Chapter 3 – Blood Rain:
Author's Note:
"But she could hear the red-eyed soldier's voice against the cacophony of silence," I like that quote… after an ending such as last chapter, I'm sure you're all dying to see what's going to happen to Ila and Owen… but I'm afraid we're starting in the past once again. I'm sorry, but it's not going to be the last time either. We begin with Mary, right after she escaped from the hospital…
XXX
An electrifying sensation that could not be quantified with human terms shot through my body by the mere touch of his immensity. With that flash of purple, every nerve inside me was set on fire. Paralysis set in, I couldn't move. The ecstasy faded and I was left wallowing in the darkness, alone.
She gripped her head, yet another headache. They had been a common sensation that plagued her after her escape. They would strike randomly, followed by visions and feelings of places and things she didn't remember experiencing. The headaches wracked her body with pain, forcing her to curl up into a fetal position while gripping her head, hoping that she didn't scream out in pain.
She had made it. She just had to keep moving, she wasn't sure how long the General would be chained to that desk. She took a few deep breaths, slowing her heart down to its normal speed. Her eyes opened slowly to regard the world once again.
People passed her by, giving her odd looks, but didn't bother to stop and ask what was wrong. She had collapsed a few blocks from the hospital. She sucked in a breath as she hoisted herself up off the ground, the hospital gown hung loosely on her skin. How did no one stop me? she pondered quietly, but didn't dote on it. She had to keep moving.
She moved passed the crowd and made it deeper into the city. She pushed her way through groups of people, not caring for their complaints, as she tried to figure out where she was and where she should go. She stared up at the large buildings and the aggregations of people, she was completely lost.
What year is it? she wondered. She looked around, trying to find someone to pester about the date, but everyone completely ignored her when she tried to grab their attention. She couldn't quite remember what the doctor had told her, then again, she couldn't even remember what year it was when the accident happened.
"Sir? Sir? Could you please-" she tried to say to a passing man in a polo shirt. But he didn't bother stopping, not noticing her presence. "Tell me what today is," she growled as she turned towards the street. It seemed to be hopeless, no one was going to help her.
Selfish assholes, she sighed, shaking her head. They only cared about their coffee and newspapers, going through life as if no one else existed. She ground her teeth together and cried out, "Goddamn it! What is today?!" Making a scene might draw some attention to her.
Not a single person looked up from their position, nor did they even pause in their step. They just kept going through the motions, unaware of anything strange going on around them. A cool breeze blew through the city, cutting her to her core. She drew her arms against her chest, trying to preserve what little warmth she had with the thin hospital gown.
But it was hopeless as she let out a shiver from the breeze. It was sunny out and at least seventy degrees, but a single cool breeze seemed to be freezing through the fabric of the hospital garb. "Am I just going to freeze to death when it gets cold at night?" she pondered aloud, realizing that she had no shelter.
"I doubt it's going to drop below fifty tonight, you'll be fine," she heard a voice next to her. She hesitated before looking over to her right to see a young, bored-looking man staring at her with a deadpan expression.
She immediately looked down at her feet, she hadn't thought anyone would hear. Or care to hear, at least. Was this the one kind soul left in the city? "Oh," she let out a small sound.
He gave her a kind smile, "Why is it that you're in nothing but a hospital gown?"
"I… may have r-ran from someone," she said. She didn't want to give away too much, lest the man deem her a lost cause and leave her. Or worse, take her back to the hospital, claiming she had some sort of mental breakdown.
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't press any further, "Do you have somewhere to go?"
"I… don't know," she admitted. She turned to him and asked, "Do you happen to know what year it is?"
He gave her another smile, "It's 2018, miss…"
She didn't answer him. She took a few steps backwards in shock, bumping into someone walking by. She was knocked to the ground, but the man she bumped into only growled at her for not paying attention before walking away. "Five years… it can't be… five years," she remembered now. She remembered what the doctor had said.
"Five years for what, miss?" the man asked, extending a hand to help her up. She accepted the gesture and he pulled her off the ground. He watched as she dusted herself off before shivering again when another breeze passed through the area.
She only shook her head, refusing to answer his question. He let out a tired sigh before saying, "Do you have a place to stay, miss?" She shrugged, she didn't know. She wished she could just go back to her parents' house, but she couldn't remember where they were. And even if she could, there was no guarantee they would still be there after five years.
"Do you want to come with me? I have a place you can use until you get back on your feet," the man gave her another kind smile. She nodded vigorously, she did want to go with this kind man. He, out of everyone in this city, had stopped and helped. He was the last altruistic soul in this place.
He grabbed her arm gently and began to drag her away from the street corner. She followed enthusiastically, hardly able to keep up with him as he navigated the maze-like streets easily. She was panting by the time they reached his car. It was a simple white, four-door sedan parked in a parking garage only a few blocks away from the hospital.
They climbed into the car and he started it. He turned to her and said, "I'm sorry, I got a bit ahead of myself before, I'm offering you a place even though you don't even know who I am!" He gave her a wide smile, "My name is Michael, but you can just call me Mike."
She returned the smile and said, "My name is Mary." He didn't give her his last name, so she would not give him hers. She trusted the man, he was giving her a place to stay, but some information was better kept to herself.
"Mary it is then!" he grinned and pulled out of the parking space. The drive was not silent, Mike spent the time talking about himself. She never got much of a chance to speak, even if she wanted to. She learned all about his job, his life, and even about his family.
"I'm not married, you know," he winked at her quickly before glancing back at the road. She stared at him blankly, not sure why he said that. He saw her expression and shook his head quickly, "Oh, no… no, I didn't mean that! I mean… you are very attractive, but I would've helped any lost, confused soul on the side of that road, you know."
She let out a quiet sigh of relief, for a moment her entire perception of him was ruined. She was flattered that he found her attractive, but she didn't want to be an exception to an otherwise selfish rule. He chuckled at her expression as the car pulled out of the city.
"So, what about you? Got any family?" he asked carefully, having noticed her silence throughout the trip.
"I have a sister," she mumbled, just loud enough for him to hear. She watched a grin spread across his face, he just seemed to be happy to hear her voice. "But I have no idea where she is." She watched that grin melt from his face from her words.
She looked down at her feet, upset that she had stolen his happiness. The General had told her that her sister was missing, that she vanished. What if she's dead? she wondered quietly. "Hey, I'm sure your sister is fine. Right now, you just need to focus on you, you can worry about your sister after you've gotten back on your feet," the man said, placing his hand on her shoulder.
She gave him a small smile and turned back to the road. The rest of the drive was quiet as she observed where they were going. He followed the road for what seemed like miles, but then suddenly turned off the road and onto a dirt path that lead into a forest. She gave him a confused look, but he reassured her with, "I have a nice summer cabin here you can stay at. I know it's a bit out of the way, but once you rest up and recollect yourself, we can go doing whatever it is that you need to do."
She nodded and stepped out of the car once she heard the doors unlock. She shut the door behind her and waited for him to step out of the car and take the lead. He waved his hand at her, an order to follow, before walking towards the cabin. She took a single step, intent on following him, but halted, rooted to the spot. Pain rippled through her brain, sending her down to the ground, clutching her head, and screaming in agony.
It was dark for the longest of times. So long that I feared I had died. But I inevitably opened my eyes to regard the world once again. And yet, everything seemed to have changed. How long was I out? Why is everything purple?
Deep breaths, she repeated to herself as she came to once again. Yet another headache and vision, barely even an hour from the last one. The ringing in her ears began to fade with the pain and she could hear Mike yelling her name, "Mary! Mary!"
She blinked a few times, sharpening her field of vision. She looked up to see the blur above her clear and reveal he was bending down and shaking her. "What?" she asked when she found her voice. She struggled out of his grasp and pushed herself to her feet. She wobbled, but remained standing.
"What? What do you mean what! You collapsed, screaming, and gripping your head!" he all but shouted. She opened her mouth to say something, but closed it and ended up just shrugging. She had no idea what was going on. He shook his head, trying to stay calm, "Let's get you inside."
He let her lean on him as he helped her inside the cabin. She didn't need help, but with him holding her, there was no chance she would fall to the ground and risk another headache. He shut the door with his foot and led her to a chair.
It was nearly impossible to see in the cabin, it was pitch black. There didn't seem to be any lightbulbs hanging from the ceiling nor where there any lanterns. She watched, or at least tried to, as he walked over to one of the walls and started fiddling with something. She heard that creaking of a wheel being turned and the rush of propane leaving its canister.
He lit a match and dropped it into a fireplace, the gas immediately catching on fire, lighting the entire cabin. He turned the wheel again, closing the valve that let the propane out just slightly to lower the flame to manageable levels. "There we go, now we can see. I try not to use lightbulbs here, I want it to feel as natural as possible, I guess," he admitted.
She watched in the dim light as he went around the small cabin, lighting candles as he went. He pointed out each room he went into, even though she never moved from her spot on the chair. The living room area she was in was connected to the kitchen, there were two bedrooms and a bathroom, as well as a small cellar that he only pointed to as he came back from the second bedroom.
"Here, try this on," he said as he approached her, holding up a beautiful red dress. It was a single piece, nothing complex, and looked like it might be a bit big on her. She was fairly short, barely even five foot six.
She took the dress from him, finally getting out of the chair, and gave him a confused look. "Where'd you find this?" she asked.
He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I may not be married, but I have had girlfriends, they tend to leave their stuff here from time to time. And I guess I keep it out of spite… or hope."
She gave him a smile and disappeared into one of the bedrooms, shutting and locking the door behind her. She didn't trust him that much. She stripped the hospital gown from her body and slipped the dress over her head. She didn't have any undergarments, but the dress was better than the gown.
It fit her rather well, even if it was a bit big. But it wasn't slipping off her body, so she went with it. Besides, it did look rather nice. She stepped out of the room, not bothering to shut the door behind her, to see Mike rushing around the kitchen, looking for something. He paused and turned to look at her when he heard the door open, "Oh, you look great! Hungry?"
She nodded enthusiastically. She took a seat at one end of the large table and waited patiently for him to finish whatever he was working on. "I'm sorry, provisions are a bit low. I should stock up tomorrow," he explained as he set a plate down in front of her.
It was fairly simple, just a sandwich and a few chips. She shrugged, he clearly had not expected company tonight. Or to even come to the cabin at all, otherwise he would've stocked up on supplies. She bit down into the sandwich, just grateful to have something to eat while he went back over to the counters.
She ate quickly, not bothering to pretend she had any table manners. She was starving and she hadn't eaten real food in five years. She saw him walk back over to her out of the corner of her eye. He set a glass of wine down in front of her and took a seat next to her with a glass of wine for himself in his hands.
"The one thing I do have is plenty of wine. You are 21, right?" he snorted as he took a sip. She nodded and did the same, trying hard not to gulp down the entire glass. She had forgotten how good wine tasted. "So, tell me what's going on, maybe there's something else I can do to help alongside giving you a place to stay and feeding you."
She chewed a large piece of the sandwich slowly before swallowing the entire mass. She noticed his eye twitch slightly, but he didn't comment. She let out a sigh, picking up the glass of wine and taking another sip, before saying, "I can't tell you."
He raised an eyebrow, "Why not?"
She shook her head, she didn't want to drag anyone else down with her. "It's classified," she said. The military wanted to lock her up because she knew classified information, she was a leak, and telling Mike would only get him locked up too.
"Whatever you say, my dear," he eventually shrugged, draining the entire glass, and leaning back in his chair. He watched her finish the rest of the sandwich and drink the rest of the wine. She didn't touch the few chips on the plate.
She opened her mouth to say something, but put a hand against her head instead. She blinked rapidly a few times, before shaking her head softly. "Is something wrong?" he asked, though his voice lacked the concern she would've expected from him.
Black spots descended over her vision as she nearly fell from her chair. She shook her head again, trying to fight off the oncoming darkness, but only succeeded in buying a few second. "I'm not sure… I feel-" she tried to say, but her tongue felt like lead in her mouth.
"Tired?" Mike said, smirk starting to form on his face. She managed to give him a confused look before slumping over in her chair, eyes desperately trying to stay open. "I know. That's what the drug is supposed to do."
He leaned over to her, grasping her chin, and said, "You have such beautiful eyes, violet is such a rare color, I just had to make you mine." He chuckled when she shook her head rapidly and mumbled something incomprehensible as she tried to get away from him. She only succeeded in falling out of her chair and landing on the floor, before going completely numb.
I told him my name and he told me his. It wasn't like I trusted him, but I had no other options available to me. Besides, he seemed to give me hope. Hope for the future, hope for purpose, hope for revenge. There seemed to be few downsides…
The man shook his head in disappointment. This one went down much easier than the last one. He let out a sigh, too bad I didn't find out about that classified information. It might've been useful. He shrugged to himself, it didn't seem to matter. She was down, and now she was his.
But he wondered if it was worth killing this one when he was done with her. If she had classified information, then she was probably worth a lot to a lot of different powerful people. He thought for a moment and decided that she was worth a pretty penny, thus he would keep her alive. And when he was done with her… he would sell her to the highest bidder.
He snickered to himself and approached her prone form. He would admit that the red dress did look wonderful on her, even if it was slightly too big for her. He shook his head, it didn't matter. The dress wouldn't be remaining on her much longer.
He bent down to pick her up before startling when she twitched violently. He narrowed his eyes, she should be completely paralyzed, she shouldn't be able to move at all. His eyes widened when hers snapped open and then narrowed when they regarded him. Shit, how did the drug not work? he backed away from her, but she didn't get up off the ground.
He let out a sigh of relief, she was still paralyzed, even if she was awake. He would have several choice words to give his dealer the moment he was done with her. This might turn out to be more fun, however, he grinned. Maybe it would be better for her to be awake during this.
He approached her again, chuckling as he did, no longer worried about her retribution. She could do nothing. Or so he thought. He didn't notice it at first, as his heart was beating too quickly from panic, but his chest was starting to feel tight. When he went to pick her off the ground, instead of bending over like he wanted, he collapsed to the ground.
He coughed loudly, covering his mouth with his hands, hitting the ground on his knees. He looked at his hands, his vision fading in and out, and saw the blood that covered them. He barely had time to question what had happened before he began coughing uncontrollably, hacking up blood as he did.
"What's happening?" he wondered aloud as his chest tightened further, blood pouring from his mouth. He looked over at Mary to see her staring intensely at him. It didn't take long for him to put two and two together as he felt something give within him. He gasped loudly as his lungs burst from the pressure. He managed to squeak, "What are you doing?" before he could speak no more.
He felt his feet leave the ground as he began to levitate in the air, though he was too busy trying to catch his breath that he was unable to truly grasp his current situation. He gripped his shirt, tearing it from his body, revealing that his chest was caving inwards. Oh shit… was his last thought as his entire midsection was crushed like an insect, blood raining down from the breaks in his skin from the pressure.
I could barely grasp the power that flowed through me. He taught me what it meant to be such a being, he taught me how to use this gift, he taught me things the monster that made me could never achieve. I was different, even among those of my kind. I had power that no one else had, and I loved it.
Her eyes opened slowly. She pushed herself off the ground and immediately noticed the blood everywhere. Her eyes opened wide when she saw the crushed corpse of Mike… she shook her head, that probably wasn't his real name. He drugged me… so how did he die? the thought echoed within her, but was quickly replaced by a different one. And she wasn't sure what to feel about this one.
I'm a murderer
XXX
"Right… well, I'm Dr. Alan Grant," he said, stepping closer to the woman that had frozen by the door. They had stood there, staring at each other for several minutes before he had broken the silence. He carefully held out his right hand for her to shake.
She stretched out her arm and returned the handshake before the appendage immediately dropped to her side. "Dr. Samantha Bell, you can stop staring at my arm now," she said, smirking slightly. She walked away from the door and towards the open window, lab coat fluttering slightly behind her.
"I'm sorry, it's just that you don't see a one-armed woman every day," Grant smirked and approached the window as well. They both looked down to see Owen stepping out of the doorway and walking towards the dropped resonating chamber. Blue had disappeared from sight. "How did it happen?"
"Accident," she hissed, leaning against the wall next to the window. Dr. Grant didn't need to know about the King incident, nor the other Indominus. "What's he doing in the paddock?" she asked casually.
"Being an idiot," Grant sighed, watching Owen pick up the resonating chamber and stuff it into his pocket.
Sam let out a laugh, "Yeah, that sounds about right. So, how do you know our resident Raptor tamer?" A smirk started to rise on Sam's face when she spotted Blue in the heavy brush, slowly stalking her way towards Owen.
"More like Raptor breeder," Dr. Grant snorted as they watched Blue tackle Owen, slamming into his back, and drag him down onto the ground. "His parents worked with me at a dig site some twenty years ago."
BLUE!
Sam burst out laughing again as Blue seemed to let Owen go, but pounced on him again before he could army crawl more than a foot away from her. They watched her grab his shoulder with her claws and flip him over so he was on his back. "Are you going to help him?" he asked as Owen struggled to fight Blue off, only to nearly lose his hands to her sharp teeth.
"Nah, he's fine," she waved away Owen's current predicament. She grabbed the window and began dragging it back into place, latching it shut as she did. Dr. Grant let out a sigh of relief, although the Indominus was nowhere in sight it still unnerved him to have the window open.
SAM!
She completely ignored Owen's voice, instead walking over to his desk. She sat down behind it, Grant taking the seat across from her. "I'm just going to wait until that whole fiasco is over with, then I'll get what I came for," she explained.
Grant had half a mind to tell her to go help Owen, but didn't say anything else on the matter. If she was confident he could handle himself, then Grant had no right to force her to do anything. Besides, he doubted Blue would hurt Owen anyways. "So why are you here?" he asked, leaning back in his chair.
She rolled her eyes, "I'm here to take blood samples of the three Indominus hatchlings." She wondered if the order to extract the samples was supposed to be confidential, but shrugged it off. If it was, Masrani would've said so.
"So, are you their caretaker? Their vet?" Grant asked, leaning forward, and placing his hands on his desk, suddenly more interested in Sam. He had a few questions about the Indominus that she might be able to answer.
She noticed his rapid change in demeanor and said, "I'm a geneticist, but I'm the only one they allow to do anything to." She watched the grimace grace Grant's face and narrowed her eyes. So, he doesn't like geneticists, she concluded.
"Geneticist, huh? Would you happen to know who replaced Dr. Wu?" he asked, leaning away from her again. It was silent in the room, except for Owen's yelling from the paddock.
"That would be me," she hissed, scowl firmly in place.
One of his eyebrows rose, but didn't question why they let a one-armed woman run the labs. He didn't care who it was, just that he got to speak to him/her. "I have a few questions about the Indominus. Oh, what was her name…" he fumbled, but Sam answered before he could come up with the correct answer.
"Saber," she hissed.
"Yes, Saber," he said, nodding to himself as if reassuring himself that he knew it all along. "I would just like to be informed of how she became pregnant."
"I don't know," Sam admitted. It was only the partial truth, she knew that Saber had been artificially inseminated by Dr. Wu, but she had no idea when Wu had prepared the embryo to be injected into her.
Dr. Grant shook his head, "You have to at least have theories. And of those theories, Dr. Wu should come to mind."
"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sam ground her teeth together. Saber had been very clear that only Owen and her were to know about Wu, and she didn't want to lose the trust she had built with Saber. Not while her hatchlings were still young and she could dictate who got to take care of them.
Dr. Grant snorted, "I'm sure. As Wu's replacement, he didn't tell you anything?"
"Need I remind you that Wu is in prison?" she growled before growing somber. "And if he had told me anything, I might have been charged as an accomplice."
"And you weren't an accomplice?" he asked. She only snarled at him, causing him to narrow his eyes at her. "Could you perhaps enlighten me on what the Indominus… ah, Saber, is made of?"
"I'm afraid I'm not privy to that information," she said immediately. She still wasn't sure exactly what Saber was made of, it looked like Wu was taking that secret to the grave.
Grant let out a sigh, he could feel the sincerity in that last statement. She wasn't lying. "Very well then," he said, standing from his seat. She stood with him, glaring at him all the while. "I certainly hope you don't make the same mistakes your predecessor did."
Sam saw red and slammed her fist into the desk, creating a loud bang! Dr. Grant raised an eyebrow when he saw the large dent she left behind and stored the information away for a later use. "Don't speak about him like that! Without Wu, this park wouldn't even exist!" she snarled, her Raptor hiss showing through her voice.
It had been a long time since she had let her inner Raptor speak for her, and Grant seemed startled by it. He took a step backwards, recognizing the signs of an aggressive animal, but contained his shock. He had stared down T-Rexes, one girl, though admittedly frighteningly tall, still had nothing on Rexy. Though he was unnerved by the slightest hint of Raptor in her voice, and her bared teeth in a soundless snarl.
"And what a shame that would be," he said, remaining calm. She growled at him, lowering herself slightly. She was losing it, but she wasn't sure if she cared. How dare he speak about Wu like that! How dare he imply Jurassic World should never have existed! her inner Raptor screamed at her. But before she had the chance to pounce on him, the door to the paddock opened and Owen stumbled in, claw marks across his body and shirt torn.
"I've missed something, haven't I?"
XXX
Owen poked his head out into the paddock, checking for Blue. He was confident she wouldn't try anything, but just wanted to be sure. Saber wasn't here to back him up. Blue was nowhere to be found, she must've ran off, he reasoned.
He took a confident step into the paddock, leaving the door open. If something did happen, he wanted to get out as quickly as possible. Besides there were two doors, one that lead up into the viewing room and the other that opened into the paddock, the upper door was still shut. Even if Blue ignored him and tried to go into the viewing room, she wouldn't be able to open the door. Though Raptors could open doors with handles, they couldn't grip knobs very well.
Owen made his way over to the space underneath the window, knowing the resonating chamber had to have landed somewhere near there. Although the resonating chamber was useless to him, as he could speak Raptor fluently without it, it was a gift. And it probably wasn't easy to make either.
Ferns and shrubbery were scattered around the space beneath the viewing window, hiding the resonating chamber from him. He was forced to kneel and shift through the ferns, but it didn't take him long to reveal the white of the chamber. He picked it up and smirked to himself before shoving it in his pocket.
He chuckled to himself as he made his way back to the door, Dr. Grant was worried about nothing. Blue was just joking around, she was gone. He made it to the door, but was unable to step onto the staircase that lead up to the viewing room, for a blue blur slammed into his back, knocking him down.
He hit the ground, stunned, and slid a few feet away from the door from the momentum Blue had hit him with. He could feel her weight on his back. It only took him a few seconds to realize what had happened. "BLUE!" he cried out, partially in surprise, partially in anger. Maybe coming into the paddock was a mistake.
"Stop struggling," Blue hissed at him. He refused to follow her commands, he was the alpha, not her. He thrashed and struggled as best he could, with little success. Until he managed to elbow her in the face. Her head snapped back and she fell off of him, allowing him to try and flee.
He only managed to get a few feet towards the door before Blue launched herself at him again. He felt air being forced from his lungs as she landed on him, sharp talons poking into his back, though they didn't break the skin. But her weight didn't stay on him this time, he felt her latch onto his shoulder with her claws and turn him over so that he was on his back.
Now that his face was no longer being pressed into the dirt, he could see the viewing room window. He could see the two faces watching his struggle with Blue, Dr. Grant and Sam. Sam, he realized, trying to punch Blue in the face, only for her to snap at his fingers, nearly taking his entire hand with her.
If Sam was in the viewing room, then she could come and help him. Why wasn't she helping him? She was just watching with a smirk on her face. "SAM!" he cried out, hoping to get her to realize that he was in actual danger, that this was not a drill. But she only chuckled and shut the window.
His mouth hung agape as he watched Dr. Grant and Sam walk deeper into the observation room, no longer paying him any attention. Blue realized that they were no longer being watched too, though she could only think, good, no prying eyes. She growled at him when he tried to scoot away from her, but he returned her glare and snarled, "Stand down, Blue. I am your alpha."
"No," she hissed simply. Her sharp claws tore at his shirt, though she was careful not to break his skin. Still, her talons nicked him in a few places, drawing blood. She didn't bother apologizing. If he would just surrender, then there would be no blood.
He knew he was running out of options. She wasn't listening to his authority, but maybe she would listen to Saber's. With that thought, he sucked in a deep breath and yelled out, "SABER!" as loud as he could.
Her response echoed through the paddock, but she didn't come marching for him. Owen gulped slightly, but he hoped just reminding Blue that Saber was on his side would be enough to make her back off. It wasn't, however, as she redoubled her efforts in clawing at his shirt. "Saber, Saber, always running to her to back you up. What's the matter, alpha? Do you not trust your own authority?" she hissed at him, claws cutting deep into his skin in her anger. "I want Alpha," she growled.
"I am alpha," he growled, flinching as her talons cut deep.
"Not you, Alpha Alpha, the Red One," she growled, pressing into him harder. Owen's eyes narrowed as Blue placed her face directly in his as she hissed at him. He couldn't risk hitting her, not while her claws were snagged in his skin.
But he wouldn't just give up. "I am the alpha!" he growled, pushing up against her as best he could. She bared her teeth at him, gripping him harder with her talons, but he returned the gesture as his eyes flashed red. Omega had come to the rescue.
His struggling finally netting him something as he shoved her off of him. She squealed in surprise as she hit the ground, but was unable to right herself as Owen pinned her by her neck. "I win," he hissed, Omega's voice echoing his in Blue's language.
"You aren't the Red One," she hissed in surprise. She had not expected the Blue One to come to Owen's assistance. Though, now that she thought about it, she wasn't sure what she expected to happen.
"No," Owen growled in return. Blue struggled, just like he did, and tried to free herself, but only succeeded in making his grip tighter. "Stop struggling, you'll only make this worse."
"Let me up!" she cried out, lashing out at him with her arms, hoping to force him to let go of her. She coughed and saw stars when he gripped harder. But she did not cease her defiance, shaking her entire body, hoping to throw him off.
"No," he sighed. He had no idea what had come over her. One moment, she was moping around, completely depressed, the next she was launching herself at him like some sort of starved madman. "What's wrong with you?"
She halted her struggling. "What's wrong with me? What's wrong with you?" she growled accusingly. He raised an eyebrow, not sure what she meant. He gave her a glare that enticed her to elaborate, though she didn't reveal much. "You said you were alpha, you are not acting like alpha."
His eyes narrowed, "What does that mean?" he hissed.
"Alphas are supposed to take care of their pack, you've been neglecting to do so. Do you want me to suffer? Do you enjoy my suffering?" she snarled. His eyes widened from the revelation and he let go of her throat.
He stood and took several steps backwards in shock. Have I been a bad alpha, he wondered as Blue stood as well. "Of course I don't like seeing you suffer…" he said, Omega's voice fading from his own.
"Then why have you just stared at me as I wallowed in my self-derogation? Why haven't you helped the pack recover its numbers? It isn't a pack with just the two of us," she hissed.
"What do you expect from me?"
"I want, no, I need a mate, and you're the only option. So, bring out Red Alpha!" she demanded, narrowing her eyes at him again.
Owen could only sigh, "I can't do that." He cringed as a devastated look passed across her features, before it was replaced by her righteous fury.
"Then you are not my alpha," she snarled.
"Now hold on a moment…"
"No! If you will not act like an alpha, then I will not treat you like an alpha. Get out of my sight," she hissed. He reared back in surprise, he hadn't expected that reaction.
"Blue…" he tried to reach out to touch her, but she stepped away from him. She didn't even regard him as she bolted from him, rushing into the brush, and disappearing from his view. "Well shit…" he sighed. He had just made Blue's situation worse.
He made his way back to the viewing room, no longer worried about Blue jumping him from behind. He had just lost his authority, but that wasn't what upset him the most. He had just lost his last pack member.
He made his way up the stairs and into the observation room to see both Sam and Dr. Grant standing, glaring at each other. He noticed Sam's fist pressed into a dip in his desk. A dip that he didn't remember being there. "I've missed something, haven't I?" he broke the silence.
XXX
She was cold, so cold, and lost to the world. So lost, that she didn't even notice that his touch had left her. The feeling of being dropped back into the world was sickening to her as awareness flooded her eyes. The moment she escaped the void, she realized where she was and what had happened.
The agony on the battlefield crashed into her as she reconnected with the dying souls around her. Whatever had happened to her, she had been completely cut off from her powers. The immense suffering that hit her all at once forced her to her knees as she let out a loud wail. The soldiers turned to look at her, but they didn't bother trying to see what had happened.
The red-eyed soldier walked over to the man in the black suit, who could only glare at him. The soldier grabbed his black camo jacket and slipped it over himself, though he did not zip it up. The man in the black suit tried to push himself off the ground, but found that one of his arms had been dislocated and the other completely paralyzed.
The soldier walked over to him and watched him struggle to get up. Rolling his red eyes, he grabbed the man's dislocated arm and gripped it tight. "Hey… what are you-" the man tried to say, but was cut off when the soldier popped the appendage back into place. The man grunted in surprise from the motion, but found that the arm had been properly reset.
He stared in confusion as the soldier gripped his paralyzed arm next and held it straight. "Paralytic touch is a nasty ability, don't you think? You can't feel a single thing, can you?" the soldier chuckled as the man realized that he could indeed not feel even the soldier's tight grasp on his arm.
The soldier hit the man's arm in a few places in rapid succession, before twisting the appendage in both directions, popping sounds arising from the action. He then pulled the arm, starting at the elbow, then the wrist, then grasping and pulling the man's fingers, popping and cracking following these actions.
The man freed his arm from the soldier's grip and waved it around, finding that he could move his arm just fine again. In fact, it felt better than it ever had before. Though he couldn't say the same thing about his other arm, which still ached from being reset. "Thanks, I guess," the man said, but was interrupted when the soldier gripped one of his lower ribs.
"Penalty," the soldier explained when he saw the man's questioning gaze. There was a loud snap as the soldier broke one of the man's lower ribs. The man's entire body heaved from the pain as the red-eyed soldier walked away.
The soldier walked back over to Ila, bored expression on his face, "Do you understand now? Or should I take it from you again?" Ila's breaths came slowly as she glared at him, hatred welling in her eyes.
"What are you?" she hissed. A frightening grin spread across his face as his jaws parted, revealing slightly sharpened teeth, as if he had a maw full of fangs. A deep chuckle rose from his mouth as Ila took a step back from the madman.
"Nothing, nobody, no one. Like you… though broken," he explained, holding up a single finger. "Though, I have made you experience exactly what sort of torment is contained within me. The fact that question remains on your mind means you do not understand. Shall I send you back to the void?"
She shook her head rapidly. She was still nauseous from returning from whatever nightmare realm he had sent her to, with a mere touch. She didn't ever want to go back. "Excellent. In that case, let's move out!" he roared, catching the soldiers' attentions.
They pulled the man in the black suit off the ground and gathered around the red-eyed soldier. "Miss King and I are going to take the lead," he explained. "You, you, and you will all keep to the back with him," he pointed to the three nearest soldiers. "The rest of you, stay close." And with that, he set out, Ila on his tail.
She didn't dare question his orders, she just knew that he wanted her next to him. She knew that he needed to be close to her in case she tried to use her powers to escape. "Do we really need the witch?" one of the soldiers asked, pointing at Ila, who had caught up to the red-eyed soldier.
He froze, but did not turn around. Ila stopped next to him and noticed his hands curling into fists. "Is that a challenge?" he pondered aloud.
The soldier's reaction was immediate. He shook his head rapidly and said, "No, sir," as fast as he could. He breathed a sigh of relief when the red-eyed soldier nodded his head and set off again, Ila by his side. The soldiers followed behind him, with the man in the black suit and his three guards bringing up the back.
The trek through the jungle was largely uneventful, Ila kept any and all dinosaurs from approaching the group of thirteen. Not that it would've mattered, the soldiers were armed to the teeth and would be able to deal with anything the island had to throw at them. And then there was the red-eyed soldier, who had the strength to bring down a T-Rex on his own, he was a force to be feared, even among battle-hardened soldiers.
The man and his guards lagged slightly behind the rest of the soldiers. The man in the black suit gripped his chest where his broken rib was. It didn't hurt to walk, but it protested when he tried to stand up straight, forcing him to walk bent over, slowing him down. He turned to look at the three soldiers around him, deciding saying something was better than nothing. "So… why do you all work for that asshole?" he asked carefully, though he doubted the soldiers would respond to him.
"We don't," the soldier next to him grunted, to his surprise. The other two nodded in confirmation.
"Then why follow his orders?" the man questioned.
"You don't understand. There's nothing we can do about it, it's either follow his orders or die," the same soldier explained.
"Do you really think he'll kill you?"
One of the other soldiers whirled around, halting as he did, bringing the others to a stop as well. "You still don't get it? There were fifteen of us when we landed," the soldier growled.
"He killed five of you?"
The soldier shook his head, "There were hundreds of us at the compound in the USA… he slaughtered all but fifteen of us. Then, when we landed, some of us tried a coup, but he killed them too."
"How is that possible? You can't just shoot him to death? He has his back to you," the man in the black suit asked, confused.
The soldiers only shook their heads, "We don't understand either. He just… ignores the bullet wounds. That red on his shirt, that's his blood, not someone else's." A shiver passed through the man in the black suit.
"Move!" the command came from the front, no doubt from the red-eyed soldier himself. The soldiers and the man in the black suit started moving again.
The man in the black suit wasn't entirely surprised by the notion of ignoring one's wounds. King had a companion that couldn't feel pain, in fact, his skin was so tough that lower caliber weapons couldn't even pierce it. Though it didn't look as if the red-eyed soldier had a tough outer shell like the tall Native American had.
"What is he going to do to us?" the man asked the soldiers. He was more worried about Ila than himself, he would do anything to save her.
"We don't know. All we know is that we're headed towards the old InGen compound," one of the soldiers explained. "Look, we aren't any happier about your situation than you are. We're just as much prisoners as you and Miss King."
"Then let's escape!" the man hissed as loudly as he dared. The three soldiers all gave him the same look, are you insane? But the man only said, "If we hit him all at once, we can take him down."
The soldiers shared a look, before one of them said, "That's not going to work. It won't matter if there's ten of us or a hundred, he won't go down that easily."
"There's got to be something we can do," the man said. There had to be some way to save Ila.
"What's your name?" one of the soldiers asked.
"Cooper, James Cooper," the man in the black suit responded.
"Reggie, Chris, John," one of the soldiers said, pointing to his companions first and himself last. "I think it would be best if we bide out time."
"Bide our time? How long will it be until he starts killing us one by one?" the man in the black suit asked cynically. It only made sense. The red-eyed soldier had taken more troops than he needed in case he had to kill a few to maintain loyalty among them. And James was just an extra package, whatever the soldier wanted, it had to do with Ila and not him.
"I know he's a bit volatile, but T5721-" John was cut off before he could finish his thought.
"T5721?" James asked, confused as to why John had referred to the red-eyed soldier by the tattoo on the back of his neck.
"It's a serial number, that's all we know. And it's the only thing he gave us to refer to him as," Chris shrugged. James nodded in understanding while John shot his companion a glare.
"As I was saying, T5721 is a bit volatile, but he's not going to harm Miss King, or any of us as long as we cooperate. The best time to betray him will be when he gets what he wants," John finished.
James raised an eyebrow as he pushed through the heavy brush, the tall buildings of the InGen compound now visible in the distance. "What is it that he wants?" he asked carefully.
"Hell if we know," Reggie growled as he nearly tripped over a large root.
"All we know is that he needs Miss King for something," Chris explained.
"And whatever it is that he's hunting… it isn't here," John finished.
"So, then, where is it? Surely you must know something?" James asked as he batted a large fern out of his face. They were coming up to the compound gate, which was open wide. He and Ila had been staying in one of the buildings, Ila's powers keeping the dinosaurs out, so they never felt the need to shut the gate.
John sighed, "All we know is that whatever it is, is at Jurassic World."
XXX
There we go, another chapter down. Mary had herself in a spot of trouble, but her dormant power activates to save her once again. Dr. Grant and Sam have a chat, though it doesn't look like they like each other that much, do they? Probably has something to do with Grant's experience with the original Jurassic Park. Owen managed to fight Blue off, though not without damaging his relationship with her. Oh dear… that's not going to be easy to fix. Though… I could think of some 'M' rated things that might work, heh. And Ila has gotten herself captured, along with the man in the black suit, who has finally gotten his name revealed! James Cooper, yet another random name from the random name generator. Though what T5721 plans to do is still unknown, we can assume phase one, capture Miss King, is complete. Stay tuned to see what happens next!
