Chapter Thirty-Six

Start at the Beginning

It isn't that they can't see the solution. It is that they can't see the problem. – Gilbert Keith Chesterton (1874-1936)

'WHEN DINOSAURS RULED THE EARTH'

The banner was no longer hanging over the park's entrance. Now, it draped across the concrete.

Becker stopped the bike just in front of the gates. He dismounted and checked around for a way in. He knocked at the security boxes, but there was no-one in. Tents and sleeping bags lay empty around the entrance and down the road.

Becker raised the butt of his rifle and broke through the glass in the security box. He used the weapon to clear away the broken shards, threw his rifle through, and then climbed in. It was tight, but he made it. He fell onto the floor, grabbed his rifle, and checked around – just in case. Then he stood up, and searched for something of use. He found several keys, and took them all. Then he exited the box, and tried them to open the gate. The twentieth-or-so key worked, and the padlock clicked open. Becker quickly pushed past, and rolled the bike through. Then he made sure to lock the gate behind him.

He turned towards the park, and something in the bushes caught his eye. He left the bike, and approached the treeline to his left. The fencing had a number of holes in it. And, just in amongst the shrubbery, there was a patch of blood. And a femur.

Skinner was right. Something had happened.

…

The devastation at the visitor-centre was an awful sight to behold. The stench of blood filled the air. Despite the collapsed buildings, Becker decided to look inside for survivors. He found none. Confidence somewhat drained, he nonetheless resolved to continue on to find survivors. Amongst the wreckage, he discovered a map of the park, which showed another building, where people might have gathered. He decided to head there.

It wasn't long before he found a survivor. Crashed in the wall of the mammoth enclosure was a car; a mini Cooper. Becker dismounted the bike, and looked inside.

It was Maitland. And she was alive.

He quickly got into the driver's side of the car, and discovered that it was, miraculously, still in good working order. He abandoned the bike, and drove the Mini, with an unconscious Maitland, towards this 'lobby', where he hoped he'd find the rest of the team.

…

Doctor Malcolm and Head-Keeper Campbell stood outside the door of Rossiter's office. Doctor Grant was on watch duty inside, and Malcolm and Campbell decided to back him up, just in case.

"So, it was empty? They were all stolen?" Malcolm asked.

"The weapons were all gone when we got there," Campbell validated. "The case for sabotage is starting to look quite attractive."

"Who was up there before you? Were any keepers on duty there?"

"Not that I know of. Although, with the scorpion breakout, we had to move around a few shifts, so someone could have ended up there."

"And the security guards?"

"We only have two normal security guards, at the main-gate. And Cutter's clones disappeared before the breakout. So maybe they took them, but that would lead you back to Cutter."

"Only two normal security guards, really? Not even ones at the main controls? Like the power-grid?"

"I know what you're getting at, but the controls are mainly focused on the offices here, especially Rossiter's. Seeing as those offices were definitely empty tonight, that rules that out. Whoever did this, they did it remotely."

…

"I read your book."

Doctor Alan Grant was on watch duty. Sat on the sofa in Rossiter's office, he faced Rossiter behind his desk, as their prisoner. The office was a well-decorated one, which Grant now had the chance to notice. Paintings lined the wall, and a few small ornaments adorned the desk. Among them was a Velociraptor claw, not unlike one that Grant used to have. However, this one was white, and without the stain of fossilization. It looked new. A large bookcase was well-stocked with books, on everything from palaeontology to cooking. Near that, the security video feeds showed nothing but the static of powerlessness.

"The second book," Rossiter elaborated. "The second one, after you visited Isla Nublar."

"What did you think?" Grant asked, not totally interested in the answer.

"You seemed a little disillusioned. I mean, I can hardly blame you."

"Well, that's comforting, Mister Rossiter."

Rossiter sighed. "Well, I guess there's nothing I can say. I'm doomed already."

"Excuse me?"

"Either figuratively, or literally. In all your minds, I caused this, so I guess I'm the least saveable. And if the creatures don't get me, I'll become the most hated man in America."

"Now, hold on. No one's leaving anyone behind."

"Well, that's comforting, Doctor Grant."

The two sat in silence for a few moments. Then Rossiter spoke again.

"Helen will return. I'm sure of it. There's no point in losing hope."

Silence again.

"We're not all that different, you and I," Rossiter said.

"How so?"

"Well, for example, I agree that InGen's dinosaurs were nothing more than fairground attractions."

"And yet you still displayed them."

"You haven't let me finish. Those animals were still animals, and worth saving from that horrible disease, DX. But the vast majority of our animals are natural. The real deal. Direct from the past."

"If you're trying to convince me of something, it's not working."

"I convinced you to come." Rossiter smiled.

"We only took up your offer because we needed a way to get here quickly, before you opened the place. I was already planning on coming."

"Can you honestly say you weren't a little interested in seeing the animals?"

Grant smiled. "Mister Rossiter, I can honestly say without a shadow of a doubt that I would rather be anywhere else on Earth right now than here."

"OK, maybe you're right. Maybe all this was a mistake. Maybe-"

"There's no 'maybe' about it, this was a mistake. You're just repeating the failures of the past." Grant remained calm. His lack of energy helped that.

"What I did, I did with the best of intentions."

"The worst things imaginable-"

The door opened. It was Captain Hemple. "Doctor Grant? Could you come out here for a second?"

"Sure," Grant replied, and walked out into the corridor, locking the door behind him.

"Doctor Grant," Hemple began, "I need you to tell me everything you know about this 'InGen' and what they were doing."

Before Grant could answer, a shout echoed down the corridor. "Hemple!" It was Jenny Lewis.

A man with black hair and army gear, carrying a rifle over one shoulder and an unconscious blonde girl over the other, came walking down the corridor. He turned to Hemple. "Where's Doody?"

…

While field medic David Doody patched Abby up, everyone except Rossiter gathered in the drawing room. Becker sat down on one of the chairs, Jenny to his right, Hemple to his left, while Grant, Malcolm, Levine, Mason, Redfern and Campbell pulled up other chairs. Danny was the last to enter the room.

"Becker?" he exclaimed with disbelief.

Becker turned around, and looked somewhat less surprised. "Quinn." He smiled.

"What the hell are you doing here?" Danny asked.

"Looking for you," Becker replied. "I'm assuming I came through the same way that you did."

"Which way was that?" Jenny asked.

"Through an anomaly," Becker said. "A couple of anomalies, actually. They have a… a 'facility', where they've gathered anomalies. That's where their creatures came from. They lied."

"Yeah, we know," Grant said. "We spoke to one of their leaders. And, we have the CEO in the next room."

Becker turned to face Grant. His face had dropped. "What?" he asked, standing up. He took hold of his rifle.

"Becker, what's wrong?" Jenny asked.

"They have a spy. He kidnapped Sarah Page."

Jenny stopped talking.

…

Rossiter heard the sound of Grant locking the door. That was his cue. Quickly, he checked his watch. 8:40 a.m. Right on schedule.

He paced around to the plasma screen, and reached around the back. He flicked a couple of switches. And it powered up.

He thanked his lucky stars that this had a separate power source.

Soon enough, a large pinewood desk appeared on the screen. This time, only twelve shareholders were seated around it. Once again, the white-haired Braxton sat at the head of the table, opposed to Rossiter.

"Rossiter, what's going on?" Braxton asked. "We've heard worrying reports from the guests."

"We've been sabotaged," Rossiter said, calmly and clearly. "Someone's set off one of the emergency protocols." As he continued, his speech became more and more frantic and exasperated. "The power has been cut. The creatures have escaped. We've suffered severe fatalities, and have apparently been abandoned by our security forces. We need assistance as soon as possible." He finished almost breathless.

Braxton replied. "We can contact the US army, and send help. Expect a call soon."

"Braxton, thank you," Rossiter said. "Once this is over, I may need some back-up. Financially, or perhaps otherwise…"

"Mister Rossiter, I'm afraid I can't do that. I can't afford it. We can contact the US forces, but we can't commit our own capital. I'm afraid you're on your own. Goodbye, and good luck."

The television screen went blank again.

Rossiter was speechless. He turned off the television, and fell backwards onto the sofa. He'd run out of allies.

He heard the door unlock, and swing open. He sat up to see a black-haired man walk through first, straight towards him.

"Howard Rossiter…" the man said, but he was interrupted.

Hemple overtook him and grabbed hold of Rossiter, lifting him off the couch and up against the wall. He drew the silver revolver, and pointed it to Rossiter's neck.

"It's time you told us everything you know about this park," he said. Then a small smile played across his features. "So, why don't you start at the beginning?"