Disclaimer: John Hammond, InGen, Jurassic Park, Isla Nebular and Isla Sorna are all things that I have unconscionably stolen from Michael Crichton's novels Jurassic Park and The Lost World, as well as the movies of the same name. I have drawn on both forms of media (the books and the movies) for this story. It does not follow one or the other specifically… it is implied that John Hammond is still alive in this story, but I use dinosaur elements from the books… and a few that were in neither. None of the characters from Jurassic Park or Lost World, in either variation, appear in this story. Instead, I have chosen to plunk down a new set of characters on the island. The events described take place sometime between the Jurassic Park Incident and the San Diego Incident. Well, I guess that's all there is to say, except… enjoy the story.
Los Cinquo Muertes
Chapter 1: Survey
27
STAMPEDE
Oblivious to the discovery inside the trailer, P.J. and Meiller were sitting on the top of the trailer, silently observing the sides of the clearing for any disturbances. P.J. squinted through his sunglasses towards the far end of the clearing. He though he saw something there, so he picked up the binoculars next to him. Through them, he could see a large, brownish blur. At first, he though it was another one of the huge beasts, but then he noticed that the shape was in constant change and seemed airy. Dust, he realized. It was a cloud of dust. That meant animals, dinosaurs, and lots of them too. On top of that, they were heading this way. And fast.
"What is it?" asked Meiller who had observed his facial expression change from behind the binoculars.
"We got company, a whole herd of 'em."
P.J. dropped to the side of the trailer and screamed through the hole:
"Dinosaurs! Get out now!"
Carlson and Soles at the far end of the trailer, scrambled to their knees. P.J. looked back towards the approaching herd. He swore. Those things were moving so damned fast that he could already see the dark outlines of their body. Meiller bent on one knee and squinted through the bull's-eye on his rifle. But is was pointless: he would never have enough time to bring down enough of them between the time they entered firing range and the time they reached the trailer's height. Carlson, to whom panic had given wings, had reached the window. Unfortunately, panic had not given him a slimmer body.
"I'm stuck, I can't go further!" he cried out.
P.J. grabbed both his arms and stated pulling while a cursing Soles pushed him from the back. Meiller began to fire shots at the nearing dinosaurs, knowing that they were too far away but hoping that they could be frightened off. P.J. looked towards the beasts. He could clearly see them now. They looked like plucked ostriches. Maybe two meters in height, five in length, they were bipedal, running on their hind legs. Their bodies were elongated, with a long tail and a sleek neck. Their heads were long and flat, narrowing towards the snout. Though P.J. did not recognize the dinosaurs themselves, he found their formation oddly familiar. Then it hit him: he had seen this before. Not the dinosaurs, of course, but the way they were moving resembled a spectacle he had seen many times in his days as an African safari guide: stampeding wildebeests. He realized then that the dinosaurs weren't heading towards the trailer, it was the trailer who just happened to be in their way. The dinosaurs aren't attacking; it was plain old stampeding. And P.J. knew that when confronted by a stampede, be it a modern or a prehistoric one, you had to seek cover. And fast. P.J. looked around. The trees were too far away, and there was nothing else to hide behind on this flat brush land. Except…
"Get back in there!" P.J. screamed to Carlson's face.
"What? I've almost got him out!" Soles yelled back.
"Just do as I say!" said P.J. as he pushed Carlson back through the window and into the trailer. Then, before going into the trailer himself, he cried out to Meiller:
"Meiller! Stampede! Get in the trailer!"
Meiller might not have had the African training that P.J. did, but he did get training as a soldier. And as a soldier, you learn to obey orders quickly and without asking questions. With the dinosaurs bearing down on him, Meiller jumped to the side of the trailer, grabbed the window's edges like a parallel bar, and swung himself into the turned-over trailer. Not a moment too soon, for then a triple-toed foot slammed into the ground where Meiller's head had been a second ago. Pretty soon the bulk of the stampede was upon them. They leaped on the trailer as if it were a vulgar stepping-stone. Inside, each pound on the metal roof (which was actually the trailer's floor) shook the entire structure. For a moment, P.J. was worried that the already massacred trailer might collapse on them. But then the pounding seemed to relent, as the tail of the stampede was passing them. Soles and Carlson stopped screaming, uncertain in all the previous noise when they had began to do so. Just then, one of the creatures stuck its head through an indentation of the trailer. It looked at a shocked Carlson with it's bulbous eyes, then grabbed a mouthful of ration packs that had been lying on the floor before racing away to rejoin it's companions.
The danger passed, Carlson and Soles started laughing off the nervousness. P.J. and Meiller, more experienced with such stress, simply waited until they were finished before heading off back to camp in the jeep.
28
DOMESTIC DISPUTE
On their last trip to the lake, Richley and his crew saw that the lake was already in use. One of the armour-plated dinosaurs that they had seen the first time they arrived at this lake was sapping up the water. At first Richley was worried that it might turn out to be hostile, but the only thing the dinosaur did was raise its head towards the foursome, blew air out of its nostrils as if acknowledging their presence, then returned to quenching his thirst. Daria Ellis wasn't able to pass up the opportunity of meeting one of the island's residents up close. She hardly believed that the rightful inhabitants (if you could apply that to creatures that were supposed to be dead, and for 65 million years at that!) of the small island would create any legal problems. This one at far looked like a living tank and was scary in its bony armour, but up close it acted like nothing more than your ordinary run-of-the-mill cow. An island populated by cows wasn't much of a danger.
Then Ellis remembered the previous day's incident with the Tyrannosaurus and shuddered despite the afternoon heat.
As Richley, Peter and Stanley loaded the final water containers on the jeep, the tank-like dinosaur, that Benny later told her was an Ankylosaurus, started making low grunts and sniffs in the water team's direction.
Ellis, believing that the animal somehow sensed their departure, told it:
"It's okay boy, we have to go now, and we won't bother you again."
Then Richley started the car, the motor hummed to life and the jeep drove off. The Ankylosaurus, moving surprisingly fast for a creature of its bulk, turned around, the bony tail making a fell arc, and began trudging away from the lake, in the same direction as the jeep.
Ellis, holding down her hat with her hand, smiled and pointed it out to the other occupants of the jeep.
"Look, it's following us."
Peter and Stanley turned around while Richley glanced in the rear-view mirror.
"Mommy, mommy," Stanley said in a falsetto voice, "A dinosaur followed me home from school today can I kept him please?"
Peter laughed and Ellis and Richley smiled as the jeep disappeared into the jungle foliage.
In reality, the Ankylosaurus had detected a sent in the air, and was now fleeing as fast as it could (which looked like a lazy jog to the humans) away from the watering hole. Running was never this species' strong point, and shortly after the jeep vanished into the plants around the clearing, a group of bipeds emerged from the jungle opposite the Ankylosaurus. The dinosaur dropped down, folding its legs, so that only the armoured parts of its body were visible, and its vulnerable stomach well protected. The bipeds darted at it, making quick snaps with its jaws in its direction, and then falling back before the massive swinging club tail could hit them. One was not as agile and nimble as the rest, and the bony end crushed in the side of its skull. Then, as one, the bipeds surged in, towards the front end of the beast where the tail could not easily reach. Their arms dug under the Ankylosaurus' skin, carving a trench in the ground. Then they pushed upwards, just enough so that one of their number could position itself between the creature and the ground. Once this had happened, it was a simple matter to turn over the dinosaur like a turtle. Within seconds the Ankylosaurus was dead, the soft flesh of its underside ripped to shreds. Should any of the survey team have returned after half an hour, they would find of the armor-plated dinosaur and of its dead foe nothing but bones, picked clean by tiny scavengers.
29
THE GRTX MODULE
"What about this one? It's pretty and it might have nutritional values."
"Naw, flowers aren't usually very nutritive," said Folker. "Your best bet would be roots. Grab a shovel a dig up some small shrubs."
"Shrubs, right. My idea of a party." Alice replied sarcastically as she walked off in search of a shovel.
Folker shrugged at the girl's lack of enthusiasm. Finding roots wasn't that important right now. Benny had found a fruit tree, and although Folker didn't recognize it, analysis indicated that it was not poisonous and a good source of vitamin C. Almost like an un-segmented orange without the hard skin. There was enough to last for a few meals, and together with the rations that had survived they had enough for a week. Still, he though, glancing towards Alice who had just found a likely looking bush and had started digging it up, that doesn't mean that we should stop looking for alternative sources anyway. It would be in the interest of any settlers to know how to survive off the land. And the digging is good exercise.
He then heard the low rumble of an approaching jeep. Everybody in the camp dropped whatever it was that they were doing and moved towards the noise. It was Richley and his group returning from their final trip to the lake. Richley and Ellis got out of the jeep whilst Peter and Stanley grabbed two tanks and began hauling them over to the shelters were they were being kept.
"So, anything new?" Richley asked Folker.
"Yes, some good news. Benny's found a bunch of fruit trees, which are suitable for consumption, and in enough abundance to last us a while. Basically our food and water problems have been taken care of. At least, for the moment, but I assume we'll be leaving here shortly?"
"Yes, as soon as P.J. and the others get back we're going to decide what our course of action is going to be."
"Excellent. Meanwhile, I'd like to show you these fruits that we've found. They're nothing like I've ever seen before. To a certain degree, they remind me of oranges–"
"Later, Pietro. I think I hear something."
The team, which had dispersed since Richley had arrived, re-agglomerated to see what news the second jeep would bring. After all, their actions over the next few days, and even their lives, might hinge on what the scavenging team had found. Hopes were high but reserved.
The jeep finally became visible through the jungle canopy. Meiller was driving, with P.J. riding shotgun. In the back seat, Carlson was fiddling with some device. The jeep slowed down and pulled up next to Richley.
"So, Carlson, what have you got there?" Richley asked expectantly.
"This," Carlson said, holding up the slim machine, "Is some good news and some bad news."
He hoisted himself out of the jeep and onto the ground.
"The good news is that this is an operational GRTX module. It operates sort of like a short wave radio, capable of sending and receiving messages. We couldn't find it's keyboard, but I could just hook it up to one of the others we have here and that'll do the trick. It would allow us to get into contact with the plane."
"Would?" asked Richley, frowning.
"The bad news is, it's out of power. We usually have three of these in the communications trailer. One of them is plugged in, and the other two are in storage. This one was in storage, so it doesn't have any residual electric charge. It does have batteries; only I guess these haven't been changed in a while, because they're very low. We can send out messages, but the signal won't be able to pierce the jungle and get to the plane."
30
LONG-TERM PLANS
Richley gathered everybody into a circle between the three remaining trailers. It was time to decide what they should do, and Richley wanted everybody's input.
"Alright, you're all aware of the situation. We're stranded here unable to contact our flight because the GRTX module doesn't have enough power to punch through the jungle. We have about a week's supply of food. Potentially dangerous dinosaurs surround us. Ideas, anybody?"
"Why don't we just return to the plane?" asked Calvin, one of the generalists.
Richley looked over to P.J., who said:
"That's always an option. It would take us about two days to get back to the plane–"
"No, it'll take more than that," Soles said. "We cleared the trail on the way over, but we'll probably have as much difficulty getting back than we did getting here, because of all the potholes and vines that have since re-claimed our path. I'd say we wouldn't be able to shave off more than half a day from our original journey."
"I think it'll be a lot worse," said Folker. "I checked our charts from 1991. We have arrived in monsoon season. In fact, I think we've been lucky because we've barely gotten any rain at all. It's an exceptionally dry monsoon season, but we can't expect that to last for two days. And when it rains, the ground will get all muddy again, sinking the trailers and slowing us down considerably."
"Couldn't we just leave the trailers?" asked Ellis. "After all, most of the stuff in there was for surveying, and I don't think we'll be establishing any colonies here soon."
"I don't like the idea of abandoning our equipment," said Carlson.
"There's enough room in the jeeps for one foldable tent each and enough rations for two or three days," said Alice.
"We're just getting back to our original problem," said Folker. "Carrying that extra weight will make the jeeps heavier and they'll start sinking like the trailers did. And if we do get caught by the rain, which I think we will, then it won't take two days but four, maybe even five."
"That's four maybe five days more than I want to spend on this island," said Stanley.
"I think we can all agree that we want off the island as soon as possible," said Richley.
"Definitely," said P.J. "This spot here is in the middle of the jungle, and fairly well isolated, but we can't count on not having the natives coming around for a visit eventually. In all cases, a quick route will also be the safest route. As long as we stay on the island, we run a chance of running into that Rex again. Which is another thing I wanted to bring up. We created a blazed trail through the jungle when we came here. Both the trails, namely the one leading from the beach to the clearing, and the trail leading from the clearing to here are now open for travel by all these dinosaurs."
"Whoa, wait a minute," said Richley. "Are you saying that this camp is in danger of being attacked?"
"Well, right now I don't think so," replied P.J. "It should take a while for the dinos to discover the new trails. Meanwhile, we could always find a way to close off this trail at the clearing end."
"Yes," said Corporal Meiller. "My men and I could put over a quick camouflage job with cut off bushes and vines and a few long sticks. It would look like normal jungle to anything outside. In fact, we could even cut down a pair of small trees, and place them in an 'X' pattern at the opening. It would prevent an animal just pocking around in the underbrush to find the path, at would be easy enough to remove if we want."
"Stop!" said Alice. "You're talking as if we're going to be staying here a while."
There was a moment of uncomfortable silence as everyone realized what she said was true. After a while, P.J. said:
"Well, anyway, my point was that if we do have to spend four days on an open trail, stopping often to get the jeeps and/or trailers out of the muck, then we increase our chances of running into dinosaurs, who won't be impeded by something like mud."
"You know," Calvin said, "I've been hearing how this plan will be long and dangerous and all, but I'm not hearing any other plans. It seems this is the only solution we've got."
"That's unacceptable," said Richley. "I want an alternative."
There was another long, stretched silence as everybody raked his or her brains, searching for a way out. Finally, Benny broke the silence by saying:
"What about the GRTX module?"
"No, we've already been over this," said Carlson. "There's just not enough power to punch through the jungle."
"Well, then," Benny said, trying to come up with a defence for his idea. "What about… the clearing! There's no jungle there."
Carlson smiled uncharitably. "We need a clear line of sight between us and the plane. There's jungle between that clearing and the plane. And," he said, anticipating the next question, "the path we've cleared is too winding. It wouldn't work."
"The mountain!" said Soles, snapping her fingers. "We could ascend the mountain in the centre of the island, and send out our signal over the treetops…"
"…where the plane's instruments would detect it!" finished Carlson "Yes! That would work!"
"Wow, wait a minute, we're heading deeper into the island?" proclaimed Alice.
"This does sound a little backwards," said Benny.
"Not at all," said Soles. "The mountain is only a day's journey away, even if we have to clear the underbrush. Plus, the rain won't affect our time that much, because once we hit the slopes, there won't be any mud, just rocks. The thing is, we might have to do some climbing to get to where we want to go."
"No," said Ellis. "You won't need to climb. InGen built their HQ straight into the mountain's superstructure, because it was cheaper to use a pre-laid infrastructure than build one. Once we can get to the building, we should be able to use the building's facilities to reach a high point on the mountain, like a balcony or something. I say should because the building might have deteriorated since. Elevators obviously won't be working, but any stone or metal stairs should still be stable."
"Why weren't we told there was already a building on this island?" Peter asked. "We could have set up shop there to do the surveying!"
"Well, we judged that the building might no longer be safe. In addition to what I pointed out earlier, there might still be some equipment lying around. I was told that InGen left in a hurry." No kidding thought Richley. "Reconnoitring on the island with base set up in one of the clearings would serve just as well. So you see, you didn't need to know."
" 'Didn't need to know'? 'Didn't need to know'! We're on a need-to-know basis here all of a sudden!? What about them, huh?" Peter pointed towards the jungles and the beasts that no doubt lurked in them. "Did we not need to know about them either!? 'Cause I think it's pretty goddamn important!"
"We had no idea that there were dinosaurs here! We never would have sent people–"
"Well maybe you're on a need-to-know basis too, ever think of that!?"
"ENOUGH!" screamed Richley. "This is pointless! The motivation behind our presence here doesn't change the fact that we are here, and that we need to find a way out!"
Silence fell once again on the group. Peter, dejected, left the circle but stopped and leaned against a tree barely a few meters away, facing the rest of the group. It was, to him, a symbolical gesture.
"So we go to the mountain, transmit the signal, and the plane intercepts it. Then what?" Richley asked Carlson.
"Well, then the plane can call in for reinforcements using their instruments. It should only take a day for the folks at the San Diego airforce base to scramble a few Apache helicopters to airlift us out of here."
"I don't like the idea of us staying here much longer," said Alice.
"Yeah," said Stanley, "couldn't the plane itself come and get us?"
"On what runway?" asked Ellis. "That plane doesn't have the capacity for hovering or vertical landing and lift-off like an Apache."
"Couldn't we turn the clearing into a runway?" asked Benny.
"It's not big enough."
"Well, then, what about using nets to slow it down? Like an external braking system."
"That might work," Carlson said, already thinking up the basic layout of such devices.
"No, it won't," said Ellis. "All that high grass might hide rocks that the plane would trip over. It's too dangerous."
"Staying here isn't exactly the safest idea either," interjected Peter from his spot against the tree.
"If we try this idea and it doesn't work, we'll lose the plane. What do you suppose we do then?"
"The plane could contact San Diego, have them scramble the helicopters, and then try to rescue us," he responded.
"That's callous. You'd be risking their lives unnecessarily since we'd be out of here in a day anyway."
"A lot can happen in one day."
"We have no right to risk their lives on this dumb, unfounded plan."
"They're military! That's their job!"
Corporal Meiller shot the lone man a dark look, but before he could reply P.J. spoke up:
"It would be dangerous to us too. For this to work, a lot of us would have to be working one day for as long as there's daylight in a clearing. A clearing with a frequented water hole. The perfect lure for predators, as we saw yesterday. That clearing might even be a game trail for all we know. We were probably lucky that we didn't have any run-ins while we were working there today." Carlson and Soles gave the hunter an odd look, thinking that nearly being trampled in a dinosaur stampede qualifies as 'a run-in'. "I can't guarantee that we'll have that kind of luck again."
"Then it's settled," said Richley. "We won't use the clearing as a landing runway."
"But we will still be going to the mountain to contact the plane, right?" asked Benny.
"We? I don't think so. You, Benny, are staying right here. And the rest of you too. This position can be fortified against the dinosaurs. A mobile search party doesn't have that luxury."
"Plus," said P.J., "It's entirely possible that some dinosaurs have decided to make their nest in this building, since it's like a cave. I'm not sure if they do live or nest in caves…" P.J. looked towards Benny for confirmation, but the biologist shook his head: it is practically impossible to know the behaviourism of animals that have not been observed for sixty-five million years. "Anyway, since there's apparently no way of knowing for sure, personal experience has taught me that it's best to assume the worst. That's why I'm going to be going with you, Brent. You'll need somebody who knows how to hunt and how not to be hunted."
"I need you here, guarding everybody else." Richley said.
"All that needs to be done here is the trail blocked off and the perimeter secured. Meiller and his boys can do that, they have the training. The camp will be safe. However, you'll be venturing out into unexplored land, possibly into what some of the predators consider their territory. This mission had to go through, and I'm your best bet."
"Alright," Richley acquiesced. "Carlson, I'm also going to have you tag along with us. If something goes wrong with the module, I want my top computer guy there with me. And Soles, we're going to need your abilities to find this building, and then figure out which direction to send the message in."
Carlson and Soles nodded their heads grimly. It wasn't going to be a very safe mission, but at least it would be better than sitting around the camp, waiting for something to happen.
"So we're agreed, people? One day to make it to the mountain and broadcast, another for the helicopters to get here and airlift us out. We leave tomorrow morning, at first light. With any luck, in two days time we'll be flying over the Pacific, courtesy of the San Diego air force."
31
ELLIS JOINS THE PARTY
Meiller and his men started making preparations to secure the camp as soon as Richley dismissed the group. They took some the survey team's ample supply of string and strung it up around the triangle formed by the three trailers, at the centre of which the four foldable shelters were set up. They cut down some trees to provide them with stakes to make sure the string was kept at a constant height, about 15 centimetres off the ground floor. To this cord they attached cutlery ware, plates and pans, wind gougers and metallic covers, and anything else that would make a noise when hit together. This way, there was a quick perimeter warning when anything approached the encampment, from the largest lumbering beast to a pack of Tiny's relatives. It wouldn't be much of a warning if the T-Rex decided to pay them a visit, but it was the best that could be done under present circumstances. The three military men also agreed to take standing shifts, though because of the denseness of the surrounding jungle, the efficacy of such a measure was doubtful.
Richley was watching them string up the perimeter when Ellis came up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder.
"Richley, can I talk to you?"
"Of course, Ms. Ellis. What's on your mind?"
"I want to go with you."
It took Richley a moment to fully understand what she meant.
"What? Absolutely not!"
Ellis, who had expected this kind of response, calmly asked him:
"Why not?"
"Because it's much to dangerous, that's why."
"Yet you're going. And so are Mr. Jaminson, Mr. Carlson and Ms. Soles."
"We are going because it is necessary."
"No, Carlson and Soles are necessary. P.J. is tagging along as protection. What is going to be your role?"
Richley had not considered this.
"I'm the team leader," he finally said. "It is my duty to lead my men in the field on dangerous expeditions. If I just sat back and let everybody else take this risks, what kind of leader would I be?"
"Of course," Ellis said, nodding her head. "But understand this: it is my duty to come with you."
Richley shook his head from side to side.
"With all due respect, Ms. Ellis, you are not a leader. You are our attaché. You don't need to take these kind of risks."
"First of all," Ellis said, "I don't see how the risks of going on this mission are any difference from just waiting around here for Tiny's big brother to find us." Ellis could tell that this was not something Richley wanted to hear, especially since he would be leaving his daughter behind, but she ploughed on anyways: "And second, I was not referring to my duties to the team, but for the government that I work for."
Ellis sighed, and then took a deep breath.
"Understand, Richley… InGen really screwed us over. They bought this island from Costa Rica probably because it was far enough from U.S. controlled areas, where they felt they could do…" Ellis waved expansively. "Whatever it is they did here to get those dinosaurs, without us supervising it. And boy, we would never had let this go on unless we were absolutely 200% sure that there would be no danger to our personnel or anybody else. In fact, for all we know, what InGen was doing on this island might have been in violation of U.S. or international law. Hell, both! And then they have the nerve to turn around and sell these islands to us, never bothering to mention to us that there were rather large meat eating dinosaurs running around on it!"
Ellis paused in her tirade, getting a pensive look.
"Actually, they might have sold them to us because there were dinosaurs loose on it. An experiment gone wrong, that they neatly got rid off. Anyway. As a representative of the government here on this island, I would be remiss in my duties if I didn't do all that was within my ability to figure out what happened here, and to gather as much incriminating evidence of InGen's actions as possible."
"Shouldn't we be worrying more about staying alive than about lawsuits?"
"You see those soldiers over there?" Ellis asked, pointing to a pair of Meiller's men who were rigging up the perimeter. "They have a lot of training. Now that they know what they're up against, they can analyse their situation and find the best way to survive. They know that in this case their odds would go up if they left the main group. A lone soldier has less chance of being located, even by animals, then a large group of scientists. And yet they stay. Why? Because of the duty they have sworn to uphold, to protect the rest of you, even if it means putting their life on the line. I also have a duty to uphold. I serve my government. It may not be perfect, but it's the best we've got, and I'll be damned if I'm not willing to take chances for it. I've risked my life for what I believe in before, during clashes in the Middle-East."
Richley flashed to the outfit she had worn on their first day on the island, the one that looked like it had come from operation Desert Storm.
"This is the same situation. The enemy are big dinosaurs instead of tanks and soldiers, but I have to do what I have to do, just like you do."
Richley mulled over what she said longly. Ellis did not attempt to interceed, but was content to stand next to Richley while he debated and made his choice.
"Fine," he finally said. "You can come along, but let the record show that this was against my better judgement."
"I'll be sure to make a note of it on my report when we get off this island." Ellis said, cracking a smile.
Richley smiled too, not because of what she had said, but because of the way she had said it. "When", not "if". It was a small grace, but right now he'd take anything he could.