Muldoon
One advantage which came of suddenly having eyes placed on the sides of their heads, Muldoon thought, was that at least he and Wu didn't have to turn their heads to make eye contact any longer. And they could use their other eye to do a constant, 180 degree scan of the forest for predators. Like the blasted raptors.
Right now they were both ambling down a king-sized game trail, side by side. He could feel the light, warm weight of Nedry's unconscious dinosaur body on his armored tabletop of a back as he tried to get accustomed to his own body's lower vantage point. It had a very good sense of smell. Hearing too. It was also very confident and unafraid.
This dinosaur knew that its armor and spikes made it a very nasty mouthful indeed for any predator that might try to swallow it. Even the pack-hunting raptors didn't really concern its tiny brain all that much.
When he'd collapsed, Muldoon and Wu obviously couldn't just leave him there. Nor was it safe, they agreed, to idly stand around and wait for the programmer to come to. Not with raptors about, no matter how big and well-armed their new bodies were.
So Muldoon had gotten down on his new dino body's knees and elbows, while Wu had used the opposable little fingers on each of the Iguanodon's hands to awkwardly grasp Nedry's ankles, then gently lift him up into the air, upside down. Somehow, the geneticist had managed to place him on Muldoon's broad back without Nedry being impaled or jabbed by the bone spikes, head dangling down so as not to aspirate rainwater.
(Well,) Wu sighed, (I guess that's all of us accounted for. Unless you saw that blue lightning hit one of the workmen or the cars or something like that.)
(Not to my knowledge.)
(I hope Nedry wakes up soon,) Wu said as he rotated his right eye down a little. (If that blue lightning had anything to do with the computer system like I suspect it did, his knowledge and skills might be a big asset in helping us at least understand what caused this time and consciousness displacement. I wouldn't mind it if Arnold was here too,) he added.
(He'll be okay,) Muldoon replied, tilting his head and craning his leathery neck to meet Wu's gaze with his left eye. (I can feel his heartbeat through this dino's shell, and he'll come out of it soon enough. At least I didn't have to deal with you fainting Henry,) he smoothly chuckled.
(I damn near did,) Wu humorlessly laughed. (And I still might yet.)
(So,) Muldoon went on, switching to a different topic, (any idea of what type of dinosaur Nedry ended up as?)
(Not precisely, no,) Wu replied, lightly shaking his head. Very odd, to see a dinosaur responding in such an eerily human manner. (He looks quite a bit like a velociraptor…but his dino body is more lightly built, and from what I can see of them, the teeth in his mouth look much different. They're shorter and more triangular, for one thing. If forced to choose, I'd guess he's a close relative to Troodon.)
Whatever sort of dinosaur that was, Muldoon thought.
(And of course, the color of his plumage is much different than what we saw on the pair of raptors,) Wu added. (Plumage,) he said again in disbelieving wonder. (I never would've guessed. I knew that dinosaurs, especially theropods, were essentially massive, toothed birds,) he droned contemplatively to himself, (but this goes beyond my wildest imagination or expectations. I just didn't anticipate what should've seemed so obvious...didn't know.)
(You're not the only one,) Muldoon agreed. (They're more like prehistoric bustards, pheasants, or guinea fowl, aren't they? We're getting a wealth of honest information from this experience, that's for sure!)
(Too bad we'll never be able to make use of or share it,) Wu droned bitterly. (What I could do with it at the genetics lab!)
Suddenly, Henry came to a stop. Muldoon did as well.
Wu gave a resigned sigh. (Robert, can I ask you something?)
(Go ahead. We've got all the time in the world.) The irony of the statement made Muldoon chuckle. They most certainly did.
(How the hell are you being able to cope with this so amazingly well? I mean, one moment you're leaving the garage, the next you're here in the Mesozoic, not even in your own body anymore. Naked, covered in spikes, scales, insects, walking on all fours.)
(It's a rough deal, I'll grant you that.)
(Well, if you're fighting the urge to just completely snap, I'm sure not detecting any signs. How are you able to keep such a grip like that?)
(Hmmm. I'm not exactly sure myself, to be honest,) Muldoon replied. (I suppose this mindset mostly has to do with my life as a guide in Africa, where you quickly discover that a lot of things are just beyond your control. So you accept and make do and keep on keeping on as best you can.)
(You're incredible, you know that?)
(I think you're holding up very well too. You're tougher than you give yourself credit for Henry.)
Wu's horsey head bobbed up and down in pleasure, liquid eyes half-closing. Robert could feel the pride radiating from him.
Suddenly, he felt Nedry's dinosaur body shift on his back. In the interest of safety, Muldoon laid down in the mud like a hippo, feeling the wet leaves and muck against his baggy belly scales as he waited for his passenger to become clear headed again after his swoon.
He felt and heard the claws jerkily scrape against his back armor, looking behind him without really turning his head as Nedry raised his own and rotated his upper torso, hazily murmuring, (Where-where am I? What happened to me?)
Then, before either he or Wu could produce a greeting or an answer, there was a sudden crackling sound that made them all jump, even the weakened, dazed Nedry. Muldoon raised his turtle/iguana head, expecting to see lightning streaking across the ceiling of clouds. But he detected nothing. No, wait a minute. There was a low, deep humming, and it was accompanied by a strange, encompassing sensation at the back of his skull, as if he'd been granted the ability to hear everything at once, in a wider range than any creature ever had.
(Am I the only one who he-) Wu began.
Before he could finish, a second, cosmos-filling crackling and the sense of some alien force digging a tunnel through reality rippled through the air all around them. It was spine-tingling. Terrifying!
A voice emanated from the crackling.
Henry
Wu stood stock still with the others as the voice of a teenage boy, of all things, boomed out through the swamp forest and into their very minds.
"My name is Bertram Philipps," he intoned. "I don't have much time to send this second message before I literally have to run, so listen closely, Robert, Henry, and Dennis."
(He knows your name! All of our names!) Muldoon hissed in astonishment as he glanced at Wu. (But how in bloody he-)
(I've completely stripped my gears,) Nedry said shakily. (Gone mad as a hat-)
(Quiet!) Wu snapped at them, desperately trying to pin down the Iguanodon's shrieking, wild urge to stampede (to say nothing of his own.) This Bertram boy-a boy as far as he knew, at least-was still talking, and he didn't dare want to be distracted.
"This is a one way transmission, so don't waste your time protesting or trying to respond. Just carefully, because your lives may depend on it! The most important thing that you three need to understand about what's going on is that your time is not the only time. Your reality, your universe, is not the only reality out there."
(Jesus Christ in a salt mine!) Muldoon gasped. (Other bloody realities! That simply can't be!)
Wu knew differently though. The Everett interpretation of quantum mechanics, he thought in amazement, or the many-worlds formulation. And good God, had it been proven vividly true to him indeed!
"What I'm about to say may sound preposterous, even insane, certainly confusing-but it's all true. So hear me out. I'm from one of those other universes, and eight months ago, I created an extraordinary machine I named the Memory Interpreter Device, or M.I.N.D. Machine for a huge science fair. It was supposed to simply be flashy, using biofeedback sensors linked to a computer base of images and film clips to randomly project appropriate choices onto exterior screens."
(And then it totally went Medfield College on you, didn't it buddy?) Nedry ventured thinly.
"I don't, and may never understand how, but when I did my first demonstration of the M.I.N.D Machine, it somehow transformed, became a device, a conduit capable of extracting the soul, the essence of a person from their body, and sending it elsewhere in time and space to inhabit the physical form of another. The best explanation I could give would be that of the concept of the monkeys and the typewriters."
(I'll be damned,) Muldoon whispered in astonishment.
Henry Wu understood exactly what this Bertram Philipps meant by that, but couldn't waste time dwelling on it just now.
"It happened to me and three of my friends. Yes, we were all struck by the lightning too. Yes, we all found ourselves in the bodies of dinosaurs, like you. Yes, we managed to transport our human psyches back to our rightful time and bodies."
The words made a wild, desperate hope explode within Wu. That meant…there was a way, a way out of this time and grotesque body! He could have his body back again, his lab, his career, his innovation, his successes and achievements!
(And how did you do that?!) Nedry shouted wildly. (Because I. Want. Out!)
Wu too, was equally eager to know the solution. He'd take any chance, he knew, even if it killed him. What is it Bertram, he thought desperately, tell us, we beg of you…
"Now, what this has to do with you three is that you guys belong to another universe, another timeline, where by rights you shouldn't have been affected…but for who knows what reason, my M.I.N.D. Machine took you anyway, like sea turtles captured in a shrimp trawl-and if you think that's crazy already, believe me, you're going to find out that's not even the half of it!" Bertram dryly laughed.
"And now my reality is grossly changing, becoming so screwed up I can't begin to describe it. The events were set in motion in the past, when you are, and north of where you are. Something big happened there."
(No bloody kidding,) Muldoon snorted.
"If the M.I.N.D Machine is any indication, it'll happen in the prehistoric Arbuckle Mountains of Oklahoma, three days from now. I don't know exactly what it'll be. But I can tell you that there are four other people from my school stranded there with you. Three of them are in Texas, just like you are. I'm going to use this machine to try to set up a sort of psychic tracking system, so you can all find each other and help each other."
Even as this Bertram spoke, Wu felt something slither into his mind, and then begin to gently, on an instinctive level, suggest to him to go in a certain direction.
"The last thing you need to know is that there's some type of key involved. An amber key, funnily enough. It has to be found and made use of if you three are going to get back where and when you belong."
(For Christ's sake, it's like Lord of the Rings!) Muldoon proclaimed in half-shocked, half-amused excitement.
You all must figure the mystery out and change the past. If you can't or don't, your human bodies will remain in comas for the rest of your lives, and we'll all be toa-"
And then, just like that, the voice and discharges were cut off. All three top-tier Jurassic Park employees stared at each other, then the place where the voice had come from. Despite his half-aware, groggy state, the feathers on Nedry's spine and neck were standing straight up.
Like a peccary's mane, Wu noted dimly.
They waited for more from the awesome, mysterious speaker, any hint of speech, even just one more word. A sense of eerieness was infusing their bodies, Wu's muscles tense as bowstrings.
The silence deepened.
(I suppose that's it,) Muldoon said reflectively, a quiver in his voice. (Jesus Christ.)
Just in case however, they all waited in anticipation for a little bit longer.
The silence became terrible, and Wu surmised that this Bertram Phillips, who had just spoken across eons and realities to them like the voice of God, had said his piece. Or at least, enough of it.
(Well, that was bloody surreal, wasn't it?) Muldoon said pointedly, cocking his head to meet Wu's glance. (Never thought I'd have the man upstairs speak to me quite like that, and in these circumstances. I wish I had a glass of malt whiskey right now,) he said, muscles shaking.
(Comas.) Wu was stunned, and spoke the word in an uncharacteristic tone of dull horror, feeling his great frame also begin to quake. (Our minds spend the rest of their days in these bodies until they die, and our actual bodies lie in hospital beds in some ICU unit for the rest of our lives!)
(It's not fair!) he abruptly squealed, breaking down as he reared up on the Iguanodon's gray hind feet and gave a rumbling groan from its lungs…now his lungs too. (This-not this! Not when the park is just a year away from opening, not when I'm that close to finally being able to publish my achievements after five years of hard work, share the world-changing secrets and knowledge of how I cloned living dinosaurs with the international scientific community and the global press!) he shouted frantically. (Not when I'm that close to seeing the entire world witness and revel in the fruits of all that innovation and labor!)
(And my parents!) Wu continued frantically, numb terror washing over his soul. (My brother and my two sisters! They'll be absolutely devastated, have to take on a massive financial burden, worry and grieve themselves sick while they wait and wait and wait some more for any improvement in my condition, hold out a false hope for a miracle that is never going to come, all because my consciousness is trapped in the body of a gigantic lizard in the goddamn Early Cretaceous of Texas-)
(Gigantic lizard?!) Nedry snapped, chattering his jaws in agitation. (At least you're not some weak, overgrown prehistoric turkey with a second grader's paint job! And you're not the only one who's had some huge dreams and accomplishments denied from them eith-)
(Both of you, get a grip!) Muldoon yelled in their heads, causing his companions to jerk back to attention from their hysterics. (All the horrors and losses you two are tying ourselves into knots over will only take place if we don't solve this mystery and get to our destination. And we will,) he declared firmly. (Because we have a chance now, some straws to grasp. Let that give you hope and courage.)
Muldoon sounded awfully confident and optimistic. Wu wanted desperately to be able to believe him, that it wasn't just a fool's hope.
Then Muldoon looked away, and hung his scaly head, the rain streaming off of it almost making it seem like he was weeping.
(Of course, if we somehow don't…) Now he shuddered. (My own parents-my father will be ok. He'll just keep on going, living his life as a hunting guide in Zimbabwe and Botswana, fit as a fiddle and keeping his head down like an old buffalo bull. But my mother-that'll be a wrench for her. And my sisters. My wife and twin children. It won't be nice for any of them at all. In fact, to be perfectly blunt, my mother will most likely die of grief in good time,) he quavered. (She probably already has. I mean, this has already come to pass, right? We'v-)
(For the love of Christ, stop it!) Wu pleaded, terrified and starting to panic again. (Please don't do that to us!)
Muldoon raised his head questioningly and shook it. (Sorry about that. Guess even a great white hunter can get overwhelmed.)
Nedry apparently felt better enough to stand up, rotating his hips experimentally underneath him, then shifting his weight backward before he shakily stood on the game warden's armored back.
(Let's just get out of here and meet up with the rest of this prehistoric Fellowship,) he snapped as he snorted and shook himself, rainwater flying from his plumage. (I don't want to think about this crap, and I don't want to talk about it anymore than we have to. We got the information we need from Young Frankenstein/computer nerd from the future,) he went on as he gestured with his head to the sky, (and now it's our move.)
(Point well taken,) Wu concurred as he turned due north, where the mysterious pull in his brain was gently urging him to go. (We've got a long journey in front of us if we're going to reach these Arbuckle Mountains in time, so let's get moving along,) he declared.
And he did just that, starting their journey of who-knew-how-many miles with that first step of a mitten like hand, weight supported on its hooved tips instead of the palms.
(I'm still not feeling all that up to snuff,) he "heard" Nedry confess behind him to the game ranger, (so is it okay if I remain seated for a while until I do?)
(It's no trouble at all,) Muldoon assured him as he fell into line behind Wu.
(So,) Muldoon asked the geneticist, (that Bertram kid who spoke to us from the future and another universe-)
(Bertram,) Nedry laughed in disbelief. (I was honestly expecting a moniker more like oh, I don't know, Slaga-thor or Zarktron.)
(What did he mean by the concept of the monkeys and the typewriters?)
(It comes from statistics,) Wu replied. (Essentially, it predicts that if you had a massive number of monkeys, equipped with a massive number of typewriters-computers now, I suppose-the primates would eventually produce every single line of great English prose by sheer dumb chance.)
(What happened to us today is at least fifty times more unlikely than all those blasted monkeys writing every sodding one of Shakespeare's plays,) Muldoon grunted, causing both Wu and Nedry to laugh.
(Ain't that the truth!) Nedry chirped, feathers fluffed against the rain.
(Now, what this has to do with the M.I.N.D. machine and us,) Wu went on after he'd stopped laughing, (is that both the machine's bizarre new ability to well-move a human consciousness through time and the multiverse, was a random, incredible fluke, with all the odds being perhaps a trillion to one that such a thing could occur. But despite those odds, despite the ridiculous impossibility of it all, it still happened anyway. Somehow.)
(I have to admit, despite the position it's put us in,) Nedry said, (as a computer geek I'd absolutely love to have a look at the mechanics and algorithms in this M.I.N.D. machine thing, see what made a straight out of science-fiction device like that tick.)
(And while I couldn't even begin to imagine what the odds are that it would malfunction in such a way as to do this freaky stuff that it did-yeah, I agree that they'd make the possibility of you actually being able to get your hands on viable dinosaur DNA practically look like a certainty,) he agreed, swiveling his scarlet head to focus on Wu.
(I wonder what the amber key he talked about has to do with all this…and even more importantly, where the devil we're going to find it?) Muldoon mused.
(I don't exactly think we're going to have to go toss it into the fires of Mount Doom, I know that much,) Wu joked.
(God, I love that book trilogy so much,) Nedry sighed nostalgically. (Aragorn was just beyond cool. And Eowyn took no crap from anyone. So was Gandalf, especially when he became Gandalf the White.)
(I liked Legolas the best,) Wu said, inwardly smiling. (Sam was a great character as well. Anyway, if we want to find this amber key, our best chance would be to explore any stream beds we come across, the bottoms of cliff faces, river gorges, any other places where amber might have been exposed or weathered out.)
(And it may not necessarily resemble a key at all,) he added by way of caution. (It may have a strange color, an insect trapped inside, or some other special feature. As for how we're actually supposed to make use of it once we get there…all I can come up is that amber can be used to generate sparks through static electricity. Whether that means anything, I can't say.)
(Well, if any of us knows their way around a piece of amber literally inside and out, it would be you,) Muldoon commented. (And what in blazes was Bertram talking about with multiple damned universes and realities? That simply just can't be,) he growled skeptically.
(Actually, we have ample proof that such a system of parallel universes is at least theoretically possible,) Wu replied. (It was first proposed by physicist Hugh Everett in 1957, who called it the Correlation Interpretation, or Relative State Formulation. Later, it was renamed the Many-worlds hypothesis by Bryce DeWitt. Essentially, it's an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the quantum state of the totality of all existence, and denies the actuality of observed wave function collapse.)
(You've totally lost me there chap,) was Muldoon's deadpan response. (Do you have any idea what he's talking on about, Mr. Nedry?)
(Actually, yeah, I do,) Nedry replied. (First of all, have you ever read The Garden Of Forking Paths by Jorge Luis Borges?)
(Yes, years ago. I don't remember all that much about it though.)
Wu had read it as well. He'd liked the fact that the main character had been Chinese like him-although unfortunately, also the tale's villain-and the extraordinary way Borges had used the titular in-world book to almost presciently illustrate the true, branching nature of reality.
(But you remember the basic message of what it says about reality, right?) Wu asked.
(Yes, that it's not a single, straight path.)
(That's essentially what the Many-worlds hypothesis postulates from quantum data,) Nedry said. (Every event that takes place is a branch point in reality, with all different outcomes splitting off into different worlds, both of which are equally real and valid as we perceive and understand them...but they don't interact or communicate with each other.)
(In light of this bloody crazy thing that's happened to us, it's obviously been made quite true-) Muldoon said reflectively, (but how was this figured out? What proof did this Everett chap have to make such a claim?)
(First of all,) Wu said, warming to his role as educator, (the main conclusion is that this multiverse is composed of a huge amount-perhaps even infinite-of increasingly different, totally separate parallel universes or quantum worlds. As for how he got to that conclusion, you first need to know about an experiment that is more or less the foundation of understanding and testing quantum physics, called the double-slit experiment.)
(Traditionally,) Wu continued, (the prevailing scientific wisdom about light and other forms of radiation was that it behaves like a wave, with peaks and valleys. But that's actually only half the story. Now, the double-slit experiment has a constant light source shining on a plate with two parallel slits, and the light that passes through them is observed on a very fine mesh as a background.)
(Okay.)
(Now, if you assume that light behaves in a wave, you could theoretically work out where the particles are most likely to be observed by sensitive equipment, appearing spread out like wavelengths should,) Wu went on.
(But that's not the case at all,) Nedry said knowingly. (It appears as particles instead.)
(Right,) Wu said, moving his head slightly to look back at the programmer-turned-troodontid with his incredible panoramic vision. (There were some scientists who tried to explain this baffling paradox with the theory that we were seeing a complex quantum system, composed of several unique states, seeming to suddenly reduce itself to just a single isolated system or state from our viewpoint. But this explanation was widely regarded as dicey, cobbled together in haste without much evidence, so a different, facts-based explanation was needed. Everett came along then, and proposed that-)
Suddenly, Muldoon came to a stop.
(Hush for a moment,) he commanded, raising his head and sniffing the air. (Something's coming up behind us.)
(Behind us?) Nedry said nervously, standing up again and turning to face over Muldoon's spiked tail.
Wu decided to follow the ranger's example and did the same, making a quarter-turn to the right.
He smelt the faint odor of rotten meat, of hawk mews, of wet feathers and crocodile dung and turkey barns.
He heard something small, light in weight, trotting on two legs through the forest towards them.
(You hear that too?) Muldoon asked.
(Yeah,) Wu replied. (Can't be a raptor, since whatever it is is too small and this Iguanodon's instincts aren't concerned by the scent.)
Now Nedry was experimentally inhaling the hot, humid air himself.
(Whatever's coming this way, it's about my size, and smells like…like me!)
And indeed, right then, in the cautious, furtive manner of a fox, another feathered troodontid, a little smaller than Nedry's new body appeared from the ferns and cycads about eighty feet behind them, on the left side of the path.
This new one was female. Wu knew because the Iguanodon could smell it. Besides, its head, rather than being the bright scarlet of Nedry's, was black in color, with ivory streaks. If that didn't mean sexual dimorphism, Wu didn't know what did.
The female carefully trotted closer, apparently rather surprised and uncertain to see a male of her kind riding the back of an ankylosaurid, chattering her teeth and flicking her tail in agitation.
(What do you want?) Nedry questioned her in irritation from his perch. (If you think you're going to play some Mesozoic version of The Dating Game with me, you can save your breath and buzz off.)
His silent words made the female troodontid leap in surprise at the weird voice in her skull and backpedal, watery mud splashing onto her scaly lower legs as her tail lashed to both keep balance and out of fear.
But instead of heading for the tall timber, she gave a grating cry of confusion, like a giant's fingernail being run along a vast comb. Then, screwing up her courage, she timidly trotted forward once more, stopping sixty feet away and uttering a gentle, warbling sound. Her dark brown eyes focused on Nedry, and Wu noticed to his dawning amazement that they seemed filled with a fearful concern for him. And affection.
Nedry
It was bad enough, horrible already that he was trapped in the past, in the body of a prehistoric turkey. Now Dennis Nedry had a sinking feeling that things were about to go from bad to worse as this new dinosaur delicately trod closer, eyes fixed on him with gentle interest.
(Looks like you have a lady friend Dennis,) Muldoon teasingly laughed. (Want to go say hello, chat her up?)
(No way,) Nedry growled, turning and craning his neck downward to give Muldoon a baleful stare into his right eye. (I'd rather chat up a female gorilla. And this isn't funny one bit!)
(I think it's hilarious,) Wu supplied as he snorted in amusement.
He heard the dinosaur come closer. Rounding, he glared at her with his hawk eyes, stopping her in her tracks as he snapped, (Whatever you want from me, I'm not interested!)
As Muldoon and Wu laughed again at his predicament, Nedry stared down his "admirer." His sense of smell and dino-instincts informed him that yes, this was a female. She wasn't displaying any aggression, and indeed, was keeping a respectful distance from Nedry and his mount, evidently concerned for his safety on top of such a fearsome looking beast.
(I think she likes Mr. Nedry,) Wu joked to Muldoon, causing the programmer to shoot him a dirty look.
(Get outta here!) he shouted at her as Muldoon began to walk again, flinging out his feathered arms in her direction. (Scram! Shoo! Make like a banana and frigging split!)
But the feathered dinosaur didn't go away, hopefully trailing close behind.
Nedry inhaled in frustration, intending to shriek at her, scare her away. As he did, he got a good dose of her scent, now coming toward them on the humid breeze.
As he did, something was touched off strongly in his other, subsumed mind. It was a connection, a warm recognition of delight.
And then Nedry, to his profound dismay, understood why this particular prehistoric turkey was following him. This body belonged to her mate.
(No,) Nedry bleated unhappily, shutting his eyes and leaning forward to place his hideous clawed hands on his ride's armor. (No, for Christ's sake, don't fucking do this to me, please…)
But it was undeniable, plain as the scent that still filled his nostrils. It was if cruel fate was putting icing on the shit-flavored cake, knocking on his door and giving him the news personally.
Morning Dennis! Guess what? This is your inner dinosaur stopping by with an announcement! Not only are you trapped in the past as a prehistoric turkey, forced to live as a wild animal when you were just hours away from carrying out a flawless theft of priceless dinosaur embryos for BioSyn and making a zillion dollars-to say nothing of giving John "The Cheap Fucking Unreasonable Bastard" Hammond the shaft nice and good-but one of these same dinosaurs here is basically your new wife!
(Why me?!) he cried unhappily to the sky, shifting back onto his pelvis. (Why?! Aren't things going bad enough for me already?!)
Sorry buddy. You're her Ozzie, and she's your dino body's Harriet! You'll just have to put up with her attentions whether you want to or not. Have a nice time together! The gleeful little demon in his mind rolled and laughed.
His mind raced desperately on ways to be rid of her. Turning to face the leader of their little caravan, he said imploringly, (Dr. Wu. Henry. I don't want to be stalked by a lustful turkey. Could you please do something like I don't know, go stomp her into a pulp so I can have some peace?!)
Even though it was anatomically impossible, Nedry swore he saw Wu smile anyhow. There was definitely an amused twinkle in his eye.
(Wouldn't work,) Wu replied. (She's way too fast and agile for me to run down, unless I was able to surprise her at close range-and she's not the type to let a big animal get that close to her. Just look at how alert she is. Besides, this development is far too entertaining,) he chuckled.
(Yeah, let's all laugh at my discomfort and embarrassment,) Nedry huffed sardonically. (I bet you wouldn't find it so funny if you were in my position. But whatever, I'll deal with this nasty prehistoric turkey stalker and run her out of town myself,) he hissed, tensing his legs and leaping to the ground from Muldoon. He was not going to accept this sick twist of fate. It was gross and degrading enough having a dog treat you as a lust object-never mind a feathered lizard!
With a sliding screech of threat and anger, placing one clawed foot in front of the other, Nedry darted at the female troodontid, jaws agape. Maybe a nice bite in the side would dampen her ardor for him a bit!
Seeing him charging at her, Harriet-for that was now how the programmer regarded her-gave a shocked sort of yelp and did an about-face, racing off the right side of the trail into the underbrush. Diving through a clump of palmettos and hurdling a great log, Nedry followed in determination. She was making tracks, but he still felt a good bite to the tail would make the message loud and clear. Assuming of course, Harriet didn't prove to be the dinosaur version of one of those pathetic, spineless battered women who stayed with their abusive husbands out of misguided loyalty or because they felt "they could make the relationship work."
As he pursued her, the gap closing-this body was so amazingly quick on its feet!-Nedry was suddenly stopped short by the sound of screaming in his head. Screams of terror.
Dr. Wu and Muldoon! Were they in serious trouble?! Although Nedry didn't know either of the men very well-and indeed, had intended to steal from Dr. Wu's embryo vault-simple human concern and compassion made him turn and head back at an even faster run.
He knew academically that their own dinosaur bodies could give any carnivore a pretty decent run for their money, Muldoon's spiky host in particular. And then there was their human intelligence in addition to the dinosaur's talents.
Still, if a pack of raptors or some other savage predator is attacking them, they could probably use the extra help, Nedry thought. Not that he was really sure just what he was going to do about that situation in this body though, other than maybe distract the attacker. Well, he'd think of something.
(Nedry, come on!) he heard Muldoon shout. He didn't sound frightened or stressed, just authoritative.
Now his sensitive dinosaur ears, able to hear the footfalls of a cockroach moving across the forest floor, easily heard the thudding and splashing as both of them broke into a run. He didn't hear the footfalls of anything chasing Wu or Robert though.
(Mr. Nedry, one of the other four people that got sent back is close by!) Wu announced. And indeed, it was then that Dennis realized that the screams were coming from somewhere much further away, and in a different, younger voice.
(I'm coming over to join you guys,) Nedry replied as he shifted his route to the left and ran through the forest at an angle that would intercept his companions. To his annoyance, he heard Harriet's feet squelching perhaps seventy feet behind. (Don't wait up!)
Wu
The dense forest opened up into a sort of lush, wet scrub as Wu ran on his stocky, three-toed hind feet, spiked digits held erect in a permanent, comical two-thumbs-up posture as he barreled in the direction of the distant screams. Behind him ran Muldoon, in the plodding, yet deceptively quick run of a charging hippo. In front of him-but not too far in front-ran Nedry, his gait a mincing, light, ballet dancer-like step. Off to the left and behind Wu was the female troodontid, gamely and loyally following her mate wherever he might go.
Every single second they were here and in these bodies was a revelation, Wu marveled, a diamond mine of information that paleontologists like Grant and Sattler would sell their souls for.
Already, he was considering ways to use this priceless first-hand information to do a better job of reconstructing the dinosaurs in the lab, hold up as a template to compare instincts, social organization, the proper natural behavior of the cloned animals against. And of course, to alter if need be for the park's needs.
First though, they needed to connect with the rest of this Fellowship of The Amber Key, and then get back.
The screams came louder now, as if their producer was in terrible fear and agony. Was he or she being attacked by a predator? Would they have to get into a fight? Wu hoped to God not, nervously glancing down at his thumb spikes. Nasty looking weapons, yes, with powerful shoulders and arms to back them up...but this body also had to get up close and personal with a predator to use them effectively. And the predator would naturally do everything in its power to sidestep them-then lunge forward and bite his head or neck.
(No!) a teenage boy's voice yelled desperately.
(Oh Jesus, I hope we're not too late to get him out of it,) Muldoon prayed.
Then there was a sudden, explosive sound, deafening and sky-splitting even at this distance.
CCRRAACCKK!
It brought all three of them skidding to a stop, Nedry actually falling onto his side in the dirt. At first, Wu thought that lightning had struck nearby. But there was no flash of light, no crash of thunder.
(What in blazes was that!) Muldoon cried.
(Holy shit, that was loud!) Nedry yelped, feather hackles standing erect.
Wu had no idea.
He'd only just managed to stop the shaking, the rain pelting down on his head and back, when-
CCRRAACCKK!
They all spooked again.
(Jesus, what's making that sound?!) Nedry quaveringly asked as his slim triangular head darted about, wild-eyed.
But even as he flicked his eyes about in agitation, a detached part of both Wu's mind and the Iguanodon's found the answer.
(A sauropod,) he said. (One of the other four people is in the body of some type of sauropod, using whips of their tail to try to ward off a predator,) he said, starting to run again with a new urgency.
(Of course!) Muldoon in self-chiding realization. (I should've recognized it as a sauropod tail crack. The apatosaurs do it now and again to sort things out among themselves, and oh brother, does it get your attention when they do!)
Another thunderous whip crack, louder now that they were getting closer.
As they got nearer, Wu felt an uncertainty from the Iguanodon's instincts, a nervous tension. It wasn't scared of the long-necked plant eaters, not in the least. Nor did their tail-sounds scare it all that much either.
What was scary about them though, was the understanding that the long-necks tended to only make the loud tail-sounds when they were under attack by predators. And predators capable of killing a long-neck dinosaur would likely be equally capable of killing even a healthy Iguanodon bull.
Point well taken.
Now all three of them were approaching a tall rise. Suddenly, as they drew closer, Wu detected a strong, putrid odor drifting over the lip from the other side, one that galvanized his Iguanodon body and set it on edge.
It smelt of rotting meat, old shortening, crocodiles, a monitor lizard's cage, and just plain malice all at once.
Ridge-back! his dino brain screamed at him. Right on the other side of the rise!
(You smell what I'm smelling?) Muldoon said gravely. (Smells like a rex…)
(Or something closely related to it.) Wu amended, weaving apprehensively in place. (We're in the early portion of the Cretaceous, after all, not the last few million years.)
(I know this might seem totally insane,) Nedry interjected, (but while your dinosaur bodies look like they've just seen a ghost, mine is actually excited by this smell, and wants to go much closer. It wants to see if there's a kill it can scavenge.)
(And don't look now,) he continued, turning and gesturing up and to their right with his head, (but I think Harriet's already going over to have a look.)
(Harriet?) Wu said in puzzlement.
(The name I've given to my stalker,) Nedry grumbled. (After the 50's TV show. Anyway, I guess we might as well follow her lead.)
(I see.)
(Stay close together though everyone,) Muldoon warned as Wu took a deep breath and began to make his way up the slope. (Just because this dino is presumably occupied with a sauropod doesn't mean it might not decide one of us will do just as nicely when we show up,) giving the geneticist a pointed look.
(No!) came the desperate voice again, causing them to pick up their pace.
Another, world-splitting tail crack.
Then, to Wu's utter surprise and bafflement, an excited, approving, oddly academic voice as he climbed.
(The tail, yes, good! The bones in the end of your tail are only six inches long. That's what gives you the incredible range and variety of motion. Used like a whip, your tail can travel at more than seven hundred miles an hour! Hit the Acrocanthosaurus with it!) the voice urged.
(Yeah, don't bother actually bloody helping the poor sod,) Muldoon muttered indignantly.
(Ah, an Acrocanthosaurus,) Nedry said in mock primness. (Because you know, I'm so familiar with that type of dinosaur.)
(Looks like we've found at least two of our traveli-)
Another voice, that of a grumpy teenage girl.
(Let me handle this.) A terrifying, air-shaking roar. (Back off, loser!) her voice bellowed.
That's the third, Wu thought.
They were nearly at the top of the hill now. Nedry, confident in his troodontid body's speed and agility, was in the lead, Harriet not far away as he crested the summit.
Suddenly, Wu saw him stop in his tracks.
(What in fucking hell?!) he muttered in disbelief, peering intently down the slope. (A blanket?)
Puzzled, Wu reached the top then as well with Muldoon, tilting his head slightly to get a good view…and blinked in shock at the unreal, fantastic sight.
(My God.)
Half a mile downslope of them were three dinosaurs of various shapes and sizes. One was a massive theropod, thirty-two feet long and brick red in color with a high, bright yellow ridge of muscle running down its back, body adorned with thin squiggles of blue and daubs of green. A second individual was trotting away from where they were standing, covered in especially large patches of emerald green, the nape of its neck gold. The sight and scent of both ridge-backs chilled his Iguanodon instincts to the bone.
Dwarfed by the acrocanthosaur, and standing next to it with an odd unconcern was a Hypsilophodon, six feet from nose to tail tip. Wu was amazed and awestruck to see that its graceful body too, was covered in short, sleek dense feathers, almost like fur and lime green in color with neon pink accents and a straw yellow belly. Along its spine ran a short, navy blue crest, almost like a zebra's. It was a surreal thing to see on a bird-hipped dinosaur, totally unexpected, and once more Wu mentally kicked himself for thinking that the feather coats on the lab's first hypsys were a mistake in the cloning. But he hadn't known any better.
Most surreal of all though, to the point of making Wu begin to wonder again if this was all just a wild dream, perhaps caused by an attack of malaria, was the fifteen and a half ton sauropod before them.
Resembling a relatively smaller version of Brachiosaurus, the sauropod was the color of gray granite, with black stippling and great chocolate brown patches that reminded Wu of a Burmese python. Its tail and neck were thickly banded with bronze, coal black, and maroon red.
Blood trickled down its right side from a great bite wound in front of its hip, mingling with and forming gruesome red streaks in the falling rain. Obviously the work of the other acrocanthosaur which had been attacking him before being driven off.
Draped over its neck and back was a pale green flannel blanket, impossibly enough, adding just that extra touch of bizarreness to an already ridiculous situation. It was like something from The Muppet Show!
(Do you have a name?) the ridge-back questioned the sauropod.
(It's-it's me,) Zane replied. (Crazy Zane!)
The great meat-eater gave a dismissive glance down at the hypsy. (He'll slow us down, and he's useless in a fi-)
Suddenly, she lifted her head and glanced up at them with penetrating golden eyes as they all moved closer.
(Hello,) Muldoon said politely.
Wu too, nodded his great head by way of greeting.
(How's it hanging folks?) Nedry toothily grinned.
(Well, looks like we've got more company,) she commented dryly. (Although I don't remember seeing anyone else get zapped by the lightning. Mr. London, did you?) she asked, turning again to glance down at the little plant-eater.
(Nnoooo, not to my recollection,) the hypsy replied, studying them with its wine red eagle eyes as it racked its brain.
(Anyway,) the acrocanth curtly grumbled-sighed as she turned to face them again, (who are you turkeys and what are you doing here?)
Although like all of them, he was taken aback by her gruff reception, Nedry actually laughed before saying, (I guess the term turkey is pretty fitting for me this time, isn't it? Anyway, I'm Dennis Nedry.)
(And I'm Dr. Henry Wu.)
(I'm Robert Muldoon,) Muldoon cordially told them. (A pleasure to meet you.) In a comical touch, he actually raised his front foot, apparently intending to shake hands, before coming to his senses and putting it down, looking sheepish. Well, as sheepish as an armored dinosaur could look.
All three of the other dinosaurs stopped then, regarding them with astonished eyes. They all had a distinct deer in the headlights look on their faces. Wu had no idea why their names had generated such a reaction, and without needing to turn his head, looked out of his left eye into Muldoon's beady right one.
(No way,) the sauropod droned in disbelief. (We can't be having this extra portion of crazy being heaped on top of us. No way, no how.)
(This has to be a sickly twisted coincidence with the names,) the acrocanth snorted in denial. (It's the only way this could be possible.)
(That what's possible?) Nedry said in confusion.
(Say-say your names again,) the extraordinary feathered hypsy asked them, blinking, its head voice containing both amazement and a strange glee. (Your full names.)
(Once more for the record, I'm Dennis Nedry.)
(Nedry,) the acrocanth suddenly muttered darkly, giving the programmer an accusing glare. It made Wu frown inwardly. Why was she giving him that look? Did he have some sort of troubled past with her?
(Dr. Henry Wu.)
(Robert Muldoon.)
The mouths of both the acro and the sauropod-Zane, Henry remembered hearing-fell open, Wu's Iguanodon body cringing back at the sight of the savage teeth.
(Now I know we're not in Kansas anymore!) he exclaimed, goggling down at them with purple-brown eyes, head swiveling back and forth on its giraffe neck.
(And things just got even more insane,) the acro said dryly, with a sense of unreality. (Andre Norton can officially shove it.)
(Oh goodness me!) the hypsy shouted in stunned delight, leaping up into the air. (I-I-I don't know how it happened,) he stammered, (and this will be as much of a bombshell for the three of you to hear as it is for us to experience firsthand, but you must be three of the characters from one of my favorite books. In our own, native reality,) he added.
(Not to mention a freaking awesome movie based on it,) the ridge-back chimed in. (But oh my God, the raptors totally scared the daylights out of me when I first saw it!)
For a moment Wu and his co-workers were totally stunned. They stared. Characters in a book?! And a movie.
What were they talking about?
(So we're characters in a book to you,) Nedry said sagely. (Rrriiggghhhtttt. Okay. I don't know which fruit truck you fell out of pal, but last time I checked, we're real as the concept of gravity.)
(What bloody nonsense,) Muldoon snorted patronizingly. (And it turns out that we're actually all gay and can fly to Jupiter by holding our noses,) he sneered, causing even Wu to chuckle. (Come on, talk sense and be reasonable you three.)
Regaining his customary composure, Wu simply asked their new companions in a reserved tone, (That's rather hard to believe. I'd also like to know, do any of you suffer from schizophrenia or delusions?)
(I know Zane does,) the acrocanth sneered as she jerked her massive head at the sauropod.
(Hey! I only suffer from delusions of fame!)
(But I know I damn sure don't. Besides, it's a bestseller. And the movie was the highest grossing ever until that lame pretty-boy chick flick Titanic came along.)
(What is this 'book' called?) Wu skeptically inquired.
(Jurassic Park,) Zane said simply. (By a guy named Michael Crichton.)
