PREPARATIONS

7 – That Flying Feeling

With the click of the left mouse button, a lengthy email addressed to Simon was sent. It had only taken a little over an hour and a half for Winston and Pet to compile all their thoughts into, something that took longer than expected.

"Now that that's done," Winston exclaimed, stretched out in his office chair. Pet said nothing, just rested her head back in the chair she sat in. "I'm sure Robert would have no problems undergoing this course of yours."

Pet shrugged. "Guess we'll find out when the time comes."

This confused the man. "If there was anyone in this world I'd be willing to lay my money on as to not needing to prove himself, it'd be Robert Muldoon."

"He's getting up there in years and has fallen victim to his own injuries. While he trekked through Isla Sorna some years ago drunk off his ass and mostly without a problem, I still need to make sure he has what it takes now. There was the raptor attack in ninety-three that's been known to make his hip act up, then his getting shot in the leg in ninety-seven courtesy of Virgil Reynolds…" Pet sat more upright in the chair to be better eye to eye with InGen's president. "While the man can still whoop my ass, I'm not going to play favorites. Everyone needs to prove themselves capable. I don't care who they are, their lifetime achievements, or what they think they can still do. I want to see it for myself."

Winston silently observed the hybrid, staring him down with the expectation of him having something to say. There were plenty of things he wanted to say but would save it for another time that wasn't an hour and a half past his workday. He was sure it would result in a lengthy conversation.

Instead, he pleasantly smiled. "Do you have any plans this evening?"

Pet wasn't expecting the sudden change of topic in the form of an innocent question. Or was it innocent? "Not that I'm aware of." She slimmed her gaze down on the company president. "Why do you ask?"

"My wife has been very eager to meet you in person. She's heard all about you."

An unsettling worry made itself at home in the woman's stomach. "Y-your wife kn-knows? About…me?" Her lower lip trembled with further panic.

Winston held up a hand to calm her or at least hoped to. "It's all right, you have no reason to be concerned. Angela used to be an employee at InGen. It's how we met."

"Used to be…" Pet repeated slowly.

With elbows propped on the chair's armrests, strong hands wove their fingers together. "She was the secretary to Mr. Jonathon Stevens, of all people. Angie had a strong suspicion he was up to no good and quit working for the company. She stated wanting no part in whatever it was he was potentially involved with."

"I'm guessing that up to no good part was his hiring Virgil?"

"Among other things, but yes."

Pet gave a single nod in acceptance. "How much does she know about me?"

Winston weakly chuckled to himself. "Quite a bit, actually. I invited Mr. Masrani over for dinner one night, and we got to talking business. Your name came up, and she just so happened to be overhearing the conversation. She already knew a little bit about you through here and there talk from various sources over the years. Her persistence to know the truth about you had Mr. Masrani telling her basics."

Pet blurted, "Ha!" A genuinely amused smile had her blue-green eyes twinkling. "There are basics to me? And here I thought I was too complex of a person for a basic version."

"The basics being, a genetically created human-raptor hybrid with a quick temper, bleeding heart, and a fierce sense of loyalty to friends and family." Pet mirrored his smirk. "If you're interested, I'd like you to join my family and me for dinner tonight. Angie is cooking lasagna."

The gesture was touching, and the hybrid nodded. That and lasagna was one of her food weaknesses, right under damn near raw steaks. "I'd like that a lot. Thank you."

Winston finished the rest of his workday by sorting emails to read the next morning, organizing files, and paperwork for reviewing later. Once finished, he slid his suit coat off the back of his chair and put it back on. Pet joined him down to his car in the rear parking garage with its own marked off spot for 'President'. Pet got into the silver Lexus' front passenger seat and breathed in the sea breeze scented air freshener.

The thirty-minute drive from the headquarters and to Winston's San Jose home felt chaotic, but he thought nothing of it. He was used to the backed up traffic, unpredictable drivers, and constant blaring of horns. It was enough to make Pet thankful for living in Montana's remote back parts where traffic was not even a quarter of this on its bad days. It was no wonder why Derek drove so bat shit crazy.

Winston pulled up to a gated community and typed in a code Pet couldn't quite see. The gate swung open, allowing the vehicle through. Meticulously trimmed hedges and splashes of color from an assortment of flowers decorated the central street's median. Beautiful two-story brick houses with pristine lawns lined either side of the road. Pet felt greatly out of place just riding through the upscale neighborhood and even more incredibly underdressed for meeting the man's family. She found herself missing the comforts of Quarantine's rundown state where she could be herself.


All throughout dinner, Pet was on edge and having to remind herself to use her manners. She was introduced to their two children, fourteen-year-old Chasity and eleven-year-old Tobias, who hardly ever spoke unless spoken to. Pet wondered if they, too, knew about her and what she was. It was frightening to the hybrid how well mannered they were. Unlike those she lived with in Quarantine, there were no belching contests during dinner, crude jokes to pass around, loud or obnoxious laughing, or reminiscing about embarrassing past time memories. It brought her back to her much younger days when eating in public with Muldoon. He always stressed she was to be seen and not heard…until she made herself heard, which resulted in her getting in trouble.

Most of the dinner conversation was her getting blasted with questions about her childhood and how scary living on the island was. What it was like having John Hammond as a father and was she enjoying working in Montana. Those two hours spent with the Winston family for dinner felt like they would never end.

Pet kept a close eye on Angela out of paranoia the whole time, though lovely as she was. Her braided hair was coiled up in a bun at the back of her head. A sunset orange scarf was tied around the bun; it complimenting her dark red, dark orange, yellow, and white tie-dyed dress.

Her voice was as sweet and pleasant as her glowing face and friendly eyes as she questioned. "Are you nervous?"

Pet gulped down a drink of her water and mentally kicked herself in the ass for not drinking it slower. The air bubble that accompanied it pained her all the way down to her stomach. "No ma-" Pet stopped herself to stifle back a belch behind her dinner napkin. She awkwardly cleared her throat and pressed on. "My apologies. No. No, ma'am. If anything, I'm more nervous about what could happen if the wrong animals aren't properly restrained."

Winston spoke up when he saw the look of worry on his wife's face. "Not to worry, honey. Mr. Masrani is taking extreme precautions to make sure that does not happen by hiring only the best, led by the most qualified. Veronica will be one of the site leads."

This was news to Pet, though she couldn't say she was surprised. It made sense, come to think about it. Someone had to be in charge, and those with the most experience tended to lead others. She presumed Muldoon would be the other lead, seeing how Winston said she'd be 'one' of the leads.

"I just hope I can keep up with the demands of the job when the time comes," Pet breathed out.

She stabbed a modest bite of lasagna with her fork and ate it ladylike, versus the shoveling it in like she tended to do when eating. She feared if she didn't use her manners, Muldoon's hand would appear out of nowhere long enough to smack her upside the head.

Angie was all ears and eager to hear more. "What kind of demands?"

"There's a lot of running. A lot! And I'm not as in shape as I used to be. I've been working on that part, though. I've been practicing on running twice a day back in Montana. It's not the same, unfortunately—two different types of terrain. Where I'm currently living in Montana is near a lake, so there's flatland. The islands have varying terrain from steep slopes to grassy fields…heavily wooded areas with a few downed trees from tropical storms. It'd help if I could find a place similar to the islands to better help me get into shape."

Winston folded his napkin beside his empty plate and leaned back in his chair. "There are a few places not too terribly far from here you can stretch your legs. In fact, we were planning a trip to Kings Canyon National Park this weekend. You're welcome to join us."

Pet's eyes enlarged as she anxiously looked from Winston to Angie and finally back to Winston. "No, I couldn't do that. I don't want to impede on your family time."

Angie waved a hand in the air. "Oh, heavens, no! There are so many miles of hiking trails through there you can easily get lost in. If you're looking for a real work out, that's a good place to start!"

Being on the spot never felt so uncomfortable before. "Okay," was coyly squeaked out, it was a wonder how anyone heard her.

"Great!" Winston cheered. "We planned on leaving out around five PM Friday evening. We like to rent a cabin near the area and stay until Sunday morning so we can be back home sometime in the afternoon. If you don't want to stay the entire time, I can arrange for transportation to bring you back whenever."

Pet nodded, her face hot with unease. "Sounds great."


The remainder of the week went surprisingly slow. What was even more surprising was how few actual promising job applicants there were amongst the masses interviewed. Pet could only hope Muldoon and Simon were having better luck on their end.

By the time five PM of Friday rolled around, Pet was fidgety with energy. She wasn't sure if it was because she was nervous about riding with the family for five hours on a road trip or the thought of running through the trails.


It was night by the time they arrived at the cabin. It was a pleasant setup nestled in the woods, amongst other cabins. Treetops rustled in the wind, and crickets chirped. Pet breathed in the fresh scent of nature and closed her eyes to savor the moment. The sounds of kids laughing from somewhere across the dirt road, ripped her out of her trance.

Across the way and visible through the trees was a campsite littered with various sized pitched tents accompanied by fires lighting up their respective burn pits. The smells of roasting hot dogs and marshmallows wafted through the gentle breeze. Kids laughed again next to a firepit as their parents showed them how to make a smore.

Pet frowned. She was never showed how to make a smore when a kid. Instead, she was taught how to field clean a kill and cook it over a campfire by her guardian. Chocolate and sweets were a rarity in her childhood, along with junk food cereals and anything else Muldoon thought unnecessary. It wasn't until she got to Montana that she had her first bowl of Lucky Charms cereal and was able to eat herself sick off candy and other junk food.

Pet strode around to the back of the cabin, where she found a hammock strung up between two trees. She smiled. She knew where she was sleeping for the night. And she did just that. Angie insisted she sleep inside where she wouldn't get bitten by bugs. Pet ignored her. Even Angie warning her of the occasional coyote or possum that had been known to visit the area scrounging for food scraps didn't faze the hybrid.

Pet felt more at peace sleeping outside than she did in a hotel room. It wasn't until Winston came to wake her up at nine in the morning that Pet finally moved. She went inside the cabin to find a breakfast consisting of eggs, sausage, and toast. The hybrid scarfed down a modest portion then accompanied the family to the actual national park area an hour up the road.

Winston parked near a covered picnic area while the kids carefully removed a box from the trunk of the car. Tobias opened it, revealing a remote-controlled helicopter. Then came he and Chasity arguing over who'd get to fly it first.

Angie joined Pet and pointed down the road. "If you go down that way, you'll find one of the entrances to a hiking trail."

Blue-green eyes studied the surrounding woodland landscape. "What about going off the trails? I'd prefer not to be seen by people."

Winston shrugged. You can go anywhere, I guess, as long as you don't get lost. It'd be hell trying to find you should you do."

Pet strode closer to the forest edge and toed off her boots, being mindful to keep her socks on. For now. Despite the cool air, she also took off her hoodie. She knew once she got to tackling the terrain, she'd get hot, and her jacket would only get in the way. It was rolled up, the sleeves used to tie it closed, and placed on her boots. She glanced back at Winston, smiling and nodding at her. In a matter of a few seconds, she was out of sight.

Angie frowned. "Do you think she'll be okay by herself?"

Winston softly laughed to himself.

Once out of sight of the family, Pet peeled off her socks and shoved them into her short's pockets. Now, it was time to play.


Ferns licked her ankles in passing as clawed bare feet tore at the soft earth. They leaped over broken limbs laying in her way, partially exposed roots and fallen trees as though mere hurdles. She ran the fastest the terrain would allow her, Pet leaping approximately five feet over a narrow creek. Small boulders carpeted with a thick layer of moss jutted up from the earth, the hybrid jumping from one to the other. The moist surface made it challenging to keep her feet on the rocks, even more so as their bottoms became slick. This was what she wanted, how to prepare herself. She needed to remember how to tackle all of nature's obstacles.

Running along the top of an uprooted tree had her fighting to maintain footing. She slipped and tumbled to the forest floor, but she didn't let that stop her. Pet rolled with the fall's landing, bringing her back upright to her feet. She was running again and faster now. The cool air ripped down her throat and filled her lungs. Her calf muscles ached at being pushed to their hardest, and a stitch made itself known in her side. Still, she didn't relent. She was running so fast, she barely registered her feet touching the ground. It was though she were literally flying in step in her weaving through trees.

When her body felt as though it couldn't physically take anymore, she pushed herself harder. Pet refused to give in to physical weakness. In her mind, she was on the heels of the Spinosaur trying to outrun her in her pursuit. It didn't want to be caught and brought to the justice of her claws. Just a little bit faster, and she'd have it. Pet mustered all the remaining strength her legs would allow and soared into the air. Her clawed hands tore across its rough skin, wetness filling her palms. Sickle claws hooked into hard muscle mass but were quickly ripped from their anchoring when gravity took hold of her. To the unmerciful ground, she crashed.

Pet laid there, feeling the cool of the earth relax her angry muscles. She held up her hands to see them splotched and smeared green with bits of moss. Raptor eyes stared upwards to a large tree she was sprawled beneath, now having claw marks scarring its outside. It was then that she registered something felt odd about her right toe's inner claw. She wiggled it and gazed down, seeing a piece of tree bark stuck to it.

The hybrid plopped back against the bed of dirt beneath her. She started laughing at the situation. She brought her leg up to tug the piece of bark off her toe. Pet was about to discard it but stopped. She studied it, seeing it not for what it was but as a motivation to keep pushing herself. In her mind, it was the Spino's flesh she had torn at. Not a tree. No, she would hold onto this precious two-inch piece of bark. It was her goal…her determination. Pet sat up and stashed it within the back pocket of her shorts.

She stood up and dusted herself off the best she could. The hybrid stood up and felt taken back for a moment. It was a good thing she lost her grip on the tree and fell when she did. Had she kept running, she would've run straight off a ten-foot-deep ravine's ledge. The realization of had her heart thudding against her ribcage and her chest tightening. A cautious step was taken closer to the ledge, Pet shuttering at the landing that would have greeted her.

"Nope," she breathed and turned to go back the way she came.

She went to step over a root, forgetting just how slippery the bottoms of her feet were from trekking over patches of moss. Her foot slipped, her hand's claws narrowly missing embedding into the tree's bark for its rescue. Before she knew it, she fell backward and went for a hell of a trip down the ravine.

Pet rolled over herself, hitting bottom with a harsh thump! Well, that wasn't so bad. It looked much worse from above than it was experiencing it. That was until she became more aware of how much her body was aching and throbbing. She had a hell of a scrape running most of her upper left arm and outside of her left leg. Her right knee was scraped, as was a section of her right side.

Something wet found its way into Pet's right eye, her bringing a hand to it to find a trickle of blood. "Great," she huffed. A sock was dug out of a front pocket and used to press against the cut above her eyebrow. When asked what happened to her, she was not about to admit she lost her footing simply walking over a tree root.


Winston was horrified at the sight of the bruised and bloodied hybrid. Angie was shy of heart attack mode when getting a bottle of clean water from a cooler in the trunk of the car. At the same time, she was yelling at Chasity to get the first aid kit out of the front seat.

Pet simply smiled at Winston, worry stricken on how to explain this to Mr. Masrani and Muldoon. "I really like that trail," she snickered. "It was pretty fun."

The man stopped his nervous pacing to stare at the young woman in bewilderment. "Have you lost your damn mind?" Pet laughed. "On second thought, don't answer that."

Angie was back, sitting on the picnic table bench beside the hybrid, and ripping the cap off a cold water bottle. In her other hand was a handful of gauze. "Okay, just…hold still." The gauze was soaked with water and then used to wash off Pet's face. It unnerved Angie how the other woman was still smiling and even laughing?

Pet looked at her left arm and brushed off some of the dirt. "Not to worry, Mrs. Winston. This is nothing compared to other more life-threatening injuries I've gotten in my past."

Angie just blinked at her.


Come Sunday, Pet grumbled and groaned into the comforts of her suite's bed. She wasn't sure how long she had been asleep when a fervent knocking came at her room's door. A single eye was cracked open and aimed at the nightstand's digital clock. It was four-thirty-two in the afternoon. Muldoon, Derek, and Simon were due to arrive back to California around three-forty-five. She had accidentally overslept and missed meeting them at the airport with Winston.

Another series of knocks left Pet with no choice but to force herself off the bed and answer the door. She opened it and instantly locked gazes with Derek. Standing behind him were Muldoon and an anxious-looking Simon.

Derek was jaw dropped as he examined the exposed portions of Pet's bruised and battered person. "Bloody hell, Pet! When Mr. Winston said you busted yourself up pretty good on a hiking trail, he wasn't kidding!"

"I told him I wanted to get back in shape!"

"For what? The corralling or an emergency room visit?!"

Muldoon smiled and chucked at the hybrid. He knew it would take more than a tumble to do any real harm to his little girl.