The auditorium was filled with a lite buzz of sound. A heated debate raged on stage as the reporters watched, eagerly awaiting to discover which side would be victorious. The room was tense and stuffy, but no one would have been willing to leave at that moment.
The man on the left side of the stage stood patiently at his podium. His dark hair was short and combed neatly. His black suit was crisp, the white shirt beneath it immaculate, and his dull red tie hung straight. Sweat beaded on his forehead, but it was not only caused by the spotlights that illuminated the stage. No, the debate was not going as he hade planned, he was going to have to try harder. Slowly he grabbed the tall glass of water set before him, gingerly he drank. Why not draw it out, hasty actions only cause mistakes, he thought to himself. Returning the glass to its former position he cleared his throat and prepared to speak.
"I am saying that for the safety of not only our country but of the world, we must destroy Isla Sorna." The man's voice was strong, steady, and confident. He gave a smug smile to his opponent. The other man was older and was dressed more casually. Dr. Alan Grant waited only a brief moment before speaking.
"Thank you Mr. Dulain for your opinion, but again I assure you that it isn't necessary. Isla Sorna is under constant patrol by the Costa Rican Government and InGen's Conservation Task Force. Not to mention the security systems around the island. Nothing gets on or off that island without us knowing." Alan stood there unaffected by Dulain's resentful glare.
"Dr. Grant, please allow me to remind you that just a few years ago our military had to capture and destroy three pteranodon that escaped the island immediately after your own rescue. Or how about the crisis in San Diego? Obviously the security systems are flawed. Just as they were from the beginning when John Hammond started all of this. Your telling me that there are no errors in InGen's new systems? Then please explain to me about the incident in Costa Rica a year ago when a dinosaur carcass was discovered on the beach. Or how about the pictures of a velociraptor in South Africa?" Dulain stared at Alan defiantly, he hated the paleontologist.
"As to the carcass that was discovered, an examination found that the creature had been dead for over a month and before it washed away into the ocean. It died from lacerations that that were most likely induced by a raptor on the island. And for the pictures of a velociraptor, simply put, they are fake. It's called photo shop. The point is there has not been a breech on Isla Sorna since my own incident on the island. Dr. Sarah Malcolm and her team on InGen's Conservation Task Force have identified and tagged every dinosaur on the island. They are monitored around the clock. As I have said before, there is nothing to worry about."
The television was turned off leaving the room darker. Ian Malcolm sat in his chair facing the now black screen. Exhaustion plagued his features. He held a small square glass half filled with bourbon on the left arm of the recliner. The digital clock read 3:15 am. The shadows shifted in the doorway behind Ian. Sarah leaned against the wall a moment once she noticed her husband in the chair. She was barely visible because of the black night gown she wore blended into the darkness flawlessly. She stood there silently for a long moment before walking over to Ian.
She sat on the right arm rest and wrapped her arm around his neck. "You know that stuff will kill you." Sarah spoke softly in his ear playfully. "After everything we've been through this is the one thing I'm least worried about." Ian lifted the glass as he spoke, his voice was dull and lifeless as it was many nights when she found him like this. "Nightmares?" She asked, concern flooding her voice. He looked up into her eyes and she saw the horror and pain that filled them. He nodded. "Raptors..." He said taking a shaky breath. "Raptors chasing you and Kelly. I watched as they ran you down and I couldn't do anything to save you two..." He went silent as the visions replayed in his mind. Sarah quickly slid into his lap and embraced him in a loving hug. "It's okay now Ian. We're not in any danger anymore." She tried to comfort him. Then out of the darkness the phone rang startling both of them.
Sarah answered on the third ring. "Hello?" She said into the phone. "Oh Alan, no no it's fine. We were up anyway... What's that?... I see, yes I'll get him. Just hold on a moment." She carried the wireless phone with her to where Ian was. "Honey it's Alan, he says he's found out some information that we should know about." She settled back into his lap as he took the phone. "Alan, what is it? You didn't discover a new species in one of your dig sites did you?" Ian said with a laugh, his mood easing a bit. When Alan spoke his tone was serious and urgent. "Ian, Billy called me about an hour ago. He is still in Africa checking into the raptor stories... He says he's found and egg."
Billy Brennan looked at his watch, 12:20 pm. He knew he woke Alan being it was only 4:20 am in the states, but he knew Alan didn't mind after the information he was given. Billy stared at a large egg displayed on a table in the South African market. He had been traveling for days to find this place on just the rumor that someone was selling a dinosaur egg. What he found was worse, he knew this type of egg. It was from the same species of dinosaur that he tried to steal roughly three years ago on Isla Sorna. This was a velociraptor egg. The horrible realization hit him then. The pictures, the stories were all true. There were raptors in Africa, but how. He was torn from his thoughts when the shopkeeper returned with a man. The man surprised Billy, he was tan, not black like everyone else in this village.
"Hello sir, do you speak English?" Billy asked the newcomer. "Yes, names Taren." Taren's voice was thick and filled with the accent of a Spaniard. "Ah good, thank you Taren. Can you translate for me?" Billy asked relieved to find someone he could understand. Taren nodded his head in response. "Thank you. Can you tell her that I want to buy the egg." Billy watched as Taren spoke to the woman. She said something back but Billy couldn't make heads or tales of it. Taren turned back to Billy. "She says wants 1000 for it." Billy gawked a moment. He knew that InGen would return the money but he couldn't get over the large amount. Then he rummaged through his pocket and pulled out a wad of money. Currency from many countries were mixed together. Billy handed the woman the money which she took without a second glace. In a flash the money was hidden beneath her cloths. Billy pulled out another 500 dollars. "Tell her there is another 500 if she shows me where she got it." Taren translated to her with wide eyes. She nodded to Billy quickly, then Taren turned back to him. "You know you will need a translator to get very far out here." Billy knew Taren was right. He went back into his pocket and pulled out another 250 dollars and handed to Taren. "There will be more when we are done." Billy said. Taren nodded in agreement.