Owen might just get a... tad violent in this chapter. Just a wee bit. So warning about that. Mild graphic depictions of violence or whatever. 8D

I might have rushed this chapter just a bit. I REALLY wanted to post a chapter today. Like really, really bad. So I hope it doesn't seem as rushed as I feel that it is. 8D DUMB WORK!

Raptor
Chapter 28: Temper

Simon steered a few stragglers inside the building to safety. Then he ran to the elevator and jumped on. He was formulating a list in his head. Take control of control was first. That included announcing that he did not die, kicking out all InGen personnel, and call Vic Hoskins. Second was putting Owen in charge of the raptor plan, which also involved the call to the horrid man. He wanted to check in with Owen about his plans, or rather maybe Claire. Claire would be the more appropriate call first. And then he could ask to talk to Owen. That would probably tick her off. Added bonus.

Then he needed to assess the damage. That included taking toll of the injured park guests sequestered in the hotel and other various buildings about the plaza, making sure they were safe, and getting them off the island as soon as possible. And assuring any injured guest that all hospital bills would be paid for. Then calling his lawyers to see just how liable he was in all this. But that was last. Only after everything else. He'd even get Lowery to give him a count of all the animals first, see how many were injured and which they could save.

He was focused, replaying the most important tasks in his head. The elevator stopped and the doors opened and suddenly, someone was flying towards him. Simon stumbled back a moment as arms encircled him and held him tightly. It took a moment to register that it was Lowery. And Simon supposed that was okay.

Lowery detached himself quickly. He stepped away, his eyes wide. "Uh... I uh... saw you... on the camera... uh..." He stammered awkwardly. He looked away and scratched at the back of his head. "Glad you're not dead and shit." He mumbled. "Sorry."

Simon collected himself and smiled. "Quite alright." He said. He walked around Lowery, patting him on the shoulder as he did. He walked out into the center of the room and clapped his hands together loudly. "Hey!" He called as he lifted his hands into the air, trying to get everyone's attention. There were a few surprised looks, a few gasps and smiles and waves from around the room. One person even clapped. Simon waved his hands for a moment, waiting for it to die down. "Since clearly I am not dead and Miss Dearing is attending to another matter, I am putting myself in charge. All InGen personnel is to leave immediately and is to not set foot in my control room again." He paused and waited for the few men to leave. Then he clapped his hands together again. "Okay... someone get me Vic Hoskins on the phone. Now!"

Lowery slunk back to his seat. He slouched down a bit and went back to trying to figure out Ida's movements based on the tracking chips of the injured and dead animals. It wasn't the most accurate. But at the moment, it was the best he could come up with.

Vivian was smiling as she leaned closer to him for a moment. "Smooth." She whispered.

"Shut up!" He snapped.

She let out a soft giggle and went back to what she was doing, reviewing the evacuation protocols.

Simon was walking towards the pair when a phone was thrust at him. He smiled and thanked the nameless person as he accepted the phone. He put it to his ear. "Mr. Hoskins."

There was a pause over the line. "Mr. Masrani..." Hoskins said, sounding surprised.

"Mr. Hoskins." Simon repeated the name evenly, using his 'don't fuck with me' business voice. "You are relieved of your position effective immediately."

"What?" He sounded confused. "You can't fire me!"

"I just did." Simon said into the phone.

"I don't work for you." Hoskins snapped loudly.

"I will be severing all ties with InGen." Simon continued. "Mr. Grady is now in charge."

"Oh fuck you!" Hoskins yelled. "This is my fucking program! You can't just..."

"I JUST DID!" Simon yelled before hanging up on him. He handed the phone back to the nameless person and closed his eyes for a moment. He took a deep breath and held it for a moment. Then he breathed out and turned back to Lowery and Vivian. "Alright." He said, stepping up behind them. "Tell me everything you have."

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

After Simon was gone, Owen pulled Claire aside. "Hey." He said softly when they were far away enough that they wouldn't be overheard. "I need you to hide. Take the kids, take Zara, and hide, okay? Maybe go back to control with Simon."

Claire shook her head quickly, radiating equal amounts of fear and stubbornness. He didn't know which one was worse. But she shook her head again and swallowed. "I uh... I don't think it's a good idea... to split up."

"It's not splitting up." Owen stepped closer to her and dropping his voice even more. "I can't do this if I'm worried about him."

Claire frowned and opened her mouth. "Who?" She asked slowly.

"Them." He corrected quickly, taking a step back. "I said them. The kids... all of you."

Claire glanced back at Zara and the kids. She bit her lip and looked like she was considering it for a moment.

But then Gray ran forward, as if he knew exactly what they were talking about. "Can we stay with you?" He asked.

Claire turned around quickly and grabbed Gray. "I'm never leaving you again!" She said, pulling him tight against her.

Gray pushed her away and shook his head. "Not you... Owen."

Zach had started over, more slowly than his brother. He smiled and glanced over to meet Owen's eyes. He nodded his head slightly and looked away.

Owen sighed deeply. He really wanted to argue. But he also knew they were all stubborn and in the end, he'd probably just lose. And he was just wasting time. He needed to get to his girls and stop that asshole from touching them! "Fine." He breathed out. "Let's go. But we need to hurry. Now."

"We can take the jeep!" Gray said. The brothers led their small group back to where they'd left the old jeep. It was still sitting there, the keys still in the ignition. Claire helped Zara into the back, she was still shaking a bit. Gray hoped up in the back and sat beside Zara.

That left Zach with the passenger seat. Beside Owen. He glanced at Owen, sitting in the driver's seat. He hesitated for a moment. He still wasn't exactly sure where they stood. But Owen waved him in and nodded. Zach scrambled in and pulled the door shut.

Owen started the jeep and shook his head. "Damn. This is amazing! How did you get this thing working?" He asked as they backed up and headed towards the paddock.

Zach looked down at his lap. "We uh... used to fix up old cars... with our grandpa."

"Really?" Owen asked, glancing over at him.

Zach met his gaze for a moment and nodded. Then he looked away again and cleared his throat. "Yeah, when I was little, aunt Claire was there, too."

Owen's mouth dropped opened and he looked in the rearview mirror at her. "You?" There was an enormous amount of surprise and doubt in that single word.

Claire's eyes narrowed into a glare as she stared back at him. "Yes! I grew up rebuilding cars!"

"Seriously?" He asked.

"Yes!" She snapped. "What, don't think a girl can?"

Owen shook his head quickly. "Oh no. Girls can be mechanics. Just... you know... not you."

They arrived at the raptor paddock and Owen practically flew out the door, not even waiting to shut the jeep off. Strangers dressed in InGen paraphernalia were strutting about his home, his turf. Owen narrowed his eyes and ran towards the fence. All four of his girls were in their harness cages. He could feel their confusion and nervous energy. And to make it worse, Hoskins was standing in front of Blue. "Hey!" Owen screamed. "Get away from her!" He didn't bother with the door. He ran at the fence, scaled it easily, and jumped down on the other side.

Hoskins' eyes widened slightly as he turned. He stumbled back a step, surprised at the entrance. But he recovered quickly and smiled. "Mr. Grady... I wasn't expecting you..."

"Yeah, you damn well were." Owen hollered, stalking right up to him. "Simon Masrani called you."

Hoskins tilted his head. "Masrani?" He repeated the name slowly. "He's dead. I saw the helicopter."

Owen narrowed his eyes into a glare and shook his head. "You fucking know he's not. I already know he called you. He told you I'm in charge of this."

"You?" Hoskins snapped, his eyes narrowing. "This is my program." The vile man's voice rose and he stepped closer to Owen. "These are my animals!"

Hoskins was in his face. Again. And Owen was really getting tired of all of this. All of this back and both. For years, they'd been just circling each other. And he was tired of it. He glanced away for a moment and took a breath to settle himself. "You come here..." He said evenly, turning back to Hoskins. "And you refuse to learn anything about these animals except what you make up and what you want to know. What you can get out of them and what they can do for you." He shook his head. "You made them and now you think you own them."

"We do own them." Hoskins said quickly. "I own them. Extinct animals have no rights."

Owen shook his head. "They're not extinct anymore." He pointed out.

Hoskins rolled his eyes. "Exactly. We're sitting on a fucking goldmine and Masrani is running a petting zoo."

Owen snorted and shook his head. His lips twisted in a smile for a moment. "I'd really like to see you try to pet one of my girls."

"This will happen." Hoskins said, nodding his head and ignoring his comment. He turned slightly and pointed back at the raptors behind him. "They were bred for this, they were born for this."

Owen glanced past him, at his raptors. They were all calmly watching and listening, waiting for some signal or word from him. "How long have you been planning this pitch?"

"Since the day I hired you out of the Navy." Hoskins answered. "You knew the end game from the start. You knew what you signed up for. Practical military application." He said, pressing closer. "No different then what you did with the dolphins."

Owen laughed and shook his head. "Do you hear yourself when you talk?" He asked lightly. "You just go around and around, saying the same shit over and over."

Hoskins glared at him. "Because you never listen!" He snapped. "I thought pushing that kid in would finally get you to realize the value..."

Owen blinked and stopped. The way Hoskins said it... clicked in not only Owen's mind, but in the raptor's, too. "You planned it..." He said slowly.

Hoskins stopped and looked at him. "Planned what?" He asked, playing dumb.

Owen stepped closer to Hoskins. "You know what I'm talking about." He said. "You told that guy to knock someone in."

Hoskins tilted his head and smiled. "Real shame the kid had such a close call." Hoskins turned and stepped towards the raptors, stopping just in front of Echo. "Real shame the boss lady's nephew was there that particular day, standing up on the catwalk just as that pig was accidently let loose." He smiled and started laughing.

Owen felt his blood boiling just beneath the surface. He felt his skin tighten and his teeth sharpen as a growl was ripped from his chest. He was seconds from shifting, right there, in front of everyone. He didn't care. He didn't care who was there and who would see him. The raptor roared in his head and Owen wanted to rip out Hoskins' braying throat. "You did it on purpose!" He screamed.

Barry surged forward, appearing seemingly out of nowhere, and pushed Owen back. "Hey!" He stood between the two, blocking Hoskins from Owen. "Hey!" He said again, trying to get Owen's attention.

But Owen only saw Hoskins. And red. Because he wanted to rip the man to pieces until everything was red. He pushed against Barry and looked around him. "I WILL FUCKING KILL YOU!" He screamed, pointing at Hoskins.

Barry grabbed him, trying to hold him back. "Owen! Stop!" He hissed lowly. "Get yourself under control!"

Owen's eyes darted to Barry, narrowing and focusing on his friend. It was like his head was cloudy, unable to really hear and focus. He looked back at Hoskins and felt vindication at the man's pale face. He pointed at Hoskins and let out another growl. "You touch him again, I will kill you." He screamed. "You look at him or even think about him, I will stick my hand down your throat and rip out your heart by my claws. I will tear you apart, piece by piece with my fucking teeth and throw the scraps to Rexy."

Hoskins swallowed and glanced at the ground for a moment. Then he cleared his throat. His face was still white. "Pretty uh... violent outburst there." The man's voice shook with his words. "Just some dumb kid..."

"There will be nothing left of you!" Owen promised as he growled again and pushed against Barry's hold. He knew how easy he could break free, how easy it would be for Hoskins to be dead right now. It wouldn't even take much energy. But Barry's arms on him helped ground him, help remind him to stay himself in that instant. Because it was the closest he'd ever been to really loosing control. "He's not just some kid." Owen spat out. He wrenched away from Barry and turned around. "Leave my paddock. Now." He glanced back over his shoulder. "I'd hate to see what happens if you're here when I set my girls loose."

Owen was shaking as he stalked off. He didn't even wait to see if Hoskins heeded his words. He headed straight for his office and slammed the door behind him. Then he took a deep breath and walked across the room. He planted his palms against the top of his desk. That was the closest he'd ever been to involuntarily shifting. In front of people, too. In front of his asshole so-called boss and who knew who else. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. And the door behind him opened. Owen let out a sigh.

"I heard you yelling..." Zach said in a hushed voice. "Are you... okay?"

He sounded timid. Or maybe shy or scared. And that last one terrified Owen. He'd never had anger problems before. It was just Hoskins! If that asshole would just stay out of his fucking business... Owen sighed louder and lowered his head, tucking his chin against his chest. He inhaled deeply and breathed it out. "Hoskins practically admitted he planned you falling into the paddock. He like... hired that new guy just to knock you in. And then he laughed, proud of himself and saying you're just some dumb kid and I just... sorta... lost it." He mumbled. "I didn't really mean it... well... I meant some of it." Owen sighed again. "I shouldn't have let him get to me."

"He's an asshole." Zach said softly.

Owen lifted his head and let out a laugh. Yeah, that's what Owen had been saying for years. Ever since the day he first met the peacocking man. It was oddly fulfilling to hear Zach agreeing with him. And the raptor in his head agreed. Zach moved closer to him and Owen stiffened. He wanted to tell Zach to stop, tell him to get out, don't come closer, and definitely not to touch him. But he couldn't form the words with his lips. He really didn't want to. Having Zach there felt calming, comforting, soothing, and bizarre, all at the same time. Owen could feel it wash over him. And then Zach was touching him. Zach ran his hands along Owen's back slowly. The movements were gentle and delicate. Owen closed his eyes for a moment, relishing in the feeling. Then he straightened up and heard Zach step back. Owen turned and smiled. "Thanks." He said, leaning back against his desk.

Zach titled his head. "For what?" He asked softly.

Owen smiled again. "Do me a favor." He said, evading Zach's question.

Zach stepped closer to him, staring into his eyes. "Anything." He practically whispered.

Owen smiled, liking the way Zach was looking at him. "Keep yourself and Gray safe while I'm out there. And keep an eye on your aunt and her girlfriend."

Zach tilted his head a bit. "Girlfriend?"

Owen's mouth dropped open. "Uh... her... assistant... friend." He correctly quickly. "Just stay safe, okay?" He breathed out. "Stay out of the jungle and just stay alive and undamaged and in one piece."

Zach smiled and nodded his head. "I can do that."

"Good." Owen said with a curt nod. "Can you uh... come closer? For just like a second." Zach nodded again and stepped closer. He didn't say anything and Owen was glad for it. He reached out and grabbed Zach's hands. Then he leaned forward a couple inches, just enough to touch his forehead to Zach's. Owen closed his eyes and breathed in deeply. He let a couple seconds tick by. Hardly even a minute. Just long enough for the scent to envelope him and calm him. Then he let go and pulled away. He stepped around Zach quickly and moved to the door. "I got an island to save." He said with a smile.

Zach followed Owen out slowly. He kept back a few feet as he moved, trying to not look odd or gain unwanted attention. But it was hard not to run or skip or smile too much. Because he felt practically giddy. Gray ran over to him and fell in step with him. Zach looked over at him, trying to look casual. "Where's aunt Claire?"

"With Zara." Gray answered. "They wanted to talk alone."

Zach nodded, remembering the comment Owen had made. Girlfriend. Did Owen mean girlfriend like... girlfriend? Was aunt Claire dating her assistant? Her female assistant? Did that mean she was... gay? Lesbian? Bisexual? How long? Did mom know? Zach was so deep in thought, he hadn't heard what Gray said. He blinked and turned back to him. "What?"

"I asked if you were okay." Gray repeated. "You look like something's wrong."

Zach shrugged and looked away as they moved along the fence of the paddock. "Not wrong... just... thinking..."

"About what?" Gray pressed.

Zach bit his lip and stopped. He leaned against the fence and let out a sigh. "I'll tell you later, okay?" He reached out to ruffle Gray's hair.

Gray smiled and ducked away. And then pointed. "Look! Owen's letting them out."

Zach turned slightly and suddenly Echo was running towards them. She slid to a stop just in front of the fence and let out a noise. She pressed against the fence and repeated the noise. Zach frowned at her and shook his head. "I don't know what you want." He said.

"She's talking to you." Owen called, striding towards them from inside the fence. The other three raptors fell in step with him.

Zach looked up at Owen and smiled. "Talking to me, huh?"

Owen nodded. "That's the noise she makes when you're around. Like she's calling your name."

Zach's eyebrow raised and he tilted his head. "Seriously? My name?" He glanced at Echo. "That's my name?"

She made the sound again and nodded her head.

Gray smiled brightly. "She likes you."

Zach shook his head and let out a sigh. "I don't know why. I don't know what I did."

Owen smiled and shrugged. "She has her reasons."

"Owen." Barry was walking up to the fence. He stopped beside Gray and Zach. "We're ready."

Owen let out a sigh and nodded. "Okay."

Zach let out a sigh and leaned against the fence again as Owen left. He watched the raptor alpha follow Barry back towards his office, each walking nearly in step even though the fence separated them. And Zach wished he was the one with Owen, that he was the one to walk with the man and help him with the plan. He breathed out again and rested his forehead against the fence. He watched until he couldn't see Owen anymore. He wished he was old enough to... do something... help in some way. In any way!

Echo let out a whine and leaned against the fence beside him. Gray shook his head. "You're making her sad." He said.

Zach shrugged. "Sorry, Echo. Just... wish I could help."

Echo bobbed her head, like she understood.

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

Hoskins was gone, escorted out of the raptor paddock by Barry himself. Owen wasn't sure where the man was. And he didn't care. Just as long as he wasn't here. The InGen soldiers were, but Owen had little choice over that. The remaining ACU team just didn't have enough firepower.

Owen rolled a large map of the island out on his desk. "Simple concept." He said. "We call this hide-and-seek. It's a scent drill. Done it like a million times with my girls." He looked up at the strangers around him. "I'll be out there with them. When we get on target, you wait to engage. Velociraptors are pack hunters. They like to herd the animal into a kill zone. That's when you take the shot. Get a clear shot, wait on my command, and DO NOT shoot my raptors." He added the last loudly. "Everyone clear?"

There were nods all around the room.

"Good." Owen said with a nod. "Get ready. We head out in ten." He turned and headed towards the door. He waved Barry over. "I need five minutes alone with my girls." He whispered. "Keep everyone back, please. I'm going to brief them."

Barry nodded. "Make it fast."

Owen took a deep breath and headed inside the paddock. The raptors were waiting for him, out of their cages and standing near the fence. "We have a problem." He explained about Ida quickly, briefing them on her odd abilities and all the problems she caused so far. And how close she got to Trip. Echo had growled loudly at that and Owen smiled. "Sir Dickwad, he thinks he can control you."

Blue snorted loudly and Delta shook her head.

Owen smiled. "He thinks you can go out there and kill her, all by yourselves."

Blue straightened up and let out a growl. [We can!] She snapped.

Owen shook his head. "No, that's not the plan. She's big, Blue. Really big. And really..." He sighed and shook his head. He'd seen what she'd done to much bigger dinosaurs. He couldn't stand any of his girls getting injured by Ida. "We do this, we do this my way. Together."

Echo wiggled. [No Squishy!]

Owen shook his head again. "No. There'll be a team of people with guns following us. Can't do raptor." Echo turned away and let out a loud snort, her whole body sagging with the movement. Owen smiled slightly and shook his head again. Even in an emergency, Echo could make him smile. "The plan is to track her and herd her out into the open and the ACU and InGen teams will try to take her down again."

Charlie tilted her head. [Again?]

Owen crossed his arms and nodded. "Yeah, again. Like I said. She's real big and real smart. And real mean." He looked away. He tried to not think about her. What he always said to Claire and Hoskins... they were all living, breathing animals. They deserved to live, deserved to thrive and be happy. And here he was, setting up a plan to kill her. If he had more time alone with her... if it was somehow just him and Ida on the island, maybe he'd have a chance to save her. But not now. Not with people on the island. Not with the chance that his girls and Zach could get caught in the crossfire. Ida had already killed people and a good chunk of the dinosaurs. And he knew she still would. The only way to save the island... was to get rid of Ida. And he felt sick about it.

Charlie seemed to sense his distress. She stepped closer to him and touched her nose to his arm. [Alpha?] She said softly.

Owen blinked down at her. He leaned into her touch a bit. He sniffed, feeling his eyes water a bit. Then he threw his arms around Charlie's neck and she let out a surprised squeak. Echo dashed forward and bumped into them. Owen lifted one arm and threw it around Echo's neck, pulling her against him and Charlie. And then Delta let out an angry snort and Owen rolled his eyes. "Come on, Delta." Blue just snorted and shook her head and refused to join in on the group hug. Until Owen and the other girls pounced on her.

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

Author's Notes: Happy One Year Raptor Day! That means exactly a year ago today, I posted the first chapter of Raptor. Which is like mind blowing. A whole year! And I still haven't gotten to the sequel. 8D