I own nothing Jurassic Park-related. Product placement is intentional, and I own none of those either. This story was inspired by a line in Jurassic World delivered by Vic Hoskins about his "working for two years on an application for those raptors." I cover that two years fully and end with an epilogue that takes place during the events of the movie. I borrowed elements from my first Clawen story (Harbor), but the two stories are not in the same continuity. The "big three" from the original Jurassic Park each appear in some form. Enjoy!

Claire Dearing had been getting settled into her Senior Assets Manager promotion for exactly one week when Dr. Henry Wu summoned her to the lab. Henry had always appeared eerily relaxed despite the complex science and God-like powers he'd wielded for nearly twenty years. He was known widely as the island's "oldest surviving inhabitant." Claire would be lying to herself if she didn't admit that he intimidated her. Henry carried the wisdom and threat of past missteps and poor judgment. He was also endlessly arrogant and an incorrigible gossip. Claire smoothed her hair and adjusted her blouse before breezing through his door. Henry stood as she entered then motioned for her to sit opposite him. Once seated, he tapped a button on the desk causing his door to slide shut.

"Thank you for coming," Henry began, "I wanted you to hear the news from me before the brute squad arrived." Claire looked at him with confusion but was careful not to betray her sense of control and confidence. He sharpened his gaze at her and crossed his arms saying, "InGen is going to breed a pack of raptors." Henry paused to let his statement sink in while Claire allowed several different emotions to flash across her face as she considered her response. Henry jumped back in before she had a chance, "I know. John Hammond made a promise to Alan Grant not to breed raptors again, but science can't be held back by an aging, irrelevant...dinosaur of our field." He chuckled to himself, enjoying his own joke a little too much. Claire was annoyed.

One of the most frustrating aspects of being Senior Assets Manager, possibly why her predecessor left and why Simon Masrani promoted her from marketing director without a formal search, was the gray boundary between park operations and InGen. InGen had its headquarters in San Diego and ran the lab as well as island security. Everyone else working on the island, including herself, was a Jurassic World employee. They all worked under the umbrella of Masrani Global, but Simon Masrani was never remotely as hands-on with InGen as John Hammond had been. Claire had no authority over anyone working for InGen, but coordination with InGen was essential to smooth park operations. Now, there was going to be a new InGen headache for her to deal with. It was hard enough getting ACU to listen to her.

"What do you mean by 'brute squad'?" Claire asked with irritation.

"Vic Hoskins hired a team of ex-military to study raptor intelligence," Henry replied.

Claire knew Vic Hoskins by reputation only and had yet to meet him. He was the pompous, intrusive head of InGen's security division. She wracked her brain over why he would be interested in raptor intelligence. Her mind was going in a thousand different directions, and Claire knew she'd need at least the rest of the day - maybe several days - to fully process how this kind of research project could impact the park. Henry was practically reading her mind mentioning Alan Grant. He studied her carefully and let her know, "The raptors won't be Jurassic World assets. They will belong to InGen and won't be for public display. No attraction."

"Then why will they be here?" She asked pointedly. "This is a PR nightmare. Raptors killed men here before Alan Grant even set foot on this island."

Henry laughed out loud, "What are you suggesting? Raptors in San Diego, perhaps?" Claire practically snarled at him. He continued sternly, "You and I both know this is the safest place for the raptors. It's been decided. Paddock construction will begin soon. InGen PR will handle it. Billy Brennan is one of the consultants." Claire rolled her eyes at the name of once Alan Grant protege who now worked extensively with InGen and had written a bestseller about his experience on Isla Sorna. "Try not to worry about this...too much," Henry said with condescension, "ACU will have its own staff for the raptors. They won't draw from your resources. Hoskins and his team will brief you on whatever details they think you'll need to know. They arrive tomorrow. I imagine Hoskins will schedule a meeting with you at some point." Claire sighed and thanked him for the head's up. As Henry walked her out, he told her, "One more thing. The lead researcher was recruited from the Navy Marine Mammal Program."

"Is that supposed to mean something to me?" She asked impatiently.

"Look it up. It might give you a hint about the nature of their research."

Claire walked straight to her office to start reading up on Billy Brennan and the Navy Marine Mammal Program, or NMMP. She was determined to be as ready as possible for this brute squad. NMMP trained dolphins and sea lions for military operations. It used to be a classified program, but a lot of information about it was now freely available. Claire shuddered at the thought of dinosaurs for military operations. She downloaded Billy Brennan's book to her Kindle for some bedtime reading and headed back to her apartment.

Claire and Henry resided in penthouse apartments in the resort complex. When she moved in, Henry had teased her about the previous Senior Manager keeping such long hours that he was never seen at the building. True to her own and her predecessor's form, Claire frequently woke at dawn and returned home well after sunset. She read as much of Billy's book as she could before her eyelids wouldn't stay open any longer. Claire was too tired to fret over the uncertainty of this new situation with InGen on top of her all-consuming new job. As she drifted off, she wondered if she just should've stayed in marketing.

Around 1pm the next day, Zara called Claire, "Billy Brennan on line three for you. Were you expecting his call? There's nothing on your schedule with InGen this afternoon." Claire groaned, "Henry warned me. I'll swap lines. Thanks." She steeled herself for the conversation, wordlessly thankful that Billy called her rather than walking into her office unannounced.

"This is Claire Dearing, Senior Assets Manager."

"Oh," Billy answered with surprise in his voice, "I didn't realize Enrique was replaced."

"Not replaced," Claire sneered, "He resigned. How can I help you Mr. Brennan?"

"Please, call me Billy. InGen is starting a new project with raptors." Billy paused, expecting to catch her off guard.

"Yes," she said confidently, "Not for public display."

Billy laughed on the other end, "Henry, right? Unless he's specifically told something is classified, he loves being able to spread information. Who else knows?"

"He said InGen PR was handling the situation, and I am capable of keeping secrets."

"Good. We've landed on the beach on the northeast shore. We're setting up temporary accommodations for most of our staff here, near the construction materials. Myself, Vic Hoskins, and the lead researcher will be staying at the resort. We'd like to meet you for dinner at the private dining room in Benihana tonight at 8."

Claire rolled her eyes at this plan. She bristled at the idea of these men trying to put her in her place. At the same time, Claire reminded herself that she had no authority over them, and they were potentially giving her a courtesy beyond what was absolutely required. She took a deep breath and said, "I'll bring a member of my team."

"No," Billy fired back quickly, "This is a need to know only meeting. You're the only person invited."

"Then we're holding it in my conference room," she answered firmly, "Not in a public place." Claire grimaced and wondered if she stepped too far. After all, they could cancel entirely, and then she'd be in the dark.

"You drive a hard bargain," Billy relented, "Fine, we'll be there. Looking forward to meeting you, Claire." He hung up, and she breathed out. Claire asked Zara to add the meeting to the conference room schedule and did everything that she could to distract herself with her actual responsibilities for the next 7 hours.

Claire sat down in the conference room at 7:50pm. She was still reading Billy's book when the three men appeared in the doorway at precisely 8. Claire stood to greet them, all much more casually dressed than her in addition to smelling like a locker room and slightly sunburned. Billy was exactly as she imagined him: smarmy with a shit-eating grin. Vic Hoskins was overly-familiar, pot-bellied, and seemed to be undressing her with his eyes. The third man, who introduced himself as Owen Grady, almost took her breath away at first glance. He seemed to have stepped out of the cover of a romance novel: tall, dark, handsome, and with the sexiest depth of stubble she'd ever seen in person. Claire practically giggled when Owen shook her hand and said, "Nice to meet you, Ma'am."

"Please, call me Claire," she said warmly, working very hard to keep her smile small. She couldn't believe the involuntary response she was having to this man. Claire decided to mentally file it away as being hard up. She was, however, pleased to add someone new to her spank bank.

Billy launched into the raptor paddock plans. He stuck largely to facts, focusing on maps and timelines. Billy assured Claire that InGen staff would field any press questions about the raptors. He said he would email her the point of contact at InGen PR to whom all inquiries should be referred. Billy was going to appear live, via satellite, from the northeast beach tomorrow to join a San Diego-based press conference about breeding raptors again. He arrogantly smirked that a news outlet had already locked up an exclusive interview with Dr. Alan Grant that would air immediately following the press conference. Hoskins laughed at the mention of Dr. Grant before taking his turn to brief Claire about the separate ACU and other InGen staff who would support the raptor project's operations. While Billy and Hoskins spoke, Claire snuck glances at Owen, who seemed bored but was otherwise difficult to read. Hoskins turned the floor over to Owen, who cleared his throat and blandly delivered what seemed to Claire just a prepared statement about the aims of the newly formed Research Division: gaining a deeper understanding of the intellectual and physical capabilities of velociraptors. Billy interrupted him to add, "Beyond 'lethal at eight months,'" the famous quote in Alan Grant's book about the original Jurassic Park. Owen glared at Billy and looked like he could punch him in the face. Claire smiled on the inside and started to feel a little warm. Owen softened when he turned back toward Claire, "My team will be safe. We won't cause the park any trouble. I've worked with animals for years." His expression and the way he chose to emphasize the word "animals," let Claire know that he was not just referring to dolphins and sea lions. Owen and Claire exchanged knowing smiles, and he looked down from her. Hoskins looked smug. Billy added that the raptors, even if not for public display, should provide a bump to public interest in the park that should offset any hysteria about the island being unsafe for tourists. Billy asked if Claire had any questions.

"None that you would probably answer honestly," she said with raised eyebrows. Owen smirked, and Billy rolled his eyes.

Vic Hoskins tired of the conversation and asked, "Where's the closest bathroom?" Claire glared at him and maintained eye contact while pushing backward in her rolling chair until she stopped at the wall. She pressed her palm against a concealed door, causing it to pop open. "Close but not entirely private, if you're not too shy," Claire said dryly. Owen smirked again. Hoskins stood up and walked into the small room. After they heard the door lock behind him, Owen asked Claire to explain it. "It's a preparation space - glorified closet - for presenters," she said with a smile, "We keep some infrequently used AV equipment in there, but it does have a convenient restroom in a pinch." Owen looked like he was considering something then shook it off. Billy looked at his watch, stood, and turned to Claire, "You're still welcome to join us for dinner." She thanked him for his offer but said she already ate. Owen stood and shook her hand again, "Nice meeting you." Claire's breath hitched, and her heart skipped a beat. He blinked several times while looking at her, and she wondered if she had the same effect on him. The handshake seemed to last longer than any handshake in the history of the world. Hoskins emerged from the presenters' closet and gruffly announced, "I'm starved. Are we done?" Owen rolled his eyes and seemed to abruptly pull away his hand. Claire felt literally and figuratively tugged. She looked down and collected her tablet. As the three men walked out of the room, Billy looked back at Claire, "Contact me with any concerns." Owen stole a quick glance back at her before she was out of his view.

As she laid in bed that night, Claire decided that she could trust Owen Grady. She didn't necessarily trust Hoskins or Billy, but neither of them would be on the island for very long. Owen Grady would be a permanent staff member on the island. It made her feel warm again thinking about seeing him around. She drifted to sleep thinking about where Owen would decide to live.

Several floors below her, Owen Grady sat on his suite's balcony looking out over the island's lagoon. He couldn't sleep. He was thinking about Claire Dearing. Owen left the Navy and came to Isla Nublar to do something unique, dangerous, and isolating. He had considered the remote possibility of meeting a woman who might pull him out of his solitary life but never imagined it would happen on day one. Owen had been quiet when the dinner conversation turned to Claire. Hoskins objectified her in an explicit way while Billy dismissed her as a frigid workaholic. Owen was silently disgusted with them, both in general terms given her position of authority in the park and on a personal level after feeling drawn to her. Sitting on his balcony, his mind drifted to reasons he could devise to see her again. His conversations with Hoskins, Billy and others made it clear that InGen was separate from the rest of the park with limited overlap. His Research Division would be even more separated. As he retired to the interior of his suite, Owen recalled the impure thoughts he had in the conference room about a rendezvous with Claire in that presenters' closet.

Thanks for reading. Please leave me some feedback and stick out this journey to the end...