The deafening hum of fluorescents were first to greet him.

Lying face down upon a spread of smooth white concrete, Click awoke with a groggy start, with only a string of reddened drool tying his busted lip to the ground.  The male groaned; nothing comforted him when he came to -- not a thought, a feeling, or a sound. Just the hum above seemed enough to rouse him, it's intense hiss irritating his soul with complete and utter dread. His senses didn't make things any better. A blur of lifeless colors was all that came to his eyes. Sound didn't seem so promising either -- the hum grew and grew, so he shifted to touch. The ache of his poor body did come as a surprise to him, as if dragged a hundred miles, his skull ringing like a church bell at dawn.

He had to get away from it.

Click started shifting to his claws, dragging each dirt-stained finger against the roughened rock below and pushing upward. It was enough to roll over; the male letting out a gasp as the full intensity of the light above struck his sealed eyes. Another groan left him, he tried turning himself to the leftmost portion of his frame, then pressed a hand aft of himself where a wall supposedly stood. Click couldn't stand yet, his legs still felt like jelly, so he let gravity drag him over to his rear end where he could relax himself against the adjacent wall. His head slumped, chin grazing the base of his torn brown shirt before lifting to the space ahead of him.

Still blurry. Not as bad as before, but enough to gather a picture.

He was in a room of some sort. He could notice three walls: back, left, and right. The space ahead of him flickered with the light; it had to be glass. Click still wasn't so sure. But beyond that was another room, a smaller one, but well lit much to his annoyance. A few chairs lined the front portion of the space, another row just hindering behind that one, then a slew of windows and doors just at the furthest end. The best way to describe it all was a makeshift theater, the kind Click would take his daughters to when they were little.

Click blinked again, pressing a hand against his skull. A massive gash cut through his skull, courtesy of his 'friend' who struck a blow with the end of a rifle. It wasn't bleeding as terribly as before, but the bulging bruise was disgusting to feel. He let out a wordless growl -- a part of him should've known better than to relay all trust to people. Nobody is worthy of praise and honor in such a diluted company like INGEN. A company that puts the needs of their bank accounts over their living merchandise.

And murders humans for the hell of it. How are they not out of business?

Something started moving to his left. Yes, there was someone sitting there, watching him. Studying him. Fiddling with something that looked very much like a bag of Doritos. He couldn't make it out entirely, but his interests were well worth letting loose. Shifting another inch upright, Click peered over to the figure for a second time, trying to make out his body -- he didn't look familiar.

Nor did he sound familiar.

"How are you doing, Tommy?"

Click blinked a sixth time. The picture was clearing up more for him; the person was mid-sized, tall, and much older than he. A white mask covered up his face, so it was hard to tell who it was. But he did see a few things; rectangular glasses hung from his snout, and a faded sideburn leveled up his half-grayed hair. Enough to manage a picture. Click squinted harder, watching the man stand upright and wander toward the front.

"Mm, I left some Advil to your right," he pointed toward a small cup near the right corner of Click, something he hadn't recognized earlier. "Just in case you need it-"

"Where am I?"

The male finally pulled his mask down -- Click saw his face head on, but still didn't know who he was. A smirk came into view; the male drew a red chip to his mouth, crunching on the tip and swallowing once. "Somewhere safe. Trust me."

"Like hell I will," Click hissed, shakily shifting to his feet, glass cup now sealing around his claws. "Attacking me in my home, taking my raptor -- where the hell... am I?! Where's Seven?!"

"Before we start losing our minds-"

Click scrambled forward, reared back and chucked the glass container straight at the region where the man stood. In an instant, a massive explosion of shards ripped across the glass frame ahead, nearly cutting Click had he been closer. Spoiled Advil pills splattered across the ground between them. But the wall didn't crack -- nor did the man behind it flinch.

All of a sudden, the lights above from bright white to deep red, causing Click to freeze and look up.

"Uh oh..." the man raised a finger to the sky. Click stumbled backward, gasping as strange machines started to open in the ceiling above, aiming down at Click. But nothing happened. It watched him like the predators that they mimicked, a hissing sound echoing near the pointed metal nozzle. All Click could do was stare up in both wonder and fear, awaiting the worst to come.

    "The sensors here are a bit agitated today, so I wouldn't piss off the walls trying to punch your way out," said the cheery man, another chip going into his mouth. "Dinosaurs don't like sleeping gas any more than humans do."

    Click's eyes widened. "What?"

    "I put a couple of greens into this design." He began to grin like a child to his toy, "What you are standing in... is a fifth-generation cage developed by Doctor Henry Wu and yours truly-"

He pointed to himself.

"Made for the... wildest amalgamations and experiments that the human eye has yet to see. Makes it safe for testing, research, biohazards, and more -- a-and the floor cleans up after its subjects so things don't smell bad. I mean, nobody likes a porta potty."

Click's eyes dropped.

"Oh, and best of all... environmentally friendly. So nobody has to shame-"

"It's made of glass," Click growled out.

"For visual reasons, yes, reinforced from the inside out." He drew an imaginary box with his Dorito hands. "You need... about three hits of a six-ton monster to break through, but with the sensors and the gas, they can barely pass one."

"And have you tested that theory?" asked Click, eyes narrowing toward the man. "Or are you just crapping yourself just to make yourself sound smart."

"Would you like to test it?" asked the male, face turning cold. Too cold to call normal, let alone challenge. He knew a look like that, that flurry of confidence spiking like adrenaline to the heart. It wasn't worth the test... Click knew that just by sight.

    The lights finally returned to white. He let out a breath of relief, still eying the closing ceiling for a second longer before turning back over to the male.

    "See, I try to learn from mistakes," said the gray-haired male, pushing from his chair to look upon Click. "After Isla Sorna and that unfortunate event at Lockwood, eventually you start to realize that safety is a massive issue with Jurassic World properties. How are you going to save and satisfy lives... if your cages are five metal bars atop a concrete slab, like, come on!" He clapped his hands. "We're smarter than this!"

    Click snarled. "Are we?"

"Why not?" he lowered his bag of chips, adjusting his mask back up to just an inch below the eye. "We've flown to the moon and back, we've found ways to turn limitations into endless farms, we've cured diseases, we've adapted to all kinds of life -- so we can certainly control the little nightmares that cower beneath your bed. I mean, that's what this has been about, right?"

"I don't give a damn what this is about, why are you dodging my questions?"

"Dodgeson, actually. Lewis is my first, still--"

"Hey!" Click slammed a hand against the wall, turning the ceiling red again. "Old man, I swear you better-"

"Aha! Y-You're threatening me! Hah, no, you're good, you're..." he pulled his mask down, gathering the Doritos a second time to chew on. "Mhm! You're really good. I can see why Henry picked you up from the Marine Corps. You've got that fire in you, that charisma, that determination. Power... Leadership power. I have my full respects, Tommy. Reminds me of myself when I was young. Without all the muscles, that is..."

Click fell quiet, letting the ceiling turn back to white again.

"Questions! Right-!" Dodgson took in another chip. "You... are in the wonderful town of Clearlake, California. Home of Mount Konocti just a few miles west of us, and the oldest known lake on the continent. You go digging around these regions and you will find a lot... of good fossils. Enough to work with if you're lucky."

"This place is still a work in progress. Beginning phases, actually." He took one last chip, crumbled up the wrapper to throw away before returning back to Click's location. "Wiring still going up, a few spaces are opening for conference rooms and bathrooms. Construction in and out day and day, but so far we're holding strong. Five dinosaurs so far -- I know, not a lot. But I have another unit going up in Maine for an Eastern Front, just for that Mosasaurs hideout. Our main unit is in Italy, a Research Facility, but nothing crazy has happened over there. No, not yet, not until my miracle happens first-"

"Jesus, great," Click slapped his hands against his thighs before he could go on. "Thank you for your victory story. I'm sure there's a bunch of hidden details you skipped over, but it's best you keep it short and sweet. Now, where's Seven?"

Lewis exhaled quietly. "I'm sorry."

The male didn't speak at first. Click's heart nearly leapt out from his throat, and his skin rippled through a heavy, miserable sigh. He squeezed his eyes shut, already accepting the inevitable. Seven was dead.

"C-Can I see her?" He asked. "B-Before you put her in the ground?"

"Before I-?" The man started to laugh, leveling Click's brief burst of wanton hope. "You're funny, Tom. Burial? That's... that's a human thing, Tom. I mean, who'd put a million dollars in the ground, that's ridiculous!"

"What?"

"Hold on-" he unwrapped the gum piece, pulled his mask down, and popped it into his mouth to chew on, a fresh burst of mint streaking across his tongue. Dodgson sighed, turning back to Click, who's morbid eyes had turned into sudden horror.

"Look, I have a deep... deep admiration for the connections you made with that indoraptor," Lewis muttered, pulling his mask back up. "I mean it, I do. Henry has told me... so much about your journeys and adventures..."

"Where is she?"

"...And I'm impressed by all you've done to help."

"Help?!" Click snarled past a hateful smile. "You? R-Really?"

"Yes."

Click scoffed. "Help," he began, "is the last thing I would do for INGEN. I'm done... making stupid guilty pleasures for your riches, and toying against your weapons of mass destruction that killed my-!"

"No, no, no... you're confusing yourself, Tommy, slow down." He started to pace around. "That's Wu's problem. And the days of INGEN have long since passed. Nobody cares about the next big dinosaur, or flower, or attraction -- they want the next big hero. They want someone who's willing to sacrifice enough... for the greater good of us all. Making a guilty pleasure to kill people -- that was never my agenda, nor do I want it to be."

"You sound like him, now."

"Henry's naive," Lewis grunted. "Stubborn. A bit lost at times. He still doesn't know how to work a company, I got to teach him soon-"

"That doesn't make you any different," Click hissed, pressing against the wall to seem more dominant. "All of you... still the same power-hungry devil looking for emancipation -- you want to make a miracle?! You want another wife to die, another child?!"

"Enough, enough! With the hate... the thought of your wandering sauropods and livid dilos crap, and a bunch of nonsensical trash all for the humor and wonder -- pathetic, isn't that right, Johnny boy?!" Lewis called out, eyes whirling upright to the skies. "Oh you old wreath -- creating a life just to watch it burn into ashes, there's no profit in the past, there never was! But I did what he couldn't, I didn't just bring them back, I gave them a purpose!"

"There is no purpose in life other than living."

"You just used the word in the definition, that's cruel."

"I did, so what?!"

"Then why are we here, Tommy?" Lewis asked in annoyance. "To reproduce, to expire? What is a mouse to a cat... and a cat to a mouse other than predator and prey? And what is Seven to you... Tommy, other than your ward to cover up the miserable little life you hide?"

Click's teeth tightened, hands curling into a fist sharper than stone.

"Do you think... loving what killed your wife... is going to bring Janet back? Because I sure don't. I think it's about time you let them both go."

The indoraptor trainer nearly broke. He tried to growl it off, pushing aside an undisclosed exhale to leave in the air, but it didn't work. Just to make matters worse, a cold tear flustered down his face, something he tried to hide, but couldn't. Click brushed it away, chuckling again, another tear fell. He couldn't hide his emotions -- he knew Dodgson was right. He couldn't admit it. Frankly he didn't have the strength to try anymore. And, just as the pain manifested into torment, Lewis broke even from his cold stare, brushing the sweat off his brow and mask.

"Christ, that was a lot of exposition, hold your thoughts," he gathered another gum stick, pulling his mask down to retrieve a mushy round of gray. "I spat my other one by accident on my mask and my blood pressure is through the roof. Alright-"

He clapped his hands; Click flinched out of his heartbroken gaze, refocused back on the older man again.

"My reason for your annoyances," Dodgson called. "I might as well tell you since you're not leaving here; Clearlake, California... will soon be the feeding grounds of a pharmaceutical wonderland. Every scientist and doctor on the planet... will join a revolution unlike any other, a cure... for life."

"What'd you do?"

"Nothing you wouldn't do," grunted the male. "You find a solution, you blow it up in your face but hey! I made a choice... a well thought out choice that, deep down, I know is going to change the world."

He took a step backward, arms stretching outward while joy burst in his eyes.

"Imagine... if the genome of a single creature can cure a mortal illness. A single drop of life can save twelve kids -- think about that."

"I don't want to."

"Just do it! For me, at least-" He closed his hands together, palm to palm. "We both know this year has been hectic. COVID may very well be the next pandemic of the century, most of the cause is those dinosaurs Miss Lockwood released to the public. And a few other mishaps coming about with that occurrence -- people are getting sicker by the day from saurian-passed viruses and nobody's batting an eye. Not until the media gets onto it, which they won't until the vaccine we create... comes into the light."

"But to finalize this project, this genome... I need Seven's bone marrow. All of it. Because she..." he pointed to the wall. "Is the key that not only saves my miracle from dying... but saves the millions of people struggling right now. People who don't have enough to garner a vaccine; they need something to give them hope. A feast of life. And she is my special ingredient."

"She's not your anything, damn it! Dead or alive! Let her rest, you psychotic-!"

Dodgson shook his head. "Wu made her too special. And we can't farm monsters like we used to. We only build them... destroy them, or rebirth them. That's how it goes. That's how it all goes. Then the rest is up to time."

Click began shaking his head. "Would you do that to a person?"

He spat out the gum, refocusing back on Click one last time. "She's dead, Tom. Get over it."

Tommy started to growl.

"I'm donated a life... to save a million. Because that's where my loyalties lie, to humanity. To the future..."

"Now, I..." He looked at his watch, "I am needed downstairs. Testing is on its final approach, and they need a supervisor. I'm going to leave our conversation there, then we'll pick up later when you're not so... angry. But don't worry, you have Henry to keep you company, right Henry?"

A sigh sounded from the right end of the room. Henry Wu, Click's most hateful... second most hateful person, was sitting at the other end of the cage, staring upon Click, emotionless in the eyes. Click's heart sank even deeper; he didn't know what to say now. Or what to do other than stare. Before he could protest anything more, Lewis Dodgeson had already left the room, a trail of his winded white coat waving from behind. Click turned his attention to Henry, a threatening growl rippling from his throat.

"I hope you're happy."

"Stop..." Wu moaned miserably, brushing a thumb against one of his facial wounds, eyes lowering to the floor. "I'm tired... of hearing those same words come out of everybody."

"Well," Click pressed his back against the glass wall, and slumped to the ground, splaying his legs out for comfort, "maybe that's what you need to hear. I... hope it continues to nag you like I do. Since you just don't listen."

"This wasn't meant to be a backstabbing, Tom," Henry grunted, now turning his attention to the defeated male. "But you weren't making this easy for me."

"Look who's talking..."

Henry glanced over at Click. His tongue clicked against the roof of his maw then relaxed, tampering with each breath he took as if it were his last.

"Not everything is my fault," he finally said. Click snarled.

"And yet you're always at the center of everything."

"Not everything," answered Henry, readjusting his line of sight to Seven's body. "Not this time."

"Don't... start acting so innocent to this..." Click shook his head. "I know a desperate man when I see one. You're just too dead in the eyes to feel ashamed of it. He's your god-damned bodyguard-"

"That's not it."

"Then what is?"

Wu bowed his head slightly.

"Why are you letting him do this?" he rasped. "How could you just give him everything?"

"You don't understand."

"I-I don't!" Click laughed. "You're right for once. Oh wow!"

Wu grumbled, glaring into the distance. Another few minutes passed, lingering the silence, burdening their spirits until neither could take it anymore.

"As spiteful as I seem," he began on, watching an outraged Click walk back and forth. "I am very much a puppet on a string. Some things were done because they had to be. And my face has to show as a reward for their pleasures."

Click slumped against the other wall away from the glass, laying his head back just to relax himself. He kept his eyes focused upon the scientist watching him from beyond the wall, saying nothing, thinking nothing. Alas, the deed was done, and would soon complete itself when they killed Seven.

Wu sighed, placing his hand against the wall.

"You can forgive me when it's over, Tom," said the scientist. "But, if this helps, I assure you that I'll-"

"Nothing you do... or give... is going to reprimand what you do to her," Click whispered. "Nothing. You got that?"

Wu swallowed, dipping his head quietly. "This is the only way."

"Of course it is." Click nodded softly. "You're like the Sid of Toy Story, just well-dressed, and annoying."

"Tom-"

"What did you put in her?" Click growled, looking upon the scientist. "What makes Seven so special that you'll break her, again? Since you don't care about anything you bring to life and end..."

Wu's spirit suddenly rocked. He didn't speak a word for some time, just a muffled gasp was all he managed to burden himself with. Click shifted his body upward, staring the scientist dead in the eyes once more, and hissed.

"Do you have someone?"

Wu lifted his eyes. "Someone?"

"Yes. Do you?"

Wu's eyes sank. "I... did."

"Did you care... for that person?"

"Enough," Henry answered softly. "Not enough to change... to make a difference in my life or anyone else's. But enough to..." He faltered mid-breath, readjusting his words. "I did care."

"Then tell me why you'll destroy the best thing that's ever happened to you."

Wu placed his hands against his thighs, grasping them tight and begging himself to never let go. He rubbed his wetted snout once, and forged an exhaled so solemn it birthed a fresh tear upon his silver eye. And then he spoke one word.

"A-Autumn."