I don't know how many people will actually read this, but I enjoyed writing this. Enjoy reading it!
Badlands, Makoshika State Park, Mt.
In the middle of the Montana Badlands, Dr. Emily Grant set down the large paintbrush she was using and reached for her leather-bound journal and pen. In front of her was a partially unearthed fossil. She suspected it was the fibula of some sort of large therapod, though it was hard to tell.
Emily sat up and opened her journal to the marked page, where she'd sketched a map of the dig site and dated the page, May 1st, 2012. Carefully, she marked the bone on the page. Without looking up, Emily asked, "Who's got the GPS?"
"I do. You need it?" Casey Reid, the assistant chief of Emily's field team, paleobotanist and her boyfriend, held up a handheld GPS.
"Yeah," Emily set down her pen, "Toss it over." Casey tossed it to Emily, who caught it and set about marking the exact location of the bone. Even though it was only she could feel the sweat gathering on the back of her neck and where her t-shirt was tucked into her khaki shorts.
She set the GPS down, made a note about the position of the bone and went back to sweeping dirt away. This was her first week back on the dig site this year, and it marked her third year as head of the Paleontological Field Team at the Museum of the Rockies.
"Dr. Grant," one of the students spoke up from across the dig, "I think I've got something."
Emily passed her brush to Casey, "Work on this a bit, will you?" Casey took the brush and nodded. Emily just adjusted her fedora, and stood, picking her way among her field team and the rocky ground to reach the student.
"What'd you think you've got Ava?" Emily crouched next to the student, who was studying to get her bachelor's degree at the University of Montana if Emily remembered correctly.
"I was thinking metatarsal, maybe of a therapod." Ava sat back, brush in hand.
Emily dropped out of her crouch and to her knees, leaning forward to look over the bone, "Certainly looks like it. Keep exposing it and we'll cast it in a minute."
Ava nodded and got back to work. Another one of the students, who had been mixing plaster, came jogging over, "Dr. Grant, there's someone here to see you. I, uh, had them step into the tent if that's okay."
Emily sighed, it was probably someone from some other university, trying to get her to come work for them. Or worse, some dinosaur fanatic here to bombard Emily with questions about Jurassic Park.
She pulled off her fedora to run a hand through her hair, "Yeah, that's fine. I'll talk to them."
"I'll come with." Casey stood and walked over to Emily.
"No, it's fine, I can handle it."
"You might need back up."
Emily sighed, "Fine."
They started up the small hill, heading for the large canvas tent, where they were storing some cast fossils and some equipment, along with spare supplies and several dusty lawn chairs.
Casey pushed the tent flap open in front of Emily and she followed him in. Standing amongst the dusty lawn chairs and cast fossils was a man in a pressed gray suit, his brown hair slicked to one side. He had a briefcase in one hand and was peering at one of the pieces of equipment.
The man turned around as the entered, and Emily brushed her hand off on her shorts before extending it to the man, "Dr. Emily Grant, Head of the Paleontological Field Team at the Museum of the Rockies." The introduction flowed smoothly off her tongue; she'd been making it for three years.
The man shook Emily's hand firmly, "Walter Rutherford. It's a pleasure to meet you Dr. Grant." After they stopped shaking hands, Mr. Rutherford brushed off his hand.
Emily planted her hands on her hips, "So what can I do for you Mr. Rutherford?"
"I have a job offer for you."
Taken aback, Emily answered, "From whom?"
The man smiled, "InGen."
Emily had to make a considerable effort to stop herself from grimacing. InGen had screwed with her life enough, they didn't need to get involved in it again.
But Mr. Rutherford kept going, "Or, more specifically, Jurassic World."
"I'm sorry," Emily managed to give him a smile, "but I'm going to have to decline."
"Dr. Grant, you haven't even-"
Casey stepped forward, between Emily and Mr. Rutherford, "She declined the offer, so get going."
"Casey, it's fine." Emily stepped up next to her boyfriend, "Mr. Rutherford, I'm sorry, but I really am going to have to turn you down."
"I understand, Dr. Grant. It was a pleasure meeting you." And with that, Mr. Rutherford nodded and left the tent, the flap swinging shut behind him.
Emily turned to face Casey, "You didn't have to get after him like that."
He shrugged, his tone light, "I came to give you backup, so I don't know what you expected."
The paleontologist rolled her eyes, trying not to think about InGen, or, more specifically, Jurassic Park, "You of all people should know that we Grants don't often need backup."
Glendive, Mt.
Emily stepped out of the bar, letting the door swing shut behind her. Her field team had met up with her father's team in Glendive, at the bar they usually frequented if they were in the area.
It had been several weeks since Mr. Rutherford had showed up at her dig site, but Emily had since received at least three more emails from various persons at Jurassic World. She'd ignored every single one, but that didn't mean that they hadn't unsettled her and stirred up some less than pleasant memories.
Casey had been retelling the story of Mr. Rutherford arriving to her father and his team. And Emily had taken one look at her father's face and claimed she'd left something in her truck, a tan 1995 Ford Ranger with a Museum of the Rockies Department of Paleontology sticker on both sides of the vehicle.
In reality, Emily just really didn't want to sit there and get that look from her dad all evening. The paleontologist sank down onto a bench with a sigh, gaze unfocused as her mind drifted back roughly twenty years.
Emily shifted around. It wasn't very comfortable to be squashed into the back of the jeep, which had just lurched to a halt, nearly throwing her forward into the front seat. Her father reached over and steadied Emily with a hand.
"This shouldn't be here." Ellie had grabbed some large, tropical looking leaf off a plant they had driven past earlier.
Emily scooted forward, looking around to try and figure out why they had stopped. Her father was staring at something off to their left. He pulled off his hat, grabbed the frame of the jeep, and stood. Emily took his hat as shakily pulled off his sunglasses.
"Alan, this species of veriform's been extinct since the Cretaceous period. I mean this thing is the-" Ellie stopped talking as Emily's father reached down and turned her head to the left. Which was when Emily saw it, following Ellie's shocked gaze.
"Emily?"
The paleontologist jumped a little at the sound of her father's voice. He was standing in front of her, the setting sun causing him to cast a shadow over her.
Emily shifted a little in her seat, "Yeah Dad?"
"Did InGen really try to hire you?"
"What, do you think Casey's lying?"
"Emily Cate Grant, did InGen try to hire you?!" Her father's voice rose a little, and Emily could tell by how tense his shoulders were that he was getting pretty mad.
She sighed, "Yes, and I turned them down."
Her father swore under his breath, then muttered tersely, "Well, they certainly like messing with our lives…"
"You can say that again," Emily deadpanned.
Her father sat down beside her, trademark fedora atop his head, "They haven't bothered you since?"
"Well…" Emily looked away, hand rubbing the back of her neck, "They've sent me three emails since then."
"And you didn't think to tell me?!"
"Dad, I'm 29, I can handle myself," Emily looked back at her father, "Besides, I really don't need you sending them a bunch of angry emails."
Her father sighed, removing his fedora to run a hand through his hair.
Emily reached over and set a hand on his knee, "Really Dad, it's fine. They'll quit bothering me eventually. Once they realize that I'll never work for them."
Her father covered her hand with his own and deadpanned, "You can say that again."
So there you go. Emily, Casey and Ava are all my characters. Feel free to leave a review, they really do help with motivation. And, you don't even need an account to review, if you didn't know that.
