Banished to prehistoric times

Colourful Thieves

"It's not going to close in time!" The tailgate was indeed closing at a speed that could, under these circumstances, cause anxiety, but it was going as fast as it possibly could. As it closed, the companions could hear the shrieks and snarls of the dinosaurs becoming louder with every second, and it struck fear into their hearts. Then another sound was added: razor-sharp claws scratching against metal. The noise increased their fear, and before they knew it, claws had appeared above the rising tailgate, followed by an ancient head. Another emerged as well and looked at its prey with its fearsome eyes. Although the gate had almost closed, the Velociraptors were small and could easily fit through the remaining gap. They did. The dinosaurs fell on the time ship's floor when the tailgate closed, shutting themselves in with their prey. "What do we do now?" Kathryn said nervously while clinging to Nathan's arm. The creatures in front of them stood up, ready to attack. "Open the tailgate!" Alec responded. "Now!" Victoria did as he said and ran back to the button, but she was stopped by one of the Velociraptors. It jumped in front of her when she had almost reached the gate, blocking her path. Victoria froze in response, unable to move past the creature without being bitten. She looked behind her and locked eyes with Jack, who whistled in response. It drew the attention of the Velociraptor, creating an opportunity for Victoria to move past it. The dinosaur joined its congener that was slowly moving towards Kathryn, Nathan and Jack, thus away from Victoria and Alec. Victoria saw her opportunity and quickly ran to the tailgate and pushed the button, causing the gate to open once more. However, the noise it produced while it did made the Velociraptor turn around again, now sure of its prey. The creature closed in on Victoria, removing the space in between them, and snarled viciously while doing so. The other Velociraptor did the very same thing with her friends, closing in on them with utter greed. It growled at Nathan in particular, who was still carrying the part of the light speed processor, curious about what he was and what he was holding. Victoria looked at the opening tailgate behind her while the dinosaur was still closing in on her, trying to come up with some sort of plan that would get them out of this situation. She was going to make a run for it when the tailgate had finally reached the ground, trying to distract their attackers, but something stopped her. All of a sudden, she could hear Nathan scream, and when she looked at him she could see the other Velociraptor assaulting him. She gasped but regained her calm when she saw what had really happened, for the Velociraptor had not aimed for him. It was the shiny processor the creature wanted, and it had been able to seize it with little force. The few cuts and scratches on Nathan's hands weren't severe; it had simply been fear that had allowed him to scream. "No!" he yelled when the thief turned around, satisfied with its find. "Not the processor!" The dinosaur began to rush towards the tailgate while bawling at the other Velociraptor, suggesting their retreat. After giving one fearsome glance at Victoria, the other Velociraptor withdrew as well, following its congener. "No!" Nathan screamed again and stood up after the creatures had disappeared. "Stop them!" Jack rushed to his brother when he ran after the Raptors, grabbing him and preventing him from going after them. "Nathan!" Jack said while retaining his brother, "It's too dangerous!" "You don't understand!" Nathan replied while he struggled in the arms of his brother. "We cannot leave without it!" "What?" Victoria said as she hurried towards them. "What do you mean?" "It's the light speed processor Victoria," Kathryn replied calmly. "We can't travel to the future without it." "Well then," Alec said and wiped away his sweat. "We must retrieve it." "And how are we supposed to do that?" Jack asked after letting go of Nathan. "They could be anywhere by now." "I can track them," Alec replied, "and besides, I know where their nest is." "This is truly one of the most stupid ideas ever," Victoria said, "but I'll give it a try." "Fine," Jack said. "I'm in too." "Great!" Alec said. "I'll get my stuff." As he walked to the cockpit, Victoria spoke to Kathryn. "You must stay here," she said, "rest as much as you can." Kathryn understood and nodded in response, but she was disappointed that she couldn't come with her friend. "You too Nate," Jack said and looked at his brother. "But..." he replied and sighed. "You must stay here and finish repairing the ship. We'll get that processor back. I promise." "Just...be careful," Nathan said. "I will," Jack replied and patted his brother on his shoulder. Then Alec returned from the cockpit and said: "Alright kiddos, let's go."