Disclaimer: I do not own the Jurassic Park franchise or any of it's characters; I only own the characters and plots of my own mind.
5. The Start of a Feud
After they were told that Jurassic Park had, indeed, bred velociraptors, Hammond invited them to see the fully grown ones. They were kept in a pen separate from all the other dinosaurs, seeing as their nature as ruthless hunters would spell out trouble should they be allowed to interact with any of the others. As they approached the prison looking structure that was the raptor pen, a terrifying screeching sound permeated the air. Gwyn skittered a step back, faltering at the noise. It sounded like a monster had just been loosed. There was more growling and screeching, which made Gwyn falter once again. Ian, whom she had been walking next to, dropped a hand on her shoulder and gave it a comforting squeeze. The young girl looked up at him with pinched brows and a concerned look. He smiled and patted her shoulder a couple of times before letting his hand completely drop away.
"Dr. Grant!" called Hammond. He proceeded to mention that their gourmet chef had prepared a beautiful and delicious meal for them all––and a kid friendly one, too, of course––but Alan was far too busy being caught up in something else. He pulled one hand away from his hip and pointed towards the paddock.
"What are they doing?" Alan asked. They all came to a stop just behind him, and Gwyn wormed her way to the front of the group to see what it was her father was referring to. The girl watched as a large black cow, fitted into a blue sling, was raised off the ground by a crane. She cocked her head to the side and watched as the animal swayed through the air, the creature crying out in discomfort and confusion. Hammond, waggling his head side-to-side, smiled and replied simply.
"Feeding them." He then swept his hand back towards the visitor's center. "Alejandro has prepared a delightful menu for us––chili and sea bass I believe! Shall we?"
Again, Alan ignored him and made for the paddock, following the swinging cow as it was moved over the top of the pen. Gwyn was the last to follow, scuffing her feet as all the adults eagerly bounded towards the raptor's home. Velociraptors had been one of the most terrifying dinosaurs alive. Their hunting tactics made them extraordinarily dangerous and their anatomy––their claws and teeth––made them certifiable killing machines. Her father's panicked expression back in the lab made perfect sense to Gwyn. She simultaneously did and did not want to see them in their flesh and blood form. But, shoving her nerves aside, Gwyn followed Ian up the metal steps and stepped up to the edge of the observation balcony. The cow disappeared into the thick foliage and, after an inactive moment, the leaves began to tremble, jostle, and violently shake. The cries of the velociraptors and the cow permeated the air as the dinosaurs performed their attack on the mammal. From where Gwyn stood, she couldn't see much of anything; only flashes of color, mainly red. When she stretched up onto her toes and craned her head to the side, Ian had settled a hand on her shoulder, the weight of it clearly telling her to stay put. She didn't really need to see what was happening down below.
"They should all be destroyed," proclaimed an accented voice. English, if Gwyn wasn't mistaken. She fell flat on her feet and turned to see a man finish ascending the steps. He was a vision in khaki––his hat was khaki, his short sleeved button down shirt was khaki, his socks were khaki, and his shorts––that seemed far too short, in Gwyn's opinion––were khaki, too. His face was long and stern and his eyes were sharp. Gwyn got the idea he was not someone you wanted to mess with.
"Ah-ha-ha! Robert! Robert Muldoon," introduced Hammond. "My game warden from Kenya. Bit of an alarmist, I'm afraid, but he's dealt with the raptors more than anyone." Alan immediately stepped forward and introduced himself, not hesitating to ask any of his burning questions.
"Tell me, what kind of metabolism do they have? What's their growth rate?" he inquired. Muldoon leaned back against the railing and swept off his hat off the top of his head.
"They're lethal at eight months. And I do mean lethal. I've hunted most things that can hunt you, but the way these things move…" Muldoon trailed off, giving a shake of his head. Alan stretched a hand back, grasped hold of the railing and leaned his weight against it. Gwyn shifted back against the railing, too, her back to the paddock. Ian followed suit and draped an almost protective arm on the rail just behind her shoulders, his hand dangling limply beside her right arm.
"Fast for a biped?"
"Cheetah speed. Fifty, sixty miles per hour if they ever got out in the open. And they're astonishing jumpers."
"Yes, yes, yes, that's why we're taking extreme precaution," Hammond said, turning to Ellie to describe the viewing area. Gwyn kept her attention on her father and Muldoon, whose conversation was far more interesting.
"Do they show intelligence?" Alan asked. "Their brain cavity is very––"
"Extreme intelligence. Even problem solving. Especially the big one. We bred eight, originally, but when she came in, she took over the pride and killed all but two of the others. That one… when she looks at you, you can see she's working things out. That's why they have to feed them like this." Muldoon jerked his head back towards the paddock, which had gone silent. "She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came."
"The fences are electrified, though, right?" Ellie asked, glancing to Hammond, who nodded his confirmation.
"That's right, but they never attacked the same place twice. They were testing the fences for weaknesses. Systematically. They remember," he stressed, eyes squinted into the sun. Gwyn felt a chill roll through her body, despite the heat of the day.
The crane whirred to life, startling Gwyn into jumping. Ian patted her shoulder, which caused Alan to grimace some, and they all turned to watch the sling rise from the pen. What came out was a mangled mess of blue fabric, metal, and cable. The raptors had positively gored their prey, and what had been holding it, to death.
"There!" Hammond beamed, looking to the group that surrounded him. "Who's hungry?"
When they re-arrived at the visitor's center, Hammond gestured them all towards the stairs. He let everyone up before him, but when Gwyn was about to mount the stairs, he placed a friendly hand on her shoulder to stop her. She stared up at him with her forehead creased, confusion the reigning expression on her face. Hammond beamed at her kindly and pointed to the area just beyond the main lobby.
"I'm afraid that we will be discussing business over lunch. It will be terribly uninteresting for a young thing such as you. I believe that there's a spread of food in the restaurant that would be more for your tastes," Hammond told her. Gwyn felt her heart sink at the prospect of having to eat by herself. Alan leaned over the rail in order to catch her attention; Gwyn looked up at him and watched him raise both brows and nod his head. A disheartened expression must have overcome her face, for Hammond patted her on the shoulder and then bent at the waist in order to wink at her. "You can explore while you wait for us to finish."
"Really?" Gwyn grinned.
"The visitor's center only, of course, but I do believe that there should be some surprises here and there."
"Thank you!"
Gwyn, with renewed energy, ran beneath the fighting skeletons and skid around the corner that Hammond had pointed to. She could barely make out her father calling out something about her not getting lost, but she made the executive decision to ignore him. She trailed her hand along a beautifully painted mural that decorated the wall to her right. It was painted to look like the jungles of the island, and here and there a dinosaur made an appearance. There were parasaurolophus and microceratuses and, of course, velociraptors. Gwyn paused in order to trace the outline of the painted velociraptor, maintaining eye contact with the wall where its golden eye had been placed. The creature looked surprisingly docile, with its arms poised in front of itself and its mouth tightly closed. But Gwyn withdrew her hand sharply when she recalled the screech she'd heard them emit earlier. A warbling, wheezing sort of sound.
Sure enough, just as Hammond had said, an impressive spread of food––that looked to be mostly composed of desserts––was displayed on a number of tables lining the wall by the kitchen. Gwyn shrugged off her backpack and placed it atop one of the tables, immediately making for the food. Without her father present she could just load up her plate with cake and ice cream, but she figured that going out into the heat of Isla Nublar without a substantial meal was probably a terrible idea. So she settled for what was either chicken nuggets or fish sticks, mashed potatoes, and a slice of cake to wolf down for dessert. To add more sugar to the meal, she grabbed a can of soda that was part of an elaborate tower at the end of the tables. She seated herself with her plate of newly acquired food and dug in. After a couple minutes of silence, Gwyn decided she wanted something to do while she ate, so she extracted her notebook and pencil. Using the mural for reference, she started to sketch out the three raptors Muldoon had mentioned. She worked on making the 'big one' as menacing as possible, with snarling lips, slitted pupils, and sharp teeth. It wasn't perfect, not by far, but it was charmingly done.
When Gwyn had finished her lunch and was moving on to dessert, she left her bag at the table, placed the slice of cake into a napkin, and took to exploring. She chewed on the soft vanilla cake, which had been frosted to look like the park's log; it consistently left streaks of red, black, and white frosting on her fingers. With a pointer finger stuck in her mouth, Gwyn wandered out of the dining hall and into the next room. There was a window that overlooked the lab they had been in earlier, which was mostly devoid of workers, who were likely on a lunch break. A door sat just next to window, and a sign was posted across the center of it: DO NOT ENTER. She could only presume that the door led to a hallway that would allow scientists to enter and exit the lab. There were panels attached to the walls to describe the different eras in which dinosaurs had lived––triassic, jurassic, cretaceous… Her eyes skimmed over the words, subconsciously trying to pick out any errors the writer may have made. One of the panels was hidden by a sheet of plastic, so Gwyn reached out to peel it back so she could read what was behind it.
"You shouldn't be snooping," informed a clipped voice. Gwyn spun around and saw that Dr. Wu stood in the doorway watching her with a critical gaze. It would seem he had just exited the door labeled 'DO NOT ENTER,' which only furthered her suspicion it was for employees only. She pursed her lips and let the plastic sheet slip from between her fingers.
"It's not snooping––it's exploring. And Mr. Hammond said I could," Gwyn replied, raising her chin. Wu clasped both hands behind his back and put on a false smile that made his face look plastic. First impressions were everything, as they said, and Wu hadn't impressed her when they met all of thirty minutes ago. She had felt belittled by his words and condescending glances, which had been cast at her warily from the corner of his eyes.
"You're a child. You'll inevitably get yourself into something you shouldn't."
"It's rude to assume."
"That's a big word," Wu said in a tone that edged on condescending. Gwyn narrowed her eyes at the scientist and curled her fingers around the slice of cake that had been resting in her napkin. Their earlier encounter in the lab briefly flashed to mind, and Gwyn's lips pulled into a frown.
"I'm eleven," she reminded. Wu chuckled and again plastered a fake smile on his face and arched both brows.
"And I'm genuinely impressed that you used the word 'assume' correctly." Wu started to move into the room, one of his hands extended towards her, as though he was going to take hold of her shoulder. "I think I should bring you to your father, Miss Grant." Gwyn took a jolting step backwards, eyeing him warily. Her left shoulder, which was the one she had assumed he would grab, was angled sharply backwards and away from his reach. Wu froze in his tracks and the two regarded each other silently. Gwyn was prepared to put her eleven-year-old energy to the test and make him chase her through the visitor's center; that was how much it would take to get her to sit in on the meeting upstairs. It wasn't like she was intending on traipsing off to the raptor pen to get a good look at their bloody maws and darting eyes… even if there was some part of her that wanted to see their reanimated forms.
"I think my father wouldn't like me being brought into a meeting for adults." Betraying something of a more personal nature, Gwyn dropped her gaze to the floor and scuffed her toe against the marble. "He always asks me to leave him alone when he's doing business."
"Because you would be disruptive."
Gwyn glared at the scientist from under her lashes, lips forming a fierce grimace. While Dr. Wu wasn't wrong, she didn't want to admit that he was right. When she had inquired from time-to-time about why she was never welcomed to be around while work was being discussed, Alan had come up with numerous excuses. They ranged from her being bored to her being too young and filled with energy to sit still, seeming to choose to ignore the fact she had the patience level of someone far older than her mere eleven years. Shaking off the grimace, but maintaining her narrowed eyes, Gwyn lifted her chin again and gave a look that could just barely be considered haughty.
"Mr. Wu––"
"Dr. Wu."
"––you will not be taking me to my father. In fact, you should leave me alone, 'cause Mr. Hammond––your boss––said that I can explore if I want to. I have permission; and you do not have my permission to take me anywhere," Gwyn explained. She had placed both hands on her hips in imitation of her father, who always did a wonderful job of appearing stern and confident. Except, one of her hands was loosely curled in a fist, as it was cradling a piece of cake.
Wu looked at her with a stare that didn't falter. The corner of his mouth twitched up at the corner; he seemed amused at her attempt to seem more adult. He sauntered a couple more steps forward, and this time, Gwyn stood her ground, but she could feel her toes instinctively flex in preparation to bolt. When Wu came to a stop, he placed both hands on his knees and leaned forward. Gwyn fought to keep her strong posture as he sank down to her height, a condescending smile appearing on his lips.
"But I have the authority to remove you from any premises that I think could either compromise our work or be a danger to you and those around you. I would prefer to have my research untouched by a troublesome little girl," Wu stated in a slow, clipped voice that was accompanied by a fake smile. Then, casting a sideways glance to their surroundings, he cocked his head to the side and narrowed his eyes. "Besides. This room is under construction."
With her own gaze becoming significantly more narrow, Gwyn's lips twisted into a testy grimace. "Good to know my safety is on the top of your list."
A stunted chuckle forced its way out of his throat, making it almost sound like he had choked on something. His lips once again formed that fake little smile and he started to straighten up.
"I'm taking you to your father."
Gwyn started and lurched back a step when his large hand curled around her elbow in a vice-like grip. She protested with a loud squeal and tried to wrench her arm from his grasp, the napkin and cake tumbling from her hand. It splattered against his shoe, streaking the shiny black material with colored frosting. Wu grimaced and shot the young girl a dirty look. Gwyn glared right back. The man flicked his foot to rid it of what frosting he could––and that wasn't much––before he turned on his heel and started to drag Gwyn towards the stairs. To Gwyn's credit, she did drag her feet and continuously attempt to remove herself from his hold, but the simple fact was that he was bigger and stronger than her. Each step Gwyn was forced to take fueled her dislike for the scientist. A dislike that, very quickly, turned to hate. A constant string of angry mutterings ran through her head as Wu dragged her up the stairs, holding her elbow up at shoulder level. Each step on the stairs ended with a tromping sound as she begrudgingly gave in to being towed along like a disobedient dog.
They caught the rest of the group just as they rounded the corner that led to the conference room. Hammond stuttered to a stop, brows arching when he came face-to-face with his young employee. A little 'oh!' escaped his lips and a smile briefly flickered across his face; it disappeared when he caught sight of Wu's expression. Then, catching notice of Gwyn, the next 'oh' that he voiced was more solemn. Alan, who had immediately noticed the hand firmly curled around his daughter's elbow, narrowed his eyes at Wu. He slipped a step forward and jabbed a finger in the scientist's direction.
"I'd thank you kindly to let go of my daughter's arm," Alan ground out. His tone of voice made it clear that if he had to ask a second time, his words would not be so kind.
"What's the meaning of this?" Hammond asked simultaneously. Gwyn again attempted to pull her arm from Wu's hold, but he held fast, as though he was proudly presenting a perpetrator to the chief of police.
"I found her snooping around the bottom floor; I thought she would be better suited under adult supervision, as children should be," Wu informed evenly, though the nasty look he directed at Alan didn't go unnoticed. Gwyn watched her father clench his teeth so hard that the muscles in his jaw visibly jumped. Hammond stepped forward, splaying both hands out in the air.
"Henry, I allowed her to explore the bottom floor while we handled business topics that would have bored her endlessly. She was not in the wrong being on her own," he explained in a placating voice.
"I told you he gave me permission…" Gwyn muttered, glaring up at the man grasping her arm. He met her gaze, held it, and then forced a smile to crawl across his face. That look was then turned on the rest of the group, who was watching on tensely. Ellie had her arms crossed, brows pinched, and her lips tugged town at the edges. Alan was white-knuckled and appeared ready to physically remove Wu's hand from Gwyn's person.
Wu flexed each finger that had been wrapped around her elbow, slowly releasing her from his hold in a slightly showy manner. Gwyn immediately wrenched her arm away and sidled away from the man. "I just didn't want her to get hurt; much of the ground floor is unfinished."
"How very considerate of you," Alan deadpanned. He held out an arm, clearly but silently ordering Gwyn to step forward. She complied immediately, tucking herself between his arm and side. Her fingers clung to the side of Alan's pants, finding comfort in her father's presence. The Grants collectively glared at Henry Wu, who simply tucked his hands behind his back and smiled stiffly in response. He inclined his head to Alan, as though accepting his comment as a compliment, and then turned his attention to a worried looking Hammond.
"I should be getting back to work. Enjoy the rest of the tour."
Wu inclined his head to his employer before turning on his heel and descending the stairs. Two glares were pinned to his back the whole way down. Gwyn could feel Alan's hand slowly running a trail up and down her back. Another hand slipped onto her shoulder, giving it a loving squeeze. She didn't need to glance up to know Ellie had stepped up behind her. Hammond turned to face a disgruntled looking Alan, both hands held aloft in a placating manner, his expression matching the movement.
"I must apologize, Dr. Grant, Miss Grant. Henry truly is a very amiable man, he just tends to become a little too absorbed in his work from time to time. I-I'm sure you know what that's like!" Hammond laughed and beamed, trying his best to defuse the tension. Alan forced a smile across his face, as he murmured a vaguely choked 'yeah.'
"You okay?" her father asked as attention diverted its self back to the tour at hand. As they started to walk forward, Gwyn bobbed her head in a nod and tossed a glance towards the elbow Wu had taken hold of.
"I don't like him," she said. It was clear who she was referring to.
"Same here, kid, same here."
Afterword: I really hate that it took so long to get this up; it's been a weird couple months for me and writing sorta took a back seat for a while. But things are starting to calm down, so hopefully I'll get back into the swing of being creative again. I wanted to progress further into the movie events, but it felt like this was a fitting spot to end the chapter.
Review Replies!
la misteriosa volpe: I'm very happy you're enjoying both stories simultaneously! As for referencing, I'd like to utilize both the movie and the book, but I haven't made much of a dent in the book for it to be a legit reference yet. But I do hope to incorporate little things from the book eventually. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
The girl with no life: It's kinda refreshing to write the story from a kid's perspective. Because it isn't all about the science of it for Gwyn, it's the pure excitement of seeing dinosaurs––for now. And then we'll get a vastly different perspective of the disaster once it occurs. I hope you enjoy the chapter! Thanks again!
AnimeHunter411: I'm very happy you're enjoying the story so far! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter, too; thanks again!
RJ North: It's definitely a vastly different reaction as to what she had in the other story; had everything not gone the way it did (the disaster, the attack), Gwyn might have been more favorable towards the raptors. I hope you enjoyed the new chapter! Thanks again!
Gage the Hedgehog: Thanks again! I hope you enjoyed the new chapter!
CarlyJo: You aren't the only one to hate Wu! The end of this chapter was to really show the basis for Gwyn's true hatred for him. It's likely that, eventually (in the other story), Gwyn will recall the awe and wonder of seeing the baby raptors… probably when she gets closer to the girls. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
KD: Gwyn was understandably scared to see the adult raptors––and Ian didn't seem too keen on letting her see. Probably a good idea, as they're pretty vicious eaters. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
The Redshirt who Lived: The baby raptors are adorable; no wonder Owen loves 'em so much :) No wonder GWYN loved it so much. Unfortunately, Gwyn's love for them died pretty quickly. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
Alex B Goode: Rock and roll to you as well! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Hachiko33200: I'm very glad you enjoy these two stories! I really like writing her as an adult and then coming back to this story to write her as a kid. It's an interesting regression, as I discover more about her as a person by writing her as her younger self. We did have a little more bonding with Ian in this chapter, but we'll hopefully get more of that before shit goes down. And we will definitely get to see Alan's face when Gwyn get's injured––and it'll be heartbreaking. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
G: I didn't forget, don't worry! Life just got a bit hectic. I hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
Kiroroblue: Here's what more I've written! Hope you enjoyed the chapter!
Dinosaur Imperial Soldier: I didn't get a chance to write a lot, as I was moving and finishing school simultaneously. But now that it's all started to calm down I should be able to write more. I hope that you enjoyed the chapter!
And thank you to those who added this story to their follows/favorites; it means a lot!
I hope to update this story's counterpart very soon––today if I'm diligent. But I hope you all enjoyed the newest installment of Gwyn Grant's adventure through Jurassic Park. Hopefully this story will get updated soon! Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Thanks again!
~Mary