Izzy Perez hate her job. Well she didn't exactly hated it, it was more of she didn't find it safe anymore. And her co-worker/on-again off-again boyfriend, Owen Grady only made work semi-awkward and harder to quit. It was a bit hot outside today, Izzy guesses around 88-90 degrees with some humidity with the sky clear of clouds and the sun just blazing down. Making her way up the platform, Izzy carried a metal bucket of dead frozen solid mice. She settle the bucket down next to Owen's feet.
"Here's the mice," Izzy said, wiping the sweat off her forehead.
"Actually honey they're rats." Owen informs her, picking one of them by its tail. "Rats are much bigger than mice. "See?"
Izzy rolls her eyes. "Rats, mice I really don't care what they are properly called." She looks over the raptor habitat. "Where are they?"
"The piglet was just released-" Owen began but was cut off by the sounds of a young piglet screeching in distress along with the snarling of velociraptors. "Never mind here they come."
"I'm really not too keen on the idea of using a defenseless pig for your training," Izzy said.
"You wanna use a puppy?" Owen questions, flashing a sly cocky grin.
"Keep that up and you will be the one they're chasing," Izzy said, looking over her shoulder.
The raptors moved fast. Very fast. Owen and Izzy almost missed them if it weren't for the loud shrieking of the raptors. The piglet ran into opening located on the inner wall of paddock. The pack of raptors stop in their tracks once the piglet was out of sight.
"Hey!" Owen calls out to the raptors. "Eyes up here!"
All four raptors look up at Owen and Izzy's direction. Izzy had tensed up a bit for a moment before getting herself getting. She knew the raptors, especially Delta, could sense or smell fear and sometimes they would get out of hand if one of the feeders or handlers was extremely tense around them.
"Remember they can-"
"Detect fear I know I know," Izzy repeats.
"Blue!"
The beta raptor whose namesake comes from the blue stripe line patterns that goes from her head to tail wasn't in the cooperating mood it seems.
"Blue!" Owen calls her name again. "Watch it." He told the beta in a warning voice. He looks at the youngest raptor, Charlie, who was being aggressive.
"Charlie!" She snarls and shrieks at him. "Don't give me that shit!"
Owen looks over to Delta. "Delta! Hey, walk it off."
Now that he had all of the raptors attention, Owen kept his hand raised so he knows that they are to pay attention to him.
"Good! And we move!" Owen begins moving to right side of the paddock, with Izzy following his lead. The pack was following the two humans' movement, Blue and Echo were snapping and snarling at each other but still moved in sync with Owen and Izzy.
"Elvis!" Izzy calls out. The scarred raptor looks at her direction, giving her a low growl. "Stop fighting with Blue."
"I knew you can use that angry voice on the raptors besides me…" Owen whispers to her ear.
"Shut up Grady,"
Owen chuckles a bit before going back to his serious tone. "Alright and hold!"
The raptors hold their position, it was almost like watching a dog who was learning how to be obedient towards their owner. However with these raptors, it wasn't about control or obedience. Not entirely. It was more of respect.
"That is good," Owen complements. "That is mighty damn good!"
He grabs a dead rat from the bucket. Owen and Izzy often used the rats as a treat for their good behavior. "Charlie!" He tossed one to her direction and she leaps up and snaps the rat in-between her jaws. Izzy gave one rat to Echo and Delta.
"Blue," Owen calls out.
The beta raptor looks up at him.
"This one is for you," He tosses her the dead rat and she swallows it whole.
Izzy whistles at him. Almost immediately they look in her direction. She raises her right arm. "Follow my arm!" When she moves her arm up, their heads moved up. When she moves her arm in a side-to-side motion, they mimic the movement with their heads.
"Good girls!"
"Hold!" Owen commands. "Eyes up!" They followed each of his command. "Ok…go!"
The raptors took off running.
Some of the handlers and trainers that was watching them began clapping. Owen was greeted by another trainer, Barry.
"Haha you did it," He said.
"You mean, me and Izzy did it?"
"Of course," He laughs. "And you both have a visitor,"
As if on cue, a young teenage girl runs up to the three adults. Her skin complexion was similar to Izzy dark Dominican skin tone, except her complexion was a bit lighter. She smiles at Owen and Izzy, similar to how Owen smiles.
"Gemma!" Owen said in surprise. He pulls her in for a hug. "I-I mean we wasn't expecting you so soon,"
"Dad I told you I was coming today,"
"But I though-" Owen began to ramble but was cut off by Izzy.
"What your father means is that he's so happy to see you he is speechless, right Owen?" Izzy assures her daughter looking at Owen.
"Yeah I'm really happy that you came early."
"We both are," Izzy said.
Gemma didn't seem too convinced. "Okay…so can we do family time now?"
"Sure just as soon as we finish up a couple of things then me and your dad will spend the entire weekend with you, okay?"
The 15-year-old girl looks at Owen. "Promise?"
"I promise," Owen assures her.
Gemma smiles a bit. "Cross your heart?"
"And hope to die," Owen says, hugging her again, this time tighter.
"Dad I can't breathe!" Gemma giggles.
"Sorry," Owen mumbles, loosening his grip on her. He ruffles her hair a bit.
"I hope I'm not interrupting a family moment…" Came a voice. Vic Hoskins, head of InGen Security made his way through the Raptor handlers.
"No not at all Vic," Izzy said, traces of sarcasm in her tone.
"What can we do for you?" Owen asks.
"Field test,"
Izzy groans. "No."
"C'mon I seen those things eating out the palm of your hand," Vic argues.
Owen kneels down to Gemma's level. "Give us a minute okay,"
Gemma nods. "Ok," She looks over the Raptor paddock. She couldn't see the raptors but they were still close by, judging by the growling and snarling. She pulls out her camera from her backpack, hoping to see one of them come by. She waited as she looks through the camera, her index finger on the flash button.
From behind her, the handlers were trying to receive a piglet that some how got back into the paddock.
"Move it kid!" One of the works yells at her. Gemma looks away from her camera, a handling running towards her with a noose in his hand. He quickly lowers the noose into the paddock in attempt to grab the piglet-
Swoosh!
One of the raptors caught the piglet into its mouth. The handler lost his balance and was dragged off the walkway. Out of panic, he grab onto Gemma's arm to not fall off. Instead he ended up, taking her with him.
Gemma fell on her back with a large thud. Realizing that she was inside the raptor paddock, anxiety was overwhelming her logic and thinking. She felt paralyzed from intense fear.
Owen felt as if the world had stop once he saw that one of the handler and his daughter fall straight into the paddock. Izzy's yelling had brought him right back to reality. He moved quickly but then stops for a moment. He didn't want to give them reasons to instantly attack. Owen looks at Gemma, seeing how she was barely moving. He slams his palm on the button that opens the gate to the paddock and quickly got inside the paddock.
"Hold your fire!" He yells. "Hold you fire!"
Owen had his hands raised, first at those handlers who pulled out tranquiler guns and he made a stop gestures at the raptors. Delta was moving a bit closer to Gemma.
"Delta you stop!" Owen commands. Never show them fear. He told himself. Delta backs up a bit. Blue was starting to get out of line. "Blue, stand down. Stand down."
The beta snaps her jaws at Owen's direction. "Hey! What did I just say?" He looks over to Gemma then back to Blue. "Gemma, are you alright?"
"Y-Yea.." she whimpers.
"Good. This is Gemma," He told the raptors. "I like Gemma. You guys like Gemma. We don't eat the people we like.."
The raptors slowly began to advance on Owen. He backs up slowly. He could hear Barry dragging Gemma back inside. He stands completely still.
"Close the gate Barry," Owen commands him.
"No!"
"Just do it!" He shouts.
At that moment, the gate slowly began to close and Owen made his move. He made a dash for the closing gate and made it just as it was completely closed.