|
Jurassic Park Dawn of Retribution Stage Nine
By JPJunkee+Yvonne
NINTH STAGE
"All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing."
-- Edmund Burke --
McCarney watched Madison and Kaje uneasily. He held a gun in his hands, and another man was standing guard with him. McCarney wasn't used to such tense situations. They made him nervous.
Sitting on the floor, with their backs against the wall, Kaje and Madison stared up at their guards. Madison's stare showed a primal rage, just hiding beneath the surface, while Kaje's stare was much more frightened and uncertain.
Kaje looked away from them, and back at the abandoned nest at the other side of the small room. Again his curiosity got the best of him, and he began to inch his way towards the nest.
The one guard began to move towards Kaje, but McCarney touched his shoulder, and told the man to let him go.
Kaje reached the nest, and peered over the grassy mound to look inside. There, he saw the fragments of approximately six eggs. He reached out slowly and picked up one of the eggs, to examine it closer.
The one guard continued to keep a close eye on Kaje, while McCarney monitored Madison.
"Is he going to kill her?" Madison asked quietly.
McCarney paused for a moment, as if pondering over whether or not to answer the hostage. Then, he asked, "Who?"
Madison curled his lip, "You know damn well, who; Leah. Is Larson going to kill Leah?"
McCarney sighed, "I don’t know, maybe."
"Aren't you, like, Larson's right hand man?"
He shrugged, "Yeah."
"And you don't know what Larson's actual intentions are?"
McCarney stared back at Madison, not saying a word.
"Who does know what his intentions are? Griffin?"
McCarney just continued to stare.
"It seems to me, that you don't have as much control in this whole mission as you thought you did."
McCarney shook his head, "Hey, man, I don't need to---"
"Oh my God," Kaje muttered softly.
"Shut up, you," McCarney barked, pointing his gun at Kaje.
"Do you know what this is?" Kaje asked, holding up the egg shell in his hands, completely ignoring the gun.
"Yeah, I know what it is. It's a fucking egg, that's what it is. Now put down the egg and get back against the wall."
Kaje shook his head, "This isn't normal."
"Damn straight it's not normal. It's a fucking dinosaur egg. Now, get back against the wall!" McCarney's face was growing red. The other guard pointed his gun at Kaje, too.
"No, it's not that, it's---"
Madison kicked out with his legs, hitting McCarney's ankles, causing him to trip forward. Then, he rolled to his feet, and before the other man could react, whipped the rifle from his grasp, and then swung it like a bat across his face.
McCarney groaned and reached for his own weapon, but Madison kicked it across the floor, where it came to a sliding halt in front of Kaje.
"Quiet now. We need to use stealth as our weapon, not brute force," Madison said.
Kaje nodded, picked up the gun, and then got to his feet. Madison led him to the door, and quietly peered out to be sure the coast was clear. It was, and they stepped out into the hall with their weapons at the ready.
"Which way now?" Kaje asked.
Madison shrugged, "Hell if I know. I'm making this up as I go along."
Kaje frowned slightly, as they simply began walking down one of the halls, aimlessly looking for the right room.
"What was so abnormal about those eggs, anyway?"
Kaje smiled now, "Nothing."
"What do you mean, 'nothing'?"
"You looked like you needed a diversion. So, I created a diversion. Another second and McCarney would have put a bullet in your head, for sure."
Madison smiled slightly. "Thanks."
"Sure."
Then, a piercing scream rang through the halls. The two men stopped in their tracks and looked at each other.
"That wasn't a human scream," Kaje said.
Then, the scream was followed by a series of growls and snarls.
"Come on," Madison said, walking in the direction of the growls.
"No, wait, let Larson deal with the animals on his own. So what if he, or his men, get eaten?"
Then, they heard the sound of a woman screaming, "Alan", over and over again, and then, more indistinct screams.
"Let's go," Madison said, and took off at a run in the direction of the screams. Kaje followed close behind him, barely keeping up.
They rounded a corner, and ran into another blank looking hall. They saw a door at the end of the hall, and dashed towards it. When they reached the door, Madison threw it open and ran through, and then to his surprise ran directly into someone. Madison and the other man went sprawling to the ground.
The other man sat up slowly, rubbing his nose and muttering, "Jeez, watch where you're going." Madison instantly recognized the man to be none other than, Griffin.
Griffin opened his eyes, and found himself looking at two of his own hostages. Madison sat across from him, on the floor, and Kaje stood over him, with a gun in his hands. "Son . . . of a bitch!" Griffin exclaimed.
Griffin and Madison tried getting to their feet.
Kaje stepped forward and swung the rifle as hard as he could, hitting Griffin in the back of the knees. The man yelped, and stumbled, but then tried to stand once more. This time Kaje swung higher, hitting Griffin in the stomach. The man doubled over gasping for air.
Madison and Kaje took the opportunity to run past Griffin and continue on their way towards the screams.
They were in a short hallway now, this one with only one big steel door. The two slowed their pace as they approached the door. The shrieks of the raptor were much louder now.
The two men exchanged glances, and then Madison reached for the door.
A loud gunshot went off on the other side of the door, then there were faint voices. Madison brought back his hand, then looked at Kaje. "Are you ready for this?"
Kaje nodded his head, yes.
Madison put his hand on the door, and opened it swiftly, then he and Kaje walked through together.
As soon as they entered, they found themselves staring down the barrel of a rifle. Madison looked past the rifle barrel and saw Larson holding the weapon. And then beyond him, he saw Grant and Leah sitting slumped on the ground beside a dead dinosaur.
"Put your weapons down," Larson said.
Madison tilted his head to the side. Both he and Kaje had entered the room with their rifles pointed forward, and that fact alone was what was keeping them alive right now.
Kaje moaned softly. His rifle shook in his hands as he aimed back at Larson.
"Put your weapons down, or I will kill you," Larson said.
"You'll kill us anyway," Madison countered.
Leah sat up straight. "Shoot him, Aaron," she said.
"Yes, shoot me, Aaron. Shoot me, and have all my men come flocking to this exact position. Do you think you could kill all of them before they got to you or your friends?"
Madison curled his lip, and fingered the trigger. He stared down the barrel of Larson's gun, and continued to aim his rifle at Larson's head. At this range, they'd both be dead as soon as either trigger was pulled.
"Don't worry about that, Aaron, just shoot him, now," Leah said.
"Do you know what it's like to kill a man? Do you know what it's like to pull the trigger and see the blood and brains go flying out the back of their skulls? After you pull that trigger . . . that's it. This is not a movie. One doesn't yell cut. This is the real world and you would have committed murder. To some people, this is really quite satisfying," Larson taunted with a smile, and then added "but you are not one of those people, are you?"
Kaje looked from Larson to Madison and then back again. His face was sweaty and his breathing was coming in ragged gasps.
"Shoot him," Grant said, weakly.
Larson dropped his gun and threw his hands up in the air. "Come on! Stop acting like you're going to shoot me, and shoot me!"
Madison put more pressure on the trigger. Then, he heard a loud clicking noise, and felt something hard and cold being pressed up against the back of his neck. He looked to the side, and saw a pistol pressed up against Kaje's neck, too. Kaje looked frightened beyond his wits, the gun in his hands now looked like it would fall from his hands because of his shaking.
He looked back at Larson and saw the man smile and say, "Too late."
"Drop your guns," said the gruff voice behind them. Kaje quickly obliged by tossing his weapon to the floor. Madison hesitated a moment, still aiming his rifle at Larson, but then the pressure of the gun to his neck increased, and he dropped the gun.
"Well that was fun," Larson said.
Madison turned slightly, to look behind him. He saw Griffin looking back at him, holding the pistols. Griffin looked like it hurt slightly to breath and his face looked angrier than he had ever seen it.
"How's the stomach?" Madison asked.
Griffin growled and kneed him in the stomach. He fell to his knees and looked up at Griffin with a small smile upon his face. Then Griffin grabbed the hair on the back of Madison's head, and yanked back. He screamed at the pain of his scalp. Griffin's eyes were bulging out as he took one of the pistols and shoved it into Madison's open mouth.
Leah screamed some incomprehensible words, and jumped to her feet. She tried running to Madison, but Larson put his leg out, tripping her to the ground.
Then Larson looked back at Griffin and said in a slightly annoyed voice, "Now, now, don't kill him just yet."
"Why not?" Griffin growled, spit dripping from between his clenched teeth.
Larson shrugged, "I like his spirit. And besides, he could prove useful."
"For what?"
"I don't know, something."
Griffin studied Madison's mannerisms, watching and knowing that the man knew his fate was up for grabs. Finally satisfied, he removed the gun and suddenly spat in Madison's face. Madison coughed and gagged, as tears began to well up in the corner of his eyes.
"We need to watch that temper of yours," Larson said.
Madison wiped blood away from his lips. "Son of a bitch, I think you chipped a tooth."
Griffin snarled and backhanded Madison in the nose.
He touched his bleeding nose as everything became blurry and then he sighed, fell to the side, and went unconscious.
Leah had fallen right at the entrance to the cage. As Madison's limp body fell to the ground, she had to roll out of the way, hitting her side on the cage door. Groaning in pain, she used the bars to lift up, only to be grabbed by Larson.
"Going somewhere?" he inquired.
Looking on the floor and seeing Aaron lying there and then looking over at Kaje's frightened face, Leah settled for a deep sigh and nothing more.
Larson craned his neck toward Griffin, "Take them back to the room they were in," he instructed, gesturing toward Madison on the concrete floor.
Griffin nodded and as he began to force Kaje out of the area, McCarney found his way into the room. There was blood coming from the right side of his head, but he looked too angry to even care.
"Where's that punk kid?"
"Who? The camera guy?" Larson asked.
McCarney nodded and Larson pointed to the floor, "Why don't you drag him back to where he was and try watching him this time?"
"Why don't I just kill him right now?"
"No!" Leah interrupted, still standing next to the cage door.
"Now, now, Mick. I couldn't possibly warrant the death of a man who has been able to get under the skin of my two best men."
"Why not?" McCarney spat, as he leaned down to retrieve the man who had out-smarted him so easily.
"Because . . . the both of you will now pay more attention and keep your guard up more appropriately. This should serve as a good lesson to the both of you."
Griffin simply stared, but McCarney rolled his eyes, as they took Kaje and Madison out of the room.
After they were gone, Larson fixed his gaze upon the blonde in front of him. She wasn't looking at him, so he followed her gaze into the cage. Grant was slumping against the bars, his eyes closed, his breathing slow and labored. It looked like he had dragged himself there and was trying to stand up, but he never succeeded.
"I expected so much more from him," Larson complained out loud.
Leah continued to stand in place, not taking her eyes from Grant. She was in the beginning stages of giving up all hope for ever leaving this place alive, but she refused to let that feeling overtake her. She turned and glared into the eyes of Brock Larson, "Why don't I stick you with a crowbar and see how long you remain alert and healthy."
"You are such a vividly emotional woman," Larson observed, "I like the directness of your approach . . . there's something very brave about you."
Leah stared, wondering where this was going.
"Since you're so brave, how about you stay right here in the cage with the dead raptor and the semi-conscious man? Nothing but you and your thoughts."
A sudden rush of dread washed over Leah, as the very thought of spending additional time in that death cage was more than she could handle.
She didn't hide her reaction well, and Larson smiled as he pushed her into the cage, "Sweet dreams," he sneered menacingly, shoving her against the bars somewhat near Grant, and then pushing her to the floor.
Leah didn't beg. She didn't cry. She simply readjusted her tired and battered body, crawled to where Grant was and sat close to him.
Larson turned away from the cage and, holding up his hand, whistled. From somewhere beyond Leah's vision, a paper bag and canteen were tossed to him. He threw both items on the floor near the raptor, and then clanked the gate shut, locking it.
He nodded to the unknown man and all of the small gates in the rear of each cage started to shut, making an eerie echoing sound, vibrating through the cage. The commotion stirred Grant some, but Leah didn't notice, since Larson shut the lights off leaving them in total blackness once again.
Finally certain that Larson was gone, she hurried to where she remembered seeing the canteen and bag. Feeling along the concrete, she ran across them. She also made contact with the cold and coarse skin of the slain animal. Her breathing more rapid, she pushed herself away, trying to find Alan and the side of the cage again.
Once back at his side, she remained quiet, determined not to freak out as she pulled her knees to her chest, cradling her legs. A few minutes later, after her eyes became adjusted, she could see the eerie dark shadow of the deceased killer lying in the middle of the cage. Her eyes began to play tricks on her, as she could have sworn it was slightly moving in the shadows.
Not looking, she blindly reached for Alan's arm and held it tight. The small gesture woke him up.
"Leah?" he whispered, barely audible at all.
"Yeah, it's me," she answered.
He wasn't at his coherent best, but with only her voice in the darkness to go from, he could tell that her wall of courage was crumbling fast. He felt her move even closer to him, and without a word, he wrapped his left arm around her, huddling close to her in the darkness.
* * *
Griffin exited the building and pulled a pack of cigarettes from his front pocket. Lighting a match, he ignited the cigarette, and then turned toward the door that was opening behind him.
Larson walked out next to him. They were standing just outside one of the many side entrances and after taking in a deep breath, he smiled and asked, "Lovely morning, isn't it?"
"Brock, I don't want to spoil your good mood, but---"
"Then don't," Larson interrupted.
Griffin sighed, but remained quiet for a moment.
Larson broke the tension, "Mind if I have one of those?" he asked, gesturing toward the cigarette pack.
"Sure," Griffin answered, shaking the pack in a way to make one of the cancer sticks wriggle out.
Larson nodded and removed the cigarette and awaited Griffin to light it. When it was ablaze, Griffin put the matches away and said, "I didn't know you smoked."
"I don't. Something new to try."
Griffin smiled for a second, but then got serious again.
"Brock, I need to address something with you. Something the other men want to know."
"What's that?" Larson asked, inhaling the smoke and not even coughing.
"Why would you put some of our men in danger to tranquilize a raptor, and then proceed to torture it and make it blind, and then . . . ultimately, kill it for what? Just for sport?"
Larson smiled, "Yes, yes. Mostly for fun, yes."
Griffin ignored that and continued, "And what about threats from other raptors now?
"The raptor was alone. It was smaller than normal . . . a runt, if you will, so it must have been expelled from the pack. I don't think we need to worry about it."
"Well, I'm still n---"
"I woke up in a good mood today," Larson reminded him, cutting him off.
"So what," Griffin flatly stated.
"So . . . I'd like to keep it that way. Stop with the questions."
There was a pause in the conversation, and then Griffin suddenly spoke again, daring to defy Larson, "Okay, how about this question . . . it's a nice little question. When are we going to start killing people?"
Larson was genuinely surprised by the inquiry. He laughed and put a hand on Griffin's shoulder, "When we reach the volcano, Mr. Griffin. Not a moment sooner."
"All of them? We're taking all of them there?"
"It's better to have more people. That way, if we do get attacked by something, there will be a garden variety of food available."
"Good point," Griffin offered, still not convinced.
Larson heard the contempt in his voice, so he offered further explanation, "And then there's Grant's state of health."
"What about it?"
"I doubt he'll be of any scientific help as we cross some dangerous ground," Larson explained. "That's why this Dr. Kaje can prove useful."
"And the cameraman?"
"He's strong. He can lug Grant around, so one of us doesn't have to bother." Larson took another drag of the cigarette, and in the exhale he added, "So you don't have to carry him around."
Griffin slowly nodded, finally surrendering to the thought of letting these people live longer.
Larson nodded in return and added, "I'm not sure why you felt compelled to second guess me . . . again. I'm warning you right now, I don't want to keep having these talks, got it?"
Griffin glared and then softly answered, "Sure."
"Let's get a move on, shall we?"
The two men began to walk toward the other entrance of the building.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaje squinted, as Jack pushed him into the bright sunlight. Madison was just behind him, nursing his injured nose. They had been kept in a room with no windows or lights, so the sun was really quite penetrating.
Madison thought about taking out the small man dictating where they should go, but the rather large rifle changed his mind, as they were escorted around a corner.
Kaje noticed Malcolm and Ellie were already there, in the small clearing, and they didn't look like they had gotten much rest either.
Madison noticed the absence of his friend, "Where's Leah?"
"I'm hoping she's with Alan," Ellie answered him.
Hearing footsteps behind her, Ellie turned and saw Leah emerge from a side entrance. She was by herself, which alarmed Ellie. She took a step towards Leah and Malcolm tried to stop her, but she pushed him away and continued.
"Where's Alan?" she softly asked with concern, not even sure if she wanted to know.
Leah was about to answer, when Ellie spotted McCarney pushing Grant out of the same side door. A great relief swept through her, just for being able to see him. She watched him stumble out, nearly falling, and then regain his balance. He looked awful. He looked like he was about to pass out.
As she moved past Leah, she asked, "How is he?"
The woman looked almost as worn out as Alan did. Leah nodded solemnly, "Better than earlier."
Ellie nodded and then found herself in front of Grant. From her scuffle with Griffin the night before, there was some bruising on her face from where he had elbowed her.
Grant reached out and touched her face with his good hand, "You okay?" he asked. His voice was almost indistinguishable, as all the life in his body seemed drained.
"Yeah," she replied, and then added, "I don't think I'm the one who we should be worried about, though."
Gently brushing his hand away, she firmly placed one hand on his shoulder and the other across his forehead.
"You've got a fever going," she whispered, peering into his grey-colored eyes.
"I'm fine."
She ignored him, "Did you eat anything?"
"Yeah."
"Good morning!" came a voice from somewhere behind her.
They all turned around to see Larson standing before them, with Griffin next to him, "I take it we've all had a good night sleep?"
No one answered.
Larson looked at Griffin, "Well, I take that as a yes." He had been smoking a cigarette, so he threw it to the jungle floor and clapped his hands, "We've got quite a bit of walking to do before you all die," he said gleefully.
Larson made his way past Leah and walked toward Grant and Ellie. He stopped dead in his tracks.
"Shit, you look like you already died. We can't have that." He turned toward McCarney. "Mick, could you have a go at this mess, see if you can save it. We need to make good time here and he's not going to slow us down."
McCarney nodded, mumbled something to himself and then looked in his shoulder bag. After a few moments of silence, he finally took something from it and turned toward Grant and Ellie.
Kaje was the first to see the object, and as soon as he figured out what it was, he instantly felt wobbly.
Grant focused on the object in McCarney's hand, as well, and his eyes grew wide when he saw that it was a very giant needle. He stepped back a little bit, tripping on the rocks that were off the path.
"Holy Christ," Malcolm managed to stumble out of his mouth.
"What's the matter? It's just a little needle," McCarney teased. In actuality, it was a veterinarian's needle and it was almost twice as large as a normal physician's needle.
Seconds after McCarney finished his question, Adam Kaje felt his knees buckle. His eyes floated to the back of his head and he fell, fainting in place.
Laughing at the kid's weakness for unfavorable medical supplies, McCarney moved toward Grant, pushing him away from Ellie. Probably moving quicker than he ever had before, McCarney stabbed the needle into Grant's arm and slowly injected its contents. Grant winced and clenched his teeth, but did nothing more, as the medicine traveled through his weathered body.
McCarney backed away, holding the horse needle in an upright position, "Good as new . . . in about an hour."
Ellie was still next to him and it was a good thing, because she caught Grant as he began to sway to the right.
Griffin yelled to Madison, "Make yourself useful for once, and help out your friend."
Madison nodded and walked toward Grant.
Leah turned toward him as well, but Larson pulled her away, "I think you should stay close to me. Wouldn't want anything to happen to you . . . or to him," he said, gesturing toward the weak Grant.
Malcolm walked over Kaje and then cleared his throat for attention. McCarney, who had been packing things away in his bag, looked up.
"Uh, I think someone needs to do something about this," Malcolm mentioned, pointing down.
Larson laughed. The sound of the madmen laughing was a very unusual sight to behold, but no one dared to say a word about it.
"Someone get this jackass off the ground and wake him up."
With Larson's order out there, two armed men jogged up to the unconscious Kaje and began to revive him. Larson looked around. There were about ten men at his disposal, which was about two more than he had directed Griffin to leave behind. He would worry about that later though, since in reality, it was just about the perfect amount of men to keep Grant and the others at bay.
With Kaje finally sort of awake, they began their trek to the volcano.
* * *
The silver gun radiated in the brilliant sunlight of the late afternoon sun, as it began to turn red, and set in the ocean. General Aldez angled the gun in a different direction, reflecting the sun onto his silver dog tags. He checked the gun, to be sure it had a full clip, then he slipped it back into its holster on his hip.
Aldez ran his hands through his hair and looked at his men, as they either ran about, doing whatever chore they needed to do, or standing erect, in front of him, awaiting orders.
He let out a long sigh, then nodded and said, "Okay, all except for ten, load up in the Hummers. The other ten, you stay here and watch over the camp."
The soldiers all nodded that they understood, then they ran for their ammo, and then to the Hummers. Aldez walked in a brisk pace towards one of the vehicles.
Behind him, he heard the sound of running footsteps, and then he heard Martinez's voice call out to him.
"General!" Martinez shouted.
Aldez paid no attention to his call, as he continued to walk to the Hummer.
"General Aldez, sir," Martinez said, close behind him.
Aldez reached for the handle of the driver's door of the Hummer, and opened it. Then he slid into the seat, and put his hands on the steering wheel.
"Sir, may I ask what we are doing?" Martinez asked, outside his window.
Aldez looked up at the young Sergeant and said, "Hunting, Javier. We're going hunting."
"Hunting for what?"
Aldez looked away from him, with a snarl on his face, then he put the vehicle in gear, and drove away from the camp.
The Hummers drove away, until there was only one left in the camp. The last Hummer slowly drove up beside Martinez, and the driver asked, "Are you coming, sir?"
Martinez nodded slowly, then turned and got into the open back end of the Hummer. In the back, he found a sniper rifle, and checked to be sure that it had an adequate amount of ammo. After he was satisfied, he tapped the back window of the Hummer, and they began to drive away.
* * *
As this book reaches its final paragraphs, I would like to thank a few people for their generous contributions in aiding me with my writing. I want to first thank my editor and friend, Cheri Holbrook, who was the first person who proposed that I write a full book on this subject, and actually made it sound like fun. Cheri was always supportive and not a day went by when she did not have some helpful word of advice or suggestion to offer. I also thank my agent, Kevin Hyde, who also encouraged me to write a book. I always listen to Kevin, the mere fact that he is always thinking the same thing that I am at all times about my written work, leaves me in awe day after day. I am very lucky to have as friends, other paleontologists and writers who were generous enough to share their bountiful knowledge and years of experience with me and help me along my path of finishing this book. I especially want to thank Jack Horner -- who is the master of paleontology, when it comes to the behaviors of adult dinosaurs and the care of their young -- the subject of this book. Also, a special thanks goes out to Alan Grant, Robert T. Bakker, Paul Sereno, Phil Gomez who all took time out of their busy lives to assist me in my work on this book. Also I would like to thank my husband, Ian, who was always supportive of my career. And finally, thanks to you, the reader, for taking time to read my book. I hope you found it both interesting and subjective.
Sarah sat back in her tattered chair on the boat, her closed eyes staring upward at the darkening sky above her. One of the last sentences of her recently published book ran through her mind.
'Also I would like to thank my husband, Ian, who was always supportive of my career.'
Sarah smiled at the absurdity of that comment. Yes, Ian did support her, but it had been more of a show as of late, a fake mask placed on his facade to make her and those they wished to impress happy and satisfied. In truth, they had both grown so distant from each other and each other's careers. If it was possible to wake every morning and look at the other side of the bed, and see another person who you hardly know, as if they were a total stranger, then that's the way Ian and Sarah lived their lives.
One line. One line about her husband. More thanks was given to Jack Horner, who more or less, spent time correcting her and trying to convince her of his theories rather than supporting her own.
Where had it gone wrong? Had it in fact gone wrong? Or was she just thinking bad thoughts, because she wanted to blame herself for Ian going to Sorna? Years ago, Ian had gone to Sorna, in an attempt to rescue her. Now, he returned to the island, why? Against his will, for certain, but Ian was known for being a stubborn jackass, and she was sure that if he really tried, he would have been able to talk his aggressors into committing suicide, provided he had enough time. But, he had gone to this island again. Perhaps in attempt to end it all for the both of them?
No, such a thought was insane. She and Ian might have been having problems with each other, whether it be that they were just too busy, too distant, or just didn't care to care anymore. But, like her, Ian wanted the marriage the two shared to survive and to, once again, prosper in happiness like better times from an age long past.
Thunder echoed in the distance. Sarah opened her eyes to the black sky above her head. A bad storm was fast approaching.
From behind her, she heard Scott's voice as he talked on the satellite phone. His footsteps echoed over the hollow deck of the worn boat as he walked closer to her. Sarah turned her head as he arrived at her side, and held out the large black satellite phone for her.
"It's Hammond, he wants to talk to you," Scott said before he turned away from her.
Sarah looked at the large phone in her hands, then she put it to her ear and said, "John?"
"Sarah," Hammond said on the other line, his voice sounded rushed and fainted. "Do not be alarmed I am merely calling you to inform you of the new developments in your task."
"What new developments?" Sarah asked, as the clouds opened up and rain began to drizzle down from above.
"There is a bad storm heading in your direction from the southeast right now," Hammond said. "Mr. Scott and I have decided that it would be best that you turn back and take refuge on one of the more western islands until the storm has passed."
Sarah frowned, taking this new information in. "We won't get to Isla Sorna as quick if we do that."
"My dear, if you do not seek protection from this storm, you may not get to Sorna at all."
Sarah looked out ahead of her, straining her eyes in search of any sight of Sorna in the dark distance. There was none. Then, she felt the boat shudder slightly as it turned to the right, hopping over waves as it made a 360-degree turn.
"Here," Hammond said softly, he seemed to sense Sarah's anxiety, "someone wants to talk to you."
There was a short silence, then the familiar voice of Sarah's sister came on the line. "Hello, Sarah."
"Hello."
"I can hardly hear you," Alyse said in a nervous tone.
The wind was whipping around fairly well now, so Sarah retreated to the stairwell that led below deck, "Yeah, the storm is getting closer. I think it's the wind you're hearing."
"I still wish you would have stayed here, but since you're already out there, take care of yourself, okay?"
A siren on the boat began to sound.
"I'm trying," Sarah yelled into the phone, "I've got to go! We've got to secure the boat, so I'll talk to you when Ian and I are back!"
Getting caught up in the moment, Alyse yelled into the phone, "Be careful, Sarah!"
After hearing her sister's last words, Sarah turned off the satellite phone and left the stairwell to find Nathan Scott. Walking back to the deck, she tucked the phone under her arm to protect it from the strengthening rain, and walked back to the bridge. Scott was sitting by the window, looking out at the storm as the boat drove itself further away from their ultimate destination. He saw her enter the small bridge and turned to her with a smile.
"You're sure about this? Turning back? We will lose a lot of time," Sarah commented.
"John's sure," Scott said. "And while I'm not the smartest person alive, I'm smart enough to trust Hammond's judgement when it comes to these sort of things."
"'These sort of things'?"
Scott shrugged his shoulders and pointed out at the bleak looking clouds above. "I've worked with John on numerous things before, from delivering various different kinds of cargo to the simple things like just watching over some of his friends and stuff. If there's one thing he is worrying about now, it is that no one he cares about gets hurt in any way. That's why he wants us to turn back. He has employed the best weather experts and if they think we will be safer by turning around, then he would trust their judgement and try his best to persuade us to keep our mission safe."
Sarah nodded and said, "Yes, but you don't have any loved ones on that island, so of course you want to trust his judgement."
Scott started to say something, then stopped himself, and nodded his head slowly. Sarah sighed then turned her head to look out at the storm as they drove slowly away from it.
"What island are we going to?" Sarah asked impersonally.
There was a short pause, then Scott said, "Isla Nublar."
The name caused Sarah's emotions to stir ever so slightly. Then, she took in a deep breath and closed her eyes, listening to the rain and the accompanying thunder.
Scott saw that she wasn't taking the news well, and he had wished that he would have tried to break it to her more subtly. But what was done, was done, so he tried his best to make her feel better about the situation.
"We're not going to be docking there."
Sarah perked up some, "Oh?"
"No, ma'am. We're simply going to use the island itself as a sort of blockade against the advancing weather. We'll just be anchored somewhere near it, trying our best to stay out of the storm's path."
Sarah gave the man a half-heartened nod, and then sat down near a window, gazing out. Somewhere, not very far from where they were now floating, was her husband. He was out there . . . in trouble, or worse. She silently swore at the group's bad luck with the sophisticated storm that was blowing in and continued to stare out into the darkness.
Comments are appreciated!
--JPJunkee and Yvonne
8/27/2003 1:57:44 PM
Comment on this fan fiction!
|
|
|
