The darkening skies made Owen all the more wary. He was paranoid of all the scents and sounds that he could hear. However, what made it all the worse was the fact that Owen thought that he could see better in the dark; he knew something was happening to him, something abnormal. He could see compys, plenty of them, staring at him with glowing eyes through the brush. Scavengers though they were, he'd heard the stories, including the urban legend of how John Hammond had met his demise at the claws of those venomous little buggers. But there was something that tore at the back of his head as he looked at them; his stomach growled, and the sight of the cat–sized, lizard–like scavengers

His attempt to get back into contact with Control had been successful… eerily so. From initially telling him to get in touch with Hoskins to now being told that someone was already on the way, Owen found the entire situation strange. Was it Masrani? Was it Hoskins himself? He didn't know. All he knew was that the new man in charge, who'd taken the place of the woman he'd seen operating the radio lines when he was there in the middle of the conversation, seemed pleasant enough, and equally as concerned about the guests as he was.

Zack and Gray were too busy enjoying watching the dinosaurs in the valley ahead, talking to each other to keep the dismal reality that they were being stalked and hunted by a dangerous carnivore away from their minds. Poor kids were probably never going to come back. Owen liked their company; they weren't the typical snotty, annoying "Disneyworld kids" that came to the island. They were humble; apparently their grandmother had bought tickets for them as some sort of dispute went on back at home. It was an excuse to see her grandkids, and it was an excuse for their family to sort out their business.

Zack seemed to hold it together a lot better… but Gray seemed distant as soon as the topic of his family was brought up, instead wanting to switch the conversation over to the fun that they'd had that day. Apparently their grandmother greeted them at the dock earlier that morning, and they had gone to see both the T–Rex and Mossasaur shows. After that, their grandmother had taken them to go through the gyrosphere on the west side. She wanted to show the boys her favorite dinosaurs: the apatosauruses.

The thought made him cringe; they had gotten a good look trying to escape the Indominus. Their bodies had already been stinking, but Owen hadn't really perceived it. The meat wasn't fresh at that point. But that's what scared him more. Clearly one of the eggheads did something to him, or Hoskins did something to him.

His sense of smell, his understanding of Blue and now the Indominus, the numbness and pain in his joints, especially around his bad shoulder, his legs and pelvis, and now looking at the compys with a growing sense of hunger for red meat only made Owen afraid. He wouldn't show it. He had a job to do, after all. But whatever had been done to him, it was clearly to make a weapon. It had to have been why Vic was so easy to let go of the Velociraptors as attack animals for the military when he was bit. He didn't know much about genetic splicing, but he was damn well sure a true hybrid of man and dinosaur was impossible.

But so was de–extinction… so was the creation of dinosaur hybrids. Who was to say what was and wasn't possible in this new age?

Soon, Owen heard the sound of an approaching vehicle, though it was coming from the front instead of back toward the direction of the Indominus. He found that odd until he saw Doctor Monroe and a ranger in the driver's seat of an open–top Mercedes.

"Owen!" the Texan called out.

"Doc!" Owen grunted, standing to his feet with a wobbling stance before he started walking over. "The hell are you doing here?!"

"There weren't any rangers, so Control got in touch with me and told me 'bout the sit'ation. Y'alright?" Both the kids quickly went over to greet the vet, the old man giving a chuckle as he put them more at ease.

"Alright kids, let's get this show on the road. I'd rather not be knocked down by whatever monster they got out there."

"Do you know anything about our grandma? Is she alright?"

"I don't know nothin' 'bout no–one," Ed said. "I was just told that y'all needed a ride back down t' Main Street."

"Well, can you get in touch with them? Elena Young," Zack tried to explain.

"Relax, kids. I'm takin' you back. Ed's got another job to do after, right?" Owen asked. He looked apologetically to Monroe, who only looked back as the sun dipped behind them.

"Not t'day… they still haven't caught it."

"You mean…"

"The bones of th' poor girls were picked clean and yer monster was nowhere t' be found. They got people evacuatin' soon as I get ya back." Owen took that to mean "get in the damn car," obliging as he settled into the front seat. Both the boys settled into the back, now much quieter amidst the solemn tone of Monroe's country music.

As soon as they took off eastward, Owen almost gagged. The body odor from Ed was strong, and there was a layer of cigar smoke behind it. He was grieving, obviously. But he identified a similarly wet, almost rotten–earth smell. It was the same as when Claire had seen the death of the apatosaur on the hill. He was getting better at confirming these new scents… but they were dizzying. He just an ice pack and something red to eat.

"Y'alright Grady?" Monroe asked as they drove in silence. Owen just gave a shrug, offering a half–hearted excuse as he shifted to hide his bad arm.

"I dunno… still feel kinda sick."

"Well, y're a damn good man for doin' what y'did sick," Ed replied quietly, turning down the music. He knew that Owen appreciated the lack of noise. His headache was coming back, and the heat followed him into the car in spite of the wind.

That's when it happened. As soon as they'd turned down the road toward Main Street, they heard a sound on the wind. A loud and terrible roar. It was hoarse, he could tell that much. It wasn't like a T–Rex, let alone the screeching of the Indominus; it was something else. What other big carnivores were on the island?! There was the Carnos, he knew that much. But they didn't roar like that. Their roars didn't carry on the wind. They were more like tigers in that sense.

This was like a lion's roar: a territorial command. Owen couldn't understand it like the Indominus or Blue's yips and barks… but it clearly meant something along the same lines as what he'd heard Blue screech to him: a call for death.

"The Hell?" Monroe asked, stopping the car dead on the intersection as he looked back north toward the restricted area. There were headlights coming from that direction… headlights. Owen could find that he could see something following behind them though.

"Doc, go!" Owen pleaded. No words were needed as Monroe pressed on the gas. The car was catching up to them, but so was the big dinosaur following it. The closer it got, the more Owen could see that the animal was significant in its size. It panted as it bellowed, green eyes piercing through the dark and staring right at them.

"Kids, get down!" Owen barked, already attempting to raise his gun. He could see it coming more clearly now; it was a carnivore, a big one.

"Owen, the Hell you doin'?!" Owen didn't listen. He could see the long, alligator–like snout and the proud, almost incomprehensibly big sail on its back. Its silvered, old skin was decorated in lots of old wounds, including what looked to be burns along its side. This wasn't anything he'd seen on the island before, except on Main Street as a skeleton.

The Spinosaurus roared again as it slowly caught up toward the vehicle. Like the Indominus, the Spinosaurus was unwilling to let go. The other car had already veered off, heading off to the west side as Owen took the shot. Unlike the Indominus, however, the Spinosaurus wasn't bulletproof. It had a thick hide, but the bullet tore through its sail and caused it to screech in pain.

Though with that screech came a throbbing pain and a groan from Owen. His shoulder initially locked up, his hand numb on the trigger. The recoil alone couldn't have done that! His muscles made a spasm and he found his grip on his rifle practically thrown away with the weapon.

"Owen!" he could hear Gray yell as he fell out of the car, trying his best to get the gun back with his good arm. The roar was deafening, though as they passed the aviary, something happened that absolutely took Owen by terrifying surprise and forced him to curl up and duck down. From the foliage, something that had camouflaged amidst it barreled right into the Spinosaurus as Monroe tried to pull around, a dull thud echoing as they continued to push on forward.

Owen motioned for Doc to get the kids to safety. They were priority, not him. But Monroe stubbornly and stupidly tried to drive over to pick him up. The Indominus, in all of its terrible glory, clawed and raked at the larger predator, practically trying to flay it as they drove past. Though what happened next left Owen even more afraid for the guests down in the main park.


This One had almost had Small Hunter, almost had the other small things in a victorious hunt! She had done good, she had done it as she should have; stalking them, like at the gurgling water. But it was not meant to be. For this new creature, this large thing like her, had come to dissuade her hunt. This large thing had a long snout, like her, but different. It was skinnier.

It was also quite experienced, with a number of different marks on it from hunts of its own. This One didn't have time to name it as it roared back a challenge to her after she shoved it against the tall wall. This one roared back. Small Hunter was her kill. Either the other large thing did not understand, or it did not care. It charged at her.

This One felt long, dangerous claws rake into her side, and she felt searing pain. The long necks at the river hadn't hurt her this badly, and her response to pain was as it always was: anger. This One furiously twisted back and bit at the large crest upon its back, using her sharper claws to dig into its sensitive side.

The animal was deterred almost immediately, roaring out its pain and anger for Wind to hear. But This One was not content. She knew that this thing would kill her. She was stronger, better than this long-snouted thing! This One charged, already feel the dull thud against her skull as she hit it into the tall wall.

But the wall gave way, cracked and shattered like the clear walls back at her old nest. In went the large creature, falling against the rocks on the ground with a cry for help. Before This One could do anything, however, something else caught her eye. Many, many shapes in the growing darkness, seen only as shades of green, red, yellow and orange. She didn't know what to make of these things either!

It was clear that she had stumbled into the nest of another group of creatures. Not wanting any more of these things around her with their incessant flapping, honking and screeching at her, This One roared, and the things scattered. They fluttered and flew about her like annoying bugs back when she was small! She did what she then too, and snapped at them.

But this was clearly the wrong decision. The other large thing in the nest with her had gotten up, and charged into her. While it hurt, it wasn't as bad as it could have been. This One presented her claws as a deterrent, and it backed off with a snarling hiss.

This One's heart thudded heavily in her chest now. The fluttering things about, the large thing in front of her, it made her see only red. There was just too much! Too many things! It was better when it was just her, alone! And that was the thought that snapped her. Alone…

Her she was, again around things that had things to be around… the flyers of many shapes and sizes had other flyers. The long necks had other long necks. The short legs — ankylosaurus — had others like them… even Small Hunter had others both like him and not like him… she could smell them on him any time he was around…

She didn't want to be alone… and yet she did… she hated this contradicting thought. It hurt her in a way that made it hard to make the pain go away. But she had. This One made the pain lighter on herself by hurting the other things, by hunting Small Hunter… she would leave the large thing alone too, and broken for leaving such searing, gashing marks in her.

Her mind clouded in rage, and she attacked, and attacked, and attacked! She bit, and snarled, and thrashed against the large thing. She didn't know what else to call it besides Thing. It was a Thing to her! It had no business stealing her hunt from her! Small Hunter was her kill! And Thing had tried to take it! Thing snapped and hissed at her whenever she'd charge at it, but it didn't deter her.

To kill was on her mind, and she eventually bit down on Thing's neck, attempting to thrash and pull like she had with the ankylosaur! But Thing was slippery, and escaped from her jagged jawline, tearing a ragged chunk of its hide off to escape! Thing roared again, and bashed its head into her. The wind was knocked from This One's chest as Thing shoved her out the tall, clear wall again, shattering it.

This One kicked with powerful legs, intending on doing the same to Thing! But Thing was clever, smart, and avoided it before biting into her thigh, the thigh Small Hunter had hurt. This One screeched loudly in pain, the sound echoing and ringing around them as Thing let go. This One attempted to push herself up, but found her leg to not work. Instead, she would receive a painful twinge and feel the appendage buckle from under her, sending her to the ground with a thud.

Thankfully, Thing did not seem interested in killing her now. Instead, it shook its head, as though it was in pain. Thing slowly clambered off, limping away from the tall walls and toward the foliage. This One attempted to stand again, and pain jutted through her entire leg. She was crippled… wounded…


Ed Regis didn't know what he was looking at. The aviary symbol on the big screen flickered red before a camera came up. As soon as it did, Ed thought that Santa had just delivered him a late Christmas gift!

"No–no–no–no–no–no!" Lowery, the attractions technician, began to panic. Vivian began to hyperventilate next to him as they all saw what was happening.

"Well… seems like the Hen got into the hen… house… what is that?!" Ed was utterly bewildered and confused now… it wasn't just the Indominus Rex in the aviary. Besides the flying dinosaurs — 'some type of pterodactyls,' Ed thought dismissively — that were swarming around the camera, there was another animal in there. It let out a deep, dragon–like roar

"Hey, Lowery, get an implant on that other animal in the aviary!" Lowery gave a panicked nod before pressing a couple keys. The result that came back left Ed mortified. The flying dinosaurs — 'pterodactyls,' he thought — were in a frenzy, and just in the center, there it was: an alligator–like creature, massive in stature with a great sail on its back. As it stood up, the realization hit Ed like a truck. There was a dinosaur that wasn't accounted for on the island.

"We're getting reports from Ranger Team Nine; multiple assets out of containment!" Vivian blubbered.

Ed wasn't surprised. The glass was wide open and the "pterodactyls" were already trying to leave behind the Indominus and its massive, carnivorous guest. But that was when a second, and a third feed came up. On the third feed, at the ranger post of Sector 4, there was what looked like giant frilled lizards skulking around a fence breach. A ranger post in Sector 6 showed several fast shapes blur past it. When the video was slowed and reversed, Ed realized what they were: Raptors.

Even Ed wasn't stupid enough to not recognize the distinct, bidedal shape, long snout and rigid tail that distinguished the man-sized dinosaurs from other carnivores. Ed realized too late what happening as the first feed still was showing the Indominus, now fighting against the other animal in the birdcage as the flying animals fled…

"You mean… we have multiple breaches besides the Aviary?!" No response was given before Ed took to grabbing the satellite phone on the table, patching himself to Vic.

"Hoskins!"

"We found her!"

"Where?!"

"Aviary, asset isn't alone!" Silence was all that remained before Vic gave him a simple copy–that before he heard another crash through the aviary walls.

"I want an APB! Get the people on Main Street out of there, now!" Something edged at the back of Regis' mind. Where had the lawyer gone?! Why was there is untraceable animal on Isla Nublar?! More questions than answers, but Ed was not stupid. The two were very much related in his mind; as soon as the lawyer had gone, this had happened.

But he couldn't afford to have the team rewind on the video feed. They had to keep eyes on the escaped Indominus for Vic's team top go out and get her. On the map, the blips of the flying dinosaurs circled around the aviary before heading south, just as Ed had feared would happen. Putting his hands to his chin, Ed Regis eyed the situation critically. It was all falling apart, and now on his watch!

"Shit, shit, shit, shit!" Ed hissed. He knew that it would be minutes before the animals got to Main Street, and then… chaos… just like 1993 all over again…


Owen gasped and coughed as he stood himself up, lurching against a nearby tree after having grabbed his gun and crawled over to it. Not like it would be any use with his arm acting up. Muscles spasmed and twinged, and Owen thought he could see dark brown scabs, like the ones on his upper arm and shoulder, forming around where he'd fallen already.

He felt sick to his stomach again, and all he could bear to do was just watch as the Indominus and the Spinosaurus crashed into the aviary. At this point, it truly was better to have the kids somewhere safe rather than here, which was why Doctor Monroe was annoying him.

"Owen, get in!"

"No Doc! Get them to Control, have whoever's in charge up there look for Elena Young when it's safe!" Owen's voice was hoarse, almost dead–sounding, and his vision was blurring in and out of focus. Monroe shook his head stubbornly, about ready to jump out of the car and pull Owen in. The trainer had it at that point, snarling and snapping at the veterinarian. Ed startled clearly as Owen looked about ready to bite his head off.

"Jesus Christ, Ed! Go! I can take care of myself here!" The sounds of roars and the dull thuds of heavy bodies slamming into each other only made Owen look in the direction of where the two carnivores were attempting to kill each other. Pain was driving him to keep himself standing at this point, the trainer trying to push through it as he watched on in awe through the surprisingly bright surroundings.

It was at that point the veterinarian left, pulling back and peeling off toward Main Street. As soon as they were gone, Owen attempted to raise up his rifle to take aim, seeing if he couldn't help the Spinosaurus subdue the Indominus. But he couldn't keep his arm steady, his fingers wouldn't work to wrap around the trigger guard.

He hurt everywhere now, his legs especially, and it became clear that standing wasn't going to work. Had the fall been that bad? No… no it hadn't. But it felt like something was broken in his legs, and he could just barely feel something poking from his backside against his jeans, right where his tailbone was! Everything hurt so much more that he could barely keep track of the Indominus as it tackled the Spinosaurus through the aviary glass.

The situation had gone from bad to worse now. The aviary was breached, and in seconds, Owen could see dimorphodons and pteranadons already beginning to fly out from the opening. The Indominus snapped and attempted to bite a few out of the air with no success. Just barely, the trainer could make out the shape of the Spinosaurus as it rammed into her and slammed her again through the glass, making an even larger opening for the pterosaurs to leave from.

Realizing that he was in their flight path, Owen hobbled and attempted to hide in the foliage, a clear roar of pain coming from the Indominus. Something had happened, he heard another yelp from the animal, and turned back as soon as he was under cover to see the Spinosaurus heading back the way it had come. And in the shade of twilight, there it was… the Indominus Rex, brought low, unable to stand. He could see it from distance, the throbbing pain in his legs and pelvis only making it harder to keep focused as he took his own seat.

The cries of the pterosaurs above were like a death knoll on a church bell: the doom of Jurassic World. All he could think of now was how Masrani would try and salvage the situation. The pterosaurs were heading in the direction Monroe had gone; people were going to die… Owen could only hope that it wouldn't be substantive. If it was, well… it would be obvious at that point what would happen.

The Indominus huffed as it clearly tried to stand, but the wound on its leg had crippled it. It was likely a broken femur, given the way that her leg buckled out from under her. At least her rampage was over, given the way that she moved. He'd initially thought that she would've given chase to the Spinosaurus, or attempted to crawl after it… but instead, the Indominus hobbled its way into the aviary, likely to lick its wounds.

Owen knew that now was the opportunity to try and get in touch with someone, tell them what had happened. As he attempted to reach for the walkie on his hip, however, Owen's right side flared up in pain again, and he practically collapsed. A wave of dizziness and immediate nausea overtook him, his hand spasming and twitching as he watched with chilling realization that something was happening. Owen dared to reach for the walkie with his other hand, before his legs and pelvis seemed to snap and buckle under him, a chilling and horrid sound that drew out a scream; the last that Owen knew in that moment was that he was dying before pain began to cloud his senses and his body seized.


This One was very tired now… the fight with Thing, the long and arduous day of killing and running… it was now finally wearing on her. She wanted so desperately to sleep, but This One wouldn't. She was somewhere unfamiliar, with more tall walls. The small things would find her… she was in a disadvantageous place. Much as she wanted to simply lick her wounds and sleep, she knew that would mean death.

But moreover, the end of her battle with Thing had given her a moment of clarity. This One didn't want to be alone; she didn't want to be in this unfamiliar place alone. She was angry, she was afraid… but she was also bitter. This One held a bitterness from many, many moons. She blamed the small things still for it… but at least she knew that she didn't want the contradiction of being alone yet not wanting to be. She missed Small One… that name no longer made her upset as it used to; she had new things to be upset by.

She missed her sibling, she missed her old nest, she missed when things were simple and familiar. This One just wanted to go back home now. If she was going to die from such a crippling injury, she desperately wanted to find her old nest again. She wanted to be close to the only place she could wander with her eyes closed. But she couldn't... This One couldn't stand, not well enough anyways.

Her mind wandered, trying to distract itself, trying to keep her from falling asleep here. Small Hunter, much as she loathed him for the pain he caused her, and for being so slippery and clever, was at least something familiar to hold onto to keep herself awake. She thought that, for the little time that she had known him, he was a good small thing. Oh yes, she had gone back and forth on the idea many times already; she had followed his scent and stalked him quietly after chasing him from the new nest. She had resolved to finish her hunt, and kill him at the time, but looking back… she was more curious about him than she was angry at his hurting of him.

There were opportunities, like the opening to the great valley, where she could have burst from the brush, killed him and killed the other small things. She understood them a little better though, for what she did — which was wait. They were strange creatures, who seemed struck by nature as it was; why did they seem so interested in watching other things walk the land? It seemed bizarre when she saw it. She couldn't understand them and what they said… but it was calmer, nicer than the small things at her old nest, and the way that they acted around her. She wanted that, so she watched instead, and she learned.

This One warbled pitiably at the thoughts that swam through her mind. The only small thing that she had bothered to truly remember besides White, and she had thought him a nuisance like her. White made her angry… the color reminded her of the bad times, the times where she hurt, the times where the small things hurt her. Thing's hide was similar enough in color that it made her angry like that. But Small Hunter didn't give that same feeling. He smelled familiar, and familiar was good.

But he smelled sick… diseased… rotting; it wasn't rotten like the other one with White was… it was different; the rot wasn't natural to him. It was like meat that had gone bad, and it only got worse through the time she followed them. Was he dying? Perhaps they'd die together.

That thought made This One croon sadly… death was a natural part of life, right? So why did she not want Small Hunter to die? She had thought she did at first. The loud stick in his paws had hurt her at the new nest. But he was defending himself, as any creature would, as the long necks did, as the short leg did. At her old nest, he didn't bring a loud stick. He came in respectfully… Dull Fat and Fat didn't. They didn't respect her and the power she wielded over small things.

But Small Hunter did. And he only did what he did at the new nest to survive. He knew she was dangerous, and he respected her for it. They were two of a kind: aware, intelligent, and clever. She understood a lot now about the small things, but felt she understood Small Hunter best out of them. This One's eyes began to droop as she thought carefully about the day. Maybe she could talk to Small One when she went into forever sleep like her. Tell her about all the troubles of the world around them.

Then she heard it. A sound close by, a scream or a screech… it was strained, but she recognized the voice enough. Small Hunter?! Her eyes shot open, and immediately, she moved to try and stand. The pain was extreme, and her leg buckled with every step, but This One managed to hobble her way to the broken tall wall. She looked around, sniffing the air until she saw him.

He was like a great ball of fire amidst the blues and purples, hot as the great light above them in the day. The screech was a universal sound: pain, like she was in. This One hobbled herself over, ignoring the sharpness in her thigh. What she saw only made her confused and scared. Small Hunter was spasming across the ground. His loud stick was across from him, and he was unnaturally pale; she smelled blood. This One didn't know what to do! She looked around. There were no other small things around to help him like he did with other small things, hoping that one would come!

Did they abandon him? Did they think he was dead? He looked like he was dying. Did the small things leave the dead and dying behind?! Such a thought made This One make a decision, one that she wasn't entirely willing to accept in her mind.

There had been enough death today… she had killed for killing's sake, and it weighed heavy on her now that she had the chance to think, in spite of how much it hurt. She shouldn't have felt guilty. After all, it was how nature worked. But This One had seen something bigger than mere nature at work. So many things weren't alone, and she was angry about that… Small Hunter was alone now… and that made her angrier, angrier with the other small things; but not Small Hunter.

This One looked at her claws as Small Hunter seized on the ground. He was sick, yes. But so was she in a way. She hated that he hurt her, and she didn't want to take him back to the old nest... but there was the new nest. The small things wouldn't care to look for her there, and it would be a place where she could decide what to do next.

She could see how his heart beat within the shades of color. It was irregular, something was happening, and he needed someone. He needed to not be alone. So she did what she thought would help. She picked him up. She would be gentle with him though, like with Small One. Small Hunter was fragile like her, after all. She had felt how easily White had been crushed in her grasp.

This One then began to hobble in the direction that Thing had come from. She had a feeling she knew where she was going. She'd find her way back to the new nest. The small things wouldn't care to look for her there. Not when she and Thing had broken their tall wall.


End of First Iteration

"Flaws in the system will now become more severe. System Recovery may prove impossible. Increasingly, the mathematics will demand the courage to face its implications. This is the edge of chaos, and it takes many, many decisions to reach this edge. We have soothed ourselves into imagining sudden change as something that happens outside the normal order of things. An accident, like a car crash. Or beyond our control, like a fatal illness. We do not conceive of sudden, radical, irrational change as built into the very fabric of existence. Yet it is." - Dr. Ian Malcolm on the "edge of chaos" and the occurrence of a complex system's collapse as presented in chaos theory, now referred to as complexity theory.