"I am seriously beginning to believe that humans deserve extinction"

It was rare for Jocelyne to lose control like that, but she couldn't help herself sometimes. She knew that getting humans and dinosaurs to get along would not be an easy task, and that it would surely be much more difficult than what she had already faced in Beleriard. However, sometimes human stupidity really made her exasperate.

The reports she received daily from the reforestation work sites weren't flattering. Seriously, were people really so stupid that they didn't even try to talk to those they had finally made peace with, and who were helping them out of famine and economic crisis? Maybe it was her fault since she was too much of a trade mentality, but from her point of view it was stupid to hold a grudge against someone. Yesterday's opponent could have been an excellent ally tomorrow. But apparently she was the only one who thought so.

"Miss Jersey, don't do that. We knew it would be difficult"

Jocelyne barely looked up. Lying not far from her was Al, who was looking at her with one eye half open. Since the allosaurus had to come to the human world and she was the head of state, the two of them had decided that they would stay in the same embassy; after all, the building was large enough to allow a two-ton dinosaur to move around inside, albeit with a lot of effort.

Jocelyne rubbed her temples. "I know, but it's still frustrating. At this rate it will take decades before we reach the ideal of coexistence that we hope to achieve"

"It's not for sure. Even in Beleriard, at the beginning, it seemed impossible, yet look how close we have come in just three years"

"Yes, but in Beleriard there were many people who had a lot of salt and tried to get close to the dinosaurs, get to know them, or even just try to get information about them. Thanks to those seeds we were able to obtain great fruits. But people refuse to cooperate"

"Not everybody. There is someone that cooperate"

Jocelyne knew what Al was referring to. Recently, a video went viral on the web. Apparently, someone had dared to defend a dinosaur from other humans, and obviously they had caught him doing so. The title 'the defender of peace' was now one of the most clicked on YouTube.

"It does not matter. A single person makes no difference" Jocelyne grumbled.

"You should be less pessimistic. Maybe just one would make no difference if it were about my people" Al replied. "But in the case of your people, what a single person does can affect millions of people. You humans are always connected to each other thanks to your powerful communication devices. If only one person with enough charisma does something, even if it's something stupid, all the others follow suit"

"So, in your opinion, will the simple fact that this 'Owen Grady' beat about twenty people and scold them for being retrograde will stir people up?"

"You humans may be intelligent, but remain animals like us. And all animals appreciate strong individuals. As a result, many are likely to be enthralled by him. We just have to give this little seed time to sprout and bear fruit"

"I wish I had your optimism"

"It wouldn't hurt you"

***********

Al's words turned out to be true, at least initially. Owen's video had a pretty big ripple effect.

Humanity was not only made up of retrograde imbeciles addicted to incest; there were also people intelligent enough to understand that the old world was now over and that instead of being anchored to wrong beliefs it was more convenient to try to adapt. However, as was often the case in these cases, such people avoided expressing their opinion. Seeing that the rest of the world population continued to despise the dinosaurs, they preferred to avoid trouble and ignore it.

However, as soon as Owen's video went viral, things changed. As Al had said, humans loved strong figures. And Owen, after beating up about twenty thugs, had surely become a strong figure. As a result, many had made him their model of inspiration, had gathered courage and, within a few days, had finally ignored everyone else and had begun to approach dinosaurs.

Obviously, the dinosaurs had been more than happy with it and went out of their way to be kind, unselfish, and cooperative. By joining forces with humans, they were able to speed up their part of the work, earning some admiration even from those who preferred to keep their distance.

Unfortunately, that change was not well received by everyone. Troublemakers like Hawkes were everywhere, and not everyone was as strong as Owen. However, Old Li, having noticed the favorable situation, had made sure that some dinosaurs were always next to the humans in their favor, so that the thugs would avoid creating fights. Even the governments did not hesitate to make themselves heard: even if not in a too invasive way not to disturb them, they had deployed many plainclothes policemen to defend those people.

This had helped to maintain a calm, albeit very tense situation, which became very evident during meals: by now, the dinosaurs had started eating with friendly humans, while hostile humans ate at the farthest point from all of them. . The neutrals, who made up the majority of the population, were between the two sides, avoiding disturbing either side.

However, those simple gestures of friendship had been enough to set off a chain reaction. Seeing how kind the dinosaurs were and how much easier working with them was, many of the 'neutrals' had begun to reconsider their position. Every day, at least three more people in each reforestation labor camp tried to get close to the dinosaurs.

Although the situation was still very unstable, those seeds that Jocelyne hoped to obtain had already been planted. Both the dinosaurs and the governments would have had to be very careful to make sure they took root well, but once that was done, they would grow up and bear fruit. Maybe it would have taken some time, but they would have succeeded.

Since both propaganda and governments advocated coexistence with dinosaurs, the Internet algorithm in the Eden Union countries promoted videos, photos and news of humans cooperating amicably with dinosaurs. In the modern era, where anyone had the opportunity to take something back and post it on a social network, it was enough to make a small gesture in public and immediately millions of people learned about it. After Owen's video, dozens and dozens of others appeared on the web, improving even more the sensitivity of the population towards dinosaurs.

Some of the dinosaur scorners had tried to use the same method to show dinosaurs as dangerous, but they underestimated their opponents. Sobek had foreseen that possibility and for this he had sent into the human world only the most resistant dinosaurs, those who did not bat an eye in the face of threats or insults. Also, the dinosaurs knew they were constantly being filmed. Therefore, when humans came to bother them, they still continued to behave in a calm and kind manner. Consequently, when these events were filmed, the videos obtained and posted on the web only showed idiotic humans behaving very rude towards a creature who had done nothing to them. And in doing so the rest of the population could only feel indignant, isolating those people even more and getting closer to the dinosaurs.

It was a chain reaction that could no longer be stopped.

Owen knew all of this. He had found out the day after his 'show', when a very amused Barry came to tease him by showing him that he had gone viral on the web. Owen just threw a punch at him and ignored the uncomfortable situation. Even though he had made many enemies now, he had continued to behave as he had always done. However, he was the only one who preferred to forget about that episode. His fellow workers now looked at him very differently, some with contempt, some with admiration, some even with curiosity. Barry never stopped making fun of him and Franklin and Aunt somehow always brought up that topic. And even people outside the workplace were starting to annoy him.

"What an unexpected surprise. The president of the MCD who comes to see me"

Owen sat quietly in the trailer where he lived watching his guest: a woman with blond / brown hair, pink skin and a completely white dress. "Please be less sarcastic, Mr. Grady" he said.

"I was not sarcastic. It's a surprise for me to see you here"

"He should have expected it, after what he did"

"I'm not famous for my wit. Enlighten me, now: why are you here, Miss Dearing?"

Claire sighed. She had known several men in her life, but that Owen Grady was truly a unique specimen. "After his gesture, the relationship between humans and dinosaurs has improved a lot. Obviously, we are not talking about large numbers, but even a tiny rapprochement between our two peoples is a victory for our cause"

"Your cause. I'm just here to work" Owen replied. "So, where do you want to go?"

"It seems obvious to me. By now, you have become an inspiring figure for many people. If you joined the MCD, this would help a lot..."

"I refuse"

Claire raised an eyebrow. "Let me finish. I understand that you don't care much about our cause, but I can guarantee you that it would only be beneficial to you. We would give you a good salary and entrust you with more tasks..."

"I'm still not interested"

Claire tried her best to stay calm and keep smiling, but still a vein on her forehead started to throb. "Please help me, Mr. Grady. Why are you refusing?"

"I have my reasons"

"And you don't want to share with me which ones?"

Owen uncorked a beer and began to drink casually. Claire was tempted to grab it and smash it in his head. "Well, I don't like having trouble in the first place. I prefer a quiet life, like the one I have now" Owen replied. "And then, if I entered the MCD I would just bring the situation back to how it was before"

Claire wasn't expecting that answer. "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious? People like heroes, selfless and selfless ones. Those who act because they are driven by honor and love of neighbor. That is why the efforts of you at the MCD are so little fruitful" Owen explained. "When you take action, people know very well that you are doing it for a profit. Whether it's an ideal or something else, it doesn't matter. Be that as it may, they know that you are not completely altruistic. On the contrary, me and all the other people in the videos that are currently shooting on the web perform genuine actions, without even knowing they are being filmed. And people like it. Even if that's not true, they create a myth about those figures they see and idealize them. If I joined the MCD now, my myth would collapse, as people would start thinking that I too had personal gain. And with my myth, the little cohesion that has been created in the last few days would also collapse. That's the way people are, unfortunately. So, it is better for everyone that I remain the quiet guy who lives in a trailer and who has no ties to governments or agencies or anyone else"

Claire barely restrained herself from opening her mouth wide. She had expected everything, except that this crude, virile and seemingly selfish man was capable of such deep and complex thinking. And in a way, now that she had talked about it, she felt she was right. Perhaps, Claire thought, she hadn't calculated human nature as well as she had thought. "Mr. Grady, for someone who doesn't believe in our cause, you seem to care that dinosaurs and humans learn to live together"

"That's simple common sense, which sadly many people lack" Owen grumbled. "The world is changing and only idiots are blind enough not to notice it. When I reach seventy, it is very likely that humans and dinosaurs will live together. But at the moment, we are sitting on a powder keg. I want to live a quiet life, and in today's times living a quiet life means limiting the tensions between humans and dinosaurs as much as possible. If that means using my image to inspire people, that's okay, I don't care. In any case, in less than a month everyone will have already forgotten about it and no one will bother me further"

Claire smiled. "I understand" she said standing up. "If this is your decision, then I take it out of the way. Anyway, I'll leave you my number" and she handed him her business card. "If you change your mind in the future, all you have to do is call me"

"I seriously doubt I'll do it, but thank you" Owen said taking the card, then gently opening the door for the lady.

Claire went out and quickly walked towards her car, but before leaving she turned one last time to observe the man. She had to admit that she had fascinated her. Behind that mountain of muscles and crudeness, she felt that there was also a great heart and a (almost) functioning brain. "Who knows... if he won't call me, I could call him myself" she thought with a smile before starting the engine.