Chapter 3 - The Truth, The Whole Truth, and Nothing but The Truth
"Betrayal doesn't only break your heart but also darkens your soul. You'll never forget the pain like a fog that forever lingers in the depths of your mind." - Kellie Lynn
oOo
When John Hammond woke up, he found himself lying on a black leather couch. He sat up and looked around him, recognizing his spacious bungalow. It had been a long time since he had been there. The video monitors, the magnificent paintings of various dinosaur species, the color scheme that highlighted InGen's colors… Every day while being laid up in the hospital, he had missed everyone—his grandchildren, the park staff, and his consultants. He had missed being on the island, going into the park to see the magnificent dinosaurs, and relaxing in his bungalow. His bungalow… Now he was finally back, and everything was upside-down. Sitting in front of him were Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm. They were whispering amongst themselves and stopped when they saw Hammond sit up on the couch. Ellie held a cup of water and passed it to him.
"Drink some water, John. You passed out earlier."
Hammond took the cup and drank. The cold water was refreshing, and he wondered what time it was. Glancing at the clock on the wall, he saw it was only half past four in the afternoon. He had only been out of it for an hour? It felt like an eternity between now and when he had stood up to get away from everyone in the cafeteria. He couldn't bear to hear what they were saying about Wu. What made it worse was he knew there was more they had yet to tell him—and he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it. He gave the cup back to Ellie.
"Thank you," he said, starting to rise again.
Immediately, Grant left his chair and sat down next to Hammond, easing him to sit on the couch. "Take it easy. Don't get up."
"Why? Do you plan to tell me more outlandish lies?" Hammond looked hard at Grant.
"I know it sounds crazy," Ellie said, "but everything we shared before is true."
"There's no lying from any of us," Malcolm said. "Not from the staff and not from your grandchildren."
Hammond inched away from Grant, indicating his mistrust, and then pointed at Malcolm in an accusatory manner. "Keep them out of it. Tim and Lex—"
"Tim and Lex know everything that's gone on, John," Grant said, watching as Hammond stayed at the far end of the couch. He didn't make any move to go closer to Hammond, allowing him to have a sense of control. "In fact, it was Lex who convinced me to return here."
"She convinced you to return here? Weren't you giving lectures in the States?"
"Yes, but I was needed here more."
"How did Lex get you? You let her go by herself?! How did she pay for it?" Hammond stopped himself as one question led to another.
"Your emergency funds," Malcolm said.
Hammond blinked. At first, he didn't remember, but then it came back to him: the day he and Malcolm went to the Costa Rican mainland. He had Malcolm sign papers that would give him access to his emergency funds. There might come a day when InGen would need to access his money—in case he was unavailable for any reason. So, he had granted Malcom permission to access his funds—just in case anything out of the ordinary happened.
"I remember that now," Hammond said, and then turned to Grant. "Why were you needed here more—not that I don't want you here," he quickly added, realizing his last question sounded off-putting. "Why did she need you to convince you to return here?"
"You're going down the rabbit hole," Malcolm said, sitting at the edge of his chair. "We can join you, or we can take the lead, so this doesn't overwhelm you. Uh, it might be overwhelming anyway, but we'll try to make this be not as bad as it all sounds…" His voice trailed off as he watched Hammond carefully.
Hammond looked around his bungalow, trying to avoid the conversation that he knew had to happen. He wanted to have the conversation, but he was afraid of what else he would find out. He spied his cane with the amber encased mosquito nearby, leaning near the door. He was going to get up to retrieve it when Ellie followed his gaze. She stood up and went to the door to get his walking cane.
"It may comfort you to hold it," Ellie said, handing it to him.
"Thank you, Dr. Sattler," Hammond said, fixing his stare on the amber encased mosquito on the cane's top portion.
He had his cane custom made during the park's construction. It was a visual reminder of his dream of resurrecting dinosaurs…but now his dream had morphed into a nightmare since the very person he had hired to genetically engineer them had betrayed him and joined Biosyn. He hadn't begun to process Wu's betrayal and that was on the top of his list to ask about.
No one spoke for a full minute. Malcolm broke the silence after Ellie gently elbowed him and Grant mouthed "go ahead".
"John, do you want to know more right now? We can go in parts. Maybe some today, or some tomorrow?"
"All of it," Hammond said without looking up. "I want to hear all of it today."
"It's too much and the shock of what you found out about Henry caused—"
"I'm fine. I'm not having a stroke, Dr. Malcolm." Hammond remained fixated on his cane until he felt them staring at him and then he placed it on his lap. "I guess I'll ask the obvious—what happened to my animals?"
If Muldoon and Arnold had been in the bungalow and heard Hammond's question, they would've sighed in exasperation. In the past, Hammond asking about "my animals" usually meant he was putting the dinosaurs above the safety of human beings. Instead of assuming he meant all the dinosaurs, Grant decided to find out which animals he meant.
"Do you mean the entire dinosaur population in the park or a particular species?"
"Both. First, all my animals, and then the velociraptors."
Ellie bit her lip as the memories replayed in her mind. She heard Grant talking.
"Before I returned, Lex told me some of the dinosaurs were getting sick…" Grant started.
He stopped when Hammond got up and moved to the center of the couch, indicating he was willing to listen. Grant knew he could continue.
"You should know that they're doing much better thanks to Gerry's dedication. Biosyn's paleontologist who works under Dodgson—his name is Raúl Lopez—he was making changes to their diets."
"Did any of them die?" Hammond clutched his cane on his lap.
"Yes, a triceratops and a maiasaur," Ellie said. "Also, a dilophosaur and stegosaur were poached in their paddocks."
"So, the first two were fed bad diets and the others were killed in their enclosures for fun?!"
"Gerry and Robert placed a baby maiasaur a few weeks ago, and she's doing very well adjusting to the herd," she added to reassure him. "The other two—"
"Who the hell did this?!" Hammond completely missed what Ellie had mentioned about the baby maiasaur.
"Biosyn," Grant said.
Hammond waited before finally asking the question that he dreaded asking. "And the velociraptors?"
"They're gone." Grant made sure his tone was firm. "I know this will be a difficult pill to swallow, but it had to be done, especially after your stroke. After what happened, Robert wanted to eliminate them, and I helped him do it."
Hammond said nothing. To Grant, Ellie, and Malcolm, he was staring into space. They couldn't tell if he was angry or shocked.
There was a knock on the door and then Lex Murphy stuck her head inside. Hammond snapped out of his brief trance and gestured for her to come inside the bungalow. Lex came in with her younger brother, Tim Murphy, who trailed behind her. She hesitated at first, as though worried she had interrupted their conversation, but then sighed in relief when Ellie invited her and Tim to join them. Grant stood up from the couch and resumed his seat across from Hammond. Lex and Tim sat at either side of Hammond and then looked to the three adults.
"Is it okay that we stopped by?" Lex asked, looking from Grant to Ellie, and then to Malcolm. "We wanted to see how Grandpa's doing."
"It's actually better that you're here," Malcolm said. "We're bringing him up to speed."
Tim realized what Malcolm meant. "It's a lot, Grandpa."
"I've noticed," Hammond said quietly.
"What have you told him so far?" Lex asked.
Malcolm ticked off his fingers. "Dr. Grant just shared how he and Muldoon got rid of the raptors. Ellie mentioned how Dodgson's group poached two dinosaurs in their paddocks. The first thing, ah, that was the hardest to convey, but you all saw how that went."
"Dr. Wu leaving my grandfather's company to join Biosyn," Tim said. He turned to Hammond. "None of us saw that coming, Grandpa."
"I…" Hammond started to say and then realized he had no words.
"You've barely scratched the surface, Dr. Malcolm," Lex sounded sad.
"It's a lot to go over," Malcolm said. "We're sharing as much as we can."
"Dr. Grant says you had to convince him to come back here," Hammond said, looking from Lex to Grant. "Why did you do that?"
"Because we needed his help after Dodgson's group took over the island," Lex said, gesturing to Grant.
Malcolm nodded in agreement.
"When did Dodgson take over my island?!"
"Right after Mr. Nedry and Mr. Muldoon returned," Tim said.
"Return from where? Where were they?"
Hammond found his mind spinning again. There was so much missing information and the more that was revealed, the more confusing everything became.
"They were on Isla Sorna—" Tim started, but saw Malcolm make a chopping motion in the air.
"How about this. I'm gonna explain everything from the beginning. Wait until I'm finished to ask any questions. Fair enough?"
"But—" Hammond was about to protest, but he saw Ellie and Grant sitting on either side of Malcolm. They held up their hands, communicating for him to wait until everything was completely stated.
"Listen to Dr. Malcolm, Grandpa," Lex insisted.
Hammond sighed reluctantly. "Alright."
"Shortly after we found out Dennis had escaped from prison; you and Henry were working on the 16th species. The first two times you went to Isla Sorna, the group from Biosyn invaded the island and took off with two dinosaurs. Dodgson sent them over, and they caused hell here. Tangled with Alan and Ellie," Malcolm said. "Same for the rest of the staff. That was the time you returned and found Henry's lab in shambles, and it was in shambles because Dennis and Robert fought in there."
Hammond squinted as the memory replayed itself in his mind. He remembered it quite vividly—finding Wu's lab in a huge mess—shattered glass and damaged equipment. Even the hatchery had been disturbed. Broken eggs laying everywhere. He was pulled away from his thoughts of the past when he heard Malcolm continue.
"The second time, one of Dodgson's guys got injured and we helped him out."
"George Lawala," Ellie threw in.
Malcolm kept revealing everything, even when he saw Hammond's eyes widen with alarm.
"Lawala shot Ellie the first time he was here, and the second time, he was blinded by a dilophosaur. Dennis insisted we help him, which the park staff did reluctantly. After that, his group left. The third time, you were here, John. That's when Dennis released the raptors, and you had the stroke. Him and Robert got into a vicious fight that day."
"It was really bad," Grant added. "I tried to stop Robert, but…" He shook his head when he remembered seeing Muldoon approaching Nedry and Hammond near the raptor pen. "He snapped—he was furious at Dennis for what he had done."
"I remember that…it's vague but…it was horrible, you're right," Hammond said softly.
He tried to remain calm by taking slow deep breaths. It was like reliving it all over again… In his mind's eye, he saw Nedry gently releasing him so that he was laying in the sand surrounding the raptor pen. Muldoon was standing over them with his shotgun raised in the air—his facial features masked by a sheet of blood. That was moments before he slammed his shotgun into Nedry's head. Right before that, Hammond had a stabbing headache—the worst he had ever had in his life. He remembered the overwhelming dizziness and how everything was happening in slow motion. The gut-wrenching terror when he couldn't feel the left side of his body…
"Can I have another glass of water," he asked.
Tim left and came back with a second glass of water. Hammond thanked him and drank it eagerly. As he drank, he heard Ellie.
"I think we should stop now and pick up tomorrow where we left off."
"Thank you, Tim," Hammond said again, giving him the empty glass. He sat up on the couch, determined to keep going. "No, let's finish today. I'd rather take it all in one go, than to hear all of this piece by piece."
"Are you sure?" Grant asked.
"Yes, you can continue."
Malcolm waited until he saw Hammond nod an affirmation. He wanted to be sure he could go on.
"One month later, Robert and Alan eliminated the raptors. Not too long after that, Alan left for the States to attend his lectures. We also found out from your phony accountant, George Baselton, that Jurassic Park had to remain closed, which turned out to be a lie. Donald fired him. He had been working with Dodgson all along, embezzling your funds." Malcolm stopped for a moment. "Are you catching all this?"
"Yes, just one question—"
"Questions after, okay?" Malcolm didn't give him a chance to fully respond. "We visited you in the hospital before then and found out you were paralyzed from the stroke. The second time we went to see you, Dennis had seen you earlier that day. That same night, he came to the island and Robert shot him down. Everything worsened because the staff was trying to find out what he was doing here. He was trying to warn all of us that Lewis Dodgson planned to invade the island again, but no one listened to him. I remember that night very well."
"I do too," Ellie said quietly as she stared at the floor.
Hammond kept his eyes glued to the amber on his cane as though again trying to avoid what Malcolm was sharing. Tim tapped his shoulder, urging him to listen. He looked up, forcing himself to follow Tim's nonverbal directive.
"That same night, Dodgson's guys abducted Robert and Dennis. We had absolutely no idea where they were for two months. Eventually, we found out that Dodgson's group left them stranded on Isla Sorna. At the time though, we didn't know where they had disappeared to."
"It was like they had vanished into thin air," Ellie said, agreeing with Malcolm.
"Ray pulled all-nighters in the control room, trying to find them on the video monitors. He only came out if Ellie and I coaxed him out. Dodgson came to the island, pretending to be an InGen board director. Called himself 'Cameron Thorne' and showed up with Baselton and another guy named Howard King. We visited you once during that time, John, but couldn't tell you what was going on. Also, Henry was starting to align himself with Dodgson. Are you still following?"
"Yeah…it's a lot…" By now, Hammond knew any questions he asked would go unanswered. He silently wondered how much more Malcolm had to tell him.
Malcolm took a deep breath, preparing himself mentally for what he was about to reveal. He knew what was coming and he could state the information. He was more concerned with how Hammond would react. By now though, he reminded himself that Hammond's feelings were completely beyond his control.
"Two months after their disappearance, Robert and Dennis showed up on the video monitors. That same night Dennis got arrested and Robert was detained for questioning. Robert came back with Donald and Henry finally…" At this, Malcolm spoke slowly, "…he finally revealed that he had been working alongside Lewis Dodgson this whole time. The following morning, Dodgson's entire team showed up on the island. From there, it went from bad to worse—uh, literally overnight."
"What happened?" The question rushed out of Hammond before he could stop himself.
Malcolm looked at Ellie to answer now.
"Dodgson and his team did everything they could to push us over the edge. Destroyed my greenhouse," Ellie said, swallowing back the pain from that time.
Remembering the upturned shelves, destroyed ceramic flowerpots, and trampled flowers almost made her see red again, especially when she remembered Wu's role in the destruction.
"Locked Ian and the kids in the bunker for I don't know how long. I think two weeks. Harassed the staff nonstop. No one could go anywhere alone. They split us up, so that we couldn't talk with each other—this happened after we ganged up on Roland Tembo, one of Dodgson's main guys."
"I think you got the time order mixed up, El," Lex said. "But it doesn't matter." She turned to her grandfather. "That's what was happening, Grandpa."
"You're right," Ellie said. "After being split up from each other for a week or more, That's when Ian came up with the idea for Lex to get Alan back here, while he would bail out Dennis. During that time, Dodgson slapped me, he threatened Tim, and the maiasaur died."
She paused, surprised at how easily she had shared everything. Ellie had expected she would have to push herself to speak up, and yet she didn't have to. Maybe it was different since Malcolm, Grant, Tim, and Lex were present…
"Gerry was devastated. Robert was forced to wake up at all hours of the night to bring Dodgson's staff to the tyrannosaur paddock. Am I missing anything?"
She purposely avoided looking in Hammond's direction when she heard him draw in his breath sharply in response to her mentioning Dodgson slapping her and threatening Tim.
"Mr. Gennaro was acting like a jerk to Mr. Arnold and us, trying to tell everyone what to do, and not work together with the park staff," Lex said, pointing at Tim and herself. "Later on, he did the right thing. He made sure Dr. Dodgson and his group left the island and he apologized to everyone for how he treated them, even me and Tim."
Tim nodded in agreement. Hammond turned to her with a questioning look. His face was reddened with anger, and he was about to say something when Malcolm stopped him before he could start.
"John, we're almost done, I promise. So, we got Alan back," Malcolm said with a wry smile as he gestured to Grant, who nodded in acknowledgement. "We also got Dennis back since he knows how Lewis Dodgson works. Not too long after that, Dodgson decided he'd have the Biosyn higher-ups come to the island, do the park tour, so that they could buy out InGen and gain complete control of Isla Nublar and Jurassic Park. You can take it from here, Alan."
"Sure thing," Grant said, letting out an awkward laugh. "That night everything went to hell with an escaped T-Rex that Robert and Roland had to gun—tranquilize her." He quickly straightened up when he saw Hammond send him a hard look. "I know it sounds terrible, but I'm only laughing because of how everything turned out. Dennis had everyone fooled—especially Dodgson. I believed him when he said to drop off the guys at the east dock. Dodgson was pissed as hell, but—"
"Dr. Grant, can I finish the rest?" Tim asked, standing up excitedly. "Dr. Malcolm?"
Both Grant and Malcolm agreed.
"Yes!" Tim pumped his fist excitedly as he sat down on the sofa again. "So, we found out later that Mr. Nedry caused the park inspection to fail, Grandpa, and that he did it on purpose!"
"Epic fail!" Lex said with a broad grin.
"Exactly! And it gets better because Dr. Grant beat the shit out of Dodgson after Dodgson tried to punch him—"
"Language, Tim," Ellie said, sternly.
"Okay, sorry Dr. Sattler."
Tim pretended to be serious. He sat still with his hands folded on his lap and immediately broke out and started waving his hands around, making excited gestures.
"Dr. Malcolm and Mr. Muldoon beat him up too!"
For the first time since returning to the island, Hammond found himself genuinely laughing. Even he had to admit the idea of Dodgson getting beat up by Grant, Malcolm, and Muldoon struck him as hilarious—and well-deserved. He wished he had been there to see it. Then, just as quickly, Hammond became quiet as he realized the implications of what was being shared: Dodgson had not only taken over his island—he, along with his group, had severely abused everyone from InGen. He realized that Tim was excited because InGen had turned the tide against Biosyn—but the fact remained that Dodgson took extreme measures to get what he wanted.
"So, what happened after?" Hammond asked.
"Alan, go ahead," Malcolm said. "I think I'm spent."
Grant locked eyes with Hammond, wanting to be sure he was paying attention. "After the failed park inspection, Dodgson was furious and hid himself away in here for three days."
"In my bungalow?!"
Grant hesitated at first. He didn't want to further upset Hammond—but he had to tell the truth, just as he had urged the park staff.
"He was in here a lot. After he got kicked off the island, we did a full run through it to make sure everything was functional, and it was. He didn't destroy or steal anything."
Hammond felt relieved as he bowed his head for a brief moment. He supposed he should be thankful for small favors. He looked up, listening as Grant continued.
"He ordered everyone out, claiming he had the official paperwork to merge InGen and Biosyn. Long story short, Robert and Roland got into it right then, Dodgson was in the middle of the fray and got more hurt than he already was. Dennis pretended to bring him back to the visitor center and then beat the hell out of him—"
"Dennis did that to Dodgson?!" Hammond sat on the edge of the couch, wanting to hear how this turned out.
"Yes, and that led to Raúl Lopez and him fighting. Robert took down Lopez just in time—he was about to kill Dennis."
"What?!" Hammond couldn't believe what Grant was telling him. It sounded so outrageous. He heard Grant still talking.
"From there, Robert and Roland Tembo fought. Robert wagered InGen, the island, and the park—"
"My Jurassic Park and my Isla Nublar?! My animals?! What the hell was he thinking?!"
Grant paused as he allowed Hammond to collect his thoughts. Although they were almost done with telling Hammond mostly everything, this was only the beginning of him processing all the events. Grant knew it would take a long time for Hammond to come to grips with everything that had happened. Even so, they hadn't explained everything. He figured that over time the park staff, his grandchildren, and everyone else would fill in whatever gaps were left.
"He won—he knew that he would. It's what finally forced Dodgson and the group off the island. Donald made it clear that they better leave that same day—that's how he redeemed himself after teaming up with Dodgson for that brief time. They had to leave, especially as Lopez and Tembo are his most loyal and steadfast employees, and they couldn't do anything. Both were out of commission, and Dodgson couldn't fight anymore."
"Sonya couldn't do anything either because I kicked her ass," Ellie added. Before Hammond could ask, she explained, "She had destroyed my greenhouse and constantly bullied me, so I gave her a taste of her own medicine."
"She deserved it," Lex said, grinning.
There was an uncomfortable period of silence as Hammond quietly reviewed everything he had been told. It was a lot of information to take in. As strange as it seemed, he was riveted by this recent turn of events when InGen finally gained the upper hand. Just as he was feeling glad about InGen having the victory, Malcolm dropped the final bombshell.
"Henry left with Dodgson that same day. He had Dennis' laptop that was supposed to hold InGen's information and research. I remember Robert mentioning something about Dennis putting a virus on it. George Lawala stayed behind. He wanted to leave Biosyn and do the right thing—he joined InGen."
"Wasn't George Lawala with Dodgson?" Hammond was flustered now. "I don't want Dodgson's employees to come anywhere near Isla Nublar and Jurassic Park again."
"He's proven himself many times over, John," Ellie said, reassuring him. "He helped restore my greenhouse, and even started constructing an extension to it. You can check it out later this week."
Hammond turned to Tim and Lex. "What do you both think of Mr. Lawala?" For some reason, he trusted the opinions of his grandchildren. He heard what Ellie had told him, but he wanted to know what they thought about Lawala.
"He's nice and helpful," Tim said.
Lex added, "I like the new addition he's building for El's greenhouse; it's bigger than before and has more space."
"So, you're saying I should keep him under my employment?" Hammond asked.
Tim and Lex nodded eagerly.
"He knows Mr. Muldoon from back in the day," Tim said. "Right, Lex?"
"That's how we know he's good people," she said. "He changed and left Dodgson to join us."
Hammond was quiet as he thought about it. He finally agreed. "Okay, we'll keep George then."
If the InGen staff approved of one of Dodgson's former henchmen to be part of the park staff, he would have to trust they made the right decision, while also deciding to get to know Lawala for himself. Especially since his grandchildren felt comfortable with the new staff member. Aside from Lawala as the park staff's newest addition, Hammond was emotionally exhausted from hearing everything. His body felt heavy, like he'd fall on a bed and sleep for the next twenty-four hours. He stood up from the couch and Tim and Lex looked up at him, expecting he would go into the park again.
"I need to clear my mind. What time is it?" Hammond asked. "Six in the evening?"
"Five-thirty," Grant said. "The staff sits down for dinner in a half hour. We usually join them."
Hammond walked to the front door of his bungalow. "I think I might join them tonight, or maybe I'll just eat by myself." He sighed, tired from everything, and unsure how he would process all the information he had learned today. "This is a lot—It's too much, and I feel like there's more."
Grant, Ellie, and Malcolm stood up at the same time. They were about to approach Hammond and stopped when they saw him wave his hand.
"I need to be by myself. I'm sure you all understand." He glanced at his grandchildren noticing that they appeared concerned. Maybe if he focused on them and not on everything that was told to him, he'd adjust to being back. He decided right then that he'd make it a priority to spend more time with them. "Tim, Lex, why don't you both join me for breakfast tomorrow?"
Tim and Lex nodded in agreement, but then looked to the rest of the adults to see their reactions. Grant, Ellie, and Malcom appeared neutral. They didn't protest Hammond spending time with them, but they remained quiet as they watched Hammond leave his bungalow. More needed to be said, but no one spoke.
Closing the door behind him, Hammond wished he could close out everything they had told him, but it was impossible. Leaning on his cane for support, he headed towards the visitor center. He wanted to trust everything they had told him was true—and more importantly, he wanted to trust them. Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm had always been trustworthy. Even during the park inspection when Grant and Ellie had initially expressed their reservations before taking the park tour, Hammond had respected their honesty. And Malcolm—
"John—wait!"
Hammond was on the path that led to the visitor center, and he turned around. Malcolm came rushing over to him.
"I know what we shared with you was heavy. Information overload, huh?"
"That's an understatement, Dr. Malcolm."
Hammond wanted to use a humorous tone, but instead, his mashed-up feelings came out. He heard his voice raising in anger, and he knew it was more that he felt devastated that so much had been kept from him—and now it was all being dumped on him. He admitted to himself that he did say he wanted to know everything that had gone on while he was away—but he never imagined it would be so much drama, conflict, and betrayal. Or that he almost lost his entire dream to Lewis Dodgson—who was more than eager to snatch it away and slap Biosyn's name on it. The person he least expected gave of himself to ensure Dodgson didn't succeed: Nedry. He couldn't wrap his mind around that fact, although he remembered Nedry telling him he would make things right again. And Henry Wu…? After everything Hammond had learned today, he didn't know what to feel or think about him.
"Do you want time for yourself? I'm sorry—you did say that."
Hammond nodded. "Just give me a few days, maybe a week."
Malcolm's eyebrows rose. "A week?!"
"I need time to take all this in."
Instead of waiting for Malcolm's response, he continued onward to the visitor center by himself. When he was further away, he looked behind him to see if Malcolm was nearby, if he had followed him. Malcolm hadn't; he stayed in the same spot where Hammond had left him. Hammond nodded in acknowledgement, and Malcolm returned the gesture, understanding that he needed to give him space. He watched as Malcolm headed back to his bungalow, to inform Grant and Ellie that he needed time for himself as he adjusted to life back on Isla Nublar. More than that, it was so he could start making sense of everything that had happened, and hopefully come to an acceptance of how so much had changed during his absence…
oOo
Malcolm returned to the bungalow and closed the door behind him. "John wants to be alone," he explained to everyone. "We need to give him his space, while keeping an eye on him." He sat down with Ellie and Grant.
"We told him as much as we could, and yet, it feels like we barely told him anything," Grant said, shaking his head sadly. "It's the emotional weight of it all."
"I can check in with him later," Ellie offered.
As they spoke amongst themselves, Tim and Lex stood up, ready to leave.
"Maybe this conversation is private?" Lex asked. "Only adults?"
"You and Tim can stay. You both have been involved with everything before your grandfather returned," Ellie said. She invited them to sit down again, and they did.
"He'll rely more on both of you," Malcolm said. "If you noticed, he didn't ask for our opinions on George Lawala," he said gesturing to himself, Ellie, and Grant. "He trusted your opinions." He motioned to Tim and Lex now.
"He's going to lean on you for support," Ellie said. She brought her chair closer when she saw Lex staring at the floor, a downcast expression on her face. "I know it's a lot."
"Why would he look to us for support?" Tim asked.
"You're his grandchildren," Grant said as he sat back in the chair. "You're his blood, and right now he feels safest around you two."
"He's been betrayed by three people under his employment," Malcolm said, ticking off on his fingers. "Dennis, Henry, and George Baselton—his accountant, or so we thought. As it turns out, he was with Dodgson all along."
"It's really messed up," Tim said.
"It is," Grant agreed. "What's also messed up is that he feels betrayed by all of us—even me, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm. I got that sense from him the entire time, when we started telling him everything in the cafeteria and up to now."
Lex shook her head, upset by what Grant was saying. "That's not fair, all of you made sure the park and island stayed under his company. The park staff worked so hard when he was in the hospital—"
"We appreciate what all of you and Mr. Arnold did, same with Dr. Harding," Tim said, folding his arms across his chest. "Even Mr. Nedry and Mr. Gennaro came around and helped out."
"They did. At the same—"
"In the end, Mr. Gennaro made Dodgson leave the island." Tim sounded confident, but then looked flustered. "I'm sorry, Dr. Grant, I didn't mean to interrupt you."
"It's okay, the whole situation is overwhelming and upsetting."
"We're gonna tell him what everyone did," Tim said. "Right, Lex?"
Lex nodded eagerly. "We'll get him to listen to us."
"That's very helpful on both your parts," Grant said, trying to encourage them. "These coming weeks and months will be hard," Grant said. "We have to prepare ourselves."
"We also have to put ourselves in John's shoes. He's experienced betrayal three times—four times if you count Donald." Malcolm held up four fingers. "Being betrayed once is bad enough, but two, three—four times?! That's immense, ah, I'd say it's more like a trauma."
"A trauma?" Lex asked.
"Yes, in the sense that he will be affected by Henry's betrayal—he's already been impacted emotionally by what Dennis did. He trusted Dennis who betrayed his trust and stole for the corporate enemy. Think of trauma as an event that changes your life. It's distressful, unexpected, and even frightening. A trauma can change how you see yourself, the world, and those around you."
Malcolm began ticking off on his fingers various types of trauma, while everyone listened.
"It can be violent such as in the case of assault, rape, and any form of abuse. It can come from someone robbing you at gunpoint, fighting in a war, or even natural disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes when there's immense destruction, loss of life. Witnessing violence can be traumatic, being hospitalized for as long as your grandfather is traumatic—even short hospital stays can impact a person. Incarceration is traumatic because of how it dehumanizes the person serving time in the name of security and control. Betrayal is an emotional trauma." Now he tapped his chest, indicating his heart. "Some scars aren't seen on the outside; they're etched across the person's heart and soul."
Tim and Lex exchanged a worried glance. They were concerned about the well-being of their grandfather and how he would heal from this latest blow. Would he ever heal? How long would it take? Lex decided to push forward and ask for her and Tim. They wanted to understand what Hammond was experiencing, even if it was on a small level.
"It would take a long time to get over?" Lex sounded sad as she tried to understand what Malcolm was sharing.
"Yes, and he'll present as feeling depressed, anxious, and not fully trusting us. He may isolate himself and even have flashbacks or nightmares. He'll question everyone and everything—we saw this today and it'll continue for a long time. Even if he doesn't question us aloud, he's thinking it."
"That's terrible," Tim mumbled, staring at the floor. He didn't look up when Lex put her arm around his shoulders, trying to comfort him.
"I never told this to any of you, but he struggled with Dennis' betrayal for a long time. He was always afraid of another employee backstabbing him…and now it happened with Henry Wu." Malcolm sighed sadly. "It reminds me of something he told me once."
"What's that?" Grant asked.
Malcolm was quiet as he heard Hammond's voice in his mind. They had been walking in the park, when Hammond confided in him his greatest fear:
"I know what they think of me…that I'm senile…that because I'm old, I don't have a clue about what's going on. It really hurts that they'd think so little of me. Sometimes I watch them during our staff meetings, wondering which one is going to be the next Dennis. Who's going to betray me next? You don't know what that fear is like, Dr. Malcolm, until you've experienced it. I wouldn't wish that on you or anyone else—save for Lew Dodgson. It's a terrible thing—to not be able to trust your own employees. You constantly keep your eyes open and even when you do, they know they're being watched, so they try not to do or say anything that might give them away. I thought of firing all of them, after getting that first phone call from Dodgson—and after coming back from Isla Sorna and finding Henry's laboratory in shambles. I wanted to fire them, but who would I replace them with? I can't just hire anyone to work on this island. I don't know why I thought it would be a good idea to replace Dennis. At the time, I just wanted someone with his expertise that I could trust. Now I can't trust any of them."
"He said how it was terrible that he couldn't trust his own employees, that they knew he was watching them carefully. He even considered firing all of them but didn't know whom he would replace them with."
"He said that?!" Grant felt his entire body tense up upon hearing this. It had been the first time he had ever heard of Hammond wanting to eliminate his entire staff—just as Muldoon's suspicions about Wu purposely getting Hammond off the island came as a huge shock. "I had no idea Nedry's betrayal affected him that deeply. I don't blame him but…" He didn't know what else to say.
"We have to give him time," Ellie said. "Time heals all wounds, or so it's been said."
Tim and Lex glanced at each other. Tim appeared unsmiling and glum, but Lex seemed to slightly brighten as she sat up.
"Do you think he'll heal from Dr. Wu's betrayal?" Lex asked. "Is it possible?"
"It's hard to say, he might and then again, he might not." Ellie turned to Malcolm to see what he thought. Malcolm was about to respond when Grant jumped in.
"I'd like to think he would, since he was able to talk to Dennis in the hospital. They had a friendly conversation where there wasn't animosity between them." Grant gestured to Malcolm. "Dr. Malcolm and I heard their conversation."
"I remember that time, they seemed to get along better," Lex said. "I have a question—it's a question for you, Dr. Grant."
Grant leaned forward, indicating he was open to hearing her question. He thought it was interesting they had all remained in Hammond's bungalow long after Hammond had left to go on his own to the visitor center.
"Did you feel betrayed when El chose to be with Dr. Malcolm?" Lex looked directly at Grant.
"Lex—that's hitting below the belt," Tim said, turning to glare at her.
"What's the big deal? It's just a question."
Grant chuckled as he sat back in his chair. Malcolm looked away. Ellie squirmed in her seat, obviously uncomfortable. She knew Lex could be bold in speaking her mind, and when asking questions that she wanted answers to. She had a close relationship with Lex, but this question was the last one she ever expected to hear.
"Don't worry about it," Grant said. "You two have seen a lot in the past several years with everything that goes on here. You're mature enough to have this conversation." He glanced at Malcolm and Ellie now, who were noticeably feeling awkward by Lex's question. "Initially, I did feel betrayed—it's important that you understand though that El didn't lie to me and neither did Dr. Malcolm. She didn't betray my trust, in the way that Mr. Nedry betrayed your grandfather's."
"Maybe the right word is 'disappointed'," Ellie said, looking up now. "But I can't speak for you, Alan, so…"
"I had hoped that you and I would have a relationship because we worked closely as student and professor. So 'disappointed' is more accurate, I agree. It would be more of a betrayal if you pretended to be interested in me and then switched to Ian."
"Right," Ellie said, nodding.
Grant continued on, feeling his face heat up now, but determined to answer Lex's question. "When Dr. Sattler chose Dr. Malcolm, it was awkward for some time, but…Ian, you want to put in your two cents?"
"Uh, yes," Malcolm answered, turning to face everyone now. "What helped the three of us to heal was to talk openly about it as mature adults, especially myself and Alan. It's the same with Dennis and your grandfather. They need to have an open conversation about the breakdown of their employee/employer relationship. A real one."
Tim's eyebrows furrowed as he felt both confused and curious. "Has that ever happened?"
"I don't think so. That conversation in the hospital was a start. Hopefully there will come a day when they're able to talk about the past, why it happened, and how to move forward."
"So, if Mr. Nedry talks to Grandpa, and it helps them out, like they get along better—will Dr. Wu talking to Grandpa help too?" Tim tried to make connections about the significance between open communication, both men, and Hammond.
"It's possible, but we'll have to wait and find out," Malcolm said. "The conversations are more about communication and clearing the air. It will still take time for your grandfather's heart to heal and for him to regain trust—that's the hard part. He won't get over it from just having one conversation. It will still take time for him to trust those who betrayed him—and trust us, too. Those who betrayed him have to show in their actions that they're genuinely remorseful. Dennis did that when he helped us against Dodgson."
"Grandpa's heart was broken," Tim said, contemplating the effects of both Nedry's and Wu's betrayals.
"In a sense, yes. Once you've been betrayed, it's very difficult to trust. It's a deep hurt that can last a long time; that's why it's a trauma," Malcolm said. "Betrayal can make you question everyone around you—are they being sincere or fake? And it can make you doubt your ability to trust yourself. For example, your grandfather may blame himself by asking 'how could I have not seen this coming? How did I miss the warning signs?'"
"Can the person who did the betrayal make up for it?" Lex asked.
Malcolm, Ellie, and Grant glanced at each other, as though unsure how to answer. Malcolm had answered it a few minutes ago, but he realized that the kids needed to process the situation too. They probably felt their grandfather's betrayal on an intimate level since they were related to him.
This time, though, Ellie answered. "It depends. Mr. Nedry made up for it by helping us against Biosyn—but the only person who can answer that question is the betrayed."
"Right," Grant agreed. "I think we all agree that he went above and beyond to make amends to your grandfather, but only your grandfather can speak on how he feels about it."
"What should we do now?" Lex asked, pointing at herself and Tim. She meant the adults too, but she wanted to focus on how she and Tim could do their part to make things better for their grandfather.
"Spend time with him, help him get used to being back again, and be a listening ear in case he wants to talk to you about what's gone on before." Grant said. "We told him that you both know everything that happened on the island before he returned. So, if he asks you anything, just be honest."
"But also know that you can ask him to speak with us too, that way it's not on your guys" shoulders," Ellie emphasized. "We want you to enjoy your time with him and not feel weighed down by the past."
"Thank you, El," Lex said.
"We just want to be with Grandpa. We're glad he's back," Tim said. "We hope he's happy too."
Everyone murmured in agreement as they stood up and placed the seats back where they belonged. They left the bungalow to head to the staff lodge first, before going to the visitor center for dinner.
oOo
A short time later, Hammond reached the visitor center and started for the cafeteria. He abruptly changed his mind and decided to go to the labs first. He'd find Wu there. As he headed for the labs, he thought about everything that had been revealed. Everyone was playing a sick joke on him—and they were all in on it. Then again, he couldn't understand or believe that. Why create a dark joke about one of his employees turning their back on InGen—especially when he just overcame a debilitating stroke? And especially after what he had gone through with Nedry's first betrayal. It made no sense—but the idea of Henry Wu betraying him and joining Lewis Dodgson made no sense either.
Hammond reached the labs and opened the door. Stepping in, he was met with cold silence. Hammond walked in, examining the lab equipment, the microscopes… His eyes landed on the door to the hatchery. The hatchery had many pleasant memories for Hammond. Happy and joyful memories of him and Wu witnessing baby dinosaurs of all species', hatching from their eggs, signifying that the Jurassic Park project was an ongoing success. He imagined Wu wearing his white lab coat and InGen ID badge, a clipboard and pencil in his hand. Even his usual greeting: good day, sir! What would he do if he went in there and Wu wasn't there? Did he really want to find out? Taking a deep breath, Hammond chanced it—and wished he hadn't.
Henry Wu was nowhere to be found…
Swallowing the lump in his throat, Hammond hurried out of the hatchery and labs and went straight to the cafeteria. Upon opening the doors, he saw that his welcome sign was still hanging on the wall: WELCOME BACK, JOHN! The pearlized turquoise and white balloons still adorned the tables and were tied to some of the chairs. He thought about the heartfelt effort that everyone had made to make him feel welcome again…and how difficult it was to take in because of Wu's absence. He couldn't focus on anything else, no matter how hard he tried. Then, when he reviewed in his mind everything that Grant, Ellie, and Malcolm had told him—even Tim and Lex—it was overwhelming. He didn't even know where to start in terms of processing it all.
As he walked further in, he saw Arnold, Muldoon, and Harding sitting across from Lawala and Gennaro, having dinner. Well, they were sitting at the table with food on their plates—but they weren't eating. Arnold looked up and saw that Hammond approached them.
"Would you like to join us, John?" Arnold asked.
Gennaro gestured to the empty seat next to him. Hammond hesitated at first and then sat down. He thought about how Lawala sat with them. Although Hammond initially had his reservations about him, Lawala appeared to fit in with the rest of the InGen staff. He wanted to speak with Lawala and find out how he had made the switch from Biosyn to InGen, but he had more pressing matters that he needed to address. There was an uncomfortable silence. Everyone waited for someone to speak. Hammond quickly broke it.
"Why didn't you tell me about Henry?"
Arnold sighed as he exchanged a weary glance with Muldoon. "It's still hard for us to accept that he betrayed us."
"You haven't accepted it, but I have," Muldoon said.
"You were hard to convince too," Harding said to Muldoon. He picked up his spoon and stirred the vegetables around on his plate.
Muldoon was about to respond to Harding when Hammond interrupted them.
"Where's Dennis?"
There was a beat of silence as though everyone was dumbfounded that Hammond had asked about Nedry.
"Last time I spoke with him, he was traveling to Cambridge," Muldoon said.
"He really made things right again—he did his part?" Hammond was still surprised that Nedry had carried out his promise.
"A hundred times over," Arnold said, quietly. "He was instrumental in making sure Dodgson failed."
Hammond thought for a moment how he wanted to approach this. He knew he might get pushback for it, but it was worth a shot.
"Donald, I want you to keep track of anything related to Dennis—if we hear from him, if the police find him—I need to know as soon as possible."
Gennaro nodded. "Will do. Did you have any questions for us about what Dr. Sattler, Dr. Grant, and Dr. Malcolm shared with you? What about Tim and Lex?"
Hammond turned to Gennaro whom he sat next to and realized he didn't know if he'd ever work up the nerve to ask him what he had done all this time. Whatever it was, he'd have to learn the full details later. Lex had dropped hints that Gennaro hadn't been kind to Arnold or her and Tim during his hospitalization. Hammond wanted to learn more, but then upon seeing Gennaro and Arnold sitting together with everyone else—was it worth confronting him, especially if he got along better with everyone now? Lex said he helped out InGen in the end. Hammond decided to let it go for the time being, since his focus was elsewhere.
"No…I need to process everything. There's only one other question I have and I'm afraid that none of you can answer it."
"What is it?" Gennaro asked.
Hammond took a deep breath, forcing himself to ask the unanswerable. "Where's Henry?"
He noticed Harding sigh in response to his question. He also observed how Lawala listened, but didn't join in. He was repeating the same question as before expecting or hoping for a different answer.
"He's with Biosyn," Arnold said. "With Dodgson…that's how we saw him last."
Hammond sat up straight as if jolted awake. An idea had just popped up in his mind. He didn't know if it would work, or how it would even be executed, but he wanted to try. He had to because there was no way he would give up until he exhausted all possible ways of making it happen.
"I want to get him back here." He pointed at the table as though he wanted Wu to be sitting with everyone right now. "I don't know how, but we need to get him back to InGen again."
Hammond could tell by the resigned expression on Arnold's face that he didn't think it was possible, but that he would humor him for now. He wondered if he was acting prematurely—maybe he should wait until he had more time to process everything he had been told. A part of Hammond wanted to wait, and another part of him—the stubborn part—wanted to go forward.
"We can try, but how we'll do it, I have no idea," Arnold said. "I pleaded with him to not leave with Dodgson, and he still left."
"I'm not sure he wants to return to InGen," Harding added.
"Dennis did—if he did, why not Henry?" Hammond was persistent. Although he knew they must think he was crazy to want Wu to return after everything he had learned today, he remained steadfast.
"Dennis had motives for returning; he was making amends," Muldoon said.
"I know they're both—" Hammond stopped himself. The t-word had almost spilled from his mouth. Traitors. The word was stark and harsh, and although both Nedry and Wu had betrayed him, he still didn't want to view them in that light. "They're both brilliant men who made poor decisions."
"That's putting it lightly," Harding muttered under his breath.
Hammond didn't hear him. "I'm willing to give him a second chance if he comes back."
"And what if he doesn't?" Muldoon didn't mean to shoot off the question, but Hammond needed to consider that the opposite of what he wanted may happen: Wu might never return to InGen.
Hammond stared at the table, unable to answer. Muldoon saw he was hurting from what he just asked, and that he was weighed down by everything he had found out today. He chose not to press his point. Hammond needed to maintain a sliver of hope that Wu could have a change of heart. Nedry had, so Muldoon understood why Hammond would believe Wu could do the same. Knowing this, he realized it was better for Hammond to have that shred of hope than to be completely hopeless.
"We think he's the one calling the control room and hanging up," Harding said. "It started about two to three months ago."
"Where's he calling from?" Hammond asked.
"Los Altos," Arnold said, but it sounded more like he was asking for confirmation.
"Biosyn's headquarters are located in Cupertino."
"Maybe they moved," Muldoon suggested.
"It doesn't matter, I want to find out where Henry is...I know he's with Biosyn, but where is he?"
It was the only question Hammond could ask, aside from the obvious other one: why did Henry Wu turn his back on InGen when he had everything going for him? No one answered his question and Hammond finally accepted the harsh truth: the only person who could answer his question was no longer there.
Author's Notes - This chapter may come off like a lot of rehashing the past, but I felt it was important for three reasons. The first is readers of the trilogy had asked for a chapter where Hammond learns everything. As this chapter shows though, it opens up a huge can of worms. The second is that it's important to show how Hammond learns everything that happened during his absence and his reactions/responses. Writing just "he found out everything and was upset" would fall flat and come off as lazy. The third reason is that it helps catch up any new readers who haven't read the trilogy. Of course, just about everything mentioned in this chapter by Grant, Ellie, and Malcolm—and also Tim and Lex—is fleshed out in the trilogy. However, in order to bring new readers up to speed (and even previous ones who read the fics years ago), without having a novel-length author's notes of what's gone on before, this felt like the best and most practical way to do that. Thank you for your continued readership. I will have the next chapter up next month! - Sassy Lil Scorpio