Sophie
…..
Chapter Eight
The silence that follows is almost deafening that one can hear drop. Everyone starts to connect the dots the moment they see the scratches on the top of the wall.
"Don't tell me it climbed out," says the guard, voicing out what is inside everybody's heads.
That seems to snap everyone's mind out of the "deer caught in headlights mode" that they have been stuck in. Lex takes off her blazer throwing it to the side and unbuttons the top two buttons of her blouse to make her able to breathe more comfortably. Her heels clacking she rushes to the main monitor immediately typing through it, changing it from thermal to its other modes in an attempt to find the dinosaur inside the paddock.
"What are you doing?" demands the fat guard as Lex bull rushes past him nearly throwing him off his seat as she checks his station.
"Checking for everything," she answers curtly, her green eyes turning right and left fast. "Tracks, other claw marks, consistency of droppings, and stuff like that. If she truly has escaped, we need to identify how long it has been since she had escaped so that we can triangulate her position and find her," she grimaces. "It would also help us find out how she managed to learn enough about her paddock that she had been able to initiate her escape,"
Claire it seems this time also finally remembers that she's the director of Jurassic World as she marches beside Lex. "She has an implant at the back of her neck. We can help track her in the control room,"
"You do that. I'll stay here and see if I can get more clues and information here that anyone might have missed," she nods at Claire who wastes no time half-running outside to her car in order to contact the control room.
"I will go into the paddock and see if I can find somethings that the sensors might have missed," sighs Owen tiredly massaging the back of his neck. "You guys are absolutely sure she's not inside right?"
"As far as the sensors can tell," answers Lex before turning to the fat guard. "Does the sensors cover the entirety of the paddock?" she asks.
"Yes," he nods. "Doctor Wu wants constant surveillance with the Indominus Rex as it grows up during its early stages and have them installed beforehand,"
"Then you're clear Mr. Grady. Go and take Jonathan and David with you before you go though for insurance," Lex says turning to the guards who are sporting confident faces.
"We are ready miss,"
"Good,"
"You're quite good at this commanding thing," comments Owen as he walks out with the two guards carrying their M4 rifles.
A wry smirk appears at Lex's face at that. "Comes with the perks of surviving a dinosaur island, now go!"
"Yes sir," Owen mocks salutes before walking out with the guards.
Sophie takes the opportunity to walk towards Lex. "I'm going with them," she says.
"Are you sure?" asks Lex, her green eyes emanating with concern.
"I am,"Sophie answers at her girlfriend. "You know as well as I do that I am good at this and finding clues. Besides, you trust me more,"
"Very well," Lex sighs kissing her lightly on the lips. "Be careful, and run back here if there's even a niff of that thing out there,"
"I will, I'm not suicidal enough like you," Sophie snorts before removing her own blazer to give herself a way to move more freely and ripping her pencil skirt to her left outer thigh.
"What?" she asks as Lex looks uncomfortably at her.
"I don't like it when other people can enjoy the eye candy reserved only for me," she sniffs.
Despite the situation, Sophie just laughs at her girlfriend being protective and selfish which is quite endearing to her. She grabs a taser spear left behind by David and Jonathan before gesturing at the remaining guard.
"You're coming with me,"
"Me?" he says dumbly looking suddenly frightened.
"Yes, you," answers Sophie rolling her eyes. The man looks ready to piss himself and is a hairsbreadth from refusing but glares from both Lex and her finally makes him move his heavy bulk off his chair. Sophie leads the way heading outside, her ponytailed blonde hair swishing behind her.
The cool natural air as she steps outside is humid and hot. There are few people around. It's lunch time and the workers are probably out having their own meals at the makeshift trailers. On the other hand they might also have been warned by Owen Grady about the Indomitus finally making good on its escape, either way there are no people in sight as she and the fat guard steps outside.
"Which way inside the Indominus compound?" she asks even as she levels the taser spear she has with her in preparation. The forest beyond seems to be to silent and eerie and she can almost imagine the Indominus rushing out of it towards them roaring with maw wide open.
"Do we really have to go in there?" he asks nervously and Sophie can't blame him. The man has such a huge bulk that he's literally a walking steak. Probably the reason why Sophie brought him out with her. There is the likely reason that if the Indominus is ever present, it would charge towards the walking hamburger instead of her.
"It would be much safer in there than in here," she says in an off-hand manner. "Now move it," she barks out in order.
That seems to be enough for the man as he waddles to a postern side door which he types a code into. Immediately it opens making Sophie usher him inside first with her following. It is the smell of rancid rotten meat that hits Sophie senses like a brick wall. She grimaces as it almost overwhelms her as she enters the Indominus compound. Somehow it's the same smell as that of a carnivore's den that she is very familiar with when the girls and her go wild hiking in the plains of the Sahara. Carnivores usually left bits and pieces of their prey that rots, creating a disgusting rotting smell. It sticks to the carnivores themselves and one of the reasons why big hunters like the lion and the wolves have usually to stay downwind when hunting else their prey would be alerted to their presence with the smell.
Still the inside is like a natural rainforest. It seems that Massrani has been taking care of his thirty million dollar asset very well. He literally spared no expense in building the paddock. if not for the tall grey walls of the paddock, it would have been the perfect natural setting. As it is, she can see bones and pieces of rotting carcass all over making her wary where she steps her foot in. She's still wearing high heels damnit. No shoes or boots is available inside that observation post.
"They're over there miss," indicates the fat guard with a stubby finger where four men are standing at the edge of a wall near where the observation post glass can be found. She can see clearly that the two are the guards and the other is Owen. The last one is wearing coveralls with the logo of Jurassic World on it with a Costa Rican look on him.
"De Leon," nods Owen as she approaches raising an eyebrow at her ruined business outfit, most importantly at her exposed left leg but said nothing more as he turns his attention back at the massive scratches at the walls.
"Grady, who's this?" she asks pointing at the Costa Rican man.
"Papito Malinuz, chief engineer of the paddock," he grunts out. "He's adamant on telling me that the wall is impossible for the Indominus to climb since it's-,"
"-it's too narrow and I've seen the creature myself senora, with a body like that, it would not be able to carry its weight with its arms and claw its way up," the Costa Rican man says heatedly. "No one here however seems to believe me,"
"The wall is forty feet high. It's kind of hard to believe that she indeed climb her way out now that you look at it," says Sophie with a grimace looking at the marks that head upward.
"Depends," answers Grady.
"Depends on what?"
"Depends on what kind of dinosaur they cooked up in that lab," he answers glumly making a tingling sensation at the back of Sophie's spine grow cold.
"-trol,-dock,-eleven-,tro-" the sudden sound of the fat man's radio turns on in a static making the fat guard with them frown. He shrugs as he takes the radio before turning its antenna higher.
"Control this is Paddock Eleven, please repeat your last over,"
"IT'S IN THE CAGE IT'S IN THERE WITH YOU!" the sudden shout through the radio is enough to galvanize everyone in a panicked state of alarm.
"GO!" yells Owen without hesitation and he and Papito rushes through the path heading back to the postern door with David and Jonathan in tow. Lastly of course is the fat guard and Sophie, the former because he's slow and fat while the latter is because of her high heels.
Somehow it is their lateness that saved their lives. The foliage near the postern door shakes as if blown by a very angry wind. It then emerges, the white monstrosity that seems to loom over them like a wolf would to a mouse. It roars an ear splitting sound that even from a distance Sophie can feel herself wetting at the sheer terror that is threatening to overwhelm her. Owen and his retinue at the front must have the same thought too for in a split second they are hightailing it, running back towards Sophie and the fat guard who has lumbered towards the opening gates of the enclosure.
The Indominus of course doesn't approve of its targets making a run for it. With two bounding steps, it easily catches up to Owen's group, one of its hands grappling up Papito who is last. His screams turn high pitched as he is mauled by the Indominus' large mouth. Sophie can only watch in abject horror as the beast hangs Papito on its maw using its left hand to grab a leg and with a powerful twist, rips it off turning the entire foliage where its standing red as the open wound squirts like a fountain. With two massive gulps, it engulfs Papito's body coverall and all included.
The sound of something whirring makes Sophie turn to see the fat guard opening the gate locks by overriding the security codes.
"What are you doing?!" she half screams, half demands as the man's face full of utter terror squeezes past the open gates.
"CLOSE THE GATES!" Owen yells as the Indominus now finished with its first snack are turning to chase the Raptor Trainer with bounding steps.
Sophie knows she has to make a decision. If the Indominus ever gets past the gate, there would be nothing between it and the rest of Jurassic World. The monster is a walking nightmare and it must remain locked up otherwise Lex's nightmare about Jurassic Park would come to reality. Already her mind is estimating between it and the gate. The gate is closing but not fast enough that it would be able to fully close before the Indominus be able to squeeze past. She knows her decision before she even says it.
"FIGHT BACK! WE HAVE TO DELAY IT!" she yells out to David and Jonathan who reaches her position just in time.
"ARE YOU CRAZY?!" shouts back one of the two though they still stopped and ready themselves in a firing position. Thankfully the former soldiers manage to rein in their fear. She has to give it to them, she can see that they are scared but they still stand with her as they have their weapons ready. She mentally thanks whatever deity there is that David has the common sense to bring the Grenade Launcher with him when they entered.
"Probably," she answers back even as Owen zips past the three of them towards the gates. The man however pauses and stands with them. The raptor wrangler's got guts, she gives him that as he stands with them borrowing the M4 of David as the man stands with them.
"LIGHT IT UP!" he shouts as together, the guns erupt in a series of loud eruptions peppering the Indominus with lead. Immediately however Sophie can see that something is wrong. The dinosaur slows down as it is hit. With its size, its impossible not to make a direct shot at it. However its hide seems to bounce off the bullets of the M4's easily.
"It's not working!" yells Owen even as he drops round upon round at the Indominus who scrambles towards their position like a maddened dog.
"FIRING!" David shouts out before the Grenade Launcher clangs like an angry metal bat spitting out one of the high lead explosive slugs which then bounces over the hide of the Indominus.
"BOOM!" it explodes somewhere near its face making the Indominus screech and stumble as it claws over its burnt hide with its forearms.
Sophie takes her chance. She musters every ounce of courage deep inside her that she can before charging forward and with a shout lunges the taser spear at the Indominus who squeals as it makes contact at its armpit forcing it to back away a few steps.
"Now! Peel! Peel!" shouts Owen with the two former soldiers making a running retreat with Sophie going last.
The Indominus of course seeing its prey and its chance for freedom attempting to escape does not like it as it roars before charging again, the wound on its neck looking superficial at most. David this time is more ready and confident seeing that his weapon is able to deal damage. Pausing mid run he fires again the grenade launcher which this time, the cartridge ending up bouncing on the head plate of the dinosaur. It makes another ungodly screech as it explodes causing superficial burns on its face and blinding it. The soldiers and Owen hightails it fast past the closing gate with Sophie in tow last. The Indominus obviously recognizes that its bid for freedom is slipping away past for it roars angrily before charging despite parts of its cranium still on fire.
"She's going to make it!" Owen voices out the thoughts of everyone as the Indominus lumbers towards the closing gate fast.
"FIRE! Everything you've got," shouts Sophie readying her spear as David and Jonathan with Owen unleash bullets with their guns and the grenade launcher.
The Indomitus roars as it is peppered once more. It learns this time however that despite painful, the grenade launcher does not make any permanent damage for it tanks through the cannon fire as it bulls towards the gate.
"She's not stopping!"
"I can see that, keep firing!" encourages Sophie even as her heart sinks as the Indominus becomes bigger and bigger as it gets nearer.
Then without warning, Lex appears like a wraith from a storybook. Running past the shooting soldiers, she snaps with her right leg one of the discarded metal poles that the workers have scattered all around the place. Wasting no time she uses her feet to throw it mid-air before grabbing it with her right arm. Twisting her body backward, with the metal pole in her hand, she makes a shout akin to a certain Spartan King whose name is memorialized in Thermopylae as she throws the metal pole towards the charging Indominus with the sharp point head-first.
SQUELCH! The metal pole sticks like a large stick at the shoulder of the Indominus making it howl and pause as it perceives the sudden annoying pain. The wound is small but it is a new thing for the crazed dinosaur who grabs it with its jaws and pulls it out before roaring again. However that small pause is more than enough for the giant gates of the enclosure to finally close with a resounding boom locking the Indominus on its enclosure once more. Everyone stands with baited breathe as it angrily tries to push its way out by banging repeatedly on the gates which creaks and groans under the heavy assault. It is clear that the Indominus obviously isn't very pleased that its bid for freedom is denied.
"That is one scary ass dinosaur," breathes out David panting as he lands on his arse clutching tightly still the grenade launcher.
"Are you alright? And you can put the spear down Sophie," says Lex approaching Sophie. Sophie blinks as she realizes that she's still holding the electric spear with a death grip as she nods before dropping it with a small clang on the ground.
"We need to get to know more about that dinosaur. She's intelligent, way too intelligent for an animal. She set those marks to make us think she escaped then attacked us while we were inside. And what was wrong with that skin that bullets are impervious to it?" rants Owen.
Lex just looks at him with an odd look before nodding. "Yes, I need to talk to godfather about this. Sophie you coming?" she turns to Sophie who only nods as she takes Lex's hand as they follow Owen back to the car while the two guards remain with the guard heading back to the observation post.
None of them notices the people in black camos at the foliage as the car of Owen with Lex and Sophie on it depart.
"Red One to Base Command, cars are leaving with the priority people. Heading in now to execute Asset Preparation for Testing Phase One, do you copy?"
"Roger that Red One, eliminate all witnesses and set the Asset loose. Testing Phase One would occur how well it does against modern firearms and strategy,"
"Roger that, Red Team moving out," the figure in camo stands up with six others also standing up and heading to the Observation Post, their guns holding silencers as they approach it.
…..
Author's Note:
YAyyy so another chapter done. Hope you guys like this chapter. Our badass female characters are dominating at this point. Can any of you guess who will survive and who will die? Anyway stay tuned. Thanks for the support and reviews everyone.