#ray arnold

Chapter 37 | Chapter 39

Youth Gone Wild - Skid Row

“Jesus.” Arnold groaned as he watched the attack footage for the tenth time, at least. “Man, oh man.”

The Big One appeared to just…snap. He didn’t know a Hell of a lot about animal behaviour, sure. But he didn't need to. It was integrating politely with the others, sniffing the ground, and then-

Carnage. 

As if one of the others had crossed some invisible boundary.

He paused and rewound again, shaking his head. 

The smaller monitor beside him showed the live feed, the grainy figure of Lizzy arriving on the scene, far too late. 

“How many dead?” She panted, swallowing down the metallic taste in her mouth. The air rushing in had felt like her throat was being sandblasted, she'd pushed herself so hard to run faster, trying to get to the paddock in time to make a difference.

“I don’t know.” Muldoon answered distantly.

She tried a more positive angle. ”How many alive?”

”I still don’t know.” He was peering into the paddock, trying to find a viewpoint that would allow him to see through to the ground. “More worried about those that are somewhere between the two.”

Fortunately, he'd had the presence of mind to reach for his gun, not trusting that he wouldn't have a job to do by the time it was all over.

"Between-" Lizzy cocked her head. “What’s that noise?”

There was a high-pitched keening carried on the air, not like any island bird she'd ever heard.

”It’s them.” Kathy was distraught. “The in-betweens.” It was somehow worse, not being able to see the destruction, just the odd spray of deep arterial crimson on the nearest branches. Only being able to imagine the untold suffering that had occurred, that in the end they had been powerless to prevent.

For all their planning, worrying, thinking through all possible scenarios, it hadn't changed a thing.

“Do we suppose it was her?” As the words left her mouth Lizzy realised she didn't know for whose benefit she was asking. "Is she-"

Injured? Dead?

”Not to jump to conclusions or anything, but I think we both know it was her.” Muldoon answered, with a grim kind of awe. “The others would have done it before now.”

Lizzy felt terrible for him. He’d finally looked away. 

Arnold took a deep breath before he pressed the tannoy button and prepared to relay the message he knew his colleagues were dreading. 

"Folks, the biggest one is still alive." His voice boomed into the paddock. "And unharmed, from the looks of things.”

Did they try and fight back? Or was 2308 simply that quick, to take on the other seven before they even realised what was happening?

Muldoon cursed under his breath. He might have started Believing if the Big One had been taken out. He was sure he would have managed to find it within himself to get over the loss. 

Would have saved me a job. 

A high shriek rose from the raptor pen.

In his sanctum, Arnold turned away from the screens at what he'd just witnessed, reaching for the trash can, stifling a retch with the back of his hand. He wasn't ready to relay that to the animal handlers, nosiree.

“Oh, poor baby.” Kathy began to rock from foot-to-foot. “Oh no, no, no-“

She was wringing her hands at the fact that she couldn’t do anything. Couldn’t comfort the animal in distress.

There was only one way.

”Please, Rob, you have to stop it.” Begged the famously anti-gun Kathy Baker. “Please.”

”I fully intend to, with or without your say-so.” Though it helped to have her sign-off.

“Quickly.” She urged, a tad hysterically.

”Just a few moments, alright? Still need to be safe.” Muldoon busied himself with checking the gun, reassuring her quietly. “Then it’ll be sorted. I’m truly sorry to be doing this, I know you all care for them deeply.”

“They can’t suffer.” Lizzy said simply. “Needs to be done.”

“Christ.” He heaved a deep sigh as he raised the stock to his shoulder. “All that and she didn’t even bother to finish the job.”

“Hold it!” Richardson's clipped English accent roared over the frequency. "Come in Team Carnivores, come in now-“

“Nobody answer that." Muldoon deliberately clicked his radio off. "And Baker, don’t look.”

The other animal handlers followed suit, clicking their radios off one at a time.

Muldoon listened carefully to the noises from the enclosure, zeroing in, then fired into the patch of foliage and a death-scream was abruptly cut short.

Richardson stormed up, out of breath and looking especially ruddy in the face. ”Stop! We need to get Harding in there, now!”

He strode forwards and took hold of the barrels of the shotgun, pointing them skywards. Muldoon let him, though careful to keep a firm hold. The Animal Supervisor was just asking for a faceful of lead, being careless like that.

“For him to do what, exactly?” The park warden argued. “The same thing I’m doing, just twenty minutes later? If they don’t bleed out before then!”

Richardson glanced at the gathered crowd, both Team Carnivores and Herbivores alike, all watching him curiously for the outburst that would follow.

”Does nobody else think this is insane?” He rounded on the group. “The first sign of difficulty and you’re blasting that rifle like nobody’s business-“

”It’s a shotgun.” Kennedy muttered. 

“I gave you plenty warnings this would happen-“ Muldoon tried to reason.

“A bloody rifle is not the answer to all of life’s problems. This is not your private trophy-hunting session!"

”It’s a shotgun.” Lizzy and Kathy said in tandem. 

“If you think I am stuffing and mounting one of these anywhere near where I sleep, you can think again."

”You are blowing millions of dollars worth of animal to smithereens!” Richardson stamped, actually stamped his foot. “We can’t plead natural causes for Hammond’s sake if they all have bullet holes!”

”They’re too far gone.” Muldoon stood his ground. “They are suffering.”

”But they might get better with treatment!” Richardson doubled down. “Give them a chance!”

“I have given them a chance! And how do you propose we get them out of there, hm?” Muldoon gently but firmly took his gun back. “Are you volunteering? Be my guest, Animal Supervisor, to go in that paddock and assess the situation!”

Richardson spluttered for a moment before raising his voice again. “That enclosure is too small!”

”You think I didn’t tell them that?”

“Boss, got another one over here.” Tom jerked his head and pointed into the enclosure. 

”Don’t you-“ Richardson threatened. 

"Let me do my job." Muldoon was glad of the interruption. "They're my animals, not yours. I have a duty to them."

He lined up and fired another shot into where Tom had pointed. 

”God in Heaven-“

”God’s got nothing to do with it, pal.” Tom said bluntly.

Lizzy wasn't sure what Richardson looked more offended by: Muldoon being called Boss, or himself being called pal. And where Lizzy was from, pal was often not a term of endearment.

The park warden clicked his radio back on. “Arnold, how many left?”

The groaning had stopped.

“Three.” Came the unhappy reply, scratchy, as if he’d been coughing. “Give the computer a few minutes to confirm, but I think there's three, ugh…over.”

”She killed all but two of the others.” Muldoon looked around for Lizzy. “Christ.” 

"This is a big problem." She tried to keep her expression in check, to not show Team Herbivores how much she was internally floundering.

"Yes, she is." Muldoon nodded. "You want to know the worst part?"

She looked up at him inquisitively.

"Hammond will love it."

A chill went down the back of Lizzy's neck. "Well, you know him better than I do."

Five dead. Two potentially wounded. One unscathed. 

Their survival rate was still marginally better than the incubations at Site B.

But the living raptors weren't out of the woods yet. Infection set in fast in the tropics. Even a small wound could mean a slow, agonizing death in a matter of days. They only had a matter of hours to treat injuries, or things would get real complicated, real fast. It was due to the rotting meat trapped under claws and between teeth, a film of bacteria easily transferred to the next victim.

“Arnold, scan whoever’s still standing, top to bottom. Any open wounds, Harding will need to deal with. I’ll figure out the how later.” Muldoon thought about having to stalk the raptors one by one. He'd need Kennedy with him, possibly Armstrong too. They'd have to tranquilize them all at once to be able to enter the pen safely. 

And they’d have to be certain, beyond shadow of a doubt, before they set foot in the paddock, that all the raptors were immobilised, no tricks.

The thought of the big one charging at Lizzy, her body taking the full force of the attacks that up until now had been directed at the fences, made him feel quite ill.

Charging elephants in Namibia was one thing, these raptors were a very different kind of terror. 

“We never have these sorts of problems with the Herbivores.” He overheard Richardson grumbling. “We’ve integrated herds with no issues.”

Not true, Lizzy thought. The triceratops had to be kept in small groups or they would fight. Isaac told us. 

”Of course you don’t.” Muldoon turned to argue back. “But your stegosaurs are almost always sick, I’ve seen the reports.”

And, Harding tells me everything worth knowing. 

”Not almost always.” Richardson instantly became defensive. “Every six weeks.”

”And you don’t think that’s even more strange?” Muldoon questioned. “There is an ethologist here who could probably help you with that.”

”I don’t need Elizabeth’s help. Gerry is dealing with it.” Richardson gestured widely. “As he should be dealing with this. How are you retrieving the bodies?”

The tropical climate and insect population would no doubt take care of it. 

”We’re not.” Muldoon ground out. “Once again, be my guest to waltz in there with a wheelbarrow. See what happens.”

The sounds of their argument faded away as Lizzy picked her way around the edge of the paddock, trying to catch a glimpse of the remaining raptors. What good was a pixelated still on a camera feed, when they should be checking in person, as much as they coul-

The smell that was becoming all too familiar recently hit her nostrils, barging it's way against her olfactory nerve.

The smell of rot, of death.

Lizzy paused and exhaled, trying to still her body. 

It took her a moment to pick out an amber eye, and slightly open jaws as she scanned the ferns and moss in front of her.

She was there.

Blending in with the undergrowth, but there nonetheless.

Fresh blood, already clotting, fell in thick, lumpy droplets from her mouth, making a heavy pat-pat noise on the ferns beneath.

Lizzy braced for the attack, but to her surprise, the raptor did not charge the fence, but merely watched her with interest, studying her.

The ethologist came to her senses when she heard the muffled shouts of Armstrong! Lizzy! and Liz! from further down the fenceline. 

They regarded each other for a moment longer, Lizzy the first to break eye contact as she stumbled back to her colleagues. 

Just give me the opportunity. 

I’ll get you, one day. 

***

Dennis Nedry drummed his fingers anxiously on his knees under the mahogany table.

No tablecloths, nothing to hide or cover up. This place was fancy fancy. He cast a dubious glance over his entrée, having been urged to get whatever you want, Biosyn's paying. He'd nodded and ordered the lobster, which then felt like a terrible cliché. The feast was poisoned, or would curse him blind as soon as he touched it. 

This was a nice place. A mighty fine place. And he stuck out like a sore thumb, in his best shirt, which still wasn’t anywhere near good enough for the company present. There was a maître d' here, for Chrissakes.

But nobody seemed to care for his appearance, the staff, other diners. It was as if he and the man sitting opposite him were invisible. 

His face was unremarkable, and he had a name now: Lewis Dodgson. 

“Why’d you come to my apartment?” Nedry asked, still wary. 

“We’ve been trying to contact you for a while, but your ‘phone was disconnected, and you clearly aren’t reading your mail.”

Nedry’s face burned. How many other bribes were buried in his unopened pile of bills and overdue notices? 

This dinner was exactly that: a bribe, showing off. He’d graduated magna cum laude from MIT, he wasn’t stupid. Look what you could have, all this. 

He had used what remained in his bank account after rent to get himself presentable once he’d read the note slipped under his door. And now here he was, gambling yet again. 

“I hear you’re desperate.” Dodgson pried. His shirt didn’t even have a brand label on it.  

“I bid too low for the InGen contract.” Nedry muttered sheepishly. “Didn’t think it was that big a deal. Won’t make that mistake again.”

“Shame Hammond thinks your work is worth so little.” Dodgson picked apart his insecurities as a trained pathologist dissecting a corpse. “Is that not terribly embarrassing for you?”

Yes, it was. 

Nedry placed a forkful of lobster in his mouth. Under the sauce, it wasn't actually that good. He'd tasted far better on vacation in Maine, from a simple waterside shack.

“Do you even know what they’re keeping on that island, Dennis?” Dodgson's tone was a little sharp, and Nedry's head jerked upwards, the feeling that he'd committed some kind of fine dining faux-pas looming large.

He shrugged. “It’s a job. I don’t get paid enough to ask questions. I built the system, that’s all.”

“You barely get paid to do that much.” Dodgson took Nedry's own wine glass out of his hand as he was in the process of taking a sip and placed it back on the mahogany table, his mouth turning downwards slightly in annoyance. “Dinosaurs, Dennis. Real, live dinosaurs.”

Nedry just blinked at him. There it was, the man was clearly nuts! He was going to ask him to meet him in the gents in a matter of seconds-

”Okay…” He pulled his napkin from his shirt collar and made to stand up to leave. “Well, thanks buddy-“

“Sit down." Dodgson hissed.

There was just enough caution in his tone for Nedry to pause, think twice, and sullenly do as he was told.

"I’m serious." The Biosyn rep continued. "DNA engineering isn’t the next big thing. It’s happening now. Guaranteed win.”

Nedry considered. That was true enough, by the time research papers were published these days, the discoveries contained were already several steps out of date. Advances were happening far too fast. 

But, dinosaurs…

It did kind of make sense. He’d seen blueprints, enclosures built to contain something big. Miles and miles of moats and electric fence. It was either a high-security prison, or Dodgson just might be telling the truth. 

”I mean, I always knew it was something high-profile to do with genetics. But I signed an NDA.”

“There you go, see. You always knew.” Dodgson nodded reassuringly. 

"What do you want from me, buddy?" Nedry still had a bad feeling. "I'm just in computers, I'm no geneticist."

"At the moment, nothing. Just your trust."

"No offense, but that doesn't seem proportional to...all this." He pointed at the harp player plucking out some classical music in the corner of the room. He didn't recognise the piece.

”Hear me out. I see you’re a man of the world, driving a hard bargain.” Lewis Dodgson held up his hands. “Let’s talk numbers.”

“If you say spare-no-expense-” Nedry’s eye twitched. His expenses had decidedly not been spared. 

“How does seven-fifty sound?” 

”Seven-hundred-and-fifty dollars?” He queried. “Per week?” 

Hell, he’d consider it at this point.

Dodgson was shaking his head condescendingly. ”No, Dennis. Seven-hundred-and-fifty thousand.”

The latest bite of lobster was almost inhaled in his shock. “Come again?”

”Upfront.” Dodgson's tone didn't change at all when discussing massive sums of money, Nedry marvelled. “Same again on delivery. One big, tax-free windfall.”

“One-point-five-million dollars?” He stammered. “Did I- did I hear that right?”

The bad feeling evaporated quickly. Ten years on his current salary. All his money problems wiped out, virtually overnight. No more final notice, overdue, prosecution imminent letters being shoved into his apartment. 

Dennis Nedry, millionaire. Now that sounded a whole lot better than Nerdy Nedry, loser. Now he felt as if he were King Midas. 

Everything I touch.

“What do you say, Dennis?”

"I'd say-" 

Dodgson waited, one eyebrow raised. Half waiting for the thanks, no thanks or the screw you buddy. But he was confident in his bet. He’d done it before, multiple times. An already irate, desperate employee was easily bent to his will. Moral compasses were easily demagnetised by dollar signs. 

”-that this calls for a toast.” Nedry picked up his glass. “To…restoring the balance.”

“To Biosyn.” Dodgson smiled.

“To Biosyn.” The programmer echoed. "Hey, how about some cigars, to really seal the deal?"

"Of course, Dennis."

Nedry's eyes widened, he'd only been joking. But Hell, he could get used to this.

Got him. 

***

“What are you lot moping around for?” Muldoon appeared at the top of the visitor centre steps. “It’s happened now. Get yourselves to the canteen."

Lizzy, Tom and Kathy were silently taking turns skipping stones across the lake in the dusk, disturbing clouds of mosquitoes. 

“Why are you so upbeat?” Kathy rolled her eyes. “This is pretty high up there in terms of worst days ever.”

”Well, it can’t get much bloody worse, can it?”

”You’re never happy unless you’re miserable, Boss.” Tom pointed out.

”I know why.” Lizzy turned around to face him. ”Vindication. You were right.”

”I was right.” Muldoon said with more than a little satisfaction. “Actually, I know exactly what you three need.”

"And I dread to think of what that involves, that lumps us in the same category as Liz." Tom whispered to Kathy, who chuckled.

Three questioning looks were directed his way.

”We’re all going for a drive.”

***

”So this is where you two go when you disappear, huh?” Tom acted his best real-estate agent, running a finger along the nearest fallen log to check for dust. “This is cosy. Love what you’ve done with the place.”

”I didn’t even know this was back here.” Kathy was staring upwards at the stars, trying to orient herself. "Is that the rex I can hear?"

"She's snoring." Lizzy smiled.

Watching, Muldoon got the feeling the four of them were getting closer together, but further apart from the rest of the animal handlers. It was a sacrifice he could live with. He’d built a good team, a solid team. Trust like that didn’t just happen overnight, he could count on any one of them.

"So what do we do now?" Tom shrugged, evidently waiting for something miraculous to happen. "I don't feel any better yet."

"Requires a bit of self-reflection." Lizzy sat herself down on the ground. 

"Maybe it's like a Quaker meeting." Kathy mused aloud. "You stay silent unless the spirit moves you to say something, and then you have to say it."

Lizzy bit her lip hard, fighting back a cackle. She was pretty sure even if the spirit was actively shoving Muldoon, he wouldn't say anything unless he wanted to. But she loved her friend's interpretation of what she thought they got up to.

“Okay, uh...I nearly played football.” Tom blurted out. “Professionally. Scholarship and everything.”

“You did?” Kathy was shocked. “You’ve never told me that before.”

He hadn’t. Mostly because of the inevitable follow-up questions. 

”Yeah, Houston Cougars. Wide-receiver.”

Lizzy shook her head. ”I don’t know enough about football-“

”Means I’m fast. Pretty damn fast, in-fact.” Tom puffed out his chest. “Held the state record for the forty-yard dash for a coupla years. Got scouted for the Cowboys.”

”What happened?” Kathy couldn’t believe her ears. “Why were you in Costa Rica, instead of tearing down that pitch at the Rose Bowl?”

“Things got real bad for my mama ‘round about the time I was packin’ up to leave for Dallas.” His entire demeanour changed. "So I quit. No-brainer, really."

They let him talk.

“Got a job at Houston Zoo instead.” He continued after a deep breath. “So I could stay close to her. Custodial.”

“Janitor.” Kathy murmured in response to Lizzy’s quizzical look.

“Man, I saw some things that made the mess today look tame.” Tom pulled a face. “Kids are gross. Adults are grosser, actually. But then I covered on big cats one day when the head keeper was off sick, and it kinda snowballed.” 

“What about your old man?” Muldoon surprised everyone by filling the next silence.

“I sat out on the porch every night with a shotgun across my knees until he tried his luck.” The Texan smirked. “Popped him in the shin when he came back. Now he has a reason to drink.”

Lizzy chanced a look at Muldoon, trying to gauge his reaction. Something akin to respect, or pride, even.

“This is my first time…away.” Tom continued. “I ain’t ever even been on vacation outside Texas.”

"Hon-" Kathy reached out for his arm.

"Hell, I ain't ever really been on vacation, period. Shame you’re a Vikings fan, Kit-" He smiled at her, nostalgia tugging at his memories. “When you could have had real live Dallas Cowboy.”

”I got a cowboy.” She immediately answered with determination. “A damn good one.”

”You don’t mean goshdarn?” Tom clutched at his heart.

”No, I mean damn.” She gently slapped his hand away. "I just know your mama is so proud of you."

Lizzy suddenly got the feeling she was intruding, and quickly turned her head. Her vision became a little blurry and she hurriedly blinked the emotion away. 

Her mother was a lost cause, but she wished she knew if her father was proud of her. What she'd give.

“I was on the field at college football games too.” Kathy admitted.

”Cheerleader?” Tom wolf-whistled.

"No." She took a deep breath. “I was in band.”

“What’d you play?” 

"Okay, I don't like this anymore-"

"You will tell us what instrument you played, Baker." Muldoon ordered sternly. "You're only making us want to know more."

Kathy looked around in horror, clearly expecting the park warden to either take her side or say nothing. 

“French horn!" She screeched and covered her face with her hands. “You’re so nosey!”

“Of course.” Tom slapped his leg. “Ya big dork. Did you have the uniform?”

”I sure did. Hat and everything.”

”Bet you still looked hot.”

"No-" Kathy shook her head sadly. " I had braces too."

”Braces? Teeth or pants?” The Texan held her at an arms length. “Aw jeez. Either way, hard pass, kiddo.”

"Worth it, you have the most perfect teeth I have ever seen." Lizzy chimed in, not thinking. It was the wrong thing to say, it drew attention to her.

“Your turn, Liz.”

”I haven’t got anything else worth telling.”

Lie.

“I’m sure that’s not true.” Kathy scoffed. “C’mon, it’s us.” 

Make something up so they leave you alone.

Lizzy shifted with unease. "Do you know what, I can't even remember anything right now."

Lie lie lie.

It’s them, why can't you tell them?

“Nuh-uh, not buying it.” Tom pressed. 

Lizzy lashed out. "It's need to know, okay? And you don't need to know."

"What the Hell is-" Tom raised his voice until Kathy hurried to her feet and stood between them. 

"It's fine. We don't need to know. But it would be nice to."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, spell broken.

"So..." Tom dug the toe of one of his boots into the dirt. “Don’t you think it’s crazy they freak out more over a dead dinosaur than a dead employee?”

“Tom!”

”What?! That’s factually what happened. He’s dead, he died. We had a funeral.”

“You don’t need to say died.” Kathy hissed out of the side of your mouth. 

”You’re right, he didn’t pass away, Kit.” The Texan nodded. “He was basically slaughtered.”

”For once, I agree with Kennedy.” Muldoon agreed. “Let’s not diminish what happened because we don’t like saying the word. Give it the respect it deserves.”

“Why are we here?” Tom began to pace the clearing in a wide circle. “Why are any of us still on this goddamn island?”

“Because-“ Lizzy said slowly. “I worry more about what would happen if I wasn’t here.”

“That’s just it. Could you in good conscience let a completely new team of people handle something like what happened today?” Muldoon posed the question. 

”I mean…out of sight, out of mind right?” Tom shrugged. 

Muldoon looked like he was working up to say something meaningful. “You three-“

Lizzy started beaming-

”-have made my life Hell.”

Her face fell. 

“You less so, Baker.”

Kathy stifled a delighted squeak.

”You two only just get on. Nearly as bad as those bloody raptors.” He nodded at Tom and Lizzy. “I locked you both in a cleaning cupboard.”

“Good times.” Tom reminisced. “Made a real breakthrough that day.”

”But I can think of worse people to endure this Hell with. So, there’s that.”

His words hung in the air, along with the moths and mosquitoes above them.

“Oh, you’re done.” Kathy had been waiting for more, but there wasn’t any. “Gonna miss that, I have to admit. The never-ending pessimism.”

“I am-“ Muldoon started. 

”Never disappointed.” The other three said in chorus.

Tom and Kathy wandered off to the edge of the clearing, listening to a noise the rex was making in her sleep.

I think that was a pep talk. 

“Not happy about being put on the spot?” Muldoon nudged Lizzy’s arm.

”Was this your way of dealing with me?”

”Sort of.” He shrugged. “Stopped you thinking about your impending lawsuit for a while, didn’t it?”

Lizzy took a measured breath. “Granted.” 

Ah yes, the lawsuit. 

“Look, I’ll tell when I’m ready.” She said firmly. “We have time.”

”As long as you don’t keep waiting until someone else brings it up on your behalf.” He gave her a very meaningful glance. “I’m not often shocked, Lizzy.”

”Oh, I think I might manage to shock you yet.”

She thought back to their earlier conversations. It was true, she didn’t want InGen to have the leverage. One day, she’d tell.

Soon.

Tom and Kathy circled back to them. 

“This going for a drive thing…I get it now.”

”It’s an alternative, for sure.” Tom agreed, realising too much time had elapsed since he last insulted Lizzy. “What are you lookin’ at, four-eyes?”

She grinned. In reality, there was nobody else she’d rather be enduring Hell with. 

***

“This is grim news indeed, my boy.” John Hammond stood in front of the window in his bungalow, gazing through the blinds at the landscape of his island. 

Gennaro had called a meeting, since he felt the news of the raptor massacre justified breaking in-person. 

”I warned all of you.” Muldoon got his statement in early. “The paddock was too small for eight.”

"What happened?" Hammond was upset, he always took the loss of an asset heavily. “I understand we have it on video?”

"The lone female we tried to integrate, she didn’t like her new companions.” The park warden explained. "The most worrying thing is she didn't give them a warning, she went straight to offensive. To cause damage."

To kill.

”Very interesting.” Hammond nodded. “The ethologist didn’t pick up on that in time?”

Gennaro and Muldoon shared a glance. Of course, directly prior to the attack Dr Armstrong had been rather preoccupied. 

It was like the big raptor knew they’d finally stopped watching, though that was of course impossible. Just bad luck, he kept telling himself. 

She'd picked off five in record time, one-by-one, almost methodically. The remaining two, the smallest, had fallen into line. Perhaps those two were the most intelligent, smart enough not to challenge, to take orders from her.

Which in a way was so much worse. 

“There was no warning.” He repeated. 

Muldoon left out the part that was haunting him most. As starving as the big raptor was, she hadn’t killed the others for food. 

She killed them, then snapped at the smaller two for moving away. Encouraged them to eat start their siblings, while they were still alive. 

He hadn’t shown Baker, it had been bad enough to make Arnold lose his lunch. But he’d called Armstrong through to look. She’d watched, blanched white, then abruptly hit eject on the tape by herself, head in her hands.

“Is it bad?”

“Cannibalism in animals is surprisingly common. In response to stress or to reduce competition. But this, I can’t make sense of. It’s more like she’s-“

“Proving a point. She could have easily killed them outright, she’s much stronger than them. But she half-arsed the job.”

“Exactly.” Lizzy agreed. “There’s no competition here. Short of looking directly into the cameras, it’s like she’s saying I can do whatever I want. Watch me.”

”Which shouldn’t be possible?”

Dolphins, parrots, apes were all known for playing games with their handlers. For even being capable of understanding a joke. Was this just one big joke to her? I killed all my siblings, isn’t that funny? 

”Correct. That’s higher animal intelligence. Just as we thought.” Lizzy moved to lie on the floor, to think better. “And if she simply wanted to be alone again, why did she keep two?”

“Pets.” Muldoon offered without humour. 

True, captive snakes sometimes allowed their live rodent food to co-habitate with them. Nobody really knew why. 

”Or maybe she’s just saving them for later.” Lizzy postulated. “If I could do some more studies-“

“If you go near that pen I will do things to you, Armstrong, that don’t bear thinking about.”

She raised her head up off the floor. “…I’m not hearing a no?”

The look he gave her-

Ed Regis saying something foolish brought Muldoon back to the present. 

”Yes, I want them all fitted with radio collars, immediately.” Hammond ordered. “And have Henry Wu tell Sorna to double their efforts."

"Excuse me?" Muldoon glanced around at his colleagues, but nobody else seemed shocked. 

"We’re only a few months away from opening, we need more animals.” The park’s founder justified. "These are arguably one of our most interesting attractions, and now there are only three."

Radio collars? He couldn’t be serious.

"So you want to add more, when 2308 is a proven killer of humans, and now her own kind?" Muldoon foresaw so many issues. "Unless Wu can breed them to be more submissive, those three may very well be the limit. We will have exactly the same problem over and over again.”

But he saw an opening.

"Unless, you give me the go-ahead to retire her since she’s unsound." The park warden said carefully. “Treat the Big One as an outlier, and start again.”

“I think you’ve retired enough of my property this week, Robert. No more.” Hammond’s voice was tight. 

Damn, he'd pushed too hard.

“I wish I could breed the women here to be more submissive.” Richardson said needlessly. “You can wrangle Elizabeth, can’t you? Surely the raptor is nothing in comparison.”

Hammond had more or less let him do as he pleased in Kenya. Trusted him to manage things. Muldoon didn’t understand why he was intent on interfering so much this time around.

Perhaps, because in Kenya he was definitively the wildlife expert. And on Nublar, there were no experts who studied the living animal. They were improvising. 

“We have another problem, sir. There are…rumblings.” Gennaro was suitably vague. 

“Donald?”

”I have concerns that there may be obstacles to the opening of this theme park.” The lawyer looked uncomfortable. “I am seriously concerned the biggest resistance will come from our own employees, which my firm will not take kindly to. Could make the investors nervous, if anything gets out.”

“This is why a non-disclosure is part of the employment contract.” Regis waved his hand. “Can’t prove anything if they can’t talk about it.”

“They’re not wrong though.” Muldoon tried his luck again. “While we’re all in the same room-“

“No, no.” Hammond sighed. “You’ve made your opinions very clear, repeatedly. We all know you’re an alarmist.”

There was a nervous chuckle from Regis in the corner. 

“Richardson, you’re in charge of clearing the air internally.” Continued Hammond. “I trust your own team is not in any danger of, er…mutiny, and the other team only has three people, one of whom is leaving us in a couple of months.”

”Yes, there are only three.” Muldoon fixed Regis with a stare so intense that he quickly pulled the rim of his cap down to hide his face. 

“Hm, yes. Perhaps you could take some guidance from Michael on retaining staff. Why is your Team Leader leaving, Robert?” Hammond became interested. “After less than a year with InGen? Bit disappointing.”

“To work somewhere that will appreciate her talents.” He didn’t hold back. “Smithsonian.”

“Good for her.” Gennaro murmured, looking up with interest.” “I didn’t know it was the Smithsonian.”

“She’s very intelligent. Hard to believe, I know.”

”Recruitment costs a dime these days. Need to fill the gap.” Ed Regis grumbled. 

“Got any more girlfriends hold up in Africa you can hire, under the radar?” Richardson examined his fingernails. 

”I didn’t know Doctor Armstrong from Africa.” Muldoon wondered if he knew Namibia and Kenya were several thousand miles apart.

“But you certainly know her in Costa Rica.”

Fuck it.

“Fine, I’ll ask her out for you.”

Gennaro snorted. 

”Oh, you-…you-“ Richardson scowled.

“Now, now-“ It was Hammond that intervened. “Lads, please. Worse than a bloody classroom.”

“If you want Baker to stay that badly, have you tried offering her a promotion, or a raise?” Muldoon had truly had enough. “Or even a hello?”

”She’ll outrank you, in that case. We can’t really have a blaa-haa-“ Richardson remembered the existence of Hammond’s Haitian assistant in the nick of time and hurriedly cleared his throat. “-er, blue-collar woman running things on this island.”

“Why not? All the dinosaurs are female, why don’t we go for a clean sweep?”

Richardson didn’t have an answer. “Because.”

”Because.” Muldoon nodded. “I see.”

“I think expecting the entire staff to be female is a bit unrealistic.” Hammond thought for a moment. “On that note, won’t you be bringing your own charming daughter out here for the grand opening. Honour, isn’t it?”

He had already known his daughter would be remaining in the relatively-safe-by-comparison Kenya while the park’s accident record was filling up at an alarming pace.

“I’ll have Regis sort everything out, gratis of course, as a favour. She won’t be the only young’un. My grandchildren will be here too, of course.”

“I think not, Mr Hammond. We’ll be busy enough that week.”

“Hm, I see. Shame.”

The room waited, holding their breath to see if Hammond would explode or not. Instead he gave himself a little shake and carried on. 

“Where were we? Ah, yes…As for clearing the air externally, with investors and such-…well, I’m open to ideas gentlemen. This park must open. The children must see the wonders we have created!”

There were several long moments of everyone present either staring at the ceiling, or down at their shoes.

”I might have an idea on how we deal with that-“ Regis cracked a lop-sided smile. “We’ve got contacts, don’t we? In the palaeontology field? Leave it with me.”

***