PLEASE READ FOR CONTEXT:
I've had 'dinosaurs on the brain' and so pulled out these two stories from the rubbish pile. The first one takes place in the book universe of Jurassic Park and the second in the movie universe. Holmes and Watson are the canon Holmes and Watson, just not in Victorian England. Neither story is finished. I simply have more and bigger projects to work on and even though this is fun to write I want to give my time to something else. Maybe one day I'll write more, but it would probably look very different than either of these. They're very rough as I was experimenting with what scenes I'd want to include from the original stories.
BOOK VERSE:
Sherlock Holmes threw his bag on the bed in his room before flopping down himself. It was often he was stunned, but today he was. Dinosaurs. Living, breathing dinosaurs. It was absurd and his brain rejected the idea even as he marveled at the science of it all.
The door opened and Watson came in. He threw his bag on the other bed. "Can I stay in your room? This place gives me the creeps."
Holmes didn't answer; he didn't have to. Watson knew the answer was a yes, he was just too courteous to barge in and say nothing.
"I think it's wonderful," said Holmes softly. "What they've done here… it makes me believe in progress. In a future without painful diseases or crime."
"I think it's dangerous," said Watson.
"As do I, make no mistake. And John Hammond is an idiot who is only doing this for money. He's a showman, a salesman. He doesn't really care. If these animals get out they will disrupt other natural ecosystems."
"They are predators," Watson said. "That's the problem. I've seen what it's like when a single tiger learns to like human flesh. These animals… it would be a disaster if they got out. And Mr. Malcom seems to be certain they will."
"I think history will prove his theories wrong," Holmes said, "though he raises many interesting points."
"And what of Dr. Grant?" said Watson. "He seems to be convinced it is possible as well."
"I do like him," Holmes mused. "I think he knows what he is talking about. As does Dr. Satler."
Watson finished unpacking his things. He was a soldier, used to travelling light, so it didn't take long. He collapsed next to Holmes. For a minute, both of them just lay side by side, each wondering why steel bars covered their window, but neither commenting aloud on it.
"I have a terrible feeling about this," Watson said eventually. "I don't want to go see the other dinosaurs. I want to go home. And I'm certainly not going to write about them as flatteringly as they wish I would. If I even write about them at all."
Holmes threw his arm around him and tugged him close so they were laying pressed together. He wasn't a man who showed affection easily, but Watson knew this was his way of reassuring him.
"We'll go home soon," Holmes said. "And even you must admit that the creatures are magnificent."
"Yes. But tigers are magnificent, too. I still don't want to encounter one."
"What are animal attacks like?" Holmes asked insensitively.
Watson shook his head even though they were both still gazing at the skylight. "Not like you'd expect. Not really much blood, sometimes none at all. If the attack is successful, I mean. Ask our big game hunter, Mr. Muldoon, he'll know more than I do. But I could recognize mauling wounds a mile away. Maulings and the failed attacks are what are so horrid."
"Come on, we need to go on the tour."
Watson put his hand on his shoulder as they sat up. "If there's trouble, I want you to stay near Dr. Grant. Promise me."
"Watson?"
"Promise me. No matter what, no matter where I am or what's after us, you stay with Grant as far as you can. I can't protect you from animals I know nothing about. He may not know everything about the living animals but he knows more than anyone here. Even their so-called creators. You'll have the best chance with him."
"I promise," said Holmes, knowing Watson wouldn't let it go until he did.
Watson nodded, slipping his revolver into Holmes' pocket and a wicked-looking hunting knife into his own. "Let's go, then. And for goodness sake, don't tell Hammond what I think of his park!"
That night, after an admittedly beautiful tour, Holmes, Watson, Grant, and Malcom peered through the windshield as rain poured down. Lightning flashed, and they saw the mighty form of the Rex looming above the jeep in front of them.
"No," Watson breathed. He threw his door open and stepped out into the blinding rain.
"Watson," hissed Grant, "Get back in the car."
But Watson ignored him, only gently shutting the door and stepping away. He watched as the Tyrannosaur roared and prepared to attack the jeep.
Grant, Malcom, and Holmes watched him. "What does he think he's doing?" Grant whispered, swearing softly.
"The children are in that car, and Ed Regis left them," Holmes whispered back. "He's going to get that animal away from them."
Malcom swore profusely. "Look at that thing. Look at the size of that thing! You have a plan? Dr. Grant? Hello? Tell me you have a better plan than his!"
They all watched as Watson approached the dinosaur.
"Hey!" he screamed at the top of his lungs. "Hey you! Over here! Come and get me, you prehistoric tosser!"
That got the Rex's attention, and she swung her enormous head towards him. She roared, and took lumbering steps forward. Watson stayed where he was until the dino was close, then he ran, too, right beside its ducked head and under its legs. As he did, he slashed at it with his hunting knife and managed to cut one of its legs. It roared in pain and anger. It swung around and with one mighty kick it sent Watson flying into the woods. Then, it slowly started to stalk towards the jeep.
Inside, Grant admitted to Malcolm and Holmes he had no idea what to do, which sent the mathematician running. Holmes had wanted to run, too, ever since Watson had left the jeep, but he knew if he wanted to save his friend he would have to stay alive. Staying alive meant heeding his advice and staying with Dr. Grant. Besides, someone needed to make sure the kids got back safely. Wherever Watson was, he hoped he was okay. A minute later, he had no more time to think of Watson and a little bit after that the world went black.
Holmes was woken by Grant shaking his shoulder.
"Are you alive?" the man asked.
Holmes groaned. "Yes, and you?"
"Yes. Can you stand?"
Holmes staggered to his feet. "How are we both alive? I remember it was right there. How did it not see us?"
"I don't think it could. Come on, I'll explain while we look for the children."
They did eventually find both of the children alive and decided they couldn't stay on the road. Soon after, they saw Ed Regis die and so they fled. That night as they bedded down in the hay, Holmes stayed awake, guarding Grant and the kids. When the lights came on, he went and waved to the sensors when he couldn't wake Grant. He waited until he was sure they'd been seen and smiled. They were going to be rescued.
It was Maldoon and Genaro who came for them. They were in Harding's jeep, and the hunter explained what Nedry had done. After saving them, they went to the scent of the Rex attack where they found Malcom who was badly injured. Holmes wanted to take more time to search for Watson, but they needed to take Malcom back to the lodge where Harding could treat him.
MOVIE VERSE
Sherlock Holmes and his faithful companion Dr. John Watson eyed the helicopter warily as it descended for them, neither completely trusting this John Hammond. He was too blindly optimistic, too deluded for both their tastes. And where on earth were they going? They were, apparently, the last guests to be picked up, because the promised other guests were already inside as the two waited for it to be safe to board.
"Leave it to you to never leave a mystery alone," Watson murmured under his breath to Holmes.
"Relax, old man. Perhaps there's nothing at all illegal going on and it really will be a vacation."
"I have never had a successful vacation with you, Holmes," Watson shot back. "Not even this one. We were going to spend a month to ourselves in America and take no cases and now we're going who knows where to do who knows what."
"And being paid," Holmes pointed out.
"Yes," Watson conceded, "and being paid. I just don't trust anyone who would pay so much for a consultant and not tell that consultant what exactly they're consulting on. Besides, a theme park? You are a detective and I am a doctor. I get that we're famous in a way, and celebrities mean more over in this country than it does in England, but a… what? Zoo? Park? Resort? Whatever it is, what use are we going to be? We're useless as consultants."
"I agree, which is why I wanted to consult. There is much more here than meets the eye, Watson, of that I assure you."
Someone waved them forward and they advanced to the helicopter, helped in by a genial looking man who had recently spent many hours in the sun. Watson took a seat beside a man who was dressed in all black and Holmes sat beside a smiling young woman. Holmes astounded her by immediately deducing she was not only an archeologist but specialized in paleobotany and she surprised him by graciously accepting his deductions and not demanding how he knew. John Hammond took that as a chance to introduce them all. Watson surprised them all by recognizing Ian Malcom and Grant surprised them by recognizing Holmes. Hammond seemed pleased his little party all got along so well.
Ian Malcom latched onto Watson as his new star pupil, though his eyes often raked over Dr. Satler uncomfortably. Meanwhile, Holmes spoke with Grant, gleaning all the information he could from what the man said to try and learn what he could about the park and the motivations of all the strange people they were surrounded by. From what he could tell, however, Dr. Grant and Dr. Satler were like he and Watson: motivated by money and secretly hoping there would be little work to do and they would be able to enjoy a relaxing weekend. Ian Malcom seemed to be here to preach his ideas about chaos theory, and also undoubtedly for the paycheck. As for John Hammond, well, there was something of a villain about him, but Holmes suspected he wasn't guilty of atrocious evils. Still, Holmes was determined to keep an eye on him.
He tried to help Dr. Grant with his safety belt as they landed, but the paleontologist had to tie his belts together and they all held tight as they landed. Malcom gripped Watson's arm to steady him, giving Holmes' friend a smile. Holmes felt a flare of jealousy like he always did when anyone besides himself tried to make an unmerited claim on Watson's friendship, but he tampered it because he knew Malcom was only hoping to get in the doctor's good graces because he was a famous writer. If Watson preached chaos theory in his writings, more of the public would buy into it.
On the ground Holmes claimed his friend back, threading his arm through the doctor's and leading them to the jeep with John Hammond while Malcom, Grant, and Satler took the other jeep.
"Holmes," Watson whispered harshly before they had driven far, his eyes wide as he stared at something beyond them.
"Watson? What's the matter? I-" he was cut off by himself, his words falling away as he saw what Watson saw. He stared so hard he barely heard Mr. Hammond speaking, not until he addressed all of them: "Welcome to Jurassic Park."
Holmes and Watson stayed relatively silent through lunch and the scientific explanations of how Jurassic Park worked. Holmes decided that dinosaur experts would ask more pointed questions than he could, and on Watson's part he decided Ian Malcom had enough objections to serve for a lifetime.