Friendship is Magic: Jurassic Park

Chapters

Chapter 1: The Fossils
Chapter 2: The Shape Of The Skeleton
Chapter 3: Sudden Chaos
Chapter 4: Rumors
Chapter 5: Invitation
Chapter 6: Reunion At First Sight
Chapter 7: Welcome To Jurassic Park
Chapter 8: Extraction
Chapter 9: Hunted in the Jungle
Chapter 10: Admits The Ferns
Chapter 11: In Exchange
Chapter 12: A Stroll Through The Park
Chapter 13: The Hidden Beast
Chapter 14: Prediction
Chapter 16: The Blocked Road
Chapter 17: Quick Save
Chapter 18: Safe Haven
Introduction 1.0
Prologue: Prey With No Escape
Chapter 15: The Breakout

Chapter 1: The Fossils

The museum's heart is steeped in history and holds a special place in the hearts of all its visitors. It is a place that connects them to the world they were born into, where they can marvel at artifacts that speak of the past and its stories. The museum itself is a landmark, having stood here since before its construction. With over three dozen exhibits, some of which contain more than a decade's worth of information, the building that houses these artifacts also accommodates over six thousand people, including students from various schools across the country who come to witness this magnificent collection.

Numerous visitors strolled around the premises, observing the exhibits. Their minds were brimming with inquiries as they endeavored to absorb everything at once. Some posed inquiries that were coherent to the individual asking them, while others inquired about what was genuinely unique or peculiar. There was an abundance of things to see and learn about. However, as impressive as each display was, none of those musings could compare to the museum's ancient history exhibit. The one that seized everyone's attention: the dinosaur bones.

Ancient fossils have always been a source of fascination for young children, and the fossilized remains from extinct prehistoric creatures that had been preserved with great care by the Museum was the most precious treasure the local town could offer their visitors. Numerous individuals in the chamber had journeyed a great distance to witness some of these fossils, even accompanying acquaintances for the event. Other children were left agape at the towering skeletons above them. The chamber was not excessively congested, and all of the children were well-mannered, gazing up at the display of the skeletons in amazement.

Alan Grant stood with his back against the wall, his arms crossed, and a smile on his face as he observed the children. If one were to inquire as to whether he enjoyed the company of children, he would respond affirmatively without hesitation. It is impossible not to appreciate any group that is so openly enthusiastic about dinosaurs. Alan was amazed when a three-year-old child shrieked, "Stegosaurus!" and rushed towards the giant animal that dominated the center of the room. Alan's smile widened, and he chuckled to himself. Children are so full of excitement, and he never fails to enjoy watching them become excited about anything.

He turned towards his left and noticed two young teenagers gazing down at well-preserved dinosaur eggs. Grant shook his head as his lips slightly curved upwards, reminiscing an old memory. In 1979, Grant discovered the first clutch of dinosaur eggs in Montana, and many more in the following two years. However, he did not publish his findings until 1983. He recollected how he became an overnight celebrity after the report detailing his discovery was published.

A herd of ten thousand duck-billed dinosaurs lived along the shore of a vast inland sea, building communal nests of eggs in the mud, and raising their infant dinosaurs in the herd. Grant was inundated with requests for interviews, lectures, and books, but he characteristically turned them all down, wanting only to continue his excavations.

Grant inclined his head and massaged his nape. He prefers to maintain a certain distance from social conventions, as such matters tend to make him uneasy. He is one of the leading researchers in his field, and holds the esteemed position of professor of paleontology at the University of Denver. Grant is well aware that all significant work in paleontology is conducted in the great outdoors, with one's own hands, of course. He personally considers himself an outdoorsman, through and through.

Grant occupied his mind with reminiscences of his early years. His father, a sagacious and astute man, was of Caucasian descent, as was his mother. Grant inherited his father's complexion and eyes, but he inherited his mother's benevolent heart.

Both of his parents were also professors of paleontology, much like him. His mother, who was amiable and affectionate, was driven by her passion for teaching, and her love for children was boundless. She treated every child, regardless of age, as if they were her own. Grant was fortunate enough to have her as a role model during his adolescent years. Her constant encouragement of his intellectual curiosity and love for the natural world inspired Grant to pursue a career as a professional researcher in the field.

For a fleeting moment, Grant's countenance contorted into a frown. Both of his progenitors perished in a plane crash caused by an engine malfunction while en route to visit an acquaintance. The calamity remained vivid in his memory. Grant experienced a sense of melancholy as he recollected the incident, and he comprehended that death is an inevitable occurrence. Nevertheless, Grant held his parents in high esteem, for they molded him into the esteemed paleontologist he is today. He acknowledges that he would not have been able to complete his studies without their support. Alas, he continues to yearn for their presence.

Grant blinked as he was struck by a sudden fragrance, causing his nose to scrunch up. He then proceeded to glance around the room, but no one else seemed to react to the scent. His eyes then darted to the other side of the room where, about thirteen feet away, he saw the heads of two small creatures. Both of them looked around the room, their large rounded eyes gazing at the dinosaur bones with amazement.

The creature situated to the right was adorned in a coat of lavender fur, complemented by a navy blue-colored mane and tail, which were stylized with rim cuts. Two lighter-purple and pink stripes ran down both sides of its body. Additionally, it possessed purple irises, prominent eyelashes, and thicker eyebrows. A moderately-sized horn protruded from the top of its head, and Grant had to squint his eyes when he observed that it had a peculiar tattoo of a star affixed on both sides of its buttocks.

The creature situated to the left was embellished with a light yellow fur. Grant was astonished to observe that it had wings that were firmly folded against its body. The wings seemed to be attached to the animal from its waist upwards. Its bright aqua eyes exuded nothing but kindness, and its eyelashes were long and curved upward. The creature's long pink mane curled at the tips, and its tail was similarly curled. Similar to the other creature, it also bore a tattoo, but with three pink butterflies arranged in an upside-down triangular formation.

Grant's forehead furrowed as he scrutinized the two creatures before him. He experienced a sense of déjà vu, but couldn't quite place it. Were the creatures familiar because he had seen pictures of them or read a description? No, he was certain he had seen them before. But where? Grant wracked his brain, attempting to recall. He remembered reading his newspaper, and the headline displayed an image of six fur-coated creatures standing among a group of suited men. The caption underneath read: “Earth's six ambassadors: The Elements of Harmony.”

It dawned on him suddenly - the creatures. It is quite apparent that they are ambassadors, and not just any creatures. They are equestrians from another world, exploits of the Elements of Harmony. Grant pondered this thoughtfully, cupping his chin. However, he couldn't help but wonder what had brought them here as he gazed at the two equestrians. He observed them as they avoided a group of people while staring at the display of skeletons on the other side.

The countenances of the individuals were that of amazement and captivation. The equestrian with lavender hue elevated her hoof and gestured towards an Edmontosaurus skeleton, which caught Grant's attention. He observed the manner in which they ambulated, resembling that of equines. Each foot was placed cautiously on the ground, one after the other. The equestrian's gait was almost elegant as she pranced across the museum's floor, with her tail swishing behind her. Her eyes gleamed in the light, reflecting the radiance of the dinosaur skeleton.

Grant came to the conclusion that the equestrians in question are miniature horses. The sole disparity between these two beings is that one possesses a moderated horn while the other has wings. A Unicorn and a Pegasus, Grant thought.

A zoologist named Danish, back in 1638, challenged these claims and provided evidence that the so-called "unicorn horn" was actually the tusk (tooth) of the narwhal from the Arctic seas. However, for the next 100 years his findings remained unheeded.

It was explained in paper how the myth of the unicorn and the purported powers contained within the substance of its magical horn evolved from the ages-old spoils of the Arctic fishing trade, where the narwhal was primarily speared for food and secondarily, for the export value of its ivory tusk. This unusually pointed, long and protruding single tooth, which breaks through the upper lip and the left jaw of each male narwhal, became a highly valuable commodity over the following centuries, due to its believed supernatural origins and curative qualities.

As for Pegasus they were based off of Greek mythology as far as Grant could remember, as they resembled the flying horses depicted in the sculptures. These mythical creatures were just myths, of course; nothing more than stories to entertain children. But after seeing those two equestrians Grant now realized that both the unicorn and pegasus were very real.

“Take a look at this one.” Grant heard the lavender equestrian say to her friend beside her. “It’s amazing that something this big can stand on its two feet.”

“Oh, yes.” The yellow mare pegasus replied with a smile. “Um, how do you pronounce its name? Para…para, parah…para.”

“It’s called a Parasaurolophus mrs,” said Grant. The two equestrians turned toward him. “And it means "near crested lizard." Almost every child’s favorite animal.” He chuckled.

Grant turned just in time to stare down at the lavender unicorn, her mouth agape in surprise. The yellow pegasus noticed her reaction, turning her gaze away from Grant, and looking curiously at her companion.

“What is it? Is something wrong?” Asked the yellow pegasus.

“I know him.” Replied the lavender unicorn with surprise in her voice. “This is Dr. Alan Grant.” The unicorn turned back toward Grant and smiled brightly. “One of the principal advocates of the theory that dinosaurs were warm-blooded.”

Grant grinned in amusement at the unicorn’s comment. Although he knew many scientific theories regarding the evolution and development of animals. Yet he hadn’t expected the unicorn to be able to recognize him from his articles. He nodded in approval at the unicorn’s remark. “I see you know my work, Ms.…?”

“I’m Twilight Sparkle.” The unicorn said happily. “This is my friend, Fluttershy. Me, along with my friends, have been conducting study in numerous fields since first visiting Earth.”

Grant laughed lightly. “I’m aware of your mission Ms. Sparkle. The goings-on of the Equestrian Elements is fairly well-documented. It’s an interesting field and I am extremely intrigued to meet you two young ladies.”

Twilight stepped forward and extended a hoof toward Grant. “It’s really nice to meet you, Dr. Grant.” She said politely.

Grant shook her hoof and returned the friendly gesture. “Likewise. I see you two are fascinated with dinosaurs?”

Fluttershy smiled. “Yes we are.”

“I see.” Said Grant, nodding knowingly as he turned his attention once again to the hadrosaur skeleton. He turned his gaze back to the two. “May I join you two?”

Both Twilight and Fluttershy nodded. “Of course,” said Twilight. “Please do! I actually wanted to ask you a few questions revolving around dinosaurs.”

Grant walked beside the two. “Alright, shoot.” He responded. “Anything you would like to know, just ask.”

Alan Grant walked with Twilight and Fluttershy toward the exhibit’s entrance. He took notice of the curious stares some of the visitors gave them in passing, but he paid them no mind. His eyes wandered from a mounted deer to a porcupine with one horn. Entering in another exhibit the trio approached a giant skeleton. Bearing a large bony frill, three horns on the skull, and a large four-legged body.

“It’s so big,” Fluttershy breathed in awe.

“Indeed it is, Ms. Fluttershy.” Grant replied as he walked closer to the skeleton to admire the great creature.

“What kind is it?” Twilight asked curiously.

“It’s a Triceratops,” Grant answered, still mesmerized by the great beast. “Its name means 'three-horned face' you can tell just by looking at it. They’re a genus of herbivorous chasmosaurine ceratopsian dinosaur that first appeared during the late maastrichtian stage of the late cretaceous period, about 68 million years ago. It is one of the last-known non-avian dinosaur genera, and became extinct in the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago.”

“Oh my,” Fluttershy breathed, gazing at the fossil. “Do you know anything else about these Triceratops? I heard that they come in groups.”

“Well,” Grant said, turning to look at her. “Triceratops was thought to be unusual among its ceratopsid relatives. While many ceratopsids, a common group of herbivorous dinosaurs that lived toward the end of the Cretaceous period, have been found in enormous bonebed deposits of multiple individuals, all known Triceratops fossils have been solitary individuals. But a new discovery of a jumble of at least three juveniles in the badlands of the North-Central United States suggests that the three-horned dinosaurs were not only social animals, but may have exhibited unique gregarious groupings of juveniles.”

Twilight nodded as she hummed in understanding. Twilight glanced at the other skeletons of various herbivores and carnivores. One particular skeleton caught her eye. “That’s a Carnotaurus right?” Asked Twilight.

Grant nodded while continuing to observe the predator’s skeleton closely. “Yes.” He observed its size. “What do you know about the Carnotaurus, Twilight?”

“It’s a large carnivorous, or meat-eating, dinosaur that inhabited South America during the middle of the Cretaceous period, which lasted from approximately 144 to 65 million years ago. From what I learned Carnotaurus is classified as a member of the family Abelisauridae, which belongs to the order Saurischia,” Twilight explained.

“That’s right,” confirmed Grant. “And according to separate studies, they rivaled individuals that may have combated each other with quick head blows. By slow pushes with the upper sides of their skulls, or by ramming each other head-on, using their horns as shock absorbers. As for their feeding habits it still remains unclear: some studies suggested the animal was able to hunt down very large prey such as sauropods, while other studies found it preyed mainly on relatively small animals. Its brain cavity suggests an acute sense of smell, while hearing and sight were less well developed. The Carnotaurus was probably well adapted for running and was possibly one of the fastest large theropods.”

“How fast?” Fluttershy inquired.

Grant shrugged. “According to some studies Scientists calculate that it had a top speed of up to 48–56 kilometers. 30–35 miles per hour,” Grant answered. “It’s to be expected that it could outrun a man if you gave it half a chance. Or any prey it sets its sights on.”

Fluttershy looked up at the Carnotaur skeleton. Her eyes landing on the skeleton’s jaws lined with teeth, her ears drooping slightly as she looked at the teeth. She couldn’t imagine a worse fate than being chased by such a beast. Deep down she knew no salvation would ever come from such an animal attack.

They left the area behind, and soon entered yet another room filled with ancient skeletons of sauropods, hadrosaurs, and theropods. One by one Grant explained to them. The two ponies nodded to the stream of information Grant poured forth, occasionally pointing to certain bones with their hooves. They stopped when they reached the largest skeleton of all. And Grant pointed to the skull of a large bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, the forelimbs of the behemoth were short but unusually powerful for their size, and they had two clawed digits.

Grant then turned toward the pair with a broad grin. “This,” He began to say before pausing slightly. “Tyrannosaurus Rex. Or T rex, to be more accurate.” He explained with humor laced in his voice as he glanced over the two equestrians. “Shall I continue or do you have more questions?”

The pair glanced briefly at Grant. “Oh, no. Please continue.” Replied Twilight quickly.

Grant continued to explain that like other tyrannosaurids, Tyrannosaurus was a bipedal carnivore with a massive skull balanced by a long, heavy tail. Relative to its large and powerful hind limbs, the forelimbs of Tyrannosaurus were short but unusually powerful for their size, and they had two clawed digits. Unbeknownst to Grant, Twilight was scribbling down notes furiously in her notebook, while absorbing every detail of everything Grant told her about the dinosaur.

Fluttershy stared up at the mighty behemoth’s jaws. A chill went through her entire body. How terrifying must it have been for any plant eating animal to be chased by this powerful behemoth. Just imagining the size of those teeth crushing down on her made Fluttershy’s heart flutter uncontrollably. Even now just looking at it Fluttershy found the skeleton scary in its own right – not so much for what it was, but what it had been: a living, breathing, giant predatory beast. A Beast that happened to look a lot like an Equestrian dragon...

Fluttershy’s eyes blinked, realizing that she had spaced out. She had been so lost in thought that she hadn’t even noticed something off with the Tyrannosaur skeleton.

“Um, why does it look incomplete?” Fluttershy wondered, right hoof pointing at the incomplete belly.

“Hmm?” Replied Grant with a puzzled frown. “Ah yes, well not every bone of every dinosaur is complete; It’s extremely rare to find a complete skeleton of a dinosaur, and It’s rarer still that such a skeleton needs to be found. Besides this one here, less then ten Tyrannosaurus skeletons had been discoverd in total and none of them were complete.” He informed the two ponies.

Most organisms decomposed or were eaten by scavengers after death. Many species lacked hard parts, which are much more likely to fossilize. Some rocks and the fossils they contained have eroded and disappeared. Moreover, much of evolution happens in the small populations that survive changes in environmental conditions, so the chance that intermediates will fossilize is low.

“So despite the many Tyrannosaurus skeletons that were found in total, no pony has ever completed one dinosaur skeleton, besides this one?” Twilight questioned.

“Yes,” Grant answered with a nod, “In fact, most have simply seen a partial skeletal,” he added, gesturing toward the unfinished lower jawbone. “I guess you could call it a ‘shredding’ if that makes any sense…” He muttered the last part quietly.

“Well, you seem to be having fun.”

The trio turned around at the sound of the voice. There they saw a woman approaching them slowly. Her eyes were shining brightly with joy as she stared at Grant. As she approached closer Twilight and Fluttershy saw that the woman’s clothing consisted of cut-off jeans and a work-shirt tied at her midriff. She was darkly tanned and her blond hair was pulled back.

She stopped in front of them. Both hands placed firmly onto her hips as she eyed them carefully. Her smile didn’t waver.

“Mind if I join in the fun?”

Chapter 2: The Shape Of The Skeleton

Daniel Cooper watched the doctor lowering the plastic flap of the oxygen tent around his son as he slept. Daniel sat beside the bed, close to his son. His son’s younger brother sitting on the other side, and his wife seated next to their son, holding baby Jessica. They all watched with bated breath, waiting for a sign that their boy would be alright. It had been an hour since the attack, but there was no movement from their little boy yet.

He can still remember when it happened; he drove the Buick Riviera through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica. It was a beautiful morning in July, and the road before him was spectacular: hugging the edge of a cliff, overlooking the jungle and the blue Pacific. According to the guidebooks that he read, Cabo Blanco was unspoiled wilderness, almost a paradise. But it couldn’t be further from the truth.

Cooper, a twenty-eight-year-old billionaire from Florida, had come to Costa Rica with his wife and two sons for a two-week vacation. The trip had been his idea; he remembered talking to his friends about the wonderful beach of Costa Rica, and how good it would be for his kids. They were going to enjoy a relaxing, fun, family weekend in one of the most beautiful places on earth.

His wife Diane Madison, despite being in her forties, was a beautiful woman. Hell, she’d been gorgeous at thirty or so. She was tall, thin, with long legs and arms. Her dark hair hung down past her shoulders, cascading down her back. There were laugh lines around her eyes, and Cooper knew they came from smiling at her handsome husband. Diane, who was a former model turned surgeon, now ran one of the largest hospitals in San Francisco. They owned the hospital together, but Cooper had recently bought the entire hospital staff after Diane retired. And she’d taken great pride in managing the hospital with him. The way the doctors joked around the hospital staff was very much like the way the nurses joked around her; Diane had taught them well. She’d even made some new ones join the hospital staff. That was a feat. He was proud of her accomplishments.

When Daniel and his family arrived at the deserted beach, he was so sure of himself. He thought their vacation was going to go off without a hitch. He had brought a fridge full of food, water bottles, tents, coolers, towels, sunscreen, sleeping bags, umbrellas… everything he could think of. He’d gone with his father, who had traveled often with the same group of friends during his years in the military. So he’d thought it would all work out just fine.

But that was until he heard his son screaming.

When Daniel and Diane had first reached their son Jake, he was screaming hysterically. Jimmy was screaming worryingly for his brother. Both his whole left arm and right leg were bloody, covered with a profusion of small bites, each the size of a thumbprint. And there were flecks of sticky foam on his arm, like a foamy saliva. But that wasn’t what still left a lump in his throat. Daniel remembered his eyes meeting his son’s attackers, those creatures—those things—it was something Daniel had never seen before.

It was small, fast, and reminded him of a lizard. There were six of the creatures in total. All six of them shared the same appearance: each of them stood up on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail. They were almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along their backs. Its tiny front legs ended in little lizard fingers that wiggled in the air.

The last thing Daniel remembered of those creatures was seeing them cocking their heads and looking deep into his eyes. Hearing them making multiple chirps in unison before vanishing into the forest. Everything after that became a blur. His son’s wounds began to redden and swell almost immediately. The frantic drive back to civilization, the four-wheel-drive Buick slipping and sliding up the muddy track into the hills, while his son screamed in fear and pain, and his wounds grew more bloated and red. He will never forget that. Long before they reached the park boundaries, the swelling had spread to his neck, and then Diane panicked when Jake began to have trouble breathing…

The pain of the memory was still fresh in his mind. He didn’t realize he’d been clenching his fists until he saw Diane glance at him questioningly.

“Are you alright?” She asked in an exhausted whisper. He nodded, forcing a smile that he hoped looked believable. She nodded back, not saying anything more.

“Is my brother gonna be alright?” Jimmy asked, staring through the plastic oxygen tent.

“Yes,” Dr. Cruz answered. “I’ve given him enough doses of steroids, and his breathing is much easier. The edema in both his arm and leg is greatly reduced. I suspect he just needs more rest and time.”

Daniel was about to ask but then Dr. Cruz raised his hand. “Now before you ask, no. We have no identification yet,” the doctor said flatly. His face remained calm. “If we do, this wouldn’t happen to Jake. Nor would it happen to those before him.”

A brow arched on Diane’s forehead. “You mean this happened before?”

“Yes,” Dr. Cruz replied. He sighed and leaned forward towards his clipboard. “It happened to a little girl, I believe her name was Tina. She was attacked by the same green lizard that attacked your son. I have taken photographs for reference. And I have washed her arm to collect some samples of the sticky saliva—one for analysis here, a second to send to the labs in San José, and the third we kept frozen in case it is needed.”

“Do you know what species it is?” Diane asked.

“No I’m afraid not. I am not an expert, if I have to be honest with you. I’ve already called for Dr. Guitierrez to visit us here. He is a senior researcher at the Reserva Biológica de Carara, which is across the bay. He should be on his way right now.”

A knock at the door interrupted the group conversation. A nurse popped her head inside. “Doctor, Dr. Guitierrez is here. He’s standing outside.”

“Speak of the devil,” Dr. Cruz muttered under his breath.

“Wait a minute,” Daniel protested, standing abruptly. “Isn’t there someone from Cabo Blanco?” He asked. “That’s where Jake was bitten.”

“No there isn’t…unfortunately,” Dr. Cruz said. “Cabo Blanco has no permanent staff, and no researcher has worked there for some time. You guys are the second people to walk on that beach in several months. But I can assure you that you will find Dr. Guitierrez to be knowledgeable.”

Diane kissed her unconscious son’s forehead before leaving the room with her husband. Exiting the hospital’s main doors they both turned their heads to see a bearded man wearing khaki shorts and shirt. He was standing in the shade of a tall coconut palm tree behind him. His bushy black mustache and beard contrasted sharply against the tan skin of his face.

Dr. Guitierrez turned his gaze towards Daniel and Diane and approached them quickly. He extended his hand, and smiled. “Mr. Cooper, Mrs. Cooper,” he said pleasantly, with a soft southern accent. “How you doing, nice to meet you.”

“You too, doctor.” Daniel shook the stranger’s warm, dry hand as he formed a small smile.

Dr. Guitierrez walked with the Coopers and began explaining that he was a field biologist from Yale who had worked in Costa Rica for the last five years. Marty Guitierrez sat down with the Coopers on a bench and listened silently to Daniel’s story of what happened earlier that day. When he finished speaking, Guitierrez nodded to himself as if he had understood everything.

“Hmm, the story is quite familiar I must say,” he murmured quietly, shaking his head slowly. “And you’re positive of what you saw Mr. Cooper?” Daniel nodded in response to his question. “The reason why I asked is because normally I would’ve told you that of the six thousand species of lizards in the world, no more than a dozen species walked upright. Of those species, only four were found in Latin America. And judging by the description of its coloration you gave me. The lizard could be only one of the four. I then would have said that these lizards were Basiliscus amoratus, a striped basilisk lizard, found here in Costa Rica and also in Honduras. But it appears that you’re not talking about the kind of lizard you encountered, but rather one that is possibly not from our world.”

“Not from our world?” Diane asked. “What does that mean? Are they different species?”

Guitierrez shrugged his shoulders. “I’m actually not entirely sure. Even now I must admit both your story and the little girl from the first incident is puzzling,” Guitierrez said. “I have been doing some checking myself, and to this day. I am not certain at all that she or your son was bitten by a basilisk.”

“If not a basilisk then what?” Daniel asked, furrowing his eyebrows as he spoke.

Marty Guitierrez frowned slightly and stared at the ground for a long moment before answering, looking directly into Daniel’s eyes.

“Has Dr. Cruz mentioned the incident involving Tina?”

Daniel paused momentarily before nodding. “He did.”

“Well, to put it simply. As you know I am a field biologist from Yale and have worked in Costa Rica for the last five years now. And as I have established I know all of the six thousand species of lizards in the world, and not once have I ever seen a dozen of these species walk upright. But after the incident involving Tina I began to do some research; and the results I discovered led me to a conclusion that a part of me doesn’t want to believe but at the same time it is the only logical explanation that fits. The truth is…they weren’t lizards at all.”

“Then what for God’s sake?” Diane demanded impatiently.

Guitierrez turned his waist around and reached for his bag sitting next to him on the bench. Fishing out a photo from within he passed them over to Diane and Daniel. They glanced down upon seeing the image of a skeleton, standing on display in a museum. A skeleton that happened to look a lot like the creature they’ve encountered earlier. Diane gasped, and Daniel blinked at her as realization hit him.

No, no! It can’t be possible. It just can’t!
He felt something tighten around his stomach. It wasn’t nausea, he realized; rather, it was something else…an icy chill seeped deep into his bones. The skeleton in the photo was identical to the lizard that attacked his son. But how could that be possible? They’re supposed to be extinct! How are they here?! There was no way what he saw was real. But the more he looked at the skeleton’s three toed feet, the worse the feeling got. He looked up at Dr. Guitierrez.

“My acquaintance’s friend told me that this is a Procompsognathus,” Guitierrez explained. “I’m not a dinosaur expert. It’s not part of my field. But based on what he told me is that they lived approximately 210 million years ago during the later part of the Triassic Period. And, I believe that what attacked Tina and your son…it was the first of those dinosaurs.”

Silence hung heavy between the three of them as each of them took in the facts, and then processed their own thoughts. For a moment they seemed unable to react. The implications of what they’d just heard were almost too much to grasp.

“But…how can that be?” Diane finally managed to gasp. “I don’t want to believe it. This can’t be true.”

Guitierrez shook his head. “I wish it wasn’t true too Ms. Cooper. But unfortunately, it is. My friend’s friend is a scientist from the University of California. He knows his stuff. He told me without a doubt that those were indeed the remains of the first dinosaurs ever seen on earth.”

Daniel opened his mouth, as if to say something but was cut short. “Look,” Dr. Guitierrez said, interrupting him. “I didn’t want to believe it more than you do, Mr. Cooper. But look at the photo again. Do they not share the same similarities?”

Daniel reluctantly looked back at the photo, and then he saw it. The three toed feet…the tail…the neck…the skull…the jaws. Yes, there was definitely a similarity between them. He shook his head slowly. “This can’t be happening…it’s not possible…”

“Believe me, I know.” Guitierrez sighed wearily and rubbed his forehead with his hand. “It doesn’t make sense. But there are things that we have no choice to believe.”

“I…I need some air.” Diane stammered. “Please excuse me...”

Daniel and Dr. Guitierrez watched Diane stand up and walk away from the bench. Distancing herself away from the two. Guitierrez sighed heavily before turning to face Daniel once again.

“Well, that’s all I have to say…”

Daniel turned his head towards Guitierrez and watched him tanking back the photo from his hand and shoving it back in his bag. Guitierrez stood up and started the other direction before stopping abruptly and turning round again. “Oh yeah…before I forget,” he said. “Once your son recovers from his wounds, I highly suggest you go back home. For your family's sake. And I also recommend that you take care not to go to Isla Nublar.”

Daniel arches a brow curiously. “You mean the one that is a-hundred-and-twenty miles offshore?”

“Yup. That one.”

“Why?”

Silence filled the space between them. Guitierrez stared back into the young man’s eyes. Daniel was shocked to see Guitierrez’s face looked…pale. Almost white.

“There’s a saying, ‘Curiosity killed the cat’ Mr. Cooper,” Guitierrez finally replied cryptically. “I don’t know what’s on that island…but from what I heard yesterday from a far distance…it’s not worth venturing. Nor is it worth risking one’s life to check out. Take the advice I’m giving you to heart. Have a good day, Mr. Cooper.”

As soon as he finished speaking Guitierrez left without another word. Daniel watched him getting smaller as the distance between them continued until the man was nothing more than a small speck of dark brown. Once he had disappeared from view Daniel rested his head on top of his hands. His mind was still reeling. Daniel doesn’t know how or why those things are here but one thing’s for certain; he has no intention of going back to the beach, especially with the knowledge that those creatures are there.

Creatures that should’ve been extinct eons of years ago.

Chapter 3: Sudden Chaos

“Andre, wake up.”

Andre Weller felt the gentle touch of George as his friend shook him from where he sat on a bench on the long hall. Men in business suits walking down the carpeted halls in different directions while chatting to their assistants. The smell of coffee and freshly baked muffins made it through to his brain as if the walls had been ripped off by a hurricane. It smelled so good that it almost seemed too delicious for breakfast, but Andre knew better.

He had only slept for three hours since yesterday morning. And he was still exhausted. He didn’t know how much time it had actually been - maybe half an hour - until it was time to get ready for another day of working. But that was until his acquaintance, Lewis Dodgson, had called him to invite him over for a ‘meeting’ with the directors. A meeting that meant something big and very serious for the Biosyn Corporation. Something that Lewis called ‘Target Of Opportunity.’ So there they were. On an unassuming bench near the entrance to the meeting room. If Andre had to guess, all the directors were already inside.

Andre rubbed his eyes, letting out an involuntary groan. George chuckled at the response. It wasn't exactly a pleasant sound coming from a man who had only woken up two hours ago. “You look like shit.”

Andre tried to ignore the comment as best as possible. It was true. He hadn’t showered properly in days. The last time he had showered was when his showerhead broke during construction in Chicago three months ago.

He had spent six hours in the bathroom trying to fix it. After that, his body had never seen clean water again. That night, after cleaning up the broken showerhead and replacing it with new one, he found an old bar towel that he used to wrap around his waist to keep the water off of the rest of his body. Then, he fell asleep on his couch and woke up the next day feeling horrible because he couldn’t remember what he had done. He hadn’t eaten anything except water for almost four days now. And he just wanted to crawl back into bed and sleep even longer than he already did. He would have gladly fallen back asleep right then if he could, though.

George put an arm around Andre’s shoulders as he began walking towards the door of the meeting room.

“Is it time?” Andre asked, yawning.

George nodded as they walked. “Yup, he’s waiting for us inside.”

Walking up to their side, Howard King added, “Yeah, Lewis told us and I quote, ‘Get Andre. He wouldn’t want to miss this.’ Which is kind of ironic considering you didn’t want to be here in the first place.”
George laughed loudly at that and Andre joined in. Even Howard joined them for a few seconds.

The three men entered the room taking in its grandeur. Ten directors sat in the conference room were irritable and impatient. Andre checked his watch. It was 8:00 p.m. They had been talking among themselves for the last ten minutes, but slowly had fallen silent. Shuffling papers. Looking pointedly at their watches.

“What are we waiting for?” One director asked.

“One more,” Lewis Dodgson responded. “We need one more.”

Lewis glanced at his watch. Andre pressed his back against the wall, arms crossed. Andre remembered that Ron Meyer’s office had said he was coming up on the six o’clock plane from San Diego. Andre frowned at this. He should be here by now, even allowing for traffic from the airport.

“You need a quorum?” another director asked.

“Yes,” Dodgson said. “We do.”

That shut them up for a moment. A quorum meant that they were going to be asked to make an important decision. And God knows they were, although Dodgson would have preferred not to call a meeting at all. But Steingarten, the head of Biosyn, was adamant. “You’ll have to get their agreement for this one, Lew,” he had said.

For as long as Andre had known him, Lewis Dodgson was famous as the most aggressive geneticist of his generation, or the most reckless. Thirty-four, balding, hawk-faced, and intense, he had been dismissed by Johns Hopkins as a graduate student, for planning gene therapy on human patients without obtaining the proper FDA protocols. Hired by Biosyn, he had conducted the controversial rabies vaccine test in Chile. Now he was the head of product development at Biosyn, which supposedly consisted of "reverse engineering" taking a competitor’s product, tearing it apart, learning how it worked, and then making your own version. In practice, it involved industrial espionage, much of it directed toward the InGen corporation.

To this day Andre still doesn’t remember how him and Dodgson became acquainted. Maybe it was in college. Or, perhaps, they bumped into each other while on one of their many research trips. Either way, they instantly bonded over their shared fascination with science. By the end of their internship together, they were working together and were inseparable. At least until they met in their final year, where Dodgson left. For reasons Andre still doesn’t understand. He never really understood why. But the two of them haven’t kept in contact since.

It was then that when they met again, Andre realized that Dodgson had changed. He was short-tempered and frequently swore. Andre glanced at the carpet floor. He didn’t voice his opinions. But he believed Dodgson had grown, just as folks have spoke of him to be, reckless. Reckless enough to get himself in trouble, or worse. Andre also knew that he was only Dodgson’s partner because he was the only person to create valuable tech and hardware with his abilities. His inventions came about due to dedicated, honest dedication to the company. The CEO was something Andre strived for in his work but he never managed to achieve. And it was probably just his pride. No one wants to admit to a failure of their own. Especially when there's no proof of such thing.

But despite all of that, they always stuck together, no matter what happened. They weren’t friends. Just colleagues, both working with the same goal: to help build the world’s finest, most advanced, fastest and strongest bioengineering program. A program that could change everything. It was a project of utmost importance, so they never talked about money. Money had to come before everything else. There was no debate.

The door opened and Ron Meyer entered the room, slipped into a seat. Dodgson now had his quorum. He immediately stood.

“Gentlemen,” Dodgson announced as everyone stopped what they were doing. “We’re here tonight to consider a target of opportunity: InGen.”

Dodgson quickly reviewed the background. InGen’s start-up in 1983, with Japanese investors. The purchase of three Cray XMP supercomputers. The purchase of Isla Nublar in Costa Rica. The stockpiling of amber. The unusual donations to zoos around the world, from the New York Zoological Society to the Ranthapur Wildlife Park in India.

“Despite all these clues,” Dodgson continued, “we still had no idea where InGen might be going. The company seemed obviously focused on animals; and they had hired researchers with an interest in the past—paleobiologists, DNA phylogeneticists, and so on. Then, in 1987, InGen bought an obscure company called Milli-pore Plastic Products in Nashville, Tennessee. This was an agribusiness company that had recently patented a new plastic with the characteristics of an avian eggshell. This plastic could be shaped into an egg and used to grow chick embryos. Starting the following year, InGen took the entire output of this millipore plastic for its own use.”

“Dr. Dodgson, this is all very interesting—”

“At the same time,” Dodgson continued, “construction was begun on Isla Nublar. This involved massive earthworks, including a shallow lake two miles long, in the center of the island. Plans for resort faculties were let out with a high degree of confidentiality, but it appears that InGen has built a private zoo of large dimensions on the island.”

Andre shook his head in amusement at Dodgson’s interruption. There he goes again, he thought. Cutting people off when they speak.

One of the directors leaned forward and said, “Dr. Dodgson. So what?”

“It’s not an ordinary zoo,” Dodgson said. “This zoo is unique in the world. It seems that InGen has done something quite extraordinary. They have managed to clone extinct animals from the past.”

“What animals?”

“Animals that hatch from eggs, and that require a lot of room in a zoo.”

“What animals?”

“Dinosaurs,” Dodgson said. “They are cloning dinosaurs.”

The consternation that followed was entirely misplaced, in Andre’s view.

Andre raised a brow at Dodgson. Did he hear that right? Dinosaurs? That couldn’t be true, it couldn’t possibly be. There must have been a mix up. Right?

“What they have done,” Dodgson said, “is build the greatest single tourist attraction in the history of the world. As you know, zoos are extremely popular. Last year, more Americans visited zoos than all professional baseball and football games combined. And the Japanese love zoos—there are fifty zoos in Japan, and more being built. And for this zoo, InGen can charge whatever they want. Two thousand dollars a day, ten thousand dollars a day … And then there is the merchandising. The picture books, T-shirts, video games, caps, stuffed toys, comic books, and pets.”

“Pets?”

“Of course. If InGen can make full-size dinosaurs, they can also make pygmy dinosaurs as household pets. What child won’t want a little dinosaur as a pet? A little patented animal for their very own. InGen will sell millions of them. And InGen will engineer them so that these pet dinosaurs can only eat InGen pet food.…”

“Jesus,” somebody said.

“Exactly,” Dodgson said. “The zoo is the centerpiece of an enormous enterprise.”

“You said these dinosaurs will be patented?” One of the directors inquired.

“Yes,” Dodgson replied. “Genetically engineered animals can now be patented. The Supreme Court ruled on that in favor of Harvard in 1987. InGen will own its dinosaurs, and no one else can legally make them.”

“What prevents us from creating our own dinosaurs?” some-one said.

“Nothing, except that they have a five-year start. It’ll be almost impossible to catch up before the end of the century.”

He paused. “Of course, if we could obtain examples of their dinosaurs, we could reverse engineer them and make our own, with enough modifications in the DNA to evade their patents.”

“Can we obtain examples of their dinosaurs?”

Dodgson paused. “I believe we can, yes.”

Somebody cleared his throat. “There wouldn’t be anything illegal about it.…”

“Oh no,” Dodgson said quickly. “Nothing illegal. I’m talking about a legitimate source of their DNA. A disgruntled employee, or some trash improperly disposed of, something like that.”

“Do you have a legitimate source, Dr. Dodgson?”

“I do,” Dodgson said. “But I’m afraid there is some urgency to the decision, because InGen is experiencing a small crisis, and my source will have to act within the next twenty-four hours.”

A long silence descended over the room. The men looked at the secretary, taking notes, and the tape recorder on the table in front of her.

“I don’t see the need for a formal resolution on this,” Dodgson said. “Just a sense of the room, as to whether you feel I should proceed.…”

Slowly the heads nodded. Nobody spoke. Nobody went on record. They just nodded silently.

“Thank you for coming, gentlemen,” Dodgson said. “I’ll take it from here.”

Andre followed Dodgson on the way out, with Howard and George close behind.

Andre walked by Dodgson’s side. Staring at him with a brow arched, he asked, “Please tell me that talk about cloning dinosaurs was a joke?”

Dodgson smirked a bit. “Do you see me laughing?”

“No, no, of course not. But why would they clone extinct animals? Don’t you think bizarre stuff like that could only spell chaos?”

Dodgson shrugged. “It’s hard for us to explain the science and logistics behind this technology. However, from the research I found, it’s obvious that InGen has successfully adapted to modern science and applied some innovative techniques that may prove effective in adapting existing technologies into new forms for Biosyn.”

“If you say so,” Andre conceded, shaking his head, trying to comprehend what was happening. “Color me paranoid but I still think it’s a bad idea to bring back dinosaurs. I mean, they had their time in this world. As far as I am concerned, the only thing InGen would be bringing is potential chaos that they deluded themselves by reassuring illusion to have control over.”

“I understand your concerns, Andre,” Dodgson said. “I don’t share them. But even if InGen falls through their failure, I can assure you that once we have their possessions, Biosyn will not fall to the same fate they did.”

Andre sighed. “I hope you’re right Dodgson…I really hope you’re right.”

Many mysteries can always leave an unsolved mystery in the air. They float there with the smoke of the dying fire, or they're caught on the tip of a cigarette, or even just a whisper. And when the fire finally dies down and all that remains are ash and soot, the questions will remain unanswered. But no matter how many ashes or shadows the flames leave behind, the answer is still there, waiting to be discovered. It isn't always obvious at first glance, but eventually you'll spot it. Just like a puzzle that's been hidden for years.

A puzzle that never seems to have a solution to its puzzles, but only an ever growing pile of them. Like a forest slowly dying from drought, and a mountain slowly becoming eroded by time. It takes time to find what's missing. Time and patience. Sometimes you won’t find it till it’s almost too late, but even then it’ll make its way into your mind. The missing piece will fill in the last few gaps as you look back over old photographs. Or maybe it won’t even be the missing piece. Maybe it’s something that’s already become clear without your knowledge or input. That was probably the case with the mysterious death of Jeannie Mills.

On 26 of February, 1980. Jeannie Mills was a female early defector from the Peoples Temple along with her husband and teenage daughter, who were all murdered in front of their Berkeley, California home. To this day the murder is still unsolved.

In Philadelphia a mob boss named Angelo Bruno, was killed by a shotgun blast to the back of his head as he sat in his car in front of his house on 21 March 1980. One of Bruno's underlings, named Antonio Caponigro, was believed to have ordered the killing over a drug dispute; since the murder had not been sanctioned by the Commission. Caponigro himself was reputedly killed on its orders within a month. However, no suspects have ever been identified as having actually shot Bruno.

On March 24th, 1980. Óscar Romero, the fourth Roman Catholic Archbishop of San Salvador, El Salvador, was killed by a shot to the heart, while celebrating Mass at a small chapel located in a hospital. It is believed, but was never proven that the assassins were members of Salvadoran death squads. A bomb exploded in Plaza Barrios fronting San Salvador Cathedral during a funeral, and shots were fired. Many people were killed during the subsequent mass panic.

in Anaheim, California on 28 of May 1980. A woman named Dorothy Jane Scott, disappeared after heading to pick up a colleague who had been discharged from the hospital following treatment for a spider bite. Her car was found burnt out in an alleyway ten miles and sixteen kilometers from the hospital the following morning, and her decomposed remains were discovered in August 1984. Her murderer and cause of death remain unknown, but police believe an unidentified male who stalked Scott with harassing phone calls prior to her disappearance and subsequent murder is the likely suspect.

Many more cases have been reported over the years where multiple murders have taken place over seemingly inconsequential circumstances. But they all had one thing in common: no clues, no clues to lead the police anywhere, just a vast ocean of unsolved disappearances, deaths, murders and unanswered questions. And as far as they could tell, those mysteries might never end. It seemed like they would never find out what happened to the dead, the killers. No trace.

But even so it would leave some people curious. Curious about the unsolved. Curious to the extent they wouldn't give up until they did uncover the truth. Until they figured out what really happened.

And Bobbie Carter was one of those curious souls. She couldn’t stop thinking about it. Even now, when she closed her eyes, the memory of the young man’s body was burned into her eyelids. And not just the body but the name he'd given her too, right before he breathed his last breath.

“Raptor…”

Bobbie couldn’t wrap her head around the name. Based on what she read in the English dictionary, she assumed raptor was an animal of some kind. Something that flies in the air. Maybe an eagle. And she didn’t believe eagles lived in Costa Rica. There wasn’t any evidence to support that theory either, other than the fact that he’d uttered that word. Which didn’t add much weight at all.

She is familiar with one eagle that lived in Canada and Alaska. The Bald Eagle. Bald eagles have been known to attack humans. During mating seasons, bald eagles become much more territorial. As with any other bird of prey, it was best for any traveler to keep a safe distance from a bald eagle and to respect the bird’s space. One issue that didn’t add up with Bobbie’s theory was the fact that the Bald Eagle is native to North America. And the injuries inflicted from said Eagle are hardly lethal. So there’s no way that a Bald Eagle would travel a-hundred and twenty miles to Costa Rica and suddenly just attack a construction worker.

Bobbie hummed and clasped her hands together. It couldn’t have been an Eagle—that Bobbie knew for certain. Not with the kind of violence that was inflicted on the kid. The thought lingered in her mind, gnawing at the edges of it like a worm chewing through wood.

But if it wasn’t an Eagle, she reasoned, why would he utter ‘Raptor’? And what kind of animal could inflict those fatal wounds? It wasn’t anything small. If anything, the wounds seemed to be deep and jagged, unlike any injury that Bobbie had seen before. She remembered the big tearing laceration that ran from his shoulder down his torso, the flesh was shredded at the edge of the wound, his shoulder dislocated at the center and pale bones exposed. The second slash that cut through the heavy muscles of the thigh, deep enough to reveal the pulse of the femoral artery below.

Even the strange rotten stench, a smell of death and decay. One she had never smelled before. The memory of the foul odor made her retch slightly as the image flashed across her mind. That kid was mauled by something and it couldn’t have been a Bengel tiger. The wounds looked like a tiger attack, yes, but even so the strange stench couldn’t possibly come from that particular beast.

“Raptor…Lo sa raptor…”

Bobbie frowned as those words repeated themselves again and again inside her head like a mantra. Raptor... raptor... raptor....She shook her head, trying to piece the odd phrase together in a meaningful pattern. She was sure he was trying to tell her something, but what exactly, she couldn’t even guess. His words were garbled like a drunkard’s ramblings.

Raptor… raptor… raptor…

Bobbie opened up the dictionary book, flipping through pages, her eyes jumping from page to page looking for something, anything that might help her figure this out. She searched for less than five minutes until she stopped at the V section. She stared at her fingers moving rapidly across the words, as if she was searching for something specific.

Then she saw it.

Right there below the word ‘Velocimeter’.

Velociraptor…Velociraptor...Velociraptor…

A chill went up Bobbie’s spine. Was that what he’d tried to tell her, she wondered. Had he meant Velociraptor. She swallowed hard. The name itself sounded vaguely familiar. Bobbie closed the book, stood up and started out of the room. The night air kissed her skin, causing goosebumps to appear on her arms. She turned her gaze to her left, staring at the darkness of the horizon, as stars twinkled above.

Due to it being a-hundred and twenty miles away, Bobbie couldn’t see the island. But she knew it was there. The word ‘Velociraptor,’ repeated in her head like a prayer. Bobbie’s curiosity grew exponentially as she finally made a decision. She doesn’t know what’s going on, but she didn’t like it. And going on that island will give her the answers she needs.

Stars glittered brightly across the sky like thousands of tiny diamonds, some so clear they were nearly visible, others obscured and shrouded in a thick veil of clouds. The moon was full, bright and silver, its light illuminating the island of Isla Nublar as it was set to be the site for the new attraction.

Trees swayed back and forth, creaking with the wind that blew from every direction. An occasional breeze would blow through, ruffling the leaves on the trees’ branches, then it would go still once more, leaving only a few scattered twigs to remind them where the sound came from.

Jophery Brown watched the crane bring forth a large metal container, which drove forward bulldozing through the trees. An impressive-looking paddock enters into view. Shouts of orders sounded in the air as the metal container came forward.

“Everybody, heads up! Heads up! Keep it clear! Stand back! Bring it forward. Come on! Slow it down!” One worker shouted as the steel box was lowered onto the hard ground, close to the enclosure.

“Ándale! Si! Cuidado! A ver, tráiganla, tráiganla! Vamos con la segunda!” Another worker called out in spanish.”

“Confirmada la segunda!” A third worker responded as Jophery watched the crew move around in their respective positions, checking the paddock gate for any sign of trouble.

“Vamanos,” another worker shouted.

A deep purr rumbled in the steel box, the sound filling the empty paddock, as everyone worked to ensure everything was in place. Finally, everything was in check.

Robert Muldoon turned his waist to the side, staring at the three workers standing behind him. “Okay, pushing team move in there.” He called, pointing at the paddock.

The workers shouted orders in Spanish, whilst the loading team approached the cage.

Robert added, “I want tasers on full charge!”

Loading team grabbed the cage, a high terrifying shriek frightens them away, and the cage shakes for a bit.

“Go on. Step back in.” Robert instructed. “And push!”

The workers push the cage into the paddock entrance, until an electronic beep buzzes.

Robert nodded in approval to their work, then called, “We're locked. Loading team, step away. Gatekeeper.”

Jophery didn’t know why but when he started his climb up the cage, he felt a chill run through him as he heard a deep snarl from within said cage. Inside the box…the creature was watching. Jophery could feel it.

Robert lifted his head up. “Jophery, raise the gate!”

Jophery inhaled sharply before doing so. He calmed himself with thoughts of his wife and kids. The smile of his daughter and the warmth of the home in front of him. He smiled, feeling calmness rush through him. It felt like a long time since he was able to breathe easily. The giggles of his son played on repeat in his ear and filled him with a sense of security. The sound of his wife laughing, the smell of her perfume, and his children’s laughter brought him happiness.

He felt happy at that moment. Happy to go back to them once this was—

Jophery was ripped away from his thoughts when a sudden shriek pierced the air. The metal container abruptly shoved backwards causing Jophery to lose balance and fall hard face first onto the ground. The air from his lungs escaped through his lips as his head cracked against the gravel below. His ears rang, while pain shot through his body, causing a groan of dismay to escape his throat. He would’ve had time to get up had his feet not been wrenched and forcefully dragged from said ground.

Robert immediately runs to Jophery’s aid. “Block the opening! Don't let her get out!” He shouted. The workers followed his order as they held their spear-like tasers and aimed towards the metal gate.

Jophery screamed, his eyes blazing. Right hand reaches for a curved thin bar for dear life but then a sudden force pulls him violently closer into the cage. Tasers continued to discharge through the bars of the cage. Each shot hit the creature’s skin, causing sparks to fly. But to everyone including Robert Muldoon’s amazement, it wasn’t affected at all. The creature shrieked horrifically, it was almost deafening, its shriek reverberating off the walls of the cage.

Robert gritted his teeth. Trying desperately with all his might to pry Jophery free from the brute grasp of the creature’s grip. But to no avail.

“Somebody help him!” One of the workers shouted, trying vainly to hold back the creature.

“Work her back!” Robert yelled to another worker who stepped forward and pressed the end of his baton against the back of the creature’s neck through the bars. The workers continued tasering the creature, which in that moment looks Muldoon in the eye.

The two stared into each other’s eyes. The creature’s reptilian eyes stared deep into Muldoons—eyes that glowed a bright green. The creature snarled in protest, releasing some guttural growls as it did so. It refused to let its prey go. One last pull to ensure it claimed its prey. Muldoon’s arms strained to keep a tight hold around Jophery’s waist. Jophery groans in pain as the creature slowly pulls him closer.

“Shoot her!” Robert cried.

His grip around Jophery’s arm was slipping.

“Shoot her!” He shouted, desperation ringing loud and clear in his voice.

Gunfire erupted in the air. But it didn’t matter. Jophery found himself yanked away from Robert, his eyes meeting the creature’s own.

“No!” Robert yelled as the creature opened its jaws wide, revealing a set of serrated teeth.

It shot forth like a bullet, snatching Jophery’s throat in its jaws, cutting off his air supply. As he tried to scream, he couldn’t breathe. He couldn’t even think. The animal shook him violently side-to-side ripping his flesh from his neck apart like tissue paper. Hot blood ran down his torso and the creature let go of him. Jophery screamed and a fiery pain flared throughout his body as talons sliced across his stomach.

The animal growled indifferently while Jophery shrieked. Pounding his fist against its snout, attempting to dislodge it with all his strength. But the creature wouldn’t budge, instead keeping Jophery pinned to the ground, its weight crushing him further in its massive form.

Jophery’s hands clawed at the ground as blood poured out between his fingers. As though the world was becoming distant, he can barely hear Robert or the workers shouting his name. In Jophery’s last fleeting moment of consciousness he watched the creature bury its snout into his abdomen and tug out coils of intestine. His vision blurred and dark spots danced in front of his eyes as the animal started to eat him. The horrendous death rattle was the last thing he felt before life fled from his body.

Chapter 4: Rumors

Twilight Sparkle found herself in a trailer, attempting to unwind after yesterday’s solid study and research. The morning sun in Snakewater, Montana had arrived on a new day. She didn’t feel uncomfortable or out of place due to her being the only pony here. Yesterday her friend Fluttershy left to continue her own research, leaving Twilight with two of her new human friends: Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler.

She obviously knows what to make of Alan, he grew up with an interest in dinosaurs and has always been fascinated with the extinct species. His intelligence and passion for knowledge are admirable and paleontology is something he's passionate about. He was no reclusive academic—he’s traveled all over the world in search of prehistoric fossils and has even made a few important scientific discoveries along the way.

Ellie was a paleobotanist, an expert on prehistoric plants. Twilight also learned while spending her time with them that Ellie was in a relationship with her partner, Dr. Alan Grant, a world-renowned paleontologist. She too was intelligent and loved to work outdoors and get a bit of exercise. She’s down to earth, and humble despite it all. Both were good company and Twilight thought they were good additions to her small circle of friends.

Twilight giggled at the memory not long after she arrived at Snakewater yesterday that a child shrieked excitedly while pointing at her: “Is that a pony?!” That brought forth a bout of laughter from Allan, Ellie, and their team.

Ponies on Earth were, of course, still a reasonably rare sight. But through these few years, more and more numbers were crossed over to visit the human realm. Twilight and her friends were one of the first to have made the journey after having been tasked by Princess Celestia to visit Earth for extended periods.

Acting as official ambassadors of Equestria and to conduct research and relation-building exercises. After having received the title of ‘Equestria’s ambassador’, Twilight was given some special perks and privileges, such as having access to books while living in the human world.

As well as some extra allowance for traveling around. She had naturally opted to focus her efforts into understanding the world of human academia. She was amazed that Humankind possessed a wide knowledge, much of their ideas and technology completely alien to ponykind – and as Twilight saw it, the libraries of Earth would be the places to begin on her quest to understand humanity.

She had learned much during her research missions. The Human World’s technology was so much different compared to her home of Equestria. Their technology was much simpler. They had many types of communication devices, but they did not possess the magic that ponies had. They used electricity. Most of their weapons were projectile based weapons similar to bows and arrows.

And they seemed to have much less advanced tech. However, despite their lack of technology, they had managed to achieve far more than what their ancestors had. If only in terms of sheer willpower. If it weren’t for that will of theirs, things in the Human realm would not exist anymore.

It didn’t take her long to establish herself as an excellent scholar during her first extended stay, and through various means Twilight now found herself studying extensively among the Human World’s library. In the Human World, she had discovered the wonders of history and culture, as well as how humans came to know and use their knowledge. From that discovery came the concept of History, the story of how people come into existence.

She began to learn the history of humans and their interactions with each other throughout history; the origins of their culture, their beliefs, their politics, their religions. She learned what kind of life they led before the advent of technology and when she looked beyond the current day, she found the past. A time before history was written in stone, before the creation of man’s first tools. Before the invention of writing…

“Visitor!”

Twilight blinked and turned towards the source of the call. She sets her book down on the table, hopping off the chair and starts towards the door. Exiting out of the trailer Twilight turned to her left and saw just in time a cloud of dust, and blue Ford sedan bouncing over the rutted road toward them. Children looked up with interest. They didn’t get many visitors in Snakewater, from what Twilight was told.

Twilight saw Alan Grant starting past her down the hill to meet the car. She subconsciously follows him with her eyes darting back to the blue ford.

The visitor coughed in the white dust as he slammed the car door. “Bob Morris, EPA,” he said, extending his hand. “I’m with the San Francisco office.”

Grant took the hand and shook it firmly. “You look hot. Want a beer?”

“Jesus, yeah.” Morris was in his late twenties, wearing a tie, and pants from a business suit. He carried a briefcase. His wing-tip shoes crunched on the rocks as they walked toward the trailer.

“When I first came over the hill, I thought this was an Indian reservation,” Morris said, pointing to the tipis.

“No,” Grant said. “Just the best way to live out here. The first year of the excavations, we had come out in North Slope octahedral tents, the most advanced available. And that was back in 1978. But the tents always blew over in the wind. We tried other kinds of tents, with the same result. Finally we started putting up tipis, which were larger inside, more comfortable, and more stable in the wind. These’re Blackfoot tipis, built around four poles. Sioux tipis are built around three. But this used to be Blackfoot territory, so we thought…” Grant explained.

“Uh-huh,” Morris said. “Very fitting.” He squinted at the desolate landscape and glanced around. At which point his eyes met Twilight’s own.

Morris furrowed his brow. “Huh…have I seen you before?” He continued to stare.

Twilight tilted her head. “Well that depends, sir. Are you familiar with my name?”

“Hmm…” Morris paused for a moment to consider what he knew of Twilight. “Ah! Yes, I do know who you are. You’re Twilight Sparkle, right?”

Twilight smiled. “Yes, that’s me. Nice to meet you!” She stuck her hoof out for a handshake, Morris got down to one knee and returned the gesture.

Morris chuckled as he shook her hoof. “That’s quite an honor. I’ve heard so much about you since arriving here on Earth.” He smiled brightly at her. “But really it’s an honor to meet you, Mrs. Sparkle.”

“It’s nice to meet you too sir.” Twilight said warmly.

Morris stood back up, rubbing his right hand over his nape. “I must admit, I didn’t think Snakewater would be the last place I find an equestrian.”

Twilight blinked. “Really? What brings you here today?”

“Oh, errr…” Morris paused to collect his thoughts. “Just some business matters.”

Morris turned to Grant.

“How long you been out here?” Morris asked.

“About sixty cases,” Grant replied. When Morris looked surprised, he explained, “We measure time in beer. We start in June with a hundred cases. We’ve gone through about sixty so far.”

“Sixty-three, to be exact,” Ellie Sattler chimed in as they reached the trailer. Grant was amused to see Morris gaping at her while Twilight tilted her head in confusion.

“Ellie keeps us going,” Grant said, introducing her. “She’s very good at what she does.”

“What does she do?” Morris asked.

“Paleobotany,” Ellie said. “And I also do the standard field preps.” She opened the door and they went inside. Followed by Twilight as she walked behind them.

The air conditioning in the trailer only brought the temperature down to eighty-five degrees, but it seemed cool after the midday heat. The trailer had a series of long wooden tables, with tiny bone specimens neatly laid out, tagged and labeled. Farther along were ceramic dishes and crocks. There was a strong odor of vinegar.

Morris glanced at the bones. “I thought dinosaurs were big,” he said.

“They were,” Ellie said. “But everything you see here comes from babies. Snakewater is important primarily because of the number of dinosaur nesting sites here. Until we started this work, there were hardly any infant dinosaurs known. Only one nest had ever been found, in the Gobi Desert. We’ve discovered a dozen different hadrosaur nests, complete with eggs and bones of infants.”

While Grant went to the refrigerator, she showed Morris the acetic acid baths, which were used to dissolve away the limestone from the delicate bones. Twilight hops back to her chair and reads her book.

“They look like chicken bones.” Morris commented, peering into the ceramic dishes.

“Yes,” she said. “They’re very bird-like.”

“And what about those?” Morris asked, pointing through the trailer window to piles of large bones outside, wrapped in heavy plastic.

“Rejects,” Ellie said. “Bones too fragmentary when we took them out of the ground. In the old days we’d just discard them, but nowadays we send them for genetic testing.”

“Genetic testing?” Morris asked.

“Here you go,” Grant said, thrusting a beer into his hand. He gave another to Ellie. She chugged hers, throwing her long neck back. Morris stared.

“We’re pretty informal here,” Grant said. “Want to step into my office?”

“Sure,” Morris said. He stopped mid step, turning his gaze at Twilight and motioned his finger toward Grant’s office. “Uh, Mrs. Sparkle. You should come in as well. I actually have some questions to ask you if you don’t mind?”

Twilight looked to her left at Grant, who shrugged his shoulders in return. Twilight nodded before following the path down the beat up carpet to join Grant in his office. Grant led them to the end of the trailer, where there was a torn couch, a sagging chair, and a battered end table. Grant dropped onto the couch, which creaked and exhaled a cloud of chalky dust. He leaned back, thumped his boots up on the end table, and gestured for Morris to sit in the chair. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Twilight watched as Morris primly brushed off the seat of the chair before he sat down. Morris opened his briefcase, rummaged through his papers, and glanced back at Ellie, who was lifting bones with tweezers from the acid bath at the other end of the trailer, paying no attention to them.

“You’re probably wondering why I’m here.” Morris asked, leaning forward slightly.

Grant nodded. “It’s a long way to come, Mr. Morris.”

“Well,” Morris said, “to get right to the point, the EPA is concerned about the activities of the Hammond Foundation. You receive some funding from them.”

“Thirty thousand dollars a year,” Grant said, nodding. “For the last five years.”

“What do you know about the foundation?” Morris said.

Grant shrugged. “The Hammond Foundation is a respected source of academic grants. They fund research all over the world, including several dinosaur researchers. I know they support Bob Kerry out of the Tyrrell in Alberta, and John Weller in Alaska. Probably more.”

“Do you know why the Hammond Foundation supports so much dinosaur research?” Morris asked.

“Of course. It’s because old John Hammond is a dinosaur nut.”

A brow arched on Twilight’s forehead, which caused Grant to glance at her.

“Who’s John Hammond?” Twilight asked, cocking her head to the side.

“He’s the CEO of InGen and founder of both InGen and the Hammond Foundation.” Grant answered.

“You’ve met Hammond?” Morris raised an eyebrow.

Grant shrugged. “Once or twice. He comes here for brief visits. He’s quite elderly, you know. And eccentric, the way rich people sometimes are. But always very enthusiastic. Why?”

“Well,” Morris said, “the Hammond Foundation is actually a rather mysterious organization.” He pulled out a Xeroxed world map, marked with red dots, and passed it to Grant. “These are the digs the foundation financed last year. Notice anything odd about them? Montana, Alaska, Canada, Sweden … They’re all sites in the north. There’s nothing below the forty-fifth parallel.” Morris pulled out more maps. “It’s the same, year after year. Dinosaur projects to the south, in Utah or Colorado or Mexico, never get funded. The Hammond Foundation only supports cold-weather digs. We’d like to know why.”

Grant shuffled through the maps quickly. If it was true that the foundation only supported cold-weather digs, then it was strange behavior, because some of the best dinosaur researchers were working in hot climates, and—

“And there are other puzzles,” Morris said. “For example, what is the relationship of dinosaurs to amber?”

“Amber?”

“Yes. It’s the hard yellow resin of dried tree sap—”

“I know what it is.” Grant interjected with a raise of his hand. “But why are you asking?”

“Because,” Morris said, “over the last five years, Hammond has purchased enormous quantities of amber in America, Europe, and Asia, including many pieces of museum-quality jewelry. The foundation has spent seventeen million dollars on amber. They now possess the largest privately held stock of this material in the world.”

“I don’t get it.” Grant said slowly.

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Neither do I.”

“Neither does anybody else,” Morris said. “As far as we can tell, it doesn’t make any sense at all. Amber is easily synthesized. It has no commercial or defense value. There’s no reason to stockpile it. But Hammond has done just that, over many years.”

“Amber,” Grant said, shaking his head.

“And what about his island in Costa Rica?”

Morris continued. “Ten years ago, the Hammond Foundation leased an island from the government of Costa Rica. Supposedly to set up a biological preserve.”

“I don’t know anything about that,” Grant said, frowning.

“I haven’t been able to find out much,” Morris said. “The island is a hundred miles off the west coast. It’s very rugged, and it’s in an area of ocean where the combinations of wind and current make it almost perpetually covered in fog. They used to call it Cloud Island. Isla Nublar. Apparently the Costa Ricans were amazed that anybody would want it.” Morris searched in his briefcase. “The reason I mention it,” he said, “is that, according to the records, you were paid a consultant’s fee in connection with this island.”

“I was?” Grant asked, looking confused.

Twilight watched the two men closely. Right hoof tapping her chin with a thought. Isla Nublar. She’s never heard of it. She’s familiar of some islands but not of this one.

Morris passed a sheet of paper to Grant. It was the Xerox of a check issued in March 1984 from InGen Inc., Farallon Road, Palo Alto, California. Made out to Alan Grant in the amount of twelve thousand dollars. At the lower corner, the check was marked:

CONSULTANT SERVICES/COSTA RICA/JUVENILE HYPERSPACE.

“Oh, sure,” Grant said. “I remember that. It was weird as hell, but I remember it. And it didn’t have anything to do with an island.”

“Had you heard of InGen before?” Morris asked.

“No.”

“How did they contact you?”

“Telephone call. It was a man named Gennaro or Gennino, something like that.”

Morris nodded. “Donald Gennaro,” he said. “He’s the legal counsel for InGen.”

Twilight had remained quiet during the exchange. All the while scribbling notes into her notepad, she kept an eye on Grant while listening.

“Anyway, he wanted to know about eating habits of dinosaurs. And he offered me a fee to draw up a paper for him.” Grant drank his beer, set the can on the floor. “Gennaro was particularly interested in young dinosaurs. Infants and juveniles. What they ate. I guess he thought I would know about that.”

“Did you?” Morris asked.

“Not really, no. I told him that. We had found lots of skeletal material, but we had very little dietary data. But Gennaro said he knew we hadn’t published everything, and he wanted whatever we had. And he offered a very large fee. Fifty thousand dollars.”

Morris took out a tape recorder and set it on the endtable. “You mind?”

“No, go ahead.”

“So Gennaro telephoned you in 1984. What happened then?”

“Well,” Grant said. “You see our operation here. Fifty thousand would support two full summers of digging. I told him I’d do what I could.”

“So you agreed to prepare a paper for him.”

“Yes.”

“On the dietary habits of juvenile dinosaurs?”

“Yes.”

“You met Gennaro?”

“No. Just on the phone.”

“Did Gennaro say why he wanted this information?”

“Yes,” Grant said. “He was planning a museum for children, and he wanted to feature baby dinosaurs. He said he was hiring a number of academic consultants, and named them. There were paleontologists like me, and a mathematician from Texas named Ian Malcolm, and a couple of ecologists. A systems analyst. Good group.”

Morris nodded, making notes. “So you accepted the consultancy?”

“Yes. I agreed to send him a summary of our work: what we knew about the habits of the duckbilled hadrosaurs we’d found.”

“What kind of information did you send?” Morris asked.

“Everything: nesting behavior, territorial ranges, feeding behavior, social behavior. Everything.”

“And how did Gennaro respond?”

“He kept calling and calling. Sometimes in the middle of the night. Would the dinosaurs eat this? Would they eat that? Should the exhibit include this? I could never understand why he was so worked up. I mean, I think dinosaurs are important, too, but not that important. They’ve been dead sixty-five million years. You’d think his calls could wait until morning.”

“I see,” Morris said. “And the fifty thousand dollars?”

Grant shook his head. “I got tired of Gennaro and called the whole thing off. We settled up for twelve thousand. That must have been about the middle of ’85.”

Morris made a note. “And InGen? Any other contact with them?”

“Not since 1985.”

“And when did the Hammond Foundation begin to fund your research?”

Twilight continued to scribble down her notepad. Pondering, she added to the line of inquiry that was forming inside her mind. What could Hammond be doing? What was he after? Why does he need that many Information of said dinosaur’s needs? Why? Had Hammond made some serious investments in the past few years—perhaps some of which resulted in the development of whatever is in the island—or did he simply wish to establish an outpost on the coast?

“I’d have to look,” Grant said. “But it was around then. Mid-eighties.”

“And you know Hammond as just a rich dinosaur enthusiast.”

“Yes.”

Morris made another note.

“Look,” Grant said. “If the EPA is so concerned about John Hammond and what he’s doing—the dinosaur sites in the north, the amber purchases, the island in Costa Rica—why don’t you just ask him about it?”

“At the moment, we can’t,” Morris said.

“Why not?” Grant said.

“Because we don’t have any evidence of wrongdoing,” Morris said. “But personally, I think it’s clear John Hammond is evading the law.”

Twilight immediately froze, abandoning her notes. She looked up at the two men in shock.

Evading the law?

No longer was she to remain an observer in this exchange. Twilight spoke up. “Evading the law? What law could he be evading?”

Morris turns to Twilight.

“I was first contacted,” Morris explained, “by the Office of Technology Transfer. The OTT monitors shipments of American technology which might have military significance. They called to say that InGen had two areas of possible illegal technology transfer. First, InGen shipped three Cray XMPs to Costa Rica. InGen characterized it as a transfer within corporate divisions, and said they weren’t for resale. But OTT couldn’t imagine why the hell somebody’d need that power in Costa Rica.”

“Three Crays,” Grant said. “Is that a kind of computer?”

Morris nodded. “Very powerful supercomputers. To put it in perspective, three Crays represent more computing power than any other privately held company in America. And InGen sent the machines to Costa Rica. You have to wonder why.”

“I give up. Why?” Grant said.

“Nobody knows. And the Hoods are even more worrisome,” Morris continued. “Hoods are automated gene sequencers—machines that work out the genetic code by themselves. They’re so new that they haven’t been put on the restricted lists yet. But any genetic engineering lab is likely to have one, if it can afford the half-million-dollar price tag.” He flipped through his notes. “Well, it seems InGen shipped twenty-four Hood sequencers to their island in Costa Rica. Again, they said it was a transfer within divisions and not an export,” Morris said.

Twilight listened as Morris further explained that there wasn’t much that OTT could do. They’re not officially concerned with use. But InGen was obviously setting up one of the most powerful genetic engineering facilities in the world in an obscure Central American country. A country with no regulations. That kind of thing has happened before. There had already been cases of American bioengineering companies moving to another country so they would not be hampered by regulations and rules. The most flagrant, Morris explained, was the Biosyn rabies case. Genetic Biosyn Corporation of Cupertino, back in 1986. Tested a bioengineered rabies vaccine on a farm in Chile. They didn’t inform the government of Chile, or the farm workers involved.

They simply released the vaccine. Twilight raised her hoof up and quietly gasped. She was shocked when Morris also explained that the vaccine consisted of a live rabies virus. Genetically modified to be nonvirulent. But the virulence hadn’t been tested; Biosyn didn’t know whether the virus could still cause rabies or not. Even worse, the virus had been modified. Ordinarily if one couldn’t contract rabies unless any human or pony were bitten by an animal. But Biosyn modified the rabies virus to cross the pulmonary alveoli; you could get an infection just inhaling it. Biosyn staffers brought this live rabies virus down to Chile in a carry-on bag on a commercial airline flight. Morris often wondered what would have happened if the capsule had broken open during the flight. Everybody on the plane might have been infected with rabies.

That’s outrageous, Twilight thought. It's so irresponsible, and criminally negligent.

Twilight was disappointed when she learned that no action was taken against Biosyn. The Chilean farmers who unwittingly risked their lives were ignorant peasants; the government of Chile had an economic crisis to worry about; and the American authorities had no jurisdiction. A man named Lewis Dodgson, the geneticist responsible for the test, was still working at Biosyn. Biosyn was still as reckless as ever. And other American companies were hurrying to set up facilities in foreign countries that lacked sophistication about“genetic research. Countries that perceived genetic engineering to be like any other high-tech development, and thus welcomed it to their lands, unaware of the dangers posed.

“So that’s why we began our investigation of InGen,” Morris said. “About three weeks ago.”

“And what have you actually found?” Twilight asked.

“Not much,” Morris admitted. “When I go back to San Francisco, we’ll probably have to close the investigation. And I think I’m about finished here.” He turned to face Twilight. “Alright, Ms. Sparkle, if you're ready I wish to ask you a few questions now.”

She smiled and sat up straighter in her chair. “Okay. And you can just call me Twilight.”

“All right, Twilight,” he said, rolling the name around on his tongue as if trying to get the feel of it. “Have you ever heard of Biosyn?”

“Only by name since you mentioned it,” she replied. “Why?”

“The reason I asked is because ever since the day that both Earth and Equestria made contact and ponies were officially allowed to travel to said Earth, was that I heard rumors that Biosyn had been…spying on some of the new ponies. At least, that’s what my sources told me.”

“Spying?” Twilight frowned, puzzled. “Why?”

Morris rubbed the back of his nape. “Honestly, I don’t know. Even though my sources insist that they are just rumors. I still feel as though something else is going on there,” he said. “And those rumors are not exactly common knowledge. As far as I know, nobody knows the true purpose behind Biosyn Corporation.”

“But you believe there is something going on?”

“In my professional opinion, yes. I admit that I have no proof if these rumors are true or not. But when I get back to San Francisco my team and I will investigate this in greater depth. And if I find anything, I’ll let you know.”

“Thank you,” Twilight said.

“Moving on,” Morris went on, “has Biosyn ever contacted you?”

“To discuss anything official? No. They never have,” she shook her head. Morris nodded knowingly.

“I see,” he said. “Last question: bringing back the subject about the rumors in regards to Biosyn, have you ever been watched by someone or may have the feeling that you were being watched?”

“No,” Twilight said with an honest shake of her head. “Nothing like that.”

Morris hummed. “Well, thank you. It was good seeing you Twilight,” he said.

Twilight nodded with a smile.

Morris started packing up his briefcase. He turns his head to Grant. “By the way, what does ‘juvenile hyperspace’ mean?”

“That’s just a fancy label for my report,” Grant said. “ ‘Hyperspace’ is a term for multidimensional space—like three-dimensional tic-tac-toe. If you were to take all the behaviors of an animal, its eating and movement and sleeping, you could plot the animal within the multidimensional space. Some paleontologists refer to the behavior of an animal as occurring in an ecological hyperspace. ‘Juvenile hyperspace’ would just refer to the behavior of juvenile dinosaurs—if you wanted to be as pretentious as possible.”

A phone rang at the far end of the trailer. Ellie answered it. She said, “He’s in a meeting right now. Can he call you back?”

Morris snapped his briefcase shut and stood. “Thanks for your help you two and the beer,” he said.

“No problem,” Grant and Twilight said in unison.

Grant and Twilight walked with Morris down the trailer to the door at the far end.

Morris turned to Grant as they walked. “Did Hammond ever ask for any physical materials from your site? Bones, or eggs, or anything like that?”

“No,” Grant responded.

“Dr. Sattler mentioned you do some genetic work here.…”

“Well, not exactly,” Grant said. “When we remove fossils that are broken or for some other reason not suitable for museum preservation, we send the bones out to a lab that grinds them up and tries to extract proteins for us. The proteins are then identified and the report is sent back to us.”

“Which lab is that?” Morris asked.

“Medical Biologic Services in Salt Lake.”

“How’d you choose them?”

“Competitive bids.”
“The lab has nothing to do with InGen?” Morris asked.

“Not that I know,” Grant said.

They came to the door of the trailer. Grant opened it, and felt the rush of hot air from outside. Morris paused to put on his sunglasses.

“One last thing,” Morris said. “Suppose InGen wasn’t really making a museum exhibit. Is there anything else they could have done with the information in the report you gave them?”

Grant laughed. “Sure. They could feed a baby hadrosaur.”

Morris laughed, too. “A baby hadrosaur. That’d be something to see. How big were they?”

“About so,” Grant said, holding his hands six inches apart. “Squirrel-size.”

“And how long before they become full-grown?”

“Three years,” Grant said. “Give or take.”

Morris held out his hand. “Well, thanks again for your help.”

“Take it easy driving back,” Grant said. He and Twilight watched for a moment as Morris walked back toward his car, and then closed the trailer door.

Chapter 5: Invitation

Twilight rolled her body around, passing Ellie as she went to Grant to converse with him. Twilight hops on her chair and resumes reading her book. Her thoughts wander away from the conversation between Grant and Ellie. For some time, her attention is divided between the book and the memory of her time in the museum with Fluttershy before they met Alan and Ellie.

The two of them visited the American Museum of Natural History and were winding their way through the displays, taking everything in. They had moved slowly and purposefully through the museum, Twilight in particular absorbing what information she could. For the two of them, it had been a truly insightful day.

Then they reached the third room of the building. They moved through some more displays until finally, presented before them in great numbers, were skeletons. The two Elements had gasped as they slowly entered the hall filled with the remains, displayed in different poses. The first thing that hit them was the sheer size of the skeletons. The skulls, the thigh-bones and the teeth...

Immediately Twilight and Fluttershy immersed themselves in these creatures – the dinosaurs – and spent hours in the skeleton halls, learning from Alan Grant what these great animals could do when they were alive.

They were introduced to the great graceful sauropods which would herd together and graze, much like enormous cows. They learned about the Triceratops which would challenge each other for mating rights and dominance with their impressive horns and frills.

They learned about the Tyrannosaurus Rex, which loomed above most other predators and likely could crush anything with its bite. It still gave Twilight the chills when they also learned about the vicious killers. Ones that struck fear into every little or big dinosaur. The Velociraptors, intelligent creatures which would hunt in packs and use their speed to their advantage.

The two of them each enjoyed studying these skeletons that day, spending hours with Alan and Ellie talking about what these creatures might have looked like and how they might have behaved. Without a doubt, they were amazing and astounding creatures.

Twilight frowned as she recalled the memory. She thought back to the time at the Tyrannosaurus skeleton when she caught Fluttershy staring at the Tyrannosaurus’s jaws with wide eyes as she gazed at the fossil. Not one of amazement but one of horror.

Yes, Twilight has seen that expression before. She has been there many times when Fluttershy trembled in fear at the sight of a dragon. She knew just how terrifying the dragons truly are.

She thought back to how Fluttershy always seems to shrink whenever anypony mentions them. She and along with her friends knew that no pony feared the dragons more than Fluttershy does. Looking back, Twilight realized that there was something frightening about those extinct prehistoric carnivores in that respect—they did frighten Fluttershy terribly.

Not that Twilight could blame her. There was something unnerving about seeing the teeth of an extinct prehistoric predator with such a large mouth, ready to eat you alive; yet, there is something even more horrifying at the thought of seeing something living, breathing, and breathing once more after thousands upon thousands of years. And what makes it worse is that the creature was so incredibly alive that its very existence is threatening. Which made Twilight and Fluttershy all the more thankful those prehistoric animals did not exist in the modern day world. Either on Earth or in Equestria.

Twilight sighed, and returned her attention to the pages of her book. She glanced over to find Alan with the phone up to his ear, listening to whoever was on the other line.

Twilight turned to Ellie whilst pointing her hoof at Alan.

“Who’s on the line?” Twilight asked, looking at Ellie curiously.

“Oh, some woman named Alice Levin that works at Columbia Medical Center.” Ellie answered, looking back at Alan. “From what I got, it was something about identifying some remains and she wanted Alan to call her back right away.”

“Miss Levin? This is Alan Grant. What’s this about a … You have what? A what?” He began to laugh. “Oh, I doubt that very much, Miss Levin.… No, I really don’t have time, I’m sorry.… Well, I’d take a look at it, but I can pretty much guarantee it’s a basilisk lizard. But … Yes, you can do that. All right. Send it now.” Grant hung up, and shook his head. “These people.”

Ellie arched a brow at him. “What’s it about?”

“Some lizard she’s trying to identify,” Grant responded. “She’s going to fax me an X ray.” He walked over to the fax and waited as the transmission came through. “Incidentally, I’ve got a new find for you. A good one.”

“Yes?”

Grant nodded. “Found it just before the kid showed up. On South Hill, horizon four. Infant velociraptor: jaw and complete dentition, so there’s no question about identity. And the site looks undisturbed. We might even get a full skeleton.”

“That’s fantastic,” Ellie said. “How young?”

“Young,” Grant said. “Two, maybe four months at most.”

“And it’s definitely a velociraptor?” Ellie asked.

“Definitely,” Grant said. “Maybe our luck has finally turned.”

“You must be pretty excited.” Ellie smiled.

Twilight and Ellie blinked in both unison and confusion when Grant didn’t answer.

“I said, you must be pretty excited.” Ellie repeated.

“My god…” Grant breathlessly said. He was staring at the fax.

“What is it?” Twilight asked.

Ellie walked up to Grant. Looking over his shoulder at the X-ray, and breathed out slowly. “You think it’s an amassicus?”

“Yes,” Grant said. “Or a triassicus. The skeleton is so light.”

“But it’s no lizard,” she said.

“So are either of you two gonna tell me what you’re looking at?” Twilight asked. Both Grant and Ellie turned to her, blinking in surprise.

They both walked over to Twilight and sat down on their respective chairs next to her. Grant places the photo on the table and gently pushes it over towards her. Twilight bent her head down over the photo and stared at it closely. She raised one eye ridge while leaning slightly to the left to try and see it better from the corner.

In Twilight’s eye, she was looking at an x-ray image of a three-toed lizard. The three-toed foot was well balanced, with the medial claw smallest. The bony remnants of the fourth and fifth toes were located up near the metatarsal joint. The tibia was strong, and considerably longer than the femur. At the hip, the acetabulum was complete. The tail showed forty-five vertebrae.

“What am I looking at?” Twilight finally asked, breaking her focus away from the x ray, looking up at Grant and Ellie again.

“It’s a young Procompsognathus.” Grant explained.

“Could this x ray be fake?” Ellie asked. “A hoax of some sort?”

“I don’t know,” Grant admitted. “But it’s almost impossible to fake an X ray. And Procompsognathus is an obscure animal. Even people familiar with dinosaurs have never heard of it.”

“And this was sent to you today?” Twilight asked Grant.

He nodded. “Yes,” he answered.

Ellie read the note.

“Specimen acquired on the beach of Cabo Blanco, July 16…. Apparently a howler monkey was eating the animal, and this was all that was recovered. Oh … and it says the lizard attacked a little girl.”

“I doubt that,” Grant said. “But perhaps. Procompsognathus was so small and light we assume it must be a scavenger, only feeding off dead creatures. And you can tell the size—he measured quickly—it’s about twenty centimeters to the hips, which means the full animal would be about a foot tall. About as big as a chicken. Even a child would look pretty fearsome to it. It might bite an infant, but not a child.”

Ellie frowned at the X ray image. “You think this could really be a legitimate rediscovery?” She asked. “Like the coelacanth?”

“Maybe,” Grant said.

“But could it be real?” she persisted. “What about the age?”

Grant nodded. “The age is a problem.”

“Well,” Ellie said. “We know animals have survived. Crocodiles are basically Triassic animals living in the present. Sharks are Triassic. So we know it has happened before.”

“But it’s impossible for even one…” Twilight trailed off, turning her gaze to Grant. “What’s the name again?”

“Procompsognathus,” Grant replied.

“For one Procompsognathus to survive ” She looked back at the photo. “The only way for even one to survive, there would need to be a large population of them, otherwise this x-ray here is just a bit sketchy.”

Grant nodded. “Yes that's true, Twilight. But the thing is,” he said, “how else do we explain it? It’s either a fake—which I doubt—or else it’s a rediscovery. What else could it be?”

The phone rang to life. Grabbing the trio’s attention.

“Alice Levin again,” Grant said. “Let’s see if she’ll send us the actual specimen.” He answered it and looked at Ellie and Twilight, surprised. “Yes, I’ll hold for Mr. Hammond. Yes. Of course.”

“Hammond? What does he want?” Ellie asked, looking at him with bewilderment.

Grant shook his head, and then turned back to the phone. “Yes, Mr. Hammond. Yes, it’s good to hear your voice, too.… Yes …” He looked at Ellie and Twilight. “Oh, you did? Oh yes? Is that right?”

He cupped his hand over the mouthpiece. “Still as eccentric as ever. You’ve got to hear this.” Grant pushed the speaker button. Twilight and Ellie heard a raspy old-man’s voice speaking rapidly:

“—hell of an annoyance from some EPA fellow, seems to have gone off half cocked, all on his own, running around the country talking to people, stirring up things. I don’t suppose anybody’s come to see you way out there?”

“As a matter of fact,” Grant said, “somebody did come to see me.”

Hammond snorted. “I was afraid of that. Smart-ass kid named Morris?”

Twilight flinched at Hammond’s use of such profanity, but still listened intently. Through Twilight’s time living in the human realm, she had grown to dislike profanity and vulgarity in general. The thought of anyone who used foul language or other vulgar words was enough to make her cringe internally, yet the person calling themself Hammond was completely free of any moral compass; no hesitation or concern whatsoever.

Alan and Ellie notice Twilight’s reaction. They exchange knowing glances while Grant continued.

“Yes, his name was Morris.” Grant answered Hammond’s question.

“He’s going to see all our consultants,” Hammond said. “He went to see Ian Malcolm the other day—you know, the mathematician in Texas? That’s the first I knew of it. We’re having one hell of a time getting a handle on this thing, it’s typical of the way government operates, there isn’t any complaint, there isn’t any charge, just harassment from some kid who’s unsupervised and is running around at the taxpayers’ expense. Did he bother you? Disrupt your work?”

“No, no, he didn’t bother me.” Grant responded.

“Well, that’s too bad, in a way,” Hammond said, “because I’d try and get an injunction to stop him if he had. As it is, I had our lawyers call over at EPA to find out what the hell their problem is. The head of the office claims he didn’t know there was any investigation! You figure that one out. Damned bureaucracy is all it is. Hell, I think this kid’s trying to get down to Costa Rica, poke around, get onto our island. You know we have an island down there?”

“No,” Grant said, looking at Ellie and Twilight, “I didn’t know.”

“Oh yes, we bought it and started our operation oh, four or five years ago now. I forget exactly. Called Isla Nublar—big island, hundred miles offshore. Going to be a biological preserve. Wonderful place. Tropical jungle. You know, you ought to see it, Dr. Grant.”

“Sounds interesting,” Grant said, “but actually—”

“It’s almost finished now, you know,” Hammond said interjecting Grant. “I’ve sent you some material about it. Did you get my material?”

“No, but we’re pretty far from—”

“Maybe it’ll come today. Look it over. The island’s just beautiful. It’s got everything. We’ve been in construction now thirty months. You can imagine. Big park. Opens in September next year. You really ought to go see it.”

“It sounds wonderful, but—”

“As a matter of fact,” Hammond said, “I’m going to insist you see it, Dr. Grant. I know you’d find it right up your alley. You’d find it fascinating.”

“I’m in the middle of—” Grant said.

“Say, I’ll tell you what,” Hammond said, as if the idea had just occurred to him. “I’m having some of the people who consulted for us to go down there this weekend. Spend a few days and look it over. At our expense, of course. It’d be terrific if you’d give us your opinion.”

“I couldn’t possibly,” Grant said.

“Oh, just for a weekend,” Hammond said, with the irritating, cheery persistence of an old man. “That’s all I’m talking about, Dr. Grant. I wouldn’t want to interrupt your work. I know how important that work is. Believe me, I know that. Never interrupt your work. But you could hop on down there this weekend, and be back on Monday.”

“No, I couldn’t,” Grant said. “I’ve just found a new skeleton and—”

“Yes, fine, but I still think you should come—” Hammond said, not really listening.

Ellie shook her head, annoyed by Hammond’s constant interruptions and his refusal of a reasonable conversation. Even Twilight, who’s eyes were now narrowed, was more than mildly irritated as well.

“And we’ve just received some evidence for a very puzzling and remarkable find, which seems to be a living procompsognathid.” Grant said, finally drawing Hammond’s attention to the point at hand.

“A what?” Hammond said, slowing down. “I didn’t quite get that. You said a living procompsognathid?”

“That’s right,” Grant said. “It’s a biological specimen, a partial fragment of an animal collected from Central America. A living animal.”

“You don’t say,” Hammond said. “A living animal? How extraordinary.”

“Yes,” Grant said. “We think so, too. So, you see, this isn’t the time for me to be leaving—”

“Central America, did you say?”

“Yes.”

“Where in Central America is it from, do you know?”

“A beach called Cabo Blanco, I don’t know exactly where—”

“I see.” Hammond cleared his throat. “And when did this, ah, specimen arrive in your hands?”

“Just today.”

“Today, I see. Today. I see. Yes.” Hammond cleared his throat again.

Grant looked at both Ellie and Twilight and mouthed, What’s going on?

Ellie shook her head. Sounds upset.

Twilight nodded in agreement.

Grant mouthed, See if Morris is still here.
Ellie went to the window and looked out, but Morris’s car was gone. She turned back.

On the speaker, Hammond coughed. “Ah, Dr. Grant. Have you told anybody about it yet?”

“No.”

“Good, that’s good. Well. Yes. I’ll tell you frankly, Dr. Grant, I’m having a little problem about this island. This EPA thing is coming at just the wrong time.”

“How’s that?” Grant asked, puzzled by the sudden change in Hammond’s tone. Even Ellie and Twilight were surprised by Hammond’s sudden change in demeanor.

“Well, we’ve had our problems and some delays.… Let’s just say that I’m under a little pressure here…”

Twilight decided to use this opportunity to speak up. “Sir, what are you referring to?” She asked.

Silence.

Everyone waited patiently for Hammond’s response.

“Oh my god…” Hammond said breathlessly. “Did I hear that right? Mrs, you wouldn’t happen to be Twilight Sparkle, would you?” He asked.

Twilight nodded. “Yes, Mr. Hammond.” She confirmed the statement.

From the speaker Hammond was laughing in disbelief. “My God. Are you telling me that you’re Twilight Sparkle?” He said incredulously. “Are you telling me that I’m speaking to Twilight Sparkle herself? Oh, that’s just unbelievable. I mean, this is absolutely amazing. My word, I never thought I see the day.” Hammond cleared his throat again. “Well, I must say, it is a great honor to be speaking with you Mrs. Sparkle. It really is.”

“Thank you.” Twilight replied.

Ellie couldn’t help but chuckle. “Seems you’re really popular huh, Twilight?” She said to Twilight.

“I get that a lot,” Twilight replied with a smile.

“Now back to what I was saying,” Hammond continued, “I’d like you to look at this island for me. Give me your opinion. I’ll be paying you the usual weekend consultant rate of twenty thousand a day. That’d be sixty thousand for three days. And if you can spare Dr. Sattler, she’ll go at the same rate. We need a botanist. What do you say?”

Ellie looked at Grant as he said, “Well, Mr. Hammond, that much money would fully finance our expeditions for the next two summers.”

“Good, good,” Hammond said blandly. He seemed distracted now, his thoughts elsewhere. “Ms. Sparkle—“

“You can call me Twilight, Mr. Hammond.”

“Ah of course, of course. Twilight, if you would have it, I’d like to invite you to my island as well. It would be a great honor to not only have the ambassador of Equestria to step foot on the island but I would also like to hear your opinion as well. What do you say?”

Both Alan and Ellie glanced at each other before looking at Twilight, waiting.

“Is the island safe?” Twilight asked Hammond.

“Absolutely,” Hammond said. “Correct me Twilight, if I’m mistaken, but I believe there were supposedly six ambassadors—and they happened to be your friends, correct?”

“Right.”

“Then could you be a dear and maybe bring them as well?” Hammond asked politely.

“Well,” Twilight glanced at the floor, thinking it over then nodded. “Okay. If you think it will be beneficial, I’ll try to arrange it. I’ll have to check if my friends have the free time to tag along though. But hopefully if they are free we can leave whenever you’re ready to pick me and my friends up.”

“Excellent.” Hammond paused. “I want this to be easy.… Now, I’m sending the corporate jet to pick you up at that private airfield east of Choteau. You know the one I mean? It’s only about two hours’ drive from where you are. You be there at five p.m. tomorrow and I’ll be waiting for you. Take you right down. Can you three make that plane?”

“I guess we can.” Alan responded.

“Good. Pack lightly. You don’t need passports. I’m looking forward to it. See you tomorrow,” Hammond said, and he hung up.

The trailer was eroded in silence after Hammond had ended his call.

Twilight sighed. “Well,” she said, turning toward the phone, “I should start making calls.”

Chapter 6: Reunion At First Sight

“Applejack?” Sophia Garcia pushed her way into the cow-mare’s room without knocking, trusting that she would be decent. There she was, piling supplies into her saddle-bags. The contents shoved in; bottles of water, fresh apples, and plenty of rope. “The limo is here,” Sophia said as she walked towards her pony-friend, her hands on her swollen abdomen.

“Just puttin’ mah apples in. And done!”

The southern accent made the blonde girl smile. “How long will you be gone?”

“Oh, Ah’m just gonna be catchin’ up with my friend Twilight. Somethin’ about visiting an island called Isla Nublar. I heard Fluttershy is comin’ too.” Applejack pushed her supplies into the saddlebag. “But don’t y’all worry Garcia, ah’m sure ah won’t be gone for too long.”

Sophia smiled back. The main focus during Applejack’s research missions was that of the natural world and its farming. It wasn’t much, but it meant a lot to the pony. For the most part, Applejack spent her time at various farms around the planet, learning about the ecosystems in between and the changes they had wrought upon the environment. She also took notes on how animals were treated, where food was sourced from. It was very useful. She’d seen herds of sheep grazing together, cows eating hay and grass in the same meadow, pigs huddled together while eating soybeans. All things that were beneficial to their health. On Applejack’s most recent visit to Earth she’d been lucky enough to accompany Sophia and her husband, Carlos. Applejack liked them both, especially Sophia. She seemed like such a sweet and lovely lady.

Applejack liked her children too. Sophia was a married woman of eight kids, and she and her husband were already waiting for their ninth child to be born. When Applejack had first visited the farm, Sophia and Carlos welcomed her warmly. Treating her as though she were one of their own. The two families talked together and laughed often. In her downtime between her research and work at the farm, Applejack would play with Sophia’s children. She loved playing with the younger ones; their innocence and curiosity was captivating. Some of them reminded Applejack a lot of her little sister back at home in Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack hoped that one day she could be reunited with her.

Carefully Sophia got down to one knee and pulled Applejack into a hug. “Be safe, please.” Sophia kissed Applejack on top of the head before releasing the cow-pony. “And you do well to take care of yourself.”

“Don’chu worry ah will,” Applejack told her friend, smiling reassuringly before starting out the room. Walking down the small hallway then stepping down the stairs, pushing the door wide open. She passes Sophia’s grandmother, known by everyone as Grandma Grace in her rocker on the porch.

Applejack smiled brightly at the grandmother, giving a little wave with her hoof. “Ah’m headin’ off now. But ah’ll be back. Promise.”

Grace returned her smile and waved to her pony friend. “I know you will. Safe travels dear.”

Applejack gave a little nod of her head and trotted outside, making her way past the barn and to the side of the house where a dirt path led away from the property. Taking one last look around the farm, Applejack started off down the road, towards the limo.

The San Francisco law Cowan, Swain, and Ross was streamed by the midday sun. Giving the room a cheerfulness that Donald Gennaro did not feel. He listened on the phone and looked at his boss, Daniel Ross, in his dark pinstripe suit cold as an undertaker.

“I understand, John,” Gennaro said. “And Grant agreed to come? Good, good … yes, that sounds fine to me. My congratulations, John…..You what?!”

Gennaro stood up straight. The phone gripped tight in his hand, its cord stretched tight between his fingers. A vein throbbed under one of his high brows. His teeth gritted. His eyes narrowed with anger. The blood began to pulse against his temples like a heartbeat.

“No! It’s not alright John!” Gennaro shouted. “No it’s not John, are you out of your god-damn mind?!”

Daniel watched with a brow arched.

“John you – you do know who she is, don’t you?” Gennaro’s tone had dropped. He spoke derisively, slowly. “She is the personal protégé of Equestria’s own monarch and Princess Celestia’s student, as well as a member of their ‘Elements of Harmony’. If I say again, if anything happens to her whilst she’s on that island, you would be personally responsible. You and you alone.”

Gennaro paused for breath, listening intently while he paced around his office.

“Yes, yes. I see. You damn right we will talk about this later. Yes…sounds fine to me. Bye.”

The phone went dead. With a heavy sigh, Gennaro collapsed down in his desk chair, burying his face in the palms of his hands.

“Jesus Christ…” He muttered into the palms of his hands. Gennaro pulled his face back and turned to Ross. “We can’t trust Hammond any more. He’s under too much pressure. The EPA’s investigating him, he’s behind schedule on his Costa Rican resort, and the investors are getting nervous. There have been too many rumors of problems down there. Too many workmen have died. And now this business about a living procompsit-whatever on the mainland…”

“What does that mean?” Ross asked.

“Maybe nothing,” Gennaro said. “But Hamachi is one of our principal investors. I got a report last week from Hamachi’s representative in San Jose, the capital of Costa Rica. According to the report, some new kind of lizard is biting children on the coast.”

Ross blinked. “New lizard?”

“Yes,” Gennaro said. “We can’t screw around with this. We’ve got to inspect that island right away. I’ve asked Hammond to arrange independent site inspections every week for the next three weeks.”

“And what does Hammond say?” Ross asked. “And mind filling me in about you shouting all of a sudden?”

Gennaro sighed.

“He insists nothing is wrong on the island. Claims he has all these security precautions.”

“But you don’t believe him,” Ross said.

“No,” Gennaro said. “I don’t. As for why I was shouting? Turns out Hammond didn’t just invite three people but a fourth to go to the island, and they happen to be Twilight Sparkle.”

Ross gaped at him. “Twilight Sparkle?! Why the hell would Hammond invite an equestrian ambassador to the island?”

“The same reason why he invited those three experts,” Gennaro said. “To give their opinions on the works in Isla Nublar. “Hammond’s a dreamer.”

“A potentially dangerous dreamer,” Ross said gravely. “We should never have gotten involved. What is our financial position?”

“The firm,” Gennaro said, “owns five percent.”

“General or limited?”

“General.”

Ross shook his head. “We should never have done that.”

“It seemed wise at the time,” Gennaro admitted. “Hell, it was eight years ago. We took it in lieu of some fees. And, if you remember, Hammond’s plan was extremely speculative. He was really pushing the envelope. Nobody really thought he could pull it off.”

“But apparently he has,” Ross said dryly. “In any case, I agree that an inspection is overdue. What about your site experts?”

“I’m starting with experts Hammond already hired as consultants, early in the project.” Gennaro tossed a list onto Ross’s desk. “First group is a paleontologist, a paleobotanist, and a mathematician. They go down this weekend. I’ll go with them.”

“Will they tell you the truth?” Ross asked.

“I think so. None of them had much to do with the island, especially the ambassadors. And one of them—the mathematician, Ian Malcolm—was openly hostile to the project from the start. Insisted it would never work, could never work.”

“And who else?”

“Just a technical person: the computer system analyst. Review the park’s computers and fix some bugs. He should be there by Friday morning.”

“Fine,” Ross said. “You’re making the arrangements?”

“Hammond asked to place the calls himself. I think he wants to pretend that he’s not in trouble, that it’s just a social invitation. Showing off his island.”

“All right,” Ross said. “But just make sure it happens. Stay on top of it. I want this Costa Rican situation resolved within a week.” Ross got up, and walked out of the room.

Gennaro sighed whilst shaking his head before reaching the phone. Dialing on the phone he heard the whining hiss of a radiophone. Then he heard a voice say, “Grant here.”

“Hi, Dr. Grant, this is Donald Gennaro. I’m the general counsel for InGen. We talked a few years back, I don’t know if you remember—”

“I remember,” Grant said.

“Well,” Gennaro said. “I just got off the phone with John Hammond, who tells me the good news that you’re coming down to our island in Costa Rica…”

“Yes,” Grant said. “I guess we’re going down there tomorrow.”

“Well, I just want to extend my thanks to you for doing this on short notice. Everybody at InGen appreciates it. We’ve asked Ian Malcolm, who like you was one of the early consultants, to come down as well. He’s a mathematician at UT in Austin?”

“John Hammond mentioned that,” Grant said.

“Well, good,” Gennaro said. “And I’ll be coming, too, as a matter of fact. By the way, this specimen you have found of a pro … procom … what is it?”

“Procompsognathus,” Grant said.

“Yes. Do you have the specimen with you, Dr. Grant? The actual specimen?”

“No,” Grant said. “I’ve only seen an X-ray. The specimen is in New York. A woman from Columbia University called me.”

“Well, I wonder if you could give me the details on that,” Gennaro said. “Then I can run down that specimen for Mr. Hammond, who’s very excited about it. I’m sure you want to see the actual specimen, too. Perhaps I can even get it delivered to the island while you’re all down there,” Gennaro said.

Grant gave him the information.

“Well, that’s fine, Dr. Grant,” Gennaro said. “My regards to Dr. Sattler and Mrs. Sparkle. I look forward to meeting you three and him tomorrow.” And Gennaro hung up.

Gennaro put the receiver back onto its cradle and leaned back into his office chair, taking a long drink from his coffee glass as his eyes closed slowly. He rubbed his temples slightly and breathed slowly through his mouth.

“John…” Gennaro mumbled to himself. “You better hope to God that nothing happens to her.”

Andre Weller and Lewis Dodgson entered the coffee shop in the departure building of the San Francisco airport and looked around quickly. Their man was already there, waiting at the counter. Dodgson and Andre sat down next to him. Dodgson placed the briefcase on the floor between them.

“You guys are late,” the man. He looked at the straw hat Dodgson was wearing and laughed. “What is this supposed to be, a disguise?”

“You never know,” Dodgson “said, suppressing his anger.

This didn’t go unnoticed to Andre but he remained silent. He knew that Dodgson needed something from this man and Dodgson was determined not to let his emotions get to him from getting what he wanted. Dodgson had patiently cultivated this man, who had grown more arrogant and obnoxious with each meeting for six months. But there was nothing Dodgson could do about that—both him and the man knew exactly what the stakes were.

“Let’s get down to it,” the man said. “I’ve got ten minutes before my flight.”

“You want to go over it again?” Dodgson asked.

“Hell no, Dr. Dodgson,” the man said. “I want to see the damn money.”

Andre watched Dodgson flip the latch on the briefcase and opened it a few inches. The man glanced down casually. “That’s all of it?”

“That’s half of it. Seven hundred fifty thousand dollars.”

“Okay. Fine.” The man turned away, drank his coffee. “That’s fine, Dr. Dodgson.”

“Dodgson quickly locked the briefcase. “That’s for all fifteen species, you remember.”

“I remember. Fifteen species, frozen embryos. And how am I going to transport them?”

Dodgson handed the man a large can of Gillette Foamy shaving cream.

“That’s it?” The man asked with skepticism.

“That’s it.” Dodgson simply responded.

“They may check my luggage.…”

“Dodgson shrugged. “Press the top,” he said.

The man pressed it, and white shaving cream puffed into his hand. “Not bad.” He wiped the foam on the edge of his plate. “Not bad.”

“The can’s a little heavier than usual, is all. My technical team has been assembling it around the clock for the last two days.” He points his thumb at Andre. “My friend here did the finishing touches.” Quickly he showed him how it worked.

“How much coolant gas is inside?” The man asked.

“Enough for thirty-six hours. The embryos have to be back in San José by then.” Dodgson explained.

“That’s up to your guy in the boat,” the man said. “Better make sure he has a portable cooler on board.”

“I’ll do that,” Dodgson said.

“And let’s just review the bidding.…”

“The deal is the same,” Dodgson said, interrupting. “Fifty thousand on delivery of each embryo. If they’re viable, an additional fifty thousand each.”

“That’s fine. Just make sure you have the boat waiting at the east dock of the island, Friday night. Not the north dock, where the big supply boats arrive. The east dock. It’s a small utility dock. You got that?” The man ordered.

“I got it,” Dodgson replied. “When will you be back in San José?”

“Probably Sunday.” The man pushed away from the counter. Dodgson raised his hand, stopping the man mid-walk.

“Hold up a minute,” Dodgson said. “My friend here will be joining you on that flight.”

The man stopped, turned, and looked at Andre. Then returned his gaze to Dodgson. “Oh yeah? And why’s that?”

“Consider him my insurance policy,” Dodgson said. “If anything goes wrong, specifically your plan during your time on the island. He’ll take care of everything for you, when you two get back.”

“Right,” the man sneered. “So he’ll just be along for the ride once we leave. What the hell difference does it make?”

“Well,” Dodgson said, “I would like a guarantee that you will return the eggs alive, after the transplantation.”

“Yeah, yeah. That makes sense. Sure. Whatever.”

“Good,” Dodgson said. He fretted. “You’re sure you know how to work the—”

“I know,” the man said. “Believe me, I know.”

“Also,” Dodgson said, “we think the island maintains constant radio contact with InGen corporate headquarters in California, so—”

“Look, I’ve got it covered,” the man said. “Just relax, and get the money ready. I want it all Sunday morning, in San José airport, in cash.”

“It’ll be waiting for you,” Dodgson said. “Don’t worry.”

Dodgson turned to Andre who stared at him blankly. He nodded slightly toward the man staring at the door. “Well, you better get going,” Dodgson said. “Time is ticking.”

Andre sighed, nodded, and left the coffee shop. He thought to himself how foolish he was with following Dodgson. But he owed Dodgson. He owed him too much.

Twilight stared at the topographical map. It showed Isla Nublar as an inverted teardrop, bulging at the north, tapering at the south. The island was eight miles long, and the map divided it into several large sections. The northern section was marked with one area and it contained many structures marked. Twilight could see the outline of a swimming pool, the rectangles of tennis courts, and the round squiggles that represented planting and shrubbery.

She also found detail sheets for a Safari Lodge. In the elevation sketches, Twilight was amazed at how dramatic the lodge looked: a long low building with a series of pyramid shapes on the roof. But there was little about the other buildings in the visitor area. And the rest of the island was even more mysterious. It was mostly open space, as far as Twilight could tell. A network of roads, tunnels, and outlying buildings, and a long thin lake that appeared to be pony-made, or man-made she corrected herself. It also had concrete dams and barriers. The island was divided into big curving areas with very little development at all. For the most part, of course, each area was marked by codes.

Codes that Twilight couldn’t find an explanation for. She knew that codes were necessary, though she was unsure how or why they were necessary. But she also understood their importance—they were the keystone to a system. But still, these code’s baffled her.

Twilight’s eyes darted at the big curving divisions, separated from one another by the network of roads. There were only six divisions on the whole island from what she was seeing. Each division was separated from the road by a concrete moat. Outside each moat was a fence with a little lightning sign alongside it. That mystified her until she figured out it meant the fences were electrified.

“Why would Hammond have electrified fences?” Twilight muttered to herself. “Miles of them too. Moats and electrified fences, together with a road alongside them as well. Kind of like a zoo now that I think about it.”

Back to the topographical map Twilight looked closely at the contour lines. Her thick brow arched when she found the roads had been oddly placed. The main road ran north-south, right through the central hills of the island, including one section of road that seemed to be literally cut into the side of a cliff, above a river. It began to look as if there had been a deliberate effort to leave these open areas as big enclosures, separated from the roads by moats and electric fences. And the roads were raised up above ground level, so you could see over the fence. What was even more odd was that some of these dimensions were enormous. The concrete moat was thirty feet wide, like a military fortification.

Twilight tilted her head as she continued to study the contours of the island. Finally she shook her head. What did it matter anyway, maybe she’ll get her answers once they reach said island. Twilight put the papers aside, turned to the side and hopped off the chair. She starts towards the door and exits the trailer.

On her way out the door, Twilight looks to see Alan Grant surrounded by an audience. From where she stood she could hear him explaining something to them, pointing at the screen of a computer. Twilight started towards the group until she stood beside Ellie as they both listened to Alan’s explanation.

“Hell, they've got it in for me. And look at the half-moon shaped bones in the wrists. No wonder these guys learned how to fly.” Grant remarked. Few people among the group laughed which in turn made Grant frowned.

“No, seriously!” Grant insisted, looking around the crowd. “Alright, maybe dinosaurs have more in common with present-day birds than they do with reptiles.” He said. "Look at the pubic bones. Turned backwards, just like a bird. Look at the vertebrae, full of air sacks and hollows, just like a bird. And even the word "Raptor" means, bird of prey—“

“That doesn’t look scary.”

Everyone, including Twilight, turned their heads towards the source of the interruption. Standing behind Grant, next to the audience, was a little chubby boy. He wore a cap, short grey jeans, crew-neck shirt and sneakers. His skin was tan and his eyes bright blue.

“That kid’s a bullet…” A man among the group whispered to his friend.

Grant turned his attention back to the boy.

“More like a six-foot turkey.” The boy corrected.

The audience chucked at this comment while Grant shook his head slowly. He turned his gaze at Twilight, a grin spreading across his face before he mouthed the words ‘Watch this.’ Twilight watched Grant start towards the boy. His grin never faded, not even as he took a step closer.

“A turkey, huh?” Grant said, stopping in front of the little boy. Ellie shook her head while chuckling.

“Oh, no. Here we go…” Ellie said under breath.

Alan stared ahead as he spoke. “Okay. Try to imagine yourself in the Cretaceous period. You get your first look at this "six foot turkey" as you enter a clearing. He moves like a bird, lightly, bobbing his head — and you keep still 'cause you think that maybe he won’t see you, he'll lose you if you’re hidden from its sight— but no, not Velociraptor.”

The boy remained silent, watching Grant. Twilight watched Grant too.

“You stare at him, and he just stares right back. And that's when the attack comes not from the front, but from the side.” He imitates air swishing by whipping both finger’s quickly down to the boy’s close up view. “From the other two raptors, you didn't even know were there.” He pauses, then circles around the boy as he continues. “Because Velociraptor's a pack hunter. He used coordinated attack patterns, and he is out in force today. And he slashes at you with this.”

Both the boy and Twilight’s eyes grew large when Grant pulled from his pocket an ancient curved hooked claw.

“Six-inch, retractable claw. Like a razor, on the middle toe. He doesn't bother to bite your jugular like a lion, say, no, no. He slashes at you… Here!” He playfully slashes the boy's mid-torso. “Or here.” He slashed the boy's groin.

Ellie shook her head disapprovingly. “Oh Alan…” Ellie whispered.

Twilight’s world slowed down. Her eyes never left the retractable claw in Grant’s hand. Her thoughts were focused on the claw’s sharp curved edge and its length. Twilight bit her lip, trying to stay calm. She couldn’t imagine having her belly cut open by that weapon; nor can she think of surviving such a wound.

“Or maybe across the belly, spilling your intestines. The point is, you are alive, when they start to eat you.” He goes to one knee, lowering his head to face the boy. “So ya know, try to show a little respect.”

He paused, as if waiting for the boy to say something.

“Okay…” The boy said softly.

Grant stands back up and walks back to Ellie. Ellie walked towards him with Twilight close behind.

“We’ve got to go,” Ellie said, “if we’re going to get to Choteau by five.”

“Indeed.” Grant agreed. Ellie nodded and turned around, she and Grant walking together up the hill. Twilight followed.

“Hey, Alan, if you wanted to scare the kid, you could've pulled a gun on him, you know.” Ellie commented to Grant who nodded as they climbed.

“Yeah, I know. Kids. You wanna have one of those?” Grant replied nonchalantly. Ellie snorted a laugh.

“I don’t want that kid.” Ellie motioned her hand towards the boy far away. “But a breed of child, Dr. Grant, could be intriguing! I mean, what's so wrong with kids?” Ellie asked innocently.

Grant chuckled before he shrugged.

“Ah, Ellie, look. Don’t get me wrong: they’re adorable. And I like kids, really I do! But they can sometimes be noisy, they're messy, they're expensive.” Grant explained.

“Cheap, cheap.” Ellie repeated as she chuckled.

“They smell.” Grant added.

Twilight threw a hoof over her mouth. Trying to stifle her laughter.

Ellie gasped at Grant's comment. “They do not smell.”

“Some of them smell!” Grant insisted.

“Oh, give me a break!” Ellie retorted.

“Baby smell!” Grant countered, pointing a finger at Ellie. Both Ellie and Twilight laughed in unison.

Twilight stared at the dry plains that stretched away toward distant black buttes. The afternoon wind blew dust and tumbleweed across the cracked concrete. Twilight stood with Ellie and Grant near the Jeep and waited while the sleek Grumman jet circled for a landing.

“I hate to wait on the money men,” Grant grumbled.

Ellie shrugged. “Goes with the job.”

“Well, on the bright side at least our ride is here.” Twilight stated, looking up at the jet.

The big jet landed and rolled quickly toward them. Ellie shouldered her bag and Twilight strapped her saddle bag over her back. The jet came to a stop and a stewardess in a blue uniform opened the door. Inside, Twilight was surprised at how spacious it was, despite the luxurious appointments. She watched Grant hunch over as he went to shake Hammond’s hand.

“Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler,” Hammond said. “It’s good of you to join us.” He turned his gaze towards Twilight. He stretched out his hand and shook her hoof with a smile. “And it’s a great honor to have you join us as well, Twilight. I even brought your friends here too.”

Twilight watched Hammond’s right hand gesture to his left. She turned to her left by said gesture and saw two ponies sitting next to each other. She felt a smile spread across her face as she recognized them. Applejack and Fluttershy looked just as happy to see her.

“Girls!”

Nobody on the jet missed Twilight’s attachment to the ponies, especially Grant and Ellie. They watched the trio pulled together in a tight embrace, the three ponies laughed and smiled brightly at their reunion. Grant and Ellie couldn’t help but smile at the sight. Even Hammond, who had been observing the reunion, grinned from ear to ear. He felt like a hero bringing the three mares together again.

After a moment, Twilight let go of the hug and stepped back to give Applejack and Fluttershy some space to introduce themselves to Hammond. When they finished, Hammond gestured to the man sitting next to him.

“Allow me to introduce my associate, Donald Gennaro.”

Twilight turned to look at Gennaro. He was a stocky, muscular man in his mid-thirties wearing an Armani suit and wire-frame glasses. She watched Grant shake hands with him quickly. When Ellie shook hands, Gennaro said in surprise, “You’re a woman.”

“These things happen,” she said, and Twilight could’ve sworn she heard a hint of bitterness in her voice.

Hammond turned to Gennaro. “You know, of course, what Dr. Grant and Dr. Sattler do. They are paleontologists. They dig up dinosaurs.” And then he began to laugh, as if he found the idea very funny.

Twilight extended a hoof toward Gennaro with a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mr. Gennaro.” She said politely.

Gennaro shook her hoof and returned the friendly gesture. “You too, Ms. Sparkle.”

“Take your seats, please,” the stewardess said, closing the door. Immediately the plane began to move.

“You’ll have to excuse us,” Hammond said, “but we are in a bit of a rush. Donald thinks it’s important we get right down there.”

Twilight heard the pilot announce four hours’ flying time to Dallas, where they would refuel, and then go on to Costa Rica, arriving the following morning.

“And how long will we be in Costa Rica?” Grant asked.

“Well, that really depends,” Gennaro said. “We have a few things to clear up.”

“Take my word for it,” Hammond said, turning to Grant. “We’ll be down there no more than forty-eight hours.”

Grant buckled his seat belt. “This island of yours that we’re going to—I haven’t heard anything about it before. Is it some kind of secret?”

“In a way,” Hammond said. “We have been very, very careful about making sure nobody knows about it, until the day we finally open that island to a surprised and delighted public.”

Applejack raised a brow at Hammond. “What exactly are y’all ‘keepin secret on the island that no pony’s supposed to know about?” She asked.

Hammond smiled. “Oh, Applejack. Words won’t be enough to convey to you how much this is going to shake the world. Of all time.”

“Of all time?” Grant questioned. Hammond nodded.

“Yes, all time, Dr. Grant,” Hammond said as he gave a slight bow. “You’ll have to see it with your own eyes.”

The jet continued soaring through the skies.

Chapter 7: Welcome To Jurassic Park

Twilight blinked at the man stepping in the plane, a tall, thin, balding man dressed entirely in black: black shirt, black trousers, black socks, black sneakers. She watched as the man in black shook hands with almost everyone. All the while introducing himself as Ian Malcolm. He sat in one of the padded chairs. The stewardess asked him if he wanted a drink.

“Diet Coke, shaken not stirred.” Malcolm said. Twilight opened her mouth to say something but Ellie beat her to it.

“Isn’t it a little warm for black?” Ellie asked. The stranger glanced at Ellie.

“You’re extremely pretty, Dr. Sattler,” he said. “I could look at your legs all day. But no, as a matter of fact, black is an excellent color for heat. If you remember your black-body radiation, black is actually best in heat. Efficient radiation. In any case, I wear only two colors, black and gray.”

Ellie was staring at him, her mouth open.

“These colors are appropriate for any occasion,” Malcolm continued, “and they go well together, should I mistakenly put on a pair of gray socks with my black trousers.”

“But don’t you find it boring to wear only two colors?” Ellie asked incredulously.

“Not at all. I find it liberating. I believe my life has value, and I don’t want to waste it thinking about clothing,” Malcolm explained, looking at her with a smile. “I don’t want to think about what I will wear in the morning. Truly, can you imagine anything more boring than fashion? Professional sports, perhaps. Grown men swatting little balls, while the rest of the world pays money to applaud. But, on the whole, I find fashion even more tedious than sports.”

“Dr. Malcolm,” Hammond explained, “is a man of strong opinions.”

“And mad as a hatter,” Malcolm said cheerfully. “But you must admit, these are nontrivial issues. We live in a world of frightful givens. It is given that you will behave like this, given that you will care about that. No one thinks about the givens. Isn’t it amazing? In the information society, nobody thinks. We expected to banish paper, but we actually banished thought.”

Hammond turned to Gennaro and raised his hands. “You invited him.”

“And a lucky thing, too,” Malcolm said. “Because it sounds as if you have a serious problem.”

“We have no problem,” Hammond said quickly.

Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack watched the two men converse. The three ponies exchanged knowing glances, then looked back at the men.

“I always maintained this island would be unworkable,” Malcolm said. “I predicted it from the beginning.” He reached into a soft leather briefcase. “And I trust by now we all know what the eventual outcome is going to be. You’re going to have to shut the thing down.”

“Shut it down!” Hammond stood angrily. “This is ridiculous.”

Malcolm shrugged, indifferent to Hammond’s outburst. “I’ve brought copies of my original paper for you to look at,” he said. “The original consultancy paper I did for InGen. The mathematics are a bit sticky, but I can walk you through it. Are you leaving now?”

“I have some phone calls to make,” Hammond said, and went into the adjoining cabin.

“Well, it’s a long flight,” Malcolm said to the others. “At least my paper will give you something to do.”

Twilight watched him glancing around, at which point his eyes met Twilight’s own.

Malcolm furrowed his brow. “Have I, uh, seen you from somewhere?” He continued to stare back.

Twilight blinded, shaking her head. “Oh, err – My apologies, Doctor Malcolm—”

“Ah!” Malcolm raised a finger with a chuckle. “I know who you are. You’re Twilight Sparkle, right?”

“Yes, that’s me. Nice to meet you!” Twilight replied brightly. “You came to visit the island too?”

“Indeed I am,” Malcolm said with another nod. “But I actually came to see if my paper will no doubt conclude that Hammond’s island will fail.”

“Fail?” Fluttershy echoed.

Gennaro leaned forward slightly and asked, “Your paper concludes that Hammond’s island is bound to fail?”

“Correct.” Malcolm nodded again.

“Because of chaos theory?” Gennaro guessed.

“Correct. To be more precise, because of the behavior of the system in phase space.”

Gennaro tossed the paper aside and said, “Can you explain this in English?”

“Surely,” Malcolm said. “Let’s see where we have to start. You know what a nonlinear equation is?”

“No.”

“Strange attractors?”

“No.”

Before Malcolm began his explanation, Twilight pulled out her notebook from her bag and stared at Malcolm curiously.

“All right,” Malcolm said. “Let’s go back to the beginning.” He paused, staring at the ceiling. “Physics has had great success at describing certain kinds of behavior: planets in orbit, spacecraft going to the moon, pendulums and springs and rolling balls, that sort of thing. The regular movement of objects. These are described by what are called linear equations, and mathematicians can solve those equations easily. We’ve been doing it for hundreds of years.”

“Okay,” Gennaro said.

“But there is another kind of behavior, which physics handles badly. For example, anything to do with turbulence. Water coming out of a spout. Air moving over an airplane wing. Weather. Blood flowing through the heart. Turbulent events are described by nonlinear equations. They’re hard to solve—in fact, they’re usually impossible to solve. So physics has never understood this whole class of events. Until about ten years ago. The new theory that describes them is called chaos theory. Chaos theory originally grew out of attempts to make computer models of weather in the 1960s. Weather is a big complicated system, namely the earth’s atmosphere as it interacts with the land and the sun. The behavior of this big complicated system always defied understanding. So naturally we couldn’t predict the weather. But what the early researchers learned from computer models was that, even if you could understand it, you still couldn’t predict it. Weather prediction is absolutely impossible. The reason is that the behavior of the system is sensitively dependent on initial conditions.”

“You lost me,” Gennaro said.

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Eeyup. Ah couldn’t understand a darn ‘tootin thang ‘bout that.”

“Neither could I.” Fluttershy admitted.

“Well, uh, let me give a better explanation,” Malcolm said. “If I use a cannon to fire a shell of a certain weight, at a certain speed, and a certain angle of inclination—and if I then fire a second shell with almost the same weight, speed, and angle—what will happen?”

“The two shells will land at almost the same spot.” Gennaro answered.

“Right,” Malcolm agreed. “That’s linear dynamics.”

“Okay.” Gennaro nodded.

“But,” Malcolm continued, “if I have a weather system that I start up with a certain temperature and a certain wind speed and a certain humidity—and if I then repeat it with almost the same temperature, wind, and humidity—the second system will not behave almost the same. It’ll wander off and rapidly will become very different from the first. Thunderstorms instead of sunshine. That’s nonlinear dynamics. They are sensitive to initial conditions: tiny differences become amplified.”

“I think I see,” Gennaro said.

Twilight nodded whilst humming in understanding. “Wow,” she said after a pause. “This is really captivating! I must admit Doctor Malcolm, I’m struggling a little to keep up and make sense of all this – this sort of academic thinking hasn’t really been touched on in Equestria all too much...”

Malcolm chuckled. “Well, perhaps it’s best kept that way,” Malcolm began as a grin crept across his face. “After all, at least this way you won’t have someone calling you out for your nonsense. But I’m getting off topic here. The shorthand is the ‘butterfly effect.’ A butterfly flaps its wings in Peking, and the weather in New York is different.”

Twilight hummed, tapping her hoof in thought. “So,” she said, “chaos is all just random and unpredictable? Is that all?”

“No,” Malcolm said. “We actually find hidden regularities within the complex variety of a system’s behavior. That’s why chaos has now become a very broad theory that’s used to study everything from the stock market, to rioting crowds, to brain waves during epilepsy. Any sort of complex system where there is confusion and unpredictability. We can find an underlying order. Okay?”

“Okay,” Gennaro said. “But what is this underlying order?”

“It’s essentially characterized by the movement of the system within phase space,” Malcolm said.

“Jesus,” Gennaro said. “All I want to know is why you think Hammond’s island can’t work.”

“I understand,” Malcolm said. “I’ll get there. Chaos theory says two things. First, that complex systems like weather have an underlying order. Second, the reverse of that—that simple systems can produce complex behavior. For example, pool balls. You hit a pool ball, and it starts to carom off the sides of the table. In theory, that’s a fairly simple system, almost a Newtonian system. Since you can know the force imparted to the ball, and the mass of the ball, and you can calculate the angles at which it will strike the walls, you can predict the future behavior of the ball. In theory, you could predict the behavior of the ball far into the future, as it keeps bouncing from side to side. You could predict where it will end up three hours from now, in theory.”

“Okay.” Gennaro nodded.

“But in fact,” Malcolm said, “it turns out you can’t predict more than a few seconds into the future. Because almost immediately very small effects—imperfections in the surface of the ball, tiny indentations in the wood of the table—start to make a difference. And it doesn’t take long before they overpower your careful calculations. So it turns out that this simple system of a pool ball on a table has unpredictable behavior.”

“Okay.” Gennaro said.

Twilight scribbled down her notebook quickly while looking thoughtful, listening to Malcolm’s explanation.

“And Hammond’s project,” Malcolm said, “is another apparently simple system—animals within a zoo environment—that will eventually show unpredictable behavior.”

Gennaro raised a brow at Malcolm. “You know this because of…”

“Theory,” Malcolm said.

“But hadn’t you better see the island, to see what he’s actually done?” Twilight asked. “Don’t you want to look at everything first before giving your honest thoughts?”

“Oh no,” Malcolm replied confidently. “No. That is quite unnecessary, Twilight. The details don’t matter. Theory tells me that the island will quickly proceed to behave in unpredictable fashion.”

“And you’re confident of your theory?” Gennaro asked.

“Oh, yes,” Malcolm said. “Totally confident.” He sat back in the chair. “There is a problem with that island. It is an accident waiting to happen.”

Silence fell for a few moments.

Finally, Applejack broke it. “Well, Ah’m sure we’ll have a look for ourselves when we get over there. And see whatever this ‘project’ ole Hammond got goin’. No point in worryin’ ourselves with what we don’ know.”

Gennaro nodded. “Yeah, you’re probably right.”

“In the meantime,” Applejack said, “ah’m goin’ on ahead and take me a nap. Wake me up when we get there.”

“Twilight, wake up.”

The softness of Fluttershy’s voice woke Twilight out of her sleep. She looked around blearily. She was still in the jet’s lounge; the light that filtered in from the porthole told her that it was morning outside. The bright light made her eyes hurt.

“Is it morning?” Twilight grumbled drowsily. “Are we here?”

“Oh, yes it’s morning. The sun just came up. But we’re not at the island yet, we have new passengers though.” Fluttershy pointed toward the farther left side of the jet, toward the other seat.

Twilight glanced in that direction. Her eyes landed on another human, one that she could describe as a fat and sloppy man. He was eating a candy bar and there was sticky chocolate on his fingers. Flecks of aluminum foil on his shirt. Twilight heard him mumble something about doing computers on the island, and was surprised that he hadn’t offered to shake hands with anyone. Not even her or her friends.

A black man sat next to the sloppy fellow and appeared to be asleep, slumped down into the leather seat. His arms were crossed in front of his chest, head slightly tilted forward, chin resting against his chest. The man wore blue jeans, a red crew neck sweatshirt, and brown boots with the laces tied together in a loose bow. There was a brown backpack sitting on the floor next to his feet, and his black braided hair hung loosely in a ponytail.

“Who’re those two?” Twilight asked, pointing her hoof at the two strangers.

Fluttershy turned in her seat to give them a glance. “From what I heard from Hammond, they’re from San José,” Fluttershy explained. “Who had flown here to meet us. Their names are Dennis Nedry and Andre Weller.”

Twilight turned her head just in time to see Hammond enter the lounge. He smiled warmly at her. “Ah, good morning Twilight,” he said. “Did you sleep well?”

“Ah slept okay!” Applejack announced, stretching slightly in her seat, clearly awake.

Gennaro yawned loudly.

“Ah, that’s quite good to hear Applejack.” Hammond smiled. “And you woke up just in time too.”

“Are we there yet?” Applejack asked.

“Not yet,” Hammond replied. “Just a few minutes now, and we should be seeing Isla Nublar.”

“What’s Isla Nublar like?” Fluttershy asked eagerly.

Hammond chuckled. “Beautiful,” he said. “But it isn’t a true island. Rather, it’s a seamount, a volcanic upthrusting of rock from the ocean floor. Its volcanic origins can be seen all over the island, There are steam vents in many places, and the ground is often hot underfoot. Because of this, and also because of prevailing currents, Isla Nublar lies in a foggy area. As we get there you will see—“

Hammond turned his gaze towards the jet’s window. A small smile played upon his lips.

“There it is.” Hammond mumbled in excitement and anticipation of seeing the sight. Everyone, including Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack turned their gazes towards the direction he pointed out to them. The scenery that was about to be revealed to them.

Finally breaking through the fog, Twilight saw the island: ‘Isla Nublar’ as John referred to it, appeared in the distance. The lush green jungle that surrounded the island covered the view from its edge up. As they were getting closer to the island, Twilight saw that it was rugged and craggy, rising sharply from the ocean. Fog wreathed the forested slopes, giving the island a mysterious appearance.

At the north end of said island, Twilight stared in awe at the highest hills. Rising more than two thousand feet above the ocean. She saw the rugged cliffs and crashing ocean below, and the top of the hills were foggy.

“Christ, it looks like Alcatraz,” Malcolm said.

“Much larger, of course,” Hammond said. “Eight miles long and three miles wide at the widest point, in total some twenty-two square miles. Making it the largest private animal preserve in North America.”

The helicopter began to climb, and headed toward the north end of the island. Grant was trying to see through the dense fog.

“It’s not usually this thick,” Hammond said. Applejack caught the worry in Hammond’s tone.

The helicopter climbed above the hills.

“Unfortunately,” Hammond said, “we have to land on the island. I don’t like to do it, because it disturbs the animals. And it’s sometimes a bit thrilling—”

Hammond’s voice cut off as the pilot announced, “Starting our descent now. Hang on, folks.”

The helicopter started down, and immediately they were blanketed in fog. Twilight couldn’t see anything at all. She began dimly to discern the green branches of pine trees, reaching through the mist. Some of the branches were close.

“How the hell is he doing this?” Malcolm asked, but nobody answered.

The pilot swung his gaze left, then right, looking at the pine forest. The trees were still close. The helicopter descended rapidly.

“Jesus,” Malcolm said.

The beeping’s volume increased as the helicopter went further and further down. The three mares looked at the pilot. He was concentrating. The pilot corrected slightly and touched down on a helipad. The sound of the rotors faded, and died. Twilight, Fluttershy, and Applejack sighed collectively.

“We have to come down fast, that way,” Hammond said, “because of the wind shear. There is often bad wind shear on this peak, and … well, we’re safe.”

Running up to the helicopter, a man with a baseball cap and red hair threw open the door and greeted cheerfully, “Hi, I’m Ed Regis. Welcome to Isla Nublar, everybody. And watch your step, please.”

One by one everyone stepped out of the jet. Twilight and her friends were the last to step out, as they all followed behind Hammond, who led the way down the stairs leading to the helipad.

The three mares looked around. A narrow path wound down the hill. The air was chilly and damp. As they moved lower with the group, the mist around them thinned, and they could see the landscape better. Twilight saw down below the white roofs of large buildings, nestled among the planting. Twilight was surprised at how elaborate the construction was. They moved lower, out of the mist, and now she could see the full extent of the island, stretching away to the south. As Regis had said to her and the group, it was mostly covered in tropical forest.

Twilight started towards Grant. Stopping next to him.

“Wow, this island sure is beautiful,” Twilight murmured. She pointed her hoof at the trees at the far left side of the island. “Look at the trees, Grant. Do you see how much taller they—“

Twilight felt something grasping her head and slowly tilted back until she was looking upward. She blinked as her eyes landed at a curving stump to the south, rising above the palm trees. Twilight was bewildered by what she saw. She thought it was just a stump. A stump of sorts. Her eyes followed up said stump. It didn’t look natural. It wasn’t any sort of tree stump. It was too big, and too smooth, and… it was rising fifty feet into the air.

Twilight’s eyes grew large when they met the stump’s face. It was not a stump anymore. No… she was staring into the eyes of an enormous creature. And it wasn’t just any creature: it was a dinosaur.

“My God,” Ellie said softly. Everyone stared at the animal above the trees. “My God.”

Both Fluttershy and Applejack were silent.

Fluttershy’s first thought was that the dinosaur was beautiful. With it being so huge, it would easily take her breath away if she weren’t already in shock. Fluttershy threw her hooves over mouth. Rising above the foliage, a second head rose above, and then a third, and a fourth.

“Oh my goodness,” Fluttershy said breathlessly, staring at the long-necked animals, their bulbous eyes staring right back at her. Her heart skipped a beat. The fourth animal made a low trumpeting sound, and the others joined in as one to answer its call. Said trumpeting reminded her of an elephant but much more powerful, louder, clearer.

This… this couldn’t be real. It couldn’t. This couldn't be happening. There was no way these things were real. But there they were! She had seen them only in their skeletal form, but not like this—not in the flesh—not in real life!

Applejack was speechless. Like her friends, she too was in awe at the gracefulness of these giants. Her hoof unconsciously reached for her Stetson, pulling it off from her head and holding it close to her chest. She didn’t dare look anywhere else except into those black eyes which were gazing upon her.

In spite of Fluttershy’s best efforts to hold back her feelings, the emotion that overcame her, overwhelmed her completely. Tears began running down her face.

Twilight stood there dumbfounded, unable to comprehend what she was seeing. She tried to speak, but nothing came out of her mouth. A part of her wanted to believe she was dreaming—that what she was seeing wasn’t real. But hearing the animal’s low trumpeting sound was enough to convince her otherwise.

Twilight was so shocked that she failed to hear Grant suddenly laughing.

“What is it?” Hammond said, worry laced in his tone. “Is something wrong?”

Grant just shook his head, and continued to laugh.

A fifth and a sixth neck crane up above the palm trees. The long-neck titans watched them arrive with a stupidly pleasant gaze.

“What are they?” Fluttershy finally managed to say, her hoof covering her mouth.

Grant stopped laughing and spoke.

“They are Apatosaurus,” Grant said in amazement, his eyes fixed on the dinosaurs. “North American herbivores, from the late Jurassic horizon.”

“I take it they’re not animatronic,” Malcolm said. “They’re very lifelike.”

“Yes, they certainly are,” Hammond said. “Well, they should be, shouldn’t they?”

From a distance, they heard the trumpeting sound again. First one animal made it, and then the others joined in.

“That’s their call,” Ed Regis said. “Welcoming us to the island.”

Grant stood and listened for a moment, entranced.

“You probably want to know what happens next,” Hammond was saying, continuing down the path. “We’ve scheduled a complete tour of the facilities for you, and a trip to see the dinosaurs in the park later this afternoon. I’ll be joining you for dinner, and will answer any remaining questions you may have then. Now, if you’ll go with Mr. Regis…”

Twilight’s eyes widened as she stared at the medium-size apatosaurus craning above the palms.

“Wow.” She breathed out, watching with delight as the herd of dinosaurs turned and walked into the depths of the jungle, disappearing behind a clump of trees.

She and her friends quickly followed behind the group who followed Ed Regis toward the nearest buildings. Over the path, Twilight saw a crude hand-painted sign with a speaker below it reading: “Welcome to Jurassic Park.”

Just as she read that, the speaker cracked, making her flinch.

“Welcome, to Jurassic Park!” The mechanical voice spoke up with a cheerful greeting, “A place where dinosaurs roam, and can be seen in any habitat at any time!”

They moved into a green tunnel of overarching palms leading toward the main visitor building. Twilight’s head turned from side to side, taking in the scenery. The extensive and elaborate planting everywhere really emphasized the feeling that she was entering a new world. A tropical prehistoric world, and leaving the modern one behind her.

“They look pretty good.” Ellie remarked, looking at Grant.

Grant shook his head. “It changes everything,” he said, grinning. “I still feel dizzy.”

“You don’t seem upset,” Malcolm said.

Grant shook his head. “It’s been discussed, in the field. Many people imagined it was coming. But not so soon.”

“Story of our species,” Malcolm said, laughing. “Everybody knows it’s coming, but not so soon.”

A small squeak of joy escaped from Twilight’s throat as she looked around at her friends. All three were smiling broadly at each other, still amazed at what they saw earlier.

“I can’t believe it,” Twilight said, shaking her head. “We saw a dinosaur—well, six of them actually, but a real dinosaur nonetheless!”

Applejack chuckled at Twilight’s statement. “Eeyup, we did. Ah almost can’t believe it myself. It’s a mighty shame Rainbow, Rarity, and Pinkie Pie couldn’t be here to see it.”

“Did you two see how those animals gracefully moved? It was so beautiful.” Fluttershy gushed.

Grant glanced at the mares and smiled, “Yes, it is quite fascinating.”

As the group walked down the path, they could no longer see the dinosaurs. But they could hear them, trumpeting softly in the distance.

“My only question is, where’d they get the DNA?” Grant asked with a puzzled expression.

Ellie placed her hands on her hips. Tilting her head in thought. “You can’t reproduce a real dinosaur, because you can’t get real dinosaur DNA.”

“Unless there’s a way we haven’t thought of.” Grant pondered aloud.

“Like what?” Ellie wondered.

“I don’t know.” Grant replied.

They came to the swimming pool beyond the fence, which spilled over into a series of waterfalls and smaller rocky pools. The area was planted with huge ferns.

“Isn’t this extraordinary?” Ed Regis commented to everyone. “Especially on a misty day, these plants really contribute to the prehistoric atmosphere. These are authentic Jurassic ferns, of course.”

Fluttershy paused to look more closely at the ferns. “I’ve never seen a plant like that before,” she noted, staring at it in wonder.

“Neither have I,” Twilight said. “I wonder what kind of plant it is?”

“It’s an Serenna veriformans, a plant found abundantly in fossils more than two hundred million years old, now common only in the wetlands of Brazil and Colombia.” Ellie explained. She frowned as she stared at the plant.

But honestly, she thought, whoever had decided to place this particular fern at poolside obviously didn’t know that the spores of veriformans contained a deadly beta-carboline alkaloid. Even touching the attractive green fronds could make you sick, and if a child were to take a mouthful, he would almost certainly die—the toxin was fifty times more poisonous than oleander.

“If you look up ahead, you’ll see our Safari Lodge. That’s where you’ll all be staying here in Jurassic Park.” Ed Regis informed them.

Twilight saw a dramatic, low building, with a series of glass pyramids on the roof. They continued following Ed down the path.

Fear.

One of the things that everyone has in common is fear. Humanity has it. Everyone is afraid of some things. It’s a simple biological function that humans have. A natural instinctive reaction to certain stimuli which humanity’s ancestors had probably been exposed to for generations. Some might say, fear is an intrinsic part of human nature, one that mankind’s brains have developed from the moment they were conceived and the very first thing that they experienced upon seeing or experiencing their environment was the fear of being eaten by a monster and the terror that followed. It’s like a part of them that they have no control over.

Fear is ingrained into the human mind. And it’s hard to unlearn. The first instinctual reaction when one feels unsafe in a strange place is to run away as far as one can possibly go until they reach safety, until your heart stops beating with a rapid pace, until their lungs start working properly again so they can breathe once more. They feel safe only when they can retreat back to where they came from, to home. Home is where the sun rises every morning, where the birds chirped and the butterflies flew. But the world doesn’t just exist in one’s head anymore. In the real world, humans can encounter dangers outside those barriers of home and safety.

There are a set of triggers that could trigger one’s primal instincts. Fear of being attacked by an aggressive tiger, fear of thunderstorms, fear of snakes, fear of falling, fear of heights, fears of getting lost in the forest, fears of dying, even fears of being eaten alive.

These are the things Andre Weller feared most in his life. But today, a new fear was beginning to grow within him. It wasn’t the fact that he saw those living, breathing dinosaurs for the first time—those herbivores. No, they were not his biggest problem, but something much bigger than them would soon be. He learned this when a terrible realization dawned on him earlier on during the day.

If there are herbivores here… so are carnivores…

Chapter 8: Extraction

After Twilight Sparkle and her friends had checked into their respective rooms, they convened with the others in the visitor building. The building was a two-story structure, entirely made of glass, with exposed black anodized girders and supports. Being a man of technology, Grant found the building to be determinedly high-tech. Upon entering they were greeted by a small auditorium, which was dominated by a robot Tyrannosaurus rex. Poised menacingly by the entrance to an exhibit area labeled, ‘WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH.’ Further on, they discovered other displays, such as ‘WHAT IS A DINOSAUR?’ And ‘THE MESOZOIC WORLD.’ However, the exhibits were not yet completed, and there were wires and cables scattered all over the floor. Gennaro, being climbed up on the stage and addressed Grant, Ellie, Malcolm, and the three mares. His voice echoing slightly in the room.

“We’re about to tour the facilities,” Gennaro said. “I’m sure Mr. Hammond and his staff will show everything in the best light. Before we go, I wanted to review why we are here, and what I need to decide before we leave. Basically, as you all realize by now, this is an island in which genetically engineered dinosaurs have been allowed to move in a natural park-like setting, forming a tourist attraction. The attraction isn’t open to tourists yet, but it will be in a year. Now, my question for you is a simple one. Is this island safe? Is it safe for visitors, and is it safely containing the dinosaurs?”

Gennaro turned down the room lights.

“There are two pieces of evidence which we have to deal with. First of all, there is Dr. Grant’s identification of a previously unknown dinosaur on the Costa Rican mainland. This dinosaur is known only from a partial fragment,” Gennaro explained. “It was found in July of this year, after it supposedly bit an American girl on a beach. Dr. Grant can tell you more later. I’ve asked for the original fragment, which is in a lab in New York, to be flown here so that we can inspect it directly. Meanwhile, there is a second piece of evidence.”

“Costa Rica has an excellent medical service, and it tracks all kinds of data. Beginning in March, there were reports of lizards biting infants in their cribs—and also, I might add, biting old people who were sleeping soundly. These lizard bites were sporadically reported in coastal villages from Ismaloya to Puntarenas. After March, lizard bites were no longer reported. However, I have this graph from the Public Health Service in San José of infant mortality in the towns of the west coast earlier this year.”

A large wide screen monitor came to life. Revealing a chart of numbers.

“I direct your attention to two features of this graph,” Gennaro continued. “First, infant mortality is low in the months of January and February, then spikes in March, then it’s low again in April. But from May onward, it is high, right through July, the month the American girl was bitten. The Public Health Service feels that something is now affecting infant mortality, and it is not being reported by the workers in the coastal villages. The second feature is the puzzling biweekly spiking, which seems to suggest some kind of alternating phenomenon is at work.”

The lights came back on.

“All right,” Gennaro said. “That’s the evidence I want explained. Now, are there any—”

“We can save ourselves a great deal of trouble,” Malcolm said. “I’ll explain it for you now.”

“You will?” Gennaro asked, arching a brow at him.

“Yes,” Malcolm said. “First of all, animals have very likely gotten off the island.”

“Oh balls,” Hammond growled, from the back.

“And second, the graph from the Public Health Service is almost certainly unrelated to any animals that have escaped.”

Grant’s brow rose at Malcolm. “How do you know that?”

“You’ll notice that the graph alternates between high and low spikes,” Malcolm said. “That is characteristic of many complex systems. For example, water dripping from a tap. If you turn on the faucet just a little, you’ll get a constant drip, drip, drip. But if you open it a little more, so that there’s a bit of turbulence in the flow, then you’ll get alternating large and small drops. Drip drip … Drip drip … Like that. You can try it yourself. Turbulence produces alternation—it’s a signature. And you will get an alternating graph like this for the spread of any new illness in a community.”

“But why do you say it isn’t caused by escaped dinosaurs?” Twilight asked, looking at Malcolm curiously.

“Because it is a nonlinear signature,” Malcolm said. “You’d need hundreds of escaped dinosaurs to cause it. And I don’t think hundreds of dinosaurs have escaped. So I conclude that some other phenomenon, such as a new variety of flu, is causing the fluctuations you see in the graph.”

Gennaro said, “But you think that dinosaurs have escaped?”

“Probably, yes.” Malcolm replied.

“Why?” Gennaro pressed.

“Because of what you are attempting here. Look, this island is an attempt to re-create a natural environment from the past. To make an isolated world where extinct creatures roam freely. Correct?”

“Yes.” Gennaro nodded.

Malcolm crossed his arms. “But from my point of view, such an undertaking is impossible. The mathematics are so self-evident that they don’t need to be calculated. It’s rather like my asking you whether, on a billion dollars in income, you had to pay tax. You wouldn’t need to pull out your calculator to check. You’d know tax was owed. And, similarly, I know overwhelmingly that one cannot successfully duplicate nature in this way, or hope to isolate it.”

“Why not? I mean, there are zoos?” Fluttershy spoke up, brushing her mane with her hooves.

“Zoos don’t re-create nature Fluttershy,” Malcolm said. “Let’s be clear. Zoos take the nature that already exists and modify it very slightly, to create holding pens for animals. Even those minimal modifications often fail. The animals escape with regularity. But a zoo is not a model for this park. This park is attempting something far more ambitious than that. Something much more akin to making a space station on earth.”

Gennaro shook his head. “I don’t understand.”

Applejack nodded in agreement. “Me neither. Ah’m just as confused as y’all, partner.”

“Well, it’s very simple. Except for the air, which flows freely, everything about this park is meant to be isolated. Nothing gets in, nothing out. The animals kept here are never to mix with the greater ecosystems of earth. They are never to escape.”

“And they never have,” Hammond snorted.

“Such isolation is impossible,” Malcolm said flatly. “It simply cannot be done.”

Hammond glared at Malcolm. “It can. It’s done all the time.”

“I beg your pardon,” Malcolm said. “But you don’t know what you are talking about.”

“You arrogant little snot,” Hammond said. He stood, and walked out of the room.

“Gentlemen, gentleman,” Gennaro said, gesturing his hands between the two men.

Fluttershy's countenance turned sour as she observed Hammond's departure from the room.

“He seems really angry.” Fluttershy remarked, casting a fleeting glance at Applejack. Applejack nodded in agreement.

“Eeyup. Ah’m ‘gettin the feeling that Hammond doesnt quite like Dr Malcolm,” Applejack stated, crossing her hooves. “Ah only hope he can keep his temper under control during our time here.”

“I’m sorry,” Malcolm said, “but the point remains. What we call ‘nature’ is in fact a complex system of far greater subtlety than we are willing to accept. We make a simplified image of nature and then we botch it up. I’m no environmentalist, but you have to understand what you don’t understand. How many times must the point be made? How many times must we see the evidence? We build the Aswan Dam and claim it is going to revitalize the country. Instead, it destroys the fertile Nile Delta, produces parasitic infestation, and wrecks the Egyptian economy. We build the—”

“Excuse me,” Gennaro interrupted Malcolm with a raise of his finger. “But I think I hear the helicopter. That’s probably the sample for Dr. Grant to look at.” He started out of the room. They all followed.

Twilight was diligently jotting down notes in her notepad, her pen moving swiftly across the paper after she recorded Dr. Malcolm's latest theories and mathematical equations. The subject matter was truly fascinating, and she couldn't wait to share her newfound knowledge with Princess Celestia.

Suddenly, a scream shattered the peaceful atmosphere. Twilight lifted her head and saw Gennaro frantically waving his arms and shouting over the deafening noise of the helicopter. The veins in his neck were visibly bulging, indicating his extreme distress.

“You did what? You invited who?!” Gennaro was livid.

“Take it easy,” Hammond said.

Gennaro screamed, “Are you out of your goddamned mind?”

“Now, look here,” Hammond said, drawing himself up. “I think we have to get something clear—”

“No,” Gennaro growled. “No, you get something clear. This is not a social outing. This is not a weekend excursion—”

“This is my island,” Hammond told him clearly, “and I can invite whomever I want.”

“This is a serious investigation of your island because your investors are concerned that it’s out of control. We think this is a very dangerous place, and—”

“You’re not going to shut me down, Donald—”

“I will if I have to—”

“This is a safe place,” Hammond said, “no matter what that damn mathematician is saying—”

“It’s not—”

“And I’ll demonstrate its safety—”

“And I want you to put them right back on that helicopter,” Gennaro demanded.

“Can’t,” Hammond said, pointing toward the clouds. “It’s already leaving.” And, indeed, the sound of the rotors was fading.

“God damn it,” Gennaro said under his breath, before glaring back at John. “Don’t you see you’re needlessly risking—”

“Ah ah.” Hammond cut off Gennaro with a raise of his finger. “Let’s continue this later. I don’t want to upset the children.”

Twilight pivoted and noticed two children descending the hillside, escorted by Ed Regis. The first was a bespectacled boy, appearing to be around eleven years old. The second was a girl, a few years younger, approximately seven or eight years old. Her blond hair was tucked under a Mets baseball cap, and she carried a baseball glove on her shoulder. The two youngsters gracefully made their way down the path from the helipad and halted at a distance from Gennaro and Hammond. It wasn’t long until said youngsters approached Twilight, with Ed Regis beside them.

“I’ll introduce you to everybody, and then we can take the tour.” Ed Regis said, standing before the group.

“I have to go,” Lex said softly,

“I’ll just introduce you first,” Ed Regis said.

Lex placed both hands below her waist. Shaking her head. “No, I have to go.”

Despite Lex's pleas, Ed Regis had already taken the initiative to introduce everyone. He began by introducing Hammond, who greeted both Tim and Lex with a warm embrace. Next, he introduced Gennaro, Grant, Elilie, and Malcolm, each of whom exchanged pleasantries with the group. Finally, he gestured towards Twilight and her companions, introducing them as well.

“And these three are Twilight Sparkle, Applejack, and Fluttershy.” Ed Regis finished, glancing at the trio. The kids turned their gaze toward the ponies with shocked eyes.

“No way…” Tim said breathlessly, shaking his head in disbelief.

The first to step up was the element of honesty herself.

“Well, howdy-doo, little ‘youngin, a pleasure makin' your acquaintance. Ah’m Applejack. We ponies back at home sure do like makin' new friends especially in Sweet Apple Acres!” Applejack stated proudly with a big grin on her face.

Tim glanced at the ground shyly before looking back at Applejack. He extended his hand out at Applejack.

“It, um…it’s an honor to meet you.” Tim greeted respectfully. Applejack couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s manners but shook his hand anyway.

“It’s mighty nice tah meet ya too, sugarcube.” Applejack returned with a smile.

Tim released his hand and glanced at Lex. He was about to tell her to say hello to the pony ambassadors, until he noticed Lex was staring wide eyed at Applejack.

Applejack quickly noticed Lex’s gaze and stared back with a warm smile. “Well howdy there, hun. What’s yur name?”

Lex remained quiet, as a sense of warmth enveloped her heart. The manner in which she gazed at her with those leaf green eyes, brimming with authentic sincerity, was akin to a beautiful symphony. It reminded her so much of her grandma. Her grandma, her green eyes.

“Lex?” Tim called.

Lex blinked and shifted her gaze towards her brother. “What?”

“Are you alright? You look like you’ve seen a ghost.” Tim inquired, his tone laced with concern.

“Of course I am,” Lex replied, crossing her arms with a huff.

Tim shook his head in response.

Lex beamed at Applejack. “I’m Lex. You three look really pretty by the way.”

Twilight's face lit up with a smile. “Aww, thank you.”

Applejack chuckled and rubbed the back of her neck with her hoof. "Well, shucks. That's mighty kind of ya to say, hun."

Even Fluttershy couldn't help but blush at the little girl's compliment. "Yes, that was sweet of you to say.”

Tim occupied himself by arranging the impressions of the slender gentleman in black attire, and happened to glance at Ellie's lower limbs. It was at that moment that he abruptly comprehended the identity of the bearded gentleman.

“Your mouth is open,” Lex pointed out.

“I know him.” Tim responded.

“Oh sure. You just met him.” Lex expressed.

“No,” Tim clarified. “I have his book.”

Grant looked at Tim curiously. “What book is that, Tim?”

“Lost World of the Dinosaurs,” Tim replied.

Lex snickered. “Daddy says Tim has dinosaurs on the brain,” she said.

“Dinosaurs on the brain?” Grant inquired. “Well, as a matter of fact, I have that same problem.”

“Dad says dinosaurs are really stupid,” Lex stated. “He says Tim should get out in the air and play more sports.”

Tim glanced to the ground; he felt embarrassed. “I thought you had to go,” he said.

“In a minute,” Lex said.

Tim turned to glare at his sister. “I thought you were in such a rush?”

“I’m the one who would know, don’t you think, Timothy?” She replied, placing her hands on her hips, mimicking her mother's most vexing posture.

“Tell you what,” Ed Regis said. “Why don’t we all just head on over to the visitor center, and we can begin our tour.” Everyone nodded and started walking.

After a few minutes of walking, Mr. Regis led the group up the black suspended staircase to the second floor of the building. Everyone followed him in an orderly fashion. They walked down the second-floor hallway, which was adorned with a glass wall that looked out onto a balcony with palm trees in the light mist. On the other wall, there were stenciled doors that resembled offices. Each sign that passed had the word "biohazard" printed on them, which was a clear indication of the nature of the work being done in the area.

Upon reaching their destination, Mr. Regis stopped in front of a door and smoothly slipped the card in the slot. The light blinked, and the door opened, revealing a small room bathed in green light. Inside, Twilight saw four technicians in lab coats who were peering into double-barreled stereo microscopes or looking at images on high-resolution video screens. The room was filled with yellow stones, which were meticulously arranged in glass shelves, cardboard boxes, and large pull-out trays. Each stone was tagged and numbered in black ink, indicating the level of precision and attention to detail that was required in this line of work.

“Boy howdy!” Applejack gawked.

It was then the group was approached by a man in a lab coat. Late twenties, Asian-American, wearing a white lab coat and working at a nearby table, making notes.

“Hey, Henry!” Ed Regis greeted.

“Oh, good day, Mr. Regis,” Dr. Henry Wu returned.

Ed Regis turned to face the group and gestured his hand towards the doctor.

“Everyone, this is Dr. Henry Wu,” Ed Regis introduced. “He’s our chief geneticist, and one of the most brilliant minds here at Jurassic Park! I’ll let him explain what we do here.”

Henry Wu smiled. “At least I’ll try,” he said. “Genetics is a bit complicated. But you’re probably wondering where our dinosaur DNA comes from.”

“It crossed my mind,” Grant said.

“As a matter of fact,” Wu added, “there are two possible sources. Using the Loy antibody extraction technique, we can sometimes get DNA directly from dinosaur bones.”

Twilight stepped to Grant’s side. She was amazed with the technology in the room. Her jaw hung slack as she stared at one technician peering into a double-barreled stereo microscope. Turning her gaze away she looked up at Dr. Wu. She smiled and took a step forward.

“It’s so great to meet some of the scientists behind the scenes!” Twilight conjured her notepad and pencil in her magic. “This is…THIS IS ALL AMAZING! I HAVE SO MANY QUESTIONS; I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO START!!!”

Wu couldn’t help but chuckle. “Well, I’ll try to answer as much as I can.”

“What kind of a yield?” Grant asked, getting back on topic.

“Well, most soluble protein is leached out during fossilization, but twenty percent of the proteins are still recoverable by grinding up the bones and using Loy’s procedure. Dr. Loy himself has used it to obtain proteins from extinct Australian marsupials, as well as blood cells from ancient human remains. His technique is so refined it can work with a mere fifty nanograms of material. That’s fifty-billionths of a gram.”

“And you’ve adapted his technique here?” Twilight asked.

“Only as a backup,” Wu said. “As you can imagine, a twenty percent yield is insufficient for our work. We need the entire dinosaur DNA strand in order to clone. And we get it here.” He held up one of the yellow stones. “From amber—the fossilized resin of prehistoric tree sap.”

Grant looked at Ellie, then at Twilight, then Malcolm.

“That’s really quite clever,” Malcolm said, nodding.

“I still don’t understand,” Grant admitted.

Twilight nodded in agreement. “Me neither.”

“Tree sap,” Wu explained, “often flows over insects and traps them. The insects are then perfectly preserved within the fossil. One finds all kinds of insects in amber—including biting insects that have sucked blood from larger animals.”

“Sucked the blood,” Grant repeated. His mouth fell open. “You mean sucked the blood of dinosaurs..?”

“Hopefully, yes.” Wu answered.

“And then the insects are preserved in amber.…” Grant shook his head. “l’ll be damned—that just might work.”

“I assure you, it does work,” Wu said. He moved to one of the microscopes, where a technician positioned a piece of amber containing a fly under the microscope. On the video monitor, they watched as he inserted a long needle through the amber, into the thorax of the prehistoric fly.

“If this insect has any foreign blood cells, we may be able to extract them, and obtain paleo-DNA, the DNA of an extinct creature. We won’t know for sure, of course, until we extract whatever is in there, replicate it, and test it. That is what we have been doing for five years now. It has been a long, slow process—but it has paid off,” Wu explained. “Actually, dinosaur DNA is somewhat easier to extract by this process than mammalian DNA. The reason is that mammalian red cells have no nuclei, and thus no DNA in their red cells. To clone a mammal, you must find a white cell, which is much rarer than red cells. But dinosaurs had nucleated red cells, as do modern birds. It is one of the many indications we have that dinosaurs aren’t really reptiles at all. They are big leathery birds.”

Dr. Grant maintained a skeptical expression while Dennis Nedry, the disheveled corpulent man, appeared entirely disinterested, as if he were already privy to the information. Nedry repeatedly glanced impatiently towards the adjacent room, while his partner, Andrei Weller, nudged him and gave him a stern look. Applejack observed this and raised an eyebrow at the pair. Meanwhile, Twilight diligently jotted down notes in her notepad.

“I see Mr. Nedry has spotted the next phase of our work,” Wu said. “How we identify the DNA we have extracted. For that, we use powerful computers.”

They proceeded through the sliding doors and entered a refrigerated chamber. A noticeable, resonant hum filled the air. Positioned at the center of the room were two cylindrical towers, each measuring six feet in height. Along the walls, one could observe rows of stainless-steel boxes, each standing at waist level.

“This is our high-tech laundromat,” Dr. Wu said. “The boxes along the walls are all Hamachi-Hood automated gene sequencers. They are being run, at very high speed, by the Cray XMP supercomputers, which are the towers in the center of the room. In essence, you are standing in the middle of an incredibly powerful genetics factory.”

There were multiple monitors, all operating at such a rapid pace that it was difficult to discern their contents. Wu proceeded to press a button, which resulted in the deceleration of a single image.

“Here you see the actual structure of a small fragment of dinosaur DNA,” Wu said. “Notice the sequence is made up of four basic compounds—adenine, thymine, guanine, and cytosine. This amount of DNA probably contains instructions to make a single protein—say, a hormone or an enzyme. The full DNA molecule contains three billion of these bases. If we looked at a screen like this once a second, for eight hours a day, it’d still take more than two years to look at the entire DNA strand. It’s that big.”

Wu illustrates his point by indicating the DNA sequence that contained an error, specifically located in line 1201. It is worth noting that a significant portion of the DNA that scientists extract is often fragmented or incomplete. Therefore, the initial step in the process involves repairing the DNA, which is accomplished by the computer. The computer will utilize restriction enzymes to cut the DNA, selecting a variety of enzymes that are best suited for the task at hand. The same section of DNA will be analyzed, with the restriction enzymes' points being identified. In line 1201, two enzymes will be utilized to cut on either side of the damaged point.

Normally scientists would rely on computers to determine the appropriate course of action. However, scientists also require knowledge of the specific base pairs necessary to rectify the injury. To accomplish this, scientists must align various cut fragments. Subsequently, they would locate a DNA fragment that overlaps the injury site, thereby revealing the missing information. Once identified, they would proceed with the necessary repairs. The dark bars represent restriction fragments, which are small sections of dinosaur DNA that have been broken down by enzymes and analyzed. The computer then recombines these fragments by searching for overlapping sections of code, much like assembling a puzzle. The computer is capable of performing this task with remarkable speed.

“And here is the revised DNA strand, repaired by the computer. The operation you’ve witnessed would have taken months in a conventional lab, but we can do it in seconds.”

“Then are you working with the entire DNA strand?” Grant asked.

“Oh no,” Wu said. “That’s impossible. We’ve come a long way from the sixties, when it took a whole laboratory four years to decode a screen like this. Now the computers can do it in a couple of hours. But, even so, the DNA molecule is too big. We look only at the sections of the strand that differ from animal to animal, or from contemporary DNA. Only a few percent of the nucleotides differ from one species to the next. That’s what we analyze, and it’s still a big job.”

“And once the computer has analyzed the DNA, how do you know what animal it encodes?” Twilight asked, pausing her pencil in the grasp of her magic.

“We have two procedures,” Wu said. “The first is phylogenetic mapping. DNA evolves over time, like everything else in an organism—hands or feet or any other physical attribute. So we can take an unknown piece of DNA and determine roughly, by computer, where it fits in the evolutionary sequence. It’s time-consuming, but it can be done.”

Twilight raised a brow at the doctor. “And the other way?”

Wu shrugged. “Just grow it and find out what it is,” he said. “That’s what we usually do. I’ll show you how that’s accomplished.”

They arrived at the adjacent door where Dr. Wu utilized his security card to unlock it. Upon entering the new room, Twilight observed yet another room where technicians were diligently working at microscopes. Towards the rear, there was a section that was entirely illuminated by blue ultraviolet light. Dr. Wu proceeded to explain that their DNA research necessitated the cessation of cellular mitosis at exact moments, and as a result, they stored some of the most potent toxins known to man.

“Helotoxins, colchicinoids, beta-alkaloids,” he said, pointing to a series of syringes set out under the UV light. “Kill any living animal within a second or two.”

Dr. Wu droned on about using unfertilized crocodile ova and replacing the DNA; and then Professor Grant asked some complicated questions. To one side of the room were big tanks marked Liquid N2. And there were big walk-in freezers with shelves of frozen embryos, each stored in a tiny silver-foil wrapper.

Lex appeared to be experiencing a sense of ennui, yet she would surreptitiously observe Applejack whenever she averted her gaze. Nedry was observed to be yawning, while Andrei was seen checking his timepiece. Tim emitted a sigh and shook his head, and even Dr. Sattler appeared to be losing interest. Fluttershy gazed around the laboratory in wonderment, while Applejack was attentively listening to the discourse between Dr. Wu and Grant as they strolled.

“It’s a little warm and damp in here,” Dr. Wu said. “We keep it at ninety-nine degrees Fahrenheit and a relative humidity of one hundred percent. We also run a higher O2 concentration. It’s up to thirty-three percent.”

“Jurassic atmosphere,” Grant said.

“Yes. At least we presume so. If any of you feel faint, just tell me.”

Dr. Wu inserted his security card into the slot, and the outer door hissed open. “Just a reminder: don’t touch anything in this room. Some of the eggs are permeable to skin oils. And watch your heads. The sensors are always moving.”

He opened the inner door to the nursery, and they went inside. Tim faced a vast open room, bathed in deep infrared light. The eggs lay on long tables, their pale outlines obscured by the hissing low mist that covered the tables. The eggs were all moving gently, rocking.

“Reptile eggs contain large amounts of yolk but no water at all. The embryos must extract water from the surrounding environment. Hence the mist.”

Dr. Wu explained that each table comprises 150 eggs, which represents a new batch of DNA extractions. The batches are identified by numbers at each table, namely STEG-458/2 or TRIC-390/4. The workers in the nursery, who are waist-deep in the mist, move from one egg to the next, plunging their hands into the mist, turning the eggs every hour, and checking the temperatures with thermal sensors. The room is monitored by overhead TV cameras and motion sensors. An overhead thermal sensor moves from one egg to the next, touching each with a flexible wand, beeping, then going on.

“In this hatchery, we have produced more than a dozen crops of extractions, giving us a total of two hundred thirty-eight live animals. Our survival rate is somewhere around point four percent, and we naturally want to improve that. But by computer analysis we’re working with something like five hundred variables: one hundred and twenty environmental, another two hundred intra-egg, and the rest from the genetic material itself. Our eggs are plastic. The embryos are mechanically inserted, and then hatched here.”

“And how long does it take to grow?” Twilight asked.

“Dinosaurs mature rapidly, attaining full size in two to four years. So we now have a number of adult specimens in the park.” Dr. Wu replied.

Twilight scribbled her notepad. “What do the numbers mean?”

“Those codes,” Wu said, “identify the various batch extractions of DNA. The first four letters identify the animals being grown. Over there, that TRIC means Triceratops. And the STEG means Stegosaurus, and so on.”

“And this table here?” Grant inquired.

“That’s a new batch of DNA,” Wu said. “We don’t know exactly what will grow out. The first time an extraction is done, we don’t know for sure what the animal is. You can see it’s marked ‘Presumed Coelu,’ so it is likely to be a coelurosaurs. A small herbivore, if I remember. It’s hard for me to keep track of the names. There are something like three hundred genera of dinosaurs known so far.”

“Three hundred and forty-seven,” Tim said.

Grant smiled, then turned back to Dr. Wu, “Is anything hatching now?”

“Actually, there is.”

Everyone turned to see a woman nurse looking at them over her shoulder. She gestured her hand for them to come over. “Well, come on. You don’t wanna miss this.”

Everyone started towards the incubator machine, where a robotic claw turned over the eggs underneath the heat and strong light source.

“It’s turning the eggs,” Ellie commented.

Fluttershy then came over at the mere sight, gasping with excitement.

“Oh, my goodness!” Fluttershy smiled. She soon noticed five of the eggs made strong movements - a robotic arm steadied the shells one by one. “Look! Look! They’re about to hatch!”

Both the scientists and Equestrians joined her, as did Henry Wu.

In due time, the egg in the middle commenced to fracture, while the robot claw maintained a secure grip. It is unmistakable: a juvenile dinosaur is on the verge of hatching.

“Come on, you can do it.” Fluttershy encouraged.

Soon, a bulging crack began to form as a little head became visible.

“Oh nelly!” Applejack stared.

“Oh my gosh!” Twilight gasped.

“Just a little further. You can do it,” Fluttershy added. “Just push your way out.”

As the little baby became visible, so did the strands of blood that were covering it.

“Oh, God,” Ellie remarked.

The nurse reached down and carefully broke away the egg fragments that covered its head, helping the baby dinosaur out of its shell. The little dinosaur cooed at the sight of the giant creatures staring down at it. It didn’t take long for the four other eggs to fracture and bulge.

“There you are,” the nurse smiled. “They imprint on the first creature they come in contact with. That helps them to trust Mr. Hammond. Mr. Hammond had been present for the birth of every animal on this island, after all. Which is a shame he isn’t present.”

“They’re so adorable,” Fluttershy cooed.

The five little dinosaurs settled their focus on the yellow Pegasus, cooing and clawing at the air in front of her. She moved her snout closer to them.

“Hello, little ones. My name’s Fluttershy.”

To Fluttershy’s surprise, and to the shock of everyone else present, even the scientist and nurse, the baby dinosaurs leaned down and purred. Softly nuzzling her soft fur.

“Alright ma’am, this is as close as I can take you.”

Bobbie Carter’s feet landed on the earth. She found herself standing at the edge of a precipice. She peered over the edge and the sight that greeted her was nothing short of breathtaking. The vast expanse of the ocean lay before her, its waves crashing against the rocks below, nearly sixty feet beneath her feet.

Bobbie looked up in time when the purple Pegasus stallion asked. “Are you sure you’re gonna be fine all by yourself?”

“Yes, I’m positive.” Bobbie assured him.

The purple Pegasus nodded. “Alright. Well… good luck.”

Bobbie watched as the purple Pegasus flapped his wings and ascended into the air. Said pegasus flew farther away until he became nothing more than a small shadow fragment. She turned around to face the dense foliage all around her; It was a struggle to get to this island without getting caught. But what did that matter, she was finally here.

Bobbie dimly hopes that she will find the answers here.

Author's Note

After days of editing, I have finally got this chapter out. Hope you all enjoyed said chapter, it’ll be a while until I can get the next one out. I’ll admit it is a bit of a challenge to balance out both the novel and the movie of Jurassic Park at the same time. But I do try my best to keep it in proper order, as well as staying faithful to the novel’s source. I haven’t finished the first novel of Jurassic Park (yet), but I plan to. The more I’ve read it though the more I realize how different it is from the movie, which isn’t a bad for me.

All the more reason why I bought the second book; one that I have plan to read next once I’m done with the first. I’ve also read both one and two of Primitive War (which I highly recommend to read), which helped me not only improve my writing but also gave me an idea on how scary I want this story to be. And, of course, gruesome too.

But what do you readers think? What do you think will happen? How will Bobbie react once she sees what’s inhabited on the island? Are the mare’s prepared for the horrors that will come soon? You let me know. See you in the next chapter! :raritywink:

Chapter 9: Hunted in the Jungle

Bobbie Carter entered through a single file. The dirt path was flanked by towering trees and dense foliage. The jungle was like a lost world, seemingly untouched by the hands of man. It was a different kind of world that disconnects one from the familiarities of civilization and transports them to a realm of raw, natural beauty. But it is also primordial and untamed. The trees towered a hundred feet high, their branches reaching towards the sky. The thick undergrowth created a wall of vegetation that swallowed the faint sunlight, casting a green hue over everything in its path. Despite the jungle’s beauty, it was also a place where man was weak and vulnerable.

Bobbie was truly astonished by the vast array of flora and fauna that the jungle had to offer. The untouched splendor of pure wilderness left her in awe, as she marveled at the intricate details of each plant and the unique characteristics of every bird that flew by. It was a truly remarkable experience that left a lasting impression on her.

She proceeded at a leisurely pace, her steps cautious as she felt the soft, decomposing forest floor sink beneath her sturdy boots. As she continued her journey, she eventually stumbled upon a stream with muddy banks. Gazing over the undergrowth, past the trees, she observed the mist lingering in the space beyond. The air was heavy with the scent of mold and mildew, as well as the decay of plants. As she traversed the forest, she was greeted by the familiar sounds of birds, frogs, and flies. However, she also detected some unfamiliar sounds that piqued her curiosity. There was a deep, trumpeting lying beneath all of the other chirps. It made Bobbie think of an elephant’s call.

For the past few minutes, Bobbie’s nerves had been gradually pulled taut like the strings of a wooden puppet. The young man’s last words and the discovery of the enigmatic attacker’s identity had formed a cyclical chant in her head.

The question of what attacked the young man filled Bobbie with a limitless potential of phobias. She found herself scanning the shadows for any signs of a phantom. A bengal tiger could have attacked the boy, but Bobbie didn’t believe a bengal tiger would be residing in an empty island like Isla Nublar. There wasn’t any animal on the island for a tiger to eat. So the question still chanted; did a dinosaur really mauled the young man?

Velociraptor.

Bobbie lowered her head and let out a sigh. The prospect of a living dinosaur filled her mind with skepticism. Prior to arriving at the island, she had been attempting to comprehend the notion that an ancient, extinct animal had attacked the young man. Bobbie is certain that there is no possibility of a dinosaur existing in modern times; if such creatures did exist, mankind would have already encountered them. Bobbie understands that there would have to be more than one species, but rather a multitude of them.

Bobbie glanced to the tree tops and saw a bird on an overhanging branch. Its small chirps echoed throughout the valley. The chirp was returned by a similar call. Bobbie didn’t pay them any mind so she continued forward. She occupied herself by retreating back to her thoughts.

Regardless of how frequently the term 'Velociraptor' reverberated in her mind like a supplication, she remained unconvinced. There must be a rational explanation for this. It is implausible that a dinosaur could have assaulted the young man. Although he was severely injured, as evidenced by the deep and uneven lacerations, it is absurd to suggest that a dinosaur was responsible for the attack. That is some stupid science fiction talk. Even her uncle, the most intelligent man she’s ever met, would find the idea that an extinct creature attacking a young man would be ridiculous.

Bobbie stopped in her tracks and shook her head. She was getting too distracted; she needed to focus on the important matter at hand. Instead of focusing on what’s true or false, she reminded herself why she came to this island. Bobbie didn’t know what was going on, but she didn’t like it. Not one bit, and if she wants answers she’ll have to find them herself.

Bobbie blinked, realizing that she had been so lost in thought that she had failed to notice the sudden shift in the atmosphere.

The jungle seemed relatively peaceful.

Bobbie’s heartbeat fluttered and a familiar rush of adrenaline coursed through her veins. Even the songs of the chirping birds and the buzzing of bugs had ceased. Just silence of the purest quality.

Bobbie arched up a brow at the atmosphere’s sudden shift. Why was it so quiet? She had never heard such silence; this was a first of being in a forest where it’s suddenly silent and she was already feeling uncomfortable.

Bobbie attentively listened to the wind as it whistled through the trees. The profound stillness of the forest gradually pervaded her mind, causing her to feel uneasy. She released a quivering breath and proceeded through the jungle. The abrupt and oppressive silence amplified the sound of her footsteps. Bobbie gazed up at the overhanging branches and noticed the absence of the chirping birds.

Never had she seen anything like this. It was as though the jungle was holding its breath. It made her palms wrapped around the straps of her backpack sweat. Bobbie felt her pulse pounding in her ears.

She swiftly traversed the stillness of the woodland, cautiously avoiding the coiling roots. Bobbie's heart pounded against her chest. Her pulse throbbed. She failed to comprehend the reason behind the forest's sudden silence, but it was petrifying, and she desired to distance herself from the stillness as soon as possible.

After a brief moment, she released her breath and decelerated her pace. Her boots made a heavy impact upon the ground, and she eventually came to a halt in close proximity to a tree. She leaned against the aforementioned tree and regulated her breathing, all while taking heed of the stillness. The sound of buzzing flies resonated within her ears, and her panting breaths gradually subsided.

As she regulated her breathing, she failed to perceive any motion within the thick underbrush. The gentle purring that accompanied the movement went unnoticed, as did the fleeting glimpse of a svelte figure brushing against the foliage, stealthily pursuing the woman.

Regrettably, she did not discern the presence of the creature that was in pursuit of her.

As her respiration decelerated, she consulted her timepiece. The hour was 1:34 PM. She lowered her hand to her pocket and retrieved her compass, observing that she was heading towards the north-east. After closing the compass with a click, she briefly glanced at its silver exterior and caressed her thumb over the name that was inscribed on its rear.

Harto Tanjung.

Bobbie’s close friend had always been level headed in the jungle. Tanjung was native to the continuous rainforest of Indonesia, so he was used to journeying through dense wilderness.

When Bobbie was a young girl, she was easily frightened by the wilderness. She would often have nightmares of being chased through the woods by black phantom monsters with red, burning eyes. From a young age, she learned that imminent danger could lurk in any shadow. Harto had taught Bobbie to always pay close attention to her surroundings. The silence of any species of animal was an indicator that a predator was near, she was told.

Bobbie slipped the compass back into her pocket. She looked around. Wind whistled through the trees. She once again gazed over the undergrowth, past the trees, and observed the mist lingering in the space beyond the forest. She placed her hands on her hips and shook her head.

Bobbie’s eyes narrowed; something isn’t right. The forest is way too quiet, which seemed rather peculiar. But it shouldn’t be, right? The only logical explanation for the jungle to be this silent is if…a predator…

A rumbling base broke the air. Bobbie’s eyes widened and her muscles tensed.

Something was behind her.

Bobbie was abruptly lifted off her feet and subsequently fell onto the ground, landing face-first. She emitted a loud scream as she was forcefully pulled through the undergrowth. Something had tightly grasped her ankle, as she could feel the sensation of teeth piercing through the canvas of her boot.

Bobbie vociferated and thrashed about aimlessly. The stalks and stems of the undergrowth whizzed past in a dark blur of green. She clutched at the earth and extracted handfuls of moist soil. Her assailant snorted and hissed. She sensed its deep growl reverberating through her bones. Bobbie cried out for assistance, but her heart sank when she recollected that she was unaccompanied, and no one would respond to her plea.

Bobbie flailed, twisted her torso, and rolled onto her back, briefly kicking her attacker in the face. At that moment, the world came to a standstill as she laid eyes on her assailant. Bobbie's eyes widened, and she felt as though her heart might cease beating at the sight before her.

The creature, which was the size of a wolf, was adorned with a thick layer of crimson iridescent feathers that covered its entire body except for the beginning of the neck, the ankle down, and its two clawed forearms. The feathers were similar to fur, except for the wings and the fan-shaped feathers near the tip of the tail, which were flight feathers. The scales on its face and limbs were of a dull gray hue. Its long snout filled with glistening fangs.

Its sickle-shaped claws flexed and dug into the earth as it proceeded to pull Bobbie deeper into the jungle. Bobbie couldn’t comprehend the animal she was witnessing, a type of dromaeosaur known as a deinonychus. This ancient small dromaeosaur lived in the early cretaceous period.

Bobbie retrieved her pepper spray from her side and proceeded to flex her pointer finger, spraying the deinonychus in the eyes. The animal let go of Bobbie's foot and emitted a shrill shriek that pierced through the air. The intensity of the animal's scream was so overwhelming that it had a physical impact on her. Bobbie promptly stood up and limped away from the whimpering animal. Her limp gradually transformed into a gallop, which eventually led to her sprinting through the forest.

Bobbie cast a quick glance behind her and observed the deinonychus snarling and shaking its head in irritation, while attempting to alleviate the stinging sensation with its forearms. Tears were streaming down its sockets.

Bobbie’s pupils shrunken, her lips trembling; this can’t be real. She has to be dreaming. That animal can’t be real, and its eyes couldn’t be staring deep into her soul!

Bobbie proceeded forward, navigating through the forest by weaving around tree trunks and jumping over logs and rocks. Suddenly, a piercing shriek disrupted the tranquility of the surroundings. She turned around and suppressed a scream as another deinonychus descended from a tree beside her. The creature's jaws and forearms were spread wide, and its teeth glistened in the sunlight. Bobbie narrowly avoided the deinonychus as it landed on the ground behind her. The wolf-sized dinosaur snapped its jaws, but unfortunately missed its prey's nape.

The deinonychus stood on its hind legs, extended its feathered arms, and let out a shriek that echoed through the valley. A similar scream was heard from across the clearing, followed by another from the tree tops. Bobbie's eyes widened, and her blood ran cold.

The deinonychus that attacked her… was not alone.

The deinonychus perched atop the trees leapt from one tree to another, carefully selecting the best angle for their movement. The others below were weaving around the tree trunks. Bobbie pumped her arms and kicked through the foliage, sprinting as fast as she could. The air was filled with screams and the sound of drumming footsteps.

Shreds of bark and foliage showered onto her, and Bobbie looked up. She saw seven deinonychus above, leaping from tree-trunk to tree-trunk with nimble grace. Bobbie panted and pumped her arms harder. A howl surged over Bobbie and a deinonychus sailed overhead.

The airborne deinonychus alighted several feet ahead and sprinted alongside its pack members. Bobbie perceived the conclusion of the forest a few meters beyond a cluster of trees. A folding gate of considerable size loomed ahead. Aforementioned gate folded halfway open to the side, allowing enough for a human to slip through. Bobbie felt a burst of hope; she was gonna make it.

The screams of the pursuing deinonychus echoed behind her. Bobbie glanced down and saw one deinonychus closing the distance with ease. The small carnivor was so close that Bobbie could feel its hot breath rushing over her right thigh. In a matter of steps, they would have her in their jaws.

Bobbie yelped and hastily leaped through the gate, her surroundings becoming a dizzying blur of green, brown, and yellow. Upon landing, she experienced a sharp pain in her back and let out a groan, before gradually lifting herself into a seated position. The gate, having been shut behind her, was suddenly jolted by a forceful impact, causing it to tremble.

Upon opening her eyes, she was met with a most alarming sight. From the other side of the gate, a pack of deinonychus were staring at her with a cold, unfeeling gaze. Their bird-like eyes seemed to penetrate deep into her soul, as if they could see right through her. One of the creatures let out a low hiss, sounding like a burst of steam, while the animal Bobbie had sprayed earlier growled menacingly. The alpha deinonychus pulled its snout back and disappeared beneath the foliage, sprinting away.

Bobbie quickly scrambled to her feet, wincing in pain, and watched as the rest of the pack followed the alpha into the jungle. The last deinonychus that had attacked Bobbie stopped mid-step and turned its calculating gaze towards her. Bobbie shifted uncomfortably as the creature continued to stare at her with its cold, unfeeling eyes.

The deinonychus turned to face her, spreading its feathered forearms wide, and let out a horrific shriek that sent shivers down her spine. Blood flecked from its howling maw, adding to the already terrifying scene. The creature closed its jaws shut and turned away into the foliage. As quickly as they had appeared, they all had vanished. The padding footsteps gave way to silence.

After a brief interval, the jungle rekindled its vitality. Bobbie attentively listened to the sounds of nocturnal creatures, the ones she was familiar with, and let out a sigh of relief. Her eyes were wide open, and her entire body was trembling. Although Bobbie had numerous inquiries, her survival was the only thing that mattered. Once she obtains the answers she seeks, she will contact her companions for a pickup and depart from this island immediately.

There was no way Bobbie would stay on the island; the world no longer made sense to her. The thought alone was inconceivable. Nevertheless, she is grateful to be alive.

“Well, well. Look what I found.”

Bobbie let out a sudden gasp and swiftly turned around. To her surprise, she was met with the sight of a striking young man. His skin was white. He possessed a well-defined square jaw and a pair of captivating chocolate-colored eyes. His attire was composed of a pair of sturdy work boots, dark chinos, and a sleek leather vest. His curly locks were a rich shade of rust-red, and his facial features were notably robust.

The man before Bobbie crossed his arms as he took a step forward, causing her to trace his muscular figure with her eyes. She couldn't help but notice that his black buttoned short sleeve shirt was slightly damp with sweat.

The young man caught Bobbie's gaze resting on his arms and looked down to where her eyes were fixed before returning his gaze to her. Bobbie, feeling slightly embarrassed, glanced away and blushed. The young man, however, maintained his composure and offered a polite smile.

The young man’s lips parted, as if to say something but quickly shut it upon hearing a burst of static. He blinked. He reached to his side, retrieving his walkie-talkie and bringing it up to his mouth.

“Hello? Yeah I’m here Robert, what is it? Where am I right now? Oh, I was just checking the fences; making sure things were in order.”

Bobbie watched the young man silently. She could barely hear the voice speaking over the line.

“But hey, you radioed me at the right time. We have a situation. Well, I was heading down the path towards the deinonychus pen until I heard someone screaming. No one got hurt, don't worry but I did find a trespasser. I don’t know, I'm just as confused, and the trespasser’s a woman.”

The young man glanced at Bobbie.

“A beautiful woman, I’ll admit. But that’s beside the point - what should I do with her? Alright, over and out.”

The young man placed his walkie-talkie back to his side. He turned away from Bobbie and stared down the dirt road.

“Alright, c’mon.” The young man raised his hand and gestured for Bobbie to follow him.

Bobbie narrowed her eyes at him. “To where?”

The young man sighed and glanced at Bobbie over his shoulder.

“Look, judging by the look on your face I know you might have a lot of questions. Unless I’m permitted to, I can’t answer any of them.” The young man said. “What I can tell you is how big of a trouble you’re in right now; you just trespassed on private property where things that happened here are kept in secret, and unfortunately you are in that circle of secrecy.”

“So what happens now then?” Bobbie asked.

The young man rubbed the back of his nape. “Well, the helicopter left about a minute ago, so sending you back to wherever you came from with some silence money is out of the window.”

“Silence money?” Bobbie repeated, suspicion laced in her tone. “What are you people building here?”

“Classified.” The young man replied flatly. “But I can tell you that those deinonychus that chased you, aren’t the only savages you should be worried about.” He gestured his hand for her to follow him. “Now c’mon. We’ll talk more once we reach our destination. I don’t wanna keep my boss waiting.”

The young man advanced ahead along the dusty path, while Bobbie followed behind him with some reluctance. She took a moment to glance at the forest beyond the fences on her left, observing the trees and their leaves rustling in the wind. Her blood ran cold as she heard a distant, echoing shriek reverberating through the valley. The shriek was answered by a similar call, and then another, until the valley seemed to be filled with the unyielding scream. Bobbie could not help but feel a sense of unease at the eerie sounds that surrounded her. It was unsettling.

The young man’s words repeated in her head.

But I can tell you that those deinonychus that chased you, aren’t the only savages you should be worried about.

Those words sent a chill down her spine; what could possibly be worse than the creatures that attacked her?

Chapter 10: Admits The Ferns

A sizable hourglass gracefully tips over, causing miniscule particles of sand to cascade downwards and settle at the base. The motion is unhurried yet unwavering, as the tiny grains are gently carried through the air in a flawless circular pattern. Celestia gracefully passes by the aforementioned glass before ascending the spiraling staircase, her steps purposeful and deliberate. She arrives at the balcony, which offers a commanding view of the majestic mountains' silhouettes.

The sun rests just at the base of the sky, bestowing a deep orange glow upon the land below it. Its rays extend outward, reaching the city beneath, illuminating the buildings and the individuals who inhabit them. The shadows cast by the colossal stone pillars stretch long across the roads and streets, creating a path between each edifice.

Ponies gracefully traverse their designated routes, their hooves resounding with a distinct click against the cobblestone road. A select few ponies carry baskets and buckets brimming with provisions as they traverse the town. The atmosphere is teeming with vitality and anticipation, as everypony embraces the day to its utmost potential. Truly, it is a spectacle of unparalleled magnificence.

Celestia observes this with keen interest, her lips curling upwards in a subtle expression of delight. The ambiance of this scene remains consistently animated and exuberant, regardless of the prevailing season. Undoubtedly, this will be a cherished memory. Celestia gazes intently at the sun, gradually descending just beyond the majestic peaks.

Celestia's horn emitted a radiant yellow glow, indicating the commencement of yet another night. She shut her eyes as the sun gracefully descended behind the majestic mountains, making way for the moon to cast its luminous glow upon the heavens. The celestial canopy above was adorned with stars. Resembling tiny fragments of glitter delicately scattered upon a tapestry, shimmering with unparalleled brilliance.

Tonight the stars seemed to radiate with an intensity never witnessed before. Celestia was captivated by the sheer beauty of the scene unfolding before her. It was almost inconceivable that she was bestowed with the privilege of beholding such magnificence each and every day.

Celestia cast her gaze downwards, reflecting upon the passing of five years since her faithful student, Twilight Sparkle, and her friends had departed from Equestria and embarked upon a journey to a parallel world, resembling their own. Since their departure, a profound silence has befallen Equestria.

During the time when Twilight was still present, Celestia had become accustomed to her student's weekly correspondence. Each missive that Celestia perused contained Twilight's diligent account of the lessons she had acquired through the magic of friendship. However, since Twilight's departure to the alternate realm, Celestia has not received a solitary letter from her diligent pupil for a span of five extensive years.

If Celestia were not so occupied with the duties of governance, attending to royals from foreign realms, and making visits to the esteemed White House to meet with the president, she would not object to the notion of paying a visit to her faithful student.

Celestia glanced up at the moon; she wondered what Twilight could be doing right now.

All present were astounded as they observed the five diminutive dinosaurs tenderly nuzzling against the velvety fur of Fluttershy. They emitted contented purrs as they engaged in this affectionate act. Fluttershy herself was utterly incredulous at the sight unfolding before her eyes.

“Oh my god…I don’t believe it,” breathed the nurse.

“Did… did I do something wrong?” Fluttershy asked meekly. “I’m sorry.”

The nurse shook her head. “No, no, you didn’t do anything wrong, Ms. It’s just that…”

“This has never happened before,” Dr. Wu spoke up.

“What do you mean?” Twilight asked.

“This is the first time a dinosaur has imprinted on someone else other than Mr. Hammond.”

“That’s our Fluttershy,” Applejack boasted.

“I… I didn’t mean to…,” Fluttershy shyly bowed.

The infant dinosaurs were able to perceive her discomfort and simultaneously began to wriggle and chirp, causing quite a commotion.

“Oh, shh, shh, it’s alright,” Fluttershy spoke quietly.

The nurse placed her hand on Fluttershy’s shoulder.

“How about we take these little guys to the next room? That way they can move freely.” The nurse said.

They all proceeded to accompany Dr. Wu and the nurse as they made their way towards the subsequent room. The room in question possessed a circular shape and was entirely adorned in a pristine white hue. Within its confines, several incubators akin to those commonly employed in hospital nurseries were present, albeit currently unoccupied. The floor of the room was strewn with an assortment of rags and toys. Positioned upon the floor, with her back facing them, was a youthful woman donning a white coat.

“What’ve you got here today, Kathy?” Dr. Wu asked.

“Not much,” she said. “Just a baby raptor.”

Dr. Wu smiled. “Let’s have a look.”

The woman got to her feet and stepped aside.

Nedry glanced at Andrei. “Looks like a lizard.”

Andrei remained quiet and stared at the little creature.

The creature resting upon the ground measured approximately eighteen inches in length, akin to that of a diminutive primate. Its hue was a shade of brown, adorned with faint stripes of black, reminiscent of the majestic tiger. Its countenance bore a resemblance to that of a reptile, with a lengthy snout and a head akin to that of a lizard. However, it defied convention by assuming an upright posture, supported by robust hind limbs, while maintaining equilibrium with the aid of a thick, straight tail. Its forelimbs, comparatively smaller in size, gracefully swayed in the atmosphere. With a slight tilt of its head, it cast a curious gaze upon the onlookers who stood above, their attention fixated upon its presence.

“My goodness,” Twilight said breathlessly.

A group of men dodged through the group, carrying the five dinosaurs in their arms. They slowly put the aforementioned dinosaurs on the floor. One by one they existed the room before giving their greetings to Dr. Wu.

Fluttershy glance up at Dr. Wu. “Um, is it okay?”

“Oh, yes, go ahead.” Dr. Wu said, nodding.

Fluttershy stepped into the room. Her presence gained the six little dinosaur’s attention. One of the little lizards tilted their head, and the animal next to the sixth cast a curious gaze at the yellow pegasus.

“Hello little ones.” Fluttershy greeted the six animals.

Grant’s eyes widened when a shocking realization dawned on him.

“Velociraptor,” Alan Grant said, in a low voice.

“Velociraptor mongoliensis,” Wu said, nodding. “A predator. The sixth raptor is only six weeks old.

“I just excavated a raptor,” Grant said, as he bent down for a closer look.

Immediately the fifth little raptor sprang up, leaping into Fluttershy’s hooves.

“Hey!” Tim was startled.

“They can jump,” Wu said. “The babies can jump. So can the adults, as a matter of fact.”

Fluttershy apprehended the velociraptor and cradled it in her hooves. The diminutive creature possessed a rather negligible weight, merely a pound or two. Its skin exuded warmth and was entirely devoid of moisture. The minuscule head hovered mere inches away from Fluttershy's countenance. Its dark, bead-like eyes fixated upon her with unwavering intensity. A petite forked tongue intermittently darted in and out. The other raptors circled around Fluttershy, chirping at her for attention.

“Will they hurt her?” Tim asked.

“No. They’re friendly.” Dr. Wu replied.

“Are y’all sure ‘bout that?” Asked Applejack, with a look of concern.

“Oh, quite sure,” assured Wu. “At least until they grow a little older. But, in any case, the babies don’t have any teeth, even egg teeth.”

“Egg teeth?” Nedry was bewildered.

“Most dinosaurs are born with egg teeth—little horns on the tip of the nose, like rhino horns, to help them break out of the eggs. But raptors aren’t. They poke a hole in the eggs with their pointed snouts, and then the nursery staff has to help them out.” Dr. Wu explained.

“You have to help them out,” Grant said, shaking his head. “What happens in the wild?”

“In the wild?” Dr. Wu shifted his gaze to Grant.

“When they breed in the wild,” Grant said. “When they make a nest.”

“Oh, they can’t do that,” Wu said. “None of our animals is capable of breeding. That’s why we have this nursery. It’s the only way to replace stock in Jurassic Park.”

“Why can’t the animals breed?” Twilight asked.

“Well, as you can imagine, it’s important that they not be able to breed,” Wu said. “And whenever we faced a critical matter such as this, we designed redundant systems. That is, we always arranged at least two control procedures. In this case, there are two independent reasons why the animals can’t breed. First of all, they’re sterile, because we irradiate them with X rays.”

“And the second reason?” Grant inquired.

“All the animals in Jurassic Park are female,” Wu replied, with a pleased smile.

Malcolm chimed in, “I should like some clarification about this. Because it seems to me that irradiation is fraught with uncertainty. The radiation dose may be wrong, or aimed at the wrong anatomical area of the animal—”

“All true,” Wu said, interjecting Malcolm. “But we’re quite confident we have destroyed gonadal tissue.”

“And as for them all being female,” Malcolm said, “is that checked? Does anyone go out and, ah, lift up the dinosaurs’ skirts to have a look? I mean, how does one determine the sex of a dinosaur, anyway?”

“Sex organs vary with the species. It’s easy to tell on some, subtle on others. But, to answer your question, the reason we know all the animals are female is that we literally make them that way: we control their chromosomes, and we control the intra-egg developmental environment. From a bioengineering standpoint, females are easier to breed. You probably know that all vertebrate embryos are inherently female. We all start life as females. It takes some kind of added effect—such as a hormone at the right moment during development—to transform the growing embryo into a male. But, left to its own devices, the embryo will naturally become female. So our animals are all female. We tend to refer to some of them as male—such as the Tyrannosaurus rex; we all call it a ‘him’—but in fact, they’re all female. And, believe me, they can’t breed.”

The little velociraptor sniffed at Fluttershy, and then rubbed her head against Fluttershy’s neck. Fluttershy giggled.

“They want you to feed them,” Wu said.

“What do they eat?” Fluttershy asked.

“Mice. But the sixth one has already eaten, so we won’t feed her again for a while.” Dr. Wu responded. “But since these little five have hatched, it won’t be an issue to feed them.”

“Already have that covered.” The nurse returned to the room carrying a bucket. Said bucket carried the contents of cold, dead mice. She gently dropped the bucket next to Fluttershy. “Here, feed ‘em with this.”

Fluttershy delicately sets the small velociraptor down. She discreetly glanced over the bucket and promptly withdrew her head. She covered her mouth with her hoof, thoroughly disgusted by the dreadful odor emanating from the deceased mice.

She grabbed the bucket with her hooves and turned it over. The contents spilled down on the floor, piling up into a small mountain. Fluttershy watched the creatures crouching in front of the dead mice pile and sniffed at it.

“Go on, it's good for you.” Fluttershy encouraged.

The velociraptor infant’s jaws spread wide, revealing serrated teeth. Its head shot forward and snatched the mice’s head in its jaws. The little animal shook it violently from side to side then lifted its head and swallowed it in one gulp. The four other infants emulated its actions, each ravishing their own share of dead mice.

Andrei turned his gaze at Ed Regis.

“How long do these animals live?” Andrei asked, looking at Ed Regis with curiosity.

“Well, some of them die within five minutes. We have lost several from postnatal stress syndrome, which we believe is adrenocortical mediated.” Ed Regis replied.

“These animals are also delicate in infancy; so I would highly advise everyone here, not to pick them up or move ‘em around.” The nurse added. “it is also important that the animals here should be treated in the most humane manner.” She shifted her gaze to Grant. “But promise you that you will have every opportunity to examine them later.”

Despite the nurse's promise, Grant found himself unable to resist the allure of the six diminutive dinosaurs. With utmost caution he approached the creatures, positioning himself in close proximity to Fluttershy. As he observed them intently, the smallest velociraptor situated nearest to Fluttershy, unexpectedly parted her jaws and emitted a hiss. Assuming a stance of profound and sudden fury.

“Fascinating,” breathed Grant.

“Can I stay and play with one of them?” Tim requested.

“Not right now,” Ed Regis declined, glancing at his watch. “It’s three o’clock, and it’s a good time for a tour of the park itself, so you can see all the dinosaurs in the habitats we have designed for them.”

The sixth velociraptor traversed the room, delicately seizing a cloth rag in its jaws. With dainty claws, the diminutive creature gently tugged at one end, as the other velociraptors gracefully ambulated throughout the room. The harmonious symphony of their melodious chirps and delightful squeals gracefully permeated the atmosphere.

The five velociraptor infants stopped and cocked their heads when they saw Fluttershy leaving the room. The five infants clumsily followed her. Fluttershy glanced over her shoulder and rolled her body around to face the little dinosaurs. The infants halted simultaneously as she did.

“Oh, no no, you have to stay here.” Fluttershy said, pointing her hoof at the floor.

The infants emitted mournful chirps, expressing their distress. The fifth infant took a step forward and gently pressed its head against the softness of her fur. Following suit, the fourth infant imitated this affectionate gesture by rubbing its head against her right hoof. The third, second, and first infants stood beside her, emitting chirps directed at Fluttershy, as if beseeching her not to depart.

Fluttershy smiled warmly and slowly stroked their little snouts one by one. “Oh, don’t worry. I’ll be back. I promise.”

Fluttershy pulled away from the five velociraptor infants, trailing after the group that had already left the room. The infants watched the yellow pegasus with cocked and tilted heads as she exited the room. One of the creature’s chirped mournfully; they wished their mother didn’t have to leave.

Strolling back towards the control room, Twilight couldn't help but shoot a curious glance at Dr. Wu. "Dr. Wu, I’ve been thinking. Just how many different species have you managed to whip up?"

Dr. Wu scratched his head, looking a tad uncertain. "Well, I reckon the current count stands at fifteen. Fifteen unique species. Right, Ed?"

Ed Regis nodded. "Yes, it's fifteen."

Malcolm, with a hint of mock surprise, chimed in. “You don’t know for sure?”

Wu smiled. “I stopped counting,” he said, “after the first dozen. And you have to realize that sometimes we think we have an animal correctly made—from the standpoint of the DNA, which is our basic work—and the animal grows for six months and then something untoward happens. And we realize there is some error. A releaser gene isn’t operating. A hormone not being released. Or some other problem in the developmental sequence. So we have to go back to the drawing board with that animal, so to speak.” He smiled. “At one time, I thought I had more than twenty species. But now, only fifteen.”

“And is one of the fifteen species a—” Malcolm turned to Grant. “What was the name?”

“Procompsognathus,” Grant said.

“You have made some procompsognathuses, or whatever they’re called?” Malcolm asked.

“Oh yes,” Wu said immediately. “Compys are very distinctive animals. And, we made an unusually large number of them.”

“Why is that?” Applejack asked.

“Well, we want Jurassic Park to be as real an environment as possible—as authentic as possible—and the procompsognathids are actual scavengers from the Jurassic period. Rather like jackals. So we wanted to have the compys around to clean up.” Dr. Wu replied.

“You mean to dispose of carcasses?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, if there were any. But with only two hundred and thirty-odd animals in our total population, we don’t have many carcasses,” Wu explained. “That wasn’t the primary objective. Actually, we wanted the compys for another kind of waste management entirely.”

“Which was?” Malcolm probed further.

“Well,” Wu began, “we have some very big herbivores on this island. We have specifically tried not to breed the biggest sauropods, but even so, we’ve got several animals in excess of thirty tons walking around out there, and many others in the five- to ten-ton area. That gives us two problems. One is feeding them, and in fact we must import food to the island every two weeks. There is no way an island this small can support these animals for any time. But the other problem is waste. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen elephant droppings. But they are substantial. Each spoor is roughly the size of a soccer ball. Imagine the droppings of a brontosaur, ten times as large. Now imagine the droppings of a herd of such animals, as we keep here. And the largest animals do not digest their food terribly well, so that they excrete a great deal. And in the sixty million years since dinosaurs disappeared, apparently the bacteria that specialize in breaking down their feces disappeared, too. At least, the sauropod feces don’t decompose readily.”

“Hmm… I see.” Twilight’s horn lit up and grasped both her pen and notepad in the grasp of her magic. Diligently she jotted down notes in her notepad, her pen moving swiftly across the paper after she received new information from Dr. Wu.

“That’s a problem,” Malcolm said.

“I assure you it is,” said Dr. Wu, his smile wavered. “We had a hell of a time trying to solve it. You probably know that in Africa there is a specific insect, the dung beetle, which eats elephant feces. Many other large species have associated creatures that have evolved to eat their excrement. Well, it turns out that compys will eat the feces of large herbivores and redigest it. And the droppings of compys are readily broken down by contemporary bacteria. So, given enough compys, our problem was solved.”

Malcolm crossed his arms. “How many compys did you make?”

Dr. Wu sighed. “I’ve forgotten exactly, but I think the target population was fifty animals. And we attained that, or very nearly so. In three batches. We did a batch every six months until we had the number.”

“Fifty animals,” Malcolm pointed out, “is a lot to keep track of.”

“The control room is built to do exactly that. They’ll show you how it’s done.” Dr. Wu told him.

“I’m sure,” Malcolm said. “But if one of these compys were to escape from the island, to get away…”

“They can’t get away.”

“I know that, but just supposing one did…”

“You mean like the animal that was found on the beach?” Wu said, raising his eyebrows, “The one that bit the American girl?”

“Yes, for example.” Malcolm replied.

“I don’t know what the explanation for that animal is,” Wu said. “But I know it can’t possibly be one of ours, for two reasons. First, the control procedures: our animals are counted by computer every few minutes. If one were missing, we’d know at once.”

“And the second reason?” Malcolm probed with a brow raised.

“The mainland is more than a hundred miles away. It takes almost a day to get there by boat. And in the outside world our animals will die within twelve hours,” Wu said.

“How do you know?”

“Because I’ve made sure that’s precisely what will occur,” Wu said, his thin thread of patience finally cut. “Look, we’re not fools. We understand these are prehistoric animals. They are part of a vanished ecology—a complex web of life that became extinct millions of years ago. They might have no predators in the contemporary world, no checks on their growth. We don’t want them to survive in the wild. So I’ve made them lysine dependent. I inserted a gene that makes a single faulty enzyme in protein metabolism. As a result, the animals cannot manufacture the amino acid lysine. They must ingest it from the outside. Unless they get a rich dietary source of exogenous lysine—supplied by us, in tablet form—they’ll go into a coma within twelve hours and expire. These animals are genetically engineered to be unable to survive in the real world. They can only live here in Jurassic Park. They are not free at all. They are essentially our prisoners.”

“Prisoners..?” Fluttershy repeated in a whisper, pain laced in her tone. Twilight and Applejack notice Fluttershy’s saddening expression. The duo exchange knowing glances.

“Here’s the control room,” Ed Regis said. “Now that you know how the animals are made, you’ll want to see the control room for the park itself, before we go out on the—”

He stopped. Through the thick glass window, the room was dark. The monitors were off, except for three that displayed spinning numbers and the image of a large boat.

“What’s going on?” Ed Regis said. “Oh hell, they’re docking.”

“Docking?” Twilight repeated.

Ed Regis shifted his gaze at Twilight. “Every two weeks, the supply boat comes in from the mainland. One of the things this island doesn’t have is a good harbor, or even a good dock. It’s a little hairy to get the ship in, when the seas are rough. Could be a few minutes.” He tapped on the window, but the men inside paid no attention. “I guess we have to wait, then.”

Ellie turned to Dr. Wu. “You mentioned before that sometimes you make an animal and it seems to be fine but, as it grows, it shows itself to be flawed.…”

“Yes,” Wu responded. “I don’t think there’s any way around that. We can duplicate the DNA, but there is a lot of timing in development, and we don’t know if everything is working unless we actually see an animal develop correctly.”

Grant chimed, “How do you know if it’s developing correctly? No one has ever seen these animals before.”

Wu smiled. “I have often thought about that. I suppose it is a bit of a paradox. Eventually, I hope, paleontologists such as yourself will compare our animals with the fossil record to verify the developmental sequence.”

“But the animal we just saw, the velociraptor—you said it was a mongoliensis?” Twilight inquired.

“From the location of the amber,” Wu replied. “It is from China.”

“Interesting,” said Grant. “I was just digging up an infant antirrhopus. Are there any full-grown raptors here?”

“Yes,” Ed Regis said without hesitation. “Eight adult females. The females are the real hunters. They’re pack hunters, you know.”

“Will we see them on the tour?” Twilight asked.

“No,” Wu replied, looking suddenly uncomfortable. There was an awkward pause. Wu looked at Regis.

“Not for a while,” Regis added cheerfully. “The velociraptors haven’t been integrated into the park setting just yet. We keep them in a holding pen.”

“Can I see them there?” Grant requested.

“Why, yes, of course. In fact, while we’re waiting.” He glanced at his watch. “You might want to go around and have a look at them.”

“Of course. We’ll go right away,” said Twilight.

“I certainly would,” said Grant.

“Absolutely,” added Ellie.

“I want to go, too,” Tim eagerly stated.

"Well, as long as this 'holdin pen is keepin' them dinosaurs from runnin' wild, ah reckon ah don't mind catchin' a glimpse of 'em," Applejack quipped.

Fluttershy remained silent, as her enthusiasm for observing the velociraptors did not match that of the others. If anything she was tempted to stay behind and wait for the other’s return.

“Just go around the back of this building, past the support facility, and you’ll see the pen. But don’t get too close to the fence.” Ed glanced down at Lex at his side. “Do you want to go, too?”

“No,” Lex said. She looked appraisingly at Regis. “You want to play a little pickle? Throw a few?”

“Well, sure,” Ed Regis said. “Why don’t you and I go downstairs and we’ll do that, while we wait for the control room to open up?”

Ed Regis walked beside Lex toward their destination. Lex looked over her shoulder, and watched Applejack veering far from her sight as she followed the group. Lex frowned and stretched a hand towards her.

“…Applejack?”

Ed Regis didn’t notice Lex’s peculiar attachment to the earth pony.

Twilight and her companions strolled alongside the three knowledgeable individuals and the child, proceeding down the dusty pathway. The path was bordered by grass that reached up to their knees, while majestic banana trees and fig trees adorned both sides of the valley.

“What do you know about Velociraptor?” Grant asked Tim, deciding to start a conversation with the boy.

“It’s a small carnivore that hunted in packs, like Deinonychus,” Tim replied.

“That’s right,” Grant said, “although Deinonychus is now considered one of the velociraptors.”

Twilight chimed. “And the evidence for pack hunting is all circumstantial; It derives in part from the appearance of the animals, which are quick and strong, but small for dinosaurs—just a hundred and fifty to three hundred pounds each. Scientists assume they hunted in groups if they were to bring down larger prey. And there are some fossil finds in which a single large prey animal is associated with several raptor skeletons, suggesting they hunted in packs. And, of course, raptors were large-brained, more intelligent than most dinosaurs.”

“Precisely, Twilight,” Grant acknowledged.

“How intelligent is that?” Malcolm asked.

“Depends on who you talk to,” Grant said. “Just as paleontologists have come around to the idea that dinosaurs were probably warm-blooded, a lot of us are starting to think some of them might have been quite intelligent, too. But nobody knows for sure.”

They departed from the visitor area and shortly thereafter the resonant hum of generators reached their ears, accompanied by a subtle scent of gasoline. As they proceeded, they encountered a cluster of palm trees and beheld a substantial, modest concrete structure with a steel roof. The source of the noise appeared to emanate from this edifice.

“It must be a generator,” Ellie said.

“It’s big,” Grant said, peering inside.

“They can’t need all this just for a resort,” Malcolm said. “They’re generating enough power here for a small city.”

“Maybe for the computers?” Grant guessed.

Malcolm shrugged his shoulders. “Maybe.”

“Aren’t there any workers here?” Fluttershy asked as she looked around, trying to spot any ingen worker nearby.

“Ah’m pretty sure they’re somewhere around here, Fluttershy.” Applejack said, looking around herself before trailing after the group.

Twilight and Grant discerned the sound of bleating and proceeded northward for a short distance. They arrived at an enclosure housing a multitude of goats. Upon a swift calculation, Twilight approximated the number of goats to be around fifty or sixty.

“Boy howdy! That’s a lot of goats.” Applejack gawked.

“What are they for?” Ellie asked.

“Beats me.” Grant shrugged his shoulders.

“Probably feed ’em to the dinosaurs,” Malcolm said.

The group advanced forward, traversing a dirt pathway that meandered through a thick bamboo grove. Upon reaching the opposite end, they encountered a double-layered chain-link fence, towering at a height of twelve feet, adorned with spirals of barbed wire at its summit. An audible electric hum resonated along the outer perimeter of the fence.

Beyond the confines of the fences Twilight's gaze fell upon dense clusters of sizable ferns, reaching a height of five feet. Accompanying this visual spectacle, she discerned a snorting sound, reminiscent of a gentle snuffling. Subsequently the sound of footsteps, accompanied by a distinct crunching, grew increasingly nearer.

There was a long silence.

“I don’t see anything,” whispered Tim.

Grant raised a finger over his lips. “Shhh.”

Twilight patiently awaited, as several seconds gracefully elapsed. Flies hummed softly in the surrounding atmosphere, yet her vision remained devoid of any discernible presence.

Fluttershy gestured with her trembling hoof, indicating a particular direction. Twilight shifted her gaze towards the area that Fluttershy had indicated. Her eyes widened as she immediately froze in place.

A pair of large, dark eyes stared at her coldly from within the ferns. The creature remained motionless, partially concealed by the foliage. Its head measuring two feet in length, featured a pointed snout and a long row of teeth that extended back to the auditory meatus, which served as an ear. The creature's head reminded Twilight of the lizards she had seen at Fluttershy's Cottage. Not once did the creature blink or move.

The skin of the creature possessed a leathery texture, reminiscent of pebbles, and bore a coloration that closely resembled that of the six infants: a rich brown hue adorned with faint dark markings, akin to the majestic stripes of a tiger.

As Twilight observed, a solitary forelimb extended with utmost deliberation to separate the ferns adjacent to the creature's countenance. She discerned that the limb possessed considerable muscularity. The hand boasted three dexterous fingers, each terminating in gracefully curved talons. With utmost gentility and gradualness, the hand proceeded to displace the ferns.

The foliage exploded from both left and right sides. Charging raptors swiftly traversed ten yards to the fence, displaying astonishing speed. In the dim light Twilight could vaguely discern the presence of robust bodies standing at six feet tall, accompanied by rigid, balancing tails, limbs adorned with curved claws, and open jaws revealing rows of serrated teeth.

As the creatures advanced, they emitted snarls, before propelling themselves into the air, raising their hind legs adorned with formidable dagger-like claws. Subsequently, they forcefully collided with the fence before them, resulting in the emission of twin bursts of scorching sparks.

The velociraptors descended to the ground, emitting a hissing sound. The entire group proceeded forward, captivated by the sight. It was at that moment that the third creature launched an assault, leaping up to strike the fence at chest height. Tim and Fluttershy let out screams of terror as sparks erupted in their vicinity. The creature emitted a snarl, a low reptilian hiss, before retreating into the midst of the ferns. And just like that, they vanished, leaving behind a faint scent of decay and lingering acrid smoke.

“Oh nelly.” Breathed Applejack.

“Holy shit,” said Tim breathlessly.

“Bad language, bad language.” Fluttershy covered her ears with her hooves.

“Oh, um, sorry. Force of habit.” Tim said, rubbing the back of his nape.

“It was so fast,” Ellie added.

“Pack hunters,” Grant said, shaking his head. “Pack hunters for whom ambush is an instinct … Fascinating.”

“I wouldn’t call them tremendously intelligent,” Malcolm commented.

A black man in overalls came running up to them. “Are you all right?”

“We’re okay,” Grant said.

“The alarms were set off.” The man looked at the fence, dented and charred. “They attacked you?”

“Three of them did, yes.” Twilight replied.

The black man nodded. “They do that all the time. Hit the fence, take a shock. They never seem to mind.”

“Not too smart, are they?” Malcolm chuckled.

The black man paused. He squinted at Malcolm in the afternoon light. “Be glad for that fence, señor,” he said, and turned away.

The group began to walk back.

“They are remarkably fast.” Malcolm commented.

“Yes,” Grant acknowledged. “Much faster than any living reptile. A bull alligator can move quickly, but only over a short distance—five or six feet. Big lizards like the five-foot Komodo dragons of Indonesia have been clocked at thirty miles an hour, fast enough to run down a man. And they kill men all the time. But I’d guess the animal behind the fence was more than twice that fast.”

Twilight jotted down her notepad while walking beside Grant. “From beginning to end, the entire attack could not have taken more than six seconds. The speed was astonishing—the animals were so fast, I had hardly seen them move.”

“Cheetah speed,” Malcolm said. “Sixty, seventy miles an hour.”

“Exactly.” Grant nodded.

“But they seemed to dart forward,” Malcolm said. “Rather like birds.”

“Yes.” Grant replied.

“So these velociraptors look like reptiles, with the skin and general appearance of reptiles, but they move like birds, with the speed and predatory intelligence of birds. Is that about it?” Malcolm asked.

“Yes,” Grant said. “I’d say they display a mixture of traits.”

“Does that surprise you?” Malcolm probed.

“Not really,” Grant said. “It’s actually rather close to what paleontologists believed a long time ago.”

“Actually, what I was driving at was this: Is it a persuasive animal to you? Is it in fact a dinosaur?” Malcolm pondered, looking at Grant curiously.

“I’d say so, yes.” Grant replied.

“And the coordinated attack behavior …” Malcolm probed further.

“Well, it’s to be expected,” Grant quipped. “According to the fossil record, packs of velociraptors were capable of bringing down animals that weighed a thousand pounds, like Tenontosaurus, which could run as fast as a horse. Coordination would be required.”

Twilight glanced up at Grant. “The way they came together in perfect coordination. How do they do that without language?”

“Oh, language isn’t necessary for coordinated hunting Twilight,” Ellie explained. “Chimpanzees do it all the time. A group of chimps will stalk a monkey and kill it; all communication is by eyes.”

“And were the dinosaurs in fact attacking us?” Malcolm asked.

“Yes.” Grant answered.

“They would kill us and eat us if they could?” Malcolm probed.

Grant nodded. “I think so.”

Applejack raised a brow at the mathematician expert. “Somethin ‘on your mind, Doc?”

“The reason I ask,” Malcolm began, “is that I’m told large predators such as lions and tigers are not born man-eaters. Isn’t that true? These animals must learn somewhere along the way that human beings are easy to kill; only afterward do they become man-killers.”

“Yes, I believe that’s true,” Grant said.

“Well, these dinosaurs must be even more reluctant than lions and tigers. After all, they come from a time before human beings—or even large mammals—existed at all. God knows what they think when they see us.” Malcolm quipped.

“Wait, Dr. Malcolm. What are you trying to say?” Twilight questioned, glancing up at him.

Malcolm glanced over his shoulder and stared at the fence from afar. “I’m saying: have they learned, somewhere along the line, that humans are easy to kill?”

The group fell silent as they walked. Malcolm smirked as he turned his gaze to both Grant and Twilight.

“In any case,” Malcolm concluded, “I’m gonna be extremely interested to see the control room now.”

Fluttershy cast a fleeting glance over her shoulder. Her eyes widening as they fixated upon the towering ferns situated just beyond the confines of the fence. Alas, the elusive creatures eluded both her sight and hearing, yet an unwavering intuition assured her of their presence. Concealed amidst the verdant foliage, the predators silently observed her, their cold watchful gaze palpable to her very core.

Fluttershy faced forward and quickly trailed after the group to catch up. All the while hoping the animals weren’t still watching her.

Chapter 11: In Exchange

John Hammond and Dr. Wu was standing in the living room of Hammond's exquisite bungalow, nestled amidst palm trees in the northern region of the park. The living room exuded an airy and inviting ambiance, adorned with a collection of six video monitors that displayed the captivating presence of the park's magnificent creatures.

“Was there any problem with the group?” Hammond asked.

“No,” Henry Wu replied, “there was no problem at all.”

“They accepted your explanation?” Hammond probed.

“Why shouldn’t they?” Wu said. “It’s all quite straightforward, in the broad strokes. It’s only the details that get sticky. And I wanted to talk about the details with you today. You can think of it as a matter of aesthetics.”

John Hammond wrinkled his nose, as if he smelled something disagreeable. “Aesthetics?” he repeated.

“Of course, there are practical consequences as well,” Wu said. “I really think you should consider my recommendations for phase two. We should go to version 4.4.”

“You want to replace all the current stock of animals?” Hammond said.

“Yes, I do.”

“Why? What’s wrong with them?”

“Nothing,” Wu said, “except that they’re real dinosaurs.”

“That’s what I asked for, Henry,” Hammond said, smiling. “And that’s what you gave me.”

“I know,” said Wu. “But you see …” He paused. How could he explain this to Hammond? Hammond hardly ever visited the island. And it was a peculiar situation that Wu was trying to convey. “Right now, as we stand here, almost no one in the world has ever seen an actual dinosaur. Nobody knows what they’re really like.”

“Yes …”

“The dinosaurs we have now are real,” Wu said, pointing to the screens around the room, “but in certain ways they are unsatisfactory. Unconvincing. I could make them better.”

“Better in what way?”

“For one thing, they move too fast,” Henry Wu said. “People aren’t accustomed to seeing large animals that are so quick. I’m afraid visitors will think the dinosaurs look speeded up, like film running too fast.”

“But, Henry, these are real dinosaurs. You said so yourself.”

“I know,” said Wu. “But we could easily breed slower, more domesticated dinosaurs.”

“Domesticated dinosaurs?” Hammond snorted. “Nobody wants domesticated dinosaurs, Henry. They want the real thing.”

“But that’s my point,” Wu said. “I don’t think they do. They want to see their expectation, which is quite different.”

Hammond frowned.

“You said it yourself, John, this park is entertainment,” Wu said. “And entertainment has nothing to do with reality. Entertainment is antithetical to reality.”

Hammond sighed. “Now, Henry, are we going to have another one of those abstract discussions? You know I like to keep it simple. The dinosaurs we have now are real, and—”

“Well, not exactly,” Wu said. He paced the living room, pointed to the monitors. “I don’t think we should kid ourselves. We haven’t re-created the past here. The past is gone. It can never be re-created. What we’ve done is reconstruct the past—or at least a version of the past. And I’m saying we can make a better version.”

“Better than real?”

“Why not?” Wu said. “After all, these animals are already modified. We’ve inserted genes to make them patentable, and to make them lysine dependent. And we’ve done everything we can to promote growth, and accelerate development into adulthood.”

Hammond shrugged. “That was inevitable. We didn’t want to wait. We have investors to consider.”

“Of course. But I’m just saying, why stop there? Why not push ahead to make exactly the kind of dinosaur that we’d like to see? One that is more acceptable to visitors, and one that is easier for us to handle? A slower, more docile version for our park?”

Hammond frowned. “But then the dinosaurs wouldn’t be real.”

“But they’re not real now,” Wu said. “That’s what I’m trying to tell you. There isn’t any reality here.” He shrugged helplessly. He could see he wasn’t getting through. Hammond had never been interested in technical details, and the essence of the argument was technical. How could he explain to Hammond about the reality of DNA dropouts, the patches, the gaps in the sequence that Wu had been obliged to fill in, making the best guesses he could, but still, making guesses. The DNA of the dinosaurs was like old photographs that had been retouched, basically the same as the original but in some places repaired and clarified, and as a result—”

“Now, Henry,” Hammond said, putting his arm around Wu’s shoulder. “If you don’t mind my saying so, I think you’re getting cold feet. You’ve been working very hard for a long time, and you’ve done a hell of a job—a hell of a job—and it’s finally time to reveal to some people what you’ve done. It’s natural to be a little nervous. To have some doubts. But I am convinced, Henry, that the world will be entirely satisfied. Entirely satisfied.”

As he spoke, Hammond steered him toward the door.

“But, John,” Wu said. “Remember back in ’87, when we started to build the containment devices? We didn’t have any full-grown adults yet, so we had to predict what we’d need. We ordered big taser shockers, cars with cattle prods mounted on them, guns that blow out electric nets. All built specially to our specifications. We’ve got a whole array of devices now—and they’re all too slow. We’ve got to make some adjustments. You know that Muldoon wants military equipment: LAW missiles and laser-guided devices?”

“Let’s leave Muldoon out of this,” Hammond said. “I’m not worried. It’s just a zoo, Henry.”

The telephone emitted a ringing sound, prompting Hammond to proceed towards it in order to respond. Meanwhile, Wu endeavored to conceive an alternative approach to advocate his position. However, the undeniable reality was that, following an extensive period of five years, the construction of Jurassic Park was drawing to a close, and regrettably, John Hammond had ceased to lend an ear to his concerns.

There was a time when Hammond listened to Wu with great attentiveness, particularly when he had initially recruited him. This occurred during the days when Henry Wu, a twenty-eight-year-old graduate student pursuing his doctorate at Stanford in Norman Atherton's laboratory.

The untimely demise of Atherton had not only plunged the laboratory into mourning but also into a state of confusion. The fate of the funding and the doctoral programs remained uncertain, causing anxiety among the lab members who were concerned about the impact on their careers.

Two weeks following the funeral, John Hammond paid a visit to Wu. It was widely known within the lab that Atherton had some connection with Hammond, although the specifics were never quite clear. However, Hammond approached Wu with a straightforwardness that Wu would never forget.

In those days, Wu desperately wanted to make his mark. John Hammond had his full attention.

"And now it appeared that the entire world would indeed become aware," Wu pondered.

Following five years of exceptional dedication, they were merely a year away from unveiling the park to the general public. Admittedly, those years had not transpired precisely as Hammond had assured. Wu had received guidance from certain individuals, and on numerous occasions, he had faced formidable pressures.

Moreover, the nature of the work had shifted—it was no longer solely focused on reptilian cloning, once they comprehended the striking similarities between dinosaurs and birds. It had evolved into avian cloning, an entirely distinct endeavor. Considerably more challenging, one might say.

Over the past two years, Wu had primarily assumed an administrative role, overseeing teams of researchers and banks of computer-operated gene sequencers. Administration was not the type of work he found particularly enjoyable. It was not what he had initially anticipated.

Nonetheless, he had achieved success. He had accomplished what many doubted could be achieved, especially within such a brief period. Henry Wu believes that he should be granted certain rights and a voice in the decision-making process, given his expertise and the efforts he has put forth.

However, he has noticed a gradual decline in his influence as time goes on. The existence of the dinosaurs is an undeniable fact. The procedures for acquiring them have been refined to the point of becoming routine. The technologies involved have reached a state of maturity. Consequently, John Hammond no longer requires the assistance of Henry Wu.

“That should be fine,” Hammond said, speaking into the phone. He listened for a while, and smiled at Wu. “Fine. Yes. Fine. Oh, and do make sure to send the woman, the trespasser, right away. I’ll handle her.” He hung up. “Where were we, Henry?”

“We were talking about phase two,” Wu said.

“Oh yes. We’ve gone over some of this before, Henry—”

“I know, but you don’t realize—”

“Excuse me, Henry,” Hammond said, with an edge of impatience in his voice. “I do realize. And I must tell you frankly, Henry. I see no reason to improve upon reality. Every change we’ve made in the genome has been forced on us by law or necessity. We may make other changes in the future, to resist disease, or for other reasons. But I don’t think we should improve upon reality just because we think it’s better that way. We have real dinosaurs out there now. That’s what people want to see. And that’s what they should see. That’s our obligation, Henry. That’s honest, Henry.”

While smiling Hammond opened the door for Wu to leave. Wu sighed and exited the room, passing by a woman that entered with a young man trailing behind her. Hammond shut the door then turned his gaze towards her.

The person before Hammond was a fair skinned woman with brown colored eyes and a rather modest, buxom body. Her brunette hair falls to her shoulders. She wore a plain zipped green jacket, a white undershirt, long blue jeans, and black hiking boots, as well as a brown stetson hat.

Hammond turned his gaze to the young man. “Is this the one, George?”

“Yup,” the young man, named George Henson, replied. “This is her.”

Hammond shifted his gaze back to the woman. She stood with her arms crossed, eyes narrowed. Hammond deduced the obvious that she was angry.

Hammond cleared his throat. “Well, I humbly apologize for the deinonychus that must have given you quite a fright, ma’am.”

“Oh trust me, they gave me more than just a fright.” The woman pointed at her right boot. “One of those things bit me. I barely got out of there with my life.”

Hammond nodded. “And I’m terribly sorry you had to go through that.”

“Are you?” She was unconvinced.

“Yes. And to be fair ma’am, you were trespassing their territory and the deinonychus don’t take too kindly to any stranger that wanders their turf.” Hammond stated. “But let’s put that aside and get to the important matter at hand, shall we? And you can start by telling me who you are and where you came from?”

The woman downcast to the floor with a sigh before meeting Hammond’s gaze again.

“My name is Dr. Carter, I’m a physician from the emergency medicine department at Michael Reese in Chicago.” Carter introduced herself. “I work at a village of Bahía Anasco, on the west coast of Costa Rica as their only physician.”

“I see.” Hammond nodded. “Why did you come here?”

“Yesterday, one of your workers came to my clinic with an injured boy,” Carter recounted. “They told me that the young man was in a construction accident. But what didn’t add up was that the young man didn’t have any mechanical trauma. No soil contamination of the wounds, and no crush-injury component. Mechanical trauma of any sort—an auto injury, a factory accident—almost always had some component of crushing. Instead, his skin was shredded, ripped across his shoulder, and again across his thigh. I knew immediately he was mauled. Mauled by what? I didn’t know at the time. But before the kid died he muttered only one clue to his attacker: Raptor.”

Hammond and George exchange knowing glances before looking back at Carter as she prolonged.

“That word kept repeating in my head like a mantra, so I did some research. All I’ve found was the definition but after a while I’ve found the attacker’s full name. I didn’t know what was going on, but I didn’t like it. So I decided that if I wanted answers, I was gonna find it myself. And now that I’m here, I wanna know.” She took one step close to Hammond. “I wanna know what’s going on, what you people are building here, and how the hell there are dinosaurs on this god for-saken island?!”

Hammond nodded. “Alright.”

Hammond began to tell Carter all she needed to know. But not too much information to ensure not to spoil anything or to alarm her. After answering a few questions from Carter, the room was silent. Hammond broke the air by clearing his throat.

“Now, ma’am,” Hammond began. “I don’t take too kindly of anyone trespassing my property, especially my island. I’m already dealing with a certain acquaintance who’s judging whether or not my island is safe; I’ve got enough to deal with. If the helicopter was still here I would’ve sent you home. But that option is out of the window now.” He raised one finger. “However, I am willing to let your little trespassing slide under one condition.”

Carter raised a brow at the elderly man.

“And that is?” Carter inquired.

“Despite what you’ve gone through, I can tell by the look in your eyes that you wanna see the other dinosaurs. Which I honestly wouldn’t blame you. I mean it’s not every day that one would get the chance to see a real life dinosaur in the flesh; and you’ve only encountered the small carnivores such as the deinonychus. You my dear, have not seen the herbivores - so let’s make this official. Starting for now, through your time here on my island, you are my seventh guest.”

“Seventh?” Carter repeated. “I’m not the only one that came to this island?”

“Yes,” Hammond replied. “There are a few other guests of mine that are roaming around the facility center, three experts, my grandchildren, and three Equestrian ambassadors.”

Carter’s eyes widened a bit. “Equestrians? They’re here?”

“Indeed, and I’m quite fond of them if I do say so myself. But I’m getting off track. For now you can spend your time with both the experts and the ambassadors and see all the dinosaurs we have here, on the condition that once you leave this island you keep everything you see here to yourself. My park is not quite ready yet and I planned to get it ready when the time is ripe. So if you can be so kind as to not tell anyone of what you saw here, I would humbly appreciate it.”

Carter pondered Hammond’s words for a moment. On one hand, she didn’t like the idea of being stuck on an island surrounded by ancient creatures that could potentially kill her. But on the other hand, she could see the rest of the animals on the island that hopefully won’t kill her.

She’ll get to meet the ambassadors for the first time; she only saw them once in a newspaper but never met them in person. Carter also heard from folks of how kind and pure hearted the equestrians were. So maybe it would be a good opportunity to talk with one of them.

However, she won’t forget why she came here.

Even though Hammond answered some of her questions, Carter still felt that the old man was still withholding something. She didn’t know what, but she didn’t like it. But for now she’ll play along.

“My backpack.” Carter narrowed her eyes at George over her shoulder before quickly returning her gaze back to Hammond. “One of your men took my backpack before I came here. You give me back my backpack, and we have a deal.”

Hammond smiled and nodded. “Of course.”

Chapter 12: A Stroll Through The Park

Twilight gazed upon the multitude of computer monitors in the dimly lit control room, overcome with a sense of wonder. She possessed a profound fascination with the realm of computers, recognizing their ability to receive information in the form of digitized data and subsequently manipulate it to yield desired outcomes, all through the execution of meticulously crafted programs, software, or sequences of instructions dictating the precise manner in which the data is to be processed. It was all amazing to Twilight but Alan Grant didn’t share her fascination for the devices.

“You want to know about control mechanisms?” John Arnold asked, turning in his chair in the control room.

The head engineer was a thin, tense, chain-smoking man of forty-five. He squinted at the others in the room.

“We have unbelievable control mechanisms,” Arnold said, and lit another cigarette.

“For example?” Gennaro inquired.

“For example, animal tracking.” Arnold pressed a button on his console, and the vertical glass map lit up with a pattern of jagged blue lines. “That’s our juvenile T-rex. The little rex. All his movements within the park over the last twenty-four hours.” Arnold pressed the button again. “Previous twenty-four.” And again. “Previous twenty-four.”

The lines on the map became densely overlaid, a child’s scribble. But the scribble was localized in a single area, near the southeast side of the lagoon.

“You get a sense of his home range over time,” Arnold pointed out. “He’s young, so he stays close to the water. And he stays away from the big adult rex. You put up the big rex and the little rex, and you’ll see their paths never cross.”

“Where is the big rex right now?” Gennaro asked.

Arnold pushed another button. The map cleared, and a single glowing spot with a code number appeared in the fields northwest of the lagoon.

“He’s right there.” He replied.

“And the little rex?” Twilight chimed, looking at Arnold curiously.

“Hell, I’ll show you every animal in the park,” Arnold quipped. The map began to light up like a Christmas tree, dozens of spots of light, each tagged with a code number. “That’s two hundred thirty-eight animals as of this minute.”

“How accurate?” Gennaro probed.

“Within five feet.” Arnold puffed on the cigarette. “Let’s put it this way: you drive out in a vehicle and you will find the animals right there, exactly as they’re shown on the map.”

“How often is this updated?” Gennaro probed further.

“Every thirty seconds.” Arnold responded.

“Pretty impressive,” Gennaro commented. “How’s it done?”

“We have motion sensors all around the park,” Arnold said. “Most of ’em hard-wired, some radio-telemetered. Of course, motion sensors won’t usually tell you the species, but we get image recognition directly off the video. Even when we’re not watching the video monitors, the computer is. And checking where everybody is.”

“Does the computer ever make a mistake?” Twilight asked, looking at Arnold curiously.

“Only with the babies, ms. It mixes those up sometimes, because they’re such small images. But we don’t sweat that. The babies almost always stay close to herds of adults. Also you have the category tally.”

“What’s a tally?” Applejack asked with a raised brow.

“Once every fifteen minutes, the computer tallies the animals in all categories,” Arnold replied. “Like this.”

Arnold handed Twilight a clipboard with a sheet of paper pinned into said board. Her eyes scanned the list of many dinosaurs that were currently on the island. Arnold got down on knee to Twilight’s side, and pointed his finger at the list of names then slowly ran it down.

“What you see here,” Arnold explained further, “is an entirely separate counting procedure. It isn’t based on the tracking data. It’s a fresh look. The whole idea is that the computer can’t make a mistake, because it compares two different ways of gathering the data. If an animal were missing, we’d know it within five minutes.”

“I see,” said Twilight. “And has that ever actually been tested?”

“Well, in a way,” Arnold said. “We’ve had a few animals die. An othnielian got caught in the branches of a tree and strangled. One of the stegos died of that intestinal illness that keeps bothering them. One of the hypsilophodonts fell and broke his neck. And in each case, once the animal stopped moving, the numbers stopped tallying and the computer signaled an alert.”

Malcolm chimed. “Within five minutes.”

“Yes.” Arnold replied.

Grant added. “What is the right-hand column?”

“Release version of the animals. The most recent are version 4.1 or 4.3. We’re considering going to version 4.4.”

“Version numbers? You mean like software? New releases?” Twilight inquired.

“Well, yes,” Arnold said. “It is like software, in a way. As we discover the glitches in the DNA, Dr. Wu’s labs have to make a new version.”

The concept of living ancient creatures being numbered akin to software, and being subject to updates and revisions, caused Twilight great concern. None more so than Grant. She cannot precisely articulate the reason behind her unease, as it is a novel notion, but she is instinctively unsettled by it. After all, they are living beings…

Arnold noticed their expressions. “Look, Dr. Grant, Ms. Sparkle, there’s no point getting starry-eyed about these animals. It’s important for everyone to remember that these animals are created. Created by man. Sometimes there are bugs. So, as we discover the bugs, Dr. Wu’s labs have to make a new version. And we need to keep track of what version we have out there.”

“Yes, yes, of course you do,” Malcolm said impatiently. “But, going back to the matter of counting—I take it all the counts are based on motion sensors?”

“Yes.”

“And these sensors are everywhere in the park?”

“They cover ninety-two percent of the land area,” Arnold said. “There are only a few places we can’t use them. For example, we can’t use them on the jungle river, because the movement of the water and the convection rising from the surface screws up the sensors. But we have them nearly everywhere else. And if the computer tracks an animal into an unsensed zone, it’ll remember, and look for the animal to come out again. And if it doesn’t, it gives us an alarm.”

“Now, then,” Malcolm said. “You show forty-nine procompsognathids. Suppose I suspect that some of them aren’t really the correct species. How would you show me that I’m wrong?”

“Two ways,” Arnold said. “First of all, I can track individual movements against the other presumed compys. Compys are social animals, they move in a group. We have two compy groups in the park. So the individuals should be within either group A or group B.”

“Yes, but—”

“The other way is direct visual,” he said. He punched buttons and one of the monitors began to flick rapidly through images of compys, numbered from 1 to 49.

Twilight shifted her gaze to the monitors. “These pictures are …”

“Current ID images. From within the last five minutes.”

Twilight turned her head back at Arnold.

“So you can see all the animals, if you want to?” She asked.

“Yes. I can visually review all the animals whenever I want.” Arnold replied.

“How about physical containment?” Gennaro inquired. “Can they get out of their enclosures?”

“Absolutely not,” Arnold said. “These are expensive animals, Mr. Gennaro. We take very good care of them. We maintain multiple barriers. First, the moats.” He pressed a button, and the board lit up with a network of orange bars. “These moats are never less than twelve feet deep, and water-filled. For bigger animals the moats may be thirty feet deep. Next, the electrified fences.” Lines of bright red glowed on the board. “We have fifty miles of twelve-foot-high fencing, including twenty-two miles around the perimeter of the island. All the park fences carry ten thousand volts. The animals quickly learn not to go near them.”

“But if one did get out?” Gennaro asked.

Arnold snorted, and stubbed out his cigarette.

“Just hypothetically,” Gennaro said. “Supposing it happened?”

Muldoon cleared his throat. “We’d go out and get the animal back,” he said. “We have lots of ways to do that—taser shock guns, electrified nets, tranquilizers. All nonlethal, because, as Mr. Arnold says, these are expensive animals.”

Gennaro nodded: “And if one got off the island?”

“It’d die in less than twenty-four hours,” Arnold said. “These are genetically engineered animals. They’re unable to survive in the real world.”

“How about this control system itself?” Twilight probed with curiosity. “Could anybody tamper with it?”

Arnold was shaking his head. “The system is hardened. The computer is independent in every way. Independent power and independent backup power. The system does not communicate with the outside, so it cannot be influenced remotely by modem. The computer system is secure.”

There was a pause. Arnold puffed his cigarette. “Hell of a system,” he commented. “Hell of a goddamned system.”

“Then I guess,” Malcolm said, “your system works so well, you don’t have any problems.”

“We’ve got endless problems here,” Arnold said, raising an eyebrow. “But none of the things you worry about. I gather you’re worried that the animals will escape, and will get to the mainland and raise hell. We haven’t got any concern about that at all. We see these animals as fragile and delicate. They’ve been brought back after sixty-five million years to a world that’s very different from the one they left, the one they were adapted to. We have a hell of a time caring for them. You have to realize,” Arnold continued, “that men have been keeping mammals and reptiles in zoos for hundreds of years. So we know a lot about how to take care of an elephant or a croc. But nobody has ever tried to take care of a dinosaur before. They are new animals. And we just don’t know. Diseases in our animals are the biggest concern.”

“Diseases?” Applejack repeated, suddenly alarmed. “Is there any way that a visitor could get sick?”

Arnold snorted again. “You ever catch a cold from a zoo alligator, Mr. Gennaro? Zoos don’t worry about that. Neither do we. What we do worry about is the animals’ dying from their own illnesses, or infecting other animals. But we have programs to monitor that, too. You want to see the big rex’s health file? His vaccination record? His dental record? That’s something—you ought to see the vets scrubbing those big fangs so he doesn’t get tooth decay.…”

“Not just now,” Gennaro said. “What about your mechanical systems?”

“You mean the rides?” Arnold questioned.

Grant and Twilight looked up sharply: rides?

“None of the rides are running yet,” Arnold was saying. “We have the Jungle River Ride, where the boats follow tracks underwater, and we have the Aviary Lodge Ride, but none of it’s operational yet. The park’ll open with the basic dinosaur tour—the one that you’re about to take in a few minutes. The other rides will come on line six, twelve months after that.”

“Wait a minute,” Grant said. “You’re going to have rides? Like an amusement park?”

Arnold said, “This is a zoological park. We have tours of different areas, and we call them rides. That’s all.”

Simultaneously and harmoniously, both Twilight and Grant frowned. Again they felt troubled. They didn’t like the idea of dinosaurs being used for an amusement park.

Malcolm continued his questions. “You can run the whole park from this control room?”

“Yes,” Arnold replied. “I can run it single-handed, if I have to. We’ve got that much automation built in. The computer by itself can track the animals, feed them, and fill their water troughs for forty-eight hours without supervision.”

“This is the system Mr. Nedry designed?” Malcolm asked. Dennis Nedry was sitting at a terminal in the far corner of the room, eating a candy bar and typing.

“Yes, that’s right,” Nedry said, not looking up from the keyboard.

“It’s a hell of a system,” Arnold boasted proudly.

“That’s right,” Nedry said absently. “Just one or two minor bugs to fix.”

“Now,” Arnold said, “I see the tour is starting, so unless you have other questions…”

“Actually, just one,” Malcolm said. “Just a research question. You showed us that you can track the procompsognathids and you can visually display them individually. Can you do any studies of them as a group? Measure them, or whatever? If I wanted to know height or weight, or…”

Arnold was punching buttons. Another screen came up.

The screen materialized a white chart. Showcasing the height distribution of Procompsognathhids. The aforementioned height had risen from zero, and all the way up to a round-shaped mountain. Reaching ten as the last number of the chart.

“We can do all of that, and very quickly,” Arnold said. “The computer takes measurement data in the course of reading the video screens, so it is translatable at once. You see here we have a normal Gaussian distribution for the animal population. It shows that most of the animals cluster around an average central value, and a few are either larger or smaller than the average, at the tails of the curve.”

“You’d expect that kind of graph,” Malcolm said.

“Yes. Any healthy biological population shows this kind of distribution. Now, then,” Arnold said, lighting another cigarette, “are there any other questions?”

“No,” Malcolm said. “I’ve learned what I need to know.”

As they were walking out, Gennaro turned his gaze to Malcolm. “It looks like a pretty good system to me. I don’t see how any animals could get off this island.”

“Don’t you?” Malcolm questioned. “I thought it was completely obvious.”

“Wait a minute,” Gennaro said. “You think animals have gotten out?”

“I know they have.”

Twilight chimed. “But how? You saw for yourself, didn’t you? They can count all the animals. They can look at all the animals. They know where all the animals are at all times. How can one possibly escape?”

Malcolm smiled. “It’s quite obvious,” he said. “It’s just a matter of your assumptions, Twilight.”

“Your assumptions,” Gennaro repeated, frowning.

“Yes,” Malcolm replied. “Look here. The basic event that has occurred in Jurassic Park is that the scientists and technicians have tried to make a new, complete biological world. And the scientists in the control room expect to see a natural world. As in the graph they just showed us. Even though a moment’s thought reveals that nice, normal distribution is terribly worrisome on this island.”

“It is?” Applejack raised a brow at the mathematician expert.

“Yes. Based on what Dr. Wu told us earlier, one should never see a population graph like that.”

“Why not?” Gennaro questioned.

“Because that is a graph for a normal biological population. Which is precisely what Jurassic Park is not. Jurassic Park is not the real world. It is intended to be a controlled world that only imitates the natural world. In that sense, it’s a true park, rather like a Japanese formal garden. Nature manipulated to be more natural than the real thing, if you will.”

“I’m afraid you’ve lost me,” Gennaro said, looking annoyed.

“I’m sure the tour will make everything clear,” Malcolm said.”

“This way, everybody, this way,” Ed Regis said. By his side, a woman was passing out helmets with “Jurassic Park” labeled on the headband, and a little blue dinosaur logo.

A procession of Toyota Land Cruisers emerged from an underground garage situated beneath the visitor center. Each vehicle gracefully came to a halt, devoid of any drivers and emitting an air of tranquility. Two gentlemen of African descent, attired in safari uniforms, courteously attended to the task of opening the doors for the esteemed passengers.

“Two to four passengers to a car, please, two to four passengers to a car,” a recorded voice was saying. “Children under ten must be accompanied by an adult. Two to four passengers to a car, please…”

Before the group could enter they heard a voice shouting from behind them.

“Hold on it right there people, you got one more!”

Everyone turned around and saw a duo walking them. A man and a woman approached the group. The man smiled with a wave while the woman standing beside him had a blank expression.

The young man was striking in appearance. His skin was white. He possessed a well-defined square jaw and a pair of captivating chocolate-colored eyes. His attire was composed of a pair of sturdy work boots, dark chinos, and a sleek leather vest. His curly locks were a rich shade of rust-red, and his facial features were notably robust.

The woman beside him possessed fair skin, complemented by brown eyes, and a modest yet buxom figure. Her brunette tresses gracefully cascaded down to her shoulders. She adorned herself in a simple, zipped green jacket, a white undershirt, long blue jeans, and sturdy black hiking boots. Additionally, she sported a brown stetson hat.

“Don’t worry people, I won’t take too much of your time,” George started. “I’m just here delivering our guest here that will be accompanying you through this tour.” He turned to the woman and patted her shoulder before turning away. “Have fun!”

She rolled her eyes. “Great...”

Tim observed with keen interest as Grant, Sattler, Malcolm, and Twilight embarked upon the first Land Cruiser, accompanied by the esteemed lawyer, Gennaro. Tim then directed his gaze towards Lex, who stood resolutely, diligently pounding her fist into her glove, flanked by the presence of Applejack and Fluttershy.

Tim pointed to the first car and said, “Can I go with them?”

“I’m afraid they have things to discuss,” Ed Regis said. “Technical things.”

“I’m interested in technical things,” Tim said. “I’d rather go with them.”

“Well, you’ll be able to hear what they’re saying,” Regis said. “We’ll have a radio open between the cars.”

The second car came. Tim, Lex, the mares, and Carter got in, and Ed Regis trailed behind.

“These are electric cars,” Regis said. “Guided by a cable in the roadway.”

Bobbie Carter occupied the front seat, where she observed two computer screens and a box resembling a CD-ROM, which functioned as a laserdisc player under the control of a computer. Additionally, there was a portable walkie-talkie and a radio transmitter of some sort. The roof boasted two antennas, while the map pocket contained peculiar goggles.

The gentlemen of African descent securely closed the doors of the Land Cruiser, prompting the vehicle to commence its journey with an electric hum. Further ahead, the three scientists, the lavender unicorn, and Gennaro engaged in animated conversation, accompanied by gestures that clearly conveyed their excitement.

“Let’s hear what they are saying.” An intercom clicked.

“I don’t know what the hell you think you’re doing here,” Gennaro said, over the intercom. His anger evident by his tone.

“I know quite well why I’m here,” Malcolm said.

“You’re here to advise me, not play goddamned mind games. I’ve got five percent of this company and a responsibility to make sure that Hammond has done his job responsibly. Now you goddamn come here—”

Ed Regis pressed the intercom button. “In keeping with the non-polluting policies of Jurassic Park, these lightweight electric Land Cruisers have been specially built for us by Toyota in Osaka. Eventually we hope to drive among the animals—just as they do in African game parks—but, for now, sit back and enjoy the self-guided tour.” He paused. “And, by the way, we can hear you back here.”

“Oh Christ,” Gennaro said. “I have to be able to speak freely. I didn’t ask for these damned kids to come!”

Lex and Tim exchange knowing glances. Fluttershy had her hoof over her mouth, appalled by the profanity. Applejack glared at the radio and Carter was unamused.

Ed Regis smiled blandly and pushed a button. “We’ll just begin the show, shall we?”

They were greeted by the resounding sound of trumpets, and the screens within the interior illuminated with the words "Welcome to Jurassic Park." A deep and dignified voice expressed, "Welcome to Jurassic Park. You are now embarking upon the lost realm of the prehistoric past, a realm inhabited by majestic beings that have long vanished from the surface of our planet. It is a privilege for you to witness them for the very first time."

“That’s Richard Kiley,” Ed Regis said. “We spared no expense.”

The Land Cruiser passed through a grove of low, stumpy palm trees. Richard Kiley prolonged.

“Notice, first of all, the remarkable plant life that surrounds you. Those trees to your left and right are called cycads, the prehistoric predecessors of palm trees. Cycads were a favorite food of the dinosaurs. You can also see bennettitaleans, and ginkgoes. The world of the dinosaur included more modern plants, such as pine and fir trees, and swamp cypresses. You will see these as well. The Land Cruiser moved slowly among the foliage. Tim noticed the fences and retaining walls were screened by greenery to heighten the illusion of moving through real jungle. We imagine the world of the dinosaurs.”

“As a world of huge vegetarians, eating their way through the giant swampy forests of the Jurassic and Cretaceous world, a hundred million years ago. But most dinosaurs were not as large as people think. The smallest dinosaurs were no bigger than a house cat, and the average dinosaur was about as big as a pony. We are first going to visit one of these average-size animals, called hypsilophodonts. If you look to your left, you may catch a glimpse of them now.”

They all looked to the left.

The Land Cruiser came to a halt upon a gentle elevation, where a gap in the verdure granted a glimpse towards the eastern horizon. From this vantage point, they beheld a gently sloping expanse adorned with a lush forest, which gradually gave way to a vast meadow of golden grass, reaching a height of approximately three feet. Regrettably, no dinosaurs were to be found in this picturesque scene.

“Where are they?” Lex asked.

Carter looked at the dashboard with a discerning gaze. The transmitter lights gracefully blinked, while the CD-ROM emitted a gentle whir. It was evident that the disk was being accessed by an automated system. The screens elegantly displayed images of hypsilophodonts, accompanied by meticulously printed data about these fascinating creatures.

The voice spoke again, “Hypsilophodontids are the gazelles of the dinosaur world: small, quick animals that once roamed everywhere in the world, from England to Central Asia to North America. We think these dinosaurs were so successful because they had better jaws and teeth for chewing plants than their contemporaries did.”

“In fact, the name ‘hypsilophodontid’ means ‘high-ridge tooth,’ which refers to the characteristic self-sharpening teeth of these animals. You can see them in the plains directly ahead, and also perhaps in the branches of the trees.”

“In the trees?” Lex repeated. “Dinosaurs in the trees?”

Tim scanned with the binoculars. “To the right,” he pointed. “Halfway up that big green trunk…”

In the dappled shadows of the tree a motionless, dark green animal about the size of a baboon stood on a branch. It looked like a lizard standing on its hind legs. It balanced itself with a long drooping tail.

“That’s an othnielia,” Tim said.

“The small animals you see are called othnielia,” the voice said, “in honor of the nineteenth-century dinosaur hunter Othniel Marsh of Yale.”

Carter spotted two more animals, on higher branches of the same tree. They were all about the same size. None of them were moving.

“Pretty boring,” Lex said. “They’re not doing anything.”

“The main herd of animals can be found in the grassy plain below you,” said the voice. “We can rouse them with a simple mating call.” A loudspeaker by the fence gave a long nasal call, like the honking of geese.

To the left of the grassy field, six lizard heads emerged consecutively, creating a rather amusing sight that elicited laughter from Tim. Soon after, the heads vanished. The loudspeaker repeated its call, prompting the heads to resurface once more, in the exact same manner, one after the other. The remarkable repetition of this behavior was quite striking.

“Hypsilophodonts are not especially bright animals,” the voice explained. “They have roughly the intelligence of a domestic cow.”

The heads exhibited a dull green hue, adorned with a delicate pattern of dark browns and blacks that gracefully extended down their slender necks. Based on the dimensions of their heads, Carter surmised that their bodies measured approximately four feet in length, akin to the size of deer.

A few of the hypsilophodonts were observed engaging in the act of mastication, their jaws diligently at work. One of them even reached up and gently scratched its head, utilizing its five-fingered hand. This particular gesture bestowed upon the creature an air of contemplation and thoughtfulness.

“If you see them scratching, that is because they have skin problems. The veterinary scientists here at Jurassic Park think it may be a fungus, or an allergy. But they’re not sure yet. After all, these are the first dinosaurs in history ever to be studied alive.”

The electric motor of the car commenced its operation, resulting in a discernible grinding of gears. At the unforeseen auditory stimulus, the herd of hypsilophodonts instantaneously propelled themselves into the air, exhibiting a remarkable resemblance to kangaroos as they gracefully bounded above the grass. In doing so, they unveiled their entire physiques, characterized by substantial hind limbs and elongated tails, which were bathed in the warm glow of the afternoon sunlight. Within a few bounds, they vanished from sight.

“Now that we’ve had a look at these fascinating herbivores, we will go on to some dinosaurs that are a little larger. Quite a bit larger, in fact.”

Undeterred by this captivating spectacle, the Land Cruisers continued their journey southward.

Traversing the subsequent section of the park.

Chapter 13: The Hidden Beast

George Henson positioned himself in the control room. Leaning against the wall, his arms gracefully crossed, and a pleasant smile adorning his face, all the while observing John Arnold diligently carry out his tasks.

At the tender age of three, George's sole preoccupation revolved around the captivating world of dinosaurs. His slumber was accompanied by the presence of dinosaur toys, while his viewing preferences were strictly limited to animated programs featuring these prehistoric creatures. Within the confines of his abode, George would traverse with mighty stomps, emitting growls and mimicking the act of chomping at his father's legs. In response, his father would graciously assume a lifeless state, allowing George to indulge in the make-believe act of gnawing upon his figurative carcass.

So when he was offered the job to be Jurassic Park’s second game warden, he was enthralled. He found his place within the park, and he couldn’t ask for a better job. All the scientists and ingen workers in the island knew George as a man that loved dinosaurs more than anything.

George’s smile widened. He’ll never forget the first time he saw a dinosaur. Apatosaurus, a North American herbivore from the late Jurassic horizon. He remembered being so amazed at how enormous they were, so amazed that he hardly noticed his tears trickling down his cheeks. The memory alone was treasured in his heart.

And now, these visitors are gonna have the same experience that he had. At least he hoped so.

“Gears are grinding,” John Arnold said, in the darkened control room. “Have maintenance check the electric clutches on vehicles BB4 and BB5 when they come back.”

“Yes, Mr. Arnold,” replied the voice on the intercom.

“A minor detail,” Hammond said, walking in the room. Looking out, he could see the two Land Cruisers moving south through the park. Muldoon stood in the corner, silently watching.

Arnold pushed his chair back from the central console at the control panel.

“There are no minor details, Mr. Hammond,” he said, and he lit another cigarette.

George shook his head in disapproval as he watched Arnold place said cigarette in his mouth, pulled back and puffed out smoke from his lips.

Often plagued by nervousness, Arnold was particularly on edge at this moment. He was acutely aware that this marked the inaugural occasion where visitors were granted the opportunity to tour the park. In truth, Arnold's team seldom ventured into the park itself. On occasion, Harding, the veterinarian, would make his way there. The animal handlers would only visit the individual feeding houses. Otherwise, they would observe the park's activities from the control room. However, with visitors now present, Arnold found himself consumed by concern over a multitude of intricate details.

John Arnold had dedicated his expertise to the development of the Polaris submarine missile during the late 1960s. However, upon the arrival of his first child, he found the notion of contributing to the production of weapons to be quite distasteful. Coincidentally, Disney had embarked on the creation of amusement park rides that showcased remarkable technological sophistication, attracting numerous professionals from the aerospace industry. Arnold, in turn, played a pivotal role in the construction of Disney World in Orlando, and subsequently spearheaded the implementation of major parks at Magic Mountain in California, Old Country in Virginia, and Astroworld in Houston.

His continuous employment at parks had eventually given him a somewhat skewed view of reality.

Over the course of the previous two years, Arnold has been entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring the successful establishment of Jurassic Park. Being an engineer, he is well-acquainted with the extensive timeframes that are often required for such endeavors. He frequently alludes to the anticipated "September opening," which pertains to the following year's September.

As this significant milestone draws near, Arnold finds himself dissatisfied with the progress that has been achieved thus far. Drawing from his past experiences, he is aware that rectifying any issues with a single park ride can often take several years, let alone the complex task of ensuring the seamless operation of an entire park.

“You’re just a worrier,” Hammond said.

“I don’t think so,” said Arnold. “You’ve got to realize that, from an engineering standpoint, Jurassic Park is by far the most ambitious theme park in history. Visitors will never think about it, but I do.”

Arnold ticked the points off on his fingers.

“First, Jurassic Park has all the problems of any amusement park—ride maintenance, queue control, transportation, food handling, living accommodations, trash disposal, security. Second, we have all the problems of a major zoo—care of the animals; health and welfare; feeding and cleanliness; protection from insects, pests, allergies, and illnesses; maintenance of barriers; and all the rest. And, finally, we have the unprecedented problems of caring for a population of animals that no one has ever tried to maintain before.”

“Oh, it’s not as bad as all that,” Hammond said, waving him off.

“Yes, it is. You’re just not here to see it,” Arnold said. “The tyrannosaurs drink the lagoon water and sometimes get sick; we aren’t sure why. The triceratops females kill each other in fights for dominance and have to be separated into groups smaller than six. We don’t know why. The stegosaurs frequently get blisters on their tongues and diarrhea, for reasons no one yet understands, even though we’ve lost two. Hypsilophodonts get skin rashes. And the velociraptors—”

“Let’s not start on the velociraptors,” Hammond abruptly cut Arnold off. “I’m sick of hearing about the velociraptors. How they’re the most vicious creatures anyone has ever seen.”

“They are,” Muldoon said, in a low voice. “They should all be destroyed.”

George shifted his gaze from Hammond and stared at the back of his partner: Robert Muldoon. Attentively listening to the discourse between the duo.

“You wanted to fit them with radio collars,” Hammond said. “And I agreed.”

“Yes. And they promptly chewed the collars off. But even if the raptors never get free,” Arnold responded, “I think we have to accept that Jurassic Park is inherently hazardous.”

“Oh balls,” Hammond said. “Whose side are you on, anyway?”

“We now have fifteen species of extinct animals, and most of them are dangerous,” Arnold said. “We’ve been forced to delay the Jungle River Ride because of the dilophosaurs; and the Pteratops Lodge in the aviary, because the pterodactyls are so unpredictable. These aren’t engineering delays, Mr. Hammond. They’re problems with control of the animals.”

“You’ve had plenty of engineering delays,” Hammond said. “Don’t blame it on the animals.”

“Yes, we have. In fact, it’s all we could do to get the main attraction, Park Drive, working correctly, to get the CD-ROMs inside the cars to be controlled by the motion sensors. It’s taken weeks of adjustment to get that working properly—and now the electric gearshifts on the cars are acting up! The gearshifts!”

“Let’s keep it in perspective,” Hammond said. “You get the engineering correct and the animals will fall into place. After all, they’re trainable. Meanwhile, how’s the computer?” He glanced at Dennis Nedry, who was working at a terminal in the corner of the room. “This damn computer has always been a headache.”

“We’re getting there,” Nedry informed him.

“If you had done it right in the first place,” Hammond began, but Arnold put a restraining hand on his arm. Arnold knew there was no point in antagonizing Nedry while he was working.

“It’s a large system,” Arnold said. “There are bound to be glitches.”

“Hey, it’ll be alright Arnold,” George reassured, placing his hand on Arnold’s shoulder. “With you and Nedry together I’m sure you guys will figure something out.”

Nedry shook his head at George’s optimism. “You’re too optimistic.”

George shrugged his shoulders. “Point proven.”

As Nedry diligently carried out his tasks, Arnold skillfully opened a fresh window on his personal monitor. This window granted him the ability to observe Nedry's actions at the corner console. It is not that Arnold harbored any doubts regarding Nedry's trustworthiness. Rather, Arnold simply possessed a fondness for being aware of the ongoing proceedings.

Arnold directed his attention towards the graphics display situated on his right-hand console. This display provided a visual representation of the advancing electric Land Cruisers. Presently, they were traversing the river, situated just north of the aviary, and the paddock housing the ornithischian creatures.

“If you look to your left, you will see the dome of the Jurassic Park aviary, which is not yet finished for visitors.” Tim saw sunlight glinting off aluminum struts in the distance. “And directly below is our Mesozoic jungle river—where, if you are lucky, you just may catch a glimpse of a very rare carnivore. Keep your eyes peeled, everyone!”

Inside the Land Cruiser, the screens showed a bird-like head topped with a flaming red crest. But everyone in Tim’s car was looking out the windows. The car was driving along a high ridge, overlooking a fast-moving river below. The river was almost enclosed by dense foliage on both sides.

“There they are now,” said the voice. “The animals you see are called dilophosaurs.”

Contrary to the information provided in the recording, only a solitary specimen was observed by the individuals. Positioned on its hind limbs near the river, the dilophosaurus was engaged in the act of drinking. Its physical structure adhered to the fundamental carnivorous blueprint, featuring a robust tail, sturdy hind limbs, and an elongated neck. The creature's stature reached an impressive ten feet, while its body exhibited a striking pattern of yellow and black spots, reminiscent of a leopard.

However, it was the head of the dilophosaurus that captivated Tim's attention. Two expansive, gracefully curving crests adorned the crown of its head, extending from the eyes to the nose. These crests converged at the center, forming a distinctive V shape above the dinosaur's cranium. The crests themselves displayed a vibrant combination of red and black stripes, evoking the likeness of a parrot or toucan. Emitting a gentle hooting sound, akin to that of an owl, the creature further intrigued the observers.

“They’re pretty,” Lex said.

Fluttershy nodded in agreement. “Its so colorful.”

“Dilophosaurus,” the tape narrated, “is one of the earliest carnivorous dinosaurs. Scientists thought their jaw muscles were too weak to kill prey, and imagined they were primarily scavengers. But now we know they are poisonous.”

“Hey.” Tim grinned. “All right.”

Again the distinctive hooting call of the dilophosaurus drifted across the afternoon air toward them. Suddenly, the hooting was returned by a similar call. Much to the shock of everyone in the Land Cruisers. Another hoot drifted far away from the forest. Tim couldn’t see where the other dilophosaurs were so he guessed the creatures were hidden behind the foliage.

Lex shifted uneasily in her seat. “Are they really poisonous, Mr. Regis?”

“Don’t worry about it,” Ed Regis said.

“But are they?” Lex probed.

“Well, yes, Lex.” Replied.

Lex frowned at the floor. She hoped that those venomous dinosaurs wouldn’t bite her if they had the chance, that would be bad. Applejack noticed Lex’s expression and placed her hoof on her shoulder.

“It’ll be alright, sugarcube,” Applejack reassured. “Those dinosaurs are well contained in their habitat. They won’t get a nit at us so long as they’re in their enclosures.”

Lex smiled at Applejack. “Really?”

“Eeyup.” Applejack replied.

“Along with such living reptiles as Gila monsters and rattlesnakes, Dilophosaurus secretes a hematotoxin from glands in its mouth. Unconsciousness follows within minutes of a bite. The dinosaur will then finish the victim off at its leisure—making Dilophosaurus a beautiful but deadly addition to the animals you see here at Jurassic Park.”

The Land Cruiser gracefully maneuvered around the corner, bidding farewell to the river that lay in its wake. Tim, filled with a sense of longing, cast a final glance over his shoulder, yearning for one last glimpse of the awe-inspiring dilophosaur. The sheer existence of venomous dinosaurs was nothing short of extraordinary! If only he possessed the ability to halt the vehicle's progress. But alas, every aspect of its operation was automated. Undoubtedly, Twilight and Dr. Grant shared in this desire to pause the car's journey, for such a spectacle was surely captivating to him as well.

“If you look on the bluff to the right, you’ll see Les Gigantes, the site of our superb three-star dining room. Chef Alain Richard hails from the world-famous Le Beaumanière in France. Make your reservations by dialing four from your hotel rooms.”

Both Carter and Tim looked up on the bluff, and saw nothing.

“Not for a while, though,” Ed Regis said. “The restaurant won’t even start construction until November.”

“Continuing on our prehistoric safari, we come next to the herbivores of the ornithischian group. If you look to your right, you can probably see them now.”

Carter saw two creatures, standing still beneath the shelter of a grand tree. These beings were known as Triceratops: possessing the magnitude and hue of an elephant, while exhibiting the resolute posture of a rhinoceros. The horns situated above their eyes arched five feet into the atmosphere, resembling inverted tusks of an elephant. Additionally, a third horn reminiscent of a rhinoceros adorned their nasal region. Furthermore, their snouts bore a resemblance to the beak of a rhinoceros.

“Unlike other dinosaurs,” the voice said, “Triceratops serratus can’t see well. They’re nearsighted, like the rhinos of today, and they tend to be surprised by moving objects. They’d charge our car if they were close enough to see it! But relax, folks—we’re safe enough here. Triceratops have a fan-shaped crest behind their heads. It’s made of solid bone, and it’s very strong. These animals weigh about seven tons each. Despite their appearance, they are actually quite docile. They know their handlers, and they’ll allow themselves to be petted. They particularly like to be scratched in the hindquarters.”

“Why don’t they move?” Asked Lex. She rolled down her window. “Hey! Stupid dinosaur! Move!”

Carter looked at Lex over her shoulder. “Sweetie, please close the window.”

“Don’t bother the animals, Lex,” Ed Regis said.

“Why? It’s stupid. They just sit there like a picture in a book,” Lex said.

“That’s not very nice.” Fluttershy said, frowning at Lex.

“Now hold on, sugarcube.” Applejack pulled Lex back from the window and turned her around to face her. “It ain’t nice to call animals stupid. I’m sure the Triceratops was just ‘mindin its business until y’all disturbed its peace. Would y’all want some-pony to come towards ya and call y’all stupid?”

Lex frowned to the floor and shook her head.

“Exactly,” Applejack said. “Now go on. Tell the dinosaur you’re sorry.”

Lex rolled the window down again. “I’m sorry mr. Dinosaur.”

Everyone in the car watched the wholesome scene before them. Tim’s lips formed a sad smile as he watched Lex and Applejack conversed. He turned away from the duo.

She even sounds like her, Tim thought.

The voice spoke again, “—easygoing monsters from a bygone world stand in sharp contrast to what we will see next. The most famous predator in the history of the world: the mighty tyrant lizard, known as Tyrannosaurus rex.”

“Good, Tyrannosaurus rex,” Tim said.

“I hope he’s better than these bozos,” Lex said, turning away from the triceratops.

The Land Cruiser rumbled forward.

“The mighty tyrannosaurs arose late in dinosaur history. Dinosaurs ruled the earth for a hundred and twenty million years, but there were tyrannosaurs for only the last fifteen million years of that period.”

The Land Cruisers had come to a halt at the crest of a hill, affording them a commanding view of a forested expanse that sloped gently towards the edge of the lagoon. The sun, in its descent towards the western horizon, cast a hazy glow upon the entire panorama of Jurassic Park, casting elongated shadows across the land. The lagoon's surface shimmered with delicate pink ripples, resembling crescents.

Further to the south, the observers beheld the elegant necks of the apatosaurs, gracefully poised at the water's edge, their reflections mirrored upon the undulating surface. A profound stillness enveloped the surroundings, save for the gentle hum of cicadas. As they gazed out upon this breathtaking vista, one could almost entertain the notion that they had indeed been transported millions of years into the past; to a world that has long since vanished.

“It works, doesn’t it?” They heard Ed Regis say, over the intercom. “I like to come here sometimes, in the evening. And just sit.”

Grant was unimpressed. “Where is T-rex?”

“Good question. You often see the little one down in the lagoon. The lagoon’s stocked, so we have fish in there. The little one has learned to catch the fish. Interesting how he does it. He doesn’t use his hands, but he ducks his whole head under the water. Like a bird.”

“The little one?” Twilight repeated over the intercom.

“The little T-rex. He’s a juvenile, two years old, and about a third grown now. Stands eight feet high, weighs a ton and a half. The other one’s a full-grown tyrannosaur. But I don’t see him at the moment.”

“Maybe he’s down hunting the apatosaurs,” Grant said.

“Regis laughed, his voice tinny over the radio. “He would if he could, believe me. Sometimes he stands by the lagoon and stares at those animals, and wiggles those little forearms of his in frustration. But the T-rex territory is completely enclosed with trenches and fences. They’re disguised from view, but believe me, he can’t go anywhere.”

“Then where is he?” Twilight asked.

“Hiding,” Regis replied. “He’s a little shy.”

“Shy?” Malcolm repeated. “Tyrannosaurus rex is shy?”

“Well, he conceals himself as a general rule. You almost never see him out in the open, especially in daylight.”

“Why is that?” Carter questioned, raising a brow at him.

“We think it’s because he has sensitive skin and sunburns easily.”

Malcolm began to laugh.

Grant sighed. “You’re destroying a lot of illusions.”

“I don’t think you’ll be disappointed,” Regis said. “Just wait.”

A gentle bleating sound reached their ears. In the midst of a vast expanse, a diminutive cage emerged. Ascending on hydraulics from beneath the ground. The bars of the cage gracefully descended while the goat, tethered in the heart of the field, emitted plaintive bleats.

“Any minute now,” Regis said again.

They stared out the window.

Twilight waited in the car, watching quietly. The bleating of the goat became louder, more insistent. The goat tugged frantically at its tether, racing back and forth.

“What’s going to happen to the goat? Is she going to eat the goat?” Lex asked over the radio.

“I think so,” Carter replied to her, and then Ellie turned the radio down. It was then the group smelled the odor, a garbage stench of putrefaction and decay that drifted up the hillside toward them.

Grant whispered, “He’s here.”

“She,” Malcolm corrected in a whisper.

The goat had been securely fastened in the middle of the field, a distance of thirty yards away from the closest trees. The dinosaur undoubtedly was lurking somewhere amidst the foliage. However, for a brief moment, Twilight found herself unable to discern anything at all. It was only upon the realization that she had been directing her gaze too low that she spotted the creature's head, which towered an impressive twenty feet above the earth's surface. The majestic, boxy head was partially obscured by the uppermost branches of the palm trees.

Malcolm whispered, terror evident in his tone. “Oh, my God.… She’s as large as a bloody building.…”

Twilight stared at the enormous square head, five feet long, mottled reddish brown, with huge jaws and fangs. The tyrannosaur’s jaws worked once, opening and closing. But the huge animal did not emerge from hiding.

“How long will it wait?” Malcolm asked in a whisper.

Grant didn’t take his eyes off of the animal. “Maybe three or four minutes. Maybe—”

The tyrannosaur leaped forward, effortlessly unveiling her colossal physique. With four swift and purposeful strides, she swiftly closed the gap between herself and the goat, delicately lowered her head, and decisively seized it by the neck. The plaintive bleating abruptly ceased, leaving behind a profound stillness.

Poised over her kill, the tyrannosaur became suddenly hesitant. Her massive head turned on the muscular neck, looking in all directions. She stared fixedly at the Land Cruiser, high above on the hill.

Malcolm whispered, “Can she see us?”

“Oh yes,” Regis replied, on the intercom. “Let’s see if she’s going to eat here in front of us, or if she’s going to drag the prey away.”

The tyrannosaur bent down, and sniffed the carcass of the goat. A bird chirped: her head snapped up, alert, watchful. She looked back and forth, scanning in small jerking shifts.

The tyrannosaur bent down, and sniffed the carcass of the goat. A bird chirped and the juvenile behemoth snapped her head up. Alert and watchful. She looked back and forth, scanning in small jerking shifts.

“Like a bird,” Ellie deduced.

Still the tyrannosaur hesitated.

“I don’t get it? What is she afraid of?” Twilight whispered.

“Probably another tyrannosaur,” Grant whispered back.

“That would make sense,” Fluttershy whispered over the intercom. “Big carnivores like lions and tigers often become cautious after a kill, behaving as if suddenly exposed. When a carnivore finally brings down an animal, it'll be watchful for another predator, who might attack it and steal its prize. So it would make sense if this tyrannosaur was probably fearful of another tyrannosaur.”

The huge animal bent over the goat again. One great hind limb held the carcass in place as the head shot forward and snatched the tenderness of the goat’s exposed belly in its jaws.

“She’s going to stay,” Regis whispered. “Excellent.”

The tyrannosaur lifted her head again, ragged chunks of bleeding flesh in her jaws. Blood flowed freely down its thick neck. She stared at the Land Cruiser. She began to chew. They all could hear the sickening crunch of bones breaking like chalk between grinding jaws.

“Ewww,” Lex said, over the intercom. “That’s disgusting.”

And then, as if caution had finally gotten the better of her, the tyrannosaur lifted the remains of the goat in her jaws and carried them silently back among the trees.

“Ladies and gentlemen, Tyrannosaurus rex,” the tape said. The Land Cruisers started up, and moved silently off, through the foliage.

Malcolm sat back in his seat. “Fantastic,” he said.

Twilight turned her head in time to see Gennaro wiping his forehead. He looked pale.

Chapter 14: Prediction

Andre Weller and Henry Wu entered the control room to discover everyone was seated in darkness, attentively listening to the voices emanating from the radio.

“My gosh, that thing was big and fast!” Twilight commented through the radio.

“—Jesus, if an animal like that gets out,” Gennaro was saying, his voice tinny on the speaker, “there’d be no stopping it.”

“No stopping it, no …”

“Huge, with no natural enemies …”

“My God, think of it …”

Hammond glared at the screen.

“Damn those people. They are so negative.” Hammond said, irritated as he listened closely to the radio chatter.

“They’re still going on about an animal escaping?” Henry asked, incredulous. “I don’t understand. They must have seen by now that we have everything under control. We’ve engineered the animals and engineered the resort.…”

“It’s that Malcolm,” Hammond said darkly. “He’s behind it all. He was against us from the start, you know. He’s got his theory that complex systems can’t be controlled and nature can’t be imitated. I don’t know what his problem is. Hell, we’re just making a zoo here. World’s full of ’em, and they all work fine. But he’s going to prove his theory or die trying. I just hope he doesn’t panic Gennaro into trying to shut the park down.”

Wu shifted his gaze to Hammond. “Can he do that?”

“No,” Hammond replied. “But he can try. He can try and frighten the Japanese investors, and get them to withdraw funds. Or he can make a stink with the San José government. He can make trouble.”

"Can you really blame them for harboring a modicum of apprehension?" Andre inquired, casting a fleeting glance in Hammond's direction. "Reviving living, breathing dinosaurs was an endeavor of considerable magnitude. The mere notion of one of these perilous creatures escaping; Hell, it has the potential to instill paranoia in anyone."

"Oh, please refrain from initiating such discourse, Andre," Hammond retorted, fixing him with a piercing gaze. "I have already had to contend with that conceited little snot, Malcolm. I do not require the added burden of addressing your delusional paranoia."

"I am merely expressing a viewpoint," Andre began, his tone growing defensive. "It is unreasonable to anticipate that everyone will share identical reactions or exhibit the same level of enthusiasm upon encountering a dinosaur, particularly if said dinosaur is a carnivore. Moreover, considering the presence of two tyrannosaurs, velociraptors, and numerous other carnivorous creatures within the park, it is not unfathomable that such circumstances could engender a sense of paranoia in anyone.”

“For god’s sake, Andre,” Hammond sighed. “Just … stop talking, alright?”

Andre rolled his eyes and redirected his gaze back to the screen.

Arnold stubbed out his cigarette. “Let’s wait and see what happens,” he said. “We believe in the park. Let’s see how it plays out.”

“Looks like rain,” Ed Regis said, glancing up at the sky.

Applejack followed Ed Regis’ gaze towards the area that he had indicated. Fluttershy looked up as well upon hearing the distant thunder. They could see the dark clouds slowly coming closer.

“Oh, nelly,” Applejack boasted. “Ah shoulda check the weather before comin’ here; ah could’ve brought a raincoat.”

“Oh my, I hope the animals back in the zoo I study at don’t get too frightened by the storm.” Fluttershy said, frowning at the dark clouds.

Applejack placed her hoof on Fluttershy’s shoulder and smiled.

“Ah’m sure y’all animals will be alright.” Applejack reassured her.

Lex frowned at the floor.

“I hope there’s no lightning…” Lex said under her breath.

The Land Cruisers had come to a halt once again, this time in close proximity to the sauropod swamp. A substantial gathering of apatosaurs could be observed, leisurely grazing at the periphery of the lagoon, delicately consuming the foliage from the uppermost branches of the palm trees. In the same vicinity, a number of duckbilled hadrosaurs could be spotted, although in comparison, they appeared significantly smaller.

Of course, it was not that Tim was unaware that the hadrosaurs were truly diminutive. Rather, it was simply that the apatosaurs were of such immense proportions. Their minuscule heads reached an astonishing height of fifty feet into the sky, gracefully extending from their elongated necks.

“The big animals you see are commonly called Brontosaurus,” the recording said, “but they are actually Apatosaurus. They weigh more than thirty tons. That means a single animal is as big as a whole herd of modern elephants. And you may notice that their preferred area, alongside the lagoon, is not swampy. Despite what the books say, brontosaurs avoid swamps. They prefer dry land.”

"Brontosaurus is the biggest dinosaur, Lex," Ed Regis stated. Tim refrained from contradicting him.

In the presence of the apatosaurs, the smaller hadrosaurs elegantly stood on their hind legs to access the foliage. Despite their immense size, they moved with remarkable grace. Several juvenile hadrosaurs playfully scurried around the adult dinosaurs, feasting on the leaves that cascaded from the mouths of their larger counterparts.

“The dinosaurs of Jurassic Park don’t breed,” the recording said. “The young animals you see were introduced a few months ago, already hatched. But the adults nurture them anyway.”

There emanated the resonant rumble of thunder. The heavens appeared dimmer, closer, and portentous.

"Yeah, it looks like rain, alright," Ed Regis remarked.

Carter cast a disdainful glance.

"Believe me, we are well aware," Carter replied.

The vehicle commenced its forward motion, and Tim glanced back at the hadrosaurs. Abruptly, to his side, he espied a swiftly moving creature of pale yellow hue. Brownish stripes adorned its dorsal region. He promptly identified it.

“Hey!” Tim shouted. “Stop the car!”

“What is it?” Asked Ed Regis.

“Quick! Stop the car!” Tim insisted with a shout.

“We move on now to see the last of our great prehistoric animals, the stegosaurs,” the recorded voice said.

“What’s the matter, Tim?” Carter inquired, looking at Tim over her shoulder.

“I saw one! I saw one in the field out there!” Tim exclaimed.

“Saw what?” Applejack Inquired.

“A raptor! In that field!” Tim responded, gesturing towards the location where he last spotted the creature.

“R-Raptor?” Fluttershy stammered, immediately hiding under her mane.

“The stegosaurs are a mid-Jurassic animal, evolving about a hundred and seventy million years ago,” the recording continued. “Several of these remarkable herbivores live here at Jurassic Park.”

“Oh, I don’t think so, Tim,” Ed Regis interjected. “Not a raptor.”

Tim frantically shook his head. “I did! Stop the car!”

There was a commotion on the intercom, as the news was conveyed to Grant and Malcolm. “Tim says he saw a raptor.”

“Where?” Inquired Grant.

“Back at the field.” Ed Regis responded.

“Let’s go back and look.” Grant suggested.

“We can’t go back,” Ed Regis regretfully explained. “We can only go forward. The cars are programmed.”

“We can’t go back?” Grant questioned.

“No,” confirmed Regis. “Sorry. You see, it’s kind of a ride—”

“Tim, this is Professor Malcolm,” a voice interrupted through the intercom. “I have just one question for you about this raptor. How old would you say it was?”

“Older than the babies we saw today,” Tim responded. “And younger than the big adults in the pen. The adults were six feet tall. This one was about half that size.”

“That’s fine,” Malcolm acknowledged.

“I only saw it for a second,” Tim added.

“I’m sure it wasn’t a raptor,” Ed Regis interjected. “It couldn’t possibly be a raptor. Must have been one of the othys. They’re always jumping their fences. We have a hell of a time with them.”

Carter arched a brow at Ed Regis.

“And you’re positive about that?” Carter asked, folding her arms. Ed Regis nodded.

“Yes,” Ed Regis replied.

“I know I saw a raptor,” Tim insisted.

“I’m hungry,” Lex complained, her voice tinged with a hint of whining.

There was a brief delay as Andre's brain processed the child's words before ultimately silencing him. He gazed into the vast expanse of space, his thoughts conjuring dreadful images of a velociraptor leaping upon him from the foliage and rendering him apart while he remained immobilized and defenseless on the ground. In the midst of his screams as he was devoured alive, he shuddered.

Andre could not fathom a more dreadful demise than being consumed while still alive. He was well aware that there would be no deliverance from an animal attack; claws would sever his tendons, fangs would strip away his flesh, and his bones would be pulverized like chalk between the grinding jaws. The thought of that alone frightened him.

In the control room, Arnold turned to Wu.

“What do you think the kid saw?” Arnold asked.

“I think it must have been an othy.” Wu responded.

Arnold nodded. “We have trouble tracking othys, because they spend so much time in the trees.”

George chimed. “Yeah, computers were constantly losing and picking up the othys, they usually go into the trees and come down again.”

Andre glared at the ground.

“That does not inspire confidence in me.” Said Andre under his breath.

“What burns me,” Hammond stated, “is that we have made this wonderful park, this fantastic park, and our very first visitors are going through it like accountants, just looking for problems. They aren’t experiencing the wonder of it at all.”

“That’s their problem,” Arnold responded. “We can’t make them experience wonder.”

The intercom clicked, and Arnold heard a voice drawl.

“Ah, John, this is Anne B over at the dock. We haven’t finished offloading, but I’m looking at that storm pattern south of us. I’d rather not be tied up here if this chop gets any worse.”

Arnold turned to the monitor showing the cargo vessel, which was moored at the dock on the east side of the island. He pressed the radio button.

“How much left to do, Jim?” Arnold asked.

“Just the three final equipment containers. I haven’t checked the manifest, but I assume you can wait another two weeks for it. We’re not well berthed here, you know, and we are one hundred miles offshore.” Jim responded.

“You requesting permission to leave?” Hammond asked.

“Yes, John.”

“I want that equipment,” Hammond said. “That’s equipment for the labs. We need it.”

“Yes,” Arnold acknowledged. “But you didn’t want to put money into a storm barrier to protect the pier. So we don’t have a good harbor. If the storm gets worse, the ship will be pounded against the dock. I’ve seen ships lost that way. Then you’ve got all the other expenses, replacement of the vessel plus salvage to clear your dock … and you can’t use your dock until you do.…”

Hammond gave a dismissing wave. “Get them out of there.”

“Permission to leave, Anne B,” Arnold said, into the radio.

“See you in two weeks,” Jim said.

On the video monitor, they saw the crew on the decks, casting off the lines. Arnold turned back to the main console bank. He saw the Land Cruisers moving through fields of steam.

“Where are they now?” Hammond said.

“It looks like the south fields,” Arnold said. The southern end of the island had more volcanic activity than the north. “That means they should be almost to the stegos. I’m sure they’ll stop and see what Harding is doing.”

Andre redirected his gaze back to the screen.

Upon the cessation of the Land Cruiser's motion, Twilight Sparkle and Ellie Sattler directed their gaze through the ethereal wisps of steam, fixating upon the stegosaurus. Serenely, it stood, devoid of any movement. Adjacent to the creature, a Jeep adorned with a crimson stripe was stationed.

“I have to admit, that’s a funny-looking animal,” Malcolm remarked.

The stegosaurus measured a length of twenty feet, boasting a substantial and robust physique adorned with vertical armor plates along its dorsal region. Its tail, adorned with menacing three-foot spikes, exuded an air of danger. However, the creature's neck gracefully narrowed, leading to a remarkably diminutive head that possessed a rather foolish expression, reminiscent of a particularly unintelligent equine. As they watched, a man walked around from behind the animal.

“That’s our vet, Dr. Harding,” Regis said, over the radio. “He’s anesthetized the stego, which is why it’s not moving. It’s sick.”

Grant had already disembarked from the vehicle, hastening his steps towards the immobile stegosaur. Twilight and Ellie alighted from the car and glanced behind them, observing the arrival of the second Land Cruiser, from which Twilight's friends, the two children, and the adults promptly emerged.

“Oh my goodness.” Fluttershy said breathlessly.

“What’s he sick with?” Tim asked.

“They’re not sure,” Ellie replied.

The great leathery plates along the stegosaur’s spine drooped slightly. It breathed slowly, laboriously, making a wet sound with each breath.

“Is it contagious?” Lex asked.

They proceeded towards the diminutive head of the creature, where Grant and the veterinarian were positioned on their knees, peering into the stegosaur's oral cavity.

Lex wrinkled her nose. “This thing sure is big,” she said. “And smelly.”

“Yes, it is.” Ellie acknowledged. She had already detected the stegosaur's peculiar scent, reminiscent of decaying fish. It triggered a sense of familiarity within her, yet she struggled to place it precisely. Nevertheless, she had never encountered such an aroma from a stegosaur before. Perhaps it was a distinctive characteristic of this particular species. However, she harbored doubts. Typically, herbivores did not possess a strong scent, nor did their excrement. Such potent odors were typically associated with carnivorous creatures.

“Is that because it’s sick?” Lex asked.

“Maybe,” Twilight replied. “And don’t forget the vet tranquilized it.”

“Poor thing,” Fluttershy expressed with genuine concern.

“Ellie, have a look at this tongue,” Grant requested.

The dark purple tongue dangled listlessly from the animal's mouth. The veterinarian illuminated it with a light, allowing her to observe the exceedingly delicate silvery blisters.

“Microvesicles,” Ellie remarked, her interest piqued. “Interesting.”

“We’ve had a difficult time with these stegos,” the veterinarian disclosed. “They’re always getting sick.”

“What are the symptoms?” Ellie inquired, as she delicately grazed the tongue with her fingernail. A transparent liquid oozed from the ruptured blisters.

“Ugh,” Lex was disgusted.

“Imbalance, disorientation, labored breathing, and massive diarrhea,” Harding said. “Seems to happen about once every six weeks or so.”

“They feed continuously?” Twilight inquired.

“Oh yes,” Harding replied. “Animals this size has to take in a minimum of five or six hundred pounds of plant matter daily just to keep going. They’re constant foragers.”

“Then it’s not likely to be poisoning from a plant,” Ellie stated.

“Exactly,” the veterinarian concurred.

“May I?” Ellie politely requested, as she accepted the flashlight from the veterinarian. She shone the light in the stegosaur’s eye. “Do you have pupillary effects from the tranquilizer?”

“Yes. There’s a miotic effect, pupils are constricted.”

Twilight looked down and stared at the stegosaur’s eyes. She pointed her hoof at the animal’s eyes and turned her gaze towards Harding.

“But these pupils are dilated,” Twilight remarked.

Harding observed the stegosaur's eyes. There was no doubt about it: the pupil remained dilated, unaffected by the presence of light.

“I’ll be damned,” he responded. “That’s a pharmacological effect.”

“Yes,” Ellie replied, regaining her footing and surveying their surroundings. “What is the animal’s range?”

“About five square miles.” He replied.

“In this general area?” Twilight inquired. They found themselves in an open meadow, adorned with scattered rocky formations and occasional wisps of steam emanating from the ground. The late afternoon cast a pink hue beneath the overcast sky.

“Their range is mostly north and east of here,” Harding said. “But when they get sick, they’re usually somewhere around this particular area.”

It was an interesting puzzle, Ellie thought, how to explain the periodicity of the poisoning?

Ellie pointed across the field. “You see those low, delicate-looking bushes?”

“West Indian lilac.” Harding nodded. “We know it’s toxic. The animals don’t eat it.”

“You’re sure?” Twilight probed, raising a brow at Harding.

“Yes. We monitor them on video, and I’ve checked droppings just to be certain. The stegos never eat the lilac bushes.”

“They don’t eat it,” the veterinarian said.

“Interesting,” Ellie remarked. “Because otherwise I would have said that this animal shows all the classic signs of Melia toxicity: stupor, blistering of the mucous membranes, and pupillary dilatation.” She set off toward the field to examine the plants more closely, her body bent over the ground. “You’re right,” she acknowledged. “Plants are healthy, no sign of being eaten. None at all.”

“And there’s the six-week interval,” the veterinarian reminded her.

“The stegosaurs come here how often?” Carter spoke up with a question.

“About once a week,” he responded. “Stegos make a slow loop through their home-range territory, feeding as they go. They complete the loop in about a week.”

“But they’re only sick once every six weeks?” Applejack asked.

“Correct,” Harding affirmed.

“This is boring,” remarked Lex.

“Ssshh,” Tim hissed. “Dr. Sattler’s trying to think.”

Applejack chuckled softly and gently patted Lex’s shoulder.

“Ah’m sure we won’t be here for long.” Applejack assured.

“I hope so.” Carter looked at the far away dark clouds over her shoulder. “Those clouds are getting closer.”

“Unsuccessfully,” Ellie stated, venturing further out into the field.

In the distance, she could hear Lex asking, “Anybody want to play a little pickle?”

Twilight gazed downwards, her eyes fixed upon the ground. The field, in numerous places, was adorned with rocky terrain. The distant sound of the surf reached her ears, originating from somewhere to the left. Amongst the rocks, there were berries scattered about. It crossed her mind that the animals in the vicinity might be feasting on these berries. However, such a notion seemed illogical, for the West Indian lilac berries were known to possess an intensely bitter taste.

“Finding anything?” Grant inquired, coming up to join her.

Ellie let out a weary sigh. “Just rocks,” she responded. “We must be near the beach, because all these rocks are smooth. And they’re in funny little piles.”

“Funny little piles?” Grant echoed, seeking clarification.

“All over. There’s one pile right there.” She pointed.

As soon as she did, she realized what she was looking at. The rocks were worn, but it had nothing to do with the ocean. These rocks were heaped in small piles, almost as if they had been thrown down that way.

They were piles of gizzard stones.

“Gizzard stones,” Grant said.

“I think so, yes. They swallow these stones, and after a few weeks the stones are worn smooth, so they regurgitate them, leaving this little pile, and swallow fresh stones. And when they do, they swallow berries as well. And get sick.”

Twilight glanced up at Grant.

“What are Gizzard stones?” Twilight asked.

“A Gizzard stone is a rock held inside a gastrointestinal tract. Gastroliths in some species are retained in the muscular gizzard and used to grind food in animals lacking suitable grinding teeth.” Ellie explained.

“I’ll be damned,” Grant responded. “I’m sure you’re right.”

He gazed upon the collection of stones, delicately sifting through them with his hand, guided by the intuition of a seasoned paleontologist.

Subsequently, he came to a halt.

“Ellie,” he said. “Take a look at this.”

Bobbie Carter departed from the collective and proceeded towards Gennaro and Malcolm. She observed Gennaro propelling a ball towards Lex, and audibly perceived the resounding impact against the leather. As she approached, she arrived just in time to overhear Malcolm engaging in conversation with Gennaro.

“It has nothing to do with me, I assure you. The concept at hand is chaos theory. However, I have observed that nobody seems inclined to lend an ear to the implications of the mathematics involved,” Malcolm stated. “These implications, I must emphasize, have far-reaching consequences for human existence. Consequences that surpass the magnitude of Heisenberg's principle or Gödel's theorem, which are often discussed at length. Those particular principles, if I may say so, are rather academic and philosophical in nature. Chaos theory, on the other hand, pertains to the intricacies of everyday life.”

“No,” Gennaro said.

“Burn it in there,” Lex yelled.

“Computers were built in the late 1940s because mathematicians like John von Neumann thought that if you had a computer—a machine to handle a lot of variables simultaneously—you would be able to predict the weather. Weather would finally fall to human understanding. And men believed that dream for the next forty years. They believed that prediction was just a function of keeping track of things. If you knew enough, you could predict anything. That’s been a cherished scientific belief since Newton.”

“And?”

“Chaos theory throws it right out the window. It says that you can never predict certain phenomena at all. You can never predict the weather more than a few days away. All the money that has been spent on long-range forecasting—about half a billion dollars in the last few decades—is money wasted. It’s a fool’s errand. It’s as pointless as trying to turn lead into gold. We look back at the alchemists and laugh at what they were trying to do, but future generations will laugh at us the same way. We’ve tried the impossible—and spent a lot of money doing it. Because in fact there are great categories of phenomena that are inherently unpredictable.”

“Chaos says that?” Carter inquired. Malcolm shifted his gaze towards Carter with a smile.

“Yes, and it is astonishing how few people care to hear it,” Malcolm stated. “I gave all this information to Hammond long before he broke ground on this place. You’re going to engineer a bunch of prehistoric animals and set them on an island? Fine. A lovely dream. Charming. But it won’t go as planned. It is inherently unpredictable, just as the weather is.”

“You told him this?” Gennaro inquired.

“Yes. I also told him where the deviations would occur. Obviously the fitness of the animals to the environment was one area. This stegosaur is a hundred million years old. It isn’t adapted to our world. The air is different, the solar radiation is different, the land is different, the insects are different, the sounds are different, the vegetation is different. Everything is different. The oxygen content is decreased. This poor animal’s like a human being at ten thousand feet altitude. Listen to him wheezing.”

Gennaro raised a brow at the mathematician. “And the other areas?”

“Broadly speaking, the ability of the park to control the spread of life-forms. Because the history of evolution is that life escapes all barriers. Life breaks free. Life expands to new territories. Painfully, perhaps even dangerously.” Malcolm shook his head. “I don’t mean to be philosophical, but there it is.”

Carter arched a brow at Malcolm.

“So what are you implying?” Carter inquired, placing her hands on her hips.

“Well, I'm simply saying that life... uh, finds a way.” Malcolm replied.

Carter glanced behind her, observing Ellie, Grant, and Twilight positioned across the field. Grant and Ellie vigorously waved their arms and called out. Carter guided the group towards them and paused to witness Grant clutching a small white fragment in his hand.

“It’s not very impressive,” Gennaro remarked. He held the white fragment, no larger than a postage stamp, up on his fingertip in the fading light. “You sure about this, Alan?”

“Absolutely sure,” Grant affirmed. “What gives it away is the patterning on the interior surface, the interior curve. Turn it over and you will notice a faint pattern of raised lines, making roughly triangular shapes.”

“Yes, I see them.”

“Well, I’ve dug out two eggs with patterns like that at my site in Montana.”

“You’re saying this is a piece of dinosaur eggshell?”

“Absolutely,” Grant replied.

Harding shook his head. “These dinosaurs can’t breed.”

“Evidently they can, Mr. Harding,” Twilight interjected.

“That must be a bird egg,” Harding asserted. “We have literally dozens of species on the island.”

Grant shook his head. “Look at the curvature. The shell is almost flat. That’s from a very big egg. And notice the thickness of the shell. Unless you have ostriches on this island, it’s a dinosaur egg.”

“But they can’t possibly breed,” Harding insisted. “All the animals are female.”

“All I know,” Grant stated, “is that this is a dinosaur egg.”

Malcolm inquired, “Can you tell the species?”

“Yes,” Grant responded. “It’s a velociraptor egg.”

“Absolutely absurd!”

Hammond slammed his cane on the floor as he listened to the report over the radio.

“It must be a bird egg. That’s all it can be.”

The radio crackled. He heard Twilight’s voice. “Why don’t we do a little test? Can you ask Mr. Arnold to run one of his computer tallies.”

“Now?”

“Yes.”

“No problem,” Arnold said. A moment later, the screen in the control room printed out:

“I hope you’re satisfied,” Hammond said. “Are you receiving it down there on your screen?”

“We see it,” Malcolm said.

“Everything accounted for, as always.” He couldn’t keep the satisfaction out of his voice.

“Now then,” Malcolm said. “Can you have the computer search for a different number of animals?”

“Like what?” Arnold was confused.

“Try two hundred thirty-nine.”

“Just a minute,” Arnold said, frowning. A moment later the screen printed:

Hammond sat forward. “What the hell is that?”

“We picked up another compy.”

“From where?”

“I don’t know!”

The radio crackled. “Now, then: can you ask the computer to search for, let us say, three hundred animals?”

“What is he talking about?” Hammond demanded, his voice rising. “Three hundred animals? What’s he talking about?”

“Just a minute,” Arnold said. “That’ll take a few minutes.”

He punched buttons on the screen. The first line of the totals appeared:

239

“I don’t understand what he’s driving at,” Hammond said.

“I’m afraid I do,” Arnold said. He watched the screen. The numbers on the first line were clicking:

244

“God,” George said breathlessly.

“Two hundred forty-four?” Hammond repeated. “What’s going on?”

“The computer is counting the animals in the park,” Wu said. “All the animals.”

“I thought that’s what it always did.” He spun. “Nedry! Have you screwed up again?”

“No,” Nedry said, looking up from his console. “Computer allows the operator to enter an expected number of animals, in order to make the counting process faster. But it’s a convenience, not a flaw.”

“He’s right,” Arnold said. “We just always used the base count of two hundred thirty-eight because we assumed there couldn’t be more.”

262

“Wait a minute,” Hammond said. “These animals can’t breed. The computer must be counting field mice or something.”

“I think so, too,” Arnold said. “It’s almost certainly an error in the visual tracking. But we’ll know soon enough.”

Hammond turned to Wu. “They can’t breed, can they?”

“No,” Wu replied.

Total Animals - 270

“Where are they coming from?” Arnold asked.

“Damned if I know,” Wu replied.

They watched the numbers ascending a bit higher.

283

Over the radio, they heard Gennaro curse, “Holy shit, how much more?”

“Language! There’s kids here!” Applejack shouted over the radio.

And they heard the girl whining. “I’m getting hungry. When are we going home?”

“Pretty soon, Lex.” Ed Regis replied from the com.

On the screen, there was a flashing error message:

ERROR: Search Params: 300 Animals Not Found

“An error,” Hammond said, nodding. “I thought so. I had the feeling all along there must be an error.”

But a moment later the screen printed:

The radio crackled.

“Now you see the flaw in your procedures,” Malcolm stated. “You only tracked the expected number of dinosaurs. You were worried about losing animals, and your procedures were designed to advise you instantly if you had less than the expected number. But that wasn’t the problem. The problem was, you had more than the expected number.”

“Christ,” Arnold exclaimed.

“There can’t be more,” Wu asserted. “We know how many we’ve released. There can’t be more than that.”

“And yet their increasing numbers said otherwise, doc,” Andre interjected.

“Indeed,” Malcolm concurred. “They’re breeding.”

“No.” Hammond refused to believe it.

“Mr. Hammond, please understand, even if you don’t accept Grant’s eggshell, you can prove it with your own data. Take a look at the compy height graph. Arnold will put it up for you.” Twilight said.

A white graph popped up on screen, showcasing recent numbers of the promcomsognathids population. Everyone in the control room gazed up at the screen.

“Notice anything about it?” Malcolm inquired.

“It’s a Gaussian distribution,” Wu responded. “Normal curve.”

“If I recall correctly, you mentioned that the compys were introduced in three distinct groups, with six-month intervals,” Twilight interjected.

“Yes, that is correct…” Wu replied, not sure where she was going with this.

“In that case, one would expect to observe distinct peaks on the graph, corresponding to each of the three separate batches that were introduced,” Malcolm explained, tapping the keyboard. “Allow me to demonstrate.”

Another white graph popped up on screen. Revealing three high percentages of the animal population. Andre felt sweat running down his forehead.

“You didn’t get this graph,” Malcolm said. “The graph you actually got is a graph of a breeding population. Your compys are breeding.”

Wu shook his head. “I don’t see how.”

“They’re breeding, and so are the othnielia, the maiasaurs, the hypsys—and the velociraptors.” Twilight explained.

“Christ,” Muldoon said. “There are raptors free in the park.”

“Well, it’s not that bad,” Hammond said, looking at the screen. “We have increases in just three categories—well, five categories. Very small increases in two of them …”

“What are you talking about?!” Andre shouted, rounding at the elder. “Don’t you know what this means?”

“Of course I know what this means, Andre,” Hammond said. “It means Henry screwed up.”

“Absolutely not.” Said Wu, glaring at Hammond.

“You’ve got breeding dinosaurs out there, Doctor Wu.” Twilight said over the radio.

“But they’re all female,” Wu said. “It’s impossible. There must be a mistake. And look at the numbers. A small increase in the big animals, the maiasaurs and the hypsys. And big increases in the number of small animals. It just doesn’t make sense. It must be a mistake.”

The radio clicked.

“Actually not,” Grant said. “I think these numbers confirm that breeding is taking place. In seven different sites around the island.”

The sky was becoming darker, and in the distance, the sound of thunder could be heard. Twilight and the others leaned against the doors of the Jeep, their attention fixed on the screen displayed on the dashboard.

“Breeding sites?” Wu inquired, over the radio.

“Nests,” Grant replied. “Assuming the average clutch is eight to twelve hatching eggs, these data would indicate the compys have two nests. The raptors have two nests. The othys have one nest. And the hypsys and the maias have one nest each.”

“Where are these nests?”

“We’ll have to find them,” Twilight stated. “Dinosaurs build their nests in secluded places.”

“But why are there so few big animals?” Wu pondered. “If there is a maia nest of eight to twelve eggs, there should be eight to twelve new maias. Not just one.”

“That’s right,” Grant concurred. “Except that the raptors and the compys that are loose in the park are probably eating the eggs of the bigger animals—and perhaps eating the newly hatched young, as well.”

“But we’ve never seen that,” Arnold said, over the radio.

“Raptors are nocturnal,” he responded. “Is anyone watching the park at night?”

A prolonged silence ensued, indicating the absence of such surveillance.

“I didn’t think so,” Grant acknowledged.

“It still doesn’t make sense,” Wu interjected. “You can’t support fifty additional animals on a couple of nests of eggs.”

“No,” Grant replied. “I assume they are eating something else as well. Perhaps small rodents. Mice and rats?”

Another silence ensued.

“Let me guess,” Grant proposed. “When you first came to the island, you had a problem with rats. But as time passed, the problem faded away.”

“Yes. That’s true.…”

“And you never thought to investigate why?”

“Well, we just assumed…” Arnold trailed off.

“Are you joking?” Carter interjected, her tone rising a bit. “There was a rat problem on this island. You guys have like, what, two wardens? And yet not a single one of you thought to investigate the entire park? You just assumed it would fade away on its own?! That is foolish thinking, even from you people!”

Applejack nodded in agreement.

“When a small part of the forest is on fire, y’all don’t just turn a blind’ eye and walk along; you put out the fire before it spreads. If y’all don’t, the entire forest will be set ablaze, until there’s nothin’ left but ash.” Applejack said, narrowing her eyes on the radio.

“Look,” Wu interjected, “the fact remains, all the animals are female. They can’t breed.”

Grant had been thinking about that. He had recently learned of an intriguing West German study that he suspected held the answer.

“When you made your dinosaur DNA,” Grant questioned, “you were working with fragmentary pieces, is that right?”

“Yes,” Wu replied.

Twilight chimed. “In order to make a complete strand, were you ever required to include DNA fragments from other species?”

“Occasionally, yes,” Wu responded. “It’s the only way to accomplish the job. Sometimes we included avian DNA, from a variety of birds, and sometimes reptilian DNA.”

“Any amphibian DNA? Specifically, frog DNA?” Twilight probed.

“Possibly. I’d have to check.”

“Check,” Grant said. “I think you’ll find that holds the answer.”

Malcolm echoed, “Frog DNA? Why frog DNA?”

Gennaro interjected impatiently, “Listen, this is all very intriguing, but we’re forgetting the main question: have any animals gotten off the island?”

Grant gestured to the screen. “We can’t tell from these data.”

“Then how are we going to find out?” Carter asked, placing her hands on her hips.

“There’s only one way I know,” Grant said. “We’ll have to find the individual dinosaur nests, inspect them, and count the remaining egg fragments. From that we may be able to determine how many animals were originally hatched. And we can begin to assess whether any are missing.”

“Even so, you won’t know if the missing animals are killed, or dead from natural causes, or whether they have left the island.” Malcolm said.

“No,” Grant said, “but it’s a start. And I think we can get more information from an intensive look at the population graphs.”

“How are we going to find these nests?” Twilight asked.

“Actually,” Grant said, “I think the computer will be able to help us with that.”

“Can we go back now?” Lex whined. “I’m hungry.”

“Yes, let’s go,” Grant said, smiling at her. “You’ve been very patient.”

“You’ll be able to eat in about twenty minutes,” Ed Regis assured, starting toward the two Land Cruisers.

“I’ll stay for a while,” Ellie said, “and get photos of the stego with Dr. Harding’s camera. Those vesicles in the mouth will have cleared up by tomorrow.”

“I want to get back,” said Grant. “I’ll go with the kids.”

“I will, too,” added Malcolm.

“I think I’ll stay,” said Gennaro, “and go back with Harding in his Jeep, with Dr. Sattler.”

“Fine, let’s go.” Grant rolled his eyes.

Twilight was about to follow behind Grant and Malcolm, until she saw Fluttershy rooted next to Sattler. She could clearly see a bit of paranoia in her countenance. She only ever made that face whenever she was both scared and worried.

Twilight approached Fluttershy with a smile.

“Fluttershy, why don’t you stay with Doctor Sattler,” Twilight said, looking between her friend and Ellie. “Keep her company while we’re gone.”

Fluttershy perked up and shifted her gaze towards Twilight.

“Oh, um, are you sure?” Fluttershy asked. Applejack stepped up beside Twilight.

“Yup, y’all go on ahead. We’ll catch up once the tour is over.” Applejack interjected, beaming at the pegasus with a wink. The trio embraced with a hug and departed, walking back towards the vessels.

Grant glanced down at Twilight.

“Your friend okay?” Grant asked with a raised brow. Twilight nodded.

“Yeah, she’s just on edge,” Twilight replied.

Malcolm glanced at Grant.

“Why exactly is our lawyer staying?” Malcolm asked.

Grant shrugged. “I think it might have something to do with Dr. Sattler.”

“Really? The shorts, you think?”

“It’s happened before,” Grant said.

Once they came to the Land Cruisers, Tim raised his hand.

“I want to ride in the front one this time, with Dr. Grant.” Announced Tim, beaming at Grant and Malcolm.

Malcolm turned to face Tim.

“Unfortunately, Dr. Grant and I need to talk.” Malcolm said, gesturing his hand to the latter beside him.

“I’ll just sit and listen. I won’t say anything,” Tim insisted.

“It’s a private conversation,” Malcolm said.

“Tell you what, Tim,” Ed Regis said. “Let them sit in the rear car by themselves. We’ll sit in the front car, and you can use the night-vision goggles. Have you ever used night-vision goggles, Tim? They’re goggles with very sensitive CCDs that allow you to see in the dark.”

“Neat,” he said, and moved toward the first car.

“Hey!” Lex called. “I want to use it, too.”

“No,” Tim said.

“No fair! No fair! You get to do everything, Timmy!”

Applejack stepped between the two to defuse the growing sibling fight. Carter chuckled out of amusement at the scene before her. Ed Regis watched Grant and Malcolm go in the vehicle and shook his head.

“I can see what the ride back is going to be like.” He said under his breath.

Grant and Malcolm climbed into the second car. A few raindrops spattered the windshield.

“Let’s get going,” Ed Regis said. “I’m about ready for dinner. And I could do with a nice banana daiquiri. What do you say, folks? Daiquiri sounds good?” He pounded the metal panel of the car. “See you back at camp,” he said, and he started running toward the first car, and climbed aboard.

A red light on the dashboard blinked. With a soft electric whirr, the Land Cruisers started off.

Driving back in the fading light, Malcolm seemed oddly subdued. Which prompted Grant to raise a brow at him. Twilight distracted herself by scribbling her new page in the notebook.

“You must feel vindicated. About your theory.” Grant spoke up. Malcolm glanced at Grant.

“As a matter of fact, I’m feeling a bit of dread. I suspect we are at a very dangerous point.”

“Why?”

“Intuition.”

“Do mathematicians believe in intuition?”

“Absolutely. Very important, intuition. Actually, I was thinking of fractals,” Malcolm said. “You know about fractals?”

Grant shook his head. “Not really, no.”

“Fractals are a kind of geometry, associated with a man named Mandelbrot. Unlike ordinary Euclidean geometry that everybody learns in school—squares and cubes and spheres—fractal geometry appears to describe real objects in the natural world. Mountains and clouds are fractal shapes. So fractals are probably related to reality. Somehow.”

“Well, Mandelbrot found a remarkable thing with his geometric tools. He found that things looked almost identical at different scales.”

“At different scales?” Grant inquired.

“For example,” Malcolm said, “a big mountain, seen from far away, has a certain rugged mountain shape. If you get closer, and examine a small peak of the big mountain, it will have the same mountain shape. In fact, you can go all the way down the scale to a tiny speck of rock, seen under a microscope—it will have the same basic fractal shape as the big mountain.”

“I don’t really see why this is worrying you,” Grant said.

Twilight yawned. She smelled the sulfur fumes of the volcanic steam. They were coming now to the section of road that ran near the coastline, overlooking the beach and the ocean.

“It’s a way of looking at things,” Malcolm said. “Mandelbrot found a sameness from the smallest to the largest. And this sameness of scale also occurs for events.”

“Events?” Twilight repeated, shifting her gaze from her notebook to Malcolm.

“Consider cotton prices,” Malcolm said. “There are good records of cotton prices going back more than a hundred years. When you study fluctuations in cotton prices, you find that the graph of price fluctuations in the course of a day looks basically like the graph for a week, which looks basically like the graph for a year, or for ten years. And that’s how things are. A day is like a whole life. You start out doing one thing, but end up doing something else, plan to run an errand, but never get there.… And at the end of your life, your whole existence has that same haphazard quality, too. Your whole life has the same shape as a single day.”

“I guess it’s one way to look at things,” Grant said.

“No,” Malcolm said. “It’s the only way to look at things. At least, the only way that is true to reality. You see, the fractal idea of sameness carries within it an aspect of recursion, a kind of doubling back on itself, which means that events are unpredictable. That they can change suddenly, and without warning.”

“Okay…” Grant wasn’t sure where this was going.

“But we have soothed ourselves into imagining sudden change as something that happens outside the normal order of things. An accident, like a car crash. Or beyond our control, like a fatal illness. We do not conceive of sudden, radical, irrational change as built into the very fabric of existence. Yet it is. And chaos theory teaches us,” Malcolm said, “that straight linearity, which we have come to take for granted in everything from physics to fiction, simply does not exist.”

Twilight nodded as she hummed in understanding. “I think I’m following you, Doctor Malcolm - so linearity is an artificial way of viewing the world. Real life isn’t a series of interconnected events occurring one after another like beads strung on a necklace. Life is a series of encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable, devastating way?”

“Bingo,” Malcolm replied, giving the lavender mare a thumbs up. Malcolm sat back in his seat, looking toward the other Land Cruiser, a few yards ahead. “That’s a deep truth about the structure of our universe. But, for some reason, we insist on behaving as if it were not true.”

At that moment, the cars jolted to a stop.

“What’s happened?” Grant said.

Up ahead, they saw the kids in the car, pointing toward the ocean. Offshore, beneath lowering clouds, Grant saw the dark outline of the supply boat making its way back toward Puntarenas.

“Why have we stopped?” Twilight asked, looking between Grant and Malcolm.

“Not sure,” Malcolm replied.

Grant turned on the radio and heard the girl saying excitedly, “Look there, Timmy! You see it, it’s there!”

Malcolm squinted at the boat. “They talking about the boat?”

“Apparently.” Grant replied.

Ed Regis climbed out of the front car and came running back to their window.

“I’m sorry,” he said, “but the kids are all worked up. Do you have binoculars here?”

“For what?” Twilight inquired.

“The little girl says she sees something on the boat. Some kind of animal,” Regis said.

Grant grabbed the binoculars and rested his elbows on the window ledge of the Land Cruiser. He scanned the long shape of the supply ship. It was so dark it was almost a silhouette; as he watched, the ship’s running lights came on, brilliant in the dark purple twilight.

“Do you see anything?” Regis asked.

“No,” Grant replied.

“They’re low down,” Lex said, over the radio. “Look low down.”

Grant tilted the binoculars down, scanning the hull just above the waterline. The supply ship was broad-beamed, with a splash flange that ran the length of the ship. But it was quite dark now, and he could hardly make out details.

“No, nothing …”

“I can see them,” Lex said impatiently. “Near the back. Look near the back!”

“How can she see anything in this light?” Malcolm asked.

“Kids can see,” Grant replied. “They’ve got visual acuity we forgot we ever had.”

He swung the binoculars toward the stern, moving them slowly, and suddenly he saw the animals. They were playing, darting among the silhouetted stern structures. He could see them only briefly, but even in the fading light he could tell that they were upright animals, about two feet tall, standing with stiff balancing tails.

“You see them now?” Twilight asked.

“I see them,” he replied.

“What are they?” Carter asked over the radio.

“They’re raptors,” Grant confirmed. “At least two. Maybe more. Juveniles.”

“Jesus,” Ed Regis said. “That boat’s going to the mainland.”

Malcolm shrugged. “Don’t get excited. Just call the control room and tell them to recall the boat.”

Ed Regis reached in and grabbed the radio from the dashboard. They heard hissing static, and clicks as he rapidly changed channels.

“There’s something wrong with this one,” he said. “It’s not working.”

He ran off to the first Land Cruiser. They saw him duck into it. Then he looked back at them.

“There’s something wrong with both the radios,” he said. “I can’t raise the control room.”

“Then let’s get going,” Grant said.

Along the side of the road, clouds of volcanic steam misted rainbows in the bright quartz lights. Worry washed over Twilight’s face. She was getting a sickening feeling, and she didn’t know why.

“How long does it take the ship to reach the mainland?” Twilight asked into the radio.

“Eighteen hours,” Ed Regis replied. “More or less. It’s pretty reliable.” He glanced at his watch. “It should arrive around eleven tomorrow morning.”

Grant frowned. “You still can’t talk to the control room?”

“Not so far.”

“How about Harding? Can you reach him?” Carter inquired over the radio.

“No, I’ve tried. He may have his radio turned off.” He replied.

Malcolm was shaking his head. “So we’re the only ones who know about the animals on the ship.”

“I’m trying to raise somebody,” Ed Regis said. “I mean, Christ, we don’t want those animals on the mainland.”

“How long until we get back to the base?” Twilight asked, looking out the dark forest behind the window.

“From here, another sixteen, seventeen minutes,” Ed Regis replied.

“At night, the whole road was illuminated by big floodlights. It felt to Grant as if they were driving through a bright green tunnel of leaves. Large raindrops spattered the windshield.

Grant felt the Land Cruiser slow, then stopped. “Now what?”

Lex said, “I don’t want to stop. Why did we stop?”

All the floodlights suddenly went out. The road was plunged into darkness.

“Hey!” Lex cried.

“It’s alright, Lex. Stay calm,” Applejack reassured the girl. “It’s just the lights.”

“Probably just a power outage or something,” Ed Regis said. “I’m sure the lights will be on in a minute.”

“…I don’t like this. Something isn’t right.” Twilight heard Carter say over the radio.

“I’m sure they’ll get the lights back on.” Ed Regis reassured her. Carter was not convinced.

Unbeknownst to the group, a large predator, hidden within the trees, was watching them.

Chapter 16: The Blocked Road

Fluttershy sat in Harding’s gasoline-powered Jeep with worry washing over her countenance. She along with the human trio were staring forward past the windshield flick wipers. In the yellow flare of the headlamps, a big fallen tree blocked the road.

However, the big tree blocking the road was not what worried the timid pegasus. About a few minutes ago, she could’ve sworn she heard a distant loud bellow of a dinosaur from very far away. Fluttershy doesn’t know what species of said dinosaur that roar belongs to, but it sounded big and not friendly.

“Oh damn,” Harding said. “Will you look at that.”

“Must have been the lightning,” Gennaro said. “Hell of a tree.”

“We can’t get past it,” Harding said. “I better tell Arnold in control.” He picked up the radio and twisted the channel dial. “Hello, John. Are you there, John?”

There was nothing but steady hissing static.

“I don’t understand,” he said. “The radio lines seem to be down.”

“It must be the storm,” Gennaro guessed.

“I suppose,” said Harding.

“Try the Land Cruisers,” Ellie suggested.

Harding opened the other channels, but there was no answer.

“Nothing,” he said. “They’re probably back to camp by now, and outside the range of our little set. In any case, I don’t think we should stay here. It’ll be hours before Maintenance gets a crew out here to move that tree.”

He turned the radio off, and put the Jeep into reverse.

“What’re you going to do?” Ellie asked.

“Go back to the turnout, and get onto the maintenance road. Fortunately there’s a second road system,” Harding explained. “We have one road for visitors, and a second road for animal handlers and feed trucks and so on. We’ll drive back on that maintenance road. It’s a little longer. And not so scenic. But you may find it interesting. If the rain lets up, we’ll get a glimpse of some of the animals at night. We should be back in thirty, forty minutes,” Harding said. “If I don’t get lost.”

He turned the Jeep around in the night, and headed south again.

Lightning flashed and every monitor in the control room went black. Arnold sat forward, his body rigid and tense. Of course, all the main power circuits were surge-protected, but Arnold wasn't sure about the modems Nedry was using for his data transmission. Most people didn't know it was possible to blow an entire system through a modem. If the lightning pulse climbed back into the computer through the telephone line, that’ll be it! No more motherboard, no more RAM, no more file server, no more computer.

The screens flickered. And then, one by one, they came back on.

Arnold sighed, and collapsed back in his chair.

He wondered again where Nedry and Andre had gone. Five minutes ago, he’d sent guards to search the building for the two of them. The fat bastard was probably in the bathroom reading a comic book. Andre on the other hand, he wasn’t sure; he doesn’t know the guy that much. But the guards hadn’t come back, and they hadn’t called in.

Five minutes. If Nedry and Andre were in the building, they should have found them by now.

“Somebody took the damned Jeep,” Muldoon said as he and George came back into the room. “Have you talked to the Land Cruisers yet?”

“Can’t raise them on the radio,” Arnold said, “I have to use this, because the main board is down. It’s weak, but it ought to work. I’ve tried on all six channels. I know they have radios in the cars, but they’re not answering.”

“That’s not good,” George said.

“If you two want to go out there, take one of the maintenance vehicles.”

“We would,” Muldoon said, “but they’re all in the east garage, more than a mile from here. Where’s Harding?”

“I assume he’s on his way back.”

“Then he’ll pick up the people in the Land Cruisers on his way?” George inquired.

“I assume so.” Arnold replied.

“Anybody tell Hammond the kids aren’t back yet?” Muldoon asked.

“Hell no,” Arnold replied. “I don’t want that son of a bitch running around here, screaming at me. Everything’s alright, for the moment. The Land Cruisers are just stuck in the rain. They can sit a while, until Harding brings them back. Or until we find Nedry, and make that little bastard turn the systems back on.”

“You can’t get them back on?” George asked.

Arnold shook his head. “I’ve been trying. But Nedry’s done something to the system. I can’t figure out what, but if I have to go into the code itself, that’ll take hours. We need Nedry. We’ve got to find the son of a bitch right away.”

George stared out at the window. The rain was still pouring from outside.

He prayed for everyone, including the pony’s safety.

Nedry unlocked the gate with his bare hands as it swung wide. He went back to the Jeep, drove through the gate, and then walked back to close it behind him. Now he and Andre were inside the park itself, no more than a mile from the east dock. He stepped on the accelerator and hunched forward over the steering wheel, peering through the rain-slashed windshield as he drove the Jeep down the narrow road. He was driving fast—too fast—but they had to keep to their timetable and they were surrounded on all sides by black jungle, but soon they should be able to see the beach and the ocean off to his left.

This damned storm, he thought. It might screw up everything.

Andre folded his arms and glanced at the window. If Dodgson's boat wasn’t waiting for them at the east dock when he and Nedry got there, the whole plan would be ruined. They couldn’t wait very long, or they would be missed back at the control room. The whole idea behind the plan was that they could drive to the east dock, drop off the embryos, and be back in a few minutes, before anyone noticed.

It was a good plan, a clever plan. Nedry had reassured Andre twice that he worked on it carefully, refining every detail. This plan was going to make both of them a million and a half dollars, one point five meg. That was ten years of income in a single tax-free shot, and it was going to change their lives.

Nedry's been damned careful, even to the point of making Andre and Dodgson meet him in the San Francisco Airport at the last minute with an excuse about wanting to see the money. Actually, Nedry wanted to record his conversation with Dodgson, and mention him by name on the tape. Just so that Dodgson wouldn’t forget he owed the rest of the money, Nedry was including a copy of the tape with the embryos. In short, Nedry had thought of everything.

Except this damned storm.

Something dashed across the road, a white flash in his headlights. It looked like a large rat. It scurried into the underbrush, dragging a fat tail. Possum. Amazing that a possum could survive here. You’d think the dinosaurs would get an animal like that.

“Nedry… you’re positive we’re going the right way, right?” Andre asked, glancing at his chubby companion. Nedry waved him off dismissively.

“Oh, yeah, I’m sure.” Nedry replied.

“Had you taken a wrong turn?”

“I don’t think so. I hadn’t seen any forks in the road at all.”

“Then where is the dock?”

“I don’t know! If I’d known we’d be there by now, now would we?”

They came around a corner and saw that the road terminated in a gray concrete barrier, six feet tall and streaked dark with rain. Nedry slammed on the brakes, and the Jeep fishtailed, losing traction in an end-to-end spin, and for a horrified moment the pair thought they were going to smash into the barrier. Nedry knew they were going to smash—and he spun the wheel frantically, and the Jeep slid to a stop, the headlamps just a foot from the concrete wall.

Andre and Nedry paused there, listening to the rhythmic flick of the wipers. The pair took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. He looked back down the road. Nedry obviously took a wrong turn somewhere, much to Andre’s disappointment. They could retrace their steps, but that would take too long.

They’d better try and find out where they were.

Andre and Nedry got out of the Jeep, feeling heavy raindrops spatter their heads. It was a real tropical storm, raining so hard that it hurt. Nedry glanced at his watch, pushing the button to illuminate the digital dial. Six minutes gone.

Where the hell are we? Nedry thought.

Andre walked around the concrete barrier and on the other side, along with the rain, he heard the sound of gurgling water. Could it be the ocean? Nedry hurried behind Andre, his eyes adjusting to the darkness as they went. Dense jungle on all sides. Raindrops slapping on the leaves.

The gurgling sound became louder, drawing the pair forward, and suddenly they came out of the foliage and felt their feet sink into soft earth and saw the dark currents of the river. The river! They were at the jungle river!

Damn, he thought. At the river where?

Andre looked around the dark area. The river ran for miles through the island. He checked his watch. Seven minutes gone.

“You have a problem, Dennis,” Nedry said aloud.

Somewhere in the darkness there was a soft hooting cry in the forest.

Nedry hardly noticed; he was worrying about his plan. The plain fact was that time had run out. There wasn’t a choice any more. He and Andre would have to abandon the original plan. All he could do was go back to the control room, restore the computer, and somehow try to contact Dodgson, to set up the drop at the east dock for the following night. Nedry would have to scramble to make that work, but he thought he could pull it off.

Nedry would have to scramble to make that work, but he thought he could pull it off. The computer automatically logged all calls; after Nedry got through to Dodgson, he’d have to go back into the computer and erase the record of the call. But one thing was sure—he and Andre couldn’t stay out in the park any longer, or their absence would be noticed.

Andre, however, was the only one that noticed the cry. Alarmed by the sudden hoot, Andre scanned their surroundings. Trying to pinpoint the source of the noise. Nedry glanced at Andre and raised a brow at him.

“What’s got you so worked up?” Nedry asked, folding his arms.

Andre glanced back at Nedry.

“You mean you didn’t hear that?” Andre questioned, his tone laced with worry.

“Hear what?” Nedry was bewildered.

Another soft hooting cried once more. Nedry immediately paused, alarmed by the noise. That hadn’t really sounded like an owl. The eerie cry echoed throughout the forest until it gave way to silence. The pair glanced at each other.

“We should head back.” Andre cautioned, gesturing his head towards the vessel not too far from them.

Nedry nodded. “Yeah… let’s go.”

Andre and Nedry started heading toward the glow of the car’s headlights. The pair were drenched and miserable. Then they heard another hooting cry again, and the pair paused. What concerned the two men was that it seemed to be close by, in the jungle somewhere off to their right.

As they listened, Andre and Nedry heard a crashing sound in the underbrush. Then silence. The men waited, and heard it again. It sounded distinctly like something big, moving slowly through the jungle toward them.

A terrifying realization dawned on them.

Something big was heading towards them.

Only one thought came in their minds: get out of there!

Andre and Nedry began to run. They pumped their arms and kicked through the foliage while making a lot of noise as they ran, but even so they could hear the animal crashing through the foliage. The hooting cry trailed after them, ensuing the men to run faster. Andre refused to look back, but he could sense that It was coming closer.

Stumbling over tree roots in the darkness, clawing their way past dripping branches. Andre and Nedry saw the Jeep ahead, and the lights shining around the vertical wall of the barrier made them feel better. In a moment they’d be in the car and then they’d get the hell out of here. The pair scrambled around the barrier and then they froze.

The animal was already there.

But it wasn’t close. The dinosaur stood forty feet away, at the edge of the illumination from the headlamps. Neither Nedry or Andre hadn’t taken the tour, so they hadn’t seen the different types of dinosaurs, but this one was strange-looking. The ten-foot-tall body was yellow with black spots, and along the head ran a pair of red V-shaped crests. The dinosaur didn’t move, but again gave its soft hooting cry.

Nedry and Andre waited to see if it would attack. It didn’t. Perhaps the headlights from the Jeep frightened it, forcing it to keep its distance, like a fire.

The dinosaur stared at the men and then snapped its head in a single swift motion. Nedry felt something smack wetly against his chest. He looked down and saw a dripping glob of foam on his rain-soaked shirt. He touched it curiously, not comprehending:

It was spit.

The dinosaur had spit on him.

Ugh, Nedry thought. Disgusting

Andre briefly stared at the spit Nedry was expecting before redirecting his gaze back at the dinosaur and saw the head snap again. Immediately another wet smack against Nedry’s neck, just above the shirt collar. Andre was shocked at what he saw. It happened so fast he didn’t have time to react.

Andre watched Nedry try to wipe the glob away with his hand. But the skin of his neck was already starting to tingle and burn. And his hand was tingling, too. It was almost like he had been touched with acid. Andre immediately rounded around the car, opened the passenger door and embarked.

“Get in!” Andre shouted. Nedry hesitated.

Nedry opened the car door, glancing back at the dinosaur to make sure it wasn’t going to attack. He barely had time to react, when he felt a sudden, excruciating pain in his eyes, akin to spikes stabbing into the back of his skull. Nedry squeezed his eyes shut and gasped with the intensity of it and threw up his hands to cover his eyes and felt the slippery foam trickling down both sides of his nose.

Spit.

The dinosaur had spit in his eyes.

Then came the pain. Followed by Nedry’s shriek.

Even as he realized it, the pain overwhelmed him, and he dropped to his knees. Disoriented and wheezing. He collapsed onto his side, his cheek pressed to the wet ground, his breath coming in thin whistles through the constant, ever-screaming pain that caused flashing spots of light to appear behind his tightly shut eyelids.

“Nedry!” Shouted Andre, disembarking from the car without thinking and sprinted around to reach him.

Andre turned to his shoulder, and saw the dinosaur taking a step forward. Its footsteps shook the ground akin to a tree falling. Followed by a bone chilling, hooting cry. Despite the pain Nedry forced his eyes open and still he saw nothing but flashing spots against black.

Slowly the realization came to him: he was blind.

The hooting was louder as Nedry scrambled to his feet and staggered back against the side panel of the car, as a wave of nausea and dizziness swept over him. Andre came to his side and helped Nedry up to his feet. He shifted his gaze and saw that the dinosaur was close now, four more steps and they’re dead. Andre grabbed a stick from the ground and waved it in the air for the dinosaur to see.

“See the stick?” Andre waved the stick side-to-side in front of the theropod. “The stick, stupid! Get the stick!”

Andre hurled the stick over the dinosaur’s head, over the forest. The beast turned its head to watch the stick, then looked back to Andre and Nedry. The pair were already sprinting into the jungle, dodging through trees and foliage.

The dinosaur hooted and gave chase.

Andre perceived the conclusion of the forest a few meters beyond a cluster of trees. He came to a halt at the edge of a precipice, and Nedry stumbled alongside him, his heart pounding with trepidation. Their feet sank into soft earth and were greeted by the dark currents of the river again.

“We have to swim!” Andre shouted. Nedry hesitated.

The eerie cry of the dinosaur reached their ears. Andre turned his head towards the end of the forest where the bushes were being smashed through. The sight that met his eyes was that of the beast, with its jaws spread wide, and its teeth glinting in the moonlight.

Subsequently, Nedry and Andre yelped and leapt into the river. The cold shocked them and they thrust their heads out of the water, panting and shivering. Strong current swept them downstream at full speed, the cold water lapping at their faces and necks. They struggled as the water pulled them away from shore, trying to keep themselves afloat.

Andre looked over his shoulder, and saw the dinosaur sprinting along the shore. It didn’t pursue them into the water, and if he had to guess it probably can’t swim. But that didn’t stop it from chasing after them from a safe distance. Wherever the current will take its prey it’ll follow; and it’ll be there waiting for him.

Nedry held on close to Andre for dear life as the current dragged them deeper into the unknown. Both men tried to grab purchase onto anything they could, desperately trying to stay afloat. The river continued pulling them further out, into darker waters, and farther from land. With the sounds of the hooting dinosaur chasing them.

Andre glanced over his shoulder and was shocked when he saw that the dinosaur was gone.

The Jeep screeched to a stop. In the headlamps, Fluttershy saw a herd of apatosaurs lumbering across the road. There were six animals, each the size of a house, and a baby as large as a full-grown horse. The apatosaurs moved in unhurried silence, never looking toward the Jeep and its glowing headlamps. At one point, the baby stopped to lap water from a puddle in the road, then moved on.

A comparable herd of elephants would have been startled by the arrival of a car, would have trumpeted and circled to protect the baby. But these animals showed no fear.

“Don’t they see us?” Fluttershy asked.

“Not exactly, Fluttershy,” Harding replied. “Of course, in a literal sense they do see us, but we don’t really mean anything to them. We hardly ever take cars out at night, and so they have no experience of them. We are just a strange, smelly object in their environment. Representing no threat, and therefore no interest. I’ve occasionally been out at night, visiting a sick animal, and on my way back these fellows blocked the road for an hour or more.”

“What do you do?” Ellie asked

Harding grinned. “Play a recorded tyrannosaur roar. That gets them moving. Not that they care much about tyrannosaurs. These apatosaurs are so big they don’t really have any predators. They can break a tyrannosaur’s neck with a swipe of their tail. And they know it. So does the tyrannosaur.”

Fluttershy frowned at that solution. She didn’t like the idea of scaring the animals off the road. That kind of idea was cruel, and it didn’t sit well with her. Not one bit.

“But they do see us. I mean, if we were to get out of the car…” Ellie said, trailing off.

Harding shrugged. “They probably wouldn’t react. Dinosaurs have excellent visual acuity, but they have a basic amphibian visual system: it’s attuned to movement. They don’t see unmoving things well at all.”

Ellie parted her lips to ask more, until she and the others heard the sound of a door opening. They swung their heads in time to see Fluttershy stepping out through the open door, starting forward towards the group of apatosaurs. Ellie immediately disembarked from the jeep as she saw Fluttershy drawing nearer to the dinosaurs.

“Fluttershy!” Ellie called. “What’re you doing?!”

Fluttershy glanced at Ellie over her shoulder with a smile gracing her lips.

“It’s okay, Mrs. Sattler. I’m just gonna ask them to move aside so we can go through.” Fluttershy said.

Gennaro stared at Fluttershy as if she grew three heads.

“You’re going to talk to the dinosaurs? Are you insane?!” Gennaro was not convinced.

Fluttershy’s smile didn’t wavered.

“It’ll be okay; trust me.” Fluttershy assured, turning away towards the group of apatosaurs. Gennaro and Harding called for Fluttershy, insisting her to come back to the jeep. But their words went deaf ears.

Fluttershy drew a deep breath before slowly making her way back out onto the trail. The lead apatosaur was drinking a small puddle. Fluttershy spread her wings before flapping them once. Lifting herself up in the air. She stopped in front of the giant hadrosaur, mustering up the courage to speak.

“Hello.” Fluttershy greeted softly.

The lead apatosaurus immediately lifted its head up. The animal stared forward at the direction of the sudden voice that greeted it. Even though the apatosaurus couldn’t see Fluttershy, it knew she was there. The five other apatosaurs also shifted their gaze at the direction of Fluttershy’s soft voice.

“We were just on our way until we saw you guys blocking the road,” she began softly, loud enough to be heard but quiet enough so as not to upset the animal. “We’re not here to hurt you, we promise.”

The lead apatosaur let out a short call in response. It was alarmed no longer, now the animal was staring at Fluttershy. Its wide eyes blinked at her.

“I can understand that you’re a bit alarmed, but we’re friends,” Fluttershy continued with a warm smile. “If you like, we’ll give you and your herd plenty of room to pass on by.”

The lead apatosaurus grunted with a nod. Shifting its gaze towards the five members of its herd. He let out a few short grunts before calling loudly. Fluttershy flew back down and rejoined the three humans who had gone silent.

“They’re going to pass by,” she whispered. “Let’s just give them plenty of room.”

Harding repositioned the jeep to the side to allow room for the herd. The herd mobilized once more, and began to plod along the trail. As the lead apatosaurus passed the jeep, he seemed to bow his head with a grunt before leading his herd onwards, an act which Fluttershy subconsciously returned. She and the humans stood absolutely still as the rest of the apatosaurs passed by. They watched the herd make its way down the trail, waiting until they could no longer see them.

“God,” Gennaro breathed softly.

“That was… incredible. Magical even!” Ellie was amazed.

“It was really magical.” Fluttershy had the biggest grin on her face.

Harding turned to look at Fluttershy. “I can’t believe how well it interacted with you. That apatosaur understood you so well.”

“I can hardly believe it myself,” Fluttershy agreed. “Sometimes it takes me a while to understand new species but as soon as I said hello to the big one I knew I could speak to them.”

“Well, at least we have our own little dinosaur whisperer.” Gennaro said.

“Alright, let’s keep going. With the apatosaurs out of the way now, we should proceed forward easily.” Harding said, sliding the key into the ignition then twisted it.

The jeep roared to life and drove forward down the road again. In the backseat of the Jeep, Fluttershy stared out the window. They had been driving through rain-drenched jungle for the last twenty minutes, and had seen nothing since the apatosaurs crossed the road.

“We’re near the jungle river now,” Harding announced, as he drove. “It’s off there somewhere to our left.”

Abruptly he slammed on the brakes again. The car skidded to a stop in front of a flock of small green animals. Fluttershy observed the small creatures in awe and wonderment.

“Well, you’re getting quite a show tonight,” he said. “Those are compys.”

“What are they?” Fluttershy asked

Ellie briefly glanced at Fluttershy before looking back at the small animals.

“Those are Procompsognathids,” Ellie replied. “This was the animal me and Grant had seen in the fax, back in Montana.”

The little dark green procompsognathids scurried to the other side of the road. It squatted on their hind legs to look at the car. The small creature chittered briefly, before hurrying onward into the night.

“Odd,” Harding said. “Wonder where they’re off to? Compys don’t usually move at night, you know. They climb up in a tree and wait for daylight.”

“Then why are they out now?” Fluttershy asked. Ellie turned at Harding, also wanting to know as well.

“I can’t imagine. You know compys are scavengers, like buzzards. They’re attracted to a dying animal, and they have a tremendously sensitive smell. They can smell a dying animal for miles.” Harding replied.

“Then they’re going to a dying animal?” Ellie asked.

“Dying, or already dead.” Harding assumed.

“Should we follow them?” Ellie suggested.

“I’d be curious,” Harding said. “Yes, why not? Let’s go see where they’re going.”

He turned the car around and headed back toward the compys. All the while Fluttershy stared out the window with worry.

She hoped that Twilight, Applejack, and the others were okay.

Chapter 17: Quick Save

George passed the Gallimimus Gift Shop featuring a whole assembly of toys and various collectables with the ‘Jurassic Park’ logo. He soon entered a darkened restaurant, the Cretaceous Café, following the source of the flickering light. A candle burned at a table just in the corner.

John Hammond sat alone at the table. A bucket of ice cream in the middle, and he was eating a dish of it, staring down morosely. George drew up to the table and Hammond glanced up at him. His eyes were puffy, his hair messed up – for the first time seeing him, George could see the fire had diminished from his eyes.

“They were all melting,” Hammond said.

George nodded in understanding as he took his seat. There was a pause for a few minutes between the two, until Hammond broke it.

“You know the first… attraction I ever built when I came down from Scotland?” Hammond explained. “Was a Flea Circus, Petticoat Lane. Really quite wonderful. We had a wee trapeze, a roundabout – a merry-go – what you call it?”

“Carousel,” George answered.

“A carousel – and a seesaw,” Hammond nodded, reminiscing. “They all moved, motorized of course, but people would swear they could see the fleas. ‘I see the fleas, mummy! Can’t you see the fleas?’. Clown fleas, high wire fleas, fleas on parade…”

While the old man trailed off, George looked on. He wasn't sure what state the elderly man was in, but he kept quiet as Hammond rambled on.

“But with this place, I – I wanted to show them something that wasn’t an illusion, something that was real. Something they could… see and touch. An aim not devoid of merit.”

“But you can’t think through this one, John,” George shook his head. “You have to feel it.”

Hammond chuckled and briefly smiled before it fell.

“You’re right, you are absolutely right,” Hammond nodded. “Hiring Nedry was a mistake, that’s obvious. We’re overdependent on automation, I can see that now. Now, the next time, everything’s correctable.”

“Mr. Hammond…” George closed his eyes.

“Creation is an act of sheer will,” Hammond continued. “Next time, it’ll be flawless.

“Mr. Hammond, you’re still building onto that Flea Circus,” George argued. “It’s all an illusion. But instead of removing yourself from said illusion, you’re just adding onto it by what you’re doing on this island.”

“Mark my words, George. When we have control again, we –” Hammond began.

George silenced Hammond by pointing his finger at him.

“You see that? That right there—that’s the problem. You never had control; that’s the illusion,” George said. “Like the others you brought here, I too was overwhelmed by the power of this place. But… I made a mistake too. I didn’t have enough respect for that power, and it’s out now.”

George spread his arms.

“Look around, Hammond. Our people are trying their best to get here and you’re just sitting here trying to pick up the pieces! But you’re failing to realize that there’s nothing worth picking up.” George sighed before continuing. “The only thing that matters now are the people that are hopefully still alive. Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, Dr. Malcolm, Lex, Tim, Carter, Regis, Weller… even the equestrians… John, they’re out there, where people are dying.”

There was a long pause. For a moment Hammond avoided his gaze. But eventually, he did look up at him, and even George could see that his face was different. After saying his piece, George reached out and took a spoon out of one of the buckets of ice cream and licked it.

“It’s good…” George nodded with a smile.

Then finally, the unhappy irony of what Hammond was about to say finally hit home.

“Spared no expense.”

Applejack’s world blurred around her as she charged mindlessly past an endless expanse of trees. The tyrannosaurus bellowed tremendously from behind. The mighty behemoth crashed through the jungle, branches cracked and snapped beneath its bulk. Each methodic footstep made the floor shake, intensifying the already overwhelming situation.

Applejack ran madly through the dripping wet thickets, her face strained with panic. Her natural instincts had taken over, leaving her with no choice but to flee. There was no fighting or hiding; running was her only option. Applejack became increasingly disoriented and lost, straying far from her friends back at the main road. Applejack refused to look back, but she could still sense the dinosaur’s presence.

The T. rex roared with seismic force as it barreled after her through the forest. The rising humidity smothered the cow-mare, her legs bowed, she had been running for what felt like hours and her body was failing her. Applejack proceeded to sprint through the forest, jumping over logs and rocks.

Her vision’s pulse by their throbbing heart-beats. Hundreds of animals were squawking and screaming, tearing apart the treetops as they fled. They were intoxicated by their adrenaline. The crusaders had never exerted herself so vigorously in their lives.

Applejack perceived the conclusion of the forest a few meters beyond a cluster of trees. She came to a halt at the edge of a precipice, and her heart was pounding with trepidation. She peered over the edge and the sight that greeted her was nothing short of breathtaking. The river rushed nearly sixty feet below. The opposite river bank was a waning moon surrounded by mangroves.

The ferocious howl of the tyrannosaur reached Applejack’s ears. She finally glanced over her shoulder towards the end of the forest where the bushes were being smashed through. The sight that met her eyes was that of the tyrannosaur. its jaws spread wide, and its teeth glinting in the moonlight.

Applejack looked back down at the river below and leaped off the cliff. She screamed as gravity wrenched them down. Applejack caught a glimpse of the sky as she fell; charcoal clouds covered the sky as icy needles of rain pecked her face.

It was then that Applejack saw the tyrannosaur had lost its footing and was falling in after her.

Applejack screamed and knifed into the icy water with a frosty splash. She plummeted akin to a stone and slowly bobbed to the surface. Applejack broke through the muffled silence of the water and heard the loud scream of the tyrannosaurus. A shadow fell over the river and the T. rex crashed in with the force of a falling boulder. The river surged and Applejack was dragged underwater towards the thrashing behemoth.

The current pulled Applejack into a whirlpool around the tyrannosaur’s swinging skull. Applejack kicked, and the T. rex caught her in its sights. It snapped at her, cracking its jaws shut just as Applejack was dragging beneath the waves. The world turned muffled and dark. Applejack’s eyes opened to see the tyrannosaur’s short arms slashing feebly.

The T. rex’s head burst beneath the waves and its jaws slammed shut a foot away from Applejack. Bubbles jetted from between its teeth. The force rolled Applejack backwards and she caught a glimpse of the behemoth’s kicking legs.

Applejack kicked to the surface and gasped for air. With her lungs refilled to the brim, she reached for her Stetson, placed it back on her head, and turned towards the shoreline with a kick. The second Applejack reached the shore, she sprinted forward and ran deeper into the forest. She dodged tree after tree, and jumped root after root.

At last her strength began to fade. Her sprinting became a gallop, her gallop a trot. Finally, she had to stop completely. She was panting like crazy. Her chest rose and fell as each breath she took burned through her lungs.

She was tired… so tired.

“Hey!”

Applejack snapped her head up. A black man was hanging on a branch with one hand. His other hand outstretched towards her. The man donned blue jeans, a red crew neck sweatshirt, his feet encased with brown boots with the laces tied together in a loose bow, and his black braided hair hung loosely in a ponytail.

Applejack blinked in surprise. She recognized this man: it was Andre Weller.

“Come on, take my hand!” Andre shouted.

Applejack leapt in the air and wrapped her hoof around Andre’s hand. She wrapped her arms around the man’s neck, and Andre began climbing up the tree. Once they reached the top, Applejack pulled her arms away and set her hooves down.

From far below, she can hear the T. rex roaring from far away.

Applejack shifted her gaze and saw Nedry sitting six feet away from her. He was shivering from head to toe, and Applejack noticed some weird foam on his shirt. His eyes were widened and his pupils purely white. It was almost as if the chubby man’s eyes rolled behind his head.

“What in tarnation?” Applejack was shocked. “What happened to ya..?”

Andre sat down close to Applejack and glanced at her.

“We were attacked,” Andre replied, turning his gaze towards the whimpering fat man. “Attack by some dinosaur; I don’t know what kind it was, but it spat at him and caused him to go blind. We both managed to escape but I didn’t want to continue forward with the possibility that it might find us again. So… that’s why we’re up here.”

Applejack parted her lips to ask, until she and the two men went silent upon hearing a powerful thump.

“W-What was that..?” Nedry stuttered, his tone gripped by terror.

“Shh!” Andre hissed, briefly bringing his finger over his lips before pulling it down.

Applejack and Andre shifted their gaze at the trees’ edge. Something was breathing heavily from over the precipice. The sound was akin to wind rushing through a cave. Applejack and Andre peered over the trees’ edge and caught their breaths when they saw the T. rex standing next to their tree.

The twenty foot tall behemoth slowly circled the clearing. The earth’s floor shook with each methodic footstep. Applejack and Andre felt their minds retract into a primordial lizard’s brain, one only of sensation and reaction. They couldn’t comprehend what they were seeing.

The footsteps stopped and the behemoth hesitated. Applejack and Andre held their breath; hopefully it won’t look up. The air shifted towards the trio, so they were downwind of the beast. It couldn’t smell them, but Applejack was struck by a wave of stench thick with decay and rot. She choked back bile.

If they were downwind, they might be safe. Applejack couldn’t conjure anything other than the hope that they might be safe. All other thoughts had left her.

The tyrannosaurus pushed its snout through the clearing and into the canopy. Its maw hovered high above the forest floor. Stripes of moonlight were painted across its leathery skin. The jaws were big enough to swallow a man whole, and the teeth were like serrated blades.

The behemoth lifted its head and sniffed the air. Its powerful chest chugged with each breath like a mighty engine. Nostrils flexed open and close on the bulbous end of its snout. A deep growl rumbled from the creature’s chest, and the tree tops shivered.

The creature stride deeper inside the jungle and walk away, into the depths of the forest.
Applejack and Andre watched in silence as the tyrannosaur moved through the jungle, as agile as a bird, away and into the darkness. The footsteps gave way to silence.

After a few minutes, the jungle returned to life. Applejack and Andre listened to the nocturnal animals, familiar animals, and the pair exhaled. Their eyes glared white and their entire bodies were shaking. While Andre crawled back to where he originally sat, Applejack stood up and looked around; there weren’t any other towering monsters or other predators nearby.

As long as they stay high up in this tree, they’ll be safe.

For now at least.

Tim Murphy gradually regained consciousness. He was laying in the Land Cruiser with his cheek against the car door handle. The desire for sleep overwhelmed him, but as he shifted, the pain in his cheekbone against the metal door reminded him of his current state. His entire body throbbed with pain, particularly his head, which pulsed with a relentless pounding. The intensity of the pain only heightened his longing for sleep.

He pushed himself up on one elbow, opened his eyes, and retched, vomiting all over his shirt. He tasted sour bile and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. His head throbbed; he felt dizzy and seasick, as if the world were moving, as if he were rocking back and forth on a boat.

Tim groaned, and rolled onto his back, turning away from the puddle of vomit. The pain in his head made him breathe in short, shallow gasps. And he still felt sick, as if everything were moving. He opened his eyes and looked around, trying to get his bearings.

He was inside the Land Cruiser. But the car must have flipped over on its side, because he was lying on his back against the passenger door, looking up at the steering wheel and beyond, at the branches of a tree, moving in the wind. The rain had nearly stopped, but water drops still fell on him through the broken front windshield.

He stared curiously at the fragments of glass. He couldn’t recall how the windshield had broken. Nor couldn’t he remember anything except that they had been parked on the road and he had been talking to Dr. Grant when the tyrannosaur came toward them. That was the last thing he remembered.

Tim clasped a hand over his mouth. He felt sick again, and closed his eyes until the nausea passed. He was aware of a rhythmic creaking sound, like the rigging of a boat. Dizzy and sick to his stomach, he really felt as if the whole car were moving beneath him. But when he opened his eyes again, he saw it was true—the Land Cruiser was moving, lying on its side, swaying back and forth.

The whole car was moving.

Tim tentatively rose to his feet. Standing on the passenger door, he peered over the dashboard, looking out through the shattered windshield. At first he saw only dense foliage, moving in the wind. But here and there he could see gaps, and beyond the foliage, the ground was—

Tim’s eyes grew large and his stomach plummeted.

The ground was twenty feet below him.

Tim stared uncomprehendingly. His legs began to shake. The Land Cruiser was lying on its side in the branches of a large tree, twenty feet above the ground, swaying back and forth in the wind.

Oh man, Tim thought, how am I gonna get down?

Tim stood on his tiptoes and peered out, trying to see better, grabbing the steering wheel for support. The wheel spun free in his hand, and with a loud crack the Land Cruiser shifted position, dropping a few feet in the branches of the tree. He looked down through the shattered glass of the passenger-door window at the ground below.

Oh man, oh man, Tim thought, oh crap, oh crap.

Another loud crack—the Land Cruiser jolted down another foot.

He had to get out of here.

“Tim!”

Tim paused.

Was… was that Twilight’s voice?

He heard multiple footsteps and looked down. Three shapes approached below him. A smile graced upon Tim’s lips when he recognized them. Twilight, Dr. Grant, and Dr. Malcolm glanced up at Tim. They looked happy to see he was okay but also worried.

“I’m here, Mrs. Sparkle!” Tim called, waving his hand.

“Just hang in there, Tim!” Twilight returned. “I’m gonna get you down!”

“How?!” Tim was confused.

From below there was a flash and the lavender blur vanished. In an instant, Tim was assaulted by a bright light that prompted him to shield his eyes. But the light faded as quickly as it had appeared. He brought his arm down to his side, and was shocked when he found Twilight Sparkle standing next to him.

“Hey… are you okay?” Twilight asked, concerned.

“I threw up…” Tim answered weakly.

“That’s okay,” Twilight nodded understandingly. “Listen, just grab onto me. I’ll get us down.”

Tim raised one finger to internally tell Twilight to wait. He climbed through the shattered front windshield into the Land Cruiser and found the night-vision goggles, and the radio. The radio was broken and silent, so he left it behind. But the goggles still worked. He put said goggles over his head, almost without thinking.

Eventually, Tim crouched down and placed his hand on Twilight’s back. Before Tim could prepare himself, his world was engulfed in a flash of purple light. One moment, he and Twilight were high on top of the tree, and in a flash he was now standing before Dr. Grant and Dr. Malcolm.

Grant got down to one knee and placed his hand on Tim’s shoulder.

“Hey Tim… are you alright?” Grant asked, his tone laced with concern.

“Could’ve been better, Dr. Grant…” Tim replied weakly.

Grant, Twilight, and Malcolm stared at Tim with concern. Tim’s nose was swollen and painful; the trio suspected it was broken. His right shoulder was badly bruised and swollen. But his legs seemed to be alright, the kid could walk. That was the important thing.

A terrible realization dawned on Tim.

Lex was not among the trio.

“Hey, wait a minute… where’s Lex?” Tim asked, his face strained with panic. Grant raised both of his hands.

“It’s alright, your sister’s okay,” Grant reassured Tim. “We left her in Carter’s care. Come on, we’ll take you to her.”

Tim flicked his goggles on. He saw the reassuringly familiar phosphorescent green image. Wearing the goggles, he saw the battered fence off to his left, and walked toward it. The fence was twelve feet high, but the tyrannosaur had flattened it easily. Something pale by the side of the road caught Tim’s eye. It was Lex’s baseball.

Tim followed the trio and started to hear someone whimpering. It was faint, and it was coming from somewhere farther up the road. A smile graced his lips once he finally saw Lex.
She was curled up inside a big one-meter drainage pipe that ran under the road. She had her baseball glove in her mouth and she was rocking back and forth, banging her head repeatedly against the back of the pipe. It was dark in there, but he could see her clearly with his goggles. She seemed unhurt, and he felt a great burst of relief.

Carter was also sitting inside the pipe. She had her Stetson hat back on her head. Her hand firmly placed on Lex’s shoulder, gazing at the little girl with genuine concern.

Twilight stepped up to Lex and smiled.

“Lex, we found your brother. He’s right here.” Twilight said, gesturing her head at the boy. Lex didn’t respond.

Tim walked past Twilight and stood outside of the pipe.

“Lex, it’s me. Tim.” Tim whispered gently. Lex didn’t answer as she continued to bang her head on the pipe.

“Come on out.”

She shook her head no. He as well as everyone else could see she was badly frightened.

“Lex,” he said, “if you come out, I’ll let you wear these night goggles.”

She just shook her head.

“Look what I have,” he said, holding up his hand. She stared uncomprehendingly. It was probably too dark for her to see. “It’s your ball, Lex. I found your ball.”

“So what.”

Tim tried another approach. “It must be uncomfortable in there. Cold, too. Wouldn’t you like to come out?”

She resumed banging her head against the pipe.

“Why not?”

“There’s animals out there.”

Tim blinked bewilderingly at Lex. That threw him for a moment. She hadn’t said “animals” for years.

“The animals are gone, sweetie,” Carter reassured her.

Lex still didn’t move. They heard her banging again. Tim sat down in the grass outside the pipe, where she could see him. The ground was wet where he sat. He hugged his knees and waited. He couldn’t think of anything else to do.

“I’m just going to sit here,” he said. “And rest.”
“Is Daddy out there?” Lex asked.

“No,” he answered, feeling strange. “He’s back at home, Lex.”

“Is Mommy?”

“No, Lex.”

“…Applejack?”

Tim blinked in surprise. He stood upright and looked around; he couldn’t find the cow-mare anywhere.

“Now that you’ve mentioned it… where is Applejack?” Tim asked, shifting his gaze at the two adults and lavender equestrian.

Twilight frowned at the ground.

“Applejack led the tyrannosaurus away,” Twilight replied, looking back at Tim. “It all happened while you were unconscious.”

Lex glanced at Twilight over her shoulder.

“Will Applejack be okay..?” Lex asked, looking at Twilight with hopeful eyes. Twilight shifted her gaze towards Lex and smiled.

“Yeah, Applejack’s been through worse. If there’s one thing I know about her, it's that she’s a brave pony,” Twilight replied. “So don’t worry Lex, I’m sure you’ll see her again down the road.”

Lex stared at Twilight for a moment. She briefly glanced at the dirty pipe floor before finally exiting out of said pipe. Shivering with cold, and with dried blood on her forehead, but otherwise all right. Carter trailed after Lex and stood upright beside her.

Carter turned at Twilight.

“So what now?” Carter asked.

“Well, our first priority is to get ourselves back to civilization,” Twilight replied.

“And we’ve got to tell them about the ship.” Grant added.

“We’re the only ones who know?” Tim inquired.

“Yes. We’ve got to get back and tell them.” Grant answered.

“Then let’s walk down the road toward the hotel,” Malcolm suggested, jabbing his thumb down the hill. “That way we’ll meet them when they come for us.”

Grant cupped his chin and hummed in thought. He considered that idea, and he kept thinking about one thing: the dark shape that had crossed between the Land Cruisers even before the attack started. What animal had that been? He could think of only one possibility: the little tyrannosaur.

“I don’t think so, Ian. The road has high fences on both sides,” Grant said. “If one of the tyrannosaurs is farther down on the road, we’ll be trapped.”

“Then should we wait here?” Tim asked.
“Yes,” Grant replied. “Let’s just wait here until someone comes.”

Carter glanced at the narrow road.

“I honestly don’t think anyone’s coming,” Carter said, turning her gaze back at Grant. “And do you guys really want to stand out here in the open? How do we know that the tyrannosaurus wasn’t the only one that got loose?”

“I’m hungry,” said Lex.

“Me too kid, me too,” Malcolm said.

“I hope it won’t be very long,” Grant said.

“I don’t want to stay here,” Lex said.

Grant blinked upon remembering something.
“Say, that thing you did earlier Twilight, was that magic I assume?” Grant asked, looking at Twilight curiously.

“Oh, yes that was my magic,” Twilight replied. “The one I used earlier to get Tim down was teleportation magic; it’s a transfer of matter or energy from one point to another without traversing the physical space between them.”

“Well, uh, that’s quite interesting.” Malcolm said.

Carter parted her lips to curiously ask the lavender unicorn but shut it immediately when she and the others heard someone coughing from the bottom of the hill.

“Stay here,” Grant said. He ran forward, to look down the hill. Malcolm, Twilight, and Carter trailed after him.

“Stay here,” Tim echoed, and he ran forward after him.

Lex followed her brother. “Don’t leave me, don’t leave me here, you guys—”

Carter clapped her hand over Lexs’ mouth. She struggled to protest. Carter shook her head, and pointed over the hill, for her to look.
At the bottom of the hill, Twilight saw Ed Regis, standing rigid, unmoving. The forest around them had become deadly silent. The steady background drone of cicadas and frogs had ceased abruptly. There was only the faint rustle of leaves, and the whine of the wind.

Lex started to speak, but Carter pulled her against the trunk of the nearest tree, ducking down among the heavy gnarled roots at the base. Tim, Malcolm, Grant, and Twilight came in right after them. Carter put her hands to her lips, signaling them to be quiet, and then she slowly looked around the tree.

The road below was dark. The branches of the big trees moved in the wind, filtering the moonlight through a dappled, shifting pattern. Ed Regis was gone. It took Grant and Twilight a moment to locate him. The publicist was pressed up against the trunk of a big tree, hugging it. Regis wasn’t moving at all.

The forest remained silent.

Lex tugged impatiently at Carter’s shirt; she wanted to know what was happening. Then, from somewhere very near, they heard a soft snorting exhalation, hardly louder than the wind. Lex heard it, too, because she stopped struggling.

The sound floated toward them again, soft as a sigh. Grant thought it was almost like the breathing of a horse.

Grant looked at Regis, and saw the moving shadows cast by the moonlight on the trunk of the tree. And then Grant realized there was another shadow, superimposed on the others, but not moving: a strong curved neck, and a square head.

The exhalation came again.

Tim leaned forward cautiously, to look. Lex and Carter did, too.

Malcolm gulped down a lump in trepidation.

They heard a crack as a branch broke, and into the path stepped a tyrannosaur. It was the juvenile: about eight feet tall, and it moved with the clumsy gait of a young animal, almost like a puppy. The juvenile tyrannosaur shuffled down the path, stopping with every step to sniff the air before moving on.

It passed the tree where Regis was hiding, and gave no indication that it had seen him. Grant and Twilight saw Regis’s body relax slightly. Regis turned his head, trying to watch the tyrannosaur on the far side of the tree.
The tyrannosaur was now out of view down the road. Regis started to relax, releasing his grip on the tree. But the jungle remained silent. Regis remained close to the tree trunk for another half a minute.

Then the sounds of the forest returned: the first tentative croak of a tree frog, the buzz of one cicada, and then the full chorus. Regis stepped away from the tree, shaking his shoulders, releasing the tension. He walked into the middle of the road, looking in the direction of the departed tyrannosaur.

Regis let out a collective sigh. The coast was clear, hopefully now he can—

Regis yelled in surprise as he was suddenly knocked flat to the ground. He scrambled to his feet, but the tyrannosaur pounced. Pinning him with its hind leg, ensuring that its tiny prey couldn’t escape.

Regis sat up in the path shouting at the dinosaur and waving his hands at it, as if he could scare it off. The young dinosaur seemed perplexed by the sounds and movement coming from its tiny prey. The juvenile bent its head over, sniffing curiously, and Regis pounded on the snout with his fists.

“Get away! Back off! Go on, back off!” Regis shouted at the top of his lungs, and the dinosaur backed away, allowing Regis to get to his feet. “Yeah! You heard me! Back off! Get away!”

Regis retreated backwards away from the dinosaur. The juvenile continued to stare curiously at the odd, noisy little animal before it. However, when Regis had gone a few paces, it lunged and knocked him down again.

It’s playing with him, Grant thought.

“Hey!” Regis shouted as he fell, but the juvenile did not pursue him, allowing him to get to his feet. He jumped to his feet, and continued backing away. “You stupid—back! Back! You heard me—back!” He shouted like a lion tamer.

The juvenile roared, but it did not attack, and Regis now edged toward the trees and high foliage to the right. In another few steps he would be in hiding.

“Back! You! Back!” Regis shouted, and then, at the last moment, the juvenile pounced, and knocked Regis flat on his back. “Cut that out!”

Upon watching the scene unfolding far from her, Twilight’s eyes widened when she realized: it’s gonna eat him!

Twilight leapt out of the foliage in a spring and sprinted towards Ed Regis and the dinosaur. Grant and the other’s shouts went deaf ears to the lavender unicorn. Her horn lit up, magic shrouding around it, and she teleported herself off from the road—standing beside the terrified Ed Regis. Before Regis could even react, Twilight teleported herself and him away from the snapping jaws of the juvenile. The pair reappeared before the group as Regis fell to his knees while Twilight had fallen on all fours, breathing heavily.

Twilight lifted her head to gaze at Regis. Her lips parted but no words were uttered. Her eyes flickered, her vision began to blur and she promptly fell to the ground, unconscious.

“Mrs. Sparkle!” Shouted Tim as he and the group gathered around her.

His night-vision goggles slipped from his forehead and landed on the ground with a metallic clink.

The juvenile’s head snapped up, and it looked toward the top of the hill.

Malcolm immediately got down and picked Twilight up in his arms. He hurriedly retreated backwards, not taking his eyes off of the juvenile.

“Come on, come on, come on! We gotta get out of here!” Malcolm hissed. “Now, now, right now!”

Tim picked up his goggles as Carter grabbed both the children’s hands and began to run.

Chapter 18: Safe Haven

Something has gone wrong. We don't seem to have an archived copy of that chapter.

Introduction 1.0

Author's Note

It is recommended that you read this with a High Contrast Dark or Ultra Darkformatting setting so as to better experience the artworks and typography.

Tittle Artwork by - JetXPegasus
and Typography by JetXPegasus

Introduction 1.0

In the winter of 1980, Earth’s scientists from different factions posed an idea that would possibly be the greatest scientific discovery ever. It was to be called The Link Between Two Worlds. They proposed two theories of travel: one based on the concept of ‘traveling through a portal’, which allowed for multiple journeys across different dimensions in the same time; another that depended on ‘reconnaissance’ of the other world – a process where they could observe the inhabitants and learn of their history, culture and customs from them. There had been debates within the Science Council, the High Council and even Parliament about whether or not this would work.

The Greatest Inventor, Thomas A. Edison made 2,774 unsuccessful attempts to make a simple lightbulb. The experiments were long and the Science Council didn't want to spend money on a project that would undoubtedly fail because no one was willing to put any effort in it. They didn’t see the point. They also thought it would be impossible to invent a two way link between worlds. The kind of technology needed for this project was too complicated and the scientific community hadn’t progressed that much into a science of such great complexity as it was at present. So they simply didn’t believe this theory would be possible. And they explained for two logical reasons why it wasn’t viable.

For one thing, it would take years to make something so complex, the technology needed for it was prohibitively expensive. For another, there would have to be a huge amount of energy required to maintain it. Energy wasn’t the only issue; the physics involved would be far too complex for human beings to handle, the research involved in it would be too challenging, the engineering itself would be too complicated and, most importantly, it would create havoc with the balance of nature, leading to many catastrophic and devastating events which wouldn’t be survivable.

Second, the Link between Two Worlds theory was a pure theory, not a scientific one. The Science Council also thought that it be a bad idea to create such a massive machine to send humans to another world with the possibility of potential danger in said world; and if humanity was to suffer an invasion from some unknown alien species from another world, it might cause chaos to affect the whole planet, maybe even destroy the whole solar system. This, they argued, might lead to more dangerous and tragic disasters than just war, destruction and catastrophe, such as wiping out a civilisation or the extinction of millions of people in less than a minute; and they warned against the idea. No, it shouldn’t be created – it was too dangerous.

The American government, who had heard of this theory along with the project, agreed to shut down the experiment when they discovered that its feasibility was very low and that it couldn’t possibly be successful and thus shouldn’t be built. Then in February 10th - nineteen-eighty-one, the same scientist posed the idea again to his colleagues. Again he received no response. Still no reply. But after three months the US State Department decided that since the idea was rejected again and again, this time there ought to be an attempt at creating it, which they decided, just this once, was worth giving a shot. But not out of caring unbeknownst by anyone but to spy on the Soviets.

The science team were thrilled when they were given the green light to try it but as the team predicted, it was not easy. The first issue they dealt with was energy: they needed to produce enough power to generate the machine and to ensure that it didn't overheat when switched on. This proved harder than expected; the second problem they faced was using the right material to build the machine. It took them nearly three months until they were able to produce the right materials for the machine that were suitable for its purpose. It took them another two months to develop the machine before said machine came into being. Blood, sweat, and tears all went into this project but finally they succeeded.

All they had to do now was test the machine. Each attempt ended in failure, with the scientists always returning home disappointed. Though the team expected this, they still couldn’t help feeling slightly annoyed about the outcome. But unlike others, they knew that these failures were part of the price of science; and they kept working on the machine, adding parts, reworking their ideas, testing it, experimenting with new technologies and new methods. It became unsurprising to them from each attempt that they failed every single time; and that, though they tried, the device they created wouldn’t reach the desired state. But they did their best nonetheless, believing that the success rate would increase with the repeated efforts, eventually reaching the desired result – eventually.

And then, one day in late September 12th – the year 1981 – the day where the scientists made their final attempt at testing the machine, something unexpected happened: the machine started working. In a flash the portal opened up and the engineers who were standing around it watched in a mix of shock and excitement. They looked like children waiting for the Christmas miracle to happen; they looked like teenagers waiting for a date, looking eager. They had done it. They succeeded, in fact, they achieved a feat that was almost impossible: they created a portal.

Many cheers and shouts of celebration resounded around the room as the men stood there and admired their creation. Claps rang in the air as the group celebrated their accomplishment with each other and clapped loudly. The excitement was high. People were happy, celebrating together and enjoying the moment.

In 1982, scientists began the next phase of their research towards understanding the laws of physics and the universe, the science surrounding the portal. These researchers sent out test monkeys through the portal in order to observe what happened when people passed through it; the possible safety and health of "travelers" through the device was unknown. Without knowing how it might affect the safety of those who were passing through.

When the first test monkey successfully went through the portal, the crowd grew silent, waiting. The monkey never returned that day, and the nature of the portal prevented viewing events on the other side of it. The next few days passed without any sign of anything happening; and then on November 2nd, 1982, the science team suddenly heard the portal activate once more. What they saw left them all shocked.

Their monkey came back, but it didn’t return alone. Behind it were creatures that the team had never seen before: small adorable creatures that resembled a horse or even a pony. The team were even more shocked when the creatures spoke to them.

It didn’t take long for things to get excitingly crazy. Scientists from other factions soon discovered that the creatures spoke a language similar to theirs. They learned that the world these creatures came from was called Equestria, the home of the horses. Or for a lack of better description - ponies.

This revelation caused a major sensation. The scientists were excited beyond compare. It was a discovery which changed their life forever. After a short while, they asked permission from the ponies to enter the world of Equestria to learn their ways, culture, and history. They accepted and the expedition was set. They entered the portal, accompanied by their friends and colleagues. What James and his team saw from the other side couldn’t have been more amazing: the world of Equestria looked like something out of a fairytale. It was magical.

None of the team could comprehend what they were actually seeing. They were amazed to discover a whole world full of creatures that one would think of them as fiction. But they weren’t; they really existed. From that moment onwards, nothing in science, technology and the entire cosmos seemed more interesting than exploring Equestria.

The ponies were alarmed at first when they saw the humans. But in time, and to the surprise of everyone, the ponies were very friendly and kind. They greeted the explorers politely with bows and smiles. The deeper they ventured, the more fascinated the visitors become with everything around them: groups of Pegasus soared across the sky, flying around and playing games with one another, earth ponies casually going about their days in the farm, they even discovered a boulder-size emerald being crushed in the jaws of a powerful dragon.

Everything went like a blur and it wasn’t long until they came back. In 1988, it was officially announced to the whole globe that contact between Earth and Equestria was established, allowing for both humanity and ponykind to cross over to each others' worlds. Not long after that, Princess Celestia, the senior ruler of Equestria, tasked six of her subjects, known as the Elements of Harmony, with conducting outreach missions to Earth - to learn humanity's ways, culture, history, technology, and sciences.

Prologue: Prey With No Escape

Author's Note

It is recommended that you read this with a High Contrast Dark or Ultra Dark formatting setting so as to better experience the artworks and typography.

Tittle Artwork by - JetXPegasus
and Typography by JetXPegasus

Prologue: Prey With No Escape

WARNING

The following of this story will contain violence, graphical scenes, and gore! And certainly not for children at the age of ten or younger. Viewer discretion is GREATLY advised!

TRIPLE-B-STUDIO PRESENTS

STARRING

John Hammond

Twilight Sparkle

Lex

Tim

Applejack

Ellie Sattler

Alan Grant

Fluttershy

Robert Muldoon

Dr. Henry Wu

Dennis Nedry

Donald Gennaro

Ian Malcolm

Special Inspiration and Author’s dedication:

In Memory of Michael Crichton

The natural beauty of Isla Nublar was significantly altered by human activity, particularly after InGen leased the island from Costa Rica for business purposes. One area of the island was transformed into a visitor center, where visitors could find interpretive displays, programs, services, and information.

Regularly, massive transports arrived to deliver supplies to maintain the beautiful tropical environment. These supplies were accompanied by strong steeled cages, which contained InGen's confidential possessions. Delivery was carried out almost every day between the island, the mainland, and the neighboring Isla Sorna.

Separated from InGen’s construction and human activity, lay the island’s large ancient jungle valley seemingly untouched by man’s intrusion. Lush green forest with its thousands of trees that stood like guardian giants surrounded the peaceful area, shrubs dotted here and there among the dense vegetation. Grassland covered much of the rest of the valley, with a river leading off the middle. A gentle breeze swept up from the east, carrying with it the scent of rain. It wasn't yet noon and there would be none this day. The heat was already building to dangerous levels as a result.

A blue slithering river bisected the floodplain in a perfect V across the valley, its banks rising gently at either end until their tops reached the trees above. The water looked clear enough on this particular morning that even those who couldn't see the bottom could imagine the river being wide and full of fish.

Lost amongst the towering trunks of trees beneath the canopy, a lone black crewman ran for his dear life. His chocolate eyes scanned frantically for any sign of his pursuers. He knew they were following him. He couldn’t see them, yes, he knew that because the forest was too dense for them to have emerged from it unerringly. But somehow he knew.

He could feel them watching him, could hear their breathing through the leaves, and could smell them on the humid wind drifting down the ravine. His stomach was knotted with dread as he pushed himself even harder. His boots dug into the soft soil and left deep grooves behind them, the dirt and grass quickly turning to mud, but he didn’t slow.

The crewman knew without a doubt that if he slowed down and gave in to fear, he was dead meat.

The broad leaves of the jungle canopy made it difficult for him to get a good vantage point of anything more than ten feet away, so when he saw the ground ahead suddenly begin to level off, he let out a shrill screech of fright. He stumbled over an exposed root sticking out from under the soil. As he did, his boot caught on the sharp stone edge of the stump that protruded from the ground and sent him sprawling face first, his back hitting the hard ground with a thud. Dirt exploded from under his rump as he lay still for a moment, panting wildly. He waited for another second then rolled onto his belly and scrambled to his feet. When he found the tree again, he turned and fled deeper into the jungle.

For seven minutes he wandered in the depths of the jungle searching desperately for somewhere to hide, but every minute his hopes grew fainter. By now he wasn’t even sure where he was going anymore. The fear had consumed him completely. The only thing he wanted now was to go home. Back with his family—back in his mother’s arms. Oh how much he missed her right now. Everything went quiet, except for his ragged breath. His legs were heavy as stone as they carried him further into the endless forest.

At times the forest would look peaceful and serene, but those moments didn’t make him feel any safer. Instead, he could feel an uneasy feeling growing inside of him as if someone—no, something was watching him.

He had grown accustomed to the constant noise around him. The rustle of leaves in the wind, the chirping of birds, and the sound of insects buzzing in the air. But now, as the world became eerily silent, the sounds became deafening. The crewman couldn’t think straight, everything was drowned out by his racing heartbeat that rang in his ears.

Suddenly he spotted movement to his right and the fear that he'd been suppressing all day welled up inside of him once again. His chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. The crewman couldn’t hear or see the creatures. But he knew without a doubt that they were there. He could feel their cold eyes boring through his soul, their hot breath brushing past his ear. They were probably waiting for him to lose all his energy and collapse to the ground in defeat. Just like all of them did. But he won’t let them win. No! No way in hell will he let that happen!

The crewman lifted his head and stared straight ahead. Passing by tree after tree in a blur of speed, pushing past bushes, tripping over roots, and jumping over fallen logs. He winced with each step. Twigs cracked underneath his feet as he raced past. Every little twig, branch, and leaf that brushed against his body sent a shiver down his spine. A sudden gust of wind kicked up, forcing him to quicken his pace.

His right foot tripped over something and he stumbled forward, hitting the ground hard. Something caught him in the back, sending the air rushing out of his lungs. He gasped for a moment, sucking in huge gulps of air before he regained himself. He slowly scrambles up on his feet to stare at his left.

He choked back a scream upon seeing something behind the ferns.

Bright green eyes stared back at him. The crewman couldn’t breathe and he dared not move. Fresh sweat covered his brow and his feet trembled. He was transfixed on the cold stare in front of him, unable to look away.

He saw another pair of eyes blink open to his right. He turned to his left and his heart sank when he saw another pair of eyes appear. Half a dozen eyes watched him from the ferns. The crewman’s eyes jumped around said ferns from one set of eyes to another. He was surrounded. A sudden shadow loomed over his side and he whipped his head around to meet the eyes of whatever it was that just took a step.

The creature slightly crouched in a pouncing stance. It stood six feet tall, Its long snout was filled with glistening fangs, and its long tail stood straight like a flag.

A whimper choked in the crewman’s throat. He was paralyzed, terrified beyond reason.

A long low growl escaped from deep within the creature’s throat as it approached the crewman, creeping ever closer. Its long maw hung wide open as it stalked toward him menacingly. One quick pounce to ensure its meal doesn’t escape.

The crewman’s screams echoed throughout the jungle.

“Christ man, this is ridiculous.”

“I know…”

Two inGen employees of Jurassic Park, both wearing blue uniforms and white lab coats, sat cross-legged atop the large table in the center of the room and sipped from two cups of coffee.

“That’s another one of our crewmen that died this week.” One employee continued while he rubbed his temples. “And I’m still trying to figure out how those Raptors got out. I thought Robert and Mr. Hammond had that under control!” He shook his head, gulping her mug.

The other employee nodded sadly. “Well, Mr. Muldoon managed to round them up and put them back into their paddocks. So it could’ve been worse.” The employee sighed heavily. “But what I’m more concerned about is how we’re going to explain this to their family members.” He shook his head, staring down into his cup morosely.

“I know. But you gotta remember, we signed a nondisclosure agreement that prohibits us from speaking details of what happened…” He glanced at a document lying on the table, which was littered with sticky notes and documents relating to the Raptor situation, all detailing the incident as described in the official report.

The other employee nodded solemnly as he sipped from his coffee, the steam clouding up from his mouth as he inhaled the warm liquid. He looked exhausted and his eyes were bloodshot, his dark hair stuck to his forehead with sweat. The man wore an equally tired expression, though less of a frown than the older employee.

“I know that… But I hate lying to people.” He shook his head, putting down his cup.
The other employee frowned deeply.

“Yeah, me too.” He nodded at his colleague sympathetically. He stood up from his chair. “Come on, break time’s over.” He began walking briskly toward the door leading back into the long hallway, leaving the older employee alone in the spacious conference room. His gaze drifted absently across the floor then up to the television screen mounted to the wall on his left.

Videos of President George H. W. Bush's hand shaking with Princess Celestia flashed across the monitor. The images were grainy but clear. There was no mistaking who the two royals standing next to each other were.

The older employee stood up from his seat, walked slowly past the table, past the chairs, and stepped into the hallway.

Chapter 15: The Breakout

In the control room, Muldoon stood before the big windows that overlooked the park. At seven o’clock, the quartz floodlights came on all over the island, turning the landscape into a glowing jewel stretching away to the south. This was his favorite moment of the day. He heard the crackle of static from the radios.

“The Land Cruisers have started again,” Arnold said. “They’re on their way home.”

“But why did they stop?” Hammond said. “And why can’t we talk to them?”

“I don’t know,” Arnold said. “Maybe they turned off the radios in the cars.”

“Probably the storm,” Muldoon said. “Interference from the storm.”

“They’ll be here in twenty minutes,” Hammond said. “You better call down and make sure the dining room is ready for them. Those kids are going to be hungry.”

“Arnold picked up the phone and heard a steady monotonous hiss. “What’s this? What’s going on?”

“Jesus, hang that up,” Nedry said. “You’ll screw up the data stream.”

“You’ve taken all the phone lines? Even the internal ones?”

“I’ve taken all the lines that communicate outside,” Nedry said. “But your internal lines should still work.”

Arnold punched console buttons one after another. He heard nothing but hissing on all the lines.

“Looks like you’ve got ’em all.”

“Sorry about that,” Nedry said. “I’ll clear a couple for you at the end of the next transmission, in about fifteen minutes.” He yawned. “Looks like a long weekend for me. I guess I’ll go get that Coke now.” He picked up his shoulder bag and headed for the door with Andre trailing behind him. “Don’t touch my console, okay?”

The door closed.

“What a slob,” Hammond said.

“Yeah,” Arnold said. “But I guess he knows what he’s doing.”

“What the hell?” Arnold said, staring at his monitors.

“What happened?” Muldoon said. “You lose power?”

“Yeah, but only power on the perimeter. Everything in this building’s working fine. But outside, in the park, the power is gone. Lights, TV cameras, everything.” His remote video monitors had gone black.

“What about the two Land Cruisers?”

“Stopped somewhere around the tyrannosaur paddock.”

“Well,” Muldoon said, “call Maintenance and let’s get the power back on.”

Arnold picked up one of his phones and heard hissing: Nedry’s computers talking to each other.

“No phones. That damn Nedry. Nedry! Where the hell is he?”

Andre Weller followed Denis Nedry as he pushed open the door. With the perimeter power out, all the security-card locks were disarmed. Every door in the building opened with a touch. The pair entered the fertilization room. The lab was deserted; as Denis had anticipated, all the staff was at dinner. Nedry unzipped his shoulder bag and removed the can of Gillette shaving cream. He unscrewed the base, and saw the interior was divided into a series of cylindrical slots.

Denis pulled on a pair of heavy insulated gloves and opened the walk-in freezer marked. The freezer was the size of a small closet, with shelves from floor to ceiling. Most of the shelves contained reagents and liquids in plastic sacs. To one side he saw a smaller nitrogen cold box with a heavy ceramic door. He opened it, and a rack of small tubes slid out, in a cloud of white liquid-nitrogen smoke.

The embryos were arranged by species: Stegosaurus, Apatosaurus, Hadrosaurus, Tyrannosaurus. Each embryo in a thin glass container, wrapped in silver foil, stoppered with polylene. Nedry quickly took two of each, handing them to Andre. Andre carefully slipped them into the shaving cream can.

Andre screwed the base of the can shut and twisted the top. There was a hiss of releasing gas inside, and the can frosted in his hands. He left the freezer, returning to the main lab with Nedry. He dropped the can back in Nedry’s bag, zipping it shut.

The duo went back into the hallway. The theft had taken less than two minutes. Andre could imagine the consternation upstairs in the control room, as they began to realize what had happened. All their security codes were scrambled, and all their phone lines were jammed. Without Nedry’s help, it would take hours to untangle the mess—but in just a few minutes Nedry would be back in the control room, setting things right.

And no one would ever suspect what they had done.

The pair walked down to the ground floor, nodded to a nearby guard, and proceeded downstairs to the basement. Passing the neat lines of electric Land Cruisers, they went to the gasoline-powered Jeep parked against the wall. They climbed into it, noticing some odd gray tubing on the passenger seat.

Might be a rocket launcher, Andre thought.

Nedry turned the ignition key and started the Jeep. Nedry glanced at his watch. From here, into the park, and three minutes straight to the east dock. Three minutes from there back to the control room.

Nedry glanced at Andre.

“You ready?” Nedry inquired.

Andre turned his gaze towards Nedry.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.”

“Damn it!” Arnold said, punching buttons on the console. “It’s all screwed up.”

Muldoon was standing at the windows, looking out at the park. The lights had gone out all over the island, except in the immediate area around the main buildings. He saw a few staff personnel hurrying to get out of the rain, but no one seemed to realize anything was wrong. Muldoon looked over at the visitor lodge, where the lights burned brightly.

“Uh-oh,” Arnold said. “We have real trouble.”

“What’s that?” Muldoon said. He turned away from the window, and so he didn’t see the Jeep drive out of the underground garage and head east along the maintenance road into the park.

“That idiot Nedry turned off the security systems,” Arnold said.”

“The whole building’s opened up. None of the doors are locked any more.”

“I’ll notify the guards,” said Muldoon.

“That’s the least of it,” Arnold said. “When you turn off the security, you turn off all the peripheral fences as well.”

“The fences?” Muldoon repeated, his eyes briefly growing large.

“The electrical fences,” Arnold said. “They’re off, all over the island.”

“You mean…” Fear laced in George’s tone.

“That’s right,” Arnold said. “The animals can get out now.” Arnold lit a cigarette. “Probably nothing will happen, but you never know.…”

Muldoon started toward the door.

“I better drive out and bring in the people in those two Land Cruisers,” he said. “Just in case.”

George trailed after him. “I’ll go with you.”

Muldoon quickly went downstairs to the garage. He wasn’t really worried about the fences’ going down. Most of the dinosaurs had been in their paddocks for nine months or more, and they had brushed up against the fences more than once, with notable results. Muldoon knew how quickly animals learned to avoid shock stimuli. You could train a laboratory pigeon with just two or three stimulation events. So it was unlikely the dinosaurs would now approach the fences.

Muldoon was more concerned about what the people in the cars would do. He didn’t want them getting out of the Land Cruisers, because once the power came back on, the cars would start moving again, whether the people were inside them or not. They might be left behind. Of course, in the rain it was unlikely they would leave the cars. But, still… you never knew.…

He reached the garage and hurried toward the Jeep. It was lucky, he thought, that he had had the foresight to put the launcher in it. He could start right out, and be out there in—

It was gone!

“What the hell?” Muldoon stared at the empty parking space, astonished.

“Huh?” George was just as astonished as his partner.

The Jeep was gone!

Rain drummed loudly on the roof of the Land Cruiser. Tim felt the night-vision goggles pressing heavily on his forehead. He reached for the knob near his ear and adjusted the intensity. There was a brief phosphorescent flare, and then, in shades of electronic green and black, he could see the Land Cruiser behind, with Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm, and Mrs. Sparkle inside.

Neat, Tim thought.

Dr. Grant was staring out the front windshield toward him. Tim saw him pick up the radio from the dash. There was a burst of static, and then he heard Dr. Grant’s voice: “Can you see us back here?”

Tim picked up the radio from Ed Regis. “I see you.”

“Everything all right?”

“We’re fine, Dr. Grant.”

“Stay in the car.”

“We will. Don’t worry.” He clicked the radio off.

Ed Regis snorted.

“It’s pouring down rain. Of course we’ll stay in the car,” he muttered.

Tim glanced towards the foliage lining the side of the road. Through his night-vision goggles, the foliage appeared as a vivid electronic green, revealing sections of the green grid pattern of the fence beyond. The Land Cruisers had come to a halt on the downslope of a hill, indicating their proximity to the tyrannosaur area. The mere thought of witnessing a tyrannosaur through these goggles filled Tim with awe and excitement. He pondered whether the creature's eyes would emit an eerie glow in the darkness. Such an experience would undoubtedly be remarkable.

Tim searched diligently, but his efforts were in vain. Gradually, he gave up and the atmosphere in the cars grew quiet. The rain pounded on the car roof, while torrents of water cascaded down the windows. Even with his goggles, Tim struggled to make out anything through the deluge.

“How long have we been sitting here?” Malcolm asked.

“I don’t know. Four or five minutes.” Grant replied.

“I wonder what the problem is,” said Twilight.

“Maybe a short circuit from the rain.” Grant guessed.

“But it happened before the rain really started.” Malcolm remarked.

There was another silence.

“But there’s no lightning, right?” Lex asked, feeling a bit tense. She had always been afraid of lightning, and she now sat nervously squeezing her leather mitt in her hands.

Dr. Grant clicked through the radio. “What was that? We didn’t quite read that.”

“That was just Lex talking.” Carter said through the radio.

“Oh.” Grant acknowledged.

The rain proceeded to pour.

“Hell of a rain,” Ed Regis commented. “It’s really coming down.”

Lex whined. “I’m hungry.”

“I know that, Lex,” Regis said, “but we’re stuck here, sweetie. The cars run on electricity in buried cables in the road.”

“Stuck for how long?”

“Until they fix the electricity.”

Listening to the sound of the rain, Tim felt himself growing sleepy. He yawned, and turned to look at the palm trees on the left side of the road, and was startled by a sudden thump as the ground shook. He swung back just in time to catch a glimpse of a dark shape as it swiftly crossed the road between the two cars.

“Jesus!” Shout Ed Regis.

“What in tarnation was that?” Applejack was alerted.

“What was it?” Carter looked around.

Tim turned his gaze at Carter. “It was huge, it was big as the car—”

“Tim! Are you there?” Grant called.

Tim picked up the radio. “Yes, I’m here.”

“Did you see it, Tim?”

“No,” Tim said. “I missed it.”

“What was it?” Twilight asked.

“Are you wearing the night-vision goggles, Tim?” Grant inquired.

“Yes. I’ll watch,” Tim replied.

“Was it the tyrannosaur?” Ed Regis asked.

“I don’t think so. It was in the road.”

“But you didn’t see it?” Carter questioned.

“No.” Tim replied.

Tim felt bad that he had missed seeing the animal, whatever it was. There was a sudden white crack of lightning, and his night goggles flared bright green. He blinked his eyes and started counting. The thunder crashed, deafeningly loud and very close.

Lex began to cry. “Oh, no…”

“It’s alright, sugarcube,” Applejack said, rubbing her hoof on Lex’s shoulder. “It’s just lightning.”

Tim scanned the side of the road. The rain was coming down hard now, shaking the leaves with hammering drops. It made everything move. Everything seemed alive. He scanned the leaves.…

He stopped. Something was standing motionless just behind the foliage, beyond the fence.

Tim saw the gargantuan, reptilian feet gripping the earth with black talons. His eyes crawled up the muscular legs, up to the massive heaving chest and short arms with two-fingered claws, to the thick musculature of the neck. He even saw the creature’s pebbled, grainy surface akin to the bark of a tree. But it wasn’t a tree.

Tim looked higher and he saw the behemoth’s head twenty feet in the air. The rectangular jaws were closed shut. The nostrils on the end of its snout flared open with a rumbling snort, and its beady black eyes stared into Tim’s own.

Another bolt of lightning illuminated the surroundings once more. The entire landscape was bathed in a brilliant white glow, casting intricate shadows upon everything it touched. The colossal creature gracefully shifted its head and emitted an earth-shattering roar amidst the blinding radiance. However, as swiftly as it had arrived, the darkness and tranquility were restored, accompanied by the relentless downpour.

“Tim?” Grant called through the radio.

“Yes, Dr. Grant.” Tim returned, trying to remain calm.

“You see what it is?”

“Yes, Dr. Grant.”

Tim had the sense that Dr. Grant was trying to talk in a way that wouldn’t upset his sister. Applejack and Carter’s gaze were focused on the spot where they briefly saw the behemoth rooted a minute ago. Ed Regis hadn’t seen it though, however that didn’t stop his heart from beating rapidly.

“What’s going on right now?”

“Nothing,” Tim said, watching the tyrannosaur through his night goggles. “Just standing on the other side of the fence.”

“I can’t see much from here, Tim.”

“I can see fine, Dr. Grant. It’s just standing there.”

“Okay.”

Lex continued to cry, snuffling.

Tim observed the tyrannosaur closely, noting its immense head and the way it surveyed the vehicles. The animal's gaze appeared to be fixed on him, with its eyes glowing a vibrant green in his goggles. A shiver ran down Tim's spine as he followed the creature's body downwards, where he noticed the smaller yet strong forelimb waving in the air before gripping the fence.

“Jesus Christ,” Ed Regis said, staring out the window.

In the midst of his publicist's thoughts, Ed Regis felt his knees tremble and his trousers flutter. He was the only one aware of the true horror of a dinosaur attack, having witnessed the aftermath of a raptor attack. Now, facing a tyrannosaurus rex, he couldn't help but imagine the devastation caused by this colossal carnivore.

When the tyrannosaur roared, Ed Regis experienced a sudden loss of bladder control. He felt a mixture of embarrassment and fear. However, he realized he couldn't remain passive. Despite his trembling hands, he knew he had to take action.

“Jesus Christ,” he said again.

“Bad language,” Lex said, wagging her finger at him.

The trio heard the sound of a door opening, and they swung their heads away from the tyrannosaur. Tim’s night-vision goggles streaked laterally in time to see Ed Regis stepping out through the open door, ducking his head in the rain.

“What the hell?” Carter exclaimed, taken aback.

Applejack added. “What in tarnation?”

“Hey,” Lex called, “where are you going?”

Ed Regis just turned and ran in the opposite direction from the tyrannosaur, disappearing into the woods. The door to the Land Cruiser hung open; the paneling was getting wet.

“He left!” Lex shouted. “Where did he go? He left us alone!”

Carter looked back at the tyrannosaur as lightning flashed again, momentarily silhouetting the huge black shape against the white-flaring sky.

“Tim, what’s happening?” Grant called from the radio.

“He left us, he left us!” Lex cried.

Tim blinked to recover his vision. When he looked again, the tyrannosaur was standing there, exactly as before, motionless and huge. Rain dripped from its jaws. The forelimb gripped the fence.…

A terrifying realization dawned on Tim: the tyrannosaur was holding on to the fence!

The fence wasn’t electrified any more!

Carter quickly climbed out of the back door, into the slashing rain, and shut the door. Thunder rumbled, and the lightning flashed again. Carter looked up and her stomach plummeted. The tyrannosaur crashed down the cyclone fence with a giant hind limb. She jumped back in and slammed the door, the sound lost in the thunderclap.

The radio crackled: “Tim! Are you there?”

He grabbed the radio. “I’m here.”

Without thinking, Carter locked the doors flanking their sides and situated herself in the middle of the car next to the trio. Outside, the behemoth rolled its head and took an awkward step forward. The claws of its feet had caught in the grid of the flattened fence. Lex saw the animal, and became silent, still. She watched with wide eyes.

Radio crackle. “Tim.”

“Yes, Dr. Grant.”

“Stay in the car. Stay down. Be quiet. Don’t move, and don’t make noise.”

“Okay.”

“You should be all right. I don’t think it can open the car.”

“Okay.”

“Oh, yeah, that sounds very helpful,” Carter whispered sarcastically. “Thanks for the advice.”

“Just stay quiet, so you don’t arouse its attention any more than necessary.” Twilight added in a whisper.

“Okay, Mrs. Sparkle.” Tim clicked the radio off. “You hear that, guys?”

The trio nodded in agreement, maintaining their unwavering gaze upon the tyrannosaur. In the midst of the lightning's glare, they witnessed the creature break free from its confines and take a powerful stride forward. Positioned between the two vehicles, the behemoth’s pebbled skin was adorned with rivulets of rain cascading down its robust hind legs. Unfortunately, Tim's line of sight was obstructed by the towering height of the animal's head, which loomed above the roofline.

With calculated movements, the T. rex maneuvered around their car, eventually arriving at the precise location where Carter and Ed Regis had previously disembarked. The behemoth paused momentarily, its massive head descending towards the muddy ground.

Tim glanced over his shoulder at Dr. Grant, Dr. Malcolm, and Twilight in the backseat. Their countenances were filled with tension as they gazed intently ahead through the windshield.

The colossal head ascended, its jaws agape, only to be halted by the adjacent windows. Illuminated by the brilliance of lightning, they beheld the small, emotionless eye of the reptile as it shifted within its socket.

It was looking in the car.

Lex's breath came in irregular, apprehensive inhalations. Applejack drew her near and gently caressed Lex's head with her hoof, desiring her to remain silent. The behemoth persisted in gazing through the side window for an extended duration.

Tim's garments were moistened with perspiration. He was captivated by the frigid gaze of the amber eyes. Almost as if entranced, he experienced a hypnotic amalgamation of admiration and trepidation.

The radio shook in his hands.

Carter quivered intensely behind Applejack and Lex. She pressed her back against the door behind her, creating distance between herself and the inquisitive creature. Carter remained motionless, refraining from even the act of breathing. Her garments were dampened with sweat. Her eyes widened, her muscles tightened, and her heart raced fervently within her chest cavity.

The behemoth continued to gaze through the side window for another few minutes. Its robust chest heaved with each breath, reminiscent of a formidable engine. Eventually, the head ascended, disappearing from sight once more.

“Applejack…” Lex whispered.

“It’s alright, sugarcube,” Applejack whispered back. “Ah don’t think it saw us.”

Tim redirected his gaze toward Dr. Grant when a jolting impact rocked the Land Cruiser and shattered the windshield in a spiderweb as the tyrannosaur’s head crashed against the hood of the Land Cruiser. Tim was knocked flat on the seat. The night-vision goggles slid off his forehead.

He got back up quickly, blinking in the darkness, his mouth warm with blood.

Carter luckily ducked her head in time, dodging the impact from above.

“Lex? Applejack?” Tim called.

The pair didn’t respond.

Neither he or Carter could see his sister or Applejack anywhere.

The tyrannosaur stood near the front of the Land Cruiser, its chest moving as it breathed, the forelimbs making clawing movements in the air.

“Lex! Applejack!” Tim whispered. Then they heard the pair groan. Applejack and Lex were lying somewhere on the floor under the front seat.

The behemoth’s huge head came down, entirely blocking the shattered windshield. The T. rex banged again on the front hood of the Land Cruiser. Tim and Carter grabbed the seat as the car rocked on its wheels. The tyrannosaur banged down twice more, denting the metal.

The behemoth pivoted around the side of the car. The big raised tail blocked Tim’s view out of all the side windows. At the back, the animal snorted, a deep rumbling growl that blended with the thunder. It sank its jaws into the spare tire mounted on the back of the Land Cruiser and, in a single head shake, tore it away. The rear of the car lifted into the air for a moment; then it thumped down with a muddy splash.

“Tim!” Dr. Grant called. “Tim, are you there?”

Tim grabbed the radio. “We’re okay,” he assured.

There was a shrill metallic scrape as claws raked the roof of the car. Tim’s heart was pounding in his chest. He couldn’t see anything out of the windows on the right side except pebbled leathery flesh. The tyrannosaur was leaning against the car, which rocked back and forth with each breath, the springs and metal creaking loudly.

Lex groaned again. Tim put down the radio, and started to crawl over into the front seat. The tyrannosaur roared and the metal roof dented downward. Carter quickly grabbed Tim, pulling him down before the dented ceiling bulged downwards, and the pair tumbled to the floor, onto the transmission hump. They found themselves lying alongside Lex and Applejack, and the pair was shocked to see that the whole side of Lex’s head was covered in blood. The duo looked unconscious.

There was another jolting impact, and pieces of glass fell all around Tim. Tim and Carter felt bullets of rain. The pair looked up and saw that the front windshield had broken out. There was just a jagged rim of glass and, beyond, the big head of the T. rex.

Looking down at them.

A cold chill rushed over their backs. The behemoth’s head rushed forward toward them, its jaws spread wide. Metal squealed against its teeth, its hot breath, thick with decay washed over them and a thick tongue stuck into the car through the windshield opening. The tongue slapped wetly around inside the car—he felt the hot lather of dinosaur saliva—and the tyrannosaur roared—a deafening sound inside the car. Tim heard Carter screaming something indecipherable, a pure release of terror.

The head pulled away abruptly.

Tim and Carter scrambled up, avoiding the dent in the roof. There was still room to sit on the front seat by the passenger door. The behemoth stood in the rain near the front fender. It seemed bewildered by what had happened to it. Blood dripped freely from its jaws.

The T. rex looked at them, cocking its head to stare with one big eye. The head moved close to the car, sideways, and peered in. Blood spattered on the dented hood of the Land Cruiser, mixing with the rain.

It can’t get to us, Tim thought, It’s too big.

The tyrannosaur’s head pulled away. In the flare of lightning they saw the hind leg lift up. The world tilted crazily as the Land Cruiser slammed over on its side, the windows splatting in the mud. The duo saw Lex and Applejack fall helplessly against the side window, and the pair fell down beside them. Tim banged his head; immediately he felt dizzy. The behemoth’s jaws clamped onto the window frame, lifting the Land Cruiser up into the air, and shaking it.

“Applejack!” Lex shrieked, so near to everyone’s ears that it hurt.

Applejack’s eyes shot open upon hearing Lex calling her. She was suddenly awake, and she grabbed Lex as the tyrannosaur crashed the car down again. Tim felt a stabbing pain in his side, and his sister fell on top of him. The car went up again, tilting crazily.

“Timmy!” Lex shouted, as the door gave way beneath her, she and Applejack fell out of the car into the mud. Carter screamed as gravity wrenched her down. She fell hard on the mud next to Applejack and Lex, her stetson hat falling off from her head.

With a metallic scraping shriek, the car fell from the tyrannosaurus' jaws, a sickening fall. The trio watched in horror as the behemoth threw the Land Cruiser high in the air. The car flew far away, until it disappeared into the blackness void.

There was silence.

“Timmy…” Lex whispered.

The behemoth redirected its gaze towards them. A scream rose in Lex’s throat, a knee jerk reaction but Carter smothered it behind her hand. The trio was petrified by fear; they could no longer think or comprehend their reality anymore. All they could do was watch, as the T. rex crouched before them and stared back.

The behemoth’s eyes glowed yellow in the darkness. Applejack could hear Lex’s muffled whimpering and the slow, steady breathing of the animal. The black flaring nostrils just inches away from their faces. They felt the animal’s startling hot breath washing over them. But the tyrannosaur wasn’t sniffing. If anything, It was just breathing.

Each second felt like an eternity, what was it waiting for?

The T. rex prolonged its cold gaze at the trio and sniffed. Nostrils flexed open and close from the bulbous end of its snout. A deep growl rumbled from the behemoth’s chest and reverberated the trio’s bones. The creature pulled its head back up and turned away, slowly and ominously striding forward.

Each methodic footstep made the ground shake. The trio watched in silence as the behemoth gracefully moved forward, akin to an agile bird. Away towards the other Land Cruiser.

Applejack eyes grew large.

No, Applejack thought, that thing’s gonna do to them what it did to us!

Applejack’s eyes narrowed. No, she won’t let that dinosaur hurt her friends; Twilight, and the humans included. She whipped her head towards Carter and placed her hoof on Carter’s shoulder. The sudden action grabbed Carter’s attention as she turned her gaze towards her.

“No matter what happens,” Applejack said. “Never leave her side.”

Carter blinked at Applejack in bewilderment. “Wait, what’re you—”

Applejack jumped to her feet and galloped ten feet away from Carter and Lex. She whirled her body around and stared courageously at the dinosaur’s swaying tail. She brought her hoof to her mouth, gently bit down, and emitted a high pitch whistle.

The footfalls stopped and the T. rex turned its head.

“Now y’all hold it right there!” Applejack shouted. “Y’all might be big and tough, but are y’all fast enough to catch a mare from Sweet Apple Acres? If so…”

Applejack adjusted her Stetson hat.

“Come and get me!”

Applejack rolled her body around and broke into a fast sprint down the road. The pouring rain was drowned by the behemoth’s explosive roar that knocked Applejack to the ground. Applejack quickly got back up on all fours and proceeded to run forward. The Tyrannosaurus rex bellowed tremendously and gave chase.

Carter grabbed Lex and hurriedly leapt out of the way as the T. rex’s three-toed feet stomped inches away from them. The behemoth ran after the fleeing mare and in another flash, their silhouettes grew smaller the farther they went. The atmosphere descended back into darkness.

Besides the pouring rain, the footsteps gave way to silence.

“Applejack!” Lex screamed.

Lex quickly got up to her feet to trail after them, but Carter instantly wrapped her arms around her waist. Halting her from the spot. She struggled to break free, ensuing Carter to tighten her grip. From behind them, Grant, Malcolm, and Twilight quickly approached the pair.

“Let me go!” Lex cried, tears streaming down her cheeks. “We have to help her!”

Twilight stared in horror. “Oh no..”

Malcolm stared off in the direction Applejack and the tyrannosaurus ran.

“That was, uh, a bold move; she led the dinosaur away.” Malcolm commented breathlessly.

Grant nodded in agreement. “Yes, but now she’s the one in danger. This isn’t good.”

Lex proceeded to scream for Carter to let her go. After a few minutes Lex stopped struggling and began to cry quietly. Carter hugged her as she and the trio set their gazes forward.

The behemoth’s bellow echoed from far away.