Prologue: Late 2003

Summer was rushing in fast, and soon the squalls will start to move across the South Pacific. Captain Neil Quincy knew he had to make it to Isla Sorna quickly before the seas became too rough. Normally he would be north of the equator right now, but this was a special run. Isla Sorna, an island nearly 200 miles from Costa Rica, was a forbidden island. No one was allowed to fly around it nor land on it. However, he was one of the few who dared to. Each time he drew near the island, he risked being discovered. He could be prosecuted and placed in prison for the rest of his life just by being close to its danger zone. There was a good reason for this island to be off limits. It was an island that was bought by a genetics company known as InGen for a special project involving the cloning of dinosaurs and other prehistoric creatures from the Mesozoic Era. When InGen abandoned the island, they set the dinosaurs loose and any human who dared to approach the island could very well be killed. However, he has been to the island many times, even after its exposure to the rest of the world in 1997, and so far, he has survived. There was a good reason. His contact.

"Captain, we've got a signal," said his first mate Clint Robertson. Quincy turned around and picked up the receiver.

"This is the Antares calling for InGen Harbor," he began. "We are within docking range. Send out your signal. Over."

"Roger that Antares," replied a woman's voice on the other end of the line. The voice itself had a slight Latino accent. "You are go for land at Dock 2. I'll be there. Over."

"Roger, InGen Harbor," said Quincy. "See you when we get there. Over and out."

He hung up the receiver and looked back at Robertson.

"Let's just hope today is just as uneventful as all the other days we've been here," he said. "And she better send my money over after this run. I hate coming here."

"From what I heard, she hates living there," said Robertson. "Sooner or later, she's going to ask you to carry her to the mainland."

"What is she gonna do on the mainland?" Quincy asked. "Run around like Godzilla?"

"She's got money," said Robertson. "Lots of it."

"I suppose that means she can do whatever the fuck she wants," said Quincy. He scratched the back of his neck. "I don't care. As long as I get paid. Simmons, how's the weather?"

"Radar is picking up a storm just north of us," said Simmons. "Looks like it's heading west, but we just might get the edge of it."

"Great," said Quincy in a sigh. "The last thing I need is to be beached on an island like this. Looks like we may have to stick it out until it blows over. I'll have to inform her once we get to shore."

"Aye, sir," said Robertson, his shoulders shaking a little. "She'll take care of us, right?"

"She's not gonna eat us if that's what you're worried about," said Quincy. "We're too valuable. She needs my boat and the crew on it."

"Yes, sir," said Robertson.

"Coming up on the dock now, sir," said his helmsman. "We're about to make berth."

"Easy does it," said Quincy.

The Antares slowly moved into the dock, rocking back and forth with the flow of the waves. The ocean began to feel a little rougher. Quincy had a feeling that it was because of that storm. He grabbed his microphone and called out to the rest of his crew.

"All hands, ready the lines," he said.

As the ship slowly glided itself against the dock, several crewmen leapt out from the bow. Others tossed them the lines for the ship and they tied them up.

"Drop stern anchor," said Quincy. "We'll need to keep the ship steady for when that storm hits." He turned around. "Get the trucks ready. I'm going ashore."

"Aye, sir," said Robertson.

"Robertson," said Quincy. "Start unloading the cargo and get it on the trucks."

Quincy stepped out over the bow and jumped down onto the dock. He watched as his men began to back the trucks up. Other crewmen had guns in their hands, keeping watch over the thick jungle woods of the northwestern side of Isla Sorna. Suddenly, there was a movement in the trees. Quincy picked up the low sounds of massive footfalls slowly coming towards them. The gunners raised their rifles, ready to pull the triggers. Quincy held his breath as he waited in silence for whatever it was that came towards them. On this island, he could never tell if it was friend or foe. The last thing he wanted to do was be chased by an angry Tyrannosaurus rex or a pack of Velociraptors. He knew of other dangers of this island as well, the Pteranodons, and even the tiny Compsognathus were dangerous if they started jumping on you and injecting you with their toxins if you even dare to fall on this island. He knew even the herbivores can be deadly when they are angered. Nothing on this island was friendly, except for one being.

The trees parted just as a massive carnivore stepped out onto the dock. The theropod dinosaur towered at least 20 feet above the ground with a long, sweeping, tail, lengthy, muscular forearms and deadly claws. Its head was shaped like a crocodile with slightly curved, slender teeth. Its jaws could fit three men inside. There was a tall sail on its back. Deep green eyes narrowed, and regarded the tiny humans with little concern. The creature's coloration was varying shades of gray-blue, darker towards the back, and nearly white on the underside. This monstrosity of prehistory was a Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, the only one of its kind on Isla Sorna. That is when Quincy waved his hands at his riflemen and took a sigh of relief.

"A'shadieeyah!" he shouted at the Spinosaurus. "You made my men piss themselves. For a moment, we thought it was something dangerous coming through those woods."

"Funny," said the Spinosaurus. "Very funny, Quincy."

The voice of the Spinosaurus was the same voice that Quincy spoke through the radio. This was A'shadieeyah, the only dinosaur on this island that could speak. She was a project that not even most high-ups at InGen knew about because she was not supposed to exist. The Spinosaurus was not on InGen's list, and for good reason. She was a mutation would have been destroyed if they had found out about what her particular creators were up to.

"I am under the assumption you arrived at your destination safely," she began. "There were no hangups."

"None," said Quincy. "So far. However, I do have to say security is increasing. There's movement in Central America that just might cut me off completely. The traffickers are getting restless and they don't like how the government is moving in. There are boarder barricades now and everyone's checking tractor trailers for illegal substances or personnel."

"I've been keeping an eye on the news," said A'shadieeyah. "Whenever I can get the damned set to work. My equipment is starting to fall apart again. Did you bring the replacement parts?"

"We've got all of it," said Quincy. He turned to the trucks now on the road from the docks and began to walk towards them. A'shadieeyah followed.

"All in the trucks," said Quincy. "Sadie, there's a problem."

"What?" she asked.

"I don't know if your Doppler radar is working, but we've picked up a squall that may be heading our way," he said.

"I've noticed the unusual roughness of the ocean," said A'shadieeyah. "Don't tell me you want to stay here."

"Only until the storm blows over," said Quincy. "At least do us that favor for risking our asses each time we come out here. You know what they'll do to us if we're caught. We're lucky that we haven't been so far."

"Yes, and the longer you stay here, the more chances you have at being caught," said A'shadieeyah. "And the likely chance of them finding me out as well. I've been trying to keep my tracks covered, but even that is getting harder. I caught a hacker in the system just yesterday. I nearly had to reformat the hard drive."

"It's also a danger for my boat to be out on the ocean if that squall gets bad," said Quincy. "Every port in a storm...and I know you don't want my boat damaged."

The Spinosaurus took in a deep breath and closed her eyes. She exhaled out, letting loose a deep growl as she did and turned back to the human.

"Very well," she said. "I think there's some left over cots in my bunker. I don't know about their condition though."

"It's better than sleeping on the floor," said Quincy. He turned back to his men. "Alright, get on the trucks and the jeeps, we're heading inward. Gather up what supplies you have from the ship. We may be stuck here for a day or two."

"I can only hope it isn't that long," said A'shadieeyah. "However, with this storm, there will be least likely any signs of plane traffic or boat traffic around the island to spot you."

They packed up all they could and secured the boat. Then, they all began to head down the uneven road towards A'shadieeyah's bunker. The road itself was constantly cleared by A'shadieeyah so that she could help the trucks get there unimpeded. With some help from Quincy's men over the course of the years they have worked together, she managed to maintain a small part of the island's original fences and and equipment. She walked alongside the trucks as they slowly moved across the road. The wind began to pick up and she could smell the coming storm. Her constant presence around the trucks kept the other dinosaurs away. The last thing she wanted was an accident to happen to one of her humans.

A'shadieeyah heard the sound of loud rock music coming from one of the trucks and she chuckled. Loud music tend to scare off some of the animals on the island. It certainly kept the raptors away. She had Quincy's technicians set up a few speakers outside her bunker so she could blast a little AC/DC whenever the Velociraptors came close too her lair, wanting to scavenge a little of her kills. She recalled Quincy saying she had descent taste in classic rock music. The raptors could not stand the screams of Bon Scott and the wailing siren sound of Angus Young's electric guitar. It drove them into a madden race for the opposite direction. She had the sound system set up around the bunker as a motion detector alarm system.

The caravan traveled up the hill towards where the bunker was as swelling dark clouds began to roll across the sky. Quincy looked up at the sky and sniffed the air.

"Sadie, the storm's coming," he said.

"We've got a mile to go," said A'shadieeyah. She paused when she heard a roar off in the distance. Then, there was music, but not coming from the direction of one of the trucks. She knew what that meant. "Damn it!"

"What?" Quincy asked.

"Some damned animal breached the perimeter," she replied. "Just keep moving, I'm going on up ahead."

Quincy nodded and singled for the other trucks to continue on just as the Spinosaurus ran off into the trees.

"It must really suck to live on this island," said Quincy. "Hard to believe from the ocean it looks innocent enough, but once you get on land..."

"They should have nuked this island too just like they did with the other island," said Robertson.

"If they did that, then our employer would be dead too," said Quincy. "And who's gonna sign my paychecks if that happened?"

Within a few minutes, they were at the perimeter fence and they saw A'shadieeyah bellow a roar and chase off a dark green and red Ceratosaurus. The medium-sized theropod looked to have a gash on the side of its neck as blood oozed out of the wound. Quincy realized A'shadieeyah gave the dinosaur a good warning swat with her killing, large, index talon. He heard the song You Shook Me All Night Long playing in the background. Just as Quincy opened the door and hopped out of the truck, A'shadieeyah clapped her claws together. The song was then silenced. The Spinosaurus growled her frustration out and looked behind to see a part of the fence bent. But the large, square, green bunker was not damaged.

"¡Sirva de madre al hijo de mierda-de-a-puta!" she said in an angered bellow.

Quincy laughed when he heard her curse in Spanish.

"Oh, if you think it's so funny, Quincy," A'shadieeyah began. "Then you can have your men fix the fence!"

"I'm not laughing at you, sweetie," said Quincy. "I'm laughing with you."

"Do you see me laughing?"

Quincy walked over, chuckling as he shook his head. He pushed the gate open wide and signaled for the trucks to drive on through. A'shadieeyah followed behind them.

"I hate this island," she said in a grumble. "I hate it so much. I want off of it."

"You must have had something that smelled good for that fellow to come here," said Quincy. "He was obviously hungry."

"He can catch his own dinner," said A'shadieeyah. "Not try to steal mine."

When the trucks finally pulled up, Robertson got out and took a smell of the air, noticing something rotten. He looked over and heard the sound of buzzing over a bloody mound of flesh. He swallowed a bit of his bile as it rose up into his mouth, feeling sick to his stomach.

"Oh, that's disgusting," he said in a whisper. Quincy overheard him.

"Better behave yourself before our kindly host," he said. "After all, we are guests."

"I'm sorry, Captain," he said. "It's just that...stinks. It's just lying there."

"Sadie, I think I see what it was that dinosaur wanted," said Quincy. "Your left overs."

A'shadieeyah snorted and leaned over at the bulkhead doors. She gripped the latch with her talons and gently pulled it up, releasing the locking mechanism.

"Be happy I do my business away from the bunker," she said to Quincy. "I just drag my kills here when I don't finish them right away."

"Be sure to tell us where you've chosen the lady's lavatory to be this time," said Quincy. "And I'll make sure my men go somewhere else for the men's lavatory."

"Though we wish you had working plumbing here, Ms. Sadie," said Robertson.

"Unless you want to get a bulldozer and dig up the septic tank to fix it," said A'shadieeyah. "That won't happen. But at least you have running water. And the men's room is that way."

She pointed to an area behind a few stacked up, green crates with the word InGen painted in white on the surface.

"I don't want you to leave the protection of the fence," she said. "Remember, it's a jungle out there."

"We know," said Quincy. "Let's just hope I don't get my ass bitten by one of those tiny dinosaurs like what happened last time. Made my entire right cheek go numb for a few hours."

"I've marked the area," she said. "They won't be bothering you this time."

"Thank you," said Quincy. He looked up at the sound of a clap of thunder. "Alright, men, get the equipment inside. Secure the trucks. Let's move!"

The men began to unload the crates into the bunker, stacking them up against the wall. A'shadieeyah opened the crates up for the crewmen to unload their contents. The contents were two new large flat screen monitors. She picked them up and mounted them up on the wall as Quincy's main technician began to hook them up to the computer towers. She carefully turned on the screens with the tip of her talon.

"About time I got these screens," she said. "I got sick and tired of squinting over CRT monitors."

A'shadieeyah pulled on two black gloves with wires attached along the back and she flicked her claws, booting the OS up on the computers. One of Quincy's crewmen unhooked a computer and began to place it beside the door, preparing to take it back to the boat and to the mainland for repairs. Thunder vibrated through the walls. A'shadieeyah looked up at the ceiling and then lowered her head.

"I won't be contacting him tonight," she said. "Not with this storm. The wind might knock out the connection."

She heard screeching noises as some of the crewmen dragged the cots out of one of the rooms. She settled onto her haunches and waved a claw to call up the Doppler radar. Creeping upon the island slowly was a round, spinning squall, coming from the north. The image flickered a little bit, signaling that the storm was disturbing the connection.

"Quincy," she said. "There's your storm."

"That's it," he said.

"The Antares should be okay at the dock," said Robertson.

"It'll be alright," said Quincy. "She's a tough ship."

He watched as the galley cook brought out the portable stove and began to heat up some can of beans to cook for the crew. He got up and walked over to the cook, who handed him a tin bowl full of beans and a spoon.

"Here you go, Captain," he said.

"Thanks, Carl," said Quincy. He then walked back towards A'shadieeyah, who was softly hitting the one of the computers with her finger. "You keep doing that, it'll be another broken computer."

"I can't get a signal," she said. She looked back up at the ceiling, hearing the sound of the rain hitting the steal roof hard above. "Rain. It's probably affecting the dish."

She gave it another tap.

"One more thing for me to pay your technician to fix," said A'shadieeyah.

"All that intelligence of yours and you can't fix a computer," Quincy said with a shrug as he settled down beside her.

"I was gifted with an incredible mind," she said. "But with a ridiculous body to house it. You think I can hold a soldering iron in these clumsy claws?"

"I see your point," he said.

"Sooner or later, I may need you to find me a technician for me to hire permanently," said A'shadieeyah. "Some one who can come here, live here, and fix all this damned, broken, out of date '90s technology."

"I'm a cargo boat captain," said Quincy. "I just haul cargo."

"You must know someone through your own dealings," she said.

"I might know a few people," said Quincy. "But who would be that daft to come to live here? Live in all this? Don't get me wrong, you've fixed this place up nicely with what you've got, but there's a lot of work to be done."

"Must be somebody who owes you a favor and who no one would miss," said A'shadieeyah. "Especially if an accident happens."

"You better hope something like that doesn't happen, Sadie."

"I'm not talking about me," she said. "I meant with the other monstrosities on this island. Hate for him to wonder off somewhere and get eaten by a T. rex. Or stepped on by a Brachiosaurus."

"Ah, that," said Quincy. "Sounds like you'll need more than just one man. One man can't just simply live here. He'll need food, water, a clean place to sleep. We're not as tough as you, you know. And I don't think he can survive off of roasted Triceratops."

"I wouldn't suggest it anyway," she said. A'shadieeyah lowered herself down to where her snout nearly touched Quincy's nose. "Then, perhaps an incentive is in order. I will need multiple men. We've managed to get some of the other buildings repaired to store the...merchandise, we can convert them over to barracks."

"You'll need more than just a couple of technicians, guards too," said Quincy. "Men brave and crazy enough to go head to head with some of the big nasties on this island. But here's the ultimate question. This is supposed to be a preserve. We are not supposed to disturb the ecosystem of this island. If we do, we get into even more hot water. What are you going to do about that?"

She leaned back and flicked her claw, calling up a 3 dimensional map of the Five Deaths.

"There are other islands in this chain," she said. "Isla Muerta is about three miles from Isla Sorna. However, I still like to have things ran here because there are already stations set up. We just need to fix them. There's materials, cameras, computer parts, and much of them were stored deep in many of the underground tunnels dug inside this island. Most people only know about Isla Sorna's surface, they don't know about what lies underneath. And of course all run off of the geothermal power. I have everything right here. It'll take more time and money to build something as sophisticated as this on another island."

"I didn't know this island had underground tunnels," said Quincy.

"Funny what one learns after they've lived on this plot of mud for all their lives," said A'shadieeyah. She waved her gloved claw again, pulling up an image of the island's tunnel system. "When John Hammond built Site B for the factory of Jurassic Park, he wanted to make sure his workers were all able to get around safely just in case some of the dinosaurs broke out of their pens. They could enter these tunnels and travel under the surface on paved roads to various points of the island. Many of the tunnels are just accessed through manholes, but there are a few tunnel gates located on the mountain faces. These are large enough for even me to walk through."

"Have the other dinosaurs broken into these tunnels?" he asked.

The Spinosaurus shook her head: "I did not find any. Maybe the Compies might have broken into one of the tunnels through the manholes, but none of the bigger ones. The doors are too sturdy. But the locking mechanism is the same like this bunker. So, I was able to open up one of the doors."

"Did you accidentally come upon one of these tunnels?"

"Actually, after I was in a way conceived in the Embryonic Administration Laboratory Center," began A'shadieeyah. "I was taken to one of these tunnels and hid by my creators. They didn't want John Hammond or InGen to know what they were up to."

"Right," said Quincy. "That."

"So, I know my way around the tunnels," she said. "They were also a way to transport dinosaurs from one side of the island to the other without the usage of the main road. Quincy, they can hide in the tunnels. There are working barracks there."

"Bathrooms? Showers?"

"Showers," she said. "I don't know about the bathrooms."

"Some blokes don't like doing it in the bushes," said Quincy. He took a bite of his beans.

"They'll have to live with that or find a way to repair the bathrooms," said A'shadieeyah. She looked away and scoffed. "I don't know why I want to go out of the way to fix this stupid island up."

"It's your home," he said.

"Only the place of my birth," I don't consider it my home. Sooner or later I'm going to find a way to get off this island. Well, I have a way, your boat."

"My boat is one thing, but where will you go once you get off?" he asked. "I don't think people will be so welcoming of a giant dinosaur in their neighborhood. Look what happened in San Diego."

"Only because Ludlow was stupid enough to try and bring a dinosaur to America," said A'shadieeyah.

"Why do you want off this island?" asked Quincy. "What would you do when you get there?"

A'shadieeyah chuckled: "You're making me sound unrealistic. I have a dream, but it's an unrealistic dream." She shifted to her side, once more waving the glove. A few images appeared on the screen of various places around the world. There was New York, Los Angeles, Paris, Tokyo, London, Sidney. "I've read all about these places, seen pictures, but never seen them for myself. I have the money to travel to them and see them. I want someone to have a proper conversation with for once instead of conversing in noises that sound like a moose being tormented."

Quincy chuckled.

"But there is something more important than that," she said. "My creators. They gave me all this knowledge for the purpose of a bunch of racist, old, has-been Nazis hiding in Argentina, and then when Hurricane Clarisse came, they left me all alone on this island. They taught me all sorts of military strategy and survival skills, but nothing on how to hunt like a theropod. I had to teach myself how to fish all because I didn't have a fishing pole. The only reason why I've survived this long was because of out witting the dumber predators. Now I'm the biggest thing on this island. But I'm the only one of my kind. It gets lonely." She turned her head back to Quincy. "I just want to give my "parents" a good piece of my mind for leaving me on this steamy, hot, sweltering rock. I want to see the lives they are living right now and then compare it to my own prison."

"I get your point," said Quincy.

"I suppose I can't exactly ask you to find them," said A'shadieeyah.

"That's not my job," said Quincy. "I can find you a few men around South and Central America to come work for you, but two ex-InGen scientists who used to work for the ODESSA? I don't think so. I'm sure they've covered their tracks so well that you couldn't even find them with a bloodhound."

"I had a feeling you would say that, Quincy," she said in a sigh, lowering her head. Quincy got up and came to her large, muscular shoulder, placing his hand on it and giving it a pat.

"Don't worry," he said. "With the money you've got now, you can buy a special bloodhound to go look for them if you like."

"I'm afraid if I try to, someone might sniff me out instead," she said. "The last thing I need is to be put on the cutting table. Or worse. Come see the one and only talking Spinosaurus! I bet John Hammond would love to do that to me."

Quincy laughed, setting back down again and eating his beans.

"I'm surprised you have yet to share my secret with anyone for a bigger profit," said A'shadieeyah.

"So far, no one's made a better price than yours, Sadie," said Quincy. "Besides, if it hasn't been for the money you're giving me, I wouldn't have been able to pay off all those loan sharks. You saved me from having both my arms, my legs, and probably my neck from being broken. I own you that."

"And your men?"

"You know they get a good cut," said Quincy. "And you've treated all of us well for our services."

"Only because my creators treated me well," she said. "They wanted to instill loyalty and for me to learn what that meant. Because I know how valuable it is, I understand that loyalty ends up paying itself off in the end. But when they left me, I felt so betrayed."

Quincy looked back at Carl: "Bring me another bowl of beans, Carl."

"Yes, sir," he said, carrying the pot over and pouring the beans into the bowl.

"These are good beans," said Quincy. "Did you make them with a little bit of pork?"

"Some pork sausage," he said. "Glad you like them, sir. Uh, would you like some, Ms. Sadie?"

A'shadieeyah gave a sniff to the pot of beans and then smiled: "As much as that smell is alluring to me, I have eaten my weight today. However, I am sure your beans are the best in the world, Carl."

"Yes, ma'am," he said, walking away.

She watched him pour some seconds for some of the crewmen. Robertson was in line for his next bowl.

"Don't eat too much of that stuff," said Quincy. "You know what it does to you, mate."

"Right, sir," said Robertson.

"That's the last thing I need, this place smelling like human flatulence," said A'shadieeyah. "It's hard to believe a couple years ago, these humans were scared stiff of me."

"Only because they gotten to know you," said Quincy.

"And money talks," she said. She looked up again to hear another clap of thunder. "I'll go out hunting tomorrow when the storm blows over, that is if it blows over by then. When I do, don't leave the protection of the fence. And keep the alarm on. I'll hear it when it goes off."

"You don't hunt very far?" Quincy asked.

"No," she replied. "I may be the biggest thing on this island, but there's one of me, and about 5 different families of Tyrannosaurus rexes, and 12 packs of Velociraptors. I'm quite out numbered. Luckily, I'm the only one who can swim. So, plenty of fish in the sea."

"If you catch the cook a swordfish, he'll fry it up for you," said Quincy.

"I might take that offer," she said. She rose back on her feet and looked to Quincy's crew. "You all have better turn in for the night. It'll be a long day tomorrow and we need to get all of this unpacked and whatever needs fixing fixed. Once I get the satellite dish working, I can contact Cortez and get the transaction done. Sooner that happens, the quicker we all will be paid."

A few of the men clapped their hands and cheered at the prospect of getting paid. A'shadieeyah turned back to Quincy.

"I normally sleep in the large storage room over there," she said. Then she flickered her claws and the computers became locked up. "You all can have this room. Just don't touch anything unless you are repairing it."

"Territorial, aren't we?" Quincy asked. "Just like a predator."

"I just don't want my credit card numbers stolen," said A'shadieeyah with a smirk.

"I'll make sure the boys are on their best behavior," he said as he watched her take off her gloves. She draped them over one of the tables and yawned. The massive Spinosaurus slowly lumbered for the storage room. A'shadieeyah walked over to a pile of hay in the corner and settled herself down. There was another reason for her to get off this island, she wanted to use some of that money she has to buy herself a proper house with clean floors and a comfortable bed for her to sleep on. She hated sleeping in filth like an animal, but she had to remind herself of that is what most of the world saw her as. Despite all those gifts she was given when she was created, she would still be seen as an animal. A'shadieeyah snorted and listened in on the conversation in the main chamber of the bunker. Quincy was just discussing with his first mate of what they were going to do tomorrow. Their voices soon became distant as her eyes grew heavy. She could still smell the faint scent of Carl's beans filling the room. They did smell good and it brought her back to the days when her "parents" fed her such foods. She did eat raw meat as well, but she also had cooked meat with spices. They wanted to expose her to the ins and outs of human culture, especially their culture, which was all about food. She missed scents like that. A'shadieeyah curled her body around and her tail wrapped around her legs. She gave a shake to her blueish gray, feathered frill and then finally drifted off to sleep.