Scientific technology can either advance with its time or beyond it. Much speculation is always left where the human race tries to attempt something it shouldn't. Bringing back the extinct instead of leaving it to rest.
Dr. Henry Wu had precisely that. It all began with the ill fated Jurassic Park and now Jurassic World, residing on Isla Nublar just as its predecessor had was trying to do everything Jurassic World couldn't, achieve what it only aspired to and took all necessary precautions to avoid what had happened before.
What most seemed to forget was that there were many creatures that have yet to be discovered, perhaps existed in the past and left no trace of its presence.
Even more possibly, perhaps they never went away at all.
Dany Targaryen's history was an interesting one. Her ancestors traced all the way to Old Valyria, a long since ruined empire. Dany only knew what her family had told her, and there wasn't much of it left. Back in the 1300s, the Targaryen House sigil was the three headed dragon, symbolizing Aegon Targaryen and his two sisters, Rhaenys and Visenya. Together they conquered Westeros and forged the Seven Kingdoms from the backs of dragons.
Dany didn't know what reality it was supposed to take place in, perhaps there was a middle earth in a different realm than many knew, nor did she know how much stock to put into her history. As she sat on the flight to Costa Rica, it would take multiple forms of transportation to even get to the park, but it didn't damper her excitement.
Reading through files and the park's brochure, she was able to see just what dinosaurs existed within Jurassic World, brushing a strand of her almost white blonde hair that had fallen in wisps from her already travel-mussed bun, her laptop on the drop table on the plane as she thumbed out her notes. She had studied predators almost exclusively, perhaps being the "blood of the dragon" had drawn her to potentially dangerous reptilian creatures. She'd spent quite an extensive amount of time in the field and working in animal behavior. When the job had opened up at Jurassic World and Dany was presented with the possibility of working with dinosaurs, of all things, she was almost in complete disbelief. But the video footage sent to her by Henry Wu had her convinced, and she still remembered staring slack jawed at the enormous brachiosaurus ripping leaves from tree tops in the video.
Another couple hours eventually landed her on the monorail leading to the park. When she got off, she found herself greeted by a tight lipped, straight postured brunette.
"Daenerys Targ—Targarian?" The woman seemed to try, shooting Dany a quizzical and almost sheepish look.
"Targaryen," Dany gave her some relief with a light hearted laugh, her own English roots relieved to find that this woman herself seemed to originate from somewhere in Great Britain. "You can call me Dany."
"Dany," The woman's tension seemed to melt away a little bit and the slightest ghost of a smile curved at her lips. "Where does that name come from? Is it Armenian?"
"No, Anglo-Saxon, allegedly," Dany said with a light shrug, offering a hand.
"Well, it's nice to meet you. Zara Young, I'm Claire Dearing's assistant. I'll be taking you to your quarters and to meet everyone in your department." Zara told her, giving her hand a shake in return before turning on her louboutins and guided Dany toward the Jeep.
Needless to say, the staff quarters were not in the main park area, but rather bungalows on the outskirts. Every bungalow had a bathroom, a kitchenette, a living room and a bedroom. They could order deliveries from the mainland of whatever they needed and furniture and other technology could be ordered and delivered through the employee's bank account or credit card. But they all also had access to any of the restaurants or shops on sight with their own tab with an employee discount and for them to pay by the end of the month. Room and board was complimentary.
Dany's luggage was unloaded from the Jeep and Zara had helped her get settled before she had to leave on an errand and that the park's Operations Manager, Claire, would be coming to retrieve her soon to give her the tour. Dany was in the midst of getting her laptop set up and plugged in at the desk, at war with the park's WiFi connection when she heard a knock on the door. She got up and went to answer it, her lilac eyes landing on the blue pair of the red headed woman on the other side.
"Daenerys?" She spoke with a crisp professionalism, friendly but hardly very warm, though cordial. "I'm Claire Dearing, Jurassic World's Operations Manager. We're thrilled to have you on the team."
If she was in fact thrilled, that enthusiasm didn't make it to her eyes, One of the first things Dany noticed was that Claire was extremely polished and rehearsed, albeit without the genuity.
"Thank you, it's nice to meet you too," Dany didn't give it much more thought but she exuded warmth, friendliness but a ferocity and determination lingered beneath the almost angelic features.
"You as well," Claire responded. "If you'll follow me, I'll get you started on the tour. Since you'll be helping out with some of our predatory assets for now until Dr. Wu finds one that might fit your expertise, I'll introduce you to our raptor handler, and show you the newest addition to the park."
Dany followed Claire out to a Mercedes SUV and got into the passenger seat. The ride seemed almost painfully long following a weathered dirt road and miles of tropical greenery blending together. The two women exchanged half-hearted small talk but Claire didn't seem to be quite the type to engage in conversation that didn't consist of her branch of the company. She regarded the animals as 'assets', seeming to forget the fact that they were in fact living, breathing creatures. She gave Dany the rundown on what they did, and what they were hoping to achieve. It seemed like Claire was married to her job, it was where she found value in herself because she was good at it.
They reached an octagonal pen with walls that Dany had to imagine were reaching nearly twenty feet in height. When Claire parked the car, Dany got out with her and they headed toward the entrance. Outside of the pen there appeared to be another building surrounded by reinforced metal fencing, which Dany had to guess acted as a buffer between the exit and the actual exit. Jurassic World was without question taking no unnecessary risk.
"So you'll find Mr. Grady to be a little bit...unconventional," Claire explained as they approached the entrance. Dany noticed the stairs leading above to the catwalk and followed Claire up the metal flight. "Mr. Grady?"
The man in question standing by the railing held the attention of four velociraptors, a dog whistle stuck between his lips with a bucket by his booted foot. His sandy brown hair was a thick mess of waves, and he stood broad shouldered and stiff postured, his brown eyes fixed on the apex predators below. One was a coppery color, two were green, one lighter with black tiger stripes along its back and the other a deeper tropical green, and the fourth was a slate grey with a blue line traveling along its side from muzzle to tail. But one thing Dany noticed was how all four sets of gold, reptilian eyes were fixed intently on the handler who held the carcass of a rat in his hand.
The man turned his head to see both of them not far behind, but they caught the attention of the raptors as well. Dany felt a little bit of sensory overload. She couldn't quite process what she was looking at. These were real dinosaurs, right in front of her. Genetically altered to fill in the gaps of DNA missing but they were still right there. Almost like giant, bipedal Komodo dragons.
"Knew you'd be back," Owen said with a grin, the whistle still between his teeth. His smile was a little cocky, boyish but clearly playful, but Claire's already stern, pretty features clouded.
"Trust me when I say it's strictly business related," She responded pointedly. Though it seemed like the more annoyed Claire seemed with him, the more amusement Owen got out of it.
"Way to break my heart," Owen feigned disappointment, though his lapse in attention on his four charges seemed to draw theirs to the newcomers. The copper colored raptor reared up higher with interest, taking a step forward just Owen turned his head and snapped his fingers at it. "Agh, Echo, I see you. Back up, now."
The copper colored raptor, Echo, challenged the command, pupils dilating like an overly excited cat as a low growl left her throat. The blue raptor next to her snaked her head around, snarled and snapped at her pack mate, who recoiled with a hiss before taking a begrudging step back,
"Thatta girl, Blue," Exalted Owen with a nod, letting the whistle fall from his mouth and Dany noticed the clicker in his hand, which he popped quickly before tossing a rat down, which Blue caught with a snap of her jaws like an alligator and the rat was down her throat within seconds. "Alright girls, release."
"You've clicker trained them?" Dany mused, but there was no disparagement in her tone, which Owen seemed to almost be expecting.
"I did, and it was surprisingly easy," He explained. "But I also raised them and imprinted on them since they first hatched, so I gained that respect from the start."
"He's the alpha," Claire remarked, though there was a deriding tone to her voice. Owen decided to ignore that comment.
"Claire, did you forget to introduce me to our new colleague?" He said with a smirk, seeming to get thorough enjoyment in watching Claire get flustered and think she missed something.
"Uhm—no—Mr. Grady, this is Daenerys Targaryen. Daenerys, Owen Grady, our raptor handler. Daenerys has extensive experience in predatory animal behavior and credentials in the area." Claire explained quickly, her arms crossed over the front of her white business suit.
"Targaryen," Owen repeated, tilting his head in interest. "I know of you, I've read some of your thesis and heard about your achievements, pretty impressive. What are you hoping to accomplish here at Jurassic World?"
"I was a kid who loved dinosaurs and fantasized about dragons living in our times," Dany said with a light hearted shrug and a laugh. "I'd always been fascinated by predators, and there was absolutely no way I was going to pass up a chance to work with dinosaurs. What I'd love is to work hands on with something, develop some sort of relationship and be able to get inside of how their mind operates."
Claire seemed to consider her remark. "Maybe Dr. Wu can introduce you to our newest asset. She's a hybrid, maybe that could be your start."
"I'm gonna strongly advise against that," Owen cut in, shaking his head. Claire shot him a surprised, questioning look.
"Why? She has the experience with predators, if she rears her to adulthood—"
"She's already hatched, that imprinting period was imperative to bonding. Also, that's no animal. The raptors, the other animals in the park, yes they're genetically engineered, but they existed at one point or another. The hybrid is exactly that, a petri dish of whatever else was used to create her. We don't know what she is. She's Rex and what else?"
Claire became unforthcoming. "That's... classified information."
Owen stared at her, seeming to study her before nodding slowly. "My point exactly."
Now Dany has to interject. "What was the point of making a hybrid?" She asked, her brows furrowing.
"Well, our target audience seems to not really be impressed with regular dinosaurs anymore, so the scientists wanted to try something different." Claire explained. "Something bigger, louder. More teeth, meaner."
"A bit like how Frankenstein's Monster was created," Dany had spoken before she could stop herself, but the idea of this hybrid unsettled her. Bringing back dinosaurs was one thing, but to bring something into this world that doesn't have a clue where it belongs or what it's purpose or place is was a completely different situation.
Claire appeared to take Dany's candid speaking as a bit of insubordination, and her perfectly plucked and penciled brows furrowed. By the grace of the Gods, Dany seemed to be spared Claire's rebuke when the jingle of her phone went off and the red head looked down at the screen.
"Something's come up, Owen would you be able to continue Ms. Targaryen's tour?" She asked. Owen hadn't spoken against Dany's words, but his silence had said all that he didn't. He was in agreement. He nodded, but as Claire turned to leave, she cast a frigid, stern look in Dany's direction.
"I respect your experience, but if I were you I would use more discretion with who you give your opinions to from here on out, especially given that it's your first day," Claire's words were just as chilled as her gaze before lifting her phone to her ear to make a call and get in the car.
Dany felt her heart plummet into the pit of her stomach. It was like being in school getting into trouble and that sense of impending doom.
"Hey," Owen said, snapping out of her internal spiral of dread and self loathing. "Don't listen to Claire. She sees these animals as cash cows and she doesn't get it. You didn't tell her anything I haven't already said, and it pisses her off that she can't just brush me and my opinion off because you basically affirmed what I've been saying."
"I was holding back, too," Dany gave a bitter laugh, shaking her head. "There was a lot more I wanted to say but I was using discretion."
"Don't worry about it. Claire doesn't have any say in who gets to keep their job or not. That's Masrani, especially with the animal handlers. If she was in charge my ass would have been back on the main island awhile ago. But no one else other than maybe Barry, but that would unravel, and both Masrani and Wu know it."
Owen gave her a light nudge with his arm. "C'mon, we'll head to the labs first. You'll get to see the little science experiment too before it gets big enough that we have a repeat of Jurassic Park."
Owen's tone was partially joking, but Dany heard an air of caution in his words as well. As she got into the Jeep Owen led her to, she was surprised when Owen actually opened the passenger door for her.
"So, do you go by Daenerys or a nickname?" He asked.
"Dany," She replied. "People hear 'Daenerys' and think I've come from a completely different world or something."
Owen got into the driver's seat once he closed the passenger side door as soon as Dany was in, turning the key in the ignition and the vehicle roared to life.
The drive was quick, with idle small talk exchanged between the two on the journey. Owen was not at all how Dany would have imagined. He was rugged, held a commanding presence and good at his job and what he did, but there was an empathy about him. Something sentimental. She'd seen how he was with the raptors. They weren't just assets to him, which it appeared was how Claire saw them. Owen not only respected the animals but she could tell he had a bond and attachment to them just the same. They'd become his reason for getting up every morning.
They'd gone through a tunnel where Owen soon parked the keep and led Dany up an elevator to the labs. Headed down the hall, the two were stopped by none other than Henry Wu himself.
"Mr. Grady," Dr. Wu stated calmly. "I wasn't expecting you, or company in general."
Owen gave a curt nod. Dany would have recognized Dr. Wu anywhere. She'd read every study of his she could get her hands on throughout her own studies, and she found herself a little awestruck.
"Doctor, sorry to bother you, I was just bringing our new colleague—" Owen began. But Dr. Wu's dark eyes already fell on her.
"Daenerys Targaryen... yes, your arrival has been greatly anticipated. I would know the trademark Targaryen lilac eyes anywhere." Wu's whole demeanor changed, showing great interest. It was true, Dany's eyes were unique in color, but both her mother and late father had the same eye color and silver blonde hair. Dany had often tried to pass off her eye color as grey or blue, but to no avail. "I've done immense research on your family's lineage and their history with dragons. It's a pleasure to meet the youngest Targaryen dragon."
Something about that sentence filled Dany with unease, and she brushed it off with a light laugh. "Oh, the dragons are just legend and lore, I'm afraid."
"That's where you're wrong, my dear. The dragons were more real than you might think." Dr. Wu corrected. Dany wasn't sure if she should be stunned by the correction and reality that there were things in her heritage that were more real than she'd originally thought, or annoyed that this man she didn't know was trying to explain her own history to her. In all fairness, there was much about her history she didn't know.
"Come see me sometime, I have plenty of reading material if you're interested," Dr. Wu explained. "Now, I imagine Owen brought you here for more than to just humor me and my fascinations with your history."
Owen cleared his throat and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, but Dany could feel a tension in him beside her. "I brought her over to see the hybrid."
For a moment, Dr. Wu blinked at him in confusion before realization crossed his smooth features. "Oh! The Indominus. Yes, please, feel free to have a look. She's a little bit of a handful, but she was the stronger of the two to hatch."
Dany's thicker brows furrowed. "There's two of them?"
"There were."
"What happened to the sibling?"
"She ate it."
Something in that sentence sent a cold spike up Dany's spine. Dr. Wu led them to the hatchery room and using his keycard for access, opened the metal door. Upon entering, Dany was completely taken aback by what she saw. Inside was a bipedal theropod, the species she couldn't even begin to identify. The Indominus was a snowy slate grey color with dark red eyes. She had a sloped muzzle much like that of a Giganotosaurus, with osteoderms down her skull like a Carnotaurus. Spines ran along her neck and back, and she was about the size of a smaller German Shepherd. Her claret eyes cut to the visitors abruptly and she lowered her head with a hiss, remaining near the corner of the room, lowering herself in a threatening fashion. She had the overgrown head of a baby as well as other infantile reptilian features, but it didn't make her any less imposing.
"Holy hell," Dany breathed, her lilac eyes fixed on the creature as she knelt down, hovering on her haunches incase she needed to bolt to her feet and make a quick getaway. The juvenile had threatened them but hadn't offered to charge. Not yet anyway.
"Beautiful, isn't she?" Wu beamed, clearly proud of his creation.
Dany wasn't sure if she would have described the creature as beautiful. Definitely impressive, but considering she wasn't identifiable in any way, shape or form just made everything about her seem wrong. Glancing at Owen, she could tell by the look in his green eyes that he thought the exact same, and she was sure this wasn't the first time he'd seen her.
"Does she have a name?" Dany asked, looking over her shoulder at Dr. Wu but made sure she kept one eye on the irate creature trilling, screeching and hissing at the new presence within her room.
"She's called 'INR-001'." Dr. Wu said.
"Like she's an asset," Dany remarked, the idea sort of disheartening.
"She is an asset, Dr. Targaryen." Dr. Wu responded, a bit more pointed than he had before. "All the creatures on this island are assets."
Dany rose to her feet, keeping her movements slow. She would have loved to have reached out to the juvenile, but everything in the youngster's body language warned her against it. Nonetheless, the last thing she wanted to do was move quickly and trigger further aggression. Despite Dany's caution, however, it was moot, because the Indominus opened her jaws wider than Dany had ever seen and let loose a sound that was like shattered glass. It was like four different calls overlapping in a cacophony of chaos, higher pitched from young vocal chords but made the hairs on Dany's arm stand erect. It was a sound that resembled something absolutely otherworldly. Mutant, and loud enough to reverberate deafeningly off the metal walls and make Dany cringe. She suddenly felt Owen's hand close over her upper arm to draw her back further away from the creature.
"How big is she supposed to get?" Owen inquired, looking toward Dr. Wu.
"About fifty feet long fully grown," Dr. Wu explained. Dany looked over her shoulder at him, her jaw slackening.
"When do you expect to get her into her own paddock?" She asked.
"We're having one built specially for her and her...attributes." Dr. Wu stated. "When she's a little bigger, but small enough that we can still manage her."
"Has she had a handler? Someone there since she hatched, sort of like Owen with his raptors?"
"Unfortunately, no, we couldn't find anybody with the experience. If you'd like though, you could take her on as a project."
Dany wanted more than anything to accept. "Unfortunately, she's well past the stage of imprinting. With her hostility, she would never accept me," Dany explained, casting a sobering look back at the juvenile. Nobody had handled her other than scientists. Because of that lack of socialization, she would never be anything but dangerous.
I'm so sorry, She thought. The people that created you failed you.