A World of Chaos

Part 10

Ellie follows behind me up the stairs to the second floor where Ramsay said the primary system controls were held. 

"I didn't realise you had a daughter." Ellie speaks up as we climb the stairs. 

I sigh. "I know. I didn't tell anyone because I was scared people would come looking for her. I didn't want her to be taken away, but they found her anyway." I explain. I glance over my shoulder at Ellie. "I really am sorry for not telling you." 

"It's alright. I understand, y/n. It was just a big surprise, when Maisie told us." Ellie explains. "You should have seen your father's face." 

I chuckle lightly, "I bet it was memorable."

There's a small pause before Ellie speaks up again. "Maisie also told me something I found very interesting." I glance at Ellie. "She told me you see me as your mother figure. Is that really true?" The woman asks.

I bite my lip before chuckling with a sigh. "Yeah, Ellie I've always looked up to you like that. You helped raise me on those dig sites. You filled the void that was present in both mine and my father's life." Ellie glances at me slightly confused. We pause outside the door to the server control room. "Oh come on, I've seen the way you two looked at each other back then. And I see it again now." 

Ellie smiles softly at me before I turn and open the door. Air hisses as it swings open. The room is dark, lit only by the many flashing lights on all the servers. We slowly walk through the aisle as the machine humming fills our ears. 

"Still get nightmares?" I ask Ellie, referencing our ill-fated trip to Jurassic Park. 

"All the time." I can feel Ellie glancing at me, "You?" 

I nod my head slowly. "Every night. As well as a lot of regrets." I meet Ellie's gaze, "I begged to go on that trip. I should have just stayed behind." 

Ellie nods and looks ahead, "oh yeah? Well... We hold on to regret and we stay in the past." She pauses as we round a corner. "What matters, I guess, is..." She turns and looks at me. "is what we do now. Right?"

Nodding my head I agree, "Yeah." We pause for a moment before I walk down the rest of the aisle and turn a corner. Through the aisle is a sizzling pile of locust. The air smells awful. A swarm of burnt bugs lay scattered along the floor. A few drop from the ceiling as well. Ellie groans behind me. "Nobody said there'd be bugs." I mutter. 

Ellie and I take a deep breath as we begin tiptoeing down the corridor. I carefully step through the mess so as to not step on any bugs. The silence is broken by Ian speaking through the radio. 

"We've got you. It's right down that aisle. It's right down that aisle where you are." Ian says as we continue to move slowly through the mess of bugs. "Why are they skulking? You can sprint right for it." Ian asks. 

We make it to the end of the corridor and to the control panel. "Ok. Here it is." Ellie says.

"Okay, so it-it'll be a yellow button and the grid is six." Ramsay explains through the radio. 

"There's a green button. Do you see a green button?" Ian adds as I pull down the door to the control panel. "It's not that green button that's four... four from the bottom." Ian adds. 

My brows furrow in confusion, what button?

"Above the–" Ian continues.

"Woah, woah woah woah." Ellie cuts him off, "Fourth one up?" She asks.

"Third one down or fourth one up. Same thing." Ian responds.

"Ian, be specific." I snap into the radio.