As expected, the jeep stalled out in front of the Tyrannosaurus paddock. The storm began to pick up speed, rain pounding on the roof of the car. Lightning flashed sporadically, intercut with the loudly approaching peal of thunder. The car became stuffier as they waited.
It was a relief when the storm began to subside, and Steve opened the door to check in on them. The serious expression on his face while he talked to Gennaro turned guilty when he looked back at Clint and Natasha. He seemed twitchy, torn between leaving them behind and taking them with him.
Clint pushed aside his own unease and grinned reassuringly. "We're fine, Steve. It'll be fun!"
Beside him, Natasha projected a calm and ready face. Both facades dropped the moment Steve closed the door.
Gennaro was oblivious to their change, too busy watching rain splatter on the windshield.
Riffling through a box under the seat for night-vision goggles, Clint saw Gennaro's gaze switch to him.
"Don't do that," Gennaro objected when Clint pulled out the goggles. "Are they heavy?"
"Yeah?" Clint said.
"Then they're expensive," Gennaro said. "Put them back."
"I'm being careful," Clint shot back.
The lawyer seemed to decide it wasn't worth the trouble to play disciplinarian, instead leaning back in his seat and turning his uninterested gaze toward the window.
Clint flipped on the goggles and crawled into the back of the jeep, watching the Tyrannosaur Paddock closely for any signs of movement. His body was on high alert for any creak in the branches or any rumble that wasn't thunder. Natasha stared intensely out the window, radiating a nervous energy. Not for the first time, Clint really wished he had been able to convince her to watch the movie.
Because there's no easy way to comfort your friend when you both know you're about to be attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex.
They felt the tremors first. The vibrations were so slight, they seemed to resonate at a subconscious frequency within the body, a sense of impending panic raised without any visible danger. Small ripples radiating across the surface of a cup of water felt like dire warning. By the time they could hear the deep plodding sound of large feet, they were already on edge.
"Maybe it's just the power trying to turn back on," Gennaro said. He turned toward the Tyrannosaur Paddock, his eyes scanning the treeline closely.
Quick as he could, Clint replaced the goggles and focused on the goat. But it had already disappeared. The chain holding it in place swung wildly from side to side.
"It's gone," Natasha whispered.
The goat's leg thumped onto the roof of the car, and they jumped.
The T-Rex had finally arrived.
"Oh, Jesus." Gennaro hyperventilated, scrambling for the door.
"Gennaro, wait-" Clint started.
Gennaro didn't listen. He was already sprinting through the rain toward the restrooms. Clint debated closing the door then and there. Except he was frozen in place by the image of the massive creature ripping through the once electrified fences like they were nothing more than cobwebs.
Clint clambered over to Natasha, grabbing her hands as she dug through the supplies box for a flashlight. "No, stop! Its vision is based on movement, Nat. We've gotta stay still. Don't move!"
Natasha listened, and they both turned to watch the T-Rex creep out into the middle of the road between the two cars. The T-Rex roared loud and gratingly, its massive, scaly head swinging back and forth.
Hope fluttered in Clint's chest. Without the light to draw it closer, maybe the T-Rex would just walk away into the woods.
Without warning, the car's headlights started to flicker on and off rapidly. The emergency lights joined in and sent a red glow flashing against the back of the car.
"What's happening?" Natasha whispered tersely.
"I don't know, this isn't supposed to happen!" Clint scurried into the front seat, jamming his hand against the emergency light button and frantically hitting every button. "It's not working!"
Everything suddenly stopped. Clint looked to his left and saw the T-Rex looming above them. Its teeth were sharp, massive points, its head nearly larger than the car. Unable to stop himself, Clint reached out as slowly as he dared and pulled the door closed with a soft thump.
The T-Rex snarled, its growl lingering in the air. Hot breath fogged up the window as it lowered its gigantic head and stared at them with a shrewd yellow eye.
Clint and Natasha shared a look.
The T-Rex raised its head and let out a deafening roar that sent both of them instinctively scrambling to the opposite side of the car moments before the jeep tilted unsteadily on two wheels and came crashing down. When it settled, Clint threw himself next to looked up through the sunroof and immediately cowered.
The T-Rex attacked.
Its jaws dislodged the glass panel above Clint and Natasha, and they barely managed to throw up their arms and legs, desperately trying to hold the panel in place. Teeth scraped against the glass, bloody saliva dripping down onto the surface. The T-Rex tried to push the glass aside ineffectively, and it let out a loud, aggravated roar.
Rationally speaking, as someone who had seen Jurassic Park a hundred times, Clint knew they would be fine.
Realistically, as a defenseless child currently being attacked by a ferocious T-Rex, Clint was freaking terrified. His heart was racing, his pupils dilated, and he couldn't have prevented himself from screaming if he'd tried. Natasha was screaming just as loud as he was, if not louder.
She'd always had a weak spot for monster movies.
But this didn't feel fake.
Not by a long shot.
They didn't have any weapons. They were too small to put up any kind of a fight. And the only thing between them and the T-Rex was a piece of glass that was steadily breaking away.
The T-Rex nudged the car sharply and it flipped upside down.
Clint and Natasha scurried to hide themselves between the seats.
A massive foot stomped on the underside of the jeep, crushing it. The steel frame was unable to withstand the weight, and it sank as the T-Rex bit into a tire and fought to tug it away. Mud flooded into the jeep. Clint and Natasha were hardly able to move as they were swallowed up by the soft ground. Clint struggled to free his pinned leg, and Natasha grabbed Clint's arm tightly.
Shouldn't the T-Rex be moving away from them by now, Clint thought. What if they had tried to change the story too much? Maybe this was their new ending: crushed under a dinosaur and drowned in mud.
Or what if Steve forgot that he was supposed to help them?
"Remember to keep still. Its vision's based on movement."
Tony didn't need the reminder. He was frozen in place from the moment the T-Rex appeared, every muscle in his body tensed. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. His skin jittered as if the lightning had found a way into his body and was surging from one nerve to the next.
"What are they doing?" Tony asked as the lights to the jeep started flashing, and the dinosaur honed in on the movement. He wiped away the fog that was forming on the windshield, his mouth falling open in shock.
"That's not them."
They watched in horror as the T-Rex attacked the jeep. Tony felt his heart rate spike as the glass gave way and the T-Rex's teeth were literal inches away from his teammates. Clint and Natasha's screams were lost under the dinosaur's roar as it tried and succeeded in tipping the jeep upside down.
Tony had seen Natasha take a bullet without uttering a single sound. He'd seen Clint standing with a knife still stuck in his leg and laughing. Clint and Natasha screaming wasn't ever a sound Tony wanted to hear.
It felt like an eternity passed before Steve started rummaging around in the backseat and pulled out an emergency flare. Steve fumbled for the door handle and cast Tony a wide-eyed stare. "Stay in the car!" Steve ordered.
Steve darted into the road and yelled to get the dinosaur's attention. He stopped and waved the flare above his head, the T-Rex's head following it with single minded intensity. Steve launched the flare over the wall into the T-Rex enclosure.
It took two steps toward the flare… then stopped.
It turned a mean, yellow eye toward Tony, something uncanny in its gaze. Seconds passed under its expectant gaze. Neither Steve nor Tony moved, and the massive creature roared angrily then charged the overturned jeep.
It was the nail in the coffin as far as Tony was concerned. There was no way out.
He snatched another flare from the box, almost slipping in the mud in his haste to get out of the car. The flare was surprisingly hot in his hand as he lit it and held it above his head, waving it frantically from side to side.
"Tony, freeze!"
Tony ignored Steve. "Hey! C'mon you dysfunctional animatronic, follow me!"
Its head swiveled around and let out a roar, ground shaking as it started to chase him.
"Tony!"
"Get them out of here, Steve!" Tony ran faster than he had ever ran before, throwing the flare aside without a second though.
The bathroom came in view. Hot breath hit Tony's back, and Tony waited for the inevitable moment where he would go flying through the air.
It was surreal.
One moment he was on the ground; the next, he was straddling the T-Rex's muzzle. They broke through the thin bathroom walls, and with a toss of its head, Tony was falling. He landed hard, pain piercing his leg, and the palm thatching roof collapsed over him.
His last thought as he slipped into unconsciousness, Gennaro's scream echoing in his ears, was that it wasn't as bad as he thought it would be.
As soon as the T-Rex was past him, Steve sprinted for the jeep. He slid to his knees in front of it, and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw Clint and Natasha staring back at him.
"Come on. I've gotcha," Steve said. He grabbed Natasha's hand and started pulling her out, helping her maneuver through the narrow gap of what used to be the window. When she was free, Steve ducked to look back inside the car. "Clint?"
"I'm stuck," Clint said, trying to pull himself free for emphasis. "Just go, I'll be fine!"
Natasha's hand grabbed painfully onto Steve, and Steve turned to find the T-Rex had returned. Steve pulled Natasha toward him, holding her tight against him. "Don't move," he whispered. "It can't see us if we don't move."
A massive foot sank into the mud in front of them. The T-Rex's head ducked down; its teeth too close for comfort. It sniffed, hot breath blowing over them and knocking the hat off Steve's head.
As if angry it couldn't see them, the T-Rex's nose pushed against the side of the car. The force of it shoved Steve and Natasha forward, and they scrambled to keep their footing. They found themselves trapped between the enclosure wall and the car, the T-Rex guarding their only escape routes.
Except, the T-Rex was more interested in the car and Clint. It sniffed the crumpled window and pushed the car from side to side. Steve pulled Natasha out of the way onto the enclosure wall.
"Clint!" Natasha yelled.
Steve pulled her back and wrapped her arm around his neck, holding them firmly in place. "Nat, we've got to go!"
Hoisting her onto his back, he grabbed one of the thick cables and started to climb down the inside of the enclosure wall. A solid, bone-breaking one-hundred-foot drop below them.
The jeep's headlights cut ominously through the dark as it moved closer and closer to the edge. Steve searched for the second cable, right where he knew it would be, and started walking them side to side. "Grab the line!" he yelled to Natasha.
She reached out, fingertips only grazing the wall. A second try and she touched the line but couldn't grab it.
The jeep lurched above them. Headlights burned into their retinas as the jeep tipped precariously forward.
Natasha grabbed the line just in time. She tugged, and they felt air rush past them. The jeep missed them by inches before crashing into the trees below, tearing through several layers of branches then stopping.
"Clint!" Natasha yelled again. Her head fell onto Steve's shoulder and she shuddered as the T-Rex roared above them, and Steve lowered them to the ground.
Natasha climbed off his back and immediately started scanning the trees. She found the jeep lodged vertically in the tree with the headlights facing the ground and called desperately out to Clint, clearly unhappy when she didn't hear any reply. The mud on her hands and feet thwarted her attempts to climb the tree herself, rough bark leaving scratches on her skin. Steve caught her and held her shoulders with his hands to steady her, a little startled by the wild intensity on her face.
"Natasha, stop! Clint's okay!" Steve said. "He told you what happens, right?"
Natasha didn't say anything, but her shoulder relaxed and she nodded curtly.
"Then you know I get him out of the tree. It won't be simple, but we'll be fine." Steve looked up at the tree and steeled himself. "We'll be back before you know it. Okay?"
Natasha nodded and moved out of the way, cleaning herself off with water streaming from one of the large pipes nearby. Steve started climbing the branches, trying to map how he was going to get out of the tree at the same time. He called out to Clint a couple times, too, not getting any more of a response than Natasha did. He tamped down the feeling of unease, reminding himself that Tim was fine in the movie.
Steve smiled in relief when he reached the jeep and saw Clint. The jeep door creaked as Steve opened it and stepped onto it. "Hey, Clint. You okay? Can you hear me?"
"Yeah." Clint swallowed, wiped a hand over his mouth, and stared down into the seat well. "Sorry. I would have replied but I was busy doing something else."
"Oh," Steve said, catching on. "It's okay. I won't tell Natasha."
"Is she okay?"
"Yeah, she's fine." Steve held a hand out to Clint, careful not to touch the steering wheel. "Maybe a little worried that you weren't answering her. Why don't we get out of the tree so she can see I wasn't lying about you being okay."
Clint eyed the steering wheel cautiously. "I don't suppose it matters if you touch the steering wheel. The jeep's going to fall on us, right?"
Steve sighed. "I would guess so."
"Great."
Clint grabbed Steve's hand and carefully made his way across the gap. Steve pulled him out when he was close and the two started to climb down the branches, pausing briefly underneath the jeep.
"You ready?" Steve asked.
The branches creaked warningly above them.
"I was raised in a circus, Steve. This is nothing." Clint had started climbing, moving with surprising grace from one tree branch to the next. "Try and keep up."
Steve had started his descent as the jeep snapped through the first few branches. Even with the advantage of having scouted the tree beforehand, Steve felt as if he was barely managing to keep ahead of the vehicle as it chased them down the tree. Clint had reached the ground well ahead of Steve, but Steve had only moments after hitting dirt to grab Clint and dive forward so when the jeep fell and landed upside down, they would slip through the shattered roof and end up back in the jeep unharmed.
"We're back in the jeep," Clint said, freeing himself from Steve and moving toward the open door. "That was rather anticlimactic if you ask me."
Steve sighed and dropped his head against the seat, breathing heavily. "Speak for yourself."
When Steve made his way out of the vehicle, Natasha joined them. She examined a protesting Clint for wounds, and only seemed satisfied after she finished.
"Come on," Steve said. "Let's go find shelter for the night."
They walked for several minutes before Steve directed Clint and Natasha toward the tree they would be sleeping in that night. To say both of them had been through hell was an understatement.
Natasha was edgy. Unusual for her as she wasn't even trying to hide it. Her eyes darted around the forest, scanning it for any threats as they heard the T-Rex roar in the distance. Her hands intermittently coiled into fists; shoulders tensed as if ready to fight.
Clint, on the other hand, already seemed to be coming down from his adrenaline spike. Maybe because he knew the worst was over for the night. He dragged his feet, almost tripping twice. When they reached the tree, he stared up at it and let out a heavy sigh.
"You okay, Clint?" Steve glanced at Natasha who spared no time waiting to climb the tree. "If you want, I can carry y-"
"No. I'm fine."
Clint rallied and started to climb, Steve close behind him just in case he slipped or fell. He kept part of his attention on Natasha as well, but she had made it to the top in record time, her eyes shining down through the dimming light. She reached out a hand as Clint neared her and helped pull him up.
Steve arrived next to them and was immediately met with a smack to his arm.
"Look, Steve!" Clint pointed toward the skyline, a lazy smile on his face. "Brachiosauruses."
The post-thunderstorm sky had softened into a light shade of coral as the sun began to set, and a hazy fog hovered above the trees. Several Brachiosauruses had their necks raised, breaking up the skyline. The dinosaurs called to each other, their deep, bellowing voices like a melodic song.
Even Natasha seemed entranced by them, Steve thought.
Clint smacked Steve again, looking up at him with a hopeful expression. "Can you make the noise, Steve?"
Steve nodded and moved into a better position. As he moved his hands up to his mouth and attempted to copy the Brachiosauruses call, he tried to erase the uneasy feeling that he shouldn't be able to read Natasha and Clint's expressions this well.
Almost as soon as the sound left his mouth, two more Brachiosauruses raised their heads above the trees. They were so close, Steve could see their eyes and the details in their faces when the Brachiosauruses turned to look at them.
"Don't call them over here," Natasha shushed.
"It's okay. Nothing else is going to hurt us tonight."
"They're herbivores, Tasha." Clint yawned and slumped against the tree branch in front of him, blinking slowly. "Nothin' to worry about."
Steve moved to the trunk of the tree and sat down with his back against one of the large branches, thankful for the relatively large space to sit. He shifted and winced. Reaching into one of his pockets, Steve pulled out a large raptor claw.
Natasha took a seat next to him, leaning quietly against his side. She kept her intense stare fixed on the claw until, realizing what she wanted, Steve handed it over.
She turned it over twice in her hand, checked to see how sharp it was, then put it in her own pocket.
Steve's arm wavered above her before he dropped it around her shoulder, a little surprised when she leaned into him more.
"Are you okay?" Steve asked Natasha in a hushed voice. "I've never heard you scream like that before."
"I've never woken up as a weaponless twelve-year-old and been attacked by a Tyrannosaurus Rex before." Natasha's elbow dug into his side intentionally as she made herself more comfortable. "You might be used to dinosaur attacks since you're a dinosaur yourself, but I am not."
"Why does everyone make that joke?" Steve muttered.
Clint chuckled, listing sideways against the branch.
"It doesn't help when you're also stuck watching your partner who's been turned into a six-year-old."
"I'm older than six. 'M at least nine," Clint mumbled. He shifted again; one leg dangling off the edge of the tree.
Natasha stiffened.
"Why don't you join us over here, Clint?" Steve gave Natasha a reassuring squeeze. "It's got to be more comfortable than the branch."
"I'm fine."
"Are you sure? There's plenty of space."
"I'm good."
"Okay, but-"
Natasha's elbow dug into Steve's side again.
"Hey!"
She grabbed Clint under the arms, hauled him backwards towards their impromptu nest, and dumped him on Steve's lap. While Steve hurried to catch Clint, and Clint grumbled at Natasha for disturbing him, Natasha resumed her place next to Steve.
"Don't be stupid, Clint. You'll fall out of the tree."
"Will not."
A glare from Natasha, and Clint huffed. He pushed himself off Steve and settled in on his other side, albeit, less willingly than Natasha. He wiggled around, and Steve was starting to regret his role as a human pillow as more elbows dug into his side. Eventually, Clint stopped, sitting stiffly with the back of his head resting against Steve's chest and his knees bent in front of him.
"We should try and figure out what she did to us." Clint yawned, rubbing his eyes sleepily. "Come up with a plan maybe."
"There will be plenty of time to talk about that tomorrow," Steve said. "You both must be tired. Go to sleep, I'll keep watch."
Natasha assessed Steve carefully. She waited until he put his arm around her again, then relaxed and closed her eyes. Her hand drifted toward the pocket with the raptor claw. "Don't call over any more dinosaurs."
"Deal."
Clint's eyes blinked slowly, head bobbing as he fought to stay awake.
"Go ahead, Clint. You know we have a lot of walking tomorrow." Steve hesitated before curling his other arm around Clint, more surprised than he was with Natasha when Clint relaxed. "Do you want me to hold on to your hearing aids for you?"
"Nah, they're growing on me," Clint said quietly. "And the dinos sound nice."
Clint started to fall asleep again, and jolted awake. His left hand came up and rubbed lightly over the dinosaur on his hearing aid.
Steve frowned. "Something on your mind?"
"Yeah." Clint dropped his hand, picking at his pants. He leaned back and tilted his head to look up at Steve. "What do you call a blind dinosaur?"
Steve smiled. "I don't know. What do you call a blind dinosaur?"
"A Do-You-Think-He-Saur-Us."
Steve chuckled. "Good one."
"What do you call-"
Natasha's hand reached out and grabbed Clint's wrist, fingers resting above his pulse point, cutting him off. Her fingers briefly tapped against the inside of his wrist. "Go to sleep, Clint."
They were both asleep within minutes; the Brachiosauruses' lullaby tapering off as a blanket of darkness fell around them. Steve stayed awake as long as he could until the warmth and soft whispers of Clint and Natasha breathing lulled him to sleep too.