The plan had been simple enough. Owen had already laid it all down in his mind. He was supposed to have come into the convention center, using Blue as his leverage to get in. From there, they would be able to retrieve the other animal. There was a truck here in the back with a hookup for the bird that Zia had said was here. At least, that's how Claire had told him the plan was going to go one his way here.
Simple enough, in and out, and no one the wiser that they were ever here. Zia wouldn't cause any suspicion as the driver either, as she was a licensed dino vet. However...his plan seemed like it was falling apart, even as the man fell out of the shadows. Cooper grabbed Levine quickly, the knife at his throat causing everyone to suddenly freeze.
"Cooper. Put the knife down." Owen said carefully, as he looked the man, and then down at Levine. He could see Levine was frozen, the knife edge against his neck, he wouldn't dare budge an inch.
"I don't see a reason to do that. I don't know what your plan was in coming here, and I don't care. But you very nicely managed to get Blue back." The man's voice had an edge to it, a tension.
Levine was panting, his hand raising slightly, but the knife would edge ever so slightly against his skin again, which cause him to lower it abruptly.
Zia and Claire seemed too stunned to react as well, although everyone's attention was of course fixated on Cooper. "Now here's what's going to happen." Cooper said, as he would gesture with his head over at the other far end of the hall. There were crates there for storage, and they could be locked.
"You are all going to very nicely back up until you get in the crates. Otherwise, I can't be responsible for what's going to happen."
Claire was shaking her head, looking at Owen. "He's crazy. He's crazy." She was saying as Owen couldn't help but agree right now. Part of him felt like it was unreal, like his brain refused to let his body accept what was happening right now, to him right now. It was happening all right, and it was very, very real.
"Put the knife down," Owen said, echoing what Claire had said. He didn't know what to do right now.
"I already said I was not going to do that. Now why don't you all start walking. Now." Cooper said as the knife point dug deeper. Levine yelped as the point dug in, and all of them could see a small trickle of redness now.
Owen looked back at Claire, and then back at Zia, and then at Levine. Swallowing hard, he would turn around, looking at the crate. It looked like it would be big enough for the four of them. Just enough.
Then, he took a step forward, as he heard the sound of the others following him. Owen was going slowly, almost thoughtfully as he knew each step would be pushing him towards the crate.
This felt like a dream, like it was happening to someone else, as he would feel his heart thumping through his mind. Maybe he should stall. Maybe. How though? He thought as he ran through his mind. "So, what happens after you have us in?"
"I don't know...but you lot will likely be charged with trespass. I'm sure that the lawyers could get very creative with the restraining orders." There was an amusement in Cooper's words. Owen knew that Cooper was never the lawyerly, overtly technical sort of man. Not from what he'd recalled.
No. The man he knew, that Cooper? He had been a piece of work in the Navy too. But also he knew that he wasn't bluffing. He would hurt Levine if they didn't move. Owen also knew what would happen if they went into that crate. He knew what had happened to Mills, and that was likely only going to be a preview of what was in store for them.
Which meant he had to act fast, even as he walked, the others were walking too, he could see out of the corner of his eyes. Claire and Zia were scared, it was written all over their faces. He was in front, and Levine- the man had him in a headlock, but was forced to hold him to the side to be able to watch the others.
Owen weighed this over in his mind, as he knew he would likely only have one good shot at this. Yes, there was likely not going to be a second chance, not when all was said and done. He would have to make this count, as he would continue to step inexorably towards the crate. He sighed.
"Hey, before you lock us in the crate. One thing I think you should know-"
"I thought I told you to move!" Cooper's voice was irritable.
They were almost at the edge of the crate. Owen was deliberately slowing down, so that Claire and Zia were in front of him now. Owen turned back, seeing immediately that Cooper's arm stiffened. Levine was looking extremely frightened.
Behind them, there was a shuffling noise, as Owen remembered one thing. Blue should be waking up about now. She had been quiet most of the journey, and it seemed she'd gone to sleep. But they'd made enough Noise...
"Before you do that- just know... I accidently may have disengaged the autolocking on the cage," Owen said casually.
Cooper froze, his head forward, as his grip on Levine's head and his knife seemed to strengthen. "You're bluffing. You knew better than that." He scoffed, but his sense of surety didn't reach his eyes.
Behind them the cage rattled. Owen smiled slightly. "Okay, if you say so. Just know I warned you."
Cooper frowned, and he looked behind him. The moment his eyes were off him, Owen gave Levine a nod as the two men locked eyes. No words were necessary now, not in this moment.
Levine suddenly arched his back, bringing his elbow hard down on Cooper's side. Cooper yelped, and that relaxes his grip just enough. The arm went swinging wide, and Owen was close enough to do the rest. He would jump forward, nodding to Levine.
Levine pulled his head down, falling to the floor, and sliding out of Cooper's grasp, as the main flailed at open air. Suddenly surprised that he wasn't there anymore.
Cooper looked up just in time, a grunt escaping him, as the breath was drawn out of him due to the way Owen's fists collided with his cheek.
On the floor, Levine would crawl away, holding his neck. Zia and Claire would lean down, helping him upright as the three of them moved to the side.
The knife swung back around, and Owen blocked it with his hand, holding the man's wrist. With his other hand, he punched Cooper again, sending him reeling back. Cooper was backing up now. There were no more words. They were already past that point, as he would push forward.
The two men exchanged blows, and Owen knew that he was at a disadvantage. Cooper was armed and he wasn't. Plus, they both had been trained in the same unit.
He groaned, as he felt Cooper get a lucky punch in. A bit too lucky, he thought dumbly, but he forced himself to press on. The knife was still in play, as he would have to focus much of his energy into trying to keep hold of it, a fact that Cooper was all too aware of.
Leaving him with one free hand, as he would instead try to drive Cooper back. Hoping at the same time that the other man wouldn't figure out what he was trying to do. Which wasn't a difficult task when he wasn't sure of what he was going to do himself.
He kicked out, catching Cooper on the shin, and forcing him to one side, and Owen took the chance. He would grab the knife hand with one of his hands, trying to twist his wrist. With his other hand, he chopped at the wrist with his palm, and it worked- Cooper yelped, and reflexively dropped the weapon.
The knife clattered to the ground, and Owen kicked it away. It skidded across the ground. Owen would then let go of the hand. "No knife now, game's up."
Cooper groaned, and he would let his head sink, as Owen was about to extend a hand to let him up. Just then, Cooper tackled him, and they both fell to the ground. Owen rolled, bringing Cooper with him, as he would remember his training.
It was nearly instinct at this point as he did so. He could feel Cooper's hands on his face, one arm reaching for his throat. But he'd elbow him, pushing him off as he would roll back, getting to his feet. Cooper got to his feet as well and tried to charge him again. But this time Owen saw it coming.
Cooper ran into the side of the car and grunted. Owen grabbed the car door, slamming it against his body as he felt the man grunt. Not exactly a fair play move, but right now, he did what he had to. They were already at the car. That was at the back of his mind. The plan had been to get him to the car.
Not that he had a thought beyond that, as he tried to grab the other man's shirt. "Now listen. We don't have to fight-" he grunted as he was kicked in the chest by the force of the man's shoe.
Cooper kicked out again, sending Owen back, as he would be crawling into the cab of the car. He was trying to turn it on, he thought, and Owen realized for a second, he had left the keys in the car.
Panic setting in, he would jump forward again, grabbing at the man, as he would be struggling with him. Cooper was halfway on the driver's side seat now. He was trying to press down with the key but couldn't start the ignition. Because his feet were too busy trying to push Owen away.
Cooper was now gripping the brake for leverage, and the car would start to hum as the vehicle turned on. There wasn't any time, and Owen knew that as he pushed further into the cab, trying to grab at Cooper. But that man was slippery. "Damn you, stay still-" Owen grunted as Cooper kicked him again.
It wasn't easy, as he would see how the man was struggling. But he had been knocked off balance, as he was pressing down against the dash board. Trying to get his balance as he was being forced out of the driver's side cab. Owen was making some progress, inch by inch it felt.
But as he stepped forward, he heard a 'click' as one of the dashboard buttons was pressed, he wasn't sure which. No time to look. Cooper fell against the passenger side, and Owen held him down. "Now will you listen?" He cried out as he heard the clicking of something else, and heard a snarl. That was Blue, he knew. Nothing to worry about.
Except he heard the click again, the tell-tale tapping of her sickle claw. And then the hiss of the cage door opening. Owen and Cooper looked at each other, understanding dawning on them.
"You bastard- you made me do that!" Cooper groaned at him, as he was trying to push him off. Owen was stunned momentarily, and watched as the other man wriggled backwards, his body hitting the other side of the door with a slight thud as he got to his feet.
Owen would follow him, shuffling to the side, as he would suddenly freeze. The cage door was coming down. Backing up, he would start turning. "Claire, get the others out of here...NOW!" He shouted the last part, not caring who heard him.
Cooper grunted as he fell face first on the floor. It really wasn't his day after all, as he looked down at the ground, seeing the knife in front of him.
He grinned, as he would turn, taking a step forward, as he heard Owen yelling. "You're going nowhere," he said as he smiled, panting a bit. He was sure of himself, but even as he did so, he heard the hiss again, and the door-
The door was coming down. The raptor stood back in the cage, calmly watching as the door came down, as he could see her between the slats. Blue was grinning, he realized.
But he was a bit too late, as the door was open now, and then the raptor was backing up. Understanding what was about to happen, Cooper turned and ran, but now the door had now cleared the edge of the cage.
There was a screech, as the raptor's ran forward, her momentum carrying her. A slight lurch now as the metal creaked. Her body- Blue was hanging onto the edge with her elbow.
Smarter than primates.
Cooper clenched his knife tighter, his knuckles white with fear as he would turn, his first idea in his mind as he ran for Owen. Tackling him. Probably his only chance, he thought right now.
Taking the knife, he'd struck down, breathing hard as he heard the screams of the other people. It didn't matter. He knew that he just had to knock Owen down, and lose himself in the crowd. The Raptor, it wouldn't stand a chance against the security here. Owen was struggling, pushing his face back.
He was trying to roll, pushing...he just had to get this right, he thought as he would be so engrossed in trying to get up now that he hadn't heard Blue land right behind him. Not until the very loud thump of her body next to him, as her breath was hot against his neck.
He started to turn, and he felt a pain in his back. Numbly, he realized that Blue had just slashed his back, as everything went limp. Still, he would grip the knife, just keeping hold of it, even as the Raptor would knock him over, and he felt himself thud against the ground. From his peripheral vision, Owen was getting up. Yelling something.
But he didn't hear, as he was dragging himself, feeling himself slightly faint. That was one of the first signs of blood loss, he thought. Behind him, he could hear the clack of Blue following him, her claws tapping the ground.
He tried to get up but found he couldn't. Groaning, he would push himself up with his elbows, and then casually, easily- Blue put her foot on him, looking down at him. She bared her teeth, a low growl coming from these rows of teeth.
Cooper saw it then, written in her eyes, but he didn't hesitate, raising the knife still as he would try to bring it home. His hand was halfway there when he felt the sickle claw slice down cutting through his skin like tissue paper.
He cried out, and then looked. His guts. His guts were spilling out of his belly. But before he could loose consciousness, he saw Blue bring her head forward, jaws open wide. In these last terrible moments, he felt her hot breath against his face before her jaws closed on his neck.