Chapter Text
There wasn't much that the cyborg t-rex could remember. Curled up alone in his pen, he found he was not able to sleep tonight. It was not the chill of the air that swept through the shattered lab that did it. It wasn't the owls hooting loudly outside. Instead, it was the sound of his own thoughts. For the past few days, he had been struggling to try to figure out why he couldn't remember anything before this. Why couldn't he remember?
He felt plagued, confused, tormented. He looked at the shattered glass on the ground. He could see his reflection, that of a green-skinned dinosaur. He couldn't have always been like this, right? He had to have had a beginning. But he didn't remember his beginning. And what was worse is that this wasn't the only sleepless night he had regarding this topic. He often wondered how the others, his comrades, weren't as bothered as he was, or maybe they were and they just didn't outwardly show it.
The tyrannosaurus organic robot climbed up onto his feet. There was no way he would get any sleep tonight. He lumbered outside, his eyes glowing yellow, and stared at the scenery. He stood upon a tall hill, a dirt road winding up towards his clawed feet. Out in the distance, tall trees grew out of the ground. They blanketed the mountains, giving it a beautiful, almost serene look.
Behind him was the remains of a lighthouse. He knew not anything about it. The lighthouse was white and red and would have looked like a candy can before its destruction. It was in shambles, with only the base and tip still somewhat intact. The base had an opening that was pretty big and there was a short tunnel which led to his sleeping quarters. He stared at the tunnel, then shifted his eyes in a new direction, behind the lighthouse.
The lighthouse rubble was on the edge of a curved cliff. The drop from the edge was significant. Below it were splashing waters. Waves crashed against the side of the cliff, some of it overflowing a cracked and broken gate that lay below there. Out in the horizon, there was almost nothing but water. The only other thing that could be seen was the occasional patch of land. The water shimmered, reflecting what little moonlight there was, with the moon being half full and all.
The tyrannosaurus stood at the edge of the cliff and stared down. He could barely see his reflection from way up here. He opened his mouth partway and let out a disgruntled sigh. He looked out into the distance, his mind pondering once more. His enemies, where could they be now? He lowered his mind as his thoughts continued. Just how did he make these enemies anyway? Did he do something wrong? Was he the one to blame?
He shook his head at the thought. It couldn't have been his fault. He had seen what those heinous velociraptors could do. He didn't know why, but a feeling inside of him told him that they were wrong and that he shouldn't take orders from them. He thought of the possibility that they did something to him, but he figured that was impossible. How would they have been responsible for his fate? They were never interested in wiping his mind or destroying him. But what could have happened to him?
The tyrannosaurus paused as he heard a familiar sound. Something flapped behind him. He heard the sound of talons scraping the ground. He turned his massive head over, a single eye looking at the newcomer. There stood another cyborg animal like himself. This newcomer was a bright green pteranodon. The pteranodon raised his wings out to balance himself as he landed. He folded his wings against his body and shook his head. He clanked his beak a few times, as if he were trying to get the last bit of fish out of his mouth.
The tyrannosaurus took a heavy step towards the pteranodon. Then a light glowed around his neck, where his neck was attached to his body. An oval shape, colored pale green, glowed in the center of his chest. Then a deep voice spoke to the pteranodon.
"I wasn't expecting you here."
A similar glow happened on the pteranodon, this time colored a yellow green. The pteranodon responded, "I know. I'm usually asleep by this hour. But I couldn't sleep."
The tyrannosaurus slowly tilted his head. "Huh. Neither could I. Though I was the only one. What do ya know?" The tyrannosaurus let out a series of short snorts that was understood to be laughter, or rather the way he laughed. "What's on your mind?"
The pteranodon seemed to be hesitant. His glowing eyes dimmed slightly. The tyrannosaurus recognized his as a sign of uneasiness. The pteranodon seemed reluctant to speak. The tyrannosaurus thought of urging him to speak up, but decided against it. After what seemed to be an hour, the pteranodon finally spoke up.
"Well, Rigs...it's just that, it's hard to sleep knowing they're out there, you know?" The pteranodon pointed his beak towards a different direction.
The tyrannosaurus, who had named himself Rigs, looked out in the pteranodon's direction. He could see a city in the distance. Lights were on and it made the city seem to almost glow. His pupils partially shrank at the sight. He had heard the velociraptors call the place Kittery Point. Odd name, he thought, but even a more suitable name wouldn't change his opinion about the place.
"I hate Kittery Point." Rigs grumbled, baring his teeth slightly.
The pteranodon swung his head towards Rigs. "Because you know who is there, hiding out of our sights. Our bodies might be these animals, and they may be cybernetic if what they said was true, but we would be helpless to find them. One look at us and the whole town will try to shoot us down." The pteranodon's eyes narrowed. "You remember that time, don't you?"
Rigs nodded his head. "Yes, Pierce. I remember it very well..."
Pierce the pteranodon wasn't surprised. "Just like I'd expect from you, leader."
Rigs winced at that title. He didn't think of himself as much of a leader. He only took on the role because he knew that someone had to keep them all together. When the others were frightened and didn't know what to make of their supposed lives, he had stepped in and had been the voice for them. But despite positive feedback and loyalty, he was not sure if he was really a great leader or not.
But at least he hadn't failed them...yet. He got them out of every scrap that they had gotten themselves into. He managed to fend off the velociraptors, Sickleclaw and Razortooth, many times. He helped find this hideout that somehow protected them from being spotted, but he still didn't understand how it worked. And he was the one who first realized what they were, cyborg dinosaurs. It took a while to fully accept, but his encouragement did soften the blow.
"Did you want to lay down with me tonight?" Rigs offered. "I know we normally sleep in our own quarters, but your tree quarter must be lonely sometimes." He swung his head towards his den. "Come with me. We can help each other sleep."
Pierce blinked his eyes. "I'm..not sure what to think of that offer. Sorry."
The tyrannosaurus shook his massive head swiftly. "I apologize. I was just thinking that, since we're both having a hard time sleeping, that maybe being together, we can make it easier on each other to fall asleep. I didn't mean to imply anything." The tyrannosaurus paused and then said, "That..and I did want to talk to you about something. I don't feel comfortable talking about it out here."
"...I see..." The pteranodon said, eying Rigs with a look of confusion. He walked towards the t-rex. "What did you want to talk about?"
"...something I've been thinking of for a long while now."
**
Somewhere in Kittery Point, somewhere deep underground, a machine was turned on. A series of lights spread across it. A low humming sound could be heard as data was sent back and forth at an astonishing rate. The machine, massive and imposing, pumped out a strange orange fluid. The fluid made its way through a series of thin, clear tubes, and towards a center piece.
In the middle was a large container. So big it was that it touched the dirt ceiling above. The fluid filled the inside of the container. In the middle of it was a small creature, a species of squirrel. The squirrel was secured in the center, its limbs stretched outward so it couldn't struggle. The squirrel was not stupid. When it saw that the tube was being filled up, it tried to struggle. But nothing it did freed it.
Soon the large container was completely filled with the orange fluid. As it did, a figure stepped forward. It was a velociraptor, skin as red as the dirt. His body was mostly covered in shadow. But his studying face, along with his reptilian grin, was illuminated by what artificial light was made available. In his claws, he held a notepad and pen.
The squirrel was shaking its head from side to side. It clenched its mouth shut, trying not to breathe in the liquid. It pulled hard on its limbs, yet they refused to move. After a few minutes, the squirrel couldn't hold its breath any longer. It inhaled sharply, bubbles rising rapidly as the liquid went down its throat. The panicking animal's eyes widened as it took in more breaths, desperate to get some oxygen. Finally, after many more minutes, the squirrel stopped struggling and its eyes drooped shut.
The red velociraptor copied a note on the pad and set it down. He walked towards the large tube and put his clawed on it. He stared intently at the squirrel, waiting for something to happen. Pasted on the tube were vital signs and other signals relating to the squirrel. One in particular was a bar that was green on bottom and yellow on top. When the bar was filled up and began to flash a bright white, the velociraptor's grin widened.
He pressed another button. This opened up a hatch at the bottom. The orange liquid quickly drained out. With the pull of a lever, a new liquid poured in, this one green in color. It splashed the bottom and continued to rise up. Soon the tube was completely filled up. The velociraptor watched and waited with what could be described as excitement.
It didn't take long for the squirrel to suddenly come back to life. This time, its eyes were glowing brightly. It took in a deep breath, suddenly able to draw strength without the use of oxygen. The green liquid didn't simply form around it; it seemed to almost power the squirrel and absorbed into the skin and fur. This continued on for a while.
Suddenly the squirrel started to convulse and shake violently. Its body bent in ways it was not supposed to. There was a sickening crackling sound. The squirrel held its stomach, looking like it was trying to prevent something from happening. Then lights flashed and crackled across its body. A strange material started to encase it, forcing it to drastically change its shape. The squirrel squealed loudly. Its sound slowly morphed, becoming higher pitched and growling-like.
When it was finished, inside the tube no longer stood a simple squirrel, but a new creature entirely. The new creature still looked somewhat like a squirrel, but it was three times larger. Covering its body was cybernetic skin. Whenever it made a sound, its neck and chest would glow. Its legs were much longer and more muscular. Its tail was thick and spiked. Its eyes had become reptilian, its nose stretched to form a more reptile-like nose, and its teeth had grown sharper and thicker. After a second of silence, it let out a roar.
"Marvelous..absolutely marvelous.." The red velociraptor admired, his neck and chest also emitting a light. Another flash of light caught his attention. He didn't need to listen to the voice to know who it was going to be.
"I still don't understand why you must use both on the squirrel." The growling and gravely voice said. "Just one is significant enough."
"Oh Sickleclaw.." The red velociraptor said, turning his head over. The other velociraptor was visible in the room, but kept to the shadows. "You don't understand the genius of this. The first ooze helps make the transformation easier. Believe me, both are needed."
"If you say so, Razortooth." Sickleclaw replied. She didn't sound very convinced. She still didn't step out to the light. The shadow of her head turned to face another tube. This one had been smashed. "I hope you will not make the same mistake as..."
"Yes I know. I do not need to be reminded." Razortooth hissed. He looked back at his creation and smiled once more. "Yes...I am coming closer at perfecting this ooze. With it, we can use it to take control over those rogue cyborg dinosaurs. It is imperative that we accomplish this goal, otherwise..."
"...they could destroy what we worked so very hard to achieve." Sickleclaw hissed, narrowing her eyes. "I know full well what those troublemakers are capable of." The glow of her eyes increased. "You needn't worry, partner. I can make sure they are kept at bay while you perfect your experiment."
Before she could move, the red velociraptor held up his hand. "That won't be necessary. You see, this squirrel mutant I just created should be a big enough trouble for them. It is merely a...distraction. I have something else in mind..." He chuckled gutturally.