It's Not The Raptor DNA

Chapter 15

"A Problem."

Owen was surprised to see Claire waiting for him by the entrance of the gate along with a tall, dirty blonde man who looked close to his age. The man was a simple jeans, t-shirt, and good ball cap kind of guy; Owen could always get along with those types. He gave a friendly grin as he extended his hand over to Owen, and said, "I was afraid I'd get stuck with a boring neighbor. Good to know you aren't afraid to dive into the paddock."

Owen snorted as he gave a firm handshake, and said, "Thanks for making sure I didn't get munched by Rexy. I know she doesn't take kindly to disturbances in her routine."

Tim waved a hand as he replied, "Ah, Mama doesn't mind a good fight. She just gets tired of hearing the stupid speakers after eight in the evening."

Owen snorted, but turned to Claire as he quietly said, "Elise is with Rexy, I saw her go into Rexy's paddock."

Claire gave a curt nod as she began to walk to her car, and said, "Rexy will keep an eye on her; she'll be fine. We can have Dr. Gerry look at her later, but I want both of you to meet me with the Triceratops Handler."

The two nodded, and Owen swung onto his bike while Tim jumped onto an ATV. Claire gave him an odd look before asking, "You don't want to ride in the air conditioned car?"

Tim gave a sheepish grin as he answered, "I'm not a real fan of cars with sun roofs on them."

Claire blinked, but she shrugged as she got into her car and lead the way down the road. Owen and Tim began to play chicken with one another along the way, and Owen found it hilarious.

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They found the Triceratops Handler, and ACU, by the heavily sedated Triceratops. Her horn was still bleeding, and Owen could see Dr. Gerry's pickup bouncing along the dirt road as he made his way over. Owen glanced at the flustered handler who was biting his lip nervously, and the Commander wasn't doing any better as he was angrily kicking the tire of his idle vehicle.

The group stiffened when a displeased Claire silently stepped from her car, and Tim gave Owen an 'Oh shit' look. Owen couldn't help mirroring the look, but both stood next to Claire as she quietly said, "I want to know exactly what happened. How did a Triceratops break into Paddock Eleven?"

The Commander pulled himself from his armored truck as he growled, "The gate was wide open. She never broke through it. I want to know who left the gate open."

The dark haired man glowered at Owen, and he immediately snapped, "I checked those grates before we put Elise in here. That gate was shut tight, so don't pin it on me. At least I can keep my vehicle functioning."

"It was fine this morning! We have our mechanic inspect it every morning and night."

Claire kept her face straight as she calmly said, "Then have him double check it tonight, and if he missed something, then he gets to have his ass chewed by me. I want to know how you let your guard down enough to get rammed by a Triceratops; they don't run fast."

The Commander curled his lip as he pointed the finger at the Handler, and snapped, "He said they would leave our vehicles alone so long as we maintained a distance from the calves. They're used to the gyrospheres, but that new Alpha went out of her way to destroy the armored car. We didn't even see any calves!"

The sandy haired handler snapped his gaze from his Triceratops, and he immediately retorted, "That's because that Triceratops isn't part of the herd! I have no idea who that animal is, and I have never seen her in my life!"