Chapter 2: A Press Conference
Josiah's POV-
I sat quietly beside my mother. We were seated at the main table of a room in the Government Survival School which had been converted into a committee room. I gazed around at the crowd of people who had gathered to hear me talk about my adventures on Isla Sorna.
While I had been accustomed to seeing myself on TV and being interviewed by the press, I was still surprised at how many people would flock like a herd of Compys whenever I appeared in public.
Some of the reporters trailed by TV cameramen would lean over the makeshift railing just to get a better look at me. Thank god for sunglasses.
Among the people in the seats were Rita and Hector. Eddie was nowhere to be seen. Just as well. I didn't want him to be here.
Cameras flashed and the murmuring was growing louder as more people arrived.
And among those people, with his famous hat on his head, was none other then Dr. Alan Grant. And with him were Paul, Amanda, and Eric Kirby. The reporters and cameramen instantly turned toward them, wanting to interview them as well, but the security boys were there to usher them away.
I glowered at them behind my lens. Particularly to Grant. I would have a few things to say about him when it was my time to talk. And that time couldn't have come sooner. When my name was called up to the podium by the chairwoman, I was nervous at first because these people were much different then students at a school auditorium. My mom gave me another reassuring smile and gestured for me to take the stand. I swallowed, took the microphone in my hand, and began to speak.
"Good afternoon, everyone," I said, taking off my sunglasses. "Thank for coming. Now I know why you have come here today, but I'm not going to talk about Jurassic park of the first island...which I was not privy to be on during my nine week stay on Site B." I saw that several people looked sort of disappointed. "However," I continued. "I will talk about my experience on the island of Isla Sorna."
The people seated close to the main table were taking down notes.
"The island of Site B," I went on, adjusting my collar of my suit. "Is truly a wonderful place. The animals are thriving and flourishing like never before. And I was privileged to document them in their natural habitats. Behavior in their natural environment, the impossible dream of any paleontologist. Now I know that you are all thinking the same thing; how could I've done this right under the Costa Rican government's nose? Well, that's for me to know. I can't give you all the answers, but I can say this; life has found a way."
I saw Grant make a face, like I had said something he had heard before millions of time.
I cleared my throat, "The dinosaurs on the island have been documented by me and me alone. I set myself up in a INGEN town that was a half-mile inland from the beach where I was dropped off. I spent the next few days documenting them as any documentarian with a camera would. I was careful when I did this and I was able to study and write down everything I observed in my journal."
I reached under the podium and took out my journal, raising it high enough so that the crowed in the back could see. Cameras started clicking as some of the people in their seats took pictures. Grant didn't seem all that impressed, but I wasn't here to impress him. I was here to recount my adventures on the island.
"Within theses pages," I continued. "Are written documents of my studies of the dinosaurs and their behaviors. It may not be much in the ways of a true 100% living fossil record, but it's better then nothing." I signaled for the slide-show and a man near the doors dimmed the lights near the white screen behind me. Another projector was brought forward and I stood aside so that I wasn't in the way. Like last time I narrated. The audience kept their voices low, their cameras once again clicking. Each of the pictures showed the different dinosaur species and everyone seemed to like them. Even Grant was a little impressed by how I had done my photography. But when the pictures of the raptors arrived, I felt anticipation grow in my stomach.
Many in the audience, like the students at school, gasped and murmured with excitement. I even caught a glimpse of the Kirby's reaction as they saw how close I was to the dinosaurs. Grant's reaction was almost like the Kirby's, but it was faint. An eyebrow lifted once or twice, but that was it.
I decided that it was time to entertain some questions and asked for a microphone to be pasted around to the people in the front seats. A collage girl asked how I was able to get so close to the dinosaurs. I answered her in a firm voice, "The animals simply got used to me being in their territory, is all. It wasn't that hard for them to get use to the presence of a human like me."
The microphone was passed to a man who asked if the raptors were as vicious as Dr. Grant had said.
"Well," I said into my microphone. "At first I was a little afraid. I kept thinking that in the middle of the night that these animals would kill me in my sleep in the old town church. True that these dinosaurs were vicious, but they displayed an intelligence that I had never seen before. They weren't murderous and out for human blood, but I never let my guard down with my rifle."
The mike was then passed to an elderly man who asked me how I first gained the acceptance of the dinosaurs. I smiled, turned to the screen, and pressed a button on the remote I was given. The slide showed another picture of Tholestes and Kara.
"The raptor on the left was the first one I met in the INGEN town. He wasn't aggressive toward me, but rather curious. I have a theory that this raptor was not like the previous ones the Kirbys encountered. The animal was merely curious and it trusted that I wasn't going to hurt it."
As the mike was passed to one person after another in the front seats, I kept my glances to Alan Grant and the Kirby family. They would soon get their chance for questions. And I, in my firm belief, would not take any dirt from them about me being close to the very dinosaurs that could have killed them.
The mike was finally passed to Paul Kirby, who stood from his seat beside his son.
"You say that these raptors didn't want to hurt you, is that about right?" Said Paul. I nodded. "But how did you manage not to become their prey?"
"Well, Mr. Kirby," I said. "It wasn't easy. I had to use my head and keep myself from panicking. I knew that the raptors were unpredictable animals and that they would've killed me. But they didn't. They didn't see me as prey. They saw me as something else. Next question please."
The mike was handed to Amanda. "When you were on the island didn't you feel alone?"
I smiled slightly. "In every sense of the word, Mrs. Kirby," I answered. "There was just me and my equipment on the island. I did feel alone some times, especially at night where there were things going bump in the night." This earned me a few laughs from the audience. I had to chuckle as well because it did sound sort of funny.
The mike was then handed to Eric. "Did you have to dodge a lot of predators? And how much of the island did you get to explore?"
I held out a hand to stop him. "Now hold on, Eric, I did have to dodge a few animals on the island, but not all of them were raptors. Secondly, I pretty much explored the inner and outer rim parts of jungles, fields, and lowlands. It was all thanks to a jeep I was able fix-up and drive around. That vehicle may have been left behind, but it came in handy for great exploration."
"Did you have to hide from a lot of dinosaurs?" Eric asked. "Like I did in the empty water truck?"
"No, Eric, I didn't," I said rather sharp-like. "I didn't have to hide myself away like you did just because a few dinosaurs scared the living daylights at of me at night." Then I added, "And I certainly didn't lose my mind inside a small bunker like you did, kicking and screaming like a chicken with it's head cut off."
Eric drew back as if he had been hit in the face. I saw Alan's gaze on me narrow. Even Paul and Amanda looked a little offended. But I was on a roll now.
"I read in your book, Eric, that you went mad inside a safe house after your brief brush with a clan of raptors. You thought that the rescuers and even your own parents weren't going save you. If you had explored more of the island like I did, you would've found the old INGEN worker village that ran on geothermal power. You would've been able to call for help and leave the island sooner."
Eric didn't reply to this. And from where I was standing on the stage, looking down on him, I could tell I must of hit a nerve somewhere. I glanced at the audience and the reporters, who were loving every minute of my criticism. I looked back at Eric, who was about to say something, but I cut him off. "That island has tested us both and we survived it in our own way. But I, unlike you, Eric, never lost hope that I was going to be rescued, and I sure as hell never would've lost control like you did in your book."
Having enough of this, Dr. Grant took the microphone from Eric. I was waiting for this moment-Grant and me.
"Where do you get off, Mr. Clover, talking to Eric like that?" Grant demanded, standing up to look at me in the eye. "The boy was simply trying to share his experience with you because you both had something in common. Yet you stand there and criticize him for not being more like you."
I gave Grant a cold look and gently pounded my chest with my free right hand. "Ain't nobody like me, Grant, except me."
There was a small cheer in the back of the room and I glanced over the audience to see a bunch of black teenagers, around eighteen, standing from their seats and clapping at me and whooping. I gave them a humorous smile and waved at them. A couple of security officials wanted to go and stop them, but I held them back with a firm voice. The officers backed off, and teens settled down. Grant gave them an irritated look and turned back to me.
"Seems like you have an adoring public, Mr. Clover," Grant said with a sigh into the microphone. "Do they know that you illegally trespassed on a restricted island as well? Or did you fail to mention that during your speech at your school?"
I frowned and brought the mike to my lips. "Grant, if your friends here, the Kirby family, could get away with it, what makes you think others, none-scientists, are not going to do the same thing?"
The audience members murmured amongst themselves. Even the reporters and cameramen paused long enough to murmur to each other. I decided to say something to ease the tension.
"Getting on that island was an easy task for me because I planned ahead, regardless of the restrictions. But I do not want to encourage a lot of thrill-seekers or adventurers to do the same thing. These dinosaurs can be documented and observed in the wild. Dr Grant's theory on raptor communication," I looked over at the paleontologist. "Was on the mark, but I was able study the communications of these predators a little better than little old you."
I pressed the remote again and the screen showed the image of Tholestes, Fern, Kara, and Terias. This was one of the copies I had made from the original I still had in my room. If this picture didn't convince Dr. Grant of raptor communications and intelligence, then I didn't what would.
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