CHAPTER 116

Seth, Kyra, and Shelly observed in silence as the adults argued over the pros and cons of making a run for the emergency bunker. Ms. Murdock was quite adamant about going while everyone else seemed reluctant to varying degrees. In the end Joan stated that she was going regardless of whether anyone else was coming or not.

"If you'd all like to stay here until the velociraptors find a way to kill the rest of you then be my guest. I however am leaving, though I'd like to point out one more time that if we all go together at least some of you might have a chance." Ms. Murdock began stowing extra weapons any place she could on her body.

Dr. Conners, who had been unusually silent the whole time, spoke up. "You know we may have a bigger problem, Joan?"

Ms. Murdock paused. Everyone could see a new weight pulling at the frown on her face, then it painfully changed to a smile that was fueled only by a sense of irony. "Your statement is all too literal, Doctor Conners." The smile faded. "That doesn't change my mind. It's still our best option of waiting this out until Hector's cousin gets here with the plane."

"If Hector's cousin gets here with the plane," Dr. Conners said.

Joan's face tightened up. "If not, then we're dead either way, but I'm not going to wait here, and I'm not going to argue with you any more. Now, are you coming or not?"

Guss cut in. He was adjusting his glasses on his nose. "Wait a minute. What other problem is there?"

All eyes went to Dr. Conners. He looked at the floor and then to the ceiling with a heavy exhale.

Joan said, "it's hardly worth troubling them over, doctor. At this point we're in deep shit no matter what."

"Hey, we have a right to know what's going on here, Dr. Conners." Guss pointed a finger. "Tell us."

Dianna was giving Bryce a hard stare. He could tell that he wasn't getting off the hook without divulging the issue.

He sighed, "damn it." There was a pause, and then he began, "all the door locks have been out of commission since the system was damaged."

Guss said, "we already know that. What's your point?"

"The prototypes aren't kept in cages like everything else." Dr. Conners eyes shifted. "Not that it seems to matter. At this point we aren't even sure the fences are working. The point is, they could potentially escape if they haven't already."

Dianna gave him a puzzled expression. "What could possibly be any worse than what we're already dealing with, Bryce?"

Everyone could see that he didn't want to answer. Dr. Conners swallowed, and then continued. "We only bred three of them. They should have been destroyed weeks ago, as soon as they matured, as soon as I fully began to suspect what they were. It was difficult because their material is so scarce in the fossil record. I've been naive. It's obvious we can't control them if we can't even contain the velociraptors, but I didn't realize that then."

Joan rolled her head. "Oh, just spit it out, man! They're bloody utahraptors. Bigger, smarter, nastier than the others. Can we go now?" She grabbed a chair without wheels and put it on top of a desk with a slam. Climbing up, she reached for the air vent above and knocked it out of place.

Dianna just kept staring at Bryce. She didn't know what to say.