Sibling Rivalry: A Jurassic World Short
Tim sat at the café, sipping on his iced mocha. He checked his phone again, checking if he got the time right.
"11:45 am. She was supposed to be here 15 minutes ago," groaned Timmy, as he looked at the television in the corner of the café.
"And just recently, the dinosaur activists known as the Dinosaur Protection Group put out another statement about the welfare and protection of the animals, currently stuck in the derelict Jurassic World," said the reporter, as Timmy sighed and shook his head.
"Hey! There you are," said Lex, rushing up to his table and placing her purse next to the chair opposite Tim. Tim chuckled and shook her hand.
"Lexy! Wow, it's been years," said Tim, sitting back down and offering her the second cup of iced mocha.
"How long's it been? 5 years?" she asked.
"5 years and 7 months since I got my doctorate, yep," replied Tim, sipping on his mocha again.
"Oh yeah, Doctor Timmy Murphy. Archaeologist by day, nerd all the time," joked Lex, as Tim ran a hand through his short hair.
"What about you? How's the new job?" asked Tim. Lex sighed.
"Ehhhh. Could be going better, I'm working on advanced software development at the moment, but hopefully, I'll have more to do soon," replied Lex.
Tim's expression changed from a smile to a more serious look.
"Which company do you work at?" asked Tim. Lex seemed a little taken aback by Tim's sudden change.
"Well, I was working for InGen. But after the whole fiasco a few years back I decided to start work at Biosyn," replied Lex.
"Right. And you're completely not part of the DGP?" asked Timmy. A worried yet confused expression crossed Lex's face.
"The Dinosaur Protection Group? Why would I be with them?" she asked Tim, a little defensively. Tim pulled up an article on his phone and showed it to Lex.
"Just recently InGen was hacked, and its files leaked. Hybrid experiments leading to the birth of the Spinosaurus that almost killed Dr Grant a few years back, more experiments on Isla Sorna and unethical experiments on dinosaurs were released to the public," explained Tim.
"And you think I did this? Out of hundreds of hackers in the world?" asked Lex.
"They revealed the screen-tag of the hacker. '4d75727068793933.' It's hexadecimal code, for 'Murphy93,'" said Tim. "It's the same trick you would use as a code when we were kids,"
Lex sighed, putting her mocha on the table. "Okay, fine. I've been a part of the DGP for the past 2 years, I'm their lead hacker," said Lex, much to Tim's dismay.
"Do you not remember what happened all those years ago? And the years of therapy and the slew of psychologists we had to meet. And-"
"Of course I remember what happened!" yelled Lex, tears welling up in her eyes as people began to stare at him. "You don't think it replays in my head every night? Goddamnit Tim, it's been 25 years and that time in the kitchen still runs over and over in my head!" she continued.
"Then why save these creatures? They're much more dangerous to the ecosystem than anything else," replied Tim.
"Just because you've got a degree in this shit doesn't mean you get to dictate the lives of these animals," replied Lex.
"Lex. They're not animals. They're extinct glorified DNA projects. A mishmash of genomes from different animals. Need I remind you how dangerous they are?" asked Tim.
"They were just animals, Tim. We provoked them first by stepping into their territory. Malcolm's book detailed everything, how the only reason the T-Rex attacked San Diego was because they had her daughter. And we were attacked because Hammond imprisoned them," reasoned Lex, sitting back down.
"Lex, animals or not, their existence will disrupt the equilibrium of ecosystems, not to mention if they make their way into human civilization, it'd be cataclysmic," replied Tim. Lex buried her face in her hands.
"They have a life too, Tim. They're more than just bones in your museum," said Lex, as Tim sighed.
"I don't know how much I'm on board with this. But if it matters that much to you…" started Tim, as Lex removed her face from her palms.
"We're not incorporating them directly into the mainland just like that. It's going to be gradual, we just need a place to conserve them, make sure they're safe," said Lex. Tim sighed as he looked at the television, playing captured footage of surviving dinosaurs on Isla Nublar.
He remembered his own childhood, imagining what dinosaurs would have looked like if they still roamed the earth. Then, that tragic night happened.
"All right," said Tim, as the two of them stood up from the table. "I'll see what I can do," he finished.
"Thanks, Timmy," replied Lex, as the two siblings exchanged a hug that they hadn't given each other in almost half a decade.