Whenever you ask a child about their grandfather, what do they say? He had white hair? He walked with a stick? He ate boiled sweets? He told you stories of the old days? For any normal child, this may be true, but for Jacqueline it was an entirely different story. For her grandfather was the mysterious and eccentric Dr John Alfred Hammond, CEO of International Genetic Technologies. INC and founder of Jurassic Park. For as long as she could remember and ever since she was a child, Jacqueline had been told stories of dinosaurs, monstrous, reptile like beasts that once ruled the world over sixty-five million years ago along with her grandfather's stories of creating a theme park that held dinosaurs once he had successfully discovered a way to bring them back to life. Growing up, Jacqueline's love of the extinct beings grew, even accompanying her grandfather to dig sites, watching the large bones being lifted from the ground as she held her grandfather's hand tightly in her own smaller one, her large silvery eyes focused intently and sparkling with excitement and sparkling even more when paleontologists allowed her to hold the brush in her small hand and brush away the dirt and rocks from the bones, her tongue stuck out in concentration.
As Jacqueline grew, she transformed into a woman, her bright blonde hair and large grey silvery eyes, so did her mind and her intelligence began to rival her grandfathers, who had now discovered a way to create dinosaurs and bring them back from the brink of extinction and let them live, breathe again. However, being too young to go to the island, Jacqueline had to stay behind with her mother and with sad eyes, she watched her grandfather leave from a helipad and the same a few days later, watching her cousins, Alexis 'Lex' and Timothy 'Tim Murphy leave for the island, demanding it wasn't fair. Yet, after the disaster that occurred on the island, Jacqueline slowly came to realize she had a lucky escape from the horrors that happened on Isla Nublar. Lex and Tim's stories were horrible accounts, of running from dinosaurs, watching people being devoured by the ancient beasts before finally escaping with their lives, thanks to the likes of Dr Alan Grant, a marvelous man who Jacqueline had been hoping to meet, yet it never after that, the Jurassic Park incident was never spoken of again.
That is, until Jacqueline met a mysterious man, Dr Ian Malcolm who had been on the island during the events of Jurassic Park, when he arrived at John's mansion one day, while Jacqueline was visiting. Meeting the man had been a pleasure, but Jacqueline couldn't help, but wonder if he was here for a different reason. And she was right, her grandfather asking Malcolm to travel to another island, Isla Sorna, where the dinosaurs were engineered and nurtured before being moved to Isla Nublar.
Once again, Jacqueline begged her grandfather to let her accompany them, yet Hammond refused to put her in any danger, and once again Jacqueline's luck struck after the events which saw a T-Rex running on a rampage around San Diego. It all seemed to be behind them, until fate struck.
Upon her eighteenth birthday, however Jacqueline's world was turned upside down when she arrived at her grandfathers mansion only to find it cordoned off by police and ambulances. In that second, that single moment, Jacqueline felt the gravel beneath her knees as she collapsed, the sharp stones cutting into her skin and her blood beginning to soak through her blue jeans, as she slowly and surely came to the realization that her grandfather - the one constant figure in her life - was gone, taken from her so violently and too soon. His health had been ebbing slowly for the past few months, but the team of doctors her mother and her aunt had assigned to care for John had promised the family that he was starting to slowly get better, his condition was slowly improving and it looked like he was going to make a miraculous recovery.
Feeling strong hands under her arms, she slowly looked up to see one of her grandfather's security guards, a young man named Luke who Jacqueline was particularly close to, looking down at her with such sorrow and sadness in his eyes. That was it, Jacqueline broke down, the flood gates opened and every ounce of tears, sadness and heartbreak was released from her small body, as she clung to Luke, her hands gripping his black security jacket as she screamed, her small lungs giving every single emotion as she screamed in pain until her voice was hoarse and she could no longer even utter the smallest word.
Luke carried her into the house, where her mother was sat in a chair in the hallway outside of her grandfather's room, cheeks tear stained and eyes puffy and red. And as Eloise Hammond slowly stood to take in the appearance of her only daughter, the tears were back once again as Jacqueline sprinted towards her mother and threw her arms around her, as her mother held onto her tightly. After just a few moments, Jacqueline pulled away from her mother and slowly stepped towards the door that lead to John's bedroom.
Gingerly placing a hand on the doorknob, Jacqueline felt the cold metal beneath her hand as if it was a reminder she was still here and he was gone, she felt a warmer hand on top of hers and she looked up to see Luke, a smile on his face as their hands turned the doorknob together and slowly with a creak and a click, the door opened and slowly swung open. Taking a deep breath and swallowing the lump in her throat, Jacqueline stepped into the room and her eyes landed on the lifeless figure of her beloved grandfather.
With her boots making small sounds on the hardwood floor, Jacqueline moved until she was stood beside the head of his bed, looking down at the one man she had always counted on, the only man in her life. "He looks like he's sleeping..." Jacqueline whispered, fresh tears falling from her silver eyes as she slowly bent down to sit on the bed, beside John's body, as she hesitantly reached out to take one of his cold hands in her own smaller warm one. With a gasp and a sob escaping from her lips, Jacqueline once again broke down as she leaned down to rest her forehead against his shoulder, as her world turned black.
That was the day that Jacqueline's world broke, vanished. The day her beloved grandfather, John Hammond had died peacefully in his sleep. John Hammond's funeral was a quiet affair, with only his family attending. Dressed all in black and holding on tightly to her grandfather's walking stick, the one thing that started it all, that small circle of amber with the mosquito embedded in it, Jacqueline looked at the faces of her family, tear stained and eyes red and puffy from crying, her eyes eyes narrowed as she saw a group of figures in the distance. Slowly the family left until it was just Jacqueline by herself, staring down at John's grave, until she heard footsteps behind her and slowly turned around as her silver eyes widened in shock and awe as stood before her, were the figures of Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, Ian Malcolm and Henry Wu stood before her.
No words were exchanged as Alan Grant stepped forward and with a smile enveloped Jacqueline in his arms as the petite blonde broke down once again, but this time she was not alone. She was with her grandfather's most trusted friends and for the first time in months, she finally didn't feel alone.
Back at her family's home, sat around with the four of them, each holding onto a steaming cup of tea, it was there and then Jacqueline's decision was made that she was going to carry on John's legacy, she vowed to herself and to Alan, Ellie, Ian and Henry that she was going to continue her grandfather's work and make him proud and finish what he started. She would not let his memory die, she would not let his dream die along with him. Working and studying hard, Jacqueline secured her place at Yale University, a top school in America for Paleontology.
The Department of Geology and Geophysics at Yale University is ranked as the premier institution for earth science due to its extensive resources, superior academic programs and highly successful research efforts. Many of the faculty members at Yale University, past and present, have been credited with significant contributions responsible for advancing knowledge of the earth sciences discipline through their scholarly pursuits. The interdisciplinary approach at Yale University provides students with a comprehensive education encompassing the breadth of the earth science fields. Students are offered the opportunity to engage in cutting edge research projects, participate in domestic and international field trips to gain field experience, apply for fellowships within and outside of Yale University and to teach courses. The Peabody Museum of Natural History at Yale offers a substantial collection of paleontology specimens which students can view first hand and the Institute for Biospheric Studies provides essential interdisciplinary research and academic training in environmental sciences.
Throughout the years, Jacqueline worked hard, not only spending many hours in the labs, but also in the field, watching and working alongside Alan, Ellie and Ian and the same paleontologists who had once watched her doing the same as a small child, with John looking on proudly.
Five years passed and soon enough Jacqueline was stood up at the podium as class valedictorian, the cap perched atop her blonde head of hair as she spoke. "These years have been long, filled with passion and strength, but also filled with sadness and hatred, but we have all triumphed and come out on the other side. What we have achieved in these years will not be forgotten, and I sincerely thank every single one of your for making my time here as enjoyable as it had been. Congratulations everyone, we did it!" She cheered with a smile as students and parents stood, erupting into a round of applause, before she took the cap from her head taking a moment to look at it and thinking of John and how proud he would be of her, with a smile she threw it into the air as the other students followed suit and repeated the movement.
Moments later, found Jacqueline in a warm and loving embrace with her mother, as she held onto the woman who had been her rock throughout everything. "Darling, I'm so proud of you" Her mother, Eloise beamed with pride as she pulled back and watched her daughter. Placing a hand on her cheek, she looked through teary eyes at her only child. "Your grandfather would be so incredibly proud of you" She smiled, as a stray tear escaped and slid down her slightly wrinkled face.
"Oh mum.." Jacqueline sighed, as she felt a lump in her throat thinking of her grandfather, the only person besides her mother than she wanted to see sitting in the audience. "I miss him so much.." She began before words were lost to her, as Eloise pulled her into a tight embrace. "I know darling, I know.." Eloise whispered, rubbing a hand up and down her daughters back to soothe her. "He would have been so proud of you" She whispered, as Jacqueline clutched onto her mother tighter. Only did she pull back when a voice cleared their throat, in a polite yet still slightly rude manner of interrupting the pair.
"Dr Grant?! Dr Sattler?! Dr Malcolm?! Dr Wu?!" She exclaimed, as her mouth dropped open in awe and surprise at seeing the four of them, stood smiling towards her and in an instant, Jacqueline was involved in a group hug with all of them, all of them congratulating her of her accomplishments.
"John would be very proud of you Jac" Alan informed her, calling her the little nickname all four of them had come to call her, as Jacqueline blushed and looked down, as Ian spoke.
"Hey hey, don't do that. Alan's right, you have every right to be proud of yourself after what you've done" He insisted, as Ellie wound her arm around Jacqueline's neck and drew her into a one armed hug.
"He's right darling, he would be so proud of you" Ellie declared, as Jacqueline brought her hand up to wipe a stray tear away.
"Not to mention, we're all proud of you too Jac" Henry spoke up as he stepped towards her, embracing her in a hug that Jacqueline gladly returned.
"I apologise if this sounds rude, but why are you all here?" Jacqueline asked all four of them, who all looked towards each other.
"We couldn't very well miss your graduation could we?" Alan spoke up, before gesturing behind her. "Besides, your mother demanded that we be here to surprise you, and not to mention, she's a terrifying woman when she wants to be" Ian disclosed with laughter coming from all of them, as Eloise rolled her eyes and nodded her head. "Oh mom" Jacqueline smiled, as she pulled Eloise into a hug.
"Jaqueline, may I have a moment?" Henry Wu questioned her as Jacqueline pulled away from her mother and nodded in response. With Eloise taking Alan, Ellie and Ian off to find refreshments, Jacqueline sat down on the steps leading up to the stage where she gave her speech, waiting and listening intently at what Henry was going to ask of her. "Coming to watch you graduate wasn't the only reason why I came here today Jacqueline, I also came here because I want to offer you a job" Henry announced, as Jacqueline's eyes narrowed in confusion. "The papers you have published have made evolution come along in leaps and bounds and its thanks to you that a new park has opened. Jurassic World. Much like Jurassic Park, but much safer and much more promising. I want you to come on board as a geneticist, working under myself and you will have free reign to do whatever research you so wish. You will have access to all of John's old files, notes, everything he had. And we have a new attraction I want you to see and give your opinion on. With you on board, who knows the possibilities we could achieve" Henry explained to her, as Jacqueline began to take in all the information Henry had given her.
Unable to contain herself, Jacqueline stood up, jumping up, squealing in delight. Drawing the attention of her mother, Alan, Ellie and Ian, who all marched back over and began throwing questioning looks towards Jacqueline and Henry. "I can carry on grandpa's legacy, I can carry on with his research, I can finish what he started!" She exclaimed in excitement. "Henry wants me to be a geneticist at Jurassic World with him!" She expressed, as Alan stepped forward towards Henry.
"Are you insane? After what happened there before, you want Jac to go back to that place?" He demanded.
"We need her Alan, you can't disagree with that simple fact. With her, we can change the history of evolution and who knows what else was can achieve. And who better to understand John Hammond's work than his own granddaughter?" Henry challenged him. "I promise you, no harm will come to her, I swear it on my life"
Eloise shook her head. "No, its not happening! She is not going back to that island, not to Isla Nublar, not after what happened the first time" She said, anger in her tone and voice, as tears began to form in her eyes.
"Mum, look at me. I'll be fine, I have to do this" Jacqueline said to her mother, pleading with her almost in her soft tone of her voice. "For grandpa" She added on, before Eloise gave up the fight and nodded.
"Alright alright, but you call me every day, do you hear me?" She ordered her daughter, before pulling her into a hug.
Turning back to Henry, Jacqueline gave him a determined look. "So, when do we leave?" She asked with a cheeky grin.