Chapter 41: The Last Stand

              Ethan led the way to the West Dock. Alan had given him the rifle, and he had it pointed out in front of him, hoping he wouldn't have to use it. Tim and Lex were right behind him, with Tim helping Lex walk. Alan, Ellie, and Jodie were behind them. Alan was a little distant from Ellie and Jodie. He had his hand firmly pressed against his wounded shoulder, trying to stop it from hurting. Ian was a few feet behind Alan, walking by himself. Tilk was in the very back. Ian turned to look at Tilk.

              "May I ask you a question?"

              Tilk nodded. Ian smiled, relieved that Tilk didn't want to beat him up for talking to him.

              "I just want to know how you survived that attack on the boat."

              "I was stuck in the cabin of the boat. Knocked unconscious. When I came to, the cabin was filled with water, about half way. The boat was completely turned upside down, so I think that kept the water from filling up the entire cabin. I made a distress call to Hammond's associates, and then I broke a part of the glass, and swam to shore."

              "You're a very lucky man."

              "Yes, I know that."

              "So where have you been the whole time?"

              "That's two questions, Dr. Malcolm," Tilk said, smiling.

              Ian laughed uncomfortably. Tilk finally answered the question.

              "I've been hiding in maintenance buildings. I was almost caught about five separate times, but I managed to keep hidden."

              "Where did you get all of that firepower?"

              "Maintenance Building 5."

              Ian nodded. Everyone had been listening to Tilk's story. Ethan spoke up.

              "Yeah, Maintenance Building 5 is where we keep extra guns, rifles, and ammunition."

              Tilk looked toward Ethan, who was still in the lead.

              "I'm glad I happened upon it then," he commented.

              "Do any of the maintenance buildings have food? Because I am starving," Jodie asked, interrupting.

              Ethan smiled. He was kind of hungry, too. He just hadn't really thought about it until right then.

              "Yeah, there is. All of the maintenance buildings have vending machines, but the closest one to us is the building in the Raptor Paddock."

              Jodie shivered.

              "I can wait."

              Alan laughed.

              "Yeah, me, too," he said. He looked at Ethan. "How many Raptors are there?"

              "There were twelve, total. I think about half of them are either dead or captured, though."

              "Well, that still leaves quite a few of them," Ellie added.

              Ethan smacked his forehead and began to shake his head, as he suddenly remembered something.

              "Mr. Envoy had some vending machines installed near both docks. I had forgotten all about that. The workers were complaining that they wanted to snack on something, while they waited for the boat. They've only been there for about 2 months."

              "Oh, good," Jodie said.

              Alan smiled. He was happy to see Jodie acting like a normal kid again. She would be off of this island very soon, and hopefully on her way to forgetting all that happened in this awful place. As he was walking, he noticed Tim lightly touching the wound on his neck. Ian had filled him in on what had happened in the lodge. Lex had mended it the best she could, but she didn't have many medical supplies to utilize.

              "How you feeling, Tim?" He asked from behind him.

              Tim turned around and faintly smiled.

              "I'll be all right. Lex and Ian said it's just a graze. It's not even bleeding any more."

              "That's good," Alan said.

              Alan watched Tim nod at him, and then he noticed that Lex was looking his way. He grew a little uneasy, as he could see that she was wondering about his shoulder. He tried to stop her worrying, before it even began.

              "Lex, I'm fine. I'm just a little sore. Really."

              Lex was still looking at him. She could see blood seeping through his fingers, as he had his hand pressed up against the wound.

              "Why is it bleeding then?" She challenged, as she slowed down to let him catch up with her.

              Alan had no defense. It had started to bleed again, a little while ago. He was hoping to just get on an airplane and back to the mainland, before she noticed. He was about to try and say something, and that's when he noticed Ellie looking at him, too. Jodie laughed.

              "You might as well give up now, Alan. They're just worried about you. So am I."

              Alan smiled.

              "Okay, I give up," he said, stopping.

              Lex walked up to him and removed his hand. He winced some, as she moved his shirt slightly, so that she could get a good look at the laceration. She looked up, frowning at him.

              "Some of the stitches have opened. What in the hell happened?"

              Alan really didn't want to get into the details of the horrific experience Ellie and he had shared with Bodan. He was relieved when Ellie answered for him.

              "Jacob kept pushing on his shoulder, and hitting him," she said.

              "Don't worry though. Jacob is no longer with us," Tilk added, smiling.

              Lex nodded, as she released Alan's shirt. There wasn't much she could do for him. She was out of bandages, and she was even out of Darvocet.

              "If you don't move your shoulder very much, the bleeding should slow down. No sudden movements, okay?"

              "Okay, I've got it," he answered, as he went back to pressing a hand against his shoulder.

              They made it to the concrete maintenance road. It wasn't much longer, until they finally saw the giant wooden sign that said WEST DOCK. As they got closer, they could make out the schedule, written on the lower portion of the sign. The dock could be clearly seen now. There were two jeeps parked next to it, closer to them than the dock itself. They were about 200 feet from the dock, and that's when the ground began to shake under their feet. This was the first sign of a very big predator on the loose.

              "That would be either the Baryonyx, or one of the Rexes," Ethan said.

              Alan looked all around him, scanning the area. There were no dinosaurs in sight, so he made a suggestion.

              "Let's make a run for it, before whatever it is, gets here."

              The eight of them began to run toward the dock. Lex and Ian were the slowest, so they were getting assistance from Ethan, Tim and Tilk. Alan made sure to keep Ellie and Jodie in front of him, where he could see them. As they neared the jeeps, the second sign of the dinosaur was heard. A loud and deafening roar was heard from behind them. Jodie was the first to look back . . . and scream. They all turned around to see the source of the roar, except for Lex. She just looked forward and continued to limp. She didn't want to see what it was.

              Alan looked on in disbelief, as the dinosaur revealed itself. It wasn't the Baryonyx. It was a Tyrannosaurus Rex. That was already a bad situation, but to make it worse, two more Tyrannosaurs came from behind the first one. All three of them had stayed together, and now they were roaring in unison, as they began chasing the eight humans. The three dinosaurs were way too big to think a little rifle or gun could possibly harm them, so everyone continued to run.

              Lex was the first one to make it to the dock. She quickly made her way down the stairs, to the underground section. She was moving so fast, she tripped on a stair, and fell down the rest of the way. Tim was right behind her. He made it down the stairs and helped her up, as Tilk came running down the stairs. Ellie and Jodie were just about to the dock, as well. Alan was right behind them, but he kept checking to make sure that Ethan and Ian were coming. As he was looking back, Jodie fell in front of him, causing him to trip over her. He tumbled and landed on the ground. Ellie hadn't noticed right away. She had made it all the way to the stairs, before she turned around. When she saw Alan and Jodie on the ground, her first reaction was to run back out there and help. Tilk stopped her from doing so, as he grabbed her arm and coaxed her inside. Four of them were safe and four of them were still out there.

              The first T-Rex had made its way to where the humans had been when they first heard it roar. It plowed right over the wooden West Dock sign, as it continued to track them. The other two had slowed down. It looked as though the Tyrannosaurs also had a leader among them, much like the Raptors. The lead T-Rex roared again, as it was almost upon them.

              Alan managed to get himself off the ground. He helped Jodie up and they continued to run toward the dock. He looked back, to check on the progress of the three carnivores. It was very clear to him that they would never make it all the way to the dock. He looked to Ian and Ethan, who were almost to the stairs now. It looked as though they would make it, but he knew that if he and Jodie ran in there at the last minute, the T-Rex would, more than likely, plow right into the dock. He didn't want to put everyone in jeopardy, so he focused his attention on the jeeps that they were approaching.

              "Jodie, get into the jeep!"

              "What?"

              "The jeep! Get in it!"

              Jodie didn't think the jeep would be any help, but she trusted Alan, so she did what he told her to do. She jumped into the driver's side of the jeep and quickly scooted over. Alan got into the driver's seat and hoped that these jeeps were rigged, like the other ones. There was something stuck in the ignition, so he turned it. To his delight, the jeep started! Jodie laughed for a second at their luck, but then went back to being frightened, as she saw just how close the lead T-Rex was to them. She didn't look at Alan. She just started to hit him.

              "Go, go. Go!"

              Ian and Ethan had safely made it to the stairs. Ian heard one of the jeeps start. He glanced back, to see what Alan was doing. He watched in suspense, but also with the notion of running out there to help.

              There was enough room in front of Alan to turn the jeep in a circle and go away from the dock. He floored it. The jeep took off with a burst of speed and he turned toward the left. It was much easier for him to steer to the left because he mostly had to use his right arm to do it. As they moved to their left, the lead Tyrannosaur stepped into the jeep's path. Alan hit the brakes and turned the wheel hard to the left, at the same time, to produce a quick turnaround, complete with skids. The whole maneuver made him wince with pain, as it put a lot of pressure on his shoulder. When he had complete control of the jeep again, he hit the gas, sending the jeep in the opposite direction, to the North.

              Ethan could see that Ian wasn't intending on standing by. He tried to change his mind, as Ian took a step away from the stairs.

              "Ian, he's got it under control. Don't do it."

              Ian quickly turned to Ethan, and then went back to watching the jeep attempt to get away from the Tyrannosaurs. The three dinosaurs had arranged themselves perfectly, pretty much blocking off any possible escape route. The lead T-Rex roared at the tiny jeep and began to follow it from behind. The other two were in front of the jeep. One of the left side and one on the right side. There was no where for Alan to go. Ian looked at Ethan.

              "I'm getting in the other jeep."

              Ethan protested, of course, but Ian had already begun to run toward the other jeep. Ellie was still on the staircase, with Tilk holding her back. She got away from him and ran up the stairs, stopping next to Ethan.

              "What is he going to do? Did he tell you?"

              "No. He just said he's going for the other jeep."

              Ethan and Ellie watched Ian get inside the other jeep and start it up. He quickly backed it up and drove toward the dinosaurs. He wasn't sure what he was going to do, but he knew he had to at least try to help. He stepped on the gas and gradually caught up to the T-Rex that was behind Alan's jeep. He slammed a hand into the middle of the steering wheel, using the horn to distract the giant carnivore.

              Alan had turned the jeep to the right, in an attempt to dodge the T-Rex closer to them. If he had gone to the left, it wouldn't have taken long to reach the water, so he continued to drive further into the park. Jodie was sitting quietly in the passenger seat, scared to death. After the last quick skid to turn around, she had put on her seat belt, as she was almost thrown from the vehicle.

              Ian's persistent beeping, finally grabbed the attention of the lead T-Rex. It slowed down, stopped, and pivoted around quickly. It saw the other jeep, moving close to it, and roared at it. Ian's eyes became very wide, as he turned the jeep to the left. He did a half circle, and began to drive to the South, with one T-Rex chasing after him. He smiled for a second, as he was happy that the diversion worked, and that Alan only had two dinosaurs to worry about now.

              The two Tyrannosaurs were a handful enough, though, as Alan continued down the maintenance road.

              "Where are we going?" Jodie asked, her voice trembling.

              "I don't know."

              "That's reassuring," Jodie said, slightly amused by Alan's honesty.

              Alan glanced at her. He could see how frightened she was. He was feeling the exact same way. He tried to restore confidence in her.

              "I'm hoping to lose at least one of the T-Rexes, with all of the zigging and the zagging. Then, we'll turn around and go back the other way."

              Jodie waited for him to look at her. The jeep was moving back and forth in different directions, but she managed to nod her head. He nodded back and brought his attention back to the dinosaurs.

              Ellie was beyond approachable. She was both angry and frightened, as both Alan and Ian's jeeps disappeared from view. She could still see the large predators chasing the tiny jeeps.

              "What time is it?" She asked Ethan.

              "It's 10:54."

              "Well, the rescue team should be here by now, damn it! Where are they?"

              Ethan shrugged his shoulders. Ellie was getting angrier by the minute and she was about to take it out on poor Ethan, when she heard the faint sound of a helicopter.

              "You hear that?"

              Before Ethan could answer, Lex yelled from the bottom of the staircase.

              "The reinforcements are here!"

              Ellie and Ethan turned to look in the direction the noise was coming from. In just a few short minutes, a very big helicopter came into view.

              Ian was having a hard time getting away from the lead T-Rex. And he was running out of space. There, in front of him, on the maintenance road, was a security gate. It was there to stop people from wandering into the Elasmosaurus Paddock. When he glanced to the left, he could see Control Room 3. He made a sharp left turn and decided on going around the control room, in an attempt to rendevous with the others at the dock. As the jeep turned, the lead T-Rex continued to track its every movement. It turned to the left also.

              Alan turned around to check where the Tyrannosaurs were located, and could only find one.

              "Jodie, you see the other one? I only see one."

              Jodie stretched her neck to look.

              "No, I don't see it either. Where did it go?"

              "I don't---"

              The missing T-Rex came stomping from the side of them. It had gone into the trees and reemerged, right next to the jeep. Alan swerved to miss one of its massive feet. The jeep spun out of control and skidded toward the tree line.

              Ethan and Ellie were out in the open, waving at the helicopter. Everyone else below the dock joined them. Ethan turned on his walkie talkie and tried to communicate with the chopper. After a few frequency changes, he was able to hear someone's voice.

              ". . . Captain Seth Walker. Trying to reach Dr. Alan Grant. Do you read me?"

              "Yes, we read you, sir," Ethan answered.

              "Is this Dr. Alan Grant?" Walker asked.

              "No. This is Ethan Davis. We are in need of help. Right now."

              "I'm about to land right now, sir."

              "No. Wait!"

              "What's the problem, sir?"

              "There are three Tyrannosaurs on the loose, as well as some Raptors, a Baryonyx, and some Pterodactyls. So be warned."

              "Thanks for the warning, sir."

              Ellie grabbed the walkie talkie from Ethan.

              "Mr. Walker. There are some people, in some jeeps, who are being pursued by the Tyrannosaurs. Do you have firepower?"

              "Of course, madam."

              "Good, then go to the East and shoot a few of those Rexes. Please."

              "Sure thing."

              Ellie sighed with relief, as she watched the helicopter fly over them and in the direction that Alan had gone.

              When Alan's jeep skidded out of control, it slammed into a tree, causing it to come to a quick halt. Alan was thrown out of the jeep. His body flew forward and landed a few yards from the jeep, safely hidden from the dinosaurs. Jodie remained in the jeep. She had her seat belt on, stopping her from joining Alan. She screamed for him, but he didn't answer. She tried to get the seat belt off, but she was too scared to slow down enough to get it unfastened. She continued to scream for Alan, as one the Tyrannosaurs slowly approached the broken down jeep. She was finally able to get the seat belt unfastened, but there was no way she could run for it now. She tucked her tiny body in the space under the glove compartment, and stayed completely still.

              Alan had the wind knocked out of him, but he wasn't unconscious. He slowly sat up, looking around for Jodie. He had heard her screaming, but it just didn't register right away. He couldn't find her. All he could see was one of the Tyrannosaurs sniffing at the jeep. The other one was missing . . . again.

              Jodie was shaking horribly, as the snout of the curious T-Rex began to get closer and closer. She closed her eyes tightly, and tried to stop herself from trembling. The T-Rex was unsure of what to do next. It took a step back and roared at the jeep. Jodie put her hands over her ears without opening her eyes.

              Alan continued to observe the dinosaur's behavior. It must have thought something was in the jeep, and with Jodie nowhere in sight, Alan realized that it was probably her. He thought about jumping up and getting its attention, but that would leave him out in the open. He would be tracked and killed for sure, but then Jodie would have the chance to get away.

              As he was weighing the pros and cons, he heard the sound of a helicopter. He smiled. He hoped that they had some sort of weaponry at their disposal. While he was kneeling on the ground, smiling, the ground began to shake again. The other T-Rex approached the one already there. Alan watched as the two seemed to be communicating with one another. Then, one of them went to the other side of the jeep. One of its legs came very close to where Alan was, but he managed to get out of the way.

              Ian had made his way around the control room, and was on his way to the maintenance road ahead of him. The lead T-Rex was still very much in pursuit, as it continued to hunt the fast-moving jeep. Ian was getting worried that he wouldn't be able to shake it. He reached the maintenance road and made a sharp right, going further into the park, just as Alan had done. When he passed the Monorail/Mall building, he made another hard right and began to drive around that building. The T-Rex followed the first turn easily, but was tricked by the second turn. Its large body kept going forward, as Ian's jeep took off around the building. It was finally able to slow down enough to charge off to the right. It let out another roar, as it rumbled by the side of the building.

              Jodie became very uneasy at the uncomfortable silence all around her. She was about to burst from fear, when she heard the helicopter, too. She smiled, but it went away instantly, as the jeep began to shake back and forth.

              Alan was still under the safety of the trees. He watched in both awe and fear, as the two Tyrannosaurs took turns pushing the jeep with their snouts. Finally, after nearly toppling the jeep over once, the T-Rex on the right stepped back and let the other one ram into the jeep with more force. The jeep turned over on its right side. Jodie had braced herself in the tiny space under the glove compartment, and managed to keep herself there. When she looked to her left, she could see the ground right next to her head. She was understandably frightened, but relaxed just a little bit, when she looked beyond the ground. She could see Alan hiding in the tree line, not too far from her. She looked at him, with intense fear, as well as tears, in her eyes. She could see that he was thinking of something to do. To her horror, she watched him stand up and begin to wave his arms and shout. He was going to sacrifice himself for her. One of the Tyrannosaurs quickly spotted him. It roared and walked away from the jeep and toward the tiny animated human. She screamed at him.

              "No! Alan! No!"

              Alan did his best to run for cover, behind some taller trees. The T-Rex, with its long strides, got to him quickly. The dinosaur leaned down and began to sniff out the human, who it knew was very near.

              Jodie's screams were drowned out by the roaring, which was a good thing for her. The other T-Rex was still hovering close to the jeep. She braced herself, once again, as it began to push on the jeep again, with its snout. It easily turned the jeep completely over. Jodie found it extremely difficult to stay wedged in the tiny place under the glove compartment. She felt herself slipping, as the T-Rex continued to move the car back and forth.

              Alan thought about running, but he knew that would do no good. He was about to give up, when the T-Rex began to behave strangely. It roared once, and turned its massive head back, and then it began to swagger. Alan was confused at first, but then he saw the helicopter clearly. Someone from the helicopter had shot the T-Rex. Alan was understandably ecstatic over the timing, but then the T-Rex began to fall in his direction. He moved out of the way, as the very large shadow over the top of him, became larger and larger. He was able to get out of its way, just as it crashed to ground in a massive heap. He lay there, for a few seconds, breathing heavily and thanking the heavens that he was still alive.

              Jodie was watching the other T-Rex, when the helicopter turned slightly. She saw something go into the shoulder of the T-Rex, and then she heard it roar, as it felt the sharp pain. It too, began to behave strangely. In a few short seconds, it plummeted to the ground, in one giant heap. The ground shook all around, making the jeep quake. In that instant, Jodie slipped from her hiding place and hit the top of the jeep with a thud. She was shaking pretty bad, as another shadow loomed over her. She screamed.

              Alan stepped back, when Jodie screamed, as it alarmed him slightly. He looked around to see if there were any signs of another dinosaur, but there wasn't. He looked at her in a confused manner.

              "I thought you were a dinosaur," she explained.

              He laughed.

              "Well, lucky for you, I'm not. Come on. Let's get you out of there."

              He reached a hand out to her. She grasped it tightly and he pulled her from the damaged jeep. When she was clear from the jeep, she held onto him tightly, crying.

              The helicopter checked for other dinosaurs in the immediate area, and then began to land, close to where Alan and Jodie were. The propellers made the dust kick up everywhere, causing them to cover their eyes. The helicopter touched the ground. Alan grabbed Jodie's hand and they began to run to the helicopter.

              Ellie was waiting patiently for the helicopter to come back into view. It finally did. She nervously smiled, as she was hoping that they had gotten to Alan and Jodie in time. The helicopter landed in the clearing, next to the dock. Ellie saw that Alan was in the helicopter, along with Jodie. She ran toward the helicopter, completely happy. Everyone else followed. She got to the large sliding door, that was already opened, and embraced Alan. As the two of them whispered things to each other, Tim got into the helicopter. He saw Jodie.

              "You okay?"

              "Yeah. They put the T-Rexes asleep."

              Tim nodded. Ethan and Lex got into the helicopter next. Ethan was helping her. Tilk was bringing up the rear. Alan noticed that Ian wasn't there. He let Ellie go and looked at Tilk.

              "Where's Ian?"

              "He didn't return."

              "Which way did he go?"

              Tilk pointed. One of the rescuers closed the sliding door, and the helicopter began to lift off again. Alan made his way to the pilot.

              "We're still short one. Can you take it over in that direction," Alan said, pointing toward the Monorail/Mall building.

              "Sure thing," Walker said.

              The helicopter flew over Control Room 3, and then flew over the Monorail/Mall building. There were no signs of Ian. Then, Tilk spotted the jeep. They all looked at it. It had been driven right into the side of the building, and it was empty. There was a Tyrannosaurus Rex nearby, walking away from the building.

              "It looks as though that Rex got him," Walker guessed.

              "Yeah, maybe," Alan said, "but I'm not prepared to give up that easily. He wouldn't give up on me."

              Ethan looked at Alan and smiled. All this time, it looked as though his step father and Alan disliked each other, but when push came to shove, they would stand up for one another.

              The helicopter continued to make low flying passes, everyone hoping to spot Ian Malcolm . . . alive.

Chapter 42: Return To Civilization

              John Hammond waited rather impatiently for the airplane to land. He had received word that the helicopter had successfully made it to the Baja Peninsula. He had also learned that Tilk had requested to go his own separate way. Hammond had consented to it, making sure that he was paid immediately. The rest of them had transferred to a plane, and were now on their way to where Hammond was. California. The plane finally landed and came to a slow and uneventful stop on the tarmac.

              Jodie was the first person out of the plane. Alan and Ellie were right behind her, holding hands. Alan noticed John Hammond and Henry standing in the small crowd. He wanted to be angry with Hammond, but all that came to mind was smiling. He figured it must have had something to do with the drugs he was given for his pain. As they finished walking down the staircase, Hammond approached them, with the assistance of Henry.

              "I'm so pleased to see the two of you," he said to Alan and Ellie. He looked at Jodie. "And you, Ms. Grant. Your father is worried sick about you."

              "Great," Jodie said, smirking.

              Alan laughed.

              "Now, Jodie. I promised to help you out with your dad, but you have to be willing to give in a little bit, you know," Alan said.

              "Sorry. I'll try."

              Hammond smiled. He was about to say something else, when he saw his grandchildren coming down the staircase. He quickly excused himself and went toward Tim and Lex. Lex half ran, half limped to her grandfather and hugged him tightly. Tim stood back a little, giving his sister some room. When Lex finally let him go, Tim took a few steps toward him.

              "Hi Grandpa," he said, extending his hand.

              Hammond smiled.

              "Oh, never mind the formalities, boy. Come here."

              Hammond grabbed Tim and hugged him. Tim returned the hug and laughed. Hammond gestured for Lex to come closer. She did, and the three of them stood in a group hug for a few minutes.

              "You're mother will be here shortly. She was unavoidably detained, I'm afraid."

              "Okay," Lex whispered.

              Hammond finally broke it off the group hug, as he looked around.

              "Where's Dr. Malcolm?" He asked.

              "He's in the plane," Tim answered.

              "Oh, good, good. I'm pleased to see all of you made it through, in one piece," Hammond said.

              "With the exception of Alan, maybe. He's in pretty bad shape, Grandpa," Lex said.

              Alan, Ellie, and Jodie had walked closer to Hammond.

              "Now, Lex. I'm fine. Don't go worrying your Grandfather like that," Alan said.

              Hammond took a good look at Alan. He had several deep gashes in his face and his left arm was in a very tightly wrapped sling. It looked like he might fall over any second, as he seemed very fragile. Ellie was holding onto him, to help him keep steady.

              "Alan, you do look frightful. Maybe you should go directly to the hospital," Hammond suggested.

              Ellie nodded in agreement.

              "That's where we're heading, John."

              Ellie turned Alan around and helped him walk toward one of the many cars Hammond had provided for all of them. Jodie followed closely behind.

              "Wait, just a minute," Hammond called out to them.

              Ellie stopped and turned around. Hammond looked at Henry.

              "Would you be so kind, as to get that packet of papers we talked about earlier?"

              "Sure, Mr. Hammond," Henry said, as he ran off toward Hammond's limo.

              Tim and Lex helped Hammond, as he took a few steps toward Ellie and Alan. Ellie really wanted to get Alan checked into a hospital.

              "John, what's this about? Can't we just do this later?" She asked.

              Henry ran up to Hammond, with a folder in hand. He handed it to Hammond.

              "Here," Hammond said with a smile, handing the folder to Ellie.

              She took it.

              "What is this?"

              "All you need to do is, sign at the bottom of each of those papers in there," Hammond said, pointing to the folder.

              Ellie stared at the folder in her hand, and then she looked up at Hammond.

              "John, what's in here?"

              "Your divorce papers, dear," Hammond said.

              Ellie was completely caught by surprise. She hadn't thought about Mark or her upcoming long divorce proceedings, for quite a while now. She looked at Alan, who was already looking at her. She looked back at Hammond, with a look of confusion.

              "When you sign those papers, everything will belong to you. The children, the house, the car, the truck, the bank account . . . to which I added a little bit too . . . and the silly parrot."

              Ellie didn't know how to respond.

              "Wow. John, how did you do this?" She asked, looking down at the folder again.

              "You don't want to know, dear," he answered, smiling at her.

              "I would like to know, John. But there's a time and a place for everything," she said, gesturing to Alan. "And it's time to get him to a hospital."

              "Fine, fine. We can discuss all of the details you want, at dinner, when Alan is feeling better," Hammond said.

              "Yes, let's do that, John," Alan said.

              With all this talk of folders and paperwork, Ellie thought about Henry Wu's journals.

              "John, Ian was able to save some important evidence for you."

              "Oh, really? Where is that man?" Hammond said, looking toward the plane.

              Ian walked out in that instant, along with Ethan. Ian was noticeably limping, but he had that same broad smile on his face, like always. Back on Isla Norte, he had finally been discovered by Tilk, as he had been hiding under the jeep, hoping that the T-Rex would go away. One of the rescuers had tranquilized the third T-Rex, and then had landed, safely picking up Ian. Now, he and Ethan walked down the stairs and approached everyone. Hammond smiled.

              "Ian, how's the leg?"

              "It's all right, John. Just a little sore."

              Hammond switched from looking at Ian, to looking at Ethan.

              "Ethan Davis. I'm so happy to see you, young man," Hammond said.

              Alan laughed. For some reason, he felt like making Hammond nervous.

              "So you know him, huh?"

              Hammond did, in fact, become slightly nervous, as he realized one of his fibs was just exposed. He tried to put the old Hammond spin on the situation.

              "Oh, yes. Young Ethan here, was helping me shut Marcus Envoy down for good."

               Ellie playfully punched Alan in the arm, and whispered something to him, clearly scolding him. Ethan smiled and handed John a strange looking rectangular looking object. Hammond took it from him. Ethan could see that he had no idea what it was, so he explained.

              "That is the portable hard drive from Daniel Nupin's extra laptop. There should be enough evidence on that drive to arrest Mr. Envoy. He also murdered Dr. Wu."

              "Henry Wu?" Hammond asked.

              "Yes, sir. Dr. Wu was assisting me on the island. Mr. Bodan found out and told Mr. Envoy. Mr. Envoy had him killed. There are a few memos discussing that exact thing in there," Ethan said, pointing at the tiny hard drive in Hammond's hands.

              "How strange," Hammond said, rubbing his jaw, as if in deep thought.

              "Why is that strange, sir?" Ethan asked.

              "Henry Wu is not dead, Ethan," Hammond said.

              "What?"

              Hammond chuckled.

              "Mr. Wu is working in one of my labs. He's been there for about a month."

              "Really?"

              "Yes. When he left Isla Norte, I offered him a job immediately."

              "I'm shocked. I thought he was dead."

              "He's very much alive, I assure you. I thought you knew that he had faked his death, to get out of there. Mr. Bodan and Mr. Envoy had gotten to close to his cover, so he needed a way out."

              "Well, he should be pleased with all of the data on that hard drive. He helped me obtain most of it," Ethan said, still shocked.

              Ian was just standing by, listening to the conversation. The last part reminded him that he had some evidence, as well.

              "And ahhh, there's more," Ian added, as he reached into his jacket pocket. "Here are some excerpts from Dr. Wu's journals that Ellie and I had found. On actual real paper."

              Hammond took the folder from Ian. He handed everything to his assistant, Henry.

              "This is such good news. We will be able to shut that island down . . . and all of you have come back safe."

              "We're going to the hospital now, John," Ellie said.

              Hammond nodded. Ellie turned Alan around again. They went toward the car. Ellie and Jodie helped Alan get in.

              "Would it be okay if I rode up front?" Jodie asked.

              "Sure, I don't see a problem with that," Ellie said.

              Jodie got into the passenger seat, while Ellie got in next to Alan. When she glanced at him, she found him already looking at her. She held up the folder.

              "What do you think about this?" She asked.

              "I think that John Hammond is a good friend to have on our side."

              Ellie nodded in agreement.

              "Yes. But what do you think about it?"

              Alan smiled at her.

              "I think it's good, Ellie. I think that you can move to Montana, anytime you want to now. If that's what you still want, that is."

              "Yes, that's what I want, Alan."

              She leaned in close and kissed him. He placed a hand on her face, as they continued to kiss. The car drove away, as Ellie cuddled up to Alan in the backseat.