A/N
Hey guys! How's life? Is life good?
Nightmare Moon, it's good to see you're back!
xxXScotsbritXxx, it was you and another reviewer who I know for sure read this to your kids, and that is perfectly fine. I'm glad you guys love it; it just made me realize that I might have a younger audience than what I had originally thought, so I try to tone down my swearing because of it. I know I avoided the question you asked in your last review because I don't like putting answers that pertain to the plot on here. Some people really don't want spoilers. I'll answer any questions your children have if you give me a PM.
Guest, where I live, our duct tape is literally spelled 'Duck Tape'; it is the name of that product in all our stores. However, I wasn't referring to that specific brand, so thanks for pointing it out; I fixed it.
Unknown, I despise Romeo & Juliet, and all spoofing movies of it. I cannot handle that level of stupidity romance; I can barely handle romance at all. So, no. No, Romeo and Juliet. I had enough of it in high school. XD
thesecondoreo, I love that song as well.
Guys, Pogona104 made a very valid point in the review, and I went back and corrected my biological error. Reptiles do not cycle, but they do have breeding seasons. Thank you for saying something!
Kim K's butt...I just had to write your name on here.
Thank you to the others who pointed out some spelling errors; I do go back and correct that stuff.
Finally, thank you much and mighty for your reviews, for reading this story, and being you. I hope you have a wonderful day/night! Love you guys! I really do!
"Nokia Dinosaur."
Bridges pressed his lips as he quickly tightened his tie; he was late. Of all the things to be late to this was the worst event to pick. His investors had been incredibly patient with him, and it was imperative that he redeem himself by at least showing up for the first training session.
Bridges knew full well that Elise did not have to do this. He was very aware that he wasn't in a position to force Elise to do anything.
Elise had absolutely no reason to be as polite or as cooperative as she had been, and Bridges did not intend to burn that bridge; no pun intended.
He hadn't meant to oversleep, but his damned phone decided to die. It was charging now, and then Clementine had called. Bridges, under no circumstances, would ever miss a call from Clem; she was more important than Elise as far as he was concerned. She wasn't having a good day, but she kept her spirits about herself; Bridges liked that.
Clem had reason to complain, but she never did.
The blonde hair was smoothed back; it was a little more feathery today because he had run out of gel. Today was not his day, but he would power through it. Seeing Elise train would make his day better, and maybe he could get to know her a little better.
There was something alluring about Elise and her innocence. Bridges didn't see her in a provocative manner, but he felt like he could relax around her. She didn't seem to care what power he held; she treated him like she would everyone else. She never tried to get on his good side, but responded reasonably with how he acted around her.
She told him no.
Bridges couldn't stop his grin; it had been a long time since anyone had, not only called him out on something they didn't approve of, but also scolded him for it. Elise was a funny character; she stuck up for what was right. He had tripped that kid. It was more for a laugh than anything else, but he had been mildly curious as to how the gentle giant would react to seeing a little kid cry.
He didn't think she would see him trip the brat, but Bridges only liked Elise more for that. It meant she was very attentive to her surroundings. Even in all the bustling exiting, Elise had managed to catch him red-handed.
Claire was very smart for recruiting Elise to the ACU; she was going to be a major improvement in things. He was sure she had a hell of a nose on her.
Bridges was very curious about a little detail though.
If Elise could be trained to take orders from a Commander like any other ACU member, could Elise translate those orders to Velociraptors?
Elise was an Alpha, and those girls were quick to obey when she gave a firm bark. The raptors' aggressiveness had been toned down to an almost boring level. Bridges had sent a few people to watch over the shows. Elise always ordered the raptors away before a show just to prevent any problems; Bridges had no idea where the raptors went, but he was amazed by Elise's ability to recognize risks, weigh them, and make appropriate decisions.
God knows half the people Bridges knew hadn't figured out that art.
He straightened the cuffs before giving himself one more look over. When he deemed himself good enough to be seen by others, Bridges walked over to his wooden door. He opened it only to be met by a man covered head to toe in dry mud. There was even dried, thin grass sticking to the hardened, trimmed beard.
Bridges blinked a few times before the tired man said, "I'm going to need at least ten minutes of your time, Daemon."
Bridges shook himself; only one person had the bravery and the right to call him by his first name.
"What the hell happened to you, Dr. Romano?"
Romano was a fiery Italian with the slightest hint of an accent when he spoke. He was also a very clean man who despised getting dirty for no reason.
Bridges was very concerned when his Head Veterinarian had something to say that couldn't wait until after a bath. The vet's clothes had hardened into an almost shell; it was going to take more than a simple rinsing to clean off the hothead.
"I went to go check up on Sobek."
Bridges looked the vet up and down once more, taking in the mess, before quietly saying, "I thought you left yesterday."
The vet nodded as he tiredly said, "I just got back."
Romano suddenly sneezed, and Bridges grimaced at the sound of the mud covered clothes cracking. Dried bits of mud sprinkled onto the floor, getting stuck in his white carpet, but Bridges didn't notice that. Now he was nervous, and Romano finally said, "Sobek really got into trouble this time, Daemon. How much of your time can I get?"
All thoughts of Elise flew out of Bridges' mind, and he immediately answered, "All the time you need. Why didn't anyone notify me of this? I was up all night waiting for something. I had assumed no news was good news."
"No news in this case was me trying to make sure as little attention was drawn to us. I didn't want the raptors to catch wind of us."
Romano motioned for Bridges to follow him, pants cracking with each step as a trail of dust was left behind, and Bridges quietly asked, "How bad is Sobek? Don't you dare put things lightly with me."
Romano wasn't fazed by the snappish tone; he had a better understanding of Bridges than most people ever would.
He led the way out of the office building that was across from a massive warehouse pressed against the sturdy fence that kept the wilderness at bay. Carnifex's paddock was a massive, solid concrete wall with a single door for the workers to go in and out. Bridges didn't mind his office being so close to the fence; it was nice to see the view, and it was out of the way of things. It was quieter where he was.
Romano quietly stepped into the warehouse, and Bridges could feel his stomach growing a little heavier with each step. He didn't like how the workers would immediately look away when they saw him.
They feared his temper; everyone but Romano was afraid of his temper.
The inside of this warehouse was divided into two sections. The first half was what Romano used to treat his smaller patients and house certain animals. It was calm, cool, and quiet in the warehouse.
The other half was reinforced with concrete walls and steel bars. Bridges really didn't like how the vet went right over to that section, and he swallowed when the vet slid his keycard through before cracking open the door.
"Dr. Romano."
The vet pressed his lips before quietly saying, "We had compys following us, Daemon."
Bridges flickered his gaze to the door before breathing, "You did not bring him here."
Romano quietly swung the door open before Bridges walked in fearlessly. The sight of the dull, mud covered scales froze Bridges before his eyes lingered over the easily visible ribs. The sail was scarred, and the stench of an infected wound fouled the air. It was a punch in the gut to see his proud dinosaur look so lifeless. A large breath was slowly exhaled, and Bridges briefly wondered if he had just witnessed the last breath of this once magnificent ruler. He wasn't aware he had been holding his own breath until the ribcage slowly expanded from large lungs.
"Oh my God…I…oh, Sobek…"
If anything would ever break Bridges' heart it was this. It hurt to see Sobek like this. The massive Spinosaurus was still larger than his spoiled son, and decorated in several scars from hard fights. They weren't visible under the mud, but Bridges knew they were there. The faded sail had remained mud free, and the sapphire 'O's decorating it had faded almost completely.
Sobek briefly cracked open his eyes at the sad sound, and slowly glanced over at the two humans. Bridges ran a stressed hand through his hair at seeing the sunk in eyes. One eye had clouded over to a milky white, and the other lacked the vibrant, emerald fire Bridges loved so dearly. The long, scarred snout was coated in mud and foam.
Bridges turned around as he tried to comprehend this. Sobek hadn't looked this bad last time he saw him. Romano tiredly stared at his largest patient before Bridges quietly asked, "What. Happened?"
Romano placed a dusty hand on Bridges' back as he pushed him along the wall until they were across from Sobek. The room was big enough for the Spinosaurus to move around and stand in, and the far end had two, steel doors that would slide open or close. They were currently closed, and Bridges swore he heard the quiet scratching of scavengers eagerly looking for the massive corpse to be. It made him livid, but he was distracted by the vet pulling out a laser pointer. Sobek deemed them unimportant, and heaved another large sigh as he shifted more of his weight against the wall. His leg was gingerly stretched out, and the red dot brought Bridges attention to a large, puffy slash along the thigh. It was horizontal, and the vet said, "I think he cut himself on something around the old labs; it's not deep, but it is infected. Probably a rusty sheet of tin. I felt like he would have been fine if life wasn't being a raging bitch with him."
Bridges licked his lips nervously; he didn't like seeing Sobek so…not Sobek. This Spinosaurus was named after an Egyptian god for the love of everything; he needed to do this name good.
But Sobek only seemed focused on simply breathing and resting. In and out; deep and slow breaths that looked tiring.
"Why is he covered in mud?" Bridges glanced at the vet before adding, "Why are you covered in mud?"
Romano grimaced, like he had managed to convince himself he wasn't covered in mud, but he sniffed, "Sobek got stuck. He really worked himself into a deep mud hole; that leg just wasn't as strong as he needed it to be. I think Sobek was already tired when he got stuck, and the struggling just exhausted him. I thought he was dead when we found him."
Bridges grimaced when he hesitatingly asked, "How did he react?"
Romano continued to look over the lightly sleeping Spinosaurus as he answered, "Almost snapped up Dave. I never thought I'd be so happy to see Sobek cranky, but he was mad enough to roll one of our jeeps when it got too close."
The blonde let out a sigh of relief, but Romano added, "But we had to sedate him a little bit. I am covered in mud because I made the call to help dig him out. Sobek didn't need a lot of help, but he just kept going downhill. I didn't figure it out until he finally collapsed, and I found these."
Bridges frowned when Romano pulled out wrapped darts and handed them over.
"What is that?"
Sobek made a small groan as he tried to shift into a more comfortable position, and Romano answered, "We have poachers on our island; they tried to bring down Sobek with these. I have no idea what they laced it with, but I think size is his saving grace this time."
Bridges flickered his gaze back to his dinosaur. This wasn't the first time Sobek had been brought here; the dinosaur had learned to be a little less aggressive when he was here. Bridges had done absolutely everything to make sure Sobek could associate positives with this place, even when he was sick.
The room was kept clean, the ground was covered in a thick bed of wood shavings, heated lamps kept it warm, and the doors were kept open so Sobek knew he had the choice to leave when he wanted. People were quiet, calm, and respectful. Romano was a damn good vet who knew how to work with Sobek even on his foulest day.
Romano never tranquilized Sobek with darts; only very good meat. In turn, Sobek was a little calmer. Romano always kept him just a little sedated, just enough to make the dinosaur deem people too much effort to eat. Sobek had learned food would be brought to him here.
"Where. Are. Those. Poachers?"
Romano sighed as he tucked the darts back into his pocket before answering, "I don't know how many there were. Security caught two people, but I swore I heard the raptors having a hay day last night. You know how smart Fuego is around people; I bet he got them. It's probably why they didn't bother with us last night."
Bridges pinched his nose as he tried to calm himself; he didn't have a lighter to hold onto at the moment, but cracked open an eye when Romano nudged his arm. Bridges sighed in relief when the orange lighter was handed over, and he quietly muttered his thanks. Romano only nodded before saying, "Security has the two people locked up, but we need to talk about Sobek, Daemon."
Bridges froze; he knew that tone. Romano only used that quiet, almost defeated, serious tone when he was going to ask permission. Romano put a hand on the stiff shoulder as he gently said, "Daemon, I know I can pull Sobek through this; he can pull himself through this, but I have to think about the aftermath of this. You know just as well as I do, Sobek has been in this room more times this year than all the other years combined."
"Only four times not counting this time."
Romano pressed his lips patiently before saying, "You know that cancer knocked him on his ass. Even the animals can see he's not as spunky after it."
"We caught it in time, Romano. It's gone now."
The vet gave a single nod before dragging Bridges close to the massive creature. Sobek hardly acknowledged them, but Bridges could touch the dirty scales if he wanted to. Romano gestured to the Spinosaurus as he softly said, "This is our wake up call, Daemon. I truly feel like Sobek won't take a bite out of me; God knows he should hate me enough to tear off my own for revenge."
Bridges opened his mouth, but Romano gently said, "Daemon, I see the pattern, and I really need you to see it too. Sobek is getting up there in age."
"Rexy is in her forties."
Romano remained patient as he continued, "It's not fair to Sobek to keep doing this to him. He gets sick, we bring him here, and make him better. We let him go back to his territory, and he goes downhill again. He's starting to stay a little closer to the swamps where it's easier to fish because hunting in the valley is getting to be too much for him. He's not eating enough, his body is needing supplements he can't find, and the raptors are getting braver with him."
Now Bridges understood why Romano had given him a lighter; Romano wasn't a smoker. He licked his lips nervously when Sobek briefly lifted his head. The milky eye blankly stared at them, and Bridges was starting to realize just how sick Sobek was.
Sobek always kept his blindside towards the wall.
"We need to do what's best for Sobek, Daemon. We can't keep doing this because I don't think Sobek is going to recover next time. Okay? I know how important Sobek is to you; the cranky bastard took my finger, and I'm even fond of him. But I want what's best for him."
Bridges swallowed before stubbornly shaking his head as he hoarsely replied, "No. Rexy almost keeled over from food poisoning."
Romano squeezed Bridges' shoulder as he patiently said, "Daemon, Rexy has lived most of her life in captivity, she gets fed every day, and she doesn't have to worry about defending her territory. She has a caretaker who can catch her health problems before they become a problem; we have to wait for Sobek to stop patrolling before we realize something is wrong."
The vet sighed when Bridges remained stubborn, and he added, "Rexy is in captivity. She is feeling good enough to not only adopt something like Elise, but be relaxed around raptors because she knows she can take them on. She has a full nest, and a purpose. She has a kid to raise, but Sobek doesn't. All he has to do in life is just stay alive; that's not much to live for. Especially when the odds start stacking against you."
Sobek allowed his head to loll to the side as it seemed to be too much effort to lay it upright. Bridges sagged immensely, but he desperately asked, "What would you do; if you could do anything?"
Romano had earned Bridges' respect. He did what he truly felt was right for any animal even if Bridges didn't always agree with it. Bridges remembered once getting into a screaming match with the fiery Italian. He had threatened to fire Romano, and the Italian had responded by slamming his fist into the desk hard enough to crack it. Romano had easily screamed that he did not give a damn because all he cared about was the well-being of the animal.
Bridges had backed down from that fight, and he trusted Romano more after that. The vet had made the right call.
The vet finally sighed as he turned to Sobek. The Spinosaurus continued to ignore them even when Romano silently walked over to the mud covered neck. He gently wiped the mud away, mindful of the massive but idle claws next to him, before pressing his fingers against the neck. It took a few seconds, but the vein bulged. Romano stepped away as Bridges followed until they were out of the dinosaur's reach. Romano finally said, "If I could do anything, in a perfect world, I would first make sure Sobek actually wants to live. If he's willing to eat, drink, or even bite us, then I would give him a chance."
Bridges nodded hopefully, and Romano added, "But our problem is where he goes after this. We can't let him go back because he's just going to go downhill again."
The blonde blinked before saying, "So, what? Do we build a paddock for him?"
"You know just as well as I do that construction on this damned island is cursed. We were lucky to get the fence up. It'll take months to build a paddock big enough for Sobek and even longer to make sure we have all the dangerous predators out of it. I don't think there's many workers desperate enough to do that."
"We can put him in Carnifex's paddock. Carnifex is healthy enough to handle the outside world."
Bridges was growing frustrated when Romano immediately shook his head as he replied, "Carnifex won't last a month out there. No animal born and raised in captivity does well out there; Fuego is a rare exception. Sobek was already somewhat on his own before he turned wild; you let Carnifex sleep in your shoes."
Romano held up a hand to stop Bridges as he added, "And that paddock is too small, Daemon. You'll just break Sobek's heart if you cramp him up like that. He has to have a big space, and we just aren't as luxurious as Jurassic World, Daemon. You know this island has always been harsher."
The two stared at the sleeping dinosaur that honestly looked dead, and Romano gave another sympathetic squeeze before softly saying, "I need to go clean up, Daemon. I'll come back to give him a lactating ringer at the very least, but I really need you to make a decision by tomorrow morning…I'm really sorry…"
Bridges didn't acknowledge hearing him as the vet walked out. Sobek briefly cracked open the blind eye when he heard the door shutting, but he didn't do anything about it. He was too tired to do anything, and humans didn't taste very good.
The blonde let out a sad sigh as he numbly walked over to the sick ruler. Bridges grew more depressed when Sobek did nothing when his bubble was invaded. Bridges hesitated before gently placing a soft hand on the muddied scales. He stared into the milky eye that couldn't see him, but Bridges softly said, "Come on, Sobek; I know you still have fight left in you. Give me something to work with."
The Spinosaurus did nothing when the crook of his jaw was tenderly scratched, but Bridges thought the dinosaur seemed to relax a little.
"You can't die yet…I'm still in your debt…"
Bridges bit the inside of his cheek until he tasted blood in order to stop the tight feeling in his throat. The massive breathing continued at its slow, rhythmic pace before occasionally pausing. It was painful to listen to. It was worse to know this aggressive creature, who had never had a problem with smashing through fences, chasing vehicles, and even once downing a supply plane, was too tired to even give a second glance at the easy prey making soothing circles on the dirty jaw.
"You saved my mother's life…"
Bridges sighed as he slowly turned around before leaning against the muscular neck. Sobek had tucked his claws under his chest, and Bridges stopped fumbling with the lighter when his head lightly thumped with the beat of the massive heart pumping blood through the large jugular. Bridges found himself counting the steady beats before bitterly smiling.
"What the hell kind of a king goes after an old woman with Alzheimer's? A very poor king, Sobek; you showed me that much."
The dinosaur only gave a large sigh as he continued drifted closer to a much needed rest. He knew he was safe in here; he would eat the humans when he felt a little better, but the humans weren't doing anything too annoying at the moment.
"I'll repay you somehow, Sobek; you deserve that much at least."
Sobek cracked open a dry eye; he was trying to rest and this human wouldn't shut up. He knew this human, he knew the scent, the voice, and energy. Sobek was the most tolerating of this human.
But that didn't mean he was fine with the constant chattering in his ear.
Bridges blinked when a faint, warning growl was heard, and he heaved a sigh of relief. That was his sign; Sobek could still get irritated. Bridges stepped away to give Sobek his space before softly saying, "Good on you, Sobek. You sleep, and I'll take care of the rest."
The tail gave a slight flick to get out, and Bridges felt a little better as he walked away. He slid his master keycard, and opened the door as he quietly added, "I'll start with the poachers."
"Alright, Elise, Derick is probably dead by now, but that's Doc's fault for not getting a move on."
Elise sagged; she was really wanted to get Derick before he died. She didn't want a redo, but Claire gave a small laugh at the sad look. She couldn't help saying, "You're such a sweet girl, Elise."
Owen's radio crackled before Derick yawned as he said, "Guys, I'll be honest, I ate before this exercise, and you're kind of taking forever. I'll probably fall asleep, so we'll pretend I'm getting really close to dying, alright?"
Owen snorted as he responded, "Elise and I are starting right now."
"You guys haven't even left yet? You are the worst rescue team I have ever seen. Where's the sense of urgency?"
Elise garbled in agreement, and no one saw the amused smile from Sam writing in his notebook. Owen adjusted the binds on his side before saying, "Alright, Baby. I get to ride with you because I am not walking. Can you give me a boost, please?"
The Indominus nodded, but startled at a loud ringing. Owen raised his eyebrows as he slowly glanced at the buzzing vet before Gerry pulled out the phone. Owen felt his jaw drop at the nostalgic sound, and quietly asked, "Where did you dig up that dinosaur, Doc?"
Gerry gave a harrumph, but Owen only started to laugh when the long antenna was yanked up.
"No way! Look at that fossil! Oh my God, 2000 called, Doc, they want your phone back. That thing is practically oil!"
Elise tilted her head when Gerry snapped, "Elise, I'm going to bury Owen in the biggest pile of shit I can find. No one will blame you if you don't want to get him out."
Elise glanced down at her human; she didn't want him to get buried, and she nudged Owen for being rude. It wasn't nice to make fun of others for what they owned. She knew not everyone could afford the same thing. She had learned this by looking at the humans who visited her, and hearing some conversations. Humans didn't have equal amounts of dirty paper; some had to choose more carefully about how they spent it.
Owen only wiped his eye as he patted her leg to pick him up. The satellite phone looked like hell, and Gerry growled, "Owen, this phone has seen everything from the bottom of a river, the tire of my pickup, and even the bottom of Rexy's foot. Nothing beats a Nokia phone. So I suggest you shush before I see what it can do against your skull."
Owen started laughing as he sat himself on the white shoulders before Lowery said, "You know, I wonder what would have happened if we tried to shoot a Nokia phone at Elise during her rampage."
Elise tilted her head when the geek thought about it before saying, "God…it probably would have killed you. I'm glad we didn't do that."
Elise didn't understand the joke, nor did she know what a Nokia was, but she did know that Derick was dying, and her next show was going to start in a bit. She didn't want to be late, and she was eager to fully explore the thick jungles again. She hadn't done that last time, but now she could.
After rescuing Derick.
Elise lowered her head when Sam held out the jacket for her to smell. She sniffed it carefully, memorizing the kind scent, the sweat, and sweetness of a candy bar Derick was fond of. He called it Snickers; Elise called it gross. She raised her head when she had the scent in her head before carefully inhaling the calm air.
Claire paused when she stared at the Indominus. She was struck by the resemblance to Rexy. The way she held herself, the graceful tail slowly whipping back and forth, and even the way she placed her massive feet beneath herself. Claire couldn't stop her smile; Elise had taken after Rexy, and she wondered if Wu had used the old dinosaur's DNA in creating Elise. She could send in a DNA test later.
Elise tilted her head when she caught the scent, and immediately began to walk into the jungle. Sam glanced at his watch before writing down the time, and he relaxed against his car when Elise had disappeared into the thick trees. Lowery scratched at his growing beard, wondering if Jackie liked beards, before he said, "I got the feed on my laptop if you want to watch that, Sam. Control is recording it, but you can watch it here."
He stiffened when Jackie plopped herself right next to him, and leaned close to get a good look at the screen. She had no idea what she was doing to him, and Lowery stopped breathing when she sincerely said, "Wow, you're really good with technology. Hey, do you think you can take a look at my laptop? It's getting really slow, and I don't know why."
Lowery didn't trust himself to speak; he knew he would do something stupid, like randomly moo if he opened his mouth. He did stupid things he couldn't control around really pretty girls, he did even stupider things around really pretty girls who were nice to him. Jackie beamed as she said, "Thanks, Lowery. You know, you're a lot quieter in person."
Lowery only nodded again; he swore the moo almost bubbled from his throat just now.
Another A/N
Yes, I will touch up on some history with Sobek and Bridges later. Also, the Spinosaurus does have faint, blue 'O's lining his sail. You can see them if you find a side view picture of him. Have a wonderful day/night!
