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Jurassic Park The Dark Depths (Chapter 2)
By Vito_The_White
Chapter 2: A Popular Old Man
Wednesday June 14, 2001
Dr. Richard Levine emerged from his hunter green colored Jeep Wrangler. He was now standing in front of a beautiful New York mansion. That was definitely not all that new to Levine. His parents had a mansion very similar to this one actually. They also had a country estate to get away to during the summer. Levine would have his own mansion if it weren’t for the fact that he was always traveling. He’d hardly ever be in the house, let alone know hardly any of the servants. He actually had a maid that would come around his apartment and clean it up, but as soon as Levine would return, the place would end up in a mess again, because he wouldn’t be able to find something crucial that he needed right then. If there is one rule that a scientist should keep to himself, it is to always be able to find the crucial items that they needed right then. He tried his best to tell the maid to leave his work station the way it was when she cleaned, but apparently it always went in one ear and out the other.
Levine stepped away from his jeep and walked toward the front door. He felt really awkward coming toward this mansion. That was a feeling that Levine hardly ever had. However, this place looked extremely dead, like no one even lived inside. It was well kept, the grass cut, the water fountain in the front yard running beautifully. However, there was no life what so ever. There were no children at play, gardeners tending to the plants and vegetables, or anyone mowing the lawn.
At Levine’s parents home, you’d find all kinds of life at all times. For the past few years, they’d been adopting children and taking them in just because they loved kids and really wanted to help them to have a real life that they could all enjoy. Levine was completely fine with it, but it was quite weird going home, because there was always at least one or two new faces that he’d have to get used to and learn the name of and all. But this place was completely dull.
The golden colored steps to the front door were quite beautiful themselves. That at least gave a little bit of a nice feel to it all. Levine walked up the stairs and came to the door. He found a doorbell and rang it. He waited for several long seconds and then decided to ring it again. Suddenly, while the second ring was being made, the door swung open revealing a very old looking butler. The man stared at Levine for several long seconds making him feel very weird.
“Mr. Hammond isn’t seeing anyone today,” the butler said starting to close the door.
Levine placed his hand on the door to stop the butler from slamming it on him.
“I’m sure he is, but I have something very important that I really need to speak with him about,” Levine replied. “I’m sure he can make time for a Paleontologist.”
The butler looked at what Levine was wearing. He was wearing his normal overcoat, some dress pants, and a dark red button down shirt. “You sir, are no Paleontologist.” The butler began to shut the door again.
“Do I have to show you some I.D. or something,” Levine said pushing through the doorway. Levine looked around him in the lobby of the mansion. It would’ve been quite beautiful if it weren’t so dark inside. There was a large staircase right in front of him that ascended upward into the other parts of the house.
The butler started to pull on Levine’s coat. “As I said before sir, he isn’t seeing anyone today! You will leave here before I call for security!”
“And if you don’t let me see him,” Levine began, “I’ll go to the press with the information that I have and let them reveal him for what he really is!”
“I’m telling you right now…”
“It’s alright Mr. Abercrombie,” an old raspy voice interrupted.
Both Levine and the butler turned around in shock from the interruption seeing an old man wearing his robe. He was sitting in a wheelchair and had an evil glare in his eyes. Levine smiled recognizing him immediately.
“Mr. Hammond,” Levine said walking up the steps to meet with him. He extended his hand for Hammond to shake. “It’s so good to finally…”
“I know who you are Dr. Levine,” Hammond interrupted, not even bothering to shake the Paleontologist’s hand. He turned his wheelchair around and started to go back toward his room. Levine followed. “I’ve been following your research for the past several days, and I know why you’re here.”
“How can that be possible,” Levine asked. “I heard that you stay at home all the time. You hardly ever make appearances outside your home anymore, and it’s almost like you’ve fallen off the planet.”
Hammond chuckled. “Yes, I have been trying hard not to be noticed anymore haven’t I?”
The two went inside Hammond’s room. There was a hospital bed and several other devices that you’d normally find in a hospital near the bed. There was a very messy desk at the other end of the room, for it had papers, a laptop computer, and several pictures sitting on it. One of them cault Levine’s attention immediately. It was a picture of two children, one a boy that looked to be about 9, and a girl that looked to be about 13. Levine picked up the picture and studied it. Hammond turned around and looked at Levine staring at the picture.
Hammond chuckled once again. “Those are my grandchildren. Their names are Lex and Tim. They’re a whole lot older now. I don’t get to see them much anymore, but I guess that’s what happens when children get older and move on to other more exciting things.”
Hammond slumped down in his seat a little. Levine noticed this and put the photo down. “I’m sorry.”
“Oh it’s not your fault,” Hammond said. He moved his wheelchair over to a cane propped up on the nearby wall. He took the cane and used it to stand up.
“Should you be walking around,” Levine asked with a little concern in his voice.
“Oh it doesn’t matter,” Hammond replied. “We’ll all die eventually. Besides, why should you be worried about me? You’re wanting to exploit me, aren’t you?”
“I mean to exploit no one,” Levine replied. “I only want to know the truth.”
“The truth is something that no one would ever be able to truly understand,” Hammond replied. “You have no idea what trouble you can get yourself into. It’s bad enough that I know what’s going on. You should just keep your nose out of business that it doesn’t belong in, before you end up losing your life over it.”
“Is that a threat sir,” Levine asked crossing his arms.
“I make no threats,” Hammond replied. “I’m only stating what I know to be true.”
“Then if you’re wanting to state what is true,” Levine began, “then tell me what’s going on at Las Cinco Muertas. Why are the Hupia taking the blame for this when you know good and well that it isn’t that?”
“You don’t believe in the legend of the Hupia,” Hammond asked showing some shock. “I thought everyone knew that it was true.”
“Don’t play mind games with me old man,” Levine said. “You have no idea who I really am.”
“You forget that I’ve been following your every move. I may be cooped up in this mansion all day, but as the owner of International Genetics Technology Services Inc., I have all kinds of people at my disposal.”
“So that’s why there’s been this weird Chinese man following me around everywhere,” Levine asked.
Hammond smiled. “I’m amazed that you noticed.”
“Well it’s kind of hard to miss a guy staring at you all the time no matter where it is you’re at,” Levine replied. “However, I just thought it was some gay guy that thought I was cute or something. I personally thought it was nasty, but I didn’t think I was being spied on though.”
“You can be surprised my dear doctor,” Hammond said turning his back on Levine.
“I want to know the truth Mr. Hammond,” Levine said. “Tell me what I came here to know.”
“How is Ian doing,” Hammond asked, avoiding Levine’s question all together. “I hear that you and he have become very good friends. He never comes to see me anymore. He’s just still afraid that I’m going to send him on another expedition of doom. That’s why none of them ever come to see me.”
“None of who Mr. Hammond,” Levine questioned.
“None of them,” Hammond replied sighing. “Hell, that could be the reason why my own grandchildren are afraid to come and see me. I’m an unpredictable old fart and you know it.”
“Well,” Levine began, “Ian’s doing just fine. He’s married now. Did you know that?”
“So he and Ms. Harding finally said their ‘I do’s’ huh,” Hammond asked smiling and turning around to face Levine again. “Tell him that I send my congratulations.”
Levine nodded. “I’ll do that.”
Hammond smiled. “Well, it’s getting quite late, and I’m sure that you have places to be and things to do. Why don’t you be on your way?”
“Because I haven’t been given what I’m wanting to know,” Levine replied. He looked down at the laptop in front of him, on the desk. “Perhaps what I’m looking for is on this.”
“I can have you thrown out Richard,” Hammond said.
“So we’re on a first name basis now are we John,” Levine questioned. “That’s good. Perhaps we’ll soon be real good friends and I can come over and we’ll have a big sleep over. Or how about some of those wonderful campfire stories that I’ve heard so much about from Ian? I’m sure those are quite fascinating.”
“Get the hell out of here,” Hammond screamed.
“What did you do Hammond,” Levine screamed back. “What happened all those years ago? Tell me!”
“I will tell you nothing you little son of a bitch,” Hammond yelled. “I know that you were just a snot nosed little bastard that would do anything to get your way or you’d start pouting over it!”
Hammond was screaming so loud that he suddenly started coughing uncontrollably. Levine ran over to help Hammond to his wheelchair, but just as he started to move two huge men grabbed him.
“Get him out of here,” Hammond commanded as he continued to cough. He made it to his wheelchair and sat down sighing. He watched as the two men dragged Levine out of his room.
The big men dragged Levine all the way down the steps and to the front door. Mr. Abercrombie was down there waiting for him with a big smile on his face. The old man opened the door as the two men practically picked Levine up and threw him out the door. He landed on the hard concrete ground with a thud.
Levine stood and dusted himself off. He could feel his body aching all over as he tried to get his balance back. He walked toward his jeep as he suddenly saw a very long limo coming down the driveway, which was extremely long itself. The driveway even had a road name since it was so long.
‘Well Hammond’s obviously very popular today,’ Levine thought. He stepped to the drive side door of his jeep and got in. He watched as the limo pulled up to the front door of the mansion, obviously not caring that it was impolite to actually park at the front door of any mansion. It was almost a sin to do that. Levine looked through his rearview mirror as the driver got out and went to the back door. The driver opened the door and allowed an old man that looked quite similar to Mr. Hammond, except a little skinnier, to get out and walk up the steps to the front door.
The man knocked on the door and Mr. Abercrombie almost immediately let the man inside the house, like he was too afraid to even great him. Levine snickered and turned on the engine to his jeep. He put the vehicle into drive and drove away from the mansion.
* * *
“Hello John,” came a very evil voice from behind Hammond as he stared out the window. He was watching Levine’s jeep leaving the mansion grounds. “You seem to be a very popular man for once in your life. Not that you’ll ever really be popular in the first place.”
“Look who’s talking Jeff,” Hammond replied turning around in his wheelchair.
“You’re butler seems to get more and more afraid of me each time I show up,” Rossiter replied. “I think he’s just glad that you were actually awake this time to see me. I believe he really hates having to deal with me because of your awkward times to be taking a snooze.”
“What do you want,” Hammond asked.
“Is it a crime just to want to talk to my old friend,” Rossiter asked.
“We were never friends,” Hammond replied.
“Oh come on John,” Rossiter said smiling. “You know that’s a lie. We were quite the team back in the seventies.”
“Don’t even bother trying to bring back the past,” Hammond said. “Do you believe that you have the right to just come here and talk to me just because you have Richard Levine closing in on your ass?”
“It’s not Levine that I’m worried about,” Rossiter replied. “It’s Dr. Malcolm. You know that those two are friends, and you also know that if Levine finds out something that he’s not supposed to find, then Malcolm will follow him not far behind. And did you know that there are people that are going to be trespassing on your island being lead by Alan Grant?”
“That’s not my concern,” Hammond said. “You should’ve thought about all of that before you decided to do what you did all those years ago.”
“Talking about bringing up the past,” Rossiter said.
“It’s your fault that my park failed,” Hammond yelled.
“Calm down John,” Rossiter said. “You’ll have another coughing fit, or worse, a heart attack.”
“How did you know… Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“The camera! You’ve got some kind of camera in this room, or perhaps you have cameras all over my house! Where did you put them?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about old man.”
“You’re one to call someone ‘old man’.”
Rossiter laughed. “You’ve got me there.”
“Get out,” Hammond commanded.
“And who’s going to make me,” Rossiter asked. “Certainly not you. You can’t even walk fast enough to keep up with me, or maybe your butler? Mr. Abercrombie is a weak fool. And your bodyguards would be too frightened of what I might do to them if they touched me. I have thousands of connections all over the world.”
“I get your point,” Hammond said trying to get Rossiter to shut up.
“What are we going to do about Levine,” Rossiter said. “You know that whatever happens to me, also happens to you. Ian Malcolm will cause you to lose everything that you have left also.”
“You’re right,” Hammond simply replied.
“Levine’s getting way too close and we need to let him know what happens to people that get too close,” Rossiter stated smiling.
“I can’t be involved in this,” Hammond said.
“You’re already involved,” Rossiter yelled. “You knew that this was the only way as soon as your stupid nephew was killed. InGen is going down the drain. Do you have any idea how much damage was caused in San Diego because of Peter Ludlow?”
“My wallet has felt the most of the damage,” Hammond replied.
“Exactly,” Rossiter said. “You have hundreds of people that are going to lose their jobs if you don’t do what I proposed last week. Even though I had to propose it to Mr. Abercrombie, but you know what I’m talking about. Think about Henry, and all of your other loyal employees. They’re counting on you to do the right thing. Will you listen to me for once my friend?”
“Fine,” Hammond said. “Where do I sign?”
Thanks for reading. Comments are welcome:)
9/20/2003 4:26:54 PM
(Updated: 9/20/2003 4:47:37 PM)
(Updated: 9/21/2003 8:49:27 AM)
Comment on this fan fiction!
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