Chapter Text
JURASSIC PARK RANGER HEADQUARTERS
Eddie Carr could only stare at the creature in front of him. His hands shaking as he looked into the eyes of the one creature that could get him to where he needs to go. Sarah the pteranodon only looked at him with curiosity but won’t let him near her.
“Why does she keep looking at me that way?” Eddie whispered to Henry who had an amused look on his face. Henry remained silent as they watched her eat her meal of fresh tuna caught off the coast. They had since taken the saddle off of her to allow her to rest her wings. The pterosaur chittered at Eddie but the man was highly confused by it until Henry whispered, “She is interested but you are not giving her the proper signals.” at Eddies sideways glance Henry started laughing as he walked away leaving Eddie to look up at her at a loss.
MEANWHILE
“So Gary those tunnels that Alan mentioned in his notes what more can you tell me about them?” Ray said to him.
Gary managed to pull up the map of Isla Sorna and the many tunnels that go across the island.
“Well I can tell you that the tunnels predate INGEN. It was only within the past few years that INGEN has been using them,” Gary replied as he pulled up an older map from the Costa Riccan Government. Before he could go any further the doors behind them opened and Henry walked in. noticing the map he looked at Ray with a question in his gaze.
“Gary and I have been going over the maps. According to his research the tunnels predate INGEN coming to Isla Sorna. It has been primarily been used by the Costa Riccan Military back in World War II in case the Japanese tried to attack them. They were also worried about the Argentinians and the Chileans launching their own attacks. So they and the government of Panama created this place to be a sort of Naval Outpost.” Ray replied as the old maps showed the tunnels and what were the buildings back then.
“So those tunnels that I ran into what were the mainly used for?” Henry asked. Ray then turned to the old map.
“The tunnels were mainly used for transporting supplies without being seen. That way any sort of enemy forces won’t know that the island is occupied. That way if there was a landing the military can come in and clean house,” Ray replied and then the map showed that of INGEN used to take over the tunnels.
“So far when INGEN bought the island from Costa Rica. They used the tunnels to transport animals and supplies needed to the facilities across the island. The many doorways here show that if there was a natural disaster the tunnels would provide refuge with emergency shelters along the way. However some of those tunnels collapsed when those mercenaries came and slaughtered everyone. From what I see here on the cameras it looked like they were trying to prevent people from escaping,” said Gary as he showed them the cameras that were still active.
“Hey Gary can you get me a copy of the footage from when the attack happened maybe we can shed some light as to what is going on?” Ray asked his friend. As if a fire lit under his ass Gary looked more then excited when he turned around and began to type furiously onto the keyboard.
Henry and Ray were left looking at the broken object in front of them.
“So which one of us is going to drop it off on Sarah?” he said to him and Henry then looked towards the other member with them. On the monitors near Sarah’s roost was Eddie as he was making his way out of the observation booth.
Much to the interest of the pteranodon.
“How interesting,” Henry said to them.
MEANWHILE
Eddie co uld not help but stare at the others who were with him in the cafeteria. What shocked him was that all the rangers that were there were feeding various dinosaurs as if they were pets. Feeling awkward he did not feel as if he fit with the group as a whole.
Why did Hammond send me here of all places. Sure the money is good but….I feel as if I don’t belong Eddie thought to himself as he slowly ate his food. Then as if to answer his prayers Ray decided to sit with him followed by Gary and Henry.
“So how are you adapting to this place?” Ray said jokingly knowing what Eddie is feeling because he had to deal with it when Gary first came.
“I am overwhelmed I guess, I mean who would have thought….dinosaurs! Living dinosaurs here,” he said gesturing towards the rangers at the table.
“They are the rangers who had animals that are too young to travel. So they remained behind to train further and bond with their partners,” Henry said to him and Eddie turned in surprise.
“Bond with them?” he said nervously. Henry smiled softly to him and as he said it he gave a whistle which was short and a head popped up from beside him. A dinosaur that had feathers starting to grow out from its arms and body in patches of gray, red, white and black. The longer feathers were along its limbs and tail but what made him feel awkward are its eyes. They were rather large and looking right at him.
Then a growl was heard and he turned his head in alarm when he came face to face with another creature that looked similar. Except this one was much larger with brown skin and acid green eyes. It wasn’t growing feather unlike the first but its dark brown stripes and earth tone skin made Eddie think about certain dinosaur movies. This dinosaur however took a sniff at him and he started to shake when he did so. The fear was evident when sharp teeth made itself known.
“Rosie stop scaring him you’ve had your fun,” said Henry in a scolding fashion. Then the spell was gone and the dinosaur started chirping and purring as it sniffed him before going towards Henry. Henry had his hand on the smaller of the two while Eddie nearly peed himself with the sight of the second.
“Don’t worry about her she likes to play pranks on people,” Henry said smiling as he started to eat his food. Ray and Gary started snickering at Eddie’s dilemma.
“I thought she was going to eat me?” Eddie said to them as he eyed his food. Gary shook his head and laughed when he heard it. The larger man even offered a cup of coffee to help ease Eddie’s nerves. The man gladly took a cup as he looked at the two.
“Rosie likes to play games with people to see what their personalities are like. If she didn’t like you, you would not be sitting there,” Henry said to him and Eddie breathed a sign of relief only to stiffen again when Rosie decided to sit down by him. Her large size made him seem intimidated but her gaze seemed soft.
“Don’t underestimate these two they are highly intelligent beings I made that mistake when we were escaping Isla Nublar,” Ray said to him and Eddie stiffened at the mention of the other island.
“How smart are they and what is that one’s name?” Eddie said as he pointed towards the one in Henry’s lap.
“The Troodon is named Tien and he is starting to get too big for my lap,” Henry said but Tien only gave him an innocent look.
“Don’t give me that you know I am right,” he said to him and with a huff Tien gently gotten off of Henry and sat by Rosie. Eddie was surprised by the dinosaur understanding Henry so easily.
“How smart are they?” Eddie asked again. This time with some nerves still in place.
“Problem solving intelligent. Rosie is estimated to have the intelligence equal to that of a four year old child. Tien that of a five to nine year old child,” Henry said to him and Eddie thought his eyes could not get more far out of his head. He felt like a cartoon with all the shocks and revelations.
“Holy shit!” he said to them. The three men laughed in front of the poor newbie. It was shocking to see such young dinosaurs with humans side by side. It was like something out of a kid’s show. As Eddie observed them he noticed that they are mainly herbivores with some flying types and one or two carnivores with the exception of Henry’s carnivores.
“So is it harder to train carnivores then it is plant eaters?” Eddie asked them his fear started to fade when he noticed the difference.
“Nah they are just harder to obtain. Most of these eggs had come from the wild. Some we breed genetically here, but most are bred out there in the bush,” Ray replied as he ate his food which was some sort of Spanish dish. Eddie watched how calm he was when he said it.
“Hammond only told me that this job was important not that I would be working with dinosaurs,” Eddie replied as he still had a sense of boyish curiosity. Ray laughed along with Gary and Henry. Eddie felt the tension relax as they ate.
“Let me guess Hammond forgot to mention the dinosaurs?” Ray said as he finished his meal and drank his drink. Eddie only nodded in reply when it was said.
“Well let me tell you something we cloned the original stock, but for the past five years they had bred enough were we can just harvest the eggs. Though it is a risky job. Luckily for us the local kids offered to do so and we caution them from doing it but they are quite skilled,” Ray replied which made Eddie nearly spit out his drink.
“You hired kids to steal eggs for you?” he said to them and it was Henry who shook his head. His voice was even and monotoned enough for him to see that he just insulted them.
“We don’t force them to take the eggs, they volunteered to do so,” Henry replied which felt like a slap to the face for the other man. Eddie blanched when he saw the face and quickly apologized for it. The three men only regarded him with some amusement while they explained more about the island and what their mission is.
LATER
Eddie wondered around the grounds for a time. His body is tired but sleep will not come to him. All this information that was processing in his head is overwhelming and he wanted to understand the circumstances he found himself in.
When he originally gotten the job John Hammond told him he was to be one of the men responsible for keeping their equipment maintained and operational. What Hammond failed to tell him was that the compound is only protected by motion sensor cameras and fences that could kill you if you touched them. There was no safety instruction, but then Hammond did tell him that some of the security needs to be upgraded and worked. Something that falls under Eddie working with Ray Arnold and his companion.
Henry Wu he had known from the files he was given was the lead geneticist in charge of the project. It was Henry’s job to ensure that the dinosaurs that are made in the labs are as close to their original forms as possible. Henry’s girlfriend Cindy who studies diseases is currently in Costa Rica helping with the outbreak of the new DX virus that has infected so many people. Of all the people he had yet to meet were the heads of the project Dr. Alan Grant and Robert Muldoon. Both are in the Worker’s Village waiting for them to get the part they need to activate the communication’s array.
Eddie didn’t know of any other method of getting there. The tunnels from what he saw are collapsed in certain areas and full of dinosaurs in others. There are the sea ways which is going by water, but the only ship is at the Worker’s Village.
That left by air.
There is just one problem.
From what he was told the only way to get there is by air and that alone was another problem. There was no air transportation available….well except one but he don’t think she wants him on her back anytime soon.
He sat there wondering what was going to happen, but as he sat there he realized that he doesn’t have much of a choice. He could always send the item to them but then what. From what Dr. Grant sent them the two who were in charge of taking care of that equipment are idiots and frankly Eddie needs to know what was going on with the array.
Getting up he made his way to the Aviary where Sarah the pteranodon was being kept. When he entered he saw one of the other rangers putting live fish in a pond to allow Sarah to feed.
“Hey there,” Eddie greeted. The person who was in charge of feeding Sarah was no older then twenty he had to guess.
“Hi,” he said his voice highly accented but Eddie didn’t know the accent very well.
“Um can you tell me about this one here?” he asked him. The ranger smiled showing off bright teeth.
“Sarah is the queen of the flock she is the one you need to watch out for when you enter the Aviary. She is the one whom the others listen to and it is a proven fact,” the boy said and Eddie wondered what would happen if he were to observe this behavior.
Just as he was thinking about it the boy finished feeding Sarah and was smiling as he walked away.
“Oh she likes to be complimented like a lady. So treat her like one,” he said as he walked away.
Eddie gave the boy a strange look before he turned towards the pterosaur. Sarah gave him a strange look as well. Tilting her head sideways she regarded Eddie with indifference. The pteranodon then went back to preening not giving Eddie a glance.
MEANWHILE
“Marcus can you start saddling up Sarah I am sure she is eager to get back to Dr. Grant as soon as possible.” Ray say over his ear piece and the affirmative on the other side was proof that he needed that the cadets that they hired can get it done.
“Are you sure its a good idea to get Eddie to fly there instead of sending Sarah by herself?” Gary asked Ray as they checked the systems.
“Grant mentioned in his letter that whoever can install the device should come along with Sarah. The problem is that Sarah doesn’t trust Eddie because he is new,” Ray replied and Gary shrugged with an easy going smile on his face.
“Oh baby we are in for one fun ride,” he said to him and the other dark man started to laugh.
MEANWHILE
Eddie was on the roof of the building installing the new satellite dish as he waited he heard the cries from above. Looking up he spotted the pterosaurs that the rangers had been caring for flying overhead.
Still in childhood wonder Eddie worked on the piece he was trying to install. When he made the last adjustment he finally sighed with relief that it was going to work. Wiping the seat across his pale face he stood up and wiped his hands. Grabbing his radio he signaled Ray in the control room.
“Alright first satellite is up,” he said to him and he could hear a cackling on the other side.
“That is some damn good news,” Ray said from the other side of the conversation.
“Yeah took a bit of adjusting to compensate for the mountains and the trees but it should be working fine,” Eddie replied as they gotten it to work.
CONTROL ROOM
After some work Gary was whooping for joy when they gotten the satellite feeds up and running. A three dimensional view of the island came into play with errors popping up all over the place.
“Damn is that what I think it is?” Gary said pointing to all the places where errors are showing up.
“Yep,” replied Ray this is where all the tunnels end and where all the outposts are. So far only the Worker’s Village has a working fence. From the looks of it Dr. Grant’s group managed to seal up the obstruction. But there are more places where the repairs are vital. If we are to get this island up and running again,” Ray replied. Gary grumbled as he typed some more in to the keyboards.
“Man whoever hired Nedry must have paid quite handsomely for someone to come in and kill every member of the Sorna crew. Who knows if they will come back?” Gary said worried.
“I don’t think they can come back not after we secured help with the combined governments.” Ray said to him as he typed up keys to show the many feeds on the main screen before him.
It took them a while to do so but Ray managed to secure a large screen big enough to allow them to see the island. The security standards that InGen created were enough see every single screen on island. However there were some that were still down but the satellite images were there.
“Communications is still down but if we can get a visual on Alan and the others we might be able to see what the situation is,” Ray said to Gary.
“Yeah but the lines are down so that means they have to get that module up and running in order for us to respond to them,” Gary reminded him and Ray grumbled under his breath before pulling up another cigarette.
MEANWHILE
Eddie was just about to wrap up when something came up behind him. Startled he turned just in time to see a very large head right in his face. Leaping out of fear he did not watch where he was going until he slipped on the edge of the roof.
Screaming he felt himself fall towards the ground. Knowing that the height he was at was going to kill him he braved himself for the impact and his death.
What he did not expect was to feel something grab him just before he fell and lift him up back onto the roof. Feeling himself land gently on the roof he turned quickly to see what saved him only to find Sarah standing right above him.
Startled to see her there Eddie quickly got up and dusted himself off as if showing off to a pretty lady.
“Um...thanks for saving me,” he said his voice stuttering as he said it. Sarah cocked her head to the side to look at him with one of her beady eyes. Her beak a rather impressive weapon which Eddie took note of.
When the shock started to wear out he finally realized that Sarah saved his life. Something he never thought she would do at all considering he only saw her once outside the cage. Shaking her head she slowly came up to him and he slowly backed away.
But when he found his back against the base of the satellite dish he was frozen when Sarah came to him. Closing his eyes he thought for sure he was going to die despite the fact she just saved him.
He waited for the end his eyes shut in fear. But then he felt something soft and gentle nip his hair from the side. A gentle croon came from the beak that was playfully nipping his ear. Opening his eyes in surprise he found that Sarah was trying to groom him!
Surprised Eddie slowly reached out to touch her beak which she allowed him to. His touch was soft and gentle and he felt the croon when he touched it. In fact her nips were soft as if caressing him.
“Hey there,” he said to her and she started playing with his hair which was surprising for him. Eddie noticed that her saddle was already on and so he also noticed the bag hanging off of it. It he then looked down and noticed Marcus looking up at him with a worried expression.
Eddie looked at the pterosaur and slowly but surely reached up higher. He felt along her beak while looking into her eyes. It was like the dinosaur was looking directly into his soul.
“Am I worthy of being in your presence?” he asked her slowly as she nipped him gently again. Swallowing his fear he slowly walked around being mindful of his footing and her wings. She swung her head around to watch him.
Eddie noted that Marcus was right and that she was larger then the other flying reptiles except for the huge one he had seen at some point.
He then slowly gotten up and came up from behind petting her wings but being mindful of her face.
The saddle was there calling to him as he slowly climbed up using the footholds along the side. Sarah flapped her wings at one point and Eddie paused.
But before he could reconsider Sarah was already rising from her standing and Eddie was forced to grab the handholds. She then started to make her way along the roof with him holding on for dear life. When they neared the end she opened her wings and Eddie felt the earth being pulled away from him.
Holding on for dear life he felt the air get colder as he rose. As he gotten higher he felt himself finally angle towards the south. With all the wind going in his face it was hard for Eddie to concentrate on holding on for dear life the handles on the saddle helping him to keep his place. His screams being blocked out and silenced on the wind.
When he felt Sarah straighten out he could feel the wind and the feeling of something cold. When he looked up from where he buried his face in the pterosaur’s back he looked up finally to see that he in the clouds. Many clouds passed him slowly as he looked down and the sight below him both intrigued him and frightened him.
The wind howled in his ears and he was unable to speak because of it. However his thoughts were racing as he felt Sarah angle downwards with Eddie giving a yelp as she flew lower.
When they flew just below the clouds he could see the distant rain showers. The mountains of Isla Sorna in the distance as he traveled over cliffs that separate the coasts to the mountains.
He could feel the muscles move as Sarah flapped her wings as she angled inwards and he could see the vast forest below him. However the land changed a bit when he saw for the first time; wild dinosaurs.
With eyes going wide he saw many species running below him as Sarah gave a call to them all. She even flew close to some long necked ones. Eddie thought she was going to crash but she effortlessly flew around them.
Only when he felt her chitter over the noise of the wind did he realize that she was laughing at him. She turned her head to look at him with what appeared to be soulful eyes. But as Eddie looked at them he could have sworn that they held much amusement.
I am really going crazy he thought. The distant sounds of other dinosaurs filled his ears over the wind as he saw below a herbivore being taken down by several carnivores. Herds moving as one away from the threat.
But that changed when he felt himself rising as a thermal caught under Sarah’s wings. She effortlessly circled around gaining altitude before Eddie saw at once the land change from jungles to arboreal rainforest.
It was like something out of a caveman movie with mammoths walking in herds across the alpine forests and upland plains. Wild Ice Age animals made this place home and Eddie was shocked that it was all here.
“Holy shit,” he muttered to himself but his voice was lost to the wind. When they climbed over the large mountain and turned towards a valley where the air was warmer. As they lowered he could see the herds of dinosaurs roaming though not as large as he thought they would be. But then again after Henry telling him that they were recently released he was not surprised.
Oh My God, Oh My God! He kept muttering in his head over and over again. Eddie had lost his composure back at the compound and now....he felt like he was watching one of those movies were they discover something new.
Sarah gave a cry before banking towards the west and Eddie held on as he saw for himself a series of buildings surrounded by a large fence.
Holy Marry Mother of God! Is that where Dr. Grant and the others are? Eddie thought to himself as he watched Sarah quickly make her way over. And when Eddie looked up at the sun it was well past noon and nearing evening.
Fuck hell we traveled across the island far faster then any helicopter or boat. This thing really can move! Eddie thoughts were in amazement his earlier fears dissipated when he was filled with all sorts of prehistoric wonder.
But as he neared the buildings he noticed something on the ground. A group of dinosaurs making their way towards the buildings. This was not to be anything Eddie had dealt with. In fact they did not look friendly at all.
“Well girl we better find Dr. Grant those dinosaurs don’t look very friendly,” Eddie shouted to the pteranodon.
As if understanding him Sarah flapped her wings faster gaining speed as Eddie held on for dear life.
He just hope he can make it there in time.
TBC