Work Text:
It had been a long time since he last saw a dinosaur hatch. When he’d first created dinosaurs, he was there every time watching as new life came into the world. He was so busy with work that he’d stopped going to hatchings. They’d long lost their excitement, and he now found them tedious. He wasn’t planning on going to this one. Part of him still didn’t want to be here, both because he’d seen it a thousand times before and because of what’s hatching.
He shivered, reminding himself of all the work he’d done to lower their aggression and make them more obedient. They weren’t going to be like the original raptors he’d created. Even though he told himself this, he still found himself wondering if he was making the same mistakes all over again.
He was distracted by the familiar sound of an egg cracking. He silently watched through the other side of the glass as the first raptor hatched. This was as close as he’d ever allow himself to get to the raptors.
He watched as their new trainer, Owen Grady, stood in front of the incubator, looking excited. He seemed to be at ease with no signs of fear. Even as hatchlings, Velociraptors were dangerous, and yet he appeared thrilled watching them enter this world.
It was so different from the reactions he’d received all those years ago, when Jurassic Park was being made. Dr. Grant had looked horrified when he realized the baby he was holding was a raptor. Out of anyone there, he was one of the most aware of just how dangerous they could be. Muldoon had a similar reaction, and he was supposed to be their trainer. He never liked the raptors, and watching Owen Grady, he wondered if he’d eventually hate them too.
When InGen came to him with their idea, he didn’t think it would work. Despite all the work he’d done to lower their aggression, they were still wild animals and would have no problem dismembering their trainer. He doubted Owen would survive training them, and he knew it was only a matter of time before they were inevitably put down.
Even though he thought their idea was foolish, he still made the velociraptors. One of his greatest flaws was his pride. Something he could only hope didn’t end up getting him killed. Looking at the eggs, he’d made them not because he thought it would work, but on the small chance that it did work, he wanted to be the one who created them.
The first of the four had finally hatched, with Owen helping remove the shell from her body. The raptor yawned, and even this small he could see its rows of sharp teeth ready to take someone's arm off. Owen didn’t seem to notice and held the raptor close. Cradling it as though it were a human baby, which was insane. Even now, the raptor could do serious damage, and yet the man didn’t seem to notice or care.
He shouldn’t be surprised the raptor handler was crazy. You’d have to be crazy if you were going to work with raptors. Besides, he heard the rumors, and he knew everyone else thought he was insane.
At least for now, the raptor wasn’t attacking and let itself be held. When he thought it was asleep, he stood in the doorway. Owen glanced at him and then turned back to the eggs still waiting to hatch.
“I hope this one is to your satisfaction.”
He glanced at the raptor, who looked stronger than the other ones who’d died. He’d experimented more with her DNA in the hopes that she’d last, and so far she seemed healthy.
“Blue is perfect.”
He stared at the man in surprise and vague disgust.
“You named that thing?”
“Of course.”
Owen looked offended on her behalf as though she’d ever care.
“She needed a name, and I think Blue suits her.”
Owen gave the raptor a fond look and gently petted her head, causing the creature to coo in its sleep. He took a step closer despite the danger, wanting a better view. He didn’t realize how close he’d gotten when the raptor suddenly growled. Her claws dug into Owens' clothes as she glared at him. For a moment, it almost seemed like she was being possessive, which was impossible. Owen was nothing more than food to her. She couldn’t care less about his safety or if he touched him.
Looking at the raptor, he decided to leave since his work was done, and he didn’t care what happened after that. As he was leaving, he could hear the other eggs break and Owen excitedly speaking to them. He just shook his head, wondering how long it would be until they killed him.
Five years later and he found himself pulling up to the Raptor Padlock. A very much still alive Owen Grady was anxiously waiting for him. One of the raptors had injured its leg, and because the vet was busy, InGen had demanded he come.
Forced out of his lab and away from valuable work, he was forced to take care of some raptor. When he got there, Owen looked worried and gestured for him to follow.
“Delta has been digging holes recently, and Charlie accidentally stepped on one while running. I didn’t hear a snap, but she's been limping.”
He nodded, pretending to listen, although he didn’t care how they were injured. All he cared about was getting back to his lab as fast as possible.
“Don’t worry, she’s been knocked unconscious and won’t feel any pain… She also won’t attack you since she’s unconscious.”
He added the last part when he noticed the look on his face, having the decency to look slightly sheepish.
The others were locked up in a different area, and one of the other handlers was watching over them. He was trying to distract them while their sister was being worked on, which didn’t work.
When he entered the padlock, he saw three raptors staring at him through the bars. All of them hissed at him when he got close to their unconscious sibling. He ignored them and focused on looking the raptor over. Owen stood nearby and silently watched him work. Occasionally, he’d soothe the other raptors who quieted down, letting him focus. He found this work beneath him and was glad when it was over.
Owen seemed relieved when he gave the diagnosis and walked him to his car. The other raptors watched them the entire time, looking about ready to lunge at the bars. He’d been so distracted by them that he wasn’t looking where he went and tripped over the stairs. Owen held out a hand to steady him, and the raptors immediately freaked out.
They began hissing and growling. Their eyes narrowed with anger as they jumped at the bars, trying to get at him. They seemed more upset that he accidentally touched Owen than they did about their fellow raptor. It was confusing and made him wonder if there was something wrong with them. Owen ignored them and took him to his car, which meant this had happened before.
He got into his car, ignoring the angry raptors still glaring at him. As he drove off, he was happy to put distance between himself and the raptors. After this, he’d inform InGen to never bother him about the raptors again. They weren’t his problem anymore, and he didn’t care what happened to them. Although a small part of him was curious, wanting to know why the raptors had acted like that.