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Jurassic Park Dawn of Retribution Stage Seven
By JPJunkee+Yvonne
SEVENTH STAGE
"Most people die of a sort of creeping common sense,
and discover when it is too late that the only things one
never regrets are one's mistakes."
-- Oscar Wilde --
Malcolm's eyes slowly fluttered open, as he heard whispers somewhere over his head. When he was able to focus, he saw Grant and Ellie looking at him in a concerned manner.
"Do I look that bad?" he asked, his voice raspy.
Grant smiled and stepped away, while Ellie remained there.
"You're looking pretty awful, yes," she answered.
"You're kind of one of those . . . uh, say it like it is people," Malcolm joked, wincing as he tried to sit up. Ellie helped him and when he was finally positioned upright, he finished his thought, "I've always admired that quality in you."
"Thanks, Ian," Ellie said, looking away to check on a sound coming from the front of the cave.
Kaje had walked back in, and now he stopped next to Grant.
"There's no one around," he announced.
"Have you heard anything on the radio?" Grant asked.
"Just two conversations between Martinez and some other guy."
"How do you know it was Martinez?" Ellie asked.
Kaje flashed her a smile, "Because I am a very smart person."
Malcolm laughed, causing Kaje to look toward him.
"You're not smart. Don't be spreading lies around the jungle. It makes you look foolish," Malcolm said.
Kaje's smile faded. He looked toward Grant, "I say we leave this guy here. He's going to really slow us down. We can find a way out of here and then come back for him."
"I don't think so," Grant said.
"You're not the boss here," Kaje challenged.
"That's true. But the three of us," Grant said, gesturing toward Ellie and Malcolm, "are going to stay together. If you want to move ahead without Malcolm, then you're going on alone."
"I can make it on my own, I don't need you. I'm smarter than all of you, anyway." Kaje put his hands on his hips to add emphasis to his statements.
"Don't flatter yourself," Grant said, amused at Kaje's adolescent rebuttal.
"Adam wait," Ellie said. "You know that nobody can make it alone on this island. We need to work as a team to survive."
"So, what do you suggest I do?" Kaje asked throwing his hands in the air in frustration. "Just tag along and listen to him? Yeah, well fuck that." He turned and stepped towards the mouth of the cave. His movements ceased when Grant reached out and placed a solid grip on his wrist. "Let go of me." He struggled to move away but Grant refused to relinquish his hold on Kaje's arm. The young man sighed, and lowered his head in defeat, "Fine, have it your way."
"Thank you," Ellie said softly.
Suddenly, Kaje used his free arm to lash out and punch Grant in the stomach. The attack caught Grant by surprise as he gasped for air and doubled over, putting his hands on his knees. Free from his bondage, Kaje quickly made his exit, and walked briskly away into the jungle.
Ellie rushed to Grant's side as he began to stand upright once more, still breathing slowly and favoring his stomach a little.
Malcolm sighed, shaking his head. "I'm, uh, beginning to think you shouldn't come on any more of these little safaris, Alan. You just don't seem to have the stomach for it anymore."
Grant shot an irritated glance in Malcolm's direction, and then he pushed away from Ellie and ran out of the cave with as much speed as his impaired body could muster. Ellie watched him go, but did not follow. When Grant finally walked out of sight, she turned back to Malcolm, who had allowed a serene smile to creep its way upon his face.
"Why can't we all just get along?" he asked.
Ellie took a deep breath, then walked over and helped Malcolm to his feet as they made their way out of the cave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Kaje had worked with Grant in the past. He had done the tedious tasks that all the students had done while studying under him. Grant knew that Kaje was the best student of the class - and possibly the best student he had ever taught. But even so, he was treated like everyone else. It was unforgivable and it was an offense to the world of science. Grant was holding him back, keeping him in sight of his true potential, but never letting him get within more than arm's reach of it.
In time, Kaje grew disrespectful to both his teacher and his peers. Arguments became a frequent ordeal. Questions of command, superior intelligence, and control were as predictable as the concept of a sun rising and setting each day.
And there was not a moment, not a single second that passed by in which Kaje had not thought about reaching out and striking his teacher with a violent blow.
And now, older and slightly more mature, he had finally done it. He had attacked Grant aggressively instead of with his words. But to his dismay, after all the waiting and dreaming for that single moment, he was annoyed to find that attacking Grant was . . . disappointing.
He heard footsteps coming quickly from behind him and he turned around to see Grant approaching him with a scowl on his face. The man's eyes looked murderous, and for good reason Kaje considered.
"I'm sorry Alan," he said timidly, putting his hands out in front of him as a cautionary defense. "I was wrong, I shouldn't have hit you."
"That's the smartest thing you've said since we got here," Grant snapped.
Kaje sighed and was about to interject another comeback of insults, but was flabbergasted when Grant seized him by the throat and literally tossed him into a tree. He coughed and tried to right himself as he staggered to the side from the shock of the sudden attack.
"I said I'm sorry," he said, rubbing his neck as Grant approached him again. "What's your problem?"
Without answering, Grant released an abrupt jab to the jaw, sending Kaje off his feet and landing on his stomach. However, Grant was not satisfied just yet. Growling he reached down for Kaje and grabbed him by the hair on the back of his neck then slowly brought Kaje to his feet.
Ellie and Malcolm rounded a tree and were now in view of the fight.
"Kids, knock it off before your parents see you behaving like this!" Malcolm barked.
Ellie was shocked to see Grant acting so violently, and moved to intervene but Malcolm held her back.
"Don't," he said quietly. "They just need to blow off some steam."
Ellie pondered a moment over that statement, and she realized it was probably true. When she looked back up at Malcolm, she realized he once again was grinning.
"You find this all amusing, don't you?" she asked.
"Um, is there something wrong with that?"
Grant pushed Kaje against a tree and then pressed his forearm against the younger man's collarbone and neck, pinning him to the tree. Sweat mixed with saliva as it trickled down Kaje's chin as he fought for breath and a weakness in Grant's assault.
The skin tone of Kaje's face began to turn a dark blue, as oxygen became more and more difficult to obtain through his labored breaths. Finally having felt he had hurt the man enough, Grant released him and stepped away. Without Grant's support, Kaje collapsed on the ground, landing on his face.
Grant walked over to Malcolm and Ellie smiling. While Malcolm answered the smile with one of his own, Ellie's face showed nothing but displeasure for Grant's actions. She opened her mouth to say something, but was interrupted by a loud yell.
Grant turned in the direction of the shout just in time to see Kaje leap at him, using his whole body as a weapon in tackling him onto the ground. Kaje clutched Grant's skull in his hands as he pressed his face into the soft wet dirt. Grant flailed his arms as he tried to breathe.
Ellie had seen enough. She stepped back to prop Malcolm up against a tree and then marched over to Grant and Kaje.
The skin color of Kaje's face had changed again, where it was once blue it was now a vibrant scarlet. Beads of sweat rode down his forehead and into his eyes, but he couldn't care less.
He could feel Grant's heart beating hard as the man struggled in his grip. The heartbeats grew louder and he could virtually feel the reverberations.
Ellie was almost upon them when she felt the ground begin to tremble. She stopped in her tracks as the sounds of breaking trees and underbrush were heard somewhere to her left. Birds took to the air above her.
"What is that?" Malcolm whispered behind her.
Kaje's grip on Grant's head loosened, allowing Grant to come up for air. His face covered in mud, he took in a deep breath. Then he too, felt the ground shaking from where he lay.
With a thunderous crash and a trumpeting roar, the immense head of the triceratops broke through the foliage and charged towards them. Caught off guard, Kaje jumped away from Grant and dove out of the way. Ellie moved aside and watched with fright as Grant narrowly escaped the large dinosaur's three horns by rolling to the side.
The triceratops stopped its charge and turned about, then faced the group of humans once more. The beady little eyes shone of hatred and lethal intent.
Moving ever so slowly, Grant walked closer to Ellie and Malcolm. He kept his sights on the trike, being careful to watch its every movement. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Kaje gradually getting to his feet.
The triceratops lowered its three-horned head once more, snorted, and then charged forward. The big lumbering beast raced past Grant, Ellie, and Malcolm, bearing down on Kaje; its selected target.
"Kaje move!" Grant yelled.
Kaje broke into a run, and darted to the closest tree. Jumping off his feet, with the big irate dinosaur right behind him, he grabbed onto the tree and climbed upwards. Bark tore away from the tree as his fingers clawed into it.
Grant thought the idea to be a wise one, and immediately began helping Ellie up the tree Malcolm was leaning against. Malcolm himself would not be able to climb in his condition, and Grant would not be able to help him climb either. Without even a second glance at the branches above him, Grant grabbed Malcolm by the shoulder and wrestled him around to the backside of the tree, keeping out of sight from the dangerous trike.
Kaje hustled up the tree, grasping a large sturdy branch, and barely missed being stabbed with the triceratop's horns. The man was safe, but the tree he was seeking refuge in, wasn't. The horns cut into the narrow tree, snapping it just below Kaje's feet, causing him to grip his branch tightly as the tree gave into gravity and plummeted to the earth.
The branch and Kaje broke free from the actual falling tree and descended in their own majestic form. As he fell, the radio they had gotten from Martinez fell from his pocket, landing in the dirt. Then with a crack, Kaje and the big branch fell onto the spine of the furious triceratops. Kaje bounced off its hide, landing with a loud thud on the ground.
The triceratops reared its head back and let out a surprised roar. Then it dashed away from Kaje and spun around once more, its horns lowered and its eyes fixed on the immobile body laying in the dirt before it.
Kaje tried to get onto his hands and knees but the pain in his ribs was too much for him. He sputtered and coughed as drool hung from his mouth. To his right, out of the corner of his eye, he could see the triceratops sizing him up, preparing to charge once more. He saw the radio, lying in the dirt. Momentarily dazed and out of breath, he found he had no control over his body's functions. He wanted to pick up the radio and run but he had no power left in his limbs or body. Tears of frustration dripped down into the dirt, softening it on contact.
From Ellie's vantagepoint up high in a tree, she could see all that had just occurred. And she knew what would soon come next. She was powerless to stop it however. The trike snorted once more and began its charge towards Kaje. She imagined seeing the long sharp horns piercing Kaje's torso and splitting him in two. Putting her hands to her eyes, she sat back and waited for it all to be over.
The ground shook as the triceratops rumbled towards him. Kaje remembered watching safari videos of a rhinoceros attack. He remembered how the animal's two great horns had ripped through both metal and bone as it attacked one of the safari trucks. The triceratops was perhaps twice the size of a rhino, if not more. And this wasn't even a full size triceratops, Kaje thought, as he observed the animal was about four feet shorter in height than a full size adult male triceratops would be.
It's amazing the thoughts you have before you are going to die, he commented to himself.
The triceratops' big square feet trampled grass and thorn. And then with a snap, Kaje saw it step on and shatter the radio into a dozen pieces. Using all his remaining strength, he got onto hands and knees, then turned his head and looked straight at the dinosaur that was about to end his life.
The trike was a full two meters from him, when its side suddenly shook and four bursts of blood flew out of its thick charcoal-colored hide. The animal shrieked, its limbs giving out from under it, as it collapsed onto its face and chest. Smoke and dust rushed up from the forest floor as the giant herbivore slid to a halt, the tip of its longest horns no more than three feet from Kaje's face.
Kaje stared at the unmoving eyes of the beast. He was beginning to feel dizzy, the world moving around him. The horns seemed to be getting closer to his skull, as he half expected the sharp end to stab into his eyes and end his life right then and there. It took him a moment to realize he had stopped breathing. Opening his mouth to take in a deep breath, the world slowly came back into focus. He was alive.
Up in her tree, Ellie noticed that there was no longer the sound of thundering footsteps, and nor was there the bloodcurdling screams she had expected to hear. Slowly, she removed her hands from her face, and she looked down at the ground. She saw Kaje staggering as he got to his feet. And then she saw the immense triceratops, blood still flowing from four gaping holes in its side. Wary, but thankful, she moved out of her sanctuary in the branches of the tree.
Grant and Malcolm moved around from behind their tree. They saw the dead triceratops and Grant instantly left Malcolm's side and ran towards Kaje.
"Are you okay?" Grant called as he approached.
Kaje nodded, "Never been better."
"Are you hurt?"
"Aww, Alan, I didn't think you cared," Kaje said with a smile.
"I don't," Grant said. "But I don't want you slowing us down."
"Touché."
Ellie and Malcolm advanced toward the dead triceratops from behind. The large droplets of crimson blood against the gray hide gave Ellie the most curious vision of rose pedals on the street after her wedding with Mark.
Malcolm looked from the dead dinosaur to Kaje and then to the shattered radio. He shrugged his shoulders and muttered to himself, "Fate does have a strange way of choosing what is destroyed and what is left to endure." Then he looked at Kaje and sighed.
Grant knelt next to the unmoving giant and gently touched its snout. It was still warm to the touch, but the dinosaur was definitely not breathing anymore.
"Who do you think did this?" Kaje asked, walking up next to him while scanning the area.
"Probably the Ricans. We should clear out of here," Grant whispered, as he continued to study the trike.
"Good idea," Kaje agreed, "We don't know how many more of these are out there either. I wonder what made him attack us? Maybe something spooked him."
Grant had stood up again and was now staring out toward a nearby field as Kaje talked. He thought he saw some movement out to the far right, so he began to walk sideways to his left in order to get a better view.
"Yeah," Grant answered, not really listening.
Kaje walked around to the other side of the triceratops and saw what he guessed was the reason the trike had gone down so easily. There were four giant holes in the carcass . . . from a large weapon of some sort. It looked as if something struck the creature and then exploded from under the skin. The Ricans had some very high-tech weapons, it seemed.
"Alan, look at this," he said, almost like a demand of urgency.
Grant continued to walk away, getting more and more interested in what he might have seen in that field. Suddenly, his heart raced as he caught a glimpse of something he was almost one hundred percent sure of.
Leah Owens, was walking in the outskirts of a field along with Aaron Madison. The two of them looked as though they were comfortably resting on a normal bright sunshiny day. He rubbed his eyes to make sure it wasn't an illusion, but when he refocused, Leah was still very clear in his vision. As he continued to stare in her direction, though, she and Aaron walked out of sight again, and into the tree line on the opposite side.
Kaje continued to talk to him, but Grant had disengaged himself from the conversation entirely. After a few seconds, Kaje noticed and looked where Grant was looking. There was nothing there.
"What are you doing?"
Grant only paid attention to him long enough to push him out of the way, as he began to swiftly walk into the field.
"Stay here," he ordered in a whisper.
"Where are you going?" Kaje yelled to his back.
Ellie had heard Kaje yelling, so she stopped tending to Malcolm and stood.
"Grant!" Kaje yelled.
Grant kept moving at his own quick pace, his walk turning into a jog, and then into a run.
Kaje made it to Ellie and Malcolm. She was helping to keep Malcolm on his feet.
"Where is he going?" Ellie whispered, looking worried as she watched Grant run through the open field.
"I don't know. I say we leave him, since he's obviously gone insane," Kaje suggested, as he looked around the area, "The Ricans must have killed the triceratops, so they have to be very close."
Ellie just stared at him in disgust, as she and Malcolm began to make their way toward Grant. Again, Kaje realized just how serious the three doctors were about staying together as a team. Shaking his head, he began to take the walk following behind them.
Grant was about fifty yards ahead of them and had about run out of open field, as he finally made it to the place he had seen Leah. When he stopped, he realized his mistake. Four men came from his right, all of which were aiming guns at him. At first thought, he figured the Ricans had recaptured him, but then the signs pointed to something else.
"Put your hands in the air!" One of the men said in plain English.
Grant did what he was told. The nearest man swung his rifle over his shoulder and approached the possible threat. Forcing his arms behind his back, he walked Grant to a tree and pushed him into it, immobilizing him. The man had a strong grip on him and Grant didn't struggle. The only thing he was interested in, was looking around the area for the one thing he was sure he'd find.
Craning his head to the left, he finally saw her again. Sighing with relief after seeing that she had looked relatively safe from harm, he whispered her name.
"Leah."
She saw him instantly, even before he had spoken her name, since his presence had created a small commotion. Her spirits began to steadily rise, which caused her to smile, not even aware that she was. Before she could do or say anything, she watched Griffin release his arms and push him away from the tree. She might have tried to go over there, if it weren't for the fact that Madison was holding onto her arm.
"He looks okay, Leah," Madison whispered, encouraging her to stay put.
Worry was growing inside her, as she waited for Griffin's next action, but that was all that happened.
Grant stood alone now, his arms raised in a surrendering gesture so that he didn't get accidentally shot, looking toward Leah. She could see the dozen or so questions looming in his facial expression and then he finally smiled, relieved to just see her more than anything else.
Leah's only want and wish at that moment was to run and embrace him tightly, but the several rifles aimed in his direction caused her to stop in her tracks.
Grant didn't move closer, but he did talk to her.
"Are you okay?" He whispered, his arms raising a little higher, as one of the men came closer to him.
Leah saw how angry his talking had made Griffin, so she was afraid to reply verbally. She acknowledged his question with a quiet nod and a faint smile, although the latter was hidden by the amount of fear shown on her face. Larson was going to be there soon. She wished she could warn Grant about the madman and tell him to run for his life, but it was no use. The situation wasn't looking too well, as she watched three others being detained by Larson's men in the nearby field.
As the other three people were escorted closer, Leah could see them more clearly. She recognized Ellie right away . . . and Ian Malcolm . . . but the third man was a stranger to her. Ellie was helping Malcolm walk and the other man was behind them, looking like he was taking in the situation.
Glancing around, Leah didn't notice Larson in the area, so she threw luck into the wind and decided to approach Grant.
Madison strengthened his grip on her arm.
"Let me go, Aaron," she quietly demanded, pulling away.
"I know what you want to do, but just stay here. Please."
Leah knew he was right, but she wanted and needed to get closer, so she wrestled her arm away from him and approached Grant.
Griffin was still standing next to him, but he didn't make a move to stop her. She slowly made her way past him and finally found herself right in front of Grant.
"Hello," she said, barely audible as she began to cry.
He took a step forward and reached out, gently brushing her hair from her eyes. That was all she needed to sink into his arms, crying.
"It's okay," he whispered in her ear.
She let him hold and comfort her, as she continued to lose her stability. Wrapped in his arms this way, she could finally allow her willpower and strength to weaken, as she surrendered her fear. She quickly kissed him and noticed that he had some bruising on his face.
"Are you okay?" She whispered, touching his cheek and quickly looking him over.
He nodded, "You?"
"Yeah," she said as she felt the need to wrap her arms around his neck and hold on for dear life. "I'm okay now that I found you alive."
He was very happy that she seemed okay, but there was something else lingering in his mind at the moment, "Leah, how did you get here?"
"That would be where I come in," a man's voice said from behind them.
Leah lifted her head and suddenly became very alarmed, "Alan, don't say any---"
"Ms. Owens, it's not very nice to try and warn one's adversary, my dear,"Larson pointed out.
Larson nodded to Griffin. Griffin acknowledged it by removing Leah from Grant's grasp. Grant didn't fight it, since another man was now pointing a rifle at him.
"Who are you?" Grant asked cautiously.
"Allow me to introduce myself, Dr. Grant," Larson stated, offering his hand in a gentleman's fashion. He shrugged as his hand had gone unshaken. "My name is Brock Larson and I guess you could call me your tour guide to the past, present and future."
"Larson, you say?" Malcolm interrupted.
Slowly moving his eyes from Grant, Larson looked toward the man with bad communication skills.
"Yes, that's right, Dr. Malcolm."
"I've never heard of you."
"Well, that is to be expected," Larson said, his speech faster and more direct. "It's just like a bunch of stuffy scientists, who are too good for the rest of the lower-class lab technicians, not to remember the people's lives that they had changed."
Malcolm had spoken long enough with the man to know that he wasn't exactly sane, so he decided to stop conversing with him. He looked away from him, hoping that Larson would move onto something, or someone, else.
"We're sorry for whatever you think we've done," Ellie commented, still helping Malcolm stay steady, "I would never intentionally hurt anyone and I don't believe they would either," she said, motioning toward Grant, Malcolm and Kaje.
"That is very nice of you, Dr. Degler," Larson replied, walking closer to her. He could tell that he was giving her the creeps and he wasn't going to let that feeling fade. "And by the way, how are you coping with the death of the husband who just couldn't take a simple order like, 'get into the car'"?
Ellie stared into the eyes of this man who had just admitted to being present, when Mark was murdered. Part of her so very desperately wanted to look away and cry, while the other half wanted to sucker punch him. She stopped herself from doing either, since she knew that's what he probably wanted.
The exchange upset Grant and Malcolm, and since Malcolm was right next to her, he was the first to respond, "What kind of thing is that to say to a person?"
"Dr. Malcolm, I hope that this will be the last time you interrupt one of my conversations. Your manners are atrocious, sir. Look at Mr. Madison over there. He is how I wish you to be."
Two of Larson's men approached, one with a rifle and the other with a pistol, training their weapons on Malcolm.
"I understand," Malcolm said softly, getting nervous over the amount of gun power aimed toward him.
Larson smiled and glanced at Kaje. After thinking for a moment, Larson turned back toward Grant.
"Now, what to do with the extra friends the three of you have brought along," Larson said, mostly to himself. "I'll have to think of something, I suppose."
"What do you want with us?" Grant demanded, his voice monotone. The remark about Ellie's husband had angered him enough to where he didn't want to play silly mind games. He wanted to know what was going on.
"I respect the fact that you think you have the right to be so direct with me. But you do not have that right. By the time you figure that out though, I'm afraid you'll probably be dead. So, I'm going to let those long-awaited questions of yours to continue to loom in your subconscious."
Grant simply stared at the man.
"I will tell you this much, since you seem to be in such a poor mood knowing that I seemingly hold all the cards to your life span. You can think of me as a righter of wrongs. As a man destined to seek vengeance for those who are no longer with us. Simply put, you can call me your executioner."
"Simply put, you're crazy," Grant observed.
"Alan," Leah whispered, trying to warn him not to cross that man.
Grant thought he saw a flickering of a smile on Larson's face before the man turned around and began to bark orders, "Okay, let's get a move on. I want to be to the building before dark."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Marching quickly through the field, Grant and the others were forced to walk single-file, with Leah quite a distance ahead, walking behind Larson. Grant wanted nothing more than to get a chance to talk with her, since she looked so frightened. He would catch her stealing a glance or two at him as they walked, and it was killing him to not be able to make sure she was okay. She had said she was, but the look in her eyes told him different. Then, in the next thought, he became angry that she was here in the first place. Why had she come here? How did she get here? And what did she have to promise to get Aaron to accompany her? He was furious that the two women he cared about the most, were right here in harm's way. It didn't look as though Ellie had a choice in the matter, but Leah had that choice. She picked the wrong one and he was getting more angry as he thought about her decision to follow him here, if that's what she had done.
Malcolm was the last in the line, with the exception of an armed mercenary occasionally pushing him, urging him to move faster. He was trying his best to keep up, but his bruised and battered body wasn't going to cooperate with his fast-moving mind. He stumbled over something, finally causing him to speak out against their new captors.
"Okay, okay. I need to rest for a second here."
Griffin was just ahead of Malcolm, so he turned around, "You'll have plenty of time to rest in about ten minutes," he stated.
"I can assure you that thirty seconds of rest won't put a damper on your evil plans."
Griffin sighed and approached Malcolm. He placed his rifle over his shoulder and pushed Malcolm to the ground with such strength that he knocked the wind from the injured man.
Grant quickly fell out of line to help him and Griffin blocked his way, while Larson's other men kept everyone else in place with their weapons.
Larson had been in the front of the convoy. He made his way to the scene and addressed Griffin, "What is going on?"
"He wanted to rest. He's resting," Griffin said matter-of-factly.
While Griffin was talking to Larson, Grant moved past him and helped Malcolm to his feet. Malcolm quickly thanked him and then warned him that Larson was approaching. Grant spun around, ready for a fight.
Leah, wanting to keep Grant from harm, took a step toward the situation, but was detoured not only by the guns pointing at her, but also by Madison's grip. He had made his way to her when everyone had stopped. By the way he was holding her, she knew it would be no use to try and get away this time, so she settled for observing nervously.
"I think we both know what would happen if you tried to strike me," Larson pointed out to Grant.
"I'm just trying to defend myself," Grant responded.
"You need not worry about defending yourself right now. That will come a little later," Larson promised, "Now be a good little scientist and fall back into line, or else I'll start killing the people I don't require."
Grant reluctantly nodded and then walked back toward his place in the line. Guns were pointed at him from three directions and he hadn't even noticed it until that moment.
On his way back to the front of the line, Larson stopped next to Grant, "You don't follow orders very well. That will cost you. It'll cost you something a little extra than the other two."
Grant looked at him uneasily, as the group started to walk.
* * *
Sarah sat on the torn seat cushions at the front of the small boat as it chugged along the dark blue ocean surface. The bright sun shone down on her, baking her skin and blinding her eyes. Sarah lifted a hand to her brow to shield her vision from the brilliance of the sun above. The thick smell of salt from the ocean filled the air. Droplets of water sprayed over the side and onto her clothes, soaking them. Her wet clothes stuck to her body in the harsh midday heat. Her hair was plastered to her forehead and the back of her neck. She would have normally felt miserable, but now she felt nothing at all.
She was too deep in thought to even give the slightest worry about the way her body looked or felt. All she could think about was Ian, and what sort of mess he must have gotten himself into by now.
It made her sick knowing that the last moment she had seen him, he was slamming the front door of the house, and then driving off into oblivion. Their marriage had never been perfect. Their relationship before they had gotten married had been far from flawless. But, both she and Ian were fighters, believers, and they saw a future together and they fought to obtain it.
Just like with every marriage, the path to their happy future was not without its setbacks or complications.
Sarah had always known they would probably end up in a divorce, or something. It seemed only logical, and at times it seemed inevitable. But neither of them wanted to admit this truth, and so they had remained together. They loved each other, dearly, but sometimes friends should remain friends, and not lovers or spouses.
The thought that the last time they would ever see each other would be a fight was almost too much to bear. She could only hope he was still alive.
Hope.
Hope was but a fool's excuse for not wanting to accept the inevitable.
Sarah frowned as a tear came to her eye. She rested her face in her hands and tried to fight against falling back into uncontrollable crying.
Behind her, she heard footsteps and a kind voice saying her name, "Mrs. Harding?"
She tried her best to wipe away the tears and put on a normal face before the man arrived by her side. Once she felt satisfied that she wasn't going to burst into tears again, she looked up. Standing beside her was Nathan Scott.
Scott adjusted his glasses and then got on a knee beside her. "Are you okay, Mrs. Harding?"
Sarah nodded her head quickly, still wiping away the teardrops from her cheeks.
"Everything's going to be alright, you have my word. Your husband and the others will be just fine." Scott smiled slightly, "I've read about your husband, Dr. Ian Malcolm. He seems to be a very stubborn and headstrong man, I think even the dinosaurs would fear crossing his path."
Sarah laughed slightly, and another tear slid down to her chin. Scott reached out slowly, brushing the tear from her face. The two stared into each other's eyes for a moment, then Sarah looked to the floor of the boat, frowning.
"There is no reason to fret, Mrs. Harding---"
One of the other men called Scott's name anxiously from the other half of the boat. Scott looked over his shoulder in an irritated way, then turned back to Sarah and removed a white cloth from his front breast pocket. He opened the cloth to reveal four silver syringes, and in them, a clear yellow liquid.
Scott handed her one of the needles and said, "Keep it close."
"What is it?" Sarah asked in a worried tone, as she eyed the long needle in her hand.
Scott got to his feet. "Just in case, Mrs. Harding. Just in case." Then he turned his back to her and began walking to the other part of the boat.
Sarah looked up from the needle and called to Scott, "It's Malcolm!"
Scott stopped and turned around, shielding the glare of the sun from his eyes with his hand. "Sorry?"
"My name," Sarah said softly. "It's not Harding. It's-It's Malcolm."
Scott smiled slightly then nodded his head and went back to what he was doing.
Sarah glanced back at the long needle in her hand, then quickly pocketed it.
Just in case.
* * *
The outline of a building was finally revealed in the outskirts of the trees. Larson stopped for a moment, wiping his brow from the heat, and then glared up toward the sun.
The group stopped, allowing Grant to catch up with Leah. He took her hand in his, and sighed with relief as Larson ignored them and began to walk again. The group followed.
Larson didn't care for the heat and was beginning to remember a long-gone conversation that he had with Suzan.
"The sun causes heat-stroke," he had countered to her.
"The sun also causes the flowers to grow," she rivaled.
"You got me there."
"Brock, you're always so angry. You should try to relax a little sometimes. You need to consider the things you do have and be thankful for them."
"I know, I know. And I'm very thankful for meeting you."
Suzan smiled in the same innocent way that she had always smiled, and then looked away from him.
"I want to take you to dinner," Larson had said.
"Brock, you don't have to spend money on me every second."
"I don't."
"We've only got one more night on the mainland before going back to the island, so let's spend it inside, okay?"
"Whatever you say, my love."
Suzan smiled.
"So, what next?"
Larson snapped out of it, after noticing that Griffin was standing next to him.
"You okay, Brock?" Griffin questioned.
"Yes. Yes, I'm fine. What is it?" He said, looking around. Grant and Leah were walking behind them, with everyone else further back. None of them were within earshot of the conversation, though.
"I was just asking you how you want to go about doing this," Griffin repeated.
"Doing what?" Larson asked, his mind still with his daydream.
"Splitting the people up, Brock. You wanted them split up, remember?"
"Yes, of course. Sorry, the sun must be getting to me," he whispered.
"So, you want Grant, Malcolm and Degler in one place?"
"Yes. The animal cages will do nicely for them."
"And the others?"
"The others aren't my concern at the moment."
"What about our other men?"
"Have most of them continue to the volcano."
"In the dark?"
"It's not dark yet."
"It will be soon."
"They can make it to the maintenance shed # 3 on the map before 9 PM if they move quickly."
"Okay, I'll let them know. You want me to go with them?"
"No, I need you for a very special presentation in the animal cages."
"Okay."
"Leave McCarney here too. Just let those animal lovers lead their own flock away from us now. Only keep about five others besides the three of us."
Griffin nodded and continued to walk with Larson, as the muscular man told him of his plan.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ellie was thrown violently against the wall to the left. She was in a cage, with bars on all sides, with the exception of the left wall. Griffin stayed close to her, as Larson's other goons brought in Malcolm and Grant. Ellie saw Grant, and temporarily forget about the constant pain in her right side. She faintly smiled, as the remaining Jurassic Park survivors were escorted into the cage with her. Ian was shoved first. The large man pushing nearly caused him to fall, as he staggered into the cage. He made his way to Ellie, and then turned around, after hearing a new voice enter the area.
"Welcome to my, what should I call it? Oh, yes. My humble abode," the man said.
The man, Brock Larson, looked toward Grant, who had turned around also. The men hadn't thrown him into the cage yet, so Larson walked up to him.
"Dr. Grant. I've waited a very long time for this little meeting."
"Who are you?"
"I thought we already had gone through that process, Dr. Grant," Larson pointed out.
"Your name means nothing to me," Grant stated flatly, "so how do I supposedly know you?"
"That's not very important, at this point. But, what I'm about to do . . . now that is important," Larson said. He looked at his other men, who were on both sides of Grant. "Let's get Dr. Grant into his new home, shall we, gentlemen?"
Immediately acknowledging their order, the men grabbed hold of Grant and escorted him into the cage. He wasn't pushed, though. He was thrown, landing close to the middle of the cage. He hit the concrete floor with a thud, his breath involuntarily leaving his body. Ellie hurried to him, as Larson followed his men into the cage.
"He's fine. I assure you," Larson said to Ellie.
Grant shook his head for a moment, clearing cobwebs away, and then stood up, with Ellie's help. Larson was in the middle of the cage now, too. When Grant noticed how close Larson was to them, he quickly and instinctively placed Ellie behind him, protecting her.
Malcolm took a few steps toward them, as well, but Griffin was next to him. He grabbed Malcolm by the arm and threw him up against the back of the cage. Seeing that everyone was starting to concentrate back on Grant and Ellie, with the probable intent to do harm, Malcolm decided to grab some of the negative attention.
"I presume the good doctors, and of course myself, have wronged you in some unforgivable way, yes?" he asked, adjusting his messed up clothes.
"You presume, right, Dr. Malcolm. How clever of you." He looked toward Griffin, "Mr. Griffin. How do you propose we contain these three scientists?"
"The cage will be sufficient, sir."
"Yes, the cage is a very good way, I agree. But we may need something more, since they are very witty."
"Handcuffs, perhaps, sir?" Griffin suggested.
"Ah, yes. Handcuffs would work well."
Griffin nodded and reached behind him to grab the handcuffs. He frowned.
"I've only got two sets."
Larson looked at the trio. Grant and Ellie were still in the middle of the cage, with Malcolm just to the side of Griffin.
"That certainly is a predicament, isn't it?" He watched the survivors carefully. He was very pleased that they all looked frightened. "Okay, well, handcuff Dr. Malcolm over there," he said, pointing to the back of the cage.
Griffin nodded and turned around. He handcuffed Malcolm's hands behind him and through the metal bars.
"Good. Now do the same with Dr. Degler, in the front of the cage. Only, leave her right arm free."
Griffin knew where this was going, as he and Larson had already talked about it. He smiled, as he grabbed Ellie and struggled with her. Grant was about to stop him from harming her, when he heard a click. He turned and saw the barrel of a gun directed at his head. He raised his hands, surrendering.
Ellie was really concerned now. Mostly for Grant, now that Larson was out of restraints and aiming a gun at him. Griffin cuffed her to the front part of the cage, as Larson had directed, and then looked toward Larson for further instructions. Larson smiled, still aiming his gun toward Grant.
"Well, Dr. Grant. It seems we need to come up with a good way to confine you, also," he said menacingly. He looked past Grant, "Griffin."
Griffin smiled, reached behind him, grabbed a crowbar, and threw it toward his boss. Larson threw his gun toward Griffin and caught the crowbar.
The events that followed happened very quickly.
Larson properly placed the crowbar in his hand, advanced toward Grant, turned him around quickly, and began to push him toward the bar-less wall to the left. The two men reached the wall with a lot of speed. Larson didn't waste a second, capitalizing on how unprepared Grant was. He forced up Grant's right arm against the wall, raised the crowbar with his right arm . . . and drove the crowbar deep into Grant's right hand with every ounce of energy that encompassed him.
Malcolm cringed, as Grant let out a blood-curdling scream. Ellie was very close to him and realized why Larson had insisted on leaving her right arm free. As Larson let go of Grant, he began to slump quickly. With his hand stuck into the wall, it started to pull away from the crowbar, threatening to slice his hand in half. She reached for him and, grabbing his shirt, she pulled him back to his feet, holding him against the wall.
Larson was very pleased with how events were turning out. He backed away from Grant and Ellie and walked toward the cage door. He quietly lingered for several moments, observing the actions of the people he deemed as his enemies.
Ellie had been able to hold up the wounded man and Grant suddenly had the presence of mind to try and help himself. Tensing his shoulder muscles, he pushed back and leaned against the wall, being careful not to let his right hand move in the least. He saw that Ellie was breathing a tremendous sigh of relief, since some of the strain was taken from her. Then, with all the strength he could muster, he forced his wobbly legs to straighten out and hold up his body weight. It felt as if the attack had happened to someone else, with the intense pain being the only hint otherwise.
"Well, I hate to party and then run, but I've got other things to attend to. Like . . . a certain female reporter, for instance."
Grant wasn't doing well, as the pain just became greater and greater and his strength quickly seeped away. He was waiting for his body to go into shock, or to pass out. Neither was happening soon enough for him. But when he heard mention of a reporter, his pain turned to anger.
"You leave her out of this!" He managed to shout, as Ellie held onto him.
Larson laughed.
"She was the one who brought herself into this. Not me."
Larson turned and walked out of the cage. He was the last one out, with his men locking the door behind him. Ellie was helping Grant to remain standing, but she knew she wouldn't be able to do it for long.
"Please, don't leave us like this," she pleaded.
Blood was steadily flowing down Grant's arm now, and dripping onto the floor.
"I'll be sure to tell Ms. Owens you say hello, Dr. Grant," Larson said, ignoring Ellie's plea.
"Leave Leah alone, God damn it!" Grant yelled to Larson's back.
Larson didn't respond. He just kept walking away.
"Larson!" Grant yelled, but vocally it only came out as a harsh whisper. He was slowly losing his angry resolve, and starting to sink into a trance-like state.
Ellie was still doing her best to hold him up, but he was getting heavier by the minute, and she was having more and more of a hard time.
"Alan, relax. Please. You need to stop moving around so much."
Comments are appreciated!
--JPJunkee and Yvonne
8/6/2003 3:24:31 AM
(Updated: 8/8/2003 2:36:48 PM)
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