Smoke (currently under editing)

1 · Training & Hoskins

"You did it. You crazy son of a bitch, you did it." - Dr. Ian Malcolm, Jurassic Park (1993)

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* PRESENT DAY *

I let out a small 'whoop' of joy, smiling as my hair blew wildly in the wind. Mist ran beside my motorcycle, cawing happily. "Over!" I yelled over the engine, ducking my head close to my chest. In a single bound, Mist leapt over me, before returning to her fast pace beside me as she landed. I smiled, turning my bike to the side and skidding to a stop. Mist was doing great today, which was exactly what I needed right now.

Owen had been bothering me about her progress for weeks, wanting to let Mist see the other raptors. His latest argument was one of the craziest, saying that Mist would 'destroy her natural raptor ways' by staying away from them for so long. Trust me, she was still as deadly as ever.

"Good girl, Misty." I purred, holding out a hand as I jumped off my bike. The raptor nuzzled against it, reminding me of the first time I had laid eyes on her. She had grown so much since then, and the bond between us had only grown stronger. "We should probably go before Owen gets upset, huh?"

Mist made a small noise, nodding her head and circling me as I wheeled my motorcycle to the side. I chuckled, knowing that she only ever acted this way around me. The two of us were like family, looking out for each other and keeping the other out of trouble. Well, as best as we could.

Lately, however, it seemed like that family bond was being challenged more and more. And one man stood at the center of it all; Vic Hoskins.

❂ ❂ ❂

I stood on the Overlook Bridge, leaning over the edge to watch Mist and her sisters closely. The last time they were together, things didn't go too well, and Mist still had the scars.

"Lean any farther off the rail and you're going to fall in." Owen commented, walking over to me.

I took a step back, running a hand through my messy black hair. "I know," I admitted, "I'm just nervous. The last time they were together..."

"Yeah, I remember." Owen replied, sighing. "But hey, would this make it better?" He held up a small remote, shaking it in front of me.

I smiled, letting out a small chuckle as I snatched the device from his hands. It had been forever since the last time I was in this area for feeding, as I was usually with Mist, eating our meals together. No offense to Owen, but he just threw the food and ran. "Release the pig!" Owen yelled. I pushed the remote's large button, listening as the sound of squealing echoed through the air.

Owen and I turned to watch our raptors, and I handed the man the clicker I had in my pocket."Hold!" Owen ordered, watching as five pairs of eyes looked up at him. I slowly worked my way over to the food bucket on the nearby railing. As I settled in front of the bucket, I glanced over at Owen, who nodded in response.

"Attention!" I hissed, holding up a hand. "Eyes on me!" The five raptors turned to look at me, their fierce eyes practically glowing in the sun.

Owen walked over, a small smile on his face as he reached into the metal bucket. "See, Charlie?" He asked, picking up a small mouse. "That's what you get!" The mouse was flung into the air, Charlie catching it with a loud snap of her jaws. "Echo, there you go!" Another mouse. "Delta!" Another happy raptor. Owen reached into the bucket once more, pulling out a fat rat. "Blue," the man smiled, holding it up. "This one's for you."

As Blue's jaws closed around the rodent, I fished a second rat out of the bucket. "Misty?" I called, holding it up. The raptor stared up at me with hungry eyes, licking her jaws excitedly. I flung the giant rat in her direction, smiling as she jumped high into the air to catch it.

"Eyes up!" Owen yelled, using the clicker. The raptors looked up at us, licking their sharp teeth and waiting for the next command.

"Go!" I yelled, watching as the beasts scattered; chasing each other as they ran. Owen and I both smiled, watching the raptors with pride. I held out a hand, congratulating the man with a fist bump. Barry, a dark-skinned man who also worked with raptors, walked over to us.

"You did it," he said, a wide smile plastered on his face. "You guys finally did it."

"Owen! Izabelle!" I froze, turning my gaze to Owen. "I was starting to think I hired the wrong guys, but damn, you got them eating out of your palm."

"What the hell is he doing here?" I hissed, glaring in Owen's direction. "You know I don't want him anywhere near Mist."

"Yeah," Owen whispered, "I know. To be honest, I didn't even know he was visiting today. And, even if I did, I thought my orders to keep him out would be followed."

"Clearly not." I retorted, turning around. Owen did the same, and we soon found ourselves face-to-face with the infamous Vic Hoskins.

"You came on a good day," Owen admitted, "It usually doesn't end this well."

"Is that why you're not sending in your reports?" Hoskins asked.

"We've been busy." Owen shrugged.

Hoskins let out a scoff, crossing his arms. "Not too busy to cash in your paychecks." I glanced over at Barry and Owen, giving them a look. Busted.

"What do you need, Hoskins?" I intervened, attempting to get the conversation back onto the topic. Barry sent me a grateful look, almost saying 'thank you'.

"A field test." I let out a small scoff, rolling my eyes. "Hey," Hoskins replied, "I've just seen that they can respond to commands. We need to take the research and get it on its feet."

"They're wild animals, not dogs. You're insane thinking that would work." I retorted, answering at the same time as Owen;

"These are wild animals, Hoskins. Trust me, you don't want them in the field."

"I just saw a bond," Hoskins muttered, "A real bond; between man and beast."

"That bond didn't just appear overnight." I snarled, crossing my arms. "We've worked with these animals for years. We've earned their trust. You can't expect them to become your best friend because you feed them. We finally make progress, and what? You want to turn them into military weapons?" I scoffed, patting Hoskins on the back as I passed him. "Sorry bud, no can do."

Owen and Barry smiled at my little speech; looking proud. I smiled back, walking over to where Mist stood by the gate. "Drones can't search tunnels and caves," Hoskins said, "And they're hackable. The minute a real war breaks out, all that fancy tech is gonna go dark."

"But that tech's not going to eat them if they forget to feed it." Owen pointed out. I nodded in agreement, gently stroking Mist's head.

"Just look at them!" Hoskins yelled, pointing at Mist and the other raptors. "They've got millions of years of instinct in their cells; instinct that we can program. These guys are gonna run straight into the enemy's teeth and eat them, belt buckle and all."

Barry and I huffed at the same time. "What if they decide they want to be in control?" The man asked; the same question I had on my mind. Hoskins rolled his eyes, acting like the answer was obvious.

"Then we remind them who is. Terminate the rogues and promote only loyal bloodlines."

"Do you hear yourself when you talk?" I asked, rolling my eyes. "Cause it sounds like you're only hearing what you want to, Hoskins."

"This is going to happen with or without you," the man growled, "Progress always wins."

Owen opened his mouth to reply, but was cut off by the sounds of yelling. "Pig loose," a worker yelled, "Pig loose!" I looked up, watching with wide eyes. The yelling worker ran across the Bridge, a long snare in his hands. Just as the end slipped over the pig's head, Echo charged forward, snatching up the animal and running off with it. The worker was pulled forward, tumbling over the rail and into the worst place possible; a cage full of hungry raptors