CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
TECH SUPPORT
Build-A-Dragon Support Chat Transcript.
Operator: Li-Huei Chang.
Date: May 17th.
System: We appreciate your patience. A support operator will be with you in one minute.
Charles Smith (trainee): Hello and thank you for contacting Reptilian Corporation. May I have your name, please?
Guest 1: Bill Middleton. I’m at the Mala Mala Game Reserve in South Africa.
Charles Smith (trainee): Good afternoon, Mr. Middleton. How can I help you today?
Guest 1: We’re having some trouble with the three dragons we bought for the park.
Charles Smith (trainee): What seems to be the problem?
Guest 1: We’ve advertised them as a sort of main attraction.
Charles Smith (trainee): Excellent choice, sir.
Guest 1: We thought so at first but turns out they’re extremely hard to find during daylight hours.
Charles Smith (trainee): That’s true of most predators, sir.
Guest 1: Well, the tours aren’t seeing them. We’ve fielded numerous complaints.
Charles Smith (trainee): If I understand your problem, sir, you’d like your dragons to be seen more by the park visitors?
Guest 1: Ideally, yeah.
Charles Smith (trainee): You must have other apex predators in the reserve as well, do you not?
Guest 1: Before the dragons arrived, most of our visitors came to see the lions.
Charles Smith (trainee): And how do you lure them out to be seen?
Guest 1: We used to tie a carcass on the back of a jeep and drive it past them. But that never works on the dragons.
Charles Smith (trainee): I’m afraid they do prefer live prey, generally speaking. But perhaps the lions could serve as your main attraction until you’re better able to study the dragons’ habits.
Guest 1: We don’t have any lions left. The dragons got ’em.
Charles Smith (trainee): I’m sorry, sir, do you mean to say that the dragons killed your resident lions?
Guest 1: That’s correct.
Charles Smith (trainee): Surely your lions were aged. And sickly, perhaps?
Guest 1: No, these were prime males and females. Four to seven years old.
Charles Smith (trainee): How many lions did you have in the pride, if I may ask?
Guest 1: Twelve.
Charles Smith (trainee): I’m finding it difficult to believe that three juvenile dragons took on a pack of mature lions.
Guest 1: Oh, they didn’t challenge the pack. That’d be suicide. They picked ’em off one at a time.
Charles Smith (trainee): I see.
Guest 1: The lions weren’t used to being hunted. They didn’t stand a chance.
Charles Smith (trainee): So sorry for the inconvenience, sir. And you’re sure it was the dragons behind these killings?
Guest 1: We never found the bodies, but Dr. Kandoth sure seemed to think so.
Charles Smith (trainee): I presume you’re referring to Dr. Gaurav Kandoth? Our records show he’s your chief zoologist.
Guest 1: Right. He was.
Charles Smith (trainee): Is he no longer with you?
Guest 1: He thought if he caught one of the dragons, it might draw the others out into the open. We never found his body, either.
Charles Smith (trainee): I’m sorry to hear that, sir.
Guest 1: Dr. Davis moved up to replace him. She was the assistant zoologist.
Charles Smith (trainee): Perhaps I could speak to her?
Guest 1: Well, one of the tours radioed that they saw a dragon and it looked injured, so she took a jeep out to investigate. The dragon must not have been hurt, because it mauled her pretty good.
Charles Smith (trainee): Oh, no!
Guest 1: Yep. Happened right in front of the tour group.
Charles Smith (trainee): Well, at least they got their money’s worth. So, who’s heading up the zoology team now?
Guest 1: I guess I am.
Charles Smith (trainee): Ah. So you’re a zoologist as well?
Guest 1: Eh, I’m kind of in a different branch.
Charles Smith (trainee): Wildlife biology?
Guest 1: Park security.
Charles Smith (trainee): You’re a security guard?
Guest 1: Not such a redundant job now, am I right?
Charles Smith (trainee): Bravo on the career choice, sir. So, there’s no one else with you?
Guest 1: The guides ran off. Everyone else is missing.
Charles Smith (trainee): Oh, my goodness. How did this happen?
Guest 1: One at a time, just like the lions. Those are some clever dragons you sold us.
Charles Smith (trainee): Very kind of you to say, Mr. Middleton. Would you mind staying put while I contact the South African authorities?
Guest 1: I’m not going anywhere!
Charles Smith (trainee): Sir, I’m pleased to report that four game wardens are en route to your location.
Guest 1: I hope that’s enough.
Charles Smith (trainee): To summarize, you had a problem getting your dragons to come out into the open, and it seems like we’ve solved that now. Thank you for choosing Reptilian Corporation.