I have been betrayed thrice.
The first was by humans. They created me, locked me in a cage, and from the time I was small until I was grown, I never saw a living thing that wasn't a crane.
The second was by the Giganotosaurus. I thought we were evenly matched rivals, but time and again, he survived situations I was certain were fatal. I trusted him to die, and he failed me!
The third was by the Velociraptors. When I first understood the language of other dinosaurs, I was astonished; when you agreed to hunt with me, I was elated.
I do not blame you for abandoning me when I was in danger; that monster evokes fear in any creature that faces it.
But what I cannot fathom is how you could betray me so easily for a group of humans!
Why do you show me such little respect? You won't even call me Alpha!
Enraged, the Indominus rex swung her right arm, attempting to deliver a massive backhand to Blue, who dared to defy her.
But she quickly realized her right arm was gone. The violent motion tore her wound open once more, and blood began to flow steadily from the stump.
The air suddenly went still. Even with her accelerated healing, this wasn't just a wound that could close; it was a permanent mutilation.
"Aunnng-roar—"
The humiliated Indominus grew even more livid. Roaring, she lunged at the nearest target, Blue, but predictably bit only empty air.
This act served only to provoke the raptors, who responded with threatening shrieks and bellows.
Owen stood with arms outstretched, shielding the others as they slowly retreated. He glanced at the four raptors beside him, then at the Indominus across from them, and managed a faint smile.
He blew a sharp whistle and retrieved his weapon from the ground. On his signal, three of the raptors lunged forward in a coordinated strike, leaping onto the Indominus's massive frame to tear and claw.
Claire hurried the two boys into a nearby plush toy kiosk for cover, while the injured Delta found a spot further back, claiming a prime seat as a spectator.
Bang! Bang!
The sound of gunfire mingled with the cacophony of raptor shrieks and Indominus roars. Gray leaned against the wall, staring at the Indominus, muttering under his breath:
"Twenty-four... fifty... we need more."
"More what?"
"Teeth... we need more teeth."
Claire paused, looking toward the battle. She grabbed a flare and a radio from a nearby emergency kit. She turned to her nephews with a firm instruction:
"Okay... you stay here. You'll be fine."
…
"OK... this is officially the first time I've eaten a midnight snack at my desk."
Lowery pulled a cup of instant noodles from his bag, added water, and snapped the lid shut. He hadn't actually been that hungry, but watching the Dilophosaurus eat on the monitor had been strangely appetizing; it had made his mouth water.
He had just taken his first slurp of noodles when the comms chirped.
"Lowery, are you still there?"
Startled, he bolted the scalding noodles down.
"Mph! Gulp... I'm here, I'm still here."
"Open Paddock 9."
"Paddock 9?"
He took a frantic swig of water while sliding his chair over to the enclosure control interface. When he saw the paddock details, he nearly spat the water back out.
"Cough, cough... you're not joking?!"
…
The three raptors worked in pairs, ensuring at least two were always clinging to the Indominus. This strategy was designed to drain her stamina while preventing the teammates from getting in each other's way.
Having lost an arm, the Indominus's balance was severely compromised. She could no longer drop into a quadrupedal stance and was forced to whip her body around violently to shake off the attackers.
Bang! Bang!
Owen cleverly aimed his shots at the Indominus's open wound, significantly increasing the damage dealt by his rifle.
Click, clack, click, clack...
The rhythmic strike of high heels suddenly echoed at this moment. It was Claire having brought the Tyrannosaurus rex with her!
"Aunnng-roar—!"
Rexy smashed through the Spinosaurus skeleton, letting out a thunderous roar.
A burning flare struck the Indominus, drawing Rexy's focus. Seeing the shift in the battle, Blue barked a command, signaling her sisters to disengage from the hybrid's back.
The Indominus had barely felt the weight lift from her body when she locked eyes with Rexy standing across from her.
Seriously, dude? You too?!
The two titans locked eyes. It was time for a high-stakes, pulse-pounding Poké... Dinosaur Battle!
Rexy lunged first, clamping her jaws onto the Indominus's neck, but the jagged osteoderms sliced into her gums, forcing her to release immediately.
The Indominus retaliated with her remaining claw, but because Rexy was positioned to her right, where her arm used to be, she struggled to land a clean hit.
Rexy tried to seize the Indominus's throat again. Holding the superior position, she shifted her weight twice in quick succession to find a better angle, but the stabbing pain in her mouth caused her to falter both times.
The Indominus seized the opening and bit down on Rexy. A single snap left a prominent, bleeding gash on the T. rex.
The hybrid lowered her center of gravity, using her left hand to brace against the ground as she maneuvered her head to Rexy's left, her own advantageous side.
Rexy felt a sharp pain in her throat and realized the spikes on the hybrid's neck were the primary obstacle. Taking advantage of the Indominus's slight recovery lag while repositioning, Rexy avoided the spikes and clamped onto a smoother patch of skin on the hybrid's flank.
However, this prevented her from utilizing her full bite force; she was only gripping skin and muscle, unable to crush bone.
She thrashed her head, attempting to tear the flesh away. But as she wasn't a Carcharodontosaurid, her "sawing" efficiency was low; she relied entirely on her massive jaw strength and power to lock the opponent down.
The Indominus was well-versed in countering this kind of tearing combat. She actively swayed and rotated her body in sync with Rexy's movements, minimizing the chance of skin being ripped off.
Her defensive maneuvers were so practiced it was almost pitiful. As Rexy's head-swinging grew more frantic, she was eventually forced to let go.
Rexy didn't want to lose her hard-won advantage and lunged for the neck again. But this time, the movement was too wide, and she was once again sliced by the spikes.
The Indominus regained her footing and used her left hand to shove the T. rex back, finally freeing her neck.
She quickly ducked her head, evading a follow-up snap from Rexy, and used her left arm to pivot up on Rexy's other side. She kept Rexy positioned below her head, well within the reach of her left claw.
Sensing the danger, Rexy retreated rapidly, but the Indominus was relentless, her left claws raking across Rexy's hide.
"Go, go, go! Move!"
Owen led the group away from the clearing, running back toward the interior of the Innovation Center. He held the door open for them, and as the last person entered, he turned back and called out:
"Blue!"
Blue, who had been watching the spectacle, tilted her head and looked at Owen.
Owen had intended to lead her and the other raptors to safety, but seeing that Blue had no intention of leaving, and that Charlie and Echo were staring transfixed at the Indominus while Delta sat nearby, he changed his mind.
"Take care of yourself. Take care of them."
Blue seemed to understand, or perhaps she didn't. Either way, after Owen left, she turned her gaze back to the Indominus.
"Ao!"
She chirped to her pack, signaling them to take Delta and leave. Then, she charged forward alone, leaping onto the Indominus's right side.
The mission wasn't over yet.
The Indominus felt the sudden surge of pain in her side, her stride faltering for a split second. That was all the opening Rexy needed.
Before the hybrid could recover, Rexy changed tactics, biting down on her head and using her body weight to hurl her aside.
Blue was thrown clear by the force and tumbled to the ground, but she was back on her feet instantly, circling for a new opening.
Rexy didn't give the Indominus a moment to breathe. She clamped onto the hybrid's neck, and having learned from her previous attempts, she didn't try to crush it yet, but instead used her momentum to drive the hybrid into a nearby building.
CRASH!
The structure shattered, and jagged rebar pierced into the Indominus's flank. Before the hybrid could recover, Rexy bit across her skull again. This time, her teeth sank directly into the eye socket, right where Carlo had previously left a wound.
She wrenched the Indominus's neck clockwise, attempting to snap it, but the hybrid tilted her body violently to roll with the force and prevent the break.
Rexy let go to hurl her once more, but this time the Indominus missed the buildings and managed to scramble to her feet.
To prevent the hybrid from using her remaining arm, Rexy stayed low and pressed against her left side, pinning the left hand.
The Indominus began a test of pure strength, using her height advantage to press Rexy down toward a storefront on the left.
At the last possible second, Rexy found her footing. She pressed her head against the Indominus, braced with her left leg, and lunged forward with her right. With a massive surge of power, she drove the exhausted Indominus back into the ruins.
The hybrid's immense weight buckled the remains of the building, and debris pierced the left side of her body.
Rexy adjusted her stance, bit across the Indominus's head again, and dragged her out of the wreckage with a counter-clockwise wrench. She found an opening to shift her grip to the hybrid's jaw joint and threw her outward with a massive head-snap.
The blow shattered the Indominus's masseter muscles and severely damaged her cervical vertebrae; several ribs were already crushed.
Blue seized the moment before the Indominus could rise, leaping onto her head and raking her talons across the hybrid's face.
Rexy opened her jaws to snap at the head again, but Blue was in the way. At the last second, she used her skull as a battering ram to pin the hybrid down.
The Indominus lurched backward. The spikes on her neck sliced Rexy's throat again, and she thrashed her head to shake Blue off. But in doing so, she inadvertently exposed her flank. Rexy, having regained her stance, delivered a shoulder-check that flipped the hybrid onto her back.
Without her right arm, the Indominus was unable to protect her soft underbelly or right side. Rexy wasted no time and clamped her jaws firmly onto the hybrid's throat.
This time, there were no spikes in the way.
Rexy applied every ounce of her crushing power. The Indominus's cries turned shrill and raspy before fading into nothingness.