"So, let me get this straight," Alexa said into her phone, "they're sending some navy guy to look at Neph's enclosure? She's lived in there for years, I think it's fine."
"We want you to be present, in case anything goes wrong." Claire ignored her question.
"I beg your pardon, but I'm currently busy with Cavalier. And I haven't seen Neph in years, what makes you think she remembers me?"
"She's highly intelligent, I think you'll be fine. On this distance issue, I sent a helicopter to pick you up. I trust you know where the helipad is."
"Yea, yea. Bye, mom." Alexa hung up and walked back towards the glass of the Suchomimus enclosure. Tourists scrambled around in the tunnel across from her, their faces pressed against the clear walls. Cavalier looked towards the tunnel, fish meat hanging from his closed jaw.
Alexa left the viewing area and went up the nearby staircase. Opening the heavy 'Employees Only' door, the bright sunshine met Alexa's darkness-attuned eyes. Tourists bustled around the streets, most struggling with maps and others trying to get directions from park workers.
The woman put her hand over her eyes and wound through the crowd and to the nearby helipad. Alexa flashed her park ID at the security guard as she walked through the gate. The thundering of helicopter blades sounded ahead as she climbed up the stairs. Alexa climbed in and strapped herself into one of the seats.
The landscape under her soared passed. Deep green trees, open plains, and dinosaurs of many shapes and colors. The aviary's glass dome shined in the morning sun. Gyrospheres wandered the meadows where the Gallimimus ran free. Baryonyx surrounded the nearby lake, basking or fishing. The great electric fences that lined the herbivore arenas came next, their wires sparking and tall metal posts a dark brown.
The paddock was miles into the forest, shielded from visitors by the fence and by the thick trees. Not that they would ever even know it existed anytime soon. The helicopter touched down on a helipad next to a visitor station, one made in preparation for the opening of the enclosure months earlier. Alexa climbed out and, after thanking the pilot, left to the garage to swipe a jeep and drive the rest of the way.
[]
"Do you think she will react well to Owen?" Claire stood near the Observation Tower's glass, her eyes searching for Neph.
"Depends," Alexa replied, slouching on the couch at the back of the room.
"On what?"
"If she sees him as a threat or not."
Alexa fiddled with her phone as Claire paced. The woman was mumbling, something about someone being late. Alexa wasn't paying attention.
About ten minutes later, a man with a dark beige shirt, dark blue vest, and khakis walked in. He had his hands buried in his pockets and his eyes immediately wandered to the spiderweb cracks in the nearby pane. He had sun-kissed skin with matching dark brown hair and lively blue eyes.
"You're late."
"Raptors decided to give me some crap today."
Claire gave an annoyed sigh but turned around to fiddle with the nearby device.
"So what are you here for?" The man had now noticed Alexa, who had stood up by now.
"Y'know, just here to look good."
The man gave no response.
"Oh, and to train that," Alexa pointed towards the enclosure through the glass, "or was, anyway. Haven't been here in years, to be honest."
"So what else do you do?" He seemed interested.
"Alexa Blake, Spinosaurid Trainer." Alexa held out her hand.
"Owen Grady, Raptors." Owen shook Alexa's outstretched hand.
"Now that you have introduced yourselves, I think it's time Owen meet her." Claire interrupted. Alexa nodded and walked with Owen towards the glass.
"So do you know what she's made of?"
"The base genome is a Tyrannosaurus Rex. The rest is.....classified." Claire hesitated.
"So you don't even know what it's made of?" Owen turned to Alexa, who raised her hands in surrender.
"I'm just here to train, I don't do genetics."
Alexa searched the foliage for Neph but came up empty-handed.
"Can we get a steer?" Claire said into her radio.
A crane lowered a slab of meat, dripping fresh with blood. No carnivore came at the scent of the meat.
"Where is she?" Claire muttered.
"Were those claw marks always there?" Owen gestured to the nearby wall through the window.
"Wha- Oh no. Oh, sweet Jesus no." Alexa put her hands over her open mouth.
"Scan the enclosure. We have to find her." Claire ordered. The security guard immediately turned to his monitors and his hands flew across the keyboard.
"If Neph gets out she'll cause unheard amounts of havoc," Alexa said.
"Neph? She's named?"
"Of course. Your raptors are named, my Suchomimus and Baryonyx are named. She is too."
The monitors flashed with "no signature" in capital red letters. The enclosure showed no signs of life except for the stilled trees and vegetation.
"Let's go in and get a better look at this wall," Owen suggested.
Claire nodded and motioned for the guard to open the door. Alexa walked in with them. She could feel that something wasn't right and she followed her instinct to walk in with them.
"If we die, tell Nyx I'm sorry," Alexa said to Claire before walking through the maintenance door.
"Who?!" Claire yelled as the door shut.
YOU ARE READING
The Indominus Trainer
Action" are you supposed to be in there? " " maybe. what's it to you? " " just that a dangerous creature lives in there. " " look around. there are dangerous creatures everywhere. " FIRST BOOK IN THE NEW AGE TRILOGY
