Jurassic World: War of the Ages – Chapter 2: After the Disaster
A/N: OK, so this chapter's going to be REALLY different from the last chapter. In fact, we're heading to Isla Nublar just three weeks after the apocalypse to see how Hammond, Claire, Owen and the others are holding up. Also be on the look out for face we haven't seen for a looong time!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Jurassic Park except the very characters I've made up.
2015 A.D.
"OK, Alaina, you can go now," Tom said. Alaina picked up her checker piece and moved it over one of Tom's pieces. She grinned and snatched up Tom's piece. "Hey! How did I miss that?"
"Easy, you were preoccupied."
Tom glanced at Brianna, who was standing behind him. She pulled all her hair back into the ponytail she usually had. "I can't help that she's paying more attention than you," Brianna said.
"Ha, ha," Tom said sarcastically. "Very funny."
Tom took another look around the Control Room. For the past three weeks, Tom and the other survivors from the apocalypse had been nestled in the Control Room. Exactly what the apocalypse did was unclear, but it definitely swiped across the entire area, knocking out the power and leaving a trail of devastation much in the same fashion as a hurricane would – a force of nature. With the power out, no one could get to or from the island because the ferry's were out of operation. Tom looked at the other teens who'd survived the incident: Jessica Harding, the park's head veterinarian's daughter, Kelly Malcolm, the daughter of Ian and Sarah Malcolm, Zach and Gray, the Mitchel brothers and also the park manager's nephews, and then there was Logan, his two guy friends, Matt and John, and the group of girls that was always never far behind him, Beth, Chloe, Isabelle, Emily, Katy and Anna. Though Tom and Logan used to hate each other, Tom wasn't sure where their relationship stood. Matt and John had opened up to him no more than a week after the incident, and even the girls had started being nicer, but Logan hadn't really talked much since the apocalypse. He usually spent his days either standing in the corner or talking and interacting with his friends, but pretty much no one else.
The adult survivors from the incident were cooped up in here as well. There were the co-owners of the recently-closed Jurassic World theme park, John Parker Hammond and Simon Masrani, Billy Brennan and Cheryl Logan, the couple of paleontologists invited to the park when it was open, Ian Malcolm, a mathematician and his paleontologist wife, Sarah, Dr. Laura Sorkin, one of the park's geneticists, Gerry Harding, the park's head vet, Claire Dearing, the manager of Jurassic World and Anthony, one of the guys working in the Control Room. Also worth mentioning were Owen Grady, Billy Yoder, Oscar Morales, and Daniel "D-Caf" Cafaro. The three of them were probably making their park rounds by now, checking the area's dinosaur activity. And let us not forget Dr. Henry Wu, the park's head geneticist. He spent most of his time in another room in the Control Room. They never saw much of him.
Tom sighed as he moved his checker piece across the board. Alaina took notice. "What's wrong?"
"What's wrong? We've been trapped here for three weeks and nothing's going on. The only ones who ever get outside are Owen, Billy, Oscar and D-Caf. Everyone else is locked up in here! How long is this going to last? It's really wearing me out."
"I know it's hard," Alaina told him. "It's hard for me too. It's hard for all of us."
"But we can't go outside," said 16-year old Zach as he approached the three of them. "It's too dangerous. There are large meat-eating dinosaurs just about everywhere."
Tom groaned. "I know. I guess I just get tired of being in here." He scanned the room until he saw Claire Dearing. He got up. "Brianna, why don't you take my spot. I'll be right back."
"I'm going into the hall to get more snacks," Sarah told Claire.
Claire sighed. "If I never have to eat bagged or packaged food again, I'll be very happy."
"I know. But it's the only food inside the building. There isn't exactly a lot to eat right now."
"Excuse me, Dr. Claire," Tom said.
"Oh, hey Tom. What's up?"
"How long is this going to last? I mean, we spend all day trapped in here with nothing to do. Am I the only one who's tired of all this."
"We're all tired of this, Tom. But there's nothing we can do. After that ejecta cloud swept through, I think the military was knocked out as well. They should have come by now if they were still coming."
"Did we ever find out what that ejecta cloud was from?" Sarah asked.
"No, but I wish we did."
"But what are we going to do?" Tom asked. "Are we just gonna keep doing what we're doing or are we going to do something about this situation? We can't stay locked up in here forever. We'll have to leave eventually."
"He's right, Clare," Sarah agreed. "We need a plan to take action."
"But where are we going to go?" Claire asked. "What are we going to do? You heard what Owen, Billy, Oscar and D-Caf said. They've seen the area surrounding the island from the observation tower. It's like Walking Dead, just replace the zombies with dinosaurs."
"She's right," Masrani said as he and Hammond approached the three of them. "If Owen, Billy, Oscar and D-Caf are correct, we are the survivors of a great apocalypse that has overtaken the world. Cities lie in ruins and civilization as we know it has collapsed."
"So you are suggesting we stay here?" Hammond asked. "Eventually we'll run out of all the food we can find in the Innovation Center, then we'll diminish our resources in the rest of the park. We can't stay here. We will have to leave the island."
"I am not saying we won't have to leave. I am merely saying that we need to examine all of our options very carefully before we make our next move."
"So what do we do in the meantime?" Claire asked. "Sit around and twiddle our thumbs?"
"No," Masrani answered. "We will call a meeting into order to decide our next course of action as soon as Owen and the others return."
"Do you think they're OK out there?" Sarah asked.
"I am sure they'll be back very soon," Hammond told her. "In the meantime, let's go grab some more snacks from the vending machine."
Blue the Velociraptor leaped over a log in the jungle and continued down the trial. She and her sisters, Echo, Charlie and Delta were not far behind. The four dinosaurs were racing through the Isla Nublar jungles at top speed in an attempt to reach the Gyrosphere Valley. As usual the agility and speed of these animals was top notch. Picking up the rear was their trainer and alpha, Owen Grady, on his motorcycle. He took an inventory of his surroundings. I'm surprised the jungle wasn't damaged more so, considering how hot the ejecta cloud was, he thought.
The ejecta cloud covered the entire island, which adulterated much of the once green and vibrant vegetation. Some plants were still green, but many of them were singed and/or covered with ash from the cloud. Even still, Owen was amazed how well the island's inhabitants survived the apocalypse. The calls of dinosaurs in the distance revealed that the animals still clung to existence. How? Owen didn't know. Finally the raptors and Owen left the forest behind, arriving at the valley.
"Alright, slow it down girls!" Owen called. The raptors obeyed, coming to a complete stop. In the valley before them, blades of grass and other plants sprouted from the ash-covered terrain. Even in this hideous landscape, Owen could see a flock of Gallimimus making their way to a pool of water. Even more surprising was the presence of a single, sub-adult Apatosaurus. The long-necked dinosaur made a loud trilling sound; its call was answered, so there must be more Apatosaurus on the island too. "How does an animal that big find a place it can hide?" Owen asked.
"Hey! Owen!" Billy Yoder called from behind.
Owen turned to see Billy, Oscar and D-Caf drive up. Billy and Oscar were on a four-wheeler and D-Caf was on a motorcycle of his own. The four of them – plus the raptor squad – were patrolling the island looking for anything noteworthy, be it, food, survival equipment, a rescue party, other survivors of the apocalypse, anything. So far, they hadn't found any other survivors of the great apocalypse.
"How does an animal that big survive a blast like that?" D-Caf asked, pointing to the Apatosaurus.
"I know, crazy isn't it?" Owen said. "You guys find anything?"
"Nothing significant," Oscar informed him. "Just trees, rocks and dinosaurs."
"Speaking of dinosaurs," Billy began, "I haven't seen Rexy in a while. Do you think she survived?"
Owen shrugged. "Maybe, it's hard to say for sure. But if a sauropod like that can survive that ejecta cloud, I bet Rexy could have too, especially since she's smaller. She's probably still nursing her wounds from the I. rex fight."
Billy shivered at the mention of Indominus rex. "Man, just hearing that name gives me goosebumps. I'm so glad she's dead."
"You and me both," Oscar agreed. "So where are we heading next?"
Owen looked around him, trying to decide where they should search. "I'm gonna say the southern part of the island. We haven't been there in a while."
"Um, guys," D-Caf said. "Have you noticed the time? We should be getting back or everyone's gonna start getting worried."
"Aw, another thirty minutes out here won't hurt anything," Billy offered.
"No," said Oscar. "D-Caf is right. We don't want anyone else venturing outside to try and find us, in case they think we're lost or something."
Delta snarled, getting the rest of her pack's attention. Her tail twitched, as if she just got wind of something.
"What's with Delta?" Billy asked.
"She probably smells something decaying. Delta, we've gotta get–" With a shriek Blue took off, followed by the other three raptors. "Blue! Delta! Get back here! Eyes on me!"
Oscar laughed. "No stopping them now."
"They must have found something." Owen revved his bike and took off after them.
Bird-like hooting calls rung in his ears as he ran through the jungles of Isla Nublar. Other than being on this island, he hadn't a clue where he was. By now, his physic was telling – his legs ached and his body was coated in sweat and globs of acidic goop coated his left arm, back, neck and part of his legs. The last few weeks had been a nightmare for him. Gotta keep moving! Gotta keep moving! he pushed onwards. A spiny branch lashed at his face as he brushed past it. He wiped his face off, cleaning a newly-formed layer of filth and smeared blood. Feeling like he could move on no more, he collapsed. His arm stung with more pain than he'd ever experienced in his life. It felt like the acidic goop was eating away at his skin. At least his back and leg were shielded from the affects of the acidic liquid by clothing, for now anyway. He looked around – he was alone. Does this mean his attackers had left him?
The jungle came alive with more hooting sounds. Getting on his knees, he turned, trying to see where the sound was coming from. But just as he turned to face the rear, he saw the ominous face of his attacker – a Dilophosaurus. Its double-crested head glared down at him. The creature must not have yet been fully-grown, because it was only about three or four feet tall. From the other side of him, he saw a second Dilophosaurus. The second growled at the first, who flared her colorful frill in an attempt to confuse the man. The man stood up, though disoriented and he knew he needed to do everything he could to scare the beasts away.
"Hey!" he shouted and clapped his hands. "Get away from me!"
The Dilophosaurus in front of him growled and spat another mouthful of venom, this time in the man's face! The acidic venom nibbled away at every part of his face; his eyes stung with immense pain bad enough to make him want to dig his eyeballs out. It felt like spikes were being jabbed into the backs of his eyeballs.
"Oh! The pain! The pain! It is too great to bear!"
He wiped the venom from his eyes as best he could. His vision was now blurry at best – he could hardly see much of anything. He could barely make out the Dilophosaurus standing just six feet away from him as it began to close in...
Suddenly, a loud scream sounded as another dinosaur bounded into view. No! It was four! Four dinosaurs! The four dinosaurs, somewhat bigger than the spitters, snapped and roared at them. The Dilophosaurus flashed their frills at the other dinosaurs but must have known they were outmatched and they fled. What's going on? the man could only speculate. With the Dilophosaurus gone, the other four dinosaurs turned their focus to him. The man looked around his nervously, able to make out only the silhouettes of these predators by now. The dinosaurs circled him slowly, growling in aggression. Should he stand his ground or run for his life?
The raptors looked up as yet another group drove into view. Were they on motorcycles.
This is too much...too much...With that, the man fainted.
Blue roared at the man who had just fallen to the ground. Though the raptors were no doubt ready to tear him apart, they knew they had to wait for Owen's command. Owen hopped off the bike, and approached the man. He frowned as he tried to see if he looked familiar.
"Is he still alive?" D-Caf asked.
Owen nodded. "Yeah. He is. He wouldn't have been if we didn't get here now." Charlie snapped at the human body lying beneath her feet. Owen shot her a glare and she backed down. "He's been attacked by spitters."
"Did he get venom in his eyes?" asked Billy.
Owen knelt down and opened the man's eyelids. He nodded. "Yeah, dilo's got him. We need to get him back to the Control Room, and fast. He won't be around much longer."
Blue shrilled as she looked suspiciously off into the valley. She growled and crouched, as if she sensed something was wrong. Owen asked, "See something, girl?" He stood and gasped when he saw dark shapes moving through the tall grass – raptors! There were eight of them, moving in unison toward the pond. "We've got more raptors out here," Owen told the others.
"More raptors?" Oscar asked. "How many?"
"Eight, by the looks of it."
"Eight! That's more than we've had in the park since since the raptor incident earlier this year!
"How did they get here?" asked Billy.
"I don't know," admitted Owen. "I don't think they're in attack mode now, but we'd better get out of here fast, just in case they do."
"Yes, it's a good thing you brought him back when you did," Dr. Sorkin said. "He wouldn't have lasted much longer out there."
In the First-aid part of the Innovation Center, Dr. Sorkin, Gerry and Sarah Harding were looking over the man who Owen, Billy, D-Caf and Oscar had just rescued. Aside from the man's rescuers, those in the room as well were Masrani, Hammond, Claire,and Jess. He was a heavyset fellow, with chubby cheeks and not much hair to speak of. He wore a suit – a rather expensive one at that – and suspenders; not exactly the type of dress for a man trying to survive in the jungle, especially one with dinosaurs in it.
"I'm wondering how this fellow survived so long," Hammond whispered. "Poor man. He must have been struggling. You say the spitters nearly got him?"
"Yeah," Owen answered. "Lucky for him, Delta got a whiff of him before they could finish him off."
Harding opened the man's eyeballs. "He was going blind before he fainted. See his cornea?"
"I do," Sarah said. "What do you normally use around here to treat Dilophosaurus victims?"
"Standard antivenin," her father answered. "We should have some in that cabinet up there. You know, Dilophosaurus venom isn't particularly deadly in the eyes – it's painful, but not fatal if you wash it out within two hours. That's why we keep it all around the park."
"He must have been suffering greatly," Masrani observed.
"Is he gonna make it, Dad?" Jess asked. "He's not gonna, like, die right?"
"No," Harding answered. "He should be fine."
Claire approached the man. "He must have survived the ejecta cloud somehow. You think he's been hiding out in one of the buildings on Main Street?"
"We would have found him before now," Billy told her. "We've searched that entire area several times since the apocalypse."
The man stirred; his arm began to switch. Hammond smiled. "Yes, come on now...come on. You're almost awake." Slowly but surely, the man's eyes opened.
"Oh sweet honeycakes," the man said with a heavy southern drawl. "What happened? Where am I?"
"You're in the Innovation Center," Claire informed him. "You were rescued from some dinosaurs in the valley."
"Well, I'm mighty thankful to ya...*cough, cough*. My throat's a little dry. Could someone get me some water?"
"I'll get it," Sarah said. She left the room to get him some bottled water.
"What happened to me?" the man asked.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Masrani questioned him.
"I...I think I was...that's right, I was making my way through the jungle at the edge of the valley when these two Dilophosaurus rushed me. I thought I was dead when they started spitting at me. I ran for as long and far as I could, trying to get away. Finally, they cornered me and nearly blinded me. Then the dilos were chased away by these four other dinosaurs – couldn't really tell what they were. I just knew for sure I was a goner then. But then I fainted."
"So you didn't miss much," Owen concluded.
Sarah rushed back into the room with some bottled water. He held it up to the man's lips so he could drink.
"What is your name, sir?" Claire asked.
The man swallowed his water. "George. Dr. George Baselton."
A/N: Yep, I'm gonna end the story on that cliffhanger and wait an entire week to publish the next chapter! Moohahahahahahaha! In all seriousness, how was this chapter? Do you like where I picked up the story? How do you think it's going to tie in with the events in the first chapter? Are you shocked to see Dr. George Baselton? In case any of you have forgotten, Dr. George Baselton, last seen talking to Tom at the airport before heading to Jurassic World, was the same paleontologist who humiliated Dr. Alan Grant at the end of his last lecture. While Dr. Grant argued that Velociraptors were an intelligent species of dinosaur that could communicate with other members of its kind and hunt in packs; Dr. Baselton begged to differ, claiming that raptors were not particularly intelligent and believed that evidence for pack-hunting behavior in raptors was not present. I hope you guys are really enjoying the story so far, because if you thought Dr. Baselton's appearance was a shock, just wait until I reveal the other surprising characters I'll be bringing back in the NEXT chapter! In the meantime, please follow and favorite this story if you haven't already, leave a review and I'll see you all next week! Spare no expense!