Chapter Text
Owen Grady was a happy, happy man. He was in a great place in his life, honestly; fresh out of an okay, but far from thrilling, stint in the military and with nothing to lose, he had pounced on the opportunity presented to him by Masrani Global. Now that he thought about it, he probably should have at least slept on the offer. He hadn’t even known exactly what they were going to ask him to do, beyond the fact that he’d be working with animals. Though, that was all he really needed. Always had been.
As a kid, Owen was taken with animals of all shapes and sizes, and his love had only grown with him. At thirteen, he had somehow convinced the deer around his home to eat out of his hands; by sixteen, he had raised a baby hawk and trained it to deliver messages and catch mice in the family barn. When a huge forest fire killed his father and razed the farm he had planned to work on for the rest of his life, Owen had gone into the military and worked his way up to a dog trainer. It was fun, rewarding work, work that he was damn good at it, and he loved every animal he trained, but he felt…unfulfilled, like a part of him was pulling away, yanking him towards something special, something bigger.
Well, Owen mused as he made his way down the familiar route to his favorite after-lunch-snack stand, Jurassic World was definitely bigger.
You’ll be working with dinosaurs, of course.
Owen remembered the words like it was yesterday, even though he had been working at Jurassic World for going on six months now.
We’ve heard of your successes with military dogs, teaching them new things, skills other trainers wouldn’t have imagined were possible.
Owen had shrugged off the praise; animals liked him, listened to him, that was all. Sure, he was good, and he’d admit it, but there had to be plenty of other great trainers out there. What kind of animals will I be working with? he had asked.
…dinosaurs…
Of course. His jaw had nearly hit the floor. He had only been ten years old when the first Jurassic Park story hit the news; like any kid his age, the drooled over the thought of real dinosaurs running around, but he hadn't really been old enough to grasp the magnitude of what exactly mankind had accomplished. He hadn’t really followed the opening of Jurassic World; in fact, engrossed as he was in his work, he wasn’t aware that there was another dino park until he was offered a job in it. Now thirty-one, he was about to realize how incredible these accomplishments, these animals, really were.
It’s just basic care, Mr. Grady. You can think of yourself as a glorified zookeeper, if you’d like.
He accepted on the spot, and moved to Isla Nublar two days later.
Now, six months later, Owen was one-hundred percent satisfied with his decision. His job definitely wasn’t pretty, but he was having the time of his life; this particular afternoon found him splattered in mud and who knew what else after taking a his motorcycle out to check on the herbivores of the West Plains. It had rained heavily the night before, but the day always dawned brighter after a stormy night, and the animals seemed to think so too. Huge, lumbering Apatosaurs called in his direction, and Stegosaurs and Triceratops thundered alongside his bike while the Gallimimus easily outstripped him. He weaved among herds of Parasaurolophus and Edmontosaurus, relaying areas that needed cleaning or landscaping to the required crews.
Damn, he loved his job.
“Goooood afternoon, Sue!” Owen beamed across the counter of the ice cream stand, resting one arm on the cool marble. The woman behind the counter shook her head, returning Owen’s smile, her dark eyes twinkling happily.
“You’d better watch out, Mr. Grady,” she replied, fishing a nice ceramic bowl from under the counter. “You’re gonna start putting on weight if you keep eating this stuff after every meal.” Owen grinned. “We’re out of your usual, by the way.”
“Aww!” Owen pushed out his bottom lip in a mock pout, hoisting himself onto one of the barstools fencing the counter. “But you know cookies ‘n’ cream is my favorite…”
Sue sighed dramatically. “It’s a hot day! And the kids love cookies ‘n’ cream.” She gasped, feigning a revelation as she used an oversized ice cream scoop to gesture in Owen’s direction. “That must explain why you like it so much!” The trainer guffawed and rolled his eyes, grinning.
“You’ve found me out! I’m actually a six year old masquerading as a handsome animal wrangler just to fool the nice woman at the ice cream stand. And vanilla-chocolate swirl is fine,” he added as an afterthought.
“More likely you just wanted to get close to the dinosaurs,” Sue said as she turned to scoop his ice cream. “Anyone who knows you knows they’re your first love.” She was still smiling as she slid the bowl down the counter, but Owen could sense the undercurrent of a challenge in the seemingly innocuous words. He shrugged, perhaps a mite unwilling to pry open that particular can of worms.
“What can I say? I like my girls big and scaly.”
He was saved from the wrath of Sue’s raised eyebrows by his radio, which screeched obnoxiously and drew some pointed looks from the park-goers around him. Snatching the irritating thing from his belt, he rattled off the customary greeting, eyes widening slightly as the return message crackled through.
“We need you in Zone L-2, Mr. Grady. As soon as possible, over."
Owen frowned. Zone L-2 was in the restricted section of the island on the North coast; though he often ran patrols though the jungles up there and had helped transfer a few dinosaurs left from the failed park twenty years previous into the new park, he didn’t usually hang around. The restricted section was just that, restricted, and felt like it, the crumbling ruins of John Hammond’s dream looming from the jungle like darkened bones.
“Be there in twenty, over,” he responded, his frown deepening at the reply.
“Make it fifteen. Over and out.”
This was weird. No one in the usual park staff actually said ‘over and out,’ that was so cliché… Only the higher-ups followed protocol like that; it made them feel important, or so Owen thought. Turning to Sue, who had been listening discretely, he grinned and grabbed a plastic spoon from the nearest dispenser. “Guess I better eat this quick!”
Sue smiled a little less enthusiastically. “I would say don’t get a brainfreeze, but…” she teased. Owen flicked a nearby chocolate chip in her direction.
One large bowl of hastily-eaten vanilla-chocolate swirl later, Owen hopped off the stool and waved to Sue, who returned the gesture. “See ya tomorrow!” he said cheerfully, contradicting the little knot of apprehension twisting his gut.
“Yeah…” Sue returned. “Be careful!”
“Always!”
Owen exhaled heavily as he exited into the humid, tropical heat of the park. He would be a little late getting to Zone L-2, but the ice cream was worth it; if whoever wanted him had really wanted him that badly, they would have made him come immediately. Unsure of what to focus on, Owen’s brain flitted between Sue and this mysterious summons. It was obvious the woman cared about him…but Owen really did consider himself married to his work, at least at the moment. He had gone on a few dates – well, one, really – when he had first come to Isla Nublar, but it hadn’t worked out. Though he was fine dating a coworker, this one was a little…not his type. At all. Not even close.
These thoughts drifted to the wayside when Owen mounted his bike, which he had parked in a small staff lot mostly hidden behind the main row of shops and restaurants. If this meeting was what he thought it was, his love life needed to be the last thing on his mind right now. Of course, he could be completely wrong; Jurassic World always seemed to hold surprise after prehistoric surprise around every bend. At least he was never bored.
Zone L-2 consisted of a compound of buildings nestled along the North coast. Owen had never been inside, but as he parked his bike beside one of the distinctly out-of-place buildings, he sensed a lab sort of vibe. The walls were whitewashed and pristine, all but sparkling in the afternoon sunlight, spotless tinted windows preventing peeks from prying eyes. Taking several deep, steadying breaths, the trainer cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, settling into the calm, collected demeanor he had used with his dogs. He honestly doubted it would work on execs or scientists, but it was worth a shot.
He was surprised to find a clump of white-clad lab techs waiting for him just inside the main set of doors.
“Mr. Grady!” The only man in civilian clothes stepped forward and extended his hand; Owen tilted his head in response as he shook the proffered hand. The man seemed nice enough, but there was cunning buried in those eyes, and a fierce intelligence that wasn’t to be taken lightly. “I’m Dr. Henry Wu, and I’ve been told to introduce you to your next assignment.”
Assignment? That was unexpected. Skillfully hiding his surprise, Owen inclined his head once more. “Lead on,” he prompted, hooking his thumbs through the front of his belt.
Dr. Wu smiled, apparently pleased with his response, and began striding around the complex pointing things out as he went. Owen was barely listening; his mind was racing, practically tying itself in knots as he tried to work out some obvious explanation for this unforeseen turn in his previously idyllic life.
The truth was far beyond anything he could have imagined.
“Here we are,” Dr. Wu finally exclaimed, stepping into an immaculate lab that made Owen feel very grubby indeed. A few technicians milled around, though Owen had the distinct feeling they were paying very close attention to himself and Dr. Wu. His eyes snapped to the expensive-looking machine in the middle of the room as the top lifted with a theatrical plume of vapor to reveal four large, off-white eggs nestled against each other and surrounded by some sort of substrate. Owen’s heart jumped into his throat and his gaze flicked from the eggs to Dr. Wu and back.
“Mr. Grady, meet your new pack. Four healthy velociraptors.”
Pack? Velociraptors.
Owen swallowed.
Fuck.