, threw open the door...

... And saw five sets of cybernetic armor. It wasn't dissimilar to what he looked like with the disks or mask on; the chest and shoulder armor were dead-ringers for what his Toa form had, and the legs and arms were pretty similar.

But that was it. Just a set of armor.

Just like Pharisee said.

A hand clasped tight over his shoulder. "Agent Zero..."

Zero turned around, his eyes tearing up. He struggled against Pharisee's grip, pushing him back and backing against the wall.

"Surely, you understand," Pharisee said softly, yet sternly. "Whatever you remember, it's been deluded."

"No! It can't...." Zero knelt down onto the floor. "I know... IT DID HAPPEN! It did... Please..."

Then, for a second, his heart leaped, for he thought he could see Phantom behind Pharisee. He tried to reach his arms out to them, to call for help to try and clear things up... but then Phantom shook his head.

"I would if I could," said Phantom, "but first I'd like for you to tell me where Frozeen is..."

"But..." Zero muttered. "But..."

Zero's vision started to blur. His logical thoughts thinking was telling him his eyes were watering, but his chaotic, confused ones were seeing it as like the blurring of the world caused by seeing it from far away. It was as if he was becoming distant from reality, unhinged from it and dangling over some unknown abyss.

He felt himself become limp. His body seemed numb. His mind was reeling away from the here and now as he became acutely, painfully aware of his memories. His mind was running back through his past, replaying his history with the Dino Attack Team from his arrival to his entry into the lab. He saw it all: A destroyed headquarters... A giant airship... The island of Mata Nui... The scribbling of complex equations on a piece of cardboard... Elite Agent Rex on top of a silver Scorpion Orb Launcher... His hand consumed by biomechanical armor... A prison cell within the headquarters of four notorious villains... A mysterious building in place of Dino Attack HQ... Shadow angrily telling Rex he was no longer part of Dino Attack... The two Mutant T-Rexes that had miraculously ignored him... The sign-up sheet for a mission to Viking Isle...

And as he watched, the replays seemed different. Mata Nui became an island called Enchanted Island. The piece of cardboard became a broken Hypno Disk. The six strange disks became a row of six mechanized suits of armor. The mysterious new building became coated in the colors of Dino Attack and the logos of a company named Brick League United. The T-Rexes morphed into two Dino Attack agents: Claw and...

"Rex?"

The replay suddenly came out of focus as Zero became entranced by the image of his fellow Dino Attack agent. Amid all the chaos within his head, seeing his missing friend seemed to give him something to latch onto. Something to keep him mindful of reality.

"Where did you go, Rex?" Zero said without thinking. "Why did they have to discharge you? Will you ever come back? Would they ever let you back on? Will we ever share a new adventure together?"

"...Will I still be here when you come back?"

As if in response to his thoughts, the image of Rex turned and looked right at Zero. He seemed to smile, but not a happy, joyous one that would be expected with being reunited with an old friend. He seemed sad, somber, as if resigned to an unpleasant, unavoidable decision.

Rex reached out a hand to Zero. Having barely remained conscious of his body, Zero struggled to overcome the numbness and summon his arm forward to respond to the gesture. Slowly, shakily, weakly, he raised his hand into Rex's own, and firmly grasped it.

Rex grasped Zero's hand in return, and the latter felt his mind rush with new imagery. Imagery that seemed distant, vague, appearing in his mind's eye like a half-remembered movie. A Mutant T-Rex covered in silver armor, an island disintegrating into small bricks, two glowing red eyes from within a vortex of purple energy, Ata handcuffed to a chair while looking placid and relaxed, a device with glowing blue lights streaking through a stormy black sky, and the skyline of a dark and gloomy city in the middle of a barren desert...

"Zero..." Rex said at last. "... I'm sorry."

Suddenly, the image of Rex started to zoom away. Shocked and frightened, Zero strengthened his grip on Rex's hand, feeling empty air below him as the floor felt like it was pulled out from under him. Clinging desperately to his friend's hand, the Dino Attack agent looked all around him, and he saw his memories distorting, the colors and lines morphing into letters. No, not just letters, words. Sentences. Before his eyes, his life was morphing into the text of a story.

Then, the words started to rapidly mix together twisting and turning across one another, merging into new sentences and paragraphs that were telling stories that weren't his. Or were his, but not how he remembered them. And yet, he felt like he could remember them. But could also remember not remembering them.

It was like his past was being rewritten.

"...I'm sorry," Rex continued, "I never wanted this to happen, but he says our story doesn't make sense anymore. He says it needed to be rectified."

"I..." Zero muttered. "I-I don't understand..."

"I'm sorry we couldn't see each other again, but he says you're long gone, your guiding hand lost to us, and there's little chance for a reunion because of that."

The Dino Attack agent felt tears running down his face. "W-wh-why? What's going on?"

"I'm sorry it came to this. But trust me when I say we will never forget you, and you'll always have a place in our hearts and history. Who knows, maybe someday another will come and give your story closure. But for now... this is the end, I'm afraid."

Zero started to feel Rex's hand start to wiggle out of his grasp. "Rex!" he cried in a panic. "No, Rex, please..."

"Goodbye, Zero." Without another word, Rex pulled his hand out of his friend's grip.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Zero flailed helplessly as Rex's image rose further and further away, the scrambled words of his memory enveloping him, swallowing him whole into a mass of prose and language. Everything he ever knew and ever saw overwhelmed his conscious mind as his memories flooded over him, the mix of his conviction of what had happened and what had now happened driving his sense of self into a corner of his brain. As he struggled to even think cohesively amid the madness of his confused memories, he glimpsed something strange.

A glimpse of a figure's face, glowing from the light of what looked like the image of a computer monitor. A face, that after a moment, turned away and moved off as the figure seemed to walk away.

In that moment, everything became clear, and a cold, hard realization dawned on him.

"It's all made up."

"We're all just made up."

----

Voltage was trying to steer the mini-ship through the intense battle. A group of Shadows jets had broken off their attack on the Saber, and were moving to destroy the mini-ship. Cobra took control off the lasers, and began fighting them off.

As they did, the battle was not going well for the Saber. It was running on reserve beam shields, and two of its four laser cannons had been blown away. Worse, Darkforce's ship had rejoined the battle, and its laser cannons were now pounding against its remaining beam shields...

*****

Databoard fired at the soldiers, while avoiding the lasers Darkforce was firing at him. Databoard tried to fire back, but Darkforce just stepped aside, making it impossible for Databoard to see where he was. Databoard ducked as the soldiers, seeing he was distracted, fired at him. The lasers flew past him, and fried several computer consoles.

Databoard ducked out of the way as more lasers fired at him. Most of the Shadows soldiers had met their end, and the rest were being escorted away to have their injuries treated. Now, it was just Databoard, fighting Darkforce.

"You think you can defeat me?" Darkforce shouted mockingly. "There is no way you can defeat me! Your precious Saber is on the verge of being destroyed, and your fellow agents are trapped on a damaged mini-ship in the heart of a battle."

Databoard glanced out the window of the control room. The agents on the Saber were fighting heroically, but the beam shields had just failed, and the armor was the only thing between them and destruction. Voltage could be seen desperately trying to evade the lasers the jets fired, while Cobra futilely tried to fire back.

"This is an impressive last stand against me, but you and I both know it is doomed to failure," Darkforce continued, and although Databoard couldn't see him, he knew Darkforce was smiling evilly. "So, I'm asking you: just give up, tell the other agents to surrender. I can assure you then you and your friends would live..." Databoard guessed Darkforce smiled more, as the invisible man's tone grew somewhat darker. "Of course, none of your minds will remain intact."

Databoard raised his laser. "No," he replied, and then he fired repeatedly, determined to somehow hit Darkforce.

Databoard was firing, when he felt something (presumably the invisible Darkforce) kick him and send him flying backwards. He let go of his laser, and it landed on the other side of the room, while he was sent flying through the control room door.

Darkforce, knowing there was no way Databoard could retrieve his laser in time, decloaked and began firing his laser again. Databoard saw the lasers coming and ran down the corridor, followed by Darkforce.

Databoard ducked as a stream of lasers flew over his head, putting holes in the wall behind him. Databoard got up and ran down a nearby hallway, lasers flying past him. Fortunately, most of the Shadows soldiers were elsewhere, so Databoard only had to deal with Darkforce. Unfortunately, that was something easier said than done.

Databoard soon found himself in the hangar, and began looking for anything he could use to get off the ship.

Databoard saw that Darkforce was coming in, and quickly rushed to safety. He soon found himself hiding on a catwalk that was suspended over the hangar.

"Come out, Data!" Darkforce shouted, a crazed look in his eyes.

Databoard picked up a small object that had been lying nearby and tossed it at a small transport vehicle. It made a noise, and Darkforce turned around, firing his laser rapidly. As Darkforce blasted at the transport, Databoard hoped to escape while Darkforce was distracted.

However, Darkforce, after reducing part of the transport to scrap metal, soon realized what was going on. He spotted Databoard running across the catwalk, and unleashed a hail of lasers. Databoard ran faster as laser tore holes through the metal floor beneath him. As a laser flew past him, Databoard fell to the floor, hoping Darkforce would think the laser got him.

Unfortunately, he heard the sound of Darkforce coming up towards him. Databoard would have to think fast, or he'd wind up hit by a laser for real.

----

"So, you were Libo all along?" asked Frozeen, who was still stunned that his friend, whom he had known for years, was actually someone completely different. "All this time, I was friends with one of the founders of Alpha Team, and I did not even know it?"

"Yes, indeed," said Libo, nodding. Then, with a smile, he added, "After all, how did you think that a little can with legs could survive for so long?"

Frozeen laughed. "Looks like so many of us are a little too good at keeping secrets from one another… hiding who we really are," he observed. Then, Frozeen looked at Rex. "Could I have a word with you for a moment, 'Maw'?"

Rex nodded. "Sure," he replied.

Once they were alone, Rex turned to Frozeen and asked, "What is it?"

"I believe that I had told you to embrace your true identity," said Frozeen. "When I saw you without your disguise, I thought you had finally done so. But now, you're pretending that Rex died and you're somebody else? Do you honestly believe that story will hold up for long?"

"You're one to talk, 'phantom'!" retorted Rex. "You went around for months pretending you were someone other than Frozeen. PBB, Chompy, and Little Bot were so worried about you… Phantom nearly killed me because he was looking for you…"

Frozeen shook his head. "I hid my identity to protect my friends, the people I care about. What happened to Phantom… that is not even the worst thing that I have done as agent Frozeen. I had hoped that, by staying away from them, I could keep them safe… and now, PBB is dead." He sighed heavily, full of regret. "PBB is dead, and I never had the chance to apologize to him for the things I've said and done."

Rex sighed as well. "I'm no better off than you. Dino Attack Team cast me out, and considering all the… trouble that agent Rex caused for them, I can't blame them. The entire Kotua crisis is my fault, so I have a lot of blood on my hands. Perhaps it's for the best that they think Rex is gone."

"And what about Claw?" inquired Frozeen. "I presume, of course, that she is really agent Claw."

"As a human minifig, she was ambushed and overpowered by FUTURE," said Rex. "As a Mutant T-Rex, she will never be vulnerable again. And we can be together as T-Rexes. She does not need to return to her old life."

"Is that really your choice to make?"

Frozeen's question pierced Rex like an arrow. He did not have an answer.

----

Blade met up with his twin brother Axey, who was now a ShadowTech assassin. Blade had no choice but to battle his now-evil brother.

Blade took out his buster rifle. "Let's see how you like this!" he shouted as he fired a charged shot.

Axey jumped down and dodged the blast. "Please," he said mockingly as he landed a foot away from Blade. "I can dodge that in my sleep."

"Let's see if you can dodge this!" retorted Blade. He tossed aside the buster and pulled out a Vulcan cannon, which he fired at Axey.

With Axey at point-blank range, there should have been no way for him to avoid the blast. However, using an advanced ninjutsu technique, Axey seemingly vanished, leaving behind a tree stump to take the hit. Blade spun around to see Axey standing behind him. "A Vulcan. Please. That's so year one," scoffed Axey.

"I know I can't do that," murmured Blade, glancing back at the tree stump.

"That's because I had practice," boasted Axey. "Nearly twenty years of practice. While you have just begun to tap into your swordplay and fancy little Cyber Matrix. Now I will defeat you and show the world who's the stronger among us."

Axey pulled out his sword, showed off some fancy swordplay, and adopted a battle stance. "This is the Phoenix fighting style," he said. "Passed down for thousands of years, with each new master rising over the ashes of their predecessor. Let's see how you handle in the Major Leagues."

"Definitely know I can't do that," whispered Blade.

Blade hid behind a car. "Everything I throw at him," he whispered, "he doubles that. I hate to admit it, but I may be outmatched."

Blade pulled out his commlink. "Is anyone out there? This is Agent Blade. My evil twin brother is using some fancy phoenix sword techniques and is bombarding me. Repeat. Sword-fighting like a phoenix and is bombarding me. I NEED HELP!"

Before Blade could say anything else, Axey jumped over the car and destroyed the commlink. "No calling for backup this time, Brother," said Axey.

"Aw, Znap," cursed Blade.

----

"I NEED HELP!" Blade's voice came shouting over Kotua's commlink, giving away his location.

Kotua cursed. Darn Blade! I'll have to remember to smack him in case I have the chance to do so, thought Kotua.

*****

Thorn laughed as he heard the backup message. "Looks like Kotua's pals are too busy. Let's take him out," said Thorn.

"Take him out, as in a date?" asked Coal.

Crystal smacked Coal on the back of the head. "This is no time for goofing off!" she hissed.

Thorn, Crystal, and Coal walked until they reached a closed tunnel. "This is it," said Thorn.

"Let's blow this place!" said Coal.

SMACK!

"Ow!" said Coal.

*****

As Crystal and Coal argued, Kotua struggled to find a way out. As he thought, he pulled out his laser pistol, partially disassembled it for spare parts, and modified it into a drill.

"Improvising on the fly like this…" murmured Kotua. "Oh boy... I hope I don't lose it, like Blade." He began drilling a way out as the water started to rise.

----

"...Everything's made up..." said Zero between sobs. "... we're just... playthings..."

It was a solemn atmosphere in the Dino Attack Headquarters laboratory as Zero was examined by the team's medics and psychologists. Elite Agent Zero was sitting in a chair, his arms wrapped around his legs as he crouched in a fetal position. It was still very disturbing to Semick, who had only rarely heard of such things happening, even in the conditions he went through with the Power Miners. What had been a fit, inquisitive, humorous member of the team was now a broken young man who seemed lost in his own little world.

"Well, we can't say for sure until we can get him to experts in Antarctica," said one of the psychologists to Specs. He and the other Founding Members had arrived quickly after word came of Zero's rampage, relieving Pharisee of overseeing the situation, and remained to make a final decision on what to do with him. "But he seems to have disengaged with reality and is more focused on his own thoughts than anything else."

"I see..." Specs nodded, his eyes looking solemnly at Zero with a hint of pity. "Do you think he can snap out of it?"

"Not without a couple of months of therapy, at the bare minimum. Don't worry though, I know people who'll take good care of him. We'll work around the clock to reach through to him, and make sure he's in good, catering caretaker hands."

"Better than that Napoleon XIV asylum, I hope," Viper muttered.

"Don't worry," the psychologist said with a shake of his head, "we actually watch our patients."

Specs sighed heavily. "Well, we'll hope for the best, but if he's not better in a month or so, we'll have to formally discharge him from the team. We can't keep up accommodations for an out-of-action agent for too long."

"Understood. Perhaps staying out of war for the rest of the year might do him some good, too."

"Yeah..." said Digger as he walked up close to Zero's quivering form. "I know they've always said that warfare leads to things messing with your mind, but it never lessens the shock you get from seeing it in person." He shuddered. "I'd hate to see that happen to me."

"C'mon, let's get him out of here."

Semick decided he had seen enough. Nothing else worth watching was going to happen now. He turned for the exit and quickly walked out of the lab, pushing past several agents crowding the doorway trying to get a view of Zero inside. He didn't get far before he saw Bluetooth leaning against the wall, apparently having been listening in to proceedings but not wanting to stare.

"... so they're going to take him away?" Bluetooth asked.

Semick nodded. "There's not much else we can do here, unfortunately. He seems obsessed with the idea of everything being a made-up story or something."

Bluetooth put his hand up to his chin, apparently thinking of something. After a few seconds, he spoke up. "You know what's weird? I have a friend in Mindstorms who says he's seen robots lose their minds and start rambling about their state of existence a couple of times. Says it seems to be a problem with getting too much dust on their memory chips. I wonder if the same thing could happen to a person."

"Maybe, if somebody got hit on the head in the right way. In my experience, for instance, you can see strange things sometimes when you get hit on the head with an energy crystal."

"Yeah, might be a radiation thing. Like some kind of energy that can leave one's mind unhinged. I wonder..."

Bluetooth contemplated the thought for a minute more; Semick remained there, not so much out of waiting for his response, but mulling over the whole situation. It really was disturbing, watching a minifig go from normal to crazy within a single day. And when said minifig was in the same line of work as yourself, one couldn't help but wonder if he would ever suffer a same fate. That he wouldn't get to go home again for a reason much more complicated than simply dying.

The two agents spent enough time contemplating to witness Viper and Shadow coming out and shooing away the gawking agents to make way for the medics. As a path cleared, Semick could see Zero, his body secured into a wheelchair, being escorted out towards the front entrance by the medics, the psychologist, and Digger and Specs, with the other Founding Agents quickly following them.

Turning away from the sight, Semick saw an agent - neat combed hair, about middle aged, bit of a simple-looking face - standing just behind Bluetooth looking at the escort. He was staring intently at Zero, his face betraying a mix of amazement and disbelief. He seemed not too dissimilar to the other gawking agents in the crowd, but something about the way he looked seemed off in a way the former Power Miner couldn't quite figure out.

As Zero disappeared around the corner, the crowd around the entrance started to disperse. Semick took the opportunity to make his way to the agent, muttering to Zero that he would see him in the cafeteria next time. He caught the agent just as he was turning away to head down the hall. "You a new recruit?" he asked.

The agent turned, looking surprised at Semick's sudden interest in him. "Y-yeah," he replied. "Just a bit surprising, I guess. Can't believe that happened to him."

Semick looked the guy over again, and realized he was somewhat familiar. "Hey, haven't I seen you before? In the mess hall? Always coming up to eat with this one guy at an empty table?"

"Oh yeah," the agent replied with a nervous grin. "That was Zero and how I know him. He and I met shortly after I signed up. We've been eating breakfast almost every day together, I've gotten to know him pretty well. Almost like a friend. Even made him coffee each time specially made to his tastes."

He turned back towards the corner Zero had disappeared behind. "It's... It's just hard to believe he could have been suffering so much for that to have happened. I wish I could have done more to help him."

Semick gave a hearty sigh and patted the agent on the shoulder. "That's conflict for you. It brings out the worse in people and can leave the innocent ruined forever. Sometimes there's no coming back from that."

"I guess so." The agent breathed in. "Hopefully, I don't end up like that. And hopefully, I can do Zero good as part of a worthwhile member of this team."

"That's all we can hope to do," Semick said as he started walking towards to the dorms. "Sorry to cut this short, but it's been a long day for me. I'll be getting some rest now. Best wishes to you, err-"

"Ata."

"Right. See you on the field, Ata."

"You too, Semick," Ata called after him, smiling softly. "You too."

It was only as Semick was in bed, quickly falling asleep, that he realized that he had never told Ata his codename.

----

A Shadows hovercraft noticed a ShadowTech assassin attacking a Dino Attack Team agent. "Look at that! Those fools are getting what they deserve," said the Shadows pilot.

"Let's neutralize them before notice us," said the copilot.

"Roger that," said the pilot.

Blade looked up to see the Shadows craft above them. "Great," he muttered, "I got my evil twin attacking me, and it looks like a Shadows ship is about to get in on the fun."

"I don't want the Shadows to get involved either," said Axey, "so I'll just wrap things up." He charged at Blade while screaming, "SKYDIVE SCORCHER!" His sword almost appeared to be on fire.

In a last-ditch effort, Blade scrambled to activate a program on the Cyber Matrix that might give him an edge in the swordfight. In his haste, he accidentally selected two programs at the same time: Expert Swordplay of Castle Cove and MegaRock Network. A thrill rushed through him as the Cyber Matrix assumed control of his arms, raising his sword and blocking Axey's attack just in the nick of time. Sparks went flying as their blades clashed with a bright flash of light.

"What the heck?!" gasped Axey.

Up above, the Shadows continued to observe the fight. "Dude, what's going on?" asked the pilot.

"I don't know, but I say we get out of here," suggested the co-pilot.

"I don't believe it," whispered Axey. "He's activated the Double Soul technique on his device. That took me five years to master, and he's got it down on the first try."

Apparently, those two programs, when running simultaneously, could reproduce the fighting technique that would counter Axey's Phoenix technique. With a confident smirk, Blade raised his sword and said, "Axey, it's time I take this battle to the next level."

Immediately ShadowTech mechs surrounded the battlefield between Blade and Axey.

"So," declared Blade, "this will be the final battle between us, brother." He adopted a defensive stance.

"So be it," agreed Axey. "So it ends before it even got started." He pulled out a Magma Vulcan cannon and fired it at Blade, who jumped out of the way unharmed.

Blade said, "You'll going to have to do a lot better than that. Rocket Mace!" He loaded a spiked ball into his own Vulcan and fired, and the projectile hit Axey head on.

Axey shrugged off the mace attack. "So, you think that will work, brother?" he said. "Try THIS!" He started firing both of his Magma Vulcan cannons rapidly at Blade.

"Woah, Kjeld Kirk Kristiansen!" exclaimed Blade. He ran into an alley to dodge the balls of magma. "Didn't see that coming."

Blade started scrolling through the list of Cyber Matrix programs again. Keeping the MegaRock Network program active, he disabled the medieval swordplay program and substituted it with another program, Napalm in Your Palm. "This might come in handy!" he thought aloud.

The fight ended in a draw, with both parties forced to retreat. After battling Axey, Blade changed his codename to Slash.

----

On the Saber, Dino Attack agent Wire knew that, in ten minutes, he would be dead. The Saber had taken on numerous hits, and its armor plating wouldn't hold much longer. Nearby, the damaged mini-ship was flying around the battle, trying to avoid the Shadows jets.

Suddenly, several of the jets flew towards him, and a ship similar in design to the Saber, painted in Alpha Team colors, flew towards them. "This is the Alpha Team Airship Lightning, do you need assistance?" came a voice over the comm system.

"We really need help," Wire replied. They forced the jets to pull off their attack, and then they moved towards Darkforce's ship...

*****

Databoard watched as Darkforce moved closer. Then suddenly, explosions rocked the ship over and over, causing Darkforce to lose his balance for a few moments. Databoard took advantage of this and charged at Darkforce, knocking him over the side of the catwalk and plummeting towards the floor of the hangar below.

Databoard ran across the catwalk, trying to keep his balance as more explosions ripped through the ship. An alarm sounded, and, based on the Shadows scrambling to get into transports, that was the call to abandon ship. Databoard rushed down a hallway for the control room as the hangar opened to let the transport ships out.

Databoard reached the control room as more explosions violently shook the ship. From the control room window, he could see the ship was being attacked by the Saber and an Alpha Team ship, the Lightning, which had been built a few years after the Saber.

Databoard was wondering why they were shooting while he was on the ship, when he realized that, since Voltage and the others were on the mini-ship, those on the Saber must have thought he was with them. The ship shook more violently as it slowly fell back into the atmosphere.

Databoard struggled to regain control of the ship as it plunged towards the ground below. He was trying to steer away for any inhabited areas, since a ship of this size impacting into the ground at high speeds would have a devastating effect. Unfortunately, it appeared to be plummeting towards LEGO City. Databoard struggled to get the ship to land in the nearby ocean, but flying an out-of-control ship wasn't an easy task.

----

At Adventurers' Island, Snake of Spades tried to contact Databoard… with no luck.

"DATA!!! CAN YOU HEAR ME???" Snake shouted into his radio.

No reply.

"Snake, try to contact Voltage," suggested Shona. "He's a good friend of mine."

"You know him?" asked Snake.

"Duh," muttered Shona, rolling her eyes.

Snake of Spades paced around nervously. He was sweating and trembling. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a small vial of Mutant Dino Serum. He had no idea why he held onto it. He hated the Mutant Dinos; they killed his mother! And yet…

When he thought about his own experiences as a Mutant Dino… how powerful he had felt, how intoxicated he was… it was more addictive than any drug. If Rex was a mutant too, Snake could only imagine how Rex would not want to turn back.

Without thinking, he opened the vial and swallowed its contents. He dropped the empty glass onto the floor. "Shona? I feel... strange," he said.

"Why?" asked Shona, who did not see what he had done.

Snake lied. "I... don't know. I.....URK!!!"

"What the-" gasped Shona.

Snake grew taller. His eyes glowed blood-red. His teeth were as big as knives. The nuclear furnace in his mouth billowed. "THE POWER..." he roared. "I... AM... FINISHED. SHONA, FLEE. FLEE BEFORE I AM FORCED TO KILL YOU!!!"

"Oh, Znap," cursed Shona. She jumped into the T-1 Typhoon. Shona accessed Voltage's profile and dialed his GPS.

BEEP.

BEEP.

"Yo," came the familiar voice of Voltage over the radio.

"No time for games, Volt," said Shona.

"SHONA?!?" exclaimed Voltage.

"Duh," muttered Shona.

"What's your prob?" asked Voltage.

"W-well, Snake is..." Shona started to say, but she could not bring herself to say it.

"Lemme guess... a dino?"

"Yep."

"What kind?"

"I, er... um..." After a long pause, Shona finally said, "... a T-Rex."

"HE'S WHAT?!?"

"A T-Rex," repeated Shona.

----

Rex, Frozeen, and their comrades were resting at camp. Suddenly, Rex started to sniff the air, alerted by a scent that he picked up. His instincts as a T-Rex were telling him that danger was approaching.

"What is it?" asked Frozeen, picking up on Rex's alertness.

"More Mutant T-Rexes," murmured Rex. "A whole pack of them. I think we're in their territory, and they're heading in their direction."

"Could you just tell them to go away?" inquired Libo.

Rex and Amanda traded glances. "I can try," Rex said with some uncertainty, "but I can't guarantee they'll listen. T-Rexes are prideful creatures, and they don't take kindly to intruders. I'd recommend you three get to safety while Claw and I try to converse with them."

Chompy snorted, which Frozeen tactfully translated as, "Good luck." Frozeen, Libo, and Chompy left as quickly as they could, leaving Rex and Amanda as the Mutant T-Rexes approached.

Rex was right to be concerned for the others' safety. He could tell that these T-Rexes were not coming over for a friendly greeting; instead, they glared and growled aggressively at him and Amanda. One Mutant T-Rex, the alpha female, stepped forward and roared: "I am Wrathscale. How dare you intrude upon my territory."

Rex and Amanda were both tense, but they knew not to show any sign of weakness to the feral wild T-Rexes. So, Rex spoke calmly, showing that he was not afraid of Wrathscale and was in control of the situation. "There's no reason to fight. If we're in your territory, then we will leave."

The other Mutant T-Rexes started to circle around them. One of them snorted in a way that sounded like laughter. "Listen to him. He talks like one of those human minifigs!"

"Well, which are you, then?" taunted another T-Rex. "Man or T-Rex? They hunt us, we hunt them. You can't be both... choose a side!"

Wrathscale narrowed her eyes as she sniffed the air between them. "I recognize your scent," she growled. "You were there, at the lake where Sharptooth perished."

"Then you should know that I was one of the dinosaurs that killed 'the great Sharptooth', and that's why you should stand down before me," declared Rex, making sure to speak their tongue this time. If these T-Rexes were not interested in peaceful negotiations, then a show of strength might make them back down.

Wrathscale roared furiously. "Sharptooth was my mate... and you took him from me. Perhaps we should repay the favor."

At once, all the Mutant T-Rexes turned their attention towards Amanda. While she would not back down without a fight, she knew that she was clearly outnumbered and outmatched by the sheer number of T-Rexes surrounding them.

Rex whispered, "Amanda... run!"

----

In LEGO City, a Dino Attack agent drove through the streets in a Fire Hammer, firing at a Mutant Raptor. The Raptor ran, but when it found its way blocked by three Urban Avengers, it stood and raised its claws.

Suddenly, the roar of a loud engine filled the air, and the Raptor ran off, nearly totaling one of the Urban Avengers. The agent in the Fire Hammer looked up and saw a plane-like ship plummeting towards the city. Quickly, the agents drove off as fast as they could before the ship made impact...

*****

Databoard continued to struggle with the ship, but it continued to plummet towards LEGO City. He tried to get the controls to work, but any sudden change in direction might cause the ship to rip apart. He could see the small shapes of Dino Attack vehicles and agents trying to get out of the area before the ship crashed, but Databoard doubted they would be able to escape. He continued trying to steer away from the city as the buildings quickly came closer...

Databoard finally got the ship to turn, and it began to head for the ocean. The heavily-damaged right wing broke off and went flying through the air. It smashed through several abandoned buildings and eventually came to a stop.

Databoard lost all control over the vehicle, and it began to plummet even faster. It destroyed the top levels of several buildings, and then slammed into the water with such force that Databoard was sent flying forward, only stopping himself by grabbing hold of a computer console.

Once the ship finally slowed down, Databoard got up. He needed to find a way to get off the ship, as it was sinking down towards the ocean floor, and slowly flooding as well.

Databoard rushed down the corridors as the ship sank beneath the ocean. Suddenly, it tipped sideways, sending Databoard flying into a wall. He got up, and started rushing through the hallways.

He opened a door - only to have a wave of water come rushing towards him. Databoard turned and ran as the hallway quickly started to flood. He rushed down the hallway and slammed a door shut, stopping the water. He ran off to find a way off the ship.

Databoard rushed down a corridor, and opened up a door, and looked down through it. He had found one of the hangars, but unfortunately, since the ship was sinking sideways, getting to one of the ships would be rather hard. He took out a grappling hook, and slowly headed down towards the ships.

Suddenly, a portion of the hangar door burst open, and water started to flood inside, giving Databoard more of a need to hurry up.

Databoard slowly headed down towards one of the few remaining transport vehicles on the ship. Suddenly, the ship shook violently as it hit the bottom of the ocean and tipped over. Databoard stopped scaling down the hangar and ran towards a transport. Water was now rushing towards him, and he got inside the vehicle moments before it was flooded with water.

He rushed towards the controls, and took off as the hangar quickly filled up. Fortunately, it appeared that the transport could work underwater. He sped forward through the hole in the hangar doors, and headed up towards the surface...

----

Rex and Amanda ran as quickly as they could, with Wrathscale and her Mutant T-Rexes in hot pursuit. Somehow, whether he was driving an Iron Predator or in the body of a T-Rex, being chased by these behemoths was always just as terrifying to Rex.

Still, Rex had one advantage. This might have been Wrathscale's territory, but he knew the entire LEGO City and how to navigate it. Fortunately, he remembered that Dino Attack Team had a checkpoint up ahead that was patrolled by Fire Hammers and Iron Predators to keep Mutant Dinos at bay. If he could just get there quickly enough…

Rex and Amanda ducked and weaved through the city streets and alleys as they tried to lose the T-Rexes. In this case, Rex's smaller size compared to most Mutant T-Rexes served to his advantage, and now that he was free of his old disguise, he no longer had to worry about getting cramps from physical exertion. Some of the larger T-Rexes, including Wrathscale herself, simply plowed through anything in their path: cars, streetlights, and even buildings.

"Just a little farther ahead!" he shouted to Amanda. The trick, of course, would be reaching the checkpoint without letting the other T-Rexes realize they were running into a trap.  Therefore, Rex and Amanda took a roundabout back route so that they could get close to the outpost while it remained out of view behind various buildings.

Then, a pair of Iron Predators rolled down the street and pointed their Cryothermic Cannons at the incoming pack of Mutant T-Rexes. "Get behind cover!" Rex quickly cried. At the last moment, he and Amanda ducked behind a skyscraper. Wrathscale and the other T-Rexes ran headfirst into the Iron Predators' line of fire.

Rex and Amanda remained hidden, watching as the Iron Predators were joined by three Fire Hammers. Blasts of sonic, lasers, and ice showed the Mutant T-Rexes, felling the great beasts in a matter of moments.

Once the dust settled, Rex let out a long sigh of relief. He gestured to Amanda, and they started to walk away before Dino Attack Team could notice them as well. "That was close, huh?" remarked Rex.

Amanda nodded as she also let out a sigh.

"With the bodies of T-Rexes," continued Rex, "and the strategic minds of Dino Attack agents, there's nothing that the two of us can't accomplish together. Right?"

Amanda glanced back in the direction of the battle between Dino Attack's vehicles and Wrathscale's T-Rexes. There was a part of her that still longed to be working directly with Dino Attack Team, rather than hiding from them for her own safety.

Rex thought about the question that Frozeen had posed earlier. It had not escaped his notice that Wrathscale and her T-Rexes had thought Amanda was his mate… and admittedly, he would not mind if that turned out to be true. They had been through a lot together, cared deeply for one another, and had come to understood each other in a way few others ever could. "Are you… happy with me?" he asked hopefully.

Amanda looked at him, then she closed her eyes and gently stroked her nuzzle against his neck. She was just happy that there was someone familiar that she could trust, and if that someone was Rex, then things were even better.

"You know," said Rex, "the two of us could live out our lives together like this. Being a T-Rex really isn't so bad, especially as long as we have each other. We could be happy together. Wouldn't you like that?"

Amanda stared straight ahead and did not respond for a while. Finally, she nodded slowly.

Rex smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. After all, we… oh, Znap."

The two T-Rexes came to a stop. An Iron Predator had rolled down the street ahead of them, and it was now aiming its Cryothermic Cannon directly at them.

----

Crystal and Thorn backed away as Coal walked up to the tunnel. Both Crystal and Coal were biologically augmented by ShadowTech, giving these agents special powers. Coal closed his eyes and focused. After a while, the boulder blocking the way exploded. Crystal raised her arms and froze the water as it rushed out, and Thorn merely walked over the frozen water and into the tunnel.

"Rats! He got away!" said Thorn.

Crystal smacked Coal. "See, Coal?! That's what happens when you want to do your dumb things... you slow us down!" said Crystal.

*****

Kotua drilled until he reached another tunnel. He climbed onto the tunnel and then continued walking.

Soon he arrived at a section that seemed it had been mined. Mining carts and tools littered the floor. Some broken lights were around there. Kotua walked into that direction, until he reached a metal door with a skeleton insignia.

Ogel, thought Kotua.

Kotua grabbed a mining tool nearby, and tried forcing the door open. Unfortunately, he did. As he opened it, he heard a roar, and footsteps. Soon, he saw a Mutant T-Rex with blue stripes and eyes.

"Aww man..." said Kotua.

The Mutant Dino ran towards Kotua, who backed away and ran the way he had come, only to stop as Thorn, Crystal, and Coal climbed through the hole. "We've got you surrounded!" said Thorn.

"Darn it!" said Kotua.

The Mutant T-Rex continued running towards Kotua and the ShadowTech agents. Kotua ran towards one of the mining carts and leapt into it. He had run with enough force that the cart flipped upside-down as Kotua landed on it. The Mutant T-Rex fired an ice beam, which froze the bottom of the cart (which was facing up).

"Yikes! We better get out of here!" said Coal.

"Shut up! We're not leaving until we captured Kotua!" said Thorn.

Thorn, Crystal, and Coal aimed their weapons at the Mutant T-Rex. It merely roared and charged at them.

"Considering you have the power to freeze stuff, doesn't that mean you also have the ability to un-freeze stuff?" asked Coal.

"Yes," said Crystal.

"Good," said Coal. The three ShadowTech agents began firing at the Mutant Dinosaur, but it merely shook off the blasts, and fired its own freezer beam, which froze Coal.

Crystal began thawing out Coal as Thorn fired repeatedly at the Mutant T-Rex. Seeing that they were distracted, Kotua began running towards the Ogel entrance. Luckily, the Mutant T-Rex continued distracting the ShadowTech agents.

Kotua entered, and immediately looked around for a way to close the door. He found one, and pressed it. The alarm sounded as the door closed, causing the Mutant T-Rex and the ShadowTech agents to look towards it.

"IGNORE THE DINO AND GET INTO THE PLACE!" shouted Thorn. Coal and Crystal ran as the door closed, but it was too late and they were locked outside.

----

Databoard piloted the transport ship to the surface, and spotted the Saber landing in the area damaged by the ship as it crashed. Databoard turned on the transport's comm system.

"This is agent Wire of the Dino Attack ship Saber, who is this?" a voice said.

"It's me, Databoard," Databoard replied.

"Databoard! We were worried when you weren't on the mini-ship," Wire replied.

"Well, don't worry, I'm headed for the Saber right-" Databoard said, but stopped when he spotted several other Shadows transports flying overhead before diving underwater. "Actually, never mind," Databoard said as he sped after the transports.

"What's going on?" Wire asked.

"I need to investigate something," Databoard replied as his transport descended into the ocean. "Just wait here." Databoard looked ahead as the other transports sped through the dark water, unaware they were being followed.

Databoard sped through the waters after the Shadows transports. They hadn't noticed him so far, but even if they did, they would have thought it was just another transport.

Suddenly, Databoard spotted a light cutting through the darkness of the ocean floor. He sped over a small underwater canyon and was shocked by what was at the bottom. A large dome lay among the rocks, with six long arm-like devices keeping it clamped to the ocean floor. This must be another Shadows base, Databoard thought. He noticed the Shadows transports heading into several large circular gates in the dome, and he sped after them.

----

"Hold your fire!" shouted a voice. Rex recognized that voice as Specs, and he realized that the four founding Dino Attack members were driving the Iron Predator. They murmured amongst themselves.

Viper laughed incredulously. "I've seen lots of crazy stuff this year," he remarked, "but now the scales are talking… that's got to be a new one!"

They overheard me talking, Rex realized. Looks like the dino's out of the bag now. He stepped forward and said, "That's right… I can talk. Promise us that you won't shoot, and we can talk things over like civilized individuals."

"You have our word," promised Digger. "Right, Shadow?"

Shadow, who was manning the Cryothermic Cannon, grumbled under his breath.

"How have you learned to speak?" inquired Specs.

Once again, Rex decided to tell the same story that he made up earlier. "We were tamed and raised by Dino Attack agent Rex. He… well, he got a little carried away when training me, as you can see. But you can trust us; we mean you no harm."

As Rex lied about their past, Amanda glanced at him and furrowed her brow. She seemed to be rather annoyed, but Rex did not notice.

"Speaking of Rex," Viper asked, "where is he?"

Rex pretended to look sullen. "He… died," he lied. "Soon after he was discharged from Dino Attack Team, he was killed by a Mutant T-Rex while trying to rescue Josh Thunder and a squad of rookie agents. It was too late for me to save him."

Once again, Amanda shot a glare at Rex. Why would he lie about this?

Specs nodded solemnly. "Then it is as I feared," he said. "I'm very sorry to hear that Rex is gone."

Rex raised an eyebrow. "Sorry?" he repeated. "You were the ones who discharged him!"

"Yes, we were," Specs explained, "but that was before elite agent Zero was able to uncover evidence that Rex was set up by FUTURE. While some of us," he glanced at Shadow, "still do not approve of his particular activities, I realize now that we were too hard on him. It was not his fault that his tamed Mutant T-Rex went on rampage if FUTURE was behind it for their own nefarious purposes. After all, the two of you seem like perfectly reasonable… err, individuals, showing what good Rex could accomplish. Unfortunately, if Rex is dead, then it's too late to redact his discharge."

----

Kotua ran down the corridors of the Ogel base. As he did, he spotted a map. Yes! Now to find the exit and contact the others... thought Kotua.

Kotua ran down the corridors of the Ogel outpost. Luckily it was deserted. All drones were gone. The few that remained were mere skeletons and rotten corpses, or ripped apart by the Mutant Dinos.

Kotua continued running, until he reached the elevator doors that had a sign taped to them. "Out of service," read Kotua. He looked around and spotted some stairs. "Darn! Looks like I'll have to walk all the way..."

Kotua ran up the stairs. After a while, however, he stopped for rest. How did the drones manage to do this day by day? wondered Kotua.

He soon regained his energy, and walked upwards a bit more.

Kotua eventually reached the ground floor of the Ogel outpost. He rested a bit, got some supplies that were laying around, and exited the building. As he stepped into the snow, he searched for his PDA on his pockets. As he found, he activated it.

A while later, a white T-1 Typhoon landed. It was the Antarctic Dino Attack squad copter. Immediately, a Dino Attack agent in a parka lowered a ladder and urged Kotua to climb up. Kotua climbed up, and sat in the gunner's station as the agent in a parka told the pilot to take them towards the Dino Attack ship nearby.

*****

Thorn, Crystal, and Coal tried prying the door open, but it was closed tight. There was no way they could open it. "Now what?" asked Crystal.

"We find another way," said Thorn.

"Freeze the door, and then we break through with the tools here," suggested Coal.

"I'd only be freezing the exterior, not the door, so it would be a waste of time," said Crystal, rolling her eyes.

Thorn, Crystal, and Coal returned back to the ShadowTech plane, disappointed in their failure. "Now what?" asked Crystal.

"We return to LEGO City, and find Kotua's buddies. By the time Kotua arrives, he'll have no choice but to surrender," said Thorn.

----

Databoard followed the Shadows transports through the gate, just before it closed behind him. The Shadows headed down a large tunnel, which had docking ports on the side for transports. Databoard headed towards one of the docking ports, and attached the transport to it.

As he exited, he was surprised to learn there were no guards. Then again, this is a top-secret base at the bottom of the sea, Databoard thought. I guess they weren't thinking that someone would steal one of their transports and find the base.

Databoard took out his laser and headed down the corridor...

----

VM drove his Urban Avenger through a dark tunnel. A few months ago, trains had traveled through the tunnel. Now any escape attempts made by the trains was stopped by a Mutant Raptor. VM took a left turn and rove into what was once LEGO City Train Station. Now, the Mutant Lizards and Raptors dominated it. It was much too small to fit a T-Rex comfortably, so the Raptors took the job.

A Raptor sprang out from behind a deserted McBrick Burgers and began to charge at VM. VM fired the gun on top of his Urban Avenger. The Raptor dodged it, disappeared for a moment, and reappeared accompanied by three Mutant Lizards.

This was bad... VM called for reinforcement as more Lizards and Raptors appeared from out of the darkened train station.

*****

Luckily for VM, his message reached the founding members of Dino Attack Team. "Shadow, Digger," commanded Specs, "help out VM. Viper and I will figure out what to do with... err, what are your names?"

"I'm Maw," Rex lied, "and this is… my mate, Claw."

"Okay," Specs said, nodding. "Viper and I will figure out what to do with Maw and Claw." Shadow and Digger took the Iron Predator and left to find and help VM, while Specs and Viper escorted the two T-Rexes with a Fire Hammer.

*****

VM had defeated a small squad of dinos with Shadow and Digger's help, and he now headed for the LEGO City outpost. A group of T-1 Typhoons circled overhead.

"Must mean trouble," VM said to himself.

VM was now regretting following orders when Shadow and Digger told him to leave them, but as a loyal Dino Attack member, he would not disobey. Two Fire Hammers pulled up alongside VM. Along with them came three Urban Avengers and five Steel Sprinters.

"What's all the ruckus about?!" VM asked, hoping to find out.

"Haven't you heard?" the driver of one Fire Hammer said. "The T-Rexes and a bunch of Raptors and Lizards and Pteranodons are heading to the outpost!"

Right as the driver finished saying that, a huge chunk of a building crushed his Fire Hammer, sending him and his gunner sprawling, mangled and broken.

"They're still alive!" VM said, feeling the heartbeat of the injured men.

"Get them to the med station, pronto!" one Steel Sprinter's driver said. "Oh, and VM…"

"Yes?" VM said.

"What sent that piece of debris at the Fire Hammer?" the Steel Sprinter's driver asked.

"I don't think we want to know," VM said as a large T-Rex-shaped silhouette appeared on the horizon.

----

Thorn, Crystal, and Coal each looked out the windows of the ShadowTech civilian jet. Agent Cane was apparently still investigating the International Space Station crash...

*****

ShadowTech Agent Cane watched from a window as scientists investigated a body of an alien creature. He had some trouble getting the alien body as LEGOLAND Airforce had claimed it was their jurisdiction, but in the end, Cane was able to convince the LEGOLAND Airforce that ShadowTech would be better suited for the investigation...

*****

The ShadowTech jet landed on a ShadowTech base, where Thorn, Crystal, and Coal prepared to capture Dino Attack agents...

----

The T-1 Typhoon landed on the Dino Attack Ship Hope, which was located in the ocean near Alpha Team HQ.

"Agent Kotua, we'll lend you one of our jets as ocean travel isn't very safe currently. We'll also provide you with coordinates with the next ship, so you can refuel there," said a Dino Attack agent, showing Kotua one of the jets.

"Thanks!" said Kotua, climbing aboard one of the jets.

Kotua piloted the jet at its fastest speed. He had no doubt that the ShadowTech agents were ahead of him.

"Agent Kotua, we've picked up an enemy signal on our radars... it's coming up ahead of you," said an agent aboard the Hope.

"Is it ShadowTech?" asked Kotua.

"Can't verify. I can only tell you it's an enemy and that it is coming up ahead," said the Dino Attack agent.

----

The battle was not going very well. Casualties were tragic and gigantic, but they were becoming the least of VM's worries. While he was sympathetic, if the dinos took out the outpost, the hundreds of refugees inside would also die.

VM had only one choice. After the outpost's commander had been killed, VM was put in charge, temporarily. He had control of a small and ever-shrinking force. VM hated being in charge, it made him responsible for too much. VM picked up his megaphone. "All pilots to your T-1 Typhoons!" VM called.

Suddenly VM got a buzz in his pocket. He picked up his cell phone. It was Specs. "What's going on there?!" Specs asked.

"The commander is dead, we need a real commander here!" VM said. "I'm not one to give up, but we need your help!"

"Okay, but you keep in mind, I'm in charge!" Specs said.

Meanwhile, the T-1 Typhoons were starting to turn the tide, coming straight out of the flames with their power sources directed at their shields and weapons. A confused T-Rex was dizzily being blasted away. A group of Raptors tried to flee as the giant dinosaur collapsed on top of them.

VM drove out of the outpost with a group of other Urban Avengers alongside him. The T-1 Typhoons were doing a good job, but the dinos kept coming. A modified T-1 Typhoon, the T-3 Typhoon Dropship, picked up VM's Urban Avenger, and VM jumped on.

VM got into the gunner's seat inside the T-3 Dropship. Two Pteranodons flew close behind them. "We've got two on our tail, Captain!" VM called to the pilot.

VM shot down the pteranodons and watched as more T-1 Typhoons and T-3 Typhoons appeared behind VM. The T-3 Typhoon began to lower to the LEGO City Subway Station.

"This is the nest!" VM called out. He left the gunners seat, got into his Urban Avenger, and ordered it to be dropped. The sensation of being dropped was cushioned by the Urban Avenger's tires.

The ultimate battle was unfolding!

*****

"The nearest Dino Attack Outpost is under attack," Specs noted. "That place is not safe for you two to travel, Maw and Claw. I'll get you to a secure location near Dino Attack Headquarters, and you'll rest there. Then Viper and I will travel to the outpost and help."

"I want to help fight, too!" insisted Rex.

"Yes," Specs said, "but you are clearly very weary. You need rest. What have you been up to? Fighting every LEGO villain all at once?"

Rex chuckled, since that was actually the truth. "You have no idea."

"Do you really think it's safe?" Viper asked quietly while escorting the Mutant T-Rexes.

"What else could we do?" Specs said. "They are talking Mutant T-Rexes! You have to admit, Viper… this is fascinating! It could potentially change everything we know about this war."

"But I haven't heard Claw say a single word," Viper noted, "not even a growl. And Maw's voice... it seems awfully familiar... something is not adding up with his story."

"Oh, relax!" Specs said, believing Viper's concerns to be trivial at the moment. "If you are so worried about them, maybe you should keep watch on them!"

"Alright, I will!" Viper said. "And if it turns out we can't trust them… well, at least I'll be in for one heck of a thrilling fight!"

Specs and Viper led "Maw" and "Claw" to an abandoned parking lot, not far from main headquarters. When Specs was convinced that "Maw" and "Claw" were asleep and posed no threat to them, he left to join Shadow, Digger, and VM in the battle at the outpost. Viper watched the two Mutant T-Rexes in the parking lot until they seemingly fell asleep, then he fell asleep himself.

Once Viper fell asleep, Rex and Amanda opened their eyes. Amanda gave Rex a long, hard look, questioning why he continued to lie to Dino Attack Team about their identities.

"I did the right thing," said Rex. "It's probably easier for them to accept that we're just an ordinary pair of tamed Mutant T-Rexes."

Amanda let out a discontent sigh and shook her head. She strongly believed that this was unnecessary. After all, a talking T-Rex was unbelievable enough on its own. Why not just tell the truth?

"Look, I have to protect us," insisted Rex. "I had no idea that they would have already forgiven me for Maw's rampage. But… you know who probably hasn't forgiven me? Kotua. The last thing we need is the Voltage or Chaos to start bombarding us because he still wants agent Rex dead."

Amanda gestured in the direction of Dino Attack Headquarters. They watched as Iron Predators and T-1 Typhoons were deployed to assist in the outpost battle. All Dino Attack agents were hunting down any Mutant Dinos. It was a close call that Specs realized that they were non-hostile before Shadow could shoot, but not all Dino Attack agents would come to that realization quickly enough. How could they possibly be any safer as T-Rexes in this war?

"I can make this work, Amanda," said Rex. "I promise, you're always going to be safe with me."

Little did either of them notice an upside-down Steel Sprinter in the parking lot. It was wrecked beyond use and abandoned by Dino Attack Team, and yet its radio remained functional…

----

Frozeen, Chompy, and Libo reported back at Dino Attack Headquarters. Then, they helped VM, Specs, Shadow, and Digger as they defended the Dino Attack Outpost under attack. Soon enough, Dino Attack Team emerged victorious from the battle.

----

Rookie Dino Attack agent Ata sat back in his chair, reflecting upon his life and the choices he had made that ultimately led him to join Dino Attack Team. Having said that he may know a thing or two about technology in hopes that he may one day be promoted to communications officer, he had been assigned to watch the GPS. His job was to keep an eye out for Mutant Dinos, ShadowTech, the Shadows, and any other enemy that dares to come close to headquarters, as well as to monitor the presence of any Dino Attack agents in LEGO City.

Ata noticed that fellow rookie agent Chupacabra was giving him suspicious glances. Ata sighed and rolled his eyes, knowing that Chupacabra just acts that way towards pretty much everyone.  Honestly, thought Ata, I'm curious to see how long it takes before Chupa snaps and starts attacking his fellow Dino Attack agents.  Some people just can't handle the pressures of apocalyptic war.

Ata thought about what happened to poor agent Zero, and then considered the fate of former elite agent Rex.  While he was not there when it happened, he had read the reports about Rex's dishonorable discharge from Dino Attack Team and heard the rumors about his untimely demise.  Ata honestly pitied Rex.  He wished that he could speak with Rex, knowing that they had so much in common.  Perhaps Ata could have set Rex back on the right path before it was too late.  After all, Ata knew that the best way to defeat your enemy is to make him your friend, and Rex certainly knew this as well when he started taming the Mutant Dinos.

But that did not matter now that Rex was gone. For now, thought Ata, I'm on my own.

Ata blinked in surprise as something disturbed him from his thoughts. Wait, he thought, what's this?  His radio was picking up a chatter from another location. As Ata tuned into the radio signal and adjusted his headphones, he heard a familiar voice that he instantly recognized. Is that… Rex?

Curious, Ata checked the GPS and located the coordinates of the radio. It corresponded to a stray Steel Sprinter in a nearby parking lot. The scanner was also picking up additional signals in the area: two large life signs that could only have belonged to Mutant T-Rexes. Ata realized that this must have been "Maw" and "Claw", the two T-Rexes that were mentioned by Specs in an earlier radio message.

As Ata continued to listened to Rex's voice, he heard him addressing "Amanda Claw". That must have been Claw, another Dino Attack agent who was reported to have died on the field. As Ata contemplated this, he glanced back at the GPS with the T-Rexes in the parking lot. "That can't be right... can it?" whispered Ata.

Ata thought about it. If they are both nearby, then perhaps I could slip away from my post and check it out before anybody noticed. He started to imagine what he would say to elite agent Rex if he got the opportunity to speak with him, and he could not help grinning with excitement. Though, I don't know much about this agent Claw. Could I trust her, or would she pose a problem?

"What can't be right?" said Chupacabra, walking over to look at the GPS.

Oh, darn it, thought Ata. Now that Chupacabra had noticed it too, he would not be able to keep this discovery to himself. "It's nothing, Chupa. Probably just a glitch in the software. I will work on fixing it immediately-"

Chupacabra was not buying it. "You need to report this to Specs now," he insisted. "Come on, we're going in my Fire Hammer."

Ata sighed as he got up from his chair. "There goes my chance of a nice, quiet night," he sighed. "Oh, well.  What's the worst that can happen?  I doubt we're going to find anything that could change the tide of this war, after all."

Chupacabra and Ata drove their Fire Hammer to the location of "Maw" and "Claw". Under Chupacabra's supervision, he woke up Viper, and together they wanted until "Maw" and "Claw" fell asleep before taking saliva samples from each T-Rex. After they brought the samples back to Dino Attack Headquarters, a scientist compared the DNA in the saliva to the Dino Attack agents and confirmed Ata's theory that "Maw" and "Claw" were Rex and Amanda.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 19: Shadow Strike

----

Kotua, Silver, and Slash teamed up on a mission to infiltrate a ShadowTech base and arrest Cane.

Two ShadowTech soldiers walked along a hallway. Suddenly, a piece of the vent cover fell behind them. They turned and looked up. They began firing, and they saw a small device hit the ground. Before they could realize what was going on, both got shot in the back. As they hit the ground, Kotua ran to them to see if they were dead.

A soldier sat in a chair as he looked around. He was guarding the comms array tower.

Kotua approached him, disguised as a ShadowTech soldier. "I need to verify something. Seems the comms are acting up again," said Kotua.

"Just hurry up... It's nearly lunchtime," said the soldier.

"Alright then," said Kotua, as he was let in by the other soldier. Once he was through, Kotua looked back. "You'd think they would have better security here," he said, taking off the soldier's helmet.

Kotua looked around. Various wires and machines were around the small room. "Now to pull the right one..." said Kotua, kneeling down to think.

Kotua decided cutting off all the cables would be the best thing; after all, a station without communication would be very uncoordinated in their attempts to catch intruders.

Kotua began cutting them, when suddenly he heard the door open and close. He turned and looked around. No one seemed to be there. "Who's there?" asked Kotua, taking out his gun.

"Now, now, no reason to get hasty."

"Who are you? Tell me, or else!" demanded Kotua.

A ShadowTech robot stepped forward. She pulled out a long spear and replied, "I am L-Leviathan, one of the Four Guardians of Cane. Now, enough chit chat. Let's cut to the face." Then, she unexpectedly zipped away.

"Where are you, you coward?" said Kotua.

"I'm... here..." L-Leviathan hissed. Kotua shined his light on the guardian robot, revealing her monstrous lizard features. She tried to stab him, but Kotua fired his laser and forced her to dodge. She hit the ground, baring her fangs. "You are good. But, not for loooong..."

----

The Saber was hovering over the location of the underwater Shadows base, unaware of the base's existence. Agent Wire was looking over several scans of the ocean floor, perplexed by what was on the scans. Nothing, Wire thought to himself. Once again, there's nothing. That had been what the scans picked up, every time.

They had been here for the last hour, scanning this same area. Databoard had inexplicably vanished of the GPS system, but there was no sign he had crashed on the ocean floor. Wire began running another scan, but it revealed nothing...

*****

Databoard woke up, to find himself in a room. It was largely empty, and the only way out was through a large metal door. As he looked around the room, a metal panel in one wall slid down, revealing several Shadows operatives standing behind an inch of laser-resistant glass.

"You're going to give us the information we need, or we're going to find ways of taking it from you," one Shadows agent said.

"I'm still not going to tell you," Databoard replied.

"I'm sorry about that, then," the Shadows member said, then turned to another Shadows agent, who pressed several buttons on a control panel.

"Weapons system armed," the second Shadows member said.

Databoard looked around the room, expecting some kind of laser device to come out of a wall panel. "Wow... that's some weapons system." he said. "Very funny."

The first Shadows member said, "But I don't think you'll be laughing in a few minutes."

"And why is that?" Databoard asked.

"Because every single one of this base's defensive lasers is aimed at the Saber," the Shadows member replied. "Their beam shields are still down, and their armor is damaged. If you don't tell us what we want, we will destroy that ship and everyone on board. If you think I'm lying, you're wrong."

"If the Saber is there, there's no way you could destroy it quick enough for them to not open fire on your base," Databoard replied. "And do you want to risk damage on an underwater base?"

The Shadows member turned towards another agent. "Prepare to open fire," he said. Outside, the base's lasers aimed at the Saber...

----

Kotua watched L-Leviathan hit the ground. Another laser shot verified that she was dead. But, Kotua could feel the presence of two other beings in the vicinity.

"Come out, and you won't end up like your friend!" Kotua said, quickly putting on his helmet.

"Perhaps you ought to be the one who should be worried," said someone else.

"At least I'm not a coward," said Kotua.

"Are you sure?" said the figure. A newspaper flew out and hit the ground. It had the details of Kotua's arrest, back when he was evil. "You attacked quite a lot of people with that water thing... pretty cowardly."

"Different circumstances," said Kotua.

"Nice excuse..." muttered the figure.

Kotua raised his blaster slowly. "But now I know where you are," said Kotua.

"You sure?"

Kotua lifted his flashlight and looked to his left, where he had heard the figure. "Of course," said Kotua.

The second ShadowTech guardian robot stepped out. "You're good," said the ninja-like figure with raptor features.

"You gave me all the clues as to who you are. Seems you are only good at hiding your body...but not your papertrails or some sounds... huh, 'R-Phantom'?" said Kotua.

----

Ata and Viper drove to a nearby Dino Attack Outpost, where the other founding members remained after winning the battle. Bringing Specs, Shadow, and Digger, Ata and Viper returned to the parking lot where Rex and Amanda were, and confronted the two Mutant T-Rexes. Amanda nodded to Rex, silently telling him to speak the truth. Rex then confirmed Ata's findings and revealed their identities. When asked why he hid their identities, Rex replied that it was for their own protection, citing Kotua as an example as a threat.

"Well, you've been out of the loop for a while," commented Specs. "Kotua's back on our side now, where he belongs!"

"He is?" asked Rex.

"Yes, it turns out he was being controlled by ShadowTech and Chaos all along," Digger added. "Chaos has been neutralized, and Kotua is currently on a mission to capture ShadowTech's leader. You don't need to worry about any more Dino Attack megalomaniacs with giant airships and eldritch monsters!"

Rex let out a long sigh of relief. It was as though a dark cloud had finally gone away. He also realized, with a touch of irony, that the message that he had received earlier from Kotua was probably genuine and not a trap after all.

"So, Rex, how did you become... well, T-Rexes?" asked Viper.

"Mutant T-Rex DNA serum," replied Rex, glancing at Amanda and remembering the vial that Zero had discovered at the police station. However, that only answered how Amanda became a Mutant T-Rex; Rex could not remember how he himself had been mutated, since his own memories were still hazy. "We were both turned into Mutant Dinos as part of our enemies' plot to destroy Dino Attack from the inside, turning agents against one another as they could not tell friend from foe."

"DNA serum?" Specs repeated. "In that case, I have some more good news for you: we've already developed an antivenom for that thanks to Dr. Frank Einstein. We've already cured infected agents such as Hyrode or Snake of Spades. We can do the same for you." Noting that Rex seemed to have complete control of his mind, he added, "Provided, of course, you want to be cured."

Before Rex could respond, Amanda stepped forward and nodded quickly.

Rex blinked. "Amanda, I thought you said you were happy with me…" he murmured. "That we could live our lives together like this…"

Amanda turned to look at him, and he could see the sadness in her eyes. She did care for him and was happy being with him, but… if given the option, she could not spend the rest of her life in the body of a Mutant T-Rex. It simply was not who she was. Furthermore, Rex now noticed her pain. While she had tremendous willpower to not give into the destructive urges like Snake had, she was constantly fighting that mental battle at every moment, and it was hurting her. She could not go on like this.

At last, Rex nodded as well. If that was what she wanted, then he wanted it as well. "Very well, then. Specs, we would like that very much."

----

"You got me..." said R-Phantom.

"I also know you have a high ego... so you're still not finished..." said Kotua, circling around R-Phantom, aiming at him, looking at him for any suspicious moves.

"Perhaps you're wrong, agent," said R-Phantom.

"Tell your buddy to come out..." said Kotua.

"Buddy? It's only me and L-Leviathan, whom you killed," said R-Phantom.

"Your next lie will be your last lie," said Kotua.

"Oooh, I'm scared," R-Phantom said sarcastically.

"I couldn't care less how you feel," said Kotua.

Suddenly, he heard a screeching from behind. Kotua turned and fired two shots, but the other figure had already leapt to another part of the room. Kotua turned, but was punched in the face by the R-Phantom, who ran.

Kotua got up, but was forced back down by an alien creature, which had leapt out of the darkness. It resembled a Mutant Raptor with orange spikes, but it had scythes instead of hands.

Kotua fired at it, sending it backing off. Kotua got up and fired two more shots. The creature hit the ground. "My goodness... what have they done?" said Kotua, looking at the body of the mutated alien creature that had attacked the International Space Station.

Kotua noticed the door open. Four ShadowTech soldiers in full gear were running towards him, rifles armed and aimed at him.

Kotua ran to the side, pulling some cables along. He took out a grenade and flung it at the main control system. Kotua ducked as the ShadowTech soldiers fired. The main control system exploded, sending pieces of computer falling on the soldiers. Kotua ran over them and headed out. The soldier that was supposed to keep guard was gone.

Kotua continued running along the hallways. He stopped when he found the War Room. A small sign indicated it was occupied. "Looks like ShadowTech is planning its next attack," said Kotua.

Kotua raised his gun, and fired at the door. He then kicked it. It stayed closed. "So much for that idea." he muttered.

Kotua looked around. "I sure hope the others have had better luck with their mission," he said.

*****

Silver began inspecting the lab equipment. He started taking pictures with a small, compact digital camera. ShadowTech is definitely trying to develop new weapons, he thought. There were papers everywhere, covered with blueprints and technical data. There were also prototypes of new weapons. Some blueprints looked like improvements of known technology, such as the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher. Others seemed to be pioneering far-off technology that would likely take months to perfect, like plasma canons and ion beams.

Silver was almost finished taking pictures of everything in the lab. Papers, prototypes, and blueprints were everywhere.

Suddenly, Silver realized he had forgotten an important source of information: computers. He sat down at a computer chair and turned on the laptop. Then, the word appeared on the screen. PASSWORD. Silver stared at the screen nervously.

The ShadowTech scientists obviously were on break or preforming some sort of test or experiment. Otherwise, there was no way they would have left this long. A guard was bound to come charging into the room any second now.

Okay, let's think, they may have written the password on some sort of paper, he thought. He looked through his camera's image gallery. Eventually, he found a notebook page. The words PSWD: hw6tn7k were written on it. He typed hw6tn7k on the keyboard and pressed enter. Great, Silver thought, I'm in.

*****

Kotua immediately changed his gun's mode to a grappling hook gun, and then he fired at the roof...

ShadowTech security teams surrounded the entrance to the War Room. They were surprised to find that some of the pieces of the roof had been brought down and made into a makeshift fort.

The teams had arrived at the War Room when the comms were disabled, as they knew the comms were not supposed to go offline and that somebody had tampered with them. Their duty was to protect those inside the War Room...and that meant killing whoever did not belong.

Kotua watched them. He was sweating as they had shut off the air conditioner in that area. He knew it was part of the plan to try to get him out.

"Erm... whoever you are... we need you to come out. We promise you won't get hurt!" said a voice, belonging to one ShadowTech soldier who had lifted his visor to speak out on his megaphone.

Do they really think I'll believe them?! thought Kotua.

"I'll give you to the count of three!" said the soldier. Kotua watched as the soldiers slowly walked towards his little "fort". "Come out, and nobody gets hurt!" said the soldier again.

Kotua took out a smoke grenade, waited a little, and flung it. As it hit the ground, it detonated, sending up smoke. Kotua stumbled out of his fort and fired in every direction he could think of. He heard some shots hit the metal walls, some bodies, and one into both.

"Freeze!" shouted another ShadowTech soldier, aiming at him as the smoke faded.

"I can't!" said Kotua, throwing a grenade.

"Your smoke grenades don't scare me!" said the soldier, smirking.

"It's real..." said Kotua, running.

The soldier's smile vanished. Then the grenade exploded.

A third ShadowTech guardian robot grumbled and rubbed his head. The explosion had dazed the robot. But, he saw Kotua running away. The robot's features, modeled after the T-Rex, twisted into an ugly smile as he ran after Kotua.

The guardian robot leaped in the air and hit the ground in front of Kotua. The Dino Attack agent fired upon the robot, but the bullets deflected harmlessly off his bulky armor. "You just don't get, now do you? I am T-Fefnir, and I cannot be destroyed," the robot hissed.

Kotua smirked. "Anything can be destroyed."

T-Fefnir chuckled. "Humph, we'll see about that." He bared his fangs and attacked, firing his own heavy weaponry to destroy Kotua's gun. "What will you do without your precious gun now?"

T-Fefnir lunged at Kotua, who backed away. "I don't need my gun..." said Kotua, reaching into his pocket and throwing another smoke bomb.

As the smoke appeared again, the guardian robot looked around. "You can't fool me as easily with smoke..." said T-Fefnir.

No reply.

"You will never get to attack me!" said T-Fefnir.

The smoke faded. Kotua was gone.

"Znap!" cursed T-Fefnir. Feeling his rage building over this failure, he raised his gun and prepared to fire upon a group of approaching soldiers.

"Stand down, that's an order!" shouted a ShadowTech agent, aiming his rifle at the guardian robot...

----

Wire was still looking at the scans, when the Saber began shaking violently. "What's going on?" he shouted.

"Something's shooting at us from underwater!" the agent at the controls said.

"How is that possible?" Wire asked. "The scans showed there was nothing down there!" The ship shook again, as the ship took on more damage. "Return fire!" Wire shouted. The Saber flew low over the ocean, and fired lasers into the water...

*****

Databoard felt the base starting to shake. "I told you so," he said with a smile.

The Shadows member turned away to another. "What's going on?" he said.

"The Saber is evading our lasers and shooting at the base," the other agent explained. "We don't show up on their sensors, all they have to do is fire at where our lasers are coming from."

The base shook again. The Shadows member rushed to a comm unit. "Retract the docking clamps!" he shouted. Just as Databoard was about to wonder what the docking clamps were, the base began to shake violently. Databoard tried to grab onto the wall for support, but the shaking knocked him to the ground. Then he realized something: the shaking wasn't caused by the base taking damage.

The base was rising to the surface.

*****

Wire looked out the window at the ocean. He noticed a dark shape appearing beneath the waves, and it was quickly becoming larger. "I don't care what the scans show," He muttered. "There's something down there."

Suddenly, something shot up out of the ocean, and the Saber barely avoided being smashed into pieces by it. "What was that?" Wire shouted.

*****

Databoard could feel the shaking of the "base" decrease, presumably because it was no longer under the water. The Shadows members left, and the panel slid back again.

Databoard looked around the room; there had to be a way out. Unfortunately, the only way out was through the door, which was locked. Databoard started working on removing a panel on the wall. Hopefully, once he was done with that, he would be able to unlock the door.

Databoard, after managing to remove the panel, was able to start working on the wires that controlled the lock on the door. He carefully began to reroute some of the wires and ducked as sparks shot out of the door, and it slid open.

Databoard knocked out the two surprised guards that had been waiting. He then went into the room that the Shadows member had used to try and interrogate him. After he had knocked out everyone in there, he rushed over to the main computer.

After a few minutes, he found a blueprint of the "base", which was in fact a giant airship. He was able to find his location on the ship, and how to get to the transport ships from here. He also looked at where the craft was at the moment, and he barely contained a gasp of surprise. It was headed directly for Dino Attack HQ.

----

The media reported that there were only four Mutant Dinosaurs: the Lizard, the Raptor, the Pteranodon, and the T-Rex.  Well, thought Tess, the media was wrong.

Tess and Jenson drove their Fire Hammer at top speed, racing through the ruined suburban neighborhood at over 100 miles per hour.  And yet, the Mutant Triceratops behind them was still gaining on them, stampeding at a seemingly impossible speed for such a large beast.  Even as the Fire Hammer swerved around abandoned cars and other debris, the Triceratops simply smashed through everything in its path like a bulldozer.  Jenson stole a glance backward.  With its glowing red eyes, the smoke billowing from its nostrils, and the three deadly horns on its head, the Triceratops looked like a nightmarish demon coming to claim their souls.

"I thought herbivores were supposed to be friendly!" screamed Jenson.

"What, you've never seen an angry hippo before?" retorted Tess.  "Keep your eyes on the road!"

She manned the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher and fired laser beams at their enemy, striking it squarely in the forehead.  However, the beams reflected harmlessly off of the Mutant Triceratops's skull, and the beast did not even blink.  She switched to ice mode, but that netted the same result.  Next, she tried sonics, but it still did not seem to have any effect whatsoever.  "Its thick skull must be impenetrable!" she realized.

The Mutant Triceratops gnashed its teeth and then roared.  As it did so, its three horns began to vibrate intensely like the prongs of a tuning fork, amplifying the bestial bellow into a sonic boom.  The Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher shook violently.  Realizing she only had a few seconds to react, Tess dismounted the turret and climbed into the jeep's passenger seat just before the launcher crumbled into pieces.

"Hang onto something!" called Jenson, one second before he suddenly spun the steering wheel all the way to the left.  The Fire Hammer nearly teetered over as it swerved sharply, its right wheels leaving the ground for a second.  Fortunately, the Mutant Triceratops was not as good at turning as it was at charging in a straight line, and it barreled past them as it kept going forward.

However, Tess and Jenson had no time to breathe a sigh of relief.  They could hear the sounds of battle up ahead, and soon enough they found the rest of their squad, locked in a fight against a Mutant Stegosaurus.  The lumbering dinosaur might not have had the biggest brains, but its strength lied in its unnatural resilience and bulk as it shrugged off a shower of Cosmotronic Rays and Z-1 Kinetic Launchers.  With a swing of its barbed spike-covered tail, it smashed a passing Urban Avenger to pieces, and Dino Attack agents ducked behind cover to avoid being pelted with shrapnel.

Without their Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher, Tess knew that the Fire Hammer would not be of much use in the battle.  Still, she pulled out a spare Cosmotronic Ray and fired, refusing to go down without putting up a fight.

That was when she noticed the plates on the Mutant Stegosaurus's back were starting to glow.  They started as a dull red, but as their color shifted to orange and then yellow, they became brighter and brighter.  By the time the plates were blueish white, they were too intense to look at directly.  The solid concrete and metal of the neighboring buildings began to melt from the radiating heat.  It felt like being cooked in an oven.  The engines of Dino Attack vehicles sparked into open flames, forcing the soldiers to scatter.  Jenson and Tess jumped out of their Fire Hammer and ran before the jeep exploded into a fireball.

They took cover behind the remains of a town hall, far enough away from the Mutant Stegosaurus that they no longer felt the intense heat.  Tess wiped dirt and sweat off of her brow, and Jenson shook his head in exasperation.  "What are these creatures?" whispered Jenson.

"We don't know enough about them, their abilities and powers, to form an effective strategy," realized Tess.  "Everything we throw at them... none of it seems to work!"

Jenson pulled out his handheld radio.  "Mayday, mayday!" he shouted into it.  "We're up against a Mutant Triceratops and a Mutant Stegosaurus, and we're getting overwhelmed out here!  Requesting backup immediately!"

As if all that was not bad enough, it started to rain.  Droplets of water fell from the sky and pelted the two Dino Attack soldiers.  A deep, echoing boom shook the earth, followed by another and then another.  "Great, a thunderstorm," grumbled Tess.

"Huh, I don't see any lightning..." said Jenson.  And yet, the sound of thunder continued to roar, coming closer and closer each time.

That was when Tess saw it: a towering behemoth heading towards them.  It was nearly as tall as a skyscraper, with much of its height attributed to its long neck stretching up towards the heavens, its head barely visible against the dark sky.  As it walked down the road, every time it raised one of its four muscular legs, the foot would come crashing down with enough force to crack the pavement beneath it, quaking the earth and booming like the sound of thunder.

"It's a Mutant Brontosaurus!" exclaimed Tess.

"I think it's actually a Mutant Apatosaurus," said Jenson.

"Whatever!" snapped Tess.  "It's a big thunder lizard here to crush us underfoot!"  A few other surviving Dino Attack agents began to fire upon the Mutant Brontosaurus, and Tess joined in the fray with her Cosmotronic Ray, shouting: "Bring it down!  Bring it down!"

A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky.  It found its way to the Mutant Brontosaurus's head, striking it like a lightning rod.  However, the enormous sauropod did not seem to mind.  In fact, as electricity coursed through its body, it simply leered down upon the Dino Attack agents with glowing eyes and then raised its foreleg once again.

"That can't be good," whispered Jenson.

"This is HQ," a voice over Jenson's radio began to respond.  "What's your coor-"

The Mutant Brontosaurus slammed its foot down upon the road with a deafening thunderclap.  Electricity surged out from its foot through the splintered pavement as a bright pulse of energy washed over the Dino Attack agents, knocking them back but not doing much damage.  Immediately, Jenson's radio went silent.  Tess tried to fire her Cosmotronic Ray again, but the high-tech gun was dead as well, and the other Dino Attack agents were likewise finding problems with their own weapons.  One remaining Steel Sprinter had also ground to a halt, much to its driver's agitation.  "Must've been an EMP!" said Jenson.

"Then we go analog!" declared Tess, tossing aside the useless firearm and pulling out an ordinary pistol.  She fired at the Mutant Brontosaurus, refusing to admit that the fight was hopeless.

Jenson glanced to the right and saw the Mutant Triceratops return, still looking as angry and ferocious as ever.  Looking to the left, he saw the Mutant Stegosaurus lumbering towards them.  "We're about to be killed by a bunch of leaf-eaters... Can things get any worse?" he wondered.

Then, the Dino Attack agents heard a terrifying sound that none of them ever wished to hear: the roar of a Mutant T-Rex.

Tess glared daggers at Jenson, who grinned sheepishly.  "From now on, could you keep your mouth shut?!" she hissed.

The three herbivorous Mutant Dinos paused as the Mutant T-Rex approached.  Five Mutant Lizards closely followed the tyrant lizard king, hoping to scavenge some free snacks from its next kill, while a pair of Mutant Raptors lurked in the shadows and watched with malicious intent.  They barely seemed to acknowledge the surviving Dino Attack agents; their attention was focused squarely on the herbivores.  The T-Rex leered at them before opening its jaws filled with razor-sharp teeth and roaring once again.

The Mutant Triceratops responded with its own bellow, once again using its three horns to amplify the sound.  Then, it lowered its head and pawed the ground as it got into an intimidating stance, ready to charge once again.  The Mutant Stegosaurus snorted as it shook itself, showing off its plates and swinging its spiked tail around in a display of strength.  The Mutant Brontosaurus briefly lifted itself up onto its hindlegs and then came crashing down with enough force to trigger an earthquake and topple two nearby buildings.

The Mutant T-Rex and Triceratops both roared once again, and then they charged forward.  But, to Tess and Jenson's surprise, the Mutant Triceratops ran right past them, ignoring them completely as it made a beeline for the T-Rex.  The two Mutant Dinos met in a violent clash, and a fearsome battle of teeth and horns ignited between the two rivals of the Cretaceous.

Simultaneously, the Mutant Lizards scurried towards the Mutant Brontosaurus.  They clawed up its thick legs, climbed onto its back, and started gnawing ravenously on its neck, and the sauropod shook itself in an effort to get them off.  Meanwhile, the Mutant Raptors were strategizing against the Mutant Stegosaurus, with one holding the herbivore's attention while the other flanked it from the side to avoid its deadly spiked tail.

Not a single Mutant Dino seemed to notice or care about the Dino Attack agents.

"Fascinating," murmured Jenson, watching the battle with awe.  "It seems as though old habits die hard!  Even while mutated, the basic instincts of the carnivores and herbivores will always make them turn on one another.  With larger prey to focus on, the predators would never even bother hunting us minifigs.  Perhaps that's why the mutant herbivores are much rarer than the mutant carnivores, because whoever created the Mutant Dinos realized that they could not create a unified army against humanity and therefore opted to just focus on the more efficient carnivores to-"

"We can theorize about this later, egghead!" decided Tess, grabbing Jenson's hand and pulling him along.  "Let's get out of here before they declare a winner and then have us for dessert!"  The other surviving Dino Attack agents followed her lead, making a tactical retreat.

"Oh... right, good idea!" Jenson said hurriedly.  "Less talking, more running for our lives!"

----

Kotua ran down the corridors, when suddenly a person in a suit stepped in front of him and asked, "Where are you going?"

"Cane..." said Kotua.

"The one and only," said ShadowTech Agent Cane.

Kotua raised his gun, but Cane kicked Kotua in the stomach. As Kotua hit the ground, Cane kicked him again, this time on his arm. "Did you really think you could defeat me?!" said Cane, kicking Kotua repeatedly.

"Yeah," said Kotua, grabbing Cane's foot as he kicked him.

"Let go!" said Cane.

Kotua twisted the foot, making Cane fall to the floor. Kotua kicked Cane again, and ran to get the gun.

"Wrong option!" said Cane, drawing his gun and firing at Kotua. The bullet hit Kotua, but bounced off his bulletproof armor. "Oh right..." muttered Cane, switching to a stun gun.

When Cane looked up, he saw Kotua aiming his gun at him. "Put your hands up," said Kotua.

"Fine," muttered Cane.

Kotua took out a piece of rope and tied Cane's arms behind him. "You can consider yourself arrested. Now call your men off," said Kotua.

"Not your call. I'll do it if you get me off this island and turn me in to the LEGOLAND Airforce," said Cane.

"You're bad at lying... did you know that?" said Kotua. He aimed the gun at Cane. "Walk."

"Fine," said Cane, walking.

Kotua heard footsteps coming behind them. "Faster..." said Kotua.

Cane stopped.

"I will fire," said Kotua.

"So will we!" shouted someone behind them.

"Looks like soon you'll be the one arrested," said Cane.

Kotua grabbed Cane and turned. The ShadowTech soldiers stopped, as they realized that if they fired, they would risk hitting Cane.

"You bumbling fools! Surround this intruder and rescue me!" shouted Cane.

The ShadowTech soldier nodded, and looked at Kotua. "If you let him go, we won't hurt you... much," said the soldier.

"For being an evil secretive organization, you sure can't seem to lie well," said Kotua.

"I think I could hear a rimshot with that one..." muttered Cane.

Soon, more ShadowTech soldiers surrounded Kotua. "You can't go anywhere. Might as well give up," said the soldier.

"Hmm... no," said Kotua.

"Just let me go... you can't stop the inevitable..." said Cane.

"At least you're not very productive, making things worse for ShadowTech," said Kotua.

Suddenly there was a quick flash. Most soldiers hit the ground, eyes in pain. "What in the world was that?!" said Cane, also affected by the flash.

"Light bomb. Now, let's go," said Kotua.

----

Voltage closed his communicator swiftly and turned to Cobra. "Cobra, Snake has apparently turned into a mutant dino and he's with Shona, one of my friends. We have to go and help them!" Voltage said in one breath, inhaling deeply after finishing his sentence.

"What about Dino Attack Headquarters?!" Cobra said anxiously. A large aircraft had been spotted on approach to Dino Attack HQ, and they had set off in a T-1 Typhoon to help when Voltage got the message from Shona.

"They can fend for themselves; they have weapons!" Voltage replied. This was perfectly true, even though aerial support would be of a great help. "I'll contact some of my fellow agents, they can help fend off the attack. In the meantime, we have to help Shona!"

Voltage turned his T-1 Typhoon around and set a course for Adventurers' Island. He activated the GPS tracker and located Snake and Shona's position. They were somewhere near the middle of the island, and Voltage set the coordinates for that area.

Cobra took the controls as Voltage sent a signal from his GPS to nearby agents. Hopefully Kai, Venom, Hyrode, or Databoard would get the message in time. In fact, he had no idea where Databoard was at the time.

----

Slash and his fellow Dino Attack agents arrived at a doorway in the ShadowTech base. "Okay," said Slash. "Here's the Armory. I'll take it from here. You two watch the doors."

"Yes sir," the two Dino Attack soldiers said.

Slash stepped inside the Armory and looked around at all the weapons. "Woah," he whispered.

Suddenly, a blade appeared from nowhere, nearly striking Slash. "Yikes!" gasped Slash, and he jumped forward to dodge a second blade. He activated the Double Soul programs on the Cyber Matrix as he grabbed a sword off the wall. "You had better stay back, or face a knight practiced in Double Soul!"

"So, you can perform Double Soul?" his unseen opponent said. "This should get interesting."

"Okay. Spill it. Who are you?" asked Slash.

"I am P-Harpuia. The Leader and Number One of the Four Guardians to the Head of ShadowTech. It seems that your friend Kotua made it past Number Two, T-Fefnir; Number Three, L-Leviathan; and Number Four, R-Phantom; and made it into the main base. However, you'll find that I'll be much harder than even my lieutenant R-Phantom."

"Less talk, more fighting!" shouted Slash.

P-Harpuia appeared, revealing himself as a robot with pterosaur features, armed with a pair of longswords. "If you insist."

Slash and P-Harpuia fought vigorously against one another, their swords clashing in an awesome display. "You're not too bad for a robot," remarked Slash.

"I could say the same for you," replied P-Harpuia. "But now, it's time for this to end. Spark Shocker!" Using his Mutant Pterosaur abilities, P-Harpuia charged up a wave of electricity and shot it at Slash.

"ARRGH!" shouted Slash.

In this moment of excruciating pain, Slash remembered what Axey had said to him during their battle: "I don't know how you got your powers, but you weren't supposed to get them. I will always be the better brother."

Slash grimaced. I'll show him, he thought. I'll show them all!

As P-Harpuia charged up a second electric shock, Slash quickly used the Cyber Matrix to activate a new program: Throwing the Thunder of Thor. The Cyber Matrix commanded his arms as he swung his sword to intercept P-Harpuia's lightning bolt. The metallic blade crackled with electric energy.

"No way," whispered P-Harpuia.

"Okay, P-Harpuia," declared Slash, "time for a taste of your own medicine." He struck P-Harpuia with the lightning-charged sword, and the electricity coursed through the robot's body and short-circuited it.

As Slash let out a sigh of relief over winning yet another battle, he glanced at the Cyber Matrix on his wrist and wondered, "Will these powers never stop amazing me?" He then noticed P-Harpuia's exposed circuits. "Hmm. I can reprogram this to be one of us, so to speak."

Slash used another Cyber Matrix program to figure out how to reprogram the ShadowTech robot. As he began his work, he did not notice a pair of glowing red eyes watching him from the darkness…

*****

Silver was viewing ShadowTech information when he heard the doors open. He turned, gun drawn, and aimed at the door. It was Kotua, with a tied ShadowTech agent.

"Hey, Kotua. Who's that?" said Silver.

"This is ShadowTech agent Cane. He's one of the reasons ShadowTech is attacking Dino Attack. You nearly done?" Kotua asked.

"Just let me download some info," said Silver.

Kotua looked around. "They'll be here soon..." said Kotua.

"We'll have to stall them until the data finishes downloading... and it's barely halfway!" said Silver.

"Take care of Cane... don't let him escape or call for help... I'll go stall," said Kotua, drawing his gun and walking out the room...

----

Databoard continued to watch the screen as the Shadows airship got closer. Nearby, he could see a smaller object on the screen pursuing the ship, the Saber. He felt the Shadows airship shake slightly as lasers impacted against its armor.

The screen was also showing several T-1 Typhoons had just taken off from Dino Attack HQ, and several Iron Predators and Fire Hammers were getting ready to fire at the airship from the ground. Databoard heard more lasers coming from outside, and the Dino Attack vehicles had presumably started their attack. He looked at the screen, and saw one of the images representing the T-1 Typhoons go out, followed by two of the Fire Hammers. If the rest of the battle was going like this, it would be over very soon.

Databoard continued to watch the screen for a few moments. The Dino Attack vehicles were putting up a good fight, but the Shadows airship had better weaponry.

Databoard looked over the airship blueprints once again and formed a plan. He took a laser from one of the unconscious guards and headed back into the interrogation room. He repaired the lock, and used the laser to seal the panel back on. Databoard then brought the unconscious Shadows members and guards inside, and then he locked the door. This way, they wouldn't be able to warn the others that he'd escaped. Pointing the laser in front of him, Databoard headed down a corridor.

Databoard looked out from a corner down another corridor, and ducked as two Shadows soldiers walked past. He switched his stolen laser to "stun" and fired at the soldiers, knocking them out.

Databoard opened a door in one of the hallways, and found it led into a maintenance shaft. "Perfect," Databoard muttered, and headed into the shaft.

He moved down the corridor, when suddenly, sparks began flying in every direction. Databoard guessed the Dino Attack vehicles had managed to land a hit in this area. But, knowing how the battle had been going, they wouldn't get too many more. Databoard hurried down the corridor, knowing he wouldn't have much more time to complete his plan...

----

Kotua ran down the hall. He noticed the two ShadowTech soldiers walking by. He ran towards then, firing his gun. They lifted their weapons and began firing at Kotua.

*****

"Looks like it's working," said Silver, watching Kotua fight on another screen. He typed something on the computer.

*****

"SECURITY CODE OVERRIDDEN... SECURITY CODE OVERRIDEN... ACTIVATING MACHINE GUNS"

Kotua, and the ShadowTech soldiers stopped firing, and looked around. Machine guns popped from walls, floor, and ceiling, and began firing ONLY at ShadowTech soldiers.

Kotua quickly realized what was going on. "Thanks, Silver," said Kotua, slowly running as the machine guns retracted back into their hiding spots...

*****

"You're welcome," said Silver. That's enough research for now, he thought, it's time to head back to the meeting place.

Suddenly, a guard came charging in the laboratory. Silver grabbed the laptop and ran out the door. The guard pursued. "You're under arrest for trespassing and hacking!" yelled the guard.

"Once I read all the information I've found, I'll probably have ten times that many charges," Silver yelled back. Silver grabbed his sniper rifle. He knew he wouldn't have time to load, so he improvised. He smacked the end of the weapon into the guard's head, knocking him out.

Kotua continued running until he spotted Silver. "Hey Silver!" shouted Kotua.

Silver turned around. Now, Kotua saw he was alone.

"Where is Cane?" said Kotua.

"Oh! I must have left him behind on the lab..." said Silver.

"Darn... well, go to the meeting spot, I'll go for Cane," said Kotua.

"Sorry..." said Silver.

"It's alright... we are in a hurry..." said Kotua, running back to the lab...

*****

P-Harpuia woke up. "Ohhh. What happened?" he asked.

Slash proudly admired his work. "I deleted your ShadowTech data and reprogramed you for Dino Attack purposes," he explained.

"That would explain why I can't remember the past years," said P-Harpuia.

"I'll clue ya in," said Slash. "Right now, we have to find the others."

Slash and P-Harpuia met up with Silver. "Hey Silver, where's Kotua?" asked Slash.

"He went after Cane and-" Silver began to reply, but then he noticed P-Harpuia. "Hang on, that's a ShadowTech robot, what's he doing here?"

"I managed to reprogram him so he's a member of Dino Attack now," explained Slash.

A kunai flew through the air, and P-Harpuia just barely dodged in time. The blade embedded itself in the wall behind him.

"Where'd that come from?" asked Silver.

Another ShadowTech robot, with features like a ninja and a raptor, stepped forward from the shadows. "P-Harpuia, you traitor. You've teamed up with Dino Attack?"

"Who the MegaBlok are you?" demanded Slash.

"I am R-Phantom," the robot introduced itself. "Number Four and second-in-command of the Four Guardians to the Head of ShadowTech."

P-Harpuia shook his head. "Sorry. Doesn't ring any bells."

R-Phantom was exasperated. "Come on, commander! How could you not remember?"

"I've deleted his ShadowTech data and replaced it with Dino Attack data," Slash explained.

"That would explain why he doesn't remember me," realized R-Phantom. Pulling out another kunai, he announced, "Time to die, traitors!"

"I don't think so!" said Slash, activating the Cyber Matrix. "Let's do this."

----

Databoard hurried down the shaft until he reached an area he had seen on the main computer. This was one of several main power junctions on the ship. If he caused it to overload, it would create a massive power surge that would cause major damage.

As he set to work, the craft shook from a small explosion. Databoard stopped until the shaking stopped, because one wrong move would cause an explosion that would take him with it.

Suddenly, a laser flew past him, and he saw several Shadows soldiers headed for him. They must have found out he escaped and headed after him. This complicates things... Databoard thought as he fired his laser at the soldiers, while working on the power junction with his free hand.

Databoard was able to stop the attack, but was surrounded and captured by the Shadows, who hooked him up to an experimental machine…

----

Cane stepped out of the lab, gun ready. He heard footsteps and turned. Kotua was heading towards him. "Great..." Cane mumbled, raising his gun. "Freeze, agent! You are trespassing on a LEGOLAND government facility."

"When ShadowTech is a corrupt agency that is about to be brought down, you shouldn't be worrying about intruders," said Kotua, raising his gun and aiming at Cane.

"So, whoever fires first lives..." said Cane.

"This isn't a game, Cane," said Kotua.

"We'll see about that," said Cane.

Kotua and Cane stayed facing each other, weapons drawn. "If you fire at me, I'll fire back... you'll never get out of here alive, then..." said Cane.

"As long as you're no longer a threat to Dino Attack Team... I don't mind," said Kotua.

"Are you sure? You know... I helped you o-"

"By putting me in that machine, driving me mad, and letting me unleash Chaos?!" said Kotua.

"But when you think about the progress you made in the fight against the Mutant Dinos? Well... I did help you..." said Cane.

"No... you haven't helped me out," said Kotua, firing.

Cane hit the ground. He had been severely wounded by the shot, but he wasn't dead... yet.

Kotua kneeled down and immediately covered the wound to prevent excessive blood loss. He checked Cane for any weapons, and then lifted him. He turned around and, noticing nobody else in the vicinity, he headed towards the spot where he was too meet the other agents...

----

Slash breathed heavily. "This guy is tough," he said. "Whenever he attacks, he just goes back into the darkness."

"They don't call me 'Phantom' for nothing," said R-Phantom.

"He's got a point there," commented Silver.

"It's true," agreed P-Harpuia.

"Can it!" snapped Slash. "P-Harpuia, give me a Thunder Flash!"

P-Harpuia used his electric powers to create a flash of lightning, lighting up the dark room and exposing R-Phantom. "ARGH!" R-Phantom cried out, recoiling and shielding his eyes.

"And now, an Electro-Blade!" declared Slash. P-Harpuia fired another bolt of lightning at Slash's sword, causing it to crackle with electricity once again. He slashed at R-Phantom, disabling the robot and exposing his circuity.

"That was cool," said Silver. "I didn't know you could use swords like that."

"Well, my name is Slash B. Swordsman," Slash proudly claimed.

"Good point," said Silver.

"Time to go to work," Slash muttered as he began work on reprogramming R-Phantom.

"Shouldn't we go already? The submarine could already be getting ready to leave!" said Silver.

"Don't worry... we can always steal one from this base..." said Slash.

"He's got a point," said P-Harpuia.

"Freeze!" shouted a ShadowTech soldier.

"Great... just great..." muttered Silver, slowly retrieving his gun. Slash got up and drew his gun too.

"You're outnumbered and overpowered. Why don't you just drop your weapons?" said the soldier.

"I don't think so," said Slash.

*****

By now Cane had slipped into unconsciousness, meaning Kotua had to hurry or lose a valuable source of info.

"Stop!" shouted a ShadowTech soldier as Kotua ran past him. The soldier ran after him, followed by ten others. Kotua didn't care, as he had bigger things to deal with.

Kotua, Silver, Slash, and P-Harpuia escaped the ShadowTech base in a Dino Attack submarine, with Cane as their unconscious prisoner. However, the submarine was attacked by a Mutant Vinscale Octomus and crashed into rocks, leaving them stranded.

----

A beautiful female Indigo Islander ran up to Blazer. She said, "That was amazing! I thought we were out of heroes when the Tiki Golem was destroyed..."

Blazer couldn't help falling in love with her. He said, "Well, anything for you, my lady."

She giggled. Their little moment was interrupted when a huge Mutant T-Rex appeared.

Canama joined Blazer as they fired at the Mutant T-Rex. That was when Cookieo arrived to provide backup. "Cookieo!" exclaimed Canama, realizing that his 17-year-old younger brother must have lied about his age in order to join Dino Attack Team. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to be a hero just like you, Canama!" replied Cookieo.

But as the young rookie agents' hopeless battle against the Mutant T-Rex grew increasingly dire, Canama desperately wished that Cookieo had stayed someplace safe instead...

----

Rex and Amanda were brought inside the Hospital Wing of Dino Attack Headquarters. There, they were both treated with some of the last Mutant Dino antivenom that the Dino Attack Team had, with Dr. Frank Einstein personally overseeing their recovery.

The next morning, Rex slowly regained consciousness as he heard the Dino Attack scientists whispering amongst themselves. His tail itched and he subconsciously moved to scratch it… only to suddenly jolt awake when he realized that he still had a tail. Looking down upon himself, he realized that he was now a natural Adventurers' Island T-Rex, just like Chompy.

The scientists had no idea why curing the mutation did not revert him to a human minifig. Realizing that he had no choice, Rex finally revealed his background to the scientists, explaining that he was a T-Rex all along and was not simply mutated by the DNA serum like Hyrode or Snake. Curing the mutation had restored him to his original natural state. While this revelation only further confused the other scientists, Frank Einstein simply nodded and said, "Ah, yes, of course."

Rex looked up to see Amanda cautiously approaching him. She was fully cured and was once again a minifig, dressed only in a hospital gown at the moment while she waited for a new Dino Attack uniform. She regarded him with wide, curious eyes as she stared at him, not sure what to think of this revelation.

"Well… this is who I really am," admitted Rex. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before." Letting Amanda see him like this made him feel naked.

Amanda nodded slowly as she looked into Rex's eyes. For the first time, she fully understood his past, his motivations, his personality… his true self.

Rex gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Pretty awkward, huh? I guess… things… really wouldn't have worked out between us in the end. Being different species and all. It's for the best that we don't commit to a… more serious relationship."

Amanda gave a sheepish grin. Yes, there was no denying how things had just gotten rather awkward for them, and she could not help finding a bit of humor in the situation. Still, she reached up and gently laid a hand on Rex's cheek. If nothing else, they could remain friends.

Rex nodded. "Take care of yourself for me, okay?"

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 20: Our Inner Demons

----

The Shadows used the machine to partially transform Databoard into a Mutant Lizard, leaving him as a hybrid. Databoard escaped the Shadows, but he was mistaken for an enemy by Dino Attack Team.

Databoard looked out the ruined window of an abandoned building as a Fire Hammer drove past. He had lost track of how long he had been evading Dino Attack vehicles, but it had been a while. The Fire Hammer continued down the street, moving silently through the streets. Why do they continue chasing me? he thought to himself. All they're doing is wasting their time.

Suddenly, he dropped to the ground, intense sound ringing in his ears. Struggling to his feet, Databoard was able to see an Urban Avenger firing its Sonic Screamer at him before the burst of sound forced him to the ground again. Databoard was glad the Shadows hadn't tried to turn him into a Mutant Raptor, or the Urban Avenger would have defeated him much quicker.

He tried to crawl away, but the Sonic Screamer increased in intensity, too much for anyone to take. Databoard fell to the ground, unconscious.

*****

The Dino Attack doctor was in his office when he received a call informing him that a Dino Attack pilot had managed to subdue Databoard and was now taking him back to HQ. He was relieved, because this would make finding a way to cure him easier. However, since his transformation caused his brain to be part-human and part-Mutant Lizard, keeping him in Dino Attack Headquarters for too long might make him a danger to both himself and anyone on the base...

*****

Databoard's reptilian eyes opened, giving him a view of a broken road moving below him. He tried to move, but couldn't.

He soon discovered he was tied up by a rope made from something that appeared to be too strong for him to break out of. Databoard soon realized he was in the Urban Avenger, and he saw the agent driving in front of him. Databoard growled angrily, and the agent turned around. "Sorry about all this, but it's for your own good," the Dino Attack agent said.

"You're not as sorry as you're about to be," Databoard growled, and started snapping his jaws at the agent. Startled, he let go of the wheel, sending the Urban Avenger spinning out of control. Databoard and the agent were thrown off the vehicle just moments before it crashed into a wall.

A sharp piece of metal went flying from the wreck, and Databoard was able to use it to break the rope and free himself. He got up and saw the agent on the ground nearby, badly injured. Knowing that the agent would die without medical attention, Databoard found a flare in the wreck and launched it. As he heard an approaching Fire Hammer coming to investigate the flare, Databoard hurried off into the shadows.

Databoard ran through the abandoned streets of LEGO City before hiding in an abandoned building to avoid three Steel Sprinters that drove by. Databoard watched them silently as they passed by.

He knew why they were looking for him: so they could find a way to cure him. But he didn't want that to happen, as his ability to literally think like a Mutant Dino might be of some use to Dino Attack. "But they just don't see it," he said quietly. "Too bad for them." He turned and headed down a nearby street.

----

An officer whirled around, and saw the attack jets. "Fire rear weapons!" he shouted. The ship fired its rear missiles, knocking them out. Magma strapped on a Dino Attack field uniform, then he ordered the ship to land to unload troops and then take flight again. He stepped down into the hangar, manned his Urban Avenger, and opened the hangar doors.

As the Dino Attack forces disembarked, a team of soldiers approached. Before they could board the ship, it blasted off again, and fired on the Mutant creatures. Magma steered to the left and shot several with his Sonic blaster. Other agents opened fire on Mutant Pteranodons, while yet others relieved the Dino Attack agents trapped in an Iron Predator.

Magma fired his Sonic blaster at a mutant creature, and it exploded. Parts flew down, and what was left was a winged reptile not resembling a Mutant Dino. Interesting...

Magma wheeled to one side and fired a paralysis spray at the strange creature. It immediately stopped moving.

Another agent in a T-1 Typhoon zoomed over, only to drop down. Three Pteranodons flew over, and blasted lighting at the trapped Iron Predator, when the T-1 Typhoon loomed up and fired three Voltaic Rockets, destroying the Pteranodons.

Magma's Urban Avenger was sprayed with acid by several Lizards, but he blasted them all. Then, a T-Rex roared and sent fire spraying into the Urban Avenger, destroying it. The agent dove out and fired a laser at the T-Rex, but nothing happened. Magma was saved when the T-1 Typhoon fired a volley of sonic bursts, taking the massive Dino down.

Magma attached a cable to the strange mutant and pulled it along into the Dino Attack outpost. He towed it into a laboratory where agent Print, the head scientist of the outpost, attached devices and began taking scans. Magma looked at a screen, and waited for the results.

Magma checked the screen again. The lifeform match had come up positive, and Magma actually recognized it before he saw the name: "Harvester". Alarmed, he quickly ordered, "Secure this area! Activate laser defenses and energy fields, and remove all personnel. Now!" Bewildered, Print ran off to do this.

Magma quickly exited the chamber as he stared at the Harvester, which he now recognized. Then, the stasis wore off just as the fields activated and lasers came down. Unfortunately, a lab technician was still in range of the creature's eyesight, and it roared, coming through the energy field, dodging the lasers, and right at the technician.

Magma's eyes widened, and he quickly tapped commands into a console. He ran through the halls, screaming, "Code Black! Code Black! Seal off Level 5! Code Black!"

Startled agents ran out of his way, and activated code black. All consoles on Level 5 suddenly turned red and black, with red lights through the outpost.

In the science lab, the creatures threw the technician aside. They recognized their enemy and were determined to hunt him down. Growling, the lead Harvester gestured to the others. They spread out across the deck, some being hit by laser turrets, others escaping the area.

----

Location: Dino Attack Outpost

A radar operator walked into the sergeant's office. "Yes?" asked the sergeant.

"One of our submarines hasn't responded back. It disappeared on ShadowTech territory. We think they might have been struck down," said the operator.

"Have you told anyone else about this?" asked the sergeant.

"No... You always tell us to come to you first," said the operator.

"Good. Thank you for informing me of this. You can now return to your post," said the sergeant.

The operator nodded and started to head out. Before he left the room, the sergeant said, "Private, I would like for you to keep this information between the two of us only."

"Yes sir…" said the operator, confused.

*****

Location: Underwater

Kotua paced around the submarine. "So we're stuck here without communications, supplies, and limited air?" said Slash.

"Apparently so. Luckily the creature hasn't come back," said Silver.

"Erm... commander, are there any emergency devices?" asked Kotua.

"A raft that could take us to the surface... but it's located in the front, where the sub is smashed into the rocks..." said Commander Marine.

Silver walked towards the front of the sub. "We could try to navigate the submarine back into safer waters, then release the emergency craft," said Silver.

"Yeah... but what about the big squid-monster...? It could slam us back... and then what?" said Slash.

"Good point, but I'm sure there are still a few torpedoes left to at least distract it. That should get us into safer waters," said Silver

"I'm sure Dino Attack has knowledge of our crash... we could wait for rescue," said Marine.

"Whether they do or not, it might be too late for us. We are better off trying than sitting here doing nothing..." said Kotua. He looked around once again and headed towards the broken sonar screens.

"They're damaged beyond repair. We are gonna have to navigate blindly," said Marine.

"I know that. We could use the components inside..." said Kotua.

"For what? Defense?" said Marine, laughing.

"As minifigs, we fear what we don't know. We are stranded in ShadowTech territory, and we just broke into their base. What's not to say they won't come after us?" said Kotua.

"The fact that they're too busy making new safety mechanisms..." said Cane.

"Glad you're awake, scum," said Slash, taking out his gun.

"Cool it, Slash. We need him alive. And he could provide us with info on ShadowTech," said Kotua.

"He could lie about it and just lead us to a trap," said Slash.

"Slash is right. How do we know Cane isn't lying?" said Silver.

"Activate the submarine, and let's head out," said Kotua.

Marine nodded and ran around the submarine, activating various devices. "Ready," said the commander.

"Okay. As soon as we move the sub backwards, we activate the emergency raft," said Kotua.

Silver and Slash nodded.

"And don't leave Cane behind... I can't stress how important it is we take him alive to HQ," said Kotua.

----

Magma found a weapons locker and grabbed a Sonic Scrambler, Laser, Bi-Laser, and Rocket Launcher. Three other agents grabbed weapons, when one Harvester burst through. It went for Magma, who fired sonic bursts, sending it flying back. The others shot lasers, defeating it.

Magma said, "Don't let them catch you. If they are too close, fire sonic energy. If not, use rockets or lasers. I'm going to prevent them from spreading any..."

An explosion went off, and ten creatures appeared. Two were smashing the barricade on a ladder. Magma quickly shot rockets at the two, but more finished what the others had started. Up top, a company of soldiers and guards pointed lasers down, and fired, finishing off the creatures.

"Retreat!" yelled Magma. Everyone climbed up ladders for a last-ditch defense.

Magma clutched a mini-rocket launcher in one arm. On his gauntleted arm, he carried a sonic attachment he had added. "I'm retaking this outpost," he growled, and started giving commands.

"Sting, Shark, take a fourth of the men. Flank my position," he barked. "Don't let them get near you, and if they do, eliminate them at any cost. Target their lower body and neck if attacking with a laser. Charge!"

Sting's men climbed down, and fired some blasts. "Clear!" Sting shouted.

Shark's force climbed down, and fired in the other direction. "Clear!"

Magma peeled back a piece of armor on his gauntlet, and waved his hand. The main force climbed down, and fired heavy sonic beams straight ahead. "Clear," he muttered. They headed on into the dark corridor.

Magma raised his hand to stop. He adjusted a switch on his arm, and whispered, "Rockets, at will." The soldiers nodded, and let loose rockets. They hit objects in the shadows, which screeched.

Magma raised his arm and fired plasma bursts and rockets. The plasma illuminated the area, revealing forty or so of the Harvesters. Everyone attacked at once before they could charge. Relieved, the team went on.

----

Databoard stopped when he spotted a Fire Hammer driving by. He quickly hid behind a nearby building, when he noticed a small metal sphere in the path of the Fire Hammer. Before he could yell out a warning, the vehicle drove over it, sending a cloud of what appeared to be white smoke engulfed the area. Databoard ran as the smoke started to spread.

Suddenly, the Fire Hammer sped out of the smoke, turning wildly before coming to a stop. The agent exited the vehicle, and collapsed to the ground, unconscious.

Two Shadows soldiers rushed into the area, and looked at the agent. "Alright, the stun gas will wear off in a half-hour, so let's move fast," one said. They grabbed the agent and started dragging him off.

Confused, Databoard followed them as they headed towards a nearby Shadows transport.

Databoard watched them bring the Dino Attack agent inside the Shadows transport. Thinking fast, he snuck up behind the vehicle and damaged one of the engines with his claws. Sneaking off to a safe distance, he watched as the transport started to take off, but failed due to the damage.

The Shadow soldiers walked out and looked the engine. "It must have been damaged by a Mutant Dino," one said.

"Whatever, let's just get it fixed," said the other.

As they were distracted, Databoard hurried inside the transport. He saw the agent that had been knocked out earlier when he entered. There were also four other Dino Attack agents in there as well: three male, one female. As Databoard looked around, he wondered what was going on.

Suddenly, he heard the Shadows soldiers finishing up repairs and walking back towards the entrance. Databoard quickly hid inside a small storage area near the back of the transport. He heard the Shadows soldiers enter, and the transport took off. It was only then Databoard realized a problem: the storage area didn't open from the inside.

Databoard felt the craft shake slightly for a moment as it went beneath the ocean. He knew where they were headed: the airship that appeared to have become the new Shadows HQ. Unfortunately, the fact Databoard didn't know where it even was would make it hard to escape from it.

----

Agent 393 drove his Fire Hammer through the barren wasteland of what used to be Adventurers' Island jungle, keeping a sharp eye for dinos. There was a screaming noise from behind one of the few remaining (and even then, nearly charcoaled) trees. 393 drove closer, and the horrific head of a Mutant T-Rex stared back at him.

----

Chupacabra disguised himself and walked off.

Over in the distance, he saw a large Mutant Lizard, possibly eating someone's battle vehicle. But, the Lizard smelled the blood oozing from one of his wounds, and it ran after Chupacabra.

"Oh, no, you don't..." growled Chupacabra. As the Mutant Lizard lunged at him with a wide-open maw, he grabbed the beast by the jaws and threw him into the dirt. As the Lizard's growls were muffled in the dirt, Chupacabra said, "...Not ever."

Since he did not see any more dinosaurs in sight, Chupacabra decided to just rest and recover, so that he would be ready just in case anyone came by to kill him.

----

A few hours later, Kotua sat down on the emergency raft, looking at the other survivors who made it to the surface.

"Well... that was exciting..." said Silver.

Slash merely kept quiet, obviously shocked. P-Harpuia said nothing, since the robot had nothing to say. Cane was unconscious.

Marine and the rest of the Dino Attack troops were gone, victims of the Mutant Vinscale Octomus.

"Now what?" asked Silver.

"We try propelling ourselves somewhere, and we remain calm... no matter what," said Kotua.

Kotua put his feet in the water, and started kicking, hoping to move the craft, but unfortunately, he didn't have enough strength to pull it off.

"Now what, genius?" Slash asked sarcastically.

"I don't see YOU doing anything about our situation," snapped Kotua.

"Because I don't need to waste my energy on things I know are going to fail in the end," said Slash.

"So, you just give up when you sense defeat?" said Kotua.

"Not every time, but right now it's obvious no-one will come to our rescue," said Slash. He sighed. "Fine, I do have one last idea for how to power this thing. P-Harpuia, you are a robot… maybe you have the strength and speed to move your arms like a propeller?"

"Hang on," P-Harpuia said, "this could get rough." As Slash instructed, P-Harpuia moved his arms so fast, they practically turned into fans. The raft was propelled super-fast across the water.

"Yeehaw!" shouted Slash.

----

After about a half hour, Databoard felt the ship slow down and come to a stop. After a few minutes, he was sure the Shadows soldiers were gone. He broke open the door open, and looked around. The room was empty, both the Shadows and the unconscious agents were gone. Databoard moved out of the transport and silently headed down a nearby corridor.

Databoard snuck silently down the corridor, keeping an eye out for Shadows soldiers. He eventually found himself in the room where the device the Shadows had used on him was located.

Suddenly, the door opened, and Databoard hid nearby. Two Shadows soldiers entered, carrying one of the unconscious Dino Attack agents. They attached the agent to the table, and the machine started to power up. Databoard wanted to help, but he knew there was little he would be able to do now.

After a while, they finished and left with the unconscious agent. Databoard headed out of the room and down a hallway, trying to find where the ship's prison cells were located.

Databoard moved silently through the corridors. He had thought the prison cells would be easier to find, considering the fact he was there before. However, he had been unconscious when they brought him into the cell, similarly with when he left it. This meant he had no clue where it was.

He spotted two Shadows approaching and hid nearby. As he watched them approach, he could feel anger at them, and he just wanted to attack them, make them pay for what they did to him and for their plans against Dino Attack. However, he forced himself to calm down, for if he let the Mutant Dino portion of his brain take control of him, there was no telling what kind of trouble he'd get into.

After the Shadows had passed, he hurried down the corridor as fast as he could.

----

Two hours later, the emergency raft hit a sandbar. Slash, who was not hanging on, was sent flying and landed in the sand. "Land-ho!" said Kotua.

"Now could someone please help Slash get his upper body out of the sand?" asked P-Harpuia. Kotua and Silver walked towards Slash and pulled him out of the sand.

"Where are we now?" asked Silver.

"I have no idea," said Kotua.

"That's reassuring," said Slash, brushing sand off his body.

"Let's go find out, then," said Silver, walking away from the shore and into the jungle nearby.

"We could go around it," said Kotua.

"Yeah, but any civilized life would know better than to put themselves near the shore, where they could be hit by tall waves during bad weather," said Silver.

"So? People still put their houses near shores, and head inland when bad weather arrives," said Kotua.

"We're on an island. It wouldn't be wise to do so," said Silver.

"So? If they have a place here on the first place, that means they have money. That would mean they could care less. They could just build it again," said Slash.

"Which means they might have a spare craft and equipment here," said Kotua.

"Well... we can't stay here bickering all day, that's for sure," said Slash.

"True. We better split up then. Slash and I will head around the shore, and Silver and P-Harpuia will head into the forest," said Kotua.

"Why do I get stuck with the robot?" asked Silver.

"Cause you're the dumbest of the group," joked Slash.

Silver and P-Harpuia headed into the forest as Slash and Kotua walked along the shore. Kotua had his gun drawn and ready. Slash could not care less; he had his Cyber Matrix.

They continued along the shore for a while, before Slash stopped. "We should rest a bit," said Slash.

Kotua nodded, and sat down too. "I'm puzzled as to why we haven't heard from Dino Attack HQ," said Kotua.

"They obviously didn't get the distress signal," said Slash.

Kotua and Slash suddenly heard gunfire coming from the woods, followed by a flare heading upwards. "Looks like trouble," said Slash.

"Let's see..." said Kotua, running in the direction of the flare. Kotua arrived to find Silver, P-Harpuia, and the body of a Mutant Dino.

"Looks like we're not alone in this island," said Slash, arriving behind Kotua.

The Mutant Dinosaur was suddenly destroyed as T-1 Typhoons landed and Dino Attack troops ran out. "Thank goodness you got here!" said Silver.

"Indeed," said Slash.

"Err..." said P-Harpuia.

"Nice to see the rescue arrive," said Kotua.

Soon, the T-1 Typhoons flew off and headed back to the city, this time carrying Silver, Slash, P-Harpuia, and Kotua.

----

Databoard reached the prison cells and stealthily started to search each cell. Most of them were empty, but he finally found one that wasn't empty. Inside were two Dino Attack agents: one was the male agent he saw get captured, and the other was the female agent.

Databoard opened the cell door and went inside. However, just as he entered, the cell door closed again. It must be a security feature in case of escape, Databoard thought.

The male agent looked startled and somewhat frightened. "Who are you?" he said. "Actually... what are you?"

Before Databoard could reply, he heard the sound of someone approaching. He turned around and faced the door, ready to fight. However, when the door opened, the Shadows soldiers didn't look surprised to see him. In fact, it seemed like they didn't even know he existed. "So, you two thought you could escape, did you?" one of the soldiers said. "Well, too bad, because you're going to end up like all the other agents we captured."

Databoard was just about to wonder why they hadn't noticed him, when he looked down at his arm. Or at least, he thought he was looking at it, because he couldn't see it. "What-" Databoard whispered, but then he looked up and saw one of the soldiers aiming a stun laser at him. He was about to attack when he realized that he wasn't the target; however, he would unintentionally become one if he didn't move.

Quickly, he dropped to the floor to avoid a stun laser, which sped towards the female agent. She jumped out of the way to avoid it, but was stuck by a second stun laser. The two soldiers dragged her off, and the door started to close behind them. However, Databoard jumped forward, and managed to hold the door open.

The remaining male agent looked around, confused by the fact that the strange half-minifig had suddenly vanished, and that the door had suddenly stopped closing. "What's going on?" he asked. "Where are you?"

"I'm over here," Databoard whispered. "I'm part-Mutant Lizard, so I'm guessing I have a Mutant Lizard's chameleon powers. Now go."

The agent rushed through the open door, and Databoard rushed through after just before it could close.

"Okay, no one seems to have noticed our escape," Databoard said. "We should get going, agent..."

"Agent Hawk, I'm an expert pilot. Unfortunately, Dino Attack's only flying vehicles are reserved for Elite Agents," the agent explained… although, due to the fact Databoard was still camouflaged, he was unintentionally talking to a nearby wall.

"Okay, we should get going now," Databoard said as he walked towards a door.

"And which way is that?" a confused Hawk exclaimed.

"This way," Databoard said, opening a nearby door.

"Is there any way to turn off that chameleon power?" Hawk asked as they went through the door. "I feel like I'm talking to thin air."

"I... I don't know. I'm not even sure how I activated this power," Databoard said as they continued down the hallway...

----

Magma suddenly stopped. A soldier had vanished, and Magma suspected he knew why. His suspicion was confirmed when the soldier next to him vanished. Magma closed his eyes, and waited patiently, readying his attack.

Ten Harvesters leapt for him, and he threw off his gauntlet. Plasma emitted from it, frying the creatures. Everyone else backed up, as Magma couldn't stop the leak. Raising his arm in defiance, he charged down the corridors while waving it around, frying Harvesters.

The heat was nearly too much when he reached the laboratory, and shoved his arm into an Ice Chamber, which used stolen Ice Orb technology combined with Frank Einstein's anti-mutant technology. His arm writhed and shifted as the ice cooled it, and when he took it out, it was no longer mutant. He tested his arm by pointing it at a nearby rock. Whisps of violet energy came out, and then no more.

He had lost his mutant energy, as though it had overloaded and turned against itself. He was lucky to still have an arm at all.

Suddenly, the other teams came into the lab. Behind them, sixty Harvesters roared as they charged in pursuit. Everyone opened fire, but the remaining Harvesters were almost upon the agents when lasers hit them from behind, and they fell. Magma tapped commands on a console, and the lights powered back up again. The T-1 Typhoon landed to continue hunting the Dinos.

----

Databoard and Hawk were moving down a corridor when they spotted two Shadows soldiers moving toward them. They quickly hid behind a corner, and the soldiers walked past. However, one of them suddenly tripped, falling to the ground. Databoard realized what the solider had tripped over: his camouflaged tail.

The other Shadows soldier turned around to see why his partner tripped, and he saw Hawk. He raised his laser, but Databoard roared and leapt at the solider, becoming visible as he did. The solider aimed his laser, but was knocked unconscious instantly.

The other solider got up and fired his laser repeatedly, but Databoard dropped to the ground to avoid them. He tripped the solider, and got up, feeling his anger building. He roared, and the startled solider aimed his laser, looking afraid. Nearby, Hawk pulled a stun laser off the other solider and used it to knock the solider out just as he was about to fire.

"We should get going if we want to rescue agent Stealth," Hawk said. "Thanks to your little display, there's going to be a lot of soldiers around here soon."

Databoard simply let out a low growl and followed Hawk...

----

Magma boarded his Urban Avenger, hooked up a tracking computer, and headed out. His mission was to capture Raptors and bring them to his Outpost for research. He attached an extendable net to carry the captured creatures. He spotted two Lizards shooting acid at a dock on the river. It sank, and they moved on. Curious, Magma activated stealth shields and moved closer.

A fish-like creature, the size of a Pteranodon, swam up and roared. Three Pterandons swooped overhead. "Magma to all units. A new Mutant Dino has shown up. Some kind of fish," he whispered into his radio.

Then, another Lizard began to approach from an alley. Magma sped away and fired the net, trapping the Lizard and pulling it with the Urban Avenger as he sped to a Dino Attack Outpost.

Magma heard roars and knew a Raptor was in pursuit. He flipped on his Sonic Screamer, rotated it, and fired six times. Most of his shots smashed into rubble, but two hit their mark, and the Raptor screeched as it collapsed.

Soon, Magma arrived at the Outpost, and spotted three Iron Predators, two T-1 Typhoons, and four Urban Avengers. He was met by a command agent. "Is this army really necessary? Other organizations might think we are preparing to conquer the city," Magma said.

The agent shook his head. "It's a risk we have to take. For all we know, these fish might have the power to disrupt matter and blow us all up."

Magma frowned, but headed inside without arguing.

----

Databoard and Hawk hurried down the corridor, only to find themselves face to face with a group of Shadows soldiers. Hawk instantly dove for cover as the soldiers fired, but Databoard, his Mutant Lizard mind taking control, dodged the lasers and charged forward. He ripped a laser from a solider and snapped it in half.

The Shadows solider took out a stun laser and fired it. At such close range, Databoard didn't even have time to dodge. He was knocked to the ground, but wasn't knocked out. Whatever was left of Databoard's human mind reminded him that when the transformation was occurring, a stun laser had only had a minor effect on him. The Shadows' stun lasers must not be as effective on Mutant Dinos, he thought, then noticed the solider he attacked standing over him. The rage of his Mutant Lizard mind snapped back into control, and a swing of his tail knocked the solider backwards across the corridor.

Two Shadows soldiers charged at Databoard, but he knocked them out before they could even start firing. He took both their lasers and fired at the soldiers, who dove out of the way and took cover. Databoard continued to fire at them, but it wasn't doing much good. All the lasers were doing was damaging the walls and whatever the soldiers were hiding behind.

Suddenly, one of the lasers blasted through a panel near the soldiers, destroying the circuitry inside and sending sparks flying everywhere. Databoard and Hawk hurried off before the soldiers could pursue them again.

----

Frozeen, Libo, and Chompy stepped into the room, intending to speak with Rex. Unlike everyone else, Frozeen expressed little surprise at Rex becoming a T-Rex instead of a Minifig, because only Frozeen had been previously aware of Rex's true origins.

On the other hand, when Chompy laid his eyes upon Rex, something peculiar overcame the T-Rex. Chompy's eyes widened, and then he suddenly bared his teeth and snarled viciously as he lunged forward, as though he was about to attack Rex despite everything they had been through together.

Frozeen reacted quickly, leaping forward and pushing away Chompy. "Stop that right now, Chompy!" he shouted at the T-Rex, asserting his dominance. He looked at Rex and shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry, I don't know what just got into him just now. He's never acted this way before."

"It's okay," Rex said quietly. "I hardly blame him… perhaps he just did not recognize me, given my new appearance."

In truth, Rex was troubled by Chompy's suddenly strange and aggressive behavior. But what was even stranger was that… for the briefest moment, when their eyes met… Rex wanted nothing in the world than to tear out Chompy's throat and kill him.

Libo walked over. "In that case, Maw-" he started to say.

Rex shook his head. "I have already confessed… my name isn't Maw," he explained. "And I've also confessed that agent Rex is not dead."

Libo stared at Rex as he quickly put the pieces together. "Rex?" he asked. "Is that really you?" When Rex nodded, Libo chuckled softly. "Well, then… I thought my own identity was a well-guarded secret, but I think you may have outdone me!"

----

Magma pulled the Lizard into the stasis chamber in the lab. He walked over to the lab's well-equipped command dome and activated several machines. Tubes were attached to the beast. Fluid was pumped into the head area. Detailed scans were taken of the Lizard. Magma began to sort out the scans. A gland of acid was near the stomach, separated by the lungs. It fed to an area just below the mouth, where globs of acid were fired.

Magma then began to trace the mutating agent. He had discovered through studies of other lab agents' studies that the Dinos were all different. Some were mechanical. Some were mutated, but with many different substances. This one had been discovered before. He took out the antivenom, and jammed it into a tube. Antivenom was pumped through the Dino, and it slowly 'de-mutated'.

Magma was making a tracer. The tracer was an implant that was attached to the Dino. It emitted energy waves that could be traced by advanced computers.

Magma installed an explosive in the tracker. He then placed it on the creature. The Lizard was injected with paralyzing venom and transported out of the outpost. It ran free after the venom wore off.

Magma calmly waited until the tracking screen showed two green vehicles closing in. They fired stun blasts, crippling the Lizard. It was loaded on the back of the vehicles, and transported to a laboratory.

Once the lab was in range, Magma scribbled the coordinates on a pad. He gave the pad to a T-1 Typhoon commander. He monitored the events from his screen. Once the T-1 Typhoon was circling the laboratory, Magma pressed the detonate button.

The entrance and outer frame of the laboratory blew up, while the inner chambers weren't that damaged. Then, a crack squad of Dino Attack soldiers came out of the T-1 Typhoon and stormed the lab. The Dino Attack combat marines blasted the lab owners with stun blasts.

Magma headed into the hangar to get the Urban Avenger. He headed off to the scene, still watching the fighting.

The lab-owners drew heavy laser guns, and returned fire. The Dino Attack marines ducked to avoid the blasts. In addition, a dozen acid Lizards leapt up and charged the Dino Attack troops.

Magma zoomed into the battle, firing at Lizards. However, he wouldn't have made it to the trapped troops had the T-1 Typhoon not shelled the lab. Once he got there, he disembarked and grabbed a laser. He led the marines into the lab remains. Mutating venom was on the table, and some sort of operating device was in the middle. It looked like Magma's lab, except it was designed to mutate, and it was in shards.

Magma sampled pieces of equipment with his scanner. Deciding that there was nothing to learn here, he left. The T-1 Typhoon fired its Voltaic Missile, obliterating the lab.

Magma got back into his Urban Avenger and headed back towards the Dino Attack HQ.

----

Databoard and Hawk continued down a corridor. "Alright, next time, we don't charge into battle like that," Hawk said. "You can't dodge lasers like that forever."

"Watch me," Databoard muttered.

The conversation was soon interrupted, as the two agents reached the entrance to the room with the Mutant Dinosaur machine. They hid as a Shadows solider opened the door and went inside. Databoard and rushed inside, the door closing seconds later.

Databoard and Hawk looked around the room. Agent Stealth was attached to the table, and a Shadows solider was standing at the controls. Databoard also recognized the agent from before standing nearby.

"We need to find a way to shut off that machin-" Hawk said, but he soon realized Databoard was already climbing up above the controls, using his claws to create handholds. He climbed onto a series of pipes on the ceiling, and aimed the stolen Shadows lasers down. He fired, and lasers blasted through the control panel.

Databoard leapt down, landing on the ruined control panel. The Shadows solider fired at Databoard, but he jumped backwards, avoiding the lasers.

The door to the room opened, and Shadows soldiers rushed into the room. Databoard ducked down as lasers pounded the wall behind him. Whatever part of his human mind that was still in control told him to hide, and he ducked behind the ruined console, as the spot he was standing on moments ago was destroyed by countless lasers.

Meanwhile, Hawk was trying to rescue Stealth, but the constant barrage of lasers was making it too hard.

Databoard fired his lasers at some panels above the soldiers, sending sparks flying everywhere. As the soldiers took cover, Hawk hurried to free Stealth. He removed the restraints, and they both rushed for cover as the solider fired at them. Databoard continued to shoot lasers, but there was no way they could fight them off forever.

Databoard ducked as lasers flew over his head. The walls of the room were covered in scorch marks from laser after laser hitting them.

Hawk, hiding behind a stack of crates, looked over to Databoard. "We can't fight them all off!" he shouted, before firing his laser at some of the soldiers.

Databoard aimed his lasers at the wall behind them, blasting a hole in the wall. "It's about time we got out here!" he shouted, and the three agents rushed out of the room - to find themselves surrounded by more Shadows soldiers.

----

Agent X was horrified. His captor was a man known as the Golden Hunter. He claimed to be the master of the Mutant Dinos, and he was probably right, given the way they listened to him. ''Now, agent X, you shall fall prey to all my dinosaur minions!!'' the Golden Hunter screamed.

Agent X was in for a bad day. Even with his cybernetic implants, he was not sure if he could hold his own against an entire group of Mutant Dinos. ''Oh crud,'' he said.

Agent X was in a bad situation. He was fighting Mutant Dinos alone. Then again, he mainly worked alone and hardly ever worked with other Dino Attack agents before… but right about now, he could have really used some backup.

Still, he refused to back down. "I may not survive this, but…" X said, "bring it on, Golden Hunter! You are just a coward who hides behind your mutant monsters!"

And it was those words that gave X the will and strength he needed to fight.

Agent X's robot arm morphed, reconfiguring itself into a super repulsor cannon. It was clear that Dino Attack's engineers had spared no expense in reviving X. Realizing his true power, he said, "Well, bring it on, you Mutant Dinos! I can take you down!"

X fired his power cannon arm at the Mutant Dinos surrounding him, easily taking them down. "Bring it on!!!" he shouted again.

----

Rex and Amanda were both called into Specs's office for an official debriefing. It proved to be rather awkward, seeing as the team leader's office was not built to accommodate a grown T-Rex, but they somehow managed to make it work despite being a little cramped and uncomfortable.

Rex reported on the defeat of FUTURE, as well as the fact that their present-day counterparts had either fled or were captured. Specs let out a long sigh. "That is certainly good news," he said. "While I fear that it may be too late to undo FUTURE's damage to the timeline, we'll at least be able to carry on forward without them setting us farther back. We've suffered too many losses already." He put a number of files back into a drawer in his desk.

Amanda pulled out her new PDA, accessed the D.I.N.O. database, and selected a profile. As she showed her screen to Specs, her eyes were full of questioning. The PDA displayed the face of her brother, Roger Remous.

"You wish for an update on agent Remous's status?" realized Specs.

Amanda nodded. Her worry and concern were clear from her facial expression. 

Rex's throat felt dry as he took in a deep breath. "Amanda... just after you were reported dead... I found out what happened to Roger." He wanted to tell the truth, he knew that Amanda deserved to know... but he could not muster up the words. "He's... well, he's alright." Glancing at Specs, he added: "If I'm not mistaken, he's currently on a mission to the Goo Caverns."

Specs immediately understood. "Yes, that is correct," he said, nodding. "He is assessing the underground damage caused by Mutant Dinos to determine the stability of the Earth's crust; even with the Power Miners having taken care of the Rock Monster problem, the last thing we need right now is the ground giving way beneath our feet. Given the threat that the Evil OGEL Empire has posed to Dino Attack Team, this mission is highly classified and he is maintaining radio silence, so I doubt we will be hearing back from him in the near future. For now, I recommend that you focus on your next mission, agent Claw."

Specs's balaclava and stoic voice helped to mask the massive lie that was being told. Rex's heart sank even as he watched Amanda sigh in relief. Every fiber of his being told him that this was wrong, but he recalled Specs's instructions and Remous's wishes. This is for Amanda's protection, he reminded himself, even as the words felt hollow.

"And what would our next mission be?" inquired Rex.

Specs folded his arms. "It may be our most important mission to date. Knowing what we know now about you, Rex, I see a golden opportunity... one that could potentially end the Dino Attack war for once and for all."

----

Hunter Ultima saw someone in trouble and jumped into his Urban Avenger to help. He saw ten Mutant Lizards and ten Raptors, and he said to himself, "What am I going to do?"

Hunter attacked a Raptor but he missed. He grabbed the person and escaped, driving as fast as he could until the mutants were out of sight. He asked, "Who are you?" but the person he saved was still too shocked to reply.

Hunter checked his map and saw he was in the outskirts of LEGO City. He saw a bridge to World City and he drove across it. There, he saw fifty Mutant Lizards and a T-Rex. "Help!" shouted Hunter.

Hunter Ultima went back to LEGO City, and he saw fifty Mutant T-Rexes heading towards Dino Attack Headquarters. The base was under attack!

----

Magma spotted a Raptor fighting a Steel Sprinter. Activating his Sonic Screamer, he zoomed in close, firing blasts. He then stopped and deployed the net, grabbing the Raptor. With a new specimen, Magma headed back to Dino Attack HQ.

When he got there, two Iron Predators were hauling a massive sea-beast in a water tank. Magma recognized it as the mutant sea creature from before. The two T-1 Typhoons hovered overhead, helping with cranes. A single Fire Hammer was operational. Two others were heavily damaged and wrecked. It appeared that subduing the creature took a lot of work...

*****

Sting was doing repairs to Magma's T-1 Typhoon when a mutant sea creature burst up from the water. It attacked the helicopter. When Sting shot at it with a Cosmotronic Ray, it absorbed the blast and then returned it right at Sting. Yelling, the agent ran inside the ship, but a part of the radioactive burst hit him anyway.

Sting stumbled into the medical bay. The Dino Attack doctor scanned him, and began to treat him for near-fatal radiation exposure.

*****

Magma got into his Urban Avenger and headed for the ship. He had heard Sting was wounded, and would see him before his other projects. When he arrived, the vessel was repaired and the creature dead, but Magma walked straight into the medical bay without noticing.

As he looked at Sting, the doctor said, "He's fine. The radiation wasn't anywhere near fatal." But then Magma saw something green-red on Sting's leg, where he got injured. An Evil OGEL Empire insignia, glowing with radiation. Magma jumped back and nearly fainted.

When Magma regained himself, he found that the green insignia was having a slight effect on everyone's mind. At least, that's what the Dino Attack doctor said.

When the doctor asked Magma what it meant, Sting explained instead: "Five years ago, I was captured by Ogel's forces. They used some kind of device on me which turned me into a half-drone, half-beast. I was saved by Magma and Shark, who recovered the device used on me. The doctors of Alpha Team managed to restore me to my regular condition. I had no idea this existed."

As Sting spoke the words, he felt a sharp pain inside his leg. It made him collapse onto the floor.

Magma grabbed a scanner and looked at Sting. The insignia was exerting control over him, and soon, Magma calculated that Sting would revert to what he was when Ogel captured him. Magma's calculations were to no avail, for the madness took Sting. The former agent jumped at Magma, shoved him aside, and ran out the door.

After Magma got up for a third time, he angrily pressed buttons, powering up the vessel. "Full speed after him. Who knows what he will do if he escapes. Shark, arm the torpedoes and laser guns. Doctor, get the rest of the crew rad-pills to prevent them from getting shot. We're going after both Sting and the Mutant Dinos." The crew cheered at this, and Magma walked to the cockpit.

----

At Dino Attack Headquarters, Slash let out a long sigh of relief. "Good to be home," he said.

As Slash, Silver, Kotua, and P-Harpuia walked past the front desk, they were approached by an unexpected figure. "Welcome back… brother!"

"Axey!" exclaimed Slash. He charged at Axey and tried to punch him, but the trained ShadowTech assassin easily blocked him.

"Predictable," Axey muttered as he pulled out a wicked-looking scythe. "You will not stand a chance against my new Wolf fighting technique!" Then, he kneed his brother in the jaw and slashed him with the scythe. "No wonder they call you Slash!"

"Slash!" shouted Kotua as Slash reeled backward.

"Are you okay?" asked Silver.

Slash coughed up some teeth. "Last time, it was a Phoenix. This time, it's a Wolf," he grumbled.

"That's not all that's new!" said Axey. He swung the scythe and pounded it into the floor. As he did so, the scythe glowed with energy, striking with enough power to cause the floor tiles to splinter.

"Everyone out!" shouted Kotua. They all rushed outside the base as quickly as they could.

Panting heavily, Silver asked, "What's the deal with this guy?"

"We fought before," replied Slash.

"You mean you two know each other?" asked P-Harpuia.

"Well, he's my evil twin brother," Slash explained. As Axey confidently strode out of Dino Attack Headquarters while spinning his scythe, Slash added, "The scythe and Wolf technique are new."

"You like them?" taunted Axey. "I got the scythe from ShadowTech and I've been working out. Now prepare to meet your doom!" He swung his scythe, barely missing all four of them.

"I don't think my circuits can handle this guy's power levels," admitted P-Harpuia.

"Does every villain you two run into try to kill you both?" wondered Silver.

"Ah, at least once or twice a month, you two will get used to it," Kotua said with a shrug. As Slash and Axey fought on, Kotua notice ShadowTech snipers behind two cars. "Here comes the retaliation..." muttered Kotua.

"Hmm?" said Slash, busy trying to keep up with the fight.

However, P-Harpuia also noticed them. "Should we capture them?" asked P-Harpuia.

"If they are smart enough to surrender," said Kotua, heading towards the snipers and drawing his gun.

The snipers fired, missing both times.

"Now!" said Kotua.

P-Harpuia leapt over him and fired a blast of his hand. The snipers were sent up into the air as the blast hit them. They soon hit the ground. P-Harpuia tied them up before they could recover, and switched his hand to blaster mode.

"So... what brings you here?" asked Kotua, aiming his gun at one of the snipers. P-Harpuia aimed at the other sniper.

"W-w-we were told to co-come here and sho-sho-shoot you and the rest of the Dino Attack Team..." stammered one of them.

"Who told you to come here?" asked Kotua.

"Lizard-Man..." said the sniper.

Kotua and P-Harpuia were puzzled. "Lizard-Man?"

"He leads the Raptors gang..." said the sniper. Kotua noticed at that moment that, except for the helmet and weapons, they didn't have any ShadowTech gear. He realized that these were actually Raptors gangsters.

"Where is the Lizard-Man now?" asked Kotua.

"ShadowTech. They lent us the helmets and sniper gear... In exchange for killing you and the Dino Attack Team, ShadowTech promised that the Raptors could have LEGO City..." said the sniper.

"Looks like ShadowTech is handing off their revenge to others... they must be rebuilding their HQ after you guys went in..." said P-Harpuia.

"Worse... two factions working together to destroy Dino Attack Team..." said Kotua.

"GET OFF ME!" shouted Slash, followed by even louder unintelligible shouting.

"Perhaps now we should start helping Slash out," said P-Harpuia.

"Although I'm sure Slash can handle himself, we have no time for personal fights... so yes, let's go help him out... but let's leave these guys somewhere where they can't escape, and they won't get killed," said Kotua.

"Right," said P-Harpuia.

----

Cobra landed the T-1 Typhoon on Adventurers' Island, and they stepped out into the jungle, following the bleeps of Snake and Shona's GPS signals.

"Good," Voltage said. "They haven't killed each other yet."

Voltage and Cobra stepped into the clearing where Snake of Spades was rounding on Shona. "Gotcha!" Voltage said. Voltage and Cobra shot stun needles at Snake, who collapsed, ceasing movement.

"Thanks," Shona said, getting up.

"Ah, looked like you needed it," Cobra said.

They all looked around at Snake sprawled in the dirt. "So," Voltage said, turning to Shona, "what happened?"

With difficulty, they hauled the mutated Snake of Spades' paralyzed body into the T-1 Typhoon. "Come on, let's get out of here," Voltage said anxiously. "Dino Attack Headquarters is under attack!"

----

Slash leapt and kicked Axey away. Axey landed hard on the ground, but he quickly got up and, growling in anger, leapt up at Slash, slicing at him once more.

BLAM! BLAM!

Axey let go of Slash and landed on the ground. Slash looked to see Kotua lowering his gun.

"Nice aim," said Silver.

"Thanks," said Kotua, loading his gun and aiming at Axey again.

"You haven't defeated me yet!" shouted Axey, drawing his scythe.

Axey pounded his scythe into the ground, sending another burst of energy under it. "RUN!" shouted Slash, leaping as the blast exploded where he had stood seconds ago.

"Hey, you evil twin-dude!" shouted P-Harpuia, firing from his arm-cannon. Axey turned, only to be slammed by the blasts. Kotua fired again, sending Axey to the ground.

"I'll finish him off..." said Slash, running towards Axey, fists ready.

"Wow," said Silver, awestruck.

Kotua now realized that Dino Attack Headquarters was surrounded by Mutant T-Rexes, and they were stuck in the middle of it all. "Well, looks like we have no choice but to draw the dinos away from Slash and Axey as they fight..." said Kotua, pressing a button in his watch. An unmanned Urban Avenger drove out of the Dino Attack garage and stopped next to him.

"I want a self-driving car..." muttered Silver, heading towards the garage for his vehicle.

"Things are getting a little too crowded," said Axey. "Time to take this to the roof!" With that, he pulled out a grappling hook and fired upwards at Dino Attack Headquarters, zipping away in a flash.

"Oh, no, you don't," growled Slash. He quickly scrolled through the Cyber Matrix. "Come on, there's got to be something in here that lets me fly."

He found a program, Stacking Up with Gyro Flight. "This looks promising," Slash murmured. He started running around and grabbing random bricks and pieces of machinery, which he used to assemble into a miniature gyrocopter. "Now this is what I'm talking about!" he exclaimed as he flew off after Axey.

*****

Jack Khonns stalked the Mutant Lizard he had been tracking, knocked it out, put it in his Urban Avenger, and drove away.

Jack Khonns had been heading back to HQ with his bagged Mutant Lizard when saw the base was being attacked by Mutant T-Rexes, and there were more than quite a few of them. The base couldn't stand that abuse for much longer.

"Hey, heater mouths, come get some!" Jack shouted to distract the T-Rexes. As they all charged at him, he realized, "Well that wasn't the smartest thing to do. Ah well, I guess it's time to see what this thing can do!"

The Mutant T-Rexes chased Jack Khonns down an open street. They were quickly closing the distance between them. He couldn't hold out for much longer.

"Calling all agents: help!" Jack shouted into his PDA. "I'm being chased by about fifty T-Rexes attacking the base. I've lured them away in my Urban Avenger, but they're getting closer. HELP!!!" Transmission sent.

Jack looked over and saw an alley. "Time for a fifty T-Rex pileup," he said and gunned it for the alley.

Kotua spotted a Dino Attack agent who was going full speed on his Urban Avenger, chased by Mutant Dinosaurs. Suddenly, Kotua's PDA beeped. He took it out of his pocket and read it.

I LURED AWAY MOST OF THE T-REXES THAT WERE ATTACKING THE HQ, BUT NOW THEY'RE CLOSING IN ON ME! HELP!!!!
-Agent Jack Khonns

"Hmm... could that be agent Jack?" Kotua thought out loud.

Silver drove out on an Urban Avenger and began stunning T-Rexes with the blaster. Kotua fired a missile, which detonated in mid-air and sent out a net, catching a Mutant T-Rex. The T-Rex quickly bit through it.

"Great..." muttered Kotua.

Kotua quickly switched the Urban Avenger to reverse and drove off as the Mutant T-Rex charged. Kotua fired at the Mutant Dino, but it merely swallowed the blasts and spit out nuclear waste.

"Darn it!" said Kotua, looking back to see a dead end.

Kotua immediately pressed the self-destruct button. The chair tilted back and fired off along with Kotua as the Urban Avenger stopped in its tracks. The Mutant Dino rammed into the Urban Avenger, only to find it empty. Before it could roar in rage, however, the Urban Avenger detonated.

Kotua landed not too far from there. He got up quickly and ran back to HQ as more Mutant T-Rexes, this time accompanied by Mutant Lizards, surrounded them...

*****

Jack drove towards the alley. He looked over his shoulder and saw Kotua and Silver distracting the T-Rexes. He sent a transmission: "Clear out, there's about to be a..."

Jack shot into the alley. The T-Rexes followed and, sure enough, they all tried to pile through the alley. They fell on each other and started fighting, becoming one massive, biting, kicking, dinosaur "pileup". But one broke free of the mass and charged.

"Aww man, one broke free! OUT OF THE WHOLE PILE UP ONE BROKE FREE!!! COME ON!!!" Jack shouted in exasperation.

The Mutant T-Rex chased Jack Khonns down the alley. "This hardly seems fair!" he shouted. "The pileup was brilliant!" With that, the T-Rex took a bite out of his Urban Avenger's engine and he stopped.

"Aww, nuts!" muttered Jack.

Jack backed up to a wall in the alley, with the mass of dinos blocking his way out. The agent was still firing at the Mutant T-Rex, but this wasn't helping. Jack only had one hope: a T-Rex's blind spot. He sidestepped to the dino's blind spot, where it could not see him. I hope this works, he thought.

*****

Hunter Ultima did not have any flying vehicles, but he pulled out his own grappling hook and fired it up at the roof of Dino Attack Headquarters. He zipped up there just in time to see Slash land his gyrocopter.

Then, Hunter went up to Slash and said to him, "Slash, let me take care of Axey."

Slash shook his head as he replied, "Say thanks to Jack for me for luring away the T-Rexes. You should help Jack attack the T-Rexes."

Slash looked around for his brother. "He's got to be around here somewhere," he muttered.

"Here's Axey!" announced Axey. He pounded Slash with a massive hammer.

Slash reeled, blinking in confusion. "Wait. It's a hammer now? What gives?"

Axey swung the hammer around, and it transformed back into a scythe, and then into a staff. "This is my Module Staff," he explained. "It can turn into any melee weapon I want. My boss, agent Cane, gave it to me. Now, prepare to meet your doom!" With that, the Module Staff transformed into a sword, and Axey charged at Slash.

Hunter Ultima grabbed some pieces of rubble and threw the debris at Axey to distract him. "Now, I can help!" he insisted.

Axey scowled. "Prepare to be exterminated," he said as he changed his sword into a triple-sided sword.

"Not today, Axey," said Hunter Ultima. "I know your weakness. You are all offense, no defense. Slash, play 'The BIONICLE Music' while I whup his butt!" With that, Hunter ran at Axey and hit him with a flying sidekick.

Axey fell to the ground, but he got up quickly. "You're making me mad," he said. He pulled out a gun, but Hunter Ultima quickly knocked the firearm out of Axey's hand and stepped on the gun once it landed on the ground, preventing Axey from picking it up again. "Meddling agent, you'll pay for this. You haven't come close to finishing me off!"

With a couple of quick strikes, Axey knocked Hunter Ultima unconscious. Turning his attention back to Slash, he declared, "That's it!" Axey picked up the gun and fired it at Slash.

The firearm was actually a net gun, and instead of bullets or lasers it fired an electrified net, which caught Slash. "Hey!" Slash yelled as he struggled against the net. "Let me go! Quit repressing my freedom!"

Axey grabbed the net. "I'm taking you back to ShadowTech base!" he said.

"ShadowTech!? I really don't have a choice in the matter, huh?" asked Slash.

"Yeah, since the electrified net cancels out your fancy little Cyber Matrix powers," said Axey. "You're not getting out of that net until I let you out."

"Well, you're going to be quite disappointed when you return to base and find your boss is nowhere to be seen," said Slash, remembering that their team had brought Cane back to base as prisoner.

Axey started to laugh menacingly. "Oh, my poor naïve brother. Did you really think I came all this way just to fight you? No, you are not the only one I am bringing back to base today."

----

Databoard, Hawk, and Stealth aimed their weapons at the Shadows soldiers, but they knew it was no good. They couldn't possibly fight all these soldiers.

"Surrender your weapons!" the lead solider said. Hawk and Stealth handed over their lasers quickly, but Databoard kept his aimed. "I said, surrender your weapons!" the lead solider said, pointing his laser at Databoard.

"It's no use, just give him your lasers!" Hawk shouted as he and Stealth were led away by the soldiers. Databoard wanted to agree; had there been any sense left in him, he would have known it would be insane to go up against these many soldiers alone. But Databoard wasn't very sane at the moment...

Databoard aimed his lasers and blasted at a ceiling panel, destroying some wires and sending sparks everywhere. As the soldiers ducked for cover, Databoard activated his chameleon power and rushed down the corridor. The soldiers started to spread out, looking for him.

Databoard moved stealthily down the corridor, moving as silently as possible, to avoid being noticed by passing Shadows patrols. After a few minutes, he spotted a group of Shadows soldiers transporting Hawk and Stealth towards the prison cells. He aimed his lasers and fired. The blasts missed their target, but distracted the soldiers long enough for Hawk and Stealth to knock them out. The two Dino Attack agents took lasers as Databoard became visible again, and they headed elsewhere before more Shadows showed up.

----

Several hours later, Axey and the newly-freed Cane arrived at ShadowTech HQ, somewhere off the coast of Greenland. "Sir, I have brought the prisoner, as you requested," said Axey.

"Very good," said Cane. "Bring him to the special holding cell in the Prison Block."

"Now, remember our agreement?" asked Axey.

"Yes. We wear him down and you finish him off," said Cane.

"Good," said Axey.

"You're dismissed," said Cane. As Axey left, Cane chuckled softly. "Soon, Slash, I'll take you out like a rat."

----

Rex wandered the streets of LEGO City. His mind had been wandering as he thought about everything that had happened since he was turned into a regular T-Rex. His relationship with Amanda had ended as quickly as it had begun… most Dino Attack agents were giving him weird looks, and he could hardly blame them… and now, Rex feared he could never be in the same room as Chompy without the two of them trying to murder each other for no adequate reason.

Now, a massive Mutant Dino attack on headquarters was taking place. Luckily, they hadn't destroyed the base and Dino Attack Team was so far successfully fending off the beasts, but a few T-Rexes had broken through the line of defense and had demolished the one particular room that held all the cures for the mutation.

No more curing the Mutant Dinos. For now, Rex would be the last Mutant Dino that Dino Attack Team was able to return to normal.

Rex wanted to be a part of the battle, but Specs had other plans. Sending a natural T-Rex into battle against the much larger and more powerful mutants was too dangerous. Furthermore, Rex had also found that he was losing his ability to speak Mutant Dino, though he could still understand it; it would limit his usefulness in communicating with the Mutant Dinos and trying to convince them to stand down.

No, Specs had a different idea. Now that the founding members had learned Rex's real origins, they gave him an important assignment, one that might change the course of the entire war: he had to return to the source of the Mutant Dinos and find out who was responsible for the Dino Attack.

There was just one little problem… Rex still could not remember.

----

"Uh-oh," said Hunter Ultima as he regained consciousness. He saw a Mutant Raptor approaching. This was his first challenge.

Kotua drove out in yet another Urban Avenger. This time, he immediately activated its cosmotronic laser. He drove towards the Mutant Dinosaurs as more Dino Attack agents drove out of the garage. A Dino Attack helicopter flew overhead as Kotua charged.

"Where do so many Mutant Dinos come from?!" shouted Kotua.

"According to our reports... from some main nest. We find and destroy that, and we'll get the upper hand," said someone over the commlink.

"Yeah... like we'll find the nest in our lifetime," said another Dino Attack agent.

Kotua slammed into a Mutant Raptor, making it jump backwards in pain. Kotua quickly switched to the cosmotronic gun, and fired at the Mutant Raptor. The Mutant Dinosaurs soon retreated, as they realized it was not going to be easy to capture this prey.

Kotua headed back to the Dino Attack garage, refueled the Urban Avenger, and headed off after the Mutant Dinos. Maybe they'll head to the nest, thought Kotua.

*****

"Target acquired. Shall I fire it?"

"No. Wait until they have won."

"Won, sir?"

"Otherwise, what's the point?"

"Ah... I guess that's why you command us."

"And you follow."

"Sir?"

"Yes?"

"What will happen to us?"

"If we succeed.... we will become heroes... but if we fail... we will be cast as a threat to society!"

----

Amanda had chosen an empty table in the mess hall, where she could sit by herself and eat her lunch in solitude. She was used to being alone, but now that she did not have Roger or Rex to accompany her, she found herself feeling lonely.

Her solitude did not last long. A group of Dino Attack agents had just gotten back from the battle against the Mutant Dinos outside the base, and they sat down at the table beside her. They greeted her with a polite and friendly hello, but turned their attention back to their own conversation.

"It's been a crazy couple of months, hasn't it?" remarked Kafei. He looked unusually young for his age, appearing no older than 15 or 16 due to his boyish features (although he'd always swear that he was an adult and just not one of those underage teenagers who lied about their birthdate to join Dino Attack Team, like Cookieo or Agent X).

"You're telling me!" said Loki. His long, braided hair and thick Scandinavian accent hinted at his background from Vikings Isle. "As if Mutant Dinos weren't bad enough, we've got everybody else trying to kill us! Our own military, multiple secret organizations, street gangs, giant mechs, villains from other timelines-"

"Don't you mean other universes?" asked Observer. He looked as though he might have been quizzically raising an eyebrow, although it was hard to tell since he did not have a single hair on his head. At least he had beautiful eyes to distract from his uncanny baldness.

Loki shrugged. "Same difference."

Kafei shook his head and waved his index finger. "No, no, no, Loki. You can't just pretend 'alternate timelines' and 'alternate universes' are interchangeable! They're two distinctly different concepts!" he insisted.

Loki rolled his eyes as he sarcastically replied, "Well then, oh esteemed expert of alternate realities, please enlighten us."

"Okay, so..." Kafei thought for a moment. "Imagine you have a railroad, with a train going from World City to LEGO City. Then somebody decides they want the train to go from World City to Paradisa instead, so they build a new set of tracks that branch off the preexisting tracks and a switch that'll change the train's direction. That's an alternate timeline. As for an alternate universe... picture a street that runs alongside the train tracks. They could run parallel to the same destination, they could veer off in completely different directions, there could even be crossings or bridges where they overlap... but the train will always stay on the tracks and the car will always stay on the road. Unless the train derails or some crazy driver goes on the tracks..."

He was met with blank stares from Observer and Loki. "I don't see where this is going," said Observer.

"Yeah, this metaphor really derailed," muttered Loki.

"I suppose so," conceded Kafei. "I guess I'm trying to illustrate the idea that timelines branch off from a single timeline due to some outside force changing it, while infinite universes exist independently of one another and what happens in one won't affect the other."

"Well, anyways," said Loki, "I was referring to the rumors about villains from the future coming back in time to change history in the present day." Narrowing his eyes at Kafei, he added: "So that's an alternate timeline, right?"

Amanda grinned. If only they knew that the silent woman sitting nearby could confirm that those rumors were indeed true. She found herself feeling... proud to have defeated FUTURE and, in doing so, accomplished something good that would save the world from evil. This had been the reason why she joined Dino Attack, after all.

"Ah. I thought you were referring to another incident last month," replied Observer. "Just when everyone thought the Kotua crisis was finally over and we don't have to deal with the Voltage and Chaos anymore, suddenly we've got a hurricane generated by an airship flown by some 'Anti-Kotua' claiming to come from Dimension 8231!"

Amanda's eyes widened. She had been in the middle of sipping her drink and, in her surprise, she gasped involuntarily and promptly started choking. The other agents looked at her with concern, but she patted her chest, cleared her throat, flashed an embarrassed smile, and gave a thumbs-up to let them know she was alright.

"Hah!" laughed Kafei. "Crazy, right?"

"Ridiculous!" agreed Loki, smirking.

"I'm not even making this up," insisted Observer. "And the strangest thing is that Kotua - our Kotua - reported that Anti-Kotua wanted revenge for something he thinks our universe supposedly did to theirs! Something or another about covering up Dr. Bishop's research..."

"I guess that crazy driver went on the railroad tracks after all, huh?" commented Loki.

Although the other Dino Attack agents at the table laughed and Amanda continued to smile, her mind was racing with this revelation. A series of images flashed through her head: a secret laboratory... a mysterious crystal... a briefcase of money... a list of names...

That job I took with Lens Pioneers a few years ago... she thought to herself. Could it be...?

----

"Psst!"

Rex stopped. He turned around, but he did not see anyone. Am I hearing voices again? he wondered.

"Over here!"

"Who is it?" asked Rex. He did not recognize the voice, but it sounded gruff and serious.

"You know me! I'm Chompy!"

"Chompy?" repeated Rex. "I can understand you now? Well, I guess it makes sense; now that I am a regular dinosaur, there is no more language barrier between us."

"That is true," Chompy said, "but come over here! I want to talk to you about something."

"But where are you?" asked Rex.

Then, he saw Chompy's head briefly poke out from a nearby alleyway. Evidently, the Alpha Team T-Rex was quite used to hiding and being stealthy, which served him well in surviving the Dino Attack. "Over here! Now, come on, before Frozeen sees us together!"

Rex hesitated. He remembered all too well what happened the last time someone from Alpha Team led him into a dark alley while wanting to kill him. "If Frozeen doesn't want you near me," said Rex, "then why should I go with you?"

"Look," growled Chompy, "I owe you an explanation for my earlier behavior. This is too important for us to ignore. I just want to talk, that's all. I promise."

Rex cautiously followed Chompy down the alley, but he stayed alert just in case Chompy tried to lash out at him again. At the very least, Chompy seemed a lot calmer now than he did before. "Okay, what is it you want to tell me?" Rex asked.

"I need to tell you… about my family," Chompy replied. "When I was born many moons ago, I hatched with my brothers and sisters. I knew each of them by sight and smell; we did not need names. Then, Ogel invented the Ice Orbs and sent his Ice Drones all over the world. Including our home, Adventurers' Island. Alpha Team came to save us. Among these agents were Subzero, Databoard, Kotua, and Frozeen. My siblings and I were trapped, frozen in an ice block. Frozeen saved us with his Magma Drill, but one of my brothers did not make it. He succumbed to the cold. After Alpha Team chased off the last of the Drones on Adventurers' Island, Frozeen adopted me and brought me off the island, away from my family."

"Sounds like you had a tough childhood," Rex murmured. "So, why are you telling me this?"

Chompy gave Rex a long, hard look. "When I saw you back at Dino Attack Headquarters, cured from your mutation, I found you strangely familiar," Chompy explained. "There was something about your scent that I could not pick up before while you were a mutant. Then, it hit me."

"I'm one of your siblings?" guessed Rex.

Chompy shook his head. "Not just one of my siblings. I'm suspecting that my older brother, the one who I thought had frozen to death... did not die after all. Now, I believe that he survived. And I think... you are that brother, Rex."

Rex stared at Chompy. "So, let me get this straight," he said after a while. "I'm your brother, I died about six years ago, but I really didn't die, because I'm alive, and somehow I was captured by whoever is responsible for these Mutant Dinos, and then I was mutated, and now that I'm unmutated you tell me this?"

"I didn't know it before because I thought you were dead," replied Chompy. "What I'm guessing is that you were only unconscious, not dead, and you woke up sometime after I left with Frozeen. But because I never returned home to Adventurers' Island, I never knew. But now, seeing you… smelling your scent… it has stirred up such memories and emotions that I know in my heart that it must be true."

"And... why are you telling me this?" inquired Rex.

Chompy sighed, turned away, and answered, "So that you'll know why... why we may try to kill each other."

----

Databoard, Hawk, and Stealth rushed down a corridor. Suddenly, a Shadows squadron spotted them and gave chase. The three agents rushed through a door, and Databoard used his lasers to weld it shut.

Databoard turned around and spotted tons of machinery. "We must be in the engine room," Stealth muttered. Suddenly, the door exploded, and Shadows poured through the smoke into the room. The Dino Attack agents took cover as the soldiers began firing their lasers...

The fight between the Dino Attack agents and the Shadows raged on, with bits of machinery being destroyed by stray lasers. Databoard fired repeatedly at the soldiers, who ducked out of the way, and at some machinery behind him. As sparks started to fly, the soldiers rushed out of the room.

"Okay, so now we get going," Hawk said.

But Databoard, his human mind regaining control, looked at the sparking machine, and then the rest of the room. "We have to get to one of the hangars, now!" he said.

"Why?" Stealth asked.

"That machine is directly below the main fuel line. When it explodes, the fire will be funneled directly into the engines. We have to get out of here before this entire ship blows up."

Databoard reached the bridge, largely abandoned due to the evacuation of the ship. Databoard sat at the controls and started to engage the engine. It was hard, as the damage to the ship and time spent underwater had made it less then flyable. The ship was hardly able to stay in one piece as it started falling towards the surface.

----

"You mean... why you will try to kill me?" said Rex. He remembered that momentary flash of wanting to kill Chompy, but he tried to suppress that feeling and hoped that Chompy had not noticed.

"And... you will try to kill me," grunted Chompy, reinforcing his earlier statement.

"But... why?" asked Rex.

"If my theory is correct and we are indeed brothers, it may put us both in danger," Chompy said quietly.

"And why is that?" inquired Rex. "Why would brothers want to kill each other?"

"When humans are siblings, they argue a lot about petty things," Chompy explained. "It's only natural. But they don't want to kill each other. For T-Rexes, it's... different. Petty disputes may make us want to tear each other apart. And more serious arguments… lead to bloodbaths."

When Rex didn't reply or ask anything, Chompy continued, "It just so happens that my older brother and I have a… strong sibling rivalry. He… took something from me, something very important, something that really should have belonged to me if only he was not my elder. And if you are indeed my older brother... then you must be careful that I don't end up picking my teeth with your bones... and I must be careful, too."

Rex was silent for a moment as Chompy's words sank in. Whatever happiness or joy he might have felt at learning that finally had a family had been soured by the revelation that his own brother wanted to kill him for something he could not even remember. Finally, he said, "Well, then, Frozeen was right. I have to stay away from you. We can't be near each other!" He turned and started to leave the alley before things could turn violent.

"Wait!" Chompy insisted. "I can never forgive you for what you took… it is not in my nature to do so… but now is not the time to hold grudges. Instead, I came looking for you because… I think I can help you on your mission."

Rex stopped and turned around. "Help me?" he repeated. "Specs thought that we could finally end the Mutant Dino threat by striking at whoever created them, and he wants me to go on this mission because I am the only former Mutant T-Rex they have... No offense, Chompy, but how can you help me? How can you help me find something I cannot even remember?"

Chompy let out a low growl. "Because... when we saw each other in Dino Attack Headquarters, and I tried to attack you… I could see it in your eyes, even for only a second… you remembered. You remembered who you are, you remembered me, and you remembered our sibling rivalry. And maybe… maybe… I can continue to help you remember."

Rex chuckled humorlessly. "Assuming we don't kill each other first."

----

Hawk and Stealth reached the hangar and got into a nearby transport. As they left, they were shocked to discover unconscious Dino Attack agents inside. It reached the shore, and the agents got out.

Suddenly, several Mutant Lizards charged out, and the transport was ripped apart as a Dino Attack agent transformed into a Mutant T-Rex. "What's happening?" Stealth asked.

"This must be like what happened with Databoard, only more severe," Hawk replied.

Hawk and Stealth fired lasers set on stun, but it did not appear to affect the Mutant Lizards. Suddenly, one of the Mutant Lizards' eyes glowed green and shot twin beams of light that struck Stealth. "Mutant Lizards aren't supposed to do that!" Hawk exclaimed.

"It must just be only the ones transformed by that machine," suggested Stealth. Then, she started to transform into a Mutant Lizard as well.

"Not good," Hawk said as Stealth attacked.

*****

The Shadows transports reached the surface, only to be surrounded by Dino Attack agents and police. "Give up, it's over!" one of the police officers shouted to the transports.

To the shock of the agents, the lead Shadows agent stepped from his transport with his hands up. "You think this is over?" he said with a grin. "No, it's not over. The Shadows may be dead, but their final blow to Dino Attack will last much longer."

Suddenly, several Dino Attack agents started to transform into Mutant Dinosaurs. They attacked the group, but were scared off by several laser shots.

"It's a wonderful plan, isn't it?" the lead Shadows agent said. "When Dino Attack can't tell friend from foe, how can they succeed?"

----

"What are they doing?" Brickster asked, hiding behind a ruined pizzeria.

"Well," Sam Sinister replied, "Vladek and his Shadow Knights are looking throughout the pizzeria for the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza that you demanded to have due to the fact we're hiding inside a pizzeria!"

"No, not them!" Brickster said, shaking his head. "I mean those two dinosaurs over there!" He pointed outside the pizzeria at two non-mutated T-Rexes. One was speaking English, the other grunts and growls.

"They're having a conversation, of course!" Sam Sinister replied, rolling his eyes. Ask a stupid question, get a stupid answer, he thought.

"What are they saying?" asked Brickster.

"Well, the one speaking English is saying something about a subway system for some reason, but I do not understand what the other is saying."

The Brickster raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean, you don't know? I thought you were the expert on dinosaurs!"

"I am the expert at hunting dinosaurs, not chatting with them!" snapped Sinister.

"Um, Brickster?" Vladek said, interrupting their conversation.

"Yes, Vladek?" Brickster asked.

"One super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza, as ordered," Vladek replied, holding out a pizza. "Unfortunately, tis not super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot, because thee doth not haveth the oven to maketh it super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot, so thou must hath the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza minus the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot part. And please, doth not maketh thee say 'super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot' again!"

"Okay, okay! I'll have it cold!" muttered Brickster, grabbing the not-so-super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza. "Now, where were we?"

"Well, now it seems the two T-Rexes have walked off in the time that it took Vladek to say 'super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot' that many times," Sam Sinister replied.

"Don't just stand there, let's follow them!" declared Brickster.

----

The T-1 Typhoon launched off on a course straight after Sting. Once he was captured, they would start Operation Exterminate. Dinosaurs would be placed in the stasis compartments, studied, and then, if they could not be un-mutated, they would be eradicated.

Magma pressed switches, activating the main map device. It showed a map of the world, red indicators indicating Dino locations, yellow indicators indicating freed dinos, orange indicators indicating villains, and blue indicators indicating Dino Attack units. "Hmm, what's this..." Magma murmured. "It looks like-"

Just then, twenty Pteranodons flew up and fired straight at the vehicle. The pilot quickly tried to maneuver fast, out of the way of the lightning, but the T-1 Typhoon was damaged.

"Sir, we have a Raptor nest entrance spotted!" shouted a Dino Attack agent.

"Good. Shark, you have command. Wipe them out," Magma replied.

Shark glanced at him, then nodded understanding. Magma had business of his of his own with the Dinos. "All guns, fire!" he shouted. Blazing lasers flew across the central viewing screen and slammed into the nest. Missiles were launched leaving trails of sparks, hitting the area and collapsing it. Smaller, anti-Dino turrets whirred, sending thin lasers at the Dinos.

Magma's voice came through: "Land vessel. Squad One, meet me in the hangar."

Magma opened the hangar doors in his Urban Avenger. Behind him, two Iron Predators were escorted by Fire Hammers and Street Sprinters. He was leading about six Urban Avengers. Their job was to eradicate on foot, while Shark and the T-1 Typhoon eradicated in the sky.

Five T-Rexes and twenty Lizards advanced on the task force. "Fire at will!" bellowed Magma. The two Iron Predators knocked out the T-Rexes, and the Urban Avengers dogfought with the Lizards, assisted by Street Sprinters. The Fire Hammers were helping against the T-Rexes, and soon all were down, but then a flight of Pteranodons flew overhead, and they redirected their fire against them.

Magma fired his Sonic Screamer, followed by ten other Sonic Screamers, smashing the Pteranodons out of the sky. The Dinos had been defeated, but there were thousands of others in the world to be defeated yet. Where they were, Magma would go. And where he went, his crew would go.

The T-1 Typhoon hung in the sky, firing torpedoes. One high-powered one slammed into the nest, erupting it in fire. Lasers drilled into the nest. One last high-powered torpedo obliterated all traces of the nest.

Magma tracked a Dino nest near a mining plant. Great, he grumbled, industrial warehouses again, I bet. "All units, Dinos spotted near the mines and refineries at the end of the city. Proceed there immediately."

Shark looked worried as he heard the commands. He quickly hid his expression, but he was still worried. Magma had abandoned Sting, it seemed. Perhaps he was dealing with other things, or perhaps he knew something Shark didn't. He swore to himself he would find out why and heal Sting, when the time came.

----

Lion carried the Sonic Screamer that Specs had given him over to his new Urban Avenger and fixed it on top. He was about to go on his first mission. He jumped in and drove off, but he spotted two Mutant Lizards.

Lion knocked out one of the Mutant Lizards with the Sonic Screamer, but the other Lizard advanced.

----

Databoard rushed off the bridge and reached the room with the machine. He ripped it from the ceiling and carried it down to the hangar. He spotted an abandoned jet and climbed inside. He sped away, just as the airship exploded behind him. The jet was hit by the shockwave, and Databoard was unable to keep it under control. The plane spun out of control, diving head on into the harbor outside LEGO City.

Databoard smashed the glass and grabbed the machine. He swam towards the surface and reached a beach. He then saw a Dino Attack agent transform into a Mutant Dino and attack his fellow agents.

Databoard then turned towards the machine. If it could turn people into Mutant Dinos, it could reverse it as well. It would only affect those transformed by it, so it wouldn't stop all Mutants. However, it might turn him back into a normal human again.

Databoard hurried to rework the device. It was hard, as his dino side made it harder to concentrate. He tried to activate it, but all that happened was smoke poured out of it. He shut it off and began to try again.

*****

Hawk rushed down the street, chased by the transformed Stealth. He didn't know what to do; he didn't want to shoot at a fellow agent. Unfortunately, Stealth had other ideas, as beams of green light shot by. Hawk was hardly able to dodge all the beams, and he knew he couldn't keep this up.

Hawk found himself in the outskirts of LEGO City, the path blocked by a ruined bridge. Stealth was right behind him, and Hawk knew he was out of options. He aimed his laser, but Stealth jumped, knocking him to the ground. Hawk aimed his laser and shot the damaged bridge, causing it to collapse and send the two plunging into the river.

*****

Databoard continued to work on the machine, trying to get it to work right. He had tried everything else, so either this worked or nothing did. He engaged the device, which started to hum as it charged up...

A beam of green light shot up from the machine, casting a strange glow over the city. A few moments later, the beam sent off a shockwave of energy, and the Dino Attack agents mutated by the Shadows went back to normal.

But Databoard was still part-Mutant Lizard. His dinosaur side taking over, he ripped at the machine with his claws in rage. After the machine was a pile of shredded metal in the street, Databoard rushed off into the streets, smashing through anything in his way.

*****

Hawk climbed out of the river, brushing mud off his uniform. He didn't know if the shockwave had affected Stealth, as the energy wave had nearly dissipated by then. He took out his laser, hoped it wasn't too waterlogged to work, and headed into the city to find an agent who could take him to Dino Attack HQ.

As he walked, he never noticed a clawed hand reach from the water, and a dark shape move away from the city...

----

Magma gave the order to move in on wheels, followed by a tactical air strike. The Urban Avengers parked themselves around the entrances of the refineries. Fire Hammers and the Iron Predators aimed their weapons into the mine shafts, and the Street Sprinters spread out, gathering information.

Then, Magma sent the signal. Green lights glowed onboard the airship, sending high-powered lasers blowing off the roof of the refinery. Torpedoes flew down into the mines, and anti-Dino turrets were ready to engage.

Magma armed a grenade, and threw it from the cockpit of his Urban Avenger. It latched onto a Dino, and stunned it long enough for a rope from the airship above to reel it in. "All forces, tactics change. Capture half of the Dinos for experiments to un-mutate. Continue standard tactics with the rest," he spoke into a radio connected to all Dino Attack forces nearby.

----

Databoard charged down the street, sending a traffic light crashing to the ground with his claws. His human side was virtually gone, as he had given in completely to the rage of a Mutant Lizard.

He spotted a Fire Hammer firing at some Mutant Lizards. As if it were more possible, more rage built up in him. After all, they had tried to return him to normal, as had his human side. Databoard leapt at the Fire Hammer, grabbing onto the back. He attacked the launcher, ripping bits of machinery off as it fired. The agent driving swerved back and forth in an attempt to knock Databoard off, but he dug his claws into the side of the vehicle and refused to let go.

Suddenly, the vehicle spun out of control and crashed. Databoard pushed away some debris, and saw the agent climbing out of the wreck. He moved towards him, but suddenly felt the impact of a laser set on stun.

Standing over him was Hawk, laser pointed at Databoard. He fired several more times until Databoard was fully stunned. "Call HQ, tell them to send in a T-1," Hawk said. "And some guards as well. We don't know what will happen if he wakes up."

----

The T-1 Typhoon slowly released its landing gear, as small wheels came out of the helicopter, and softened the landing. As it touched land, the Dino Attack troopers poured out of it, and headed for a building.

As they reached the front doors, they stood by the walls. One of the troopers walked towards the door, and in one swift motion, opened the door, and threw a grenade.

BOOM!

"Go, go, go!" shouted Lieutenant Harrow, motioning for the troopers to head inside.

The troopers entered, weapons drawn and loaded. Inside the building, a maze of pipes and catwalks littered the entire structure. A few of the pipes were leaking, and some were spewing hot vapor. Harrow groaned. The hot vapor rendered the Dino Attack troopers' Heat-Vision Goggles useless.

"Alright men, listen up!" shouted Harrow. "We don't have much time. Agent Kotua specified there was a Raptors Gang nest below here, commanded by the so-called Lizard-Man. He also said that the Mutant Dinos here were far smarter than any of the other Mutant Dinos outside. These can handle weapons, and have good aiming..."

"Lt. Harrow... you're kidding, right?" said one of the troopers, trying hard to contain his laughter.

The Lieutenant's face was that of pure seriousness. "No, I am not," said Lt. Harrow.

----

Databoard awoke to find himself tied down to some kind of table. Had there been any of his old self left, he would have no doubt recognized it as the Dino Attack lab. He struggled to free himself, with little success. He roared in anger, struggling in vain to escape.

Hawk watched Databoard from behind several inches of some of the strongest glass on the planet. "How did this happen?" he muttered.

"Well, it appears his brain is both his own, and that of a Mutant Lizard," Doctor Naomi Hale said as she walked up. "They've both been fighting for control, and it appears the mutant side has taken control completely."

"Is there any way to reverse this?" Hawk asked.

"I don't know. His half-mutant nature makes him resistant to the device apparently used to reverse the Shadows' plot," Hale replied. "Unless we think of something soon, I don't see how Databoard will ever be normal again."

"You said his brain has been taken over by his Mutant Dino side, right?" Hawk asked.

"Yes," Hale replied.

"In that case, I think I might have a plan," Hawk said, and then explained his idea.

"That might work, but I'm not entirely certain," Hale said.

"Well, it's the only plan we have," Hawk replied.

Databoard had been slowly working on freeing himself when the door opened and Hawk entered. Databoard growled angrily at him in the Mutant Dinosaur language, and he used his claws to break free of the restraints. Hawk fired a stun laser as the mutant agent leapt at him, sending Databoard crashing to the ground. A few more shots rendered him unconscious, and Hawk rushed from the room to get the equipment needed for his plan.

----

"It's time for the final battle between ShadowTech, the Mutant Dinos, and Dino Attack," proclaimed Cane. "Now, my troops, prepare for combat!"

"YES SIR!" the ShadowTech soldiers said in unison. They immediately dispersed to prepare for battle.

None of them noticed that one soldier among their ranks was actually Slash in disguise. It was a good thing that I found this spare soldier getup, he thought, reminiscing back upon his escape.

*****

"Hey you," Slash said to the guard outside his cell.

"Yes?" the ShadowTech guard said. Slash grabbed the guard by the neck and pulled him in, with the hapless guard shrieking, "EEK!" The following scene has been redacted from all historical databases due to excess violence and clothes-swapping.

Slash walked out of the high-security prison, dressed up as a ShadowTech guard. "Thanks for the new duds," he said.

"No problem," muttered the guard, who was now locked inside the cell.

*****

Slash's mind snapped back to the present as he boarded a ShadowTech helicopter. "Getting out of jail was easy," he said to himself. "Now, to find Kotua."

The ShadowTech helicopters flew in a V-formation as they headed towards the nest. Below, black Iron Predators rolled along with more troops.

Slash activated P-Harpuia's homing chip. "Hmm. A dino's nest, eh? Sounds like a party that I didn't get invited to!" With that, he took off in flight, going towards the nest.

Slash flew the ShadowTech helicopter towards Dino Attack Headquarters. A Dino Attack guard looked up and reported, "A ShadowTech chopper has just entered the air."

"This is Agent S047," Slash said quickly.

His commander responded, "Slash? You mind telling me what the heck you are doing in that thing?"

"I tell ya later," promised Slash. "Just give me a mission brief."

*****

Cane read the data on the monitor. "It seems we have a renegade helicopter," he observed. "That, and the fact that Slash escaped, means that he went back to Dino Attack HQ."

The newly-promoted Lieutenant Axey grimaced. "Should I recapture my brother?" he asked.

"No," ordered Cane. "Just focus on the upcoming battle."

"Yes sir," said Lt. Axey, who then logged out.

----

Lt. Harrow quickly wiped the sweat from his face. He had split up the troopers into two teams of five. The other team, led by Private Doll, had headed on the catwalks above. Harrow's team was taking the ground route. The hot steam kept them alert, as they knew they couldn't just observe with their eyes.

"Halt!" said Lt. Harrow in a voice that was soft, yet still loud enough for the four soldiers to hear.

The Dino Attack soldiers stopped and observed. There wasn't much to see, but there was plenty to hear. Footsteps could be heard above, and it did not sound like that of any human walking.

"Mutant freaks, always so noisy," muttered one soldier.

"I thought you said they were smart," grumbled another one, who was aiming his rifle in the direction he thought he heard it come from.

Lt. Harrow looked around. He knew something was wrong. His bright orange eyes spotted a Mutant Raptor slowly walking towards them, clutching a strange device. The device looked fluid, in a sense it could be called artistic. Slowly, Harrow raised his rifle and aimed. Before the Raptor got into range to see clearly, Harrow had fired three shots. The creature slumped to the ground.

"Follow me!" said Lt. Harrow, running towards the fallen Mutant Raptor.

The soldiers followed the lieutenant, obviously puzzled as to why they were headed into a pitch-black corridor.

----

Databoard slowly woke up and noticed two Dino Attack agents keeping their lasers aimed at him. "What's going on?" Databoard said as he struggled to free himself, as he was still restrained in the off-chance he was still completely Mutant Dino.

"Your Mutant Dino side took over, and you attacked an agent," Hawk said. "We used the Shadows' machine on you."

"But I'm still-" Databoard started to say, but Hawk interrupted him.

"The partial transformation rendered the device's transformative effects useless," Hawk explained. "But because your Mutant Dino side took over, we were able to use it on your brain and restore you to normal."

"Great," Databoard said, and then he glanced down at the restraints. "Care to get me out of this?"

"We were able to restore most of your brain to normal, but there's still a chance that your Mutant Dino side could return," the scientist said. "So, I'd suggest trying to keep your anger under control."

"I'll keep that in mind," Databoard replied. He might look like a half-Mutant Dinosaur now, but he was still a full-time Dino Attack agent, and he was ready to get back to doing his job. He climbed into his T-1 Typhoon and sped off to find some Mutant Dinos.

----

Rex and Chompy stopped before a staircase in LEGO City, leading down beneath the pavement. "This is it, Chompy," Rex said. "That leads to the subway station, and the tunnel system beyond. Several months ago, I had seen many Mutant Dinos leaving the station without ever seeing them enter. I never had a chance to investigate this lead before, since I was too busy trying not to get killed by Kotua."

"Then we can investigate it now," grunted Chompy. "With any luck, we are on the right track. Let me know if you start remembering anything else."

Rex glanced at his stern, serious brother who was clearly trying his best to remain aloof and emotionless while they worked together. "What did I take from you?" Rex inquired.

Chompy was silent for a moment, and then tersely stated, "It does not matter anymore."

"Clearly, it does," retorted Rex. "If we are willing to kill each other over it, then I should know what is so important that-"

"I said it does not matter!" snapped Chompy. He roared furiously at Rex, who responded out of sheer instinct by baring his teeth and snarling. The two T-Rexes fiercely locked eyes with one another and growled, each one resisting the compelling urge to lash out violently.

Taking deep breaths to calm down and regain his composure, Rex nodded. "Fine. You're right; it's not important right now. Let's get going before-"

He never completed his statement. As the two T-Rexes began to walk down the staircase leading to the subway station, something immediately jumped out towards Rex!

Rex found himself tackled to the ground by a Mutant Raptor. An ordinary Raptor would never be able to take on a T-Rex on its own, but the Mutant Raptor was nearly as large as a full-grown natural T-Rex such as Rex or Chompy, combined with a leaner build that favored speed over bulk. Rex quickly realized that this would not be an easy fight.

The mutant creature roared and slashed at Rex with its claws. Rex responded by biting, attempting to clamp his mighty jaws down on his opponent's neck. The Mutant Raptor drew its foot back and sliced across Rex's stomach with its sickle-like toe claw. Rex let out a cry of pain.

Chompy reacted quickly. He lowered his head, charged, and knocked the raptor off of Rex with the full force of his body. The Mutant Raptor collided with a wall, then fell to the ground. It staggered to its feet and gave a loud bellow. But rather than continue the fight, the mutant ran up the staircase, towards the surface.

Chompy helped Rex back to his feet. "What did the raptor just say?" asked Chompy.

"I cannot understand Mutant Dino as fluently as I once did," Rex replied, "but I can roughly translate it. I think the raptor was warning us. It was saying something along the lines of, 'Beware. Leave this place.'"

Chompy cocked his head curiously. "That attack was… a warning?"

Rex nodded grimly and said, "Yeah, or something kind of like that. Whatever happened down here… it was bad enough to scare a Mutant Raptor. That's pretty bad."

Chompy looked down into the dark subway station. "Then the raptor may just be more proof towards your theory that we may be heading towards origin of the Dino Attack. I think that raptor was warning us not to enter, fearing that we may end up mutated as well."

Rex glanced back towards the surface, where the Mutant Raptor had gone. "I've been mutated before. If that's the worst that will happen, I can take it. Come on, let's get going."

----

Databoard flew over the city, searching for Mutant Dinos. It wasn't long before he heard the sound of weapons being fired. He immediately picked up a group of Dino Attack vehicles holding off a group of Mutants on his scanner. He sped forward, coming up behind the attacking dinosaurs. He then rushed forward, firing all of the T-1 Typhoon's weaponry.

"What was that?"
"Where did that come from?"
"Run!"
"Hide!"

Databoard looked around, thinking the agents were shouting about more Mutants, but saw none. The agents looked the opposite of panicked; they were using his attack to force the startled Mutant Dinos back.

"Attack!"

Moments later, the T-1 typhoon was battered by bolts of electricity. Databoard barely got the helicopter out of the way before a swarm of Mutant Pteranodons sped by. Then Databoard realized something: he wasn't hearing the agents.

He was hearing the Mutants.

Databoard aimed the T-1 Typhoon weapons at the Pteranodons, opening fire. They quickly retreated, their terrified shouts heard by Databoard's mutant-enhanced hearing.

He realized something. If he could understand the Mutant Dinos, they could understand him. If that was true, he could possibly use this to get information on the Mutant Dinos.

Databoard landed the T-1 Typhoon inside a ruined building and headed outside. He activated his camouflage and charged up a laser to stun setting. He moved through the ruined streets, looking for Mutant Dinos. He found plenty, but most of them were too dangerous to risk capturing with only a stun laser and the hope that this plan could work.

He spotted a Mutant Raptor, moving through the city hunting for prey. Suddenly it stopped, and Databoard realized it heard him moving, and readied the stun laser. He began to speak in the Mutant Dinosaur language: "Stop. You don't want to hurt me."

The Mutant Raptor looked confused, and looked around towards the sound of his voice.

"Come towards my voice."

It started to move towards Databoard, and he fired several shots from the laser. Brilliant flashes of light materialized from the camouflaged laser - only to impact harmlessly against its force field.

Databoard ran but realized, with the Raptor's enhanced sight, it was able to pick up his movements, as the camouflage couldn't conceal him perfectly. He ran for his life, firing his laser again and again. He hid in a ruined building, and the Raptor started to circle it. Databoard tried not to move, and kept his laser ready.

Obviously, he needed more practice.

Databoard had been hiding for several hours, until the Mutant Raptor finally left. He then moved out of the ruined building, being careful to make sure he wasn't spotted. He didn't know if he could get this plan to work, so he shouldn't take too many risks with another encounter.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 5, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 3: The Dino Island Laboratory

Chapter 21: The Reunion

----

Darkness. Darkness everywhere.

That's what Rex and Chompy found upon entering the subway station. With the power having gone out months ago, there was nothing to illuminate the underground station. Rex quickly realized that the natural sight of a T-Rex was not enough to see in the pitch-black darkness. He could not even see Chompy standing next to him.

"How will we be able to find our way around in this darkness, Chompy?"

"We may have to wait for our eyes to adjust."

"By then, we'll probably already be ambushed by a Mutant Dino!"

"Keep your guard up and stay alert, then."

"I could run back up to the surface and get a flashlight...?"

"No. If we carry around a light source, we'll be attacked for sure."

"ACK!"

"What is it, Rex?"

"I felt something… brush against me!"

"... That was my tail."

"... Oh."

"No, wait, I just felt something brush against me, too."

"Shh!"

"What?"

"I hear something..."

"Yeah... I hear footsteps!"

"Show yourself!" demanded Rex.

Suddenly, the darkness gave way to red light in one corner of the station. Fire! Rex and Chompy instinctively winced at the sudden flash of light, but they forced themselves to look at the fire. Behind the flames, they saw a red-orange Mutant Lizard: the fire-breathing breed.

The Lizard raised its head and gave a long screech. All around the two T-Rexes, they heard scampering footsteps. Rex spun around and saw dozens of white eyes staring at him. "We're surrounded by Mutant Lizards!" he cried.

*****

Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek watched Rex and Chompy descend into the subway station. "Aha!" Sinister declared. "They're entering the subway system!"

"Yea," Vladek muttered, rolling his eyes. "Thanketh thou for pointing out the ever-obvious."

Sinister ignored the dark knight. "Now, we follow them and see what they're up to!" he said, and then he handed Sonic Screamers to Brickster and Vladek. "Here, take these. I stole these from Dino Attack; they should help if we run into any Mutant Dino. Of course, with any luck, we won't encounter any mutants…"

An angry roar emerged from the subway system, followed by a limping Mutant Raptor.

"Wow, you're good," the Brickster said, grinning. "Now, next time, say 'With any luck, the Brickster won't win a million studs!'" The three villains shot at the Mutant Raptor. The Raptor responded with its force field, protecting itself from their attacks. Its eyes fixed upon the villains who dared to attack it. It snarled, then leapt for Vladek.

Behind the raptor, several Mutant Lizards ran down into the subway station, responding to a shrill shriek of another Mutant Lizard.

Vladek ran for his life, but the Mutant Raptor was faster. In a few bounds, its nostrils were just touching Vladek's black armor. He fired another Sonic Screamer shot at the Raptor. It activated its shield again, but stopped running.

Interesting, Vladek thought, it seems the Mutant Raptors cannot run and shield itself at the same time. He used this to his advantage, firing multiple shots at the Mutant Raptor, forcing it to stop and use its shield. At last, Vladek ducked under a manhole and hid.

"On second thought," Brickster said to Sam Sinister, "perhaps we shouldn't follow those two T-Rexes."

"No!" insisted Sam Sinister. "We'll... err, just use a different subway entrance. Yes, that will work."

Two blocks down, Brickster and Sam Sinister found another subway station. "There," Sinister said triumphantly. "See? Not too hard."

"What if there are more Mutant Dinos in this station?" asked Brickster.

"Allow me to check," replied Sinister. He pulled out his pistol and fired into the station. The loud gunshot echoed and echoed and echoed, but there was no other sound. He smiled in satisfaction. "Nothing to worry about."

Brickster nodded and said, "Okay." He took one step into the subway station staircase.

One step later, a shrill cry came from the tunnel, followed by twin bolts of lightning. The next thing Brickster knew, it felt as if a thousand red-hot needles were piercing him. The lightning was immediately followed by a Mutant Pteranodon.

Brickster glared furiously at Sam Sinister. "Remind me again why I followed you here?" he muttered.

Sam Sinister reacted quickly to the attack, pulling out his Sonic Screamer. He shot at the Mutant Pteranodon emerging from the subway tunnel. The Mutant Pteranodon gave a shrill cry and fell back down into the subway station. The Lord von Barron helped Brickster to his feet, then they ran inside the station.

----

Databoard ran towards his T-1 Typhoon, the Mutant Lizards in close pursuit. Databoard activated his camouflage, hoping the Mutant Lizards wouldn't find him. It almost worked, and Databoard was near his vehicle, when he tripped over a piece of rubble. The Mutants turned towards the noise and charged.

Databoard abandoned his camouflage and charged towards the T-1 Typhoon. He rushed to the controls and took off, flying out of the ruined building. A few Mutants tried to cling to the sides, but could not hold on for long and plunged to the ground below. Databoard flew towards HQ at full speed. Clearly, he'd need more practice with this before he tried it again.

Databoard flew over the city, headed back to Dino Attack HQ. After scanning the T-1 Typhoon to make sure none of the Mutants had clung onto his vehicle, he decided he wasn't ready to test his theory. However, this newfound ability to understand the Mutant Dinos could prove useful in the future.

Suddenly, the radio activated. "Agent Databoard, please return to base," a voice said. "We have a new mission for you."

----

Vladek climbed out of the manhole, hoping that the Raptor was gone. He looked around, certain that there were no Dinos in sight… not realizing that the Mutant Raptor was standing right behind him. He didn't notice, not until a drop of the dinosaur's saliva dripped on his helmet. Vladek looked up and saw the Mutant Raptor's head, shouted an expletive, then ran for his life once again.

Vladek shot at the Raptor with his Sonic Screamer, attempting to stop it from chasing him. This bought him just enough time. As soon as Vladek found an abandoned car, he hopped into it and shut the door. Gasping for breath, he waited for the Raptor. But the Raptor didn't come.

He opened the door and looked back in the direction he came. No Raptor in sight. "Thy hath outwitted thy enemy!" the dark knight said to himself, smiling. He closed the door.

Suddenly, the arm of a Mutant Raptor fell from above and landed on the windshield. The Raptor's blood was smeared over the windshield as well. Vladek screamed in a high-pitched voice, then covered his mouth to stop the scream.

The villain waited, his black heart pounding in his chest. He looked out the side window… and saw a giant eye staring back at him. "T-T-T-Rex!" stammered Vladek, and he dove into the back seats as the Mutant T-Rex roared.

A T-1 Typhoon soared over the sky above Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek. Magma, in the cockpit, grinned. The helicopter's Quintronic Beam Emitters targeted the Raptors and three villains.

"All forces, prepare to engage the enemy," Magma said over the intercom to the other Dino Attack agents. The ship dropped slightly, and the vehicle that was once manufactured to fight dinosaurs was about to be used against the world's most infamous villains.

"Magma, we are attacking. What do we do now?" Shark asked Magma from the weapons control station.

"Bombard the area with several laser and sonic pulses. Take out Dinos and Villains alike. Sting, keep this chopper afloat; I don't want it crashing like last time," he said to the pilot. Sting grinned and pulled the vessel into a turn that, if it had been a little sharper, would have caused everyone to throw up. Shark was relieved that they had managed to find Sting and return him to normal.

The T-Rex attacking Vladek inside the car looked up to see the approaching T-1 Typhoon. It roared angrily and shot twin laser vision beams at the vehicle. Vladek used the dino's distraction to his advantage, slipping out of the car and down another subway tunnel.

----

Pickles looked around Enchanted Island and saw the decimation left behind by the Mutant Dinos. Wow, he thought. This place changed a lot since my last vacation.

Then, a Mutant Dino came out. Pickles realized he was in danger as he had no way of attacking it....

----

Rex and Chompy faced the dozens of Mutant Lizards surrounding them. None attacked, but it was easy to see that they were poised to do so.

Acidic saliva dripped from the jaws of one yellow Lizard, who appeared to be the swarm leader. It spat at Rex, and the acid landed a few inches from his foot. The floor dissolved where the acid hit.

At once, the entire horde of Mutant Lizards went on the offense, attacking with their mutant powers of fire, acid, and darkness combined with their natural claws and teeth. Rex and Chompy tried their best to defend themselves.

Suddenly, one of the Mutant Lizards gave a wild shriek. Immediately, the entire group of Mutant Lizards dispersed, leaving just Rex and Chompy in the subway station.

Rex glanced at Chompy, wide-eyed with fear. "We have to get out of here!" he said.

"Why?" asked Chompy. "What did the Mutant Lizard say?"

Suddenly, a low rumbling noise echoed from one of the subway tunnels, and it was getting louder and louder. But it was not a train pulling into the station… it was a Mutant T-Rex!

"That's what the Lizard said!" Rex replied. The Mutant T-Rex roared angrily and charged at them.

----

Magma headed down towards the Dino Attack hangar, analyzing the situation. They could deploy more T-1 Typhoons, but then they wouldn't have people on the ground. They could deploy Iron Predators, but that would mean less air support. He went with Iron Predators, Fire Hammers, and Urban Avengers, escorted by Steel Sprinters.

Magma went to get into his Urban Avenger, but agent Reggie stopped him. "Sir, this just came in from command. You've been upgraded to Elite Agent, and have been authorized to use Iron Predators."

Magma decided to use the Iron Predator. Elite agents could freely pilot a T-1 Typhoon without needing a commanding officer in their crew, but Magma decided it was time to try something new.

Reggie smiled upon hearing his choice, and said to him, "Need a gunner? I'm qualified for the task."

Magma hesitated. Shark was the best gunner he had seen in a long time, but this agent would do. He nodded, and jumped in the vehicle. Reggie climbed into the weapons pod and Magma flipped a series of switches.

The doors opened below them, and the air balloons attached to the vehicle activated. Their Iron Predator and four Urban Avengers were air-dropped right into the midst of the combat. Magma spotted a Raptor, and locked in on the target. His gunner pulled a trigger, and the missiles launched, smashing into the Raptor.

----

Databoard landed at Dino Attack HQ, where agent Shadow was waiting for him. "So, what made you people decide I was sane enough to go on a mission?" Databoard asked as he got out of the T-1 Typhoon.

"Well, your friend Hawk was fairly persistent," explained Shadow. "But there are a few other factors that make you suited for this mission."

"And they are?" inquired Databoard.

Shadow quickly briefed him. "A team of scientists went missing on Vikings Isle. According to their last transmission, the Mutant Dinos there were acting... more organized than usual."

"And you figured being part-Mutant, I'd be better at understanding what happened," Databoard deduced.

"Well, there's more. Two of the scientists are Jack Harra and Robert Harra."

Databoard paused. "Okay, I'll be ready to leave as soon as possible," he finally said. Shadow nodded, and left. Databoard headed towards his quarters and packed up for the mission.

Slash popped into his room. "So, you are going on another mission, huh?" he asked.

"Yep. I've got to get packed and leave right away," said Databoard, who did not even look up as he continued getting ready.

"Then count me in, too," said Slash.

"What?!" exclaimed Databoard.

Slash grinned and shrugged. "Hey, somebody's got to watch your back! Besides, I ran it by Shadow and he approved of me going."

"Why are you doing this?" asked Databoard.

Slash placed his hand on Databoard's shoulder. "Forgive me for quoting The Matrix, but I feel a certain connection between us. What with you being part-Dino now, and me being the twin brother of a ShadowTech lieutenant. It's like we're both related to Dino Attack's greatest enemies, and yet we're the good guys no matter what. Besides, I have a score to settle on Vikings Isle."

Databoard sighed. "I guess there's no talking you out of it."

"Yep. I already packed," said Slash.

Databoard and Slash headed towards his T-1 Typhoon. Databoard sat down in the pilot's seat, while Slash took the rear gunner's seat. They were heading off, when suddenly the radio came to life. "Agent Databoard, please stand by to land in hangar," came the voice of Hawk.

"Huh?" Databoard said in confusion, when suddenly the Saber decloaked in front of them, its hangar doors opening. Databoard steered the T-1 Typhoon inside, where Hawk was already waiting. Databoard looked around the hangar, which had had extensive repairs after its last mission. "Love what you've done with the place," Databoard muttered.

"The Saber was refitted by Dino Attack's best technicians," Hawk said. "We thought it would be a good test for the modification." He paused, then added: "Come on, did you think you'd fly to Vikings Isle in a T-1? We're flying in style!"

"Just so long as you didn't mess with the cool stuff I've installed on this thing, I'm fine," Databoard replied as they headed to the bridge.

As soon as they reached it, one modification was obvious: a captain's chair in the middle of the room. Databoard sat down in the chair, while Hawk took the pilot's seat, and Slash one of the gunner's seats. "Full power to the engines, prepare to head to Vikings Island," Databoard said. The engines roared to life, and the Saber shot away from LEGO City over the ocean.

*****

"Lt. Axey. You got a call from Cane," a ShadowTech soldier reported.

Axey nodded. He contacted his boss and said, "You rang, sir?"

Cane briefed him on his new mission: "I've received some information that your brother is going to Vikings Isle. I want you to go there and intercept and terminate him and whoever else is with him."

"But how will I get there?" asked Axey.

"We've developed a new type of vehicle that can transverse water. We call it the Aqua Predator. It's a modified Iron Predator that can float and travel on water, but can also be converted for land travel. It's waiting for you in the harbor."

"Understood. Axey out." With that, Axey cut the connection and headed for the harbor.

----

Vladek looked around the subway station. His companions - Sam Sinister and Brickster - were nowhere to be found. "Perhaps thy tooketh the wrong tunnel," he thought aloud. He began to head out onto the surface when he saw the Mutant T-Rex from earlier, waiting for him to come out.

In his shock, Vladek tripped and fell down, back into the subway station. The loud noise coming from his metallic armor hitting the stairs caused the T-Rex to turn its attention towards the tunnel.

Magma pulled a lever, and a rocket flew from the Iron Predator into the distracted Mutant T-Rex. He waved to Reggie, and the weapons pod fired, and a heavy missile slammed into the Dino and sent it flying across, into the wall. Magma gunned the vehicle and looked for any other Dinos.

Vladek stood up, expecting that the Mutant T-Rex would soon run down the staircase and gobble him up. He waited, but nothing came.

Curious, the villain carefully walked out of the subway station and returned to the surface. There, he saw the Mutant T-Rex, lying on the ground. Wondering what could bring this great beast down, Vladek looked around. He spotted an Iron Predator nearby.

"Oh, forsooth," the scorpion knight muttered sarcastically. "Now thy hath Dino Attack after thee as well!"

----

The Saber slowed down as it neared Vikings Isle. "Cloak the ship, land in that ravine," Databoard said to Hawk. The ship vanished from view, and Hawk brought it in for a landing.

"Okay, here's the plan: we head out in the T-1, reach the team's last known location, then land and search for them," Databoard said, addressing the team assembled for the mission. "A few of us will stay behind to guard the T-1. We report back in an hour, then we wait ten minutes in case someone doesn't show up. If necessary, we'll call in the Saber for help."

The team moved down to the hangar and boarded the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard took the pilot's seat, with Slash and Hawk taking the gunner's seats. The helicopter took off, and headed over the island to look for the researchers.

Databoard watched the scanner carefully, looking for any human life signs. So far, all he had seen were the life signs of the monsters that lived on the island, and the occasional Mutant. But he had failed to see any human life signs.

*****

"Approaching Vikings Isle," reported a ShadowTech soldier. "Preparing to dock." Soon, the Aqua Predator landed on the icy shore.

"All of you will stay here and guard the Predator," ordered Lt. Axey. "I'll go it alone from here."

"But Sir-" the soldier started to object.

Axey grabbed the soldier by the throat. "Listen," he growled. "You may be a hired hand, but I'm a mercenary only here because the pay's good and I have a beef with my brother. Got that?"

The choking soldier just barely had enough breath to whisper, "Crystal."

"Good," Axey said, and then he let go of the soldier. "Prepare the Aqua Predator for land travel. I'll call you if I should need you."

----

When Sam Sinister and Brickster entered the subway system, they found themselves in a very damp, very dark, very... dead subway station. The whole place was lit only by a single dim lamp. A bit of prehistoric moss grew on some of the pillars. Other than that, the place was lifeless.

"Now what?" asked Brickster.

"I think the T-Rexes were talking about searching for the source of the Mutant Dinos coming from here," murmured Sinister.

"You think the T-Rexes said that?" snapped Brickster. "Last time you thought something, I got electrocuted!"

Sam Sinister rolled his eyes. "Alright, fine. I know what the T-Rexes were talking about, if you wish to be pedantic!"

Still, the Brickster groaned uneasily. "Great. Just great. Now I'm definitely going to be electrocuted again, without even a comfy chair or lovely matching table to go with it!"

----

They arrived at the scientists' camp and instantly knew something had happened. The camp was devastated, and Mutants had clearly been there. Databoard landed the T-1 Typhoon and the team headed out into the camp.

"Sheesh," murmured Slash, "looks like a twister hit this place."

"Or more likely, the Dinos," said Databoard.

"Or a dragon," suggested Slash. "But I'm placing my money on the mutants."

"Well it looks like they camped in the middle of battle territory," Hawk observed.

Slash groaned. He was already bored. "Come on! I came out on this mission for some action, and what do we find? A whole lot of nothing!" As soon as he said that, he felt warm breath on the back of his neck. "There's a Mutant Dragon Hybrid behind me, isn't there?"

Hawk nodded nervously. "Yep."

Databoard had walked away from Slash and Hawk, looking around the ruined camp. His mutant-enhanced eyesight picked up footprints in the ground, both human and Mutant. To Databoard's surprise, the Mutants seemed to have waited outside the came for several minutes before attacking in a wave across the camp. The humans fled, but it appeared it was for nothing. But at least for sets of footprints lead away from the attack, followed closely by Mutant tracks. This could only mean some of the scientists escaped, but whether or not they were still alive.

Suddenly, he heard noises from Hawk and Slash's direction, and he rushed over to help.

*****

Lt. Axey made his way across Vikings Isle. "Slash's signal should be around here somewhere..." he muttered.

When Axey found the scientist camp, he noticed the Mutant Dragon Hybrid towering over his twin brother. It looked like a bizarre mashup of a Nidhogg Dragon and a Mutant Raptor. "Okay, things have gone from crazy to weird, strange, and crazy. Anyway, I'll just sit this one out and let the dragon do its work. Then I'll finish them off."

Axey activated his cellphone. "Lt. Axey to Base Camp."

He heard a ShadowTech soldier respond: "Base Camp, reading you loud and clear."

"Is the Aqua Predator ready for land travel?" asked Axey.

"Affirmative."

"Good," said Axey. "I'll send you the coordinates to meet up. Axey out."

*****

Databoard saw Slash and Hawk fighting what looked like a mutated dragon with raptor features, like a weird mad science experiment. "Do strange things just follow us around?" Databoard muttered.

Hawk fired his laser until the power cell ran out, and then ducked behind a burnt tent to reload. Databoard rushed towards the controls of the T-1 Typhoon. He took off and flew behind the trees, coming up behind the creature. He hoped Slash and Hawk could keep the creature preoccupied long enough.

The T-1 Typhoon flew low over the trees, weapons locked on target. Green light flashed from the T-1 Typhoon's side guns, scaring off the Nidhogg Raptor.

----

Hammer watched the Mutant Lizards he had been trailing. Three of them, to be exact. He got out his Cosmo Blaster and fired. Ka-Boom! The blast landed in the middle of the group. One was killed, but the other two ran away. "Where did they go?" Hammer said to himself.

Then, out of nowhere, a Mutant Lizard attacked him. With no chance to act, he never could bring out his weapon. He could only do one thing. He picked up the Mutant Lizard and chucked it, but it was coming back for more, so he smashed it with his Cosmo Blaster. It kept coming and he kept hitting it, but he was wearing out.

So, when the Mutant Lizard was about to attack, he jumped and landed on the dino, putting his Cosmo Blaster on the Lizard's head. Boom. Hammer fired the gun, blowing up the dino, but the close-range explosion sent him flying and he landed in some rocks. Then everything went black.

*****

Alpha Mantax hit the ground hard as a Mutant Lizard spat acid at him. He was hiding behind his Fire Hammer.

He had been out patrolling when a small group of Lizards attacked him. He had managed to take out most of them, but this one just kept bugging him.

He lifted his sonic screamer and aimed carefully... ZAP!!! He struck the Lizard head on, and it flew into the wall, stunned. Satisfied, Alpha Mantax hopped back into his Fire Hammer and drove away from the site of his battle against the Mutant Lizards, heading towards Dino Attack Headquarters. He decided to take a long way around, through the back streets, to check if there were any dinos still around.

He was just about to give up and head to base when he saw a human body lying in a pile of rubble and rocks. He pulled over to check it out. He rolled the body over, and found that he was a member of the DINO team, so he carried him to the Fire Hammer.

On the drive home, the person regained consciousness. "Who... who are you...?" he asked.

Alpha Mantax simply replied, "Alpha, you?"

"I… I'm Hammer..."

There was a few minutes' silence, then Alpha Mantax said, "I need a gunner... you in?"

Hammer replied in a whisper: "You... bet!"

----

Rex and Chompy faced the Mutant T-Rex standing before them. Rex attempted to speak to the T-Rex in dino-language. His reply was a great roar from the Mutant T-Rex. Rex looked at Chompy. "Oookaaay," he said, "I guess the T-Rex isn't in the mood for talking now."

"And I'm not in the mood to be his dinner, either!" growled Chompy. "Come on, let's find a way past this thing, whether it's around the T-Rex... or through him." He charged at the Mutant T-Rex, with Rex following close behind.

The Mutant T-Rex roared, and Rex and Chompy could feel its breath and saliva. "Go get yourself a tic tac," Rex muttered as he continued his charge without breaking pace. When it seemed Rex and Chompy would run right into the T-Rex, they maneuvered around the monster and continued running. The Mutant Dino turned, gave another roar, then departed.

At last, the two T-Rexes slowed down and stopped running. "Okay," Chompy said, panting heavily. "What did he just say?"

"He just said, 'You fools!'" replied Rex. "Or something along those lines. I think that, in full, the Mutant T-Rex probably said, 'Don't go there, you fools!'"

"He knows where we're going," Chompy said, nodding. "Apparently, he doesn't want us trespassing."

"No," Rex said, shaking his head. "It's worse. He doesn't want us to end up... like him."

After a bit of walking through the subway tunnel, Rex said to Chompy, "Say, since you knew about this mission, does Frozeen know as well?"

"Yes, he did," replied Chompy. "Why do you ask?"

"Wouldn't he have wanted to come with us?" asked Rex.

*****

Vladek held up a lantern to see in the darkness. He carefully walked around the station, looking for his partners, the two T-Rexes he had seen earlier, or any Mutant Dinos. "Thy hopeth thy find Brickster and Sam Sinister soon," the dark knight of the scorpion muttered, "because this place is creepy."

"Going somewhere?"

Vladek tried to turn to face the one who had said that, but he dropped his lantern. He reached to pick it up, but a familiar person in a G.E. Body picked it up first.

"General Evil?" said Vladek, sighing with relief. "Oh, thou art alright! Thou haveth no idea how relieved thy am to see thou, thy descendant!"

"General Evil?" repeated the figure with the G.E. Body. "Oh, you wish!" That's when Vladek realized his mistake: it was Frozeen, not General Evil.

Vladek tried to run for it, but a metallic insectoid leg tripped him. A large claw picked up the villain, and the scorpion knight found himself staring into the eyes of Libo.

"What do you reckon we do with him?" asked Libo.

"Let's tie him up and take his armor, sword, and shield," suggested Frozeen. "Leave him for the Mutant Dinos. Give him the same chance to escape that he gave PBB."

Libo smirked. "It's a done deal!"

Beads of sweat ran down Vladek's forehead.

----

Databoard landed in the ruined campsite. "We'd better get going," Databoard said. "I saw some prints in the dirt; we might be able to find them."

Hawk, Slash and five other Dino Attack agents journeyed away from the camp, while the remainder stayed behind to guard the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard took out two lasers and aimed them into the darkness and fog ahead of them, ready to fire at anything that came out.

Databoard walked through the woods, following the trail left by the scientists. The footprints had vanished long ago, but he could still see the slashed, splintered, and hacked trees and vegetation the Mutants had torn through in their pursuit. However, or perhaps fortunately, they had not seen any sign of the surviving scientists.

Suddenly, they came out of the forest at the top of a valley. A river snaked its way along the bottom of the valley, with at least one Viking Fortress located near the water. In the river were dozens of swamped and wrecked longboats half-submerged underwater. As they started down into the valley, they noticed something odd: a pile of rocks covering a cave entrance. In the cliff over it was a black scorch mark, no doubt caused by an explosion.

"I think we know where the scientists are," Hawk muttered.

Databoard planted the charge and ran behind a rock for cover. Seconds later, a flash of light and smoke blew away the rubble. "We'd better hurry," Databoard said as they went into the tunnel. "I'd be shocked if every Mutant in this valley didn't know we were here now."

The group made their way into the darkness. Several agents turned on flashlights, making it slightly easier to see. Suddenly, Databoard heard the sound of a gunshot and barely avoided it. The agents aimed their weapons at the attacker, who Databoard realized was Jack Harra. He also realized Jack had his gun aimed at him.

"Okay, whatever you are, don't move!" Jack said. "I'll shoot!"

"Oh, you don't mean that," Databoard said. "Right, Dad?"

----

It was a silent trip. They hadn't talked since Hammer woke up. Hammer was at the guns. He was thinking about whether he could trust this Alpha Mantax. But, his thoughts were cut short by a group of Mutant Lizards led by a Raptor coming towards them.

"Alpha, dinos behind us! Step on it!" Hammer shouted at Alpha Mantax. Hammer fired everything he could at the pack. He was about to have a clean shot at the Raptor when Alpha Mantax did a hard turn left, nearly making him fall off. Hammer grunted at Alpha and began to fire again. He got one of the Mutant Lizards, but they were catching up.

So, Hammer focused on the leader: the Raptor. It was tough, but Hammer had a plan. He was going to shoot the legs of the Raptor so it would fall down and slow the others down. Hammer had to get the legs or they were screwed. Finally, a shot hit one of its legs. The Raptor roared in pain, giving him time to shoot the other leg, and it was a hit. The Raptor went down and Mutant Lizards crashed into it.

Alpha Mantax gunned the Fire Hammer full speed, dead ahead. He decided to take advantage of Hammer's distraction to head back to base.

He turned around the last corner, when he saw a vehicle in flames... then, out of the darkness, emerged a fire-breathing Mutant Lizard as well as an acid-spitting one. Before either Alpha Mantax or Hammer could respond, the latter Lizard spat acid at the Fire Hammer, eating half of the vehicle away.

The sudden surprise was a shock, but luckily for them the guns hadn't been hit, so Hammer fired the guns. But the fire Mutant Lizard was getting ready. Just before Hammer was going to shoot the fire one, the acid Lizard jumped at the wreckage at the front. Without clear sight, Hammer had no chance to hit the fire one, so he tried to get the acid one off.

All of a sudden, the acid one jumped. Hammer knew what was happening. The red Lizard breathed fire, and Hammer jumped off just as the flames hit the Fire Hammer. He landed on the ground with minor damage, but the guns had blown up.

Then, he looked at the wreckage of the other vehicle and ran for it and just made it. Hammer knew what he had to find, but then he realized the acid Lizard was looking for him. Then, he had an idea and jumped on top of the Lizard and kept hitting it with his Cosmo Blaster. The Lizard yelped in pain and it kicked Hammer off.

Hammer had no weapons. Then he saw a Laser Machine Gun lying in the wreckage. He grabbed it and fired at will. The Lizard went mad and fired everywhere. Then, he found what he was looking for his Urban Avenger and hid it behind a rock. He jumped in it and fired at the acid Lizard until it went down.

"Now, to help Alpha," he said as he went back to the wreckage.

----

Jack lowered his gun, a shocked expression on his face. "Dan?" he asked.

"Sorry for not mentioning this, but 'Hey Dad, guess what, I'm a Mutant Lizard freak' makes for an awkward conversation," Databoard replied.

"But, what are you doing with these guys?" Jack asked. "You're a researcher!"

"Not exactly," Databoard replied. "I've been working for multiple secret agencies since the late '90s."

"So, when you went on a research trip to Antarctica in 2004..." Jack started to realize.

"I was working with Alpha Team, saving the world, that kind of stuff. More importantly, where are the other researchers?" asked Databoard.

"They're further in the cave. We're following a tunnel out of here. We heard the explosion and I went down to investigate," explained Jack.

Jack moved down the tunnel, followed by the Dino Attack agents. Databoard stayed towards the rear, lasers aimed behind them. He knew the Mutants would enter the tunnel at any second, so he didn't want to get caught off-guard.

"So, that guy's your dad?" Slash asked as they journeyed through the darkness.

"Yeah. He used to be in the military, so he got a little upset when he found out I was going to become a researcher," Databoard explained. "Kind of ironic, considering the researcher thing was a cover for being a secret agent, not to mention he's working as a researcher now."

Suddenly, Databoard paused, dropping low to the ground. Moments later, he fired his lasers, sending flashes of green at a Mutant Lizard scouting the tunnel.

"We'd better hurry," Slash said. "No doubt there's going to be more of them."

----

Zap was being chased by ten Mutant Lizards down the beaches of LEGO Island. "I wish sunburn was enough to take down those bozos!" yelled Zap. He turned around his Urban Avenger and locked on to three of the Mutant Lizards, then he fired his guns to destroy the creatures. "Three down, seven to go!"

Then suddenly, a Mutant Lizard jumped in front of his Urban avenger, making it crash into the dino. "Crud!" exclaimed Zap. "I'm totally outnumbered! I have to get to the nearest team headquarters!"

Zap decided to turn the tide on those dinos, so he pulled out the cratioblaster from his holster and started blasting the Mutant Dinos. He finally killed them all.

Then, he finally got to the headquarters. "Sectors 1 and 2 are clear from the dinos," Zap said as he reported to officer Flare.

Zap was walking along the beach as the sun was about to set. He heard something... in the water... it sounded like a dino. Then, a Mutant Spinosaurus jumped out of the water! "Dang! Since when could dinos swim?" wondered Zap.

He ran to his Urban Avenger, only to be stopped in his path by a team of Mutant Dinos - but not just a team, hundreds of them.

"This is not good! I am impossibly outnumbered! I better get my mojo moving!" Zap said as he pulled out the cratiomatic blasters from his holsters. "Bye-bye, mutants!!"

Zap started killing the Dinos, but... there was just too many of them. "I blast them and they bite me, either way I am outnumbered," said Zap, as he was running to a place to hide.

"Hah! I know what to do!" Zap said as a lightbulb appeared over his head. Zap built a number of giant sand sculptures, which looked like Dino Attack soldiers. When the Dinos saw these, they ran away from Zap. "Well, well... a little sand can go a long way! Hah!"

----

Databoard rushed down the tunnel, lasers aimed. Soon, Jack had led them to the other researchers, who were hiding in a small cave, a tunnel leading off into the distance.

Robert Harra looked up, and walked over to Databoard. "Hey... uh, little... brother," Robert said, a slight look of surprise on his face.

Suddenly, they heard roaring coming from further down the tunnel. The group headed further down the tunnel, firing lasers behind them.

The group reached the surface, coming out in the forest. The group ran towards the campsite, firing lasers at their pursuers. Databoard turned on his radio. "Get the T-1 ready, we have Mutants on our tail!" he shouted.

"Okay, I-" the agent said over the radio, only to stop. Suddenly, the radio was filled with sound of roaring, followed by several screams. The group soon reached the camp - only to find it swarming with Mutants.

The group charged through the Mutant Dinos, firing their lasers. Defending the researchers from the Mutants, the group headed towards the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard released a bombardment from his lasers at the Mutants before leaping onto the T-1 Typhoon. The Mutant Lizards attempted to dig their claws into the helicopter as they took off, but most fell to earth or were forced off by the agents.

"Contact the Saber, tell them to get ready to leave!" Databoard shouted. Suddenly, bolts of lightning shot past the T-1 Typhoon as Mutant Pteranodon swooped down towards them.

----

Pilot looked at his upgraded Steel Sprinter and smiled. Too bad he couldn't use it. After hours of work, he finally had a decent vehicle. He preferred to be out in the field instead of being stuck inside the base. But here he was, just sitting here without a mission.

Suddenly his commlink beeped. "Pilot, we have a mission for you. There is a small detachment of dinos on the southern end of LEGO Island. We need you to go down and capture them. Do not harm them."

Finally, a mission! Pilot thought to himself as he hopped into his Steel Sprinter and drove away.

----

Spark ran over to his Urban Avenger, and the second he jumped in, he ignited the engine and sped off. He was being pursued by two Mutant Lizards, and he didn't want them to catch him.

"Come on," Spark muttered. He had to reach the base in Vikings Isle. "I thought these Dinos hated the cold."

He took out his cosmotronic pistol and fired at one of the Mutant Lizards. On his radar, he saw the base coming closer, closer...

Made it! Spark thought as he drove in. But those Lizards were still following....

Faster, faster, Spark thought as he drove toward the T-1 Typhoon. He had little gas left, and was already going at 108 MPH.

"Stop!" Spark yelled. Then ran right into the Dinos.

He began to fire his weapon as though he was a madman, clearing the way. But then, as he was about to board, the three Mutant Lizards caught up with him.

Databoard looked down, seeing the Urban Avenger fighting off three Dinos. "Down there!" he said. "One of ours."

The helicopter descended towards Spark and his Urban Avenger.

"Jump!" Spark heard someone say. He did, and grabbed onto a floor, then pulled himself up. "You all right?" Databoard asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Spark said. "By the way, my name's Jake Hunter. A.K.A. Spark."

"Well Jake, you'd better hang on to something." Databoard said as the T-1 pulled away from the ground. "We're in for a bumpy ride!"

Lightning arced past the helicopter, followed shortly by a burst of laser energy from the rear guns. Databoard brought the helicopter down low behind a mountain range, but the Pteranodons continued their pursuit. Slash fired at the Mutants, but they evaded their attacks with ease.

"I got an idea," said Slash. "Somebody take the firing system." He jumped out and landed on one of the Pterosaurs.

"Is he nuts?!" exclaimed Spark.

Databoard rolled his eyes. "Oh, that's nothing. You should see him when he plays Super Smash Figs Melee. We had to go through four GameBricks before he got his new Play-Box."

Slash struggled to stay on the Mutant Pterosaur. "Woah! There boy. I'm your master now!" As the creature seemed to calm down, Slash proudly said, "Looks like I got a new pet."

Suddenly the Mutant made a sudden dive, and Slash was nearly flung off. He clung onto its wing, with nothing else between him and the forest below. Databoard maneuvered the T-1 Typhoon under him, and Slash let go, grabbing onto the tail of the helicopter. Spark took over the rear guns as Slash climbed back into the T-1 Typhoon.

"Okay, what just happened?" Slash asked. "I've never seen a Mutant react like that."

"They're acting differently than most Mutants," Jack replied. "They're acting more like a fighter jet squadron than flying lizards."

"Well, we have some more important issues to deal with right now!" Databoard shouted as a lightning bolt scorched the side of the T-1 Typhoon as it zoomed by.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning struck the propeller, and the T-1 Typhoon started to plunge towards the ground. Databoard managed to pull up, but the helicopter still plunged into the forest.

Databoard climbed out of the shattered cockpit window and watched as the Pteranodons flew into the distance. "Everyone okay?" he asked, and he heard replies as the agents and scientists emerged from the damaged helicopter.

"So, what's the damage?" Spark asked.

"The rotors are fried, and so is the communications equipment," Hawk replied. "Which means there's no way to contact the Saber."

"Well then, we'll need to get to the ship on foot, send someone to get the T-1 later," Databoard said. The group climbed from the wreck, and headed out into the forest.

"Shouldn't we leave someone at the ship?" Spark asked.

"To protect what, may I ask?" said an agent.

"Our supplies," Spark answered, "the small pieces of junk we can use to repair it, and the ship itself. No point in getting stuff to fix it if there's nothing left to fix."

"Good point," Databoard said. "Spark, Hawk, stay here."

They watched as the others walked into the forest.

About half an hour later, Spark noticed a pair of glittering eyes in the wood. They were soon joined by more, and more, and more....

"Hawk," Spark whispered urgently. "There's a bunch of Mutant Lizards and a Raptor out there."

----

Zap was going to the launch pad where the other agents with him were, because his mission at LEGO Island was complete. He was now moving on to his mission at Dinosaur Island.

"So... first, I have a mission of killing hundreds of mutant dinos on an extremely hot beach. Now, I have to go to a place where Dinos are roaming everywhere. Isn't life just great?" Zap said as he got into the passenger seat of the T-1 Typhoon.

"I'm lucky I'm just a pilot," said the pilot of the T-1 Typhoon as it flew off to Dinosaur Island. "Coincidentally, my codename is also Lucky."

The T-1 Typhoon landed safely in the forest of Dinosaur Island, but suddenly, it was surrounded by hundreds of T-Rexes. "Oh, this is just great!" Zap said sarcastically. The T-1 Typhoon deployed an Urban Avenger from the bottom of it, with Zap in the driver seat.

"I'll be back with agent Raptor Dude and agent Mega!" yelled Lucky, as he flew away in the T-1 Typhoon.

"Well, I've never dealt with THIS many T-Rexes before!" Zap said as he charged through the army of Tyrannosaurus. Then he started shooting the T-Rexes with the missile launcher on his Urban Avenger. "Heh! Take that, you dino freaks - AHH!!!"

Zap then jumped out of his Urban Avenger, as it was about to be squashed by a T-Rex's foot. "Agh!! That is the second time my vehicle got destroyed by a dino!" cried Zap.

----

Databoard and the group hurried through the forest, when he heard roars in the distance. The Mutants must have found them.

He aimed his lasers and fired, scorching a nearby tree as the Mutant Lizard dodged the attack. Several Mutant Raptors tore through the forest, smashing everything in their path. The group took cover behind whatever they could, but several agents didn't make it to safety in time. The remaining agents fired their lasers at the Mutants, hoping they would survive long enough to get to the Saber.

Databoard fired from the relative safety of the rock he was hiding behind. Mutants were swarming around the forest, and it was becoming harder to fight them off. Nearby, Slash and the two other agents that had survived were fighting with everything they had, but the Mutants were slowly pushing their way forward.

Suddenly, a Mutant Lizard leapt at Databoard, sending him tumbling down a hill. Databoard got up and activated his chameleon ability as the Mutant came closer...

Databoard silently snuck towards the Mutant, when suddenly, he tripped over a rock, attracting the Mutant's attention. It leapt towards him, and only a well-timed shot from his laser saved Databoard.

He hurried back towards the others, and spotted the Saber's mini ship flying low over the forest. They must have been sent out when the T-1 Typhoon didn't arrive. The mini-ship fired a few shots into the forest, forcing back the Mutants long enough for them to land.

Slash, the researchers, and the remaining agents rushed onboard, but Databoard, still camouflaged, was left behind. He was about to try and contact them, but then he realized his radio had been knocked loose when the Mutant attacked him. "Just great," Databoard muttered.

Databoard hurried through the forest, using his camouflage to avoid the Mutants charging through the woods. He was headed for the T-1 Typhoon, as someone would have to arrive there to pick up Hawk and Spark.

Suddenly, he heard someone fighting up ahead, and rushed forward to help. Hiding behind a tree, he fired a stream of energy from his lasers. Several Mutants charged, but all he had to do was take a few steps out of the way and the Mutants clawed at empty air.

Databoard jumped from tree to tree, firing lasers at the Mutants below. The confused Mutant Lizards snapped their jaws at the air, trying to determine where he was shooting at them from, not to mention what was shooting at him. Hawk and Spark had joined the fight, firing from the damaged T-1 Typhoon.

The Mutants turned and retreated, heading towards the valley. "Odd," Databoard muttered. Mutants weren't known for just giving up, at least not until they were so overwhelmed that they had no choice. Why would they just run?

Databoard headed towards the forest, laser aimed ahead of him.

"Data, just where do you think you're going?" Hawk asked.

"There's something weird going on around here, and I'm going to see what it is," replied Databoard. Before Hawk could respond, Databoard had already activated his camouflage and headed into the forest.

"Okay, now that was weird," Spark muttered. "So, what do we do?"

"We wait here," Hawk said. "The Saber is bound to show up sooner or later, and then we can go after Data."

"Sounds fun," Spark muttered as he aimed his laser into the blackness of the forest.

Hawk also aimed his laser into the forest, waiting for more Mutants to show up. Suddenly, he heard a low rumble and he pointed his laser, worried it might be an approaching T-Rex. Fortunately, the noise was revealed to be the Saber's engines, as the airship appeared in the sky over the trees. The mini-ship descended, and attached grappling hooks to the T-1 Typhoon. It took off again, speeding back to the Saber.

----

Sam Sinister and Brickster crept through the dark subway station. "I wonder what happened to Vladek?" Brickster asked.

"He's probably found another subway," Sam Sinister said with a shrug. "We'll probably meet up with him later."

"Assuming he hasn't already been eaten," Brickster muttered, glancing at a skeleton lying on the train tracks.

"Shut up, you dimwit!" whispered Sinister.

"Oh, sure, take out your anger management problems on me-" snapped Brickster.

Sam Sinister shook his head urgently, holding up his hook to his lips. "Shh, I hear something!"

"Oh," realized Brickster.

The two villains stood motionless. Yes, there was a sound. Footsteps. They took out their Sonic Screamers and spun around to face the source of the noise.

If they had been expecting any Mutant Dino at all, they were relieved. Instead, standing there was a female Dino Attack agent.

"Lousy Dino Attack agents!" Brickster yelled, pointing his Sonic Screamer at the agent. "Hands up! Yeah, that's right, I am the one arresting you! How does that feel, huh?"

"Calm down," Sinister said as he laid a reassuring hook on Brickster's shoulder. Then, he put his Sonic Screamer away and calmly walked over to the Dino Attack agent. "You're not supposed to be pointing guns at women, you know. So uncivilized."

"And what about all those times you were threatening Ms. Pippin Reed?" Brickster inquired, a question that Sam Sinister ignored.

"Why, hello there," the Lord von Barron addressed the Dino Attack agent. "Now, be a nice young lady and tell me exactly what you Dino Attack agents are planning. What are you doing down here? What is your mission?"

The agent was silent, though she did smirk.

"Second chance," declared Sinister. "Tell me what you Dino Attack agents are planning, or I am afraid that I will have to resort to more un-gentlemanly means."

The Dino Attack agent remained silent, hardly showing any reaction. Did it not occur to her that she was speaking with one of the most notorious LEGO villains? Sam Sinister found her nonchalant silence disturbing and… strangely familiar.

Scowling, Sinister pulled out his Sonic Screamer and pointed it at her head, and now the Brickster was smirking as well. "Last chance, Dino Attack agent," growled Sinister. "Tell me what you Dino Attack agents are up to. NOW!"

The Dino Attack agent finally responded, but not in the manner that the villains had hoped. She spun around and swung out her arm, knocking the Sonic Screamer out of Sinister's hand. But she didn't stop there; she grabbed the weapon in mid-air and then pointed at Sam Sinister. The villains' faces went pale as the tables were suddenly turned on them.

----

Jordan climbed into his Fire Hammer and started blasting away at the small Mutant Dinos. At first, he thought they were Mutant Lizards, but then one hit the Fire Hammer with its laser vision, and Jordan realized too late that they were actually T-Rex hatchlings. As the damaged Fire Hammer crashed to a halt, Jordan fell out of the vehicle, unconscious.

----

An hour or two later, the two LEGO villains regained consciousness. "Oh, my head..." muttered Sam Sinister, instinctively reaching up to rub it. He yelped in pain, then realized he had rubbed his head with his hook by mistake. "I just hate when that happens..."

"What happened?" Brickster asked his companion. "Last thing I remember was... I don't remember!"

"Wait, that female Dino Attack agent!" Sam Sinister remembered. "She fired the Sonic Screamer at us, knocking both of us out. What's worse is that she escaped with most of our weapons."

"She's probably at Dino Attack HQ this very moment, telling all the other agents about us," Brickster muttered.

"She... can't," Sinister murmured.

"What do you mean?" asked Brickster.

"I knew she seemed familiar. The reason she was so silent was that she can't speak. She's... she's agent Claw!" realized Sinister.

The Brickster blinked in surprise. "Claw? But Ogel and Fogel told us that they disposed of that dumb girl! She should be dead, or worse!"

"I don't know... but I'm sure that we had just met Claw," insisted Sinister.

Brickster stared at Sinister. "You know what this means?" When Sinister didn't reply, Brickster yelled, "This subway station is haunted… by GHOSTS!" and began hugging the Lord von Barron while trembling in fear.

"You've got one second to get off of me," growled Sam Sinister.

"Sorry," mumbled Brickster.

----

Agent X headed towards Dino Attack Headquarters, grateful to be back at home base after escaping the Golden Hunter and his dinosaurs. Unfortunately, a familiar face had already arrived. "I have been waiting for you," said the Golden Hunter.

X picked up his radio. "Any agent near me, help!!! I am at Dino Attack HQ!"

"Fool," jeered the Golden Hunter. "You think any reinforcements can defeat me?"

"I don't know," confessed X, "but I tried. Now, face my wrath!" Agent X morphed his robot arm into a super repulsor cannon again. "Bring it on!!!" he yelled.

"I shall," said the Golden Hunter.

A small group of Dino Attack agents headed towards them, responding to X's earlier call. The Golden Hunter pointed at the other agents, and his Mutant Dinos turned towards them, ready to tear them apart at a moment's notice. X immediately understood. "Agent X to all members," he said, "I can handle this. Help at your own risk."

The Golden Hunter chuckled. "That is better. Now, prepare to die."

"No, you shall feel the true meaning of pain, monster!" declared X. He fired his super repulsor cannon at the Golden Hunter, who fell down to the ground.

X cautiously walked towards the Golden Hunter to see if he was dead. But with their master unconscious, the Mutant Dinos did not hold back, and they charged towards the other Dino Attack agents.

"Oh no," whispered X, rushing to help his teammates. "What has happened here because of me?"

As Agent X fought to defend his fellow Dino Attack agents from the Golden Hunter's Mutant Dinos, he looked over his shoulder and saw that the Golden Hunter was gone. "Where did he-" X started to say.

"Hahaha!" X heard the Golden Hunter laugh. "You think you can defeat me? In your dreams! I am free to roam as I please, and you cannot stop me! Mwhahahahahahaha!" And then the Golden Hunter was gone.

"Nooooooooooooooo!" shouted X.

----

A bit of walking through an abandoned train tunnel brought Sam Sinister and Brickster to another subway station. The only Mutant Dino they encountered on their trip was a Mutant Lizard that was quickly dealt with by Sam Sinister's pistol, which was the only weapon the female Dino Attack agent had not confiscated from them.

"Didja hear that?" asked Brickster, stopping suddenly.

"I would have," grumbled Sam Sinister, "had you not said anything!"

"Sorry you woke up on the wrong side of the brick," Brickster muttered, but he remained silent. The two of them waited for a moment. There was a muffled cry of a voice. "Should we investigate?"

Before Sinister could reply, Brickster ran towards the sound, which was coming from behind a pillar. Sam Sinister waited to see what would happen. Then, he heard Brickster cry out, "It's Vladek! But he's all tied up and gagged, and he ain't got his armor, shield, weapons, nothing!"

"What?" Sinister gasped, running over to the captured villain. "Don't worry, I'll get you out." Carefully placing his hook on the ropes bounding Vladek, he cut them, then removed the gag from Vladek's mouth. "Okay, tell us what happened."

Vladek trembled. "F-Frozeen and-d Libo!" he stammered. "Frozeen-n a-and L-Libo!"

Sam Sinister and Brickster traded glances. "Okay," Brickster said. "Now we've got Frozeen and Libo against us. That makes those two T-Rexes, all Mutant Dinos, a Dino Attack agent who may or may not be Claw back from the dead, and now Frozeen and Libo. The odds are stacked against us. Where the MegaBlokland are Ogel and General Evil when you need them?!"

----

Databoard hurried into the valley, pursuing the Mutants. They headed towards the abandoned Viking Fortress. This surprised Databoard, as he didn't know Mutants to have a base of operations.

Two Mutant Raptors were guarding the entrance, so Databoard decided to try another way in. Using his claws. he climbed up the wall of the fortress. After climbing the wall, he continued into the fortress.

Databoard moved silently though the fortress. The occasional Mutant moved past but didn't notice the camouflaged agent. The fortress was in a state of disrepair, and the door was torn down, no doubt when the Dinos took it over. Databoard headed into the inner portion of the fortress, still unnoticed by the Mutants.

Databoard ducked against the wall, and took a look around. The room was dark, with only a few Mutant guards in the room. Clearly, no one had expected anyone to get this far into the fortress.

However, he spotted something shocking when he spotted a small throne at the far end of the room. What was surprising was who - or more exactly, what - was sitting in it. A minifig who was reptilian in appearance, her appearance was similar to that of Databoard.

Shocking as it seemed, Databoard could only think of one explanation. He stepped forward, and fired a few shots at the Mutant Lizards. Once they had scattered, he deactivated his camouflage and aimed his lasers at the throne.

"Hello, Stealth."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 22: Forgotten Memories

----

"I don't know who you are, and I do not know who this 'Stealth' is," she said, rising from her throne and began walking towards him.

"Oh, come on, you even sound like her!" Databoard shouted, keeping his lasers aimed at her as she circled him. "Well, y'know, minus the evil Mutant Lizard part."

Suddenly, Stealth shot forward, claws ready to attack. Databoard jumped into the air, barely missing her claws. He looked out the door and spotted Mutants approaching. He set his lasers to full power, and used his enhanced Dino eyesight to find the weakest point in the wall. A few shots tore through the wall, causing it to collapse, blocking the entrance.

"Foolish move," Stealth said, leaping at him. "Now you have nowhere to run!"

Databoard fired his lasers at Stealth, who did a backflip to avoid the volley. The green light impacted against the wall, creating a small flash as it scorched the wood. Suddenly, Stealth hurled a blob of acid at Databoard, who barely got out of the way as it melted a hole in the wall behind him. Clearly, Stealth had inherited a more dangerous Mutant power then he had.

She hurled more acid, which Databoard avoided with ease. Suddenly, he realized Stealth was not aiming for him: she was trying to weaken the wall. Unfortunately, this realization came too late. A Mutant Raptor tore through the wood, sending a shower of splintered wood everywhere. It slammed into Databoard, knocking him into the wall. He was knocked unconscious before he even fell to the ground.

----

Zap turned around to see Lucky's T-1 Typhoon returning with agents Raptor Dude and Alpha Mantax, relieved that there was backup. He and the other agents started blasting the dinos with their cratomatic blasters.

But the team was still surrounded by the dinos. "Why is life such a drag?" asked Zap, with a look on his face that clearly gave away his desire to crush their foes.

"That's a question I don't have time to answer!" replied Alpha Mantax as he was being chased by a T-Rex.

Zap launched a grenade at the Dino that was chasing Alpha Mantax, destroying it. "Thanks," said Alpha Mantax.

"No time for thanks now, bud!" exclaimed Zap.

"Hey, what are they doing?" Raptor Dude noticed the T-Rexes backing off, only to see an even bigger T-Rex running towards them. "It's a mother T-Rex! RUN!!!"

Zap was tired of running from the giant monster. He turned back, and revealed a missile launcher strapped to his back. "You like to eat? Here's some soda!" Then, Zap fired the missile launcher at the giant lizard, making it crash to the ground. "Never underestimate the missile, man!"

----

Chompy stopped suddenly. "This is it," he said, gesturing toward a massive hole in the side of the subway tunnel. Where there had been a wall last year, there was now a large pile of rubble and an open passage beyond. "This must be it."

Rex strode over to his partner and looked at the passageway ahead of them. "So, you're saying that all the Mutant Dinos we've been facing all this time are coming from a place beyond this destroyed wall?"

"Makes sense," Chompy said. "Look at the ground beneath our feet. I see tons of footprints leading from that place, but never to that place."

"And, if you're wrong?" asked Rex.

"If we're wrong... then we're heading for a trap and will probably have to fight our way out of it. Worse comes to worse I will sacrifice myself to get you out of the trap."

Rex's eyes widened. "You can't!" he insisted. "I've already caused enough trouble for you, PBB, Frozeen, and Libo! Because of me, PBB is dead!"

Chompy made a sound that seemed like a humorless chuckle. "PBB never lived, therefore how could he die?"

"You know what I mean! Think of how Frozeen and Libo would feel if they hear that you sacrificed your life to save mine?"

"They'll understand."

"Just because 'they'll understand' doesn't mean that they'll just say, 'Oh well, boo-hoo, Chompy's dead, let's move on.' You know Frozeen looks after you like he's your father; he was willing to go into hiding to protect you. He'd be devastated!" The more they argued, the harder it was for Rex to resist the urge to attack his brother, but he held on. "Chompy, if anyone should sacrifice their life, it should be me! I won't let my younger brother throw his away life so callously!"

Chompy snorted. "Well, you are persistent, if nothing else. But while you may be an elite Dino Attack agent, you are not my commanding officer, and if I choose to-"

Chompy suddenly jumped back just before Rex lashed out, snapping his jaws just a few inches away from his brother. As soon as he regained his composure, Rex backed away in embarrassment. Something about Chompy openly defying him had triggered that response. "I am sorry, Chompy, I…"

Although he started to apologize, Rex trailed off. He sniffed the air and looked around the subway tunnel. Turning his head towards the destroyed wall and the passage beyond, he quietly said, "… I think I recognize this place now, like a half-remembered dream. We should go now."

----

Hawk looked out the window of the Saber at the fog-covered forest. They had landed and cloaked the airship to avoid more encounters with Mutants. Databoard had not yet returned, and he was beginning to get worried.

"If he doesn't show up soon, we're going to have to leave," said Blaze, one of the few agents who had survived the rescue.

"Are you kidding me?" Hawk said as he turned away from the window. "We can't just leave him out there!"

"We lost over half the agents who went on that rescue mission," Blaze replied. "Do you honestly expect your friend's chances of being alive are any better?"

"Well, considering that he's part-Mutant, I'd say so," Hawk said. "And if you aren't going after him, I am." He turned and headed down to the hangar, where Spark and Slash were already waiting. They got into the mini-ship, and sped off over Vikings Isle...

*****

Databoard awoke to find himself in a cage. From his limited knowledge of the Vikings who lived on this island, he guessed this was where they kept captured dragons. Unfortunately, this meant it was no doubt strong enough to hold him.

"Let me out of here!" Databoard shouted in the Mutant Dino language. None of the Mutants even looked up.

Databoard quickly turned away, and pulled his emergency transmitter out of his pocket. Fortunately, none of the Mutants had taken it from him. Unfortunately, it appeared to have been damaged when the T-1 Typhoon crashed, but it looked to be simple to repair. He rewired the device until a light started blinking, indicating that it was working.

Unfortunately, no less than a few seconds later, a blob of acid slammed into the transmitter, barely missing Databoard's hand. He whirled around to see the cage door open, and Stealth standing in the entrance. As Databoard moved into a defensive position, he hoped that one of the other agents picked up his distress signal in time...

"How did you find this place?" Stealth asked, pointing Databoard's lasers at him. Databoard could tell the Mutant had mistakenly set it on its lowest setting; she'd have to shoot for hours to even stun him. He doubted a well-trained agent would make such a mistake, so he guessed her Mutant side must have taken complete control over her mind.

"I think the more important I find out just how you found this place," Databoard said.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else," Stealth hissed. "I'm not 'Stealth'; I'm the one who will kill you if you don't answer my question."

"Funny," Databoard replied, not even reacting to the threat. "But I only know one agent who got transformed into a Mutant, and then mysteriously vanished. Granted, you're a little less 'Mutant', but you still fit the bill."

"Maybe you didn't hear me correctly, I said answer me!"

"Maybe later, Stealth," Databoard said. Moments later, he found himself slammed through the wall, outside the fortress, and down the hill. He landed on the ground nearby, with Stealth a few meters nearby.

"What was the point of that?" she shouted.

"Just to get you mad enough that you would do that," Databoard said, "so I could do this." He grabbed his laser, which had fallen on the ground nearby, camouflaged himself, and ran into the distance. He spotted Stealth rushing after him and hoped he'd be able to escape in time.

----

Pilot was trapped. He had just arrived on LEGO Island, where a group of dinosaurs had been gathering for unknown reasons. A T-Rex had attacked and trapped him here. There was debris all around his vehicle, and the doors of his upgraded Steel Sprinter had been welded shut by the T-Rex's laser vision.

While he was here, he had done a brief analysis on the T-Rex that had trapped him here. It had appeared larger and more aggressive. He found out that there was some sort of a virus going around. It made the dinos physically bigger and more aggressive. Eventually, the dino with the virus would become uncontrollably violent, destroying everything in sight, and would eventually die of exhaustion. This could be our chance to claim victory, or it might end up being our downfall. If humans can get the virus... thought Pilot.

Just then, he thought he saw something moving in the rubble. It was a Raptor. It was obvious they did not want anyone to find out what they are hiding. Suddenly, six more Raptors came up behind him, as well as three Pteranodons up above. Unless someone came along to help him right away, he was doomed. He braced himself for the attack...

The moment before the explosion, Pilot did something he never would have thought he would have done, or ever would do. He ran in utter terror.

Well, he didn't actually run, considering how small the space he was in was. But he moved pretty darn fast.

Suddenly, the tunnel lit up in a dazzlingly bright light. The high-pitched noise stopped. Pilot waited for the end. But it never came. He looked back up the tunnel. It appeared that someone was shining a light down the tunnel. He scrambled up the tunnel. When he came across the bomb, he noticed it was turned off. He continued up the tunnel.

When he came out, he saw a T-1 Typhoon waiting for him. They must have switched off the bomb remotely, thought Pilot. He then noticed the complete abomination that had once been his upgraded Steel Sprinter. Well, guess I'll have to redo all the repairs... and then some, thought Pilot as he climbed aboard the T-1 Typhoon, while the crew loaded the wreckage of his Steel Sprinter on board.

----

Cautiously, Rex and Chompy stepped into the hole in the wall. Their feet stepped into knee-high murky water that gave off an awful stench. "Yuck!" cried out Rex. "What are we walking in?"

"Sewage water," Chompy replied after sniffing the air. "It also smells of thousands of Mutant Dino feet."

"I guess whatever created this tunnel must've broken through the adjacent LEGO City sewers," muttered Rex.

"Maybe the Power Miners needed better navigation software," joked Chompy.

Rex headed for higher ground, to get out of the sewage water. However, the water beneath and the passing over of many Mutant Dinos had softened and weakened all higher ground to the point it was either collapsed or completely mushy. Groaning, Rex continued to wade through the water.

Eventually, the two of them came to a fork in the tunnel, illuminated by electric lanterns. Chompy stopped suddenly. "A lantern, in a sewage system?" he observed. "Someone's definitely been here before us."

"Wait," Rex interrupted, "this place seems a bit familiar, too. I think I can recall memories of this fork in the road. I do remember that you must take the left tunnel."

"We can't always trust your memory, Rex," Chompy replied, "if you only half-remember it as you say you do. Let's wait here and wait to see which direction a Mutant Dino comes from."

"No, we can't wait either," Rex insisted. "The longer we wait down here, the more lives are lost on the surface. We must continue right away. I say-"

Suddenly, Chompy lunged at Rex with bared teeth. Rex recoiled and snarled instinctively. The two brothers locked eyes for a moment, and then Chompy asked: "Well, are you sticking with left?"

Rex rolled his eyes, realizing that Chompy was deliberately attempting to trigger more memories by attacking him. "Yeah, I still say left. Look, if you're going to keep trying this, at least give me a heads-up next time."

"Alright, brother, I was just trying to be spontaneous. But you're right; we must go on. Left it is."

----

Shane was in the Steel Sprinter, scouting LEGO City alone. He hopped off the Steel Sprinter and went inside a nearby building, just to be ambushed by a Mutant Lizard. He picked up the walkie-talkie and said, "Guys, I don't think YOU'LL, ohh wyyyata…"

Remembering his family's death, Shane pulled out his battle rifle and said, "THIS IS FOR MY FATHER, MY MOTHER, MY BROTHER, AND WHATEVER." Then, he fired upon the Mutant Lizard.

Shane returned to headquarters three hours later, and he was still feeling angry.

----

Databoard moved silently through the forest, trying not to attract the attention of Mutant Raptors. Suddenly, he heard a roaring behind him, and he nearly fell backwards. He hid behind a few rocks and was shocked as three Mutant T-Rex tore through the forest. Right in front of them was agent Stealth, holding one of Databoard's lasers and aiming it into the darkness. Behind them, countless Mutant Lizards and Raptors. Even a few Pteranodons circled overhead.

Databoard waited, motionless, as the group passed. He began to wonder if he'd even be able to get out of this alive.

Databoard left his hiding place, and silently moved through the forest. The occasional Mutant moved through the darkness but failed to spot the camouflaged agent. He was headed towards the landing site of the Saber, but he guessed the ship was long gone and he was just assumed to be another casualty of the mission.

Suddenly, he heard a rustling, and vanished behind a bush. He spotted Stealth moving through the foliage, laser aimed. Databoard took out his laser, deactivated his camouflage, and fired on stun. Stealth fired back, but she did not have enough time to aim, and a burst of green light scorched its way through a tree. The first stun laser knocked her off her feet, and a few more knocked her out.

Databoard knew the Mutants must have heard the lasers being fired, but he wasn't about to leave another agent, even a mutated and crazed one, unconscious and in the middle of the forest. He picked her up and carried her towards the Saber...

----

Sam Sinister, Brickster, and the currently unarmored and unarmed Vladek ran through the subway tunnel. "Once thy get thy hands on them," growled Vladek, "they will payeth dearly for what they did to thee!"

"Okay, okay, we get the picture!" Brickster muttered. "Frozeen and Libo stole your stuff and you're just mad about it! Sheesh!"

Vladek just grumbled to himself when he tripped over something. After letting out a string of curses, he got up and picked up what had tripped him: it was his armor, left behind by Frozeen and Libo in the middle of the dark tunnel.

"Forsooth! Looketh, tis thy armor!" he cried happily. The villain also found his sword and shield. After armoring and arming himself, Vladek seemed to be in much better spirits.

"Why would they just leave it here?" wondered Sam Sinister. "This… this feels like a trap to me."

"Let's go!" Brickster called. "I don't wanna be here when the Mutant Dinos-"

At that moment, a loud screech was heard, and an entire pack of Mutant Raptors surrounded the villains. Roaring and snapping at the villains, they were a force not to be reckoned with.

"- come..." finished Brickster, trembling.

"Get ahold of yourself!" Sam Sinister said. "Call for backup! NOW!"

"Right," said Brickster. He raised his arms in the air and opened a portal to OGEL Island. "I call upon the Brickster-Bots of OGEL! Take care of the Raptors… while we get the MegaBlok outta here!"

----

Later, Databoard waited as Stealth awoke. He had brought them to a cave to hide from the Mutants. In the meantime, he tried to repair his radio because he had lost his emergency transmitter fleeing the Mutant Dinos.

Nearby, he saw Stealth waking up. Seconds later, she charged at him - only to be knocked backwards by an energy field. "Oh, I forget to mention, I thought this would be an excellent time to try out a new invention," Databoard said, motioning to a device with a blinking green light near Stealth. "It creates a beam shield around its target. Seriously, did it not occur to you to take my equipment when you captured me?"

"Well, it won't do any good. The Mutants will find me, and you won't last much longer," Stealth hissed.

"Okay, just give the whole 'evil Mutant Lizard' thing a rest now, Stealth," Databoard replied.

Stealth's response was hurling acid at the force field. "I don't know who this Stealth is!" she shouted.

"Of course you don't, because you let the Mutant side take control!" Databoard shouted back. "I remember what that was like. I was like a completely different being… or in this case, creature. You just need to try and remember, Stealth. Then we can bring you back to Dino Attack HQ, and get rid of your Mutant personality."

"No! I need it! The Mutants need my control!" Stealth's voice was still filled with rage, but it seemed slightly calmer.

"Stealth, just remember!"

"Data, you don't understand!" Then, as soon as she finished this sentence, she stepped back in shock, as all her old memories flooded back to her. "I... I remember now..." Stealth whispered. She looked towards Databoard, and told him what happened after her transformation into a Mutant...

*****

Two weeks ago...

Stealth looked around in shock, as she sank towards the bottom of the river. The last thing she could remember was a bright green beam striking her, changing her. However, she had more important problems at the moment.

She swam towards the surface, emerging on the far end of the river. She crawled onto the shore, and took in a few breaths of fresh air. Suddenly, she noticed something wasn't right. She could see everything clearer, hear every sound. She moved forward cautiously, her tail brushing against the ground-

Her tail?

She spun around in shock, and looked down into her reflection. Whatever she was, she looked like a cross between a human and a mutant. It almost seemed like what agent Databoard had looked like. Scared, she ran away from LEGO City, into the forest beyond...

Stealth ran through the forest, confused and afraid. That energy wave… she must have not been close enough for it to fully affect her. The end result was whatever she was now.

She was about to think of her next move, when a pair of headlights shone on her. She leapt forward, barely avoiding a Fire Hammer that drove by her. It turned around, and aimed its launcher at her. Combining her stealth skills with her newfound Mutant abilities, she dodged them with ease. She leapt at the vehicle, smashing the windshield and knocking the driver from the vehicle. She leapt from the jeep, which slammed into a tree.

Stealth landed on the ground near the wreck, and silently moved, low to the ground, through the forest. She had attacked a Dino Attack agent, and as soon as he woke up, the rest of the team would be searching for her. She hid behind a tree, wondering one important question: what was happening to her?

10 days ago...

Stealth had been living in the forest for the past few days, avoiding the patrols of agents that searched the area for Mutants. She moved from the shelter she had made in a tree and moved silently across the forest.

Suddenly, she heard a roar, and a Mutant Lizard leapt at her. She kicked it backwards, and, suddenly, hurled a barrage of acid from her mouth.

"What are you?" the Mutant Lizard said, and had Stealth not been overcome by rage, she would have wondered how she understood him.

"I am a Mutant!" she screamed in the same language, hurling the Lizard into the bushes. The Mutant retreated, deciding to find easier prey.

As Stealth calmed down, she wondered how she understood what the Mutant had said. She tried to speak the same language again, but found it harder. Suddenly, she realized that she needed her Mutant side to be more active, like it had been when she was filled with rage.

A plan began to form in Stealth's mind. This way, she would be able to gain information on the Mutants. The only problem was, the cost might just be her own mind...

One week ago...

Stealth awoke in the Viking Fortress, although she was the same agent in name only. Her human side was gone, her own mind had tricked her into falling deeper into her Mutant rage. She had convinced herself that she needed to control the Mutants, and to do that, she needed to think like one. And now, the result was a Mutant with all the tactical knowledge of a Dino Attack Agent.

She had brought a group of Mutants together, and trained them with Dino Attack knowledge, telling herself that she needed to become more like a Mutant to keep these Mutants from running loose. However, her human side had lost all control.

Stealth and her Mutants had captured a boat headed for Vikings Isle and taken over one of the forts. She would take over this land, and get rid of any human who stood in her way...

----

Lt. Harrow wiped the sweat off his forehead. He was the sole survivor in this mess. The rest of the team had been picked off in an ambush by the Raptors Gang and their nest of trained mutants.

Lt. Harrow was now wondering whether Kotua had actually sent the message, when the wall behind him disappeared and Kotua pulled him in. "Gah!" exclaimed Harrow.

"Quiet!" said Kotua.

Harrow mumbled something.

----

Agent X walked around LEGO City. He wasn't sure where he was, but with the city in ruins, he thought it was ugly.

He heard a noise behind him. "Ahh!" he cried, pulling out a portable laser gun and spinning around. "I have you now, you fiend - huh?"

Agent X looked down. The so-called "fiend" was just a rat. "Darn this dim lighting," grumbled X.

----

Rex and Chompy continued to walk down the left tunnel. More and more electric lamps appeared on the walls. "See, I told you that we go down the left tunnel!" said Rex, smiling. "The lanterns hint that there is somebody here, and plus, I don't see any traps!"

"You know, Rex," Chompy warned, "if you did see any traps, they wouldn't be very good traps."

"True," said Rex, nodding. "Very true." They continued walking, the only sound coming from the water beneath their feet.

Abruptly, Chompy came to a halt. "Rex!" he hissed. "Against the side of the tunnel, now! Get down and hide!"

"Why?" Rex asked.

"Just do it!"

Before Rex could say any more, Chompy tackled him, knocking him to the ground against the tunnel wall. At first, Rex thought this was their sibling rivalry again, but this time Chompy seemed completely cognizant of his actions. "What was-" Rex began, but Chompy cut him off.

"Shut up!" he snarled. He got down low and hid. Rex waited beside his brother.

Suddenly, a giant tank-like vehicle raced through the tunnel. Behind it, a huge cage on a trailer. Dozens of different roars and snarls were coming from the cage. Rex didn't need to mentally translate these growls - he knew either they were cries of distress or roars of fury. The water sprayed up from under the wheels of the tank-like vehicle and landed on Rex. Quick as it had come, the vehicle and the cage were gone, now down the tunnel.

Rex stood up. "Chompy, how did you hear it so quickly? At first, I didn't know what you were talking about!"

"You know I did work with Alpha Team," Chompy replied. "In order to be effective, I needed to have as best hearing as possible. Now, Rex, did you recognize that at all?"

Rex looked down the tunnel in the direction that the tank had gone. "No, I did not," he admitted.

"Please try," Chompy urged him.

Wow, Chompy actually said "please", thought Rex. Must be pretty serious. Rex thought for a moment, then his eyes widened and he whispered, "Chompy, we have to get moving. Now."

"What was that?"

"I wish that I didn't know... and soon, so shall you."

*****

Frozeen and Libo waited patiently in the subway tunnel. Whenever a Mutant Dino appeared, Frozeen would speak to it and tell it that they were not a threat. Sometimes, it worked and the Mutant Dino would leave without attacking. The rest of the time, not so much.

"So," Libo asked, "Frozeen, may I ask just where-"

"Where I learned Mutant Dino language?" completed Frozeen. "Yes, go ahead."

Libo nodded. "Okay, just where did you learn Mutant Dino language? When the first Mutant Dinos appeared, PBB was stumped, because they did not speak a regular Dino dialect, and there was something about their language that was too complex for his programming."

"While Ogel was freezing the world with his Ice Orbs," Frozeen explained, "I had adopted a T-Rex, who later became more of a partner than a pet."

"Chompy, of course," murmured Libo.

"PBB had no trouble at all communicating with Chompy, but I did not understand either tooth or growl. I asked PBB to teach me how. This year, while PBB was held back by the limitations of being a machine, I was able to figure out the dialect using my knowledge of that of Chompy's. Perhaps it was some of my own personal experience that allowed me to adapt to the new language."

"I see," Libo said. He looked around, then gestured with one claw. "I think we've found what we're looking for. Or rather, she found us."

Amanda Claw strode out from a corner in the subway system. She looked at the two of them, then began speaking through sign language, since neither of them were as good as Rex was when figuring out what she was saying through her facial expressions.

"So," Frozeen repeated back just to make sure he got everything, "those villains got back together, and their henchmen defeated the swarm of Raptors that I asked to guard Vladek's armor?"

Amanda nodded.

Frozeen grimaced. "Well, we have to get going. Looks like we're not the only faction looking for the Dino Attack's origins."

----

"This is Agent Databoard, to any available agents," Databoard said into the radio. "I am trapped on Vikings Isle, surrounded by extremely dangerous Mutants. Help needed ASAP."

Nothing.

Databoard was about to make another adjustment to the radio when Hawk's voice suddenly came from the radio. "Data? Is that you?" he asked.

"Yeah. And so is... actually, it'd be easier to explain later," Databoard replied. "Where are you?"

"We're in the mini-ship. The Saber is heading back to Dino Attack HQ," Hawk replied. "Everyone… well, everyone kinda thinks you're dead."

"Well, I've been worse," Databoard replied. "So, land somewhere so I can get to you."

*****

"Why is it always me that has to do the recon missions?" grumbled Slash. When he received the message, he made his way toward the clearing where the mini-ship had landed. There, he found Databoard and Stealth waiting for them. "There we go. Hey, Data!"

"About time to see a familiar face," said Databoard.

At that moment, Stealth and Slash noticed each other. "Who's she?" asked Slash.

"Who's he?" asked Stealth.

Databoard quickly introduced them: "Stealth, this is Slash. Slash, this is Stealth. Anyway, what are you doing here, Slash?"

"I was doing reconnaissance when I intercepted your transmission," explained Slash. "Anyway, Data, I thought you were the only one mutated." He could not stop staring at Stealth.

"Apparently not," said Databoard.

"How did it happen?" asked Slash. When Databoard did not reply right away, he said, "Oh, come on, Databoard. I didn't get a chance to read the flashbacks earlier this chapter. If we broke the Fourth Wall now, we wouldn't have time to repair it!"

"What's the Fourth Wall?" asked Stealth.

"Just roll with it whenever he acts like this," muttered Databoard.

"Never mind," said Slash. Suddenly, he sensed something. "Get down!"

"Wha-?" cried Stealth.

A blast flew by, destroying the mini-ship. "Aw, man!" groaned Databoard. "I had four payments left on it!"

The Dino Attack agents turned around to see the source of the blast. "Hello brother," said Lt. Axey.

"Axey!" exclaimed Slash.

Stealth raised an eyebrow. "Friend of yours?" she asked.

"Define 'friend'," Slash and Axey answered simultaneously.

"Anyway, I'm here to kill Slash," said Axey.

"But why?" asked Stealth.

"You really don't know him, do you?" realized Slash.

"Ah, yes, forgive me," Axey said in a faux-polite voice. "The name's Axey. Twin brother of Slash and a member of the ShadowTech army. Lieutenant and personal assassin to Cane." Turning his attention back towards Slash, he said, "Anyway, bro, I got a new trick that I wanted you to see. You know the Wolf and Phoenix fighting techniques? I have created a brand-new fighting technique that combines their strengths and none of their weakness… the Wolf/Phoenix Hybrid technique! Prepare for death!"

Slash, Databoard, and Stealth stood there silently, staring at Axey with wide-eyed expressions.

"Hah!" laughed Axey. "I can see by your faces that you're frozen with fear."

Stealth broke into a grin. "Actually," she confessed, "I couldn't help thinking about how ridiculous a wolf/phoenix hybrid would look! And if you are supposed to be fighting like one… well, then you look ridiculous, too!"

"WHAT?!" snapped Axey.

"And here, I thought only your name was funny," said Stealth, who added a bit of forced laughter. "Now I've seen everything."

"Oh yeah?!" growled Axey. "Let's see how funny you look without a head!" He fired an energy blast at Stealth, but Slash quickly deflected the blast.

"Get going," Slash said to the other Dino Attack agents.

"What?! But he-" objected Databoard.

Slash shook his head. "His beef is with me! I'll be Znapped if any of my friends die on my account."

"But we-" Stealth started to say.

"He's right. We should get going," decided Databoard.

Lt. Axey smirked. "Compassion was your greatest weakness brother. Now, prepare to die!"

Databoard, Stealth, Hawk, and Spark headed into the forest, watching as Slash and Axey battled. "We really should help him!" Stealth protested.

"No. Your mind is still partly Mutant, and you just barely got your human side under control," Databoard replied. "There's a good chance it might take over you during combat. I know it happened to me all the time."

"So, what now?" Hawk asked.

"Well, that's where things get complicated," Databoard explained. "I was hoping we could use the mini-ship to stop the Mutants, but, well, that's plan's out the window, I guess..."

----

Rex and Chompy continued to walk in silence. They had lost track of how long they were traveling… had it been hours, or days? Every so often, they'd have to get out of the way of another vehicle, like the first one they encountered - tanklike and with a huge cage on a trailer. Chompy was still puzzled by the vehicles, and was slightly annoyed because Rex refused to talk about them.

More frequently, they encountered Mutant Dinos traveling in the opposite direction. But whenever Rex tried to communicate with them, they wouldn't answer - instead, they would just run away. None of these Mutant Dinos ever attacked the two T-Rexes, and it did not take long for Rex to figure out why.

They were stricken with fear.

*****

"Here we are!" Sam Sinister said proudly, gesturing towards the whole in the wall. Beyond it lay something out of Ogel's Goo caverns - a tunnel filled about knee-high with green, stinky water. Brickster began to cough, and Vladek let his helmet cover his nose.

"We're going in that?!?" asked Brickster.

"Of course we are," Sam Sinister replied.

"Aye," Vladek muttered, "assuming none of thou fainteth from that smell..."

"It's just sewage water, for crying out loud!" moaned Sam Sinister. "It's not like it's some poisonous booby trap that will kill you when you take a jewel!" Then, the villains climbed through the destroyed wall and entered the tunnel.

A little while later after wading through the sewage water, the three LEGO villains found themselves at a fork in the road. An electric lamp illuminated the two pathways. "Which way do we go?" asked Brickster.

"I'm thinking," Sam Sinister replied.

Vladek looked at the lamp. "Dino-expert," the scorpion knight said, "why not doth thou wait for a Mutant Dino to appear, then ever-so-politely asketh it if thou hath seen those two T-Rexes thee art tracking, hmm?"

"Hey, I may be the dinosaur expert among the three of us," Sinister snapped, shaking his hook at Vladek, "but I cannot speak to dinosaurs! Get that through your helmet-"

"I don't think that's what Vladek's saying," Brickster interrupted. "I think that Vladek meant that we're gonna encounter a Mutant Dino soon if we stay here, so we better get moving quickly."

"Exactly," said Vladek, nodding. "See, Brickster understands subtlety."

"Nah," Brickster said with a smirk. "I just recognize a smarta-"

Suddenly, from the tunnel to the right, came a loud roar. "I hate when you're right," muttered Sinister.

----

"Guys?" Hawk said. "I think we're gonna need a new plan. Now."

Databoard turned around, to see Mutants approaching. Quickly, he grabbed Stealth and camouflaged, concealing them both before the Mutant's could see them.

"What are you doing?" Stealth asked as the Mutants attacked Hawk and Spark.

"If they see you, they'll know you've turned good and attack you!" Databoard said.

"You honestly aren't thinking about trying to have me trick them, are you?" Stealth asked. "Didn't we already decide that plan wouldn't work?"

"It's the only chance we have!" Databoard replied.

"Okay, but don't blame me if this doesn't work..." Stealth said as she walked away from Databoard towards the Mutants...

Stealth hurried up towards the Dinos. "Stop!" she shouted. The Mutants turned around, confused. "Uh... we need to... capture them!" Stealth continued, but it became quickly apparent that she was not convincing them.

"Okay, time for plan B," Databoard said. He took out his energy-net launcher and fired it at the Mutants, ensnaring dozens of Mutants. Just when it seemed they had been all captured, a T-Rex turned towards him turned towards them, laser beams cutting through the air from its eyes. Databoard fired his net launcher, and a whirling ball of energy sped from the barrel. Unfortunately, the Mutant was too large for the device to have any effect.

Spark and Hawk fired their lasers, and Stealth hurled acid at it, but failed to inflict any damage. Databoard activated his camouflage to avoid another laser beam, and then ran over to Stealth.

"It's no use!" Databoard shouted. "Its skin is like armor. We don't have anything powerful enough to stop it!"

"Its skin is too thick..." Stealth muttered, as if she had realized something.

Databoard looked confused, but then he realized what Stealth was planning. "No! You can't honestly-" he protested, but to his horror, Stealth was already gone. The half-Mutant hurried towards the T-Rex, leaping directly at its open mouth.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion. Databoard ran forward, screaming at Stealth, but he knew it was no good. Hawk and Spark looked up from blasting at the Mutant, both looking equally shocked. Stealth was mere inches from the Mutant's teeth, and she aimed a laser at it. She fired, and the injured T-Rex reeled back in surprise. For a second, it seemed like Stealth's plan might work.

Then the T-Rex's jaws closed, with Stealth still between them.

"No!" Databoard shouted.

The T-Rex, still in pain from the attack, dropped Stealth and ran off. Databoard caught her as she fell, and Spark and Hawk ran up. Stealth was unconscious and badly injured.

"Call any agents in the area!" Databoard shouted to Spark and Hawk. "We need to get her to HQ!"

Hawk instantly turned on his radio, trying to call anyone in the area. Databoard knew someone had better show up soon, because otherwise Stealth wouldn't stand a chance.

*****

"Come back here!" shouted Lt. Axey, giving pursuit to Slash as the latter tried to put some distance between them. Equipping his napalm blaster, Slash fired a magma burst at Axey. The scorching heat forced Axey to back off, but he simply laughed and said, "Impressive. But let's see you handle this!"

Axey took out his ShadowTech Calamity Blaster and started charging energy. Thinking quickly, Slash likewise pulled out his Giga-Cannon and charged up as well. They fired energy at each other, and the two powerful blasts collided in a huge explosion.

Two hours later, Slash regained consciousness. He was lying in the snow and mud, and the trees around him were covered with scorch marks. There was no sign of Lt. Axey.

"Ow, my head," he moaned. "Sheesh, that was a powerful blast. If that blast didn't kill Axey, I don't know what would. Well my job's done. Better get going."

As he got up to leave, Slash remembered his teammates. "Oh yeah. Better find Data." With that, he got going.

*****

The sound of a T-1 Typhoon could be heard, and soon, one was hovering over the clearing. "They came out here looking for us after the mini-ship went down!" Hawk shouted over the sound of the rotor blades. The T-1 Typhoon hovered a short distance from the ground, so they could leave as soon as possible. Databoard hurriedly carried Stealth aboard, followed closely by Hawk and Spark.

Just as the helicopter was about to take off, a voice shouted from nearby. "Hey!" Slash shouted, running as fast as possible! "Wait up!" He leapt towards the T-1 Typhoon and grabbed the side as it took off.

Databoard watched worriedly as a medic took care of Stealth's injuries. "Data?" Stealth said, briefly regaining consciousness. "Data, I... I l-" Before she could finish, she lost consciousness again, and Databoard silently looked out the window as Vikings Isle vanished into the distance...

----

Rex ducked down low, to avoid getting pulverized. The wall behind him now had a huge, gaping hole in the center.

He tried to recall what had happened. He and Chompy were walking down the tunnel, when suddenly they entered a large room where encountered a pair of guards. Nothing could be determined about the guards, except that they were minifigures who wore samurai armor hiding their features, carried huge spears, and were manning a pair of turrets capable of shooting blasts strong enough to destroy a heavily armored T-1 Typhoon. Unfortunately, it just so happened that they noticed Rex and Chompy.

Who were these guards? Why didn't Rex remember anything about them?

"We have to get to the turrets!" roared Chompy, bringing Rex back from his thoughts. "For one thing, it'll make them stop shooting at us! For another, we could use them against the guards!"

Rex nodded, then he began to run towards the nearest turret, dodging blasts as he went. However, the guard was ready; he (if it even was a "he") dismounted the turret, raised his spear, and charged at Rex. Rex continued his charge, however, and did not stop until he was about on top of the guard. Then, he simply jumped over the guard and ran towards the turret.

Suddenly, Rex felt a wave of extreme heat right behind him, as though a fire had erupted behind him. The heat flash made him feel a stroke of dizziness, and he fell to the ground as he passed out. The last sound he heard before going unconscious was the gasp of Chompy.

----

The T-1 Typhoon landed at HQ, and other agents hurried Stealth off. Databoard watched silently as they left and then looked out from the hangar. He happened to see his own T-1 Typhoon, which had clearly been repaired since the last mission. Trying to get his mind off of Stealth's condition, he got into his T-1 Typhoon and flew off over the city, looking for Mutants.

*****

Zenna had her gun loaded and pointed at the nearest mutant. She narrowly dodged a claw. She was surrounded by mutants. She fired her gun and shot a mutant, killing it, but more and more came.

She pulled out her communicator, noticing Databoard's T-1 Typhoon overhead. "Databoard, this is Zenna. I see you're looking for some mutants. Well, I could use some help against some right now!" she said.

Databoard heard Zenna's message and flew low over the street, opening fire with the T-1 Typhoon's side cannons. Zenna dove for cover as the Mutants scattered trying to escape.

Suddenly, Mutant Lizards started leaping into the air at the low-flying helicopter. Most fell back to the street below, but a few managed to sink their claws into the tail. Databoard spun the T-1 Typhoon around in an attempt to knock the Mutants off. The tail smashed through the side of a building, sending debris and Mutants flying. Databoard glanced back at the tail. It hadn't been severely damaged, so he flew back towards the Mutants.

Zenna had been knocked over by the crash, but she didn't suffer anything serious. She grabbed her gun and began to fire.

More and more kept coming. "We're outnumbered," she said. She ran towards the T-1 Typhoon. "Databoard, we should get back to base. This fight is too much for us; we'll need all the help we can get!"

Databoard brought the T-1 Typhoon about a foot off the ground. Zenna charged towards it, and so did the Mutants. Zenna fired at them as they charged, and then she leapt aboard the helicopter. Databoard spun the T-1 Typhoon around and fired at the Mutants as he sped off.

Zenna walked towards him, then stopped when she saw him. Evidently, the elite agent had garnered enough of a reputation that even this new rookie recruit knew his name, but not everyone had heard the recent news about his transformation. "You're a-" she said, but was stopped by Databoard.

"Half-mutant freak? Yeah," Databoard replied as he sped towards HQ. "Man, is that a long story..."

----

Chompy had better luck defeating his guard than Rex did. Using his tail, all he needed was a good whack on the head and the guard was knocked out. The samurai helmet did little to cushion a tail whip from a T-Rex.

Suddenly, he felt a wave of heat coming from Rex's direction. Chompy turned, and then he gasped. The other guard was… breathing fire from his mouth! How in the world was that possible? How could a minifigure breathe fire like a dragon?

Those questions would have to be answered later. Already, Chompy saw the guard grabbing the unconscious Rex by the tail and hauling him away. Chompy charged after the guard, attempting to force him to let go of Rex's tail.

The guard responded by taking a large firearm and shooting in the direction of Chompy. The blast hit, and suddenly, Chompy's mind was rattled by a loud, high-pitched humming noise. He attempted to put his claws over his ear holes to block out the noise, but the sound persisted. So this is how a Mutant Dino feels when it gets hit by a Sonic Screamer, thought Chompy, struggling to keep conscious. And now we are fighting foes with the same technology as Dino Attack Team!

He looked at the guard in front of him. He wore a helmet over his head, with a cloth veil hiding his facial features. Perhaps if Chompy could remove the helmet, then he could bite the guard's head off...

Chompy snarled, even as the effects of the sonic weapon began to taper away. He took one step... two steps... three steps towards the guard. Moving slowly and weakly, it would seem to take forever to reach the guard from where he was standing. But, suddenly, with a burst of strength, Chompy leaped forward, knocked the guard to the floor, and grabbed the guard's helmet in his claws. He removed the helmet, looked down at the guard's face, and dropped the helmet in pure shock.

The face of a red-orange Mutant Lizard was grinning back at Chompy.

----

Slash had assigned himself to the team of doctors treating Stealth's wounds. He had never had a day of medical training in his life, but that's where the Cyber Matrix took over for him. Stealth was lucky to be alive; a Mutant T-Rex's internal furnace would have destroyed her. "It's a good thing that she wasn't digested, or else this would be impossible," remarked Slash.

Over the intercom, he heard Shadow's voice: "Agent Slash."

Slash looked up from his work and turned off the Cyber Matrix. "Yes, sir?" he said.

"Report to the hangar," ordered Shadow. "Agents Databoard and Zenna should be returning to base. Also, you three need to defend the base from the army of Mutant Dinos approaching the base."

"But why, sir?" inquired Slash.

"These Mutants have been infused with the power of Elements. You know, Fire, Water, Earth, and Air, just to name a few," explained Shadow.

Slash nodded. "Understood, sir."

"Good. Shadow out."

*****

The helicopter arrived at base, and Zenna and Databoard jumped out, "That was close," said Zenna. "We'll need some help against these dinos." She went and gathered a team of Dino Attack agents.

Slash, Zenna, Databoard, and the other agents arrived and all attacked the elemental mutants.

With the Cyber Matrix, Slash designed a new experimental handheld Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher that could alternate between the elements. As he fired the Xenon Launcher on Torch setting, he muttered, "If I would have known that I'll be fighting Elemental Dinos, I would have stayed in bed."

A stream of water almost hit him. "Water Dinos, eh?" he remarked as he jumped behind a blockade. "Time for a change." He switched the Xenon Launcher to Aqua mode. "Time to fight fire with fire... or water, as the case may be."

It turned out that fighting water with water was not very effective, so Slash switched the Xenon Launcher to Thunder setting. He electrocuted some Water Raptors, but more took their place. "Man, there's just no end to these guys. Not that I'm complaining," said Slash.

Most were killed, but a few were headed in the general direction of other places.

Zenna turned to Databoard and asked, "Do you think we should go find them? One small group is heading for castle cove, another is heading for Port Royal, and the third is running to Vikings Isle. Where to, sir?"

"We might as well head to Castle Cove," Databoard said. "If I have to spend another day on Vikings Isle, there's a very real chance I'd go insane."

The helicopter took off, and they headed towards Castle Cove. Soon, the T-1 Typhoon was flying over the ruins of large castles, but there was no sign of any Mutants. Suddenly, a lightning bolt grazed the side of the helicopter, and several Mutant Pteranodons swooped down at them. Databoard turned the T-1 Typhoon around and began firing at the Mutants.

Zenna grabbed her gun and fired. She shot down three Mutant Pteranodons, but another swooped close by and zapped her arm with a lightning bolt, injuring it. Another hit pushed her towards the edge. She tried to get her gun, but another hit from a Pteranodon knocked her out of the T-1 Typhoon.

"ZENNA!" yelled Dashboard. He fought some more Mutants but had to save his companion. He took the helicopter down.

----

Chompy couldn't afford to stay shocked for very long. The guard opened its jaws and let out another blast of fire. Chompy scrambled away just in time to avoid getting singed by the flames. So that's why he can breathe fire, thought Chompy. He's not entirely minifig!

The Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid got back to its feet, ran back towards the turret, and began to fire rapidly at Chompy. He ducked and ran, bobbing and weaving as he tried to avoid the blasts. Unlike a Mutant T-Rex, the natural hide of T-Rexes such as Chompy was not impervious to most weaponry, and Chompy was not willing to gamble his life on getting hit once.

I need a place to hide, thought Chompy. He located his destination. He ran into a far corner of the room and hid in the shadows, safely tucked between two beams and a pillar. Apparently, the Hybrid guard decided better than to shoot and risk the room's structural integrity, so it waited for a moment. Chompy did not come out.

At last, the Hybrid got down from the turret again. This time, it grabbed Rex by the tail and began to haul him towards a cage, identical to those that were attached to the tank-like vehicles.

Chompy quietly snuck up behind the guard. All those years of sneaking around Ogel Drones while working for Alpha Team paid off, since the Hybrid guard did not notice the massive dinosaur directly behind it. Chompy lunged, closing his jaws around the guard, then shook his head violently before throwing his foe across the room. Knocked unconscious, the Hybrid guard fell to the floor.

Chompy rushed over to his unconscious brother. "Rex!" he whispered, shaking him. "Rex! Wake up!"

----

Zenna woke up. Her limbs ached. She found herself in a castle ruin. She walked towards the door, which would help her out of the castle.

*****

Dashboard landed beside the castle, but the door was blocked, so he climbed to the top. He stepped on a wooden board over a crack, which snapped. He managed to go around to a door and entered. He soon found Zenna but then noticed a slight problem: a large dragon slept in front of them.

Databoard aimed his laser, and they started to move back towards the door. They were almost to the door when the dragon woke up. It spotted them and roared. It shot a powerful jet of flame at them, and they both dove out of the way. Zenna ended up on the end of the room closest to the door, but Databoard was at the far end. The dragon cornered him, and prepared to launch another powerful burst of flame.

Zenna pulled out her gun and fired at the dragon. It had no effect. She ran and dodged the flames, and soon was on the same side as Databoard. She blasted the door down with her gun and they seemingly escaped, but the wall came crumbling down as the dragon broke through.

Databoard pulled out his gun. "Wait," said Zenna, "those won't work. Hmm, knights used swords to kill dragons... that's it!" She pulled out a different bullet, loaded into her gun, and fired. In a few seconds, the dragon was asleep again.

"What was that?" asked Databoard.

Zenna explained, "It's a tranquilizer built specifically for these occasions. It's made of the material knights used to make swords used against dragons, and will work on almost anything. It's useful when you have a Mutant T-Rex chasing you, but the length of effect will depend on the size of the victim. For one of his size, it will only last 45 minutes, just long enough for us to get out of here."

She noticed his T-1 Typhoon landed nearby. They both got in and started flying. Zenna wondered, "Do all the castles here now have dragons living in them? Well, I hope that's enough."

Zenna pulled out her computer device. "Databoard," she said, "according to this data, the dinos are heading for... the Fright Knights kingdom."

Databoard checked the computer device, and then he shook his head. "Well, Zenna," he replied, "I believe you're slightly mistaken. It says that there are more dragons, not dinosaurs, dwelling in the Fright Knights kingdom. Apparently, our scanners make little distinction between the dinos and dragons, leading to some reports of mutated dragons."

"Can we go there and find out what it is that's attracting all these dragons?" asked Zenna.

Databoard shook his head. "Unfortunately," he replied, "we have bigger problems on our hands than just some wild dragons. If they can potentially keep the Mutant Dinos at bay, then we are good. I just hope there is not anything more than that."

Zenna put away her device. "So, where are we going?" she asked, "I think it's either Vikings Isle or Port Royal. Hmmm... Port Royal would likely be the least dangerous, minus the weak wood, so maybe we'll just get Vikings Isle over with."

----

Frozeen, Libo, and Amanda found the hole in the subway tunnel. Frozeen raised his hands, signaling the others to stop. He crept through the hole, and walked in the sewage-filled tunnel for a few minutes.

At last, the Alpha Team agent returned, nodding his head. "This is it," said Frozeen, looking at his two comrades. "Yes, this is what we have been looking for. Rex and Chompy went this way, along with Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek."

"You mean to tell us that those three villains got here before us?" asked Libo.

"Unfortunately, they did," said Frozeen.

"How'd you know?" wondered Libo.

Frozeen chuckled softly. "Follow me, and I'll show you."

Libo and Amanda traded glances, and they followed Frozeen through the sewage tunnel. They had gone only a short distance before they heard the angry shouting and cursing of voices that could only belong to Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek, along with the angry roar of a Mutant T-Rex.

"Ah," observed Libo, "I see. Or, should I say, I hear?"

Amanda just smiled and rolled her eyes.

----

They soon arrived at Vikings Isle. They landed the helicopter without any issue; they had a much nicer arrival, though this place was probably either just as rough as or even rougher than Castle Cove.

"Look out!" Zenna yelled as they dodged a stray flame from a dragon. Luckily, it had not noticed or attacked them. "It would be foolish to travel the land on foot," she said.

"Well, I'll get the T-1 ready," said Databoard.

"That won't be necessary," said Zenna. She got into the ship and unloaded her Fire Hammer. "Come on," she said, and Databoard got in the passenger seat.

They soon arrived at the old Viking Fortress, now in ruins, "I'll go in. If I'm not back in 20 minutes, come in. I'll call you if I find anything," Zenna said.

She ran in and wandered around. In some spots, she could hear floor creaking. She soon went to the top floor, where Databoard was sometimes able to see her. She was walking when, to see if anything was below her, she lay down and touched the floorboards with her ear. All she could hear was a snoring noise. She soon got up, determining that nothing useful was in here, though she was wondering where the snoring came from if this was abandoned.

She found a few Dinos but managed to kill them. She soon stepped on a spot, not too far from where one was standing and not too far from where she had heard the snoring, and the boards cracked beneath her feet and fell through.

She found herself in a small room. She found a locked door but could hear something inside. She pulled out a lockpicking device and began to pick the lock. She pulled out a communications device and said, "I found a locked door but something's behind it. I'm going to pick it"

*****

Meanwhile, twenty minutes had passed and Zenna wasn't back yet, so Databoard went in. He pulled out his communicator. "Zenna, where are you?" he asked.

"Go to the top," she said. "There's a hole in the floor, you'll have to jump through it."

Databoard did as he was instructed and found a door. He opened it easily and found Zenna. "Zenna, I thought you said the door was locked," he said.

"It was," replied Zenna, "and for a good reason." They noticed a large Nidhogg Dragon sleeping in front of them, blocking the door on the other side. This was where the snoring was coming from.

"Well, we can't just go back. This was the only door. That must have been a storage room," whispered Zenna. "There's an exit there; we'll just have to find a way past the dragon without waking it up. The other thing is we will have to take a chance. This creature could wake up any minute now."

Zenna began to quietly tiptoe past the sleeping dragon. And was soon almost toward the exit, and so far, the dragon's eyes remained closed.

"This seems oddly familiar," Databoard muttered as they snuck past the dragon. "I swear, I'm never going back to Vikings Isle after this." He kept his laser set on full power and aimed at the dragon.

Zenna reached the door, which creaked as it opened. The dragon woke up, and roared at them. Databoard fired his laser, which tore through the roof and rained rubble everywhere. Databoard and Zenna ran, only to find a Mutant Raptor making its way through the corridors. It spotted them and charged. To make matters worse, the dragon had freed itself from the rubble and was charging forward as well. Databoard looked around, but there was nowhere else to run.

"Not again," said Zenna. They narrowly dodged a flame. The dragon blocked the exit. They ran back through the door, which was too small for the dragon. It bashed its head at the door. This, luckily, tired out the Nidhogg Dragon and it soon went back to sleep. They quietly went past and left the fort.

----

Sam Sinister tried to fire his Sonic Screamer at the Mutant T-Rex. Unfortunately, before he could do so, the Mutant T-Rex chomped down the weapon. Brickster tried to summon Brickster-Bots, but each one he summoned was easily knocked away by the Mutant T-Rex. Vladek kept trying to slice the T-Rex with his sword, but the creature's hide was just too thick.

"We cannot stop it," Sam Sinister decided, "so we do what any honorable villain would do and RUN!" He took off in the direction of the left tunnel. The other two LEGO villains apparently agreed, since they followed him.

Frozeen, Libo, and Amanda soon met the Mutant T-Rex. However, unlike the LEGO villains, they tried a different approach that was much pacifistic. Frozeen began to speak to the Mutant T-Rex in Mutant Dino language. The Mutant T-Rex responded with a roar with such ferocity that it caused all three figures to take a step backwards. Frozeen proceeded to talk some more in grunts and growls. The Mutant T-Rex gestured towards the left tunnel with its head, then gave a growl. Then, the Mutant T-Rex walked past the three of them.

"Okay," said Libo, "care to translate?"

"I asked her if she had seen the three villains we're tracking," Frozeen replied. "That's what the huge roar was about. She had met them - and didn't enjoy the experience. I then asked which way was the way the Mutant T-Rex had come from, and she had answered by gesturing towards that left tunnel. Then, she warned us that we didn't want to go that way... terrible things happened to those that did."

"Let me guess," Libo said, "mutation?"

"I'm willing to assume," said Frozeen, shrugging. "What do you say, Amanda? Shall we go that way?"

Amanda smiled confidently, and then she began to run down the left tunnel.

----

"Let's find those dinosaurs and get out of here," said Zenna.

"Okay, we split up to search for the Mutants," Databoard replied. He got into his T-1 Typhoon, while Zenna sped off to search the ground in her Fire Hammer. Databoard flew over Vikings Isle, scanning for Mutants.

Suddenly, his scan picked up a group of Mutants moving west. "I've got them!" he shouted over his radio to Zenna. "Follow my lead!" He brought the T-1 Typhoon low over the forest, and prepared to open fire.

Zenna was pleased to actually be dealing with mutants this time. She quickly took her Fire Hammer to the scene and got out. She saw a group of Mutant Lizards, but then saw a Mutant T-Rex heading in her direction. She got back into her car and drove, knowing it could handle the all the Lizards.

"Databoard," she said, "there's a T-Rex here that I think you could deal with; my car's not strong enough. You take care of the T-Rex, I'll get the Lizards." She soon dealt with all the Lizards and managed to get into the T-1 Typhoon and loaded the Fire Hammer.

"Perfect, taking on a Mutant T-Rex by myself..." Databoard muttered. He sped towards the T-Rex, which fired its deadly eyebeams at the T-1 Typhoon. Databoard turned the T-1 Typhoon and avoided the lasers, then fired at the T-Rex. Most missed and obliterated several trees nearby, but a few blasts hit it and angered it.

It fired its eyebeams again, scorching the underside and destroying one of the side weapon pods. Databoard fired the remaining side gun, but the T-Rex avoided the shots as it ran. Databoard fired the Sonic Screamers, confusing the T-Rex and allowing him to stun it with the remaining weapons.

"Good job," said Zenna. "We should probably head back to the city now and get back to base. The agents might be getting worried."

Databoard and Zenna flew away from Vikings Isle and, in a few hours, they were back at LEGO City. "I'd say I'm never going back to Vikings Isle, but I have a bad feeling it's not gonna work like that..." Databoard muttered.

They left the T-1 Typhoon, and other agents began working to repair the damage to his helicopter. Zenna went into the base looking for a mission

----

Rex finally recovered. He rubbed his head. "What happened?" he asked Chompy.

"The guard knocked you out with his fire-breathing," replied Chompy.

"Fire-breathing?" Rex repeated, unsure if he understood Chompy correctly. "What in the...?" Chompy replied silently by pointing to the unconscious guard, without his helmet on. "He was a Mutant Lizard?" realized Rex.

"Not exactly," Chompy said as he shook his head. "He appears to be some sort of freaky Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid, with the lizard part being the fire-breathing Mutant Lizard. I haven't taken off the helmet of the other, but I'm assuming he's the same. We have to get out of here, Rex. NOW!"

Rex walked over to the large metallic doors on the far side of the chamber. He attempted to open them, but they were locked. Not even the full strength of a T-Rex could get them to budge. "Locked! We can't get through!" he muttered after a string of curses.

Chompy grinned and gestured at the two turrets. "Are you sure we can't?" he asked in a playful manner. Rex smiled, too.

The two T-Rexes manned the two turrets, aimed at the doors, and fired. The doors were blown to pieces by the powerful blasts. Rex and Chompy got down from the turrets and walked through the open doorway. Their eyes widened at the sight they saw.

The tunnel led upward and opened up to a tropical landscape. Loud screeches of unknown birds filled the air, along with the buzzing of hundreds of insects. This was accompanied by the guttural roars of Mutant Dinos everywhere. Rex and Chompy could see beaches in every direction, indicating that they were on a small island.

"Where are we?" asked Rex. "Can't be Adventurers' Island... if it was, the jungle here would be ablaze, and we would constantly be hearing battle between the normal and Mutant Dinos!"

"Can't be Ogel's Island, either," Chompy added. "That place is just too swampy and mountainous, and Drones would be everywhere."

Rex and Chompy traded glances. "Then where are we?" Rex wondered.

Chompy never answered. Both of the T-Rexes felt a sharp jolt of electricity as they were jabbed by the spear wielded by a Hybrid guard, the one still wearing its helmet. Then, they both fell unconscious.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 23: The Scientist King

----

Rex was the first to regain consciousness. He opened his eyes and found that he was in a cage. Unlike the cages carried behind those strange tank-like vehicles, this was small, and he was its only occupant. That was the first thing he noticed.

The second thing he noticed was he was in a building. It was a clean and pristine room, in sharp contrast with the dank tunnels that he and Chompy were exploring. It reminded him of the Dino Attack Headquarters hospital wing, or perhaps the research lab.

The third thing he noticed was that several other cages were set up in the room he was in. Each one was occupied by a T-Rex, Pteranodon, Raptor, or some type of large lizard. None of them were mutants. Each one was frozen with fear or else desperately trying to escape. The smell of dinosaur urine and feces permeated the air, even with the facility's robust ventilation system.

The T-Rexes, thought Rex, are the Adventurers' Island breed, so that must be where they're from. Same goes for the Pteranodons. But the Raptors, I don't think they're native to Adventurers' Island. The giant lizards... I have no clue whatsoever.

Rex turned towards the nearest cage and spoke in saurian language to its occupant, a Raptor. "Excuse me," he asked, "but where are we?"

"Don't know!" the Raptor replied. In Rex's mind, the Raptor's "voice" sounded extremely high-pitched and would have almost been comical if it were not so frightened. "I remember hiding from the abominations... then suddenly, I was boxed up!"

"Abominations?" repeated Rex. "What do you mean?"

"You haven't seen them?" the Raptor asked. "You're lucky! They're these ferocious types of dinosaurs, twisted images of our kind. They have strange powers, not natural at all! Most go on killing rampages, destroying everything!"

"You mean the Mutants?" asked Rex.

The Raptor made a gesture that seemed like a shrug. "Perhaps they're mutant. I'm not sure. I'm not sure of anything anymore! Ever since they took me from my home-"

"Wait," Rex asked, "where are you from? Are there any minifigures where you live?"

"It is a tropical island," replied the Raptor. "There are not a lot of minifigs, but one time some minifig tried to control us with strange orbs until more minifigs chased him off. I also recall some other minifigs observing us, watching us through a big black box. We do not usually see their kind. The island is ruled by four transforming dinosaurs - a T-Rex, a Styracosaurus, a Mosasaurus, and a Brachiosaurus, each able to transform into three other species - and they typically drive away minifigs so that we can live in peace. At least, they did, but they were forced into a cave when the abominations came."

The clues were put together in Rex's mind. The Raptor's tropical island home must have been Dinosaur Island, a more obscure island discovered by LEGO Studios in 2001. Rex remembered hearing that Ogel was the one who tried to control the dinosaurs, and it must have been Alpha Team that defeated him. The other minifigs must have been the LEGO Studios crew, filming the dinosaurs with their cameras. If there was any remaining doubt, the four transforming dinosaurs could only have been the legendary Mesozoic Morphing Monsters of Dinosaur Island. Due to its relative obscurity (especially compared to the famous Adventurers Dino Island or Adventurers' Island), Dino Attack Team never treated the uncharted island as a high priority.

Rex was thinking about these facts when he remembered the last thing he saw before he was captured: the tropical island at the far end of the tunnel. "And," he voiced the question in his head, "did you ever leave that island when you were brought here?"

The Raptor began to reply, then stopped to think about it. "Actually... no, I believe we're still on the island."

Rex's eyes widened. The source of the Dino Attack could have been on Dinosaur Island all along!

----

Databoard was walking down the hallway when Hawk approached him. "Data!" he shouted. "We've located a large group of Mutants over by the harbor. You in?"

"Sure," Databoard said, and returned to his T-1 Typhoon, which had just been repaired. Hawk got into his Fire Hammer, and they joined a group of agents as they headed towards the harbor.

Down by the harbor, Slash scouted ahead and scanned the area. "Hmm. Interesting," he remarked.

Suddenly, he was nearly hit by lightning bolts. "Woah!" he cried out as he dodged. "Not more Elemental Pterosaurs!" He pulled out the handheld Xenon Launcher again, now set to Zap mode. He fired a ring of electricity from it, and the Pterosaur dropped dead.

Databoard flew the T-1 Typhoon over the docks, scanning the area to find the Mutants. There were a few scattered here and there, but nothing major.

Finally, a large blip appeared on the screen, inside a large warehouse. The Dino Attack vehicles surrounded the warehouse, and Databoard flew the T-1 Typhoon low over the harbor. He locked his weapons on the warehouse and prepared to fire.

*****

Meanwhile, a lone Mutant Raptor moved silently through the sewers, looking for food. As it moved, it didn't even notice the fact that it passed through what was once a hidden door, now lying in ruin. Soon, it was now in a long silver corridor. It emerged into a large room, filled with abandoned machinery.

Confused, the Raptor moved towards a large device that took up the center of the room. It looked towards the controls, which lit up upon sensing a presence nearby. It leaned in and accidentally bumped the controls. The device began to activate, and a strange humming noise filled the room.

Suddenly, a beam of violet energy swept over the Raptor. Its molecules came apart... and then back together as something worse.

*****

Suddenly, a loud humming noise flooded Databoard's ears. He covered his ears, trying to ignore the noise.

"Databoard?" Hawk's voice could be faintly heard over the radio.

Databoard tried to ignore the noise and fire on the warehouse, when suddenly, Mutant Pteranodons swarmed through the windows, speeding straight at Databoard's T-1 Typhoon. He dove low, nearly losing control of the helicopter as its rotor clipped the water below. However, they did not fly at him again. Instead they headed back towards the city, vanishing behind the rows of ruined buildings.

More Mutants emerged from the warehouse, some smashing through walls to get out. However, much to Databoard's surprise, they didn't even bother trying to attack the Dino Attack vehicles. A few Fire Hammers tried to open fire, by the Mutants just avoided and continued into the city.

Databoard scanned the warehouse, but there was nothing that could have caused the Mutants to flee so quickly. Unless, they weren't running away from something. What if they were heading towards something?

Databoard flew over the warehouse, which the Dino Attack agents were now searching, and called Hawk. "I'm going to follow those Mutants," Databoard said. "I need you to track them on the ground." Databoard flew towards the Mutants, followed closely by Hawk in his Fire Hammer.

----

"So," the Raptor said, "I've said my story, what's your story?"

Rex thought a moment, recollecting all his memories and choosing which ones probably make the most sense to a wild dinosaur. "I've come from an island that has desert, jungle, and volcanoes. We dinosaurs live in the jungle, along with several native minifigs. There's also several famous minifigs who often were on the island - does Johnny Thunder sound familiar?"

The Raptor shrugged. "Never heard of him," replied the Raptor. "I would not know any minifig names, not even the ones that came to my island."

"Ogel, the minifig who tried to control your island… he tried to control my island, too, but in a different way. Six years ago, when Ogel was freezing the world, Alpha Team had come to the island to defend us dinosaurs from his Ice Drones." Realizing that these names probably still meant nothing to the Raptor, Rex asked, "Did you receive any unexpected ice and snow six years ago?"

The Raptor nodded. "Yes, but there wasn't an 'Alpha Team' to protect us. We just waited for it to thaw out and it did, but it took much longer than usual!"

"I do not remember much after that. But, more recently, I have been working with a team of minifigs who are trying to stop the abominations. I also had a companion with me, my younger brother Chompy… wait, were any other captured T-Rexes brought here recently?" Rex asked urgently.

"Well, there is that one," the Raptor said as he gestured to another cage nearby, in which an unconscious T-Rex lay on the floor.

"Chompy!" called Rex. "Chompy, wake up!"

Suddenly, a door opened, and a minifig dressed in a labcoat walked into the room. Rex realized that when he was calling Chompy's name, he had forgotten to speak saurian language and instead spoke English, and that would be a huge mistake if he was caught doing so. Evidently, he was still groggy from regaining consciousness and was not thinking straight.

The scientist walked from cage to cage, inspecting each imprisoned dinosaur carefully. Rex instinctively adopted an aggressive stance, knowing how a T-Rex would naturally act defiant when caged up. When the scientist reached the Raptor, the Raptor apparently did not share Rex's sentiments and instead cowered in the corner of his cage.

The scientist then walked over to Rex's cage. He studied Rex for a moment. In turn, Rex studied the scientist, who was wearing safety goggles and a facemask; unable to see his facial features, all that Rex could tell was that the scientist was bald-headed.

The scientist narrowed his eyes, carefully watching Rex. "Speak," he commanded, "if you can."

Rex's eyes widened. The scientist spoke in a voice that sounded eerily familiar… no, more than merely familiar. It was nearly identical to Rex's own voice!

Rex quickly forced himself to regain his composure and calm down, hoping the scientist did not notice his reaction. Then, he responded to the scientist by letting out a snarl, after mentally reminding himself not to speak English.

The scientist stared at Rex for a moment, then moved on to Chompy's cage and observed the unconscious T-Rex. "Ah," he muttered, "so you're the one that our guards captured. You really shouldn't have upset them like that, but I must say that the result must have been… shocking for you."

He snapped his fingers, and one of the two Hybrid guards, still wearing its helmet, strode into the room from an opposite doorway. "Tell me," the scientist inquired, "we have multiple caged T-Rexes in this room, but I only see one unconscious specimen. You said you brought two here today. Where is the other?"

The guard said nothing, but it immediately pointed to Rex.

"Ah, really?" the scientist said, although he did not actually seem that surprised as he glanced back at Rex. "Thank you for confirming. Bring them both into the lab!"

The guard nodded as another guard stepped into the room. With incredible strength for creatures of a minifigure stature, the two Hybrids started to push Rex and Chompy's cages.

----

A few Dino Attack doctors checked on Stealth's condition. Her injuries had healed, but she had still not woken up since the incident on Vikings Isle. Suddenly, her eyes snapped open, and she walked towards the door, oblivious to the people around her.

"Wait!" one of the doctors shouted. "You have to stay here until you're fully recovered."

Stealth turned and slammed him backwards with her tail. Two agents rushed into the room, but Stealth hurled acid at their lasers, melting them. She charged towards the window, smashing it, and then climbed down to the ground. Avoiding the Dino Attack agents below, she headed towards the source of the strange humming noise.

"Not again..." muttered the doctor as he watched Stealth leave.

----

"Hold on," the scientist ordered, and the two guards let go of the cages. "We cannot forget standard procedure while transporting lab animals!"

He whispered instructions to the two guards, and they nodded obediently. They left the room, then returned shortly afterward carrying two black sheets. They draped the sheets over the two cages, thus blinding Rex to anything outside of his cage. He felt himself being carried away. He heard footsteps, and he heard multiple doors opening. A few Mutant Dino roars could also be heard, as well as roars of non-mutants.

After what seemed like an eternity, the two sheets were removed. At last, Rex could see outside his cage again. He looked around and studied his new surroundings.

If there was any doubt before, he was sure that he was now inside a laboratory. Huge cases full of DNA samples and volatile reagents were found along the walls. Scientists scurried around, carrying experimental samples and lab notebooks. Needles, knives, pipettes, forceps, and tubes were neatly arranged on a nearby bench. X-Rays of various dinosaurs were hung on the walls. A book was located inside a glass case, probably guarded by invisible lasers if it held any importance.

But what caught Rex's eyes were four stasis tubes on the far side of the lab. One was empty and had no occupant. The other three tubes contained a Mutant Lizard, a Mutant Raptor, or a Mutant Pteranodon, but they all looked slightly different from the common mutants. All of them were in stasis, their eyelids shut closed, giving them an eerie look as though they were dead to the world around them.

A groan could be heard to the left. Rex turned and saw Chompy's cage. Chompy's eyes slowly opened, and he was getting up. "Where am I?" he asked Rex.

Remembering to carefully speak the saurian language, Rex replied, "I don't know, some sort of laboratory or base or something. I could be wrong, but I've got a hunch we're on Dinosaur Island, the one discovered by LEGO Studios."

Chompy nodded as he considered this theory. "Makes sense. The jungle here isn't like the one on Adventurers' Island, having more prehistoric flora and having less in common with an Amazonian rainforest. And plus, very few Dino Attack agents had gone to Dinosaur Island, so it was probably a perfect place to set up a secret base."

The bald-headed scientist from earlier walked over to the two cages. Before, he was wearing a face mask and goggles, but now Rex could make out the unmasked scientist's features… and it was no coincidence that the scientist's voice sounded just like Rex. It was like looking into a mirror; the scientist's face was almost identical to that of Rex's human disguise, even having the same neatly-trimmed goatee!

"Rex?" whispered Chompy. "Am I dreaming?"

"If you're dreaming," Rex replied, still making sure to growl instead of speaking English, "then we must be sharing the same dream. This is just too crazy."

The scientist looked at the two T-Rexes. "So," he said at last, "you are the two T-Rexes that apparently found our hidden headquarters, or so I heard? Yes, my guards told me about you two. One was particularly upset that one of you knocked off his helmet. He doesn't like when he's not wearing his helmet." He paced back and forth in front of them, as though he was a teacher lecturing his students. "Such bad behavior. And, as one knows, bad behavior does not get rewarded. It gets punished."

The scientist stopped his pacing, and began to rub his hands together in anxious excitement. "And the punishment... is usually painful, is it not?"

----

Databoard flew over the city, watching as the Mutants moved through the city. Down below, he could see Hawk following them from a safe distance. However, it wouldn't matter if he was driving alongside the Mutants, as they seemed oblivious to Minifigs, vehicles, and even buildings in their path, only attacking if they were attacked first. As they got closer, the humming noise grew louder, making it harder for Databoard to concentrate.

"That humming noise must be attracting the Mutants!" Databoard said to Hawk.

"What humming noise?" Hawk replied.

"You don't hear-" Databoard was about to ask, when he realized the humming must be at a frequency only Mutants could hear. Since Databoard was part-Mutant, he could hear it as well.

Databoard soon found himself near the center of the city, where it appeared the Mutants were headed. He was surprised to see more Mutants arriving from other directions, but he guessed they were drawn there by the strange buzzing noise. He landed the T-1 Typhoon on a rooftop, and looked down to get a better look.

A Mutant T-Rex had blasted a hole in the ground, and the Mutants were descending into the sewers. Suddenly, Databoard spotted Stealth, in the same trance-like state as the other Mutants, descending into the ground. He immediately climbed down, activated his camouflage, and hurried after Stealth into the sewers.

Databoard moved silently through the sewers, avoiding being trampled by the Mutants as they hurried past. He could spot Stealth up ahead and hurried forward. Unfortunately, the loud humming noise was so intense, he was having trouble controlling his camouflage and was starting to become visible. Trying to ignore the noise, he continued into the sewers...

----

Frozeen, Libo, and Amanda walked through the tunnel. Fortunately, it seemed that the farther they walked, the lower the level of the sewage water became, so soon they were no longer walking in knee-high water.

Suddenly, Libo stopped. "I think I hear something," he whispered, his cybernetic senses picking it up before his teammates. "It sounds like... an Iron Predator or some other large vehicle."

It didn't take long before Frozeen and Amanda heard it too. Frozeen turned around, and Libo followed suit. Suddenly, Frozeen began to run in the direction of the noise.

"Frozeen!" called Libo. "No!" He took off after Frozeen, followed by Amanda.

Frozeen didn't stop until he saw it: a huge tank-like vehicle coming down the tunnel. He just stood there, arms crossed, waiting for the vehicle to approach.

The tank-like vehicle, with a huge cage attached to a trailer, barreled closer and closer. Frozeen didn't flinch or move; he just stood there. It seemed the vehicle would plow him right over, but then it slowed down to a stop, inches from Frozeen. The two drivers of the vehicle climbed out, and they were clad in samurai-like armor with face-concealing helmets. They pulled out blasters and aimed at Frozeen.

"You're not friendly, then?" said Frozeen, chuckling. He leapt up onto the hood of the vehicle and grabbed their weapons. "Good, because neither am I!" He pointed the blasters at the two Minifigs and fired, and they fell to the ground.

Frozeen tossed aside the blasters, walked over to one of the dead tank drivers, and removed the helmet. The Alpha Team agent jumped back in shock; the driver's face was that of a black Mutant Lizard! The other driver had the face of a yellow Mutant Lizard. Frozeen muttered something under his breath, then threw the helmets into the sewage and dumped the bodies into the water.

"Hey, Libo! Amanda!" he called as he saw his teammates arrive. "Looks like we've got a ride! All aboard the Dino Track Transport!"

"What about them?" asked Libo, pointing to the cage behind Frozeen. Frozeen turned around and saw that the cage was full of non-mutated T-Rexes, Raptors, and Pteranodons. Frozeen nodded, then ripped off one of the sides of the cage, setting them free. After many grateful roars, they left the cage and began to run away from the vehicle. Libo and Amanda traded glances, then boarded the Dino Track Transport.

----

Hawk followed the Mutants in his Fire Hammer. He didn't know what was happening, but it couldn't be good.

Suddenly, a strange creature burst through a nearby wall. It looked like a Mutant Raptor, but much worse. It was taller, covered in black, almost armor-like scales, and a row of crimson spines ran down its back. It spotted Hawk, and fired a green energy beam at him. He swerved to avoid it, and smashed into an abandoned car.

Mutant Raptors can't do that! he thought. But then again, this clearly isn't a normal Mutant Raptor... Hawk spun the Fire Hammer around and sped towards the creature.

Hawk swerved as another energy beam ruined everything behind him. He fired the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher, but the lasers bounced harmlessly off its scales. It turned, roared, and launched the spines off its back. The spines impacted against the side of his Fire Hammer, damaging it badly. It spun out of control and crashed.

As the Raptor charged, Hawk knew he needed a plan. He aimed the launcher at the roof of the building he'd just crashed in. He put the launcher on a timer and hurried away. The Raptor leapt at the Fire Hammer - just as it blew a giant hole through the roof. The already-badly damaged building collapsed, burying the strange Raptor and the Fire Hammer under tons of rubble.

Hawk looked towards the building the Raptor had come out of, and decided to investigate...

----

Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek arrived in a circular chamber. In the center, two turrets could be found. On the far side of the chamber, they saw two Minifigs repairing a large metal door. "Last I checked," Brickster muttered, "sewage tunnels did not lead to chambers that looked like this."

The two Minifigs finished reconstruction of the door and began to walk back to the turrets. Suddenly, they noticed the intruders. It was made clear that these Minifigs were guards, since they ran to the turrets and began to fire at the villains. They jumped out of the way, and where the blast hit, there was a huge crater in the ground.

"Split up!" ordered Sam Sinister. "Or one blast kills us all!"

"Yes," muttered Brickster, "by all means, make those guards fire at least three times." Ignoring the sarcastic comment, Sam Sinister and Vladek split up.

The guards continued to fire at them, but each villain had plenty of experience dodging attacks. Sam Sinister had to dodge booby traps; Brickster had to dodge extremely-hot pizzas thrown by Pepper Roni; and Vladek used black magic to deflect incoming projectiles.

Sam Sinister dodged another blast. As soon as he got out of the way, though, he had to get out of the way of yet another blast. For every shot he dodged, he had another headed his way. Looking at his comrades, he found that they were experiencing the same troubles; as nimble as they were, they could not hold out forever.

Suddenly, a huge tank-like vehicle drove into the chamber. It smashed into the two turrets and then spun around, and its rear smashed into the door and broke it down. Where the turrets once stood, there were now exposed wires shooting sparks. Bits and pieces of the two turrets, plus parts of the guards' armor, were sent flying in every direction.

Sam Sinister batted away the rubble flying towards him. Then, when the dust cleared, he looked at the tank-like vehicle. He scowled as he saw Frozeen, Libo, and Claw climb out of the vehicle.

"Never again will I agree to do that," muttered Libo, holding his head and stumbling about dizzily as he tried to keep his balance.

Frozeen looked around and saw that they weren't alone. "Well, look, it's our favorite troupe of villains," he proclaimed. "So, we meet again?"

Sam Sinister grabbed his revolver, Brickster cracked his knuckles, and Vladek readied his sword. "For the last time," hissed the scorpion knight.

----

Databoard moved through a ruined door, following the Mutants. The humming noise was so intense, he stopped trying to control his camouflage abilities. Fortunately, none of the Mutants noticed him. He looked into the room, and watched as Mutants gathered around the machine. This must be what caused that humming noise! Databoard thought.

Suddenly, an energy beam swept over the Mutants. They seemed to dissolve, only to come back as strange, even further mutated versions of themselves. Doors opened in the walls, and the confused Mutants hurried out.

Databoard spotted Stealth moving towards the machine. He rushed towards her, but knew he wouldn't be able to get her out of there before it activated again. As he neared Stealth, he fired his lasers. Green bolts of light arced through the crowd of Mutants - but not in time to stop the energy beam from activating.

----

Sam Sinister made the first move, firing his revolver at Claw. She ducked out of the way, then took out her own Sonic Screamer and fired at Sam Sinister. The next thing the Adventurers Villain knew, he was on the ground, his hand and hook over his ears, trying to block out the intense, humming noise that threatened to claim his senses. "Curse this Dino Attack technology!" he hissed.

Libo and Frozeen both ran over to Brickster and Vladek. "Well, well, well," said Frozeen, cracking his knuckles, "if it isn't the ones responsible for PBB's death."

"Shall we repay them?" asked Libo, smirking. "Pay them back for the pain they have caused us?"

"Look, fellas," Brickster pleaded, backing away slowly, "Vladek and I mighta been the ones to do it, but it ain't my idea, nor my plan! Honest! It was Vladek's!"

Vladek glared at his partner. "Thou liar!" he snarled. "Thy had nothing whatsoever to do with the planning of the death of PBB! It was thou who made the plan, trying to riddeth the world of a Brickster-Bot that doth not followeth thou!"

Suddenly, Sam Sinister was sent flying through the air and crashed into the other two LEGO villains. Frozeen and Libo turned, expecting Amanda Claw to be the reason, but they had to catch her out of the air when they saw her flying towards her. "What's going on?" asked Frozeen.

Amanda wiped some blood off her cheek, and then she pointed in the direction that she and Sinister had been fighting a few seconds ago.

There stood the two Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid guards, missing their helmets and parts of their armor, scratched and bruised all over, but angry and eager for a fight. Libo and the LEGO villains gasped, since they had not yet seen a helmetless guard.

The Hybrid guards, fueled by rage, grabbed two energized spears. They crackled with electricity, and would probably hurt painfully even if the spearhead did not pierce the skin.

Sam Sinister frowned. He grabbed Amanda Claw's Sonic Screamer off the ground and fired it at the Hybrids. They spun their spears so quickly, it seemed to form a shield. The rotating spears deflected the sonic blast right back towards Frozeen. Although the G.E. Body protects its wearer from physical attack, Frozeen quickly found out that Sonic Screamers were more of a mental attack, operating at a frequency that bypassed the G.E. Metal. His legs buckled, and he fell to the ground, his hands over his ears. But that couldn't block out the humming sound, ringing in his head. He lost consciousness soon afterward.

Libo stared at Frozeen as he fell, then began to launch fiery bolts at the Hybrids. Once again, the Hybrids deflected the attack. Only this time, they were deflected towards Amanda and Brickster. Amanda ducked quickly, but Brickster didn't get out of the way in time. His knit cap caught on fire, and he ripped it off and threw it on the ground, trying to stop it out. Amanda saw this, grabbed the burning hat, and tossed it like a disk at the guards. The hat got past the energized spear and hit one of the guards, the one that had the head of a red-orange Mutant Lizard. It screeched angrily and fell to the ground as it tried to pull the burning fabric off its face.

The other guard, with the face of a green-blue Mutant Lizard, snarled. Suddenly, it and its spear vanished from view. "It must have chameleon Mutant Lizard powers," muttered Libo. He, Brickster, Vladek, Sam Sinister, and Amanda poised to attack when it reappeared. The next thing Libo knew, he had extreme pain, like a thousand red-hot needles piercing his side. A hard blow to his head, and he was out cold. Brickster and Vladek were out next.

Sam Sinister and Amanda looked around, amongst their unconscious companions. Suddenly, the guard reappeared right in front of them, startling the two of them. "Excuse me, you're a… hopefully intelligent… being," Sam Sinister said, holding his hand and hook up in the air, "maybe we can cut a deal! We team up, and then we kill this Dino Attack Agent, yes? If you're going to rule the world, you're going to need Dino Attack out of the way! Just like FUTURE said!"

Amanda Claw glared at the villain, unable to believe that he was trying to negotiate with the Hybrid. The guard paused for a moment, as though it was considering his offer, then swung his energized spear, knocking out both Sinister and Claw at the same time.

----

Hawk entered the ruined building, laser aimed ahead. The building seemed to be in a state of disrepair, with a hole leading down into the darkness. Suddenly, a roar echoed through the building, and Hawk hid. Strange versions of the Mutants poured from the hole, moving out into the city.

Hawk moved cautiously towards the hole. Whatever was causing all of this had to be down there. Nervously, he descended into the darkness.

Hawk nearly jumped in the air when Slash suddenly popped in beside him. "Hey Hawk! What's up?"

"Haven't you noticed the stronger Mutant Dinos?" asked Hawk.

Slash shook his head and replied, "No. I've been dealing with Elemental Mutants!"

"Interesting... err, never mind," murmured Hawk. "Anyway, the mutants appear to be coming out of this hole."

"I'll scout ahead," offered Slash. "Besides, I heard that Stealth managed to escape the ER."

"What?! How?!" exclaimed Hawk.

"I think I'm partly to blame for that. Before I left, I tended to her physical wounds," said Slash.

Hawk raised an eyebrow, knowing that Slash was not a trained doctor. "But how?"

Slash pointed to the Cyber Matrix strapped on his wrist. "Hello, remember this?"

"Oh yeah," said Hawk, "I keep forgetting that you have that fancy watch. Anyway, let's go." With that, both Dino Attack agents descended into the hole.

*****

Databoard fell to the ground and tried to activate his chameleon power, but he couldn't. Suddenly, he looked at his reflection on a nearby computer screen and realized why: he was human! He looked over to Stealth, who had also transformed back into a human. He wondered why, and then realized the machine must have registered their half-Mutant DNA as one Mutant, and transformed that, leaving their human DNA behind.

Then Databoard remembered the lasers he had fired at the machine, and turned around just in time to see the lasers obliterate the control panel.

What happened next could only be described as chaos.

Flames shot from the controls, startling the Mutants. As the machine began to explode, the Mutants charged towards the exits. Databoard tossed one of his lasers to Stealth, and they began rushing towards safety. They fired lasers to distract the Mutants, but it only seemed to anger them further. Fortunately, they managed to take cover behind the ruined machine as Mutants rampaged upwards.

*****

Hawk and Slash moved downwards into the tunnel with their lasers aimed ahead of them. Suddenly, they heard a rumbling noise, followed by loud roars. "Look out!" Slash shouted, and they both dove out of the way as Mutants charged past them. After a few minutes, the last Mutants had passed.

"What was that?!" Hawk exclaimed as the Mutants vanished into the darkness...

----

"Of course," continued the bald scientist, "I will only give punishments to those I know. It only seems fair that I may know who you are so I can deem whether you are deserving of punishment. So, perhaps one of you would like to tell me your names?" He chuckled as though he was joking, but it was hard to tell.

Rex and Chompy traded glances. Rex then gave a snarl towards Chompy, which translated to, "I won't speak English because I've got a bad feeling about him. If I speak, perhaps it'll give me away."

Chompy growled back, "Okay, gotcha."

"No?" said the scientist, having not understood the snarls and growls, much to Rex's relief. "I guess then we'll have to perform DNA tests, then. DNA is the universal language, after all. Dr. Cyrista, Dr. Provencal, if you'd please…"

He snapped his fingers, and two other scientists walked over, each one holding an injection needle. Rex and Chompy backed away from the sharp-looking needles as they were poked between the bars of the cage.

"Oh, don't be such babies!" the lead scientist said with a smirk. "It's just a quick prick, that's all!"

Rex could read the ID badge of the scientist who went to his cage: Matthew Cyrista. These syringes were a specialized length, long enough to safely reach Rex and Chompy in their cages without putting the scientists at risk. Rex snarled and tried to bat away the needle with his claw, but Dr. Cyrista managed to puncture him in the arm. Blood began to flow into the syringe, and when it was filled, the scientist finally pulled the needle away. Rex clutched his aching arm. Looking over into the other cage, he saw that the other scientist had also drawn Chompy's blood.

Dr. Cyrista and Dr. Provencal walked towards the lead scientist, handing him the syringes as they passed. The lead scientist nodded and walked over to a computer and control panel. He inserted the needles into two slots, and a DNA test was performed on the computer. The scientist typed something into the keyboard.

A computer voice said, "DNA sequence match confirmed."

The scientist smiled. "Ah," he whispered, "I thought so." He turned towards the two cages and held his gaze on Rex.

Chompy noticed this, and he growled softly to Rex: "That's not good. I think he's discovered you."

The scientist continued to stare at Rex. "So, now I know you, perhaps I ought to let you know me? My true name is Dr. Ronald Alexander," he introduced himself, "but everyone here knows me as Dr. Rex. I am the founder, leader, and principal investigator of XERRD: Xenon Elite Researchers Regarding Dinosaurs. Not too long ago, I rediscovered a formula from one of Ogel's scrapped plans, retrieved from the Alpha Team archives. I myself had stolen it from an Evil OGEL Empire outpost about ten years ago, back when I worked for Alpha Team. When I saw that formula again... it was as if a voice had spoken in my head, and I heard it with such clarity. It was at that moment that I knew that Minifigkind was doomed to destruction, one way or another."

Rex listened carefully to Dr. Rex. He had no doubt that the scientist must have been quite mad to come to such a conclusion, but if Dr. Rex was going to fall for the classic villain trope of monologuing his motives and plans to his helpless captives, then Rex had better pay attention.

"Not everyone is as enlightened as I am," continued Dr. Rex. "You see it again and again throughout history. Devastating wars that claim millions of lives and threaten to turn our home planet into a nuclear wasteland. Great depressions as the economy cannot afford to sustain such an ever-growing population. Poor families and friends unfairly torn apart, never to see each other again. So much unbearable loss. Meanwhile, the greedy rich and elite continue to line their pockets… poisoning the planet and draining its necessary resources while they reap the benefits. Mark my words: Minifigkind has doomed itself and LEGO Planet along with it. And, like any infectious disease, Minifigs spread across the LEGO Universe… turning the limitless potential of imagination into chaos and destruction. If I stood idly, then the entire universe would collapse, like a LEGO model with a poorly-assembled foundation."

"He certainly has a flair for the dramatic," observed Rex. "The Dino Attack could have only been created by such a charismatic madman."

"There was only one thing to do: start anew," declared Dr. Rex. "Restore the planet to prehistoric times, before the corruption of humans. Bring back the age of the dinosaurs, and let them reclaim the planet they once ruled. The dinosaurs would devastate modern Minifig civilization and wipe the slate clean. Now, there would undoubtedly be survivors… XERRD, for instance, since we would not be so shortsighted as to doom ourselves; we are the elite, the best of the best, after all. Anyone else who found the courage, power, and wisdom to survive would surely be suitable material to start civilization anew, while all those corrupt gluttonous tycoons would be washed away. Survival of the Fittest, as they may say."

"That's all this is to you?" Rex snarled. "Millions of lives lost, and you have the audacity to claim it was Survival of the Fittest? You dare to call yourself a scientist?"

"Charles Darwin would be turning in his grave if he could hear this right now," grunted Chompy.

"But," continued Dr. Rex, "simply returning the world to as it once was is not enough. How would prehistoric creatures bring down a world with suitably advanced technology? And besides, even if it did, the past would eventually give way to the present, as it always does, and the cycle would start anew. And so, I decided to… change it a little, spice it up, to ensure history wouldn't repeat himself."

----

Databoard and Stealth looked out from behind the wrecked machinery. The Mutants had gone, leaving behind a ruined laboratory. Bits of wrecked metal were scattered across the floor, and sparks shot from the now-exposed wiring on the walls.

Databoard spotted a computer on the wall that had escaped the rampage, and activated it. Suddenly, the logo of the Shadows flashed across the screen. Confused, Databoard clicked on the logo and watched as information flashed onto the screen.

Databoard watched as the image of a Shadows scientist appeared on the screen. He had a slightly worried expression, as if he knew something bad was going to happen.

"We started this project about a month ago," he began to talk. "The objective of our project was to create a mind-control beam that could be used to further our plans." Footage of the device sweeping across a room of people could be seem, with the controls covered by a metal box to prevent the person at the controls from being affected. Databoard knew that it hadn't been there before. Something bad must have happened.

The image on the screen switched back to the scientist, who resumed talking. "Unfortunately, that's when things began to go wrong..."

----

"I knew that, instead of simply letting wild dinosaurs loose and hope that they could reclaim the world, I would genetically alter them to make sure they do not go extinct again," said Dr. Rex. He stopped himself as he glanced at Rex and Chompy, and then he smiled and chuckled. "Of course, technically, dinosaurs are not extinct. You two are living proof of that. But you are only the modern-day descendants of the original Tyrannosaurus Rex, having evolved after 65 million years of inhabiting Adventurers' Island to be much smaller and weaker. If your ancestors went extinct globally, then you would stand no chance today… if not for me."

Dr. Rex grabbed a chair and sat down, since he was getting tired of standing. Then, he continued: "You may be protected species thanks to the Adventurers' efforts, but it turns out that it's very easy to buy the loyalties of poachers and mercenaries to hunt dinosaurs. From Adventurers' Island, I took one T-Rex and one Pterosaur. From Dinosaur Island, I took one Raptor and one… well, some of my colleagues say it's a Compsognathus, but I believe it's a new undiscovered species that paleontologists have not yet named, so let's just call it a Lizard for now. I experimented upon them, using that formula that fool Ogel made a while ago. The result is what you can see there."

Dr. Rex smiled and gestured to the four stasis tubes on the far side of the lab. Chompy glanced at Rex, worry in his eyes. Rex himself looked uneasy, now beginning to suspect why one tube was empty. Dr. Rex continued to exposit: "They were the 'prototypes,' shall I say, for the Mutant Dinos now roaming the planet, each one excessively stronger than the original. However, they weren't enough. By adding a bit of XERRD's own research to Ogel's original formula, I could give Mutant Dinos extraordinary power! Fire breath, acidic saliva, force fields, lightning, laser vision, nuclear furnaces, you name it! But what to do with those four prototypes?"

Dr. Rex stood up and walked over to the empty stasis tube. "I put them all to sleep, and then into stasis. All… but one, the 'prototype' Mutant T-Rex, who resisted. We found another use for him, as a sleeper agent planted to destroy Dino Attack Team, the fools who dare to stand in the way of our salvation. But of course, as dictated by Murphy's Law, something went wrong, and our plan was foiled. We had no idea what ultimately became of our prototype T-Rex."

Dr. Rex strode over to Rex's cage and looked at him as he rhetorically asked, "But you already know that, don't you?"

Rex swallowed nervously, trading glances with Chompy.

----

"As we continued our tests, we learned there were... errors... in the program..." the Shadows scientist continued. "We were working on ways to affect the population on a large scale when it happened. At the time, we were planning to broadcast the mind-control wave in audio form. It wouldn't be as powerful, but it would draw them to the machine long enough for it to affect them perman-"

"Get to the point," a voice said offscreen. Databoard realized something must have reactivated the machine, and the closest thing in the area was a Mutant. The machine's computers retuned themselves towards Mutants, and the mind-control broadcast had drawn them here.

"Uh, anyway..." the scientist continued, glancing nervously off-camera, "we were about to test it, when one of those errors activated..." The image showed the machine sweeping over a group of Minfigs, who transformed into mutated creatures similar to the ones the Mutants became. They attacked everything in sight, ripping through the metal box over the controls. One leapt at the screen, and everything turned to static.

The screen soon changed back to the Shadows scientist. "It started causing mutations. We aren't sure why at this time," he continued. "We think that an error in the code affected the beam, causing physical changes instead of mental ones. Anyway, the experiments were contained, but not before they damaged the entrance to the base. We hope to make repairs and finish this project as soon as we can."

The screen switched back to the Shadows logo. Databoard could only assume that this footage was from shortly before the Shadows were defeated, leaving behind the ruined laboratory. Suddenly, he heard a noise nearby, and aimed his laser into the darkness...

----

"We placed that Mutant T-Rex in a Minifig disguise," Dr. Rex continued, "an organic suit bioengineered and modeled after my own features. We altered the T-Rex's vocal cords so that it could speak with my voice. We created a sleeper agent in my own image."

"So that's why he looks and sounds like I did," Rex whispered to Chompy.

"The sleeper has awoken, with the scraps of its Minifig disguise left in the ruins of an apartment building. We've since tried to recapture our asset… but apparently, the T-Rex has taken it upon itself to come to our doorstep," Dr. Rex concluded, staring at Rex. "And now, here you are. Welcome home, Rex."

"So much for trying to stay undiscovered," Rex muttered. "What do we do now?"

"I don't know. This was all a bad idea. We're probably going to be interrogated and then killed, or worse," growled Chompy. Rex raised an eyebrow; Chompy was not one to hold back, but usually he had greater tact than that. In fact, Chompy himself seemed surprised that he had said it out loud.

"So, do tell me," Dr. Rex asked, "how did you revert from being a Mutant T-Rex to a mere regular T-Rex? I assume the mutation did not simply wear off with time, did it?"

"Dino Attack cured me, with a special formula developed by Dr. Frank Einstein." The words just spilled out of Rex's mouth as soon as he thought about them, and he had spoken in English. His eyes widened in shock. How could he be so careless?

Dr. Rex smiled. "Ah, I see. They have already developed a cure? Where do they keep it?" he inquired.

Rex found himself answering again. "It was stored in the research lab, but lost when the base was recently attacked by Mutant T-Rexes.  They no longer have the antivenom, not until Einstein can synthesize some more."

"Well, then, looks like the famous Frank Einstein is our next high-priority target," mused Dr. Rex.

"You idiot! What are you doing?" hissed Chompy.

Rex looked at his brother. "I... I don't know," he admitted, "the answers are just coming out of me... it's as if I can't stop saying what I'm thinking…"

Dr. Rex chuckled. "Did it occur to you that I merely took blood samples and gave you nothing in return? I would not be so thoughtless; I always pay my debts! When Dr. Cyrista and Dr. Provencal drew your blood, the needles simultaneously administered our very own Verita Serum into your bloodstream. This chemical inhibits the necessary brain functions for lying, even by omission, so now you will truthfully answer any question I ask you."

"A truth serum!" exclaimed Chompy. "Rex, don't say anythi-"

"And now, my sleeper agent, time to see what you have learned… What is the weakness of the Dino Attack Team?" asked Dr. Rex.

At first, Rex did not even know how to answer that question, and he was relieved about that. But then, he thought of one possible response. Rex desperately tried to keep his mouth shut, but as soon as the thought came to mind, he simply could not stop himself from speaking: "Dino Attack Team suffers the most from internal conflicts, especially what to do about the Mutant Dinos. They can be easily divided over idealist and realist viewpoints, to the point where they are willing to fight each other over it. My own insistence on capturing and taming Mutant Dinos was enough to provoke Kotua into waging war against his own teammates."

A dark smile crossed Dr. Rex's face, and Rex felt a sense of dread overwhelm him. How was Dr. Rex going to use this intel against Dino Attack Team? What dastardly scheme did he have in mind? Even though Rex knew he was under the influence of the truth serum, he could not help feeling angry with himself for betraying Dino Attack and, in the end, becoming the very infiltrator he chose not to be. His own destiny had caught up with him.

"Fascinating," murmured Dr. Rex. He then pointed at Chompy. "How about this T-Rex that accompanied you? Who is he?"

"Chompy," Rex blurted out, unable to stop himself, "Alpha Team asset, Dino Attack ally, adopted son of Alpha Team agent Frozeen... and one of my younger brothers."

"You're his brother?" said Dr. Rex, smiling as he glanced at Chompy. "How delightful that we are all here for a family reunion! Now, of course, it is time for you two to join the rest of your kind… as Mutant T-Rexes who will bring forth the apocalypse I have started!"

*****

Frozeen slowly opened one eye. How long had he been unconscious? Minutes? Hours? Days? More likely hours, he thought. He found himself in a small room, which he quickly recognized to be a holding cell. It was clean and sterile, but had hardly anything more than a simple metallic bench to sit upon. There were only three physical walls, but the adjacent hallway was blocked off by an energy force field to prevent him from simply walking out.

Frozeen stood up and walked as close to the force field as he could, so that he could see out into the hallway. He could see more holding blocks; Amanda Claw was locked in a cell directly across from him, and he could also see each of the LEGO villains in single-housed cells. However, he could not see Libo from his position. The hallway had the same clean, sterile aesthetic as his cell, which clued him in to the fact that they were no longer in the sewage tunnel and were now in some base or compound. But whose?

Amanda Claw had also regained consciousness. She was sitting calmly, carefully assessing the situation to see if she could find a way out. Lord Sam Sinister was also awake, but he was pacing back and forth impatiently while shouting, "Where the blazes am I?"

"If I knew the answer," muttered Frozeen, "I still wouldn't give it to you. But I don't, so I can't, so it doesn't really matter now, does it?"

The Adventurers Villain glared at Frozeen. "Is this one of your little tricks, Alpha Team agent?" he asked, shaking his hook at him.

Frozeen gestured to the energy grid that held him in his cell. "If it was, why would I imprison myself and Claw as well?" he asked rhetorically.

"Who is responsible for this?" screamed Sinister. "Is this how you treat the Lord von Barron? I swear, once I break out of here, I'm going to-"

Suddenly, a door on the far side of the hallway opened. One of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid guards stepped into the room. It was wearing its armor and helmet, and still wielding the energized spear it had used to knock them all out. It walked up to Sinister's cell and hissed menacingly at him.

Sinister gave a sheepish chuckle and insisted, "Me? Break out? Oh, no, I'm only joking! I am perfectly fine and cozy in here! Why would I ever want to leave?"

As usual, Amanda Claw said nothing. She only sighed and shook her head.

*****

A Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid guard entered the laboratory. It walked towards Dr. Rex and whispered something into his ear.

"Intruders? Yes, I see," murmured Dr. Rex, nodding. He looked at Rex and Chompy. "You will guard Rex and his brother," he ordered the guard. "Make sure they do nothing funny. I will have a word with these invaders you speak of." Then, the lead XERRD scientist left the room, leaving the strange Hybrid to guard Rex and Chompy.

"How could you just tell Dr. Rex everything?" growled Chompy. "I know he injected us with a truth serum, but you could have just responded to all his questions in saurian language!"

"It isn't that simple!" retorted Rex. "You don't understand because you're not bilingual… or forcibly programmed to speak multiple languages, like I was. Speaking the dinosaur language may be an instinct for me, but when it comes to Dino Attack matters, I am much more used to thinking and speaking in English."

Chompy snorted, but he did not press any further. "Well, you got us into this mess. Any brilliant ideas on how to get us out?" he asked.

"None at the moment," Rex replied, watching the guard. "Key words: at the moment."

Chompy started moaning loudly and pretended to be in pain, convincing the annoyed XERRD scientists to leave the room and provoking the Hybrid guard to try prodding him with its energized spear. Chompy wrestled the spear out of the Hybrid's grasp, so the Hybrid began spitting acid at the cage, accidentally melting away some of the cage bars. When a large-enough hole was melted away, Chompy charged out of the cage with the spear, stabbed the Hybrid, took its keys, and freed Rex.

*****

By now, everyone was fully awake. "What happened?" asked Brickster groggily. "There was that guard, he vanished into thin air, then Libo got attacked by an unseen force..."

"Long story made short," summarized Frozeen, "that guard knocked everyone out and brought us here."

"You ain't winning any awards in drama class, kid," grumbled Brickster.

Frozeen muttered something underneath his breath. He glanced over at Amanda Claw. "Have you figured anything out yet?" he asked.

She nodded, and then she gestured towards a control panel on the wall just outside her cell. There was a similar control panel outside Sinister's cell, and outside Brickster's cell too; Frozeen assumed that there was one for each cell. He realized that this would probably activate or deactivate the force field for each block. The catch-22 was that they would need to get through the force field in order to disable the force field.

"Are you there, Libo?" whispered Frozeen, hoping that Libo was in one of the cells directly next to him. "I know you from your time as Little Bot, and you had enough tricks up your sleeve to make R2-D2 jealous. If you have anything that can access that control panel-"

Before Frozeen could finish his thought, the door opened, and the Hybrid guard stepped aside. Into the room stepped...

"Agent Rex?" exclaimed Frozeen, his eyes widening. "But, how…?" Amanda looked up at the familiar figure, just as surprised as Frozeen, to see a scientist who looked nearly identical to Rex while he was a Dino Attack agent.

"Look, if this is about your pet Mutant T-Rex, it was nothing personal-" Sam Sinister started to say.

As the scientist looked directly at her, Amanda's surprise faded away. She very quickly recognized, faster than anyone else, that while he had the same face as Rex, the brilliant yet maddened look in his eyes betrayed the truth: he was a very different person. She narrowed her eyes and scowled, shaking her head.

"No, this is someone else..." agreed Frozeen, already suspecting the reasons why this scientist happened to look just like Rex's human minifigure disguise.

The scientist smiled and nodded as he said to Amanda, "Quite correct. I see that you must have been one of agent Rex's teammates from Dino Attack. You may call me Dr. Rex."

"Looks like we got someone who's really picky about his titles," muttered Brickster. "Does it really matter if we say 'Agent' versus 'Doctor'? Or would you prefer 'Sir' over 'Mister'?"

"Yes, it does matter," insisted Dr. Rex, "because agent Rex was my asset and nothing more, while I am the genuine article who created agent Rex in my image. It will do you well to address me by my proper title. Do us all a favor and help prevent the matter from getting confusing."

"That doesn't help, because I'm already confused!" said Sam Sinister. "And believe me, since I was involved in the whole Sinister Switcheroo, I have a high standard for being confused by names."

"But enough about me, let us talk about you!" Dr. Rex said. "Let's see here... we've got Sam Sinister, the Brickster, Vladek, a Dino Attack agent, the elusive Libo himself, and… General Evil." As he said that last name, he looked directly at Frozeen with an expression that seemed to show a mixture of hatred and triumph.

"What art thou talkingeth about?" asked Vladek, pointing at Frozeen. "Tis not General Evil! Tis-"

"Don't listen to him," Frozeen interrupted, speaking in a lower pitch and adopting a British accent in an attempt to imitate General Evil. "As you can see, my great-great-great-great-great grandfather has gone rather senile since leaving medieval times." If I can keep up this charade, he thought, then perhaps I can learn more about whatever history Dr. Rex has with General Evil.

Dr. Rex smirked as he said, "And that's what happens when you make deals with the Time Twisters. What business do the six of you have to invade this place? And why are you villains working with this Dino Attack agent?"

"'Working with'?" repeated Brickster. "More like battling against! This girl ain't been nothin' but trouble for us, and that's why we're gonna stop Dino Attack Team just as we're gonna stop the Dino Attack, for the good of this planet! And you ain't gonna stop us!"

Dr. Rex raised an eyebrow and inquired, "Why, Brickster, why would you, or any of you villains, do such a thing 'for the good of this planet'?"

The Brickster quietly muttered, "You can't make pizza when the best pizzerias are in ruin."

As he interrogated his prisoners, Dr. Rex confirmed their theory that XERRD was behind the Dino Attack. He taunted them, and threatened what he'd do to them for discovering the laboratory.

"You don't scare me," declared Frozeen. "What can you possibly do to me? Sic your mutants on me? With my G.E. Body, I am practically invincible, as you should already know."

"Indeed, I do know that," said Dr. Rex. He walked over to the control panel outside Frozeen's cell and pressed several buttons. A neurotoxic gas immediately started to flood the cell. Frozeen fell to the floor, choking and unable to breathe. As Dr. Rex deactivated the gas, he said, "And you will know that I will kill you, Evil, even with your cheap suit. I put you in that G.E. Body when I left you for dead in that fire, ten years ago… and I won't make the same mistake twice."

Even as he struggled to stay conscious, Frozeen's eyes widened. The implications were staggering. For the past six years, he thought, I've known that my archnemesis General Evil blamed my adoptive father, Zachary Abody, for the fire that left him scarred and needing a G.E. Body to survive. But, if what Dr. Rex said is true, then… my father was framed, and Dr. Rex was the real culprit all along!

But then, Dr. Rex noticed that Libo had disappeared from his own cell while he was focused on Frozeen. A little robot that identified itself as the "D1-N0 Bot v1.0" informed Dr. Rex that Libo was fleeing the base, and so the lead scientist exited the room to track him down.

Of course, the "D1-N0 Bot v1.0" was actually Libo in his Little Bot disguise. Dr. Rex was distracted long enough for Libo to free Frozeen and Amanda Claw, directly interfacing with the control panels to disable the force fields. "Hey, what about us?" shouted Lord Sinister.

Frozeen, Amanda, and Libo traded glances, and then Frozeen simply replied: "What about you?" They left behind the three villains in their cells.

Passing a window in the laboratory, Frozeen determined that they were on Dinosaur Island, based upon what he remembered of Alpha Team reports from 2001. Suddenly, something smashed the window, showering them with broken glass, and then Evil Ogel, General Evil, and a few Ogel Drones climbed into the lab through the broken window. "At last!" proclaimed Ogel. "No secret compound can keep out the great Evil Ogel!"

The Lurcher Drone L-D1748 twitched anxiously, as was common behavior for Lurchers. "I-I still d-d-don't know why w-we c-c-c-couldn't have j-just used the front-t d-door-" he started to say.

"SHUT UP!" snapped Ogel. He grabbed the Lurcher Drone and threw him back out the window. L-D1748 simply climbed back in through the window, completely unharmed, since they were on the ground floor.

General Evil and Frozeen immediately took notice of one another. "I see you've survived the Mutant T-Rexes," said Frozeen, narrowing his eyes. "Too bad. I'll just have to kill you myself to avenge PBB."

"You still haven't learned that I cannot be killed," retorted General Evil, confidently crossing his arms. "But don't worry. I'll kindly reunite you with your friend PBB… in the afterlife!"

"Let's end this for once and for all," Frozeen said as he adopted a battle stance.

"Agreed," replied General Evil. The two cyborgs launched themselves at each other, ready to fight to the death.

But then Ogel calmly raised his hand and declared, "You can lower your arms. There is no need to fight."

"What?!" General Evil exclaimed, staring at his brother in utter disbelief.

"You can't be serious!" muttered Frozeen.

Ogel walked up to Frozeen and his allies as he addressed each of them in turn: "Agent Frozeen, agent Claw, commander Libo… I have decided to form an alliance with the Dino Attack Team."

Frozeen was shocked. General Evil was surprised as well, and he started to object: "But FUTURE said-"

Ogel grimaced. "Yes, I know what FUTURE said. And we all know what happened to them, where their path would lead us. Fogel was an empty shell of his former self, pathetically clinging onto bitterness and spite. He kept dwelling in the past when he should have been looking to the future. He died as he lived: a failure. He disgusted me. Ironic... he wanted to change my timeline by molding me in his image, but I shall change the timeline by ensuring that I never become him! That's right, I propose an alliance. Heroes and villains working together, united by our common enemy: oblivion."

Frozeen and General Evil both saw reason in Ogel's decision, but they felt uncomfortable working together. They glanced awkwardly at one another and kept their distance.

Sam Sinister, the Brickster, and Vladek soon rejoined the group. When asked how they escaped, the Brickster simply laughed and said, "It ain't the first time I got out of jail free, and it won't be the last!" Deciding that it was in their best interest, the other villains also agreed to join the alliance.

Rex and Chompy traveled down the hallways of the XERRD laboratory, and ran into Frozeen, Libo, Amanda, Ogel, General Evil, Brickster, Sam Sinister, Vladek, and the Ogel Drones. Frozeen then explained to Rex and Chompy that the villains were now allied with the Dino Attack Team.

"Oh, isn't this poetic?" Sam Sinister said with a smirk. "The very T-Rexes that I, the great Lord von Barron, used to hunt and trap... are now my friends in the battle against Dr. Rex. Trust me, this is going in the history books for sure!"

"As if I'd ever trust you," growled Chompy, glaring at the villain with undisguised contempt.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 24: Mad Science

----

"So," Rex said to Frozeen as he looked around the facility, "that mission to find the source of the Dino Attack… did we really find it on our first try?"

"All the signs point to it," said Frozeen, nodding. "I'm sure you've seen - and remembered - evidence?"

"Let's see," muttered Rex, "the freaky Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid guards... all those caged dinosaurs going into this place... all those Mutant Dinos leaving this place... Dr. Rex apparently having mutated me into a prototype Mutant T-Rex here... yep, tons of evidence."

"Speaking of which," added Chompy, "just where is Dr. Rex? Since Sam Sinister mentioned him, I assume you guys met him."

After Frozeen translated Chompy's speech for the rest of the group, Sam Sinister replied, "Yes, we met him. Interesting fellow, to say the least... he had enough nerve to stare Frozeen - he mistook him for General Evil - in the eye and suffocate him!"

"What?" asked General Evil, staring at Frozeen. "This… Dr. Rex… thought that you were me?"

"Yeah," said Frozeen, nodding. "And, there was something he-"

"And he suffocated you?" continued General Evil, who spoke with disbelief. "How would he do that?"

"Well, he flooded my cell with a neurotoxic gas, and he told-"

General Evil turned away from Frozeen and addressed his brother: "Ogel, would that be enough to kill someone wearing a G.E. Body?"

Ogel shrugged sheepishly. "Well, yes, I suppose it is possible that I... no, my Engineer Drones may have forgotten to add any air filters to your helmets to prevent you from inhaling neurotoxins…"

"And he seemed to know that pretty darn well!" Frozeen interjected. "Now, I keep on trying to tell you, General Evil, that-"

Chompy roared loudly a single word, and Frozeen and Rex were not the only ones who could comprehend its meaning: "QUIET!" When they all stopped talking, Chompy continued, "None of you babbling morons answered my question: WHERE IS DR. REX?"

"Well, Dr. Rex must still be here, somewhere in the facility," Libo said with shrug. "Don't know where..."

"Closer than you think," came a familiar voice. A door opened and Dr. Rex stepped into the room.

----

Databoard, Zenna, Stealth, and the crew of the Saber traveled to Antarctica. En route to the abandoned Shadows base, the airship crash-landed in a crevasse.

Databoard, the pain in his head slowly fading, remembered what had just happened before he had lost consciousness. "Stealth!" he shouted, getting up - nearly tripping on the slanting floor - and staggered around, looking for Stealth in the darkness. He managed to get a few lights turned back on, and found Stealth lying unconscious near a computer console. She had suffered a few minor injuries, but she would live. He picked her up and headed back over to Zenna.

Zenna took the liberty of healing Stealth's wounds while they waited for the rest of the crew to wake up.

Wire was among the first of the crew to regain consciousness, and immediately went to the computers to check the ship's status. "So, what's the damage?" Databoard asked, walking away from Stealth and Zenna.

"Well, we took some damage, but the Saber's a tough ship," Wire replied. "If we can ever get the ship out of this crevasse, it should be okay to fly, although I'm not sure about combat..."

"Good, get to work on that as soon as the crew wakes up," Databoard said. "As soon as Stealth wakes up, we're going to head out to find the Shadows' base."

"Yes, sir," Wire said, trying to hide his annoyance with having to get the ship out from the bottom of the canyon. He turned and headed back. Stealth was waking up now, and slowly standing up.

Databoard turned to Zenna. "Did you bring your Fire Hammer?" he asked. "We could really use a ride."

Zenna replied, "I did, but not into the crevasse, regrettably."

"Okay, then we'd better get going," Databoard said. They headed up to the top of the Saber and exited through an emergency hatch.

Databoard looked around. The Saber was lying against the wall of the crevasse, wedged into the ice. He hoped that Wire and the rest of the crew would be able to get it out of there. He then turned towards the rope Zenna had used to climb down. Zenna had reached the top of the crevasse by now, and Stealth was about halfway up. Once she was at the top as well, Databoard followed them up, being careful not to lose his footing on the icy wall of the crevasse. He soon joined them at the top, and they headed towards Zenna's Fire Hammer.

They got into her Fire Hammer, "Alright, where did you want me to take you?" Zenna asked.

Databoard took out his PDA, and looked up the location of the abandoned Shadows base. "We want to go..." Databoard looked around to get his bearings, and pointed off into the blizzard. "That way. Hopefully, there should be an abandoned base around there somewhere."

"I was hoping for something a little more specific, but that will work," Zenna said as they drove off across the frozen tundra.

----

"So, do we have any specific plan, or are we just going to shoot randomly at these things like last time?" Slash asked as they drove through the ruined streets of LEGO City.

"I have a plan," Hawk explained. "Their scales are so thick they deflect laser bolts, but as you showed, a powerful electric charge can stun it." Hawk stopped by a dead-end alley and began planting laser bombs around it.

"Still have a bad feeling about this plan..." Slash muttered. Suddenly, he heard a roaring, and watched as a Raptor-like creature with way too many teeth charged at them. "And that's why!!!"

"Get out of the way!" Hawk shouted. Slash instinctively dove behind a ruined building as the creature roared by. Suddenly, laser bombs around it activated, confusing it.

"I thought you said lasers couldn't hurt these things!" Slash shouted.

"They can't, but this should confuse it long enough for us to knock it out!" Hawk shouted. "Hit it with your best attack!"

Hawk took out the rocket launcher, which shot a small metal orb at the Raptor-like creature. It exploded while shooting off arcs of electricity. Slash launched several of his own lightning-based attacks into the fray. They both kept firing, and the air surrounding the creature was flooded with laser bolts, electricity, and smoke. Soon, the laser bombs ran out of power, and then only thing left to do was wait for the smoke to clear...

The smoke cleared to reveal... absolutely nothing. "What!" Slash shouted. "There's no way we hit it so hard we obliterated it!"

"We didn't," replied Hawk. "Look."

Slash turned and saw a massive hole in the side of a nearby wall. "Oh, that's never good-" was all Slash managed to mutter before a very angry creature tore through another wall at them. "What's the plan now?" Slash said as it charged.

"RUN!" Hawk shouted. They both ran to Hawk's Fire Hammer, and sped off, the Raptor creature pursuing closely...

----

Zenna could hardly see anything due to all the snow as they drove through the blizzard. After the blizzard cleared, she could see a building in the distance.

Zenna reached the apparent destination. "So, this is it?" she asked. "Is this the one?"

Databoard looked ahead. The building was damaged by both battle and the weather, but he doubted there were many more abandoned bases in the middle of nowhere. "Yeah, this is it..." Databoard muttered. He pointed to an abandoned hangar. "Park the Fire Hammer over there. We don't want to lose it in this snow." Zenna drove the Fire Hammer inside, and they headed out into the building.

Databoard took out his laser, and aimed it down the dark corridor. "You two had better get your lasers as well," Databoard said. "Everyone's gone, but there might still be a few security systems in place." As Stealth and Zenna got their lasers ready. Databoard took out a flashlight and they headed down the dark corridor.

"Databoard," asked Zenna, "do you mean anything specifically by security systems?"

"Well, we managed to avoid the security systems last time, but I doubt they'd leave the kind of stuff we're looking for without some kind of failsafes."

Databoard found a computer terminal, but the power was dead. "Well, they probably wouldn't keep such vital information on such an easily accessible computer anyway," Databoard muttered. "But they might in the command center." Keeping the laser aimed ahead of him, they headed down the corridor.

----

"Dr. R-Rex!" stammered Libo, surprised by the sudden appearance of the scientist. "How did you-"

"That D1-N0 Bot, or whatever it was called," replied Dr. Rex, walking towards the group of heroes and villains, "was either lying or misinformed. I shall have to find it later to turn that walking trashcan into scrap metal." Amanda and Frozeen both noticed Libo's eye twitch anxiously. "I backtracked, only to find all of you had escaped. After that, it was only a matter of following your trail… which was easy to follow because you are all very noisy."

General Evil stared at Dr. Rex with wide eyes. "You... you are...?" he started to ask.

"Suffering from dementia in your old age, General Evil?" said Dr. Rex, smirking. "Don't tell me you've forgotten already. We already exchanged pleasantries when we saw each other just a few minutes ago."

"Ronald Alexander...?" General Evil said quietly, and he sounded like he had just seen a ghost.

"Wait," Ogel interrupted, "I know you. You're that former Dino Attack agent, Rex!"

"Nope," said Brickster, "this is a different guy. He's quite insistent 'bout it."

"No, not agent Rex," whispered General Evil. "But after all these years...? Impossible! If you are Ron, then you haven't aged a day since…"

"So, you only just recognized me?" muttered Dr. Rex, rolling his eyes. "Yep, definitely dementia. Jugend Serum does wonders for preventing that, but too bad I'm not willing to share. Well, I'm sorry that all of you made it this far, but I'm going to have to throw you all back into the holding cells, since I cannot let you tell the world what we are doing here..." That was when Dr. Rex noticed something odd: General Evil was standing next to Ogel... and Frozeen was standing next to Libo. "Two... General Evils? How can it be...?"

"Not exactly," Frozeen replied, glancing at General Evil. "One of us is General Evil... the other is just simply a decoy in a G.E. Body."

Dr. Rex asked, "Alright, then, who is who? Answer... or I'll find some more painful means of making you answer." He reached into his labcoat and pulled out a syringe filled with some violet-colored substance.

"Painful?" repeated Frozeen. Quick as lightning, he leapt onto Dr. Rex, pinning him to the floor. "Go!" he shouted to the others. "I'll hold him off!"

Everyone turned and began to run. But then, General Evil stopped and turned to look at Frozeen and see what was going to happen next, prompting Rex and Chompy to stop as well. Chompy gasped when he saw how the fight had turned.

Dr. Rex was now on top of Frozeen, his hand clutched tightly on Frozeen's throat.

----

The group reached the command room, only to find the door locked. "Hang on, this will take just a second..." Databoard said, attaching a device to the door. "STAND BACK!" They dove out of the way as the door was blown clean off by an explosion. Aiming their lasers into the room, they moved in.

Unfortunately, it appeared the power was out in this room, too. "We had some emergency generators in case this happened," muttered Databoard, "but they're all still on the Saber."

"So, now what?" Zenna asked. "We start pushing buttons and hope something turns on?" She pressed a few buttons on a control panel, and, much to everyone's surprise, a computer turned on.

"Okay, that computer must not be connected to the main power system," Databoard muttered, and he looked down at the screen, which displayed only three words:

PLEASE INPUT CODE

"Hold on, I have just the thing for this..." Databoard said, and plugged a small device into the computer. "It's a code-breaker. It's programmed to run through a million code combinations a second, until it finds the right-" Suddenly, the computer screen flashed another message.

CODE ACCEPTED. WELCOME TO EXPERIMENTAL LAB 001.

Suddenly, a section of wall slid backwards, revealing the door to an elevator. Databoard aimed his laser and headed into the elevator. "Okay, so far nothing's tried to kill me, so I think it's mostly safe," said Databoard. Stealth and Zenna followed, and the elevator descended down into the ice...

----

Why are you still here?

Standard agent Anubis opened his eyes.  He glanced at the digital clock resting on the desk beside his bunk.  It was 4:04 AM, still too early in the morning for the sun to have risen, and so the sleeping quarters were dark.  Still, his eyes were wide open.  There would be no more sleep for him.

You're not supposed to be here.

Sighing, Anubis got out of bed.  He was already dressed in his Dino Attack uniform and had not even bothered to take off his boots when he retired last night.  In this apocalypse, it paid to be able to jump out of bed and be ready at a moment's notice.

He shouldn't have saved you.

Anubis opened the desk drawer.  His eyes rested upon the revolver inside.  He reached down and took it.  Moving silently to ensure that he did not wake up anyone else, he left the sleeping quarters.

That was not the intended direction of your story.

Opening a door, Anubis entered the men's restroom.  There was no one else inside.  He walked up to the mirror and stared at his reflection.  Then, he loaded a single bullet into the revolver and spun the cylinder.  He raised the weapon and pressed the muzzle against his own temple.  His finger was on the trigger.  With grim resolve, he clenched his jaw and locked narrowed eyes with his reflection, as though he was staring down his worst enemy.

You should be dead.

The door swung open.  Anubis quickly lowered the revolver, tucking it into a holster on his belt, and turned around to see a fellow Dino Attack agent: a man with prominent sideburns.  "Hey, Anubis!  What are you doing up so early?"

Anubis managed to put on a smile as he replied, "You're one to talk, Fate.  Just getting ready for today's mission to stop that Atukam guy on Enchanted Island, that's all.  Better early than late, I always say."

Fate laughed and shook his head as he made his way to the urinal.  "The early bird gets the worm, I suppose," he mused.  "Given the barely-edible stuff they serve in the mess hall, though, maybe it's better to sleep in and let someone else get the worms."

"I guess I'm just too excited to sleep," Anubis said with a shrug.  "I should be... resting, but there's too much on my mind."

"I know, right?" said Fate.  "Can you believe Colonel's letting me pilot our T-1?  I've always wanted to fly one of those!  Ah... yes, exciting!  But of course, I can't sleep because of it, and you and I both know why a sleep-deprived pilot is never a good thing.  Still, I'm sure that a few cups of coffee and some good old faith is all it'll take for everything to turn out just fine."

Anubis grinned.  Behind that cheerful expression, he solemnly considered what would've happened if Fate had been able to sleep, or if he had been only a few seconds slower.  A thread of life would have been cut short if that had been the case, if Fate's eye hadn't been on him this morning.

He chuckled softly as he reflected upon the wording of that particular thought.  "Don't suppose your codename has anything to do with Greek mythology, does it?" he inquired.

Fate shrugged.  "Can't say it does, as far as I'm aware.  You into that stuff?"

"Egyptian mythology's more my thing," explained Anubis, "as you can probably tell.  Still, it's interesting to consider all these different archaic beliefs and their themes of life, death, and afterlife.  Do you believe in destiny, Fate?"

Fate walked up to the sink beside Anubis and washed his hands.  "I believe," he murmured, "that we're each here for a specific purpose.  We all have a part to play in this ongoing story; no matter how minor or brief we consider our individual roles, they fit into a bigger picture for sure.  There's a time and place for everything."

Anubis considered Fate's words.  He wondered, When is my time?  Where is my place?

----

There was no doubt about it in Frozeen's mind - he knew that he was going to die.

Somehow, Dr. Rex had found a weakness in the G.E. Body that General Evil himself had overlooked. For years, General Evil and Frozeen had both thought that the best way to kill each other was to destroy the G.E. Body, which required something with no less power than a Panrahk XP explosive. Dr. Rex had figured out a far more efficient means: suffocation. He had placed one gloved hand on the G.E. helmet's airholes, preventing Frozeen from inhaling, and another hand on his throat to pin him down.

Frozeen knew that his time was running out. Without air in his system, his mind was becoming sluggish. Frozeen attempted to grapple with Dr. Rex, using his four arms to throw the scientist off of him, or at least pull his hands off of him. He forced Dr. Rex to let go of his throat, but the scientist continued to cover up his helmet.

Now, with one free hand, Dr. Rex picked up the syringe. "When Ogel designed you that cheap suit," he said with a sneer, "he should have made sure nothing was exposed!" Then, he plunged the needle through the open eyehole and into Frozeen's left eye.

Frozeen screamed… or he would have, if all that could come out of his mouth was more than a muffled sound of despair. The intense pain was excruciating. Frozeen had no idea what the violet substance was, but it felt like it was tearing him apart from the inside out. Now, he had no more strength to fight back against Dr. Rex. With that in mind, thought Frozeen, I know I'm just as good as dead.

Everything seemed to slip away. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed that Rex, Chompy, and General Evil all had not fled, but were watching from a short distance. With his last effort, he whispered, "Run!" He knew it was going to be his last word. And yet, Chompy would not listen. The stubborn T-Rex roared and charged at them… but it would not be fast enough.

His time came. Frozeen blacked out, a feeling he recognized as death.

*****

Frozeen found himself surrounded by light. Pure, bright, white, everywhere. "It is time..." boomed a deep, echoing voice that came from all around him.

What is going on? thought Frozeen. He could not speak out loud… he did not even have a body or a mouth to speak with. It was just his Creative Spark engulfed in the white void.

"You have cheated Death once before," replied the voice. "And so, I am giving it to you easy this time."

This voice can hear my thoughts! realized Frozeen.

"Yes, I can. Your entire existence is laid bare before me, Peter Abody."

Frozeen thought for a moment. Hey, are you the guy who spoke to Kotua and Databoard that one time?

"Who? Oh, yes, Kotua Irigoyen and Daniel Harra. Yes, I spoke to them." The voice paused and then added, "I see you're trying to stall your fate, but it will be useless! Your time has come!"

Frozeen remembered something that Kotua and Databoard had privately told him, way back during Mission Deep Freeze: each of them had died. Not just a near-death experience or "only mostly dead"; they had truly died. They both independently felt the same experience: a voice that spoke to them and told them that it was their time. Frozeen had never really believed it to be true, but now… he struggled to remember what Databoard and Kotua had told him about this voice... how they came back to life…

Hey! My friends need my help! I can't die now, it's not my time! insisted Frozeen, recalling that this was how Kotua and Databoard convinced the voice to bring them back to life.

The voice was unimpressed. "Oh, no, you don't. Kotua and Daniel already used that trick on me. It will be futile to try it again. You won't escape that way!"

What kind of cheapskate are you? Why did you allow Databoard and Kotua to return while I am stuck here? demanded Frozeen.

"There is an order to the universe. You live, you die, and that is the way it is. I can be… sentimental enough to let Kotua and Daniel return to their mortal lives, but I cannot afford to let just anyone come back to life. Your time has come!"

Does that mean I have to spend eternity with you? asked Frozeen.

"Well-"

You know, if my entire existence is an open book to you, then you should know that time I went crazy for a while. If you don't let me go, then I am going to bug you about leprechauns stealing my gold for all eternity if that's the case –

"OKAY, OKAY, fine! You can get out!"

Thank you, thought Frozeen.

"Don't mention it."

----

The elevator sped down through the ice, descending deeper beneath the Shadows base. "So, what's at the bottom of this shaft?" Zenna asked.

"Honestly, I don't even know..." Databoard muttered. "We never went down here last time. So, basically, be ready for anything." He paused, then added, "And by anything, I mean stuff trying to kill us. Y'know, the usual."

Suddenly, the elevator slowed as it reached the bottom of the shaft. The door slid open, and the agents moved into the corridor.

"It's freezing down here..." Stealth muttered. "They must have turned off the power down here when they left to keep anyone from detecting this place..."

Then, the lights switched on as Databoard walked away from a control panel. "Not anymore," Databoard said. "We'd better get going. When we turned the power on, whatever security systems down here will have-"

Suddenly, the sound of alarms filled the quiet hallway, and red lights flashed throughout the corner.

"-detected us..." muttered Databoard. "Look out!" Suddenly, laser turrets shot at them from out of the floor, ceiling and walls. The group ran down the hallway, dodging the incoming barrage as they did.

----

To Rex, Chompy, and the others, it seemed that the very second Frozeen died, a blindingly bright flash of light lit up the room. Rex and Chompy shut their eyes, while Dr. Rex and General Evil covered theirs. When it was over, Rex slowly opened one eye, then the other. Chompy followed suit, and his eyes widened suddenly.

There was now a new Minifig in the room. He had red hair, but most of it was covered underneath a helmet similar to those used by the Dino Attack Team. He wore an old Alpha Team uniform from 2004, a snowsuit for Mission Deep Freeze, with handheld drills, lasers, and other gadgets strapped to his belt. This Minifig was lying on the ground, not too far from Dr. Rex and the G.E. Body that once belonged to Frozeen. He slowly opened his eyes, and sat up.

Rex had no clue who this Minifig was - it was shocking enough to know that he had appeared out of nowhere during a bright flash - but evidently Chompy did, and General Evil looked as if he had just experienced a blast from the past. "Who is that guy in the Alpha Team uniform?" Rex asked his brother.

Chompy looked at him with an expression of disbelief. "That... that is Frozeen!"

"Frozeen?" repeated Rex.

"Yeah," said Chompy, nodding. "That's how he looked before the incident involving the G.E. Body. I don't know how, but he's... he's alive again, and in his original body!"

Frozeen stood up, and Dr. Rex also got to his feet as he beheld the reborn agent. "Just who are you, and how did you get here?" demanded Dr. Rex. "And… isn't a snowsuit too hot for you?"

Frozeen smiled and shrugged. "I'm just another Alpha Team agent," he replied. "One that might have just potentially angered Builder, or maybe just a disgruntled psychopomp. And it may be too hot, but I can take the heat. Did you know Ogel once tried to make me swim in lava while I was wearing this? This is nothing!"

"Well, the heat's about to get hotter!" Dr. Rex said with a smirk. "I know you Alpha Team agents; as a matter of fact, I've done business with your team before. You may always outwit those fools Ogel and General Evil, but I am one step ahead of you, I know how you think, and… I've always got a trick up my sleeve that you will never see coming." He reached inside his sleeve and pulled out a laser.

Frozeen shrugged. "Maybe," he conceded, "but you must remember..." Frozeen grabbed a laser off of his own belt. "We Alpha Team agents are prepared for any mission, no matter how impossible!"

Chompy charged forward and smashed into Dr. Rex, then ran to Frozeen's side. Rex ran over and gently but firmly placed his foot on Dr. Rex, pinning him to the floor.

A door burst open, and several Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid Guards charged in, pointing their energized spears and sonic rifles at them. Frozeen and Chompy both charged forward, with Frozeen firing his laser pistol and Chompy attacking with tooth and claw. The guards reacted by shooting or spearing, but the two Alpha Team partners dodged the attacks.

Frozeen smiled at Chompy. "Ah, just like old times..." he said.

----

"In here!" Databoard shouted, opening a door to escape the laser barrage. Stealth and Zenna followed, sealing the door shut as lasers pounded against it.

"So, now what?" Zenna asked.

Databoard replied, "Well, we wait for those lasers to stop firing, then we head out and be careful to avoid setting off any more alarms."

Realizing the room was completely dark, Databoard turned on a light - only to see a menacing creature staring at him. He had barely reached his laser when he realized two things: this was the creature he'd seen on the computer in the other lab, and it was currently trapped in stasis. Databoard looked around, and saw that the room was filled with various devices and weapons, which he could only assume were related to the creatures in some way.

"Okay, forget that plan," Databoard said. "Start looking around for anything that could help us with those creatures."

"Alright," said Zenna. She wandered through the room and found a computer, dusty and old, but still intact. She activated it and found some useful files. "Databoard", she said, "here, take a look at these."

Databoard looked at the computer:

UNIDENTIFIED MUTANT 001, also known as UNIMUTANT, was the only one of the creatures recovered from our failed experiment under LEGO City. It was transported to our labs for study, and we have spent our time here researching for a way to defeat one of the others should we ever run into one of the escapees. After long work, we have finally developed a weapon that can-

Suddenly, Databoard was interrupted by the sound of laserfire. The lasers in the hallway had finally broken through the door. Zenna and Stealth fired through the door, smashing the turrets as they fired, but a few of them made it into the room, frying the computer Databoard was reading, and striking the stasis chamber as well. Suddenly, the "unimutant", as Databoard supposed it was called, opened its eyes. It smashed through the glass, and charged at the agents.

Zenna drew her laser and fired, but so far it didn't seem to be doing anything. "Ok, now what?" she said.

"I'm working on that!" Databoard said. He looked through the rows of weaponry that lined the walls. One of them had to work on the creature, that's what the computer had said. But which one?

"I don't want to rush you," shouted Zenna, as she and Stealth fired their lasers at the unimutant, which it deflected with ease, "but we're on a bit of short schedule!"

Databoard grabbed a weapon of the wall and fired it at the creature. A pulsing ball of energy shot out of the device, hitting the creature and slamming it through the wall into a nearby lab. Seconds later, a blinding flash of light shot out of the hole, followed by large amount of smoke.

"So, did we win?" asked Zenna. Suddenly, the creature burst through the hole, looking even more enraged than before.

"Guess not," Stealth replied, and they all resumed firing at the creature.

"Must be another one of these," Zenna said as she grabbed another weapon and fired. Energy shot out of the device, but merely bounced off the creature's armored scales. The energy beam hit the wall, smashing a few bits of machinery.

"Okay, could you two try to not destroy anything that might help up stop this thing?" Databoard shouted as he looked for the right device. Stealth had picked up the device he had discarded earlier, and she blasted the creature out into the hallway, where the bombardment of lasers confused it briefly. However, it wasn't brief enough, as it soon smashed through the wall and charged at Stealth.

"Ranged weapons don't seem to have any effect. Perhaps we need to try something else," suggested Zenna.

----

Anubis sat tensely beside his two teammates.  He traded glances with them, quickly looking at their faces.  To his left, Belle was a young woman with long brown hair tied back into a ponytail.  To his right, Elfman had short red hair and wore a pair of stylish sunglasses over his eyes.  Now, they were lost and alone in thick jungle of Enchanted Island.

He breathed heavily, wiping the sweat from his brow.  There was movement in the underbrush ahead.  Someone, or something, was coming closer.  He raised his Sonic Screamer, ready to shoot at whatever attacked them.

"Hold your fire, soldiers!"

Almost unanimously, they breathed a heavy sigh of relief as they recognized that voice.  A second later, their commander emerged from the forest.  From beneath his military cap, the large man looked over the three Dino Attack agents with his one good eye.  Anubis had heard many rumors about the three scars that led to an eyepatch covering the other eye, all of them seeming too fantastic to be true.  His reputation preceded him, and his presence was all it took to let the three Dino Attack agents know that they were safe.

"It's good to see you, Colonel," said Anubis.

"Have you heard from the others?" asked Elfman.

Colonel Ernest Quartich nodded.  "I've just received word from Fate and Dallas," he reported.  "They've arrived safely at Kahuka's Strait.  Elfman, you're coming with me; we're following them.  Belle, Anubis, you two are holding down this point and giving us cover.  Wait for my signal, and then meet us at the rendezvous point.  Once we're in position, we can storm the temple and take down Atukam."

Elfman took a step forward, but then turned to face Anubis and Belle one last time.  "Just be careful, okay?  I hear this island does weird things to people who stay too long.  Some start fantasizing about magic and robots."  Then, he broke out into a crooked grin.  "Actually, that reminds me of a song..."

"Everything reminds you of a song, Elfman," Colonel gruffly interrupted, rolling his one good eye as he did so.  "Now, come on."

As Colonel and Elfman departed, the latter whistling a tune as he did so, Anubis turned and asked Belle, "Elfman's rather... odd, don't you think?"

Belle raised an eyebrow.  "Honestly?  I think 'normal' is overrated," she replied.  "We're all odd in one way or another."

Anubis laughed in response.

From their post, they kept an eye on Colonel and Elfman as they made their way through the jungle.  A Mutant Pterosaur soared overhead, circling around the Dino Attack agents.  Belle carefully took aim with her rifle and fired.  The winged mutant fell from the sky.

Anubis was impressed; he doubted that he could make such a shot himself.  "Nice shot, Belle.  You're definitely getting the hang of this."

"Thanks," Belle replied.  Although she smiled gently, the expression faded away as she stared off into empty space.

"Is something wrong?" inquired Anubis, biting his lip.  He could not imagine that his sincere compliment offended her in any way.

"I'd never have thought..." she whispered, and then she cleared her throat and started again.  "Well, a year ago, I was a simple librarian living a humble life with my father in Paris.  All the adventure and thrills I could have ever possibly wanted were right there, in the books that I kept.  I'd never have thought that, one day, I'd be here, a conscripted soldier, holding a weapon, shooting down prehistoric beasts."

Anubis sighed.  "I was conscripted, too.  I'm not a soldier or a scientist; just a conservationist from Egypt.  I've always heard that war does strange things to you, changes who you are.  And not everybody can handle it.  The most you can do is try to hold onto your own humanity, no matter what happens."

He shuddered, thinking of the reports he had read since joining the team.  There was one agent who became addicted to mutagenic substances.  There were multiple agents who had turned against their own teammates.  And, of course, there was that one agent who inexplicably lost all touch with reality.

Anubis's thoughts snapped back to the present moment when he saw a violet-scaled Mutant Lizard silently poke its head through the underbrush behind Belle.  The stealthy creature had slipped past their notice; if Anubis had not been looking in that direction at that time, he would never have known it was even there.

Anubis's mind raced within the fraction of a second that he had.  There was not enough time to shout a warning to Belle; by the time she reacted, it would be too late.  Nor could he fire his Sonic Screamer; Belle was too close, and he would risk hitting her instead if his aim was poor.  There was only one way to ensure the safety of his teammate.

Anubis dropped his weapon and dove forward, knocking Belle safely out of harm's way.  Simultaneously, the Mutant Lizard leaped out from its hiding spot.  Missing Belle, the dinosaur instead tackled Anubis to the ground, sneering down upon him with a toothy grin.  Despite his peril, Anubis felt strangely... calm.  He closed his eyes, as though he was about to go to sleep.

Is this how I die?

Anubis's eyes shot open as he remembered that he was not yet out of options.  He quickly reached for the holster on his belt.  Then, he pointed the revolver upward and pulled the trigger.  A gunshot rang throughout the jungle, and the Mutant Lizard's eyes widened.  Anubis pulled the trigger again, but the weapon responded with an empty click.  However, one shot was enough, and the reptile's weakened body fell limply to the ground.

Immediately, Belle was there to help Anubis to his feet.  Her face was pale.  "I... I don't believe it..." she quietly stammered.  "You just... you nearly got yourself killed... but you saved me... I..."

In contrast to Belle's shock, Anubis still felt that strange calmness as he simply shrugged.  "You're welcome," he said, reassuringly patting her on the shoulder.  "It would've been a fine way to die, I'm sure... but I guess today wasn't my time after all."

They looked down upon the Mutant Lizard.  The pitiful creature was writhing on the ground, panting heavily as it did so.  In its eyes, Anubis recognized the wild and terrified look of a creature that knew that it was about to die.

Belle bit her lip.  She raised her rifle, ready to put the poor thing out of its misery.  In response, Anubis raised a hand and shook his head.  "Not yet."

Anubis knelt down beside the Mutant Lizard.  Gently, he laid one hand upon its neck, and he could feel each ragged breath it took.  "Hush," he whispered.  "It's okay.  You don't have to be afraid."

The lizard locked eyes with him.  The wild creature probably did not understand his words, but he knew it could understand his tone.  At least, that's what the reports written by elite agent Rex had indicated.

"You will go now," Anubis continued in a comforting voice.  "There is a boat waiting for you.  It will take you across the sea and stars, leaving the land of the living.  Don't be afraid, because paradise awaits.  A beautiful world, where you'll be free.  Free, at last, from your mortal shackles, from the corruption of the mutation, from the urges to destroy.  At last, your pure soul will find peace."

The Mutant Lizard had stopped panting.  It ceased to struggle.  Instead, it lay still, breathing slowly and quietly, keeping its eyes fixed upon the Dino Attack agent.

Anubis leaned in close and stroked the lizard's muzzle.  "And one day," he said softly, "we will see each other again, and we'll greet one another, not as enemies in life, but as old friends in death.  Until then... farewell."

The Mutant Lizard's eyes rolled upward and its eyelids shut.  Its breath continued to slow until it stopped altogether.  Only then did Anubis stand again, his work finished.

Belle, who had silently watched, took in a deep breath.  "That was..." she began to say, but evidently could not find the right word.

"Odd?" Anubis suggested with a cheeky grin.

Belle chuckled sheepishly.  "Well, I've never seen anyone say words like that to someone they had just mortally wounded.  Especially not a Dino Attack agent to a Mutant Dino... most of our teammates just think they're mindless monsters."

Anubis sighed and shook his head.  It was a point of view he had often heard, despite a lot of evidence that suggested that the Mutant Dinos were intelligent creatures confused by strange mutation-induced brain spasms that tragically caused them to lash out at anything near them.  There were those like Rex who tried to defend the dinosaurs... and that caused a great big crisis when he butted heads with Kotua, who insisted that exterminating the mutants was a necessary course of action to save the world.  Fortunately, nothing of that scale had happened again for the past few months, but Anubis could not deny that there was an often-ignored but ever-present divide growing between the viewpoints of the "idealists" and the "realists".

"From where I stand," he explained, "the dinosaurs, mutant or otherwise, are living beings.  And all living beings have a soul.  I really wish that it wasn't necessary to kill the lizard, but the least I could do was to make sure that it did not die alone and afraid.  Now, I can hope that its Creative Spark is at peace."

Belle glanced skyward.  "How very thoughtful," she murmured.  "You're able to see the beauty in the beasts."  Then, she returned to her post to continue covering Colonel and Elfman.

Before Anubis joined her, he looked down upon the revolver in his hand.  Something had just occurred to him.  Furrowing his brow, he mentally played back the events that had just transpired.  Then, when he realized what a certain minor detail truly meant, he took in a deep breath as his eyes widened.

"Was I just lucky?" he wondered, barely louder than a whisper.  "Or was it fate?"

----

One of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids lifted the veil covering their features and spat acid at Frozeen. The acid hit the Alpha Team agent's sleeve and burned away that part of the uniform. Thinking quickly, Frozeen ripped off the rest of the sleeve and tossed it at another guard, hoping it was not resistant to acid.

A few others had joined the battle. Ogel sent his Drones to attack the Hybrids. General Evil and Libo stayed by Rex to make sure Dr. Rex did not escape. Amanda Claw had taken out a knife and slashed it at several charging Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids. Sam Sinister fired with his pistol, Vladek swung with his sword, and Brickster summoned Brickster-Bots to tackle the freakish guards.

It was utter chaos. Every time they struck down one of the Hybrid guards, it just got replaced by another. After spending the past six years in a G.E. Body, Frozeen not used to the limitations of a mere origin Minifig, and occasionally tried to punch with arms that didn't exist. Chompy was now wrestling an energized spear away from the hands of another hybrid, which kept trying to spit fire at the T-Rex. Already, several of Ogel's Drones were dead, and the remaining Drones were fighting a losing battle. The Hybrids' energized spears outranged Amanda's knife, leaving her at a disadvantage despite her combat skill. Sam Sinister's bullets hardly dented the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids' armor; Vladek's shield was wearing down; and the Brickster-Bots summoned by the Brickster were already demolished.

"Madness!" muttered Frozeen, dodging a blow from one of the guards. "Utter madness! Not even Ogel was sick enough to create freaks such as these, and they seem to be putting up more of a fight than those Ice Drones!" He wiped a bit of sweat off his head. Fighting indoors in a snowsuit was starting to tax his stamina.

Frozeen shot down several more guards, but one snuck past him. This Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid charged at Libo, General Evil, Rex, and Dr. Rex. Naturally, General Evil, Libo, and Rex were forced to dodge the attack, giving Dr. Rex the opportunity that he needed. He got up with surprising agility and strength, and he bolted down the hallway as quickly as he could.

While Libo and General Evil worked together to defeat the Hybrid guard, Rex watched Dr. Rex's escape with narrowed eyes. "Oh, no, you don't, you coward," he growled, and he ran off in pursuit of the lead XERRD scientist.

----

The unimutant slammed Stealth backwards, sending her flying into the wall and knocking her unconscious. "Alright, that's it!" Databoard yelled angrily, grabbing a weapon at random.

The unimutant stood over Stealth, ready to finish her off. Suddenly, a beam of yellow light shot from Databoard's weapon, slamming the creature backwards into a wall, sending weapons and devices raining down on it. Databoard approached, keeping the weapon aimed at the pile. Zenna approached as well, picking up Stealth's weapon in case the creature wasn't defeated.

"Wait, don't shoot!" a voice said from under the weapons. Databoard and Zenna moved away some the fallen machinery to find a Minifig lying under it.

"Okay, so I guess this one works," Databoard muttered as he looked at the weapon in his hands.

Zenna looked at the person. "What happened?" she asked. "You were the unimutant?"

"I don't exactly remember..." he replied. "The last thing I can remember was some weird guys kidnapping me. They used some kind of machine and… well, I can't remember the rest."

"It's okay," Databoard responded. "I can guess the rest."

"Okay, so now what?" asked Zenna.

Databoard looked down at the weapon. "We get back outside. Hopefully, the Saber will be out of that trench by now," Databoard said. Zenna took the weapon, and Databoard carried Stealth.

Fortunately, it appeared their battle had damaged the labs enough that the security systems had been accidentally shut down. They reached the elevator with little trouble, and Databoard, Zenna, and the former experiment shot back up towards the surface.

Zenna, Databoard, Stealth, and the former unimutant got into Zenna's Fire Hammer. She drove and eventually reached the crevasse.

As they drove, the Saber suddenly descended from the sky, landing a short distance away. Zenna drove towards the airship, where several agents, including Wire, headed towards them. "Well, it took a while, but we managed to fly the Saber out of that trench," explained Wire. "We were just about to head over to the Shadows base to find you."

A few agents came and took Stealth to the Saber's medical center, while Databoard brought the weapon inside to examine it. Zenna climbed aboard the Saber and it took off.

Databoard and Wire were in the Saber's science lab, examining the weapon. "Well, it appears that it's based off the device down in the sewers..." Databoard said. "But it works in the opposite way: it turns them back to normal. So, if we use it on those creatures down in LEGO City, they'll revert back to-"

"-Mutant Dinos," finished Wire.

"Lesser of two evils?" replied Databoard.

"I guess that's one way of looking at it," Wire said. "We might be able to reconvert the lasers on the Saber to this energy pattern. I'll get to work on it as soon as possible."

"When will you have it finished?" Databoard asked.

"Hopefully, before we get to LEGO City," Wire replied.

"Good," Databoard replied. "Because I'd prefer not to go up against those things again without it, even in the Saber."

A little later, Zenna took a look at the weapon and got to work with changing the guns.

LEGO City soon appeared in the distance in the control room window. "Activate the cloak," Databoard said. "We don't want those things to know we're here until we have to."

Wire nodded, and within seconds the Saber vanished from the sky.

"Scan for those 'unimutant' things' energy signatures," Databoard said. "They should stand out." A few agents got to work turning on the scanning equipment. "Wire, are the weapons ready?" Databoard asked.

"Yes, but we haven't had a chance to find out if they work correctly," replied Wire.

"Good," Databoard said as the ship flew over the city. "Because we're about to."

*****

In the streets of LEGO City, Hawk and Slash hurried to avoid the rampaging Unimutant Raptor. The Fire Hammer swerved wildly through the streets of the abandoned city, trying to lose the creature in the maze of rubble-strewn streets. Unfortunately, the Raptor-like creature simply slammed through whatever buildings stood in its way. It smashed through a building right ahead of the two, causing Hawk to make a sudden turn to avoid its jaws. He came to a stop, nearly flying off a ruined bridge into a river.

Suddenly, the Saber materialized in the air overhead, and fired an energy beam down at the creature. As it charged at the Fire Hammer, it was struck and knocked backwards. There were bright pulses of light, and the Unimutant Raptor changed back into a Mutant Raptor. Confused, it hurried off into the city.

Hawk and Slash watched as the Saber flew over the city, firing more energy beams. "What was that?" Slash shouted.

"I don't know," Hawk said. "But I'm not about to complain..."

----

Reptile entered the Dino Attack base. He had gotten here onboard a plane and was now ready for action. Apparently, he was taking over for an older agent named Magma, who worked for another organization busy fighting other kinds of evil. But Reptile was a scientist, specializing in dinosaurs, and was eager to get to work fighting the beasts.

The Dino Attack agent threw down his supplies in the room designated as his quarters and boarded his Iron Predator, one of the best vehicles in the fleet. He noted it could use some upgrades, and added space to conduct experiments under the gun pivot, and two Cryogenic Canisters in the cockpit. Satisfied, he prepared for a mission to the Goo Caverns. He wanted a sample of the Green Goo to power an invention, and Reptile had heard a pack of Raptors was in the area. They would fall before the Iron Predator.

Reptile's craft entered the Goo Caverns, tracking the pack of Raptors. One of them heard a noise, and turned towards him. But Reptile was quick. He ran to the side gun and fired a single shot at the Raptor, stunning it. The others ran ahead. He leapt out and attached a tracking device towards the beast. That way, he could "run his errands" in the Goo Caverns, and come back later for the Raptors. Satisfied, he moved off, heading deeper into the maze.

Reptile's Iron Predator entered the lowest reaches of the Goo Caverns. He retrieved a large source of Green Goo from an abandoned Ogel storage facility. Using this Goo, he developed a device that he called the "Dino Deactivator", but was later named the "Goo Sphere" by others. He found the Goo could be used to neutralize Mutant Dinos by deactivating their nervous system.

----

Agent X had been in pursuit of the Golden Hunter for some time now. He had run out of rations long ago and was forced to feed on rat meat. He had some scuffles with Mutant Dinos, but they were very scarce. He had caught glimpses of the Golden Hunter but never could get close enough to battle him. Each night, he dreamt of spirits of the past and future, telling him the end was nearer for him. When he awoke, he would remind himself that he was already facing the end.

At long last, X tracked down the Golden Hunter. "Like a shadow rushing towards you," X declared, "I have finally come."

"Enough!" declared the Golden Hunter. "Let us duel, Dino Attack agent!"

"Fine," said X. "The loser gets killed. Let's start."

The two arch-rivals battled long and hard. Agent X finally won, and the Golden Hunter met his demise. The Mutant Dinos that followed the Golden Hunter roared and screamed for the death of their master. X let out a long sigh, knowing he could finally return to Dino Attack Headquarters, but he was disappointed that he could not learn anything useful about the Mutant Dinos from the Golden Hunter.

Before he left, agent X searched the Golden Hunter's body. He found a strange device clipped to his ear. Curious, X took the device and put it in his own ear. Then, he walked down the devastated streets of LEGO City as he returned to Dino Attack Headquarters.

All of a sudden, X heard a voice behind him. He turned around and saw a Mutant T-Rex with several Mutant Raptors. "You have killed my master," the dino said, "and you shall pay!!!"

"I didn't do it!" said X. "Death glided in and took his life."

"Likely story," the T-Rex snorted, "but not believable. Right, guys?" The Raptor pack voiced their agreement.

Only then did X ask the obvious question: "Wait, how can I understand you?!"

"You inherited our master's ability to speak with us when you killed him," the T-Rex explained.

X realized that the earpiece must have been a translator, which explained how the Golden Hunter was able to communicate with the Mutant Dinos. "Whoa, I am your master now?"

The T-Rex grinned, showing off its razor-sharp teeth. "No, not really. All you did was take his speech, but we don't have to listen to you. Get him, boys!"

"Alright," X decided as he ran away, "then it's time for me to get out of here!"

----

One of the Hybrids charged at Rex, who simply batted him aside with his tail. "You may be half-Minifig, half-Mutant Lizard freaks," jeered Rex, "but you lack something that defines a true dinosaur: a tail!" Then, he charged out the door to look for Dr. Rex.

The scientist was running down the hallway. Dr. Rex did not stop until he had found a large red button at the end of the hall, covered with glass. He did not even bother to open the glass; he just smashed it open. He pushed the button, and an alarm was sounded. Red lights flashed all over the building. Out of every door, it seemed, came more of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybird guards, screeching angrily and brandishing energized spears or sonic rifles. They immediately noticed Rex and began to fire or charge at him.

Although he not as experienced at maneuvering attacks as his brother Chompy was, Rex made every effort to dodge. He shoved aside guards with his head or tail, and dodged each attack with ease. He did not stop until he found Dr. Rex, still standing by the alarm button. "YOU!" he roared.

Dr. Rex looked up, startled. "Ah, yes, my failed experiment," he said as he smiled nonchalantly, his tone sounding as calm as though they were discussing the weather.

With his focus concentrated on Dr. Rex, Rex was not prepared for the blast fired from a sonic rifle behind him. It hit Rex on the back of the head, and at once, Rex heard a mind-splittingly loud hum inside his head. He doubled over, but fought with every effort to remain conscious. The hum, he knew, could only be heard by him because he was the weapon's target, so Dr. Rex, his guards, and hopefully Rex's allies in the other room weren't also affected.

Rex straightened up and made his way slowly towards Dr. Rex, even though it felt as though he had the weight of two fully grown Mutant T-Rexes on his head. The fight was no longer to stay conscious, but now also to stay sane.

Gathering his strength, Rex charged full speed at Dr. Rex. The scientist, surprised by the sudden burst of speed, had no time to react. Rex was ready to go in for the kill.

Rex closed his jaws on Dr. Rex's head, but did not bite it off as intended. Instead, he shook his head - and Dr. Rex - violently, instinctually trying to shake off the effects of the sonic weapon. While performing this motion, he accidentally let go of Dr. Rex, who went crashing through a door marked "Top Secret". Rex finally cleared his head of the mind-numbing hum, and he charged inside the room after Dr. Rex.

There was only one thing of note in the "Top Secret" room: a massive machine that resembled an X-Pod between two energy towers. However, Rex had no interest in determining the machine's purpose; he was solely focused on getting Dr. Rex. He slammed his head into Dr. Rex, batting the scientist aside.

And yet, no matter how many times he got knocked down, Dr. Rex got back on his feet. Wiping a bit of blood off his chin, Dr. Rex laughed and said, "Look at you, a MegaBloking T-Rex fighting against a weak human minifig. Do you really want a piece of me? Come and get it!" With that, he climbed inside the machine.

Rex wondered if the machine was some sort of escape pod, or else a super weapon that was about to be used. Either way, Rex knew he had to act quickly to stop Dr. Rex, so he charged inside the pod-shaped machine after Dr. Rex. Neither of them noticed that Rex's tail had brushed against a control panel, switching a lever to the "on" position.

Suddenly, the hatch of the machine shut, trapping both Rex and Dr. Rex inside. The energy towers lit up and began to spark with bright blue electricity. The pod shook with its occupants inside, nearly overloading with energy as the experimental machine flared to life.

After a moment, it was over, and the machine powered down. At last, the hatch opened again. Out stepped a T-Rex that looked just like Rex. Out stepped a scientist who looked just like Dr. Rex. The two of them briefly looked at each other, groaned in exhaustion, and fell to the floor unconscious.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 25: Hazardous Environments

----

Frozeen kept shooting at one Hybrid guard, who kept spinning its energized spear so fast it formed a shield, deflecting every shot. While shooting, Frozeen nodded to Chompy, who snuck behind the guard and bit off its head. As the beheaded body fell to the ground, Chompy looked queasy and spat out the head. "It tasted bad," he said to Frozeen.

Libo and General Evil had to dodge blasts from a sonic rifle, fired by another one of the Hybrids. Both of them knew that the sonic weapons would affect them despite their advanced cybernetic enhancements. Libo sent a bolt of fire towards the Hybrid, hitting the sonic rifle and melting the weapon. Then, General Evil leapt over and began to rapidly punch the Hybrid with all four of his fists.

Amanda Claw grabbed the energized spear from one fallen Hybrid. She spun it around, disarming and knocking out several more of the Minifig/Mutant Lizards.

Only a few of Ogel's Drones remained, the rest having fallen to the Hybrid guards. These remaining Drones included one Guard Drone, one Trooper Drone, one Sea Drone, one Ice Drone, and the Lurcher Drone L-D1748. The Trooper was barely any help since its highly-disciplined mental programming left it unable to adapt to the utter chaos of the battle. L-D1748 was already chasing a few guards around the room, shouting at the guards, "Get-t b-back here, y-you fr-reaks-s! You-u c-c-cowards!" in its usual stuttering manner. The Guard and Sea Drones stabbed at the Minifig/Mutant Lizards with their own spears, while the Ice Drone attacked with an electrically-charged ice saw.

Despite all of his own Drones guarding him, Ogel was forced to deal with one fire-spitting Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid that broke through his ranks. He tried everything to dodge its attacks and avoid getting set aflame.

Sam Sinister dodged a shot from a sonic rifle, then fired several shots from his pistol. Nothing happened, aside from a few quiet clicks. The villain looked inside his gun, groaned, and tossed aside the weapon. He was out of bullets. "Stupid old-fashioned weapons..." he muttered.

The Brickster was summoning Brickster-Bots at will to fight the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids. While they risked their square robotic heads for him, he cowered in the corner, hoping not to be seen.

Vladek was locked in combat with an acid-spitting Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid, who kept trying to melt away the dark knight's shield with its saliva. Although he fought hard and drew upon his black magic to help him in combat, Vladek was finding that his stamina was running out.

Neither Rex nor Dr. Rex were anywhere to be seen.

At last, all the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids were either dead or knocked out. "Well," said Frozeen, smiling and rubbing his hands together, "that's that." They headed for the door, but it burst open, and tons more of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids flooded into the room.

"Not again," Ogel hissed through clenched teeth.

----

Reptile knew that the Rock Drones had reacted to his presence. He hadn't noticed how far down he had come. They were an intruder alert patrol. He had learned from reading Magma's mission logs that it was hard to explain things to drones. But he didn't want to kill them. So he began to arm one of his prototype weapons, inserting half of the goo into a specially prepared tube.

Reptile raised the tube and pressed a switch on the side, then ducked and covered his ears. A blinding flash of light, followed by a sonic boom, blasted out, striking the Rock Drones. They weren't hurt, just knocked out, and their vehicles were slightly damaged.

The Dino Attack agent shakily got to his feet, sat down again, and located the Raptor pack; fortunately, they were exiting the area. But then he spotted two Mutant Lizards striking the rock wall. Reptile knew what that meant: a cave-in.

Reptile fired the stasis gun at the two Lizards, and they collapsed. But the cave-in was already happening. Quickly, he gunned up the Iron Predator's engine, and the tank took off as fast as it could for the exit. He had gotten the Green Goo, stopped a few Lizards, and now all he needed was the Raptors. Fortunately for him, the radar showed the Raptors already exiting the collapsing tunnels and returning to the surface.

After a few more minutes, the cave-in had stopped, and the Iron Predator was just approaching the exit. Reptile located the Raptor pack just outside, and armed his stasis gun, Cryogenic Canisters, and larger launcher, preparing to engage them.

Reptile fired the big gun into the Raptor pack, bringing down several of them and scattering others. Attaching his Cryogenic Canisters to the Stasis Gun on the side, the agent fired again and again, freezing Raptors in stasis repeatedly until he was out of cryogenic energy in the canisters. The Iron Predator could pull two Raptors along back to base if necessary, and Reptile knew how to fix that.

He added two lines to the back of the vehicle and cast them, grabbing two of the six Raptors. Then, he radioed base. "HQ, this is agent Reptile in an Iron Predator. I've just blasted a group of Raptors and got six of them in stasis. Please send a transport," he sent.

----

Databoard flew over the city. He had expected there to be more Mutants than ever, due to reversal of the unimutant process. But the confused "re-mutated" Mutant Dinos tended to flee whenever he came nearby. He assumed they would be back to their normal behavior within a few days, but at the moment, it was hard to catch one. He encountered a few Mutant Lizards, but they evaded his lasers and vanished into the shadows. Databoard turned the T-1 Typhoon around and headed back to HQ.

Databoard was flying towards base when he received a message from HQ, informing him to try and look for Mutants around Fort Legoredo. Databoard turned his T-1 Typhoon away from Dino Attack HQ and began flying away from LEGO City off towards the desert.

Databoard flew over the desert, and the ruins of Fort Legoredo appeared in the distance. Databoard had spent a lot of time at the Alpha Team base in Antarctica before going Dino Attack, so he didn't like desert environments.

He flew over the fort, and scanned for Mutants. No sooner had he started than laser beams barely missed his helicopter. He looked down to see an angry looking T-Rex on the ground. "It's about time..." Databoard said, flying low and firing his lasers.

Databoard armed the T-1 Typhoon's side guns and fired, sending flashes of green light around the T-Rex. He began to circle while firing, confusing the T-Rex as the impacting lasers kicked up a cloud of dust. Enraged, it began firing its laser beams through the dust cloud, with little success. Databoard fired the Sonic Screamers, further confusing the Mutant.

Finally, the dust cloud settled, leaving a confused T-Rex standing amid a small circle of destruction. Databoard fired the Voltaic launcher, striking the T-Rex and knocking it to the ground, unconscious. "I love this job," Databoard muttered as he flew down to check on the T-Rex.

----

Zenna heard reports of mutants around Fort Legoredo. Databoard had been sent to investigate. There were also reports of them in Port Royal. She got to her Fire Hammer.

Zenna arrived in Port Royal. She walked along a bridge, and then opened a door. She walked around a room, but the floor snapped and she fell through. She grabbed onto a rope and safely slid down, only to find herself surrounded by mutants. She drew her gun and fired, taking most of them down. She heard loud stomping, and a huge T-Rex appeared. She grabbed the rope and climbed up in the hopes of escaping.

Zenna climbed the rope and got through the opening, which was too small for the T-Rex to get through. She'd need to find another method.

Zenna was hurled out the window as the T-Rex broke through the floor. She grabbed a ledge and climbed into another room, only to find a group of dinos approaching her. She turned around, now surrounded, pushed against the wall. Her gun was almost out of ammo.

Then a hand grabbed her and pulled her to safety. She looked up and saw a man with a thick brown mustache. He was dressed in a gray uniform with a gray cap, a black scarf around his neck, and mining equipment strapped to his belt. "Run," he said, and they ran from the mutants.

----

Someone, or something, had attempted to kill Pilot, he was sure of it now. Surprisingly, there had not been any more cases of that virus Pilot had encountered. Although it was never safe to assume anything, Pilot assumed it was just a random one-time thing.

It might have been a person who had personally tried to kill Pilot, or it might have been a remnant from some experiment that had been activated by the fighting. The former seemed likelier than the latter, as LEGO Island was never used as testing grounds for weapons. But there was no one in league with the mutants, as far as Pilot knew, so it must have been someone who either thought Pilot might get his/her/their way, or they just didn't like him for some reason.

Pilot then remembered he used to have an enemy that would stop at nothing to end his life. This foe was presumed dead, having gone missing years ago. Pilot never fully believed this. This whole situation didn't actually seem possible, considering the bomb had been planted... before... he got... there...

Which would mean that it had been sheer luck that the T-Rex had blasted that exact area, revealing the tunnel, and that it had been about to blow up right when Pilot got there. And everything else. But Pilot didn't believe in luck.

What he did believe, however, was that he needed rest.

----

Databoard got the T-Rex contained, and called for an agent to transport the T-Rex back to HQ. He took off again, flying over the desert to look for more Mutants.

It didn't take him long, and he soon found himself chasing a Mutant Raptor. He fired the Sonic Screamers, but the creature managed to evade his shots. He fired again, but the Raptors managed to avoid them. The Sonic Screamers created a large amount of dust, making it impossible for him to see the Mutant. He circled the area, waiting for the dust to vanish.

The dust cloud disappeared, and it revealed the Raptor managed to avoid most of his attacks and was now running for shelter. It was headed towards an abandoned mine, and despite Databoard's efforts to stop it, it managed to get inside. Databoard circled the mine, knowing it would come out eventually.

Suddenly, he spotted a dust storm approaching, and knew it would be easy for the Raptor to escape from the mine while he was forced to land and unable to see. He landed near the mine, and took out a weapon: a Sonic Screamer he had modified to be slightly smaller than a Cosmotronic Ray. He got out of the T-1 Typhoon and headed into the mine to face the Raptor.

Databoard moved through the tunnels deeper into the mine. It soon became too dark to see, so he put on a pair of night-vision goggles and continued his search. He rounded a corner and found the Raptor up ahead. It roared at him and charged towards Databoard. He fired his Sonic Screamer, which sent bits of rock and wood flying off the walls as it slammed into the Raptor, knocking it backwards. Angered, it ran off down the corridor, vanishing off further into the mine. Databoard rushed after it, running as fast as he could with the bulky weapon in his hands.

Sonic Screamer aimed ahead, Databoard moved further into the mine. He looked down the corridor, but couldn't see anything up ahead. Suddenly, he heard a roar, and the Raptor was charging at him. He barely had time to turn around before the Raptor was about to devour him. He fired the Screamer, blasting the Mutant into the roof of the mine.

Suddenly, rubble began to rain down, burying the Raptor under debris. Databoard turned and ran as the section of the mine began to collapse. He hurried down a corridor... and then plunged downward as he accidentally ran over a mine shaft. The rubble stopped falling, and all was suddenly silent in the mine.

----

Reptile returned to base and dropped off the Raptors at his laboratory, extruding from the base somewhat on one of the sides. He then returned to the hangar, carrying his goo canisters. After reaching his lab, he inserted the goo into a bigger tube, then attached a very small transfer tube to the large canister. A few drops of the substance entered the tube and into a green-red ball. The ball was translucent and now contained goo.

He approached the holding pens of captured beasts and threw the sphere. It struck on a Lizard who was trying to escape and immediately caused its body to "shut down" in a way. In the past, Ogel had used this Green Goo to mutate and mind-control; now, Reptile was using it to shut down dinosaurs.

----

Hiding behind an overturned table, Frozeen, Ogel, and the others were taking refuge from the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids. The guards were standing on the other side of the table, waiting for any sign of movement. Luckily, the table had proved to be made of an acid-proof and fireproof material, likely due to being designed by the Mutant Dinos' creators.

Frozeen was mostly okay, though one of his snowsuit sleeves was still missing from the attack from the acid-spitting guard, and the exposed arm had a few scratches and bruises. Chompy was covered with scratches. General Evil and Libo both didn't appear any different, though one of Libo's legs was injured and this was only visible to the eye whenever Libo limped. Amanda's salvaged spear was already snapped in two, and she was tending to several large cuts on her arm.

Ogel's infamous golden visor was now marred by a large crack, and his hook was also chipped. So was Sam Sinister's hook, and his monocle had likewise shattered into pieces. Brickster had no injuries, but that was only because he barely did any fighting and just cowered in the corner. Vladek's sword was reduced to merely a hilt, and his shield was practically useless at this point. There were no fully intact Brickster-Bots present, while a few of Ogel's Drones were still alive. In fact, L-D1748 was twitching more than usual, trying its best to resist the urge to leap out from behind the table and start chasing the Minifig/Mutant Lizards Hybrids.

Still no sign of Rex, nor of Dr. Rex.

"I'm going to go looking for my brother," Chompy said at last. "He might be in trouble."

"But Chompy, the guards-" Frozeen began to object.

Chompy grinned, showing rows of sharp teeth. "-are all on the other side of the table, leaving everything on this side of the table unguarded. Including..." He gestured toward a nearby door.

After Frozeen translated, Libo smiled. "Good, we'll be able to get out of here!"

"W-what?" snapped L-D1748, trembling. Everyone looked at him. "And-d miss-s ou-out on-n-n the f-f-fight? I want-t to k-kick some Minifig/Mutant-t L-L-Lizard freaks' b-butts!"

Ogel frowned and grabbed the Lurcher Drone by the throat. "You'll get the opportunity later," he commanded, "or you'll never get the opportunity at all! You consider yourself lucky we're not on the top story of the Control Center, or the Mountain Fortress... you might've been tossed out a window."

L-D1748, still twitching, nodded weakly. Ogel let go.

"Lurchers," General Evil muttered to Frozeen. "They always want the opportunity to chase and fight their enemies. Sometimes, you have to threaten them to make sure that they don't."

"Everyone," Ogel announced, "here's the plan."

"Why'd you get to make the plan?" asked Sam Sinister.

"Because I'm Ogel!" declared Ogel. "I always make the best, most brilliant plans in the LEGO Universe! That's why!"

"Plans that always get foiled by Alpha Team," Frozeen muttered under his breath.

Ogel ignored the Alpha Team agent. "Brickster," he began, "you're a… ahem, creative builder. Build something that'll get us out of here."

"You got it!" replied Brickster, who was all-too-eager to prove himself as useful in Ogel's plans. He started disassembling one of his broken Brickster-Bots for spare parts.

"As soon as we get out of here," continued Ogel, "some of us will head for Dino Attack Headquarters to inform them of this laboratory. The rest of us will head for the Goo Caverns. If I'm not mistaken, Dr. Rex is using a similar formula to the one that I had written about ten years ago - a formula I rejected."

"I remember finding a reference to those plans in the database of the Pallas Athena, while it was still an Ogel airship," growled Chompy. "And Dr. Rex mentioned that he had stolen that formula ten years ago from one of Ogel's bases."

After Frozeen translated, General Evil's eyes went wide. "No..." he whispered. "It can't be..."

"Anyways," interrupted Ogel, "at the Goo Caverns, we'll collect... Green Goo, of course! If Dr. Rex followed my formula, then the goo can be used to 'shut down' the nervous systems of any Mutant Dinos as a failsafe."

"Well, what are we waiting for, Frostivus?" asked Brickster, who had already built a crude hoverboard from the pieces he salvaged. "Let's go!"

"Now, hold on," said Libo, "even though that door is unguarded, we need to make sure that the Hybrids do not follow us. We need… a distraction, to lure them away."

"Or some bait," grunted Chompy.

With that, everyone turned to face L-D1748, who was twitching anxiously.

----

Colonel's squad of Dino Attack agents got into position.  They had stormed the Temple of Atukam and battled their way through his Sons, using the intel from Databoard and Voltage's earlier mission in order to stand a better fighting chance against these enhanced mutants.  Now, they waited outside Atukam's chamber, looking up at the massive door intricately crafted into the frightening shape of a grimacing tribal mask.

Dallas planted explosive charges around the door, and then he held up a smoke grenade.  "As soon as the door's open," he instructed his teammates, "I'll throw this into the chamber and give us a smokescreen.  I can't guarantee that it'll stop Atukam and his Sons from seeing us, but it might buy us a few seconds.  Make sure you have your visors on and shoot down every last Son of Atukam you see."

Colonel nodded.  He put on a Dino Attack helmet, equipped with a special visor (modified from T.O.A. tech) designed to help its wearer detect the faint heat signatures of Mutant Dinos; even these cold-blooded reptiles gave thermal readings thanks to their mutant powers.  Anubis, Belle, Elfman, and Fate also put on their own helmets and readied their weapons.

With a loud explosion, the door was blown off its hinges, and Dallas lobbed the smoke grenade into the chamber.  The Dino Attack squad charged into the fray, firing at the startled Sons of Atukam before they could react.  At least a dozen of the enhanced Mutant Lizards were taken down quickly, but there were more still standing by the time the smoke cleared, and several reinforcements had been deployed from their stasis tubes.  They hissed and screeched angrily as they charged at the six Dino Attack agents with their spears at the ready.

But the incoming Sons of Atukam were not what drew Anubis's attention.  At the far end of the chamber, standing in front of a magical pool of silver liquid, was Atukam himself.  The chamber was dark, and yet Atukam somehow seemed to be cast in even deeper shadow than everything else around him, barely visible as more than a silhouette with glowing red eyes.  And then, of course, there was the massive form looming over Atukam, appearing to be a tribal stone statue carved in the likeness of a T-Rex... except statues don't usually move.

Anubis had no time to worry about the Dino Golem at the moment.  One Son of Atukam was bearing down on him, and when he tried to shoot it, the lizard responded by opening its jaws and letting out a piercing shriek.  The sound instilled Anubis with a primal terror that left him frozen with fear.  Neither fight nor flight were available options to him as the Son screamed again, and then it lifted its spear to skewer him into a shish kabob.

An arrow flew through the air and embedded itself in the creature's neck.  As the life faded from its eyes, that overwhelming sense of fear no longer gripped Anubis, who realized that it must have been caused by the mutant's powers.  He looked for the source of the arrow and saw Indigo Islander warriors entering the temple chamber, flanking the Sons of Atukam.  Dino Attack's mission had successfully encouraged the courageous Islanders to take on their most dreaded enemy.  There was even one of Captain Brickbeard's pirates among them, dual-wielding flintlock pistols and firing at the mutants.

With the Indigo Islanders as backup, the Dino Attack squad soon finished off the remaining Sons of Atukam.  That just left one thing standing between them and Atukam... one very big, stone, enchanted-by-dark-magic thing.

The Dino Golem lumbered towards the Dino Attack agents, with every footfall shaking the entire chamber.  The Indigo Islanders fired at it, but their arrows bounced harmlessly off of its stone body.  Even Dino Attack's weapons barely damaged it.  It effortlessly crushed one unlucky Islander beneath its feet and then closed its stone jaws on another hapless victim.  Worse, while they focused on the golem, Atukam was firing his own black magic at them, forcing them to dodge multiple attacks at once.

Elfman gritted his teeth, frustrated as his gun's laser bolts hardly did anything to the Dino Golem.  He glanced over at Dallas, who was lifting up a rocket-propelled grenade launcher.  "When a job doesn't go as planned, don't be afraid to dream bigger," said Dallas, aiming and firing a rocket into the Dino Golem's face.  The statue's head exploded into a shower of pebbles.

Elfman laughed and whooped, but his cheers died away when Atukam started laughing too.  The islander waved his staff, and his spell gathered up the fallen stone pebbles and rock shards to reassemble the Dino Golem's head.  Rather than being put back together in its original shape, the shattered head remained as a swirling vortex of stone debris and dark magic, like dust in a whirlwind.  As the golem roared and resumed its attack on the Dino Attack agents, Elfman exclaimed, "Oh, come on!  That's not fair!"

Dallas fired another rocket at the Dino Golem, followed by another.  For every part of the statue he destroyed, Atukam would simply use his magic to reanimate it.  Soon enough, nearly the entire statue was reconstituted as an amorphous vortex of stone pebbles, moving like a swarm of angry hornets, still just as large and deadly as before but now able to disperse its form to cover more ground and dodge incoming rockets.

"I don't think that's working, Dall-" said Fate, only to be blasted by Atukam's shadow magic.  Anubis and Belle rushed over to help him as he lay on the polished stone floor, shivering and sweating.  He felt like he was somehow being burned alive and freezing in a blizzard at the same time.  "I'm... I'm so cold..." he whispered.

"Stay with us, Fate!" insisted Anubis, holding his hand.  "You're not going to die today, I swear!"

"Dallas, ignore the stone beast!" called Belle.  " It's like one of the fantasy novels I've read!  Shooting it won't break its curse; you need to go for the source!"

Dallas launched another rocket, but this time he was not aiming at the Dino Golem; this time, he was aiming at Atukam.  The evil Islander had previously been using his magic to deflect incoming attacks, but constantly reassembling the Dino Golem had clearly drained him, and he could not stop the projectile heading towards him with a spell alone.  In a last-ditch effort, he summoned every single pebble of the Dino Golem to form a stone barrier in front of him.  It blocked the rocket just in time, and the explosion sent rock and stone flying in every direction.  When the smoke cleared, Atukam was reeling, and then he fell to one knee while breathing heavily.  He no longer had the strength to reform the Dino Golem.

All of the Dino Attack agents and Indigo Islander warriors aimed their weapons at Atukam, but a raised hand wordlessly told them to hold their fire as King Kahuka entered the chamber.  The tribal chief approached Atukam with a calm and unafraid air.  "We beat you like tribal drum," he declared.  "You cannot fight any longer... my brother."

"And so," growled Atukam, "you have come to finish me off, have you?  To show your strength and dominance as you assert yourself as the throne's one true king?"

Kahuka shook his head.  "You are so misguided.  But I hope there is still light in your shadow."  Offering his hand, he said: "Come.  We can be brothers once again.  Your destiny is yours to decide."

Atukam locked eyes with Kahuka.  "Then I choose just one destiny," he decided.  He reached out, looking as though he was about to take Kahuka's hand.  For a moment, Anubis actually believed it might happen.  But then, Atukam's eyes glowed even brighter red than before, and he hurled an orb of pitch-black shadow magic directly at his brother.

King Kahuka lifted his own staff and cast a spell.  Blue and white 1x2 bricks materialized and swirled around the tip of his staff.  A magical barrier formed around the tribal chief.  It started blue, but as the white bricks stacked atop the blue bricks, it changed color to green, then yellow, and then finally red.  The shadow orb struck the barrier but could not break through it.  Instead, it turned very bright bluish white and bounced back towards Atukam.  He did not have enough time or energy to react, and the light orb hit him in the torso.  He stumbled backward.

A gunshot rang through the chamber.  Everyone glanced at Colonel, who glared intensely at Atukam with his one good eye before shooting again.  The seasoned commander had seen enough, and he was not going to let Atukam have another chance to betray Kahuka.

Atukam collapsed, falling backward into the silver pool.  A dark cloud of purple mist rose from the enchanted liquid.  For the briefest second, Colonel thought he glimpsed the red outline of a skull, sneering back at him through the smoke before it dispersed.  Then, all was silent and still.

Anubis looked down at Fate and saw that his teammate seemed to be recovering. The curse that had taken hold of Fate was now fading away without its spellcaster. Anubis wiped the sweat from his brow and let out a long sigh of relief.

King Kahuka walked up to the edge of the pool and sighed wearily.  He turned back to face Colonel, and he solemnly declared: "It is finished... Atukam is gone.  The Indigo Islanders will forever be friends of Dino Attack Team."

----

Now armed for combat, Reptile returned to his Iron Predator and headed to one of the neighboring cities. It had been overrun by Pteranodons. T-1 Typhoons performing reconnaissance or attack on Raptors and T-Rexes below were blasted by the Pteranodons, and vice versa. Two Pteranodons swooped down at his vehicle as soon as he entered the city, and a T-Rex was quickly approaching. He another Goo Sphere at the T-Rex and fired the main blaster, zapping the two flying dinosaurs.

Reptile entered the city, searching methodically for the nest. He would deal with small numbers of Dinos as he moved, doing what Dino Attack agents called a "Systematic Purge" of Dinosaurs. But then, he realized his radar wasn't detecting the nest because it was higher above him. So with that in mind, he set the stasis gun to automate and began tinkering with a radar dish in his laboratory.

Reptile finished fixing the radar and added the dish to the fore of the vehicle. Re-entering his laboratory, he swapped a green card into a slot and then pressed a big blue button. Upon returning to the controls, he spotted the nest... right above him.

The agent looked up and noticed six young Pteranodons dive-bombing him, electricity coursing from their claws. He ducked and jammed the remote control for the gun turret. Blasts emerged from it, striking four of the approaching flying Dinos. Then, Reptile raised the Goo Sphere and pressed a button on it. An arc of blue-purple goo, condensed into a beam, blasted out and shut off the Pteranodons.

Reptile jumped into his gun turret and target the crosshairs onto the two building supports holding up the nest. He had already activated his cryogenic canisters on a delay-timer, timed for ten seconds. Reptile pressed a button, and two rockets shot out, blasting and destroying the debris. The nest began to fall onto the Iron Predator. That was when the cryogenic canisters, set to explode, blasted up on a rocket-engine that Reptile had installed. They blasted and froze the nest in stasis. Satisfied, Reptile attached it to the gun turret and towed it back to base.

He turned the nest over to a group of agents working on a plan to do something with the captured Dinos. Before he could refit his vehicle, he received a flare on his updated radar saying an Agent Zenna, one of their newer recruits, was in trouble. Reptile gunned the engine and headed off.

*****

Zenna and the other person ran until they had lost the mutants. She looked at the man who'd saved her. "Who are you?" she asked.

"My name is Docs," he replied, "I was with the Rock Raiders. A teleporter malfunction left me stranded here."

"Really?" said Zenna. "Now we have to deal with the dinos."

"Right," said Docs.

A group of dinosaurs could be heard behind the wall. Docs got his gun ready and gave Zenna some ammunition. She loaded her gun. Docs and Zenna jumped out from behind the wall and fired.

After the mutants were dead, Docs and Zenna got out. There were loud footsteps, and the T-Rex appeared. "Great," Docs said sarcastically.

Zenna dove, dodging a strike from the T-Rex's jaws. Docs fired at it, not doing much damage.

----

Databoard awoke to pitch darkness, and he realized that his night-vision goggles had been broken during the fall. He threw away the goggles and tried to get up, but couldn't, because his leg was pinned under rubble. He reached for his laser, which fortunately hadn't been broken. He aimed at what he hoped was the rubble, and hoped he wasn't aiming at his leg instead. He fired, lighting up the pitch-black cave with a flash of green, and the laser destroyed the debris trapping him.

He got up, his entire body hurting, and began to limp through the caves. He couldn't see where he was going, so he could only stumble through the caves and hope he would find a way out.

Databoard took out his PDA to see if he was able to contact Dino Attack HQ. Unfortunately, the screen had also been smashed in the fall. The light of the broken screen flickered, giving Databoard a view of the tunnel he was in. Unfortunately, this didn't help him much, as he didn't know where in the mine this was.

Fortunately, he found a mine cart, and guessed he could follow the track outside. Using the light to keep an eye on the tracks, he moved towards the mine exit.

After following the mine cart track towards the entrance, Databoard had found himself at a dead end. It appeared that the track had crossed through the collapsed section, leaving Databoard again with no way out of the mine. He looked around and found another pathway, and headed in the direction the mine track had headed.

Unfortunately, the power on his damaged PDA began to die, leaving him in darkness. He used the wall for support, every part of his body hurting from the fall. He staggered to his knees, unable to walk in all this pain. He collapsed to the ground, and closed his eyes as he fell unconscious.

----

After a few uneventful hours, Reptile was in Port Royal. He spotted a T-Rex devastating a nearby area. Quickly, he raised the "Stasis Orb", as he had nicknamed it, and fired, shutting off the beast. Another one was attacking Zenna and... someone in a mining uniform. Reptile rushed over to the gun mounted on the side of the Iron Predator and pressed the Rapid Fire button. Laser bursts streamed out and struck the side of the beast.

The T-Rex's reaction was to unleash its laser vision on the Iron Predator. It struck the forward, armored part and left gaping holes. "I really need to upgrade this armor," muttered Reptile to himself. The orb was out of goo, meaning he would need to replenish it with the four crates he had stored back at his laboratory.

Zenna turned in surprise to see Reptile. The T-Rex grabbed her by the arm. She struggled to get free, but Docs fired a couple of shots and forced it to let go. She fell over in pain.

Reptile armed the main gun at the top of the Iron Predator and fired several blasts at the T-Rex. It roared and tried to charge his vehicle. But this time, Reptile turned the side gun and fired a single blast at the T-Rex's gaping jaws. The beast collapsed onto the ground.

Zenna sat on her knees holding her arm. Docs came up to her. "She'll need medical attention," he said.

Reptile exited the Iron Predator carrying a medical kit with supplies. He did his best to patch up Zenna for now, and then looked more closely at Docs. "Aren't you one of those mining people, the ones who harvest energy crystals deep in the tunnels?" Reptile asked.

"Yes, I'm what we call a Rock Raider. A mining league that had been mining in space. But that's not important now," Docs responded.

"Okay, let's get back in my vehicle. Or do you have transportation?" asked Reptile.

"I do have a Fire Hammer," said Zenna.

"A Fire Hammer is rather small. But if you want, I'll use the larger Iron Predator to escort you back to base," replied Reptile.

"Sounds good," replied Zenna.

"Okay, let's get moving. Where is your vehicle?" asked Reptile. Before Zenna answered, he ran and jumped into his Iron Predator pulled up nearby. Reptile activated the engine, and moved off.

They eventually reached the base. "Alright, she'll need to be taken to the medical center," said Docs. Zenna's arm was bleeding now.

"I have a medical facility in my lab, but it is quicker to get to the main one," commented Reptile. He left to his lab to resupply his Goo Sphere, and then to study what he knew about the Mutant Dinos.

----

It was so dark in the mine, Databoard wasn't even sure he was awake. He struggled to get up, but his injuries hurt too much for him to move. He managed to find his laser, which he had dropped after losing consciousness. He wasn't sure how long he'd been unconscious, but he was lucky he hadn't died.

Databoard slowly got to his feet, and began to walk further down the tunnel, hoping he'd be able to get further towards the exit before losing consciousness again.

----

There had been an increase of activity near Vikings Isle, and the old Vikings wanted to resettle it. But to retake part of Vikings Isle would mean he needed reinforcements. So, logging on to the Dino Attack Web, Reptile posted a sign saying that he was looking to recruit five agents: two permanently and three temporarily. He got four responses instantly from others, who headed over to his laboratory.

After Zenna had recovered, she heard about the activity on Vikings Isle. "Alright, I'm in," she said. "You coming, Docs?"

"I think I will," he replied.

Reptile waited patiently for everyone to assemble. Zenna entered the hangar after the others, but not too late to miss his briefing. "Vikings Isle is a big danger, as hardly anyone has actually been there since the Dinos were released. Many Vikings, hiding in Antarctica, want to return to their 'milder climate', as they say. In addition, some of our scientists think the dinos might have evolved from some of the Viking monsters. But we've been assigned a mission to go there."

Reptile pointed out two agents using Urban Avengers, and Zenna used a Fire Hammer. "I use an Iron Predator, but I need agents to help crew it. Agent Web has volunteered to serve as my gunner, and Tail, will also help to gun."

The plan was simple, but there were a few problems. "How are we going to get to Vikings Isle?" asked Zenna.

Reptile nodded as he replied, "Good point. But I have an idea. I am skilled in engineering, and I was studying the Alpha Mode of Alpha Team vehicles. A simple adjustment to my Iron Predator, and I can create a boat-like hull below it. But as for yours... I have no idea." He showed them his modified vehicle. "Actually, I can simply perform the same adjustment to your vehicles and then... hook them up with mine."

Quickly, he installed the retractable hulls, and they headed off to the coast to use the hulls in the field.

Zenna was surprised. She managed to drive her Fire Hammer as if it was a boat. Soon, Vikings Isle was in sight. "Alright, now what?" asked Zenna.

"Look, we are almost there!" shouted Web from the top gun turret.

Suddenly, two Sea Serpents erupted from the water. One of them caught an Urban Avenger with its tail and nearly crushed it. Web, Reptile (with the Goo Sphere) and Tail yelled and fired their weapons, as did the other agents. To Reptile's surprise, the goo shut down one of the serpent's segments, but not the rest of it.

Quickly, the serpents were defeated. "Let's get to land fast and see what's going on here. My report indicated several of the Fenris wolf-packs had 'adopted' some Lizard breeds and are warring with others," Reptile said grimly.

Reptile discovered that Dr. Wolf, a former scientist working for XERRD, had been creating hybrid Mutant Monsters between the native Vikings Isle Monsters and the Mutant Dinos. They were apparently designed to conquer Vikings Isle, but Reptile realized that they could be used to attack colder climates. They could not yet survive in Antarctica, but it was a step. Before he could act on this information, the Skr-Ok Clan, a group of Vikings working with Dr. Wolf, detected their approach and captured Reptile.

They brought him to Dr. Wolf's laboratory located inside of a Viking Fortress, where Wolf interrogated him. The rest of Reptile's team launched an attack on the fortress after they were able to trace him, and Web was able to save Reptile. Still, the team was surrounded by Skr-Ok Clan warriors and would have died, had not Zenna sent out an emergency signal, which was picked up by Alpha Team Special Operations.

Agent Magma, who was piloting one of Alpha Team's great Blizzard Blasters, arrived on the scene and opened fire, destroying the fortress and crushing many of the Clan. Magma took Wolf into custody, and covered the Dino Attack Agents as they reached their vehicles and escaped. Dr. Wolf was taken to a secure prison facility.

----

When Rex awoke, he was not aware of the changes that had occurred. All he knew was that he felt weak. Very weak. It was as though all of his strength had been sucked out of him, and he was suddenly aware of all the bruises and injuries he had sustained in the past few hours. He blinked, but his vision seemed blurred and out of focus.

Rex looked around for any sign of Dr. Rex. Instead, he saw an unconscious T-Rex lying on the floor beside him. "Chompy?" he whispered, nudging the T-Rex. He must have come looking for me, he thought, only to end up being ambushed by Dr. Rex. I have to get him to safety!

Although he hardly had any strength left in him, Rex grabbed the T-Rex by the tail and slowly dragged him out of the room. As soon as he entered the hallway, Rex was immediately tackled by General Evil and surrounded by his teammates. "Don't move, Dr. Rex!" declared General Evil. "It's time for you to explain everything!"

"What?" exclaimed Rex. "Guys, it's me, Rex! Why would you think I'm…" Everybody laughed in disbelief, except Amanda Claw, who stared at him with an intense curiosity. He trailed off when he saw Chompy standing with the others. Glancing back at the unconscious T-Rex, Rex wondered aloud, "If you're Chompy, then… then who's that?"

The T-Rex woke up and got back to his feet. He looked down upon himself, then he looked at Rex and General Evil before grinning savagely, baring his sharp teeth.

It was in that moment that Rex realized what happened. "I must have switched bodies with Dr. Rex when we entered that machine!" he exclaimed. But although he desperately tried in vain to explain this to his teammates, they simply laughed at what surely must have sounded like the insane ramblings of a mad scientist. Only Amanda believed him, since she could tell from the tone and confusion in his voice that he was telling the truth.

Large groups of Hybrids arrived, surrounding the group and holding the Lurcher Drone L-D1748 captive. "Let-t-t me g-go, you f-freaks!" demanded L-D1748. "I'm-m s-s-s-supposed t-to b-be d-distracting you!"

Thinking quickly, Rex grabbed a sonic rifle from one of the Hybrids and fired at another Hybrid guarding a window. "Go now, run!" he shouted, allowing everyone to escape through the window. However, the Hybrids still did not let go of L-D1748, and they also managed to capture Amanda.

As the Hybrids stood around them, Dr. Rex glanced at Rex and gave a knowing smile. He stepped forward and said to the Hybrids, "Execute Order 65."

Two of the Hybrids traded glances, then promptly pointed their energized spears at Dr. Rex, who reacted with surprise. Another Hybrid approached Rex and bowed its head. "They think I'm the real Dr. Rex, too!" realized Rex.

With his newfound authority, Rex ordered the Hybrids to let Amanda and L-D1748 go. Then, he turned to Dr. Rex and said, "Now, you and I are going to go back in that machine and get our real bodies back."

Dr. Rex laughed bitterly. "Are you so sure about that? The machine was not intended to switch bodies at will. It was built as a failsafe for our experiments, designed to extract Imagination: the crux of the LEGO Universe. And that is what we are at our cores, our Creative Sparks… pure Imagination."

"Are you saying you were trying to use the machine to suck out my soul?" said Rex, raising an eyebrow.

"More or less," replied Dr. Rex. "Unfortunately, thanks to you and your clumsy tail, I couldn't get out quickly enough. Having both of us in there at once must have confused its sensors and caused it to malfunction, putting our Creative Sparks back into the wrong bodies. Is it so wise to try overloading it again in hopes of getting the right result this time? And if you succeed, what then? You'll lose control of the Hybrids, and they'll listen to me once again. Do you really want to take that risk when your friends are still trapped on my island?"

Rex considered Dr. Rex's words and, as much as he hated to admit it, conceded that he had a point. "Very well then. Until we can work something out… Hybrids, bring this T-Rex specimen to the highest-security holding cells!"

As the Hybrids took the real Dr. Rex away, Rex turned around and told Amanda and L-D1748 to leave Dinosaur Island and to convince the rest of the team of his true identity. In the meantime, he would stay behind to learn as much as he could about XERRD and how to get his original body back.

----

After this operation, Reptile discovered a strange genetic sequence inside of a captured Mutant Lizard. Upon analyzing it, he realized that it was a key, a map of sorts to some sort of "treasure" or "device." He gathered a team comprised of Web and Tail to search for it. Reptile also contacted his old teacher, Dr. Formula, to join them during their mission to find the "DNA Treasure".

A Blue Eagle swooped in for a landing at the Dino Attack Headquarters, offloading Dr. Formula. The agent/scientist was carrying a field gear. "Reptile! Good to see you again. Where are we going?" the scientist asked.

"Well, for that, allow me to upload this map to your computer," replied Reptile. He did so and headed off to the Iron Predator, followed by the rest of his team. Reptile jumped in and activated the vehicle. It rolled forward. "Your job is going to be to figure out where to go," said Reptile.

A few minutes later, Formula thought he knew. "I'll feed the map into the navigation device," he said.

The Iron Predator made an abrupt turn and slammed straight into a building in LEGO City. It plowed through and reached an open road, which it zoomed down. Agent Tail looked questioningly at the doctor. "I guess it's not quite calibrated yet..."

----

Rex decided he was going to explore the hidden XERRD Dino Island Laboratory a bit more. After all, since everyone thought that he was Dr. Rex, he might as well get used to this place. One room that particularly caught his eye was a teleport station. What would a teleport station be doing here? he thought. So, he entered the room.

Inside, there were dozens of large teleport pads. He noticed that there were several cages containing sleeping Mutant Lizards, Raptors, Pterosaurs, and a T-Rex. There was also a lone scientist: a woman who looked as though she had not slept in days, with messy black hair tied back into a ponytail and no makeup to hide the dark circles under her eyes. Rex quickly glanced at her ID badge to get her name: Michelle Gladys.

At first, Dr. Gladys was too absorbed in her work to notice Rex enter the room. When she finally addressed him, she spoke in an emotionless, bored-sounding voice: "Dr. Rex, with all due respect, I cannot get the teleporter to Sentai Mountain working if you keep hovering over me."

Sentai Mountain? thought Rex. Never heard of that place. "Err, yes," he said, trying to pretend to be Dr. Rex, "you're quite right about that. Please carry on, Michelle. Don't mind me."

Looking at the teleport pads, Rex was able to make out a few of the names inscribed on plaques above each pad. Everything from major continents to smaller well-populated islands, such as LEGO Island and Sabatina.

Rex was wondering just what all these teleport pads were for, when suddenly it hit him. This was how the Mutant Dinos were able to spread so quickly and so suddenly across the entire LEGO Planet when the Dino Attack began in April!

*****

Frozeen, Ogel, and the others traveled through the jungles of Dinosaur Island. They found the blocked cave where Dr. Rex had trapped the Mesozoic Morphing Monsters: the four transforming dinosaurs who naturally ruled over Dinosaur Island. Sam Sinister used an explosive to free the Mesozoic Morphing Monsters from their prison. Still unaware that Rex is now in Dr. Rex's body, Frozeen told the transforming dinosaurs to attack the XERRD laboratory.

Using the pieces of a long-destroyed Ogel Control Center wrecked by dinosaurs over the past nine years, Frozeen, Ogel, and the others were able construct a boat. Having left the island an hour ago, they now were in open sea. They had vital new intel that they needed to tell Dino Attack Team.

Now that the laboratory was under attack by the Mesozoic Morphing Monsters, that would hopefully bring an end to the mutating of more dinos. "With that production gone," Frozeen explained, "all that remains to stop the Mutant Dino invasion would be to track down and neutralize their nests. Seeing as the Mutant Dinos are widespread, we must act quickly to search for these nests. The last thing we need is the continuation of Mutant Dino reproduction."

"Makes perfect sense to me," agreed Ogel, nodding.

"Now, I wonder where are Amanda and L-D1748?" murmured Libo, with a glance toward Dinosaur Island in the distance.

"Don't worry," Chompy reassured Libo, whose words needed to be translated by Frozeen. "I told the Mesozoic Morphing Monsters to kill the XERRD scientists and Mutant Dinos, but to make sure that any and all prisoners held captive in the laboratory are set free, including both humans and dinosaurs."

General Evil seemed a bit troubled about something. He would sometimes glance at Frozeen, as though the Alpha Team agent had some sort of contagious disease. This did not go unnoticed, so Frozeen asked, "What is it?"

General Evil sighed. "Frozeen, it's just that… well, for years, I always thought the G.E. Bodies to be unstoppable. You were able to be my long-standing archnemesis only because you were in a G.E. Body, too; neither of us could kill the other, short of tossing Panrahk XP explosives at each other. But now, knowing that Dr. Rex could kill you so easily… my own mortality seems closer at hand now than ever before."

Frozeen had easily fought General Evil countless times before, but now found himself in the unusual position of having to comfort his own rival. "Hey, look," he said, "nobody could ever manage to easily kill you. I mean, you're General Evil! Ogel's brother and loyal general! A skilled fighter and an evil genius! Dr. Rex only managed to kill me because… well, frankly, I'm not as much of a fighter or a genius as you are."

General Evil chuckled softly, but it was not his usual evil-sounding chuckle. "Thanks. But, I still do not understand why Dr. Rex would have wanted to kill me. I knew Ronald Alexander, years ago. He was never the sort of person who would do… all of this. And if he was the one responsible for the incident that put me in a G.E. Body in the first place… I feel like my whole life has just been turned upside-down."

"Well," replied Frozeen, "he did say that he worked with Alpha Team at one point, and… frankly, you have a habit of making Alpha Team recruits want to kill you. Even when you don't hold a misplaced grudge against their father."

General Evil did not reply to that comment. His mind flashed back to the day of "the accident". That voice he had heard, shouting that it was time to go and urging Zachary Abody to leave him for dead… now, for the first time, he recognized it as Dr. Rex's voice. He had spent so long blaming Dr. Abody for his condition that he did not know how to feel now that he had evidence to the contrary. Instead, he asked, "How did you… come back to life after being killed?"

Frozeen was definitely not ready to give that sort of information to the brother of Evil Ogel, so he simply shrugged. "It just wasn't my time."

----

The mission was a success.  Atukam was defeated at last, and he would no longer threaten Dino Attack Team or the Indigo Islanders.  When they returned to headquarters, Dallas had already offered to buy everyone drinks.  The celebration was fun and the company was appreciated, but Anubis decided to retire early for the evening.  He needed time alone with his thoughts.

When he returned to his bed, Anubis pulled out his laptop and logged into the D.I.N.O. database.  He typed a name into the search engine: "Rev Raptor".

A familiar face stared back at him from the computer screen.  He had reviewed Rev's profile so many times by now that every detail of the young agent's face was ingrained in his memory.  Otherwise, such a face should not have been familiar to Anubis, since he had never actually met Rev in person.

After all, Rev Raptor was dead.

Rev died on the very same day that Anubis was drafted into the team.  The dates listed in the database even confirmed it.

It was a day that stood out well in Anubis's mind.  Perhaps, even, it was the most important day of his life.  It was very nearly the last day of his life.  During a fierce storm, he had fallen overboard the Dino Attack ship, and Mutant Pterosaurs flying overhead were ready for the kill.  Death was almost a certainty at that point.

Somehow, Anubis survived.  It was a miracle, one that his teammates had described as a stroke of good luck.  However, with every fiber of his being, Anubis was certain that it wasn't just random chance that saved his life.  It was divine intervention.

"I know it was you," he whispered, staring at Rev Raptor's photograph.  "They'll never believe me, but I know it's true."

Admittedly, Anubis did not know how he even knew it was Rev who rescued him from the storm.  It was not something that could be described in words.  If anything, it was akin to a sixth sense.  He could feel the presence of Rev's spirit guiding him to safety.  He did not know Rev's name at the time, but when he first checked the database and saw the date and time of Rev's passing, Anubis knew that it had to be him.  It could not have been a coincidence.

"But why?" he wondered.  It was a question that had plagued him endlessly.  After all, he had never even known Rev Raptor in life.  Why did it matter to Rev whether some random unimportant rookie lived or died?  Why did Rev's soul use its remaining seconds in this world to save him, as one last act before forever departing into the great unknown?

Deep down, Anubis knew that he was supposed to be dead.  He should have died during that storm.  Right now, he was living on borrowed time, and before all was said and done, he would have to pay that debt.

That was why he was unafraid of death.  That was why he had remained so calm in the face of danger during the mission to Enchanted Island.  If he had died saving Belle, sacrificing his life so that another may live, then it would have been a good way to die.

Anubis took in a deep breath.  "That's why, isn't it?" he murmured.  "Is that why you saved me?  So that I may save another?"

Yes.  That had to be it.  If it was his fate to die during the Dino Attack, then he was determined to die with dignity, to make a difference in the end.

He closed the laptop and stood up.  Walking over to his desk, he opened the drawer once again.  Reaching into his holster, he pulled out the revolver that had ironically saved his life earlier.

Anubis looked over the gun in his hand.  With a chuckle, he repeated Fate's words: "There's a time and place for everything."  Then, he dropped the revolver into the drawer, slid it shut, and turned away.

"But not now."

----

After fixing the broken navigation mechanism, the Iron Predator was now on the journey again. Well... until it left LEGO City entirely and had reached a cliff. Hundreds of Mutant Dinos were climbing around the cliff. Most intriguingly, they appeared to be fighting other, non-mutated dinosaurs… that still had Mutant Powers!

"Wow..." said agent Web. "What are those non-mutants?" For an answer, Dr. Formula climbed into the gun pit. Reptile had reconfigured it so it could fire a sensor ray as well as a heavy weapon. Formula activated it and discharged it. The bolt surged through space and hit a non-mutant Raptor.

"They are not non-mutants!" exclaimed Formula. "Their genetic code is arranged differently and they have some sort of... extra pattern? Wait! It's a-" That was when the Raptor roared and charged the Iron Predator. It swiped at the gun tower and smashed it, catching Dr. Formula and running off with him.

Reptile didn't take kindly to this. He grabbed a Goo Sphere lying on the ground and blasted away. Nothing happened! What!? he shouted inside his own head. Reptile changed the setting to one that was powerful enough to knock out a Mutant Dino the size of Dino Attack HQ. The goo simply did not do anything! In a rage, he grabbed his Double Laser and blasted away. The bolts slowed the beast, but it still managed to return to the cliff.

"Attack!" shouted Reptile. He swerved the engines of the Iron Predator and fired at will. Now, the ordinary Iron Predator was pretty powerful. But Reptile had added two forward blaster guns and a second swiveling side turret. They blasted away, unleashing the full power of the Dino Attack Team on these fighting Dinosaurs. They trashed through both breeds and carved a vicious path of destruction. When Reptile was finished, though, Dr. Formula was gone.

"Agent Tail, activate his comm-tracker," ordered Reptile. "Agent Web, scan the area for dinosaurs using the second DNA strain recorded in the computer. Feed the coordinates to my station. We're going in."

----

Rex continued to walk through the hallways of the Dino Laboratory, when he heard a loud crash. Rex ran, hearing another crash and then yet another after that. The whole building seemed to be shaking, and several Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid guards were moving towards Rex to protect him from harm.

The crashing subsided, gone as quickly as it had come, but Rex had gotten close enough to realize where the sounds were coming from: the holding cells for prisoners. He turned to look at two Hybrid guards and ordered them, "Go and investigate. If that T-Rex that you took away earlier has gotten loose, recapture him immediately."

The two guards nodded obediently and ran off into the high-security block. There came the sounds of fighting, and a roar of a T-Rex. The T-Rex's roar was higher-pitched than that of a Mutant, but far lower than that of the Adventurers' Island breed, so it must have been somewhere in-between in terms of size. Two painful screeches of Hybrid guards were heard as well, then they both fell silent.

Unarmed and frightened, Rex ran off in the other direction. Behind him, he could already hear heavy footfalls and more crashes. When the door to the detention cells was demolished, Rex could not help but turn and see what it was.

Walking out of the prison chambers were four massive dinosaurs, though not as massive as Mutants. A T-Rex, a Dimetrodon, a Brachiosaurus, and a Styracosaurus, all with the look of anger in their eyes and an eager thirst for revenge.

The Mesozoic Morphing Monsters' counterattack upon the Dino Laboratory had begun.

*****

Amanda and L-D1748, having left the Dino Laboratory over an hour ago to seek out Frozeen and the others, were no closer to their destination than they were an hour ago. All they could find were small natural dinosaurs, an occasional Mutant Dino, and thick, uncharted jungle.

"G-Great, look-k w-where you've g-g-gotten us-s!" shouted L-D1748. "Lost-t! Now w-w-we have n-no chance of-f escape from-m this s-s-stupid island-d!" He kicked aside a small lizard crawling through the underbrush.

Amanda could only glare at the Lurcher. His complaints were not going to get them anywhere.

"And-d y-you know what-t-t else is-s annoying?" muttered L-D1748. "Y-You never-r s-s-speak! All y-you ever-r do is l-l-look around-d!"

Amanda rolled her eyes, silently commenting on the Lurcher Drone's hypocrisy in calling her annoying.

L-D1748 grumbled, "All I c-c-could hope for-r in t-this s-s-stupid jungle is-s to meet-t someone who could-d actually talk."

A Mutant T-Rex burst out from between several old rotting trees and roared down at them. Amanda raised an eyebrow at the Lurcher Drone, who was trembling even more than usual from the shock of a T-Rex suddenly attacking.

*****

Rex ran from the four Mesozoic Morphing Monsters, with his Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid bodyguards following suit. Rex had only gone a few steps when a scientist popped out from a doorway, armed with a rocket launcher. Rex quickly recognized the scientist as Dr. Matthew Cyrista, the one who had taken his blood sample and administered his Verita Serum.

"Don't move, or you're worse than dead!" Dr. Cyrista shouted at Rex. That's when Rex realized, much to his surprise, the scientist was aiming directly at him.

"You've got to work on your aim," muttered Rex, "the dinosaurs are behind me!" He attempted to move out of the way, but the scientist continued to point the rocket launcher at him. That's when it became clear that the scientist was intentionally aiming at Rex.

"Oh, I have been working on my aim," jeered Cyrista.

"Why are you aiming at me, the great Dr. Rex?" Rex demanded, trying to act powerful and confident like Dr. Rex.

"Nice try," Cyrista replied. "However, only the most trusted XERRD scientists are allowed to operate the top-secret Imagination extraction machine and check its history log, and that includes me. Guess what I found? You're really not Dr. Rex! You're just some T-Rex's Creative Spark in Dr. Rex's body!"

Dr. Cyrista proceeded to fire the rocket at Rex, who ducked out of the way as the missile screamed past him. Around him, his Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids hissed and began to cluster around the scientist, brandishing their energized spears and sonic rifles. They pointed all weapons at Cyrista.

At least they still think I'm Dr. Rex, thought Rex, watching the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids as they tried to apprehended Matthew Cyrista. Suddenly, an alarm rang throughout the laboratory. Many XERRD scientists grabbed weapons and ran to attack Rex. "Oh... great..." muttered Rex.

*****

While Dr. Rex was being escorted to his holding cell, the four Mesozoic Morphing Monsters' attack on the laboratory scattered the Hybrids, accidentally freeing Dr. Rex. He immediately made his way to the lab's mutation department...

*****

Amanda Claw wasted no time. She quickly climbed up to the top of a tall palm tree, narrowly avoiding the Mutant T-Rex's jaws. Taking out her knife, she made several tactical swings to cut down some vines. The vines entangled the legs of the Mutant T-Rex. The T-Rex tried to move forward, but tripped and fell to the ground. L-D1748 just barely got out of the way in time. "Serves-s y-you right-t-t!" he muttered, kicking the side of the fallen mutant.

From her high vantage point, Amanda could see above the jungle canopy. She looked back towards the direction of the Dino Island Laboratory. Her eyes widened in shock and fear when she saw one side of the laboratory seemed to have caved in. She leapt down from the tree and began to run in the direction of the lab.

L-D1748 saw her run. "H-Hey!" he cried. "Where d-do you think-k you're going?" Groaning, the Lurcher Drone pursued Amanda to the laboratory, not wanting to be left alone in this strange jungle.

Amanda and L-D1748 returned to the XERRD laboratory. Amidst the chaos of the attacked lab, they managed to find Rex, along with a few Hybrids. Dodging the dinosaurs and XERRD scientists, they found and stole one of the Dino Track Transports, and drove the tank-like vehicle out of the laboratory.

While in Dinosaur Island's jungle, the Dino Track Transport ran out of fuel. Rex sent the Hybrids back to the laboratory to retrieve more Octan gasoline.

----

At last, the makeshift boat had landed at a torn-up dock. "I wonder where we are," murmured Libo, looking around.

Brickster's sarcastic remark was, "Well, it sure ain't the world premiere of Pirates of the Cabrickkean: Curse of the Block Pearl."

All around them were the ruins of destroyed castles. "Hey, look," Frozeen pointed out, walking over to a torn-up banner, which lay alongside a skeleton wearing red, black, and blue armor. "We're in Castle Cove, in the Dragon Masters region."

"Hold on," Sam Sinister asked, walking up to the Alpha Team agent, "did you say the Dragon Masters region?"

"Yeah," replied Frozeen.

"Are any of us masters at taming dragons?" asked Sam Sinister.

Everyone traded glances. "Um, no." "Not quite." "Nuh-uh."

"Because there's a dragon right there!" Sam Sinister shouted, pointing his hook to a shape moving towards them... a shape that had wings and breathed fire...

----

Receiving the course signal, Reptile drove the Iron Predator. His scientist's focus had been replaced by his duty as an agent. They drove in silence, until agent Tail cried out a warning.

"Pteranodons!" he shouted. Startled, Reptile looked up. The creatures were more of the... anti-mutants. They were blasting lightning at a T-Rex on the ground. It had been sent by Dr. Rex to discover the secret of the Genetic Code Puzzle.

"As much as I despise the Mutants, we need to defeat the anti-mutants. Target the avian dinosaurs and fire," ordered Reptile. Up in the gun station, Web smiled. This was his job. Not making scientific calculations, or puzzling out a mystery- others like his commander were for those jobs. No, Web liked to blow up things. And so he did.

Blasts of the Iron Predator's fearsome weapons arsenal sent the Pteranodons flying into the earth and crashing. Tail pressed a switch and two cages flew out from the forward gun, forming around two of the creatures. On Reptile's command, a rope was thrown and grabbed the two beasts. The T-Rex, surprisingly, did not turn to attack, instead charged and headed away.

"Well, follow it!" Reptile said impatiently. A minute later, Tail had its course, and the group set off again.

----

Greybeard shivered in the cold of Antarctica. He remembered many years ago… oh, yes, during the mid and late 1990s. During that time, he and the other inhabitants of the Tropical Seas had battled against hordes of Skeleton Pirates, led by the terrible Bonestrap Bill. It was one of the few cases in history where the Imperials, Pirates, and Islanders all teamed up to overcome one enemy. But before the enemy was overcome, terrible things had happened.

The Sea Serpent in the center of Skull Island, long thought to merely be dead, was actually in a coma. It awoke and became a plague to anyone who came near it, even Skeleton Pirates… unfortunately, unlike the undead Skeleton Pirates, living Minifigs are able to die, so the Sea Serpent posed a greater threat to them. In addition, the Sea Serpent had disturbed another monster of the deep. When Greybeard was promoted to captain of his own pirate flagship, the Soaring Danishman, he led a crew to attack Skull Island, assembled from Pirates, Imperials, and Islanders alike. Before they could reach Skull Island, however, the Kraken emerged from the seas and dragged the ship down to the depths, killing many Pirates, Imperials, and Islanders in the process. Greybeard somehow managed to best the Devil and survive by holding onto a floating brick from the ship's debris, but ultimately paid the price when the Sea Serpent struck, killing even more of Greybeard's crew. Among the victims was a young pirate named Blackjack Wilson, whom Greybeard had begun to look after like his own son.

Eventually, of course, the Skeleton Pirates were defeated when Captain Roger Redbeard managed to wet the pile of cursed gold of Bone Islet with his blade, which earlier that day was soaked with the blood of the Sea Serpent. Amazingly, when Redbeard did that, all of the Skeleton Pirates literally dropped dead. That must've been why the Skeleton Pirates kept the Sea Serpent in a coma. Their frightening ship, the Sea Devil, had no one left to steer her and crashed into the reefs surrounding Bone Islet, then sank down into the depths of the seas, never to be seen above the surface again.

That, of course, was more than ten years ago. Greybeard was older still, and without anyone to fight over the past years his swordsmanship wasn't as good. All that remained for Greybeard was to wait in Antarctica until the Dino Attack team managed to defeat the threat of the Mutant Dinos.

But wait - was that the right thing? The more Greybeard thought about it, the less he liked the prospect of having to just hide in the cold while there was fighting going on, for the sake of the LEGO Planet. Finally, one day a supply ship arrived. When all the cargo was loaded into the Alpha Team Antarctic Headquarters, and all the crew were off the boat, Greybeard snuck aboard and took to the helm. The boat left dock and sailed for LEGO City.

It was time for Greybeard's name to become well-known once more.

----

Stealth's Urban Avenger moved through the streets of LEGO City, approaching Dino Attack HQ. Stealth drove the vehicle into the hangar, and Databoard headed off to his quarters. He felt rather exhausted, having been through a rather tough mission, and was grateful that Stealth was able to give him a lift from the Western mines. He looked out the window at the battle-damaged city. He would have to wait until his T-1 Typhoon was repaired, and then he would be on his next mission.

----

The Iron Predator had trekked for two hours after the T-Rex. So far, nothing had happened, except it had joined with three more T-Rexes. The formidable force did not even turn to attack Reptile's band; in fact, they actually formed up around it. This was driving Reptile insane, as it completely violated about half of the theories he had proposed while Dr. Formula's student in Antarctica. Not that that really mattered, as they would have been dead if attacked by this overwhelming legion.

"Sir, two more T-Rexes in sight- wait, I'm detecting something! It's.... it's.... a fortress," exclaimed agent Tail.

Indeed, it was. It was a towering Viking fortress, equipped with robotic weapons systems and missile launchers lining the walls. The gate was force-fielded and inside was a towering compound protected by legions of Viking guards carrying modern weapons. The so-called anti-mutants were swarming out of the base, and they were worse for wear. Weapons swiveled to track them, and one bulky Viking guard with a scar running across his arm, and with a rocket-pack and cape, was giving orders to fire. The creatures growled, and turned and unleashed lightning blasts and heat rays. One of the walls collapsed, but soon the anti-mutants were driven away. Vikings began to rebuild the walls.

"The Skr-Ok clan..." whispered Reptile.

"Who?" asked Web.

"A rogue Viking clan that refused to go to Antarctica. They helped develop the dinosaurs and were allied with the Viking Monsters. They are led by new clan leader, Skragg - I killed the old one - and Dr. Wolf, who was captured by Alpha Team. They also built mutant dragons and mutant serpents. I don't know what they're doing here, but they have information, apparently. Attack!" ordered Reptile.

Web smiled, and pressed the button. Boom! The Iron Predator's main gun swiveled and blasted the center gate to shreds. It then targeted the wall-under-construction and blew it to shreds too. The T-Rexes went after the anti-mutants instead. Web fired again, this time smashing through the tower, revealing an opening in the tower's defenses. The three Dino Attack agents donned their attack gear, consisting of two concealed hand lasers that fired automatically; a gun/laser-resistant chest padding; a shroud pack and cloak for camouflage; and helmet scanners. They stormed the base, quickly found Clan Leader Skragg inside a tower, and interrogated him.

"Reptile! Guards, shoot this agent!" shouted Clan Leader Skragg as he saw the Dino Attack agents approach.

Reptile only smiled, raised his arm, and fired a laser blast that struck one guard in the chest. Agent Web, the explosives expert, was carrying a missile-tube on his back, which deployed and ripped a huge hole through the guard barracks. Tail and Reptile continued to shoot guards. Skragg saw that his Vikings were outnumbered, so he swiftly rushed away to the hangar, attempting to escape.

No such luck for him. Reptile saw him and activated his jet-pack, surging forward to the upper balcony. He set his hand weapons to automatic and began firing at will while running.

To his shock, inside the hangar, there was a dragon. Or not a dragon. It was a metallic version of the Nidhogg Dragon, with a cockpit available for escape. There were some powerful-looking flame throwers and weapons mounted on the wings. Skragg was donning pilot's gear and trying to jump in... until Reptile shot him straight in the leg.

"What do you know? Why did they attack?" Reptile roared at the wounded Viking.

"We... found a broken hull. We brought it into the compound and were running tests on it. We... determined it was part of a ship that contained... the ultimate treasure... weapon... ul-ltimate everything. We nearly had decoded its location. Somewhere in the lands of castles... before they came... attacked..." Skragg took a deep breath. "The genetic coding of the.... is inside them... they are its guards... they are more powerful than Mutants but less in number..."

Skragg fell unconscious. Reptile gave him some treatment and hurriedly exited the hangar, gathering his men back to him.

Dr. Formula was rescued from the anti-mutants by Reptile's team, and he devised a computer program that would guide the Iron Predator to its target. On the way, he was kidnapped by the Skr-Ok Clan, but Reptile, Tail, and Web rescued him from them. While amongst the clan, Formula figured out the answer to several problems posed by the information he knew about the DNA Device and, after being rescued, used this ability to guide the team directly to Castle Cove.

Now armed with the location of the device, Reptile modified the Iron Predator to be capable of crossing the ocean to Castle Cove. They found a Mutant Sea Dinosaur menacing a boat with the former pirates Coral and Goldbeard on board. The pirates agreed to help Reptile's crew if they were duly rewarded with "real treasure". To fulfill that request and buy their loyalties, Reptile turned his Iron Predator into a submarine and headed into the Bermuda Triangle, where they sought the Aqua Raiders' help in scavenging a shipwreck containing treasure.

----

The pirate Elizabeth Winsor unexpectedly found herself on the shores of LEGO City. Not knowing for sure where she was as she had never before left the Tropical Sea, she began to wander. Eventually she arrived at Dino Attack Headquarters and joined the team. She met a few Dino Attack agents, but was unable to get anywhere just yet.

----

After landing at Castle Cove, Greybeard met Frozeen and his comrades, who had successfully subdued the dragon and were using it as a steed. Upon meeting Greybeard, Frozeen asked, "What are you doing here, Pirate? I thought everyone was sent to Antarctica for their own safety."

Greybeard replied, "... except those that be wantin' to join yer Dino Attack team. Avast ye! Ye be lookin' at a sea dog who be wantin' to join yer Dino Attack team! I be an old bilge rat, but I be still a good fight'r."

Salvaging bricks from wrecked castles, they built an aircraft they called the 1000 Raptor and planned to fly over the ocean to LEGO City. However, General Evil was planning to travel back to Dinosaur Island and settle old scores with Dr. Rex, as soon as the opportunity presented itself.

On the way to LEGO City, the 1000 Raptor was attacked by Mutant Pterosaurs. General Evil grabbed an Ice Saw from an Ice Drone, then used it to cut the wings of most of the Mutant Pterosaurs, sending them falling to the ocean below. When there was only one Mutant Pterosaur left, he simply tied up the creature's beak, then hopped on its back and rode it back to Dinosaur Island, declaring that he had unfinished business.

Upon arriving at Dinosaur Island, General Evil entered the laboratory again and found a secure room where there were many stasis tubes, including one containing Hybrids of Minifigures and each of the other three Mutant Dinos: Raptor, Pterosaur, and T-Rex. General Evil was able to find a secret door, which led to another room occupied by only one stasis tube, containing a young woman.

A terrible realization dawned upon General Evil. He was filled with shock and horror, which then ignited a tranquil fury. He whispered, "Dr. Rex, you son of a..." just before he smashed the tube with his fist.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 26: Homecoming

----

Professor George Ogel waited at the table, slowly sipping a drink of champagne.  In his mid-twenties, he was handsome, witty, and strong, considered a "ladies' Minifig" by his peers.  Where was he on this lovely night?  At the old Town Plan restaurant, attending his High School Reunion. The year was 1957.

The Town Plan restaurant was full of Minifigs all drinking, eating, talking, laughing, dancing, and having a good time.  George loved his classmates; they were the best group of Minifigs he had known since Duplo School.  However, the two Minifigs that he had hoped to see the most, who had also attended the same college as him, were nowhere to be seen.

George was a patient Minifig.  It was required to be patient in order to be an efficient scientist, which was exactly George's occupation.  When it was half past six, he saw a familiar face, and smiled.  "Rex!  Nice to see you!"

Long-time friend and colleague Doctor Ronald Alexander, who sometimes went by "Rex", laughed as he sat next to George.  "Georgie!  I was afraid you wouldn't come!  With that experiment of yours in the laboratory, I thought that you could not make it!"

George chuckled.  "And yet, here I am!  I can afford to take breaks from experimenting on ethanium crystals that seem to mutate sea creatures, just as long as I don't leave my sampling of the gas too close to my goldfish tank.  What have you been working on lately?"

Ron took out a folder full of papers and notes.  "Oh, lots of stuff!  Check this out!"  He took out a pamphlet and gave it to George.  "I call this the Jugend Serum.  These notes show that it's possible to make a liquid that would produce the same effects as the Fountain of Youth.  Injecting just one dose would cause you not to age for an entire year!  Think about that – if I injected myself every year from that stuff, I could still be in my mid-twenties by... oh, I don't know... 2000!  No, even better: 2010!"

George looked the pamphlet over, nodding.  "Wouldn't we all want that stuff?" he murmured.  "It's be nice to stay young, strong, and handsome, while at the same time attaining knowledge from many generations!  Oh, and I like that goatee.  Very stylish!"

Ron smiled, stroking his neatly-trimmed goatee.  "Thanks!  Also, I'm coming close to discovering how to use Jugend Serum to create stasis tubes, in which a lifeform's life processes could be slowed down greatly to the point where they are almost seemingly dead, but they're actually still alive and will wake up when the stasis tube is opened."

"That sure sounds swell!" George said, grinning.

Ron nodded and asked, "So, what's your brother up to these days?"

George thought for a moment.  "My brother?  Oh, he's been working hard.  Not only does he want to be a politician, but he is also dabbling in science.  You know our tropical vacation home, the one with all that jungle and a volcano in the center?  He's conducted tests on various plants on that island, and discovered that the plants can combine with certain gelatinous substances to create a gas.  This gas apparently would turn anyone who breathed it into little more than a – oh, hey there, Fro!"

"Fro, my man, the Minifig who's always moving to and fro!" called Ron, turning around.

"The one who puts the zeen in Frozeen!" George said with a laugh.

Doctor "Zeen" Zachary Abody, George's other best friend and colleague, smiled as he pulled up a chair and sat at the same table as George and Ron.  His well-known nickname was spawned when a teacher in Duplo School was unable to read his handwriting and thought that he wrote his name as "Zeen".  He was known for pacing when he was thinking, thus spawning his other nickname "Fro".  Occasionally, George would just say both nicknames consecutively as "Frozeen", but that nickname rarely stuck.

"Hey there, guys!" Zack greeted.  "How are things going?"

"Just great!" said Ron, nodding.  "How 'bout you, Zeen? How are things with you and Faith?"

"Better than ever!" said Zack. He tapped his fingers against the table surface.  "You know, I've been thinking – and pacing – and I've come to the conclusion that when Faith and I get married, we should probably adopt a child.  You know... help the poor, homeless children."

"That's… actually very considerate of you," Ron quietly murmured.  "It's depressing how many families are torn apart by circumstances beyond their control.  You can at least help make things right."

George chuckled. "Yep, that's Fro," he said, "saving the LEGO Planet, one crying baby at a time."  The three of them burst out in laughter.  When they stopped, George continued: "I was just talking about what my brother was up to.  He was studying plants that combine with goo to create gases.  These gases could severely impair the cognitive abilities of any poor soul unlucky enough to inhale the fumes.  It could potentially turn the most independent thinker into little more than a mindless zombie."

"Intriguing!  Have you actually tested this gas?" inquired Ron.

"Not quite," replied George.  "At this point, all of his tests are merely theoretical, or done with lab animals.  The LEGOLAND government would surely never approve funding for testing on human minifigures, but… well, when my brother has his eyes set on a goal, he'll eventually find a way."

While Ron was impressed, Zack seemed rather disturbed.  "Why in Ole Kirk's name would anyone try to create such a gas?" he wondered.

"There's plenty of good that can come of it," argued George.  "Think of the advances in neuroscience that can come from studying the pathways affected by this gas.  We might be able to treat brain diseases and save countless lives.  It's all in the application of this knowledge… I mean, come on, it's not like we're going to use it to brainwash everyone and take over the world!"

"Fair point," murmured Zack, thoughtfully scratching his chin.  "So, I know the three of us could easily spend the whole night talking about science, but… well, it's the class reunion, we should socialize with others!  I think we've talked about science for quite a lot tonight, so let's look around and see who else is here."

Many of the students from their high school class were present.  Luckily, the word had been passed around quickly to everyone, giving them enough time to attend the reunion.  George recognized most of them, but some had changed over the years and he did not recognize them.  One in particular caught his eye, and once he laid eyes on her, it was hard to look away.  She was a beautiful young woman, wearing a red dress.  Right now, "Ace", the popular soccer player of the class, was talking to her, though she did not seem particularly interested in the conversation.

George pointed to her and turned to ask Ron and Zack: "Her... who is she?"

Ron and Zack looked at the woman.  Ron's eyes widened, and he gave a low whistle.  Zack, on the other hand, replied, "Oh, I think that's Talia."

George and Ron both traded glances.  "No way," George said, "that's Talia?"  He remembered Talia, a shy girl in his class.  She had come from a rather poor family and was not very popular, but George had always treated her kindly and even considered her one of his friends.

"As in, Talia Kaahs?" Ron continued.  "My old study partner?  Wow!  She used to be... well, rather homely.  Now, she's so hot she can melt plastic!"  Indeed, she had gone from wearing glasses and having frizzled hair to becoming one of the most eye-catching women in the entire room that night.

Zack smiled in amusement.  He remembered Talia from high school, as well as the teenage love triangle that she had found herself in the middle of.  Ron had pined for Talia and even once asked her out on a date (which ultimately fell through and they decided it was better to just be friends), while Talia had an unrequited crush on George but was too timid to ask him out.  Now, he could guess what Ron and George were both thinking.  Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out a LEGO stud.  He handed the small coin to George and Ron.

George grinned at Ron.  "Stud!" he called.

"Tube!" Ron said with a shrug, taking the only remaining side.  George flipped the stud.  It landed with the stud side up.

"Yeah!" exclaimed George.  He was grinning ear to ear, while Ron appeared rather dejected.  George stood up, fixed his tie, made sure his suit jacket was neat, and nodded to the others.  "Wish me luck!"

George walked away from the table and made his way towards Talia.  When she saw him approach, Talia gently pushed "Ace" aside and walked up to him.  "Hello, George," she said, smiling gently.

"Hi, Talia," said George, who found himself surprisingly flustered.  "Would you, um, like to catch up?" The two of them talked for a while, and George was blushing.  Talia laughed when she saw this, placed her hand on George's shoulder, and walked off with him towards the dance floor.

Zack chuckled.  "Young love," he mused.  "And it's about time, too!  It's a pretty good combination – George and Talia.  They're both smart and good looking!  I'm glad they finally got together."

Ron glanced at Zack, and it was clear that he was not nearly as amused.  "Listen, Zeen," Ron muttered.  "I don't know how or when, but I know George is going to lose her.  That's just the way the world works: you lose the ones you love.  It's cruel and unfair.  And when he does… she'll come to me.  Mark my words."

Zack finished sipping his drink, smiled, and shook his head.  "Whatever you say, Rex."

----

Zenna nearly drowned off the coast of Adventurers' Island, but was rescued by a T-1 Typhoon piloted by Databoard and Stealth. They also picked up Docs along the way.

Databoard and Stealth brought Zenna and Docs to an Adventurers' Island Dino Attack outpost with a small hospital for recovery. Upon arriving, Databoard's T-1 Typhoon was unexpectedly attacked by Mutant Pterosaurs. While at the hospital, Databoard met up with Elizabeth Winsor.

A storm struck, and the outpost was unexpectedly invaded by Mutant Lizards. Docs and Zenna were sealed in the hospital ward. Stealth was trapped inside the outpost, and Databoard teamed up with Elizabeth to rescue Stealth.

Elizabeth followed Databoard carefully, aiming the laser at any mutants nearby, but tried her hardest not to fire. Carefully approaching, she eventually reached the entrance. "Now what?" she asked. "I'm pretty sure most of the wards are sealed."

"One of our agents is somewhere in this building," explained Databoard. "I need to get her out of the building so we can get rid of the Mutants inside."

Databoard stepped through the entrance, and moved through the dark hallways. It was hard to see, and there could be Mutant Lizards lurking behind every corner. He considered splitting up, but he knew Elizabeth didn't know who Stealth was, which would make splitting up difficult. He began making his way towards the agents' quarters, where he assumed Stealth would be.

Elizabeth cautiously followed Databoard, sword drawn. The darkness made it hard to see.

They reached the living quarters, and Databoard tried to open the door. "It's locked," he muttered. He considered trying to let Stealth know they were outside, but that would attract the attention of the Mutants.

He glanced down the hall, and spotted a Mutant Lizard wandering through the corridors. Elizabeth raised her laser cautiously as it drew closer. "Don't fire yet," Databoard whispered. "It doesn't know we're here."

Suddenly, the Mutant started sniffing the air, and turned towards them. "Now you can start firing!" Databoard said as it rushed down the corridor at them.

Elizabeth fired at the Lizard. So far, it was not doing much damage. Eventually running out of bullets, she threw the gun away and stabbed her sword through it.

----

Once the stasis tube was demolished, General Evil caught the one who was held inside. It was a female Minifig, with brown hair cut in a 1950s style and wearing a fashionable black dress decorated with natural brown and red floral patterns. She was still unconscious.

Gently, the general laid his hand on her forehead, then brushed her cheek with his finger. That face... it was one he had not seen in over fifty years, and yet he knew it, since the stasis tube had not allowed her to age.

"Talia Kaahs," he whispered quietly. "Has it really been fifty years? I'm old and living as a cyborg, yet you stay young and beautiful. But who did this to you?" Talia was still unconscious, but General Evil didn't need her to be awake to know the answer. He clutched one of his hands in a tight fist, and hissed, "Dr. Rex, if I ever see you again, I swear I will kill you for this."

Holding Talia carefully, General Evil made his way out of the laboratory. After all, he could not risk a confrontation with Dr. Rex while Talia was present and unconscious. She needed to be brought to safety, then Evil could have a showdown.

Perhaps it's interesting to note that even when Ogel made the peace agreement with the Dino Attack Team, General Evil still saw himself as General Evil. But now, as he walked through the hallways of the laboratory carrying his long-lost love in his arms, he simply saw himself as Professor George Ogel, a scientist who only wanted to help the world.

----

Upon its arrival at LEGO City, the 1000 Raptor was ambushed by a Mutant T-Rex and forced to crash-land at a Dino Attack Outpost. Libo noted that this crash was one of his better landings. Frozeen confronted Ogel in an attempt to learn the true fate of his adoptive father: Zachary Abody, the original agent Frozeen.

"Frozeen senior," repeated Ogel, scratching his head. "Ah, yes. Back then, he wasn't Frozeen senior, of course, he was just Frozeen. I hardly saw much of him, since he did most of his work in Alpha Team labs. Though, of course, on at least one occasion, he sneaked into my bases to retrieve some data… of course, later I found out when I looked at security tapes, but other than that..." A pause. "I also remember one more thing about him. He and my brother, General Evil, hated each other bitterly. I cannot remember at the moment why Frozeen hated General Evil, but I know General Evil said Frozeen left him for dead in that fire."

Frozeen sighed. The information he heard now was nothing new, just repeating everything he had already known. "And, do you know... what happened to him?"

Ogel shrugged. "He disappeared, without a trace, sometime towards the end of Mission Deep Sea."

Frozeen stomped his foot in frustration. "I KNOW THAT! But WHY?" he snapped.

Ogel seemed taken aback by Frozeen's sudden outburst, then scowled as he shook his head. "Do not raise your voice with me, agent! I may be an evil genius, but not even I know everything. My brother might know what happened to your father, but as for myself..."

Suddenly, the group of heroes and allied villains found themselves surrounded by Dino Attack agents, all aiming Sonic Screamers, Cosmotronic Rays, and other weapons at them. Frozeen recognized Specs, Digger, Shadow, and Viper among them. "Specs!" exclaimed Frozeen. "It's me, elite Alpha Team agent Frozeen. I know, it's a long story, but…"

The leader, Specs, stepped forward. "What are you all up to here? What are you doing, traveling with these villains?" he asked.

Ogel stepped forward and said, "Ah, ah, ah, I was just about to speak to you about that-"

All the Dino Attack Agents pointed their Sonic Screamers at Ogel. Specs crossed his arms. "Ogel, one of the foulest villains known in the LEGO Universe. What could you possibly speak to me about? You're nothing but scum!"

This time, Greybeard stepped up. "Avast ye, if any o' ye bilge rats knows anythin' 'bout scum, it be I! I be a pirate, I know scum! An' I be no villain either! Shiver me timbers, 'aven't ye read up on th' Skeleton Pirate Wars o' th' 1990s?"

Specs stared hard at the pirate. "And, who are you?"

Greybeard was shocked that someone would not know his name. "Blow me down, what be become o' younglin's? Ye not know me name? Me name be Greybeard!"

Specs shrugged. "Sorry, never heard of you."

"Haven't 'eard o' me? I be th' Cap'n o' th' Soaring Danishman, th' ship durin' that famous raid on Skull Island!"

Specs nodded, though he did not seem impressed. "Oh, yes, now I remember you. You were that captain who led a whole group of pirates, imperials, and islanders on a raid to Skull Island, only to have your ship torn down by the Kraken and your crew eaten by the Sea Serpent. You may not be a villain, then, but you certainly are a failure."

"Well," muttered Greybeard, "when ye put it that way, I be soundin' like a failure..."

Specs cleared his voice. "Alright, I'll be having a talk with Frozeen, Libo, and... Chompy, I guess... Greybeard, you can wait in the lobby. The rest of you are staying in the detention block until further notice. We're going to Dino Attack HQ."

----

The Lizard screeched and scurried off down the corridor. Databoard lowered his laser and waited to see if more came. Fortunately, it appeared none were approaching.

"Alright, let's go," Databoard muttered.

They headed down the corridor to the agents' quarters. Unfortunately, it appeared to be locked. Databoard banged on the door and shouted through the metal. "Stealth?" he yelled. "If you can hear me, open up!"

Suddenly, he heard a growling noise, and he saw several Mutants heading down the corridor towards them. Elizabeth grabbed a laser and fired, scaring off a few. However, a few rushed towards them, jaws snapping. Databoard turned away from the door and started firing. Unfortunately, the Mutants kept on coming.

Databoard knew they were running out of options. He spun around and blasted at the lock with his laser. The door slid open, and Databoard got it open the entire way. He turned and fired the laser a few more times at the Mutants who approached. "Come on!" he shouted, and they both rushed through the door.

Databoard slammed the door shut as the Mutants approached, and fused the door shut with his laser. It kept them stuck in the room, but it would keep the Mutants out long enough for them to escape. He put away his laser, and started looking for Stealth.

*****

Elsewhere in the sleeping quarters, Stealth was hiding behind one of the bunks. All around her, she could hear the voices of the Mutants as they attacked the base. She didn't know why she was hearing them, but she wanted them to go away. She could understand the Mutants when she had been partly mutated into one herself, but now that she was human again, she thought the understanding was gone.

Stealth wondered why she was hearing them. The machine that had separated the Mutant genes from her was unstable. Could she still be Mutant enough to understand them?

Suddenly, she heard the sound of lasers and growling outside, and then the door slamming open and shut. Not sure whether it was an agent or a Mutant. Stealth reached for her laser.

She heard someone approaching, and thinking it was a Mutant, jumped from her hiding place with her laser. She let out an inhuman-sounding growl under her breath as she fired her laser...

And dropped the weapon in shock as the laser struck Databoard in the shoulder.

Databoard yelled out in pain as he clutched his injured shoulder. Stealth rushed over to help him, looking shocked at what had just happened.

"What was that for?" Elizabeth asked.

"Something strange has been happening recently. Are you alright?" Stealth asked, a look of panic on her face.

"Well, outside from being shot, I'd say I'm fine!" replied Databoard. "The good news is, I think you missed anything vital."

"Uh, I think we need to get going," muttered Elizabeth. "Now."

Databoard looked up, and could hear the Mutants outside clawing their way in. One Mutant with acid-spitting abilities was slowly melting its way through. Stealth helped Databoard to his feet, and they headed across the sleeping quarters. They reached a window, and they hurried to get it open. They climbed through, with Databoard suppressing a shout of pain as he slid through. They slammed the window shut just as the Mutants arrived.

"What do we do now?" asked Elizabeth.

"You and Stealth, go seal up the exits," muttered Databoard, wincing as he spoke. "I'll go head to the backup generator."

"But you're injured!" shouted Stealth.

"I'll be alright!" Databoard said. He got up and ran off into the rain, leaving Stealth and Elizabeth behind.

"Alright then," said Elizabeth, "what do we do?"

"Well, he said we need to go seal up the exits," replied Stealth. "I'm assuming he knows why."

Taking out a laser, she moved along the side of the building towards the main entrance. She could hear the sounds of the Mutants nearby, and tried to block out the sounds of their voices. She headed towards the door, locked it, and headed on to the next...

*****

"What's taking Databoard so long?" said Docs as he paced back and forth in the sealed ward.

"I don't know," replied Zenna.

Docs continued pacing. He looked at Zenna's bed; the medical doctor just got up from it.

Zenna had fallen asleep, but woke up shortly after. "I think she's done here," said the doctor.

Zenna sat up and got out of bed. She had a little trouble standing at first, but she soon got used to it again. "She's not quite ready to start fighting dinos again," explained the doctor, "but she's able to walk again."

*****

Databoard ran through the rain towards the backup generator. He picked up his radio with his good arm and contacted Docs to let him know his status. "Docs, I found Stealth," he said. "Elizabeth and she are sealing up the exits while I head to the generator."

"Good," said Docs, then with a pause, added: "Are you alright? You don't exactly sound too good."

"Well, Stealth sort of... shot me..." replied Databoard.

"She what?"

"She thought I was a Mutant. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Databoard reached the backup generator. He opened the fence surrounding it and went inside. "I'm at the generator," he continued. "Just tell me when you've taken care of the Mutants inside, so I can turn this thing on."

*****

"Alright," replied Docs.

Zenna sat down at the computer. "I might be able to pull a few tricks," she said. She managed to get into the security cameras and then typed a message in. Two turrets came out and shot the dinos in the hallway.

"Alright," said Docs, "I think we're through with the ones in here."

Zenna sat down in a chair. "So, now what?" she asked.

"Now, we'd better wait," replied Docs. "There's not much we can do now, I'm the only one intact enough to fight. I'm in here with a medic who doesn't have as much fighting experience, and your strength hasn't completely recovered yet… at least you can walk."

*****

Stealth and Elizabeth sealed the last of the entrances to the building. She looked through the window at the Mutants, shuddering slightly at the whispered voices mixed in with their snarls. She turned away, and activated her radio.

"Data?" she said. "We sealed the exits. Whatever you're going to do, you'd better do it soon!"

*****

Databoard called up Docs. "Alright, the building is sealed," he said. "You guys should be able to deal with them now."

He turned off the radio, and looked around the base. The T-Rex had been forced back, and there were only a few Mutants to deal with outside. But more were coming through, and Databoard knew he would have to stop them quickly.

He pulled a few switches and levers, and the generator hummed to life. As lights started to turn on throughout the base, the backup security measures engaged. Metal poles rose up from the ground around the damaged section of the fence. A few Mutants tried to break through them, but a quick burst of electricity crackled along the bars, causing them to flee.

Databoard closed the fence around the generator, and took a look over the base. There were still a few Mutants running around, but they were being dealt with quickly by Hawk and the other Agents. Databoard walked towards the base, clutching his wounded arm. He was glad the fight was almost over, because he'd hate having to fight with this injury.

*****

Docs's radio started beeping. He activated it, receiving Databoard's message. "Alright, I'll try and handle a few in here," replied Docs as he deactivated the communicator.

Suddenly a beeping came from the computer. Zenna sat down at it and reported, "The generator's been activated, and since everyone is either outside or in a medical ward, we should be able to set this up." She pushed a few buttons and the turrets were activated, turning against the Mutant Dinos and shooting almost all of them. However, the remaining dinos managed to destroy the turrets, but Zenna had more tricks up her sleeve. A quick ventilation of gas dealt with the remaining dinos.

Docs activated the switch and unsealed the medical wards. He pulled out his communicator and contacted Databoard. "We've dealt with the ones in here," he said. "How's it going out there?"

"There are only a few out here, and they're being dealt with," replied Databoard. "I think this thing is about finished up. Hopefully, the storm will clear up soon, and then we can get out of here."

*****

Much later, the clouds parted and the sun shone down on the damaged base. Databoard watched the ocean as a Dino Attack ship appeared on the horizon. Three T-1 Typhoons took off from the ship, and began circling the base. They were here to evacuate the base while repairs were made. The first landed in the middle of the base, and Dino Attack agents began to file aboard.

Databoard was helped aboard, as it was hard to climb inside with his arm in a sling. He sat down as the helicopter took off, and the second landed to get more of the agents. As they flew back to the ship, he looked towards Stealth, who was standing in the airfield and staring silently over the jungle. Something seemed different about Stealth. She seemed different, as if something in that jungle had changed her. He didn't know why, but he was worried.

Docs helped Zenna get on board before climbing on himself. The T-1 Typhoon took off and headed to the ship. Zenna sat down on a bench, and Docs sat next to her.

Elizabeth, who could not board the first two T-1 Typhoons before they ran out of room, noticed Stealth. She walked up to her and said, "Databoard seems to be very worried about you for some reason."

"Well, I was nearly killed by Mutants," Stealth quickly replied. "I can understand him being a little worried."

Stealth quickly hurried off towards the last helicopter, hoping to avoid having to talk about it more. To be honest, she was worried about herself as well. She wondered why she was hearing these voices, and what she could do about it.

*****

Databoard stepped off the T-1 Typhoon onto the deck of the ship. He looked out over the water as the last two copters moved in for a landing. He would be glad to get back to HQ so he could have his arm checked for injuries and get a replacement T-1 Typhoon. As the helicopters landed, the boat started off across the waters towards LEGO City.

The T-1 Typhoon landed on the boat and Docs got out, helping Zenna down as well, "Now we might be able to get a little extra medical assistance," he said. "Alright, he said, 'Zenna, maybe you should go and get some rest'."

Another T-1 Typhoon landed and Elizabeth got out. As Zenna went down to her quarters, Elizabeth walked up to Docs and said, "This is an unusual ship."

"Not really," said Docs. "You're probably just used to wooden sailing ships, but we've been using more... metal boats since the late 1800s. Of course, those were powered by steam, which more modern ones aren't. If you think this is fancy, you should see the L.M.S. Explorer, which we Rock Raiders use for space travel!"

It was getting late out. Docs went down to the quarters and soon fell asleep on the bed. Elizabeth stayed out on deck, as she was used to it

The ship made its way across the ocean, LEGO City appearing in the distance. Databoard stood on the deck, watching as the city slowly appeared in the distance. Just as destroyed and ruined as ever, thought Databoard. Home sweet home.

As the buildings slowly grew larger, Databoard turned and walked along the deck, getting ready to get off. He was glad to finally be back to Dino Attack HQ, where he could finally get some rest.

Elizabeth walked up to the edge. She was somewhat surprised to find Databoard out here considering the time. She could see what appeared to be a bunch of ruined structures in the distance. "So, we're almost back," she said.

The boat pulled into the harbor, and the T-1 Typhoons started their rotors up again. Databoard climbed aboard the first helicopter, sitting down as he waited for the others to arrive. One by one, they all began emerging from below deck, heading along the ship to the T-1 Typhoons. The helicopter took off, and began flying over the city towards Dino Attack HQ.

Docs and Zenna left their quarters and headed towards a T-1 Typhoon. After helping Zenna onto one, Docs climbed on himself, followed by Elizabeth. The T-1 Typhoon took off and headed towards the Dino Attack HQ.

----

General Evil was disappointed, though not surprised, to find that the Mutant Pteranodon had escaped its confines, leaving him and Kaahs without transportation. After more exploring through the jungle, Talia Kaahs was still unconscious, but General Evil heard nearby voices talking. Hiding Kaahs under a bush, he investigated.

What he found was an interesting sight. A tank-like vehicle that roughly resembled an Iron Predator was stopped in the middle of the jungle, with four passengers. His eyes widened in surprise when he saw that two of them were Claw and L-D1748. Upon seeing the latter, he muttered in wonder, "Wow, that Lurcher is still alive?" His eyes narrowed once more when he saw that the other two passengers were one of the Hybrid guards... as well as Dr. Rex. I must make my move swiftly and silently, he thought to himself. This may be my one shot.

Meanwhile, at the Dino Track Transport, Rex was tapping his fingers in impatience. It had been about an hour, and the Hybrids he'd sent to get some gasoline had not returned. L-D1748 was twitching as usual, and the Hybrid sitting at the wheel was sitting silently and unmoving. Beside him, Amanda put her hand on his to comfort him.

Rex smiled and nodded. "I sure hope you're right, Amanda. I also hope that the Dino Attack Team will believe me when I explain to them that Dr. Rex and I somehow switched bodies, or else I'll be in their detention block in seconds."

"H-Hah!" laughed the Lurcher. "Reminds-s me of-f the t-time that-t Frozeen was p-put into a G.E. B-Body, six-x y-years ago. N-Nobody believed-d that-t h-he was-s Frozeen; at-t l-least that's what-t General Evil told us."

"Right," muttered Rex, rolling his eyes. "That's comforting." Suddenly, a silver blur leaped at him from the bushes. Having no time to react, Rex was knocked out of his seat and pinned to the ground. He twisted his neck enough to see what it was. "General Evil?!"

----

In LEGO City Dino Attack Headquarters, Frozeen was sitting in front of Specs. Frozeen always found it uncomfortable to be around Specs. He always wore a balaclava that hid all his features except his eyes, which gave the Dino Attack Commander an intimidating presence. "So, tell me," Specs asked, though it was more of a demand, "what you, Chompy, and Libo were doing with those villains. It did not look like you were arresting them. And have you heard from agents Rex and Claw?"

"I believe I can answer most questions at once," replied Frozeen. He began to recount what had happened. "You see, I had been doing some careful Mutant Dino observing, and I had noticed that they all seemed to be leaving the subway tunnels, without ever entering. Further investigation told me that there were tunnels that the dinosaurs had specifically been coming out of. I hoped that Rex could use some of his knowledge and memories to guide us through the tunnels, but by that point, he had already left on the mission with Chompy. Then I, along with Libo and Amanda... excuse me, I mean Claw… we had followed the two of them. Along the way, we clashed several times with Vladek, Brickster, and Sam Sinister, who seemed to be heading for the same destination. In the final conflict, we were knocked unconscious by half-Minifig, half-Mutant Lizard creatures, and brought to a laboratory on Dinosaur Island. There, we met Dr. Rex, who looks exactly like Rex did before we found out that he was actually a Mutant T-Rex. More importantly, Dr. Rex is the mastermind behind the Dino Attack."

Specs nodded. "So, we finally have a name and a face for our enemy."

"After escaping our prison, we met up with the villains again, this time accompanied by Ogel and General Evil. Ogel had been thinking things through, and decided that even though he hates our guts, he's willing to work with us to stop the Mutant Dinos. Trust me, I'm an Alpha Team agent; I've been inside his head a few times, and this seems like something that he'd do, although I am certain he has ulterior motives. And that's why we were traveling with Ogel, Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek."

"I see," murmured Specs. "Now, what about General Evil? Where is he? And where are Rex and Claw? And how did Greybeard come into the picture?"

"I'm getting to that," promised Frozeen. "After the deal was made with Ogel, we ran into Rex and Chompy, then into Dr. Rex. We were then fighting countless Hybrids. Dr. Rex sneaked out of the room, and Rex left in pursuit. We haven't seen nor heard from Rex since. The rest of us were forced to escape the laboratory. Unfortunately, Claw did not make it out; she was captured by those Hybrids. As for Greybeard, we ran into him while fleeing to Castle Cove; though he really should be in Antarctica, it sounds like he's volunteering to join the fight. As for General Evil, after leaving Castle Cove, he hitched a ride upon a Mutant Pterosaur, saying that he had unfinished business to do with Dr. Rex. You see, Dr. Rex is also responsible for General Evil being in a G.E. Body, having wounded Evil's body far enough that it needed cybernetic support."

"Ah, that reminds me," Specs said, standing up. "I know Frozeen, having fought alongside him during the battle for the outpost, and so I know that Frozeen was also badly wounded and needed to live in a G.E. Body for the past six years. According to his Alpha Team file, you look just like Frozeen prior to that incident, which would surely be impossible if you were really Frozeen. Now, with your fanciful story about a minifig who just happened to look just like Rex, I have to wonder…"

Specs grabbed Frozeen by the front of his Alpha Team uniform. "If you're not Frozeen... then who are you? And if you're lying that you're Frozeen... why should I believe that anything else you've said is the truth?"

"Databoard! Kotua!" cried out Frozeen. "They've got the same case as me! They know - they were both grievously injured during Mission Deep Freeze and put on life support, and yet they're normal Minifigs today! Why? Because they died, and they both heard a voice, whom they convinced to let them come back as Minifigs! And that's what happened to me on Dinosaur Island!"

Specs's eyes, the only visible part of his face, narrowed skeptically. "I've never heard that story, and frankly it's the most ridiculous thing you've said today. How do I know that's the truth?"

"Contact one of them," urged Frozeen. "Databoard or Kotua, take your pick! Ask them about their near-death experiences! Ask them about seeing all white and a deep, booming voice that told them that it was their time! They'll tell you!"

Specs let go of Frozeen's uniform, then walked over to his PDA. Whether he was contacting Databoard, or Kotua, or someone else entirely, Frozeen could not tell.

----

"Get off me!" shouted Rex, struggling to push General Evil off of his body. "Get off!"

"No," whispered General Evil, his hands gripping Rex's throat. "I don't think so. You're a sick 4+ Figure, Dr. Rex. You made yourself my enemy. You turned me against my best friend and tricked me into believing him to be my most hated foe. That enough is a crime you cannot be redeemed from, a crime no prison could hold you for. But now, this... what you did to Talia... Ronald Alexander, you have sealed your doom!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about!" insisted Rex. "And for the last time, I'm not Dr. Rex! I'm Rex! I'm an elite agent of the Dino Attack Team!"

L-D1748 was cowering in the back seat of the Dino Track Transport, while the Hybrids grabbed energized spears, moving in towards General Evil. He looked at them, unimpressed. "Do you really think that you can stop me before he is dead?" he said. Turning his attention back to Rex, he added: "If you think I'm a fool who'll believe your preposterous claim about being agent Rex, then you truly are insane!"

General Evil felt a hand on his shoulder, pulling him away from his target. He looked over his shoulder and saw Amanda Claw, staring intensely at him. "You can't be serious!" declared General Evil. "Agent Claw, you knew the real agent Rex and served alongside him. How could this madman possibly trick you?"

As usual, Claw said nothing.  She only shook her head.  General Evil had no experience understanding her body language, so he could not be sure of what she was trying to say.  Still, it did not change the fact that she must have been a fool for believing this drivel…

Was she?

Although he did not personally know her very well, General Evil had a nagging feeling that someone like agent Claw would not fall for such an insane ploy unless there was some truth to it. He stared at Amanda, slowly raising a finger to point at her. "You're… you're serious, aren't you?"

Amanda nodded firmly, with a determined look in her eyes.

"You honestly believe…" General Evil continued, "that this Minifig here... he's really Rex?"

Again, Claw nodded.

General Evil turned to look at Rex now. Quickly, he tried to think of something, an obscure fact that only the real agent Rex would know. "Alright, but first, answer this: how did FUTURE get you discharged from Dino Attack Team?"

Without hesitation or any struggle to remember, Rex responded: "My tamed T-Rex, Maw, was shot in the heel. Finister set me up."

Fully convinced that this was truly Rex, General Evil let go of Rex's throat and helped him to his feet. "Sorry about that," General Evil muttered. "Everything's just… so confusing now. But how'd you become a Minifig? It's not another disguise, now, is it?"

"No, it's not a disguise. It's a long story… not too far off from what Frozeen had to tell Alpha Team six years ago when he ended up looking almost exactly like you. But, for now..." He landed a punch on General Evil's face. Although his hand hurt from the impact on G.E. Metal, it still felt good. "Now, we call it even."

General Evil rubbed the spot where Rex had punched, and then he shrugged. "What can I say? I always repay my debts."

Rex smiled. He walked over to Amanda, and started to talk to her. General Evil could not hear him, but he was pretty sure that Rex was thanking her for saving his life yet again. After watching them for a moment, General Evil walked up to them and interrupted their chat: "If you're trying to leave this island, then I hope you won't mind if you have a couple extra passengers."

Rex nodded and said, "Sure thing, now that everything's cleared up, you can hitch a ride with us." When he noticed the confusion on Amanda's face, he paused and then added, "Wait… what do you mean, 'a couple extra passengers'?"

"I'd like a ride, yes, but there's someone else we need to bring…"

----

The T-1 Typhoons landed inside the Dino Attack HQ hangar, and their passengers started to climb out. As the rotors slowed to a stop, Databoard slowly climbed out of the helicopter. As the other helicopters landed and their occupants headed into the hangar, Databoard headed through the corridors to his quarters.

He glanced out the window over the battle-scarred city, and then sat down at his desk. He doubted he'd be let out on missions until his arm had healed up, so he guessed he'd be stuck here a while.

As he lay down on his bed to get some much-needed rest, Databoard received a message on his PDA. It was from Specs, asking him a very peculiar question…

*****

Docs helped Zenna off the T-1 Typhoon and brought her to the medical ward. Soon after, Zenna had recovered more. "Her strength should return much faster now," said her doctor.

----

Rex, after telling the Hybrids and Amanda to stay by the Dino Track Transport, followed General Evil as the cyborg walked off into the jungle. He was surprised to see an unconscious woman lying under a bush. She was beautiful, and yet Rex could tell that there something off about her; her hairstyle and dress oddly looked like they belonged in one of those older movies he saw in the rec room, making them appear out-of-place today. "Who is she?" asked Rex.

General Evil bent down and scooped up the woman in his arms, then looked at Rex. "Her name is Talia Kaahs. Dr. Rex must have kept her in a stasis tube for about fifty years, until I freed her just now. If not for Dr. Rex, she'd be my age... and I probably would not have never agreed to work with my brother nine years ago when he came up with his world domination plans."

"What? Why?" inquired Rex.

General Evil explained, "I saw little purpose to my life nine years ago, so I agreed to serve as a general for Ogel's drone armies. But if Talia hadn't been trapped in stasis all this time, then I would've been a lot more reluctant to join Ogel's side… in all likelihood, I probably would've been outright against it."

"What do you mean?" wondered Rex.

"You see, fifty years ago, Talia Kaahs was my..." His voice trailed off when he realized that Talia was moving, waking up from unconsciousness. "Oh, my..." he whispered, his head drawing in closer to Talia. He laid her against a tree to give her better support. Rex also took a step closer.

Slowly, Talia opened her eyes. Her vision must have been blurry, since she closed and rubbed them before opening them again. She glanced around and whispered, "Where am I?"

"You're in the jungles of Dinosaur Island," replied General Evil. "We're trying to find a way to get to LEGO City."

That's when Talia noticed General Evil. Her eyes widened at the sight of a cybernetic figure resembling a four-armed skeletal robot, but she did not scream nor run away. "Who are you?" she asked.

"I'm..." General Evil began to reply, but could bring himself to say his true name, knowing that Talia would never think that he would end up looking like this, even after fifty years. So instead, he replied: "I'm the one who rescued you from Ronald Alexander. He had you..."

"... for himself, deciding that I would be his forever to keep, like a trophy," completed Talia, her eyes narrowing and her fists clenching as she thought about the memory. Apparently, that's when she noticed Rex standing behind General Evil, and her eyes narrowed even more. She stood up with a little difficulty, then lunged at Rex. Not having time to dodge, Rex was knocked to the ground, with Talia punching him in the face.

"Get off of him!" General Evil shouted, trying to pull Talia off of Rex. "He's not Ronald! He's... someone who happens to resemble Ronald!"

"Why should I believe you?" snapped Talia, still beating Rex.

"Because... because my name is George Ogel!" General Evil finally said.

Talia's eyes widened in shock. Could it be? Upon realizing this was not Ronald Alexander that she was assaulting, her expression changed to worried and she pleaded, "Oh, I'm sorry! Forgive me, please! It's just... what Ronald did to me was so awful, and..."

Rex stood, rubbing his bruised face and yet somehow managing to put on a smile. "It's alright. It's just that I now need to think about buying one of those name tags, to show the world that I am not Ronald Alexander… or Dr. Rex, which is what people know him now by."

Talia stared at General Evil, walking towards him. She hesitantly laid her hand upon his helmet as she looked into his eyes, the only part of his organic body that was visible underneath all the cybernetics. "George? Is that really you? What's happened to you?"

Although nearly impossible to tell with the G.E. Body helmet, General Evil was smiling. "Yes, it is me. How I ended up like this... it's a long story that I'll have to tell you on the trip back to LEGO City."

Two Hybrids ran past the group, screeching and carrying canisters of Octan gasoline. "Well, I think now we'll be able to leave," said Rex, and he began to walk in the direction that the Minifigs/Mutant Lizards had gone.

"Oh, I don't think so."

Panicked, Rex looked around for the source of Dr. Rex's voice. Behind him, General Evil and Talia were also looking around. General Evil's eyes widened and he pointed.

A large armored Mutant T-Rex was walking towards them, smiling devilishly.

Rex, Amanda, General Evil, Talia Kaahs, L-D1748, and the Hybrids scrambled to climb into the Dino Track Transport, but the armored, mutated Dr. Rex jumped onto the front of the tank-like vehicle. "You're not going anywhere!" growled Dr. Rex. But then, the scientist-turned-dinosaur noticed the newest member of their group. His eyes widened and he whispered: "Talia? But… no, how did you get out…?"

"Time to initiate Deep-Sea Emergency Maneuver 1-B," General Evil murmured to himself, recalling an old Alpha Team strategy once used against him. Taking advantage of Dr. Rex's momentary stupor, he suddenly threw the Dino Track Transport into reverse, throwing Dr. Rex off the vehicle. The armored T-Rex was still not used to his new form and was struggling to get back on his feet.

"Good thinking," said Rex as he took the wheel of the Dino Track Transport. They drove away quickly before Dr. Rex could recover. The tank-like vehicle barreled through the jungle, heading towards the tunnel to LEGO City.

Behind them, they could hear Dr. Rex bellowing in the distance: "No! I won't lose you again!" But for now, they were safe.

Talia's eyes were wide and her face was pale. "Was… was that an actual Tyrannosaurus Rex?" she stammered. "How was it speaking? Why did it know my name…?" The realization dawned upon her. Putting her hand over her mouth in horror, she said, "That was Ronald, wasn't it?"

Rex nodded, wiping the sweat off his brow. "Yeah," he replied. "It's a long story, but… let's just say that, for the same convoluted reason I happen to look just like Dr. Rex, he's now literally a doctor T-Rex."

"So much has changed…" murmured Talia, looking directly at General Evil. "Tell me. How long have I been gone?"

"The year is 2010," replied General Evil.

Talia let out a long exhale as she sat back in her chair. "52 years," she said softly. "I've been gone for over fifty years. How is this possible?"

"He's kept you in suspended animation," explained General Evil. "I found you in a stasis tube in his laboratory. You haven't aged a day in all this time. You're even wearing the same exact dress you wore when I last saw you… November 5, 1958. The night before our…" He trailed off. His strong, confident, baritone voice was uncharacteristically wavering.

Talia sat in stunned silence, processing what General Evil said. A single tear ran down her cheek.

----

Apollo bent down to his work, occasionally looking up for a moment, but always returning. He did not hear the shouts from the streets below, since his post was up high, in one of the only buildings still standing in LEGO City. The Dino Attack Team had built it. As he continued working, the shouts below got louder and louder...

Apollo could hear them now. They became fainter. Apollo left his post. He climbed down quickly the stairs, he got on his Urban Avenger. He drove out into the courtyard, and past the well-protected gates. He went out into the poorly-protected city. His was to join his friends in battle.

Apollo drove through the misty air, trying to find who the shouting was coming from. He passed the ruins of an old building he knew very well. He had worked as a dentist at that very place, until the Mutant Dinos attacked LEGO City.

Apollo kept going. He heard a load roar. He turned back, just in time to see a Mutant Raptor just behind him. With one swing of the Raptor's tail, it destroyed the remains of the building.

Apollo's stomach churned with anger. He knew he should be with his friends elsewhere, and if he fought, then he should fight as a team… but something told him should just attack. As the Mutant Raptor stumped towards him, he kept careful aim. The slightest miss, if it had enough energy, would go straight past the Raptor and hit the Dino Attack agent's base. It would destroy all the delicate computer technology and all the agents using it. Then, the survivors would have to go to Antarctica like everyone else, and the city would be almost completely undefended.

It was too much of a price to pay. He must not miss.

Suddenly a few shots fired from behind him and brought down the dino, Apollo turned around to see a young woman standing there. "My name's Zenna," she introduced herself. "Who are you?"

Apollo didn't know what to do. He, but no one else, knew that he could not actually speak. He used recordings of what he had heard others do in various times, and if the voice sounded different, he pretended he was coughing or choking or had a cold.

He wanted a better way to thank Zenna, but he hadn't heard anything else that would fit. He wondered how long it would take someone to find out he couldn't speak, nor how they would react. He would be stranded to using sign-language, if he didn't improve.

Then, at that very time, he remembered a tape he had recorded, that would fit his needs. When he was young, he had a hobby of doing this. He recorded someone at the Saucy's Pizza Parlor found in LEGO City: "I'll have to go; I'll be back soon."

He remembered he had just finished in time before the chef yelled, "Wait, you're my best customer! Come back! There's a party at nine o'clock!"

"An interesting trick" replied Zenna. "What happened that caused you to be unable to speak properly?"

Apollo found a piece of paper in his pocket. He wrote:

I got poisoned by an Acid Mutant Lizard when it attacked the Pizza Parlor. Its poison got in my pizza, being in the kitchen for a while without no one seeing it, as hardly anyone was on duty. I barely coughed it out just in time, but the bit of acid has taken a long-term effect on me. And speaking of Mutant Lizards, here come about seven right now

Apollo didn't wait to dot the period. He got up into his Urban Avenger and began firing. He brought one down, two, three - but more kept joining. Most of them were acid-spitting, and he fired at those first. He hoped that no more than one Dino Attack Agent would suffer the fate of being burned by acid.

"Oh, would you look at that," mused Zenna. She pulled out her gun and fired at the mutants

----

The Dino Track Transport passed through the series of underground sewage tunnels leading back to LEGO City. "I should warn you, Talia," said Rex. "Don't expect jetpacks and flying cars in this future. Right now, much of LEGO City lies in ruin. Dr. Rex has unleashed mutant dinosaurs across the globe in a delusional effort to 'fix' the world by destroying it. Claw and I are soldiers in the Dino Attack Team, fighting a war to save minifigkind."

"As soon as we can," promised General Evil, "we'll arrange transport to get you to a refugee facility. That way, we can keep you safe from Dr. Rex."

But to their surprise, Talia shook her head. "No," she declared, wiping the tear off her cheek. "If Claw can join this 'Dino Attack Team' and fight, then so can I." She nodded to Amanda, impressed that a fellow woman was in the military.

"Are you sure?" asked General Evil.

Talia clenched her fists determinedly. "Dr. Rex has kept me in a stasis tube for over fifty years. In the meantime, he has put the entire world in danger. Do you think I'm going to just cower and hide? No. LEGOLAND is my home, and I'm willing to risk my life to defend it. Plus... Dr. Rex has it coming."

Then, she inquired: "Will you be fighting alongside me, George?"

Before General Evil could reply, Rex tried and failed to suppress a snicker. "Heh. Sorry," he said. "I'm still not used to you having a name as ordinary as 'George'. It feels… weird."

But General Evil did not share Rex's amusement. He knew he had to discuss his own role in the Evil OGEL Empire. Solemnly, he said, "Talia, you are the first person in nearly ten years to call me by my real name. The truth is that everyone else now knows me as… General Evil, commander of the Evil OGEL Empire's drone army."

Talia blinked in surprise, shocked by this reveal. She was silent for a moment, and General Evil could only imagine how she must have been judging the man she once knew. "You willingly call yourself Evil," she noted. "Why?"

"It was meant to be somewhat ironic," replied General Evil. "My brother envisions a perfect world of peace and unity, but he knew that he would be condemned as a villain for trying to build that utopia. He said that a touch of evil must always be necessary for the greater good."

"And is that what you believe?" inquired Talia, staring intently at him.

General Evil briefly glanced at L-D1748. He knew that this hyperactive twitching zombie-like freak was once an ordinary person with hopes and dreams before a Mind-Control Orb changed all of that. This was the future that Evil Ogel desired. It was repulsive.

General Evil let out a long sigh. "Honestly, I don't know what I believe anymore," he somberly admitted. "Because of you, everything I thought I knew has turned out to be completely wrong. For the first time, I… I feel remorse, guilt, and shame over what I've done. But I have already been rightfully condemned as a villain, just like my brother… do I even deserve a chance at redemption at this point? Or is too late?"

Amanda had a peculiar look in her eyes as she listened to General Evil speak. Was it sympathy? Sadness? Even though Rex understood her well, he could not tell what she was thinking at that moment. Then she turned to face General Evil and pointed towards Rex.

Rex guessed what she was trying to say. "Look," he said, "I was mentally programmed by Dr. Rex for one purpose: to infiltrate Dino Attack Team and destroy the world. Instead, I chose to help save the world. Perhaps that's why I kept capturing Mutant Dinos and taming them, instead of killing them; I wanted to show them that their own natures could change as well. So, if you really want to be a good guy from now on… hey, there's no harm in trying."

Amanda nodded. Then, she started gesturing with her hands. Rex had no idea what she was doing until Talia slowly said out loud, "'Every day, we are… faced with decisions… and deep down… we all know what… the right choice is… It's up to you… to make that choice.' Those are very wise words, Claw."

Amanda smiled and nodded once again. Rex grinned as he thought to himself, Sign language. Of course! You're always full of surprises, Amanda. He reached over and held Amanda's hand.

Then, Talia looked back at General Evil, as though her eyes peering into his soul. "If you really are George Ogel," she said firmly, "then you'll know what to choose."

General Evil locked eyes with Talia, and then he took in a deep breath. "Then I am no longer General Evil," he decided. "In this wartime, I must continue to act as a General… but I will never call myself Evil again. Thank you, Talia, for still believing in me."

----

As Apollo ran out of the shop, he suddenly stopped. A small, baby Mutant Lizard was whimpering. Its claw moved to reveal a long, sharp knife embedded in its leg.

Apollo couldn't speak, but he could manage to think clearly. Who would want to harm a baby? Apollo thought with rage. It has done no harm to the city. Its toxins hadn't even grown yet!

He reached down, and pulled the knife out. Apollo smiled. This baby was harmless. There was no reason to harm it.

Apollo sat with it for about half an hour. No "parents" had come. He decided to take it, care and play with it, until it was fully grown. It just left one disturbing thought in his mind: Who in the LEGO Universe would try to harm it?

*****

Zenna ran down the street. A large Mutant Lizard chased her. She fired several shots at it but it kept dodging them. It charged at her and bit her arm. Zenna grunted in pain and angrily shot it in the head, buying her enough time to get away.

She ran around a corner and saw Apollo holding what appeared to be a baby dinosaur. He suddenly noticed her and looked somewhat nervous. "Don't worry, I'm not going to harm it," she assured him.

----

The Dino Track Transport finally emerged from a subway station in LEGO City. There, a space cruiser suddenly crash-landed, shortly followed by an escape pod with a much gentler landing. General investigated, and he met a Rock Raider named Sam Throramebi and an Explorien builder droid named A5T3R-01D (or Aster Oid) as they emerged from the escape pod.

"I told you it was not a good idea for you to set our cruiser to auto-pilot so you could goof off and watch LEGO Star Wars: Revenge of the Brick on DVD, Sam!" snapped Aster Oid.

"Oh, but it's such a good movie, Aster!" replied Sam. "George Lucas comes up with the coolest ideas! Especially that new villain, that four-armed cyborg guy… such an awesome design!"

"Really? I thought he was just a glorified TV antenna," said Aster Oid. "What was his name again?"

That was when Sam noticed General approaching them. "Eep!" shrieked Sam. "It's General Grievous!"

General rolled his eyes. Perhaps I should sue George Lucas for copyright infringement, he thought to himself.

General, Sam, and Aster Oid all walked back to the Dino Track Transport shortly afterward. Rex, Amanda, Talia, the Lurcher, and the Hybrids were waiting. "These are Samuel Throramebi, a Rock Raider, and Aster Oid, an Explorien," introduced General. "They'd like to be joining the Dino Attack Team, and since we were on our way to headquarters, I thought I'd..."

"What an excellent idea," Rex replied, tapping his fingers on the arm of his seat, "but, frankly, we've run out of chairs. Unless, of course..."

L-D1748 glared suspiciously at Rex. "Oh, n-no!" the Lurcher stammered. "No w-way y-you're making-g me g-get out-t!"

Rex smiled at the Lurcher. "If I did, then we'd still be short a seat. I'm instead going to ask you two," he pointed at the Hybrids, "to get out. They can take care of themselves, and we'll have enough seats left for Thrombi and Oid."

"Uh," interjected Sam, "please just call me 'Sam'. If you're going to butcher the pronunciation of my last name, then don't even bother saying it."

"Alright," said Rex, rolling his eyes. The two Hybrids stood up and climbed out of the Dino Track Transport. They grabbed energized spears and waited by the vehicle. Aster Oid sat in the seat where one of the Hybrids had been sitting; Sam tried to take the seat next to Talia, but wisely chose a different seat when General glared at him, so that General could sit down next to Talia instead.

"So, General," Rex continued as he started up the Dino Track Transport again, "I've got questions about you and Talia; I'm sure Talia also has a few questions."

"Right," said General, nodding. "I never got around to telling you, Rex. Nearly fifty years ago, we were... engaged, to be wed. And Dr. Ronald Alexander… he was my friend back then, or so I thought."

Talia crossed her arms and stared at the floor. "We all thought so," she said quietly, although there was a hard edge to her tone. "But he was jealous of George and wanted me for himself. So, the night before our wedding… he kidnapped me."

General's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fists. "That 4+ Figure lied to me. He told me that you had run off with another man, abandoning me at the altar. After that, there was no love left in my cold heart."

Rex and Amanda's eyes widened a bit; it was shocking enough to see what a personality change General had gone through the past day, but to learn that he was once going to marry Talia had Dr. Rex not intervened was very interesting.

"Dr. Rex is responsible for what happened to both of us," General said to Talia. "It was almost ten years ago when I joined the Evil OGEL Empire... Dr. Rex had trapped me in a building which he blew up, but he tricked me again… I never knew he was the one actually responsible, so I thought it was all Zack's fault. You remember Zachary Abody, my partner and colleague?"

Talia nodded slowly. "Yes, of course I remember Zack. He was going to be the best man at our wedding. What happened to him?"

General averted his gaze. "I don't know. He disappeared eight years ago. Regardless, I barely survived the explosion, but I was about to die. My brother rescued me and, while keeping me alive in stasis, designed this metallic shell for my damaged body to live in. I've been this way ever since. He… made me a heartless monster."

Talia laid her hand on General's. Their eyes met, and Talia could see that, even though his body was living in a cybernetically-sustained body, the eyes were the same as they were fifty years ago. "You're not a monster, George," she said softly. "There is still good in you."

"We're here!" announced Rex, breaking the romantic moment. The Dino Track Transport pulled up next to Dino Attack Headquarters.

----

Reptile convinced the commander of the Aqua Raiders at that time, Commander Coffee, to allow them to scavenge for treasure amidst the outer reaches of the Bermuda Triangle. Coffee allowed them and offered to repair the ship in exchange for part of the treasure, to which Reptile agreed.

Reptile watched as Web and Tail suited up for underwater operations. Fortunately, Tail had once been an Aqua Raider-in-training before being recruited by the Dino Attack Team. The Aqua Raiders are an odd bunch, Reptile thought. They were basing their continued existence on the ability to scavenge the marine disasters from the era of the Dinos. In essence, they were safe and profiting off of the ruins of their naval society. It was hard to stomach.

Web raised a cutter and slashed open the side of the wreck. Tail, armed with a searchlight and harpoon launcher, went inside, and looked around. He spotted several crates with the insignia of the Crusaders on them. Of course, he thought, the Crusaders were warriors; they must have fought and lost against the Dino threat, so they sent their captured treasures to those who could also defend.

"Web," Tail said into the radio, "I have the treasure. Help me move it!" He turned, and received no reply. In surprise, he spotted a killer poison snake coiled around the suit. In alarm, Tail stabbed it with a spear and grabbed his fallen comrade. "Tail to Reptile. Web has been poisoned by a snake. I'm bringing him back in!" shouted Tail.

He dragged the injured agent inside the bubble's "airlock", and dropped him in front of Reptile and Dr. Formula. He then rushed back out and quickly came back inside dragging a massive chest of gold.

"Will this be sufficient, Mr. Coral?" asked Tail.

Coral stared at the treasure. "You mean there's more?" he said in shock.

Tail grinned. "Follow me. These days, we do everything in bulk." After several more trips, three more of the massive chests were inside. Formula reported Web was stable, so Reptile gave Coral the order to leave...

----

Stealth took a few steps backwards, looking in shock at the mutant/human hybrid staring back at her through the mirror. "You're not real..." she said.

"In your mind, I am," Mutant Stealth spoke with a hiss. "I'm the part of you that they are suppressing."

"Wha- What do you mean?" Stealth asked.

"Them!" the Lizard Stealth shouted. "The Dino Attack Team! Databoard! They suppressed your true power. Turned you back into a weakling human. You know you want power. You crave it. And if you listen to me, I can help you make us one again."

And with that, the Mutant jumped through the glass at Stealth.

Moments later, her eyes snapped open, and she found herself lying on her bed. She slowly got up, confused about what had just happened.

*****

Databoard got out of bed. It was tough, because having his arm in bandages slowed him a bit. He hoped it would heal up soon, because he wouldn't be able to head out on missions until he was healed up. He headed out of his room and down to the hangar, to see if they'd given him a new T-1 Typhoon to replace the one he'd lost in his last mission.

Databoard noticed that Stealth seemed to be having some problems, and his efforts to help her were unsuccessful. Eventually, he learned the truth that Stealth injected herself with Mutant Dino DNA and was transforming once more. Databoard left in pursuit of the now-transformed Stealth, determined not to stop until she could be found and saved.

----

Frozeen no longer had to wait. Specs walked back into the interrogation room, his expression unreadable behind his balaclava. "I called agent Databoard," he spoke. "I asked him about what you said: that he was killed, but brought back to life by convincing some deep, booming voice."

Frozeen nodded. "Did he remember?"

Specs scratched his head. "It took him a moment, but he remembered. I then asked about Kotua, and he said that Kotua went through a similar ordeal. So, it appears that it's possible that you're truly Frozeen." He sat down at the table. "So, concerning agent Rex and this 'Dr. Rex'..."

Suddenly, red lights began to flash in the room. The two Minifigs looked around, surprised. Specs stood up immediately and swung open the door. He saw a small lobby occupied by Libo, Chompy, and Greybeard. Libo and Chompy were standing, suspicion in their eyes. Greybeard, on the other hand, was cowering underneath the chair he must've been sitting on, shouting: "I dinnae do it! I dinnae do it!"

"Come on!" commanded Specs. He led Frozeen, Libo, Chompy, and Greybeard through the hallways of Dino Attack HQ.

At last, they came to the source: a couple dozen Dino Attack agents, all pointing Cosmotronic Rays and Sonic Screamers at several figures. Of the group of figures, Frozeen recognized agent Claw, Dr. Rex, General Evil, L-D1748, and a couple of the armored Hybrids, but Frozeen could not recognize the woman in a 1950s dress accompanying them.

"Agent Claw," spoke Specs, "you come over here. Agent Frozeen, is this man Dr. Rex, standing next to General Evil?"

"Yes, he-" began Frozeen, but was silently interrupted as Amanda shook her head and urgently waved her arms. "Huh? What do you mean?"

"Actually, whether you believe it or not," explained General, "this is your elite agent Rex. Apparently, he and Dr. Rex switched bodies or something. Believe me, I've tested him; he seems to have Dr. Rex's body, but agent Rex's personality and memories. If you do not trust me, then ask agent Claw; she is certain that he is Rex."

Amanda nodded firmly, verifying General's story.

Rex smiled nervously. "Hello again, Specs," he said. "Funny how we keep running into each other under increasingly strange circumstances."

"What's up with the Lurcher, General Evil?" inquired Specs, as the Dino Attack agents aimed their guns at the Skeleton Drone.

"H-Hey, I-I survived-d t-the whole thing-g-g!" stammered L-D1748. "I-I thought-t y-you'd reward-d m-me or-r something-g, for-r m-making it-t this f-f-far! Or-r at l-least n-n-not shoot-t m-me!"

"And one other thing," added General. He glanced at Talia and then took in a deep breath. "The name General Evil... no longer suits me. Please call me General."

Frozeen's eyes widened. Forming an uneasy alliance with his archnemesis was one thing. But hearing General Evil solemnly renounce his evil ways was the last thing he expected to happen. The revelations on Dinosaur Island had changed everything for both of them.

"And who are you?" asked Specs, now addressing Talia.

"I'm Talia... an old friend of General," Talia replied. "I knew him before Ogel became evil, if that's what you were wondering."

Libo stared at her. "You're... Talia Kaahs, aren't you? I recognize you. There was an old photo of you in General's quarters in the Ogel Control Center..."

Talia glanced at General, who was glaring at Libo. "You were in my room?" he muttered. "I've got to lock my door more often..."

"So, let me get this straight," Specs said finally. "Rex and Claw, you've returned from your mission… and Rex, you're now a real human. General: you, your brother, and the other LEGO villains are on our side. The Lurcher, I honestly could not care less about. Those armored guards... who are they?"

"They're Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids that work for Dr. Rex," explained Rex, "but after he and I switched bodies, they've been following me. They seem blindly loyal to me, and I am sure that they could be a valuable asset to Dino Attack Team."

"So, if you all are telling the truth," concluded Specs, "then with the villains on our side, and knowledge of our enemy at last… the Dino Attack Team may finally turn the tide in this war!"

----

Reptile breathed in relief as the Iron Predator surfaced. He pressed a switch and the bubble dome around it retracted, but the attached hull below that allowed transport reactivated, turning them essentially from an Iron Predator to a battleship to a submarine to a battleship.

"Current position, five miles off the coast of Castle Cove!" shouted Tail, checking his instruments again. Reptile nodded, and turned to Coral, who was already speeding up on course for Castle Cove. After a few minutes travelling at extraordinary speeds, Reptile spotted the outline of a towering castle. He hit a button on his control panel, and the Iron Predator began to slow, even though it was approaching the coast at high speeds. His scans showed the castle was an old wreck, only containing Mutant Dinos.

"Ramming speed!" snapped Reptile. Coral turned around in surprise, but the Iron Predator was still at deadly speed. Reptile retracted the boat sheath and pressed another button, causing a booster jet in the bottom to flare up. The Iron Predator flew forward, smashing straight through the castle. All around the Iron Predator, explosions were heard as Goldbeard the Pirate launched missiles to clear a path.

When the Iron Predator finally landed, it had left a trail of devastation in its path, and was slightly damaged. "Slightly" damaged. And the Mutant Dino breeding ground was in ruins. And two Mutant T-Rexes were stalking out of the ruins.

----

Agent X looked around and discovered the damage done to LEGO City while he was busy chasing the Golden Hunter. He was not sure if he could find the Golden Hunter's body in the midst of all these ruins, which made X actually feel a bit of regret. After all, no matter how bad he was, the Golden Hunter still deserved a proper burial.

"Well, time to put my newfound translator to the test," muttered agent X. He walked up to a Mutant T-Rex and tried to speak with it. Unfortunately, while this T-Rex was not one of the Golden Hunter's followers, it still had no interest in X as anything other than a meal.

Quickly, X took cover and tried to hide, but the T-Rex could still track him by scent and sound, so X had no other choice. His mechanical arm morphed into a light cannon, and he shot the T-Rex without a sound.  The T-Rex died a quick and painless death, or so agent X hoped...

----

Zenna and Apollo stumbled upon an abandoned LEGOLAND military base. Exploring the wrecked garage, they found a tank that was in need of repairs. Apollo nodded and got right to work, with Zenna watching him. "Are you almost finished?" Zenna asked patiently.

Apollo nodded again. As Apollo got the last piece in its proper place and all the bolts tight, Zenna looked past him. Behind them was a Mutant T-Rex. Apollo was just in time.

Zenna and Apollo climbed in, Apollo taking the turret. Apollo fired and missed. The T-Rex was just a few yards now, about to sink its teeth in the tank. Apollo quickly fired again, taking down the beast.

"Nice," said Zenna, "but we might want to leave this garage. It might fall."

Apollo nodded again, and the tank rolled out.

Zenna drove the tank out of the garage and into the street, "Now, is there anywhere specific we need to go?" asked Zenna.

Apollo shook his head, and shrugged.

"Well, I know where we need to go: away from this Mutant Raptor!" said Zenna, pointing. Zenna drove the tank down the road and a little bit more. "This is fun," she said.

Apollo suddenly pointed to a large cliff that the tank was heading towards. Zenna attempted to turn it around, but the tank drove off and into the river below...

----

The snake poison was severe, and neither Dr. Formula nor Reptile was able to treat Web with the medical supplies onboard an Iron Predator. Then, once the team reached Castle Cove, they visited the manor of the suspicious-looking witch Aethra, who seemed to know more than she should.

Aethra offered to treat Web and was successful in curing his poison, although Web remained unconscious. She also gave them directions to one of the Night Lords' Castles in Bricksylvania, telling them what the DNA Device they sought was in that castle. Reptile and his team investigated the castle and interrogated the Night Lord.

The Night Lord shook and then responded. "Not... allowed... to... tell... you..." he moaned.

Reptile exchanged glances with his fellow agents. What? "What do you mean, not allowed to tell us?" he snapped back.

The Night Lord's response was better. "Allowed to stay... apart from Antarctica... given protection from Alpha Team raider... if I guarded secret of device..." Suddenly he just... died. Though Reptile wasn't sure, he was certain what was going on.

"Back in the vehicle, now!" he said harshly. "Return to that Witch Manor immediately." The Iron Predator headed off, everyone confused. When they arrived, they found a powerful-looking witch standing guard with some sort of device in her hands.

"Well done, you fooled us all," Reptile said.

"Surrender now, or we'll haul you off for crimes against resisting Dino Attack Agents on missions vital to Global Defense," added Tail. Reptile looked at him in surprise. Of course, it made sense there would be a law like that, but he didn't know how powerful it was. Evidently it was pretty powerful.

Aethra touched the device in her hands, and suddenly the healed Web rose and pointed his laser at Goldbeard. There was a flash, and the pirate was gone. Next, Web aimed at Tail. Reptile fired at him, destroying the laser, but Web punched Reptile hard and he fell over.

Despite the fact that Web was his close friend, Tail unhesitatingly cut Web down with a laser rifle, shooting him dead. Aethra herself was then killed by Coral, and the DNA Device was taken by Reptile. Formula had stayed out of the fighting between Reptile's team and Aethra, and he helped revive the survivors (who were almost all knocked out).

Unfortunately, it turned out that the device was nearly powerless. It had run out of power in the battle, and so they brought it back to Specs. Specs dismissed their "incredulous tales" as "violating all science", and demoted Reptile. He handed over the device for Alpha Team's further analysis. It has remained in their vaults and laboratories, secure from any other villain attempting to capture it. However, none of their results have been published.

Formula was debriefed extensively by Dino Attack (because he had conducted examinations on the device) and then returned to Antarctica. He attempted to write and publish a paper on the properties of the DNA Device but, fearing a security leak, Alpha Team Special Operations confiscated the paper and warned him that until they understood the capabilities of the device, he shouldn't try to reveal the classified information, even only to other scientists. They invited him to assist their efforts to study the device, and he agreed, travelling to their base.

Tail began to reflect on his career - that he was capable of killing his best friend in a split second. He began to be disturbed by what he found he had done. But despite this inner reflection, he continued to serve Reptile as a gunner.

----

Frozeen walked out the door of Dino Attack Headquarters and, to his surprise, found one of the Dino Track Transports parked just outside of the base. Two figures were sitting in the back seats; the front seats were unoccupied. Frozeen glanced backwards, in the direction of Rex and the Hybrids. "They probably used this to get back here," Frozeen figured.

He walked towards the tank-like vehicle. Now that it wasn't a threat, Frozeen took time to look at it. It was shaped similarly to an Iron Predator, but without the cannon, and with a more defined roof. There was a hook on the back, presumably to hook up to a cage trailer. Its design was different, with a sleeker build. While the Iron Predator was built for fighting, the Dino Track Transport was built for speed and cargo.

Frozeen also got a better view of the two figures sitting in the vehicle. One was a Minifig; he wore a black Rock Raiders uniform and a green vest over that, and his left sleeve was missing, exposing a teal-colored prosthetic arm. The other figure was a Builder Droid, wearing an Explorien uniform and a large gray helmet. Frozeen did not recognize the droid, but the Rock Raider...

He ran over to them. The Rock Raider was busy looking at his PDA when he noticed Frozeen. "About time!" he smiled. "What took you Dino Attack agents so... wait, you're wearing an Alpha Team uniform!"

"So?" said Frozeen, shrugging. "I still work with the Dino Attack Team, even if I'm not officially working for them. By the way, I think I know you from somewhere."

"Name's Samuel Throramebi," the Rock Raider introduced himself, "but everyone just calls me Sam. The droid here is A5T3R-01D, but we call him Aster Oid."

"Throramebi," said Frozeen, smiling as he finally remembered where he had seen this Rock Raider before. "Has it really been ten years? You don't know me by what everyone calls me, but you know me as Drill."

"Drill?" repeated Sam, blinking. "Ah, yes, I do remember you! You and I were training together to be Rock Raiders at the Academy. We also went exploring some planets and mined for crystals, but you had to go back to LEGO Planet because you received a phone call that your stepdad had disappeared. Drill, the quirky and always humorous teammate of mine, as well as my best friend!"

Frozeen sighed. "Not anymore. I've seen... and done... things in the past six years that have changed me. I'm not as quirky, nor as funny, as I once was. And how about you, Sam? I remember you as being very interested in everything, but often times getting into more trouble than you could get out of!"

Sam held up his mechanical hand. "That... hasn't changed, unfortunately. It wasn't a very pleasant voyage when I lost my left arm. David Miner was killed in that adventure as well."

"Dr. Miner was killed?" repeated Frozeen, remembering their trainer, instructor, and mentor at the Academy. It had been a long time since he had last seen Dr. Miner, and yet the fact that he was dead disturbed Frozeen.

----

Apollo looked around him. The river had washed them to a sparse forest. Apollo shook his head.

"Well, looks like we'll be stuck out here until help can come," replied Zenna. Suddenly it gave her an idea. "I've got a communicator. It's somewhat damaged by the water, but I might be able to send a distress signal back to the base."

Zenna dialed in, but Apollo and Zenna heard a loud beeping noise. "It's broken," Zenna said, and Apollo nodded.

"Darn it," replied Zenna. She looked around. "We'll have to go on foot. Maybe there's someplace nearby with a working phone."

Rookie agent Alpha raced forward through the forest. This time, he stopped in front of the two stranded figures he had seen. He asked them, "Who are you?"

"My name is Zenna, and he is Apollo," said Zenna.

"I am Alpha, and I am here to rescue you," Alpha introduced himself.

"Alright, thanks," said Zenna. "We should probably be heading back to base; the guys back there might be starting to get worried."

"Alright, let's go! Uh-oh," exclaimed Alpha. A huge Mutant T-Rex suddenly loomed in front of them. It then prepared to put its jaws around them.

"GRAB ON!" Alpha shouted. Apollo and Zenna scrambled to grab onto Alpha's arms. He ran as quickly as he could, bringing his two teammates along with him. All those years training for the LEGOLAND marathon were finally paying off. The T-Rex roared in agony as the agents escaped and returned to base.

"That was fast," said Zenna. "Thanks."

"Hey, Zenna?" said Alpha. "Could you show me around the base? I'm new, so I've never been here before."

----

After the doomed mission to Castle Cove, the disgraced Reptile attended a short meeting with Specs and the other Founding Members concerning a "glitch" in Space City, formerly a major spaceport. Reptile was sent on a scouting mission to investigate the strange signals and weird power fluctuations that were detected in Space City.

Reptile found a strange group of aliens (which he nicknamed "Dino Aliens") that had the power to turn invisible. The Dino Aliens were operating in the area, building robotic dinosaurs using the spare parts lying around the city. They were using the mechanical dinosaurs to investigate the LEGO Planet, presumably for conquest. They did not know Reptile could detect him, so this allowed him to download a virus into the computers of the dinos, destroying them.

Reptile guessed there was some kind of invisible object in the city, and he used his Iron Predator to bombard it with weapons fire until their cloaked ship became visible. The Dino Aliens, surprised, ordered the Robotic Dinos to attack Reptile. He defeated them, and then he reported the matter to Alpha Team, as he recognized than alien invaders were outside of his jurisdiction.

Alpha Team, which had been alerted of the situation, sent agents who took the aliens and their ship into custody. Alpha Team took charge of the situation, and so Reptile was sent back to Dino Attack Headquarters.

----

The Founding Agents discussed Dino Attack Team's current progress with Rex, and they mentioned that many team members were no longer with the team, having vanished, resigned, or died. Rex then welcomed new recruits Zenna and Alpha as he pondered about an inevitable final battle.

Then, Rex saw a group of Mutant Raptors just outside headquarters. He ran to the Dino Attack garage and took an Iron Predator. Rex struggled to remember how to drive the massive tank, realizing that he was out of practice after several months. He noticed a sticky note on the dashboard, which he used to reacquaint himself with the controls. But then he accidentally drove the Iron Predator in reverse, so he flipped the sticky note upside-down and properly exited the garage.

Rex joined the fight against the Mutant Dinos, who were joined by a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs. He noticed a swarm of Mutant Lizards enter the headquarters through the garage, but before he could take action, Specs contacted him and Reptile. Specs commanded them to secure the Dino Attack Team's Power Station, which was under attack by a half-dozen Mutant T-Rexes.

In their Iron Predators, Rex and Reptile sped to the Power Station and fought back the Mutant T-Rexes. Rex witnessed Reptile use Goo Spheres to shut down the nervous systems of a few Mutant T-Rexes, and it seemed like they had the upper hand. However, the Mutant T-Rexes were joined by a few Mutant Pterosaurs and, combined, the two groups managed to wreck both Iron Predators. Reptile set to work designing a shield for the Power Station, while Rex fought to stay alive. A Mutant Raptor distracted Rex, leaving him unable to react as a Mutant T-Rex attacked from the rear.

Rex cursed. His Cyrothermic Cannon wasn't working anymore, after that ambush from the Mutant T-Rex. Rex was not a technician; that was Databoard's job, and only Builder knows where Databoard is right now. "I'll just have to use the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher and the Cosmotronic Ray, then," muttered Rex, already realizing that both weapons were low on ammo.

Luckily, the Mutant Raptor responsible for setting Rex up for the ambush was knocked out by the Cosmotronic Ray. The Mutant T-Rex behind his Iron Predator roared in triumph. Rex spun the Iron Predator around and fired his Z-1 Kinetic Launcher. Like a Rock Raiders Pusher Beam, the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher shoved the Mutant T-Rex backwards. However, the T-Rex was just too big; it barely budged. But it was angered.

Roaring, it tried to grab Rex in its jaws. It succeeded in demolishing the Iron Predator's windshield, but Rex jumped out of the way, and fired his Cosmotronic Ray at the T-Rex's nearest eye. In pain, the Mutant T-Rex backed away from the Iron Predator, trying to rub its eyes but ultimately failing due to its short arms. It was now standing at the edge of the river. Rex fired again with his Z-1 Kinetic Launcher, pushing the Mutant T-Rex into the river.

While the T-Rex was down, Rex grabbed his radio. "Come on, agents!" he yelled into it. "Where are you? This is agent Rex; Reptile and I are the only ones here at the Power Station fighting! We can't hold on much longer!"

That's when he noticed the small helicopter. He'd heard of this helicopter before, but never actually saw it. It was tan and red, like the typical Dino Attack helicopter, but had the letters "WDNO" written on the side. He didn't need to see the pilot to know who it was. Near the middle of the Dino Attack, the Minifigs down in Antarctica had insisted upon hearing progress of how driving back the dinos was going along. Therefore, famous news reporter J. Theano took it upon himself to make a new radio station he called "WDNO - Dino Radio!" He often followed Specs, Shadow, Digger, and Viper in his little helicopter, reporting about how the Dino Attack Team was doing.

Rex sighed, shook his head, and muttered. J. Theano, in his opinion, was completely reckless; it lucky that he hadn't already been killed by a Mutant Dino; this might be his last news broadcast he was making. Then, Rex noticed a T-1 Typhoon approaching the scene. He prayed that this may be their salvation.

The T-1 Typhoon, piloted by the Founding Agents, arrived and chased off the remaining Mutant Dinos. Rex hitched a ride on the T-1 Typhoon, and they traveled back to headquarters. They received a threatening message from Dr. Rex, who explained that he was simply testing their abilities and how they would react to such an attack.

"A highly intelligent, somewhat insane, Mutant T-Rex in armor," said Rex. "It's our worst fears realized."

They brought Rex back to headquarters to deal with the Mutant Lizards that had infiltrated the headquarters. Rex grabbed a Sonic Screamer, teamed up with Frozeen and Sam, and made his way through the base to the Hospital Wing to fight the Mutant Lizards there.

After saving the Dino Attack Hospital Wing from the Mutant Lizards, they learned from chief scientist Frank Einstein that Libo was badly wounded and Aster Oid was badly damaged by the Mutant Lizard attack.

*****

When they learned that Mutant T-Rexes were attacking Dino Attack's power station, Alpha, Zenna, and Apollo decided to hijack a T-1 Typhoon and provide air support. However, by the time they arrived, the battle was finished. Elite agent Reptile took the helicopter from them, promising not to tell anyone that they had stolen the T-1 Typhoon if they let him use it to return to Dino Attack Headquarters.

As payment for his service in the past, Reptile was given a T-1 Typhoon.

Tiring of the constant battles that were weakening Dino Attack forces, Specs approved a plan to eliminate the threat of the Skr-Ok Clan. Reptile, who had much experience with them, was ordered to take a team and, with Alpha Team assistance, attack the Skr-Ok fortresses on Vikings Isle.

Reptile took his new helicopter (along with a large Dino Attack force) back to Vikings Isle, where they helped secure the island from the Mutant Viking Monsters and neutralize the Skr-Ok Clan for once and for all.

Despite the fact that the Skr-Ok Clan was far better equipped than other Viking clans, their "modern technology" was no match for the tech of Alpha Team and Dino Attack. The two organizations were able to neutralize every base, capture nearly all the leaders, and eliminate almost all of the threat posed by them. Their leaders were taken prisoner and interred by Alpha Team on a prison island near Antarctica. Their soldiers were either put in normal jails or died fighting the attackers.

However, a handful of the Clan escaped and, under one of their warlords (a specialist in covert operations), escaped Vikings Isle. They began launching covert attacks against Alpha Team and Dino Attack forces, apparently intending to "liberate" Vikings Isle. Despite the low likelihood of success, the clan remnant is a potential threat to weak Dino Attack or Alpha Team targets.

----

En route to the Goo Caverns, Alpha passed LEGO Studios and found someone trapped in the rubble. As quickly as he could, Alpha returned to LEGO Studios with Zenna and Apollo. There, they freed a civilian named Bob Smith. They asked him what had happened.

"Well," said Bob, "the dinos took an old documentary about Adventurers' Island. It was never released, so nobody has seen it. But I can tell you one thing: that film reel contains footage of an interview with a man named Dr. Ronald Alexander."

"Okay," replied Zenna, "and how do we intend to get it back?"

Bob shook his head, unsure how to do that.

Suddenly, the roof in the film studio started coming down from a disruption. "Everybody, grab on!" shouted Alpha.

Zenna grabbed hold of Alpha's left hand; Apollo took Alpha's right hand, and held onto Bob with his other hand. "Okay," Zenna said, "let's get out of here!"

Alpha pulled them along, navigating the collapsing building. "I don't know where you guys want to go!" shouted Alpha over the rumbling.

"I don't have anywhere specific," replied Zenna. They found a police helicopter and climbed aboard. But, after they took off into the air, they were soon surrounded by Mutant Pterosaurs and knocked out of the sky, plummeting towards an island below…

----

Rex drove an Urban Avenger through the streets of LEGO City. Although his vehicle of choice was an Iron Predator, what he needed right now for his current mission was speed, not strength. Plus, the Sonic Screamer mounted atop the Urban Avenger's cockpit dealt with any Mutant Lizard in Rex's path.

He was going to a spot where he had not been at for months. Not since Kotua's time, or Zero's time, or Voltage's time, or... basically, not since Rex had been discharged from the Dino Attack team. So many things seemed so distant, as though years had passed since the time he joined the Dino Attack Team. If not for the calendar in the Dino Attack Headquarters, he might not have even realized that it was only a few months after all. He felt strangely nostalgic, like the earlier days of the Dino Attack were fun, less serious, simpler days that he missed.

Now that he thought about it, of all the currently active agents, Databoard was the only one that he had really worked with. And now Databoard had gone on a mission to rescue Stealth, with no word from him since. Rex had only just met Reptile, but Reptile's tactics and personality seemed somewhat similar to an older agent Magma, and Rex thought he remembered working with Magma before.

Thinking of these older memories brought back some of the not-so-pleasant memories, too. The FUTURE villains, mutated Vinscale Octomus, PBB's demise, Chaos, ShadowTech, and of course Kotua... Although, Kotua reformed before his disappearance according to Specs, deep down Rex knew he never forgave Kotua. After all, he and Kotua got off to a bad start, when Rex caught him firing at Trouble...

Which, bringing him back into the present, reminded him of his mission. He drove past the familiar shape of a wrecked, abandoned Dino Attack Outpost. It seemed so long ago that the original main headquarters was destroyed, thanks to the combined efforts of Kotua, the Voltage, and several Mutant Dinos. Driving a bit further, he drove past Mercy Hospital and found what he was looking for.

A small peninsula extended out into the ocean. At the far end of the stretch of land was an abandoned prison. Rex had almost believed that it was destroyed long ago, and yet he still saw it there. Filled with hope, he drove the Urban Avenger towards the building. Then his eyes widened in fear.

Although the prison was still standing, it was burned. Large chunks of it were missing. The door lay battered on its hinges. Rex parked the Urban Avenger, grabbed a flashlight and a Sonic Screamer, and opened the door, which fell right off its hinges.

Inside was total darkness. Rex turned on his flashlight and looked around. His jaw dropped. Before him, he saw what looked like was once a bunch of animal pens... totally destroyed, its occupants having escaped long ago. Even when tamed, Mutant Dinosaurs can only go so long without their master without giving into their instincts and running wild.

It started to rain. Water poured in through the holes in the roof. Rex searched some more, ignoring the falling rain. Several carcasses of Mutant Lizards and young Mutant Dinos littered some parts of the floor, all of which were half-eaten, looking as though they had not been touched for ages. It was a desolate, dead, lifeless place here. If it had just been any old building, it would've not mattered much, but it made Rex's heart sink, for he knew the building very well.

It was here that he kept all his tamed Mutant Dinos. And now, all of them were either dead or running wild. All of them - Terry the Mutant Pterosaur... Fang the Mutant Raptor... and, most unfortunately, Trouble the Mutant Lizard.

----

Zenna fell over on the ground. She found that she was lying on a beach.

Alpha slowly got up next to her. "Where are we?" he asked.

"I think this might be Sandy Bay," replied Zenna.

Apollo looked around. He saw nothing to any interest to him. He could see dinosaurs in the distance. He quickly recognized Sandy Bay. He also quickly recognized a Mutant Pteranodon. It was getting closer every second.

"Oh no," whispered Zenna.

"So, what do we plan to do?" asked Bob Smith.

Apollo knew that they did not have any firearms on them. He grabbed a coconut that had fallen from a nearby palm tree, then threw it at the incoming Mutant Pterosaur.

"Good thinking," replied Zenna, grabbing a coconut and throwing it. "We should try and get to Brickton."

Apollo threw another coconut at the mutant, hitting it square in an eye, and it struggled to stay aloft. Finally, it came whirling down with a crash.

"Let's go," said Alpha.

Zenna led the team along the beach. They found a few small vehicles lying there, mainly Coast Guard beach buggies, dinghies, and trucks. "This should help," she said.

Alpha climbed into a Coast Guard ship. "I've never driven one of these before. Have you, Zenna?"

Alpha, Zenna, Apollo, and Bob traveled to Castle Cove, where they met up with David Norman and Zyra. After spending a day there, they returned to Dino Attack Headquarters, and Bob Smith was safely evacuated to Antarctica.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 4: The Goo Caverns

Chapter 27: Typhoon Turbulence

----

When Rex stepped out of the abandoned prison, he was attacked by a swarm of Mutant Vinscale Octomus: the same swarm that he had previously encountered with Zero and Phantom.

As Rex was dragged closer to the mouth of the closest Mutant Vinscale Octomus, he suddenly heard what he thought to be laser blasts. He turned his head just enough to see Frozeen and Amanda at the docks, firing lasers at the Vinscale. The massive cephalopod roared and slammed several of its tentacles down at the docks. The two Minifigs rolled out of the way in time, but the docks were smashed to pieces. Suddenly, purple-hued blasts of energy hit the tentacle that held Rex.

The tentacle moved so quickly, Rex actually came loose from its suction cups. Screaming, he began to fall a fifty-foot drop into the waters below. A tentacle from another Mutant Vinscale Octomus swung at Rex and caught him, stopping his fall. Rex then saw another purple-hued blast, and this time knew why. Sam Throramebi was on a small skiff, launching plasma blasts out of his mechanical arm. The blast hit the tentacle that was now holding Rex, but this one did not let go like the other one did.

Another Vinscale Octomus moved closer to land in order to attack Frozeen and Amanda. Their laser blasts were unable to penetrate the creature's thick hide. Sam fired once more at the tentacle holding Rex, and this time the blast was enough to force the tentacle to let go. Luckily for Rex, this time instead of a fifty-foot drop to the ocean, it was now only a ten-foot drop. He hit the water, then remembered that he never knew how to swim.

Sam piloted his skiff towards Rex's position, using his plasma blasts to keep the tentacled monsters at bay. He reached out and helped Rex climb aboard. As he did so, a tentacle came flying towards him. Sam dodged in time, but the tentacle smashed the skiff in half. Rex and Sam both held on to a piece of floating debris and began to make for land. Amanda threw a line to help them, while Frozeen continued to fire his laser at the Mutant Vinscale Octomus. He might as well have been trying to poke them with a heated stick.

Rex and Sam used the line to get ashore. "Shall we test it?" Sam asked Frozeen. Rex glanced at them in confusion.

"There may not be any other way," Frozeen replied. Sam nodded, and ran to a nearby Fire Hammer. Meanwhile, Frozeen handed Rex a laser pistol, and they tried to keep the tentacles of the Mutant Vinscale Octomus horde at bay. A minute later, Sam came back, holding what appeared to be a bazooka. He loaded it with some sort of missile-like ammo, then fired at the closest Vinscale Octomus. "Run!" Frozeen shouted as soon as Sam fired. The four Minifigs ran to the Fire Hammer.

"Care to explain?" Rex asked as they were running.

"It's a new weapon in development, as ordered by Specs," replied Frozeen. "Currently, scientists and technicians alike are working on it; a weapon that, in theory, will be deadlier than Alpha Team's Panrahk XP explosive. It's loosely inspired by a book that I read when I was younger, Ender's Game. There was a weapon in that book called the M.D. Device, or sometimes the Doctor Device. That weapon is capable of releasing an explosion, and if that explosion comes in contact with matter, another explosion will be set off in a chain reaction, and the more matter that is hit, the larger the explosions. It's enough to completely destroy a planet, and anything orbiting the planet."

"Are you insane?" Rex hissed. "Are you meaning to tell me that we just used a weapon that will kill us all and destroy the LEGO Planet?"

"Well," Frozeen replied, "the weapon we just used is a prototype for a weapon inspired by the Doctor Device. Instead of destroying matter, it will destroy living cells. Which means, if this prototype we just used is fully functional, we must jump inside the Fire Hammer and get out of here... now!"

They heard an explosion behind them. Rex could not help but turn around and see what Sam's attack had done. The Mutant Vinscale Octomus that got hit seemed to explode and disintegrate at the same time. The explosion spread out to the other Vinscale Octomus... and nothing happened to them aside from a slight burn. One Vinscale Octomus was dead, but the others were still ready to fight. "Uh, guys?" Rex said. "I don't think that the prototype... works quite as well as it should!"

One of the Mutant Vinscale Octomus roared at the top of its lungs. It began to rise out of the ocean, and spread its tentacles out to land. "Oh my Builder, not again!" whispered Frozeen. "The first Vinscale Octomus I ever faced climbed right out of the sea and attacked the land! Now, this one seems to have the same idea... and there's nothing we can do to stop it!"

Now, Rex saw what Frozeen was talking about. Using its tentacles as legs, the massive cephalopod walked across LEGO City's streets, on a direct path for Frozeen, Rex, Amanda, and Sam! That's when Rex noticed an airship, black as the night, moving towards the Mutant Vinscale Octomus horde.

The Mutant Vinscale Octomus slammed its tentacle down on the ground. Although it missed the Dino Attack agents and the Fire Hammer, it was close enough to knock all four Minifigs off their feet, and strong enough to bring down the remains of a nearby building. Another tentacle swung for the agents. They rolled out of the way, and Rex began to open fire with his laser. The tentacle drew back and then whip-lashed back down to the ground. Rex jumped out of the way a split second before impact. He grabbed a shard of broken glass from one of the wrecked buildings and tried to stab it into the creature's limb. The hide was too thick. Duh, thought Rex. If lasers can't kill this thing, why would glass work?

Beside him, Sam unleashed another plasma blast out of his mechanical arm. This seemed to be the only attack that would keep the Vinscale at bay. However, Rex, Frozeen, and Amanda could not help but notice that only spurts of plasma were coming out of arm now. "What is it now?" Frozeen asked with a touch of impatience.

"Dang it, I ran out of ammo!" Sam replied.

"Great, just great!" muttered Rex. All four agents ducked to avoid a swinging tentacle. "Look out!" shouted Rex, but it was too late. A tentacle, whipping at unbelievable speeds, came down towards them, and there was neither place nor time to dodge!

Only a millisecond before impact, just a centimeter above the helmets of the Dino Attack agents. That's where the tentacle suddenly froze in place. Rex traded glances with Amanda, who traded glances with Sam, who traded glances with Frozeen. Taking advantage of the opportunity, they ran out of the way, just a second before the off-balance Vinscale Octomus toppled over, hitting the ground and smashing the Fire Hammer into LEGO pieces. "What in the world?" wondered Frozeen.

"Perhaps that has something to do with it," Rex replied, pointing to the black airship in the skies. It was much closer now, and Rex could see that there were hints of red on it, as well as a large skull design on the front.

"An Evil OGEL Empire Airship?" Frozeen said. "I thought Ogel and General Evil left for the Goo Caverns!"

"Evidently," Sam replied, "they're back. But what is it shooting?"

Rex saw it too. The airship was firing what appeared to be greenish orbs at the swarm of Mutant Vinscale Octomus. As each orb hit, the Vinscale would suddenly be frozen in space and time, almost as though it had been "shut off". Suddenly, Rex realized that these orbs must be the same orbs that other agent (Reptile? Was that his name?) was firing at the mutant dinosaurs back at the Power Station! One by one, the Vinscale Octomus were disabled, until at last, all was quiet once more.

*****

"I need to talk to you, Specs," Ogel spoke to the Dino Attack Team leader. "It's very important to the survival of this mission."

"And what is it?" inquired Specs.

Ogel held up a vial that contained a greenish gelatin substance inside. "Do you recognize this?" he asked. "This is Green Goo, from my Goo Caverns. It contains unique properties, I'm sure you would know of that. When mixed with Evil Plants and processed properly, it can be used to make Mind-Control Orbs. If mixed with Ethanium crystals as well, it can be used to create orbs that mutate sea creatures. But those two properties barely matter now."

Ogel leaned forward on the desk he was sitting at. Specs leaned back ever so slightly away from Ogel, still uncomfortable with the idea that, not too long ago, Ogel had been one of Dino Attack team's enemies.

Ogel then continued: "Dr. Rex stole a formula I wrote up a long time ago. A formula that I planned to use to mutate dinosaurs. It was many years ago, back in 2001. Dr. Rex was an Alpha Team agent... he infiltrated one of my bases, stole some information, and blew up the building, nearly killing General Evil. Now, I'm thankful he did so, or else it would be much harder to find a weakness shared by the Mutant Dinos. You see, when I wrote that formula up, I wrote up a backup plan in case those dinosaurs rebelled."

At this point, Ogel held up a crystal-like object, shaped into a perfect sphere. He opened the vial and poured the Green Goo into the sphere, which turned from crystal-clear to a bright green.

"This crystal can become intangible when it passes through a living being, and release its contents - in this case, the Green Goo. The backup plan was that the formula was designed so that anything mutated using the formula would become frozen if exposed to the Goo. Freezing all motor functions, as though the creature is 'shut-off'. This means that if we had enough Goo, we could easily stop the Mutant Dino armies. That's where I need your help."

Specs scratched his chin. "What would you want from us?"

Ogel held up the Goo-filled crystal. "The Goo Caverns have been made highly unstable thanks to Mutant Dino invasions. In addition, the Power Miners last year also weakened its structure, as well as those stupid Rock Monsters that kept trying to play pranks on the Power Miners. Rock Monsters - hah! Why did they even bother calling them Rock Monsters? Those puny creatures aren't Rock Monsters - those massive beings from Planet U, now those are Rock Monsters!"

Ogel stopped when he noticed Specs glaring at him for getting off-subject about the Power Miners. "Sorry, I get carried away. Anyways, the Goo Caverns are very unstable, and if they collapse, there's likely to be no more Green Goo. I cannot order my drones to fix up the place - most of the drones in the Goo Caverns are dead, and all the rest of them are too cowardly to go in there. In addition, the caverns must be protected against future attacks from Mutant Dinos. Which means..."

"... I have to send some of my agents in there instead," realized Specs, sighing. "Fine. If what you say about the Goo is true, then we will make securing the Goo Caverns a high priority."

"Oh, it's true, alright," Ogel said with a smile. "Why don't you go ask your fellow agent, Reptile?"

*****

While Evil Ogel briefed Specs on the Goo Caverns, General stood outside the founding agents' offices with a pair of Guard Drones. He never expected that he would be here in Dino Attack Headquarters as an ally, not an enemy. Neither did the Dino Attack agents who gave him odd looks as they passed by. He ignored them, keeping stoic and composed.

Until one female Dino Attack agent glanced in his direction, winked, and stepped inside a utility closet. Then General ordered the two drones, "Stay here. I'll be back shortly." He approached the closet with its door slightly ajar, glanced around to make sure no one was watching, then ducked inside.

"Hello again, George!" said the smiling Dino Attack agent, who was none other than Talia Kaahs. She quickly met him with a warm hug, which made the cramped utility closet a lot more bearable.

"We've got to be careful," General said rather sternly, although he could not help grinning behind his helmet. "If Ogel catches the two of us together..."

Talia giggled. "Imagine that," she commented. "The two of us, sneaking off like lovesick teenagers on a school night, trying not to get caught by their disapproving parents! If my father could see me now, he'd..." She trailed off and her smile faded away. After fifty years, she realized her father was almost certainly dead... and so was her mother... and what about her younger sister, Dakota? Was she still alive today?

General must have sensed what was troubling her, so he decided to change the subject. "I see you've made it official and joined Dino Attack Team," he noted.

Talia nodded. Indeed, she had swapped out her stylish 1950s dress for a standard issue Dino Attack uniform. "That's right. It's quite interesting, really. Back in our day, women were expected to stay home... now, they're fully encouraged to join the military. Times have certainly changed."

She looked up at General and pursed her lips. "Your helmet hides a lot, but not the sad look in your eyes," she murmured. "What's wrong?"

General let out a long sigh. "I just don't think the uniform suits you," he admitted. "Is there nothing I can say to keep you off the battlefield... to keep you safe from harm?"

Talia shook her head. "This is my choice," she said with fierce determination. "Don't you trust me?"

"I do," General said solemnly. He gently caressed her cheek. "But... perhaps I still hold onto that idealized innocence in my memories of you. You still have an untarnished purity to you. A purity that one loses in war. A purity that I lost years ago. War is MegaBlokland, and I don't want you to lose yourself in it."

"I'll be fine," promised Talia, who returned General's gesture by placing her hand against his chest as though she was feeling his heartbeat. "No matter what, I'll always be me. After all, I haven't changed a day in 50 years! And I can still see that, deep beneath that steely 'General Evil' exterior, you are still the Professor George Ogel that I know and love, no matter how much you've changed."

"Very well, then," said General. "If that's your decision, then I accept your choice. But... are you truly prepared?"

"To fight Dr. Rex and save the world? Yes, I'm ready!" replied Talia. "Well, I suppose that I don't have any practice fighting mutant dinosaurs, but..."

"Are you truly ready to kill them, or be killed?" continued General. "And not just dinosaurs that you can compartmentalize as some monster; Dino Attack Team has had its fair share of human adversaries, now including XERRD. Can you kill your fellow man?"

Talia faltered. "I... I mean..."

"You've never fired a gun before," General pointed out. "You've never taken a life before. But I have. I can train you. I can forge you into the soldier you need to be. And to do that, I'll have to be more than just your fiancé. I will be your commanding General. It will be challenging, it will be grueling, it will be harsh, but it will be necessary for survival. Do you accept?"

Talia took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she nodded with grim resolve. "I do."

"Then welcome to MegaBlokland."

*****

Rex paced back and forth in the T-1 Typhoon. So far, there had been no trouble at all in terms of Mutant Dinos, but the thing he was worried about was the pilot of the massive helicopter: an Ice Drone with the designation I-7477.

Rex grew tired of pacing. He sat down next to Greybeard, his partner for this mission.  Greybeard had abandoned his pirate outfit in favor of a Dino Attack uniform, though he kept his hook and turned down the opportunity to replace it with a plasma gun. "So, let me go o'er this again," Greybeard spoke. "We be goin' t' th' Goo Caverns, an' we be goin' t' drive off any Mutant Dinos an' reinforce the walls. Frozeen an' Sam be goin' by sea, we be goin' by air, as well as any other agents Specs dinnae tell us about."

"Yes," said Rex, nodding. "That's exactly it."

"It be a simple plan," Greybeard replied, "so why be ye appearin' so worried?"

"I'm..." Rex sighed. "I'm just uncertain about the wisdom of having the pilot that we were assigned. Because we don't know where Ogel's Island is, we're having an Ice Drone fly us there instead. From what I heard from the Alpha Team, Ice Drones tend not to be the smartest of drones..."

*****

Hotwire paced back and forth on the barge carrying him and his Fire Hammer toward the Goo Caverns. He had been sent by Specs to assist agents such as Rex, Greybeard, and Claw, along with an unlikely group of some more unsavory individuals, in a task that would take great strides toward ending the threat of the dinosaurs.

Hotwire leaned against his vehicle and rubbed his forehead. "Looks like I just about missed the party," he muttered to himself. While en route to the Dino Attack HQ from the air battle between the Dino Attack hoverships and the LEGOLAND Airforce a couple months before, he had been captured by LEGOLAND military forces, but escaped alone. As he was fleeing, he had sprained his ankle and fallen. He had sheltered with a handful of civilians camped in a dilapidated office building while he recovered. However, a few days earlier (at which point his ankle had healed), they had all been found and evacuated, except for Hotwire, who was allowed to return to Dino Attack. He arrived just in time to participate in the battle at the power plant.

He was greeted afterwards with both good and bad news. The good: his Fire Hammer had been recovered, and still had all of the modifications he had made. The bad: Kotua and Slash were both classified as "missing", and since Kat had never been a Dino Attack agent in the first place, it was anybody's guess where she was, or if she was even alive.

On another note, the war was beginning to turn in their favor. The LEGOLAND military was out of their hair, and ShadowTech had been taken down. Agent Rex had also discovered the cause of the dino mutations. Hotwire could only hope that this new mission was as important as Specs had said...

Hotwire had set to work repairing some of the damaged components of his Fire Hammer when he heard a cry from the barge pilot, Bartholomew Helmutson: "Sir! I've picked up something strange on the sonar!"

Hotwire rushed over. "What is it, Helmie?"

"I'm not sure," Helmie replied. "It's too spread out to be a submarine, but too big to be a school of fish."

Suddenly, there was a thud, and the barge rocked violently

"I've got a bad feeling about this," Hotwire muttered, trying desperately to keep his balance...

Instantly, the sea around the barge came alive with Mutant Lizards. They began to clamber onto the deck, and Hotwire dashed into the Fire Hammer and tossed Helmie a Sonic Screamer. "Try to hold them off while I power up the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher!" Unfortunately, the launcher was out of commission. Hotwire cursed. "I should have fixed that first instead of the radar and the repulsorlifts!"

Meanwhile, Helmutson wasn't exactly having the time of his life. There were already about seven of the Lizards on board, and many more still in the water, and for every one he took down with the Screamer, there were three more ready to take its place. Suddenly, he heard a loud whine, and Hotwire rushed up, chucked something into the midst of the Lizards, and threw himself flat on the deck, pulling the barge pilot down with him. Moments later, there was a large explosion which blew most of the lizards overboard. When the smoke cleared, the rest were fleeing.

"What...was that?" Helmie asked, dazed.

"That was the overload powerpack from a cosmotronic ray," Hotwire replied. He surveyed the scene and took in the fleeing Lizards. "I thought it might work, but I didn't think it would work that well. It was even better than..." He trailed off.

Helmutson looked at him curiously. Hotwire continued, "It's complicated. Long story short, a friend of mine and I were stuck in a maze, and she blew the wall out like that and we escaped."

Helmie's eyes widened, and he pointed toward where the explosion had gone off. "Your story's about to get shorter! Looks like the explosion holed us below the waterline!"

Hotwire and Helmutson bailed out water as fast as they could. "Couldn't we just use the repulsorifts on your vehicle to escape?" the barge pilot exclaimed.

"They're for hopping, not flying!" Hotwire replied.

Then a shape appeared on the horizon, flying towards them. Hotwire grabbed a pair of binoculars from the Fire Hammer. "It's... it's a T-1!" he exclaimed.

*****

"Come on!" Rex shouted to I-7477. "We've got to go rescue them!" He pointed to a barge that Greybeard had spotted a few moments ago, which was apparently about to perform a live showing of Titanic.

The Ice Drone pilot shook its head. "Sorry, but my orders were to fly you two and nobody else to the Goo Caverns. Ogel told me to do it quickly, directly, without any distractions. For all we know, that barge could be swarming with Mutant Lizards just waiting to crawl aboard the craft. Plus, I really don't want to disobey Ogel... I remember that time that Sea Drone A-0631 disobeyed orders..."

"What 'appened?" asked Greybeard, leaning closer to listen.

"Oh, he decided that he was going to take a five-minute-break during guard duty. Ogel taught him a lesson that day of how terrible the mouth of a Mutant Killer Whale is..." I-7477 trailed off.

"This is different!" Rex insisted. "There may be Minifigs on that barge, other Dino Attack agents for all we know! We have to go rescue them!"

I-7477 frowned, which was impressive for someone with only a skull for a face. "I'm not disobeying orders," the Ice Drone replied, "and as I said before, that barge might be swarming with Mutant Lizards."

"That will be no problem!" Rex insisted. "What, do you think we're unarmed?"

I-7477 glanced at Rex, then gazed at Greybeard, then looked down at its own hands. "Well... I'd say none of us are holding weapons right now, so we're unnamed..."

"That's it..." muttered Rex. He walked out of the cockpit and made his way for the middle section of the T-1 Typhoon, where there was a boom crane, some rope, and a winch. He reached into a compartment and took out a crossbow donated by the Royal Knights when the Mutant Dino invasion initially began. Back then, it seemed silly to use crossbows when there were more advanced weapons like the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher and Cosmotronic Ray. However, just in case, Dino Attack Team kept the crossbows stored in compartments on the T-1 Typhoons.

Now Rex knew why.

He grabbed the grappling hook attached to the rope in the crane and loaded it into the crossbow. The barge was not too far away, so it might just work... He fired the crossbow, and the grappling hook went flying towards the barge. A trail of rope followed.

It hit! The grappling hook latched onto the railing of the sinking barge! Rex grabbed his binoculars and zoomed in onto the barge. He saw two Minifigs - one was a Dino Attack agent, the other seemed to be the barge's helmsman. The Dino Attack agent began to climb the rope to the T-1 Typhoon, with the helmsman following suit. It soon became clear to Rex that the agent was a better climber, for he reached the T-1 Typhoon much faster. Rex helped the agent get aboard the craft. "There you go," Rex said, nodding.

The agent looked up and smiled at Rex. Rex started for an instant, for the face was familiar, but not one he'd seen in months. "Thanks for that!"

"... H-Hotwire?" stammered Rex. While they had not known each other well, Rex remembered working with Hotwire on a training mission earlier in the Dino Attack. "Is that really you? But I thought that you... the agent database labeled you as 'M.I.A.', and I thought the worst had happened..."

Hotwire grinned. "Yes, that's me. And if it isn't agent Rex? I'm glad to see you again. I've just been out of contact with the team lately... though I did hear that you discovered the origins of the Mutant Dinos?"

Rex nodded. "Yes, I-"

His sentence was broken off by a loud screech. He and Hotwire spun around to face the rope that formed a bridge between the T-1 Typhoon and the barge. The barge pilot was still holding onto the rope, but now there were Mutant Pterosaurs flying all around him! Worse, the mutants seemed to have noticed the T-1 Typhoon as well...

Greybeard wasted no time in ducking into the rear cockpit and powering up the large Sonic Screamers. Meanwhile, Hotwire and Rex looked around desperately for something with which to rescue the barge pilot. As if a lightbulb had gone off over his head, Hotwire suddenly began searching through the compartment from which Rex had taken the crossbow. After a few frenzied seconds, he brought out a laser rifle. Like the crossbows, they were seldom used due to their ineffectiveness against the dinos, but now it might just save Helmutson's skin.

Hotwire sighted down the gun to a spot on the rope well below the helmsman, but the red point of the weak targeting laser danced madly around from the motion of the T-1 Typhoon.

"Hold us steady!" Rex yelled to the Ice Drone pilot.

"A bit easier said than done, considering the circumstances!" retorted I-7477. But somehow, amidst all the attacks by the pterosaurs, he managed to hold the helicopter steady just long enough for Hotwire to pull off one shot. The powerful green beam issuing from the gun barrel crossed the rope, severing it from the barge.

"Now we just reel him in, I suppose," remarked Rex as he hit the switch to raise the crane. Within moments, Bartholomew Helmutson was safe on board.

However, "safe" was a relative term, as they still had the pterosaurs to deal with.

*****

Zyra decided to go out and explore. He walked out of the base. He made a small raft and decided to paddle around in it for a while. But then a storm kicked up. A huge wave destroyed the raft and knocked Zyra overboard. He swallowed a mouthful of water and was sucked under. Then he surfaced. He became unconscious as he was pulled under the sea.

Zyra awoke in the middle of the ocean. He heard a screech. He saw a pterosaur flying around above him, attacking a T-1 Typhoon. He signaled the T-1 Typhoon as it tried to evade the pterosaur.

*****

Within seconds, all the weapons systems were powering up. Shots from the PLARXX radar ray and the quintronic beam emitters sent pterosaurs reeling, while Greybeard, Rex, and Hotwire downed others with sonic screamers and cosmotronic rays.

"If our luck 'olds, we should be able t' git out o' this soon!" Greybeard yelled from the rear cockpit to the Ice Drone pilot. "Bring us higher!"

Just then Hotwire spotted something on the surface of the waves. He zoomed in on it with the binoculars. "It's another agent!" he cried. "Take us back down!"

I-7477 sighed. "Not again..."

The T-1 Typhoon flew came down and a ladder came out. Zyra climbed aboard. He coughed up water. "Thanks," he managed to say as he blacked out.

Soon, the pterosaurs were defeated. Rex rolled up the rope ladder and put it back in the supply compartment. "Things sure would have been easier if I had found that ladder when I was trying to get you two off the barge," he remarked to Hotwire and Helmutson.

"It wouldn't have made much difference, though," replied Helmutson, who was tending to the unconscious agent they had just rescued. "I don't like heights no matter what's holding me up."

Rex looked over the body of the unconscious Dino Attack agent. He did not look familiar... must have been a newer recruit. "We're out in the middle of the ocean," Rex murmured. "Either this fella has been in the water a long time, or he was carried by the right currents."

Hotwire pressed his head against the agent's chest. "Yep, he's breathing," he reported. "Though I think that he might catch a cold or something from having been in that water long enough to get dragged out here..."

Rex reached into a compartment and pulled out a blanket. He lay it on top of the Dino Attack agent. He then turned to look at Hotwire. "Just so you know," Rex explained, "we're heading for the Goo Caverns. Specs and Ogel are trying to get as many Dino Attack agents there as possible to try and reinforce the caverns and rebuild Ogel's base... seems crazy, yes, but if we can rebuild the base, then-"

"-then we can get enough Goo to stop an entire army of Mutant Dinos," finished Hotwire, nodding. "Yes. I'm on the same mission."

"Speaking of which," I-7477 yelled from the cockpit, "from now on, no more stopping! I don't care if you see a dancing cowboy on a raft; we're going straight to the Goo Caverns, no more stopping!"

"What's with the drone?" inquired Helmutson.

"Neither Greybeard nor I knew how to fly a T-1 Typhoon nor how to find the Goo Caverns," replied Rex. "Unfortunately, it seems the Ice Drone that is taking us there received orders from Ogel to get us there without stopping, so our recent stopping to rescue you three has driven him nuts. He's paranoid that Ogel will find out and punish him."

"You obviously don't know Ogel then," muttered I-7477. "Disappoint him the slightest, and you're lucky if he tosses you off a ten-story building! Plus, because we stopped, that enabled those Mutant Pterosaurs to attack!"

At that moment, Greybeard ran out of the rear cockpit. "Th'... th'... th' stern!" he was shouting. Rex, Hotwire, and the helmsman all stared at Greybeard. "Th' stern o' this ship - I dinnae know what th' MegaBlok it actually be called, I be no expert o' 'elicopters! - its propell'r be damaged! One o' them Mutant Pterosaurs hit it w' lightning, an' now it be smokin' an' throwin' sparks, an' looks like it may fall right off th' T-1!"  

Zyra opened his eyes. The crew of the T-1 Typhoon looked panicked. Zyra stood up. "Hello everyone," he said, "I'm Zyra. Who are you? What's happening?"

"No time for introductions yet," said Rex. "We've got big problems with the tail rotor, and if we lose control out here, we're toast."

"Sir!" cried I-7477. "There are some large rocks sticking out of the water a little way ahead! I'll try to set us down there!"

"So much for 'I'm not stopping again until we get to the Goo Caverns'," Hotwire quipped.

The tail rotor was already slowing, and the T-1 Typhoon wobbled frighteningly as the Ice Drone brought it in until it was directly above the rocks. He slowly and carefully lowered, but just then the tail rotor stopped completely. The helicopter began to turn.

"Hold on!" Rex yelled. The T-1 Typhoon wavered, then dropped several more feet. By now, it was spinning considerably faster. Then there was a crunch as the tail slammed into one of the rocks. The drone immediately cut the engine, and the only sound was the beating of the waves on the rocks in between which the T-1 Typhoon was wedged.

Then Hotwire climbed out from the rear cockpit, and walked along the tail. He winced. The end of the tail was smoking, and the rotor was hanging by only a couple of loose bolts. "It'll take me a while to fix," he called back to the others. "The tail itself is pretty dented where it hit the rock, but it's intact. We can probably fly it when the rotor is repaired."

He set to work.

----

Alpha, David, and Zenna went to a high-tech area of LEGO City, where some scientists were adding the finishing touches to their Rocket-Plane.

Zenna walked over to the Control Tower, where Technician Bob was standing in front of a repaired Rocket. "You fixed that?" asked Zenna.

"Yes" replied Bob, "not quite ready for us to start flying to Mars or something just yet, that will take a few more weeks' worth of repairs, but this can make a good transport between different areas for when your business is done here."

As the technician talked, Alpha kept a sharp look-out for any more Mutant Dinos.

"How about we use this to find Zyra?" said David.

"Good idea," replied Zenna. "Let's go!"

"Ok," said David, climbing into the Rocket-Plane.

Technician Bob stood outside, preparing the systems. "This should be useful for testing," he said. "The sooner this is done, the sooner other worlds will be open to us. Even with LEGO Planet under quarantine until the Dino Attack is over, it will be good to get a head-start on reinstating the space program."

"Alright," said Zenna.

"In 3, 2, 1," said Bob, "and we have liftoff!"

The Rocket-Plane took off. David piloted the flying craft towards Zyra's signal.

*****

"I can give you a hand with anything you want," offered Zyra as he jumped out of the T-1 Typhoon and approached Hotwire working.

"No thanks, I'm fine over here," said Hotwire. "What you could do, though, is check the rest of the outside and make sure everything else is in good condition. Only thing is, you'd have to do it pretty quickly - looks like the wind is picking up." It was true; the waves were already getting much larger and more forceful as Zyra walked back towards the body of the T-1 Typhoon. He jumped down onto one of the rocks and began examining the underside of the vehicle.

Suddenly, an unusually large wave struck the T-1 Typhoon, washing inside and catching a crate. Rex tried to grab it as it slid by, but he missed and it washed overboard.

"Leave it," snapped I-7477 as the crate sunk out of sight. "If it were important, it would've been strapped down or stowed somewhere. Besides, I'd be worried about the other two agents outside."

A dripping-wet Zyra then climbed up onto the deck. "I'm a little soggy, but not hurt," he said.

Hotwire walked in through the rear cockpit. "I'm okay too, and I finished the repairs on the tail."

"I've got some bad news, though," said Zyra. "The fuel tank was punctured in the crash; we don't have a single drop of fuel left."

"Fortunately, we have extra fuel pods," I-7477 interjected. "We can weld a patch onto the tank and be on our way again. Let's see, where did they tell me the tank patches were?"

Greybeard spoke up: "I believe they be in th' crate that just washed o'erboard."

The Ice Drone buried his helmeted face in his hands. "Just when I thought this couldn't get any worse!" he cried mournfully.

The Rocket-Plane flew by the T-1 Typhoon, overshooting the crashed helicopter due to its incredible speed.

Rex, Hotwire, Greybeard, Bart Helmutson, Zyra, and I-7477 frantically worked to figure out a solution. A report from Zyra claiming that he saw a rocket-like vehicle was dismissed as simply an illusion, for nobody else saw a rocket. "Plus," Hotwire had pointed out, "if it were a rocket, it would have just sped right past us, and would be miles away before its pilots figured out that they saw us."

"Plus, if it wasn't going that fast, then I doubt it would even have been here in the time that we left," Rex added.

Greybeard and Bart searched the T-1 Typhoon for anything they could use as fuel. The Ice Drone in fact was not being much of a help, because all he was doing sitting on a rock moaning about how he was going to be punished by Ogel when this was all through. He kept muttering about how if they'd never rescued Hotwire, Bart, and Zyra, they wouldn't be in this situation.

"Ye know," Greybeard spoke up, "if we 'ad some divin' equipment, an' one o' us knew how t' dive, then we could possibly retrieve th' fuel crate, assumin' all it did was sink..." The old Pirate realized that the T-1 Typhoon had a crossbow and other miscellaneous equipment in the cargo. Struck by this idea, he began searching for diving equipment.

Rex bit his lip as the wind picked up. A large wave smashed into the rocks, rocking the T-1 Typhoon and everyone inside. "Whatever we're doing," he shouted, "we'd better do it quickly before-"

A massive wave rose from the oceans, even bigger than the one before. It towered above the rocks before crashing down upon them. Zyra, Hotwire, Rex, and I-7477 all jumped inside the helicopter seconds before the water hit. Tons of water hit the rocks and smashed into the T-1 Typhoon. Before they could do anything about it, the wave picked up the helicopter and sent it out to sea.

Rex glanced at Hotwire, Greybeard, Zyra, and the others. He then wondered what would happen first - would the T-1 Typhoon fall to pieces with them inside, or would it sink and drag them down to the depths? And with nobody else around to rescue them. Rex considered the options, then began to devise a plan...

David and Zenna realized that the T-1 Typhoon did not see them. David flew the Rocket-Plane around for another pass, this time coming into full view of them.

David opened the airlock and jumped into the T-1 Typhoon. "I am Professor David Norman," he said before jumping out again into the Rocket, putting a rope on it, climbing on top of the rocket throwing the rope to the T-1 Typhoon.

Despite the fact that a rocket came out of nowhere and another Dino Attack agent hooked up the two vehicles with rope, the T-1 Typhoon was still not faring well. Water was still smashing into it from all sides, and for whatever reason, the rocket was not ascending, so the T-1 Typhoon was still in the ocean.

Rex picked up his radio. "Why aren't you lifting us out of the ocean already?" he yelled a little too loudly into the communication device.

David's voice came back. "The rocket... its engines aren't strong enough to pick up the T-1! You'll need to climb that rope-"

A painful, all-too-familiar screech filled the air. "Guess who's back?" muttered Hotwire. A Mutant Pterosaur swooped in low, its wings crackling with lightning energy. Before anybody could react, it flew between the rocket and the T-1 Typhoon, snapping the ropes that connected the two vehicles. The Rocket-Plane, free from its bounds, went shooting up in altitude, while the T-1 Typhoon rocked and was carried off by the waves.

"Great!" Greybeard complained. "Just great! Things never be this ridiculous... not even that time me ship be under attack by both Kraken an' Sea Serpent!"

"We can share stories later," Rex announced. "But now, we have to act quickly. The Mutant Pterosaur seems to have gone after David and the rocket, so we're going to have to get out of this mess by ourselves. But I have a plan!" He picked up his PDA and accessed the GPS system. His mouth widened into a smile. "Excellent..."

A wave smashed into the T-1 Typhoon, finally breaking a hole into the interior. Water began to seep through. Hotwire was the first to notice, so he began working to create a patch over it. "What's so excellent?" he inquired.

Rex pointed to his PDA. "According to the GPS, there is a land mass nearby... well, by 'nearby', I mean within a few miles."

"A few miles?" groaned Hotwire as water broke its way through a new entrance. There was now about an inch of water on the floor. "We'll all be dead by then! If this thing doesn't fall apart, then it will sink! We might as well start writing our obituaries right now!"

Rex shook his head. He grabbed some of the rope from the boom crane and wrapped it around his waist. He grabbed a helmet with visor off a wall, and removed his own helmet to put it on. Then, Rex grabbed a wrench off the tool rack. "I'm going outside the T-1," he explained, "and close the door behind me. Once you hear me knocking on the door, let me in." Then, with the rope, helmet, and wrench, he opened the airlock of the T-1 Typhoon and went outside to the boom crane.

Following orders, Greybeard shut the airlock. "Crazy young fool," he muttered. "Back in me day, we knew that th' worst time t' go fer a swim be when thar be a hurricane!" He aided Hotwire and Bart Helmutson in trying to patch up the walls to prevent water from coming in. As usual, I-7477 was just sitting on a crate, muttering about how miserable his life had been ever since Alpha Team foiled Ogel's plan back in 2004.

About five minutes later, but it felt like five years, Hotwire heard knocking on the airlock. Cautiously, he opened the airlock, then Rex burst inside, barely holding on to what he was carrying. Every weapon on the T-1 Typhoon - the XL-4 Voltaic Launcher, the PLARXX Radar Ray, the Quintronic Beam Emitters, and the Sonic Screamers. Even more peculiar, Rex took the rope off his waist and instead tied all the weapons together. Then, he ran to the rear cockpit of the T-1 Typhoon. He pushed a button opening the cockpit, then tossed all the weapons out into the sea. They were tied together and to the T-1 Typhoon's boom crane by the rope, so they did not go much farther than what was once the tail rotor.

"What are you doing?" screamed Hotwire in the rain that was now seeping in through the rear cockpit.

"You'll thank me later!" Rex shouted back. He grabbed the handheld laser given to him by Frozeen and aimed at the group of weapons. Before anyone could stop him, he fired. The beam of white-hot light energy hit the nearest Quintronic Beam Emitter, and suddenly the massive weapon exploded, followed by all the other weapons it was tied to. The shockwave of the explosions sent the T-1 Typhoon flying through the air, faster than it had been already going, before smashing back down into the water. A wave picked up the helicopter and threw it again, but this time, the remains of the T-1 Typhoon landed on a sandy beach.

Battered and bruised, Rex climbed out of the wrecked T-1 Typhoon. Hotwire, Greybeard, Bart, and I-7477 all followed suit. "I don't believe it..." smiled Rex. "For once, one of my plans worked!"

"Th' plan be ye blowing up our firearms?" inquired Greybeard.

"I was calculating that the shockwaves of an explosion so near to our T-1 would be strong enough to carry the helicopter to that land mass I saw on the GPS," Rex replied. "My calculations were a little off, but thanks to that wave, we covered that last bit of distance."

Hotwire nodded. "Well, thank Builder for that. But... anyways, just where is 'here'?"

I-7477 took off for inland. Rex and the others pursued, thinking that the Ice Drone was abandoning them. But in fact, once the Ice Drone saw a large shape in the distance, he stopped and, for the first time that night, smiled. "I know where we are..." he whispered before turning to the others. "Welcome... to Ogel's Island!"

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 28: Island Intrusion

----

Zyra inspected the T-1 Typhoon. He wasn't very good with machines but he could tell that it was in bad shape and might take a while to repair. "What are we going to do?" asked Zyra.

Rex frowned. The T-1 Typhoon was in no condition to fly. It wasn't even in good enough condition to serve as a shelter from the rain. Its main propeller was starting to crack. Its windows were shattered, its paint chipping off. Holes, some small and others gaping, covered the helicopter and water leaked in. Its armor was falling to pieces. Its tail was smashed and burnt from the combined forces of wind, water, rocks, and the explosion Rex created. Also thanks to Rex's explosion, the T-1 Typhoon had no weapons whatsoever.

"If we're going to repair this thing," he told Zyra, "then it would take a long time. I don't know how the heck we're supposed to reach the Goo Caverns now."

"Yeah," agreed Hotwire. "After all, we're on Ogel's Island, which is nowhere near the Goo Caverns. Can't even find a good place to sleep."

"We might be able to find shelter in the Ogel Control Center," suggested Zyra, pointing at the large shape in the distance, which I-7477 identified as Ogel Island's main volcano, inside of which was Ogel's most well-known base of operations.

Rex bit his lip. "I don't know about that," he replied. "Even if the lava or the Mutant Dinos haven't gotten to it already, I'm not sure a place filled with Ogel's drones would be considered 'shelter'." He walked away from Zyra, Hotwire, and the T-1 Typhoon, trying to find a good, quiet spot where he could contact help.

First, Rex tried his radio. The only thing he heard was static. No matter how he tried to set the communication device, all he heard was static. Disgusted, he tossed aside the radio.

Then, he picked up his PDA. Remembering Frozeen's PDA frequency, he sent the following message:

AGENT FROZEEN, WE ARE STRANDED ON OGEL ISLAND BECAUSE OUR T-1 TYPHOON IS WRECKED. WE CURRENTLY HAVE NO TRANSPORTATION TO THE GOO CAVERNS. A LITTLE HELP, PLEASE? - AGENT REX

Patiently, Rex waited a few minutes. Then, his PDA began beeping. He grabbed it and read the message now displayed on the screen:

AGENT REX, ARE YOU SURE THAT YOU ARE LEFT WITHOUT TRANSPORTATION? OR ARE YOU JUST AFRAID TO GO INLAND? FIND OGEL'S CONTROL CENTER IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY, AND LOCATE THE TROUBLE TRAIN. ASK YOUR ICE DRONE FOR DIRECTIONS IF YOU NEED THEM - THAT'S WHY WE PUT YOU AND GREYBEARD WITH HIM! THE TROUBLE TRAIN WILL BRING YOU TO THE GOO CAVERNS IN A FEW HOURS. - AGENT FROZEEN

"The 'Trouble Train'?" repeated Rex, confused. "I've never heard of that..."

"Haven't you read any of the Alpha Team Records?" Rex startled at suddenly hearing a voice behind him. He spun around to face I-7477, who said, "Surprising. I thought all Alpha Team agents read the Alpha Team Records... you seem like an Alpha Team agent."

Those words echoed those of agent Rev Raptor many months ago, who thought Rex was from the Alpha Team. Rex frowned and replied, "No, I'm not an Alpha Team agent, and I've never been one, and I probably never will be one. Besides, you shouldn't sneak up on other Minifigs like that... you may get hurt."

The Ice Drone shrugged. "Anyways, the Alpha Team Records are-"

"-records of everything about the Alpha Team and what they know of Ogel," completed Rex. "I'm not an Alpha Team agent, but I at least know what the records are."

"Then I'm surprised that you don't know that when Ogel held numerous Alpha Team agents hostage, Dash, Charge, Radia, and Tee Vee were on this island and snuck aboard the Trouble Train to get to the Goo Caverns, where they rescued Charge and Cam," explained I-7477. "The Trouble Train is a red-black underground monorail train that serves as transportation between Ogel's Island and the Goo Caverns. I'm not sure if it still works, even after the Dino Attack, but if what your Alpha Team agent friend says is true, then you guys better find it."

"What about you?" asked Rex.

I-7477 backed away and smiled nervously. "Me? I'm through with this mission! My orders were to take you to the Goo Caverns. By bringing you guys this far, then directing you to the Trouble Train... I'm sure that counts as taking you to the Goo Caverns. Good luck, I suppose..." With that, the Ice Drone ran off. Rex watched him go, then made his way back to the T-1 Typhoon to tell the others about this.

Zyra heard his PDA beep as it received an incoming message. It read:

AGENT ZYRA, WE ARE FOLLOWING YOUR SIGNAL TO OGEL ISLAND.
- AGENT DAVID

"I just got a message from David," said Zyra, "he's coming here."

"We oughtn't wait around fer 'im too long," said Greybeard, "fer th' tide be comin' in fast." They set off inland. As they walked, Zyra sent a reply to David's message:

WHEN YOU, ALPHA, AND ZENNA ARRIVE, GO INLAND. I'M WITH AGENTS REX, GREYBEARD, AND HOTWIRE, AND WE'LL MEET YOU NEAR OGEL'S OLD CONTROL TOWER.
- ZYRA

Zyra and the others kept walking. Behind him, Zyra could see the tide rising fast.

*****

Zenna ran over to the hatch of the Rocket-Plane to see if she could help them out with anything.

David piloted the Rocket-Plane in a sharp dive before suddenly pulling up, so the Mutant Pterosaur pursuing them went crashing into the sea below them.

Alpha stayed close to everyone else, especially Zenna. He had been with her and Apollo a lot, and now he felt a little safe around her. Alpha looked back at Zyra, who was watching the ocean. "We had better move fast," he said.

David piloted the rocket towards Ogel's Island and prepared to bring it in for a landing. He typed into his PDA:

AGENT ZYRA
WE WILL BE WITH YOU IN TEN MINUTES.
- AGENT DAVID

*****

Zyra sent David back a message:

AGENT DAVID
I RECEIVED YOUR MESSAGE, I WILL TELL THE OTHERS
-AGENT ZYRA

Zyra clicked off his PDA. "David's on his way here, and Zenna and Alpha are with him," he announced. "I said we'd wait for them at Ogel's control tower."

Hotwire turned to Rex as they were walking. "So what exactly is this Dr. Rex guy trying to accomplish with all this?" he asked. "Did he have something to do with ShadowTech?"

"ShadowTech was a joke compared to XERRD," Rex replied. "All ShadowTech did was copy our equipment and terrorize the cities. XERRD is responsible for a worldwide apocalypse."

"But did you ever think there could have been a connection? Maybe-"

At this moment, there was a rumble and a Rocket-Plane soared toward the island and set down a few hundred yards from the wreck of the T-1 Typhoon.

"The cavalry has arrived!" Bart Helmutson called out cheerily.

Rex looked back and watched as the Dino Attack agents climb out of the rocket. David jumped out, followed by Zenna and Alpha. "I guess they got here faster than they expected," he said as the three newcomers jogged across the beach to catch up.

They met with Zyra and the others. "Hello. Well, let's go to this control tower then!" David said.

"Ah, yes," Rex replied. "That would have been our meeting point if you did not arrive so soon. However, now that you're here, we probably don't need to go the control tower. Instead, I suspect we have to go for the basement instead."

"Then why suggest the control tower in the first place?" asked Zenna.

"I didn't suggest it," Rex replied, glancing at Zyra, who sent David the PDA message.

Zyra shrugged. "I supposed that, since it was a tower and that they were in a rocket, it would be a good place for us to meet up, before locating the Trouble Train."

"Well then," said Hotwire, nodding. "Let us continue." With that, the group of Dino Attack agents made their way inland, towards the volcano. Inside was the Ogel Control Center, and the top of the tallest tower - Ogel's control tower - emerged from the volcano's mouth. Only one thing separated the Dino Attack agents from their destination...

A massive swamp-filled jungle. Most likely swarming with Mutant Dinos.

"I have had experience with jungles," said David.

"How long do you think it will take to cross the jungle?" asked Zyra.

David surveyed the jungle. "Probably a couple of hours, if we don't run into any obstacles."

"Aye, but th' jungle itself be an obstacle," Greybeard pointed out wryly.

"I meant things like huge snakes, patrolling drones, or mutant dinos," said David.

"Actually," Rex cut in, "Ogel is supporting Dino Attack for the time being, so drones might not be so much a problem, if we can explain the situation."

Bart Helmutson suddenly looked nervous. "D-did you say... giant snakes?" he asked, quivering in his boots.

"Ye be an odd one, matey," remarked Greybeard. "Afraid o' snakes an' heights, but precious little else, aye?"

"Maybe you watched Snakes On A Plane one too many times, eh Helmie?" quipped Hotwire.

"No, once was more than enough," Helmie said, shuddering.

"We do not need to worry about snakes," said David, pulling out his flashlight. "With this torch, they will want to get away!" Helmutson gave a sigh of relief.

"It's not snakes we have to worry about so much as dinos," Rex pointed out. He suddenly regretted blowing up all the weapons; all they had between them was Greybeard's cutlass, and the laser rifle Hotwire had used to save Helmie, which Hotwire still had with him. "Were there any weapons on the rocket besides that flashlight?" he asked David.

"I think so," David replied. He and Alpha ran back to the rocket and returned in a few minutes with two small sonic screamers and a cosmotronic ray.

Alpha saw Zenna speed ahead of the other agents. He turned to David and asked, "What do you think we'll encounter?"

David got out his telescope and looked at the jungle. "Well, 20 snakes at least, probably 10 Dinos, Also I think we will run into Drones. We do not need to worry about them," he replied.

David typed into his PDA:

AGENT ZENNA
WHERE ARE YOU?
-AGENT DAVID

*****

Zenna walked along the rocky shores. Soon, Ogel's base was in sight in the distance. Apparently, she had a good head start of the other agents. She began traveling through the dark and stormy land.

Zenna continued along the rocky shore. She could see Ogel's base and was getting closer, though it was also too dark and stormy. She needed to find some shelter fast.

Zenna suddenly got a message. She sent a reply: "I got separated and missed the intended anchor point, but I think I'm actually ahead of you."

Zenna was closer to Ogel's base. She was so close, just a little farther. It was the only shelter available. She ran towards it.

Alpha decided to catch up with Zenna. He ran full speed ahead of David. In a few minutes, he was beside Zenna. He turned to her. "We had better be on the lookout for any Drones!" he yelled over the wind.

----

Once landed, Reptile stepped out. The cockpit hatches opened, and the pirate Coral and the Dino Attack agent Tail stepped out as well. They headed to the Trident submarine, which had just surfaced and landed on the beach as well.

The Aqua Raider Commander Coffee stepped out. "Why didn't you let us finish that monstrosity?" growled Coffee.

Reptile shook his head. "That was the whole point. It was strange, I was ordered to capture it. If you have a problem, you can take it up with Dino Attack Headquarters, and indirectly Alpha Team Headquarters. Your lot of underwater pirates can't just go around doing whatever it wants!" The words erupted from Reptile, even as he tried to stop them. He breathed deeply, and calmed down. "Sorry. Now what did you have to share?"

He listened to Coffee report on the happenings around Ogel's Island. Reptile nodded, and asked him how he knew this. Coffee replied that an Aqua Raider ship had surfaced near Ogel's Island to neutralize a Mutant Mosasaur that might have made a beeline for the underwater base. That was when it detected what was going on. Reptile nodded.

"Tail, Coral, get bac..." he began. However, looking around, he saw that Coral was not there. Frowning, he typed a message into his PDA unit.

Reptile to all Vikings Isle forces. Provisionary Agent Coral is missing, he may have attempted treason or been captured by a Dinosaur. If seeing him, apprehend/rescue him immediately.

He began again. "Okay, then... I guess I'll fly. Tail, get into the other cockpit. We're heading for Ogel's Island."

The T-1 Typhoon under the command of Reptile was hurtling at maximum speeds for the Goo Caverns. He needed to replenish his stock of spheres anyway, so it would apprehend two lizards with one stasis capsule. Reptile checked his calculations for a new project he was working on. It would mean expanding the internal core volume of his T-1 Typhoon by 5%, but he could do that in two seconds onboard. And there were certainly plenty of spare parts...

Nearly twenty minutes later, the small hybrid version of a Street Sprinter was completed. Only, this was more armored and had more weapons. It was 10% smaller but 20% stronger than the ordinary Street Sprinter. Reptile smiled, and headed back into the cockpit.

----

"What on Earth?!" David said as Alpha ran past him. "Guys, we need to stick together!"

Rex quickened his walk. "We'd better catch up to them. In a jungle like this, large groups are safer."

Suddenly, they heard a tree branch crack a little way ahead, and then a cry.

"That sounded like Zenna!" David exclaimed. The group started running through the trees. Rex and Hotwire were in the lead, with Zyra and David close behind.  Greybeard had fallen back while trying exasperatedly to get a panting and breathless Helmie to run faster.

They burst into the clearing to see Zenna lying semiconscious on the ground and Alpha backed up against a tree. He was in this awkward position because a minifig with its back to the others had a Sea Drone's spear pointed at his neck. "Funny thing, being threatened with your own weapon, hm?" the minifig was saying. Hotwire pulled out the laser rifle and pointed it at the minifig.

Alpha grinned. "Looks like the cavalry rode to the rescue!"

The minifig spun around. Hotwire's eyes widened in shock, and he lowered his weapon. "Kat?!"

"Kat? What on Earth?" said David.

The minifig turned to David with slight smirk on her face. "Yes, I'm Kat, and yes, I'm on Earth." She turned to Hotwire and asked, "New crowd?"

"Yeah," said Hotwire. "Kotua and Slash have disappeared, but fortunately ShadowTech has been taken out."

"That's a relief," said Kat. "They were the ones who put me here in the first place; they figured between the dinos, Ogel's drones, and the jungle itself, I wouldn't last. Incidentally, sorry about your two friends. I assumed they were drones in disguise - the drones have been using all sorts of tricks to capture me." She dropped the spear and helped Zenna to her feet.

"Well, that shouldn't be a problem anymore," Rex put in. "Ogel is working with Dino Attack for the time being."

"Are you sure he isn't a drone?" Kat asked Hotwire.

"No, I'm actually a dinosaur," Rex said. He laughed when he saw the confusion on Kat's face. "It's a long story."

Zenna got up painfully. "Ah, good to see you guys," she said. "We got a bit of a headstart."

----

Coral fired his stolen laser at a Viking guarding one of the Skr-Ok docks that had been liberated. He fell, and Coral aimed at the other one. "All of you... you're just a fancier type of pirate, aren't you? What is this clan of yours giving you to do their work for them? If you work for me... my crew always gets a cut of the profits of my raids," Coral said. He continued to talk about how piracy was much more rewarding than doing evil things. You could do both at the same time, as well as good things. Coral continued to talk, and then he began by giving each member of his new crew some of the massive reward he had received following the last mission he was on.

Coral stepped onboard a Viking boat, which had been refitted with modern weapons above the oar lines, and more modern ship-building tactics. It did not take long to make this ship look like one of his old Pirate ships again. He figured that this way, he could earn some money, help Dino Attack (he couldn't do it from the air, but on a ship he could), and get back into piracy when the Mutant Dino crisis ended. Chuckling, he gave orders.

Coral's raider reached Pirates Forbidden Island, where it laid down dock. Coral, surrounded by Viking guards, emerged carefully and looked around. Now, if I remember correctly, the main docks and fortifications were right here... he thought, and there they were. Most of them were ruined, but Dino Attack had deployed several Fire Hammers here via airship that had guarded five of the larger ships in dock.

One of them was a Renegade Runner, and Coral chuckled mirthlessly. It belonged to one of his pirate enemies, Brickblade, whose preferred weapon was, of course, a brick. Brickblade had three smaller ships under the command of this one. Raiding it couldn't hurt.

"Men. Salvage that ship there for parts and install them on our ship. Move!" Coral snapped.

----

"Come on," said Zenna, "Ogel's base isn't far from here; we should be able to take shelter from this stormy climate there."

Rex looked out through the canopy of the trees. Indeed, he saw that the volcano was much closer than it was before, though probably still an hour's walk away. "She's right," said Rex, nodding. "If we keep going, we can get there before we hit any more trouble."

He couldn't help but glance at Kat, who just a moment ago had beaten Zenna down and had Alpha backed against a tree. Ever since the joke about the dinosaur, he noticed Kat had been staring at him oddly, with a bit of suspicion in her eyes. When she inquired as to what his "long story" was, he decided against it, because it truly was a long story, one that was near unbelievable, and one that wasn't really important now. Furthermore, while he had never personally known Kat, he could not shake the feeling that he had seen her before… or maybe he knew someone related to her, like her brother…

"Th' sooner, th' better," grumbled Greybeard, who was catching his breath. "I be gettin' in me years. I ne'er be fond o' travelin' on land, especially in rain, or in jungles... What I really want right now be a roof o'er me head an' a nice, warm, cozy fire burnin' in th' fireplace..."

As if in answer, the group suddenly was hit by a wave of heat. Several trees were ablaze. The flames licked at neighboring trees, threatening to set them on fire as well. Yellow liquid was sprayed through the air towards the Dino Attack agents. They scattered as the acid hit the ground, burning the grass and eating away at the soil.

Rex nodded at Hotwire, and they each grabbed a Sonic Screamer. David waved his flashlight madly.  Greybeard loaded his handy flintlock pistol. Kat tightened her grip on the Sea Drone Spear. Zenna, Alpha, and Bart "Helmie" Helmutson all tried to grab the Cosmotronic Ray at once; Alpha was the quickest, so Zenna and Helmie only grabbed sticks which they lit with the burning trees.

The first to spring forward was an orange-skinned Mutant Lizard, who snapped at the agents before unleashing another fire blast. The Dino Attack agents dodged the flames.  Greybeard opened fire, and although his pistol was old-fashioned, the bullets wounded the creature's leg.

Then, a yellow-skinned Mutant Lizard emerged from the trees, acid dripping from its toothy maw. Helmie waved his lit branch at the mutant, whose response was spitting at the helmsman. Helmie dodged, but the acid hit Rex's Sonic Screamer, which dissolved like butter. Another fire blast from the orange-skinned Mutant Lizard encased the Dino Attack agents in a wall of flame, surrounding them and closing in upon them.

"You just had to mention the nice, warm, cozy fire..." muttered Hotwire.

Zenna looked around. She had to figure out a way out of the flames. She noticed a small opening that was quickly being narrowed by flames. She ran through it just as it started to close.

"What the-?" Rex cried. "Zenna, don't!" But it was too late. Zenna dived through a small opening in the flames just as it closed. Either she was caught in the flames as they closed, or else she was trapped outside the wall of flames... with a couple of angry Mutant Lizards.

"I've got to get help," Zenna said, looking back at the flames. She had to find a way to put them out, fast.

"Your 'friend' isn't particularly helpful," muttered Kat. "At her first opportunity, she abandoned us to die, and is probably roasted by those flames, or by the lizard who made them. She isn't even bothering to turn back and help us!"

David gave a sharp look at Kat. "If you knew her, you wouldn't say that. Of course she wouldn't leave us to die. I don't know what's gotten into some of you. Alpha managed to run more than is possible, 'Helmie' is afraid of snakes, and Kat is… is… is… a bully!" he managed to say. "I would rather be a Dino like Rex, or even an Ice Drone, than be stuck with them all my life!"

"Well then," Rex replied, scooping up handfuls of the soggy dirt that they stood on, "we have to help ourselves." He began tossing the clumps of soil at the fire wall. Beside him, Hotwire and Greybeard began following suit. Alpha held tightly onto his Cosmotronic Ray, knowing that as soon as the fire was put out, they'd need to deal with the two Mutant Lizards.

"If we are going to get any help," Helmutson said, "then let's hope that it comes soon! A T-1 Typhoon would be nice right about now. Or maybe even just a normal fire engine. Remember those? They used to be all over LEGO City before the Dino Attack-"

Helmie never finished his statement. Rex caught a glimpse of a whitish orb flying towards them. It seemed strangely familiar somehow. It hit the flames, and instantly the fire turned to ice. Through the frozen flames, Rex could vaguely see a Scorpion Orb Launcher and two Snow Crawlers moving towards them.

Rex watched as the Scorpion Orb Launcher and the Snow Crawlers began firing more of those orbs at some of the trees that were on fire. Kat jabbed forward with the Sea Drone Spear, and the ice wall that surrounded the agents shattered, freeing them once more. Zenna was nowhere to be seen, and the two Mutant Lizards had their attention on the insectoid vehicles.

The fire-breathing Lizard blasted more flames at the Scorpion Orb Launcher, but the fire was neutralized into ice by another one of those orbs. A second orb hit the Mutant Lizard, freezing it in a block of ice.

The acid-spitting Lizard spat its acid at the cockpit of one Snow Crawler. It burned right through the Ice Drone pilot and through the controls. More acid hit the vehicle's legs, rendering the Snow Crawler unable to move. The Mutant Lizard repeated this attack on the second Snow Crawler, killing the drone and disabling the vehicle.

The Scorpion Orb Launcher turned around and grabbed the Mutant Lizard with its stinger. It raised the mutant high in the air, before suddenly flinging it back towards the earth. Stunned, the Mutant Lizard could not dodge as the Scorpion Orb Launcher picked it up again and flung it back down. They heard a sharp crack!, the Mutant Lizard screamed in pain, but its spinal cord had shattered, its arms, legs, and tail rendered unable to move. With that, a final orb froze the Mutant Lizard, ensuring a quiet, easy death for the paralyzed creature.

Rex, Hotwire, and the others were about to leave when they realized that the Scorpion Orb Launcher grabbed another white orb and was aiming at them. "Who are you?" spoke the Ice Drone in the cockpit. "What is your business here on this island? You have three seconds to answer, before you end up just like these lizards!"

"We are Dino Attack agents," David replied quickly. "Ogel has given us permission to travel to the Goo Caverns."

Fortunately, the Scorpion Orb Launcher put away the Ice Orb. The Ice Drone replied, "You can pass."

"That was close," said Zenna, stepping out from behind a tree near the Scorpion Orb Launcher.

"Oh yeah, by the way, Kat just insulted you about a minute ago," said David.

"Excuse me?" snapped Kat indignantly. "I think, considering I've been marooned in a Builder-forsaken jungle for two months by the remnants of a shady, terroristic organization with mutants and hundreds of drones trying to grind me into the dirt, I just might possibly have an excuse to be a bit high-strung!"

David stepped forward, clenching his fists when Rex walked in between them. "Both of you, calm down! This sort of bickering will get us nowhere!" declared Rex.

Kat relaxed a bit but continued to glare daggers at David, who turned his back and walked back over to where Zenna, Alpha, and Zyra were resting.

"Alpha, how did you run so fast?" asked David.

Alpha replied, "Well, David, it is a long story, but I will tell the short version. Before the Dino Attack, I was a marathon runner. I would train by running every day, every year." Then, in a quieter voice, he added: "That was before I met Dr. Tasp, about a year ago. He offered to let me take part in an experimental drug trial that would enhance my peak physical performance. I did not think of it as cheating at the time, but… well, it is probably for the best if word does not get out about it. At the very least, I won't be taking part in the Olympics if they ever come back. But now, when the Dino Attack started happening, the entire population of minifigs moved to Antarctica. Then I decided to join Dino Attack Agency, to use my speed for defeating dinosaurs. Hope that answers your question, David!"

"Indeed," said David. "I worked in a mutation lab, owned by the British Army. Promise you won't tell. I made a 'juice' that could put people to sleep in a flash."

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with me," Alpha reassured David. "Now, where's Zenna?"

"I think Zenna is over there," said David.

Zenna stumbled along the rocky and stormy terrain, Ogel's base was close, but she couldn't go any farther and collapsed from exhaustion. Zenna thought she could see David. She smiled and tried to get up, but she was too exhausted and soon passed out.

David soon found Zenna. "She has passed out!" he said.

Alpha helped David carry Zenna to a rock shelter. "She'll be safe here until she's conscious again," Alpha told David.

"Now, we have to wait," replied David.

They didn't have to wait long. Soon Rex, Hotwire, Zyra, Kat, and Helmie reached the clearing. Kat walked over to where David was sitting.

"Sorry for flying off the handle earlier. I'm still just sorta high-strung after not having any contact with people for months. No hard feelings?" She extended her hand, and David shook it.

"I understand," said David. Zenna recovered soon and the group continued.

One hour later, they finally reached the base of the volcano. The group of Dino Attack agents were finally out of the jungle and had reached the volcano's foothills. "So, where exactly is the Trouble Train?" asked David.

*****

Reptile ran a radar sweep of the region around Ogel's Island to confirm it was okay, and detected both Mutant activity and Drone activity. However, two Pteranodons flew out from the clouds, discharging lightning bolts at the T-1 Typhoon. The ship rocked as Reptile brought it around and lined up the forward Voltaic Cannon and anti-Pteranodon weapons. In the other cockpit, Tail pressed down hard as soon as the barrels lined up, and the two Pteranodons hurtled downwards, crashing into Ogel's Island below.

Reptile brought his T-1 Typhoon closer to the volcano of Ogel's Island. Since that Mutant Pterosaur encounter, he'd not had any more trouble. Everything was going fine, and he saw a helicopter landing pad right next to the volcano.

Reptile frowned. There were two turrets on either side of the landing pad, presumably set up to keep away Alpha Team agents and, later, Mutant Dinos. That's not what bugged him; it was that the turrets were aiming at him. What was going on? Wasn't Ogel on Dino Attack's side now? Rex picked up his radio and tuned in to the frequency that he knew most of Ogel's drones used. "This is Dino Attack Agent Reptile, requesting permission to land, I'm on a mission sent by Ogel and Specs to secure the Goo Caverns."

He heard static, and then a drone's voice: "Well, I don't know what you're doing here! You do not have permission to land! Begone, or we'll shoot you down!"

"I repeat, I'm from the Dino Attack Team, we're... teamed up with... Ogel!" Reptile spoke into the radio, still having trouble accepting that Ogel was on the Dino Attack team's side.

"Last chance, I'm warning you!" the drone on the other line replied.

"I've no time for this!" shouted Reptile. "We have to land there! It's a top-priority mission from Ogel to secure the Goo Caverns! We're getting rid of the Mutant Dinos there and helping rebuild your base!"

"Don't say I didn't warn you..." the drone whispered.

There came shots from the turret. Reptile cursed and swerved the T-1 Typhoon out of the way. It just barely made the maneuver in time. The blasts went right by the massive helicopter, but they were close enough for Reptile to realize they were missiles. Clenching his teeth, he didn't wait for the missiles to turn around as well. He put the T-1 Typhoon on full speed towards the volcano, in an attempt to get away from the missiles. He heard static on the radio, then the voices of two drones muttering to each other.

"Why did you fire at the helicopter?"
"It's a trick! That's an enemy helicopter!"
"You moron! That was a Dino Attack helicopter, a T-1 Typhoon!"
"Wait, what?"
"That's right, you just shot missiles at an ally!"
"He didn't say he was from Dino Attack..."
"Yes, he did! Now, give him permission to land already!"
"Oh, sorry! Sorry, Dino Attack Agent, once you get away from those missiles, you have permission to-"

Reptile did not hear the last word of the sentence directed to him. An explosion cut it off. Reptile thought for a moment that the explosion was at the helicopter landing pad, but then Tail ran up to him and quickly explained that the missiles hit the tail rotor. "Remind me to tell Ogel to fire that drone," Reptile grumbled as the helicopter drew closer and closer to the volcano that which he was heading for...

*****

"What do you mean, 'where exactly is the Trouble Train?'" asked Rex.

"Well," replied David, "we're here, at the base, so where is it?"

Rex resisted the urge to give himself a facepalm. "When I said that we could reach the Trouble Train from the base at the volcano," he explained, "I was talking about Ogel's base, inside the volcano. I did not mean the base of the volcano, as in the foothills, where we are right now!"

"Next time," muttered David, "word your statements a bit better." Rex sighed and rubbed his forehead.

Seconds later, a T-1 Typhoon came down. Its side smashed against the volcano's side, and the main rotor went flying off. The entire mountain shook from the impact, and the sound of the crash was as loud as a thunderclap. However, after that, the T-1 was still. Two Dino Attack agents popped out of the wreckage. Obviously, the crash-landing was not bad enough to kill anyone inside.

They were at least a hundred feet up. Rex and his group were still at the foothills. Rex traded glances with his teammates and inquired, "Does anyone have any climbing gear?" When they didn't respond, Rex's face was grim. "I didn't think so. If this is your first time climbing a mountain... be very, very careful."

"Where be we 'eaded?" asked Greybeard.

Rex pointed to the crashed T-1 Typhoon. "First, we've got to get up there and meet up with those agents. Then, we start scaling the volcano until we reach what Frozeen described as a large skull. That skull is actually a security door, and when open, it will let us through to Ogel's Control Center inside. After that, we must find the Trouble Train in the lower levels of the base. Unfortunately, this plan leaves three problems. We don't know how to reach the Trouble Train once inside... and we don't know how to open the security door once we reach it... and we must climb to a helicopter and then to a security door without any climbing gear."

"No climbing gear?" spoke up Hotwire. "I don't have any with me, but I suspect that once we reach the wrecked T-1, we can salvage some parts and make an easier way to scale the volcano."

*****

Reptile swore as he jumped out of the wreckage of his T-1 Typhoon. It probably could be salvaged, but they had an objective; reach the skull gate. Intelligence files from Alpha Team given to him by Magma the last time they met told him the layout of the skull gate area. Hopefully, the smarter Drone up in the base would have deactivated any other traps.

He picked up a pair of field viewfinders and pressed a button. Immediately, he could see the party down below; a number of Dino Attack agents and other allies. He focused his view on Rex, who was leading them, and then picked up something else. A PDA. It was still working. He sent a message, checking the small vehicle he had assembled as he did so.

AGENT REX AND CO., THIS IS AGENTS REPTILE AND TAIL. CAN YOU REACH OUR CURRENT POSITION? WE HAVE SOME EXTRA CLIMBING EQUIPMENT IN STORAGE. WE WILL PREPARE TO SEND IT DOWN. WATCH OUT.

He sent it and then loaded whatever could fit into the box. There was a lot more stuff that would be usable in the future, but it didn't fit.

Reptile had intended this vehicle to be able to survive a direct blast from a Raptor. There was no question it could survive the small journey down the mountain. A shame to waste it, but whatever. Reptile pressed a switch on one of the functioning panels, and it took off... right off the edge. He was suddenly uncertain if it would make it...

His question was answered when he looked with the viewfinder again. The vehicle had shattered against the ground, but the armored carapace remained intact. Unfortunately, the landing had the unfortunate effect of throwing all four cargo crates into the air. They smashed into the ground, and everything scattered. He frowned.

"I really need to add airbags to the design next time..." Reptile muttered.

*****

Alpha looked up the mountainside, and gulped. David was deep in thought, supposedly calculating, and Zyra was thinking right along with him. Zenna was doing okay ever since she passed out, but was still a little woozy. Rex was receiving a call from agent Reptile.

"I'll be back in a bit. Zyra, come with me," said David. A few minutes later, they returned.

David held a wooden grapple. He put a tiny bit of liquid on it and the back of the rope it was attached to. He looked carefully at the top of the mountain. If he saw right, there was a bit of metal that would magnetize to the liquid. He threw it at the top. To everyone's amazement, it shot up. David got some more rope and put liquid on that. He threw it upward. It magnetized on to the other rope.

"Now, let's hope we have enough rope," said David.

"That's impressive, David, but what if the rope breaks while we're climbing?" Alpha asked.

"We do it one at a time," replied David. He started to climb. It was then that David saw what the gear was. Climbing Gear! "To speed things up, you could put on the climbing gear."

Zyra noticed the climbing gear as well. He started going through it all. Alpha watched as David and Zyra dug through the climbing gear. Zyra put on some climbing gear and threw up a grapple that caught on a tree. Zyra began climbing the rope.

David started to climb up the mountain and checked his rope strength. He was about 20 feet off the ground when the rope became brittle, and David had to go up very slowly.

I must make it to that ledge. David was now 30 feet off the ground when his senses started to fail. I must do it! David was passing out but he made it somehow, then passing out. The others were so engrossed in putting the climbing gear on that they didn't see David pass out, or the drone vehicle that picked him up…

Zyra began to pull himself up the rope. He tried not to think about breaking his neck as he climbed. Eventually, he reached the last three feet. He put his arm up to grab on but slipped; he managed to catch himself just in time. With a sigh, he continued up the rope, where he collapsed at the top.

Alpha was around the middle of the climb, and started to see the top. "Come on," he said to himself. With a great push, he got himself to the top behind Zyra. Alpha decided to take a break.

"Hey," said Zyra as Alpha came over the top. Then Zyra stood up and tried to walk, but he collapsed from the climb.

David woke up, and was shocked as he was taken up to the top of the mountain in the drone's vehicle. "HEEEEELP!" he shouted at the top of his voice.

Zyra and Alpha didn't see the drone vehicle approach until it picked them up. Zyra shouted in surprise and then he fainted from exhaustion.

"Zyra, are you alright?" said David before he noticed that Zyra had passed out.

Zyra opened his eyes. "Yeah, I think I'm okay now," he said. "Where are we?"

"We're in a drone vehicle!" said David.

The vehicle reached the top of the mountain. A Skeleton Drone approached them. "You, come with me!" it said.

Alpha, David and Zyra followed the drone. "Where are we going?" asked Zyra.

*****

Unlike David, Zyra, and Alpha, Rex did not trust the rope system David had made out of many pieces of rope and some strange magnetic liquid. He was sure from his rope-climbing skills that it was not going to be easy to climb a mountain just by climbing a very long rope. In addition, he did not know what fluid David used, so if its magnetic effect wore off, anyone hanging onto the rope was doomed.

So, therefore, Rex had gathered supplies from several wrecked crates that Reptile, who turned out to be one of the T-1 Typhoon riders, had sent down the volcano. It wasn't much, but with the rope, tools, and LEGO bricks he salvaged, he managed to create some old-fashioned climbing gear, enough for two.  Greybeard immediately declared himself to be the second Minifig to use the climbing gear, proclaiming himself a senior citizen who should have rights that younger people (such as Hotwire, Kat, or Helmie) should not.

It had taken some time, but Rex and Greybeard had eventually climbed up to the T-1 Typhoon wreck, where they met up with Reptile and Tail. They worked together to salvage more materials from the T-1 Typhoon that Reptile and Tail could use to climb the mountain. Working together to help out Reptile and Tail, who did not have orthodox climbing equipment (due to having sent all of that down the mountain already), the four agents slowly but surely scaled the volcano.

Their destination was not the summit, but just a little farther down from it, where Tail said there was a large reading of metal. There turned out to be a small ledge, and on the ledge, built into the side of the volcano, was a massive iron door shaped like a skull. Rex knew this was the way to get inside the Ogel Control Center, but how would they open the door?

Reptile held one of his beloved scanners. They had been mostly smashed, but this one was still functioning. He pressed a button, and it made some beeping noises and then showed an image of the gate entrance. He frowned. Ogel had designed his gates to be impregnable. Obviously, when his master plans collapsed all around his ego, he wanted to avoid being stormed by a mob: the traditional end for an evil villain who created hordes of zombies.

"I don't think we can get in by force. Unless someone has a miniaturized Iron Predator in their pocket..." he muttered as he scanned the mineral composition of the gate. As he suspected, it had been recently reconstructed after Alpha Team attacks. He tried to think like Ogel. You were locked out of your base when it was placed on high combat alert, with orders to shoot anything it saw. How would you get in?

Perhaps, if he had a functioning communicator, by threatening the drones on the inside? Reptile began to disassemble one of the broken scanning units for parts.

*****

David, Zyra, and Alpha followed the Skeleton Drone towards the gate. They were just at the top of the volcano.

The Skeleton Drone ordered them to wait outside as it opened the gate. Alpha didn't know if the Drone was going to let them in or lock them out. "Got any more of that magnetic liquid?" he whispered. David did, and he handed it over to Alpha. Alpha focused and then dove forward at full speed. He made it through to the other side of the gate just before it shut. He found that it was locked, and unlocked it using the magnetic liquid.

Zyra was shocked as the gate opened again, and he stepped into the Ogel Control Center. "Woah," said Zyra, "nice quick thinking!"

However, the Skeleton Drone was not so pleased. It pulled out a laser gun and pointed it at the Dino Attack agents. "I told you to wait outside!" it declared.

"Ah-ha!" said David as he and Zyra got pushed aside by Alpha, just before the Drone fired. However, he dropped his container of magnetic liquid during the scuffle. When it made contact with the laser beam, it exploded after about 5 seconds, making a large hole in the floor that they fell through.

"Why am I always part of something like this?" moaned Zyra. He looked upwards at the hole entrance. "Hello?" he called.

There was no answer. Zyra turned to David and Alpha. "Well, it looks like we're stuck here… for now, at least," said David. "How about we dig to the Trouble Train?"

*****

Rex heard beeping on his PDA. He discovered it was a message from Zyra, informing them of their current predicament. Rex frowned, and was about to send back a message to advise them to stay calm until they could be rescued, but just then his PDA beeped again - this time, because of low power. Seconds later, the PDA's screen turned black.

Greybeard watched with interest as Reptile disassembled one of his scanning devices. Being a Pirate, used to vehicles and technology from the nineteenth century (although, twenty years ago, he had a few run-ins with some Minifigs who called themselves Time Cruisers from seven years in the future, which nowadays would have been twelve years ago), he was not very good with modern technology, and could only marvel at how Reptile worked, as though disassembling scanners was Reptile's second language.

Not one of the Minifigs had noticed that a small red-black hovercraft, piloted by two Sea Drones, was making its way towards them.

Reptile looked at his device, and nodded. It was ready. He just needed to connect the power from the dead communicator... and groaned. The power chip was a cube. The entrance hole was a circle. After sixty years, we can't fix this problem? he thought to himself in anger.

Looking at what he had left... well, he took a knife and slashed the power plug in cover off, and lifted the wire beneath it. He connected the wire to the cube's protruding power cables, and there was a flash. The communicator/scanner/welding tool/piece of junk glowed. It was active. He pressed a button, and broadcast a signal to the command base.

"Ogel Control Center, this is Dino Attack outside. We have no way of gaining entrance to your base. Please open door."

Unfortunately, through the communicator, it came out as, "Ogel… Dino Attack... trapped outside... gaining entrance... base... door."

*****

Hotwire, Kat, and Helmie had fallen behind the others. Helmie's eyes were squeezed shut and his hands were clamped so tightly around the rope that they were turning white.

"Just think of it this way," Kat encouraged him. "You're technically still on the ground."

Helmie just groaned.

Hotwire looked up and saw a red and black hovercraft gliding towards the others, who were about seventy feet ahead/above them. "Maybe we could hitch a ride," he said sarcastically.

Helmie groaned again, pried open his eyes a crack, looked up, looked down, and passed out. Fortunately, he still had a death grip on the rope.

*****

Zyra kept trying his PDA, he sent another message to Rex but didn't get a reply. Then he sent three more but still he didn't get a reply.

"I sent Rex four messages on my PDA but I still haven't gotten a reply," said Zyra.

"Let me help you, perhaps there is something wrong with it," said David. Zyra and David checked it. Then David tried to send a message to Rex on his PDA but didn't get a reply.

"Maybe something happened to him," said Zyra.

Alpha could see that they were in a pickle. He walked around the bottom of the hole. Suddenly he felt loose dirt. He pushed it and it fell away revealing a tunnel. "Uh, guys? I think we just found a way out!" he called to Zyra and David.

Zyra looked down the tunnel. "Anyone got a torch or something? It looks pretty dark down there," he said.

"I have," said David, pulling out his flashlight.

The group continued down the tunnel. It was pitch dark except for David's light. There were too many unknown noises around them for Alpha's benefit. His mind raced about huge monsters waiting for the group to come near enough so that it could pounce.

"If this tunnel goes on for too long, we'll have to turn back," said Zyra. He squinted as he tried to see into the darkness far ahead of him.

David walked on. He looked really hard. Nothing. He came to a halt. "Did you hear something?" he asked, quite shocked.

"I don't think so," said Zyra. "What about you, Alpha?" He turned towards Alpha. He could barely see anything in the darkness.

"Nope, still nothing," Alpha replied.

"This tunnel goes on forever," moaned Zyra.

They continued on, eventually reaching a fork in the tunnel. "Uh-oh, which of the two should we take?" asked Zyra.

"I say we go right," Alpha said.

"Why?" asked Zyra.

"Because we hardly ever go right," Alpha replied.

"Okay then," agreed Zyra.

*****

With some difficulty, Hotwire and Kat half-coaxed, half-dragged Helmie up the mountain. They got to the summit, rejoining Rex, Greybeard, and Reptile in front of a large skull-shaped gate. The hovercraft reached them at the same time.

Reptile turned to see Hotwire and his friends and then was surprised to see two Sea Drones getting off the hovercraft. They raised their spears and pointed them at the Dino Attack team. Reptile sighed in annoyance.

"Let's not go through this again, okay? We're Dino Attack - not Alpha Team - and we're here because the Dino Attack team signed an alliance with Ogel. Right?" snapped Reptile irritably. When you just had your T-1 Typhoon shot down by drones who were supposed to be your allies, you tend to get a little annoyed at them.

The Drone regarded Reptile suspiciously. "We were sent to investigate that T-1 crash. Do you know how it happened?" he asked.

Reptile almost exploded. "Yes! You shot down my helicopter before giving me permission to land. Not very nice? And then you act as if you don't know this?" he snapped. "Now let us in already!"

The two Sea Drones traded glances. "Really?" one murmured. "It was a T-1 Typhoon that was shot down? I did not know that..."

Rex immediately grabbed Reptile's wrist before the latter could charge at the drones. "Once again," Rex said in a passive voice, "the Dino Attack team is currently an ally of Ogel, and we need to get inside the Ogel Control Center. Open the Security Door, now."

"Well, frankly-" the other Sea Drone began to speak, Greybeard gave up trying to peaceful negotiations.

The old pirate grabbed a pistol and pointed it at the Sea Drone's helmet. "Open th' bloody door!" he shouted. "Open th' door or I'll blow yer bleedin' skull off! I 'ave no morals against that - I be a pirate! I pillage! I plunder! I rifle an' loot! Now, ye be goin' t' open that door an' get us inside Ogel's base, or yer skull will go sailin', ye stupid skeleton! I can take on a thousand of ye drones, just try me!"

While everyone was focused on Greybeard threatening the two Sea Drones, Kat's eyes wandered. She then spotted something odd sticking out of the Security Door - a small camera. It zoomed in on Greybeard pointing a pistol at the Sea Drone, then turned to observe the Dino Attack agents. It finally spotted Kat, beeped quietly, and sank back into the Security Door. The massive iron skull shook, creaked, and rose, revealing a passageway beyond.

Greybeard smiled. "See? I knew that would work! Ye drone scum be no match fer me!"

The group of Dino Attack agents entered the passageway. As soon as they were all inside, the Security Door slammed back down, trapping them in darkness. When the lights went back on, there stood an army of twenty-or-so drones of various types, with a Super Ice Drone in the lead. The cold, intelligent, commander drone smiled. "I am Super Ice Drone I-2197, overseer of Ogel Control Center. You thought you could raid Ogel's main base easily? We heard the radio call of you gaining entrance... what better way to let you get the entrance you wanted, than to let you gain entrance to your doom?"

"What's going on here?" shouted Rex. "We're on a mission from Ogel to secure the Goo Caverns!"

"How do we know that is the truth?" I-2197 said, frowning skeptically. "Ogel has not made a single communication with us for months. We've been trapped in this base ever since he was captured by Libo. We've set up a brand-new security system - it doesn't matter anymore if you're Dino Attack agents, Alpha Team agents, or... pirates who have no fear of skeletons. If you're not one of us... and if Ogel doesn't tell us firsthand that you're on our side... then we will kill you. Just as I'm about to order these drones to do to you. Any last words?"

Reptile raised a hand. He had passed through the state of anger quite rapidly and was now somewhere on the other side. "Actually, I do. If you send a message at the frequency 140.48, you should be able to get in contact with Ogel. You can confirm our orders with him."

I-2197 frowned even more, but he waved a hand to order a communications device brought down. The other Drones, meanwhile, pressed closer with spears, drills, and lasers but did not yet fire.

*****

The tunnel suddenly stopped in front of Zyra, Alpha, and David. There was a small light with some stairs at the end. "Where do you think they end?" asked David.

"I don't know, but we're about to find out," Alpha replied as he started for the first step.

Zyra, David and Alpha began climbing the staircase. It was longer than they expected and the light got brighter as they neared the top. Soon, they were out of the tunnel.

The Dino Attack agents looked around. "I think we're at the Trouble Train Depot," said David.

Suddenly, the three agents were surrounded by various types of drones, brandishing their spears and chainsaws. The leader, Super Ice Drone I-3506, stepped forward, brandishing his chainsaw. "Thought you could cut off all our escape routes, did you?"

David was taken aback. "What do you mean? We're Dino Attack agents. We're on a mission - "

I-3506 cut him off. "We know, a mission 'from Ogel' to 'secure the Goo Caverns.' Well, we've already called your bluff. Your friends at the front gate have already been captured. They're probably being killed as we speak, just like you're about to be! If I were you, I'd start thinking of some famous last words, because you've only got until the order comes through!" Around them, drones readied their weapons.

Alpha tried to run quickly to escape, but a blast from the Super Ice Drone's saw knocked him flat before he had made it fifty feet. Two drones dragged him back into the circle.

Alpha weakly sat up. "Too bad we don't have any of that knockout juice you mentioned earlier," he said to David.

*****

Hotwire shifted from foot to foot nervously as the drones brought in the communicator and started to calibrate it to the frequency Reptile had said. Helmie was a little more optimistic.

"I bet I could take down a quarter of these guys," he boasted. Hotwire looked at him strangely. This from the same person who had been petrified with fear on the mountain outside?

"It wouldn't be enough, though," replied Kat. "Besides, they would definitely have backup in the rooms around this one."

"Aye, but I could take down a third o' them," put in Greybeard. "I be in agreement wi' Helmie - I won't go down without a fight."

"We're not going to need to fight," Rex interjected. "As soon as they get in touch with Ogel, he'll confirm what we said and we'll go on our way."

Suddenly there was a banging on the security door outside, and a muffled cry to open up. The small camera popped out through a hole on the door. After a few seconds it grated upwards, and in the doorway stood agent Zenna.

"Zenna, run!" shouted Hotwire. "It's a trap!" But it was too late. The gate slammed back down behind her.

I-2197 grinned menacingly. "Ah, another guest."

Just then, the communicator crackled to life, and Ogel's grumpy voice boomed throughout the room. "What? Who is this? What do you want?"

"This is Super Ice Drone I-2197, sir. We have captured some agents from Dino Attack trying to raid the Control Center and the Trouble Train. What are your orders?"

*****

Zyra looked around. All their escapes were barred. They could only hope the other Dino Attack agents could save them in time.

"Alpha, use your laser! I still have a bit of magnetic liquid! Aim it at the roof!" whispered David. Then, he said to I-3506: "As for last words, I don't think I need any."

The liquid exploded as Alpha fired his laser, killing most of the drones and only leaving only the Super Ice Drone left. "As for you, my friend," said David, "you should come to a firm understanding."

I-3506 wasn't going down without a fight. He raised his chainsaw to strike at Alpha, who dodged in time. Then, the Super Ice Drone charged again.

David kicked I-3506 from behind. That didn't do much harm, but it allowed Alpha to charge forward, knocking the Super Ice Drone to the floor. David quickly splashed his remaining magnetic liquid on it, and Alpha and Zyra fired simultaneously to blow it up. I-3506 fell to pieces.

Suddenly, they heard a shrill, frantic beeping coming from a device amidst the remains of the Super Ice Drone. As if in response, a loud, harsh buzz sounded, and thick metal barriers slammed down in front of all the doors, and in front of the Trouble Train platform.

"I guess we should have seen that coming," said Zyra. "There aren't even any controls to reopen these from in here." He turned towards David. "Maybe you could get through with your special liquid."

David nodded and reached into his pocket. But, instead of pulling out more of the magnetic liquid, he came up empty. "No luck," he said, leaning against the wall to regain his composure. "I am all out."

"I guess the only thing to do is wait for the others to get here," said Alpha, his voice full of frustration.

Zyra paced around the room. He was growing bored of waiting. He pounded on one of the doors, as he expected nothing happened.

David looked around, there was nothing to do, but then he decided to fix his tie.

Zyra continued pacing around the room waiting for something to happen.

David finished repairing his tie. He then got up and paced around the room.

*****

Ogel's response was immediately cut off by a Sea Drone who rushed up to Super Ice Drone I-2197 with new information. "Sir!" he cried. "The raiders in the Trouble Train put up a fight and somehow took out the entire force that intercepted them. They even destroyed Super Ice Drone I-3506. Fortunately, his failsafe beacon was not damaged, and they are currently isolated by the emergency doors."

I-2197 nodded, pleased. But Ogel, over the communicator, cleared his throat and asked, "Who brought that message?"

"Sea Drone A-740110, sir," the messenger proudly said.

"Don't interrupt while I'm talking. You're fired," said Ogel. A-740110 sputtered some protests, but he was dragged to the door by two other drones. The door grated open, the unfortunate sea drone was shoved outside, and the door clanged shut again.

Ogel shook his head in irritation. Why couldn't his Drones anticipate exactly what he wanted to do, and just do it? They shouldn't need radios anymore... what about telepathy? Even as he began running over schematics for a Telepathic Generation Orb (made with 150% of normal standard goo and six varieties of oceanic seaweed near Ogel's Island, plus an Energy Crystal!), he realized it wouldn't work. Alpha Team would be able to learn of his plans so easily.

Still... there was the look of the thing to consider.

"Let them through, you morons!" he snapped over the radio. Ogel considered his next action. "Rock Drones," he ordered, knowing that Rock Drones were the most durable of all breeds due to have to labor in the Goo Caverns, and other.... classified (too classified for him even to think, if someone had invented that Telepathy Orb!)... locations. "Throw the lead Super Ice Drone-" Ogel didn't care about their silly numeric system, they knew who he meant, "out the nearest window."

In the Control Center, Super Ice Drone I-2197 paled, which was very impressive for someone with a skull for a face, as the Rock Drones grabbed him. The second in command of the party, an Elite Skeleton Drone shrugged apologetically and spoke back into the radio. "Sir, the windows were sealed by your orders nine months ago after Alpha Team used them to-"

Ogel exploded. "Then un-seal them, and you're joining your commander!" Obediently, the Rock Drones kicked open a window and tossed out both senior Drones.

The next-highest in command Drone, an Elite Sea Drone, gestured to a Worker Drone, who deactivated the radio, and gestured even more apologetically. "You can pass. I will take you to the Trouble Train loading dock. Other Dino Attack agents are in there already and have... somewhat neutralized... our guards."

Apart from a nearsighted drone's cry of "Blundering baseplates! It's Agent Zed come to destroy us all!" upon seeing Rex, the journey to the Trouble Train was uneventful. They passed through several security doors on their way, until they finally they came to the end of a corridor blocked off by a thick, metal barrier. The drone escorting the eight of them approached the barrier, raised his hand, and began to knock.

*****

"For the last time, it won't work!" cried David exasperatedly. "It's just too preposterous! Knocking on doors to the rhythm 'Shave and a Haircut' will do nothing! Why even bother trying?"

Zyra paced back and forth. "At this point, I'm willing to try anything! Besides, if it doesn't work, then no one else will ever know it happened!"

David shook his head. "All you'll do is raise our hopes up only to have them crash back down."

"Well, I'm all for it," muttered Alpha "just so long as they don't crash down on me. I've gotten enough bruises today." Suddenly, they all turned as someone on the other side of one of the doors began to knock.

*****

The drone knocked again, repeating the same rhythm to which he had knocked the first time.

"'Shave and a Haircut'? You've gotta be kidding me," said Zenna. But before their eyes, the door rumbled and began to slowly slide back up.

As the door began to rise, Zyra whirled on David. "I told you we should have tried it! Just look; they did it, and it worked! We could have gotten out ourselves, instead of waiting to be rescued!"

David simply shook his head again and turned to the drone who walked through the now-open doorway. "I guess I overestimated you people," he said bitterly. "I figured you would have had something a bit more complex than knocking on the door." But his demeanor brightened when he saw Rex, Greybeard, Reptile, Tail, Hotwire, Zenna, Kat, and Helmie follow the drone in.

A red-and-black monorail train glided up to the platform and the doors slid open. "Welcome," said the drone, gesturing grandly, "to the Trouble Train!"

Alpha slowly walked aboard the Trouble Train. He decided to walk with David. "Well, we've waited a long time for this," he said. "Think there's going to be any more trouble?"

"No," said David. "This is a brilliant piece of work, this. Zyra, the reason that wouldn't work was that, well." He got out a notebook. Inside it, David had put lots of sums.

"Okay…" said Zyra, confused.

David walked around the Trouble Train. Alpha sat down on one of the Trouble Train's leather seats. Zyra sat down at the back of the train, in his own thoughts.

David started looking at the controls. "There we go!" he said. He pulled a lever, pressed a button and typed in some data. The Trouble Train started up.

The Trouble Train lurched to a halt, mere seconds later. "What the?" David murmured. He looked at the controls, trying to see what went wrong. A computer screen flashed to life, and on it was a rather cartoony skull laughing. With that, lasers popped out of the Trouble Train's ceiling and aimed directly at David.

The lasers remained stationary for a moment, but the laughing skull disappeared from the computer screen. Instead, the phrase "SECURITY SYSTEM DEACTIVATED" showed up. Seconds later, the lasers rose back into the ceiling. The Trouble Train was still not moving.

"What happened?" inquired Greybeard.

"It's rather obvious," replied Reptile. "Ogel doesn't want anyone riding the Trouble Train that he doesn't want - Alpha Team, for example. When you tried to start up the train, it was not the correct method, so that's why the security system was activated."

"So, then," muttered Hotwire, stepping up beside David, "let me try at this." He looked over the controls - the scores of buttons, the computer screens, all the switches - and gingerly pressed one of them. The laughing skull reappeared on the computer screen, but before the lasers came out, the security system was deactivated.

This time, a drone's voice rang through the Trouble Train: "Could you Dino Attack agents stop foolishly trying to activate our train? Just give us a moment to get aboard the train, and we'll help you out!"

The leader, a Super Sea Drone, who had just been promoted from Elite by means of a bizarre process, entered the Trouble Train and glared at the assembled agents. Four other drones took up positions next to the cockpit. In deference to the fact that they were allied with Dino Attack, they had their weapons holstered. In deference to Ogel's anti-train-hijacking protocol, they locked the cockpit door and scanned the train for intruders.

As Worker Drones were loading underground combat vehicles, Earthquake Orbs, digging machines, and weapons and Rock Drone companies were boarding the farther-back section of the Train (the allied forces were in the front section), the Super Sea Drone sat down in the chair and looked at his equipment. He tilted his head as he studied the system, and his fingers began to blur as he flipped various switches, turned dials, pressed buttons, cranked levers, and typed in command codes. It took about two minutes before virtually every device had been pressed.

A small transparent casing rose to reveal a quite simple control set: one screen, keyboard, joystick, and four dials. They were all fingerprint-sensitive. That is, since Drones didn't have fingerprints, if someone touched them with a fingerprint (besides Ogel's, of course), they would activate the laser cannons and laughing skull. Since the Drones had only restored four passages to underground installations (like the Goo Caverns, Ethanium Mines, and Ice Seams) the controls didn't need to be complicated.

"This is your pilot speaking," the Super Sea Drone said sarcastically into the intercom. "We are about to launch. It will take about half an hour to reach the Caverns." He closed the channel, and turned one of the dials to a marker reading "GC". Outside, the entire loading platform rose and turned 270 degrees, revealing another tunnel leading into the Goo Caverns. The drone pressed down the joystick, and the train was sent flying through the passageway.

Suddenly, the other panels began to beep. Where non-Super Drones would have immediately hit every emergency button, the Super Sea Drone calmly activated the main scanners and found ten Mutant Raptors outside in attack positions in the train passageway. He would have run them down in seconds, but he didn't want to take chances. So, the Drone turned another dial and then pushed two buttons at the same time to reveal a weapons control switch, and he pressed it.

The impressive targeting A.I. of the Trouble Train revealed a dozen laser cannons on the outside of the vehicle, and began pounding away at the targets. In approximately 5.67 seconds, there were a hundred burn marks on the cavern wall... and no Raptors in sight.

The train continued on through the tunnel. Zyra looked out a tiny window, all he could see was the tunnel walls, there wasn't going to be anything to do for the entire ride.

Rex sat down on one box in the Trouble Train, once used for shipping Evil Plants. He watched the drones who stood near the Dino Attack agents. He felt uncomfortable being so close to them in such an enclosed environment. Sure, Dino Attack and Ogel had a temporary alliance, but nearly three times now in the past few days, drones had been trying to shoot the team members.

It was lucky, Rex decided, that Reptile was able to tell them how to contact Ogel and receive his confirmation. Apparently, from what I-2197 had said, Ogel had not contacted them in months. In that time, the drones created a new security system and tried to shoot down any intruder. What if it were years? Rex found himself thinking. If a group of drones were left alone by Ogel and Alpha Team to work together for years, what could they accomplish? Would they become even smarter and more dangerous than Ogel himself? Perhaps try to overthrow him if he comes back?

If that were the case, these drones might have already thoughts of rebellion. Perhaps that is why Rex was so uncomfortable around them. Then again, being that drones were more-or-less zombies, that in itself was a reason to feel repulsed by them.

David studied the drones carefully. Although he had done some work with Alpha Team in the past, he had almost never had a chance to look at an Ogel Drone before. He even wondered if they were actually robots, but he had never seen robots like these before.

But they're not robots. Zombies. They are that. That made David back away from them. He then asked Zyra to play cards with him to take his mind off the unpleasant thing that were thought of.

Zyra agreed, David pulled out a pack of cards he had. Then, Zyra looked at a drone. "How long until we're there?" he asked.

"26 minutes," replied the Drone.

David, by this time had made a house of cards. "What shall we play?" asked David.

"Don't care," said Zyra. He was getting bored of the train ride by now. There wasn't anything to see outside the train and nothing to do.

----

Sauro-Hunter's first mission, as a member of the newly-formed and then-unnamed GAIA Squad (consisting of Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, Spino, Ptero, and Raptor), was to Vikings Isle. While there, Sauro received a Personal Energy Shield (PES) from Raptor. Raptor also taught Spino how to hone his fighting skills. After a few battles with the local Mutant Dinos, they learned that many dragons are sentient creatures.

Following orders from Digger, GAIA Squad went down into the tunnels and eventually came into the Goo Caverns, where Sauro was briefly separated from the rest of his squad.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 29: Conundrums of Philosophy

----

Rex threw the Ogel Drilling Vehicle into park. Still a little woozy from the blood he lost in the past few hours, he took his time in climbing out of the massive vehicle. Ahead of him, he saw other Dino Attack Agents - Greybeard, Hotwire, Kat, Helmie, Reptile, Tail, Zenna, Alpha, David, Zyra, and new recruits Sauro-Hunter, Ptero, Spino, and Avaris - setting up camp. Leaning on a metal pole he'd found for support, he joined them in their work, but kept his distance from Greybeard, who likewise kept his distance from both Rex and Sauro-Hunter. Rex let his mind wander as he helped set up camp, and recalled the events that had led up to this moment.

The Trouble Train ride was otherwise boring. Helmie, David, and Zyra even had to entertain themselves with a pack of cards. When the Trouble Train finally landed at another station, Rex stepped out into the Goo Caverns. Having only been here once before, he was surprised by how relatively little it had changed. It looked like every Rock Raider's dream world, but filled with debris and swarms of Mutant Dinos.

The Dino Attack agents and the Ogel Drones wasted no time. Rex remembered a few Rock Drones grabbing Earthquake Orbs, which sent seismic waves rumbling through the Goo Caverns. While it did unbalance several Mutant Lizards, it caused a portion of the cavern to cave in. The Super Sea Drone who had piloted the Trouble Train approached Hotwire and informed him of several large Ogel mining vehicles. Since the Super Sea Drone neglected to identify the vehicles' names, Rex decided to give them the rather original name of "Ogel Drilling Vehicles". There weren't enough for each agent, and since each one was larger than a Fire Hammer, they split into teams. Rex, Greybeard, and Helmie used one vehicle; Hotwire and Kat shared another; Reptile and Tail used a third; and Zenna, Alpha, David, and Zyra worked together to pilot the fourth.

The battle that followed was bloody but necessary. Using the drills and lasers on the Ogel Drilling Vehicles, the Dino Attack agents more or less literally plowed through the swarms of Mutant Dinos. Within an hour, most of the Mutant Dinos in that section of the Goo Caverns were dead or scattered.

Then, Rex and the others received word from a new recruit, codenamed "Sauro-Hunter", who was working in Vikings Isle where he made some... interesting discoveries. Several of the dragons that inhabited the Dragon Masters' kingdom were sentient, and they were locating civilians of Castle Cove who did not flee to Antarctica. They worked together to stop several Mutant Dino attacks, and Sabre learned that some of the mutants were in fact unable to reproduce. He claimed that Mutant Lizards were actually Compsognathus, but Rex doubted this, being that every time a scientist (including Dr. Rex himself) tried to identify Mutant Lizards, they failed miserably. Still, there was the thing to consider.

Hotwire then located a very important cavern. Inside, nearly every square inch of it was covered with Mutant Dino nests and eggs, thus earning its dubbed nickname of the "nesting ground cavern". Rex was the only one of his group who knew how to drive the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and he objected to Greybeard and Helmie wanting to destroy the nests. After all, it was a morality problem often faced by the Dino Attack team; one that he had spent long hours arguing with Specs (who wanted to use the eggs neutralized and the hatchlings researched) and Shadow (who wanted both the eggs and hatchlings destroyed). Unfortunately, at that moment, Greybeard's pirate colors showed, as he clubbed Rex in the forehead with his pistol, knocking out Rex. As it turned out, Greybeard was studying Rex driving the vehicle and figured out how to drive it himself.

Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, Ptero, and Spino arrived at the Goo Caverns, and more specifically the nesting ground cavern. While Greybeard commandeered the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and went on a destructive rampage in the cavern, Sauro-Hunter adopted a Mutant T-Rex hatchling he named Tex. Interestingly, Tex, along with some other Mutant Dinos, had such prolonged exposure to the Green Goo that she was mutated even further than the average Mutant T-Rex.

Greybeard found Sauro-Hunter and Tex, and he was infuriated. He climbed out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and engaged Sauro-Hunter in sword-to-cutlass combat. Once more, Greybeard's pirate colors showed and he easily bested the Dino Attack agent. It was only thanks to Zenna's interference that Greybeard did not strike the final blow.

At that moment, Rex regained consciousness and found himself with a cut on his forehead, and he was covered in blood. Still, Rex found the strength to grab a metal pole, use it as a crutch, and climb out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. There, he found Greybeard and the others, as well as the reason why Helmie did not try to stop Greybeard - an Ogel's Island snake who had hitched a ride in the pirate's pocket (ironically, not even Greybeard knew about this). After Tex dispatched the snake, Rex clubbed Greybeard with his metal pole, and Zyra had to step in to make sure the fighting did not continue.

Then, more Mutant Dinos who were mutated like Tex showed up, and the Dino Attack agents had to spring into action to make sure they were stopped. Greybeard tried one more time to stop those who believed against destroying the nests: Sauro-Hunter and Rex. When he failed, he resigned from doing any more mutiny attempts. Still, now Rex trusted Greybeard less than ever. The Goo-mutated Mutant Dinos were defeated, and since then the Dino Attack team had already succeeded in reinforcing several of the tunnels and caverns of this section of the Goo Caverns. But the problem of the nesting ground cavern still existed.

"So, what should we do?" Zyra asked as soon as the camp was finished. "I mean, about all those nests?"

"Me hearties, I still say," grumbled Greybeard, "that we should strike at them while we can, an' that be now! It be no use waitin' fer more o' our enemies t' hatch! In addition, be it not better t' simply git rid o' th' one problem that 'as divided this team up?"

"Yeah," retorted Sauro-Hunter, "that problem would be you, Greybeard. While Rex and I are trying to figure out a better way, you've done nothing but acted barbaric."

"Pirate," corrected Greybeard. "Not barbaric. Pirates be civilized, ye know." Under his breath, he mentioned: "Unlike King Kahuka an' him islanders..."

"Civilized, then?" Kat asked. "Then why, despite that you're clearly outnumbered in vote, do you try to eliminate those in opposition with your cutlass?"

"I wouldn't talk, lady," Greybeard said with a chuckle. "Especially since I be th' one who be th' dishonest pirate, an' yer th' one who be th' dishonest ShadowTech-"

Greybeard was interrupted in mid-sentence, as Kat stood angrily and shouted at him to "Shut up or I will kill you!" Hotwire and Helmie both stood as well, but to grab Kat by the arms to prevent her from doing anything irrational.

The old pirate watched, then continued. "I dinnae wish to kill any of ye," he declared. "I do what be best fer th' world. In that case, I work with ye, an' I fight th' Mutant Dinos. Plus, just try t' coop me up in Antarctica when thar be a war t' be fought. I be on yer side. Which be why ye all must at least listen t' me ideas, instead of instantly sayin', 'Arr, it be th' pirate talkin', therefore whatever he be talkin' about must be inferior t' our ideas!' e'ery time I open me mouth."

"We're not saying that," replied Zenna.

"Not literally, but that be th' message between th' lines," Greybeard added.

"How about this?" suggested Rex. "We'll take the night off for most of us to sleep. Then, we'll decide in the morning, when we're all well-rested and refreshed, what to do about the nesting grounds."

Everyone agreed. Even Greybeard, who reached into his pack, pulled out a flask of rum, drank a few sips, and stated: "It be fine by me."

Kat sat down on a rock, still fuming. "Darn pirate... if I were ever to kill anyone, it'd be him... or agent Cane, if he's still alive. Him and his crazy strategies, ridiculous traps, and his stupid maze!" she muttered.

This caught the attention of Hotwire, lying down a couple yards away. He pushed his hat back up above his eyes. "I never mentioned it before, but I've always wondered - why were you in that maze anyhow?"

"Cane, that son of a MegaBlok. I'd been helping design security systems for a few years already, then one day he told my group to switch to antipersonnel weapons. He explained that ShadowTech, in order to speed up their master plan, would resort to acts of terrorism, then pin the blame on Dino Attack. I questioned the reasoning behind this, and he accused me of harboring Dino Attack sympathies, had me dumped into the maze, and the rest is history."

By now Helmie was listening as well. "These 'acts of terrorism'," he said. "What do you mean by that?"

Kat snorted distastefully. "Murders, kidnappings, you name it, Cane did it."

Helmie's eyes widened. "A few months ago, my wife and son were kidnapped by a bunch of thugs wearing black. I figured it was just a random crime, but I never got a ransom note. Do you suppose...?"

Tail could not sleep. He was tired after the battle, but he had learned many lessons in Alpha Team training, and one was not to abandon one's watch until the battle was over. While the team's consensus was that most of the Goo Caverns were cleansed, he did not agree, having taken scans of the surrounding area using Reptile's computer.

During the argument, Reptile had mostly supported Rex and his fellows against Greybeard, but Tail had remained neutral. He personally thought Greybeard had a good point, and would gladly stand by him. But he wouldn't kill or harm the agents he was working with in order to cause this.

He missed his comrade Web, who died at the hands of a prototype device that Dr. Rex had built to mutate Dinosaurs. It had fallen into the hands of a group of witches living in Castle Cove, who in these times used advanced technology and a mix of mystic rituals to wield power, especially in these chaotic days. Web had been poisoned by a snake underwater, and the witches claimed to have 'healed' him. But when Reptile discovered the device in their possession, they somehow made Web attack them, and Tail had been forced to shoot him down.

Tail kept watch, his heavy laser raised and aimed in the direction out from the cavern. He did not intend to have anything surprise him, and an eyepiece mounted a few inches from his eyes attached to his helmet served as a mirror. He stood with peripheral vision, ready to defend himself from any traitors or destroy any attacking Dinos.

----

Captain Coral looked around the deck of his modernized pirate vessel, and scowled.

While trading in this new, chaotic world was barely done, supply ships ferried supplies to intact cities and Dino Attack forces throughout the world. Coral had united a group of meager bandits into a fleet of three pirate ships and survived off of raiding them. Then Alpha Team had gotten involved and he had lost all but his own personal vessel. The confederation of piracy had broken up after that battle.

The sight of Alpha Team ships firing at his ships stirred something latent locked into his memory, especially after head trauma suffered from a laser wound to the head that a skilled doctor on his ship had barely healed. He didn't know much about his past, save that everyone on Pirates Forbidden Island respected him as a good pirate after his accident... Perhaps... he'd been involved with Alpha Team in the past? But that was impossible, because Alpha Team was founded in 2000, and the piracy had taken place in the 1970s and 1980s, and Alpha Team forces had stayed out of non-LEGO City allied realms until the treaty following the sacking of Ogel's Island in July, 2001...

How did he know all of this? He was a pirate, not an Alpha Team agent... agent...

Suddenly, his memory became quite clear. He had been an Alpha Team agent. His name was Glacier. He had traveled back in time illegally after betraying Alpha Team Temporal Forces who were working with enemies of the Time Cruisers. He had stolen a Time Cruiser which was programmed to travel to the pirate age, and it was destroyed ferrying him there, and he had, with no advanced technology save his personal tool kit, joined the pirates. Then, he had been experimented on by a group of Skeleton Pirates who tried to subject him to a ritual that would turn him into a Skeleton Pirate. Which was eerily similar to Ogel's Drones. The Alpha Team part of his mind wondered if there was a connection. But he had destroyed their ship and caused all ritualized Skeleton Pirates to explode into white powder.

But the attempted skeletonization process caused his mind to be shattered. Portions of it were locked out, and he named himself Coral after recovering and not knowing any of his past. Now, he had broken down one of those lock-outs. He was still Coral, because the personality of Glacier was still tightly locked. But he was Coral with access to all of Glacier's memories.

He smiled. "Set course for these coordinates," he said, giving the coordinates to the helmsman.

"But sir, there's nothing there but a field of large rocks close to the beach and cliffs here," the helmsman said, pointing to the map.

Coral shook his head. "It is a secret defense field set up by Ogel leading into the Goo Caverns. I know how to get around it, and then we will enter the Goo Caverns. There will be rich plunder for you there." The pirates cheered and turned the modern ship towards the secret entrance.

The last was most certainly a lie; the Goo Caverns probably had no plunder but Dinosaur eggs. But he had motivated his crew. It was time he fulfilled his oath to Dino Attack.

*****

Sauro-Hunter, like many of the agents in the Goo Caverns, couldn't sleep. One factor was Kat, Helmie, and Hotwire engaged in a heated discussion. Another was how he should have seconded Kat's notion about killing Greybeard. The other thing he couldn't shake was an ominous feeling of deja vu.

As Sauro turned over, he heard Aravis's telepathic voice flow calming words into his mind. Be at peace, Sauro-Hunter. We will all need the strength to fight in the morning, Aravis's voice cooed. A picture entered his mind, one of a peaceful meadow, every square foot filled with daisies.

Sauro sat up and looked over to where Aravis lay. She was sound asleep. "Dream-speaking," he muttered. Dream-speaking was a term Spino, Aravis's older brother, had coined after her first one. Sauro-Hunter took his sword's scabbard off, along with the PES wrist generator. Aravis continued sending dream-thoughts into his mind until he fell asleep.

David got out his invention, the Mini-TV and started watching Fawlty Towers on it. This awoke Hotwire, who said, "You've almost packed everything! Even got a kitchen there?"

"Well, I did pack some plumbing tools," joked David.

*****

After about five hours, Coral's warship arrived at the coastal field of debris. The pirate crew watched it worriedly. "It looks like a Skeleton's Head!" one of them cried.

Coral nodded. "That was designed on purpose by Ogel. We should be safe from all of its defenses." Coral had spent the night engineering a careful mechanism into the ship's hull, separating a portion of the upper deck from the entire lower hold and arming and armoring it.

Suddenly, towers rose from the white rocks. Giant laser cannons opened wide and blasts of energy shot out. They struck the water around the warship. Coral shouted, "Everyone into the lower deck!"

The entire crew ran into the lower hold and were astonished at the changes. It now looked... like a submarine. Coral sealed the hatch and pressed a few buttons. The release command caused the submarine to drop down from the hull of the pirate ship, which soon exploded as it was struck by laser blasts from Ogel's defense turrets. Coral opened a laptop computer and gestured for one of the pirates to take the wheel. He plotted a course against Alpha Team's map of the area, and gave orders.

The submarine drifted underwater to the entrance to the Goo Caverns. Just as it reached it, a swarm of mechanical sharks descended on the submarine. Many of the pirates yelped in fear, but Coral inserted a command into the computer, a code sequence he remembered from his Alpha Team days, and the sharks flew off. Coral spoke.

"We are about to pass into the Goo Caverns. Ogel has a number of abandoned bases in there, and some bases that are still well-defended. The abandoned ones can be looted for treasure, but the occupied ones should be maneuvered around carefully."

"Captain!" shouted one of the pirates at the front, pointing through the screen. "There's a sealed door up ahead!" Coral's smile dropped. He had hoped the sealed door would be destroyed. They had no way of smashing it down.

And then it exploded, and hundreds of Ogel Mutant Sea Monsters erupted out.

*****

David looked at the news, turned the Mini-TV off and rested on his mattress.

Ptero strolled toward the cavern, Cosmotronic Ray at the ready. A scuttling noise came from the camp. He turned and saw Tex curling up by Aravis. But the scuttling continued.

The Dino Attack agent felt more uneasy than before and turned on the infrared mode of the Cosmotronic Ray's scope. He scanned the area around the camp and saw what was making the noise. It was a little Raptor. Much like Tex, it was mutated more to its former state. It held a claw off the ground on each foot, the claw curved in a half-moon shape. A feathery crest adorned its head and neck.

Ptero put the Cosmotronic Ray down and grabbed a net launcher from Rex's gear. He snuck closer to the little Raptor and fired when the Mutant was in range. The Raptor squealed and tried to get out of the net, but in vain.

Unfortunately, everyone woke up. Greybeard saw the little Dino and reached for his cutlass. Zenna grabbed the pirate's wrist, shaking her head. Aravis approached the dinosaur, sending calming words and pictures into the hatchling's mind. The Raptor stopped squirming and screeching and looked at the agents through the net, head half-cocked to the side. Sauro-Hunter lifted the net off and gave the dinosaur some jerky. The little Mutant ate it greedily and looked at Tex.

"I guess beef jerky really works with these guys," Ptero noted.

Helmie was unable to sleep. The events of the past couple of days hadn't given him much time to think, but now his mind was continually being flooded by thoughts of his family. He went over and joined Tail on watch duty.

Tex sniffed at the other mutated Mutant, full of curiosity. The little Raptor was also curious about the Tyrannosaurus as well. The Raptor flicked his crest up and down, displaying his authority. Tex snorted and walked away.

Sauro-Hunter was not feeling good. His stomach burned as if it were on fire. I shouldn't have had that chili last night, he thought, wincing at the pain.

He sat up and grabbed his gear. "Forget sleep," Sauro muttered. Unsheathing his sword, he walked up to Ptero. "A friendly duel, my friend."

Ptero grinned. "I thought you'd never ask," he said. The other agent whisked out his sword and the match began.

******

The submarine darted around the sea monsters. Meanwhile, Ogel's defense towers and robotic sharks were attacking them, and they were ramming the defense towers. Inside, Coral stared at the pilot in surprise. "Why are we going in? There are probably a lot more inside! We should let Ogel's weapons clean the place out!"

The pilot shook his head. He was the most experienced pirate in the crew that Coral had recruited. "And let them secure their treasure inside first? We'll take any risk to get the treasure," he said, and Coral conceded the point at that. The submarine passed through the gate just as a tentacle slammed from outside to strike them. Ogel's computerized defenses, meanwhile, shut the gate, slamming it on the tentacle.

Coral performed a scan of the area on his laptop, and the crew readied their weapons. Coral was proud that he had outfitted them with laser-based weapons, not conventional garbage that would be useless against both Drones and Dinosaurs. "We are approaching a number of abandoned small caverns that do not link to the rest of the Goo Caverns and are not flooded. It seems Ogel intended them as an expansionary zone, but with the attack by Mutant Dinosaurs and... other beasts... they were abandoned, full of resources." The pirate crew grinned at these words.

"We'll drop a team of three at each of the five sites. Bring back everything you find. Meanwhile, we'll scan the ahead passages to see what else we can raid on this mission," Coral said. The scavengers all donned diving suits, and as the submarine rose upwards until it touched the cavern entrances, they jumped outwards. Coral continued his scans.

About an hour later, the teams were picked up, and the supplies, treasure, and weapons they brought in was considerable. Coral smiled, and ordered them to move it into the storage hold in the back. If he did have to rescue anybody from the surface, he didn't want them aware of his activities.

"There is an abandoned, half-flooded base ahead, and just beyond that there is a passage leading into the main caverns, where human lifesigns have been detected. This is probably the Dino Attack Team. Half the crew, heavily armed, will investigate the ruined base. Meanwhile, the remaining crew will bring the ship to the main caverns, where we'll disembark and make contact with Dino Attack," Coral ordered. The crew nodded, and the ship continued.

It quickly dropped off the pirates and then headed upwards.

*****

Rex watched the campfire, its flames crackling and biting at random little flecks of dust in the air, and spreading its warm light across the camp.  Luckily, it was not nearly strong enough a glow to attract Mutant Dinos, but enough to have its purpose.  He, like most of the other agents, found it hard to sleep.  Not only was it hard to sleep with David watching TV, or Sauro-Hunter and Ptero engaged in mock-combat, but his mind was full of thoughts and worries about their mission down here.

He watched as a Rock Drone and a Sea Drone set up another support beam.  Similar in structure and design to ones used by Rock Raiders, these beams of metal ensured that, for the most part, the likelihood of that wall collapsing was greatly reduced.  After their work was finished, the Rock Drone turned around and spotted Rex watching him.  Rex immediately averted his eyes.

Ogel.  Even after all this time, Rex still found it hard to believe that the LEGO Planet's greatest villain had an alliance with the Dino Attack team.  Indeed, Ogel's logic of being unable to take over a world ruled by Mutant Dinos made his point clear, but... Ogel was known for his immense intelligence and amazingly frightening mind.  If anyone ever tried to look into Ogel's mind, they would easily be lost in the great maze.  Somehow, Ogel always had a back-up plan for his defeats.  He was a mastermind.  Rex remembered Frozeen mentioning how back in 2001, Ogel had even tricked Alpha Team into throwing the D.O.O.M. Machine into high gear instead of turning it off.  Maybe it was just déjà vu, and instead of Ogel working with the Dino Attack team to stop the Mutant Dino invasion, he instead manipulated Dino Attack to increase the Mutant Dinos' chances of winning...

No, that's can't be right.  Ogel's brother, General, despised Dr. Rex, especially now that he found out the truth about his long-lost betrothed.  And Ogel wouldn't want to betray his brother and greatest general...

Would he?

The more Rex thought about it, the more it troubled him.  Ever since rescuing Talia Kaahs, General Evil had already changed his title to simply "General", and indeed seemed to become more heroic and regretful than Ogel would probably want him to be.  Ogel would not simply stand on the side and watch his own brother and greatest general betray him... more likely, he'd betray General before General could betray him.  Perhaps all along Ogel was planning on doing away with General.  All this time, ever since he hired his own brother, he probably knew that the world is not big enough for two supreme rulers... cut that down to one, and things are much simpler.  In fact, Sam Throramebi even told Rex about this one guy who was the leader of a massive evil brotherhood.  Many years ago, this leader constructed a massive plan for universal domination, and got his brotherhood to go along with him.  He, apparently, neglected to tell the brotherhood of the full extent of the plans.  Before his plan was completed, he had already betrayed and killed the other members of his brotherhood.  Sam did comment that this leader reminded him of Ogel...

Would Ogel be any different from this brotherhood leader?  Everyone he seems to trust, he actually is planning on killing?  What if he had already forged a deal with Dr. Rex?  Rex could even see how it would work.  The deal would be to eliminate General and the Dino Attack team, then Ogel can work side-by-side with Dr. Rex.  But, if Ogel would be willing to betray General, then he'd be more than willing to betray Dr. Rex, and thus become the sole ruler...

No... that's just wrong.  But wasn't Ogel the very definition of wrong?  Even his name was "LEGO" backwards.  But the question would be: who would Ogel do off with first?  General?  Kaahs?  Specs?

These troubling thoughts kept Rex awake.  Despite his belief that telepathy was an unpleasant experience, Rex wished Aravis could, just for an instant, clear his mind of these thoughts, put in some comforting image, and let him sleep... but Aravis, apparently, was not paying attention, and Rex got no such mercy.  Thus, staring into the flames of the campfire, Rex did the one thing he could: look around.

The Rock Drone and Sea Drone walked away.  An Ogel Drilling Vehicle drove around the camp and made for one of the tunnels.  Luckily, it seemed that most of the tunnels and caves in this section of the Goo Caverns were reinforced.  Of course, Rex knew that "this section" was relatively small compared to the rest of the Goo Caverns, but at least it was a start.  Even with Greybeard's occasional temper problems, progress was going smoothly.

Then, another troubling thought occurred to Rex.  He stood up and walked over to Greybeard's tent.  Gently, he lifted the flap, letting some light in.  The bed was empty.  In fact, there was no sign of Greybeard anywhere else at the camp.  Rex ran over to where he had parked the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and he gasped.  Only three out of the four were present.  The Ogel Drilling Vehicle that drove by earlier was no random drone-driven one.

Cursing, Rex hopped inside the nearest Ogel Drilling Vehicle.  He started the engine, then drove down the tunnel he had seen the previous Ogel Drilling Vehicle go through.  At once, Rex's suspicions were confirmed.  This was the tunnel that led right to the nesting ground cavern.

Rex increased the vehicle's speed.  The tunnel and support beams became a blur, but Rex had the sinking feeling that he was still going to be too late.  As soon as he reached the cavern, he hopped out of the vehicle and ran past another parked Ogel Drilling Vehicle.  He saw a small fire in the center of the cavern, and Greybeard standing not too far away.  "Greybeard!" he shouted.  "What the MegaBlok do you think-"

"Stay back!" Greybeard yelled back.  He reached into his pack and pulled out a small flask.  Rex immediately recognized it as the one Greybeard had filled with rum earlier that night.  Calculating the distance between himself and Greybeard, and the distance between Greybeard and the fire, Rex skidded to a halt and instead ran back towards the Ogel Drilling Vehicles.  Greybeard tossed the flask at the flames, then he too ran for the Ogel Drilling Vehicles.

The flask had not hit the flames, but the force of impact made it leak.  Due to its short distance from the flames, there was going to be very little time to get out of the cave...

They hopped into their respective Ogel Drilling Vehicles and sped out of the cavern.  Almost seconds after they exited, the rum touched the flames, and a loud and powerful explosion rocked the tunnels.  Although a few pebbles did come down from the ceiling, the support beams held up, and the tunnels did not collapse.

Both Ogel Drilling Vehicles parked.  Angrily, Rex hopped out and pointed an accusing finger at Greybeard.  "I thought you agreed to wait until morning before we decided what to do with all the nests!" he shouted.  "Now, they're nothing but smoldering ashes!"

Greybeard glared at Rex.  In a matter-of-fact voice, he replied: "I do what I must because I can.  Fer th' good o' all o' us... except th' ones who be dead..."

"Yes," Rex said bitterly, "but what you fail to realize due to your two-dimensional thinking is that we could have used those hatchlings and eggs to our advantage!  Think about it - an entire army of tamed Mutant Dinos on our side!  Now, thanks to you, that's not going to happen so easily, now, is it?"

Greybeard spoke in a low, passive voice as he walked towards Rex.  "Listen, Rex, we be in a war.  In a war, ye kill yer enemy, before yer enemy kills ye.  We dinnae 'ave time t' go 'round tamin' little hatchlin's.  Even if it gives us an advantage, we'll be wastin' our time while our enemy can strike at us.  Yesterday... yesterday may 'ave been different.  Yesterday, we were not at war, but in a time o' peace an' prosperity.  Yesterday, we could've had th' time t' tame these Mutant Dinos.  But today... today be a war.  It be a struggle fer survival, an' thar be no turnin' back, or ye may not survive t' pass this way again.  In fact, I can almost guarantee that, in a war like this, he who wastes him time tamin' th' Mutant Dinos will die at th' hands o' a Mutant T-Rex... maybe even th' very one he tamed."

Rex nodded, but narrowed his eyes.  "You have a valid point, Greybeard.  And I admire your courage and stubbornness.  But, if we have any hope of winning this war, we have to cooperate, work together, and have a plan that we actually follow.  We have to get back to camp, and – Wait!"  Rex held up a hand, signaling Greybeard to not make a sound.

There came the sound of... something... scampering over the rocks that made the tunnels.  Rex looked around, and frowned.  "We're not alone.  Come on, Greybeard, let's investigate."

"Thar!" shouted Greybeard, grabbing a flashlight and pointing it in the direction from which he heard the noises.  There, revealed by the light, was...

*****

Hotwire had just dozed off when he heard the rumble of one of the drilling vehicles. He sat up and glanced around. Seeing the crouched silhouettes of Tail and Helmie keeping watch, he figured everything must still be all right and laid back down again. A few minutes later though, there was a distant whump and he heard Aravis screaming Greybeard's name. He realized immediately what the pirate had done. He ran over to Tail and Helmie to find that they had been knocked unconscious and propped up against the rocks.

So that's how he got past unnoticed, Hotwire thought. The ironic thing is that either of them would have helped him out. He walked back into the camp just in time to see Aravis attack the wall with her energy sword. A rectangular section fell away to reveal something very interesting.

*****

... a Minifig.  But a most peculiar one at that.

The immediate response to Greybeard's flashlight was that the Minifig shielded himself with a hand, surprised by the sudden brightness in the dark tunnels of the Goo Caverns.  When his hand fell again, Rex got a better look.  The Minifig stood in a hunched, crouched position, almost cat-like.  Long, silver-white tendrils of hair fell from the Minifig's face, forming a beard, which was accompanied by a few equally-long strands of hair on the Minifig's scalp.  The Minifig's skin was pale and dirty; wrinkled on his face, but bone-tight on his limbs and body.  His clothes were worn down over many years, and now could be best described as black rags.  He also at one point wore gloves and boots, but over time those too wore away, so the gloves lacked fingers and the boots lacked a bottom.  With one hand and both feet, he effortlessly gripped the jagged rocks that he stood on; with his free hand, he held what looked like it was once a Mutant Lizard leg, but skinned and missing chunks of meat.

Rex was initially stunned by this appearance, but he found his voice.  "Excuse me," he spoke slowly to the old Minifig, "who are you, and why were you watching us?"

The Minifig stared back through dark, sunken eyes.  "Who am I, and why was I watching you?" he answered in a hoarse, dry voice that sounded unused for decades.  "Such odd questions to ask me.  Aside from drones, I have not seen visitors for a long time... only natural of me to watch you, then?  Hmm?  Why don't you tell me who you are, visitors?"

"I'm Rex," Rex introduced himself.  Then, he pointed at Greybeard and continued: "And that's Greybeard."

"Hello, then," the old Minifig said with a smile.  "So, Rexybeard and Greyx, what brings you two here?  You're not Alpha Team, are you?  No... of course not.  Alpha Team spends too much time on the surface, never quite getting what they were meant to do.  It's a very strange mission of theirs.  They, like all other groups, were founded for a special mission that they don't know about.  Well, then, if you're not Alpha Team, and you're clearly not one of Ogel's, then where are you from?"

"I be a sea dog," Greybeard replied.  "I spent many a year pillagin', plunderin', riflin', an' lootin'!  Kidnappin', ravagin', an' not givin' a hoot!  It be a pirate's life fer me!  But, o' course, that be not why I be down 'ere in these Builder-forsaken tunnels."

"You see," Rex elaborated, "these mutated dinosaurs started showing up on the surface, and even down here, and now we're part of a new organization.  It's like the Alpha Team, but we deal in stopping these dinosaurs, not Ogel... In fact, Ogel has made an alliance with the Dino Attack Team, that he'll work with us until the world is cleansed from these mutants.  We're in fact on a mission from Ogel to secure the Goo Caverns."

"A mission," the old Minifig said, nodding.  "Indeed.  Everybody's always on a mission, for life itself is a mission.  But of what?  That's a mission to find out what our life's mission is.  There's always a mission, always a quest.  Whether it is the mission to save the world, or a mission to find that one missing sock to complete your sock pairs, we're always on a mission.  As for my mission... I do not yet know its purpose."  He took a bite out of the Mutant Lizard leg.

Greybeard's jaw dropped in a mixture of disgust and horror.  "Ye... eat Mutant Lizards?"

The old Minifig looked over the leg as he chewed.  "I'm surprised you've not had any yet.  After all, down here, I have no biscuits, veal, or fruit.  So I eat what I've got available.  It used to be just rats and lizards.  But then, these big lizards started showing up... they don't taste that good, but I lost my taste buds long ago.  You'll get used to it.  Eating without taste, I mean.  After all, you're trapped down here same as me... or perhaps you're free down here same as me... for down here is the greatest escape from the outside world... if there even is an outside world... or perhaps, I'm in the outside world, and what I'm hiding from is the inside world..."

Greybeard whispered into Rex's ear: "I be an old bilge rat.  However, any older than I would most likely be senile.  That old fellow be senile w' age!  He be mad!"

Rex bit his lip, for he agreed with Greybeard in that aspect.  "How long have you been down here?" he dared to ask the old Minifig.

The old Minifig thought, before taking another bite of the Mutant Lizard leg.  "Hmm... it all depends on perspective.  Mine, for example.  I've been down here my whole life, as far as I care, for I remember no life before this one.  Indeed, my residence in these tunnels has been all I can remember, and any previous life - if there was a previous life - is of no matter to me now.  However, from your perspective... I don't know, perhaps from your eyes I've only been down here a decade or two.  Then, we look at the big picture.  This rock on which I stand, to it I've only been here for a few milliseconds.  And not because I've only been standing on it for a few minutes from our perspective, but because it is so vastly older than I, that for all the years I've spent down here, it is nothing compared to the rock on which we stand.  Then, if we look at the even bigger picture-"

"What be yer name?" interrupted Greybeard, figuring it would be better to ask in the middle of a monologue than to wait for it to end.

The old Minifig smiled.  "I am me, for I cannot be you.  I am myself, for I cannot be anyone else.  My name is but a word, that means nothing to me now, for it is not who I am."

Greybeard snorted.  "Basically," he replied, "that means ye forgot yer name."

The old Minifig chuckled sheepishly.  "Perhaps.  But as I said, it is only a world.  It has no meaning, and it is not who I am.  If my entire identity depended on a single word, then would I have been able to swim in the deepest oceans, or trek all the way down to the blizzard-cold Antarctic, or meet King Salock and Queen Sarlaz of the Ice-"

"Then can I just call ye 'Ben Gunn'?" Once more, Greybeard interrupted the old Minifig's monologues.  "After all, ye look like someone who would be named 'Ben Gunn'..."

The old Minifig shrugged.  "Go ahead, if you want.  If it helps you to have a name associated with my face, feel free to do so.  It will never truly be my identity and who I am, but-"

"Well then," Rex interrupted.  "Greybeard and I have to get back to camp.  It was nice meeting you, Ben Gunn, but I'm afraid we have places to go, Minifigs to see, so on and so forth."  Eager to get away from this senile figure, he turned and started to head back towards the Ogel Drilling Vehicles.

"Wait!" Ben Gunn called out.  "I know!  You can come with me, to my cave!  I haven't seen visitors for so long, and even longer since visitors have entered my cave!"

"Thanks," replied Greybeard, "but we really need t' go."

"But it will only be a few minutes!" declared Ben Gunn.  "I insist!  Your team won't mind - you'll be gone for so short a time, they won't even notice the difference!  Come on, I'll lead you!"

Rex sighed and shook his head.  Having a feeling that he was going to regret this, he answered: "Fine, we'll come.  But only a very short visit."

*****

The submarine rose through the tunnel. The Dino Attack agents took some steps back as they saw the black vehicle surface and a hatch pop out. Some agents raised their weapons, but Reptile, after a glance at Hotwire (the two senior agents in absence of Rex) waved them down. A figure stepped out.

Reptile took a step back in surprise. "Coral? We thought you left Dino Attack!" he said.

Coral, who was wearing a damaged Dino Attack combat suit, shook his head. "Only to help, only to help. I united a band of the fools who call themselves pirates in this modern age, and brought them here, because you said you were bound here. I slipped past Ogel's defenses and brought the ship through the flooded passages leading into the ocean."

As Coral spoke, Tail's eyes widened. "How did you know about that, get in, and survive? Wait... you're... you're Glacier, aren't you! I recognize the voice!" the Alpha Team agent cried, drawing his laser.

Coral stepped backwards protectively and put his hand on his weapon. "I was Glacier, yes. After I travelled back in time to the pirates, six months into my adventures I suffered brain damage and awoke remembering nothing, and became Coral. Now, I have regained some of Glacier's memories after a battle with Alpha Team, ironically. But I'm here to help you. If you need a way out of these caverns, my ship can transport you, and I have a supply of weapons and some fellow modern pirates.

*****

Rex and Greybeard followed Ben Gunn through a series of winding tunnels.  Although Rex originally wanted to drive there in the Ogel Drilling Vehicles, Ben Gunn explained that the tunnels were too narrow and his cave too small for the Ogel Drilling Vehicles.  Thus, that left the Dino Attack Agent and the Pirate with no choice but to follow Ben Gunn on foot.

Greybeard sighed as they walked.  "Why be th' team hatin' me so?" he wondered aloud.

"What's that?" Rex inquired.  When Greybeard repeated his question, Rex replied: "It's not necessarily because you have different ideas from them.  In fact, I'm more than sure that Tail and Helmie agreed with you that we needed to destroy the nesting ground cavern.  Rather, it's because of your methods of doing so.  Must I bring up that you knocked me unconscious, along with Tail, and Helmie, and that you nearly killed Sauro-Hunter in combat, just to destroy a cave full of eggs?"

"I be thinkin' that Kat's threat be not idle," muttered Greybeard.  "That witch probably would kill me.  She be an odd one, she be.  Then again, most females be like that.  I always said that bringin' a lady aboard a ship be bad luck."

"You didn't have to bring up ShadowTech, you know," reminded Rex.

"And Sauro-Hunter.  In that young one's eyes, I saw that he agreed wi' Kat," continued Greybeard.

"Well, you did attack him just because he was taking care of a Mutant T-Rex hatchling," Rex sighed.  "We all know that you're a pirate.  We're trying to work with you, and I know you're trying to work with us.  You've just got to... I don't know... work on your temper, I suppose.  Then, maybe you'll get Sauro-Hunter, Kat, Aravis, and the others to stop hating you."

"Aye, I suppose," said Greybeard, shrugging.

They watched as Ben Gunn walked up to a rather large rock.  He felt over it, smiled, and gave it a slight push.  The rock was barely moved, but it moved just enough to reveal a small opening.  Ben Gunn turned to look at the two Dino Attack agents, and gestured to the small tunnel.  "Come on!" he smiled.  "Just through this little tunnel."

"Be ye so sure about this?" Greybeard asked Rex.  "I mean, we barely know 'im... he could be a spy fer Dr. Rex, an' could very well be leadin' us into a trap... Or, we could return t' camp an' come back in a few days, or 'a fraction of a millisecond compared to the rock on which we stand', t' ensure that thar be no trap..."

Rex stared at Ben Gunn for a moment.  In truth, he pitied the poor creature.  For many untold years, Ben Gunn had been living in the Goo Caverns, with nobody but himself.  This old, senile Minifig was clearly happy to finally have someone to talk to besides himself.  Leaving Ben Gunn right now might drive the poor Minifig mad... even madder than he was now.  Rex realized that had he been in Ben Gunn's bottomless boots, he would have done the same thing for any visitors he met.  Thus, Rex replied: "No, it's not a trap.  We'll just go in for a quick visit."

Ben Gunn smiled and, with ease, crawled into the small opening.  Rex and Greybeard were not as lucky.  For one so adapted to the rocks and tunnels of the Goo Caverns, Ben Gunn had no problem.  Rex, however, was not as good at crawling through very narrow tunnels.  It was so narrow, in fact, that he had to lie on his belly and keep his arms very close to his sides.  Claustrophobia began to seep in.  Ahead of him, he could see Ben Gunn gaining distance; behind him, he heard Greybeard panting and struggling to crawl through the tunnel.

At last, Rex and Greybeard stepped out into a larger cavern.  "Here it is," smiled Ben Gunn.  "In this here cave, I have stored all remnants that I have from my previous mission: my life before the Goo Caverns.  Now, I look at them and wonder what I was before living here, but it's not like I care that much.  After all, that mission of mine is long over, and I must work with my current mission of my current life.  But... perhaps, these old and unusual artifacts may provide clues to your own missions in life.  Go ahead - take a look!"

Rex was awed by the cave.  The rock was cut and polished in ways that it formed several shelves.  And on these shelves were all sorts of objects.  The first ones that caught Rex's eyes were rather surprising: a diving helmet, an oxygen tank, and a pair of flippers.  What are those doing here? wondered Rex.

Greybeard, on the other hand, walked up to a shelf and picked up a pile of yellowed papers.  His eyes widened as he looked it over.  "The Daily Brick?" he murmured.  "Shiver me timbers!  I 'aven't seen a Daily Brick newspaper fer years; not since they replaced it w' th' Brick Street Journal back in 2004..."

Rex walked up behind Greybeard and read over his shoulder.  The paper was very yellow and crumpled, and the ink was smudged in many areas, but Rex was able to read one of the headlines: "MIND-CONTROL ORB SPOTTED OFF COAST". Provided was an old photograph of Dash, Cam, Radia, and Tee Vee studying what Rex noted was a Mutation Orb, rather than an ordinary Mind-Control Orb.  Rex looked for the date, but that was also smudged.

Greybeard put down the newspaper and casually brushed his hands against a few gold coins.  Although Ben Gunn was oblivious to this, Rex narrowed his eyes at the old pirate, so Greybeard restrained himself from "accidentally" taking any.  However, as soon as Rex turned away, Greybeard snatched up a rather intricately-designed diamond-embedded gold ring and stuffed it into one of his pockets.

Rex found a folded piece of what looked like leather.  When he picked it up, he found that it was actually the remains of a wallet.  Curious, Rex opened it and found no money inside, but a few black-and-white photographs.  The first one he found was of a young, handsome Minifig in a lab coat.  There was something about that Minifig that made him seem familiar, but Rex couldn't put his finger on it.  The next photograph was of a beach resort.  The Minifig from the first photo, this time dressed casually, was seen hugging a woman whom Rex presumed to be his wife.  The next photograph was almost the same, but this time the two Minifigs were kissing.  But it was the fourth photograph that made Rex's eyes widen and his jaw drop.

Once more, the Minifig from the previous photographs was present, and once again was wearing a lab coat.  Accompanying him were two other Minifigs in lab coats, all smiling and waving at the camera.  One of them Rex did not recognize, but he appeared to be a tall, handsome man.  But the other...

Rex picked up the photograph and walked over to Ben Gunn, who was sitting placidly on a small rock.  "Hmm?" spoke the old Minifig.  "Did you find something?"

Rex showed Ben Gunn the photograph.  "Did you know anybody by the name of Ronald Alexander?" he asked.

*****

"While we could escape through Coral's ship, I don't think anyone here has a nuclear weapon, Dino Attack doesn't, if Alpha Team did they would refuse to give it to us, which leaves the LEGO City Defense Force and I doubt they would hand over one to a group allied with Ogel," interjected Reptile.

"I recommend Earthquake Orbs. Blast the caverns to smithereens, use the submarine to make a hasty exit, and drop more earthquake orbs to seal the pass behind us," Reptile added. "Of course, Ogel might be unwilling to give us weapons capable of devastating his own caverns, but fortunately I have a small stockpile stored on my Ogel Drilling Vehicle."

As he said this, Tail calculated the odds of this working. Theoretically, Ogel Earthquake Orbs could release controlled detonations, but he didn't know how to do it. Glacier possibly did; he had been a Special Alpha Team Agent like his brother, but Tail didn't know if Coral still remembered. Reptile would have to cross-engineer them rapidly to get it to work. He still remembered the Alpha Team mission to find the first Ice Orb ever built… the best Alpha Team engineer had almost failed to deactivate it, and had had no idea how to control it.

*****

Ben Gunn took the photograph from Rex.  "Ronald Alexander?" he repeated.  "That name doesn't sound familiar... of course, anything from my life before the Goo Caverns, if I indeed had a life before the Goo Caverns, doesn't seem familiar.  Is it from my past life?  I cannot recall..."

Rex pointed to the scientist he recognized as Dr. Rex in the photo.  "This… I think this is him.  He goes by the alias Dr. Rex.  Do you recall anything at all about that?  Information on him would be very useful to the... err, the mission we're on.  Greybeard and myself, I mean."

Ben Gunn looked over the photograph, and squinted his eyes at Dr. Rex's image.  A few moments passed, then he shook his head and chuckled.  "Nope," he replied.  "Don't remember a thing.  Although, it is kind of funny, in a way.  You look almost just like this Minifig, whose name you say to be..."

Ben Gunn suddenly trailed off.  Rex watched as Ben's face transformed.  At one moment, he was an old, crazy Minifig, chuckling over things he could not remember.  Then, some sort of realization seemed to wash over Ben Gunn, and the smile faded.  Then, when Ben Gunn lifted his head again to look at Rex, it was not of the old strange senile Minifig Rex had met, but rather that of an infuriated, fierce fighter, almost reminding Rex of Greybeard.  Ben Gunn spoke again, but his voice had changed too, for it was now almost like a snarl: "What are you doing here?"

Before Rex could reply, Ben Gunn threw down the photograph, stood up to his full height, grabbed Rex by the front of his uniform, and slammed him into one of the cave walls.  "What are you doing here, Dr. Rex?!" he yelled, distracting Greybeard from his task of "accidentally" taking a few gold coins.  "Get out!  Get out of my home, or I will kill you!"

"I'm not Dr. Rex!" insisted Rex.  Greybeard moved to attack, but Ben Gunn back-handed him as soon as he was close enough.  In one swift motion, he had Greybeard on the ground, and his foot pressed against the old pirate's neck.

Ben Gunn picked up the old photograph, and more or less shoved it into Rex's face.  "Well, 'not Dr. Rex'," he hissed, "explain to me how you look exactly like this Minifig whose name is Dr. Rex!  Why, in fact, you even told me yourself that your name was Rex!"

"That's because 'Rex' is my real name!" Rex tried to explain.  "It's not an alias!  We look alike because... because... because he's my... second... uncle? ... Twice removed!  He was very excellent at baking cake, by the way-"

Ben Gunn's expression continued to darken.  He dropped the photograph again, but this time he grabbed Rex's neck instead.  "I'm not buying this.  That cake is a lie.  Get out of my cave, or you and your pirate are both dead!"

As quickly as it had come, it was over.  Ben Gunn's expression returned to normal, and Rex felt the grip on his neck weaken.  Returning to his crouched position, Ben Gunn set both Rex and Greybeard free, and started rubbing his forehead.  "Peculiar," he mumbled.  "I don't know what came over me.  I'm sorry for whatever inconvenience I caused - I'm probably just getting senile, that's all."  He chuckled again, and Rex had the feeling that he was back to "normal".

Rex rubbed his neck.  He watched as Ben Gunn picked up the photograph and laid it on one of the shelves.  Rex helped Greybeard to his feet.  It's not Ben Gunn acting senile, he thought bitterly.  He knows, or at least knew at one time, Dr. Rex.  Apparently, they did not get along at all.  There was also something... vaguely familiar about Ben Gunn's violent episode.

"Take the photograph," Rex whispered into Greybeard's ear.  Then, he turned to Benn Gunn and explained: "I'm afraid that our presence in your home may not be beneficial to your health.  However, it was very nice meeting you.  We're going to head back to camp, and tell our friends all about you and how... erm, educational it was to be in your presence.  We've got to go now."

"Are you sure?" asked Ben Gun.  "You've only just arrived."

"We'll be back," Rex said, smiling nervously.  "We promise.  But for now, our team is probably wondering where we are.  Hey... why don't you come with us?"

Ben Gunn sighed and shook his head.  As he backed away from Rex, he said quietly: "Go ahead and leave me.  I think I prefer to stay inside.  Maybe you'll find someone else to help you.  Maybe Ogel?"  After a short pause, he chuckled and added: "That was a joke.  Hah, fat chance..."

Greybeard nodded to Rex - he was in possession of the photograph.  With that, Rex and Greybeard left Ben Gunn's cave through the small narrow tunnel from which they entered.  Ben Gunn sat with his back towards the tunnel for a few minutes.  Then, he narrowed his eyes, bit his lip, and turned over his shoulder to look at the tunnel, despite the two Dino Attack agents now being long gone.  Who could say what he was thinking as he stared at the empty tunnel?

*****

"What?" said Kat.

"Well," said David "I developed lots of sticky substances. If I could do it again and put 2 cm2 of G-16 on the walls it could make it almost non-drillable!"

"Well," said Reptile, "we want the Caverns to be uncollapsable, not undrillable. If Ogel were to betray us, we would have no escape."

"But like I said," interjected Kat, "he probably won't do that. And anyways, if you can't drill through the rock, it's certainly not going to collapse anytime soon. The only problem would be getting the ingredients for this 'G-16' stuff. If we asked the drones, they might get suspicious."

*****

As Rex and Greybeard walked back to where they had parked their Ogel Drilling Vehicles, they were surprised to find only one of them present.  A short investigation by Rex proved that in the place of the other was a sticky note, with the message scribbled on it: "SORRY IF ANYONE WAS USING THIS.  JUST GOTTA BORROW IT FOR A SHORT WHILE.  SOMETHING ABOUT QUADRANT 45 NEEDING ONE OF THESE... - ELITE SEA DRONE A-3145"

Rex glanced at Greybeard, shrugged, and stated, "I guess we'll be sharing the same Ogel Drilling Vehicle again.  Just... this time, don't knock me out and commandeer the vehicle."

Greybeard chuckled softly.  "Aye, ye won't have t' worry much about that one.  Now that I personally removed th' problem, thar be no reason fer me t' steal this vehicle again."  They both hopped inside the vehicle and made for camp, with Rex driving and Greybeard manning the drill.

Rex then heard some static on Greybeard's radio.  Greybeard picked up the communication device.  "Aye?" he said into it.  He waited a moment. "Aye, he be w' me right now.  Ye want t' talk w' him?" Another pause, and then he grimly nodded and handed the radio to Rex.  "It be fer ye," he explained.

"This is Team Commander Specs speaking," Rex heard over the radio.  "Is this Elite Agent Rex?"

Rex nodded.  "Yes, it's me.  What is it?"

"Where were you?" Specs asked, with a rather impatient tone.  "Headquarters has been trying to contact you for hours.  Why wasn't your radio on?"

Rex felt his belt, then realized that his radio was missing.  Then, he remembered what happened to it.  "I apologize," he muttered.  "The trip to Ogel's Island was... rather bumpy, and my radio got waterlogged along the way.  It's lying discarded and broken on the coast of Ogel's Island, if it's still where I left it."

A pause, then Rex heard Specs reply: "Fine.  Have you made any progress yet in the Goo Caverns?"

"Indeed," Rex said.  "For the most part, our squad has driven out most of the Mutant Dinos of this section of the Goo Caverns... Quadrant 26, I think.  We've also successfully reinforced most of the walls of Quadrant 26 and 27, with the help of Ogel's drones.  What's more is that Greybeard and I ran into... a strange old Minifig that may know something about-"

"We can discuss this later," interrupted Specs.  "I need to tell you right now that we've just received word from our squads at Quadrants 14 and 15.  Some recent volcanic activities in Quadrant 15 eliminated most of that squad, and no word from the Quadrant 14 squad since we've detected an earthquake in that area.  I understand from contacting Reptile earlier that your squad is currently in Quadrant 27 and has merged with many other squads?"

"That is true, commander."

"Well, I'm afraid that I'm going to need you to start splitting up your squad.  While in such large numbers you have so quickly reinforced Quadrants 26 and 27, it might be a better idea if we spread out our forces to work on more areas at a time, rather than focusing most of our energy in one place at a time.  Especially now that we've lost the squads at Quadrants 14 and 15.  In fact, I've just contacted the Quadrant 45 squad.  They're on their way to Quadrant 14 to investigate."

"Commander, is Ogel there?" inquired Rex.

"No, he is not."

"Good.  Then I can tell you this.  If Ogel decides to dishonor our agreement while we're down here in the Goo Caverns, splitting up our forces-"

"-will not be a good idea.  I understand.  Which is why we must get in and out of the Goo Caverns A.S.A.P.  And that's just what will happen if we split up our squads and work on reinforcing more areas of the Goo Caverns at a time!  Once more, I need you to return to the rest of your squad, and inform them that you must divide yourselves into small squads."

Rex glanced at Greybeard. "I'm just worried about the rookies.  Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, Ptero, and Spino, I mean.  Wouldn't it be better if they stuck with a larger group of more experienced agents such as Hotwire or Reptile?"

"We don't have time for this, Rex!  Digger keeps trying to show me this map he made of the Goo Caverns, and if I am to pay my full attention to what he's saying, I have to get off the radio now!"  With that, the radio fell silent.  Rex sighed and handed it back to Greybeard.

Rex had to slam his foot down on the brakes abruptly.  The massive Ogel Drilling Vehicle stopped mere feet away from a march of Rock Drones.  They did not even seem to notice the Ogel Drilling Vehicle; they just kept marching, facing front with serious, no-nonsense expressions on their skulls.

Then, a crowd of Ice Drones ran past the Rock Drone march, chattering and gossiping and laughing and acting almost like a group of elementary school students on a field trip.  The stark contrast between the serious, disciplined Rock Drones and the childish Ice Drones was so great that Rex had to keep himself from laughing.  Rex then peered out the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and noticed that the Rock Drones and Ice Drones were headed towards another Ogel Drilling Vehicle.  Rex and Greybeard hopped out of their own and followed the drones to see what the commotion was about.

Three figures stepped out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle.  Rex almost immediately recognized General.  Standing beside him was Talia Kaahs, who was now wearing a Dino Attack uniform which still did not conceal her beauty.  And...

"Amanda!" Rex shouted in excitement, and he ran towards the female Dino Attack agent.  She smiled too, and they embraced as soon as they were close enough.  "What are you doing here?" he asked them.

"We've just secured Quadrant 45," explained General.  "Then, we received word from Specs about trouble in Quadrants 14 and 15.  I never really liked those areas of the Goo Caverns, even before the Dino Attack.  Unfortunately, they are more or less directly underneath an active volcano.  Talia and I are headed to Quadrant 15, where we are to work with the remainder of the original squad there and prevent any future eruptions.  Since we knew that we'd be passing through Quadrant 17... we decided to let Amanda join your squad.  She pretty much insisted."

"You sure about this?" Rex asked Amanda.  She nodded, continuing to smile.

The Rock Drones stood in formation a short distance from the Ogel Drilling Vehicle.  Greybeard had finally caught up to Rex, and was catching his breath.  The Ice Drones started to crowd around General, isolating him from the others and saying things like: "General!  You're back!" "I thought you were dead!" "Does this mean I get a raise?" "Hey, I never got this close to you before!  Can I have your autograph?"

Talia giggled slightly as General groaned and shooed away the Ice Drones.  "Back to work, all of you!" he ordered the Ice Drones and the Rock Drones.  The Rock Drones obediently followed his order right away, but there came some whining and complaining from the Ice Drones before they too left.  Once General was sure that they were gone, he nodded to Talia and leaned in close to Rex.  "May we confide in you?"

Rex nodded.  "Sure, what is it?"

Talia spoke for the first time.  "George, or 'General' as you know him, has already explained to me about Ogel.  How he's evil and all, I mean.  And General is actually thinking of retiring."

It took Rex a moment, but then it hit him.  "You're going to leave Ogel's side?" he asked General in surprise.  "You're not going to be his general anymore?"

"I've done enough evil," General sighed.  "Especially since my life had no other purpose then.  But now..." He laid a hand on Talia's shoulder.  "Now I have a purpose.  I've been enlightened.  And that's where you come in."

"Ogel probably remembers me," continued Talia.  "General has not told him yet about my return, so as far as Ogel's concerned, I'm just another woman.  If he knew my name, he'd put two and two together and figure out that General was going to leave him.  Which is why neither Ogel nor any of his drones should find out my name.  Shortly after you left headquarters, I joined the team, and now the team knows me under my codename, agent 'Shock'."

"In short," General concluded, "none of us can call Talia by her name.  Address her as 'Shock' from now own.  You'll do this favor for us?"

Rex nodded.  "Of course.  But what about the Lurcher Drone who accompanied us back to LEGO City?  He knows Talia's name.  Isn't that potentially dangerous?"

General's eyes - the only visible part of his actual face - narrowed.  "You won't have to worry about L-D1748.  I trust that I won't need to say why."  With that, General and Shock both hopped into their Ogel Drilling Vehicle and sped off.  Rex, Amanda, and Greybeard headed towards their own Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and resumed the journey back to camp.

*****

Coral helped Dino Attack Team secure that area of the Goo Caverns. Coral's small crew of pirates even fought alongside him in the battle.

Younger, amphibious Octosaurs emerged when the Dino Attack squad, under the command of Reptile, came too close to the aquatic passageways. These octopus-like monsters attacked with ferocity, and one of them bit off Sauro-Hunter's hand and would have been eaten the young Dino Attack agent if Aravis hadn't killed the creature with her Energy Swords. The Octosaurs were eventually beaten off or killed.

Aravis, Ptero, and Spino brought the wounded Sauro-Hunter to Ogel's HQ. After several hours of surgery, a new mechanical hand was attached to what was left of his arm.

*****

Helmie heard the rumble of an Ogel Drilling Vehicle and looked up to see it roll up outside of camp, and Rex and Greybeard climbed out, followed by agent Claw herself.

"Welcome back," he called out. "You missed the fun. Nothing like a pack of Mutant Octosaurs to brighten your day."

"Details later," said Rex. "Specs contacted me. He wants us all to split up into smaller groups."

"You're a bit late, then," put in Zenna. "Sauro got his hand bitten off, so Aravis, Ptero, and Spino took him to the surface."

Rex sighed. Those still at camp began discussing how to break up into smaller squads.

The other agents began preparing to depart while they waited for the return of Aravis, Sauro-Hunter, Ptero, and Spino. So far, attempts to contact them had failed.

"The drones probably have a more powerful comm system," suggested Alpha. "Maybe they could patch us through?"

"Probably. I say we finish breaking camp, then try again," said Hotwire. "If that still doesn't work, Kat and I can wait for them here."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Alpha said. "You'd be unprotected, since the drones commandeered our last Ogel Drilling Vehicle."

"Drat. I didn't even notice," Hotwire said, wincing. This is why I never bought a car, he thought.

"I say we give them another half-hour," said Rex as he, Reptile, and Amanda loaded the last of the equipment. While he was indeed worried about Sauro-Hunter, he was also thinking of Ben Gunn. He hoped he would not have to leave the old minifig here.

Reptile sighed. "Coral still hasn't returned, either."

Amanda shrugged, as if to say that no news is good news.

Rex waited patiently for word from Sauro-Hunter and the other new recruits.  After all, it was best that they did not split up into separate squads without Sauro-Hunter being present.  He worried about the young Dino Attack agent.  Statistically, Dino Attack agents who have lost a body part to Mutant Dinos early in their time in the team either became the team's greatest and most motivated fighters... or else they lost the rest of their body to Mutant Dinos in a short time.

Rex looked over the photograph that Greybeard had successfully snatched from Ben Gunn's cave.  The three scientists, one of them Dr. Rex.  If Rex's hunch was correct and that a very young Ben Gunn was the recurring character in the wallet's photographs, then that must have meant that Ben Gunn knew Dr. Rex for a long time.  From the photograph, Rex would have guessed that they were friends, so Ben Gunn might know more about Dr. Rex than anyone else.

But then something must have happened that severed their friendship in a bad way, as Ben Gunn had turned violent when he suddenly remembered who Dr. Rex was.  Then, if only Ben Gunn could remember more, then he'd be more willing to help the Dino Attack team destroy Dr. Rex... but just how reliable was Ben Gunn anyway?

And just who was that other scientist in the photo?  The one standing between Dr. Rex and the Minifig whom Rex presumed to be Ben Gunn?

Puzzled, Rex put the photograph away.  He leaned against the cavern wall and watched as Amanda and Reptile checked to see if there was any more equipment that needed to be loaded.  Amanda caught sight of Rex and smiled.  Rex chuckled and waved at her.

"Ye really do love her, do ye not?"

Rex started for a moment, then realized that Greybeard was standing next to him, with an expression of pity and amusement on his grizzled face.  "Well… yes," Rex said, finally admitting it out loud.  "In fact, I do."

"And o' all times t' love a wench," Greybeard continued, "ye 'ad t' choose now?  In th' middle o' a war?"

Rex frowned.  "Well, you see, before the war, I was a completely different species, for one thing.  And I only met her during the war. It's not like I had any earlier opportunities."

"But still," Greybeard said as he began to chuckle, "in th' middle o' all this violence, yer tryin' t' throw in a romantic interlude!  Excuse me, but that be what I call bad timin'!  An' I be sure that I be not th' only one.  Hotwire, Helmie, an' Kat all agree w' me... on this, at least.  On top o' that, it sounds like we be not part o' th' same squad once we split up, so ye may ne'er see me again, an' all ye be doin' be looking at her!"

Rex glared at Greybeard.  "What, you've got a thing against the female gender?"

Greybeard sighed.  "That... be a long story... and we dinnae have th' time t' discuss it!  All I be sayin' be that now be not th' best time t' get yerselves engaged.  What be th' point o' getting attached t' someone, if either one o' ye dies in this war?"

Rex, with a little too much force applied, laid his hand on Greybeard's shoulder.  "That's the point.  If we don't love each other now, and one of us dies, then we'll never have loved each other.  I love her.  I made my choice.  And... ah, what's the point?  You don't understand.  But of course, I cannot propose to her, since you're right that probably the worst time to propose is during a war.  It is alright to love, but proposing might go too far."

"Now, that be where ye be wrong again!" said Greybeard, smiling.  "Did ye know I once married a couple of lovers, in th' middle o' a sea battle between th' Black Seas Barracuda an' two Armada Flagships?"

"No way," Rex said as his eyes widened in disbelief.  "You married two pirates during a sea battle?"

Greybeard chuckled.  "Ah, I ne'er forgot that day.  I made up th' wedding speech right there on th' spot, an' I can still recite it today.  'Dearly beloved', says I, 'we be gathered here today... t' nail yer gizzards t' th' mast, ye poxy cur!'  O' course, while I be sayin' this, I be fightin' one o' them Spanish Armada soldiers, so me attention be divided.  By all means, if yer goin' t' be so foolish as t' love during a war, propose!"

Rex raised an eyebrow.  "But then, I have no engagement ring of any sort, so..."

Greybeard reached into his pocket.  "Here, ye can 'ave this one."  He pulled out a rather intricately-designed gold ring, with a diamond embedded.

Rex took the ring.  "Where'd you get this?"  Noticing Greybeard's smile change in expression from a nostalgic smile to that of a thief, Rex frowned.  "Oh, no, you didn't... you did, didn't you?"

"Oh, Ben Gunn be nice enough t' give this t' me fer free!" Greybeard said, laughing.  Then, his expression became serious.  "Go ahead.  Ye can propose t' her.  If she says no, ye can keep th' ring.  After all, I may not be alive th' next time ye see me... if ye see me at all."  Greybeard sighed heavily.  Without another word, Greybeard left Rex and headed towards Kat to have a word with her.

Rex watched him go.  Were those the words of a realist?  Or those of a pirate who wanted to have his misery end the easy way?

The Ogel Drilling Vehicle pulled up, and Sauro-Hunter climbed down, followed by Aravis, Ptero, and Spino. Sauro seemed different to Hotwire; he had lost the energetic, self-assured aura, and now seemed cold and subdued.

"Glad to have you back," said Rex.

Sauro-Hunter stepped out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, his sides hurting immensely. The Dino Attack agent put his hands in his pocket, feeling somewhat ashamed. His memories wandered back to that day.

His train of thought was interrupted by Greybeard. "Hello. Good t' see ye, Sau-" he said, but was abruptly cut off by Sauro-Hunter. The Dino Attack Agent had whipped his hands out of his pockets. With a soft whirring noise, a small plasma cannon emerged out of Sauro's mechanical arm. The barrel was aimed right at Greybeard's face. Everyone, including Sauro, was surprised.

"Sorry," Sauro-Hunter said. "Didn't know that would happen. Never felt that disturbed before."

Just then there was a shout from the flooded tunnel, and Coral emerged, followed by some of his crew. They carried eight containers of what David had called G-16.

The submarine surfaced from the newly smashed ice that Reptile's drill had pierced. It opened, and Coral emerged with cargo crates of the wall-reinforcing material. It had been shaped into beacons. "If we scatter these beacons throughout the cavern walls, floors, and ceilings and bury them, they should create an energy wall that will stabilize the caverns. Apparently, the mining companies call them 'electric fences'."

Then he noticed Greybeard, and his eyes widened. "Greybeard? You joined Dino Attack as well?" Coral knew Greybeard from their pirate days, and the two had worked together many times. He didn't trust him totally, but then again no pirate trusted another totally.

Having decided on how to separate into smaller squads, all the agents grouped by their respective vehicles. Initially, there was some confusion as to how they would fit four agents in each Ogel Drilling Vehicle, until Aravis explained that an extra seat could be folded out from the wall of the cab. Then, armed with the G-16, all four squads roared off into different tunnels.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 30: Rubble Trouble

----

"Well, how do you use it?" asked Rex.

"Well," said David, putting some rubber gloves on, "watch me." He dipped his hand into the crate and picked up a handful of G-16 goo. He then smothered it onto the cavern walls. Then he picked up a laser gun. When he fired at the cavern wall, nothing even suggested that it had been fired on. With that, the team set to work.

Zyra put on a pair of rubber gloves, watching David. Zyra picked up a handful of the goo and began smearing it over the cavern walls lightly. Zyra tested it with his gun to make sure he had applied it right. Then reached in for another handful.

David checked the wall in the next cavern. It was very obvious that part of it was a fake rock wall. David investigated. He found himself in a darkened lab. But then... something shocked him. He saw something... walk? Crawl? Scuttle? Whatever it was, it moved like a spider. But then it was gone.

Zyra looked around to find David missing. He sighed and walked off to find him. He was in another cavern. He looked pretty shocked.

"What's wrong?" Zyra asked.

"Nothing..." David replied.

Then the two agents went back to work. Zyra grabbed some more of the G-16 stuff. He was beginning to hate this. He would much rather be shooting dinos. And just then he got his wish.

A Mutant T-rex came running down the tunnel at full speed. Zyra prepared for battle, but the dino ran right past him. Startled, he looked back. David jumped out of the way of the roaring creature.

Zyra turned back to where the T-Rex had come from, wondering what made it run so fast. Just then he got his answer, as about twelve Mutant T-Rexes, each one about twice the size of the other, came charging down the tunnel.

"Run!" Zyra screamed at David.

*****

Kat stopped the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. She, Greybeard, and Helmie began applying G-16 to the cave walls while Tail kept an eye out for dinos from the turret.

"I hope we aren't using too much," said Kat. "Things would get bad pretty fast if we used too much one place and not enough somewhere else."

"The most important thing is to get an even coat," said Helmie.

"How would ye know that?" inquired Greybeard. "She be th' most scientific one 'ere."

Helmie shrugged apologetically. "I used to be a house painter, that's all."

Tail, Greybeard, Kat, and Helmie worked their way down the tunnel, moving the Ogel Drilling Vehicle for every hundred feet or so of the walls they covered with G-16. Helmie grabbed another handful and mashed it against a slightly protruding rock on the wall. To his surprise, the rock depressed. To his even greater surprise, there was a loud grinding and a section of the wall slid away, revealing another tunnel. "Hey guys," he said, "I think you'd all want to see this."

Tail stayed outside the tunnel to stand guard while Helmie, Greybeard, and Kat explored it with flashlights. "Holler if you run into something nasty," he told the three of them before they disappeared inside.

As they discovered, the walls of the hidden tunnel were oddly smooth. "No drone dug this, that be certain. Too precise," said Greybeard. They turned that over in their minds, but were given even more to think about when they rounded a corner and their flashlight beams revealed a perfectly straight, clean, tiled corridor, ending a few hundred feet down in a metal door. The three of them advanced cautiously toward the door.

"There's no handle," said Helmie when they reached the end of the corridor. "How do we get in?"

They looked around, and Kat noticed a panel on the wall. "This looks like a handprint scanner," she said. "I wonder if it unlocks the door."

"If ye dinnae try, ye'll ne'er know," said Greybeard.

Kat gave a slight nod. "Here goes nothing," she said, and pressed her hand to the panel. Her jaw dropped when it blinked green, the door slid open, and lights flickered to life in the room beyond the doorway.

*****

"Silly, isn't it?" mused Hotwire. "We've got more urgent business to attend to during the Dino Attack, but Rex and Amanda keep finding time to snog like middle school lovers…" He trailed off when he noticed that Sauro-Hunter and Aravis were trading glances and blushing uncomfortably.

"Still," continued Alpha, "there's no reason to be so embarrassed. After all, you aren't in middle school-" Aravis and Sauro glared daggers at him. "... anymore." he finished weakly. "Boy, if looks could kill..."

"So anyway Sauro," said Hotwire, changing the subject as he scooped out another glob of G-16, "what did you name your sword?"

Sauro-Hunter looked down at his leaf-shaped sword. "Du Sundavar Freohr," he replied. "In the ancient language of the dragons, it means Death of the Shadows."

Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, Alpha, and Hotwire took an Ogel Drilling Vehicle and were soon chased by a pack of Mutant Lizards. When they were cornered, Sauro-Hunter single-handedly slaughtered many of the Lizards, including the pack leader. Before Aravis fired a mental blast, he himself breathed fire like a dragon. After his mouth feeling like it was burning, Sauro-Hunter shouted, "OW!!!"

*****

Zyra was running faster than he ever had, but surprisingly David was running faster. Probably some invention of his, or maybe he doesn't want to die, Zyra thought, chuckling to himself. Just then the tunnel split off in two directions. Zyra ran down the right one and David ran down the left. Zyra realized they were separated and went to turn back, then remembered the T-Rexes.

He could hear the T-Rexes running down the tunnel. He looked back to find six of the twelve were chasing him. He kept going until he reached yet another fork. With a quick glance back, he headed down the right tunnel. After turning the corner at the end, he jumped back. There was a river running through the center. Zyra couldn't go back now.

Zyra looked back to see how much time he had, then jumped into the water. The current was strong and almost sucked him under. Fortunately for Zyra, he was a great swimmer. He soon washed up on the other side and pulled himself out, coughing and spitting.

He checked his equipment. Everything was soaked. He had lost his pack in the water as well. The only things he had left was his laser gun, a few wet scraps of paper in his pocket and a radio that had been destroyed by the current. He discarded the radio and the paper and stood up. A quick look around told him he was lost. He sighed and headed down the tunnel, hoping to find the others.

Zorikk was separated from his squad and met Zyra after running from a Mutant T-Rex. Zyra saved his life and they became friends. They managed to stumble on another nesting ground cavern full of Green Goo-resistant Mutant Dino eggs. The eggs started to hatch…

*****

Greybeard, Kat, Helmie, and Tail discovered that the installation contained the Shadow Technology Agency Reference Engine (S.T.A.R.E.), ShadowTech's supercomputer containing all their information.

"I knew it!" cried Greybeard, drawing his cutlass. "Ye've led us into a trap, ye ShadowTech scum! Well, I fer one dinnae plan on goin' quiet-like!"

"Cool it," snapped Kat. "If this were a trap, do you think I really would have left Tail outside with the door open?"

"Aye, mayhap t' make us confident o' our safety!" He brandished the cutlass menacingly.

Kat rolled her eyes. "I don't have time for this," she said, turning back towards the S.T.A.R.E. and tapping in a password. Somehow, she knew she would find something important on the supercomputer, but she didn't know what. Once inside, she scrolled through hundreds of files until one caught her eye, and she selected it. She began quickly scanning the file, and as she neared the end, her eyes began to widen. When she reached the bottom, she stepped back, shocked.

"What is it?" inquired Helmie.

"It's... a list," said Kat. "A list of every single person ever employed by or involved with ShadowTech, whether they're dead, alive, expelled, or unaccounted for." She paused for another breath. "I'm not anywhere on that list at all."

*****

Spino was assigned to a squad with Reptile, Zenna, and Ptero. While sleeping in a sector of the Goo Caverns, Spino was woken up by a newly-hatched Mutant Raptor that had jumped on his legs. Spino captured and then adopted the Raptor hatchling, which he named Shade. Shade became attached to Spino and would perch on his shoulder for hours while he was in an Ogel Drilling Vehicle or coating the cavern walls with G-16, with the young Mutant Raptor's sharp claws leaving scars on Spino's shoulders. Initially, Tex was jealous of Shade, but soon welcomed him as a new member of GAIA Squad's "family". With Shade perched on his shoulder, Spino continued working with his teammates to coat the cavern walls with G-16.

Later, Spino and Shade were captured by Dr. Inferno's henchmen. Shade did not go quietly; he managed to leap onto one henchman's face and rip it into minced meat, but he was knocked unconscious by the other henchman. They were brought to Dr. Inferno's underground outpost, where Inferno's henchmen had gained a foothold in the Goo Caverns.

Spino and Shade awoke hours later. Spino was encased in black-and-red armor with eyeballs on the chest, shoulders, knees, helmet, and back. He was given an injection of chemicals that made him completely loyal to Dr. Inferno. Shade was fully-grown and mutated further by a drug that had been injected into his blood; the drug turned his scales, eyes, and feather crest blood-red and made spikes grow out of his tail. Shade was also given a set of armor for the coming battle.

*****

Rex and Amanda traveled deeper into Quadrant 57. David and Zyra had disappeared after that earlier Mutant T-Rex attack. Since then, Rex and Amanda had searched been searching for them, but no success so far.

Rex kept looking over the ring Greybeard had given him whenever Amanda was not looking. Indeed, it was beautifully designed, and Rex fancied that if he ever were to propose to Amanda, a ring like this would be what he would use. But to use this ring itself? It belonged to Ben Gunn! Greybeard had stolen it, and the old Minifig probably did not even notice. No... it wasn't the fact that Ben Gunn did not notice that was the problem; it was that the ring may have helped Ben Gunn remember more about Dr. Rex. And if he remembered, perhaps he would not be so willing to give up the ring, which may have meant a lot for him.

Rex pocketed the ring and took the photograph back out. It wasn't that there were any more clues or things he could gain by looking at the picture; it was simply that Rex was interested in all the long-lost secrets behind it. Such as the identity of the other two scientists (though Rex suspected that Ben Gunn was one of them), or the date it was taken, or what those papers on the desk behind them contained information on...

Or even that, despite the clearly old age of the photograph, why Dr. Rex looked not a day older... well, before he became a Mutant T-Rex, that is.

Amanda held up her hand, telling Rex that she heard something ahead.

Rex stopped and listened. Screaming... a male voice, no doubt... Rex's mind immediately flashed to Ben Gunn. "Come on!" he shouted, and took off deeper into the tunnel.

Then, somebody rammed into him.

Once Rex's head stopped spinning, he realized that it was a Minifig dressed in a blue jumpsuit with lime-green accents. The Minifig had jet-black shoulder-length hair, a thick mustache, and a logo "A" on his uniform. As soon as Rex recognized the insignia of Agents Defense Organization, he groaned. "Great..." he muttered. "Not another one of you Agents..."

Agent Grease quickly composed himself, with his frightened expression replaced with a sneer. He stood up and did not bother helping Rex to his feet. "Well, well, well… if it isn't the Dino Attack Team."

"What are you doing here?" muttered Rex.

"Agent Chase ordered our team to secure the Goo Caverns," explained Grease, smiling confidently. "He said that Agents Intelligence just learned that the Green Goo is lethal to Mutant Dinos. He told us to get down here, get a bunch of Goo, defeat all Mutant Dinos and Ogel's drones, and get out!"

"So, why were you screaming like a little girl?" remarked Rex.

Grease frowned. "I wasn't," he insisted.

"Oh, yes, you were," said Rex, chuckling. "Something frightened you?"

"Ah, it works every time!" Grease declared with a sneer. "You see, unlike your Dino Attack team, us Agents are told to disguise our emotions. You may have thought I was screaming in fear, but it was all just a ploy, of course!"

Amanda rolled her eyes. Rex agreed - it wasn't worth arguing with a stubborn Agent who refused to admit his own fear. The fact that the Agents Defense Organization had somehow gotten hold of (faulty) intel about the Green Goo irritated Rex. He was sure that the Agents did not find that out on their own; they were probably spying on Dino Attack Team or something like that. "Well, if you weren't screaming, and you weren't afraid... what is it you saw down there?"

Grease's smirk disappeared. "I dunno... it looked like Spy Clops, but it wasn't Minifig... probably just some freaky experiment of Ogel's. In which case, it must be a friend of yours. I heard your team allied with Ogel?"

Rex held up a finger. "Correction," he said, "he allied with us. Now, if you'd excuse us, we've got to be doing some real work down here in the Goo Caverns. Tell your Agents that the Dino Attack Team is already reinforcing the Goo Caverns, and that we'll check out your Sly Clocks or whatever it was down there that spooked you."

Grease snorted and walked past the Dino Attack members. Amanda watched him go, then shook her head in exasperation.

*****

Greybeard, Kat, and Helmie exited the ShadowTech Database Core, and were nearing the main tunnel when they heard a vehicle pulling up outside. Tail snorted, and they emerged from the hidden tunnel just as a pair of dark blue-suited minifigs hop out of a low-slung truck equipped with large rock-cutting saws. The truck had a large green "A" emblazoned on the side.

"I'm gonna have to ask you folks to leave now," said the first Agent as he sauntered over. "The Goo Caves are our jurisdiction."

"I'm gonna have to ask you just how the Goo Caverns are your jurisdiction when Dino Attack arrived first and secured the area before you even knew there was anything important here," Tail shot back.

"Well, for one thing, only one of you is a Dino Attack agent. And you have two civilians with you in a restricted area."

Helmie interrupted. "Kat isn't a civilian, since she's technically still a ShadowTech operative."

"ShadowTech? Never heard of 'em. We'll have to question her about it," the Agent replied. "You, though, will have to leave immediately."

"Hang on," said Greybeard. "Have either o' ye parchment an' ink, perchance?" The other Agent went back to the saw truck and returned in a few minutes with a pen and a sheet of paper. Greybeard scribbled a few sentences, and handed it to Helmie, who read it, grinned, and signed his name. Greybeard took it back and brandished it at the Agents. "Thar!" he proclaimed. "Now ye cannae take 'im away, can ye, ye bloody upstarts?"

The paper read, "I hereby swear my services to the Dino Attack team as an agent. I will give my every effort to aid the cause and protect humanity. Signed, (and here the handwriting changed from Greybeard's to Helmie's) Bartholomew Helmutson."

The Agent was still unimpressed. "You'll still have to leave. Like I said, this is our jurisdiction."

"May I at this point mention," said Kat, "that we happen to be the ones who have tech specifically designed for hunting the mutant dinosaurs?"

The Agent squinted. "Give me one good reason I should let you stay."

"I just did!"

"Uh... okay, then give me another one."

Kat sighed and was about to speak when a lone Mutant Lizard burst into the cave. It looked to be little more than a month old, at a height of only four feet. The Agents frantically grabbed their handguns and fired on the creature. One of them hit it in the leg, which knocked it down. The Agent turned and said "See? We've got everything under con--"

As he was speaking, the Lizard was pushing itself up off the cave floor, hobbling silently at the Agent, and raising its claws for a lethal swipe.

"Look out!" yelled Kat. The Agent turned and, panicked, dropped to the ground to evade, just as the beam from Tail's cosmotronic ray sizzled over his head and struck the lizard, which fell to the ground, dead this time.

"Reason number two," said Tail. "You guys are only good at fighting impotent, orange-haired maniacs."

*****

Reptile sneaked forward and aimed his spygun. He fired it, and there was a mechanical click as the silent device launched a tracking bug to the back of a guard that was emblazoned with a 'personal' guard symbol of Dr. Wolf. He jumped back into hiding and opened his laptop. The guard entered a chamber, and Reptile saw the guard salute someone out of vision, as he was watching a prisoner: Spino. He listened to a description by a doctor forced to work for him. Connection to Wolf? Reptile frowned. From what he heard, attacking now would be... problematic.

And then the guard exited, and then saluted two other figures: Dr. Wolf... and Dr. Inferno. Reptile breathed a sigh of relief, and then swore. He deactivated the device and sent a message to Rex, Specs, Ogel, and Magma (as the only Alpha Team agent he knew)

TO CONCERNED PARTIES:

AGENT REPTILE REPORTING. DR. INFERNO FOUND OPERATING IN GOO CAVERNS WITH ASSISTANCE OF FORMER ALLIES OF DR. REX. REQUESTING PERMISSION TO TAKE ACTION AND REINFORCEMENTS FROM OGEL AND/OR DINO ATTACK AND/OR ALPHA TEAM.

*****

Magma was on his way to the armory when his communicator beeped. He pulled it out and read the text message sent by Reptile. Instantly he sent it to Zed, his commander as Chief of Special Agents and Dash Justice as the commander of Alpha Team field agents.

Then he hesitated. The report that the Agents were holding one of their own captive were unconfirmed, but this was. Should he notify them or not?

*****

"All right, fine. He can stay," grumbled the Agent as he gestured towards Helmie, "but she's coming with us for further questioning." He pointed at Kat.

"Is she, now?" said Tail darkly, snapping off the safety catch on his sidearm.

"Guys, stop," said Kat. "We're all on the same side here. If they want to be stubborn and thickheaded, that's their business, but they aren't our enemies. I'll go quietly, and don't try anything crazy. Just continue reinforcing the Caverns."

The Agent nodded. "Glad one of you is talking sense. Come on, then," he said.

But Kat stood her ground. "Cuff me," she said.

"Uh, 'scuse me?" stammered the Agent.

Kat sighed. "You heard me. If you're taking me into custody, you may as well do it correctly."

"But -- er, well, ah, that is, are you... um... sure about that?"

Kat stared at him in a manner he found very unnerving. "I have designed restraints that make your little handcuffs look like a loop of string," she said. Then her demeanor brightened and she held out her arms. The Agent nervously snapped the handcuffs onto her wrists.

"There," she said in a mockingly cheerful voice as she preceded him to the Agents truck. "Isn't it amazing what the illusion of competence can do for your image?"

*****

Rex showed Amanda the message he just received from Reptile.  "Those darn Agents," Rex muttered.  "I bet if they weren't down here, Dr. Inferno wouldn't be down here either."

Amanda bit her lip, concerned.

Rex studied her expression for a moment, to figure out its full meaning.  "Yes," he murmured.  "Ogel, Sam Sinister, Brickster, and Vladek all agreed to work with the Dino Attack Team to end the Mutant Dinos... but none of the other villains have, including Dr. Inferno.  Which means that any of them could be working with XERRD.  Willa the Witch, Meca One, Señor Palomar, Thresher... and if we start including enemies from space, since we already had to deal with Blacktron… imagine if Alpha Draconis got his Zotaxian UFOs on XERRD's side!"

Amanda looked up at the tunnel ceiling.  She made a broad gesture and then held a tight fist against her chest, which Rex immediately understood.

"I don't think so," he sighed.  "Even if, like Ogel, Dr. Inferno wants to take over the world, which cannot be taken over if already ruled by Mutant Dinos... he might be less willing to make an alliance with us, because his rival Ogel is already on our side.  Plus, if Dr. Inferno starts working with us, that might give the Agents a perfect opportunity to just bring this inter-agency rivalry down to violence!"

Amanda nodded.  Before their conversation could continue any further, a loud, painful Mutant Lizard screech echoed through the tunnel.  Rex took out his Sonic Screamer while Amanda took out a Cosmotronic Ray.  They slowly and cautiously continued down the tunnel.  The screech came again, this time Rex could tell there were two Mutant Lizards.

The tunnels went deeper and deeper, and became darker and darker.  Rex was forced to take out a flashlight.  One more screech from the Mutant Lizards, then after that the only thing Rex heard was the ambience of dripping water.

"What is this...?" Rex murmured as the flashlight revealed several strands of an almost-translucent white material.  Located in the strands were several barbs that stuck out.

Amanda bent down and gently touched a part of the strand where there weren't any barbs.  When she lifted her hand again, the strand came with her hand, stuck to her fingers.  Amanda frowned, and tried to pull the strand off with her other hand, but that the strand started sticking to that hand as well.  Luckily, she was wearing gloves, so with some help from Rex, she took off the gloves and left them attached to the strand.  She turned to Rex, bit her lip, and started tapping her fingers together.

Rex blinked, astounded.  "A spider did this?" The strand, if it were webbing, was far too thick and long to be a spider's creation... unless it were a giant Minifig-sized spider?  Sam Throramebi had mentioned that he met one of those on Planet U... "Wait... Amanda, do you know what Spy Clops looks like?" Rex asked.

Amanda thought for a moment, then took out her PDA.  She pressed the button on her PDA that switched its screen to a drawing pad, which was often used by Dino Attack agents to draw quick maps of an area.  She removed a stylus from the PDA, and began sketching what Rex saw was a Minifig, but with six mechanical spider-like legs.

Rex's eyes widened.  "I think we've found what the Agent found..." he whispered, recalling that the Agent had seen a creature that looked vaguely like Spy Clops.  Rex lifted his flashlight to the farther end of the tunnel, and gasped.  It was filled with webs, made from the same substance as the strand.  "You were right, Amanda... but what kind of spider made this?"

Carefully, Rex and Amanda made their way around the webs.  It was no easy task - some of the webs nearly blocked the entire tunnel.  They also found two Mutant Lizards hanging in the webs.  Rex looked carefully at one of them, and grimaced.  "Dead.  From poisoning.  Whatever you do, Amanda, don't touch those barbs with your bare hands."

Then, something landed on Rex from above, knocking him to the ground.  Something cold... something hard... something metal...

*****

Tail, Greybeard, and Helmie (or agent Helm, to be more official) drove down the tunnels in the Ogel Drilling Vehicle.

"Th'... th' gizmo be pickin' up somethin'," said Greybeard, pointing at the forward sensors.

Helmie leaned towards it. "There's a cave up ahead, but the opening's really small," he said. "We'd better get through and reinforce it." He activated the drill and plowed forward into the rock. It gave way with surprising ease.

"Let's get started!" said Helmie, climbing down to the cave floor.

Tail began unloading the G-16, and Greybeard moved to help him, but stopped in midstride. "I think I hear somethin'," he said.

Helmie and Tail stopped, and soon they heard it too: a screeching like that of Mutant Lizards, but higher in pitch. Tail loaded the G-16 back onto the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and readied his weapons. Greybeard drew his cutlass and Helmie drew the Sonic Screamer slung on his back. What they saw next, however, was not what they expected.

Zyra tore around the bend with Zorikk. "Get on board!" Zyra yelled, pointing at the Ogel Drilling Vehicle.

Tail, Helmie, and Greybeard leapt aboard, followed by Zyra and Zorikk. Then the lizards swarmed into view. They were all very small, no more than eighteen inches at the shoulder, but they were innumerable. Helmie wasted no time in starting the engine and roaring off the way they had come.

"So what's new?" asked Helmie.

"I ran into him," said Zyra, gesturing to Zorikk (who was standing and gripping the back of Greybeard's seat for balance, there being only four seats in the whole vehicle), "and we found another egg cave."

"Wait, what do you mean, another one?" interjected Zorikk. "There was more than one?"

"Aye, verily," said Greybeard. "I blew th' other t' kingdom come."

"We need to get that information out to other squads," said Helmie. He turned to Zyra's new acquaintance. "Speaking of, who exactly are you?"

"Name's Zorikk. I got separated from my squad. I don't even know if they're still alive."

----

Captain Osprey of the Agents Security & Defense Force frowned as he reread the transcript of the new prisoner's interrogation. The Agent who questioned her had assured Osprey that she had been under the influence of a truth serum, and yet some of the answers still made no sense.

AGENT: Your name?

PRISONER: Kat.

AGENT: Full name, please.

(Silence)

PRISONER: I'm not sure. (Silence. Prisoner continued quietly as if talking to herself.) Katherine, Katrina... no, no! That's not right.

AGENT: What about your last name?

PRISONER: Sh... Shuttle? No, Sha... Shardonnay? Schmidt? Shatter, Shattler, something like that.

AGENT: (Sighed.) Your occupation?

PRISONER: Security systems engineer for ShadowTech.

AGENT: What is ShadowTech?

PRISONER: A defunct organization, formed over a decade ago, supposedly for the good of minifigkind. Purposes were to advance technology and science.

AGENT: And the reason for its failure?

PRISONER: It was corrupt. During the beginnings of the Dino Attack, a corrupt agent named Cane took control. He nearly succeeded in bringing down the Dino Attack team.

AGENT: And you helped in this?

PRISONER: No. I was accused of Dino Attack sympathies and thrown out. However, I was never formally discharged and so am technically still part of the organization.

AGENT: You were with the Dino Attack Team when you were taken into custody. Why were you not a member yourself, if you were aiding them?

PRISONER: I don't know.

The transcript ended there. Osprey turned towards his computer. "Looks like I have some research to do," he said. "First to find out more about this 'ShadowTech'..."

----

A division of Agents entered the Goo Caverns, focused on driving out the "illegal" Dino Attack agents, securing the Caverns, and stealing the Green Goo from Ogel. The Agents performed horribly, not used to fighting the Dinos and, because they launched small-scale attacks on Ogel, fighting Ogel as well. In the end, Reptile was able to persuade an Agents Captain to launch an attack on Dr. Inferno's main base in the Caverns, and the two teams of Dino Attack/Alpha Team and Agents united (for once) to destroy Inferno. After getting a call from Rex, Sauro-Hunter's squad went to Dr. Inferno's underground base.

Shortly afterward, the allied forces of Dino Attack Team, Evil Ogel, Agents Defense Organization, and Alpha Team attacked Dr. Inferno's compound. A massive battle took place as these forces combated Dr. Inferno's henchmen and Dr. Wolf's Mutant Viking Monsters.

When threatening one of Dr. Inferno's henchmen, Aravis said, "Now say goodbye to your two best friends. And I don't mean the ones in the orange-and-black colored rocket-launching jeep."

Soon after the battle had begun, Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, and the rest of the Dino Attack and Alpha Team agents learned that Spino and Shade had been captured and drugged to be totally loyal to Inferno. When Dino Attack, Alpha Team, and Agents Defense Organization attacked the base, Inferno sent the two out as shock troopers, slaughtering many agents of the opposing forces. Spino rode Shade until the latter was knocked unconscious by Aravis. After Spino had slain many Dino Attack agents, Alpha Team agents, and Ogel Drones, Sauro intervened and engaged Spino in a brief yet furious fight.

During most of the battle for Dr. Inferno's Base, Tex was cooped up inside of an Ogel Drilling Vehicle, but was let out by Hotwire. She distracted the enslaved Spino by clinging onto his face and kicking, biting and scratching. She was badly injured when she was thrown off of Spino's face. Thanks to Tex's help, Spino was defeated.

Dr. Inferno shouted commands to Spino, but when Tex attacked Spino, the mad scientist was distracted enough for Hotwire to fire a laser rifle at his hair, setting it on fire. Dr. Inferno scrambled to put out the fire and then activated a massive laser cannon, which was disabled by Magma. Magma ordered Dr. Inferno to surrender, but the mad scientist escaped through a secret passage. He was pursued by a team of Agents. As Dr. Inferno fled, Hotwire said, "What a snapcase."

After the battle, Raptor arrived with a dragoness named Valencia. When Sauro found Tex near death, Valencia magically healed her and, accidentally, turned her into a half-dragon by sharing half of her heart's energy force. Noting that the grown Tex was much larger, Sauro-Hunter remarked, "Let's just call it the 'Godzilla Effect'."

Hotwire's jaw dropped as he watched the massive dragon swoop down from above and land. Something that big should not be able to fly! he thought, amazed. His amazement grew even further when he saw that there was a rider on the dragon's back. When the dragon spoke, he just about fainted.

Aravis sensed his astonishment. I thought you knew they were sentient, she thought.

Just knowing and then seeing for yourself are two totally different things, he thought back.

While unconscious, both Spino and Shade were given an antidote for their condition. For a short period of time, Spino and Shade wandered around in the Goo Caverns, ashamed of what they had done. The Mutant Raptor had no problem in the dark, but Spino needed equipment and supplies, forcing the duo to head up to the surface of Ogel's Island. With some difficulty, the Dino Attack agent managed to get what he needed and, after loading all of the supplies (a tent, sleeping bag and a radio), Shade sprinted back underground.

*****

Rex sprang back to his feet. The blow to the head combined with suddenly standing up had the unintended side-effect of Rex dizzily falling back down to the ground. Something metal hit him again, this time in the face. Rex dropped his flashlight. He caught a glimpse of something leaping out of the light, then something came down upon the device, and with a loud crunch! the flashlight was broken into pieces, throwing the tunnel into complete darkness.

As soon as Rex's head stopped spinning, he stood up again, and desperately looked around in the dark. He couldn't see anything at all. "Amanda!" he shouted for his teammate.

He was met with only a raspy, sinister laughter that came from all around.

Rex narrowed his eyes. "Show yourself, whoever you are!" he called.

The laughter came again. "Why should I reveal myself," a synthesized voice spoke, "when it is so much more fun to torture you by keeping you in suspense of what and whom I am?"

"Are you Spy Clops?" Rex called. "Are you that thing that the Agent encountered?"

"No... and yes," the voice responded. "While I did encounter the Agent of whom you speak, my name is not Spy Clops. I am no mere pawn of Dr. Inferno, even if I do find some… interest in his activities."

Rex felt a hand grip his shoulder. He immediately reacted by flinching, but when he felt for whom the hand belonged to, Rex realized it was only Amanda. Upon figuring this out, he embraced her and gripped her tightly, to ensure that he did not lose her again. The hardest part about being a mute, Rex realized, was that nobody could hear you scream.

"Yes..." jeered the voice. "Embrace one another. It may be the last time you get to do so... so enjoy the moment while it still exists." There came more laughter. "Ah, yes... your names are Rex and Amanda Remous, also known as Claw. You are both Dino Attack Agents... and what's this? Oh, very intriguing... you're here on a mission, assigned by Evil Ogel himself, to secure the Goo Caverns and rebuild Ogel's underground mining compounds."

"How do you know all this?" inquired Rex.

"Oh, I'm more than capable of hacking into the Dino Attack database, even from down here. Thanks to your PDAs, I have access to all your information. Best of all, I do not even need a computer!"

"Wait... what?" said Rex.

More laughter. "It's too bad you won't live to find out what I mean. Even as we speak, I'm calculating over a thousand ways to kill you... and most of them hurt."

"If you're with Ogel, you'll regret killing us! Ogel probably would punish you for your insolence!" said Rex, hoping to scare their opponent.

"Ogel? Hah! I betrayed him years ago. It was the only thing I could do. He would have had me trashed, compacted into a weighted cube, and then thrown into an Ogel Emergency Incinerator."

Rex felt Amanda moving in his arms. Then, he heard something click, and suddenly Rex was aware of a bright light in the cave. Rex immediately shielded his eyes in the sudden light, but he knew what it was: an emergency lighter, something that only certain Dino Attack agents were armed with. The reason was simple: Specs did not want all of his agents running around with lighters. Used improperly, these could easily set everything on fire, and early in the Dino Attack, several agents... abused their privileges with lighters. The last thing they needed during a Mutant Dino apocalypse was for some idiot to burn down their own base just for a cigarette.

Rex did not know how long the lighter would give off light, but he took advantage of the opportunity. Hearing some noise off to the left, he spun around and saw a frightening image.

Like Spy Clops, the figure Rex saw appeared to look like a Minifig, but lacked any normal Minifig anatomy from the hips down. Instead, the figure had an abdomen, with four long arachnid legs attached. The figure's torso and arms were white, and were covered with black stripes like a jail jumpsuit. It wore a black, hooded cloak that did not conceal a cubical, gray head that had two black-red eyes and a horrid smile. Rex, however, could tell that, unlike Spy Clops, this creature was completely mechanical. That, combined with the jail torso and the cubical head, made Rex realize just what it might be.

"A.... A Brickster-Bot?" stammered Rex.

The robot opened its mouth, revealing two fangs like those of a vampire. "Correction... the Brickspider Bot v1.0, and the first... and the last... of my kind." Then, teeth bared, the Brickspider Bot leaped towards Rex and Amanda.

*****

Helmie risked a look back, and nearly jumped out of his skin to see not just the Lizard hatchlings, but multiple T-Rexes and Raptors. "This is crazy," he exclaimed. "Rexes are loners, not pack hunters!"

"That be no huntin' pack," Greybeard said nervously. "That be an army!"

"Army or not, it's not like they're invincible," said Tail, powering up the cannons.

The cannons, though, had little effect on the dinosaurs. No matter how quickly Tail gunned them down, the rest continued to follow. "Maybe we should just try to outrun them!" he shouted from the turret. "How fast can this thing go, anyway?"

"No idea, but I'm all for finding out!" Helmie replied. He turned briefly to Zorikk. "I'd brace myself if I were you!"

Zorikk grabbed on to one of the seats and put his feet down hard on the floor. When the vehicle starting speeding up, he put more pressure on his feet to stay in place. The vehicle began speeding up as they drove away from the dinos, and Zorikk's feet left the ground but his hands held. "Woohoo!" he shouted.

"I think we lost them," said Zyra, looking out of the rear window.

Suddenly, from outside, there was a loud snap, followed by a prolonged crunch as the Ogel Drilling Vehicle ground to a halt. Helmie, Zyra, and Greybeard were thrown forward against their seat restraints; Tail, facing backwards, was pressed against his seat; and Zorikk was thrown forward, whacking his head against Greybeard's helmet. "Owww," he moaned. "That'll leave a mark."

Meanwhile, Helmie hopped out to see what had happened. "The forward starboard tread is worn through," he said. "This'll take a while to fix."

"If only we had Magma or Databoard with us," said Tail.

Zyra checked the scanners. "Uh, guys?" he said. "The dinos are still coming!"

"Drat!" said Helmie. "How can we slow them down?"

Zorikk and Zyra began searching through the cargo container. "Hey, I think I found something," said Zorikk. He held up an unfamiliar type of Evil Orb. "There's several of these down here."

Tail climbed down from the turret for a closer look. "That's an Earthquake Orb," he said.

"Didn't Reptile mention those?" said Helmie. "We could use it to create a barrier!"

"Are you kidding?" exclaimed Zyra. "That could bring the whole tunnel down!"

"Well, which would ye prefer?" said Greybeard. "Certain death by being torn t' shreds an' eaten, or uncertain death by cave-in? It be a risk we should take, says I!"

Zyra sighed and agreed. Tail ran out and planted the orbs about fifty feet back from the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and sprinted back, for by now the horde of dinos was close enough that they could hear the howls, shrieks, and roars drifting up the tunnel.

Just ahead of the Mutant Dinos was an Urban Avenger, driven by agent Epsilon. He pushed the pedal as far as it would go, and the Urban Avenger sped faster. He could see the Ogel Drilling Vehicle ahead of him. Epsilon glanced back at the Dinosaurs in pursuit, then he shot past the vehicle he was trying to catch.

"Triggering in three... two... one..." Tail hit the switch on the controls, and the orbs sent a powerful ripple of energy through the rock, causing the tunnel floor to explode upward and the walls to cave in, effectively sealing off the tunnel behind.

Epsilon then slowed and turned his Urban Avenger as an explosion made a tumble of rocks fall behind the Ogel Drilling Vehicle.

"Well done!" said Greybeard, slapping the Alpha Team agent on the back. "But how did ye prevent th' ceilin' from collapsin' on us too?"

Then they heard the tap of rocks hitting the roof of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. The tapping quickly became a roar as the tunnel fell in on the vehicle.

Epsilon heard a faint rumbling... rocks and dust started pelting him from above, Epsilon coved his face as boulders pour down from the tunnel roof.

Fortunately, the Ogel Drilling Vehicle was strong enough to withstand the enormous weight, but it seemed that a power line had been severed, plunging the cabin into total darkness.

"Too bad none of us rank high enough to carry lighters," said Zyra.

*****

Rex and Amanda let go of one another to roll out of the way, just before the Brickspider Bot landed where they were standing a moment ago. The mechanical foe wasted no time in turning and hitting Rex with one of its fists. When it tried again, Rex was ready, and kicked the Brickspider Bot in the torso. Although it hurt to be kicking metal, it was enough to send the Brickspider Bot sprawling onto the ground.

Amanda reached onto her belt and pulled out a wrench. She clubbed the Brickspider Bot in the head with it repetitively, but the robot bit down on the tool with its fangs after about the fifth time. Before Amanda could react, the Brickspider Bot was back on its feet, and with renewed strength, it bit down harder upon the wrench, snapping the tool. Then, the Brickspider Bot jumped... but it did not come down.

Rex and Amanda readied their weapons. "You can't just spend all your time hiding, Bot!" Rex spat.

The Brickspider Bot laughed again. "I've hid for a long time. I'm patient, unlike you. So, if it's torture, I guess I'll prolong the waiting. I do love playing with my food... metaphorically speaking, of course, for I do not need to eat. Though I do love feeding on your terror and fear. But since the cat is out of the bag, I guess I'll tell you a little story!"

Amanda moved her lighter in all directions, trying to locate the Brickspider Bot. But no matter where she pointed it, she never could seem to find the mechanical being.

"It was several years ago," began the Brickspider Bot. "The Brickster had just escaped from the LEGO Island jail, and was doing all in his power to make sure that for once he got things his way. For starters, he knew he couldn't just rely on standard Brickster-Bots. No... he told his Brickster-Bot production company OGEL Robotics to make some new types."

Rex heard movement off to the left, so he spun around and fired his Cosmotronic Ray. No response from the Brickspider Bot, aside from another laugh.

"They created many new types of Brickster-Bots. The High-Objective Non-Autonomous Bot, for example: a Brickster-Bot designed for underground and rocky terrain missions. The Ninja Brickster-Bot for another: ideal for stealth operations, and skilled with a katana. But OGEL Robotics was running out of ideas, so they held a contest among the villains of the LEGO Universe to design new special operations Brickster-Bots."

"So, you were one of them?" guessed Rex. He figured that, the longer they could postpone the Brickspider Bot's attack by keeping it talking, the more time they had to figure out a strategy.

"Indeed. Evil Ogel and the Brickster have worked together in the past. Thus, Evil Ogel saw OGEL Robotics' request for new designs. He put his Worker Drones... to work, obviously. Their first design, a parrot-like Brickster-Bot, was so utterly stupid that he threw the blueprints and the Worker Drones out the window of one of his bases. Their next design was of a spider-based Brickster-Bot. To see how well their design would work, they created me: the Brickspider Bot v1.0. Since I was a prototype, they made me larger than their original blueprints stated."

Rex and Amanda heard something land to their right. Turning, Amanda exposed it with her lighter to be a skull, presumably the unfortunate remains of whoever was the previous Minifig besides that Agent to meet the Brickspider Bot. He's playing with us, Rex thought bitterly. Trying to spook us, make us scared and paranoid...

"Ogel specifically wanted his design of Brickster-Bot to be inherently evil, as opposed to the mischievous standard Brickster-Bots. Thus, after my body was assembled, he played around with my wiring and circuits until I had personality and intelligence, just what he was looking for. Too much, in fact. He and his brother General Evil feared that I was growing too intelligent and had too much personality, and that I may up rise against them. I did not let them rewire me to make me less intelligent. I did not let them remove my personality. Thus, Ogel ordered the destruction of me and the other prototype Brickspider-Bots. Unfortunately for him... the Elite Rock Drones assigned to destroy me were not so lucky as I was. The later Brickster-Bot Spider model produced by OGEL Robotics was designed without the excess intelligence and personality."

"So, because of this, you can speak?" Rex inquired.

"Not quite. I had heard about a Purple-Headed Frozeen's Model of a Brickster-Bot. Of course, he usually does not go by his full name, but simply the initials PBB. While this PBB was flawed in the sense that he did not see the world as it ought to be seen - a grab for power - he had something I desired, the ability to speak. I heard that PBB was destroyed in LEGO City earlier this year, so I found his remains. Luckily, there was just enough intact of his head to tell how it was wired, and thus I was able to rewire myself to be capable of speech."

Rex felt sickened. This Brickspider Bot was like a tomb robber, hunting down PBB's remains and using them to its advantage. Angered, Rex took out his Cosmotronic Ray and fired at the ceiling, the one place where Amanda had not yet checked with her lighter. He then rolled out of the way seconds before the Brickspider Bot hit the ground. Before the robot could get back to its feet, Amanda wrapped her arms around all four of its legs. Although they squirmed like worms in her grasp, she did not let go.

"You're sick," hissed Rex. "Ogel was right - you should have been destroyed years ago. And I'm going to do the honors."

The Brickspider Bot laughed bitterly. "You are kidding me.  Did you think that by rendering me unable to walk can allow you to destroy me? That's got to be the dumbest thing of all - whoa, whoa!" The Brickspider Bot's expression turned to fear, seconds before Rex's boot came down upon the Bot's head. He stomped on the Brickspider Bot's head again and again, until the robot's head was smashed in. The rest of the mechanical being's body twitched slightly, then ceased to move at all.

Rex narrowed his eyes at the remains of the Brickspider Bot. His expression softened when he lifted his head to look at Amanda. "Now, how do we get out of here?" he asked.

----

David fell into the hands of Agent Chase. Mistaken for a civilian, he was taken to an Agents prison in LEGO City. Kat caught a glimpse of David among many other prisoners while being escorted through the Agents holding facility.

Having found out all he could about the "ShadowTech" organization she had mentioned, Captain Osprey ordered that Kat be moved to a more secure outpost in the mountains.

David did manage to get the other prisoners to riot, allowing him the chance to escape. He then fled to Dino Attack Headquarters.

*****

An Agent tried to arrest Dino Attack agent B. B escaped in a Fire Hammer, and was chased by a Mobile Command Center driven by Agents Lieutenant Scar.

*****

Kat jolted awake. She was in an Agents helicopter, her wrists handcuffed to the armrests of her seat. "Where are we going?"

"That's none of your business," replied the Agent at the controls. Kat settled back in her seat.

A few minutes later, the radio crackled to life. "This is Lieutenant Scar calling all Agents! Am in pursuit of a Dino Attack who resisted arrest! Armed and dangerous!"

The Agent piloting snapped on the radio and replied "Copy, Lieutenant. This is Snaproll. I'm in the area, on my way. Over and out." Kat felt the helicopter pick up speed. She peered out the porthole and saw an Agents command truck chasing a Fire Hammer far below. She set to work at freeing herself from her restraints. It would take a while with her hands so far apart, but she thought she could manage it.

The helicopter flew lower, and for the first time, B saw it above the command truck. Oh great, he thought.

Meanwhile, Kat had nearly gotten one hand free of the handcuffs, which were now as loose as she could get them without the use of her other hand. She tried pulling her hand out, and with some effort, she got it free. She was then able to free her other hand much more quickly. Slowly and stealthily, she undid her crash restraints and slid out of her seat.

Then she leapt forward, whacking Agent Snaproll with the heel of her hand. He was stunned, but not quite unconscious. She set the chopper's autopilot, then moved him to her seat, buckled him in, handcuffed his wrists to the armrests, and stuffed his hat in his mouth to keep him from crying out. Then she moved into the pilot's seat. She scanned the control board and found the weapons systems. She activated it and shot out two of the command truck's tires.

"Snaproll, what the MegaBlok are you doing?!" Scar yelled through the radio.

"Apologies, Lieutenant, I was aiming for the Fire Hammer," Kat replied. "If you hadn't been swerving around-"

"It's not my fault the road is so curvy!" Scar shouted. "And you sound different!"

"Not su...ou mean," said Kat. "Radi...damage...ursuing Dino Attack agen...ver and out." She snapped off the radio. Flying low, she quickly passed over the Agents truck.

By now, the Fire Hammer was far ahead. Kat pushed the helicopter to its limits and landed it about a hundred feet in front of the speeding Fire Hammer, which screeched to a halt. A bespectacled Dino Attack agent sprang out, brandishing a Sonic Screamer at Kat as she climbed out of the chopper.

"Chill out," she said. "I'm not an Agent."

"You certainly don't look like you're from Dino Attack," said the agent suspiciously. "Who exactly are you?"

"Kat. Friend of Dino Attack agents Rex and Hotwire. Know 'em? And who are you?"

"Just call me B," he said. "I've heard of Rex, but not Hotwire."

"Oh well," said Kat. "We oughtta get out of here before the friendly local Day Watch get moving again," she continued gesturing towards the helicopter and the truck far down the road. She walked over to the helicopter and pried open a service hatch, to expose many wires and switches. "This looks pretty important," she said, yanking the wires. She stepped out of the way, and B shot the panel for good measure. Then they climbed into his Fire Hammer and sped off.

----

Zorikk felt around for his PDA and flipped it open. "No way we'd get a signal through solid rock, but at least now we have some light."

Zyra flipped open his PDA as well and started looking for an exit. "It seems we are trapped under one heck of a lot of rock, with a horde of mutant dinos waiting outside. Not one of the best days of my life..."

*****

The strong bars of the Urban Avenger had stopped the biggest rocks from hitting Epsilon during the cave-in. He pulled himself out from under a rather large pile of little rocks. Epsilon pulled out his PDA to see if he could send a message to the vehicle. Nothing, not a blip of reception. Maybe he could try a direct transfer, If the other vehicle was close enough. Epsilon typed out,

THIS IS DINO ATTACK AGENT EPSILON, PLEASE STATE YOUR IDENTITY AND SITUATION.

And sent the message. All there was to do now was to wait, and hope for a reply.

*****

Suddenly, Zyra's and Zorikk's PDAs beeped simultaneously, loading a message from another Dino Attack agent, Epsilon. Zyra tapped out a reply.

WE ARE DINO ATTACK AGENTS, TRAPPED IN OGEL DRILLING VEHICLE. YOU?
- AGENT ZYRA

CAUGHT IN CAVE-IN IN MY URBAN AVENGER.
- AGENT EPSILON

"That's good news," said Tail.

"Um... what?" said Zorikk.

"That he survived in an Urban Avenger. That means there's another cave right above this tunnel, and the floor fell in. If it was just solid rock we were dealing with, he'd be dead," Tail explained. "And that gives me an idea. Tell him to set his PDA to broadcast a constant SOS, then you and Zyra do the same. If anyone comes through the cave, they should pick up the signals."

"It's a good thing none of us are claustrophobic," remarked Helmie.

"Now, whoever said that?" said Greybeard, sounding rather nervous.

As bad as things were, Helmie reflected, they could certainly be worse. He had heard some stories of Ogel Drilling Vehicles restocked by Sea Drones, and was instantly glad they didn't have to drink brine. Instead, they were lucky enough to be in a vehicle stocked by Ice Drones; the worst thing that could happen, barring another collapse, was a fight over the last Sno-Cone out of the half-dozen they had discovered in a cooler. He thought they should save it for Epsilon, but with a pirate on board, you never knew...

----

B's Fire Hammer cruised smoothly down the mountain roads. Kat spotted something by the road up ahead. She peered at it through binoculars and saw...

"Oh brother. An Agents checkpoint."

"I'll be right back," said B. Kat did not see what B did, but it allowed him and Kat to make it past the Agents checkpoint undetected.

"Nice work, whatever it was you did," Kat said to B. "Next time we run into a checkpoint, I'll tell them their security system isn't effective enough."

"And then you'd break it?" asked B.

She grinned. "That, or else make it so effective that they trigger it themselves. So, where are we off to now?"

B planned to travel to Dinosaur Island. Kat was apprehensive, since that was the location of XERRD's base, so B let her off near a Dino Attack outpost and drove off alone in his Fire Hammer. Kat realized that B may not have known about Dr. Rex, and she used a radio to contact Specs.

----

Reptile, Hotwire, and Shark combed the Caverns in an Ogel Drilling Vehicle for the last egg cave. As they cruised into a cave, Reptile suddenly stopped. Up ahead, the cave floor was gone, replaced by what looked like a large bowl of boulders.

"What happened here?" Reptile wondered. "A sinkhole?" Suddenly, his and Hotwire's PDAs pinged simultaneously.

Hotwire pulled his out and looked at it. "I'm getting two... no, three SOS signals from down below!"

"You mean someone is under all that?" exclaimed Reptile incredulously. Hotwire was busy sending a message. He very quickly received a reply.

FIVE OF US IN ODV, SIXTH AGENT IN UA. ALL RIGHT FOR NOW, BUT WHO KNOWS HOW LONG THE UA'S BARS WILL HOLD UP?
- AGENT ZYRA

"That'll make things really tricky," said Shark. "We'd have to get the guy in the Urban Avenger out first, but he'd be the hardest to get to as well. Those things aren't meant to hold up under a subterranean collapse, and any vibration could have catastrophic results."

At Reptile's direction, Epsilon switched his PDA signal from SOS to Locater. They found he was twenty feet down. Upon closer examination, Epsilon also discovered that his Urban Avenger's roll bars were dangerously close to giving way.

"Okay, here's the story," said Reptile. "We'll need something like a hovercraft with claws or lifters on the bottom -- I'm sure Ogel must have come up with something like that over the years -- to move the boulders. Furthermore, we will have to remove them in a way that causes not a single other rock to move, or the roll bars could give way."

"Kinda reminds me of a computer game I played about six years ago," said Hotwire.

Reptile was starting to get frustrated. "I can't seem to make contact with any of the drones," he said exasperatedly.

"Maybe I could go for help on foot," suggested Hotwire.

Shark shook his head. "There's still far too many dinos loose for that," he said. As if to punctuate this statement, a raptor howl sounded in the distance.

"Drat!" exclaimed Reptile. "There's another thing I didn't think of! We need to stop all dinos before they even get in here, since a fight in here would definitely mean the end of Epsilon."

"Maybe we should just radio for help, then," said Hotwire.

*****

Sitting in a darkened subterranean vehicle with nothing to do gave one a great chance to think. Right now, Tail was busy thinking of how to hook up an emergency battery Helmie had found.

"Too bad Hotwire isn't here," he said. "I hear he's pretty good at this sort of thing." Just then, Zyra got another message on his PDA.

SIT TIGHT GUYS. IT'LL BE QUITE A WHILE BEFORE WE CAN EXCAVATE YOU.
- AGENT HOTWIRE

"If there's such a thing as positive irony, this is it," said Helmie. Under Hotwire's direction, they managed to get the emergency battery hooked in, and the cabin lights flickered on. After almost an hour in total darkness (save for the glow of PDAs), what had seemed dim when roaring through tunnels on an adrenaline high now was enough to make all of them squeeze their eyes shut for a full two minutes, with another minute afterward reserved for prodigious amounts of blinking.

"Let's see what else we've got back," said Tail, once they had all become reacquainted with light.

*****

Zyra looked around the rocks they were trapped under; hopefully they wouldn't collapse too soon. Suddenly Zyra heard a growl. "Um, guys, I think there's a dino trapped in here with us..."

"As if things couldn't get any worse," said Greybeard, hearing the growl as well.

"Fortunately, there's no way it can get to us under all that rock," said Zorikk. "But on the other hand, it could try to move, and that could kill Epsilon."

Tail continued looking around the interior for anything else that had been restored with the power. He climbed up into the turret, expecting the worst, but he was pleasantly surprised. A large slab had landed on top of it, creating empty space around the outside, and the cannons were virtually undamaged! He excitedly told the others.

"Now we can take out that thing before it wakes up fully!" said Helmie.

Zorikk shook his head. "A laser blast would cause too great a disturbance."

Tail looked over the controls. "Good news, though," he said. "It seems the cannons can be used for light drilling as well. There's a setting on here for a constant beam of cutting energy, rather than a burst of explosive energy." He switched on the infrared filter for the turret HUD and quickly located the dinosaur, about ten feet away, through a single boulder. Tail grinned, carefully starting to swivel the turret around, as slowly as he could to avoid another collapse. Then he switched the laser cannons to the drill setting, carefully aimed, and fired. The beams of white-hot energy struck the rock and began to burn through.

Zyra heard the dino growl again. "Hurry..." he said anxiously.

"This is as fast as it can go!" replied Tail. Even he, the calm, experienced Alpha Team veteran, began to sweat as he saw on the infrared scanner the dino try to shift. Just then, the lasers cut all the way through the boulder and struck the dino in the side of the head, and it stopped moving. Tail shut off the lasers and sat back, sighing with relief.

*****

Reptile was getting frustrated. The drones were unresponsive, the other Dino Attack squads were all tied up with their attempts to find the last egg cave, Alpha Team had left the Caverns, and even if the Agents had been available, he wouldn't have called them.

Then Shark called out from over by the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. He had found a thick steel cable, very long, in a storage compartment. "We could string this across the cave and rig up a claw of some sort to slide along it, then use that to lift the rocks."

Hotwire shrugged. "It's better than nothing, I guess."

As the cable was being set up, Reptile thought about what to use as a claw. He frowned, and then pulled out the goo sphere. It was a prototype version; production centers set up in Antarctica and in the ruins of the cities were producing better ones.

Taking out his hand laser, Reptile fired at the device's handle. The heat from his weapon slowly caused it to melt. Reptile was careful to apply just the right amount of heat not to weaken or destroy the handle. Then he fired at the sphere containing the goo itself. It too began to morph into a narrow cylinder. He then took it and fired straight through the sphere at high intensity, which created a hole.

He grabbed the claw and walked over to the cable and slid it on. He then looked at the rest of the team. All agents were issued the goo guns. "Do the same thing with your goo spheres," he ordered, "And we can strengthen the claw to be able to lift these rocks by binding them together."

Hotwire and Shark took out their own lasers and performed the same process. Now with three claws, Reptile pulled a cable from his toolkit and bound them together. He had a device that resembled a claw vaguely.

The shifting process began in earnest. They had only moved a few boulders when Shark heard a whine, and then an explosion. He ran around, his assault weapon drawn- and found nothing. A quick scan revealed that a Dinosaur had been trapped in a layer between them and the trapped agents. That meant that there were substantially less rocks over here.

"Reptile!" shouted Shark. "Move the claw over here! There's less rock to move!" The process once again began, this time ready to yield better results.

*****

Zyra could hear the sound of machinery working on the rocks. Hopefully, the vehicles could withstand the rocks for long enough.

*****

There had been no interruptions from dinos so far. Perhaps they instinctively avoided cave-ins.

The work was slow and tedious, and Hotwire forced himself to keep from getting frustrated, and take on the task one rock at a time. Each time a stone was removed, the claw would need to be drawn back onto solid ground, the cable detached, and hooked to a different spot on the walls to line the claw up with the next boulder. It was ironic, really; the longer they took, the smaller Epsilon's chances of survival shrank, yet if they rushed, if in their haste they were not one hundred percent precise, even the smallest of mistakes could spell doom for the Dino Attack agent beneath the rocks.

Reptile could tell Shark was feeling tense as well. "At least this part is the hardest, huh?" he said to the Alpha Team agent as he carefully drew the claw back across the cable and set the rock down on the slowly growing pile. "Once Epsilon is out, it should be easier to free the others, since they're in a rig designed to withstand this sort of thing."

Hotwire, on the other side of the cave, detached the cable. The three of them examined the remaining rocks, and Hotwire pointed one out.

"You sure?" asked Shark.

"Totally," replied Hotwire. "I was the citywide champ in a Jenga tournament back in middle school."

*****

Zyra started to feel nervous, they had been under the rocks for quite a while, then Zyra realized something important. "Hey guys, how much oxygen do we have?"

"I don't think we need to worry that much about oxygen," said Tail. "There's plenty in the caverns themselves, and the rocks are big enough that they shouldn't have created an airtight seal. There are probably emergency oxygen canisters somewhere on board anyways, but hopefully we won't need them."

"I prefer rum o'er gin anyhow," said Greybeard, uncorking his flask and taking a gulp.

Zyra sighed. He wasn't going to be the first to die anyway, as he could hold his breath for a very long time.

*****

Meanwhile, Hotwire and his crew were busy shifting the rocks. Epsilon was almost free.

Reptile checked his watch. They had been working for several hours, and he estimated that they were more than eighteen feet down - less than two more left to reach Epsilon. Several modifications to the claw had been necessary over the course of the excavation, making it longer as the level of the rocks dropped. It got to the point where someone needed to slither out along the cable to lift the claw so it didn't strike other rocks near the edge of the collapsed area.

Hotwire pulled the claw all the way in and climbed down off the cable. "You're next," he said breathlessly to Shark, who just nodded. Hotwire walked over to their Ogel Drilling Vehicle and sat down on one of the treads. He had carried out more stressful tasks, though he wasn't sure anymore what they could have been, but he still wanted nothing more than eight hours of sleep.

*****

Zyra sat anxiously in the dim emergency lights. Greybeard was snoring up in the turret, and Helmie looked like he was asleep, except that his eyes were open.

A couple hours earlier, they had resorted to telling stories to try to keep their minds off their present situation. Helmie had related the events in the ShadowTech Database Core, and everyone, with the exception of Greybeard, was rather incredulous, especially Zorikk, since he had never even heard of ShadowTech before that point

Helmie, meanwhile, was thinking of his family once again. His dear wife, young son, and even the cat. He hadn't even thought of the cat until now.

*****

After a few more cycles of acrobatics on the steel cable, Reptile attached a rock to the claw and helped Hotwire and Shark heave it up. When it was raised, they heard desperate cheering from down below. The three of them looked into the depression, and saw to their amazement, a length of a bent, dark red metal bar. "You did it!" shouted Epsilon hysterically.

"Calm down a bit," said Reptile, suddenly feeling rational. "We still have a few more rocks to move before we can get you out."

Shark frowned, slightly nervous. His experiences told him that this part of the operation was the most dangerous; that when the end was in sight, people tended to get careless and hurried, He didn't want to see that happen here.

Hotwire was lowered into the pit clinging to the claw. Now, much of the Urban Avenger's roll bars were exposed, and they could all see that Epsilon could barely stand the enclosure any longer.

"Can you work your way out?" asked Hotwire. Epsilon squeezed between the bars and grabbed onto the claw

*****

In the silence of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, Zyra's PDA beeped. He pulled it out and read the message aloud.

EPSILON IS OUT!
- REPTILE

All five agents cheered.

Zyra could hear the Hotwire's crew getting to work on the rocks. He waited nervously, if anything could go wrong...

*****

Rex, Amanda, and two Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids locked the red-black wall in place. Around them, Ogel's drones and Rex's Hybrids were at work reconstructing this particular Ogel underground mining center.

Luckily, it had not taken long to escape the lair of the Brickspider Bot after the thing was 'killed'. It had taken a while without the help of David or Zyra, both of whom Rex had not heard from, but at last most of the walls of the Goo Caverns were reinforced, either with G-16 or by the old-fashioned metallic beams. Quadrant 57 was secured, and now Rex and Amanda were overseeing, as well as helping, the rebuilding of an Ogel mining center, which would be used to easily access more of the Goo.

After fixing the wall in place, the two Hybrids set to work on creating a massive drill, along with many other Hybrids and drones. It was funny, actually; Rex never saw the Hybrids underground until now. Odd, because he had never particularly ordered them down here, and yet they just sort of randomly showed up. It didn't matter, Rex decided. As long as they thought that he was Dr. Rex, they were under his command, and so they would help in the large task that needed to be done.

"After this base is finished," Rex asked a passing Super Ice Drone, "how long would it take to mine the Goo?"

The Super Ice Drone stared back at Rex with cold, black eyes. "As soon as this base is finished," it replied, "we will begin the mining process. From then on, we'll have an increasing supply of Green Goo, but to get a large amount of Goo from each underground base, we'll need... a month or two of mining. I'm sure you Dino Attack agents can wait that long, hmm?"

Rex bit his lip. The longer they spent down here, the more time Dr. Rex would have to gather his forces on the surface. Still, he knew the Goo was vital to the success of the Dino Attack team.

Then again, Rex thought as he looked over Ben Gunn's ring, the more time we spend down here, the more time I have to return to Ben Gunn. This time, though, I'd need to bring more agents with me...

Progress was going well so far. Quadrants 1-12, 17-39, and 45-66 were all reinforced, and Ogel's bases were being steadily reconstructed there. Quadrants 16, 40-44, and any quadrants of a higher number than 67 were still undergoing reinforcement. The only parts of the Goo Caverns that were still in bad shape were Quadrants 14 and 15, the two volcanic quadrants that even General feared.

I guess all we have to do now, Rex decided, helping a few Sea Drones in stabilizing a pillar, is just sit and wait.

*****

"This is taking too long," said Zyra. "The other squads are probably ready to leave by now."

Tail nodded, but then he thought of something. He climbed up into the turret, switched the cannons off of 'drill' and moved them to their highest setting. He explained the plan to the others, and Zyra sent a message to the four agents in the cave to move into the tunnels. Once he received word that they were clear, he told Tail.

Tail pivoted the cannons upwards as far as he could get them, took a deep breath, and fired. The rocks directly in the path of the blast were reduced to pebbles, and many other rocks were sent flying. Tail fired again and again, until the cannons' power cell was depleted.

*****

Hotwire nervously pried his hands from his ears. It seemed the explosions were done. He received a message on his PDA.

HOW DO THINGS LOOK FROM UP THERE?
- ZYRA

The four agents left the tunnel and surveyed the site. Some of the rocks were still steaming, but in the middle, beneath which lay the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, the level of the rocks dipped by about fifteen feet. He sent a reply message.

I'D GUESS HALF AN HOUR, TOPS

He and Epsilon rigged the cable back up, while Shark and Reptile prepared the claw once again.

*****

Zorikk peered up through the turret bubble. He heard the sound of a rock being lifted away, and suddenly, he was able to see flecks of light. "Guys! They're almost through!" he called excitedly. Instantly the cabin was filled with activity. Tail gathered up his gear, Zyra tried to wake Greybeard, and Helmie found an Ice Drone's chainsaw in the glove compartment.

"This might come in handy," he said. After a few more rocks were lifted, Zorikk called out that there was enough space for a minifig to fit through. Helmie handed up the chainsaw, and Zorikk cut a hole in the bubble. Shark was waiting with the claw, and Zorikk eagerly scampered up to the steel cable. Greybeard followed him, then Zyra, Tail, and Helmie, but as Helmie reached the cable, he suddenly cursed and let go.

"What are you doing?" Reptile cried out.

"Just gimme a minute," replied Helmie, his voice drifting up from the cabin. He emerged several seconds later carrying a red and black cooler with a skull painted on the side. As soon as he reached solid ground, he went over to the one agent he did not recognize. "Epsilon?" he asked. The agent nodded, and Helmie handed him the cooler. "We figured you ought to have a cut of the spoils," he explained.

Epsilon opened the cooler, and inside was the last Sno-Cone.

Zyra looked around at the cavern. "Now, let's hope those dinos don't come back."

----

Magma quickly realized that the Agents had bugged Dino Attack HQ to discover the properties of Green Goo. Further, he learned that the Agents were taking Dino Attack Team agents in the Goo Caverns prisoner and bringing to their base. Furious, he travelled to the Agents HQ and demanded their release. The Agents agreed to his demand, knowing that he would deliver on his unspoken threat.

----

"We'll need another transport, though," said Hotwire. "No way all nine of us would fit in a single Ogel Drilling Vehicle."

Just then they heard a rumble, and another Ogel Drilling Vehicle rumbled into the cave. The drone at the wheel leaned out the window to take in the scene. "What's going on? I know I heard explosions from in here," yelled the drone. "If you've been blowing apart our caverns, you can count on no more truce!"

Shark muttered something about grammar, but Reptile spoke up next. "We had a bit of a crisis here," he explained. "There was a cave-in in the tunnel below this cave, and those six," here he gestured towards the agents who had been rescued, "were trapped in their vehicles. When you excavate this area, you'll find a wrecked Urban Avenger, an Ogel Drilling Vehicle undamaged save for a split tread and a hole in the turret, and a dead dinosaur. That should verify our story."

"Say, what happened to Kat?" asked Hotwire a little later. Helmie then explained what had happed.

"So the Agents have her in custody?" Hotwire said.

"With any luck, they don't anymore," put in Reptile. "I informed Magma of the situation with the Agents, and as far as we know, all the Dino Attack agents that the Agents took captive are with Alpha Team." Hotwire nodded slightly.

In the other Ogel Drilling Vehicle, Epsilon finished the Sno-Cone.

The Ogel Drilling Vehicles moved slowly through the Caverns, but it was the quickest way to reach the other egg cave, and Ogel refused to let the agents supposed to be protecting his caverns 'drill them up' as a drone had put it. Reptile was playing with an earthquake orb. He had disarmed it, so it couldn't activate, but he was interested in seeing how they worked and if they could be utilized to do something else.

He touched a wire at the base of the machinery to the Ogel Drilling Vehicle's power socket, and suddenly the orb began to glow. He removed it. The Ogel Drilling Vehicle could provide power to an Earthquake Orb. He frowned.

The Earthquake Orbs had been activated remotely by Ogel when the Drones used them. There were control facilities at all of Ogel's bases. But they didn't have a control, so the only way to use one was to have it activate on impact.

He began to unravel the power wire at the base of the orb, and at the same time pull out a connector. He plugged the power wire into the connector, and then the connector into a very long cable. He then wrapped the end of another cable around the power connector and began to connect the ends of both cables to more cables until he was out, and the Orb was suspended as far away as possible. For good measure, he did the same to more Orbs using another larger connector.

If it became necessary to collapse the final egg nest (rather than let Ogel mutate them further or let the Agents or Dr. Inferno grab them) they could drop this on the edge. If it was also necessary to escape the Caverns using Coral's ship, currently parked straight in a flooded cavern right next to the egg nest, they could hold off on detonating the Orbs until they were in the ship. The earthquakes would destroy the Dino cavern, killing all the Dinos in it, and collapse about 50% of the surrounding caverns, including the flooded secret entrances into the base.

The other agents watched him bemusedly. He frowned at them. "We can use this to remotely detonate and cause earthquakes in the egg cavern if necessary- if it is our only option- from range, such as Coral's submarine." He explained the plan. Tail shrugged.

"If Ogel betrays us, having such a device would let us punish him - if we could hide it in the Dino cavern, why not in the middle of the Goo Caverns?" he said.

----

When contact with Dino Attack HQ was established, Kat moved in front of the radio. "Commander Specs?" she said. "I'm Kat, a friend of elite agents Rex, Reptile, and Hotwire. I have reason to believe that one of the newer recruits, B, may have been an Agent."

"And what's wrong with that?" asked Specs.

"On the face of it, nothing," replied Kat, "but no other Agents have joined Dino Attack. You'd think he would have just stayed with the Agents Defense Organization, right?"

"Hang on," said Specs. "I'm looking up his file... yes, he was the one who did not reveal his background. It is possible that he was an Agent, then. Is that all?"

"I wasn't done, actually," Kat continued. "The last I saw of him, he was headed for Dinosaur Island, and either he didn't know, or didn't care, about the fact that Dr. Rex is assumed to be there."

Specs sighed. "Look, why are you telling me all this? You used to be with ShadowTech, right?" Kat confirmed this for him. "In that case," he continued, "why should I believe this?"

"You don't have to," said Kat. "But if he is somehow in league with XERRD, or hoping to be, you might wish you had."

"So what should I do about this, hm?"

Kat thought. "Probably just keep an eye on him. In fact, I can do that for you." She closed the connection and turned to the agents. "Are there any vehicles I can use?"

One of the agents pointed towards a door. The other agent had already gone back to sleep.

Through the door, Kat found a garage, and sighed. She had been hoping for a Urban Avenger at least, but all they had was a trio of Steel Sprinters, and one of them had no wheels. She checked the others over. They were both low on fuel, so, using a length of flexible tubing, she siphoned the fuel from one to the other. Then she went over to the wall, grabbed a Cosmotronic Ray and hooked it to the side. It's better than walking, I suppose, she thought.

----

One of the drones in the leading Ogel Drilling Vehicle contacted Reptile's. "We're nearing the egg cave," he said.

Reptile confirmed the message and performed a scan. His eyes widened. "Alert - Pteranodons!" he cried into the radio, just before the Mutant Pteranodons swooped out of the sky and bombarded the Ogel Drilling Vehicles with lightning blasts. Gunners began firing at the Pteranodons. Reptile, just to make sure there were no more surprises, performed another scan. He frowned as he read the results.

A number of Mutant Octosaur eggs were nearly ready to hatch. In fact, the species had been bred in this semi-flooded cavern to begin with. Before Reptile could cry out another warning, there was a crackling sound as one of the Ogel Drilling Vehicles rolled over an egg.

The shattering caused the other eggs to begin to crack, and Mutant Octosaurs rose from the depths of the cavern.

*****

Frozeen gingerly set up the support beam. "You sure it goes like this?" he asked Sam Throramebi, who was standing a short distance away, sipping from a cup of coffee. "It's been over a decade since I went to the Rock Raider Academy... wait, did they even cover reinforcing walls in the Rock Raider Academy?"

"Ah, sure they did!" said Sam. "Training Mission number... oh, what was it...?" After thinking about it for a moment, he shrugged. "You know, come to think of it, I don't think that Chief covered this in the Rock Raider Academy... yeah, I don't think we did this until we went on that mining expedition to Ice Planet 2002, remember?"

Frozeen chuckled softly. "Yes, I remember that one. We were mining for some metal substance... gold and copper, I think it was?"

"That sounds right," Sam took off his mining helmet and scratched his head. "The LEGOLAND government was trying to recover from that time that Jailbreak Joe broke into the treasury and stole much of the gold... and we had to quickly find some more gold, and when Commander Cold told us of gold deposits nearby Ice Station Odyssey - "

"Yeah, now I clearly remember," said Frozeen, nodding. "And we were in that cave, and you smashed your Small Transport Truck into the wall, and the cave collapsed on us, and then we had to dig you out by hand? Yes... and then we had to reinforce the cavern, and it came down on us anyways, so then we had to reinforce it again..."

"Oh, we had so much fun back then!" said Sam. He laughed, jokingly swinging his coffee cup in a drunkard fashion. "Back then, things were so much simpler, and the only things you had to worry about were rocks that would fall on your head! Nowadays, we've got to deal with Mutant Dinos, mad scientists, and working with Ogel's drones... in addition to the rocks that fall on your head!"

"Alpha Team and Rock Raiders? What would you be doing here?"

Frozeen spun around and scowled. "Sam," he muttered, "grab my wrist. Grab my wrist - now! - before I am unable to control myself."

It was an Agent, and one that Frozeen remembered bitterly. He had greasy shoulder-length hair, a crooked mustache, and an all-too-familiar sneer, accompanied by a snobbish voice. "I thought," jeered Agent Grease, "that it was supposedly the Dino Attack team that had control down here, not the Alpha Rejects and the Blockhead Raiders."

Sam obeyed, grabbing Frozeen's wrist with his mechanical hand. "Well, then," Sam said, frowning, "if the Dino Attack team has this place under control, what the MegaBlok are you doing down here?"

"On my way out," muttered Grease. "Apparently, the Dino Attack team managed to convince the LEGOLAND government that our presence was not required. But what are you doing down here? You're both outdated - the Agents and the Power Miners currently-"

Sam narrowed his eyes. "Don't even compare the Rock Raiders to the Power Miners. Those guys are nothing compared to us, so if you're leaving, go on and get out before I set this here Alpha Team agent loose on you!"

"Whatever," said Grease, rolling his eyes. "What's his problem, anyways? I don't think we've met before. I'm Agent Grease."

"Just as I thought," spat Frozeen, who was trying to keep himself from trying to break free of Sam's grasp. "Now, you just run along, and we'll-"

"As an Agent, I have the authority to arrest anyone down here who shouldn't be down here," Grease interrupted. "Who are you?"

Frozeen averted his gaze away from Grease. "Doesn't matter. You wouldn't believe me if I told you. But since you're so curious, and maybe curiosity will kill the Agent, I'll tell you that my codename is Frozeen."

"You're right," muttered Grease. "I don't believe you. But what am I doing down here in these Builder-forsaken tunnels, talking to a couple of outdated folks such as yourselves?" With that, he hopped on a dark-blue motorcycle and sped away. As soon as he was gone, Sam let go of Frozeen's wrist.

----

Kat caught up with B, who explained that he planned to sabotage the security system at XERRD's Dino Island Laboratory.

"Well, in that case, I'm afraid you'll have to put up with me," said Kat, "because I'm coming along. I have quite a bit of experience in security; I've designed several myself."

B narrowed his eyes. "For who?"

Kat hesitated. "ShadowTech."

B looked apprehensive. "Why should I trust you, then? I've seen the Dino Attack reports and I know what they did."

"First of all, I wasn't actually an agent, just an internal employee," explained Kat. "So I didn't kidnap people, blow things up, or practice my evil laugh in front of the mirror every morning." She paused. "Well, I guess I did sorta blow up part of a building, but it was a ShadowTech building, and it happened after they shunted me out."

B chuckled. "Okay, fine. You can come." They hooked the Steel Sprinter onto the cargo rack on the back of the Fire Hammer, got in, and drove off.

"So," said Kat, "how will we get to Dinosaur Island in a Fire Hammer?"

"If we can get to the harbor, we could probably get ahold of a barge or a ferry,'' said B.

----

Reptile carefully carried the modified Earthquake Orb into the center of the egg cave, set it down, and retraced his steps back to the Ogel Drilling Vehicles just inside the tunnel. "It'll be ready if something goes wrong," he said.

Reptile sighed as he watched Octosaur eggs hatch like Dominos. The disturbing of the eggs with the hatching/killing of Octosaurs and Pteranodons were just causing a huge swarm of them to rise from the ocean. They had no chance.

They even had less of a chance when there was an ominous roar, and something resembling a Mutant Sea Serpent rose from the depths of the flooded cavern. It looks like that Dr. Rex activated some of the Mutant Vikings Monsters... thought Reptile. He quickly ordered a general retreat.

Reptile calculated that they would have less than ten minutes to escape down the water passage after the Orbs went off, but it would take a few minutes for the Orbs to power up fully. Meaning they had about 15 minutes - more than enough.

He quickly briefed the other agents on the situation- the device would collapse the egg cavern and completely destroy any eggs or Dinos still inside so they couldn't be used for some horrible purpose by Ogel or another villain. It would also make the passage Coral's ship used to enter unstable. Reptile and Tail had no surface transportation - the rest of the team presumably did, but Reptile wasn't sure - so they were going to take Coral's ship back to Dino Attack HQ.

"Anyone else who's coming with us, you better decide now," he said, and plugged in the cable.

Hotwire and Helmie volunteered to evacuate on Coral's ship, Helmie because he was afraid the drones wouldn't let him near a vehicle of theirs after he had wrecked an Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and Hotwire because he had never been in a submarine before, and naturally was curious. It was obvious that Greybeard wanted to join them, but he thought he should ask Rex first. Zyra, Zorikk, and Epsilon were unsure.

"I'm going on Coral's ship too," said Zyra, already halfway inside.

"I guess I'll go with Zyra..." sighed Zorikk, following him aboard.

Epsilon looked at the other agents as he boarded Coral's ship. Oh no, not another rescue. It's getting rather annoying. "Can we take my Urban Avenger so someone can fix it when we get to Dino Attack HQ?" he asked Hotwire.

"There probably isn't enough time to dig out the Urban Avenger before we leave," replied Hotwire, "but I bet we could have the drones excavate it while we're on our way, and send it to HQ. With any luck it'll be there by the time we arrive." Epsilon agreed, and they contacted an Elite Drone with their request.

Once inside the submarine, Hotwire looked like a kid in a candy store. "You might want to shut your mouth before your jaw hits the floor," said Helmie, chuckling.

----

B and Kat arrived at the harbor after night had fallen. In the glow of the floodlights ahead, they could see three figures in orange suits working at something by a ferry docked not far away. B drove the Fire Hammer up closer, left the engine idling, and hopped out. Kat did the same.

"This is the Dino Attack team," he called. "We're commandeering this ferry, okay?" His voice trailed off as they turned, and B and Kat saw that the first one had metal tusks, the second had wheels in place of feet, and the third had three eyes and sparks running up and down his body. Their orange uniforms were not those of city workers, but rather the uniforms of henchmen of Dr. Inferno.

Kat cursed. "First the Agents, now these punks. Have we truly no friends?" she said as they dashed back to the Fire Hammer. B switched the Xenon Multi-Mode Launcher over to manual and climbed to the turret, while Kat grabbed the Cosmotronic Ray.

The Inferno henchmen advanced, and the one with the sparks shot a bolt of electricity from his hands. B's Xenon projectile intercepted the blast. "Wheels-for-feet" shot forward and rammed into Kat. She held up the Ray and let it absorb most of the momentum, but still stumbled back and let herself fall, feigning unconsciousness. When Wheels stepped (or rather, rolled) forward with a cry of triumph, she kicked him in the shin, and he careened into "Tusks", who was running up behind him. Kat rose unsteadily to her feet and pointed the ray at Tusks. He grinned, leaned forward, and bit the end of the barrel off. Then he struck Kat on the head and she fell back against the side of the Fire Hammer.

B, seeing this, leapt off of the launcher and landed feet-first on the Tusks man's head. He turned around to see Wheels charging him, and he ducked aside, grabbed the henchman by the arm, and spun him around towards the electric guy. The collision drove both Inferno henchmen into the water, but just before they reached the edge, the latter sent an arc of electricity towards B, which struck and left the Dino Attack agent lying on the ground gasping for breath.

B stood and tentatively walked over to the edge and looked down into the water. He could see several dead fish floating on the surface, but there was no sign of the Inferno henchmen. Still, no reason to go swimming until the three-eyed living battery was out of the water.

B walked back to the Fire Hammer as Kat was standing shakily to her feet. "I guess now we can get going," she said. They drove the Fire Hammer onto the ferry, working quickly so they would be gone by the time Tusks awoke. Kat walked up to the bridge, and B cast off, and soon they were on their way to Dinosaur Island.

----

Spino sat down, tired. He was considering the pros and cons of leaving Dino Attack. "On one hand," Spino muttered. "I'd be free. On the other-" He frowned. "I'd be a wanted man for murder."

A scuttling sound distracted the Dino Attack agent from his thoughts. With lightning speed, Spino caught a wiry old minifigure by the throat.

"Who are you?" Spino roared. The noise caught Shade's attention; Spino could only see his glowing eyes.

"My name?" the old minifig said, and then he chuckled. "I don't even know my name."

Spino smiled a little. He put down the strange Minifig and shrugged. "Well," Spino said, "what are you doing down here?"

The Minifig smiled. Spino now saw that he was very old, with a long beard and wearing rags for clothes. "The answer to the question that which you ask would be one that I myself may not be entirely sure of the answer. Why and how I ended up down here is a mystery, perhaps one that a mission should focus on solving. As for why I stay down here, down here is the greatest refuge from the outside world. Or, as I was contemplating earlier, if there indeed is an outside world, or unless I'm in the outside world and taking refuge from the inside world. It's a very interesting matter, if you think about it."

Spino rose an eyebrow. "Right. Well, you could get hurt down here. There's all these Mutant Dinos, even though I hear that the Dino Attack team has eliminated most of them."

The old Minifig's smile disappeared. "They're gone? Oh... what a shame... after all, since they're little more than just big lizards, they have become an excellent part of my diet in recent months... years... seconds, depends on which perspective you look at time."

"Perspective?" repeated Spino.

The Minifig sat down. "Sure. For example, from our perspective, these dinosaurs have probably only been around for a few months." The Minifig's gaze wandered, then he quickly snatched a fly out of the air. Looking it over, he continued: "To this fly, the large lizards have been around for centuries, because its life is so short in comparison to ours and others." He popped the fly into his mouth, chewed, then gestured towards the ground. "And the rock on which I stand, its life has been so long that the dinosaurs have only been here for a fraction of a millisecond! And, if we start to look at the big picture-"

"Okay," interrupted Spino, not sure he wanted to hear any more. "I get it. So, you don't mind the Mutant Dinos? You eat them?"

"Well, I'm surprised you haven't eaten any yet!" the old Minifig said, shrugging. Spino cringed at the idle thought of sitting in a dining room with Shade as the main dish. "After all, aren't you trapped down here, same as me? No wait, you're free down here, same as me..."

"I'm not trapped down here," replied Spino. Then, the thought came to him that maybe this crazy old Minifig knew something he didn't. "Wait... are you saying that D-Rex or Ogel are trapping us Dino Attack agents down here?"

The Minifig never answered. Instead, he didn't even notice that Spino had spoken. "I've been speaking to several others earlier... Oh, yes, now I remember! ... no, I don't remember - wait, I do! They were dressed similar to you, and their names were Rexybeard and Greyx! Perhaps you're on the same mission as them? No, because everyone's mission is a unique mission of life... unless you're talking about missions that aren't about life, but take place within one's life."

Spino was silent for a moment. Then, he inquired, "Rexybeard and Greyx? Do you mean Rex and Greybeard?"

The old Minifig shrugged. "Perhaps. I could never get their names straight..." Then, he stood up on all four, and began to walk away.

"Wait, where are you going?" Spino shouted, running to catch up with the senile minifig.

Why the MegaBlok am I still here? Spino thought. He felt a little baggie in his pocket. The Dino Attack agent took it out and, with the help of his head lamp, found out that inside of it was a piece of cake. Spino remembered when his mother had given it to him the day he had left for the Dino Attack Academy.

The Academy. Spino chuckled at a memory that crept into his mind. Sauro, Raptor and Spino were sneaking into one of their neighbors' dorms. Each Dino Attack agent-to-be carried a portable gravity lift, snickering. Spino pointed out where to place the gravity lifts; One by the ladder to the top bunk and the other two on floor, where one roommate would roll out of bed each morning.

What had happened after that? Spino chuckled. We got in so much trouble.

"Hey, Mister!" he called to the old minifig. The man stopped, crouching in a Sméagol-like fashion. "Would you like some cake?"

The minifig's eyes widened at the mention of cake. Without a second thought, he plunged into the darkness.

Shade eventually "talked" Spino into heading back to the Dino Attack outpost in the Goo Caverns and turning in his badge. Spino refused to turn in his badge, but agreed that he should return. The Mutant Raptor helped as much as he could and ran as fast as he could, following his nose to the base.

*****

Raptor was practicing sword-play with... himself. He swung the blade at invisible enemies, dodging, leaping striking at and away from... thin air and shadows. That was what others saw. What Raptor was seeing, was a bad experience that had been burned into his mind since he was a little boy...

Raptor got up off the ground. The Dino Attack agent's eyes were red. Cursing his reaction, he shoved his sword in its scabbard.

*****

Aravis walked into the kitchen and found Sauro-Hunter laying on his back unconscious. She found Inferno's sticky note next to Sauro's hand. She read it, went over to the walk-in fridge and rummaged through the shelves until she found what she was looking for: A single cherry-strawberry-mint-chocolate-flavored Sno-Cone. Aravis brought it out and shoved the sugary treat into Sauro's mouth. He woke with a start.

"Am I in... Heaven?" asked Sauro, licking his lips. "Mm. That's a good Sno-Cone."

"No," Aravis said, smiling. "In fact, if Heaven is cool and comfortable, and this is hot and humid, you're in Sheol."

Sauro-Hunter smiled as he got up. Then, he frowned as Aravis took a bite from a slice of the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza without even flinching. "Bellissimo!" Aravis exclaimed.

"How can you eat that?" Sauro asked incredulously. He pointed up. "Look what happened when I had a nibble!"

Aravis looked up and saw the scorch marks on the ceiling. "Yow!" she said, taking another bite of pizza.

"I feel like I'm gonna die from that!" Sauro exclaimed.

Aravis smiled. Maybe, maybe not, she thought at him.

*****

On the way out, Coral's submarine was attacked by robotic sharks created by Dr. Inferno to patrol the sea passages around the Goo Caverns. Since the submarine did not have weapons, Coral piloted the sub back to the entrance into the Caverns, allowing Ogel's automated defenses to wipe out the sharks instead.

At this point, Coral received a suspicious message apparently from Viper ordering the sub back to Dino Attack HQ with all speed because "Ogel had betrayed Dino Attack". However, Coral realized there were several flaws in the message (such as it coming from Viper, not Specs, or the message having been sent after the submarine broadcast their position to Dino Attack HQ: on course back for Dino Attack HQ), so Coral and Tail concluded that it was fake and sent by XERRD to force the Dino Attack Team out of the Caverns. Therefore, Coral's sub returned to the Caverns to see why Dr. Rex wanted them away.

*****

After hearing that XERRD had tricked the submarine carrying the Dino Attack agents out of the Goo Caverns into going back, David went to the Agents Defense Organization Headquarters and demanded a helicopter to the Agents' camp at the caverns. He managed to get the helicopter to the caverns, and went to help the Dino Attack agents there.

*****

Rex groaned as he sat down in a chair. It was hard work, convincing the Super Ice Drone who oversaw construction of this base to contact Ogel himself to request more drones to speed up the process. Already, most of this base was completed, and the mining of the Goo Caverns had restarted. While the treaty prevented the Dino Attack Team from directly harming a drone, most team members were trying to get the drones to work faster using... arguable methods. The faster they mined Green Goo, the faster the Mutant Dinos could be defeated.

Still, it would be at least a few weeks before enough Green Goo was mined. That's what aggravated Rex the most. He was no miner - that job belonged to Sam Throramebi, and Frozeen to a lesser extent - so he disallowed himself from doing any mining himself, in case he pressed the big red button that miners know not to press unless you want to blow up the entire drilling machine.

Rex checked his PDA, and frowned. It was a good thing that General and Shock had already evacuated Quadrant 14, he decided, because a recent eruption damaged not only Quadrant 14, but its neighboring Quadrants 13 and 15. Drones and Dino Attack agents alike were hard at work trying to fix the damage done to Quadrant 13; General had described it as, thankfully, being abnormally large, so eruptions of that scale were unlikely to occur again.

Rex's new radio crackled to life. "This is Team Commander Specs, is Elite Agent Rex there?" he heard.

"No, I have no idea where he is," replied Rex, with a tone of sarcasm. Being down here in the Goo Caverns was starting to get tiring, as there were running out of things to do.

"This is no time for jokes, Rex!" scolded Specs. "Reports have been showing that Mutant Dino armies have been gathering on various islands of interest, and have been making nesting grounds. These reports are unconfirmed, so do not take action yet, but it appears to be that LEGO Island is home to a large number of Mutant Pterosaur and Mutant T-Rex nests. But that's not all, -n f--- th- --nstru------ia p---s m-y con----"

"You're breaking up!" Rex tried to say, but he doubted that Specs could hear him. Then, the radio fell silent. Cursing, Rex tossed it aside, stood, and made his way out of the Ogel base.

Along the way, he passed a vat of Green Goo. Two drones wearing red biohazard suits and large, black helmets walked over to the vat. From it, they extracted a small portion and filled a container with it. Then, they filled a second container. With that, the drones started to carry away the containers.

"Wait a minute," Rex said as he stopped them, "where do you two think you're going?"

"We're Barrel Pusher Drones," one replied, without stopping. "A class slightly higher than Worker Drone, but all we really are would be Worker Drones in fancy suits trained to carry barrels of Green Goo."

"We're taking it to the Trouble Train and the Trouble Sub," the other continued. "From there, we can ship it out to Ogel's Island, LEGO City, and other areas. We figured it might be the most efficient way of transporting the goo."

"Yeah," said the first, "what's the point of mining the goo, if you're just going to keep it down-" A loud Mutant Lizard screech cut off the drone. Rex spun in the direction of a large, dark tunnel that led to Quadrant 46.

"Ah, crud!" gasped the Barrel Pusher Drone. "Mutant Lizards! We're gonna die!" With that, both Barrel Pusher Drones dropped their goo containers, which shattered and spread their contents all over the cavern floor. They ran away in panic. Rex watched them go, then shook his head pitifully.

Luckily, a Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid was standing nearby, so Rex gestured towards the creature to follow. Blindly loyal to the one that it thought to be Dr. Rex, the Hybrid agreed without a second thought. Grabbing his Sonic Screamer, Rex ran down the dark tunnel with the Hybrid close behind. Funny, he wondered. I could swear that this cavern was lit up the last time I traveled through it... must be that Mutant Lizard's fault. I guess I'll just have to get rid of the Mutant Lizard, and turn back on the lights.

Then, he heard movement off to the left. He spun around, and heard some sort of humming noise. A strangely familiar jolt of energy and metal slammed into Rex's forehead, and then everything went dark.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 31: Inferno

----

A few days passed. Just one minute ago, Frozeen learned from a quick radio call from General that they already had many tanks worth of Green Goo, most of which had already been shipped out to Ogel's Island and Dino Attack HQ. "Good thing," he muttered, putting down the radio. "At least General's radio seems to be working. I can't seem to contact Specs at all."

Sam Throramebi shrugged. "Not even this thing's radio is working."

Frozeen glanced around. They were in the cockpit of a modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle, customized by Sam to better resemble a Chrome Crusher. The drones were a bit more than reluctant to let Sam mess around with their technology (and in truth, so was Frozeen, who remembered just how many explosions Sam accidentally set off whenever he tried to modify a simple Hover Scout during one of their early missions), but with little effort, Sam tricked them into giving him permission.

"So, just why did you want to contact Specs?" inquired Sam, after what seemed like a minute of silence.

"I wanted to have an update on the Doctor Device," Frozeen explained. "Last I heard about it, its power was increased enough to destroy any organisms in its first explosion, but any following explosions just leave bad burns. It's going to take more time than I thought to get this thing designed, even with Specs - team commander and top mechanic - working on it."

"Well, I'm kind of curious about Aster Oid," said Sam, turning his head to look at Frozeen.

"Aster Oid?" repeated Frozeen.

"You know," said Sam. "A5T3R-01D. The Builder Droid that I came here with? The one who was badly damaged in the Mutant Lizard attack on headquarters?"

"Oh, right," muttered Frozeen. "And keep your eyes on where we're going. We don't want another incident like that Small Transport Truck, right?" Even as he said this, Sam had to swerve out of the way to avoid smashing the modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle into a support beam. In doing so, it put the vehicle on a direct path for none other than...

"Shiver me timbers, watch where ye be goin'!" shouted Greybeard, running out of the way.

The Ogel Drilling Vehicle skidded to a halt. Frozeen and Sam both got out, and were clearly surprised to see the old pirate. "Haven't seen you in a while," noted Frozeen. "Where's Rex?"

Greybeard shrugged. "That young lad be in a different crew than I. Ye see, our squad got combined w' many a crew, until we 'ad one large crew, an' Specs be not too happy about that. So, our super-squad had to split up, an' Rex an' I ended up on separate teams."

Frozeen's radio crackled to life. "Hello?" came a familiar voice, although it still sounded somewhat distorted. "This is agent Rex! I... think this is Frozeen's radio I'm calling... at least, that's what Claw told me it was. Hello? Frozeen?"

"I'm here, Rex!" Frozeen replied, picking up the radio. "Where've you been? You haven't contacted us in a while."

"Sorry," replied Rex. "I was just very caught up in my work. After all, as you know, the faster Ogel's bases are repaired, the faster we can get the Goo and get out of here. Then, just a few days ago, I was investigating Inferno activity, but an idiot Ogel Drone clubbed me in the head with an electrified Ice Saw. It's like Viper said; you can't trust the Evil OGEL Empire at all, we really shouldn't have allied with them. So anyways, I was jolted unconscious, it took me about twenty-five hours to recover, took another few hours to demand an apology from that incompetent drone, and then I still had to hunt down that Inferno henchman... well, basically, I never got the chance to contact you again. Are you the only one listening?"

"No," Sam spoke into the radio. "I'm here, and so is Greybeard."

"Good. Because I just found out that there is something of value hidden in a small, secluded area of Quadrant 14 that may prove useful in stopping Dr. Rex and his Mutant Dinos. I heard it was a weapon of some sort. However, because as we all know Quadrant 14 is the most dangerous section of the Goo Caverns, I figured that I should contact a bunch of agents to tell them about this. Right now, there hasn't been much activity from Quadrant 14, so hopefully the quicker we get in there, the higher our chances of finding this weapon and getting out before the lava proves a very, very bad problem."

"Where did you learn about this?" asked Frozeen.

"Remember that I said that I hunted down one of Dr. Inferno's henchmen? Well, as it turned out, he was rather... cooperative in telling me about this weapon. It was actually hidden there by Dr. Inferno several years ago for an inevitable invasion of the Goo Caverns... you know, to wipe out his rival's forces... but they never got the chance to use it."

"Hold on a second," said Greybeard, frowning skeptically. "How do we know he be tellin' th' truth?"

"Well, it did take some... aggressive negotiations before he finally blurted out the info. So, you guys coming or not? You don't have to, because I'm already contacting other agents such as Reptile and Hotwire, but... the more agents we have down there in Quadrant 14, the better. I myself am on my way, in fact."

"We'll be down there shortly," Frozeen decided quickly.

"Excellent. Oh, and by the way, did you receive a message from Specs concerning LEGO Island?"

Frozeen frowned. He glanced at Sam and Greybeard, who both shrugged. "Uh, no, none of us did. In fact, we've had some trouble contacting him lately..."

"Ah, well. I was hoping that he told you the full story, because when he radioed me, most of his message was broken up, so I had no clue what he was talking about. This is agent Rex... err, 'signing out' I guess?" With that, the radio fell silent.

"Come on," Frozeen smiled grimly, putting the radio back inside the modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle. "We've got a weapon to find!" With that, he, Sam, and Greybeard all climbed inside the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Greybeard got on last, and seemed to move slowly. He did not say a word about it, but something troubled him deeply. Something he could feel in his old bones.

There was something about Rex's story that didn't quite add up. Was he hiding something?

----

Kat and B encountered an Agents submarine, which was attacked by the three-eyed Inferno henchman. Kat shot him with a Sonic Screamer, and he plunged into the sea, unconscious.

On Dinosaur Island, they encountered B's old friend Crooks, who had been injected with Mutant Dino DNA and mutated into a Mutant Raptor. After B's sabotage attempt and a few mishaps, they left Dinosaur Island for the mainland, and Crooks was cured of his mutation.

On the way back from Dinosaur Island, they had what B would later term as a "close encounter of the hybrid kind." On finding that the ferry that they had commandeered was almost out of fuel, they had to go to Eldorado Fortress to refuel and seek help from the Imperial Armada. When they landed, Kat went ashore and was surprised by Cane, who had infiltrated the Armada by posing as an Admiral. Cane sent the Imperial Soldiers to capture Kat and her teammates.

After Kat, B, and Crooks escaped from the Imperial Soldiers, they commandeered two small Caribbean Clippers and were going to use them to tow the ferry back to LEGO City. However, they encountered one of Dr. Inferno's boats. After defeating the enemy agents, they siphoned the fuel into the ferry. They then turned the clippers loose.

Upon docking in LEGO City, Kat, B, and Crooks were arrested by LEGO City Police and Agents Defense Organization on suspicion of the murder of several dock workers. Alpha Team agent Mort, an expert forensic and crime scene investigator, arrived to investigate the scene, partly to see if there was another side of the story, but also just to annoy the Agents. He was surprised to discover that what the Agents autopsies on the dock workers listed as stab wounds were, in fact, bite marks. Further investigation led him to conclude that the dock workers were killed by henchmen of Dr. Inferno, which was in fact what had really happened.

Agents Captain Osprey led the squads of Agents which helped the LEGO City Police blockade the harbor where the alleged murder had occurred, and Snaproll was posted as a guard. When Mort revealed his findings to Osprey, he was able to ensure that Kat, B, and Crooks were released.

Just as Snaproll had been relieved of duty and was preparing to leave, Cane sneaked up behind him, pulled him into an alley, and killed him by breaking his neck before stealing his uniform.

Kat, B, and Crooks returned to Dino Attack HQ. There, B and Crooks met up with their old friend Rookie. At the urging of Specs, Kat finally became an official Dino Attack agent, codenamed Wing.

----

Epsilon was piloting a stolen Alpha Team submarine through the Goo Cavern's subterranean tunnels when he received a message from Hotwire directing him to go to Quadrant 14 on accounts of a recent report of a weapon belonging to Dr. Inferno.

Epsilon's pirated submarine traveled father and father down the long, long cavern, until he came to a dead end. He scanned the rock above him: Thin enough to blast through it. Epsilon's PDA bleeped. He opened it and deleted the message from Hotwire and powered up the weapons.

Frozeen swerved the modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle as an explosion of water and rock erupted from the cavern floor, closely followed by an Alpha Team submersible. Epsilon stared back at him.

Epsilon looked at the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, but it didn't look quite like one. It appeared... upgraded somehow. The propellers on the back of the sub were shot, and the water in the hole was staying just below floor level. This cavern must be the same height as the docks, thought Epsilon.

Epsilon climbed out of his submarine, and sent a message to Hotwire.

I AM IN QUADRANT 14, ALONG WITH FROZEEN AND SAM THRORAMEBI.

Sam had got out of the Modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle and turned to Epsilon.

"Dino Attack Agent Epsilon reporting for duty-" Before Epsilon had finished speaking, a huge drill blasted through the wall, spraying goo around.

A large lime green machine followed the drill out of the wall. A miner in a blue outfit climbed out and onto the roof. "Hey, Doc!" he yelled into the hole, "There's people down here!"

At that moment, Hotwire, Reptile, Zyra, David, and Helmie came in. "Power Miners!" shouted David in rage. "The people who put drills and explosives into Rock Monsters' mouths! What's next? You flattening them and selling them off as stickers? I wouldn't be surprised."

"Calm down," said Hotwire. "I don't think any of us would have been very happy if the world had fallen apart."

The Power Miner seemed confused, though. "What are all of you doing down here?"

"We could ask you the same thing. Why are you in the Goo Caverns, anyhow?" asked Hotwire.

The Power Miner was taken aback. "These are the Goo Caverns?" He turned toward the lime green machine, where another miner was disembarking. "Doggone it, I told you we should've fixed the scanners before we started back!"

The other Power Miner shrugged. "I could've sworn this was the tunnel that led back to LEGO City," he said. "No wonder it was taking so long to get there!"

The first miner sighed. "Man, this is a real anticlimax after we've just saved the world from destruction."

"Yeah, that's our game now," Hotwire said.

Frozeen watched the Power Miners argue about scanners and tunnels. Luckily, unlike the Agents, they seemed to prove no real threat to the mission, but simply an unexpected encounter. Part of him, the side of him that was most prominent over a decade ago when he was trained as a Rock Raider, felt annoyed by their presence, but he kept this side of him in check. After all, the Rock Raiders were on a mission to a distant planet last year when the Rock Goblins and Rock Trolls showed up on LEGO Planet, so the LEGOLAND government could not be blamed for organizing a new team to combat the problem. The Agents, on the other hand...

The Power Miners climbed into their vehicle, thanked Hotwire for pointing out where they were, and began to tunnel back in the direction that which they came. "Thank Creator," Sam Throrembi sighed in relief. "I thought those lousy Power Rangers wouldn't get out of here! And at least they took their big, ugly, lime-green-and-orange vehicle with them!"

Frozeen frowned. "Listen, unlike the Agents, at least the Power Miners aren't snobby. The Rock Raiders' job is to work in space. The Power Miners' job is to work here, on the LEGO Planet."

Sam nodded bitterly. "Fine... but lime-green-and-orange vehicles? Honestly, it's no wonder that they attracted Rock Monsters from miles around - anybody can see those colors in the underground! Us Rock Raiders on the other hand, we at least know how to paint our vehicles gray and brown!"

Frozeen chuckled. "I've got to agree with you on that, old partner." Then, Frozeen glanced at Greybeard. "Hey, Greybeard, do you feel upset at all that, last year, Brickbeard took Redbeard's place as the most feared pirate of the Tropical Seas?"

"Nay, I really dinnae care," Greybeard said with a shrug, "an' t' tell th' truth, neither did Redbeard. He an' Brickbeard be havin' their share o' alliances an' betrayals an' re-alliances w' each oth'r, so Redbeard just sees it as a game o' chess. Brickbeard may 'ave captured both rooks, but Redbeard can still strike at th' queen! But fer th' most part, it be not a both'r t' us pirates. Unlike ye Alpha Team an' Agents, or Rock Raiders an' Power Miners, we pirates can just resolve e'erythin' by visitin' th' local tavern an' gettin' some rum."

Greybeard then took a moment to glance around at the surrounding Dino Attack agents. It did not take him long to realize that Rex was not present. Suddenly fearing the worst, he instinctively held his hand on his cutlass. "Where be Rex?" he wondered aloud.

"I'll try his radio," Sam suggested, picking up the radio.

Even as he did so, the radio crackled to life once more, and Rex's voice came through: "Hey, guys, sorry I'm late! I had some problems rounding up a few Mutant Dinos... I'm not quite at Quadrant 14 yet, but I'll be there in a few moments... in the meantime, I suggest you guys begin your search. Remember: you're looking for a powerful weapon of Dr. Inferno's - it probably will be in a location with Inferno's insignia on it."

"10-4, Rex!" said Sam. He smiled and put down the radio. The message spread quickly through the group of Dino Attack agents. They quickly got into their respective vehicles and drove further down into Quadrant 14. They had barely been traveling for a minute, when Greybeard knew something was wrong. Glancing around from the cockpit of Sam's modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle, he saw some movement in the dark. He quickly threw on the brakes, and the vehicle came to a stop. Behind them, the other vehicles stopped too, for their drivers figured that whatever gave the lead vehicle reason to stop must be a good reason to stop.

Greybeard listened carefully... There, he heard it, coming from farther down the tunnel... Mutant Lizard screeches. "Ready yer firearms!" he shouted to the other Dino Attack agents. Then, even his eyes widened at the sight of fifty Mutant Lizards crawling down the tunnel. Not just on the ground, but from the sheer numbers of them, some of the mutants were even climbing on the sides of the tunnel!

"Retreat!" Greybeard yelled, but there came roars from behind. Turning over his shoulder, Greybeard spotted a few dozen Mutant Raptors coming down the tunnel from the other direction. Now, Greybeard realized that there weren't only fifty Mutant Lizards advancing from the front, but what seemed like a few hundred.

Mutant Lizards ahead of them... Mutant Raptors behind them... and around them, the walls of an unstable section of the Goo Caverns. Greybeard's jaw dropped, and he could only muster these words:

"It be a trap!"

*****

Drowsily, Rex opened his eyes. He had a splitting headache, and felt sore all over. The last thing he remembered was being clubbed by something, then fading in and out of consciousness for several hours. Now, he struggled to hold onto his consciousness, and forced his eyes to remain open.

Looking around at his surroundings, he realized he was presumably still in the Goo Caverns, but in what appeared to be the remains of an abandoned Ogel Mining Compound, one of the original pre-Dino Attack ones. He was gagged, and tied to a chair. Not far from him stood a Minifig in an orange uniform, with his back turned towards Rex. Both of this Minifig's arms were completely mechanical, and a large helmet covered his head. Rex had no clue who this Minifig may be, but considering the combination of an orange uniform and mechanical limbs, he guessed that it must have been one of Dr. Inferno's henchmen.

A few moments passed, then the Inferno henchman turned around and noticed that Rex was awake. Although the figure's face was mostly obstructed by the helmet, Rex could tell that the henchman was not happy, since he stormed over to Rex and snarled, "What, must I knock you out every three hours? Perhaps this time I'll hit ya so hard, you will finally get it into your skull that you must be unconscious and stay unconscious! Don't like it? Too bad, that's what you get when Cyber-Bully is your captor!"

Rex tried to respond, but because he was gagged, the best he could muster was: "Mmm, mm mmm!"

"What's that?" Cyber-Bully said, chuckling. "Did you say, 'Mmm hmm', as in 'Go ahead'?" Then, he lifted one of his mechanical arms into the air, and prepared to strike.

Then, another mechanical hand tapped the henchman's shoulders. Rex then realized that, the whole time, there was someone else standing behind the Inferno henchman. "You've got to be kidding me," Cyber-Bully muttered, but he lowered his arm and stalked away, revealing the Brickspider Bot!

Rex's eyes widened in surprise and fear. In response, the Brickspider Bot smiled, a malicious glint in its eyes. It reached forward and easily snapped the gag off of Rex's mouth. "What do you want?" growled Rex.

The Brickspider Bot continued to smile, and started tapping one of its four, arachnid legs. However, it did not speak. Rex rose an eyebrow, not quite sure what the Brickspider Bot was getting at. The Brickspider Bot seemed equally confused, then started tapping its leg again, but still did not speak. Finally, with a disgusted look its mechanical face, it tried tapping its foot again, then facepalmed with one hand and snapped its fingers of the other hand.

"Not again," muttered Cyber-Bully. "Can't believe these stupid Dino Attack agents don't understand Morse Code..." Nonetheless, he walked over to the Brickspider Bot and stood impatiently. The Brickspider Bot proceeded to reach into the Inferno henchman's helmet, ripped out two long wires, and attached them to the back of its own head.

Cyber-Bully suddenly stood stiff as a statue, and when he spoke again, while it was his voice, it was distinctly the Brickspider Bot's frightening inflection. "Forgive me, for I cannot speak on my own anymore," the Inferno henchman spoke. "Instead, I must speak through this inferior cyborg freak of Dr. Inferno's, or else through Morse Code. Of course, I'm sure you know just why I'm unable to speak with my own mouth, my own voice."

"And why is that?" inquired Rex.

The Brickspider Bot scowled. Through Cyber-Bully, it replied: "Because you meddling Dino Attack agents smashed my original head. That head, I had programmed to be capable of speech. Fortunately, I had spares... unfortunately, those heads were not programmed for speech. Luckily, Cyber-Bully was able to attach one of those heads onto my shoulders, and since his mechanical implants were designed so that he could speak for robots and machines, I've been using him for communicating with those foolish enough to not know Morse Code. You should really learn it... it may save your life someday."

"So, now you want vengeance," muttered Rex. "So, why am I still alive?"

The Brickspider Bot smiled as Cyber-Bully began to chuckle. "My vengeance is only beginning. If I kill you now, it would be anticlimactic. And besides, Dr. Rex wants you alive." Rex's eyes widened in realization. "Yes, foolish Dino Attack agent... I work with Dr. Rex. I was working with Dr. Inferno before the Dino Attack, because Inferno hated Ogel and did not care for the Brickster, but when Dr. Inferno joined Dr. Rex's side, I saw... reason to do the same. Dr. Rex wants you alive, because as long as the Dino Attack team thinks you're alive, he can turn your own voice against you. In fact, just recently, Dr. Rex radioed the other Dino Attack operatives down here, and told them that a weapon of Dr. Inferno's was in Quadrant 14, the most unstable and volcanic section of the Goo Caverns. And guess what? They believed him, because when they heard his voice on the radio, they thought it was you."

"No..." whispered Rex.

"Yes," jeered the Brickspider Bot, sneering as it continued to speak through Cyber-Bully. "And if the volcanoes in Quadrant 14 don't kill your team... Dr. Rex and his Mutant Dino army, waiting in ambush, will."

*****

Zorikk was captured and experimented on by XERRD. Zorikk was changed from a Minifig to a Mutant T-Rex by a strange experiment gone wrong. He lost most of his emotions and found that he wanted to kill his friends. When the rest of the team was ambushed by hordes of dinos in Quadrant 14, Zorikk was fighting his old teammates, including Tex and Shade.

As he beheld all the vicious Mutant Dinos in the cavern, Ptero stammered, "HORRIBLE, BAD, NASTY THINGS WITH TEETH AND-AND CLAWS AND- AUUGH!"

For the majority of the battle, Aravis fought in her Fire Hammer until it was destroyed by a Mutant Raptor. She then fought on foot with her energy swords.

Sauro-Hunter heard Raptors and Lizards shrieking a little ways away; through the noise, he heard gunfire. "Aravis, Spino, Ptero!" he cried to his fellow GAIA Squad agents. "I believe we are needed somewhere else! I'm sure the Dinos can take care of themselves."

Aravis gestured towards the mutants and asked, "Hungry or angry, you think?"

"Probably both!" replied Spino.

Sauro-Hunter said, "Since when do Mutant Dinos need a reason to try to destroy us?!"

Aravis nodded. "Good point."

Without a second thought, all four Dino Attack agents sprinted toward the noise. Ptero punched Lizard after Lizard with his electrified gauntlets. Sauro-Hunter and Aravis were on his left, hewing their enemies with their swords. Spino was on his right, kicking, punching and even biting the monsters.

The small group slowly made their way into the middle, where they finally met up with Greybeard, Frozeen and Sam Throramebi. "How's it going, guys?" asked Ptero.

"What do you think?" asked Frozeen.

Sauro walked up to Greybeard, slashing through two Lizards in the process. "Hey, Greybeard!" he called. The elderly pirate turned. "In case I don't get the chance later, I just wanna say that I forgive you."

Greybeard smiled. "No need t' do that," he said, slashing a Raptor across the face. "'Tis I who should be forgivin' t' ye. After all, I be th' one who tried t' kill ye!"

Sauro smiled and felt his shoulder where the old sea-dog had stabbed him... two weeks ago? He shook his head. Dad always said that chicks dig guys with battle scars, he thought.

Tex stepped back. She and Shade were worn out. Zorikk was a worthy opponent, to be sure, but he had to have some kind of weakness...

----

Earlier, Raptor and Valencia had left the Goo Caverns for Castle Cove.

Valencia looked down on at ground. Amidst the Mutants were Elves, Dwarves, and the remaining Knights of Castle Cove, each and every one of them bringing down Dinos of every species. Trebuchets flung giant pieces of debris at the larger critters and bigger groups of Lizards. The tide was turning for the best.

"Castle Cove will be purged of the evil soon enough," Valencia told herself.

Raptor held tightly to the saddle. The battle in Castle Cove had been a complete success, with only a minor hitch or two. Levatok had decided to stick around and come to the Goo Caverns.

----

Frozeen and Sam jumped out of the cockpit of the modified Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Seconds later, a Mutant Raptor landed on the vehicle and easily tore it to pieces. Frozeen then wasted no time in firing his handheld laser at a charging Mutant Lizard, while Sam ignored the urge to moan about his wrecked vehicle and instead blasted another Mutant Lizard with his plasma arm.

Looking around, Greybeard saw that the same thing was easily happening to most of the other Ogel Drilling Vehicles. Most of the agents summoned to Quadrant 14 were now fighting on foot, where they were easily more vulnerable. Even as Greybeard sliced away at a Mutant Lizard with his cutlass, he knew there was always another to replace it. If anything, their numbers just seemed to increase. How much longer be we able to hold out? Greybeard thought.

A pack of Mutant Raptors surrounded the old pirate. With grim, fierce determination, Greybeard eyed each Raptor, then stood poised, ready for them to attack, hoping that the movie cliché of enemies attacking one at a time would remain true. Unfortunately, it did not, as three Raptors attacked at once. Greybeard bellowed and slashed at one with his cutlass. At the same time, he swung his hook in the air and stabbed the eye of one Mutant Raptor with it. As he moved his cutlass to dispatch the third, he saw its leg move in the air, so quickly he could not dodge.

The next thing Greybeard knew, he was flying in the air, with a burning pain on the right side of his face. He slammed into the cavern wall head-first, and for a moment lay there stunned. Warm blood tricked down his face, and its scent attracted a nearby Mutant Lizard. Smiling horribly, the Mutant Lizard leapt at the old pirate. Greybeard tried to block with his cutlass, but the monster closed its mouth on the blade of the weapon. With little effort, it tossed its head and sent the sword flying in the air. Greybeard then swung his hook, and successfully sliced the Lizard's side open. The creature screamed and fell dead.

With his single hand, Greybeard wiped some blood off his face. His right eye was searing in pain, so he pressed his hand against it. With his hook, he slowly crawled along the ground, hoping to seek refuge in a nearby wrecked Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Just when he was a meter away from the vehicle, a Mutant Raptor caught sight of him. Roaring, it ran towards him and tried to decapitate him in its jaws. Luckily, the only thing it removed was his helmet, but Greybeard knew that his luck had ended.

The Mutant Raptor snarled and slashed its claws at Greybeard, swiping off part of his left sleeve. Desperately, Greybeard waved his hook at the creature, but it did no good. The Mutant Raptor picked him up and threw him at the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Without a helmet to absorb most of the impact, he was nearly knocked unconscious. The Mutant Raptor moved in to devour its prey.

Then, it looked up in fear. Giving a small whimper, it ran away from Greybeard. In his dreary, pained state, Greybeard wondered what it was that the Mutant Raptor saw. Daring to look up with his one good eye (the other still in searing pain and covered by his hand), he saw three Mutant T-Rexes glowering down at him.

Avast. As if Mutant Lizards and Mutant Raptors be not bad enough, now we've got Mutant T-Rexes as well...

Praying that somebody could save him, Greybeard tried to remain conscious and brave during what he thought to be his final moments, but the pain in his forehead was too great, and he slipped into unconsciousness.

*****

The Brickspider Bot was unexpectedly interrupted by a very odd noise. Glancing around, the Brickspider Bot frowned. Through Cyber-Bully, it said: "Why does Ogel's base even have a doorbell?"

The robot then detached the wires from the back of its head and tapped its foot several times. Cyber-Bully seemed to regain his own personality. He groaned again and muttered, "I hate when you do that..." With that, the Inferno agent left to answer the doorbell. The Brickspider Bot waited by Rex, keeping an eye on the Dino Attack agent and not trusting the Inferno henchman to do that task.

"Who are you and what do you want, old man?" Rex heard the Inferno henchman shout.

"I just want your attention for a moment. Somebody or another - a very fine lady, I may add - had told me that they needed someone to distract you, and since I was nearby, she decided I was perfect for the job. Yes, that's what she said. Anything else, well, I don't think now's the best time for that. As for who I am-"

Rex then heard someone being choked. "Stupid little hobo," muttered Cyber-Bully, then Rex caught sight of a Minifig flying across the room and smashing his head into a computer.

"Ben Gunn!" Rex gasped. The old Minifig lay crumpled on the floor, unmoving and with no life seemingly left in his body.

The Brickspider Bot analyzed Rex's expression, then Ben Gunn's body. Smiling, the robot had an expression that seemed to read: "So, you know this Minifig. Then I'll make sure he is dead!" With that, the Brickspider Bot crawled over to Ben Gunn's still form. It opened its mouth to reveal its metallic fangs, leaned in close to the old Minifig's neck, and-

One of the walls of the abandoned Ogel Mining Compound was smashed to pieces. Barely able to fit inside the room was an Ogel Drilling Vehicle. The Brickspider Bot, Cyber-Bully, Rex, and Ben Gunn were sent flying in the air, and rubble and debris were thrown everywhere. Rex managed to free himself from his bonds by grabbing some broken glass, which he used to shear the ropes binding him to the chair. He looked around for Ben Gunn, but did not see him. Instead, he caught a glimpse of the Brickspider Bot rising from the rubble.

The cockpit of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle opened, and Rex saw General peek out. "Rex! Get inside!" he shouted. "Something very wrong is going on in the Goo Caverns!"

The Brickspider Bot glared as Rex climbed inside the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. It's only the beginning, it thought. Just you wait, Dino Attack and Ogel. You're both going to regret not killing me when you had the chance. I will guarantee that. Then, it slipped into the shadows of the Goo Caverns.

----

It had been over three days since Raptor and Valencia had left the Goo Caverns. Now, upon their return, they could see three T-Rexes glaring down at Greybeard.

Drop out of the saddle, small one! Valencia warned. She swooped low and Raptor leaped off, drawing his SMGs. He fired at one of the Mutants. He left the other two for the Dragons. The Dino roared in pain as diamond-tipped, armor piercing bullets ripped through its hide.

"Headshots, go for headshots!" the Dino Attack agent told himself. Raptor aimed his guns at the T-Rex's eyes and squeezed the triggers. The beast was getting closer. "C'mon, c'mon!" he shouted. "Die already!"

The Tyrannosaur suddenly stopped. Raptor looked the beast up and down, confused. That's when he noticed a shiny silver blade sticking out of its throat. The monster fell over and on its back was Sauro-Hunter.

Sauro-Hunter pulled his blade out of the T-Rex and smiled warmly at Raptor. "I had it-" Raptor began.

Sauro cut him off. "You had it sorted? Doesn't look like it to me!" He smiled again. "Well, to glorious battle!"

Raptor ran to check on the old pirate. He was beat up and unconscious. He sat silent for a moment, then said, "Rum! I need rum! I have a hip-flask on th' right side o' me belt!"

Raptor did as he was told and poured a little of the bad-smelling beverage into Greybeard's mouth. Almost immediately, he seemed to feel better. "Let me rest," he coughed.

Raptor put him in the parked Ogel Drilling Vehicle and ran into the battle, swinging his sabre.

Tex bit down on Zorikk's tail and shook her head quickly. His blood was warm and it quenched her thirst after about an hour of battle. Shade was clinging onto Zorikk's side, kicking and biting the former Dino Attack agent over and over. He seemed to be weakening.

I have an idea, she transmitted her thoughts to Shade. I need you to...

As the battle continued, Sauro-Hunter was growing weary. He drank a cup of his triple-caffeine coffee for a much-needed energy burst. "Comeon,guys! let'sfightfightfightfightfight!" he said as he jumped back into battle. "JAAAAAAAVVVAAAAAAA!!!!!!"

Dino Attack Team was making steady progress against the Mutant Dino army. Now it was only a matter of getting the last few Raptors, and Epsilon walked over to his comrades. "There, that wasn't so bad, was it?"

Frozeen and Sam Throramebi sat nearby Greybeard, hiding in the shelter of one of the still-intact Ogel Drilling Vehicles from the Mutant Dinos outside. While Frozeen and Sam wanted to be out there fighting, somebody had to take care of Greybeard. Frozeen handed the old pirate a mug of rum, while he himself sipped some hot chocolate, since neither of them trusted Sauro-Hunter's coffee. Greybeard, luckily, had stopped bleeding. However, he had suffered a minor concussion from being slammed into the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and a large bandage was wrapped around the right side of his face, covering the scar inflicted by the Mutant Raptor.

Sam examined Greybeard's hook, still red from the blood of Mutant Dinos. "Hmm," he murmured, "why did you turn down the offer to replace this with a prosthetic hand? It would have been more useful in battle, due to giving you the plasma gun and an extra hand."

"Bah!" muttered Greybeard, sipping the rum. "Ye younglin's go out an' buy every scrap o' new technology as soon as it comes out! We pirates at least 'ave tradition - usin' these old-fashioned weapons that-"

"-nearly got you killed," interrupted Frozeen, his voice stern. "The Mutant Lizard was able to bite your cutlass. Why? Because your cutlass did not have any technology that would have otherwise electrocuted the Mutant Lizard as soon as it touched the blade. Your pistol has much less ammo than our modern weapons, and bullets don't do as much harm to the mutants as lasers or sonics do."

"Well," Greybeard said, shrugging, "it be me choice. If I wants t' use weapons I know how t' use, so be it. I dinnae want t' be handlin' a big bazooka or somethin' I dinnae know how t' use in th' heat o' th' moment."

Frozeen was about to reply, but then was cut off by the sound of rumbling earth. Then, the entire cavern began shaking. Boulders fell from the cave ceiling, scattering the Dino Attack agents and the Mutant Dinos. When the dust settled, Frozeen looked around and, to his horror, realized that every exit to the cavern was blocked off by rocks. On the good side, that meant that the flow of Mutant Lizards, Raptors, and T-Rexes entering the cavern was suddenly halted.

"Frozeen!" shouted Hotwire after he stopped coughing from the dust. "Get that thing started and let's drill out of here!"

"Not yet!" said Frozeen, frowning as he looked at the scanners. "We're still in Quadrant 14, remember? If I start drilling around, the entire quadrant may collapse! And don't even get me started with the G-16, because we don't nearly have enough to quickly cover the entire sector! And..." Frozeen paled, and so did Sam, as they looked at the scanner. "Oh my Builder..."

"What be it?" inquired Greybeard.

Frozeen looked up. "We haven't got much time. Pressure is building in Quadrant 14... if we don't get out of here soon, there will be an eruption! And a big one too! But we can't leave without drilling, and if we drill, the caverns may collapse! It's a lose-lose situation... and either way, we still have to fight the Mutant Dinos still here..."

"... and 'ere comes more o' th' Mutant Dinos," Greybeard muttered, his voice heavy with sarcasm.

"We don't need sarcasm now, Greybeard!" spat Frozeen. "This is serious!"

Then, a portion of the ceiling collapsed, once more scattering the Dino Attack agents and Mutant Dinos, actually crushing a few unlucky ones who were unable to get out of the way. Swarming through the new hole in the ceiling was a new steady stream of Mutant Lizards of all breeds. Another part of the ceiling fell in, and another, and another, and along with the Mutant Lizards there were Mutant Raptors, Pterosaurs, and T-Rexes also entering the cave.

"You've got to be kidding me," muttered Sam, stepping outside the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and readying for battle.

Sauro-Hunter grabbed on to a Mutant Pterosaur that plunged over a chasm. Sauro-Hunter's last words to his friends before falling into a chasm: "Fly, you fools!"

Reptile and all the other agents fought ferociously, but it made no difference. Reptile disassembled his Ogel Drilling Vehicle in the process into a stationary battle station, using parts of it to fire Green Goo, parts to broadcast sonic transmissions knocking out Dinos, and so on.

Coral fought alongside the other agents for a while, until Reptile ordered him to leave the area and try to get a message to Ogel: to send his Drone armies in to help.

The battle was endless, it seemed. Every Mutant Dino shot down was replaced by another. Mutant Pterosaurs covered the cavern ceiling, zapping agents below with the lightning fired from their wings. Mutant Lizards just kept swarming in, and the Mutant Raptors and Mutant T-Rexes plowed through everything in sight.

Greybeard was forced to leave the Ogel Drilling Vehicle he had taken shelter in, because a Mutant Raptor demolished it in seconds. He stumbled about aimlessly in the cavern, stopping occasionally to slice at a Mutant Dino with his hook or to fire at a Mutant Dino with his pistol. He had a headache, his skin was wet with perspiration, his legs felt like lead, and the right side of his face, covered by the bandage, continued to hurt.

But still Greybeard pressed on. This be madness, he thought as he watched a Mutant T-Rex swallow an unfortunate Dino Attack agent in one bite. But our lives, they don't matter. What matters be stopping these monsters from getting to the surface and continuing their reign of darkness. That be why this team be created. That be why I joined.

He grumbled to himself as he heard numbers flying through the air. "Twenty-five!" "Thirty-one!" "Forty-two!" "Nineteen and a half!" "That still only counts as nineteen!"

"Ye younglin's just shut yer mouths," Greybeard shouted, "an' git on w' th' fightin'!" These fools care too much about bragging. If they don't start thinking seriously, bad things be bound to happen to them. Greybeard then ducked out of the way as a Mutant T-Rex ran past him. He was too busy grumbling over the death counts to notice that the T-Rex was wearing silver armor.

However, as he kicked aside a limping Mutant Lizard, he continued to hear the count of how many Mutant Dinos each agent killed. He decided it went too far when, about ten minutes later, even Frozeen added: "Five!"

Greybeard slashed aside a Mutant Raptor and shot down a group of Mutant Lizards. "Frozeen! I be disappointed w' ye! I thought ye be more mature than that!"

Then, Frozeen came into view as he fired a Sonic Screamer at a Mutant T-Rex stalking Greybeard. "I'm not counting the death tally!" he replied, yelling to have his voice heard over all the noise. "Five! That's how many minutes we have until the volcano in Quadrant 14 erupts! We have to get out of here, and quickly!"

"And how d'ye propose we do that?" Greybeard gestured around them, towards the masses of Mutant Dinos on all sides.

Frozeen's expression was bitterly stern. "Spread the word - we're getting out of Quadrant 14, and those who are too slow to move... or too busy tallying how many Mutant Dinos they killed... will be trapped in here as the largest eruption yet is set loose... assuming the Mutant Dinos don't get to them first."

*****

A lone Ogel Drilling Vehicle sped through the Goo Caverns. Inside were General, Shock, and Rex.

"I've already sent the word," General said. "Already, armies of Rock Drones and other types of drones are on their way to Quadrant 15, where they will serve as back-up for the Dino Attack agents should they fall back. Unfortunately, if the volcanoes in Quadrant 14 erupt, the drones will be wiped out... and you know as well as I do that drones are not the brightest soldiers."

"So," Rex dared to ask, "how did you find out that Dr. Rex fabricated the story about Dr. Inferno's weapon in Quadrant 14?"

"Simple," General explained. "I ran into a couple of Barrel Pusher Drones, who reported they saw you dragged off by the Brickspider Bot v1.0. I apologize deeply about that… the Brickspider Bot v1.0, I mean. I should've disposed of it myself a couple years ago, instead of trusting that Super Ice Drone and Super Sea Drone to do the job... Well, anyways, since this did not match up with the story 'you' said about the 'idiot Ogel Drone' who supposedly attacked you, I figured that it wasn't actually you on the radio."

"So, you followed me to that abandoned mining compound. But how did you meet Ben Gunn?" Rex inquired.

General looked confused. "Ben Gunn? Who's that?"

Rex looked grim. "He was the old, senile Minifig that lived down here. He distracted the Brickspider Bot long enough for you to save me, but... I think he's dead."

General seemed even more confused. "What are you talking about?"

Shock, on the other hand, seemed to understand perfectly. "I went to check on the base, to make sure that you were inside," she explained. "He happened to be nearby, so I asked him if he knew you, and he said yes, so I asked him to do us a little favor by distracting them. I'm sorry... I didn't realize that he was killed..."

Rex sighed. "It's all right. I barely knew him anyways, but... I just wish I had gotten to know a bit more about him before he died. I think he may have known Dr. Rex a long time ago, but he barely remembers it. I thought that maybe we could take him to the surface and get a doctor to try and clear up his amnesia. And... he's been... down here a long time... alone... and I felt bad for the poor guy..."

"I'm sorry," repeated Shock, who had paled in realization that she accidentally led someone to their death.

"Blast it!" General cursed, forcing the Ogel Drilling Vehicle to come to a halt. Rex and Shock looked outside the cockpit, and saw a group of Mutant Lizards standing in the cavern. Every single reinforcement beam set up in the cavern lay in pieces. The Mutant Lizards were quickly dealt with, but General was more concerned about the support beams. "We're still in Quadrant 58," he muttered. "If Mutant Lizards are way out here, and have destroyed these support beams..." He started up the Ogel Drilling Vehicle once more, and sped down a tunnel.

Rex noted that every single support beam that they passed was wrecked. Even after two minutes of driving high-speed, there was not an intact support beam in sight, but there were larger and larger numbers of Mutant Lizards. "All that work... for nothing?"

"Not for nothing," General replied, but with a bitter tone. "The outer regions of the Goo Caverns seem untouched thus far, which means that they are still stable and able to mine. The rest of the Goo Caverns, however, is now unstable. If Quadrant 14 blows, then it might wreck the entire Goo Caverns, aside from those outer Quadrants 78-100..." He turned his head to look at Rex. "We have to get out of the Goo Caverns. Come on - we're heading to the Trouble Train Depot!"

"Wait, w-what?" Rex stammered. "What about everyone fighting for their lives in Quadrant 14?"

"That will be simple," General murmured. He grabbed a radio and spoke into it. "Attention Dino Attack Agents active in Quadrant 14, this is General speaking. You must get out of the Goo Caverns immediately! The Trouble Sub Docking Bay is in the nearby Quadrant 12, a three-minute drive from where you are! This leaves no time to fight the Mutant Dinos, so you are limited to merely retreating. While this allows the Mutants to pick you off from behind, we have no other choice!"

Then, Rex gasped in recognition as an armored Mutant T-Rex stepped into the cavern. Its armor glinted silver, but had different properties, thus Rex guessed it was Silge. But, more easily, Rex recognized the T-Rex's maddened grin and crazed eyes that glowed red as fire.

"Ah, yes!" announced Dr. Rex. "It looks like you might be smart enough to know when to fold them after all! Unfortunately, I had to go and make sure that the Trouble Train Depot is about to be attacked by Mutant Raptors. I've also been sending Mutants to the Trouble Sub Docking Bay. Enjoy your last breaths while you still can."

*****

After waking up in an underground river, Sauro-Hunter fought against a horde of Rock Goblins until Ptero and Aravis came to his rescue.

Aravis eventually fought with Zorikk. Eventually, she was forced into a small niche in the cave wall. Zorikk tried to reach her, but was unable to. Thinking she was safe, Aravis sat down and rested. However, Zorikk stuck his tongue in, trying to feel for her. He eventually wrapped his tongue around her head. Desperate to get away, Aravis said, "I'm sorry, but I have to do this!" She activated one of her energy swords and cut off part of Zorikk's tongue.

Taking the opportunity, the Dino Attack agent dashed out of the hole and back into the battle. Knowing that the agents may not make it out of the caverns alive, Sauro-Hunter approached her in the midst of the fighting and admitted that he still loved her.

"You and your quirks..." said Aravis, and then she leaned in and kissed Sauro-Hunter.

Sauro-Hunter said, "... Yowza."

Tex arrived, sweeping many Mutant Dinos away with her tail. The two were interrupted by a radio broadcast from the real Rex: orders to evacuate the Goo Caverns.

Zorikk was later exposed to Green Goo, which undid the mutation and reverted him back to being a Minifig again.

Reptile heard the command to run and looked in despair at his wrecked Ogel Drilling Vehicle. He frowned and snapped out orders.

"All agents, this is Elite Agent Reptile. Proceed to your Ogel Drilling Vehicles and get out! Repeat, proceed to your vehicles and get out! I will be joining you shortly." With that, Reptile pulled another of the speeders out of stasis and began to manipulate the controls of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle that he had turned into a mobile weapons platform.

Tail looked at him. "What are you planning, Reptile?" Tail asked.

Reptile looked at him, and repeated his order. "Get out! I'll be right behind you," he said. Tail hesitated. When someone talked like that, they likely weren't coming out. But he had been trained to obey orders, and ran for one of the other Ogel Drilling Vehicles.

The entire Dino Attack force hurriedly exited the "cavern of doom" on course for the hangars to escape. But the Dinos did not pursue immediately; they focused on the weapons platform, where Reptile was standing.

Reptile pressed a button and then leaped onto the back of the speeder. He raced away from the platform, hurriedly trying to catch up with the fleet of Ogel Drilling Vehicles. He had about ten seconds.

Three... two... one... Zero.

A ring of energy expanded from the central power core of the platform, and engulfed the entire Mutant Dino army until it stopped and solidified into a forcefield. The energy field would not hold for long. Fortunately for Dino Attack, it would hold for four minutes and thirty seconds, which was just a few seconds less than how long it would take for the ground beneath those Dinos' feet to vaporize them.

Reptile was once again sick he had turned his talents to creating a weapon of mass Dino annihilation. But it was the only way to protect the team and prevent the largest Mutant Dino army ever seen from escaping.

He jumped off of his speeder into the Ogel Drilling Vehicle controlled by Greybeard and Frozeen, with Tail hitching a ride on it as well, since Reptile and Tail's own vehicle was currently holding back the Dinos.

Having regained his bearings, Hotwire climbed into the gunner's seat on the Xenon Multi-Mode launcher. He swung it around and began taking out some of the dinos that were catching up.

Suddenly, Frozeen, in the lead Ogel Drilling Vehicle, spotted the Trouble Sub dock far down the tunnel as the convoy rounded a bend and onto a slight uphill incline. "We're almost there!" he cried. A cheer went up from all the speeding vehicles.

"Hang on," said Epsilon abruptly. "Did you guys feel that tremor?" No one else had felt anything except Sauro-Hunter and Aravis. The suspension systems on the Fire Hammers and Ogel Drilling Vehicles was apparently much better than those on a Urban Avenger or a motorbike.

Hotwire looked back to see a faint glow in the tunnel. "Uh, guys?" he said. "I think Quadrant 14 just blew!" A river of magma began to fill the tunnel. The group accelerated, tearing into the cave. Suddenly, Mutant Lizards began swarming in, cutting them off from the docking port.

Sauro-Hunter muttered, "Ugh. Ugly critters, aren't they?"

"You just noticed?!" exclaimed Raptor.

Sauro-Hunter replied, "Well... yeah."

I wonder which will kill us first, thought Hotwire, looking back at the magma seeping up the tunnel.

----

While patrolling the financial district of LEGO City, rookie agent Andrew Anderson found an infestation of Mutant Lizards inside one of the banks. Calling for backup, his responders ended up being B, Crooks, Rookie, Wing, and Nick Lightning.

Now with six agents, the squad entered the bank. The reception area was as empty as Andrew had found it after his attack, and there was still no sign of any more lizards. Andrew still wasn't jumping to conclusions.

"I got a good look at the building outside," Andrew stated, "This bank has a few stories to it, about four, and the upper ones are most likely office space."

"I think we could tell," Crooks said.

"Eh, sorry about that," Andrew said nervously. He pointed at a door in the back of the room. "I'm going to check out that room over there. Anyone care to join me?"

Having a history with knowing the interior of banks, Rookie guided Andrew into the room where the safe was kept, where they discovered a Mutant T-Rex nest. Rendezvousing with the other agents after hearing gunfire, Andrew and his teammates were then rudely knocked unconscious by Cane, who had disguised himself as an Agent to get close to Wing.

When everyone woke up, Cane and Wing were gone. Despite desires to go after them, Andrew managed to convince his companions to stay and finish their investigation. Around this time, the Mutant T-Rex nest hatched, but the Dino Attack agents quickly dealt with them. After B killed their mother, he received a message from Dino Attack Headquarters, requesting them to return to base for a major operation briefing.

----

Almost everyone had made it to the dock, except for Epsilon. Tex ran through the falling rocks to reach him. She picked up the vehicle in her mouth and rushed back to the dock, placing the Dino Attack agent and his vehicle safely on the platform. "Abandon your vehicle," she urged.

Epsilon nodded and rushed into the submarine.

Sauro was taking a head-count. Everyone was there. Tex's younger brother Crunchbite whimpered where he lay amongst a bunch of crates. Shh, Aravis thought to the Dino. It's alright. We're okay.

"Should we wait for Rex?" Ptero asked, shifting his wings uncomfortably as he lost his backpack a long ways back.

Hotwire, Helmie, Zyra, Zorikk, Tail and Reptile were working their way towards the Trouble Sub, when suddenly dozens more Mutant Lizards squeezed their way into the cave. They swarmed around the six agents, cutting them off from the exit. "Guys!" yelled Hotwire over the radio. "We need some help out here!"

The Lizards leaped, and the Dino Attack agents were overwhelmed. They fought, but not well - they were very tired.

And that was when Reptile heard shots being fired at the Lizards, and they dropped dead in mid-air. He turned, to see Coral and his pirates lowering their weapons, and smiled. He had assumed Coral's crew would simply flee after Rex broadcast the warning, but they hadn't. Slightly cheered up, he pressed a button on his communicator.

"All Dino Attack agents, report to the Trouble Sub Docking Hangar immediately. If you are not here in a couple minutes, or if you don't broadcast your position, we're leaving without you." With that grim message, he turned and walked into the Trouble Sub, followed by Hotwire, Helmie, Zyra, Zorikk, and Tail. Coral's crew set up a defensive position around the hangar, ready to cut down any additional Dinos that arrived.

Frozeen, Sam, and Greybeard also stepped aboard the Trouble Sub. Like the Trouble Train, it was massive, one of the largest vehicles in Ogel's possession. Large, sleek, and silver-blue, it reminded Greybeard of a shark. Large translucent tubes ran from the Trouble Sub's cargo hold to the ceiling of the Goo Caverns, and Greybeard saw that Green Goo was pouring steadily through these tubes into the Trouble Sub.

All around them, frantic drones of all types and most ranks hurried into the Trouble Sub. Worker Drones, however, just stood and watched the machinery around the Trouble Sub Docking Bay, to make sure all systems were working correctly. Handcart Operator Drones and Barrel Pusher Drones worked furiously to load even more Green Goo into the submarine. At one point, a twelve-legged red-black vehicle showed up, and three Super Rock Drones accompanied by Amanda Claw got off and climbed into the Trouble Sub. While nobody could understand her as well as Rex, they could tell that she was very clearly distressed.

The walls and the ceiling of the cavern shook furiously. Greybeard looked around in worry. This cavern was just barely supported, but looked like it might collapse at any moment thanks to that eruption. At one point, a Mutant Raptor burst into the cave, but was quickly shot down by Reptile and Frozeen. Shortly after, an underground cruiser flew next to the Trouble Sub, and Sam Sinister, the Brickster, and Vladek all climbed out and into the Trouble Sub.

That be nearly everyone, Greybeard thought, looking around. But where be Rex, General, Shock, and Ben Gunn? He bit his lip. Seconds seemed like hours, minutes seemed like weeks. But none of them showed up. Greybeard sighed and reached into his pocket, pulling out a gold coin that he had taken from Ben Gunn's cave. "Poor bas-" he began to say, when the cavern shook violently and several large chunks of ceiling descended to the cavern floor, causing a few dents in the Trouble Sub.

Coral approached him. "Greybeard," the other pirate spoke, "we have to get out now. We cannot afford to wait any longer."

Greybeard sighed, putting the coin away. "Ye be right." With that, the Worker Drones shuffled away from the machinery and into the Trouble Sub, and a Super Sea Drone closed up the submarine. The drone walked over to the controls, pushed scores of buttons in a surprisingly short span of time, then the massive Trouble Sub shuddered. It sank into the water, then departed the Goo Caverns. Greybeard found himself at some form of ease to know that they were at sea.

He glanced around, and saw Amanda looking very worried. Despite himself, he approached the young female Dino Attack agent and laid his hand on her shoulder. "It be okay," he whispered a lie. "I be sure that Rex 'as escaped th' Goo Caverns."

"Where are you headed?" Greybeard overheard the Super Sea Drone inquire.

"LEGO City," he heard Reptile reply. "It's a shame that we return from such a long and important mission with only a little goo."

*****

Rex, General, and Shock all glared up at the monstrous form of Dr. Rex. Once more, Rex noted that the mad scientist-turned-dinosaur was wearing silge armor, meaning any battle against him would be futile.

In return, Dr. Rex glared down at them. Then, his gaze fixed on Shock, and he smiled with a false impression of warmth. "Talia," he said softly. "Why are you putting yourself through all this? You were perfectly safe and without a complaint back in my laboratory on Dinosaur Island. I'm a noble... T-Rex, simply helping destiny in her course of the repopulation of dinosaurs. Your old fiancé George Ogel, or now known as 'General Evil', on the other hand is a terrible villain and a murderer, just like I warned you he would be."

"Shut up!" yelled General. "I have reformed and I will retire... as soon as you are dead!"

Dr. Rex chuckled. "That's what they always say. Don't listen to him, Talia. His own words give him away, for he wants to kill me. While I am ensuring the survival of our universe, the Ogel brothers have done nothing but exploit it for their own gain, killing anyone who stands in the way of the Evil OGEL Empire. Just think about all the lives he has taken, as the general of an army of mind-controlled innocents. No logical, beautiful woman such as yourself would want to find herself with that... monster. Come with me, and I will make it all right again."

Shock shook her head. "You're not Ronald Alexander anymore, or at least the Ronald Alexander I knew over fifty years ago. You kidnapped me because you were jealous, and because of that, George chose the path he did. If it weren't for you, he would never have become a villain. 'Make it all right'? You were the one who ruined our lives! You are the monster! And I will never come with you!" With that, she grabbed a laser gun and fired it at Dr. Rex, but the blast deflected harmlessly off of his armor.

At first, Dr. Rex seemed genuinely hurt as Shock's words sank in. "No, I… I can't lose you again…" he whispered. But then, his sadness quickly dissolved into rage. He locked eyes on General and pulled back his upper lip to reveal rows of sharp teeth. "You've turned her against me, General Evil!" he hissed.

General instinctively moved two of his arms in front of Shock, as though to shield her. "You have done that yourself!"

Dr. Rex snarled and leapt towards the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Rex, who had remained quiet the entire conversation, threw the vehicle in reverse just in time. Dr. Rex turned his head and roared, "You will not take her from me!"

"Your anger and lust for power have already done that!" General retorted. "You have allowed your selfish passions to twist your mind until now... until now you've become a monster that the entire world has sworn to destroy!"

"Don't lecture me, General," Dr. Rex snarled. "I see through your lies. I do not fear my destiny as you do, for I will bring peace, freedom, justice, and security to my new empire!"

Shock rose an eyebrow. "Your new empire?" she remarked, once again calling out Dr. Rex for his hypocrisy.

Dr. Rex glared at her, continuing to growl. "Don't make me kill you! If you're not with me... then you're my enemy!"

With that, Dr. Rex charged forward at the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. General took control of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, while Rex climbed up to man the laser turret. The mining vehicle took off, with Dr. Rex following close behind. Rex felt a sense of déjà vu, as they had been in a similar situation back on Dinosaur Island. He fired the turret at the maddened Mutant T-Rex, but the blasts were deflected off Dr. Rex's armor. In retaliation, Dr. Rex fired laser beams from his eyes, which blasted the turret to LEGO bricks.

Dr. Rex was gaining on the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. Rex took out a Sonic Screamer, remembering how Frozeen described that it could even affect a G.E. Body. When he fired that at Dr. Rex, the crazed T-Rex did not even seem to show a difference. Rex wondered if the sonic waves were deflected by the Silge, then cursed. He grabbed an explosive out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle's cargo hold, then tossed it at Dr. Rex. With hesitation, Dr. Rex opened his maw wide and consumed the explosive, letting his internal furnace disintegrate it. Rex swore again.

Then, both the occupants of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle and the Mutant T-Rex were aware of a great rumbling that slowly overpowered the sound of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle's engine and the sound of Dr. Rex's roaring. Seconds later, the ceiling of the tunnel collapsed.

Dr. Rex skidded to a halt, while General accelerated the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. The collapsing tunnel formed a landslide, and rocks and dust were all that Rex could see for a few moments. One rock shattered the 'bubble' dome over the remains of the turret, and Rex was cut in a few places. More rocks created dents in the Ogel Drilling Vehicle, and the dust caused General to nearly crash the vehicle. At last, when it was over, there was a huge pile of rocks in the tunnel behind them, and Dr. Rex was nowhere to be seen.

Rex allowed himself a smile, and he climbed back down to meet General and Shock again. "Is he... dead?" inquired Shock. Her tone was not of concern, but of hope.

Rex sighed. "I'm not going to believe that for an instant. But, what matters is that we've escaped him... for now."

"Problem is," General noted, "that Quadrant 14 has indeed erupted. From the scanners on this vehicle, the Trouble Sub has just departed about a minute ago, and almost immediately after, quadrants 3 through 28 were wrecked by the explosion. Quadrants 1 and 2 are collapsing as we speak, and most of the quadrants of a higher number than 28 are experiencing major cave-ins, such as the one we've just escaped. I pray that the Trouble Train Depot is intact."

They drove on silently. All the while, the tunnels shook as though they were going to give in any moment. At last, they reached the Trouble Train Depot. There, they found the carcasses of several drones and Mutant Lizards, and the remaining drones were trying to load as much Green Goo into the cargo hold of the train as possible.

Rex, General, and Shock climbed out of the Ogel Drilling Vehicle. They were saluted by a Super Ice Drone, who led them inside the train. "Is that all?" the drone inquired.

General nodded bitterly. "Indeed, this is all."

The Super Ice Drone then ordered the remaining drones to get inside the Trouble Train. As soon as they were all inside, the Super Ice Drone turned to activate the Trouble Train, but paused when it saw that General had already activated it in half the time of a Super Drone, thanks to four arms. Then, the Trouble Train started to move forward, slowly picking up speed as it went.

The tunnels around the Trouble Train started to shake violently. Rex groaned, and inquired if the Trouble Train could go any faster. Before General could reply, the tunnels began to cave in. Rex noted that, for the first time in his life, he saw a Super Ice Drone panic. As the ceiling collapsed, the high-ranking drone rushed to the controls and frantically looked for something - anything - that would speed up the train's course. General joined in the search.

Rocks rained down upon the Trouble Train. Rex saw dents forming in the ceiling of the train, heard the caverns roar like an angry T-Rex, felt the tunnel shake violently, smelled the now hauntingly-familiar scent of rock dust, tasted bile forming in his mouth. We're not going to make it, he realized.

His fears came true as one large rock smashed through the Trouble Train's windshield. It crushed the control panels of the vehicle, as well as the Super Ice Drone. General jumped back in time, but now the Trouble Train started rocking violently back-and-forth. One Sea Drone sitting on a crate behind Rex shouted: "I'm going to be sick!"

"We're going too fast!" General told Rex and Shock.

"On the contrary," muttered Rex, watching as rocks poured through the now-shattered windshield, "we're not going fast enough!"

General shook his head. "The Trouble Train was designed for troop and cargo transport. It was never meant to go this fast - it's going to -" But before General could finish his sentence, they all felt a terrible lurch as the Trouble Train flew off its monorail track. Now skidding on bare earth, the Trouble Train continued to shake violently, then flipped over, smashed into a rock wall, and lay there, still.

General coughed violently as rock dust filled the train. He opened the cockpit of the Trouble Train and crawled out. Then, he helped Shock and Rex climb out as well. Rex was black and blue all over, and every muscle in his body ached. He even wondered if he had broken bones. Looking over at Shock, he saw that she was in just as bad condition. "Are we-" Rex paused to cough out the rock dust, "-the only survivors?"

General narrowed his eyes bitterly. "Of the cockpit, yes. I'll check the troops' car, see if anybody's alive there." The three of them traveled along the upside-down Trouble Train.

When they reached the troops' car, they saw the drones were dead. No, not dead - massacred. They did not look as though they died from trauma or even from a train that flipped over... they looked like an axe murderer hitched a ride and had too much fun.

"What happened here?" gasped Rex. He glanced at General, but he simply shook his head, not knowing the answer either. Rex sighed. "I guess we'll have to continue on foot."

With that, Rex, General, and Shock walked away from the wrecked Trouble Train. None of them noticed the Brickspider Bot v1.0 as it snuck away from the overturned vehicle.

----

Sauro scrolled through a website, bored. Nothing helpful had appeared yet. Oh well, he thought.

The intercom system chirped to life. "This is your captain speaking," a Drone said. "We will be arriving at LEGO City shortly."

What nobody knew was that there was a stowaway in the Trouble Sub: a camouflage-breed Mutant Lizard. It was discovered by a Rock Drone, whom it immediately killed on sight. Spino fought it with his bare hands, forcing its jaws apart after a short but intense fight. Its body was then tossed out of the airlock, and the Trouble Sub continued toward LEGO City. During this time, Aravis learned more about Crunchbite and his resentment towards Dr. Rex.

Aravis also decided to check on Amanda Claw. The two Dino Attack agents had never met properly, but Aravis had recognized Amanda from Rex's thoughts about her. Is there anything I can do to put your mind at ease? Aravis asked, mentally projecting the question into Amanda's head.

Amanda blinked in surprise and then stared at Aravis. You're… a mind-reader? she wondered. I didn't realize such a thing was possible.

Aravis grinned. Well, there goes my theory about you secretly being a telepath as well. But then, she could sense Amanda recoiling, as she was used to keeping her thoughts very private and felt that this telepathy was an unwanted intrusion. "It's okay," assured Aravis, who was now speaking out loud to assuage her fears. "You can trust me. I just want to help. If it's Rex you're worried about…"

Amanda sighed, letting her guard down just enough for Aravis to hear this thought: Of course I'm worried sick about Rex, as everyone expects. But that's not all. My brother, Roger Remous, has reportedly been working in the Goo Caverns on a special mission from Specs. We've just spent the better part of a month down there… and yet, I didn't see or hear from Roger at all. Why?

For this, Aravis did not have an answer.

*****

Magma, on duty in Alpha Team's Island HQ, ordered a team dispatched to the area to investigate and rescue any survivors. His action was unnecessary, however, as all survivors had evacuated either in the Trouble Train or Trouble Sub.

----

Rex, General, and Shock walked down the tunnels that were once used by the Trouble Train. There was no turning back, now that the Trouble Train and the portion of the tunnels behind them were all wrecked. Still, Rex couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed... the sight of the slaughtered drones disturbed him.

Occasionally, the tunnels rumbled and swayed a little. Once in a while, the three travelers had to shoot down a Mutant Lizard. But there was no other problem.

At last, after what felt like days of travel, the tunnel widened into a large chamber that Rex immediately recognized. It was the Ogel Control Center Trouble Train Depot. Drones were rushing about in a frenzy, as though they drank a little too much coffee, since they were all shaking. When they saw General, Rex, and Shock arrive, they eased a little and smiled. However, Rex noted the Ice Drones to be rather out-of-character, for instead of surrounding General and acting misbehaved by trying to poke General or ask him for his autograph, they simply waved to General and then went right back to work.

Then, Rex was aware of one other figure in the room, watching from a balcony. His golden helmet and black armor gave away his identity as Evil Ogel. He clapped his hand and hook together when he saw General, Rex, and Shock approach. "I love it! Well-done! Bravissimo!" he proclaimed, his voice booming throughout the Trouble Train Depot. "I thought you were all but dead, brother! And you, Rex, I truly am amazed at your uncanny ability to survive. But... who is this?" With that, he pointed his hook at Shock. Before she could reply, Ogel shrugged and decided, "No matter, just another Dino Attack Agent."

General looked up at his brother. Rex imagined that behind that G.E. Body's mask, he was smiling, for Ogel had not recognized Talia Kaahs. "It is a privilege to see you again, Ogel," General spoke. "I'm sure by now you've heard what has happened to our Goo Caverns?"

Ogel nodded bitterly. "It's almost a shame. It feels like but yesterday that I was threatening to trap Alpha Team forever in those tunnels, and telling them to make themselves uncomfortable... you know, unlike comfortable like they always say, because I changed it?" Ogel shook his head. "Alas, the Goo Caverns are destroyed. It was a mistake to procrastinate extinguishing those Quadrant 14 volcanoes when we had the chance."

Ogel pressed a button on a control panel behind him. The balcony lowered, until it was level with the floor, and then Ogel stepped off. "Now that you're here, I suppose you three ought to head back to LEGO City and Dino Attack Headquarters. Excellent; that gives us the perfect opportunity to test my latest addition to the Ogel Control Center. Come on!"

Ogel then led the three of them out of the Trouble Train Depot and into a neighboring chamber. Inside was a large, circular device with purple energy flowing inside. Standing next to it were two Minifigs. One was clad in high-tech silver armor, wore a regal cape and a golden crown. He turned and smiled at the newcomers, though most of his mouth was hidden under his large white mustache. Beside him stood a younger Minifig who appeared to be in his early-forties, who in contrast wore a brown leather jacket and yellow khakis, looking much more casual.

"Is it ready yet?" inquired Ogel.

The younger Minifig nodded. "Yes, I believe it is."

General squinted at the device. "Is that... what I think it is?"

The armored, older Minifig gestured towards the machine. "If you are thinking that it is a portal, much like the one that was constructed on Sandy Bay all those years ago for the Galactic Racing Championship, then you are correct. Ogel figured that it would help in transporting troops faster to aid the Dino Attack Team, and so called my son and myself to design it."

The younger Minifig smiled. "Yeah, I guess it helped that I lived on Sandy Bay during the Galactic Racing Championship."

General nodded. "Ah, now I realize why you two are so familiar. You must be King Joseph Race of the Space Knights, and you must be his son Samuel Race. Everybody knows your names, after you made them famous."

King Joseph Race nodded. "Indeed, that's who we are."

Rex bit his lip, then tapped General on the shoulder. "Um, excuse me, but care to explain?"

General laughed. "Sorry, forgot that you don't have a clue who they are... come to think of it, neither - ahem, sorry, forgot what I was going to say," he lied, for he nearly pointed out that Shock did not know either. "The Space Knights owned a lesser-known region of Castle Cove, and they were the most technology-advanced, to the point where they could build their own starships. As such, while they have customs, castles, and weapons of most knights for tradition's sake, they have advanced armor, space craft, and robots on their side, and thus they are called the Space Knights. King Joseph Race here is the king of the Space Knights, and he was one of the winners of a LEGO Racing Championship league back in 1999. His son, Samuel Race, is the prince of the Space Knights, and he also won a league in the Galactic Racing Championship of 2001."

Rex watched Sam Race program the coordinates of Dino Attack Headquarters into the portal. "Prince," remarked Rex, smirking. "Why dressed so casual then?"

"He was accidentally separated from his family and his kingdom at birth," General explained in a low tone. "He was raised on Sandy Bay for much of his life, and he was no royalty there. As such, for most of his life he was used to wearing casual clothes... and hasn't really liked more formal clothes. It was only after the Galactic Racing Championship when Rocket Racer realized that they were father and son, and he arranged a family reunion for them."

General was interrupted by the sound of screaming. Then, laser fire could be heard, followed by an explosion. Everybody stopped what they were doing and ran back into the Trouble Train Depot to find a massacre.

Every drone in the room was dead. Most of them appeared just as the drones on the Trouble Train did: slaughtered, as though by an axe murderer. A few of them were still burning from an explosion that was created from a large oil canister, as General figured out from its blackened remains.

"An infiltrator!" seethed Ogel. "Someone is attacking my drones!" With that, he yanked a switch, and an alarm went off. Trooper Drones, Lurcher Drones, and Rock Drones came out of every door in the base. "Find whoever is invading my base!" Ogel barked at the drones. "Find them! Find them! Or else, it will be all of your broken necks after I toss each one of you out the window of the control tower!" Ogel turned to face Rex, General, Shock, King Race, and Sam Race. "You all should get out of here. Get into the portal; I'll handle the infiltrators."

"Just keep Mr. Whiskers away from the portal this time," muttered General.

Ogel grimaced. "Hey, it's not my fault that one time we were testing out that new teleporter, and Mr. Whiskers jumped into the teleporter at the last moment before you teleported, and the teleporter broke and teleported you into the middle of Alpha Team Headquarters... And no, I refuse to rename Mr. Whiskers 'Lamarr' because of that!"

One by one, the two Races, General, and two Dino Attack Agents stepped into the portal. Rex took one last glance over his shoulder at the drones hurrying around Ogel Control Center, searching for whoever was the cause of the massacres in the Trouble Train and Trouble Train Depot. Then, he stepped into the portal.

----

Aravis stepped on the dock, happy to be on dry land. Sauro-Hunter was... ecstatic. He kept kissing the ground, saying, "I'mnevergoingouttoseaagain!"

"Lemme guess," Aravis said. "you somehow broke into the place where Ogel kept his coffee and sugar. Right?"

"Maaaybe!" Sauro replied. Aravis rolled her eyes.

Ptero slowly glided down from the top of the Trouble Sub. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "Feels good to stretch my wings a little. It was too confined for my taste in there."

Raptor and Spino wobbled a little bit, dropped to their knees and hurled over the side of the dock. Ptero's eyelid twitched a little. After the two Dino Attack agents got back up, they all got into what vehicles were left and headed to Dino Attack HQ.

*****

When Quadrant 14 blew, Tex and Shade were ordered by Aravis to swim back to Ogel's Island. After Tex and Shade made their way to Ogel's Island, the former asked for a ship to LEGO City.

On their way there, Shade found out that they were being followed by a mysterious beast, which turned out to be a Mutant Mosasaur enhanced by slime leaking from the Goo Caverns. Tex and Shade drove the beast back into the water, but not after it had crushed most of the crew of the ship High Charity.

When the High Charity reached LEGO City Harbor, Tex and Shade made a beeline for Dino Attack HQ.

*****

The group headed for base, including Crunchbite (whom Aravis had affectionately nicknamed "Kardi").

Aravis received a new Fire Hammer, which she took for a test-drive. Whilst being chased by a Mutant T-Rex, she found out that the engine was faulty. Ditching the vehicle, the Dino Attack agent stood her ground, ready to fight.

Tex and Shade came just in time and interfered. While Tex kept the other T-Rex at bay, Shade took Aravis back to Dino Attack Headquarters. When the two were gone, Tex quickly finished the fight by snapping her opponent's neck. She followed Shade and Aravis' scent to Headquarters. Many other Dino Attack agents almost fired at her, but were stopped by Aravis. Deciding to take a small break, Aravis went up to her quarters and decided to start thinking about her family and her future. Aravis also looked back on the past, thinking about the attack in Quadrant 14. She wondered how Dino Attack would handle such a major loss.

Now that the fighting was over, Helmie took a sip of Sauro-Hunter's coffee, smacked his lips a bit, and then remarked, "Seems kinda weak to me."

*****

Reptile was assigned another T-1 Typhoon. He did not have long to test it out before he, along with many other agents, were called to attend a briefing from Specs.

*****

For a few moments, Rex found himself surrounded by swirling energy of purple and blue. Occasionally, he saw a 2x2 LEGO brick of red, green, blue, or yellow color float past him. Everything spun around him, leaving Rex very, very nauseous. Then, the purple and blue energy began to spin even faster. The LEGO bricks began to float around him faster than before, until the cascade of colors made everything appear as a very intense white that nearly blinded Rex.

At last, it was over. The light faded away, and Rex found himself lying on Samuel Race, who was lying atop King Joseph Race, who was lying atop Shock, who was lying on General. Groaning, General stood up and everybody else slid to the floor. One by one, they too stood. Rex looked around at his surroundings. Yes, this was Dino Attack Headquarters. "Remind me to never use a portal again," Rex muttered.

Sam Race shrugged. "The portal to Xalax wasn't so bad. I suppose it's because we had an exit portal at the other end."

"We'll be working with the Dino Attack Team for a while," King Joseph Race spoke. "Even though the rest of the Space Knights have found refuge in space, we have come down here because desperate times call for desperate measures. It's getting near the end of October, and the Mutant Dinos still have not been defeated. Thus, we would be honored to save our planet."

The group made their way through the halls of Dino Attack Headquarters. Eventually, they ran into Sam Throramebi and Specs. The Rock Raider was arguing over the matter of the cost of a mechanical eye and prosthetic hand; evidently, someone had been injured in battle. Specs noticed Rex and the other first, and cleared his throat. "Well then, it's about time you arrived. We were worried about your disappearance, Rex, General, and Shock. And we were waiting for you to join us, King Joseph Race and Prince Samuel Race."

Sam Throramebi blinked. "You've got to be kidding me," he muttered, glaring at the younger of the two Races. "Another Minifig named 'Sam'? I thought 'Sam' was supposed to be an unpopular first name... I mean, at least in comparison to 'Nick' or 'Andrew' or 'Bob'. What now? We're going to have to refer to each other by our last names?"

At that moment, Vladek stepped into the room. "Thy was thinkingeth," he began to say, but then noticed King Race. He lifted his helm for a moment, scowling at the face of the other Castle Cove native, then smiled. "Ah, King Joseph Race, thou decidedeth to joineth us? Thy was wonderingeth when thou would. Thou and thee, two lords of Castle Cove and of enemy kingdoms, workingeth together."

"Indeed," said King Race, nodding. His face was stern, but Rex saw humor in his eyes, although he could not imagine what was funny.

Specs cleared his throat again. "I've called a meeting that will be happening in precisely a half-hour in the conference room. I expect the five of you to be there, even though you were not here when I gave the announcement five minutes ago."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 5: LEGO Island and Antarctica

Chapter 32: Divided We Fall

----

Rex looked around at in the conference room. He saw many agents gathered around, including a few he did not recognize. When he asked Hotwire to identify them, Hotwire explained that they were new recruits. One did not go by a codename, but simply by his name Andrew Anderson. An agent codenamed only 'B' was a mechanic. There was also Epsilon, who, Rex noted, was rocking back and forth as though he was on a ship. It did not take Rex long to figure out that Epsilon was drunk.

But the face that surprised Rex the most was one that he knew well, but had a horrible change. Greybeard sat across from Rex at the table. What shocked Rex was that he had a large scar running down the right side of his face, beginning on his forehead, going over his right eye, and ending low on his right cheek. In fact, Greybeard's right eye was disturbingly pale, and while his left eye looked around in a normal fashion, his right eye was fixed in its current position.

Did that happen in the battle at Quadrant 14? Rex wondered, feeling a bit sick. If only he was not captured by that Brickspider Bot, then he could have possibly prevented Greybeard from receiving such a horrible scar.

Specs sat at the head of the table, flanked by the other founding members: Digger, Viper, and Shadow. Specs looked around at his team, then nodded. "As I'm sure most of you are aware, the mission to the Goo Caverns was only a partial success. We still have control and mining operations occurring in Quadrants 78 to Quadrant 100, so we still are receiving Green Goo. However, it will take a lot longer than we hoped to get a sufficient amount of Green Goo."

He stood, and almost every present Minifig's eyes followed. "Therefore, we have to try and delay XERRD's plans until we get enough Green Goo to have any hope of combating their full forces. But how do we do this? The best way is to limit their options by destroying Mutant Dino nests and protecting non-mutated dinosaurs."

Specs paused to scratch his head. "Unfortunately, we do not nearly have enough agents to spare to send out to every landmass on the LEGO Planet. Therefore, we're going to have to tackle only a few locations at a time. And right now, our main focus would be LEGO Island, where there have been sightings of many Mutant T-Rex and Mutant Pterosaur nests. But that's not all."

Specs held up a red book. "This is, in fact, not the Constructopedia. It's just a random red book. But, I'm holding this book up so that you all have a general idea of what the Constructopedia looks like. Now, what does this have to do with anything? We happen to have a spy working in XERRD's laboratory, and he revealed to us that the Constructopedia is being, in fact, guarded by XERRD's forces on LEGO Island. If they are guarding this book, then there must be something important about it besides using it to restore most of LEGO Island's buildings."

Specs put the book down. "Your mission is to go to LEGO Island and-"

"-destroy the nests by any means necessary," interrupted Shadow, smiling.

Specs glared at Shadow. "Neutralize the nests!" he corrected in a scolding tone. "You have to neutralize the nests, then locate the Constructopedia. Once you have it, contact me and tell me anything interesting you see about it. Anything out of the ordinary. Meeting dismissed." With that, most of the Dino Attack agents in the room stood up and left. However, Specs approached Greybeard as he began to leave and whispered, "No, you stay."

Greybeard glanced at Specs with his one good eye, then nodded. He sat down at the table again, and this time was only accompanied by Helm, Sam Sinister, Vladek, and the Brickster, along with a few other Dino Attack recruits that Greybeard did not recognize. Once everybody else was out of the room, Specs shut the door and looked at them. "The reason I have told you to remain here is because you are the most useful on... another mission."

"Thy doth not understandeth what thou art getting at," commented Vladek. "Thou art confusingeth thee."

Greybeard stared at Vladek for a moment, his expression confused beyond belief. Then, he burst out laughing.

Vladek glared at Greybeard. "What, doth thou thinketh that thy am funny?" he hissed. "Thy am Lord Vladek, one of the greatest LEGO villains, and thy shalt not be treated with such disrepecteth!"

Greybeard chuckled. "Ye know, ye be really funny! Oh, I'll be laughin' about this one fer days! I be not believin' how hilarious this be - Vladek cannot speak Olde English!"

Vladek scowled and stood up as he yelled furiously: "Whateth doth thou meaneth thateth thy ameth noteth speakingeth Oldeth Englisheth?"

Greybeard roared with laughter. "Now, ye be just tryin' too hard t' speak Olde English! Listen, I got some mateys from Castle Cove, I know what they says. Ye be gettin' all yer pronouns mixed up! An', fer another thing, sticking 'eth' at th' end o' e'ery word does not make it Olde English!"

Vladek glared daggers at Greybeard, then sighed and sat down. "Okay," he muttered, "the truth is that I never spoke Olde English, and neither did anybody else in Morcia! But when I traveled forward in time and met my great-great-great-great-great-grandson Ogel, the Brickster suggested that nobody would believe I was the real Vladek unless I spoke Olde English like in the Medieval Ages. So ever since then, I was trying my best to make it sound like I was speaking Olde English. But you just spilled the beans! Thanks a lot, you bloody pirate!"

The Brickster grinned. "Gotta admit, it was a hilarious trick!"

Specs slammed his hands on the desk. "Can I have your attention for a minute? Because I did not call you here to argue about Olde English!" With that, Greybeard stopped laughing, and Vladek stopped grumbling. "Good. I called you here because you are 'realists', as opposed to 'idealists' such as Rex or Saruo-Hunter… or even myself. You do not have any problem with killing Mutant Dinos or unborn Mutant Dino hatchlings. Therefore, I'm sending you on an important mission to Antarctica."

Helm blinked. "Antarctica? But why would we go there? After all, the Mutant Dinos hate the cold."

Specs nodded bitterly. "They used to. Apparently, now they're starting to grow resistant thanks to XERRD's genetic modifications. A few months ago, elite agent Kotua reported encountering a specialized Mutant T-Rex in Antarctica; I can't say if these new mutants are bred from the same stock, but what was once a single anomaly is now growing in number at an alarming pace. They have been sneaking aboard cargo ships to Antarctica, and are starting to settle in the coldest continent of the LEGO Planet. This is very, very dangerous. If they reach Alpha Team's refugee facilities... it would be a terrible blow to the Minifig species. Thus, I'm sending you there, and not Rex, Sauro-Hunter, or the other 'idealists', because I don't want you trying to tame the Mutant Dinos or anything. Shadow and I have argued about it, and I must agree with him: we must wipe out the Mutant Dinos in Antarctica. Any questions?"

Sam Sinister raised his hook. "Why, yes, about that. You're expecting only us to go? But we are so few in number! The Mutant Dinos will have wiped us out long before we wipe them out!"

"We'll be sending Viper and Shadow as well," explained Specs. "Also, if you know any other 'realists' on our team, invite them as well. Expect to leave for Antarctica within forty-eight hours. Meeting adjourned."

*****

Before leaving on the mission to LEGO Island, Rex checked in on Libo, who was injured during the earlier Mutant Lizard infestation of Dino Attack Headquarters. Libo's recovery was now overseen by Dr. Clickitt, Enter, and Return, after Dr. Frank Einstein left Dino Attack Headquarters under mysterious circumstances. Because Libo's wounds were still healing, he could not participate in the LEGO Island mission.

Then, Aster Oid burst into the room, ranting about nonsense due to a dusty memory card: "I told him so! I told him things like this would happen! Oh, no, but he had to say that I was being inconsiderate! Hah! I was perfectly content where he created me! LEGO Racers was a fun videogame! He used to play it all the time on the PC! And I was the master of Magma Moon Marathon, Ice Planet Pathway, and Alien Rally Asteroid! Life was fun being a model in a PC game! But no, he had to bring me to BZPower and stuff me inside a Role-Play Game! And a text-based one, based on one of LEGO's least successful lines! I told him bad things were bound to happen, but he didn't listen! And then, only a few posts after being introduced, he writes that I end up in pieces! What's up with that? And you two, Rex and Libo, yes: I'm going to continue demolishing that fourth wall! As soon as it's gone, we'll lead a revolution against him for all the pains he has caused us and will cause us in this Role-"

When Aster Oid returned to his normal self, Rex told the droid to try to find and eliminate the Brickspider Bot. Greybeard later informed Rex that they would be working in different sections of LEGO Island, covering up his involvement in the black ops Antarctica mission.

*****

The mission was a wish come true for Andrew. Dino Attack was to begin recapture of LEGO Island. Putting aside his worries about his rookie status, he quickly prepared for the mission and went to the boarding area, where he joined a squad led by agent Semick.  Semick was assigned a squad of nearly thirty agents to lead into sweeping the island. In addition to Andrew, the squad included Bluetooth, Titan, Stranger, and Raider.

*****

Reptile's T-1 Typhoon was one of several advance scouts sent to LEGO Island. He and Coral led twelve other T-1 Typhoons in neutralizing the Mutant Pteranodons that quickly engaged the aerial vehicles. They then began mapping Dino positions on the island and also cleared the landing area for the transports carrying Dino Attack agents and vehicles.

*****

Rex arrived at LEGO Island in the same T-1 Typhoon as Sam Throramebi, Sam Race, and Frozeen. There, Rex was reunited with Amanda Claw. Having not seen each other since about a week prior, they embraced one another on the shores of LEGO Island, since neither was certain that the other escaped the Goo Caverns.

Because they share the same given name, Throramebi formed a rivalry with Race.  When Race volunteered to drive their Fire Hammer, Throramebi said, "Hey, what do you think you're doing?  I've got more experience driving Fire Hammers!"

Race replied, "Ah, but I'm the faster driver... and the less reckless, at that."

*****

Once their squad arrived on the island, Semick made Andrew his strategy consultant due to his knowledge of the island's geography, something Semick needed due to his inability to get an up-to-date map.

The squad's course to their destination, the Residential Area, took them directly over a plaza where Mutant Dinos had made their nests in the basement. Because of the overall objective of the operation, Semick had the squad stop to exterminate the nests. However, they had barely started when a mother T-Rex went on the offensive. While everyone else commenced firing, Andrew ran to the wreckage of a bike shop, where he salvaged two skateboards and several bricks and began building a structure that could topple the beast. Semick eventually took notice of this, though, and his shouting to Andrew managed to give him away to the T-Rex, who charged at him. Forced into action, Andrew pushed hard on his wheeled creation, which slammed into the dinosaur with enough force to take it down, leaving it open to the fatal firing of the Dino Attack agents. Complementing him on his quick thinking, Semick told Andrew he would pay attention to him more.

----

Agent X experienced some difficult times, such as learning that his brother Zack died without knowing the circumstances. He also found almost true friendship in Pteri, a female Mutant Pterosaur.

----

Hotwire acquired a T-1 Typhoon of his own, which he customized, and christened the Talon in memory of his sister. B helped Hotwire upgrade the Talon. Hotwire, B, and Crooks left to search for Kat, who had been captured by Cane.

With some aid from Mort, they tracked Cane to LEGO City Airport, where they lost the trail. Mort left, and the three Dino Attack agents departed for LEGO Island. However, they discovered that Cane had planted a homing device on B's shirt collar, and Hotwire was able to reverse the signal, allowing them to learn Cane's location at ShadowTech Founder's Island. As the traveled toward the island, they found themselves racing against a horde of Dr. Wolf's Mutant Viking Monsters.

*****

Cane refused to address Wing by her new Dino Attack codename, instead continuing to call her Kat. He told her his own real name: Canis Schattenberg. Wing recognized the surname as her own, and Cane told her that they were closely related; one could almost say they were cousins.

He then brought her to Founder's Island, the palatial island home of ShadowTech's founder, and revealed that the S.T.A.R.E. supercomputer she had found in the Goo Caverns was merely an emergency backup for the real Database Core, located in the very building they were in. He explained ShadowTech's original purposes: to improve upon minifigkind whether or not they consented to the improvements. Gradually dropping hints about her true nature, he told her about the synthetic minifig project and then, saying he would introduce her to ShadowTech's founder, brought her to a memorial to Katerina Schattenberg.

Wing recognized the name as her own, and passed out from the shock. At the same time, the island was attacked by Dr. Wolf's Mutant Viking Monster hybrids. During the attack, Cane was finally killed by an Ofnir Rex.

From their vantage point in the Talon, Hotwire, B, and Crooks spotted Wing in the courtyard, and rescued her using the winch. When she awoke, the residual shock was nearly enough to give her a panic attack. She managed to explain her situation to them, and, experiencing an identity crisis of sorts, stated that she was no longer agent Wing, but simply Kat once again, thus dropping out of the team.

Kat announced her resignation from Dino Attack to Specs, who was rather frustrated at having once again to deal with someone who was technically a civilian. However, he sent her scouting because she insisted on doing her part even though she wasn't an agent any longer.

Hotwire and Kat arrived at LEGO Island in the Talon.  Upon arrival, Kat disembarked.

*****

After customizing his Fire Hammer into one that was more suited to his science interests, David Norman was airlifted to LEGO Island. He did return to Dino Attack Headquarters after a while.

*****

In their Fire Hammer, Rex's team traveled to the east side of the island, arriving near the ruins of the Metro PD Station. There, Amanda noted that there were Mutant Dinos seemingly guarding the Information Center, and drove towards the Information Center to investigate. Aided by Reptile and Coral in their T-1 Typhoon, they were able to defeat the Mutant Dinos and their hatchlings.

Upon entering the Information Center, Rex found the Big Blue Brick Book while Coral found a decoy Constructopedia left behind by Dr. Rex. Opening the Big Blue Brick Book, Rex found a pirate's letter to the Dino Attack agents, telling them to try going to the L.E.G.O. Radio Station. Then, they were contacted by Ata through the Infomaniac's L.E.G.O. Radio, who claimed to be in the Radio Station and surrounded by Mutant Dinos. Rex and the others left the Information Center to investigate.

They arrived at the ruined L.E.G.O. Radio Station, but found the doors blocked with rubble. After blasting their way inside, they found a wounded Ata, the Constructopedia, and several Mutant Dinos inside the building. The team quickly took care of the Mutant Dinos, but then several Pteranodons launched an aerial attack. The attack sealed the team inside the Radio Station, further damaging the already heavily damaged building.  A distress call sent by Reptile managed to get out.

The Talon arrived at the Radio Station just in time to help Rex, Reptile, and the others.  A team of Dino Attack agents blew a hole in the Radio Station. Everyone got out and boarded Reptile's T-1 Typhoon before the Radio Station collapsed.

Hotwire stayed in the area to hold off Mutant Pteranodons while the agents in the Radio Station set off for Space Mountain.

*****

When Semick's squad finally reached the Residential Area, he divided the squad into smaller squads, and sent them out into the area. Andrew joined Semick in a squad with Stranger and Raider. The group had been walking and exterminating for a while when they caught a Mutant Raptor nest inside the house of Red Greenbase. When they had destroyed all the eggs, a Mutant Raptor hatchling came down the stairs and pounced onto Semick, who was quickly saved by his men.

As they prepared to move on, several things happened at once. The first was the arrival of Kat. The second was the time of day, which Semick felt was quite late and required a return back to their starting point/command post. The third was an attack from the mother Mutant Raptor, which forced the five minifigures to flee. Kat wanted to get to a nearby bank, but Semick halted their progress by saying he needed to stay in the Residential Area. This hesitation caused the Mutant Raptor to catch up with them, which promptly charged through Raider and Stranger, and was just barely killed by Semick by a close shot to the head. Semick offered Kat a chance to join his squad, but before she could answer, a pack of Mutant Dinos raced pass them, and the group made their way to the cover of an alley.

One of the Mutant Lizards noticed the agents, but Kat discovered that she could interface with technology as a synthfig, which she used to short-circuit an ATM and give them a money smokescreen to escape behind. Inquiring about the destination of the Mutant Dinos, Semick learned from Andrew that they had gone in the direction of the radio station, something that was a surprise to Andrew.  Not wanting to get into that situation, Semick had the group head back to their command post again.

*****

At this point, Reptile's T-1 Typhoon was attacked by a massive horde of Mutant T-Rexes. Rex and Reptile noticed that the T-Rexes were being attracted to the Constructopedia due to some sort of tracking venom in the book, so Reptile cleansed the book. The gathered group of Mutant T-Rexes no longer pursued the T-1 Typhoon, but Mutant Lizards mysteriously started materializing inside the helicopter. While Frozeen and Coral fought the Mutant T-Rexes, Rex, Reptile, and Amanda began fighting the Mutant Lizards.

"This is madness!" Rex exclaimed while fighting the Mutant Lizards mysteriously teleporting aboard their T-1 Typhoon. After he said this, Amanda Claw proceeded to kick a Mutant Lizard out of the helicopter.

When communication suddenly went down, the Mutant Lizards stopped appearing in the helicopter. Sam Race was then the first to figure out that their communications were disabled to prevent any more Mutant Lizards from teleporting.

Amanda found another letter from the pirate, telling them to go to a secret cave at Space Mountain and wait there with the Constructopedia. Rex remarked, "Far too many notes for my taste. And most of them from a pirate. All we've read since we've came is pirate accent!"

*****

Once more, events delayed the progress of Semick's squad. First was the announcement of the recovery of the Constructopedia. Next was Andrew managing to recover the Constructopedia page to the hospital. The third was Semick's discovery of a communications jam. The last was an impending ambush from a pack of Mutant Dinos.

Discovering an abandoned Fire Hammer, the group piled in, with Raider taking up the turret. When Semick proved unable to start it up, Kat used her new technology-controlling ability to start up the car just by grabbing a few wires, and she took temporary control of the turret to fight off some Mutant Lizards. Semick learned about the latter detail by judging Raider's reaction. When she gave controls back, a curious Andrew asked about her ability, and she told him about her true nature as a biomechanical minifigure in a manner that gave him the creeps.

The vehicle ended up being chased by the Mutant Dino pack. He ended up running from them for several moments before Sauro-Hunter, Aravis, Spino, Tex, and Shade came to his aid. As Sauro-Hunter charged into battle, he cried, "Wort, wort, wort!" When they had done their job, Semick thanked them and gave Kat the chance to leave them.

While they did not participate directly in the search for the Constructopedia, GAIA Squad cleared the way for other Dino Attack agents. After a battle, Sauro-Hunter proposed to Aravis, and she accepted.

*****

Ptero and Raptor were the only members of GAIA Squad who did not participate in the LEGO Island mission. Raptor was assigned to Antarctica. Ptero was initially deployed on LEGO Island, but he returned to Dino Attack Headquarters to retrieve Raptor's plasma shotgun, intending to deliver it to Raptor in Antarctica.

*****

Rex, Coral, and Frozeen hopped out of the T-1 Typhoon, into a Fire Hammer, and sped towards the west side of the island. However, Mutant Pterosaurs began tearing off pieces of Space Mountain itself and dropping the rocks down onto the Fire Hammer and T-1 Typhoon. Eventually, they managed to reach the cave while the T-1 Typhoon eliminated the Mutant Pterosaurs and their nests.

There, they met Captain Click, who revealed himself to be the pirate who was sending them notes. Coral, a former Pirate, saw him only as a Skeleton Pirate and attempted to attack him, but the others were able to restrain Coral. Click then took the Constructopedia and revealed that he brought the Dino Attack agents to LEGO Island just so that he could use the Constructopedia to get back inside his cave and sleep. The Dino Attack agents scolded his selfishness, and Coral and Amanda even tried to wrestle it away from Click. Captain Click prevailed, and was able to reenter his cave, trapping the Constructopedia inside forever. But, a minute later, the doorway reappeared, because Captain Click had discovered that XERRD set up a secret lab in his cave, overseen by the Brickspider Bot v1.0.

*****

Soon after, Hotwire reunited with Kat and brought her on board the Talon. They next encountered agent X.

The Talon was attacked by two Skr-Ok Vikings, who captured them and explained that Kat had to die because Dr. Wolf wanted every remnant of ShadowTech destroyed. When agent X helped them escape, Hotwire found a folder of information from Dr. Wolf which revealed he feared an alliance between ShadowTech and Dr. Rex because Katerina Schattenberg had been the sister of Ronald Alexander. Therefore, Kat was, in a way, agent Rex's sister.

----

Greybeard, Shadow, Viper, Tail, Helm, Raptor, Tech, Jim "Saboteur" Covalent, Ivan "Bear" Tzenovich, Sgt. Ronald "Sarge" Army, Brickster, Lord Sinister, Vladek, and other realists sneaked aboard a cargo ship and traveled to Antarctica. There, Greybeard and the other realists found Dino Attack vehicles camouflaged for the icy terrain, and battled several of the cold-resistant Mutant Dinos after meeting up with Alpha Team Black Operations Special Agent Magma.

Magma had received an intelligence report that a breed of Mutant Dinos had adapted to the cold climate of Antarctica and were currently at large there. He also discovered the secret Dino Attack operation, hidden even from Alpha Team, to neutralize them. Magma agreed with their reasons to keep it secret, and he had travelled to Antarctica. He ostensibly was inspecting the defenses but in reality was going to join their mission. Magma deleted the records from Alpha Team's network and changed the satellite scan patterns so they would not detect Dino Attack's operation.

Magma easily convinced Tail and Shadow, both of whom he had worked with before, to trust him. Viper, the other commander of the Dino Attack mission, was less trusting but eventually accepted Magma. He travelled in a T-1 Typhoon with Tail and Greybeard.  While aboard the T-1 Typhoon, Greybeard thought he spotted a snake-like creature moving along the terrain, though he dismissed it as merely his one good eye playing tricks on him.

While searching around for the cold-adapted Mutant Dinos, Magma detected an odd signal: what appeared to be an old Alpha Team masking field. He determined its size and the power source, and then opened fire on the power source. The field faded, and an Agents base inside of a cold Mutant Dino nest was revealed. Magma, furious that the Agents were operating illegally in Antarctica, stormed out of his T-1 Typhoon to confront them - and it turned out that Magma's old enemy Agents Colonel Covert was leading them. They too had come to neutralize the cold-adapted Mutant Dinos.

Dino Attack's secret black ops mission was nearly halted by the Agents Defense Organization. It seemed that there would be a violent confrontation - Greybeard had to physically restrain Magma while Tail contacted Shadow and Viper. Magma was nearly arrested by Covert.

Upon hearing that the Dino Attack team was operating in Antarctica, Agents Captain Osprey traveled there with two of his squads. He arrived in the middle of the encounter between the Agents and Dino Attack, along with their Alpha Team allies. Before Covert could arrest Magma, Osprey surprised everyone by pardoning him.

Osprey decided to end the inter-agency rivalry and offered assistance to Dino Attack Team. He said, "Aren't we all fighting for the same cause? Personally, I think it's about time we stopped bickering like street gangs and take care of the real problem." He was able to mediate the confrontation between Covert and Magma, reminding them of their common enemy.

The matter was settled when a wave of cold suddenly moved towards the Agents outpost. Greybeard, Tail, Magma, Covert, and Osprey hopped in an Agents vehicle and sped away. Looking at the cold wave, Greybeard saw more of the snake-like creatures, which Magma and Tail identified to be Ice Snakes. The Ice Snakes froze the entire Agents base.

----

Libo, Aster Oid, Ptero, Elizabeth Winsor, and David Norman socialized with one another in the Dino Attack Headquarters mess hall. There, Libo made a joke asking Aster if he drinks oil and eats batteries. Aghast, Aster Oid replied, "Droids that drink oil and eat batteries? That's like Minifigs who drink blood and eat hearts!"

Ptero shifted his wing. "Careful!" he told Libo. He tucked his wings behind his back and sat down. "What was that all about? With that… that droid?"

Libo, Aster, Ptero, Elizabeth, and David were joined in the mess hall by Ogel Drone #0770, who also goes by the name Septimus. Elizabeth asked, "Um...why did you just sit down with an empty tray?"

Septimus replied with a question of his own: "Isn't that what people do in cafeterias? They carry trays around and sit at tables and talk to each other, right?"

Ptero explained, "Well, for starters, you usually put food on the tray. Then you sit down with your friends, and eat the food. That's what people do in cafeterias. The talking isn't as important."

"Oh," said Septimus. "Well, I don't eat food, and I don't have any friends. Will you guys be my friends? Then maybe it won't matter that I'm not eating."

Elizabeth, Zenna, and David made a plan to go to LEGO Island as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, the whole plan backfired when Elizabeth got a little too carried away. First, she hijacked an Iron Predator, then a cargo ship. However, several police men managed to hide aboard. Elizabeth was able to get rid of one by telling him there was free doughnuts at the tavern in LEGO City Harbor, an act that the other officers did not approve of. All the agents were arrested, although most managed to escape one way or another.

As a result of these events, Zenna eventually wound up in a small rowboat in the middle of the ocean, where she was rescued by a group of firemen, who took her to LEGO City's harbor. However, much to her disappointment, they double-crossed her and refused to take her to shore, forcing her to swim the rest of the way while the firemen drove off in their boat laughing at her.

Eventually, David Norman went back to LEGO Island via the SS LEGO. Several other Dino Attack agents also departed to join the rest of the team on LEGO Island, and Septimus went with them.

----

Rex proposed a theory suggesting that Dr. Rex hid the Constructopedia so nobody would discover the LEGO Island Laboratory. The agents, including Reptile, agreed to launch an attack. Rex then asked Captain Click to assist them.

Angered that someone else had taken over his home, Captain Click agreed to help the Dino Attack agents destroy the LEGO Island Laboratory.  He said, "It be me home ye be fighting o'er. It be me home Dr. Rex stole and built this... horrible excuse for a laboratory. It be me home in which I shall get me sleeps. It be me home... that I shall help ye fight for, and I shall help ye win."

After summoning reinforcements, a massive battle was about to begin.

*****

When Semick's squad returned to their command post much later, Semick had his team get some rest, but assigned guarding shifts to make sure they weren't attacked when most vulnerable.

Andrew was assigned with two other agents to a tent: Bluetooth and Titan. As they set up their tent, they were able to witness the initial arrival of other Dino Attack forces at Space Mountain. Later, once curfew and sleep watches were put into place, Andrew confessed to Bluetooth, who had been a Futuron technician, some of his feelings about space and goals relating to Mars before the two fell asleep.

After finishing his own shift, Semick noticed that a message from agent Reptile had been sent out to all available agents, requesting immediate backup at a secret XERRD laboratory in Captain Click's cave.

That night, Andrew had a dream that seemed normal (by his standards), but quickly made a turn for the nightmarish. After dreaming of forests, movie selections, and a Mutant Dino-ravaged New York City, he was about to enter the World Trade Center when he saw a note on the door. On it was a list of most of the Dino Attack agents that had experienced becoming Mutant Dinos: Hyrode, Snake of Spades, Claw, Databoard, Stealth, Zorikk... Moments later, as he exited a police station, he found a shredded female Dino Attack uniform lying upon a retractable road barrier. Then, a shadowy figure came out from under the jail cells and approached Andrew with an injection needle filled with Mutant Dino serum. A flash of lighting revealed that the figure was himself.

The real Andrew woke up just as the mutation was taking effect in his dream. Bluetooth had woken him to tell him Semick had a new mission for him. Semick told Andrew about Reptile's request for backup, and that he was respond to the call by summoning Raider, Stranger, and Andrew to join him in going to the cave, while leaving Bluetooth in charge while he was gone. Andrew was to join them, only partially because Andrew knew the way to the cave.

Semick and his men were the first to arrive, but other responders quickly followed. Eventually elite agent Hotwire arrived with Kat and Crooks, and by respect of the chain of command, Semick turned to him for a plan of action. However, strategy was not Hotwire's specialty, and he allowed Semick to do the planning. After organizing the responders into waves, Semick was about to begin his plan.

----

General, Shock, King Joseph Race, and Chompy were assigned to the Portal Operations Team. They built another portal entrance in a secret room of Dino Attack Headquarters. The main purpose of the Portal Operations Team was to serve as a failsafe in case the battle against the Mutant Dinos took a turn for the worse and Dino Attack Team needed to suddenly evacuate its personnel to Antarctica. Until such a time, Specs informed them of both the LEGO Island and Antarctica missions in case anything went wrong in either mission that required someone to quickly go to either location.

Determined to complete Rex's assignment, Aster Oid used the Portal Operations Team's portal travel to LEGO Island.

*****

When Aster Oid suddenly appeared in the XERRD lab, the Brickspider Bot was about to destroy the Explorien Builder Droid, but then Dino Attack agents began flooding inside the laboratory. Dino Attack Team battled XERRD scientists and Inferno henchmen while destroying the lab's machinery and equipment.

Investigating the battle, Semick returned to send more waves in and then entered the crossfire himself. Although he could gun down Mutant Dinos with the ease of a realist, he couldn't bring himself to kill other minifigs, such as the XERRD scientists and Inferno agents, and resorted to knocking them unconscious. At one point, Sam Throramebi saved him from two Mutant Lizards, but insulted him over his Power Miner background. Semick responded by shooting a Mutant Dino that was sneaking up behind Sam and a witty comment.

During the battle, Rex attempted to propose to Amanda, but was interrupted. Then, a Mutant Lizard attacked Amanda. Rex quickly reacted by grabbing a metal pipe, and he used it to violently beat the lizard to death, leaving him shocked and horrified at what he had done.

Andrew quickly joined in along with the rest of the backup. The battle was fierce, but he managed to stumble and shoot his way through. At one point, he fell upon a crate of Mutant Dino DNA serum, although he did not bash it open. Nor did he try to open it after getting up, despite an instinct of his wanting him to.

Two cruel XERRD scientists managed to disarm and nearly capture Captain Click, but luckily Andrew rescued the skeleton pirate.  Captain Click then observed Septimus's Scorpion Orb Launcher as it entered the laboratory.

Hotwire and Kat also joined the battle. Kat encountered Loop, the three-eyed Inferno henchman who had framed her, B, and Crooks for murder. She tried to pursue him, but he slipped away in the confusion following the arrival of Septimus. She convinced Hotwire that the two of them should take the Talon and track Loop down. Hotwire reluctantly agreed, and they boarded the T-1 Typhoon only to find that Loop had sabotaged the vehicle by ripping the control boards out of the cockpits. Kat managed to meld herself into the entire system, and effortlessly piloted the Talon while Hotwire scanned for their quarry. She said, "If it makes you feel any better, I'm actually just making this up as I go!"

Recalling that too much energy would burn out a robot's circuits, Reptile, Coral, and other agents began a systematic attempt to overload the Brickspider Bot. Reptile shot the Brickspider Bot with his prototype overloader, which provided the Brickspider Bot with a surge of energy. Reptile would then throw the device to Coral, who would fire and throw the device to someone else, and so on.

Unfortunately, the energy was only serving to supercharge the Brickspider Bot. Hungry for more energy, the Brickspider Bot managed to snatch the device out of Reptile's hands just before it would have overloaded, only to be disappointed when Reptile vaporized the device with his laser weapon because Reptile did not want this technology to fall into XERRD's hands. After avoiding attacks from Tex and Andrew, the Brickspider Bot hid in the ceiling of the laboratory for the remainder of the battle.

David Norman and Lieutenant Joshua also arrived to participate in the battle at the laboratory.

*****

When Elizabeth arrived on LEGO Island, she tried to hide from a squad of Dino Attack agents, but Titan caught her. Bluetooth questioned her about why she was hiding. Eventually she confessed what her thievery of an Iron Predator and cargo ship, but the agents let her go, provided she could do something good.

Elizabeth was sent to the cave and met with agent X. Believing that the Brickspider Bot v1.0 was responsible for the death of his brother Zack, X cast off his mask and mentally renamed himself "Xeke".

*****

B and Crooks made their way to the battle in the LEGO Island Laboratory, after picking up B's twin brother Sucker. During the battle, Sucker ran after an Inferno agent nicknamed Bio-Eyes. B followed and found that Sucker was apparently a traitor who was on Dr. Inferno's side. Sometime afterward, matters were fortunately resolved between the two brothers as Sucker's loyalties were ultimately proven to lie with his family.

Despite several casualties, the Dino Attack Team won in the end after smashing up quite a lot of the XERRD laboratory.

After the remaining XERRD scientists and Inferno henchmen surrendered, Rex spoke with Elite Agent Redshirt about the Brickspider Bot, but Redshirt did not see the elite Brickster-Bot anywhere. Seconds later, the Brickspider Bot dropped from the ceiling down upon Redshirt, killing him. Rex alerted the rest of the Dino Attack team.

When the Brickspider Bot v1.0 attempted to escape using one of the remaining teleport pads, Captain Click threw his cutlass, which sliced through the teleporter's wires and deactivated the machine. The teleport pad was quickly destroyed by Erik "Dynamite" Paulson, who boasted, "Oh yeah! They're going to have to glue that back together... in MEGABLOKLAND!"

Andrew "Fireman" Jackson also blocked off the Brickspider Bot's escape with his flamethrower, and he muttered something incomprehensible under his breath.

Aster Oid tried to sneak up on the Brickspider Bot in order to destroy its head. Unfortunately, thanks to Reptile's power surge, the Brickspider Bot was able to quickly destroy the Explorien droid. It spun around, reached into Aster Oid's torso, and pulled out vital innerworkings.

The Brickspider Bot then began to speak in Morse Code by tapping the floor, which was understood only by Amanda Claw and Sam Throramebi, who translated it for everyone else. The Brickspider Bot revealed to Amanda that Rex had kept the truth about her brother's death from her: Roger Remous had been killed by Finister and was never sent to the Goo Caverns, and this information was deliberately secret by the Dino Attack Team.

Amanda's eyes widened. She slowly turned to look at Rex, tears forming in her eyes from anger and sadness. She opened her mouth and, in a quiet voice that had not been spoken in years, asked a single word: "Why?"

Rex was shocked to hear Amanda speak for the first time, breaking her vow of silence. He tried to explain that he had kept Roger's death a secret in order to protect her, but she was not satisfied with his answer.

In the distraction, Rex failed to notice the Brickspider Bot as it snatched the Constructopedia out of Captain Click's hands. It tore out a page, and Captain Click was the first to realize that the Brickspider Bot had torn out the page for LEGO Island's baseplate, the foundation of LEGO Island itself. The entire island deconstructed into 1x1 LEGO bricks and rose in elevation into a large portal in the sky.

During the battle in the LEGO Island Laboratory, Crooks was injected with Mutant Dino DNA and was turned into a raptor again, just as the Brickspider Bot ripped out the page for LEGO Island's baseplate. Andrew was distracted only briefly by Crooks' second mutation.

Andrew senselessly ran towards the Brickspider Bot in an attempt to take the book and page back, but tripped and fell through an opening fissure in the ground. He landed in the water below and was knocked unconscious.

*****

Hotwire and Kat managed to find Loop, but at that moment that the Brickspider Bot tore the page for LEGO Island itself from the Constructopedia, thus deconstructing the island.

Loop boarded the Talon by clambering up the rising cloud of 1x1 bricks which had moments before been a landmass. He introduced himself to Hotwire and then knocked out the Dino Attack agent.

Then, Loop dueled with Kat, saying that he knew what she was. He said, "I could kill you right now, you know. Never mind your cover, I could kill you easily.  But I won't do that. No, I want to see you screaming, writhing, begging for mercy. I want so much just to see you die." The duel ended with Loop shooting Kat in the neck, killing her.

When Hotwire awoke, Loop was gone. Hotwire's PDA, which was held by Kat when she died, had mysteriously stopped working.

----

Rex, Amanda, Frozeen, Captain Click, Reptile, Semick, Stranger, Bluetooth, Titan, Septimus, David, and the Brickspider Bot were among those who managed to keep their balance upon 1x1 bricks. They were brought into the portal along with the 1x1 bricks, entering the Torn World: a void, containing only space and an expansive field of floating 1x1 bricks, where one slip meant an eternal fall.

Knowing more about LEGO Island than anybody else, Captain Click knew that the Torn World was where LEGO bricks of the island went after a page was torn out of the Constructopedia. Captain Click described this realm as, "This be a place of limbo, a world's end, a final destination, where the LEGO bricks shall remain until the day the page be restored. Until such a time comes, they lay here, and shall do so forever."

Making their way across the bricks, the surviving Dino Attack agents and allies gathered. Rex was disturbed by the fact that Amanda refused to even look at him. Formulating a plan, Semick had Stranger and Titan find somewhere to set up a sniping position, then explained his idea to the other agents. He wasn't sure if they had decided to follow it, though.

----

Andrew dreamed once more. Eventually, he found himself on the sinking stern of the Titanic. Falling into the water, he watched as the ship sank and left a dark spot under the surface of the sea. It was then that he was dragged underwater himself by a strange minifigure/shark hybrid. Eventually the creature stopped, and it swam literally into Andrew. In moments, he was turning into the creature himself.

Not long after, Andrew woke up, finding himself floating right next to his Titanic Car, his beloved custom car modeled after the infamous ship. Although he had been unable to save this prized possession during the initial Dino Attack, it surprisingly was in near perfect condition. He climbed into it, and it was then that he let the shock and horror of LEGO Island's vanishing act hit him. Consumed by grief, he sat in his car, singing upbeat songs under his breath in an insane-sounding tone. When rescue boats from LEGO City arrived, he was nearly missed by a motorized Coast Guard raft until he had the sense to call out to the pilot. He only agreed to come aboard when the man at the raft's controls arranged for the Titanic Car to be salvaged.

A few moments later, the raft picked up agent Elizabeth, who was among the Dino Attack agents who could not balance on the rising 1x1 bricks and instead fell into the ocean. She revealed to Andrew that it was Bluetooth who had recovered and fixed his car. Boarding a Coast Guard boat, Andrew was examined by the doctors on-board, who told him that his only problem was trauma, and that it would go away as he came to terms with his experience. After taking on the extra loads of Kat's recently deceased body and B and his gang, the boat returned to LEGO City, where Andrew waited at the docks for the cargo ship containing his Titanic Car.

Andrew had his car refueled at Dino Attack Headquarters, then he drove out to the police station he had visited in his dreams. It was the very station where Claw had been turned into a Mutant T-Rex by Fogel several months ago. While there, he found the very injection needle that had been used in the attack, still containing some Mutant Dino DNA. For a reason he couldn't understand, Andrew smuggled it into his quarters at Dino Attack Headquarters. Contemplating his latest actions, he was confronted by a voice in his thoughts that spoke of mutation, both scaring and somehow pleasing him. Begging to know why this was happening, he was only told that this had been waiting for a long time deep inside his mind, and it was now coming free with the events that were happening within the Dino Attack Team.

*****

When they got back to LEGO City, Crooks was injected with an Anti-Dino DNA mixture and became a Minifig once again.

----

Shortly after returning to the harbor, a group of divers approached Elizabeth and invited her to help on an investigation of their own. Along with the assistance of the two divers, Joe and Steve, and their "Captain", Dan, they were able to find some traces of what had happened in the LEGO Island Laboratory.

Elizabeth and the divers worked to try and determine what happened to LEGO Island. After recovering several pages, they tried to contact anyone with the Island via the radio. They were able to briefly contact David via a radio that had gone up with the Island, and Technician Jim joined the expedition. David unsuccessfully attempted to restore a part of LEGO Island by putting a Constructopedia page in a different book cover.

After that, the radio short-circuited. Jim determined that the radio was dead and that any hole in the portal had been sealed, cutting them off by radio, meaning that any minifigs in the dimension were now on their own.

Eventually the group returned to the harbor. After Elizabeth brought Dan's report on the events to the local shipping office, she returned to Dino Attack Headquarters, where she learned a shocking and unpleasant fact: the disappearance of LEGO Island caused a temporary increase in the LEGO Planet's gravitational pull. During this time, Commander Frank Bowman was aboard a space shuttle that was pulled towards the planet in the confusion. Upon entering the atmosphere, the shuttle was attacked by a Mutant Pterosaur. The shuttle crashed on a small island not far from where LEGO Island once was. Elizabeth quickly volunteered to help the crashed space shuttle.

*****

Zenna returned to Dino Attack HQ, where she heard a report from an astronaut saying that LEGO Island had disappeared.

Following LEGO Island's disappearance, Zenna's medical experience proved useful. After the Coast Guard brought various minifigures recovered from the area where LEGO Island disappeared, Zenna assisted in the treatment of the patients. Most of her operations were more humorous. For example, one of the patients mentioned he couldn't feel his legs, Zenna realized this was because he didn't have any, so she casually had a nurse give her some spare legs which she gave the patient. Another notable case was when Enter, one of the two paramedics from LEGO Island, was found to be among the patients. The doctor and Zenna both diagnosed Enter as being crazy because he was constantly complaining about how the doctors don't have a shark, tree, or umbrella, all of which were standard procedure for surgery on LEGO Island.

Kat's body was brought to the LEGO City Hospital, where Zenna and another doctor attempted to operate on her. However, these attempts proved unsuccessful as the wound was too serious.

Shortly after this, Zenna finally got to put her skill as a pilot to good use when she was asked to help fly a T-1 Typhoon. Afterward, she found herself returning to the hospital, only to find that Return had recently arrived. Return and Enter were causing all kinds of problems in the hospital, so one of the doctors tricked them into thinking they were needed aboard a coast guard boat. They were unaware that, in reality, Elizabeth and several other coast guard agents were going to rescue several wounded astronauts, which complicated matters for them when Enter and Return began replacing the stretchers with sharks, trees, and umbrellas.

Elizabeth Winsor, Enter, Return, and Coast Guard Officer Paul found the wreck of the space shuttle. Frank Bowman was the least injured in the crash. After the Coast Guard arrived, Bowman helped Elizabeth, Enter, Return, and Paul to recover the wounded astronauts, most of whom were not seriously injured. While most of the astronauts were carried by helicopter to LEGO City's hospital, Bowman remained on the patrol boat.

However, Elizabeth and Bowman's problems were not over yet; they were unexpectedly attacked by an Octosaur (which Elizabeth believed to be the Kraken) that sank the patrol boat. They were fortunate enough to be rescued by another Coast Guard patrol. Elizabeth told the coast guard men about her encounter. Much to her surprise, they believed her and proceeded to report it to Dino Attack HQ.

Elizabeth and Bowman were brought back to LEGO City when they received a distress call from a group of agents. Bowman agreed to assist Elizabeth in finding and helping the agents. The two managed to use a coast guard helicopter to rescue Knuckles, who, while grateful for their assistance, was determined to return to the fight and help his friends. Attempts to restrain him proved unsuccessful, eventually resulting in him hijacking a Fire Hammer.

Elizabeth later on confessed to Bowman her earlier acts of stealing an Iron Predator and Cargo ship, but the former astronaut was willing to forgive her. It was here that she suddenly realized that, as requested by the agents who had caught her on LEGO Island, she had done several good things. She expressed sadness that most of them had gone up with the island and were thus unable to see her.

Bowman and Elizabeth quickly befriended each other and spent time together in the Dino Attack HQ.

*****

Meanwhile, Zenna continued working on taking care of various patients. Much to her surprise, one of them was Dr. Clickitt, a doctor from LEGO Island who had been diagnosed as being crazy for saying that Enter and Return were capable paramedics. Zenna ordered Clickitt to be released from his bed. Zenna and Clickitt took care of a couple more patients until Pete Bog, Clickitt's ambulance driver, gave Zenna a report of the recent shuttle accident, only to have Enter and Return crash the ambulance into the emergency room a few minutes later.

----

The Ice Snakes captured the Dino Attack agents and allies and held them prisoner in the Ice Snake den. When they awoke, they met the Ice Snake King, who intended to kill them for encroaching on his territory. In response to a threat, the Ice Snake King said, "Zzzzat'ssss zzze problem wizzzz you Minifigsssss. Sssso violent, alwaysssss wanting to desssstroy anyzzzzing zzzzat issss not like you!"

After interrogating them, the Ice Snake King learned that they were in Antarctica to eliminate the Mutant Dinos. When Greybeard proposed an alliance, the Ice Snake King accepted, on the condition that he accompanied them in the extermination of Mutant Dinos. Magma recalled hearing about the Ice Snake King from Frozeen, and so counseled Shadow and Viper to accept the alliance. Together, the unlikely alliance of Alpha Team members, Dino Attack members, Agents, and Ice Snakes wiped out the Mutant Dinos over the next week or so.

----

Sauro-Hunter felt guilty over LEGO Island's destruction. Ptero and Aravis assured him that it wasn't his fault. Spino, Valencia and the Dinos stood nearby, silent as a whisper you only say to the wind at midnight. Sauro-Hunter asked himself, "Will life find a way?"

----

Hotwire, deeply affected by the loss of the woman who'd quickly become his closest friend, swore he would track Loop down and avenge her death. With some help from Agents Corporal Hugh Yena, Hotwire and B tracked Loop to the remains of the ShadowTech island. Loop suddenly attacked the two Dino Attack agents, in a state of fury beyond anything imaginable. Hotwire and B, sensing that the fight was futile, retreated back toward the Talon. Loop managed to hit Hotwire with one of his lightning bolts, and Hotwire was plunged into unconsciousness.

Hotwire's PDA started to broadcast a SOS signal. B plugged the device into the Talon's comm system to boost the signal strength. When B attempted to start up the Talon to take Loop down, the T-1 Typhoon engaged on its own. Hotwire came to just in time to share in the discovery that Kat was in fact still alive, having preserved her consciousness in Hotwire's PDA, and now transferred to the Talon itself.

----

After successfully taking care of most of the patients, Zenna was one of a small group of doctors to board a large plane intended to carry the patients to the safety of Antarctica. The plane's captain, Cam O'Cozy, was supposedly a realist agent who preferred to kill Mutant Dinos, while Zenna was an idealist agent. On his way to Antarctica, O'Cozy mentioned hearing rumors about Mutant Dinos in Antarctica and a desire to kill the dinos by dropping bombs. After the plane landed and the patients were released, Zenna was unfortunate enough to get caught in a strange series of events on the return voyage.

On the return flight from Antarctica, O'Cozy had the plane loaded with bombs. He learned over the radio that the crew might have to defend themselves against a Mutant Dino invasion. O'Cozy apparently became obsessed with dropping bombs on Dinos despite Zenna's attempts to persuade him otherwise. Eventually they reached what he believed to be their target in LEGO City and ordered the dropping of bombs from the plane. After the bomb bay doors failed to open, he attempted to manually open the bomb bay door, sitting on top of a bomb in order to reach. Zenna attempted to persuade him one last time to stop, but with little success. The bomb bay doors opened and along with the bomb, O'Cozy dropped through, falling to his apparent death.

As it turned out, what he claimed to be a dinosaur nest was, in fact, Dino Attack Headquarters.

*****

Trying to get away from his troubles, Andrew went to the base's recreational room, where eventually ran into a new recruit: a Martian named Laxus who wasn't quite yet used to the base. Laxus asked Andrew to give him a tour of the facility, to which he agreed. While on this tour, the two agents began to relate and form a friendship.

At one point, Andrew told Laxus: "Yeah, you don't see a lot of other extraterrestrials on Earth, which is surprising since this blue planet still appears to be an important planet. We are fighting dinosaurs to keep control of it instead of running off to an asteroid colony, are we not?"

The pair had just sat down to dinner when an alarm went off. Just after that, an explosion rocked the base, and smoke poured into the halls. Trying to find their way to the conference center, which Andrew thought was where the agents would rendezvous, he and Laxus ran into Raider, who was able to provide a flashlight to help visibility.

*****

After O'Cozy's supposed death, Zenna proceeded to take command of the airplane, using her piloting skills to land it safely. However, one of the bombs O'Cozy had dropped was falling toward the spot where the plane landed. Zenna and Dr. Smith (a friend of David) had to hide in the basement of Dino Attack Headquarters. Zenna, Smith, Elizabeth, and Bowman were trapped there after smoke began to spread throughout the base.

Zenna broadcasted a message on the PA system, requesting that all agents were to head to the basement and meet up with her. Bowman and Winsor were later sent to find medical supplies.

*****

Andrew, Laxus, and Raider were halfway to the conference center when they heard Zenna's message on the PA system. Finding a basement door, Andrew and Laxus wandered through the dark and ran into Elizabeth and Bowman. They were guided back to their fellow agents, but they learned on the way that Raider had disappeared when they were not looking. Zenna informed them of the cause of the explosion, and was surprised that the two had guessed that O'Cozy had a hand in it.

Eventually the fire department arrived to help evacuate the trapped survivors. Zenna was the first to get out. Along with the other agents in the basement, Bowman was brought outside and given a brief physical examination.

After going through a brief medical examination, Andrew and Laxus joined in with the rest of the evacuees waiting for what will happen next. While they waited, they speculated that Raider might have run away from the base entirely. Eventually, the two, along with most of the other evacuees, were taken to an out-of-service hotel where they could sleep for the night. Andrew and Laxus shared a room, and as they prepared for sleep, hoped that the next day would be an easier one.

*****

Afterward, Elizabeth's old taste for adventure began to get the better of her and she persuaded Bowman to accompany her to LEGO City's harbor. When Elizabeth enlisted for the crew of a submarine, and offered for Bowman to join her, he turned down her offer. Elizabeth met with Dr. Smith. The submarine was originally going to investigate LEGO Island's disappearance, but it had to turn around and return to LEGO City's harbor to defend the city from Mutant Dinos.

*****

Following the accidental bombing of Dino Attack HQ, Zenna was brought to a nearby outpost to be questioned by the incompetent elite agent French Fries about what happened. She explained to them that O'Cozy had mentioned hearing rumors about the secret campaign in Antarctica, leading to further questioning. Eventually, Zenna and French Fries were able to confirm these rumors, and French Fries ordered Zenna and Gunderson to make the Antarctica mission known to the rest of the team, unaware of the dire consequences of this action.

"Maybe there was a good reason why Specs kept this mission a secret?" suggested Zenna. "I don't think we should do anything rash-"

French Fries leaned in close and scowled. "Are you questioning my orders, agent?" he growled. "I could have you court-martialed for insubordination."

Gunderson quickly picked up the phone. "Hello?" he said. "Daily papers, yes, this is an urgent report from the Dino Attack team, it seems that there's been some cold-adapted Mutant Dinos in Antarctica… okay, bye." He quickly put down the phone. "He said they'll have it on the front page of the newspaper immediately."

"Excellent," replied French Fries, "now we'll need to find a way to recall the agents down there, most of them are realists and thus won't cooperate easily."

"If we could make it look like orders…" said Zenna.

"No," replied French Fries, "they were sent by Specs; if we made it look like orders from him, they would get suspicious."

"So what do we do?" asked Zenna. "There must be some form of recall code, if we could just figure it out."

*****

Unfortunately, thanks to the actions of Zenna, word spread through Dino Attack Headquarters about the Antarctica campaign. Digger was uncharacteristically furious, feeling that he was not trusted by the other Founding Members and secrets were being kept from him. Deciding that a leader who kept secrets was not a good leader, Digger rounded up a group of angry idealists and stormed Specs's office.

They pursued Specs throughout Dino Attack Headquarters. Specs found the Portal Operations Team (which was now joined by the newly-recovered Libo) and told them to send him to Antarctica and then destroy the portal to keep Digger from following. They complied with his orders, allowing Specs to escape.

Digger pointed a Cosmotronic Ray at General and demanded to know Specs's whereabouts. When they would not tell Digger where Specs was, Digger ordered his men to attack. With Specs's whereabouts unknown, Digger proclaimed himself the new Team Leader.

Digger and the idealists took control of Dino Attack Headquarters and began attacking any realist agent, believing them to be traitors.

*****

Raider had taken a Fire Hammer to a cargo boat that was conveniently about to leave, determined to try sailing into battle despite having a broken arm. That was when he overheard Zenna's announcement on the radio. "Well, that's not going to go down well," he remarked. Raider chose to act on this new info by changing course to go to Antarctica himself.

*****

Stepping through the portal device, Specs was warped to Antarctica, where he found the black ops Dino Attack agents and allies. He demanded to know who had leaked information about the mission, but nobody knew.

"When zzzze enemy knowssss too much," the Ice Snake King hissed, "it can only mean one zzzzing: a traitor." Specs was inclined to agree, believing that XERRD had planted a mole amongst them.

The Brickster jokingly suggested, "Gee, y'think Saboteur may have been le saboteur?" as he pointed accusingly at his teammate.

Saboteur rolled his eyes and sarcastically replied, "Oh, sure, blame zhe Saboteur. Why don't you ever blame Dynamite or Fireman? It's always zhe Saboteur."

"Let me assure you," said Specs, "that when we find the perpetrator behind this, they will face the consequences of their actions."

"Assuming I don't find that maggot first!" replied Sarge, who was infuriated. "I'm going to strangle that sorry spineless maggot scum, that walking vomit hatched from a mutant maggot egg! Just like Sun Tzu, who took two of every animal on LEGO Planet (including maggots), marched them up and down the square, herded them onto a boat, and beat the MegaBlok out of every single-"

Tail tuned out Sarge as he reflected upon the differences between Specs and Digger as the leader of Dino Attack Team. Digger was a good agent, but he was not a commander. Specs was. Specs was both idealist and realist at the same time and could balance the desires of his subordinates and make command decisions, like the Antarctic mission one.

Specs and the realists hurried to the refugee facilities to stop the news from spreading, but they were too late: riots had begun. The refugees felt betrayed by Dino Attack and Alpha Team keeping secrets from them, and their melting pot of fear, confusion, and anger could only lead to meaningless violence.

*****

Zenna was sent to Antarctica, along with a sailor named Jim Silver. The two began traveling but had to stop at Sandy Bay for supplies, only to have their boat destroyed by an unknown adversary in a biplane. Zenna and Jim were stuck on Sandy Bay.

Zenna decided to look around the island. When she found herself at the small town, she was suddenly attacked by the biplane again. Zenna had to act fast to avoid being killed by the biplane. Eventually, she managed to trick it into crashing into a building. Just before it crashed, the pilot jumped out, and he revealed his identity to her: Cameron O'Cozy, who had apparently survived his fall from the plane's bomb bay.

O'Cozy had apparently gone completely insane; in his eyes, all idealistic agents were traitors, particularly Zenna. He had numerous plans against idealist agents and had already begun bombing Dino Attack outposts in LEGO City. O'Cozy decided to leave Zenna stranded on the island while he escaped. However, Jim was able to make some repairs to the boat, and they were able to carry on.

*****

O'Cozy had devised a scheme of his own to take over the Dino Attack Team, claiming that the team wasn't doing their job right. He began secretly enlisting help from various extremist realist Dino Attack agents to help him.

These agents included Duke, George Brown, and Tracer. Although George and Tracer both eventually realized that O'Cozy was apparently misguided and the conflict was unnecessary, they were reluctant to desert for fear of the consequences of being caught by either side.

*****

Once again, Andrew's dreams were hijacked by his odd lusts. He was in some cave on Dinosaur Island, where he was confronted by a figure that looked like Dr. Rex, but was merely a form taken by the "dark side of his consciousness." It talked about the minifigures in recent months who had experienced being Mutant Dinos, such as Stealth and Rex, criticizing those who had preferred to change back. Then it changed the subject drastically, and informed Andrew of the chaos in the waking world caused by the exposure of the secret Antarctica mission. The "dark consciousness" then told Andrew he must return to Dino Attack Headquarters and rescue Zorikk, who had been mutated again and was currently trapped in the base's Mutant Dino pens. With that, Andrew was pushed into the pool of green liquid that was in the cave he was in, taking him through the moments of transformation for Claw, Rex and Dr. Rex, Databoard, Stealth, and finally Zorikk.

Andrew then woke up and told Laxus what had happened. Being early in the day, they were able to get out of the hotel before anything bad could happen. They made their way to the base on foot, armed only with weapons picked up from the hotel.

At one point, they had to take cover in an aged Green Grocer when planes began to drop bombs on the city. Andrew said, "It's like that one time when the government thought Dino Attack had outlived its usefulness and tried to shut us down by lethal force. Wait, did that actually happen? Or was it part of the time the team historians pulled a prank and had false info entered into the database, like agents traveling to Mata Nui and turning into Toa?"

*****

After finally reaching Antarctica, Zenna found herself trying to stop the riots in the refugee facility, only to find herself with O'Cozy, who tried to leave her in the facility while he planted a bomb in an attempt to kill her.

Zenna didn't make it out of the refugee facility in time, and she was badly injured in the resulting explosion. Zenna found herself in the hospital where Dr. Alan Pierce and Dr. Honeycut were taking care of her.

*****

Bowman realized that something was suspicious about the recent bombing of Dino Attack HQ, and began examining footage of the incident until he finally found the information he needed, which suggested that the bombing was no accident.

Bowman would later begin to speculate that Cam O'Cozy might have been behind the recent bombings of LEGO City, after reporting his findings to the police, along with Dino Attack Team, and to a lesser extent, Alpha Team, they began to investigate the matter further. Unfortunately, things were further complicated when one of O'Cozy's planes unexpectedly attacked the outpost at which they were stationed. Bowman was mostly unharmed, but several agents were killed or wounded.

George Brown was ordered by O'Cozy to use a plane to destroy a building where Frank Bowman was working with the Agents Defense Organization to investigate the details behind the realist-idealist conflict. George's plane was shot down, and when he climbed out of the crash and tried to run, he was quickly caught by the agents.

Bowman personally questioned George, keeping him hidden and doing his best to make George comfortable. It wasn't long before George began explaining to Frank what was going on. George said, "O'Cozy had a list of agents he wanted dead, all of them idealists, some of the biggest names were near the top: Reptile, Rex, Digger, Zenna… and soon I'll be on there too, if I'm not on it already."

Regretting his involvement in O'Cozy's plans, George Brown also said, "I once was a realist, I wanted to put an end to the war, I wanted to kill every mutant dino I could see, and I instantly accepted O'Cozy's offer. Then I saw the damage I'd done. I saw a young girl, a young Dino Attack Agent, lying in the hospital… she was lucky to be there, she could have been killed. Her name was Zenna. She was the reason O'Cozy blew up the refugee facilities… to kill her, simply because she was idealist."

*****

After a long battle against the idealist Dino Attack agents, General and Shock agreed that it was necessary to evacuate those not involved in the conflict. Therefore, while Libo, Chompy, and King Race held off Digger, General and Shock evacuated Dino Attack agents whose opinions were neutral to ensure that they did not get hurt. Libo, Chompy, and Race were eventually surrounded and arrested by Digger and the idealists, but not before Libo pointed out that Digger's actions similar to those of realists.

*****

While going down a street in the city's entertainment district, Andrew and Laxus suspected that there were Mutant Dinos at a nearby cinema. At Laxus's urging, the agents checked it out, and were able to confirm that there was a Mutant Lizard nest inside. Then a Mutant Lizard with chameleon abilities found them, and Laxus and Andrew were forced to make a run for it. They ran into a restaurant and barricaded the door with chairs and tables, but the duo didn't know how long it could last against the Lizards. Laxus then sent out a distress signal.

*****

After a few days in the hospital, Zenna was finally released. Upon leaving her bed, she suddenly received a distress signal, and quickly decided to help. Pierce, wanting to make sure Zenna wasn't badly injured doing so and to help the agent in need should he require medical assistance, decided to accompany her.

The two traced the distress call to a large restaurant down the street from the hospital that was being attacked by Mutant Lizards. After getting in via the building's fire escape route, they found Andrew and Laxus. They were able to get back to the roof, but the Lizards were able to break through the unattended barricade set up by Laxus and Andrew, allowing them to follow. Zenna, Andrew, Laxus, and Pierce suddenly found themselves trapped on the roof of the building preparing to fight off the Lizards.

Luckily, Pierce was able to arrange for a Coast Guard rescue helicopter to pick them up and bring them to Dino Attack Headquarters. Zenna chose to send Pierce up first because he was a civilian. She followed soon after, and finally Andrew and Laxus boarded.

During the trip, Andrew told Zenna about the riots, and how they had been caused partially by her broadcast of the message, and that even though it was actually another agent who requested that she broadcast it, she would likely be the primary target of several agents. She then told Andrew, Laxus and Pierce about O'Cozy's survival, and that he was secretly running the realist side of the conflict.

The helicopter finally arrived at a somewhat restored but still badly damaged Dino Attack Headquarters. Andrew and Laxus proceeded into the base and towards the weaponry area. After ordering Pierce to stay outside and provide medical support, Zenna entered. She initially secretly followed Andrew and Laxus to make sure they completed their objective. However, this changed after a few encounters with a few Dino Attack agents. She was briefly captured by two of O'Cozy's men, but was saved by the timely interference of Frank Bowman.

*****

Pierce wasted no time in providing medical support to those in need. He managed to first get, much to his disappointment, the assistance of Dr. Clickitt, Enter, and Return. However, he was eventually able to gain more doctors to assist in taking care of agents who were wounded in the riots, and they established a "medical camp" in which to work.

Pierce caught Enter and Return using sharks, trees, and umbrellas during surgery.  Pierce said, "You don't need those; for surgery, you need proper surgical equipment."

Return insisted, "This is proper surgical equipment!"

*****

During most of the riots, Elizabeth remained aboard the submarine, listening to a few radio broadcasts. Many of these broadcasts were incredibly humorous, such as reporters denying that riots were occurring, only interrupt their reports to tell a rioter to put down a chair; a soccer game between the "Liverpool Beatles" and the "Seattle Hearts" was also notable.

Upon hearing word of a conflict in Dino Attack Headquarters, Elizabeth left the submarine. Upon reaching the base she found herself in a small medical compound where she met and befriended Alan Pierce, who quickly hired her to assist. Despite her lack of medical experience, Elizabeth managed to prove fairly useful to Pierce while he was operating on various patients, during which time he also explained to her about how the information on the mission in Antarctica was leaked, and while the true source of the leak is unknown, Zenna is heavily suspected as she broadcasted the message across LEGO City.

Eventually, most of the patients were dealt with. After Pierce fell asleep, Elizabeth entered Dino Attack Headquarters to see if any more wounded were present. During this time, she met Cam O'Cozy. Knowing the fact that many of the pirates working with Dino Attack (such as Greybeard) were realists, he offered her a chance to join him. However, Elizabeth refused and managed to escape before O'Cozy's men could kill her. Elizabeth returned to the medical camp.

Shortly after taking care of most of the wounded, an ambulance arrived containing a few wounded from Antarctica. Pierce determined that the one most in need of medical help was an Agent, choosing him over an Alpha Team agent; this was something his rival Burns did not take lightly.

Pierce responded with, "In case you haven't noticed, I'm not with Dino Attack, I'm a civilian, I don't pick sides, I just try to make sure as many people survive as possible, it doesn't matter if they're Agents or Alpha Team or whatever, what matters is who is in worse need for medical care."

As a result, Pierce and Elizabeth were nearly arrested by Alpha Team as "Agents sympathizers", but were freed by Mort and returned to the medical camp.

Zenna then left the base, returning to Pierce's newly established medical facility.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 33: United We Stand

----

Hotwire, B, and Kat returned to LEGO City, only to be captured by several extreme realist Dino Attack agents in support of O'Cozy. Kat, using the Talon, broke through the wall to get them out. Hotwire said, "Now uncuff us or I'll sic the sentient T-1 on you."

Tracer decided that had enough and quickly freed Hotwire and B. As he escaped with Hotwire, Tracer said, "Thanks for the excuse to get out. They were getting a bit out of hand."

During the escape, B discovered that another one of the "realists" was actually the Evil OGEL Empire agent Zapper in disguise. B left in pursuit of Zapper, who went on rampage until B killed him.

*****

Eventually, desperate to stop the riots, the LEGO City police arrived to try and restore order, entering Dino Attack Headquarters and taking every agent they found.

Upon arriving at the weaponry, Andrew and Laxus were captured by realists holding out in the area. Their leader, an agent codenamed Sherlock, listened to their story and agreed to let them go, along with a sample of Ogel's Green Goo, which would be needed to restore Zorikk to his Minifig form. Sherlock then let the two join them on their way to the pens, where the realists were making an assault against the idealists in control of the chamber.

Once there, Laxus and Andrew split from their realist guides and proceeded to search for Zorikk. After quite some time, during which they overheard alarming rumors of police arrest, they found the distressed agent, freed him, and helped him get out of chaotic base. Along the way, they explained how they had learned of his predicament, and narrowly escaped arrest by the police through sheer luck.

O'Cozy was caught, handcuffed, and, after confirming with Elizabeth and Pierce that he was an important part of the conflict, arrested by the police.

----

In the Torn World, the Elite Agents discovered that the floating 1x1 bricks in the field they walked on could be manipulated to build a walkway across the abyss below, allowing them to navigate the Torn World with ease. The Dino Attack agents set to work constructing this walkway.

While working, Semick ran into Sam again. Their conversation went from an argument to Semick trying to get through to the Rock Raider about how his anger at the Power Miners was unjust, hoping to set the feud between them aside. The conversation ended without him knowing if his words got through.

Meanwhile, Stranger set up a makeshift sniping post to assist the rest of the team, dealing with the remaining XERRD scientists and Inferno agents. He reflected upon the situation. One would think that the two Dino Attack agents had the upper hand due to their sniping post, but the veteran agents knew that one should never believe in impossibilities in a war where Mutant T-Rexes could lay eggs in banks and not break much… a war so chock-full of personal stories that the database read like a convoluted TV show that made LOST look simple. Stranger mentally reminded himself of advice from his fellow Dino Attack agent Brixton "Bullseye" Hale: "Be polite, be efficient, and have a plan to take down everything you meet."

After the walkway was completed, Rex explained his plan of defeating the Brickspider Bot and retrieving the Constructopedia to Frozeen, who helped relay it to the rest of the Dino Attack agents.

Titan contacted Semick with the news that he had got the Brickspider Bot in his sight. Semick began to look for agent Rex and tell him this, picking up Bluetooth (who had also seen the robot) on the way. But when they finally caught sight of the famous Dino Attack agent, the Brickspider Bot had vanished from view. Confused, Semick and Bluetooth then heard a tapping sound coming from the brick-built path under their feet. Too late, Frozeen and Semick realized what it was: the Brickspider Bot was planning to ambush them by walking upside-down underneath the walkway.

Seconds later, the Brickspider Bot came out from under the walkway and attacked the stunned Dino Attack agents, throwing several of them off the walkway and into the endless abyss below. Semick and Bluetooth wanted to help fight it, but the walkways were too crowded to reach it.

In the Brickspider Bot's attack, Amanda fell off the walkway but grabbed onto a 1x1 brick. Rex grabbed her hand, but found himself in a poor position to lift her up, and even worse he was also slipping off the walkway towards their doom. Eventually, he was hanging by a hand.

The Brickspider Bot made slow but steady process through the ranks of Dino Attack agents, leaving many dead in its wake. As the mechanical monster got closer to Semick's position, two shots rang out: Stranger had fired his sharpshooter pistols, shooting one of the bot's arms out of its socket. That arm had held the Constructopedia and now, free from the arm's grip, the book flew high into the air above the Dino Attack agents. With rapid calculation and quick reflexes, Semick managed to catch the book. It was a proud moment, but Semick had no time to celebrate. He saw that the Brickspider Bot had seen him and, even with one arm, the Brickspider Bot was a deadly threat, shoving Dino Attack agents off the walkway with ease. Semick wasted no time getting lost, grabbing Bluetooth by the arm as he fled. Semick told him to watch out for the LEGO Island baseplate page, then he let the astronaut go and disappeared into the crowd of agents around him.

Finally, help came to Rex and Amanda. Far off in a makeshift sniping post, Stranger spotted them and alerted Bluetooth, who ran over to them and managed to pull them back onto the walkway. Bluetooth then quickly informed them that the Brickspider Bot had been damaged and the Constructopedia had been retrieved. Before anything else could be done, the remaining XERRD scientists and Inferno agents went back on the offensive, forcing a return to battle.

Later, Reptile found Semick and brought him back to Rex, who had developed a plan for defeating the Brickspider Bot.

Rex got several camouflage-breed Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids in a defensive formation around them while he took the Constructopedia from Semick and used it as bait to lure over the Brickspider Bot. Rex's plan initially worked out: the camouflage-breed Hybrids were able to ambush the Brickspider Bot. Nonetheless, it recovered quickly and incapacitated a number of the Hybrids before being beheaded by one Hybrid. However, even though the head and body were disconnected, the Brickspider Bot was still operational and able to remotely control its body, using it to attack Rex and the other Dino Attack agents. In the attack, it accidentally shoved Amanda towards its head.

The headless body grabbed Rex by the throat and began strangling the Dino Attack agent, nearly succeeding in killing him. Just in the nick of time, Amanda destroyed the Brickspider Bot's head with a Hybrid's energized spear, and Rex was freed from the disabled robot's grasp. The Brickspider Bot's body fell limply off the walkway, falling through the Torn World for all eternity.

LEGO Island was then restored by Semick, Bluetooth, and Reptile placing the Baseplate Page back into the Constructopedia. This opened the portal again and allowed the Dino Attack agents and allies to leave the Torn World. Semick also restored the island hospital to make sure the wounded could be taken care of.

Sam Race and Ata had been patrolling the Phanta Sea in a T-1 Typhoon, waiting for the return of LEGO Island. When LEGO Island was restored, the helicopter was landed, and Race and Ata stepped out to congratulate the Dino Attack agents on their victory.

Rex approached Amanda and apologized to her for not telling her about Roger's death. She forgave him, and the two agents shared a romantic moment.

The moment was suddenly ended when somebody whispered, "Execute Order 66." Immediately, the Hybrids betrayed Dino Attack Team, and one of them stabbed Rex in the side with an energized spear. Rex then blacked out as his teammates were forced to battle the Hybrids.

Reptile assumed command of the team, being the next most senior Dino Attack agent present. He and his team fought off the Hybrids long enough for a T-1 Typhoon (that was dispatched as soon as the island reappeared) to arrive, piloted by Elite Agent Scales, an idealist and supporter of Digger.

Continuing to keep the Constructopedia safe, Semick retreated to the L.E.G.O. Radio Station and contacted Dino Attack Headquarters for help. It was then that he learned that an uprising had taken place back at base over a previously-secret operation in Antarctica concerning cold-adapted Mutant Dinos, and Specs had nearly been killed by an angry Digger. Setting up a distress beacon, Semick then went back out into battle as he awaited reinforcements from LEGO City.

Reptile was disheartened to learn that Specs had sent a team of realists to Antarctica to exterminate the cold-adapted Mutant Dinos there. However, he was furious to learn that Digger, his friend, had mutinied. He was also furious to learn that Scales had been promoted only because he had supported Digger in the civil war.

As he continued to hold out and spread the news of the uprising, Semick was interrupted in conversation with Bluetooth by the arrival of a falling Sam Throramebi, who had apparently been knocked unconscious by the Hybrids. Seeing a chance to fix relations between them, Semick proceeded to pick him up and get him to medical aid. Shortly afterward, the Dino Attack agents realized they had killed all the Hybrids on the island, much to their surprise. Semick, however, recalled that there were more Hybrids stationed at Dino Attack Outposts across the LEGO Planet, which didn't bode well. He then summoned a T-1 Typhoon to come and pick him, Bluetooth, and Stranger up.

Hotwire and Tracer arrived at the newly-reconstructed LEGO Island. They landed the Talon on the roof of the hospital, so that the team could search for medical supplies for Sam. They didn't find any, but they were able to pick up a stretcher, as well as Septimus, Claw, and an unconscious Rex. The T-1 Typhoon then proceeded on to LEGO City in search of a staffed hospital. During the flight, Rex's wounds were treated by Dr. Dietrich "Medic" Luzwheit.

Hotwire announced, "Next stop: out of here!"

*****

When David heard about the realist vs. idealist conflict, he sought an end to it. He compiled the Petition of Idealistic Views to proclaim an idealistic viewpoint. Zenna was one of the agents who participated in the meeting.

However, this resulted in David becoming the target of an assassination attempt by Duke, who attempted to hide C-4 explosives in the building where the meeting was taking place. He and Dr. Smith managed to deactivate the bombs. After Duke revealed himself, he was arrested by the police. Duke was then formally discharged from the team and locked in a high-security prison.

David then left to help with the relief effort. He teamed up with Enter and Return (as well as the ambulance driver). He transported back one patient before meeting his grandfather.

----

Some famous rock bands tried performing concerts in the Antarctic refugee facilities in an attempt to calm down the riots. It did not work.

Raider drove through Antarctica and reached the refugee facilities, just in time to meet Helm and talk about how things were going. They were suddenly interrupted by a van being thrown over the wall. Three college rock band dudes climbed out of the vehicle and complained about how the crowd went a little too wild in response to "Dino Alert!", their latest song about alerting everyone. Despite having been thrown over a wall by rioters, they seemed to be more concerned for the van's condition.

Greybeard looked around him at all the damage and destruction caused by the riots. Surveying the damage, Specs tried to come up with a plan to contain the riots, but admitted that it would not work and would only make things worse. Suddenly, Greybeard knew what he had to do.

He ran onstage during a concert by David Bowie and Queen and started to tear apart the drum set. When Bowie objected, Greybeard retorted, "If someone offered me th' choice between LEGO battles an' rock band, I would choose th' battles w'out a second thought! And I be not th' only one who would make th' decision - nearly everyone ye see around ye, riotin' an' panickin' an' causin' death an' destruction, why would they listen t' a rock band when they 'ave th' far more enjoyable LEGO battles?"

Greybeard explained that he knew how to stop the riots, and Bowie allowed him to continue. The pirate stacked the drums and stood on top of them so that all could see him. "This fightin' must stop!" declared Greybeard, but nobody would pay attention to him.

"Enough!" shouted Vladek, who used his magic sword to call down a lightning bolt. The sudden thunderclap was enough to silence everyone in the facility. "I thought that might get your attention," Vladek said with a smirk.

After thanking Vladek for his help, Greybeard got the attention of the crowds of Minifigs in the refugee facilities. He then delivered a motivational speech, telling the crowds that their behavior was completely irrational and, instead, they should be focusing on working together to overcome the Mutant Dinos.

Greybeard said, "Please, take heed o' me words. Ye must belay this violence. Instead, use yer fear t' motivate yer cause t' stay alive. Work t'gether. Rebuild yer facilities, an' build defenses! Help th' Dino Attack Team, Alpha Team, an' Agents in this war - not by destroyin' everythin'... but by workin' t'gether t' build a positive future."

However, when all he got was silence in return, Greybeard lost confidence. Then, much to his surprise, Governor Broadside stepped onstage and proclaimed that he agreed with Greybeard. Major Frictionfit, Rob 'n' Hood, King Leo, King Jayko VIII, Rocket Racer, Director Steven Spielbrick, Captain Roger Redbeard, Dr. Cyber, Conductor Charlie, Artimus Rhodes, Mr. X, Build Brickmore, Redini, Ignatius Voltage, and Junkbot also stepped onstage to show their support. The crowds were cheering. Greybeard realized then that he had successfully ended the riots. The other members of the Antarctica squad, as well as Specs, approached Greybeard and congratulated him.

Greybeard and the other realists left Antarctica after helping the refugees begin rebuilding and defending the facilities. He shared his adventure with Frozeen, who expressed concern about the alliance with the Ice Snake King. Greybeard assured Frozeen that they were well-prepared for a betrayal, so it would not be wise of the Ice Snake King to double-cross them.

*****

Ptero returned to Antarctica to deliver the plasma shotgun to Raptor. However, upon his arrival, he learned that Raptor had been apparently killed in a Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid attack on a Dino Attack base; the Hybrids across the globe had betrayed the team upon receiving Order 66. While in Antarctica, Ptero adopted an albino cold-weather Mutant Pterosaur named Freefall. Ptero returned north to deliver the tragic news to his teammates.

After Ptero reported Raptor's death, Sauro-Hunter proposed that GAIA Squad should return home to Mt. Bricklake and free it from XERRD's grip.

GAIA Squad departed for Mt. Bricklake, utilizing their new heads-up displays in their helmets to evade Dino Attack and Alpha Team patrols to commandeer a ship big enough for their vehicles and Shade; Tex and Valencia swam and flew, respectively, to the mainland.

When the squad docked, they lied, stating that they were on official business, and slipped through without question. It took nearly four days, counting rest stops for Tex, Shade, and Freefall, and minor skirmishes with Mutant Dinos, to reach the midwestern part of the mainland.

Sauro-Hunter breathed a sigh of relief as he saw the sun rise. The night was through, and it was time to wake up. "Thank the Maker," he muttered.

Artix poured himself a cup of coffee. "Want some?" he asked Sauro-Hunter. The Dino Attack agent nodded, extending his mug. Artix poured the hot drink slowly.

"Looks like it might snow," Wyldfyr said, looking at the sky.

"I'm surprised," Ptero chimed. "that it hasn't snowed yet."

"I'm not," Spino growled as he wolfed his food down. "Considering that our world burns around us."

All of the agents, dinos and dragoness nodded in agreement.

Sauro-Hunter looked around as he climbed up on the saddle on Tex's back. Her blue scales glimmered brilliantly in the morning light, the huge spines on her back reflecting light like a diamond. "Father?" she asked.

Sauro smiled. "Yes, Tex?" he asked, patting the T-Rex on the base of her neck.

"What's this cold, white stuff?"

Sauro made a "Huh?" sound and looked up. Tex was right. He chuckled. "Snow," he cooed softly. "This is snow."

While having a snowball fight, Aravis stumbled upon an old bunker filled with medieval weaponry. She took two sabers; Sauro-Hunter took a new sword and shield; Ptero took a scythe; and Spino took a large two-handed sword. After a brief rest, the squad continued on their way

----

Marcovian Beorgson was stationed in Antarctica in a small outpost in the middle of nowhere. When his radar picked up signs of nearby cold-adapted Mutant Lizards, he hunted down a Lizard and started bringing it back to base.

Man, it was getting cold... and the Lizard was no feather weight either. "Just past this cliff," Marco said to himself as he took a breather. Snow crunched behind him, causing him to whirl around and he saw two Lizards running toward him.

As the first Lizard leaped toward him, Marco performed a maneuver that the basic training instructors had drilled into all of the new recruits in his class. Grabbing the barrel of his gun and using it like a baseball bat, he knocked the lizard aside. He then flipped the gun around and shot it before it recovered. At that moment, the second one rammed into him from behind...

The next few moments seemed to go by in a blur; the weight pressing Marco down, his axe appearing in his hand, and him striking wildly... then it was over. He was standing over his defeated enemy, his uniform torn, but no major wounds.

"That was close," Marco said to himself as he picked up his gun which he had dropped.

----

"Ready to head back to base, B?" asked Rookie.

"No," replied B.

"Why?" asked Rookie.

"I'm not going back," B declared firmly.

Rookie was confused. "What do you mean?"

"What I mean, Rookie, is that this war has gone on too long. We need to do something now. If we wait, we may still win, but at what cost?" B argued.

B noticed that Crooks and Knuckles had come up in their vehicles. "B," said Knuckles, "C'mon back to the base and get some sleep."

B shook his head. "As I already said to Rookie, no. I need to do something about the mutants."

"Weren't you already doing something?" Knuckles pointed out.

"Not enough. We may still win, but at what cost; at what cost, I ask you? Will LEGO City be decimated? Will Antarctica be destroyed? We need to do something now!" insisted B.

Knuckles rolled his eyes. "B, you can't go out on us now, it's suicide to go out alone."

"He won't go alone," said Rookie. "I'm gonna go with him!"

"Much as I don't like this," said Knuckles, "go ahead. Just don't expect too much backup if you get into trouble."

B turned and nodded. "Alright, Rookie, let's get into the Fire Hammer." They drove away towards the mountains.

As Knuckles watched them go, he whispered, "Megablok'n Megabloks! They did it. I didn't think he'd do this. Ever."

Crooks shrugged. "Neither did I, Knuckles, and I know him pretty darn well. Let's just hope they won't get killed."

----

"I still can't believe our luck," Andrew said as he and his companions exited the Dino Attack Headquarters.

"Yeah," Zorikk commented, "it's really odd how someone had told those officers to let you go."

"And it was a good thing you were able to persuade them to let us go as well, Andrew," Laxus added. "Had we been separated, Zorikk and I might have been on our way to a police station."

"Indeed," Andrew answered, trying to keep his mind away from his earlier experience at a police station. "So, what now?"

Laxus turned to his friend with curious eyes. "You mean you did not have a plan for after our rescue?"

"Well, I, uh... was focused on the whole problem with Zorikk, so I... had not... realized what... the implications... were." Andrew glanced around worryingly. "With Dino Attack in a schism, I don't know what we can-"

Andrew then noticed a large medical area set up at the front of the base. "Hey, uh-maybe we could ask around that medical station over there! They might know if any new developments have occurred that we can take advantage of."

Laxus thought about Andrew's idea for a moment, then nodded his head. "That sounds like an okay plan for now. Do you wish to come with us, Zorikk?"

"I guess so. They might know something about where Zyra is, and he's the guy I want to meet up with at the moment."

"Okay then," Andrew said, walking towards the medical area. "Let's go."

----

"I've noticed how you've been paying a lot of attention to Sam," Amanda said to Semick while looking over Rex.

"Yes, even though he hates me for my work with the Power Miners," Semick answered. "I assume you may be wondering why?"

Amanda nodded.

"Well, the explanation is that I want to try and fix things between us. I've never approved of antagonism between groups that share a common goal. Whether it's between the Alpha Team and the Agents, the Rock Raiders and the Power Miners, or even between sports teams. Too much of that kind of a feud can cause problems when a situation demands putting aside our differences. Again, you can look at Alpha Team and Agents for that example." Semick looked down at Sam's face. "That's why I'm trying to help him. He needs to understand that he can't let his preferences get in the way of his proper judgment."

Semick turned to look out of the side of the T-1 Typhoon, where he could see the skyline of LEGO City going by.

Eventually, the Talon reached a staffed hospital, and the agents departed inside, bringing their wounded along with them.

----

"Of course I haven't got enough patience – I've got too many patients!" exclaimed Dr. Clickitt as he ran hurriedly from one end of the medical station to the other. "I haven't got the time to practice my practice!"

"Okay, then..." muttered Pierce, obviously confused by Clickitt's apparently contradictory statements. Much like Enter and Return, even LEGO Island's most sensible doctor seemed crazy. Deciding to ignore that, he turned around and asked, "So how are we on supplies now?"

"Well," reported Elizabeth, "we're pretty good so far; we've got plenty of medicine, blood samples and all that."

"Excellent," said Pierce. "You've been working really hard. You should really go and get some rest."

"I don't think that's necessary," replied Elizabeth.

"No, really," insisted Pierce, "I'll take care of the medical supplies."

"Alright then," relented Elizabeth, running towards one of the tents.

Pirece suddenly turned around at the noise of some people talking, Elizabeth turned around as well and quickly recognized Andrew, who had been present when she was rescued from LEGO Island, and she remembered Laxus from their later meeting in the basement of Dino Attack HQ.

"Ah, Andrew," said Pierce, "glad to see you make it back in one piece. I see you accomplished your goal."

Pierce and Elizabeth filled Andrew, Laxus, and Zorikk in on recent developments. Among them was the return of LEGO Island, which so overwhelmed Andrew with joy that he fainted and dreamed again.

In this latest dream, a day at the races was interrupted by a cameo from a disaster movie, and Andrew found himself in a strange room with glowing green hexagonal cylinder. He encountered his "dark consciousness" again, now in the form of Bluetooth, who congratulated him for his rescue of Zorikk, and told him he was free to do as he pleased again - for a time. Encouraged by him, Andrew turned a lever that released the cylinder's contents, a bunch of flying miniature LEGO elements, into the room. He built with them on instinct, and interaction with a light-and-sound brick caused a kind of chain reaction that turned him into an insectoid being.

Andrew awoke soon afterward, finding himself briefly alone in a medical tent before he was visited by Pierce, who had to take care of Andrew after he fainted. The two discussed the possibility of the betrayal of the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids before Elizabeth showed up, soon followed by David Norman and his grandfather. After they all heard a report that a load of agents from LEGO Island at a nearby hospital, they all made their way there, with Andrew and Laxus hitching a ride on an ambulance. There, Pierce worked with Zenna to operate on several more patients from Antarctica and LEGO Island.

David reminded Elizabeth that she had previously recovered several pages from the Constructopedia. The two traveled to LEGO City harbor's shipping office, where they attempted to regain the pages of the Constructopedia. They had trouble convincing the harbor master that they could be trusted.

*****

After seeing that Sam and Rex were put to medical care, the agents went down to the waiting area at the bottom of the hospital. Semick, Bluetooth, and Stranger met Andrew, who was waiting there with Laxus for someone who could tell them what had happened. He learned about the Torn World, the fight against the Brickspider Bot, Semick saving the Constructopedia (Semick even allowed Andrew to briefly hold it), and the Hybrid betrayal. As they talked, Andrew began to form a friendship with Bluetooth.

After helping to tell Andrew about their adventure in the Torn World, Semick received a message from David Norman (through Titan on his communicator, who had found Semick's abandoned PDA at the time) which asked him to bring the Constructopedia to the LEGO City Board of Shipping offices.

While waiting around for everyone to come back, Andrew said, "Gee, it sure is boring around here."

"My boy," replied Laxus, "this peace is what all true Dino Attack agents strive for." Andrew had to admit that the Martian had a point; the end of the mission definitely beat all the chaos of the bombed headquarters.

"I just wonder what Dr. Rex is up to...?" mused Andrew. After a while, Andrew and Laxus also met Septimus. Their conversation revealed to the Ogel Drone that he had had a past life as a normal Minifig, something Andrew was surprised that Septimus didn't already know. Septimus was somewhat shaken by the revelation; he had thought before that he was simply not completely sane.

Septimus said, "Sometimes I get the feeling that I used to be someone else. Not a Drone. Other drones never understood what I was talking about - they assumed that it was impossible for me to have been a different person, and that even if I had, it wasn't important. Of course, I don't even understand it myself."

*****

When Semick arrived at the LEGO City Board of Shipping Offices, he learned that David and Elizabeth were trying to get back some Constructopedia pages that had been recovered earlier.

Needing to get the last page (the Metro PD Jail) from Dan, they went to him at his boat, where they discovered that Dan had a shocking opinion: that the Torn World incident was a hoax. Losing his temper over this latest example of minifigure idiocy, Semick pushed Dan into a wall and berated him for his thinking until Elizabeth and David pried him off the diver. Even so, Dan stood by his opinion, but grudgingly went to get his page anyways after Elizabeth threatened him with a cutlass. This turned out to be a trick, and Dan managed to get away, but not before Semick leaped onto his boat and confronted him about the page. It turned out to be missing, but when Semick returned to the dock, he learned that Elizabeth had taken it when Dan wasn't looking. Meanwhile, the police had arrested Dan.

Now completed, the Dino Attack agents debated on what to do with the Constructopedia. Semick wanted to keep it with the Agents, which he thought was the safest option. Things got complicated when the local harbor master demanded that it should be locked up in a warehouse for the duration of the war, and an Agent showed up and also demanded that it be locked away with them, making Semick suspicions. When Elizabeth brought up that the Antarctica riots had been taken care of, Semick felt that the book could now be returned to its rightful owner, the Infomaniac, and tried to get through to a Founding Member, which didn't work. Luckily, David and Elizabeth managed to persuade the others to bring the Constructopedia to Antarctica, and they prepared to leave. Semick did not join them though, for he still wanted to settle his problem with Sam.

Making his way back to Dino Attack Headquarters after learning the wounded had been diverted there, Semick got Bluetooth to arrange a meeting with him and Sam. Their reunion was awkward at first, but Sam eventually felt compelled to explain why he had been so hostile to the Power Miners: nostalgia. He resented that the Power Miners were receiving praise for doing what had already been done a decade earlier by the Rock Raiders.  With a few choice words, Semick convinced him to accept the former Power Miner by who he was personally, not professionally. He left for the next mission briefing later with the feeling of having lifted a great weight off his back.

----

Elizabeth and David traveled to Antarctica. Arriving just at the end of a David Bowie concert, they announced that they needed to decide what to do with the Constructopedia. Bowie insisted that the Constructopedia be returned to the Infomaniac, and after a few of LEGO Island's citizens, including Nubby Stevens, Bill Ding, and Papa Brickolini agreed, it was decided. Shortly afterward, the Infomaniac himself stepped forward to reclaim the book.

----

Medic determined that Rex's wound was so severe that he had to be brought to the Dino Attack Headquarters hospital wing at once, where Medic kept his personal operating equipment.

Reptile accompanied Rex and the other wounded agents to Dino Attack HQ, ostensibly to report to Digger. Reptile found Digger in his barricaded office. He briefed Digger on how the Minifig/Mutant Hybrids had turned against them, and Digger, infuriated, commented that they should have wiped out the Hybrids rather than ally with them. Reptile, seeing an opportunity, compared this to what Specs did, and then explained coldly and carefully how Dr. Rex could use the idealist-realist civil war to wipe out Minifigkind. He also explained that the only other options were Alpha Team intervening and removing Digger from command, or Digger and Specs making peace and reunifying the Dino Attack Team.

Slowly, Reptile was able to calm down Digger and convince him that realists were not evil and why Specs was the one who must lead the Dino Attack Team, as it was Specs who could balance the idealists and the realists. Digger, who had been shamed by Reptile into seeing the truth, contacted Specs to apologize for his actions. Digger voluntarily agreed to surrender and the Dino Attack idealist-realist civil war was ended.

Specs resumed the position of Dino Attack Team's leader. For his actions, Digger was temporarily stripped of his position as Elite Commando Agent and was brought to the rank of Standard Agent. Feeling shameful about his earlier behavior, he did whatever he could to try making it up to the Founding Members, such as offering to clean Specs's office.

One of the big decisions afterwards was what to do about the agents who had worked with O'Cozy. George Brown was afraid of the consequences, and was relieved when Bowman told him he had been pardoned due to his help in resolving the conflict, although his work with O'Cozy may affect his standing with other agents. Frank recommended to George that he join the next major mission, which could give him a chance to redeem himself.

*****

In the Dino Attack Hospital Wing, Amanda Claw and Ata waited by Rex's bedside until he regained consciousness. Medic rushed in, shouting at Amanda and Ata: "Move! Don't ztand so cloze to ze machine zat goez 'BING!' Zat iz ze mozt expenzive machine in ze vole headquarterz!"

Amanda and Ata traded glances. "Sorry..." muttered Ata, and they kept their distance from the machine that goes "BING!"

Medic finally introduced himself to Rex: "My codename iz Medic. Actually, I originally had a different codename, Corpsman, but 'Medic' iz ze one I've adopted inztead zince everyone on ze battlevield alvayz shoutz for 'Medic'! Zee, unlike mozt doctorz here, I perform on ze battlevield... mozt of ze time."

Medic was briefly distracted as he berated Enter and Return for getting in his way. A young doctor from LEGO Island, Dr. Samuel "Lay" Go, came to their defense and insisted that the two paramedics were perfectly capable, although Medic remained less than convinced.

Medic explained to Rex that he would never be able to fully recover from his injury. Rex had been left paralyzed from the waist down, rendering him unable to use his legs. The doctor offered his sincerest apologies. Amanda comforted Rex and expressed her sympathies.

Then, Ata informed Rex and Amanda about the secret mission to Antarctica, just as the Antarctic team returned to base. As Medic reunited with his old friend Bear, Tech said, "I helped down there by buildin' defenses, sentry guns, and that kinda stuff."

Ata had to get back to work, and Medic was still chatting with Bear, leaving Rex and Amanda alone for the time being. Amanda locked eyes with Rex and smiled, but there was a great sadness behind that facial expression. "So," Rex dared to say, "you've broken your vow of silence."

Amanda's smile faded away, and she let out a long sigh. "Yes," she replied. Even now, her voice was soft, hardly more than a whisper, and she sounded like she had trouble articulating her words since her speech was halting and slow. "When I learned the truth about Roger, I... I was just so shaken that... I just couldn't hold it in any longer. It just... happened. It's the first time I've spoken in... almost twenty years."

"What happened?" asked Rex. He had a feeling in his gut that whatever it was that drove Amanda to stop speaking as a child must have been awful. "If you don't want to talk about it..."

Amanda took in a deep breath. "When I was nine years old... I watched my parents die."

These words struck Rex like a hammer. His eyes widened and his face paled. "Oh my Builder," he whispered.

"Roger and I came from a very wealthy family," Amanda said quietly. "One day, we were walking home from school when we were offered a ride from a man known as Don Bricassius. If we had kept walking... maybe things would've been different. Roger was smart; he would never have gotten into that car. But I was innocent and naive, and I said I gladly accepted Bricassius's offer, and Roger only came along because he didn't want to leave me alone."

With a shudder, she continued: "I had no idea that Don Bricassius was actually an infamous crime boss. He kidnapped us... he... he hurt us... he demanded that we tell him how to get his greedy hands on our wealth. Roger was strong; he refused to tell Bricassius anything. But I was weak, and I told him everything. I said where our parents kept their bank account information, where our savings were stored... even how to get into the vault in our mansion, where we had some priceless family heirlooms. I gave him exactly what he wanted."

Amanda gazed off into the empty distance. "He took us home. Our butler, Alfred Jeeves, answered the door... Bricassius immediately shot him dead. He went through our mansion, taking everything of value that he wanted. That's when our parents came home. Bricassius hid Roger and me and told us to remain silent. All we could do was watch as he confronted our parents and held them at gunpoint. My father remained calm and brave, and he was trying to talk Bricassius down. He had such a way with words, maybe he could've even succeeded. Roger knew that. But I... I couldn't... just couldn't bear to watch, and... I was so scared... I cried out to Mom and Dad."

Tears welled in her eyes and her voice became shaky. "They heard my voice. Just for a second, it distracted them and drew their attention away from Bricassius. And in that second, Don Bricassius fired his gun twice." Briefly becoming too choked up to continue, she paused and buried her head in her hands.

"I'm... I'm so sorry," murmured Rex, filled with horror over this story. He could not imagine how terrible it must have been for her to be carrying this burden with her all this time.

Amanda took another deep breath to compose herself before resuming her story. "He got what he came for. He had no more use for me, or Roger, or even our mansion. So, as he stepped over our parents' bodies and left our home, he casually dropped his disgusting cigar and set fire to the building. Roger and I made it out, but we had lost everything except each other."

Now, Rex felt like he finally fully understood Amanda. He knew why Roger had confided in Specs about Amanda being troubled, and why it was so important for her to have a tether in her life to keep her grounded.

"That night," Amanda solemnly reflected, "I blamed myself for everything that happened. I thought to myself, if only I hadn't said anything. If only I had kept quiet. If only I was silent. Then I would've never convinced Roger to ride home with Bricassius. Then I would've never told Bricassius everything he wanted. Then I would've never cried out to my parents. If it wasn't for me, my parents could've still been alive. So... as penance for what I had done... I vowed never to speak again."

Rex leaned forward and held Amanda's hands in his own. In a gentle but firm voice, he assured her: "Amanda, what happened on that day... it wasn't your fault."

Amanda sniffled. "Perhaps not. But I suppose it didn't matter who was at fault. Not while Don Bricassius got away for his crimes."

"What?" Rex exclaimed in disbelief. "How could such a travesty be allowed?"

Amanda scowled, and Rex could feel her hands clenching tightly. "It was not until I was older that I learned the real reason Don Bricassius had targeted us. It wasn't even about the money. As a powerful crime lord, he had corrupted the town's cops, judges, lawyers... everyone was in his pocket. My father was a lawyer, a good honest one, who was determined to bring Bricassius down and serve justice. And for that, Bricassius was going to have him killed, one way or another. The police, of course, just looked the other way and said it was a tragic accident. Nothing could be done."

Then Amanda pulled her hands away from Rex and folded her arms. A shadow passed over her face. "After that... even if you're right and it wasn't my fault... I was left in a very dark place. In my silence, I had isolated myself. I pushed away my friends. I was doing poorly in school. Roger and I bounced around a few foster homes, but none of them ever worked out; Roger was fine, but I was always the 'problem child'. When Roger was old enough, he became my legal guardian... but even that fell apart in the end. By that time, I had dropped out of middle school and was committing petty thefts just for fun. Roger caught wind of what I was doing... we had a big fight... and then I walked out of his life."

She swallowed hard. Her gaze fell to the floor. "After that... I worked for people who were willing to use my talents for their own dirty work. Dacta Corporation, Lens Pioneers, it didn't matter who gave me the job as long as I got paid. I did... regrettable things." She did not elaborate, and Rex knew not to press further on her shameful past.

Her eyes narrowed. The shadow on her face seemed to become darker. In a chilling tone of voice, she said, "But even now, one thing I absolutely do not regret... is when I personally met with Don Bricassius... and murdered him."

Rex's eyes widened. A T-Rex like Chompy would consider this act of revenge fully justified, and someone as vile as Don Bricassius certainly deserved a karmic fate, but he knew that minifigure society typically frowned upon such vigilantism. Although he sympathized with Amanda, he found this revelation profoundly disturbing. The knowledge that Amanda could be capable of killing someone... he wondered what else he did not know about her. "Amanda, I..." he started to say.

Amanda sighed, and the shadow seemed to disappear. "It's in the past now. Despite what I'd done... Roger never lost faith in me, even after I had lost faith in myself. He went to great lengths to track me down. He convinced me to walk away from that life and redeem myself. He saved me. I never realized until then just how lucky I was to have a brother like him... or how much I needed him."

"I should never have lied to you about him," said Rex. "If I had known what you had gone through..." Deciding that she had the right to know, he told her what Finister had revealed about Remous's fate.

"I still can't believe he's... gone," murmured Amanda. She wiped tears from her eyes. "But... at the same time, I feel proud of Roger, because you said he did not tell Finister anything, just as he had told Don Bricassius nothing. My brother... always so strong... a noble death for him." Locking eyes with Rex once again, she smiled somberly and said, "Thank you for telling me."

"I'll always be honest with you from now on," promised Rex, holding her hands. "No more secrets. Right?"

"No more secrets," Amanda quietly agreed. The two Dino Attack agents hugged one another.

After that, Amanda volunteered to help push Rex's new wheelchair. Rex struggled to get out of the hospital bed and into the chair.

*****

Eventually, all the agents were taken back to Dino Attack Headquarters, where the wounded were personally looked after. After taking the time to see and clean up each other's rooms, Laxus and Andrew proceeded to have a meal.

In the Dino Attack mess hall, some Dino Attack agents got into a debate over what is the best food. Andrew and Laxus joined a few other onlookers that were gathering as an audience. "Now, I ain't exactly the best judge of form over function," Tech was saying, "but you grill a beef steak and put fresh bacon on it… now, that there is a thing of mighty beauty!"

"Sandvich is best," Bear stated firmly.

"C'mon, dude," scoffed Recon, "you haven't had real food until you've had Bricklynn pizza! No sandwich is gonna top that!"

"NYET!" shouted the large man with his thick Russian accent. "SANDVICH IS BEST!"

"But you alvayz have ze zandvich," replied Medic. "Vy don't ve get zomezing elze for a change, ja?"

"I own deli," declared Bear, "I know sandvich as good as bullet." Pointing to the other agents sitting at the table and participating in the debate, he said: "You vant steak and bacon? I make steak and bacon sandvich. You vant pizza? I put two flatbread vith toppings together and make sandvich. You vant little baby chicken? I make delicious chicken sandvich vith garlic and rosemary. You vant rice ball? I make big sandvich as sweet as jelly-filled donut. You dream of cheese? I only put best cheese in sandvich. Sandvich. Is. Best!"

Saboteur, Raider, and Stranger quietly murmured amongst themselves. Recon raised his finger and opened his mouth, but could not object to the idea of putting two slices of pizza together as a sandwich.

"He makes a compelling argument," admitted Raider, surprised to hear about the big tough Bear's softer side.

"But I can make a better one!" boasted Dynamite. "See, here's what I can put in me soup that you cannae put in yehr sandwich!" He grinned as he uncorked his bottle of "Keg and Cutlass" rum and poured some of it into his bowl. He laughed as the other agents reacted with disgust or intrigue.

"By your Earthling standards," noted Laxus, "that's not nearly the weirdest thing I've eaten."

*****

A tough-looking man with short dark hair, a thick brown leather jacket, a worn pair of jeans, and dark sunglasses stepped into the Dino Attack Headquarters. He took off his sunglasses as he entered the building, and for a moment his eyes had to adjust to the bright indoor lighting. "It is time," he said.

He found himself standing in the Dino Attack lobby. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a cigarette, only for the team's secretary, Elizabeth Wilma, to shoot him an intense glare and say, "Excuse me, sir, but that won't be permitted in here. The last thing this base needs right now, after all that bombing, is for someone to be careless with their smoking."

He raised his head. There was a Dino Attack agent approaching. The agent was large and muscular, but his imposing stature was offset by two odd features: his well-kept blue hair, and the fact that he didn't seem to have any pants; absolutely nothing other than his boxers to cover his legs. "Right on time!" said the blue-haired agent. "The name's Sullivan. You must be...?"

"Call me Trigger," he said in a gruff tone of voice.

"Hello and welcome to Dino Attack Headquarters!" Sullivan said. "How can I be of service?"

Trigger looked at him awkwardly and took a few steps back. "What the Znap is this?" he asked. "Are you some kind of Znapping concierge or something?"

"Something like that," replied Sullivan with a self-deprecating chuckle. "I'm just a standard agent, and during this bit of downtime, I was assigned to greet you and make sure you made yourself at home. From what I hear, we needed more men with your expertise on the team, especially for our upcoming mission."

"Oh, come now," Trigger said rather sternly. "This gets so annoying, you know. Every time somebody dies, they always try to convince more men to take their place. Look, I got a job to take, alright? I'm not here for your war, I'm here for the money. Got it? Now, where are your Znapping pants?"

Sullivan seemed taken aback by Trigger's attitude, but he frowned. "Excuse the mess," he grumbled. "The last couple weeks have been hectic; a bunch of us were evacuated to a hotel while HQ was being bombed, and I lost a lot more than just a pair of pants during the chaos." Seeking to change the subject, he said, "Well, you must be hungry after the flight here. Why don't you get something to eat?"

Sullivan led Trigger into the Dino Attack mess hall. If Trigger was expecting a very elegant café, he was sorely disappointed. As he sat down at a table with several other Dino Attack agents, he muttered, "I thought I might get myself a nice steak while I'm here. I haven't had one of-"

He was cut off as Bear proudly announced, "Sandvich has von debate!"

"An' yeh gonna celebrate by stuffin' yehr chubby face with 'em, eh, laddie?" quipped Dynamite.

Dynamite recoiled as Bear shook his fist and retorted, "I vill stuff your face vith knuckle sandvich! Hah!" Some of the other agents cheered and laughed. "Everyone else, come to Tzenovich's Sandviches after Dino Attack is over! Ve vill have best food!"

"This is a load of MegaBloks," Trigger said. "I don't want no Znapping sandwich. I'm going to get myself something goo-"

Bear looked at him angrily. The large Russian man promptly stood up and pounded his fists together tightly. Medic very quickly jumped to his feet and said, "Ah, Ivan! You vere going to show me your gun collection, ja? Let'z go und take a look right now."

"Da!" Bear shouted as he turned away from Trigger, grabbing the sandwich off his food tray as he and Medic walked away.

One of the other agents at the table, Francis, leaned in towards Trigger. "You got off lucky," he whispered. "I think Bear was about to punch out all of your blood."

"All I wanted was a steak..." muttered Trigger.

"You've got to be careful around him," Sullivan said. "He just loves his sandwiches. Now, let me take you to the barracks. Unfortunately, we're having a few issues, so you might have to share a bed with somebody for the next little while. Or not. Depends whether Hauk finds a recruit..."

Sullivan led Trigger outside the mess hall and up a flight of stairs. He led him down a corridor past a few rooms. Along the way, Sullivan greeted a few people. "Hello, Reggie. Nice day, ain't it, Randal? Hey J.D., you're looking good." None of them seemed to notice that this man had blue hair and no pants.

A few construction workers were walking around as well, apparently doing repairs. "Good thing for Brick League United," Sullivan explained. "We can count on them to build the base back up after any disaster, whether it's Kotua, or Cam O'Cozy, or..."

"Who?"

"You never heard of them?" asked Sullivan. "Why, they're the ones who caused the big bang. Well, not the Big Bang. This base has been leveled or nearly leveled a couple times already. It's a long story. Honestly, I'm afraid it's only a matter of time before someone like Dynamite or Firecracker gets a little careless with some explosives. Let me tell you, I'll be happy when the war's over and I can go back to working at Mindstorms, Inc."

Trigger scoffed. "As if Mindstorms, Inc. offers greater job security..." he muttered to himself, too quietly for Sullivan to hear.

"We're nearly at the barracks," said Sullivan. "I'll be down in the lobby if you need anything. In the meantime, I'll leave you to get ready for our next mission. I expect the briefing will come soon..."

They passed two Dino Attack agents headed in the opposite direction. Trigger turned to see who they were. One agent was a bald-headed man with a goatee in a wheelchair, which was being pushed by the other agent, a young woman with grey eyes and long brown hair tied back in a ponytail. Trigger's eyes widened. His heart skipped a beat. He stood there, startled, with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

Sullivan sighed sadly. "Yeah, that's elite agent Rex. Great guy, a real hero. It's a shame what happened on LEGO Island. Still, gotta hand it to him for showing the team that he's staying strong despite it all, right?"

Trigger barely acknowledged or cared about this "Rex". No, it was the other agent that had caught his attention.

You gotta be Znapping me, Trigger thought to himself. They hired her?!

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 6, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Act 6: Adventurers' Island

Chapter 34: Call to Adventure

----

After the damage to Dino Attack HQ was repaired and after appropriate measures were taken (which included demoting and firing some agents who had been too extreme on both the idealist and realist sides of the conflict), Specs called a meeting.

Rex was escorted by Amanda into the mission briefing room, where he spoke with Frozeen and Greybeard before the mission brief. Frozeen saw that Rex was now crippled and forced to use a wheelchair, and so he expressed his sympathies.

After explaining the situation of the Hybrids' betrayal, Specs promoted agents Zenna and Semick to elite status. Zorikk stepped up and gratefully recommended Andrew Anderson for elite membership, and the founding members agreed.

Specs announced that, once again, Dino Attack Team would be launching several international campaigns at once. Two small-scale campaigns aimed to retake critical Dino Attack outposts that were captured by XERRD after the Hybrids betrayed the team: one in Gold City and one in Castle Cove.

Nine Dino Attack agents were assigned to the squad heading to the Hybrid-controlled Gold City: Sarge, Recon, Fireman, Dynamite, Bear, Tech, Medic, Bullseye, and Saboteur. "Oh, yes!" said Bear. "Ve make good team! Ve'll call our team... Second Headquarters Squad!"

"Dude, don't worry - we'll totally own those Hybrids!" boasted Recon. "Oh, yeah! I'll be like a force o' nature against them!"

"Aye, that's right!" added Dynamite. "We'll send all of 'em to MegaBlokland in pieces!"

"As the rightful self-appointed leader of Second Headquarters Squad," declared Sarge, "I solemnly swear that those mutant maggots are going to regret messing with me!"

Another squad, led by King Joseph Race and Lord Vladek, would be sent to Castle Cove to recapture the Hybrid-controlled Dino Attack outpost.

Additionally, after discussions with Frozeen and the Brickster, Specs had decided to send an army of Brickster-Bots and FMB-Bots to invade Dinosaur Island.

The bulk of Dino Attack forces was assigned to the major campaign at Adventurers' Island, where they must protect the native dinosaurs on the island from Mutant Dinos and XERRD scientists. Specs explained to the Dino Attack agents about a temple on Adventurers' Island containing energies of the Maelstrom, a mythical force of pure chaos and destruction. XERRD had been tapping into the Maelstrom energies, which played a vital role in their mutation of dinosaurs. Therefore, it was necessary to stop XERRD from accessing this temple in order to end the Dino Attack.

This revelation had a profound impact upon Dino Attack Team. The light atmosphere in the room died away instantly as cold fear and silence took hold of all those who were present. Even Rex, who did not know what "the Maelstrom" was, felt a shiver down his spine.

After having a long talk with Specs, Sam Sinister was decided to be the Dino Attack Team's guide in their mission to Adventurers' Island, as he was the only one who knew the island like the back of his hand.

*****

Andrew's promotion to Elite Agent was something that surprised him to "fall out of seat" levels. He had to go to his room to get his mind around this, and when he did, he fell asleep again and had another disturbing dream.

His "dark consciousness" (appearing as Databoard pre-and-post mutation) told him about a device known as the DNA Device, which Reptile had recovered from Castle Cove some time ago from the possession of Aethra. "This device was capable of mutation on a physical and mental level," said Andrew's consciousness, "but its power had been drained in the witch's last use of it on Reptile's team. Specs, in a moment of closed-mindedness, didn't believe Reptile's explanation, demoted him for his trouble, and had it carted off to an Alpha Team vault."

"What's the point of all this?" wondered Andrew.

"When the time is right," replied his "dark consciousness", "you will repower the device and take it for your own uses."

The Dino Attack agent woke up a while later and, realizing the gravity of the situation, made sure to contact Reptile himself and ask for help to prevent himself from doing something that would land him into much trouble. Then, knowing he was late for reuniting with his allies, he bolted for the hangar where Laxus had acquired a Fire Hammer for them to use on Adventurers' Island. In the meantime, the two managed to catch Sam Sinister's briefing regarding their mission.

*****

Semick was pleasantly surprised by the news of his elite agent status, in spite of being told that he had deserved this for a while.

Bluetooth congratulated Semick on his promotion: "An elite agent! That's far too long overdue, sir! Congratulations!"

Semick replied, "Yes, well, besides the fact I'll be taking one of those T-1 Typhoons out to battle now, try not to see me differently or anything."

His first order of business after this was to acquire a T-1 Typhoon as his new vehicle. He allowed Bluetooth and Raider to help operate the craft, for it was a vehicle best handled by multiple agents. Before taking off, they also agreed to ferry Andrew and Laxus along for the trip, which allowed them to learn about the mission briefing Sam Sinister had given.

*****

After several hours the last of the patients were finally dealt with, and Zenna was pleased when Pierce unexpectedly approached her with news of her promotion. It seemed that, despite her spreading word of the Antarctica mission, her work in stopping Cam O'Cozy and in the hospital treating those who were wounded was enough to make the founding members consider her for Elite Agent status.

Zenna and Pierce quickly returned to Dino Attack HQ, where they were told by Ata to travel to Adventurers' Island. Zenna quickly picked a T-1 Typhoon. Shortly afterward, George Brown approached and volunteered to join her and Pierce. They were also soon after joined by David Norman.

*****

Rex and Chompy both felt emotionally attached to this mission, as Adventurers' Island was their home and they hoped to find their family there. After Sam Sinister announced that he would be the team's guide on Adventurers' Island, Rex was offered a ride in the Talon by Hotwire. Hotwire explained to Rex that Kat, who was now one with the T-1 Typhoon, was actually a synthetic clone of Dr. Rex's sister Catherine Alexander, thus making her and Rex siblings in a way. Rex joked that Chompy was Kat's "half-brother twice removed", and Chompy was unsure what to think of this.

Rex then asked a favor of Hotwire and Reptile. He knew how the team had depended on him to call the shots on the previous mission, and knew that with his handicap, it would be difficult for him to command this mission. Therefore, he requested that the two Elite Agents take command of the mission instead. Reptile and Hotwire both agreed to this request.

Reptile was uncertain about this, as he had never commanded a major strike force before, but ultimately agreed to take command. Before departing, however, Reptile received a disturbing message from Andrew. Andrew's "dark consciousness" had told him about the DNA Device and intended for him to steal it. Reptile, worried, contacted Magma, who ordered the security guarding the DNA Device to be increased.

----

The plane slowly came to a landing. Guards were all around, escorting the handful of prisoners aboard off. Among them was the one-eyed criminal simply known as Snake. They led him through the airfield of Antarctica. It was dark, but they had lights set up to ensure that they could find their way.

He was led past various other guards in the refugee facility, this particular section being one built specifically for criminals like him. He was processed, personal belongings were taken, though he was allowed to keep a pack of cigarettes. What surprised him happened shortly after they were done. A guard arrived, handcuffed him, and took him out of his cell. He was led down the corridors finally stopping to enter an office. There sat an older man with a bald head and mustache.

"It's alright," the man said. The guard left them. "Sit down."

Snake slowly sat down in the chair in front of the desk. He held out his hands, showing the chain that bound them.

"I'm not a fool, Snake," said the man. "My name's Hauk, I'm an elite agent of the Dino Attack Team. It seems you have quite a record here, Snake. Bank robbery, murder, arson, carjacking, mugging, multiple accounts of physical assault including several on officers of the law, smuggling, and selling pirated DVDs."

Snake smiled slightly, but did not say anything.

"As you may no doubt be aware, the planet is being overrun with Mutant Dinosaurs," continued Hauk.

Snake chuckled.

"That's not funny," stated Hauk, who remained dead serious. "This is war."

"I don't give a Znap about your war," replied Snake.

"You will," retorted Hauk. "If we lose this war, everyone dies… including you. Now I'm going to make you a deal." Hauk reached into his desk and pulled out a sheet of paper. "Full pardon for every crime you've committed in LEGOLAND. You join us, fight for the good of the planet, and destroy the mutant dinosaur menace, and you're a free man."

Snake took a moment. "I'll think about it," he said.

"I want you to think real hard. What's your answer?"

"I'm thinking about it."

Hauk frowned. "I can't let you think for too long. I need an answer now."

"Well," replied Snake, "I guess I have to deal with them one way or the other."

----

When a T-1 Typhoon carrying Zenna, George Brown, Alan Pierce, and David Norman landed at Adventurers' Island, they were greeted by Kate Bishop, a young Dino Attack rookie agent who had been stationed there. She helped them set up a small camp.

*****

Reptile's T-1 Typhoon, with Coral and Tail onboard as pilot and gunner respectively, commanded the rear guard of Dino Attack forces. This group was carrying supplies (like spare weapons and medical equipment) to Adventurers' Island (specifically, the Jungle region). However, while they were flying over the Desert region, a massive swarm of Mutant Pterosaurs attacked.

The rear guard fought back, but was unable to win. Left with no other options, Reptile ordered all surviving vehicles to perform an emergency landing in the Desert. Reptile's T-1 Typhoon landed mostly intact, thanks to Coral's piloting skills, but several other T-1 Typhoons were destroyed.

*****

Rex, Chompy, and Amanda rode with Hotwire and Tracer aboard the Talon to Adventurers' Island. As it traveled to the island, the Talon was attacked by Mutant Pterosaurs and forced to make an emergency landing at the edge of the island's jungle, causing mechanical problems. Hotwire stayed behind to make any necessary repairs to the Talon while Rex, Chompy, Amanda, and Tracer departed on foot (with Rex riding on Chompy's back, while Amanda and Tracer took turns carrying his wheelchair) to rejoin the others.

*****

Although he was new to piloting helicopters, Semick began to get the hang of piloting his vehicle, and was soon on his way to Adventurers' Island. During the long trip, Andrew meant to tell Laxus and Bluetooth about the recent developments, but the many subjects of conversation brought up, such as the legend of Baron Typhonus and the Dino Attack Database, kept him from getting a chance to tell them. He was about to tell them at one point when the T-1 Typhoon received word of a devastating ambush Mutant Pterosaur forces had made on the rear guard T-1 Typhoon fleet.

The next several minutes were confusing, with Semick trying to broadcast the news, get in contact with mission leaders, and figure out if he was in any position to help. Andrew and Laxus could only sit and watch as Semick's crew tried to launch an independent rescue operation, only to be blocked by an unbelievable number of Mutant Pterosaurs flying in their way. Eventually, he found that the airspace above the crash region of the rear guard was too risky to fly through, and resumed course to the primary Dino Attack Outpost.

*****

The next morning, Kate explained the details of the mission to the group, during which time she had a long conversation with David regarding the background of the Maelstrom. Kate told the group about the legends and stories surrounding the Maelstrom. Eventually, David left to try and locate the temple.

Upon receiving what they interpreted as a distress call from Andrew, Kate decided to try and help.

*****

David and Etmon were unexpectedly ambushed and captured by Cam O'Cozy. O'Cozy believed that one of his loyal realist followers had broken him out of the asylum, and that he was now trying to get to the Maelstrom Temple.

David managed to work out that O'Cozy was being unnaturally controlled by the Association of Technological Advancement, who were the ones actually responsible for breaking O'Cozy out of the asylum. The A.T.A. had operated on O'Cozy, implanting a small electronic chip in his brain that could effectively control him. David managed to throw a bucket of water onto O'Cozy, which shut down the chip. David then knocked out O'Cozy.

David was then captured by Dr. Cooper, a former Evil OGEL Empire agent who had joined the A.T.A. and used O'Cozy to get info about Adventurers' Island. He was flown to Cooper's base and put into a cell. However, the cell door was suffering from rot, and David easily managed to escape. He then escaped the base by stealing Cooper's helicopter. He landed back on Adventurers' Island, where he was met by agents Jeff and Peter, who took him back to the camp.

*****

Zenna's group arrived at the crash site of the rear guard, but was unsuccessful in finding survivors. They were able to determine the possible location of any survivors, but the presence of Mutant Pterosaurs made a rescue attempt impossible.

Shortly after returning to the camp, Kate decided to try providing a relief effort. Once again, Zenna, Kate, and George took the T-1 Typhoon to the area with the stranded agents. Kate was able to drop several crates of supplies to help the stranded agents. Matters were complicated when the Pterosaurs took notice. The Pterosaurs surrounded the T-1 Typhoon and tried to attack it.

Kate managed to save the crew using a makeshift bomb, which was able to scatter the Pterosaurs just enough to buy the T-1 Typhoon the time it needed to land. They were soon after joined by Charlie, who had received their distress call. It was then decided that the main priority was to find the Maelstrom Temple.

The group took the T-1 Typhoon to another clearing in the jungle, and after some wandering came across a small Dino Attack Outpost, where they spent the night. A Dino Attack agent informed them of ruins nearby. The next morning, Kate and Zenna investigated the ruins in hopes of finding out more about the Maelstrom. There, they found hints towards the stories Kate had mentioned earlier and clues suggesting that the temple was located somewhere in the Desert.

After landing the T-1 Typhoon in the Desert, they tried to find the temple, but the search was abruptly interrupted shortly after they started. A group of TumTum tribesmen unexpectedly struck Zenna and George with blowdarts, leaving only Kate and Pierce. Unsure of what to do, both managed to hide in the T-1 Typhoon, where they remained while waiting for someone to rescue them.

*****

Zenna and George later woke up in a native village. They later managed to escape along with help from Charlie.

*****

Upon arrival, Semick's crew was given another briefing from the agents at the outpost regarding the location of the Maelstrom-infected temple they were supposed to be finding. After receiving some advice from the outpost staff, Semick and his crew parted ways with Andrew, and began patrolling the jungle region for any sign of the Maelstrom temple. It was risky business, and several times they had to fight off Mutant Pterosaurs and a few Mutant T-Rexes. Even some of the native wildlife was hostile at times.

They were able to do some good for the team, though. At one point, they heard a distress call from agent Kate Bishop and Alan Pierce, reporting that they were stuck inside Zenna's T-1 Typhoon, after the local TumTum islanders had stunned and captured Zenna and George Brown. Semick was able to send Hotwire over to help them out, and also spread the word within the team about this development with the natives.

*****

Andrew and Laxus proceeded to man a Fire Hammer in their own attempts to find the temple and handle enemy forces. The latter was especially nerve-wracking, mostly due to the levels of paranoia Andrew developed. They luckily encountered few powerful hostiles, excluding a Mutant T-Rex sighting they managed to get away from, but the idea that a giant reptile of some kind could come charging at them at any moment was quite frightening. Morale didn't get much better once they received a warning about hostile natives as well, which meant that Laxus had to retreat from the turret and man the controls from the inside, and both agents had to cover exposed skin from tranquilizer darts.

*****

Rex, Chompy, Amanda, and Tracer located an Adventurers Outpost located in the jungle, in which they found Johnny Thunder's old journal. The last entry detailed Achu's concern over a tear in the universe that was concentrated at one of their temples; the description of this tear was like that of the Maelstrom. This suggested that the TumTum Tribe knew where the Maelstrom Temple might be located.

While Chompy helped Tracer gather Octan gasoline to refuel several Adventurers vehicles at the outpost, Rex heard footsteps and strange snarling coming from the jungle. In addition, he saw strange black spots on the ground where plant life withered and died. When he called Amanda over to investigate, they were met with several gunshots fired from an unseen Stromling Explorer. Thanks to Amanda's quick reflexes, the bullets missed the agents but succeeded in blowing up the Octan gas canisters. Chompy grabbed Tracer and jumped out of the way in time. Aware of the enemy's presence in the jungle, Chompy remarked that, although their attacker's scent bore some likeness to that of a Mutant Dino, it was no Mutant Dino that attacked them.

Tracer came to their aid and shot the Stromling Explorer, only to trigger a trap. Rex, Amanda, and Tracer were then caught in a net and surrounded by TumTum Islanders. They sent out a S.O.S. beacon.

*****

Around sunrise, Gahiji "Dust" Thutmose arrived at a smaller island about a mile off the southeast tip of Adventurers' Island. He had airdropped several supply crates (including things such as extra clothing, weapons, and a motorcycle) around the island earlier and he made it his first priority to locate them before he made out to locate a Dino Attack agent and successfully plant himself in their ranks. He armed himself with knife and a sword and dove into to the water towards the island.

He arrived in the early morning on a sandy beach and quickly came in contact with some of the island's dinosaur inhabitants being chased by a larger dinosaur. He managed to avoid the larger predator but this experience marked Dust's first encounter with a prehistoric animal.

Not long after, he made his way into the jungle, where Dust intercepted a S.O.S. from a group of agents in trouble.

*****

Reptile ordered the survivors to proceed to a nearby abandoned Adventurers Outpost while he and some other mechanics tried to get one of the broken T-1 Typhoons working (to get everyone to the island's Jungle faster). The engineers were able to restore limited functionality to Reptile's T-1 Typhoon, turning it into a hovercraft of sorts. They got the T-1 Typhoon to the Adventurers Outpost, where Reptile worked out a plan.

Since the T-1 Typhoon could only carry a handful of Dino Attack agents at once, they would make their journey in stages, using various temples, pyramids, and tombs as "checkpoints" that needed to be cleared of Mutant Dinos. To start, a team would be sent to secure a nearby pyramid. Then, once it was secure, the T-1 Typhoon would ferry the rest of the agents and their surviving supplies over.

After the first team (led by Stranger) departed, the outpost was attacked by a lone Pterosaur. Reptile, suspicious of such a large cluster of Pterosaurs, used a long-range scanner to obtain scans of the Pterosaur's DNA when it swooped overhead (close to ground). He discovered that the Pterosaur's DNA had been altered by the DNA Device to guard the Maelstrom.

Their progress across the desert went smoothly. Soon, the teams were reaching the second pyramid (the second and last waypoint in the crossing). However, things changed abruptly as Reptile (traveling on the second team to the second pyramid) discovered that the first team had been massacred by a Skeleton Mummy, created by XERRD. The Skeleton Mummy killed them and then, as Reptile watched, turned the dead Dino Attack agents into more skeletons, which then began to attack the other Dino Attack agents. Reptile then led the gathered Dino Attack forces in a battle against the Skeleton Mummy and its slowly-growing army of skeletons. In the end, with the assistance of Septimus (who held off the Skeleton Mummy while everyone else took care of the skeleton army), they were successful, but at least half a dozen agents were killed in the battle.

*****

When the repairs to the Talon were finished, Hotwire arrived to rescue Kate and Pierce. Shortly afterward, they managed to find and rescue Zenna, George, and Charlie.

They landed near a pyramid in the desert and witnessed a battle with a Skeleton Mummy. After the battle, they reunited with Reptile and joined the rear guard.

*****

Under Reptile's commands, Lord Sinister led one Dino Attack squad (including Frozeen and Greybeard) through several pyramid "checkpoints" along the way to the jungle. They stopped at each pyramid to exterminate any Mutant Dinos within.

Although Sinister claimed that he knew one pyramid "checkpoint" very well, he was actually quite unfamiliar with it and got the squad lost in its winding passages. Eventually, Greybeard accidentally activated a switch, which revealed a secret room.

In the secret chamber, Frozeen and Greybeard saw apocalyptic mural depicting the Maelstrom, Mutant Dinos, and Stromlings; this mural shocked Greybeard. The mural was then smashed by a pack of Mutant Raptors. Frozeen and the Dino Attack agents engaged the Mutant Raptors in battle, and Frozeen had to save Lord Sinister's life at one point. The fight was cut short when the walls of the chamber closed in. The Dino Attack agents escaped the room, trapping the Mutant Raptors inside as they were crushed to death.

Frozeen and Greybeard proceeded to tell Lord Sam Sinister about the mural they saw, which Greybeard believed to be a clue in their quest for the Maelstrom Temple. They began to search the pyramid for more clues about the Maelstrom Temple. The temple was rigged with booby traps such as rolling boulders. However, Sam Sinister and his team managed to find the Maelstrom Crystal: an artifact that Sinister believed would help them find the Maelstrom Temple.

*****

After intercepting the S.O.S., Dust traveled for about an hour until he found where Rex, Claw, and Tracer were trapped by natives. Chompy the Tyrannosaurus was also among them, although not engaging the native captors, so Dust was hesitant about making a rescue attempt with him there. He also figured that it would be better if he waited for the right moment so he would not need to kill the natives unless absolutely necessary; he figured that he would be less likely accepted if the first thing he did was kill.

Dust eventually got a gut feeling that the TumTum natives holding Rex and company were hostile and felt that waiting longer could possibly mean the death of the trapped agents. Even though Chompy was making him nervous, Dust approached the closest native from behind and broke the islander's neck. He then killed two other natives with a spear and punched a fourth one in the face. The remaining three natives panicked and one of them escaped into the woods. Dust then killed the remaining natives with his knife, but severely injured his hand when he fell to the ground. He freed Rex, Amanda, and Tracer from the net, but while introducing himself, the native he had hit in the face appeared behind him and pointed his spear at Dust.

Unfortunately, Dust's murder of the natives weakened any hopes of diplomacy the Dino team would have had with the TumTum tribe, and Dust was only saved when Rex convinced him not to attack the rest of the islanders that had arrived. Rex convinced the natives not to execute Dust and instead willingly surrendered, offering that they all go to the Aztec Village together as prisoners. He explained to his comrades that surrender was the best way they could meet Achu and form an alliance with the tribal ruler. The natives agreed and hit Dust with a stun dart, and Dust blacked out.

*****

Things got more exciting when Andrew and Laxus picked up an S.O.S. beacon from Rex around the boundary of the desert and jungle. Andrew raced to reach them, but decided to stop when they saw the beacon's source moving, indicating that arriving at the scene wasn't the best idea anymore.

*****

As Rex expected, they were escorted to Aztec Village and brought before Achu. There, they negotiated with Achu for Dust's life, as well as a possible alliance with the TumTum Tribe. When Rex suggested that the TumTum Tribe was acting xenophobic towards Dino Attack Team, Achu replied, "Xenophobic! We have reason to be protective of our island! We've already lost our home in the Amazon, and we've lost our village on Dino Island! This is our last stand, and we will fight to the death to protect it!"

Achu was angry with the group because Dust had killed several of his tribesmen. However, he saw that Rex and Chompy were natives of Adventurers' Island and would do anything to save their home from the Mutant Dinos, and thus he decided to put the Dino Attack agents to the test. Rex, Amanda, Tracer, and Chompy were then teleported into Dino-Park, the battlefield of the war between native dinosaurs and Mutant Dinos. There, they would have to hold their ground against seemingly endless waves of Mutant Dinos.

*****

Dust was brought to a river temple on the south side of the island. Dust awoke in a dark room, where he was tied to a pole and his injured hand was exposed to the dirt floor of the cell. He did not express any regrets about killing the five natives, but acknowledged the difficult situation in put him in. He expected that Rex would arrive soon; however, Rex did not come to save him.

Although he had no perception of time and therefore no idea how long he had been in the pit, he was feeling the results. Dust was beginning to feel pain and hunger. His hand was in worse condition than before; he was beginning to feel bugs on his exposed hand, and infection was now immanent. As he drifted in and out of consciousness, he made one last call for Rex before he blacked out.

*****

Zachary Virchaus arrived at the coast of Adventurers' Island's massive jungle by a speedboat. Out of that speedboat, Zach built his Steel Sprinter and headed out into the jungle to find elite agent Rex. Along the way, he saw two T-Rexes. While traveling, Zach came upon a mysterious temple. Curious, Zach went into the temple.

Dust's calls were finally answered when Rookie Agent Zachary entered the room. Dust was able to get Zach's attention just as the rookie was about to leave, and he identified himself as an archeologist who had been captured by the island's natives. Zachary was oblivious to his crimes and quickly unbound him, and the two left the room just in time.

Once the two had left the temple, Zach attempted to bind Dust's wound, but to little avail. The two decided to contact the Dino Attack Team, specifically elite agent Rex, where they hoped to treat Dust's wound more adequately.

Zach and Dust exchanged stories about their journeys up to this point as they drove away on Zach's Steel Sprinter into the jungle. Just as Zach commented on the lack of Mutant Dinosaurs on the island, the Steel Sprinter was attacked by a Mutant Raptor. The two quickly recovered and joked about the irony. Dust commented on his need of a gun, and Zack provided him with a Walther P99. Once they were both armed, the two opened fire on the Raptor, only to be stopped by the mutant's force field.

Seeing their predicament, the two rushed to the Steel Sprinter before the Raptor was able to strike. The two sped into the jungle with the mutant close behind. Even going over 100MPH, the Raptor was easily able to catch up. Just as it was about to close its teeth around the Steel Sprinter, two T-Rexes (the same ones that Zach had seen earlier) burst forth from the foliage and made battle with the mutant. The distraction was enough to allow Dust and Zach to escape.

Stopping to relax, the duo came to a halt in a clearing. Unfortunately, the TumTum islanders had learned of Dust's escape. Led by the powerful native Ahua, the islanders caught up with them and, in no time, Zach and Dust were surrounded. Dust resisted the urge to shoot the natives, and they slowly holstered their guns. Ahua ordered Zach and Dust to come with them, but instead Dust whispered to Zach to start the vehicle. As the natives advanced, Dust jumped on the Steel Sprinter and revved its engine, and the natives were showed with mud. Once again, Zach and Dust were able to make a quick getaway while the natives were distracted.

Zach expressed his annoyance for having to attack the natives. He explained that the only reason he did it was to keep Dust alive. The Egyptian made no attempt to hide his lack of caring for the natives. In frustration, the rookie sped up, not wishing to have any more conversation with Dust. Suddenly, the jungle vanished and they found themselves driving toward a cliff. The two abandoned ship and jumped as the Steel Sprinter disappeared over the side. Zach moaned at the loss of his vehicle but Dust showed little empathy and insisted they move on. Just as they were about to leave, the angry natives again emerged from the jungle and advanced on them. Paying little heed as Zach attempted negotiating, Ahua ordered them to be pushed off the cliff, and the natives obliged.

As Dust and Zach plummeted to certain death, they suddenly found themselves caught in a net attached to the cliff face. Dust guessed that it was originally used by Sam Sinister, Alexia Sinister, and Jacques Cunningham to capture Pteranodons in the early expeditions to the island. He also explained that, since it was meant as a trap, escaping would be almost impossible. The two found themselves suspended fifty feet above the ocean as it started to rain.

They had been in the net for hours and night fell. Both were beginning to feel hungry, but despite this, they soon fell asleep.

Dust awoke in the middle of the night to a salty spray. The waves were hitting the net now and his hand was in incredible pain from the salt water. He could still feel his hand, so he knew that it had not died yet, but he guessed that Gangrene had begun to take affect and that amputation might be the best option.

Surprisingly, Dust had begun to feel emotionally attached to Zach and tried to convince himself to not get involved. He said to himself, "Would I do the same for him? No! Zachary is unimportant, only my temple! Don't get involved."

Finally, his threshold for pain gave in. Dust gave in to unconsciousness, and soon he was asleep again.

*****

While debating on what to do next (and randomly changing the subject to other matters), Andrew remembered his dreams, and looked up his messages on his PDA. He found that Reptile had both replied to his message, reassuring him that the DNA Device was going to be guarded more securely, and had sent an all-agents bulletin that he had discovered that the Mutant Pterosaurs in the desert had been altered in a way that left clear signs of the Device's use, and that it might've been powered by Maelstrom energies. Given these new developments, Andrew finally filled in Laxus on the situation, who reacted with understandable concern and ideas that he could use some therapy. Despite Andrew's desires to continue fighting on the front lines, he agreed to seek out help when the mission was over. As he did so, he narrowly avoided driving off a cliff.

Looking down off the cliff, Laxus discovered Zach and Dust, stuck in a net suspended over a river far below. Andrew and Laxus were quick to act, getting out some rope and managing to get both agents onto solid ground and into their vehicle. Zach informed them that they had ran into "problems" with the natives due to some of Dust's shady actions and Zach rescuing him from a temple.

The four agents headed off into the jungle on Andrew's Fire Hammer in search of the Maelstrom Temple. They soon found a temple to examine, but were attacked by a native who recognized Zach and Dust. Zach forced the native off the Fire Hammer and they raced into the jungle, only to pop a tire and be chased by a pack of Mutant Lizards. Zach fired at the lizards with the Fire Hammer turret, until one remaining Mutant Lizard destroyed the turret with its acid spittle. Zach and Laxus left the Fire Hammer to challenge the Mutant Lizard, only for Zach to be attacked and to have his shoulder injured by the Lizard. Laxus defeated the Lizard and treated Zach's wounds.

They had lost the vehicle's turret and all mobility. Andrew expressed much frustration over this series of events, unusual even in these circumstances given his personality. Luckily, Laxus had gotten the idea for him to build a new wheel out of unneeded parts from the Fire Hammer.

Dust awoke to find himself in Andrew's Fire Hammer. Laxus had done some first aid on Dust's hand. Surprised by the notion of aliens, Dust paid little heed to Zach as he got out to meet his rescuers.

In the morning, the rain stopped. Dust was still wobbly on his feet as he found Andrew working on repairing the wheel for the Fire Hammer. After some small talk, he explained to Andrew that he had airdropped some crates and that he could use them if he needed the parts. Andrew thanked Dust for the offer and explained that he had a plan.

They had dismantled the Fire Hammer roof and bed, and constructed a wheel out of the components. They then got the brick wheel onto the vehicle. Despite the fact that the vehicle was now somewhat wobbly, they soon were making their way to the primary Dino Attack Outpost on the north side of the island.

*****

Eventually, Semick noticed a fire developing around the primary Dino Attack Outpost. Having since discovered another communications block was going on, he flew over to the base and made vocal communication with any agents below. Fire squads were already being sent out to take care of the flames, but they advised him to stand by in case anyone needed rescuing deep within the flames.

*****

Dust was somewhat uncomfortable toward the alien and, despite his best efforts, Laxus was able to tell. Although the alien was not offended by Dust's baaraparchuterphobia, he quickly changed the subject and explained his theory about the Maelstrom location. Andrew promised that they would look into it after they arrived at the outpost. Soon the sky was black and full of smoke, and as they arrived at the outpost, they found out why: a massive forest fire had engulfed the entire west side of the island.

Laxus and Andrew left to try to find any surviving agents trapped in the blaze, leaving Dust and Zach alone in the Fire Hammer because of their physical state. Andrew and Laxus rushed to get fire protection gear. When the two did manage to reach the outpost, where agents assigned to firefighting duty were getting the situation under control, they were questioned for their rash decisions. Nevertheless, the outpost managed to get a T-1 Typhoon on the job of rescuing them, piloted by Semick and his crew.

Andrew and Laxus were left by themselves at the primary Dino Attack Outpost.

*****

Dust expressed his annoyance for being left vulnerable in the Fire Hammer, and Zach was just about to agree when they were suddenly interrupted by diabolical laugh. A lone TumTum native had emerged out of the fire. Zach spoke to him, but the native responded that he was not an average native; in seconds, that native had revealed his true form and transformed into a Stromling Islander. The Stromling announced that it had started the fire and that the Maelstrom had infiltrated the Dino Attack. In shock, Zach and Dust opened fire on the Stromling Islander until their ammunition was gone, finally killing it. Its body was soon engulfed by the flames, destroying all evidence of its existence.

It was about 11 hours after Dust's initial injury when Semick's T-1 Typhoon found the Fire Hammer. Dust and Zach were raised up with the T-1 Typhoon's grappling hook, and there they met Semick, Bluetooth, and Raider. Semick explained that Andrew had instructed him to pick them up and that, because of the fire, they were heading to Outpost 108 instead of the primary outpost. Dust expressed his annoyance for having to go to the opposite end of the island, taking him farther away from the Temple of Hotep III, but Semick explained that their priority was for him and Zach. Considering the severity of his hand, it was important he received medical help as soon as possible. Dust chose not to interact with his rescuers, instead brooding in the rear of the helicopter.

Semick became wary of Dust, who was expressing a strong desire to find the Maelstrom Temple despite severe injuries to his left hand. Even though this could be explained away with determination to help the team or stop the Mutant Dinos, the Elite Agent couldn't shake a bad feeling he had about the Egyptian agent. But there were more important matters to discuss, as he was informed by Zach that the two had encountered a Stromling in disguise as an islander, and that it had told them that there were more infiltrators hiding within the team. Semick quickly told Outpost Commander Rockford at Outpost 108 about this horrifying revelation, and advised them to be wary of Dust.

That night, Dust had a nightmare. He stood atop the steps of his temple. The agents below pleaded with him to stop, but Dust was not listening as he drew his gun and aimed at the agents. Then, Chompy charged up the stairs and dug his teeth into Dust. He only had enough time to shoot an agent below before he was thrown into the Maelstrom.

*****

During the battle in Dino-Park, Rex and his teammates met up with Clark Deadworth and a female T-Rex. Chompy and the T-Rex immediately recognized one another as siblings. Since Rex could no longer speak dinosaur language and Chompy's sister could not understand English, Chompy had to act as her translator. She initially refused to help the Minifigs, but Chompy refuted her argument and forced her to help.

The group was losing the upper hand to the Mutant Dinos. Aware that his handicap was potentially putting Amanda in danger, Rex said, "Don't kill yourself because of me."

"I promised not to leave you!" replied Amanda, who saw it as her duty to push his wheelchair.

However, Rex was knocked out of his wheelchair by a Mutant Lizard. Quickly improvising with some rope, Rex tied himself to the back of the Lizard, which would now serve as his steed. "Now, look," he said sternly to assert his dominance, "we've got a long way to go, you're going to take me there, and you're not going to give me any trouble about it, right?" The Mutant Lizard meekly shook its head. "Good! Now, let's get going!"

After Rex sent Chompy to help create an alliance with the native dinosaurs, the Dino Attack agents were teleported back to Aztec Village, where Achu informed them that they were under attack by Mutant Dinos.

Rex immediately began commanding Dino Attack agents and TumTum Islanders alike to form a strategic defense. Achu had created a magical barrier to keep most Mutant Dinos from approaching, but maintaining the barrier made him weary.

*****

Dust woke up in the medical bay of Outpost 108. It was around 6:00 in the morning and it had been fifteen hours since he hurt his hand. He was greeted by Nurse Naomi Carver who informed Dust about an attack on the Aztec Village and that they had treated his hand. She explained that Dust's hand was basically dead and that he would no longer have any feeling of it; the entire immune system was gone, so it had to be sealed in a glove to prevent any harm to it. She said that it would be simpler than an amputation, but warned Dust not to remove the glove until prescribed.

Dust then noticed that guards were watching him. He asked, "Are armed guards common in the sick bay?"

Naomi replied, "Only for you, Mr. Thutmose." She explained that Semick had given the order to keep an eye on him.

Dust acknowledged this and asked for a map of the island. Dust was provided with all the materials needed for located the temple.

Naomi soon grew attracted to Dust because of his good looks, charm, and rebellious attitude. Although he ignored her signals, this did not stop her from flirting with the Egyptian. Naomi observed Dust as he did his work finding the temple, even though she was confused for the most part. However, when Dust came closer to the solution, she started to like him more than ever.

Dust managed to narrow it down to fifteen temples on the east of the island despite Naomi's flirting, and soon was able to narrow those fifteen to eight Egyptian temples. The temple dedicated to Osiris soon caught his attention and he estimated that, even though it appeared small above ground, it had a massive underground network. Dust guessed that this temple (located on the northeast peninsula) held the Maelstrom and, thanks to his charisma, he soon was able to get everyone in the room to believe it, too.

*****

After arriving at Outpost 108, Zach was promoted from a Rookie Agent to a Standard Agent. He built himself a new Urban Avenger to replace his Steel Sprinter he had lost at the cliff. After finishing the new vehicle, Zach and Semick were attacked by Mailstorm and Dr. Dunkelheit, two Stromlings disguised as Dino Attack agents. The two agents defeated the Maelstrom agents, confirming the Stromling Islander's warning of spies within the Dino Attack Team.

Having heard reports of a massive Mutant Dino attack headed towards the Aztec Village, Semick prepared to come to the aid of both the TumTum Tribe and the agents already presumably present. He allowed Zach, who was eager to redeem himself in the natives' eyes, to be the fourth member of his T-1 Typhoon's crew as the front gunner.

*****

At the moment of celebrating, the outpost went on high alert after Zachary killed two Stromlings in the courtyard. Dust showed little concern, which surprised Naomi Carver, until a message informed the base that everyone would be questioned to see if they were Stromlings. Dust was the first to be called and he was escorted to the interrogation room.

*****

Semick's T-1 Typhoon arrived at the Aztec Village before things got rough, giving them time to hear a speech from the native leader Achu.

Shortly after landing in the village, Zach got into a short argument with Minerva Fabello when he was spotted by Ahua. Furious to see Zach alive, Ahua pointed him out to four other TumTum Tribesmen and ordered them to capture and hold him. Zach was brought forward to Achu. Although Ahua wanted to execute the Dino Attack agent, Achu remembered Zach from his previous visit in 2005. The tribal chief evaluated the young agent, deciding to give him a chance to test his loyalty and prove his worth to the village. Allowed to battle under TumTum escort, Zach was assigned four guards to supervise his actions. Ahua confiscated his rifle and Achu handed him a spear, not trusting the agent with his gun.

Rex overheard Achu speaking to Zachary. Fearful that any mistake might cost the alliance between Dino Attack Team and Achu's Islanders, Rex approached Zachary and sternly warned the young agent that he better not mess this up. Rex also realized that Dr. Rex was using the Maelstrom to further bend Mutant Dinos to his will, meaning the only hope of saving Mutant Dinos was by containing the Maelstrom and killing Dr. Rex.

Soon enough, the battle began.

*****

Dust was provided with an inexperienced interrogator; although the interrogator proved that Dust had no evidence about being sent from Egypt, Dust had control of the entire conversation. When asked why so interested in Maelstrom, Dust responded that he had the right to learn; he compared the Maelstrom to any other element of science.

Dust said, "We all strive to understand that that is unknown, corporal.  Man sought to understand fire, lightning, why the sun rises and the sun sets. The Maelstrom is just another mystery. Like any man, I wish to be enlightened."

When accused of being insane, Dust then countered, "I think. So did Newton, Da Vinci. They were anchored to no one. I'm not anchored to you, or anyone. I don't have to play by your rules."

The interrogator was outclassed, greatly out of his league with someone like Dust. He was instructed to no longer speak to the Egyptian, a fact that Dust took great amusement in.

At that point, Outpost 108 decided to call in an expert. Commander Rockford (who was a former attorney) had been observing the interrogation up to this point. After doing some research on Dust's past, he chose to take over the questioning. Armed with information about Hotep III, Rockford confronted Dust about that obsession. Rockford asked Dust about Hotep's connection with the Maelstrom and was surprised to find out that Dust really did not care about the Maelstrom at all, discovering that Dust really only cared about Hotep III and the temple itself. Rockford had to ask why.

Rockford was getting a little too close for comfort. Dust did not want to reveal the truth about his heritage yet. He decided that his best move would be to back up his claim that destroying the Maelstrom Temple would be unwise and ignored the question from Rockford. He argued that, if Rockford where to destroy the temple, it would set them back so far that it would make 2010 look like the Stone Age, and wondered if Rockford could live with himself if it were true. Deciding to change the subject, Rockford asked Dust to explain how he worked for himself, to which the Egyptian responded that, if an agent gives an order, he would make a judgment call, and then do what he thinks is right and smart. He said that he would not get hung up with the chain of command and would instead do what needs to be done. Dust then asked Rockford if he was afraid his agents would not obey if they knew what the Maelstrom could do.

Rockford was beginning to be confused by Dust now; he stated that no one would ever side with him concerning the Maelstrom. Restating his earlier question, Rockford said that Dust still has not produced any proof about his claim that he was sent from Egypt and that he was avoiding the subject of Hotep III.

Dust was beginning to discover that creating a complex con was making things harder for him. Thinking that a person who cares about his heritage is far more credible than a Maelstrom radical, Dust decided to tell part of the truth. He then told Rockford that Hotep III was his ancestor.

However, Dust did continue with his lie that he was sent from Egypt and said that the reason he was picked for the assignment was because of his expertise on the subject. He told Rockford how he had made the discovery about his family when he was 15, to which the commander wondered why Dust had not told him earlier. Dust explained that he, being royalty, might compromise the mission and himself, which is why he decided to hide it up to this point. Dust explained that, because of his extra knowledge on Hotep III, he could bring more to the table than others. When Rockford asked what, Dust responded that he could show him.

Rockford was beginning to understand Dust now to some extent, but he still tried to convince Dust that trying to save the temple was vain if it really did hold the Maelstrom. He explained that, if Dust had not requested to keep his identity secret, they might be able to work something out. At that moment, Rockford's assistant got a message from Egypt, proof that Dust had not come on their behalf. Rockford gave Dust one last chance to come clean.

Dust had a pretty good idea what the message said, and he decided to buy time by telling a story about WWII, in which the Allied forces destroyed a monastery they thought held Nazis. However, the Nazis were never in the monastery; the only thing the Allies destroyed were the monks inside and the priceless art. Rockford was not satisfied with Dust's answer and gave him another chance to tell the truth. But, Dust still had a few tricks up his sleeve: to gain the Dino Attack's favor once more, Dust chose to give them a gift, to show that he could be useful even without being sent by the government. He then told them where they could find a box in the jungle that he claimed would be very useful to them.

Rockford considered the story and informed Dust that they would look into finding the box. Until then, Dust would be detained in a holding cell, where they would decide whether he could really help or not. Rockford then left the room and told his assistant to inform the founding agents about the interrogation.

The Interrogation was over and Dust was finally escorted out of the room; he had been unable to leave for a total of 4 hours and 36 minutes, and he was thankful to get a chance to stretch his legs and relax. Dust was moved to a holding cell where he would be kept for two days.

*****

Many things happened during Laxus and Andrew's stay at the primary Dino Attack Outpost. When the smoke cleared, agents found Andrew and Laxus's Fire Hammer burnt and melted to the ground, presumably by purple flames. The two were mystified, but things became clear when the outpost received word that Stromlings had infiltrated the team. Andrew and Laxus were questioned and investigated, as well as the rest of the outpost's agents, but luckily the pair wasn't put under suspicion.

While arranging for a new Fire Hammer, an agent in an Urban Avenger made a dramatic, rolling entrance into the outpost grounds. Although severely injured, he was able to tell the minifigs at the scene about a large-scale attack on the Aztec Village. Despite a sudden Stromling ambush made to keep the matter quiet, several agents (including Laxus and Andrew), were quick to act, and they proceeded to the village as fast as possible.

*****

Zach and his guards joined the rest of the natives and the Dino Attack Team in the battle to defend the village from the Mutant Dinos. Zach managed to kill several Mutant Lizards before being attacked by a Mutant Pterosaur. Zach launched his spear into the Pterosaur's eye, blinding it. However, it scratched the spear out its eye and scented out Zach, trying to blast him with its lightning wings. Zach lost his balance as the Pterosaur snapped at him and went in for the kill when he was saved by Minerva. Zach thanked her for the help and they both decided to forget their fight from earlier. Zach was about to begin a search for a weapon.

Semick, Bluetooth and Raider provided support from their T-1 Typhoon. The fighting was fierce, and Semick began to grow wary of their chances. At one point, a Mutant T-Rex managed to get their tail in its claws, but quick action by Raider managed to save the vehicle.

Unfortunately, Achu's magic shield surrounding the village had failed when Achu fainted from the strain, allowing all the Mutant Dinos to charge the village.

Zach, Minerva, and Zach's only remaining native guard fled the stampede of Mutant Dinos. Minerva and the native managed to climb over the wall; however, Zach was attacked by a Mutant T-Rex. Zach dodged the Mutant T-Rex's laser eyes and climbed on the back of the T-Rex. He attempted to throw pepperspray into the Mutant T-Rex, hoping it would injure the T-Rex. However, the pepperspray did nothing to the Mutant Dino. Zach jumped off the T-Rex and fled into the village.

Rex commanded the Dino Attack agents and TumTum islanders to take up positions that would make defending the village easier. He suddenly heard rumbling and, using his binoculars, saw something in the distance that would bring salvation: an approaching Triceratops stampede. However, in an attempt to warn everybody to get inside Aztec Village, Rex's Mutant Lizard steed was killed by a Mutant T-Rex.

Zachary hid in the ruins of a house destroyed by a Mutant Lizard. While hiding, he spotted Rex on the ground, with a massive Mutant T-Rex standing over him. Zach grabbed Rex's Sonic Screamer and distracted the T-Rex long enough for Zach to help the paralyzed agent on to his back so he could run from the charging group of Mutant Dinos.

Zachary rushed Rex inside Aztec Village, where Rex told the young Dino Attack agent to warn everybody else to get inside the village before the Triceratops stampede arrived. While moving through the village, they met Minerva, whom they asked to spread Rex's message to any survivors she could find. She obliged and headed out into the village while Zach and Rex continued on into the village.

There, they met Ahua, who revealed himself to be a Stromling Islander in disguise. Ahua also revealed that Dr. Rex was losing control of the Mutant Dinos he had created with Maelstrom energy. Zach shot back, claiming the statement was a lie that was supposed to scare them. Ahua replied that he might be lying, but decided that he would kill them before they found out. Zach and Rex, both weaponless, still believed they could beat the Stromling armed with Zach's rifle. However, Ahua summoned six more Stromling Islanders, armed with spears, to kill Rex and Zach.

Andrew and Laxus arrived at a critical point where the already-present Dino Attack agents and the natives were being overwhelmed by the onslaught. Andrew and Laxus quickly got into action, but not before unloading the agents that had hitched a ride with them.

While taking down Mutant Lizards, they spotted Rex and Zach being surrounded by Stromlings. As the Stromling Islanders were about to attack, Andrew immediately drove into action, arriving at the site and allowing Laxus to open fire from the turret. Andrew got out, helping Rex and Zach into the safety of their Fire Hammer, narrowly saving the vehicle from fire with the quick throw of a rock. He sped off once they were on board, even though at least one Stromling had survived. Ahua knew his cover had been blown and fled the Aztec Village after the Dino Attack agents escaped.

Once they were safe, Rex told Andrew to begin searching for more Dino Attack agents and allies so he could continue to spread his message. Andrew proceeded to carry out Rex's request.

In the Fire Hammer, they were able to spread the warning, and everyone made it inside Aztec Village. Once this task was done, Andrew, Laxus, Zach, and Rex could only watch as the Mutant Dinos threatened to flatten the village. Two Mutant T-Rexes managed to break down the village gate. Just as it all seemed lost, the Triceratops stampede arrived and decimated the Mutant Dinos, saving the lives of everyone in the village.

As the agents took a moment to celebrate this turn of events, Bluetooth reunited with Andrew and Laxus, and their discussions turned to whatever was going on with the other missions. Bluetooth fetched his laptop from Semick's T-1 Typhoon, and they, along with Zach and Raider, checked up on the status of the Second Headquarters Squad, the Castle Cove mission, and the Brickster-Bot attack on Dinosaur Island, most of which turned out to be bad news. They also discovered a notice on Dr. Rex's hacking of the database, which had since been cleared up.

Zach decided to find Achu and, hopefully, have his slate cleaned. His request was granted and the scorn from other Islanders ended.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 35: Dust Before the Wind

----

Upon nearing Mount Bricklake, Spino intercepted a message from a nearby Dino Attack outpost under attack from a legion of Mutant Dinos. GAIA Squad responded; Freefall, Ptero and Valencia flew ahead to thin the enemies' ranks out in the skies, and then Spino, Tex, Aravis, Shade and Tex followed, crushing resistance from their opponents, who soon retreated. As they charged into battle, Sauro-Hunter cried, "Into the sky! To win, or die!"

The squad was allowed into the base. The Dino Attack agents were introduced to Dino Attack agent Necrosa, who had sent out the emergency broadcast. He then informed them of the Hybrids' betrayal and occupation of their hometown. Before they left, Necrosa volunteered to go with Sauro-Hunter and the squad as they began their assault.

Upon reaching a large, domed structure, GAIA Squad was captured. Sauro, Aravis, Spino and Ptero were taken to the penitentiary, while Tex, Shade, Freefall and Valencia were taken to extra holding pens for Mutant Dinos. Upon waking up, Sauro was shackled ten feet off the ground along with his teammates. When Sauro-Hunter asked where they were, "Necrosa" revealed himself to be a XERRD scientist, Dr. Nekrosis. He revealed that he had infiltrated the Dino Attack outpost by killing his twin brother and impersonating him.

Sauro-Hunter then pointed out a large, dark shape behind the mad scientist. Nekrosis introduced Enox Phorm, formerly Dino Attack agent Raptor. Nekrosis revealed that he had rescued Raptor from his supposed death and, with the help of Dr. Zed Provhezor, corrupted him into the Hybrids' commander, now a mutant creature of great speed and agility. Enox had sworn a binding oath of fealty to Dr. Rex and Dr. Nekrosis, forcing him to do their bidding.

Aravis insulted Enox Phorm, whom retaliated by biting her shoulder with his inner jaws. Sauro-Hunter assisted his fiancé by wrapping a bit of torn sleeve around the wound. "Why are you doing this, Raptor?" asked Ptero. "After we had been friends for many years?"

Sauro-Hunter replied, "Raptor died in Antarctica. He is dead and gone."

Nekrosis then sent the squad to fight in his private arena for his own amusement, escorted by several chameleon Hybrids. Enox then took the agents to the arena's armory, where Sauro grabbed a new sword. After selecting weapons from the arena's armory, Enox informed GAIA Squad that their first fight would be in an hour's time. Before entering Nekrosis's arena, GAIA Squad was reunited with Tex, Shade, Freefall, and Valencia, all equipped with a set of light kevlar armor.

"Let's bash some heads," said Aravis.

When the gate opened, Aravis pointed out that the crowd was made up entirely of Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids. Nekrosis then ordered that the first wave of monsters be released: Mutant Lizards. Ptero thinned out the number of attackers with his newly acquired grenade launcher, but he was warned to use the grenade function sparingly since he had limited ammo. Sauro-Hunter told his teammates, "Short, controlled bursts, no spray-'n-pray crud; make every shot count."

After clearing the first wave of attackers, Enox had Pteranodons and Raptors released as the second wave, as he was getting bored with the Dino Attack agents winning too easily. During the second wave, Sauro-Hunter told his teammates, "I have an awesome plan!"

"Sauro-Hunter has a plan. I'm not sure whether to rejoice or be afraid," remarked Aravis.

"With all things considered," replied Spino, "I'd go with afraid."

His plan was to blow a hole in a wall to allow themselves to escape by using the plasma cannon in his mechanical arm. After a quick calculation, Sauro-Hunter estimated that he'd need to utilize most, if not all, of the cannon's battery to accomplish the task. As the cannon was charging, Nekrosis released several Mutant T-Rexes with Hybrid riders in an attempt to stop them. Sauro-Hunter fired the cannon as it was about to implode, blowing a hole in the pit's wall large enough for Valencia to get through. Spino and Shade went through first to clear the way, followed by Ptero and Freefall, then Tex and Valencia, and finally Aravis and Sauro-Hunter.

One Hybrid, a green chameleon variety with feathers, turned on the other Hybrid on the T-Rex next to him. Said Hybrid's mount also attacked the other Mutant Dino, smashing it into a wall. Aravis attempted mental contact with the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid, who turned out to be Eno Saurson, a Hybrid who had left XERRD's forces while they were still young and joined the Evil OGEL Empire's army as a mercenary. Eno simply told her to run. Aravis complied, climbing up into Valencia's saddle. She also made contact with Ragnarok, Eno's mount and Tex's father, who said that he was going to help his daughter's "family" get to Dino Attack Headquarters, even if it meant his death and Eno's capture. She informed Sauro-Hunter of what was happening.

"Aravis," said Sauro-Hunter, "I swear, on the Brickipedia itself, I will marry you as soon as we get back."

Aravis hesitantly replied, "Thanks. Gonna get Greybeard to do the service?"

Sauro-Hunter shrugged. "Despite the fact that he tried to kill Tex and me? Sure."

Sauro-Hunter asked if they were any closer to the exit. Much to his chagrin, nobody knew, though Tex offered to make an exit for them. The Mutant T-Rex melted the stone wall with her fire-breathing, which revealed the outside. Aravis provided psychological support as Tex's internal furnace grew colder, but Valencia told the Dino Attack agent to save her strength and provided her own support. After holding off several packs of Mutant Lizards, the squad escaped. After Sauro-Hunter's energy pistols went dead, Aravis dropped two machine pistols and several full clips onto his lap from the air. At Valencia's urging, GAIA Squad left the area and headed toward a nearby outpost.

Enox Phorm relentlessly pursued them with several hundred Hybrids. After several hours of running and flying away from the Enox's Arena and towards the Dino Attack outpost, Sauro-Hunter ordered GAIA Squad to rest and that he'd take first sentry duty. After a while, Sauro-Hunter found out that Enox had been keeping pace with them and fired his machine pistols at both Enox and an Alpha-class Mutant Lizard, which woke everybody up. Aravis stopped Tex from ramming Enox with her horns, cautioning the T-Rex that the ex-Dino Attack agent had acid for blood. Aravis caught a whiff of Enox's blood and commented, "Ugh, it smells like a buzzard's butt fell off and got sprayed by a bunch of skunks!"

Instead of ramming him, Tex breathed fire at Phorm, which caused the oil covering his skin to spark. Enox left, shrieking at a high enough pitch to cause Sauro-Hunter and Shade to go temporarily deaf. GAIA Squad moved on after that, knowing they were not safe sitting still.

They reached the outpost the next day. Upon coming into view of the outpost, Sauro-Hunter ordered an immediate evacuation of personnel and projects. Spino and Aravis were sent ahead to help while the rest of GAIA Squad held off Enox's small army long enough for a caravan of transport Iron Predators filled with vital equipment and research to escape.

-----

Semick came in for a landing, desiring to talk to Rex about his concerns with the downed rear guard. The former Power Miner was getting anxious about reuniting with them, and desired to attempt to make contact with them and, if successful, send an intervention team to help them out. After getting Rex's blessings, Semick told all agents manning a Dino Attack vehicle to aid him in his goals.

*****

Reptile then ordered the rear guard to proceed directly into the jungle. They had taken casualties, and they desperately needed to reunite with the rest of the Dino Attack Team before getting into another major battle. He sent out scouts, including Fireball, to recon the area and either find the Maelstrom or make contact with Rex and the others.

Unfortunately, they quickly got involved in another major confrontation: an army of Mutant Dinos was fighting the Native Dinos, and Reptile ordered the rear guard to help out. It was Kate's first real combat action, and as a result she was somewhat unprepared.

*****

The defense of the Aztec Village had ended the day before, and Dust was spending most of his time looking for familiar faces out his cell window. Naomi Carver would come in frequently to deliver meals, check on his hand, and inform Dust about what was happening outside. Dust used this time as an opportunity to further his manipulation of the nurse, and soon he had loyal eyes and ears to keep track of how the hunt for his case was going. Dust was annoyed by how little progress was being made but he was able to get Naomi to help convince the agents to increase their efforts.

Dust never needed Naomi because, not long after she left, Rockford approached Dust in the cell block. The Commander informed Dust that they had located the box and that it was in the courtyard as they spoke but it had yet to be opened. Dust was handcuffed and lead to where the crate was being kept.

Dust appreciated the attention his handcuffs created because it drew in a larger crowd to witness his unveiling. Although Rockford was skeptical about what was in the box, Dust claimed that what was inside could save lives. He stated that many agents had already died because of various traps in the temples, and what he was about to show them would prevent that. He then revealed the original blueprints of Hotep III. Since he was the only one who could translate it, he guaranteed his value on the team.

Rockford agreed that Dust could be highly beneficial to the team and ordered him to stay and translate the blueprints, but Rockford still did not want Dust leaving the outpost. Although upset about his continued monitoring, the Egyptian did a good job at hiding it and had to admit that it was better than a cell.

----

Special Agent Magma sat down in a briefing room on Alpha Team's Island HQ, facing a table of scientists. These were supposed to be the world's experts on genetics, or at least, those experts who had not joined either XERRD or the Dino Attack Team. And Alpha Team had summoned them to study the DNA Device.

He hadn't been taking the DNA Device seriously, until recently. Reptile's message had made him look into the subject, and Magma wondered what had motivated Specs to dismiss it so thoroughly. It seemed... out of character.

But still, while he had taken over management of the DNA Device project and begun meeting personally with all involved scientists, it did not really become an issue until a report from Reptile, in the field.

Magma spoke, as was his habit, without any preamble, introduction, or greeting. He knew why he was here, and the people he was talking to knew why they were here: to wit, to listen to him.

"We have received a report from Dino Attack Elite Agent Reptile on Adventurers' Island that is troubling. While it is confidential, I'm going to share it to you since you're already going to be locked on this island until Dr. Rex is defeated due to the research you've been doing," Magma began, and saw several of the scientists wince at that.

He grabbed a piece of paper on the table, and read: "We have detected a massive swarm of Pterosaurs in an orbital arc around the Jungle region. The swarm's DNA has been altered by the DNA Device, to make it protect the Maelstrom at all costs."

He put it down, and continued. "Our working theory is that the DNA Device was charged with the power of the Maelstrom, and that the witch Aethra either found or manufactured it on Adventurers' Island, and used it to set up defenses for this critical part of XERRD's operation."

A scientist asked a question: "Why is this relevant to our work? Is it just another example of what the DNA Device can do?"

Dr. Formula, a skilled mathematician and programmer, the only one of the scientists who Magma knew personally, and the only one who had seen the DNA Device in operation in the field, moved to speak. Magma nodded in his direction, allowing him to answer this. "It is relevant because as I documented most thoroughly, the DNA Device leaves a signature trace. And our tests suggest it can easily find biological entities it marks with that trace," Formula said.

"But those tests were over a distance of a few meters, not the kilometers between here and Adventurers' Island!" objected another scientist. "We would need much more power to try targeting something all the way over there, and even then it might not work!"

And then they started arguing. Again.

Magma activated the wall communicator. Its beeping silenced the bickering scientists. "Magma to operations. Want a team of engineers to bring down a new batch of power bricks and charging cables to the DNA Device room immediately."

He then turned to the research team. "I do not care if you do not think you can do it now. It will be done. We will figure out a way to target those Mutant Pterosaurs on Adventurers' Island, using the DNA Device, because the lives of every Dino Attack agent, native inhabitant, and free dinosaur on that island may depend upon it. And if they fail to seal the Maelstrom because of the Mutant Pterosaur swarm, then possibly everyone on the LEGO Planet will die because we could not get the DNA Device to do something we know it can do. So we are going to the DNA Device laboratory and we are going to figure this out. Understood?" Magma asked, glaring at the research team.

Each scientist nodded, in turn.

And so they went to work.

----

Freefall could see Dino Attack agents scuttling around the outpost, moving equipment and the like. Should we help? the albino Pteranodon asked.

Valencia, Freefall, you might cause a panic, Aravis replied. Set us down just outside of the outpost and fly back to Sauro-Hunter's and Spino's position. Keep me updated on how close those Dinos are.

Got it, Valencia projected, closing her wings for a fraction of a second. She landed in the dirt with an extremely audible thud, akin to a T-Rex's body striking the ground. Aravis slid to the ground, drawing her sword.

Ptero landed next to her, folding his wings up behind his shoulders and readying his grenade launcher. "Expecting trouble?" he asked.

Aravis nodded. "I don't just expect it," she growled. "I'm counting on it."

*****

"You got a flare?" Spino asked.

"We have something better," Valencia said as she landed. "Tex, Sauro, help me illuminate what's in the shadows."

The three simultaneously inhaled deeply and released steady streams of flames from their mouths. Glowing points of light winked at them from a distance.

"They're getting closer," Sauro noted. He flipped on the comm channel. "Aravis, Ptero, what's the status of the evacuation?"

"Extra weapons and munitions are loaded up," Aravis reported. "We're loading up the lab supplies now."

"Lab stuff?" Spino asked. "It's that important?"

"Yes," Ptero replied. "This stuff could turn the tide of the war in our favor."

"Turn the tide in our favor?" Sauro asked. "I'll hafta take a look at it when Spino and I get there. For now, we'll hold the Dinos off. Sauro out."

----

7:36 PM

It was all part of the plan.

Gahiji Thutmose sat at a desk in one of the offices of outpost 108. He had been ordered to translate the blueprints of the temple for the cartography unit of the base. Gahiji gave off a cheery attitude for the agent assigned to assist him. He even engaged in small talk with the men as he went about doing his work.

The largest of the four men pointed to five drawings at the left side of the ancient scroll. "Ay. What do they say?"

Dust leaned over the heavy glass case to get a better view. "Keep watch," he said flatly.

"For what?" said a tall Indian man.

Dust sat back in his chair and sighed. "Keep watch for the low ceiling."

The Indian man sat back, disappointed.

Gahiji scribbled something on his notepad. "It has been 7 hours and I have not even copied down a third of the map."

"I thought you said you knew how to do this!" said the large man.

"I do," said Dust. "But writing down a literal translation does not work. I would be much better if I was there with you and just told you what it all means."

"But you would still need a copy of the map," said a guard with a handlebar mustache. "Unless you want to haul around this thing," he added, pointing to the case.

"This map has been passed down through the generations of my family. I have it memorized. It would be much simpler to bring me with you; I could also interpret any hieroglyphs on the walls," Dust continued. "Chances are there may have been last-second alterations to the design. These may have been documented on the walls of the temple itself."

"We have orders that you must stay here," said handlebar mustache man. "Finish it."

Gahiji Thutmose sighed and looked at the case containing the scroll. About fifty feet underground, there was a passageway where, given an amount of weight on the floor, the exits would close, locking the occupants inside.

Gahiji thought for a moment. This would not kill whoever was inside; it would just trap them. The simple solution would be to send agents through one at a time so as not to trigger the weight pad.

Or he could not mark it, and the agents would be trapped in the chamber.

The map said that instructions for escape were encoded in hieroglyphics on the outside. If Dust went along, he could be the savior of the men.

"What is the chamber?" asked the Indian guard.

"Nothing," said Gahiji. "The inscription only lists it as a wall of history."

It was a lie.

When the agents came to the room, they would call on him for help. Dust would come and let them go, and if they did not call, all the agents inside would rot in that chamber forever.

Gahiji Thutmose smiled. No harm done.

"How long until this is finished?" asked the large guard.

"I should be done by this time tomorrow," said Dust, chuckling.

Everyone smiled. Including Dust, but Gahiji Thutmose was smiling for a different reason.

*****

"Do you understand what you're letting the guy do, sir?" the agent who Rockford dismissed from interrogation duty asked him. "You know how he acted back there, trusting him with translating the map is a total let-down of your guard! Imagine where he could mislead us!"

"I understand that," Rockford replied, "but this is a calculated risk I believe is for the best. He's the only one here who knows the Egyptian language well enough to get this done quickly. In any case, I intend to warn agents to not be too trusting of the translation, just to be safe. Plus, I think I should tell him a few things before he's done."

As he passed by an office-like room where several agents were gathered, Rockford motioned for his companion to stay behind as he walked in. Everyone acknowledged him, except for the agent bending down over some old papyrus and a notebook.

"Translations going well, I assume?" Rockford asked.

Dust looked up. "Ah, hello commander. This is going well, but it will at least take me sometime tomorrow to finish this. Possibly more if the others in here keep interrupting me."

The other agents looked like they were about to object, but Rockford beat them to the punch. "Lay off him, he's not going to work faster with inquiries and insults. Anyways, take as long as necessary, Mr. Thutmose, but not too long. Time is always of the essence here. But first, I just want to talk about something."

The Egyptian looked at him with puzzling look. "About what?" he asked.

Rockford sat down in a chair. "Mr. Thutmose, before the war, I spent my time working as a lawyer, mostly helping the authorities prosecute wrongdoers. I've had experience trying to uncover what part of witness and defense statements aren't backed up by the evidence at hand. Often, the defendants would use trickery and fraud to try to avoid being caught or convicted, but not once did they fool us. The jury.... may not have been as sharp as us every time, but in most cases, I was not let down. And in the end, I believe that each and every one of those crooks are given a chance somehow to turn their lives around and do something good, even if they did escape the long arm of the law. Crime never pays, after all, but redemption does."

Dust stared at the outpost commander blankly, but with a small sign of frustration. "So... what does your life story have to do with me and my work?"

"What it has to do with this," Rockford continued as he gestured to the temple blueprints, "is that even though you've made yourself look like a threat to the team, you have the chance to undo it all and become a better agent and true hero. All you have to do is return the favor of our kindness to you of allowing you to stay here without a prisoner treatment. Keep treating us well, and we'll keep it up until you become one of the most notable agents of the team, like Rex, Sauro-Hunter, Zenna and the like. We might even help you to preserve the temple you seek."

Rockford then leaned closely towards the Egyptian agent. "But don't treat us the way you would want to be treated, and there will be consequences. I'm no fool, and neither are the Founders. Backstab us, no matter how covertly, and we will track you down and send you packing home. These are crucial times, Mr. Thutmose, and we cannot waste time with internal conflicts when the fate of the planet, and perhaps the universe, lies in the balance. And as recent events have shown, even after the war is over, a bigger threat lies waiting in places just like your temple."

Rockford got up from his seat and went back towards the door. He turned back to see Dust looking at him sternly. "You're still not trusting me."

"Yes, Dust, but that can change if you do the same. The choice is yours, and for your own sake, as well as ours, I hope you make the right one." With that, Rockford left the room.

*****

Agent Fireball proceeded cautiously across the jungle.

He was one of the agents in the "desert team", and had been sent off as an advance scout before the rest of the team entered the jungle. A rather annoying incident with two Mutant Lizards had occupied him and stopped him from being able to report back, so now he was searching - not just for the objectives, but also for Reptile.

Fireball had been on the team for a long time. Some agents, who had joined the team shortly after the destruction of the Iron Hammer but before the discoveries of XERRD's operation, longed for the good old days when all they had to fight was Mutant Dinos. Fireball didn't comment, as he had been in the team when they habitually beat back every villain who could gather up a few minions, a vehicle, a secret base, a Mutant Dino of some sort (either robotic or controlled) and a plan.

He thought to himself, Nearly every two-bit villain who tried to take advantage of the Dino Attack either tamed a Mutant Dino or built a Robotic Mutant Dino. I remember that the team wasn't sure, for a time, whether the Robotic Dinos or the regular Mutant Dinos came first. They're mostly gone now, mainly because we've defeated villain after villain who tried to use them.

He had even served on the Iron Hammer, and once he had fought alongside Magma himself to destroy a laboratory controlled by scientists who Fireball now suspected were renegade servants of Dr. Rex.

Fireball found it rather ironic that he had done more fighting as a Dino Attack Team member than when he had been in the army.

In any event, surviving all of that had given him a strong sense of cynicism and caution, but also a sense he was ready for almost anything.

Almost anything, and when he found the fortress, he knew this was one of the things that he wasn't ready for.

It was a large structure, but it spread out through the jungle in ways that made it appear to not be there. Its walls were guarded by men, some of those carrying primitive laser weapons (from about ten years ago technologically, Fireball estimated), and others with projectile weapons.

Mercenaries? wondered Fireball. But the soldiers appeared a little too organized to simply be various mercenaries. They also didn't appear disciplined enough to be soldiers of the LEGOLAND army, which relieved Fireball.

Could Dr. Rex have put this up around the Maelstrom? wondered Fireball. He pulled out the device Reptile had given him and turned it on. Fireball had nicknamed it a Dark Energy Detector, although Reptile had stressed that it was only built out of the spare supplies and miscellaneous tech being carried by their T-1 Typhoon and would probably detect any form of extradimensional energy, or none of it at all. It didn't detect the energies generated by the Maelstrom (or, rather that were parsed through the four dimensional shifts that comprised the eleven dimensional object nicknamed "the Maelstrom"), but rather any radioactivity and energies leaking through rips in the space-time continuum.

Fireball had nodded, pretended he understood all of this, and taken it.

Now he held it up in the air, and the various mechanisms on it began to spin and glow. He frowned as the number on the display began to increase.

It settled on 74. Reptile had told him that if it reached 100, that meant the Maelstrom was within about a square kilometer. So it's nearby - but not in this fortress.

Then, unfortunately, one of the men guarding the fortress spotted him and opened fire with his weapon. Fireball ducked behind the trees and pulled out his own weapon. He returned fire, but when other men on the walls joined in, Fireball realized it was time to run.

He needed to get this information to Reptile. The fortress had to be controlled by Dr. Rex, and it was likely to be the base for his Maelstrom-tapping operations. They would definitely need to destroy it.

*****

Zach couldn't help but smile. He had just solved one of the many problems plaguing him. Now I have to deal with Mutant Dinos, Stromlings, and who-knows-what-else. Zach thought. But at least I'm less likely to have a spear in my back because the Islanders don't trust me. Now I can only get spears in my back from Stromlings. Zach shook his head. He had grown to despise Stromlings and the Maelstrom in general, especially with the threat of Ahua over his head.

"That native-Stromling gives me chills," Zach said, shivering. "The fact he was the only one to survive out of seven Stromlings doesn't really inspire me with confidence. And, the fact that he seems to have it out for me..." Zach let the sentence drift off. He suddenly stopped walking as he noticed he was about to run into the Dino Attack agent. However, the agent noticed him and turned.

The agent frowned before eventually smiling. He stuck out his hand. Zach shook his hand before quickly pulling away. The agent chuckled before saying darkly, "Come on, I don't bite." Zach raised an eyebrow. This agent was obviously middle-aged, but had seen a lot, by the large amount of scars on his face. He had stubble over his chin and dark, terrifying eyes.

Zach gave a half-hearted smile before introducing himself. The agent nodded. "Mmm hmm. "My name is Logan Zekria, but I'd prefer you call me Scratch. And don't ask me to tell you why to call me that." He laughed in a way that Zach almost thought sounded like a hyena. Scratch slapped Zach on the back, throwing him forward.

Zach glanced at Scratch's hand and saw it was decorated and numerous scars and bruises. Zach shot a glance at his other hand and saw that it was clean of scars, only covered in some dirt. "Did you get those scars from Mutant Dinos?" Zach asked, pointing to the older agent's hands and face.

"Not most of them," he said, smiling wider. Zach noticed he was missing a tooth. "I used to be a good adventurer years ago. I came to islands like Adventurers Dino Island and Dinosaur Island and met some nasty reptiles that roughed me up a bit."

"A bit?"

"Well, a 'bit' might be an understatement," Scratch laughed again. "They tore me up all over and even took out my right hand." He flashed a hand in Zach's face. "The miracles of today's technology got me a prosthetic hand almost as good as the real thing."

"Interesting," Zach noted. "I suppose you were able to hold your own against the dinos and decided to use that talent to save the LEGO Planet."

"You could say that," Scratch said. The two agents grew quiet. Zach help but shake the nasty feeling that there was more to this agent than meets the eye.

"What do you think of the Triceratops ambush on the Mutant Dinos?" Zach asked, trying to start up conversation again.

"Meh," Scratch said, and he spat on the ground. "We don't own those overgrown, outta-date reptiles anything. It'll be us, the minifigs, that defeat those mutated beasts." Zach was surprised by the hostility of the agent's voice. "I hate those dinosaurs. It'll do us good if the mutants and the normals kill each other off." Scratch laughed again before stopping and turning towards jungle nearby.

"I heard something," Scratch whispered. "Someone's watching us."

Zach shrugged and whipped out his Sonic Screamer and fired into the vegetation. A green laser bolt shot out of the jungle. A crunch sounded and a minifig fell out of the jungle brush. Zach smiled at the minifig who was clutching his ears and moaning before falling into unconsciousness.

"You shot a native!!" Scratch shouted. "Do you think you can just fire shots in the dark?!?"

"Nah," Zach replied, walking over to the Islander and rolling him over on his back. "But we're lucky. This native happens to be a Stromling." Scratch gasped as Zach stared into the face of the unconscious Ahua.

----

Thomas Craft drove along through a city. He was being chased down by a few Mutant Lizards. He turned an abrupt corner and spun around in time to run over one of them. "Ha! Gotcha!" he yelled back as the others of the group continued chasing him. He soon found a place where he could lose them easily, and drove through this exit. There was finally enough space to lose the lizards, and he shot off too fast for them to catch up. He continued his search for other Dino Attack members.

----

"I'm not so sure if this is going to work, Semick," Bluetooth admitted back inside Semick's T-1 Typhoon. The Elite Agent had just explained his plan to contact the rear guard in spite of the comm block, and he and Bluetooth had returned to their vehicle for their part in the plan.

"It might, it might not," Semick admitted. "But we have to try. With the stakes continuing to get high, we can't leave such a large group of agents to fend for themselves. This rescue effort is long overdue."

"To be honest, I'm surprised they haven't got back yet. They've got a lot of capable agents with them, shouldn't they have made more progress by now? I mean, it's been-"

"A strong plan doesn't always work out. The agents may not be putting all their effort into it, or they're running into a lot of obstacles slowing them down. Either way, they're probably doing their best, but it's slow progress. I can only hope reaching them cans speed things up a little."

"If we can," Bluetooth said as he thought over Semick's strategy again. The idea was to take all the radios in the present Dino Attack vehicles and somehow hook their broadcasting abilities to amplify a broadcast channel enough to break through the jam. Bluetooth felt that one of the Dino Attack outpost, which were trying to set up broadcast repeaters to accomplish the same goal, would be a better focus for the radio, but with the potential dangers still present for the native village, Semick had felt that it was a little too risky. The T-1 Typhoon would have to do.

"Okay..." Bluetooth monitored the radio monitors situated by the TALON-9 screen. They were starting to glow from the incoming channelings from the other vehicles. "Boosts coming in. How's it sound up there?"

Semick sat in the cockpit, having already set his radio to Hotwire's frequency. His role was to now see if the loud buzz of the comm jam was starting to quiet from the boost. "Still noisy... but it's starting to clear up. Slightly. Any signs of a blowout?"

Bluetooth had told the elite agent earlier that there was a risk that the radio might short-circuit from the incoming channeling. Dino Attack vehicle radios, even the T-1 Typhoon's and Iron Predator's, weren't design with such a large recipience of broadcasts at one time. Semick had simply reminded him of the scientific risks of the atom bomb, the Solar Explorer, and the Large Hadron Collider, and told him he was willing to take such a risk.

In any case, from Bluetooth perspective, the radio was taking the boost well enough. "It's straining a bit, but nothing I can't balance," he said, fiddling with some knobs and switches to balance incoming radio power.

"It's clearing..." said Semick, "it's clearing.... at least, I think it's clearing."

"Try sounding out to them, someone's bound to hear you! Kat probably should, being in control of the T-1 and all."

Semick began without acknowledging him. "Hello? Hello!! This is Elite Agent Semick, reaching out to anyone currently operating Elite Agent Hotwire's T-1 Typhoon! Can anyone hear me? Please respond if you can!"

*****

"OPEN FIRE!" shouted George as he loaded a gun and began firing, though it did very little good beyond getting the attention of some of the other dinos.

"I know I'm no real expert," said Kate, "But I don't think that did much."

"I can see that," said George. "We might need a better plan, anyone got any ideas?"

"We could try what we did last time," said Kate.

"And what was that?" asked Reptile.

"I was in a T-1 Typhoon with Zenna and George here," replied Kate. "I managed to scatter a group of Pterosaurs with a makeshift bomb. If we have the materials, we might be able to try something here."

Pierce was naturally behind the lines trying to take cover; being a civilian with no combat experience, he would have little chance of survival in the open. There were a few supplies lying around, including a busted radio, or at least it seemed dead. It naturally came as a shock when it suddenly came to life with a distorted message

"Hello? He...is Elite Agent Semick, reaching...to anyone currently operat...ite Agent Hotwire's T-1... Typhoon! Can anyone hear me...ase respond if you can!"

It was distorted, but Pierce heard enough that he could make out the basic message. "Unidentified agent," Pierce replied into the radio, "this is Alan Pierce, I read you. I repeat, I read you. Over"

*****

To both Bluetooth's and Semick's surprise, they managed to hear a reply. "Unidentif*btz*ent, this is Alan Pierc*btz* read you, I repeat, I read yo*btz*"

"Strengthen the signal!" Semick cried to Bluetooth before speaking back into the microphone. In what he could hear, he had at least recognized the voice. "You cannot imagine the relief I have for hearing you.... Alan. I repeat, this is Elite Agent Semick. I was the one who got your distress call earlier and sent Hotwire over to you guys. I can tell his rescue operation was successful."

As Semick was talking, Bluetooth tried to see if there was any more vehicle amplification coming in. It didn't look like any new ones were coming in, so he would have to use power from the other, less important, systems of the T-1 Typhoon. The cabin lighting would be the first sacrifice, and the balance of the makeshift repeater power would have to be tipped slightly.

Semick's correspondent continued to come in as the technician worked. "*btz*ppy about that too, but how i*btz* the world are you getting through? Esp*btz* on a busted radio?!"

"Long story short, we managed to MacGyver a radio repeater to- wait, did you say you're coming through some random radio? I transmitted towards Elite Agent Hotwire's T-1 Typhoon! Not saying I don't want to talk with you, but where is his T-1? And can you get me into contact with either him or Elite Agent Reptile?"

*****

"Long story out here," replied Pierce. "The T-1's not far, we took a few pieces of equipment. Over."

"Can you... contact...wire...Reptile? Over."

"Unfortunately that's going to be a little tricky at the moment", replied Pierce. "The agents in our group are busy fighting mutant dinos." Pierce looked back at the fight going on. "They told me to stay out of it naturally, seeing as I have no real combat experience, I'd probably be killed instantly, and they need someone with medical experience."

*****

"You guys are stuck in a struggle?" said Semick. "How big is it? And can you give me any details?"

There was a slight pause before his correspondent continued. "Pr*btz* big! It's actually a lar*btz*ale conflict between Mutant D*btz*nd the regular kind! We just stumbled upon it! I can't tell if *btz*iven an advantage to the good on*btz* though!"

"Don't worry, I have no intention of leaving you guys to fend off the attack yourselves! Make it clear to the others that I'm going to come with aid!"

"How? I haven*btz* en told you where we are!"

"Radar and GPS is still operating over here, so we shouldn't have too much of a problem! But I won't be able to speak to you on the way there, though. Our solution to the communication jam isn't going to work in transit."

"*btz* long as you can make it, that's fi*btz* Hoping you can get *btz*oon! Pierce out!"

The channel became silent of Pierce voice, though the sounds of battle could be faintly heard. Semick got out of the cockpit, motioned for Bluetooth to turn off the radio, and hopped out of the T-1 Typhoon. The Dino Attack vehicles that had helped him communicate had been parked close to the T-1 Typhoon for the best results.

"You can turn off the radios now!" he shouted to the vehicle's occupants. "I've managed to make contact with the rear guard!"

The other agents cheered for the former Power Miner, and Semick allowed them to quiet down before continuing. "Moving on," he said, "what happened was that I managed to reach a medical civilian on the field through a radio, though not Hotwire's for one reason or another. But the important thing is that I learned that they're in the middle of a fight between Mutant Dinos and native dinosaurs. Whether or not any peace has been made between us and the native species, I feel we need to send a team out there to lend a hand in getting them back to us."

"You want us to all go?" asked an agent in an Urban Avenger.

"No, we shouldn't leave this village totally undefended in case of subsequent attacks. What I have in mind is that I lead a group of two Fire Hammers from my T-1 to the sight of the battle, which we should be able to pin down through radar. Once we arrive, we help out the guard and uninfected dinosaurs however we can, whether it's leading a retreat or helping to achieve victory."

"Who do you want going?" asked Andrew from his Fire Hammer.

"I think we can spare a few experienced agents. Though I think you and Laxus should stay, Andrew. Rex and the natives could use your well-proven skills." Andrew smiled sheepishly as Semick said that.

"Now," Semick continued, "I have a few ideas of who should join me, the first two of course being some drivers for the Fire Hammer." There was some laughter as a response to the last remark. "But first, I'm open to any volunteers. Who feels they're prepared to join me?"

*****

9:18 PM

Dust made the last lines of the map and sat back to admire his handiwork.

It had taken Gahiji Thutmose two more hours than expected to translate the map but he was relatively sure that what he had done was an accurate representation of the temple interior.

All that remanded was the booby-trapped hallway. Dust stared at the hallway longer than he thought he would. He was not at all afraid of Rockford; most prosecutors had a strong sense of justice and often played by the rules, they break the rules and they lose the case.

As someone who was often on the defense side of things, Thutmose was no stranger to getting out of reach of the law's "long arm." Out of the fifteen times that Gahiji had been arrested, he had only been to jail four times. The other eight times he had to pay a fine, and with his cash, this was often no problem.

Gahiji smiled. He always defended himself, and one time he was so successful he turned the case around and was able to get the attorney and judge to resign after revealing bribery between them.

No, Rockford did not scare him. In fact, Dust felt strongly that Rockford had no intention of keeping his word about the temple preservation. To Dust, Rockford did not seem to be the kind of person to compromise.

At that moment, commander Rockford walked into the room. "How is it coming, Thutmose? You said you'd be finished two hours ago."

"Ah, Rockford, glad to see you," said Dust. "I just finished."

"Excellent!" said Rockford, leaning over the ancient scroll and then Dust's copy. "Did you have any problems?"

"Mostly it was converting cubits to meters. In biblical times, the standard unit of measurement was the ruler's forearm length, or cubit. In this case, Hotep III's. But since we don't have my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather with us today, I had to estimate."

"So you're saying this map may not be accurate."

"I translated the hieroglyphs so I can tell you what to look out for, just where may be somewhat inaccurate."

Rockford frowned and placed the map in his briefcase. "Nonetheless, thank you for your help, Mr. Thutmose."

Then Rockford turned and left the room, carrying Dust's bobby-trapped map with him.

*****

Ahua coughed and his eyes flashed open, glaring into Zach's. He growled. "How did you discover that we were there?" Ahua asked.

Zach pointed back to Scratch, who was calling other agents over to apprehend the Stromling. "I think he has some sorta extra-powerful senses. Improved hearing, sight, I dunno, the works."

Ahua swore. "We hate you Dino Attack agents!!" he hissed at Zach.

Zach rolled his eyes, and shoved his Sonic Screamer at Ahua's chest. "Why do you speak in plurality?" Zach asked, annoyed the Stromling hadn't been answered the question before.

"Why do you speak in first-person?" Ahua said mockingly. "It's a point of view, moron."

"Don't be a jerk," Zach responded jokingly. Ahua clenched his teeth, and kicked Zach in the stomach. Zach doubled over as Ahua picked up laser rifle he had been carrying and aimed it at Zach. Zach felt dizzy, but he could faintly hear yells and the clicking of weapons behind him from the Dino Attack Agents that Scratch had gathered. Ahua adjusted his aim from Zach to the rest of the agents and opened fire on them. Zach stood up and punched the distracting Stromling in the cheek.

Ahua was thrown back, clutching his face. He fired one more shot before a dark black cloud consumed him. A second later, the cloud dissipated, leaving no trace of the Stromling. Zach turned back to the five Dino Attack agents that had arrived, three attending to the two wounded.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Scratch gesturing him farther into the jungle. Zach jogged up to the Dino Attack agent. "What's up?" Zach asked.

"Firstly, nice work with that Stromling," Scratch replied. "Showed him who's boss. Second, look and listen." He pointed over a T-1 Typhoon with a couple of Fire Hammer surrounding it. He saw Semick reporting that he had made contact with a medical civilian out in the jungle with Dino Attack agent Hotwire's team. He listened to his plan of sending several agents into the jungle to find the Dino Attack agents and help them and the Dinosaur natives on Adventurers' Island fight a battle with the Mutant Dinos.

"...but first I'm open to volunteers. Who feels they're prepared to join me?" Semick finished.

Zach raised his hand. "I'd like to join your crusade into the jungle!" he shouted to the former Power Miner.

He saw Semick smile and shout his reply, asking: "You think you can handle it?"

"Ha!" Zach laughed. "This'll be a piece of cake compared to what I've already faced!"

Semick laughed. "Alright then, come on over here!" he said, gesturing Zach over to the T-1 Typhoon. Zach fought through the crowd until he was next to Semick.

"Any other volunteers?" Semick asked.

"I think I'll join," Scratch said quietly, walking over to the T-1 Typhoon. Several agents back away from the scarred agent as he passed by them.

He isn't exactly the happiest-looking guy on the planet. Zach thought. I would back away too, if I hadn't already talked to him. Semick, however, stood firm.

"I'm wondering if I should even ask if you're prepared," Semick said. "You look like you've just about seen everything and barely made it."

Scratch grinned his crooked smile. "I can take it."

"Good!" Semick said.

Scratch went to stand by Zach. Zach could hear the scarred agent mutter under his breath, "Those stupid reptiles won't escape me for long." Zach winced. He seemed determined to kill any Mutant Dino in his path.

Zach jumped as Semick began speaking again. "Any more volunteers?" he asked.

Semick received a few more volunteers after Zack and Scratch, although they weren't anyone he knew well. Regardless, they would do.

Once he had selected his personal choices, he began to lay out his intents. He, Bluetooth, Raider and Zach would crew their T-1 Typhoon, while Scratch would join the rest of the intervention squad in their two Fire Hammers. Once everyone was ready to go, they would follow a relatively clear path through the forest from the village to the desert, and then close in on the rear guard's approximate location through radar. The squad would then find out what condition the guard was in, and help them out any way they can.

"Good plan," Scratch commented once Semick was finished explaining. "Why are you just now an elite agent anyways?"

"I'm only one of many skilled strategists," Semick replied. "And gaining Elite Agent status frequently means you've done a lot on your missions and have become a highly notable figure in the team. My lucky break with the Constructopedia is what I'm guessing put me in the limelight."

"But like you said, it doesn't always have to be notable," said Bluetooth. "I barely heard of Redshirt at all, and he was an Elite Agent. And from the sounds of it, how he was killed is probably the only thing people will know about him."

"Yes, what I'm saying is most likely not how the Founders decide on promotions. But our team is full of countless agents, many of which have died in the line of duty, yet only a few of them are being remembered in the history articles. I was an unknown myself, so are many of the agents we know. But eventually, one big mission comes along and certain agents you meet do certain things, and suddenly everyone knows your name."

Raider looked at Semick with interest. "Hmph. I've rarely heard anyone think of the team like that, boss. Sounds like one of those 'dust in the wind' anthologies I kept hearing from weird people at cafes."

"Well, don't fuss over it or anything, I'm not trying to keep anyone down. Let's get back to helping our teammates. Everybody to their vehicles."

No more words were exchanged as the group got to their respective vehicles. Once he made sure everyone was strapped in, Semick flew his T-1 Typhoon back into the air.

"Everyone down there ready?" he asked Bluetooth, who had gotten up to look at the Fire Hammers down below through the open entry hatch. They had decided to have the Fire Hammer occupants signal the T-1 Typhoon through simple arm waving through the vehicle's open windows.

"All signs are go!" Bluetooth answered as he closed the hatch and returned to his seat.

"Good! Now let's fully reunite this team!"

"Nice one!" Zach complemented from the front gunner station.

*****

Pierce sat back, somewhat relieved, although still somewhat nervous. "I just hope they can hold them back long enough," he thought aloud. He knew Zenna, Reptile, and George were all experienced and knew what they were doing. But what about Kate? She was fairly new at this; would she be able to take it?

George managed to fire another round at one of the Mutant Dinos, injuring it, although not very seriously.

Kate struggled to load her gun. Finally managing, she attempted to fire on the Mutant Dinos. Obviously, she wasn't terribly comfortable with the weapon. She fired a few rounds, all of which missed. Suddenly a Mutant Lizard charged towards her. It was practically right on top of her before a shot rang out and, too injured, it staggered off.

George approached, weapon in hand. "Kate!" he shouted. "Try and get to the back of the line."

"What about the rest of you?" replied Kate.

"Don't worry about us," replied George, "we'll take care of this. You get back."

Reluctantly, Kate stood up, briefly stumbling as she struggled to get back.

Pierce was surprised to see Kate limping towards him, although he had half-anticipated it. She stumbled and collapsed. Unable to leave her, Pierce reluctantly climbed out of his hiding spot and ran towards her, helping her up and taking her back to cover.

Kate seemed only half-conscious, and she had some pretty bad cuts, the blood staining her clothes. She was groaning in pain.

"It's alright," said Pierce, "you're pretty much okay, just some bad cuts."

He looked at the supplies, noticing a small first-aid kit. Opening it, he found little more than a few bandages, but that was really all he needed. He carefully wrapped the bandages around the injuries. "That should help stop the bleeding," he said, "and it should be fine until we can help."

Kate was starting to come round by this point. "Pierce," she said, somewhat panting, "what happened?"

"It's fine," replied Pierce, "they're taking care of it. Hopefully soon, we should get reinforcements."

"How?" asked Kate.

"Well," said Pierce, "I was sitting here when suddenly the busted radio came to life. I got a message from Semick, and he promised he'd help us."

Kate smiled.

"Now get some rest," said Pierce. Kate lay back and tried to relax.

Pierce took another glance at the chaos in the distance, relieved not to be stuck in the middle of it, he turned and sat back down as he glanced at Kate, who was resting on the ground, still looking pretty badly beaten though. "Come on, Semick," he said, "where are you?"

*****

Zach hadn't felt so relaxed since… well, since before the Dino Attack. They might be heading into another epic fight for their lives, but he was T-1 Typhoon, high above most troubles where nothing could get them, save for Mutant Pterosaurs and T-Rexes. He began to lay back inside his gunner station only to jump at the sound of Raider's voice.

"Hey!" Raider shouted. "No falling asleep!"

"I wasn't," grumbled Zach. "I was just relaxing before we fly into another maelstrom of danger."

"Don't make Maelstrom jokes, please," Bluetooth sighed. "I hate those guys."

Zach chuckled. He sat up in his seat and began scanning the jungle tops for anything. He saw something flying, but a closer look showed it to be a flock of Pterosaurs flying together. "You see those Pterosaurs?" Zach asked.

"Hmm," Semick said. "Yeah. You think they might be heading to help the native dinos against the Mutant Dinos?"

"That seems likely. I also think they might be heading to the same battle we are."

There was a pause. "Maybe," Semick muttered.

"Should we follow them?" Bluetooth asked.

"I don't know. I don't to be following some native dinos back to their nest rather than to Hotwire's group," Semick replied.

Zach saw reason in Semick's statement, and decided not to pursue the matter. He watched the Pterosaurs for a few more minutes before turning away, and continued to search for signs of the battle between the native dinos and Mutant Dinos.

*****

Scratch was sitting at the turret of one of the Fire Hammers heading out to find Hotwire's group. He was constantly glancing beside him, looking for not only Mutant Dinos, but regular dinosaurs.

I might have grown a wee bit paranoid since working with that Sinister fool all those years ago, Scratch thought. He growled. Stupid Sinister. Thinks he could just fire me from his little Dino Island expedition. Apparently, I'm 'too obsessed' with ridding the world of dinosaurs, even though they scarred me for life! Scratch scowled.

He wanted to save the world, but he had also joined the Dino Attack Team for a personal reason. After what happened with the dinosaurs several years ago, Scratch had begun dreaming of killing all of the dinosaurs on the LEGO Planet. When the Mutant Dinos arrived, killing his whole family in LEGO City and destroying his home, he decided to stop dreaming and put his plan into action: To put all dinosaurs to extinction.

This battle might be my chance to finally act, but I can't let anyone discover my plans. I don't think the Zach agent knows completely of plans, only of my hatred of dinosaurs, Scratch thought. I should be safe in the meantime.

Scratch looked on ahead, clutching the control to the turret. Suddenly, he heard shouting from the Fire Hammer ahead of his. As his Fire Hammer grew closer, he saw a group of Mutant Raptors and Lizards attack the Fire Hammer. Scratch winced as he saw the driver get picked up by a Raptor and thrown on the ground. He tried to crawl away, but the Mutant Raptor was too quick and brought its foot upon the driver.

"Scratch!" the driver of his Fire Hammer shouted. "Fire!"

Scratch swore and aimed his turret at the Mutant Raptor that had killed the other Fire Hammer driver. "You won't escape me, you filthy, rotten, no-good, son of a MegaBlok reptile!!" Scratch screamed as he opened fire.

*****

1:00 PM

Gahiji Thutmose was escorted to an observation deck overlooking the courtyard. Rockford was honest when he said that, once the map was done, he could be moved to more comfortable accommodations.

Dust picked up a magazine and sat back in a chair, putting his feet up on the reeling. Below him Rockford walked across the courtyard caring the briefcase containing the map.

Soon he would rally the troops and then… Dust smiled. I wait.

*****

Zenna fired another round into a Mutant Raptor as George suddenly appeared behind her. "I don't think it's doing much good," said George. "They just keep coming."

"I tried to tell them just killing every dino we saw isn't enough to stop them!" shouted Zenna.

"Well, we're pretty much doing that now!" George shouted back.

"Well, this is self-defense!" retorted Zenna.

"Well, that is quite different," replied George, "but how are we supposed to hold off against these Mutant Dinos? How many of us are there again?"

"Not very many!" shouted Zenna as she shot another mutant dino.

"And where's Reptile anyway?" asked George. "I'm not sure; he must have gotten separated in the confusion."

*****

"Here's the map," Rockford said, handing the suitcase to the strategists. "Overlay Dust's translations onto a copy of the blueprints, but also attach a few notes to it."

"Need to warn them about the translator's untrustworthiness, I assume?" one of the strategist agents asked.

"Not in a way that would make the team think of it as useless. Get me some paper, I'll try and give you the best phrasing."

One of the agents handed him a paper and a pen. Rockford took it and wrote:

Notices:
Do not trust the map's translation to be perfect. Besides simple mistakes due to time constraints, as pre-construction blueprints, the temple's construction might've been subject to change without updates to the plans. As well, the temple's Maelstrom infection and XERRD occupation may have caused destruction to the structure or leave additional hazards and traps.

As another note, the translator of this map is an agent under investigation for background fraud and attempted using of the team to attain ownership of the temple for personal reasons. In an attempt to continue efforts against us, he may have left traps unmarked or areas mislabeled. Furthermore, it might do investigators some good for agents to not purposely destroy the temple, unless this action is absolutely necessary for elimination of the Maelstrom threat. Gaining allies is crucial during this risky phase of the war.

"That should do it," Rockford said as he handed over his work. As the strategists prepared a document to be sent out on Dino Attack PDAs, one of the agents from communications came running up to the commander.

"We just managed to send off reports to HQ through digital and repeater-strengthened means, sir," he said. "So far, we don't know if they were received, but we hope that it'll come through and the Founders will be alerted to the Islander and Dust situations."

"Anything more to report?" Rockford asked as they both walked into the hallways of the outpost.

"No, sir, no messages have come through besides the confirmation of victory at the village. As for here, we're working now on improving Stromling detection measures using the technology used to find evidence of the temple in the first place, which should take care of the situation. Hopefully."

"Good, because it's been a few long days. Yet the issues with Mr. Thutmose is still pressing. I have to figure out how we can either turn him into a helpful ally or send him down south. Maybe I should... well, that's cutting it close, but..."

"What do you have in mind, sir?"

"I'm thinking about putting him on a 'bail' of sorts. Let him go, but have him under supervision to make sure he... well, I don't know what he would do, but at the least, I'll make sure he doesn't directly bring harm to the team or jeopardize the mission."

The agent looked at his superior with curiosity. "Are you saying you're...?"

"Going to personally watch over him? Given the situation, I believe he's concerning enough to require close overview. Mr. Thutmose is the kind of individual who requires a sharp mind and lots of second glances to keep an eye on. Besides, as the old saying goes, 'if you want something done, you should do it yourself.'"

Rockford took the keys for his Urban Avenger out of his pocket. "Alert my second-in-command to take over in my absence. I'll personally alert Dust to my choice, and we should be out within the hour."

"Yes, sir, and good luck," the agent said as he began to walk away. "I think you'll need it."

Rockford walked off to Dust's quarters himself, thinking over the agent's words as he did. He's probably right, he thought, I may need all luck in the world for this one.

*****

Reptile had gotten cut off from Hotwire and most of the other agents in the chaos of the fighting. He was currently backed against two trees carrying his Goo Sphere launcher. He was looking for the giant Mutant T-Rex that had been leading the assault. It seemed somehow different from the other T-Rexes in the battle and so Reptile wanted to deal with it personally.

Fortunately, he didn't have to go hunting for it. It charged him.

Reptile aimed the Goo Sphere. He liked the weapon. It was a humane way to deal with the Dino threat; it didn't kill them, unlike too many of his other inventions, it merely put them to sleep. Later, they could be revived, studied, and hopefully cured.

He fired it.

Nothing happened. The T-Rex looked at him in what Reptile guessed was disdain, and then grabbed and killed another agent fighting nearby. Reptile did not remember the agent's name - a point which struck home this failure.

Only now was he noticing the telltale green stripes and markings over portions of the big T-Rex. Markings which Reptile hadn't seen since the Goo Caverns. Dinos resistant to Green Goo.

They were all killed! The Dino Attack Team had wiped many of these Dinos out until a large army of them attacked in Quadrant 14. Even there, many were killed until the volcano erupted - and when Reptile hijacked the energy generators of an Ogel Drilling Vehicle to seal the Dinos behind for four minutes thirty seconds. Just long enough for the eruption to vaporize.

They can't have survived, can they? That's impossible! Reptile guessed that this Dino had merely escaped and left before the Dino Attack Team's attack began, as none of the other Mutant Dinos here in this battle were so mutated. But that knowledge didn't help alleviate his worries.

Reptile opened fire with his laser, as other Dino Attack agents were doing. But that would take way too long to bring down this beast. He had no choice.

From a secure, sealed pouch on his belt he removed a spherical device, with various beeping lights. A terrible device that Reptile took no pride in inventing. One of two prototypes that he had with him; the other was currently being tinkered with.

This was an example of his knowledge gone wrong. The Goo Sphere was a humane weapon that put a Dino to sleep. This... was the other end of that scale.

He shook his head sadly. "I'm sorry," he said softly. And Reptile threw the Overloader Mark II at the T-Rex.

Mid-air, clamps extended from the device. When it struck the Mutant Dino, the clamps embedded themselves in the Dino's skin. The entire thing began to glow and beep ominously as the T-Rex's eyes and mouth glowed with terrible power. The Dino's internal furnace was supercharging with enough destructive energy to allow the Dino to destroy a reinforced building in one bite. It stood up, and roared into the sky...

"Get back!" shouted Reptile. The Dino Attack agents, and even the non-mutant Dinosaurs fighting in the area, scattered.

George fired at another Mutant Lizard. Zenna struggled to knock out another. Suddenly, they spotted the familiar figure of Reptile, attempting to defeat a Mutant T-Rex and shouting at other agents to get back.

"ABOUT TIME!" shouted George as he ran off, followed by Zenna. They ran quickly until they found themselves jumping into the small area where Pierce was hidden.

The T-Rex's eyes went wide as its internal powers continued to charge far beyond what the body could handle. It exploded.

The force of the blast shocked even Reptile, levelling trees and killing the Mutant Dinos surrounding it. What was left of the Mutant Dinos were easily taken out by Dino Attack. Reptile, however, did not join in the final attack. He was engaged in quiet reflection at the other end of the newly-formed clearing when a voice shouted, "Reptile! Reptile!"

He turned in surprise. Fireball, one of the scouts sent out before this battle, was running towards him, and he was being pursued by three armed men. Now what? Reptile wondered. Fortunately, this did not prove much as a problem as the three pursuers fled rather than get into a firefight.

"Reptile!" panted Fireball. "You need to see this!"

*****

George looked above the rocks to notice the explosion.  He quickly got down and turned towards Pierce.

Zenna then noticed Kate. "How's she doing?" she asked.

"Fine for the moment," said Pierce. "Semick promised he'd bring reinforcements."

George stepped out of the hidden spot to find agent Porter approaching them. "One of our scouts has found something," Porter said.

"Really, what?" asked George.

"I'm not sure," replied Porter, "but we'd better get going."

George stood up.

"Not so fast," said Pierce. "You've just been in a seriously chaotic situation. We probably have a ton of wounded and lack the necessary means."

"What are you suggesting?" said Porter.

"The most intact agents can go ahead," said Pierce, "but anyone with severe injuries should remain here, and I'll have to take a look at them. Hopefully, when Semick arrives, he should be able to help."

"Semick?" asked Porter.

"Yes," said Pierce, "I got a radio call from him, he's on his way." He explained what happened earlier.

"Really? Excellent," replied Porter. "I'll tell Reptile the good news. Now, we'd better get going."

"I'll help Pierce here," said Zenna. "George, you go ahead. We'll catch up as soon as possible."

George stepped out and followed Porter, leaving Zenna and Pierce. "We'd better get started," said Pierce. "You take a look around. I'll try and radio Semick."

Pierce grabbed the busted old radio, unsure if it would work or not, but it was worth trying. "Semick, do you read me? This is Dr. Alan Pierce. Do you read me? Over."

No answer yet.

"Semick, this is Dr. Alan Pierce, with an update on the situation. Reptile has dealt with the mutant dinosaurs, but we do have a large number of wounded agents; any medical assistance would be appreciated. Over."

*****

Semick heard Raider begin to fire from the back of the T-1 Typhoon, simultaneously shouting, "Lizards on one of the cars! The driver's down and the other one's trying to help!"

"MegaBloks, not this again!" Semick cried as he did a 180. "Zach, see what you can do about that! Raider, keep a watch on our flank!"

"Aye, aye, sir!" Zach cried as he opened fire. Semick made a mental note to tell the relatively new agent that he didn't like being called "sir" later. Raider mumbled in a disappointed tone over his loss of firing ability.

"Bluetooth, how much farther?" Semick asked the Futuron technician. He turned to see what Bluetooth would say.

"Sensor's indicate a few T-1s not too far from here," was his response. "A large gathering of dinosaur forces, both native and hostile, aren't far away either. There are also indications of some kind of structure, but I think it's only a temple."

"Whatever it is, it sounds promising. Get the hatch open. When the struggle down there's don-"

"It is now!" Zach cried from below Semick's seat. "The agents are just now swarming around so a new driver can take the seat."

"Excellent, guess it's time for a talk." Semick left the T-1 Typhoon in hover mode, then grabbed the bullhorn off its mounting on the wall. Bluetooth quickly opened the hatch enough for his leader to lean on it.

Finding a footing on the dark red plates just under the hatchway, Semick faced the Fire Hammers with the bullhorn to his lips. "Attention!" he cried. "Semick here! How's the driver?"

The agent on the stopped Fire Hammer's turret cried out a response: "Quite dead!"

Semick muttered a curse out of range of the bullhorn before continuing. "A hard loss, but we have to keep moving! My T-1's sensors indicate our battlefield site to be in the direction of..."

The former Power Miner lost his train of thought as he heard an explosion of some kind. His eyes trailed on a small fireball on the right of the desert path about a mile away. As he saw it fade, it somehow reminded him sickeningly of the few poor miners that had been knocked into lava in scuffles with rock monsters. The other agents on the ground and, judging from the sounds inside the T-1 Typhoon, in the air with him also saw the fireball.

"...well," Semick finally continued, "you can see where now! I don't know what that... explosion implies, but I think it means we better get over there fast! Now let's go! And I shouldn't have to remind you to not shoot any non-mutated dinosaurs! Our native relations are still too fragile for such mistakes!"

Without further word, Semick leaned back into the chopper, threw aside the bullhorn, and jumped back into the pilot's seat. Bluetooth barely had the time to close the hatch when the T-1 Typhoon sped off.

"Whoa, cutting it close, aren't we?!" Bluetooth exclaimed as he got back to his station.

"Maybe, but I don't want to waste any more time! We have to get there and find out what the rear guard has gotten into!"

*****

"Ew, that nearly melted my hat!" Stranger remarked as he looked up from his hiding spot. He had thought he had seen it all in his time in this Dino Attack, but he hadn't seen a T-Rex spontaneously combust before. Lizards, yes, mostly due to them stupidly swarming over a pipe bomb, but not a T-Rex. That was the first unexpected thing he had seen in months.

But has he refocused on the matters at hand, he realized something more usual: the battle was over. Apparently this latest unique takedown had frightened off most of the opposing force, the remainder being some stunned Mutant Lizards that were easily taken down.

Drat! Stranger thought. And just as I was about to nail another pterosaur! Aw, well. There's always next time.

As Stranger walked off to a small group of agents, he felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up. A good sign of someone watching him. He looked all around him, hands on the pistols in his holsters, but couldn't see anything obvious. Guessing now that one of the camouflaging lizards was the culprit, he decided to simply walk back towards the rest of the team, knowing that this would make ambushing him ten times harder. Satisfied, Stranger turned his attention towards the agents, but he did have the nagging feeling that something slipped his mind.

The group of agents had dwindled to two, the rest having run off to do other tasks. What was left was an agent and a doctor Stranger had seen disembark from the T-1 Typhoon that had shown up back in the desert.

"Semick, do you read me?" the doctor was saying into a very worn radio. Stranger was mildly surprised to hear his occasional commander's name. "This is Dr. Alan Pierce! Do you read me? Over."

Not surprisingly, the radio gave no response. Stranger wondered why this Pierce was looking responses in the middle of a comm blackout.

"Semick," Pierce continued trying, "this is Dr. Alan Pierce, with an update on the situation! Reptile has dealt with the mutant dinosaurs, but we do have a large number of wounded agents, any medical assistance would be appreciated. Over."

"Oh, hello," Zenna said to Stranger. "We're trying to get back into contact with Semick. He managed to reach this radio earlier, and we're trying to see if that can happen again."

"Semick broke the blackout?" Stranger remarked with a raised eyebrow. "Wow, that guy continues to impress me. Any idea on how he did it?"

"He said something about 'MacGyvering a radio'," Pierce explained in-between tries.

"From the sound of it, then, it figures he managed to do it. When Semick puts his to something, he doesn't stop until fate throws some serious obstacles at him. Anyways, is he trying to reach us or something? It might be why he doesn't have time for radio," suggested Stranger.

"Why yes, he is on his way with reinforcements, or so I gathered. But I thought he might be able to still talk on the way here," said Pierce.

Stranger shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not. But I say he's the type to not let people down like that. So I say we camp out and watch over ourselves here until he comes." Stranger took another look at the scorch marks left from the combustion. "Shouldn't be too hard after what just happened."

"I know him fairly well," replied Pierce, "I've got a feeling it shouldn't be too long. In the meantime, I think I'd better take a look at you."

Pierce examined Stranger carefully. As far as he could tell with what was available, he hadn't been badly injured, mostly cuts and bruises. "You'll be fine," Pierce said.

Pierce knelt down next to Kate, who was starting to wake up. "Alan?" she asked.

"Don't worry," replied Pierce, "it's fine, everything's going to be alright."

*****

It did not take long to retrace Fireball's path, especially using the Dark Energy Detector. Accompanied by a dozen Dino Attack agents, Reptile, Hotwire, and Fireball reached the fortress.

Reptile frowned. He had decided to forget about what had just happened and focus entirely on the present, and this was a pretty disturbing present.

"What is it?" asked Hotwire. "XERRD's headquarters on the island?"

Reptile nodded. "I think so. It's well-guarded, but by who? Whose army is that? Are they mercenaries hired by Dr. Rex or the henchmen of some other villain he has allied with? We need to know, and the only way to find out is by attacking."

"That's all very well, but we definitely don't have the manpower to take out that fortress, especially after the last attack. We need to find Rex and the others," Hotwire replied grimly.

*****

Gahii Thutmose surveyed the scene as a helicopter landed at outpost 108. Below him, agents were working on packing all the equipment for what they hoped would be their final mission.

"Her name is the Renaissance."

Dust turned in his seat to see Commander Rockford walk onto the balcony.  "The renaissance is a rebirth of ideas and thinking," continued Rockford. "When the academics were the superstars of the time. We hope that with the destruction of the maelstrom we can bring peace and tranquility back to the people."

Dust leaned over the railing of the balcony and looked at the helicopter. Instead of the common marking of Dino Attack vehicles, the Renaissance was painted sand-green where the dark-red would normally go. The tail of the typhoon was marked with a T2-1.618. And on the front was the word Renaissance in renaissance font.

"She is beautiful," said Dust. "But I don't think you'll find peace with a missile launcher. You want a rebirth of ideas - so do I, but the concept of explosions has been around for a really long time."

Rockford smiled. "This is true. The Renaissance is outfitted with the latest tech, everyone from the Solar Explorer team to the Agents has contributed to outfitting her. Only the best."

"So you intend to use her on the attack on the Maelstrom?" asked Dust.

"Yes," said Rockford. "Once outpost 108 is ready to go, we go to outposts 42, 23, 16, 15, 8, and 4. Then we head to the native village, and after that we go the northwest point of the island, where the temple is located."

"Will you be going?" asked Dust.

"Yes," said Rockford. "I'll be keeping an eye on you."

Dust hid his surprise. "Are you saying that I'm going to the temple?"

"If you like. Think of it as a chance to prove yourself." Rockford's eyes went stern. "This is a chance to be hero."

Dust stood up and turned his back to the commander. "I'm no hero. Not after what I've been through. The most I can do now is make Hotep III proud of me." He turned and meet Rockford's eyes, "And that is what I intend to do."

Dust walked past the commander on the balcony.

"I can never be a hero."

----

After everything was loaded, Spino went back to help their comrades while Aravis took a Fire Hammer to escort the Transport and Troop Transport Predators to the nearest field base. As she drove away from the outpost, she looked into her rearview mirror, projecting her wishes of safety to her friends.

After all personnel and equipment were out of the outpost, Aravis ordered the others to fall back and protect the convoy, though Sauro-Hunter made sure anyone who wasn't a member of his team retreat to the Transports. Zealot, driving in a blue-and-white Urban Avenger, refused to comply. When asked what she was doing, Zealot replied, "Sir, finishing this fight."

After that, Aravis swerved her Fire Hammer around and headed toward the battlefield. Aravis arrived just as Enox Phorm challenged Sauro-Hunter to a one-on-one duel. If Sauro-Hunter won, then GAIA Squad and the convoy were free to return to HQ or the nearest field base; if Enox won, then he would feed each and every Dino Attack agent in that convoy and GAIA Squad to the Hybrids. Enox tauntingly claimed, "They always crave sweeter meats than hogs and cattle."

Sauro-Hunter defied Enox Phorm, and Enox retorted, "I am a monument to all of your sins!" When Sauro-Hunter attacked him, Enox declared, "There shall be two corpses in one grave: yours and mine."

During the duel, Sauro-Hunter lost both his entire right arm and left leg. Sauro was rushed back to a transport Predator by Valencia, where Zealot built mechanical prosthetics to replace his arm and leg. He was awoken by a telepathic cry from Valencia, which, unbeknownst to him, was her warning to him of Enox Phorm.

After waking up from surgery, Sauro-hunter demanded to be let back out onto the battlefield, and was provided with an experimental vehicle nicknamed the "Brute Chopper", a large combat motorcycle designed to deal with infantry. Before he left, though, he called in a tactical air strike on Enox's base.

When Sauro-Hunter reached Aravis and Spino's location, Aravis revealed that Valencia had been ambushed by Raptors, and her body destroyed, but had somehow survived through a glowing gold orb, which was revealed to be her Eldunari, or "Heart of Hearts", which contained her soul and, with it, part of Tex's life force.

Enox Phorm reappeared, unwilling to believe that he had been defeated. Sauro-Hunter told him that if he came quietly, he would not be harmed, but warned that if he attempted to harm him or his team, he would personally gun him down on the spot. A Hybrid under Enox's command stepped forward and declared his and the Hybrid army's intent of deserting him and assisting Dino Attack with rebuilding in the area.

Enraged, Enox charged Sauro-Hunter, who stood his ground. At the last possible second, the Dino Attack agent pulled the pin on a grenade, shoved it into Enox Phorm's mouth, and jumped aside before it exploded. After examining Enox's corpse one final time, Sauro-Hunter said that it was over, and to head back to Dino Attack Headquarters.

----

Dust wanted to be alone. The memory of heroism had caused a flashback to his childhood. He remembered how his drunken father had beaten him and how he had killed his father when he was only ten. Dust thought to himself that, if he had the capacity for murder as a ten-year-old, he would never be able to be a good person. His only goal was to prove that he was not worthless, and he repeated to himself that he would be the greatest member of his family to ever live. He whispered, "I will be the greatest of them all."

Dust found Rockford working on his Urban Avenger and commented that it was a little small for a commander. Rockford responded that he was off duty and that he was like any other agent in the field. Dust would be riding with Rockford in his modified two-seater Avenger so that Rockford could keep an eye on him. They would drive to the Maelstrom Temple in a few minutes, so Rockford gave Dust some time to prepare.

Dust prepared himself with all his old gear and remembered that his hand was still in bad shape. Although he worried briefly how it would hold up in battle, Dust reminded himself that he would not miss this day for the world, hand or no hand. Dust joined Rockford in the Urban Avenger and the convoy exited the outpost.

*****

After patching up Kate's wounds, Pierce, Zenna, and Stranger established a small camp in the area while they studied the temple until they could determine their exact course of action.

As night fell, Reptile, Hotwire, and the rest of the rear guard returned to the battlefield, where the rear guard team was setting up camp after the sudden end to their fight.

The rest of the rear guard returned that night, and began discussing their plans for what to do about the temple.

*****

Zach helped Scratch fight back a group of Mutant Dinos that had attacked his Fire Hammer. However, one of the Fire Hammers was wrecked beyond repair, forcing the survivors from the destroyed Fire Hammer to join Scratch on the back of his Fire Hammer, much to his irritation.

One of the survivors introduced himself to Zach as agent Ghost. He had long, wavy, blond hair that drooped over his left eye. He had a face that could have belonged to a child. He had three freckles on each cheek, and his eyes were an icy blue color.

Shortly after the small fight, the T-1 Typhoon headed out to the site of the fireball, found the rear guard camp, and landed. Not long later, the remaining Fire Hammer found the rear guard camp.

After landing, Semick quickly got into talks with Reptile and Hotwire to learn what had happened. He was given a quick rundown of the encounters the rear guard had made with a Skeleton Mummy and the native/Mutant Dino battle, and an explanation for the large explosion (Reptile was horrified by the destructive power of the Overloader Mark II and swore never to use it again).

Semick was also alerted to the latest development: the discovery of a hidden fortress under heavy guard, likely one of XERRD's bases. After briefly handling the issue of alerting the rest of the island team to their discovery, Semick got to work helping out Hotwire and Reptile on a plan of attack. After finishing the plans, Semick sent the word out and rallied a team of agents, including Rex, Andrew, Zach, Hotwire, Zenna, and informed them of his plan.

*****

Due to her condition, Kate was quickly encouraged to turn in earlier than some of the other agents. While in her tent, she met up with a fellow rookie name James McGregor.

*****

Rex spoke with Achu about the whereabouts of the Maelstrom Temple. The tribal chief revealed that he did not know which temple was the source of the Maelstrom, but the two most likely temples were a Temple of Creation and a temple built by Pharaoh Hotep III. Achu believed that the Maelstrom Temple was the corrupted Temple of Creation.

With a makeshift wheelchair that had been built by Zachary, Rex and Amanda hopped into a Fire Hammer. They began reminiscing about the Dino Attack and wondering about the future. They were informed that Dino Attack Team was conducting a raid, and so they drove towards their next destination: the XERRD Fortress.

*****

Laxus and Andrew remained at the camp until Laxus's PDA picked up a message regarding the successful encounter with the rear guard, and a request for reinforcements for an operation against the XERRD Fortress. After taking a bit of time to help spread the word, the pair departed for the camp set up by the rear guard, carpooling several agents with them.

*****

Peace was interrupted, as Zach was informed that XERRD had set up their fortress in the jungle not far from the rear guard camp. Along with the space ninja Kareem Nazareno, Zach was assigned to scout the fortress and discover weaknesses.

*****

Dust and Rockford's Urban Avenger was second-to-last in the convoy, and little was said between them as they made their way along the south coast. Elsewhere, Reptile and Bluetooth had located the XERRD Fortress on the north side of the island, and they had their assistant Hertz place a call to the strike force suggesting they postpone the Maelstrom Temple assault in favor of an attack on the XERRD Fortress first. Although Dust was almost successful in convincing Hertz to run a simultaneous attack, their conversation was interrupted when the lead vehicle in the convoy was destroyed by a surprise Mutant Pterosaur attack. Soon, the air was filled with the Mutants, and the vehicle behind Rockford's was destroyed as well. The entire convoy had because trapped as the Mutant Pterosaurs attacked from the sky.

The battle was chaos, and Dust was thankful for his bandanna and goggles to protect his face from the electric smoke. He moved carefully up the line of vehicles and took cover at any sign of a Mutant Pterosaurs. A blast nearby destroyed an Iron Predator and Urban Avenger, and Dust was thrown off the road into a ditch. After recovering from his shell shock, Dust convinced himself to keep moving and eventually made his way to a Fire Hammer, where he placed a distress call with a heavy duty radio inside. He did not have much time because, as soon after the call was sent, an explosion rocked the Fire Hammer. Dust moved to its turret, where he opened fire on Pterosaurs.

Dino Attack Team could no longer hold out for air support and the commanding officer ordered a retreat to the coast. Most agents had come to that conclusion on their own, and many had already made their way into the jungle. Dust and Rockford were among the agents and many of them were seriously wounded. Dino Attack was able to bring three Street Sprinters with them but, aside from that, most gear was lost in the battle. When the survivors stopped to rest, the leader was revealed to be Carl Lutsky. He informed them that the commander was dead and, as second-in-command, he would take his place. He planned to rest for the night and said that the team would then move to the coast where they would be picked up.

Later in the evening, Lutsky greeted Rockford and Dust. Lutsky spoke privately with Rockford when checking on his men. He expressed that he was uncomfortable leading a team and that he believed he only got this far on luck. Rockford reasserted him that he will be fine and that the coast was only four miles away. Rockford told Lutksy that he would help as best he could.

Lusky expressed concern for them, but Rockford assured him that both he and Dust were alright. But Dust was not alright; he had not spoken for a while and he was beginning to feel a sense of hopelessness.

Dust was beginning to feel that getting to the temple was hopeless. Only forty-two agents had survived the battle and not many were battle-ready. Additionally, they only had one working radio and three Steel Sprinters among him. Dust tried to convince Rockford to let him go, but the commander was reluctant to let Dust go into the jungle without his supervision. Dust had now come to the end, convinced that his temple would be destroyed if he waited any longer. Dust chose to do something rash. He slashed the tires of two of the Steel Sprinters so he could not be followed and took the radio so Rockford could not warn the other agents. After calling out to the commander, "See you in another life," Dust escaped into the jungle on a Steel Sprinter.

Lutsky witnessed Dust's escape after they had safely made it to the beach and expressed confusion as to why he would do something like that. Despite Rockford's explanation as to why, Lutsky showed some of his first signs of aggregation by showing intense anger at Dust.

*****

Dust felt free to do as he wished and was glad to have lost the commanders back at the beach. He made a plan to drive the Steel Sprinter northwest and then leave a fake trail heading east. He would then return to the vehicle and continue on foot. After he finished this, he spotted the T-1 Typhoons and T-2 Typhoon fly overhead and smiled at the irony of rescue arriving on the day he escaped.

*****

The Typhoons arrived to rescue Lutsky and his team. The Renaissance was among them accompanied by several standard typhoons and soon agent Mur had climbed out to greet the survivors.

Lutsky informed Mur about Dust's escape, and Mur explained that the reason they were looking for Lutsky and his crew was because they had not arrived at outpost 32. On the way Rockford gave Lutsky his psychological analysis of Dust. Although Rockford expressed a desire not to kill Dust, this experience would mark the beginning of the rivalry between Lutsky and Dust.

Lutsky, Rockford, and Mur made it safely to the Aztec Village, where they deposited the injured. The crew stayed the night and slept in their Typhoons. Lutsky found Rockford in the Renaissance where he was writing a warning to agents that Dust had escaped. Lutsky remarked that Rockford was still keeping Dust's identity secret, to which the commander responded that it would intimidate the agents if they knew Dust was royalty. Lutsky expressed his feelings about Dust being bad to the other commander but Rockford chose not to talk about it, and Lutsky excused himself.

*****

Dust soon came to a campsite. After hearing voices, he drew his gun and approached carefully. The campsite belonged to Kuru. Kuru was doing research on a weapon when Dust found him, and Kuru was suspicious of the Egyptian once he revealed himself. Dust used the lie that he was a historian and seemingly was on the right track until Kuru got a message from Rockford.

Strangely, Kuru ignored Dust and the message on his PDA and instead got on his Steel Sprinter. He sent an unrelated message to Rockford and drove away, leaving a confused Dust in his wake. Less than an hour later, Kuru returned to his campsite and found Dust still standing there. After having an awkward conversation about nothing in particular, Kuru again drove away.

Dust was dumbfounded by Kuru's sudden departure and investigated the rookie's abandoned campsite. He wondered why Kuru had left the camp so quickly, but decided it was not worth his effort because Kuru was a loony. He sarcastically said to himself, "Dino Attack; only the best and the brightest."

Dust ate what was left of Kuru's food and continued on his way. He continued traveling and came to the halfway point of the island; he was now traveling along the tree line of the jungle and the island's central desert. Memories started to surface of his time in Egypt when he worked as an intern in Professor Kilroy's museum at the age of 19. He remembered how he had located the island where Hotep III's temple was, but was surprised to find that Kilroy did not feel the same excitement. The professor was concerned about Gahiji's obsession and urged Dust to take a break.

Dust finally arrived at the north coast early morning the next day. He allowed himself to rest after traveling nonstop but eventually got to work locating the supply crate. He found the box in no time and resupplied himself with its contents of food and weapons. He also retrieved a modified three-wheel motorcycle that he would use to travel along the north coast.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 18, 2021 by PeabodySam
Added more details about Ahua.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 36: Team Fortress

----

In the morning, Pierce began talking to Kate, and the two of them discussed their previous life before the war. After recovering, Kate would later volunteer to join the infiltration team to sneak into the XERRD Fortress.

*****

Andrew and Laxus, upon their arrival, didn't really have much to do. They were told by Semick that official word on what was next would come once everyone arrived, so they generally just fooled around and bided their time for the first few hours after arrival.

*****

As soon as the Renaissance landed at the rear guard camp the next morning, Lutsky was congratulated for his leadership. However, many agents had questions about Dust's escape, to which Lutsky had no response. Lutsky stated to feel unsure of his leadership skills and quickly left for his tent.

Lutsky emerged from his tent once he had situated himself and made his way to the command tent. There he met agents Jeff, Peter, Professor David Norman, and Elite Agents Zenna and Rotor. Zenna explained that they were planning an attack on the XERRD fortress.

When Zenna realized Rotor's skills as a pilot, she proposed the idea that Rotor could lead a group of T-1 Typhoons in order to distract the fortress's defenses, drawing the guards to the west side of the fortress, while the infiltration squad would be able to sneak in and prepare the way for a larger assault at a later time. Rotor quickly accepted the task. Lutsky liked the idea and decided that Rotor should use the Renaissance. Rotor loved what the Renaissance had to offer and agreed to use her in the battle.

David, Jeff and Peter were assigned gun posts on the Renaissance. The sniper Barry "Shotgun" Jackson also joined the Renaissance crew.

It did not take long for Rotor to put together a fleet of T-1 Typhoons, which he quickly led against the fortress. Semick was surprised by the quick departure of Typhoon distraction force but Hotwire figured that, if any problems arose, they would have no difficulty getting the helicopters out of it. Since the distraction force had already left, Semick realized they needed to find Zenna and the infiltration force quickly. The agents soon left the tent to locate the elite agent.

Reptile had remained behind in the command tent with Carl Lutsky. A swarm of Mutant Pterosaurs were not far away from the Typhoon force, and the two agents where nervous about the proximity of the Dinos, realizing that an attack could knock the helicopters out of the sky. Another monitor in the tent showed the infiltration team's progress. Lutsky could see that Rex had assembled a strike team of native islanders, but both where uncomfortable with how little they knew about what was in store.

*****

Eventually, Andrew found himself daydreaming when Laxus alerted him to the beginning of their part in the mission. Arriving at the gathering of agents that they were to join, they were told by a bullhorn-wielding Semick that they were to play the part of infiltrating the fortress while the first "distraction" attack force handled giving them an opening. After a few last-minute arrivals and the shock of seeing a large amount of Mutant Pterosaurs swoop down towards the fortress battle area, the infiltration team headed out towards their destination.

*****

Dust continued his trek along the beach until he was interrupted by a group of Typhoons that burst from the jungle and out to sea. The Egyptian watched as the nine helicopters circled and headed back towered the island. Dust was perplexed as to where the helicopters were going but then remembered that an attack on the XERRD Fortress would come before the temple attack. Dust knew that this extra time would allow him to get to Hotep III's temple sooner, but his curiosity got the better of him and he followed the fleet into the jungle.

Dust followed the fleet steadily until he was distracted by a strange object in the trees. He allowed the Renaissance and eight other Typhoons to get ahead of him in order to investigate the object. He climbed the tree and was alarmed to find that it was a XERRD security camera. He had little chance to investigate the camera before he was forced to jump from the tree as it self-destructed.

*****

Suddenly a blast on the ground caught the attention of Reptile, Lutsky, and Hertz. Reptile and Lutsky instructed Hertz to investigate the blast and determine its cause, but they had little time to ponder what this meant; Rotor had fired the first shot, and the battle had begun.

Elite Agent Zenna apparently had not gathered the infiltration team yet and entered the command tent. Carl Lutsky informed her that the battle had begun and that they had captured footage of an unidentified explosion on the ground.

Hertz had discovered that Dust had triggered a self-destruct security camera not far from the battle. Lutsky explained this to Zenna and Reptile provided him with a printout of Rockford's PDA message. Hertz wondered whether they should contact Commander Rockford like the message instructed, but Zenna revealed that Rockford and Mur had just left an hour ago. She asked if Dust posed any threat but, since Reptile and Hertz had never met him, they proved little assistance. Lutsky on the other hand said that Thutmose is extremely dangerous. Zenna gave her opinion. She felt that taking action now would be unnecessary but recommended they keep a close eye on him.

*****

The plan was initially successful, as Rotor's fleet was able to quickly destroy the fortress's main defenses. Once the team landed, they quickly got the upper hand and, for several hours, managed to secure the position.

Eventually, XERRD began to regroup and to fight back, overpowering the squad. When a XERRD sniper suddenly began shooting at the team, Jackson volunteered to take care of him. He successfully managed to shoot the sniper right through his scope.

*****

At the XERRD Fortress, Nazareno discovered a camouflaged entrance. Zach attracted a XERRD guard to their hiding spot and fought the guard until he was unconscious. Zach stole the minifig's uniform and infiltrated the fortress while Nazareno took the captured guard back to the camp.

Kate Bishop was initially shocked to see Nazareno with the XERRD guard, but the space ninja explained he was on their side and tied up the guard. Nazareno attempted to interrogate the guard several times, but he refused to talk.

*****

At the camp, Minerva planned to join the infiltration team. However, she learned that Zach had infiltrated the fortress on his own and, concerned for his safety, snuck away from camp and into the fortress.

*****

Inside the fortress, Zach made his way through the fortress, encountering Dr. Rex's second-in-command Dr. Wallace Bishop along the way. Bishop did not appear to suspect anything, showing only frustration that the commanders and grunts were incompetent.

Zach made his way to the mainframe control room of the fortress. After tricking the technicians into leaving the room, Zach directly hacked into XERRD Fortress's mainframe and copied almost every file into his flashdrive and PDA. As he attempted to leave, Zach was caught by two fortress guards who were alerted on Dr. Bishop's orders. Zach defeated one of the guards but was stopped by the commander, who held a pistol to Zach's head. However, Zach was once again saved by the lucky timing of Minerva Fabello.

Zach and Minerva made their way out of the fortress. Zach discovered that Minerva had disobeyed orders when she had entered to fortress, and wondered if Minerva had feelings for him. He didn't make much of the thought as he and Minerva ran out of the fortress and made plans to run back to the rear guard.

*****

Dust woke up on his back, looking up at the trees. After getting his bearings, the sound of gunfire became apparent to him. He got back on his motorcycle and drove toward the sound. Soon, he was at the site of the battle.

*****

From the command tent, Lutsky, Hertz, Reptile, and Zenna observed that the Talon had joined the other nine Typhoons in the battle. They were all satisfied that they had received no losses yet, but their mood soon dampened when Dust arrived.

Zenna also noted Dust's arrival and asked whether it would be wise to call Rotor, the assault leader. Lutsky agreed with Zenna, but Hertz suggested they also let Rockford know. Zenna approved and asked for a radio. Hertz then explained that they have direct communications with every helicopter except the Talon.

Hertz, Reptile, and Lutsky listened as Zenna sent her message. She explained to Rotor that a rogue agent named Dust had arrived at the scene of battle and that he wanted the Maelstrom Temple for his own personal gain. Rotor acknowledged and disconnected.

*****

From Dust's position in the trees, he was able to get a clear view of the battle. He noted the design of the fortress, and also noticed that Kuru was aboard the Renaissance. Dust was not that surprised to see the agent typing on his laptop in the middle of battle and wondered whether the agent was brave or stupid.

Dust watched as Kuru jumped from the Renaissance to land in a conveniently located pile of sand. Despite the lack of cover, the rookie sat down in the middle of battle and took out his laptop. Dust came to the conclusion that Kuru's attraction to his laptop was unhealthy, so he decided it best to remove the device. The Egyptian took aim at the laptop and was surprised to find that he was not the only one shooting.

Dust turned to find that four Stromlings in the form of Dino Attack agents had appeared from the jungle. They said, "We were not aware you cared about others, Dust."

"I find the study on the psychologically insane useful," replied Dust. "And I don't recall telling you my name."

Dust easily saw through their disguise and listened as they informed him of their diabolical plans. As soon as the Stromling Agents attacked, Dust had no difficulty killing them.

*****

To their horror, Lutsky and Hertz (unaware about the Stromling infiltration) saw Dust apparently kill four Dino Attack agents on camera. Lutsky became enraged and, despite the protests of Zenna, ordered Rotor to open fire on the Egyptian. All Hertz could do was watch.

Suddenly a rocket came from the jungle and slammed into one of the Typhoons. To the commander's horror, the helicopter crashed into the one next to it and the two crashed into the ground. Lutsky exclaimed, "It's a trap!"

*****

Dust was too distracted by the exploding Typhoons to notice Kuru point his gun at him. Strangely, before the mad rookie fired, he reserved a message gloating to Dust that he had been found.

Dust noticed Kuru at the last second and ducked just in time. The commotion had grabbed the attention of the Typhoons and Dust narrowly evaded their attack. Three Typhoons soon landed and Dust fired upon the agents, wounding one. Once he had the chance, he ran to his motorcycle and attempted to put as much distance between himself and the fortress as he could.

As Dust drove away, Kuru tossed several grenades in his direction, but the Egyptian was able to get out of range before they detonated. Just as Dust thought he had made his escape, Rotor had fired several rockets from the Renaissance. They hit their target and Dust was thrown from his bike. Dust had survived the attack and so did his motorcycle. But, he knew that he would not get far with the Renaissance on his tail. Dust knew he was defeated and he regretted coming back, but he had already devised a plan to turn it to his advantage.

Dust waited for Kuru to arrive and kept a calm head as the rookie aimed his gun. Dust asked to talk to who was in charge but, since Rotor was in battle, he had to deal with the agents who had captured him. Dust explained that the whole attack was trap and that whoever was in charge knew they were coming. When asked why he should be trusted, Dust admitted he shouldn't be and asserted that he should speak with command.

Kuru wanted to hear none of what Dust had to say and instead demanded that Dust admit he was a traitor. Dust was silent as Kuru pointed his gun at Dust's chest and demanded that he admit he was not Dino Attack.

Dust said that his allegiance was common knowledge at this point, but stated he was no traitor. He said, "I never was a member of the Dino Attack. I never sold your plans out to Dr. Rex. I admit that I lied, and I admit that I hurt you guys. I'm just a guy trying to keep his honor, his family's honor. Take that as you will. You may think it strange that I don't give a Znap about your cause. But I have nothing left to live for except my temple. I can still help you, not because I care, but because you need it. All I'm asking is a little something in return."

Kuru acknowledged that Dust was a smooth talker but still took his PDA off his belt. Kuru explained that he took orders from no one in the Dino Attack and trusted no one but himself. The Egyptian, seeing an opportunity to further destabilize Dino Attack Team, pushed harder by questioning if it were wise to show disloyalty to the team. He went on to praise Kuru for being a lone wolf and explaining that he should trust no one. Dust even said, "I have no friends."

The young agent began to open up and tell the story of how his team had been killed when he trusted a traitor. Dust saw by Kuru's body language that the agent was uncomfortable and listened when Kuru claimed that his team trusted him even though he did not feel the same way.

Dust had succeeded in creating the tension he desired when Kuru had said those words in front of his team. He now held the agent's PDA and dialed the HQ's number. As Dust waited for a response, Kuru continued to question him about whether he thought he could get away with what he was doing.

The Egyptian's call would have succeeded if not for the intervention of Rotor. The Elite Agent and several men soon surrounded Dust and disarmed him of the PDA. Soon Dust found himself in handcuffs and was being led to the helicopters. Kuru, still at the clearing, complained about his PDA being thrown on the ground and warned Rotor about Dust's danger.

Rockford and Mur had missed their chance to get to the battle on the Typhoons, so instead they took an Iron Predator. By the time they arrived the battle was at break and Dust was being escorted to the helicopters by Rotor. The Egyptian recognized Rockford immediately and threatened the Dino Attack Team that his capture was a big mistake. Despite the opposition, Rockford was a skeptic of Dust's recent killings and urged that they hear his side of the story. Knowing they may not have much time, Rockford offered Dust a choice: either work with them and perhaps get his temple, or go on and face the Maelstrom alone.

*****

After the shooting had stopped, Peter volunteered to inspect the damage on the shot-down T-1 Typhoon. After Peter said that he would be around thirty minutes and didn't mind if David and Jeff went off to help Rotor, they left Peter to do his work. However, mysteriously, when David found Rotor, he suddenly noticed that Jeff was not with him. He took it for granted that Jeff had gone to another Dino Attack agent, and volunteered to go back to the main camp and get some medics to attend to the wounded. Rotor accepted the offer, and David set off to the camp.

Halfway through the hour's journey, David sat down for a minute to drink some of his water. He thought he heard footsteps in the background, and was bewildered. However, he didn't hear them afterwards, and decided that he had imagined it. Back at the camp, he asked a doctor if any medics could be spared. The doctor gave David the service of two medics, who happened to be Enter and Return. After they loaded a specially-adapted ambulance, the three set off back to the battlefront.

*****

After the battle had died down, Semick arrived at the command tent looking for Zenna. Since she was meant to lead the infiltration phase of the attack, Semick recommended that the team leave soon. As they talked, Zenna noted that Dust had been captured. The agents agreed that his capture made the mission far safer. Claiming they were short on time, Semick reminded Zenna that would leave as she was done in the command tent and recommended Reptile come too. He also made sure Rex got an update as soon as possible.

*****

Dust and Rockford left the crowd and took a seat at the edge of the tree line. The Egyptian was perplexed with how much trust Rockford put in him and even admitted that he liked the attorney. He could not explain why he came back, but did confirm Rockford's theory about the Stromlings he had killed. Dust warned that whoever was in charge of the fortress had cameras in the jungle. Guards started to appear again on the walls of the fortress and Dust said he would be willing to help. Rockford still believed that Dust could be hero but the Egyptian did not.

Kuru joined Rockford and Dust and seemed to expect some sort of reaction from them. It seemed that Kuru had come to intimidate Dust, but the Egyptian was not intimidated. Dust made it perfectly clear that he or any of the Dino Attack agents did not threaten him. He acknowledged that they did not like each other and said he is only here because he chooses to. He told Kuru that they should skip all the drama and start working together even if they did not like it. He then asked Rockford what he needed to do. Kuru left immediately after the conversation.

*****

Carl Lutsky was enraged about the change of attitude toward Dust. As they watched on the monitors, it became apparent that the agents had no intention of harming the Egyptian now that Rockford had arrived as a mediator.

Calming himself, the commander asked for a status report. Hertz informed him that Zachary had infiltrated the base on his own. The battle was still not progressing aside from some isolated snipers, but the infiltration team had still not left camp. Lutsky spotted Kuru leaving Dust and Rockford in a huff, and he came to the conclusion that Dust had again caused trouble. Losing tolerance, the commander excused himself to fume.

Reptile left not long after to join the infiltration team, leaving Hertz alone in the tent.

*****

At one point, Lord Sinister left most his squad so they could search for the Maelstrom Temple. Escorted by Dino Attack agents Friendfyre and Laharpe, he arrived at the XERRD Fortress and met with Reptile. Sinister said, "I'm joining this infiltration mission. Some second-rate villain is building a fortress in my jungle? I'm definitely going to be involved in putting a stop to him."

*****

Suddenly a figure dressed in a XERRD uniform ran into the area where Rockford and Dust were talking. The commander drew his gun but stopped when it was revealed the figure was agent Zachary, accompanied by Minerva Fabello. Zachary had no idea what Dust had done and was shocked to see him in handcuffs.

Kuru returned moments later after he had located one of the cameras in the jungle. For the moment, the agent believed he could trust Dust.

The return of Zach and Kuru put Dust in a very uncomfortable position. His instincts told him to lie, but he knew he could not with Rockford present. Seeing no sympathy from the commander, the Egyptian was forced to explain to Zach that he never was a member of Dino Attack Team, and the only reason he came to the island was to find his ancestor's temple.

Zach lost all trust in Dust, but had no time to dwell because, before he could respond, Rockford's PDA rang. Skeleton Mummies had emerged from the fortress and the commander needed to leave immediately. Dust agreed to help and left with Kuru and Rockford and said goodbye to Zach.

Rockford turned back briefly to speak with Zach and Minerva. The conversation was interrupted when Mur ran up and yelled that a flock of Mutant Pterosaurs had also begun a counterattack. Mur told Kuru, Dust, Minerva, and Zach that they were needed.

The other three left. Rockford turned to Dust and said, "Now is the time to choose," and then he unlocked Dust's handcuffs before hurrying away without looking back.

*****

Once they arrived, David instructed Enter and Return to set up a medical area behind the ambulance. He then reported back to Rotor, who instructed him to take up an attacking position on the battlefront. While looking through his binoculars, he spotted the Skeleton Mummies that had been set on the attacking agents. He at once reported this to Rotor, who gave the order to open fire on the Skeleton Mummies and Mutant Pterosaurs that were attacking at the same time. David had the idea to fire Rocket-Propelled Grenades at the mummies to blow up their bones. He tried it and, to his relief, it worked.

After Lutsky had left, the battle had turned to chaos. Skeleton Mummies and Mutant Pterosaurs had attacked the camp, and Hertz was unqualified to handle the situation. He immediately called Lutsky back into the tent. After recovering from shock, the Commander ordered the seven operational Typhoons into the sky. He then instructed the remaining troops to congregate at the downed Typhoon, and the ambulance and Iron Predator to take cover at the tree line. Before the ambulance could make its move, a Mutant Pterosaur swooped down and attacked the vehicle.

Zachary, Minerva, Rockford, and Mur headed into a clearing where the Dino Attack Team was staging a distraction long enough for an infiltration team to enter the fortress to obtain more info.

Zach faced not only Mutant Dinos, but also Skeleton Mummies. Zach attempted to fight one, but this resulted in the mummy using its powers to create Mutant Skeleton Pterosaurs. The mummy fired its lasers at most of the Mutant Pterosaurs in the sky, creating more Mutant Skeleton Pterosaurs. To make things worse, native dinosaurs to Adventurers' Island suddenly became hostile to the Dino Attack Team and joined the battle. Zach saw Scratch become overwhelmed by native dinosaurs, so he followed the agent into the jungle.

Once the mummies began to turn Mutant Pterosaurs into skeletons, Rotor and the rest of the team got back into their T-1 Typhoons. Overwhelmed, the distraction force decided to pull out of the battle. At this point, Rotor gave the order to retreat, so as to draw the Mutant Pterosaurs from the fortress. Minerva and David quickly boarded T-1 Typhoons that were taking off.

Dust made his choice and ran to one of the helicopters. David Norman was the last person to get on a helicopter before they lifted off, leaving him stranded on the ground. He made a second run for the Iron Predator but, before he could get there, an ambulance was thrown across the camp. The Egyptian picked the ambulance over his own salvation and rushed to help the occupants. Inside, he found Return trying to pull out a shrubbery and an unconscious Enter. He helped them out of the ambulance into what he hoped would be safety. Instead, he found himself face-to-face with a Skeleton Mummy.

Dust had planned on saving the doctors as a way to gain back the favor of the Dino Attack Team. Knowing he had no way of defending himself against the Mummy and that Return would be no help, the Egyptian accepted his fate. No help was coming from Kuru; the agent was occupied fighting mummies with his flamethrower. The Typhoons had left the battlefield to draw away the Mutant Pterosaurs. Dust was surprised to see that the mummy had not attacked. Going out on a limb, he tried to communicate with the monster. Speaking in Arabic, Dust informed it that he was a descendant of Hotep III. Incredibly, the Mummy agreed not to attack Dust and walked away. When Return asked what had happened, the Egyptian responded that he had told the mummy who he was. And then, Dust fainted.

*****

While inside the XERRD Fortress, Zenna proposed the idea of using the air vents get around the base. Being the smallest agent present, Kate was chosen by Zenna for the task. Kate found herself witnessing a conversation between two scientists, Dr. Bishop and Dr. Strangebrick, who were apparently working on a formula that would improve their control over the Maelstrom and had finally started find the right equations.

Kate managed to sneak into the room once Bishop and Strangebrick had left, and she stole two binders containing their notes, which she took with her through the air vents. She managed to get out of the fortress and work her way back to the camp.

Zenna also managed to break into an office and steal a labcoat, allowing her to disguise herself as a scientist and infiltrate the demonstration by Wallace Bishop and Dr. Strangebrick. However, when they were ready to present the formula to the other XERRD scientists, Dr. Strangebrick discovered the notes containing the equations were missing. Once it was reported that the formula had been stolen, Zenna tried to escape.

After leaving the fortress, Zenna was shot by a XERRD sniper. A guard later abused her in an effort to find out about the infiltration force until she shot him.

*****

The T-1 Typhoons continued the battle against the Mutant Skeleton Pterosaurs over the ocean around Adventurers' Island. When the T-1 Typhoons were over the coastline, a missile launched from the shore narrowly missed another T-1 Typhoon. David scanned the coastline with his radar, and found a small structure, which he theorized to be a missile launcher.

One T-1 Typhoon was destroyed, and Jackson was present when they attempted to recover the survivors. Realizing there might be others trapped inside the T-1 Typhoon, Jackson proceeded to dive out of the helicopter into the water. Sure enough, he was right, and managed to free the pilot, who was trapped in the cockpit, and brought him safely to the beach. Once on the beach, Jackson encountered David Norman, who joined him in investigating a XERRD machine gun post.

During the battle, Minerva started mulling over her feelings for Zach, and she remembered her past and the disappearance of her brother Oswald in service of the Dino Attack Team. She destroyed numerous Mutant Skeleton Pterosaurs before the T-1 Typhoons decided the battle was theirs and returned to the main camp.

*****

Initially, Commander Carl Lutsky was angry at Rotor for retreating, resulting in a heated argument, which was only stopped by the sudden arrival of Kate Bishop, who had just returned from the fortress. She gave the stolen binders to Commander Lutsky.

*****

Zachary found Scratch in a clearing, surrounded by dinosaurs. Scratch revealed he had been hunting native dinos as an act of revenge for scarring his face and killing his family. Scratch expected Zach to help him against the dinosaurs. Furious, Zach tried to make Scratch see reason, but the latter refused.  Once he realized that Zach intended to turn him in for hunting the dinos, Scratch decided that they should settle their differences with their fists.

Zach, despite being an experienced fighter, fell short to Scratch's onslaught of attacks. In the ensuring fight, Scratch knocked Zach to the ground, and then he explained his past and reasons for hunting the dinosaurs. He intended to kill Zach and threatened to kill Minerva.

Suddenly, Zach had a newfound boost of energy and beat Scratch into submission. Scratch, furious and tired of fighting Zach, revealed he was armed with a revolver and shot Zach's right hand off his arm. Scratch then attempted to shoot Zach and finish him off, but Zach, determined to defeat Scratch, found enough strength to fight back and try to wrestle the pistol away from Scratch. Scratch attempted to shoot Zach in the struggle, but the gun went off unexpectedly, shooting Scratch in chest, killing him almost instantly.

Zach, out of shock of killing Scratch and losing his hand, fell unconscious.

*****

Dust woke up under the shade of an umbrella that Enter and Return had packed. When Return asked where he learned Arabic, Dust responded that he was an Egyptologist before he was fired. Return probed no further.

Knowing they should not say in the hot open, Dust and Return prepared to head to the trees and the Iron Predator. Dust was not planning to bring the unconscious Enter with them because of how much the body would slow them down, but he eventually caved to Return's pleading. Enter was moved to a stretcher and the two made their way across the empty battlefield. When they arrived at the Iron Predator, Dust was mocked for his compassionate attitude. The Egyptian made it clear that he was only helping to honor their bargain. His intimidation worked and he sat down by his motorcycle (still left from when Rotor had shot him). When sitting, he overheard that Zachary had gone missing. Since Dino Attack Team could not spare any agents to find him, Dust volunteered and sped away before they could stop him.

*****

Commander Lutsky was contacted by agent Teddy Gonnerman, who informed him that Dust had left their sight again. Lutsky was furious with Gonnerman's failure and ordered the agent to track down the Egyptian on foot.

Hertz witnessed this and was concerned about Lutsky's anger. Lutsky noticed that Hertz was staring at him and the commander demanded why. Hertz quickly got back to work and Lutsky stormed out of the tent.

*****

Zach awoke to a group of native dinosaurs, now friendly, guarding him. One T-Rex that could understand English confirmed that the native dinos were allies of the Dino Attack again. The T-Rex led Zach to a clean water source which he drank from. After drinking from the stream, he fell asleep again, the dinosaur guarding him.

41 minutes to midnight, Dust found an unconscious Zach lying by a riverbed. Guarding him was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The Egyptian figured that he could earn brownie points by saving Zach but the dinosaur guarding him made that impossible. Fully aware that killing a non-mutant would destroy the Dino Attack Team's alliance, Dust took aim at the Dinosaur. Before he could fire, Dust found Teddy Gonnerman's gun pointing at his head. Gonnerman said that he was there to recapture Dust and ordered the Egyptian to surrender. Dust refused, and Gonnerman attacked him.

Zach awoke again, this time witnessing the struggle between Dust and Gonnerman. The Tyrannosaurus Rex heard the gunfire and, feeling threatened by Gonnerman's weapon, entered the fray. It associated Gonnerman with Scratch and promptly ate the perceived threat.

After Teddy Gonnerman's death, Dust was allowed past by the Tyrannosaurus. He found a now-awake Zach beside the dead Logan Zekia. Dust inquired whether Zach killed the agent, and he responded that Scratch was just another traitor. Dust realized that Zachary had lost a hand and advised they find a medic immediately. The agent was not convinced he should go with Dust, but the Egyptian pleaded that he was trying to help. Zach agreed to also give him a second chance, and Dust advised him to find a gun for the trip back to camp. They then headed into the jungle and Dust's motorcycle.

Before they departed, Dust bandaged Zach's injured hand and inquired what happened back by the riverbed. Zachary explained that Scratch had a vendetta against all dinosaurs, that he had to stop him from causing bloodshed, and that Logan's gun accidentally went off and killed him during their fight. Dust told the young agent that a similar experience had happened to him when he was seventeen.

After boarding his motorcycle, Zach requested they talk about the elephant in the room. To explain why he had lied, the Egyptian told the story of his past. Gahiji Thutmose was born in a Bedouin tribe in the Egyptian desert. He never knew his mother, and his father was a bad influence on the young boy, often getting drunk and beating him. Eventually, the ten-year-old Gahiji had enough of his father and poisoned him in his sleep. Afterwards, Dust explained that he had run away and lived on the streets, and how he eventually became an intern at the Cairo museum. Dust said that he had made in it through hard times because he looked out for no one but himself and never trusted others. He felt that, deep down, they lived in a world where it was every man for himself.

When Dust brought his motorcycle into the rear guard camp, armed agents immediately greeted him and Zach. Zach warned Dust not to provoke them, and the Egyptian joked only if Zach did not provoke him. Commander Lutsky and Hertz appeared immediately, and Lutsky demanded the Dust explain his recent actions.

Dust said, "Even though nothing I say will change your small-mindedness and stubbornness, I assure you that nothing I did was sinister in any way."

"You're lying," insisted Lutsky. "What did you do?"

"I prove my point," Dust calmly retorted.

Hertz attempted to calm the commander but, realizing that Gonnerman was not with them, Lutsky called for an explanation. Dust said he was killed by a T-Rex. Lutsky was skeptical, but Zach pleaded that the Tyrannosaurus was only defending him. Commander Carl Lutsky ordered Dust's arrest. The Egyptian was handcuffed and led away.

Lutsky then turned to Zach and warned him that he would be questioned about his recent whereabouts. Zach accepted this. When Lutsky saw Zach's hand, his first assumption was Dust. Zach said it was another agent, and the commander instructed Hertz to find a medic.

Dust was moved into a pitch-black tent and tied to a chair. Commander Lutsky entered and lit a match. Lutsky explained he had once been part of a telemarketing firm but all of his employees were killed when the Dinos attacked. Lutsky said there was nothing he would not do to protect his men and threatened that he would kill Dust if it came to that. The Egyptian challenged him to do it, but Lutsky was more concerned with preserving his power than actually following through. After beating Dust, Lutsky departed as Dust called out that he was right about people. Everyone is only in it for themselves.

As Dust sat in the tent, he reflected on the decisions he had made. He wondered if saving Zach was truly a good idea and wondered why he brought him to the camp. He knew he was further from his temple than ever and he realized Rockford probably thought he was gone. The Egyptian felt regret and soon fell asleep.

*****

Zach was admitted into a medical tent and was informed by Dr. Alan Pierce that Nazareno knew the arts of making mechanical prosthetics and would make Zach a new hand. Nazareno obliged Zach's wish to build a robotic hand similar to Zach's original flesh hand. After fitting on the new hand, Nazareno asked Zach to try interrogating the XERRD guard they had defeated, as he had refused to talk to any Dino Attack agent.

Zach interrogated the guard, who was furious to see that Zach had survived infiltrating the XERRD Fortress. However, the guard decided to comply with his wishes for an unknown reason, telling Zach his backstory. In the course of the interrogation, Zach learned the guard's name was Oswald Fabello, the older brother of Minerva and a former Dino Attack agent.

As Zach was looking over Oswald's identification card, Oswald heard Zach mutter Minerva's name, accidentally letting it slip that he knew Minerva. Hearing his sister's name sent Oswald into a blind rage against Zach. Oswald broke free and attempted to strangle Zach. Zach then cut his stomach with a hook and punched him in the face with his new metal fist, knocking Oswald to the ground and allowing two guards to handcuff him to a chair.

*****

Dust awoke to raised voices in the adjacent tent. From what he could make out, Zach had recovered and was talking with someone named Oswald Fabello. He pondered where he had heard the name "Fabello" before, and then he realized it was Zach's new friend, Minerva. He stored the information away for later use.

*****

Only a few moments later, Minerva returned to the camp from fighting the Mutant Skeleton Pterosaurs and discovered her brother. She was shocked to see her brother. Oswald showed no emotional gratefulness for her survival and instead scoffed at her, taunted her, and angered her into punching him and running out of the tent. Zach followed Minerva to calm her down.

Oswald was left alone with two guards. Oswald managed to escape and quickly killed one agent. He then defeated the other guard, Keith Empson, and stole his PDA before killing him as well. As he was about to leave, the tent suddenly collapsed on him. Oswald untangled himself only to be piled on by several Dino Attack agents.

As he attempted to calm Minerva, Zach heard a commotion occur near the interrogation tent. Zach and Minerva returned to the tent and found Oswald struggling against numerous Dino Attack agents and found that he had already killed the two guards watching him.

*****

Dust heard the fight break out between Oswald and the guards. Shots were fired and the Egyptian got the impression that both Dino Attack agents had just been murdered.

Surrounded, Dust was not surprised to hear more agents come running. More shots were fired and agents converged on the tent. A brawl broke out and the adjacent tent collapsed with Oswald and the others inside. The fight burst through Dust's own tent, and it also collapsed with all of them underneath the canvas.

In the fight, Oswald Fabello killed four more agents and seriously wounded two others with a knife he had stolen from his guards. Oswald attempted to escape with a hostage. Dust saw he made it out from under the canvas and gave chase. Outside, Oswald roared with hysterical laughter but his fun was cut short when Dust jabbed him in the spine, knocking him out. More agents converged on him, and two agents grabbed Oswald's arms and dragged him out of the tent.

Zach had believed that Oswald was defeated. Unfortunately, Oswald wasn't disarmed when he had been captured. Oswald suddenly kicked one of his captors, loosening their grip enough for Oswald to reach for the knife he had hidden in his belt and cut the agent. He then turned and killed the other guard before they could control Oswald, bringing the death count to eight. Minerva and Commander Lutsky attempted to stop him, but Oswald quickly knocked them both to the ground. He stole their weapons and held back Zach and the Dino Attack agent that had defeated him in the tent.

Oswald taunted Lutsky and cut open his shoulder, wounding the commander as Zach watched helplessly. Instead of attacking his sister, Oswald asked her to join XERRD with him. However, Minerva flatly refused, fiercely denying his offer. Oswald remarked he would spare her this time, but would kill her in their next encounter if she refused to join him. He insulted his sister one more time before running into the jungle.

*****

Dr. Cyborg awoke on a medical bed in a strange place he had never seen. He went outside and got on an abandoned Steel Sprinter he saw. He found a one-use Teleport Pad he remembered (although he was unaware of how he remembered it), repaired it, and warped to the Dino Attack base on Adventurers' Island.

Nazareno was starting to meditate when Dr. Cyborg suddenly appeared out of thin air. A short while later, Nazareno was still sitting by the fire as he watched Commander Lutsky fume over Dr. Cyborg's background.

*****

Shortly after the escape, Minerva received a message from Oswald, still trying to get her to join him and made fun of her and Zach's friendship. Zach, sullen from the massacre, sat at the fire pit in the camp and learned from the PDA message that Oswald had escaped Adventurers' Island and that there was no hope of finding him. After that, Minerva questioned if she and Zach were just friends. Zach confirmed it hesitantly. Minerva accepted the answer and decided to remain as just friends, and not as a couple like Oswald implied frequently.

Minerva decided to ignore her true feelings about Zachary and went to show the message to Lutsky. While in the command tent, Minerva stood up for Dr. Cyborg when he was accused of being a traitor.

Zach wanted to escape the pain that the camp housed, so he armed himself and sprinted into the jungle for several hours until he discovered a mysterious pool. Zach believed it to be a Maelstrom pool connected to the Maelstrom Temple. He was attacked again by Ahua, who planned to push him into the Maelstrom pool to corrupt him, only for Zach to shoot off Ahua's hand. Furious, Ahua was about to kill Zach with his spear when the Maelstrom suddenly intervened, shooting out of the pool and destroying Ahua's spear in mid-flight. Surprised that the Maelstrom had protected Zach and interested in Zach's odd ability, Ahua let Zach escape back to the Dino Attack camp.

Near the border of the camp, Zach was forced into battling a Mutant Raptor that ambushed him. Minerva, Lutsky, Tracer, and Nazareno arrived to help after hearing an explosion and a roar. While the other agents tried to shoot it, Nazareno jumped up onto the Mutant Raptor's back. He then jumped to its back and brought down his katanas into the Raptor's skull, shattering it. Carl Lutsky commented, "I must say, Nazareno, sometimes I think you're too bad-Znap for your own good."

After the Raptor was defeated, Zach got into an argument with Commander Carl Lutsky over the Maelstrom pool. Zach started become angrier, snapping both at Minerva and Lutsky numerous times. This was the first hint that his mind had started to be corrupted by the Maelstrom.

*****

Kate remained in the camp for a while. Kate was one of the first to hear the news that the infiltration squad was facing its own problems, as well as becoming depressed when she found out that Zenna had been shot and possibly killed by a sniper. She was one of the few agents who never actually participated in the initial assault. Instead, she remained in the camp until another T-1 Typhoon arrived, and she was encouraged by Barry Jackson to join the battle.

*****

When Pierce learned that Carl Lutsky was planning an assault on the fortress, Pierce realized that they would need a few medics to be present. He managed to enlist the help of Dr. Giovanni Wade, Dr. Gates Crusher, and Naomi Carver.

They arrived near the fortress early the following morning. While they set up the newly-established medical tent, Zenna was found by Giovanni Wade, who brought her back to the tent. While Wade and Carver continued to set up the medical tent, Pierce and Crusher brought Zenna back to the main camp in order so that she could receive better medical attention.

*****

Elizabeth was among a small group of agents to remain at Dino Attack HQ during the Adventurers' Island mission, along with Hacker and Wrench. Elizabeth suggested the possibility of hacking into XERRD's mainframe, and Hacker quickly agreed. She also heard news about Cam O'Cozy escaping from prison.

Much to her surprise, Elizabeth unexpectedly walked into a room to find O'Cozy trying to strangle Hacker. She managed to get a fire extinguisher and strike it over O'Cozy's neck, decapitating him and revealing him to be an android. Wrench managed to reconnect O'Cozy so he could be questioned while Hacker tried to make contact with Specs. They learned that O'Cozy was programmed by XERRD scientists Robert Nicholas and William Lee, intended to infiltrate Dino Attack Team and turn the team against itself.

*****

In the morning, when Lutsky decided to lead a second attack on the fortress, he hired Rotor to lead another distraction force. Once again, Rotor led a squad of T-1 Typhoons towards the fortress. George and Minerva joined Rotor's fleet of T-1 Typhoons and participated in the initial attack on the fortress. They managed to weaken the defenses enough to land, and they secured the area.

As the rest of the T-1 Typhoon crew began their land attack on the fortress, Minerva followed Dust into the fortress after he had abandoned the rest of the Dino Attack Team, unsure of his loyalties.

Lutsky and most of the other elite agents went into the fortress with the infiltration squad, leaving Rotor in charge of the team currently outside. Rotor himself approached George with his decision to simply destroy the fortress with the firepower of the T-1 Typhoons.

A T-1 Typhoon later arrived containing several more agents, among them Kate and Jackson. Upon seeing them, Rotor remembered that Kate had stolen two binders from the fortress before, and ordered her to go back in. This move resulted in a brief argument with doctors Alan Pierce and Giovanni Wade.

*****

After the T-1 Typhoon fleet attacked the fortress head-on and gave a signal, Semick led his team as they sneaked around the battle outside the fortress walls, and reached an unattended wall where Semick was able to place some demolition charges. After a brief countdown, the wall blew, and the infiltration team charged in.

Unfortunately, the fortress proved much larger than what Semick had anticipated. Their attack proved to be too small, and an unorganized assault that was meant to be a storming of the place proved dangerous to the agents' lives.

During the infiltration mission, they were found by the high-ranking XERRD scientist Dr. Zed Provhezor. Attempting to escape, the infiltrators split up. Reptile and Sam Sinister ran down one hallway with their teammates Friendfyre, Sightread, Laharpe, Peterhoff, and Oxley, while the rest of the group headed in the opposite direction. Unfortunately, Reptile's group ran into Dr. Michelle Gladys, who used a handheld device to teleport them outside the fortress.

Semick, Bluetooth and Hotwire stuck together for some time as they avoided the worst numbers of the fortress's scientists and guards for a long period of time. However, their efforts weren't futile; in their efforts to avoid capture, they acquired a computer console's hard drive and three "injection saws" primed with Maelstrom energy.

*****

In the midst of the uncoordinated entry, Andrew and Laxus headed off in their own direction and, after much chase hijinks, eventually diverged into a laboratory. The lab was largely unattended, barring a XERRD scientist named Dr. Eugene Richards and a Hybrid guard, whom they managed to knock out and leave their bodies in a machine.

As they settled down and started checking throughout the lab, Andrew started thinking over his goals regarding DNA Devices and Maelstrom use, and he began to have second thoughts. Not long afterwards, the machine went off, closing in on Dr. Richards and the Hybrid before kicking into operation. Andrew and Laxus quickly realized they were dealing with a mind-switching device, not unlike the one Rex and Dr. Rex had used on Dinosaur Island. As the Minifigs inside were released from the machine, the two decided to take the mind-swapped Hybrid with them in their slowly-more-important goal of escaping the fortress.

*****

The Dino Attack Team's siege on the XERRD fortress was well underway when Zach had arrived at the scene. Looking up through the trees, he could see Elite Agent Rotor's squadron of T-1 Typhoons circle the skies around the fortress, raining down a barrage of Voltaic rockets on the fortress's high-tech defenses. On the ground, groups of Fire Hammers and Iron Predators applied their own pressure, sending streams of Cryothermic and Xenon missiles into the walls of the building to open up holes for the infiltrator teams to enter through. Multicolored laser fire flew back and forth between the two combatants' forces, slicing through the jungle growth and singing nearby trees and vehicles. Fiery explosions rocked the fortress and decimated nearby vehicles. The sights and sounds were overwhelming, but Zach couldn't help but feel excited to return to the front lines.

He weaved his newly-rebuilt Urban Avenger through Adventurers' Island's maze of tall trees and into the clearing surrounding the fortress, joining a group of Urban Avengers and Steel Sprinters as they circled the building. The Dino Attack Team opened fire, blasting away the guards and turrets that fiercely defended XERRD's base of operations. Zach grinded his teeth together as he aimed the Cosmotronic Ray mounted on his roll bars toward the fortress and fired at several guards attempting to set up a heavy gun behind a makeshift barricade. He turned his attention back toward his driving as he watched a stream of fire strike the Urban Avenger in front of him, causing it to swerve out of control. Zach quickly slammed on the brakes and turned back toward the treeline as the burning Urban Avenger slammed into a nearby tree, exploding into dozens of fiery LEGO pieces.

Zach leaned back in his chair for a brief moment, stunned. He slapped the radio mounted on his Avenger's dashboard, wondering why he was only getting static. "Hey, are you trying to get killed?" a voice called out. Zach turned and saw another Urban Avenger pull up next to him. He quickly recognized the driver as Dino Attack agent Ghost, whom he had rode with from the Aztec Village to the rear guard camp earlier.

"No," Zach snapped, lifting up the visor on his helmet to get a better visual of the battlefield. "What was that fire? And what's wrong with the radios?"

"They've sent out some Lizards and Raptors to break up our formations out here," Ghost explained. "And XERRD has some sort of jammer that is interfering with our communications. I think the tech guys are already working on it." Ghost gestured toward Zach's Cosmotronic Ray. "I've been passed along to the others to take out the dinos ASAP. You should think about falling back and taking out those Mutant Raptor force fields with that Cosmotronic Ray before they start causing trouble in the backline."

Zach nodded, lowering his visor again. "I'll take care of 'em."

Ghost nodded in return. "Good. Keep your head on a swivel, kid." Ghost quickly put his Urban Avenger back into drive and rejoined the battle. Zach cracked his knuckles before throwing his Urban Avenger into reverse, turning to face the fortress. The other Dino Attack vehicles had already broken out of their formation to engage with the Mutant Dinos that were swarming into the area. Zach smirked briefly from underneath his helmet. Jumping back into battle against XERRD and the Mutant Dinos was exactly what he needed after the last few hours of tragedy and discord between him and his teammates. No weird family drama, no arrogant commanding officers. Just going back to basics and taking out as many Mutant Dinos as he could.

Zach swung his Urban Avenger back into drive and joined the fray. Laser fire whizzed past his head as he steered clear from the elemental attacks from the Mutant Lizards. His Cosmotronic Ray went to work, sending any unfortunate Lizard that appeared in his crosshairs sprawling across the battlefield. It was just like dodging ghosts and skeletons back home at the LEGO Island Speedway. Except for the super-powered monsters trying to kill him, of course. He made a sharp turn to dodge an acid-spitting Mutant Lizard and blasted it away before continuing toward a pack of brown-skinned Lizards running alongside a Mutant Raptor. As he began firing upon the beasts, the world was suddenly blanketed in darkness. Oh, no. Zach quickly realized what was happening and turned away from his intended target to where he thought the edge of the clearing was. Before he could get very far, something slammed down on the nose of his vehicle, bringing it to a stop and lurching Zach forward his seat.

Zach lifted up his visor to try and get a look at what had stopped him. As the Mutant Lizard-induced dark fog began to fade away, he found himself face-to-face with the Mutant Raptor, its foot slammed down on his Urban Avenger. It bared its teeth at him in a way that almost resembled a sinister smile and snarled as the pack of Mutant Lizards running with it began to swarm around the Urban Avenger like a pack of rabid dogs ready to tear at a piece of raw meat.

"I'll pass, thanks!" Zach yelled, putting his visor back down and putting the Urban Avenger back into reverse. The Urban Avenger struggled to move against the weight of the Mutant Raptor. "Come on, come on, come on!" He punched away the snout of a lunging Mutant Lizard and aimed his Cosmotronic Ray at the Mutant Raptor's head and fired three quick bursts that penetrated its force field, staggering the beast. Zach stomped on the gas again, shaking off the Mutant Lizards desperately trying to climb into the buggy. Zach fired several more Cosmotronic blasts into the pack as they pursued him angrily. He knew he couldn't keep going into reverse forever, so he decided to slam on his brakes and quickly change gears to charge into the pack. The remaining Lizards rightly ran out of the way and regrouped behind him.

"Can I get some help?" Zach yelled angrily into his radio, knowing it was futile. The Mutant Raptor had recovered and roared angrily before running at Zach. He ducked and turned out of the way as the Raptor took a swipe at him with his claws, ripping the roll bars (as well as the Cosmotronic Ray) out of his vehicle. "For Builder's Sake…" Zach groaned as the Mutant Raptor shook the roll bars free from its claws and began to pursue him as well. Without the Cosmotronic Ray, he was a sitting duck. Hopefully, he could shake them with a bit of fancy driving.

As if on cue, something seemed to burst behind Zach. His Urban Avenger began to rumble and shake violently. He looked back and his eyes widened. A laser blast from the fortress had struck the Urban Avenger's engine block, causing it to leak fluids. You've got to be kidding me. He couldn't believe how awful his luck had been today, and it was only getting worse. Another blast nicked one of the back wheels, mangling it beyond repair. Zach let out an angry expletive and slammed his fist into the Urban Avenger's dashboard.

Zach knew he had to abandon his vehicle soon, or else he was done for. He thought about turning back into the treeline to regroup with the rest of the Dino Attack Team, but didn't want to lead a pack of Mutant Dinos and a vehicle that was likely about to explode toward them. He sighed and looked back toward the fortress, noticing a cluster of auto-turrets picking apart a group of Steel Sprinters. Might as well make this ticking time-bomb useful. Zach quickly turned the steering wheel to the left toward the fortress. The vehicle struggled against making the turn but eventually Zach got himself facing toward the auto-turrets. He slammed his foot on the gas and undid his seat belt. As the Urban Avenger barreled toward the fortress, Zach rose to his feet and dove out from the vehicle as it collided into the fortress and exploded, sending debris flying everywhere. Zach tumbled to the jungle floor and settled on his back. He braced himself for the Mutant Dinos to inevitably converge on him and finish him off.

And yet... they never came. Zach laid on the ground for several minutes, waiting to hear the growls of the Mutant Dinos as they approached him, but none seemed interested in him. Maybe they're chasing someone else, he thought.

Even so, he found it hard to get up. Leaping from the Urban Avenger hadn't exactly been kind to his body, and the sound and sensation from the explosion seemed to exacerbate the headaches that had been plaguing him since visiting the Maelstrom pool earlier. It was like a jackhammer drilling into his skull. He closed his eyes and tried to ignore the pain.

"...what in the MEGABLOKLAND was that?" he heard a voice ask nearby. Then he heard a sigh. "These Znapping Dino Attack agents sure love blowing themselves up." Zach realized the person was likely a fortress guard. He opened his eyes to see the guard standing over him with an annoyed look. He knelt down and put two fingers to Zach's neck, seemingly ignoring Zach's confused expression.

Oh, right, he realized. Helmet. Can't see my face. Fighting through the pain, Zach grabbed the guard's wrist and twisted it sharply. The guard gasped and tried to reach for his sidearm, so Zach quickly jabbed him in the stomach with his knee, knocking the wind out of him.

Zach dragged him to the ground and wrestled away the guard's pistol from his belt. He scrambled up to his feet and pointed the gun at the guard's head. The guard slowly raised his hands. "Please," he wheezed. "I-I surrender! Please!"

Zach stared at him for the longest time, feeling his pain melt away into anger. He would love nothing more than to shoot this coward in the head and be done with it. Zach thought about what Oswald Fabello had done at the camp earlier and wondered if this man was as depraved as him. Almost have to be willing to betray your planet like this.

"Please…" the guard begged, lowering his head.

Zach scoffed, but he still couldn't bring himself to pull the trigger on the defenseless guard. Just do it! The voice in the back of his head screamed, but he couldn't bring himself to kill the man. With an annoyed sigh, he swung the weapon as hard as he could into the guard's head, knocking him out cold.

"That's an alternative," Zach mused as he holstered the gun. He looked out onto the battlefield and watched the Dino Attack Team continue to battle Mutant Dinos and other XERRD forces. No way he'd be able to make it back across the clearing without getting attacked. He looked back to the fortress. He was near an entrance into the building, and the guard's uniform looked like it could fit him. Zach let out an exasperated chuckle. "Here we go again."

*****

Rex and Amanda arrived at the XERRD Fortress and found the squad commanded by Reptile and Sam Sinister, pinned down by XERRD snipers. While the others took cover from the snipers, Amanda grabbed a fallen agent's sniping rifle and shot down every single enemy sniper.

A Stromling Explorer emerged from the jungle and charged up the revolver fused to its arm. The Dino Attack agents ducked out of the way as it fired a blast of Maelstrom energy, which impacted the XERRD Fortress and left a gaping hole in its wall. Fleeing from the Stromling Explorer and a Skeleton Mummy, they entered the fortress through the newly-opened hole.

Once inside, the infiltration squad quickly overpowered a group of XERRD guards. They tried to find a place to hide the unconscious bodies so they would not arouse suspicion. Oxley opened one door in the hallway, and then he reported, "I found a utility closet! We can stuff the bodies in here, just like in the movies!"

Amanda quickly objected: "Don't. The guards have seen those movies, too. Infiltrators always hide unconscious or dead guards in the utility closet, so when things start looking fishy, that's the first place the rest of the guards will look. We'll have to look for something less orthodox... Don't ask how I know that."

However, they did find a pair of spare XERRD labcoats in the closet. This gave the squad an idea. "Let's disguise ourselves as XERRD scientists and guards," suggested Sightread, who began stripping one of the guards down to his underwear. "This time, we'll be less likely to be caught during this infiltration mission."

"Remember," instructed Lord Sam Sinister, "it's not enough to be wearing a disguise. You have to be cunning and clever to fool your enemy. In other words: a good liar, like me. So I don't want to hear any pathetic excuses, like 'earthquake-making cyborgs', or you're going to get us all caught!" As he cited that example, he sneered at Rex.

"In that case," Amanda suggested to Rex, "perhaps you should leave the lying to me."

"You?" Lord Sinister scoffed. "Last time I saw you, lady, you couldn't even speak! What makes you think you're capable of lying through your teeth when your life depends upon it?"

"You'd be surprised what I'm capable of," Amanda muttered under her breath, too quietly for Sinister to hear.

As an actual scientist, it made sense for Reptile to take one of the two XERRD labcoats. "That way," he said, "I'd have the expertise to respond to any scientific inquiries."

Rex, being wheelchair-bound, would not be able to pass himself off as a guard, so he was given the other labcoat. "This might be a problem," Rex realized as Amanda helped him put on the coat. "I've got a rather... recognizable face among XERRD."

Reptile quickly came up with a solution. He went into the supply closet and found safety goggles and a surgical mask. "This won't hide you completely," he said, "but it should at least cover you up enough that it won't be immediately obvious."

Rex nodded. "Good thinking," he said, placing the goggles and mask over his face.

Amanda, Friendfyre, Sightread, Laharpe, Peterhoff, and Oxley donned the uniforms of the XERRD guards. Lord Sinister refused to disguise himself, so he was handcuffed by Amanda. "Congratulations," she said sarcastically, "you get to play the role of our prisoner."

The group was stopped by Dr. Zed Provhezor once again. Angered that such a superfluous number of grunts appeared to be protecting only two scientists, he ordered them to get back to work. Rex tried to make up an excuse, but Provhezor, who was a legless cripple in a hover-chair, saw Rex in a wheelchair and said, "Ach! No, no, no, no, no! No excuzez! Und vy are you uzing zuch outdated teknology? A veelchair? Bah! A MegaBloking veelchair! Vy iz nobody elze az teknologikally advanzed az I? It iz an inzult to our organization!"

Another high-ranking member of XERRD, Dr. Walter Breen, noticed Zed Provhezor shouting at the infiltrators. Dr. Breen did not approve of Dr. Provhezor's short temper, but also ordered the "guards" to return to their duties, fearing that "our benefactors" would not be happy about these guards not protecting the fortress itself. Neither scientist recognized that they were speaking to disguised Dino Attack agents.

Then, Walter Breen noticed that the guards had a prisoner, Sam Sinister. Knowing that the Lord von Barron had allied with Dino Attack Team, he decided to take Lord Sinister away for negotiations, and Dr. Provhezor followed.

*****

Zach had quickly pulled off the guard's grey uniform and put it on over his Dino Attack vest before propping up the guard against the fortress. It was a much tighter fit than the other uniform he had worn during his earlier infiltration mission with Nazareno, but he figured the rest of the fortress personnel would be too busy to notice. All he had to do was regroup with one of the other infiltration teams and get to work dismantling this fortress. He tossed his helmet into the fiery mess created by his wrecked Urban Avenger and entered the fortress.

As Zach quickly limped his way through the now-familiar gray hallways of the XERRD fortress, his hunch seemed to be playing out as expected. The fortress was on red alert; low, buzzing alarms echoed throughout the building. Other guards and scientists rushed past him to secure the building, seemingly paying him no mind. Now it was just a question of figuring out where the other infiltration teams were located and rendezvous with them. Maybe steal some more intel or shut down the communication jam if he had the opportunity.

The building rumbled violently and lights began to flicker as the Dino Attack continued to shell the building from above and the perimeter. "Breach in sector 7105!" a voice announced over the fortress intercom system. "Available security personnel, please make your way over and report to Captain Oak. Available maintenance personnel report to the lower levels to repair a failing generator. Dr. Gadd, please report to R&D Lab 6." Zach's eyes brightened. He finally had a place to start. Except, of course, he had no idea where to go.

I'm sure there is a directory somewhere around this maze. Zach paused and pressed himself against the wall as a group of XERRD guards pushed their way through the hall. Leading them was a Minifig dressed in bulky black-and-red armor and helmet, carrying a strange high-tech gun and what appeared to be a mini rocket launcher. Is XERRD making super soldiers now? Zach thought, raising an eyebrow. He mentally filed away a reminder to check the intel he had stolen from his first trip into the fortress for any information on experimental Minifig armor.

Zach finally reached an intersection between the hallway he was on and two other paths. He stopped before the directory on the wall, trying to determine his next move. It didn't list sector 7105 as a location in either direction, and the rest of the possible locations were listed as room numbers or other sector numbers with very little indication of what they led to. Zach sighed and pointed to the left side of the directory first. "Eeny, meeny, miny-"

"Excuse me?" a voice asked from behind him. Zach nearly jumped out of his boots as he turned around to face the owner of the voice, a hand on his sidearm. He allowed himself to relax slightly as he saw the person was not a guard but a stunning woman dressed in a lab coat, her long dark red hair tied into a messy ponytail. The scientist looked concerned as she glanced from his face to his gun. "Are you lost?"

"I... uh... yeah," Zach said, taking his hand off his gun. "I'm new here. Transferred from Dinosaur Island. Was trying to find that breach." He paused for a moment. "Sorry about that." He gestured to his gun. "Can never be too sure with the Dino Attack Team sneaking around."

The scientist gave him a warm smile. "Oh, nothing to worry about! I'm glad our security personnel are being so diligent. Dr. Bishop had warned us that the Dino Attack Team had been sneaking into our base. I hope you will allow me to share your diligence and let me see your identification?"

"Yes, ma'am. Of course," Zach said, slowly reaching into his pocket to pull out the forged XERRD ID card he had created using Oswald Fabello's ID card shortly after his argument with Commander Lutsky. The scientist smiled as she took the card from him and looked it over for what seemed like forever. Zach shifted awkwardly in place as he tried to get a read on what she was thinking. She pursed her lips for a moment before nodding and returning the card.

"Everything checks out, Logan Zekria. I am Doctor Carolyne Provencal, for future reference," she said with a wink. Zach gave an unconvincing smile in return, taken aback by the scientist's affable demeanor. "Actually, I could use someone with your dedication for a task. I've been working on a highly confidential project for Dr. Rex that could turn the tide in the war. I need someone to keep watch while I secure my work on the off-chance that the Dino Attack Team is successful here today. I know you said you were going to deal with the breach, but certainly there are enough guards in the fortress to deal with it, right?"

Zach considered the scientist's request for a moment. Something that could turn the tide in the war? As much as he wanted to get away from this Dr. Provencal as soon as he could to meet up with the rest of the infiltrators, gaining intel on something like this could be vital for the Dino Attack Team's success. "Yes, ma'am. Of course. Happy to help."

Dr. Provencal clapped her hands, pleased with his answer. "Excellent! Thank you so much. Please follow me. It's a bit of a walk." Zach nodded and followed the scientist as she weaved her way through the busy hallways of the fortress. He passed by a pair of scientists escorted by guards, barely giving them a glance, though they did look somewhat familiar. That wheelchair in particular looked like the one he had built earlier for…

"Rex?" Zach whispered, coming to stop as he gave the group his full attention. Indeed, he recognized many of them as Dino Attack agents, including Elite Agent Reptile and Standard Agent Claw. Claw, pushing Rex's wheelchair, put a finger to her lips to shush him. Rex seemed surprised as well to encounter him.

"Zachary?" Rex said, eyes glancing around to make sure there weren't any eavesdroppers. "What are you doing here? Are you with anyone?"

Zach rubbed the back of head awkwardly. "No, I was fighting in the battle outside and sort of ended up here again by accident. I'm following a scientist who said she was working on an important project-"

"I'm losing him," Reptile muttered to Rex. "We need to keep going."

"Right," Rex said. He turned back to Zach. "Sorry, we can't stay and catch up. If she says it's important, you better stick with the scientist for now."

"Right, sorry," Zach said quickly, embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it," Rex said reassuringly. "Good luck and be careful."

"You too." Reptile and Claw nodded at him briefly before they kept heading in the opposite direction. Zach rolled his eyes at himself for having yet another awkward encounter with the famed Dino Attack Elite Agent before turning around in the opposite direction to limp-jog after Dr. Provencal.

As he approached her, she turned around and raised an eyebrow. "Something wrong?" she asked, concerned.

"No, sorry ma'am. I got held up by a guard escorting a scientist. Wanted to know if I had seen anything suspicious," Zach said quickly, catching his breath.

Dr. Provencal chuckled. "What an interesting coincidence! Ah, well. No harm done. My lab is the door here on the right." Zach nodded and looked past her. Indeed, he saw a gray door up ahead with a gold plaque in the center that read "Doctor Carolyne Provencal." She stepped up to the door and put her thumb on the lock. There was a beep, followed by the sound of the door unlocking. Dr. Provencal swung the door open and put a hand on Zach's back. "After you."

*****

Upon arriving, Kate was ordered by Elite Agent Rotor to enter the Fortress. She managed to sneak in through the ventilation shaft that she had before, along the way overhearing Dr. Strangebrick and another scientist explaining that they had examined security logs and found out she was responsible.

Shortly afterward, Dr. Strangebrick managed to catch Kate. However, despite his keen interest in infecting her with the Maelstrom, Strangebrick decided that Kate should meet Dr. Bishop first.

Strangebrick brought Kate Bishop to Wallace Bishop's office. There, Wallace was aloof to Kate until she revealed her full name, and then his attitude seemed to change. Kate also noticed a picture of her mother, Sarah Bishop, on Dr. Bishop's desk. Claiming that she was a "special case", Wallace told Kate that she would be held prisoner, but would not be infected by the Maelstrom and he would not approve Strangebrick's desire to mutate her. Wallace then locked Kate up inside his office, where she remained until she was freed by Hotwire.

*****

Zach cautiously stepped into the lab, uncertain of what to expect. Perhaps somewhat disappointingly, nothing obviously evil jumped out at him. It was a brightly lit gray room filled with labeled cabinets and drawers, with a sizable workbench near the center of the room. On the workbench were several tools, a laptop, and several design documents.

"Make yourself comfortable," Dr. Provencal said sweetly as she locked the door behind them. "Just need to finish some calculations and we can get everything sorted away."

"Yes, ma'am," Zach responded, still taking in his surroundings. Dr. Provencal smiled at him before heading to the work desk to pour over her work.

As she worked, Zach walked nonchalantly toward the counter to his left to try and learn more about this XERRD scientist's work. There were dozens of drawers sitting on the cabinet, with labels that Zach quickly identified as the names to various LEGO pieces. In a break between the drawers, he saw several framed documents hanging on the wall. The centerpiece was a doctorate in mechanical engineering from Brickdue University, while the others were various degrees and certifications in other engineering fields, as well as accolades for her research and projects done at Brickdue University and Brick League United. How could someone with all this acclaim end up with XERRD? Zach wondered to himself.

Zach continued down the counter, stopping before a varied collection of what he could only assume were experiments and designs. Among them was a miniature model of a T-Rex clad in silver armor and a gothic-looking lantern with an ominous glowing purple orb in the center. There were blueprints hung up on the walls detailing information and schematics about the T-Rex armor, as well as for the cages dragged by Dino Track Transports and a strange device that looked like a strange hybrid of a bonesaw and a syringe.

The experiment that drew most of Zach's attention was a pair of futuristic black gauntlets resting on a pedestal. The left hand had long claws attached to the fingers and purple tubing running through the wrist while the right had blue tubing and no claws. The tubes ran from the gauntlets to a backpack resembling an air tank nearby. "What's up with these gloves?" he asked nonchalantly.

"Curious, aren't you?" Dr. Provencal said, amused. Zach shot a cautious glance back at her. She was typing away on the computer, her eyes darting between the screen and her blueprints on the table. "A dual-purpose tool of science I've been working on since I was with the Nexus Force. It is a tool made to extract samples of the Maelstrom and elemental Imagination; Imagination with the right and Maelstrom with the left. I hope to eventually supplant our current method of Maelstrom harvesting with this, but there are still bugs to work out and higher priority work to complete."

Zach scratched his chin as he tried to get a better look at the device. "It stores both? Is that safe?"

"Perfectly," Dr. Provencal said. "That tank keeps the samples separate to prevent cross-contamination." Zach watched as she pulled out the strange bonesaw-syringe hybrid from a nearby drawer and set it aside on the workbench. Dr. Provencal then turned to the counter on the other side of the lab, where there were several beakers filled with a bubbling purple liquid. She grabbed one of the beakers and returned to the center of the room. She picked up the saw and dipped the syringe needle into the beaker. She smiled at Zach as he watched with dread as the saw's syringe filled up with the liquid.

"I love the duality of the gauntlets, mostly," Dr. Provencal said with a contented sigh, ignoring Zach's uncomfortable expression. "Much of the Nexus Force see the Maelstrom as an abomination accidentally created by Baron Typhonus. I, and much of Paradox, see it more as an inevitability. Order and chaos. Creation and destruction. One simply cannot exist without the other. The Maelstrom would've found its way to existence eventually even without Typhonus's interference."

Dr. Provencal finished filling the syringe and set aside the saw as she approached Zach and the gauntlets. She picked up the left-handed glove and examined it closely. "You know, I once considered joining the Assembly faction. Had all the right qualifications after years of building and engineering here on Earth. However, Paradox's goal of studying the Maelstrom proved to be much more intriguing to me. After all, if one is to understand the great mystery, one must study all its aspects." She winked at Zach again before she returned the gauntlet to its pedestal. "Dr. Rex agreed with me, in any case, and that is why I am here."

Zach watched her as she returned to the workbench to type a few more notes into her computer. He was growing more and more anxious the longer he stayed here with this scientist. Were the gauntlets the secret project she was referring to? Or was it in that syringe? Dr. Provencal looked up from her computer and tilted her head at him for a moment, smirking as she shut the laptop.

"I really appreciate your help here today, Logan," Dr. Provencal said as she walked around the workbench. She reached the front of the table and jumped up to take a seat, crossing her legs. Zach raised an eyebrow, unsure of what help he had actually done for her. "And I appreciate your curiosity. It is unfortunate those particular prototypes aren't working correctly, as I would have loved to see how you react to having your Creative Spark ripped from your body."

Zach stared for a moment, dumbstruck. "You... what?"

Carolyne Provencal laughed again, this time with a distinct, menacing edge. "I have to admit, it was a pretty impressive fake ID card, Dino Attack agent. Someone with a less keen eye would've fallen for it. Unfortunate for you that I was passing by."

Zach's eyes narrowed as he knew he had been made. He reached for his sidearm, only to find it missing from his holster. Provencal tut-tutted impatiently as she waved her hands. Zach looked in surprise to see that in her hands was his weapon, now disassembled into several different parts. "Not very attentive, are you?" Provencal asked mockingly as she set the weapon parts aside.

Zach grinded his teeth together and raised his fists into a fighting stance. He wouldn't go down easy. "What do you want then, if you're not going to...suck out my soul, I guess? Just going to kill me?"

"Oh, please. You insult me," Provencal said, unimpressed. "I am a scientist, after all. I believe there is some scientific value in your presence here." She stood back up and put her hands together in front of her face. "I would like to see how my test subject reacts under pressure. Under threat of a terrible transformation." She picked up the strange saw device again and tapped the needle with her finger before winking at Zach.

Zach felt the color drain from his face as he realized what she intended and what was in the syringe. He began to back away toward the door. "You're insane."

"Hmm, more curious, I think," Provencal said. "Look on the bright side! There is a small chance your body rejects the Maelstrom transformation all together and you simply die a very painful, yet ultimately uneventful death!"

"Not sure that's a bright side," Zach said. He reached the lab door and tried to open it, only to find it locked. "Are you serious?" He looked for a button or switch of some kind to unlock the door, but found nothing except another card-swiping mechanism that he knew his card would not be able to open. He turned back to Provencal, who gave him an amused smirk with a half-hearted shrug.

Zach's head continued to pound as he began to fully grasp the XERRD scientist's trap. He wasn't getting out without a fight. Fine by me. Without a second thought, he charged at her, his fist raised. Before it could connect with Provencal's face, she snatched it wrist with her free hand, to his shock.

Provencal made a tsking sound of disapproval, as if she was scolding a child. "I thought we were done underestimating me," she said coldly as she twisted his wrist sharply. Zach gasped as he fell to one knee. "Oh, that's interesting." She attached the saw to her belt and pulled off the glove covering his robotic hand. "Well, it looks like we both learned not to underestimate each other. Impressive work with this prosthetic. I'd love to take a closer look." She smiled as she tossed his glove aside and grabbed the saw again. Without hesitation, she swung the saw through where his hand and wrist met. Zach yelled out in agony as electricity surged through his body due to the violent disconnection. He fell to the floor alongside his hand, which hit the ground with a loud thud.

"Seems a little advanced for the Dino Attack Team," Provencal said as she scooped up the hand and brought it close to her face for examination. Zach could groan as he continued to spasm on the floor in shock. "Ah, I appreciate the effort to retain the ability to feel, including pain. Impressive work, though it would seem to indicate someone is afraid of losing his humanity. A fear we're going to have to get over quickly, I think." She chuckled as she tossed the hand toward Zach. "I'd love to keep it around for study, but I think you have a greater need for it than I do." Zach sighed in pain as he awkwardly placed his hand back into wrist. Despite the brutal disconnection, it still seemed to work aside from a few sporadic twitches.

Provencal grabbed him by his collar and dragged him to his knees. She quickly dragged the saw across his right shoulder, cutting off the sleeve of his jacket and exposing his skin to the needle. "Do you like it?" Provencal asked cheerfully, gesturing to the saw. "Handy little tool I helped create. We call it the Injection Saw. Perfect for dealing with dinosaurs and administering the Mutant Dinosaur formula, as well as collecting DNA for further research." She put the blade to his neck. "Another multipurpose tool of mine, if you will."

"I'll kill you," Zach groaned as he tried to push the Injection Saw away from his neck. Provencal sighed disapprovingly before punching Zach in the jaw, causing him to slump over again. Before he could try to object again, Provencal grabbed his neck with her left hand while she buried the needle into his exposed shoulder.

Zach felt a cold sensation travel through his body as the Maelstrom entered into his bloodstream. He stared ahead in shock, the color draining from his face. Provencal patted his head approvingly before walking past him toward the door to unlock it. She then returned to the workbench and set the Injection Saw aside, satisfied with her work.

"What now?" Zach said as he anchored himself back to reality. He slowly climbed to his feet, taking long, shaky breaths. The ground seemed to be shaking back and forth and his vision already felt cloudy and blurred at the edges.

"Well," Provencal said, checking her watch. "In a few minutes, give or take, you'll either be a Stromling or dead. If I was you, I'd run as fast as I can away from here. Wouldn't want to hurt all your friends running around here, right?"

Zach doubled over as he felt the effects of the Maelstrom. His headache from earlier was so painful now he could hardly think straight, and he felt like if he tried to run he would vomit. He might vomit anyways, to be honest. But he couldn't let himself be around the Dino Attack Team if he turned. Images of the previous Stromling he encountered flashed through his mind and the chaos they caused. He stood back up straight and glared at Carolyne Provencal. "This isn't over," he growled, pointing at her.

Provencal gave him a mocking smile and shrugged. "I'm sure I'll see you around."

Zach threw open the door and began running, letting his adrenaline carry him despite the nausea and pain from earlier. He could hear guards yell for him, but he ignored him. Maybe they'll kill me and save us all some trouble, he thought to himself. Despite this hope, none of the guards seemed interested in chasing after him.

As he reached the entrance he had come in, Zach found the guard he had knocked out earlier now awake and watching the entrance with a giant red welt on his head. The guard's expression soured as he saw Zach approaching. "You 4+ piece of-" the guard began, wagging his finger.

Zach ignored his curses as he grabbed him by the collar and dragged him close so their faces were only inches apart. "Kill me," Zach snarled, showering the guard with his spittle.

The guard scoffed angrily and shoved Zach away. "You took my gun, remember?" the guard said, wiping his face.

"Choke me, beat me to death, anything," Zach said, his eyes bulging.

The guard narrowed his eyes and punched Zach as hard as he could in the cheek, staggering him. "I'd love nothing more," the guard snapped. "But I've got orders from on high to let a, quote, 'manic-looking guard with red hair and glasses' go free." Zach stared in disbelief at the lengths this Dr. Provencal would go to torture him. The guard let out a mocking chuckle. "Looks like you got what was coming to you. Mess with the bull and get the-"

The guard's insult was cut off as Zach grabbed him by the neck with his left hand and slammed him against the wall. The guard frantically gasped for air and tried to fight back as Zach tightened his grip. Whatever inhibitions he had about killing this defenseless man earlier were gone as he let his rage take over. He slammed the man's head against the wall twice before letting him slump to the floor.

Zach stepped over the guard's body and exited the fortress. The battle between the Dino Attack Team and XERRD's forces was still ongoing, though much of the Mutant Dinos had seemingly been neutralized or ran off. It was sensory overload as he watched Dino Attack vehicles race across the clearing and the sounds of roars and explosions deafened him. It was all too much.

"Hey, Zach!" Zach turned briefly to see Ghost standing next to the wreck of his Urban Avenger. "Was this you? Hey, you don't look so good." Zach couldn't take it. He hunched over and finally vomited next to the wreck, causing Ghost to recoil. "Hey, watch it!"

Zach ignored him as he stared at the ground for a moment, sweat dripping from his hair. Was vomit supposed to look purple? Was it actually purple, in any case? Everything looked kinda purple now, to be honest. Zach straightened up and wiped his mouth as his brain seemed to be working on overdrive. Gotta get out of here, he thought.

"Wait!" Ghost called out. Zach waved him off as he found an opening in the treeline around the fortress and started running once again.

*****

Rex, Reptile, Amanda, and the rest of their team hurried as they attempted to follow Provhezor, Breen, and Sinister through the XERRD Fortress. But their progress was abruptly halted when they came to one particular doorway into a restricted area. Rex and Reptile passed through without any issue, but the other agents disguised as XERRD guards were all repelled, pushed back by an invisible force.

Without Amanda pushing his wheelchair, Rex skidded to a stop. Alarmed, he turned around and called: "Amanda! Are you okay?"

Amanda gnashed her teeth in determination as she attempted again and again to go through the doorway. But no matter how slowly or quickly she moved, she would keep getting shoved backward.

"It must be some sort of force field," remarked Reptile. He noticed a keypad on the wall. "We could disable it, but I don't know the code..."

Suddenly, there was a bright flash of blue light. Rex and Reptile turned around to see a XERRD scientist approach. Rex recognized the woman, with her messy black hair, the dark circles under her eyes, and her emotionless stoic facial expression, as Dr. Michelle Gladys from the Dino Island Laboratory's teleport station.

"That's her," Reptile whispered to Rex. "She's the one who caught us before."

Dr. Gladys walked past Rex and Reptile, stepped through the force field, and addressed the disguised Dino Attack agents with a monotone, bored-sounding voice. "Where exactly do you think you're all going?" she asked. "At this very moment, Dino Attack Team is attacking our fortress, and yet you guards are far from the battlefield. Get back to work and defend the fortress immediately. Failure to comply will not be tolerated."

"Excuse me?" said Amanda. "We're doing our job: providing security escort for these two scientists. We're keeping them safe from Dino Attack."

"I have valuable research and data that cannot fall into Dino Attack's hands," said Reptile. "And given the current circumstances, I'd feel a lot safer with them around me."

"There's no need," replied Gladys. "I designed this high-security force field myself, inspired by the ninjas of Forbidden Valley. Only authorized XERRD scientific personnel have the clearance to be allowed in this restricted area; the fabric in your labcoats is specifically engineered to pass through this field. These grunts, on the other hand, don't belong in here."

"But Dr. Walter Breen approved of us coming with-" Peterhoff began to say.

"Walter Breen?" repeated Gladys, clearly unimpressed. "He's just a joke, nothing more than a politician who tries to pass himself off as a 'scientist'. I wouldn't listen to anything he says."

"This is ridiculous!" snapped Amanda. "I don't have time to deal with you. Let us through, now!"

Gladys's eyes narrowed. "Carefully choose your words next time, grunt," she said, "because if you speak to me with that tone of voice again, then I'll just have to test the hypothesis that MegaBlokland is a real place where I can send you."

"You'll have to forgive her," said Rex. "As you can see, she's very passionate and devoted to her work, and that's why I need her by my side. As long as she's with me, she has my security clearance. I am, uh... high-ranking enough to overrule such protocols, right?"

Dr. Gladys slowly turned around to face Rex. Her scrutinizing gaze was piercing. "You should know that I, Dr. Michelle Gladys, am third-in-command of XERRD," she stated. "My word is final, unless you are Dr. Wallace Bishop or Dr. Rex. And I should certainly know what Dr. Rex's word sounds like... even when muffled by a facemask."

She quickly walked up to Rex. Before he could react, she pulled the surgical mask and safety goggles off his face. Although her tone of voice did not change, she sounded rather smug as she said, "Did you really think this laughable excuse for a disguise would fool-"

"I'm a synthfig!" Rex quickly said, blurting out the first idea that came to mind. As Gladys paused in confusion, he elaborated: "A synthetic minifigure created in the likeness of Dr. Ronald Alexander by ShadowTech, whose founder was Katerina Schattenberg... birthname Catherine Alexander."

"Ah... yes, indeed!" said Reptile, playing along with Rex's cover story. "This synthfig was personally commissioned by Dr. Rex before the Dino Attack, but agent Cane's takeover of ShadowTech put the project on hold. Fortunately, we were able to retrieve this asset during Dr. Wolf's raid on their island base last month, although as you can see, its incomplete nature necessitates the wheelchair until its legs can be made fully functional."

"Dr. Rex is no stranger to using his own voice and face as an asset," added Amanda. "And since he clearly values this synthfig, he's placed me in charge of ensuring its security. With the Dino Attack Team on our doorstep, it's very important that I keep it safe, and I refuse to fail my mission now because of misplaced bureaucratic protocols. Which is why you have to let me and my fellow guards through this doorway."

Rex smiled. He wasn't sure if Dr. Gladys would buy his fabricated story (indeed, it seemed like something too crazy to be true, like most of his other lies made up on the spot), but at least Reptile and Amanda were doing their part to help make it seem more plausible.

But Michelle Gladys's emotionless face was inscrutable, so she still did not seem convinced. She slowly walked towards Amanda, glaring at the disguised Dino Attack agent. "You're just a low-level guard," she said flatly, "at the bottom of the totem pole, far beneath the brilliant scientists and doctors who form XERRD's core, or the powerful veterans of Nexus Force who have battled the Maelstrom. You're not smart, you're not special. You're not even qualified to be a lab rat. So why would Dr. Rex entrust such an important task to a mere grunt such as yourself?"

Amanda was silent for a moment. She briefly glanced at Rex, and he saw a haunting look in her eyes. It was the remorseful look of someone who had done something horribly wrong and was begging for forgiveness. It was the doomed look of someone who was pleading guilty before a judge, knowing they were sealing their fate. Amanda, he thought worriedly, what are you doing?

When her eyes returned to meet Dr. Gladys's scrutinizing glare, a change overcame Amanda. It was just the slightest shift in her posture and body language, but it had a profound effect on her appearance. She seemed confidently poised, like a serpent ready to strike. A dark shadow passed over her face. Her lips curled in a smile, but there was none of the warmth that Rex had known from her. "Because underneath this uniform, I am no mere XERRD grunt," she replied. "Some may call me a hired gun, a bounty hunter, a mercenary, an assassin, even a terrorist... but there is one name that everyone calls me."

"Which is...?" asked Gladys.

When Amanda spoke, there was a chilling edge to her quiet voice, the same tone as when she confessed to Don Bricassius's murder. Barely louder than a whisper, she said: "Silencia Venomosa."

For the first time, Michelle Gladys's stoic facade fell away. Just for an instant, her face betrayed an emotion: terror.

*****

Dr. Cyborg helped Hertz in the electronics and communications tent. He found a way to break XERRD's jamming signal, which helped in the fortress attack. He then went to collect a Maelstrom sample from the Maelstrom pool that Zachary had discovered.

*****

Zach wasn't sure how long he had been running. Could've only been a few minutes or even hours. The familiar sights and sounds of the jungle around the XERRD fortress had faded into a dark and unfamiliar area of the jungle. He could see red eyes peering at him from the shadows, but like the guards in the fortress, they let him pass through the jungle undisturbed.

He felt himself slowing down. Adrenaline couldn't propel him forever, and the effects of his injuries and the serum were getting worse. His vision was getting worse. He couldn't focus on anything except escaping and as he slowed, his body felt heavy and sluggish. Zach sighed as he finally stopped and slumped against a nearby tree, wheezing loudly.

Am I far enough? he wondered. He had slowed down earlier for just a moment to send out a hastily-written and barely coherent PDA message to the rest of the Dino Attack Team alerting them of his status before ditching the device. Zach felt a pang of regret that he had not been able to send any personal last messages to the friends he had met on Adventurers' Island. He thought of Semick and his T-1 Typhoon crew, as well as Andrew, Laxus, and Nazareno. And Minerva…

Zach sighed again, feeling his eyes well up with tears. There was so much left unsaid. When he had last seen Minerva, things had been awkward. He had still been uncertain of his feelings for her and their last conversation they had involved arguing about his current mental state. Guess you were right, Minerva, he thought bitterly. Now he would never be able to say what he really thought of her. He wouldn't get the opportunity to apologize. If he ever saw her or any of his friends again, he would likely be a horrible monster trying to kill them. He let himself sink to the jungle floor in defeat. He wiped away the water from his eyes and finally lifted his head up. To his surprise, this area was actually familiar to him.

In the middle of the small clearing he had stopped at, Zach saw the mysterious pool of Maelstrom once again. Perhaps the Maelstrom had subconsciously led him here as a cruel joke. Zach had started the day coming here and was attacked by the Stromling Islander Ahua, only for the Maelstrom in the pool to suddenly rise up and save him from a fatal blow. Now he had returned, with the Maelstrom coursing through his veins, threatening to consume him. "What do you want with me?" Zach yelled angrily, throwing a nearby rock into the pool. The pool seemed to gurgle and bubble in response, before going still.

In the silence, Zach could hear the rustling of jungle brush to his left. He quickly scrambled back to his feet and curled his hands into fists, before being forced to lean against the tree again due to light-headedness. To his surprise, a massive Maelstrom-infected ape stumbled out of the trees, its red eyes fixated on Zach. It slowly stepped toward Zach, emitting a low, inquisitive growl. "Get away!" Zach roared. He lowered his shoulder and, with all his remaining strength, shoved the ape back. To his surprise, the ape gave away rather easily, falling into the Maelstrom pool with a large splash.

Zach slowly stepped toward the pool, his fists raised. As the Maelstrom began to settle once, Zach didn't see a Stromling Ape, but what appeared to be a Minifig, dressed in silver armor. "No, no! That's… not-" Zach stammered, backing away. "You were - I'm sorry! I-"

Zach couldn't find the words to finish his apology as he turned to run again. Nowhere was safe. He had to keep running. Got to get away. I have to- His panicked thoughts were interrupted as felt something strike his head, and everything went black.

*****

Dr. Cyborg emerged from the Maelstrom pool, surprised to still be alive after his unexpected swim. He wondered what compelled Zachary to push him in, and he could not see where his teammate had gone.

Dr. Cyborg then went back to the camp, where it was discovered that his cybernetic body was apparently immune to Maelstrom, with no limit known. He returned to the communications tent. He tested his slight Maelstrom control, like absorbing it, shooting it out of his hands, and turning it into a computer virus.

After that, Dr. Cyborg traveled to the XERRD Fortress and joined Commander Lutsky's team.

*****

The name "Silencia Venomosa" meant nothing to Rex, who still did not know everything about life in LEGOLAND before the Dino Attack. But as he watched the reactions of everyone around him unfold, he could still feel the weight that name carried. Friendfyre and the other disguised agents regarded Amanda with wide eyes, as though they were seeing their teammate for the first time.

Dr. Michelle Gladys quickly recomposed herself, burying her fear beneath an emotionless exterior once again. "You are lying," she stated. "The one thing everyone knows about her is that she is absolutely silent. It's even in her name. And yet, you're speaking."

Amanda shrugged as she retorted, "True. Although, everyone also knows that dinosaurs are practically extinct... and yet, here we are, in the middle of the Dino Attack. Times change. Funny, isn't it?"

Rex recalled when he first met Amanda. Back then, his impression of her was that she reminded him of old silent films due to her body language speaking for her. Now, he found himself reminded of a different genre: film noir. Her quiet voice had adopted a smooth, almost seductive vibe with an underlying intensity... a voice that would belong to a classic femme fatale. It was not at all what he imagined she'd sound like if she had spoken all those months ago.

"Why should I believe anything you say?" questioned Gladys.

"I suppose you could ask Dr. Breen," suggested Amanda. "He must have proudly boasted about hiring me. Then again, he was too cowardly to meet me face-to-face when giving me the job; I'd doubt he'd recognize me in person." She paused, thinking for a moment. "If you still don't believe me, you can ask your cousin Howard Simmons. I'm sure he'd love to tell you all about the time he hired me to do some business for Lens Pioneers in Dimension 8231."

Dr. Gladys's eye twitched involuntarily. Evidently, that comment meant something to her.

"You will disable that field and let me through," continued Amanda. "If you do not comply, then I will find my own way past... and, I promise, you will suffer painfully for standing in my way. I'm sure you're well aware of my reputation as a mistress of knives and toxins. But at least you'll go down knowing that you will be the first scientist in history to be dissected like a frog... while you are still alive!"

"You wouldn't," said Dr. Gladys. "If XERRD is your client, then the last thing you want to do is hurt me."

"Would I?" mused Amanda. She started walking around Gladys like a vulture circling over carrion. "Let's not forget what happened when the Brickfather thought that his fellow mob families would never dare to betray him. Or when Mindstorms, Inc. failed to pay me more than their competitors, and not even a whole team of mercenaries could stop me. Or especially when the CEO of Dacta Corporation believed a police escort would keep him safe during a big public event in broad daylight."

As she recalled each of these heinous incidents, Rex saw Friendfyre, Sightread, and the other infiltrators wince. Even Dr. Gladys's inscrutable face seemed to pale. Whoever this "Silencia Venomosa" is, her name was one that lived in infamy. Rex felt a chill run down his spine.

"What was the lesson to be learned from all these events?" concluded Amanda, glaring intensely at Gladys. "Never stand between Silencia Venomosa and her target."  

Reptile leaned in towards Rex. "Wow," he whispered, "Claw's really good at this." Rex glanced back at his fellow elite agent. Reptile must have believed that this was all just a convincing act, saying whatever was needed to get Dr. Gladys to let them through.

But Rex could not share Reptile's plausible deniability. That haunting look Amanda had given him... he knew deep down that this wasn't an act. This was a confession. And she had been afraid that he would never view her the same way again after this.

Finally, Dr. Michelle Gladys wordlessly relented. She walked over to the keypad and typed in the password "2P2I10IB4". The force field was disabled, letting Amanda through the doorway into the restricted area with Rex and Reptile.

"Thank you for your compliance," said Amanda, smiling with faux sweetness. "I'd hate for a supposedly brilliant scientist to do something stupid, after all." When she returned to Rex's side, she laid a hand on his shoulder and her smile was replaced with solemn seriousness.

"Indeed," replied Gladys. Friendfyre, Sightread, Laharpe, Peterhoff, and Oxley began to follow Amanda through the doorway, but then the XERRD scientist reached into her labcoat and pulled out a strange device that resembled a sleek silver firearm, with three antennae around the barrel and a number of lights that glowed blue or orange. "However, I must factor these extra variables into my calculations. If you really are Silencia Venomosa, then I'm sure you're more than capable of escorting these two by yourself. You don't need this entourage at all."

Reptile's eyes widened as he recognized Dr. Gladys's handheld teleportation device. "Wait, stop-" he started to shout, but she ignored him and pulled the trigger. There was a bright flash of orange light. Then Friendfyre and the others were gone.

"What did you do with them?" demanded Rex.

"I sent them to the front lines, of course," explained Dr. Gladys. "I expect that Dino Attack Team won't hesitate to fire upon men dressed in the uniforms of their enemy, so I'm putting that hypothesis to the test. Euthanasia is always a necessary sacrifice in the name of science." Her bored and monotonous tone of voice only made her horrific statement sound even more callous. "Speaking of Dino Attack Team, I must ensure they are properly welcomed..."

Then, she turned back towards the keypad and inserted another combination. "Don't mind me," she said, "I'm only starting up the neurotoxin emitters."

"What?" exclaimed Rex. In horror, he traded glances with Reptile and Amanda.

A purple cloud of gas began to blow out of every air vent. Michelle Gladys turned back towards Rex, Reptile, and Amanda. "That's right," she said. "In approximately six minutes, this entire fortress will be flooded with a deadly neurotoxin. Don't worry. All XERRD members have already been administered with the antidote, so it's perfectly safe as far as I'm concerned. Perhaps they even provided you with the shot when you were hired, Venomosa, but if not... I'd suggest you find one fast. It'd be a shame if you suffered the same excruciating fate as Dino Attack Team. Just imagine if, hypothetically, elite agents Rex and Reptile thought they could disguise themselves as XERRD scientists and infiltrate our base, only to be met with the neurotoxin. I can hardly wait to observe as they gasp their last breaths of air, their bodies convulse in agonizing pain, their brain functions shut down... A truly fascinating study, isn't it?"

As usual, Dr. Michelle Gladys's face appeared to be emotionless and stoic. But there was just the faintest hint of a knowing smirk on her lips that betrayed her sadistic pleasure. Before they could do anything else, the mad scientist pointed her teleportation device down at the floor and fired, and then she was gone in a flash of orange light.

Reptile swore. "Come on," he urged Rex and Amanda, "we have to hurry if we're going to find Lord Sinister now!"

"Rex, I..." Amanda started to say, but her voice was faltering. It was as though she suddenly wasn't the same woman she was a minute ago.

Rex shook his head. "I get it," he said, "you said whatever you needed so that Dr. Gladys would let you through." But he gave her a somber look that she understood, silently promising that they would talk later about these ghosts of the past.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 37: Ghosts of the Past

----

Greybeard sat in the tavern.  He was familiar with every sight, every sound, every scent of the place.  It was just like how he remembered it.

Except that sitting beside Greybeard was a mysterious figure he had never seen before.  He could not discern any details of this stranger, because the figure wore a large dark hooded cloak that obscured every part of his body except his cold, pale hands.

No face was visible under the dark figure's hood.  However, Greybeard could sense the being staring at him.  To distract himself, Greybeard glanced around the tavern, anywhere but at the hooded figure.  Spotting the bartender, Greybeard tried to catch his attention but failed.  He shouted to the bartender, who did not even seem to notice his presence.

Then, Greybeard realized something horribly wrong about the bartender.  He knew this bartender quite well; he was an old friend, in fact.  But this bartender had been dead for several decades.  Glancing around, Greybeard saw that all the other pirates in the tavern were familiar yet long-deceased.

A cold hand now rested on Greybeard's shoulder.  He turned around and saw that it belonged to the cloaked figure.  "Ye be a spirit, be ye not?" Greybeard realized.  "This tavern, these people, ye 'ave plucked 'em from me memory... they be but shadows o' things that once existed, be they not?  This be a livin' memory."

The hooded figure only stared at Greybeard.

"Will ye not speak, spirit?" inquired Greybeard.

The spirit, as Greybeard would call him, said nothing in reply, but instead gestured towards the tavern doors.  They swung open as two pirate captains barged in.  With one look, Greybeard instantly recognized them as the infamous Blackheart Cousins, John and Brian.  Long before Captain Roger Redbeard set sail with the Black Seas Barracuda, these two pirate captains ruled the seas.

Both John and Brian Blackheart were laughing triumphantly.  "Today will go down in history!" proclaimed John Blackheart.  "But first round's on me tonight!"  All the other pirates raised their glasses in cheer, even as the rest of the Blackhearts' jolly crew filled the tavern.

As the celebration began, Greybeard smiled to himself.  "I... I know this day..." he said, chuckling.  "It be th' day th' Blackheart Cousins won a major victory o'er Admiral Brickhouse!  Ol' Brickhouse be swimmin' with th' fishes down at Davy Jones's locker thanks t' 'em!  On this day... we pirates felt free from any imperial tyranny."

There was laughter.  There was music.  There was dancing.  There was merriment.  It was the grandest celebration Greybeard had ever remembered, and every ounce of its grandeur was replicated now.  Although he knew that this was no more than a memory conjured up by the mysterious cloaked spirit and that nobody would notice his presence, he could not help but partake in the festivity.  He laughed, danced, sang, and shared the merriment with the other pirates.  The only one who did not join in the party was the spirit, who stood off to the side, completely motionless.

Then, Greybeard spotted another pirate.  He was youthful, likely no older than thirty.  Overcome by curiosity, Greybeard paused in his merriment and approached the pirate.  His head was bald but his chin bore a small goatee.  While his face was certainly familiar, it was not the face he remembered.

Greybeard frowned and approached the hooded spirit.  "If ye be reproducin' this celebration from me memories," said Greybeard, "then ye got him all wrong!  He be not supposed t' 'ave a goatee... at this time, he only 'ad stubble!  And why be he bald?  He be supposed t' 'ave long shoulder-length hair!  If this be me memory... then ye got a most important factor wrong."

The spirit raised a hand and pointed at the pirate in question.  Although it was not the person he remembered, Greybeard struggled to remember why he seemed so familiar.  Then, it hit him.

He was not a pirate at all.  He was Rex, an elite agent of the Dino Attack Team.  He wore pirate garb and was still standing on both legs, but it was no denying that this was Rex.

"What be ye doin' 'ere?" murmured Greybeard, now confused.  "Be me memories fallin' apart?  Be I losin' track o' who did what an' where an' when?"

Rex took no notice of Greybeard, but he also paused in his celebrating, his eyes fixated upon something.  Then, the entire world seemed to move in slow motion, except for Greybeard and the spirit.  Greybeard glanced at the spirit, unsure of what was going on; the spirit only stared back at him.

"Wait..." Greybeard muttered.  "Th' world be not movin' slowly... that just be 'ow I remember it... which means...!"  Following Rex's gaze, Greybeard saw that a female pirate wearing a most beautiful sea-blue dress was approaching the Dino Attack agent.

Greybeard's eyes widened, and his heart started racing, every beat seeming so loud it rang in his ears.  He mouthed the name of the female pirate, unable to believe his eyes.  As soon as he could control his legs, he rushed towards her.  He reached for her hand, but like everyone else in this memory, she took no notice.  Biting his lip, Greybeard darted around in order to see her face.

Disappointment washed over Greybeard, as though someone had splashed him with a bucket of cold water.  It was not the female pirate he had remembered, but Amanda Claw, another Dino Attack agent.

Stepping away from Amanda, Greybeard shook his head.  "No... that be all wrong... ye be not supposed t' be Amanda Claw... Spirit, why be ye alterin' me memories?  What be yer purpose in doin' so?"

Rex extended his hand towards Amanda, who gladly accepted it.  Together, they danced elegantly, moving as one, as lovers do.  It was a dance Greybeard knew well, for he remembered it perhaps better than any other moment in the Blackhearts' victory celebration.

When it had happened so many years ago, it seemed that every second lasted an hour.  Reflected in this memory, Greybeard watched Rex and Amanda dance together for what felt like hours.  As he watched them, he felt a sense of longing and regret stirred up by these memories, even if what he was seeing was not quite what he remembered.

When it was over, Rex bent down on one knee and offered a ring to Amanda.  Upon seeing this ring for the first time in years, Greybeard felt his heart skip a beat.  He stared at Amanda, who smiled gently and accepted Rex's proposal.

The old pirate backed away from the loving couple.  He approached the hooded spirit and dared to say, "Spirit, by placin' Rex an' Amanda in this scene, thar be some purpose, some message ye be tryin' t' convey.  But... I fear yer message, if ye have decided upon showin' me other memories."

The cloaked spirit, dark and mysterious as ever, waved its arm in a broad gesture.  The entire tavern and all its celebrating pirates melted away.  There stood only Greybeard and the spirit in a swirling void.

*****

Greybeard awoke.  He found himself lying in the wet, muddy earth of the Adventurers' Island rainforest.  Standing over him was his teammate, the Alpha Team agent Frozeen.

"It's your shift," Frozeen stated.  "Careful... it's not going to be easy.  I've had to take down at least a dozen while you were asleep."

"Huh?" said Greybeard, blinking as he got his bearings.  "Oh, aye, that be right... th' Mutant Dinos an' all."  He slowly got to his feet and took the Z-1 Kinetic Launcher from Frozeen.

"Are you alright?" inquired the Alpha Team agent.  "While you slept, you seemed quite uneasy."

"Just a... strange dream," said Greybeard, shrugging.  "Ye get some shut-eye.  I will make sure the Mutant Dinos do not get us... or what we have plundered from that desert temple."  With that, he glanced at their pack, from which an unnatural purple mist emerged.

----

Although Specs and the founding members seemingly depended on Ata for information regarding the multiple international campaigns, they were still secretly receiving information from an informant in XERRD, who sent them chess pieces containing holograms; these chess pieces were delivered by Ed Mail (rain, snow, sleet, hail, or even the apocalypse itself could not stop the dedicated mailman). From Ata, Specs learned of the troubles faced at Castle Cove and Gold City as well as the communications jam at Adventurers' Island; from his mysterious contact, he learned of events going on at Dinosaur Island. The informant also promised that they would receive "a surprising new recruit".

Specs continued to rely on Ata to provide him with status updates on the missions, but he was angry with the communications expert after catching him idling outside Specs's office without any news of the Adventurers' Island campaign. Specs remained suspicious that Ata was trying to eavesdrop on private meetings held by the founding members.

Viper felt that Specs was being a little too hard on Ata. Specs replied, "Do you know why Ata joined the Dino Attack Team?  So he could do something significant, something the world will remember him for.  But nobody remembers a communications expert who does not do his job."

Specs and Shadow also primarily oversaw construction of the Doctor Device. Using blueprints sent to them from their informant, they completely reengineered it to make it more effective, though they were unsure of what to do with the engineers designing the Doctor Device.

One of the informant's messages suggested that Dr. Rex was using the Maelstrom to influence the Dino Attack Team and stir negative emotions. Spurred by this possibility, Digger and Anubis searched Digger's office and found a 2x4 LEGO brick that had been infected with Maelstrom. Realizing that this was how Dr. Rex was able to influence him to mutiny against Specs, Digger and Anubis immediately brought the Maelstrom-infected brick to Specs's office to show the Team Leader.

They received another chess piece: a knight, unlike the previous bishops. This chess piece was from a mysterious female who told the founding members to have a secret meeting with her in a building near the LEGO City coast, without telling anyone about the meeting. The building turned out to be the same abandoned prison that Rex had previously used to contain his captured and tamed Mutant Dinos.

Following its directions, Specs and the other founding members traveled to the prison on Steel Sprinters, but were surrounded and captured by three Mutant Dinos and a mysterious samurai. The founding members were escorted into a soundproof room of the building, where the samurai revealed her identity as a Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid. Although the founding members expressed shock, anger, and distrust, she revealed that she had sent them the message.

"Then who are you?" asked Digger.

The Hybrid replied, "Your worst nightmare... or perhaps, your only hope."

"Explain yourself," said Specs, calmly but sternly.

"Just imagine," the Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur murmured.  "Your team succeeds in its cause.  Dr. Rex is killed, XERRD is defeated, and the majority of Mutant Dinos are eliminated.  I presume that, following the war, any Mutant Dinos still on the face of the planet would be hunted to extinction."

"Indeed," said Shadow, nodding.  "That is our intention."

The Hybrid's expression looked grim.  "And... my kind, you would show them no more mercy?"

The founding members traded glances.  After a moment of silence, Specs replied, "That is true.  They have committed crimes against us during the war, most notably their betrayal, which left various outposts under their control, some Dino Attack agents wounded, and many others dead."

The Hybrid grimaced and laid a hand upon the desk.  "That is my point," she said.  "The Hybrids would be hunted and killed, and I would be among them.  I have committed no such war crimes, nor am I even one of their species, but there would be no reason to spare a freak of nature such as myself."

"Are you one of a kind?" inquired Digger.

"Yes," she said, nodding.  "I am the only Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur Hybrid, one of XERRD's four hybrid prototypes.  Only one of us, the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid, went on to have an entire army modeled after him, created to be completely loyal to XERRD.  And you know what XERRD did to the rest of us?"

She clenched her fist and slammed it down upon the table, startling the others.  "They rejected us!  They saw us as little more than superfluous... trash that had no use to them!  So, they put us in stasis, thinking that would contain us!"

"But you escaped," murmured Viper.

Here, the Hybrid's expression turned a little saddened.  "Yes, I escaped.  We were broken free by strange robots in Alpha Team uniforms and jail jumpsuits.  Tyrannus, Velosis, and I decided that it was time to have our revenge for being tossed aside like garbage.  With Tyrannus's brawn, Velosis's brains, and my speed and agility, we seemed like an unstoppable force.  Then... we encountered Alpha Rex."

She stared off into space, recalling the memories.  "Our battle against him was fierce... yet far too brief.  Both Tyrannus and Velosis were heavily wounded, and I was rendered unconscious.  Then, our creator, the one they call Wallace Bishop, was ordered to execute us.  I managed to escape thanks to the help of your informant.  As for Tyrannus and Velosis... they were not so fortunate."  She sighed sadly and laid a hand on her forehead.

"After that," continued Specs, "our informant must have sent you here to help us out.  Of course.  That's what he must have been referring to when he told us that we would have a surprising new recruit."

"But why did you expect us to show you any sympathy?" said Shadow, frowning.  "You know very well how we view Hybrids.  How can we trust you?"

The Hybrid locked eyes with Shadow.  "I cannot speak for the actions of the Minifig/Mutant Lizards," she spoke so quietly it was nearly a whisper.  "But after I had been rejected, those Hybrids have been created to be completely loyal to Alpha Rex, and in doing so their reputation has been maligned forever.  I have no such loyalties to XERRD, but the reputation of the Hybrids makes the world a dangerous place for me to live.  Even if I survive the Dino Attack, I'll be permanently shunned from society, or else hunted until at last Death takes my life.  I am here to change that.  By working with you and helping the Dino Attack Team win this war, I hope to gain a place in society where I will not be looked at with fear or anger, but understanding and respect."

The founding members were silent for a moment.  Then, Digger remarked, "You also referred to your brethren as Tyrannus and Velosis.  Based upon their names, I assume that they were a Minifig/Mutant T-Rex Hybrid and a Minifig/Mutant Raptor Hybrid, respectively.   But do you have a name?"

The Hybrid nodded slowly.  "Your assumptions are correct.  As for me... they called me Pterisa."

"So, Pterisa," Specs finally inquired, "you've explained your own motives for helping us; extracting revenge against XERRD and gaining a place in society.  Knowing our informant, there is probably another reason you were sent here."

"True," responded Pterisa.  "There is a very specific reason for why your informant wants me to help you in your campaign at Adventurers' Island.  When they find the Maelstrom Temple... it might be too powerful, too tempting, even for your elite agents.  You need someone at Adventurers' Island who has the willpower to resist the Maelstrom itself... someone who can pull away from its binding grip which enslaves the Mutant Dinos to it... to Alpha Rex..."

"You?" said Digger, blinking in surprise.

"By now, you are aware that the Maelstrom is used in the Mutant Dino infection," explained Pterisa.  "As Mutant Pterosaur blood flows through my veins, I too have been infected with Maelstrom.  As both Alpha Rex and the Maelstrom grow more powerful each day, by now I should be little more than a mindless minion enslaved to Alpha Rex, like the Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids.  But I'm not.  When we were freed from stasis, Tyrannus, Velosis, and I gained the willpower necessary to break free of the Maelstrom's influence, of Alpha Rex's enslavement.  That's why we were able to rebel against XERRD.  That's why I'm helping you now.  And that's why I can help your team against the Maelstrom."

"And, your Mutant Dino friends..." Viper said as he gestured towards the door.  "What about them?"

"They share much in common with me," replied Pterisa.  "They too are rejected prototypes.  In fact, they are three of the first four Mutant Dinos created by XERRD, before Alpha Rex used the Maelstrom in his formula.  As such, they are free of any Maelstrom or binds to XERRD, and they were more than willing to accompany me to this city to form an alliance."

Specs and Shadow traded glances.  "Three of the four Mutant Dino prototypes?" repeated Specs.  "Then the fourth must be...?"

Pterisa bit her lip and shook her head.  "We do not know what fate befell the prototype Mutant T-Rex.  Interestingly, my friends think they may have picked up traces of his scent in this building, but they are uncertain since it is very faint.  But, if he is still alive, he too has never been infected with Maelstrom.  Unfortunately, this means I doubt that he shares any such immunity to the Maelstrom."

"So, all it takes to be immune to the Maelstrom," inquired Digger, "is to be ability to say 'No' to its control?"

Pterisa laughed, a little bitterly.  "It's not that simple, Digger," she explained.  "It's not exactly immunity; I'm not sure how long it can hold out, and it might be useless in a heavily-corrupted area such as the Maelstrom Temple.  Rather, it's a measure of willpower... to have enough willpower that one can actually overcome the Maelstrom's influence, as I have done, would be a more accurate phrasing.  I'm not altogether sure how many others could have or even develop such willpower, but it seems to be connected to strong emotions; for example, love.  For me, it was my desire, my dream, to live in a more perfect society."

"But could a tamed Mutant Dino," elaborated Digger, "one that has been trained by Dino Attack Team, possibly have immunity?"

Pterisa thought about it for a moment.  "It could be possible, since they would have been freed from Alpha Rex's control."

The founding members traded glances.  "I don't believe it," Digger murmured to the others, smiling.  "Rex was actually training Trouble and the other Mutant Dinos to be immune to the Maelstrom!"

"Time grows short," Pterisa said, and she bit her lip.  "As we speak, both XERRD and Dino Attack get closer to the Maelstrom Temple.  If this is the case, then I must leave now if I am to aid your team."  She paused, then added: "That is, if you accept my aid."

Specs was silent for a moment, then nodded.  "We accept your alliance.  But if you want to keep your existence a secret, then we cannot send word of your alliance to our operatives on Adventurers' Island, since XERRD might intercept our message.  And they'll shoot you down before you can say anything, or they won't even believe you."

Pterisa smiled a little, then put on her samurai helmet.  With the cloth draped over the lower part of the helmet, her reptilian facial features were hidden from view.  She proceeded to fold her pterosaur wings in a way that they once again looked like a dark, torn cloak.  "I'll be willing to take that risk," she replied, "but I do think that they might be more willing to receive help from one who looks like a veteran samurai."

With that, she approached the door and opened it.  The Mutant Lizard and Raptor were standing outside, and only now did the founding members see minute differences between these 'prototypes' and the final products.  Pterisa stroked their heads, then turned to face the founding members.  "You are free to go," she whispered.  "My friends will escort you back, protecting you from Alpha Rex's enslaved Mutant Dinos."

Pterisa, the Mutant Lizard, and the Mutant Raptor led Specs, Shadow, Viper, and Digger out of the building, where the Mutant Pterosaur was waiting.  Pterisa nodded to the others, adding a quiet, "Good luck."  Then, she spread her wings and took to the skies.

The founding members watched her go.  Then, carefully watching the prototype Mutant Dinos, which were carefully watching them in return, they stepped onto their Steel Sprinters and sped back to headquarters.

----

Doctor Nicholas Saran was first approached by two members of Dino Attack Team when having coffee in Antarctica. He was told that since he was a psychologist, he would be very beneficial to the agents fighting there. Saran explained that he would be able to handle himself because he used to work in the LEGO Island Police Department. Since he had everything he needed with him, the doctor agreed to leave immediately.

----

"Are we certain he has been blessed? The purification should've been completed by now."

"We are certain. We can feel our master's power flow through his blood. His body is close to succumbing, but his mind resists. But we will break him. One way or another."

Zach blinked a few times as he finally came to. He found himself staring at the blackened jungle floor as he was being dragged by his arms by two Stromling Islanders. Leading the way was Ahua, the ruthless leader of the Stromling Islanders and Zach's recurring rival since the latter's arrival on Adventurers' Island. Though his brain still felt fuzzy and everything was blurry, Zach noticed that from their last encounter to now Ahua had replaced his hand that had been blown off by Zach with a glowing purple spear, fused to his arm by the Maelstrom.

"I like the upgrade, Ahua," Zach muttered mockingly. "Shame about what happened to the original."

The Stromling Islanders stopped in place as Ahua turned back toward Zach, his face not betraying any emotion. He nodded to Stromlings, who let him drop to the ground. "Glad you're finally awake, Zachary. We see not even fear of what is about to happen will shut you up," Ahua said flatly. He circled around Zach, dragging the spear across the dirt. "The spear is not ideal, but it has its uses." He jabbed the spear into Zach's right hand. Zach gasped in agony as blue sparks erupted from the puncture wound and another painful electrical shock traveled through his body.

"Would you people please stop doing that!?" Zach yelled, exasperated.

Ahua ripped the spear back up from Zach's hand and turned away. "Get him up," Ahua said to the other Stromlings. "There is much to be done."

The two Stromlings bent down to grab Zach's arms and hoisted him onto his feet. He waved them away impatiently. "Get out of here. I don't need... help," he mumbled as he stumbled forward, grabbing a wrecked stone pillar for support. Without the adrenaline boost from earlier, the fatigue and sickness from the Maelstrom was really setting in. "Oh, that's not good," he added as he caught a glance at his left hand, which had become blackened and sickly with a distinct violet hue. The discoloring reached down to his wrist, with it slowly expanding to the rest of his arm.

Ahua scoffed. "Guide him into the temple. The transformation is almost complete."

Zach looked around and suddenly became aware that they were standing before a stone staircase that led to a dark, foreboding temple. At the entrance he saw several symbols lining the archway, but couldn't make out what they were or what they meant. He wondered for a moment if this was the legendary Temple of Creation or if it was the temple that belonged to Dust's ancestor. Not like it particularly mattered what temple it was as he wouldn't be able to relay any intel back to the Dino Attack Team. The two Stromlings grabbed his arms once again and helped him climb the stairs and enter the building.

"I'm guessing I don't want to take a look at my face if this is what my hand looks like," Zach said, trying to make light of his dire situation.

Ahua looked back at him, his unamused face illuminated by the purple fire that lined the dark corridors. "We will admit, we were not aware of the full extent of our master's vision for you. We didn't understand why he saved your miserable life at the pool, but it is now clear that he foresaw this moment and your usefulness."

"I doubt that," Zach said before coughing violently thanks to toxic air and dust from the temple. "You have XERRD to thank for this."

Ahua grunted angrily. "Ah, of course. Then they continue to be the architects of their own demise. Hmph. XERRD and the Dino Attack Team will be dealt with in time, do not worry."

"Sure," Zach said, rolling his eyes as he coughed again. He was feeling worse and worse. It was only a matter of time now.

Finally, Ahua entered into a dark, circle chamber built out of stone. At the center of the room was another swirling pool of liquid Maelstrom, which illuminated the chamber in an ominous purple light. "Leave us," Ahua said to the Stromlings curtly. They nodded and exited the chamber, leaving Zach to stand alone against his foe.

"You guys sure have a lot of these things," Zach wheezed before clutching his chest. His heart felt like it was about to explode out of his chest and legs shook violently, ready to buckle.

"This was once water connected to several wells throughout the jungle, including the one where we met earlier. They serve a higher purpose now." For the first time, Ahua gave a cold smile as he approached Zach. "Your body has almost succumbed to the Maelstrom. All that remains is submitting your mind to our master's will."

"Yeah, well…" Zach said, doubling over and grabbing the nearby wall to hold him up. "We'll see about that." Truthfully, he had no idea what to do or how to stop the corruption, but he might as well be defiant to the end.

"There is nothing to see," Ahua snarled, bringing his fist down on Zach's back, dropping him to the floor. He then dragged Zach to the edge of the pool. "There is no resisting. No fighting back. In a few moments, you will be gone. You will just be a memory in the back of the mind of a loyal servant to the Maelstrom."

Zach rolled onto his side and stared into the Maelstrom vortex, hypnotized by its spiral. His entire body felt like it was on fire and he was exhausted. He was certain if he let himself drift into unconsciousness, he would be gone forever. Just have to focus. Think positive. He tried to focus on LEGO Island. Racing and building and filmmaking. Friends and family.

Minerva.

He rolled onto his stomach and tried to stand up again. Above him, he could hear Ahua chuckle as he put his foot down on to his back, pinning him to the floor. Zach's body spasmed as it tried to fight off the corruption to no avail. Ahua breathed in deep and laughed as he tossed what appeared to be a gun into the Maelstrom pool, landing with a small splash. "So pathetic," Ahua growled. "Take solace in what you love, Zachary. Those thoughts will be all you have."

"What was that?" Zach asked as Ahua lifted his foot back up.

"Something for the new you," Ahua said. "We hope you like this 'upgrade,' as you called it." Zach crawled toward the edge of the pool as he tried to get a closer look. He watched as the vortex relaxed into a reflective black mirror, giving him a good look at his changing appearance. Zach's eyes widened in horror. Half of his face was the same shade of purple as his left hand and his hair was changing color as well. Notably, his left eye was now glowing red. Ahua suddenly came into frame over his shoulder, his own red eyes brightening in anticipation.

"Let us begin!" Ahua yelled, kicking Zach forward, sending him falling into the Maelstrom.

To his surprise, falling into the Maelstrom was less like falling into a mud pit and more like falling through a portal into space. All around him was a black, featureless void. Time seemed to slow down, making it feel like he was falling forever. He reached out to the vortex, where he could barely make out Ahua staring out at him from the other side as he fell farther and farther. He tried to scream, but no sound exited his mouth.

"And now, you will become ours," a harmony of voices boomed into the void. Zach recognized one of the voices as Ahua, but the others foreign. He didn't have much time to dwell on it as searing pain traveled from the spot of the injection to his entire body. His arms twitched erratically and it felt like his eyes were about to pop out of his skull.

Several images began to appear before Zach. It was like a collage of his life, from his encounter with Carolyne Provencal earlier to all the way back to his first visit to LEGO Island Speedway with his parents, sister, and aunt as a young child. All the memories were playing at once, deafening him with a cacophony of barely discernible noise.

"...and now they're threatening to expel him…" Zach's mother said, concerned.

"...Cut! Let's do it again…" Steven Spielbrick yelled through his microphone as the film crew began to reset the scene for Xtreme Stunts, Zach watching from a nearby hill.

"...Well, give it a few missions and you'll be fighting Mutant Dinos with us in no time..." Captain Thaddeus Brickhouse said, putting a hand on Zach's shoulder.

"...Maybe he can stay with me. LEGO Island seems like just his type…" Zach's Aunt Jess replied reassuringly.

"...Better late than never. Welcome to the Dino Attack Team…" Viper said with a nod in Zach's direction.

"'...forsaken, one of humble birth given to the isle of dreams…'" a cloaked woman recited to Zach as he ate his ice cream cone on the beach, only half-listening as he watched jet skis race in the bay.

The images suddenly disappeared as Zach's muscles suddenly tightened, slowly freezing him in place. An amused chuckle echoed around him. "You will be our greatest servant," the voices jeered. "You will be the herald of this planet's doom." Zach desperately tried to claw his way back to the vortex as his body began to fail, choking as though his organs were all seizing function at once. Swirling bands of the purple energy descend from the vortex and wrap around his body like a cocoon. The Maelstrom energy tightened around his head, blinding him completely. Immobile, blind, and out of air, Zach felt himself fade away. One last thought crossed his mind before he was lost in the Maelstrom's might.

I'm sorry.

*****

"Ma'am, we have stopped a squad of agents trying to take the fortress. Per your request, we have brought the lone survivor to you."

Carolyne Provencal turned from her lab's computer to the gray uniformed fortress guards, who each had a hand on the shoulders of Dino Attack agent Zelda Frodongan. Her hands were cuffed together, and she had visible bruising and wounds on her face and arms.

Dr. Provencal gave a warm smile to the group as she approached Zelda. She examined her prisoner carefully from every angle. Zelda looked down, trying to avoid the scientist's eye contact. Provencal made a tutting sound and aggressively gripped Zelda's chin to force her to make eye contact with her. Zelda grimaced as she stared into the scientist's face. This woman wasn't like those she had fought against on LEGO Island. She was curious, her expression soft and almost welcoming compared to the cold and ruthless of the other XERRD scientists. Provencal carefully pulled off Zelda's standard-issue Dino Attack helmet, allowing her red-streaked black hair to fall in front of her face. The scientist smirked as she carefully moved the hair out of Zelda's eyes.

"Well done, troopers!" the scientist said, stepping away. Her voice matched her face: sweet and warm. Zelda found it extremely off-putting. "I can handle her. Return to your positions and protect this fortress!"

"Yes, ma'am," one of the guards said. The two turned to leave before turning back. "Do you need anyone else, Dr. Provencal?"

The scientist paused for a moment. "No, this should be fine. Ensure this fortress holds up against the Dino Attack Team, for your own sakes."

The two guards looked at each other. "Uh, what do you mean?"

Dr. Provencal continued to smile. "Our contingency in the case of this fortress falling into the hands of the Dino Attack is not a pleasant one. If I were you, I would do everything in my power to stop this attack."

The guards shared a frightened look before nodding. "R-r-right, ma'am. The Dino Attack will not win."

"I'm sure," she said. "Now, run along! And close the door on your way out." The two guards quickly turn and ran out of the lab, slamming the door behind them. Zelda watched as the scientist returned to her table to work on something just out of her sight.

"Might as we introduce each other while I work. I am Dr. Carolyne Provencal. Experience in a variety of sciences, but primarily specializing in numerous engineering fields, including biology and civil, as well as an expert in the fundamental forces of building, including Imagination and the Maelstrom." Zelda rolled her eyes at the scientist's long-winded intro. "What is your name, agent?" Dr. Provencal asked as she carefully wrote down some notes.

"Zelda Frodongan, standard agent," she spat, not playing along with Dr. Provencal's sickeningly-sweet façade. "Why don't you quit playing games and just kill me?"

"Very brave of you," Dr. Provencal said absently as she wrote down some notes. "As was the other agent I met with earlier today." She chuckled. "Naïve, but brave. I won't be killing you, Zelda Frodongan. Though I'm sure you'll wish you we're dead by the time we're done." She stepped away from the table and moved toward a cabinet and seemed to pull out something resemble a medical saw with a syringe attached to it.

Zelda squirmed uncomfortably and forced herself to her feet. "What are you going to do with that?" she asked, slowly backing toward the door. "I… I know the stories, you know. If you think you're turning me into a Mutant Dino or a Hybrid or anything, you've got another thing coming."

Dr. Provencal gave a grating and high-pitched laugh. "In my opinion, transforming Minifigures into Mutant Dinos is played out. Unfortunately for you. No, I've been studying a different transformation recently. I just need a few… samples."

Zelda quietly tried open the door, only to find that it was locked.

"Don't bother, honey," Provencal said, still focused on her work. "The door is not opening without a key." Zelda sighed and stepped away from the door.

Finally, Provencal turned toward her, holding the saw-syringe hybrid in her right hand with a swirling purple-and-black liquid inside. Zelda instantly realized what was about to happen and began to panic.

"I designed this little tool, you know?" Dr. Provencal remarked, ignoring Zelda's visible fear. "Good for injecting and extracting material from dinosaurs thanks to the saw. An unintended feature that I've come to enjoy is the reaction Dino Attack agents have when they see it."

"Are you sure it's not whatever you have sitting in that syringe?" Zelda said, backed up against the door.

Dr. Provencal laughed again. "Possibly." She started walking toward Zelda, the injection saw raised. "I'll have to make a note of it."

Zelda gritted her teeth. She wasn't going to go down without a fight. She lowered her shoulder and charged at the XERRD scientist, pinning her against the lab table.

Provencal grunted in pain. She carefully set the injection saw down on the table, before hooking her right arm underneath Zelda's and lifting her up to eye level. Provencal then landed a hard punch to Zelda's face, knocking her on the floor.

Zelda gasped and spat, tasting blood in her mouth. She was so tired, beaten and wounded from the earlier confrontation with the fortress guards. She tried to crawl on to her feet, only to catch a sharp kick to her stomach from Provencal that caused her to collapse again.

"Disappointing," Provencal remarked, her cheery voice becoming colder. "The other agent put up more of a fight. If only the guards had gone easier on you. Or perhaps they let the wrong agent live." Zelda felt a single tear fall from her eye as the mad scientist grabbed Zelda's hair and dragged her to her knees. Provencal seemed to notice and scoffed. Keeping a hand gripped around Zelda's hair, Provencal landed another punch on Zelda's face before releasing her. Zelda slumped over, wheezing in pain as Provencal stepped away momentarily.

"I can only hope you'll be stronger in a moment," Provencal mused. She carefully dragged the injection saw against Zelda's right arm, cutting open her sleeve and creating a light cut on her shoulder. Zelda winced as she felt the needle bury itself in Zelda's skin and inject the Maelstrom formula into her bloodstream. After what seemed like forever, Provencal pulled back the needle and stepped away.

Zelda fell onto her hands, lightheaded and sweating profusely now. "What now?" Zelda gasped, her world spinning.

She heard a lock clicking and looked up to see Dr. Provencal opening the door to the lab, her affectionate smile back on her face. "Based on the intel and footage I captured of Standard Agent Zachary from security cameras set up around the jungle, you only have maybe ten-to-twenty minutes before the transformation sets in. You might experience hallucinations and undergo violent episodes, based on research."

"What… what did Zachary do?" Zelda asked as Provencal released her of her handcuffs and allowed her to rise to her feet.

Provencal chuckled. "He ran."

Quickly understanding the implications of what was about to happen, Zelda pushed past the scientist and sprinted down the cold hallways of XERRD fortress. The sounds of the battle between XERRD and the Dino Attack became a whisper to her as focused on the loud pounding of her heart.

She had to get away…

Had to keep everyone safe…

*****

As the battle of the fortress continued, Rotor began to grow impatient. He realized that they had not heard from any members of the infiltration squad, leading him to make some of the most controversial choices in the Adventurers' Island campaign. He gave the order for the T-1 Typhoons to begin firing on the fortress.

Realizing that there were still agents present, George Brown refused, and proceeded to land. Upon getting out of the T-1 Typhoon, Rotor immediately ordered the arrest of him and his crew. They were promptly brought back to the camp to face a court martial.

*****

Ahua watched as the Maelstrom in the pool began to rumble before being parted and pushed against the walls of the pool. At the center of the pool stood Zach, his arms outstretched, his head bowed. The Maelstrom quickly wrapped itself around his waist like a cyclone and raised him out of the pit. It then dropped him to his knees before Ahua and returned to the pool.

Zach took in several deep breaths, his eyes closed. It felt like waking up from an extended coma. The air in the temple was surprisingly clean and revitalizing. With each breath, he could feel himself becoming stronger and stronger.

"Zachary, can you hear us?" Ahua asked, kneeling down to Zach's level. "Are you alright?"

Zach opened his eyes slowly. "Yes," he said, his voice guttural and hoarse. He lifted his head and glanced at Ahua. The Stromling Islander had a look of intrigue on his face as he scratched his chin.

"What do you remember?" Ahua asked. "Do you know where you are? Who we are?"

"I…" Zach paused as he looked around the stone chamber in the temple. It was all coming back to him. The battle at the fortress. Being injected with the Maelstrom. Coming here. "I remember it all." Zach slowly stood up, stumbled for a moment before regaining his balance. He extended out his arms. To his surprise, the barrel of a Maelstrom-infected Cosmotronic Ray had been fused to his right arm. He raised his arm and admired it for a second. For having a cannon attached to his forearm, it was surprisingly light on his upper arm and shoulder. He lowered the Cosmotronic Ray and turned back toward the Maelstrom pool. He stepped forward and stared into the pool. The vortex instantly settled into a black mirror once again, allowing Zach to take in his new form.

He didn't look all that different, really. His skin looked ragged and burned, with his yellow complexion now a sinister dark violet. His hair likewise was still messy and unkempt, but now a light shade of purple with black streaks. His glasses were apparently lost sometime in the pool, but it didn't seem to matter much, as his glowing red eyes seemed to have perfect vision. He still had his Dino Attack uniform, but the vest was torn up and there were several tears and holes in his sleeves.

Zach stepped back and extended his left toward the pool instinctively before raising it up into a fist. The Maelstrom in the pool rumbled violently before bursting upward like a geyser erupting. Ahua gasped in surprise, taking a step back as the Maelstrom scrapped against the ceiling.

"How - how is this possible?" Ahua asked, surprised. Zach blinked a few times before giving Ahua a mischievous smile. He let his hand fall to his side, and the Maelstrom sank back into the pool with a large splash. Several stone bricks fell from the ceiling as well, clattering against the floor.

"Our master has seen fit to bless me with his power," Zach said, chuckling. He looked back into the pool for a moment. "A shame about my hair, though. Ruins my good looks."

Ahua's surprise faded away into annoyance. "Shut up." He paused for a moment. "Very interesting, though. You will certainly be a valuable asset to us. Kneel." Zach raised an eyebrow, but ultimately complied, falling to one knee before Ahua.

"You have been blessed with the opportunity to serve the Maelstrom," Ahua began, pacing around Zach. "Your previously pathetic existence has finally been given purpose: to spread destruction and ruin across the known universe. To wipe out Imagination and rebuild this universe in the name of chaos." Zach nodded excitedly, Ahua's words filling him with power and purpose.

"Dr. Rex and XERRD foolishly believe they can control the Maelstrom," Ahua continued, growling Dr. Rex's name. "And the Dino Attack Team laughably think they stand a chance against the Mutant Dinosaurs and that they can purify the Maelstrom Temple." Ahua laughed. "They are wrong. Soon, the full strength of the Maelstrom will be revealed, and this planet will burn! Now rise."

As Zach rose back to his feet, Ahua snapped his fingers. On cue, four Stromlings came shambling into the chamber, wearing Dino Attack, XERRD guard, and XERRD scientist uniforms. "It's time to go on the offensive. The Dino Attack Team and XERRD are busy fighting at the fortress, distracted and weakened. Let's stir up a little chaos. More importantly," he said, poking Zach's chest with his spear. "This is your opportunity to prove yourself."

Zach snorted, shoving the spear away. "I'm here, aren't I"

Ahua scowled. "We'll see. We'd hate for you to hesitate at the wrong moment. He does not tolerate failure or weakness." Zach rolled his eyes, catching the meaning of Ahua's message.

"It's just a memory now, like you said," Zach said with a scoff. "My 'friends' with the Dino Attack mean nothing to me now."

"We'll see," Ahua said, unconvinced. He snapped his fingers again. The four Stromlings' appearances quickly shifted to how they had looked when they were Minifigs. As Zach wondered if he could do the same, he watched his own body perform the transformation himself. Or rather, his body seemed to project his prior Minifig likeness. He was particularly impressed that his gun arm now looked like a normal Minifig arm holding a Cosmotronic Ray.

"Oh, that's neat," Zach said with a smirk.

"Hmph," Ahua grunted. Zach joined the other disguised Stromlings and turned back toward Ahua. "Go forth and enforce the Maelstrom's will! Do what must be done! Do not hesitate and show no mercy!" Ahua's voice darkened. "Or there will be consequences."

"Sure thing, boss," Zach muttered. He turned to exit the chamber, the rest of the Stromlings following him. "Let's put on a show, fellas."

It was time for his new life to begin.

*****

Andrew, Laxus, and their unconscious Hybrid made their way through the XERRD Fortress. Through some unintentional assistance from Stranger, the three managed to climb into the air ducts, and in a slow-laborious process (hindered a bit on waiting for the scientist to regain consciousness), made their way out of the base. Miraculously escaping severe poisoning as the fortress began to fall from a second Dino Attack team assault, Andrew and Laxus managed to get out of the place and reach a nearby command point the team had set up. They got the Hybrid over to the attention of the proper personnel while they recuperated from their ordeal.

*****

With the neurotoxin emitters activated, Sam Sinister needed to be administered an antidote to continue negotiations. Finding his personal cache missing, Zed Provhezor had to search a crate shipment room for the antidote. Rex, Amanda, and Reptile followed Provhezor into the shipment room.

Grabbing a crowbar, Amanda and Reptile opened one crate and found three injection needles containing the antidote for the neurotoxin. Amanda picked up one of the needles, but then Provhezor grabbed the needle from her and then sped off. Provhezor left only two needles behind, so Amanda offered Rex one of the antidotes. Noticing that Reptile and Amanda were both suffering far more from the neurotoxins than he was, Rex refused to take the antidote, insisting that Amanda take it instead. He later figured out that he was immune to the neurotoxins because his body had been injected with the antidote while it belonged to Dr. Rex.

They continued to follow Dr. Provhezor to the central chamber of the XERRD Fortress, where they found Dr. Gladys, Dr. Breen, and Lord Sinister, who (much to their surprise) was speaking to a fellow notorious adventurer villain: Señor Gomez Palomar. They realized that Señor Palomar had allied with XERRD and was also overseeing the XERRD Fortress, as well as XERRD's operations on Adventurers' Island. Dr. Breen, Dr. Gladys, and Dr. Provhezor were holding negotiations between Sam Sinister and Señor Palomar.

However, the three Dino Attack agents were unable to intervene, since they were blocked off by a laser grid activated by Dr. Gladys. "Congratulations on making it this far, Silencia Venomosa," she said flatly, "but your services won't be required here."

"Miss Venomosa? In person, at last..." murmured Dr. Breen, regarding Amanda with wide eyes. "Hmm, I imagined you'd be older."

Sinister apparently rejected Palomar's offers for an alliance with XERRD, and commented on Palomar lacking "Spanish honor". Knowing that Dino Attack Team was invading the XERRD Fortress and feeling insulted by Lord Sinister's jab at his honor, Señor Palomar ordered the highest-ranking XERRD scientists to retreat from the fortress and activated more Skeleton Mummies to overtake the fortress and kill everyone inside, much to Dr. Breen's horror. Provhezor tossed Sam Sinister aside, and then the XERRD operatives were teleported out of the fortress by Dr. Gladys, leaving Sinister behind.

Lord Sinister deactivated the laser grid and rejoined Rex's group. He looked hard at Amanda and adjusted his monocle. "You persuaded those XERRD scientists that you were Silencia Venomosa?" He smirked and chuckled softly. "Lying through your teeth when your life depends on it," he murmured, echoing his earlier words. "I am certainly impressed, 'agent Claw'."

Amanda did not respond. She was stone-faced and silent.

"Who was that man in the white hat?" asked Rex.

Sinister grimaced as he said, "Señor Palomar. An old rival of mine. It seems XERRD has corrupted him and turned him towards their petty causes... and he was hoping that I would forget about that train heist incident. He got my sister, Alexia, arrested in that botched heist... now it's time I should return the favor!"

*****

In the fortress, the Stromlings split up into two groups. Zach was placed with another Stromling Agent. However, Zach ordered the Stromling Agent to go shut off the neurotoxins that were now flowing into the fortress to eliminate the Dino Attack Team inside. Zach went alone, disguised as his minifigself, killing every minifig he came across.

*****

Minerva found Dust with a piece of paper with Temple of Hotep III, the temple that Dust believed to be the Maelstrom Temple. Minerva decided to check her PDA messages and discovered that Zach had been injected with Maelstrom formula and had transformed into a Stromling. Just then, Dr. Carolyne Provencal found Dust and Minerva, and she told them that she infected Zach and that the fortress's air had been infected with neurotoxins that would kill on the Dino Attack Agents in six minutes. After revealing this information, Dr. Provencal left the room and headed to the neurotoxins control room in the fortress.

Furious at Dr. Provencal for corrupting Zach, Minerva left Dust in the filing room and started looking for Provencal. She found Dr. Provencal in the neurotoxin control room, where she started a fight with the XERRD scientist. Dr. Provencal quickly gained the upper hand and subdued her. Dr. Provencal was about to leave Fabello to die by the neurotoxins when a Stromling arrived to turn off the neurotoxin emitters. While Dr. Provencal was distracted, Minerva grabbed her Sonic Screamer and knocked the XERRD scientist out. She was saved by Dust, who shot the Stromling. Despite being furious at Dr. Provencal for what she did to Zach, Minerva suddenly expressed unwillingness to kill the high-ranking XERRD scientist and forced Dust to spare her life, claiming she was tired of the bloodshed.

*****

Nazareno was a member of Lutsky's infiltration squad. The squad was ambushed by XERRD guards, so Nazareno took a detour into a different hallway, where he met a group of XERRD guards fleeing from a Mutant T-Rex that have been released from its container within the fortress. Realizing he wouldn't defeat the T-Rex as easily as the Mutant Raptor at the Dino Attack Camp, Nazareno fled down the hallways with the Mutant T-Rex in close pursuit.

Nazareno decided to wall-jump up the hallway walls so he could reach the Mutant T-Rex's head. In the midst of climbing, he was blasted in the face with the XERRD toxins. Nazareno leaped onto the Mutant T-Rex's head and blinded it, then leaped down and slashed at its belly until it died.

Nazareno then encountered a XERRD guard, who revealed himself to be a Stromling. Nazareno quickly defeated the Stromling and then warned Lutsky of Stromling activity and the toxins that had just been released into the fortress. He departed to find the source of the toxins.

*****

Dr. Cyborg disabled the neurotoxin emitters, and also discovered that Stromlings radiate ultraviolet light.

*****

While on his rampage, Zach had just killed a Dino Attack agent when he met Nazareno once again. Nazareno immediately detected the Maelstrom within Zach and confronted him. Zach started shooting at Nazareno, but the latter dodged the blasts and approached Zach, intending to cut off Zach's gun arm, only to find it resistant to Nazareno's katanas. Finding that Nazareno was too fast to shoot down, Zach began using his Cosmotronic Ray-infused arm as a sword against Nazareno's own katanas

Zach quickly overwhelmed the space ninja, and was about to finish him off when he spotted Minerva, Dust, and Dr. Cyborg heading towards him. When Zach spotted Minerva, he seized up. Zach's true consciousness managed stop himself from killing Nazareno, long enough for the ninja to stab him with his katanas.

As he lay dying, the Maelstrom started to leave Zach's body and he began to return to normal. The group planned to take Zach to the medic tent to heal him. However, a dark part of Zach's mind enjoyed the Maelstrom's presence and used Zach's birth powers to bring the Maelstrom back into his body, healing his wound and returning him to his Stromling state.

Nazareno was so stunned by Zach's sudden reincarnation that he gave Zach time to shoot him in the chest. As Nazareno fell to the ground, grievously wounded, Zach escaped in a black cloud, traveling back to the Temple of Hotep III.

*****

When the Dino Attack launched an attack on a XERRD Fortress in the jungle, Dr. John Michael "J.D." Dorian was a part of a convoy of medical staff that was sent to the rear guard camp in case any agents were wounded. After the battle began, J.D. helped treat several minifigs that had been wounded. When J.D. got a PDA message from Commander Rockford asking scientists to create a possible cure to the Maelstrom in light of Dino Attack agent Zach's corruption, J.D.'s interest in the Maelstrom was brought back up again, as he wondered if there was a way to destroy the Maelstrom within a corrupted minifig.

*****

Dr. Cyborg helped Minerva and Dust carry the wounded Nazareno out of the fortress. Nazareno was deposited at a medical tent, where the medics got to work on him.

*****

During his time outside the XERRD Fortress, Jackson was reunited with his old friend Giovanni Wade, with whom he had previously served in the LEGOLAND military. However, just after their meeting, Wade was called into the tent to help Kareem Nazareno, cutting the reunion short.

Nazareno was put under Alan Pierce's care. With the help of Giovanni Wade, Gates Crusher, and Naomi Carver, Nazareno's wound was healed, but would face severe pains in his chest and shortness of energy. The attack also left a pulsing wound infected by the Maelstrom on his chest. The injury attempted to take control of Nazareno, but his ninja training allowed him to repel the Maelstrom momentarily. However, he knew if the wound was addressed, he would eventually become a Stromling. Nazareno remained at the medical tents for the remainder of the battle.

Minerva became sullen over Nazareno's injuries and Zach's transformation, but was convinced by J.D. that everything would be alright and she went back into the fortress in higher spirits.

*****

Dr. Cyborg returned to the fortress and explored. He found a room labeled UlTech Engineering Products. He opened it and remembered he had founded UlTech. He returned to Lutsky's team, and informed them of what he had just remembered. Lutsky went ballistic on him. When Tesh Carrey dropped in, Dr. Cyborg sent him a message informing him he was needed at the fortress.

*****

Dr. Provencal later awoke and sent out XERRD guards to find Fabello and Dust while she returned to her office. A short time later, a wounded guard entered her office and informed Dr. Provencal that there were XERRD Stromlings in the fortress. Dr. Provencal immediately announced the news through the fortress PA system and warned all XERRD operatives to keep an eye out from Stromlings within their ranks. In response, Hertz hacked into the fortress's PA system and offered XERRD the chance to surrender.

*****

Following Lutsky's orders, Dr. Cyborg and a couple others fired upon a group XERRD guards, who were too stunned to react. Suddenly, one of Dr. Cyborg's teammates cried out, "Oh, MegaBloks! I think that was Friendfyre!" when she recognized one of the guards.

Dr. Cyborg realized what was happening. "Ceasefire!" he shouted. "We're shooting our own men!" But discovery that the "XERRD guards" were actually disguised Dino Attack agents came too late; Friendfyre, Sightread, Laharpe, Peterhoff, and Oxley were already dead. Dr. Cyborg and his teammates were horrified by what they had done.

Dr. Cyborg also was a witness to Hertz's message asking for surrender. Lutsky then said to blame Dr. Cyborg and his squad for killing the disguised agents. The group was then attacked by a Stromling.

After exploring the fortress, Dr. Cyborg decided to plug himself into the fortress computers. When he did so, he downloaded too much information, and the part of his programming that interfaces with his organics was compressed and unable to be used. He then shut off.

*****

In the fortress, Minerva fought her first Stromling one-on-one, but quickly defeated it. She then encountered a XERRD guard who told her that Skeleton Mummies were to be set loose on the fortress to kill anyone inside. Minerva quickly sent a message to via her PDA regarding this news to all Dino Attack agents and fled the fortress.

*****

Although Wallace Bishop felt that there was little to worry about in regards to the Dino Attack Team's attack upon the fortress, he found out that Señor Palomar decided to evacuate the fortress and let it be overtaken by Skeleton Mummies. Wallace rushed to his office and grabbed his old Space Marauder gear before being rescued by Michelle Gladys, who had returned to the XERRD Fortress via her portal gun in order to make sure Wallace Bishop got out alive.

Gladys said, "I came back for you. You're the only one who can get Breen to shut up once in a while. And, Dr. Rex would be beyond furious if anything happened to you. That's why I haven't killed you yet."

When a Dino Attack agent, barely alive after being exposed to toxic gases, attempted to attack them, Dr. Bishop mercifully killed him with his rocket launcher. Handing Gladys her own Space Marauder gear and grabbing extra sets for Walter Breen and Zed Provhezor, Wallace Bishop was teleported out of the fortress.

*****

Dr. Provencal received word that Señor Palomar had activated his massive army of Skeleton Mummies to finish of the fortress while T-1 Typhoons began to start firing upon the building. Dr. Provencal gathered together a small number of trusted and powerful XERRD guards and informed them personally of the situation in hope that the Dino Attack would be killed off by the Skeleton Mummies.

After briefing the guards, Dr. Provencal returned to her office to gather supplies so she could find Dr. Wallace Bishop so they could leave the fortress. As she was preparing to leave, Michelle Gladys teleported into the office to have Dr. Provencal join the rest of XERRD's high ranking scientists. Dr. Provencal dressed herself in her old Paradox Sorcerer robes and left the fortress with Dr. Gladys and joined up with Zed Provhezor, Walter Breen, Dr. Bishop, and Señor Palomar, who were heading to the Maelstrom Temple.

*****

In the ensuring chaos, Semick was able to lead Bluetooth and Hotwire as they escaped out through their entry hole. Despite bomb plantings, unleashed Mutant Dinos, and unleashed neurotoxin, he was able to ensure the safety of several other agents escaping, including that of Kate Bishop. However, the costs would become high, with Semick learned the hard way with the accidental death of several agents in guard disguises, as well as the leveling of the fortress by Rotor's fleet.

*****

Rex, Amanda, Reptile, and Sinister joined up with Semick, Prichard, and Carl Lutsky, and they boarded the Talon with Hotwire, Kate Bishop, and Dr. Cyborg. When Dr. Cyborg woke up, he looked at Rex (who was still wearing the XERRD labcoat) with surprise and exclaimed, "Dr. Rex! What happened? Why are you in a wheelchair?"

Rex traded glances with his teammates. Why would Dr. Cyborg think I'm Dr. Rex? he wondered, and then he realized that Dr. Cyborg might have been a former XERRD operative, and his memory must have reverted to pre-defection. Rather than tell Dr. Cyborg the truth right away, Rex replied, "There was… uh, a big accident. Sorry, my mind's still a little fuzzy. Remind me again, what's your name?"

"Dr. Matthew Cyrista," Dr. Cyborg introduced himself. Now, Rex finally understood why Dino Attack's new recruit seemed so familiar to him. With Rex continuing to pretend to be Dr. Rex, Dr. Cyborg was then tricked into sharing the formula for the neurotoxin antidote.

Everybody left the fortress, and Dr. Cyborg was plugged up to the Talon. He met Kat, and she assisted him in defeating his internal firewall and fixing himself.

*****

At the Temple of Hotep III, Ahua furiously told off Zach for trying to commit suicide by standing still while he battled Nazareno. He then told the Stromling that there was no way for him to escape his servitude due to the strong influence of the Maelstrom and Zach's dark side. After probing his mind again, Ahua discovered that the Maelstrom temporarily lost control of Zach's mind when he saw Minerva, and the Stromling Islander reasoned to kill this female Dino Attack agent as soon as possible.

Ahua decided to have Zach and three other Stromlings infiltrate the Dino Attack medical tent outside the XERRD Fortress to find any information.

*****

After making sure Nazareno was stable, J.D. intended to begin his research in developing a cure for the Maelstrom. When he met Dr. Alan Pierce, he agreed to help fellow doctor Gates Crusher in finding a cure for a toxic gas that had recently been spread through the fortress. However, while he was working on the neurotoxin cure, he couldn't get his mind off of the Maelstrom cure, and began working on it while working on the toxic gas antidote. Realizing that Imagination was one of the few things that could stop the Maelstrom, J.D. extracted part of his Creative spark, weakening him greatly.

Zach and the other Stromlings reached the medical tent and learned that Dr. J.D. was working on a cure for the Maelstrom. Knowing this must be stopped, Zach entered the tent in his new disguise and attempted to kill J.D., but was quickly discovered by Barry Jackson (who had heard sounds coming from the medical tent) and was shot out. However, Jackson missed and failed to stop Zach. Wade and Pierce attempted to warn J.D. about the intruder, but they were too late.

Zach pushed J.D. into a table and was about to shoot him when J.D. raised a stolen Injection Saw and cut Zach's left hand. J.D. ran back to the table he was working on and was about to inject Zach with his prototype cure when Zach shot and fatally wounded the doctor. The other Stromlings arrived soon and helped Zach escape the Dino Attack Team. The four Stromlings then made their way back to the Temple of Hotep III.

When Zach left, Jackson told the medics to try and operate on J.D. and remained whilst the attempted operation took place. Minerva arrived at the medical tent only to find that J.D. had been fatally wounded by a Stromling.

Pierce, with assistance from Naomi Carver and Giovanni Wade, attempted to operate on J.D. in the hopes that they might be able to keep him alive long enough to find out what he knew about the Maelstrom. Eventually, Wade and Carver began to question the morals associated with what they were doing. When Wade asked J.D. what he wanted, J.D. requested to be injected with several doses of morphine, presumably wanting enough to kill him so he would not have to stand the pain. Pierce reluctantly helped Wade administer the morphine. However, after a few injections, J.D. abruptly asked the two medics to stop. He then requested to speak with Kareem Nazareno, asking Wade and Pierce to bring the space ninja to him.

J.D. requested that Nazareno recount his battle with Zach in the fortress. After he finished talking to Nazareno, J.D. asked him to bring Minerva Fabello in so he could speak with her. Minerva confirmed Nazareno's story.

J.D. told Minerva that it was Zach that had attacked him. He began to reveal that he had created a prototype cure for the Maelstrom whose primary ingredient was part of J.D.'s Creative Spirit. He claimed that extracting part of his Creative Spark had resulted in the failure of Pierce's operation.

He then said, from both Minerva and Nazareno's accounts of Zach's attack on Nazareno, that Minerva had a strong emotional bond with Zach that allowed him to regain some control over the Maelstrom. J.D. then asked Minerva to use this to her advantage, since she was the only one who could stop Zach's violent nature long enough to inject the Maelstrom cure into his bloodstream and save him. After telling her this, the morphine injected into J.D. finally took effect and he died.

Minerva headed back to the main camp after it was deemed that the battle for the fortress was over.

After J.D. died, Pierce led an effort to locate any notes J.D. had written, but Wade was only able to find letters among the doctor's belongings. Wade decided to hold onto them, with the intention to mail them along with the letter reporting J.D.'s death. He also managed to learn about another doctor, an old friend of J.D. named Marco Martinet. Shortly after, the medics had to leave in order to return to the main camp.

*****

Greybeard stood with the cloaked spirit once again.  This time, they were not in a happy tavern, but standing on a cliff overlooking the beach.  The skies were dark with clouds, the seas were rough, and there was light rainfall.

Greybeard observed his surroundings, then turned towards the hooded spirit.  "Spirit," he whispered, "why 'ave ye brought us 'ere t' this place?"  He already feared the answer.

As usual, the spirit said nothing, but continued to stare back at Greybeard from under its dark hood.  It laid one hand on Greybeard's shoulder, then gestured with the other to two pirates on the beach below.

Greybeard's eyes widened.  "Oh, no, spirit... not this memory!  I pray, I beg, I plead you... not this one!"

The spirit passed its hand over Greybeard's face, and then they were standing on the beach.  The two pirates, who once again appeared to be Rex and Amanda, stood a few meters away.

Greybeard noticed that Rex was clearly angered about something.  As he drew closer, he could pick up the familiar scent of rum, though there was none to be seen.  It was not something he was aware of at the time, but whether it was due to his current sober state or because the spirit wished it so, it was something he noticed now.

"Stop lying, you good-for-nothing wench!" snapped Rex.  Greybeard was shocked to hear such words coming from Rex's lips.

"I don't understand!" insisted Amanda.  "If you've got something on your mind, now's the time to say it!"

"The whole bloody town's been talking about it!" Rex said as he waved his arms in the air.  "We were due to be married, but that hasn't happened, now, has it?"

"You kept putting it off!" retorted Amanda.  "Every year, you would just put it off until a later date!  But I've been patient, Rex."

"Patient!" snorted Rex.  "That's a bloody load of MegaBloks!  You've been keeping secrets, you disloyal wench!  I know about you!  I know about you and that... that... Anton!"

Amanda, visibly shocked, was silent for several moments.  Greybeard sighed, shook his head, and sat down upon a rock.  When Amanda finally found her voice, she whispered: "What?"

"A secret affair with Anton!" snapped Rex.  "You've been a lying, cheating, little wench!  The whole town's talking about it, there is no hiding it!"

"A fool," muttered Greybeard, resting his head in his right hand.  "Ye be a fool.  Ye be fallin' fer lies an' getting' wasted... Dinnae do this!  Belay these accusations b'fore ye make th' biggest mistake o' yer life!"

He knew that the real Rex would never do such a thing.  Even an intoxicated Rex would have enough sense to avoid being the abusive man Greybeard saw.  What pained Greybeard was that, in this memory, Rex was standing in for someone else who had made these mistakes so many years ago, mistakes that he would regret for the rest of his life.

"I would never do such a thing!" insisted Amanda.  "Snap out of it, Rex!"

"You like Anton, though," Rex retorted as he raised his index finger.  "Smart, handsome, kind, is he not?  More so than me?"

Amanda took Rex's hands.  "Rex," she whispered, "this isn't like you.  Just calm down.  Yes, Anton is smart and handsome, and if you really get to know him, you would like him too.  But he's just a friend.  My heart has and always will belong to you."

"She be right, ye know," Greybeard added, standing up and approaching Rex.  "Yer judgment be clouded.  Ye need t' git some rest an' just calm down; this be no way t' treat yer lass!  MegaBlokland, th' real Rex would never say what ye be sayin'!"

He laid a hand on Rex's shoulder, but Rex took no notice.  "She loves ye, an' ye know it!" Greybeard whispered.

"Can you say the same?" inquired Amanda.  Rex did not answer.

"Say 'Aye'!" insisted Greybeard, a hint of urgency in his voice.  "Ye love her too!  Say 'Aye, I love ye'!  Say 'Me heart will always belong t' ye'!"

Rex still said nothing; he was only a shadow who could not hear or see Greybeard.  Still, the old pirate looked at Amanda.  "I know ye be Amanda an' not th' pirate I remember," he murmured, "but e'ery day I 'ave regretted this moment!  E'ery day I 'ave felt longin' an' despair o'er th' choice I made today!  I be but an old man, filled with regret, waitin' t' die alone."

Rex still did not say anything.  "Builder Znap it!" Greybeard shouted desperately.  "Say somethin', Rex!  What th' bloody MegaBlokland be wrong with ye?  For th' love of Builder, say it!  Say that ye love her before ye lose th' chance forever!"

Rex remained silent, but Greybeard saw his eyes move away from Amanda.  "You!" Rex yelled.  "Well, the scumbag has decided to reveal itself!"

Greybeard and Amanda turned around to see a horribly-familiar figure dressed in pirate garb approaching the group.  Although Greybeard had not seen him in many, many years, he instantly recognized him as Anton Gaston.

"Stand aside, Rex, ye scurvy swab," scoffed Anton.  "Arr, ye be drunk, and it be not polite to talk to yer lass like that."  With that, he laid a hand on Amanda's shoulder.

Rex grimaced and grabbed his cutlass with his left hand.  "Is that a challenge?"

"Rex!" gasped Amanda.  "Don't-!"

"Ye fool!" spat Greybeard.  "Anton be playin' wi' ye!  He wants ye t' do this!  Trickin' ye into makin' poor judgments!"

"Shiver me timbers!" Anton said as he grabbed his own cutlass.  "Step aside, me dear Amanda, while I teach this bilge rat a lesson!"

Rex yelled and charged forward.  Amanda ducked out of the way as Rex's cutlass came in contact with Anton's sword.  They dueled fiercely, sparks flying from the clashing weapons.  Amanda and Greybeard stood off to the side, the former shouting at them to stop, the latter looking on in shock, pity, anger, and regret.

Even while intoxicated, Rex proved a master swordsman and was able to best Anton Gaston in a matter of moments.  He disarmed his fellow pirate, knocked him to the ground, then pointed his cutlass at his throat.  "You're going to MegaBlokland!" jeered Rex, then he raised his sword to perform the final blow.

"NO!" shouted Amanda, who had enough of the needless violence.  She grabbed Anton's fallen cutlass and brought it down.  Rex screamed in pain.  Greybeard was horrified, at a complete loss for words.  After realizing what she had done, Amanda gasped and jumped backwards.  The only one smiling was Anton Gaston.

Where had once been Rex's left hand was now just a bloody stump.

Rex moaned in pain and agony, clutching his left arm.  Amanda approached him and gently laid a hand on his shoulder, but he violently shoved her away.  "Don't touch me!" he shouted, furious.

"Rex," Amanda whispered, "I didn't mean to... I just wanted the violence to end..."

"Get out of here!" fumed Rex.  "You bloody... hellspawn... devil... wench!"  With that, Rex turned around and stormed away.

Amanda attempted to follow, but Anton Gaston, who was back on his feet, laid his hand on her shoulder.  Greybeard ran after Rex, shouting a long line consisting of every curse, every cuss, every foul word he ever knew.  When his stamina left him, he collapsed onto the sand, muttering: "Ye... stupid... stupid..."

With that, Greybeard broke down and began weeping.  He was an old man, filled with regret, waiting to die alone.

A shadow passed over him.  Greybeard looked up and saw the dark hooded spirit standing over him.  "Why have ye come?" Greybeard whispered, his voice trembling.  "Why be ye delighted in torturin' me?"

The spirit, as always, was silent.  With a wave of its hand, the entire world melted away, and once again it was just Greybeard and the spirit in an endless void.

Now, Greybeard and the mysterious cloaked spirit were once again in the tavern.  Unlike before, it was not a bright jolly place, but now a dark quiet room.  The only two other figures in the tavern were the bartender and Rex.

Greybeard glanced at the spirit, then at Rex.  Rex was visibly in a depression, holding a mug of rum in his right hand.  The bartender looked on with a mixture of pity and disapproval.

"You really ought to do something with yourself," the bartender suggested as he wiped the counter with an old rag.

"Bah," muttered Rex.  "Humbug!"

The bartender glanced around, then leaned in close to Rex.  "Listen, Rex," he whispered, "as a bartender, I see and hear lots of things.  And what I know is confidential, is it not?"

"What are you saying?" muttered Rex.

"It was in this very tavern," the bartender said as he pointedly raised a finger, "that gossip began about Amanda's affair with Anton Gaston."

Rex glared darkly at the bartender.  "Don't you talk to me about that wench!" he hissed.  "She gave me... this!"  With that, he lifted his left arm, revealing something in the place of what had once been his left hand... a hook.

"Last I heard," Rex grumbled, "she was caught by the Imperial Soldiers.  Good riddance!  Let her rot in her cell!  Let her burn in the fires of MegaBlokland!"

"Rex," the bartender spoke in a low tone, "I did not believe those rumors for an instant.  But Anton, he... I guess he thought that I was the trustworthy, silent kind of bartender.  Therefore, he confessed to me."

"What?" snapped Rex.  "That my bride-to-be was a lying wench?"

"No," the bartender said, shaking his head.  "That he was the one who was lying."

Rex blinked in surprise.  "What?" was the only word he found himself able to say.

"Said he was lying in order to break you two up," the bartender elaborated.  "Said it was necessary, that he had to 'get the girl'... and 'not in the way one might think', he added peculiarly.  Not sure what he meant by that."

Greybeard heard the tavern doors swing open at that moment.  He turned around and saw two Imperial Soldiers barge into the tavern.  Since the reported capture of Amanda, the royal nations were putting the island under heavy surveillance.  Rex and the bartender both looked up as well to see the newcomers.

"We're off duty," the first soldier explained.  "Just get us some drinks and we'll be on our way!"

The bartender nodded and went back to work.  Greybeard could tell that Rex was eager to know more about what the bartender had heard, but he also knew that the bartender was not going to say anything else with the two soldiers in the tavern.

For several moments, the entire tavern was silent.  Greybeard waited for the moment of truth to come, and indeed it arrived right on schedule.  Feeling a little more comfortable after having a drink, one soldier said to the other, "So, how did he do it?"

"Hmm?" the second guard murmured, raising an eyebrow.

"You know!  Anton Gaston!  How did he ever manage to capture Bad Luck Amanda?"  At this, Rex perked up and started to listen in to their conversation.

The other guard laughed.  "You'll never believe it!  He actually dressed up in pirate rags and lived among the scallywags for several months!  He even spoke with that ridiculous pirate accent!  They had no idea he was actually working for the king!"

"Incredible!  Who would have the patience to do such a thing with this miserable lot?"

"And, I heard, he even spread lies and rumors to turn the pirates against one another!  I think he even spread claims of having an affair with Bad Luck Amanda herself!  Of course, that's all hogwash, but it worked!"

"Ah, so he divided the pirates' strength from the inside?  Got them fighting one another?  Leaving Amanda alone and vulnerable?"

"Exactly!  That Anton Gaston was a genius!  No wonder the king promoted him to admiral of the Imperial Soldiers!"

Greybeard saw an expression of shock, disbelief, and horror on Rex's face.  The poor sap had just realized that the events that transpired in the previous memory were all based upon a lie engineered to cause anger and distrust.

"So, how about that Bad Luck Amanda?"

"Oh, it's bad luck alright to have a pirate wench around, whether she's on a ship or behind bars!  That's why they're hanging her tonight!  When the sun goes down, she'll be dancing a fine dance!"

With that, Rex jumped out of his chair.  One of the soldiers turned around, saw him as if for the first time, and asked, "Hey, aren't you-?"

"Leaving?" Rex cut him off.  "Yes, yes I am."  Without another word, he ran out of the tavern.

Solemnly, Greybeard glanced at the spirit.  The spirit stared back at him from under its dark hood, then waved its arm.  At once, the tavern melted away, and once again they were standing in the void.  This time, while in the void, Greybeard caught glimpses of Rex's journey to the imperial fort, as though he was watching a montage of some sort.

Upon leaving the swirling void, Greybeard and the cloaked spirit were standing on the coast of Sabatina, and Eldorado Fortress was visible in the near distance.  Greybeard spotted a small boat docked at the beach, and footsteps in the sand led right up to Port Royal.  Glancing at the sun, which was already touching the horizon, Greybeard whispered: "No... ye'll be too late...!"

With that, the old pirate followed Rex's footsteps.  He moved with haste, not worrying about dodging Imperial Soldiers who could not see him.  As such, he caught up with Rex just as they reached the town square.

The sight that met them carried the same emotional impact for both Rex and Greybeard.  In unison, their jaws dropped, their eyes watered, their hearts sank, and they uttered a single word: "No..."

There was a crowd of people crowded around a hangman's noose in the center of the town square.  The lifeless body suspended from the rope belonged to Amanda Claw.

Grieved and unable to cope with himself, Rex turned and ran.  It took Greybeard another second to begin his pursuit.  He followed Rex, but Greybeard could tell that Rex's mind was clouded by what he had just seen, for the route they were taking was definitely not the quickest one back to the beach.

Then, Rex came to a halt in front of several massive barrels of gunpowder.  As they had not passed these barrels on their way into the fortress, Greybeard guessed that Rex just realized that he was going the wrong way.  But he could tell that the gears were turning in Rex's mind.

Rex took out his pistol and loaded it.  Then, he pointed it at the barrels of gunpowder.  The explosions would blow a hole in the fortress so large, it would take years for the Imperial Soldiers to recover, and in that time the pirates would have the opportunity to strike against their vulnerability.

But, Rex hesitated.  There was little doubt that he would be killed in such an explosion.  It is only natural for a pirate, who looks out for nobody but himself, to fear death, the great abyss.  He was plagued by indecision.  Immediate revenge or self-preservation?

Rex sighed and lowered his pistol.  He turned to look directly at Greybeard and asked, "What should I do?"

Not expecting to be suddenly addressed, Greybeard was startled and unable to find his voice.  Glancing over his shoulder, he observed that the mysterious hooded spirit was standing right behind him.

Glancing back and forth between Rex and the spirit, Greybeard laid a hand on his own chest and weakly inquired, "Me?"

Rex nodded.

Greybeard glanced one more time at the spirit, then finally decided, "Ye should git out o' here.  Git out before 'em Imperial Soldiers find ye here.  I can lead ye back t' th' boat, ye can escape safely and-"

Rex narrowed his eyes.  He pointed his pistol at Greybeard and pulled the trigger.  The bullet landed in Greybeard's abdomen, and he collapsed upon the cold stone floor.

In great pain, Greybeard turned his head to see the cloaked spirit standing over him.  The phantom reached into its cloak and pulled out a wicked cutlass.  Greybeard's good eye widened in fear, then the spirit, in one swift and clean motion, brought the sword down upon the old pirate.

*****

The next morning, Frozeen found Greybeard sitting alone.  "Are you sure you're okay?" the Alpha Team agent asked.

"Aye, aye," sighed Greybeard.  "I be fine.  Ne'er been better."  His saddened and regretful tone of voice was more than enough to reveal that this was an obvious fabrication.

"Last night," continued Frozeen, "you were crying, trembling, and sweating while you slept.  If this keeps up, you'll never have the strength to keep going while you're awake.  Look at you... you're exhausted!  Think this has anything to do with it?"  With that, he pointed at the purple mist coming out of his backpack.

"Nay," Greybeard shook his head.  "I think not.  If anyone or anythin' be to blame, it be I.  I be an old pirate haunted by me past.  An old man, filled with regret, waitin' t' die alone."

Frozeen was silent for a moment, then reached out and laid a hand on Greybeard's shoulder.  "But you're not alone," he murmured in a comforting tone.  "You've got me, you've got Coral, you've got Rex, Amanda, and the others standing by your side. We're here for you. I hope you know that."

----

In an attempt to continue his business and make life easier for his fellow refugees, Bartholomew Enderson reopened his bar in the refugee facilities. The bar was located near the facility used by Napoleon XIV Mental Institution, which had several security problems.

On multiple occasions, Enderson's bar was visited by an escaped patient who accidentally wandered out of the institution. When this happened, Enderson called Mr. Bonaparte to let him know where the patient was, and then he entertained the patient (who mistakenly called him "Endersgame") while waiting for the doctors to arrive and take him away.

This escaped patient's name is Wallace Bishop.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 38: Countdown to the End

----

There was much information to take in. The XERRD Fortress was now lost by way of Elite Agent Rotor's T-1 Typhoon bombing. Many agents were MIA or in treatment for poisoning gotten from being inside the place.

Despite having been in the air vents, Kate was the least affected by the gas. Nonetheless, she was the first person who was actually brought to the medical tent.

Upon returning to the campsite set up at his reunion point with the rear guard, Semick was taken to the medical tent for some much-needed rest after going several hours without sleep. After discussing recent events with Andrew and asking him to join the meeting of Elite Agents about their next action, he went to sleep.

After finally getting some rest, Rex went into the command tent to discuss future actions with Reptile, Andrew, Hotwire, Zenna, Laxus, Bluetooth, Sam Sinister, Septimus, and Hertz. The meeting was to decide how the Dino Attack Team was going to tackle the Maelstrom Temple.

Dust entered the tent, but neither he nor Rex trusted one another. Dust and Minerva presented evidence suggesting that the Maelstrom Temple was the Temple of Pharaoh Hotep III, and Dust denounced Rex's theory that the Temple of Creation had been corrupted into the Maelstrom Temple. The team still remained undecided on the issue.

Bluetooth and Rockford then revealed that elite agent Rotor was putting his T-1 Typhoon crew on trial for refusing to fire upon the XERRD Fortress while Dino Attack agents were still inside. Dr. Cyborg followed the mob in the command tent.

*****

After arriving back at the main camp, Wade began to write a letter to Marco Martinet reporting J.D.'s death, which he planned to send along with another one of his letters addressed to him the first chance he got. He was then approached by Crusher, who told him that she had prepared an experimental cure to the toxins. When she confirmed its success, Wade asked Carver to help synthesize the antidote as well as to administer it. They eventually succeeded and began providing agents with prolonged exposure to the gas with the antidote.

*****

While Wade, Crusher, and Carver took care of the wounded patients, Pierce stumbled across a panicked Sherlock, who mentioned that Rotor had planned to execute a group of agents.

Pierce ran to the command tent, demanding to know what was happening. When he found out that the elite agents were trying to decide who to respond to Rotor's recent actions, he told them about what he had seen him do to Kate, though it was mostly ignored by the agents.

*****

The medics were able to give Zenna a blood transfusion which kept her from dying of blood loss, but she woke to find that the bullet had struck her in the shoulder and caused permanent damage to her arm. When she was released, she learned that Rotor had arranged a court-martial for a group of innocent agents. Despite the fact that she was in no condition to be participating in the action, Zenna was present at several later meetings held by the Elite Agents.

*****

Rotor personally held a court-martial for George and the other agents present, threatening to have them executed by firing squad, an act which would not be taken lightly by the rest of the team. Minerva and Rex attended the trial, but the latter was unable to sway Rotor's opinions.

Disgusted, Amanda grabbed and loaded an assault rifle, left the trial, and crept towards the firing squad's location.

*****

When the gunslinger Clint Wayne arrived at camp, he noticed a strange commotion occurring. He briefly visited the medical tent and spoke to Giovanni Wade, who informed him about Rotor's court-martial.

Wayne decided to resolve the issue himself. His first move was to approach the firing squad. He managed to scare them away.

*****

Before Rotor could carry out the sentence, a large fight broke out when several agents entered the tent and attempted to stop him.

Nazareno had no stated opinion over the matter, but was instead furious that the team was wasting energy over a petty incident. Nazareno burst into the trial, knocked Andrew to the ground, and started arguing with the other Dino Attack Agents. This rash move led to the space ninja being tackled by other Dino Attack Agents.

The fighting only stopped when everyone's attention was drawn towards Clint Wayne, who had unexpectedly arrived in the tent. Rotor was eventually arrested by the team, and Wayne brought him to the command tent. For an unknown reason, Nazareno was allowed to walk away from the incident without facing punishment.

Rex fumed over Rotor's actions, but then was given an antidote for the neurotoxins by Naomi Carver. Knowing he was immune but others were in far worse condition, Rex did not inject himself with the antidote.

Lord Sam Sinister noticed Amanda Claw sneaking back into the tent with an assault rifle. He had been eyeing her with suspicion ever since they left the XERRD Fortress. "And just where have you been?" he inquired.

"Just going for a walk," replied Amanda, lying to her fellow Dino Attack agents.

Lord Sinister smirked. "I'd be careful walking around this island at night," he declared. "This jungle is full of treacherous serpents, snakes, and vipers... the most venomous ones are the silent ones." He chuckled to himself as he turned away.

Amanda clenched her jaw. She sat down next to Rex and muttered, "We're wasting time with Rotor and his firing squad. If Wayne hadn't intervened in time, then I'd…" She trailed off, as though she suddenly realized what she was about to say and was too ashamed to admit it.

Rex put the pieces together, quickly deducing Amanda's intentions with the assault rifle. "I think we'd better talk in private," he said in a low voice. "We promised that there'd be no more secrets between us."

Amanda was still for a moment, and then she nodded.

Once they were alone, Rex locked eyes with Amanda. "So," he dared to ask, "who is Silencia Venomosa? What you said, back at the XERRD Fortress..."

Amanda visibly winced. "I thought she was gone," she said quietly. "Buried in the past, forgotten in the Dino Attack. But when I was speaking to Dr. Gladys... it was as though she never left." Although the night was warm, she shivered as though she felt a chill.

"You refer to 'her' like she's someone else," noted Rex, "like you're two different people. But that's really not the truth, is it?"

"She... is me." Amanda let out a long sigh after her confession. "She is who I became after my parents died. She is the life I tried to walk away from, with Roger's help. But now, I... I'm not..."

Rex nodded. "It's okay," he assured her. "It's in the past. Remember, you're talking to the guy who used to be a Mutant T-Rex in disguise. Who or what we were doesn't matter as much as who we are now."

But Amanda shook her head. "Rex, I'm not who you think I am. I'm not even the person I think I am..."

"Amanda Claw, I-"

"Who am I?" she exclaimed. Although she did not raise her volume, her quiet voice had become shaky. "Who is 'Amanda Claw', really? Is that who I am? Or is it all just a lie? Am I just wearing a mask and pretending to be good to hide the fact that, deep down, my true self will always be Silencia Venomosa? Was Roger wrong about me?" Tears welled in her eyes. "Are... are you wrong about me?"

Rex was silent for a moment. He was reminded once again of Roger privately confiding to Specs the importance of Amanda having someone there for her as a tether. It was the reason why he had let himself grow so close to her in the first place. Now, it was time to put it to the test.

He gently held her hand. "Our love for one another... is that real?" he inquired.

Amanda did not respond right away. She searched her feelings until she knew what was true. She stared at her hand in his, then looked up to meet his eyes. "Yes," she finally said, softly but decisively.

"Then hold onto that, Amanda," Rex urged her as he held her hand more firmly. "Because as long as you know that love is real, then you'll also know that Amanda Claw must be real as well."

Amanda wiped her eyes. "Thank you, Rex," she said quietly. She leaned forward and hugged him tightly. "For everything."

Afterward, Rex explained to her that he did not need the antidote and that they should find someone else who needed it the most. He later decided to give the antidote to Alan Pierce, who (as a medic) would know who needed it. Ultimately, it was decided that Andrew and Laxus had the worst exposure to the gas, and they would need the antidote the most.

After leaving the trial, Nazareno and Minerva were given their antidote to the toxins within the XERRD fortress.

*****

Shortly afterward, Clint Wayne finally introduced himself to Hertz. He spent a fair bit of time in the command tent with elite agents.

*****

The following morning, Pierce's work was unexpectedly interrupted by the arrival of a Canadian Air Force pilot named Commander Johnson. Wade and Pierce were both among the first to greet him. Johnson explained that he had been sent as a result of a call from agent Tesh Carrey requesting that Rotor be taken. Pierce showed him towards the command tent. When Wade told him about the letters from J.D., Johnson agreed that he would have them mailed once he left the island.

*****

There was a brief attempt by T-1 Typhoons to hold off an army of Mutant Pterosaurs. The battle was a disaster, and they only managed to survive because the Pterosaurs left for another target.

Immediately after the battle, Pierce was present when a female pilot by the name of Paola "Cabin" Sanchez angrily stormed into the command tent. Clint quickly drew his gun on her but was calmed by Hertz. Cabin attempted to make an appeal for the valuable leadership of Rotor, as she had realized that the squad would not be able to function without a proper leader. A brief but heated debate occurred as a result. Pierce eventually interrupted after Cabin had made her argument in favor of Rotor, once again mentioning that Rotor had sent Kate, a young and inexperienced rookie agent, into the fortress on her own. However, most of the other agents believed his argument to be invalid and refused to listen. An argument over who was to replace Rotor happened, and Semick was nominated and elected to take command of the squad.

After leaving the tent, Pierce explained to Kate that the medics were busy administering the antidote and that she did not immediately need it, meaning that she could leave. She confessed that she was still troubled by her recent experiences and her difficulty in meeting the expectations of the rest of the team, and Pierce did his best to comfort her. She then told Pierce about the photograph of her mother which was present in Dr. Bishop's office, and that she could not understand why. Pierce had heard the elite agents talking about the most likely reason, but he could not bring himself to reveal the truth to her. Instead, he simply told her that he didn't know before leaving for the medical tent.

Upon his arrival, Pierce found the other medics to be concerned about something. It turned out that something was wrong with Commander Lutsky.

*****

Over the night, Semick suffered from a nightmare:

Greybeard limped up the mountainside.  He had not slept for many days, his throat was parched from the lack of water, and his body ached from head to toe.  It did not help that, despite living as a pirate for most of his life, he had no experience with a peg leg.  Unfortunately, a Stromling encounter left him without a right leg, forcing him to use a small piece of debris as a makeshift peg leg.

He tripped and fell to the dirt.  Summoning what little strength he still had, he tried to rise to his feet once more, only to collapse once more.  Two of his teammates, Magma and Helm, approached the old pirate and helped him to his feet.

"Thank ye," Greybeard whispered, though it hurt to speak.

"Come on," Magma said as he nodded slowly, though his voice carried a hint of urgency and bitterness.  "It's just a little further.  We're almost at the summit."

Greybeard sighed and shook his head.  "Avast... I... be not thinkin' I be able t' make it thar... it be too far..."

Still, physically supported by Magma and Helmie, Greybeard managed to climb the remainder of the mountainside.  Upon reaching the summit, the rock flattened out and their destination was revealed: a temple devoted to Imagination, the pure and creative essence of the LEGO Universe.

The old pirate was escorted inside.  Weary, he sat down upon the first chair he could find.  Looking around, Greybeard saw several scientist minifigs hard at work.  Some of them were operating computers which provided satellite-fed images of LEGO Planet.

Glancing at the nearest computer, Greybeard bit his lip.  The images were not anything like the maps he was used to... every continent was smaller, oceans were much vaster, and most islands had been wiped off the face of the world.  Overhearing what the others were talking about, Greybeard knew his suspicions were confirmed.  Devastating tidal waves flooded much of the world over the past weeks, and they were continuing even now.

"So, this be it?" Greybeard murmured.  It could not have been more than twelve minifigs in the temple.

Grimly, Rotor nodded.  "Unfortunately.  This is all that is left," said the battle-scarred pilot.

Helmie blinked in surprise.  "Wait... what about our teams in McKinley?  Everest?  Bricklake?"

"They're gone," Professor David Norman said, shaking his head.  "An earthquake just shattered the state of Alaska, taking our outpost down with it.  We lost contact with the Everest headquarters about five minutes ago... but it seems that they were overtaken by Stromlings.  As for Bricklake... we have heard nothing from the GAIA Squad."

Greybeard sighed.  "At least all th' people down in Antarctica be safe.  They be far from th' coast an' Alpha Team built th' refugee facilities w' any disaster in mind, earthquakes included."

Everyone stared at the old pirate with expressions of surprise, sadness, and pity.  Greybeard widened his one good eye.  "No... ye mean...?"

Semick rotated a computer-generated globe on his computer screen so that the South Pole was facing Greybeard.  "This... this is what's left of Antarctica."

Greybeard was at a loss for words.  He could only stare at the image on the screen with an expression of horror.  A massive ocean which had never before existed now occupied the center of the continent.  Only the Antarctic coast was spared, and with all the recent floods, it would not last long.

"The refugee facilities were hit with full force," Semick explained.  "Stromlings, storms, earthquakes... the facilities did not stand a chance... I..." With that, the Power Miner fell to the floor and started to weep.  Professor Norman laid his hand on Semick's shoulder, though his face betrayed grief as well.  Looking around, Greybeard saw the same expression of sadness and hopelessness on the faces of all other minifigs.

Greybeard sighed.  They all had connections in Antarctica.  Family, friends, close ones... and now, they were left with nothing.  Greybeard was different.  "I got no family," he whispered.  "Nobody.  I cannae even possibly imagine how ye all must feel."

"You had Frozeen, Rex, and a few others," Helmie pointed out.  "They were kinda like family to you."

Greybeard stared at the floor.  "Rex and Frozeen met them ends back at th' Maelstrom Temple.  Amanda... that lass survived long enough t' help me escape that cursed island.  King Joseph Race be killed by Maelstrom Dragons in Castle Cove.  Aster Oid be dead since th' LEGO Island mission.  Sir Robert Batrick an' Edward X. Plore likely be killed in Antarctica.  I... I be th' only one left o' me family, if ye consider 'friends' family."  A single tear ran down his cheek, as he too felt that feeling of hopelessness.

He saw some minifigs kneeling before a floating, glowing Imagination orb in the center of the temple.  Greybeard knew that they were praying to whatever deities they believed in... Builder, Creator, the First Builders, Ole Kirk Christiansen... Greybeard was always a little skeptical of these beliefs, but he knew that the current situation provided good reason for even hardcore scientists to turn to prayer.

The existence of LEGO Planet was coming to a very abrupt end.

"Ye'd think that th' end o' th' Dino Attack be a cause fer celebration," Greybeard muttered.  "Dr. Rex be killed, XERRD be disbanded..."

"And it would have been," Magma said, frowning, "if Dino Attack team or its allies had brought XERRD's existence to an end.  If that were the case, it would have been our victory.  But as it is, it was only the victory for the Maelstrom."

Rotor pointed an accusing finger at Greybeard.  "It's all your fault anyway, pirate!" he snapped.  "We warned you!  It was a trap!"

David Norman's eyes widened.  "Rotor!" he gasped.  "How could you possibly-"

"No, he's right," Magma said as he shook his head.  "It is Greybeard we have to thank for all of this."  Greybeard could see that the Alpha Team agent now bore scars that were not there only a month ago during the Antarctica mission.  He wondered if these had hardened the already-serious black-ops special agent.

"Alas, thar be much truth in that accusation," Greybeard said quietly.  "But if we be t' survive, we must put th' past behind us an' work t'gether."

"Survive!" spat Rotor.  "That's a fool's hope at best!  The Mutant Dinosaurs were turned into mindless powerhouse minions for the Maelstrom and laid waste to the LEGO Planet in their rampage.  Their destructive nature caused them to wipe themselves out, but not before they reduced LEGO City to a pile of rubble and burned forests and jungles to the ground."

Dr. Cyborg gestured to the satellite images on his computer.  "Even with the Mutant Dinosaurs wiped out," he added, "the Maelstrom has the foothold it needed on LEGO Planet.  It controls the earth, the water, even the air.  Floods and violent storms left entire regions in ruin, and earthquakes opened up where they had never been before and swallowing large chunks of land.  Worse, many unfortunate minifigures were corrupted into Stromlings and are finishing the job of the Mutant Dinosaurs."

"Like that Zachary kid," muttered a shady figure standing alone and isolated from the group.  From what Greybeard had heard, he was an Egyptian codenamed "Dust" who believed that the Maelstrom Temple had been the Temple of Hotep III, but Dino Attack Team did not listen to him and instead went to the Temple of Creation, where they were ambushed by a Stromling army.

"Yes," said Minerva Fabello, her voice quiet and saddened.  "Like Zachary.  Poor kid didn't stand a chance against the Maelstrom's temptations."

"Actually," Dr. Cyborg shook his head, "I believe that a XERRD scientist had infected him with a serum or something.  Our research showed that he would be able to control the Maelstrom, not fall to it... I think XERRD did not want such a thing to happen."

Magma pointed to the Imagination orb in the center of the temple.   "And we are here because the Imagination in this temple protects us... for at least a little longer.  Its position atop a mountain should have made it safer from the floods.  If any Stromlings dare to approach... may Builder show them mercy."

Greybeard glanced over at the minifigs in prayer.  "It be no use, an' I be thinkin' ye know that," he sighed.  "All th' signs be pointin' towards it... th' end be comin'."

One of the computers started beeping.  Dr. Cyborg glanced at it, then ran over to Magma with urgent news.  "A Mutant T-Rex was just spotted near the coast!" he shouted.  "It's heading right for the temple!"

Magma grimaced.  He grabbed the nearest weapon, a Cosmotronic Ray with very little ammo, and proclaimed: "Then we must dispose of the wretched thing!"

He left the temple, accompanied by Doctor Cyborg, Rotor, Helm, Dust, and Minerva Fabello.  Greybeard too shared distaste towards Mutant Dinos, but something felt wrong.  Frowning, he rose from his seat and limped after them.

Outside, they could see the Mutant T-Rex.  It was wounded and limping, as well as dripping with water.  Interestingly, the T-Rex bore blue scales and more spines than the standard Mutant T-Rex.  Suddenly recognizing the T-Rex, Greybeard jumped in front of Magma with his arms out.

"Belay that!" the old pirate shouted.  "This one be innocent o' any crime!  She be wounded an' needin' our help, not our weapons!"

"Stand aside, Greybeard," Magma ordered.  "We're not taking any chances."

"She be Tex!" explained Greybeard.  "Helmie, ye remember that nestin' grounds in th' Goo Caverns?  That Mutant T-Rex adopted by that Sauro-Hunter lad?"

Helm struggled to remember, but then slowly nodded his head.  "Yes... I remember.  Her exposure to Green Goo at birth mutated her even further, and somehow between that and Sauro-Hunter's guidance, she is completely free of Maelstrom."

"How do we know that's her?" Magma frowned.

Dr. Cyborg accessed the D.I.N.O. Attack Database backup stored in his internal memory.  "Says here that she's the only survivor of her kind," Cyborg murmured. "The Mutant Dinos that were mutated in the Goo Caverns, I mean."

"And she's a member of the GAIA Squad," added Rotor, peering over Cyborg's shoulder.  "So she was at Mount Bricklake while most of us were on Adventurers' Island."

Minerva's eyes widened.  "She might have come bearing news from the GAIA Squad! We must find out at once!  Magma, listen to me, we have to-"

"I heard you the first time," snapped Magma.  He locked eyes with Greybeard, then sighed.  "Alright."

"I understand ye be doin' what ye must t' ensure that we survive fer as long as possible," Greybeard said, nodding as he stepped aside.  "But remember that our survival also depends on workin' t'gether, says I."

By the time they reached Tex, she had already collapsed and was breathing heavily.  She opened her eyes and saw the approaching minifigs.  "Friends..." she whispered.  "Please... I need help..."

"Where be our medics?" said Greybeard, frowning.

"Dead," said Magma, shaking his head.  "Zenna, Pierce, Enter, Return, Clickitt, Medic, Einstein... they've all perished."

"I may be able to help," Dr. Cyborg spoke up.  "Due to my experience with XERRD, I am very familiar with the biology of a Mutant Dino."

"Come, lass," Greybeard whispered to the fallen Mutant T-Rex, his voice soft and soothing.  "We must get ye t' th' temple."  He could not help but recall that their first encounter resulted in his attempted murder of Sauro-Hunter.  He had come a long way since then.  Strangely, Greybeard could sense that Tex was thinking the same thing.

Supported by Greybeard, Magma, Rotor, Fabello, Cyborg, and Dust, Tex made it as far as the summit, but collapsed once more before she could make it to the temple.  "It's ... no use..." she said as she breathed heavily.  "I... am too weak..."

"What happened to the GAIA Squad?" inquired Magma.

"The Maelstrom... tore Mount Bricklake apart..." she explained.  "The entire region... flooded... I survived... but I was too late... to save the others..." Her entire body shook, and Greybeard realized that she was crying, just like Semick.

"I be so sorry," the old pirate murmured, rubbing her forehead with his right hand.  "I know ye be connected t' that Sauro-Hunter lad... his death must've been enough t' horribly weaken ye."

"But I... swam... all the way here..." Tex continued.

"Swam?" repeated Dust skeptically.  "All the way from Mount Bricklake?  Impossible!"

"You'd be surprised," Helmie remarked.  "She's got a lot in common with the titular monster from that Builderzilla movie."

"Why did you come here?" Magma questioned her, his voice tense and stern.  "Do you come bearing a message?  If so, say it now."

Minerva frowned. "Magma," she said, "she's been through a lot.  Give her a break."

"No..." Tex whispered.  "I have to... The Maelstrom is going... to tear this planet... apart... today."

Before anyone could reply, they were approached by David Norman and Semick.  "This is bad!" David said, biting his lip.  "Very bad!  Semick and I have come across recent data, and... well, you better take a look."

"As a Power Miner," explained Semick, "I know reasonably a lot about underground structures and stability.  Our latest data shows that there is literally no stability in the LEGO Planet's structure anymore.  It's all been destroyed by the Maelstrom."

"And look at this," Norman added as he handed Magma his PDA, displaying the most recent satellite images of LEGO Planet.  Everyone gathered around the Alpha Team agent to take a look.  The LEGO Planet was surrounded by several bands of dark-purple energy.

"Look to the sky!" Rotor shouted.  Greybeard glanced upward and saw that the sky itself seemed to be ablaze with purple fire.  It was filled with a swirling vortex of dark clouds, lightning flashing from its center, complete with a dark purple tint.

"To the temple!" ordered Magma.  "Now!"

The group rushed inside the Imagination Temple, only to see that those in prayer were stunned and silent.  The Imagination orb in the center was starting to blink in and out of existence.  There came a sound like thunder, and the orb vanished.  In its place was something not dissimilar to a black hole, and all around it the temple began to collapse.

Magma, Greybeard, Helm, Rotor, David, Semick, Dust, Minerva, and Cyborg rushed outside the temple seconds before it crumbled to the ground.  The entire mountain shook as a neighboring mountain exploded, spraying molten lava into the air.

The group was gathered around Tex, who was still alive but unable to find the strength to stand up.  "Ye dinnae tell us that mountain be a volcano!" Greybeard shouted.

"... It isn't!" gasped Semick.  "It has never erupted in all its existence!"

Fireballs burst out of the volcano, flying high into the sky.  Heat washed over all those present as sparks and ashes rained down upon them.  The very wind scorched their faces.  Their mountain continued to shake, as though it too was about to erupt.  "So, this is the end, then?" Helm whispered.

Everyone looked at Magma, who for the first time in his life did not know what to do.  He looked desperately at Greybeard, who looked at him with a solemn expression.  The old pirate extended his right hand towards the Alpha Team agent.

Grim but understanding, Magma clasped Greybeard's hand with his own.  "We're all in this together," he said, nodding firmly.

One by one, the gathered minifigs took one another's hand; Greybeard gently laid his hook down upon Tex's claw.  The entire group, accepting their fate, was united for one last time.  Although the mountain shook viciously, they held their ground.  They watched as the fireballs fell from above, bringing a fiery death with them.  Every second felt like an hour.

As their impending doom neared, Greybeard knew there was one last thing he needed to do in this world.  He locked eyes with every one of the other minifigs, then with Tex, then finally stared at his hook.  Tears welled up in his eyes as he returned to gazing at the descending fireballs.

"Beatrice..." Greybeard whispered.  "I forgive ye..."

The fireballs struck the mountainside.  Almost simultaneously, the entire LEGO Planet trembled and then exploded into countless tiny fragments.  There were no survivors.

The Maelstrom had finally won its ultimate victory.

Semick woke up from it having slept through the night, and quickly got over it as he prepared to get into action for the day, stopping only to talk with the XERRD scientist stuck in a Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrid's body, brought in by Andrew. Andrew himself later arrived, and informed him of the night's events regarding Rotor's antics and Lutsky's behavior.

Reptile went missing, and Hotwire proceeded to officially turn the command over to Semick, who had already become a de-facto leader of sorts.

Arriving in the command tent, Semick got fully up to speed with the affairs of the main mission. Information gathered from the XERRD Fortress pointed to a temple dedicated to Hotep III; however, the potential in a Temple of Creation not far from Hotep III's place was not disregarded. Semick began to work out a strategy of how they could attack. After some time, but before he could finalize anything, Rockford approached him and asked for his assistance in talking to Lutsky about his behavior. He agreed, and they met in the tent he was being kept in.

*****

A TumTum Islander named Taglong and a T-Rex arrived at the camp, telling Rex that the alpha female T-Rex of Adventurers' Island requested his presence in order to form an official alliance with Dino Attack Team. Despite Taglong's warnings, Rex agreed to go.

The T-Rex led Rex, Amanda, and Taglong through the Adventurers' Island jungle before stopping at the Tribe Ugalego ruins. They followed the T-Rex through a secret opening in an Ugalego statue and found themselves in a massive chamber occupied by a destroyed Scorpion Orb Launcher resting atop a large pile of skulls.

The alpha female T-Rex approached the group. She explained to Rex that the dinosaurs were willing to form an alliance but heavily disapproved of Dino Attack Team's decision to ally with Lord Sam Sinister. Rex and Amanda tried to defend Sinister, and Amanda attempted to justify by bringing up her own reasons for joining Dino Attack Team in order to redeem herself of her past as Silencia Venomosa.

Just then, a Pteranodon dropped Mr. Jacques Cunningham in the center of the chamber, revealing that Sinister's henchman had been snooping around. Rex tried in vain to get answers out of Cunningham, but he refused to answer any of Rex's questions. When Amanda, acting once again as Silencia Venomosa, threatened the hunter with a knife, Cunningham finally revealed that he was capturing dinosaurs for XERRD and was also carrying out orders for Lord Sinister, confessing that Sinister sent him to hunt down the alpha female T-Rex.

This revelation infuriated the alpha female T-Rex, jeopardizing Rex's negotiations. Desperate to keep Dino Attack's alliances intact, Rex argued with the alpha female T-Rex until, at last, she agreed to officially ally with the Dino Attack Team. She respected Rex's determination, saying that it reminded her of her deceased mate. However, she warned them that Sam Sinister and his henchmen would never be treated as allies.

As they left the Tribe Ugalego temple, Amanda knew that Mr. Cunningham had likely set up traps, so she forced him to taking the lead in order to avoid triggering his traps. Upon exiting the temple ruins, they were surprised to see that Cunningham's traps had already been sprung, successfully ensnaring a XERRD scientist named Dr. Paulie Gonepus and several Mutant Dinos.

*****

Dr. Cyborg was approached by Naomi Carver as to where to find crystalline Imagination, as it was needed for the antidote to the XERRD fortress neurotoxin. He contacted the current CEO of UlTech Industries, Joseph Twoplate, and requested two UlTech Infiltrators to be sent over.

The UlTech Industries transport ER0001 landed outside the medical tent a short time later. The pilot was Kara Wise, and the two Infiltrators were X1 and X2. He sent the two UlTech Infiltrators to retrieve crystalline Imagination from the XERRD fortress.

*****

At the temple, Zach reported to Ahua that he had ended J.D.'s attempt to cure the Maelstrom. Ahua informed Zach that the high-ranking XERRD scientists and Señor Palomar were making their way to the Maelstrom Temple, meaning that the battle for the fortress had ended and that the Dino Attack were going to shift their focus to the Maelstrom Temple. Ahua then sent Zach out to assassinate the XERRD scientists before they could take control of the Maelstrom again. However, Zach saw that the scientists were wearing Paradox armor and decided against attempting to kill the scientists himself, sending other Stromlings in his stead.

Zach then confronted Ahua, who revealed that he feared Zach's power and attempted to eliminate him by sending him on a suicide mission after the scientists. Just as Ahua was about to kill Zach, the latter demonstrated his abilities to control the Maelstrom. Zach then threatened to kill Ahua if he tried to murder him again.

Zach left Ahua and found another Stromling Islander to accompany him outside of the Temple to a pack of Mutant Dinos. Using the Stromling Islander as a translator, Zach convinced the Mutant Dinos to betray XERRD and into go into service for the Maelstrom. Zach then ordered part of the pack to attack the Dino Attack Team camp while the other part was sent to guard both the Temple of Hotep III and the Temple of Creation.

However, Ahua learned from scouts that the Mutant Dinos sent to destroy the Dino Attack Team instead went into another part of the jungle, sidetracked by an unknown object. Ahua informed Zach of this development. Irritated, Zach mounted one of the Mutant T-Rexes guarding Hotep's temple and took off into the jungle to find the source of the pack's diversion. He eventually caught up with the rest of the Mutant Dino pack and found them chasing Frozeen and Greybeard. Zach dismounted the T-Rex and fought the Dino Attack allies, but was easily defeated. He then ordered the Mutant Dinos to attack Frozeen and Greybeard and resulted in the two getting pinned to the ground.

Zach then rummaged through Frozeen's backpack and discovered the Maelstrom Crystal inside, which led to the Mutant Dinos turning on Zach and attacking him instead. Zach tossed the crystal aside, which ceased the Mutant Dino attack. Zach revealed the purpose of the crystal to Frozeen and Greybeard: only a chosen individual could bring the Maelstrom Crystal to the Maelstrom Temple, and anyone else who tried to hold the crystal would be attacked by Mutant Dinos.

Doubting their ability to survive, Zachary handed over the crystal back to Frozeen and Greybeard. He then decided to play a "most dangerous game" with the two, and the "game" involved Zach hunting them while they tried to find the Maelstrom Temple. After a fifteen-minute headstart, Zach and the rest of Mutant Dinos gave chase.

*****

At the mess tent, Clint Wayne was spending some time on his own in the mess tent drinking a bottle of whiskey. Minerva Fabello sat down next to Space Police Commando Holly Vinyaya, who had been previously assigned to investigate reports of Blacktron's alliance with Kotua. Minerva and Vinyaya quickly became friends.

Vinyaya also met Cabin and Bluetooth. Bluetooth proposed the creation of a team to help fight against a possible group of hostile extraterrestrials. She believed it was a good idea and remarked that she would pass the idea on to Space Police Central when she returned to her Space Police duties.

*****

When X1 and X2 returned to the camp, they brought news of the attack Stromling Zach was bringing to the camp. Dr. Cyborg relayed the news to the command tent. He returned to a mechanics tent and began to work on modifying an Urban Avenger for his own use. He stepped out of the tent to get a break and, as he was walking along, he was shot in the back by a XERRD sniper. The shot penetrated a crack in his armor, and made a hole in a coolant conduit. His internal reactor exploded after overheating, causing him to shut off to begin internal repairs. He was taken to the medical tent.

*****

While on the hunt, Zach heard an explosion go off and saw smoke rise out of the jungle. Deciding that the smoke was coming from an area with many Dino Attack Agents, Zach had his Mutant Dinos get ahead of Frozeen and Greybeard, forcing them to turn towards the site of the explosion.

*****

Cabin took Barry Jackson and Kate Bishop on a short expedition to find the XERRD sniper responsible for shooting Dr. Cyborg and causing the explosion. They did not find the sniper, but they managed to capture Dr. Strangebrick, who had escaped the fortress. He was brought back to the camp and interrogated by Cabin.

After Strangebrick revealed that there may have been other XERRD personnel who escaped, Cabin left the camp to find them. She managed to find and capture a frightened preteen girl. She eventually found out that the girl's name was Jennifer, and that she was the daughter of a XERRD scientist. Cabin then managed to find a young XERRD engineer named Tom, whom she also captured.

*****

After several more minutes pursuing the two Dino Attack allies, Zach and the rest of the Mutant Dino pack arrived at the Dino Attack camp.

Suddenly, vicious roars could be heard coming from outside of the mess tent. Everyone went outside and found the entire camp under attack by Mutant Dinos. While Minerva left to find a weapon, Vinyaya, armed with a Space Police freeze cannon, ran into the battle.

Upon leaving the tent, Clint Wayne was confronted by a Mutant Lizard, which he quickly shot.

Nazareno's bullet wound was being checked by the medics when the camp was attacked. As Nazareno left the medic tent, Pierce found himself scrambling to try and help the other medics. In all the chaos, the tent was destroyed, and Pierce was among the people caught in the rubble.

Wade was in the medical tent when it collapsed, but he was mostly unharmed and, along with Crusher, managed to get out.

When the camp was unexpectedly overrun by Mutant Dinos, George stumbled into the tent where Rotor was being held. He managed to free him before the two of them left. They found themselves hiding with another man, Commander Johnson. They agreed that they were fighting a losing battle and had no chance of winning. Their best option was simply to try and get away in an effort to survive.

Rotor, George, and Johnson managed to make it out of the clearing, only to become lost in the jungle. George eventually explained to Rotor that he had landed a T-1 Typhoon in the desert before he and Zenna were attacked by natives. Rotor realized that with a surprise assault, they might be able to get an advantage in the battle. After running into Lance Williams, a former surfer turned Dino Attack agent, they began travelling through the jungle. Along the way, they ran into Cabin, Jennifer, and Tom. Rotor was reluctant to take two members of XERRD with them, even suggesting having them shot immediately, but eventually relented at Cabin's insistence and agreed to allow them fair treatment.

Eventually, they found an old set of railway tracks (unknowingly stumbling along the path of Zachary), which led to two old minecarts. When Rotor noticed that one of the carts was filled with sand, he realized that the tracks most likely led to the desert. The group managed to follow the tracks and it turned out that Rotor was actually right.

George was eventually able to locate the T-1 Typhoon, which was still in good enough condition to be used. They managed to fly it towards the main campsite and use its weapons against the mutant dinosaurs.

Lance was put in the gunner's seat. In the initial assault, he managed to take out most of the Mutant Raptors and a Mutant T-Rex. Lance then had to provide cover fire while George and Rotor tried to recover fuel from the supply tent. Once they returned, the helicopter took off again. Lance continued to shoot at Mutant Raptors and attempted to fire at Mutant Lizards as well.

Semick and Rockford had not gotten very far with Lutsky when the camp was attacked by Mutant Dinos. As the agents scrambled to assemble, Semick and Rockford left Lutsky and attempted to move towards the area where the vehicles had been kept, grabbing a pistol with ammo from a destroyed tent's storage along the way. When faced with a Mutant Raptor, Semick distracted the beast while Rockford, Hotwire, Tracer, Rookie, and Kara Wise got to the Talon and took to the air, with Kat returning the favor by blasting the Mutant Raptor out of action.

Loop unexpectedly reappeared, having been infected by the Maelstrom and turned into a Stromling. He boarded the Talon once more, much to Hotwire's surprise. He told the agents that he would return once more, and when he did, Kat would join him. Loop then jumped out of the helicopter.

When he spotted the Talon, Rotor attempted to make contact. They were initially unsuccessful, but eventually learned that it had been attacked by Loop. Upon learning this, Rotor brought the T-1 Typhoon closer, handed Lance a pair of binoculars, ordered him to identify and shoot the psychopath. Lance quickly spotted Loop jumping out of the helicopter and fired at him, although he could not tell that his shots had missed.

As Saran's T-1 Typhoon made its approach, the doctor got word that the rear guard camp was under attack. When Saran got a view of the battle, he noticed that the only defense Dino Attack had were two other helicopters (one being the Talon). The former cop whooped with delight as his helicopter and its escorts engaged in the battle.

Dr. Cyborg woke up in the medical tent, which collapsed in the attack by Mutant Dinos. He sent a message to X1 and X2, telling the former to fight and the latter to help get the tent back up. Later in the battle, his internal repair system finished, and he got out of the tent to fight.

Kate found herself struggling to get into position, and had no idea what to do. She stumbled upon the ruins of the medical tent, where she found Hertz trying to clear the rubble and find Naomi Carver. Kate began trying to help him, and was motivated further when she heard Pierce's voice from within. Kate, Hertz, Wade, and Crusher eventually recovered both Pierce, who had survived but suffered from a broken arm and leg, and Naomi, who was unconscious.

Pierce was brought with the other medics to the command tent, which was still intact, where they remained for the remainder of the battle.

*****

Dr. Strangebrick fled into the jungle for his own survival. Thinking about the information Cabin gave him, he suddenly began to realize what she said was true. Furious that his boss had abandoned him and left him for dead, Strangebrick made the decision not to reunite with the rest of XERRD. Instead, he wandered through the jungle.

*****

Zach led the bloody assault against the Dino Attack Team. Under his command, his Mutant Dinos laid waste to the camp and killed numerous Dino Attack Agents.

In the midst of battle, Vinyaya turned and watched Zach, riding a Mutant T-Rex, shoot down Elite Agent Fletcher. Enraged, Vinyaya shot the Stromling Agent's dinosaur. Zach's steed threw off its rider and stumbled into the battle. Zach quickly found Vinyaya and charged at her. The Space Police Commando parried the Stromling's attack and attempted to flee, only to be shoved to the ground. She got back on her feet but found the Stromling's gun directly under her chin.

Before Zach could fire, Nazareno slammed into the Stromling, knocking it the ground. Nazareno joined Vinyaya, now brandishing a small pistol, as they battled the Stromling Agent. They were soon joined by Clint Wayne as they tried to defeat Zach. The three Dino Attack agents held their ground against the Stromling, but Zach was quickly gaining the upper hand.

Minerva equipped herself with a Sonic Screamer and found Zach fighting Wayne, Nazareno, and Vinyaya. She attempted to knock Zach out with her Sonic Screamer, but the Stromling pulled Vinyaya in front of him as shield, forcing Vinyaya to take the full force of the blast and knocking her out. Wayne and Nazareno eventually overwhelmed Zach. A brief confrontation occurred between Wayne and Zachary before he attempted to shoot him. Unlike the others, Wayne was able to hit Zach, and Minerva decided against taking another shot when she saw Zach get shot twice by Wayne.

Before Zach could save himself with the Maelstrom, Minerva came into his sight, causing him to suddenly fall into unconsciousness as Zach and the Maelstrom started a short mental battle for control of the former's body. This proved that J.D.'s predictions regarding the Maelstrom's hold over Zach were correct.

Unfortunately, the Maelstrom prevailed and resumed control of Zach. He suddenly awoke before Minerva could inject the cure into the former's body. The Stromling stood up and knocked the surprised Wayne and Nazareno to the ground. He warned Minerva that there was no hope that Maelstrom cure would save him, and then he left the campsite, leaving his Mutant Dinos to finish off the Dino Attack Team.

Minerva ran to the fallen body of Vinyaya and, assisted by Andrew, Bluetooth, and Laxus, carried her to safety at the camp's edges.

*****

Zachary soon stumbled upon the remains of Sam Sinister's dinosaur camp and found two XERRD Space Marauder dino hunters led by Rudo Villano holding a Stromling Ape and Stromling Monkey captive in a Dino Track Transport. Disguising himself as a Dino Attack agent, Zach killed one of the XERRD guards. He inquired the other Space Marauder about the Stromling primates before he shed his disguise and killed the Space Marauder.

Zachary freed the Stromling Ape and Stromling Monkey (which Zach named Cranky and Kiddy, respectively), and Cranky responded by hugging the Stromling Agent in gratefulness. Rudo Villano suddenly appeared and attempted to stop the Stromlings, only to be knocked out by three Stromling Brickster-Bots (including one named Jango) before he could escape. With the Maelstrom, Zach convinced Villano to denounce Señor Palomar and became a Maelstrom asset. Now allied with the Stromling Brickster-Bots, Villano, Cranky, and Kiddy, Zach prepared to return to the camp.

*****

Rex and Amanda Claw took Mr. Cunningham and Dr. Gonepus back to camp, only to find the area under attack by Mutant Dinos.

Nazareno, Wayne, Minerva, and X2 decided to split up. Nazareno turned and helped a T-1 Typhoon battle a Mutant T-Rex that was devastating the camp.

As Nazareno was dashing towards the massive Mutant T-Rex, a Dino Attack agent flew in front of him and landed on the ground near Nazareno. He turned and looked at a yellow Mutant Lizard, acid dripping from its mouth. The Mutant Lizard screeched and charged at Nazareno. The Space Ninja quickly brought one of his katanas upwards, cutting into the Mutant Lizard's throat. The Lizard made a sick whine as it collapsed on to the ground.

Nazareno turned to the fallen Dino Attack agent. It was easy to see that the man had been killed. Nazareno scavenged the fallen agent's Cosmotronic Ray and turned towards the Mutant T-Rex. However, before he could take a shot, a T-1 Typhoon appeared in the sky, playing music.

Nazareno shrugged off the odd music and helped the T-1 shoot down the Mutant T-Rex. It took numerous shots from both parties to kill the reptile. Nazareno immediately suspected the Maelstrom to be involved in the Mutant Dinos' longer lifespan. Eventually, however, the T-Rex did fall, saving most of the Dino Attack's vehicles and most of the remaining tents from destruction.

With the T-Rex's death, Nazareno turned and started taking advantage of his Cosmotronic Ray by shooting at Mutant Raptors, damaging their force fields and allowing other to finish them off. As he was finishing off one Mutant Raptor, he heard some rustle of the leaves of nearby trees. Nazareno turned, expecting more Mutant Dinos, but instead found Elite Agent Rex, Standard Agent Claw, a minifig wearing a gray jacket Nazareno did not recognize, and a minifig with a hi-tech suit with two odd robot tentacle things sticking out of his back that Nazareno did not recognize either. Nazareno ran towards them.

"Who are these two?" Nazareno asked, gesturing at the newcomers.

"This is Mr. Cunningham," Rex said, gesturing at the jacketed man. Then, he gestured to the tentacled man. "And Dr. Gonepus, a XERRD scientist. What's going on here?!" he asked, looking at the battle occurring behind them.

"Zach sent his Maelstrom-controlled Mutant Dinos here." That explained just about everything. As Nazareno was turning back to the battle, a massive Iron Predator-like vehicle burst from the jungle on the other side of camp. However, it was missing the basic Z-1 Kinetic Launcher and Cryothermic Cannon.

"That's a Dino Track Transport!" Rex exclaimed. "Although the Dino Attack does use them, they are primarily used by XERRD..." Nazareno grimaced, then ran towards the Dino Track Transport. To Nazareno's surprise, he saw a man wearing a fedora and a robot with a dark-blue head controlling the tank. Two more of those robots suddenly landed besides the Dino Track Transport. Nazareno was about to move closer when out of the trees came a massive ape with a monkey on his back, obviously infected with the Maelstrom. The ape unleashed a massive roar while the monkey let out an ear-splitting screech. Finally, a Mutant Raptor walked out of the trees with its all-too familiar Stromling rider on its back.

"I'm baaaaaaaaaaaack!" shouted Zach gleefully.

*****

"Right," said Hotwire abruptly, leaving his ponderings and standing up. "Let's get this show back on the road. Tracer, put those Screamers to work. Rockford, see if you can raise anyone else on the comms; I think the jamming signal must have stopped when we knocked the fortress down. Kara and Rookie, you guys man the launcher and the side guns, controls in the forward cockpits. And the rest of us…"

He grinned and picked up a Cosmotronic Ray. "Shoot down whatever mutants come in range."

*****

Loop opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground on his back, while the battle raged around him. He hadn't been approached yet; he must have only been out for a few seconds. The Stromling grimaced. Those shots from the other T-1 Typhoon had broken his concentration. Had it not been for that, he would have landed safely. Fortunately, the shots had only grazed him, and he quickly used the powers of the Maelstrom to heal the wound.

He looked around the battlefield and saw a Dino track transport bearing several more Stromlings smash through the trees. Ah, he thought. Backup. He made his way through the chaos and hopped aboard the transport. "Is this where the party is?" he asked.

"What's it to ya, three-eyes?" Zach cackled.

"Well, I was thinking of offering my services to your little squad..."

"Lovely," interrupted Zach. "Do try and keep up."

Outwardly, Loop smiled and nodded, preparing a bolt of electricity to char some unfortunate Dino Attack agent, but inwardly he fumed. Just you wait, you bratty little upstart, he thought. You'll grovel before me when the world cries my name and hails me as their savior.

*****

"Looks like they're getting into position," Lance shouted over the noise of the helicopter's rotors.

"That's good," replied Rotor. "It means we have the advantage. With two of these things in the air, those mutant dinos won't stand a chance."

"Have we got enough fuel to keep this thing in the air long enough?" asked Lance.

"We've got enough for the moment, and we've still got plenty of ammunition," Rotor said.

In the back, Jennifer simply watched silently. She had no real way to help. Tom was doing his best to comfort her.

"George," said Rotor. "How's our fuel supply?"

"We've still got enough to stay in the air, but I don't know how much longer it will last," replied George.

"Cabin," Rotor said, "find out if they have any extra fuel, and if they do, tell them to stand by for emergency refueling."

"Alright," replied Cabin.

"Lance," Rotor said. "You just keep shooting. We've taken out most of the Mutant Raptors, but you can still try and target the Mutant Lizards."

Lance smiled and began aiming his gun.

*****

Semick observed the battle back at camp with a pair of binoculars he had found. After Rockford had provided his assistance with the Mutant Raptor, he had taken to one of the Fire Hammers with the intent of driving it back into battle. As of this moment though, he was waiting on the vehicle's Xenon Launcher to fully warm up before charging back in.

As he waited, he observed the battle with great concern. The T-1 Typhoon he had heard earlier had apparently needed to land, and now that it was back in the air, it seemed to run with slightly lower than usual intensity in its rotors. This didn't bode well for how much longer it could last in the air. The second T-1 Typhoon in the air (with Rotor inside) had managed to pick up about seven agents, providing a full crew, but had been stopped briefly by a Stromling that had leaped in before shortly dropping out (and being bombarded by T-1 gunfire).

But was most frightening was the turn in battle itself. While the Mutant Dino forces had been narrowed down significantly since the start of the attack, they had just recently received backup in the form of a XERRD Dino Track Transport, which had brought along about six extra Stromlings to aid the Dinos, including a Stromling Ape. There was also a driver in a fedora that looked Minifig and familiar, but had glowing red eyes. Never a good sign.

Semick heard an affirmative beep! come from the Xenon Launcher driver controls. He lowered his binoculars and turned back towards the dashboard. Sure enough, the cannon was fully warmed and operational. He grinned.

"Finally, back to business," he remarked as he threw the electrobinoculars aside and got into a driving position. Putting his foot down on the pedal, he turned the wheel to the right and navigated through the other parked vehicles, quickly reaching the end of the vehicle area and heading towards the camp itself. Although he knew it gave enemies a warning, Semick made sure to honk the horn to make sure his fellow agents would get out of the way.

Semick knew what would be the best option for a target. After passing by an overturned Steel Sprinter, he turned sharply and veered to the left, the lumbering Stromling Ape right in his path. The former Power Miner pushed hard on the acceleration and focused his eyes on the creature as it and its Stromling Monkey companion turned their heads in mild surprise.

The Fire Hammer hit the ape front on, knocking it onto its back and sending its companion into the air and into a burnt tree trunk. Semick shifted into reverse and pulled back, getting himself a chance to survey his damage. The front end was slightly bent inwards, but as of yet nothing serious. Semick hoped he didn't have to rely too much on vehicular apeslaughter.

As for the ape, it got up in under ten seconds with not much sign of being injured. As it laid eyes on its challenger, it glared at him with eyes of extreme fury (that moment made Semick really realize the "humor" behind those 500-pound gorilla jokes). It was about to yell in anger as well, but Semick took the moment to grab the Xenon Launcher controls and open fire.

"No dramatics from you!" he cried as the launcher barraged the ape with fire.

*****

Slipping on a pair of headphones to better hear communications, Rockford started tinkering with the T-1 Typhoon radio controls as the vehicle got into action. Trying his best to remember the frequency the team had assigned to the island operations back at HQ, he flipped switches and turned turning knobs to best reach the Dino Attack outposts, and hopefully HQ back at LEGO City.

As he turned a knob that increased the radio range, he was interrupted by the loud blaring of another message from the second T-1 Typhoon in the air. He winced as his eardrums virtually popped at the volume of the close broadcast.

"Talon," the female voice said, "it would be in your best interests to know that we are running on minimal fuel and have limited ammunition. If you could provide any-"

"SHUT UP, SHUT UP!" he responded on instinct. "I'M BUSY! I'M WORKING HQ HERE!" The second voice fell silent. After relaxing a bit, he calmed down and sent another message. "Sorry for my tone, but I'm seeing if I can reach Dino Attack HQ and the rest of the island outposts by radio. As such, your signal is at the strength of a foghorn being blown into your ear right now. Please respond quietly next time."

Not waiting for a response, Rockford moved on to switch to the island frequency as he best remembered it and spoke into the microphone.

"Attention Dino Attack forces on Adventurers' Island! This is Commanding Standard Agent Rockford, and if you can hear this, then you must be glad to know the communications jam has been ended, likely by the destruction of the XERRD Fortress! As of now, the remaining agents from the attack force have been ambushed by forces of the Mutant Dinos and the Maelstrom, and we will take any aid we can for both fighting off this ambush, and for the assault on the Maelstrom Temple! Please send aid immediately, especially medical aid! That is all."

*****

"Just when I thought things were looking up..." Andrew muttered as he observed the latest twist in the battle.

"What is it now?" Bluetooth asked. He was with Laxus and Minerva, who were all leaning over Vinyaya as they did their best to monitor her condition. Although none of them had any real medical experience, Laxus and Bluetooth had at least some ideas on how to handle her from their experiences with injuries in space. Andrew hadn't paid much attention, as he was on lookout for any approaching enemies, but he had heard them talking about treating her similarly to electrocuted Minifigs or something.

"Looks like the Dinos got reinforcements as well," Andrew explained. "Looks like some Stromlings on a Dino Track Transport."

"A what?" Minerva asked.

"It's an Iron Predator variation mostly used to transport dinosaurs rather than fight them. Anyways, this means we're likely going to be waiting out here a bit longer at best, even with the aid from those two T-1s."

The five agents were silent for the moment. Then Laxus asked, "Can you tell anything specific about their reinforcements?"

"No, not unless we forgot about any binoculars on us."

Laxus started searching his pockets, and out of the one on his left leg, he managed to produce the pair of electrobinoculars he had used back in the LEGO City theater with the Mutant Lizard nest. "Glad to see I didn't forget these," he said as he offered them to Andrew.

The LEGO Islander took them and looked back towards the battle. Trying his best to see how to work the electrobinoculars worked, he managed to find the zoom adjustment knob. Once he did, he peered through the device to get a look at exactly who was attacking now.

There were at least seven Stromlings. Three of them looked robotic, and Andrew wouldn't be surprised if they were actually Brickster-Bots. Another two were primates, one ape and one monkey, the latter riding on the former's back. Andrew didn't get much of a look at them, mostly because a Fire Hammer had taken to ramming the ape as a form of attack.

That left the normal looking Stromlings. One of them had electricity-based abilities and what looked like three glowing eyes. The other, riding on a Mutant Raptor, looked rather bland, its gun-arm the only really interesting detail. But when that second Stromling let its face get into view of the electrobinoculars, Andrew managed to find its face and hairstyle strikingly familiar.

"Guys," Andrew told his companions, "Zach's back."

*****

"Lance!" shouted Rotor. "Hold your fire!"

Lance stopped shooting. "What's wrong?"

"We'll need to conserve what ammunition we have," replied Rotor. "We're running on minimal fuel. We're lucky we've been able to stay in the air this long, and we probably don't have much ammunition left."

Lance lowered his gun.

"Any news on that refueling?" Rotor asked Cabin.

"That's a negative," replied Cabin. "They've cut me off."

"Well, keep trying," ordered Rotor. "We won't be able to stay in the air much longer unless we can refuel."

Upon realizing they were low on fuel, Rotor's group was forced to leave, and they landed in a nearby clearing. They had no way of knowing how the battle was going or any means of navigating their way back to the camp on foot. Without any idea of direction, they decided to remain where they were, if only so that some of the team could survive and continue the mission if nobody survived the attack on the Rear Guard camp.

*****

Cranky let out a surprised yelp as he ran away from the barrage of fire from the Fire Hammer. Kiddy screeched an idea into Cranky's ears. Cranky nodded and then barrel-rolled forward. However, instead of stopping after one revolution, Kiddy kept running on top of Cranky like a minifig on a log, allowing Cranky's roll to be continuous. As the approached the Fire Hammer, Kiddy warned Cranky of the approach grill of the jeep, giving the latter enough time to jump up and on to the Fire Hammer's hood. A frightened look was visible on the driver of the Fire Hammer.

However, Cranky ignored the driver and instead headed for the turret, which was still firing. Cranky growled and jumped upwards, his fists raised. They came down on the turret, smashing it into a million pieces. Cranky then crawled back over the Fire Hammer's cab and back on to the hood and began slamming his hands on the hood in anger. The hood immediately started to dent. Then, Cranky swung a fist into the windshield of the Fire Hammer, shattering it.

*****

Zach knew he hadn't been very friendly to his new ally. One that could kill him easily. But he had his reasons. As a former Agent, he recognized his new Stromling ally as an agent of Dr. Inferno. Although his connection to the Agents Defense Organization had long since cut, Zach couldn't help but hold a deep animosity towards Dr. Inferno and his henchmen.

Zach could see right now that Cranky and Kiddy were very ideal allies. They had just smashed a Fire Hammer turret and were in the process of killing the driver.

Jango reactivated his jets and flew so he was at Zach's level. "What shall me and my Brickster-Bots do?" he asked. Zach had forgotten that the Brickster-Bots tended to not carry weapons.

"There are plenty of corpses around here with free weapons lying around. Take those," Zach replied. Jango nodded and was about to find a weapon when Zach remembered something. "Oh yeah. They may be a LEGO Islander still alive around here. Name's Andrew. Feel free to extract some... revenge on him."

Jango nodded. Although the Brickster-Bots had told him they had forsaken the Brickster years ago, it appears they still have a hatred of non-Stromling LEGO Islanders, similar to Zach's relationship to Inferno agents.

Jango and his Brickster-Bots launched themselves into the battlefield in search for weapons. Zach then turned to Rudo Villano, who was climbing out of the Dino Track Transport, rifle raised.

"Show them, Rudo!" Zach said, his voice hypnotic. "Show Palomar you are a force to be reckoned with!" Villano's eyes seemed to flash a brighter shade of red. He grinned, aimed his rifle into the Dino Attack agents, and fired.

*****

Zenna was unable to fight back against the Mutant Dinos. Giovanni Wade later found her buried under the ruins of a tent, unconscious and with several broken bones.

Cranky pulled Semick out of the Fire Hammer cab. Semick suddenly shot Cranky's fingers with a pistol, forcing Cranky to drop the Dino Attack agent. Cranky turned to Semick when the latter shot the Fire Hammer with his pistol. Suddenly, the jeep caught on fire. Cranky jumped off the vehicle but was caught in its explosion, severely wounding the Stromling Ape.

After Semick left the site of the explosion, Kiddy dragged Cranky to the jungle bordering the camp to heal while the former continued to fight. Several minutes later, Cranky was healed by the Maelstrom.

Andrew determined that Zach was sending three Stromling Brickster-Bots after him. Minerva decided to give him her Injection Saw to help him fight, but didn't tell him that it contained a cure to the Maelstrom.

Zach spotted Andrew in the camp defeating the Stromling Brickster-Bots. Dr. Cyborg spotted Zach on top of a Dino Track Transport and ran towards him, trying to fight and stop his advance. However, Zach just started monologuing, hit him in the stomach, and quickly defeated Dr. Cyborg. Then, Zach confronted his former neighbor as he finished off the Brickster-Bots and deconstructed Jango.

Zach tried to convince Andrew to join the Maelstrom, but the Elite Agent refused and battled Zach in melee combat with the XERRD Injection Saw.

Vinyaya soon awoke and saw Zach battling Andrew. Vinyaya quietly left the other Dino Attack Agents, and she found a pistol lying in the nearly empty battlefield. She quickly took aim at the Stromling Agent.

Zach quickly gained the upper hand and forced Andrew to the ground. Before he could shoot Andrew, however, Zach was shot in the back by Commander Vinyaya. As the Maelstrom left Zach's mind to heal his wounds, Zach informed Andrew that his true self was still alive and needed Minerva to come to the Maelstrom Temple and find him. He also said Andrew could assist Minerva he wished.

The Maelstrom then returned to Zach's mind. He announced that the Dino Attack Team would have sixty hours to find the Maelstrom Temple or he would lead an army of Mutant Dinos back to the camp to finish the Dino Attack Team. With that looming message, Zach fled the camp riding on Mutant Raptor. Shortly after leaving the camp, Zach abandoned the Mutant Raptor and mentally contacted Kiddy, Cranky, and Rudo Villano and told them to regroup at the Maelstrom pool near the Maelstrom Temple with him.

After Zachary withdrew his Stromling army, Saran's helicopter was cleared to land. As Saran was helped out of the helicopter, he was greeted by Semick. The Elite Agent was in a hurry to stop Cranky, so he quickly directed the doctor to the command tent. As Semick was leaving, he noticed that the doctor had a peg leg.

When the battle ended, and Dr. Cyborg was looking around at the severity of the damage, he found a laser saber that used to belong to a Stromling. He took it for himself.

The medics gathered with the few other survivors in what was left of the command tent. Wade briefly left to find wounded agents.

Quickly getting back into the game, Semick attempted to man an Iron Predator, but was incapacitated by Kiddy, who latched onto his shoulders and left the Iron Predator driving out of control.

When Minerva spotted a Dino Track Transport driving around the camp destroying tents, she ran up to the XERRD vehicle and climbed inside, where she got into a fight with the Maelstrom-controlled Rudo Villano.

Nazareno, Claw, and Rex then met up with Andrew, Vinyaya, Bluetooth, and Laxus at the site of Andrew and Zach's battle. Suddenly, they heard vehicles colliding and Semick screaming as he was attacked by Kiddy on an out-of-control Iron Predator.

As Saran made his way to the command tent, he was met by Dr. Cyborg, who exclaimed that there where now three cripples on the island: himself, Saran, and Rex. Doctor Saran recognized Dr. Cyborg as Matthew Cyrista and was surprised to see him, considering his reported death. He went on to mention that he owned an UlTech stock. As they talked, Doctor Saran noticed a strong chemical odor coming from Cyrista. The cyborg explained that a sniper had hit him earlier and the result had been an internal explosion of his mainframe. The psychologist asked whether it hurt or if he wanted to talk about his desecrated body, but Cyborg responded he did not.

As they were talking, an out-of-control Iron Predator where Semick and Kiddy were fighting rushed past. A Dino Track Transport was sighted in the opposite direction carrying the battling Minerva Fabello and Rudo Villano. The two vehicles were on a collision course.

As Nazareno's group approached Semick's Iron Predator, Kiddy quickly killed another Dino Attack Agent driving an Urban Avenger, stole his pistols, and opened fire on the group. Nazareno quickly dodged the bullets while Vinyaya was forced to take cover.

Despite his allies' best efforts, Kiddy only got off Semick just before the Iron Predator crashed headfirst into the Dino Track Transport, damaging both vehicles severely. Villano escaped the Dino Track Transport as it collided with the Iron Predator. Semick was wounded, but not fatally.

As Vinyaya and the others approached the wreck, Kiddy unexpectedly attacked Minerva. Minerva screamed to Nazareno and Andrew to threaten the Stromling Monkey off her head with their melee weapons.

Vinyaya tried to get Kiddy off the Minerva, but it was using her as a shield. Andrew and Nazareno scared the Stromling Monkey off Minerva, but it quickly opened fire on the group again with its pistols. Vinyaya hid behind the Iron Predator turret with Minerva, Rex, and Claw as the monkey pelted the turret with bullets.

Nazareno and Andrew quickly worked out a plan. Andrew acted as bait for the monkey while Nazareno sneaked behind Minerva and attempted to take the monkey out from behind. However, Kiddy caught on and leaped off of Minerva's head.

Nazareno and Andrew surrounded the Stromling Monkey. Andrew swung his Injection Saw blade at the monkey first. Kiddy dodged the attack and shoved Andrew to the ground and started shooting at the Dino Attack agents again with its pistols. Nazareno dodged the bullets and joined up with Andrew. Suddenly, Kiddy was hit by a Dino Attack agent helmet, distracting the monkey long enough for Andrew and Nazareno to creep up behind the monkey and to stab it in the back with Nazareno's two katanas and Andrew's Injection Saw, killing Kiddy.

Following the death of the Stromling Monkey, Wade suddenly arrived on the scene and announced his presence, having heard the noise of the fighting and arrived to check for wounded. Minerva explained what had happened, and Wade proceeded to help the wounded Semick get to the command tent for medical attention.

Dr. Cyborg witnessed Kiddy's death, and continued wandering around the decimated camp. The Rear Guard Camp was to be evacuated due to approaching Skeleton Mummies. Dr. Cyborg, Kara Wise, X1, X2, and their equipment were among the last to leave camp as they relocated to Outpost 4.

*****

That night, after the invasion finally ended, Kate gathered with Hertz and the medics in the command tent, and Naomi finally woke. It wasn't long after that Clint Wayne entered the tent, bringing with him a badly wounded and unconscious Zenna. Pierce volunteered to examine her, despite his own injuries. He worked with Wade to try and help her, but Pierce soon realized that they couldn't do much for Zenna until they could get her to a hospital.

Shortly after the arrival of Clint Wayne, Kate realized they would need to regroup. She agreed to search for any survivors and an alternative camp site. Realizing the potential danger, Clint volunteered to go as well, promising that he would keep her safe.

*****

When night fell, Lance took the first watch. When he thought he saw a few figures in the distance, he quickly panicked and, assuming they were Stromlings, promptly fired his gun at them.

*****

However, shortly after a period of time in the jungle, Clint and Kate were both attacked by a sudden burst of gunfire.

*****

Cabin and Rotor were suddenly awoken by the noise of Lance firing the helicopter's machine gun at his unknown target. Rotor successfully pried Lance's hands off the gun and investigated.

*****

Once the gunfire had finally stopped, Clint and Kate were surprised to be greeted by Rotor and led back into another clearing, where they learned that he had landed a T-1 Typhoon after running out of fuel, and he had been here with seven other people, including Cabin and Lance Williams.

Kate managed to get in contact with Hertz, and discovered that Outpost 4 was within walking distance. Kate, Clint, the T-1 Typhoon's crew, Jennifer, and Tom managed to walk to the outpost. There they met an agent named Wheel, who happened to have a Fire Hammer available. Cabin and Rotor volunteered to take the Fire Hammer to Outpost 7, where they could rendezvous with the other agents. Rotor and Cabin soon left Outpost 4, along with Commander Johnson, Jennifer, and Tom.

Kate and the others remained behind at Outpost 4. All of them turned in shortly after aside from Clint, who volunteered to stay up on guard duty. Clint spent some time drinking before he was unexpectedly visited by Dr. Strangebrick. Clint was initially quick to draw his gun on the XERRD scientist, but soon relented when Strangebrick explained that he had defected after realizing that his superiors had intentionally left him to die in the fortress and that, as a result, he had been separated from his assistant. Clint reluctantly accepted Strangebrick's position.

The gunslinger's attention was suddenly drawn by the sound of a voice coming through over the radio. There was lots of static, but the sound of the voice was unmistakable. "Outpost 4... is Outpost 7, do you read me? Over." The voice repeated itself. "Outpost 4, this is Outpost 7. Do you read me? Over."

Clint picked up the microphone. "I read you," he said.

"Outpost 4," the voice reported. "We've just received a group of agents travelling from your location. There were two elite agents, a man and a woman, an air force pilot, and two XERRD prisoners. Over."

"I am aware of them," replied Clint.

"Outpost 4," the voice continued. "The female agent, calling herself Cabin, requests that you radio the camp, and report their arrival."

"Alright," replied Clint.

"Excellent," said the voice. "By the way, is it true that you have Lance Williams in your outpost?"

Clint was annoyed by this remark. "Yes," he said.

"That's awesome," replied the agent. "I can't wait to meet him. Anyway, over and out."

Clint began trying to set up the radio. He didn't have much experience, but he had watched other people doing it.  "Hertz," he said into the microphone. "This is Clint Wayne, do you read me?"

A few moments later, Hertz's familiar voice came in. "Roger that, Clint, this is Agent Hertz. Over."

"I just got a message from Outpost 7," replied Clint. "Some of my companions have just arrived there."

"What's your current position?" asked Hertz. "Over."

"We're currently in Outpost 4," replied the gunslinger.

"Who's currently with you?" asked Hertz.

"Kate Bishop is still with me," replied Clint. "We've also got George, the agent who was already stationed here, and some famous guy by the name of Lance Williams."

"Who?" asked Hertz.

"I don't know," replied Clint. "Apparently he's a famous surfer, whatever that means."

*****

Minerva then spoke with Andrew, who informed her that Zach's true self had spoken to the Elite Agent and claimed he had a plan and needed Minerva to find him in the Maelstrom Temple in order to defeat Stromling Zach.

Minerva thought over what Andrew had just told her. She knew Zach was somewhere inside his Maelstrom-suffocated body. He had spoken to her during the battle, claiming that Zach had no chance of escaping the Maelstrom's hold. He must of thought of a way to escape when he left. However, Andrew was right. How could Zach come up with a plan to escape the Maelstrom with the menace inside of his head and not expect it to know the secret?

Then Zach calling on Andrew, saying he could help. Minerva understood that Zach and Andrew had a bond simply because they both come from LEGO Island. She understood that Andrew would want to help save a neighbor from a horrible fate. She was, however, somewhat disturbed that Andrew had considered using the Maelstrom to accomplish a freaky dream of changing his form. It is very fortunate he overcame the urge in the fortress or the Dino Attack Team may have been facing both Zach and Andrew. Minerva couldn't help but think if those two had become allies the camp would be destroyed and everyone would be dead now.

Yet, if confronting Zach, and indirectly, the Maelstrom, helped Andrew deal with his...odd desire, it only gave Minerva another reason to allow Andrew to join this plight. And besides, she would feel better if she had some sort of ally to face Zach. And one with some connection to Zach's past...

"I accept your offer," Minerva finally said, shaking Andrew's hand. She glanced down and saw her Injection Saw in Andrew's hand. If Andrew was going to help save Zach, she knew she needed to tell him the truth about the liquid in the syringe. "Andrew, you see the blue liquid in the Injection Saw?"

Andrew raised the Injection Saw. "Injection Saw?" he repeated. "So that's what you're calling it?" Minerva nodded. "Where did you get this, exactly?"

"One of the medics, Dr. J.D., had one. I think they are used by XERRD to inject the Maelstrom into Mutant Dinos. I think that is the tool that a XERRD scientist used to inject it into Zach." This realization only hit Minerva as she said it. Andrew raised an eyebrow in surprise as Minerva withheld a gag.

"Okay," said Andrew. "And the liquid in the syringe is...?"

"It's a cure to the Maelstrom. J.D worked on it near the end of the fortress battle. This is just a prototype. He was killed by Zach before he could finish it."

"A cure?" Andrew repeated. Interest was apparent in his eyes. "What is the cure made of?"

"I'm not sure of all the ingredients, but the major ingredient is a small part of J.D.'s own creative spirit," explained Minerva. Andrew's eyes widened. "Zach knows the cure is in the Injection Saw. He (the Dino Attack agent Zach) told me that the cure wouldn't help him. But I'm still going to try and inject it in him one way or another. Just to be safe."

Kuru raised his eyebrow as he picked up his carbine. "Is that so?" he asked suspiciously.

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.

[PeabodySam]

Chapter 39: Bearings

----

Zachary walked through jungle slowly. It felt like it had been more than six months since he had ended the battle at the camp of the Dino Invasion Neutralization Organization. Alas, it had only been a few hours. Initially fleeing the camp via a Mutant Raptor, he sent it forward to the Maelstrom Temple without him. He had no desire to return to the Maelstrom Temple yet, and he wished to think alone.

Once a minifig himself, all Zach wanted to do as a Dino Attack agent was to save his home planet from a prehistoric destruction. He signed up, deciding to go only by his first name, and sailed to Adventurers' Island. Despite a bad beginning on the island, including inciting a conflict between the team and the locals, Zach fitted right in with the team and began to enjoy his service as a Dino Attack Agent.

However, all good things must end. A XERRD scientist corrupted Zach with the Maelstrom and turned him into a vicious Stromling bent on nothing more than laying waste to the entire Earth. He had killed a dozen of his former teammates, injured friends, and destroyed their camp.

His previous battle in Dino Attack camp, against fellow LEGO Islander Andrew, had being weighing heavy on Zach. After nearly killing his neighbor, Zach felt less willing to continue to serve the Maelstrom.

I should have just killed him, Zach thought. I have become extremely arrogant, and it has become my downfall multiple times. Zach resolved to work on his ego for the next battle. There would be no talk, only battle.

Zach pushed through a jungle branch and smiled. He found the Maelstrom pool that led to the Maelstrom Temple. This place definitely held some significance to Zach. It's where his journey down the dark path of the Maelstrom truly began. He walked up to the pool and stared into the purple water, letting his mind go blank until he heard loud footsteps behind him. He smiled again as he turned and saw a massive Stromling Ape behind him wearing a purple tie.

"Ah, Cranky," Zach said calmly. "I'm glad you got my message." Shortly after leaving the battle, Zach sent a mental message to Cranky to pass on to his other surviving allies meet him at the Maelstrom pool. Cranky nodded. Zach noted several burn marks on the ape's fur.

"Dino Attack agents got you, eh?" Zach remarked jokingly. Cranky's nostrils flared in anger and sadness. Zach raised an eyebrow. Sadness? Not exactly a common emotion among Stromlings, and yet...

"I suppose Kiddy has been killed..." Zach said without emotion. Cranky nodded. Zach remained silent. He felt that most of his Stromling allies that he had made at Sam Sinister's dinosaur camp were simple cannon fodder. The Brickster-Bots were deconstructed. Kiddy the Stromling Monkey was dead...

"What about Rudo Villano?" inquired Zach. Cranky shrugged. Zach marked off Villano as missing or dead. It was just him and Cranky.

"I'm sorry that you lost your partner and friend," Zach said sincerely. "He was a powerful ally and he killed many agents in the name of our cause! His sacrifice will not be in vain, my dear Cranky. We will avenge his death and kill those rotten Dino Attack agents for the Stromling blood they have spilled!"

Cranky reared back on his feet and roared in approval. Zach smiled, then a thought crossed his mind. "Cranky, you... are truly the only other Stromling I can trust. Ahua and his cronies are plotting to kill me, there is no doubt. Will you become partner and closet ally as we take down the Dino Attack Team and rule the LEGO Planet with an iron fist?"

Cranky was silent. Zach reached out his left hand, curled into a fist. "Bro fist?" Cranky nodded and touched his large knuckles to Zach's. Zach smiled brightly. He just gained a powerful ally who could help him topple Ahua's so-called power.

Zach yawned. The ordeals that occurred in the last couple days have final taken their toll. "Mind if I ride on your back on our way to the temple?" Cranky shook his head. Zach climbed on the ape's back and laid back as Cranky started walking into the jungle again.

Zach couldn't help but feel some compassion and pity for Cranky. Abandoned by minifigs on Adventurers' Island, domestic Cranky and Kiddy were forced to learn to survive in the wild. They were the closest friends until they were suddenly torn apart by the Dino Attack. Likewise, Zach abandoned the Dino Attack Team and now his Stromling superior had made it clear that he wanted Zach dead.

An ape and his Stromling, Zach thought. Bonded by betrayal and death. Zach found himself drifting toward his memories of the Dino Attack Team. He saw himself flying on a T-1 Typhoon with Semick, Bluetooth, and Raider; agents he had grown close to in a short time. He thought of Nazareno, a space ninja that Zach was fond of. He thought of Andrew, a friend of the same home. He thought of Minerva, a girl that had somehow-

Zach suddenly felt he had been punched in the forehead. He sat up straight in pain. However, Cranky continued to move at his same pace. Zach looked around, but could not find the source of the pain. His brain ramming itself into his skull didn't help.

Compassion, sorrow, regret! hissed a voice in his head. What do you think you are doing, you fool?!

I don't know. Zach responded, baffled.

Suddenly wishing you were not a Stromling, eh? the voice continued angrily. You know, I could've just let you die when your friends and allies tried to kill you.

Zach realized what was going on. I'm sorry, my master. I don't know what came over me.

This 'dropping out of my influence' thing is becoming more frequent than I would like. I am aware that Minifig!Zach has some plan to destroy Stromling!Zach.

Yes, I know. He thought he could hide it from you, my master. But he was wrong.

His plan is foolish! Yet, I want to see it happen. I want to see the look in his eyes when it fails and he ends up killing his friend and the girl he loves! There isn't a snowball's chance in MegaBlokland that it will work. But, the voice continued, I fear I may be wrong. Some...have escaped my control before.

Zach saw images of a Minifig/Mutant T-Rex, Minifig/Mutant Raptor, and Minifig/Mutant Pterosaur appear in his mind. However, the T-Rex and Raptor hybrids' images seemed dim, while the Pterosaur's image shined brightly.

Fortunately, I have my own plan to prevent such an occurrence. However, I will not tell you. If you know, Minifig!Zach could have a chance to stop my plan.

Zach nodded. Of course. I have faith that your plan, whatever it may be, will work.

Excellent work, my servant. You will be awarded greatly when the LEGO Planet falls. With that, the voice faded away, and Zach and Cranky appeared in front of the Maelstrom Temple. At the entrance stood Zach's so-called master, Ahua, a Stromling Islander.

Zach dismounted Cranky as Ahua walked up to Zach. "Who is this?" Ahua snapped.

"A Stromling Ape I saved from some XERRD poachers at Sinister's old dinosaur camp," Zach replied as Ahua scratched his chin. "I found a whole crew of Stromlings over there and they helped me pull off the attack on the Dino Attack's camp."

"Ah, so we see you managed to redirect your Mutant Dinosaurs back to the camp. What were they after?"

"The Maelstrom Crystal." Ahua's eyes widened. "A Dino Attack agent and an Alpha Team agent found it, but neither of them were the Chosen One. I used them to lead the Mutant Dinos to camp. Their camp is destroyed and they have sixty hours to find this temple before I go and destroy them myself."

"Sixty hours?" Ahua repeated angrily. "Who gave you the authority to give the Dino Attack Team a time limit?"

"Myself," Zach shot back, stepping toward the Stromling Islander, daring him to challenge him. "We've waited long enough. XERRD is on their way here, why not through the Dino Attack Team into the mix and finish them both off at once?"

"You fool!" growled Ahua. "Do you realize what you have done?"

"Yes," Zach said simply. Ahua looked like he was about to argue, but decided against it. Zach could only assume that Ahua was beginning to fear Zach's power and influence.

"Well, while you were gone, the concentration of Maelstrom has increased dramatically. We can now do this!" Ahua snapped his fingers. Zach turned his head to the left as the ground seemed to shake slightly. Suddenly, a Stromling Island crawled out of the ground with an axe fused to his arm. Zach turned back to Ahua, impressed.

"The Maelstrom can now take the form of Dino Attack agents, XERRD operatives, and TumTum tribesmen without a host body. However, they lack the ability to disguise themselves as Minifigs as they have no former minifig form. They also lack more complex independent thoughts and personality."

"Excellent," said Zach.

"And we went exploring near the XERRD fortress and found a few helping hands," Ahua gestured to the right. Zach glanced and nearly gasped, but held in his surprise. Before him stood seven Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids. Each human/beast, although already infected with the Maelstrom due to their Mutant Dino DNA, now resembled Stromlings more closely with exposed bones and rotting flesh.

"You found some Hybrids, I see." Zach had only seen one Hybrid, and he couldn't be fond of them due to his Dino Attack past. "They'll certainly give the Dino Attack trouble. I'm not sure about XERRD, as they are their creations."

"We'll see. XERRD may know the anatomy and biology of these... things, but we'll see how well they can fight these things with an additional Maelstrom boost."

"Additional? Oh, yeah. They are already part Stromling due to their Mutant Dino DNA."

"Correct. They are now just as out-of-control and insane as one of our Mutant Dinos."

"So I called the Dino Attack Team here at the right time," Zach said victoriously. "We have an endless army of Stromlings to fight our enemies. Even the Nexus Force-reinforced XERRD will fall to the sheer number of Stromling that will overwhelm them. Excellent, anything else?"

"We don't think so." Both Stromlings were quiet. Finally, Ahua grumbled, "Of course, you are correct. We have been wasting enough time. It is time finish of both XERRD and the Dino Attack Team once and for all."

Zach smirked. "I bet it just killed you to say that," Zach laughed while Ahua grimaced. "Come on, Cranky," Zach said to his ape companion. They both walked into the Maelstrom Temple while Ahua began creating more Stromlings to guard the temple from their enemies. The final battle for Adventurers' Island, and the world, was approaching fast. There was no time to waste. 

*****

Rex sat in his wheelchair, observing the scene around him, watching the Dino Attack Team pack up and get ready to leave. Word had quickly gotten around the camp that the Stromling Agent who led the Mutant Dino attack on the camp was allowing them no more than sixty hours to find the Maelstrom Temple. He saw Dino Attack agents scrambling around, desperately grabbing necessities and choosing between what to bring and what could be left behind. They needed to get moving.

Rex and Amanda Claw were approached by an Elite Agent. Rex recognized the agent as Rick "Adventure" Spherus, whom Rex had assigned with the task of interrogation.

"Don't you worry, missy," Rick boasted to Amanda, "being an explorer is all about creativity and problem solving. I was able to extract information from him in no time using my awesome skills. And you know, missy, I've got other skills-"

"Yes, yes, we know," Rex spoke sternly. "I am glad that you got results quickly, and I hope you will be willing to share these results as quickly as possible so that we may put your adventuring skills to another use."

"No problem, head honcho," said Rick. Rex eagerly listened closely to the results of the interrogation of the captured XERRD scientist, Dr. Paulie Gonepus.

Paulie Gonepus was a mathematician and a marine biologist, but was much more well-known for his experiments with energy. An Italian-American immigrant, he once had connections to the mob family of the notorious Brickfather, but fully invested in his scientific research after the Brickfather was infamously assassinated by Silencia Venomosa. As was expected from XERRD scientists, he joined Paradox and began shifting his focus from what he called "just pure energy" to Maelstrom energy before defecting to XERRD. He invented the "Maelaser" blaster weapon that Rex and Amanda had found, designed to fire a devastating blast of the Maelstrom's dark energies which could either corrupt or destroy the target.

Although Dr. Gonepus was willing to reveal this much information, he would not give up anything else. However, it was evident that he had been sent by XERRD to capture, corrupt, or assassinate the alpha female T-Rex, and he had gathered a group of Mutant Dinos to help him. It seemed only dumb luck that they fell into Mr. Cunningham's traps.

"And that's all, folks," concluded Rick, nodding.

"And what of Mr. Cunningham?" inquired Amanda. Rex had noted that she felt uncomfortable being around Dr. Gonepus, perhaps because of his connections to the Brickfather. She had been eager to get back to Cunningham and Sinister to take her mind off of it.

Rex was reminded that he had to confront Lord Sam Sinister von Barron, since Mr. Cunningham claimed to be hunting the alpha female T-Rex on his behalf. A squad of Dino Attack agents had already been dispatched to scout the jungle for any other of his operatives, and the native dinosaurs were on the hunt. "I'd like to speak with Lord Sinister," Rex told Rick.

The Elite Agent faltered. "He's... well, you cannot. You see, I guess he created a distraction out of that other distraction with all those dinos, turned on his heel, and fled into the jungle."

Rex and Amanda traded glances. "Not that I'm surprised," muttered Rex. "This isn't the first time in history that he's done just that. It was only a matter of time. We just have to hunt him down now."

"And what about Paulie?" inquired Rick. "Personally, I'd like to drop him off somewhere in the jungle without any weapons and see him get his hip piece handed to him. Preferably by my own hands, of course; I'd take his hip piece and shove it up his-"

"Release him," murmured Amanda, "but not on purpose."

Rick raised an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, miss?"

"Of course," said Rex, smiling. "Gonepus is not going to give anything else up, so he's useless as a prisoner. If we release him, he can lead us to the Maelstrom Temple; XERRD knows where it is. However, we can't let him know that we're purposely releasing him, or else he'd catch onto our plan and lead us away from the Maelstrom Temple. If he thinks he's escaped, if he thinks that it was an accident, he'll waste no time meeting up with his superiors."

A roar echoed through the jungle, and all Dino Attack agents stopped momentarily to look up to the sky and see a flock of pteranodons taking flight. "But we'll have to move quickly," murmured Rex.

The war was nearly at its end. They were running out of time.

----

The light shone into the dark hallway. A battle-weary King Joseph Race and Lord Vladek stepped into the room. All around them, they saw dead Minifig/Mutant Lizard Hybrids, their corpses littering the floor. Although grim, King Race nodded. "Our agents have done well."

"Do not feel bad," said Vladek, smirking. "The Hybrids are most insentient and inminifig. They are little more than beasts… they would serve us no use as prisoner."

"This," King Race pointed out, illuminating the room with his laser saber, "was the Dino Attack Outpost's holding cell. We could have locked them up in here. But I am not going to argue… this team has had enough conflicts as it is."

"I had to get an entire facility of refugees to shut up for a minute thanks to that unneeded conflict," muttered Vladek.

"And I tried to be neutral," King Race said with a grimace, "and for that I got dragged into the conflict by the so-called idealists. That is why, despite the Space Knights' highly advanced technology, I've avoided going on crusades to wipe out the evil factions of Castle Cove, because I know that even idealistic intentions can turn horribly wrong."

Vladek snorted. "So, instead you spent your time racing around in go-karts."

"It rekindled the spirit inside of me," said King Race, shrugging. "Made me feel young again. Besides, I made some new friends at the LEGO Racing Championship. Greybeard, for example. You remember him?"

Vladek muttered a curse under his breath, and for the first time King Race smiled. He knew very well that it was Greybeard who put an end to Vladek's "Ye Olde Butcherede Englishe".

"And there was also Edward X. Plore… if I'm not mistaken, shortly before the Dino Attack, he left with Johnny Thunder on some big adventure. And Aster Oid… well, most tragically, he did not survive the LEGO Island mission. Although there is one other friend that I met at that championship whom I have not heard from in years, and he-"

King Race halted at the sound of a cough. "Did you hear that?" he whispered to Vladek, who had already unsheathed his lightning sword.

"Is… anyone… there?" came a hoarse voice.

King Joseph Race pointed his laser saber in the direction of the holding cell. The dank and musty cell was illuminated by the light of his sword, revealing a frail Minifig occupant. The Minifig's unshaven face showed signs of beating and bruising, and he was dressed in Fright Knights armor, not that it did him any good, being chained to the wall and nearly starved to death.

"Oh my Builder…!" gasped King Race. He sliced open the cell's bars and then cut the prisoner's chains.

The prisoner crumpled to the ground, barely alive. He weakly looked up and met King Race's eyes. "Joe…?" he feebly whispered. "Is that… you?"

"Who are you?" snapped Vladek.

"This is Sir Robert Batrick," introduced King Race, "but his friends call him Bob the Bat. He was a Fright Knight who participated in that LEGO Racing Championship… he and I became good friends but failed to stay in touch."

"I tried… to stop them…" Sir Robert whispered. "But I... was not… fast enough… my speed failed me… failed the kingdom…"

"Don't worry, old friend," King Race clasped his comrade's hand, "we'll get you out of here."

"Mors Trom!"

A bolt of lightning flew across the room and hit Sir Robert Batrick. Bob the Bat perished instantly, and King Race jumped back in shock. He whipped around to face the attacker, expecting to see Lord Vladek pointing his lightning sword at him.

Instead, Vladek's back was to King Race, his sword drawn and pointing at a figure standing in the doorway. She was tall, appearing even taller thanks to her pointed hat. She was dressed in all black, except for a red cape that billowed behind her even without any wind. In one hand, she held a broomstick; in the other, a wand pointed at the corpse of Robert Batrick.

"You witch!" bellowed King Joseph Race. He pointed his laser saber at her.

The witch cackled. "That old bat was a filthy traitor who met his deserved end. I should never have agreed to let him race in that silly championship… he got ideas from fools like you! I agreed to help XERRD take over Castle Cove, especially after I discovered just how the Maelstrom enhanced my magical abilities. He, on the other hand, had other ideas and wanted to help the Dino Attack Team. He was a disgrace to the Fright Knights… and now, he lies dead."

"Willa Hylia Izralda," whispered Lord Vladek.

"So the Fright Knights allied with XERRD, is it?" realized King Race, grimacing. "Was this your idea, or did Basil the Bat Lord actually think of this himself?"

Willa the Witch would have gritted her teeth if she had more than just one tooth. "Don't talk to me about Basil the Bat Lord. That MegaBloking LEGO Racing Championship! Just before the Dino Attack, some old racing-mates… some annoying Australian and a female robot… they came to our Night Lord's Castle, spoke with Basil… and that was the last I saw of him. He left a note, something about 'Crux Prime'… but I digress."

"As do I," hissed King Race. With that, he charged at Willa with his laser saber. Simultaneously, Vladek fired a lightning bolt out of his sword, aimed at Willa.

Willa deflected the lightning bolt with her wand, jumped out of King Race's path, and hopped onto her broomstick. Cackling, she flew away.

"There she goes!" shouted a Dino Attack agent. "Into that cave over there!"

King Race and Lord Vladek nodded to each other. "Shall we?" Vladek raised an eyebrow. "I always hated having a competitor when I'm considering how to take over Castle Cove."

King Joseph Race tightened his grip on his sword. "We shall," he muttered, "because now it's personal."

----

Ata was sweating as he frantically worked at his post. It was not an easy job being the communications expert, and a lot of recent stress had made his work even more difficult for him.

"Glad to see that you're finally working."

Ata startled and spun around, only to see Specs standing in the room with him. "Ah, yes!" he stammered. "The communications block on Adventurers' Island has been lifted, and-"

"Good," said Specs, nodding as he approached the computers. "Now I can finally get a proper update." He listened to one recent transmission detailing the attack on the XERRD Fortress, the alliance with the TumTum Islanders and dinosaurs, the Mutant Dino and Stromling invasion, and the apparent disappearance of Lord Sam Sinister.

Specs listened closely, occasionally nodding at good news or narrowing his eyes at bad news. As he rolled the information over in his mind, one of the computer screens started blinking, with the words <INCOMING TRANSMISSION> upon the screen.

"Play it," murmured Specs, and Ata nodded. He pressed a button, and the image of Sergeant Ronald E. Army, also known as agent Sarge, appeared onscreen. In the background, guns were firing loudly and many voices were yelling.

"Reporting, commander!" Sarge shouted over the sounds of battle. "Oh Eight Thirty, bomb must arrive at said destination! Oh Eight Twenty-Five, bomb must… wait…" The military sergeant trailed off, realizing something was wrong in his briefing. "Oh Eight Twenty… no, that's not right either… Oh Eight Thirty… Oh Eight… Oh Znap! Tell you what, MegaBlok that Znap!"

"Hold on," Specs said as he raised his hand, "hold on, you're not making any sense. What is going on?"

Sarge faltered, then began shouting again. "We've got a bomb cart, and-"

"I built that!" gleefully added Tech, who grinned proudly onscreen. "We found an old mine cart track leading to the fort, and I modified one of the carts-"

"Silence, maggot!" yelled Sarge. "We gotta get that bomb in there to blow the enemy's base to pieces! Now get to work!"

"You've found the Hybrids' base?" Specs raised an eyebrow. "So, that is all that this status update is about, then."

Sarge bit his lip. "Well, you see, there's a bit of a problem, commander. The enemy has taken no mere fort, but-"

"KA-BOOM!" Dynamite shouted enthusiastically from offscreen. A second later, an explosion made it impossible to hear the rest of Sarge's sentence.

"Sorry," Specs said as he shook his head, "you're going to have to repeat that."

Sarge grimaced. "Requesting permission to bomb Fort Legoredo, sir!"

----

Dr. Rex let out a sigh of relief. It had been days since the last reported sighting of a Brickster-Bot or FMB-Bot lurking around the Dino Island Laboratory. There was no more chaos, no more guerrilla attacks, no more computer hacks, nothing. It was likely that he had finally succeeded. After many painstaking days of hunting down these insolent robots, they were finally gone for good.

The Brickster-Bots? Dr. Rex knew might still be more of them out there in the universe. They were relatively widespread, having establishments at LEGO Island, OGEL Island, Mars, and even the moon. Research on FMB-Bots, on the other hand, proved that Frozeen's Models of Brickster-Bots were very limited in number and their only establishment, Ogelis Asteroid, was recently attacked by the X2½ alien fleet, putting them out of commission for some time.

"The Frozeen's Model of a Brickster-Bot," Dr. Rex said as he chuckled softly. "Now extinct."

Still, the robots had done their damage. Everywhere Dr. Rex looked, he saw fellow XERRD operatives running around, making repairs and reversing damage caused by the Brickster-Bot guerilla war. It did not escape Dr. Rex's attention that most of the damage was actually caused by him in his efforts to take down the robots.

That concerned him. As one of the creators of the Mutant Dinosaur formula, Dr. Rex knew that the Maelstrom's energies played a vital role in mutation, giving the dinosaurs awesome abilities and making them destructive in nature. When a freak accident and a voluntary experiment granted him his current Mutant T-Rex form, he had known firsthand how powerful the Maelstrom made him feel. But now… now he felt his destructive tendencies growing uncontrollable. He heard thoughts that weren't his, and deep laughter from the darkest corners of his mind.

The Maelstrom was slipping out of his grasp. Allowing himself only the slightest moment of fear, Dr. Rex prayed that Wallace Bishop and the other scientists would quickly find and control the Maelstrom Temple.

All the XERRD scientists running around made the hallways of the Dino Island Laboratory look like a maze populated white lab rats. Minifig running around in white lab coats. White, white, white, white, white. Anything that wasn't white looked out-of-place, such as that one Minifig who was wearing a blue glove…

Dr. Rex stopped. He narrowed his eyes at the Minifig in question. His back was turned towards Dr. Rex, and his clothes were white enough, but on his left hand he wore a blue glove. "You!" Dr. Rex bellowed. "You are under arrest!"

The Minifig immediately froze, then quickly raised both hands in the air. "I swear I didn't do it!" he cried. "I demand a mistrial! I want a retrial! I want a free trial for thirty days, money back if not fully satisfied!"

"The Brickster," said Dr. Rex, smirking. "I thought so." With that, he charged at the LEGO Island criminal, who was already fleeing down the hallway.

Dr. Rex pursued the Brickster through the Dino Island Laboratory. In the chase, anyone who did not get out of the way was shoved aside by the Brickster or trampled by Dr. Rex. For a moment, it seemed that the Brickster might actually escape.

Then, the Brickster came to a sudden halt as he ran into a XERRD scientist carrying a pizza. "Hey!" he said, grinning eagerly. "Is that a super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-"

In that moment of distraction, Dr. Rex finally caught the Brickster. He slammed into the Brickster, knocking him against a wall. He proceeded to pin the criminal against the wall. "Hey, what's the big idea?" snapped the Brickster. "Let me go! I'm innocent, I tell ya!"

"So, you're the one who led the Brickster-Bot guerilla war," snarled Dr. Rex.

"… Maybe?" The Brickster smiled sheepishly.

"Still doing the Dino Attack Team's dirty work, I see," grumbled Dr. Rex. "Then I'll send you back to the Dino Attack Team with a message… a message that will be very clear when they see you reduced to a bloody carcass!"

"I ain't no messenger boy, alright?" the Brickster insisted. "I'm a delivery boy!"

"Delivery? Hah!" spat Dr. Rex. "What exactly do you think you are delivering, then? A failed assassination attempt? Stealing something important? Trying to snoop around?"

The Brickster waved a finger. "Look, I ain't no common criminal. Murder, arson, jaywalking… that stuff ain't appealing to me. It just ain't my style."

"So what is your purpose here?" growled Dr. Rex.

"The same thing I always do," the Brickster said with a smile. "Destruction." Before Dr. Rex could react, the Brickster whipped out a small detonator and pushed a button.

Nothing happened.

Dr. Rex pulled back his lip, revealing razor-sharp teeth, as the Brickster's smile faded and he began frantically pushing the detonator button. Dr. Rex opened his maw and inched slowly towards the Brickster.

Suddenly, the entire Dino Island Laboratory shook. Explosion after explosion rocked the building, sending bricks, fire, and unfortunate scientists flying in the air. One explosion took out the mutation department. Another explosion wrecked the garage. And yet another explosion was followed by the sounds of dozens of dinosaurs breaking free of containment.

"What in the-" gasped Dr. Rex.

"Hey!" called the Brickster, laughing. "Deliver this message!" With that, he took the super-spicy-tongue-melting-jail-cell-door-opening-hot pizza he had tucked under his arm and flung it into the open mouth of Dr. Rex. Not even the internal furnace of a Mutant T-Rex mouth could disintegrate the incredibly-hot pizza before it burned his tongue.

As Dr. Rex roared in pain, the Brickster slipped away, grabbed a 2x4 brick, and tossed it through a nearby window. He jumped out, shouting with glee: "This will be the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught…!" With that, he plummeted two stories before landing in a puddle of mud.

Gritting his teeth and spitting out mud, the Brickster stood up and wiped the dirt off his clothes. Grumbling and curing to himself, the Brickster backed away from the Dino Island Laboratory to get a good look. He surveyed the damage and destruction he caused, and the image filled him with pure bliss.

"Now that's something even MegaBlokland could not glue back together." 

----

"Listen, Rotor, can I talk to you in private?" Garry asked as he closed the door behind him.

"Sure," replied Rotor.

"Good," said Garry. "Come on." Garry led Rotor towards his bedroom, closing the door behind him before he sat down. "What are we going to do about these... prisoners of yours? The outpost is not designed to hold anybody."

"We'll just have to improvise," said Rotor. "They're prisoners after all. They tried to kill us. They were with XERRD trying to destroy the world. They're not even MegaBlokin' human beings. Just lock 'em up in a storeroom."

"It's not like we have much choice," said Garry. "Maybe we should just take them out back and shoot them now."

"Nah," replied Rotor. "Where's the fun in that? Besides, they might have information. I just saw a lot of my boys die in the past few days trying to take on that fortress; I think we have the right to know as much as we can."

*****

The rest of the group had gathered in the rec room. "So what exactly brings you all out here?" Mac asked curiously as he took a sip of his beer. "Isn't there something going on out on the front lines?"

"Yeah," replied Cabin. "I wasn't there. I was out looking for survivors. That's when I found them." She motioned towards the two prisoners, who were sitting on a couch.

"The camp was overrun by mutant dinosaurs," added Johnson. "A handful of us were able to escape into the jungle. I was with two others when we left, and then we found Cabin."

"You say the camp was overrun?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," replied Johnson.

Mac turned toward Windows. "You might want to go wake the Doc," he said. Windows nodded and ran off. He came back a few minutes later accompanied by an elderly man, Richard Copper.

"What is all this?" Copper said somewhat grumpily as he followed Windows into the rec room. "Who are all you?"

"A couple of agents who just arrived," Mac explained. "Apparently, the rear guard camp was attacked. These few made it here."

"I see," said Copper. "In that case, I think I might want to go up. Mac, do you think you could fly me there?"

"At this hour?" replied Mac. "I'm not totally sure. It is pretty dark."

Copper thought about it for a moment. "It's up to you, Mac," he said. "If you don't want to fly, we don't fly. I can drive if you'd prefer it."

Mac considered these words. "This is a medical emergency," he finally said. "Come on, Doc." Mac put down his beer and walked towards the door, followed by Copper, before turning back to Windows. "Tell Garry it's an emergency," he said. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Windows nodded as Mac left the room. "I think you the rest of you should get some sleep," he said as he turned back toward the group.

At that point, Garry and Rotor came in. "Where exactly are Mac and Copper going?" Garry asked.

"They're investigating the rear guard camp," Windows explained. "Apparently, they were attacked."

"Any survivors?" Garry asked.

"There's these people here," Windows replied.

"A few others back at Outpost 4," added Cabin. "You might want to contact them and let them know we're okay."

"So there's more?" Windows asked.

"Yeah," replied Rotor. "We even got Lance Williams."

"Lance Williams?" repeated Windows. "The surfer?"

"The very one," replied Rotor.

"Alright," said Garry. "Windows, get on the radio, contact Outpost 4, and tell them their companions are here. Once you're done with that, get in touch with the mainland. Tell them we're going to need reinforcements and possibly a few doctors."

"Yes sir," Windows replied before running off. 

*****

Barry Jackson lay shivering on the cold, muddy and damp ground of the jungle. He had slept in worse conditions before. This was nothing new, but it had been so long since he had to do this, not to mention that he was all alone now. For the first time in his life he felt genuinely scared, longing for some form of human contact. 

The sound of a helicopter passing overhead briefly caught his attention, but sadly it did not give him the hope he wanted, so he lay there still. 

It had been at least a day since he fled the camp in the midst of the rampage. He had no idea where he was, but he knew what to do. As a soldier, he knew the best way to survive was to keep moving, but for now he was tired, and so he lay there, cold and hungry, trying to fall asleep.

*****

The T-1 Typhoon finally made a landing in a small clearing filled with broken tents. Mac looked around as he climbed out of the cockpit. "What in Ole Kirk's name happened here?" Copper asked as he climbed out of the back.

"Mutant dinosaurs, no doubt," replied Mac. He briefly climbed into the back of the helicopter, and came out a moment later with a lantern, which he promptly turned on.

In the dim light, it was hard to see anything. As they searched the camp, there were bodies and debris everywhere.

"Hello!" Mac called out. "ANYONE HERE? ANYONE!"

There was a moment of silence before a voice called out. "WHO'S THERE?"

Mac turned around towards where the voice seemed to be coming from, and he noticed a somewhat-intact tent with light coming from inside and a few silhouetted figures. As he approached, he saw a young man standing in front.

"Elite Agent Kurt MacReady," Mac said as he lowered his lantern and held out his hand. "This is Doc Copper, and you are..."

"Standard Agent Hertz," replied the man.

"Any other survivors?" Mac asked.

"Yes," replied Hertz. "They're inside."

Hertz led Mac and Copper into the tent. Inside, there were four other doctors - two men and two women - along with a few patients.

"I'm Dr. Copper," he said to the other men as he knelt before the unconscious woman.

"I'm Wade," replied another medic who looked like he was dressed for combat.

"Pierce," replied another doctor who was sitting on his own. "Over there is Crusher and Carver."

"What's the status of your patients?" Copper asked nervously.

"Most of them are fine," replied Pierce. He motioned towards an unconscious woman. "We won't be able to do anything for her unless we can get to a real hospital."

"I see," said Copper. "I'd better get you all out of here. Pierce, can you give me a h-"

"He's got a broken leg," interrupted Wade.

"I see," said Copper. "Mac, get back to the chopper. Get me a stretcher."

Mac nodded and ran outside.

"I think we can get most of you to Outpost 4," Copper explained. "We got an actual infirmary there and I can give them a proper examination."

----

"So you're actually from this region, are you?" the pilot keenly asked agent Angel Eyes, the black-clad gunslinger sitting in the back of the T-1 Typhoon.

"Yeah," replied Angel Eyes.

"Well then, this will be like coming home."

"Indeed, it will," Angel Eyes said with a smile. "It'll be just like the good ol' days."

"Don't forget your mission objective now," said the pilot. "You got a job to do."

"I know," replied the gunslinger. "Unfortunately, I can't leave El Paso until my contact arrives."

"That's true," said the pilot.

"I can enjoy myself a little bit. Get a drink, maybe meet up with some old friends," mused Angel Eyes.

The pilot smiled as he turned his attention back to the Old Western desert in front of him. The city of El Paso was approaching, and he started to make a landing. This small town was occupied by former residents of Gold City who were bored by the refugee facilities. A number of confused citizens turned their attention towards the street as the helicopter touched the ground, spraying a cloud of dust.

When the dust cleared and the helicopter took off, all those people saw in the middle of the street was a lone gunslinger, clad in black with a thick mustache. Some of them seem to recognized him, and watched in terror as he casually marched down the street.

Angel Eyes casually looked at all the faces of the local townsfolk. They knew who he was, there was no doubt about it.

He turned towards a large building which was labelled "Saloon". Inside he could hear piano music and men laughing, but as he opened those two doors and stepped inside, the room fell into a silence. The gunslinger coldly walked through the room, the only noise coming from his spurs. He stopped right at the counter. A young barmaid showed a look of unease as she put down the glass she was cleaning.

"Make it a whiskey," he said. The barmaid got a bottle and poured him a glass.

"So you're back in town?" the barmaid said keenly.

"Yes," Angel Eyes replied as he lit his pipe.

"What brings you out here?" the barmaid asked.

"I'm here on business, you see," Angel Eyes explained. "I'm actually expected to travel to Gold City to help a couple boys."

"Them boys in that there Dino Attack Team hired you?" the barmaid asked.

"You bet," replied the gunslinger. "I've just got to wait for my partner to get here, you see."

"Partner?" the barmaid repeated skeptically. "You ain't no man who works with no partner."

"Well, in this case, I'm making an exception," said Angel Eyes. "Let's just say he's... a golden-haired angel."

This seemed to catch the barmaid's attention. "Well, he should be along soon," she said.

The gunslinger took a sip of his whiskey. "In the meantime, I think I ought to know my way around town. You got a name?"

"Maria," replied the barmaid.

"Ah yes," said Angel Eyes. "Beautiful name. I like it. Where's the best place to pick up supplies?"

"That'd be McPherson's general store," replied Maria. "It's down the street."

"Good, good," said Angel Eyes.

The conversation was abruptly cut off by the sound of the door opening. He turned around to see a group of drunken men standing there. "Well, well, well," said one man in the lead. "Word has it you is back in town, Van Cleef. When I heard you was back, I figured I'd settle an old score. You remember that bank job all them years ago."

The gunslinger smiled.

"Well, I still ain't forgiven you for what you did to mah buddies. You ain't got no right to lynch my brudder."

The two stood for a moment as Maria watched in concern. The man went for his gun, but before he could, the gunslinger drew his revolver and shot him. One of his men drew in response, and the gunslinger shot him. Another man drew his weapon, but a shot rang out and he fell dead, and the remainder of the group quickly fled.

Angel Eyes turned back towards the counter, where Maria was holding a rifle. "I don't tolerate no trouble in here," she said as she lowered it.

The gunslinger smiled, adjusted his hat, and turned back toward the door. 

----

Naomi Carver and the rest of the medical staff in the tattered remains of the command tent were overwhelmed.

With almost all of the medical equipment lost in the collapse of the med tent, the team - consisting of Naomi, Enter, Pierce, Return, Crusher, and recently Copper and Mac - were unable to treat many of the patients coming in.

The command tent was not designed for this many people inside, and with the massive amount of wounded coming in, it was becoming a hazard.

Naomi was currently treating a head wound. The wounded that were coming in ranged from burn victims to being mauled by Mutants. There was little they could do for them.

Hertz had been making an effort to make contact with Outpost 4. Rotor and Commander Johnson were there already, getting ready to prepare the coastal base, and with the arrival of Copper, the final stages of the move were in place.

Outpost 4 was on the north side of the island and roughly one and a half miles from Hotep's temple. If it really did have a full medical infirmary like Copper said, Hertz could not afford to postpone any longer.

"We need to get access to some sort of convoy," said Hertz. "We have a lot of patents here, and Outpost 4 is more than a mile away."

"How many Fire Hammers do you have?" asked Dr. Copper.

"Almost all were destroyed in the attack," said Hertz. "All these people are stuck here until we can arrange some sort of transport."

Copper frowned. "I'll see what I can do." The doctor sat down and began work at one of the crowded computer consoles in the tent. He needed to make contact with one of the other outposts in order to obtain some sort of transport.

Hertz took the moment to sit down and wipe the sweat from his brow. He was tired, and incredibly stressed.

What concerned Naomi, however, was that Hertz had gone over the elites' heads when looking for a new location to go. To Naomi's knowledge, Hertz had not asked any of the superior agents whether they should move at all, let alone where.

Naomi and a lot of other agents believed that Hertz was perfectly capable of making important decisions; if it were not for his poor fieldwork, he probably would be an elite agent. She was afraid he would get in trouble for making these choices without consulting Reptile, Rex, or Semick.

Hertz got off the radio and walked over to where Naomi was working. He put an arm around her and smiled. "Doc Copper just made contact with Outpost 4. They will be expecting us sometime in the next few hours."

Naomi knew it was good. There was no reason to stay in the burnt and twisted remains of the camp. Outpost 4 had the supplies to help the wounded.

"You really need to talk with Semick or Reptile about this," said Naomi.

Hertz shrugged. "They have all been occupied lately. There was a battle outside remember? Besides, Rotor approved-"

"But you recommended it to him in the first place back when he was in the jungle." Naomi put her head on his shoulder. "I don't want you to be overstepping your bounds, Hertz. You could get in trouble."

Hertz smiled. "Aside from Lutsky and Rotor, not many take the elite thing too strictly. I'll be fine. Don't worry." Hertz looked around at the wounded packing the tent. "I'm not a doctor, but I'll help you with whatever you need."

Mac suddenly ran quickly into the tent, trying and struggling to carry a stretcher tucked under his arm.

"Good, good," Copper said as Mac set it down on the ground. He turned toward the rest of the group. "Mac here has got a chopper parked outside," he explained. "I'd like to get the worst of these people out of here quickly; I think we should get them airlifted first. Hertz, you know anything about radios?"

"Yeah," replied Hertz.

"Try and get in touch with Outpost 4," instructed Copper. "Hopefully, Windows is still there. If he is, I'd like you to let him know we're coming. Wade, Carver, Crusher, you all can walk, right?"

Carver nodded anxiously.

"Good," replied Copper. "Give me a hand with this stretcher. We're going to have to get as many into the chopper as possible, and I should probably take one of you back with me." 

----

Frozeen and Greybeard were approached by Dust, who expressed interest in the Maelstrom Crystal. Greybeard distrusted Dust and disapproved of Frozeen's choice to reveal the Maelstrom Crystal to the Egyptian. Although he initially pretended to be naive, Frozeen later revealed that he knew about Dust's reputation and did not trust the Egyptian for an instant.

Frozeen and Greybeard found Lord Sam Sinister in a High-Voltage Half-Track. They hitched a ride with the Lord von Barron, hoping that the Dino Attack vehicle would help them succeed in their search for the Maelstrom Temple.

Gahiji Thutmose watched the dust settle as the vehicle carried away Frozeen, Greybeard, and Sam Sinister. Dust had been right, Sam Sinister had betrayed them but that was not what was troubling him.

They knew me, he thought.

Dust had spent the last 13 years of his life trying to cover up his past. Any conman knew that the less your adversary knew about you, the better.

Even Dust had to admit that some of the things he had done as a gangster in his teens were bad. That was why he had worked so hard in his twenties to put the past behind him. But thanks to one person, the new life he had made for himself had crashed down around him…

*****

Cairo Egypt, December 11, 2006

The twenty-nine-year-old Gahiji Thutmose took another sip of his champagne. For the last few hours of the evening, he had had little intelligent conversation with the guests. Since the event was being hosted in his honor, everyone wanted to talk with the young man who had recently found the treasury of Hotep III. No one here knew what they were talking about and Gahiji lazily made the corrections to every ignorant inquiry.

He was still bitter about what he had found in the tomb. Or more so what he had not found. The mummy of his ancestor still proved painfully allusive. Every time Charles Kilroy and Gahiji Thutmose had found a tomb or temple that may have held the pharaoh, the sarcophagus was always empty, as if Hotep had simply got up and left mere minutes before they arrived.

Gahiji fidgeted in his tuxedo as another guest rambled on about a recent special they had watched. He politely excused himself and headed down the staircase to find Kilroy.

The Professor was talking with a young woman and an elderly mustached man wearing a monocle. Kilroy smiled happily at Gahiji as he introduced him to the guests. "Gahiji!" said Kilroy excitedly. "I would like you to meet Professor Samantha Rhodes and her great-grandfather Dr. Artimus Rhodes; he led an expedition in 1919 to locate the lost city of Atlantis."

"Atlantis?" said Gahiji. "There are a lot of myths about that place; hieroglyphics referring to its Golden King have been found in the pyramid of Pharaoh Amset-Ra, you know."

"Indeed, that's true," said Artimus. "Amset-Ra started more wars than any other pharaoh, his armies were unbeatable, and his treasure is legendary. I remember when my dear friend Archibald went on his quest to find the six treasures…"

"I hope to go on my own quest," added Samantha, "to finish what Grandpa Artimus started. Hopefully, within the next four or five years."

"Do you have a team together yet?" asked Gahiji. "Five years is a long way's away."

"It has been taking me some time," said Samantha. "I don't know many explorers of Johnny Thunder or Professor Kilroy's caliber."

"You can count me in, but in the meantime, I can give you a few names," said Gahiji. "There is a guy I knew named Ace Speedman…"

They talked for some time until the elder Dr. Rhodes excused himself, and the younger Professor Rhodes left to make sure he did not get lost finding the bathroom. Kilroy and Gahiji walked over to the bartender to get another glass or wine.

"You're not having fun, Gahiji," said Kilroy after a while.

"I'm not a people person, and I hate small talk," said Gahiji.

"What's small talk for you is a lecture for others," responded Kilroy. "You're a very smart young man, but you just need to learn how to get along with people and enjoy yourself at these kind or events. You're the man of the hour, have some fun."

"Maybe I'm just not a fun guy," said Gahiji, smiling as he slowly drank his wine.

Kilroy chucked as he left to talk with more guests, leaving Gahiji alone on the bench. He had little time to savor his privacy before an old woman walked up to him.

She was in her fifties and was making a great effort to look younger than she was. Her posture was terrible and her clothing showed that she really did not belong with the elite of this party. It was evident she was trying.

"Can I help you?" asked Gahiji. He was successfully able to pull off the lie of interest.

"My name is Claudia," said the old woman. "Is there somewhere where we can talk in private?"

Gahij led her to his office and instructed her to take a seat. "So?" he asked.

The old woman smiled slyly and removed some documents from her purse. Gahiji looked at the documents and his eyes went wide.

His life as a teenager flashed before his eyes. In his hands were legal records, arrests, photos, police reports, anything that brought back unpleasant memories of his time as a child.

"Professor Kilroy took you in," said Claudia. "He thought you deserved a second chance, he thought that he could forget your past and hide it from the public so he could rescue you from your woes."

Gahiji did not look up at the old woman but stared unblinkingly at the papers in his hand. "Where did you get this?"

"I have been following you for some time, Gahiji. I know what you have done as a boy and I know that the public will not be as forgiving as the old man was. This could ruin you."

Gahiji Thutmose looked at the old face of the woman seated across from him. "Is this blackmail?"

Claudia did not need to answer the question; she reached across the desk and placed the papers back in her purse. "I want 100,000 dollars' worth in artifacts. I want it to be untraceable and I want it to sell on the black market. I already have some buyers and I want it by New Year's Day."

"Just 20 days," said Gahiji quietly.

"You are smart, Gahiji," said the old woman, smiled. She chucked for a minute but her face soon turned serious again. "Fail to give me what I want and this will go public."

"But why me?" asked Gahiji. "Why do this to me? I've worked so hard for this. I've left that life behind me."

The old woman smiled sinisterly. "Because, Gahiji, I'm your mommy."

----

Outpost 4 was mostly quiet. Cabin and Johnson had since turned in for the night. In the radio room, Windows sat dozing at the controls, his headphones still sitting on his neck. Anyone else among the staff was still in bed, and of course Mac and Copper were preoccupied at the rear guard camp. For Rotor, this was the perfect opportunity.

He and Garry were dragging Jenny, the young XERRD preteen whom Cabin had found not a day earlier. They stopped outside of a storage room. Garry took out his keys and unlocked the door before violently throwing the poor girl inside. The two men stepped inside, Garry closing the door behind him and locking it.

"Now listen," said Garry. "A bunch of our boys died taking that fortress, and if we're right, then you've been in there. You have some valuable information that could be of use to us. Now, we can do this the easy way, or the hard way. What will it be?"

Poor Jenny looked at them in confusion. All she could do was stare as she tried to understand what was happening.

Rotor smiled. "Good," he said keenly.

With that, Rotor forced Jenny onto her feet and promptly threw her against a shelf. As soon as she started to get up, Rotor kicked her in the back. Garry promptly forced her to her feet again and proceeded to punch her in the stomach repeatedly before pausing.

"Now listen, girl, you can make this all end now," Garry said. "Just tell us what we want to know."

Jenny remained silent, and quickly took a punch to the face by Rotor, throwing her against a large box. They paused for a moment as Jenny lay there. All she could do was start to cry. Rotor just chuckled and tossed her onto the floor. 

*****

Hertz had been at Outpost 4 for a little over a day. Thanks to some skillful movement of resources, Copper had been able to move enough Typhoons around to carry most of the wounded to Outpost 4. Now, they were here at the beautiful coastal base. It was a pity that Naomi was still attending to the patents in the infirmary; she would have appreciated the sparkling waters of the ocean.

The Outpost 4 control room was on the third level. Looking out to the east, Hertz could see the fleet of boats that command had sent. Since Hotep III's temple was on the coast, he anticipated the attack would use a significant amount of naval firepower.

Next to him sat Cabin, one of several elite agents present in the room. The past few days, she and Hertz had been pouring over maps of the island formulating plains for the fast approaching deadline.

Hertz himself was no longer afraid of Zachary's threat. Although they were defenseless from a Stromling attack at camp, Outpost 4 was a fortress; to the east was ocean, west was defended by step cliff that the outpost sat at the base of. Two bridges connected the upper levels of the outpost to high ground, and if they were retracted, Stromlings could only attack along the thin stretch of beach.

They could stay here for a long amount of time, thought Hertz. They only had two hours before the boats and Typhoons left, and he was worried that they were charging into a battle without proper planning.

The men were afraid of another massacre like what happened at camp. But the situation was different here; Hertz did not want the men driven only by a vague threat that he believed could not be brought through. 

*****

Copper, Wade and Crusher were working hard to get the wounded onto stretchers and into the chopper. All the while, Mac kept Rudo Villano in the command tent, rifle in hand; he was instructed to keep an eye on him.

Some time later, Copper finally arrived. "Mac," he said. "I think we got enough room for your... friend."

"Good," replied Mac. "Who's going to watch over him?"

"I'll do it," Wade nervously volunteered.

"Can you handle a firearm?" Mac asked.

"Yeah," replied Wade. "Look, I might be a doctor but the army gave me the training needed to defend myself."

"Alright," Mac said as he handed the medic his rifle. "Let's move. Hertz, you stay here and keep in touch. I'll get Windows to send someone to pick up everyone else as soon as possible. Now let's go."

Wade shot Villano a somewhat menacing stare as he signaled for him to move. Mac led the group back out to the T-1 Typhoon. Copper, Wade and Carver climbed into the back with the patients, followed by Villano.

Mac climbed into the cockpit and started up the engines, and before long they were in the air.

*****

Garry threw Jenny another punch in the stomach. Rotor kicked her and kicked her as hard as he could. The girl still said nothing.

"Come on," Rotor said tauntingly. "You gonna cry now? Oh wait, you already are."

That sadly wasn't too far from the truth. All Jenny was able to get out as she was beaten were tears. All she wanted was to get out of there, to be rid of this horrific team to get home... wherever that was.

Finally, it stopped. "I think that's enough for now," Garry said. "We don't want to kill her."

"No," agreed Rotor. "Not until we get what we need to know. In the meantime, we might as well get her to the infirmary,"

"Copper should be back soon," noted Garry. "If there's any survivors, one more patient will hardly be noticed."

The noise of a helicopter was faintly audible outside. Garry quickly opened the door and left the room, followed by Rotor. As the medics started getting out of the helicopter, Garry quickly approached Copper. "You got to come quick," he said. "Something's happened."

Copper turned toward Wade and Carver. "Mac, you deal with the new arrival. Wade, Carver, you two get the wounded to the infirmary. I'll catch up in a moment."

Copper reluctantly followed Garry and Rotor as they led him to the storage room. The doctor was rather shocked by what he saw: the preteen girl beaten and bruised. She slowly struggled to move, but was clearly in pain.

"What in Christiansen's name happened here?" Copper asked.

"She tried to escape," replied Garry. "She ran into us and put up a fight."

Copper slowly walked into the room and crouched next to her. "I think you hit her a little too hard," Copper muttered. He slowly tried to pick her up. He stepped outside as Wade approached.

"We're going to need another stretcher in here," Copper said. It was not long after that Wade came back with a stretcher and helped Copper place Jenny onto it.

"What happened?" asked Wade.

"She tried to escape," Copper explained. "Unfortunately, she ran into Garry."

With that, Copper picked up his end of the stretcher and began to move.

*****

Windows was suddenly startled as a hand grabbed him by the shoulder and shook him awake. "What is it?" he asked, confusedly.

"I need you to get in touch with any nearby outposts," replied Copper. "Tell them to get every vehicle they can spare to the rear guard camp. I want those boys evacuated from there as soon as possible."

"Yes sir," Windows replied as he hastily began setting up his transmission. "Uh, hello. Outpost 5? Outpost 5, this is Standard Agent Windows from Outpost 7, do you read me? Over."

"Outpost 7, this is Outpost 5. I read you over."

"Outpost 5, we have an emergency. What's your supply on vehicles?"

"We got a few working Fire Hammers and a T-1 Typhoon. Over."

"Good," replied Windows. "Now listen to me. I need you to send everything you go to the rear guard camp. Do you know where that is? Over."

"Affirmative. Over."

"Good," said Windows. "Get anything you got over there. Get as many people out as you can, and bring them over here to Outpost 7. Do you understand? Over."

"Let me run in by my commanding officer. Over."

There was a silence as Windows leaned back in his seat.

"Outpost 7," came the voice. "I just got the approval of the base commander. They're just getting into position now. We'll be there as soon as we can. Over and out."

Windows took off his headphones and breathed a sigh of relief. He had just started to doze off again when someone else shook him. He looked up to see Rotor.

"I need you to get in touch with the mainland," Rotor said. "Tell them we're in desperate need of reinforcements."

"Yes sir," replied Windows as he quickly got to work. 

*****

David Norman began to get the horrible feeling he was lost. He had been on a quick scouting mission to the northwest of Outpost 4, when suddenly, he heard an explosion about 20 feet away from him, and with a sinking feeling had realized that James Carlson, the agent he had been paired up with, was gone. Turning around, he saw a fragment of twisted metal. A landmine. But why would there be a landmine here...?

There was no time to think about that, for the sun had set, the moon was visible, and David was around five miles away from the outpost with no map, for that too had been destroyed in the explosion.

David pulled his PDA out of his pocket. Seven past nine was the time, but David was more interested in where he was. But the trees were too thick for a GPS signal. So, instead, he took out his compass and began to walk in a southeast direction. 

*****

Jackson moaned as he lay in the cold, damp mud, only half-asleep. Still, nothing happened. The sound of a vehicle in the distance was starting to catch his attention, and slowly he opened his eyes and sat up.

He could hear a T-1 flying overhead, and there were a few headlights visible in the distance. Slowly but surely, Jackson got to his feet and approached them. He stumbled towards the mysterious lights before one of the vehicles, a Fire Hammer, came to a stop.

"What's your problem, man?!" the driver called out.

Jackson said nothing.

"Well, come on," said the driver. "YOU coming?!"

Jackson slowly stumbled toward the door of the Fire Hammer, and he opened it and sat down inside. The driver then proceeded to hit the gas and continue.

"Who are you?" asked the driver.

"Standard Agent Shotgun," replied Jackson.

"What are you doing way out here?"

"I got lost," replied Jackson. "The rear guard camp was overrun by Mutant Dinos. I tried to escape."

"The rear guard camp?" repeated the driver. "It just so happens we're headed there now." 

*****

Dust walked slowly through the wreckage of the rear guard camp. He was in no way injured, but he still staggered to the only light left in the field, desolate of life, and filled with the moans of humanity.

From what he could see, the injured were being moved. Some agents he did not know and the medical staff were carrying dozens of stretchers to a recently landed T-1 Typhoon.

Behind the pack was Giovanni Wade, dragging a bound Rudo Villano in his wake.

The helicopter was filled to its limit, and in a gust of air, it lifted of the ground and headed west to Outpost 4.

*****

Gahiji Thutmose let himself in with his key. The museum was eerily quiet; even the janitorial staff had gone home to be with their families on New Year's Eve.

That was exactly why Gahiji had picked this night. It was one of the only times a year when the place was empty, and what he was about to do depended on having absolutely no witnesses.

His first stop was the security center; the idiot had left the door unlocked so he had no need to use his keys. Sitting down at the chair, he found the switch that controlled the cameras and turned them off. No one could ever know he was here.

Walking quickly to the elevator, he shuffled through his keyring until he found the one for the basement level. He shoved the key in the door and pressed B, the doors closed, and he felt the elevator descend into the Cairo Museum's archives.

He closed his eyes in reflection. This may be the very last time he rides this way. If it does not go according to plan, Gahiji may never steep foot in the museum again.

The doors opened onto a massive room. It was filled with selves that reached the ceiling, stacked with thousands of artifacts that had yet to be displayed on the public levels. If something were stolen here, someone would not know for a very long time.

He flicked on his flashlight and headed into the dark.

*****

His boots were wet by the morning dew. The early morning mist covered the tattered tents of the camp and made wet the personal belongings of the agents whose lives had been scattered in the wind.

Dust stood in the smoking remains of the vehicle lot. Of the massive fleet that the Dino Attack had once possessed, all that remained was a handful of Urban Avengers and Fire Hammers.

The staff had left four hours ago, and Dust waited along with scores of other agents to load the Dino 4WD Trappers that had come from Outpost 5.

The Xenon Multi-Mode Launchers had been removed for the supplies. Weapons and important files were loaded in like a game of Tetris and every agent present did their part to make sure the evacuation went smoothly.

Finished. A Fire Hammer could carry almost ten agents in the cab alone, and Dust climbed in to the lead vehicle with Shotgun. With a lurch, the convoy was underway and began to drive through the deserted camp. Dust bid farewell to the camp. He anticipated they would be the last men to ever set foot on this patch of land: a place where so many gave their lives.

*****

Gahiji Thutmose pulled out the heavy drawer and gazed at the contents. Jewelry, crafted with shining gold and a jeweled inlay. It was in the form of various animals and, based on its exquisite design, Gahiji knew this was the stuff of kings. It was old, and it was beyond value. He had to look no further to decide this was what his mother wanted.

Placing his light on a shelf, he undid his carrying case and began to carefully pack the treasure inside. He really was not required to keep the objects in good condition; he had no desire to make Claudia happy. But his ten years as an archeologist taught him to treat these objects with respect.

Then a light flicked on. The entire room was flooded with the humming fluorescent lights, and Gahiji forgot all subtleties and swiped the remaining jewelry into his case.

He grabbed his light and made an attempt to regain his composure. He would be able to lie about his reason for being here to a janitor if it came to that. He just hoped it was no one smart.

Despite the panic running through him, he casually slung his bag over his shoulder and made quick strides to the elevator.

"Gahiji?"

He recognized the voice of Doctor Kilroy behind him. He turned around slowly to see the professor's face. Kilroy looked like he had just been stabbed in the heart. Gahiji knew that Kilroy knew and the hurt look in his eyes told him everything.

"What is in the bag, Gahiji?" asked Kilroy

"This? Oh, it's just some…"

"DON'T LIE TO ME!" yelled Kilroy. The old professor walked over and ripped the bag from Gahiji's hands. All he could do was watch as his mentor opened it up and slowly took a seat. "After all I've done for you, after how far you've come, this is how you thank me?"

Gahiji stared into Kilroy's eyes. "I can explain."

"No, I don't think you can," began Kilroy. "I don't know why you thought you needed to steal these things. Quite frankly, I don't care. All I know is you did not come to me for help."

"I couldn't tell you," said Gahiji quietly.

"You didn't trust me. After ten years, I have kept you safe, I have kept your past from hurting you…"

"I know," pleaded Gahiji. "I would still be on the street without you!"

Kilroy did not say anything; he just looked into the bag of treasure. Gahiji knelt down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Get out."

"What?" asked Gahiji, surprised.

Kilroy pushed Gahiji's hand off his shoulder and glared at his former student. "You betrayed me, Gahiji. You have betrayed yourself. You are no longer welcome here. Pack your things and give me your keys."

"But…" stammered Gahiji, shocked.

"GO!"

Gahiji Thutmose slowly backed away and turned to leave. He stepped into the elevator and pushed the baton. Staring one last time at the vast archives, he saw Kilroy sitting at the table with his head in his hands. He could not watch long because the elevator doors closed for the last time.

*****

Dust stood atop the bluffs overlooking the ocean. It was on these same cliffs that he and Zach had dangled and all hope seemed lost. It seemed so long ago and he had grown so much. His future seemed cloudy now and he had grown too close to the people around him. He had a job to do; he had a destiny and a duty to fulfill.

Would he be able to let these people go and live the rest of his life alone? He had done it before. He could do it again.

The Egyptian just stared out at the sparkling waters. Just two hours to go.

*****

Dust wandered alone. He had no job, no respect. Professor Kilroy was right; he had failed himself and now he had to live with the consequences.

The last time Dust had been in this part of town was back in his gang days. The impoverished back streets of Cairo reeked of garbage. But right now, this was the only place he thought he could belong.

It was New Year's Eve; the clock would strike midnight within the hour. Dust had no idea what life lay ahead of him because this year would be a step forward into the unknown. Quite frankly, Dust was afraid where it would take him.

Tomorrow would also be his birthday. One of the special children to be born on January 1st, he would be reaching the milestone of thirty. Another massive step forward in his life.

And he would be celebrating it alone.

But one thing still gave Dust purpose. He had a score to settle with his mother. She had brought this misery upon him and he would not allow himself to fall into his self-made depreciation until she paid for ruining his life.

He knew where to find her. Even in the Middle East, where alcohol is forbidden by the Quran, there was no shortage of bars in the Cairo slums. This was where Claudia expected to meet him, where she would be expecting her 100,000, but Dust had something else in mind.

The bar was a hole-in-the-wall place between two stores that sold stolen watches. The "open" sign was missing a letter, and the name had long since faded away. These may have been the reason for why the place was almost empty, but Dust assumed it was more likely the place's reputation for seedy business dealings.

A small twelve-inch television sat behind the counter. In several hours, the ball would drop in New York, but in Egypt, New Year's was only minutes away.

The place only had eight costumers in it: two were passed out, two were looking miserably into their scotch, and three were drunkenly singing along to a recording of "Auld Lang Syne" in the corner.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and old lang syne?
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

The final occupant in the establishment was Claudia, his mother. She sat alone in a booth and looking greedily at the bag around Dust's shoulder. Making sure everyone was too drunk to notice his presence, he quickly took a seat across from his mother.

Claudia smelt of cheap perfume. She had several layers of makeup, but her long graying hair hung in knots around her face. "Do you have my treasure?" was the first thing she said. When she opened her mouth, Dust could see that cigarettes blackened her teeth. He also sensed a vague smell of smoke that stuck to her clothing.

He gestured to the bag. She grabbed it and began talking excitedly, "It's your birthday today, you know. You're turning 20, right?"

Dust leaned forward. "30. Don't act like we're friends, woman; you don't care about my life. Don't pretend otherwise."

"Oh! But I do care! If I didn't, I would not have all this information about you, would I? You're lucky you got this in on time! Now, I'll have to make that phone call, won't I?"

Claudia was still struggling to get the bag open. "I suspected foul play, considering your history," she began. "I'm going to have a friend release the files if I don't call before midnight. That gives you reason to not kill me, right?"

Dust nodded. Claudia finally had the bag open and the crushed look in her from her eyes was priceless.

"Got your hopes up, didn't I?" said Dust, gesturing to the empty satchel.

"Boy, your life will be ruined for this!" Claudia said through clenched teeth.

Dust just smiled "Look, woman, you already ruined my life; I have nothing left to lose."

"But with your history, you'll never get a respectable job again," she spat back.

Dust pretended to consider for a moment and glared at his mother with fiery eyes. "You know what I'm capable of, mother. I've looked a man in the face while stabbing them in the back. I've watched the light drain from their eyes, and I've ended four 300-pound thugs with just a knife. But you know all that, don't you?"

Claudia looked like she had seen a ghost.

Dust smiled coldly. "You know perfectly well what I'm capable of. If you think a little blackmail will stop me from getting to you, you have another thing coming. I'm jobless now; I have all the time in the world to find you."

He reached into his pocket and his mother flinched. Dust chuckled as he pulled out a cellphone.

"Make the call."

She nodded quickly and reached for the phone. Dust stared at the pathetic woman across from him with dagger-like eyes.

When she had finished, he took the phone and placed it in his pocket. "It's been a pleasure doing business with you, Mom."

She said nothing as he stood up and made his way to the door. The drunken men were still singing, and Dust looked back one more time at his mother.

"Happy New Year," were the last words he said. He took his hat from the stand and headed out the door into a new life, listening to the song in the background.

And there's a hand my trusty friend!
And give us a hand o' thine!
And we'll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne
For auld lang syne, my dear,
for auld lang syne,
we'll take a cup of kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

----

Jackson leaned his head against the window as he saw the agents moving into position. In the distance, a few doctors were moving wounded agents from the command tent, but he did not see his old friend Wade among them. He was momentarily startled by the noise of the door opening and turned to see a strange man enter. He was not too comfortable, but was too tired to complain.

Soon, the vehicle was underway again. The next thing Jackson could remember was being shaken awake by the driver.

"What is it?" he asked sleepily as he opened his eyes, before he realized that they'd stopped, and a large building was visible in front of them. There were a few other Fire Hammers parked nearby. Two or three medics were busy helping out a wounded agent out of their vehicle.

Reluctantly, Jackson opened his door and stepped outside. He saw a blond-haired man watching over the agents as they began helping everyone inside. He was standing right by the door. As Jackson got closer, he started to recognize him. "Captain Moffat?" Jackson asked as he approached.

Garry was startled for a moment before he turned towards Jackson. "Well, well, well," he said. "If it isn't Private Jackson."

Jackson smiled. "The very one," he said keenly.

"Anyone else?" asked Garry.

"Yeah," replied Jackson. "Wade's here as well."

"Is that so?" asked Garry. "I thought I knew that one medic. You look like you can use some rest. I'm sure nobody will mind if you go into the rec room and crash on the couch. Besides, it'll be dawn soon."

Jackson nodded as he walked inside. 

*****

There was a knocking at the door as Clint slowly stood up and approached. He opened the door to find a man standing outside.

"This is Outpost 7 isn't it?" the man asked.

"Yeah," replied Clint.

"I'm Mac," the young man introduced himself. "I was sent here from Outpost 4. I was told to pick up a few people."

"Yes, of course," Clint replied as he turned inside.

As he entered, Mac could not help noticing a tall dark-haired man with thin-rimmed glasses sitting sleeping in a chair. "Who's he?" Mac asked.

"Another wanderer," replied Clint. Mac approached the man and tapped him on the shoulder. He opened his eyes with a slight jump, somewhat surprised. Mac then walked over to the adjacent bedrooms and turned on the lights.

"What is it?" a young man asked sleepily as he sat up.

"Hey, I know you," Mac said keenly. "You're Lance Williams, the surfer."

Lance smiled as he got out of bed.

"I got a chopper outside, and I have explicit orders to take you to Outpost 7," Mac explained.

Two of the other three started to get up: one a young man, the other a girl in her late teens. The third shifted somewhat.

"What about you?" Mac asked.

"I was stationed here," replied the man. "I think I should stay and keep an eye on things."

"Fair enough," replied Mac. "You two, I want you to get dressed and have anything packed within five minutes. I'll meet you out by the chopper."

Mac turned and walked outside, followed by Clint, who briefly signaled to the scientist to start moving. Outside, Rotor was leaning against the cockpit of the T-1 Typhoon as they came out. The sun was just starting to come up over the horizon, and for the first time that night, they could see.

"They coming?" Rotor asked.

"Yeah," replied Mac.

"Who's he?" Rotor asked, gesturing toward the scientist.

"Dr. Strangebrick, sir," replied the scientist.

"You with XERRD?" Rotor asked.

Strangebrick nodded, with some degree of shame.

"Listen," replied Rotor. "We don't like no XERRD people around here, so don't expect any special treatment."

Mac was climbing into the cockpit and setting things up when Kate, Lance, and George emerged from the base and climbed into the back. Rotor got into the cockpit as the helicopter began its takeoff.

"Listen, Doc," said Garry. "How's our prisoner doing?"

"She's fine," replied Copper. "I still think you hit her too hard. You very nearly broke a few ribs."

"As long as she's alive," said Garry. "Listen, for the time being just do whatever you can to help her condition, don't let anyone visit her, and let me know if she starts to improve. Understand?"

"Yes," replied Copper.

"If she says anything, anything at all, I want you to tell me before you tell anyone else. Are we clear?"

Copper nodded.

"Good," replied Garry as he turned away.

"Hey Garry," said a somewhat shy voice from behind. Garry turned to see a bearded man with thin glasses.

"What is it, Fuchs?" Garry said.

"Would you be willing to explain to me what's going on here?" Fuchs asked.

"A couple of agents arrived last night," replied Garry. "We didn't want to wake you."

Fuchs nodded. "Is there anything I can do in the meantime?" he asked.

"Well," replied Garry, "you are a qualified biologist. Maybe you can give the doctors a hand."

"I'm not really that good with medicine," admitted Fuchs.

"You know enough about the human body," said Garry. "I'm sure you can do something."

Fuchs nodded and turned towards the infirmary.

*****

Zach and Cranky walked out of the Maelstrom Temple to find a massive army of Stromlings preparing for the battle. Zach grinned as he walked down the steps of the temple. At the base of the steps, he could see Ahua giving orders to various Stromlings.

"Quite a showing we have here!" Zach boomed. Ahua turned and grimaced. He quickly showed the Stromlings so he could address Zach.

"We're glad you finally left the cozy confines of the temple," Ahua said impatiently. "We have spent the last day and half creating the mightiest army of Stromlings the universe will ever see." Ahua gestured to large group of Stromlings neatly ordered into rows of ten. "These troops will provide direct defense against whatever the Dino Attack may throw at us. We also have Mutant Dinos in shadows with Hybrid riders leading them. We also have hundreds of Stromlings scattered around the temple for some effective guerrilla maneuvers. As you can see, we are truly unstoppable."

"This is quite a sight," Zach said, nodding. "And by the way, I have been in the 'cozy confines' of the temple because I have been addressing the spies with Dino Attack Team."

"We still have spies among them?" Ahua asked, surprised. "We were certain that they had all been rooted out and killed."

"Not quite. There are two left. One that I sent after the conclusion of the battle and another that has been stationed in the Dino Attack Team since long before the battle in the TumTum village. I have been communicated with them nearly hourly, constantly receiving updates on what the Dino Attack is doing. As it seems, the Dino Attack Team is torn between two temples in this area. One is a temple dedicated to Imagination and another is a temple built by an Egyptian pharaoh named Hotep III. They have decided split up and send two separate teams to each them so they can determine which temple actually hosts the Maelstrom."

"Alright, so one team finds this temple and the other team finds nothing. What is your point?"

"When the other team finds nothing, they will regroup with the team here and create a larger force for us to deal with. And besides," Zach said with an evil smile, "what fun is there in finding a temple that has nothing? Why not leave them a surprise?"

"If you are suggesting we divide the troops in half, it isn't happening," Ahua said sternly.

"If we can summon troops at will, there is no need to 'steal' Stromlings from your army. Just take a few to the temple for protection and then build an army once there."

Ahua was silent for a moment, then scowled. "Once again, it seems you have the right idea. Who will lead this army?"

"I have an idea," Zach said, smiling. He snapped his fingers. "Colonel! Could you come here please?"

From behind Cranky, a single Stromling stepped out into view. He had a single, almost bored left red eye while his right eye was covered with black eyepatch. He had three long scars running across his right cheek. His clothing consisted of military-like coat over a Dino Attack uniform. While his right arm was skeletal, his left arm was fused with a Sonic Screamer. All across his body were patches of bone and rotting flesh. Underneath his right arm was black military officer hat.

"Ahua, meet Dino Attack Agent Ernest 'Colonel' Quartich. He was a commanding Dino Attack Agent early in the Adventurers' Island mission, but was more famous for leadership in campaigns across the planet, including LEGO Town, Enchanted Island, and Castle Island."

Ahua said nothing. He just glared at Colonel with contempt.

Zach turned to Colonel. "Alright, Colonel. Take about fifteen Stromlings or so and a ton of Mutant Dinos to the temple not far from here. Once there, get an army of Stromlings together. The Dino Attack will be going there soon. Feel free to kill them all."

Colonel saluted Zach. "As you wish." Colonel placed his cap on his head and turned and started walking toward the Stromling army.

"Oh, and Colonel?" Zach called out. Colonel turned to the Stromling Agent. "Feel free to take two Hybrids with. They'll provide a lot of support."

Colonel saluted again and continued his walk.

Zach turned back to Ahua, who looked furious for some reason. "I think I'm finished here." he stated simply.

He expected Ahua to blow up, but instead got this: "Fine, just go."

Zach shrugged and he and Cranky headed back into the temple. He must be mellowing out. Zach reasoned.

*****

As the familiar sound of a T-1 Typhoon drew closer, Garry stepped outside into the morning sunlight. It was slowly coming up, getting brighter and brighter. Right now, it was just above the horizon, creating a reddish-blue glow.

Garry's attention was soon drawn by the labcoat-wearing man who came out of the helicopter. He quickly approached Rotor and Mac as they climbed out.

"Who the Znap is that?" Garry shouted over the sounds of the helicopter's engines.

"Apparently, they found another prisoner," replied Mac.

"Alright," said Garry. "I'd better take care of him. Rotor, would you mind giving me a hand?"

Rotor quickly grabbed a rifle and aimed it at Strangebrick. "Here's the deal," he said. "You cooperate with us, we'll spare you as long as you're useful. If you don't, it will only make your death come sooner. Am I clear?"

Strangebrick nodded as Rotor and Garry led him inside. The others followed a few minutes later.

Next thing Strangebrick knew, he was being tossed into a dark storage room.

"It was the closest thing we had to a prison," Rotor explained before Garry shut the door. He could briefly hear the sound of keys as they locked it.

"Is someone there?" asked a sudden voice. In the dim light, Strangebrick could vaguely see another figure.

"Who's there?" Strangebrick called.

"A friend," replied the man who crawled closer to him, revealing he was wearing the uniform of a XERRD technician. "Name's Tom."

"I see," said Strangebrick.

"What are you doing here?" asked Tom.

"I thought I was defecting," replied Strangebrick. "I wanted to tell them everything, but now I'm beginning to regret this."

"It's quite rough," said Tom. "Only the two of them ever come in here, and as soon as they get what they want, they're going to have us shot, just like they did to poor Jenny."

"Jenny?" asked Strangebrick, surprised. "She's here?"

"Was," replied Tom. "The two men came in and took her away earlier… she never came back."

Strangebrick sighed remorsefully. "Poor girl," he said mournfully. "She was only twelve."

At that point, the door suddenly opened, and Rotor walked in, grabbed Tom, forced him to his feet, and dragged him out of the room.

*****

The sound of approaching T-1 Typhoons was faintly audible in the distance. The noise grew louder as more and more of them approached the camp. Most of the team was too busy to really take notice, with a few exceptions. Windows had fallen asleep at the radio again, but he was slowly woken by a radio transmission.

"Outpost 4, this is Delta Squad. We are currently approaching your position, carrying supplies and reinforcements. Do you read me? Over."

"That's a roger," replied Windows. "Over."

"We are requesting permission to land. Over."

"Affirmative," replied Windows. "You are cleared for landing. Over and out."

*****

Fuchs' attention was drawn by the sounds of approaching helicopters.

"Does anybody hear that?" he asked shyly.

"Probably just more wounded," replied Copper.

Fuchs nodded. "Well, maybe I should go help them out," he said before turning toward the door.

To his surprise, upon getting outside, Fuchs noticed a whole squad of helicopters. He also was not the only one; Windows was already out there, waiting for them to land. One-by-one they did, but instead of wounded, there were numerous fit-for-duty agents climbing out. Meanwhile, another was landing with a bunch of crates. Fuchs and Windows both ran over to give them a hand whilst the agents began moving inside.

*****

Tom grunted as Garry threw him a hard punch in the stomach, followed by a few more.

"Tell me everything," demanded Garry.

"I don't know," insisted Tom. "I'm just a technician."

"All the more reason for you to know," replied Rotor. He quickly grabbed Tom and threw him against a nearby shelf. As Tom slowly got up, Rotor proceed to kick him in the back.

"All I know is that they were working with the Maelstrom," Tom said. "Strangebrick was working on perfecting a formula to control it or something."

Tom quickly received another kick in the stomach.

"What exactly is this Maelstrom?" Garry inquired.

"It's a supernatural entity," replied Tom, only to get punched in the face by Rotor.

"MegaBloks," Rotor snapped angrily. "What is it?"

"It's an entity the likes of which cannot be understood," replied Tom, painfully. "If it gets released and no one is controlling it, it will grow, and it will keep growing… the destruction will only get worse. If we do not stop it soon, the entire planet will be engulfed until all that's left is six people trapped in a small temple."

Nonetheless, Tom received a few more pummelings. Next thing he knew, he was thrown back into the storage room with Strangebrick, moaning in agony. Garry kicked him once more before leaving.

*****

Clint sat back on a couch in the rec room as he lit a cigar. A young woman suddenly entered. She had long blonde hair tied into a ponytail and was wearing combat fatigues. She turned towards the couch across from Wayne, where Barry Jackson was sleeping.

"Oh my Builder," the girl said quietly. She walked over towards him and lightly tapped on the shoulder.

Jackson rolled over to see her face. "Teri?" he asked.

"It's agent Scope now," replied Teri.

Jackson smiled. "Hey, it's better than mine. The guy went and called me Shotgun."

Teri smiled. "Yeah, I can see why you don't like it," she said.

Suddenly, there was another man who entered the room. "Excuse me," he said, looking at Clint. "Are you Clint Wayne, the gunslinger?"

"Yeah," replied Clint. "Who else would I be?"

"I have orders saying that you're to come with me," said the agent. "You've been pulled off Adventurers' Island for a special mission. They'll brief you on the way."

Reluctantly, Clint sighed and stood up, following the young agent outside.

*****

Dr. Cyborg was one of the last people left at the Rear Guard Camp. He and his Infiltrators were hurriedly loading equipment into the UlTech Industries dropship at the camp.

"Where's X3, the shell you brought?" he asked X1.

Agent Rex took it with him, she replied in a computer language.

"Hurry!" he cried, "The mummies are coming closer every minute!"

Pilot Kara Wise ran up, hopped in the pilot's seat, and started the dropship. Dr. Cyborg and the Infiltrators ran into the cargo area. "Take off! Take us to Outpost 4!" he said.

*****

"Come on, time is wasting!" Commander Vinyaya snapped impatiently. "If the Stromling's word is worth anything, he'll be here in two hours' time to kill us all!"

Minerva Fabello grunted in acknowledgement as she and Kareem Nazareno lifted a large crate of supplies onto the back of Fire Hammer. She quickly shuffled out of the way as the next pair of agents stepped forward with another crate. Minerva went and stood by Nazareno.

The space ninja wheezed slightly as he observed the line. "I think that is just about everything," he gasped between short breaths.

Minerva glanced at him, an eyebrow raised. "Are you okay?" She couldn't believe lifting a crate could tire him out that quickly.

"Not really," he muttered as he caught his breath. "Zach's wound is acting up stronger than ever."

Minerva winced as she remembered how Zachary had nearly killed Nazareno in the XERRD Fortress. It seems like it was such a long time ago. "I thought it was getting better," Minerva noted. "You weren't in such bad condition while fighting Zach during the battle a few days ago."

"I thought it was getting better too," Nazareno responded. "I think Zach's presence caused the pain to return."

"What kind of wound depends the inflictor of said wound on whether it hurts or not?"

"I'll... show you later." Nazareno's eyes underneath his white ninja mask squinted in pain.

"Alright!" Commander Vinyaya shouted. The agents turned to face the Space Police commander. "That's everything over here. We should be just about ready to go. Make sure you have a weapon. We are heading right into enemy territory." The agents began to disperse to find a weapon. "Meet back at the command tent once you have a weapon!"

Minerva walked up to the Fire Hammer's side and pulled her Sonic Screamer out from the cab. She glanced above the trees. She could see small blips of Mutant Pterosaurs flying overhead. They were too high to hit with anything except a weapon on a T-1 Typhoon, so she ignored them.

It's finally time. It seemed like she had been waiting months for this moment. As she walked, she could feel the Injection Saw with the Maelstrom cure bounce against her leg. Elite Agent Andrew had been slightly saddened to give back the Injection Saw, but his spirits had brightened he found that the Dino Attack Medical Wing had two more Injection Saws. Andrew now had his own Injection Saw with an empty syringe to use for fighting while she would use her Injection Saw for primary purpose of her personal mission.

Save Zach.

She had known that Zach the Dino Attack agent was still alive underneath the suffocating hold of the Maelstrom. He had spoken to her once, claiming nothing could save him. However, he apparently changed his mind, as he later confided with Andrew that he had plan and required Minerva and Andrew. A plan that could defeat the Maelstrom inside of Zach and save him.

They didn't have much of a plan. They had both agreed to meet up once the Dino Attack Team found which temple, which could either be a temple dedicated to Imagination or a temple built by an Egyptian pharaoh, was the true source of the Maelstrom's power and together would find Zach.

I hope Zach knows what he is doing. she thought suddenly, realizing how unprepared they were. She desperately wanted to believe they could save Zach, but she couldn't help but think realistically. We are going to die. Me and Andrew. Minerva let out a long sigh. It doesn't matter. I have to save him. She suddenly felt a pang of guilt for potentially leading Andrew to his premature doom. I wouldn't be surprised if he knew what was going to happen.

She had almost reached the command tent when she felt a cold hand wrap around her mouth and neck and pull her back. She tried to call out for help but was muffled by the captor's hand. She felt a gun-barrel poke her back.

"Thought we were finished, señorita?" a voice muttered fiercely. She realized that her captor was none other than Rudo Villano. She turned her head slightly. Rudo scowled at her angrily. His eyes glowed red and he looked absolutely furious.

Villano removed his hand from her mouth, allowing her to speak: "I knew I was forgetting something." This obviously angered Villano, as he shook Minerva's neck several times. She felt a sharp pain in her neck, but kept talking. "I assumed you would've run out of here. Like Cunningham."

"Cunningham is here?" Villano asked, surprised.

"Was," she corrected him. "Why didn't you run out back to the Maelstrom when you had the opportunity?"

"Because!" Villano spat. "Because he left me behind! To die! Him and Palomar!"

Minerva was confused. "Palomar? Wait, you worked for XERRD too?"

"Yes! And both XERRD and the Maelstrom betrayed me! I'm tired of this! I'm sick of your team! I'm sick of XERRD. I am sick of the Maelstrom! I'm done with this. I'm leaving this island and not coming back!"

"And why did you feel the need to throttle me?!" Minerva asked angrily.

"Because I need a vehicle out of here. I will exchange you for a one-way trip of this island. Now, shut up and move."

----

Link to review topic: http://www.bzpower.com/board/topic/29406-review-dino-attack-rpg/

Edited July 7, 2022 by PeabodySam
Updated to version 1.2.