Echidna
III
The jungle is quiet, too any normal human it would sound silent but I am not normal. Some consider me more than human, some less than, and to very few people I am equal to a human. Those few people I hold in higher regard.
Suddenly, a pig runs past, squealing with fright.
My pack is seconds behind it, chasing it with a ferocious lust. I run behind them for their benefit, for the pack bond, but I know what happens next.
The pig gets through the gate, and it closes. My pack growls angrily and begin claw tapping impatiently.
"HOLD!" We halt and all our eyes go up to look at our Alpha, Owen Grady. He's holding a clenched arm up for us to watch and the other hand clicks a clicker.
"When you gonna let us eat it?" I whine and Owen smirks at me. He doesn't reply, he has to hold the focus of my sisters.
"Hey!" Our eyes stay on his clenched fist. "Okay!" He presses the clicker but Blue's attention sways. "Eyes on me! Blue?" She doesn't respond. "Blue!" He clicks and she finally looks up. "Watch it," he warns. Charlie snaps her jaw at him and he scowls.
"Charlie. Hey! Don't give me that shit!" Owen yells naming a Delta growl. "Delta! Lock it up!" She half nods and closes her jaw. "Good! And we're moving."
Owen slowly sidesteps to where a basket hangs from a railing.
"HOLD!"
We all still for a long moment and Owen smiles.
"That's good. That is damn good, he praises and presses the clicker. "Very good! See, Charlie, that's what you get!" He throws a rat to Charlie, who promptly snatches it from the air. "Echo, there you go!" He throws one to Echo who swallows it whole. "Delta!"
His eyes serious and he hazes at Blue. She's his baby girl more than I am.
"Blue?" Blue meets his gaze and he holds up a larger rat meaningfully at her. "This one's for you." He tosses it and she leaps to catch it in her maw.
"Alpha," I remind and Owen grins at me.
"Don't worry Dina I didn't forget about you," he assures and pulls a piece of partially cooked hamburger from a separate bucket. Owen drops it down and I capture it in my scaled fingers before scarfing it down in seconds. I'm only partially human.
"HOLD!" He shouts and our gazes return to him. "Eyes up!" Be raised his fist and we follow it with our eyes obediently. A few seconds pass before he unclenches his fist and says the keyword: "Go."
My raptor pack scatters in all directions but I remain under the catwalk.
On the platform above, a few employees shake Owen's hand and cheers break out.
Barry, the only other human I like, approaches Owen with a wide grin.
"You finally did it, man," he exclaims and pulls Owen into a bro hug.
"It's a lot Echidna convincing the girls I'm worthy of being listened too," Owen says humbly. "By the way would you like to come up Echidna?"
"Depends, who's up there?" I return and Owen looks around. I save time by inhaling deeply only to recoil in disgust, he's back again.
"Owen. I was starting to think I hired the wrong guys, but, damn, you got them eating out of your palm," he gushes and I scowl. I despise Vic Hoskins.
"I'll stay down here, I happen to despise stupid animals," I snark and Owen smirks.
"You came on a good day. It's not usually a happy ending," Owen replies and gives me a knowing look. I cross my arms and frown up at the men.
"Is that why you're not sending in your reports?" Hoskins questions.
"We've been busy," Owen replies snappishly and begins striding away. Hoskins doesn't take the hint and follows him.
"Not too busy to cash your paychecks," he teases and playfully punches Alpha. I growl loudly and glare daggers at the man who jerks in fear of me. I give him a toothy grin.
"What do you need, buddy?" Owen bluntly questions.
"A field test. Hey. I've just seen they can respond to commands. We need to take the research and get it on its feet," Hoskins insists and I frown. This jerk is always trying to weaponize my pack and me.
"These are wild animals, and Echidna, Hoskins. Trust me, you don't want them in the field," Owen counters and Hoskins steps in front of him before he can walk down the walkway stairs.
"I just saw a bond. A real bond. Between man and beast," Hoskins presses.
"You're in my way," Owen remarks and pushes past him, walking down the stairs. Hoskins follows him persistently. Barry and I share an annoyed look before he goes after.
On the ground, they're back in my sight and I step up to the bars and mindlessly grab onto them.
"Come on. We're the same. We're dogs of war. We know that the military needs to reduce casualties. Some people think that robots are the future. Look, nature gave us the most effective killing machines 75 million years ago. And now we know they can take orders."
"We finally make progress and that's the first thing he says? Make a weapon?" Barry scoffs and Owen glances my way.
"Shit. Come on, gents. It's grown-up time. Drones can't search tunnels and caves. And they're hackable. The minute a real war breaks out, all that fancy tech is gonna go dark," Hoskins argues in exasperation.
"But that tech's not gonna eat them if they forget to feed it," Owen points out.
"Look at these creatures." Hoskins points to the cage where my sisters are milling around and then to me. I raise an eyebrow at the finger and snap at him.
"She's not a creature," Owen corrects and smacks Hoskins hand down. "She's the reason this training works."
Hoskins looks at me and a weird expression comes to his face, like a sick pride.
"I know she is. Look, they've got millions of years of instinct in their cells, an instinct that we can program. Their loyalty cannot be bought. These guys are gonna run straight into the enemy's teeth and eat them, belt buckle and all," he continues and I huff. Our loyalty can be bought, with food. "And Echidna can go undercover with that skin mesh and slash half the place to death before they could put a bullet in her."
Owen stiffens and glowers and Hoskins. He's very protective of me, of us.
"What if they decide they wanna be in control?" Owen retorts, trying not to appear too fond of me.
"Well, then we remind them who is. We terminate the rogues. Promote only loyal bloodlines." My grip on the bars grows and Owen starts laughing sardonically. Hoskin does not find his laughter amusing. "What? What's so funny?"
"I don't know. You come here and you don't learn anything about these animals, and Echidna, except what you want to know. You made them, and now you think you own them," Owen replies and I allow myself to step back from the bars.
Why am I even listening?
"We do own them. Extinct animals have no rights and neither do human hybrids," Hoskins spits back and Owen lurches forward to punch him but Barry cuts in and holds him back.
I have no reaction, I'm perfectly aware of my subhuman status. It's a simmering reality I'm reminded of daily.
"They're not extinct anymore, Hoskins and Echidna is just as human as the rest of us! Sure she has raptor DNA in her body but she has a conscience, she has a personality, she's self aware, she feels human emotion, she speaks like a human, she grows like a human! Echidna is less than nothing!" Owen growls back but relaxes enough for Barry to let him go. Owen turns on his heel and stalks right into the outer cage meant for up close feedings with the pack. He shuts the door behind him and locks Hoskins out.
"Exactly she can pass as human," Hoskins snaps back. "We're sitting on a goldmine and Masrani is using it to stock a petting zoo."
"He just wants to teach people some humility. He doesn't make weapons!" Owen is still furious about Hoskins comment but Hoskins pays it no mind. The man only lounges against the bars with a stupid smirk on his face.
"You think that the eighth richest man in the world is only into oil, telecom, and family fun parks? He's so diversified, he doesn't even know what he owns. He didn't even know the scientists were making Echidna and if he did do you think he'd have stopped them?"
Owen pauses and his face falls, he doubts Masrani at times too.
"I don't think Masrani knew but I know InGen did! They might have even requested it!" I yell angrily and yank on the bars.
"You have no proof of that!" Hoskins fires back and I snarl. He turns away from me and back to Owen who is giving me that sad alpha look again.
"How long has InGen been practicing this pitch?" Owen asks.
"Since the day we hired you out of the Navy. You knew the end game." Owen's face hardens, he did know, but now he knows better. "These animals can replace thousands of boots on the ground. How many lives would that save?"
"How many would it end?" I mutter under my breath. I may be aloof do the doings of other people but I understand the importance of life. I understand that our side would lose less but the other side would lose more, it'd even out.
"War is part of nature. Look around, Owen. Every living thing in this jungle is trying to murder the other."
"Yeah, I'm trying to murder you," I whisper.
"Mother Nature's way of testing her creations. Refining the pecking order. War is a struggle. Struggle breeds greatness. Without that, we end up with places like this, charge seven bucks a soda."
"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" Owen scoffs and Hoskins crosses his arms.
"You sound like a fucking lunatic!" I call out.
"This is gonna happen. With or without you boys. Progress always wins, man," Hoskins deadpans apathetically.
"Maybe progress should lose for once."
Loud squeaking and scuttling feet tear my attention from the men and to the pig loose in the pen.
"Pig loose! Pig loose!" the new intern, Leon, cries out and runs onto the boardwalk with an elongated animal control pole.
"NO LEON DON'T!" I scream but it's too late, he's swung the pole down and collared the pig. Echo comes careening through the underbrush and slams into the pole full force sending Leon flying into the paddock.
Blue, Charlie, and Delta all sprint up to Leon and circle him with Echo. My heart jumps in my throat and I dash forward to grab the intern.
Rapidly I begin growling and making clicking sounds to my sisters, trying to tell them Leon isn't food but they're locked onto the hunt.
That's when I hear the gate open and turn to see Owen rushing inside. Momentarily I let go of Leon to make a move that will stop Alpha from making a stupid decision.
"Owen, no!" Barry exclaims.
"Alpha get out! They will kill you!" I hiss, but he ignores me and steps right between my sisters and their prey.
Rangers march onto the catwalk, aiming weapons down at us. This only escalates the situation and the adrenaline now pumping through me.
"Oh no, no, hold your fire!" Owen demands frantically and holds up his hands. "Hold your fire, do not fire!"
Barry closes the outer gate while he stands between the second one and it. Cautiously I slink forward and snatch the intern, dragging him back.
"Put 12 amps in these animals, they're never gonna to trust me again," Owen calls and holds his position steady in front of the raptors.
My pack stares at him, questioning his actions and poised to kill.
Barry pulls Leon out of the paddock and into the secondary cage. I take cautious steps forward to stand behind Owen against the pack but they barely notice. I'm the omega, the weakest one, I don't hold much ground.
"Blue, stand down. Stand down," Owen orders and she snaps at him.
"Hey, hey! What did I just say?" On the edge of the semicircle Delta steps towards Owen but he sees her. "Delta, I see you. Back up." Delta snarls but steps back. I hiss at her and swipe the air with my small claws.
"Okay, good. Good.Charlie? Stay right there. Good," he praises then glances over his shoulder to Barry. "Close the gate."
"Are you crazy?" Barry gasps.
"Just trust me," Owen says coolly.
"Close the gate!" Leon squeaks in terror. Barry hits the button and the fate begins to slide shut.
Owen backs up to the gate with the raptors taking a step forward each time he steps back. At the last possible second, he drops down and rolls underneath as the gate slams shut. The raptors try to follow and ram their heads into the metal.
A loud sigh of relief escapes me and I slide to the ground while holding my head.
"I'm okay," Owen assures and Barry helps him up. "Echidna are you alright?"
"Fine Alpha, I'm fine," I grumble.
The raptors disperse, all growling in my direction at the loss of a meal. I snap back at them and bare my sharp teeth.
"Good," Barry sighs. Owen looks back at the intern and I frown. A pig loose in the pen is no big deal, there was no reason to try and catch it.
"You're the new guy, right?" Owen inquires and Leon nods.
"Yeah."
"You ever wonder why there was a job opening?" Leon's eyes widen in terror but Owen doesn't care for his fear. Leon did a dumb thing that almost got him, Owen, and me killed.
"Don't ever turn your back to the cage."
Leon whips around to find Echo is clinging to the bars beside his face and pressing her snout on the bars. He squawks and scrambles back.
Frowning still, I pull myself up and walk to the other side of the paddock.
There's a hidden door that only I can use to exit, I have to scan my scaly hand and everything.
Using it I step out of the cage and into my room.
"Doesn't make any sense," I mumble to myself. "Why would an intern try to catch a loose pig, there's no logic there. He had to have done it on purpose but why?"
