Owen thought best on his feet. Such thinking had saved his life many times. Right now though, it wasn't an option. The jet was approaching ten thousand feet, making his isolation with the Russians all the more apparent; and disconcerting. It was a fancy plane, down to the patterned carpet. He'd reluctantly sat in the cushioned seat offered him. Kassian Gavrill was playing the perfect host, pouring drinks from an elegantly carved drink cart, while everyone else stood or sat around watching Owen coolly. He was in their wheelhouse and they all knew it. The freight train known as Kolov was particularly fond of gloating, sipping his liquor with a smile. Sergeant Terry was conveniently engaged with the scrawniest of the henchmen, pointing between some papers and a laptop. He wouldn't look at Owen.

You'll get yours. Owen thought, resting his side in the chair. I'll be there to make sure of it.

"Now that we're all settled." Gavrill offered Owen a drink of his own. Owen declined it with a stare. Gavrill shrugged and took it to his own seat. His suit somehow stayed wrinkle-free as he sat. He nodded at Owen's posture. "Forgive me if I pry, but were you injured, Mr. Grady?"

Owen set his jaw, wishing his blood would stain the chair, rather then already be crusted over. "Dino attack last week. Compsognathus. It was healing nicely." He brushed a gesture at Kolov. "Your mad gorilla over there was nice enough to reopen it."

"He apologizes." Gavrill waved off Kolov's step forward. His gaze became intent on Owen. "Even with the park gone, you're up close and personal with them. A landmark experience, I'm sure. You appear to have a knack for being in the midst of those."

"John Mclane has the same luck." Owen put in stalely. Kolov rolled his eyes while Gavrill laughed. "John Mclane and John Wayne; the true American cowboys."

What Owen wouldn't give for a six-shooter.

"Course, even with all the attention," the glasses man- Aldovich- spoke up. "You are a difficult man to reach. An audience with your wife was the closest I could get."

That curdled Owen's blood as he nodded. "Most people would take the hint."

Gavrill gave a helpless shrug. "Unfortunately, not an option I could entertain. When I am intent on something Mr. Grady, I achieve it."

"By whatever illegal means necessary." Owen shifted his gaze to Sgt. Terry. The man didn't establish eye contact back, sticking to the fascinating information on the laptop. "We're not headed into the desert, I take it."

"Palo Alto." Gavrill admitted outright. "To put it simply, we're looking to finish what business we started before the outbreak."

Owen went on to evaluate the others, with their elevated chins and postured muscles. "Which one of you was at the auction?"

Their faces stayed stoic while Gavrill chuckled. With his tumbler, he gestured to the leanest of the group. "An event I couldn't attend myself."

"We bid on the Indoraptor." The lean Russian elaborated. "But we have yet to collect."

Owen thought back on his fight across the room, the Indoraptor's eyes taking him in as he'd locked the cage back on the show floor. There'd been intelligence there; intelligence and bloodlust. He blinked out of it, caring to focus on only one perilous situation. "Might want to send Eli Mills a comment card."

"Is this whole trip going to be burdened with your sarcasm." Aldovich huffed.

"If I needed anything from Mr. Mills, he would be the one seated across from me." Gavrill pointed out, the levity falling from his gaze. "I.B.R.I.S., Mr. Grady. What can you tell me about it?"

The plane jerked in its course over California. Owen's jaw locked, unable to stop his brow from furrowing. How would he know about that? InGen's program in behavioral analysis had gotten publicity now and then, but its name and purpose that never been revealed for security reasons.

They're in a reverse position. Owen worked out, the edge of the high altitude popping in his ears. They have the name, but no information. So they sought me out.

"It was a failure." Owen stated.

"There was evidence that raptors could respond to commands." Gavrill pointed his finger at Owen. "Your raptors."

Owen's first thought was on the video logs- the ones that Maisie had. They didn't know that, right? "My raptors switched sides the minute a bigger alpha came along. And ate a few of the soldiers they were supposed to be fighting with."

"But," Gavrill wagged a finger, like it connected him and Owen somehow. "There was an established dominance that they responded to. Respected even."

"Shouldn't apply controlled terms to something that's uncontrollable." Owen leaned forward, ignoring the strain to his side. "I kept them at bay, that's all."

Charlie's feisty bite and Delta's sharp huntress eyes from the videos filled his brain. Pushing past those qualities and gaining the trust behind it- no matter how small- had taken years. He couldn't act like that bond with Blue and the others didn't affect him; even while believing Blue and the other dinosaurs had to die. He went from hoping, to dreading the chance to see Blue one more time… Before, when it had been a volcano, it had been easy to accept. Now, it was going to have to be deliberate… and personal. Her level of intelligence couldn't allow for anything else. Blue wasn't interested in being caged and there was no telling how much damage she might inflict. There certainly wasn't bloodlust… Cognitive bonding, empathy… she'd defended him at the Lockwood house…

"Guess Hoskins exaggerated about you in his reports then." Kolov broke in. He had yet to lose his smugness. Owen looked back to Terry. "Hoskins was on your payroll too?"

"InGen's security records were some of the easier documents to hack." The only other henchman talked through a lopsided grin. "Oh the irony."

Owen had to give them that, maintaining the edge in his voice. He looked out his window, letting the gears of his mind work through this. "You know so much, why am I here?"

Gavrill considered his glass a moment, watching the clouds pass outside and over the wings of the jet. "America is in a vulnerable place, Mr. Grady. Some are eager to keep it that way."

Wow, that cleared up nothing.

"This is simply an exchange of information." Gavrill went on. "You were stationed in Palo Alto before working on the island, correct?"

"An orientation." Owen agreed; it would have been in his file, which he knew they had. "Three weeks. You looking to sign up? They take rolling admissions-"

He spotted Kolov coming for him. Owen sprung up, catching the man's fist while sending his own into Kolov's ribs. Kolov gasped, but that didn't stop him kneeing Owen's side.

"Kolov!"

Owen sucked in a breath, shoving the hothead back. The plane wavered, but he kept his stance, daring the guy to come at him again. Aldovich was up, gun trained on him and Gavrill sighing through his fat cheeks. Like this was a common occurance.

"Put up as many brick walls as you want." Kolov heaved out the threat, eagerly cracking his knuckles. "I'll enjoy smashing you through every one."

Whenever you're ready.Owen thought, jaw set against the throb in his side. Aldovich threw some harsh Russian at Kolov, who muttered back under his breathed and walked to the cart. Gavrill waved his hand and the gun was put away. Only then did Owen sit back down. Gavrill heaved a sigh, as though at toddlers. He then indicated to Terry's papers with his round chin. "We are looking to retrieve the Indoraptor. Mr. Grady, and recent movements place it in the labs beneath InGen headquarters." He raised his eyebrows over his final swig. "You remember this building, yes?"

Owen didn't bother looking at the maps; one a schematic of the InGen building, the other of the city blocks surrounding it. "They've likely moved a few things around. But my time there was over six years ago. Any access I had to that building is long expired."

Gavrill heard him out, never losing his confident grin. He nodded now to the one working at the laptop. "Jasha is always stating how the 21st century is a marvel of technology. Apparently, once a security code is activated within a company's system, it is never truly deleted. Only stored in the memory of the main CPU."

Jasha nodded, keeping his face within the glow of his screen. "It's all a matter of cloaking the security system with the old one, fooling the system into believing its the new one. Allowing your code to work again."

"So you grab what's left of the Indoraptor and see what you can learn from it." Owen beat Gavrill to the talking. "What comes after that? You think you'll make a copy, I hand you a leash, teach you a few hand signals, and you'll have complete control." He sent a demeaning look Kolov's way. "May work with Boris over there, but it won't with a dinosaur."

Gavrill smiled his amusement. "Fair thoughts, Mr. Grady. The Indoraptor was killed before we could collect." His tumbler set aside, Gavrill leaned forward, fingers steepled. "Though we would've killed it ourselves."

Owen stared at him, confused. Gavrill went on. "I went over a few of your reports, personally. And it seems the imprint is the key to establishing any kind of connection with a dinosaur. Course, what use is that knowledge to me with a fully grown and modified model, I ask."

Owen swallowed. "You're going after the eggs."

"It clicks." Gavrill gave a single clap. "When we land outside Palo Alto, you will be good enough to help my men acquire them."

"As well as the carcuss of the Indoraptor." Kolov just had to add, his hand still holding where Owen had punched him.

"And why would I do all this?" Owen stated. "Why would I need to? You have the reports, you could've asked me for the codes… why waste resources getting me here?"

"I will let you figure that one out." Gavrill leaned back in his chair.

Owen hated it when a bad guy acted smart.

}{}{}{}{

The wind was cold, pushing up under their wings as the pteranodons soared over the next hill. Following the course of their glide, they surveyed the rough terrain below, eyes alert for meat. The forest branched into a clearing alongside the highway, which the pteranodons dipped over, circled back, and dipped over again. The leader spotted movement and swooped down with a powerful screech. The animal broke into a run, sensing the danger. The pteranodon extended its talons and sunk them into its back. Its mouth came around the neck, wrestling it sideways as it kicked and protested its death.

The other pteranodons landed, grabbing at the withering limbs with their teeth. They bashed each other aside for the best bite, until the legs and the torso were ripped apart. She tipped her head back and swallowed the warm meat before the others could steal the rest. She roared, further staking her claim. Wings flapping to push the others back, she picked up her portion and flew it several feet away. The others didn't follow and she continued her meal with elation. This new land was teeming with new things to eat, new taste to test. And this kill had been hers; so was the biggest piece! The others continued to squabble over the remains. She swallowed, savoring the juices of the raw meat.

Shshshshsh.

Her head erected at the faint sound of rustling. The sunlight was as still as the rest of the wood. She looked back, saw her companions grabbling over a front leg. The rustling turned her head again. The pteranodon's spine stiffened. She picked up the remaining meat in her beak with the first flap of her wings. She had worked hard for this meal; no one was taking it! Her feet left the ground, eyes on the free sky above.

A force crushed her from behind, knocking the dead animal from her mouth. The pteranodon squeaked and pleaded as she felt claws and teeth rip through her spine and into her ribs. Her last sight was of the other pteranodons descending on the liberated meat.