The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts

Round-Up

Upon hearing of the potential crisis, Malcolm, Nick, Eddie, Sarah and the Kratt Brothers all raced as fast as they could to the newcomers' base, following Amber as her sensitive nose led the way. After their arduous trek through the forest, they bursted out of the trees and entered into the established home base that was situated at the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea.
"There!" The Velociraptor's alert brought everyone's attention to the middle of the base camp, between the camouflaged jeeps and the trailer, sat, to everyone's relief, a neatly built campfire surrounded by stones. Nick grabbed a nearby jug of water to put out the flames, but Sarah stepped in to intervene.
"No! Water makes the smoke billow, use dirt."
  Eddie and the Kratt Brothers joined in as they kicked and raked dirt onto the fire with their hands and feet, dousing out the flames. Even Amber lent her support, using her clawed hands to rake up dirt into the dying embers.
"Who started the fire?"asked a bewildered Malcolm.
Just then, the trailer door opened, revealing none other than Kelly with a tray of graham crackers and marshmallows in hand.
"Ummm.. surprise?"she squeaked sheepishly.
  The whole group stared blankly, stunned, but none more so than Malcolm himself. He looked at Kelly, then at the trailer door hanging open, then back at the girl as he pieced together how she managed to sneak here right under their noses. The silent spell was soon broken by–
"Kelly!"exclaimed Martin and Chris excitedly as they raced to greet one of their Wild Kratts kids. Upon seeing her role models, Kelly's shyness quickly turned into excitement as greetings were exchanged. Needless to say, the trio's merriment was brought to an end upon seeing the mathematician's stern gaze.
**** A Few Minutes Later...****
  Several minutes later, and the cliffside camp was a blur of activity as Sarah, Eddie, and Nick were hard at work burying the remains of the fire, sealing any food in plastic bags, and loading camera equipment and other essentials inside the jeeps before reestablishing base camp by the Tortuga HQ. Martin and Chris also lent a few extra hands, aiding them in packing while Amber looked curiously around the camp, investigating every little thing that caught her attention.
While all this was going on, Malcolm was busy lecturing Kelly who was sitting up on the hood of the other vehicle.
"You practically told me to come here!"said the twelve-year old.
"I–I what?"Malcolm asked incredulously.
"You said 'don't listen to me.' I thought you were trying to tell me something."
"Oh, Kelly, Kelly! You knew exactly what I was talking about! You have no idea what is going on this island, of what danger you put yourself in!"
Sarah chose that moment to butt in. "What do you want to do, lock her up for curiosity? Where do you think she gets it?"
"Thank you, Sarah."said the girl gratefully.
Malcolm was not amused. "Hey! No, don't start the teaming up thing about this!" The paleontologist raised a hand to object when–"Out of the conversation! Please, really. That goes for you two as well." This was directed at the Kratt Brothers who immediately froze in place. "Eddie!"
"What?!"yelled Eddie in annoyance, not wanting any part in the quarrel.
"Why in the hell doesn't this thing ever work?"asked the agitated scientist in regards to the satellite phone clenched in his grasp.
"You know, it's not a land line."replied the tech expert. "Your not in a phone booth! You've got to wait for a decent signal!" This only seemed to further anger the mathematician who began to bang the phone against the car. "Violence and technology: Not good bedfellows!"
"Y'know, Koki and Aviva would be more than happy to make upgrades on that phone."said Chris with a nervous chuckle as Martin kept to the sidelines, whistling idly as he took in the scenery around him.
"Nice place you guys got here."he commented. "Love the trailer by the way,"
Eddie smiled. Finally! Somebody who can appreciate good field equipment, he thought gratefully. "Thanks, Martin."he replied.
"Is that a shark proof cage?"asked the younger Kratt, pointing out to a black cage sitting close by.
"Hammond never told us we'd be doing underwater adventures!"exclaimed the older Kratt excitedly, almost hyperventilating, since he was more at home in the water compared to his more arboreal brother.
The tech expert chuckled at the bros' enthusiasm. "Oh no fellas, it's a high hide. We designed it to observe the animals from an unseen vantage point in the trees. Keeps the researchers out of harm's way."
"If you need somewhere to put it, we'd be more than happy to show you a few places."chimed Chris, happy to have an arboreal platform for future use.
"Like over there in the middle of those Cyatheoides."said Sarah, pointing to a stand of towering tree ferns growing along the forest's edge. "They've got a heavy scent, and animals know they're toxic, they won't even look at 'em. How tall is it?"
"Fifteen, twenty feet."answered the technician.
Sarah visibly shuddered. "Wouldn't get me up there in a million years. With all due respect, you can't really do this kind of work in a tower anyway, you have to be out in the field, as close to the animals as possible."
"Yup. It's all part of the Wild Kratts Creature Adventuring Code Of Conduct!"said Chris cheerfully.
"We gotta be up close and personal to add animals to our creature life list."added Martin.
"Great idea! Why don't you smother yourselves in sheep's blood while you're at it?" countered Malcolm sarcastically. To Eddie, he asked: "I assume the radio in the trailer might work?"
"After a short warmup, yeah. We've got a lot of heavy marching ahead of us."said Eddie, now packed up and ready for the trek back to the Tortuga HQ. "And I'm not carrying anybody."
"I can keep up."interjected Kelly, all geared up for the hiking ahead. Sarah and the Kratt Brothers smiled at her enthusiasm.
Her father, however, was not on board with that idea. "You're going home, young lady. I'm sending a radio call for the boats. We'll all go down to the lagoon and wait for them."
"Aww Lighten up Ian, you sound like a high school vice-principal or something."joked the older Kratt, causing Chris and Sarah to chuckle. Amber only tilted her head in confusion.
"I'm her father." Malcolm deadpanned.
Waiting by the jeeps, Nick leaned over and whispered to Eddie, gesturing to Malcolm and Kelly. "Do you see any family resemblance here?" The tech expert only shrugged.
"You can't stay, Kelly, that's it. It's too dangerous."
At this point, the Kratt Brothers decided to step in.
"Don't worry about it, Ian. She'll be safe with us. Wild Kratt's honor."pledged the Kratt in green earnestly as his brother gave two thumbs up, a wide grin upon his nodding head.
Malcolm rolled his eyes a little as he seemed to ponder over that idea. "Alright. I'll think about it."
Upon hearing that, the two creature adventurers exchanged fist bumps. "Yes!"
"Not gonna happen."
Kelly was about to protest when she felt a soft nudge behind her. The twelve-year old turned her head where she was greeted by Amber's golden eyes.
"Hi!" said the Velociraptor as she playfully nudged Kelly once more, warbling a friendly chuff, earning a giggle from the girl.
"Hey, Amber."she replied, patting the carnivore's snout without hesitation. The raptor in question purred blissfully as she wagged her tail.
This action did not sit too well with Malcolm, who saw his daughter inviting a potentially dangerous situation. "Oh no you don't. Get away from her! Shoo! Kelly, stay back!"
Amber jumped back upon the mathematician's warnings and sharp gestures. "Oh no. Did I do something wrong?"she asked innocently, lowering herself submissively, casting him the apologetic look of a dog who had unknowingly displeased his master and begged for forgiveness.
"Ian!"interjected Martin scoldingly. "You just hurt Amber's feelings!"
"She's harmless."added Chris who moved in to comfort the young theropod. "Besides, Amber loves kids,"
"You're wrong, Dad."stated the twelve-year old boldly. "I do know what's going on this island."
"How could you possibly?"
"Because you said so. All those stories you told me.!Maybe nobody else believed you, but I always did. And I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that Martin and Chris were telling the truth about their adventures on that other island,"
For a moment, the raging fire within Malcolm died down as he looked at his daughter, visibly touched.
"The kid scores with cheap sentiment."the cameraman muttered to his tech savvy companion as the paleontologist and creature adventurers looked on with smiles.
From the sidelines, Amber raised her head as her finely tuned earholes picked up a faint disturbance beyond the ocean.
"What is that sound?"
A low sound had been gradually rising while the team bickered and now it came booming over the jungle around them, a thunderous racket that shook the very ground beneath them. Suddenly, dozens of military helicopters roared overhead, flying very low as they made their way to the heart of the island. The choppers were enormous, some dangling huge cargo containers under them, others heavily armored vehicles. Three other aircrafts accompanied the squadron of choppers, aircrafts that the Kratts recognized all too well: a luxurious pink jet; a robustly built gray cargo plane; and a white, square-shaped airplane riddled with dirt stains, that left a trail of smoke and smog in its wake.
"Oh no," murmured the bros, eyes widened in dread. Their worst fears had been realized.
**** Elsewhere On The Island...****
Huge steel containers are dropped onto the undefiled ground, snapping off trees like matchsticks, crushing flat anything foolish enough to exist where they wanted to land as the helicopters slowly descended down to earth, releasing droves of men and vehicles. The mammoth cargo plane opened its door with a CLANG! upon landing, releasing jeeps whose engines roared to life in a cloud of thick black diesel smoke, red laser barriers sizzled and burned through foliage as this group of hunters established a perimeter around their new camp. And with the vehicles came twenty or more hovering machines, unblinking eyes glowing red. Zachbots.
Overseeing all the preparations was none other than Peter Ludlow, dressed in brand new Banana Republic safari wear. The new CEO of InGen stepped into the center of the newly forming camp, surveying the surroundings. Behind him, he could hear Zach Varmitech barking orders to his mechanical minions. To his left, he heard Donita Donata instructing a battalion of floating fashion mannequins.
"Mannequins! Get out there and collect all the small, feathered dinosaurs you can find!"
Gourmand promptly passed the businessman, kitchen utensils and gadgets fully loaded as he sang to himself rather loudly and off key. "Poached, roasted or barbecued, rare endangered animals make the best fooood! Let the egg collection begin!"
   Satisfied that everything was going according to plan, he turned to a rugged, pony-tailed man in wire-rimmed glasses adorned with a white cowboy hat.
"Welcome to your dream come true, Dr. Burke."
Dr. Robert Burke, a respected paleontologist and InGen's chief dinosaur adviser for the expedition, carried a detailed set of satellite recon photographs which he spread out on the hood of a nearby jeep. "I believe the large herbivores forage in open plains, like bison, which would explain the great variety of heat signatures we're reading in the flatlands around this waterhole. Right around–here."he finished pointing out a particular spot on the map.
Ludlow smiler. "Then that's where we're going."
"This is as good a place as any for base camp."said the evil inventor, addressing three Zachbots. "First priority are the laser barriers, I want 'em all up and running in thirty minutes. Half an hour,  no more no less, you got that? Now step on it!"
But before any orders could be carried out, another gentleman stepped in, pushing aside two of the mechanical minions with little effort. It was none other than Roland Tembo, The Great White hunter.
"Cancel that order!"he asserted.
"What? Why, baldy?"interjected the robotics engineer, not at all fond of being told what to do.
"Carnivores hunt near large water sources, Mr. Varmitech."answered the outdoorsman firmly, unmoved in the least by the name-calling . "Do you want to set up base camp or a buffet?"
"Let's find a new spot, shall we?"asked Ludlow with a shrug. Patience dwindling, the hunter stood over the two scrawnier men, hard diamond eyes peering down upon them.
"Gentlemen, if you want me to run your little camping trip, there are two conditions: Firstly, I'm in charge, and when I'm not around, Dieter is. All you have to do is to sign the checks, tell us we're doing a good job, and open your case of scotch when we have a good day. Second condition: my fee. You can keep it. All I want in exchange for my services is the right to hunt one of the tyrannosaurs. A male. Buck only. Why and how are my business. If you don't like either of those conditions, you're on your own. So go ahead. Set up base camp right here, or in the swamp, or in the middle of a rex nest for all I care. But I've been on too many safaris with rich dentists to listen to any more suicidal ideas. Okay?"
The two exchanged nervous glances. "Okay!"they answered in unison, beaming wide grins.
**** One Hour Later...****
As the tropical sun glowed bright orange over the horizon, great crashing among the undergrowth and unfamiliar rumbling disturbed the jungle's usual evening choruses as the hunters' convoy plowed its way through the dense forest as they raced in a straight line towards the open plains. Hovering shoulder to shoulder on the front lines, a dozen or so Zachbots led the way, hacking down any opposing trees and bushes in their path, courtesy of their lasers and saw-wielding arms. Leading the convoy was a small armored jeep with a small camo-net placed over its back, its occupants none other than Ludlow and the Great White Hunter himself.
Reaching the edge of the forest, the hunting party was brought to a halt as a small group of three-horned Triceratops came into view, foraging along a creek.
The herd consisted of four adults and three juveniles. The grown ceratopsians were over ten feet tall, measured twenty five feet from beak to tail, and easily weighed over ten tons. The feature that stood out most in these beasts were their huge frills and formidable three horns, the smaller ones resting on the snouts while longer spears sat over their eyes, making them dangerous adversaries, even against the fiercest of predators.
Alerted by the human's noisy approach and the foul odor of fuel exhaust, the full grown Trikes instinctively formed a wall of horns and frills, getting between their offspring and the oncoming threat. The leader of the herd, a massive bull, lumbered forward to face the intruders who posed a threat to his herd, roaring vigorously as he stomped his front paws on the ground, swinging his impressive shield and horns as a warning.
In response to the ornery herbivore's threat display, some of the hunters instinctively reached for their firearms until Roland held out a hand to signal the men to hold their fire.
On cue, three Zachbots hovered forward to face the angry Triceratops now looming over them.
"Leave this to us."said a robotic voice as the lead robot turned its head to address the hunting party who stood at the ready should anything go wrong.
Enraged that these strange creatures refused to give way, the gigantic horned herbivore began to charge straight for the convoy, his three razor sharp spears lowered, ready to skewer his enemies.
The three Zachbots rushed to meet the oncoming threat head on, red eyes blinking. Hardly had the charging Trike tossed aside one of the mechanical interlopers when the pincers of another robot grabbed the bull firmly by the horns before, to everyone's surprise, the giant herbivore roared in pain as waves of electricity coursed through his body. Despite the excruciating pain, the dinosaur made no signs of yielding as he attempted to take a few steps forward. The machine's eyes displayed no emotion, no remorse as the Zachbot continued its merciless assault on his mammoth adversary, raising the voltage in its arms until with a final roar of defiance, the once proud Triceratops slumped to the ground, completely unconscious.
A moment of silence. The convoy of hunters stood as still as stone, not quite believing what they had just seen. The remaining Trikes also appeared to look on incredulously at the sight of the strange shiny creature that had managed to singlehandedly take down their patriarch who had bested even the mightiest tyrannosaur. Now leaderless, the panicked beasts attempted to retreat for the safety of the dense jungle only for a platoon of Zachbots and vehicles to cut off their escape. For all their power and their might, the three-horned ceratopsians soon fell victim to the nets of their technologically superior foes.
"Well that was a good start."remarked the InGen CEO, impressed with how easily Zach's machines were able to make short work with one of the island's most dangerous inhabitants.
Once the Triceratops herd was rounded up and loaded into strong steel cages, the hunters' convoy continued to plow through miles of jungle until they left the cover of the trees, ultimately coming to a stop on top of a grassy hill overlooking the valley. Situated in the center was a crystal clear lake, its banks lined with a menagerie of dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes, all drawn to the serene shores to drink and to forage the lush vegetation that grew in abundance.
"Maiasaura, Parasaurolophus, Olorotitans, Styracosaurus, Iguanodons, Gallimimus, Dryosaurus, Hypsilophodons, Pachyrhinosaurus, a few other small bipedal dinosaurs, ankylosaurs of the genus Euplocephalus I believe... there's just so many species in this one area! This is fantastic!"marveled Burke excitedly as a child on Christmas Day.
But Ludlow hardly paid the exhilarated paleontologist any attention as he looked down upon the water hole, eyes twinkling with greed. They were going to make a fortune with these animals. In the passenger seat before the head of InGen, Roland announced over his radio: "Gentlemen, the herd has been sighted."
**** Moments Later...****
Engines roared, wheels spun and dug into the dirt, men shouted and radios squawked as vehicles and motorcycles were hot in pursuit of the fleeing herds they had flushed, fueled by adrenaline and intoxicated by the thrill of the chase. Aboard their vehicles, the hunters shouted and shrieked with glee, thrilled and amazed by the spectacular animals they were pursuing, animals that seemed out of place and out of time in their modern world; bands of small, bipedal dinosaurs who used their speed and agility to race and scamper between the legs of the larger, thirty-foot hadrosaurs most of which were adorned with elaborate bony crests on their heads, from the trombone-like structures of Parasaurolophus, to the hatchet-shaped helmets of the Olorotitans; the imposing horned dinosaurs like Styracosaurus, whose shield-like frills bristled with long spikes. Unlike most of the other herbivores, these four-ton quadrupeds opted for fight rather than flight as they tried to skewer any vehicle within reach of their three-foot nose horns. The same applied for the similar sized Pachyrhinosaurs, who had thick, bony knobs in the place of a horn. The best defended of these titans were the extraordinary ankylosaurs, who relied upon their thick body armor and swinging tail clubs to deter attacks from even the sharpest fang or claw. But they were no match for these more clever human predators against whom their defenses were of little use.
"Look at these things!"
"They're beautiful, man, they're beautiful!"
It was then that the real work began.
"Cycle! Break off a stray from the herd and flush him to the right!"Tembo ordered through his headset, his eyes set on a specific kind of dinosaur. "Snagger, stay ready. He's bringing him out to you. It'll be a Pachy– pachy umm.."–here he struggled with pronouncing the creature's name, "oh hell! The fat head with the bald spot! Friar Tuck!"
Once the command was given, a motorcycle broke from the convoy with a roar, hot on the tail of his quarry: a small, bipedal dinosaur over twenty feet long, zig zagging between the larger hadrosaurs. Suddenly, a group of colossal Mamenchisaurs, startled by the noisy uproar, emerged from out of the trees to join the stampeding throng, thundering straight into the cyclist's path. Grinning within his helmet at the prospect of a thrilling challenge, the rider managed to effortlessly weave between the stomping pillar-like feet of the hundred-foot behemoths, boldly racing right underneath their vast underbellies.
Back within the convoy, Ludow was transfixed by the beauty of the stampede as he claps his hands and laughed.
After a long chase, the cyclist had finally managed to isolate the stray dinosaur from the rest of the herd. A jeep soon joined in on the action, and a group of four wranglers, armed with lassos and tasers, jumped out of the vehicle to engage the cornered animal. Some distance from the escalating battle, another jeep stopped by, its passengers none other than Dr. Robert Burke and the field veterinarian.
"Pachycephalosaurus!"
"Carnivore?"
"Huh? No, herbivore. Late Cretaceous North America. This is amazing! We've found a lot of domed cranial fragments, but never a whole animal– until now!"
Despite being cornered and outnumbered, the Pachycephalosaurus fought back anyway, head lowered, making lunges at any human foolish enough to get too close.
"See that distinctive dome skull? That's ten inches of solid bone! Now careful. The Pachy's neck attaches to the bottom of it's skull instead of the back of it's head, as with reptiles. So when it lowers it's head, it's neck lines up directly with the backbone, which is perfect for absorbing impact."
As if confirming the truth of the paleontologist's lecture, the angry Pachycephalosaurus rammed head on into the side of the offending jeep, leaving a huge dent on the door and sending the driver falling out onto the dirt with a thud, his head ringing. The dinosaur expert and the vet wisely took the hint to back away.
  Tembo's jeep arrived at the scene, hard eyes never leaving the struggle as he spoke into his headset. "Snagger, Friar Tuck's on the loose, coming your way."
Just then, an elaborate, heavily modified Humvee with a large clawlike device drove toward the escaping Pachy, a series of outrigger seats extended from it, all boarded by four wranglers waiting expectantly. The dome-headed herbivore tried to run, but became hopelessly caught in two of the hunters' lassos. Another fired a harpoon gun delivering a shallow-sink dart into an animal's skin. A third wrangler then pulled the trigger of his tranq-rifle, firing a tranquilizer dart that buried itself in the dinosaur's neck.
As the truck gained on its prey, the large six-foot prong, padded with what look like heavy airbags on the insides opened up on the front of the truck, slowly descending upon the struggling plant-eater. As the animal is pulled in, the scissors closed with a hydraulic whir, trapping its prey between the airbags which inflated on contact, restricting any movement. For all its valiant struggles, the feisty Pachycephalosaurus was now helplessly immobilized, under the mercy of its captors as sheer exhaustion and the effects of the tranquilizers took over its body.
With the Pachy now secured, Roland and the other hunters went on to other business. "Dieter. Get into the outrigger. You're closing in on a Corytho–"
"Say That again, Roland. A what?"came a voice from the radio.
"The one with the big, red horn. The pompadour– Elvis!"
Elsewhere among the thundering stampede, the two wranglers, Dieter and Carter, a brittle white South African and a Hispanic in their forties, shared a light hearted laugh before Dieter, rifle in hand, whipped a harness over himself, clicking it into place. He jabbed his thumb into a flashing red button in the dashboard. Immediately, a motor underneath the seat hummed to life and the seat itself telescoped, extending a good four feet outward, providing a convenient platform for Dieter to raise his gun, and take aim at his target: A male Corythosaurus, adorned with a red helmet-like crest as Roland had described, was attempting to flee from their jeep.
BANG!!
The crested plant-eater staggered as a feathered tranquilizer dart struck in his left hindquarter. Having successfully taken the shot, the South African was reeled back inside the vehicle which began to slow as they closed in on their target. Other hunters arrived on the scene, completely surrounding the hadrosaur on all sides, along with half a dozen Zachbots, cutting off any chance of escape.
Being the Great White Hunter's second in command, Dieter disembarked from his perspective jeep to instruct the other wranglers who tried to harness the massive hadrosaur. "Easy!"he cautioned as a pair of men managed to lasso the beast's neck. "Easy, not too close lads. Go for the legs! The legs– watch the tail!"
   Tiring and outnumbered, the cornered dinosaur was not about to go down without a fight. Suddenly, the Corythosaurus reared upon his hind legs before swinging his head up, taking the two hunters flying in the air before a single Zachbot wrapped its extended arms around the animal's limbs. Another of the machines rushed into the dinosaur's right flank, ramming him to the ground in a cloud of dust. Even when he's down, the animal continued to thrash, pumping its legs wildly, despite them being restrained. Dieter turned a knob on the side of the steel cattle prod in his hand and thrusted it into the defenseless animal's neck. A blue arc of electricity cracked and danced over the herbivore's body, earning a horrible, high-pitched squeal of pain that ripped the air.
The field vet hurried over to the Corythosaur's side with a syringe, drawing a certain amount of tranquilizer from a glass bottle before injecting it into the animal's thigh. Slowly but surely, the sedative began to take effect and the creature's struggles ceased. The minute the dinosaur was completely subdued, Carter approached with a can of spray paint and quickly tagged the animal with an ID number in day-glo orange.
The downed Corythosaurus wasn't the only victim to the onslaught; All around the successful hunting party, more and more animals, great and small, young and old were wrangled, roped and ultimately unwillingly led into individual steel cages. Those that tried to find escape in the surrounding forest were cut off and overtaken by the Zachbots. Not even the largest sauropod dinosaurs were immune to capture as Zach's mechanical minions threw neon-red energy nets over them. And for all their titanic struggles, the strange barriers were virtually impervious to their Herculean strength.
High atop the cliffs overlooking the plains, the whole fiasco was being watched by Malcolm, Sarah, Nick, Eddie, Kelly, Amber and the Kratt Brothers, all horrified and disgusted by the turn of events.
"What in the creature world?!"exclaimed Chris, overwhelmed by the chaos in the valley below and righteously angered by the nature of carelessness and cruelty being displayed.
"This is so much worse than we imagined."added a disheartened Martin. Just the sight of all those magnificent creatures who were so used to roaming free reduced to such a state was enough to break his heart. Next to him, the young Velociraptor whimpered and whined as she nudged her head on his shoulder, anguish very evident in her golden eyes. It pained her to see her fellow creatures endure such a fate, herbivores though they were.
  Nearby, Nick lowered his binoculars and looked away. He couldn't bear to watch anymore. "Bastards," he cursed.
Eddie, Kelly and Sarah only looked on sadly, the latter two almost at the verge of tears. The mathematician's face was unreadable, but inwardly he was angry at InGen's foolish endeavors. These people never seemed to learn, did they?
Suddenly Chris' Creaturepod rang, breaking the silent spell. After the Kratt in green answered, a holographic screen appeared, revealing Aviva on the other end. "Chris! We've got some serious trouble. Ludlow and his mercenaries are here on the island."
"We know."confirmed the young Kratt grimly. "They've captured just about every herbivore out here on the flatlands!"
"That's not all," added Koki from the database. "Donita's mannequins have pose beamed all the feathered dinosaurs in the forest, including Bristles the Psittacosaurus and Poe and his Microraptor flock!"
In that moment, another contact rang from Martin's cellular device. The Kratt in blue quickly answered, revealing Laura on the other line.
"Hapana!"interjected the blonde outdoors woman quietly as she called in, concealed within the dense vegetation. She had been sent out by the tech crew earlier to scout for potential dangers. "My friends, I am grieved to be the bearer of bad news,"
"What is it, Laura?"asked the Kratt in blue worriedly.
"I have spotted your friend Gourmand,"answered the hidden ranger in a voice low enough as not to give herself away to said chef who gleefully sang to himself, a net full of small dinosaurs draped over his brawny shoulder, thrashing and struggling to break free of their restraints.
"Ooh, I can taste the recipe now!" said the illegal fry cook as he chuckled to himself, completely unaware of his hidden audience glaring down upon him. "Dinosaur egg omelette supreme! With a delectable side of Dino-stir fry. Made with only the rarest, most endang– I mean, extinct recipe on earth. Now to go check on those traps."
Hidden within the dense undergrowth, the African ranger waited for a good minute or so until she was certain that Gourmand was nowhere in sight. "He has captured many of the small and mid-sized carnivores. Not to mention an unknown number of dinosaur eggs!"
"Kidnapping baby animals on Christmas was one thing. Using them to power machines maybe. But this?! This is a serious creature crisis!"exclaimed Martin.
"Everyone, meet us over at the Raptor den." ordered the Kratt in green urgently. "We're on our way!"
"You got it, CK!"replied Koki with a nod before they signed off.
  Suddenly, several thunderous cracks sounded within the eerily silent forest, causing everyone to freeze with a jolt. The creature adventurers' blood ran cold upon hearing that eerily familiar racket, especially Chris whose mind was instantaneous flooded with horrible memories from the past. The young Velociraptor uttered a fearful shriek as she ran behind her two caretakers.
There was no mistaking the ominous sound of a gunshot.
"What the hell's going on now?!"exclaimed Eddie, hands clasped tightly on his head, fearful of any potential whizzing bullets.
For what felt like an eternity, the jungle fell into a deathly silence.
"That can't be good,"remarked the photographer, inwardly trembling.
"What was your first clue?"retorted the mathematician dryly.
In that moment, two streaks, one gray and the other bright yellow, bounded out of the forest's dark green depths at lightning fast speed before coming to an abrupt halt before the bewildered party to reveal two wild Velociraptors. And not any wild Velociraptors.
"Malaika! Kipanga!"
Amber perked in excitement upon seeing their visitors as she raced over to greet them, nuzzling them in greeting. Panting heavily, the two female raptors accepted the affectionate gesture gratefully.
"You girls look like you've seen a T-rex." Martin remarked as he gently stroked the pair, noticing that they were wide-eyed in terror.
"Is something wrong?"said Chris, coaxing them to talk.
"What troubles you my friends?"Amber asked the pair, genuine concern evident in her eyes as she repeated the question in Raptorese. In that moment, the three theropods engaged in animated discussion, and even though they weren't donned in their Raptor Power Suits, Martin and Chris could easily read enough of the dinosaurs' postures and vocalizations, courtesy of their research. It didn't take long for the Kratt Brothers to be able to connect the dots. The moment they had, their eyes widened in horror as the two gasped simultaneously.
A horrified gasp sounded from the young raptor's CTT as her friends had concluded their tales. "Oh no,"
"What–What'd they say?"inquired Malcolm.
"The pack is under attack!"
**** Dun DUN DUUUNN!!!! The part we've all been dreading. To be continued... don't say the forbidden six words, don't say the forbidden six words...
As you may notice, I've taken the liberty to expand Isla Sorna's ecology by adding more dinosaur species, some like the Styracosaurus, Maiasaura, Dryosaurus, Hypsilophodon, and Euplocephalus which appeared in the novel series, and others that are totally new.
In other news, I finally figured out a suitable voice actress for Laura Wilkinson: the one and only Grey Griffin, a.k.a Grey DeLisle! (Daphne Blake from Scooby-Doo)
Stay tuned for more updates... ;)