Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter sixteen of "Running From Here." It was a lot of fun doing the part where the Power Rangers discovered they were trapped on Isla Nublar in chapter fifteen. Stay tuned for chapter seventeen.
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Chapter 16: Heading On
Tommy petted Mia on her neck on Isla Nublar. He gave it a gentle pat. Kim and Zack scratched Rexy along her side. They listened to her pleasurable rumbles. Trini stood nearby in which she was scanning her surroundings. Jason talked to John, Lex, Tim, Alan, Ellie, and Ian about their trek through the rainforest. They raised their eyebrows when Billy spoke of him and his teammates petting Velociraptors.
"I can't believe you guys pet Velociraptors!" Alan yelled amazingly.
"They must have been full from a recent meal. They were quite curious about us," Billy admitted.
"The Big One, Kim, and Randy attacked anyone or anything they saw. It did not matter if it was human or animal. They considered all targets equal," John explained.
"The other Velociraptors must have escaped into the forest after the power shutdown turned off all the fences. They were not interested in hunting humans," Ian suggested.
"I have no doubt that is what happened," John agreed.
"Dinosaurs have their own likes, dislikes, wants, and needs just like any animal," Ian responded while running his nose. "They may prefer certain individuals, whether human or animal."
"So true," John whispered with a nod.
Tommy, Kim, and Zack finished petting Mia and Rexy. They and Trini headed over to the others. The dinosaurs emitted soft rumbles while looking toward the humans.
"So, what do we do now that you guys are trapped with us on the island?" Lex wondered.
"Yeah," Tim added.
"Our only hope is to reach the Visitor Center," Zack responded truthfully. "We need to hack into the computers and establish contact with Zordon."
John shook his head. "I am not sure if the Visitor Center's power is still on. Even if it is, there is no telling what shape the computers are in."
"It has been abandoned for a year. I am sure some mud and mold have seeped inside," Alan added.
"It's miles away from here. It will be getting dark soon," Ellie commented in uncertainty.
"We don't have a choice. Lord Zedd has probably launched an attack on Angel Grove in our absence," Trini said, seriousness lining her voice. She clasped her hands together. "We've got to get off the island as quickly as we can before immense damage is done."
"I know how to hack into the Command Center's computers. I did it when it was surrounded by a crushing force field while Turbanshell was going on a rampage," Billy said.
Kim laid her hand over her heart. "We must try."
John, Lex, Tim, Alan, Ellie, and Ian looked at each other. They were still uncertain about journeying to the Visitor Center, but they knew the Power Rangers were right. They needed to get off the island as it was very dangerous. They might have sworn to secrecy, but they knew it would get out at some point. They nodded at them.
"Okay. We will go to the Visitor Center," John relented with an uncertain sigh. "I still don't like it."
"Thank you, sir," Jason responded.
"You know I won't be able to keep up as quickly as you do," John admitted. "Neither can the kids."
John heard rumbling and saw Rexy coming over to him. She turned sideways and lowered herself to his eye level. She gestured toward her back with her head. He gasped in amazement as he realized what she was doing. Lex and Tim came to his side, their hearts skipping two beats.
"You want me to ride on your back, Rexy?" John asked.
Rexy rumbled in a soft way. Lex and Tim chuckled to themselves and touched her neck. They petted it very gently. She growled pleasurably as Jason walked up to her and touched her nose.
"It is unbelievable Rexy can be this laid back," Lex whispered and bit her lip.
"For sure," Tim agreed.
"There is no time for chitchat," John said and handed Jason his cane. He climbed on the Tyrannosaurus's back. "We have to get as far as we can before dark."
"Can we ride with you, Grandpa?" Tim asked.
"Please," Lex pleaded with a big smile on her face.
"Sure," John said with a fast nod. "Just hang on tight. Keep an eye on your surroundings."
John slid back somewhat as Jason handed him his cane. Jason climbed on Rexy right at her neck. Lex got on her behind her grandfather. Tim took a deep breath and followed suit. They gasped at Rexy's rising to her full height. They looked down at the ground. Tim grabbed Lex's waist.
"I can't believe how high we are off the ground!" Tim exclaimed.
"Grandpa said Rexy was tall, but we didn't expect this!" Lex added.
"Try sitting on the head of a Brachiosaurus. It's more than twice as tall than a Tyrannosaurus is," Alan said, looking up at the quartet.
"I don't think I want to do that," Tim said, chuckling nervously.
"Me neither," Lex agreed.
"Come on, guys," Billy said as he went over to Mia, who knelt down with a soft bellow. He climbed right on her neck. He gave it a gentle pat. She rose to her full height. "We need to get going."
"Okay," Tommy said, nodding fast. "Let's go."
Rexy and Mia began heading in the same direction they had been going previously. Tommy, Kim, and Zack walked alongside the former. Alan, Ellie, and Ian did the same with the latter. Lex and Tim looked around, their breathing soft and steady.
"It feels weird to be riding on Rexy. She tried to eat us for dinner last year," Tim whispered, his brow furrowing.
"Her teeth were huge up close," Lex added while putting her hands in front of her. "They would have killed us instantly if she had grabbed us."
"Who would've thought Rexy and Mia would protect us from those Putties and monsters?" Tim asked, giving a shrug.
"That is why you should always expect the unexpected," John said as he grabbed his cane with his other hand. He tapped it against Rexy's side very gently. "You never know what you will encounter."
Jason touched Rexy's neck and pressed down on it a little hard. She raised her head a tiny bit. She swung her tail from side to side twice. She observed a Pteranodon flying overhead.
"Do you think we will get close to the Visitor Center before dark?" Rexy wondered.
"To be honest, I don't know," Jason admitted and rubbed the back of her head in a light manner. "I am sure it feels weird for you to be carrying humans on your back."
"It does, but I do not mind. Some people cannot move quickly at all. They slow everyone else down," Rexy growled.
"Some people are deliberately slow. They don't give a damn about making others late," Jason grumbled with a roll of his eyes.
She groaned. "That sucks."
He nodded in agreement. "Definitely."
Billy placed both of his hands on Mia's frill as Jason patted Rexy's neck. He gripped it somewhat tightly. The Triceratops looked up at the sky. She could see a brown pelican flying overhead. She emitted a soft bellow.
"What a beautiful bird," Mia said.
"The brown pelican is a descendant of the dinosaurs along with other bird species. Dinosaurs never really went extinct. They just evolved into another life form," Billy explained.
"How far will we get before night falls?" Mia wondered in much curiosity.
"I am not sure. Let's pray it does not cloud over and start pouring down rain. That will make the trip more difficult. You remember that tropical cyclone that hit the island during the first incident?" Billy said.
"Oh, I do," Mia admitted. "It was pretty bad. When my fellow Triceratops and I discovered the fences were down, we took the opportunity to break out. All of us were hungry and looked for food immediately. We've roamed every inch of the island, except for the mountains."
"Talk about an exciting time," Billy said warmly.
Mia shook her head as she and Rexy began to move a little faster. Tommy, Kim, Trini, Zack, Alan, Ellie, and Ian picked up their pace.