It was after dark by the time Owen reached his paddock. The large lamps set atop the enclosure shone brightly and gave off a dull hum, bathing the paddock and the land around it in a cool, flat light and attracting swarms of insects to the light sources.
Owen barely put his car in park and killed the engine before he was out of the vehicle and rushing toward the enclosure. Barry met him halfway up the stairs, handing him one of the larger bolt action rifles they kept in storage.
"Is everything ready?" He asked, checking the chamber and the sights.
Barry nodded. "The food is thawed and the sedatives are in place. The girls are anxious, they've been pacing for the last twenty minutes."
"Good, we can deal with our girls so long as the others can be contained."
"Any updates on the situation?"
Owen nodded grimly. "Hamada called in on the way over here. Paddock two has been secured. There was only one body in the enclosure. Three of the raptors are unaccounted for. A quick call to control confirmed that we now have seven raptors out of containment, and all of them are heading steadily toward us." Owen shouldered the rifle and made his way to the top of the catwalk stairs.
"Merde." The darker man rubbed the top of his head and turned back to the enclosure. "Are you sure this is going to work?"
"Of course not." But it had to. Both trainers knew it and Owen was confident that it was the best option. He looked into the enclosure, his beta watched him curiously. Her attention shifting between the two men above her. Owen let out a deep sigh. "Alright, let's get our girls packed up, we don't have a lot of time. Go down and open the chutes, I'll get them led in."
Barry nodded. "Just don't rush them Owen. They're nervous as it is." Owen gave the darker man a flat look and Barry just patted him on the shoulder and jogged down the stairs leaving the tired man to consider his plan one last time.
The escaped animals had taken nearly two hours to travel last time. Subtracting the time it took for him to travel, he knew he would need to move quickly if they were going to be set up in time.
He had explained it to Katashi and Barry on the drive over, both men agreeing to the course of action.
They were going to trap the raptors in Owen's paddock. The gate controls had already been moved. If the raptors were expecting to enter and escape, they would be in for a surprise. The animals had already shown precedent for entering via the catwalk stairs and leaving through the gates without trouble or challenge, it was a fair bet to believe they would do the same when they arrived here.
Still, they needed to be ready before the predators arrived. His girls needed to be secured and separated from the intruders. Neither trainer was willing to risk the safety of their charges, let alone the chaos of two packs vying for territory. With the additional news of the paddock three raptors joining the original escapees, Owen had no desire to let Blue or the others interact with these escaped animals.
His pack would be secured inside the squeeze chutes they had designed. It would keep them immobile, and with the inner gate closed, it would keep them separated. They may protest, but now was not the time to be soft. Once his pack was secured, Owen would lay bait throughout the enclosure. Rats laced with sedatives were already prepared, and if any of the animals ate, then they might be unconscious before A.C.U arrived to sedate the rest. Owen personally hated sedatives, it was risky, easy to overdose, and packed one hell of a punch against the animals, but it would be effective, and that is what they needed right now.
Meanwhile he and Barry would be safely secured in the paddock airlock alongside the rest of his pack.
The chute gates screamed as they slid up the concrete and Owen watched each of his girls perk up in succession. Charlie didn't even wait for the gates to finish opening before she slid through the entryway and down the chute towards the treat at the end. Owen even smiled a bit at the delighted trill she made beneath him as she pushed her snout into the steel muzzle, practically inhaling the large rat.
The other three raptors were less eager. Blue watched him, no longer curious, but interested in the change of routine. He could feel the questioning rumble on the air as the striped raptor continued to stare at him with sharp eyes and a tail the swayed slowly in building apprehension.
Owen sighed, she hated breaking routine, but it couldn't be helped tonight. Delta was just as bad. The green hued raptor was pacing, her head held high as she continuously tasted the air around her. Echo followed, her head bobbing as she chittered nervously.
"Eyes on me."
The command was firm, meant to draw their attention. It worked and Owen watched as three scaly heads turned to watch him. He smiled.
"That's good."
The bucket next to him was filled with rats, not the laced ones they were hoping to use on the escaped animals, but treats for his girl's cooperation. The trainer grabbed three.
"Blue. You're first." He tossed the rat into the enclosure and watched it land in a puff of dust near the open chute. The beta raptor turned from him and trotted over to the treat he had just thrown. Giving a loud whiff, she inspected the treat before grabbing it gingerly in her mouth. The raptor looked back at him, swallowing the tidbit of meat whole and stepping back from the chute entrance.
She locked eyes with the trainer again and gave him a chuffing growl. Owen dropped his head, letting it hang from his shoulders as he gave a large sigh.
"Fine, Blue! We'll come back to you when you are willing to cooperate. Delta, Echo. You're up!" He tossed two more rats toward the chute. He was usually more patient than this, but they were on a tight schedule.
Neither raptor responded to the treats. Delta remained focused on him, her nostrils flaring in large snorts and a low hiss coming from the depths of her chest. Echo stood behind her, her eyes focused onto the green raptor and her tail twitching as she continued to nervously chitter.
"Owen!" Barry hissed from barred cage beneath him.
"Yeah I know. They're nervous. They know something is coming. Look, I can go a little slower, but we can't wait all night." The trainer responded before rolling his eyes as he heard his partner's heavy footsteps coming up the stairs behind him. Barry was right of course, he was even using Owen's own words, but they needed to be quick right now.
"No, Owen! Behind you!" Barry's alarmed shout came from below.
Owen was moving before his friend's words had fully processed. Everything clicked together in his mind as he threw himself blindly to his left. The foot falls, Barry's voice, his girl's unresponsiveness. He didn't even need to look behind him to know what was happening.
The raptors had arrived ahead of schedule.
The aggravated shriek of a predator being deprived of her prey was enough to confirm his fears. Instead of looking back, the man sprinted down the paddock catwalk, the large rifle strap sliding from his shoulder and coming to rest in the man's pumping arms. He rushed to put distance between himself and the attacking animal. Owen barely slowed as the bolted around the paddock's first corner and he felt the sting of his right hand colliding with the steel handrail.
The raptor behind him shrieked in surprise when it didn't make the corner as neatly as the trainer, slamming into the outer handrail and causing the entire catwalk system to shudder under the animal's impact.
Owen didn't stop or slow. He barreled around the next corner, continuing to sprint toward the farthest section of the paddock.
He could hear Blue beneath him. He body pushing through the foliage inside the enclosure as she matched his speed. She was barking at him, her vocalizations shifting to concerned whines as they continued around the perimeter of the paddock.
The Velociraptor was still behind him. He could hear her hisses as she gave chase, and he could feel her heavy footfalls reverberating through the grated flooring. His head was pounding, telling him to run, to keep moving, to flee in order to survive.
He agreed fully with the thought.
Then he saw the second Velociraptor. Just as he rounded another corner, one that marked the turn back towards the paddock stairs, the second predator made itself known as it rushed towards him in a primal pincer maneuver.
He only had one option, without slowing, the trainer grabbed the safety railing with one hand, gripping the rifle securely in the other. With a heavy grunt, he launched himself over the railing and into the enclosure, calling a warning to the raptor running beneath him.
Owen was not a gymnast and he certainly wasn't comfortable with doing dangerous stunts like jumping full sprint fifteen feet into a raptor enclosure. He was even less comfortable with getting eaten by dinosaurs. He braced himself for the impact, hoping that his combat roll was still ingrained so many years after basic.
As his feet hit the ground, he felt himself naturally pitch forward and tuck his head and shoulder into a roll. He also heard a light pop and felt his ankle slide uncomfortably.
Then he was done, kneeling on one leg, his rifle already up and seated into his armpit. Blue slid to a stop beside him as Owen shakily stood, swinging his rifle around to find his pursuers. The blue-grey raptor whined, her head snaking around to look for the intruders into the pack territory.
Both raptors stood on the catwalk above them.
The large rifle immediately centered onto the raptor that had chased him.
"Barry! Open the gate!" He called out without looking back.
Slowly, Owen began retreat from the raptors above him, never taking his sights from the first one. His right ankle protested, but he held it firm, unwilling to show a weakness. He recognized her. She had been the one to challenge him after the wreck. Her bruises were clearly visible in the fluorescent light. She now sported a bullet wound near her shoulder, old blood glistening dully in the artificial light.
Blue remained at his side, chittering madly as the two slowly backed through the enclosure. She was beyond agitated and that was not something he was comfortable with at the moment. His eyes shifted quickly to the raptor beside him before jumping back to the threats in front of him.
"Easy girl. It's alright. I'm right beside you." Owen spoke softly as they moved. His finger brushed the trigger of the rifle nervously before he planted it firmly on the barrel, off the trigger, but near enough to it. He would shoot them if he had to, but there were only two visible right now. He couldn't firing the bolt action too early..
Blue chittered back, never taking her eyes off the raptors stood above them.
"It's alright, they're not going to hurt us, and they're not going to take the paddock."
A dangerous hiss erupted behind him and he jumped, turning his head toward the new threat. It was Delta. Her gaze was locked on the raptors above. Without acknowledging him, she fell into line on Owen's left matching the groups backward pace as her head swung dangerously, swiveling at all angles as she looked for more threats.
Owen glanced right to see Echo taking place on Blue's right mimicking Delta with her own hiss.
Charlie was secured and the rest of the pack was with him. He felt himself give a faint smile. The whole pack continued to back away from the intruders. All of his girls were agitated, jumping between hisses and chittering, but they were following his lead. A fact that, at this moment, he eternally grateful for.
Two heavy thuds brought Owen's attention forward again as the two raptors landed inside the paddock, stepping confidently towards the trainer and his pack. The sights on Owen's rifle re-centered themselves on the same raptor. She was leading the other one by a few steps, less afraid of the trainer. If Owen had to guess, she was the leader. Maybe not the alpha, but the leader of this group.
The ruddy colored raptor paused, glaring at Owen with her gleaming, predatory eyes. Once she knew she had his attention, she pulled her neck back and gave three sharp barks.
Delta's hiss erupted into a deep growl and he even felt the green raptor step back and lower herself defensively. The base of her tail brushed against his hip but she didn't pull away. Echo was only a fraction behind her sister, moving similarly on his right, her rump pressing into Blue's side. There were other raptors on the catwalks.
"Owen, we've got more company!" It was a fact proven by the raptor's behavior and reinforced by Barry's words several meters behind him.
"Give me some numbers Barry!" Owen called back, refusing to break eye contact with the alpha raptor.
"You have two on your left and two on the right catwalk."
"Great, but we're still missing one. Look above you, is there anything behind us, on the catwalk above the cage?"
"No."
Owen took another step back, keeping his eyes and rifle trained on the alpha inside the paddock. "Great, we're still missing one though. Listen, we're going to back up into the cage, I need you to close the gate as soon as we're all inside."
He assumed the man nodded, when he didn't hear a reply.
The pack around him was a mess of trouble waiting to happen. "Easy girls. Stay by me. We're going to keep moving and everything will be alright."
Blue was glued to his side, her hind legs firmly pressed against his right hip as she kept herself low and ready to spring forward if necessary. He felt Delta pull away from his side, her growl broken up by the occasional snap of her jaws.
"Delta."
His tone was firm, but he never even glanced at her. The green raptor responded by pushing back into his side.
This was good.
They were making progress.
Cautiously, they moved backward until they were just in front of opened gate.
"Where are they, Barry?"
"The man's voice responded directly behind him. "They're following you in, but the other four raptors are still in the catwalks on either side."
Owen nodded, stopping at the edge of the cage. They needed to goad the rest of the pack into the paddock. Now that they had stopped, his girls were fidgeting and shifting endlessly. They were on a very edge of violence. An attack would draw the rest of the escaped pack in, but it would be too high a risk. His job was to care for his girls, not send them into battle.
The trainer hazarded a glance right. Looking for the two watching them from Echo's side.
The action was enough to elicit a response. Delta let out a shrieking bark that resolved into another growl. Both raptors on his left had just jumped in with the grace of a predator cornering its prey. Blue's heavy growl brought his eyes back forward as the alpha and her partner covered more ground before stopping just shy of striking range.
Four were inside the paddock now, he just needed to get the other two in. At this distance though, there was no way he could risk opening a blind spot again. The intruders would be on his pack in an instant. He wasn't coming up with any other ideas. His head still hurt from this morning, adrenaline was dulling it, but the dull throb was still there. He tested his ankle. It still felt loose. He would need to be fast, but he couldn't rely on himself to be fast enough.
But he could rely on a predator's instinct.
"Blue, Delta, Echo." None of them looked at him, but each raptor chittered anxiously and he could feel them press against him a little harder. He had their attention. "Step back." It wasn't a command they had ever done before, but Owen punctuated it with his own step backwards, across the threshold of the gate.
His girls followed.
"Step back." He shifted backward, his right foot taking a half step. The raptors stepped further into the cage.
Good.
"Barry be ready to hit the emergency switch. I want this gate to close fast. On my mark"
Owen adjusted his rifle against his shoulder, resting his entire hand off of the trigger mechanism.
"Step back."
His girls were now a couple steps behind him while he had yet to move from the gate threshold. Their growls and grumbles were louder now that they were behind him.
"Step back."
Owen took a step and let himself stumble backwards when he put his full weight on his injured ankle.
A chorus of shrieks echoed through the paddock and he knew the intruders were lunging toward him.
A loud claxon rang out from the cage itself and he saw the gate slam shut in front of him sending a cloud of dust throughout the paddock and the closed airlock. His eyes watered from the airborne debris and he let out a couple retching coughs as the trainer rolled onto his knees.
Through the dust, he could just make out the snout of a pissed off raptor as it slammed into the other side of the gate with a shudder. It snarled and grabbed at him, trying to snap between the steel bars with razor teeth.
Barry's arm appeared on his left and he grabbed it gratefully, letting his partner help pull him back onto his feet. His ankle protested as he got back to his feet. He favored it slightly, choosing to ignore the discomfort and dust himself off. When he looked up, Barry had a bright smile on his face and the moment the two made eye contact, they both broke down into laughter.
The tension of the last few minutes evaporated and even his raptors seemed to loosen up just a hair. Delta was maintaining a constant hiss, but she had raised slightly, choosing to eye the pair of humans as she continued to watch the gate.
"That was too close Owen. Even for you." Barry said through relieved chuckles.
"Yeah? Well maybe I'll let you be the runner next time, I'll be the gatekeeper."
"In your dreams 'alpha'; besides, I'm sure your fat head makes for a much more tempting bait."
"Yeah, well, your face is dumb."
They continued to laugh as the dust settled, revealing six angry Velociraptors standing on the other side of the gate. The Alpha's snout was pressed firmly between the bars. Her lips pulled back in a dangerous sneer, as she hissed at the pack.
Delta hissed back, snapping her jaws rhythmically.
The ruddy colored alpha raptor watched them for nearly a minute, her jaw snapping in frustration as the pack remained out of reach. Finally, she pulled back, swinging her head around to chitter at the raptors behind her.
Blue and the others perked up before lowering themselves further, their tails counterbalancing as they readied themselves for an attack. Even Charlie snorted, shaking her head against the tight muzzle. Owen could hear the chute shaking as the green striped raptor tried to pull out of it.
"Easy girls. They can't get us here."
Barry moved to the side wall nervously and with good reason. The intruders may not be in the cage, but both men were still sharing the airlock with three anxious predators. Owen casually set his hand against Blue's back, feeling her muscles twitch and tense as the intruding alpha began to pace along the length of the gate.
The bruised and angry raptor stopped at one side, glaring at Owen with a predatory sneer as her lips pulled back to show her teeth once more. She rumbled deeply as she stuck her forearm confidently through the bars toward the controls.
She fell short by a good foot.
The Velociraptor broke eye contact with the trainer and stared at the control panel. Her forearm reached and grasped, trying to push the extra distance through the bars. She let out an earsplitting shriek, pulling away suddenly and stepping back from the gate with alarm.
She turned to her pack and rumbled at them, giving low barking commands. The five pack members immediately spread out and began scouring the paddock walls.
Owen watched, keeping one hand on Blue, the other gripping his rifle tightly. "Barry, the chutes are closed right?" He asked, turning to his friend.
Barry nodded. Owen turned back to the intruders in his paddock and pulled his radio out. "Alpha Team, do you copy?"
"We copy Owen."
"We have successfully contained six Velociraptors at Research Paddock one. Be advised, one more still unaccounted for."
"Copy that. Any casualties?"
"Negative, but Barry and I are stuck in the cage with our girls until you arrive.
"Roger that. Just sit tight, we'll handle the oddball. We're already on the way."
"Alright, just don't take too long. The kids are getting antsy."
"We'll be there in five."
Owen smiled, putting the radio back on his belt. The intruding raptors were scrambling to find an exit, he watched as a couple rushed along the paddock border. While another one attempted to reach the catwalk rails by jumping, only to land heavily with shrieks of frustration.
Finally the alpha raptor stepped back up to the gate, eyeing the group with a cocked head. Her lips were still pulled back and she nosed the bars a few times, causing the raptors around him to flinch and hiss.
Owen smiled grimly. They had her and her pack secured, there was no way out, and she would just have to deal with it. The plan had worked. Not like he had expected it to, but he and Barry had adapted, his girls had listened, the intruders had jumped right in, and A.C.U would handle the straggler. Everything had finally worked out.
Which was why he was so surprised when the alpha raptor sidled up to the gate once more, chittering and holding a more casual stance. The rest of her pack was behind her, having given up on finding an escape. Another raptor joined the ruddy colored one alongside the gate, chittering as well.
Her beta if he had to guess.
He flinched when Blue suddenly chuffed beside him. The blue striped raptor had taken a step forward and chuffed at the intruders, her head held high as she punctuated herself with a heavy snort.
Delta perked up, abandoning her threatening posture as she growled at the intruders. Without any forewarning, the large green raptor lunged past Owen, snapping at the gates bars with another hiss.
The Alpha didn't flinch, but continued to chitter and bark softly. Her head bobbed occasionally as she eyed the other raptors, but her lips revealed another dangerous sneer, each time she glanced in the human's direction.
When Echo stepped forward giving a few nervous chitters but otherwise offering no defensive display, Owen suddenly felt a hair less comfortable with his situation. It was obvious that they were communicating. But until Echo, his pack was standing firmly against the intruders. Even Charlie could be heard snorting and shuffling from the chute on his right.
But now, he watched Delta eye the rust colored raptor as she chittered to her sister. Her head cocked curiously, still watching the intruders, but paying more attention to her sister.
"Delta, easy."
She whined at him briefly but continued to chitter and bark at her sister and the alpha intruder. Owen was not comfortable with the brief glances both raptors were shooting in his direction.
Blue whined, pressing into him further.
His hand shot out when both raptors turned to him.
"Stand Down!"
Echo remained still, watching him uncertainly. Delta whined again, the high pitch shifting into a hiss as her feet pivoted.
Owen grabbed his rifle and brought the stock to his shoulder, keeping the barrel aimed down.
"Delta, stand down!" Echo shifted, "I see you Echo. Stand down!"
The intruders hissed and chittered back at him.
"Owen?" Barry's voice questioned nervously from behind.
"I've had enough of your shit." He raised the rifle and looked down his sights.
More chitters, barks, and even a snarl came from the pack of intruders before him. Echo turned to face the trainer and Delta lowered herself.
"Delta, Echo. Don't do this."
More hisses and chitters from the alpha. Delta let out a growl.
Owen's finger pulled firmly on the trigger.
His rifle erupted with a loud bang, the stock pushing firmly into his shoulder as his trigger hand immediately rushed to the bolt, yanking it back and expelling the used casing.
His raptors flinched at the noise and the pressure in the enclosed space. Echo shrieked, but both she and Delta stood still.
The intruders jumped at the sudden noise, Chitters and hissing shrieks erupting through the pack as each animal startled from the gunfire. Each raptor except the Alpha. She didn't move. Her predator sneer complemented the fierce glare she had fixed on Owen. She didn't growl or vocalize.
Instead, she slumped to the ground. Blood pooled out of the new head wound and the sharpness in her eyes faded as her jaw hit the ground, relaxing into a dead gape.
Delta took a hesitant step towards the fallen intruder, snorting heavily at the scent of blood. Echo retreated next to Blue, her eyes returning to the intruders, but he could see the rusty raptor sneaking glances in his direction.
The other raptors held still for a moment more before retreating into his paddock's foliage. The Beta fixed a glare on him, snorting in frustration, her eyes gleaming with contempt. But she too retreated to the concealing greenery after sniffing and nosing against her fallen pack mate.
Owen exhaled, releasing a breath he had unconsciously held. Blue pulled away from his hip, stepping cautiously forward to sniff the dead raptor lying just outside the gate. She inspected the dead intruder before turning her head to him and giving a short bark.
Owen however, stepped back and took a spot against the wall next to Barry, letting the rifle slip from his hand and lean lightly on the wall.