Jurassic World: Apocalypse – Chapter 25: Confinement and Freedom
A/N: More chaos reins supreme in this chapter! Will D-Caf, Dr. Sorkin, Billy, Oscar and the others escape the I. rex? Keep reading to find out! By the way, be sure to read right through to the end of this chapter...because Masrani might have a little surprise up his sleeves.
Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Jurassic Park except the very characters I've made up.
"She's not giving up, is she?" Billy Yoder asked as the Indominus rex continued to pound on the reinforced door. The dinosaur outside released another sinister-sounding growl. She seemed determined to reach her prey.
"That thing's a monster," Tom said, shaking his head.
"Tell me about it," Dr. Sorkin agreed.
"How could she still be hungry?" Oscar asked. "She brought down five Apatosaurus earlier, didn't she?"
"Yes. She must hunt for reasons other than food." The pounding on the door stopped, but another hiss indicated the predator was still close by. Dr. Sorkin sighed. "Well, any ideas on what we do next?"
"Why not just go down the tunnel?" Jess asked. "It looks like it goes quite a ways. Maybe there's another way out."
"There is, but with dinosaurs running around all over the park, anywhere we come out might be of danger."
"Really?" D-Caf asked.
"Sure. T. rex Kingdom is in near the center of the island. If Rexy's escaped, the chances are that the other T. rex have also escaped. Who knows if the other animals have escaped or not."
"The helicopter's still outside," Billy remembered. "What if, when we get a chance, we slip over to it and fly away and get back to the Innovation Center?"
"So long as that monster outside doesn't stick around too much."
Owen watched as the Indominus began to sniff around the entrance to the maintenance tunnels. She must be searching for a way in, he thought. He said, "Dr. Sorkin's definitely in there. Maybe your nephews too. She's trying to find a way in to get them."
"OK, so how do we get her away from the door?" Claire asked.
Owen looked thoughtful. "Not sure...maybe we could use the Utahraptor as a distraction."
Just then, the Indominus rex looked up from the door and tested the air for a scent. She slowly turned her head in the direction of her observers. Claire and Owen quickly ducked behind the unbroken fence. The dinosaur snorted.
"Do you think she saw us?" Claire asked.
Owen cringed at the sounds of heavy footfalls. Yeah, she knows we're here, Owen thought. We've gotta hide somewhere...Looking beyond the paddock, he noticed the field lab door was still wide open. He turned to Claire. "OK, I think if we hurry and if we're quiet, we can reach the lab and hide out in there."
Claire nodded and with no hesitation the two of them hurried outside of the paddock. By the time the I. rex reached the place where they were previously hiding, she only got a hold of their scent. Owen risked a glance back and knew that the creature would be on them in only a few moments, they didn't have long to reach the lab. With haste, they hurried past the feeding Utahraptor. Already filling her gut and lacking the aggression of her smaller Velociraptor cousins, she had no desire to chase more prey. Owen and Claire reached the lab and hid behind a small cluster of meter-tall fuel tanks next to the garage door.
Claire was breathing hard. "Where is it?"
Before Owen could answer, a low purring sound came from just outside the door. The Utahraptor outside screeched in terror at the sight of the approaching beast. She picked up what remained of David Banks' carcass and fled into the jungle. Meanwhile, the Indominus rex continued to approach the lab. Owen glanced up at the garage door, wishing he had time to close it. Claire was clinging tightly to Owen, forcing herself not to panic. The hybrid released a snort, which gave off a puff of hot air. It knelt down and began to scrutinize the doorway with its nose.
"It's right there," Owen whispered.
"Yeah, I think I can see that."
"I don't hear it anymore," Dr. Harding noticed. "Do you think she's gone?"
"Maybe," Oscar said. "But she's a highly intelligent predator."
"How intelligent?" Jess asked.
"Well, I don't want to brag..." Billy said with a grin, trying to lighten the mood, "...but I know exactly how intelligent she is, because yours truly here successfully survived a head-on attack with that killer."
Dr. Sorkin scoffed. "I'd believe that when I see it."
"No, he's telling the truth," D-Caf said.
"Oh really?"
"Yes, indeed!" Billy continued. "See in the Control Room, they found on the security cameras that the I. rex wasn't present in the enclosure. And after seeing these claw marks on the wall of her paddock, they thought she escaped. So they called none other than their own William Yoder to come and–"
"Last I checked, the entire ACU unit was called to the scene," Oscar interjected.
Billy glared at him. "True, but they didn't all go into the paddock to try and find her. They sent me in–"
"With Owen and that construction worker, Enrique."
"Did I ask you? Like I was saying, the three of us went into the paddock to try and see if she was still inside. It turned out she was not only still inside, but watching us the whole time. She marked up the wall as a distraction so that we'd think she had escaped. Enrique didn't make it, but I'm still here to tell the tale."
"Congratulations," Dr. Sorkin said without awe.
"So that's how she got out," Aliana concluded. "Where was her paddock?"
"South of here," Harding said. "It closer to the rest of the park."
"So what do we do now?" Zach asked. "How do we check to see if she's still out there?"
Oscar nodded. "I'll check. Everyone stand back and get ready to run further into the tunnels."
Everyone took many steps back as Oscar and Billy unlatched the door. Slowly, as quietly as possible, they lifted it up just enough so they could see outside – nothing. No gruesome jaws jutting with teeth, no nostrils ready to sniff out a victim, no bird-like feet ending in large claws. Nothing but the beast's footprints. That was all that remained here. Feeling somewhat safe, Oscar and Billy lifted the door up all the way so everyone could exit. They still had to be very quiet, as they didn't know whether the Indominus lurked nearby. It was honestly too quiet, even the air itself was still.
"Everyone," Oscar whispered. "Be quiet and follow my lead. We've got to get to that chopper and get out of here before that monster gets back. D-Caf, your priority is getting the chopper started. Billy, make sure everyone stays together." Oscar drew out his machete.
"That's a big knife," Jess commented.
Zach said, "I've actually got a bigger one at home."
Jess looked impressed. "Really?"
"Yeah, it's–"
"Shh!" Oscar said.
They continued to sneak back through the wrecked parasaur enclosure before Oscar stopped them all of a sudden. "Oh terrific," Oscar said sarcastically.
Billy asked, "Why are we stopping?"
"She's there." Oscar pointed to the field lab – there, the Indominus rex was crouching, as if trying to sniff someone out who was inside. Beyond that, was the chopper, so close but so far away at the same time. "What's the plan? That chopper's going to make a lot of noise and she's gonna know we're here."
"Well then we're going to have to get creative," Dr. Sorkin said. "Because she's going to find us if we stay hiding here too. According to what I know, I. rex is part Giganotosaurus, Majungasaurus, Carnotaurus, part Rugops, and the base genome is T. rex."
"T. rex?" Gray asked. "Really?"
"That's what I found after some research into InGen's genetic files. Based on the appearance of the animal, however, I believe I. rex's genome consists mostly of T. rex and Giganotosaurus."
"How does that help us now?" Oscar snapped.
"I happen to have knowledge on both T. rex and Giganotosaurus, thank you very much. Because of that, I can hopefully better understand this animal. T. rex has a good sense of smell, sight and hearing, so it would probably best not to try and wait until she leaves to get out of this area. If she's distracted by other prey at the moment, we'd better get out of here ASAP."
"OK," Oscar concluded. "I've got a plan. We're all just going to sneak to the helicopter, get in, and fly away as quietly as we can."
"That's your plan?" Harding asked.
"I didn't say it involved strategy. We just get this done as quickly and quietly as possible. We move now!"
The group was silent as they left the relative sanctuary of the parasaur paddock. They tiptoed across the open space that separated them from the I. rex. Unfortunately, it wasn't enough. The I. rex released a yelp and turned its hideous head away from the lab. Oscar gasped.
"Oh...no," he breathed. The I. rex's cold-blooded eyes were glaring right at him and the others. The Indominus roared and started to briskly approach its new source of prey!
"Get to the chopper!" Billy yelled.
Everyone ran as fast as they could. The I. rex was up to speed fast; if they didn't reach the chopper in another moment or two, they'd all perish. This monster didn't have to be hungry to hunt, she had only one motive: kill. She would waste no time in doing so either. D-Caf climbed into the cockpit and turned the helicopter on. The vehicle whirred as the propellers began to rotate. Billy and Oscar helped everyone quickly get into the chopper.
"It's coming!" Brianna exclaimed.
"I can see that!" D-Caf told her.
The Indominus rex snapped her jaws shut with tremendous force upon empty air; her frustration with prey that got away was telling and she wanted to make a kill now. She roared as her swift body ran ever closer to her prey.
"Get this thing in the air now!" Billy told D-Caf.
"I'm on it!" The helicopter finally began to rise off the ground; the Indominus was coming closer and closer to her quarry.
"I don't know if we'll make it in time!" Tom said.
"We've got to!" Brianna said. "We've just got to. We're so close!"
As the helicopter rose further into the air, the Indominus made one final lunge with its claws...and missed! The dinosaur roared in irritation, watching the helicopter go far beyond her reach.
"Woohoo!" D-Caf cried. "We made it—yikes!" He had temporarily taken his hands off the controls and caused the chopper to tilt. Fortunately, he quickly got it aircraft straight in the air.
"Better keep your eye on those controls," Dr. Harding suggested.
"I've got everything under control."
Dr. Sorkin crossed her arms. "I don't know which is safer – being on the ground with the I. rex or up here with these maniacs. It sounds like we're in the company of killers in both situations."
"Hey, I kind of like that!" Billy said. "'Company of Killers'! We could start a rock band." He started singing, "You're...in the company...of killers! Whoo!"
Owen and Claire watched as the helicopter flew up and out of the area, the I. rex was following from below, perhaps hoping the entire helicopter would fall out of the sky or land when it suspected the coast was clear.
"Who was that?" Claire asked.
"The guy attempting to sing was definitely Billy Yoder," Owen answered. "He's one of the ACU troopers."
"There were some other people with them. Maybe my nephews."
"Your nephews and some other people. Maybe even Dr. Sorkin. In any case, we can't loose the I. rex. Without her tracking implant, we're gonna have a hard time finding her again if we loose her."
Claire and Owen hopped back on the motorcycle and took off, following the trail of the I. rex.
After a restroom break, Masrani entered the Control Room. He noticed Ian Malcolm was absent. "Where is Malcolm?"
"He was moved to the first aid station," Arnold said. "I don't need him around here telling me how this park is easily explained by the Chaos Theory. I just need to get this work finished."
Hammond looked over at Masrani, and then at Dianthus. He was in the corner playing with Kelly. Kelly would pick up his favorite ball and roll it a short distance away. Playful as ever, Dianthus would race after the ball and roll it back to Kelly. Hammond smiled. "At least some things never change."
"Hey," Anthony said. "I'm getting a call from Claire Dearing!"
"Good," Masrani approved. "Turn it on speaker."
"What's up, Claire?" Anthony asked.
"We've found both the Utahraptor and the Indominus rex," she said. "Both dinosaurs were at Dr. Sorkin's Field Lab, and the I. rex is presently headed towards the park."
Everyone in the Control Room looked up in surprise.
"Wait, are you following the dinosaur?" Anthony asked.
Ludlow approached Anthony's desk.
"Did she just say the I. rex is approaching the park?" he said, hoping he heard incorrectly.
"She did," Anthony responded. "How far away is she from here?"
"She's headed towards the Aviary."
"There are people at the Aviary," Hammond remembered. "And the Aviary's not too far from the Cretaceous Cruise. They can't let her get to that point."
"Alright," Anthony told Claire. "Anything else?"
"Yes, Billy, Oscar and D-Caf are on their way back to base. We saw them in their helicopter. They were probably grounded because of the storm."
After ending the call with Claire, Hoskins entered the Control Room.
"What's going on?" he asked. "I miss anything?"
"The I. rex is headed for the park," said Ludlow. "And the Utahraptor's been spotted in the Restricted Area, but right now, she's the least of our concerns."
Turning to Masrani, Hoskins asked, "What are you going to do about that?"
"We need to bring that I. rex down," Masrani said. With that, he left the room.
Hammond, Sarah and Ludlow exchanged glances of confusion. Unsure of what Masrani had in mind, they followed him.
When Simon Masrani has his mind on something, nothing could get in his way. As Sarah, Hammond and Ludlow bombarded him with questions, Masrani did not confide. He retrieved two ACU troopers and instructed them to bring their most powerful transportable weapons with them. Then, they made their way behind the Innovation Center where a helipad was located – here is where Masrani kept his own private chopper.
Sarah grabbed Masrani's arm. "Simon," she said. "You've got to tell us what you're doing right now."
"We're going to kill that beast," Masrani answered.
"But how?" Hammond inquired. "The ACU is all tied up trying to get the T. rex, spitters and Acrocanthosaurus back in containment."
"Why don't we just wait until D-Caf and the others get back," Ludlow suggested. "They know what we're doing. They can handle this."
Before getting into the helicopter, Masrani paused and looked the three of them in the eyes. He said, "We don't need anyone else." With that, he put his helmet on and placed his sunglasses over his eyes. Then he climbed into the cockpit of the helicopter and it began to rise off the ground. Hammond's hat was blown off his head by the immense gust of wind, but he was too focused on the activities of his friend to notice.
"Come on," Hammond urged Sarah and his nephew. "We can watch whatever is going to happen from the Control Room monitor."
The helicopter tilted to the right and the left several times while in the air. Masrani wasn't the best pilot in the world, but he knew they couldn't wait any longer. They couldn't risk the lives of 20,000 people. An ACU trooper, named Timothy, was sitting right beside Masrani. The trooper who would be responsible for shooting the I. rex was named Kevin.
As they approached the dome-shaped Aviary, Masrani said, "Do we have a visual?"
"Yes, sir," Timothy answered. "10 o' clock by the bird cage!"
Owen stopped the motorcycle as they reached the edge of a clearing. Before him and Claire was the the Aviary.
"There she goes," Owen said, observing the I. rex as she flew after D-Caf's chopper, which was headed for the Aviary.
Claire groaned. "This wasn't supposed to happen. We have so many families here today."
"And this would have been perfect any other day?" Owen asked.
Claire didn't answer. She noticed another helicopter also approaching the Aviary. "Who's flying that?" she asked.
In the Control Room, Hammond, Hoskins, Arnold, Anthony, Kelly, Sarah, Dianthus and Ludlow silently watched the action taking place on the monitor. They could see everything taking place from a security camera near the Aviary.
"Light it up!" they heard Masrani exclaim.
Kevin obeyed and the gun fired several heavy rounds at the beast. The I. rex roared in surprise and broke off of her pursuit on the other chopper. Instead, hoping to find refuge, she charged toward the Aviary. With a loud crash, he head smashed right through a section of glass, leaving a gaping hole. The monster bellowed, making herself known in this unfamiliar territory. Anthony switched the camera view to the one coming from a security camera actually inside of the Aviary. All around, dozens of pterosaurs, large and small, were flying about. The frustrated hybrid roared loudly at the nearest cluster of pterosaurs situated on a nearby rocky ledge. The pterosaurs shrieked in reply and several took to the air. One of the flying Pteranodons noticed that the I. rex had left a gap in their confining glass and squawked, alerting the others that they were free. The Pteranodon, followed by several others swooped through the gap and flew up into the open air.
"Oh no..." Sarah whispered. "They're headed straight for the helicopter!"
"Pull up! Pull up!" Kevin shouted at Masrani. "The birds are coming for us!"
"It's no use!" Masrani told him. "There's no time. We must save ourselves!"
Masrani released the controls and grabbed what appeared to be nothing more than an exceedingly bulky backpack and strapped it on. Then he removed his helmet and opened the door of the chopper. "Look alive, boys!" he reminded them.
As a pair of Pteranodon latched onto the body of the helicopter, Masrani leaped into space, followed by Kevin and Timothy. Kevin and Timothy dropped until their parachutes opened up and they would drift to the safety of the forest. Not so for Masrani, as his parachute had yet to open as he fell. Instead, a pair of metallic wings instantaneously expanded from the sides of his backpack and a two powerful turbines kicked into action. Masrani was cast upward a few feet and the pterosaurs took notice. The Pteranodon ceased their attack on the helicopter and began their pursuit of Masrani.
Meanwhile, the helicopter plummeted to the ground as it began to whirl out of control. It crashed through the canopy of the Aviary, shattering glass, and it continued to fall until it touched down. A giant ball of fire exploded, throwing every animal in the structure to panic. Dimorphodon and Pteranodon took to the air while the I. rex turned and fled out of the Aviary, back into the jungle. The pterosaurs meanwhile flew out of the broken canopy; no inhibitions were presented to them. They were free to cause chaos wherever they pleased.
Two Pteranodon were still flying after Masrani. They creatures squawked as they came forward to attack; but the jet-packed man was prepared. Tilting to the side, he made a wide U-turn and whipped out a small taser gun. He fired two quick shots at the pterosaurs. The fliers didn't like this treatment and recoiled to rejoin the rest of their kind.
"Haha!" Masrani cried. "This is why we spare no expense!"
A/N: So it turns out Billy's Mr. Brave (even if he exaggerates in his version of the story), Utahraptor's have a natural fear of large, strange dinosaurs and Simon Masrani has a jetpack! A JETPACK! I was astounded to find that jetpacks have already been invented in real life (somehow, I didn't know about it until relatively recently!) and I thought it would be totally awesome if Simon Masrani had his own. Not only can he fly with a helicopter (sort of...) but he also can fly with a jetpack. Who knew? The jetpack Masrani has is inspired by the ones that flew over Dubai recently. If you haven't seen these real life jetpacks in action, scroll up to their search engine, type in "real jetpacks dubai" and watch the YouTube video of these babies in action right now! I've gotta have a jetpack when they become available to anyone (though I bet it's going to be a pretty penny for a jetpack if I want one anytime soon!). As always, be sure to favorite, follow and review on this story and I'll catch up with you all soon. Spare no expense!