San Jose: John Brown and his team walked past the InGen Field Office without a second thought as they headed further downtown. John was consulting his OMP, the first in what was believed to be a revolution in portability with the personal data assistant. Or it would be if the battery life wasn't so poor, amongst other issues, when dealing with technology in its infancy. But by always being on the forefront with technology, it allowed him to stay one ahead of the competition.
"So where to now, boss?" asked Jeff Thomas. Though he was technically in charge of John's little taskforce and led them on plenty of assignments without the executive present, Jeff often deferred to him out of respect.
"According to the data I entered earlier, the last taxi company is located at…," said John and then the screen went dark. "Stupid batteries."
He fished around in his pockets for more as Jeff pulled out a piece of paper and a map.
"This is why the pen and paper will always be better than hard drives and circuit boards," Jeff espoused.
"It's people like you that make me sick," responded Cassie. "Once the Internet takes off, that's when pen and paper will become obsolete."
"The Internet?" asked Lorne suddenly confused. "What's that?"
Cassie's mouth almost began to salivate at that. "A new revolution in information technology where computers will be able to talk to other computers and display information that anyone all over the world can access. And then one day, PDAs and phones might be able to access it to providing more information at your fingertips than you can find in some dumb old phonebook."
"We'll see," said Jeff a little doubtful about her statements as he looked at the map in his hands. Cassie was about to protest when John cut her off before she went into some tech heavy explanation and then forgot why she was talking about it in the first place.
"Let's just keep moving, we've still got a lot more work to do today," he told them while silently hoping that someone at the next cab company they were going to would recognize either their photos of Lewis Dodgson or Dennis Nedry in the hopes they could pin down where the met up so that Nedry got his bribe for the embryos.
InGen Field Office: Henry and Jake were fanning themselves in the heat as a Compy in a tiny cage nearby was curled up trying to stay cool. The field office was a relatively moderate sized building and wasn't responsible for very much in the overall scheme of things. Its duties would've increased once Jurassic Park opened, but with that unlikely to happen, the building was still largely devoid of personnel and was run by Daniela on Indigo.
"If it's not one thing it's the next," commented Daniela on the conference call, having been filled in on the demise of the investigation and A-2 aka the dilophosaur.
"Did the animal deliberately leave Nublar or was it because of other factors?" asked Ludlow on his end.
"It's too difficult to tell," said Gerry from Sorna. "From the reports it doesn't sound like it matters since it washed up dead anyway."
"Did the lysine contingency kick in?" asked Ludlow next.
"Can't tell either, the sample we collected from the corpse was useless," Henry revealed.
"But the contingency is now in effect right?" asked Ludlow.
"Hypothetically," said Jake noncommittally. It had been a week since the Jurassic Park incident, to all of them it felt much longer, and that was when the lysine deprivation would start kicking in to cause them to slip into a coma.
"What does that mean?" asked Daniela a little worried.
"He's just saying that we don't know what will happen beyond just theories. We've got some of our scientists about to run a trial on how some of our stock will react when deprived of lysine and we'll know the results in another week. Until then, I'd recommend staying away from Nublar," Henry recommended. Ludlow's sigh was heard over the phone.
"I have the President of Costa Rica constantly calling me demanding to know what's going on with that island," he informed them. "I can't just tell him to wait another week before we begin procedures to demolish the island."
"So blow him off," said Jake simply. There was a group of collective groans at that.
"It's not that easy," Ludlow pointed out, although he knew Jake was aware of that.
"It's just a week, tell him you had business and couldn't be reached," Jake responded. "Besides, it's probably going to take a full week just to finish getting everything together to go forward with the operation."
"He does have a point," Daniela reluctantly admitted. "We can't do anything while those dinosaurs live and breathe."
"On that I agree," said Ludlow. "Very well, then. I will draw up the plans we developed for the dismantling of Nublar and see about implementing them."
"How much would it cost to implement those plans?" Lori asked.
"A lot," Ludlow told him. "That's why we've cut your fuel budget to nothing."
"We will get replenished in 88 days right?" Sam asked hopeful.
"We'll see," said Ludlow refusing to give an answer. "Now if the rest of you will sign off, I have a couple of matters to discuss with Doctors Wu and Whitacre."
The others said they're goodbyes and then all that was left were the three individuals. Henry and Jake were wondering if something was going to hit the fan and if they should look for cover.
"I understand John Brown met with you two yesterday," Ludlow told them. The two scientists shared a look before turning to look at the phone.
"Yeah, that's right," Jake confirmed. "Something wrong with that?"
"Did he know what was on that beach?" Ludlow asked, desperately needing to know.
"He didn't come right out and say it, but I believe he knew," Henry answered. They could hear a loud exhale from the other end didn't sound too good to their ears.
"Did he say anything else?" Ludlow asked next.
"Not really, just that he hoped we were still alive in 90 days," said Jake pointedly. Whatever John's other comment that day had meant, Henry and Jake weren't sure and so they kept silent about it. It was clear Ludlow didn't like the guy and they didn't need a more volatile situation on their hands.
"If he ever confronts you again, tell him that if he has anything to say about me or this company that he should be talking to me, not you," said Ludlow decisively.
"Okay," said Jake uncertain as to how to respond to that comment. "Was there anything else?"
"Is Project ELE a viable option if Sorna suffers the same fate as Nublar or was it just something you two cooked up out of boredom as some kind of joke?" Ludlow asked after a few moments of silence.
"We created Project ELE with Doctor Graves and yes, it is a viable option," Henry answered. "But it is a last resort option and once implemented is not something you can just walk away from without consequences."
"And it won't work on Nublar?" asked Ludlow. Jake shook his head knowing the gesture was useless without Ludlow being in the room.
"It wasn't designed for Nublar because we never planned for anything going wrong and if something did happen after the facility became fully active, Nublar was supposed to be more heavily staffed and any breakouts easily contained," Jake produced him. "Plus there's one more important factor. ELE is only effective as long as the fences work and the animals are contained. If the fences fail, then we could do our best, but it would only get more and more difficult to ensure complete success as time went on. I'm sure you've read the timeline we'd need to properly implement the project on Sorna including the last date before it would become too late to finish the project before fence failure."
"Yes I have read the timeline," Ludlow told them. "If we decide to go through with the plan, I will let you know."
"You realize we have the ability to authorize the plan ourselves," Henry told him.
"Not without Doctor Graves you don't," Ludlow reminded them and then he hung up. The two scientists listened to the dial tone for several moments before Jake hit the speaker button and leaned back in his chair.
"Out of the kitchen…," he began. Henry nodded his head.
"I wonder where Gustavius is, though," the scientist wondered aloud. Jake waved his concern off.
"Remember he was working on some project with glucocorticoids. He probably just got so wrapped up in things he lost track of time," Jake figured.
"But he started that project two years ago and we haven't seen him in six months," Henry said at a loss. Jake shrugged as he got up and began rummaging through a nearby cabinet.
"We all have our priorities," he answered cryptically before pulling out the files he needed and dropping them on the desk.
"What's this?" Henry asked looking at the stack.
"One of the benefits with the lack of personnel is that all the HR work in this building is subcontracted out, but all the paperwork has to stay here," Jake explained as he pulled out a second stack and placed it on the desk as well. "Daniela was right. While I think worrying about dinosaurs breeding is a big issue, we can't forget that somebody reassigned almost all the personnel on Nublar to Indigo and Sorna. We need to find out who did that and more importantly, why. All HR reassignments filter through this building so you check your stack and I'll check mine and we'll see what we come up with."
Henry looked at him suspiciously. "What have you done with Jake Whitacre? The Jake I know hates paperwork."
"Can it," said Jake immediately and began digging through his stack. Henry chuckled at that and also began searching through his.
Berkley, San Diego: Richard Levine was once more on the phone with Marty Gutierrez.
"A dilophosaur, I'd have loved to see that," Levine said dreamily.
"It was a horrible site seeing that thing dead on the side of the beach. As I told Whitacre and Wu, we need only one of those bastards loose and it'll be a bloodbath," Gutierrez said, fearful, disgusted and terrified at that prospect. He had checked up and down the beach the previous day and found no tracks leading to the jungle. He just hoped they hadn't been washed away by the tide.
"But what a great study it would create by observing these animals in a habitat that was almost the same as it was sixty-five million years ago," Levine continued oblivious to Marty's concerns. And Marty was hardly surprised by his employer's comments. The man had dinosaurs on the brain through and through.
"Are you going to be ready in a week?" Levine continued, moving past the incident and onto more important matters.
"Yes," Gutierrez said affirmatively. "I really need to get a good look at their security procedures to ensure that no dinosaurs can escape that island regardless of what happens."
"I agree. I'd like the opportunity to study these creatures before any other scientists can lay a claim on studying them," Levine figured would happen eventually if InGen couldn't make a profit otherwise. "I'll be ready on my end and then we'll meet you in San Jose and head on out."
"I look forward to it," Gutierrez said and hung up his phone. Levine hung up his phone and then turned to his two assistants who had just walked in and taken a seat on the other side.
"So, are you two going to be ready for a fun weekend?" he asked of them.
"I guess," said one of his students, a young African-American teenager named R.B. 'Arby' Benton. A relative genius when it came to using computers, Levine often had him perform any and all of his clerical work. "You haven't really told us much about what we'll be seeing or doing other than travelling to some resort island to look over their stuff."
"Yeah and I don't see what that has to do with me since my field is animal behavioral studies," said his other assistant, a young attractive blonde Caucasian woman named Kelly Curtis. She was dressed in a white tank top with a plaid button down shit left unbuttoned and a pair of jean shorts in an intentional attempt to look like her personal hero, Sarah Harding.
"We'll be seeing lions, tigers, and bears, oh my, what a world what a world," said Levine with a big smile at that. Kelly rolled her eyes at that while Arby wasn't sure what that was a reference to. Levine then reached into his briefcase and pulled out a couple of documents.
"I just need you two to sign these before you go," he informed them. Kelly looked at the legal document that was full of jargon she didn't fully understand.
"InGen?" asked Arby looking at the logo at the top of the page. "I didn't know they were moving into the resort market."
"Well they are and they aren't," said Levine cryptically. "It'll make more sense when we get there. This document basically means that you won't talk about what you see on that island with anyone other than Richard, Marty, myself, and authorized InGen personnel."
Arby was reading through the document line by line to make sure there weren't any surprises or caveats he'd need to be aware of that might cause problems later. Satisfied, he signed the document and Kelly upon seeing his actions signed hers as well, knowing that Arby would never lead her wrong. They'd been close friends for many years and were always watching out for the other.
"This isn't going to be like what happened in the Florida Keys, right?" Kelly had to ask hesitantly. Levine had taken them down to the Keys a couple years back in the search of some bog monster and had ended with them fending off a group of hungry gators. Levine had then paid them good money to never mention that incident to anyone ever again.
"No comment," he responded as Kelly immediately dropped her head on the desk and Arby lightly patted her on the back sympathetically.
"Well, see you in here in a week," Levine continued and then collected his things and beat a hasty retreat from the room. Kelly sat back up and then leaned her head back for a moment trying to clear her thoughts. She then turned her head to look at Arby who just stared at her silently.
"What does InGen do?" she asked lazily.
"Genetics Research amongst other things," he responded. Kelly groaned and then slowly got up as Arby did the same. Kelly just shook her head before giving a mild smirk.
"This time you get to wrestle whatever we come across," she told him as Arby blanched out at that thought. Kelly laughed and the two left the room and the problems of the upcoming week behind.
Indigo: Daniela sat across from Ross Daniels, one of the managers of Site C.
"Ross, I've known you for a very long time now. You, me, the rest of the managers, we created a system on this island that would ensure the safety of Nublar and Sorna. We worked hard and were paid well for our work and I thought we were all happy here," Daniela began, dismayed at what had happened. "And then you sold us out."
Ross's expression turned to shock at that.
"What are you talking about?" he demanded, angry at what it was Daniela had said.
"You told Michaels who told Stevens to let Nedry pass through customs with only a cursory check!" she responded, not backing down.
"Yes, I did," Ross agreed. His flat out admittance of the truth caused Daniela to begin doubting her earlier assessment.
"Why? Letting Nedry pass gave him the opportunity to try and bring down Jurassic Park and steal InGen assets!" she informed him a little irate. "So why did you choose that day of all days to not check him when something was up?"
"Because you told me to!" answered Ross angrily. Daniela's jaw dropped once more at that.
"WHAT?" shouted Daniela so loud that she was sure her secretary heard it through the concrete wall. "I never told you to do that."
"You're right," said Ross backing down. "Not verbally, but I got a message through the company intranet from you telling me to let Nedry pass."
"I never sent you any message," Daniela disagreed with him, shaking her head to further the point.
"Well I definitely got one from you. If I could use your computer," Ross requested. Daniela nodded and stepped aside and Ross accessed her computer and then his electronic mail.
"That's odd," he said with his eyebrows scrunched together. "That message isn't here anymore."
"Uh-huh," said Daniela, trying not to sound doubtful. Ross leaned back in the chair thoughtfully before shrugging.
"Glad I printed it out then," Ross revealed and got up and left with a skeptical Daniela to his office.
San Jose: John and his team were at the last taxi cab company as Cassie was looking through their computer records for the information they needed as Jeff spoke with the head of the company. John for his part was on his cellular phone talking with his CEO and promising that his efforts to pin what happened with InGen on Biosyn were starting to bear fruit.
"Yeah, thanks boss," said John grateful that he had been allowed to continue his efforts and then hung up his phone as Lorne approached.
"You've got something?" he asked, hopeful. The psychologist nodded his head.
"Cassie's digging in the records brought up a name of a cabbie we think could be the match we're looking for," Lorne told him and then looked at the sheet of paper in his hands. "His logs indicate he took an American passenger from the airport to a local café and there's a scribbled note about him refusing to close the door of the cab when he exited the vehicle."
"Could be our man," John agreed, although really that description could've fit anyone. "Cassie, Steven and I will hit up this café, you and Jeff go find this cabbie and question him."
Lorne nodded and went to talk to Jeff who nodded his head and pulled out a wad of bills and paid the man and the group exited the building.
"Poke around for however long you can and we'll meet up back at the local office," John ordered. The group nodded their heads and then the two teams went their separate ways.
From a vehicle across the street, Howard King watched them go and wrote down what notes he could about their actions.
InGen Field Office, HQ: "This isn't possible," said Jake looking through the stack as Henry nodded his head, equally mystified.
"Too weird, how can the transfer papers not be in here," he agreed. "But they had to have been issued otherwise how would they have known to leave in the first place?"
"Maybe John was right," Jake wondered before shaking his head. "Or maybe he just likes muttering nonsense to make us think something is wrong."
"That too," Henry agreed. "I don't know, maybe digging in the computer system might reveal something."
"Okay, do you know how to do that?" Jake asked, next. Henry scratched his chin thoughtfully.
"Nope, but I'm sure Tim and Sheila would be happy to help out," Henry figured with a big grin on his face. Jake groaned heavily at that suggestion.
"I'll bet they will," he grumbled. Tim would do it but likely hold reservations about the extra work without being verbal about it. Sheila would never let them hear the end of it before starting on the work.
"So what now?" asked Henry. Jake leaned back in his chair and propped up his feet.
"Well my first idea would be to buy a ton of shaving can creams to drive Daniela crazy. But I'm afraid that she actually will go nuts so that's not a good idea," Jake mused. "Let's go see Hammond."
Henry wanted to tell his friend that was a bad idea considering Ludlow's current mood. But then again it wasn't like they'd been forbidden to see their boss.
"How about after the inspection?" he asked, instead. Jake nodded his head.
"Okay. So I guess we need hit up one of the local juice bars because Carly said she's dying for a pineapple smoothie," Jake told him. Henry laughed at that.
"She's got you wrapped around her finger," he pointed out as the two left the building.
"Just like a DNA Helix," Jake quipped and the two proceeded down the road towards a café, a café that was also the destination of John Brown and his team.