Chapter 13 - (Lack of) Transparency
"Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away." - Ismail Haniyeh
oOo
"Cards on the table," Corey Anderson said as he closed the door to his office and came to sit behind his desk.
He looked at the three men sitting across from him, who waited expectantly. Anderson knew the first thing they wanted to ask about was Dennis Nedry. Had Anderson heard anything? Was Dennis still alive? Did he manage to get any information? The answers to those questions could wait—Anderson knew Nedry was alive—he had managed to listen to some of the recordings earlier. Before he delved into Nedry's situation though, he wanted to find out more information about InGen…
There was something important that nobody was saying outright. He had sensed for some time that they were tiptoeing around the truth about the "biological preserve" John Hammond owned, but now he wanted to know everything. Which animal did Dennis Nedry release that led to Hammond's stroke? Why were they secretive when they talked about this biological preserve? How many people knew the truth about it? To do his job, he needed to know all the information. Being that he had already demonstrated a willingness to help them, he hoped that they would be transparent with him.
"This is Dennis' written statement. He provided a lot of information, but there are blanks in several places."
Anderson held up the first page that showed Nedry's angular handwriting. Hammond saw the blanks in the paragraphs that he referred to.
"I'm thinking you all know the information to fill in the blanks which leads me to this: I need to know what the secret is behind your biological preserve, John. I want to have a better understanding as to why Biosyn always targets your company." He went through the papers and showed the other side of the second page, which had more blanks. "Dennis' confession is very informative, but there's parts where he's vague as to what InGen does."
Anderson stopped and noticed Ian Malcolm and Robert Muldoon looking at Hammond who sat between them. Hammond stared at the top of his cane: the amber that held a mosquito preserved inside.
"Whatever information you give me will be the missing puzzles pieces so that I have a full picture of everything." He picked up three papers from his desk and gave one to each man. "Below are the sentences where he left blanks. I need you to tell me what information is missing before we can proceed forward."
1. His charm worked on me because I was fed up with John, InGen and the _ project.
2. He asked if I could defeat security to obtain what he wanted which were _.
3. He demanded I get him a second batch of _.
4. I couldn't because George Lawala had gotten injured by a _ that spits, so I addressed that with the park staff.
5. The third time, I released the _ and this ended horribly.
6. He left his bungalow and headed to the _ and I followed him.
7. Robert and Dr. Grant shot two _, but there was still one out of the pen, and it was coming straight for John.
8. He had blood all over his face from our fight and the _ attacking him which would eventually leave scars.
9. Now he wanted to take the island and _ by force.
Malcolm and Muldoon studied the sentences on the papers, while Hammond looked quickly at Anderson and then turned his head to the left to stare at the wall with various newspaper clippings. It was obvious that Hammond wanted to distract himself, and if possible, remove himself from the situation. Anderson could tell Hammond felt apprehensive, but he didn't understand why. What was Hammond hiding? Was he upset that Anderson wanted more information? Malcolm was the first to speak up as he took out a pen from his pocket and clicked it so that he could begin writing.
"I'm gonna go through the trouble of filling this in for you. I haven't read the full statement, but the answers are clear." Malcolm regarded Hammond now. "First comes first though. John, we need to let Detective Anderson in on what InGen does."
Hammond turned to him, shaking his head. "No, Jura—the park isn't even open to the world yet."
"You can't keep this a secret. He needs to know everything so that it all makes sense."
"What Dr. Malcolm said is correct. Whatever it is that InGen does will stay in this room. I will hold it in confidence. I just need to have a better understanding as to why Dodgson continues to target your company—especially your staff. What is the significance of Henry Wu? Who is he and what's his position in your company?"
A long silence passed. It was interrupted by Hammond's reluctant sigh.
"I founded International Genetics years ago. My company specializes in genetic engineering. Henry Wu was my chief geneticist." Hammond placed his cane on his lap. "He was my miracle worker."
"Okay…" Anderson wasn't sure which direction Hammond was going in, but he decided to maintain an open mind.
"We focus on prehistoric life."
"Meaning…?"
"Might as well come out and say it, John," Malcolm interrupted. He turned to Anderson now. "InGen has been cloning dinosaurs."
There was a long period of silence. Muldoon had been studying the sentences on the paper and looked up when he saw nobody speaking. Right away, he saw sheer disbelief written all over Anderson's face. Anderson stared, dumbfounded, his eyebrows furrowed from confusion and disbelief. In fact, Anderson could only sum up his shock in one word.
"What?!" He didn't think he heard right. Dinosaurs?! How in the hell—
"InGen's work has been cloning dinosaurs by finding dinosaur blood within mosquitoes. These mosquitos have been fossilized in amber," Malcolm explained. "Show him."
Hammond handed him his cane and Malcolm passed it to Anderson. Anderson reached across the desk and took Hammond's cane. He turned it over and studied the amber atop the cane and now he was able to see the mosquito inside. He tapped on the solid amber and tried to imagine seeing a dinosaur—a real life dinosaur—in front of his eyes. And all from the blood of a mosquito? A mosquito fossilized by amber? It sounded like a wild science-fiction premise. Anderson thought of his niece and how much she loved dinosaurs, how he had brought her a collection of toys of different types…tyrannosaur rex, stegosaurus, triceratops…
"So, if you made these dinosaurs," Anderson said slowly, still trying to comprehend what Malcolm had just told him, "Where do you keep them?"
"Jurassic Park," Muldoon answered.
Anderson slowly nodded and passed Hammond's cane back to Malcolm, who turned it over to Hammond again. Surprisingly, Hammond was silent about everything.
"It's a park setting on an island?"
"Yes." Muldoon remained deadpan.
"Where's the island?"
Finally, Hammond spoke. "I leased an island off the coast of Costa Rica. Isla Nublar. That's where I built Jurassic Park."
"And these are real dinosaurs?" Anderson asked to be sure. It sounded wild and fictitious—too good to be true, or too out there to be believed.
"As real as Henry tried to make them. He's my—he was my chief geneticist," Hammond quickly amended his words. "He used frog DNA and other techniques, but he was able to clone a dinosaur—quite a few, in fact."
"And Dodgson has been targeting InGen because he wants your technology?" Anderson was starting to understand now.
"Exactly," Muldoon said. "InGen is years ahead of Biosyn—they're competing companies. Dodgson is—or was—from Biosyn."
"I see…" Anderson reread the first few paragraphs of Nedry's statement. Now it made sense. "So, based on what you're all telling me, let's fill in these blanks. I'll put them in on the statement Dennis wrote." He had a copy of Nedry's written statement with the corresponding numbers on the blanks.
"Here you go," Malcolm handed him his paper.
1. His charm worked on me because I was fed up with John, InGen and the Jurassic Park project.
2. He asked if I could defeat security to obtain what he wanted, which were dinosaur embryos.
3. He demanded I get him a second batch of dinosaur embryos.
4. I couldn't because George Lawala had gotten injured by a dilophosaur that spits, so I addressed that with the park staff.
5. The third time, I released the raptors, and this ended very horribly.
6. He left his bungalow and headed to the raptor pen, and I followed him.
7. Robert and Dr. Grant shot two raptors, but there was still one out of the pen, and it was coming straight for John.
8. He had blood all over his face from our fight and the raptor attacking him which would eventually leave scars.
9. Now he wanted to take the island and Jurassic Park by force.
Anderson filled in the blanks and scanned the papers. "I'm gonna read this aloud and then I want to know from all of you what Dennis wrote here—if it's true, false, exaggerated, a pack of lies, accurate—you get the picture."
Malcolm and Muldoon sat up in their chairs, ready to hear the statement, while Hammond stared at his cane, concentrating hard. Anderson began reading Nedry's statement aloud. Every now and then, he would look over to see their reactions. Several times, he saw Muldoon nodding, especially when his name was mentioned. To Anderson, this meant Muldoon was confirming that what Nedry wrote was true. Malcolm tilted his head in thought as he considered everything. Hammond sighed sadly as though pained that in hearing the written confession aloud, he was forced to relive everything—finding out Nedry's betrayal, the argument outside by the raptor pen, his stroke…When Anderson finished, he placed the papers face down on his desk.
"What do you guys think?"
"It's true—every bloody word of it," Muldoon said. He looked as though he was fishing for his alcohol-filled flask. Since he didn't have one with him, he folded his arms across his chest. "Everything he wrote in that statement happened."
"You and Ray catching him red-handed? Even the fights you had?"
"All of it." Muldoon nodded.
"Interesting…" Anderson murmured as he turned over one page.
"He put in a surprising amount of detail," Malcolm said.
"He did and that's good because it gives us a lot to work with."
"There's a lot more, but we can fill in the blanks, so to speak."
"That would be helpful." Anderson now turned to Hammond, who appeared pale and fidgety. "Are you alright, John?"
"It's a lot, hearing it all written down like that."
"It is, but it's good that he wrote it down—and that he accepted responsibility for his actions." At this, everyone agreed. Anderson decided to take a break so that everyone could come down from the heaviness of what they just discussed. "Why don't we break for lunch and meet me back here in an hour?"
Muldoon and Malcolm whole-heartedly agreed as they stood up. They gently prodded Hammond to join them.
"We can reach out to Alan and Ellie to see how the interviews are going," Malcolm suggested.
Anderson observed that Hammond appeared lost in his thoughts—or bad memories. He didn't respond to what Malcolm mentioned about the interviews. Upon further reflection, Anderson realized now that much of what Nedry wrote was a reminder of everything that had already happened—what led up to his hospitalization and what happened after. He figured Hammond was still processing Nedry's and Wu's betrayal. Before they left his office, Muldoon turned around.
"Before we go—did you ever find out what happened to Dennis? Were you able to get any information from his audio bugs?"
Anderson waited several seconds before responding. There was no good way to explain what had happened last night. "Yes, I did. I also checked on the car again. It has only his fingerprints. None of the car's bugs picked up anything, so he had to be out of the car when they ambushed him."
Hammond dropped his cane in shock and Malcolm bent down to retrieve it. "They ambushed him?!"
Anderson watched Malcolm give Hammond his cane. It was terrible news, but they all knew it had happened. Hearing actual confirmation of it was an entirely different experience.
"They did and we have the recordings to prove it. We're in the process of getting everything transcribed."
"They?!" Muldoon and Malcolm asked at the same time.
"I listened to it just before you all arrived. Dodgson set him up, and more than one person was involved."
"Who?" Muldoon kept pressing for more information. He had a gut feeling about who was involved.
"I'll have to listen to it again, but Dennis named one of his attackers— 'Raúl'. In a later conversation, Henry mentions 'Roland'."
"Bloody hell," Muldoon whispered, shaking his head. "Of all the people he had to run into that night…"
Anderson looked at Malcolm now, uncertain about Muldoon's reaction. Malcolm stood in the doorway with Hammond, one foot in Anderson's office, and the other foot outside. It made Anderson wonder as to what was behind Malcolm's thoughtful expression. Malcolm seemed to read his mind and offered him a quick explanation.
"The short story is that Raúl Lopez and Roland Tembo hate Dennis Nedry with an undying passion—and he hates them right back. They're Dodgson's most loyal employees and their viciousness tops the charts. They've tried to kill Dennis on two different occasions—separately—not teamed up like this. That's what makes this situation worse."
Anderson thought about the two times Malcolm referred to: Dodgson hiring Tembo to kill Nedry to stop him from warning InGen and Muldoon stopping Lopez from shooting Nedry in the nick of time. As he thought about it, he remembered Nedry mentioning Tembo as one of the men who was sent to kill him. It was also in his written statement. The revelation effected all three men from InGen: Muldoon was downcast as he stared at the floor and Malcolm's pensiveness was starting to show as he shoved his hands in his pockets. Hammond was taking it to the hardest as he was still shaking his head in disbelief.
"We know he's alive because the bugs are picking up his conversations—so let's remain hopeful." Anderson thought for a moment and then added the last part, hoping it would give them some consolation: "At the very least, all of Dodgson's associates are facing kidnapping charges for seizing Dennis. They already have an uphill battle when the day comes for them to face a judge and jury."
They didn't say anything as they quietly left Anderson's office. As he watched them leave, Anderson hoped they would continue to collaborate with him. The cards were on the table now—insofar as understanding and knowing the mystery behind Hammond's company—and finding out what happened the night Nedry left to begin his work as a confidential informant.
oOo
"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" Raúl Lopez dumped a large bucket of icy water on Nedry, who appeared to be sleeping calmly.
Nedry was now wide awake, whereas before he had been resting. It was tempting to fall asleep, but he knew he had to keep his guard up. At the very least, he could close his eyes and try to rest—but then Lopez forced him awake. He shivered as the cold water soaked through his clothes.
"What the hell? What time is it?"
He squirmed in the gurney, trying to get his bearings. Being trapped in the freezing basement was bad enough and the icy water made it worse. It felt like he had bathed in the beach on a winter day. His jacket didn't keep him warm, especially not with ice cold water soaked through. Thankfully, Anderson had told him the hidden recording devices were waterproof, otherwise everything he did going forward would be a waste. Malicious actions like this made him realize they were trying to break him mentally. He didn't know if this slow torture was worse or if enduring another gang beating would be better. As though they had read his mind about slow torture, Tembo and Lopez exchanged a knowing look.
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Lopez asked.
"I believe so," Tembo said, his mouth curling into a cruel grin.
"Waterboarding," they said at the same time.
Sonya Durant laughed, completely entertained. "I can totally picture it! Can't you, Denny?"
Nedry forced himself not to give them the reaction they were looking for. He was still shivering from the cold—and the fear of them carrying out waterboarding to torture him further. At times like this, he wished he had refused the possibility of sentence commutation and just accepted whatever sentence Judge Hoskins gave him. Then he'd argue with himself: it was better to deal with this temporary situation, no matter how awful and terrifying, if it meant he'd be free one day. He constantly went in circles inside his mind about it. Shoving those thoughts aside, Nedry looked up, forcing himself to be alert to whatever they planned to do.
They always ganged up on him. Just yesterday Sonya joked that he was the "human dart board" while Tembo purposely shot darts close to him—and at him. Now they were talking about waterboarding. He wouldn't put anything past them. They were completely loyal to Dodgson, which meant they were willing to do anything to anyone they perceived as a threat. Especially if it was Nedry or anyone from InGen. He didn't know what to expect for today or the rest of the time he was here.
Sonya pulled up two chairs. She and Tembo sat on either side of Lopez now, who was situated at the head of the gurney. It gave Nedry the impression that they planned to guard him for the day. Henry Wu, George Baselton, and Howard King rarely got involved in their antics. George Lawala had the decency and common sense to leave Biosyn and Nedry was glad he helped him switch over to InGen. If only getting Wu to return to InGen was as simple…
"Time for you to take a walk down Memory Lane," Lopez said, changing the topic.
"Why?" Nedry was surprised but went along with it. Maybe the idiots will tattle on themselves without me pulling information out of them. It was info he already knew and had written about in his statement, but Anderson had told him it would be even more damning if they voiced it aloud themselves. That was the rationale for Nedry being there—aside from trying to get Wu to return.
"Is the door locked?" Sonya asked. "We don't want any rude interruptions."
"It's locked." Tembo pointed to the basement door. "No one's getting in—not even Henry. We don't want him crashing our party. Dr. Dodgson can come in whenever he feels like it."
"Am I supposed to feel disappointed or sad that no one else is joining our party?" Nedry asked with his teeth chattering.
"Feel whatever you like, no one cares," Lopez responded for Tembo. "Let's begin. Dr. Dodgson hired us because of our perspective fields."
"I know this already, so I'm going back to sleep." Nedry pretended to go to sleep, knowing it would infuriate Lopez. "But go ahead, state your name and field. Let's be official about it." Surprisingly enough, Lopez didn't get angry and followed the suggestion.
"Raúl Lopez, paleontologist."
"Sonya Durant, guide and mercenary."
"Roland Tembo, the same: guide and mercenary."
"Don't you all feel so important." This was a good start and would corroborate with the written statement he had given Anderson. "Can I say my name too?"
"No, Dennis," Tembo said, "we know you as a backstabbing traitorous hacker, and that's all you are. See, I said it for you."
Nedry shrugged. "Fine, be that way."
He saw them watching him. If he had to use one word to describe them, it would be ravenous. If they were starving lions, then he was the zebra that they couldn't wait to devour alive. Rip limb from limb, tear him to pieces… Teeth still chattering, he rid himself of that awful image. He needed to distract himself. Glancing around the basement, he was surprised at how empty it was. Was he in Biosyn's Cupertino headquarters or the new one that Anderson had told him about—the Los Altos office? He remembered Lewis Dodgson having an animal unit, but there wasn't one here. Then again, didn't they get fired and forced to leave the Cupertino site? Maybe in time, he could work his way up to that occurrence.
"So, what did you all do? We know you played with bones in the desert, Lopez. What about The Hunter and The Huntress?"
Sonya and Lopez exchanged an annoyed glance. "This is more about the times you shitted on Dodgson and less about our careers," he clarified.
"Then why did you say your names and titles. You need to feel important?"
"You just told us to," Sonya said.
"And you listened to me?" Nedry burst out laughing. "I guess you guys trust me more than you think."
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Lopez made a slashing motion indicating for Sonya to stop. "No, we don't trust you—we're making sure you don't get away with your garbage this time."
Nedry sunk back into the gurney and flashed an exaggerated puzzled expression with his eyebrows knitted together. "Get away with what? I have no clue what you mean."
Lopez bolted up from his chair and stood over the gurney. He snatched the scalpel on the tray and held it to Nedry's face. "Last time you were with us, you pretended to suck up to Dr. Dodgson and then backstabbed him."
"When was this?"
"You know when, don't play stupid with me."
"I've lost count of how many times I was a traitorous asshole. You gotta remind me."
Lopez started tracing the scalpel along Nedry's jaw. "When we took over Isla Nublar and that annoying mathematician bailed you out."
"You mean you invaded InGen's island as Dodgson originally planned? Remember that meeting?"
"I remember telling you off," Tembo said, standing up and nearing Lopez. "Slice off the extra fat on the team."
"I remember your failed hit on me. That was so lame," Nedry said, trying to lessen his teeth chattering while watching the scalpel that Lopez was tracing along the left side of his face now. He had hoped Tembo would take the bait, but he didn't. Tembo seemed immune to Nedry's attempts to get him to talk further.
"To get back on track and to answer your question, Dr. Dodgson pretended to be an InGen board director to get his foot through the door." Lopez chortled. "From there, he started to get to know the staff, their weaknesses, and how to divide them."
"When did that happen?"
"You know the answer, you're just pretending to be thick. With Muldoon gone, it was easy to do. How convenient it was that we found him guarding you in Hammond's bungalow. Get rid of two InGen puppets for the price of one. We kindly dropped you both off at Isla Sorna where you stayed for two months."
"Hmm, Robert and I didn't volunteer to go there. We had no idea it was happening until we were there." Nedry offered a wide grin.
"Too bad," Lopez said flatly. He looked up at Tembo, who was frowning, deep in thought.
"But when did you get to Isla Nublar? I must've missed this. Either that or my memory sucks."
"We got there the next morning after you and Robert Muldoon returned—we had been on stand-by the entire time. By then you had already been arrested and were sitting in a Costa Rican jail cell. How were your accommodations?"
"Way better than this, but I'm not complaining." Nedry pretended to get comfortable in the gurney.
"We were hoping the compys would get you guys or that you'd both kill each other on Isla Sorna. Imagine Dr. Dodgson's shock when you both returned."
"I enjoy imagining your tears when you found out we were still breathing. Must've been a very sad day for you."
Lopez threw the scalpel back on the tray and punched him in the face. "Shut the hell up, Dennis."
Nedry licked the blood that leaked from his mouth. "I really am among friends. Let's continue this stroll down Memory Lane, I'm enjoying this." It's so easy to get Lopez to talk…
"What I really enjoyed was seeing Robert kick your ass the same day Hammond went to the hospital."
"Why was he kicking my ass? And I recall kicking his ass too. It was mutual and not one-sided as you wish it was. Selective memory—haha!"
"We captured not one, but two velociraptors that day. All your whining before that day was for nothing," Lopez said, toying with the gurney's straps. "The biggest thing you had to worry about was that pissed off park warden coming after you—and you know damn well why he was kicking your ass."
"You really enjoyed that, huh?"
"It's a tie with seeing you in cuffs after getting caught by the police—and beating the living shit out of you in that cell. Setting you up the other night—I haven't laughed so hard in a long time."
"If the highlights of your life are seeing me in handcuffs, punching me in the face, and participating in kidnapping me, that doesn't leave much room for your beloved dead lizards, does it?"
Lopez blinked when he realized the weight—and truth behind Nedry's words. Then he sneered and grabbed the scalpel again, pointing it in his direction.
"Listen, you little convict, I would pay good money to relive all three again: seeing you humiliated as the cops dragged you off, beating you up until you choke on your own blood, and snatching you off the streets. If you noticed, Dodgson hasn't asked Hammond or whatever cops you're working with to pay ransom. Wanna know why?"
Nedry shrugged, uninterested.
"It's because you're worthless to him and all of us." Lopez tossed the scalpel on the tray.
"And yet, he was so determined to have his brood of vipers abduct me just so that he can talk to me."
"After you betrayed him for the umpteenth time, he wanted to handle you in his own way. We just helped him out."
"So now you're admitting that all of you brought me back here against my will," Nedry countered. "Brilliant."
He was overjoyed at how much info Lopez had voiced and confirmed without realizing it. It was choppy and disconnected, but it was out there and being recorded. He needed to keep them talking about everything related to him and InGen.
"I'm so honored to live rent free in your head, Raúl!"
Lopez was about to respond when Sonya cut him off. "It's my turn, you can't have all the fun." She stood up, joining Tembo and Lopez. "I remember our first heist—that was the best one."
"What was your favorite part?" Nedry asked.
"Hmmm…" Sonya circled the gurney as she thought about it. Tembo and Lopez remained in place, watching her. "Having Howard pose for someone taking your position on the island. Scaring the hell out of Dr. Malcolm and Ray Arnold. Don Gennaro running off scared—I think we made him piss his pants. It was behind the visitor center, something like that. I don't think I tangled with Blondie that day—not yet. That was after we took over the park. I loved destroying her plant sanctuary, that stupid greenhouse!"
"Why did you hate Dr. Sattler anyway? What did she ever do to you?"
"Dr. Dodgson…" Sonya started, but then stopped herself.
"Thought she was pretty? That's why you picked on her?!" Nedry tsk-tsked. "You're so petty!"
"It was all fun and games picking on her." Sonya said, tossing her hair with exaggerated emphasis.
"Until Dr. Sattler beat the shit out of you!" Nedry said, not holding back a dark laugh. "Good times for sure!"
"I would rip out your tongue, but I enjoy hearing you run your big mouth, Denny," Sonya said, still circling the gurney. "Back to what I was saying— Dr. Sattler was elsewhere. Who messed with her and Dr. Grant that day?"
"That was Lawala," Tembo snapped. He didn't bother to mention that he had been with Lawala that day. Tembo had been observing everything and finally made up his mind about what needed to be done.
Sonya paused mid-step, turning to glance questioningly at Tembo. "Why are you pissed off? These were good times! I get it, you're missing our Georgie."
"It has nothing to do with that traitorous scum who abandoned us to join InGen." Tembo rushed over to a nearby desk. He pulled open three drawers before he found what he was looking for.
"Whenever you're ready to share your knowledge with us, Roland," Sonya pressed. "Sometime today?"
"We have no proof that Lawala is with InGen," Lopez said.
Tembo didn't respond to either of them as he came back with a roll of duct tape and a small flashlight. He shoved the flashlight in Sonya's hands, and she put it in her pocket. Wasting no time, he tore off a piece of duct tape and slapped it on Nedry's mouth. He turned to Lopez and Sonya while pointing at Nedry like a prosecutor pointing at a guilty defendant.
"Do you both have any clue what he's doing? Because it's clear as day from my vantage point."
Sonya shook her head, confused. Lopez waited, expecting Tembo to answer his own question. Nedry looked bored as though he couldn't wait for the day to be over.
"The sneaky bastard is trying to get us to talk and reveal information. We need to search him thoroughly."
"What?!" Sonya looked from Tembo to Nedry. "We're just reminiscing!"
"That's what you're doing—that's not what he's doing. Why do you think he didn't mind when you threatened to call the police on him?"
Lopez and Sonya exchanged a puzzled glance, expecting the other to have the answer. Tembo shook his head, frustrated that they were oblivious to what was obvious to him.
"Because he's working with them! He has a recording device on him, I'm sure of it."
Tembo threw the duct tape on the chair he had been sitting on earlier and gave clear directions. He turned to Nedry who although he couldn't respond verbally, appeared surprised by the accusations.
"Don't give me that I-have-no-idea-what-you're-talking-about look, Dennis. I'm too smart to play your childish games. Cat-who-ate-the-canary fits you better." He pointed at Lopez. "Keep my shotgun trained on him so that if he resists, he gets pumped full of darts." Then he turned to Sonya. "You'll undo the straps when I tell you to."
Sonya nodded as Lopez picked up Tembo's shotgun and aimed at Nedry.
Tembo locked eyes with Nedry as he decided where to start. "Start with the legs, Sonya."
Sonya loosened and unbuckled the straps on his ankles and legs. Nedry started to move his leg and froze when Tembo barked at him:
"Kick me and you get a dart in each leg."
Nedry shrugged and watched as Tembo patted his legs down, searching for a recording device, a wire—anything that indicated surveillance material. He made sure to be thorough—he ripped off Nedry's sneakers and examined them, inside out. Nedry made protesting noises that were muffled. Tembo figured Nedry was asking why he was looking for a wire in his sneaker—obviously it wouldn't be there. It didn't matter—Tembo wanted Nedry to know he was onto him. Tossing the sneakers on the floor, Tembo patted down his legs. He rolled up one pants leg, yanked it down, and then rolled up the other pants leg, scanned quickly before pulling it down. When he was finished, he gestured to Sonya to fasten the straps again. As he continued to search, Tembo explained what he was doing.
"It's not a coincidence that he's here after we ran into him at that sports bar. The chances of him helping the police to get a lighter sentence for himself are quite high. I've never trusted Dennis back then and certainly not now. We must take all precautions to protect Dr. Dodgson's interests. He's got something on him recording us—I know it."
He turned to Sonya and Lopez. Both stared blankly at him, speechless and baffled by what he implied. His impatience nearly erupted and he forced himself to hold back. Shaking his head in frustration that they didn't understand or refused to believe him, he continued to search. Nothing would deter him. Next were the arms. Tembo was taking no chances. Sonya obliged and undid the straps. He repeated the same procedure, this time rolling up the right sleeve before yanking it back in place. Again, nothing unusual. The same with the left arm—except Tembo noticed the long scar and left the sleeve rolled up.
"Someone left their mark on you behind the walls. Take a look." He gestured to Lopez and Sonya to come over, so they could see it.
"Someone really loves you," Sonya said, tracing her finger along the scar.
"Or hates you with a passion," Lopez added, smirking. "They have the right idea."
Tembo ripped off the duct tape on his mouth. "Who did this to you? Or maybe the better question is, who did you piss off?"
"I don't know. Must've happened when I was asleep." Nedry wasn't fazed. "When I get out, I'll get a tattoo over it."
"What will it say?"
Nedry smirked. "In giant bubble letters: Roland loves Dennis, Always and Forever."
Tembo shot him an angry glare as he pulled down the left sleeve. He ignored Nedry laughing in the background. Lopez sighed in annoyance and Sonya remained deadpan as she grabbed the duct tape from the chair and tore off a new piece.
"Tired of your annoying laugh, Denny. Better for you to keep your mouth shut." She smacked it on Nedry's mouth. He appeared amused as his shoulders shook in silent laughter.
Tembo stepped back as he thought of where he could search next. "We're not done yet," he said, frisking Nedry's chest and shoulders—nothing unusual turned up. "Unzip your jacket and unbutton your shirt—the top portion—and don't touch the duct tape."
Nedry complied while Tembo patted around, determined to find something that would prove his point. He clenched his teeth in frustration—there had to be a wire. Before Tembo told him to, Nedry buttoned up his shirt and zipped up his gray jacket.
"Pretending to be modest," Tembo growled angrily. He took a step back, wondering what he had missed. He thought of examining more thoroughly but realized that he had already checked all the typical places where a hidden mic or listening device would be concealed. Then it occurred to him: one last place. "Open your mouth."
Nedry sent him a long hard look, obviously annoyed. His expression told Tembo, I can't open my mouth with this stupid duct tape, genius. Sonya ripped it off before Tembo asked her.
"Perfect. Now open."
Nedry closed his eyes and obeyed Tembo's command, although every part of him wanted to resist. While Tembo searched, a door opened and closed. He was too busy and didn't bother to look in that direction.
"Sonya, pass me the flashlight." She placed it in his open palm. Turning it on, he grabbed Nedry's jaw with one hand and with the other held up the flashlight. "Prison inmates have been known to carry razor blades in their mouths. Given his status as a convicted felon, I wouldn't expect any less from him. It takes seconds to spit that razor out."
Nedry started to shake his head and close his mouth when Tembo's grip tightened on his jaw. This was beyond humiliating.
"I'll break your jaw if you bite my fingers."
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Tembo let go of Nedry and whipped around, ready to respond to the intrusion. Henry Wu stood behind him, his dark eyes flickering to everyone in the room. He couldn't believe what he had walked into. Sonya quickly fastened the straps and Lopez put down Tembo's shotgun on a nearby chair.
"I thought you said the door was locked, Roland," Lopez said, rushing to check the door to see how Wu had managed to get inside the room, undetected.
"I have a key," Wu said, fishing it out of his pocket and then putting it right back. He turned to Tembo and ignored Lopez's questioning stare. "You didn't answer my question—what the hell are you doing?"
"Protecting Dr. Dodgson's interests," Tembo sneered at him. "What're you doing?"
"Delivering a message. Dr. Dodgson wants to meet with you three in the conference room."
"About what?"
"He didn't tell me." Wu remained impassive. "He wants you there now."
"And you? Doesn't he expect you to be there?"
"I already spoke with him."
Tembo looked from Nedry to Wu and shook his head. "I know what's going on here; you both are fooling yourselves if you think Dr. Dodgson doesn't know."
Wu and Nedry exchanged a questioning glance, but neither said anything to defend themselves or deny Tembo's vague accusations.
"Let's go," Tembo said, glaring at Nedry the entire time. "Don't think you got away with anything. It's only a matter of time before we find out the truth about what you're doing and why you're here."
Sonya and Lopez followed him out of the basement. Neither one spoke a word to Wu or Nedry. Before long, the door was slammed closed. Now, it was only them.
Wu placed a chair to put under the doorknob—an extra precaution to ensure they couldn't return—for now. He saw Nedry's sneakers on the floor and fitted them on his feet.
"Thanks, your timing is perfect," Nedry muttered as Wu finished tying his right sneaker's shoelaces and then started on his left sneaker.
Wu didn't glance at him. "You're not welcome."
"Did you think about what we talked about last time? Returning to InGen?"
"My place is here, with Biosyn and Lewis Dodgson."
"But what're you doing here that's so special? Are you creating new lizards for him? Do you have your own labs? Where do you work out of?"
"Why do you care so damn much?" Wu leaned against the wall near the gurney and folded his arms across his chest, indicating he was closed off. It was a typical gesture from him. "You ask too many stupid questions."
"Because…" Nedry searched for the right words. Usually, this was easy for him, but he sensed Wu had put up an emotional wall. "What's he doing for you?"
"He understands my passion for genetics."
"Hammond does too, that's why he hired you."
"Dr. Dodgson plans to elevate my career."
Nedry looked left and right at the small confines of the basement room—his prison. "Elevate you, while you spend time with me in a freezing basement? How does that work?" He was serious at first and then cracked up laughing. "Make it make sense, Henry!"
Wu was ready to respond and then became quiet.
"Looks like Dodgson's dragged you down to the lowest version of yourself. That's very sad, but I get it. I've been there."
"You drag everyone down, Dennis. You dragged InGen down, and now you're doing the same thing with Biosyn. It's why Dodgson plans to have a personal talk with you."
"So, I dragged you all down and yet…" Nedry shrugged, unsure of where Wu was going with that statement.
"I'm still the chief geneticist of InGen and I'll always be the Miracle Worker of Jurassic Park!" Wu placed a hand on his chest, indicating his pride. "Nothing you do will ever change that."
"Then why are you here and not there? Why aren't you at Isla Nublar?"
For the second time, Wu opened his mouth to respond and then closed his mouth, uncertain of how to answer.
"You're the chief geneticist of Dodgson's bullshit and you're the miracle worker of this dingy basement." Nedry motioned with his head. "That's it. Until you make the right decision—and the decision you know you want to make—"
Wu left his spot and approached the gurney. "And that is?"
"To return to InGen. You have two choices: A: stay miserable with your brood of vipers doing absolutely nothing or B: go back to the company where you started being a true miracle worker—finish how you started."
Wu laughed coldly. "And throw out my dreams?"
"What dreams?"
"I'm not telling you so that you can laugh and mock me. I'm not as stupid as you think."
There was a long period of silence where both men simply stared at each other. Wu kept his fists clenched. It was the only nonverbal gesture that gave away his anger. Strangely enough, he didn't know understand his own furious reaction. Nedry hoped he was getting through to him. Today, he was taking a more forceful, in-your-face approach.
"You want to be known for your accomplishments, right?"
Wu refused to acknowledge what Nedry said. He stayed silent, although every part of him wanted to voice agreement.
"You won't get the fame you want hanging around Lewis Dodgson. The only thing coming your way is a criminal record and incarceration. Your dreams of world recognition will vanish if you keep following him. Think about it, Henry. Do you want your career to go down the drain? You'll be infamous—not famous."
"That's you, not me." Wu regarded him now in a manner that everyone found condescending—even Nedry.
"That will be you if you don't wise up, Henry."
Wu glared hatefully at him. Every time he thought he managed to shut out Nedry, another part of him kept hearing their conversations in his mind on repeat. Rather than look inwardly at himself right now, he needed to know how Nedry found out about his betrayal. It was something he had never wrapped his mind around. If he could get Nedry to talk about that, it would take the focus off him returning to InGen. Which is what Wu needed. Something to distract him from looking inwardly at himself.
"How did you find out?"
Nedry tried moving his left hand under the strap to loosen it. "Find out what?" He looked up, curious.
"That I had joined Dodgson."
"I overheard your conversation. You both were on the phone, and I was that third party that neither of you were aware of. Isn't it obvious?"
Wu was about to snap back, but he didn't. "How much did you hear that night?"
"More than enough to know I was gonna warn the park staff about you."
Wu grinned. "And no one believed you."
"Not then, but they do now. Your conversation that night was interesting. All this talk about you going to the dark side, how you felt Hammond was ignoring you, my persona-non-grata status, Dodgson promising to make you famous." Nedry snickered at this. "That's his M.O.—smooth words with no backup."
"Did you record the conversation?"
"I should've." Nedry glared at Wu. "That night in John's bungalow nobody wanted to hear the truth, but I knew it was only a matter of time."
"You really expected them to believe a backstabbing liar?" Wu scoffed and gestured at him as though he were trash that needed to be thrown away. "You're a convicted felon who's a shell of what he used to be. A brilliant systems analyst, but look at you now—wasted talent, miserable, and an outcast—nobody cares what you say or do."
Nedry looked down, ashamed of having his past thrown back in his face. His shame was short-lived as he shot back at Wu.
"I'm still that brilliant systems analyst and one day I'll get my life back together. Right now, your life is crumbling, Henry. Your dreams and aspirations are being dangled like a carrot in front of a hungry horse, but you keep trying to nibble the carrot while Dodgson whips you into running around for him. Keep being that horse, chomping at the bit. You'll never get anywhere staying here."
Neither man spoke for a full minute. Wu wanted to argue against what Nedry had told him but couldn't find the right words. Nedry felt he said all he could. Then it occurred to Wu…he had always wanted to know about the lists Nedry had written, and now was the perfect time to find out.
"One more question."
"Ask."
"Why was my name on your list?"
"What list?"
"You know about your damn list."
Nedry tilted his head as he thought about it, his eyebrows furrowed in concentration. Then it hit him what Wu was referring to: the lists he had written showing both InGen and Biosyn employees and consultants. He had written them when he was on the boat traveling to Isla Nublar—when he planned to warn the park staff of Dodgson's plans. Wu's name was the last one written on the Biosyn list—at the bottom of the page.
"Oh, that list." Nedry laughed and immediately stopped when he saw Wu's cold expression. "How do you know about it?"
Wu sighed, annoyed. "Ray found it when you and Robert were at Sorna."
"He did? I never meant for anyone to see those lists."
"He found it in your backpack."
"Okay and…?"
"Ray, Dr. Sattler, and Dr. Malcolm knew from that list alone that I had betr—" he caught himself in time. Wu never admitted aloud what he had done to InGen. There were nicer ways to phrase his decision. Divergent interests. Expand my contacts in the genetics field. Explore new territory.
"I didn't know they found it." Nedry was serious now. "You're angry at me for writing your name on a list?"
"It was circled in red."
"Duly noted. No more circling your name."
Wu's right fist clenched, but he kept it at his side. He was tempted to punch Nedry in the face for his excessive sarcasm. It was so annoying! "You made it stand out on purpose."
"Yeah, so? That's not the worst thing I've ever done. If it bothers you that much, next time I'll circle your name in purple. Or I'll draw a rectangle around it."
"Shut the hell up!" Wu grabbed the first thing in front of him—a spiral notebook—and flung it at Nedry. The notebook hit the side of the gurney and landed on the floor.
Nedry flinched when he witnessed Wu's fury. He wasn't sure if he was more shocked at Wu's anger or upset that he had responded to it.
"You tried to expose me. And to think, I defended you after your sentencing."
"I bet you ended up exposing yourself based on your reaction. What's this about you defending me?"
Wu turned away, refusing to answer. He remembered his initial reaction when finding out about Nedry's lengthy prison sentence that Judge Hoskins had handed down. Ten to fifteen years, huge fines in the six digits, and his certification revoked. Back then, Wu was disappointed that his co-worker, despite his intelligence, had thrown away his life and talents.
"Who cares about that."
"You're the one who brought it up, so finish."
Wu whipped around, pointing at Nedry accusingly. "I had told Ray and Robert that you were brilliant, how awful it was that your certification was revoked, and that it was messed up how you got sentenced for all that time."
Nedry pulled back into the gurney, as though shrinking away. "I had no idea, Henry."
"How could you know? You were on your way upstate."
Nedry was quiet and Wu wondered why he had fallen silent. Was he shocked or touched by Wu defending him? Wu decided it didn't matter since it was in the past and said as much.
"That was then, and this is now. Now you're a traitorous good-for-nothing hacker—"
"If you wanna go there about 'traitorous', then you're the pot calling the kettle black." Nedry busted out laughing. "It's funny, you know?"
"What's so damn funny?"
"For someone who claims that no one cares what I do or say, you care an awful lot that I overheard your conversation with Dodgson—and that I wrote your name on a list and circled it in red. Your lack of insight is amazing!"
"You know what I wish?"
"You wish Jurassic Park was open to the world so that everyone would know who you are and what you did by cloning extinct lizards. You're so fame-starved, Henry."
Wu blinked, shocked for a moment. "I'm impressed you know me so well, but no, that's not my wish." He slowly walked up to the gurney, so that he was standing over Nedry.
"I don't know then."
"I wish I found that list before they did, so that I could crumple it into a ball and shove it down your throat. Sit back and watch you choke on your slander."
"It's not slander if it's true." Nedry pressed against the straps and met Wu's cold dark eyes. "And if it's slander—if what I wrote isn't true—then why the hell are you here chasing after Lewis Dodgson?"
Both men stared hatefully at each other. No words were exchanged during that time. Those fifteen seconds felt like forever. Finally, it was Wu who stepped away as he glanced at the door and then down at Nedry.
"This conversation is over. I'm meeting with the team to discuss what to do with you."
"Have fun with those rabid Cub Scouts!"
Nedry watched him open the door and processed everything that took place today. He had made progress with getting Lopez and Sonya to talk. Tembo was catching onto him, but he couldn't worry about it. He would have to try another avenue to get them talking again. He also had his written confession which was a great start. There was something else—the fact that they had forcefully taken him from Carlos and Charlie's restaurant parking lot and brought him to where he was now. Nedry remembered Anderson telling him that he was there to meet with Dodgson and that if the group did anything against him—they could face serious charges.
As for Wu…there had been no movement there. Not when he claimed to still be loyal to Biosyn—even though he had been fired from the company along with everyone else. Then again, Wu kept talking out of both sides of his mouth. Nedry understood he wasn't ready to come around yet. He called himself the "Miracle Worker of Jurassic Park", but then claimed allegiance to Lewis Dodgson. Nedry figured being around Dodgson brought out Wu's dark side and Nedry knew that had been true of himself too.
The other side of the coin was he and Wu already had that darkness in them… It wasn't something Nedry was comfortable admitting, but it was better to be honest—especially if he was pushing Wu to face himself. Wu seemed to remain in a state of denial and Nedry knew he'd have to push him harder. It would take a lot more to get him to come around. When Nedry looked at his own past, it made sense. The incident with Muldoon and Hammond forced him to face the harsh reality of whom he had become and how he had allowed greed to distort him. How he had allowed himself to fall so low… He hoped it wouldn't take a scenario as drastic as Muldoon's and Hammond's, for Wu to open his eyes and face himself.
Wu turned back around only once. "Next time they're down here, you're on your own."
He left and locked the door behind him.