Cages
The camp fam was all but ruined right now…everyone was in a different state of worry.
Sammy didn't know what to do with herself…she didn't know what was real and what wasn't at this point, it just seemed like everything that happened in the summer of 2015 to now was just set in place to cause her pain.
Brooklynn sat with her knees to her chest as she solemnly stared at the ground, she wondered if all those years she spent stuck behind a camera entertaining the internet randos, was meant to lead her to this point in life.
Ben was busy eating away at the blueberries that were in the cage, he had always been a stress eater since he was too little to fully formulate sentences, at least that's what his mother told him.
Truth be told the boy was more than stressed by now, he thought Karina was the one to understand him fully, she seemed to be a direct parallel to him, someone he could finally open to, and whether he'd admit it or not, the boy had grown to fancy her in that way, unfortunately, she forced him to realize she was just like everyone else in this cursed world…bitter.
Perhaps the most distraught member of the team was the beloved trackstar, she had barely gotten a lick of sleep since they were imprisoned.
Why? You may ask, well that would be due the fact that she'd rarely taken her eyes off of the cage that housed her boyfriend, even more tantalizing, the boy had barely moved an inch ever since what Mr. Kon did.
The only thing letting her know that he was even still alive was when his back would heave ever so slightly…signifying that he was still breathing.
'He didn't eat…he almost drowned…he's not moving.' All of these thoughts plagued Yasmina to no end, she just wanted to scream right now…but she bit it back? Why didn't he eat when they were at the penthouse? What was bothering him? He seemed fine to her, but clearly she missed something.
'Some girlfriend I am.' She mentally berated herself as she bit back her tears and continued to watch her boyfriend's downed state in sorrow.
"Wow." Everyone except for Yasmina turned to the dryness of Sammy's voice.
They all had hardly spoken any words up until this point, so naturally her voice was a bit hoarse from disuse.
"He really…he really turned his back on us…on me, just like that." Sammy stated in a distraught tone, as if she was fighting the belief that Kenji had left the group to die all this time.
"I just…I just can't believe it, even after all this time." Sammy continued as her voice hitched and she hid her face in her arms.
Brooklynn and Ben shared a look before approaching Sammy, even Yasmina's face faltered a bit at Sammy's tone, but she still didn't take her eyes off of Ali…she couldn't.
"I just…I just don't get it, why would he do this?" Sammy questioned Brooklynn who drew her into a half hug.
"I…I…" Brooklynn stumbled for an answer.
"That's just it, you think you know someone and you can trust them and open up to them and let yourself be vulnerable to them…then they show you every reason why you should never trust a soul on this God forsaken planet, I don't think there's anyone on this world that genuinely cares about everyone equally and reciprocates love, people only show affection when it's…convenient." Ben stated solemnly as Brooklynn and Sammy both gave him wary expressions…the latter's tear stained face couldn't even say anything.
Ben was usually quiet about his true feelings due to the fact he was in a new era of himself…but who woulda knew that he was harboring these feelings all along.
Sammy understood where Ben was coming from…she really did…but maybe it was her deluding herself, or her strong love for Kenji, but she couldn't simply believe that Kenji was one of those bitter people…deep down he was the same man she fell for, and she wasn't ready to give up on him, not yet at least.
Yasmina was listening to all of this…wow, the second time Ben told a speech that would leave her traumatized and questioning the world, she never forgot that grand bag of gross speech from the second day of camp.
Alas, she of all people knew the essence of distrusting people, humanity was evil at times…but he was wrong about one thing.
There WERE people on the planet worthy of your trust, they're just very rare, you might have to do a bit of soul searching to find them…but they were there…and the trackstar was looking at hers in a weakened state right now, Ali Ahmad, he was the one human being she wouldn't mind reading like an open book, he never gave her a reason to feel like he was misusing her trust or trying to hurt her, he protected her with his life…she couldn't help but feel she failed him in return for that.
"5…4…3…" Everyone except Yasmina turned to Darius who was seemingly counting down for some reason.
As he hit one a door beeped and a BRAD-X walked through, it would appear that Darius may have figured out the machine's patrol timing.
The BRAD then scanned their cage.
"All accounted for." He stated before turning to Ali's cage.
"Lifeform accounted for, vitals unreadable." The BRAD finished his recording as he turned and left the room.
Yasmina panicked at that last statement, what did the bot mean by unreadable?
"Okay guys, I figured something out, that BRAD patrols every half an hour." Darius announces as the group turns to him.
"That means we have 30 minutes to find a way out of here." Darius announced as everyone minus the trackstar moved to help him find a way…she was still worried for Ali, and what that BRAD just said only increased those worries tenfold.
What did unreadable mean? The question plagued her so much that she hadn't realized that she was squeezing her bicep with way too much force.
'Come on Ali…get up.' She mentally pleaded.
Isla Nublar
Kenji couldn't believe anything right now…he thought he could trust his friends more than ever, yet they tried to destroy him and his family, how dare they?
Unfortunately, he only had the plane ride over to ponder such things.
Right now, as he stepped foot back on Isla Nublar, an island he thought he'd never see in person again, he couldn't help but think this was surreal.
A few roars caught his attention…some of them were definitely familiar.
"Never thought I'd be back here." Kenji said to himself.
"I never thought I'd be here, period." Kenji heard his sister's voice as she walked up to him.
His eyes immediately gazed down to the the shining glimmer that rested on Karina's upper stomach…he had somehow forgotten that his sister had taken Ali's chain, it didn't help the fact that she was wearing it backwards, perhaps she didn't realize…or maybe she didn't really care, she didn't know whether the chain had meaning or not, she just thought it looked nice.
Kenji knew the meaning behind that chain, but after what Ali did, he wanted to spit on the chain…that chain was the significance of a lie…a lie about trust and a lie about true friendship.
"This place is a dump." Karina said as she eyed the trashed docks and debris that was left of the park.
"Yea…it was a little nicer on the first day of camp." Kenji said dryly as his sister laughed at that.
"Wow…never thought I'd ever be here." Mae stated as she stepped out of the plane in an amazed tone, she was more excited about this than the two siblings for sure.
She immediately took note of a Brachiosaurus walking through the trees…looking as majestic as ever.
Kenji couldn't help but notice her smile…her excitement about dinos reminded him so much of Dar…no, no! He couldn't let that happen, he would not let himself be caught up in the field of reminiscence, that's how it starts…by tonight, they would all be dead to him.
He then noticed Mae's smile immediately falter as her eyes locked onto his father who was already standing at the tip of the docks, seemingly awaiting something.
Suddenly Mae gets shoulder bumped by none other than Molina who walks by her, the latter's head was stuck in her phone as the former gave her back an irate glare.
Kenji gave a wary look to Mae, she didn't really do much to deserve such ill treatment, he watched as she huffed and walked forward.
"Come on Kenj, what are you waiting for?" Karina questioned him as she began walking forward as well.
Suddenly a loud roar causes Kenji to jump slightly.
"Uh, dad, I don't think this is a good idea! Last time I checked the penthouse was 1,000 percent dino-infested!" Kenji shouted as Daniel turned around and offered him a hearty smile.
"Son, I'm not reckless, I had my guys do a thorough sweep to ensure we'll be 1,000 percent safe." Daniel reassured his son who chuckled nervously and began walking to join them.
"You survived Nublar once, didn't that make you a little more brave, scar boy?" Karina questioned her brother as he deadpanned at her.
"Haha, very funny, until you're running from a 45 foot T Rex that has a history of sneaking up on people." Kenji said as Karina smirked.
"I'm sneakier." She said with a shrug as Kenji rolled his eyes and they continued on.
After getting to the penthouse, Kenji forgot a major problem…all those damned stairs.
He remembered the problem when they finally reached the top floor though, his skin now glistening with sweat much like everyone else.
"I forgot…how many…stairs…there were." He said in between ragged breaths as he watched Karina fan herself.
"Couldn't your guys have carried us up?" Kenji questioned his father.
"Exactly, they're getting paid for this." Karina agreed with her brother.
"Never be afraid of a little hard work, children, it's how you get to the point where you can have anything you want." Daniel said with a smile.
After Daniel had gone to another room in search of something, and Karina had sat down with a paper fan she had brandished, trying to cool herself off, Kenji looked around the room he was in.
Remember how all of his friends were supposed to be dead to him? Yea being in this room didn't really help with that.
He looked at the golden Sinoceratops replica as he couldn't help but remember when Darius first saw it…the way the kid's face lit up…no!
Kenji then noticed a bag of garlic plantain chips on the floor, he remembered when Sammy was downing those, he did not understand how they were so good to her…wait…why did he care about all this?
He then began reminiscing about him and Ali doing their signature handshake and jumping around in excitement after they discovered the diamond water together.
It was a magical feeling…they both wore such big smiles on their faces as they embraced each other.
However, the reminiscent feeling was gone when a darkness seemingly loomed over Kenji's memories…his father and his sister stood side by side…seemingly judging him, was this real?
They didn't say anything as their images vanished and Kenji caught wind of some new images.
Sammy stood him up…Darius and the others sabotaged his father.
However, the main image that loomed over everything else was the image of Ali pinning him to the ground, the latter was staring down at Kenji with so much ill intent, whilst Kenji's past self was looking up at Ali with pained expression, trying desperately to get the All Star off of him.
That's when Kenji remembered…these people were not to be trusted…all of those nice memories were tricks…manipulation tactics, a means to make him weak and forget who he really was, he the son of Daniel Kon, he was the heir to Mantah Corp's fortune, he couldn't let silly things like fake friendships ruin that.
"Kenji I'm gonna need you to start fanning soon, my arms are getting tired." Karina said to her brother as he finally snapped out of everything and turned to her with an arched brow.
"Psssh, you lost it already?" Kenji questioned her as she rolled her eyes.
Kenji then walked to the middle of the room as he noticed Mae examining Daniel's book shelf.
He sat down and stared solemnly at the floor…he was desperately trying not to think about the others…but as he sat down he couldn't help but think of all the good memories he had with them.
"Kenji." He heard his sister's voice called out as he noticed her opening a brown pack of chips ahoy, at least she switched the flavor up this time.
"Why are you so quiet? This isn't normal behavior for you." Karina said as she offered him a cookie.
He sighed before taking it and biting into it, Karina smiled slightly as she began enjoying her own cookie simultaneously.
"It's just…I don't know how to put it, did I…did I do the right thing with my…with my friends earlier." Kenji said as Karina visibly tensed up at that, he was still calling them his friends.
"Kenj, we've been over this, they're not your friends…they tried to turn you against your family, and they tried to ruin our father's business." Karina reminded her brother as this only served to confuse him more.
"I know exactly who you're thinking about too, Kenj, he was never your best friend, he was always your bitter enemy in disguise." She added as Kenji finished the cookie, he was still conflicted.
Kenji had his differences with Ali, but at some point he'd grown to realize that the two of them were actually best friends, seeing Ali on that floor in the cage after getting hosed down and ridiculed still made him feel an ever present bit of remorse for his brother of a different blood…but…
Unfortunately…his sister's words had gotten to him by this point, she was right…Ali wasn't who he portrayed himself to be, he was a threat to the Kon livelihood, he could not be trusted ever again.
"You're righ-" Kenji cuts himself off as he realizes his dad was walking back into the room, he and his sister immediately straightened up.
"Okay so…" Daniel trails off before he gasped in realization.
His gaddi…it was missing.
"What happened to my gaddi?" He shouted in disbelief.
Kenji immediately began panicking, as memories of the shattered artifact flooded his mind.
"Actually that's a funny-ack!" Kenji exclaimed as his sister slightly elbowed him and gestured to their father who was giving Kenji a very unimpressed look.
"Right, the dinosaurs did it, I tried to save it." Kenji lied.
"Nothing we can do about it now I suppose." Daniel stated as he shook his head.
"Since BioSyn wants to see the control tech in action, we will need some dinosaurs to demonstrate with." Daniel revealed as he turned to Molina.
"Molina, I want you to-" The bald woman cuts him off.
"Me? Sorry, no can do, well can, but won't, I'm just a go-between, I don't work for you so I don't have to risk my neck in that jungle." Molina said smugly as Daniel sighed.
"Alright, Kenji, you've been out there before…" Daniel began as Karina immediately took note of her brother's tense form; he did not seem too eager to go back into dino island.
She of course would never speak on this outloud for fear of dishonoring her father but…it wasn't pleasant to see her brother's PTSD being triggered in such a manner.
"Don't you think Kenji's been through enough?" Mae questioned as she walked up and touched Kenji's shoulder, Karina was in agreement with Mae but was still shocked that the woman spoke against her father.
"Thank you for your insight, Dr. Turner, but I think I'll leave it up to my son to decide for himself, he's a man, Kenji?" Daniel questioned his son who looked up at him warily.
"I was kind of getting used to not running for my life from dinosaurs." Kenji revealed as Daniel recanted a bit.
"I completely understand." Mr. Kon said through gritted teeth as he was seemingly thinking on the go
"Wait, really?" It wasn't like his dad to be this understanding.
"But I could really use your expertise, who else would know this island like you son?" Daniel questioned Kenji as Mae frowned at this, the manipulation never ceased with this man.
"Oh, right, well…um…" Kenji hesitated before a loud thud against the door caused everyone to gasp and turn to it.
Karina's eyes immediately narrowed as she powered her gauntlets on.
Daniel placed a hand in front of his daughter so that she wouldn't make any sudden movements, he already knew what was behind the door.
Unfortunately he couldn't warn Kenji in time as the latter had crouched behind a wall, poised to attack whatever came through the door.
As the door rattled open, Kenji let out a cry as he prepared to attack, only to be met with a swift strike to the chest, effectively sending him to the floor with a thud.
Everyone else in the room noticed that the culprits were a group of mercenaries.
Kenji however, turns around and immediately gasps as he recognizes the leader's face…it was Hawkes.
"You again?" Hawkes shouted, it would seem Kenji wasn't the only one who remembered…fortunately, this wasn't the kid he wanted to kill the most out of the camp fam.
"What the hell are you doing here?" Kenji questioned him as he stood up, Karina and Daniel soon came to his side.
"Well, that was certainly quite an entrance Mr. Hawkes." Daniel said in a begrudging tone.
"Sorry sir, I thought another one of those dinosaurs might have gotten in here." Hawkes apologized.
"Sir?" Kenji repeated to his father.
"I suppose one can never be too careful when dealing with dinosaurs, now come on, we've got a lot of work to do." Daniel stated as he led Hawkes and his team through the house.
"Wait, these are your guys?" Kenji questioned in disbelief as he recognized some more faces.
"How do you know these dudes, Kenj?" Karina questioned her brother as he paused and contemplated telling her.
Kenji looked at Mae who gave him a wary look from across the room.
"They came to Nublar when we were about to make our first escape…they were the ones who almost killed Ali Ahmad." Kenji revealed as both Mae and Karina were shocked for two different reasons.
Mae was shocked because she finally knew how Ali had obtained that gunshot wound in his chest…but she also realized there was a bit of remorse in Kenji's tone, he still cared about Ali deep down inside…she knew it.
Karina was shocked for numerous reasons, Ali had been but a nuisance to her since they met, a nuisance that was seemingly hard to get rid of, but to think, these guys had almost done it, they were ruthless enough to put a bullet in a teenaged boy…she knew she had to keep an eye on these guys if they ever decided to turn on her father…but just what was Ali Ahmad? This kid survived a run in with these mercenaries and dinosaurs all together? What would it take to put him away…
Mantah Corp, Cages
The group minus Yasmina had come to a dead end on finding an escape.
The trackstar was still hopelessly staring at Ali's downed form, he still had hardly moved.
"There's gotta be a way out…" Darius said to himself as he repeatedly threw blueberries at a bowl and watched them spiral back and get stopped by a grate that was on the floor.
"Think…think." He told himself as he noticed the blueberries and the grate…then a thought hit him.
He immediately grabbed a bone that was on the floor as he began fiddling with the grate.
This had gone on for about 5 minutes as he was determined to bust this thing open.
"Hey Darius, I know this whole Kenji thing is probably hard for you right now but…wait…what are you doing?" Brooklynn questioned as she realized what he had in his hand.
Just as she asked this Darius had finally got the grate open, and the opening was big enough for them to fit through.
"Finding a way out of here." Darius said with a smirk as Brooklynn gasped.
"Darius! You're a genius!" Brooklynn shouted as she swiftly drew him in for a hug.
He was taken back by the swift hug but he immediately began smiling as he sunk into it.
"Wait…what is that smell?" Brooklynn questioned as she backed away from Darius and covered her nose with both hands.
"That would be dino sewage…" Darius stated, before they could continue, Ben and Sammy gasp as they noticed what Darius had done before running over.
"This place smells like the barn after feedin time, yuck!" Sammy exclaimed.
"I know it smells bad guys, but we have to go through here…it's the only way." Darius said as everyone nodded.
Sammy then turned to see her best friend was still longingly staring at Ali.
"Yas?" Sammy questioned her.
"Yas come on, we have to go now before the BRAD comes back." Darius urged her as Yasmina fought the urge to snap at him.
"I'm not leaving here…without him." Yasmina stated firmly, as they all knew who she was talking about, a blind person could see it clearly.
"Yasmina, we're no help to him trapped in here, if we get outside we coul-" Ben is cut off as Yasmina rounded on them.
"I just said I'm not leaving him behind!" She shouted.
"He wouldn't leave one of us behind, so why shouldn't we reciprocate the same energy for him, huh? Betrayal is not something I'm fond of, some of us can't say the same but…if you wanna go through that sewer and show disloyalty, then by all means, go ahead, but I'm not leaving here…" Yasmina stated before turning back to Ali, tears streaming down her face.
"Not without him…" She finished firmly as the rest of the group looked to the ground with sullen expressions.
Brooklynn looked over to Ali's downed form…Yasmina was right…he was the one who came back for her, despite the pain he was feeling, it wouldn't be right to leave him here.
The pinkette walked up to the glass wall as Yasmina took note of her.
Brooklynn then started banging against the wall in a soft rhythm.
It was like a count to 3…a 1, 2, 3 count.
Bang, Bang, Bang…"Camp!" She shouted.
Bang, Bang, Bang…"Family!" The superstar continued as everyone watched her, even Yasmina now was intrigued by what she was doing.
As Brooklynn continued doing this, the others soon joined in on it, the banging getting ever so slightly louder.
Ali was still in his cage…he instantly recognized that.
What was that? What was that banging? It was invading his ears, they were ringing before but now the banging replaced that sound.
It felt like a rhythm too, he could faintly hear his friends shouting…his friends…they were trying to talk to him.
That's when it hit him…he had to get up, he had to stand up.
Ali grunted to himself as he grimaced and placed his two hands on the floor.
As soon as he began pushing himself off the ground, the most immense pain shot through his body.
Exhaustion, starvation and trauma was taking their toll on his body right now, and it felt like torture just to even move right now…but he had to ignore, he had to block out that pain.
As he got to both of his knees he felt the pain shoot through his body again as he hobbled over.
"Oh God…" He said with a hitched voice due to the pain surging through him right now, he fought the urge to spit.
"Come on…come on…" He told himself as he huskily began standing again.
Yasmina was watching as her friend's continued chanting with a smile on her face, but her smile only widened when she saw Ali rise up halfway, he was almost there, just a little more.
"Come on baby, come on, you got this." She silently encouraged him.
Ali grabbed onto the wall of his cage to steady himself as he shakily stood to his full height, pain still evidently surging through his body, but he was up, he was standing up as the group still chanted.
He let out a few ragged breaths as he forced himself to smile at their display of loyalty.
"You guys…are the best family a guy could ever ask for." Ali stated as the group stopped chanting and began whooping and encouraging him to stay strong.
The All Star then focused on his girlfriend as he placed his hand on the glass.
She does the same on her side as her tears became even wilder though she wwe smiling…these were tears of joy.
"I…I…told you I'd be fine." Ali said as he flashed her a bright smile and closed his eyes slightly to bite back his pain.
After a short moment for Ali to fully catch his breath, everyone could tell the All Star was nowhere near a hundred percent, but he was functioning…there was still one major problem though, how were they going to get to his cage?
"Ali, you're still over there, how will we get you out?" Sammy questioned as Ali smirked at her.
"Pretty simple." Ali said as he brandished a key card causing everyone to gasp.
"How did you…" Darius trailed off as realization hit the entire group.
When the All Star had grabbed Kenji's shirt through the feeding hole and slammed the latter's face against the glass, the former was able to swipe the key card without anyone seeing.
To say the group was in utter shock at Ali's quick thinking was an understatement, where did he even learn to pickpocket?
There was no time to answer this unfortunately as Ali stuck his hand through the feeding hole and opened the cage.
He then huskily walked over to the others as he tried not to stumble or fall.
The All Star then opened their cage as he couldn't help but smile at their worried faces.
"You guys stayed…for me, that…that just feels so nice man." Ali said with a smile.
"The least we could do." Darius said with a smirk.
"Don't thank us, thank the woman who lost sleep for you dummy." Brooklynn said with a chuckle as she gestured to Yasmina who stood up and wiped her tears off.
"Yas…I-woah!" Ali exclaimed as Yasmina immediately latched onto him with a tight embrace, he swiftly returned the embrace.
"I wouldn't leave you here if it meant I had to die." Yasmina stated firmly.
"I'm glad to hear that Yasmina, cause you know I feel the same way." Ali said as they brought their foreheads together.
Everyone once again cheered and the beautiful display of affection.
Even with all the nonsense going on right now, especially with Kenji, beautiful scenes like this kept the Camp Family tightly knit.
"Okay, so are we gonna escape through the house or…" Ali trailed off as he eyed the stinky sewer.
"We can't go through the house, it's probably swarming with BRADs, we basically HAVE to go through there." Darius informed the group as everyone sighed.
"I was afraid you'd say that…come on guys." Ali said as he walked forward with Yasmina hand in hand.
The first one through was Sammy, then Ben, then Brooklynn and then Darius.
Yasmina then jumped in after nodding to her boyfriend.
Ali slides the lid over the grate as he drops down to the others, he hissed slightly, doing stuff like that was regularly easy, but with the pain his body was feeling right now, it only made extraneous movements more and more painful.
"You alright?" Yasmina questioned as she supported her boyfriend.
"Yea, I'm fine." Ali said as he handed Brooklynn the keycard.
Before the group could say anything they heard an alarm blaring.
"That's the search protocol, we have to mo-" Darius is cut off as Ben kneels down.
"Eggs…great." Ben said, as they all knew, eggs meant dinosaurs.
"It doesn't matter, the BRAD knows we're gone, we gotta move." Darius reminded his team.
"This way?" Sammy suggested as she pointed forward…too ominous.
"Or maybe that way?" She questioned as she pointed in the opposite direction…also too ominous.
"I don't know, we just gotta pick one." Darius stated.
Before anyone else can say anything the sound of the sewer water bubbling caused them all to jump and gasp.
There was no time to explore whatever that was as the group heard metallic footsteps approaching and turned to notice the all too familiar green glow of the BRADs' eye scanners coming from the corner that was behind them.
"Well Sammy, looks like we're going with option 1, no choice now." Ali said as the group began running forward.
The All Star was usually able to keep up with his girlfriend at the front of the group but he wasn't shocked to find himself lagging at the back of the pack.
'Just gotta make it out of these sewers…just gotta make it out of these sewers.' He mentally told himself as he tried to ignore the pain and hunger that plagued him.
Kenji
Kenji was still pacing around the living room as Mae watched him get more and more frustrated.
Karina had gone with her father to ensure that those mercenaries weren't two faced.
Mae still couldn't believe it, the same man who tried to take Ali's life was supposed to be trusted now, but then again, she was basically being blackmailed by Daniel Kon, so her life couldn't get much more dangerous than it already was.
"I don't believe this, Hawkes tried to kill me and my friend- the others, why would my dad hire a bad guy?" Kenji seemingly questioned Mae as the doctor panicked…she couldn't out right just say it, could she?
"You know…this is just me saying something love so don't take it personal but, your father seems to align himself with a lot of bad guys…Kash…those investors…this Hawkes fellow, there's a pattern here Kenji, what do you think it is?" Mae questioned him as Kenji seemingly thought it over.
"You're right…" Kenji trailed off as Mae smiled, he finally got it.
"My dad is too trusting!" Kenji shouted as he turned and ran to warn his father.
"No, Kenji, that's not what I meant!" Mae shouted, but the effort was futile, Kenji was already in Daniel's planning room as he took note of his father and his sister standing next to Hawkes.
"Dad, I changed my mind, I'm coming with you." Kenji informed his father.
"Excellent son, glad to see both you and your sister change your minds about hard work." Daniel praisee his children as Karina now stood besides her brother.
"So, what's the real reason you changed your mind?" She whispered to him.
"I don't trust Hawkes." He whispered back as she began smiling at him.
"What?" Kenji questioned her.
"Nothing, just nice to see you being smart like this." Karina compliments her brother.
"Haha." He whispered dryly.
"So we'll head this way, along this ridge line here." Hawkes said as he marked it on his map.
"Ohhh, actually you do not wanna go that way, the plants there attract these bugs with a super nasty bite." Kenji undermined Hawkes who prepared to protest only for Daniel to hold a hand up and tell his son to proceed.
"We should go this way." Kenji stated after analyzing the map and marking the route down.
"Well done son." Daniel commended his son.
'Well done…yea Ali, who's an idiot now?' Kenji mentally questioned.
Kenji smirked at Hawkes who gave him a deadpanned expression.
Camp Fam
The camp fam had slowed from a run to a brisk walk, much to the mercy of Ali as he silently thanked God for not having to run with all that pain anymore.
Yasmina stayed at the back to make sure he was okay.
The group seemingly walked in silence…but of course Mr. Pincus had to break that.
"I still can't believe I trusted them." Ben spoke up as everyone was taken back by that.
Sammy was confused, what did he mean by them? Kenji was being manipulated; he shouldn't have any blame in this.
"He was bound to betray us, the guy has been selfish since day one." Brooklynn said with a shrug.
Sammy lost the taste in her mouth as she heard Brooklynn and Ben continue to badmouth her boyfriend.
"No doubt about it his sister is the same as him too, she used my love for Bumpy to slither her way into my bubble…never again." Ben declared as Brooklynn gave him an incredulous look.
"You really liked her didn't you?" She questioned as his face reddened.
"Emphasis on LIKED, they're both dead to me now, especially Mr. Fancy pa-" Ben is cutoff as a loud grunt of pain resonates with the group.
They all turned to see Ali had fallen to one knee whilst clutching his stomach.
"Ali!" Yasmina shouted as she tended to him.
"I'm good, I swear, just stepped wrong." Ali lied as the entire group surrounded him now.
"Let's keep moving." He said as he stood up and they continued walking…albeit more suspicious looks were sent to Ali but he understood why.
Yasmina especially stayed close to Ali just in case because she knew he was lying…he still hadn't even eaten yet.
As the group continued walking Sammy had somehow fell all the way to the back, even behind Ali.
Yasmina had walked to the front to go speak to Darius.
Ali faltered a bit as he braced himself on the wall so that he wouldn't fall again.
"Woah! Ali…are you sure you're okay?" Sammy questioned him as she supported him and they continued walking.
"...No." Ali answered truthfully.
"Don't tell Yas, please?" He pleaded.
"Fine, but when we get out of here you're going to eat something and rest, okay?" Sammy stated firmly as Ali chuckled huskily.
"Okay Samster, you have my word." Ali promised her.
Suddenly Sammy grew quiet.
"Hey Ali." She began as he hummed at her.
"Do you…do you hate Kenji?" Sammy questioned as Ali instantly went quiet.
"Why are you asking me that question?" He questioned the Texan.
"Just answer." She urged him.
"No." Ali answered after a long sigh.
"Then why…why did you guys fight like that? And…and why didn't you stick up for him when Brooklynn and Ben were bad mouthing him just now?" Sammy questioned more.
"For one, brothers fight all the time Sammy, you of all people should know that by now Sammy, and I didn't stick up for him just now because of the same reason you didn't…we both know Kenji isn't a bad guy, he's just being manipulated, but we both know the others were hurt by his actions, that's the only reason we kept quiet…but the fact of the matter is, Kenji is my best friend, and nothing will change that, I just have to get that dumbass to wake up and see what's wrong with what he's doing." Ali said as began forcing himself to walk faster than Sammy.
"Ali." Sammy called out one last time as the All Star turned his head to face her while walking.
"Thank you…" She thanked him as he paused and nodded before continuing on.
Sammy smiled to himself, she knew there was hope for Kenji, at least she was not the only one who felt that way.
"BRAD!" The voice of Darius shouted as everyone was put on alert.
The Dino Nerd was walking ahead so naturally he was the first to notice the BRADs coming their way.
"Submission protocol initiated." The BRAD stated as it began spraying a sickening green gas.
"It's spraying that knock out gas, everyone run!" Darius shouted as they all turned and ran back the other way.
Ali was now ignoring all of his pain completely, he was still lagging behind but he wasn't trying to get caught by that BRAD, the pain of movement was a much better option at the moment.
It only made matters worse when the BRAD-X got on all fours and began chasing them.
"This way!" Brooklynn shouted as the group rounded a corner.
Running from the BRAD caused the group to get split into two.
Brooklynn, Yasmina, Ben were in one group and the other group was Sammy, Ali and Darius.
The group of four panted as they tried to remain quiet in fear of alerting the BRAD-X.
"I think we lost it." Ben stated as they tried to regain their breaths.
Realization then dawned on Yasmina.
"Wait…where did Sammy, Darius and Ali go?" She questioned as Brooklynn and Ben realized their absence as well.
Sammy, Ali and Darius
These three were more out in the open than the other group, which was evidently more dangerous.
"Where did they go?" Sammy questioned the two boys.
"I don't know!" Darius exclaimed in a hushed tone.
"We're being way too loud right now, if that thing hears us we're as good as dead." Ali reminded them.
"Let's just try to find the others without getting barbecued in the process please." Ali said as they began moving.
Kenji
Kenji walked beside his sister as his father walked alongside the mercenaries.
Mae was behind them as they all walked through the jungle.
Suddenly the rustling of a bush grabs Daniel's attention as he turns to see it was none other than May, who was seemingly inspecting the bush.
"You got something Mae?" He questioned her as he walked over to her.
"Oh! Uh, I thought I had to tie my shoe, turns out I didn't." Mae said with a sheepish chuckle…Daniel evidently did not buy it.
He looked behind him to see the rest of the group was far away enough.
Daniel then roughly pulls Mae towards him by placing his hand on her back as the doctor almost yelped from the pain and the swiftness in which he did what did.
"Let me kindly remind you of something Mae." Daniel stated, his face ever so close to Mae's as she shrunk under his evil gaze.
"If you want the people you care about to remain safe, you will help me, and you'll stop sneaking around." Daniel said as he pulled Mae closer causing the doctor to gasp again.
She didn't like any of this, she didn't like this man, she didn't like how he treated others, she didn't like how he treated her or her research, she didn't like how close he was right now, and she damn sure didn't like how low his hands were on derriere, this man had no ounce of shame in his body.
"Do you understand me?" Daniel questioned Mae as he squeezed her bicep with his other hand eliciting another gasp.
"Yes…sir." Mae affirmed begrudgingly as Daniel lets her go.
"Good, glad to see we're on the same page." He said as he backed away from her slightly.
"Cool, check out this Stego plate, looks fresh!" Kenji shouted as Daniel turned away from Mae and focused on his son, who held up a Stegosaurus plate.
"Wow, a Stegosaurus went through here?" Daniel questioned as he walked over to Kenji, prompting Mae to follow.
"But Stegosaurus' aren't carnivores so I don't see why we would need to-" Mae is cutoff by Daniel.
"Carnivores may be better for showing off the tech, but I can still use an herbivore as bait." Daniel informed her.
Kenji watches in confusion as Daniel forces Mae to walk in front of him.
Karina was just as confused as her brother as they watched their father snake his hand around Mae's waist, he didn't love Mae like that.
He didn't love her AT ALL, plus, what would Candy, Karina's mother say if this was how her husband places his hand upon a female employee's waist.
'Maybe he's just making sure Mae doesn't try to run or anything…yea…that's it.' Karina tried to mentally convince herself.
Kenji however chose nudge his sister as he jutted his head towards Hawkes, they had bigger issues than their dad possibly being an adulterous man right now.
"Why are you even here?" Kenji questioned Hawkes as they walked up to him.
"Excuse me?" Hawkes questioned him.
"You heard him, we don't need you, so why are you here?" Karina added in as Hawkes stopped.
"What the hell's the matter with you kids?" He questioned them.
"Well-" Karina is cut off by her brother.
"What's my problem? Maybe the whole kidnapping, trying to kill and shooting my frien- ahem, the others over a lousy laptop!" Kenji almost shouted at Hawkes.
Hawkes grits his teeth at that…he wondered what happened to the others, especially that kid who punched him in the jaw, he still had a bone to pick with that kid.
However, now was not the time, he had a job to do, he wasn't going to risk his pay dealing with these children.
"What's your point?" Hawkes questioned dryly as he turned to walk away only for Karina and Kenji to follow after him.
"I was doing a job, and you and your stupid friends got in the way." Hawkes explained in annoyance.
"Wow, so it really is all about the money with you mercenaries huh? No loyalty…" Karina stated as Hawkes scoffed at that.
"Loyalty doesn't pay bills, when you're loyal to anyone or thing…you will always, I mean always, get betrayed." Hawkes said firmly as Kenji looked down.
Did he…did he betray the Camp Fam? Was he the reason behind all this? No…they betrayed him and his family…
"The only thing I'm loyal to is money, what do you think pays for all those little cookies you're always munching on? I'd do any job if the pay's good enough, and my job right now is to make sure you two brats and your father stay alive." Hawkes said dismissively.
"So what? I'm just supposed to believe you're a good guy this time around?" Kenji questioned.
"I don't give a damn what you think, your dad is the one putting money in my pockets, so long as I do my job you can hate my guts for all I care." Hawkes said as he sped up.
"Well, atleast half of his job is complete." Karina said with an annoyed look on her face.
Ali, Sammy and Darius
The trio traversed through the dark and ominous sewer.
"This place is bad news all around, it's creepy as hell, dark as hell and it smells like 3 decade old Taco Bell." Ali said as he covered his nose with his jersey.
"We just gotta push through the smell and find the others." Darius said as he and Sammy called their names.
It was to no avail as they continued walking with no sign of the others.
They all immediately took note of how hot it was getting the further they walked.
"Phew! It's like Texas in July in here." Sammy said as she fanned herself.
"Bruh, the heat is not helping with this smell, it's like I can taste it now." Ali said as he wretched.
"Woah!" Sammt and Ali heard Darius exclaim as they immediately took note of what he had seen.
It was the main Mantah Corp power generator…who would've expected it to be deep within the sewers of the island…at least this place gave them a light source.
As they explored the area a steam cloud shoots through one of the pipes causing them all to jump.
"Well…that explains the heat." Sammy said with a chuckle.
"Alright that's enough of this, we still have to find the others, which tunnel should we try now?" Ali questioned.
Before any answers could be given, the water next to them began to ripple as something was evidently swimming through it.
"What was that?" Sammy questioned as they all walked over to the water to see…nothing?
As they had their backs turned, they failed to notice a creature rising out of the water behind them with a snarl.
Sammy was the first to turn around and notice the large beast as she gasped loudly.
The creature let out a low growl as it bared its sharp teeth.
Darius quickly took note of what this was…it was a Nothosaurus, one of the most dangerous amphibious predators the world had ever seen.
Brooklynn, Yasmina, Ben
"It's two dark! How are we going to find the others?" Brooklynn questioned as they were still lost.
Before anyone could answer they all heard someone let out a shriek of terror.
"That's Sammy…come on!" Yasmina shouted as they immediately went in the direction of the screaming.
Ali, Sammy and Darius
The trio ran around the platform as they desperately tried to keep their distance from the large beast.
The Nothosaurus continued to swim as it gave chase to them.
They all faced the direction they came as they huddled together and began backing up which proved to be a stupid idea.
The Nothosaurus had risen up from the other side of the platform as it now crawled onto it with a roar which shook the trio and caused them all to turn around and scream in terror.
They began backing up the other way as the beast began advancing them menacingly.
As the dinosaur roars once more they then decide to just turn and run instead.
The others arrive on the scene as they too let out shrieks once they notice the beast chasing their friends.
"Come on!" Yasmina shouted as they ran into help, but fortunately the Nothosaurus didn't notice them yet.
The Trackstar picks up a metal pipe as she holds her hand out in front of Ben and Brooklynn.
They watch as Darius and Sammy easily widen the distance between them and the Nothosaurus.
Unfortunately, Ali was beginning to feel the effects of his pain again as when he tried to keep running he fell to his knee again, the Nothosaurus was right on his tail.
Everyone gasped in realization as the Nothosaurus was seemingly about to make an easy meal out of Ali.
"No!" Brooklynn shouted out as Ali felt too weak to get up and run.
For Yasmina…everything began moving in slow motion as she heard her heart beat become ragged.
She watched as her boyfriend stayed hobbled over on the floor, gasping for breaths, she then took note of the Nothosaurus wildly running towards him…the creature was in a feeding frenzy now, it wanted to eat badly.
Images of Ali getting mutilated and eaten by the Scorpios Rex in her nightmare flashed before her mindframe…then that's when it happened; her instincts kicked in as she tightened her grip on the pipe.
"Not this time." Yasmina said to herself as she stood up swiftly with the pipe in her hands and began charging at the Nothosaurus with a loud cry.
Right as the beast was about to lunge at Ali and finish him off, Yasmina struck it firmly in its grill with the pipe, causing it to cry out in pain as it was disoriented by the attack.
Yasmina swiftly helped Ali to his feet as she began running with him to the others as the Nothosaurus let out another pained roar and retreated into the water.
The group makes a beeline for the exit only to be stopped as a BRAD shot an electric bullet at the floor in front of them.
"Go! Go! Go!" Brooklynn shouted as they turned and ran to another tunnel.
The BRAD followed them as it shot more rounds which they luckily evaded.
Fortunately for them, when the BRAD prepared to give chase the Nothosaurus lunged at it and began ripping it to shreds…all the while having the robot accidentally shoot a bunch of wild shots.
That would be a bit more significant than it appeared later on…but to the group, they didn't care about anything except the fact they were escaping with their lives right now.
A little later
The group all stood in the forest as they finally took a second to relax…they were free, free at last.
However…things were still not ready to settle down completely it would appear.
The ground suddenly began to shake violently as everyone braced onto something for support.
"What's happening?" Ben shouted out.
The group all tried desperately to stay still as the island settled after a point.
Darius looked on as he noticed Big Eatie and Little Eatie were seemingly upset about something as he instantly connected it to the Earthquake.
He would have to figure out what it is…and fast.
Yasmina places Ali next to her on a tree as she ensured he was okay, everything was happening so fast that everyone was seemingly forgetting one major problem.
"This day can't get any worse, I swear." Ben was so wrong…so, so wrong.
Right as he said that, the world fell apart again.
With a loud cry, Ali fell to the ground as the thud caused everyone to immediately turn to him.
They noticed that he was on the floor spasming as he clutched his chest area with his hands and shook violently on the forest floor.
"Ali!" Yasmina shouted as she dropped down on her knees next to him and tried to hold his body close to hers, but he was shaking too violently.
"Oh no this is bad!" Sammy shouted as she rushed over.
"What's happening to him?" Brooklynn questioned.
"I've seen this before with sheeps who refused to eat! He's going into shock!" Sammy revealed as the group collectively gasped.
"We have to do something right now or else he'll…he'll…" Sammy trailed off as she looked at Yasmina's distraught face as the latter held the boy she loved so dearly's shaking body in her arms.
"Whoever has food needs to give it to me now, there's only one way to save him." Sammy said firmly as Ali continued to shake in Yasmina's arms.
"I have grapes, blueberries and carrots in my fanny pack." Ben revealed as he opened the fanny pack to reveal the food.
"Brooklynn! Go get some sizable leaves! Darius, bring some water from the lake, and hurry!" Sammy ordered them as they sped off to do just that.
"He'll make it Yas, he has to." Sammy reassured her friend as they tried to keep Ali stable.
Brooklynn and Darius had returned as the pinkette gave Sammy the leaves.
Darius had utilized some large leaves to gather up water from the lake as he carefully handed it to Sammy.
She then poured the grapes, blueberries, and carrots into separate leaves of water as she mashed them together into pastes.
"We need to get his stomach full without making him choke, the food has to be extra soft for that." Sammy informed the others.
"Hold his head back and open his mouth Yas." Sammy stated as Yasmina carefully did so whilst the Texan began slowly putting the pastes down Ali's mouth as they tried to stabilize his body.
"More water!" Sammy shouted as Darius swiftly went to get more.
They carefully had Ali drink a lot of water as he still violently shook.
"What do we have to do now, Sammy?" Darius questioned her.
"Guys, this is all we can do…we just gotta give him some space now and…" Sammy trails off as she noticed Yasmina look…she didn't wanna say hope, but hope was all they had…the chances of Ali's survival weren't absolute.
"Come on yall." Sammy said as she ushered the others away so they could leave Yasmina and Ali be.
"Come on Ali, please, you didn't come all this way and go through all this to go out like this, not like this baby…please." Yasmina said as her tears became more prominent.
Ali suddenly stopped shaking…but that was not a sign of good news…his body had gone limp in Yasmina's arms as she panicked.
"No..no…no! No! Get up right now!" Ali shouted as Ali's arms fell to his side and laid flat on the forest floor…he was completely unresponsive.
He could faintly hear Yasmina shouting for him to get up…but that was it…he just couldn't…he felt like it was time…
Ali's Mindscape
An influx of memories…good and bad flashed before Ali as he laid shaking in Yasmina's eyes in the physical world.
Alas, now here he stood in his mindscape which wasn't as dark as it was last time, it was almost divine how bright it was right now, seemingly by himself, the memories had ceased replaying in his head.
"It took you long enough, ya big dummy." Ali heard an all too familiar voice call out as he turned to it.
He damn near fell onto himself when he realized two teenagers standing before him, they were about the same ages he could tell…
Their faces were familiar…but it couldn't be…no way.
"Riri…Daan…" Ali stated as tears began forming in his eyes at the sight of his friends…both clad in white robes.
"We…missed…you." Daan said slowly as the tears continued to flow from Ali's eyes as he kneeled down and embraced them both firmly.
"I thought…I thought I'd never see you guys again…I'm so sorry, I could've did more, I cou-" Rihanna cuts Ali off by shushing him softly.
"We don't blame you for what happened Ali, you were the same age as us, we were just kids…kids that were forced to endure the harsh realities of this world." Rihanna reminded him as he stepped back a bit.
"And atleast you're here now…you ready to come back to us?" Rihanna questioned Ali as the latter scrunched his face up a bit.
"What…what do you mean?" Ali questioned her as she offered a hand.
He took the hand as a sense of purity came over him and his body was now clasped in a white robe.
"Are you ready to join us in paradise?" She questioned Ali as he now realized what she meant.
"No." Ali answered as Rihanna was taken back by this.
"God knows I miss you guys more than words can explain…but I'm not ready yet…this isn't my time, I…" Ali trailed off as he turned around.
He saw so many faces…his father, his sister, his cousin, Darius, Brooklynn, Ben, Sammy, Yasmina…and ofcourse, the one friend he had to save…Kenji Kon.
"I have a lot left to do on Earth before I join you guys, I'm sorry." Ali apologized as Rihanna chuckled at him.
"Even death can't get you to stop being stubborn." Rihanna said as she signed something to Daan as the latter faded out.
"Daan says he loves you a lot G…I love you a lot too, oh and, good luck with saving your friend; I have a feeling you're gonna need it, eh, who am I kidding, who needs luck when you're the great Ali Ahmad, right?" Rihanna questioned with a chuckle as she began fading away.
"I love you guys too…more than you know it." Ali said to himself as Rihanna fully faded away.
The All Star then noticed his robe disappear as his body began fading away as well, it was time to go back to his family.
Physical World
Yasmina's crying only intensified with every second that passed that her boyfriend was unconcious.
The others had come back already and they were all solemnly looking at Yasmina as she hugged her boyfriend's lifeless husk so tightly.
Brooklynn felt tears forming as swiftly buried her face into Darius' shoulder and began crying.
Ben couldn't do anything but look at the forest floor solemnly.
Sammy didn't even know where she was right now…but it soon came to her.
'I get it…I get why all of this is happening, this is my sins for lying all those months back…I know where I am now…I'm in hell.' Sammy mentally declared as she fought the tears back.
Yasmina's tears began to fall on Ali's still face as her breath hitched.
"Please…please…wake up." She continued to cry, more tears falling onto his face.
Then without so much as a facial gesture…Ali raised his right arm up and grasped Yasmina's cheek as she gasped in realization.
She immediately opened her tear stained eyes as she looked down at Ali who was smiling up at her.
The others realized what had happened as they all began letting out small smiles.
Yasmina couldn't even say anything as her voice hitched, she simply raised Ali's head up and embraced him even tighter…there goes the idiot that she loved more than any other guy, almost giving her a heart attack again…