JURASSIC PARK
5 - Hammond's Plan
In the days following the tragedy known as the Isla Nublar Incident, emails kept crowding his inbox, and piles of paperwork kept stacking up. All wanted to know the details of what happened. It didn't help that the family was pressing a twenty-million-dollar lawsuit against In-Gen.
Muldoon sat, unmoving and unblinking in the direction of the empty desk where Jophrey used to sit. Behind him was Pet, frowning at how distant her best friend had become. Usually, he came to her to talk and vent about pent-up stress, but not this time. She wasn't sure if it was because of pride or because of how fresh and deep the wound was. Either way, he was distant and different now than how he used to be. Before, he had a slight admiration and respect for the animals, but not now. He hated every one of the dinosaurs on the island. It didn't matter the species, either.
The raptors he hated the most, though, which made Pet wonder. Was that why he was so distant from her? His hate for raptors extending to her partial bloodline to them? The thought of burned her chest and she further frowned. With everything they had been through, he knew her better and yet he still compared her to the other raptors. At least, she thought, anyway.
Pet signed and continued typing an email to Hammond, explaining everything that had happened. She felt like she was lying though, even though she wasn't. After telling her side of the story to Hammond in person, she was urged to make no mention of her firing the mercy shot. The family would be reviewing the reports, and the last thing Hammond wanted was for Pet to fall under scrutiny. He was too busy trying to protect her from the world and from In-Gen for that matter.
After finishing in her typing, she printed out a copy of the message and stashed it inside a folder to be filed. Still, Muldoon didn't move, which Pet knew wasn't a good thing. Anytime the man was still and eerily calm, it was best advised to stay away from him. The hybrid got up and went over to the filing cabinets behind where Jophrey's desk was and unlocked it to file the papers. Acid laced gray eyes fell on the clawed feet, and the game warden clenched his teeth in disgust. He would never look at her the same way anymore as he hated everything raptor about her.
Pet calmly closed the filing cabinet drawer only to turn around and see the man's gaze locked intently on her sickle claws. She could read his every thought in his eyes and went over to him to better stare him in the eye.
Pet growled. "Hate me if you will, but I am not like them out there in the paddock. Comparing me to them only makes you as bad as In-Gen."
Wrong thing to say. A firm hand grabbed at the hybrid's throat as another caught and twisted one of her arms behind her. Before she could react, she was harshly shoved and pinned against a wall.
Muldoon growled in her ear. "I would advise you to keep your distance from me."
Pet snorted a bark in aggression and tried to bring her legs around his waist to push him off of her, but he knew better. He had her pinned and completely unable to react. She choked for air and snorted, digging her claws into his hand around her throat. Their gazes locked, him only seeing the familiar raptor ones resembling the ones of the monster that attacked Jophrey. Pet snorted again and choked for air as her vision started to blur. Muldoon saw this as the girl's eyes turned blue-green and melted from anger to sadness. Tears streamed down her cheeks and onto his hand.
Reality hit the man hard and he released the hybrid with a shaking hand. What was he doing? Pet stumbled to the floor, coughing and wheezing for air and unable to look at the man sitting slowly back in his chair. He buried his face in his hands and cursed to himself. She had never seen him this way, and for the first time, was afraid of him. The two sat in silence for several minutes, recomposing themselves before meeting gazes with the other.
Muldoon's tear-swollen eyes sadly sunk when he saw the red mark standing out in contrast against her collar necklace. He never had, in the entire years of taking care of her, hurt her intentionally the way he just had.
Muldoon slid out of his chair and knelt beside the hybrid, drawing her in for a hug. "I'm sorry, Pet. I didn't-"
"I know," she hoarsely replied and embraced him back. "We all have our breaking points."
The next morning, Pet woke up with a sore neck and throat. She wasn't surprised, given the events of the day prior. To avoid the disruption of what she hoped would be an average day, she swore to herself to not mention anything about yesterday or her sore neck.
Pet arrived at the game warden office to see Muldoon had already arrived. He was mostly focused on his computer screen, right forefinger scrolling on the mouse wheel as his eyes scanned the many unread email subjects. Poking through the corner of his tense lips was a toothpick. The hybrid's eyes shifted off the man and to the office's 'Inbox' basket mounted on the wooden door. By now, it was already a well-established rule that the first person in the office file the inbox paperwork. Pet started to gather the paperwork in her arms as she heard Muldoon read through the subject lines of his emails.
"Attention park personnel, In-Gen will be conducting a thorough, on-site safety evaluation of the park, blah, blah, blah..." Muldoon tossed the now almost splintered toothpick in a nearby trash can, mumbling, "Go fuck yourselves."
Pet huffed a laugh. "You first."
The man intently read on, leaning ever closer to the computer screen and squinting his eyes. Pet was curious to know what he was reading and joined him to read the email over his shoulder. "Oh, goodie...an inspection team is coming." With hands full of papers, she went over to the filing cabinet and began shoving papers into their appropriate folders. "Have I ever mentioned how much I hate the 'Fancy Suit Brigade'?"
"That's not all you're going to have to deal with." He gestured to the hybrid by waving his fingers in the air. She set the papers down on top of the file cabinet and joined him to continue reading. "Look right here..."
Taking a deep breath, she began to read out loud. "The evaluation team will consist of science doctors, specializing in the knowledge about the possible dangers of Jurassic Park..." she read on in a barely audible whisper, "Dr. Alan Grant?" Pet's jaw fell open in disbelief. "You've got to be kidding me. What the hell is Hammond thinking? Is it not bad enough a park employee was killed that we have to involve outsiders?"
Muldoon stared at the hybrid questionably. This wasn't the reaction he was expecting but understood her concern. He felt the same way and was tempted to call Hammond himself to object. "Apparently In-Gen is in full support of his proposal and urging him to act on it quickly."
Pet leaned against his desk and shook her head. "Of all the dumb ass things to do..."
"Look at it this way...at least you'll get to meet him in person." The hybrid shot the man a sideways stare with raptor eyes. "But then again, that might not be such a good idea." Pet narrowed her eyes on the man even more. "I don't know which would be worse: being attacked by a pack of raptors or by one raptor half-breed, fangirl." Pet snorted and hit the man in the shoulder and went back to the cabinet to resume working. "According to this, they're going to be here in three days." The hybrid went rigid in panic, wide eyes reflecting her racing thoughts. "I'm sure you're already counting down the days and minutes, too." Muldoon spun his office chair around to face the girl only to find her gone. "Or not." He got up and peered out into the hallway. "Pet?"
In Montana...
A strong wind from the rotating blades of a descending helicopter kicked up a cloud of loose dirt. People hastily worked to cover an excavation and research equipment with protective blankets and tarps. One of the people, a man in his mid-thirties, called out, "Cover up the site!" A woman in her late twenties with blond hair joined the others, grabbing buckets of dirt and rocks to set on the edges of the blankets to hold them down.
The man, Dr Grant, rushed to where the helicopter had now landed and waved his hands for the pilot to cut the engine. The pilot, in return, pointed at a nearby trailer as though telling him to go inside. Getting the message, the paleontologist did so and busted in through the door.
Grant's barely tethered patience was further angered when he saw someone rummaging around in the fridge. "What the hell do you think you're doing in here?" Hammond stood up and spun around to face the man, a bottle of champagne in his hands as he popped the cork. Grant ducked down, half expecting to get hit by the ricocheting cork and yelled, "Hey, we were saving that!"
The older man, clad in his usual white, answered in an ear to ear smile. "For today...I guarantee it!"
Grant was pissed and neared man, jabbing a limestone covered finger into his chest. "And who in God's name do you think you are?"
Hammond took one good head to toe look at the man, noticing it wasn't just his finger covered in limestone, but all of him. And this was who Pet was all worked up about? The In-Gen founder mentally face-palmed at the hybrid's expense. But still, he kept his rather eager and excited smile stamped on his face.
"John Hammond." The lively man took the shocked scientist's finger in his pristine clean hand and shook it, blowing off the dust from his palm afterwards. "And I am delighted to finally meet you in person, Dr. Grant." Hammond looked around the trailer, rather disappointed at the lack of organization, and continued. "I can see my...fifty thousand a year has been well spent." He started nosing around through the cabinets, hoping to find something, anything clean to pour the champagne in.
About that time, the trailer door swung open again, this time revealing the blonde woman now extremely pissed. "Okay, who's the jerk?"
Before the woman could say anything more, Grant had her by the sleeve of her shirt. He quickly cut her off from any more profane tangents and stated to Hammond, "Uh, this is our paleobotanist, Doctor ..." Did he just forget her name?
The woman continued for her momentarily dumbfounded companion. "Sattler."
"Dr. Sattler." Grant glanced back at the woman with a nervous smile evident beneath the layers of limestone dust caked on his face. "Ellie, this is Mr. Hammond. John Hammond."
Ellie went rigid with embarrassment and stammered. "D-Did I say jerk?" Her face began to turn a pale shade of red.
Hammond took Ellie's much smaller hand in his and shook it. "I'm sorry for the dramatic entrance, but I'm in a hurry." He gestured to the bottle he held in his hand. "We won't let it get warm. Sit down." Ellie was still in shock and trying to get her mouth to form comprehensible words as she scurried after the older man going to the sink. "I'll just get a glass or two." Hammond noticed the frantic woman attempting to help him, which he appreciated, but shooed her away. "No, no, no, no, no. I can handle it. I know my way around a kitchen." Feeling more in the way than anything, Ellie went to join Grant seated behind a table. Hammond picked up a hand towel and began drying off a glass he had just rinsed out. "Now, I'll get right to the point." He turned to face the two wide-eyed and bewildered people, stating, "I like you. The both of you," to which the two stared in awe at each other. Hammond started rinsing out another glass, hoping whatever it was he just poured down the drain wasn't something important. "I can tell instantly about people. It's a gift." When he faced the scientists again, he laughed in his mind. They looked so lost, confused and excited at the same time. "I own an island off the coast of Costa Rica. I've leased it from the government and during the last five years, I've been setting up a biological preserve. Really spectacular. Spared no expense. Makes the one I've got down in Kenya look like a petting zoo." Hammond swished the rag in the second glass, continuing. "And there's no doubt our attractions will drive kids out of their minds."
Grant questioned, "What are those?"
Ellie leaned over, answering in a whisper in his ear. "Small versions of adults, honey." The man gave the woman a disapproving stare and shook his head, refocusing back on their esteemed visitor.
Hammond continued, not listening to the two behind him as he poured the glasses of champagne. "We're going to open next year if the lawyers don't kill me first." He tilted his head to the side, frowning. "I don't care for lawyers, do you?"
What in the hell kind of question was that? And why was this man so talkative and excited about, anyway? Both scientists shook their heads. "We don't really know any."
"Oh, well I do. There's a particular pebble in my shoe who represents my investors. Says they insist on outside opinions."
Ellie interrupted, questioning. "What kind of opinions?"
A sly smile wiggled beneath Hammond's bearded face. "Well, your kind, not to put too fine a point on it." Grant sat more upright, further intrigued on what the man was saying. "Let's face it, in your particular fields, you're the top minds, and if I could just persuade you to sign off on the park, give it your endorsement, maybe even pen a wee testimonial, I could get on schedule."
This was making no sense to the woman, and Ellie shook her head, confused. "Why would they care what we think?"
Grant cut in. "What kind of park is this?"
The sly smile grew bigger on Hammond's face and handed the couple the glasses of champagne. "It's right up your alley." His blue eyes danced with excitement in the sun shining in through a nearby window. "Why don't you come down, just the pair of you, for the weekend? I'd love to have an opinion of a paleobotanist as well." He hoisted himself up to sit on the kitchen countertop. "I've got a jet standing by at Choteau."
Grant slowly rose to his feet and shook his head. "I'm sorry. This isn't possible. We just dug up a new skeleton-"
Hammond cut the man off in mid-sentence as he poured himself a glass of the champagne as well. "I could compensate you by fully funding your dig for a further three years."
Grant looked to Ellie in question, as though asking for her answer before making his own decision. She nodded her head and questioned, "Where's the plane?"
The white-clad man broadly smiled, "Yeah?"
Both people nodded and answered. "Yeah." The two scientists tightly embraced the other in excitement, cheering at their stroke of good fortune.
Hammond was ecstatic. Pet was going to love this!
