Chapter 14

Sitting in the back seat of the car, Cathy had to hand it to her conspirators; they knew what they were talking about.

One of the last things that had come up in the meeting was a plan for when the switch in jobs did come. According to Angela, who had a friend currently with the veterinary team, they were very particular about the way they did things.

For instance, the jeeps were gas powered, and could seat five at max. Which meant that the large group of interns would be divided into teams that would shadow one of the vets. So which interns you got paired with and which supervising vet you shadowed would matter. Switching around groups wouldn't be easy. If you got put with the simpletons, you'd get held back.

Of course, Angela and the others had phrased it in a much more sugar-coated way, but she knew what they meant. Still, she had very much agreed with their logic and their plan. The four of them would try and band together, and latch on to a skilled vet. That way they would be assured a certain level of quality.

And in the end, it worked like a charm. The four of them sat in a jeep with Dr. Kaur, a dark-haired woman with clear Indian heritage and a stern gaze. According to Scott, she was a relatively well-known veterinary scientist. Like all the vets, she'd worked with large predators, and had many years of experience, but her own work was what set her apart. She was apparently a prolific writer on veterinary medicine, if the articles Cathy had read were any indication. Her work covered everything from extreme field treatment to high tech lab studies and everything in between.

If someone told Cathy that Dr. Kaur could mend sepsis with a broken stick and a strip of duct tape, she might actually believe them.

Sitting in the middle of the back seat, she couldn't see as much as the others as they drove through the jungle on the employee path, but she'd been willing to endure it. After all, she was the "new member" to the dynamic, and it only made sense to give the "seniors" their preference of seating. Angela sat in the passenger seat, while Cathy was flanked by the two men.

"So what kind of work are we looking at today?" Markus asked, breaking from staring at the passing greenery.

"Today we'll be taking a tour around the northern half of the island, and just getting an overview of the job. Half the interns in this group are getting the lab orientation first, while the other half gets the field orientation. You're in the latter group," Dr. Kaur explained with a light accent.

"What will this orientation be about?" Angela inquired.

"Introducing you all to the rules of working with the animals directly. You already covered some of them while dealing with the young dinosaurs, but when dealing with the adults, there are more rules. These animals are dangerous, especially to park employees. You take a level of risk when you sign up for this job. You don't have invisible fences protecting you, and you're close to these animals. Even the most docile ones can harm you just by shifting their weight wrong. Let me make this perfectly clear: if you behave in a way that is out of line with these animals, you will not be invited back."

Everyone responded with agreement, and the car fell silent for a moment. At the very minimum, Cathy was glad to see someone was taking dinosaur security seriously. She understood some of the struggles faced by the administration to balance both safety and business. This was first and foremost a park, and you peddled an experience. It was hard to have a genuine, personal experience from behind layers of concrete and electric fences. A whole lot safer, but less likely to end up on a postcard home.

"We're approaching the gate, so I'll start with some of the basic rules. Number one: do not go beyond the gate without permission or supervision. This is for your safety as well as security. If you go beyond the fence without permission and you get hurt without us knowing, we can't help you. If you go out there without permission and we do know, you will be fired. Second: don't make loud noises or use anything that flashes. The dinosaurs have become used to the cars, but anything else might spook them. This especially goes for the carnivores."

Cathy didn't think she had to worry about them. None of them were the kind to hoot and holler when they saw a Stegosaurus, and they certainly weren't taking selfies. As the gate came into view, she turned her attention to Dr. Kaur, watching the process carefully. The jeep pulled up to the fence, where a rectangular chamber was bisected by the fenceline. Both ends were capped in tightly locked security doors.

Pulling up outside of the swinging range of the doors, Dr. Kaur leaned out the window to look at a small box coming out of the mud. "ID please."

Dr. Kaur lifted a small ID from under her coat where it hung around her neck, and pressed it against the scanner. After a moment, a green light came on, and the doors clicked audibly before creaking open. "You are clear to enter."

"Thanks, Nick," Dr. Kaur said as she leaned back in. So the door system is manned, Cathy noted. She definitely wouldn't be getting in that way. If it was just an automated system, she could just steal a card and sneak in, but with people watching and knowing each other by name, that wasn't feasible.

Edging the vehicle in, Dr. Kaur stopped it just before the secondary gates, waiting as the doors closed behind them. "In most cases, the second set won't open until the first have closed. This is to prevent any escapees. The only exception is during an emergency, when the bypass is enacted."

Cathy glanced over her shoulder, looking out the back window of the jeep. She spotted one of the cameras in the corner of the structure, the small light blinking away to indicate its activity. A moment later, the first set of gates closed with a heavy clang, and a buzz before the second set started swinging open. Once they had opened fully, Dr. Kaur drove out, and the structure disappeared behind the jungle. If one didn't know where to find it, then they blended right into the treeline. Probably to preserve immersion for visitors.

Looking back towards the front of the car, she had to take a moment to adjust to the sunlight as they entered onto the open plains. With the sun blazing above, the grass glowed a vibrant green, rolling in hills that were intercut with strips of jungle following the waterways. In the distance, she could see a lake, and the distinct shape of dinosaurs gathered around the edge. Her breath hitched in her throat as she saw some members of the Apatosaurus herd by the lakeside, positively dwarfing the other dinosaurs, their heads smoothly craning atop their massive necks.

"Here you can see one of the main watering holes," Dr. Kaur pointed out. "We've got a few spread throughout the zone to try and ensure water is accessible. Right now, we're at the east reservoir. There's also one in the west, and a couple near the north. Generally, the animal you'll want is going to be either here or in the west. The animals don't tend to go north."

"Why's that?" Scott asked, and Cathy noted the way Dr. Kaur's mouth thinned slightly, clearly mulling over her answer.

"The jungle's pretty thick up north. A lot of them prefer the open field, so there's not a lot of reason to go north," Dr. Kaur said.

On the surface, it was a fairly convincing argument, and very true. But that wasn't the whole reason. It was for the same reason that the trainees weren't allowed to go to the very north of the island.

The old park was there.

For the trainees, it was forbidden to go there, and discouraged for any other employee unless they had a task in the area. A policy meant to discourage looters and tourists. The old buildings and structures were dilapidated and dangerous. And Jurassic World hated admitting anything less than positive about their past.

In the case of the dinosaurs, it was likely they didn't like the signs of death. A lot of dinosaurs had died in the Isla Nublar Incident, leaving skeletons behind. It was general wisdom that animals tended not to go where skeletons were plentiful.

As they approached the watering hole, she couldn't help but feel her thoughts drift towards the animals. She'd seen them before, but never in person and never this close. She felt a small amount of disappointment as they stopped atop one of the hills overlooking the lake.

"Generally, we try to avoid getting close to the animals," Dr. Kaur explained as she parked the vehicle. "Unlike the gyrospheres, the invisible fence system isn't always on for a jeep. We try to prevent the animals from getting habituated to the jeeps so they don't get too close. Makes things a little more difficult, but safer. And we've figured out ways around it."

Dr. Kaur reached into the space between the front seats, pulling out a pair of bulky binoculars for demonstration. "We can inspect the animals with a degree of detail using these. It circumvents the need to even get close."

"How do you monitor for internal health?" Angela asked, her eyes locked on the dinosaurs.

"All the dinosaurs have internal trackers implanted from birth. They keep us updated on their position, while also keeping track of vital signs. If anything changes, we'll know. But just in case, we do some regular checks personally, especially if we see any signs of illness. Helps us keep track of some of the harder to see spots as well, like the bottoms of their feet."

"What kinds of illnesses do the dinosaurs get?" Markus asked. "Iridovirus? Ranavirus?"

"Not generally out here. Those are more of an issue in the Gentle Giants. No one touches the animals out here except us, and we follow sanitary procedures. Most of the diseases we see out here are mundane. Infections from small cuts or wounds, or maybe some stomach bugs in the more rainy months. Worst we used to get was herds in the east getting into West Indian lilac patches. Took forever to root them out."

Cathy perked up at the mention. She'd heard of those before, and it took her a second to remember where. A Treatise on Paleobotanical Specimens by Dr. Sattler. In it, Dr. Sattler had mentioned that many historical plants may have been poisonous, and advised caution in using them outside of labs. But the reference to lilac had been from Sattler's anecdotal account from her visit to the original park, and how it had likely had a hand in poisoning some of the animals.

Despite all her presumptions, it seemed the park really did make an effort to learn from the past, even if they didn't always acknowledge it. Sure, there were flaws all over the place, but at least they were new flaws.

"What happens if one of the larger animals needs more extreme treatment?" Scott asked. "As far as I understand it, some of the smaller ones, like the Pachycephalosaurus, are taken back to the veterinary clinic, but you can't just load an Apatosaurus into a truck."

Cathy was surprised when Dr. Kaur actually laughed a little. "You're right, we can't just drag them. If there's an animal that's either too large or dangerous to transport in a vehicle, we erect a containment area around them and perform intervention on-site."

"I would assume that also applies if the animal needs immediate treatment," Angela observed.

"That's correct," Dr. Kaur confirmed, sitting up in her seat. After a moment, she put the jeep back into drive, and started spinning the wheel. She started driving parallel to the herds, keeping a safe distance. "The upper limit we can take is some of the adolescent stegosaurus or triceratops. Let's see, it was somewhere around...here."

Dr. Kaur turned the vehicle, slowing to a stop. "You can see a spot over there where we did an inspection on one of the Triceratops about a week ago."

Cathy craned her head, trying to spot the area in question. After a moment, she could make out an area where the ground looked different. The grass was starting to grow back in, which made it hard to see, but there were clear impressions in the ground, along with a couple of tracks in the ground, likely from the animal's legs as it laid on its side. The area around it was still a little shorter than the rest, and she had no doubt that if she was closer, she could find tracks from the doctors.

"Where is it? I can't see?" Markus asked from her left, and she realized she was probably blocking his vision. She sat back to let him spot it for himself, letting her thoughts begin to wander as they scanned the grass.

But something was bugging her, and she couldn't figure out what it was. Like she was missing something. Suddenly, it clicked, and she listened carefully. In the distance, she could hear the herd, but at the moment, she couldn't hear anything else. Things had gone quiet.

"Where's the invisible fence switch?" Cathy asked quickly, leaning forward into the space between the seats. Angela looked at her in confusion, but Dr. Kaur's eyes widened for a split second as she realized what Cathy was implying. Instantly, her hand went to a switch on the dashboard, and Cathy felt a very brief tingle as it activated.

Somewhere in the trees ahead of them, something shifted, brushing past leaves and underbrush as it did so. Now that she was listening, she could hear the footfalls of the dinosaur ahead of them. Probably a Metriacanthosaurus, if she had to guess. A moment later, her theory was confirmed as it exited the trees a distance to their right, giving them a wide berth. She heard the other interns inhale deeply, obviously startled by the large carnivore. It seemed they had forgotten there were carnivores on the north half of the island.

"Jesus," Markus breathed, leaning back slightly. Cathy held back her smile, instead stealing a glance at Dr. Kaur, who was watching the dinosaur silently, her expression focused.

The Metri looked at them for a moment, its nostrils flaring as it took in the scent. A second later, it shook its head as if trying to dismiss an annoying fly before turning away.

Cathy glanced at her companions, taking in their various shocked and frightened expressions. When she looked at Dr. Kaur, they met eyes, and Cathy couldn't help but wonder if she'd done something wrong. But then Dr. Kaur nodded, starting up the engine again.

"Tour's done for today," she announced, filling the space as she brought the car around. For a moment, Cathy wondered if anyone was going to protest, but as the seconds dragged on, she realized the others weren't saying anything, and were instead staring into the middle distance. Internally, she sighed; how did they expect carnivores to act?

The ride back to the gate was silent, and she resigned herself to simply waiting out the ride. If her companions were that shaken, she doubted they would be willing to back her up on trying to keep the tour going. Instead, she looked out the windows, memorizing the landscape, and admiring the dinosaurs in the distance.

When they finally pulled into the veterinary depot, the others couldn't get out of the car fast enough, and Cathy was left looking around in confusion for a moment, but followed them out.

"Go ahead and head back to the park. I have to go talk with animal management," Dr. Kaur said as she stepped out of the car. She gestured vaguely towards the security checkpoint. "Tell them I told you to get a ride or something."

"Thank you for your time," Angela managed, before turning towards the security checkpoint. Cathy watched them for a moment, rolling factors around in her head.

"Ms. Bowman," Dr. Kaur added, catching Cathy's attention. She spun around, wondering if she was in trouble, but Kaur's expression was soft. "You did a good job out there. Good situational awareness."

"Thanks," she replied simply. After a moment, she decided to risk it. "You sure there's nothing else we can do today? I hate the idea of just sitting around."

Dr. Kaur gave her a brief once over, as if trying to figure out if she was alright. "You okay?"

"Yeah. Everything worked out. System worked as intended. Even if we hadn't heard it coming, the dinosaurs of Jurassic World aren't made to be aggressive. And even if it had attacked, the car could have taken a hit or two before the system was activated," Cathy summarized with a shrug. "There wasn't any real danger."

Dr. Kaur nodded in agreement. "Still, it is a little concerning that it behaved the way it did. I'm going to talk with the management. I'll see if I can get one of the other staff to give you a tour around or something."

"Thanks," Cathy said honestly. "I'd appreciate that."

In some ways, Jurassic World was like its own ecosystem, reacting and changing to environmental stimuli. Nothing illustrated that point better than observing how it shifted in the weather. From her window, Cathy could see that the boardwalks of the park looked far less busy than usual. Instead of the usual slow moving rivers of people, there were instead small collections of umbrellas moving hastily from place to place in the most direct fashion possible. The interior lights of the buildings shone bright against the grey atmosphere, and even from this distance she could see the figures of people seeking fun inside.

Tearing her attention away, she turned her mind back to her own rainy-day preparations. Unlike some, she actually paid attention to the weather advisories, and knew the storm was coming. With yesterday's Metriacanthosaurus incident, the interns were being given a day off, and she had no doubt many were bundled up warm right now.

As per usual, she wasn't content to just let an opportunity slip her by. This hadn't been in her plans, but she was adaptable. Inclement weather meant that more people would be staying inside, and those that did go outside would stay close to the park's center, where there was entertainment that came with a roof. Very few would be on the north side.

Zipping up her raincoat, Cathy did a quick pat down to make sure that she wasn't forgetting anything. Grabbing her backpack off its perch on her desk chair, she felt the comfortable weight of her modified drone inside, carefully hidden underneath a spare coat, just in case anyone got a casual glance inside. She'd slid the remote itself into a spare pair of gloves in her pocket. Already, she had her excuses ready and practiced.

There was nothing stopping her.

Grabbing her almost comically large umbrella as she left her room, she couldn't help but be excited at the fact that she was making progress at a faster rate than she'd expected. Some extra time practicing walking in the rain wouldn't be bad either.

Her mood only improved as she entered the monorail station, and found it to be almost completely abandoned. Normally, there were at least a few crowds waiting to go somewhere, but now there were less than a dozen, and it seemed like half of them were one family. When the monorail arrived, only four people left, emptying it completely before the new group got on.

Happily, Cathy took a seat, something that was normally impossible to do, except maybe in the low hours. With her good mood, not even the other people in the car could bring it down. With a contented sigh, she stretched out, enjoying the feeling of being out and about. Her mood only improved once the car arrived at her destination: the gondola lift.

When she moved to stand, she realized she was the only one getting off at the stop, and her place was quickly taken by the few people boarding. Stepping out onto the cement landing, she looked around at the small station. The gondola lift's monorail station was located on the north side of the fence, which meant that it had to be secured from the dinosaurs. Fortunately, that was made easy by the fact that it was placed on a raised cliff, meaning that only the Apatosaurus could reach it.

Turning her gaze towards the hill, spotting the pavilion atop its crest. It was a popular spot for sightseeing, since you could see much of the park from its peak, not to mention having a small cafe catering to those who didn't want to return to the park's heart for meals. But the dirt path circling the hill was what called her.

Shrugging up her pack, she began to trek up the path. With her umbrella and boots, the mud and rain were barely a concern, something that deterred many other visitors from taking the path during storms. The isolation was nice. Cathy didn't realize just how crowded she'd been until she was suddenly all alone. Having to be around others was exhausting, even when they left her alone. Now she could just focus on walking.

It wasn't a particularly hard hike compared to some of the trails she'd managed, but as she passed under one of the security cameras, she paused, leaning up against the protective railing. It was a simple gesture, but an important one. As she continued the climb up, she glanced up passed her umbrella, looking for a gap in the coverage. Eventually, she found it, and moved quickly.

Turning her back to the hill, she put her umbrella behind her just in case, unslinging one strap of her backpack. Quickly, she dug out the modified drone, dangling it over the ledge. Taking the control from her pocket, she activated it and started the propellers. Once she was sure it worked, she removed her hand from under it, letting it descend slowly to the ground below. She didn't even pause to see where it landed before she had her backpack on again, and the remote back in her pocket.

The rest of the hike was easy, and she reached the peak after a few "breaks." Even given her duplicity, she was genuinely pleased to get out of the rain by the end, and step into the warmed pavilion. Shrugging off her hood, she allowed the heat to seep into her bones, giving off an involuntary shiver at the temperature difference.

A few other people were inside the pavilion, including a few families. Some were by the windows, using the binoculars to spot dinosaurs in the park, or sitting by the cafe and eating warm fast food. Which was admittedly sounding a little tempting.

But it could wait. She had something else to do first. The meal could be her reward for a completed job. Walking passed the cafe, she headed for the bathrooms. Once inside, she headed immediately for a stall and took out her control.

Lifting off the drone, she could see from the camera that she'd landed in a relatively good spot at the base of the hill. Spinning slowly in place, she surveyed the landscape, looking for ways to get it out of sight. The hill was mostly surrounded by fields, which made it awkward to get the drone out. Even if they hadn't seen her dropping it, they would see it flying away. She had hoped there would be a low ridge or something else she could use in order to hide from view as a primary plan, but as she circled the base of the hill, she realized she would have to fall on her back up plan.

The monorail.

The monorail was big enough to block view of the cameras, and she could fly close to its bottom as it moved in order to follow it to the treeline. Her drone could outpace it if she pushed it to full speed, so keeping up would be no problem.

Patiently, she waited, hovering the little drone underneath the station she had gotten off only minutes before. Fortunately, Jurassic World's reliability meant she didn't have to wait long, and she could spot a monorail train approaching around the bend. Once it pulled in, she hovered towards the edge of the station, and waited for it to leave.

Gliding underneath it, the drone was able to easily evade the view of the cameras, and at a convenient distance, she quickly pulled off into the treeline, where no one would see it.

Cathy mentally patted herself on the back, putting the remote away. Later, when she got back to her room, she would pilot it somewhere else, but her job was done for now. In the meanwhile, she had a victory meal waiting.