Anonymous 2004

In an alternate timeline, dinosaurs have survived the KT Extinction Event and evolved into humanoid beings who live among humans, using hard light holographic disguises to blend in. Vincent Rubio is a Velociraptor private investigator, partnered with Ernie Watson, a Triceratops. When Ernie’s ex-girlfriend’s brother is discovered dead, the case is dismissed as suicide, but she trusts Ernie enough to seek his help—“for free,” a detail that Vincent quietly notes. At the crime scene, Vincent detects the faint scent of another dinosaur lingering on the windowsill, a clue that the apparent suicide may conceal a human-or-dinosaur conflict rather than a simple tragedy.

At the funeral, a man wearing a strange suit approaches and reveals himself to be part of a fringe group called The Voice of Progress. He pretends to share their ideals and manages to get Vincent and Ernie invited to a later gathering. During the service, Vincent catches the same scent once more, this time emanating from the victim’s bedroom, signaling that the killer may still be close at hand and perhaps still in the room with them.

The duo attends the cult’s meeting, where they learn about the group’s beliefs and history. The Voice of Progress is revealed to be both the title of their enigmatic leader and the name of a growing collective of dinosaurs who argue that the prolonged use of disguises has stripped their species of its true identity. They insist that humans have helped condition dinosaurs to see themselves as monsters while painting humans as the normal, accepted beings. Ernie appears more indifferent to the cult’s philosophical stance, but Vincent is deeply affected, feeling a pull toward what such an awakening might mean for their place in the world.

As the investigation deepens, Vincent and Ernie uncover a chilling plan that could ignite a full-blown revolution: a faction within the cult intends to transform members into feral, violent dinosaurs and unleash them on humanity. The resulting conflict would force both sides to confront one another openly, providing an explosive moment for dinosaurs to reveal themselves to the world. While Vincent feels a measure of sympathy for the cult’s longing to reclaim their dignity, he rejects the notion of a violent uprising, understanding that a reckless revolution could spell disaster for everyone involved. He is left wrestling with where his loyalties truly lie and what risks he is willing to take to prevent catastrophe.

The case grows beyond a single murder and becomes a meditation on identity, visibility, and the ethical boundaries of resistance. The story threads together the tension between hiding in plain sight and demanding a place in the open, all while asking whether a revolution born from grievance can ever truly heal the wound it aims to redress. As Vincent experiments with trust, suspicion, and his own sense of justice, the line between ally and threat blurs, leaving him to navigate a maze of motives, betrayals, and a looming crisis that could redefine what it means for dinosaurs to live among humans.