VI

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Come on." When I know my chest rises and fall in steady breathing and I can be calm for a while, me and the kid I yet need to ask name of get up and follow Claire and Owen to the front. I took notice of the kid shivering, and I'm not surprised. 

Only some jeans, converse and tattered tank top won't warm him up in colder temperature. I curse myself for not having anything warmer on myself but the shirt I draped over him. At least something.

"Kayla Watts. You're welcome." My advanced ears hear familiar voice and I frown, pushing Owen to sit down in the second front seat so I can lean over and find out Kayla is actually pilot and if I guess right, owner of this, um, very noble plane.

"Kayla?" Upon hearing me, the pretty black-skinned woman turn to give me toothed smile with her piercing hazel eyes.

"Hello, Treasure. Fate made us meet again." Her tone is still teasing as before in underground, returning her attention back to focus on piloting this flying machine. Oh, how really? She couldn't come up with something more original. Note the sarcasm.

"I told you my name so you won't call me any of those." I remind her, ignoring others' confused looks switching between us like watching ball in tennis and my cheeks warming. 

"What if I say I want to? In my opinion, it suits you just perfectly, Jane Grant." I'm not the only one whose eyes widen in shock. Great, and now she's gonna exchange us for money. 

"You know me?" 

"You are famous face, Treasure. Not to say pretty one. Don't worry, I'm not gonna turn you in." Relief visibly washes over me. Still her decision to just give in and take us to Biosyn confuses me. 

"So you gonna help us?" Her shoulder lift in shrug. 

"If I get to spend some more time with you, Treasure, of course." Usually people ask this in their heads because of me, yet here I am, asking in my head if she is serious. That can't be her only reason, right? 

"You know each other?" My best friend suddenly speak up in question, gesturing his index finger between me and Kayla. My scowl return. 

"We don't." I reply in louder voice, clearly speaking to give my point. But Kayla once again must pep in. 

"I mean, if you give me your number, we can get to know each other-" I'm quick to cut her off, pointing at her strictly.

"You, focus on flying this thing! And no, I don't know her. We only happened to stumble into each other at toilets." Literally, what else is gonna happen to me today? Firstly this kid tries to steal from me, then I save him, accidentaly steal him by saving him again, meet this flirt of woman at toilets and now here we are again. In her fucking plane. 

"That's why it was taking you so long?" This time Claire ask, since she's the one who was underground with me when not Owen or Barry. 

"Exactly." I take a seat behind Owen and look for another one or something where the kid can sit and buckle up, however, I'm taken aback when he hop on my knees with that cute child grin of his, and I notice few teeth missing. Alright, that's another way to go with. Clumsily, I buckle us up.

"Excuse her. She doesn't do very well with somebody she likes flirting with her. She's never been in a relationship." Owen lean to tell Kayla in hushed voice, and I feel my annoyance sparking with more heat rushing into my face. Traitor.

"Owen!" 

"Are you really Jane Grant?" A tiny voice stops me from kicking Owen's seat, and I look down at the kid, his dark eyes wide. 

"Um, yeah. You know me too?" My leg lower back in it's place on ground, tilting my head to side. Now tell me everyone in Malta actually knew who I am but didn't say a thing. Freaking amazing.

"I'm your big fan!" Oh, well, I didn't hear that for long. He looks so poor I wouldn't guess he knows about outside world from Malta. Before I can say something, Kayla once again pep in. 

"Who's that little fella? Didn't see him with you before." Huff leaves me at that woman, but she has a point. The kid looks at me, like asking for permission if he can say it and I nod encouragingly, even though I myself don't know his name.

"I'm Danny." So Danny is it. If somebody told me this kid will go on adventure with me because of my accidental mistake I couldn't really avoid, I'd laugh in their face. Now look into what shit I dragged this boy. And we don't even know what kind of danger await us. 

"Nice to meet you, Danny. So now you're stealing kids from their parents, Treasure?" You can clearly hear she's only joking around, much to it being actually truth. Accidental truth, to be specific. I swear this won't repeat. Ever. 

"I don't have parents." Us adults fall in silence upon hearing those saddened words, the mood quickly shifting into awkward one with sympathy. Oh boy. He lived in Malta all alone, between those dangerous people and dinosaurs, surviving on his own. Now I realize why he tried to steal from me. 

"Me neither." I speak up, taking Danny's attention back to me. And I'm gonna be honest, I feel my heart clench at his glozzy eyes filled with tears. "Never really knew them, actually. Welcome to parentless club, kid." There you can see I'm not good with kids, not talking about comforting them. Danny rub his watery eyes, preventing any of them to fall.

"But you're old." My friends along with Kayla laugh at that one, and I shoot all of them offended look. I know I'm 37 but I look amazing for my age. Placing hand over my chest, playfulness mix into my offended expression. 

"Now that's offensive." Danny giggle at that and my face, bringing smile back onto my lips. 

~🦖~

Maisie pov...  

Sitting quietly behind computer where she watches old records of Charlotte, who actually showed isn't her dopplegänger but her own mother who gave birth to her and created her with her DNA, just like Blue with Beta, many thoughts swirled through her head. 

All the time her grandpa held the real truth, leaving her believing she's not a real person, mistake in the world people'd like to make tests on, only to find out she is actual human, only made slightly differently. And why they kidnapped her and Beta here to Biosyn is so Henry can learn from her how to fix his mistake of creating large-sized locusts that put humans in more danger than they already are in. 

She caught glimpse of Izy's black-scaled tail with his yellow line when they were transferring them, but the real reason why they took him is mystery to her. Even though she has her own theories. 

Still trying to process this whole new information, Maisie watches how exactly Charlotte fixed her DNA in attempt to get rid of the sickness that killed her after giving birth to her and then how the virus spread over the locusts, which Wu wants to fix by using her. 

Screw him and Biosyn. She's not some test subject they can make tests on. Her aunt taught her many things, including recognizing what's bad and what not, and hearing Wu needing her for his own mistake sounds like something that she wants to avoid. 

To her unfortune, she has no idea where are they keeping Izy, so at least she will get herself and Beta out and hope she will stumble upon Izy and get him out of here too. He'd deal with people here quickly. 

Standing up, her eyes stayed on Wu and the other grey-haired man talking to him as she grabbed their special bracelet able to unlock anything in this building and crouched by Beta's cell. 

"Hey, do you wanna get out of here?" Of course she does, who wouldn't? Making sure the two are still distracted, she used the bracelet to unlock her cell. It almost looked like Beta nodded to her in thanks. Weird. 

Wasting no time, the alarm went off as Maisie darted for ladder leading somewhere downstairs, climbing it fast without looking back, not even when Wu called for her. They can stick their shit up their arse, she's out of here. Corners of her lips tug into small smile, knowing that's what Auntie Jane would say and have scolding looks thrown her way from her parents. 

Her conversation with her aunt night before they kidnapped her replayed in her head and can't help but feel guilty. She was right. She should think before saying anything, now she regret her last words to Claire. They may not by biological family, hell they couldn't even adopt her officially, but they are the closest she ever had to a real family. To mom, dad and also aunt. 

At the time she was only so much pissed for being held home all the time, not even allowed into town or anywhere else past the bridge. Now she understand all they did was protect her because they care for her and worried exact shit like this will happen. 

Reaching bottom of ladder, she pushed the thin door open and looked around. All this white is blinding her. She ignored the female voice speaking in whole building, searching for way that will lead her out. Until she heard panicked muffled shouting. 

Rounding a corner, her eyes land on elder blonde woman and greyish man, both in white laboratory suits laying on the ground with the man's arm protectively around the woman and few dead giant locusts around them. 

It took her a second to realize before her are the other famous survivors of Jurassic Park, Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant, her aunt's uncle. She wonder what Jane would do if she were here right now. 

Maisie cleared her throat, snapping the two from their lovedazed staring and they scrambled to their feet, taken aback someone caught them like that. However, Maisie is as shocked as they are. 

"You're Dr. Ellie Sattler and Alan Grant. You were at Jurassic Park, with Auntie Jane. You're her uncle. What are you doing here?" The young girl blurred, the shock not wearing off. Ellie's and Alan's eyes widen even more than they already are upon hearing name of his niece he hasn't seen in years. 

"What-? What are you doing here?" Ellie asked back, her and Alan catching their breath from escaping from the room behind them. 

"Auntie Jane? As my Jane? How do you know her? I don't recall her having a sibling." This time Alan asked, more concerned if his old ears function just right and before him stands a person that has a contact on his niece. 

"I'm Maisie Lockwood. She's my, um, something like adoptive Aunt." The girl introduce herself and now the two put two and two together who she is. The wanted girl, grandchild of Hammond's old friend. 

"This is crazy." Alan breathed out, rubbing his face tiredly. Today has happened a lot, not talking about the feeling more only await them. 

"Uh, hey, we don't, uh... We're not... We don't work for Biosyn." Still out of breath, Ellie let Maisie know, not like the girl already figured it out. The way they screamed and fell out the room, especially their history, proves they are innocent. 

"I can tell." Maisie nodded. 

"We gotta get out of here." The girl doesn't need to be told twice, nodding immediately at Ellie's suggestion. 

"Yeah, we should go." No longer a duo or solo, but the three of them made their way whenever their instincts lead them to go. They turn a corner, going right, however stopped at the hear of footsteps approaching that way. 

"This way." Spinning on their heel, they ran the opposite way, Alan's heart ringing in adrenaline and slight hope with excitement he might reunite with his niece and give her his biggest apology. 

~🦖~ 

Third person pov...

The plane flew calmly through the cold wind from Malta to Italy, where's Biosyn supposed to be from what they know. It wasn't planned, however Jane was so drained she as soon as closed her eyes, she was knocked out. 

Danny followed right after, the kid's head resting on her chest as they both breathed calmly, Jane's arms securely around the parentless boy. And it'd be a lie if either Owen or Claire said they didn't awe at the sight. 

Her whole life knowing Jane, Claire never saw something like this. The dinosaur lover always kept her distance from kids of any age, and if so, there was extra awkwardness between them. Like with Gray and Zach, even though she got used to them after a while. Maisie is different case, that doesn't count. 

Now seeing her with a child in her arms and not dinosaur, it warms her heart like never before. She remember the boy back in Malta when he tried to steal from Jane and then watched the woman protect him from bearded man, and now this? Claire couldn't be more confused about her friend. 

What does Jane have against children? Maybe not yet, but Danny is slowly but surely growing up to her heart, so what's so special about him? She will never know most probably. 

"Look at them. Aren't they cute?" The ginger head spoke up, breaking the silence that loomed over them whole ride. Owen turned around, leaning over his seat to take a look at his best friend. 

"They are." There's seen smile on his face, yet it's short lived as it turn into saddened one, confusing Claire. What is he not telling her? 

"You think she will keep him? You know, since he doesn't have parents and it looks like Jane is getting used to him." The ginger head asked, looking from her friend to her husband, who shook his head uncertainly. 

"I don't know, Claire. She lost her child and it left her marked for life." These shocking news make Claire pause, staring wide-eyed at her husband. 

"What?" There was never mention of anything like Jane having a child. Hell, she never saw her pregnant, how come she had a child? 

Sighing, Owen glanced at his best friend, deciding it's time for Claire to know the truth only she wasn't aware of. He promised Jane to never say a thing to anyone and he kept his word for all those years ever since it happened, helped her stay present and not break down at sight of any child, but as he discovered she actually told Maisie two years ago, he sees it right Claire will know too, otherwise she won't stop bugging her about children. 

"I'm not the one that should tell you, so I will say only this. She lost it before it was even born. She never stopped blaming herself it was her fault why it didn't survive, that she wasn't able to protect it from herself. It took some time until she got back onto her feet, and ever since she kept her distance from all children." He doesn't care Kayla is right next to him hearing all of this, they will part ways either way after this and they'll make sure she keep her mouth shut. 

"Because she didn't want to get attached in fear of experiencing the pain again. That's why she's been so much against children."Realization hit Claire harder than punch in face. It makes sense now. This is the answer she needed. But why wasn't she told about this? 

"Why didn't she tell me?" Claire looked to Owen for another answer, and the man only shook his head. 

"Maybe because she's in too much pain to talk about it. She wanted to keep it a secret from everyone, even from me, but I found out eventually." He explained, watching his best friend's paceful face. He and her know each other since they were little, and until now it amaze him they never drew apart. He couldn't ask for better best friend. 

"How did you find out?" This time it's Kayla who asked, glancing at Owen beside her. 

"Pregnancy test. I found it in her drawer back when she lived with her uncle." He answered, missing out the part for what he actually searched in her things. Claire was about to ask more, if it wasn't for Kayla pulling out her aviation communicator and speaking into it. 

"Okay. In and out. We find your girl and the hybrid and go. Tower, this is N141. Request to land for freight delivery. Over." But Kayla is rejected, the dark-skinned woman arguing with the one on other side called Denise from what they heard and threaten her with spilling some secrets of her. Ooooh. 

WARNING in white begin blinking in front of Kayla, the woman looking mostly unbothered. 

"What's that?" Owen ask, glancing between the warning and Kayla. 

"Uhh, that's the Aerial Deterrent System. Keeps the airbone life away." 

"Why is it blinking?" Now Claire ask, hoping it's not bad news she's about to hear. 

"Because deadass Denise in the tower just turned it off. We gotta get out of this airspace right now." Crap, Claire cursed in her head. A loud screech is heard somewhere above them, too close for their liking. It's followed with groan from beside Claire, Jane waking up from her paceful slumper. 

"Jeez. Why am I dreaming about Quetzalcoatlus?" The woman exclaim in slightly hoarse voice, rubbing her eyes. 

"You're not dreaming, Treasure. That bastard is right above us." Kayla makes sure her voice is loud enough to be heard but not for the giant flying dinosaur above them. 

"Yeah, exactly what you wanna hear when you wake up." Jane mutter to herself, secretly tightening her arms around still sleeping Danny as the adults sit quietly, waiting for what's to come. Nothing happens, meaning the dino let them be and flew away, possibly. 

"Okay. Okay. It's cool. We're good. It's gone." The moment of relief is ruined when another screech is heard, louder, and talons slam into front windows, breaking them. 

The impact shook them hard enough it finally woke Danny up, the young boy right away clinging to Jane while looking around with fearfull eyes. Seeing the poor boy so frightened, Jane made him burry his head into her shoulder as she rubbed his back, hoping to comfort the boy at least a little, even though she's failing miserably. This is too much for 8-year old boy.

The Quetzalcoatlus attack their plane, destroying it in way it gives up and they aim downwards. Jane's heart matches speed of others', beating rapidly it's heard in her ears. She didn't expect to die this way. No, she refuse to die like this. There's still much she must do. 

"This plane is going down! If you're gonna eject, you need to do it now! I only got two chairs, but they're in it!" Kayla yell over the noise, and Jane barely catch it, too occupied by adrenaline and trying to calm Danny down.

"You don't have parachutes?!" Owen ask, giving her look like he can't believe his ears. 

"I wasn't expecting company!" If it were good time, Jane'd laugh at Kayla's frustration. Owen suddenly stood up and grabbed onto his wife. 

"Guys! We gotta get you off this plane!" Alright, he's another person Jane is asking if he's serious right now. 

"What?!" 

"This is not the right time to make jokes, you idiot!" The two women yell back, both refusing to leave him, and Kayla, here when they have no idea if they survive this or not. 

"The parachute is gonna open automatically! If it doesn't, you pull this lever. Do you two understand me?" He looks between his two most important women in his life, determinated to save them and the kid. 

"You're crazy if you think we will leave you to die!" His best friend doesn't stop arguing back, her throat hurting from how loud she's screaming. Cursing in his head they're wasting time, he grabs Jane's hand firmly and give her and his wife reassuring look. 

"You're her aunt, and you're her mom, you two gotta get to her! Don't worry about me! I'll see you again." Upon hearing Owen remind Claire her role she plays in Maisie's life, she put on brave face, knowing Maisie need her more. 

Still Jane doesn't like the idea of leaving her best friend over 30 years for death, flashes of Inza's death in front of her eyes. She lost her child, her first hybrid, had to let her dinosaur best friend go, lost her uncle, no way she's losing someone else. 

"But you're her dad! Take Danny and get out of here!" She was ready to unbuckle and switch her place with Owen's, if it wasn't for the man stopping her by grabing her wrists. 

"Don't you dare, Jay! There's no time for that! You, Claire and Danny must go, right now! They need you too! Maisie, this kid, Izy, Rexy, all of them! Go now before I kick your stubborn ass, woman!" There're no words how much Jane want to smack him and hug him at the same time, instead she groan in frustration. 

"You're unbelievable!" Knowing he got her to finally listen to him, Owen kissed his wife's cheek and sat back in his front seat, sharing last look with his two women. 

Claire nodded to him before sharing a look with Jane, who breathed out air and glanced down at the kid still clinging to her. 

"Hold on tight, Danny!" Tightening her hold around him, they pull the lever, which shoot them up out the plane high in the sky. Fear corrupted Jane as it switched into falling, praying in her head for the parachute to finally open. 

"Where's that damn parachute!" She hear Danny yell against her neck, ignoring his death grip choking her slightly. 

"I don't know, dammit!" Since it's not opening up for some unexplainable reason, she pull the lever like Owen instructed them to and their parachute open, slowing them down. It will take her some time to fully calm down, though she can at least look around. 

"We're okay. Yeah. We're fine." She can't tell if she's trying to assure Danny or herself. Screech ring in their ears before those assholes of dinosaurs attack them and tear their parachute, sending them falling down again. 

"We're not fine!" Her and Danny scream in unison, both feeling tears in their eyes. As much as Jane loves adrenaline and challengies, this is not one of them. 

Their original parachute open automatically, but it's too late now. They reached the trees, getting lost in them until everything went dark.