So, What's the Good News?
Alice had finally met Felix and Silas, and they became instant friends. Alice began thinking about how it would be if she lived with them and vice versa. Owen and Claire were more worried about how Alice would be romantically with the two boys, but Jordan told them that they had nothing to worry about, since the boys were castrated. Lowery and Vivian told Claire and Owen that they found out the it was Zara, Claire's deceased ex-assistant, who carried the drop off bag. It was now Monday, and the park was flooded with its normal amount of guests. Owen was expecting Sarah and Ian to show up anytime this week, even today. Gray and Zach were finally going to meet Alice again since the Incident, and Gray was very excited for it.
Alice's first show had just concluded, and Zach and Gray arrived at the very end. But, Owen decided to let them still see Alice regardless of her show being over. Owen brought the boys inside and told them to wait for a few seconds. Owen then opened the viewing room window and called out Alice's name a few times. Then, the hybrid dinosaur stepped out of the brush, and Gray began to jump in excitement.
"Alice, you remember these two?" Owen asked her.
Alice stared at the hatchlings in front of her and then recognized who they were. These were the hatchlings from the ball! Alice gave a happy croon at them, being glad at how they were all right and fine. The smaller one smiled at Alice and that small smile made Alice's day.
"Hi Alice," began Gray, "my name is Gray."
"And, I'm his big brother, Zach," added the older Mitchell brother.
Alice nodded at the two and stepped closer to the viewing glass.
"I think she remembers you two," said Owen.
"What?" asked Zach.
"She attacked you when you were in the gyrosphere, right?"
"Oh, that's right she did."
"Well, it turns out, she wasn't trying to attack you two at all. She was trying to free you two because she thought you were trapped in there against your will."
"We were trapped in there against our will, thanks to Alice fighting an ankylosaur," said Gray.
Zach lightly hit the back of his brother's head and then said to Alice, "Alice, thanks a lot for getting us out of the gyrosphere. We're sorry that we ran away from you because we were scared. If we knew what you were really trying to do, then we would have stopped and listened to you."
Alice let out a soft croon, accepting the boys' apology, and then let out a sad chitter, apologizing to the boys about seemingly attacking them.
"Why'd she make a sad sound, Owen?" Zach asked the raptor trainer.
"Uh, I don't know. Maybe, she's saying she's sorry," Owen replied.
"Oh, well in that case, we accept your apology Alice and we forgive you."
Alice nodded her head and smiled at the hatchlings. They were starting a great friendship.
Sarah paced back and forth in the living room as she continued to think about what to tell Ian about her getting a job at Jurassic World and that they would have to move, again. Sarah knew that her son wasn't one that liked moving around a lot, meaning that he didn't like change. He preferred staying in one house for the rest of his life, with he same friends he's always had, all while making new ones. Sarah heard footsteps coming down the stairs, and she slowly braced herself because it was time to tell Ian.
"Ian, honey, can you come in here for a second?" she asked him.
After a few seconds, Ian stepped into the living room and asked, "What's up Mom?"
"Sit down. I have something very important to tell you."
Ian arched an eyebrow as he slowly sat down on the couch.
"You see Ian, the thing is-"
"Oh no," said Ian.
"What?"
"Mom, are you pregnant?"
"What?! Ian! God, no! Why is that the first thing that came to mind?"
"No reason at all."
"Just, listen to what I have to say, and don't say anything until after I tell you."
"Okay."
"I, uh, I got a job."
Ian waited a few seconds before saying, "Well, that's great Mom! I'm really happy for you and proud of you!"
"No, no, let me finish."
Ian was really confused now, and was starting to worry.
"I got a job, at Jurassic World."
Ian's smile slowly faded and turned into a frown. He took a few minutes to process exactly what his mother had just told him.
"W-Would you mind running that by me one more time?" Ian asked slowly.
"I got a job at Jurassic World," replied Sarah.
"Are you...serious?"
"Yeah."
"Are you telling me, that, we are going to have to move, again?!"
"Ian. just hear me out-"
"Oh my God! Mom, didn't you stop and try to think about what effect this decision was going to have on your only son?"
"Ian, believe me, I did."
'Obviously you didn't. Mom, I don't want to move again! Life is fine here."
"Yeah, but don't you think life would be better surrounded by dinosaurs? And family?"
"Family?"
"Your uncle Owen works down there."
"Oh God, Mom, you're losing your mind."
"What? How?"
"You didn't use your mind when making this decision whatsoever."
"Ian, listen. Living down there wouldn't be a bad thing."
"What about my career? What about my future Mom?"
"You do your classes online, right? Just study down there."
Ian's eyes widened and a fake, sarcastic smile appeared on his face when he said, "Oh Lord, my best friends are going to be a velociraptor and a triceratops."
Sarah rolled her eyes at Ian's words and then slowly stepped up to him.
"Ian, we'll be fine down there. I promise," she told him gently.
"You know, Dad said those exact same words before he left eight years ago," Ian said in a dark tone.
Sarah was shocked by Ian's words, and then said, "I have done everything I can for you so that you can have the best life you can. You should be supportive about this."
"Oh, I'm supportive, only when the situation doesn't involve me having to move to an island full of dinosaurs for the rest of my life."
"Ian, look. You'd just have to live there a few years, okay? Once you graduate and get a degree, then you can leave the island, and you won't have to worry about me making life changing decisions with and for you."
"Whatever."
Ian then went to his room and locked the door. Sarah sat on the couch and then felt her eyes starting to water. She had done this to Ian one too many times already, and to do it one more time, just killed her.
Owen smiled at seeing Zach and Gray get along with Alice and play with her in her paddock. As he was sitting in the viewing room, Lowery and Claire walked in and started talking to Owen about what they found out a day ago.
"Why on Earth would Zara try to give this information to someone else?" asked Claire.
"Maybe because her boss was a bi-" began Lowery, until he trailed off because he remembered that Zara worked for Claire, who was sitting next to him with a joking smile on her face, and then added, "-ig meanie! A very big meanie!"
"Even though that could be a reason," began Owen, who began to regret his words when Claire turned to him with a shocked face, and then shot the death glare at him, "but, I think that there's a different reason for it."
"Like what?" asked Claire.
"I don't know exactly, but, what if Zara was working with someone else on this?"
"Like, someone inside the lab or Control?"
"Yeah."
"This isn't making any sense whatsoever."
"Well, first, we should think about why it was in the forest in the first place. You stumbled upon it near the river, but close to the old Visitor Center, right?"
Claire and Owen both nodded their heads in unison to Lowery's question.
"So, what if there was something at the old Visitor Center?"
"You could be onto something Mr. Cruthers."
"So, what are we going to go to the old Visitor Center?"
"Seems like we are."
"Are wo going now, or later?"
"Let's go at night."
"Claire, this isn't a Scooby Doo mystery, you know? We don't have to go at night. Let's just go right now."
"But, what about Zach and Gray?"
"I think they've got their hands full in having fun with Alice."
Claire looked out of the viewing glass and couldn't see her nephews or Alice, which meant that they were having fun somewhere deep in the paddock.
"I guess that we can go now," she said.
"Great. Also, since I know that we're going to split up, let's bring someone else with us, so that I can have company."
"What a baby," said Owen, "who do you suggest we bring? Vivian?"
"No, if we stumble upon something life threatening, I wouldn't want to risk her life."
"Aw, that's so sweet," said Claire as she put her hands together and held them over her heart.
"I know who we could bring," said Owen.
"Who?"
"My younger brother, Ryan. He's a P.I, so he should be able to help us out."
"Is he here on the island?"
"Well, no. He's coming sometime this week, but I don't know exactly when."
"So, what are we going to do? Wait for Ryan to arrive, or try and solve this mystery on our own?"
Claire looked at Lowery, who had intentionally meant to make a small Scooby Doo joke, and gave him a look that said, 'Really Lowery?'
"Let's just wait until Ryan arrives," said Claire.
"Okay, but just know, with each passing day, who knows what might be happening at the old Visitor Center," said Lowery.
"Or, if there was just a piece off evidence lying around, then we are running the risk that someone might take it away," said Owen.
"Whatever. Look, we'll run the risk okay? For now, let's just relax a little."
Lowery and Owen looked at each other and then shrugged their shoulders at Claire.
Zach and Gray were having a very fun time playing around with Alice. She let them get on her back, slide down off her tail, and chased them around as if she was hunting them down. It was a game that they called 'Hide and Seek.' Alice liked that game. It was like a clean version of hunting. She would love to play it with Owen, Lowery and Red One sometime. Alice loved being hunted down by the hatchlings as well. She loved camouflaging in the brush, and got very excited at when they would find her. Alice played this game a month ago when ACU was hunting her down, except instead of just saying that they found her, she attacked them and they retaliated. Alice liked Zach and Gray's game better. Zach said that this was going to be the last round, since they've been having fun for over two hours. They boys were both getting hungry, as was Alice. Alice was the seeker, or hunter, as she liked to put it. All the other times, the boys were easy to find thanks to her heat sensors, but this time, she didn't use them at all, and this made the game a whole lot harder. She then, decided to try and sniff them out, and listen for any sudden movement. Alice looked around everywhere in the paddock, and couldn't find them at all. Alice started to worry, and she had to admit, the hatchlings were good at hiding. Alice then heard the snapping of a twig nearby and walked in the direction of the sound. She came upon one of the many trees in her paddock and then inspected it all over. She noticed that there was a hole at the base of the tree, one big enough to fit a...human. Of course. Alice lowered her head and then looked inside of the whole with her right scarlet eye. And, there sat Gray, smiling at being found.
"You found me," he said happily as he crawled out of the hole and got up to his feet. Alice chittered at the small human and then chirped at him, asking him where his older brother was.
"I'm not telling you where Zach is," he said, "you have to find him on your own."
Alice snorted at the boy and then turned around and continued to search. If anything, she expected to find Gray last. Zach wasn't as good of a hider as Gray, but it seemed like Zach turned on his super hiding skills. What confused Alice was that she searched every crack and crevice in the paddock, so, where on Earth could Zach be hiding? Alice didn't feel right doing it, but she decided to use her heat sensors, and saw a body moving around, at a fast pace. Zach was an evasive hider, and a quiet one at that. How could Alice not have heard him when he went by? Alice lightly shook the question from her head as she then began to walk in the direction that she saw Zach running in. Gray was walking alongside Alice, but when she was him, she helped him get on her back. Gray grabbed hold of one of the sturdy protrusions on the back of Alice's neck and held on for dear life so that he wouldn't fall off. Alice stepped out of the brush, and saw that she was in the clearing where all her prey would gather to eat and rest. It was an open field, but she couldn't see Zach anywhere. Alice wasn't getting irritated, but she was starting to get very hungry, and she couldn't eat since Gray was on her back. She decided to try and scare the bejeezus out of Zach. She would apologize to Gray afterwards for what she was about to do. Alice took a deep breath, and then let out what was possibly the loudest roar she ever gave, scaring off all the prey, making Gray startle and quickly cover his ears, and making Zach jump up from a small section of long grass. Alice turned her attention to Zach, and then began to walk towards him. When she caught up to him, she lowered her head to his level and saw as he gave a light scoff and smiled.
"You cheated," he said to her.
Alice let out a chitter, telling Zach that she did nothing of the sort.
Zach only rolled his eyes at her and then said, "So, that wraps up this game. I'm starving right now and I could eat anything, even you Alice."
Alice was still learning how to do it, but she wanted to roll her eyes at the boy for saying such a ludicrous thing. He couldn't eat her. She was twice his size, and she was pretty sure that she tasted gross.
"It's just an expression Alice," said Zach as he climbed onto her back.
What was it with humans and expressions and phrases? Alice turned around and began to walk to the viewing room to drop off the boys with Red One, Lowery, and Owen.
Owen and the others waited for Alice and the boys to arrive so that they could take them to be with their parents. Claire was happy when Karen told her that they weren't getting a divorce. Karen was grateful that Alice went on a rampage. Sure, she was sad that people died, but happy that it saved their marriage.
Alice and the boys arrived at the viewing room, and Alice slid the window open and let them in. They walked over to Owen and the others and then waved goodbye to Alice. Alice the turned around and went into the brush, in search of food.
Lowery went back to Control, while Owen and Claire took the boys to where Karen and Scott were. The couple were waiting for their children at the entrance of the Innovation Center and when they saw them, gave them very tight hugs.
"How was it with Alice?" asked Karen.
"It was super fun!" exclaimed Gray as she jumped up and down.
"Really?"
"Yeah," said Zach, "we played 'Hide and Seek' with her. And, she really enjoyed it."
"That sounds awesome. I imagine that the two of you are hungry, huh?"
"You know it."
"Figures. Well, let's go and grab something to eat, and then explore as much of the park as we can."
The boys nodded their heads and then the Mitchells departed from Claire and Owen.
"You have a show in half an hour, you should go and get ready," said Claire.
"You're right. What are you going to do right now?" asked Owen.
"I'm going to the labs to see if one of the scientists can give me files on a few of the dinosaurs here, to see if they match the ones in the drop off bag."
"Okay, but be careful Claire. God knows who's involved in all of this."
Claire nodded her head and then went inside of the Innovation Center, where the labs were located. Owen walked off to Alice's paddock, and then began to think about the drop off bag and who Zara was working with.
Ortiz and Styler watched a lot from Control this whole time, and Ortiz didn't like hearing about what Lowery, Claire and Owen were doing. So, he now decided that he's going to take matters into his own hands. And, whoever steps in his way, be it Owen, Claire, Lowery, or even Alice, he would get rid of them if it meant they were going to be roadblocks in the road ahead. Why is Ortiz so upset about the drop off bag? Was he the one Zara was working with? Was he the one Zara was going to give the files to? So many questions, yet, not so many answers.
A/N: Turtles! Let me tell you, I'm loving writing about the mystery of the drop off bag and who was involved with it. Now, I know, a lot more questions are popping up than answers. Fret not my turtles! Once Ryan arrives at Jurassic World, answers will start pouring in! For now, I'm just going to leave you with the thought of why Ortiz is getting involved and why he doesn't like what Claire, Owen, and Lowery are getting themselves into. Remember, review if you'd like and stay tuned for more of this story!
'Til Next Time!-TM341
