Chapter Text
The image of the three quills in Sammy's belly filled Brooklyn's mind, causing her to feel sick and uneasy. These quills were poisonous, containing neurotoxins that could attack the body's nervous and circulatory systems. Thankfully, Yasmina arrived just in time to save Sammy from certain death.
Ben and Darius had also narrowly escaped a dangerous brawl between the Scorpios Rex and her own daughter, respectively dubbed Sheila and Sandy by Yasmina.
Brooklynn tried to shake off the disturbing image, but it lingered in her thoughts. As she looked up at the sky, she noticed dark and ominous clouds, indicating another approaching storm. It seemed like they couldn't catch a break. However, she found some solace in the fact that it would be morning during the storm this time.
Deep down, Brooklynn couldn't help but wonder what new challenge or tragedy awaited them during this thunderstorm. Their first encounter with Sheila had happened during a storm, and the arrival of Doctor Wu and his mercenaries had coincided with another storm. It was a pattern that filled her with unease.
The constant dinosaur attacks and the betrayal of adults had taken a toll on Brooklyn. She felt exhausted and worn out, both physically and emotionally.
Looking around the bridge, which was in disarray with wires and broken glass scattered about, Brooklynn felt the ocean breeze rustle through her hair. She couldn't help but wonder how her bun had managed to stay intact amidst all the chaos.
Yasmina and Sammy were peacefully sleeping next to each other, providing a small comfort in the midst of turmoil. Ben was keeping watch for any sign of land, while Darius and Kenji were nowhere to be found.
Brooklynn had noticed a significant change in Kenji's attitude since they rescued her from Hawkes. She wanted to ask him about it, but she sensed that now wasn't the right time to bring up whatever he was going through.
As if on cue, Brooklynn heard a commotion outside, and then she heard Kenji yell, "Why don't you put that little leadership brain of yours to better use and put the whole team first, for once!"
Brooklynn poked her head into the corridor, where Kenji was in Darius's face, jabbing a finger at him with contempt.
"Kenji!" Brooklynn barked at him. The older boy turned sharply, his eyebrows creased in rage.
"What are y'all doing?!"
"Darius wanted to pretend to be high and mighty while you get kidnapped and taken off the island."
"He did what I told him to do! Why is that a problem?"
"Because then I had to run and save you from those assholes!" Kenji jabbed his arm back toward the rear of the boat, signalling his emphasis on the mercenaries.
"Nobody asked you to do that!" Brooklynn shouted. "You jeopardized the mission he came up with to save me! That's all you've been doing since Indira escaped. Messing around while we carry all the weight. Even with Sheila and Sandy on the loose, you were just goofing off!"
"Brooklynn," Darius interjected, attempting to diffuse the escalating tension.
"No!" Brooklynn snapped, cutting him off. "I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I can't anymore. This is my team too, and I refuse to let any of us die because YOU refuse to take things seriously!"
"Brooklynn!" Darius commanded firmly. "That is enough!"
In that moment, the anger on Kenji's face dissipated, and his tall stature seemed to shrink under the weight of her words. With a heavy heart, he slowly lowered his head, and Brooklynn realized that she had been too harsh, even if her frustrations were valid.
As Kenji began to walk away towards the bridge, Brooklynn hurriedly ran after him, calling out his name.
"Wait, Kenji, I –" she started regretfully.
"No, it's okay," Kenji sighed sadly. "You're right. I am just a screw-up. That's all I ever was to my Dad. That's all I'll ever be to my friends. The only family I've ever had, and how many times did one of you almost die because of me?"
"I didn't mean it like that," Brooklynn pleaded, her voice filled with genuine concern.
"I know you didn't. At least not out loud," Kenji replied, his head bowed in shame. He then took control of the bridge, leaving Brooklynn feeling a mix of guilt and worry.
Once Kenji was occupied, Brooklynn returned to the corridor where Darius stood, his expression filled with a mix of anger and concern, directed in the direction she had just come from.
"Are you okay?" she asked.
Darius leaned his arms against the rail. "That was … unnecessarily harsh."
Brooklynn glanced back at the bridge. "I'm sorry. I … snapped."
"We can't be a team if we're divided like that. We'll need to give him some time to cool off. Besides, he might be right. Maybe I did put all of you in danger by letting you get taken. I'm so sorry, Brooklynn."
Brooklynn didn't have any words to comfort him. Darius walked toward the sleeping girls and flopped heavily into a seat, sighing sadly.
"If I can't keep you all safe, then what kind of leader am I?"
"You can't blame yourself for what Hawkes or Kenji chose to do," Brooklynn offered. "I'm the one who told you and Yaz to run."
"Yeah I can. It was my job to make sure everyone was safe."
"Darius, you have saved all of us, more times than I can count," Brooklynn chided him. "You're good at making decisions, you're good at strategies, you're good at bringing us together."
Darius opened his eyes, looking up into Brooklynn's.
"We need you, Darius. We need this team. None of us could have survived on our own for long." After a slight pause, she added, "Except Ben of the Jungle."
Darius finally cracked a smile.
"There we go, Dino-Nerd," Brooklynn cooed. "I miss that smile." She leaned in for a hug, and Darius wordlessly and gratefully accepted.
Brooklynn suddenly pulled away and pecked Darius's cheek with her lips. Darius, his heart racing, slowly reached up to touch the spot where she'd kissed him, his face burning. They giggled and hugged each other again.
Soon, they were asleep, her head resting heavily on his chest.
– –
Yasmina's heart pounded in her chest as she desperately tried to escape from Sheila, the Scorpios Rex. The snarling and growling sounds behind her only fueled her fear, and she could feel the hot breath of the creature on her back. With every passing second, she knew that her life was hanging by a thread.
Clutching a box full of antivenom tightly, Yasmina pushed herself to run faster. She was aware that Sheila could easily outpace her, but she couldn't afford to give up. The thought of her girlfriend's life depending on her actions motivated her to keep going, even in the face of imminent danger.
As Yasmina reached a tree, a surge of determination coursed through her veins. She knew that the island was filled with treacherous paths, but there were certain landmarks, like this tree, that served as checkpoints to prevent getting lost. Taking a quick moment to catch her breath, she made a split-second decision and changed direction, hoping to throw Sheila off her trail.
The Scorpios Rex collided head-first into the tree, causing leaves to rain down. Yasmina could hear her frustrated roar as she recovered and continued her relentless pursuit.
The sound of roaring rapids grew louder as Yasmina approached the river. She glanced over her shoulder, catching a glimpse of Sheila's dark figure before taking a daring leap into the air. For a brief moment, time seemed to stand still as Yasmina defied gravity, but reality quickly caught up with her. Bracing for impact, she landed with a jolt, feeling a sharp pain shoot through her left ankle.
Rolling several times, Yasmina finally came to a rest. As she sat up, she could feel the throbbing pain in her ankle. It was injured once again, hindering her movements. Determined not to let the pain defeat her, she gritted her teeth and focused on her girlfriend's need for the antivenom.
Summoning her strength, Yasmina scolded herself, urging her body to get up. She knew she couldn't afford to stay down for long. But just as she was gathering her resolve, a scratching sound caught her attention. Looking up in horror, she saw Sheila clinging to the tree, closing in on her.
Fear gripped Yasmina's heart, and tears welled up in her eyes. She desperately tried to crawl backward, attempting to create some distance between herself and the menacing creature.
Sheila landed next to Yasmina, shaking the ground with the impact and knocking Yasmina on her back. The monster then ripped her teeth into Yasmina's thigh, stealing her breath in a shriek of unimaginable pain. Still unsatisfied, she pressed a powerful, spindly foot on Yasmina's ribs. She felt several of them break instantly, and her scream cut short as all the air was crushed from her lungs. Sheila then sank her razor-sharp talon into her neck, a warm river of liquid flowing out, the literal lifeblood of her body and soul. Yasmina's life flashed before her eyes; winning her first race, Sammy's first hug, driving through a stampede. She was unable to breathe, unable to cry out for help. As her life faded away, Yasmina prayed Sammy would know how much she meant to her.
– –
She awoke screaming and thrashing. She felt her hands connect with something hard, and a girl's cry of pain broke her out of the nightmare.
Yasmina's eyes flew open, and she watched Sammy reel away from her, as Kenji and Ben ran towards them.
Brooklynn and Darius sat next to her, gripping each other frightfully. The light grey morning sky dumped torrential rain just outside the awning, and the sea rolled the yacht gently.
With several deep breaths, Yasmina allowed herself to relax. Sammy groaned, clutching her face.
Reaching over, Yasmina asked, "Are you okay?"
Sammy looked at her. Yasmina gasped at the blood pouring out of her nose.
"Oh my god, Sammy, I'm sorry!"
Brooklynn's head snapped to Kenji and Ben. "We, we need, uh, towels, and water!"
The two boys took off running wordlessly.
"I'm okay, guys, really," Sammy tried to say, before she choked on her own blood, spitting some out onto the deck. The sight made Yasmina gag.
"Yaz, what –" Brooklynn spoke up. She stopped herself, unsure of what to say. "Was that a –?"
"I don't wanna talk about it," Yasmina begged. "Please."
As Sammy's gaze moved from the vlogger to the runner, Yasmina bowed her head in shame.
Yasmina's heart jumped when she saw Brooklynn wiping away a tear. The pitiful sight brought tears to her own eyes.
Suddenly, turning to see the boys rushing back towards them, Brooklynn blurted out, "Do you guys need a minute?"
Yasmina and Sammy nodded vigorously.
Brooklynn leapt up and intercepted the boys, who relayed her the medical supplies.
"Do you mind if I, uh …" Sammy began. She stopped short, remembering Yasmina had just asked not to talk about it. Switching tactics, she instead finished with, "Tell you something funny?"
Yasmina shook her head slowly as Brooklynn silently deposited the medical supplies. With a sad, remorseful smile, Brooklynn glanced back at the two older girls, flashed the "I love you" sign, and then disappeared.
Sammy grabbed a paper towel and cracked open a water bottle, pouring some water on the towel before dabbing her bloody nose.
"So, my older brother Jose, he let me ride his Lime scooter once. And he told me to keep going straight, so I did. And I ended up running down the scooter's battery." She chuckled to herself. "Ended up 12 miles away from home, lost in my own city!"
Yasmina gave Sammy an incredulous, unamused look.
"Right, that sounded better in my head," Sammy said bashfully. "Plus, tha area around the Stemmons Freeway isn't a fun place for girls who are alone."
Yasmina blinked, dumbfounded, lost in the other girl's eyes.
"Uh … he also crashed a longboard down a hill at forty miles per hour!" Sammy chirped, rather forcefully. At this, Yasmina huffed softly.
"I appreciate what you're trying to do, but I don't think it's working," Yasmina said. "Besides, I didn't think the city of Dallas even had a hill."
"I know," Sammy sighed. "I just wanted to cheer you up. For the record though the longboard crash happened in a city called Spokane Valley. They have a lot of hills there. Jose came back from there with a road rash as long as his arm."
"Mm," Yasmina mumbled in restrained acknowledgement.
"Yaz, I … I can't imagine what you've been dreaming of is easy to deal with by yourself." She took a moment to cough up some more blood, making sure Yasmina couldn't see where it landed this time.
"If … you ever need a shoulder to cry on, I'm here," Sammy offered.
This gave Yasmina the courage to finally talk. She paused, took a deep breath.
"The Scorpios was chasing me. Sheila was chasing me. And … and this time, I … didn't make it out."
Sammy inhaled fearfully, suddenly adrift in flashes of her ordeal. She could hear Yasmina screaming her name, feel the soaked ground seeping into her senses. The sharp stabbing pain when the girls had ripped the quills out of her belly. Her body cold, so very cold ...
"And for some reason," Yasmina continued, "in my dream, she was just messing with me, running exactly the same speed as me until the river, and when I hurt myself again, she …" Suddenly Yasmina didn't have the strength to finish that thought.
"I'm so sorry," Sammy whispered.
Yasmina took several deep, shuddering breaths. "I told myself I needed to get to my girlfriend, but Sheila grabbed me when she realized I was too weak to keep going. I couldn't breathe, couldn't scream for help … I bled out."
"I … can't even imagine. That must have been terrifying."
"It's the same nightmare, over and over. Being hunted, being chased … being ripped apart. Some variation of that, with different dinosaurs each time. If it's not Sheila, it's Indira, if it's not her, it's Mariposa. And the worst part is, I wanted to run away, and I couldn't. And in my latest dream, I was too cowardly to face my death. I'm not even strong enough to accept defeat, even when it's pointless to resist."
"Yaz, you can't do that to yourself. You're the strongest person I know. And I know you would lay down your life for me or for any one of us."
"Just because I would, doesn't mean I want to die," Yasmina admitted. "I'm … I'm afraid to die."
As more tears rolled down Yasmina's face, Sammy decided to switch to a less grim topic.
"Who are all these names?" Sammy asked.
"Oh," Yasmina said, wiping her eyes and moving her hair behind her ear. "Indira's the Indominus. Sheila's the Scorpios Rex. And Mariposa's the Mosasaurus. Naming them makes it easier for me to talk about."
Sammy nodded slowly in understanding, but she was growing more intrigued by the mention of a girlfriend. "Who is this person you were trying to reach?"
Without thinking, Yasmina said, "It was you, you were dying, and I had the antivenom, and I was trying to save you! And I know it happened in real life too, but when Sheila was chasing me, that's all I kept thinking about. Getting to you so you could live. Even if I had died, one of the others would have heard my scream and ferried the antivenom back to you."
Sammy's eyes slowly widened, her breath shuddering.
Yasmina gasped. "Oh my god, no, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to trigger more bad memories –"
"No, not that," Sammy interrupted, before spitting up more blood. "You said you were trying to save me," she observed.
"Uh-huh."
"And … you said your girlfriend needs you."
Yasmina's breath hitched, and she cursed herself for how stupid she'd been.
"Yaz …" Sammy grinned. "Am – am I the girlfriend?"
Yasmina gulped, blinking hard as more tears fell. She nodded in embarrassment. Taking a deep breath, she continued to pour her heart out.
"You're the best friend I've ever had! We've been through more here than most adults do their entire lives! I've been feeling this way for a while, before you were hurt, and I wanted to tell you then!" The tears flowed freely now.
"But I was doubting myself, and I tried to push you away, and it was wrong because I –"
Her body quivering, Sammy leaned forward in anticipation, her face covered in tears as well.
"Because … I love you, Sammy. I love you, more than just as a friend and more than anything in the world, and I don't want to lose you again! I can't survive something like that again!"
Sammy and Yasmina broke down simultaneously, slamming into each other with a crushing, fulfilling hug.
"I love you too Yaz, more than you could ever know!" Sammy gushed. "You have no idea how long I've been wanting to hear you say it!"
Pulling apart slightly, they gazed into each other's eyes momentarily, wiped away each other's tears, and then slowly leaned in for their first kiss. As their eyes closed and their lips pressed together, the world around them exploded in color, nothing but the feel of their skin alerting them to reality.
They slowly pulled away, allowing each other to breathe.
A giddy smile formed on both girls' faces.
"I can't believe it took us this long," Yasmina said, wiping more tears away. Sammy laughed excitedly, and then pulled Yasmina in for another kiss.
Meanwhile, Darius and Brooklynn stood nearby, grinning widely as they shared a fist bump.
– –
Kenji watched as Yasmina and Sammy kissed each other. "About damn time," he muttered.
"Time to keep watching them, or time to talk?" Ben said from behind him, leaning against the console with his arms crossed.
Kenji took a few seconds to register Ben's presence, but when he did he slowly turned around like a zombie on a diet. "There is nothing to talk about," he insisted.
Ben crossed his arms, unconvinced. "Yet you still have something to say," Ben challenged softly.
"Why do I feel like I'm about to get interrogated? Are you upset at me too?"
"Depends. Say something first, and then I'll decide."
Kenji sighed, sitting cross-legged on the floor. Ben followed suit, waiting patiently for Kenji to talk.
"I … snapped at Darius. Because he put the team in danger again. With his constant plans that go awry, chaos and destruction following every event … Sammy almost dying …"
"Okay, that last one was on you," Ben interjected. "You were the one Darius asked to pack things while we had a break in the dino-struction. I get that you didn't mean for her to get hurt, but Darius was right, that one was all you."
Kenji found an interest in the ground, unable to meet Ben's eyes. He could feel the blue irises of the smaller boy burning into the side of his head. In his heart, he knew Ben was right. And the guilt he felt about Sammy's coma was eating at him. "I guess that's why I was so mad at him. Maybe I was projecting or something, but I just can't believe he'd say that and then do the same thing."
"That's hella different than a giant lab rat that disregards her own well-being to kill," Ben cut him off calmly. The way he did so was bothering Kenji, almost as if the calm was worse than straight yelling. "Humans have some ulterior motives. Sheila just wants to eat us. Darius had a really nice plan to deal with Team Henry, but it was derailed when you decided to temporarily defect." The end of Ben's statement was venomous.
"I was trying to save Brooklynn."
Ben slammed his hands down hard, the motion making Kenji jump. "You still defected!" Ben snapped. "Everything was going perfectly. We were gonna copy Wu's research, Brooklynn would stay with Wu and his guys and try to piss them off enough to release her, so that when we exchanged the device for her, we could give the police in Costa Rica the flash drive!"
"I don't understand what everyone is so upset about!" Kenji said in defense. "I helped get Brooklynn back, isn't that part of the plan?"
"It is, but it doesn't work if everybody has their own versions, of that plan! It's not like he gave her to them, she was captured! She forced Yaz and Darius to keep moving forward! That was her own decision, not Darius's. And if he has to take the fall for Brooklynn getting captured, then Yaz does too. But you didn't blow her off, did you?"
Ben sighed, forcing himself to calm down. "I heard what you said to Darius, a few minutes ago and just after we rescued Brooklynn. They were both uncalled for. I think you owe them both an apology."
Kenji looked up at him, his eyes filled with remorse.
"You don't have to do it right now. Whenever you're ready. And for what it's worth, I am sorry as well, for being so harsh."
Kenji sighed and shook his head. "No, you're right. I messed up. You and Darius are right, I should have taken my job more seriously. If I had, Sammy would have been okay."
"She is okay," Ben interrupted. "See? She and Yaz are happy."
"Yeah, she's okay, but she almost wasn't. I can't even tell you how … bad I feel about that."
"I know. You have a good heart, Kenji. You just need a little push sometimes. And I think you've come a long way from that little preppy, lazy, asshole kid with his own helicopter."
Kenji chuckled in embarrassment. "Technically, I do still have the helicopter," he said.
"Mm. Didn't help us much in the end though, am I right?"
He and Ben giggled softly, gazing into each other's eyes.
Kenji sighed heavily, looking forward in shame. "I just want you to know … how sorry I am for being such a jerk to you those first days. You're right, I'm an asshole. I've … never really known another way."
Ben smiled, but as he opened his mouth to speak, a growling sound cut his voice short.
Both boys' heads swiveled toward the source of the sound. For them, it was coming from below decks.
Kenji said, "What the –" before being cut off by another snarl and then a loud, shaking thud.
– –
Darius and the three girls jumped in fright at the sound.
"What the hell is that?" Yasmina hissed, frozen in place.
"Oh, I hope that's not what I think –" Sammy began. Before she could finish, the door to the sleeping quarters burst off its hinges, shaking the entire ship. The door flew toward Yasmina, who was looking right at it.
Sammy jumped in front of her at the last possible second, and the mahogany door slammed into Sammy's back, knocking her out instantly. Sammy and the door fell on top of Yasmina, who let out a yelp as Darius and Brooklynn dodged flying shrapnel.
Darius ran back towards Yasmina who was trapped under Sammy and the door, but a large, pitch-black hand slapped him, sending him flying end over end until he disappeared over the side.
Brooklynn slid to a stop, holding her arms out for Ben and Kenji, as a third Scorpios Rex, smaller than the others but equally enraged, screamed at them and then charged.
Yasmina came to at that moment, and in the sliver of light, she saw a massive, crooked foot of a new Scorpios. Gasping loudly, adrenaline surging anew, she shoved Sammy and the door off of her and stood up. Thinking quickly, she tied a convenient rope around a thirty-pound dumbbell, then tossed the dumbbell over the side, making sure it wouldn't move.
She heard Sammy yell, "Ben, get that knife!"
Next, she tied part of the rope around her waist, just tight enough to be effective but loose enough she could still move.
The Scorpios roared from somewhere above her. Sammy fell from the bridge, landing hard on her arm. Yasmina gasped as she heard the distinct snap. And then, Sammy's wail of agony nearly tore Yasmina apart.
– –
Kenji and Brooklynn had grabbed whatever sharp tools they could find in the box, swinging them at the monster and yelling their heads off. Getting big and loud increased their chances of survival. It seemed to work, as she was now standing in front of them, her muscles rippling, as she decided whether the effort was worth it.
The Scorpios Rex was far smaller than the others, the same size as a Velociraptor, so still basically a baby. An enraged, deadly baby, untrained in her movements but still seeing a meal in front of her. Her red eyes darted aimlessly, soaking in every detail, and her breathing was strained, shallow, like she was being partially strangled.
The dinosaur lunged forward, and Brooklynn and Kenji ducked and hit the deck. She slammed into Ben, knocking him on his back. She nipped at him aggressively, and he used all his strength to hold her off, her face just inches from his own. As he held her by the throat with his left hand, dangerously close to being pierced with one of her poisonous quills, he slashed at her chest with a steak knife, blood splattering across his mouth and torso. Letting out a scream of effort, he kicked her off of him.
The monster scrambled to her feet, undeterred by the blood gushing out of her. She whirled around and bellowed angrily, and Brooklynn dodged out of the path of her spiky tail with a roll down the corridor. Brooklynn, Kenji, and Ben stood defiantly, before they all unleashed their collective challenging screams. The baby Scorpios Rex took a few steps back, finally spooked enough to halt her pursuit, then leapt up to the bridge.
Darius had emerged from the water, soaking wet and bleeding profusely from his head, and was now holding a broken metal oar with a sharp, jagged end. He took one step forward, his grip vicelike on the spear, and glared toward his crew with creased eyebrows that would have made even Yasmina cower back in fear.
"Get her, NOW!" he roared.
– – – –