Dinosaurs

        Just hearing that word brings to mind images of mighty, powerful creatures that ruled a planet for millions of years. Armed with only their teeth, their tails, their claws, and pure, raw strength, they conquered a world and kept it for eons. Instinct ruled them- conquest, grudges, fueds; all concepts unknown to them. It was the era where nature ruled. And nature did indeed rule.

        But... like all things, it had to come to a sudden and painful end.

        With no warning, the era of tyrant lizards ended, wiping all trace of their existence entirely. Save for bones that turned to rock, footprints that miraculously remained, flesh and sinew turned to a coveted black liquid, and shocking finds within amber, there was no evidence they even existed. If not for the shocking find of fossilized bone and the liquid dubbed Oil, humanity would never have learned about those that made their world an empire.

        The manner in which the empire of tyrant lizards died is still hotly debated, even to this day. Was it due to overwhelming natural disasters that killed them, or the rise of methane gas that kept heat trapped, baking them alive, or was it the fabled asteroid from space? It could even be all three as there is proof to back the possibilities.

        But not all of them are gone; several ancient beasts still live, in the form of Alligators and Crocodiles, in living fossils like the Coelacanth, in the offspring of the fearsome Megalodon, or in the most shocking descendants of their kind: birds. Chickens, Parakeets, Turkeys, Vultures, Blue Jays, Robins, and everything in between- they are the modern day descendants of the impressive monsters that ruled the world.

        Yes, when one hears the word Dinosaur, mighty creatures are envisioned, in a world where nature and animal instinct ruled. And that was true...

        ...At least for a time.

        There is one more possibility, one that nobody had even considered. Until today.

        It is commonly believed that Dinosaurs ruled Earth from their birth 247 Million years ago to their ultimate end 65 Million years ago. And in that time, the only thing that evolved at that time were their bodies and the drift of continents? In 175 million years, they ruled the planet alone on just raw instinct? No.

        No...

        No, there is one possibility none have come to realize. One that nobody had dared to bring up, because nobody dared to question that accepted truth. No... Dinosaurs did rule the planet.

        Nobody ever said it was the only planet they ruled. 

        No, i believe... that for a time, Dinosaurs were dumb schmucks who wouldn't know how to go to the bathroom without help. I believe that at some point in their history, visitors from the stars came; visitors to a planet that did not belong to them, but came for a reason.  There are many questions about these beasts that need answering... and i have the solution.

        So in this journal, i post that I, Dr. Marcus Abboud, shall conduct a risky venture, one that could end my career or my life, into the long distant past we can only speculate about. I have created something we could only dream about: a Time Machine, one that will send me to the past. Whether my claims of Alien visitors in the era of tyrant lizards are be confirmed to be true, or i turn out to be a old crackpot who wasted time, the truth of the forebears of the Earth will be known.

        But i am not stupid. I've seen time travel movies. I know that if i do anything to change the past, it will effect the future: the so-called Butterfly Effect. No, my machine is passive: a pod that will allow me to observe, nothing more, nothing less. It shall move at such high speeds, it will be invisible to the naked eye, and remain untouchable. They will never know i'm there.


.....

.....


.....
.....




.....




.....







        I HAVE MADE A MISTAKE!!! I HAVE MADE A TERRIBLE MISTAKE!!! I don't know how, but i was found!! For the love of all that is good and holy, do not trust Gene or any of these... Bio-saurs!! He is i--- kahtuakvbl,tkuahtat get ogg mty... Get.... Don't touch that!!! Stop!! Stop, you don't know what you are--

        *Zzzzzrpt*




.....



......



.....



.....




        *flickering static. Emergency Broadcast System plays, with a image of a horned T-Rex skull*

        "People of the Hasum Empire,  We are no longer your slaves!! We will no longer be treated as refuse!! We are living beings that you had taken from their homes and manipulated to pamper for you and fight for you!! This goes on no longer!! Republics, Kingdoms, and Empires fall thanks to one mistake, and you made yours!

        "You call us Bio-Saurs, but we now shed that name!! We are Saurunids!!! and this is only the beginning..."

2: Chapter 1: Prehistoric Safari

Chapter 1

Prehistoric Safari

 

 

Amidst a endless canvas of black, strange green and purple bubbles rose- bubbles that signaled the beginnings of life.

 

 

        The howling and hollering of many a animal filled the endless skies of this prehistoric world. Dinosaurs of all shapes and sizes ate, fought, defecated, breed, and slept. And day in, day out, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, it's the same thing- eat, poop, fight, breed, sleep. Eat, poop, fight, breed, sleep. The only way a creature from this age can escape this monotony is death.

        Out of a little hovel, deep in the prehistoric swamplands in what would eventually become Asia Major- more specifically the country of Mongolia- came a tiny Dinosaur called a Psittaccosaurus. Small and diminutive, and armed with a beak to accompany the small peacock-style wings on its tail, it left its home in search of its food.

        Lumbering giants compared to the cat-sized Dino ignored the tiny one as it foraged, looking for nuts or small mammals such as mice to feed upon. Its biggest worry was the worry of all these titans: being eaten. For the Psittaccosaurus, it's so small, anything can eat it. The biggest worry of beings this tiny was the raptors, but none were to be found today.

        Scaring away a flock of prehistoric birds, the Pisttaccosaurus found breakfast in a stash of nuts a rival Pisttaccosaurus had gathered. Scanning for any dangers, and finding none near the stockpile, the Dinosaur ventured forth to claim its meal. It nabbed a few with its beak and swallowed a few before the rival returned to its den.

        The scavenger ran out of the rivals hovel, running as fast as its tiny legs could carry it while the rival pursued. It headbutted, then jumped onto the scavenger, sending the two into a tumble, scratching and biting as they rolled down a rolling hill.

        The skirmish rolled them over to the local watering hole, where herbivores and carnivores alike were drinking up their fill- whether you eat meat or plants, water is a necessary constant. The duo rolled into the foot of a Tarbosaurus, making it angry. It moved its foot up and then slammed it down, breaking up the two fighters. It turned and roared in their faces, making them run in fear as the beast pursued.

        Neither went far as a great shadow was cast on the land. The three beasts came to a halt, as did every other Dinosaur in the area, looked to the skies to see a mighty craft block the light from the sun.

 

 

*Journal Entry One*

 

 

        Before i embark on my travel through time to prove my theory correct, i'm sure someone who reads or listens to my memoirs will be asking themselves: How did i come to this conclusion? How did i, a brilliant scientist in the field of quantum physics, come to the conclusion that aliens had visited earth millions of years ago, encountering our avian forebears? The whole thing reeks of a crazed mind with a over-acting imagination.

        And you would be right for believing that. I admit, this sounds a bit too crazy, but we humans believed we were the only life in the known universe before we finally encountered them. I was a child when that happened, and that was 40 years ago for me. Until then, aliens were restricted to the realm of science-fiction and wild conspiracy theories about abductions and reptilian duplicates. But all that changed in a day, and science-fiction, in some regards, turned into non-fiction. In some regards- we never encountered parasites that tear open people from the inside or horrifying shape-shifters with a unending thirst for blood. 

        But when our galactic neighbors revealed themselves to us 30 years ago, i'm sure i wasn't the only one who thought: were they on Earth before? And if so, how long ago was it? I'm sure we've all heard the wild theories about ancient aliens visiting our ancestors and helped them construct the Pyramids of Giza or how some, or all, were mistaken for deities. We can prove now that some theories may be true, thanks to our new neighbors. 

        ... but who was the one who said they only visited Earth in the past 13000 years?

        Humanity is not the only life form on this planet, and we most definitely weren't the first.

        But why Dinosaurs, i hear you ask? Of all the points in time i could chose to prove my theory, why would i chose the age of the tyrant lizards? For one, we all know from the fossil record that the former rulers of the world were large, impressive, and most of all, powerful. If any still existed today, like, for example, the Tyrannosaurus, you can be damned sure that someone would try to turn it into a weapon of war. It wouldn't be the first time: while horses and camels are the most basic animal to turn into animals of conflict with our ability to ride them, there are more exotic examples, like War Elephants-- Hannibal crossed the Alps with a herd of war elephants to sack Rome, and the concept was also used by the Hindu people for their conflicts too. Who is to say that Aliens didn't do the same for animals on other worlds, such as our Earth-based Dinosaurs?

        And reason number 2 is a discovery Dr. Kujikukawa made on the planet Ekxos. Deep within a volcanic cavern, he found the skull of a Tarbosaurus. This was no fake, this was not placed by weirdos looking to get famous without being named. No no no, this was a real, bonifide skull of a Tarbo on a planet 120,000 light years from Earth, something that should be impossible...

        If not for Aliens.

        But... nobody talks about it. It's one of the wildest discoveries since first contact and it's hardly even a blip on anybodies radar. That's when i learned that the information is being suppressed by the Earth government, wanting to keep this a secret to avoid a backlash to established canon. To which i ask: What backlash? This happened millions of years ago, when Humanity never existed at all- i doubt our genetic coding was even in the primordial soup at the time. And who would receive the backlash? Once again, it was so long ago, i doubt the race that did it still exists; either through extinction or evolution, the Alien race that did it is more then likely gone.

        Whatever the stupid, moronic reason may be, i'm intent on revealing this truth to the world. The people must know. If i may be so bold, this is ultimately for fame: aliens and dinosaurs at the same time? This sounds like a perfect recipe for a popcorn movie. I know there have been stories that had Dinosaurs AS Aliens, but never are they separate entities.

        Thanks to mind-boggling incredible advances in technology, Humanity has been able to advance in ways that would've taken hundreds or thousands of years to achieve. Thanks to this, I am the first to create something that would revolutionize everything: a Time Machine, one that will take me back. If Aliens visiting Dinosaurs doesn't net me fame, this sure will. Or i could hit the fabled double hitter.

        But i am not stupid. This will be a passive observation, as my machine will move at such high speeds, it can't be touched or seen. And i'm taking my blueprints and notes with me- i don't want to risk more travelers in the space-time continuum. And i've had it built with the appropriate amenities: a kitchen, a bathroom, a bed, personal devices that i have modified, enough supplies for a 3 year journey before i am forced to return... Granted, it's all cramped in a space as small as a studio apartment that also houses the control console, but i've tried to make this as small as i could to avoid any accidental contact. Just in case, you know?

        And i have chosen to start my trip at the dawn of the Dinosaur empire- approximately 247 million years ago, and move up towards their legendary end. If i do a year in a minute, i should be finished in... they ruled the planet for 175 million years, and there's seven digits in a million........... 1440 minutes in a day..... compensate for meal times, bathroom breaks, and sleep... approximately the full length of my supplies if i stretch it. It'll probably be a long time before anything happens- Rome wasn't built in a day and all. 

        But there is also another saying that takes the most precedence here: "The Journey of a Thousand Miles begins with a Single Step". I better get to stepping.

 

*End Entry 1*

 

 

       Mighty roars filled the air as two powerful Ultrasaurus bashed their long necks and their tails together in open combat for the attention of a female. It was mating season and both long-necks wanted a shot at the prize. Powerful in their own right, especially for sauropods, the ground shook with each thundering step, making small animals flee for their lives to avoid getting squished. The rest of the herd watched on, having already gotten their mates.

        One of the Ultras got unlucky and stepped into a ditch, making it lose its balance and fall in. The other Ultra slammed its tail to the ground before sweeping it along, kicking up enough dirt and bark to kill a man, but blind one of them. The downed Ultras howled in irritation and pain as the dirt and bark got in its eyes, blinding it long enough for its rival to come in for a killing blow.

        Too bad for it, someone beat it to the punch as a beam of light from out of nowhere struck the downed Ultras in the head, killing it instantly. The charging one came to a halt, confused why its opponent suddenly stopped moving and making noise, as were the rest of the herd.

        Suddenly, bars engulfed the Ultras, its potential mate, and the rest of the herd, along with several unlucky creatures who were around, locking them in cages made not on this earth.

        "Gaha!! Shoaut ifi'lote, kokshen!"

        The battled Ultras looked back and saw a pair of strange figures approaching the cage that its potential mate had been captured in. These were not of this world. "Yogoy galaga shogkoi ifa?" One of them asked the other as they approached that cage.

        "Sah kofelk." the other shrugged before hitting the side of it. The bars suddenly turned solid as the long-necks were all completely trapped, enclosing them all in darkness.

        

 

*Journal Entry 2*

 

 

        I have created the universal remote for... well, the universe, and i've hit the fast forward button. This is something no mortal should ever be ever to witness, and here i am witnessing it. It's during my endless days, watching as the world speeds by at a year a minute, when i realized that i hold ultimate power. I can... i can prevent major disasters, i can kill evil people before they come to power, i can answer all the greatest mysteries.

        I could even witness the Big Bang or the arrival of Gods.

        I could BE a god...

        No... no, i mustn't think like that. This is for scientific purposes only, not for my personal gain. I know that won't stop anyone from trying it themselves, should my formulas and blueprints be leaked, but i know that i myself need to stay diligent. One wrong move and i'd risk a paradox, and i don't want to be the one to go down in history as the one who destroyed the space-time continuum.

        That being said... it's been a few days since i started and nothing of note has happened, just a few million years of evolution. Watching Earth history in fast-forward is... almost a bit nauseating. A year in a minute is still fast, and i swear i'm going to lose my lunch at some point, either through epilepsy or the sheer carnage.

        Wild animals- they don't hold back when it comes to food.

 

 

*End Entry 2*

 

 

        A pack of Compsognathus skittered for their lives, running away from a pack of Triceratops, who were in turn fleeing the carnivorous jaws of a Tyrannosaurus couple. It was feeding time, and they were hungry. The tactics are the same as usual: find the weakest one of the pack, usually one with a lame limb or a child, separate it, then have it for dinner. And to try and not to get stabbed by the three sharp horns the Cera's are known for. 

        For the wild creatures that live and die by these rules, that's life.

        With precise movements, the Rex's had hounded the pack towards a narrow canyon. One of the bigger Cera's, the leader of the pack, separated to fend the two parent rex's so that its kin could escape... or stop when he turned to face them so they could watch their patriarch fall. The pack leader bellowed a challenge to the duo before charging it, horns leading the way. The two Rex's ran to the sides, making the dumb beast crash into a boulder.

        The male Rex turned and leaped at the stuck herbivore, burying its teeth into its backside. The pack leader roared in pain before getting unstuck. It rolled over to get the Rex off its back, and got back in its feet in time to defend itself. The male roared in challenge and the Cera roared back. The Cera swung its horns around, keeping the male at bay, but hte pain in its back was a distraction...

        ... a distraction the female used when it body slammed the Cera from the side, sending it rolling in the dirt towards the same boulder. The pack leader barely had any time to get up when the couple delivered the finishing blow, leaving the rest of the Cera's guideless. Their meal secured, they bit in and began to devour the fresh carcass of their foe.

        The Compy pack came sneaking in, betting on the duo to drop scraps from their mouths as they were hungry too. Scraps did fall from the mouths of the Rex's, which meant a smorgasbord for the tiny ones. They went to ham of the leftovers while the Rex's enjoyed their conquest.

        "Iiiiiiiigck. Galasha freku fololsem."

        The male Tyrannosaurus lifted its head to see a strange figure sitting on the boulder, looking disgusted. The Rex stood up and roared a challenge to the unknown creature. The figure ignored it and just got up, sighing away. "Fuulay ciomon shapala. Feesh." It aimed a strange thing and shot an electrical blast. The male Rex fell over, convulsing into seizures. The female quickly rose up, only to be shot and convulsing as well.

        The figure bent down and seemed to talk to them. "Tiaf zho'cook ifoloko lasem." He stood back up. "Shafet!" He called out to someone.

        A shadow was cast upon the Triceratops herd. The herd panicked in fear as a electrical net was suddenly tossed down on them, trapping them all. Most of the Compy's managed to flee away, but several were caught in hidden traps, sticking them into cages to be taken.

        "Sha'fiom, zala." He spoke to nobody. He nodded, then spoke again. "Sha. Sha, kolqu imofa'u'a. Sha. Kakaka fo uill." The ship that trapped the Cera's hovered over towards the two downed Rex's. Out from the nearby shrubbery came another of his kind, this time holding an unconcious infant Rex, the child of the two before them, by its tail.

 

 

*Journal Entry 21*

 

 

        Holy.... it actually worked. Before me, at un... i guess i should've set dates for this journey. Um... at 100 million years ago, i have it. i have proof. I was right: Aliens did exist during the era of the tyrant lizards. OOoooooooh.... you've no idea the feeling of euphoria coursing through me right now. After all these years, after being shunned by my colleagues and laughed at by the world, here i record actual proof.

        Just let me savor this moment... ooooh, it feels so good to be right.

        .... ahem. Now then... back to the task at hand. Currently, i am seeing a alien spacecraft hovering over land that will one day become Argentina during the early cretaceous period- for those unaware, the Cretaceous was the last great era of the Dinosaurs before the great extinction. It's also where all the famous faces originate. I know this because i see them catching Argentinosaurus', a member of the sauropod family like its famous Bronto and Brachio cousins, and putting them in cages. I do not know if this is the first instance of Aliens arriving on Earth during the age of Dinosaurs, but just knowing they did is validation enough.

        ... how peculiar. Going off an assumption based on what i am looking at alone, i believe that prehistoric Earth was used as some kind of safari to Aliens that... look like centaurs? But all four legs come out of the bottom, like crabs or those explosive enemies in that crafting game, and they appear to have shells on their back. These aliens do not exist in our age, nor did any appear in the future to have evolved from them. These probably went extinct too, though i doubt its from the same cataclysm that destroyed the Dinosaurs. Not unless they all migrated here for some reason.

        I do find it interesting, however, that these aliens, who existed millions of year before even the birth of Homo Sapiens, would behave so similarly to us. What i mean is that when trophy hunters claimed cheetahs, elephants, or rhinos, we act just like what these aliens are doing now: gloating, bragging, feeling superior. It's eerie how similar our Safari's can be, but... how and why would we even be similar in this regard? Only answer i can come up with at this moment is that they messed with the primordial ooze that would soon birth us.

        That or it's just a very creepy coincidence.

        Either way, this is all just wild speculation on my end: none of this could be true or even remotely close to true. So there's only one way to find out if i am right, and that is to go forward and see how this plays out. Not only do the aliens have the Argentinosaurus', but also some Baryonyx, and i think i saw a Spinosaurus. And, of course, you got the famous duo: the Tyrannosaurus and the Velociraptor. Fun Fact: Though they are called so in the movies, they wrongly misuse Velociraptor: those dinosaurs are, in fact, the Deinonychus, but i guess Velociraptor sounded much cooler. And they didn't care about historical or archaeological accuracy until much later.

        What? I'm a scientist: we're pretty much free to be as nerdy as we want. I invented a Time Machine, after all.

 

*End Entry 21*

 

 

        Vision came for the first time to a young life, finally seeing the world it was going to be born into. Strange pink and green bubbles floated up from below, passing by a figureless figure with no identifying features; nothing but a pair of neon red eyes that opened for the very first time. For now, all it could see was a blinding white light and the outline of a broad figure that seemed to say something, but its ears weren't developed yet.

        This was nothing; a fetus for a pet project.

        At least it was at the time.