C8: Athena

xxx Hell Creek Formation, Montana xxx

Athena sighed as she sat back in her chair. While normally she would be back at Olympus for the trial of Ares. Her previous obligations and appointments had her here, flying over Montana. Her mortal transport, an AW101, whirled and roared across the landscape as two of her older sons flew her to the meeting spot. She had hit an unexpected snag when she went use her Goddess vision to view the islands of Las Cinco Muertes and Isla Nublar. The islands were coated in a primitive mist. Now while they controlled the mist to confuse and blind regular mortals to the mythological world and keep it hidden. Primitive mist was used by those beings of power from before the time of Olympus. Even Zeus couldn't move or look through it.

So while normally she would never meet mortals about Olympian business. She needed a connection onto the islands to see through the primitive mist. While she knew that Artemis would gladly march the hunt onto the island and could convince the animal to go with them. Athena calculated this would be the better route. She had researched the mortals involved in the earlier accidents involving these islands. Her first pick to interview was going to be Roland Tembo, a big game hunter from Kenya. He had been an expedition leader for when Peter Ludlow attempted to raid Isla Sorna for the population of Jurassic Park: San Deigo. He had went with his long time friend and hunting companion Ajay Sidhu. It was safe to assume that Ajay had perished on the island as Roland had flown back to Kenya alone. Unfortunately Roland had passed away two and a half years ago in his sleep at his ranch. Leaving only his journal behind for her to read later. With Roland unavailable to begin a mortal search to track where the animal had been. Athena quickly called and setup up this appointment which she was now flying to. To make it even better, another from the list would also be present.

Down below at the dig site Dr. Alan Grant spotted the helicopter approaching with a pair of binoculars. It was nice to see these big important types kept to an appointment time. With the unannounced arrival of Dr. Hammond in 1993 and then the Kirbys in 2001 it was a fresh change. The memory of the Kirbys brought a frown to his face. Back in 2001 both himself and Billy Brennan, his assitant at the time, had been approached by the Kirbys. He had orginally bought into the millionaire look they were sporting. But during the dinner that the husband and wife duo had invited him to. He had noted how anxious they seemed as they shot their proposal for Grant to be their tour guide for a fly over of Isla Sorna. Which was highly illegal as the islands were no fly zones.

After the dinner he decided to call home to his wife Elizabeth Grant, formly Hammond/Murphy, and now step daughter Alexis or 'Lex'. A quick background from Lex had confirmed what Grant had suspected. Kirby Enterprises didn't exist in any capacity. Instead Paul Kirby owned a small business called Kirby Paint and Tile in Enid, Oklahoma. Armed with thise information when the Kirbys called the next morning. Alan declined the offer since they had been lying about the money. Unfortunatly he had been unable to warn Billy, who had accepted the offer. Both Billy and the Kirbys were still listed on the missing person lists to this day. Grant knew the day the profiles went up. That something had went wrong, and all three had most likely perished on the island.

As the helicopter approached a static crackle emitted from the radio on his belt. It was probably the pilot trying to signal Alan to ask where to land Unsnapping the device from his belt. He proceeded to adjust the knobs until the voice of the pilot rang through.

"Attention, attention," the pilot called. "This is Air 1 paging Dr. Alan Grant. Doctor Grant are you there?"

"This is Grant," his late middle aged voice responded.

"We are on final approach to your campsite. Where would you like us to land?"

"Circle around on the north side and look for the cleared section we've chalked out in white for you."

"Roger that, we should be on the ground shortly." The radio cut off after that.

Grant watched for a few more moments as the transport tilted to circle around as instructed. The landing pads placement put the camper trailers between the dust cloud the copter would produce and the digsite. Keeping damage to the dig at a minimum, hopefully. As he turned to make his way back down the ridge to the back he could hear the warning siren go off. Designed by Lex, if a helicopter entered within range of a low powered radar tower in the center of camp this alarm would go off. Signalling to the crew to cover and protect anything of a sensitive nature within the camp.

After a minute or two of walking, Al had slipped between two trailers on his way to the landing pad. The helicopter had circled around and was now hovering over the described area and begun its safe and slow descent to the ground. He made sure to lower the front rim of his signature hat as it approached the ground so he wouldn't get dust in his face. The flying contraption touched down safely a moment or two later as the sounds of the engines powering down filled his ears. Looking up as the engines fully stopped. Grant looked fully at the white AW101 in its vvip trim. The whole setup and look screamed this was a person of great importance within the United States government.

Stepping out of the helicopter with a breifcase in hand, Athena instantly locked her vision onto Dr. Grant. He was dressed in a faded solid red long sleeve collared shirt, brown khaki pants, hiking boots and his signature large brim fedora hat. From his right hip hung the radio he had been using. Stepping over to him she extended her hand in a gesture of a formal handshake.

"Morning Dr. Alan Grant," she greeted, formal tone and frim grip. "Minerva Olympia, thank you for meeting with me on such short notice."

Grant nodded to the raventte woman dressed as very professional secretary. "It's no problem at all Miss Olympia. Just suprising that a government body would want to ask for my help with anything." He answered with a light chuckle. He turned to walk with and lead the woman to the trailer where they would have the meeting.

"Not just you Dr. Grant. Dr. Ian Malcolm is also on the list for interview due to closeness of the subject I wish to discuss. I trust he is still here?"

Grant nodded, "Yes he is."

"Excellent." Was all the response he got from the woman.

Within a few moments a walking. Grant had led her to the front door of his personal rv trailer where the meeting would take place. The label to the right of the door was named 'Pinnacle by Jayco'. It was painted in a triple tone tan configuration with five heavily tinted windows on the wall facing her. Dr. Grant opened and held the door for her before speaking again. "Turn to your left when you enter. The meeting room is in the back."

"Thank you Dr. Grant." Athena responded before entering the trailer. The door lead into the kitchen and dinning area with an island sink as its center piece. She didn't take to long to look around the room before heading to the room Grant said. The room at the back of the trailer was what would be described as the living room. Three love seat sized couches and a single large TV were placed against the walls of the room. Overhead cabinets loomed above the sofas with a center ceiling fan slowly spinning away. Across from Athena sat the other man she had come to see.

Ian Malcolm had been visiting Grant and the kids when the call came in. Sensing the severity in the callers request to meet with them both to discuss InGen. Ian had agreed to return for the meeting in a weeks time. He was silently hoping this would a start to justice finally being observed to the greedy board members and their illegal activities. After the 1993 incident, Ian had attempted to publish a book on the ordeal. Only to find a lawsuit by InGen executives claiming that Ian had signed and now voilated a nondisclosure agreement. The scandal had destroyed his professional career. His reputation was made even worse by the 1997 excursion. The only good thing that had come from dealing with InGen was the steady marriage to his wife, Sarah Harding. As well as his life long friendship to Dr. Alan Grant

He sat on the couch furthest from the door. Dressed in an all black suit and tie. His hair had fully grayed over the years. To which he complimented with a full gray beard. Time overall had been kind to the chaos theory mathematician. His well educated and aged eyes gazed towards Athena as the woman approached him. Standing and extending his hand when he noticed hers.

"Mr. Ian Malcolm," Athena greeted with a professional smile on her face. "Minerva Olympia. Thank you for staying out here with Dr. Grant long enough for me to get out here to talk to you both."

"Oh it's no trouble at all." Ian responded. His eyes glancing over as Grant came in the door. gently closing it behind himself. "When we got your mysterious phone call, it jolted my curiosity as to why a government offical would want to talk me about InGen. Especially since I was labelled a crack pot."

"Yes, I read those reports before coming out here. Frankly, I don't buy those for a moment." Her voice firm as she stepped aside so Grant squeeze by and take the couch directly to her right. With Ian now across the room from her. With all room occupaints in the room and seated, this meeting could begin.

"First off, I would like to extend thanks on behalf of myself and the agency I represent for you two gentlemen meeting with me on such short notice." Athena began as she sat down while opening the briefcase. When she withdrew her hand, a manilla folder came with it. On it label tag it read 'First Contact'. When she opened the folder The only thing that could be seen for now was a detailed satelitte image. The image contained heavy tree cover and three bright yellow intersecting lines. One came from the lower left, going in a tilted S-shape. Labeled 'Highway 666', it ran to roughly center mass of the photo. Meeting and terminating at another roadline, labeled 'Highway 948'. This highway line ran up from the bottom right corner of the picture. Until it to terminated with the third road line in a little town named Sheffield, Pennslyvania. The reamining road had the entire upper half of the portrait. Swooping from the upper left in a U-shape before leaving off on the right side. 'U.S Highway 6' it was called. In the lower center of the image was red pen circle around a small body of water along the roadway of 666. Pulling a voice recorder from her pocket. She pressed the recording button, she began.

"It began several months ago when the local populace near the Allegheny National Forest began to report distrubing animal finds. Pieces of wild deer, an arm, leg or prehaps its head would be found. Completely alone, no other signs the rest of the body existed at all. Naturally the local authority believed it to be the work of a large cat. Maybe a mountain lion or an exotic pet turned feral. Not unreseaonable, seeing as what looked to be claw marks and lacerations coiuld be found on the body parts. That was, until this photo was taken."

Sliding the first picture aside, Athena showed the next. This picture made Alan and Ian sit all the way up. It was the picture of a footprint. But not just any footprint. It was a large three toe print. the impression had been made in the muddy bank of the nearby water source. Inatantly, the two men had a moment of brief flashback of the only animal ther both knew of, that could leave that print. The foot was aimed towards the water. In their minds, they could see the great animal drinking after a freshly made kill.

"Please tell me this is a bad joke." Was all Ian could muster to say as he stared at the footprint photograph.

"That is why I am here." Athena retorted with a dead serious voice. "To determine if this is a hoax. If not, what species this is. Plus the possibility that InGen is covering up an animal escaping to the mainland. A major violation of the saftey clause they have to maintain to stay in business."

Grant slowly lifted the image from the table for a closer examination under his mark one eyeball. He still remembered that night so vividly. The snarls, growls and roars. Having to hold Lex's mouth closed so she wouldn't scream and alert the ancient ruler of Jurassic Park. Tim still trapped in the explorer as the animal effortlessly shoved it over the wall. Oh how he hoped this was a fake. An elaborate hoax put on by someone with no understanding of a practical joke.

"Have their any missing person reports filed since this photo was taken?" Ian asked while Grant continued to examine the photo. He to was experiancing flashback to that night and the two nights he had spent on Isla Sorna four years later.

"None that pertain to the areas of the dismembered animals." Athena replied

"What height was this photo taken at?" Grant asked. Pushing the memories of the T-rex away from now. He needed to focus on the current task before him.

"Around 1.2 meters high at an angle of roughly sixty-five degrees." Was the response he recieved.

The fossil expert nodded to the woman's answer. Reaching into his right hip pocket. he pulled out a small black covered notepad and short pencil. He began to write down every detail he noticed in the photograph. hoping to find something to prove that this was a hoax.

"Mr. Malcolm," Athena called. Drawing the man's attention back to the woman. "On the chance that this isn't a hoax. Could this animal have come from any of the islands that InGen have leased from the Coasta Rican Government? Isla Nublar and The Las Cinco Muertes Archipelago."

"Oh abosolutely," Ian replied as he leaned back against his couch, "Even though Hammond 'spared no expense' with his original park concept. Their preconceived notions of control were to based on the animals behaving in predictable patterns. They also believed to control animal breeding by genetic singularity while filling the DNA sequence gaps with that of frogs or other amphibians. With the pace that Hammond was keeping to open his park on his time table. I doubted they were checking the species to make sure none of them carried the trait of sex changing in a single sex enviroment."

"They weren't," Grant suddenly chimed in. Looking up from his notepad he added to his statement. "Later on, when Lex, Tim and I were trying to make our way back to the Visitor Center. We stumbled upon a used nest. Eggshells broken and trampled with little foot trails clearly showing healthy babies leaving the nest."

Athena nodded, her pen writing furiously as the men talked. The Goddes of Knowlegde she maybe, but hard written and voice recording evidence would be important, and to an extent required, for the mortal courts. She was silently grateful that these two men had no problem talking about such a tramatizing event. "Any idea of the babies' species Dr. Grant?" she asked.

Grant nodded as he answered, "Judging based on the foot marks and the local fauna that we saw on the island. I believe the baby species were that of Velociraptor antirrhopus."

Athena raised an eyebrow at Grant's statement. "Isn't that the species that paleontologist Dr. John Ostrum discovered in 1964? But instead has it named as Deinonychus antirrhopus?"

"The same," Grant replied, "The academic community still debates over the name. Though most accept Dr. Ostrum's name for the animal. InGen calling it a Velociraptor was most likely due to both the similarities of Velociraptor mongolienses, just larger, and the book 'Predatory Dinosaurs of the World' by Gregory S. Paul."

Ian joined in. "Could it also be that they may or may not have knowingly blended the two species together? Genetic testing and computations were very primitive back then. Hammond's crew would be sailing blind since no one else had done what he had yet."

"Yes, there is that possiblity to I suppose." Grant retorted. Returning to the photo for a moment. "I'll be damned..."

"Did you spot something Dr. Grant?" Athena asked.

The man nodded, using his finger he pointed to a spot in the photograph. It was a meter or two infront of the footprint. An underwater impression of three distinct fingers buried in the soft mud. A normal investagative eye would miss it due to the water concealing ninty percent of the marks. But, that wasn't the most disturbing sight. That honor belonged to a forth mark. It was angled off to the right of the first three and look just like...

"A thumb?" Alan whispered in slight horror. "A large theropod dinosaur with three fingers and a thumb?"

"Isn't that slightly impossible?" Ian asked. "I know certain dinosaurs are believed to have opposable fingers. Was any discovered with a thumb?"

"Not as we known them." Grant retorted. "Differentiation in the first carpometacarpal joint is only seventy million years old. Plus it was only in early primates. Thumbs as we know didn't appear in the fossil record until roughly five million years ago . If this animal does indeed have a thumbs. Then it's not natural."

Athena stopped writing, pretending to be shocked by the man's words. "Are you certain of this Dr. Grant? This accusation could conflict with the rules that the government passed before Masrani opened the new park. Can you one hundred percent prove that this animal never existed in the fossil record?"

The palentologist nodded confidently while he answered. "I would have to cross reference it through all known fossil records to make it one hundred percent concrete. That said, I'm going on record to say right now that this animal didn't exist naturally."

"How long would it take for you to verify this?"

"If allowed I would like to bring in my step children in on this. Alexis and Timothy are far more computer savy then I will ever be. With their help, The search through the records will go much faster. My wife Elizabeth could also ask for a quarterly report from Masarni and InGen. It was part of deal of the buyout from Hammond."

Athena nodded while she wrote that down. All this information would be very important evidence to the mortal court system when the time came. However, before she continue the meeting, she felt a vibration in her pocket. To be able to avoid either one of these men somehow were clear sighted. She channeled any Iris Message she would get into what looked like a mortal smart phone.

Standing up she made her way to the door. "Excuse me for a moment gentlemen. I'm recieving a phone call." Exiting the room, she continued and made her way outside. Retrieving the device she pressed the answer button and held the phone to her ear.

"Yes? This is Olympia."

"Athena!" Atermis' voice shouted from the other side. Her voice sounding panic. "You need to get back to Olympus as fast as possible! It's about to be war up here."

"Artemis calm down. Take a deep breath and tell me what has happened."

"Zeus teleported the animal back to one of the islands!"

"What?" She asked after a few seconds. Her voice echoed with a deep tone of anger. What in Hades was her father thinking? They needed that animal as part their investation. To have him removed would undermine the whole thing by giving the animal back to the criminals to hide it.

"That's why you need to return fast Athena. Hera is furious and they have both been arguing for the past hour. All of Olympus is shaking from their power. And there is one last thing that makes it worse."

Athena sighed as she rubbed her forehead in exasperation, "How could this situation get worse?"