The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts

To the Dino Rescue

As darkness fell over the island, the hunters had established base camp in an area they had trampled and cleared just below the ridge. Red laser fences encircled the perimeter, courtesy of Zach Varmitech. Nothing could go in and out without setting off the alarm. Inside the boundaries, half a dozen tents were set up around a central campfire. The vehicles were all parked at one end, away from the tents, while along the other end, was a row of at least dozens of  "capture containers," steel cages that held the imprisoned dinosaurs they had already rounded up earlier that afternoon. Close by, the colossal sauropods, which were too large to be contained behind bars, were corralled within a dome made up entirely of a red force field that was immune to their great strength.
Watching all the activity from a fern-covered hillside well out of sight from the unsuspecting men were Ian, Sarah, Kelly, Eddie, Nick, and the Wild Kratts team. Sarah stood a bit further back from the others, not wanting to get too close to the edge. Behind them in the shadows was the Velociraptor pack, led by Tiger Claw. The raptors all stood shoulder to shoulder, eying the tents and hunters with a vengeance.
From the settlement below, voices wafted up to them, raucous, laughing, some even singing, albeit drunken and off key. In the center of it all, Peter Ludlow and Zach Varmitech were pointing out and giving orders to everyone, man and machine alike.
"Ludlow."said Malcolm with a dark expression.
"Zach."growled the two creature adventurers, seeing their most persistent enemy.
"That's why Hammond was in such a hurry for you all to get here. He knew they were coming." Having seen enough, Malcolm then gave his binoculars to Sarah, who moved forward gingerly.
"You okay?"asked Kelly, looking at the redhead in concern.
"Heights, I can't help it."groaned the paleontologist irritably. To her boyfriend, she asked: "Put your arm here, will you?"
The mathematician obliged, wrapping his arm around her waist, to steady her while she's closer to the cliff edge.
"Corythosaurus, Parasaurolophus, Olorotitan, Triceratops, Apatosaurus, Iguanodon, Pachycephalosaurus, Stegosaurus, just to name a few."she observed through the spyglasses. "Looks like they went for mostly herbivores or small scavengers."
"I wouldn't be so sure about that, Sarah. Look! Here come the carnivores." Everyone looked to where Martin pointed and saw a procession of Zachbots and Robo-raptors entering the camp, with new arrivals in tow. Secured within steel cages and neon energy nets were a menagerie of rather large, terrifying beasts armed with razor sharp claws and teeth glistening like knives.
"Oh my God. There's Allosaurus, Suchomimus, Baryonyx, Coelurus, Herrerasaurus–" Sarah never had the opportunity to finish as Chris interjected: "And there's the pack!" And among the captive predators were the Velociraptors the team had come to know and love.
  Upon hearing the struggles and shrieks of their captive pack mates, the raptors jolted in frenzied excitement, heads raised as though they heard a gunshot. One raptor was about to sound an answering call when Zuri snapped at the subordinate's neck to silence her. A hard stare from Tiger Claw caused the theropod to bow her head in submission. They couldn't afford to give themselves away.
"Shh. Not now, friend."whispered Amber. The other raptor warbled an apology.
"What do they want?"asked Laura, eagle eying the productive camp from her weather-worn binoculars.
"They want their money back."Malcolm replied. "To InGen, this island is nothing more than a bed investment. As for Zach, I'm not really sure,"
"Whatever it is, it can't be good." Koki responded, eyes narrowed.
"My God, they're well organized."whispered the tech expert, impressed by the hunter's gear and gadgets, most notably an oversized Jeep with a large satellite dish on top, sitting beside a large tent. "Every piece of gear, state of the art."
"And it's got Zach Varmitech written all over it."growled Aviva, glaring down upon the vehicles marked with the infamous red V insignia of her bitter rival.
"Eddie, maybe I should ask to use their phone. Their dish is bigger than yours." Ian remarked. This was met with several unamused expressions from everyone else. Even the raptors. "What?"
  Kelly raised her head interrogatively. "So they actually want to build a park here? After what you guys said happened on the other island?"
  Chris frowned seriously. "They're not building anything. They're taking these animals outta here..... back to the mainland."
"I can't believe Peter Ludlow's running all this."grumbled the mathematician darkly.
Nick looked down upon the camp through his own binoculars until he spied something, or rather someone. "He isn't. Check out the guy walking past the fire."
  With their spyglasses and binoculars, the others peered down at the camp where he saw Roland, walking alongside Ajay, weapons and equipment slung over their shoulders.
"Roland Tembo."
"Who?"asked the mathematician cluelessly.
"We've run into him before."replied the Kratt in blue. "In Brazil. He was spearhunting jaguars. Said it was immoral to go after them any other way." Chris' brown eyes narrowed at the memory.
"He's not just a hunter, he's a philosopher.  Kind of guy who beats you up with your own argument."said Nick.
"He's the one in charge."added the African ranger, having had her fair shares of encounters with the outdoorsman.
  "Well, it looks like the head honcho just left camp." Martin observed. True to his word, the Great White hunter was nowhere in sight.
"Now is our chance."whispered Chris.
"Our chance to do what?"Malcolm asked.
   "Night is falling, people."informed the tech expert. "We should get back to base camp."
"Absolutely. We've indulged our curiosity long enough."replied the scientist in agreement, taking his daughter's hand. "Kelly and I are going back to the trailers with Eddie to send the radio call for the boat. Who's coming?" The twelve-year old heaved a sigh of disappointment, not wanting to miss out on the action.
"Jimmy and I are heading back to the Tortuga to make sure that Zach doesn't try any funny business."added Koki as she and the pizza-eating pilot also began to retrace their steps back to the turtle ship.
"But we haven't come close to finishing our work yet."Sarah protested.
"Your work has been invalidated by their presence." Ian countered, gesturing to the camp below. "What Hammond needed to sway the public opinion was a record of his Lost World–before it was found. It's too late for that."
"It's not a research expedition anymore, Ian."replied Chris seriously. "It's a rescue operation."
"And we Wild Kratts never turn our backs on creatures who need us."stated the raptor ambassador.
"You're right, Amber. Aviva. Is there any chance we can take an even closer look?"Sarah asked.
With a nod, the inventor smirked as what appeared to be a tiny robotic fly fluttered from the palm of her hand. "Deploy Flycam!"
Once on the wing, the remote operated Flycam flew straight into the heart of the hunter's camp, all without raising any suspicion or alarm from the oblivious men.
The surveillance camera's first stop was at a odd pink colored tent that stood out from the rest. The interior was littered with dress forms, sewing machines, posters, drapes, boxes filled with clothing and fabrics, an expensive velvet sofa and many other personal comforts.
"What the hell?"wondered a puzzled Nick out loud as he and the others analyzed the inside of the tent from a holographic screen projecting from the inventor's Creaturepod. It all seemed very out of place in this rugged setting.
"Definitely not something you see everyday." Malcolm remarked, equally puzzled.
The Wild Kratts team, however, recognized whom the extravagant tent belonged to in a heartbeat.
"Okay Donita. Ready." The Flycam turned to the owner of the voice to see Dabio with a video camera at the ready. The drone followed the camera's line of sight to where Donita Donata sat on the velvet sofa, using a immobilized Psittacosaurus as a footstool, adorned in what appeared to be black, feathered beret on her head. Draped over her shoulders was a small bipedal dinosaur covered in downy fluff.
"That's a Kulindadromeus."said the paleontologist with a gasp, recognizing the unfortunate animal used as a shawl.
"Poe!" exclaimed Martin, for the raven hat was actually a Microraptor curled up in a ball.
"And Bristles!"added the younger Kratt, concerned for the Psittacosaur footstool.
"Hello, fans! It's me, Donita Donata coming from Costa Rica with the latest in animal fashion." the fashion designer announced, completely focused upon Dabio's camera. "This year it's all about feathers. But not just any old feathers. Dinosaur feathers!"
Back among the undergrowth, everyone, the newcomers especially, looked at the holographic screen incredulously. "Seriously? We gotta stop her!"said Chris. Martin and Aviva nodded in agreement.
"Oh no. Are they–"
"No. They're in suspended animation." Aviva answered for the cameraman. "They're still conscious, but they can't move."
"That is messed up."
"Ah yes, it's the season of feathers. Shawls, hats, gowns, all with dinosaur feathers. Be sure to preorder now!"
"That lady's crazy as fu–"
"Now let's see what Gourmand is up to."said the Kratt in green, cutting off Nick's derogatory comment in the process.
Aviva obliged, guiding the flying surveillance camera to what looked like a small restaurant complete with a kitchen, a few tables and chairs, lighting, and decorative plants. A good number of men sat on their designated tables drinking and laughing in merry good cheer. And much to the Kratt Brothers' horror, some were dining upon freshly prepared cuts of meat, undoubtedly from several recently slain animals.
"Oh no."said Martin sadly.
"We're too late."lamented Chris.
"Que terrible."murmured Aviva.
The Flycam flew into the kitchen to see Gourmand hard at work preparing his next delicacy, humming to himself. Behind the illegal cook, dangling from a tight wire by the legs, were half a dozen or so small dinosaurs, completely lifeless. The dead animals were skinned and butchered, making it near impossible to tell the exact species. Others that still survived were being kept in cramped cages, fearfully awaiting their fate.
"Son of a bitch,"growled Nick.
Laid out next to the counter in a brown sack was a clutch of–
"Dinosaur eggs!"Martin, Chris, Aviva, and Sarah exclaimed. It may have been too late for the dinosaurs hanging in the wires, but the next generation still had a chance. But in the light of this discovery, they noticed an approaching Gourmand too late.
"Ugh! I do not allow flies in my kitchen!" The last thing that the Flycam saw was the raised spatula of the endangered species chef before everything went static.
"Oh no."murmured the inventor, saddened by both the loss of another invention and the impending fate of the creatures in peril.
"We gotta get down there, ASAP!"the Kratt in blue urged.
"I don't know these guys, but I know 'em."said the cameraman. "I've seen them on Japanese whalers, French barges trying to dump barrels of nuclear waste in the North Atlantic.  They're all the same. They spray us with water cannons when we try to stop 'em, sink our boats, and then call us crazy."
"Welcome to our world."murmured the Kratt in green grimly, recalling all the times when their efforts to protect the creature world was met with opposition, oftentimes violently. Ever since the incident with the poachers four years back, and countless other times since, the Kratt Brothers had given up on trying to make the villains see reason. Nine times out of ten, they simply didn't care and continued with their crimes against Nature. Chances were that these ruffians only understood one language, and that was what they were ready to deploy if the worst came to the worst.
"Guys. Wait, please listen to me." the scientist tried to reason to put a halt to this apparent insanity. "We are teetering on the edge of a very unstable situation here. It's Gambler's Ruin."
Everyone around exchanged blank glances. Amber tilted her head with a quizzical expression. "Say what?"asked Martin, scratching his head in confusion.
"A statistical phenomenon." Malcolm explained. "Says everything in the world goes in streaks. It's real, you see it everywhere– in baseball, in blackjack, in stock markets. Once things go bad, they tend to stay bad. Bad things cluster. They go to hell together."
In answer, Nick pulled out bolt cutter, a hunting knife and a pry bar from his pack."They're about to. For them."
"Sarah."said the mathematician. "I must get Kelly off this island now. So, I'll ask you one more time, and not again: are you coming with us?"
Sarah looked from him to Nick, who shoved his implements of destruction into a tool belt strapped onto his waist. Nearby, Martin, Chris, and Aviva donned their Creature Power Suits, while Laura brandished her weapons of choice, not only her throwing axes, but also an impressive curved African shotel sword. Finally, the adventurous paleontologist looked back to Malcolm, her mind already made up. "I'm sorry, Ian. I can't let them get away with this."
"Let's go."announced the Kratt in green, wasting no time in starting this rescue mission. After securing a rope to a nearby tree, the two creature adventurers, the inventor, the African ranger, and the photographer all descended to the bottom of the cliff. With this turn of events, Amber and Tiger Claw led the pack back into the cover of the forest; they would look for another way around. Sarah was the last as she walked to the edge and paused, looking down in fright.
At the bottom, the others were giving the redhead nods and thumbs up of encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Sarah banished her fear as she started to take the plunge. After what felt like an eternity, her feet were once again on solid ground.
"Where'd you get this fear of heights?"asked Chris, remembering his own acrophobic experience in the Indonesian rainforest.
Sarah glanced back at Malcolm, who's staring at her in disapproval. "From dating tall men."she replied, earning some laughs from the Kratt Bros.
"To the Creature Rescue!"
**** Elsewhere...****
In the jungle, Ludlow approached a small clearing where he found Roland bent over a stake in the ground, chaining something to it. It was the baby tyrannosaur, alive and kicking, squealing and snapping his jaws in protest. Realizing he was no longer alone, Roland looked up.
"Incentive,"said the outdoorsman simply, explaining the chained infant.
Ludlow laughed, shaking his head. Half in the bag, he took a bottle of scotch and offered one to Roland. The hunter declined. The businessman noticed Roland's gun leaning against a nearby tree. "What kind of gun is that?"he asked curiously.
"My father's .600 Nitro Express." Roland answered. "Made in 1904. Karimojo Bell gave it to him after he took down his last elephant. 8700 foot pounds of striking force, each barrel."
"How close do you have to be?"
"Forty yards. Less, maybe. I assume it'll take a slug in the brain case to bring him down."
"Why not just use a scope and a poison dart and snipe him from the hill?"
The outdoorsman cast him a disdainful look. "Or a laser from from a satellite?"
"You think this'll draw the adult?"asked Ludlow doubtfully.
"Never underestimate parental instinct. I once saw a bull elephant kill itself charging a jeep. All the jeep had done was startle the bull's calves. I've seen lionesses carry wounded prey four and a half miles, all the way back to their dens, just to teach the cubs to finish off a kill."
"Killing lessons? Heartwarming."
"Rex won't be any different. It'll come."
Ludlow took another drink and shook his head, the liquor getting to him. "You're kidding yourself, or I'd be worried. An adult T-rex cares about one thing and one thing only: filling its own belly. It acts the way people wish they could, that's why everyone's fascinated by it. If people had the chance to see one dinosaur and one only, ninety-nine percent would–" Here he paused, an idea on his face. "Wait. Why not? Sedatives... growth inhibitors... surgery to shorten its tendons, make it immobile.."
"What?"
"I hadn't planned on bringing carnivores back because of the liability risk, until Mr. Varmitech and Chef Gourmand convinced me otherwise; I only thought of adults, it never occurred to me–" at this point, the InGen CEO leaned in close to the restrained animal, patting his head. "But you wouldn't be any trouble at all, would you? And the entire world would pay to watch you grow up. You are a billion dollar idea, my little friend–"
With a sudden WHOOSH, a striped figure raced through the underbrush right behind Ludlow. Startled, he spun around to get away from the unseen creature, but in doing so he lost his balance, getting tangled up in his own feet and stepped right on top of the baby rex's leg. The bone breaks with a dry SNAP and the little dinosaur howled in pain.
Roland lunged forward with the speed of a striking cobra, shoving Ludlow out of the way as he bent over the injured animal that continued to cry out in pain, one of its long legs bent at an odd angle.
"Damn it, you've broken its leg!"exclaimed the hunter angrily as he reached out, snatching the bottle of scotch away from Ludlow's grasp. Angry and embarrassed, the businessman turned abruptly and stalked away back towards the camp, trying to salvage his dignity. Roland watched him go in disgust before returning to his vigil.
**** Back In The Camp... ****
At the edge of the hunters' camp, Chris, Martin, Aviva, Laura, Sarah, and Nick scrambled down a hillside and stopped at the edge of the laser barriers. There were three red beams, each about two feet apart, the tallest almost six feet off the ground.
"Okay.... so how are we gonna get past that?"asked Nick.
The Wild Kratts exchanged knowing glances before Aviva stepped forward, a joystick controller in hand. Before the puzzled cameraman could remark to that, the elongated Robot Arm extended out of the inventor's pack, wrapping its tubular coils around the other five before slowly lifting them well over the other side of the fence. Once they were over the opposite side, Chris motioned to his girlfriend who was now alone on the other end. "C'mon, Aviva!"he encouraged with open arms.
The inventor winked as she backed up a few steps, before jogging right at the lasers, springing vertically off the ground. Once airborne, Aviva made several flips in midair until she landed bridal style into the young Kratt's arms, much to the silent admiration of the other four. "Gotcha!"
"Thanks, Chris."she whispered dreamily, planting a soft kiss on his lips, earning a goofy smile from the creature adventurer who was oblivious to the shared smirks of the boys and the puppy eyes of the girls.
Further along, the six of them crept along stealthily, hiding behind a stack of fuel barrels. They leaned around the edge for a quick look around, now directly behind the row of vehicles. Moving quickly into the open, the group covered the ground between them and the jeeps. Reaching them, Nick hit the dirt and wriggled under the first one, bolt cutter in hand. Aviva did likewise, only she carried what looked to be an ordinary pen. All the while, Laura, Sarah and the Kratt Bros kept a lookout for potential trouble.
Under his perspective Jeep, Nick found what he was looking for: the Jeep's fuel line. With a clean cut of his bolt cutter, the cameraman severed the the cord. He ducked out of the way just as the stream of fuel began to pour into the dirt.
Nick stood with his arms crossed, satisfied with his dirty work... until he saw Aviva crawl out from under the last car standing, a proud smirk on her face. His jaw dropped. "How did you–?"
"Razor pen."she replied smugly, holding up the pen, revealing a saw blade at the end.
"Pfft. Show off."he muttered.
"Good work, guys."said Chris, congratulating the two saboteurs.
"Let's see them try to recapture the dinosaurs now."added the Kratt in blue with a mischievous grin, rubbing his hands together.
With that, all of the vehicles were disabled. The motor pool area was now a soggy lake of spilled gasoline.
The six saboteurs walked casually across the camp, unnoticed in the drunken revelry of the men, but took cover from any approaching Zachbots. After narrowly avoiding a trio of passing machines, they peered over a stack of wooden crates.
"Okay, we'll split up into teams: Martin, you and Laura go and rescue those eggs from Gourmand. Sarah, you and Nick go to the holding pens to free the other dinosaurs. Aviva and I will take care of Donita."
"But what about the men?"asked Laura. "The minute they suspect anything amiss, we'll be facing down gun barrels."
"Don't worry; they'll have their hands full of bigger problems pretty soon."replied the Kratt in green with a wink as he pushed a contact on his Creaturepod. "This is Green Backpack to Amber. Come in Amber."
In a heartbeat, the young dinosaur's mechanical voice was heard on the other line. "This is Amber. Go Green Backpack."
"Listen Amber, we're in the camp, but this joint's full of InGen hunters. I need you and the pack to create a distraction to keep them busy. But don't let them see you."
"Okay Tokay!"
The hunters were lounging around the cafe or in their perspective tents each minding their own business, when, without warning, the perimeter alarm sounded followed by a sharp barking call echoing somewhere in the darkness. Soon a series of bloodcurdling shrieks were heard in the surrounding jungle outside of camp that caused chills to crawl up any passerby's' spines. To the untrained ear, the eerie choruses could easily have been interpreted as the wild hunting call of a pack of lethal prehistoric predators. The camp was under attack.
On the other side of camp came the alarmed cries of the captured dinosaurs, the haunting shrieks causing them to become uneasy and thrash about in their cages. But the newly captive Velociraptors screamed in a wild frenzy, lending their voices to the chilling choruses, adding to the herbivores' sense of worry.
  In an instant, shouts were heard around the camp as the men were now on their feet, guns at the ready, as they filed out of the forest's edge to dispatch the looming threat. But the unseen creatures never revealed themselves, and their cries seemed to come from every point of the compass.
The Kratt Brothers smirked. "Told ya,"
"Zachbots! Robo-raptors! Go silence that racket!"shouted Zach's nasally voice somewhere around the center of camp. In that instant, a platoon of the inventor's mechanical minions followed the human hunters to do their master's bidding.
"Heads up, girl. Incoming Zachbots! Tell Tiger Claw and the others to be on their toes!"warned Martin over his brother's Creaturepod.
"Do not worry; we will take care of Vermin-tech's chew toys!" the young raptor replied, and the rescue team could hear her snap her jaws at the end of the sentence. Payback time. "Amber out." With that, the younger Kratt hung up.
"Guys? Are they gonna be okay with that mad scientist's rust buckets?"asked Nick worriedly.
"They'll be fine."answered Chris in reassurance. "The only reason the Robo-raptors could even capture half the pack in the first place was because they snuck up on them. This time, the pack will be waiting."
"Besides, Amber eats Zachbots for breakfast!"added Martin confidently.
"Anyway, you guys remember the plan?"asked Chris. The whole team nodded. "Let's do this."
"To the Dino Rescue!" With that silent acclamation, the three teams went in different parts of the settlement.
Once they had parted ways with the rest of the team, the photographer and the paleontologist continued their way across the camp until they arrived at the other side to face a whole menagerie of caged animals, both predator and prey, young and old, from the mightiest of giants to the tiniest of creatures.
"Whoah..."
**** Meanwhile...****
Martin and Laura cautiously made their way to the mobile kitchen that belonged to a certain notorious chef. Thanks to Amber and the other Velociraptors' diversion, the cafe was now deserted and emptied of people. Emptied that is, except for Gourmand who swept the wooden floorboards, humming to himself.
"Now how are we gonna slip in past Gourmand?"mused Martin thoughtfully. A frontal entry was completely out of the question.
"This way."whispered Laura, gesturing Martin to follow. The pair snuck around the back where they climbed in from the rooftop. Using her shotel sword, the African ranger carved a clean hole into the roof where she and the Kratt in blue silently poured into the kitchen.
"Great idea!"the older Kratt silently congratulated before his wandering eyes caught sight of something that caused a gasp to escape his lips, baby blue eyes widened in horror. Dangling over their heads were the butchered remains of the less fortunate. Even in the past, the Kratt Brothers were not always successful in their rescue operations; there were many casualties over the years, each more bitter than the last. These losses such as the deceased hanging on the meat racks served to further spark their determination to protect the creatures they loved, and also as a reminder of the consequences should this mission fail.
"We're so sorry," Martin whispered sadly, trying to control the tears that threatened to burst. He then felt a soft hand on his shoulder, and he turned his attention to Laura who looked upon him with compassion. In her former line of work, it was not unusual to lose an animal, or even a fellow ranger, to poachers.
  "It may be too late for them, but not all is lost. Look." She pointed to a series of cages containing various animals of different sizes, both predator and prey, cold and cramped but alive.
In an instant, Martin's gloom vanished, replaced with newfound determination. His eyes glanced in different directions until they found what they were looking for: a large brown potato sack filled with dinosaur eggs of various sizes and colors.
"The eggs!"cried the Kratt in blue, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "You get the dinosaurs out of those cages. I'll get the eggs." The ranger nodded as she wasted no time in hacking the cage locks open with her axes. Once liberated, the dinosaurs wasted no time in bolting for freedom.
The creature adventurer was just a hair's length away from the stolen eggs when– "Well, hello Blue Berry."
Martin froze in his tracks, recognizing that southern accent. Standing between him and the sack of dinosaur eggs was none other than the endangered species chef; his sensitive nose must have caught the smell of intruders long before the noise created by the fleeing dinosaurs.
"Gourmand."he replied with a glare.
The chef met his glare with a knowing smile. "Looking for these?"
"Just step away from those dinosaur eggs, nice and easy."
"Oh, I will– if you can handle my pastry dough!" In that instant, the illegal chef pulled out his dough blaster and opened fire, bellowing a wild yell. Martin wasted no time in skillfully evading the projectiles, thanks to years of experience.
"You can't poach those eggs, Gourmand!"the Kratt in blue protested as he continued to dodge flying pastry dough. "Those are probably the first dinosaur eggs laid in sixty-five million years!"
"Exactly."replied the chef with a sinister grin. "And I'm gonna be the first to serve dinosaur egg omelette supreme!"
"Not if I have anything to say about it!" Martin retorted.
"Well I've got news for you, Blue Berry."drawled the chef, growing more and more frustrated with each shot missed, " I am sick and tired of you and Green Grape always stealin' my ingredients! You two have been the eggshells in my omelet for far too long."
"Nice try, Gourmy!"taunted the creature adventurer, ducking to avoid a dough ball aimed for his head. "You'll have to do better than that!"
Without warning, a set of bolas wrapped themselves around Martin's legs, causing him to fall face first on the wooden floorboards. "Ahh! Oof! Me and my big mouth."
A large shadow loomed over the fallen Kratt as Gourmand stood on top of him, armed with a massive meat cleaver now raised over his head.
"Now, I'm gonna gut you like a fish!"
Martin forced his eyes shut as he awaited the final blow. CLANG!!' But the cold steel never came.
"Huh? What in tarnation?!"Gourmand found himself locking blades with what looked to be a Girl Scout armed with a long curved sword.
"Freeze you diseased rhinoceros pizzle!"growled the chef's new enemy.
"Hey! Who's your lady friend?"asked the puzzled chef, green eyes still locked on the piercing blues of his new adversary whom he had never met before.
Martin blushed bright red. "Actually, Gourmand, she's not my–"
"It would be wise for you to put the weapon down."warned the ranger sternly, her shotel still locked with the butcher's cleaver.
"Oh yeah? And some little girly's gonna stop me?"asked the illegal chef mockingly, dismissing her bold talk as an idle threat.
"I warned you." It was all she said before, with the speed of a striking adder, Laura slashed at Gourmand who had just enough time to block with his cleaver.
Thereupon began a clash of steel as meat cleaver met shotel, the two combatants exchanging and blocking strikes. "Way to go, Laura!"cheered Martin, completely forgetting about his predicament as he watched the two clash, both fighters evenly matched, reminding him of two stags locked in combat. But the tide of the battle changed as the ranger's swordsmanship and fighting experience gained the upper hand over the chef who was beginning to tire. The creature adventurer looked upon her with awe and admiration; she was as pretty as a flower but she stung like a bee.
"Martin! The eggs!"
"Huh? Oh! Oh right!"the Kratt in blue broke out of his trance to continue the task at hand. With his legs still immobilized, he army crawled his way to the sack of stolen eggs. Once he was near enough, he untied his legs to allow himself to stand up on his feet, sack over his shoulder.
"Don't worry; you're safe now."he whispered to the unborn dinosaurs before calling out to the ranger. "I got the eggs!"
Seeing the Kratt in blue with his stolen prize, Gourmand's blood boiled like a pot of hot water.
"Oh, no you don't!" With a tremendous shove, the illegal chef sent Laura tumbling into a stack of barrels before charging straight for Martin. "Gimme back my eggs!"
The older Kratt stood his ground, ready to protect these eggs at any cost. Unbeknownst to either Martin or Gourmand, a metallic flash spiraled overhead, severing a number of ropes hanging from the ceiling.
The burly cook delivered a strong punch to the creature adventurer's stomach before grabbing him by his collar. "Now you're gonna get it, Wild Kratt crouton!"he threatened, bringing his foe's blue eyes into direct contact with his own blazing green ones.
Something from the corner of his eye caused the Kratt in blue to glance upward. "Uhh Gourmand?"
The fry cook looked up to see where Martin pointed. His eyes widened as he spied a sack of flour falling straight for him. "Yikes!" But by then, it was too late for Gourmand to retreat as the falling sack scored a direct hit to his head.
"Oof!" In a white cloud, the chef slumped to the wooden floorboards with a crash, the wind knocked out of him.
"And that's how the cookie crumbles!" Martin cracked, dusting himself, once he was freed from the chef's clutches. "Sorry, Gourmand. I'd love to stay around and chat, but we gotta go!" With that, he retrieved the sack of eggs and made a beeline for the exit.
   The fallen chef slowly rose to his feet, sputtering and coughing, covered from head to toe in spilled flour giving him the appearance of an overweight ghost. "Hey! Get back here! I'm not through wi– what?!" Deep growls stopped the endangered species chef's rant altogether as he turned to look from behind. Gourmand soon found himself face to face with a formidable set of dagger-like teeth as an agitated Herrerasaurus stood crouched upon the counter. On either side of the twenty foot carnivore were more of his kind, all three of them looking upon the chef with hungry green eyes.
"St-stay back!"Gourmand stammered, waving a spatula in defense only for the lead predator to lunge forward, biting down upon the kitchen utensil with two foot jaws that snapped it in half almost effortlessly.
Options limited and now totally defenseless, Gourmand took off with surprising speed for one of his size, screaming fearfully.
As one theropod frantically chased the fry cook around the restaurant, knocking aside the tables in the process, the others made short work of the meat racks, devouring all that was left of the butchered dinosaurs, greedily gobbling down chunks of flesh with each bite.
"You haven't seen the last of me!"screamed the fleeing Gourmand, the angry Herrerasaur still hot on his tail.
"There goes a really bad egg."said Martin as he and Laura witnessed the entire fiasco from behind a stack of wooden crates. The blonde ranger rolled her eyes in amusement.
"Oh. Thanks for having my back, Laura."
"Hakuna matata."she replied with a wink, retrieving a Hunga Munga that was imbedded in an overhanging shelf. Nearby was the severed rope that once held the sack of flour.
"I do believe it's time for us to meet up with the others."
"You're right."replied the Kratt in blue. "Time to make like eggs and roll!"
**** Elsewhere...****
In another part of the camp, Chris and Aviva had just come within sight of Donita's tent. They were halfway to their destination when something caught the Kratt in green's acute ears. Curiosity stirred, he slipped by a nearby tent to investigate. Aviva promptly followed until both leaned in close to the threshold without revealing themselves.
"I'm telling ya Pete, we can sell these animals for parts, especially the horns of those tricycloplots or whatever they're called."
  Chris' eyes narrowed. He knew Zach Varmitech's voice anywhere. What could he want with Triceratops horns?
"Are you sure that'll even be legal?"asked another voice with a British accent. Chris and Aviva immediately guessed it was Ludlow.
"Pfft. Legal shmegal."the robotics inventor scoffed. "They're your property, aren't they? They won't have the same protections given to rhinos, and one pound of rhino horn already sells for $60,000 in the black market. Those far eastern whack jobs think it has medical properties. If people pay top dollar for rhino horn, how much more would they pay for the rare horns of a dinosaur?"
"I'm beginning to see your point."
"Best part of all, your lab can always whip up plenty more. We'll sell millions and we'll make billions!"the last part ended with an evil laugh. Chris scowled at this diabolical plan; it seemed that not only will InGen once again place the animals in captivity, but they were also willing to sell an unlucky few to be marketed in the illegal wildlife trade. This was certainly not what Hammond would want.
  It took all of the creature adventurer's nerve and the inventor's soft hand on his shoulder to prevent him from springing into action; they could settle things with them later. Leaving the scheming pair behind, the couple continued on with the task at hand, now silently sneaking along the pink threshold. The pair carefully peaked inside, and the sight that greeted their eyes was Donita Donata experimenting with various plumed dinosaurs who were powerless to run away or fight back. Close by, Dabio stood before a mirror, admiring his reflection as he was adorned with a living hat and scarf.
"Oviraptor, Archaeopteryx, Kulindadromeus, Sinosauropteryx, Anchiornis, Sinornithosaurus."the younger Kratt counted quietly.
"There's Bristles."added Aviva, pointing to an immobilized Psittacosaurus seated before an armchair. "And Poe and his flock." That part was directed towards a raven black Microraptor curled up in a ball, giving him the appearance of a feathery beret. The rest of his flock were locked in cages, further secured by surrounding pose-beams.
"We gotta deactivate that pose-beam control." Chris whispered, his eyes fixed on the glowing pink sphere that hung over the ceiling. "I'll distract Donita and Dabio, while you sneak in and take out the pose-beams and free the animals. Now where'd I put that feather?"here the younger Kratt searched his backpack until– "Here it is!" In his hand was an inky black feather. "Now all I need is–"
"Need this?"asked Aviva, holding up–
"A Microraptor Power Disk!"exclaimed the Kratt in green with excitement before planting a quick peck on his girlfriend's cheek. This earned a giggle from the inventor. "Thanks Aviva!"
Taking a raven-black feather from his pocket, Chris then pushed the paw print button on his vest. "Activate Microraptor Power!" In a brilliant flash of green light, the creature adventurer transformed into a four-winged theropod small enough to perch on Aviva's shoulder.
"Let's do this!"said Micro Chris as he flew like an arrow into the fray.
"To the Creature Rescue!"
The animal fashion designer had just pose-beamed a cage full of Procompsognathus when– "Hold it right there, Donita!"shouted a familiar voice. Looking over her shoulder, Donita spied a green Microraptor standing on her desk, wings on his hips in defiance.
If the fashion designer was surprised, she didn't in the least show it. "Oh hello, Chrisangelo. What a surprise."
"I would release those compys if I were you." Chris began with the bluntness of a hammer. "We could do this the easy way, or we could do this the hard way. Whichever way you choose–"
Donita promptly cut him off. "Bored now. Mannequins! Get him!"
The minute the order was given, five flying mannequins assembled around the table, completely surrounding the Kratt in green whose eyes widened. "Uh-oh!" Why do they always have to go with the hard way?
In a flash, the green Microraptor pounced upon the head of the mannequin standing in front of him before promptly gliding onto another, aided by his four wings. Chris continued to fly in different directions within the confines of the tent, preventing his pursuers from scoring a good shot at this moving target. The wild goose– or rather raptor chase went on until Micro Chris suddenly lost all control of his body movements, helplessly plopping to the floor. As the mannequins once again had him surrounded, Donita cackled as she approached the Kratt in green who was now under her mercy, master controller in hand. "Game over for you, Chris Kratt. Any last words?"
To her surprise though, the young Kratt simply smirked. "As a matter of fact, I do have something to say: Now Aviva!"
In that moment, the inventor sprang out of cover. Pressing a button on the M.I.K strapped to her back, Aviva then held what looked to be a shoulder-mounted satellite dish, and its beam was focused directly on the mannequins surrounding Chris.
"Sonic disruptor blast!" Taking aim, Aviva unleashed a sonic blast powerful enough to stop the mannequins in their tracks, causing them to short circuit and collapse in heaps. Another well aimed blast took out the main pose-beam, shattering it.
"Way to go, Aviva!" Micro Chris cheered, all mobility returning to his limbs.
  No longer under the pose-beam's control, the newly freed dinosaurs began to wreak havoc inside the tent, knocking over props, flying within the confines and rummaging through storage boxes full of scarfs and coats. The newly reanimated Psittacosaurus ripped page after page from the designer's sketch pad, chewing the torn papers in his parrotlike beak. A pair of crested Oviraptors jumped unto the desk, scattering its contents with their three-toed feet as they showed off their winged arms in display to each other.
"They're making a mess on my desk!"cried Donita. "Stop them!" The fashionista's brawny henchman immediately rushed in with a net in hand. But despite his best efforts of recapturing the animals, they managed to stay out of grabbing range. By then, the damage had already been done.
"All I wanted was pretty dino-birds to make feathery fashion accessories."lamented the fashionista, falling to her knees. "Now all I got are kooky dino-birds making a mess of my tent!" Just then, a three-foot winged raptor with reddish brown plumage leaped onto the fashionista's hair, much to her dismay.
"Help! Another reptile-bird flew in an flattened my hair style!"screamed the fashion designer, thrashing around wildly to get the theropod out of her hair. Literally. "Get it! Get it before it lays an egg on my head!"
  "Hey Donita!"said Chris from his place perched upon the hat rack. "Did anyone tell you that the Sinornithosaurus has a venomous bite?"
The fashionista's eyes widened in dread as she forced herself to look up. The feathered theropod perched on her head spread out its wings in threat as it hissed menacingly, exposing its small, dagger-like teeth.
"Ahhh!"she screamed, shaking like hell as she tried to dislodge the venomous dinosaur from her head. "Get it off! Get it off!"
  Dabio raced to Donita's aid. "Coming, Donita! Shoo! Shoo!" But in his attempts to ward off the Sinornithosaurus only seemed to provoke it. With an angry hiss, the winged theropod sank its fangs into the henchman's beefy right hand.
"Oww! He bit me!" Dabio cradled his bitten hand before he started to lose balance. In a matter of seconds, the brawny henchman fell flat on his back, completely knocked out by the toxins as Donita looked on in horror. Having had enough, the Sinornithosaurus made a break for the exit along with the other liberated animals.
"Don't worry; the venom only has a mildly narcotic effect."reassured the inventor sweetly. "He'll be up and running again in two hours."
  Chris then flew upon Aviva's shoulder, glaring down upon the defeated fashionista. "These dinosaurs shouldn't be part of your fashion line, Donita! They deserve to be living free and in the wild!"
By then, she was already dragging an unconscious Dabio out of the ruined tent. "You can have your feathered dinosaurs! I think I liked them better when they were extinct!"
"Mission accomplished!"cheered Micro Chris once the defeated fashionista and her downed henchman left the scene.
"C'mon, sweetie! We gotta meet up with the others!"his girlfriend reminded. Having accomplished their goal, the couple raced out of the pink tent to join their teammates.
**** Back with Nick & Sarah...****
  Nick and Sarah stood before a large cage which contained a large male Stegosaurus. But it wasn't just any Stegosaur.
"Trident."whispered the redhead as they walked along the side of the enclosure, recognizing the scarred individual with broken plates and three tail spikes. Still breathing heavily as the effects of the tranquilizers slowly wore off, Trident turned his head look at his rescuers before bellowing loudly, dorsal plates bristling. Nick and Sarah walked around to the front of the cage, lifting a large pin out of the cage lock. They slowly opened the gate that gently creaked.
After releasing Trident and others of his kind, the cameraman quickly got to work, unlocking other cages including one with a baby Triceratops and a cantankerous Styracosaurus. He then walked over to a larger pen holding a couple of Pachycephelosaurus. The dome-headed herbivores bleated loudly, one of them anxiously banging its skull against the bars as Nick pulled the cage's pin. Nearby, Sarah was busy opening up a cage holding the baby Stegosaurus from earlier that afternoon.
And finally the pair reached the largest cages, which housed  some fully grown Triceratops, each the size of a pickup truck. A big male snorted upon sensing the humans' presence, sending a cloud of steam into the air. Nick hesitated for a moment. The lock on the Trike's cage wasn't like the others; it was more tightly secured to contain such a dangerous animal. Nick pulled out his trusty bolt cutters before making short work of the lock.
   Once all the plant-eaters were set loose, some slowly lumbering out of their enclosures while others wasted no time in scurrying for the safety of the forest, the duo turned their attention to their more daunting prospect: freeing the myriads of deadly predators who snarled and snapped as they drew near. Some anxiously paced in circles around their cages. Others gnashed their teeth on bars that wouldn't give in to even their terrifying might.
  Suddenly a chirp from behind summoned the pair's attention. Turning around, they came into close contact with a very familiar face.
"Clawjumper!" Held within a maximum security steel cage was the timid white raptor who rubbed her face against the bars, chuffing and wagging her tail in happiness as Nick and Sarah drew closer. And she wasn't alone; in surrounding enclosures were Slasher, Makucha, Patchy and other members of the pack, both young and old. "The pack!"
  To the pair's horror, many of the raptors sustained bruises and burn marks, the latter likely from electric prods. Slasher, who had fought the hardest against his captors, was bleeding from a number of flesh wounds, fortunately none of which were serious.
"What have they done to you?"asked the paleontologist, gently stroking the side of Clawjumper's face.
"Don't worry, guys. We're gonna bust you out."reassured the photographer, holding up his bolt cutters. Several broken locks later and the newly freed Velociraptors darted out of their cages in a heartbeat, stretching their limbs and relishing in the taste of freedom.
  But the humans and raptors were promptly startled by a deep, ominous rumbling from close by. Glancing over at the source, they were quickly reminded of their other carnivorous neighbors: a ravenous male Allosaurus staring at them with a hungry gaze of his glassy eyes, jaws salivating. Measuring thirty feet long, weighing over two tons, and armed with knifelike teeth and three-fingered hands bristling with razor sharp talons, he could easily devour a human or any smaller theropod if the opportunity arose.
The raptors wisely retreated a few steps away from the larger predator's enclosure.
"We better be careful; some of these guys can be very unpredictable and dangerous."warned the redhead.
"How comforting."replied Nick sarcastically. "Now how are we gonna free these guys without having our heads bitten off?"
"Perhaps we can be of assistance."
From different corners of camp, the rest of the rescue team had arrived to finish what they had started.
"Guys! You're all just in time!"said Sarah.
"Finished saving the feathered dinosaurs from being part of Donita's next line of fashion."stated Chris, wrapping an arm around Aviva's waist.
"We rescued the dinosaur eggs from Gourmand."added Martin, gesturing to the sack of eggs he carried over his shoulder.
"And taught him a lesson."said Laura toying with one of her throwing axes.
Sarah was ecstatic. "That's great!"
A guttural warble from behind immediately brought everyone's attention to the liberated Velociraptors standing on the sidelines. The effect was instantaneous.
"The raptor pack! They're all okay!"exclaimed the younger Kratt joyfully, rushing up to them. Not only were these raptors creatures to be saved, but they were also very close friends.
"Kipanga's gonna be happy to see you."cooed the inventor as she scratched under Patchy's chin, earning a rumbling purr from the masked female.
Martin did a full headcount. ".. Patchy, Makucha, Slash. Well, that's everyone–" suddenly his blue eyes widened with a gasp. "Where are the hatchlings?"
  Chris was quick to respond to the call of duty. "I'll go look for them." He then raced off into another part of the camp. "Don't wait up!"
"We freed most of the plant eaters."said the cameraman.
  "But the sauropods are still being contained in that force field. Neither one of us could unlock it."informed the bone-digger.
"Leave the force field to me."replied Aviva with a wink before racing off to disable the security system and free the towering long necked vegetarians.
"Great. Then that leaves me with–" Martin's eyes widened in sudden realization. "The predators."
All eyes were upon the caged Allosaurus who growled menacingly, his pupils narrowed into slits.
"Easy big guy. We're here to help. Don't eat the help!" The massive dinosaur snapped his jaws, earning a startled yelp from the Kratt in blue.
   In that moment, Laura boldly made her way forward, withdrawing a raw tenderloin from her vest as she approached the cage. The Allosaur's rumbling growl's ceased once its nostrils picked up the smell of food, hunger winning out over caution.
The steak never left Laura's hand until a set powerful jaws took the morsel in their grasp before gulping the meat down its gullet.
"Easy, big one." Laura said softly, gently stroking the beast's snout. "Easy. We mean you no harm. What kind of idiot would do such a thing to such a magnificent beast?" The theropod's growls died down as he became more relaxed.
"Friends?" She was answered by a friendlier rumble followed by a blast of hot air from the Allosaur's nostrils. "You're welcome." Laura then turned to Martin with a nod.
The creature adventurer smiled in response. As soon as they got the okay from the ranger, Martin approached the Allosaur's cage once more while Sarah and Nick looked on in amazement. "What can we say? Laura definitely has a way with creatures."said the Kratt in blue. Without another moment to waste, he reached out to touch the predatory dinosaur.
"Activate Allosaurus Power!"
The creature adventurer was engulfed in a vibrant flash of blue. Once it cleared, in the spot Martin once stood, now stood a blue Allosaurs towering over the humans. The captive dinosaur could only tilt his big head in confusion. The blue carnivore looked at his partners in crime, a mischievous glint in his eye."Hang on everyone. We may encounter some turbulence." No more was said as Martin leaned forward, effortlessly tearing off the lock of the cage with his powerful jaws before moving on to the other theropod cages. Sarah, Nick, Laura and the raptors retreated a good distance away.
All hell was about to break loose.
In one of the hunter tents, Mr. Ludlow leaned over the satellite recon pictures of the island, planning the next day's assault with Dieter, Zach, and Dr. Burke. There were small wooden dinosaur models scattered around the photos, indicating where certain species could be found. Close by was a large pet carrier which contained a dozen or so baby Velociraptors huddled together, shaking fearfully as they watched their kidnappers from behind bars.
  "The good news is we're already more than sixty percent of the way through our manifest for this trip,"stated the paleontologist.
"And the bad news?"inquired the businessman.
"Our veterinarian inadvertently sedated two hadrosaurs right into a coma,"mumbled Dieter.
"So what?"waved the inventor dismissively.
"That's inexcusable."said Ludlow.
"Not really, tranquilizing is an inexact science, it's completely dependent on the metabolism of the individual animal, and since no one had any... any.." Burke trailed off as a low rumbling sound could be heard outside, and the little wooden dinosaurs started shaking on the board. The trio look at each other. The rumbling got louder. Shouts could be heard.
"What in Christ's name was that?"asked the head of InGen.
"Must be thunder." Zach mused.
   The rumbling continued. The dinosaur figurines started hopping and bouncing from the vibrations, the shouts outside slowly becoming screams, the three men turned to look at the back of the tent– when suddenly the thundering bulk of a fully grown Triceratops bursted right through the canvas!
"Jesus Christ!"
The table in the middle of the tent turned over, spilling its contents everywhere as Ludlow, Zach, Dieter, and Burke were forced to flee. And if any one of them had the time to look over their shoulders, they would have seen a certain Kratt in green making off with the crate and its precious cargo.
   Hunters were sent flying as the tent-covered ceratopsian, its three horns tearing through the canvas, rumbled across the camp, ramming into a nearby Jeep, causing it to fly in the air. Men shouted in alarm as the ten-ton herbivore bellowed in anger and confusion, blinded by the shroud covering its eyes. In its panic, the blinded beast charged right through the fire in the middle of the camp, causing the tent to burst into flames. Maddened with pain, the Trike panicked and lashed out in all directions, blasting through tents, demolishing everything in its path.
Now the tables had turned; swarms of compys quickly scampered for the safety of the trees, followed by three screaming men being chased by an angry Allosaurus hot on their tails. Men ran everywhere. A swift running Gallimimus raced across the blazing campsite while a boneheaded Pachycephalosaurus charged after some of the hunters who were now fleeing for safety. The thundering sauropod dinosaurs, now freed from their sophisticated confines, unleashed their devastating power upon any tent or vehicle in their path, swatting them aside with their powerful tails and trampling them underfoot while the minuscule humans had to scatter to avoid the stomping, pillar-like legs which shook the very earth with each step.
The rest of the newly-freed dinosaurs, large and small, now stormed through the camp. The red laser barriers bounced crazily and went out as the sending units were trampled underfoot by the stampeding animals. Martin, Chris, Aviva, Sarah, Nick, Laura and the newly freed raptors took advantage of the disabled lasers and the chaotic diversion to slip past the borders of the camp and disappear into the jungle's dark depths.
"Creature mission accomplished!"exclaimed the Kratt Brothers once they were far away from the ongoing pandemonium. Now freed from their boxlike prison, the baby Velociraptors were reunited with their pack elders who wasted no time in leading them to the safety of the underbrush to rejoin the pack somewhere within the darkness.
"All these dinosaurs are back where they belong, living free and in the wild!"said Chris, using his signature line as they watched droves of dinosaurs, large and small, both predator and prey, returning to the primordial forest they called home.
  "I think they learned their lesson."panted Nick.
Just then, several fiery explosions sounded in the background, causing everyone to jump in fright.
"Jesus!"
A moment of awkward silence. "Yup. They definitely learned their lesson."said Sarah, breaking the ice.
"Alas, gentlemen!" Martin exclaimed, looking over the demolishing campsite as though the hunters could see or hear him over the chaos. "This is the day you will always remember as the day you almost caught the Kratt Brothers!"
  Aviva rolled her eyes in amusement, whereas Sarah and Laura burst into full on laughter.
"Okay. I caught that reference."chuckled Nick.
  "Really? Okay, that was lame, even for you, bro.." Chris rolled his eyes, not amused by the movie quote.
The older Kratt chuckled. "What? I thought it was cool.."
"Whatever. Let's just get out of here."
**** Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was OVER 9,000!!!!! Literally. More than 9,000 words, this has to be the longest piece I've ever written. Just so much to add: new species, deleted and extended scenes, and plenty of that Wild Kratts action we all love.