Um... My name is Joshua, or just Josh for short.. And this is my story of how I was shipped off to Jurassic World for a probationary period under my uncles watchful eye... Simon Masrani... Yeah, that's right, the guy that owns the new Theme Park, Jurassic World, and the very same place I'm being shipped off to.
To let you all know, none of this was my idea, my uncle thought that I would have a great time there, but not as a park goer... No, he had the great idea of having me help train a few of the dinosaurs there. Like that's even a good idea to start with!
But before we get any farther, let me tell you a bit about myself- besides my name that is.
I am Joshua Ryan, son of David Ryan and Lilith Ryan. Simon is my Mom's Brother. I myself am the eldest of three brothers, but only by three years, ironically, and am the only one old enough to be going to college as of right now... But that will change in about a year or so.
I've been across the globe too, unlike my parents and brothers. My uncle loves to lavish me with gifts, anything from toys when I was younger, to exploration trips since I was sixteen... Which was about six years ago.
Ever since my first trip with my uncle, where a few hairy situations left us out in the wild, and I had to fight off a 300 pound lion that decided it wanted to eat my injured Uncle for dinner, I have had this drive to... I don't know really... Befriend? Maybe? Nature... Not what most 22 year old's want to do at my age, but after you see what the world has to offer, things like money and wealth kind of become inadequate.
Ever since then, the incident with the Lion, I've been taking every chance I could to help raise wildlife, even domestic animals as well. I can say this though... None of its been easy... I've pry had almost every sort of claw, fang, and proboscis shoved into my body at one time or another... I was even bitten by a Komodo dragon once... Lost my foot to the fucker too. Little bastard died afterward though- they don't like it when you shove a five inch knife into their skull, kinda kills them.
But as I said previously, at least I think I did... anyway! I've been around the world, and some of that has been spent being around large, dangerous animals. Like the Bangle Tiger, the Gray wolf, Timber wolf, A Lion Pride or two, and a small cheetah pride on once special occasion. And that's just to name the more... outrageous events in my life thus far.
The whole thing with the Komodo... that was when I was on a safari on the Indonesian islands that lay off their Southern coast. We were looking for a small reptile called a Skink. They're little lizards that have the innate ability to regrow their limbs after they have been either ripped off, bitten off, or just plain lost to some unfortunate accident.
On our way to one of the known locations of where they spawn, My uncle and I fall down the side of the path we were on. Right into a nesting pair of Komodo Dragons, I was able to push my uncle away form them in time, but one of the little bastards bit my boot clad foot and tore it off, lacerating my foot in several places.
I bet you can imagine what happened from there; amputation, two Komodo's dead, and my uncle with a guilt streak a league wide. We take the eggs they had laid with us though, seeing as we could give them to a Zoo or something for safe keeping. And we did find that lizard, on our next trip anyway.
But now, seeing as I've pry bored you with all my nonsense about my personal life, I'll get on with my story of how things went down. So, with my police baton on my hip and combat knifes in my boots, I will lead you through the drastically crazy time I had on my trip to Jurassic Park... And how even a well oiled machine can blow to bits if you just press the right combination of buttons.
Walking up to my uncle, I shot him a grin and quickly embraced him.
"It's been too long Uncle Sims," I muttered, His arms already flying around me and strengthening the embrace.
"It's only been a couple months Josh, no need to get all emotional on me!" He chuckled. Grabbing me by the shoulders, we pulled away from each other. His eyes burrowed into my own as he tried to smile his best at me, granted he failed miserably. He was still torn up over the fact that he was the reason I was without a real foot anymore, granted I never let him dwell on the past whenever I'm around.
"Maybe so, but it feels like ages to me old man," I snickered, the look that was on his face was priceless.
"Cheeky little shit, just how I remember you!" He laughed, rapping his knuckles across my head in a show of affection. 'Just how I remember the old goat' I thought, cringing slightly under the onslaught.
"Alright, we don't need my hair in a tizzy before I get on the boat do we?" I asked, trying to get out from under his hands.
"Wheres the fun in that!" He laughed, failing entirely to even notice my glare.
"I'ma hurt you..." I stated flatly, my eyes zeroing in on his chest as I gripped his shirt and tossed the full grown man over my shoulder like a rag doll.
"NOT FAIR!" He cried, landing on his face and chest before me. 'That's what ya get ya annoying bastard...' I mentally growled, while I outwardly laughed at his condition. I then saw Gerald off to the side, his straight faced facade almost breaking at my and my uncles antics. "Nice seeing ya again Gerald," I greet the older man, his balding head reflecting the light of the mid-afternoon sun like a mirror. "Uncle treating you alright?"
"As well as can be with how much I have to watch him..." Gerald grimaced, "And he's back up," he points out, much to my amusement.
"Un-" I don't get far when a heel lands in my face, planting me backwards into the soft dirt. 'Clever... But two can play at this game Uncle...' I thought to myself confidently, though in hindsight, it was a bad idea to try and get even anyway...
Bouncing back up to my feet, I shout, "You're on!" Only for my timely shout to be filled again with dirt... Though this time it was just thrown at me... 'Fucker...?' I thought to myself disbelievingly.
"Sirs," Gerald cut in, stopping our mock fight. "It would seem we are now behind schedule, we must depart for the boat now... Unless Mr. Masrani would prefer sending his Nephew on the Jet?"
"No, I don't trust the Jet with the storm coming up... Its safer on the boat," Uncle said, cutting off all course of argument. Granted I agreed with him on that one, the boat would be safer than the plane in that thunderstorm.
"Alright, lets get going, But I'm going to finish this later Uncle... Remember that," I chided him, punching him in the shoulder lightly as I walked past. He laughed and shook his head as he got in the back of the Limo with me. Gerald closed the door for us and got in, driving us off towards the Port.
"Alright," my uncle started, grabbing my attention. "Did you read that pamphlet I sent you?" He asked, his eyes serious as he looks me over. 'Pamphlet, what pamphlet?' I think, shaking my head.
"No, I never even knew I GOT a pamphlet..." I informed him, he groaned in response.
"Ugh... You father... He must have searched the mail or something... You remember how he was against this from the beginning..." Simon whipped at his face with a his hand, trying to keep his calm.
"Well, just send another to the room, or where ever it is, I'll be staying at on the island... I'll just read it there and get up to speed," I tell him, trying to ease his worry.
"Ugh, fine, I can do that... And it might actually be better, seeing as you can actually ask some of the people there questions about things in the papers," Simon relented, his unease fading away as he looked back at me. "For now, I'll try and get you up to par on who you'll be answering to on the Island," He tells me, eyes locked onto mine.
"Alright, lay it on my Boss-Man," I tell him cheekily, getting a bit of a laugh out of his stony character.
"Alright," he starts, pulling out a small sheaf of papers. "Your immediate Superior is a Woman named Claira Dearing, she's my SM, or Site Manager, she keeps everything in order and makes sure no one fucks us over too badly," He takes out the next paper, flipping it around so I can see. "The next person on that list of people you answer to is Henry Wu, our top Geneticist... He's a man of many talents, but being personable isn't exactly one of them. He works more closely with In-Gen than I would personally like, but he's a good man. He answers to me, so Either of them can get a message to me if you need anything important, alright Josh?"
"Gotcha, and the last one?" I point towards the last paper, a dark tan instead of the cream that the others were printed on.
"Ah, that's your partner. He's going to be doing pretty much the same thing you are, but he's already been working with a group for most of the past couple years, a pack of Raptors if I remember correctly," I blinked owlishly at my uncle at hearing that, seeing as the first thing to come to mind was Velociraptors... I was a little skeptical. "And yes, I do mean Velociraptors, and not the birds. He's raised his brood from eggs, and they have earned the affectionate name- The squad... How or why this happened I don't know, nor do I care, it's his business as to what he names them," He laughed slightly, breaking me from my own stupor.
"Wow... Never thought that could happen..." I mumbled, scratching my stubble covered chin in the process.
"Also, as part of your stay there, I want you to keep an eye on the In-Gen personnel... I don't trust'em... They're the reason both of the last Parks went about and got all screwy... I don't want anything like that happening here... Too many lives would be at stake if that were to ever happen, Alright Joshy-boy? Can you do this for me?"
"Yeah uncle Sims, I got this, Just make sure my things get through your guards and I won't want for tools while I'm there, alright?"
"Yes, about that... I can't let you take you .45, 9mm, or your .308 with you into the Island, But I can give you a set of replacement weapons upon your arrival," He told me, assuaging my slowly building furry at not being able to take my guns.
"Can I make sure that they meet my standards first? You know what happened the last time someone gave me a gun and we didn't check it..." I iterated, reminding him of the time we went hunting for bear up in the Alaska's... My damned .308 win-mag I was using -that had been rented from a shop- decided that it didn't like the rounds we were using, which were the ones that the damned thing was supposed to shoot, and began ejecting them all over the ground... Eight as a bear lumbered towards us too. That wasn't the best day for us, and is the reason my uncle has a quartet of scars across his stomach.
"That's fine Josh, so long as you actually have some kind of ranged defense, I really don't care- and if our weapons don't meet your standards, then I will have yours shipped in on the next boat," And yes, my uncle was cool like that. If shit didn't work, he would go with the shit that did. And like he, and many other people I know, would say 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it!'. Words to live by Ladies and Gents... Words to live by...
"OH! As I was saying about your Partner, His names Owen, Owen Grady, he's going to be on the same boat as you. He just came back form a vacation to see his niece and sister. So you might run into him," Sims concluded our little talk with a heartfelt hug, tears pricking at our eyes as we laughed about it all.
"My boy, you've grown so much... It'll be a wonder if you don't out pace us all with what you've done," Simon Masrani... Man of many words, but genuine and heart felt were his only mindsets. "Now remember my boy, and I know I've told you this many times- Respect is earned... Not given, or demanded, to earn Respect is to have the trust of another, beyond ones self,- Take care Joshua, and don't let them beat you down, be strong!" He embraced me again, tears finally breaking from our eyes as we embraced for the last time before arriving at the docks.
I quickly got out and retrieved my things form the trunk. Turning around, I was engulfed in familiar embrace, suited arms wrapped around me and held me fore a moment before releasing me.
"It's alright Gerald, I'll come back, It's not like this is the last time we'll ever see each other, right?" I asked him kindly as I patted the giant mans arm, he stood roughly six foot six... It was a miracle in and of itself that he was able to fit inside the Limo he drove around for my uncle.
"I know Mr. Ryan... It's just... You're like the brother I never had, and it's been such a pleasure having been able to watch you grow into the fine young man before me... I know your Father is as proud of you as me and your uncle are... I just wish he would look past everything else and see his son for what he is..." Gerald smiled softly before giving me a crisp salute, which I, in turn, reciprocated.
"It's been an honor Sergeant Gerald, may Gods Grace smile upon you," I said in way of parting, getting a smile out of the stoic man, granted he was being rather emotional at the moment anyway.
"And may Gods Grace smile upon you as well..." With that being said, we both went back at ease and parted ways.
'I'll miss them... All of them... But this isn't goodbye, this is just a new beginning... Just like Uncle Grant would always say... All bad endings are just the beginnings of something great... I just hope he wasn't wrong.'
AS the large cruise liner, Mariana's Triumph, made way across the ocean, I was busy making my rounds of the large ship, scoping out all the dinners, bars, and other exciting places to go visit while I was one my three day trip... Granted It was short, things could still happen in that time.
Like now...
"Sorry!" A man's voice said, my world having plunged into momentary darkness as I lay on the floor, whoever I had bumped into laying on top of me.
"'s alright... Just smushed" I mumbled form underneath the persons body, my chest was constricted and my mouth covered, so it pry didn't even sound like anything I was trying to say...
"SORRY!" A feminine voice cried from atop me. The body then scrambled up and off, finally giving me room to breath after having the air almost knocked completely out of me.
"Come'ere boy," A mans voice called. It was then that a hand wrapped around the scruff of my shirt and jacket, pulling me to my feet. "Can't have guys like you getting killed when we haven't even seen the island yet, can we?" The voice continued, it was warm and reminded me of what my father used to sound like when I was younger... Or of when my Uncle would talk about his work, or the times we spent together.
"Thanks... And sorry 'bout dat..." I chocked out, trying to catch my breath again.
"'s alright Kiddo, no worries, the two of us just weren't watching where we were going, and well..." The voice trailed off.
"It's okay, I understand," I coughed, finally getting a look at my new friend. I blinked a few times until I realized who it was. "Owen Grady?" I asked, surprised.
"Um, yeah... How'd you know my name?" He asked, looking at me closer to see if he knew me from anywhere.
"I'm your new partner in crime, the second handler that our head honcho decided he wanted to call in- Names Joshua Ryan, but you can just call me Josh... Everyone else seems to," I smirked, offering my hand in greeting.
"Oh, well, Nice to meetcha Josh, I didn't know we were getting a new trai- sorry handler for the island..." Owen questioned, his brow brought up in confusion as we ended our shake.
"Eh, Simon can be sporadic sometimes... He really likes to give anyone he knows the best he can... Though sometimes it can get messy before the end," I chuckled, confusing my new friend slightly.
"Do you know Mr. Masrani kid?" Owen asked incredulously, his face looking the better part of shocked as he and the woman beside him stared.
"Um, kinda, I guess, He's my Uncle, but don't let that put you off, I'm here for a reason, and it ain't to goof off," I laughed, getting the other two t come around some.
"Um, m-Mr. Ryan... I'm sorry for ear-"
"Like I said, no worries, it was a mutual accident, and I pry should have stepped further away from the wall than I was... So I think I'm more at fault than either of you, But if you wouldn't mind- Care to join me for dinner?" I asked both of them, which only got me a 'deer in head lights' moment instead of an answer.
"Um, sure... We were just looking for a place ourselves..." Owen chuckled out nervously.
"Alright, I'll pay, least I can do for spoiling your night... Now, to find a place to eat..." I mumbled out, rubbing my head slightly as I looked around for a ship map.
"So then, I yell at him, 'Don't just look at the damn thing! Shot it!' and then he blew the three next to it apart and watched as a large limb from the sucker squished the damned Gator under it... Kind of anti-climactic if you ask me," I laugh, my two dinner mates joining in long before I did, having heard the story about how I was saved from a gator by my high off his ass uncle with a fifty cal. And a tre branch the size of my chest... It was a weird day.
"l-let m-me get this strai-ahah-ght... Y-you uncle... The guy that owns this place... Was high?! Shooting a .50cal... and aiming for a Gator how big?!" Owen laughed, his chest rising and falling so fast it looked like he might have a heart attack.
"Exactly what I was thinking!" I shouted, almost falling out of my chair with laughter.
"B-but, HOW!" Ms. Zara, the woman I had ran into earlier, almost shouted while laughing.
"Pure, unadulterated, luck, Ms. Zara... And the fact that he's just crazy really just helped his aim instead of hindering it... Crazy bast-haha-ard!" I laughed, trying to contain my giggles as I remembered the rest of the story.
"S-so Owen, you got any stories for us?" I asked, smiling dangerously as I twirled my stake knife between my fingers like it was a coin, something that set my new friends on edge.
"Well, there was this one time," he began, a wide smile reaching on to his face. "My Co, a big guy like me, was walking down the corridors of the Navy cruiser we were stationed on. Now, this guy was an ass, like major asshole here... He loved the regulations so much he actually put in a petition to marry the damned things I heard, BUT, as I was saying. So, numnuts is walking down the corridor along the ships spine, its the longest stretch of uninterrupted walkway on the ship."
"And, what happened?" I asked, feeling rather excited.
"H-he walked by the ca-cafateria.. and slipped on a damn Banana! The oldest trick in the book! He went sailing! Literally!" Owen shouted, using hand gestures to insure we understood. "He slid through the door, tripped on the first table, slid across the second after landing on it, and then landed head first into an awaiting trashcan filled with the previous days tossed out food!" He howled with laughter, even Zara joined in as I began busting a gut over it all.
"Th-then the p-pour bastardh-he-he gets up... Garbage can still on his head... and walks out, like it never happened!" Owen Finishes off, a grand tail I must say.
"Oh gosh, that must have hurt his pride!"
"NO SHIT! The man was stricter than a boa after that for the next year!" Owen barked out, trying to sound menacing, but failing miserably as his laughter spilled over.
"Alert: curfew is in effect, all Passengers must report back to their rooms within the next half hour, we are approaching the storm, and Curfew will be lifted once we have reached the other side, or the island, which ever comes first. Food and drink will be delivered to each room as we sail on, all hands report for duty," The intercom exploded, almost deafening those of us sitting under the speakers.
"Well there goes our fun..." I muttered disdainfully, crossing my arms in front of my chest in annoyance.
"Well, it was god while it lasted, right Josh?" Zara asked, her kind voice preempting any mood swing I might have had.
"True, very true, I guess I'll see you two later?"
"Yeah, our rooms are on E deck, right next to the emergency exit," Owen said, his mind not really in the here and now.
"Yeah, our rooms connect to each other. Though we haven't used that hall way yet, we just meet outside and go about our business," Zara explained, as if there was any need to explain at all.
"Whoa, no need to tell me your whole life's story Zara, I believe ya," I chuckle, holding up my hands in a mock show of defeat, which did get a giggle out of her and some slightly crimson cheeks.
"Where are you situated Joshua?" Owen quipped. Centering my thoughts back on him, I answered.
"I'm on E deck too, and it sounds like I'm opposite from you two. My room sits right across from the exit, where as you two sit next to it... But we might be able to play a card game or two if we sneak into my cabin," I wink at the two of them, getting a laugh out of it.
'I'm a cheeky bastard ain't I?' I muse, almost chuckling at my own thoughts.
