Kingdom of Deception

Chapter 8: Indoraptor

    I was sat next to Eli for what seemed like hours before anything actually started to happen. Finally, Mr. Eversoll stepped up onto the platform and stood behind a dark wooden podium. I broke out into a cold sweat as the large metal doors at that stood to my left started to open. "Welcome, ladies and gentlemen, to this extraordinary evening," Mr. Eversoll spoke into the microphone as a large cage started to roll into the room. "Let's dive right in with Lot number 1: the Ankylosaurus," My eyes never left the cage as it stopped in the middle of the room. My chest tightened and I could feel tears burn the back of my eyes as I stared at the beautiful animal locked in a prison. "This is a herbivorous quadruped; late Cretaceous. This is one of the largest armored dinosaurs known by paleontologists." Mr. Eversoll continued to describe the imprisoned animal as the bidders murmured in amazement. I turned to look at Eli, who was looking out at the crowd with an expectant look on his face. "Eli, please, stop this. You can't do this to these animals!" I whispered to him desperately. Eli did nothing but glance down at me, before returning his attention to the rising bid. I furrowed my eyebrows at him and slumped down in my seat, watching as the Ankylosaurus was sold and moved back through the brightly lit doors. "Lot number 2, ladies and gentlemen, a juvenile Allosaurus," The auction continued as another cage appeared from behind the metal doors. I had become numb to what was happening as money was thrown around for the ownership of these animals. Every now and then I would glance at Eli to see what he was doing. He was staring at the numbers on his computer screen as they climbed higher. His expression was proud," Sold!" but I felt sick to my stomach.

    Claire and I had gotten out of the cell, but heard someone behind us. Both of us turned to see a little girl run down a hall in an effort to avoid us. "Hey, wait! Please, wait!" Claire yelled as we jogged after her. She was in a dumbwaiter, trying to close the door, but she paused to look at us. "That's one of Lockwood's granddaughters," Claire told me. I looked the girl over and saw the tear stains that ran down her cheeks and her red eyes. "You wanna come down from there?" I asked the girl. She shook her head frantically and scooted back slightly. "Do you remember me?" Claire stepped forward cautiously after the girl nodded, "My names is Claire, what's yours?" I stepped forward to be slightly behind Claire. The kid took a deep breath before answering, "Maisie, Maisie Lochwood," she whispered. "Maisie," Claire repeated, "This is my friend Owen," softly I stepped forward again. "I saw you, with the velociraptors, and Blue." Maisie hiccupped. I glanced at Claire before speaking up, "Oh, yeah? You like dinosaurs?" Maisie seemed to hesitate for a moment before nodding. "So do I. Tell you what, you come on down from there, I'll tell you everything you need to know about Blue." I tried to bargain with her. "That sound alright?" I asked. Maisie nodded and crawled out of the small space, her converse making a soft sound on the concrete. "Sweetie, we need some help finding your grandfather, can you take us to him?" Claire leaned over to meet the kid's eyes, but the mention of her grandfather seemed to upset her. Maisie rapidly shook her head as she tried to hold back her tears. I quickly knelt down and placed my hands on her shoulders, "You made it down here all by yourself, huh?" I asked her. She nodded. "Brave kid, looks like you could use a friend." I straightened up just as she wrapped her arms around me, "He's gone!" she cried. I raised my hands up in shock, before placing them gently on her back. She squeezed me tightly before I pulled her away. "So, listen, I'll tell you what. We're just about to find our friends and get the heck out of here, you wanna come with us?" I asked her. She hesitates, but Claire cuts in, "We could use a friend, too." Maisie nodded, but as we turned to leave, she grabbed both Claire and me by our shirts. "We have to get my sister. I won't leave without her." Maisie spoke firmly for the first time since I had met her, "Is your sister Alice?" I asked hoping that the young lady we had met before was the same girl Maisie was talking about. "Yes, but Mr. Mills has her." The girl's voice started to shake, but she tried to hide it. "We'll find her," Claire told her as we lead her through another hallway.

    Dinosaurs had been sold off one by one for quite some time now, and I didn't know how long I could just sit there and watch. "And now ladies and gentlemen that we are halfway through the evening, we'd like to offer a special treat to our discriminating buyers," Mr. Eversoll spoke after another dinosaur was sold off. A low rumble sounded from behind the closed doors. The sound sent a chill down my spine as I looked at Eli. He looked back at me with a small smirk as the doors slowly opened, flooding the room with white light. "This evening you will preview a new asset we've been developing. A creature of the future made from pieces of the past," I could hear the scratching of claws against metal and the heavy breathing of a large reptile. "Ladies and gentlemen, please be warned, this is the perfect blend of the two most dangerous creatures that have ever walked the earth," I could see it now. It was an unpleasant sight to behold. I could barely register the chatter of the crowd because of the sounds that the creature pushed out. The thing was gangly and monstrous, something you would find in a child's nightmare. "We call it, the Indoraptor. The perfect weapon for the modern age." Mr. Eversoll continued to talk about the attributes of the Indoraptor, but I was too focused on its bloodthirsty grin. The creature seemed to smile at each and every person in the room, ready to show what its gleaming teeth could do. The Indoraptor turned toward me and snapped its heavy jaws. I clamped my hand onto what was closest, which happened to be Eli's own hand. I let a tear slip down my cheek as Eli subtly moved his hand closer to me. I wanted to leave, but I knew that I couldn't. I was trapped; a prisoner in my own home and because of my own naivety. "...Now first, your laser sets the target," I finally tuned back into the auction to find a laser being pointed at one of the audience members. The Indoraptor honed in and hissed loudly at the man, who was trying to back away. "Once locked on, an acoustic signal triggers the attack." Mr. Eversoll finished as the man holding the laser gun pressed a small red button, making the gun emit a high-pitched whirring sound. The creature was sent into a frenzy as it chewed at the bars, trying to attack its target. I could hear the steel scraping against its teeth mixing with the growls coming from its throat. The audience let out sounds of terror and awe. "Now, modifications are still being made-" Mr. Eversoll was cut off by a Russian bidder yelling from the crowd, "20 millions!" My heart raced at the thought of this thing lose or in the hands of one of these people. Mr. Eversoll hesitated and looked down at Eli and me. I'm sure I wasn't any help what with my panic-stricken expression, but Eli simply looked back into the crowd.

    I could see the wheels turning in his head as he considered what was happening. "Well, this is a prototype, not for sale," Mr. Eversoll began, but the bids rose higher and higher. I scanned the crowd and saw Henry Wu, a man I barely knew, beginning to worry. As the bid reached 25 million dollars, Eli and Mr. Eversoll shared a look. "Do I hear 26?" The older man asked. I quickly turned to Eli and gripped his hand tighter, "You can't seriously be selling this thing?"  I was on the edge of manic, "That's the thing that Maisie and I saw in the lab isn't it, isn't it?" I was gaining volume and as I started to draw attention, Eli placed the hand I wasn't grasping over my mouth. "I want you to listen to me very carefully, Alice. This is how your company will make money from now on. You will not stand in this company's way of greatness. One day, you'll appreciate what I'm doing for you an-" Eli's rant was cut off by Dr. Wu speed walking up to the table. "What are you doing? That animal is not for sale!" The man didn't seem to care about the distress I was in, nor did he even spare me a glance. "Let them have it. We have to give them a taste," Eli had dropped his hand, but the one I had previously been grasping had moved to grip my wrist. "He's a prototype!" Dr. Wu tried to protest, but Eli waved him off, "This prototype is worth $28 million right now. Relax, we'll make some more." The thought of more creatures like the one in front of me made my stomach hurt. "So will they." Dr. Wu said as he walked away. I couldn't see where he went, but I knew that he had left the room. I wish I could get out of here, I wish someone would come to save me from this hellscape.