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JP3: Signs of Life [Chapter Five]
By AlanGrant5
Jurassic Park III: Signs of Life
Chapter Five: Hidden Agenda
Trying to get comfortable in his cramped seat, Alan Grant found himself in a situation in which he vowed to never get himself into. The Kirbys had chartered a Beechcraft Turboprop for their sight-seeing trip, and the small plane was now hovering above crystal blue waters, passing through a thin layer of clouds.
Across from Grant, sat Billy Brennan, gazing eagerly outside the window. Billy, camera in hand, was excited, to say the least. Alan remembered the feeling well, as a sudden case of deja vu came over him.
“You made the right decision Alan. No matter what way you look at it, we’re in a win-win situation,” Billy said, cleaning the lens of rusted camera.
Alan grunted, “And how is that?”
“We get the money we need for the dig and we get to see dinosaurs in the flesh. If you ask me, that’s a pretty damn good deal.”
Grant smirked at the comment. “I’d like to hear you say that when your face to face with a flesh eating raptor.”
Billy chuckled and suddenly had a look of seriousness on his face. “Have you... you know, ever been face to face with a raptor?” he asked anxiously.
“Wake me up when we get there,” Alan said, purposely leaving the question unanswered. Pulling the rim of his hat over his eyes, Alan began to rest. The calm, steady humming of the plane’s engines soon put him to sleep. Hours later, a bump woke with a start. Glancing out his window, Alan could see nothing but clouds. Suddenly, the clouds parted to reveal Isla Sorna, rising majestically out of the water. It seemed impossibly green and lush after the dry brown landscape around their Montana dig.
“We’re here!” Billy commented.
The plane dived into the canyons and cast a shadow one hundred feet above a vast jungle. While taking note of the islands geographical features, Grant also took note of the Kirby’s behavior upon arriving at their requested destination. A man dressed entirely in black, loomed over the huddled Kirby’s carrying out a conversation that was unable to be heard by Grant or Billy.
“You’d think they’d want to be alone for their anniversary,” Billy whispered.
“Seems like one of those second honeymoons to save the marriage,” Alan replied.
Billy nodded in agreement and quickly drew his attention to the window.
“My God... Alan look!” Billy said, waving for him to come over.
Alan squeezed himself from the compacted seat and made his way towards the other side of the window. His eyes widened and his heart began to beat faster.
A long necked dinosaur, surrounded by others of the same species, grazed the open valley.
“It’s an apatosaur... look at the coloration,” Grant mumbled.
“Wow. I – I’m so used to seeing bones... it’s weird to see flesh.”
Alan wasn’t surprised to hear the awe captured in Billy’s voice. He remembered well how stunned and overwhelmed he himself had felt the first time he’d seen one of InGen’s creations. For Alan, it had felt as if the past had come alive. But Alan knew the truth. These dinosaurs were never meant to coexist with man. They had only brought pain and death. And since that horrific experience eight years ago, Alan had vowed to forget the wonder he’s first experienced in Jurassic Park.
Noticing that Paul and Amanda weren’t even looking out the window, Grant cleared his throat. “Mr. and Mrs. Kirby,” he called toward the front, “if you look to your left, you can see a herd of –”
The plane was rocked by a small jolt, causing a large duffel bag to fall from the luggage compartment above. Picking up the duffel bag, a large object slipped out onto the floor with a CLANK! It was a machine gun. Alan and Billy exchanged looks of both confusion and worry.
“What in the hell –” Alan wondered, picking up the gun with both hands.
Something was going on. Everyone on the flight had been strangely quiet ever since they’d taken off. The pilot and copilot were hardly friendly, and the “steward”, a stern-looking man with dark sun glasses, sat rigid a few rows back. The pilot, copilot, and steward wore the same clothing: black slacks and T-shirts, leather boots, and what looked like to be small walkie talkies attached to each one’s belt. Alan began to feel a bit uneasy.
Confirming his fears, Alan heard a mechanical hum and a low rush from outside. He froze, finding it hard to speak. “That’s not landing gear?”
No response.
“You cannot land on this island!” Grant exclaimed, setting the large gun aside.
“We have a landing strip up ahead. You want me to put her down?” the pilot asked, ignoring Alan’s pleas.
Paul turned back to him. “Dr. Grant, I assure you, everything will be just fine. If you’ll just sit tight, we’ll explain –”
“Explain? Explain, what? I never agreed to this,” Alan said, unbuckling his seat belt. Rising from his seat, Alan was quickly held back by the steward. “What the hell are you doing? Let me go!” Alan exclaimed.
Suddenly a damp cloth was put over the lower portion of his face and Alan found himself inhaling a strong chemical that knocked him out instantaneously, leaving him unconscious.
4/21/2002 1:03:21 AM
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