Chapter Text
It goes without saying that all six of the former Camp Cretaceous campers miss home like crazy. Yaz may be the most vocal about it, but they’re all about one more messed up incident away from having nervous breakdowns. No matter how cool Brooklynn plays it, she is no exception. She misses her coffee maker. She misses London. She misses people.
She misses her dads.
Besides the five who have survived with her for six months, her parents are her best friends. She hung out with them whenever she was home- no friends to speak of since she doesn’t attend school and she travels around a lot. Spending weekends chilling on the couch, fixing things in the garage, going to plays and concerts, taking drives up north- all of these are treasured memories. She plans on doing all that again when she reunites with them.
She can’t imagine the grief they went through, thinking she’s been dead for six months. They really need to get home as soon as possible.
One problem: Kash- The freak with anger issues Mae works for. He’s been messing with the dinosaurs’ food and causing them to become just as aggro as him. When Mae went to confront him, he attacked her and now she’s out of commission.
At one point they snuck in the compound to stop him, and they discovered he had a phone. Brooklynn was so close to grabbing his phone- God, she misses her phone. Anyway, the guy freaked and started smashing things, making her lose her chance of getting the thing so they could call for help. To make matters worse, the guy is apparently using the Mantah Corp drones and BRADs to get the dinosaurs to fight each other.
Darius, bless him, seemed determined to stop Kash alone, but they were all (except maybe Yaz who has been green around the gills as of late) on board with helping him stop the guy.
She had ‘destroy the drones’ duty with Kenji, who she's gotten way closer to lately. When they had their little hang out sesh on the way to Costa Rica, things seemed to have clicked between them and they’ve since hung out a lot more. She still hangs around everyone else, but for some reason, they're always near each other lately. Through their newfound proximity, she’s begun to really see Kenji beyond her initial negative impression of him, and sees that there is so much more beyond the self-loving rich kid. For one, he’s very thoughtful, always trying to cheer you up if you’re down. He’s fiercely loyal, always putting himself in harm's way to protect others. He’s funny, but no one will ever tell him that or he’ll become obnoxious. There’s a sadness to him, one that she’s yet to crack, but she feels she’s getting close.
She’ll never admit this out loud, but he really reminds her of her Papa. It’s uncanny, really, and she can’t believe it took her so long to see it.
His height, his sense of humor, his scraggly facial hair, and everything she already mentioned; It all reminds her of him. This revelation came about the day she and Kenji were trapped in the rock labyrinth. They've talked a good deal before, but she never really paid attention to how the other talks. When they were alone down there, navigating and moving rocks to escape, he said something and laughed in that dopey way he does. Suddenly, she was back in London, listening to her dads tell each other dumb jokes. It made her pay attention to him more and, once again, everything 'clicked.'
She may have become a bit attached to him because of it.
If Brooklynn is honest, it's kind of embarrassing to think of Kenji this way. The guy is only two years older than her, but in her mind, he’s become a kind of surrogate for her Pop. Like, a big bro or something, y'know? Since that day, she’s been seeking his company as often as she can, taking comfort in the vague familiarity.
Maybe that’s why Yaz was trying so hard to get her attention the other day? She felt left out since Brooklynn has been hanging out with Kenji so much? The other girl never gave her an explanation for her antics, and that doesn’t sound so far fetched. Heck, maybe that’s why Ben has been weird around her, too? And Darius? Everyone but Sammy has been different around her and she couldn’t figure out why. Does it all really stem from her hanging around Kenji more?
Huh.
Truth be told, Brooklynn doesn’t think she can stop herself from trying to be around him. Things have been crazy- hell, just today she was in a tree, beating drones to save some dinosaurs- and frankly, Kenji is one of the few bright spots in this whole mess. So sue her if she wants to hang out with her friend.
She just hopes this doesn’t put a strain on anything.
--
Darius is stuck with Kash, his plan apparently failing, and it takes everything in Brooklynn’s being not to run in there and try to rescue him herself. If something were to happen to him, she doesn’t know what she’d do. But, if she knows Darius, he's keeping his cool and doing what he can. The fact that Big Eaty and Pierce didn’t kill each other tells her that Darius has that guy under control for now.
Now, if only that didn’t default her to becoming temporary leader/plan guy.
The remaining five of them caught Mae up to speed and came to the conclusion that Kash is way too dangerous to leave Darius with. Mae tells them an easy way to the lower levels is with a feeding platform and the next one scheduled for use is the desert one.
Then they all turned to her, Brooklynn, for a plan.
It suddenly occurs to her how messed up it is that the other four look to her and Darius for guidance and leadership when they’re all older than them. To be fair, Darius is the most knowledgeable about dinosaurs and has a mind for these things, and Brooklynn’s various life experiences as a vlogger have come in handy on more than one occasion.
Still, it’s messed up.
Anyway, not wanting to let these guys down, she takes charge and leads them back to the place this whole mess began in.
“It’s messed up.” She says under her breath as they run through the jungle biome to get out, still not over it.
“What is?” Kenji says as he jogs next to her.
“Huh? Oh. Uh, why is everyone waiting on me to call the shots?”
Without missing a beat, Kenji smirks, then replies, “Because I can’t be the leader and the heartthrob. It’s just not fair to everyone else.” If she didn’t think it would make it harder to run, she’d laugh at that.
Her Pop has a bit of a narcissistic streak, too.
She remembers a time they went to Brighton, just the two of them since her Dad was in Paris for work, and rode all the rides on the boardwalk till they thought they’d puke. When the sun was setting, her Pop had her take photos of him to send to her Dad.
“Make sure to get my good side. Wait," He held his hand up dramatically, "all my sides are good sides.” He then flexed his arms a bit, making her laugh. After a few exaggerated poses, he pulls her next to him.
“C’mon Lynn, get in here. Gotta get those family selfies. Bet your Dad is miserable without us.” She huddled next to him and took the cheesiest selfies, followed by covering them with obscene amounts of stickers before sending the batch to her Dad. His reply was a million heart emojis.
A soft cough breaks her of her reminiscing. Suddenly she’s back in the jungle, running with her friends to save their other friend from some psycho.
“Why do I have to be the leader now? What if I make a bad call?”
“Oh trust me, you will.”
Well, damn. Thanks for nothing, Kenji.
“But you’ll also figure a way out of it. I trust ya. We all do.”
Huh.
Another memory surfaces. It was a few weeks before she left for Camp. Brooklynn was named a cultural ambassador (among a dozen others) and had to give a small speech at the Palace. Needless to say, she was freaking out and didn’t feel ready for such a thing.
That is, till her Papa pulled her aside.
“Look at you, my Princess, all dolled up.”
“I can’t do this.” She blurted out.
“Sure you can. You talk to millions of people on that channel of yours. There’s only a hundred or so out in that audience.”
“But I don’t see my viewers when I talk. I don't even live stream, I just film everything. Oh God, I’ve never been this stressed. What if I mess up?”
“Of course you will.”
“Huh? You think I’m going to mess up?”
“Yup.”
“This isn’t helping.” She begins to pace back and forth. He smiled fondly at her, then put a comforting hand on her shoulder, stopping her.
“I’m saying it’s normal if you mess up. You’re thirteen sweetie. Everyone out there knows that. Still, even if you mess up, I just know you’ll be able to bounce back and win them all over.”
There’s no lie or condescension in his eyes, and suddenly her worries seem a mile away. He’s always had that effect on her. Brooklynn’s shoulders relax and her panicked breathing evens out.
“Now come on. I gotta get back to your Dad before he comes looking for me.” He guides her with his hand still on her shoulder to the waiting area before leaving. Before he reaches the curtain that leads outside, she stops him.
“Pop?”
“Yeah, Lynn?”
“That was exactly what I needed to hear. Thanks.”
“Heh. You don’t have to sound so surprised.” The voice is not her Pop’s, but Kenji’s, and she’s once again back in the jungle. Brooklynn realizes she said that last part out loud.
She smiles at his words all the same.
Maybe this will work out.
--
Okay, so, no one told her there was a giant finned dinosaur in the desert now. They barely made it to the cavernous rocks to take refuge, but even then they weren’t safe. Toothy decided he’d take a stroll through there and almost got them as well.
And then the giant finned dinosaur got Toothy.
One less thing to worry about, she guesses.
Like Kenji said, things were going to go wrong until they didn’t.
Satiated, the dino left them alone, and they got to the feeding platform. But of course, things can’t go too according to plan. The platform wouldn’t ascend even though they got the hatch to open. Undeterred, and desperate to find Darius now that they’re so close, she jumped in.
Honestly Brooklynn thought she was going to break her leg or worse when she finally landed. Luckily, the sub-basement wasn’t too far down and she’s only in a little pain after the fall. They’ve fallen from higher and lived, after all.
Which isn’t at all comforting, but it is what it is.
The others followed her down here after a bit, only doing so after she called up and confirming she didn’t die from the fall. If she wasn’t so preoccupied with getting to Darius, she’d have taken more notice of the way Yaz and Sammy were holding hands on the way down.
As were Ben and Kenji.
Darius first, unboxing later, B.
Running through the empty passageways did little to calm Brooklynn’s nerves. Every hallway, every turn, every confusing sign looked the same, but they pressed on. She hoped it would lead her to Darius. She hoped she’d get there in time before something happened to him.
After what felt like hours, they found a large storage bay. Her instincts screamed at her that was where Darius was. After a few winding turns through miscellaneous boxes and cages, they came upon an elevator, ready to close. Just before the doors shut, out came Darius, who locked eyes with her immediately. They sprinted towards each other, both smiling widely.
When they finally embrace, she feels her momentum almost knock him down, but luckily the others grab hold of them and the six of them hug, reunited once more. She squeezes him tightly, never wanting to let go.
If it isn’t apparent yet, let Brooklynn spell it out for you. She… kinda has a thing for Darius. Since the day they almost died in the Gyrospheres all those months ago, she felt a sort of kinship with the boy. They were about as opposite as two people can be, but as she found out, they shared several qualities, one of which being a desire to fit in and have others like you. She doesn’t know if Darius shares her sentiment, but she figured if nothing else, they’d have each other.
From then, the feelings grew. It was innocuous at first, nothing more than friendship, but by the time Kenji was treating Darius harshly despite her being fine with what happened with Wu, she understood why she was so quick to take Darius’ side- why she was so gungho about patching things between the two boys. Of course, she knows they’re close as well and wanted them to make up, but her primary goal was making sure Darius wasn’t targeted anymore.
It worked out doubly well that, through her efforts, she got to know Kenji better as well.
When they separate, she finds Darius with the widest smile she’s ever seen him with. Brooklyn returns it.
The moment is lost when the elevator dings, signaling that Kash would be back any moment. They all hide behind some crates just in case.
“How’d you guys get down here?” Darius asks.
“Brooklynn.” Kenji supplies. “It was dicey for a minute, but she got us out of it.”
For maybe the hundredth time that day, Brooklynn smiles. Amazing, considering what crap they had to deal with today alone. She meets Darius’ eyes and sees the pride and (hopefully) affection behind his gaze.
Then she remembers what little time they have for this.
“What happened up there?”
“I was about to stop the fight, but the phone was right there.” He loses what happiness he was just feeling. “I’m sorry. I wanted to get us all home, but Kash caught me, and now we’re still stuck and the dinosaurs are hurt real bad and–”
“Darius.” Yaz interrupts. It’s the first time Brooklynn has seen her so calm, after having another episode in the jungle earlier.
“It’s okay. You did what you thought was right. But it’s like you said: we’re the only ones who can help the dinosaurs here. We have to stay” This surprises Brooklynn, considering what Yaz was saying the other day as she and Sammy were holding her. It doesn’t seem forced on the other girls' part, so hopefully that means Yaz has it together, at least for the time being.
Brooklynn doesn't miss the guilt and worry that plague Darius’ expression, even with that reassurance.
“On that note,” Brooklynn pipes up. “We should get out of here before psycho killer comes back.” She’s halfway up and ready to run the heck out of there when Darius puts a hand on her shoulder.
“Wait.” Why?? That freak is on his way down already.
“Kash is planning on using Mae’s language to control the dinosaurs.”
“What?? How?” Kenji pipes up.
“Don’t know, but it has something to do with these chips.” Darius goes silent and has a distant look in his eye. Brooklynn knows that look anywhere, and she already feels her stomach drop before Darius even opens his mouth again.
“Guys, I know it sounds nuts, but I think the only way to find out how to stop this is if–”
“You stay here.” Brooklynn finishes for him, almost absentmindedly. She knows this is something he’d do, but damn it, they just reunited. Now they’re going to separate again? She closes the distance between them, ready to tell him off, maybe even drag him with them if she has to, but his eyes find hers again and finds her protests die in her throat.
“Look, if I run now, he’ll hunt me down and find the rest of you.” Despite him saying this to all of them, he looks right at Brooklynn. “If I stay, if I’m on the inside then–”
“You can find a way to get us information.” She finishes for him, again. It finally clicks for her why the others expect them to call the shots. They both know what needs to be done and how to do it. And even though she hates this plan and is still restraining herself from dragging Darius out of there, she knows what he’s saying is right.
It’s still messed up, by the way. Yes, she’s still not over it.
Knowing he’d be undeterred from his plan, she looks to the others and fills them in on their role.
“Once we have the info, we can do whatever we can to undo Kash’s plans.” They all look at her, then Darius, in disbelief.
“It… makes sense.” Kenji says hesitantly. The taller teen is never one to question them, but the quiver in his voice doesn’t go unnoticed.
“It’s crazy! He tried to kill Mae! He’ll do the same to you.” shouts Ben.
It’s very subtle, but she notices the way Kenji’s hands seem to inch closer to Ben the second the other seemed upset. As it is, Kenji is looking right at Ben, his eyes sad.
Quit it, B. No time for this.
“He hasn’t tried to kill me yet.” Darius says plainly, as if he didn’t say something horrifying.
“No. Nope. No way. We stick together. No one gets left behind.” Yaz speaks up. Again, subtlety isn’t lost on her, because Brooklynn saw the way Yaz’s hand found Sammy’s as she said this.
What did I just say? Enough. Focus up.
“Guys? He’s coming back.” Sammy says, fear in her voice. “We have to decide, like, right now.” They all look at each other, searching for a solid plan to follow. Brooklynn was so confident about her and Darius’ plan, but now- after Ben and Yaz spoke up, insisting they make a break for it, she just doesn’t know anymore.
“I’m staying.”
Huh?
“Are- Are you sure?” She asks. Yaz and Ben stand up, ready to argue with him again, but Kenji and Sammy seem to hold them back. Brooklynn stands, putting herself right in front of Darius. Having spent so much time with him by now, she is able to tell what the different expressions on his face mean. The one she’s met with is determination and confidence, which she’s sure her own face doesn’t mirror. Still, behind those looks, she can see a sadness in his eyes. He’ll be alone with that psycho.
Without thinking, she embraces him again. He’s stunned for all of a second before he returns it.
“I’ll be back, B.”
“You better.”
As soon as they separate, he gives the others a quick smile before running over to the elevator, getting there just in time to welcome back Kash. She lingers for a moment, watching the two interact, and takes comfort in that Kash isn’t immediately trying to kill Darius.
“Brooklynn? C’mon, we gotta go!” Kenji yells from a bit aways, the others all having started their escape from the cargo hold.
She turns back in time to see Darius and Cash board the elevator again. She doesn’t miss the tiny wave of Darius’ hand before the doors close on them, separating them again.
“You better.” She repeats to herself.
