DISCLAIMER: I only own Annie, Jenna, Oliver, and anything else you don't recognize. Everything else belongs to Jurassic World and Universal.

{annie}

"We have our first genetically modified dinosaur."

When they told us we were being granted special access to the lab, we were excited. When they told us they were going to share a secret with us that we weren't allowed to share with anyone else, we were nervous. When they told us they engineered a new breed of dinosaur to be bigger, badder, and much more dangerous than any other dinosaur, we were split half and half. Half were ecstatic and half were scared straight.

Jenna and Oliver were like two little kids who'd just been told they were going to Disney World.

I was in a third category. Not excited. Not scared. Skeptical.

Someone asked when it would be ready for unveiling.

They said she already was.

That was yesterday.

I might even be a little more skeptical today.

"You see my problem with this, don't you?!" I've been rambling to Lowery for almost an hour now. I got to the control center just in time to meet up with him as he was coming back from lunch. People are still trickling in, so I don't feel like I was disrupting anybody. "I mean, they just decided to create a new dinosaur?! Why?! It's got god knows what kind of DNA inside it! For all we know, it could spontaneously sprout wings or start speaking fluent German!"

"I highly doubt that," Lowery mumbles, but I ignore him.

"How are they even going to present this thing?! What the fuck is it even called?! How do they know it's done growing?! What if it gets to be as big as motherfucking Godzilla?!"

"Hey!" Lowery cuts me off before I can go on. "Quit swearing! I don't know if it's escaped your notice, but this is a professional workspace."

I cock my right eyebrow. "Professional?" I gesture at the parade of plastic dinosaurs that sit on the top of his console. "Really?"

Lowery's face falls, his mustache turns downward into a frown. "Shut up," he mutters as he pushes his glasses up on his nose then turns around. "Just cause you go to an expensive school and take smart people classes doesn't make you the queen of the world."

"Wow," I nod. "Someone's moody today. Let me guess," I laugh lightly. "No toy in your cereal box?"

"It's a decoder ring and it's a collectible," he corrects me. "There are only like 50 in the whole world."

I fold my arms across the my chest. "A collectible for what?"

"Minions," Lowery mutters.

My gut hurts from laughing so hard. He grabs his Jurassic World soda and sips it loudly.

This man, ladies and gentleman, stands between you and being digested by a dinosaur.

What a hero.

Lowery sighs. "What are you even doing here Annie? Aren't you supposed to be with the rest of the college kids?"

"Not until 2," I point out. "They said we could do anything we wanted in the morning, but we're meeting at the Mosasaurus sea world show thing at 2."

Lowery checks his watch. "It's 1:30."

"I can run."

He rolls his eyes, but then he looks past me and his eyebrows raise. "My boss is coming. Make yourself scarce."

I follow his eyes and spot the redhead through the window in the door. We met her our first day. She's basically second in command here so she gave us a special welcome speech at orientation. She's power walking her way down the hall in what I've already established are her trademark Stilletos, cradling her phone in one hand and a coffee in the other.

As I sink back into a corner and turn my back, the walkie talkie feed crackles and a guy on the other side says:

"Those two juvenile triceratops are goin at it again. Shoulder I tranq 'em or are you comin over to take care of them?"

"Yeah, go ahead and tranq 'em," another guy replies.

"Uhh," the first guys says again. "They're running."

I don't get to hear the rest of that because I'm too busy pretending to converse with another worker. His headphones are plugged in and I can hear his music from here. I doubt he'll notice me for awhile, or maybe even at all.

The door slides open and Claire Dearing's heels click across the floor.

"What's the live count?" she asks with a slight sigh.

"22,216," Lowery's desk buddy, Vivian Krill, announces. From what I've noticed, she's a worker bee. Lowery likes to flirt with her, but I don't think she realizes it. She seems really naive and innocent. Funny combination for a person working at a dinosaur zoo.

"Any incidents?" Claire continues.

"Yeah," Lowery speaks up. "Six kids in the lost and found, uh...28 down with heat stroke, some-"

Claire cuts him off. "Where did you get that?"

"Oh this?" My back is still turned, but I know they're talking about Lowery's shirt. He and I kind of geeked out about it when I first saw him today. "I got it on Ebay," he says proudly. "Yeah, it's pretty amazing. I got it for $150, but the mint condition one goes for $300 even-"

"Did it occur to you maybe that's in poor taste?"

Damn Claire.

"The shirt?" Lowery's a little taken aback. "Yeah. No, yeah it did. I understand people died. It was terrible, but...that first park was legit. You know, I have a lot of respect for it. They didn't need these genetic hybrids."

Claire groans.

"They just need dinosaurs," Lowery continues, ignoring her. "Real dinosaurs. That's kind of enough."

"Okay," Claire interupts again. "Please don't wear it again."

"Yeah," Lowery mumbles. "Wasn't gonna."

I snicker quietly. I don't think anyone's noticed me yet. Maybe I'm in the clear.

"Did you close the deal?" Vivian asks sweetly.

"Looks like it," Claire sighs. "Verizon Wireless presents the Indominus Rex."

That's the name? It's...umm...really stupid.

Lowery groans loudly. "That is so terrible. Why not just go the distance Claire and let these corporations name the dinosaurs. They've got all the ballparks. Why stop there?"

"Why are the west plains closed?"

I glance over my right shoulder to see what Claire's pointing at. There's a section of dark red on the map of the island on the big screen that covers the entire wall.

"Another packy roaming outside his zone," Vivian says. "But he's fully sedated and ready for relocation."

"Pepsi-saurus," Lowery mumbles. "Tostito-don"

I roll my eyes. His mind's drifted, thinking about the corporation's dinosaurs names. But, I gotta admit, they do sound more fun than Indominus Rex.

"Security said the invisible fences were a no fail," Claire grumbles angrily. "That is the second time this month."

"Well..." Vivian adds. "The packies short out their implants when they butt heads."

"How much longer until they get it out of there?"

I don't think today is Claire's day. Something's got her on edge. The room's been pretty tense since she walked in. I wonder what happened.

"He just got five milligrams of carfentanil," Vivian laughs lightly.

"Yes, he's very stoned," Lowery adds. "So why don't we show a little sympathy. I mean, you do understand these are actual animals, right?"

No Lowery. I don't think she does.

"Clean up your work space," a hint of disgust in Claire's voice. "It's...chaotic."

I look back just as Lowery reaches up to grab his toy dinos.

"I like to think of it as a 'living system,'" Lowery corrects her. "Just enough stability to keep it from collapsing into anarchy."

Claire subtly pushes the trash can over with her foot, just in time for Lowery's elbow to knock over his drink, but because of Claire, it tumbles into the trash can.

I walk over to him as he picks it up pitifully and we watch Claire click her way back down the hall.

"I like her," I say simply.

"You're one of few," Lowery chuckles then looks up at me. "What the fuck are you still doing here?! It's almost a quarter til! Go!" He pushes me in the side and I stick my tongue out at him.

"I'm going. I'm going," I call over my shoulder as the door slides closed behind me then I'm gone.

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