Two
Five years before the Indominus rex incident, a Jurassic World employee ferry was in choppy waters as storm clouds swirled above. Claire was on the lower deck, turning green. A crew member passed her a small plastic pouch and pointed to the staircase. Claire pocketed the pouch, slung her messenger bag over her shoulder, and climbed the stairs. She struggled to reach the top of the staircase and then pushed through the doors to the exterior of the top deck. Claire ran to the railing and vomited over the side of the boat. She reached into her pocket and ripped open the pouch. A gust of wind blew its contents out of her hand.
"Shit!" exclaimed Claire, as she slammed her hands down on the railing in frustration. She slumped down along the railing and leaned her head against a vertical beam. Claire opened her eyes briefly and then closed them. She re-opened her eyes, and her gaze widened with alarm. Claire blinked several times, closed her eyes again, and said, "Oh, God…"
Owen looked amused while sitting on a deck chair that faced her. He raised his eyebrows and waved hello. Claire stood up and attempted to regain her composure.
"I'm sorry," she said, "I'm so embarrassed. I'm going to head back down for another scopolamine patch." Claire stood and began to walk but was unsteady. Owen rushed over and supported her. He was gentle and calming.
He warned, "I wouldn't do that if I were you. The top deck is the best place for you to be in your condition."
"What are you, a sailor?" Claire asked haughtily.
"Ex-sailor."
Owen walked her over to the chair where he was sitting and helped her to take a seat. He moved his extra-large military duffel bag off the adjacent seat and sat next to her. Owen moved slowly and cautiously but smiled to himself. Claire put her messenger bag on the ground.
She thanked him, winced, and asked, "Am I going to throw up again?"
"Hard to say," he replied, "Just try to distract yourself." Owen extended his right hand and introduced himself. Claire shook his hand and gave him her name.
"New hire?" he asked.
Claire nodded in response, "Yes, marketing…director."
"Impressive."
"I must be," she said sarcastically. Claire closed her eyes and put her face in her hands. Owen moved her hands down from her eyes, and she looked at him with indignation.
He expressed genuine concern, "No, no. I didn't mean to invade your personal space. It's better to watch the horizon. Trust me. Closing your eyes will make it worse."
Claire sighed and crossed her arms. She leaned back in her chair and said, "So, distract me. What's your story, sailor?"
Owen relaxed and cleared his throat. "Okay," he began, "I used to work at the Navy Marine Mammal Program in San Diego. Are you familiar with it?"
"No, sorry," Claire answered with curiosity, "Should I be?"
Owen was relieved and explained, "NMMP is pretty controversial and gets some people riled up. It used to be a classified program. I trained dolphins and sea lions for military operations." He paused to check that he hadn't lost her, but she was still listening intently. Owen continued, "I ignored any controversy and focused on working with the animals. It was a welcome change after several years at sea."
"You seem pretty comfortable on a boat," Claire interrupted him in a relaxed tone.
"It gets old."
"I think I've already had enough."
They laughed. Claire smiled appreciatively at him and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"It's all right," he said nervously while looking down. "I'm not used to talking about myself. I'm not really a people person." Owen paused, and Claire looked at him with understanding. He smiled at her and added, "I wanted more independence than I had in the military."
Claire sharpened her gaze and queried, "So, Jurassic World?"
Owen cleared his throat and explained, somewhat bitterly, "I wanted to study animal behavior without being owned by the government and facing the constant threat of deployment or sea duty." He continued in a lighter tone, "I was going to use the GI bill to get my degree. When I told my plans to the commanding officer, he gave my contact information to this guy, Hoskins, at InGen. Hoskins was specifically looking for someone from NMMP to lead dinosaur intelligence research on Jurassic World. I met with him, I met with Mr. Masrani in New York, and here I am."
Claire looked at him with concern and asked, "What about your degree?"
"College snob, eh?" Owen responded playfully.
"No," Claire answered defensively, "It's just that working on Jurassic World isn't exactly ideal for someone who is –"
"Fickle?"
"Yes," she admitted with embarrassment.
Owen smiled and said, "I can still work on the degree from Jurassic World, if you're being nosy." His affect shifted to one of seriousness, and he continued, "The InGen project is a can't-miss opportunity for me. I know what I'm doing." He asked her cautiously, "Do you?"
Claire was caught off guard and stammered, "Of course. I mean, marketing director is a can't-miss opportunity for me, too." She tried to recover further and come off as assured by adding, "Pretty sweet at only twenty-nine."
"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself," Owen replied.
Claire scoffed, "I'm feeling ill right now."
"Sure," Owen said while smiling at her. She narrowed her gaze at him and then smiled back. "Your turn," he said.
Claire began, "Okay. I was an assistant marketing director for Mr. Masrani's Medixal Health in New York. I filled in for the director while she went on maternity leave. When she came back, a marketing director position posted with Mascom in Washington DC. I applied for it, but Mr. Masrani contacted me about working on Jurassic World instead. I met with him about the position, and here I am."
Owen asked hesitantly, "Why were you crying when you walked out of the building?"
Claire's eyes widened in shock. She stared at him and exclaimed, "Excuse me?"
Owen responded carefully, "I saw you, outside Masrani's New York building, about two months ago, when I was there to interview."
Claire stood and crossed her arms. While looking down at him, she asked angrily, "Why didn't you say anything earlier?"
Owen stood so that their faces were only a few inches apart. "I didn't recognize you right away," he said, "And then I was waiting for the right moment to bring it up." They stared at each other for a few tense moments.
Claire broke the eye contact first, took a step back from him, and shook her hands to her sides. She breathed slowly out and looked back at him, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be getting so upset." Claire bit her left thumbnail, turned away from him, and walked over to the railing. She leaned on the railing and looked out at the water. Owen walked over to her, mirrored her position on the railing, and waited for her to speak. Turning toward him, Claire said, "That was a really personal question."
"I know," he replied. "I'm sorry. I'm not the best with people." Owen looked down. Claire sighed and looked at him, smiling.
Playfully and crinkling her nose, she said, "Yeah, better stick with dinosaurs." Owen looked up at her. They both laughed. Still smiling, Claire became distracted by something on the horizon and exclaimed, "Oh my God, there it is!" Owen followed her gaze and saw the island appearing. He was startled by Claire suddenly gripping his hand on the railing. Owen struggled to contain a mix of joy and shock at her touch. He looked back at Claire, but she was still giddily looking at the island. Looking out, she said, "I cannot wait to get back on land!" She lifted her hand off of his to brush hair out of her face and behind her ear. Owen was uncomfortable and turned his body slightly away from her. Claire finally turned toward him and said, "Owen?"
He cleared his throat and nervously replied, "Yeah?"
"Thank you…for helping me get through the seasickness."
"Oh, yeah, no problem, old hat for me," Owen said distractedly.
Author's Note: I hope you liked my meet-cute. Thanks for reading and please review.
