10. THE BADLANDS
Based from the movie Jurassic Park 3 written by Peter Buchman, Alexander
Payne, and Jim Taylor
Tuesday, July 12, 1999 Snakewater, Montana
It was peaceful in The Badlands of Snakewater Montana. A body of water reflecting the setting sun behind the clouds in the sky surrounded a light brown strip of land, dotted with several tents, trailers, and crevices dug in the ground. It was quiet. Just the sound of the birds singing in the background and the calm wind weaving through the shrubs and trees in the area was amazing to anyone that came by. And on one part of the land, people had made a large imprint in the earth. It formed around a skeleton of a five-foot tall and seven-foot long body of a Velociraptor.
A handsome young man of about twenty-five was bent down over the fossilized animal. He had dark brown hair and had little areas of stubble here and there. He was muscular and wore a black t-shirt with cargo pants. Across from him was a beautiful young woman of about the same age with black hair. She wore white shorts and a blue flannel shirt. She looked up at Billy with admiration. They were both digging and dusting the fossil.
"Um, Billy," the woman asked to get his attention. "Can you come here for a minute?" Billy Brennan put his tools down and crawled over next to her. "Can you show me how to tell which is bone, and which is rock? I have a really hard time with it." She smiled.
Billy chucked and took her hand. "Look," he said, placing her hand on the crevices. "The rock is very rough, see, Cheryl? But then put your hand on the bone, and it's smooth." He looked up at her to see if she was watching. She nodded. He kept putting her hand between the bone and the rock. "Rough, smooth, rough, smooth," he chuckled. She looked up at him with a smile.
Cheryl Logan put her fingers on his unshaven chin. "Rough," she smiled. She then put her fingers on his lips. "Smooth," she said, leaning closer to him. Billy seemed to get really nervous of her doing this and started to back away.
"Please stop," Billy said. "That makes me uncomfortable."
"I'm sorry Billy," Cheryl replied. "I just thought-"
"You thought wrong," Billy cut her off angrily.
"Sorry Billy," Cheryl said, feeling extremely uncomfortable now from being around this boy that she thought she knew well enough of flirt around with.
Suddenly, this was interrupted when Billy heard the familiar noise of a motor from a truck. He turned to see a dirty blue pickup truck pulling up near they dig, kicking up dust behind. Billy smiled, stood up, and left Cheryl to continue her work a little upset about the way the boy had acted.
Billy approached a man with a fedora on that was getting out of the truck. "Alan! Good to see you back! How'd your presentation go," Billy asked.
Grant just shook his head and grunted. "They just don't care anymore, Billy. They just don't care," Grant replied. Billy nodded gravely. He knew that the digging they were doing here was hanging by its last thread. It all depended on people's interest. Otherwise, how would they make money? "How'd you hold down things here?"
"Fantastic! Wait till I show you this! You're going to love what I did with the raptor skull data," Billy said enthusiastically putting his arm around the older man's shoulder.
Grant smiled. Billy reminded him of himself when he was that age. But Grant was much more of a traditionalist than Billy, who believed any advancement in technology that would help them with digging was worth using.
"Does it have to do with computers, Billy?" Grant smirked.
"I know how much you love them, right?" Billy patted him on the back. Billy picked up his backpack and the two headed across the dig site to a nearby tent at the opposite end. They entered quickly and Billy brought Grant to a table where a large machine that covered the entire support stood on. Billy leaned over it and looked Grant in the eye. "Meet the future of Paleontology! This is a rapid prototyper," he told Grant.
"Then I guess it can dig," Grant teased. Billy just shook his head and smiled.
"I entered the scan data from the raptor skull. This baby sculpts it perfectly," Billy explained, opening the top lid. Several shavings were nested around the opening. He blew them away and carefully pulled out a modal of some sort of bone or body part. "I introduce to you a raptor's resonating chamber!"
Grant's smirk suddenly turned to a serious face. He suddenly became interested and compelled to look at this thing. It looked like a promising start to get out of going broke. It was surprising to Grant that a computer could ever produce something that he would actually be fond of. "Watch this," Billy exclaimed. He put his mouth up to the chamber, which almost looked like a giant seashell.
As he blew, haunting noises came out. They were noises and sounds that Grant vividly remembered from ten years ago. They made him shudder as they brought back all the horrors, all the nightmares back into his brain. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Ok, ok, Billy, that's enough," Grant said, shaking his head. He didn't ever want to think of Jurassic Park again. It made him want to hurl.
"Don't you like it," Billy asked surprised.
"Of course I do. This is really a breakthrough, Billy," Grant said, trying to force those sounds out of his head. Just then, there was a knock on one of the posts of the tent. Grant whirled around to see a man in a white overcoat, with sunglasses and a brown mustache. It was the same man that had been talking to Marty Guitierrez before.
"Dr. Grant," the man asked. Grant wasn't sure how to react. Depending on who this person was, he wasn't sure if he was in the mood to talk. He simply nodded, hoping this man would get straight to the point. "I'm Paul Kirby from Kirby Enterprises," the man smiled, putting out his hand. Grant forced himself to shake it and the man handed him a business card.
Grant pleaded within himself for this man to get to the point as to why he was there and why no one had came and told him that a vehicle was coming toward the site. That was part of the program at the dig site. Grant was always supposed to know if someone was coming to the site as soon as someone saw a vehicle moving toward the site. However, it was possible that the man had gotten there before Grant did. Even then, Billy should've told Grant that he was there.
"It may take a bit to talk about it.so I was curious if you wouldn't mind to have dinner with my wife and I tonight at Hell Creek Bar and Grill."
"That's a generous offer Mr. Kirby, but I'm a very busy man."
"It will be my treat," Paul said. "Dr. Grant, it is very imperative to me that you take this offer."
"I. I'm really tired. I've just got back from a very long trip," Grant said. "Perhaps some other time."
"We'd love to," Billy said interrupting. "Both of us."
Grant gave Billy an odd look. Grant thought, "What's he up to? When Billy decides things for me something is usually wrong. I hope he isn't up to anything with this guy."
"Great," Paul said. "See you guys tonight at 8:30 P.M.?"
"Sounds fine," Billy said. "Right Alan?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Grant said." Thank you Mr. Kirby."
"Thank you," Paul said. "See you later. Non smoking section." The strange man walked back in the direction of his car. It was actually a large black limousine with a man wearing black standing there waiting for him with the door open for him to get in. He got in and the driver shut the door and jumped into the driver's seat. The limo started and went away from the dig site. Grant and Billy watched the vehicle leave the dig site at a very fast speed. It looked almost that this man was in a hurry for some strange reason.
"Rich people are untrustworthy," Grant said turning toward Billy. The boy just smiled at him. "We'd love to? Do you know that man?"
Billy smiled. "Actually he's been here for about two hour just waiting for you to show up. I guess it took him a long time to realize that you were here."
"Why didn't you tell me that he was here when I arrived," Grant asked angrily.
Billy shook his head. "It slipped my mind. Seriously. I'm sorry."
Grant shook his head. "Well I guess I can't stay mad at you. You're my most trusted student, and well, I need the help from anyone that's still interested in the dinosaur bones." Grant sighed and started walking. Billy fell into step with him. "Come on. Let's get going. We don't have long before we have to leave for that meeting, and I need a shower."
"I need one too I guess," Billy said nodding, and they both walked toward the truck.
The two got in the truck and drove away from the dig site as the sun began to set over the horizon.
Payne, and Jim Taylor
Tuesday, July 12, 1999 Snakewater, Montana
It was peaceful in The Badlands of Snakewater Montana. A body of water reflecting the setting sun behind the clouds in the sky surrounded a light brown strip of land, dotted with several tents, trailers, and crevices dug in the ground. It was quiet. Just the sound of the birds singing in the background and the calm wind weaving through the shrubs and trees in the area was amazing to anyone that came by. And on one part of the land, people had made a large imprint in the earth. It formed around a skeleton of a five-foot tall and seven-foot long body of a Velociraptor.
A handsome young man of about twenty-five was bent down over the fossilized animal. He had dark brown hair and had little areas of stubble here and there. He was muscular and wore a black t-shirt with cargo pants. Across from him was a beautiful young woman of about the same age with black hair. She wore white shorts and a blue flannel shirt. She looked up at Billy with admiration. They were both digging and dusting the fossil.
"Um, Billy," the woman asked to get his attention. "Can you come here for a minute?" Billy Brennan put his tools down and crawled over next to her. "Can you show me how to tell which is bone, and which is rock? I have a really hard time with it." She smiled.
Billy chucked and took her hand. "Look," he said, placing her hand on the crevices. "The rock is very rough, see, Cheryl? But then put your hand on the bone, and it's smooth." He looked up at her to see if she was watching. She nodded. He kept putting her hand between the bone and the rock. "Rough, smooth, rough, smooth," he chuckled. She looked up at him with a smile.
Cheryl Logan put her fingers on his unshaven chin. "Rough," she smiled. She then put her fingers on his lips. "Smooth," she said, leaning closer to him. Billy seemed to get really nervous of her doing this and started to back away.
"Please stop," Billy said. "That makes me uncomfortable."
"I'm sorry Billy," Cheryl replied. "I just thought-"
"You thought wrong," Billy cut her off angrily.
"Sorry Billy," Cheryl said, feeling extremely uncomfortable now from being around this boy that she thought she knew well enough of flirt around with.
Suddenly, this was interrupted when Billy heard the familiar noise of a motor from a truck. He turned to see a dirty blue pickup truck pulling up near they dig, kicking up dust behind. Billy smiled, stood up, and left Cheryl to continue her work a little upset about the way the boy had acted.
Billy approached a man with a fedora on that was getting out of the truck. "Alan! Good to see you back! How'd your presentation go," Billy asked.
Grant just shook his head and grunted. "They just don't care anymore, Billy. They just don't care," Grant replied. Billy nodded gravely. He knew that the digging they were doing here was hanging by its last thread. It all depended on people's interest. Otherwise, how would they make money? "How'd you hold down things here?"
"Fantastic! Wait till I show you this! You're going to love what I did with the raptor skull data," Billy said enthusiastically putting his arm around the older man's shoulder.
Grant smiled. Billy reminded him of himself when he was that age. But Grant was much more of a traditionalist than Billy, who believed any advancement in technology that would help them with digging was worth using.
"Does it have to do with computers, Billy?" Grant smirked.
"I know how much you love them, right?" Billy patted him on the back. Billy picked up his backpack and the two headed across the dig site to a nearby tent at the opposite end. They entered quickly and Billy brought Grant to a table where a large machine that covered the entire support stood on. Billy leaned over it and looked Grant in the eye. "Meet the future of Paleontology! This is a rapid prototyper," he told Grant.
"Then I guess it can dig," Grant teased. Billy just shook his head and smiled.
"I entered the scan data from the raptor skull. This baby sculpts it perfectly," Billy explained, opening the top lid. Several shavings were nested around the opening. He blew them away and carefully pulled out a modal of some sort of bone or body part. "I introduce to you a raptor's resonating chamber!"
Grant's smirk suddenly turned to a serious face. He suddenly became interested and compelled to look at this thing. It looked like a promising start to get out of going broke. It was surprising to Grant that a computer could ever produce something that he would actually be fond of. "Watch this," Billy exclaimed. He put his mouth up to the chamber, which almost looked like a giant seashell.
As he blew, haunting noises came out. They were noises and sounds that Grant vividly remembered from ten years ago. They made him shudder as they brought back all the horrors, all the nightmares back into his brain. He closed his eyes and rubbed his forehead. "Ok, ok, Billy, that's enough," Grant said, shaking his head. He didn't ever want to think of Jurassic Park again. It made him want to hurl.
"Don't you like it," Billy asked surprised.
"Of course I do. This is really a breakthrough, Billy," Grant said, trying to force those sounds out of his head. Just then, there was a knock on one of the posts of the tent. Grant whirled around to see a man in a white overcoat, with sunglasses and a brown mustache. It was the same man that had been talking to Marty Guitierrez before.
"Dr. Grant," the man asked. Grant wasn't sure how to react. Depending on who this person was, he wasn't sure if he was in the mood to talk. He simply nodded, hoping this man would get straight to the point. "I'm Paul Kirby from Kirby Enterprises," the man smiled, putting out his hand. Grant forced himself to shake it and the man handed him a business card.
Grant pleaded within himself for this man to get to the point as to why he was there and why no one had came and told him that a vehicle was coming toward the site. That was part of the program at the dig site. Grant was always supposed to know if someone was coming to the site as soon as someone saw a vehicle moving toward the site. However, it was possible that the man had gotten there before Grant did. Even then, Billy should've told Grant that he was there.
"It may take a bit to talk about it.so I was curious if you wouldn't mind to have dinner with my wife and I tonight at Hell Creek Bar and Grill."
"That's a generous offer Mr. Kirby, but I'm a very busy man."
"It will be my treat," Paul said. "Dr. Grant, it is very imperative to me that you take this offer."
"I. I'm really tired. I've just got back from a very long trip," Grant said. "Perhaps some other time."
"We'd love to," Billy said interrupting. "Both of us."
Grant gave Billy an odd look. Grant thought, "What's he up to? When Billy decides things for me something is usually wrong. I hope he isn't up to anything with this guy."
"Great," Paul said. "See you guys tonight at 8:30 P.M.?"
"Sounds fine," Billy said. "Right Alan?"
"I suppose it wouldn't hurt," Grant said." Thank you Mr. Kirby."
"Thank you," Paul said. "See you later. Non smoking section." The strange man walked back in the direction of his car. It was actually a large black limousine with a man wearing black standing there waiting for him with the door open for him to get in. He got in and the driver shut the door and jumped into the driver's seat. The limo started and went away from the dig site. Grant and Billy watched the vehicle leave the dig site at a very fast speed. It looked almost that this man was in a hurry for some strange reason.
"Rich people are untrustworthy," Grant said turning toward Billy. The boy just smiled at him. "We'd love to? Do you know that man?"
Billy smiled. "Actually he's been here for about two hour just waiting for you to show up. I guess it took him a long time to realize that you were here."
"Why didn't you tell me that he was here when I arrived," Grant asked angrily.
Billy shook his head. "It slipped my mind. Seriously. I'm sorry."
Grant shook his head. "Well I guess I can't stay mad at you. You're my most trusted student, and well, I need the help from anyone that's still interested in the dinosaur bones." Grant sighed and started walking. Billy fell into step with him. "Come on. Let's get going. We don't have long before we have to leave for that meeting, and I need a shower."
"I need one too I guess," Billy said nodding, and they both walked toward the truck.
The two got in the truck and drove away from the dig site as the sun began to set over the horizon.