When the young Dr. Jade Harley was first approached by the billionaire-slash-movie-producer, she was skeptical. But only at first. He had contacted her through a lawyer and wanted to speak with her about a grand opportunity to join an elite group of experts in a new and unique theme park. She figured it had something to do with the fact that she was one of the few with an advanced degree in veterinary practices specializing in endangered carnivores. She agreed to meet with him over Skype, where he managed to convince her to at least visit the park before it officially opens in 5-7 years. After the call ended, the lawyer handed her a contract to sign at her convenience. She poured over it all night that night and finally signed it the next day.
As she stepped into the humidity of Central America, she instantly felt at home. It reminded her of the island she grew up on. She took a week's worth of clothes and met Mr. Dave Strider himself on the Tarmac, where she was led to a helicopter, which he insisted was the best way to see the island.
The journey took about two hours, which gave Jade plenty of opportunities to barrage her potential employer with questions. She was more than shocked to find out her suspicions were confirmed about the particular island they were traveling to.
In her middle school days, she had read extensively on the subject of the failed dinosaur theme park and the autobiographical experiences of those involved. She fantasized visiting some day, even if it was just to take pictures of the island itself. She never imagined someone would be idiotic enough to make it a theme park again.
Then he gave her a full description of the job she would be doing: Velociraptor Training Expert and Caretaker.
Through her heavy protesting and some borderline callous language, he managed to get her to stay the full week while they terminated to contract. The employee dorms and the exhibits were about the only complete structures at the time, with promises of even more. He reassured her than every animal was contained before the hiring process began. He had his head experts show her to all the public viewing areas while he did other things. It took her all day to fall in love with the place. She told him that she would stay and his usual cool expression lit up like a flame. He immediately came down from his high and practically dragged her on a tour of the labs.
They got to the incubation lab and explained that the goal was to have her imprint on the raptors as they are hatched, which should happen within the month. He sang praises of her accomplishment as he introduced her to the scientists, including one of the scientists involved in the original park, Dave's own older brother.
He led her to the raptor eggs, seven of them the size of beanie babies all arranged like they would in a nest. The presumed date was labeled for the next month. Plenty of time. She was shown a special chamber for when she needed to imprint on them. She was both nervous and excited. She spent that first night staring at the ceiling trying to come up with names fit for the more intelligent carnivore. They're all supposed to be female, so they have to be strong names.
In the middle of the night in June, exactly a month later, she got a phone call. It was time. She threw on the clothes she wore the day before and ran to the lab. The elevator ride on the way down consistent of pulling her hair into a ponytail. The goal was to have them raised and trained by age six. The order was tall because she was used to animals who were adults by then. She wondered if dinosaurs were different in that regard.
When she arrived, the eggs were already in the room. The floors were cushioned and the walls carpeted, and pure white. Most likely to bleach out stains. In the previous weeks, Jade had been studying one of her reports she had done for a class about imprinting. She had gotten high marks on it, and even the professor was impressed. But that was the time she was receiving her first degree, when she didn't know what to do with her life. She grew up rich thanks to her celebrity entrepreneur grandfather, but she felt she was doomed to marry some jerk rich boy or happily die a nerdy old maid. She would have liked to have the latter. She just needed to find a job that made her happy. The job she had before was financially sufficient enough, but it was mere pennies compared to her inheritance and it didn't make her as happy as she would like. Sure, the animals were getting excellent care after being rescued, but the politics behind the new management had been stressing her out and wasting her money that she secretly set up as a sponsorship. It broke her heart to pull funding from the place when she quit.
The first hatchling to break out of her shell poked her head out first to take a look around. Jade made sure to move and speak to her, and the process was complete. Jade decided to name her "Cobalt" because of how blue her eyes were. Cobalt broke out of her shell the rest of the way and hobbled right to Jade. The two made a connection and Jade knew this one was going to be the beta.
She decided to stick with the color theme for the rest of the hatchlings. The next one to hatch was a bright green colored one, which Jade named "Juniper." Juniper rubbed herself on the ground until every bit of gook was gone from her skin, then cuddled up next to Jade. She heard some hissing and looked up to see a red-eyed baby standing on her ankle. She was the same light gray color as Cobalt, but the eyes were striking, so Jade named her "Cherry." The next two practically hatched simultaneously, one a dull green and the other light brown with purple eyes. They showed instinctual bonding and hissed at each other in a manner that seemed encouraging. The green one she named "Olive" because the shade was practically a match. The one with purple eyes she named "Orchid," which were the same shades as her own flowers at her childhood home. At first, she didn't notice the sixth one had hatched, but then Jade caught her trying to claw the windowless door to escape. She turned to look at Jade with the deepest burgundy eyes she had ever seen in a wild animal. This one Jade named "Merlot" because the skin matched the eyes near-flawlessly.
Jade only counted six so far. She turned to the seventh, still and unmoving and grew increasingly worried. The first six caught on to her fear and started to panic. Jade immediately reverted back to alpha mode, giving verbal and physical commands to get them to calm down. It worked and in seconds, they were back to normal. Jade spent the next hour teaching the hatchlings how to play, eat, and drink with the food she was initially given. Eventually, that food ran out and they wanted more. Jade managed to get them to continue playing until they wore themselves out. Four hours later. They all curled up in her lap and fell asleep, and Jade followed suit, leaning against the door.
She didn't know how much time had passed, but she was awoken by a crackling sound. In an instant, she was fully awake and focused on the new raptor. She was so glad that this one was going to hatch after all. The baby popped its head out, revealing a cluster of red spots starting at the top of its head and disappearing down its neck. It looked straight at her with its bright red eyes and Jade knew something about this one was different. She glanced at Cobalt. She knew Cobalt would not be happy that this one existed. Jade named the seventh raptor "Carmine." Carmine continued to break the eggshell, and proceeded to smash the pieces into dust when the deed was done. Jade concluded that Carmine was going to be a handful. Carmine approached Jade, eggshell defeated, and she reached out her hand to let the small dinosaur hop on. Carmine knawed on Jade's thumb. A handful for sure, she thought to herself.
The raptors' first year consisted mainly of playing and learning how to eat. They ate as much as they played, which was a lot. As predicted, Cobalt and Carmine constantly battled for dominance, but behaved themselves when Jade commanded it. By the time their first year was over, they had grown as tall as Jade's knees. They were also due for a medical checkup. All the trainers were responsible for their animals, the larger animals needing two people to do it, so Jade took care of everything herself. She saw that in the first year, they are tested to make sure that every dinosaur was in fact female. Every year, they repeated the step. Jade had also read that the first park failed because certain species of dinosaurs had their DNA replicated by using pieces of frogs that had the ability to reproduce asexually if the environment became too isolated. Jade wanted to do her tests on time, so she started immediately.
Cobalt was the one to wrangle because once Jade got her, the rest would fall into place. All but Cobalt and Cherry were fairly calm during the process. Once Cobalt was finished, she forced the others to be cooperative. Cherry refused to listen to Cobalt sometimes, and they hissed at each other, making idle threats. Jade knew they were idle because they never acted upon them. Then came Carmine's turn. Carmine wasn't as easy as the others, but also took the path of moderate resistance. Quite angrily, too. Jade was used to this by now, and chastised the yearling. Carmine finally behaved well enough for Jade to use the probe.
The probe stopped short. Jade's breath hitched. It confirmed her fear. Carmine was male. Something must have happened in the past year that turned him that way. But it didn't make sense. She removed the probe and let him go. He scampered to join the rest. He was never in an isolated environment. He was also not supposed to be born a male because their own genetics would not allow it. At that point, she recognized the spots that went along his back. Those were very similar to the reed frog, the very same species that was known to change sex at will. That meant that someone had taken a shortcut along the way, and Carmine was going to be put down because of it. Jade couldn't do it. So she didn't.
She forged the documents so that Carmine would be female. She hoped that the probe was the only way to tell the difference.
A week after she turned in her reports, she was approached again by the reason she was here: Dave Strider. The blond was cool and casual, as was his nature. At first, she was afraid she'd been caught. Dave had caught her after her usual twelve-hour shift, and she was definitely sure that she was a mess. He told her he didn't mind, and asked her out on a date instead. Jade was taken aback. She wasn't lowly or poor, so she wasn't fazed by his money. She wondered if he thought she was poor and needed his help. After a brief conversation about internalized misogyny, she agreed to go out on one date. It turned out well, and she thought of Dave more often after that.
Time passed more quickly the more she got to know Dave. They met several other times in the mess hall, but no formal dates. Her pack was also learning quickly and outgrowing their indoor pens. She figured they would last the end of their second year before killing each other. She told Dave this more confidently and they went over plans for their permanent home. It turned out that the original plans were flawed to a point that would be just as bad as the indoor pens. They needed ample space, and then some. Dave did what he could and just as the second year ended, their new home was finished. They were transported one-by-one to the new facility and instantly felt right at home. She knows because they displayed the same behavior when they were hatchlings and they were burrowed into Jade's lap. Except this time, they are all up to her waist and their teeth as sharp as nails. Long too, varying one to three inches each.
Jade expressed her gratitude by asking Dave out on another official date herself. She took the opportunity to show him that they were more equal than he assumed, and that was just fine with him. Their second date ended well, she thought.
About a year away from the public's opening, Dave opened the park exclusively for patrons and their families. The final steps to the park's opening were hiring for food and hotel services, and advanced product shipments. The special guests got to experience everything first, albeit as an experiment so that Dave's team can assess the theme park's efficiency. At times, Jade forgot that she was working for an entertainment industry. She was used to walking the streets that had been built for the last few years while it was empty. Imagining them filled with people was going to be surreal.
Meanwhile, Jade had fallen for Dave. She knew he had fallen for her, too. He told her no less than every day. In the past four years, they had many dates and experiences, as many as a billionaire-slash-businessman-slash-movie-producer can have, anyway. In reality, she was fine with him being so busy, because she had her pack. They had grown past her head and stopped a year ago. That worried Jade because it implied that they were fully grown at only four years old instead of six as originally thought. She only showed concern while out of the raptor compound. If the pack saw her as any less than a peer, then all the strides she had made would falter.
The day finally came for when the regular patron guests would visit, and Jade was ready. She prepared a feeding routine and planned an etiquette presentation. This wouldn't be a dog-and-pony show because her pack wouldn't see it as work, but as a challenge. When they were still juvenile, she attempted a simple game of fetch, in which the results were disastrous. Instead of simply staring at an old tire she had thrown with curiosity, Cherry, Orchid and Olive didn't hesitate to rip the tire apart and start eating it. They briefly choked on it, and Cobalt glared at Jade as if she betrayed them all. If they couldn't perform fetch without using their carnivorous instincts, what made her think they would perform other tasks? There was more to their training than simple games. Jade figured out she could make them comprehend a very slim number of commands. They understood "No" to a certain point, then instincts would take over. If a command got in the way of food, all bets were off.
Dave finally arrived with the first tour group. He introduced Jade and she introduced her pack. Of course, they came and went as they pleased. She whistled through her fingers and they all came running. It took them seconds to figure out she was on the catwalks above them, and less time to figure out that there were more humans. Jade noticed Juniper drooling and started the show. Jade instructed them to do what they did every day: respond to simple commands and get food for screeching to their names being called. They all performed well and got extra treats for it. Skeptics might say that wasn't enough, but the miracle of all seven of them being cooperative at the same time is enough for Jade.
Carmine had been acting more aggressive than usual that day, though. He displayed that aggression when Dave arrived with the group. He must not like crowds. She made a note of that when she went to write her monthly report.
A month before the park officially opened, Dave took Jade to the mainland for another date. They were both stressed from making final decisions in their respective areas. Despite this, Dave said that he wouldn't change a single thing, including her. Jade felt a swell of pride. She had successfully evaded capture all these years, since Carmine seemed to have no intention of going back to female. It worried her slightly, but not enough to cause a park-wide panic or give reason to put him down. She was fond of the dynamic he provided, even if it was against Cobalt. They still fought for the beta position, but as long as they weren't dead, life was still good. His only problem was that he was the loudest. He crowed and roared twice as often as any of the girls. It most likely meant that it was almost time to start breeding. Carmine didn't bother making friends with the others, but Olive had countlessly tried to share her helpings with him and Cherry instigated the most roughhousing. If Carmine decided he was sick of being lonely, they would have a problem. Jade would have to report it then. Either that, or fix him.
Before she could say anything, Dave offered her a proposal. At first Jade was confused, but then as he got on one knee, she understood. She agreed wholeheartedly and excitedly. He asked for her hand and she gave it to him. She wore the ring everywhere but with her pack. If there was anything they could understand, it was that everything shiny needed to be eaten.
At the end of the first day of the park being open, Dave did something he never had before: He volunteered to feed the raptors. Jade stood by so that Dave could actually memorize their names instead of giving them nicknames that they won't register as their own. He did well until he got to Carmine. Carmine caught the food, chewed some, but then he spat it back out right at Dave. Dave had very little space to take off his dress shirt on the catwalk, and hurriedly unbuttoned it. He stepped back and lost his footing, falling backward over the edge. Jade didn't yell or scream. She sprang right into action and leapt over the railing behind Dave. By the time he got there, Carmine had attacked and had Dave's shoe in his mouth. Dave's foot was slightly bleeding through his black socks. This was bad. The other raptors smelled it and drew nearer.
The guards also sprang into action. Armed with taser rifles, they aimed at Jade's pack. She told them to stand down or all her work would be for naught. She dragged Dave to his feet and got him to the gate just as the others got it open. Jade held out her arms to the three most interested in Dave's blood: Juniper, Cherry, and Carmine. Cobalt stood off to Jade's right, and she was closest to the gate. As soon as Dave got outside, Jade ordered her pack to disperse. Cobalt snapped at Dave before stalking away while Juniper and Cherry backed off obediently. Carmine crowed and hissed at Jade before she told him to stand down or she wouldn't feed him for a month. He seemed to understand that and growled in Jade's face. She didn't let her fear show. He could easily attack her and that would be the end. She gave her order again and quickly turned around to escape. She got away in the nick of time, Carmine's teeth just grazing her arm.
Dave started rambling mixed emotions. He was scared, but thrilled. He was coming up with ways to entertain the guests using the raptors; having raptor races, protecting the humans of course, cutting windows at ground level so the guests could see inside, putting the hatchlings in the petting area for the kids… Jade had heard enough. She scolded Dave for even attempting such an endeavor without consulting her first. His ego didn't see any problem with it, he'd seen her do it all the time, and pointed out the fact that she had let him continue. She told him that Carmine wouldn't have done what "she" did without being provoked. Dave scoffed and denied doing anything that warranted food being spat at him by an animal. He snapped that last word. Jade wanted to give Carmine the benefit of the doubt, but there isn't any way to tell how intelligent he actually is or not. Dave on the other hand could be spoken to. They could have been killed and the trust between her and her pack could have been sabotaged, and she told him as such.
The day ended on a sour note, but the guest reviews were glowing.
The first year the park opened, it was a stressful time for everyone. Jade and Dave grew exponentially apart and eventually started arguing. Naturally, the engagement was called off and the entire island's staff was in dismay. Jade on the other hand was strangely relieved. She could focus more on the Carmine problem. The girls were starting to nest and that meant that whether they wanted to or not, Carmine's being there was affecting them. Jade lured Carmine to the gate with food one night and tranquilized him. Jade brought the only person she trusted along to help with the experimental surgery: Dirk Strider. He didn't complain, but he did point out the obvious when Jade didn't elaborate her plans. She would never tell him about Carmine's sex, so she simply told Dirk he had a tumor and the guests didn't need to know. They dragged him into the waiting pickup truck and hoisted him in, all of their energy drained. Dirk drove while Jade stayed in the bed, tending to Carmine. Throughout the trip, Carmine breathed evenly and stayed asleep. When they got to the emergency animal care, they placed him on a raptor-sized cart and took him to the operating room. Jade and Dirk scrubbed up. Jade had performed multiple surgeries like this with feral animals, and admittedly only studied bird vasectomies on the internet, so Dirk let her do all the work. Essentially, the goal was to fix Carmine so that he wouldn't fall victim to the wiles of his animal peers. She never really thought that he would crack, but one can never be too careful.
Jade kept a close eye on Carmine's behavior the days after that. Despite the cone and the quarantine, he became less aggressive towards both her and the others. But sometimes Jade thought she saw him stare at her in accusation, as if he knew she did something to him but couldn't figure out what. The girls eventually stopped nesting.
At that time, Jade's personal life was significantly different than before the park opened. It was thanks to Dave that she's even here in the first place, but it was thanks to her that their relationship had frayed. She wondered if they could ever be friends again. When the park started to wane in popularity, he stopped talking to her altogether except on business. She replied in kind, but all attempts to communicate were in vain. Her colleagues gave her companionship after the breakup, which turned out to be exactly what she needed. She noticed that she hadn't hung out with many other humans besides Dave since she began work there, and found it surprisingly easy to befriend them. Everything was looking up.
Then her niece and nephew came to visit. Dave had apparently kept up on his promise to provide them with a full week of fun, unlimited expenses, and fast passes to everything the park had to offer. He hadn't told her, of course, but they were sure rambling about it when they suddenly showed up at the raptor exhibit, she felt her entire mood lift out of its two-year valley. She was glad they were coming to visit. There hadn't been incidents since the first day and had 100% confidence that there wouldn't be any more.
Another surprise that day: Dave called and needed to speak with her about a confidential project the brain trust had been working on since reviews waned a year ago.
Another another surprise: He confessed it was borderline controversial.
She didn't have time for his garbage. She hung up on him. She wanted to spend time with her family and damn it, she was going to have fun!
Her brother Jake also grew up well off. He was not a working man, but an explorer, and had gotten lonely on his travels. He decided to adopt two children, siblings named John and Jane, only three years apart. They were old for adoption, but he didn't care because all children need a home, no matter what age. He should have taken his own advice because they traveled nine months out of the year together, learning languages and sailing mainly. He hired some tutors to travel with them, as a sort of homeschooling. Jade figured that since the family was rich, they weren't questioned. John and Jane grew up pranksters, and being adopted did nothing to quell that. She's heard horror stories, but never experienced them. They were thirteen and sixteen when they finally visited Jurassic World. Jake only hesitated as a family member of an employee to be a special because he wanted them to remember. Jade just thought he was being weird about it because he had a thing against captivity. As soon as she told him it was dinosaurs, he was more relieved because they probably would have done a little too well in the wild.
In any case, John was the most excited, as excited as a preteen could get, and Jane was a little more reserved, but Jade could see that she was hiding it.
Jade was in the middle of her tour (they had gone to the petting zoo after the raptors at John's request, then the T-Rex also at John's request), when Dave called her again. He said it was an emergency this time. She rolled her eyes and asked Jane if she could look after John for a few hours. She sighed and agreed. Jade assured her that she would be back soon, to enjoy the rides and tours while she was gone, here's her number just in case, and the food is free, just scan their wristbands at the registers-Okay Aunt Jade, we'll be fine.
Jade had no evidence that Jane was a bad caretaker, so she left them go free. She was told to meet him at the new building, which was kept tight under wraps for the past year. She wondered why the whole project was so controversial to begin with. The building was pretty tall, about three stories, and just a week ago they started building it to make it even taller.
And that's where Jade stands now, waiting for some controversy to be revealed and for them all to lose their jobs and lives. As is fate.
Jade laughs to herself. That can't happen.