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JP: Dawn of Extinction (Chapter One)
By AlanGrant5
JURASSIC PARK IV: DAWN OF EXTINCTION
Chapter One: Dawning of a New Day
–––May 10, 2002–––
Paleontologist, Alan Grant, woke up to the sound of a ringing telephone. Lazily, he reached towards the telephone, with his face buried in his pillow, and picked it lying the phone down beside his ear.
“Grant speaking,” he muttered.
“Dr. Grant, it’s Thomas Razon remember me?” the voice asked enthusiastically.
Alan removed his face from the pillow and leaned upwards, trying to reawaken his brain from early morning laziness. After a few seconds of recalling past events, Grant remembered who he was talking to. Thomas Razon was a forty something entrepreneur from Texas who, after hearing Grant’s lecture on a completely restored Giganotosaurus skeleton, was interested in funding his research.
“Yes of course, how can I forget?” Grant said fully awakened.
“I was wondering if we could perhaps discuss our little business venture over breakfast instead of dinner. I have a rather binding situation to take care of and it would make everything a whole lot easier.”
“That’s fine, whatever is convenient for you,” Alan replied blinking his eyes into focus.
“Excellent. Do you know where Carol’s Cafe is?”
“Yes I do.”
“Why don’t you meet me down there by let’s say... nine o’clock?”
“That would be fine.”
“Good then it’s settled. See you at nine.”
“Okay then,” Grant said concluding the conversation. He hung up and began making his way towards the bathroom. Pictures of Alan and his belated wife, Lauren, filled the white-washed walls. It was the woman before Ellie... the reason Alan had given up on Ellie. He didn’t want to get involved in another marriage because he felt it would end up just like his last one, filled with death and loneliness. But as he thought about the life Ellie and Mark Degler shared, he became jealous and filled with regret. Alan had wanted to ask Ellie’s hand in marriage, but felt as if he would betray Lauren... even if she was deceased. After seeing Ellie last year, it had revived old feelings, but after seeing the family she had created for herself, his feelings drifted. Oh well, he thought, too late for redemption.
With two minutes short of nine o’clock, Alan pulled into Carol’s Cafe. As he exited his jeep, he immediately took notice of Thomas’ jet black Jaguar XJ12. His jeep was covered in sand, while Razon’s glimmered brightly with rays of light leaning on its sun roof. Grant made his way into the building, spotting Thomas instantaneously. Carol’s Cafe wasn’t exactly the rich man’s hang out, so naturally the guy stood out like a soar thumb.
Thomas, slightly balding, wore a business suit that looked to be about as expensive as the Jaguar he owned. He waved to Grant, as if he hadn’t already seen him before. Alan sat beside Thomas, removing his hat; the same hat he wore on Isla Sorna, when he was lured by the Kirby’s into a rescue mission for their own son.
“Have a seat,” Thomas said sipping coffee from a small cup.
Alan sat as Thomas folded up the morning paper. “I admire you,” Thomas said setting the paper onto the table. “Your research, your theories, your findings are all outstanding. And after very little thought, have decided to fund your research.”
Grant smiled, “After very little thought? Why do I get the feeling there is more to this than that?”
“Well because there is. I’d love to tell you that there are no strings attached, but I’d be lying if I said that, and I’m not much of a liar.”
Alan let out a sigh and shook his head back and forth. “If this has anything to do with –”
“The islands? No, Dr. Grant, it has nothing to do with that.”
“Really? Then what exactly is this about?” he asked folding his arms into his chest.
“Well it’s about your... approval, I guess you could say.”
“Approval for what?” Grant said.
“Approval for a dinosaur based theme park opening in San Diego. You see in order to open it, we have to rally the right amount of support and with your okay, our park will be up and running in no time,” Thomas said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Grant waved his hand in front of his face, “I’m sorry but I seemed to have been overwhelmed with a sense of deja vu. Who are you exactly?”
“The president of InGen. I took Lundlow’s place after the –”
“After the SAN DEIGO INCIDENT? Yes I am very aware of his happenings. Listen, have you not learned from your mistakes? You build the park on an island and what was the outcome of that? DEATH AND DESTRUCTION! You build a park on the mainland and what was the result of that? Thousands of dollars in damages, not to mention a hand full of people dead! So now you want to ‘pick up where you left off’ and just ignore all of the past mistakes? You have to be insane to pull a stunt like that.”
“Calm down Dr. Grant, don’t make a scene.”
“DON’T MAKE A SCENE?”
“Listen, to me first, just listen. After the 1993 incident at Isla Nublar, we continued the construction of the San Diego park. In 1997 we tried to transport the animals from Sorna back to San Diego... and as you know things went very wrong. Before that incident we began construction of another island, ten miles off the coast of San Diego, for a shorter means of transportation. After our operations failed, we began breeding the animals ourselves on the island, with full support of the government. And just last year, we began transporting the animals to our park in San Diego and have kept them contained ever since. So as far as security goes, we have it down to a T.”
“Your point is?”
“My point?”
“You just stated that your security is well handled, when John Hammond said the VERY same thing before he opened his park. Would you like to point out the differences for me?”
“Very well. For one, we have electrical fences that surround the –”
Alan began waving his hand in front of his face, this time breaking out into a laugh. “Okay you know what, I should of known,” he said rising from his seat.
“Wait, wait, you can’t go,” Thomas said gesticulating for him to come back. “I just need your consent, that’s all.”
Grant turned around, “You want my consent? Fine, then you’ll get it right here. The answer is NO. I DISAPPROVE the opening of your park, in fact, I CONDEMN the very idea of such a thing.” Grant threw down his napkin onto the table top and began to walk away.
“FINE DR. GRANT! Maybe I’ll have more luck with your apprentice, what was his name again... ah yes, BILLY BRENNAN?” Thomas shouted back. Alan stopped in his tracks and turned back with a shot eyebrow.
*Please comment on chapter one*
© 2002 by Evan Prescott
2/17/2002 10:29:17 PM
Comment on this fan fiction!
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