Author's note: Hello again faithful readers and welcome to the final installment of this story. I'm sorry the huge delay in getting this out but college assignments have a tendency to creep up on you and ruin your day.
I want to thank everyone who read and reviewed this story, your feedback is always welcome and appreciated.
The sequel will be out by January-ish, I'm currently doing the outline for it.
Comments, criticism and suggestions are always welcome, I always love reading them. Now onto the story.
One month after the Jurassic World Incident.
Claire heard the heart beat monitor flat line as Zara's chest stopped moving, the hand she was holding went limp in her grasp.
"No, this isn't happening, this isn't happening."
She tried shaking her repeatedly, "Zara, honey? Zara, wake up, come on! Don't do this, please! Wake up!"
She ran outside, yelling for help at the top of her lungs, but no one was there. In fact, she wasn't even on Isla Nublar anymore. Claire found herself at a graveyard, she didn't know how she got there or what was going on but it was dark and snowing, a thick layer of fog hovered in the air, obscuring her vision.
Claire looked around, trying to compose and reorient herself. "Where am I?"
She looked around confused, until something caught her attention. That was when she saw the headstone that stood out from all the others.
IN REMEMBRANCE.
BELOVED DAUGHTER AND LOVER.
ZARA YOUNG.
Claire's eyes widened and a knot formed in her stomach, "This is impossible, it can't be real. It can't be real…this can't be happening, this can't be happening," She muttered repeatedly ran her hand through her hair.
A voice called out to her, "Claire….."
She'd recognize that voice anywhere, it was soft, like velvet.
Could it be?
She turned to face the owner of the voice and found herself face to face with Zara.
But something wasn't right.
Her face was paler than usual, and her eyes, usually warm and kind were two points of cold, pure glowing white.
Her clothes were ripped and torn, raw muscle and bone showing through.
"Zara? What happened to you? Where am I?" Claire asked.
"Isn't it obvious?" The raven haired woman said, gesturing to herself. "I'm dead."
Claire's eyes widened, "NO! This is impossible, you're not dead."
The ghost circled around her, grinning. "What's so hard to believe Claire? The fact that I'm dead?"
She came closer, whispering into Claire's ear, "Or the fact that you were the one who killed me?"
"I didn't kill you!" She screamed.
The spirit's voice darkened. "If you had bothered to just stay with me on that day, I wouldn't be dead."
Claire backed away, "Shut up! You're not dead! This is just a dream, you're not real!"
The ghost grinned, her teeth now razor sharp and her eyes glowing a bright blood red. "Oh, I'm real enough."
That was the last thing she said before she jumped at the redhead.
Claire jolted awake, gasping for air.
She looked around the room, relief sweeping through her when she realized she was at the Mitchell house. Karen and David had let the two of them stay a while until the media frenzy blew over.
With Masrani and Hoskins dead and Wu's whereabouts unknown, all the blame fell on Claire's shoulders. As the sole authority figure left after the incident, she became a lightning rod for all the hate directed towards the park's failings and the storm was one the likes of which she had never seen.
She was at the forefront of every trial, every interview. But it wasn't her fault. She followed protocol, but she still lost. Everything about the incident was bad, and she made the best out of a very, very bad situation. But the media and the news outlets didn't care, not even when she was declared not guilty of any charges.
They just used her as a scapegoat to help their sales, so for all they cared, Claire was the mastermind behind the whole incident.
As for the fate of the park itself, it took a lot of negotiating and compromising but finally the Costa Rican government agreed to allow Jurassic World to remain standing until a complete and thorough investigation was done regarding the stability of the park.
The dinosaurs on the island were to be left unharmed, but the same couldn't be said of the Pterosaurs that escaped.
Despite how much pleading and begging she did for them to be captured and returned to the island, the Costa Rican Government and the United Nations adamantly refused. They were considered an invasive species, would become too widespread if left unchecked and so were ordered to be shot on sight.
If the lawsuits and the bad press weren't enough, there were also the nightmares she had to deal with. Every time she closed her eyes, she would find herself back in the infirmary, at Zara's bedside. It was all as she remembered.
The same sequence, over and over again, pouring her heart out to the British woman, begging her to open her eyes but Zara never woke up. She flat lined and Claire would run out screaming for help but no one would be there and she'd wake up in a cold sweat, panting.
They never stopped and lately, they've been getting even worse.
Turning to the side, Claire couldn't find the woman in question, her hand finding only warm sheets, which meant that Zara had just gotten out of bed.
With sleep eluding her, the redhead climbed out of bed and went to the bathroom to wash her face.
As she looked into the bathroom mirror, it was clear that the mental stress from everything was taking its toll on her. Her eyes were bloodshot and looked sunken in and her face was looking haggard.
Claire took deep breaths to try and calm herself and walked out.
As she walked into the main hallway, Claire was glad that the guest room was on the ground floor of the Mitchell house, which meant less stress on Zara's injured leg. She walked past the hallway, lined with pictures of family celebrations. The redhead stopped at a particular one that was bordered by a festive frame.
It was a family portrait from Christmas, two years ago.
She could see everyone in it clearly. Her aunt and uncles were there. Claire could see her parents standing next to Karen and David in the center and standing next to them were Zara's parents. Zara was standing between the boys, arms on each of their shoulders, smiling brightly at the camera. But something felt wrong about Zara, the sparkle in her eyes was a bit dimmer and the smile seemed forced.
Claire knew that smile all too well, it was the smile she had for press conferences or for media pictures, not the kind, gentle smile she usually showed.
Then, the realization hit her.
'I wasn't there.'
Everyone was there, except the woman the she loved.
Zara stood near the door, bags in hand. The boat was leaving in half an hour and she was desperately trying to convince Claire to come along, "Everyone's going to be there you know? All your cousins, aunts and uncles. Your parents—"
Claire meanwhile, couldn't bother to look away from her laptop perched on the living room coffee table. "I'm Sorry, Zara. But this dinner is important, Mr. Masrani will be there, the board of directors and all the sponsors will be there."
"Claire, I specifically cleared your schedule for this month so you could come along."
Claire looked up from the computer screen to reply, "I know honey, but it just came up so suddenly and Mr. Masrani expects me to be there and the board expects me there, I have to make it."
"But that's what you said last year…" Zara said, sighing.
"And it's the same this year." She replied firmly, looking back to her computer screen.
"Look, Claire—"
But then, Claire's phone rang and she held up a hand, cutting Zara off mid-sentence.
"Just a sec." She said, putting her phone to her ear. "Hi! Mr. McMahon, to what do I owe the pleasure of this call?"
Zara started rubbing her forehead in frustration but as Claire kept on talking, she had enough of waiting and with a shake of her head just left, leaving the door wide open.
Claire set the picture frame back on the wall, vowing to herself that this time she wouldn't take their relationship for granted this time.
Padding into the kitchen, she found the British woman sitting at the dinner table, digging into a bowl of mint chocolate chip ice cream. Claire remembered that it was her favorite flavor.
Claire leaned against the doorframe, watching the moonlight play off of her face, making her Ivory skin look paler than usual and highlighting all the injuries she received.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Zara said, snapping Claire out of her trance.
A "Huh?" is all the other woman could reply.
"You were staring."
Claire walked to where Zara was sitting, pulled up a chair and sat down close to her, resting her head on the other woman's shoulder. "Sorry, I had a lot on my mind. Just thinking about the one good thing I still have in my life."
"Your health?" The British woman quipped, smiling slightly.
Claire intertwined her fingers and Zara's. It was such a simple action, one that almost came automatically to her so why then did part of her feel like she didn't deserve an ounce of attention from this woman.
She always pushed her aside but Zara always stood by her, always there to pull Claire back from letting her work consume her, no matter what. But what did Zara get in return? A lover who was distant and enough physical scarring and mental trauma to last a lifetime.
Your fault, all your fault... A voice in her head repeated over and over as she took in every scar that marred the once flawless skin.
"Claire, are you alright?" Zara asked softly, concern evident on her face.
"What?"
"You had this faraway look on your face, are you ok?"
"No, I was thinking about you. Ever since we took you for the job, you've stood by me. As a friend and as a lover. You never left my side. Remember when we told Mr. Masrani about us?"
Zara laughed at the memory, "Yeah, you were shaking like a leaf. I half expected you to just bolt out of the office when he came in."
Claire chuckled, her mood lifting slightly. "Yeah, I was so scared of what he might say. But then, you held my hand and all the anxiety just went away." She sighed a little before continuing, "I mean it, you know? You mean a lot to me, Zara. You made sure I had enough sleep, I ate properly, that I wasn't working myself to death."
Zara smiled at the compliment, "Flatterer…."
"I'm just sorry. Sorry for always putting work ahead of us, always missing out on our dates and anniversaries. What happened at the park was a wakeup call to me, that I shouldn't have taken what we had for granted."
Zara chuckled, "And it only took me nearly dying for you to realize that."
"Hey, no fair." Claire whined.
They paused for a while after that, taking in the sight of the sun rising on the horizon.
"What are you thinking about right now?" Zara asked.
"Right now, I think everything might turn out alright." Claire replied, settling her head on the other woman's chest, listening to her steady heartbeats.
It was true. The future was uncertain and ever-changing but as they sat in each other's arms, gazing at the sun rising on a new day, Claire thought that as long as she had Zara in her life, she could take on anything life threw at her.
INGEN Research Facility, parts unknown.
Henry Wu grinned as he watched the creature move in its habitat. The animal before him was the pinnacle of genetic engineering. His engineering. It was a combination nature and human ingenuity to make it the strongest of its kind. It was much more refined than the Indominus; easily tamable, listened to commands easily and it was nigh invincible to modern weaponry.
When the Chinese Government first approached him about this project, he thought they were mad or he was lucky enough to get people who needed him, but after he was shown the plans and the specimens, Henry's mind raced with the infinite amounts of potential innovations he could see in these creatures and how he could make them reach it with the power of genetics.
But the part that he loved the most, the part that made him accept the offer was the thought that he would be remembered as the all-time great in genetics. A great innovator and pioneer of the field, and the undisputed genius of his generation. That thought filled him with the assurance that what he was doing was the right thing.
He watched the large theropod as it tackled another one of its kin to the ground. It tried in vain to get back on its feet, but the theropod jumped on its fallen brethren, planting one foot on its chest and the other square on its face. The winner lowered its head and swiftly snapped its neck like a twig in one bite.
Another one foolishly took a step forward to challenge the creature, roaring valiantly but it was to be in vain. It would fall, just like the others.
The creature simply gored it to death with its horns in reply. Once the challenger was dead, the carnivore stood triumphantly over its kill, reared its head high and roared in victory.
A grin formed on his face and he chuckled a bit.
His project was coming along nicely.
And now for a quick preview. Please enjoy this trailer.
THE FOLLOWING PREVIEW HAS BEEN APPROVED FOR
ALL AUDIENCES
BY THE MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS
AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT
PRESENT…
Fade in: An office, modern and high tech. A letter lies on the office table, addressed to a certain Claire Dearing.
Zara Voice over: Claire, letter for you.
Claire Voice over: You are cordially invited to attend a grand tour of the Grand Zoo of, we believe you will find our exhibits very interesting.
Zara: The Grand Zoo of China? I've never heard of that before.
Fade in to wide angle shot of a forest, mountainous and misty.
Claire: They're right up your alley….
Cut to:
The tour group observes the dinosaurs roaming in their habitat through an observation window.
Zara: This place seems innocent enough.
Claire: But I thought INGEN had the only access to the cloning tech.
Fade in: a lab, test tubes line the walls, scientists scurrying around workstations and incubators filled with eggs. The lead scientist gives the visitors a tour.
Lead scientist: You will find that our zoo houses the most impressive attractions known to man, creatures that will blow anything your zoo can offer out of the water.
Claire: Jurassic World wasn't just any zoo.
LS: My greatest apologies Miss Dearing, I couldn't quite recall the name of that place. Well, I guess out with the old and in with the new.
Zara notices a crate nearby marked with a familiar logo.
Zara: INGEN?
Cut to:
A door marked No Entry, Authorized Personnel Only.
Fade In: Lab
Alan Grant Voice-Over: What John Hammond and Ingen did at Jurassic Park is create genetically engineered theme park monsters, nothing more and nothing less.
An egg rocks back and forth in its nest, cracks forming on it. It breaks and an inhuman scream comes forth.
Cut to:
THIS SUMMER
Cut to:
A worker examining an electrical panel, not knowing that a dinosaur is sneaking up on him.
CHAOS
Cut to:
Exterior Night. Soldiers are frantically firing into the sky.
Cut to:
Exterior Night. Soldiers being snatched away into the air left and right.
REIGNS
Cut to:
Hallway. Claire and Zara running frantically through a corridor, pursued by a dinosaur. The lights overhead blink in and out. Bloody handprints line the walls.
Cut to:
Rainy night. Zara, bloodied and battered leaning against a tree. She defiantly aims a pistol at one of the creatures approaching her, daring it to come an inch closer.
SUPREME
Cut to logo:
JURASSIC WORLD: CHAOS EFFECT.
COMING SOON.*
*Release dates and final scenes subject to change.