Disclaimer: Jurassic Park is not mine.

Chapter Nine

"You're in trouble if you had anything to do with this, Mirage!" Avanwë raged. "That goes for you, too, Q!"

Q just smiled. "Nothing to do with us, Avanwë. It's the animals, plain and simple."

Avanwë sighed. Fasir wasn't making a fuss, so it probably wasn't Mirage. And Q was just enjoying everything.

Too bad she wasn't.

The calls were getting louder now. Latano could tell they were surrounded.

Fighting to keep his voice calm, he looked up at Dr. Grant. "I can tell exactly where they are. Should I shoot, or wait for them to make a move?"

Alan was surprised; he hadn't expected the elf to ask his advice. "Wait," he replied. Maybe they could come up with a plan.

But even as he said it, a raptor came from behind. "Look out!" Alan screamed.

Latano whirled around in time to shoot the raptor. But the arrow only grazed it, and the raptor leapt up, knocking the elf to the ground. Its teeth quickly ripped the bow to shreds.

Alan rushed over, and drove the sword into the dinosaur. The raptor shrieked, and four more rushed out.

Latano began to get up, but before he could, another raptor was on him, claws digging into the elf's small body. Latano could see the huge claw on its foot. He felt a searing pain as it slashed across his chest. He was only vaguely aware of Alan as he came rushing at them, sword drawn. Then he blacked out.

Alan didn't really know what he was planning to do. He certainly had no idea how to use a sword, much less use it faster than four or five raptors. But he didn't stop to think as his blade slashed first into one, then another.

He only hoped he wasn't too late.

Morgan took a deep breath. This was going to be hard to explain.

"Athos," she said quietly. "The gleems, and Angelica, they don't know you're here. They assumed you were dead. Angelica, therefore, has assumed control of the gleems."

"My goodness. What has she done?"

"Somehow or other -- I don't know how -- the gleems knew you were with Kelly. Angelica, well, you know Angelica."

Athos nodded. "She went after Dr. Malcolm, didn't she?" He looked over at Ian. "I'm so sorry. You should never have been brought into this. I don't even know why Kelly is here, or why either of us was brought here." He closed his eyes, his breathing becoming difficult.

Ian knelt down by Morgan. "There are some things beyond our control, Athos."

Morgan nodded. "We found the four of them in a bar, just before the gleems crashed it."

Athos opened his eyes. "In the open?"

Eric nodded. "Which is why we're convinced they think you're dead. But there's more. Morgan and Dr. Malcolm were shot, with poisoned arrows."

Athos looked shocked. "What poison?"

"Rona didn't recognize it."

Morgan spoke up. "Tandro said it was probably one of your old experiments, but he couldn't be sure."

"Blast it. I told her never to use those."

"Well, if you're dead, it doesn't matter what you told her."

Athos nodded. "We need to get out of here."

Suddenly, Alan Grant came crashing through the trees, Latano in his arms. "We need to get out of here!" he called.

"Mind-reader," Athos mumbled.

Peter stared at Latano. "My goodness. What happened?"

"Raptors," Alan replied, gasping for breath. "We need to move. I scared them off, but not for long."

"Is he alive?"

"For now."

By then, Eric was helping Athos to his feet, careful of his hurt arm. He turned to Dr. Grant. "Which way's the quickest way to the coast?"

Grant pointed. "That way."

Before they could do anything, however, the raptors leapt out from behind the trees. Alan realized what had happened. They hadn't been frightened away; they wanted him to lead them to the others.

Levine froze. They were surrounded. How many were there? At least a dozen, he realized. Too many. They'd never make it.

"Um . . . does anybody have a plan?" Ian asked.

Alan recognized the tone in his voice. "Ian, don't!"

But Ian took off, with Morgan and Athos close behind.

"Cowards," Mirage accused as most of the raptors followed the three of them. "Running for their lives, like scared little mice. Is this what you wished for me to see, Fasir?"

"On the contrary, Mirage." Fasir was smiling, pleased. "They have only proven my point. Cowards? Mirage, have you seen nothing today. They know."

Q nodded. "They knew, of course, or at least Dr. Malcolm did, that the raptors would pick them out as the 'weaklings of the pack,' so to speak. Look, there're only two left. Ooh, one. Balo just got one of them. Good shot, little elf."

"Have you nothing better to do than play cheerleader for Balo?" Avanwë asked. "There're at least a dozen raptors chasing three of them! Do you have any idea what their chances are?"

"Yes. Terrible."

Ian Malcolm was breathing hard. He knew the raptors were close behind them. And none of them could keep up this pace.

"Up ahead!" Athos called through gasps. "The trees! Can they climb?"

"They can jump!"

Athos glanced back. "We don't have a chance on the ground."

Ian stopped by a large tree and reached for the first branch, pulling himself up. Morgan jumped, caught the branch. Ian helped her up.

Athos looked up. His arm was broken; he'd never make it. But he didn't have a choice; he'd suggested it, and the raptors were nearly there. He jumped.

Morgan caught one of his hands, Ian the other. Together, they pulled him up.

"We'll have to go higher," Ian sighed. His leg throbbed from running so fast, and he wasn't looking forward to the climb.

But they had to.

As the raptors gathered below, they helped each other higher and higher. Ian's leg felt like it was on fire. Pain shot up Athos' arm every time the others pulled him up. Morgan cringed as her ribs banged into the branches and the trunk. But they kept going.

"What should we do?" Richard asked.

"I don't know," Eric admitted. "Head for the coast?"

"And hope we can find the others later?" Peter asked.

"There's not going to be much left of the others later," Richard pointed out bluntly. "Those were Velociraptors, in case you didn't notice. Carnivores. Predators. We should head for the coast. The others are as good as dead."

Peter met Richard's gaze. No, he told himself. He would know if Morgan were dead. He would have felt it.

Suddenly, he heard her voice. "Peter?"

"Yeah, le Fay. Where are you?"

"We're in the trees. Safe, for the moment. Unless they can chew through the trunk."

"What should we do?"

"Tandro's on his way. But if he doesn't find you on the coast, he is going to come looking."

"I guessed. Where should we be in that case?"

"Wherever Dr. Grant thinks is the safest place for you to be."

Peter turned to Alan. "The others are alive. They climbed a tree. Tandro is looking for us. Where's the safest place for us right now?"

Alan Grant looked at Peter as if he had broccoli coming out of his ears. "Peter, there are no safe places here."

"Where's best."

"We should get away from the smell of blood. They have an excellent sense of smell."

"And what about Latano?" The elf was covered in blood.

Alan rethought that idea. "Ummmm . . ."

Eric sighed. "We don't have time for this. Let's head for the coast."

Q burst out laughing as the others followed Eric. "Oh, man. He'll never find them, not before the raptors or the Rex do. Oh, boy. These guys are funny, Avanwë. They actually think they can make it off the island alive!"

"They can!" Avanwë insisted. "Tandro's on his way."

"He'll never find them," Q repeated. "But just how is our little pilot doing?"

Tandro loosened his grip on the controls a little and looked out the window again. He'd circled the coast, but hadn't seen a trace of anyone. Now he headed for the forest.

"Morgan," he called out telepathically. "Morgan?"

"Yeah," came the reply.

"What's happened?"

"The raptors attacked. We split up. I'm in a tree with Dr. Malcolm and Athos. I'm not sure where the others are."

"Okay," Tandro replied. The answer had been dry, blunt. That meant she was tired. "Why are you in a tree?"

"Um . . . there're about a dozen raptors here, so the ground didn't seem a very safe place."

"What can you see from up there?"

There was a pause. "Not much. We're not exactly at the top."

"Can you get there, Morgan? I need some idea of where you are."

Morgan looked at her companions. Neither of them looked like they could climb any higher. Athos couldn't get up the branches on his own, and Ian was steadily growing weaker, because of the poison combined with physical exhaustion.

"I need to get up there," she explained. "Tandro can't see the others. If he can find us . . . they can't have made it too far already."

"Better tell them to stop moving," Athos suggested.

Morgan nodded. "Peter?"

"Yeah, Kenobi?"

"Stop moving. Tandro's here. He's trying to find us."

"All right. We're safe; tell him to get you first."

"You got it. Tandro?"

"Yeah."

"Peter says they're safe. I'm gonna give this a shot."

"Okay."

Morgan cringed. She hated heights. Before it had been life and death. Now she had to force herself to believe she had to do this.

She put a hand on the branch above her. The bark was rough; it dug into her skin. She hadn't noticed it before, too great had been the danger. Now she felt the pain.

"Keep your mind off it," came a voice in her head.

Morgan nearly jumped. The voice had been Ian's. "Was that you?" she called down.

"Was what me?" Ian's voice, audible this time.

"You said, 'Keep your mind off it.'"

"I was only thinking it."

"Try it again," she said, telepathically this time, pulling herself up. A good distraction.

"What do you want me to say?" came Ian's voice in her head.

Morgan grinned. "Well, you said before there was no such thing as ordinary. I was wondering what you meant."

"What's your idea of normal, Morgan?"

"What do you mean?"

"What's typical?"

"Trick question."

"How so?"

"Well, if you meant me personally, my life is completely unpredictable."

"Exactly. But what's normal for you?"

"Going to school, getting a little homework, doing it in a flash, lying to my parents about where I've been, and eating dinner around six o' clock."

"But how often does that actually happen?"

"Huh?"

"Does that all ever happen? That and nothing else?"

"Well . . . no." The branches were getting thinner. She was near the top.

"So something out of the ordinary always happens?"

"I guess so."

"Then how do you decide what's ordinary?"

Morgan thought. "I give up. How do you?"

"You don't. That's the point. There is no ordinary."

"Interesting," came Athos' voice telepathically.

"Wait . . . you can hear that?" Malcolm asked.

"Oh, yeah. You were a little bit blurry, but Morgan's always really clear."

"Can you talk to everyone like this?" Ian asked Morgan.

"Oh, goodness, no. That would drive me crazy. Just certain people. For example, if I tried this with, say, Dr. Levine, I'm quite certain I'd get nothing. Or even Billy or Dr. Grant."

"Then . . ."

"Why you?"

"Exactly."

"Total honesty, I'm not exactly surprised. I was just a little startled because I wasn't expecting it right then. I thought it might work with you."

"Why?"

"It's not something you can explain. You just know."

"Friendship?"

"Hardly. First time it worked with Athos, I'd barely met him, and hadn't exactly heard great things about him from anyone else."

"I heard that," Athos laughed.

"Who's telling the story? Anyway, that's when I realized, well, that it wasn't just how well I knew the person, because it doesn't work with my parents or my friends at school, or even my sister. Of course, my friends at school aren't exactly close because . . ." She trailed off.

"Because you can't let them bet close to you because you're afraid they'll get hurt if you do," Ian finished for her.

"Yeah, exactly. Anyway, I knew it would work with you. Because you'd let it. You were open to the idea from the beginning. You accepted what we said as the truth, even if it sounded a little far-fetched."

"Hardly more far-fetched than this."

"Granted, but still."

"And I could hardly argue with the idea when the gleems were coming, literally, through the roof."

"Still, the others had their doubts. You trusted us. Totally."

"That's why it worked?"

"No, it worked because of what made you trust us, whatever that is." She looked around.

"Don't look down." Athos.

"I can see him. Hey, Tandro! I see you."

"Great. Where are you?"

"Your left. That's right. Fly closer. There you go. Keep coming."

"Okay, coach, I see you. The others are below you?"

"Yeah."

"This would be ridiculously easier if I could land."

"No choice, unless you want to be raptor food."

"So how do you plan on doing this?"

"Ummmm . . .You got any rope?"

"Yeah, but not a free hand."

"Blast."

"Tell me. Should've brought the pastor."

"Why didn't you?"

"Too much weight."

Morgan froze. That was it. That was what Pastor Brown had been trying to tell them. The plane was too small. "I take it the thing doesn't have an autopilot."

"You're right there."

"Can you open the door from where you are?"

"Ummm . . ."

"Come on . . . there you go. I can see you."

"Now what?"

"Fly closer."

"What're you going to do, jump?"

"I . . ." That was exactly what she'd been planning to do. But now that he said it . . .

"Do it, le Fay," Tandro said suddenly. "If you're going to do it, do it now. You can, but not if you think about it."

"Tandro, a flying, moving target?"

"You can do it."

Morgan knew she had to. Tandro would keep making passes around the tree until he ran out of fuel, if he had to. She couldn't let him do that. She took a deep breath, tried to focus, let go of the trunk with her hands, and jumped.

"Idiot," Mirage grinned.

xWhit3StaRx -- Muahahahahaha. Yet another cliffhanger. :)

Alison -- Okay, okay, I updated. Are you happy:) Trick question, considering how I just ended the chapter, huh:)

a writer of fics -- Glad you still like it. :)