Who's the Boss
A.N: This is it. This has been an amazing experience for me. I came into this story not really expecting such a following as I have received and it's such a treat to read comments about my story and it just blows my mind at the support of you guys. I want to shout out to Supermemeguardian0 with his story 'Best of Both' for inspiring me to write my own story, I thank you.
The jungle was peaceful, the birds are chirping, and the sun was shining down onto us, everything was right with the world...but. Loud, distasteful hard rock music is blaring out of the BRAD-X. "BRAD, stop!" Darius shouts as we all cover our ears as the robot trills and the music stops. "Sorry guys, looks like Kash only has one song." Darius says as I put my pinky in my ear. "I think that my ears need glasses." I quip as I rub my throbbing ears. "Not to worry. Just hearing how you trapped Kash is music to my ears." Mae says proudly as everyone starts cheering. Firecracker runs around and knocks Kenji over and Sammy and Yaz start laughing at him. I notice Brooklynn walk over to him as he stands, they both blush shyly away from each other but I notice their small glances and smiles. Get on with it already, fucking hell.
The both of them walk off as they look for Rebel. I walk over to Yaz and Sammy as they hang around Angel, I notice that she is not as active as she was. "Hey." I say as I walk up to Yaz as I kiss her cheek. "Hey, how're doing?" She asks as she wraps her arms around me. "Better now." I say smugly as she shakes her head and kisses me. "Really guys, I'm sitting right here." Sammy says as we break and laugh. "Sorry Sammy, I just had to say hi to my lovely girlfriend, who knows what she would have done if I didn't." I say teasingly as she elbows me in the ribs. I grunt softly but still have a smile plastered on my face. "True but in front of me?" She says but we just laugh. "Sorry Sammy, won't happen again." Yaz says which I pout at. "Don't start." She says as I smirk.
"Hey, guys." Brooklynn says as Yaz and I turn to her. "Something is up with Rebel. He's chill but not this chill." She says as I raise my eyebrow. "Same with Angel. She's usually more...bitey." Sammy says as we hear Ben and Firecracker playing. "Firecracker seems alright." I say as Yaz follows up. "Right at home." Sammy has a thoughtful look on her face. "Maybe that's the problem. But Sinoceratops lived in the jungle, it doesn't make sense." She says as Brooklynn points out. "They are also part Spinosaurus, and the one here is in the desert. Maybe, they'll be better there." She says as I turn to her sharply. "No way. Not only are they defenseless but that Spinosaurus will tear them apart before the day's out. And besides, they seem to be exhausted from the heat, the jungle is clinging to them and dropping them in the desert won't help matters." I say as I start thinking. "We can't take them to the mountain biome, Galen is wild now...he'll eat them up. The tundra seems the best bet." I say. "What about the Yutyrannus?" Sammy asks. "We'll find the mammoths, the hybrids can stay close to them." I say as they all nod. "Works for me. Hey! We're taking the kids to the tundra biome!" Yaz shouts to Ben who just waves her off before going back to Firecracker and her berries.
Awhile later, we are walking through the tunnels, Brooklynn has just told Sammy that her and Kenji are a couple, she was very surprised when I told her that I knew about it. 'You don't hide it very well', was I said to her as she blushes. "I can't believe you two are a couple. I'm going to call you Ken-Lynn, no wait, Brook-Ji. Which remains me." She says as she turns to me and Yaz. "Don't even think about it, Texas." I say as she turns back to Brooklynn. Yaz laughs at me as we arrive at the tundra biome.
P.O.V Change: Darius
This is bad, really bad. We had gone to feed Kash and maybe...just maybe patched up some of his wounds from Ryan but when we arrived, he was gone. Ben said that he and Mae would take Firecracker to the Med Bay and with Kash's condition, he would most likely head there. We arrived at the compound, and I had sent Kenji down to the lower levels. I had gone to Kash's office, to see if he returned there but no sign of him. "I'm telling you, boss. That kid hits like a fucking train." I hear Kash's voice coming as I jump over the sofa to my right and hide behind it. "You were always so shortsighted. You should have figured that the child had some outside help but your arrogance, once again makes a fool out of yourself." A new voice is heard, and it sounds so calm and disapproving, like a parent to a child. Who the hell is this. "The assets in the new biome were eating their food supply at an unprecedented rate. While you were getting the shit beat out of you, they have become restless and are expanding their territories, the biome borders are becoming unreliable on their adaptability." The new voice sounds as I get confused. New biome? New assets? "Feed the Kentrosaurus to them. Let's see if the assets like that." The new guy says as I look over the sofa and see a tall man with a sharp suit on, but I don't see his face.
"You released those things already? I haven't figure out a way to contain them. The drones don't work cause-." Whatever Kash was going to say, the new guy interrupted, I'm starting to think that this is Kash's boss. "Doesn't matter because we won't be there. The BRADs will take care of the Kentrosaurus while we go to the forest biome for the presentation." He says as he starts moving to the door, I hide as they work out. "Get an ice pack on your face, Kash. Its ruining my floor." He says as Kash grumbles before closing the door. I start panicking as I realize that they are going to feed Pierce to whatever the new assets are. I feel a hand on my shoulder as I jump in fright. I sigh as it's only Kenji. "Dude, why are you hiding like that?" He asks as I glare at him.
P.O.V Change: Ryan
We had found one of the gliders as we followed the hybrids as they explored their new home. The mammoths were nearby and they didn't seem bothered by the small hybrids running around them. They'll be fine with them. "So cute." Sammy says as we watch Angel jump and start sliding across a frozen lake as Rebel devours some of the ground plants. Yaz starts to the engine as the others look at her. "We'll, time to go. Who's ready?" She asks as I put my hand up. "No." Brooklynn and Sammy say at the same time. "Guys, we've done why we set out to do, the mammoths will look after them. We need to go back." I say to them. "Well yeah but it's still hard." Yaz looks at them before reserving the glider. I already sense the mood plummet. "Yaz, what are you doing?" Sammy asks. "Giving you the push you needed. Again." She says the last part while looking at Brooklynn. "You're welcome." She says as Sammy turns to me. "Why aren't you stopping her?" She asks as I shrug. "They are safe. It's hard to say goodbye but we need to go." I say as Brooklynn glares at me. "We're not ready to say goodbye. Turn us around." She says as she jumps forward and grabs hold of the steering wheel. The jagged motion sends me tumbling as they fight over the wheel. Somewhere in the scuffle, something had made the glider go faster and we ended up in another part of the lake.
We scream as quickly make our exit out of the sinking vehicle onto the ice. We watch as the glider sinks beneath the ice, never to be seen again. "That...was very stupid." I say with anger as the winds picks up. "No use dwelling on it. Let's go!" Yaz says as she walks away. I turn and follow after her before giving a small glare at both Sammy and Brooklynn. "She was driving. What would have happened if we ran into a rock instead of the lake, how about that?" I ask them as I follow Yaz.
We have been walking for a while and the wind is getting harsher. "Another glider, just up ahead." Yaz says as I look forward and see the glider but there is still a good distance to go. "It's too far." Sammy says as her teeth chatter. "It's ok, warm thoughts." Yaz says as Sammy kicks some snow. "There are no warm thoughts, not after what you did." She says as Yaz turns, confused. "Me? What did I do?" She asks. "Because we weren't ready to leave but you made us. You and Ryan left Galen, so you know what to do but we have been with Angel and Rebel for ages and now we are going to freeze to death. And I know that I shouldn't cry but my eyes just leak like this." Sammy continues her rant as Yaz is very taken aback at the sheer volume of Sammy's frustration.
"I just wanted to help." Yaz says as Brooklynn walks over. "Telling us how to feel and what to do, are two very different things." Yaz looks confused. "But last time-." Brooklynn interrupts her. "Last time you just listened." Yaz slowly realizes her mistake. "Oh." This is one of the things that Yaz doesn't know. She was a loner before meeting us, so she doesn't know about a lot of problems that people have, Yaz doesn't understand the difference between telling and forcing. She told advice to Brooklynn, apparently and now she thinks that forcing them to do something is the same thing, but it's not. Brooklynn looks at her with a soft smile as Sammy is knocked over by Angel. "So much has happened in the last 15 minutes, I need a break." I say as I walk over and lean my back against Angel. When I make contact, my eyes widen at the heat on my back. "Guys, is it just me or does Angel feel like a weekend vacation, in a spa?" I ask as the girls rest their hands on Angle and Rebel. "I can feel my fingers again. How can they stand this cold?" Brooklynn asks as Yaz caress her hand against Rebel's scales. "Mantah Corp must have engineered them to be endothermic. They are creating their own body heat and, wow, we have been spending waaay too much time with Darius." Yaz deadpans while I laugh.
We use the hybrids as moving heat generators so we could get to the glider. I notice Yaz's downcast face. "Sorry I pushed so hard. I just want to help like you guys helped me." She says. Brooklynn and Sammy give a soft group hug as I watch. I'm proud of her, how far she's come from everything. Through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad. The break from the hug as Yaz approaches me. "Thank you for being there for me." She says as I smile. "Always." I simply reply as I kiss her. "Thank you." She whispers one more time to me. "You're welcome." I say back as I lean my head against hers. "But I'm driving." I quip as I hop up into the glider. The girls take one last look at the hybrids before hoping in.
A loud clang is heard and we look forward and see BRAD-X standing menacingly on the glider. "Isn't that... Darius's BRAD-X?" Brooklynn asks as the robot speaks. "Message delivery. The Kentrosaurus is in trouble. We need your help." The bot says as the others have horrified looks on their faces, but something is not right about this, Darius knows Pierce's name. He would never call him 'Kentrosaurus'. "Tell us where to go." Brooklynn says. "New swamp biome. Follow." The robot says as it brings running away. "Something is not right." I say as they turn to me. "What?" Yaz asks as I start the engine. "One way to find out." I say as I start flooring the BRAD.
We floor the BRAD out of the airlock and into a swamp biome. This is new. I lose sight of the robot as I notice something in the distance. I turn on the lights and see...Dilophosaurs. No way, no one is that stupid to breed these. We used to have at the park, but they were placed in quarantine because of their 'excessive danger to guests'. I honk the horn before telling Brooklynn to take over the wheel. I open the door and stand on the step as I fire some warning shots at the pack as they disperse from the area. We look over and see Kenji and Darius with some makeshift shields. Mae, trying to calm Pierce down and Ben who is holding a golf club.
We jump out of the glider as Brooklynn and Kenji embrace. Brooklynn lightly pecks Kenji on the side of the cheek as Ben watches. "Are you guys...together?" He says as he points to Brooklynn and Kenji. "Get with the program buddy." I say as I pass him, tapping him on the soldier. "Why am I the last one to notice this stuff?" I hear him say as I laugh. "How did you know that we were here?" Kenji asks which makes my blood run cold. "What do you mean? You sent the BRAD-X to come get us." Brooklynn answers as Kenji and Darius shake their heads no. "It's a trap." I say as I back up from the tree line. Heavy clanking is heard as I point my rifle all over and see red eyes coming from all directions. An army of BRAD-X's surrounds us. Yaz pulls out her machete as the others gather what they can get to defend themselves. I see past the robots and see Kash coming as I point my rifle at him. I smile as he finches, he looks very worse for wear. His arm is in a sleeve and his face looks like a bad impression of a purple grape...that has swollen. "You were right boss. Kid did have some help." I perk up as he said 'boss'. I point my rifle at the newcomer that is walking up with our tablet. "You shouldn't leave important devices laying around." The voice says as Kenji walks to the front of the group with a look of horror on his face. The newcomer comes into view. "It could fall into the wrong..." The man says as the voice and face turns into shock as he spots Kenji. I see that he is an Asian man, wearing a suit that shouts wealth. But I notice the familiarity with his face. "Dad?" Kenji says softly as we all gasp. Kenji's father is the one in charge of Mantah Corp? We...are...so...fucked.
