Chapter 25
The Nest
They moved Malcolm to another room in the lodge, to a clean bed. And to a room that didn't smell of blood and fried raptor. Big Hammond seemed to magically revive, and began bustling around, straightening up. "Well," he said, "at least disaster is averted."
"What disaster is that?" Shadow said, sighing.
"Well," Hammond said, "They didn't get free and overrun the world."
Shadow sat up on one elbow, "You were worried about that?"
"Surely that's what was at stake," Hammond said, "These animals, lacking predators, might get out and destroy the planet."
"You egomaniacal idiot," Shadow said, in fury. "Do you have any idea what you are talking about? You think you can destroy the planet? My, what and intoxicating power you must have." He sank back onto the bed, "You can't destroy the planet. You can't even come close."
"Most people believe," Hammond said stiffly, "that the planet is in jeopardy."
"Well then most people are wrong," Shadow said, "Because it's not."
"All the experts agree that out planet is in trouble."
Shadow sighed, "Let me tell you about our planet." He said. "Our planet is four and a half billion years old. There has been life on this planet for nearly that long. Three point eight billion years. The first bacteria. And, later, the first multicellular animals, then the first complex creatures, in the seas, on the land. Then the great sweeping ages of animals- the amphibians, the dinosaurs, the mammals, each lasting millions upon millions of years. Great dynasties of creatures arising, flourishing, dying away. All this happening against the background of continuous and violent upheaval, mountain ranges thrust up and eroded away, cometary impacts, volcanic eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving …Endless constant and violent change…Even today, the greatest geographical feature on the planet comes from two continents colliding, buckling to make the Himalayan mountain range over millions of years. The planet had survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us."
Hammond frowned, "Just because it lasted a long time," he said, "doesn't mean it is permanent. If there was a radiation accident…."
"Suppose there was," Shadow said. "Let's say we had a bad one, and all the plants and animals died, and the earth was clicking hot for a hundred thousand years. Life would survive somewhere-under the soil, or perhaps frozen in Arctic ice. And after all, of those years, when the planet was no longer inhospitable, life would again spread over the planet. The evolutionary process would begin again. It might take a few billion years for life to regain its present variety. And of course, it would be very different from what it is now. But the earth would survive our folly. Life would survive our folly. Only we," Shadow said, "think it wouldn't. Life finds a way. And I don't think you understand that Hammond."
Hammond said, "Well, if the ozone layer gets thinner-"
"There will be ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface. So what?"
"Well. It'll cause skin cancer."
Shadow shook his head. "Ultraviolet radiation is good for life. It is a powerful energy. It promotes mutation, change. Many forms of life will thrive with more UV radiation."
"And many others will die out," Hammond said.
Malcolm sighed. "You think this is the first time such a thing has happened? Don't you know about oxygen?"
"I know it's necessary for life."
"It is now." Malcolm said. "But oxygen is actually a metabolic poison. It's a corrosive gas, like fluorine, which is used to etch glass. And when oxygen first produced as a waste product by plant cell-say, around three billion years ago – it was a crisis for all other life on our planet. On earth, the concentration of oxygen was going up rapidly – five, ten, and eventually twenty- one percent! Earth had an atmosphere of pure poison! Incompatible with life!"
Hammond looked irritated now, "So what is your point? That modern pollutants will be incorporated too?"
"No," Shadow said. "My point is that life on earth can take care of itself. In the thinking of a human being one thousand years is a long time. A thousand year ago, we didn't have cars, airplanes, computers. Or even anthros for that matter! However, to the earth, a thousand years is nothing, a million years is nothing! The planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale. We cannot imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven't got the humility to try. We have been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we are gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us."
"And we very well might be gone," Hammond said, huffing.
` "Yes," Shadow said, "We might."
"So what are you saying? We shouldn't care about the environment?"
"No, of course not."
"Then what?"
Malcolm coughed, and stared into the distance. "Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet – or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves."
Fours hours had passed. It was afternoon; the sun was falling. The air conditioning was back on in the control room, and the computer was functioning properly. AS near as they could determine, out of the twenty-four people on the island, eight were dead and six more were missing. The visitor center and the Safari Loge were both secure, and the northern perimeter seemed to be clear of any dinosaurs. They had called the authorities in San José for help. The Costa Rican National Guard was on its way, as well as an air ambulance to carry Charmy Wu and Shadow Malcolm to a hospital. But over the telephone, the Costa Rican guard had been distinctly cautious: undoubtedly calls would be going back and forth between San José and Washington before help was finally sent to the island. And now it was growing late in the say; is the helicopters didn't arrive soon, they would have to wait until morning.
In the meantime, there was nothing to do but wait. The ship was returning; the crew had discovered three young raptors scampering about in one of the aft holds, and had killed the animals. On Isla Nublar, the immediate danger appeared to have passed; everyone was either in the visitor center of the lodge. Tails had gotten quiet good with the computer, and now was in complete control. He flashed up a new screen.
Total Animals 292
It was the same list as before, showing the expected animals in the park, however this one had change considerably since the discovery yesterday.
A large number of animals were missing, at least one from each group. A rex was missing, as were ten raptors. The Dilophosaurs were missing three. Pterosaurs only had five. They were only down to one Stego out of four, and two Triceratops were gone.
The list continued on showing what was left of the park. Till finally:
Expected: 292 Found: 203
"What is it doing now?" Mighty said. "Is it saying there are fewer animals?"
Sonic nodded, he was tired and sore and just wanted to sleep. But that wasn't going to happen soon, "Probably."
Shelly said, "Jurassic Park is finally coming under control."
"Meaning what?" Amy asked.
"Equilibrium," Sonic pointed at the monitors. On one of them, the hypsilphodonts leapt into air as a pack of velociraptors entered the field from the west.
"The fences have been down for hours," Sonic explained. "The animals are mingling with each other. Populations reaching equilibrium – a true Jurassic equilibrium."
"I don't think that was supposed to happen," Mighty sighed. "The animals were never supposed to mix."
"Well, they are."
On another monitor, Sonic saw a pack of raptors racing at full speed across an open field toward a four-ton hadrosaur. The hadrosaur turned to flee, and one of the raptors jumped onto its back, biting the long neck, while the others raced forward, circled around it, nipped at its legs, leapt up to slash the belly with their powerful claws. Within minutes, the six raptors had brought down the larger beast.
Sonic stared, silently.
Shelly walked up, her fingers brushing against his, she said, "Is this the way you imagined?"
"I don't know what I imagined," he sighed. He watched the monitor for a moment before intertwining his fingers with hers, "No, not exactly."
Knuckles leaned in from his spot on the wall, "You know, it appears all the adult raptors are out right now." He said quietly.
Sonic didn't pay much attention at fist. He just watched the monitors, the interaction of the great animals. In the south, the lone stegosaur was swinging its spiked tail; warily circling the baby tyrannosaur, which watched it, bemused, and occasionally lunged forward to nip ineffectually at the spikes. In the western quadrant, the adult triceratops were fighting among themselves, charging and locking horns. One animal already lay wounded and dying.
Knuckles said, "We've got about an hour of good daylight left, Dr. Grant. If you want to try and find that nest."
"Right," Sonic said, "I do."
"Can I come?" Cream asked.
Sonic ruffled her hair, "Not this time okay?"
She looked at him for a moment, "Okay," she smiled before skipping off to join her brother.
"I was thinking," Knuckles, said, "that, when the Costa Ricans come, they will probably imagine this island to be a military problem. Something to destroy and soon as possible."
"Damn right," Mighty mumbled.
"They'll bomb it from the air," Knuckles said. "Perhaps napalm, perhaps nerve gas as well. But from the air none the less."
"I hope they do," Mighty said, "This island is too damn dangerous."
"That won't do," Sonic said, "He let go of Shelly's hand. "Let's get started."
"Grant, I don't think you're getting it." Mighty said. "This island should be destroyed, we should leave this to the Costa Ricans don't you get it?"
"Perfectly," Sonic said.
"Then what's your problem?" Mighty said. "Why not let the military do it?"
Sonic's back ached as he moved, he winced, it hurt like hell where the raptor had clawed him. "No," he said. "We have to take care of it."
"Are you sure?" Mighty said.
Sonic remembered how he had found Mighty, just six hours earlier, in the truck not doing much to help. And suddenly he lost his temper, and slammed the armadillo against the concrete wall. "No you listen here, you bastard, you have a responsibility to this situation, and you're going to start living up to it!"
"I am," Mighty snapped.
"No, you're not!" Sonic snapped back, "You shirked your responsibility all along, from the very beginning!"
"What are-"
"You sold investors on an undertaking you didn't fully understand. You were part owner of a business you failed to supervise. You did not check the activities of a man whom you knew from experience to be a liar, and you permitted that man to screw around with the most dangers technology in human history! I say you shirked your responsibility. And you say you're responsible, but you are still shirking! You cannot do that anymore!"
Mighty was silent for a moment, "Let's go find the nest then,"
Sonic pulled away leaving Mighty coughing for air, and turned to Knuckles. "What have we got for weapons."
Knuckles thought for a moment, "We've got control nets, and shock prods."
"How good are these shock prods?" Sonic asked.
"There like bang sticks for sharks. They have and explosive capacitor tip, deliver a shock on contact. High voltage, low amps. Not fatal, but it works."
"That's not going to do it," Sonic said, "Not in the nest."
"Which nest," Mighty coughed, "Are we talking about?"
"The raptor nest," Shelly said.
"The raptor nest." Mighty mumbled, He looked off, "Damn it more raptors." He turned back to Sonic and Shelly, "Let's get this over with then,"
Sonic was saying, 'Have any radio collars?"
"I'm sure we do," Knuckles said.
"Get on. And is there anything else that can be used for defense?"
Knuckles shook his head.
"Well, get whatever you can."
Knuckles walked away. Sonic turned to Mighty. "This island is a mess. But we don't know the extent, which means we have to find the nests. Especially the raptor nests. They'll be hidden. We need to find them, inspect them, and count the eggs. We need to account for every animal born on this island. Then we can burn it down. But first we have a little work to do."
Shelly was looking at the wall map, which now showed the animal ranges. Tails was working on the keyboard. She pointed at the map. "The raptors are localized in the southern area, down were the volcanic fields are. Maybe they like the warmth."
"Any place to hide down there?"
"Turns out there is," she said. "There is a massive concrete waterworks, to control flooding in the southern flatlands. Big underground are. Water and shade."
Sonic nodded. "Then that's where they'll be."
Shelly said, "I think there's and entrance from the beach, too." She turned to the consoles and said, "Tails, show us the cutaways on the waterworks." Tails wasn't listening, "Tails?"
He was hunched over the keyboard. "Just a minute," he said. "I found something."
"What is it?"
"It's an unmarked storage room. I don't know what's there."
"Then it might have weapons," Sonic said.
They were all behind the maintenance building, unlocking a steel storm door, lifting up into the sunlight, to reveal concrete steps going down into the earth. "Damned Omega," Knuckles said, as he hobbled down the steps. "He must have known this was here all along."
"Maybe not," Mighty said, "He didn't try to go here, when the raptors attacked."
"Well then, Hammond knew. Somebody knew."
"Where is Hammond anyway?" Sonic asked.
"Still at the lodge."
They reached the bottom of the stairs, and came upon rows of gas masks hanging on the wall, in plastic containers. They shone their flashlights deeper into the room and saw several heavy glass cubes. Two feet high, with steel caps. Sonic could see small dark spheres inside the cubes. It was like being in a room full of giant peppershakers, he thought.
Knuckles opened the cap of one, reached in, and withdrew a sphere. He turned it in the light, frowning, "I'll be damned."
"What is it?" Sonic said.
"MORO-12," Knuckles said. "It's an inhalation nerve gas. These are grenades. Lots and lots of grenades."
"Let's get started then," Sonic said grimly.
" It likes me," Cream said, smiling. They were standing in the garage of the visitor center, by the little raptor Sonic had captured in tunnel. She was petting the raptor through the bars of the cage. The animal rubbed up against her hand.
"I'd be careful there," Knuckles frowned, "They can give a nasty bite,"
"He likes me," Cream said, "His name is Clarence."
"You named….the raptor Clarence…" Knuckles said slowly.
"Yes," Cream replied, "And Clarence won't bite me. Won't you Clarence," she cooed to the little raptor.
Knuckles was holding the leather collar with the small metal box attached to it. Sonic heard the high-pitched beeping in the headset. "Is it a problem putting the collar on the animal?"
Cream was still petting the raptor, "I bet he'll let me put in on him," she said.
"I wouldn't try," Knuckles, advised, "They're unpredictable."
"I still think he'll let me," she said.
So Knuckles relented and gave Cream the collar. She held it out so the raptor could smell it. Then she slowly slipped it around the animal's neck. The raptor turned brighter green when Cream buckled it and closed the Velcro cover over the buckle. Then the animal relaxed, and turned paler again.
"I'll be damned," Knuckles said.
"It's like a chameleon." Mighty said.
"The other raptors couldn't do that," Knuckles said, frowning, "This wild animal must be different. By the way," he turned to Sonic, "if they're all born females, how do they breed. You never explained that bit about the frog DNA."
"It's not frog DNA," the blue hedgehog explained, "It's amphibian DNA. But the phenomenon happens to be particularly well documented in frogs. Especially West African frogs, if I remember."
"And what phenomenon would that be?"
"Gender transition," Sonic said, "It just plain changing sex." Sonic explained, "The situation is formed when the environment in which all the animals are of the same gender. In that situation, some amphibians will spontaneously begin to switch from male to female."
"And you think that's what happened to the dinosaurs?"
"Until we have a better explanation yes," Sonic said. "I think that's what happened. Now, shall we find this nest."
They piled into the Jeep, and Cream lifted the raptor from the cage. The animal seemed quite calm, almost tame in her hands. She gave it a final pat on the head, and released it.
The animal wouldn't leave.
"Go on Clarence, shoo!" Cream said. "Go home!"
The raptor turned, and ran off into the foliage.
Sonic held the receiver and wore the headphones, bouncing in the back seat. Knuckles drove. The car bounced along the main road. Shelly sat shotgun, keeping an eye out for loose dinosaurs. Mighty turned to Sonic and said, "So, what is it like, the nest?"
"Nobody knows," Sonic said.
"But I thought you'd dug them up."
"I've dug up fossil dinosaur nests," Sonic said. "But all fossils are distorted by the weight of millennia. We've made some hypotheses, some suppositions, but nobody really knows what the nests were like."
Sonic listened to the beeps, and signaled Knuckles to head farther west. It looked more and more as if, Shelly was right: the nest was in the southern volcanic fields.
Sonic went on to explain how nesting behavior was unclear. Like with modern reptiles, even their nesting behavior was not well known. The American alligator was better studied than most, and in the case of the alligators, only the female guarded the nest. She guarded the nest fiercely, her attention seemed to wane with time, and she generally abandoned the nest by the time of hatching. In the wild, a baby alligator began its life entirely on its own, and for that reason, its belly was full of egg yolk for nourishment.
"So adult alligators don't protect the young?"
"Not as we imagined they would," Sonic said. "The biological parents both abandon the offspring. But there is a kind of group protection. Young alligators have a very distinctive distress cry, and brings any adult who hears it – parent or not – to their assistance with a full-fledged, violent attack. Not a threat display. A full-on attack."
"Oh." Mighty fell silent.
"But that is the habit studied of reptiles," Sonic added.
"And dinos aren't reptiles," Knuckles said laconically.
"Exactly. The dinosaur nesting pattern could be more closely related to that of any variety of birds."
"So in the end," Mighty said. " You don't know. You have no idea what the nest will be like."
"No," Sonic said, "I don't."
"Well," Mighty said, "So much for that then,"
Sonic looked forward. Already he could smell the sulfur. And up ahead he saw the rising steam of the volcanic fields.
The ground was hot, Mighty thought, as he walked forward. He wasn't kidding either, the ground was actually hot. And here and there the mud bubbled and spat up from the ground. And the reeking sulfurous steam hissed in great shoulder-high plumes. He felt as if he was walking through a preview of hell.
He looked at Sonic, walking along with the headset on, listening to the beeps. Sonic in his red and white striped sneakers, cargo jeans, blue shirt with a fedora on his head, apparently very cool. Mighty didn't feel cool. He was honestly scared to be in this stinking, hellish place, with velociraptors somewhere around. He didn't understand how Grant could be so calm about it.
Or the woman too, Shelly Sattler. She was walking along, too, just looking calmly around. Like dinosaur tracking was an everyday thing for her.
"Doesn't this bother you?" Mighty asked.
"We've got to do it," Sonic said. He didn't say anything else.
They all walked forward, among the bubbling steam vents. Mighty fingered the gas grenades clipped to his belt. He looked at Shelly, "Why isn't he worried about it?"
"Maybe he is," she said. "But he's also thought about this for his whole life."
Mighty nodded, and wondered what that would be like. Whether there was anything he had waited his whole life for. He decided there wasn't anything.
Not a single thing in the world.
Sonic squinted in the sunlight. Ahead, through veils of steam, an animal crouched, looking at them. Then scampered away.
"Was that the raptor?" Shelly said.
"I think so. Or another one. Juvenile, anyway."
She said, "Leading us on?"
"Maybe." Shelly had told him how the raptors had played at the fence to keep her attention while another climbed from the roof. He was not pleased to hear she had been bait by the way. However, if what she had said was true, such behavior implied a mental capacity that was beyond nearly all forms of life on earth. Classically, the ability to invent and execute plans was believed to be limited to only four species: chimpanzees, gorillas, human beings, and anthros. Now there was the possibility that a dinosaur might be able to do such a thing, too.
The raptor appeared again, darting into the light, then jumping away with a squeak. It really did seem to be leading them on.
Mighty frowned, "How smart are they?" he said.
"If you think of them as birds," Sonic said, "then you have to wonder. Some new studies show the grey parrot has as much symbolic intelligence as a chimpanzee. And chimpanzees can definitely use language. Now researchers are finding parrots have the emotional development of a three year old child, but their intelligence in unquestioned. Parrots can definitely reason symbolically."
"But I've never heard of anybody killed by a parrot." Mighty grumbled.
Whew! Another chapter out, oh yeah!
Sorry this one was a little dull, but it was a bit of a break from the previous intensness. :) Man I had to get seriously scientific for this chapter. I usually try to stay away from the book, but I had to consult if properly to get it right, not to mention I used wiki chaos knows how many times to brush up on my knowledge of UV radiation and the nesting habits of certain animals and all that. So it was a very good chapter for me XD made my brain work a bit.
Anyone else getting sick of Hammond? Cause I am. :)
We are super close to the end now, might be done in two more, maybe even three chapters. And the Jurassic Park is done baby! Onto the lost world where things can get crazy again! lol.
See you for the next chapter!