Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park/World franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.

11. In-Gen Agenda

Gwyn leaned her forearms against the catwalk railing and scribbled down notes quickly yet neatly, a talent she'd had since a young age. She had been at the paddock since nine o'clock, and she had four pages of new notes; she would likely go over some of her new findings with Owen––or Barry––at the very end of the day. More often than not, the notes were discussed over beer, and every so often, they would argue over something. They would dispute who had the best opinion or who was more likely to be closer to the truth of the matter. The arguments were never quite settled, and were always brought back up whenever another issue arose. It was all friendly and done good naturedly, but the heatedness of the situation was dependant on how opinionated they were, or how much alcohol they'd ingested. Barry often took the role of referee whenever he was present, preferring not to take sides; he found it amusing to see the two arguing about dinosaur behavior over half eaten slices of pizza, beer, and garlic bread.

The paleontologist adjusted the fedora atop her head, so the brim of it would continue to keep the sun off her neck. The skin there was inflamed and bright pink in color. Her father would have had an aneurysm if she'd admitted to the fact she'd willingly left her residence without putting sunblock on the back of her neck. Gwyn had spent the past nine days working exclusively at the raptor paddock, leaving her neck perfectly exposed for the sun to abuse. A wince drew up one corner of her mouth as the reddened skin rubbed against the collar of her shirt. The usually soft cotton felt like sandpaper. With a sigh, Gwyn pocketed her notepad and pen, then ducked her head to stare down into the pen. Below her, the girls were skittering about, still excited from their round of 'hide-and-seek' that they'd played not but ten minutes earlier. Despite all the time she had been spending around them, the uneasy feeling she got around them hadn't lessened much. Owen had continuously attempted to assure Gwyn that she was doing good, and that soon enough she would be even more comfortable around them. But she doubted herself around them; and that self-doubt was, undoubtedly, hindering her progress.

"Hey, Dr. Grant!" called out Francis, one of the paddock workers. Francis was a cheery man who had a pension for wearing no sleeves and always had a set of sunglasses placed on the top of his head. On more than one occasion, he'd forgotten where he'd put them, only to have some of his co-workers snicker and point out they were sitting just over his forehead. Gwyn looked his way, tracking his progress down the catwalk with her eyes. He beamed at her and pointed to the stairs on the other end of the central walkway. "Gary just came back with lunch, he's headed into the office."

"I'll be down in a moment––make sure Jim doesn't steal my order this time, will you?" Gwyn patted the man on the shoulder as he passed, listening to him chuckle.

"I'll try my best to stop him!"

Gwyn laughed and pushed away from the sun heated railing. Food sounded glorious, as her stomach had been growling for the past hour. It also meant she got to relax in the air conditioned office for a while; the day was blistering hot and unpleasantly humid, which caused her skin to become covered in a thin layer of sweat. Before she moved away, Gwyn peered down into the paddock. Echo was stood almost directly below her. The raptor gazed up at her and made a sound that the paleontologist could have classified as one of recognition. The paleontologist copied Echo's curious cock of the head, bringing a single hand to rest on the scorching hot metal of the railing. Of all of Owen's raptors, Echo seemed the most tolerant of her presence, even since day one. At least, that was what it seemed like. Echo always seemed to acknowledge her presence, not with a growl, but with a clicking sound much like the one she'd just sounded. It was quite curious, and it was quite confusing.

"Amazing creatures, aren't they?" Looking down the catwalk, Gwyn spotted a face she hadn't seen around the paddock before. The man's hair was styled into a buzz cut that made his head look square shaped. He was grinning her way whilst he approached with deliberate steps; something about him was intimidating in some sense. Maybe it was the broad shoulders or his larger physique. Gwyn's brows pinched together as she took in the approaching man, and realized she didn't feel intimidated––she felt unsettled.

"Amazingly vicious," Gwyn deadpanned. The man chuckled and stopped beside her, leaning over the railing to peer down at Echo, who growled at the man's sudden appearance. The paleontologist's eyebrows pinched together and her gaze danced between the raptor and the man. He was smiling at the dinosaur with a gleam in his eyes that made it seem he had some sort of hidden agenda. He then turned his head towards her, grinning in a way that made her skin crawl.

"Their ferocity is what makes them so amazing." The man proffered his hand and, out of polite convention, Gwyn accepted it. "Vic Hoskins. And you must be Dr. Gwyn Grant."

Gwyn pulled her hand from his grasp and immediately crossed her arms over her chest, brows remaining furrowed. She nodded to confirm her name and then wetted her dry lips. There was a certain way she felt around predatory creatures, like velociraptors or tyrannosaurs; and that was the same vibe she was getting off of Hoskins. It was like there was a perpetual uncomfortable shiver rolling down the length of her spine.

"I don't think I've ever seen you around the paddock before," Gwyn stated purposefully. Hoskins chuckled and pushed away from the railing, tapping it with his hands as he did so. He shrugged and gazed around the surrounding area, as though he was surveying it.

"I haven't been by in a while." Hoskins chuckled, again, and returned his gaze to the paddock below them. The girls had dispersed. Blue prowled the perimeter of the foliage, Charlie was itching her neck with the use of a helpful tree, Delta looked to be taking a nap, and Echo was hidden amongst the fronds of a fern, staring up at the catwalk from her new position. Hoskins pointed to Echo's hiding spot. "You and your father know a lot about these guys, don't you?"

Gwyn stared at the concealed velociraptor, hugging her arms around her chest a fraction tighter. Hoskins' inquiry had been innocent enough, but it managed to make her feel perfectly comfortable. "Yeah. I think we do."

"They're perfect killing machines, don't you think? You know, there aren't many people who get to meet someone who has been fortunate enough to encounter all of that power up-close and personal," Hoskins informed, turning his gaze on Gwyn. He was looking at her the same way that he had been watching the girls––with an appraising, searching gaze. There was that gleam, again. That one that pushed Gwyn to believe he wasn't just there to look at the raptors for shits-and-giggles. The paleontologist blanched at the words that had just been uttered. Her arms dropped away from her chest and her back straightened impressively. Her heart had begun to beat faster and harder, and anger slowly started to flood her system. Gwyn had become used to the whole 'you poor thing, how terrible it must have been for you to have lived through such an experience.' It was a commonplace response to finding out the hell she had gone through. But never before––never––had someone told her that what had transpired at the first park was a good thing.

"E-Excuse me?" Gwyn stuttered, feeling livid. An anger filled scoffed forced its way out of her mouth. "Fortunate? I'm fortunate to have almost been killed?" She had jutted a finger at her own chest, unconsciously having brought attention to the scar slicing across her skin. His eyes danced along the mark and, for the first time in a long time, she felt uncomfortable because someone was gawking at the scar. As subtly as she could, she tugged her shirt closed and did up another button or two, clearing her throat, which had started to grow thick with anger. Her growing rage was only heightened by the fact that Hoskins was beaming at her, eyes gleaming and demeanor insufferably casual. "Who the hell do you think you are that you have the right to say something like that to me?"

"Just a man with an interest in what these girls can do."

"Well, that's a dangerous interest, Mr. Hoskins, one that could get you killed."

"Mind if I ask you some questions, Dr. Grant?" Hoskins tilted his head to the side, almost seeming amused at the infuriated flush that had colored her cheeks. Gwyn was breathing hard. She had clenched her fingers into fists, severely suppressing the urge to punch the man who stood before her. She narrowed her eyes and ground her teeth together as she engaged in a short-lived staring match with her new acquaintance.

"Yes, I do mind," Gwyn practically growled.

"Only a couple, I promise."

Gwyn lurched a step forward and felt her right elbow twitch, bending a couple of inches so her fist was now held at hip level. It was an instinctive move that wordlessly spoke wonders; it was only a shame that he hadn't caught sight of it. Hoskins only seemed more amused than he had a moment ago. "What do want to know that I haven't already told the world?" Hoskins slinked a step forward until he was standing too close for comfort, seeming completely at ease in the situation they were in. He tilted his head to the side and looked her over from head to toe.

"I want to know what you didn't tell the newspapers when you got back from Isla Nublar the first time. I want to know what it is you saw when the velociraptors attacked you; I want to know their hunting patterns and the way they operate whilst hunting humans. I need your expertise on their behavior," Hoskins informed in a low voice, the smile finally having disappeared from his face. Gwyn felt her facial muscles twist and contort into a look of near-disgust.

"You… you want to know how they hunt humans? Wh-Why on earth would you need to possess that kind of information? Do you even work here, or are you some kind of… sadist who enjoys exploiting people's trauma?" Gwyn spat. One corner of Hoskins' mouth twitched upwards. Just over his shoulder, Gwyn spotted someone cresting the top of the stairs, their form a fuzzy blur. They were dressed in burgundy, that much was clear.

"Hoskins!" Owen called out. Hoskins turned around and Gwyn heard him chuckle. Owen strode towards them with his shoulders squared and his fingers curled into fists. He didn't look pleased, to put it mildly. His lips were curved downward, his forehead was creased, and his steps were willfully determined. Gwyn took the chance to step away from Hoskins, firmly crossing her arms over her chest again. Hoskins threw his arms out as though he was greeting an old friend.

"Owen! Long time, no see, eh? I've heard that you're making progress on controlling these things," Hoskins prompted, gesturing to the paddock. Below, the girls were stirring with excitement at the arrival of their alpha. Echo, however, remained hidden in the foliage, ever watchful of what was happening above her. Owen's lips twitched in annoyance.

"Those 'things' are living, breathing creatures. I've told you before, and I'll tell you again: I can't control them. I will never be able to control them, and that is a good thing," Owen informed sternly.

"Are you so sure about that?" Hoskins inquired in a low tone, crossing his arms. He turned sideways so either of his shoulders faced Owen and Gwyn. It allowed him to look between them, clearly considering who he would address first. He decided to keep his attentions on Owen for the time being. "Think of what could be possible, Owen. You have to look at the bigger picture. It could prevent people from getting hurt, it could prevent conflict."

Gwyn's brows twitched together and she glanced between the two men, who looked so settled in the conversation that she figured they must have had it before. She shifted her weight on her feet and cocked her head to the side a fraction, eyes having narrowed some.

"I'm sorry, what's going on?" Gwyn asked. Owen stared Hoskins down as he answered, face sternly composed all the while.

"Hoskins here wants to use velociraptors as militarized weapons. Wants them on the battlefield," Owen explained. Her brows arched and her blood went cold. It no longer felt grossly humid or disastrously hot; the idea of velociraptors being used as weapons made her want to either: jump straight off a cliff, or bitch-slap the man who even thought that it was a remotely good idea. "He's been relentless in trying to convince me it's a good idea."

"Which it isn't," Gwyn concluded firmly. She turned her attention to the man in the khaki shirt, eyes narrowed ferociously. "You want my expertise on their behavior, Mr. Hoskins? Buckle in and get ready for a lecture." Both men looked her way as she moved so she was standing to face Hoskins square-on. She placed both hands on her hips and fixed him with a searing look of annoyance. Hoskins cocked his head to the side and crossed his arms, looking too amused for his own good. He nodded for her to go on and her lips twitched into a partial scowl.

"The velociraptors––and every other dinosaur on this island––have thousands of years worth of instinct in their DNA. That instinct drives them forward on a few basic principles: kill or be killed, eat or be eaten, fight or flight, mate or become extinct. All of those instincts prompt them to rail against us, these puny, weak creatures that have put them in captivity. They're not thankful to us for reanimating them. There is no feasible way for anyone to get them to listen unconditionally. It's… amazing that Owen has even managed to establish this strong of a bond with them. But he's right; he'll never be able to control them. He may be their alpha, but at the end of the day, he's still a human." Gwyn forced a sugary smile onto her face, her eyes remaining decidedly annoyed. "And if you want to observe their hunting tactics whilst tracking down a human, don't let me stop you from jumping the rail so you can see what it's like. First hand experience is the best, is it not? It was a great displeasure to meet you, Mr. Hoskins." Gwyn turned her attention to Owen. "I'm taking my lunch break, I'll be in the office if you need me."

Both men watched her march away and descend the stairs. Once she had disappeared from view, Hoskins laughed boomingly and clapped his hands together. He pointed in Gwyn's direction and beamed at Owen.

"She's a firecracker! I like her," he announced. Owen sighed and scrubbed a hand over his facial hair. "You two seem like a match made in heaven; have you tag-teamed Miss Dearing yet? I'm sure she'd hate it."

"When will you understand that I'm not falling for this ridiculous scheme?" Owen asked, avoiding all of Hoskins' previous comments. Neither man said anything for a moment, simply letting the chirping birds and the girls' clicking fill the silence. Hoskins' only reason for ever showing up at the paddock was to try and rope Owen into believing his far-fetched plan was worth something. The man hadn't even bothered to learn the girls' names; he wanted to use them as field testers, and yet he wouldn't go as far as getting to know them. Gwyn was terrified of them and even she was still taking time to try and understand them better.

"When will you understand that what I'm planning on doing will change the world? That it will save lives; how many of your brethren who died in battle could have been saved if something like this had been in place?" Hoskins asked, hands moving to rest on his hips. Owen's jaw tightened and his back stiffened. It had been a personal blow to say the least, and it seemed to have the desired effect Hoskins had wanted. It was making Owen think. "Huh?"

"Please leave, Hoskins. We've got a lot to do today," Owen replied in a tired tone of voice. He turned away and made to leave, hands shoved into his pockets.

"One day, Owen!" called out Hoskins. "One day you'll realize I'm right!"

"Goodbye, Hoskins!"

Shortly after Gwyn had sat herself down in the chair opposite Owen's desk––which, once again, had become messy––the owner of said piece of furniture came striding through the door. He sighed and leaned back against the door, both hands rising up to cover his face for a fleeting moment. Once they dropped away, Gwyn could see him recompose his expression into something more light-hearted. He shot her a half-hearted smile and pushed himself away from the door.

"That man doesn't know when to stop," he attempted to joke. Gwyn opened the grease stained bag that held her lunch and quirked an eyebrow towards her hairline. The joke, like his smile, was half-hearted. If she could hazard a guess, Gwyn would say he was trying to put on a brave face for her benefit. He slouched into his seat and let his brows crinkle.

"Owen." Once their eyes met, she continued. "Are you okay?" There was a pause where Owen seriously considered the question, drumming his fingers atop a stack of papers on his desk. In a progression of movement so slow it was barely perceptible at first, he started to nod, his chin bobbing up and down. He shot her a quarter of a smile, which disappeared as quickly as it appeared.

"Yeah. He just, uh, knows how to push all the right buttons to get you riled up."

"You don't have to tell me that twice," Gwyn agreed, twisting the cap off her water bottle. She tilted the water bottle in Owen's direction in lieu of pointing at him. "If you ever want to talk about it, you've got my number, and we're practically attached at the hip whenever I'm here at the paddock, so…" Owen snorted, rubbing his brow bone as a genuine smile began to crawl across his face. Gwyn rooted around inside the bag in her lap for a french-fry, an action that rendered her fingers covered in salt and grease. "So, what does that ray of sunshine we call Hoskins do here at the park anyway? He didn't mention."

Owen reclined in his seat and snatched up his own lunch, a burger which had a couple of bites taken out of it already. It had been abandoned when he heard Jim mention Hoskins had arrived and was headed for the catwalks. He folded back the greasy paper and shrugged his shoulders, taking another bite out of the meat and bread. "He's the head of In-Gen's security division," Owen informed blandly through a mouthful of food. Gwyn gaped at him openly, her pointer finger stuck in her mouth since she had been licking the salt off of her skin. Her hand dropped into her lap and both eyebrows shot towards her hairline.

"I'm sorry, what? In-Gen… has a security division?" Gwyn stressed. Owen nodded and propped his feet up on his desk. The paleontologist sighed and slouched downwards in her chair. "Why am I surprised? I–I really shouldn't be…"

Of course InGen had a security division. She and Alan had strongly agreed that InGen was a company that should have died with the first park. But thanks to people with exuberant amounts of money, it was revived and kept alive, and it threatened to allow history to repeat itself. It meant that they could restart their work, keep playing god, and develop new divisions––just like security. That meant that they were the ones that created the extensive security protocols Masrani had told her about. The ones that she'd spent two and a half evenings reading over. Those protocols, which had put her somewhat at ease, suddenly seemed vastly less safe. Surely there were loopholes that InGen had created that would allow them to control any disastrous situation and flip it any which way so it would benefit them.

"Straying away from the topic of our guest… did you get any good notes today?" Owen asked, looking eager to stray away from the subject of Hoskins. Gwyn hummed through a mouthful of french fries and shifted her weight so she could reach into her back pocket. She extracted her notepad, set her lunch on Owen's desk, and flipped through the pages.

"Only that the pack dynamic keeps getting more complicated and complex," she explained, reading over her notes, tapping each point when she spoke it. "They all differ to Blue when you're not present; but if Blue's not around, Delta seems to be the one who they follow. Echo always seems like she wants to put herself forward for a leadership role, but never steps up to challenge any of the other girls."

Owen nodded and waggled a finger at her before snapping and pulling a face. "Can't believe I forgot to tell you this," he said in a self-berating tone. "Echo and Blue battled for dominance, once upon a time. Obviously, Blue won; but that's how Echo got her scar, and why her jaw is so off-set. I don't know if you noticed it before, but it's shifted slightly to one side. Gives her a permanent smirk." Owen pulled a smirk of his own, emphasizing what she'd just been told. Gwyn's brows pinched together and she tried to think back of when she'd stood face-to-face with Echo the previous week.

"I… hadn't noticed that," she admitted, tucking her notepad away. "I'll have to take a closer look next time I'm close to her." She put the bag of food back into her lap and, from the corner of her eye, she saw Owen's smirk grow. Putting her attention fully on him, she laughed slightly and shrugged her shoulders. "What?"

"So there'll be a 'next time' in regards of getting up-close-and-personal with the girls?" he teased. Gwyn rolled her eyes, smiled, and relaxed back into her chair.

"I don't think you'd settle for anything less, Mr. Grady."

"Damn straight."

"Besides, Echo seems to be… better acclimated to my presence here," Gwyn mentioned. Owen's brows shot upwards in surprise and he dragged his feet off the desk in order to lean his elbows atop it instead.

"You noticed that, too?" he asked. Gwyn nodded and took the first bite of a pulled-pork sandwich; it would seem that Jim hadn't gotten her order mixed up this time. She reminded herself she would have to good-naturedly tease him about it later. "Good, I thought it might've just been me seeing what I wanted to see."

"Maybe by the end of this all she and I will be best friends; have movie nights, get pedicures, you know, the whole shebang," Gwyn deadpanned with a wry smirk. Owen began to chuckle, a chuckle that slowly formed into a full-fledged laugh, one that reverberated through his chest. Gwyn beamed and bit into her sandwich again, hiding the waning smile as she chewed. Or, she thought to herself, maybe it'll end with her tearing my throat out.

OOOO

Simon Masrani was a man who liked to check in on his island as often as he could. As of late, that wasn't often enough, in his opinion. He'd had meeting to attend elsewhere, but he had trusted Claire Dearing and Henry Wu with his precious park, knowing full well that it was resting in perfectly capable hands. Even so, he was anxious to hear about all of the new progress that was being made in his absence. Such was why he was excitedly making his way through the bustling crowds on Main Street in order to get to the visitor's center. Wu had told him that they needed to discuss their newest attraction, which was to open in the coming year. Exciting developments had been had, he was told, exciting developments!

Wu met him in the lobby smiling professionally once they made eye-contact. Masrani grinned, whipped off his sunglasses, and tucked them into the pocket of his blazer. "Henry! So good to see you." The two men shook hands and the proprietor of the park looked around the crowded visitor's center lobby with pride. Children were laughing, parents were beaming, and everything was running smoothly. Wu clasped his hands behind his back and inclined his head respectfully.

"And it is always good to see you, too, sir. Shall we proceed to the laboratory? I believe that there's something that you would be thrilled to see," Wu assured, sweeping his hand towards the back of the lobby. Masrani gestured for him to lead the way, allowing himself to trail back a couple of steps to observe and absorb the feeling of joy he felt radiating through the room. They passed by the publicly viewable labs and slipped into the private sector. Wu punched in his access code and the two men slipped into the relatively small, but very neat, lab. The walls were lined with state of the art monitors, displaying strands of DNA, vital signs, and various other charts and information. The first room was filled with tanks that housed animals such as tree frogs, cuttlefish, lizards, snakes, and various other creatures. The lighting was relatively dim, and a handful of scientists sat at computers unbothered by the secluded, darkened atmosphere. Wu picked up a tablet that was sitting atop a desk, his fingers tapping at the screen once it was firmly in his grasp. The two men passed into the next room, through an opened glass door. This room was bigger and brighter, with lab benches, filing cabinets, and even more monitors.

"The geneticists and I have been working tirelessly, and our work have proved very fruitful," Wu informed, leading Masrani towards an incubator at the back of the room. "I only wished you could have been here earlier." Masrani approached with slow, mesmerized steps, eyes fixated on the two large eggs inside the glass dome. The park proprietor had asked Wu to resurrect a new dinosaur to satisfy both the board and the investors; he wanted it to be, in his vernacular, bigger, scarier, and cooler. He had given Wu and the InGen scientists full authorization to do what they liked. That power had allowed them to do something that had never been done before. They created a dinosaur. They spliced genes and hashed them together, looking for the perfect mix to give Masrani what he asked for. Bigger. Scarier. Cooler.

Masrani pulled one hand out from behind his back, pointed to them, and raised both brows. He looked to Wu, who stopped just beside the incubator, splitting his attention between the tablet in his hands and the eggs. "Is that…?" Wu looked up, held his chin high, and nodded in confirmation.

"Sir, I present to you, the Indominus Rex––or what will be the Indominus Rex. Miss Dearing and I have decided that it would be in our best interest to name it in a more... common vernacular. Easier for guests to say." Wu was beaming. He was staring at the eggs with pride, and the smile on his face became vaguely lopsided, one corner of his mouth having twitched up at the corner. Masrani stopped directly in front of the incubator, placing a hand against the glass dome that protected the eggs. They were large, as it was typical to use ostrich eggs to house the embryos as they grew.

"How old are they?" Masrani inquired, sounding vaguely dazed. Wu tapped into a chart as he answered, making sure the data he was about to present was correct.

"About ten weeks. They should be ready to hatch within the next ten days or so."

"That seems rather quick."

"It only seems quick because it takes nine months to fully develop a new human being," Wu chuckled. Masrani nodded, shining brown eyes still fixated on the two eggs. Masrni peeled his eyes away from the incubator in order to look to the scientist and ask,

"What will they look like?"

Wu, with a smile, tapped around on the screen a couple of times before he turned it to face Masrani. He accepted the tablet and stared down at the displayed digital image. His eyes widened while he tried to picture the real live thing tromping around through foliage. "Well, sir? What do you think?"

"It is… magnificent, Henry. Absolutely magnificent," he replied in a near reverent tone. With a grin appearing on his face, he looked up and clapped Wu on the shoulder soundly. "Well done, sir, very well done! I cannot fathom how brilliant it will be to see this creature in the flesh."

"You won't have to wait much longer. We can start selling tickets for the new attraction by weeks end. Miss Dearing has informed me the paddock is already under construction, so once they're big enough, they'll be moved straight into their permanent home," Wu said. Masrani nodded slowly, setting the tablet aside on one of the nearby lab benches. He moved towards one of the monitors attached to the wall and looked at the slowly rotating strand of DNA on the screen. His eyes skimmed over it as he thought over all of the progress that had been made. In a matter of days, a new dinosaur––undocumented and completely new to this earth––would hatch. Its behaviors would be unpredictable and new, and it would take weeks for the park scientists to fully grasp hold of how to handle them.

"I would like you to take Gwyn Grant on to this project," Masrani informed Wu in a decided tone of voice. The scientist resisted the urge to gape, but did not have the grace to keep a professional look on his face. Wu scoffed and crossed his arms over his chest much in the way a dejected child might.

"Gwyn Grant? What could that…" Wu fought to keep down a string of distasteful words such as 'snobbish' and 'troublesome,' "paleontologist possibly have to offer the project?" He spoke the word that described her profession as though it was some sort of curse or insult. Masrani's brows rose towards his hairline at the distaste he detected in the scientist's tone. He pointed towards the door, as though Gwyn was standing on the other side of the wall.

"She is more than just a paleontologist, Henry. She is a behaviorist––an animal behaviorist. A dinosaur behaviorist, now. With this new creature… we don't know how it will act. We can't decipher its movements, its personality!" Masrani exclaimed emphatically. Wu scoffed; 'personality'... how childish. "But Dr. Grant can."

"Gwyn Grant is the daughter of an uppity paleontologist who thinks he's the best in his field. As the saying goes, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. Miss Grant has a superiority complex––she was born and raised with it––and she loves to lord things over people. She's nothing special. That girl––"

"That woman," Masrani countered emphatically, leaning forward in the slightest, "is intelligent and kind and one of the best paleontologists of her generation, though she would never admit it. Without the information she has given us, there are many things that we would still be puzzling over; things would be harder for us. And she's only been here for a handful of weeks! You should treat her with respect. This is my park, Dr. Wu, and you will take on who I tell you to take on. When it comes time for the eggs to hatch, I expect her to be there. I'll know if she's not, Dr. Wu. I'll know if she's not."

The muscles in Wu's jaw had tightened so much that they were starting to hurt. The thought of having Gwyn Grant part of his project made his stomach roil. The Grants always had to muck everything up for him. Unfortunately, if he wanted to remain the head of the project, he would have to agree to Masrani's request, he would have to let the paleontologist play her part. But once that part was played, once she'd done all that she could do––and that wouldn't be much––then she would be off the project and kept far, far away from the Indominus Rex. In the meantime, he would have to, quite literally, grin and bear it.

"Miss Grant will be there, Mr. Masrani," he agreed, forcing a tight and clearly fake smile onto his face. Masrani nodded his approval and cast his eyes back to the two eggs inside the incubator. Yes, this would be a good step for Jurassic World; a bigger, better, scarier dinosaur to draw in the masses. John Hammond would be proud of the progress that had been done, Masrani would like to think. The Indominus Rex was going to make history, and Isla Nublar would be famed for years to come.

Afterword: And there we have it. The Indominus is officially coming into play, now! I'm guesstimating how long it's going to have to be before the events of the movie, because they don't mention the Indominus' age. So, bear with me as I figure all that out, ahaha!

Review Replies!

katy1986: I'm really looking forward to writing the first kiss :-) It's going to be fantastic to get to that point of the story. I hope to maybe get Alan or Ellie or one of the other characters to the island; I just don't know who or how. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

NicoleR85: I hope you enjoyed the new chapter; I'm glad you enjoyed the last one! Thanks again!

heroherondaletotherescue: I like to think that Gwyn and Owen will have a lot more nights drinking on the dock like in the last chapter. Like, that they have this nice little spot to escape to whenever things start getting stressful or when they just want to have a night to relax and forget about where they are and what they're doing. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

The Redshirt who Lived: I googled paleontology pick-up lines. They're all horrible, but I laugh thinking that Gwyn might have, at one time, used one of those in a serious context. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter; thanks again!

lilnightmare17: Here's another chapter! Hope you enjoyed it!
Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as the last; thanks again!

.ivy: The ship is now officially Owyn :-) I do plan on having some interesting stuff go down with Gwyn and the raptors, since she's still got a long way to go and a lot of time to form relationships with them. She'll never have the exact same bond, say, Owen or Barry have with them, but I've got some stuff planned. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

CarlyJo: I feel like Gwyn and Owen would be a surprisingly cutesy couple. Like, people wouldn't expect them to have all those cute little moments, but they totally do; they'll be the best #raptorparents there ever will be. The fiercest and cutest couple on Isla Nublar xD I'm glad that you can see everything playing out in your head. I've gotten worried that the writing quality is on a steady decline, but hearing that you can still picture it all in your head boosts my confidence! Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!

The girl with no life: I've got lots of cutesy Owen/Gwyn scenes planned; there'll be some shy!Owen/embarrassed!Owen in there too. And it is kinda sad that Gwyn is hoping to make good memories on the island when we all know it's going to go to shit eventually. The good times may be rolling now, but eventually it's all gonna spiral downhill. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

RJNorth: My school work has let up, but I'm in a play that's showing all next week and then I've got finals in three-ish weeks, so I'm simultaneously free of stress and super stressed at the same time. But I finally got this chapter done, so I'm really excited about that. I feel like the raptors play a really big role in getting Owen and Gwyn together; they're unwitting match-makers, ahahaha! I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

Guest: Gwyn facing her fears is a process. She's getting there… slowly. Very, very slowly. I hope that you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!

SPARKLES77: Thank you! I'm glad you're enjoying the story!
BCgurlie: I'm very happy that you've enjoyed the story so far! As you can tell, we met Hoskins this chapter, and we'll get Lowery in the next two. He and Gwyn have movie nights, it's one of my headcanons for my own story, ahaha! I hope that you enjoyed the new story! Thanks again!

RHatch89: I hope that you stick around to see how the intrigue progresses!

JediGemini: She'll have a scene with Rexy in the future, I've got a scene planned. It's gonna be interesting. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!

And thank you to those that added this story to their follows/favorites; it means a lot to me!

Things are starting to pick up! Gwyn's life is about to get crazy hectic and really interesting. I hope to get another chapter up soon, but I've got finals coming up, so it's a bit if-y. I hope that you all enjoyed the chapter! I'll see you all in the next one! Thanks again, all, you rock!

~Mary