Jurassic Island

Chapter 18 – Power Core

Castle sat in a reclined position on one of the cots in the emergency bunker, his leg propped up on some pillows. His knee throbbed in pain. It felt like tiny pinpricks from millions of little daggers stabbing, all at once, at his knee joint. He had definitely aggravated his bum knee, and he was not happy about it. When they arrived at the bunker, Muldoon and Wallace had to help him down the stairs, much to his chagrin. Kate was worried, of course, and had immediately found him some ibuprofen, for the pain, but he was still waiting for it to kick in.

"Well, at least you didn't break it again," Kate had attempted to soothe him, giving him a light kiss, curling her fingers along his arm as she leaned into him, resting her forehead against his. "Just… take it easy. Okay? Mr. Arnold will get the power back on soon, and we'll be able to call the mainland for help."

That was thirty minutes ago.

Zoe and Charlie, still numb from the latest horror they had experienced, had thankfully managed to fall asleep, cuddled together in one of the other cots. Across the room, the game warden Robert Muldoon was speaking in hushed voices with an older man Kate had informed him was John Hammond, CEO of InGen and owner of Jurassic Park. The two drivers, Wallace and Ramirez, had been sent out to check on Mr. Arnold, but neither had radioed back or returned. Castle inhaled slowly, letting the air fill his lungs, as his eyes followed his wife as she paced back and forth, wringing her hands impatiently.

"Something's happened," she muttered, eyes staring at the floor as she continued her circuit. "Something went wrong."

Across the room, Muldoon raised his voice, and Castle heard him say something along the lines of, "You're a bloody fool!" The game warden stalked off, cracking open a bottled water and taking a long gulp. Hammond, looking miffed, hobbled over towards Castle, pausing momentarily to warily eye Kate, before leaning on his cane and stepping over to join Castle, easing down onto the cot alongside him.

"This is just a delay, that's all it is. All major theme parks have had delays," the old man said, in what Castle assumed was supposed to be a reassuring tone of voice. "When they opened Disneyland in 1956, nothing worked. Nothing."

"Hammond…," Kate growled, ceasing her pacing and crossing her arms over her chest as she glared at the entrepreneur, clearly irritated with him. Oh, yeah… Castle recognized that look. And he was more than happy not to be on the receiving end of it.

"But, Mr. Hammond," Castle interjected before she could say anything more. "If the Indiana Jones ride breaks down, the giant cobra doesn't eat the tourist."

Hammond's mouth dropped, but the man was unable to form a proper comeback to that. He closed his mouth and shrugged his shoulders, leaning back against the cement wall of the bunker. He twirled his cane around in his hand, staring at the amber head.

Letting out an exasperated huff, Kate went back to her pacing. Castle tilted his head, squinting his eyes as he studied the amber topper on Hammond's cane. There appeared to be a mosquito trapped inside the amber. He vaguely remembered something from the introductory video when they had first arrived, about how Jurassic Park scientists had used the blood from such mosquitos, mixing it with that of a frog and other reptiles, to build DNA models, which eventually allowed them to clone dinosaurs.

"I can't wait anymore," Kate asserted after a long interval of silence. "Something went wrong." She pursed her lips as her brow narrowed in thought. "I'm going to go get the power back on."

Castle startled. He glanced up at her in shock. "Wait… Kate…"

"No, Castle… I'm sorry, but I've have to do this," she interrupted, giving him an apologetic look.

"You can't just stroll down the road, you know," Muldoon said, having overheard.

"Now, Robert," Hammond spoke up, heaving himself back up to his feet. "Let's not be too hasty. Mr. Arnold's only been gone—" He jerked his head down to glance at his wristwatch.

When he didn't continue, Muldoon nodded. "Exactly." He turned to Kate, giving her a hard stare. "I'm going with you."

Kate bobbed her head. "Okay."

Castle stared at Kate in disbelief and incredulity. Moving his leg off the pillows, he winced as he swung both legs off the side of the cot. Grunting, he pushed himself back up to his feet. A searing pain shot up through his right leg, and he nearly lost his balance. Kate saw him, and rushed forward, grabbing his arm and shoulder, attempting to gently nudge him back down on the cot.

"Kate… no, you can't do this," he hissed out through gritted teeth, trying desperately to ignore the throbbing in his knee. "We just reunited after yet another harrowing experience. I… I can't… please, oh God, Kate… don't force me to watch you leave again. I couldn't bare it if something happened to you. I'm not strong enough, Kate."

Her expression softened and she reached up to cup the side of his face in her palm. "Oh, Castle," she sighed, her eyes already watery from the emotion his words conjured up. "You are, babe. You are. You're the strongest and bravest man I've ever known, Rick. When I think about all the hell you went through—a lot of my own making—just to prove yourself to me, to prove that you loved me… trust me, you are strong enough."

"Kate…," he keened, baring his very soul to her.

She closed her eyes, and placed her forehead against his, breathing the same air as him. "I know, Castle… I know," she acknowledged, running her fingertips down the side of his face in an attempt to soothe him as only she could. She pressed a tender kiss to his lips, before leaning back and looking him in the eye. "But you know me. You do. And you know that I can't just sit around and do nothing. Mr. Arnold has been gone for a while, so have Ramirez and Wallace. Something's happened. And like it or not, I'm one of the few people still capable of doing something about it."

"I understand, Kate, I do… it's just… I love you so much," he confided, breath hitching as he struggled against the sob that wanted out. He lowered his head, letting out a shaking breath as he clung to her, unashamed of his neediness. "I wish I could go with you," he sighed, shoulder slumping in defeat. "I'm still not used to not being by your side. I… I don't know if I'll ever get use to it."

Kate swallowed, and he watched the enticing motion of her throat as it bobbed. She bit her lower lip and glanced up at him with large eyes. "The feelings mutual, Rick," she answered, voice thick with emotion. She leaned forward and kissed soundly, lingering long enough to make the embrace slightly awkward to witness for the others in the room. Backing away, she ran her hand along his forehead, brushing back the flop of hair that had fallen down across his brow. "However, I have to do this."

"I know," he sighed with acceptance. "Just… be careful. Okay? I won't be there to watch your back."

She inclined her head in agreement, but didn't vocalize the vow. Pushing up on her toes, she kissed him again. She dropped back down to her feet and gave reassuring squeeze, before pulling back and joining Muldoon over by a steel cabinet. Castle sighed, and watched as Kate and the game warden exchanged some words.

The clang of metal echoed off the concrete walls of the bunker as Muldoon opened the cabinet, revealing an impressive array of weaponry inside. He removed a customized shotgun, and collected a box of ammo. Kate grabbed a thigh holster, strapping it around her leg. She grabbed a pistol out of the armory and holstered it, looking at ease with a gun strapped to her thigh. And hot. Despite his misgivings about her venture, Castle could never stop admiring just how sexy his wife was.

The crash of boxes from the other side of the room had Castle pulling his eyes away from the delightful image of his wife wearing short shorts, exposing her mile-long legs, with a gun holster strapped to her thigh, towards a fumbling Mr. Hammond. The old man appeared to be searching around for something, and had inadvertently caused a small avalanche of small boxes and rolled up papers. Grimacing with each step, Castle limped over to join him.

"What are you looking for?" he asked.

"Blueprints," Hammond said, snatching up a roll of paper, examining it, before tossing it aside and reaching for another. "Somewhere here there should be some blueprints to the power core."

Castle scrunched up his face as he stretched up to glance at the shelves, pursing his lips as he ignored the throbbing in his knee. He really wished the damn Advil would kick in already. If it had, he would have no problem accompanying Kate to the maintenance bunker and helping her reboot the electrical breakers. Though, to be honest, his knowledge in such things was rather limited.

"Aha!" Hammond exclaimed, locating the blueprints. He pulled a large rolled up sheet of paper out, slapping it down on the table. He quickly spread it out, his hand hovering over the detailed designs as if attempting to discern their meaning. Grunting, Castle snatched up what looked like a power startup manual, plopping it down on the table beside the blueprints, making the old man jump.

Finished equipping themselves, Kate and Muldoon strolled over to join them at the table. Castle placed one hand long the surface, leaning against the table to help take some weight off his bad knee. Kate glanced at him worriedly, before turning to gaze down at the schematics spread out along the table.

"Now, this isn't like switching on the kitchen light," Hammond said, glancing up at Kate. "But I think I can follow this and talk you through it."

"Right," Kate bobbed her head, eyes flirting up and to the left. Castle followed her gaze, noticing the radios mounted in sockets along one row on the shelf behind him. "Castle?"

Nodding his head, not needing her to say more than his name, he twisted his torso around and snatched up two of the radios, tossing her one, along with a headset, as he turned the other one on. "Turning it to channel two," he told her.

"Okay," she said, turning the frequency dial, and connecting the black radio beside the flashlight clipped onto her holster belt.

"Right, good," Hammond spoke up, looking from Castle to Kate. "But you know, my dear, I should really be the one to go."

Baffled, Kate stared back at him. "Why?"

Hammond shifted uncomfortable under her stare. "Well, because I'm a man, and you're a woman."

"Really!?" Castle scoffed, completely flabbergasted by the man's stupidity.

"Unbelievable," Muldoon muttered, shaking his head in what could only be called disappointment.

Kate rolled her eyes.

"Come on, let's go," Muldoon said, nudging Kate's arm with his elbow and turning around to stalk towards the stairs that led back up to the surface.

Kate hesitated for moment, gazing hard at Hammond, before walking around the table, tugging Castle down by the collar and ramming her mouth against his. He dropped a hand down, low on her back, keeping her close for as long as she would allow. Breaking away for air, she pressed one more quick kiss to his lips, before directing a steely gaze at Hammond.

"We'll discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back," she declared with a fierce glare, and then turned back to Castle, her eyes filling with nothing but love. "I will be back."

He clenched his jaw tightly, struggling to keep his emotions in check, and nodded. "Be careful," he managed to croak out, before pulling her back in for another kiss.

Behind them Muldoon cleared his throat. "Beckett, let's go."

Kate dropped back down to her feet and glanced over her shoulder at the game warden, before gazing back up at Castle.

He gestured to the manual on the table. "I'll talk you through it, step by step," he assured her.

"You better," she managed a small quirk of her lips, before her eyes grew serious. She gazed up at him with longing, bringing a hand up to caress the side of his face, her fingers lingering along his earlobe. "I love you, Rick."

"I love you, too," he reciprocated, and unable to resist, pulled her in for another kiss, lingering as long as time would allow.

XXX

Kate followed Muldoon out of the bunker. They took some short steps away from the door, before pausing to recheck their equipment. The main compound felt different now. Just the other day, the place had been abuzz with activity. Now it was silent. It belonged more to the jungle than civilization. Muldoon cocked his shotgun, and raised it up in front of him, narrowing his eyes as he scanned the tree line. Kate waited behind him, inhaling quick breaths as her heart began to pound wildly within her chest. Suddenly she was having doubts.

She fumbled with the headset, untangling the cord, before placing the headphones over her head and adjusting the microphone until it was as close to her mouth as required. Kate reached down and pressed the flat button on top of the radio. "Okay, I'm on channel two," she said.

"Reading you loud and clear, Kate," Castle's voice crackled over the radio.

Muldoon adjusted his hat and glanced back at her. "Alright, stick to my heels."

He raised his SPAS-12 shotgun into a ready position, and then started off down the jungle path, bypassing the parked jeep. Kate followed behind him, wide eyes flicking back and forth, alert for any hidden dangers. She blinked as they emerged into the now empty Jurassic Boulevard. Kate remembered when she and Castle had first arrived and the place had been so crowded, buzzing with activity, crammed with people coming and going, everyone blissfully unaware of the looming tragedy.

Muldoon led the way up the promenade, pausing only to check for anything suspicious. Kate glanced inside the shops and coffees, seeing the evidence of the hasty evacuation. Kate noticed the claw machine with the stuffed dinosaurs that Castle had been so eager to try his hand at had been knocked over, the red and green plush dinosaurs spilling out of the cracked display. Inside some of the shops, display stands were toppled over, there contents scattered across the floors. Up on her right, an umbrella vendor's cart had been tipped over onto its side. Umbrellas spread out across the walkway in a dazzling array of colors. Plates, still full of once delicious meals, littered the tabletop at the Jurassic Café. Flies buzzed above the uneaten food.

A light chirp caused them both to freeze, and Muldoon adjusted his hold on his shotgun. Kate rested a hand on the butt of her pistol, ready to draw her weapon if need be. Another chirp followed, along with a series of tiny hoots and tearing noises. Muldoon looked back at her and gestured with his hand. They moved forward, and ducked down behind an immaculately cut hedge that ran along side the T-Rex Grill. Peeking over the top of the hedge, Kate spied three compys fighting over some food scraps. Another one appeared, darting out from the inside of the empty restaurant. It jumped up onto another table, the plates clattering under its little feet as it buried its face into a half eaten cheeseburger.

"Compys," Muldoon hissed in disgust, scowling. "Bloody pests."

He shook his head, and stood back up. The compys paused in their devouring of the half-eaten meals, cocking their little heads at the intruders. One snapped its jaws in alarm and bounced down off the table, scampering away. But the others simply stared at them with only mild interest. When they walked away, Kate looked back to see that the compys had continued with their meals undeterred.

"How's everything going out there?" Castle's voice crackled over the comm.

Kate nearly sighed with relief at hearing his voice. She reached down and pressed the button to respond. "Pretty quiet… so far. Just compys munching on some half-eaten cheeseburgers."

"And now I want a cheeseburger," Castle replied with a teasing lilt in his voice. "You think you can get me one?"

"I'll see what I can do," Kate answered with a smirk.

Muldoon raised his hand and pointed to the right of the Visitor Center complex, indicating what appeared to be a service path that disappeared into a pack of dense foliage. The path was well marked, lined with small spear-shaped ferns. Kate kept her hand on her holstered gun as she followed behind a confident Muldoon. After a minute or two, they emerge out into a slightly more open area. Kate blinked as she raised one hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she gazed up at the large structure looming before them.

It almost resembled a miniature prison complex, with tall walls and fences, with a guard tower on each end. However, to her dismay, Kate saw that there was a hole in the electric fence. The metal coils were twisted and gnarled, as if gnawed and slashed at. The hole it created was large enough for several animals to slip through.

"Shit," she murmured. "Oh God."

Muldoon narrowed his eyes, as he squatted down to study three sets of footprints leading away from the pen and into the jungle surrounding the clearing. "The shutdown must have turned off all the fences," he muttered, almost as if he was speaking to himself. He removed his hat and brushed his hair back. "Goddamn it! Even Nedry knew better than to mess with the raptor fence." Clenching his jaw, Muldoon put his hat back on. He stood back up, oblivious to the panic rising up in Kate. "C'mon on, maintenance bunker is this way." He jerked his head toward a break in the foliage.

Kate's heart pounded profoundly within her chest, and her breath came in short little gasps, but she still managed to follow Muldoon without collapsing into a full-blown panic attack. They hiked back into the jungle, following a narrow trail that twist and curved around the foliage. Kate kept her eyes wide, glancing around anxiously. The Tyrannosaurus Rex had been terrifying, yes… but at least it was big enough that she could see it. The velociraptors were an entire different beast. Small, compact, and highly intelligent.

Squinting through the palms and ferns, Kate caught sight of a gray square shaped structure almost a football field's length away… a good hundred yards. "I can see the shed from here!" she hissed out. "We can make it if we run."

Muldoon almost seemed out of it, his focus not really on her. His gaze was centered off to the left, his head cocked like he had heard something.

"No. We can't," he said in a calm voice, almost too calm.

"Why not?"

"Because… we're being hunted," Muldoon replied. Kate gasped, her eyes frantically darting around. "From the bushes, straight ahead."

Kate turned, very slowly, to face the bushes Muldoon had indicated. All she could see was green ferns and fronds, vines gently swaying in the breeze. She focused on steadying her breathing, and looked again. Yes. She could see it. It was very faint, like a shifting of the light, but she could see it. A shadow seemed to move in the bush, rustling the leaves. Kate could just make out the top of the head, curved and predatory, a large yellow eye staring unblinkingly out at them.

"It's all right," Muldoon assured in his damn calm voice.

"Like hell it is!" Kate snapped.

Muldoon raised his SPAS-12 shotgun, slowly bringing it up into the proper position. "Run," he instructed softly. "Towards the bunker." He shifted his shoulders, getting a better aim. "I've got her."

Kate did not like the plan, but they hardly had time to argue about it. So, despite her doubts, she began to slowly move down the path, towards the bunker. Muldoon followed behind her, keeping his gun trained on the bushes. The shadow moved too, keeping an even pace with them. Her heart was pounding so hard within her chest that it felt like it would burst out and run away.

"Go," Muldoon said.

"Wha—?"

"Damn it, Kate. Run… go now! Bloody run!" Muldoon raised his voice.

Not needing any more encouragement, Kate turned to run, but immediately bumped into a large fallen trunk. She grunted in pain, cursing as she slammed her hands against the rough surface of the log, irritated with herself, before shoving off and vaulting over. Kate hit the ground on a run, pumping her legs as hard as she could. Her nostrils flared as her lungs burned with the exertion. She allowed her fear of the raptors to seep in, the fear helping to fuel her adrenalin.

Breaking into a sprint, Kate launched herself over any obstacles in her way. She ducked down to avoid a low handing branch and grasped another one to swing herself across a small ditch, landing in a small puddle, water splashing up around her shins. Stretching up, she grabbed a vine to swing herself around in a semi-circle, angling herself up for a dead run. Her breath caught at the sight of the maintenance bunker. Digging her feet in, she ran with all her might, pushing the silver chain-linked fence gate open and rushing for the door. Kate reached the door, blasted through it, slammed it behind her, and was immediately enveloped in darkness.

XXX

Zoe Hastings startled awake. She blinked her eyes, and looked around, confused, not entirely sure where she was. And then it all came rushing back: The tyrannosaur attacking the Explorer, Mike abandoning then, Mr. Castle helping Charlie out of the tree, the river raft ride, the waterfall, and the trailers. She fought back a sob of terror, reminding herself that she and her brother were now safe. Zoe looked down at her brother, sleeping contentedly beside her on the cot. Slowly, as not to wake Charlie, she untangled herself from around him, and sat up on the edge of the bed. Scrubbing her hands over her face, she looked around at the gray concrete walls of the bunker.

She spied Mr. Castle and an older man, with a white beard and balding head, talking around a table. Checking on Charlie once again, satisfied that he was sleeping soundly, Zoe stood up, and quietly walked over to join Castle and the other man by the table. They were squabbling in hushed voices, probably afraid they'd wake her and Charlie up.

"What's going on?" she asked, startling both adults.

Castle exchanged a look with the older man, before turning back to her. "Kate and Muldoon are going to try and get the power back on."

Zoe nodded, absorbing the news. She stepped forward and glanced down at the table. Several sheets of blueprints were spread out across the surface. Castle had a manual book opened to a page that looked like it had instructions on how to reengage a power system. She slowly walked around the table until she was on the same side as the two adults.

"Well, you've got one thing wrong," she said casually.

"Oh, and what's that?" snipped Mr. Hammond, glowering disapprovingly down at her.

"These blueprints…"

"Yes?" Castle encouraged her after she trailed off.

"You've got them upside down."

Suddenly the radio sitting on the table beside Castle crackled to life, and Beckett's voice came through the speaker. "I'm in."

XXX

Kate stood in the darkness for a moment, chest heaving as she struggled to catch her breath. The leftover surgical scar along her side throbbed dully, and she winced, feeling it pull as she twisted her torso around to grab the flashlight off her belt. It had been a while since the scar had done that, then again, Kate hadn't really run like that in a while either. She brushed her hair back from her face with one hand, while flicking the flashlight on with the other. She pressed the button on the radio and informed Castle and Hammond that she'd made it to the maintenance bunker.

"Mr. Arnold?" she called down the dark stairwell, shining her flashlight down. "Mr. Arnold!?"

The radio crackled and Castle's voice sounded in her ear. "Great. Good. Okay… let's see, ahead of you should be a metal stairway. Go down it."

"Okay," she breathed out, pressing down hard on the button to leave her end of the line open. She grabbed the metal railing along the side and descended down into the darkness. The walls are solid concrete, occasionally marked with stenciled letters and numbers, the meaning of which she couldn't even hope to begin to decipher. Tilting her head up, she swept the beam of light across the ceiling, seeing a maze of pipes, ducts, and electrical wiring.

"Right, okay… um… after about twenty or thirty feet, you should come to a T junction," came Castle's voice. "Take a left."

Kate directed the flashlight's beam ahead of her, and continued down the steps, moving carefully. She squinted her eyes, trying to read the lettering along the side of the walls. It suddenly occurred to her that it was giving her depth measurements. Picking up her pace, Kate reached then stenciled 25 and stepped down onto a landing that broke off into two separate directions. This was the T junction Castle had told her back. She looked both ways, and then took the left, as he'd instructed.

XXX

Zoe stood next to Mr. Castle, listening to him give his wife directions over the radio. He seemed sure of himself, but as she looked down at the blueprints, brow furrowing, she couldn't help but second guess him. Her father—real father—had been an engineer, and he'd often bring work home. He would let her study the blueprints and diagrams he brought with him. He even took the time to explain all the various designs and details. Both her dad and mom had been thrilled when she'd shown an interest in such things, and for a while, she had considered following in her father's footsteps and becoming an engineer.

"Mr. Castle?" she said, unable to keep the timid sound out of her voice.

"Yes, Zoe?" Castle questioned, raising his eyebrows as he looked down at her, the radio still clutched tightly in his hand.

"Um… I was just thinking," she said, gaining more confidence from the encouraging look in Castle's eyes. "You should just have her follow the main cable."

"Quiet girl," Hammond huffed, nudging her back. "We know how to read a schematic." He bent down to examine the blueprints. "Tell her to take the next right."

XXX

Kate kept walking, nervous as hell. She brought the back of her hand up to wipe the beads of sweat from her brow. Letting out a hot breath, she took the next right, finding a stairway. She looked around. It was awfully dark down there. Shining the flashlight down the stairway, she squinted, attempting to see the bottom. Sighing, she gripped the railing and cautiously continued forward.

"Going down the stairs," she informed Castle and Hammond.

The metal stairs clanged underfoot as she climbed down. The deeper she went into the bunker, the colder it got. A shiver ran up her spine. Whether it was from fear or the damp chill in the air, she couldn't say. She reached the bottom landing and followed the turn.

"Okay," she said, using the flashlight to illuminate the room ahead. It was filled with black pipes and air ducts, and a mass of cables. Directing the light up, she came to stop and cursed. "Damn it. Dead end!"

XXX

Castle frowned, glancing down at the blueprints, and then at the walkie-talkie in his hand. "Really!?"

"Yes, Castle… I wouldn't be making this up," came Kate's annoyed voice over the speaker. He gulped. She was probably also most definitely rolling her eyes.

"Damn… okay… um, wait a minute, wait a minute," he ran his fingers along the schematic, trying to retrace the path he'd led her down. "Ah, I see, there should have been a right back there somewhere—"

Suddenly Zoe was shaving Hammond out her way and was snatching the radio out his hand and holding it up to her. Hammond cursed and glowered at the teen, but she ignored him, instead focusing on the blueprints spread out in front of them.

"Mrs. Castle, it's Zoe," she said into the radio. "Look above you. There should be a large bundle of cables and pipes all leading in the same direction."

There was a pause while they waited for Kate to respond. "Yeah, I see it."

"Follow that," Zoe said.

XXX

Kate had to suppress a chuckle when Zoe took the radio away from Castle and gave her directions. Shining the flashlight up, Kate spotted the cables and pipes the teen had mentioned. They were, indeed, all bundled together, and heading off in the same direction. Using her flashlight to guide her through the darkness, Kate followed the bundle.

"Following the piping," she informed them. And she did, basically retracing her steps. "It goes back up the stairs."

"Yeah, sorry about that," came Castle's voice. "These blueprints are difficult to read."

"Or maybe you just needed someone who understood what they were looking at," Kate replied with a smirk.

"Yeah, and probably that," Castle replied, and she was grateful to hear the bemused tone in his voice.

Kate climbed up the stairs, breathing steadily. When she reached the top landing, she immediately looked up and located the bundle of cables. She followed them to the left. There was a small ramp up ahead. Kate slowly walked up the ramp, finding herself on a catwalk. She narrowed her eyes, sweeping the beam of light across the room, and down below. It was a fairly decent distance, far enough that if she did fall, she'd probably break her neck. Kate gripped the railing tighter and quickly moved forward.

"Mr. Arnold!?" she called out, hoping that the operations manager would be down here. "Wallace? Ramirez?" Her voice echoed off the concrete walls back to her. Nothing. She sighed and continued on. "Castle, I'm getting a bad feeling about this."

"Just relax, Kate. You've got this," Castle soothed, his voice having a calming effect on her nerves. "You're almost there. There should be a metal gate up ahead. Zoe says that the cables will end in a big, gray box." He paused. "I think that would be the breaker box."

"Yeah, I think so too," Kate replied.

The metal clang of her feet against the metal grating of the catwalk echoed through the room, and Kate hurried along, shining her flashlight straight ahead. She spotted the gate, and just on the other side saw the gray box.

"Okay, I think I see it," Kate said into the radio, stepping up to the gate, and yanking the handle bar door, pulling it open. She stepped through and across to the big gray box. She shined the flashlight along the surface, seeing a yellow triangle with single black lightning bolt, and a white and black sign with the words 'DANGER' and 'HIGH VOLTAGE' written across it. She located the latch, and gave it a twist, tugging the lid back to reveal a vast array of breakers and switches inside.

"Yes, definitely the breakers," Kate confirmed.

"Okay, good… let me just read over this one more time to make sure I have everything right," Castle said hurriedly.

"Take your time," Kate muttered. "I'm not going anywhere."

She stood there for a few minutes, taking in her surroundings, looking for any signs of Arnold and the others. But she found none. And something was very wrong with that. She turned back to the breaker box, scanning it with her eyes, wanting to be ready to jump into action the moment Castle had his act together.

"Alright, I think I got it now," came his voice, once again a balm to her anxious nerves. "You can't just throw the main switch by hand, you have to pump up the primer handle to give it a charge first. Three times should do it. It… um… it's a large, flat, gray—"

Her eyes flirted across the breaker box, and she spotted a large, flat, gray handle. "I see it." Kate clipped the flashlight back onto her belt, facing it upward to illuminate the knobs and switches in front of her. Curling her hand under the lever, Kate gritted her teeth and pushed. She was a little stunned at how difficult it was to move, almost like it was stuck, but she managed to pump it three times. Just above the gray handle, a small white indicator flipped over from 'DISCHARGED to 'CHARGED'. Kate slammed the lever back into position.

"It's charged."

"Right!" Castle enthused, and she could just picture him cheering her on. "Now, under the words 'contact position' there should be a round green button that says 'push to close'."

"Yeah, I see it," Kate bent over, skimming her thumb lightly over the green button.

"Push it."

Kate pushed it with the pad of her thumb. A little green light above the words 'CONTACT POSITION' lit up, and other lights started coming on all over the panel. A warning buzzer sounded three times before shutting off. Kate slowly stepped back, scanning the breaker box as it came to life. Did I do it? She thought. Is the power back on? Kate watched as a column of twelve white indicator lights flashed on along the side of the control panel. Squinting, she read the words beside each light. Each was labeled with a different area of the park.

"Now, Detective Beckett, the red buttons turn on the individual park systems," it was Hammond this time. "Switch them on."

She gave a nod, and stepped over to the left side of the breaker box. Each button was shielded with a plastic covering. She had to flip it up to reach the button. As Kate pushed the buttons, they lit up a warm red. She silently mouthed the name of each system as she went down the list. Through the headset speakers, she could hear Hammond and Castle talking about what to do once the power was restored. She had about half a dozen left, so she tuned them out, focusing on her task. In a matter of moments, she reached the last one, flipping the plastic covering off it, and using her pointer finger to press down on the button. It immediately turned a red.

Kate stood up and watched as the banks of fluorescent lights above her head in the maintenance bunker come on, one by one. The lights were coming on in rows, illuminating the corridor and ramp. Then they started flicking on over the catwalk, coming closer and closer to her. Finally, the lights directly above her flickered on. She stood there, and smiled, clapping her hands together in triumph.

"Mr. Hammond, I think we're back in business!" she declared, feeling elated at the achievement.

She heard an odd noise behind her, and she frowned. It didn't sound like part of the electrical system kicking on. Turning around, she narrowed her eyes, leaning in to examine a grouping of cables along the side of the breaker box. Tentatively, Kate reached out to touch the cable. Her hand was merely inches away, when a ferocious snarling head of a velociraptor burst out from between the gaps in the cables. Kate let out a scream and jumped back as it snapped at her, displaying its razor sharp teeth when it growled.

Kate rushed back as the raptor's claws slashed through the air. She drew her gun from the holster, and took aim. The raptor wiggled out from behind the cables, and lunged at her. Kate squeezed the trigger, but at the last minute the raptor jerked back, its legs getting stuck on the tangle of wires and cables it had been hiding behind. It snarled and snorted, snapping its jaws in anger. Kate stumbled back, gazing in terror at the beast as it struggled to free itself. It was bigger than she expected, intensely muscled, with the smooth design of a predator. Kate let out a curse, and turned to move, but her foot caught on something and she fell back against the pipes running up the wall on the opposite side of the little room. The impact jarred her, and she released her hold on the pistol.

"Fuck!" she cursed as the gun bounced off the edge of the raised platform and clattered down the concrete floor underneath.

Slamming her fist against the metal floor, Kate shoved herself up to her feet, and moved for the gate. The raptor untangled itself from the cables and gave chase. Kate rushed through the gate, turning quickly to slam it shut behind her. The raptor let out a snarled roar, and before she could reach for the handle and lock it, the raptor banged against the gate door, undeterred. The impact sent Kate tumbling back. She landed on the metal grating with a heavy thud, and she groaned in pain, feeling the right side of her hip throb with pain. Rolling around on to her back, Kate arched her neck up to see the raptor pushing the gate open.

"Oh no you don't!" she hissed through gritted teeth, raising her legs and kicking the door back shut, holding it as the raptor continued to push against the gate. It snarled and snapped, hissing, as it collide against the gate, but Kate somehow managed to hold it back. With one more powerful kick, Kate heard the door click closed, and she jumped up, grabbing the handle and twisting it until she heard the satisfying sound of the tumblers locking into place.

Stepping back, she released a breath and watched as the raptor stalked back in disappointment, snapping its jaws and snarling at her. Kate bumped into the piping going up alongside the catwalk, and suddenly something warm and wet fell onto her shoulder. Tensing, she flicked her eyes down to see the hand of an African American.

"Mr. Arnold?" she questioned, sighing with relief. She placed her hand on top of his and turned around to see him, but as she moved, his hand slid off her shoulder, to reveal just a severed arm, the flesh jagged and gnawed on the stumped end. Kate couldn't help but let out a startled cry. It was one thing to examine the corpse of a murder victim, but quite another thing to have body parts fall down on top of you. She quickly moved around, letting the bloody severed arm fall to the floor.

In her sudden panic, Kate didn't realize that she had moved right back near the gate. The raptor came for her again, snarling and hissing. It rammed against the gate, and latched on to it with its claws. Kate watched in horror as it began to tear the mesh away, slashing and clawing its way through. She immediately turned and ran, as fast as she could, back across the catwalk and down the ramp into the now illuminated corridor. The flashlight dropped at one point, and skidded across the metal grating with a loud clang. Behind her the raptor roared loudly, the pitch high and terrifying.

Kate continued to run, the headset dangling askew around her neck. The crash of the metal gate echoed, and Kate sucked in a deep breath, pumping her legs harder as she picked up the pace, not even risking a glance behind. She reached the stairs, hitting them hard, as she flew up, gripping the railings for support as she heaved herself up. The raptor must have been right behind her, because she could hear the clicking, clashing, and clanging of its claws as it scrambled up.

"Run… run… run!" Kate hissed out like a mantra, using all her strength to pull herself forward. She thought of Castle, and his smiling and loving face. She was not going to leave him. Not now. Not like this.

Arching her neck up, Kate spied the door. Letting out a moan of joy, she launched herself through it, hurling herself outside into the bright sunlight. Squinting her eyes in the harsh light of the day, Kate slammed the maintenance door closed behind her just as the raptor's snarling head snapped at her from the top of the stairs. With the door firmly shut, Kate hurried away, pushing through the chain-link fence, and shutting that gate too. Only then did she collapse from sheer exhaustion.

"KATE! KATE!" Castle's desperate voice resounded out from the speakers on the headset.

Gasping for air, Kate sluggishly reached down and readjusted the device back around her head. "I… I'm here," she replied in-between pants.
"What the hell happened?" he asked. "Did you find Mr. Arnold?"

"Oh… yeah… I found him," Kate stammered, heaving in deep breaths. "And the raptor that killed him."

"Raptor!" hooted Castle in alarm. "Where? In the bunker?"

"It's okay… it's okay," she soothed, putting a hand over her hammering heart. "I got out. Slammed the door in its fucking face. I'm good." Kate scrubbed her hands up and down her face, feeling herself shiver all over. God, that had been terrifying. She closed her eyes and breathed through her nose. "Alright, Castle, what next?"

XXX

Robert Muldoon crept slowly through the jungle foliage, tracking his prey. He ducked his head under some low hanging vines, crouching down to study a set of prints in the mud. Dipping his fingers through the indented grooves and curves, he pursed his lips and smiled. He hoped Kate Beckett was doing well. She had a fire behind her eyes, and he had no doubt she was more than capable of completely any task set before her. Flicking his eyes back up, Muldoon continued on, stalking through a hollowed out log underneath a fallen tree. Up ahead he heard a rustling sound.

Craning his neck up, Muldoon could just barely make out the glimpse of the dark brown hide of the velociraptor as it moved behind the thick bushes, staying camouflaged just enough to deny him a decent shot. Seeing the delaying ploy as an opportunity, Muldoon took the time to extend the back handle of the shotgun, clicking it into place. He was methodical with his movements, only doing what was necessary.

Taking deep and steady breath, Muldoon slid into position behind a lichen covered tree. Back pressed up against the trunk, he twisted his torso to glimpse around, spying the raptor moving behind the brush. He moved out from around the tree, stepping quickly over to the next place of cover. A large branch had splintered, cracking off from the mother tree above, providing him with a perfect level to rest the barrel of his shotgun on.

Taking his hat off, Muldoon set it on the branch and prepared to take aim. He narrowed his eyes, glaring straight ahead. Ten yards ahead, a snake slithered across a tree branch, past what looks like the large iris of a yellow flower.

The flower blinked.

It was the eye of the raptor.

"Gotcha," Muldoon saw it. He raised his weapon, squaring his shoulders as he took aim.

But instead of running, like a spooked deer, the raptor slowly rose up out of the brush, revealing itself to Muldoon, hissing at him, displaying rows of razor sharp teeth. The corners of Muldoon's mouth twitched up into a smile. He drew a bead on the animal, lining up his target. His finger tensed on the trigger, but he hesitated. Something wasn't right. This was too easy. His smile vanished, both eyes growing wide as a terrible thought swept through his mind.

And that's when he spotted it, the movement just out of the corner of his vision. Glancing sideways, Muldoon was just in time to witness the big female push through the shrubbery off to his left. She bared her teeth at him in a snarl, looking down at him with a wicked smile of razor sharp teeth. He'd been right. They should have put her down the moment she killed Jeffrey, the Gatekeeper, when they'd transferred her from the kennels and into the pen with the rest of the bloody monsters. Damn Hammond, Muldoon thought. He curled his fingers tighter around the shotgun, readying himself for a fight.

"Clever girl."

But before he could fully turn and face the new target, the raptor was launching out of the foliage with a high-pitched roar, pouncing on him in a flash. The gun blasted, but wildly, missing its mark. Muldoon let out a cry of pain as the raptor's claw slashed through his midsection. He groaned, barely able to make a whimpering sound as he collapsed to his knees. The raptor pounced on top of him, twisting the claw into his gut, attacking him, all shredding teeth and tearing claw. His viscera poured out of him, and Muldoon let out a strangled scream, choking on his own blood, as the raptor began to eat him alive.

Off in the bushes, the other raptor merely watched lazily, impassive and indifferent.

XXX

Castle clenched his jaw and tried to control his temper as he turned back to the stubborn park owner. This was madness. "Now is not the time for this, Mr. Hammond," he said in as calm a voice as he could stomach, though he still didn't do a good job of hiding his contempt for the man.

There was no doubt in his mind that Arnold, Wallace, Ramirez, and any others that had been out there with the operations manager, were dead. And there was a good chance that Muldoon was dead as well. Kate hadn't heard from him since they'd separated. And after what she went through in the maintenance bunker, Castle could stand it no longer. He wanted to be with his wife. Through whatever else was thrown at them on this damn island, they'd face it together.

"I don't think its safe to leave the bunker," Hammond protested, leaning heavily on his cane as he stepped around the table, heading for a cushioned chair.

Castle held up the manual he'd used to talk Kate through the start up process. "We have got the power back on, but we still need to reboot the system. It makes sense that we all stick together," he explained, hoping the man could be reasonable for just one minute. "Now, Kate's going to meet us at the Visitor Center, and from there we'll head to the control room and reboot the phones."

"I'll stay here, thank you very much," Hammond said. "I'll let you play hero."

Castle closed his eyes and turned his back on the man, pinching the bridge of his nose. He exhaled slowly through his nostrils. "Fine, be that way," he said. "Stay here."

"I will," Hammond declared, crossing his arms and raising his nose like the smug elitist he was.

Ignoring him, Castle stalked over to the armory. He grabbed one of the shotguns, collecting some ammo too. He turned and moved over to the sleeping cots. The Advil had finally kicked in, and the throbbing in his knee was now dulled. Charlie was rubbing his eyes, yawning, and stretching, still waking up. Zoe had gathered some supplies and shoved them into a backpack she'd found in the storage shelf on the opposite wall. Castle handed her the manual. Zoe took it and added it to the other supplies in the backpack.

"You ready?" Castle asked.

After looking at her little brother, Zoe turned back to him nodded. "Yes."

"Okay, let's go."

"What about Mr. Hammond?" Charlie asked, pushing up off the cot to follow Castle and big sister towards the stairway.

Castle cast one last look at the contemptuous man, before looking away. "He's staying."