Won't Let You Go | Owen Grady

Chapter Thirteen

Present Day

One by one, the heartbeat monitors for the foot soldiers went dead. Charlie stared up at the screen, eyes wide, unable to blink as another monitor went into a red line, the steady tone emanating throughout the room. She turned slowly, looking up at Owen, the two of them turning back to face Claire and Mr. Masrani. Charlie had never witnessed....anything close to that. That was a massacre. Those men and women stood no chance, not with nonlethal weapons. They were lambs, sent to the slaughter, completely and utterly unaware of what they were being sent to contain.

"Evacuate the island," Owen said. This wasn't a question or a suggestion. It was an order. It was a voice Charlie had rarely heard Owen use. One that used to send delicious shivers down her spine. One that now made her stand a little straighter, feel a little more nervous, feel sweat lick at her palms.

"We can't do that," Claire shook her head, almost in disbelief. Whether this was at the idea of the park closing, or what they had just witnessed, was up for debate. Charlie didn't know how to read Claire these days. Not after they stopped speaking.

"You don't understand," Owen shook his head, pointing up at the screen. He was about to start pacing, Charlie could tell, she recognized that look on his face, the stance he was taking. As if on queue, he began to walk back and forth in front of her. "You built a genetic hybrid in your laboratory. This animal did not have a normal childhood, she didn't have parents, she hasn't been out in the wild. She's seeing everything out there for the very first time." Owen shook his head, looking to Charlie, hoping she was understanding what he was saying, that she could help argue his point.

"You should listen to him," Charlie said, looking at Mr. Masrani. "You hired him for his expertise, this is it. And he's right. That dinosaur out there won't stop."

"She will kill everything in her path until she understands her place on the food chain," Owen continued, "And right now, that's above us. Asset Containment has the authority to use live ammunition for emergency situations. I'm pretty sure this qualifies. Don't you think so, Dr. Saunders?" Owen only ever called her 'Doctor' teasingly, or when he needed to throw the weight of her degrees around.

"I most certainly do," Charlie replied, hands on her hips. "I think anyone who just saw what we saw would think so. There are dead men and women out there who are never going home. There will be more if we don't take higher measures."

"We have families here," Claire objected. "This is a theme park. We aren't going to make this some battle zone. And frankly, if you're not going to suggest something helpful, I think it's time that you and Ms. Saunders leave." Charlie noticed the drop of her actual title, and even though the rift between them was wider than anything she had known before, that stung.

And so, the blonde opened her mouth to object, but before she could, Owen grabbed her hand, jerking her forward as he stalked towards the elevator. "Best of luck then," he called out over his shoulder as they passed by.

"Where are we going?" Charlie hissed at him, knowing pulling against his brute strength was of no use.

"Somewhere safe," Owen replied, as if this were the obvious answer. He punched the up button on the elevator, and the doors slid smoothly open. "We're getting somewhere safe. And then we're finding a way off this island."

Charlie looked up at his for a moment, unsure of what to say. Why would he care? Before today, they hadn't talked. Not in a year. But it wasn't worth the fight, not when they had an emergency of this scale on their hands. So she turned and faced back out towards the room of people. She saw Claire and narrowed her eyes. "Hey Claire?" She called out, as the doors to the elevator started to close.

"Hmm?" The red head said in response, raising an eyebrow, causing the fire in Charlie's stomach to flare up. How dare she try and undermine her and what she knew? How dare she treat her the way she had to begin with?

"It's 'Doctor' Saunders. Probably better you don't forget that," was the last thing Charlie called out, the last thing the room of employees heard, Claire's cheeks growing red, before Charlie and Owen disappeared behind the elevator doors, the metal rectangle carrying them up and away.

"You always have to get in the last word, don't you?" Owen asked, shaking his head. He sounded...almost teasing, but annoyed. Charlie didn't even know where to begin unpacking that, and she was pretty sure she only had the short elevator ride to do so.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Charlie asked, turning to look up at him, crossing her arms over her chest. She didn't feel good around him anymore, not like she used to. But if they were all about to die, was ignoring him really worth it? Probably not, no. And especially not if they were going to try and make it out of here alive. She understood they needed to work together now more than ever, even if it meant getting a little uncomfortable.

"Don't pretend you don't remember," Owen scoffed, glancing sideways at her, shaking his head, still facing the elevator doors in front of them, as if he couldn't even stand to look at her. A bitter taste filled Charlie's mouth and she shook her head, no, she didn't remember whatever he was implying. "We haven't talked in over a year. You made sure you had the last word then, too," he scoffed, rolling his eyes before he muttered something to himself.

Charlie closed her eyes, thinking back, thinking back to the last time he tried to talk to her, after she saw what she had seen. She was rifling through the memories she had packed away so tightly, the things she couldn't think about because they would unravel her. The things that reminded her of Owen, which was just about everything.

The memory was fuzzy but it was starting to come back, when Owen spoke again. "You were at dinner with Hanna," he shook his head, turning to look at her. "Because you were hanging out with her a shitload and with me not at all. And I tried to come and say hi, see what was up, because I...." he trailed off, eyes closed, and he pinched the bridge of his nose. "Doesn't matter, I came over. And I asked you how you had been. And your face got this look...I've never seen you freeze up like that, not even looking a T-Rex in the eyes. Hanna told me I should leave, and I asked what was wrong." He shook his head, letting out a sigh as he grit his teeth. "But I didn't leave. And you turned to me, and you told me 'Owen Grady, I never want to speak to you again. Get the fuck out of here, please.'"

He paused, turning to look at her. "Do you remember any of that?" He asked her, his eyes meeting hers.

She did. Oh, she did.