Chaotic Slideshow - Chapter 05 (Patreon)

The overhead PA was saying something, but I and pretty much everyone else were focused on the laboratory. Me mostly because of the way everything lacked even basic security and safety features; Ellie, Ian, and Alan were in awe of what was happening, and Hammond, with Donald at his side, just smiled indulgently as they tried to take in everything.

As I entered, all the scientists flinched the moment they laid eyes on me, but the excited team of three scientists soon drew all their attention, letting me look around properly.

A small room, set up to show off.

Machines in off-white were set up in a pattern that looked nice through a glass window, but it was practically a hazard to anyone who walked through. The dinosaur fossils set into the walls were a nice touch, though.

No masks either.

In a lab, doing biological experimentation.

Fuck the dinosaurs, shut them down just for this!

As I stewed inwardly, Hammond herded the group forward and approached one of the men in a white suit.

“Good day, Henry.”

The man turned around, revealing a younger man. Well, younger than Hammond at least, while writing something down with an easy smile on his face.

“Good day, sir.”

I stopped at a respectable distance and snapped a few photos of the room before focusing on the odd table holding the large eggs. A few more photos, with the scientists around me giving me odd looks. But as Hammond visibly wasn’t stopping me, they didn’t care either.

One of the eggs began to shake, and everyone began to rush around as Hammond excitedly pushed himself through the gathering crowd while putting on a pair of cotton gloves.

“Oh, perfect timing,” Henry exclaimed. “I hoped one would hatch before I had to go to the boat.”

As the machine arm attached to the table continued to rhythmically turn every egg, everyone gathered around the lone shaking one with Hammond at the front.

“Henry! Why didn’t you tell me it was this close?” he cried out in a joking way, but I could sense a bit of reproach in his voice. “You know I insist on being here when they’re born.”

“My apologies, sir,” Henry replied as he checked his notes. “It seems we have an early riser. They weren’t expected to hatch until next week.”

I couldn’t help but approach. After all, it’s not every day one can witness the miracle of the birth of a species that went extinct millions of years ago. Even then, the way everyone leaned over the table and watched, breathing on it, seriously sent shivers down my spine.

I know Jurassic Park was the epitome of ‘What lab safety?’ but this was a bit much. It looked nice on the big screen, but I just wanted to yank everyone back at least three feet.

“Oh, God…” Ellie gasped in wonder as the egg began to crack.

Nonetheless, my distaste didn’t stop me from continuously snapping photos of the process. I couldn’t help but mutter, “This is going to look great!”

I watched as Hammond led the group watching the little dinosaur break through the thick shell of the egg and emerge into the cold, uncaring world with a helpless cry, covered in some kind of slime.

“That’s it! Good boy!” he cried out softly as he reached forward to remove a few pieces of shell stuck to the small dinosaur’s head. “They imprint on the first creature they come in contact with…” he softly explained as he continued to help the little creature. “Helps with the trust. I’ve been present for the birth of every little creature on this island,” he declared happily.

“Surely not the ones that have bred in the wild?” Dr. Ian Malcolm asked in a confused tone, while also grinning down at the newborn with everyone else.

It was Henry who answered. “Actually, they can’t breed in the wild. Population control is one of our security precautions. No unauthorized breeding in the park.”

“Uhm, and how… how do you know they can’t breed?”

“Well, because they’re all female. We’ve engineered them that way,” Henry explained.

As Ellie and Hammond were doing their best to clean up the newly born dinosaur, Donald was staring at everything with wide eyes, Alan was having a stare-off with the robot arm that just snatched the broken eggshell out of his hand, and I was doing my best to document the entire process. Ian walked around the group to get closer to Henry.

“But, again, how do you know they’re all female? Does somebody go out into the park and, ah, pull up the dinosaurs’ skirts?” he asked while everyone pretended they didn’t hear him with more or less success.

However, Dr. Henry Wu took the question seriously.

“We control their chromosomes. All vertebrate embryos are inherently female, so we just make sure they stay that way. One extra hormone at the right time denied, and they stay that way. Dead simple!”

Hearing that, both Ellie and Alan looked up from the dinosaur, leaving Hammond alone dealing with the small, excitable fella.

Ian walked over to a seat at another table and dropped down with a heavy sigh before running his hand through his hair.

“John,” he called out, causing the older man to look up from his ministrations over the baby dinosaur. “The kind of control you’re attempting here is… it’s not possible,” he began in a grave tone. “If there’s one thing that the history of evolution has taught us, it’s that life will not be contained. Life breaks free. It expands to new places and crashes through barriers. Painfully, maybe even dangerously. But... uh, well, there it is.” He lost his momentum and words at the end, but I nodded along with him.

One part because what he said made sense, and another part because I saw the movie.

Hammond just gave him a sarcastic nod. “There it is…” and turned back to the dinosaur.

“Are you implying that a group composed entirely of female animals will… what, breed?” Henry asked in a condescending tone.

“No, I’m simply saying that life... uh, finds a way,” Ian replied a little less confidently.

I took that as my cue. I stopped snapping pictures for a moment and turned toward the good doctor. “I assume you accounted for temperature-induced sex changes, right?” I had looked up a few words in the library just to be sure.

Henry blinked at me as if it was the first time he had seen me, then nodded. “Yes. That’s why all breeding happens in a controlled laboratory environment.”

I saw Hammond open his mouth, but I didn’t let him. “What about parthenogenesis?” It had taken me a while to find that one. I remembered the fact that some lizards can mate without males, but the word for it was never something I had to remember. Thank you, New York Public Library.

“That’s only with a select few lizards,” Henry countered. “Entirely different species.”

“But you’re essentially creating new species. How do you know they won’t spontaneously develop, or even already have, the ability?” I asked.

Henry straightened up. “I went over every strand of DNA inside every dinosaur currently roaming this island. There is no way any of them can have or develop the ability to reproduce through parthenogenesis.”

“Can I quote you on that?” I asked, playing up my journalist identity.

He exchanged a look with Hammond, but the older man just nodded in a jolly mood.

“Er, yes, sure.”

“Thank you,” I said cheerfully, and snapped another picture.

Then I let the camera hang from my neck and stepped forward while pulling on cotton gloves I grabbed from a table.

Despite my misgivings, I still wanted to hold a baby velociraptor. Hammond grinned at my enthusiasm and carefully deposited the small creature into my waiting palms.

Honestly, I knew that in a short few months it would turn into a relentless killing machine, but here and now it was super adorable. I grinned as I tickled it a little, then flinched and almost dropped it when a blue screen appeared in front of me. Thankfully, the small dinosaur chose the exact moment to snap at my finger, so the people watching thought I flinched from that. Alan carefully took it away and stared at it half in wonder and half in fearful realization of what he actually held.

[Life, uh… finds a way? 1 x Random Bronze Familiar Ticket]

I took a step back and reached into my pocket, tearing the ticket in half while wondering if all I was going to get during my visit here were Familiar tickets. Because so far, it seemed like it…

Well, Virgo was at least useful…

Round and round the cosmic wheel went before I had a new occupant in my soul.

[A Tanuki (Trash Familiar): A regular tanuki, as in the Japanese Raccoon Dog, not the yokai. They don’t really do much, but they are pretty cute.]

Sighing slightly, I continued watching as people played with the small dinosaur while idly wondering who would win: my new tanuki or the newly born velociraptor…

The moment Alan Grant realized what he was holding, he demanded to be taken to them. He wanted to see them with his own eyes. He didn’t say anything, but I could see the realization sweep over him that the island wasn’t just home to peaceful herbivores. Though I was sure Hammond mistook his request for enthusiasm, and we quickly said goodbye to Henry Wu and his laboratory, leaving him holding the bag, or in this case, the baby velociraptor.

After a bit of maneuvering through the corridors of the building, we were let out into nature and quickly led to the Velociraptor enclosure. I looked off into the distance and saw the approaching storm front. The wind was already picking up a little.

We stared at the concrete enclosure as Hammond prattled about lunch. Sea bass sounded delightful. And then came the famous scene.

A black cow was raised high up in the air with a crane, then slowly lowered into the enclosure.

“What’re they doing?” Alan asked, confused.

Hammond just grinned. “Feeding them, of course!”

We all rushed forward, the others a bit faster as I already knew we wouldn’t be able to see anything.

As I stood on the platform next to the hole, I just saw the tops of the shrubbery, trees, and other greenery, then came the delightful sound of the velociraptors tearing the poor cow apart.

“Couldn’t you have just thrown in some steaks? That sounds unusually cruel…” I asked Hammond quietly, who stood there like he had seen this exact scenario play out a thousand times. He probably had…

“Ah, believe me, my young friend, we tried,” he said a bit sadly. “Alas, velociraptors prefer live prey and refuse to touch carcasses they didn’t kill.”

“I assume sedating the cow would affect them too?” I said with a sigh.

“Right you are. Right you are.”

Our attention was drawn to the grim visage of the hunter as he approached.

“They should all be destroyed,” the man practically yelled as he walked toward the group.

Hammond just laughed as if the guy had said the most hilarious thing. “Robert!” He then turned back to us. “Robert Muldoon, my game warden from Kenya.”

Alan stepped forward to shake his hand while Hammond continued the introduction. “A bit of an alarmist, I’m afraid, but he knows more about our raptors than anyone.”

Alan couldn’t contain himself. “What’s their metabolism? What’s their growth rate?”

Robert Muldoon, or as I remembered him, the hunter guy, simply leaned back and began to share his experience with a bit of enjoyment. “They’re lethal at eight months. And I do mean lethal.” He took off his hat and looked over all of us. “I’ve hunted most things that can hunt you, but the way these things move...”

“Fast?” Alan asked, fascinated.

“Like a cheetah. Maybe fifty or sixty miles per hour in the open. Excellent jumpers, too.”

Hammond didn’t seem to appreciate Muldoon’s candor. “Yes, yes. That’s why we’re taking extreme precautions.” He turned to presumably showcase those precautions, but everyone’s attention was on Muldoon, so he just huffed a little and fell silent.

“And… do they show any intelligence?” Alan asked, seemingly afraid of the answer.

Muldoon’s answer sent a chill down my spine. It was so much different to hear it in person than through the screen.

Also, holy foreshadowing, Batman…

“Extreme. Including problem-solving intelligence,” Muldoon stated coldly. “Especially the big one.”

“Big one?”

“We bred eight originally, but when she came in, she took over and killed all but two,” Muldoon told them in a grave voice, as if telling a ghost story around a campfire. “That one… when she looks at you… you can see the nuts and bolts in her head turning. That’s also why we have to feed them like this. She had them all attacking the fences when the feeders came.”

“But the fences are electrified though, right?” Ellie asked quickly.

Muldoon nodded. “That’s right.” Then he smirked a little. “But they never attack the same place twice.”

“What?” Alan exclaimed.

Muldoon continued to smirk. “They’re a clever bunch. They were testing the fences for weaknesses… systematically.” He paused, looking at everyone before delivering the last line. “They remember.”

I couldn’t help myself. “Uh, chills…”

Hammond sent me a look, while Ellie just giggled a little. The crane chose this exact moment to emerge from the enclosure, revealing the completely mutilated remains of the harness, covered in blood, but holding no cow.

Hammond let out a slightly embarrassed laugh. “Well, who’s hungry?”

The dining room was a bit claustrophobic for me with all the projectors and walls covered in videos and pictures, but the seating was comfortable, and the tableware looked cool. I vowed to take one of the plates with the Jurassic Park logo with me.

The sea bass was truly excellent, if a bit of an odd choice. I had eaten back in San José, but I was still hungry. The rest of the group didn’t share my blasé attitude.

Hammond was practically vibrating in one place; Donald was sweating bullets with excitement, visions of mountains of money practically dancing before his eyes. Ian, Ellie, and Alan were, however, eerily silent.

Which made sense.

They were smart. They all could see the myriad of ways this could, and would, go wrong.

Hammond was in his element. “None of these attractions are ready yet, of course, but the park will open with the basic tour you’re about to take. And then other rides will come online six or twelve months after that. Absolutely spectacular designs! Spared no expense.”

Donald joined him, excitement shining on his face. “And we can charge anything we want!” he declared grandly, ignoring the disgusted look on everyone’s face; even Hammond looked a bit uncomfortable. “Two thousand, ten thousand – whatever we want, and people will pay it!”

Ian scoffed, but Donald didn’t seem to hear him. “And the merchandise… oh my, I can already–”

I wasn’t really surprised. It was the nineties. They hadn’t seen the deplorable lengths capitalism would go to just to make the imaginary red line go even a little bit higher.

“Donald, Donald,” Hammond gently admonished the lawyer. “This park was not built to cater only to the super-rich. Everyone in the world has the right to enjoy these animals.”

“You could even sell the destroyed remains of the harness used to feed the velociraptor,” I added quietly between two bites of my food.

Both of them fell silent, and an awkward air enveloped the room. I looked up and smirked. “What? Too far?”

Ian nodded. “The lack of humility before nature that’s being displayed here is staggering.”

“Thank you, Dr. Malcolm,” Donald replied with a chuckle, clearly not understanding the man’s comment. “But I think things are a bit different than both you and I feared.”

“Yes, they’re a lot worse.”

“Now wait a second now. We have only seen one exhibit. There is no reason to–”

Hammond, however, interrupted him. “Donald, let him talk. I want to hear every viewpoint. I really do.”

I could have interjected, but I wanted them to say it. I wanted to hear the famous speech. Plus, the food was really good.

Ian bowed his head a little in thanks. “John, don’t you see the danger? Genetic power is the most awesome force the planet’s ever seen, but you wield it like a kid that’s found his dad’s gun.”

“It’s hardly appropriate to start hurling generalizations–” Donald tried to interject, but Ian spoke over him.

“I’ll tell you the problem with the scientific power that you’re using here: It didn’t require any discipline to attain it.” The man fell silent for a brief moment, seemingly trying to organize his thoughts. Or just trying very hard not to curse them out. I wasn’t really sure. “You know, you read what others had done. Then you took the next step.” Ian shook his head. “You didn’t earn the knowledge for yourselves, so you don’t take any responsibility for it.” Hammond began to shake his head in disbelief. “You stood on the shoulders of geniuses to accomplish something as fast as you could. And before you even knew what you had, you patented it, packaged it, and slapped it on a plastic lunch box!”

BAMM!

He slammed his fist on the table, sending the cutlery scattering and causing Ellie to flinch.

Hammond used his hands to motion for a timeout. “I don’t think you’re giving us our due credit. Our scientists have done things which nobody has ever done before.”

Ian’s retort came blindingly fast. “Yeah, yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should.”

I couldn’t help but smirk a little at that line. One of the immortal ones, that one…

I wanted to let the scene develop, but I was here to change things, not to watch events happen. A bit of self-indulgence was great, but there was a point where I had to step in.

I put down my cutlery, my plate clean, and cleared my throat, cutting off whatever Hammond was about to say.

“Ahem. It doesn’t really matter what happens here, Dr. Malcolm,” I told the entire table.

Hammond’s face hardened. “Pardon?”

I smiled. Alan was staring at me, and Ellie’s eyes were rapidly moving between the people around the table.

“The news is out,” I declared. “While the public doesn’t know yet, most other corporations are aware of what you’re doing here, Mr. Hammond. They’re even, right at this moment, working on duplicating your project."

Hammond stared at me; Donald was visibly sweating even more, and Ian was nodding as if he had expected this exact scenario.

“See! You haven’t even opened your park, and they already broke containment!”

I smirked. “Most of them want the same thing you do, John. A park filled with extinct or even bespoke animals. So the question is not really whether the park should be shut down or not. It’s how to handle the entire world having access to technology capable of cloning and editing DNA."

The chilling realization swept over everyone. I just continued ruthlessly, idly picking up some remnants of the meal in front of me.

I really should get the recipe; this was so good…

“For example, at this moment, there is at least one or two spies working for rival corporations. What was it called? Ah, yes… BioSyn, I believe.” Once again, the New York Public Library came in to help. Respect.

Hammond stared back, knowing full well what BioSyn was and what they were capable of.

“But what can we do?” Ellie asked, clearly a bit overwhelmed with the information. “If the information is already out, as you said, then what can be done?”

I shrugged. “Launching a global call to cease it, but knowing humanity, that wouldn’t really work. Or setting up an organization dedicated to hunting down illegal dinosaur laboratories, but that would result in people trying to genetically graft guns onto dinosaurs to defend themselves, and I think we all can agree that’s not something humanity needs at this time…”

They all stared at me like I had gone crazy.

“Or, show them how it should be done. Become the leading and, most importantly, shining example of a dinosaur park."

Hammond frowned, and Ian was still nodding. “Exactly! There is no predicting where resurrecting these creatures will take us! They don’t belong to this time or this world!”

“And the ecosystem!” Ellie added her two cents. “They lived in an ecosystem that is practically impossible to replicate. We don’t know how they are going to react to the plants you placed around them, or how the plants themselves will evolve after being predated upon by new creatures.”

The old man at the head of the table, desperate for even one lone supporting voice, turned to Alan. “Dr. Grant, if there’s one person here who can appreciate what I’m trying to do...?”

Alan hummed, clearly thinking about the situation and choosing his words carefully. “Two species separated by sixty-five million years of evolution. Man and dinosaurs. And they are going to mix. How can we possibly have the slightest idea what to expect?”

Hammond shook his head in further disbelief. “I don’t believe it. I don’t believe it! You’re meant to come down here and defend me against these characters, and the only one I’ve got on my side is the blood-sucking lawyer!”

“Thank you?” Donald uttered, a bit confused.

“You called us here for us to give our expert opinion, Mr. Hammond,” Alan pointed out. “And that’s what I’m doing. Pointing out that, in my expert opinion, based on all currently available data, we have no idea what’s going to happen.”

“A containment breach in about a few hours is what’s going to happen,” I told them cheerfully.

“Excuse me?” Hammond exclaimed, slightly rising from his chair. “What did you say, young man?”

“A containment breach. Someone is here to steal your genetic material. They need to shut down the electricity to reach it,” I explained. “I’m sure you can work out the rest…”

Hammond stayed like that for a moment before practically falling back into his chair, a deep, turbulent breath leaving his mouth.

“And I’m sure you know the one behind these actions?” he asked, his previous jovial tone vanishing, replaced by that of a ruthless company owner. I could understand that. Somebody was threatening his dream creation, the thing he had worked so hard for. I would be pissed too…

“I mean, is it really that hard to figure out?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.

I love being mysterious…

Hammond stared back at me, then closed his eyes and muttered something under his breath. “Nedry?"

“Bingo!"

The rest of the people at the table just stared at us.

“I also don’t recommend sending security after him,” I added.

“Why?” Hammond asked curtly, his eyes narrowing at me.

I shrugged. “You had one man design and operate the entire computer system of the park. Don’t you think he built in some kind of failsafe in case he got discovered?” I shook my head in disbelief. “Seriously, leaving a system so important dependent on one person. Tsk, tsk… John. Doesn’t look good…”

Hammond took a deep breath before speaking. “I shall restrain my curiosity for now and not ask where someone like yourself came across information such as this.” He turned to the rest of the people around the table. “How about you take our tour while I deal with this… interruption with the help of our journalist friend.”

The way he said “journalist” conveyed exactly what he thought about me, and how much he really believed I was actually one. I just smiled and inclined my head a little.

Alan interrupted. “Now, wait a minute! We aren’t finished. What about the containment? If the dinosaurs escape then–”

“Nothing is escaping!” Hammond yelled, instantly casting the room into silence. He was standing, and his chest was heaving with anger. A moment later, he repeated himself, but much softer. “No dinosaur is going to escape. I guarantee you. Our system was designed with several redundancies. Even a major security breach couldn’t cripple the entire system.”

“Unless something catastrophic happens on top of the security breach… like, I don’t know… a tropical storm?” I offered with a smile.

Hammond stared back at me. “The weather report did say there was a chance of a storm tonight…”

“Hah! Chaos upon chaos!” Ian gleefully laughed. “I love it!”

Hammond was about to comment when a worker, one of the waiters who had been serving us, rushed into the room and began whispering into his ear.

His whole demeanor changed, from angry businessman to jovial grandfather.

“Well, I suppose a brief intermission wouldn’t hurt while we consider things,” he stated, slowly getting up from his chair. “Our last guests have arrived."

As they walked out of the room, Hammond hung back and sidled up next to me. “We shall speak about this later. Until then, I would appreciate it if you could keep your… information to yourself.”

“As you wish, Mr. Hammond,” I replied cheerfully.

I had already sent the fate of the island off the beaten path; now all I had to do was see it to the end, then somehow convince Hammond to become a more competent dinosaur park owner.

Easy peasy, lemon squeezy…

We returned to the welcoming area shortly, right next to the giant bone structure where two dead dinosaurs were locked in an eternal battle.

As if the previous conversation had been forgotten, Hammond continued in a happy tone. But I could see Donald nervously sweating, Ian humming and paranoidly searching for any clues to what I had talked about, and Ellie walking just a tad bit closer to Alan, whose face could have been carved from stone.

“Due to some scheduling issues on behalf of my family, you four will have a spot of company out in the park. Maybe you’ll see how the target audience reacts to the sights!” he declared gleefully.

Just then, two high-pitched voices cried out. “Grandpa!"

Two small bodies slammed into Hammond, sending the man a bit backward, only the way the stairs were constructed saving him from a full tumble.

“Kids!” he yelled back, only to cry out in alarm a moment later. “Wait! Be careful with this old man!”

“We missed you!” the small boy cried out in a happy tone.

“Me too, me too…” Hammond replied, hugging them both back.

I watched with the others as Hammond joyfully interacted with his grandkids before he finally let go of them, the two kids remaining close to him. There was a round of introductions, Hammond introducing Tim and Alexis to us.

“And this, children, is young Mr. Timothy Walker,” Hammond declared grandly to his grandchildren after the others were done.

I nodded at both of them.

Tim, the small kid, looked up at me. “What do you do, Mr. Walker?"

“Journalist,” I told him, raising my camera and snapping a photo of them standing next to Hammond. I’m sure they would appreciate it later…

Hammond gave me a look, then clapped his hands. “Right. So originally we planned to take you on a tour of the park, but it seems a tropical storm is heading this way, so we shall delay that until tomorrow. How about you try our interactive museum tour?” He nodded toward Alan. “I’m sure Dr. Grant here can verify their authenticity much faster than anyone else.”

We all politely ignored the fact that Hammond didn’t even consider the approaching storm important ten minutes ago.

Alan stared at Hammond and considered the unspoken request. He exchanged a look with Ellie, who seemed to nod encouragingly.

“I suppose it’s better than sitting in our room.” He finally acquiesced.

Tim let out a cheer. “Yes! Personal tour by Dr. Grant! I read your book, you know…”

I watched as Hammond sent the kids away with Alan and Ellie, then had to shoo Donald and Ian along too, to make sure they left with them. Ian was reluctant as he wanted to see what I would do, but in the end the sight of the charming Ellie won, and he followed the small tour group, where a worker was already directing them toward the museum entrance. Donald was simply hopelessly lost, and out of his element, so Ian grabbed his arm and dragged the lawyer with him, leaving behind a muttered, “You’re welcome!"

I was left alone with Hammond as he waved cheerfully at his grandchildren.

The moment they left our sight, his hand dropped, and his smile slid off his face, revealing a rather serious, if not murderous, look.

He glanced at me.

“Now… let’s see what we can do,” he stated while turning around and striding toward one of the service doors. “And might I remind you, Mr. Walker, that if you have lied to me, the consequences will be rather dire, if I do say so myself…”

We arrived at the computer room, and I couldn’t help but scoff.

Once again, it was an unorganized mess, with trash and paper everywhere. And the screens were tiny; you could barely see anything.

I know it’s the nineties, but come on, man… You have projectors…

We were met by Muldoon at the door, waving a printout. “National Weather Service is tracking a tropical storm about seventy-five miles west of us.”

Hammond stayed silent, walking forward, his walking stick decorated with amber beating a staccato rhythm against the floor. Muldoon, sensing the anger radiating off the man, fell silent, sent me a look, then shrugged and followed.

The man worked with velociraptors all day; an angry old man probably wouldn’t scare him.

Inside the control room, aside from the low-quality tech, sourced by Mr. We-Spared-No-Expenses, were several men. One was black, with a cigarette hanging from his mouth, ash clinging to the cigarette desperately as he watched a CRT monitor with some kind of simulations of the oncoming storm playing out on it.

The other one was a corpulent man, sitting surrounded by several monitors, more cables than should be necessary, and a mountain of snacks. He was wearing a headset and was currently in the middle of a chess game. I could already spot the famous shaving cream bottle wedged between several devices, hidden from everyone’s view.

And deeper inside the room were several technicians staring at monitors of their own, surveilling the island and its prehistoric inhabitants.

Hammond stood there, at the top of the room, and just looked at all of it. I didn’t doubt he was imagining all of this coming down in a fiery crash.

Mostly because he was too cheap to pay for a proper IT team. I wasn’t surprised. I had friends who worked in IT, and I also worked in IT, and this happened every day since the invention of IT. It would be quite funny if it weren’t sad…

As everyone was staring at screens and Hammond was staring at people staring at screens, I reached into my pocket, pulled out a golden key, and stealthily summoned Virgo. She showed up without any fanfare and immediately took up position behind me so silently that nobody even reacted to her presence.

Even with the pink hair, she was so excellent at being a maid that she practically became one with the furniture. I gently pointed at Nedry, and she answered with a nod.

Backup arranged, I took my camera and snapped a few photos of the room. The noise finally broke everyone out of their staring, and Hammond started talking.

“Arnold,” he called out softly, and the man instantly looked up, taking a drag of the cigarette dangling from his mouth without touching it with his hand.

I hate the nineties…

Trying to ignore the smell of stale cigarette smoke, I walked up next to Hammond while he addressed the engineer. “What’s the situation with the storm?”

The man just dismissively waved at the screen where the graphic of the storm swept over the island. “The storm center isn’t sure yet, but I have seen its kind. It’s going to hit us, and it’s going to hit us hard.”

Hammond frowned, then let out a soft sigh. “Send out a general warning.”

Arnold nodded and pulled a microphone close to him, pushing a button. “Ladies and gentlemen, due to the approaching storm, we recommend the immediate evacuation of the facility and its surroundings. We have several shuttles heading to the docks. By our estimates, the last shuttle is going to leave in an hour or so before the storm hits us.”

He pulled back from the microphone and nodded at Hammond. I could see that while his face wasn’t the most expressive, there was a definite respect there for the other man for making this choice.

Muldoon voiced his own thoughts. “Good choice. It’s not worth taking the chance, John. Every hunter knows this… Nature is rarely merciful.”

Hammond chuckled a little. “At least we didn’t send out the tour group…”

Muldoon frowned. “Harding is out with the Triceratops. It’s sick again.”

“It’s always sick…” Hammond grumbled. “Give him a call. Otherwise, leave him be. Garry is an excellent outdoorsman. A little storm wouldn’t slow him down.”

Muldoon nodded, walked away to an empty desk, and picked up the phone to make a call. Hammond, meanwhile, looked over the room and called out. “Well? What’re you waiting for?”

The technicians flinched before pulling down their headsets and looking back at their boss.

“Are you sure, sir?” one of them asked. “What about the animals?”

Hammond just quietly tapped his cane on the ground. “Yes, yes. But the system is quite robust and can handle a night without supervision, I’m sure.” He gave them a small smirk. “It will be an excellent test of how it operates independently.”

The technicians looked at each other, then shrugged, clearly not at all invested in the situation. I’m sure the only reason they asked about it was because they didn’t want to be blamed in the future if anything happened.

Smart.

They slowly filed out of the room, excitedly chattering among themselves about visiting this and that bar or restaurant in San José, while I was left in the room with Arnold, Muldoon, Hammond, and the sweating Nedry.

Plus Virgo, but for now she just stood in the shadows, ready to act.

For a few minutes, the only sound that could be heard was Arnold’s typing and Muldoon’s hushed voice over the phone, while Nedry nervously opened one snack after another and gulped them down, throwing the packaging into the overflowing trash can near his desk, more often missing than hitting the target, while he also typed away on three different keyboards.

Thanks to my Tinker ability, I had enough knowledge in multiple fields to support and assemble my robots. This included programming, from the very basics of binary to the slightly advanced concepts. Fortunately, the slightly advanced concepts were super advanced compared to the tech found in the nineties.

Which meant, in turn, I could read Nedry’s code like it was a children’s book. I had to give the man props; it was surprisingly elegant and efficient for a man of his nature and the time of its creation. Granted, he was the one who built the island’s system, so it wasn’t surprising that he also knew how to exploit it.

Finally, it seemed Hammond had decided that it was time to act.

I expected some sly questions, or maybe tricky probing questions to have Nedry admit his involvement with Biosyn, but no. Of course not.

“Dennis. I’m sure those Butterfingers are delicious, but I need a report about our system,” he called out softly.

Arnold didn’t care, just staring at the screen, occasionally clicking on something or typing something. Muldoon, however, was a hunter. He lived and died by sensing emotions and reading body language. He instantly clocked that Hammond wasn’t just asking about the system and pushed himself up from the chair he had been sitting in, casually meandering over to his boss, making it look like he was just taking a walk to stretch his legs.

But I saw his eyes. They were evaluating the situation, clearly trying to figure out what exactly was going on.

Hammond’s eyes were on Nedry, who began to talk excitedly.

“Nothing to worry about, John. I made sure that this system is the best I can make on my limited budget. Do you think this kind of automation is easy?” He scoffed and took a sip of his soda at the same time. “Or cheap? You know anybody who can network eight Connection Machines and debug two million lines of code for what I bid for this job? ’Cause if you do, I’d love to see him try.”

Hammond just nodded. “As always, you’re the epitome of financial awareness, Dennis.”

Nedry rolled his eyes while leaning back in his chair. “Yeah, yeah, Dad. Thanks for the comment.”

“The report?” Hammond prompted him.

Nedry turned back to the desk and clicked around a little before replying. “Everything looks green. I do good work, you know. This is an amazing system for what I have to work with.”

“And the storm?”

Nedry shrugged. “As long as we have electricity, we’re good,” he said nervously. “With the backup generators, we can function for a whole day. No worries, John. This baby is going to run like a dream.”

Hammond slowly nodded, considering his words. Muldoon stalked around, keeping an eye on things, and I simply watched the inevitable confrontation.

Hammond took a step forward, his walking stick hitting the floor, the contact between the two materials echoing through the almost empty room.

“Excellent. Truly excellent.”

“Why, thank you,” Nedry puffed himself up.

“Then why did you sell out to BioSyn?” Hammond asked quietly, going for the kill. Both Muldoon and Arnold froze, while Nedry began to sputter.

“John! Why would I? What? How? Where did this come from?”

I didn’t miss how Nedry’s eyes moved to the container prepared for holding the embryos. Hammond didn’t know about the shaving cream, but he saw Nedry refusing to meet his eyes, and that was all the confirmation he needed.

“After all this? After all I’ve given you? Selling out to Steingarten?”

For a moment Nedry continued to sputter, but in the end he just let out a harsh laugh. “All you’ve given me? John, John… Don’t be ridiculous. I was on a shoestring budget from the moment I bid for this job. You gave me nothing. Nothing!”

Muldoon was ready to pounce, and Arnold was watching the entire thing while the cigarette dangling from his mouth was rapidly burning down, turning into ash.

Nedry, with surprising speed for his body type, sprang up from his chair and slapped a button with a grin. Most of the screens blinked and were replaced by a small screen containing his grinning head as it bobbed side to side.

“But I came prepared!” he declared triumphantly as he blindly reached around the desk and grabbed the shaving cream. As the other people in the room watched him in confusion, he laughed while he began gathering his things. “If you don’t want your precious system to go down, then you can stand there and let me go. If you do that, then I’m willing to disable the… let’s just say, bomb I placed in the system.”

He stood there, happy with himself, one clammy hand gripping the shaving cream container while the other held his bag, as Hammond stared at him with impotent rage. Even Muldoon and Arnold were frozen, not knowing how to react to Nedry’s declaration.

Thankfully, I was here.

As Nedry walked backward, keeping them in view, I raised my camera and snapped a picture.

With the flash.

That was enough for Virgo to act. She launched forward, and within a second, she was holding Nedry back with one hand on his shoulder, while her other hand held the shaving cream container as she stared blankly at me.

“Sir, your item,” she declared and curtsied a little.

As the rest of the people tried to figure out where she had come from and Nedry tried to squirm out of her hold, I walked over and took the container. “Thank you, Virgo.”

As I stepped away from the frothing manchild, I turned to Hammond, raised the container, and twisted the underside. With a quiet hiss, it came apart and revealed the embryo holder. Meanwhile, Muldoon regained his wits and sprang forward, sending Nedry to the ground and wrenching his hands behind his back.

Virgo simply let go and walked gracefully behind me, where she stood, her hands elegantly clasped in front of her while waiting for my next order.

“Is this enough evidence for you, John?” I asked. Hammond looked at the struggling and cursing Nedry and then at the hidden smuggling container before reluctantly nodding.

“To be frank, I never truly believed you, young man, but I owed it to my greatest creation to investigate every claim, including those that sounded implausible,” the man said in a quiet voice, radiating disappointment and murderous intention at the same time. “It seems I was mistaken. You have my eternal gratitude.”

Hammond bowed his head a little, but Nedry just laughed.

“It doesn’t matter! You’ll never solve my encryption! This entire thing is going down unless you let me go!”

Muldoon looked up, clearly uncertain about the computer issue. “Sir?”

Hammond scoffed and motioned to Arnold. “Ray, be a sunshine and cancel whatever that madman has done.”

Arnold hesitated. “I’m an engineer, John. Not a programmer.”

Before Hammond could try to convince the man, I simply stepped forward and rolled up my jacket sleeves. “May I be of assistance? I have some programming knowledge…”

Hammond looked at me, then at the hesitant Arnold, back to the grinning Nedry on the ground. Then back at me.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” he asked, raising his cane and pointing toward Nedry’s workstation.

I grinned while Virgo rushed forward and cleaned the area within a few seconds, even having time to place a fresh bottle of water next to the main keyboard.

“Dear heavens! Where did she come from?” Hammond exclaimed, seeing Virgo’s exquisite work.

“Oh, she has been here… the whole time,” I declared grandly as I took the seat. Thankfully, Virgo had replaced Nedry’s sweaty chair with a new one. I flexed my fingers and began working as Hammond stood anxiously behind me, while Nedry struggled under Muldoon.

It took a bit of work, but Nedry was nothing before the might of Chaos and my Tinker powers. Soon, I had the system unlocked and chugging along.

Hammond patted my shoulder, while Arnold let out a breath. “It seems we can get our heads out of our asses…”

As Hammond turned to deal with Nedry, I was greeted with several new screens, perfectly overlapping with the computer screens, so it didn’t look weird that I was looking at them.

Sometimes chaos can be oddly accommodating…

[Saved Dennis Nedry, John “Ray” Arnold, and Robert Muldoon’s lives! 1 x Random Silver Familiar Ticket]

[Averted the Isla Nublar Incident! 1 x Random Gold Familiar Ticket]

Letting out a relieved breath, I continued to work, updating and cleaning up Nedry’s code. I couldn’t do much without redoing the entire thing, but at least I could streamline it a little as Muldoon dragged the protesting man out of the room, leaving me with Hammond and Arnold.

Hammond walked back into the room, and Virgo was already there, offering him a chair.

“Thank you, dear,” he told her, then sank gratefully into the chair while using a cloth to wipe the sweat from his forehead.

“What a night! What a night…” he muttered. “You would think you know a man…”

I let out a snort. “Please… the man radiated untrustworthiness. Plus, you were underpaying him. It was a miracle it took so long for him to betray you. Remember this, John. Never underpay IT.”

“I spared no expenses,” Hammond weakly pointed out.

“For the rides and animals,” I replied. “Yet you had one programmer set up the computer system for the entire island. In a normal facility there would be a head IT team, and several departments handling different things. One for power, another for security, another for the rides, and so on. And you had it done by a guy who underbid everyone else…”

I looked up from my typing and looked at Hammond. “I would say, this is just nature taking its course…”

John Hammond opened his mouth to answer, but Arnold interrupted us.

“We have a problem,” he declared in a grave tone. “Part of the fence went dark.”

Arnold stayed behind, monitoring the situation, with my improvements making sure that nothing happened that Mother Nature did not cause, and I escorted the worried Hammond to the public part of the Visitor Center.

On the way, we were met by Muldoon, who quietly reported that Nedry was locked up in the lone cell on the island. We filled him in, and he cursed quietly.

“Either the Big One, or the Rex…”

Ray’s voice echoed over the PA system, calling for anyone still in the Visitor Center to gather in the main hall. Outside the walls, I could hear the heavy rain and wind battering everything on the island.

“Grandpa!” little Tim cried out as we emerged at the top of the stairs. Behind him were his sister and the others, looking a bit bored but relaxed.

“Kids!” the older man exclaimed as he slowly descended the stairs. “Did you have fun?”

“So much!”

“Dr. Sattler told us about all the plants!”

“Dr. Malcolm is so cool!”

Hammond laughed delightedly, his serious countenance nowhere to be seen. The adults were less enthusiastic, but they were clearly happy not to be out in this weather.

Then the PA crackled to life. “John, I found a camera overlooking the fence. It seems a few trees had fallen on it and disabled it.”

The scientists arrayed behind the children looked on with wide eyes, while Muldoon cursed.

“They’re coming here. I just know it,” he declared, already looking around as if expecting the raptors to jump out from behind one of the displays.

A small commotion descended on the group as everyone asked questions and Hammond tried to calm them down and explain the situation at the same time while leaving out Nedry’s aborted attempt at betrayal.

Finally, after a few minutes, the children were hugging Hammond, and everybody was informed. And now they were debating what to do while I simply watched. Alas, it was not meant to be…

The PA came alive again. “The raptor enclosure went offline.”

Muldoon scoffed. “Of course it’s offline… why wouldn’t it be?”

Everyone looked around with ashen faces.

Hammond shook his head. “Come on, my friends… no need to panic. We’re in the Visitor Center. Locked behind locked doors.”

Just to show the universe had a sense of humor, the moment the old man finished his sentence, we all heard glass breaking and the noise of the storm intensifying.

Then the roar of the storm was overridden by a much more primal roar, shaking our bones and souls as something incredibly primal in our lizard brains told us that an apex predator was on the prowl.

“That would be Rexy…” Hammond muttered.

Click.

Clack.

Click.

Clack.

Came the sound of claws hitting the cold stone floor of the Visitor Center.

“And those would be the Big One and her pack…” Muldoon added. “And our weapons are locked up in the armory. Just great!”

The group gathered in the middle of the main hall, clearly unsure where to go or what to do, shivering both from fear and the occasional cold gust of wind sweeping through the building due to the broken windows.

“Sir, would you like me to deal with the intruders?” Virgo asked, causing everybody but Muldoon and Hammond to jump.

“Who is she?” Ellie whispered.

I just shook my head. “No need, Virgo,” I told her while I took off my jacket and handed it to her. She took it and gently folded it in her arms. “I always wanted to throw down with a pack of raptors and a T-Rex.”

“Of course, sir. Forgive me for my presumption,” she said quietly before stepping back, ignoring how everyone was looking at us with wide eyes.

I turned toward the people, and I activated the Barrier of the Wind King, causing a small gust of wind to swirl around me as it settled over my shoulders. I quickly switched out Robotics for Light Grenade. I didn’t think I would need it, but better safe than sorry.

Childhood dream, here I come!

The people gathered in the middle of the hall watched me in confusion. I just waited, listening for the sound.

Click.

I turned around and stared into the darkness of the hallway, where the construction equipment was still present.

Clack.

Then, as I stood there in the open, the raptor seemingly decided I was the perfect target.

Click Clack Click Clack

It rushed forward, letting out a small roar, its eyes shining with the confidence born from being a predator. It saw a lone human without the protection of the electrified fence, and it knew it had won.

I simply raised my hand and punched forward, ignoring the screams from behind me.

Wind tore forward, hitting the velociraptor square in the head and sending it stumbling.

It staggered backward and let out a confused noise, as if not understanding what had hit it. Not letting it gather its wits, I punched forward several more times, hitting the dinosaur repeatedly until it fell to the ground in a groaning mess.

That was the moment that two more velociraptors launched themselves at me. One from the shadows where the first one had emerged, the other, the biggest one, jumping directly at me from the upper floor with a victorious roar.

Even the one on the ground scrambled to its feet, seemingly just pretending to be taken out.

“Clever girls!”

I pulled the Barrier of the Wind King around me and dropped into a stable stance.

The two raptors, their mouths open and salivating, claws raised high, slammed into my barrier with a crunch.

CRUNCH

CRACK

THUD

They let out whimpers as their bodies couldn’t break through the might of the Wind King and dropped to the ground, broken.

I staggered a little, but the wind around me kept me upright. The last raptor that had scrambled up froze on the spot as it stared at the other two, their bodies a broken mess, then looked back at me. It was clearly trying to decide whether to attack and support its pack or flee as fast as possible.

The largest raptor let out a sound that was half groan, half roar, and the last standing velociraptor’s fate was decided.

It let out a roar and launched itself forward, aiming directly at my neck, its head even turning a bit sideways. Hand-to-Hand Combat gave me enough skill to sidestep and punch the dinosaur in the back as it sailed past, sending it skidding across the floor before slamming into a wall.

I grinned and dusted my hands. “So cool…” Turning around, I waved at the group. “Done with these…”

The gathered group stared at me with varying expressions. Hammond was calculating, the children were all starry-eyed, Alan and Ian were suspicious, Ellie was awed, and Donald was still very confused. Muldoon, however, only had eyes for the raptors.

He was about to gloat a little when there was another roar, sending everyone ducking down and the raptors whining in fear.

Then it was followed by a crash from somewhere very close to the front door.

“It’s out there, right?” Ian asked with a gulp.

“Rexy is quite smart,” Hammond agreed, half proud and half terrified.

“Just a moment, people,” I spoke up, then nodded at Virgo. “Virgo, please make sure the raptors don’t leave.”

“Yes, sir,” replied the placid maid as chains emerged from the ground and bound the raptors in place.

I walked over to the main doors and pulled one open slightly. Rain instantly poured in, but the barrier around me kept me dry. Slipping out, I closed the door, and the reassuring smile slid off my face.

Instead, it was replaced by an excited one.

I didn’t have to wait long. The Tyrannosaurus Rex came tearing through the perfectly manicured gardens, its scales slick with water and its eyes fixed on the warm light of the Visitor Center.

Whether it was hungry or simply seeking shelter from the storm, I didn’t know, but the moment I started walking, its beady eyes locked onto me, and it let out a roar before charging forward.

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

Every step shook the ground.

Just because I could, I also let out an inarticulate roar that sadly got lost in the storm, but it still felt good, and I began running forward, my arm raised.

We ran toward each other.

Apex predator against man.

We met in the middle, its jaws opening wide to swallow me whole, while I let loose an incredible blast of air, stopping the massive animal.

It wasn’t named the king of dinosaurs without cause, as it immediately recovered and turned around to slap me with its tail, but I simply ducked under it, water flying everywhere as the giant appendage whizzed past. Then I jumped up and let loose another blast, sending the massive animal staggering.

Rexy let out a confused roar, but it was not ready to give up.

Finishing its turn, its maw came back, but before it could reach me, I punched forward once, then twice, sending condensed blasts of wind into the side of its head. Not wanting to kill it, I made sure to pull my punches.

For a moment, we stood there in the storm, water coming down on us. The T-Rex was slick with water, while I only had my shoes wet, thanks to the Barrier of the Wind King.

Its beady eyes watched me carefully, realizing that I wasn’t actually an easy snack. It let out a roar, its anger and frustration radiating from it.

I let loose two more projectiles, slamming them into its hide, sending water splattering and cutting off the rest of its roar.

I couldn’t help but grin, looking up at the massive beast that was clearly reconsidering eating me.

For a long moment, we just stared at each other.

Then it let out a roar that sounded different from the previous one and whipped around, sending one of the tour cars flying with its tail before stalking away with heavy steps.

THUD

THUD

THUD

Its footsteps merged into the storm, and I couldn’t help but laugh and laugh.

I had just thrown down with a real-life Tyrannosaurus Rex!

I couldn’t even describe all the feelings coursing through my body.

After I finally had to stop and catch my breath between bouts of laughter, I turned around and walked back toward the Visitor Center.

The next morning I woke up in a small room set up for workers to rest between shifts. On the other beds were Dr. Malcolm and Alan. Ellie slept in another room with the kids, while Muldoon volunteered to keep watch over the velociraptors.

The man may have advocated for their destruction, but he clearly cared for the murderous dinosaurs.

Hammond had returned to the control room to help Arnold and probably slept there. I had Virgo also stand guard, just in case Rexy returned or some of the smaller dinosaurs decided to seek shelter in the Visitor Center.

Lying on the low-quality bed, I opened my eyes and stretched. I felt amazing after last night. I had fulfilled a childhood dream and even saved lives. Outside, the noise of the storm gave way to the rays of the sun as they broke through the dark clouds, illuminating the island and its inhabitants.

Before me was a blue screen, with eldritch characters forming sentences that nobody but me understood.

[Defeated the Big One and its pack without killing them! 1 x Advantage Bronze Familiar Ticket]

[Looked into the eyes of a Tyrannosaurus Rex and walked away as the victor without killing it! 1 x Advantage Bronze Random Ticket]

They weren’t the best, because I was clearly much more powerful than anything on the island, but the fact that I didn’t kill them seemingly counted for more. I was also happy that at least one of them wasn’t a Familiar ticket.

I currently had one bronze, silver, and gold Familiar ticket, and one random. I reached under my substandard pillow and pulled out the stack of tickets.

One quick check to make sure my roommates were still sleeping, and I took the bronze one and tore it.

Two overlapping waterwheels spun in my mind’s eye, and then I had a choice to make.

[Obsidian Gargoyles (Uncommon Familiar): Hota - Obsidian statues of Gargoyles given life, these flying animated statues are deceptively fast, durable, and strong. They are able to tear a grown man in half like he's paper and shrug off small arms fire. You get a small army of these creatures; their numbers increase as you get stronger, starting at five.]

[Untitled Goose (Uncommon Familiar): Untitled Goose Game - The biggest asshole goose on planet Earth, and that is a hard title to contend with. This feathered menace is an expert at annoying and inconveniencing people. As if that were not enough, the Goose is immortal and will respawn in the familiar space one hour after its death.]

I stared at the two descriptions. The first one would be a cheap shock trooper; on the other hand, the other one would give me an asshole goose.

Sometimes I wonder if my power is fucking with me…

I clicked on the second one, just for the sheer potential hilarity, and felt a new presence in my soul that somehow honked, sending me almost jumping out of my bed.

“Fucking asshole…” I muttered almost silently before reaching for the next ticket.

This time it was a silver Ferris wheel that spun incredibly fast and appeared in my mind before my soul gained another inhabitant.

[Storm Elemental (Rare Familiar): Calamity Mod - A solitary elemental formed in the rainy skies. As an elemental born of the sky, she can conjure and exert control over wind, clouds, and lightning.]

I stared blankly at the screen, letting out a sigh. Why not…

As I felt the elemental settle into my Familiar Space, I tore open the gold one. A massive wheel made out of cheese spun before me before a new presence was born.

[2-1B Surgical Droid (Uncommon Familiar): Star Wars - An advanced medical droid equipped with a vast database and extreme precision due to its droid body. This droid is a better surgeon than any human alive and is equipped with a variety of surgical tools and attachments.]

Letting out a sigh, I was a bit disappointed that I didn’t get an Elite Familiar, but having a medical droid in my pocket would be supremely helpful. Especially because with my Robotics power, I could examine it and maybe even duplicate it.

If I ever got back to the Independence Day world, seeding its copies across the world would help with the rebuilding.

Finally, it was time for the last ticket. I tore it and waited as a simple ethereal hula hoop spun in front of me.

[Perfect Skin (Common Trait): Your skin is one any model would envy, always perfectly moist, supple, and smooth. Your skin also never scars or gets marred unless you want it to. Cuts, abrasions, and other superficial injuries also heal slightly faster and more seamlessly.]

[Weather (Trash Ability): You are able to accurately predict the weather in a given area for up to a week.]

I closed my eyes and tried not to scream. Technically, it was all about luck, but it seemed like Chaos itself was taking the mickey out of me. I chose the second one and felt my skin tingle, but otherwise I didn’t feel anything. Looking down, it looked just like always.

Shrugging, I let out a sigh and rolled off the bed.

Time for breakfast…

A/N: So here is the end of Jurrasic Park. Somewhat. Next chapter will start with the aftereffects.

After I pulled Storm Elemental, the next ticket pulled another one, then another Goose. I thought about making it twin Geese, but in the end simply rerolled.

Bit longer chapter, but I didn't want to cut it off at the usual length.

Happy reading!