Levine wiped the sweat from his brow as he stood in the doorway of the room. It seemed an hour had passed by rather quickly, the fastest hour he had ever experienced. Also one of the most unproductive in history, he thought to himself, as he glanced back at the woman in the room. She returned his glare, slightly bemused with the faint smile on his face. Still like that after an hour of questioning… he didn't understand it, nor did he wish to. He looked back at Muldoon, noticed the hard look in the man's eye, and swallowed. So yes they were equally frustrated… just didn't have an answer as of yet. Muldoon was the first one to break the silence, taking a deep breath.
"We're getting nothing this way," He said tersely. "But I think we both know at this point that they are not really Costa Ricans or affiliated with them in any way." He turned to the woman thinking hard. "Perhaps our line of questioning was too direct, we spent most of it asking about the eggs…" Levine realized with a smile where this was heading and he turned away and faced back towards the woman. She must've seen the new look in his eye because she stood up straight, as if suddenly uncomfortable. But Muldoon was still talking, and he'd turned as well. Levine realized that it might have been his plan all along to draw things out like this.
"Because she actually works for Biosyn." They paused, looked at each other when they realized they had spoken at the same time. "Yes," It was becoming clearer now, of course Biosyn would be involved. Levine remembered hearing from Malcom about Nedry's theft on the original island, and the death of Howard King still haunted his dreams at night." You people tried twice to get InGen technology but it didn't work out did it?" He found himself getting angry, because he realized people's lives had been put in danger for corporate greed, not once but twice before. "Listen," he said slowly "we're not the police and technically no one even knows these eggs exist but…. We're putting these eggs back right where you found them and you can just…"
Levine's outburst was interrupted by the sound of her laughing softly. "Excuse me, Richard…." She said, apparently enjoying watching him freeze up at the mention of his name. Muldoon stepped forward to say something but then…"You can stop right there you drunk bastard," She was standing up now, looking out towards the window at the fence. She seemed to have changed, she was no longer smiling but her stare was one of fury. "Don't you dare try to claim the moral high ground, you were trying to exploit the animals just as much as we were…maybe more so." She took a step forward nodding her head. "If any of you clowns try to detain me, I'll sue your asses in court for unlawful detainment," she smiled a bit triumphantly.
"But we aren't in court now, Clever Girl-" Muldoon started to say but then stopped. Somewhere in the distance there was a sound of thunder, and a flash of light. Levine and Muldoon covered their eyes but it was enough to see the bolt of lightening hit the fence. The sensor visible from the window exploded in a shower of sparks, and in this rain they could see the electrical current run through the fence. "Oh shit," Muldoon said, as he ran past the woman and to the window. Levine wanted to follow him, but he stayed where he was, mainly to block her way out. "The fence is busted," Muldoon replied as he turned away from the window. "Happens every time there's a major storm…"
There was a snarl somewhere a distance away and they all turned their heads. "What was that?" the woman said, her face suddenly ashen. Levine mentally noted that for future reference. She was not as cool as she could appear. He could see beads of sweat run down her forehead. The snarl came again, closer now, and he could see the brush past the fence moving. Somehow he knew that was going to happen, no matter what they did it was always going to happen once they got outside the fence, well at least after this woman had stolen the eggs…. Possibly she didn't even know what she was stealing from. That was always a bad idea, one that Lewis Dodgeson had tried, to…. limited success.
"We have no time here," Levine blurted out just as he realized what was about to happen. "I estimate we have less then five minutes before it gets inside…" Actually it was less then that, but he didn't want to panick people. Certainly not this woman, who knew what she would try in desperation? "Do you have a safe room?" he asked across the room to Muldoon. Surely this man would have figured on a contingency such as this somewhere down the line, having thought to enclose his property with an electric fence and bar the windows. But he was sure of one thing, that if there was a weakness, at any point in the compound, the raptor would find a way to exploit it, and get inside.
"In fact I do," Muldoon said as he walked by them. His face looked old and tired as he gestured for them to follow. He picked up his shotgun and nodded to the kid who was still reclining on the chair. Actually Baxter was still a bit sleepy and so he had to be nudged awake by Levine. "Come quickly," Muldoon said softly as they all looked out the living room window. Sure enough there was a dark form scaling the gate, it would be inside the compound in a matter of seconds. Wordlessly they all followed him as he led them down another hallway, stopping at a door. Levine and Baxter at the rear, though he wondered vaguely why the kid was still holding on to that backpack.
Of course it could be that the Raptor would be less reluctant to attack the person holding the eggs for fear of breaking them. That was one reason but…he found himself distracted yet again by the sound of Muldoon opening a door to the side. "Stay here and watch the girl," he said coldly, his eyes seemingly distant and busy. Levine couldn't argue with that, especially not in a situation like this. He blinked as he saw inside the room, careful to make sure that he still had his eye on the woman at all times. Still something was bothering him. She'd clearly looked at their files, been following up on them. That spoke to more then just an ordinary Biosyn Agent, though he thought he knew…
Not the time or place and with everyone agitated he didn't want to get her panicky. Especially as he could see what was inside the room that Muldoon was so sincere about. It was an armory, and entire walk-in closet filled floor to ceiling with guns, ammunition, and body armour. The selection was impressive, but he saw the man holding a magazine and an odd-shaped gun, inserting the magazine and sliding back the hammer. Tossing the Uzi to him, Levine barely caught it, and he was surprised at how heavy it was. He stepped to the side as the kid moved in front, and the Muldoon stared at him for the longest time. Even though everyone could hear the sound of the front door unlocking it was as if Muldoon was trying to think.
"I'm going to regret this but…." The man dumped a Glock into the kid's outstretched hand, and looked back. There was a slow chill, and a door slammed somewhere as if drawn by the wind. The woman stepped forward, but Muldoon held out his hand to stop her. "We're not that desperate or stupid woman," he said, and his eyes were bloodshot. Was the alcohol getting to him already? Levine realized that if Muldoon was going to get into one of these moods they might waste valuable time. With an angry raptor in an enclosed environment, making a stand here was not advisable. The shots might richohet and there was a risk of collateral damage. Too many guns…that just kept echoing in his mind.
"We can't stay here," Levine said tugging at Muldoon's arm with his free hand. "Surely there is a back way somewhere?" He could hear the sound of things crashing in the living room. Right now it was still confused and probably perplexed by the abundance of human scent in the house. That would buy them valuable time. To his surprise, Muldoon relented and let go of the woman's arm, which she drew back as if offended. The man nodded, pointing towards the back, which was actually confirmed Levine's suspicions that there had to be some sort of back entrance here. He lifted his Uzi cautiously, knowing that the kickback to this would be a hell of a ride. Times like these he really missed the rifles he used back on Sorna…
He found himself running at the back of the pack, hearing the crashing as some large weight landed on the living room table. Levine didn't dare look back; he knew just how close it must be. But Muldoon was somewhere in the front and that man knew where the back exit was. What could he say but this place was a damn sight better fortified then a straw convenience store on an offshore island. It struck him that he didn't really know how to fire the gun, and hopefully it would have to be used as a last resort. He would dearly regret having to kill such an animal even in self-defense, if it would damage the ecosystem in some way.
Muldoon opened another door to the side, and they all found themselves in the pouring rain. "Now what?" Levine asked, realizing in the moment how that sounded. Petty and whining, but he thought he had a valid point here. How were they any safer outside then they were in here? He knew that door wouldn't keep the raptor out, not if it particularly wanted to follow them. In the wake of his comment, everybody turned to look at Muldoon, their eyes equally questioning. There had to be some sort of plan… Levine thought of the Hummer, realized that it might be too far. They would never be able to make it before the raptor caught up to them. Especially since no one in the group was particularly proficient in firearms except Muldoon.
Then he saw that Muldoon seemed confident, even as the rain poured over the brim of his hat. "The plan?" He smiled wistfully. "Drive like hell." As the man walked around the corner of the compound, they all saw what he meant. There was a ten-year-old Jeep Wrangler slightly covered in mud and rust. But enough to see the basic colors it had once been. It was sandy beige with two thick red stripes, one on each side of the door. Stenciled on the side was the legend '10' in beige, and on the door was a circular logo very faded…. But Levine could make out the image; he'd seen it many times as promotional image while searching the InGen Computers for information about Site B.
"Are you going to get in, or are you just going to gawk at it?" Muldoon said sounding highly amused. Levine shook his head, wondering why he was even paying that much attention to the jeep in the first place. It was no time to be thinking of that… The man opened the driver's side and removed the keys from his front pocket. They could all hear the sound of the door opening, and so everyone else got in as well. Levine set his gun on the side, not bothering to put on his seat belt. The kid was looking nervous and the woman…. Stone that was her name now that he remembered it. Megan Stone. She was holding onto the seat, looking back nervously.
There was another snarl and everybody froze. The raptor could clearly be seen in the lights from the compound. In the pouring rain and at full height, Levine felt very vulnerable, even in the presence of all these guns. He grabbed his Uzi quickly, even though he knew that it wouldn't be as effective in such a close range. It was a good thing the jeep had a cloth top; it would at least give them a chance here. The raptor paused as it sized up the situation, seeing the four people in the car, apparently helpless. Muldoon was trying to start the car, turning the key over and over again swearing under his breath as he did so. "Start, you son of a bitch damn you…"
With a satisfied scream, the raptor reared and set off at a run straight at them. He felt a strong pinch on his shoulder and realized it was Stone, whose face was all pale. Levine swatted her hand away, "I guess you can tell Rossiter where the animals are now," he said dryly and without emotion. It was satisfying to see her eyes widen, but she only looked briefly, as the raptor leaped. Just then the engine started, and Muldoon hit the gas. Everybody was thrust back into their seats as the Jeep swerved to the right. Levine was caught unawares, and his Uzi dropped to the floor. He tried to get it but the weapon was bouncing around the floor right now.
There was a scraping sound and Muldoon and Levine looked at each other. Then he looked up to see a claw starting to tear through the fabric. Not today, Levine thought to himself as he leaned over to the backseat, and snatched the Glock out of the kid's hand. At the very least he could give the raptor a bit of a nasty sting. He didn't care where the jeep was going, so long as they could shake the raptor. Actually he had a bit of a plan forming where they got to the Hummer, their odds were probably better in there. But was there really a back gate to this place? He took one look at Muldoon's face, saw the bloodshot eyes and realized there wasn't. Surely he wasn't going to….
"Hold on to your butts," Muldoon grinned, and Levine was half-sure he heard the clink of bottles rolling around on the floor somewhere in the backseat. Oh shit, he thought to himself. He made a dive for the wheel but didn't make it in time as he saw the fence rising up to meet them. He grabbed the seat and held on tightly as they made impact, the fence breaking at the force of several tons hitting it at thirty miles an hour. He looked behind him as they swerved yet again, and noticed the section was completely flattened. But the raptor hung on he could see that right in the side mirror. The snarling face of the raptor was reflected, right above the stenciled words 'Objects in mirror are larger then they appear'.
He flinched as a claw suddenly tore at him, bouncing harmlessly off the plastic film of the window. It snarled again, drool slavering from its jaws and began climbing back up the car. With a quick look back he could see the kid and Stone staring at the animal, their faces pale. She was holding the kid's hand now, squeezing it in her terror. He noticed the kid didn't exactly move his hand away. Well they were sort of the same age, so he could figure that. Still… he took deep breaths as he raised the glock up towards the cloth top. The depression on it was visible now that the animal was once again on top.
They were in a small clearing just slightly next to the compound now, and they could see the whole village from here. From this height he could see for the first time clearly another small hill right across on the other side of the village. A large barn stood atop that hill, it's doors clearly wide open. There was a shape…he couldn't make it out, but he realized he shouldn't be able to see something clear so far away. That meant… But they had more immediate problems, that was to say the raptor currently trying to get in the jeep. He took another breath as he shifted again in his seat. If the raptor made a sizable hole…. He had his eye on the Spas-12 that was sitting right next to Muldoon, but it was almost too far to reach.
There was a low gurgle and for a second Levine looked up confused. Then he realized it wasn't the raptor. Muldoon was revving the Jeep up, putting it in fourth gear. The roads were slick and muddy, and the only way out really was…downhill. They were going downhill. The raptor screeched, and there was a sound of fabric tearing. Levine lifted the gun, but again the car took off just as he did so.
The edge of the slope was coming rapidly, but this time he was able to see it better then he had when they'd run through the gate. He closed his eyes as the car dipped down, and then back up again. He didn't think the transmission was going to make it, and several times it didn't even feel like they were on solid ground. However they were going down, bumpy as the ride may be. There was a thump! And he heard a screech, as they all looked backwards, the raptor landed perfectly on the ground, but was then lost to view by the pouring rain. But the Jeep did not stop, not until it reached level ground again.
And then they were back in the village. "Hell of a night," Levine muttered under his breath.