Ch 16:
They reached a nearby airfield that Ramsay directed Kayla to. They were still within the mountains, but it was a safe distance from the burning Biosyn Valley. There were jeeps, trucks, planes, and helicopters all around the airfield. Pilots, military personnel, paramedics, and even journalists were running all over the place.
Dr. Wu was being seen to by a medic for his arm. Ramsay, Ian, and Gray were talking to a journalist, likely about the illegal actions of Biosyn that they had inside knowledge about. Kayla was talking to a medic, though it looked more like she was regaling the woman on their adventures rather than having any injuries seen to.
Near one of the planes, Ellie and Alan were talking while Ellie prepped the DNA samples for transport. And then, of course, the older couple had their romantic moment that everyone had been waiting for. Nearby, Owen brought Claire a hot drink in a thermos, a blanket wrapped around the redhead's shoulders. Maisie sat nearby, watching her parents with a smile while a medic wrapped up her hand, one of the thankfully-few minor injuries she'd sustained. All of them were pretty much shielded from the mild drizzle by the massive airplane they were under.
Under the same airplane, but closer to the back sat Sierra. Two medium-sized cages sat there on wheeled carts. The slightly smaller one held two small raptors; Kilo and Beta. The larger one held Echo. All three raptors were unconscious, all safely drugged so they would sleep through the flight. But Sierra was monitoring them just to be safe. She was practically inside of the cage with Echo, checking her over and monitoring her vitals. She couldn't find any sign of broken bones, miraculously, but she wanted to be sure. She'd called Zia earlier, both to update her and get an update on Charlie. Thankfully, Charlie seemed to be healing up nicely, and Zia had felt confident in letting the raptor back outside to rejoin her pack.
Zia had a few contacts who had the equipment needed to make sure Echo was fine, and she would collect it and bring it to the cabin to meet Sierra and everyone when they returned.
Sierra carefully crawled backwards out of the cage, banging her head on the top of the doorway as she did. "Ow."
"You good?" An amused voice asked from behind.
Sierra shut and locked the door, rubbing her sore head as she turned around to wrinkle her nose at Zach.
"Perfectly fine, obviously." She looked him over for a moment. "You?"
"Yeah, I'm fine." he assured her before nodding toward the cages behind her. "And they're fine?"
"As best I can tell until I get the proper equipment." she admitted. "Which Zia said she would get and meet us back at the cabin with it."
"Did she say how Charlie was doing?" Zach asked, surprising Sierra for even asking.
"Um, yeah. Yeah, she said Charlie was doing fine, so she actually let Charlie out to rejoin the pack. Said everything was going fine." Sierra admitted.
Zach's lips twitched in a small smile. "But you won't believe it until you see for yourself, right?"
"I trust Zia's judgment." Sierra argued, but when Zach merely gave her a look she shrugged and smiled sheepishly. "But yeah, probably."
Zach nodded, shoving his hands into his pockets. "So, what happens now?"
Sierra shrugged. "I mean, I'm going back to the cabin with my family to reunite the pack-"
"No, I…I meant…" Zach trailed off, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly.
Sierra tilted her head expectantly, having a feeling that she knew what this was about. "Yeah?"
"Well, I meant more,…what's next with us?" Zach finally asked, forcing himself to make eye contact. "I know it's probably kinda stupid, since we dated and broke up already, and your brother is dating my aunt, so some people will think that's weird, but-"
"Zach." Sierra cut off his rambling with a slight smile. "It's not stupid, no matter what some people might think. We're both different people now than who we were when we broke up four years ago. Like we've both pointed out, neither of us were in a healthy place when we started dating. We've both grown and moved past a lot of our personal issues from back then.
"And as for my brother being with your aunt, that doesn't make us related or anything, even if they were to get married. There's nothing morally or legally wrong about it. I knew a couple whose single parents met at their wedding, and then got married themselves a few years later."
Zach nodded, a relieved smile stretching over his face. "So,…where does that leave us?"
Sierra took a deep breath, thinking it over for a moment. "Well,…we do live and work a slight distance away from each other. So it would be a bit of a long distance thing, at least for a while. So, should we just take it one day at a time?"
Zach nodded with a grin. "I think that's probably a good idea." he agreed. "Claire already invited me and Gray to stay at the cabin with you guys for a few days, until things settle down a bit. So,…I remember there being a diner in that town you work in. Maybe we can grab some lunch while I'm there?"
Sierra grinned mischievously. "Zachary Mitchell, are you asking me out on a date?"
"Only if you say yes." he joked.
"I'd love to." she grinned widely.
Their conversation couldn't go any further, as it was announced that everyone needed to get loaded onto the plane. Sierra supervised her raptors being loaded onto the plane, fully intent to keep them within sight at all times. She wasn't losing them again before reuniting them with the pack.
Their family all sat together in the back of the large cargo plane, all within touching distance of the cages or each other. Most of them dozed off at one point or another during the flight, relieved that they were finally on their way home.
The Next Day:
They were on planes for over 24 hours, which included switching planes a couple times and dropping people off. But finally they were pulling a couple cars down the beaten road that lead to their cabin.
Owen lead the way, driving his car with Claire and Maisie, and Kilo and Beta caged in the trunk. Zach followed in a Jeep with Gray and Sierra, and Echo still unconscious in a cage in the back, though the raptor was slowly waking up.
Finally, they parked in front of the cabin just as the door opened. Zia stood waiting for them, giving them a wave as they all filed out of the vehicles.
"So, you're all alive, so I'm guessing all went well." Zia guessed as she greeted them at the bottom of the porch steps, greeting some of them with hugs.
"I suppose that's one way to look at it." Owen agreed with a grin. "All that's left is giving these three a clean bill of health and releasing them back with their pack."
"And I've got the handheld x-ray machine you asked for to help with that." Zia turned to Sierra with a grin before heading back into the house. A few of the others followed her inside with their bags and belongings, but Owen, Sierra, and Maisie waited by the cars.
When Zia returned with the item in her hands, Sierra lead her to the Jeep. "Beta and Kilo are both fine, no injuries or anything. It's Echo I want to double check. Getting caught between a wall and a T-Rex sounds like it might hurt a bit."
"I mean, only a little." Zia agreed sarcastically as Owen opened up the trunk. Sierra opened the cage door, where Echo was still partially asleep, slowly coming out of her drugged drowsiness. Sierra sat partially inside the large cage, accepting the small x-ray when Zia offered it. It was relatively small, about the size of an old Polaroid camera. It had a lens on the front, a few buttons, and a screen. Sierra turned it on and slowly moved it over the raptor's body from nose to tail, taking extra care to look closely at the important parts like her abdomen and legs to ensure there were no fractures on her ribs or legs.
It was like everyone was holding their breath until Sierra finally grinned and lowered the device. She turned the grin to her audience and announced, "She's all clear."
Maisie and Zia both beamed and Owen's shoulders seemed to drop as the tension finally drained out of him.
"Well, what do ya say we get them home?"
They moved Beta and Kilo's small carriers into the backseat of the Jeep, and Owen, Sierra, and Maisie got in. It was decided that it would just be the three of them to reunite the pack. The others stayed behind at the cabin, likely resting, recovering, or catching up with each other now that the life or death stuff was over.
They didn't drive far. They drove partway around the lake, still somewhat close to the pack's nest in the woods. There, Owen parked the Jeep and they filed out. By now, all three raptors were awake and shifting around. Owen and Sierra lifted the small carriers out of the backseat, setting them on the ground next to the back of the Jeep.
"Alright, girl." Owen greeted Echo when he opened the back of the Jeep. "Why don't you see if you can sniff out your sisters?" he suggested as he unlocked and opened the door to Echo's cage. The raptor almost instantly leapt out and onto the ground, chittering, shaking her head, and taping her toe claw as she paced around a bit. They watched her sniff a bit before Maisie and Sierra opened the carrier doors, letting Beta and Kilo out to join their aunt.
The babies approached the adult raptor and chirped at her, to which Echo chittered at them and leaned down to bump her nose to each of theirs. Beta then moved away and looked around, her nose up as she sniffed the air. After a moment, she started chirping, the young version of the raptors' barking calls.
Sierra and Owen exchanged a glance as they all waited for some kind of response.
Then, they heard it. The answering bark, the pack responding to Beta's call.
Echo perked up at the familiar sound, and she let out her own barks in response.
Sierra's eyes scanned the surrounding undergrowth. Seeing the waving grass, her eyes fixed on the spot. A couple seconds later, a familiar, scaled head poked into view. Sierra took a deep breath, hoping this went well.
Blue crept warily out of the grass, followed by Charlie and Delta several feet on either side.
At the sight of their mothers, Beta and Kilo chirped and ran forward, each running straight to their mother. Kilo wove around Delta's legs, bumping noses with his mother while she chittered at him. Beta excitedly spun in a circle, rubbing her snout along Blue's affectionately.
Charlie watched her sisters reunite with their children for a moment before chirping excitedly and hurrying toward Echo, who eagerly reunited with her younger sister. They bumped noses and chirped back and forth, Charlie excitedly weaving circles around her sister.
With Charlie at her side, Echo approached her older sisters somewhat warily, probably naturally deferring to their higher rank in the pack. Here, Sierra held her breath. Even though Echo was their sister, they were still wild animals. There was no knowing for sure that the pack would simply welcome her back.
Blue and Delta watched their sister approach, but before they could respond to her return, Kilo and Beta scurried away from their mothers to their aunts, weaving among Echo and Charlie's legs and chirping excitedly up at all four adults. Echo lowered her head to them, and Kilo bumped noses with her while Beta rubbed her head along Echo's crooked jaw line. The pack babies had clearly accepted Echo with no problems.
Blue barked at the babies, who instantly returned to their mothers, tucking themselves under Delta's feet while Blue approached Echo. Sierra held her breath while the two raptors stared at each other for a long moment.
Finally, Blue chittered at her sister. They bumped noses before Blue barked at her pack. Together, they turned and ran into the trees. Before they completely disappeared, though, some of them paused and looked back. While Delta, Echo, and Kilo disappeared, Blue, Beta, and Charlie paused. Beta chirped once at them, as if thanking them for bringing her home, before following her aunts. Charlie chirped a few times, her tail waving wildly before she continued. Meanwhile, Blue stared at them for a long moment, focusing mainly on Owen. Her intelligent, amber eyes stared into his before she dipped her head and disappeared after her pack.
The Gradys stared after them long after they disappeared. When Owen and Sierra turned back to the Jeep, they paused when they realized Maisie hadn't moved.
"Maisie?" Owen checked, standing by the driver's door. The teen looked down at her feet before turning and looking at her father.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything. For the things I said to you and Mom. For getting mad and running off like that. None of this would have happened if it wasn't for me."
"Hey," Owen stepped toward her and pulled her into a hug, "that's not true, kid. It's not your fault. They were close to finding us as it was, they would have found us at some point. The important thing is that everything worked out."
"And we never would have found Echo if we didn't end up in Biosyn Valley." Sierra pointed out. "Everyone, our family, the pack, is safe and whole. That's what's important."
Sniffling, Maisie nodded, and they all got into the Jeep. Owen and Sierra got in the front seat while Maisie got in the back.
"Do you think they'll stay in the area?" Maisie asked as Owen turned the Jeep around to head back home.
"Hard to say." Owen admitted. "Beta and Kilo aren't quite old enough to permanently leave the nest, but after the attack, Blue may not want to take them back there. They might at least stay in the area, claim it as their territory, or they might move on completely to somewhere new. Only time will tell."
Sierra nodded along, agreeing with what her brother said. Obviously, she hoped the pack stayed in the area. But maybe Blue wouldn't feel safe after her daughter and nephew were taken.
"So, now that that's all taken care of,…you two want to help me with something?" Owen asked, grinning at them.
That Night
"Alright, that's everything for the s'mores. I'm going to grab my blanket and head out there." Claire told Sierra after handing her several chocolate bars. Sierra looked over her shoulder, seeing bright orange light out the living room window in the otherwise dark night. She shifted the stuff around on the s'mores platter she was putting together on a large plate. Nothing fancy, just a huge bag of marshmallows, some graham crackers, several chocolate bars, and a few peanut butter cups because Sierra liked putting those in her s'mores.
Hearing the door open and close, Sierra looked back over her shoulder to ensure Claire had gone outside. Seeing that the redhead was nowhere to be found, Sierra pulled the small ring box out of her pocket and put it on the platter, partially hidden among the s'mores fixings.
Picking it up, she carried it outside where everyone was waiting. Maisie, Gray, and Zach had helped Owen set up the campfire out front, which was now roaring bright. Everyone was starting to take their seats on the logs and chairs around the fire. Sierra met Owen's eyes as she set the tray down on the small table between him and Claire. She gave him a nod, letting him know the ring box was in place, before she moved to take a seat across the fire from her brother, with Zach and Gray on either side of her, Claire and Maisie on either side of Owen.
Conversation and laughter flowed as sticks and marshmallows were passed around. Gray was fascinated when he saw Sierra make her s'mores with a peanut butter cup instead of a chocolate bar.
Claire reached for the tray to start another s'more, when she paused. "Hey, Sierra, what's this box?"
Silence fell as Sierra made a show of looking over at the tray. "Oh, that. I think that's more a question for Owen."
Claire turned a confused look toward Owen, only for it to change to realization and shock when Owen picked up the box and shifted to kneel on the ground.
"Claire Dearing. The last several years have been insane, but I wouldn't change it. Having you as a partner through everything is what kept me going. You're compassionate, a fighter, an amazing woman, aunt, and mother. I want to have you as my partner for the rest of our lives. And this question is long overdue. So, will you marry me?"
By now, Claire had a hand over her mouth, tears glistening in her eyes. When Owen finally asked the question, she nodded frantically.
"Yes! Yes, absolutely yes!" she exclaimed, throwing her arms around Owen's shoulders. The others stood and cheered as Owen let Claire go long enough to slip a ring on her finger.
AN: About time he popped the question if you ask me!
I had a comment the last chapter about how Echo couldn't have taken the hit between the T-rex and the wall without being hurt or killed, which is a good point. For the sake of the story, we'll say that Wu and the other scientists created the raptors with stronger/denser bones. It wouldn't be the dumbest genetic change they've made to the dinosaurs over the years. And considering all the hits Blue has taken throughout the franchise, like when the Indominus smacked her into the wall, it's not too farfetched.
Anyway, let me know what you all thought of this chapter. Up next is the Epilogue, which is set five years later.