Chapter 17: Argument in the Meeting Room

Hammond turned the corner of the hallway and headed to the meeting room where the lagoon meeting was being held, and rolled his eyes as he heard the yelling and screaming. He hurriedly opened the door and automatically the room went quiet, with some of the people in the room glaring at others across the table.

"What in the bloody hell is going on in here?" demanded Hammond "why all the fuss and commotion?"

The room remained quiet, no one volunteering to offer any clue to why the fighting had become so severe in the room. Finally, one of the younger workers on Hammond's right hand side stood up.

"Well sir, we had every intention of completing this project like you asked us to, but there was a major dispute between the sides of the table. Our side just wants to do our work, but that side is against it."

Hammond looked to the other side of the table, and as if expecting it, saw the man who was giving him a hard time earlier. Hammond frowned at the sight of him.

"Why is this such a project? Can't you all just do what I asked of you?"

"You want to know why? I'll tell you why," said the man, slowly standing up.

"You want us to design a man made lake for a group of animals whose dimensions are not even realistic, and keep us in the dark about what they really are. You didn't tell us what they were, nor why they need such a large body of water. So I say, why should we bother?" he finished, sitting down.

"You need to see something," replied Hammond calmly. "Follow me please"

Hammond led the group down the hallway and out of the of back doors to the Visitor Center. The steady click clacking of his cane faded away as they crossed over from pavement to the grass outside. He kept a brisk pace for a man so old and the group followed him as they approached a large slit fence about ten feet tall, with barbed wire coils on the top of it.

"What is the meaning of this?" complained the guy
"Just look," Hammond answered, with a slight smile on his face.

The group huddled to look in through the slit bar of the Paddock. A weird, honking noise could be heard, and all of the workers wanted to see what was making it. Inside the Paddock were three cow-sized animals, and two giraffe-sized ones. The three cow-sized animals walked on two legs and had long sloping head crests. The two-giraffe sized animals were busy feeding from a browser basket on a high pole, every now and than calling out in a melodious voice. All the while, the crested animals, known as Parasaurolophus, were honking to each other and playing around.

"You see ladies and gentlemen," Hammond said, turning their attention away from the animals for a second. "I need the lagoon done so that we can place these animals in their regular Paddock so that they are used to it by the time they grow to full size. These animals are still juveniles."

"I'm sorry" said the man
"Good, than get to work" retorted Hammond.