05th anomaly ; video ; open

[dinosize]

Have you ever wondered what comes next? Evolutionarily. After humans.

[ Stephen is in his own cabin, a light and airy space that doesn't really seem to suit him. The camera is propped up on the edge of a sink, where he's washing out blood and dirt from the clothes he wore while out in the port.

He's not really looking at the camera. ]

Do you think humans could ever be a food source for another animal?

Comments

[notsoneedy]

What, you're like a nature conservationist? Seriously, it occurs to me I don't really know what you do. Outside of liking boats and knowing a lot of stuff about animals.

[dinosize]

I was an activist. I studied natural history.

Now I work for the government, trying to stop dinosaurs from showing up in the present day.

[notsoneedy]

...Seriously? Dinosaurs? [She's not incredulous, this is just kinda exciting.]

[dinosize]

There was a mammoth. A flock of dodos. A sabretooth.

And some things that we haven't identified.

[notsoneedy]

So you work for like a version of the Men In Black agency. Only with prehistoric creatures instead of aliens.

[dinosize]

[ He must be doomed, in this life, to be surrounded by people who remind him vaguely of Connor. ]

Something like that.

[notsoneedy]

That's a pretty cool deal. How do you stumble into a thing like that?

[dinosize]

'Stumble' is the right word. We followed something that was probably a hoax. It wasn't, as it turned out.

[notsoneedy]

I guess that does tend to be usually the way.

[dinosize]

I knew when I saw the fence. Big security fence, ripped right up.

[notsoneedy]

Whoa. So what did you do? I think most people would've run the other way. That's how monster movies start.

[dinosize]

I went to track it down.

All fairness - there probably aren't many people more suited to taking down a big animal than me. Not in the forest of Dean.

[notsoneedy]

Really? [And just like that, she's going from impressed to skeptical, unable to stop from rolling her eyes. (Teenagers, man.)] I know you're practically Steve Irwin minus the getting sting-ray-impaled and all, but...no one more suited to taking down a big animal than you?

[dinosize]

Around the London area? Of course, London is well known as a center of hunting and tracking.

And I didn't say none. I said not many.

[notsoneedy]

It must be a rare specialty. Tracking big English shit.

[dinosize]

I'm actually quite multitalented. I can diversify into African shit, or even Chinese shit.

[notsoneedy]

Oooo, wow. Mister Diversity. Now I'm really impressed.

[dinosize]

Even Australian.

I really wasn't afraid, though. Cautious, sure. But curious, too.

[notsoneedy]

Sure. That makes sense, if you're used to that sort of thing.

Did it ever start to scare you?

[dinosize]

There was plenty of adrenaline.

[notsoneedy]

So that would be a 'yes'. Only you're trying be all butch about it.

[dinosize]

It's just never stopped me, that's all.

[notsoneedy]

Well they say being brave isn't not being scared ever, right? It's being afraid and then getting stuff done anyway.

[dinosize]

I don't know. I don't think it's the same.

[ After all, there are things that have scared him off for years. With wild animals, he can just step up and do what needs to be done. With matters involving, say, Helen, he would rather stay silent for eight years. ]

[notsoneedy]

Nature doesn't scare you? Well, then. I think that means my next question would be, what does?