23/06/2015. Hi everyone, thanks for the amazing support and feedback. Thanks to those who add this story to their favs and alerts. I've been having problems with alerts but I hope you guys continue to check out the board when I update. I'll try again today. I guess I update quite early so afterwards as more stories update my story gets shoved to like page 3 or 4 or something lol.
I decided to alter some of the plot to add more depth to the story. So plot has changed from 'an intern arriving and becoming disillusioned with the premise of the park' to 'an intern arriving at the park with ulterior motives'.
Anyway after the first page break the story skips to one week later hence today's chapter title 'Day 287'. Enjoy! :)
DAY TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY SEVEN
"Aw, come on, I got tickets for us both!"
"I'm busy on that day, Mr Grady, and unlike yourself, I have commitments to the park. I can't just leave - "
"Then how about dinner? I know a great burger place on Main Street."
"Thanks for the offer but I'm scheduled to attend business dinners for the rest of the week." Claire said hurriedly as she stormed down the corridor with Owen a short distance behind her; he had two tickets in hand, which had taken some effort to grab hold of. He threw his glance to the little flimsy pieces of paper in hand and proceeded to stuff them into his pockets.
"Okay, so what do you want to do?"
She finally stopped in her tracks and turned to him on her heels. Unbelievable. Owen Grady was trying to ask her out; not that this surprised her considering he did take every opportunity to make a pass at her. Owen asking her out would happen someday, and this someday happened to be today. He did, unfortunately, have bad timing since her diary was chock-full of business meetings one after the other from early in the morning until late in the evening. Once their eyes met and they leveled gazes with one another, he grinned and she crossed her arms over her chest, "...If I get Zara to check my diary, will you let me get on with my work?" She said; despite the words used, there was no malicious undertone aimed at him. In fact, she sounded more frustrated and exasperated with his persistence.
He shrugged. "Sounds good to me."
"Fine. I'll check. Now if you excuse me, I have an important meeting with the chairman. Goodbye, Mr Grady."
"Alright then, let me know. See ya." Owen said, shoving his hands into his pockets with a grin. He watched as she disappeared down a set of double doors, shaking her head.
ONE WEEK LATER
She never got back to me.
"Owen?"
Hmm, maybe I should ask again?
"Owen!"
"Huh? What?" He snapped out of his thoughts; Lindy stood in front of him with her notepad and pen in hands. "Lindy? What is it?"
"We were going over the function of zygapophyses and you went all quiet. Are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm okay. Uh...what does zyg...er...what does that mean again?"
"The articular processes of their tail."
"Right. I gotcha. Let's go over something else." He said, "...Actually, before I do that, I got a question."
"What is it?"
"...What does it mean when someone doesn't get back to you? You know, after you've tried asking them out?"
The question surprised her but then she started to giggle. "Ohohoho, you're asking me for relationship advice?"
"Er..." He rubbed the back of his head, "This is highly unprofessional, I know...and I'm sorry, but it's really been bugging me."
She waved her hand dismissively. "No, no, it's okay. I don't mind at all." She put a hand to her chin next, "Hmm, so if they haven't gotten back to you after you've asked them out...maybe they're just really busy? ...Or they're just not that into you."
He pondered for a while, then nodded. "Alright then." Just then, the raptor beside them emitted a shrill cry and both Owen and Lindy turned to her. "Let's get back to work." He muttered, and Lindy nodded.
I wonder what happened to him, she thought to herself, Maybe he tried to ask Ms Dearing out.
Owen and Lindy stood in a sectioned-off area of the paddock where a single raptor stood still in the middle for a check up, held down on its spot by metal clamps fixed firmly to the ground that stretched over its talons, forbidding movement. Its snout was also encased in a muzzle and its forearms were restrained to its body with thick elastic, preventing the raptor from using its claws. Despite how awkward and strange it looked, the raptor didn't seem to mind at all and were watching the duo keenly.
They were going over anatomy: Owen had been demonstrating to Lindy who was busy writing down notes. "Good girl, Delta..." He was crooning as he stroked the raptor's back affectionately.
Delta merely emitted a low chirp from the back of her throat and shook herself slightly as Lindy came over; it was eyeing her as she planted her palm over its thick hide. "She's magnificent." Lindy murmured, "But doesn't that hurt them?" She patted the raptor gently and gestured to its restraints. It's pelt was thick and sturdy, bumpy and rigid with lumps. Compared to Blue, Delta's features were far more haggard and rough than her older sister.
"Nope." Owen confirmed; he turned to the raptor's face, holding her snout in his hands. Delta stared at Owen for a long time as he inspected her and she snorted out a breath from her nostrils, her tail rising up and down steadily. "Alright, baby, you're lookin' good..."
"According to my studies," She said, "Some species of Velociraptor aren't supposed to be this big and they were covered in feathers."
"Unfortunately, chicken-sized dinosaurs covered in feathers aren't very popular with the public." Owen replied with a grin.
"So they removed the gene – the features - completely?"
"It's more like they replaced it."
"With more teeth and bigger claws." She replied in a hushed murmur, gazing at Delta's massive talons as the sickle blades scratched up some dirt on the ground. "I suppose some people have suggested training the raptors to be steeds?"
He nodded, patting Delta carefully and making her chitter loudly. "Yeah. Marketing, PR, Sales. The usual."
"I think they serve a better purpose than to be used as horses."
"There's been a rumor," Owen said, "InGen Security have suggested that the girls be used as guard dogs."
"Guard dogs?"
He nodded. "It's an unusual idea, but not new or surprising."
"And how do you feel?" She asked, "About all of this?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well...your job is to train the raptors but you're the one who's closest to them; people seem to have different purposes for them and they don't seem to care about what you think. Have they ever consulted you? About your opinion?" Lindy said, recalling the scene when the gaudy man named Mr Lloyd was talking to Owen about 'decorating'. "What do you want to do with them?"
Owen studied Lindy for a long time, "...Nobody cares about what I think as long as I keep my head down and do my job. But Blue, Delta, Charlie and Echo...they will always be my girls, and I want them to find their own purpose together."
Contemplating his words, she said, "Good answer."
...
It started raining nearer the end of the day and Owen woke up from his nap at the loud clap of thunder and lightning outside. Stretching from his swivel chair, he rubbed at his eyes and threw his glance outside – indeed, the sky was gray and dark and the windows were slashed with dozens and dozens of thin wet lines from the rain. How long had he been asleep? He'd been training the raptors all day and then went inside here to rest. Owen shifted his gaze to the clock on the wall where it was ticking loudly. It was five thirty in the evening. He'd been asleep for two hours and a half.
"Nngh..." He got up and exited the office, closing the door behind him and stepping outside.
The tropical rainstorms in Isla Nublar was unnatural, making the atmosphere humid and heavy and stiff with a certain type of muskiness. Each raindrop was heavy and loud and as he looked up at the darkening skies above, he could see blurry white flashes of lightning amongst the stormclouds. "What the hell...?" He muttered under his breath, covering himself with a hand over his head to shield himself from the rain. Storms in Isla Nublar had been nasty but not this nasty. He hastily returned to the paddock, passing more employees who were also struggling against the weather, and he jogged up to the main gate where he could see one lone employee standing at the control panel.
"Mr Grady." greeted the employee; it was the young pig boy – or the one who was known to open and close the gate for the pig and the corresponding exercise. His job was more than that of course but everyone just called him a pig boy since then.
"Where's Barry and Miss Lindy?"
"They're still inside the pen."
He squinted his eyes through the bars, trying to peer inside the paddock where he could see the trees and bushes being battered by the fierce rain and wind, the ground muddy and slushy. "How long they been in there?"
"About an hour."
"Call them back in; the weather's terrible. They can check up on the paddock another day."
"Alright." The pig boy went to the tannoy and pushed down on the button, but nothing seemed to happen.
"What's wrong?" Owen asked, as the pig boy pressed on the button several times only to elicit no response, "Is it not working?"
"I'm not sure."
Suddenly, the bushes a distance away parted and Barry emerged, carrying a bucket and large spade in hands. "Hey, Owen."
"Barry!" He went up to the gates and the pig boy went to open the gate for him to a small extent – enough for someone to squeeze through if they were lying on the ground – they rolled up vertically although they appeared to be struggling slightly. "It's just you?"
"Is Miss Lindy not back yet?" Barry said; he appeared confused as he headed towards the gates, having to yell above the deafening downpour. "We split up to cover more ground; we were meant to meet here at half past."
"You gotta be kiddin' me."
"I'm sorry, Owen."
"No, it's alright. Where could she be?"
Barry approached the gates but just before he ducked underneath – there was a flash of lightning, making contact with one of the antennas that was fixed on top of the raptor den near the paddock's electricity generator. There was a loud 'crack!' and a loud fizzing noise, before smoke gradually began to emit from the antenna; immediately, one of the raptor stalls opened, swinging open weakly with a low creak. Loud snarling could be heard from within before the door nudged open even wider and a green raptor came stampeding out.
"Shit!" Owen cursed, as Barry's eyes widened; Echo came bursting out from her pen, shrieking at Barry who immediately ducked under the gate and towards safety. Owen helped him back up just as Echo stopped herself in the nick of time, slipping her snout between the bars. He held his hand up to the raptor as she hissed at them. "Echo! Easy, easy..."
The raptor growled viciously from the back of her throat until the bushes rustled nearby; Owen whipped his head to the source of the noise to see Lindy emerging out, wiping at her forehead with the back of her hand. "Phew! That was a – oh." As soon as she spotted the group; she took a step backwards in muted shock – turning to her, Echo emitted a hiss and was off, charging towards her direction.
"Echo!" Owen yelled, "Echo, no!" But the raptor proceeded to ignore him and Lindy whirled on her heels, sprinting back the way she had come out from, disappearing into the bushes. Echo followed, screeching before she promptly vanished from view. "Lindy!" Owen rolled underneath the gates, getting up to stand. Thunder crashed behind him, lightning flashing. The wind was strong, tugging him in random directions and throwing rain at him relentlessly.
"Owen, what the hell are you doing?" Barry exclaimed, but Owen was rushing towards the direction where Echo and Lindy had headed, sprinting into the bushes and avoiding low branches.
"I'm going to get her!" He yelled, although most of the storm was drowning out most of his voice, "You stay there and make sure no other doors open! And make sure no-one shoots Echo!"
Turning to the pig boy, Barry exclaimed, "What's going on? How did the door open?"
"I-I'm not sure, sir, but I think the storm's tampering with the power." spluttered the boy, "Sir, what should we do?"
"Spread the word – tell them that Owen has gone into the paddock to look for Miss Lindy," Barry said, "But no-one is to fire or make any noise, okay? Owen can handle this and he will bring her back safely."
"Got it."
"Off you go then."
"Yes, sir!"
...
Deep inside the paddock, Owen navigated his way around slowly and anxiously - every wiggle of a tree branch and every wavering bush made him stop in his tracks, his eyes darting from left to right as he assessed the area. When nothing happened, he continued. Beads of sweat dripped from his forehead and rolled down his temples and he swallowed down the heavy lump that made its presence known in his throat one after the other. High above and the sky was flashing every now and then from the lightning that was hidden behind the gray clouds. Echo could be anywhere. She should be able to smell him, or maybe she wasn't able to due to the rain. He was soaked and drenched and his boots were squelching against the wet, slushy mud. The only noises he could hear were the howl of the wind and the battering rain.
Where are you, Lindy? He thought to himself with much unease. At least she's remembered the security measures – never yell or make noise to attract attention...
He hadn't heard any screaming and he couldn't smell any blood – that was definitely a good indicator.
Suddenly, he heard the sound of a twig snapping and immediately found refuge behind a thick cluster of luscious green fauna, peering out between a few leaves. Someone passed him, taking slow and cautious steps and he knew immediately – reaching out, he grabbed her arm and dragged her into the bushes with him, his hand clamped around her mouth as she fell into his lap with her back to his chest. She seemed surprised to see him, blinking wide-eyed at him in shock. He put a finger to his lips before letting go of her.
"...Owen...?" She whispered, "Wh...what are you doing here?"
"I came to get you." He whispered in response, and he saw her face crumbling into an undecipherable expression.
"Thank you." She muttered, her cheeks going a little pink. He didn't notice as he rose slightly, yet squatting as low as possible to the ground, hidden by the bushes. "What happened anyway? How did the raptor get out?"
"Probably the storm."
The phonecall sprang into her mind: "I want a T-rex to kill and eat someone. A raptor to tear someone's arm or leg off. I want the Mosasaur to swallow someone whole. I want something big..." She bit her lip anxiously, Could this be a coincidence though?
"C'mon, let's get outta here." Owen added, "We'll stay low to the ground. She shouldn't be able to detect us."
She nodded warily; he could tell she was nervous judging by how restless she was.
"Stay close to me. Take my hand."
"Okay." Lindy reached over and slipped her small, wet and muddy hand into his thick, rough palm. Her hand was slippery but he clutched onto her as tightly as he could. "Owen...if I don't make it...tell my mom I love her, please? A-and Spooky, my cat...will you also tell her I love her too?"
"C'mon, Miss Lindy. Don't talk like that; this isn't like you. We'll make it. Trust me, alright?" He squeezed her hand tightly, "Do you trust me?"
Glancing at their entwined hands, she looked at him, their eyes meeting. Sucking in a breath, she proceeded to nod vigorously. "I trust you."
"Good."
Guiding her towards the direction he had come from, he stopped occasionally and she would stop also. They heard shrill screeching nearby and then the ground shook and a dark figure could be seen darting past, zipping further into the trees. The raptor was heading away from them. Inwardly, she breathed a sigh of relief and continued making her way with Owen at the front, leading her. The entire time, her stomach was a tight knot. She wondered if he could feel her heightening pulse since he was holding onto her so tightly. She wondered how he could stay so calm in a situation like this.
"We're almost there." He whispered, "We're faring a lot better than the pig."
She peered over his shoulder inquisitively; there were the gates. Barry stood behind, gripping the horizontal bars tightly and having spotted them, quickly began motioning them to hurry. Once they had neared the edge of the bushes, only a large empty space of muddy ground was before them, separating them from the gate. No trees, no bushes, no cover. The gate was still three-quarters closed and leaving a small space for them to squeeze through. If they were quick, they could perhaps run and roll underneath to safety.
"Right, how are we gonna do this?" Owen muttered to himself, "She could be anywhere." Glancing at Barry expectantly, he gestured with his hands and Lindy hovered beside him, waiting anxiously. Meanwhile, Barry was glancing around and indicating them to stay, but a few minutes later, he finally made a motion with his hand, silently indicating to Owen. "Barry's giving us the all clear." He muttered, "Let's go."
She nodded and with her hand in his, they crept out of their hiding spots and into the open. He squeezed her hand and they were almost at the gate and they were about to make it but then –
Echo came bursting out from the trees, screeching.
Abruptly, Owen skidded to a halt, shoving Lindy behind him. Barry stared helplessly from the gates and was about to duck under but Owen held his hand out, shaking his head. Turning to Echo, she hissed and shrieked at him as she approached. Her amber eyes flashed brightly, her piercing gaze lingered on their forms.
"Echo...Echo, stop." Owen began; his gaze never left her, but this time his words appeared to land on deaf ears. The sky boomed - there had been a loud clap of thunder, lightning flashing. Rain splashed over them and Owen and Lindy inched backwards as Echo continued to creep closer, exposing her fangs. He could feel Lindy holding him tightly from behind, her fingers digging into his shirt. "Echo, c'mon..." Owen tried again, "Easy, girl...easy - "
He was cut off when Echo dived for them and Owen threw himself over Lindy but loud gunshots could be heard ricocheting against the ground and the raptor stumbled in its path, emitting an ear-splitting growl.
"Owen!" cried a voice from above and they could see some of his men at the catwalk with their guns pointing at the raptor. There were a few shouts and yells, followed by more gunshots and Echo screeched at her attackers as they fired shots near her feet in an attempt to distract her. Without further delay, Owen grabbed Lindy and they ran as fast as they could for the gates, lunging for the gap and rolling to safety on the other side; his hand was clutching hers firmly the entire duration. Barry slammed the gates to a proper close once they were safe, the metal grinding loudly. Immediately, the gunshots ceased and Echo could be seen trying to snap her jaws at the snipers who were stationed at the catwalk with their guns; she was growling and snarling before taking off into the safety of the trees again.
Panting, Lindy sat up, caked in mud and drenched all over; glancing at Owen, she went to his side and inspected him thoroughly. To her relief, he didn't appear hurt at all. "Owen? Owen!" She exclaimed.
He grumbled, opening his eyes before pushing himself to sit up and off the ground using the back of his elbows. Once his head stopped swimming, he blinked slowly at her. "Lindy..."
"Are you okay?"
"...Yeah...Are you?" He asked, and she nodded.
"Thank goodness." She proceeded to breathe out a huge sigh of relief.
Averting his gaze from the girl to Barry, he said, "What the hell was that all about? I specifically ordered no-one to use their firearms. Who went all trigger happy back there?"
"That would be me."
Another voice had entered the foray; everyone glanced over to see a man donned completely in black attire standing at the entrance of the paddock, carrying a rifle in hands. His uniform had a badge that said InGen. He was of medium-height, possessing a rather lean, muscular build with those thick arms and broad chest. The man pulled off a pair of goggles to reveal a rugged but handsome, chiseled face. He averted his gaze from the disgruntled-looking Owen to Lindy, who was staring at him in bewilderment. "By the way, you're both welcome."
Owen sounded defeated as he grunted out, "It took me years to build up a relationship, Bates. Years."
The man named Bates helped him up, grabbing hold of his arm firmly and lifting him to his feet, "I'll take that as a 'thank you'," He said, "Just be grateful you're still alive and in one piece, Grady."
Note:
It's still Owen x OC but for now, Owen's still trying to get that first date with Claire lol. 'Tis complicated :( PS I imagine Bates to look like Tom Hardy. He's a stud too phwoaar!