The Rex Project: Part II

The Rex Project: Part II, is a novella written by John Pitchardson Rex and published in 962 ACA, shortly after Rex's readmittance as CEO of the Gen II Corporation. The story centres around the true story of the events of the 960 ACA Malkkengarun Incident. While John is credited as the main writer of the novel, it also contains numerous perspectives of the Malkkengarun Incident, including those of Tara Sauranis, Joseph Bobington X, Malsiadae Kordonus & Pablito Elquagero. The book welcomes many new characters (much of whom pass over the course of the novella), with most of the original characters from The Rex Project returning for the sequel, with the notable exception of Joseph Bobington IX (who passed away before the events of the book) & Raptor Amenruta. The book's production was tumultuous, with many lawsuits attempting to prevent the book from being published.

Alongside Part I, The Rex Project: Part II - Definitive Edition was released in 983 ACA. This edition of the book contained never-before-seen maps of the island the book takes place on, as well as an additional introduction, prologue & epilogue which tease the next generation of the book franchise.

Plot Synopsis
The story begins in the Gen II boardroom in Lhûmar, where new CEO Garend Blue details an event on a previously unmentioned location, where 'an Aurlunoren family on an ocean cruise stumbled upon Site B '. Garend receives permission to push ahead with his operations of moving dinosaur assets from the island to a facility on the mainland a month early by pressuring the board members with lawsuit rumours. He also details Gen II's losses as a result of the 945 Macmar Island Incident, including lawsuits & damages.

At around the same time, Tara Sauranis writes a letter to one of her associates, Chancellor Mao Meili, where she requests confidential travel to the island and a caretaker to take care of her pets during her journey alone to the Malkkengarun. Mal Kordonus writes a diary, where they comment to 'be careful what you wish for '.

The following morning Mal travels to Shui Manor, John Pitchardson Rex's residence, where he gives an exposé on Site B's background and what happened to it, as well as what occurred between Part I and that point. Rex accidentally reveals that Tara journeyed to the island alone instead of with the rest of the group, which comprised of the Macmar survivors (except from Raptor & Bobington) as well as Eman Rowell, a mechanic & tech expert. This compels Mal to start the expedition ASAP as opposed to 3 days later, travelling to Eman's garage to inspect the equipment & reveal that they were leaving within the hour to head to the dock in Hloamar.

The rest of the team assemble at the dock in Hloamar, where they are greeted by a fisherman (Korda) who only speaks native tongue. After a short conversation & exchange of money, the team board the vessel & set off for Site B. On board the boat, Mal soon figures out that they have no idea how the technology in their research vehicles work, and how incredibly simple Eman makes it look. Korda gets into an argument with Rex as he does not want to take his ship too close to the island as there have been many rumours that those who do never return. Despite this, the vehicles are unloaded at the shore and make the journey along the shoreline to the dedicated spot on the plateaus in the deep northeast of the island. There the trailers and Land Cruisers are left close to the edge of the cliff, as they head inland on foot to find Tara.

Not very far from camp, Pablito locates Tara's equipment, which was left in the middle of the creek. Heading further downstream, Eman stumbles upon a herd of migrating Petavrosaurs who are approaching their nesting grounds nearby. Out of the corner of his eye, Rex notices Tara moving through the trees, and she emerges from the treeline confused. Greeting the group, Mal confronts her about the state of her equipment. After being offered food by Pablito, she takes Rex's camera equipment to take some more photos of the Petavrosaurs downstream. She gets too close & sends the herd into a stampede, with Tara narrowly avoiding being trampled. On the way back to camp, the group discuss the images they caught of the herd as Tara & Mal argue about Tara's near-death experience as Mal tries to erode the façade of safety amongst the group's collective conscience. This continues until they reach camp, in which Rex tried to calm the two of them down, only to be rebutted by Mal. The argument is cut short by the sound of airships as a large Gen II convoy flies past them towards the game trail.

The group travel to a rocky outcrop overlooking the game trail, where they witness Gen II begin their extraction operations. Garend greets Joseph Bobington X (the son of Bobington from the previous book) and gives him his task: to retrieve all viable embryos from the Gen II Embryonics Administration in the southeast of the island. It is established that the entire Site B Compound runs on geothermal power, meaning there is a possibility that the embryo chambers may still be active after up to 15 years of abandonment. A large horde of Land Cruisers emerges from the treeline shortly afterwards, systematically cornering & sedating dinosaur specimens along the game trail. Eman & Spyral film the whole thing from above as evidence of Gen II exploiting the island for its resources. Garend gives orders to begin constructing their camp just south of the game trail, and when night falls Rex's team travel to it to witness it in full operation. Pablito & Spyral decide to sabotage the camp, with the rest of the team returning to camp. The pair release the dinosaurs from captivity, letting them run wild in the camp. Amidst the chaos, Pablito steals an Andisaur blood vial and returns to camp with Spyral.

Back at camp, Tara gives Mal the radio handbook. After trying to contact Korda on the mainland, Pablito returns to the trailers, with Spyral taking Rex's place in field testing. Pablito reveals he took blood vials from the Gen II camp and this sends Rex into a frenzy. After a brief scuffle the Andisaurus reveals itself outside the trailers. Mal fires the blood vial away from the trailer, and it appears that the Andisaurus followed the vial, until Mal sees it hurtling towards the trailer. It knocks the trailers upside down and begins pushes them over the cliff, with Mal falling unconscious. Pablito is left trapped in the first trailer, with Mal, Tara & Rex stuck hanging over the cliff in the second trailer.

Eman & Spyral travel to the camp after they fail to raise the trailer's radio. They discover the trailers slowly sliding over the cliff and Pablito securing a rope so that Mal, Tara & Rex can climb out of the trailers. Eman attaches a steel cable to the front of the trailer & secures it to his Land Cruiser and stops the trailers from sliding over the cliff. However, the accordion connector that hold the trailers together begins to tear, and just as Rex climbs into the first trailer the connector snaps, sending the second trailer cascading down the side of the cliff, eventually crumpling like a tin can when it hits the bottom. After a brief celebration, the Gen II team find them in a huddle in front of the first trailer. Examining what equipment they have left, the two teams realise they have to work together to get off the island alive, and begin the trek towards the old operations compound. Mal is administered morphine for his injuries and general pains. At a creek the next day, Rex begins to have an existential crisis, and Tara exchanges a conversation with Garend's assistant Muinon Gilmore.

Bobington wakes up in his Land Cruiser outside the Embryonics Administration, walking inside the compound and inspecting the abandoned laboratory. After loading a collection of DNA samples, he is ambushed by Aeroraptors who chase him through the compound, eventually catching up to him & devouring him alive. As a rainstorm sets in over the island, Garend divides the survivors into five groups to ensure their collective survival. Tara & Gilmore exchange dialogue about themselves, and Tara realises that she might be being lied to, and that Gilmore's intentions are more foggy than they might seem. Pablito finally opens up to Rex about a mysterious entity that was on the island when he visited 12 years prior. The team find out that Gen II wants Pablito to investigate the Aviary, which causes suspicion among the team as according to Rex  'we never put anything in there'.

The group splits up following one final exchange between Rex & Pablito, with Pablito departing to the Aviary with the mercenaries & Gilmore departing with a smaller team to the South Dock. The rest of the team attempt to cross the Long Grass. Quiet at first, however it quickly becomes apparent that something is not right. The body of Bobington is discovered by Eman in the grass, and Rex concludes that the Aeroraptor's territory covers a much larger area, including the Long Grass. Eman notices the raptors approaching quietly through the grass, although it is too late. The raptors spring an attack on the mercenaries & Garend on the other side of the field as Mal orders the others to run for the trees. Eman separates from the group to assist any surviving mercenaries in the field, however is picked off and killed shortly afterwards by the raptors. Now separated from the other teams, and Rex suffering a major back injury, Mal & Tara run ahead of the rest of the Survivors to the Embryonics Administration, where they discover Bobington's vehicle and, just beyond it, a raptor watching them from the bushes. Attempting to walk away slowly, Rex & Spyral's arrival triggers the raptor's attack, with the Survivors being chased through the Embryonics Administration, until they are pinned down attempting to make for the treeline. The Andisaurus interrupts them, causing the raptor's attention to be diverted and allowing for the Survivors to escape during the ensuing fight.

Reaching the Geothermal Power Plant, power is reactivated. Down in the Worker Village, Gilmore's team calls the Gen II collection attaché stationed offshore, placing a secret second order to destroy the Aviary & Aquatic Facilities. In the Operations Building, Gilmore finds a small mysterious glowing musk on the wall that is sampled and taken with them on their journey to the South Dock. Pablito discovers that the mercenaries he is travelling with intend on destroying the Aviary, and before he can stop anything he is coerced into acting as a test dummy for the rusty walking structures. Making it across a cloudy bridge successfully, the mercenary to follow him is ambushed by a Geosternbergia, and amidst the chaos one of the detonation devices goes off, causing the walkway structure to collapse and sending the team & Pablito falling into the river below. As the mercenaries are picked off, Pablito escapes out of the cage door, meeting the rest of the Survivors team outside and escaping, leaving the status of the Aviary and the Geosternbergia unknown.

On their way to meet Gilmore at the South Dock, the Survivors witness the first Gen II airships arriving, illuminating the sky with floodlights. The Aquatic Facility is destroyed before them in a large fireball as the full scale of Gen II's plan becomes apparent. With the rest of his team killed in the Long Grass, lost and alone, Garend arrives at the Worker Village attempting to find Gilmore. However, he realises quickly he is being watched by a large biped in the bushes near the Operations Building, and attempts to hide behind the vehicles left abandoned in the Worker Village ae fruitless. Garend is hunted down and torn apart by a pair of Manothronax in the vehicle bay just north of the Worker Village. Gilmore, with Garend still 'missing' and nobody else left to manage the evacuation, takes control and orders for any and all remaining samples and blood vials to be taken back to the mainland quietly. The Survivors' boat arrives outside the South Dock in time for the group to be collected by an airship, which takes them off-island as they watch Gen II make away with a large amount of contraband. Mal reveals a small case of bullets taken from Garend's gun, revealing that he had disarmed his weapon and hence prevented him from taking any dead specimens home, and as a result indirectly leading to his demise.

The following month, the recovered photos from the Malkkengarun Incident are revealed to the public, bringing the full scale of the Rex Project into the eyes of the press and government elites. Rex regains control of Gen II and commits to a non-intervention policy on Site B, believing that humanity benefits from acting in a world separate from the dinosaurs, and that if humanity steps aside and trusts in nature, life will find its own way.