The New Old World

Prologue: The Girl Who Tamed the Wild

Disclaimer: Jurassic World and anything you recognize from the Jurassic Park franchise are all properties belonging to Universal Studios. All other characters are mere over-imaginations of yours truly.

"I had a very famous trainer tell me once, 'You can usually train a wild animal but never tame a wild animal, ever.' They are always going to be wild, no matter what anybody says."

Jack Hanna

- J W -

Across the sandy plains of the Zambezi National Park, everything was still. A mild breeze was blowing through the land, but apart from the light swaying of the savannah grass and the skipping of sand-swirls above the ground, everything was at peace.

It was July in Zimbabwe, and the dry season of the year was at its all time high.

The day had started frigid, with cold winds leftover from the night before swirling across the savannah. But as the sun rose, the sky cleared and now, at mid-day, there was nothing but warming heat and minimal wind. Dry season was the best season for game sightings if you were an animal lover, as the wildlife wandered out of their shelters to seek waterholes and rivers, but for the occupants of the jeep wrangler currently bouncing over the rocky terrains, watching animals were the last things on their mind.

The wrangler was a hulking beast of a vehicle, with a body that was painted a matte white and its mainframes a silver that gleamed under the golden sun. A single insignia of black and blue – spelling out the word InGen – was painted over the front cabs and that was the only indication that the vehicle belonged to an organization operating outside of the reserve.

A single tinted window rolled down and almost immediately the lone passenger in the backseat was attacked by a sudden influx of muggy and acrid air that went swirling through the interior of the car. A herd of lions and its cubs resting near the unmarked path straightened at the rumble of the vehicle but paid them no mind as they resumed their grooming or naps.

"God damn," Simon Masrani muttered from behind his hand, which he was using as a makeshift mask. His other hand waved at the air in a bit to clear it as he frowned at the harsh conditions. "How long more until we reach, Jeff?"

"It's just right up ahead, Sir. Another 5 minutes or so," Jeff said. Sweat could be seen glistening off of the top of his baldhead despite the faint humming of the air-conditioning that had been set at its maximum lowest. He blamed it on the attire he was clad in, and cursed, not for the first time since touching down in the African country, the strict regulations set by the company about the attire of all employees. His cheap suit was sticking to him in the most awkward of places and it was making things a hell of a lot harder trying to sit still. He was wriggling in his seat and pulling at the collar of his shirt when he spied a cheetah sprinting right beside the wrangler as it continued down the dirt road. He cringed in quiet unease at the close proximity of the wild animal and quickly glanced at the open window, contemplating how he was going to ask his employer to roll it back up. Just in case.

As if sensing his disquiet, Masrani turned away from studying their surroundings to regard his driver. "Magnificent, is it not?"

"What is, Sir?" Jeff asked, looking at him through the rearview mirror.

"Wildlife," The man said, turning back to squint out at the land. A group of the park's employees were gathered around an enclosure housing several cheetahs. "Animals born with an instinct to kill and run free."

"Unpredictable is more like it," Jeff argued and guided the jeep around a bend. The gates of a nondescript facility came into view as they neared it.

Masrani hummed. "Yet they can be tamed."

"Maybe. For a while," Jeff agreed reluctantly. "But like you said, Sir, these animals are born with a natural tendency to kill. It's millions of years of instinct entrenched into the very being of the animal," The wrangler made another turn. "Perhaps they could be tamed, but that particular inclination will not be removed, not by any human."

"Spoken like someone who has had bad experiences with wild animals before," Masrani chuckled deeply. "Tell me, Jeff, where did you last work at, prior to this?"

"I was a guard for Mr. Hammond on Isla Nublar when the incident happened," He answered frankly and put the car into park. "We're here, Sir."

They had stopped at the entrance of what looked to be a private research facility where several park attendants were milling about the grounds. Already they could hear the faraway roars of lions and the cackling calls of the hyenas. Jeff unbuckled himself, hopping out of the car and slamming the door with a loud thud before he jogged around the vehicle and stopped at the passenger side to open the door for the businessman.

Masrani stepped out from the wrangler and smoothed a hand down his sharply pressed custom Armani suit. He casted a sharp-eyed glance over his driver and smiled. "Perhaps you should come work for me in the park. We could use someone like you."

Jeff grinned wryly. "I'm afraid once is more than enough for me."

The two strode further into the facility, bypassing several cages and earning themselves the curious stares of several park employees. It seemed Masrani knew where he was going or who he was looking for, for he appeared sure of his direction and steadfast in his steps.

"Who are we looking for exactly, Sir?"

"Her," Masrani declared, coming to a stop in front of the last compound at the far end of the reserve. His attention was trained on the young woman kneeling in the dirt and and performing what looked to be a series of routine checks on the lion.

Jeff watched nervously when the great beast gave a restless shake of his head and released a testy snarl of his teeth. A roar soon followed, startling him and Masrani enough for them to jump back from the decidedly weak gate. Jeff expected the woman to recoil in fear, to head for the gates and barricade herself off before the lion decided to attack, only to let out a low breath of surprise when she moved. The two men watched in silent awe while she shuffled closer to the unpredictable animal, murmuring in a low, soothing voice to the beast before burying her face in its mane without fear.

"The new project is going to be a roaring success, Jeff," Masrani boasted, his dark eyes sparkling with a newfound glint of delight. "Pun completely intended."

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