The boat was making its way across the sea, heading off towards the mainland. Everyone was relaxing while finally taking a moment to eat while Kenji was still driving the boat.

"Are we really off the island or is this a dream?" Sammy asks.

"If it were a dream, I'm thinking we'd have a change of clothes," Yaz stated, gesturing to the clothing they've been wearing for the last six months.

"Ha! What do you mean?" Ben asks. "I've always wanted a signature look."

"People wear other clothes?" Laura was surprised to ask.

Everyone laughed when she asked that, not realizing that Laura had only known the one outfit her entire life. Brooklynn looked over and Peter was laughing before he looked up and saw Kenji he snarled a little, turning back toward the others, and he continued to laugh among them. Brooklynn knew that things were a little tense between the two of them since the whole laptop incident and fighting off Wu, and knew she should try and help out since she was the reason that they had their little disagreement.

"Hey, Captain. It's lunchtime." Brooklynn told him

Kenji kept his eyes on the ocean. "Can't leave my post till we're docked in Costa Rica. I'm the only one of us who's ever sailed before."

Brooklynn scoffs as she walks over and takes the wheel. "How hard can it be? "Iceberg! Iceberg!""

"Hilarious. I'm not leaving." Kenji tells her.

"Come on, Kenji just cut the engine," Brooklynn told him. "Ten minutes won't kill you. It might be our last meal together."

Brooklynn then seemed to get through to him as Kenju turned the engine off. But when Kenji joined them, he gave Peter a look which he gladly returned with a squint in his eye.

"And now, for the main course, the plumpest and the juiciest…" Ben placed down a plate of grubs. "Nublar grubs!"

"Ugh! Ew!"

"Hand-selected by yours truly," Ben said with pride as he picked one up. "Thank you for your sacrifice."

"How... when did you even have time to collect these things?" Peter questioned as everyone gagged as he looked at it.

Ben held the plate to Sammy who gagged but actually went for it. "Well, I guess the least I can do is keep an open mind."

Sammy then struggled to eat one, but she ended up gagging and tossing it. It ended up landing on Yaz, who shrieked and flung it off her face. Peter was quick enough to grab it without flinching. Ever since the incident with Wu's party, he hasn't really reacted too much, which isn't a real imminent threat.

"How you all survived, I'll never know," Ben stated to them.

Laura however leaned over the seat and looked at the grub in Peter's hand. "You gonna eat that?"

Peter easily tossed it her way, getting Laura to use her claws to catch it, and eat it with her hands. "I'm seriously introducing you to some real food when we get home, Savage Girl." He said as he looked back to Laura. "Pizza, burgers, hotdogs, all of New York's specialties."

"I thought pizza was Chicago," Yaz said.

"Oof, you do not wanna go to Queens and say that," Peter said with a chuckle.

"Okay. No tears or goodbyes until we're sittin' on the plane, but can I just say, look at us." Sammy got their attention. "We started as campers, and now, we're-"

"Immortal," Ben stated.

"Survivors?" Yaz asked.

"Exhausted," Kenji said.

"Mutants?" Peter added on.

"Not all of us," Brooklynn said with a playful punch.

"I was gonna say soulmates," Sammy stated.

"Still doesn't feel real. We finally made it off the island." Darius said with relief. "Go us."

"I'm gonna miss you guys so much!" Sammy continued. "Before we get off this boat, I'll need everyone to write down their e-mail addresses, social media handles, and weekly

availabilities for a group check-in. Also, your favorite kind of cake and the best time of day to receive packages. And maybe, I don't know, for fun, your favorite memory of the two of us."

"Sammy, girl, calm down, we're not even halfway to the mainland," Peter said with a laugh, seeing how nervous Sammy was about them all separating. Then he looked down and saw an empty plate. "Hey, who took my food? I had a bunch of berries sitting right there."

"Wasn't me," Kenji said.

"Maybe the boat is haunted," Yaz said with a smile.

"Oh, Yaz, no!" Sammy said with a laugh. "Don't even joke."

"No sea sickness anymore, Ben?" Brooklynn wonders. "What, did the island beat it out of you?"

"When you've seen the things I've seen, a little thing like motion sickness can't… Oh!" Ben was saying when he looked down and saw the grubs were gone. "Who ate all the grubs?"

"Not if you paid me," Brooklynn stated.

"Truly, no one," Yaz said.

"Didn't get the chance," Laura replied.

That was when they heard faint clicking, causing everyone to look over as Laura drew her claws, and Peter to form the V252 around him. They walked over and were shocked when they saw that there was a Compy on board. Everyone let out a sigh of annoyance as well as relief.

"Of course. A stowaway." Yaz said.

"The last thing we need is it chewing on some wires or something," Darius said.

"I got him!" Peter said, stretching his fist to catch it, but the Compy managed to rush off, leaving a giant dent in the ground as it raced off. Peter saw that wasn't the best idea and retracted the V252. "Okay, yeah, this thing isn't exactly subtle. I'll tone it down."

"What do you say we catch one last Compy?" Darius asks. "For old times' sake."

And that was when they rushed off to try and catch it, with Peter, Brooklynn, and Kenji the only ones who didn't run off. Peter looked over to Brooklynn who gestured to Kenji. Peter sighed and knew it would be best to try and leave it on good terms with Kenji.

"Listen, about what happened-"

"I should be at the controls," Kenji said, walking away. "I'm trying to get us all home."

"Seriously? We only did what Brooklynn asked us to do. What's your problem?" Peter asked in anger.

"For once, when you have to do the right thing, I'd like to see you put this group first. Just once!" Kenji stated.

Peter snarled as he stretched out a tendril and wrapped it around his throat, lifting Kenji up as he fought the tendril. "ONCE?!" He asked in anger. "All since we've been abandoned on this island, I have done NOTHING but protect all of you! We have sacrificed everything!"

"Peter!" Brooklynn jumped between them. "Let him go!"

Peter looked over to Brooklynn and back over to Kenji and broke out of his anger as he dropped Kenji, "Sorry, Kenji. I... I have been through a lot." He watched Kenji gasp for air. "This whole thing... it's really changed me. But you don't get to tell me I haven't sacrificed enough for this group." He stated with a snarl. "Ever since day 1, you haven't pulled your weight with this group. I've been picking up your slack, Kenji. But you know what? I'm done."

Brooklynn watched as Peter marched off and sighed as she looked at Kenji. "You did strike a bit of a nerve, Kenji. Just get to the controls... I'll talk to him."

Peter took himself to the top of the boat as he sighed and looked out to the sea. Brooklynn walked up behind him and tried to talk to him, but didn't know how to start the conversation.

"So... that got a little intense," Brooklynn said.

Peter sighed as he crossed his arms and looked out to the sea. "Sorry."

"Hey, I get it," Brooklynn assured as she walked over to his side. "With everything that happened, it makes sense to be worried about going home."

"You think that is what I am worried about?" Peter asks.

"Aren't you?" Brooklynn asks.

Peter never really considered that. "It might be..." He admitted with a sigh. "I guess I did change a lot since I came to the island." He looked down at himself with a shrug. "I have changed a lot since the boat rides out to that Park."

"You were scrawnier, needed those glasses, were shy..." Brooklynn began to list them off.

Peter laughed as he gave her a playful shove. "Wow. Low blow, Brook."

"But that doesn't seem to be all that's got you spooked," Brooklynn said in concern. "Is there anything on your mind?"

Peter sighed and knew that now was more than a perfect time to tell her. "I know."

"Know what?" Brooklynn wonders.

"Back at the island, you said something," Peter explained, getting Brooklynn to look surprised. "I heard ev-"

That was when the entire boat shook, causing Peter to react and wrap around Brooklynn to save her from falling. "What was that?" Peter called out to Kenji.

"If we had working SONAR, we'd know." Kenji cried.

"Did you guys feel that?" Ben asked from the deck.

"Probably just a swell or something!" Kenji said. "Captain K's got it under control."

Peter scoffed as he grabbed the rails and flipped over them, leaping into the controls. "Alright. You know how to drive a boat, but I am tech support." He then gave Kenji a light push and began to get to work. "Go see if you can chase the Compy."

Kenji scoffed as he just marched off. Brooklynn made her way down naturally and saw Peter at work. "Mind if I stay and fix that SONAR?"

"Uh, sure if you want," Peter said as he got to work.

Brooklynn took off a panel and got to work. "They used a real old-school fuse holding. No wonder it came loose. Pliers?" Peter stretched out a tendril and grabbed them, bringing them over to her. "Thanks. Looks like you are getting hands on that."

"Yeah, I really don't know how it works," Peter admitted as he shrugged and got back to work. "It likes to respond to my commands or respond to my impulses, and then sometimes it just acts on its own. I wish I knew who made it."

"What, the package didn't have a return address?" Brooklynn joked.

"Well, Yaz brought it, so not really." Peter shrugged, getting a laugh from her. "So, how do you know so much about this stuff? Did you unbox the Titanic or something?"

Brooklynn chuckles. "Har-har. My dad's taught me, actually."

"Really?" Peter asked in surprise.

"Yeah. Tape?" Brooklynn asks. Peter shot out a web and did the exact same thing. "Oh, that works." She then got to work. "When we moved to London, I had a hard time making friends, so I spent a lot of Saturdays helping them in the garage."

"I get it. Kids my age were super judgy about how smart I am back home, especially since they got into that school because they were rich or football players," Peter shrugged. "I always spent my time helping my aunt at this food shelter place FEAST, with her boss Martin Li."

Brooklynn looked at him with a smile. "You know when I first met you, you were not what I was expecting. I would never think to myself, "That guy and I will be good friends." Maybe..." Peter then gave her a small smile. "You were saying something on the roof. What was that?"

Peter sighed. "When I was dying... when the Scorpios poisoned me... I heard everything you guys said."

Brooklynn was shocked when she heard that. "You mean you heard..."

"What you said about me, Yaz, and you?" Peter stated with a snark. "Yeah, I heard that."

Brooklynn then became sheepish as she looked away and rubbed her arm. "Oh... well, you were injured, and-"

"Did you not mean it?" Peter wonders. "Do you not like-"

"No, no, I do!" Brooklynn quickly assured him. "I mean... I think I do, maybe? I don't know. I know Yaz also likes you, but I wasn't really looking to try and-"

"Brook." Peter interrupted her. "It's okay," He said, reaching over to take her hand. "I think it is safe to say that everything that we have been through is... unconventional, to say the least." He then reached over and caressed her cheek. "When I first came to the island, I wasn't expecting two attractive women to be interested in me. But I have to ask... is it this..." He then morphed the V252 over him, revealing the Spider-Man suit. "That you fell in love with, or..." He then shifted back to himself. "This?"

Brooklynn chuckled as she walked over and took his shoulders. "No. I mean, Spider-Man makes things more interesting, but I fell for Peter Parker. The guy who helped me try not to look at life through a phone. You helped me through a lot, Peter."

Peter and Brooklynn looked at one another, something forming between them as he began to lean down and Brooklynn reached over, the two faces coming closer. But before they could connect, it was offset by the alarm beeping, showing they fixed the SONAR.

"Oh, look at that, we got it to work," Peter said with a chuckle, backing off. That was when the boat shook, getting them to flinch, and causing them to then look and see that they were in a kelp bed. "Oh, god!"

"What is it?" Darius called from the deck.

"We're stuck in some sort of kelp bed, likely got stuck in the propeller," Peter told them. "Someone is going to have to go down and detangle it."

"And where there's a kelp forest, there are usually sharks," Brooklynn warned them.

"Sharks? I'll pass." Yaz sated. "Saw this movie as a kid that really messed me up for life."

Laura cleared her throat, showing her claws. "Hello?"

"No, no enhanced," Peter warned her. "One wrong move, and we rip the propeller off. We'll be stuck out here."

Everyone saw that was a good move and knew that meant one of them needed to go down into the ocean.

"I'll do it," Darius said.

They got him set up, wrapping a long thread of Peter's webbing onto a ladder and around Darius.

"You sure you're okay to go alone?" Yaz asks.

"I'll be fine. Just be ready to pull me up." Darius said as he headed for the ledge, leaping off and into the ocean.

Kenji kept his eyes on the SONAR while Peter and Laura kept near the ledge. Well, Laura stayed away from the ledge. She didn't want to risk falling into the open ocean. Darius was hard at work looking and saw that there was indeed kelp stopping the boat. He quickly got to work ripping it off and coming back up.

"The propeller was stuck in kelp. Tell Kenji to try it now." Darius said. "I'll stay in the water just in case."

"Yeah, on it!" Brooklynn said as she headed into the command. "Darius got it. Try moving forward."

The engine rumbles as the boat begins to slowly move its way out of the kelp forest.

"We're all clear!" Kenji said.

"Whoo!"

"Yeah, all right!"

That was when something beeped on the SONAR, getting them worried.

"What is that?" Brooklynn asks. "It looks big."

"Uh… Must be a school of fish?" Kenji guessed.

"Given our luck?" Brooklynn asks.

That was when they became worried and knew that meant that it must be a shark. She rushed off towards the ledge to tell the others.

"Tell them to hurry!"

"There's something in the water!" Brooklynn warned them. "It's headed this way!"

"Huh?" Peter exclaimed, squinting against the brilliant sunlight, trying to pierce the shimmering surface of the vast ocean. His heart raced with curiosity as a swirling distortion formed around him—a strange lens revealing glimmers of movement beneath the waves. Suddenly, a fin sliced through the water. "Shark!" Panic surged through him, and he bolted to the boat's ledge. "Darius! Hurry!"

Darius kicked his legs frantically, propelling himself toward Peter as the others braced against the webbing, pulling him back with desperate urgency. Peter gripped the safety line, yanking with all his strength, but just then, Darius's legs twisted in a tangle of kelp, making their escape more perilous. The frantic pulls only ensnared him further, intensifying the urgency of their situation.

With a fierce determination, Laura surged ahead, her instincts overpowering her fears of the dark water below. Without a second thought, she plunged into the depths, slicing through the kelp with her razor-sharp claws. With swift grace, she clamped onto Darius, hoisting him up toward the sun-drenched surface, where he kicked vigorously, propelling them both back to the boat.

"It's still coming!" Yaz shouted, her voice laced with dread.

Finally, they breached the surface, and Laura and Darius clambered back aboard, hearts pounding as they cast fearful glances behind them. Just when they thought the danger had passed, an enormous splash erupted from the ocean, sending a spray of saltwater soaring in all directions. Screams erupted from the group, their fear palpable as they braced for the worst. But as the chaotic moments stretched on, confusion reigned; nothing came at them.

Slowly, they opened their eyes, only to be met with an astonishing sight. There, on the deck, stood a creature that was equal parts fascination and bewilderment—a juvenile shark, its sleek body shimmering in the sunlight, adorned with large, expressive eyes and a formidable mouth that somehow seemed to curve into a playful grin. What left them utterly astonished, however, were the four sturdy legs that transformed this creature into a strange yet adorable dog/shark hybrid.

To their utter relief, the creature didn't come to harm them; instead, it bounded over with an air of delight, playfully engaging with the Compsognathus stowaway on their boat.

"Aw!" Sammy exclaimed with delight, her eyes sparkling as she bounded toward the peculiar, mutated shark creature. Its smooth, shimmering skin glistened under the sunlight, and its big, innocent eyes seemed to plead for companionship.

"Wait, Sammy, no! Don't engage with the enemy!" Peter shouted, a note of urgency in his voice as he rushed to catch up with her.

"But look at him!" Sammy protested, kneeling by the creature, whose tiny paws playfully tapped against the deck, creating a soft thud that echoed in the air. "He's just a wittle fishy!"

"It's a shark!" Yaz corrected her, a hint of disbelief in her tone as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Aww!" Sammy cooed, her heart melting at the sight. She reached out to the shark, her fingers brushing against its sleek head, eyes twinkling with wonder. The little pup leaned into her touch, letting out a giddy squeal, its tail-fin wagging in pure joy. "You're not dangerous, are you, you little guy?"

The shark gargled, opening its mouth wide as if trying to communicate in its own adorable, gurgling way.

"Aw!" Brooklynn conceded, her defenses softening. The shark's charm was undeniable.

"No!" Kenji exclaimed, his face twisting in concern. "Come on, I thought we were done with Hybrids!"

"Technically," Peter interjected as he approached the small creature, "I think he qualifies as a Cross-Species, like me and Laura." He let out a resigned sigh, looking down at the shark. "And to be honest, he is pretty cute." Just then, the shark surged forward, tackling Peter with playful enthusiasm, causing him to shriek in surprise, only to end up being licked affectionately, like a playful puppy. "Haha! You are surprisingly friendly!"

"But don't sharks eat people all the time?" Ben asked, his brow furrowed with concern.

"It's exaggerated," Peter defended, gently prying the shark off him and affectionately running his fingers along its head. "Sure, it happens, but most of the time it's just a case of mistaken identity; they think we're seals." He smiled at the shark, noting how it seemed to understand. "But this little guy looks like he knows who the real people are."

The shark let out a delighted moan, flapping its tail eagerly as it pranced around the deck.

"So…" Laura raised her claws hesitantly. "Does that mean we're not going to kill it?"

"No, Laura," Peter said, gently lowering her arms. "This guy seems innocent enough."

Just then, the shark tipped excitedly, darting after a small Compy that scurried across the deck. "What if it decides to get hungry?" Kenji questioned, his voice laced with skepticism. "What if we become its next meal?"

Suddenly, a loud splash broke the tension, drawing their eyes to the churning waters. Moments later, the shark resurfaced, leaping onto the deck with a shimmering splash, a mouthful of fish clamped between its jaws. It chewed eagerly, letting out a giddy burp of satisfaction, its eyes sparkling as it warbled, almost trying to chat with them.

"Okay, fine, I admit it, he's growing on me," Yaz said, her defenses waning as she couldn't resist the infectious joy of the creature.

But just then, the shark sniffed the air, its playful demeanor shifting to one of sheer terror. It curled up on its paws, inching away from them, a shiver of fear radiating from its tiny frame. Instinctively, Peter's spider senses tingled, urging him to look out toward the ocean with a surge of worry gnawing at his gut.

"Kenji, check the SONAR," Peter asked of him.

Kenji rushed towards the sonar and saw nothing for a few cycles, and then he got a ping on something heading straight for them. "We've got something big coming our way!"

"What is it?" Brooklynn asked as Peter headed for the back of the boat.

That was when they watched the Mosasaurus peeking its body out of the water, causing a splash and everyone on the boat to panic. "Kenji, start the boat! Start the boat!"

Kenji put the boat into full throttle to try and get them away from the Mosasaurus. But the Mosasaurus seemed to have already caught onto what they were doing and chased after their boat. The Mosasaurus got close enough to bump into the boat, slamming its teeth against the stairway, and causing everyone to be sent flying. Peter used tendrils to catch everyone before they could fall off the ledge of the boat.

Laura ran over to the Mosasaurus, trying to embed her claws into its skin, but to her surprise, the dinosaur had a thicker skin than most creatures she was used to and it ended up being pointless. That was when Yaz raced over to the Mosasaurus with a boat paddle and smacked it.

"Really?" Laura asked sarcastically.

"Hey, not all of us have powers!" Yaz reminded her.

The Mosasaurus then made its way back into the ocean, getting Laura to leap off and land on the boat with a sigh. They looked back and figured that they were safe. That was however when the Mosasaurus came back, smashing into the boat, causing Kenji to be sent flying. Peter worked fast and quickly shot out a tendril that morphed into a platform to quickly save Kenji. Keji was shocked to see Peter was willing to save him, even after all the harsh words they shared.

"You saved me... why?" Kenji asks.

Peter sighed. "Because we're friends. No matter what. I've got your back if you've got mine, man."

Their moment was interrupted by the boat being shaken again while Brooklynn raced back to the controls of the boat. She looked and noticed there was some sort of island showing up on the SONAR. She looked off and saw it peeking out of the clouds and knew that it was somewhere safe.

"Land!" Ben called with glee.

But the Mosasaurus kept on fighting against the boat, getting them worried about what was about to happen. The boat was then knocked over, the Mosasaurus not giving up on its relentless assault. When the waters finally began to calm down, they figured that it was done with its relentless pursuit. That was followed by the Mosasaurus leaping out of the water, tilting itself to slam into the boat and causing the yacht to sink.

Peter had a fleeting memory of everything going dark, an enveloping abyss where time seemed suspended. After what felt like an eternity, he regained consciousness, startled by the warm, rough sensation of something licking his face. Blinking his bleary eyes, he was greeted by a comically playful sight: the mutated land shark, its small frame happily wagging its tailfin. When the creature caught sight of Peter's awakening, it emitted a low, rumbling sound of joy, dropping to its belly like an eager puppy, before yipping and spinning in delighted circles around him.

Peter climbed to his feet, a wave of relief washing over him as he scanned the area and confirmed that everyone was alive. Their surroundings had shifted; they had finally landed on the mysterious island they had spotted from afar. "What on earth happened?" he pondered silently.

"Is… is everyone okay?" Darius's voice broke the stillness, a hint of worry lacing his tone.

"Okay? This has to be a dream," Sammy groaned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

A piercing shriek shattered the moment; the Compsognathus from their boat darted away in frantic haste. Laura's scream echoed in the air as she brandished her claws, hoping to intimidate the small dinosaur making its escape.

"This doesn't look like Costa Rica," Brooklynn remarked, her brow furrowed with confusion as she pushed herself upright.

Suddenly, the atmosphere shifted, thick clouds gathered ominously overhead, and the soft rumble of thunder heralded the approach of a storm. They could feel the pressure building in the air, a reminder that they needed to seek shelter, and quickly. Just then, their little land shark companion began to squeal with abandon, bouncing around excitedly as if begging for their attention.

"What's up, little buddy? What is it, Jeff?" Peter inquired, a smile creeping onto his face at the thought of naming the creature.

"Jeff?" Yaz echoed, bewilderment etched across her features. "Who's Jeff?"

"Our little land shark," Peter explained, nodding toward the enthusiastic creature that had taken to prancing in delight.

"Jeff?" Ben echoed quizzically. "Why Jeff?"

Peter simply shrugged with a chuckle. "I mean, just look at him! He totally looks like a Jeff." He crouched down, meeting the shark's bright eyes. "What's got you all excited, buddy?"

In response, Jeff danced his way toward an impressive rock formation that loomed in the distance, his movements fluid and energetic, drawing everyone in his wake. He bounded toward what appeared to be an inviting cave entrance, prancing as if he were the happiest creature alive, letting out a cheerful little tune that echoed off the walls.

"Are we seriously following a mutated shark into a cave?" Kenji questioned, skepticism threading through his voice.

"Well, maybe there's shelter inside," Ben suggested with a nonchalant shrug.

"But what if it's dangerous?" Sammy countered, unease creeping into her tone.

"Can it really be worse than where we've been?" Laura scoffed, her confidence returning in the face of the looming storm.

"Only one way to find out," Darius declared, stepping forward with determination, and leading the way into the shadows of the cave.

One by one, the others followed him, curiosity and trepidation mixing in the air as they ventured into the unknown depths alongside their new friend, Jeff, ready to uncover whatever mysteries awaited them within the cave's embrace.