Chapter 19: The Bitchy Raptor

Still frowning from the news of this raptor, Hammond returned once again to the Control Room. He looked around, and looked confused.

"Ray, where are Muldoon and Harding?" he asked.

Arnold turned in his chair with a cup of coffee in his hands.

"They haven't returned yet. You sent them out to place the Triceratops, remember? There were five of them, so I'm sure it takes some time."

Arnold spun back around and typing quickly, brought up the Triceratops Paddock camera on the main screen. Looking closely, the two men could see Gerry in the middle of the Paddock tending to one of the Triceratops.

"What's the matter, why isn't it moving?" Hammond asked, suddenly very worried about what he saw.

Arnold frowned at the screen.

"I don't know, that's a good question."

Arnold turned around and pushed down on his walkie talkie.

"Harding, do you copy over? This is CQ."

A few second went by before an answer came back.

"I read you Arnold, what's up."

"What is the matter with the baby Trike?"

There was no response for a minute or so, while Harding decided on what he was going to say.

"We're not exactly sure yet. We let the first two juveniles out, and than went back to the center to get the other three. We came back, and this little one was really disoriented, and had labored breathing. I'm checking her out now, but I am not seeing anything else wrong with her."

Hammond let out an immediate sigh of relief that it wasn't anything more serious than that and sat back down in front of one of the monitors, watching the other four Triceratops play in the grass.

Over the camera, Hammond could see Harding and Muldoon get into the jeep and head off. He sat there, twirling his cane, hoping that no problems would present themselves.

It took the two men about ten minutes to get back to the Visitor Center from the Triceratops Paddock, and you could tell they were both hot and tired, spending so much time out in the field and away from the building.

"I have another job for you two," Hammond said, standing up.

"The final Velociraptor is too big for the nursery. She must be placed before she hurts someone."

"John, I really wish you would consider this project. The raptors are very, very dangerous. They are already showing extreme intelligence and viciousness, and they are all no older than four months. We should destroy them and their genome sequence," pleaded Muldoon.

Hammond looked at Muldoon like he was crazy.

"Nonsense Robert, forget these crazy ideas. These animals are very expensive and delicate, and we have not wasted time and money just for you to kill them. They are like any other animal, and can be contained just as easily. Now, please go find Wu and take care of this, please."

Hammond walked past the two of them, to his office.

Muldoon shook his head and followed Gerry to the labs and the nursery.
Hammond's a fool. Muldoon thought to himself.

These animals are highly dangerous, and one of these days, they are going to hurt or kill someone.

Muldoon stopped at one of the armory cabinets and took out a box. He unclipped the latches and lifted the top of the box, revealing all different sets of doses of tranquilizers. Each one measured 

carefully for specific dinosaurs. Muldoon made his selection and closed the box, placing it back on the shelf where he pulled it from. With capped syringe in hand, he headed back up the stairs and entered the lab, walking through it swiftly.

While he is walking, he hears the too familiar roaring and cawing. He entered the holding area, and stopped, and sitting in front of him, restrained and angry, was the raptor. She stared at him with the unblinking yellow eyes of a reptile, and continued to caw, practically challenging him or mocking him.

Tired of the noise she was making, he uncapped the syringe and jabbed it into her neck, causing her to squeal in pain. Once the syringe was drained he removed it, and mopped the spot on her skin with a cotton ball. He left to dispose of the syringe, and when he got back, the raptor was fully asleep, and unrestrained. For safety sake, he placed the muzzle back on her long maw, and he and Gerry loaded the heavy carnivore into a containment unit. They connected the box to the back of the jeep and drove to the Velociraptor Paddock. They connected the unit to the Paddock fence, and as they opened the latch, she bolted out, snarling and cawing. The Paddock gate slid back down and they pulled the containment unit away from the fence. They went to leave, and Muldoon gave one last look back, and the raptor was still standing there, just staring at him with those yellow eyes.

He shuddered to himself, and climbed into the jeep, taking off down the maintenance road back to the Visitor Center.