Rat-tat-tat-tat-tat!
The roar of machine-gun fire blended into the rhythmic thrum of the helicopter rotors.
Masrani felt the aircraft becoming increasingly difficult to control. He was a novice pilot with meager experience, and his nerves were already frayed just dealing with basic turbulence. He had no idea how mounting a military-grade weapon would affect the flight dynamics of the helicopter.
Maybe I should Google this on the fly?
"Aunnng-roar—!"
A hail of bullets tore into the ground less than five meters behind the Indominus rex, the line of impact creeping steadily closer to her heels.
The Indominus scanned the glass panels of the Aviary. Within seconds, she calculated that she could break through. She lunged forward, accelerating into a heavy charge.
Crrrash—!
Glass shattered, raining down in a glittering cascade as the Indominus plowed into the enclosure. Masrani was forced to pull back on the cyclic, gaining altitude to avoid slamming the helicopter into the massive geodesic dome.
Inside, the Dimorphodons and Pteranodons erupted into a cacophony of shrieks, perching on high struts to glare down at the intruder.
"Aunnng-roar—!"
The Indominus snarled up at them. The pterosaurs that hadn't claimed high ground, relegated to the lower, cramped reaches, screeched back, snapping their beaks in a futile show of territorial aggression.
In a sense, this Aviary had become a "trash can," a masterpiece of "expert" mismanagement. The pterosaur population had long since exceeded capacity. While the dominant individuals were willing to defend their turf, the low-ranking ones, the runts who were constantly bullied and pecked, saw an opening.
They beat their wings frantically, streaming out through the jagged hole the Indominus had just created.
"No, no, no, no."
In the Control Room, Lowery watched the monitors as the Indominus breached yet another perimeter. His career wasn't just on the line; it was extinct.
"It's like a fox in a henhouse."
Hoskins leaned a hand on Lowery's shoulder with unearned familiarity, watching the escalating chaos with visible satisfaction.
Inside the Aviary, the Indominus watched through the glass as the pterosaurs took to the sky. She looked on with grim approval as they were drawn toward the noise of the helicopter.
Tap.
A sudden footfall rang out. Amidst the screeching of pterosaurs and the throb of the rotors, it should have been as faint as a needle hitting the floor.
Yet, the Indominus rex noticed it instantly. It was a sound that made a dinosaur's heart stop.
She lowered her head, looking back toward the exit she had just smashed open.
Carlo stood there, framed in the breach like the Spinosaurus staring down Grant. He was watching her.
Thump-thump.
"Aunnng-roar—!"
She knew she couldn't win, but she wouldn't yield. She unleashed a defiant roar, attempting to intimidate him into backing off.
Carlo didn't dignify her with a response. He lowered his center of gravity and paced slowly into the Aviary. The crunch of shattered glass beneath his massive feet served as his only answer.
Crunch. Crunch.
The sound, crisp only moments ago, now felt deafeningly sharp.
He was significantly larger than her. The hole she had smashed through the glass wasn't even wide enough to accommodate his massive frame without him scraping the sides.
"Hrrrm..."
The Indominus let out a low, submissive chuff and immediately turned tail, sprinting deeper into the enclosure.
But Carlo wasn't about to let her go. He gave chase without hesitation.
Snap!
The sound of teeth meeting thin air echoed repeatedly. The Indominus used the internal trees and rock formations to maneuver, zig-zagging and dodging to evade Carlo's crushing bites.
Creeeak—Boom!
The towering trees couldn't withstand the pressure; trunk after trunk snapped as Carlo brushed past them, creating a wake of falling timber between the two predators.
The Indominus used the distraction to put distance between them, circling back to the clearing where she had first entered. Escape was impossible, but she noticed he was desperate to land a bite. Perhaps she could use that.
Carlo rounded a massive rock, his slow, deliberate pace exerting an agonizing psychological pressure. He finally came to a halt ten meters away from her.
"Skreee!"
Pteranodons landed on the struts around them, some seemingly trying to drive the giants away, others looking like they were settling in for a good show.
Carlo and the Indominus locked eyes for a heartbeat. Then, simultaneously, they lunged!
When they were less than three meters apart, Carlo unhinged his massive jaws, aiming for a lethal tear!
The Indominus timed it perfectly—she executed a rapid sliding step, her feet nearly leaving the ground. As she brushed past Carlo's flank, she used the momentum of her neck to ram him, parrying his bite.
She skidded to a halt on her side and spun around to face him again.
Carlo felt a stinging pain in his neck. Her proto-feathers and osteoderms, those jagged spikes, had grazed him.
He faced her again, and as their eyes met, he saw she had shifted into a quadrupedal stance.
Moments later, they charged again!
This time, Carlo stuck to his instincts, opening his maw wide to clamp down on her throat. The Indominus hadn't expected him to be so straightforward; she barely managed to dodge, utilizing the superior agility of her four-legged posture.
Carlo didn't reset his stance; he snapped forward again!
Snap!
Another miss. In her quadrupedal state, the Indominus was far more nimble. This time, as she dodged, she even lashed out with her right claw, trying to rake Carlo's hide.
Covered in scars and having tasted the agony of blood loss, she knew a single clean bite from him was a death sentence. She was playing the long game.
"Aaaaaah—!"
Up in the air, the gunner on the helicopter was struck by a diving Pteranodon and snatched away. The helicopter began to lose trim. With the impact of another pterosaur, it entered a literal "dead man's curve," spinning toward the earth.
Masrani ripped off his sunglasses, his breathing coming in ragged gasps.
"And we are seeing the consequences of failing to keep your 'canary' properly caged."
Dr. Wu's words echoed in his mind.
"Damn it... pterosaurs, canaries... they really are the same."
Schrrr—!
Turf flew into the air as the Indominus darted, trying to slip past Carlo's reach.
But this time, she wouldn't be so lucky.
Carlo feinted a strike. As she bit the bait, he lunged forward and brought his massive foot down, pinning her left hind paw to the ground.
The Indominus jerked to a halt, her forward momentum nearly forcing her into an unwanted split!
Carlo didn't waste the opening. He lunged from above, his jaws clamping down on both sides of the Indominus's neck.
Crrrk...
Carcharodontosaurid teeth sank into her flesh, even as her dorsal spikes cut into the roof of Carlo's mouth.
"RRR-AUNNNG—!"
The Indominus shrieked, a high-pitched, agonizing sound as she felt blood begin to pour down her throat.
BOOM! CRASH!
At that exact moment, the helicopter smashed through the glass dome and plummeted into the Aviary. Carlo, sensing the massive object falling from above, released his grip and leaped back just in time.
The Indominus, suddenly freed, collapsed to her side. Sensing the danger, she scrambled away like a mad dog, using her forelimbs and her unpinned right leg to claw her way clear.
BOOM!
The helicopter slammed into the ground where they had stood a second ago, erupting into a towering pillar of fire. The flames spread rapidly along the fallen trees.
Under the cover of the fire and smoke, the Indominus hobbled away, smashing through another glass panel to escape. Within moments, her adrenaline-fueled recovery kicked in, and she was running normally again, though a trail of blood continued to drip from her mangled neck.
Carlo stood his ground, staring through the flames as his prey vanished. Ultimately, he chose not to pursue. He turned and began the trek back toward the Primeval Ecological Zone.
He had exceeded his exercise quota for the day. While his hunger meter wasn't critically low, his stomach was starting to growl.
The day's work was done. Time for dinner.