Chapter Text
Isla Nublar, 2008
Night
That night was black as ink. The moon was almost absent from the sky. A patch of mud coloured cloud hiding it from sight was the only illumination. Rain lashed against the aluminum paneled walls of the building. In a steady thump as the trees swayed and groaned in the harsh wind. It was a storm in full force. Everything was on lockdown. On high alert. Just in case something went wrong. Not that it would, Jurassic world prided itself on their security program. It was far superior to its predecessor, Jurassic Park.
The young Ingen security officer on duty that night uncurled his freezing, numb fingers from the grip of his M14A carbine as he stood on duty outside a large creation lab. This wasn’t the one that the park guests saw, this was restricted. New dinosaur exhibits were developed here, if the rumors were to be believed. Trooper Ryan didn’t understand the science of it, he failed that subject in high school. It was why he’d chosen the army and not college. He’d done one tour in Iraq before being medically discharged after an injury he’d received in combat. It was how he’d ended up here.
The rain was unrelenting as it rolled over the peak of his cap like a gutter. Everything was wet, and he was soaked through to the bone. Despite it being a tropical climate, the rain was cold, always. Especially when it had rained non-stop for several hours. Ryan flexed his fingers again, desperate to get the sensation back into them.
“Just take the gloves off, the gloves are going to keep your hands wet,” said Diaz, the older, more experienced guard, his eyes flicking towards Ryan.
“These are rain proof,” said Ryan as he pulled the gloves from his hands. Giving them a shake as if that would do anything.
Diaz looked up at the sky. “This isn’t rain, it’s the great deluge.”
A few more minutes passed by as silence fell between the two men, occasionally broken by the howling of the weather. "It's pointless wearing them anyway,” added Diaz as the younger man shook the gloves again.
“I wear them so I don’t scuff up my hands.”
“If anything breaks out of there, you won’t need to worry about your hands,” said Diaz pointing to the building behind them.
The silent red caution lights flashed in a steady rhythm, adding an eerie red glow to the fog-like rain.
Ominous.
Ryan got a weird vibe he couldn’t place.
“Do you know what we’re guarding?” he asked. All he’d been told was his assignment. To stand sentry at this building till 06:00.
Diaz shook his head. “Nope. Hoskins and Wu said it’s classified , and it should stay that way. When you start questioning things, that’s when you start getting scared.”
Ryan tried not to let his concern show. He had a feeling deep down in his gut that he just couldn’t shake.
“You’re not frightened, are you?” asked Diaz.
This time it was Ryan’s turn to shake his head. “Nope.”
“You seen combat, kid?”
“Iraq. You?”
“Philippines, Panama, Kuwait, Mogadishu.”
There was a loud metallic crash, almost like a thunder clap, that reverberated in the center of Ryan’s chest. He gripped his weapon tight, pulling the stock into his shoulder with the safety off. “ What was that?! ” he exclaimed as he searched for the source of the noise.
Diaz was quick to put a calming hand on his shoulder. “Easy kid. Relax, it’s just the storm”
“No, that definitely sounds like something .”
Diaz made a clicking noise with his tongue. “Trust me, it always sounds like that. This is a low-risk high reward gig. Just relax,” he said with a reassuring smile.
There was another hideous crash that sounded like metal tearing like paper, followed by a stomach-churning roar.
Diaz clicked off the safety on his weapon.
“That was definitely something,” said Ryan as they squinted at the night. His heart thumped erratically in his chest.
“It’s …” Diaz was cut off by the night-like creature which grabbed him effortlessly by the chest and chomped off his head in one bite.
Ryan opened fire mindlessly at the escapee. The dinosaur hardly flinched as it advanced towards the remaining trooper; its gait awkward and unpredictable.
The last thing Trooper Ryan saw was glowing red eyes, white teeth and then …there was darkness.