New Arrivals

"So what's your guys' stories?" asked Daniel. They were still up on that ridge, having camped there the night before. "All Vanden told us was that he hired a bunch of mercenaries."

"Well, I do a lot of things like this," explained Manuel. "I've been all over, looking for missing people, tailing nefarious guys for clients who don't have enough evidence for a real case… until I catch them in the act. For my last case, I caught the police couldn't get—the day I accidentally wrecked my car against his, he was trying to bring a car bomb north across the border. A few days later, I got an invitation from Mark Vanden."

"Hm. Same situation here," said Seth. "What about you, Hakeem?"

All eyes went to the tall, muscular New Yorker. He sighed and replied, "I used to design weapons and vehicles for the United States Army. I devised a method for using high-powered lasers in surface-to-air turrets. We were testing the prototypes when saboteurs attacked us. I've been practicing with firearms all my life. Somehow, I managed to kill six of the assailants. That's when I got my invitation."

Nearby, Eva and Daniel got out the memory storage units they had been carrying in their packs. "Phew!" said Eva, relieved. "These are all still intact."

"Just think of all the dinosaurs you could make with the technology here…" commented Daniel wistfully.

A few minutes later, the group was trekking through the forest down toward the grasslands. Seth pulled Hakeem aside for a moment and said, "Hey, did you hear what Daniel said back there?"

"About the dinosaurs? Yeah."

"Isn't that a little weird; I mean, our goal is to get this equipment for genetic research to cure diseases."

"Ah, he was probably just joking," Hakeem said dismissively. "Don't worry about it."

"Yeah… you're right…" Seth said, but he wasn't convinced.

WHOP WHOP WHOP WHOP WHOP WHOP WHOP WHOP!

"What's that noise?" asked Eva. The procession stopped and looked around.

"It sounds like a…" whispered Manuel.

"Helicopter!" Seth finished with a shout. He tore off down the conifer-coated hill toward the open plains, followed quickly by the others. Sure enough, a large military craft soared over the hills and overhead.

"Over here! Hey! Help! Over here! Heeeey!" came the chorus of voices of the group. They rushed out of the forest and waved their arms, jumped up and down, and tried everything they could to hail the chopper.

To the assembly's delight, the Navy helicopter descended and landed in the valley nearby. They ran over and climbed aboard. Then, the vessel lifted off into the sky and left the dangerous jungle far behind…

The helicopter flew the party over the grasslands and back to the museum and labs. It landed on a pad connecting to the main building's roof. Curiously, there was already a chopper there. Emblazoned on its sides was the logo: InGen.

"Ah, the heroes return from their journey!" said Mark Vanden when the team entered the upper levels of the structure. They filed into an observation deck with large windows. All of the glass was long broken out.

"We have four of the devices, sir," said Daniel, handing over the dirty, worn backpack to the beaming CEO.

"Good, good! Thank you very much!" he said, chuckling joyously. "You will be paid very much for this triumph!" Suddenly, the man's face fell. "Wait a minute… where're the pilots? Reynolds? Badgers? Cheng? Atherton?"

"They're all dead," explained Seth flatly. "We're not sure about Arnold and Morgan," he added, remembering the duo that had left him for dead in the jungle. Then, the private investigator removed his ball cap and set it on the desk nearby and scratched his head, which had become itchy from the accumulated dirt of three days in the jungle in his hair.

"Ah, they are the ones who contacted the Seahawk," said Vanden, staring at the bag greedily. "They're safe and sound downstairs… where you should head now," he added. "Captain Lawrence really wants to meet you; he's the one who rescued you." With that, two Navy sailors escorted the victorious squad down into the information center.

Downstairs, the group did not meet Lawrence; instead, they encountered a man in a medal-adorned Army uniform. "Hello, all," said the man cheerfully. "I am General Talbott, United States Army. I'm sure you can't wait to get back to civilization." The general continued to talk with the party for a little bit.

A few minutes later, Seth hurried back upstairs, having forgotten his hat. He looked around, trying to remember where he set it. Suddenly, his hand brushed against an open briefcase, knocking a few documents out. When the private investigator looked at the spilled papers, he was shocked to find out that they bore pictures and DNA sequences of several dinosaurs. There was a file on gallimimus, stegosaurus, and spinosaurus.

"Now, what would you be doing up here?" came a dark voice from behind Seth…

Thanks so much for reading, and please review! As the story starts heading into its conclusion, I'd really like to know what you think. I'll be gone for a week, so there won't be any new posts for a little bit. Thanks again!