Ten hours since the Indominus rex escaped.
"The mother hen finally decides to show up."
Vic Hoskins watched Owen's aggressive approach with indifference, stepping forward to meet him with practiced enthusiasm.
THUD!
Owen did not disappoint; he met that enthusiasm with a response of his own: a knuckle sandwich delivered straight to the jaw.
"Whoa!"
The two boys in the back of the Jeep gasped in unison.
"Get out of here. Stay away from my animals," Owen said, his voice level but laced with a lethal edge. Everyone present believed that, given a second more, he'd turn Hoskins into fine mincemeat to feed his Raptors.
"Hoskins, you've been waiting for this to happen, you son of a—"
Claire stepped in, finishing Owen's thought. They stood as a united front, unleashing a verbal barrage on Hoskins.
"Oh, boy."
Hoskins rubbed his jaw where Owen's fist had connected, feeling as though his chin was slightly dislocated.
"How many more people have to die before you can get your head around this mission?" he asked, putting on an air of righteous indignation while adjusting his jaw.
"This isn't a mission. It's a field test," Barry said, walking over to stand by Owen's side in firm opposition to Hoskins.
"It's evolved into a bioengineering reality now," Hoskins countered. He gestured broadly, continuing: "Listen, tomorrow morning, a massive transport ship will be here. Everyone gets off the island safely. And the news you'll see tomorrow is how many lives you saved."
He seized the moral high ground, forcing Owen to choose between the safety of his animals and the lives of thousands of tourists.
"No, no… it's bigger than that. It's about how many lives your dinosaurs saved!"
Hoskins turned his back on them, ignoring their glares, and shouted to his men: "Let's get it moving!"
Then he turned back to Owen, his eyes locking onto the trainer's. He lowered his voice, "It's happening. With or without you—"
CRACK!
Hoskins's face collided with Owen's fist for a second time.
"Never look them in the eye," Owen remarked dryly, stepping past the doubling-over Hoskins, who was now clutching his face in a howl of pain.
"I'm leading the team."
…
Inside the command tent, Owen stood before a digital map, issuing orders like a frontline general.
"We can confirm the animal is currently in Sector 5," he said, pointing to a densely forested area on the map.
"We call this 'Hide and Seek' training. It's an olfactory exercise. We've run it with them a thousand times, and we've even had one field exercise."
Owen looked up, surveying the gathered armed mercenaries.
"They will lock onto the target. When they do, do not engage. Wait for the signal to attack."
"Raptors are pack hunters. They'll coral the prey into a kill zone. That's when we open fire."
He raised a finger to emphasize his point.
"One shot, one kill. On my command, give it everything you've got. We have one priority, gentlemen: do not hurt my Raptors. Please."
One of the mercenaries, who seemed to be chewing on something, raised his hand.
"The Giganotosaurus is out there too. What if your Raptors run into him? Can they take him?"
To him, the Giganotosaurus looked even bigger than the Indominus, likely a much harder target to handle.
"No, he's retreated. We don't need to worry about him for now."
A nearby technician had tapped into the monitoring system of the Primeval Ecological Zone. The screen showed Carlo resting near his family.
…
"Easy, Blue."
The four Raptors were secured in specialized mechanical head-stalls. Owen placed his right hand under Blue's chin, checking the head-mounted cameras and sensors the InGen technicians had installed.
He needed to make sure the gear wouldn't cause them discomfort or distract them from the hunt.
"Relax, girl."
Blue let out a low, vibrating growl, showing her distaste for the hardware.
"You don't scare me."
He checked the fit on both sides. The sensors were flush against their skin; they would feel the contact, but it wouldn't cause pain.
"Owen!"
The boys' voices drew him toward the perimeter fence.
"Are they safe?" Gray asked. As a dinosaur enthusiast, he was fascinated by the Raptors, but his primary concern was whether their first act upon release would be to eat him. He remembered Dr. Grant's book mentioning something about them disemboweling prey while it was still alive.
"No, they are definitely not safe," Owen replied. He'd considered a white lie, but then he remembered these two were the kind of "problem children" who could sneak into the Primeval Ecological Zone. He gave them the cold truth to ensure curiosity didn't keep them lingering near the cages.
"What are their names?" Zach asked, his interest finally piqued by the secretive nature of the "assets."
"The one over there with the dark green patterns is Charlie."
"The one with the orange tint is Echo."
"The pale green one is Delta. Her skull is shaped a bit differently from the others; she's easy to spot."
"And this one, with the blue stripes—that's Blue. She's the second-in-command of this family."
Owen's gaze shifted between the four. Having raised them since they hatched, he knew these "troublemakers" inside and out.
"Then who's the Alpha?" Gray asked intently.
"Oh, you're looking at him, kid."
Owen stated it as a matter of fact, which actually made Gray laugh.
"Hey, guys."
Claire's voice came from behind them.
"I've found a safe place for you to wait. You know, just in case the dinosaurs..." She gestured vaguely. She didn't want to finish the sentence, partly because these were Owen's animals, and partly because she didn't want to terrify the boys further.
"Let's go, man," Zach said, patting Gray's shoulder and following Claire. Owen watched from inside the enclosure as they boarded the vehicle.
Moments later, the Raptors were moved into the release chutes for the final preparations.
"Just like last time. Don't be nervous."
Owen held up a cloth-wrapped bundle saturated with the Indominus rex's scent, harvested from the Aviary.
The Raptors exhaled sharp, powerful breaths. They had been through this drill before; they knew exactly what was coming, and they were visibly eager for the hunt.
Owen swung his leg over his motorcycle and signaled the paddock staff.
"Let 'em go!"
BEEP—!
The gates hissed open. The four Raptors surged out of their cages, immediately falling into a tactical formation as they picked up the scent trail.
…
In the Primeval Ecological Zone, Carlo looked up, watching a helicopter pass through the night sky. He then looked down at his "parents," who were already fast asleep.
The scents on the wind were becoming increasingly chaotic, though fortunately, the blood-markers he had laid down earlier hadn't faded.
Tonight was destined to be a long one. However...
Why are you still awake?
Kafka was standing right next to Carlo, looking remarkably alert. She stared back at Carlo like a feathered little night owl.
———————
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