Chapter Text
1.
Noah
I woke up with the worst headache known to man.
Which was understandable. The last thing I remembered was a panicked two-ton Parasaurolophus crashing into me and sending me flying.
I blinked.
This didn’t feel like the med bay.
I saw a dark ceiling above me, the overhead lights were off. But there was a light in the room with me. As I turned my head, I saw a camping light standing on the table, a few feet away from me. Looking at it made my headache worse, so I turned my face away with a groan.
I was lying on a couch. One of the horrible blue ones, like they had in the visitor center. My face felt strangely sticky on one side. I lifted my hand and touched my forehead hesitantly.
Was that a band-aid?
Below my forehead my face felt grimy, but everything above my nose felt swollen and as if it would explode if I put too much pressure on it. Like a pimple. I grimaced at the thought.
Bad idea. That hurt too.
I lay still for a few minutes. My body hurt in so many places, it was easier to catalog what wasn't aching. I could move my toes and fingers and I probably could get up. Due to the throbbing in my forehead though, I thought that might be a task for later.
Poor pumpkin, I thought. She was the Parasaurolophus I had been working with when the alarm sounded and the Dimorphodons and Pteranodons had shot through the air out of nowhere.
We had made so much progress lately and now this incident – I wondered vaguely how long it would take me to earn her trust back.
Then I thought, where the Dimorphodons might have been from. Had the alarm been because the aviary had been damaged? I hoped Pumpkin hadn't hurt herself, or others, because of the stupid birds.
I loved dinosaurs, but Pterosaurs were not exactly my favorites. They were cool, like all dinosaurs. But I liked my calm herbivores the best. Well, usually calm.
Gradually I became aware that there was someone in the room with me. I squinted to see past the bright camping light.
A tall, broad man stood at the only window of the room, peering through the blinds outside. He had a machine gun on a sling around his neck, like a lot of the security personnel in Jurassic World did and held it with the easy familiarity of someone who had served in the military.
I groaned as I recognized the broad back and short hair.
No.
Just my luck. Of all the people who could have found me after my accident, it had to have been David fucking Miller. The all-American model security officer.
There was hardly anyone on this island that I would have less liked to be the one to find me.
David already thought I wasn't fit for my job and constantly questioned me, when I had the misfortune to run into him. Which I did quite regularly, since he worked in my section of the park.
He was one of those super masculine straight guys that I just could not relate to, no matter how much I tried. It didn't help that he could probably bench-press my weight without a warm up and reminded me of the kids that had pushed me around when I was still in school.
He was a little older than me and always seemed a little creepy. Maybe that was just part of his job description, but I found it odd how he was constantly staring at me. Like he was trying to read an inscription on the bottom of my soul.
Made elevator rides together hella awkward.
With some effort and a grunt, I sat up. And instantly regretted it as my vision swam and my stomach rolled. Saliva pooled in my mouth and I leaned forward. Oh shit, I really didn't want to throw up on the couch.
The couch that suddenly slipped under my fingers.
I was falling. For the second time today.
The thought shot through my head that it would hurt as hell to smash my face into the couch table.
Then I collided with something firm and alive. A warm hand steadied me. I had the brief impression of a worried, stern face, the utility vest under my fingertips and serious gray eyes.
“Easy, kid.” David said with his horrendous American accent, trying to wrestle me back onto the couch. “I got you.”
Then I threw up all over his shoulder.
***
“I'm really sorry,” I said for the fourth time. David gave me a half smile and threw away the disinfecting wipe he had used to clean the rest of my vomit off his arm.
“Don't sweat it, kid. You throwing up on me was seriously the least bad thing about today.”
I frowned again, but instantly stopped because it made my head throb. I closed my eyes, leaning back.
To my surprise I instantly felt David's hands on my upper arms, steadying me.
“Are you feeling nauseous again?”
I started to shake my head and abandoned the motion midway through.
“N-no. But my head is killing me...”
He snorted audibly. “I can imagine. You flew right into the pillar of the fence. Hit your head real good.”
I cracked an eye open, studying his frowning face. He was pulling another wipe from the package of disinfecting tissue that he was carrying.
“You saw? I thought I was alone on the training ground.”
“You were.” He reached out and matter-of-factly started cleaning my jaw with the wipe. My stomach twisted with embarrassment. “I happened to be in the security room, when the incident happened. Looked at the screen right as that Dino sent you flying.”
The tissue was cool against my skin. I was too achy and tired to protest about him cleaning me up.
Somehow, I had rarely thought about the fact, that almost every part of Jurassic World was covered by surveillance cameras. And now I wondered how many times David or other security officers had watched me as I went about my work day.
“You really shouldn’t work alone with those big animals, kid.” He rumbled, busying himself by cleaning my face of what I assumed, was blood.
I felt a flush coming on as embarrassment washed over me.
“I am not a kid,” I snapped before I could stop myself. “I’m a grown ass man, okay? I have a fucking degree in zoology.”
David studied me with that typical smooth expression of his, that made me feel like I was somehow less than him.
Less manly.
Less experienced.
Less strong.
Less lot of things.
Not that I wasn’t used to feeling less and different than other members of the species, but right now I had a splitting headache, my mouth tasted yucky and I felt like curling into a ball to cry.
“Sorry k-, Noah,” he corrected himself. “All I am trying to say is, you’re lucky you didn’t get killed by that thing.”
He clearly tried to make eye contact. I didn’t know where to look. I had never noticed before that his eyes were a cool shade of gray. Great. Another thing about him that I found unsettling.
“She’s not a thing”, I said weakly, looking down at my hands. “Her name is Pumpkin. I’ve been working with her for months and she is a good dinosaur. She didn’t do it on purpose.”
I felt David staring at my face. It made me uncomfortable to have him so close. He was so big. I wasn’t a small guy, but also not very tall with 170cm’s. David was not only over a head taller than me, he was wide-shouldered and barrel-chested. His arms looked like he lifted cars for fun.
Maybe he did. Fuck if I knew what straight guys got up to in their spare time.
“Okay. I’m sorry I insulted your dinosaur.” Wait. Did he sound like he was making fun of me?
I quickly snapped my eyes up, but he was still staring at my face, so I ducked my head.
“Why Pumpkin though?”
“Huh?”
I couldn’t tell if that was a smile curling his lips or if he was losing his temper due to me being dense.
“Uhm, I don’t like calling the animals by their numbers. And Para-0807-1223 takes longer to say than Pumpkin.” I twisted my fingers into each other, unsure what to do with them. My knuckles felt stiff and achy. He probably thought I was weird and pathetic for getting attached to my charges. I knew that most of the scientists and security personnel called the dinosaurs “objects”.
That had never sat right with me.
“Besides, she likes to eat pumpkin,” I added lamely.
“Makes sense”, David rumbled to my surprise. Then he handed me a blister pack of pills. “I only found Tylenol in the car. Unfortunately, you will have to make do with that until we find something else.”
I blinked at him.
Then looked around myself in the shadowy room.
Only now did I notice the file cabinet someone had shoved in front of the door, the papers strewn across the linoleum and the first aid kit on the floor next to the couch. Some of the things, a dusty box here, a stack of cleaning supplies there, looked like they didn’t belong in a normal room. Maybe someone had used this space as temporary storage.
I grabbed at the arm of the couch.
“Why – why can’t we go to the med bay? I probably have a concussion and-“
Something in David’s handsome face changed. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but it felt like he looked at me with pity.
“What’s wrong?” My voice felt squeaky and small. “Why did you block the door?”
Okay, now that was definitely pity on his face. I wasn’t always good at understanding human facial expressions, but that much was obvious.
“Right. You were unconscious while it happened,” David mused, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked suddenly tired.
“Look, kid- Noah. Uhm, you remember the alarm?”
I nodded slowly.
“The alarm was a code nineteen.”
I scowled. Code nineteen meant one of the animals had broken free of their enclosure, which wasn’t all that unusual. The Pachycephalosauria often went for a stroll, because their tendency to run headfirst into each other and anything the perceived as a threat, often destroyed their implants. Not to speak of the Compys, who seemed to enjoy escaping their worried handlers and were often found exploring the park in small groups.
“I don’t understand.” I started, meeting David’s steely gaze. Then I remembered the Pterosaurs. “Were they not able to recapture the Pterosaurs?”
“The alarm wasn’t for the birds.” I didn’t bother correcting him. “It was for the new exhibit, the Indominus.”
I stared at him for a long moment.
“What the hell is an Indominus?”
David sighed, raking a hand through his short cut hair.
“I don’t really know. Some kind of monster-hybrid-whatever. T-Rex like.”
I dug my fingers in my cargo pants.
“A carnivore?”
“Apparently, yes.”
“And it escaped?” My voice shook.
David studied me as if I was about to faint like a lady in an old timey movie. Which, fair. I felt like I was going to faint.
He pressed a bottle of water into my hand.
“They couldn’t re-capture it?” I forced myself to say out loud.
David shook his head.
“They had to evacuate. The Indominus is apparently very aggressive and smart, so they had to get the guests off the island before it ate more people.”
“More people?” I squeaked. My temples felt strangely warm and I felt my pulse hammering in my head.
David put a hand back on my arm, looking worried.
“Look kid, maybe you should put your head down. You’re not looking so good-“
“It ATE people?”
He stared at me, then sighed.
“It killed a security unit that was sent after it. And maybe other people. I do not know.”
I put a hand over my mouth.
“We can’t go to medical,” he said, voice low. “By the time I got you out of the paddock, everyone else had already headed to the docks. This shelter was the closest safe place. The last ferry leaves in the morning”
Cold sweat poured down my neck. My vision blurred. I couldn’t get enough air. This couldn’t be. He hadn’t said what I thought he did.
No. No, this wasn’t true.
I felt a firm grip in my hair and then my face was pressed to my knees.
A big, warm hand spanned the back of my neck.
“Easy, kid. Easy. Just breathe.”
They had evacuated the fucking island. And I had been left behind with Hyper-Macho McStraighty David fucking Miller and a dinosaur that apparently ate people for funsies.
I clutched at my legs and heaved for breath.
I was so going to be sick again.
***
I peered out between the blinds into the syrupy early evening light, frowning. There weren’t any dinosaurs in sight.
Not that I much fancied seeing the Indominus swagger up the maintenance road to our shelter.
Through the window, the park stretched out in a riot of green. Towering palms cast shadows over twisting vines that coiled around ancient tree trunks. Ferns carpeted the forest floor in endless waves. Late sunlight glinted through the leaves, setting tiny motes dancing like fireflies. I would have called it beautiful, if I wasn’t actively imagining a giant carnivore sneaking up on our hideout.
The Jeep David had used to get us here was right outside, mocking me with its closeness.
“What if we run?” I asked, looking over my shoulder at the quiet David, who was focused on fiddling with his radio.
“It’s not about getting in the car,” he said, voice absent. “It’s about I don’t want to get chased by a giant predator in a speedy metal box.”
I snorted involuntarily. Humor was the last thing I had expected from him. As I turned to him, I crossed my arms, trying not to show he had gotten through to me.
“So, what do you want to do? Stay here until the ferry leaves us behind or we get eaten?”
He looked up, very calmly. Once more I was hit by how built this man was, even when he was just sitting there. His shoulders were wider than I expected, his frame so solid it made me feel almost fragile beside him. I disliked that feeling.
“We’re going to wait here until the ACU has contained or killed the Indominus.” It was clear that he expected me to follow this decision. Not that I felt like walking outside and taking it up with a dinosaur one on one. But it felt a little humiliating to just accept his judgment.
He seemed to see the indecision on my face, because he got up and put the radio back in its pocket on his vest.
“Look, I know you’re worried. But it’s safer if we spend the night here and drive to the ferry in the morning. Or as soon as the object is contained.”
I chewed on my lower lip, hugging my upper body.
It went against my sense of agency, but I had to admit his calm reasoning made sense. He wasn’t trying to patronize me. He was just trained better in what to do in such a situation.
“My buddy on the security detail should contact me soon with an update.” He smiled reassuringly, as he stood next to me. I could tell he wanted to make physical contact again, but wasn’t sure if I would accept it. So, he didn’t put his hand on my shoulder.
I kind of got that. It was a scary situation.
Even though I had never been friends with David, it was soothing to have another human being close in such an intimidating situation.
Although until today I would have sworn that David disliked me. A lot of the typical hurr-durr straight guys disliked me on sight. I was too scrawny. Too weak. Too visibly neurodivergent. Yet, he had saved me.
I looked up briefly at his steady, unreadable face.
He was busy looking out the window.
“Thank you,” I said timidly. David looked back at me as if he wasn’t sure he heard me right.
“What?”
I cleared my throat.
“For saving me. And not evacuating with the others. If you hadn’t found me…” Well, there was a possibility Pumpkin could have stomped me to death while I was unconscious. Her or another of her kind in that enclosure. Or maybe the I-Rex would have snatched me up for a little afternoon snack.
I shuddered at the thought.
As I looked up, David smiled and looked away.
“Don't mention it. You would have done the same.”
The sudden image of me trying to carry the taller, heavier David in a fireman's carry popped into my head.
“Sure...”
I raked a hand through my unruly brown curls. They got worse when it was humid. Unfortunately for me, in Costa Rica it was always humid. I cursed when my fingers brushed over my swollen forehead and a burst of pain shot through me, reminding me of the wound on my forehead. I bit my lip hard, trying not to make a sound.
“Still bad?” David asked, observant as ever. Meanwhile I had taken the painkillers and had some water, but I was pretty sure I had a concussion.
“Nah, it got lots better already.” I didn't want him fussing over me. Tough luck though, since he instantly went into telling-me-what-to-do-mode.
“You better sit down. We might have to leave quick and I want you well rested in that case.”
Before I knew it, he had shoved me down to sit on the couch. Then he was wetting a bandage with some water from the open water bottle.
“I don't need you to-”
He pressed the wet bandage to my forehead and yes, apart from the pressure of his hand on my wound, it did feel damn good.
“Stop arguing for once.”
“Stop being bossy.” I even sounded ungrateful to my own ears. I sighed and stayed sitting. David stayed standing over me, absently keeping his hand on my forehead as he gazed towards the window. His face was passive, but I thought I saw tension around his jaw.
He didn’t want me to see how worried he was.
Typical. Already trying to play the hero.
I looked up at him, not moving under his hand, since he was so obviously lost in thought.
But he had been pretty heroic, had he not? Detouring to get a co-worker to safety that he hardly knew. I should be more grateful. Guilt burrowed in my stomach. Without my unlucky ass he would already be safely on the ferry.
“Did you know them?” I asked softly. David turned his head towards me like a man waking from deep slumber. He quickly pulled his hand away as he realized he was holding my forehead.
“Who?”
“The people on the security team that were killed.”
He nodded, looking stern and unshakable.
“I know most of the people from Security.” He grimaced. “Knew.”
“I’m sorry,” I said after a long pause.
David sighed, then stepped back to his post where he could watch the sun sinking and submerging the park into darkness.
“You should try to rest a little, Noah.”
“What about you?” I tugged the wet bandage on my forehead back into place, as it slowly slid towards the bridge of my nose.
He gave me what was clearly supposed to be a reassuring smile.
“I’ll wait for any radio messages to come through. I can rest later, when you feel a little better.”
I squinted my eyes at him. Fucking hero-complex. But I felt shitty enough that I saw his point.
For a while I dozed uneasily on the uncomfortable couch. For such a warm place, the island could get pretty chilly at night and suddenly my decision to wear short sleeves felt profoundly stupid. The shelter was not exactly designed to be cozy.
Eventually David had enough of my fidgeting and gave me an emergency blanket from a first aid kit. It was thin and felt strange, due to the metallic coating on one side. But it did make me feel warmer. By now I was hungry and exhausted, but I wasn’t going to whine to Model Security officer Miller like a toddler.
Instead, I shut my mouth and tried to sleep.
I got maybe an hour of fitful sleep, when the hidden speaker in the shelter crackled to life. I almost slipped off the couch when the robotic voice of a woman said:
“Attention all personnel: the last ferry to the mainland will depart at 08:00. Please proceed to the docks immediately.”
David and I looked at each other.
Then he checked the watch on his wrist.
The PA-System repeated the automated message two more times, before falling silent again. I chewed on my lip, staring at the dark window. I tried to imagine going out there, knowing the Indominus was still loose. We wouldn’t have to, right? They would catch the thing soon, right?
It was impossible to hear anything from outside through the soundproof window and door, but I swear I heard a distant roar and explosions.
“We will make it till morning,” David said with conviction. “I am sure by that time we will long be at the docks.”
I pulled my rustling uncomfortable blanket tighter around myself.
“Yeah. I’m sure your colleague will call us any moment and tell us they got the Indominus.” I forced a smile. Then we fell back into an uneasy silence.
We had a deadline.
And we both knew that we needed to meet it.