Chapter 13, finally ready after a slight delay. I guess the take away for me is that I better start writing faster, the weeks are going by way too quickly. Anyway, no worries on your part, updates will be up as soon as I get the docs done and edited to the point I don't feel embarrassed about the grammar! Silly grammar rules... hopefully there aren't any huge ones that keep you from enjoying the continued overactive imagination.
Enjoy chapter 13! Hopefully it won't be an unlucky one for our heroes...
The small little bungalow looked exactly the same as it had the last time Claire had pulled up at the homestead. The drive was a short distance from the compound, and would have been an enjoyable commute to work on a daily basis, she mused. The tall trees and lush greens along the road made it feel quite private and serene.
Would I have thought the same a few weeks ago? She wondered as she once again came face-to-face with her own materialistic and power driven perspectives while driving through a lush paradise. She certainly had never ventured into the wilds of the island in her several years as park manager.
The last time she had pulled up to the half-metal, half wooden bungalow, she had questioned how someone could live this far away from others. Now she realized and saw the location's potential - it fit him so well. Moreover, in a way she felt it could fit her too.
Nothing like going back to my tomboy roots. The reserved smile that graced her lips told of an excitement in her new path in life.
Her internal contemplation came to a halt when the pair pulled up closer to the porch steps and makeshift garage space. With the climate making it so that it hardly rained – at least during the majority of the year- Owen had never really invested in a shed to cover the bikes he was working on at any given moment. Presently, two bodies of bikes sat in different states of repair.
Looking around the area, she noticed another was leaning against the side of the house and off in the distance, a cozy looking dock with a chair silently waited for their owner to return. Unlike her apartment, it felt like the surroundings were alive and needed someone there. As the four-wheeler came to a stop, Claire waited for Owen to make the first move getting off the machine.
"You don't have anything too embarrassing in your place?" She nudged him playfully, understanding that he might not want her to see the inside of the house. "Let me guess, a closet full of porn, possibly a mountain of dirty laundry up to the ceiling?"
"It's not that," He replied turning his torso to better see her. "Something just feels off."
"That doesn't bode well for us." She stopped her playful banter and made a move to get her gun from its place on her belt. Her eyes were taking in her surroundings more carefully now.
"It could just be me feeling weird being back after all that has happened." He tried to shrug off the feeling, but couldn't. As he got off the vehicle, he went for his gun - better to look like an idiot and be wrong, then not be ready for whatever was watching them.
Claire followed Owen as he got off the runner and cautiously walked up the front steps of the porch and closer to the entrance of his home.
As he opened the door, he felt a rush of fresh air that he was not expecting. Thinking back to the day Claire came to get him, he could have sworn he had locked the back patio door and all the windows. Looking in the main living room, he took stock on all his possessions still being where he had left them.
The large, worn couch still had his dirty shirt hanging on the arm, the kitchen and lab table remained in pristine order - the only place in his whole house that would get that level of clean. Taking a few steps into the living room, he went straight to the large window that connected the backside porch to the main house structure. The dingy curtains moved slightly in the breeze. A crunch of glass under his feet stopped him in his tracks.
Claire's eyes roamed the interior of the small, but cozy feeling home. The walls held photos of Owen and his many friends, often times in a bar setting or around motorcycles. To her surprise, a few distinguished looking diplomas and certificates - perfectly framed- hung for all to see. While she knew he wasn't a dumb person, she would never have quested that her Owen was a learned man.
The house continued to show her the different sides of the man before her. From what she could see, which was only the living room and hall that presumably led to the bed and bathrooms, the small abode was slightly messy, but exuded a warmth. Turning to the kitchen and a large wooden table, she saw a level of tidiness that impressed her. On the table sat several beakers and vials in stands. It almost looked like a mini-Chemistry set.
It was then that Claire noticed Owen bending over slowly near the large patio window. While it looked like it was left open, the thin curtain blowing in the wind, his actions told her something else was afoot.
"Owen?" She began focusing on his crouching frame before a movement caught her eye outside the window. "Owen!"
The tone of her voice snapped him from looking at the remains of his patio window at his feet. His head snapped up when he felt the vibrations of something large walking on his back porch.
"Blue..." He whispered, not wanting to make any sudden movements that would spook the dinosaur. Him being in a squatting position was not a good place and slowly he stood up as the lone raptor took a step forward and into the house.
"Don't shoot Claire," He instructed as his beta sniffed the air, trying to figure out if the two humans were friends or lunch.
"Hey, there Blue." His voice was again, very low and non-threatening. "You know who I am. We're not a threat… just coming back to find you is all."
Claire felt her heart stop and start again as the massive dino slowly approached her now standing trainer. His hand reached out, allowing the dinosaur to sniff him… or take off his arm in a clean bite, much like Hoskins had fared.
"That's a girl. You remember me." His tone seemed to be relaxed even this close to danger; it calmed her as well to a point. Her gun lowered slightly, but her finger remained on the trigger, just in case.
"Come on girl, everything is going to be all right." While he continued to coax the beast, Claire couldn't help but wonder how this was all going to end. There was no I-Rex to distract the raptor, or a cage to contain her. Owen had told her of his first face-to-face experience in the pen with his quad of girls.
Please don't eat us. Claire breathed, trying not to make a move or a sound. All she could do was watch as Blue seemed to recall who Owen was and so far, had not eaten him. It was a good sign, she hoped as she closed her eyes and returned to praying for not becoming a dino snack.
"That's my girl." The tone was a happy one, and Claire opened her eyes to see Owen's hand on the raptor, stroking her well-defined cheek, along her nose and back towards her eye. "You were out there for a whole week looking for me?" His smile and playful tone made Claire relax more. "And broke into my place looking for me, maybe?" The raptor gave off a strange chirp-like sound to his question. "Aw, that's sweet of you Blue."
Owen looked back and met Claire's still slightly concerned eyes. he had to be confident in the dino not being a threat, since this was the first time he took his eyes off the prehistoric predator.
Claire's line of sight returned to the large dinosaur behind Owen... Blue began to sniff the air once again, now turning her interest to the other human in the room.
Please don't eat me. Claire changed her mantra, as she noticed Owen motioning for her to approach and Blue's attention on her.
"Claire, come over here... slowly. I think it might be good for her to at least smell you."
"I'd rather not," she began with hesitancy in her voice, "I'm not exactly an animal person."
"How do you know until you try?" He asked again holding out his hand for her to take and be brave.
Looking into his eyes, she couldn't help but see the assurance in them. He believed Blue would not harm them, and so far, he was right.
Of course he thinks he's right... Owen, I swear if I lose an arm... Taking a deep breath, Claire let go of her internal thoughts and took a step forward. Her eyes now focused on the dinosaur that stood at the same height as a human. The skin along the strange frame looked slightly moist, but oddly dry. It wasn't like the scales of a snake or even a fish like she had expected. As she got closer to Blue and Owen, she was intrigued by the creature. The commanding presence Blue had, the strength of not only her frame, but in her eyes made Claire once again feel a great amount of respect and reverence for the work Owen did and the bond he had.
When she first heard of his crazy plan to return and take Blue off the island, she wanted to ask if he needed some psychiatric help. It was an insane plan. A risky plan. But now, seeing the bond that existed once again, she knew where his heart was. It was easy to forget that he had raised these animals, known then from their first breath, and asking him to cut off those ties would simply not happen. Owen Grady was a package deal - if she wanted to be at his side, she was going to have to get use to his quirks, his scars, his many sides, his love of tequila and his dinosaurs.
The gun she had in her right hand remained while she took Owen's outstretched hand with her left. His reassuring squeeze told her to trust… and she really should have been able to trust him – she wanted to believe him – however when an animal that had been extinct for thousands of years with giant teeth stood before you… trust wasn't going to come easy.
He took their entwined hands and moved slowly closer to Blue. The raptor's eyes blinked and the vibrating sound coming from its throat made Claire hold her breath.
"That's it Blue, we're not going to hurt you. I just want to introduce you is all." His voice continued its calm and almost melodic tones.
Claire's heart nearly stopped as she felt the strange texture of a dinosaur for the second time in her life. The dying Diplodocus in the plains of sector five had been quite cold to the touch; however, Blue, was very much alive and her tough exterior was warm.
"Hi Blue," she began, not knowing what to expect now that she was being allowed to touch the raptor. Slowly the red head looked to see Owen's smiling face.
"I think she can sense your firm demeanor," He replied to her gaze. "You two have a lot in common… in a good way. My two best ladies."
Claire stood there not wanting to move or make any sudden movements this close to the predator. The snorting sounds from Blue both amazed and unnerved her. When the raptor decided she was done with being touched by the humans, Blue took a step back and let out a mild roar.
"She likes you." Owen translated for the startled woman whose back now pressed tightly against him. Claire stood silent as Owen took a step in front of her – placing himself in between the two. Her mind was a jumble of thoughts as she watched him pull his communication link from his ear and grab the shirt laying on the oversized and worn couch arm.
"Until we get your tracker back working, I think it would be best if you wore this old girl." He moved slowly once again to wrap the used shirt around the dinosaur's thick neck. "I know, not really a great accessory, but better than the head cam, right?"
Surprisingly Blue only let out a small rumble in the back of her throat as if communicating with the trainer, Owen, unphased by the apparent conversation clipped the earpiece tracker that each member of the team wore to the article of clothing. "There you go."
"You think she'll leave that on?" Claire queried as Owen stepped back and patted Blue's snout.
"Maybe," his response came. "Hopefully we can get that tracker up before she decides to go running through the woods and it falls off."
Blue gave off a screech and as suddenly as she arrived, left through the broken window.
"That went better than I excepted," He confessed dropping into the couch and sighing. As much as he had faith in Blue not attacking them, it was stressful to keep movement and conversation carefully monitored so not to spook the predator in their midst.
"I wonder where the other one is… Delta?" Claire reminded him, not ready to calm down or fully relax after that intense encounter.
"You could always ask the crew at the center to start tracking my signal and see if there are any additional heat signatures nearby," he shrugged, almost looking at her as if he was surprised she had not figured out his plan.
She felt almost stupid at that moment. The thought had not occurred to her that not only was he tracking Blue, but the other rouge raptor as well. They traveled in packs after all; Owen had told her that much on multiple occasions.
Smiling at him, Claire quickly relayed the information to Anderson and Lebens. With the heat signature satellites working with the beckon of Owen's signal- now on Blue- the location of the unaccounted for animal would be easy to find.
"So now we just wait for Blue to go back and find Delta,"Claire voiced it out as she turned back to the man with his eyes closed on the comfortable looking couch.
"We could, but I should really get on making more of that tranquilizer." His eyes opened and he looked back at Claire. "What? Just because Blue didn't snap at us now, does not mean she will willingly go back into her paddock. She's seen the big world for over a week now. I don't blame her for not wanting to go back." He nodded his head as if mentally prepping himself to get up and get to work. After what looked to be a brief moment of hesitation, Owen got to his feet and moved to the small, but impressive lab setup near his kitchen.
While he had not forgotten about the broken window, other issues took precedent.
"If only my friends from admin knew about this." The amused look on her face must have been obvious as she watched him begin to pull out different chemical components. He stopped after setting down a vial of a primary ingredient and placed his palms on the wooden tabletop.
The expression she saw told of confusion and amusement… they seemed to be a common and adorable trait on him.
"That you are a doctor." She continued gesturing at him as he then went back to his mixing. "You could have been Dr. Board Short Asshole Guy."
"Ouch," not looking up from his renewed task, a mirth in his voice. "I don't generally go touting those around." There was a pause as the man used an eyedropper to add some liquid to his main beaker. Picking up the oddly shaped triangular bottle with a cylindrical stem, he swirled it around before setting it back on the table.
"Can you grab me the empty shells from the hallway closet?" He asked he bent over and watched the contents of the bottle settle and change color.
"This closet?" Claire asked as she moved towards the hallway and opened a door.
"Box on the middle shelf." His voice guided her to the location of the small, but hollow shells. Lifting the box, she returned to the table to watch him as he finished whatever concoction he evidently had made before.
"Did you make this often?" She wondered aloud, fascinated by his sure actions in filling the shells and closing them up with another device in the box.
"I preferred to use the drug option rather than shocking them unconscious." He explained as he continued. "While the chemicals tend to lose potency after a few days in the shells, I would rather not have the girls in any pain, and so they don't learn to fear us."
"It makes sense. How often did you need to trank them?"
"Not often, the harnesses in the compound allowed us to pretty much do whatever we needed to do safely, but still… it happened maybe once or twice a year. There. That should be enough." He stepped away from the table with a nearly empty bottle. Heading for the sink, he began to wash up when Claire's phone buzzed.
Owen could only watch from his location in the kitchen, as Claire conversed with whoever was on the line. It was a bit annoying to no longer have a connection, but his earpiece was doing something just as important.
Claire bit her bottom lip, the information that just came out over the comlink wasn't good. It wasn't super bad, from what she could tell at the moment, but certainly could bring about a great deal of trouble. And when you added the propensity of the man before her to the equation, that meant major trouble. Walking over to where Owen was finishing the clean-up of his table, she pulled the tablet from the inside of his vest.
"Good news?" He asked as she tapped on the screen, accessing the info she wanted.
Looking up from her work, Claire wasn't so sure on how to break what Anderson and the others had just told her.
"About twenty minutes ago, something set off an emergency signal from the northern most lab facility. It was in a building that I hadn't even heard about and was well concealed on the maps until the signal came in." Handing the tablet to Owen the location of the signal was coincidentally near what appeared to be a strange heat signature.
"Delta?" He asked right away.
"No, they found her from locating your tracker. Blue and Delta aren't far from us actually." She tapped a few buttons to show Owen the location of his two raptors - five miles from his bungalow at most.
"So what's up there with Matthews? I can only assume that he was the one to set off that signal."
"It appears to be inside the buildings and they don't have cameras that we can access. I told Lebens that Lowery might be able to give us access, but I didn't even know that this facility existed. My access won't be of much help."
"Damn," Owen signed and rubbed his face with his hands. "So we've got an unknown running around the facilities and an S.O.S. from that asshole. Just great."
Claire could see the wheels of thought turning in his mind, as he stood silently looking at the tablet. The two stayed in a tense silence, trying to figure out the best course of action. On the one hand letting the cocky government agent be eaten by whatever he was attempting to steal for his military purposes seemed only fitting. And yet, if whatever was up there got out in the wild, their mission to secure the island would have yet another complication.
The location of the signal was literally straight north from their location, while the rest of the away team at the raptor compound was still a bit south of Owen's home. It would be a delay to head back to the main group. And she was pretty sure Owen would suggest they would all just meet at the building in question.
"Do me a favor," Owen began as he rubbed her back before heading towards the closet. "Tell Barry to find a walkie from the raptor compound."
"A walkie?" Claire repeated, not sure what he was asking for, but when he pulled out an older looking model of the park's standard walkie talkie, she understood he needed to have a communication link as well.
"He should know what frequency to have it on, tell him our standard setting." He instructed as he turned on the black device and strapped it to his belt. "Also, maybe ask Anderson how I can get patched into the group with my earpiece and all attached to Blue. "While you do that and get in contact with Lowery, I'll go and get a few things packed. We're going to need to be ready for anything." His eyes were grave as he placed the newly filled shells into a bag and placed a quick kiss to her lips before heading out of his house.
Claire knew that no matter how much she didn't want to go up north, they had no choice in the matter. They could however be prepared for what they met up there.
"Lowery, I need you to do something for me, and I need it fast." She spoke with an authoritative voice, "I want to know what the hell Dr. Wu was doing up in the northern facilities. I don't care if you have to hack the system, just do it."
Aww Blue missed her Alpha to the point she broke into his house. I want a raptor as a pet! Not only is Blue close by, but we have more mess to deal with in the next chapter. Stay tuned to see what trouble Matthews has gotten himself into!
Thanks again for taking the time to review and read!