"I'm sure you are all a bit anxious about the mission ahead of you," said the mysterious employer. "However," he continued, "bear in mind that the task is a noble one. On this island," he began, pointing to the red dot on the map behind him, "There are over six billion dollars in cloning and genetics equipment."
At this, the map on the large screen changed to show a close-up of the tropical island known as Isla Nublar. "Here, at 'Site A,' you must locate the main laboratory, extract the six memory storage units from the primary computer's hard drive, and carefully transport them back onboard the plane I shall provide you with. Then, all you have to do is fly back here! It's as simple as that!"
"Sir," came a voice from the group of mercenaries, bounty hunters, and hired searchers. Their employer, InGen president and CEO Mark Vanden, turned and motioned for the man with his hand raised to speak.
"Sir, can you tell us what we might encounter in and around the main lab?" The black-clad individual's name was Arnold Lepherd, and he smirked as Vanden stammered in his hesitation to list their potential adversaries.
"Well…" the CEO began. "Um… well, in that vicinity, there were some hatcheries, mostly for triceratops… and so long as you don't stray too far from the road on your way to the labs from the main gate, you won't meet the dilophosauruses. They mostly hang around down the in the gully anyway…"
"If I'm not mistaken, isn't the lab near the velociraptor pens?" the mercenary cut in. A deadly silence fell over the room.
"Um… well, you may be correct, but I—um…" Vanden stammered. "Regardless," he said, composing himself, "you need not fear an encounter with velociraptors." He didn't sound very convincing.
"Back to the briefing," the speaker said abruptly as quiet murmurs began to spread through the gathered band. "On this next slide you will see the schematics of the lab…" He turned, ready to point at the maze of corridors and stations when the onscreen image changed to something completely different and unexpected.
The back wall was suddenly covered with a large picture of a velociraptor baring its bloodied fangs threateningly. A note at the bottom of the photograph read: Image courtesy of John Hammond.
Suddenly, one of the people in the semicircle of seats rose and dashed out of the room, crouched forward with his head down. Slightly panicked, Mark Vanden said, "Um, I-I'll be right back!" As an afterthought, he removed the horrifying image with one of a brachiosaurus munching on the leaves of a tall tree in a plain doused in the radiance of a gentle sunset.
Out in the hallway, Mark Vanden found the young man who had fled upchucking in a trashcan. Kneeling beside his employee and placing a hand on his back softly, he said, "Hey, you all right?"
Seth Redding looked up, his face pale and his eyes ruddy, and replied, "I don't think I can do this!"
"Now, look," the INGEN CEO, said, choosing his words carefully. "If I didn't think you could do this, I wouldn't have hired you. You'll be fine. That place isn't as bad as Lepherd would have you believe."
Of course, this statement was completely false. The ruined theme park was a living hell, and anyone who had been there or its sister Isla Sorna would have told Seth so right away.
Back in the InGen facility, the briefing finished with no further incident. Seth returned, still uneasy about the mission. However, his apprehensions diminished slightly as Mark Vanden continuously reiterated the safety of the task ahead.
"Are there any questions?" Vanden said as the screen behind him returned to a map of the park. He looked around the room as a few hands went up. "Ah, yes, Mr. Glenstone?"
A tall man in the back asked, "What will we be paid for completing this charge?" This inquiry was followed by a few murmurings of agreement about the importance of this matter.
"InGen will pay you each fifty-five thousand US dollars upon your return, along with an additional ten thousand for each computer board safely returned to our researchers."
"What are the odds of encountering a T-Rex on this mission?" was Arnold Lepherd's question.
Vanden paused for a moment. Finally, he said with a hint of uncertainty, "There is absolutely no chance at all of running into a tyrannosaurus rex while at the laboratory."
"I have a question," said Seth, raising his hand.
The CEO whirled around to face the asker. Tentatively, he said, "Yes?"
Seth put down his hand. "What will the recovered memory be used for?"
Confused, Vanden replied, "I don't think I understand."
"What I mean is," Seth tried again, "are you planning on using the memory stored in those computers to create more dinosaurs?"
The entire audience turned to look at Mark, who suddenly began chuckling to himself. "No, no!" he said, composing himself. "We have no intention of making any more dinosaurs, let alone here, in San Diego! What we want to do is utilize the sophisticated cloning and DNA replicating programs to stimulate the rapid development and multiplication of adult stem cells, which will be extracted from mature bone marrow, as opposed to the controversial method of using human blastycists. Do you know what that would mean, Mr. Redding?"
Seth shook his head.
"It could, quite possibly, mean that cures for cancer, AIDS, diabetes, sickle cell anemia, and hemophilia would be right around the corner, just to name a few. This mission will change the world as we know it."
"Well, that is certainly a most noble goal," Seth commented, deep in thought. He had been unsure about the aftereffects of the search mission. However, this seemed perfectly honest, even heroic. Seth couldn't help but think of all the people he knew who suffered from incurable diseases. Suddenly, a tinge of guilt crept into his mind. How could he possibly be so selfish as to decline the offer to save countless lives just because of a few overgrown lizards?
Each member of the team still willing to go to the island was told to say their name and place of origin, as to try to begin uniting them in preparation for their dangerous task. The group consisted of: Morgan Pearcy of Indianapolis, Chuck Reynolds of Seattle, John Cheng of San Francisco, Hakeem Smith of New York, Tim Atherton of Canberra, Manuel Sanchez of Ciudad Juaréz, and Rick Badgers of Boston, along with Seth and Arnold. All were proficient drivers and mechanics, and most were exceptional marksmen.
The team would fly from InGen headquarters in San Diego to La Romana, Dominican Republic, then out across the sea to Isla Nublar. They would land at the main airfield, then trek down to the motor pool where they would salvage a truck. The plan continued that they would drive along the path through the large herbivores section of the park to the information center. They would pass through here and down into the labs so as to avoid going near the abandoned raptor pens.
Understanding their objective and ready to roll, the InGen team went off to a little more briefing. They were instructed on the use of their weapons and test-drove a jeep akin to the kind that was used by rangers and technicians in the old theme park. Finally, it was off to their respective hotel rooms for a good night's sleep before they flew to the Caribbean in the morning…
AN—Thank you for reading, and please review! Also, do not worry; the coming chapters will be considerably more action-packed than this exposition!