PANIC ROOM • KENJI KON

XC. Defending The Territory

She would not cry.

Not now, anyways. Not when they were about to enter the biggest fight of their lives.

Kenji took off towards Darius's retreating figure, and Eva tried not to watch him go, but she couldn't help it.

She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry, she wanted to beat something up. She wanted him back, but she wasn't sure she could forgive him.

"You're right. He won't stop until he gets that password," Kenji said, as he and Darius approached the girls.

Eva scratched her chin, wondering how Sammy and Yaz and Brooklynn could forgive Kenji so quickly.

Sammy hugged her arms to her chest, and worried, "I hope it's enough to stop him, 'cause if he makes those chips, every dinosaur in the world could fall under his control."

"We're not gonna let that happen, Sammy."

The ground rumbled as something struck the airlock.

Eva quickly stood up, looking in the direction of the airlock.

"We're good, right? They're stuck?" Brooklynn asked, taking a cautionary step backwards.

Bang. Bang. Bang.

The airlock glitched, for a moment showing grey tiles before going invisible again.

"Eva, run!" Brooklynn shouted as her and the other campers ran from the airlock.

The door blew open with a bang, revealing Toro and Mr. Kon.

"Children! We know about your little cave! There's nowhere to hide! Kenji!" Mr. Kon shouted after them.

"The dinosaurs, we need to get them out of here!" Darius said.

"I can buy you some time!" Ben shouted, hopping on to Bumpy's back mid stride.

"I'm with you," Brooklynn said, arms outreached. Ben pulled her up behind him, and the trio left.

Yaz, Sammy, Kenji, Eva and Darius ran all the way to the watering hole.

Yaz looked nervously at the littles. "We obviously can't take them to the cave, so... we have to find a new place to hide the babies."

Darius nodded. "You and Sammy got this. Eva and I will take care of the others."

Much to both of their dismays, Kenji hops on their train, following after them. Eva jogged over to their little hiding space and retrieved the tablet. She handed it to Darius, who scrolled through all the different types of dinosaur roars, looking for the correct one.

"What are you looking for?" Kenji whispered.

Eva took a step away from him, to which he frowned.

Darius finally found the correct word, repeating, "Danger" as he pressed the button.

Big Eatie made a guttural growl, looking to him with interest.

"So, you understand me. Go! Run!"

Big Eatie instead nuzzled her head against her daughter's, who was calmly drinking water. None of the other bigger dinosaurs moved, either.

"Um, what's going on? They're all just chilling," Kenji said, worried.

"They're taking their cues from her... there's gotta be a reason she won't move."

Eva could see Darius silently working the problem in his head.

Darius changed the dinosaur on the tablet to a kentrosaurus, and began trying to communicate with Pierce, instead.