「02」Raptor Squad

                                    

                                          
02 | RAPTOR SQUAD
                          
     LEANING OVER the edge of the railing, Liana looks down at the inside of the raptor paddock. A small pink pig runs across the scene, squealing as four velociraptors tail after it.
                          
     "Ho!" The petrified pig runs into a cage as the raptors immediately come to a halt at the sound of Owen's voice. 
                          
     As the pig runs into the cage, Liana shouts out to the operator to lock it up. The door swiftly slides shut and the pig is back to safety. Reverting her gaze to the direction of her father and the velociraptors, she watches as he holds up his left hand, signalling for the dinosaurs to stay put.
                          
     "Hey! Eyes on me. Blue. Blue!"
The velociraptor named Blue lets out a small growl and snaps her head up to face Owen. "Watch it." He responds to the creature.
                          
     "Charlie." The raptor widens its mouth and growls as well, showing off its sharp teeth. "Hey, don't give me that shit." Owen replies. The raptors slowly settle down and stand still, eyeing the man standing on the walk way above them.
                          
     "Good. And...we're moving." Owen states, walking sideways, with his hand still up. The raptors obey and shuffle in the same direction. Turning onto another part of the bridge, Owen comes to a stop at a bucket that is attached to the long railing.
                          
     "Ho!" The dinosaurs come to an abrupt stop whilst screeching at one another. "Good. That's damn good." Owen mutters, staring at the creatures. Reaching into the bucket, he pulls out a rat and tosses it towards Charlie. The raptor jerks forward and catches the tiny rodent into its mouth. Continuing the process, Owen tosses it to the other two velociraptors.
                          
     Taking out the final rat, Owen holds it up and calls out to Blue. "This one is for you, Blue." He says before tossing the rat into the raptor's mouth.
                          
     "Eyes up!" He shouts, raising his hand upwards. All four velociraptors tilt their heads up in unison. Liana watches intently, observing every little detail about the dinosaurs' behaviour. 
                          
     "And, go!" Owen finishes, bringing his hand down signalling the raptors to bolt away underneath the bridge.
                          
     Barry, the second raptor trainer, and Liana both clap, and make their way towards Owen. "You did it! You controlled your raptor squad." Liana says enthusiastically while engulfing her father into a hug.
                          
     "Raptor squad?" Owen questions, raising an eyebrow.
                          
     The girl shrugs, "Sounds cooler than raptor posse."
                          
     "You finally got it, man." Barry congratulates, giving a quick hug to Owen. A low laugh sounds and the trio's heads turn to see a man approaching them. 
                          
     "I was starting to think I hired the wrong guys." Liana lets out a fake cough and the man adds, "And girl."
                          
     "Well you came on a good day. It's not usually a happy ending." Owen mentions, shaking hands with the leader of the security division, Vic Hoskins.
                          
     "Is that why you're not sending in your reports." Hoskins retorts.
                          
     "We've been busy." Barry comments.
                          
     "Not too busy to cash your pay check." Hoskins adds, as Liana turns and rolls her eyes. Silence falls for a moment before Owen asks, "So what do you need, buddy?"
                          
     "A field test."