"Dammit! Open the gate!" Owen shouts, heading towards the door. He'll be damned if Cade gets eaten and he didn't do anything to stop it.
'We can't. We tried that, but the connection is glitchy. We have someone working on it as fast as they can." A member of the tech team reports.
"Well, what does work?!" Being frustrated and panicking is not a good combination.
"The intercom, sir." The same person answers. "But we don't want to risk spooking them."
Owen runs his fingers through his hair and looks back out the window to see what's going on with his protégé and his girls.
Cade is a little more than terrified at this moment. One moment she cleaning up dino poop. The next? Looking into the eyes of an extremely lethal and extremely intelligent creature.
Now, she's been up close and personal with many dangerous animals before. Wrestling with wolves, climbing with chimps, observing honeybadgers, hell, she even helped a fucking tiger give birth. But this? Nope. Not her paid grade. She knows this was sorta inevitable, getting close to the dinosaurs. But she didn't think it'll be this soon, or this close. With this dinosaur.
Many would scream. Or run. Or even faint. But her fear response is to freeze. So here she is. Frozen in fear. Sweating buckets. And tearing up just a little.
Then the raptor did something unexpected. Blue began to sniff her, well, her utility belt. She suddenly remembers something that she had gotten from an old family friend named Billy Brennan. He told her tales of his own visits to treacherous island. Back when the dinosaurs were free. He also gave her his old Raptor Resonating Chamber when she told him how she got the job to Jurassic World. He was pleased, but he knew that Cade's just like her parents. Reckless, adventurous, and crazy about wildlife. So he gave it to her, telling her she could use to 'show off to the kids or pranks some tourists'. She can't believe she's gonna use it to possibly save her life.
Keeping her eyes on Blue, she reaches into the special pocket that the 'Raptor Horn' is in, and pulls it out slowly. She probably could've tossed her last stick of deer jerky at one of them, but then she'd risk being chased by the other. So, her best bet would be to try and convince them she was 'one of them' and not a threat.
She slowly place the horn to her lips and blows out a series of barks and chirps, glad she practiced controlling the sounds on this damn thing. Hopefully, since she really has no idea what she's saying, the message will come out along the lines of 'please don't hurt me, I'm not a threat' instead of something like 'bring it on, you fat gecko'.
Blue pulls back in shock and tilts her head in confusion. Cade even notices that Delta has stopped her pacing to watch her curiously. Hoping that it's a good sign, she makes the noises again, vaguely noticing that the sounds came out kind of weak and high pitched, most likely because her vocal cords are weaker since she's terrified.
Blue turns to Delta and barks something, and Delta replies with some sort of cackle. Cade glances over her shoulder, noticing Owen watching in shock and confusion, which is making her slightly more afraid. Doesn't he know what's going on?!
She's taken out of her panicked thoughts by Blue making some sort of choking noise. Snapping her head around, Cade sees that Blue's head is straight up and she's hacking and coughing. First she's worried, I mean, can you give a raptor the Heimleich? But then she realizes something.
She's seen this behavior hundreds of times with birds and other animals.
'Don't tell me. Say it ain't so.'
Blue leans in front of Cade and hacks up a pile of regurgitated meat and bile.
'And, it's so.' She thinks dejectedly. Her message came out less 'I'm nonthreatening' and more 'I'm a weird looking baby raptor'.
Her arms flop to her sides while she switches her gaze from the pile of flesh, to an impatiently expectant velociraptor. Then she looks back at Owen, who's face is suspiciously blank, like he's just done. But the others on the other side of the glass? Either laughing, taking notes, or giving her looks of pity.
Blue hisses loudly, startling her new adopted baby back to attention. Why isn't she eating? Why does she look disgusted? Shaking her head, she chirps and scratches the ground near the food. But the hatchling refuses to eat. She watches as her sister sneaks up behind the human hatchling and bumps her head into her back, causing the human hatchling to fall face first into the food. Blue purrs with approval at the child's eagerness to eat.
Then the door slides open and the Alpha walks in cautiously towards them. "Blue. Delta. Back." He holds out one hand and begins clicking with the object in the other hand, but she snarls, ready to pounce. Alpha or not, he will not take the hatchling. She remembers that the hatchling was with the Alpha earlier, but the child is obviously confused and hungry!
"Don't give me that!" Alpha barks at them. "And I see you, Delta. Lock it in." He glances over at Delta briefly. The hatchling lifts her head from eating, with a mouthful of food in her jaws. Good. Only, she's trying to spit it out again, which is not good. Blue hissed uses bobs her head up and down, signifying she's supposed to swallow. Hatchling turns slightly the color of the plants and, finally, swallows thickly.
"Cade, get back inside." the Alpha commands. No! Then, Alpha snatches up the child and bolts inside of the building, which was unfortunately, closer than should have been. Blue snarls in anger and bolts to the trees with Delta following suit. Alpha better not hurt her hatchling!
Cade is puking her guts out in a janitorial bucket. She can't believe she was forced to eat a dinosaur's regurgitated meal! Disgusting!
She felt a large warm hand rub calming circles in her back while she vomits and cries. Some first day!
"You alright?" Owen's voice asks her. Then she could hear the smirk. "Guess you're my grandchild now, huh?" He asks teasingly.
Now done, with clearing out her contaminated stomach, she glares at him and wipes her mouth on a hankerchief what was handed her. "I want you to take me back to my room." Cade tells him. "I'm gonna clean up, and then you're gonna take me to get smashed. Because I never want to remember this. Ever again.
He wants to tell her that she'd probably be too hungover to return to work tomorrow, but after become practically traumatized and forced to eat meat vomit, she could use a break. And a doctor's to make sure she doesn't gets salmonella. But still a break.
"Alright, let's go." Owen helps her up and takes her to his bike after announcing that Barry's in charge.
They climb on his bike and he turns on the engine. "You're not gonna vomit on me, are ya?" He asks teasingly.
"Another word and I'll induce vomiting." She weakly threatens and Owen chuckles before revving up and pulling out of the parking lot.
Okay, this was fun to write. A little too fun, but oh well. And I love all the support! Makes me feel all warm and tingly inside.