Summary: Isla Nublar gets some unwanted visitors. Although, Serenity is very happy to have her dad back.
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There was something wrong with the island. It shook and rumbled and all the animals were nervous. Serenity didn't hold the same instincts as them, and even she felt how wrong everything was. She growled, scaling down the tree to run to Chaos' cave.
Did you feel that? Serenity asked as she came in.
Chaos nodded her head and lifted it, scooping Serenity onto her back and running from the cave. Everything shook and rumbled and something exploded in the distance. Serenity was reminded of the explosion she and Kenji made to distract the Scorpios. It made her smile a little, but the worry came back tenfold.
She had no idea if they were safe, and she didn't know how much time had passed. It felt like years. Serenity shook her head and navigated with Chaos through the trees. Serenity could hear birds cry in fear and Dinosaurs shouting. Something was wrong, very, very wrong.
To the coast, Serenity said.
Chaos nodded and changed direction. She went for the coast and chose a cliff to pass over, shrouded by bushes they were concealed. Serenity jumped off Chaos' back and peeked through the bushes. Her eyes widened when she saw a huge boat and vehicles on the beach, all black and suspicious. There were men everywhere and Dinosaurs were being loaded onto the boat by the dozen.
"What the heck?" Serenity whispered to herself.
Her sharp eyes located someone she thought she recognized, and they widened even more. Was that Hap? She peered closer and squinted. Square jaw, piercing green eyes, white beard, and scarred eye socket. Yep, that was him all right.
His head turned toward her and it seemed like he saw her, his eyes going wide for one moment, but he didn't move. Serenity growled. What was he doing here and who were these cruel men? Chaos poked her head through the bush next to her and cocked her head to the side, her lips curling.
Is that him? she asked.
Serenity nodded. Beside him stood a woman with long orange hair and a man with a sniper rifle over his back. They were different from the people around them, and they seemed to gravitate toward Hap for some reason. Serenity narrowed her eyes.
What do we do? Chaos asked.
Go to that place, Serenity answered. I'll see what the humans want.
Chaos nodded her head and disappeared, her soft footfalls crunching the grass under her feet. Serenity quietly followed after a few moments and made her way to her tree house. She gathered all her things, put most of them in a backpack, and slung it over her back. She placed the bracelet over her arm, the necklace over her neck and all the other things were safe in the backpack.
Then she made her way to camp, where she knew Hap would lead some of the people. She scaled a tree and hid there for what felt like an eternity, watching and waiting quietly. Chaos hadn't returned yet so something might have happened, but Serenity stayed. She didn't want to betray her sister's trust.
Eventually, Hap did appear, and with him the man with the rifle and the woman with the orange hair, along with some of the other people. They all had guns and she didn't like them. Serenity squinted her eyes and watched them, mainly Hap as he surveyed the camp. He could easily see that she hadn't been here in years. He tisked and made to turn around when she softly made her call.
He instantly turned and returned the call. His eyes were wide and hopeful, and his body language was stressful. She could see he was tense.
"What are you doing?" the man with the rifle asked.
"Calling a friend," Hap smiled. "Don't worry, Mr. Grady. She's not dangerous, for you."
"There's a human on this island?" the redhead asked, eyes going comically wide.
Hap nodded and called out, "Come on, Sery, it's safe."
Serenity didn't entirely trust that, but she dropped from the tree anyway, crawling on her hands and feet toward them. Hap greeted her with a huge smile and dropped to the ground, embracing her tightly. They ignored everyone around them for a moment as they reunited.
"I came back," he whispered, the words sincere and painful.
Serenity felt tears fill her eyes and all the emotions from the years spent alone surfaced. She began to cry, and the woman before her gasped softly. She had a stunned look on her face, and the mercs behind her looked equally confused.
"It's just a girl," she said. "Owen, look at her."
The man nodded and dropped his tense posture. He kneeled down by Hap and looked at Serenity with a scrutinizing eye. Then a warm smile graced his face. He seemed like a kind person.
"Hi, my name is Owen and that's Claire. Can you tell us what's going on?" the man said.
Serenity wiped her eyes and wracked her brain for human words for a moment. She looked at Hap and then at the man. She held his shirt in an iron grip and refused to let him stand or move away.
"We need to leave," she said. "It is no longer safe. Take as many Dinosaurs as you can and go away."
"We know," Claire replied. "You must come with us."
Serenity nodded, and then looked at Hap with a pleading gaze.
"Chaos," she said, no explanation needed.
"I know," Hap said, standing and pulling her with him. "I think someone is going to get her, don't worry about it."
Serenity didn't. Not with him by her side.
OOO
They made their way to the secret place. Apparently, the Claire woman needed to do something there. Serenity knew Chaos was there and she was eager to see her sister, but also worried something would happen now that Humans were here. When they arrived, a burly man with a mean look seemed very surprised to see her.
"What's that girl doing here?" he asked Owen and Claire.
"She's one of the kids left on the island after the 2015 accident," Claire explained. "She's been here for the last three years."
"Wow," the man said, though he didn't seem impressed. "Can't believe she survived on her own that long."
Serenity hadn't been on her own, but she wasn't going to tell him that. She wasn't stupid. He smelled suspicious and she didn't like him, his aura was wrong. She wasn't going to say a word to him. Hap wrapped an arm around her and seemed to sense her unease.
"It'll be fine," he said to her quietly.
Serenity didn't believe him, but she nodded anyway. This man was trouble and she knew it. She felt it in her bones. Claire went inside the secret place and Serenity all but ran after her, bare feet slapping harshly on the concrete. She ran into the tunnel halfway, listening. The doors weren't open, Chaos wasn't able to come here directly then.
"I'll be in shortly," a dark-skinned boy said as he sat down by a computer.
Serenity was reminded of Brooklynn and she made her way to them. Claire had to scan her handprint and Serenity watched as they tried to locate Blue. It wasn't going to be easy to get her, that was for sure. When she was finally located, Owen said he would go get her. The dark-skinned boy – Franklin – and Claire, stayed in the secret place.
"Go," Serenity said to Hap, who nodded at her and promised to be back soon.
A few of the armed men stayed outside to watch for Dinosaurs and Serenity climbed on a chair, sitting with her legs swinging as she waited for something to happen. She didn't trust any of these people except for Hap, but she knew he had things to do since that shady man employed him. She could wait for him, however, and she would until he was done with his job. Then they would go home.
After a few moments, Claire appeared in her vision and Serenity cocked her head in curiosity. Claire smiled at her and pulled up another chair, sitting by her side and staying silent for a few moments longer. She was clearly curious and wanted to ask a lot of questions, but she didn't know what to say.
"Serenity," the white-haired girl said.
"I'm Claire," the redhead replied with a smile. "I saw you once before," the woman told her.
"Really?" Serenity asked. "When?"
"When you were a child, when the Baryonyxes were still small."
"You saw us?" Serenity questioned. "When mom left?"
Claire bit her lip and shook her head, "I never met your mom, but I did some digging and found out that she's still alive. She's been living pretty remotely."
"Mom is alive?" Serenity asked, a smile appearing on her face. "Can I see her?"
"I can try to make that happen," Claire said.
"I need to find Limbo first, though," Serenity replied. "And the others."
"Who're the others?" Claire asked curiously. "Do you mean the campers?"
Serenity nodded and relayed the tale of their meetings, their adventures, and their struggles to survive. She also told Claire about their escape from the island three years ago. And how Limbo had been taken back then. She hadn't been able to see her since then, since she was isolated from the world and she missed her sister. Chaos missed Limbo, too.
"I can't believe you all survived..." Claire said in disbelief. "I heard the news that the Nublar Six had been found, and it pleased me greatly. I kept tabs on them, too. Here."
She pulled out a phone and scrolled through some pictures in her photo album. One was a picture of all the campers on the shore of an island with Mae, all of them smiling. Serenity grinned.
"They're all okay," she said.
"Yes," Claire said.
"Good," Serenity replied.
A moment later, a clank had them startling, and Serenity flew to her feet. The exit door had been closed and Serenity growled low in her throat, rolling her eyes. So the backstabbing had begun already? These people had no class.
"Hey!" Claire shouted.
"They locked us in, I can't open the door!" Franklin said, looking scared. "I'll try to open another one."
Serenity knew the only other door connected to the rest of the park, and it was probably the tunnels where Chaos was now roaming, evading most of the Humans as much as she could. Serenity watched as Franklin tried command after command, crossing her arms and tapping her foot impatiently. She tugged on her shirt and blinked at the several holes in it. With a sigh, she pulled off her jewelry and stuffed it in her backpack, handing it to Claire.
"Keep that safe," Serenity said.
"Okay?" Claire replied, a little confused.
Finally, the door to the tunnels opened and Franklin whooped, but then they heard Chaos roar and his face paled.
"Where does that lead?" he asked Claire.
"The rest of the park..." she replied, face also going pale.
Such sissies, Serenity thought. She stepped up to the tunnel, Claire hissing at her to get back. The two of them backed up, but Serenity stayed where she was, right in front of the tunnel. The ground shook as the volcano rumbled and lava appeared from the cracks in the ceiling.
Serenity roared into the tunnel, much to the surprise of Claire and Franklin. Chaos instantly returned her roar and the girl smiled. She turned to look at Claire and Franklin with a grin as Chaos appeared in the darkness behind her. The Dinosaur roared and Franklin screamed, but Chaos only stepped up behind Serenity and rested her head on the girl's shoulder.
Claire's jaw dropped.
"She- what?" the woman made out.
Franklin looked about ready to faint.
"Are they okay?" Chaos asked with a low growl.
"They'll be fine, you have to go back through the tunnel. I'll go with you once I help find them an escape," Serenity told her, stroking a hand over her muzzle.
The Baryonyx nodded and kept standing there as Serenity walked forward. Claire and Franklin were frozen and stared with wide eyes at Chaos as the Dinosaur went to lie down.
"You, what is going on?" Claire eventually asked when Serenity spotted a way out.
"That's my sister," Serenity replied, jumping to reach the ladder to the hatch up top.
She was too short and motioned for a chair. Claire rolled it toward her.
"Your sister is a Dinosaur?" Franklin asked, disbelief evident in his voice.
"I grew up with them," Serenity explained. "Grim got killed three years ago, but Limbo and Chaos are still here."
"You mentioned Limbo before," Claire said. "I didn't know you were talking about the Baryonyxes."
"I was," Serenity replied, finally getting the ladder down. "Go up here and run to the shore. Your friends should find you shortly. Trust Hap and only Hap."
Claire nodded. "What about you?" she asked.
"I'm going with Chaos, I can't leave her."
The woman nodded and stepped onto the ladder, calling for Franklin to follow. He hastily followed her up and Serenity waited until they were outside. Then she ran, jumped on Chaos' back, and the two of them raced through the tunnels. The volcano was about to erupt and Chaos could feel it. She ran as fast as she could, and eventually, they came outside.
"There," Serenity said, motioning to a path that would take them to the boat.
Chaos nodded and followed it. Dinosaurs were running everywhere and the volcano shook violently. Serenity bit her lip and hoped Hap was okay. They followed the path all the way down and Chaos ran onto the sand, startling more than a few of the armed men.
"Don't shoot!" someone shouted.
Serenity noticed a few men aiming their guns at them and she stopped Chaos, slipping off her back. The Dinosaur remained by her side quietly.
"What in the name of God?" one man said.
"Aren't you gonna give her a cage?" Serenity questioned. "We can't go on the boat like this."
The men looked at each other and then slowly nodded. Someone came quickly with a truck, a cage on the back of it, and Serenity guided Chaos into it. Then she hopped on the top, sliding her feet through the bars so she could touch Chaos. She could easily slip between them and be in the cage as well, but she didn't want to yet.
"We should leave," Serenity announced.
"No shit," the man who had spoken said, guiding the truck onto the boat.
Serenity watched as the volcano eventually erupted and she could hear the cries and screams of Dinosaurs and Humans alike. There wasn't going to be anything left. She hopes Claire would take good care of her belongings now that she wasn't with them. But she knew this was the place where she was least likely to get caught up in the schemes. She didn't like bad guys very much and wanted to be left alone. She would stay with Chaos for as long as she could.
And then she would find her way to her friends and Limbo, no matter what.
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I'm not really happy with this chapter but it was incredibly hard to write. I have no idea why. I hope you all still enjoy and I'll try to make the next one more interesting. I've officially caught up to AO3 now and I'll probably be late with some of the updates, but I'll try to keep to the schedule. Thank you all for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Rebecca