A Living Target

I was checking the alignment of dinosaur three's paperclip antenna when a brown beetle crawled directly across our newly cleared trench. A wild invader in our sector. I did not crush it. A science squad needs field tests, not mindless destruction. I lowered my snout and guided the beetle with gentle nudges, herding it right toward dinosaur one. The bug bumped the screw spine, and the brass pin clicked sharply. Then I steered it past the big one's blue marble base; the binder clip jaws loomed overhead, and the beetle scurried sideways in panic before scuttling into the roots. My dinosaurs held their defensive ground. The live drill is a complete success.