A/N: I've always been in love with the Jurassic Park movies, and Jurassic World was beyond amazing, as was Chris Pratt's character Owen. But I got to thinking about the Indominus Rex and the sibling that got eaten. What if it wasn't eaten? What if the hybrids were assigned a trainer/caretaker just like the Raptors were? That's where my OFC, Jodie Dearing, Claire's sister, comes into play.
It'll eventually be Owen/OFC, but the main focus is on the dinosaurs.
Summary: It had long been Jodie Dearing's dream to work alongside her sister Claire at Jurassic World, she just never imagined she'd be working as the caretaker to two dangerous hybrids. One was perfect, the other was a runt more likely to be killed by her sibling. Only time will tell if a bond will form, or if her attempts to imprint on them will damn them all.
Disclaimer: I do not own Jurassic World or any of the other Jurassic Park movies.
Ever since she could remember, Jodie Dearing had been in love with animals, proving to be the most unpredictable of the Dearing children when it came to sneaking in any critter that crossed her path. Whether it be kitten or puppy, bird or snake, she brought in any animal she found, the desire to take care of it pushing aside all sense or reason or consequence – the consequence typically being her mother's wrath and screaming sisters.
That love of animals eventually blossomed into a variety of careers ranging from shelter volunteer to her current career as a zoo keeper in San Diego. She loved her job with her focus being on the primates, but at twenty-six she wanted more, something a little more exciting, and that was what brought to Jurassic World.
Jodie went to Jurassic World almost every year for about a week to not only see the many dinosaurs it had to offer, but to also visit her older sister and operations manager, Claire, and during every visit she would ask her older sister for a job.
Every time she was met with firm refusal.
You're good with animals, but you aren't qualified.
The Board may see my sister as my employee as a conflict of interest.
The park is completely safe, but I'd be worried about you.
Claire always fed her the same bullshit to the point where Jodie told her that she would be spending her vacation with their big sister, Karen, and her family this time around. She loved Claire and got along with her more so than she did with Karen, but she grew tired of the inevitable fight that would come with discussing a job.
And then the phone call came in late July.
Once so opposed to the idea of hiring her sister, Claire called her with a job offer, one that would involve signing a lengthy waver and moving onto the island. She couldn't tell her much over the phone, only that there was a bit of a time crunch between the time she called and the day she'd be expected to start – less than two weeks to be exact – and that she needed an answer by the end of the call.
Without hesitation, Jodie accepted the job that Claire couldn't discuss with her on the phone, and over the course of nine days she gave the zoo her rather last minute notice, boxed up all of her possessions in her tiny apartment, and hopped on a flight to Costa Rica.
She never did care too much for flying, preferring the boat that took her to the island and thoroughly enjoying the train to the park itself. She still got a thrill from seeing those massive doors open, allowing the train to pass.
It had been roughly an hour since she arrived, and she was ravenously devouring the steak in front of her while her sister ate a rather fancy salad, shaking her head at her.
"For a woman dead set on treating animals right you sure are going to town on that steak," Claire commented, eying the piece of meat with a nauseated expression. "Is that thing even cooked?"
Swallowing a mouthful of rare meat, Jodie replied, "I like my steak still mooing. And as long as I don't have to meet the animal I'm eating before I eat it, I'm good." Cutting a small piece and stabbing it with her fork, she offered it to her sister with a smirk. "Wanna try it?"
Claire blanched. "No, thank you."
Ever the strict vegetarian.
Some things never changed.
"On a different note, your belongings should be delivered to your new apartment on Thursday," the redhead stated, changing the topic. "I hope you packed enough clothes for a few days."
Jodie nodded, recalling how Zara had already seen to it that her luggage was taken promptly to her apartment so that she could meet up with Claire.
Her apartment.
Most of the park's employees lived off island either in Costa Rica or took a longer commute from the U.S. The ones with the more demanding careers, however, lived in some of the nicer hotel rooms designed solely for those few employees. It was a hotel room, not an apartment, but if it was going to be her home she might as well call it one.
"You still haven't told me what job is so important that I had to pack up and move here," Jodie said, finishing the last bite of her steak.
"It wasn't something to be explained over the phone."
"Well," she started, wiping her mouth with her napkin and pushing her plate aside. "I think your penthouse is private enough."
As lavish as the penthouse was, it damn well better be private enough.
Setting aside her unfinished salad, Claire folded her hands in front of her on the table. "As you're undoubtedly aware, the park is only as good as its attractions. People still flock in every year to see the dinosaurs, but a triceratops isn't as appealing as it was when it was new. The same goes for the T. Rex. Granted the fact that it's the one from the original park, even she's losing her popularity. We needed something new, something to wow the guests."
"Drop the salesmen pitch, Claire," Jodie interrupted. "I'm your sister; just tell me."
"All right," Claire started slowly, locking her blue eyes with her sibling's. "We created our first hybrid."
Blinking, unsure if she'd heard right, she repeated, "You… created a hybrid."
"The Indominus Rex, to be specific. Two, actually."
Indominus Rex, now there was a name, but the name was hardly the problem she had with any of that. To bring back dinosaurs was to play God, but to go and make a brand new species?
"… Why in God's name would you create a damn dinosaur? I mean, you have a Tyrannosaurs Rex, Raptors, Triceratops, a Mosasaurs – what more do you need?"
Sitting back in her chair, crossing her arms, she asked, "How did it feel when you first saw the Rex?"
"It, well, it's almost indescribable to be honest," Jodie replied. "Amazing fails to cover it."
"And every time since the first?"
She ground her teeth, seeing what she was getting at. "I look forward to it each visit, but… while she's always a wondrous sight it hasn't been as amazing as when I first saw her."
"That's why we need to integrate hybrids into the park. The Triceratops and Apatosaurus were great once, but now kids think of them as little more than glorified overgrown elephants and giraffes," Claire explained, sighing. "Attendance and guest satisfaction has dropped a fraction, just like it always does when something new turns old. Only this time, we don't have anything in our bag to impress."
Jodie blinked. "How can you say that? You're seriously telling me that there aren't any more dinosaurs that you can make?"
"No I'm not saying that at all. What I'm saying is that we don't have the wow factor in any of the dinosaurs that we have or are in the process of making. Like I said; we need a hybrid."
"Still, can't you, I dunno, get by with the dinosaurs you have roaming around or have ready to go?"
Growing more than a little frustrated, Claire shook her head. "The Board says no, hence the hybrid. Need I really continue repeating myself, Jodie?"
She raked her fingers her shoulder length strawberry blond hair, feeling far more tired and worn down than she had getting off the boat. "No, I guess not. What's this thing made of anyways?"
At that, Claire grew uncomfortable. "That's um, well… confidential."
"Seriously? You're not going to tell me?"
"I can tell you that it's has T. Rex DNA, but other than that I'm afraid I can't tell you."
"Can't tell me, or do you not know what it is that you're housing in the park?"
Claire scoffed, flustered, and insisted, "I know exactly what it is, but I can't tell you."
"Whatever, Claire," Jodie sighed. "You still haven't told me what I'll be doing here."
"All of our assets have keepers designated to them, caretakers, and Mr. Masrani insists that the Indominus has one as well," Claire explained.
Jodie's jaw dropped and she liked her lips after picking it up off the floor. "Let me see if I'm hearing this right. The Indominus Rex has DNA from the Tyrannosaurs along with who knows what else which means it's big, right?"
Claire nodded. "Estimated to reach about fifty feet when full grown."
That was bigger than the T. Rex.
"Fifty feet, awesome," she muttered. "And you want me to babysit this thing?"
"Things actually, there are two eggs. And it wasn't my idea to bring you in at all, it was Mr. Masrani's," she corrected with no small note of disdain.
"Now that's where you lost me. I watch gorillas and occasionally help my friend with the reptiles, but there's no way on Earth that I'm qualified for this. Mr. Masrani made some sort of mistake." Narrowing her eyes at her sister, she added bitterly, "And it's like you said; you didn't put exactly put in a good word for me."
Pursing her lips angrily, just as she did as a child when she didn't get her way, she explained, "Mr. Masrani doesn't want the existence of the Indominus getting out, so options are slim as to who can work with it at all. Nick has been with the park for quite some time and has proved to be very trustworthy, so he is going to be monitoring security of the paddock during daytime hours, and Mitch will watch it during the night. Of course the tech guess in the command center will know if only because the monitor the entire park. Other than that, only the people working on the paddock itself will even be slightly aware of what's in there."
Jurassic World was already very secretive about new dinosaurs, so she doubted the two new Indominus additions will be any different. Still, it didn't seem all that smart not to even have the workers know what was going on.
Claire continued, "The few people he discussed the job with turned him down. They said it sounded too dangerous for their liking."
Jodie snorted. "Can't imagine that caring for two fifty foot hybrids with T. Rex DNA would be dangerous."
"It's perfectly safe," Claire insisted. "Which is he insisted that I speak with you. He remembered you from last year when you went over my head by going to him for a job. He knows how eager you are to work here, and if he weren't confident in the safety of your position he wouldn't have told me to bring you in."
As flattered as she was that Claire's boss thought she could handle the position, she still wasn't certain about what being these things' handler entailed.
"What exactly would I be doing?"
"Not much, at least nothing that would risk your safety," Claire assured her. "All you have to do is imprint on them when they're born and keep in eyesight of them periodically every day while they're infants along with feeding them. We want them to associate humans as something good to hopefully make them easier to control. The worst that'll happen is they don't care one way or the other about your presence which means that all you'll have to do is feed and monitor them."
More likely the worst that would happen was that she'd be eaten.
There was a moment where there was nothing but the soft classical music playing from Claire's radio, serving to give Jodie time to think things over.
Working with dinosaurs in Jurassic World had been a dream of her's since its opening, she just never anticipated the job offer she received would be to imprint on something that would grow up and see her as an item on the menu. She'd have two hybrids that no one knew anything about as her responsibly, and there was a very real chance that it could backfire in the worst ways imaginable.
Was she really ready for all of that?
"Jodie?" Claire started, getting her little sister's attention. When she had it, she asked the million dollar question, "Do you still want the job?"
Jodie stood to go look out the window, working through all the thoughts, anxieties, and worries racing through her head.
After an eternity, Jodie nodded. "Yeah… I'll take the job. But under one condition."
Somewhat shocked the she still wanted the job after hearing what it is she'd be doing, Claire nodded and said, "Anything, name it."
Jodie turned around with a slight smirk. "I want to live on the lake."
"What? Why would you want to live there?" Claire asked, utterly perplexed. "The hotel rooms we have for employees are basically apartments, very nice ones. You'd have a large bedroom, kitchen, living room, a –"
"That all sounds nice, but I don't want to be surrounded by coworkers and tourists every damn day when I'm going to be around dozens upon dozens of people when working every day. I want some peace and quiet when I'm not working, and last time I was here you were complaining about having too many empty bungalows taking up space on the lake. Besides, it's not like I'll be alone out there," she argued.
"But… it's little more than a trailer attached to a shack. Heaven forbid there's a hurricane!" she argued. "As for the others on the lake, there are only three people living out there, and I'd hardly call them company."
"Don't care, that's my one condition. Let me live in one of the bungalows out there and I'll stay."
Claire ground her teeth, inhaled a long breath to calm herself, before conceding. "Fine. I'll advise someone to make sure you belongings are sent to… let see." She checked her cell phone's memo app. "Bungalow seven when they arrive. I'll have to find the key for it, of course, make sure you have power, water, gas…"
Jodie tuned Claire out as she rambled on and on about how this change of accommodations was going to be a pain. Her sister never really cared for things not going her way, not to be in control of every single detail. Maybe that was one reason why she hadn't wanted her working there; she knew she wouldn't be able to control her little sister.
Still, they were sisters.
"Claire," Jodie interrupted, looking at the tall redhead in her costly light brown skirt and matching jacket, accented with a thin gold necklace and bracelet.
Stopping mid rant on the hassle of it all, she asked, "What?"
The youngest Dearing smiled. "Can we save this for later? 'Cause I really would like to spend some time with my sister, not my boss."
Claire seemed to relax a little, her shoulders not quite as tense as they were a moment ago, and she rose from her chair. Crossing the room to where Jodie stood by the window, she gave her sister a hug that was long overdue.
"I'm sorry," Claire sighed. "It's just, there's a lot riding on these hybrids."
"I bet." Pulling back a bit, hands on Claire's arms, she suggested, "Why don't you play hooky for an hour or two and we catch some sun on the beach? You could use a break."
Perking up slightly, she nodded and said, "I can't right now, but in an hour I should be able to –"
Claire's phone began to ring, cutting her off, and she sighed.
Pulling away from her little sister, she went back to the table and picked up her phone. "Dearing… yes, she's right here… right now?... we'll be down immediately, do not let anyone near the eggs!" She hung up and looked to her sister with a mix of excitement and anxiety. "The beach is going to have to wait."
"Why?" Jodie asked, frowning, but in her gut she already knew.
The two Indominus Rex eggs were starting to hatch.
A/N: Review, please! Reviews let me know that you wish for more!