Author's Note
Hello, everyone! So here it is, the chapter you've all been waiting for.
Time for Vic to get what's coming to him.
Go onward and enjoy!
Weakness
The ATV wasn't damaged when the raptors saved her from the man, so Liv takes it so they can go find Owen. The raptors form a guard around her, always keeping on high alert, with Charlie darting ahead every so often as a scout. Liv doesn't sense anyone else nearby as they make their way through the jungle but that's not going to stop animal instinct.
They are just so determined to protect her.
It's not long until they find Owen, riding through the jungle on his bike, and when he sees her he visibly relaxes, shoulders slumping. They don't try to talk over the noise of their engines, he just whistles sharply to the raptors, jerks his head to the right, and they all follow his lead, the raptors still keeping a tight formation around them but now with Owen in the lead. Blue goes to his side, the alpha and his beta, and, yeah, the Indominus never stood a chance.
They make it back to the paddock but no one's there, not even Claire, Zach, and Gray. The truck they left them with is gone, too.
Owen and Liv come to a halt, the raptors stopping around them. "Where did they go?" Owen asks her.
She casts her eyes around, searching for their auras, and finds them not far along on the road leading towards the main park. "They're heading back towards Main Street."
The same direction the Indominus is headed. Liv checks the dinosaur's location and by the looks of it, Claire and the boys will make it to Main Street before the Indominus does. They will, too, if they leave soon. That's a blessing, at least, but then what do they do?
Owen nods, eying the body of a man lying on the ground near the cage, torn up and bloody from wounds given to him by the Indominus. "They probably saw what was going on from the raptor cams. Knew we failed." He grips the handle bars of his bike a little tighter. "It wasn't safe here for them anymore and we have no other way to stop the Indominus."
Liv stares at him, a little bit desperate, a lot disbelieving. "So that's it? There's nothing else we can do?"
"What do you expect us to do, Liv? There's nothing left. I've got no more ideas. There's no more guns, none powerful enough to kill her. The only thing left to do is for us to get out of here."
"If we do that, she'll tear this park apart!" She looks at the raptors, tears shining in her eyes. "You saw the Apatosaurus. She'll kill all the dinosaurs just because she can. She'll kill the raptor squad, Owen. She hates them because they wouldn't side with her."
Owen's mouth presses thin, his entire body coiling with tension. Blue chirrups softly at him and he softens a little, reaching out to pat the side of his beta's neck, not showing any of the fear or trepidation he showed the morning he found Liv in the paddock. "I don't want them to die either, Liv. I want to stop the Indominus but we just…we can't. She's unstoppable."
"Nothing is ever unstoppable. She has to have a weakness. We just have to find out what it is."
His brow furrows at that, contemplating something for a moment, and when he looks up at her, there's a little something like hope in his eyes. "Dr. Wu. He made her. He knows exactly what she's made out of. If she does have any weaknesses, he should be able to help us figure it out."
Liv grins. "And then we can take her out. Together."
Blue barks at that and the other raptors bark as well, ready to stand with them and ready to fight. Ready to protect their pack from the one who threatens them.
"Alright," Owen says, revving his bike. "Let's catch up with Claire and the others and get back to the park."
They turn towards the road and take off as fast as they can, the raptors falling back into formation. Liv can feel their elation at being able to run so fast and so far without the hindrance of walls and Liv laughs, feeding off of it. Her heart feels lighter than it has all day. She has her family around her, safe and whole, despite the crazy dinosaur running around, and they may just have a plan on how to stop her.
Well. A plan on how to come up with a plan. Same difference, really. Either way, it finally feels like this nightmare might be over soon.
It doesn't take them long to catch up with Claire and the boys, Owen and Liv pulling up to drive in front of them and the raptors spreading to include the large truck in their circle. The ladies aren't about to let anything get past them, but they make it to Main Street without any incidents.
The Indominus is close though. She wasn't going as fast as them and she had to go through thick jungle, but she isn't that far behind.
They park their vehicles in front of the Innovation Center and Owen fills them in on their plan as they jog up the steps.
"You're right," Claire says, stopping just outside the doors. "That might just be our only hope. We'll force Henry to tell us if we have to, but," she looks down at the four Velociraptors standing at the bottom of the stairs, extremely nervous but hiding it pretty well, "what are we going to do about them exactly?"
Owen looks over the raptors as well and then descends the stairs about halfway. "Eyes on me, ladies." All four raptors instantly come to attention, focused on their alpha. "Good. Scout. Stealth mode."
The raptors split up two-by-two going in opposite directions, disappearing into the stores and buildings almost as well as they do in the jungle. Liv skims their auras to make sure they understand the commands and they do. They're to stay close, keep an eye out, but stay hidden. Liv sends them her own praise through the bond and she gets four happy trills in response.
Liv and the others then go into the Innovation Center, heading towards the back hallway of the Creation Labs, but when they enter the glass hallway everything is strangely quiet. Claire enters the key code for the door and they slip into the labs.
It's empty. There are papers scattered everywhere, lab equipment still running, and absolutely not a soul in sight, like everything was packed up and left in a hurry.
"They evacuated the labs," Claire says, surprise coloring her voice.
"Is that a weird thing?" Liv asks.
"Yes, it is. Even with an asset out of containment, the scientists are supposed to stay and keep the lab running. The embryos won't survive without them."
There's a loud noise towards the back of the lab and they cautiously follow the sound. They find men, InGen men from their uniforms, filling high-tech coolers with canisters. It's the embryos. They're taking all of the dinosaur embryos, but why?
"What are you doing?" Claire asks them but they aren't the ones who answer.
"I'm afraid that's above your pay grade," Vic says, strutting around the corner with a smug smile on his face.
"Where's Henry?" Claire demands.
His smile widens. "Dr. Wu works for us."
That one statement makes Liv's stomach quiver. Dr. Wu is supposed to work for Claire and the park. But if he really works for Vic and InGen, then he didn't make the Indominus as just a new attraction. Nothing Vic has his paws on is ever just an attraction, she knows that now.
"That's not a real dinosaur," Gray suddenly says, looking at a computer screen that must be Dr. Wu's. On it, the Indominus's file is displayed. They need that, the full file. If they can't get to Dr. Wu, then that file is the only thing left that can tell them about the Indominus.
"No, it ain't, kid," Vic says, and he seems proud of that fact. "But somebody's gotta make sure this company has a future. Imagine that one," he points to the picture of the Indominus, "a fraction of the size. Deadly. Intelligent. Able to hide from the most advanced military technology. A living weapon unlike anything we've ever seen."
"So that's the real reason InGen is involved with Jurassic World?" Liv asks, lip curling in disgust. "That's the real reason they sent you here? The Velociraptors, the Indominus, it was all so that you could turn dinosaurs into weapons."
He chuckles condescendingly. "Of course it was, Olivia. I'm not some theme park security guard. I'm InGen's head of security. These animals are the greatest military assets in the world. My main goal working here was to make sure Dr. Wu delivered. And he has, better than we ever imagined." He takes a step forward and holds out his hand to her. "Now get over here, Olivia. It's time to go."
"No," she says, shaking her head emphatically and stepping closer to Owen. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere with you. Not ever again."
"I am your father and you will come with me now. The harder you resist, the worse it will be for you."
Her fists clench at her sides.
Enough.
"No," she says, voice low but serious.
Vic blinks at her. "Excuse me?"
She lifts her chin defiantly and says, louder this time, "No. I'm not going with you, I'm not letting you hurt me ever again, and you are not my father. Not anymore."
Vic lets out a barking laugh, dropping his hand. "Oh, really? And who is your dear old dad if not me?"
"I am," Owen says, taking her hand and squeezing. His other hand grips his gun tighter, unsure where this is going to go but ready to use it if he needs to. "You lost the right to be her dad when you started beating her."
Vic's smile fades. "So, she told you. And now you plan on taking her from me, is that it?"
"I do."
"She tell you she's a freak, too?"
"Liv isn't a freak," Owen snaps, gripping his gun tighter. "Being a mutant doesn't make her a freak, just different. And being different isn't a bad thing."
Vic snorts, rolling his eyes. "Whatever. Freak, mutant, it doesn't matter. She still has something that I want and you're not taking it from me."
In one swift movement, Vic snatches up his hunting knife from the sheath on the back of his belt and Owen raises his gun. Neither get to use their weapons, though, because then there's a furious screech.
Echo enters the room, eyes set solely on Vic.
"Whoa, whoa, hey, easy now," Vic says, trying to sound confident and controlling as he faces off against the raptor but Liv can hear the panic in it. He holds out his hands placatingly, as if that's actually going to stop Echo from coming any closer. "Easy there, fella. We're on the same side."
There's another screech and Blue comes sauntering in from the other side. Together, the raptors stalk Vic into a corner.
Real panic starts to set in. "Hey, now!" He looks at Owen frantically. "Hey, call them off!"
Owen glances at her. "I don't think that's up to me."
Vic's eyes turn to Liv. "Please, Olivia! I'm your father. Make them back down, I know you know how. I saw it!"
She's unsure if he means what happened when he trapped her in the cage or he saw what happened earlier tonight on the raptor cams, but still she shakes her head in pity. "No, I don't. The raptors and I respect one another and they care about me, but that doesn't mean they'll necessarily do as I say."
And she knows they won't, not now. She can feel it from them, the emotions as clear as if they were speaking English.
Do not ask us to let him live. Even if you do, we will not listen. This one will pay for what he's done.
"Sorry, Vic, but they're wild animals. They can't be tamed and they do what they want."
Blue attacks first, going for the arm with the knife. Vic tries to swipe her with the blade but Blue is much faster, chomping down on his wrist. After that, Liv closes her eyes. The raptors are killing a second man for her tonight, right in front of her, and this time it's her own father. This time, at least, she would have thought she would feel something, and maybe she might, later. Right now she's kind of numb though.
But it's finally over. Vic is gone for good and he'll never be able to hurt her again.
But the man who fathered her, who helped raise her, is dead.
Owen quickly leads them from the room, an arm around Liv's shoulders. They go back out into the hallway where they find Charlie and Delta waiting for them. Charlie sniffs at her hair and chirps questioningly, making Liv smile, small but there. She rests her forehead against Charlie's and breathes in deep, taking in the rich smell of dirt, the coppery tang of old blood, and a musky smell that's all raptor.
"It's okay, girl. I'm okay. At least, I will be."
Owen just holds her for a while, Claire, Zach, and Gray standing close behind her, Charlie and Delta at her sides. It's not long until Blue and Echo join them and she can feel a little bit of worry from Blue. She's afraid Liv is mad at her for what they did, but she reassures them easily that she's not. She can't exactly be happy about it, but she can't be mad at them either.
But it's over. At least, this is.
She pulls back from Owen and looks up at him, feeling tired but knowing they still have a lot to do. "We need to get the Indominus's file."
"Liv, if you need a minute-"
"No. I…I don't want to think about this right now, and either way, stopping the Indominus is more important. She's almost on Main Street. We need to finish this, once and for all."
"Alright," he says, placing a kiss on her brow. "You kids stay here with the raptors. Claire and I will go get the file."
She nods. Good. She doesn't have to…see it.
Owen and Claire go back into the lab, the only noise the click clack of Claire's heels, and the raptors close ranks around her again. It feels good to be in the middle of them, safe, and it helps steady her. Nothing can hurt her here, in the center of a group of deadly predators.
"I know this is going to sound dumb," Zach says, staying a careful distance away from the raptors with one hand on Gray's shoulder, "but are you okay?"
She snorts humorlessly. Yeah, it is kind of a dumb thing to ask, but the sentiment is nice all the same. "Not really. I guess I'm kind of…in shock? I don't really know. I've never been in shock before."
The corner of his mouth quirks up. "Let me know when you figure it out."
"Top of my to-do list," she says dryly, but she can feel a small smile tugging at her lips too. "I guess it's just not really sinking in that he's…gone."
"Did you want them to do it?" He nods his head towards the raptors.
"I don't really know," she answers honestly. "I mean, I was going to get away from him already anyway. A social worker was going to come tomorrow and everything, so it's not like I needed them to…kill him…in order to finally get away. But a part of me is still, I don't know, relieved. That, no matter what, he won't be able to come after me ever again. There aren't any InGen strings he could pull, his sentence won't run out. He's gone for good." She strokes Delta's neck absently, staring into the distance blankly. "I wonder if that makes me a bad person."
"I don't think it does," he says, and Liv sees the sincerity in his eyes. "It just means you're human. He was a bad guy who was hurting you a lot. It's okay to be relieved that he can't hurt you anymore. If anything, he deserved a lot worse than what he got."
She quirks an eyebrow at him. "Worse than being eaten alive?"
"Sure." He crooks a smile. "I could have electrocuted him. Or set him on fire."
She chuckles, a little forced but feeling easier. "Thanks, Zach."
He shrugs. "Hey, that's what friends are for."
"Do you…really mean that?" She's thought of them as her friends for a while now, but wasn't sure about them.
"Yeah," Zach says, blushing a little. "Of course."
"Aww, Zach likes Liv," Gray sing-songs. "Zach and Liv, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-"
Zach shoves Gray in the shoulder, a little too rough, but Gray is cackling. "Shut up, Gray."
Liv can feel her cheeks turning hot as well. Or maybe it's her whole body. She knows Gray is just teasing his brother but a part of her latches onto the implication and wonders. She glances at Zach just as he's side-eying her and when their eyes meet he smiles a little.
Maybe…Maybe….
The lab door suddenly bursts open, Owen running out followed by Claire right on his heels. "We found the file," he says excitedly. "Hardcopy, with all of Dr. Wu's original notes."
He opens the file, a white, one inch binder with the words "Indominus Rex" on the spine, and they all huddle around him. Flipping through the pages, they scan for the description of what, exactly, was put into the Indominus cocktail.
"There!" Gray says, pointing to one of the pages just as Owen is about to turn them again. At the top of the page is written "Genetic Modifications".
"Good catch, kid," Owen says and then his finger is skimming down the list of animal DNA that was added to the Indominus.
Besides the T-Rex and Velociraptor DNA there's cuttlefish, tree frog, and….
"What the heck is O.H.-14?" Zach asks.
"I have no idea," Claire says. "It must be some kind of drug or synthesized enhancement. Is it listed somewhere else in the file?"
Owen flips back through the file and they don't find it anywhere else until the very back pages, in a section that is completely made up of handwritten notes, all on a substance referred to as O.H. At the beginning, Dr. Wu explains what the substance is, and when Liv reads it she backs away in horror. Owen lets out a stream of curses, at Dr. Wu, at Vic, at InGen, at anyone who would even consider doing something like this. Claire stares at Liv, eyes so wide the whites are visible all the way around the irises.
"I think I'm going to be sick," Liv manages to utter before staggering away and throwing up in a corner, her stomach heaving painfully for several minutes until there's nothing left. Her legs shake and it feels like she's going to fall but then Owen is there, wrapping his arms around her and supporting her.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, Liv," he soothes softly, drawing her away from the mess. "It's okay."
She shakes her head, tears stinging at the backs of her eyes, feeling violated and betrayed worse than all of the beatings combined. "It's not okay. That," she points a shaking finger to the file that's been dropped on the floor, "is not okay!"
O.H.
Olivia Hoskins.
"They used my DNA!" she cries, tears streaming down her face but she can't get them to stop. "All those check-ups with the doctor here, all the blood draws, it wasn't routine stuff at all. It was so that they could play with my DNA to use on the Indominus. That's why she can see me, Owen. They gave her my mutation."
Claire gasps. "Is that even possible?"
"I don't know how they did it. I just know they did. It explains how she can see auras. She can't see them as strongly as I can but she's always been able to see me. She can probably heal, too, that's why she's been so tough to kill."
"Can we kill her then?" Zach asks. "If she heals like you do, is it even possible?"
"I don't know," Liv says, voice small and empty of any hope they had. "I've been beaten pretty bad before, bruises, broken bones. Nothing bad enough to possibly kill me, but I've always healed no matter what. I don't even know if chopping her head off like a zombie would work." She buries her face in Owen's chest, trying to fight against despair, but she can't see the light at the end of the tunnel anymore, it got swallowed up by a pair of enormous jaws. "So this is it. It's over. There is no weakness. She's indestructible and there's nothing we can do to stop her."
"Don't say that," Gray says, brow furrowed and eyes hard. "You can't say that. We can't just give up."
"Gray, honey-" Claire says, reaching out a hand to console him but he pushes it away.
"No. You were all ready to save the dinosaurs from the Indominus but now that you know she's a mutant you're just going to give up?" He shakes his head defiantly. "No. There has to be a way. Nothing is unbeatable, not even a mutant dinosaur."
Owen runs a hand roughly over his face. "But, Gray, the only way to kill this thing would basically be to tear her apart and there's just no way for us to do that."
Liv straightens, mulling an idea over in her mind. "Maybe there's not a way for us to do it, but maybe we don't have to."
"What do you mean?" Zach asks.
"Obviously, none of us are big enough or strong enough to tear the Indominus apart, but there are others in this park who just might be."
Gray grins, catching on to what she's thinking. "We need something with more teeth."
Author's Note
I think it originally was supposed to be Charlie who ate Vic? I don't know, I wrote all of this before the movie came out on DVD. I also wasn't sure if all the tourists had made it off the island yet or if some were still waiting for boats, but whatever. Not really important and besides, I figured Blue would really want in on that.
So how about that reveal? I'm not sure if anyone guessed about Wu using Liv's DNA or not. At least, no one mentioned any suspicions like that in reviews. But, yeah, that's why the Indominus has Liv's powers. She's a mutant and Wu is a very evil scientist.
Next chapter will be Friday which made me realize that I messed up last chapter. This fic ends on December 4th, not 3rd, because I post of Fridays, not Thursdays. *sigh* Sorry about that. Not sure what I was thinking. Anyway, next chapter will be the final battle. And the final post. I just have one normal chapter and the epilogue left and, like how I started this fic with posting the prologue and first actual chapter together, I'll be posting these last two together. So Friday will be the end, my friends. It's been a wild ride.
Hope you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW, and see you all next time!