Banished to prehistoric times

Revelations

"Where is he? Where's Alec?" Jack dashed into the cabin of the time ship after the tailgate had opened, infuriated about Alec's actions. The sun was just above the horizon, shining its last golden rays on the scene when Victoria followed, also enraged. Jack awaited an answer from Nathan and Kathryn, who were sitting in the cabin, working on the ship. "Thank goodness," Kathryn said when she saw them and stood up. "Are you alright? What happened?" "Alec said that he had to leave you behind," Nathan added worriedly. He was holding the light-speed processor in his hands, probably ready to put it back where it belonged. "He forsook us when we needed him the most," Victoria answered. "Where is he?" Jack asked again, impatiently. "Cockpit," Kathryn replied and nodded towards the pilot compartment. "He's been in there for a few hours." Jack acted immediately by rushing towards it, but he was stopped when Alec suddenly appeared before him. He had emerged from the cockpit, his laser gun secured in his holster. "Hey, kid," he said. "So you survived?" "You son of a..." Jack replied, almost wanting to punch him. "Why did you run Alec?" Victoria said. "Why did you abandon us?" "I'm sorry," he answered and turned to Victoria, "but I did what I had to do. I wasn't going to risk my way home." "Your way ho-...?" Victoria responded, but she couldn't finish, for Nathan had interrupted their quarrel. "I did it!" he yelled enthusiastically, "I fixed the ship!" "What?" Jack said and hurried towards his brother. "The processor was the last piece of the puzzle," Nathan continued. "We're good to go," he said with amazement. Everyone in the room couldn't believe their ears and Kathryn's mouth even dropped before she flung her arms around Nathan's neck. Jack patted his brother on his back and gave a large sigh of relief; he had forgotten about all his worries. "Great job, kid," Alec said calmly. "Well, what are we waiting for?" Kathryn said. "Let's go!" The rebels laughed as they stood up, excited about the prospect. But as Nathan rushed towards the cockpit, ready to fly himself and his friends out of this era, he was stopped. "Oi," Alec said and pointed his gun at him after swiftly pulling it out of his holster. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." "Alec!" Victoria said, startled. "What are you doing? Put the gun down!" Nathan's eyes grew large when Alec pressed the barrel of his laser gun against his forehead, pushing him back. "Move," he said. "Alec..." Jack exclaimed, agitated. "What are you doing? Come to your senses man!" The four rebels were forced to move towards the tailgate, away from the cockpit. Once they were outside, Alec released Nathan by pushing him towards his brother, causing him to fall on the damp ground. He stood on the open tailgate while the rebels stared at him with animosity, feeling betrayed. He raised his laser gun, pointed it at the companions and said: "Surprised?" Victoria shook her head. "We should have known." "Why are you doing this?" Nathan then asked, still startled. "Remember your adversary, Percival Kane?" Alec answered. "That would be my father." Victoria's mouth dropped, for she couldn't believe what he had just told them. "It cannot be..." she said. "And yes, I did know yours," he continued and locked eyes with Victoria. "John Harvey," he said and gave a sniff of contempt. "He was the one who brought this upon me." "You're lying!" Jack uttered. "If you're Kane's son, then why are you here?" "Like I said, kid," Alec replied, "I stranded here." "How?" Kathryn asked. "And the truth," Nathan added. Alec smirked. "The time restorers were corrupted," he said. "Each and every one of them was persuaded by my father not to change history in exchange for money in order for him to gain more and more power over the world which would eventually have to lead to world dominance. He promised them a wealthy life; something which was extremely rare after the apocalypse. They all, except one, succumbed to his persuasiveness and let history endure, tempted by the idea of wealth. So during the third 'attempt' of changing history, one I was part of, we knew that something wasn't right. Instead of giving the impression that we were going to save history by traveling in time, to avoid another uprising, one of our crew members, your father," he nodded towards Victoria, "decided to ignore the president's wishes and actually tried to do it. We were supposed to come right back after having taken off in 2154, 'disappointed' that we hadn't been able to change the future, since the people didn't have a clue how long we had been gone. But we did not because your father had set an actual course for 2017. We did not allow that to happen and there was a fight. The dashboard of the ship was destroyed due to it and so we crashed in a random time and place. The Cretaceous period stretched out before us. Most of us had survived the fight and the crash, but others hadn't. The rest died when we were attacked by a T-rex; I was the only one who had survived." A silence fell over the companions and they did not know what to say. "What happened to my father?" Victoria then said with a broken voice. "I enjoyed the moment when I could put a laser through his chest once we had landed," Alec replied and grinned. "You monster!" Victoria exclaimed and ran towards him, but was stopped by Jack. A tear ran down her face when he held her, yet she did not struggle. "We trusted you," Jack said. "Well then," Alec responded, "you can't exactly blame me, can you? It was your mistake." "Everything you said to us was a lie!" Kathryn yelled. "Well... yeah you can say that, kid. But who we are and who we need to be to survive are very different things." "I know exactly who you are," Nathan said. "You're just like your father. You only want power." "There's nothing left to rule over, Kane!" Kathryn said. "The world is dead because of people like you. Why join the time restorers in the first place?" "My father wanted me to keep an eye on the others. Making sure they obeyed his orders." "Well," Nathan said, "you failed." "You know," Alec replied, "I really liked you, Nathan. It's a pity that I have to leave you behind. We could've been a great team." "I'll never work with someone like you," he replied with his head held high and clenched fists. Jack had never seen his brother look that way. Nathan had always been the boy who laughed often, who needed protection and the one who was everyone's friend. Now that boy had developed a hardness, but a hardness that one needed in such times. "Why not tell us who you were in the beginning?" Kathryn asked after Nathan's remark, which had made Alec smirk. "After realizing you were rebels," he said, "the enemies of my father, I knew I couldn't trust you. Moreover, you probably wouldn't repair my ship if you knew who I was." He laughed. "You know what really surprises me? That it took so long for my father to finally figure out where I was. And then to send rebels...well, it was probably for a good reason, I guess." He slowly walked back into the ship while still pointing his gun at the rebels, ready to go. "Thanks for creating my salvation, kiddos," he said. "I'll tell my father that you said hello!" The rebels felt downhearted when he spoke, and hope had left their hearts. With no strength to move, they felt defeated. "You won't get away with this Alec," Victoria said weakly, raising her head. But when she looked into his cold, rigid eyes she could see no trace of tears or regret, something which didn't surprise her. "Oh I think I can," he replied when he had reached the tailgate's operating system. His hand moved towards the power switch which would close the gate; it would mean the end of the rebels. He was about to press the button, but all of a sudden, something stopped him. His eyes grew large right before he was hurled onto the ground, away from the time ship. The ship had been bumped with incredible force, causing him to drop his gun whilst rolling off the tailgate. The companions froze when they saw what had been the source of the blow, for it was a Tyrannosaurus rex. It roared horribly when Victoria sprinted towards Alec's laser gun, making the ground shake. The creature had emerged from the trees just in time, creating a terrible but adequate reason for the rebels to gain hope once more. After Victoria had grabbed the gun, she pointed it at Alec, who lay before her. "Stay," she said. "And if I don't?" he replied. Victoria lifted an eyebrow and then shot him in his foot in response, what caused him to scream. "I'll aim higher," she responded, "and make sure that you will face the same terrible fate my father did." She walked back, still pointing the gun at Alec, for his scream had drawn the attention of the dinosaur. Its massive head turned towards the deceiver while Victoria sought shelter in the bushes next to her friends, ready to strike. Alec looked up, only to stare into the fearsome eyes of the towering creature that was baring its razor-sharp teeth. And before he could even scream, he was no more. The rebels gasped from a safe distance, realizing that this had been Alec Kane's tragic demise. However, the companions saw this as an opportunity. Despite the fact that the Tyrannosaurus rex was blocking their way to the time ship, a way to reach it did not necessarily have to be impossible. "What do we do now?" Kathryn whispered while sitting next to Nathan, Victoria, and Jack. "I'll distract it," Jack said when the dinosaur started to grow restless. "What?" Victoria replied. "No, Jack, it's too dangerous!" "We can find another way," Nathan added. "You must go to the ship," Jack continued, "and fly yourselves out of here. I will catch up with you, I promise." "Jack..." Victoria said, but she knew that it was pointless, for once Jack had set his mind to something, you couldn't change it. "No," Nathan uttered, "Jack, you can't!" "I must, Nathan," he replied, determined. "It is the only way." "No..." Nathan said, but he too realized that he couldn't change his mind. So instead of trying to persuade him, Nathan wrapped his arms around his brother's shoulders, pulling him close. "I'll see you soon, okay?" he said, feeling a heaviness in his stomach. "Yeah," Jack responded, "See you soon." After they had let go of each other, Jack turned to Victoria. "Just..." she said, "Just be careful, okay? And here, take this." She handed him the laser gun, for he would probably need it more than they would. Victoria locked eyes with him after this, not knowing what to do. Jack, on the other hand, did. He knew almost for certain that she didn't love him back, but he couldn't resist. He couldn't fight against the thoughts that were going through him anymore. So, he did the only thing that made sense to him; he leaned over, laid his hand on her cheek, and kissed her. Afterwards, Victoria did not know what to do. "I love you," Jack said, and stood up. He eventually nodded towards Kathryn and smiled towards Nathan. "Meet me on the plains!" he exclaimed before hurrying away. "Hey, dinosaur!" he then yelled, trying to draw the attention of the Tyrannosaurus rex. After waving his arms, he succeeded. The creature roared again, showing its bloodstained teeth. It followed Jack into the forest with heavy steps that made the earth tremble. They both eventually disappeared behind the trees, man and man-eating dinosaur. Victoria was still shocked, not knowing how to react, when Kathryn said: "Come on, guys, we have to move." A tear rolled down Nathan's face when he finally got up, accepting what he had to do. He helped Victoria up and reassured her that Jack would be fine, something which he knew wouldn't be certain. Nevertheless, they followed Kathryn towards the time ship. Once they had arrived, Nathan and Kathryn rushed towards the cockpit since they were the ones of the companionship that knew how such an aircraft worked. "Start the engines," Nathan said hastily to Kathryn, who flipped a switch in response. "I hope it'll work..." he said and sighed. Kathryn then grabbed his hand and said: "I believe in you. It'll work." Nathan smiled and flipped another switch, and suddenly, to his surprise, the engines started to work. Slowly but surely, the time ship started to become loose of the ground and eventually began to hover. "It's..." Nathan said, "It's working!" Kathryn grabbed the steering wheel with both hands after heaving an euphoric sigh of relief, proud of what Nathan had achieved. However, their happiness did not last long, for a loud bellow could suddenly be heard, followed by a gunshot. "Hurry!" Victoria yelled from the cabin, worried about what was happening with Jack. She was still startled about what he had said and done, but she didn't have the time to think about it, no matter how much she wanted to. She was standing on the edge of the ship, near the beginning of the open tailgate when the ship started to move; Nathan had successfully been able to repair the ship. The wind blew through Victoria's brown hair as the ship started to move upwards, towards the plains. The expanse would be a convenient place to depart from, for there were no trees that could form obstacles. Kathryn had to steer very carefully because they were surrounded by trees that were now being blown back and forth due to the ship's power; once they had reached the plains they would have free rein. When they had eventually transcended tree height, an enormous landscape stretched out before them. Victoria could see the plains not so far away from them, but when she looked to her right, she could see a trail of moving trees, as if something incredibly large tried to move past them. It too was going towards the plains, and with great speed. However, the time ship had already reached the plains by the time Victoria could see what it was, but she had a feeling that she already knew. The ship slowly began to descend with the tailgate still open, and Victoria waiting on it. Many dinosaurs that had been grazing on the plain fled, creating an uproar. Stegosaur, Triceratops, Gallimimus, and many more dinosaur species dashed away, but Victoria did not care. The nose of the time ship was turned to the plain while the back was turned towards the forest so that if Jack would come, he could jump onto the tailgate. Nathan rushed towards Victoria once the Kathryn had put the aircraft in place, hovering above the ground and ready to go. Victoria and Nathan kept looking at the trees, waiting as long as they could for the return of Jack, but he didn't come. Where is he? Victoria thought, shouldn't he be back by now? But the longer she waited for him, the worse her thought became. The most awful things went through her head, and it killed her. She hated that she couldn't do anything, and it made her desperate. Victoria noticed that her breathing had become heavier and that she was restless, but she kept looking at the trees. She had to. However, when they had almost given up hope, Jack suddenly appeared from the forest. He was screaming, but it was unclear what. Then the trees started to shake, together with the ground, and the Tyrannosaurus rex emerged from the forest as well, knocking down the trees to clear its path. The time ship, still hovering soundlessly a few feet above the ground, was ready to depart. Victoria had never been so relieved in her life as she was now, but the danger wasn't over yet, and she realized this all too well. The Tyrannosaurus rex was gaining on Jack, and it wouldn't take long for it to reach its prey. However, Jack was running for his life, and he had almost reached the ship. "Come on, Jack!" Nathan yelled desperately, ready to drag him on board. The dinosaur now came awfully close and the earth trembled with every step it took, but Jack kept running. He looked into the eyes of his fellow rebels, and Victoria could feel the hope disappearing from his eyes when the creature behind him roared once again. She was breathing heavily and her eyes were large when Jack finally came within reach, and she stretched her arms. Nathan did the same, and together, they grabbed his arms and dragged him on board. "Kathryn!" Victoria screamed, "Now!" The time ship immediately started to move and, just before the Tyrannosaurus rex had grabbed Jack's leg with its knifelike teeth, took off. The dinosaur bellowed in response, but its prey had escaped.

Jack gasped for air, catching his breath after he had jumped into the ship. "Don't ever scare me like that again," Victoria said as Nathan wiped the sweat off of his face. "And I love you too." She leaned over and kissed him, and the world fell away. It was comforting in ways that words would never be; all her emotions that had been crawled up inside of her all this time, came out. Completely unprepared, but like fireworks. Then, after she had leaned back, they smiled. Not just them, but everyone. They had made it, and now the suffering would be over. The rebels threw one last glance at the Cretaceous period and its astonishing creatures before they let the tailgate close; somehow they were grateful that they had been a part of this marvellous era. "Strap yourselves in," Kathryn then said from the cockpit, "we're going to change the future."