Owen's senses were on high alert as he stepped into a small clearing. Blue's tracker put her somewhere in front of him, and he knew she was watching him. Owen made sure his steps and motions were slow and deliberate as he approached the rusted, overturned Jeep across the clearing. He stayed in a light crouch in case he had to move quickly.

When Owen was halfway across the clearing, the bushes behind the Jeep rustled. He froze, falling lower on the balls of his feet. Lifting one arm out like he used to when training with his pack, Owen took a slow step closer.

"There you are," Owen said, letting Blue know she'd been spotted as well.

When there wasn't any more motion, Owen continued to approach the Jeep. He moved his thumb over the clicker in his raised hand.

Tiny screeches came from the Jeep, then several Compies hopped out, startling Owen. The Compies screeched, then scattered.

Owen straightened, turning to watch the Compies race away. Compies were fairly harmless, but if they had buddies nearby…

A loud, familiar roar came from behind.

Owen spun and crouched again, catching his breath when Blue leaped on top of the wrecked Jeep. Blue lowered her head and shrieked, but Owen didn't let himself move away. Instead, he met Blue's gaze and straightened.

"Hey, girl, you miss me?" Owen asked, holding out the hand with the clicker further out.

Blue raised her head, but continued to growl. Owen considered it a win that she hadn't attacked already. Blue shook her head and leaped to the ground, forcing Owen to give some ground.

"Easy," Owen said. Then, more sternly, "Hey!"

Blue hissed and stepped closer.

"Hey," Owen said, calmly and firmly.

Blue halted her advance. Owen could see she was curious or confused by his presence after so long.

"I brought you something," Owen said, letting a bit of playfulness into his voice.

Blue hissed, then her head darted to the side.

Owen froze, not letting himself follow her gaze. Once, there would have been a threat of one of the other raptors flanking him, but he knew Blue was alone.

A branch snapped not far off. Owen silently cursed Wheatley's men for the sound, but Blue was oddly unalarmed.

"I swear," Owen said, "If anyone shoots-"

Blue hissed.

"Hey," Owen said. "Eyes on me."

Blue's head swung back to Owen. She was calm again, though she growled when Owen raised an arm above his head.

"Here you go," Owen said, waving the bit of dried meat in one hand.

Blue's muzzle worked as she recognized the treat Owen had used to train her and the others. Still, she didn't catch the treat when Owen tossed it, causing the meat to bounce off her muzzle. She growled irritably.

"Okay," Owen said, wincing inwardly. He retreated as Blue stepped forward. "Hey!"

Owen pressed the clicker. Blue growled and began to circle Owen, who turned to follow the raptor.

"You know me. Eyes on me," Owen said, pressing the clicker. Blue stopped circling. "That's it. Okay."

Blue sniffed some more, her posture relaxing as she stepped forward. Owen held out his free hand, letting her stretch out her muzzle and sniff. A few more inches, and he'd be touching his lost raptor.

A raptor shriek of alarm broke the silence.

Blue whipped around, her tail knocking Owen's feet out from under him before he could dodge. He scrambled into a crouch on instinct; being on the ground meant death around dinosaurs, no matter if they knew you. As he did, Owen heard a dart whistle between him and Blue.

"Hold your fire!" Owen yelled.

The shriek repeated, the sound finally penetrating Owen's concentration. Another raptor?!

A loud bellow came from the bushes. Owen spun toward the sound, keeping half his attention on a spinning Blue.

Soldiers jumped out of hiding, yelling in alarm as an Ankylosaurus crashed through their midst. Half the men started firing at the raging Ankylosaurus, their darts bouncing harmlessly off her spikes. The other half turned their guns onto Blue.

"Stop!" Owen yelled, turning to Blue as she became more agitated. "Get off the ground!"

Behind Blue, Wheatley calmly stood and pointed his dart gun. Zia popped to her feet, eyes darting between Wheatley and the approaching Ankylosaurus.

The raptor shriek came from right behind Wheatley. The man didn't react, only squeezed the trigger. As he did, Blue lunged off to the side.

Owen, focused on Blue, didn't see the dart coming until it hit him right in the chest. He stumbled back, more shocked than anything, then Zia was running toward him.

"Owen!" Zia screamed.

Owen grabbed for the dart with suddenly clumsy fingers. Zia reached him a second later and ripped the dart out, glancing anxiously at it before throwing it away. Owen tried to find Blue, but his legs went weak and folded under him, sending him to the ground.

Zia leaned over him, yelling, but Owen couldn't understand her. His ears were full of yells, roars from two raptors, and the Ankylosaurus' bellowing. He couldn't even move his head to look for Blue. Owen felt his eyes sliding shut.

Motion whipped beside Zia, then there was another face peering down at him. Owen got a glimpse of a young -younger than anyone on the team- face, then everything faded away.

Someone was hyperventilating when Owen's senses returned.

"Franklin, calm down," came Zia's voice.

"H-how c-can I?" Franklin stammered. "Sh-she's look-king at m-me!"

"So? She hasn't bitten your head off yet," Zia said.

"Not helping," Claire said.

"Blue, stop teasing him."

Owen didn't recognize the last voice, but it was young and male.

Something rumbled in the distance, and the ground under Owen shook. He suddenly remembered that he was on an exploding island, and it sounded like Blue was with him and several people who didn't know raptors like he did.

Not good.

With effort, Owen dragged his eyes open. He saw Claire and Franklin sitting to his left, both watching something over Owen's head. Zia, crouched on his right, was watching Owen and grinned at him.

"Hey, Sleeping Beauty," Zia said.

Claire looked quickly at him. "Owen, thank goodness! How do you feel?"

Owen tried to say "numb," but all that came out was a groan.

An unfamiliar face leaned over Owen. "Do you think that's normal, Blue?"

A thoughtful chirr came from out of Owen's eyeline. Curious, Owen focused on the boy.

The boy couldn't have been older than fifteen, at most. He had a very slight, pale frame with reddish-brown hair and blue eyes. His neat blue polo shirt and tan shorts didn't belong to the uniform of Mills' men.

The boy frowned. He shifted from side to side, and Owen automatically tracked his movement.

"Woah, woah," Zia said, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Take a minute. That stuff's meant to take down full-size dinosaurs, and you got at least half a dose in you."

The ground rumbled again.

"We can't stay here," Claire said, sounding like she was talking to herself.

Blue growled. Claire, Franklin, and Zia flinched. The boy looked up and made a raptor-like click Owen recognized as a signal to calm down.

Owen stared at the boy. He'd raised his raptor pack from eggs, and he'd never been able to replicate their noises quite right. A human's throat simply wasn't made for it. So, how had the boy done it?

"Woah, he's staring right at me," the boy said with a slight chuckle. "Weird."

Owen worked his mouth, forcing out a, "Why?"

The boy blinked.

"The volcano's erupting," Claire said.

"No," Owen said slowly. He looked harder at the boy. "Why?"

Claire and Zia glanced at each other, then at Owen. Their expressions were concerned. Franklin's eyes darted between them, looking as lost as Owen felt.

"Oh-kay," Zia said with a weird half-smile. "Looks like it's going to take a few more-"

The ground shaking cut her off.

"You can't stay here," the boy said, looking around. "It's only going to get worse."

Frustrated with everything he was missing, Owen focused on lifting one hand. Claire lit up at the action and took his hand. Owen was grateful when she understood what he wanted and motioned for Zia to help him sit up.

"What? No, he shouldn't be moving yet," Zia said.

"Owen doesn't like to be on the ground around dinosaurs," Claire said.

Zia gave her a confused look.

"It means you're dead."

The boy snorted.

Nodding, Zia helped Claire get Owen into a seated position. His head lolled embarrassingly, but he finally had a decent look at his surroundings.

They were at the edge of the park ruins. A couple buildings were newly crumbled from the shaking. Not far away was the Ankylosaurus, considerably calmer and watching the group like a lap dog. Much of the sky was blotted out with smoke.

Franklin stiffened just before Blue stalked into Owen's eyeline. Owen could feel Claire and Zia's hands tighten, but Blue wasn't attacking. She stretched out her neck, sniffing Owen and looking him over.

"Blue," Owen forced out, lifting his head with effort.

Owen raised a hand to awkwardly pat Blue's neck. She purred, then stepped back to glance warily around.

"Aw," said the boy. The ground shook, prompting a yelp. "Okay, later! Bumpy, come!"

The Ankylosaurus stood and plodded toward the boy's voice. Bumpy stopped beside the group when the boy told her, confirming that he had some control over the dinosaur.

"You guys have to get him onto Bumpy," the boy said, rushing into sight.

Zia looked at Bumpy. "Do you think she'll let us put Owen on her again?"

"I don't know," Claire said. "You said she did this last time?"

"Yeah, and wouldn't move until Owen was on her back."

Owen's eyes moved between the women, wondering why they were ignoring the boy, who started tapping his feet impatiently.

"How'd you get him up there?" Franklin asked.

Zia shot him a grin. "I'm stronger than I look."

"And Blue helped," the boy supplied.

Blue barked.

Zia jumped. "Okay, and Blue helped."

Owen knew he should be worried about getting off the island -and getting an explanation from Wheatley- but couldn't tear his attention from the boy. Luckily, the simple act of sitting up was doing wonders for clearing the cobwebs in his brain and he was able to get his mouth working.

"Who are you?"

This time, the concerned look included Franklin. Owen waved a clumsy hand at the boy, annoyed at the oblivion of his companions.

The boy's eyes widened. He put a hand to his chest. "Me?"

"Who else is here?" Owen asked, his voice strengthening.

"Owen?" Claire said, sounding cautious. "Who are you talking to?"

"Him." This time, Owen managed to point. "The kid. Who are you? What are you doing here?"

The boy took a step back, oddly silent in the dry grass.

Claire looked over her shoulder, right at the boy, then back at Owen. "Owen… there's no one there."

"Maybe it's the tranquilizer," Zia said. "It's for dinosaurs, not humans. Could have some weird side effects."

"I'm not seeing things," Owen said defensively.

"Uh… you kinda are," Franklin said. "It's just us, Blue, and the Ankylosaurus."

"Bumpy," Owen supplied.

The boy slapped his hands over his mouth. A second later, he was excitedly waving his hands, tears flooding his eyes and making an odd squeaking sound.

"Are you okay?" Owen asked, concerned.

"You should be asking yourself that," Zia muttered.

"It's- You-" the boy jumped in place. "Nobody's seen me before! Well, nobody human!"

"What." Owen blinked. Maybe Zia was right about side effects. "I see you."

"See what?" Zia gave another half-smile. "You seeing ghosts now, Owen?"

Owen started to shake his head, but the boy nodded. His expression was suddenly sad.

"You're…" Owen almost couldn't finish. "...dead?"

"Owen?" Claire chuckled uncertainly. "It was a joke."

"Yeah, I died three years ago," the boy said.

"Three years?" Owen murmured. "You mean… the park?"

"Sort of. I was part of a group of campers for Camp Cretaceous."

Owen startled. He remembered the campers! They'd gotten a special viewing of his raptor pack, though he didn't remember the kid in front of him.

"What about the park?" Claire sounded like she wanted to believe Owen, who was still having a hard time accepting that he was seeing a ghost.

"I don't remember you with the campers," Owen said.

"Dinosaurs used to scare me," the boy said. He stroked Bumpy with a hand Owen now saw went through the dinosaur's body. "So, I wasn't there to see your raptors. But I was at the camp when the Indominous escaped."

"You mean…"

The boy shook his head. "Not by the Indominous. The others and I got separated from the counselors when she escaped and we had to make our way to the docks alone. There was an accident, and I fell from the monorail."

"How do you fall off a monorail?" Owen asked. He noticed, with some amusement, that his companions were leaning expectantly toward him. "And what's your name?"

"Oh, right. Name's Ben."

Owen waved a hand at the others. "This is Claire, Zia, and Franklin." With a wry grin, he gestured to Ben and said to the others, "That's Ben."

The others gave uncertain waves in Ben's direction. Franklin squinted, as though he could see Ben through sheer will.

Claire suddenly gasped, drawing Owen's gaze back. "You said he is… was a camper named Ben… as in, Ben Pincus?"

"Yeah, how's she know?" Ben asked.

Owen nodded to Claire. She put a hand to her mouth, eyes going shiny.

"How'd you know?" Owen asked for Ben.

"I called the families of everyone who was lost because of the Indominous," Claire said, voice cracking. "I'll never forget Ben Pincus. He… he's really here?"

Owen nodded.

Addressing Ben's direction, Claire said, "I'm sorry we couldn't make it back for you. Dave and Roxie tried so hard."

"It's okay. I know," Ben said. He rubbed his arms. "How… how are the others?"

"He wants to know about the others," Owen relayed.

"The others are… they're doing fine," Claire said, wiping her eyes. "Darius is joining the Dinosaur Protection Group next year. Kenji and Sammy's families are some of DPG's biggest supporters. Brooklynn's been using her blog to raise awareness and Yasmina runs races in honor of you and the dinosaurs."

Ben's smile looked as shaky as Claire's.

A rumble came from deep underground, shaking everyone but Ben.

"Okay, this is great and all, but we have to go," Zia said. She looked at Bumpy, then toward Owen. "Did he tell her to help?"

"Yeah," Ben said. "I raised Bumpy since she was a baby."

"He did," Owen said. To Ben, he asked, "What about Blue?"

"We both lost our team," Ben said.

Owen had a sudden idea. "Think you can help me get her on the boat?"

"Sure, easy." Ben bit his lip. "But I don't know if she'll be any safer there."

"She'll be fine. We're taking the dinosaurs to a safe island where they'll never be disturbed," Owen said. Claire nodded with him.

"No, you're not," Ben said.

"What do you mean we're not?"

Owen's companions looked quickly at him.

"I've been watching them since they first showed up to take a bone from the Indominous skeleton in the lagoon."

Alarm shot through Owen. The next thing he knew, he was standing shakily.

"You mean to tell me…" Owen shook his head. "They are really going to recreate the Indominous?"

"They wouldn't!" Franklin yelped.

"No, Mr. Lockwood wouldn't," Claire said.

"I don't know why they took it, but it wasn't good," Ben said. "And then all these soldiers came and they've been talking about big paydays and the way Wheatley treats the dinosaurs he's captured…" Ben shuddered. "I don't think they're interested in saving them. I think they want to sell them."

"If they just want to sell the dinosaurs-" here, Claire gasped, but Owen went on, "Why would they bring us here? They have to know we wouldn't allow it."

"Wheatley planned on leaving you and Zia behind once they had Blue," Ben explained. "And they trapped Claire and Franklin in one of the buildings. They'd still be stuck there, but Bumpy and Blue broke them out."

"They did close the door on purpose!" Franklin exclaimed, probably about him and Claire being trapped.

"And Ben knew what was happening," Claire put together. "We had no idea about the Ankylosaurus until Blue broke open a door, and we followed her to where a wall was broken down. That's where we found you and Zia."

"It was so strange," Zia said. "Blue helped me get you onto the Ankylosaurus, then we rode to the park. The Ankylosaurus started bashing down walls to a tunnel, then the next thing I knew, Blue was leading Claire and Franklin out."

Okay, so everyone had the pieces… except for the why. What did Wheatley have to gain from selling a bunch of dinosaurs and stealing a bone from the Indominous? Then again, Wheatley worked for Mr. Lockwood, who certainly had the resources and connections to recreate dinosaurs, he was sure.

And Blue was one-of-a-kind, even when other raptors were alive. Her intelligence, control, and scope of emotions was beyond anything Owen had seen in any other dinosaur… perhaps besides the Indominous. And if a geneticist had access to Indominus DNA and Blue, who knew what they could create?

"We have to get off the island," Owen said.

"Get on Bumpy," Ben ordered.

Owen relayed Ben's command. Zia scrambled onto Bumpy's back, then she pulled Owen after her. Claire and Franklin climbed beside them. Ben hopped up to sit lightly on Bumpy's neck. At a word from Ben, both dinosaurs broke into a trot.

"Okay, so we have a way to the shore," Franklin said. "But Wheatley left us all for dead! We can't just waltz up to the ship and ask to be let on!"

"Wheatley doesn't know, though," Zia said.

"That we're alive?"

"No. That we know."

Claire nodded. "You're right. Franklin and I thought the door had just malfunctioned."

"And I thought Wheatley and his men just left Owen and I because they were cowards," Zia said. "If we show up and act innocent, Wheatley has no reason to be suspicious."

"But we know exactly what's going on," Owen said, nodding.

"Mr. Lockwood can't know what's happening here," Claire said determinedly. "All we have to do is play dumb until we can contact him. He'll put a stop to all of this."

"Can he?" Ben asked.

"He has to," Owen said to them both.

"Okay, fantastic, we're getting out on the boat, but what about Blue? Unless Ben can just ask her to nicely follow us onto a ship full of trigger-happy soldiers, how is she getting off?"

"She will follow you," Ben said.

"She would?" Owen asked. "She'd go onto the boat with you?"

Ben shrugged. "We've had three years to build trust."

"Even if Blue managed to keep calm, there's no way Wheatley's letting two dinosaurs run free on the boat," Zia said.

"If we can find empty cages, would they go in?" Owen asked Ben.

Ben thought about it. "Probably."

"Okay, so if anyone asks, Zia and I somehow got Blue into an abandoned cage," Owen said.

"Would Wheatley believe that?" Claire asked.

"Logically, there's no other way to explain it," Franklin said. "Owen's just got to fake having magical dinosaur powers for a few hours."

Halfway to the docks, an ear-shattering boom shook the island. Cries of alarm burst out of Bumpy's passengers when she stumbled. Bumpy lurched, then straightened.

Owen jammed his feet tighter between Bumpy's spikes, greatly relieved to have full control over his body again. He twisted around, mouth falling open when he saw the mountaintop explode, spewing boulders and lava into the air.

"Run!" Owen yelled.

Ben gave a raptor bark. Bumpy and Blue sped up.

Still turned, Owen saw dinosaurs of every shape and size burst out of the treeline. If they hadn't caught a ride with Bumpy, they would have been caught in a dinosaur sized stampede.

Bumpy had to dodge a boulder from the sky a second later. She sped up even further, grunting with effort.

Blue barked and glanced back. Ben sent her ahead with a sharp click, then he leaped into the air. Owen nearly shouted at him, then saw Ben was floating over Bumpy, easily keeping pace with her.

Right. Ghost.

With Ben watching her back, Bumpy was able to avoid other boulders. Blue kept nearby, barking when a lava-filled crack appeared in the ground. The humans on Bumpy's back just focused on holding tight.

Bumpy quickly reached another forest. Her passengers flattened themselves as she plunged through the brush, doing their best to not get scraped off.

Even when the trees ended, Owen kept his head down. He couldn't help Ben or the dinosaurs, so he just focused on staying on Bumpy's back.

Eventually, Owen felt Bumpy slow, then stop. He lifted his head and saw a jumble of buildings and crates. Tools and tarps were scattered across the ground. Clangs came from closer to shore, shouts making it clear that the crew was going to leave at any second.

"The boat's just ahead," Ben said, rejoining the others.

"Look, there's a truck right there," Zia said, pointing to an abandoned truck with a cage on the back. "Blue can fit in there."

Owen glanced at Blue standing at Bumpy's side. She was watching Owen, tension clear in her frame. Getting her into a cage wasn't going to be easy, no matter how much she trusted Owen and Ben.

The group approached the truck, keeping an ear out for a shout of someone else seeing them. Luckily, it was silent.

Owen hopped to the ground. He looked at the cage, then Blue. "You ready, girl?"

Blue growled. Owen recognized the sound as disgruntlement, causing him to smile.

"Yeah, I don't like this either," Owen admitted. "But it isn't safe here."

Blue walked to the open back of the cage. She looked at Ben, who gave an encouraging chirr. Blue snorted, then hopped into the cage.

Owen closed the door, careful to not let it clang. He latched the door, then stood for a moment, watching Blue sigh and shuffle around the cage.

"Okay, that's Blue," Owen said. "Think Wheatley will really believe I talked her in?"

"Is there any other explanation?" Claire asked.

"Wheatley's too smart to just believe that," Owen said.

"I can help with that," Ben said cheerfully. He floated over to the cage. "Blue's learned a few new tricks in the last few years. Blue, play dead!"

Blue gave Ben a very clear, "are you joking" glare. But when Ben urged her to play dead again, she released a gusty sigh, then laid down and closed her eyes.

"There you go," Ben said proudly.

"I get it!" Zia said. "I can just say that I grabbed a dart gun someone dropped and tranqued Blue."

"That's brilliant," Owen said, smiling at Ben and Zia.

"Now, what about Bumpy?" Claire asked.

Ben leaped and floated over the buildings, then returned. "There's one huge cage right over there."

Ben led Bumpy around the back of the building, to a cage that towered over them, but would still be a tight fit for Bumpy.

"It'll do," Owen said. "Everyone off. Zia, can you drive this thing?"

"Easy."

Everyone slid to the ground. Zia hurried to the front of the truck, quickly starting it up. Owen, Claire, and Franklin dragged ramps to the back of the cage.

"Okay, Bumpy," Ben said, going to Bumpy's muzzle. "Time to get in, girl."

Bumpy rumbled and backed away.

"Woah, easy, girl," Ben soothed. "Baby steps. Come on."

Bumpy bellowed.

Ben shushed her. "It's okay."

Bumpy rumbled, taking another step back.

"What's wrong?" Owen looked at the boy, noticing sadness creasing his face. "Ben?"

"You remember girl, huh?" Ben said softly. He rubbed his eyes. "But you can't stay here, too."

Bumpy snorted, then stepped up to Ben. With a sweep of her tail, she knocked aside the ramps.

"What do you mean, 'too'?" Owen asked.

"I mean I can't leave," Ben said, hand moving in a stroking motion on Bumpy's head. "I tried, back when the others left. But I'm somehow tied to the island. I'm stuck here."

Owen glanced at the crumbling mountain. "And what happens when the island is gone?"

Ben shrugged. "I guess I'll find out soon."

"Owen?" Claire asked.

Zia trotted back to them. "What's the holdup? The last trucks are loading onto the boat now."

"Ben can't leave," Owen explained. "And I don't think Bumpy's going to leave him, either."

Bumpy groaned and shuffled even closer to Ben. The boy smiled sadly and nodded.

"Yeah, she doesn't want to leave me."

The ground shook hard enough to send everyone stumbling sideways.

"But Isla Nublar doesn't need any more ghosts!" Ben said, pointing to the truck holding Blue. "Go!"

Owen nodded. "Thanks for all your help."

"Yeah. I wish we could bring you back…" Claire trailed off.

Zia and Franklin added their thanks and patted Bumpy.

The group then ran to the truck as flaming boulders slammed down on the docks. Zia leaped into the driver's seat and revved the truck. Franklin got into the passenger seat, and Owen and Claire hopped onto the bumper and grabbed the cage bars for balance.

The truck raced into the open as the final cage was loaded onto the boat. Zia laid on the horn when it looked like the boat was about to pull away, catching soldiers' attention. The men shouted and waved the truck forward, even while the boat began to pull out.

"Hold on!" Zia yelled, then slammed her foot on the accelerator.

The soldiers had to dive out of the way as Zia pulled the truck up the ramp at breakneck speed, skidding to a halt inches from the other trucks.

Owen and Claire didn't dare move for several seconds, unable to believe their close call. Then soldiers began to murmur and move toward the back of the truck. Owen eyed them, then realized they were watching something outside. Zia and Franklin opened their doors and stood on the truck step, eyes on whatever the soldiers were watching. Owen and Claire slowly turned.

Behind them, ash had enveloped much of the island. Only a bit of debris-strewn shore and docks remained in view. On the dock was Bumpy. Beside her, Ben watched the departing ship.

Ben and Bumpy turned as a low bellow came from behind them. A Brachiosaurus plodded into view, joining Bumpy and Ben.

The two dinosaurs seemed to converse for a moment, then the Brachiosaurus lifted its head and gave a long, sad bellow. Bumpy roared along, and Owen heard the faint barks of a raptor.

A wave of ash covered the trio, but not the noise. The roars went on as the ramp slowly raised. Just before their view was blocked, a flash of light -possibly a burst of lava- gave a final glimpse to the Brachiosaurus rearing, Bumpy lifting her head, and Ben's upraised hand.

A/N Owen and Ben interactions, anyone? I'm halfway through a different AU where Owen and Claire find Ben after he falls off the monorail, let's see if I can finish it. ;P