Let's see... work and family has like taken all my energy and brain power. Quite literally. Lots of work drama. 2 people quitting and me being pushed into a rushed promotion. Trying to hire someone I can train ASAP to take over my night shifts so I can start manager training. And the furnace and sink breaking in the house. So my uncle came down for a couple days to fix them. And a few other things. And he needed my help. Because I'm an awesome helper.

So anyways... I'm so tired. All the time. And can't get anything written.

Oh well. Have a chapter mostly stolen from the movie. 8D

Raptor
Chapter 24: Failure

Owen hijacked one of the construction vehicles at the Indominus paddock and sped as fast as the vehicle could go to get to the control room. He'd never actually been in the control room before. But he knew where it was. He marched right into the building and into the elevator. He crossed his arms, waiting until it stopped. His head was spinning but for a completely different reason than the last few days. What the fuck had happened? How had a dinosaur escaped without them knowing? He stepped off the elevator into the control room. Claire was standing in the center. Simon was standing off to the back, looking a bit out of place. Owen wasn't sure he knew many of the other people in the room. He thought he might have seen the brunette girl in the front around. Vivian, maybe? And then someone was waving. At him? Was that Lowery? Owen rolled his eyes.

A guard stepped out and blocked his way. Owen let out a growl and the guard stepped back, looking at him oddly. "Sir." The man said. "You can't be in here." The man's voice wavered a bit. "I need to see your badge."

Owen pushed past him roughly, walking down towards where Claire stood in the center of the room. "What the fuck just happened?" He demanded loudly, throwing up his arms. "There are thermal cameras all over that paddock. She did not just disappear."

Claire's mouth opened slowly. She turned away from him, shaking her head. "Must have been... a technical malfunction..." She mumbled softly.

"Were you not watching?" He snapped. "She marked up that wall as a distraction!"

"A distraction?" Simon took a step forward. "You make it sound like she planned it." He said.

Owen snorted and shook his head. "She did. She wanted us to think she was gone. She wanted someone inside with her, looking around. She wanted someone to chase towards the doors so we'd open them."

Claire turned, shaking her head. "Wait a minute." She held up her hands. "We're talking about an animal here."

"A highly intelligent animal." Owen snapped. "Do you ever listen to what I say? Highly intelligent!" He repeated slowly. "Which makes you sound stupid because you can't listen!"

Claire's eyes narrowed at him. Then she turned away from him. "You're presence isn't required. We have everything under control." She said in a very calm voice.

Owen frowned. "What does that mean?"

"The implant will shock it if it gets too close to a perimeter fence." Claire answered.

"Hey..." Lowery interrupted from where he was leaning over his consol. "She's moving really fast." He said. "Like really fast." He sat up and swiveled in his chair. He smiled and waved at Owen. "Hey. Welcome to the control room." He said, holding his arms out.

Owen raised his eyebrows and lifted his hand in an awkward wave.

"400 meters to the beacon." Vivian said, looking up at the screens.

Owen turned to look up at them for the first time. There was a large map of the island, and a line highlighted in red. The indominus' route, he guessed. Then there were camera views and several pictures of men on the screen. "What's going on?" He asked, stepping closer. He hovered just behind Lowery.

Claire glanced sideways at him. "ACU is tracking her."

Owen watched on the screens as the vehicles stopped and the men filed out. Several looked to be carrying large net guns. And he was pretty sure the others had tranquilizer guns. His eyes widened as he studied the images on the screens. "You're going after her with non-lethals?" He asked softly. He couldn't believe it.

Simon stepped up next to Owen. "We have $26 million invested in her. We can't just kill her."

"Those men are gonna die." Owen said, glancing sideways at him. "Stop this. Now. Before it's too late."

"300 meters." Vivian said.

"Call this off." Owen turned fully towards Simon, looking the man in the eyes. "Right now."

Simon glanced from the screen to Owen and back again. There was hesitation on his face.

"You are not in control here!" Claire snapped.

"Clearly!" Owen snapped, looking around Simon to glare at her. "If I was, this wouldn't be happening now. None of it would have happened in the first place!"

"Mr. Grady..." Claire's voice rose and she stamped one of her high heels on the floor. "This isn't the time or place to..."

Owen didn't let her finish her thought. "You created a monster and turned her into a ticking time bomb and she just lit her fuse!" He snapped.

"Calm down..." Claire snapped back.

Vivian's voice rose above them. "They're reached the beacon..."

A hush fell over the room as all eyes turned to the screens.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The brothers had watched as Simon Masrani's car disappeared. Then Zach turned to Gray and asked, "Still wanna roll around in the giant hamster ball?" Gray had nodded and they hurried to the front.

But Gray had fallen silent and sullen as they started rolling around. "Hey." Zach said, looking over at him. "What's wrong? Sad about that crazy Simon dude ditching us?"

Gray shook his head quickly as he gazed out the window. "No, it's not that." He breathed out. "He's got more important things to do then hanging out with us anyways."

Zach let out a laugh as he zigzagged them around the gyrofield. "I hope so. He owns the island."

Gray nodded slowly. He sighed deeply and looked down at his hands in his lap. And he didn't say anything. And that was the weird and unnerving part.

"Alright." Zach slowed the ball to a stop and looked over at Gray. "Spill it."

Gray looked up at him and frowned. "Spill what?"

Zach reached over and poked Gray in the side of the head. "Whatever is going on inside that giant melon of yours."

Gray pushed his hand away and sighed. He bit his lip and spoke softly. "If mom and dad get divorced... will one of us be with mom and the other with dad?"

Zach frowned. "What? Why would you say that?" He asked slowly.

"Because they are." Gray said softly.

Zach shook his head. "No, they're not..." He paused and looked away. "No. They're not getting divorced. They've just... they've always been like that, okay? Trust me. You just haven't been around as long.

"I'm not stupid, Zach." Gray said, shaking his head. "I know, okay? They get mail from two different lawyers."

Zach shook his head again. "Doesn't mean anything."

"I checked." Gray said, tears in his eyes. "They're divorce lawyers."

Zach sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Then shook his head. "You know what? Doesn't matter, okay? I'm gonna be gone in a year and then they'll fight over you. You're gonna get two of everything. Two birthdays, two Christmases..."

"I don't want two of everything!" Gray sobbed miserably.

"Not up to you. There's a point where you have to..." Zach stopped. Grow up. That's what he was going to say. Gray had to grow up. Zach sighed again and looked away, out of the ball and at the dinosaurs slowly milling by. He didn't know that Gray had noticed. But of course his younger brother had. Gray had always been more perceptive than most, even if he didn't seem like he did. "Okay. Yeah..." He breathed out softly. "I know. I've heard them talking."

Gray looked back at him. "Talking about divorce?"

Zach nodded, still looking outside. "Right before we left... I overheard mom talking to aunt Claire." He shook his head. "She was begging her to take us early because the fighting was getting bad. Mom was crying." He sighed and looked over at Gray. "Sometimes... stuff just happens. You... fall out of love or something."

Gray sniffed and rubbed at his eyes.

"Hey, it's okay." Zach said, reaching out to pat Gray on the shoulder. "No matter what happens, we'll be okay."

Gray shook his head. "You just said you're leaving!" He whined.

Zach tilted his head. "Well yeah... after I graduate... but I'll come back. Or you can come visit me... or we can..." He paused for a moment, thinking. "We'll come back next summer. Back here. Before I leave."

Gray looked up at him. "You promise?" He asked softly.

Zach nodded. "Promise. Maybe we can do it every summer. Until you get tired of it."

Gray smiled weakly. "That'll never happen."

"Yes." Zach said. "I know. You wanna drive?"

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The whole ACU team was gone. All of them, in a matter of seconds. It happened so fast, Owen couldn't even tell what had happened. The tranquilizers didn't faze her. The net gun only pissed her off more. They hadn't even seen her sneak up on them. She had evaded thermal scanners, she could camouflage herself, and she was smart enough to remove her own tracking chip. Just what the hell had Wu created? And why? Why hadn't anyone stopped him? Why didn't Wu have to answer to anyone?

Owen swallowed and turned slowly. "Evacuate the whole island." He said softly, his voice cracking softly.

Claire was shaking her head. "We can't evacuate everyone..."

Owen pointed towards the video screen. He lifted his arm to point at it. "Did you just see what she did? Did we just watch the same video feed?" He snapped. "You have to. Now!"

Claire opened her mouth and then shut it. She looked at a complete loss for words. It was a real first for her. She didn't know what to do. She turned to look at Simon. "What do we do?"

"I just said it." Owen snapped. "Evacuate. Now!"

"Simon!" She said his name louder.

Simon was pacing back and forth and everyone's eyes were on him. He lifted his hand and waved Claire off as he moved. Then he stopped suddenly and looked at Owen. He stepped closer to him, still standing near the front consols. "You're a military man."

Owen nodded his head. "Yes, sir."

Simon crossed his arms. He glanced around the room quickly before his eyes met Owen's again. "How would you handle this?"

"ACU can use live ammunition in an emergency situation." Owen answered. "You have an M134 in your armory. Put it on a chopper and smoke this thing!"

"There are still people out there!" Claire said, shaking her head. "We can't turn this place into a war zone!"

Owen glanced at her. "It already is." He turned back to Simon. "Whatever Wu cooked up in that lab, that's not a dinosaur. That's a monster."

Lowery shook his head and turned back to his consol. "A little dramatic there." He mumbled under his breath. Then cleared his throat. "Okay boss. Whichever one of you three are currently playing boss. What're we doing? Because we gotta decide fast."

They all turned to look at Simon. The man's eyes flitted to the screen. He took a breath and looked at Owen. "Do what he says. Start evacuation procedures and ready a helicopter."

Claire glanced at Owen. Then looked to the screen. "Do it."

Vivian's hands were shaking as she turned on the island wide intercom and tried to speak in a calm and even voice. "This is a Phase One, real world. I repeat, this is a Phase One. Bring everyone back in. Now."

"What an awesome day at work." Lowery said as he leaned forward over his consol.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Gray had been guiding the ball around slowly, almost timidly, like he was afraid of the controls. Zach rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Come on. Give it some gas." He said, leaning back in his seat.

Gray pulled his hand away from the controls and shook his head. "I don't think I should."

Zach grabbed Gray's hand it put it back on the handle. Then he leaned back in his seat and folded his arms behind his head. "Fine. Go slow. Whatever you wanna do. That was the deal. We ain't got anywhere to be."

They started forward again, at a slow pace. "Zach..." Gray said his name slowly. "Can I ask you something..."

"Yeah." Zach said, glancing sideways at him. "About what?"

Gray opened his mouth but the words never came out. Instead, a robotic voice filled the small ball. "Due to technical difficulties all our exhibits are now closed. Please disembark all rides and return to the resort."

Gray sighed and pulled the ball around.

Zach shook his head. "Nah. Don't head back. We can stay a couple more minutes."

Gray frowned. "But they said it was closed."

Zach smiled and held up his arm. "VIP." He said, pointing to the wristband. "Means we can do whatever we want."

"Are you sure?" Gray hesitated.

Zach nodded. "Totally."

Gray smiled again and turned the ball around. He pressed the throttle all the way forward and they started rolling faster. The dinosaurs around them started running alongside them. "This is so cool!" Gray said with a laugh.

Zach watched him out of the corner of his eyes and smiled.

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

The screen lit up all over the map as attractions and exhibits were being closed and people rounded up. Owen nodded to himself. Good. First step, clear the people from the danger zone. Second, smoke the monster. Just like he said. Finally. Someone was listening to him. Which was good. Because he had awesome ideas. If they'd just consulted him earlier, this could have all been avoided. All Claire had to do was ask and he would have gladly consulted in the construction of that paddock and with the raising of that dinosaur. Well... he would have given Claire some shit about it, probably would have teased her for a bit to annoy her. But in the end, he would have helped. Then none of this would have happened and he could have been back at the raptor paddock with his girls or maybe hanging out with...

Owen stopped. Zach. All thoughts of Zach had fled his mind the moment he saw those claw marks. He turned and looked back at Claire. She hadn't mentioned Zach or Gray. No one had. "Claire..." He moved towards her.

She turned towards him. She frowned for a moment at his intensity. Then it seemed to suddenly dawn on her as well. She breathed in sharply. "Zach... Gray..."

Owen nodded, stopping right in front of her. "Claire, where are they?" He asked levely.

"They went out by themselves..." She whispered. "Zach texted me this morning... they were going by themselves..." She repeated. "I don't know where... they were just... going by... themselves..."

Owen pulled out his phone and hit Zach's number. He pressed it to his ear. The line clicked on but Owen didn't hear anyone answer. "Zach? Zach! Can you hear me? Hey! Zach!" The phone clicked off. Owen pulled it from his ear and glanced back over at Claire. "I think he answered but couldn't hear me."

Simon stepped forward. "Your nephews?" He asked. "I was with them."

Owen spun around, his eyes wide. "You were?"

Simon nodded. "Yes. I ran into them at the hotel and we went to see your raptors. Then I left them at the Gyrospheres."

Claire rushed to Lowery's desk. "Are any of the spheres still in the field?" She asked, leaning over. Simon tagged along behind her and leaned to look over the panel on Lowery's other side. Owen stayed put, although he was itching to run out the door and track them down. Like now. They were okay, for the moment. The phone had picked up. That meant they were okay.

"Yeah." Lowery said, pointing. "One. Way off course." He lit it up on the screen. The ball was heading closer to the perimeter fences.

"No..." Claire breathed out, shaking her head.

"I'm going after them." Owen said, glancing at the screen again. The ball was still moving. Damn it, he thought. The brothers were ignoring the closing message.

"Keep me updated." Simon said, patting Lowery on the shoulder for a moment. Then he turned and headed towards the elevator. "I'll be right back." He said before slipping behind the doors.

Claire stepped up beside Owen. "I'm going with you." Her voice shook as she spoke.

Owen paused and glanced over at her. "With me? Uh..."

"I'm going!" She snapped.

He wanted to say no. He wanted to tell her she would just get in his way. But he didn't. He just nodded. "Sure. Okay. Let's go."

-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-

Author's Notes: I'm not sure when I'll be able to get back to regular updates. Sorry.