Abstraction ➳ Owen Grady

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NATURE HAD BEGUN its reclamation of Main Street. Trees were growing from broken windows, vines and shrubs had overtaken everything else. Nature could topple buildings and split stone. This was a firsthand hand glimpse into a world without humans.

Ally drew in a shaky breath and Owen reached over, gripping her hand. A reassurance that calmed her nerves for the moment. Being back on the island brought back a mixture of good and bad memories.

One of Mill's men explained they had already secured many of the dinosaurs on the ship. There were only a couple of species left to sedate and secure, but there were several teams around the island taking care of that. It was a certain Velociraptor that had been giving them issues. She was elusive and cunning. They'd already lost one guy because he'd tracked the raptor into a small hot spring that had been turned to acid because of the volcanic activity. 

The man speaking was interrupted by Zia jumping up from her seat and pushing the back doors of the armored vehicle open wide. "I have to see this." Now that they had stopped moving and silence persisted for a brief second, Ally heard the heavy footfall of a sauropod. She darted out of the vehicle too. 

"Hey!" Someone called from another car. "This area's not secured!" Both Ally and Zia ignored them. Approaching the Innovation Center from the side was an Apatosaurus, fully grown, but easily recognizable to the woman that had raised her. Sue paused at one of the palm trees and bent her neck down, pulling off several fronds. 

"Look at that." Zia gripped onto the straps of her backpack and looked up, awestruck. It was always a moment that would stay with you forever, the first time you saw a living dinosaur. A Stegosaurus had been the first one Ally had seen, living and breathing. She still remembered the feel of the rough, leathery skin beneath her hands.

"I never thought I'd actually get to see one," Zia admitted, eyes never straying from the large herbivore, "she's beautiful."

Alysanne smiled. "Her name is Sue," she commented, watching as one of her girls continued on, uncaring about the unexpected visitors. Owen squeezed her shoulder, in turn, she held onto his hand.

Most of the people had filed out of the vehicles and watched the Apatosaurus pass by with silent appreciation. Being back on the island still felt unreal, but the serene moment quickly passed when the volcano belched up more ash and the ground tremored.

✹✹✹

Franklin and Claire had managed to get the implant tracking system back up and running. From the control outpost, they would be able to help locate Blue. One of the strike teams was already preparing to mobilize and standby for the raptor's coordinates. They wouldn't let her get away this time. 

When the code for the Velociraptor's implant registered, Owen turned and gripped onto Ally's wrist. "You should stay here with them," he told her, not wanting risk any mishaps that might come with a bad encounter with Blue.

She looked at him as if he had sprouted two heads and scoffed. "Nope, I'm coming with you." Before he could protest, she was already heading out the door to load up with the strike team. Owen gave Claire an exasperated looked but when the redhead only shrugged, he turned to follow after her. 

Ally kept her focus on staying calm. It wasn't the dinosaurs that frightened her, but the volcano that loomed overhead. They could hide and outrun a dinosaur, running from an erupting volcano was impossible. 

The monitor that Owen had beeped again as they drew closer. He looked down at the small monitoring screen. It showed Blue was as a red triangle. The vehicle was a green blip closing in on the marker. "We're not getting any closer with these. Stop here," Owen announced, slapping his hand against the window. The driver stopped and the side door slid open. They had already discussed the plan three times over. 

After Blue was located, and Owen had secured her interest, he'd give the signal for them to tranquilizer her and once the raptor was down they'd move in. There was a three-hour window for them to retrieve Blue and get her back to dock. Once she was secured and loaded, they'd set off to Lockwood's personal dock. It was almost foolproof.

Alysanne jumped out of the vehicle behind Owen. He had given up on asking her to stay behind. She was stubborn, but to be honest, he was glad not to be alone. The faint smell of sulfur lingered beneath the dense canopy of the trees. "Owen," she began once they were out of earshot, "I've got a bad feeling about this operation."

Ever since landing on the island and seeing the type and scale of the equipment the covert team had brought, she had been at unease. Wheatley wasn't a good character either. He was in it for the money. That only added to her unease. It was a sinking feeling in her gut that rose again upon their insistence to capture Blue and only Blue.

Owen turned, a branch snapped under his boot sending a small group of saltopus running. "I don't think they're here to rescue them, not really," Ally told him and somehow he already knew she was right.

"Just stay close to me," he breathed as they came across a small clearing. Blue's implant had registered about a hundred feet from their location, but by now that could have changed. It was an overturned vehicle from the first park, almost hidden beneath bushes and small saplings. Several Compsognathuses scattered across the opening and into the trees at their approach.

There was a brief moment of stillness and silence before a screeching Velociraptor jumped onto the undercarriage. Owen startled and pushed Ally behind him, unwilling to take any chances. The grey and blue raptor jumped down and prowled closer, teeth bared.

Owen extended his arm, hand open toward her and pressed his old clicker three times. Her head tilted at the familiar noise. "Hey Blue," he greeted. She sniffed the air, still growling. 

"You know me," he told her. She looked over his shoulder, curious and cautious. Alysanne stepped out from behind Owen and looked at Blue, suddenly feeling as if it were their first meeting all over again. "You know us," he added.

Ally kept her gaze focused on Blue. If she'd taken a quick glance to her right, then maybe she would have seen Mill's men encroaching through the brush. "Come with us, girl," Owen said, voice laden with something forlorn. "You know you can't stay here."

The earth rumbled beneath their feet. Blue inched closer to Owen's outstretched hand, remembering him. But then one of Mill's men fired a tranquilizer dart into Blue's neck. The raptor turned her head and screeched, going into a delirious rage. Owen pushed Ally behind him again and raised his hands toward the men who were encircling them with guns aimed. They hadn't listened to or trusted him to do his part. 

"I told you to wait for my signal!" He snapped as the team came out of the trees. Owen glanced at Wheatley, knowing what was about to happen if they continued coming closer to Blue. He extended his arms to the side and crouched. "Back your men up, right now," he instructed.

They didn't listen. The sedative hadn't taken full effect yet, and Blue turned her head toward one of the men who had his dart gun raised. Owen shoved Ally back to the ground and landed on top of her at the same time the raptor leaped and pinned the man the ground. Gnashing her teeth in his face, sickle claw sinking deep into his thigh.

Ally saw the man pushing back with the dart gun with one arm and reaching for his pistol with the other. She dashed forward. "Don't shoot her!" Dr. Sattler shouted, but Owen wrapped his arms around her waist and hauled her back.

The gunshot echoed through the rainforest and then Blue's pained yelp followed as the raptor fell, unmoving. Alysanne and Zia rushed over to where Blue had fallen. The bullet had entered at her hip and was bleeding badly. She wouldn't make it if they didn't treat her soon. 

Ally stood and turned toward Wheatley, anger bubbling up in her chest. If they had just listened and stuck to the plan, this would have been avoided. "You bastard!" Dr. Sattler shouted, not backing down as she stomped toward the leader. One his men rammed the butt of his tranquilizer gun into her temple when Wheatley gave the signal. She went limp in a matter of seconds.

This had been the plan all along. "Ally!" Owen slipped his arms beneath her, stopping her from hitting the ground like a rock. He looked up at Wheatley, fuming. "You son of a bitc-" the statement would be left unfinished. Owen Grady glanced down and pulled the tranquilizer dart out of his shoulder, but it was already too late. 

He hit the ground next to Ally, face first.