Claire held her face in her hands, even as the car was driving away. She was feeling how flushed her face was, how red it must be right now to anyone watching. But Levine was only paying attention to the road so really, no one besides her noticed. She peeked through her fingers at the passenger side mirror, saw her face still flushed and red, as she exhaled. An angry sigh. Yes, she was pissed.

They had barely been driving ten minutes, and she still had not spoken a word to the driver. To his credit, Levine had nothing to break the silence either. Not even to put the music on. The road was bumpy as they drove, and she felt a sickening pit in the bottom of her stomach. Like nothing she'd thought before as she brought her hands down, looking out at the scenery. Somewhere far off in the distance she might see the glint of the highway, but that seemed far off.

That did not matter right now, as she looked over, feeling her shoulders slump, and broke the silence. "Why. Why did he just decide to do...that?" She just had to let it out, that anger releasing, blowing off steam was good. Back when she had been working under Masrani, she never had let herself lose her cool. Even now. She was feeling it burning under the surface.

Levine turned and looked over at her, but otherwise continued driving. His expression was hard to read behind his sunglasses, but he seemed to slow the car down slightly, only a bit. There was no one else behind them on the road, although the pair of them had heard another engine arriving as they left. Whoever it was, they were still back there at the ghost town.

There was nothing she could do about it. He'd made his bed. He could lie in it. At least that's what Claire wanted to believe after what she pulled. Still, she could sense how heavy she was breathing, like she was holding a lot in already. Yes she was. No doubt about that... she was still so tense, the tension was eating her alive, and yet...and yet... she could feel her fists clench.

"Do you want to go back?" Levine broke the silence suddenly as she only blinked at him. Maybe it was more than a bit obvious as he turned to her and just leveled his eyes with her, the car slowed down slightly. "It was a yes or no question. Do you want to go back?" It took some time for Claire to find her words. But she swallowed and nodded, wondering if she was making the right choice.

"Yes."

Owen was staggering through the streets of the deserted city. He could hear footsteps behind him, but he didn't care. Cooper was chasing him no doubt, even as he would try to keep a lead up. Morphine. That was what was in these darts. How much he didn't know, even as he would feel his shoulders sagging already. He thought he had managed to get away. He really did. But the man had been trained well enough, he should have known from back when they worked together.

But he had a lead for now, he thought as he heard the barking of the raptors in the distance. He wasn't sure where he was going, maybe just going where his feet would take him. The car. The car Levine had brought, he thought numbly, as his feet moved absently, just willing one foot in front of the other for now. It was reachable, he could do this...he thought he could anyway. Just needed to take his mind off of his pursuers. If he could do that, he'd be golden. Otherwise, he knew that he just needed to push with all of his might.

He could see it now, from here at the least, he quickened his pace, and tried to push forward. Turning the corner, the side aisle was empty still. Not that he could exactly rest easy now, it was right there...he felt the keys jingling in his pocket. His head was already swimming. It was so hot this late in the day for some reason...he wasn't sure why. He stepped closer, behind him he could still hear shouts...Cooper. But he wasn't worried was he? No, Owen wasn't...

But the raptors? They were still under control. He didn't have to worry about them. Until he made a dash for the last few yards. His hand was already on the side panel for the door, when he turned and heard a growl. He froze instantly. Turning his head slowly, his heart thumping right out of his chest. He saw it then, the Raptor staring at him not five feet away. Blue.

Shit. He thought. He repeated it under his breath. "Shit. Shit. Shit." He realized what must have happened. When he'd kicked the dial, Blue's chip had gotten 'free' so to speak...as she was here now, and not chasing the terror bird with the others. "Easy. Easy." He said, as he was still breathing hard, watching as the raptor started to level her head towards him.

He had been working with the raptors for some time now. This was far from his first time. That said, he knew how dangerous they were. First hand experience using them in the field, he'd seen the way that they could corner much larger animals. He'd also read through the files of the Nublar and Sorna disclosures. Not extensively, but he had tried to do his due diligence when taking a role as the alpha.

He didn't feel so much like one now, 65 million years of evolution, and what he saw staring back at him was death looking him in the face. He tried to keep his cool, a level glare back at Blue. The chip. Crap, how long would it be before Cooper fixed the frequency? Then he'd really be in trouble. One thing at a time, he thought, even as he would see that he needed to prioritize his immediate survival here. Holding out one hand towards the raptor, he was met with a low growl.

Blue wasn't taking her eyes off of him. Owen quickly noticed, as he started shifting his weight, so also would she adjust her position as well. Raptors had been apex predators back in their day. But they were also very intelligent. Intelligent enough to see these unfamiliar mammals as having intelligence as well. Not just as potential prey, but also as rivals to this world in which they'd only recently been introduced to mere decades ago.

He remembered something as he stared Blue down. His heart was thumping harder, and he was finding it hard to think... but he'd had control once. Despite the situation...this was still his one chance to try to fix things with the raptor. He looked over the raptor, trying to remember. The chip- which part of the raptor had responded first? He knew he didn't have time, so he cautiously reached for the handle again. The raptor hissed, her head bobbing forward.

So close. So far...but he looked down, and with a raised eyebrow, he realized something was happening. A twitch in her leg? Could be nothing... but he had an idea. He had her respect once, as he remembered something that he'd seen when Levine had opened the trailer. What had the bird been restrained by? He had to think...as he slowly tried to move to the side. Blue moved along side him too. Following him, he realized. The ramp to get inside the trailer was still open.

Owen didn't dare take his eyes off Blue, as she followed his movement. As she would turn her head, curiously looking at him...Owen knew what it was like to be hunted. He didn't hear anything except the sound of his own heart beating, and the raptor, as she had him backed up against the trailer entrance. Owen started walking backwards, looking up to see if there was anything. Nothing...nothing yet. No way to close it from inside. Had to be...there had to be.

Blue looked up at him from the bottom of the ramp. She was hesitant, and Owen understood why. There must be a similar trailer. The one she'd come in with her pack. There usually always was. But they were commanded to walk up there with the help of the chips. Now she was here, growling, as he realized she was hesitant. Unsure of what he was going to do. It was that unpredictability. The fact he wasn't panicking which was making her nervous he realized. Well, inside he was, so maybe that still counted for something after all.

He backed up again, as the raptor started to follow him slowly. She was finding her footing quite easily here, as she knew that Owen had no where to go. The dynamic was different now, he understood that subtly, as he took a deep breath. His heart was beating faster now, despite the way that his head still felt dizzy. This was it. The primal fear. The fear that humans had grown out of when they'd first stepped out on two legs and learned how to use tools. Once more, he was the prey.

These raptors, they were smarter than primates. Owen remembered that little fact coming back to him even as he hit the back of the trailer. Nowhere left to go. The raptor had made the top of the ramp now. She didn't need to hurry. She knew that the man was cornered. As she took step by deliberate step, Owen would hold out his hand. "Easy, girl. Easy." Looking around. Nothing that he could immediately see. There had been a reason he'd entered the trailer.

The door. The door. He looked down at the raptor, How was it supposed to be closed from inside? He looked to the side, a door, no handle- but a keyhole. So it could be closed from inside...he looked back, Blue was almost right next to him. She hadn't attacked yet, as he felt his nerve fail him. Sliding down, Owen looked up at Blue, as he still held his hand up. His other hand was grasping...grasping for something.

The raptor sniffed his hand, as he would see the leg twitch again. Owen grasped something, as he looked down, he realized it was what he was looking for. As Blue took another step, he lifted up the long pole, using his other hand quickly to heft it. Blue barely had enough time to react, as the pole lifted, hitting her side. She snarled, and turned...but then Owen could see the end of the pole clearly. The magnetized block at the end. The one thing that would be able to close the door.

Blue stepped forward again...and stopped. The raptor was inches from Owen's face, as she sniffed it, and she turned to look at his hand as he dropped the pole. She looked back up at his face, as he couldn't take his eyes off of her. That phrase struck in his mind again. Smarter than primates. She snorted, her hot breath somehow made his head clear up for a second as her eyes narrowed.

Then she started to back up. Owen didn't realize she was even backing up until she was halfway out of the trailer. He still sat numbly in half upright position, as he would keep his eyes locked onto her. It was only as she was descending the ramp, that his mind processed he was out of danger. He shuffled to his feet, as he stumbled out, watching the Raptor as she turned to look at him. Somewhere in the back he might hear an engine rumbling, and the sound of barks and yips.

He couldn't believe it. Blue was running away, as he felt woozy, he would try and go towards the car door. He was out of one danger, but Cooper and the other raptors were still right there. He made it halfway there before almost falling. The adrenaline had diluted the effects of the morphine, he was realizing, and now that it was wearing off, so too it was coming back. Shit. He couldn't stay here, he thought. The rumbling sound drew nearer, as he tried to fight with the door. Locked. He reached down. No dice, he must have lost the keys in the back. No time. The other three raptors were still out there, and their chips were still active. Cooper was out there too.

He groaned, as he would see Blue looking at him. She could've left. She was still staring at him. He blinked as he tried to pull himself up. No...no dice. Just then, there was a cloud of dust, and the Jeep was back in front of him, as Owen let go finally, collapsing. Levine was there, running out, as Claire had her door open too. He was being lifted, it was only a few steps, but he might as well be dead weight, as he managed to grab the seat, allowing them to push him in. He fell into the back seat, as he heard the engine rev, his eyes rolling up as darkness claimed him.

(I'm still working on this story, so if I take a while between uploads here, please be patient.)