Chapter Ninety One: The Nublar Seven
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The campers all climbed down from the bird perch. As they reached the ground, the blue skies overhead turned to dark grey clouds, and bits of hail and snow began pelting through the air.
The seven began to run, only to be cut off by the spinosaurus. They screamed in fear and turned. Toro met them from the other side.
"Split up! We'll meet at the boat!"
Ben, Yaz and Sammy ran one way while Kenji, Brooklynn, Darius and Eva ran the other.
Brooklynn led the way towards the hatch near the watering hole, which led into the sewers. Eva double took the grate covering the sewer which the water was coming through. The grate itself looked like it had a hole blown through it. She just hoped whatever they ran into wouldn't be too dangerous down there.
The girls headed down first, followed by Kenji, and Darius.
Kenji gagged as he entered the sewer, causing Eva to laugh at his demise.
"You get used to it," she said, snickering.
They ran through the sewers, guided by the red lights, when Brooklynn stopped, and the trio stopped alongside her.
Something clattered in the distance, and Eva thought back to the torn up grate outside. Something was definitely inside with them.
A pteranodon emerged from the dark and roared.
"Ah! That does not belong in here!"
The pteranodon flew forward as they crossed a bridge, and wrapped its talons around Brooklynn's shoulders. Kenji grabbed onto her hand in an attempt to pull her back, but the pterosaur pulled them both into the air.
Eva slipped off her shoe and chucked it at the pteranodon's head, yelling, "That's my best friend, bitch!" The shoe clonked the dinosaur on the head, then fell into the water below.
"Really? Eva?" Darius asked. Eva shrugged.
The pteranodon dropped the two over a bridge, where Kenji landed on the hard metal, Brooklynn nearly fell into the water. Kenji caught her, though, and pulled her to safety.
The pteranodon emerged from the watery depths and jumped onto the bridge, separating Kenji from Brooklynn.
"Keep going! I'll meet you at the boat!" Brooklynn shouted before taking off towards the core.
~~~
"You think Brooklynn's okay?" Kenji asked, breaking the silence as they emerged from the jungle air lock.
"She's got this on lock," Darius answered confidently. "If Eva's plan goes all right..."
"Come on," Eva grinned. "It's crazy enough for us, it might just work."
"The airlock is just up ahead!"
The spinosaurus emerged from the jungle, cutting Darius and Eva off from Kenji. Poor Kenji kept running, not noticing the two being taken away.
They were led to the compound.
Darius tripped, falling face first into the dirt. Eva quickly helped him up, keeping him behind her as they backed up. The spinosaurus appeared out of the jungle, with Big Bird controlling him just behind him. It stopped, its head a few feet away from the two teenagers.
"Darius. Eva," Mr. Kon greeted.
They turned around, coming face to face with Kenji's father.
"As soon as I start making those chips for BioSyn, this needless carnage can end."
"You also talk like an anime villain!" She looked at Darius, who nodded slightly. "You are never getting that password," Eva snapped, stepping forward slightly.
"I'm disappointed, but I can't say that I'm surprised. Finish the job."
"Oh, so you think you're getting the password out of us dead, then, huh?!" Eva screamed as the spino roared. Darius fell backwards, taking Eva down with him. "You can rip my head off, but you're not getting shit!"
Eva ducked her head down as spino spittle flew from its mouth. Disgusting.
"No! Stop!"
She opened her eyes to see Kenji slid between her and Darius, and the spinosaurus.
Kenji ran to his father's side. "I'll give you the password, just... don't hurt them. Please."
"Kenji, no!"
"Don't do it!"
The spino roared in their faces, pushing them further into the ground.
"It's 'camp fam for life', but the 'for' is the number 'four'."
"Kenji Aleksander Kon!" Eva snapped.
"I knew you'd give it up eventually," Mr. Kon smiled.
"Chip manufacturing initiated."
"You've always been so eager to please."
The spinosaurus activated again, again going after Darius and Eva. Eva stumbled backwards as Darius crawled away, only for a heavy footstep to nearly crush the two. Eva gasped, pushing Darius behind her. She didn't know what it would do, but it was all she could think of.
The spino dropped its other leg on their other side and looked down at them.
Eva gulped, looking up at the dinosaur at an angle she would never think she would be in.
"Hey Darius?"
"Y-yeah?"
"It was really nice knowing you."
"You too, Eva."
Something nearby roared, and Big Eatie came out of the jungle. The spino looked away, and Darius and Eva scrambled to their feet, stumbling away as Big Eatie attacked the spinosaurus.
"Big Eatie? She's okay."
"Come on, Darius, Angel, time to move." Kenji picked the two up, ushering them to the side of the building, away from the fight.
Little Eatie made the scene, putting an end to Big Bird once and for all. Eva gasped, watching as Little Eatie had her first taste of human, and didn't look back. The Eaties approached the spinosaurus, cornering it.
Big Eatie knocked the spinosaurus to the ground. It scrambled to its feet and took one look at the Eaties, who were continuously roaring at it, before taking off back into the jungle.
"Yes!"
"Warning. Warning. System critical. Warning."
Eva grinned— Brooklynn had come through.
"Again?" Darius asked.
"What do you mean again?" Mr. Kon asked.
"While you were gone, the core started going haywire, and then there was this earthquake—"
"Multiple earthquakes," Eva added.
"—And— poisonous gas!" He pointed to the gas surrounding the Eaties.
"Very traumatic, I definitely need a therapist."
The Eaties passed out from the gas.
"Warning. System critical. Warning. System critical."
Mr. Kon typed away on his tablet, searching for an answer. "Something's drawing too much power. The chips!"
"Warning. System critical. Geothermal core overload imminent. Abandon facility immediately."
"If the system overloads, there won't be any safe place on the entire island."
"Then shut it down, Dad," Kenji begged.
"I can't! It's too late. We have to go!" Mr. Kon took off, Kenji after him.
"Geothermal core overload imminent. Abandon facility immediately."
They headed into the airlock, leaving Darius and Eva behind. Eva grinned and held up her hand, Darius highfiving her.
They ran for the airlock, hoping to meet up with the others by the time they reached the cliffs. Sure enough, as they reached the outer airlock, Ben, Yasmina and Sammy came from one direction while Brooklynn came from the other. They all ran out to the docks, where Mr. Kon was yelling at Kenji, and standing beside the water plane with his tablet still in hand.
"Get on the plane, son!"
"Warning. System critical. Geothermal core overload imminent. Abandon facility immediately."
"No, Dad. I'm staying. With them. My real family."
Mr. Kon looked taken back, before boarding the plane without Kenji. The plane took off, leaving the campers in the dust.
"I can't believe it."
"It worked!"
"Eva, you're a genius!" Brooklynn praised.
"We actually pulled it off!" Ben shouted.
"Yeah, we did!" Sammy and Yaz embraced.
Darius sighed in relief. "I was so nervous when Kenji was giving his dad the password."
"I know. I was so worried I'd set off the alarm too soon," Brooklynn said.
"Oh, and thank goodness Ben remembered the crates of sleeping gas canisters in the warehouse!" Sammy added.
Yaz chuckled, "Who would have thought the raptors would actually help us?"
Eva turned to Kenji, who was leaning against a post and staring out at the sea.
Darius approached him. "Kenji?"
He turned to face the campers. "We did it."
"It was a huge risk, but it paid off. And now, because of us, these dinosaurs can finally just be."
Everyone smiled and cheered, happy for their win.
Yaz stepped forward, "I just have one question." Everyone turned to face her. "What the fuck happened to your shoe, Eva?"
Eva looked down at her missing shoe and burst into laughter.
"She threw— she threw it at a dinosaur's head!" Brooklynn giggled.
"Well, it was too far away to kick it!"
"Yep, that's our Eva," Kenji said. "Would rather kick a dinosaur in the head to get away from it than run."
Eva shoved Kenji's shoulder, then flipped him off for good measure.
~~~
Eva bid goodbye to Rebel and Angel, then returned to the core with Brooklynn to shut off the alarm. When they were done, they met up with the other campers at their watering hole.
Eva leaned against a tree, cut off from the rest of the group. She was more than happy it had finally ended and they had all survived, but Mae was still stranded on Isla Nublar, and the campers were still stuck on Mantah Corp Island. Even if they brought freedom to the dinosaurs once and for all, that didn't excuse the fact that they were all still stranded.
Would the supply plane be the leading factor that would take them back to the mainland? When was it even coming?— Eva had lost track of the days. What if it didn't come since Mr. Kon left them behind?
She was torn from her thoughts when Kenji stopped just beside her, though he didn't look at her. She watched him carefully, wondering what his edge was. Then, he held up a flower. It was a red hibiscus with an orange trim around the outer edges of the pedals. Eva grasped the flower, brought it to her nose, and inhaled. It smelled sweet and fresh; it was refreshing to her.
"It's beautiful," Eva murmured, her fingers soft against the pedals.
"Like you," Kenji said.
She snorted. "That was cheesy."
Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep.
"Huh?"
Eva pulled back the bushes, revealing one of the tablets laying in the grass. It flashed red until she pressed on the screen, revealing an alert from the perimeter drone. "Someone is coming," Eva called out.
~~~
The campers stopped at the cliffs, looking down at the docks. A small white boat docked on the side, and out jumped Dave with his familiar yellow headband and a tranq gun in hand. Roxie came off next.
Everyone gasped.
Mae stood at the edge of the boat, looking around the island.
"Oh my god," Eva gaped.
A fourth member left the boat— a tall, dark skinned figure who looked a lot like an older version of Darius.
"Brand?" Darius questioned. He dropped his stick and slid down the cliff side. "Brand!"
The older boy looked around, his eyes finally finding Darius's figure.
Eva slid down the cliff side next, quickly followed by the others.
"Darius!"
"Brand!"
Eva ran straight past Darius and his brother, heading for Roxie. She tackled the counselor in a hug, Yaz and Sammy piling in behind her.
"Kids!" Roxie greeted, hugging them back.
Eva sniffled, hugging Roxie tighter.
They were saved. They were finally saved.
~~~
Eva sat down on Kenji's right, staring at their island as the boat took them away. The two sat in silence for many moments, Eva not knowing what to say to him. Eventually, she settled on the bad news. "Mae told me she made the call. The police have taken your dad into custody."
"Well, with Mom gone and Dad heading to jail, shopping for the holidays just got easier."
Eva snorted, and she brushed some blonde hair behind her ear. "Dark, but true... I'm, I'm sorry, mausebär." She placed her hand on his arm, offering a comforting squeeze. Kenji smiled softly at her. "Do you think... your dad will ever tell anyone about the island?"
"No. If there's one thing Kons care about, it's their reputation."
"Not all Kons."
They fell into another beat of silence. The expansive sea of stars above them shining bright light into the night sky.
Eva turned her head, and pressed a quick, fleeting kiss to the corner of Kenji's mouth.
Kenji smiled into it, his eyes glistening as he stared into her own. "Does this mean you forgive me?"
Eva opened her mouth, the words getting caught in her throat. She looked down at her hands— which were beginning to blister, then out at the horizon. Anywhere but Kenji. "No."
Kenji's face fell. Eva pulled her knees to her chest, resting her chin atop them. "Kenji, you promised me you'd never let anything hurt me again, and then you locked me in the nursery and told me we weren't family. After everything we'd been through... I just, I, I need time to process... Time alone. I... I know that I'll never stop loving you, Kenji Kon, but I just can't do this right now. I can't. I'm sorry."
"I... I understand." They continued to look anywhere but at each other, until Kenji finally asked, "Can I hug you?"
She nodded, slowly leaning into Kenji's side as he wrapped his arms around her chest. Eva squeezed her eyes shut, burying her head into the crook of Kenji's neck. And then she cried. Warm tears flowed as she sobbed, her chest trembling with each breath.
This was probably the last time they would hug. Her kiss to his lips would be the last time they kiss. She hadn't even pulled away, and already, she missed him.
~~~
The campers each stood at the bow of the boat, watching as the mainland was rapidly approaching. Tall buildings climbed into the sky, and dozens of people crowded around at the street. The closer they got, the more Eva realized them to be reporters. Closer, on the docks, were six adults. It didn't take a genius to guess who they were.
A tear slipped down Eva's cheek as she found Oma in the small crowd.
The boat docked, and Eva was quick to hop the railing, running for Oma's outstretched arms.
She burst into tears as she embraced her grandmother, Oma hugging back just as hard.
"Lovey!"
Eva laughed, pulling back slightly to look at her grandma. She looked like she had aged a few years, but she was still just as stylish as always. Eva didn't realize how much she had missed Oma until she was in her arms, tears sliding down her cheeks.
"I missed you," she murmured into her arms.
"Oh, Evangelina," Oma hugged her tighter.
Eva pulled back, looking at all her friends. Looking at Kenji.
Another tear slid down her cheek.
"Let's get you home, Lovey. How does that sound? Home."
Eva nodded as she rubbed her nose with her sleeve. After all this time, she was finally going home. And while she always worried about what would happen, those were the least of her worries. She couldn't wait to be back at Rutherford. She couldn't wait to be back in New York.