A NEW HOPE

8 – All the Tests

The weekly board meeting concluded, and the room gradually emptied of executives preparing themselves in their transition to their new promotion. Mr. Winston bid his farewell to the headquarters guests and too, left the room to resume his workday. Pet decided to hang back with Derek, as she wanted to give the executives some space for her own sake.

Simon approached the hesitant hybrid and offered a comforting smile. "I believe Dr. Jacobs is waiting for you in his office to begin your lab work and tests."

Pet nodded to the statement with forced acceptance. She had a feeling of what to expect after all the times she endured lab work and tests in the past. "Great. Just tell me how to get there and I'll-"

Simon chuckling silenced the hybrid mid-sentence. "I planned on escorting you, myself." Derek rolled his eyes. No surprise this billionaire wanted to linger around Pet just a little bit longer. Didn't he have somewhere to be or something else to do? Simon continued. "There's a few security checkpoints you'll have to clear between here and there."

Pet thinned her lips in an uncertain and almost dreadful way. "Which means security checkpoints to get out of the labs in case something happens."

"That's where an authorized escort and or this," he held up his security access ID card, "comes in handy."

Pet slimmed her focus on the thin piece of white and blue plastic. "Can I borrow that? Y'know, should someone come running after me with a gun or the intent of euthanizing me?"

Simon laughed again. "Don't worry, Ms. Veronica. You have nothing to worry about. You're under my protection. Remember?" Blue-green eyes shot dark brown ones a sideways gawk. "Come along." With that, Simon proceeded out of the conference room with Derek behind him and Pet trailing lastly.

Pet was slightly surprised by Derek deciding to not follow behind her and watch her back should anyone try something. To see him walking in front of her made her wonder why. Little did she know or suspect her close friend was trying to keep some distance between her and Simon to thwart any more of what he felt were suggestive advances, should any be tried.

The further into the bowels of InGen's headquarters, the three people went, the more knotted up with nerves Pet became. She could see the many stares aimed in her direction and even hear some of the whispers in her wake concerning her presence. She did but didn't let this bother her. As long as she didn't accept any food or drink from anyone outside of her present company, she should be fine. She wouldn't put it past someone to try and poison her. All Pet really wanted more than anything was to get her lab exams done and return to Montana.

Her mind was a disarray of thoughts when a man's familiar voice hit Pet's ears echoing from somewhere in the hallways slowed her in her steps. The more she listened to it, she came to a halt. It took Derek a second to realize she wasn't following him anymore and asked for Simon to stop, as well. Pet cocked her head to the side. She had heard that voice before but from where? The longer she stood there, intently listening to the man talk from somewhere around a hallway, the more she kept trying to place the voice.

Derek noticed the woman's head perk up at an angle. "What is it?"

"Shh," she hissed back and slowly neared a wall's corner.

Unable to hold back her curiosity anymore, the hybrid peered around it to see an Asian man talking to a lab-coated technician. She knew this man, though a face once long lost from her past; Dr. Henry Wu. She had a good working relationship with him when at Jurassic Park. She and Muldoon were continually going to his lab to retrieve new dinosaur specimens to transport to their respective paddocks once old enough to be removed the nursery.

Pet smiled disbelievingly. "Dr. Wu?" At hearing his name, the geneticist stopped talking with the technician and glanced towards the source of calling. A timid pair of familiar eyes gaped back at him.

There she was; the talk of the headquarters. It was only what he had been hearing so much about that morning and in recent weeks. Ever since she was rescued off Isla Sorna by the military, it's all his colleague Albert Jacobs could talk about. Jacobs talking about her wasn't the first time her name had been brought up in recent past. There had been some other interested persons inquiring about her as well; Mr. Stevens being the most notable of them. And now, here she was staring him in the face from around a corner. Stupid girl. Didn't she know almost everyone within InGen wanted to see her dead before she became the company's final straw that would break its back?

Despite the negative reception of most, Wu felt otherwise about the hybrid. She was a marvelous creation that he, quite frankly, found it hard to believe a buffoon like Jacobs could create no matter the case.

Keeping his professionalism forward, Wu pressed out a sly grin. He excused himself from his conversing with the technician and turned to fully face the woman. "Well look who is still alive after all this time."

Pet excitedly rushed to the scientist and collided against him in a tight hug. "How good it is to see you again! It's been so long!"

Wu was thrown off by the woman's gesture and awkwardly patted her on the back with his free hand. After all, the head honcho of InGen was standing nearby. In his other hand was a clipboard holding important paperwork.

Even Simon and Derek weren't sure how to react. Derek studied the suited man next to him and whispered, "Who's that?"

"Doctor Henry Wu, a rather brilliant geneticist John Hammond hired to work on Jurassic Park."

A slow nod was given. "Oh. So, that's how they know each other then…the islands."

Wu continued conversing with the hybrid. "It's been close to ten years." He held the woman back at arms' length for personal space.

Pet was still shining in being overjoyed. "Yeah, yeah! How have you been?" Wu opened his mouth to answer, but the hybrid's rambling stopped him before a word could be said. "I read you created that new plant! That's incredible! Seems you've been doing really well!"

Wu's smile became more of an inpatient expression. If she knew he was doing well, then why did she ask in the first place? Regardless, professionalism first. "I heard you would be coming here today. How have you been doing these past years?"

As if he needed to ask. He had a pretty good idea after everything Stevens had ranted his ears full of after learning about Pet possibly being alive. Then came the disaster that was the attempted hunting party. Wu thought he would never hear the end of that.

"Where do you want me to start," Pet laughed out. Wu snapped back into the present. Pet really hoped he didn't want to know, considering how long it'd take her to go through every blow by blow detail. Then came the possibility of her getting riled up in anger over it and she didn't want to shake her good mood. The woman continued. "Other than the here and there things, I've been doing well. I'm living in Montana, now. Not really my favorite state during the colder months, considering how it snows, there."

Wu answered through an empty smile, "That tends to happen in the northern parts of the States and in mountainous regions."

Derek glanced down at his wristwatch and tapped on its face for Simon to see. "The tests?"

Simon neared the conversing people and politely eased his way into the conversation. "My apologies for the intrusion, but," he looked from Dr. Wu to Pet, "Dr. Jacobs is expecting you to begin your physical evaluation, Ms. Hammond."

Pet's blue-green eyes widened in suddenly remembering. "Oh crap, that's right! I completely forgot!" She gave an apologetic wince of a grin to Wu. "Really sorry, but I gotta go."

Wu was relieved by this as now wasn't really the time to relish in an interruption from his work. "It's completely fine," he reassured, folding his hands over his clipboard in front of him. "I have a feeling we'll be seeing plenty more of each other in your later visits, here."

Wu wasn't expecting another hug but got one anyway and uncomfortably laughed it off. Personal. Space. It was a thing.

A moment later, the hybrid was bouncing in step back to Derek gleefully.

Wu continued to stand in place and watched the woman and company stride away. When the unofficial word of there possibly being another prehistoric animal-themed park started to float around InGen, certain people within its executive ranks began scheming hushed ideas. Ideas consisting of training some of the animals for combat warfare. While a farfetched idea, it was something thought possible, if even through genetic modification. Of course, all that was something planned for way later on down the road.

The corners of Wu's lips subtly twitched in a devious smile, and his eyes cut down on the unknowing hybrid. To hell with combat-trained dinosaurs. Something better than that was already alive and walking amongst them. She was the perfect weapon; a highly intelligent being capable of killing the enemy without detection while surviving against extreme odds. She had been trained since a child to track and even use various degrees of firearms with surprising accuracy. If an 'oopsie' of a scientific creation could do all that, what was to say something specifically created with an ideal goal in mind couldn't be better?


"One...two..." Jacobs held a needle for withdrawing blood at the inside bend of Pet's right elbow and, "…three," punctured the skin and into the vein. Rich red blood began to fill the empty vial within the syringe.

The hybrid sighed and drummed her other hand's fingers on her thigh. "Just so you know, I don't need the needle countdown. I'm not that little kid from the zoo, anymore."

"So, I've learned," when referring to his first time seeing her a little while back after years of not.

After seeing what scars he was able to that night in the bunker and right after her recovery off Isla Sorna, Jacobs knew the hybrid was no stranger to pain. While waiting for the vial to fill, he scanned the two faces watching him from the other side of his laboratory's work table. He and Derek locked gazes, the much younger man looking no different than their last encounter.

Derek's arms were crossed over his chest and his expression firm. "Those blood samples you're getting better not be used for the wrong reasons."

Jacobs swapped out the now full vial for a second empty one. "Don't worry. I've personally been disposing of any blood or tissue samples I've collected from Ms. Hammond." The geneticist shifted his watch to the bored looking hybrid. "How have you been feeling since the procedure?"

Pet shrugged. "Great, actually. It's nice being able to go about my life, not worrying about when I'll get sick and how bad it'll be the next time it hits me."

"Good, good. And the dig site?" A sly twinkle danced in his eyes. "How's everything been between you and the good Dr. Grant?"

"That's a bit personal," Derek rebuked.

Pet thought nothing of the question as blush filled her cheeks, and a girlish smile upturned her lips. "Sometimes, I have to pinch myself to remind me it's not a dream. I know Alan is having a similar feeling, now that he won't be losing his dig site anytime soon." She smiled appreciatively to Simon. "Thanks to your very generous funding, that is." The second vial was capped off, and the needle carefully removed from the hybrid's arm. Already knowing what to do next, Pet pressed a piece gauze against the injection site and bent her arm upwards. "What was next on the checkup list after this?"

Jacobs replied in his disposing of the used syringe in a red waste bin on the wall across the lab. "A few things, actually." Pet arching a brow insisted the man continue. "There are other doctors you will be meeting with throughout the day. Most of them aren't here in the HQ but elsewhere in their offices of practice throughout the local area. You're going to get a thorough health examination from head to toe."

Pet gulped. "I wasn't informed of that. I just thought I would be going through a simple screening like blood tests, checking my weight, height…that kind of stuff."

Simon spoke up. "I thought it best you get a complete physical done to make sure there isn't something else wrong we can't see. I've even scheduled a psychological evaluation appointment."

Pet blinked. "What?"

Derek snickered. "Oh boy, that's going to be a hell of a session! If only I could be a fly on the wall for that! Someone better tell the shrink to not use any PTSD trigger words. Otherwise, Pet will go Winter Soldier mode. Words like Ludlow, InGen, Nedry, T-Rex…" His chocolate brown eyes fell on the hybrid's raptor ones, her jaw tense and nostrils flaring. He pointed at her. "See what I'm talking about! She's doing it right now, and I'm only halfway through the list! Didn't anybody read the comics?"

Jacobs frowned at the disliked younger man. "I'm pretty sure it's not much the trigger words that are upsetting Pet right now, as it is your inability to shut up."

Derek shrugged. "I'm just being for real, here." He then nudged Simon in the arm and snickered. "Used to be hearing your name would send her into a crazed fit, too. Well, back before we found out you were on our side, anyway." If looks could kill, or at least inflict degrees of pain, Derek would be writhing at that moment from the look he was getting from Simon.

Pet brought her arm down and removed the gauze piece. "That's okay. Say what you want, you little shit. I know what you keep between the mattress and mattress cover of your bed at the trailer." Her sneer made Derek's smile instantly drop into one of silent horror. "As long as you keep your mouth shut, I'll do the same."

"Wait, how do you know about that?"

Pet stood up and leaned over the table, animalistic eyes now squared down with a smile just as unsettling. "I didn't. But you just confirmed there is something highly secretive, hidden there."

Derek wasn't sure if he was afraid of what she'd really find out or impressed at the trap she laid out for him to so carelessly fall into. "You clever little-" he bit his tongue before he could say anything else and shook his head.

Jacobs spoke up. "It's time you get going. Your first appointment is in a little over thirty minutes with a very reliable dentist."

Pet groaned and dropped her head. "I have a feeling today is going to suck so much." She stood there a moment lingering in her thoughts before questioning the billionaire. "How do you know these specialists, or whatever, won't go running around out there spilling my personal information?"

Simon gave a pleased with himself grin to the woman. "I let it be known if they knew what was good for them, it would be in their best interest to sign a non-disclosure agreement and keep quiet."

Derek's eyes lit up. "Ooohhhh! Did I just hear you threatened someone, Mr. Money Bags?"

Simon scowled at the slightly younger man in detest. Jacobs went motionless on the spot in horror as Pet buried her face in a clawed hand. "Damn it, Derek. Sometimes I ask myself why I just didn't kill you when I had the chance those years ago."


Six hours later and a whole lot of being driven around to her appointments courtesy of Simon's chauffeur, Pet and Derek found themselves back at InGen's headquarters. Derek was wearing an ear to ear smile while Pet chose to remain recoiled within a newly bought hooded jacket. No matter how many layers of clothes she decided to wear, there was no removing that sense of being violated earlier in the day.

Brown eyes beamed at the embarrassed hybrid. "Don't worry, Pet. I won't tell anyone what the bad gynecologist did to you today."

The hybrid landed a harsh punch to the top of Derek's leg. It was still sore and probably bruised from earlier in the morning, but she didn't care. Pet snorted a screech and slid out of the car when the back-passenger door was opened by the chauffeur. She pulled her hood further up over her head and tried to hide as much as she could within the navy blue garment.

She grumbled, "If I had a choice of going back to the islands for a week or that, I'd choose the islands any day."

Derek snickered. Upon entering the building, a lovely blond-haired woman in a bone-colored dress suit approached the two people. "Good. Mr. Masrani hoped you would be back before the end of the business day. He's waiting for you in his office. If you'll follow me, please."

Pet more like shuffled than walked in her being guided to the lavish office. She plopped down in the cushioned chair in front of the man's desk and scoffed a snort in annoyance. Derek, however, chose to calmly sit down while still wearing his smug grin.

Simon gazed upwards from his reviewing the results of the Pet's blood work earlier in the day. His eyes darted between the humored younger man and frustrated hybrid. "How did everything go today? Is something wrong, or-"

Derek was quick to answer and laughed. "Oh yeah! Pet got her first-" THWACK! A sharp smack in the back of the head shut him up, but only for a moment. He was still a fit of giggles as he rubbed his head. "What?"

Pet snarled, baring her carnivorous teeth in warning. "I will fucking skin you alive if you don't shut your damn mouth!"

Simon was taken back by the sudden outburst. "No need for such harsh language, Ms. Hammond. I'm sure whatever is wrong will work itself out."

Derek tried to hide his amusement behind his hand, but it was no use. There was no muffling his snickers. Pet snorted a screech and crossed her arms over chest, sitting back in her chair. "Tell me, Mr. Masrani, were all those exams needed? Who scheduled them, anyway? Who even suggested I need them in the first place?"

"Dr. Jacobs, actually. He expressed concerns that you hadn't had a physical since nineteen ninety-two from what he could tell and suggested you be seen at the earliest convenience. As far as who scheduled them, I left that to my secretary who escorted you to my office. Why?" No verbal answer came from the hybrid. Just snorts and growls beneath her jacket's drawn hood. "I see." Seeing Derek as humored as he was irked Simon, but he chose to keep his honest thoughts about the matter to himself. "For a change of topic, I got the results back from your blood tests." The burnt orange colored file was held up for the two people to see. "It appears there are still no traces of the effected chromosome that was responsible for your reoccurring illness following Dr. Jacobs' procedure. As Dr. Jacobs explained to me, you are one hundred percent good to go."

A dulled clawed hand reached out from the jacket's long sleeves to accept the folder. Pet flipped through the pages of results, trying to make sense of what she was looking at. "That's a relief, at least."

Derek coughed back a giggle. "I just wonder what your other test results will show." Blue-green eyes shifted to a raptor's just as a guttural growl could be heard. "Like the hearing and eye tests." His mischievous grin grew. "That way I know if your hearing is actually going out or not or if you're just choosing to ignore me when I'm talking to you."

"I'm sorry, what did you say?" Pet questioned. "I see your mouth moving, but all I hear is wah wah waah."

"Brat."

Sometimes Simon found it difficult to imagine the woman a fierce animal and dinosaur wrangler as he had read and heard so much about. It seemed she more resembled an immature teenager than a woman in her mid-twenties. It's not like he could be completely angry with her. After all, she grew up never really knowing a childhood or getting a chance to be with peers her own age. The more he thought about it, the more he could understand why she was the way she was. Hopefully, in time, all that would change.