Chapter 17.

Chapter 17: The Calm Before the Storm

The team settled in, taking a much-needed respite from the chaos of battling kaiju, fighting dinosaurs, and saving entire realities. They gathered together in a safe zone near the park's control center. Rick had promised them a break, and for once, he actually seemed to be sticking to it—at least for the time being.

Sans was the first to crack open a cold drink, propping his feet up on a nearby rock. "You know, this is nice. No portals, no rifts, no crazy monsters. Just some downtime. I could get used to this."

Hikari, still tossing his coin in the air, nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Maybe I'll just stay here. You know, let fate decide whether I get a vacation or not."

Gojo, stretching his limbs, glanced over at Rick. "You sure you're done tinkering with things, Rick? I mean, you've got to be thinking of something else to break, right?"

Rick, who had been unusually quiet, glanced up from his device, where he had been fiddling with some blueprints for future adventures. His eyes flickered with a mix of amusement and calculation. "Of course I'm thinking. But for once, I'm holding off. You guys deserve a break. Just don't get too comfortable—something's coming. I can feel it."

"Yeah, but what could possibly go wrong with a bunch of giant reptiles in a cage?" Gojo smirked, leaning back on a rock. "We've handled worse, right?"

Rick raised an eyebrow, his face turning serious for the first time that day. "It's not the dinosaurs I'm worried about."

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The Signal

As if on cue, Rick's device beeped, a flashing warning that grabbed everyone's attention. He quickly scanned the data, his face growing more concerned. "I knew it. There's a strange signal coming from the heart of the island. It's... not the park systems. It's some kind of military frequency."

Sans cracked a grin, his skeletal face becoming more animated. "Oh great, now we've got a government conspiracy to deal with? What's next—secret labs and evil scientists?"

Rick's eyes narrowed, focusing on the device. "It's more than that. This signal... it's coming from an underground facility. And it's too organized to be a simple military operation. We've got ourselves a real problem."

Hikari stopped flipping his coin. "A facility underneath the park? That's... not good. Dinosaurs are one thing, but secrets under the island? I'm guessing it's connected to whatever messed up the park in the first place."

Sans sighed, his grin turning into a more skeptical frown. "I don't know, guys. Underground labs and dinosaurs? This is starting to feel like one of those bad action movies."

Gojo rubbed his chin. "At least in those movies, we get cool explosions. If we're going to have to deal with whatever's going on underground, we might as well have some fun with it."

Rick, who had already begun preparing the portal gun again, shot them all a warning glance. "Fun? You're going to need more than just fun. I'm telling you, something big is going on under this island. Whatever this signal is, it's connected to something ancient. We've been seeing strange anomalies lately, and I'm not taking any chances."

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The Descent

The team followed Rick as he led them to the entrance of the underground facility—a hidden elevator shaft deep within the island's jungle. The massive doors creaked open, revealing a dark, steel-lined elevator that descended far below the surface.

Rick didn't hesitate. He punched in a code, and the elevator began its descent, the air growing colder as they moved deeper into the earth. The silence in the elevator was thick, everyone's nerves on edge. Even Sans, usually the calmest of the group, couldn't help but feel the creeping tension.

"I don't like this," Hikari muttered, his golden coin flickering with a strange energy. "Feels like we're heading into the unknown."

Gojo flashed him a grin. "It's called adventure, Hikari. Don't worry, I've got this." His Limitless technique buzzed faintly, his senses stretched out ahead of them. "Whatever's down there, it won't catch us by surprise."

Sans leaned against the elevator wall, his eyes narrowed. "I just hope whatever's down here isn't too much trouble. I'm starting to miss the days when we fought regular, stupid dinosaurs."

Rick's voice broke through the tension. "We're almost there. Hold tight."

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The Lab of Secrets

The elevator came to a screeching halt, and the doors slid open, revealing a massive underground complex. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, illuminating rows of high-tech machinery, monitors, and sterile, cold rooms filled with mysterious equipment.

Hikari's eyes flicked between the glowing screens. "This... this place feels wrong. Too clean, too organized. What exactly are they doing down here?"

Rick moved forward, his eyes scanning the facility with the sharpness of a hawk. "This is where things get interesting. Welcome to the real Jurassic Park. Forget the dinosaurs. This is where the real experiments happened. This is where they started tampering with genetics—where they took things too far."

Gojo's face lit up. "So, we're talking about genetic modification of some kind? Gotta admit, I'm intrigued."

Sans raised an eyebrow. "You sure you wanna stick your nose in this one, Rick? Last time you messed with something like this, it ended with a dimensional rift and a very angry alien queen."

Rick waved him off. "This is different. I've seen the signs. There's something—someone—still here."

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The Revelation

The team moved deeper into the facility, their footsteps echoing through the empty halls. The air felt thicker, almost electric, as if something was lurking just out of sight.

Then they found it.

A large chamber sat at the end of the hall. Through a large glass window, they could see the silhouette of something moving—something huge.

Rick stopped in his tracks. "This... this is bad."

Gojo took a step forward. "What are we looking at, Rick?"

Rick's voice was tense. "A creation. One of many. The signal we traced wasn't from a military faction. It's from them. The ones who've been experimenting with DNA, merging creatures—and people—for years."

The creature inside the chamber moved, its massive form shifting in the shadows. Its body was a patchwork of various animals—dinosaur, human, and other creatures, all melded together in grotesque harmony.

Gojo's grin faded, replaced with a dark seriousness. "A hybrid. They were making their own kaiju, weren't they?"

Hikari's coin spun in the air, a tense silence falling over the group. "This is... twisted."

Sans clenched his fist. "Well, that's definitely not a regular dinosaur. You sure you want to keep poking around, Rick?"

Rick gritted his teeth. "It's not just one. There are many of them, hidden in this facility. But I've got a feeling this is just the tip of the iceberg."

Without warning, the glass chamber cracked, a loud crash reverberating through the facility as the creature broke free from its containment. It charged toward the team, its massive claws raking against the concrete floor.

"Here we go again," Rick muttered under his breath.

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The Battle Begins

The creature roared, its primal fury shaking the very foundations of the lab. It was a terrifying combination of intelligence and animalistic rage, and it wasn't about to let the team just walk out.

Gojo immediately activated his Limitless technique, warping space around him to avoid the creature's initial charge. He teleported behind it, slamming his hand into the creature's back. The energy surged through its body, sending a shockwave that stunned it for a brief moment.

Hikari flicked his coin again, his cursed energy flaring as he used it to create a gravity field that pushed the hybrid creature into the wall. It screeched, thrashing against the invisible force.

Sans, with his usual nonchalance, appeared beside it, summoning a barrage of bones to encircle the creature, preventing it from escaping. "I'll keep it distracted. Rick, you might want to get that signal jammer up and running."

Rick nodded quickly, already typing on his device as the creature struggled against Hikari's gravity. "Just hold it off a little longer."

The battle raged on as the hybrid monster unleashed its fury, but the team was ready. It wouldn't be long before they had it contained—if they could get through the next wave of experiments coming their way.

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To Be Continued…