Was totally not expecting to get another chapter done in a few weeks, let alone a matter of days. But all the reviews made me super excited. SUPER EXCITED! So sat down and banged this out yesterday and then edited it today and BOOM! I'm like super tired though. (Been speed training my night shift replacement the past 2 nights). I should hold onto it another day or two and edit more. But I dun wanna. So here. Hope it's good. 8D

Raptor
Chapter 25: Run

Zach pulled the phone away from his ear and frowned down at it. What was that all about? Why was Owen calling him now? After last night, Zach fully expected not to hear from the raptor trainer again. Was it a sign? Was it a good sign or a bad sign? Why would Owen call if it was a bad sign? Why would he call anyways? What more could he say to Zach other than no? Because he'd made himself crystal clear. No meant no.

Gray was weaving the ball through the trees. He slowed and looked over at Zach. "What?"

"I think it was Owen." Zach answered, still looking down at the phone and contemplating the meaning of Owen's name on his caller ID. He was certain he'd never see Owen's name on his caller ID again. Honestly, he figured the man would have deleted his number already. "Couldn't hear anything." He mumbled, his eyes still on his phone.

"Are you guys... fighting?" Gray asked slowly.

Zach glanced sideways at him for a moment. He furrowed his eyebrows for a moment, wondering if maybe Gray knew. But he shook the thought away just as soon as he had it. That was silly. "I don't know." He breathed out, looking out at the scenery. "Maybe." He added with a shrug. He wasn't really sure it would classify as a fight. Because it wasn't a fight. It was... almost like... a breakup. And they weren't dating.

Gray tilted his head. "I bet he's calling to apologize."

Zach shrugged again and let out a sigh. He highly doubted it. Not after the way Owen had said no.

"Oh!" Gray's eyes widened excitedly. "Maybe he and aunt Claire are done and he's calling to take us to see the secret dinosaur!" He said excitedly. "Maybe Mr. Masrani already talked to them and said it was okay. Maybe that's why he left. Maybe he's gonna meet us. Maybe..."

"Okay, okay." Zach said with a laugh, reaching over to ruffle Gray's hair. "Calm down, okay? Pop the door open and I'll try to call him back."

Gray's eyes widened and he shook his head. "No! You can't get out of the ball!"

Zach snorted and smiled. "Do you see any dinos?"

Gray looked around for a moment. He shook his head and looked back at Zach. "No, but..."

"Didn't see a lot last time we were out here." Zach pointed out. "Had to go find them."

"But..."

Zach grabbed the handle and pulled it. The door swung open. "See? Perfectly quiet and safe. Just wait here a second, okay?" He slipped out of the ball and held his phone up. He glanced around. "Not the best out here either."

Gray glanced around again nervously. "We shouldn't have went through the fence." He said softly. "We should have stayed in the valley."

"VIP, dude." Zach waved his arm, the band spinning a bit on his wrist. "We can go anywhere. Plus... we already jumped the fence with Owen once. Same thing." He turned and took a step away.

"Don't go too far." Gray said quickly.

Zach smiled and waved him off. "We're fine. They must all be taking a nap again." He hit Owen's number and put the phone to his ear. He turned his back to Gray. He had no clue what to expect, calling Owen. Maybe it was an accident. Owen hadn't meant to call him at all. Maybe the man was drunk again. Zach breathed in deeply and bit his lip as the phone rang.

Owen answered almost instantly. "Zach?!" He screeched into the phone. "Claire, take the wheel for a moment."

"What?" Claire sounded shocked over the line.

Owen snorted. "I can't hold the gun and the phone at the same time and you are not holding the gun."

"Then give me the phone!" Claire snapped.

Owen growled. "Mine!"

Claire gasped. "Did you just growl at me?"

"It's my phone!" Owen growled back. "Zach!"

Zach loved when Owen growled. It was sexy as hell and for a moment, he smiled. He let out a laugh and shook his head. "Yeah, still here." He said. "Uh... sorry couldn't answer. Can't get any reception inside the hamster ball."

Owen paused for a second. "You're out of it?" He said quickly, a note of panic in his voice.

Zach turned slowly, looking back at Gray. "Yeah, just stopped for a minute to..."

Owen interrupted loudly. "Get back in it now!" He shouted frantically.

Zach frowned for a moment. "What?" He asked. "Why?"

Owen growled again. "Get your ass in the fucking ball now and haul ass back now!"

"Owen!" Claire snapped.

Zach smiled slightly. "What's wrong?"

"Ida escaped." Owen answered. "We think she's headed your way. So I repeat, haul ass."

Still, none of that made any sense to Zach. "Who's Ida?"

"The Indominus Rex." Claire yelled.

"The Indominus Rex?" Zach repeated. "That's a stupid name. What's that?"

"That's the secret dinosaur." Gray said, listening.

Zach glanced back at Gray again. He angled the phone away from his ear a moment. "The dinosaur you and the Simon dude kept talking about?" Zach asked Gray.

Gray nodded his head. "Yeah. She's big and scary!"

"She's loose?" Zach said, back into the phone. "Like... in the park?"

"Yes!" Owen yelled. "Stop talking and get moving. Now!" He snapped.

Gray's face suddenly went white. "Zach!" He screamed.

Zach turned. She seemed to melt from the trees, stepping out gracefully. There were no words in Zach's head as he looked up at the giant, white dinosaur. He'd seen Rexy, but that had been through thick glass and walls. And he knew she was half blind. But this thing, the way she tilted her head, seemingly watching them with interest... Zach's eyes widened. "Shit..."

"Zach?" Owen called his name but Zach didn't hear it.

The phone slipped from his hand as he turned. He scrambled back into the ball and the door closed just as Ida rushed at them. Gray screamed and Zach held his breath as he grabbed the controls. The ball lurched backwards, just out of reach of her teeth. Then they were jerked to a sudden stop, colliding with a tree. Zach glanced back over the seat. "Shit." He pushed on the controls and the ball tried to move but it was stuck against a low hanging branch.

"Zach!" Gray screamed his name again.

"I'm right here!" Zach snapped. "Stop screaming."

Gray grabbed his arm. "Look!"

Zach turned back around and Ida was right in front of them. She was bent down, her large eye focusing on them. She blinked and snorted, then touched the ball with her nose. When it didn't move, she straighten back up and turned sharply, whipping her tail around. It smacked into the ball and they went flying and crashed into another tree. The ball stopped spinning but it took a few beats more before Zach's head stopped. He closed his eyes for a moment and rubbed at his forehead. Then he opened his eyes and realized Gray was holding onto his arm again, tightly.

"Where'd she go?" Gray stammered out in a low, shaky voice.

Zach looked up and out of the ball. "I don't know." He answered softly, his voice barely a whisper. He turned all around, his eyes searching what they could see of the jungle. But he couldn't see any sign of the white monster. He breathed out and looked down at the controls. He grabbed the throttle and pressed it forward. The ball didn't even try to move. "Shit!" Zach beat on the handle. "It's busted."

Gray's grip on Zach's arm loosened a bit. "We're safe in here, right?" He asked slowly, his eyes wide.

Zach nodded, his eyes darting around. "Yeah, sure." He breathed out. "Totally safe. Remember what the dude on the video said. Bullet proof glass."

Gray finally let go of Zach and nodded. "What do we do?" He asked, looking out.

"I don't know..." Zach glanced around again. The giant hamster ball was clearly dead. There was no way it was moving and getting them out of there. They were pretty much stranded in the middle of the jungle. "I think we're gonna have to run for it."

Gray looked at him, his eyes wide. "Run? Where?"

Zach shrugged. "I don't know. But if this thing's not gonna move..."

Gray shook his head. "We should just stay in here. Owen will find us. He's on his way now."

Zach watched Gray for a moment and he wondered. Would Owen come after them? He'd sounded concerned on the phone but... Zach really didn't know. He swallowed and looked away.

"He will!" Gray insisted. "Even if you two are fighting."

Zach looked back at his brother and nodded slowly. "Yeah... maybe... I..." Zach's thought was interrupted. They suddenly heard a scraping sound. Both looked up as a giant mouth and giant teeth were suddenly on the ball, trying to clamp down.

Gray screamed. "Where'd she come from?"

Zach shook his head. "I don't know."

There was a sickening crack as her teeth pierced the thick glass. The bullet proof glass wasn't teeth proof, apparently. Ida managed to pick them up. But not far before she lost her grip and the ball fell. She tried again, her teeth scratching and cracking the glass more. Then she lifted it again and this time, brought it down to bang on the ground.

Zach grabbed the door handle. "Run." He hissed as he reached over to grab Gray's harness. The second Ida lifted the ball again, Zach pulled the handle. The door popped open and he clicked the release buttons on the belts. They both fell to the ground. "Go!" Zach spared a second to glance up at Ida. She was shaking her head, trying to dislodge the ball stuck on her teeth.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Modified animals are known to be unpredictable."

He wasn't a violent man. He'd never been. He wasn't prone to violent outburst or anything similar. He was one to remain calm in a crisis, to keep his head and to think, as his mother had taught him. To think about the problem from all angles and to come up with multiple solutions and then to figure out which solution was best. It's what made him an excellent business man, and his father before him, too. "It's killed people, Henry." He said calmly.

"That's unfortunate."

But as he stood there in that office, watching the doctor shrug off those deaths and talk so cavalier about the whole situation, he felt himself flounder. For probably the first time in his life, he felt rage coursing through his veins. His hands clenched into fists at his side of their own volition. But Simon wouldn't give into the anger. He was better than that. He would give the man a chance to explain himself. That was what was fair. "You cannot justify this by calling her unpredictable. This is more than just unpredictability. What purpose could we have for a dinosaur that can camouflage herself? That can hide from thermal technology? For her to be so smart... she could remove her own tracking chip?"

Wu seemed to brush him off again. He poured himself a cup of tea and took a sip, like the conversation didn't matter, like it was just an annoying insect buzzing around. He leaned back in his seat and answered. He started spouting off DNA facts and reasons for his gene choice. He blamed the outcomes on needing her to be weather hardy and big and grow fast. He stood up and walked around his office as he spoke. His tone of voice conveyed boredom, again acting as if none of this mattered.

Simon shook his head and lifted his hand. He didn't care for the reasons of the genes themselves or how Wu justified their use. All he cared about was that the end result created a monster. "Who authorized this?" He asked, stepping closer to Wu.

Wu turned towards him and smiled. "You did." He said with a smug smile. "Bigger... scarier... cooler is what you said in your memo." He let out a laugh and raised his voice. "You cannot have an animal with exaggerated predatory features without the corresponding behavioral traits!"

Simon took a step back, shaking his head. "What you are doing here..." He waved his hand in the air. "What you have done..."

Wu frowned for a moment and scoffed. "What I have done?" He snapped. "Just what are you accusing me of?"

"Playing God." Simon answered.

Wu let out a laugh and shook his head. "I am better than God." He said with a smile. "I'm improving his designs."

Simon narrowed his eyes and tilted his head. "With that thing?"

"She's perfect." Wu said, smiling again.

"Perfect?" Simon gasped. "She escaped. She's killing people."

Wu shrugged again and turned. He walked back towards his desk and grabbed his cup. He took a sip and turned around. He leaned back against his desk a bit as he looked back at Simon. "Like I said, the escaping part is unfortunate. And as soon as we can capture her, I assure you, we will make the adequate corrections to her paddock."

"Adequate corrections?" Simon repeated, stepping closer to him.

Wu nodded as he took another sip. "Although, I don't think the fault lies in the paddock itself." He said. "She didn't escape because of the paddock. She escaped because the doors where so carelessly opened."

Simon glared at Wu again. "They panicked. But what would you have expected them to do? Remain in the paddock and get eaten?"

"They still got eaten, didn't they?" Wu pointed out, leaning to the side a bit to set his cup down on the desktop. Then he crossed his arms and continued. "I would have expected properly trained park employees to not go parading around inside any paddock."

"The thermal scans said she wasn't in there!" Simon snapped, his voice rising. "She scratched up that wall... as a distraction!"

"And they fell for it." Wu said. "Again, if they were properly trained and intelligent..."

"The board will shut down the park!" Simon said, interrupting him. "They will seize your work, everything you've built!" He shook his head. "But this time, Hammond won't be here to protect you."

Wu pushed away from his desk and stepped towards Simon. "All of this exists because of me!" He snapped. "If I don't innovate, someone else will.

"You are to cease all activities here immediately." Simon said.

"Are you firing me, Mr. Masrani?"

Simon nodded. "Yes."

Wu glared at him and threw up his arms. "There are always casualties in the advancement of science! That is the price we pay!"

"That price... is too high." Simon said.

Wu shook his head. "You... you are acting like we are engaged in some... sort of mad science experimentation!"

"You are!" Simon said.

Wu continued. "We are doing what we have done from the beginning! Replace missing gaps in the DNA genomes with other animals! Nothing here is natural! Every animal here is created, every one different from if they were pure. You didn't ask for reality, you asked for more teeth."

"I never asked for a monster!" Simon said quickly.

"Well you got one!" Wu snapped.

He didn't realizing he was doing it. He had no real sense of thinking about it consciously. Simon was just standing there one moment, standing across from Wu and watching as the man smiled and laughed as he talked. The doctor had no remorse over the deaths. He had no guilt whatsoever or regret. And he took no blame for his hand in it. Simon wasn't a violent man. But in one fluid motion, he lifted his arm, pulled it back, and sent his fist flying towards Henry Wu's smug face. His knuckles connected with the man's cheek and nose and he thought maybe he heard a crack.

Wu was thrown back against his desk by the momentum. He lifted his hands to his face, covering his bleeding nose and lip. Slowly, he sunk to the ground, looking completely bewildered.

Simon stood over him a moment, looking down at him. "You are relieved of duty." He said and turned for the door.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

"Zach? Zach! Fuck!" Owen pulled the phone from his ear and threw it. It clattered somewhere under his feet. He grabbed the wheel back from Claire and pushed harder on the pedal.

Claire's hands were shaking as she grabbed the jeep frame. "Do you think..."

Owen shook his head. "Don't." He snapped. Zach was okay. They were okay. They were both okay. Because they had to be okay. That's what Owen kept repeating in his head as he drove. He turned the wheel as they entered the gyro valley. The tires spun, flinging dirt as they turned sharply. Zach was okay. He felt the prick of doubt and worry in the back of his mind but he pushed it away.

"They were past the fence..." Claire said in a shaky voice.

"Yeah, I know. Where I took them." Owen said through gritted teeth.

"Yes." She said icily. "I know."

He glanced at her sideways. "You do?"

She nodded. "Gray told me you took them to the volcano."

He looked back out the windshield as the jeep lurched over something he probably shouldn't have run over. They bounced a moment but he kept his foot on the pedal. "Are you going to yell?"

"Maybe." She answered, gripping the door frame tightly.

"Yell at me later, okay?" He hissed. The trees were getting thicker. "Damnit." He slowed enough to weave through them. Wrecking or damaging the jeep beyond driving abilities wouldn't help anything. Then he pulled to a stop suddenly. The tires spun in protest. But they'd done it. They'd found the shattered ball. Owen got out quickly, Claire a beat behind him. Owen lifted his rifle and glanced around quickly. But it looked like Ida was long gone. There was no sign of Zach or Gray, either. He lowered the rifle and turned back to the jeep. He quickly grabbed his phone and turned. Maybe the brothers were close by. Maybe he could text Zach and see, if the stupid thing still worked. He started towards the ball.

Claire stepped closer. Then started shaking her head. "No, no, no!" She bent down and picked up Zach's cracked phone. "No!"

Well... there went the phone plan. Owen ignored her for a moment. He opened up all his senses. He looked, listened, smelled. There was no blood, no sign or scent of it. At least not human. Owen inhaled deeply. He was certain of that fact. Then he closed his eyes a moment and called on the raptor's senses. There was a screech in his mind for a moment before he opened his eyes again. His vision shifted, becoming sharper, more in-depth. He swung his head all around, side to side and up and down. His eyes darted, trying to take in everything, trying to find even the smallest anything that was out of place. And he found it! The raptor screeched in his head again and Owen nodded. He stepped up behind Claire and pointed. "Look!" There were footprints in the mud just beyond where she stood. "They made it out." He said, relief in his voice.

Claire stood back up quickly. Her eyes settled on where Owen point and she let out a gasp. She stepped forward. "Za..."

Owen grabbed her arm and yanked her back before she could even get the name out. "Be quiet." He hissed, clamping his hand over her mouth. "No screaming, no yelling!" He hissed into her ear. "If Ida's far away, we don't want to bring her back."

Claire nodded numbly as Owen let her go. She swallowed and nodded again. "Okay." She said, taking a deep breath and keeping her voice low.

"No blood." He said. "Anywhere. That means they weren't hurt when they ran."

Claire nodded dumbly again. She bit her lip as she looked around. "You're right." She said softly.

"Keep close and keep quiet." Owen said as he stepped around her and started forward. Claire quickly fell in step with him and they followed the tracks out of the jungle and to a waterfall. Owen glanced around and there was no sign of any other tracks and Zach's scent was gone. Just ended at the top of the falls. Owen stepped closer and glanced down. If they jumped, then they were still fine, still alive. The drop wasn't far. The raptor's vision cleared his eyes again as he searched the water and the bank for signs.

Claire was shaking again and she gasped rather loudly. "Oh my god, they jumped!"

Owen smiled and nodded as his eyes kept scanning for signs. "Brave kids." He actually felt rather proud for a moment. He glanced back and Claire was biting her lip. Owen could tell she wanted to yell for the brothers. Owen shook his head quickly. "Don't." He hissed. "Quiet."

She nodded and stepped closer to him. "I wasn't." She said. "I thought about it. But I won't."

Owen smiled again and nodded. Then he turned and pointed down, towards the bank on the other side of the small lake. "It looks like they crawled out fine."

Claire squinted her eyes a bit. She lifted her hand and tried to shield her eyes from the sun. But she shook her head. "I can't see anything."

Owen shrugged and crossed his arms. "You aren't trained to see."

She frowned for a moment. But then she sighed and nodded. "Okay... so..." She whispered, stepping closer again. "You can like... pick up their scent, right? Track them by their footprints and like... snapped twigs and stuff?"

Owen's mouth dropped open. "I was with the Navy, not the Navajo!" He hissed back. It was actually a lie. He could track them exactly like that, and had been. He could smell Zach all around them. But a normal person wouldn't be able to. And if she'd been thinking clearer, she'd realize that.

Claire took a breath and nodded. "Then what do we do?" She asked softly.

"You go back." Owen said firmly. "I'll find them."

She shook her head. "No. We'll find them."

He clenched his jaw and bit back a response. She was grating on his last nerves. If she'd just leave him alone, he'd shift and let the raptor brain really take over. He really could track them better and find them a lot faster. But then he couldn't hold the gun and if he did find them, clothes would be good. And carrying clothes without hands was a hard thing to do. He sighed and shook his head. "Let's get one thing straight. I'm in charge out here, alright?"

Claire nodded quickly. "Yes."

Owen continued. "You do everything I say, exactly as I say, and when I say, like a good little soldier. That understood?"

She nodded again and rolled up her sleeves. "Understood. Now can we go?" She turned without waiting for an answer and started forward.

Owen shook his head and glanced back down at the waterfall. Just be alright... he thought. Please...

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

They ran back into the jungle as soon as they crawled out of the water, figuring the trees had more coverage than the valley. They weren't sure where they were, but they moved quickly and kept close together. They slowed, tiring a bit and Gray grabbed Zach's arm. "Do you think she's following us?"

Zach shook his head quickly, his eyes wide. "No." He breathed out. "I think we lost her at the falls."

Gray swallowed and nodded. He breathed deeply for a moment and looked around. Now that the adrenaline of running was wearing off, the kid looked like he was seconds from having a panic attack or passing out.

"You did good." Zach said suddenly, reaching out to grab Gray's shoulder. He squeeze tightly for a moment and smiled down at him. "Wasn't sure you'd jump."

Gray breathed out slowly for a moment. Then he slowly smiled back at him. "I didn't. You pulled me."

Zach shrugged as he let go and patted Gray once before stepping back. "Still made it." He said, looking around. "Come on." They were quiet for a few more minutes as they followed what looked like an old, worn path.

"Zach..." Gray started slowly. "When we were in the ball... I didn't see her. She was gone... and then she was just... there..."

Zach nodded. "Yeah. I was thinking about that."

"Was she hiding, you think?"

Zach nodded again. "I think she couldn't figure the ball out, so she was waiting for us to get out again. She must have gotten tired of waiting."

"Do you think she's here now?" Gray asked in a low voice, pressing closer to Zach as they walked. "Watching us?"

Zach shook his head quickly. "Nah, man. If she were, she'd be on us. I think she's long gone. Probably off chasing one of the other... dinosaurs..." Zach slowed as something caught his eyes. It was a jeep. He held his arm out behind him, trying to get Gray to stay back. But the kid grabbed his arm and stayed glued to him as he checked it out. They stepped closer slowly.

"Hey." Gray pointed with his free arm. "Someone's in there."

"Hey." Zach called out as they moved closer. But the man in the driver's seat didn't move. Zach's eyes widened as he set eyes on the mangled corpse. He turned quickly and tried to pulled Gray away. But it was too late. The younger of the brother's eyes widened and his mouth opened. Zach quickly clamped his hand over, stopping his from screaming. "It's okay." Zach said quickly. "It's okay."

Gray nodded quickly as Zach let go. There were tears in his eyes and he wiped at them. He sniffed and breathed in, trying to stop the sob that wracked his small frame. He breathed out deeply and looked around.

"Stay here." Zach said. "I'm going to check the jeep." He turned and stepped closer to the jeep. But he found it just as dead as the driver in its seat. Zach sighed and shook his head as he returned to Gray. "Come on, let's keep..." He stopped as something beyond the jeep caught his eye. A door. They moved around the jeep and towards the door slowly. It looked old and hidden behind all the jungle vegetation. He had no clue where it led but anything was better than being out in the open with dinosaurs on the prowl. Zach pressed his palms to the door and pushed. Gray quickly fell in beside him and helped. The doors swung open easily enough and the brothers stepped inside. Zach pushed the doors shut behind.

"It's part of the old park." Gray said, looking around.

Zach turned and looked around. He remembered seeing pictures of the old welcome building. The large t-rex skeleton and the Jurassic Park banner. "Still here after all these years." He shook his head as he followed behind Gray. He smiled and touched his hand to a weathered painting of a raptor on the wall. "Looks like Echo."

Gray stepped closer and reached out to touch it as well. "Yeah, it kind of does." He said with a smile.

"Think it was obsessed with Finding Nemo?" Zach asked.

Gray laughed. "Finding Nemo wasn't around."

Zach let out a laugh and stepped along the wall, following it the mural with his hand. "You weren't around then."

Gray quickly followed after him. "You weren't either."

Zach glanced back and smiled at him. "Come on. Let's see what else is here."

They moved deeper into the building. They found a large, dusty old kitchen. And a large room filled with dusty old computers. And a garage with two very old, very dusty jeeps. Everything was really old and really dirty. Zach stepped closer to one of the jeeps. He circled it slowly and then smiled as a thought occurred to him. "Hey. You remember when we used to help grandpa Mike fix up old cars, right?"

Gray nodded. "Yeah."

"Come on. We need to get the battery out of that jeep out front."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: Yeah so... this one followed the movie pretty closely. But the next chapter should come out a bit different. Hopefully you still like this one and then the next one. Sometimes I wish I'd changed the plot line a bit more than I did, so it was really differed from the movie. But I didn't. Because I like the movie so much. 8D So anyways... I'm trying so hard not to rush through the rest of this just because I want to get to the sequel. 8D Which is probably like... 30% done already. Because I've been working on it while on my midnight lunch breaks at work.