Chapter 16 - Matching Scars and a Devious Plot
"You never find yourself until you face the truth." - Pearl Bailey
oOo
It was mid-morning of the following day when Corey Anderson removed from his car several cups of hot coffee and bagels that he had purchased at a nearby deli. They were laid out on a box tray. He anticipated it would be a long day at the precinct. So far, he had been able to compile solid information regarding Lewis Dodgson and everyone associated with him. He didn't think it would take much longer to stake out the building where they were hiding, but something told him more information would be revealed today.
By the time he got to his office, John Hammond, Robert Muldoon, and Ian Malcolm were waiting for him. Malcolm and Muldoon held the coffee and bagels while he opened the door and gestured to them to enter his office first. After locking the door behind him, he set up the listening station, so that they could find out if any significant conversation had occurred in the past twelve hours.
"Feel free to help yourselves," Anderson said, pointing at the coffee and bagels that Malcolm and Muldoon placed on his desk.
Everyone partook and sat down across from Anderson's desk. He held up a cassette tape that had been used to make a copy of the recent recording from last night. Anderson could see they were puzzled by the way they stared back at him, so he explained that the latest recording was from the night before and that everything had already been transcribed for written records. In fact, a pile of six cassette tapes sat on his desk with another pile of six corresponding folders. Each one held recorded conversations that had been transcribed. Placing the cassette in a tape player, he pressed the play button, and everyone listened to the conversation between Dennis Nedry and Henry Wu. When it was completely over, Hammond sat back in his chair, stunned. This recorded conversation was the heaviest one yet.
"Can you replay that part again, Detective Anderson?" Hammond asked as got up and picked up a second cup of coffee. "The part where it sounded like Henry threw something? It was when Dennis mentioned Dodgson sabotaging the park."
Malcolm and Muldoon sat on either side of Hammond, nodding in agreement.
"The conversation sounds ominous at certain parts, and hopeful in others," Malcolm pointed out. "It's not consistent."
"Dennis came at him hard in the end," Muldoon added. "Especially when he was reminding Henry that Ray begged him to come back to InGen. I never imagined he would do that."
"He's giving his all," Hammond said. "I'm really amazed by what he's gotten out of Henry so far."
"It's already there—his ambivalence about being aligned with Biosyn," Malcolm said, "but now Dennis is tapping into it and Henry knows it too."
Anderson found the marker that Hammond referred to. He also noted how the conversations were being transcribed. It would be helpful to read and comb through them at a later point. For now, he was glad that they were making progress. Anderson turned the volume up and pressed play. The room was silent as they listened. Anderson watched them carefully, noting their reactions.
"Does John have plans to open up Jurassic Park?" Wu sounded genuinely curious.
"I have no idea, Henry. Why do you think I know about this?" Nedry sounded annoyed as though he didn't want to bother with this question.
"The only condition that I'll come back under is if John Hammond opens up Jurassic Park to the world."
Hammond sat back in his chair when he heard that part. He took it to me that Wu would only return on his own terms. Inwardly, he was saddened by Wu's self-centered ambitions—but he also understood that Wu wanted to be recognized for his accomplishments. Next to him, Malcolm appeared deep in thought.
"Wow, aren't you quite the selfish asshole?"
Muldoon suppressed a knowing smile. Leave it to Nedry to call Wu out. Then they heard Wu talking.
"If Hammond wants to open up Jurassic Park, then Dodgson will find a way to sabotage it."
There was a brief silence and then Nedry responded:
"So, you want to know when Hammond plans to open the park to the world—just so Dodgson can go screw it up?"
"That's NOT what I meant!"
"Defensive as ever," Malcolm noted.
"How else did you mean it? You're a hot mess, Henry. Even better, You're a walking personality disorder. I know what this is about. You know Dodgson has something up his sleeve—that he's planning to sabotage the park or InGen again. What's his plan this time?"
"Not a damn thing. There's no 'plan'."
They heard Nedry chuckling.
"You're a worse liar than me—you're—what the hell?!"
Moments later, an object smashed against a wall. It might've been a glass plate or ceramic bowl.
"That's it—that part right there!" Hammond pointed at the recording and transcribing device that was part of the listening station.
Anderson paused it.
"Based on what Henry said, it sounds like Dodgson has something planned, but what?" Hammond quickly looked from Muldoon to Malcolm, hoping they would have a reasonable answer for him. "What do you guys think?"
"It could be anything, John." Muldoon said. "Lewis Dodgson has no limits."
Hammond finished his coffee and squeezed his cup, anxious and angry all at once. "I'm not waiting around this time to see what he does—I want him stopped before he starts."
"I understand." Anderson nodded empathetically. "We will apprehend him. I just want to see if we can get another day's worth of recording." He took out a folder bearing the name Lewis Dodgson.
Muldoon took a bite out of a plain bagel with cream cheese and chewed thoughtfully. He held up his finger, indicating he wanted to add a thought once he was finished eating.
"Dodgson wants revenge, that much is bloody obvious. We heard him tell Dennis that he'll start a 'shitstorm', and now Henry mentioned that he'll find a way to sabotage John's project."
Anderson took out a pen and pocket notebook from his desk and returned to the listening station. Clicking the pen and flipping open the small notebook, he was ready to jot notes. "Tell me more about Lewis Dodgson from Biosyn."
"Biosyn is our company's rival," Hammond said. "They've had Lewis Dodgson target us many times. As you know, he's managed to sway two of my employees to do his bidding."
"Go on. Does Biosyn have an issue with Dodgson's tactics?"
"They seem to look the other way or encourage it," Hammond said. "I don't know for sure, but they haven't stopped him before."
Anderson took this into account and looked up when he heard Muldoon follow after Hammond.
"He's extremely dangerous and willingly puts his own employees in harm's way," Muldoon said. "He's the reason behind Henry's downfall. Dennis, too, but he eventually came around."
Muldoon's eyes took on a steely glint when he remembered asking Nedry about Dodgson when they were sailing back to Isla Nublar. To this day, he was glad that he had believed what Nedry had told him—especially since it was only a matter of hours before he finally met Lewis Dodgson face-to-face. That same night Wu revealed he had chosen to align himself with Biosyn.
"What has he done before? Do you know anything about his history?"
Muldoon glanced at Hammond. He knew Hammond had more information about Dodgson.
"Lewis Dodgson is aggressive; he was the head of research at Biosyn and has broken the law multiple times. There's a saying that Biosyn has more lawyers than scientists. He's the reason why."
Hammond stood up to throw out his empty cup in the garbage bin near the door. As he did so, he glanced around Anderson's office, noting the awards and certificates he had received for his work in law enforcement. Anderson and Dodgson were complete opposites. As much as Anderson had served and protected his community in his line of work, Dodgson had broken the law and engaged in multiple unethical studies.
"He's responsible for exposing Chilean farmers to an airborne version of rabies; they had no idea they were at risk. Ten farmers died. He had it contained on a carry-on bag, which he placed on a flight." Hammond shook his head as he sat down again.
Anderson drew in a sharp breath. Lewis Dodgson sounded atrocious. He wondered how he was able to convince anyone to lose their careers and risk their reputations for him. Anderson figured he must've been very charismatic and convincing—and he knew his targets' weaknesses.
"That's not even half of it." Hammond had noticed Anderson's alarmed reaction. "There's more."
"Go on."
"He test-marketed a genetically engineered potato and put it in markets. Nobody had known the potatoes were altered. Many children got diarrhea, and some were even hospitalized," Hammond said, who now forced himself to sit up straight in the chair.
By now, he was starting to feel tired, as if he wanted to take a nap. The focus on Dodgson was taking a toll on him. It was probably hearing about all the horrible things he had done to harm people with no remorse. When he thought about it more, it was also the knowledge that someone so malicious had managed to exploit Wu's and Nedry's weaknesses and frustrations and corrupt them to the extent that they betrayed those who trusted them. The fact that Dodgson thought nothing of severely harming anyone he perceived as a threat was the last straw for Hammond.
"And where InGen is concerned?" Anderson asked, wanting to make sure he got the information. The more, the better, and the more convincing it would be for a jury to convict him and a judge to sentence him to a lengthy prison term.
"The list is endless," Malcolm said, turning in his chair to face Anderson. "First, you must understand that he's a master manipulator. Imagine Dodgson as a puppeteer and Dennis and Henry are his marionettes. He knows—or rather, he knew how to pull their strings. Dodgson offered Dennis over a million dollars to steal from InGen, and with Henry, he's exploiting how he craves worldwide recognition. Ah, let's see what else: abandonment."
Anderson's eyebrows rose questioningly. "Abandonment?"
"It's not an official crime, but more of a, uh, a statement about how he let Dennis face trial by jury and prison by himself. He sent his team to trespass on InGen property and steal animal specimens, but before that, he avoided responsibility for his role. After the incident where John had a stroke…" Malcolm motioned towards Hammond and then Muldoon. "Robert was badly injured, and Dennis decided he wanted nothing to do with Lewis Dodgson anymore. Once he made that decision, Dodgson put a hit on him."
Malcolm paused as he stood up to get a second cup of coffee. He took a sip and then placed the cup down on Anderson's desk. Still standing by the desk, Malcolm ticked off his fingers.
"He took over InGen by pretending to be a board director, made advances on my girlfriend, Ellie—it was sexual harassment. He made her feel uncomfortable countless times."
"He slapped her too," Muldoon said, toneless. "Twice."
"He did what?!" Hammond was shocked as he looked back and forth at Malcolm and Muldoon.
There were certain things that the staff hadn't told him about the time he was hospitalized…or maybe it was so much, that he didn't remember it all. Either way, he was disgusted at how far Dodgson had gone.
"Dodgson intimidated Tim to the point where the entire staff had to always be around him to ensure his safety. I found that out when I returned to the island with Lex, Dr. Grant, and Dennis—Ellie told me. Before that, his staff micro-managed and bullied John's employees. They locked me and John's grandchildren in the bunker for days. Didn't matter that we were running out of food at one point..." Malcolm clenched his fists from just thinking about it. "Robert, is there anything else I'm leaving out?"
Muldoon picked up where Malcolm left off. "He tried to start a fight with Dr. Grant and lost that one. One of the most awful things he did was ordering his team to beat Dennis half to death—and this is after he bribed the arresting officer to look the other way—literally—while it was happening."
Anderson had his pen paused over his pocket notebook as he glanced at Hammond, wondering how he was processing all this. It wasn't the first time this information was discussed, but it was confirmation that it was all true. Hammond had taken off his hat and was staring at it. He sighed deeply, saddened by how much damage Dodgson had done. All these horrendous things, simply because he was determined to get what he wanted no matter what the cost.
"I think we've covered bloody everything. Oh, and one last thing—he had his group kidnap Dennis and I, leaving us stranded on a nearby island, Isla Sorna."
"The group that consists of Roland Tembo, Raúl Lopez, Sonya Durant, George Lawala, Howard King and George Baselton?" Anderson flipped through his pages and found their names listed. He circled the list and put an asterisk as a reminder to himself.
"George Lawala was with them at the time, but he's under InGen employment now," Hammond said. "He had a change of heart; and I don't want him to be arrested or face charges."
"King and Baselton weren't there when they dropped us off on the island," Muldoon added to clarify. "They were involved in Dodgson's plot to kill Dennis."
Anderson nodded. He remembered Nedry telling him that in the prison when Hammond was present.
By the time they were finished, Anderson had an entire page scribbled back and front with Dodgson's crimes. "There's a lot of hefty charges he can face based on what you've all described. That all of them can and will face. What do you think he'll do next?"
"Anything is possible with Lewis Dodgson," Malcolm said. "He has no conscience."
"Anything," Muldoon emphasized and stretched his arms over his head. Although the coffee could wake him up, he needed to step outside to take a quick drink from his flask.
Hammond looked up now, meeting Anderson's eyes. Anderson could see Hammond pleading with him before he spoke up.
"That's why I want him stopped before he does anything—I have no idea what he'll do next to harm my staff and sabotage my island…he really has no limits."
"Listening to you all discuss InGen and Biosyn, it sounds more like rival gangs than competing biotech companies," Anderson said.
He went over to his desk and placed down the pocket notebook and pen. As he did so, he heard the chairs scraping the floor as Hammond and Muldoon stood up. Weariness was etched on their faces. Even Malcolm looked exhausted as he stepped away from Anderson's desk. They needed a mental break after discussing Dodgson, and admittedly, Anderson did too. They were drained from going over everything Dodgson had done to harm everyone in InGen—and others who had no idea of how dangerous he really was, including the Chilean farmers and families who had fallen victim to his crazy experiments.
For Anderson, although he had seen a lot during his years in law enforcement, Lewis Dodgson struck him as a sociopath who checked every box. Every trait was there. Glib, superficial charm. Lack of empathy. Pathological lying. No remorse. Impulsivity. Controlling others through threats, physical aggression, and violence. No wonder Dennis was afraid to face him again, Anderson thought. He understood now…and now everyone needed a breather. They could regroup after lunch. Glancing at his watch, he saw that it was a quarter to twelve.
"Why don't we take an hour break. Grab something to eat, it's on me." Anderson reached into his wallet and gave Muldoon, Hammond, and Malcolm vouchers for nearby eateries. "Then we'll continue where we left off."
"That's a good idea," Malcolm agreed. "We can contact Alan and Ellie, find out how they're doing with the interviews for the job candidates."
"I'll call Ray," Muldoon chimed in. He knew Malcolm was trying to distract Hammond by helping him to refocus on his goal to hire new park staff.
After they thanked Anderson and left his office, he sat down in his chair and reread all the notes he had taken. The tape player caught his eye and he stared at it, amazed at how much had already been recorded ever since Nedry went in as a confidential informant. And now, everything Malcolm, Hammond, and Muldoon had shared supported Nedry's written statement. Anderson had all the evidence of Lewis Dodgson's cruel and extreme behavior.
"My God…"
oOo
Despite the frigid temperature in the basement of Dodgson's new headquarters, Nedry tried to force himself to get much needed rest, even if it meant only closing his eyes. It was difficult because he felt like he was stuck in the middle of a blizzard with no winter coat, gloves, hat, or scarf. Even so, he closed his eyes if it meant his headache would subside. Today started out different—there was nobody from Biosyn watching him. Nobody wearing him down. Even Sonya Durant hadn't stopped by.
Because the day started out differently, he immediately knew something was up. He wanted to let his guard down and get some rest, but his hypervigilance wouldn't allow him. He was constantly staying alert, listening, and scanning for threats. It was becoming more and more exhausting as the days passed, and the lack of sleep made it worse. His heart constantly knocking against his chest, and he had to force himself to breathe slowly, to try and remain calm. Being hypervigilant from his time in prison never ceased, no matter how much time had passed. He found it frustrating and today was no exception.
Still, Nedry decided to try to rest. No sooner had he closed his eyes when he heard the door open. He listened carefully; it sounded like two or three people had entered the room. He could tell by the overlapping footsteps. Whoever came in tried to be quiet and now Nedry sensed someone standing over him. His eyes shot open just in time to see an upside-down view of Roland Tembo grinning down at him and holding what appeared to be a leather strap. At the same moment, the upper portion of the gurney was adjusted so that he was lying flat instead of in a sitting up position.
"Rise and shine," Tembo said, wrapping the leather strap around Nedry's neck and tying it behind the gurney. "Try lifting your head now."
Lopez circled the gurney, double-checking the straps and tightening them, making it impossible for Nedry to twist around. "Now you're all comfy and cozy."
Tembo stood beside the gurney. "Perfect, he's ready."
Nedry had barely registered what was happening, when suddenly Dodgson leaned into his face, a murderous gleam in his slate gray eyes.
"It's time for us to have that talk. I'm gonna ask you some questions, Dennis, and you better tell me the fucking truth."
Nedry tried to remain calm, but Tembo had tied the leather strap tightly, making his neck burn.
"Where's the laptop?"
"What are you—talking—about?" His words came out in a weird sputter. Nedry didn't know if it was because he was severely sleep deprived or because his neck was cramping from the leather strap. He felt like he was choking.
"That's not the answer I'm looking for. Where's that fucking laptop?!"
"I don't know wh—"
"The laptop I told you to download all InGen's information and research. You know which one I'm talking about."
"You took it—!"
"You put a computer virus on that one." Dodgson leaned in closer so that he was practically eyeball-to-eyeball with Nedry. Then he suddenly pulled away and picked up something off the floor. "Does this look familiar?!"
Nedry's eyes widened when he recognized his laptop.
Dodgson lifted the laptop high over his head and brought it down, smashing it on the gurney rails. Tembo didn't budge and watched the entire scene, maintaining an icy demeanor. Lopez backed off, shocked by Dodgson's violence. Dodgson wasn't finished as he slammed it repeatedly on the rails.
The entire time, Nedry tried not to flinch in fear. For an instant, he thought Dodgson intended to smash the laptop across his face. In the next second, he saw a flash of gray. His head exploded with pain and his nose throbbed horribly. He barely had time to register that his laptop was being used as a weapon against him. He thought he heard Lopez howling with laughter in the background, hoarse and sadistic. Of course, Lopez would find it hilarious that Dodgson hit Nedry with his own laptop. With an animalistic grunt, Dodgson threw the laptop at the far wall.
"It's fucking dead now—just like you should be! You made another laptop with InGen's secrets—you better tell me where it is."
"I…didn't…no idea…" He couldn't formulate a response.
Dodgson appeared blurry above him. A headache like nails being driven into his temples spread through his skull. All he wanted to do was sleep—and he couldn't thanks to Tembo's leather strap wrapped around his neck, Dodgson's bizarre accusations and lifeless gray eyes, and Lopez pulling the restraints so tight that his limbs were cramping worse than before. It was bad enough that he'd been immobile for several days and completely unable to defend himself whenever they felt like attacking him.
He wondered how he had managed to talk sense into Wu this entire time. It wasn't just the possibility of a sentence commutation motivating him. He had to get through to Wu before it was too late—before Wu changed his mind. Nedry knew he was making progress by forcing Wu to look inside himself—but he still had to get him out of there before Dodgson snuffed out their lives. He had no idea how he would accomplish that—and Dodgson would send them to an early grave once he realized that Nedry was there to persuade Wu to return to InGen. He probably knew already and was just playing along until the right moment came to reveal everything. Right now, Nedry was baffled by Dodgson's suggestion that he had a second laptop floating around somewhere with InGen's information, knowledge, and research. All their top secrets. Where the hell did that come from?! Nedry wondered. Who put that idea in his head?
"There's no second—" He froze when he saw Lopez pick up the tray of surgical instruments.
"I don't like it when people lie to my face." Dodgson received the tray of surgical instruments Lopez passed to him. He fiddled with the tools, deciding which one he should use first. "Didn't you make a back-up? I thought that's what little hackers like yourself do. Make back-ups."
"There's no other laptop—and there's no back-up—I swear." His words burst forth just as Dodgson held up the extraction forceps to the light.
"The problem with liars like yourself, Dennis, is when you finally tell the truth, no one believes you," Tembo said. "And for the record, I don't believe you a single syllable that you say. No one here does."
Lopez nodded in full agreement. "Preach!"
Nedry watched with bulging eyes as Dodgson placed down the extraction forceps on the tray. He heard Lopez's and Tembo's taunts and did everything he could to block them out. Right now, he needed to focus on Dodgson who loomed over him, beet-faced and angry. He knew from experience that Dodgson was at his absolute worst when he was furious. This was not going to end well…
"You ruined me in front of the entire board of directors at Biosyn—you lied back then, and even now you're still fucking lying!"
Nedry tried twisting again, barely budging an inch. His body temperature plummeted when he saw Dodgson picking up each surgical tool, marveling and turning them in the light—he was excited to finally use them. This can't be happening, Nedry thought as terror ripped through him. He clenched his fists, determined to hold onto his sanity for whatever Dodgson planned on doing.
"I'm gonna take care of InGen for good, starting with you first. Then I'll graduate to his grandbrats."
Dodgson took a skin surgical marker that Tembo offered him. Nedry watched, bewildered, as he tried to piece together what was happening.
"Do you still have that photograph I told you to bring?" Dodgson asked as he held out his right hand for the two latex gloves that Lopez gave him.
Tembo reached into his pocket and unfolded a photo, while Dodgson slipped the latex gloves on his hands. Nedry squinted, trying to see who was in the picture. He only got a glimpse of the stone-faced expression and facial scars. It was enough for him to recognize that it was a photo of Muldoon taken some time after the raptor attack.
His heart raced up his throat and his mouth tasted like copper—Nedry immediately knew what was about to happen.
There was no question or doubt in his mind, and he struggled again, trying to pull his arms and legs free from the straps. Lopez and Tembo watched him, impassive and detached. Their cold silence was worse to Nedry now because it meant they were waiting for Dodgson to act.
"Thank you—and one more."
The deadly silence was broken by that eerie calm voice that only Dodgson could muster—especially when he was on the verge of flying into a full-blown rage. Or when he had already raged and was trying to stifle it. It always unnerved Nedry how Dodgson could go from serene to ballistic (and vice versa) in a matter of seconds, and sometimes with the slightest provocation. He saw Tembo hand over another picture to Dodgson—and now he recognized his booking photo. It was a newspaper clipping of him holding up the placard with his information. A rattled sigh escaped from him when he realized it was his booking photo from the beginning of his incarceration—and when he saw the black lines on his face that had been drawn on the paper.
Dodgson studied both photos carefully for some time. He didn't look up when he spoke with that same steel calm voice.
"You're a hypocrite, Dennis. You're a liar, a fucking traitor. You're scared because you know what this is about. Don't you."
Play dumb, Nedry thought, but even as he tried to convince himself, memories of taunting Muldoon for the scars on his face kept replaying in his mind. I was a horrible sack of shit back then. He didn't want to remember the obnoxious man he had once been—because he knew he could never justify his past actions. They were beyond reprehensible. Still, he heard himself telling Muldoon (in his most nauseating cheerful tone) that he needed plastic surgery. Other inflammatory comments replayed in his mind: Rob's just mad because a raptor petted him. Need a band-aid? Did you cry when they scratched you with their mean little claws?
Nedry tried to find a point to focus on as he had done many times before. His sneakers, the wall with all the cracks—it had always worked. So why wasn't it working now? He imagined the room spun around him. His stomach was queasy as though it had just discovered it had food poisoning and wanted to vomit out all its contents. His terror was so intense that dizziness overtook him. If only he could disassociate and mentally remove himself, then he would win. He would be victorious, and they would all be sore losers because all Dodgson and his cronies wanted to do was break him mentally until he could no longer put himself back together again.
"This is about the Golden Rule." Dodgson sounded like he was talking about his favorite meal.
Nedry's breathing was coming out in uneven gasps now and he forced himself to breathe calmly. He had to show that he wasn't afraid—just like that night in the cell…but he remembered that they had broken him that night while Dodgson enjoyed every moment of his awful humiliation. Watching him endure a gang beating was pure entertainment for Dodgson. Something told him this would be far worse this time and that he wouldn't walk away unscathed. Despite the choking fear, Nedry was determined not to have a repeat of Dodgson breaking his spirit.
"Whoever has the gold—makes the rules." Nedry let out an uneasy chuckle. "I…I have gold so I can make the rules—or bend them. Maybe even break them?"
Above him, Tembo and Lopez glanced at Dodgson, watching to see how he would respond.
Dodgson let out an exaggerated sigh of frustration. "No, it's 'do onto others as you would have them do onto you'."
All was quiet for several moments. Nedry willed himself to breathe slower, so that his fear was managed instead of the other way around: his fear managing him. At first, he thought Dodgson had changed his mind—until he heard him announce what he was dreading.
"Gentlemen, prepare our patient for surgery."
Nedry's heart slammed so hard he thought it would punch a hole through his chest.
oOo
They came back to Anderson's office an hour and a half later. Anderson accepted that they came back a little later than originally planned. It was just a half hour and they needed time to recuperate. As before, Anderson allowed them to sit in his office and closed the door so they could continue to discuss everything privately. He had also brought in newly brewed coffee. Everything was already set up so that they could listen in on Nedry's wire today.
"If you don't mind, Mr. Anderson, I would like to hear again the final part of last night's conversation with Henry and Dennis," Hammond said as he sat down.
Anderson noticed that Hammond appeared refreshed—somewhat. The older man was focused and determined. "Absolutely. I have this station set up for today's recordings, but I have the tape on my desk so that we could hear it again."
They could listen to the recordings live as they were happening—meaning that if Wu and Nedry were to have a conversation right now in real time, Anderson and everyone could hear it as it was taking place. Muldoon took a seat at the desk, curious to see if anything new would happen today. There were two sets of headphones and a button where Muldoon could make it so that everyone in the room heard it. When they had first returned from lunch, Anderson checked to see if there was anything new recorded and there wasn't. For now, he went back to his desk and played the recording from last night for Hammond and Malcolm. He had to fast forward past the sound of the object breaking as there was a long span of silence after that. Finally, he found the part where Wu and Nedry resumed their conversation.
"I think he's getting through to him," Hammond said as he leaned forward. "Slowly, but surely."
"How do you know?" Anderson asked. He drank his cup of coffee, forcing himself to stay awake.
Malcolm offered his view on the matter. "Because Dennis is making poignant observations and Henry's not responding near the end. It probably means he's thinking everything over."
"I know we don't agree most of the time, Dr. Malcolm—"
"Ah, I believe you mean all of the time, John." He offered a light-hearted smile.
"But I really think you're onto something. It's gre—"
At the listening station, Muldoon gestured for Anderson to come over. Anderson came from around his desk to join him. Malcolm and Hammond got out of their seats and came over to the desk where Muldoon was sitting. They could hear jumbled sounds of voices from the listening post.
"This is bloody disturbing," Muldoon whispered as he stared at the electronic device that transmitted the conversations from the other end.
Anderson removed the headphones and turned up the volume.
All four listened carefully. There was a loud rumbling—a table falling over, a clattering of objects dropped to the floor, grunting and scuffling—like a desperate struggle was taking place. And then they heard Lewis Dodgson. His voice always tried to sound pleasant; but held undercurrents of rage—and the way he dropped the word "fuck" like it was a form of punctuation.
"Keep fighting—you'll make it fucking worse for yourself."
Nedry's furious tone matched Dodgson's, but based on the choppy manner he spoke, they realized he was the one struggling the most. "What the hell—STOP! —Get off—"
It was quiet and then Dodgson asked for a scalpel—quite calm unlike the fury in his voice just moments ago. Then: "Thank you, Raúl."
"My pleasure!" Lopez sounded enthusiastic.
There was more grunting and then a long yelp of pain that sounded like Dodgson. A loud clapping noise followed.
"Duct tape his fucking mouth—you're not biting me again. Nice try."
"This should do the trick." Tembo's voice was instantly recognizable followed by the distinct ripping sound of duct tape being pulled and torn.
"You'll need to wrap it with gauze. Let me find some," Lopez said.
Several moments of silence and then they heard Dodgson again, only this time, he sounded serene. "Perfect. You only delayed the inevitable, Dennis. Let's begin!"
Muldoon abruptly pushed away from the desk and bolted up; his eyes widened with fright. "I can't listen to this—we have to get in there!" He reached to stop the recording device when Anderson blocked his path.
"I know it's hard to listen to, but this is solid proof that we can use when bringing up charges against Dodgson and his guys."
"So, we let Dennis take whatever they're doing?! Because it's obvious that Dodgson is having fun with whatever he's about to do—same with Lopez and Tembo!"
"No," Anderson said, more adamant this time. "We let this play out. It's difficult, but these were the risks—"
"That he bloody warned us about!"
Muldoon stormed out of Anderson's office, slamming the door behind him. Malcolm was going to bring him back and stopped when he saw Hammond shaking his head.
"He'll come back," Hammond whispered as he stared at the floor. "It's hard for him…for all of us."
Anderson understood that Hammond wanted to leave the office so that he wouldn't have to continue listening to the recording. It had gotten worse with Lopez's and Tembo's raucous laughter. All three men quickly left his office. They stood outside by the door and Anderson made sure to close it without locking himself out.
"You have to know their history to understand his reaction," Malcolm said gesturing to Muldoon who hurried down the hallway. "Robert and Dennis held this intense hatred towards each other for years. When Dodgson's gang dropped them off at Isla Sorna—in the hopes that they would literally kill each other off—they were forced to work together to survive. During that time, they were able to see beyond the caricature versions that they held of each other."
"It sounds like they developed a better understanding on both sides," Anderson said.
"Exactly, and it took a lot of effort from both men to get to that point." Malcolm looked at Hammond now, who appeared sullen. His eyes were downcast, and he held his hat in a tight grip. "Let's take a few minutes."
Anderson realized it would be better for them to leave for now until whatever was happening was over.
"You guys can go. If you want to wait out in the front lobby of the precinct, that's fine. I'll call you as soon as this whole thing is over—hopefully soon," Anderson said. "We'll use all these recordings against Dodgson and his associates, but I understand this is very difficult right now."
Malcolm nodded and left the precinct with Hammond.
oOo
It was mid-afternoon when Wu went down to the basement—and stopped halfway there when he saw Sonya and Baselton waiting outside of Nedry's room, as though standing guard. Before going down, Howard King had engaged him in a conversation about genetic research, frog DNA, and sequence gaps. Wu had been suspicious as King never spoke to him. After about an hour, he politely excused himself and went down to the first floor. He couldn't find anyone. That meant they could only be in one place… Wu paused mid-step, unsure if he should turn around and return to his office or continue onward. He forced him to go through with this. He had to go down this time and stop whatever might be happening. Last time, he hadn't and Nedry got waterboarded.
It was too late—they already spotted him. Sonya gestured at him to come forward. He resolved not to reveal any emotion. By the time he reached them, he had assumed his usual haughty expression. The condescending one in which everyone felt Wu was looking down on them.
"What brings you down here, Henry?" Sonya cooed sweetly.
"I was going to—"
Wu looked at her and Baselton and then at the door. He thought he heard Dodgson talking, Tembo shouting, and Lopez laughing from inside the room—followed by a yell of pain that didn't come from any of them. That sounds like Dennis, he thought, worried now. He needed to get in there. Without thinking, Wu started towards the door when both Sonya and Baselton moved together in unison, effectively blocking him from getting inside.
"Dr. Dodgson forbids you to go inside until he's finished," Baselton said. "His orders."
Wu did everything he could to maintain self-control. Baselton's pompousness always annoyed him. "What's Lew doing? And why am I the only one forbidden from going inside? He's never done that before."
"He's spending quality time with his former protégé," Baselton answered, not making any attempt to hide his glee. "Lew wanted to test something out on him."
"And Dennis was so cooperative and eager to please," Sonya said. Her bright smile didn't reach her eyes that were glowing with hatred.
Just then the door opened on the other side.
"You're a little late, Henry," Lopez said. "Sorry you missed out on the fun."
"The later the better," Tembo said. Unlike Lopez, he didn't pretend that he wanted Wu around. "That way we had no interference from you."
Wu looked from Lopez to Tembo, trying to figure out what was happening—or more so, what had happened. Neither man revealed anything. Dodgson came outside and closed the door behind him. Wu kept looking past him; he was impatient to get inside the room. Tembo's words didn't sound right: the later the better; that way we had no interference from you. Wu knew what that meant: he tried to be around whenever the group tormented Nedry. Even the one time when he said he wouldn't be there—Wu showed up anyway to ensure that they didn't do anything severely harmful to him. He had acted as a buffer all those times and it had worked. The only time he didn't show up was because he had let his anger at Nedry get the best of him. All the other times though—it suddenly hit him why King struck up that conversation with him... What better way to distract Henry Wu than to speak with him about his passion and life's work?
"All done!" Dodgson said, cheerfully. He stood in the doorway, studying Wu. "Wanna check out my masterpiece? He's sitting inside, waiting for you."
Wu tried not to show outward surprise of what Dodgson had said, or even show any sign that he knew what he was talking about. He noticed the white gauze wrapped around Dodgson's right hand. Dodgson followed his stare.
"Dennis is a cannibal now," he said, laughing and holding up his bandaged right hand, before turning deathly serious. "Tried to take a chunk out of me, but I got the best of him—I always do. Just like you, right Henry?"
Wu blinked, unsure of what he was getting at. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"I finally had that chat with him. It was a brief, but effective talk. You and him though…" Dodgson nodded knowingly. "You both are like two rats eating the same block of cheese."
What the hell does he mean by that?! Does Lew know we've been talking at night? As though reading Wu's mind, Dodgson responded.
"I know you two have been bonding. Two InGen traitors who became my loyal employees after John Hammond shitted on them. Well, one of you is loyal and the other is—why don't we go check on him?" He stepped aside gestured for Wu to enter first.
Wu slowly stepped inside the room and Dodgson followed him. King, Sonya, Tembo, and Lopez waited outside.
"You guys can head up to the conference room. I'll meet you there in a few minutes after I finish with Henry. Henry, you'll be joining us too."
Wu tried to focus on what Dodgson was telling him, but the sight of Nedry sitting up with his head hanging down drew his attention. Is that blood on his face?! "What did you do?"
Dodgson followed Wu's questioning gaze. "I gave him something to remember me by."
When Wu didn't respond, he continued.
"Dennis is unbreakable. You try to kill him; he escapes with his life intact. You beat him down and he bounces right back up. You threaten him with incarceration, and he doesn't care about being locked in a cage—not anymore." He chortled at this. "There was a time where the word prison got a frenzied reaction out of him, but he's immune to that now."
Wu's eyes flickered to Nedry's clenched fists when Dodgson mentioned "beat him down and he bounces right back up". A memory he wanted to forget flashed through his mind: smashing Nedry's hand and broken fingers in the jail cell.
"But you know what he really hates?"
The malice in Dodgson's voice made Wu's spinal cord tingle. "What's that?"
"He hates being reminded that he put John Hammond in the hospital and that he alone is responsible for Robert Muldoon's injuries. Where that fucking park warden is concerned, he's always reminded of that day when he looks in the mirror—so I gave Dennis matching scars."
Wu instantly recoiled. That's sick! What the hell, Lew?! The words almost escaped his mouth, but thankfully he maintained self-control.
"You told me Dennis enjoyed taunting Robert about his scars. That was the same night he tried to expose you, Henry."
Wu nodded absently. He remembered that night very clearly. Nedry had come to Isla Nublar by himself to warn them about Dodgson's plans to take over InGen and Jurassic Park. Muldoon and Arnold had detained him in Hammond's bungalow. Nedry had antagonized Muldoon the entire night. He had words for everyone else, but Muldoon was his main target. Everyone—Gennaro, Arnold, Harding, Malcolm, and even Wu himself—had to step in multiple times to stop Muldoon from pummeling Nedry. Most of his taunts were centered on Muldoon's scars—scars he had gotten from a raptor that had escaped the pen. Escaped because the Biosyn team had followed Dodgson's orders to secure a velociraptor...
"Now every time he sees himself in the mirror, he'll be reminded of his biggest regret." Dodgson's aggressive tone abruptly changed to a nauseating sweet tone when he pointed at Nedry, who remained still in the gurney. "You thought I was fucking around when I told you I know you better than you know yourself."
Wu didn't know how to respond to anything Dodgson had just said, so he did the only thing he could do. Remain silent. He didn't want to outwardly show any reaction that Dodgson would interpret as him feeling badly for Nedry. He also didn't want to react in a manner that Nedry would've mistaken as Wu being glad for what Dodgson had done to him. He kept quiet even when Dodgson walked ahead of him to the gurney and snatched a tangled piece of duct tape off the floor.
"Sit there and think about the experiment we did today. In the meantime, I'll be meeting with the loyal members of my team. The keyword is being loyal. Something you know nothing about given how you like to fuck around with both InGen and Biosyn." He tossed the tangled duct tape on Nedry's lap. "I'm heading there now, Henry. Be there in five minutes. I'll give you some alone time with your fellow InGen rat."
Dodgson marched past Wu: his angry glare never left his face. Wu would've sworn the air temperature had dropped. He didn't dare move until he heard Dodgson close the door behind him. Only then did Wu whip around to find a chair and place it in front of the door so that nobody could return—especially Dodgson. His eyes scanned the room, searching for what he knew he would need—a clean cloth, ointment, and band-aids. One out of the three wasn't bad as he spied a cloth near the sink. He'd have to find a first-aid kit later.
Right now, Wu forced himself to approach Nedry who still appeared to be staring down. He noted the spots of blood on Nedry's clothes and the gurney. The scalpel Dodgson had used still had blood on it and lay next to the crumbled duct tape on Nedry's lap. Wu drew in his breath sharply when he saw where Dodgson had made the incisions on Nedry's face. True to his word, Nedry's open cuts that would eventually heal into scars resembled Muldoon's. They were a permanent reminder for Muldoon that he had survived a velociraptor—the dinosaur he hated the most in Jurassic Park. For Nedry, Dodgson wanted it to be a permanent reminder of his biggest regret. Wu averted his eyes when he remembered Nedry wasn't the only one who had mocked Muldoon for the scars he bore on his face.
Wu had done so as well—on more than one occasion.
The first time occurred when Muldoon and Grant were gearing up to destroy the raptors. Wu's voice haunted him now: Who are you to talk? You never told John about Biosyn the first two times they were here. You wanna talk about keeping secrets from John? Look in the mirror. Wu had meant it as a double-sided insult. His remark reminded Muldoon of how he had failed to tell Hammond the truth about Biosyn's previous invasions on the island, and it was also a cold way to point out the scars the velociraptor had left on him.
I kept secrets from John too, Wu thought as he clenched the cloth in his hand. At the time, he hadn't yet revealed his alliance with Biosyn, although he did have a rather interesting phone call with Dodgson that same evening. Wu grimaced when he remembered that conversation. Lewis Dodgson's lame attempts to win me over, but it had worked. The second time he had insulted Muldoon, ended with Muldoon punching him in the face. By then, everyone in InGen knew where Wu's loyalties lay.
Wu forced himself to remain in the present. Nedry still hadn't looked up. The blood was dripping off his face, down to his neck. Even his clothes had scattered droplets of blood. As Wu came closer, he saw more signs of Dodgson's carnage. A broken hand-held mirror lay on Nedry's legs. Glass fragments were scattered all over him. Dodgson or Lopez had taken the mirror and smashed it on Nedry's head. When he looked at Nedry's face again, that's when he saw the words that had been written with a black marker: TRAITOR across his forehead. On the left side of his face near the diagonal slash was the word RAT. On the right side of his face with the longer incision was the word SNITCH. Across his neck was his prison number written in large digits: 0807-55.
Wu heard him mumbling in between taking deep breaths as he searched for a washcloth. He could tell Nedry was trying to calm himself and had difficulty doing so.
"Get me out of here…I did the best I could. I can't do this anymore…I'll take any sentence Judge Hoskins throws at me…anything but whatever Dodgson has planned next."
He didn't know if Nedry was talking to himself or whoever could hear him on the other side. He couldn't waste time figuring it out as Dodgson wanted him at the meeting in five minutes. The first thing to do was to undo the leather strap. Wu untied it and threw it aside. Then he found a cloth and ran some water over it. Above the running water, he heard Nedry still muttering to himself about how crazy Dodgson was. Wu turned off the faucet and slowly approached the gurney. Nedry had his face turned away and didn't seem to notice Wu nearby. Wu listened to him ramble.
"I regret everything…if I knew then what I know now…I would never have accepted Dodgson's deal. I would've made my situation work. I wouldn't have stabbed John and everyone in the back…my life has never been the same… I hurt so many people along the way…I almost killed people…Henry thinks he knows what he wants…but he's chasing rainbows with Dodgson…he's never gonna get the fame he wants hanging around here…I wish he would listen—"
"I am listening," Wu said, noticing again the blood trails on Nedry's face from the open incisions. He couldn't take his eyes off the slashes on Nedry's face, even when he tried not to stare. "I've been listening for a long time now. I had to find myself, and at the same time, get over myself—just like you did."
Nedry turned in his direction and stared at him, not saying anything. He saw Wu standing over him with the cloth. Wu didn't know how to interpret his reaction and forced himself to press forward. Pressing the damp cloth on Nedry's face, he was shocked when Nedry didn't turn away. Wu held down for a little while longer and realized he'd have to stop the bleeding on the opposite cheek that had a smaller incision.
"Hold this on your face to stop the bleeding. Just apply some pressure."
"Does it look like I can hold any damn thing, Henry? Besides, you have a meeting to attend."
Nedry's voice was so low that Wu had to stand closer to hear him. As he did so, he noticed Nedry trying to lift his hands. He couldn't because of the straps. Wu sighed. This whole thing was a huge mess; and it was because of his impatience with Hammond. Nedry also wouldn't be here right now if he had stayed loyal to InGen, if he had somehow negotiated for a better contract, or even better, just left InGen altogether. Then again, Wu felt that was true of himself as well. Both men had been caught in a web of industrial espionage spun by a cruel sociopath because of what they craved—money and fame—and they had to get out before it was too late. Wu knew what needed to be done. He needed to act like the rest of the team was somewhere within earshot when he spoke next.
"Shut up, Dennis!" Wu hissed. "This is all on you—IT'S YOUR FAULT!" Nedry was about to respond when he leaned in close, while still holding the cloth on his face. "I'm gonna get you out of here, just give me a chance to plan it out."
Wu's words came out jumbled, a rushed whisper…but Nedry understood it all. Use code, he mouthed to Wu and then motioned at his sleeve. Wu nodded in understanding.
"You only have a few more days of freedom," he announced loudly. "I'm calling the cops so they can drag you out and throw you in a cramped cell. You won't know what time they're coming, but I do."
"They can come anytime?" Nedry asked, smirking.
"Hell yes, they can come anytime! Me and Lew Dodgson—we'll be far away from here."
Nedry's smirk faded. "You don't have to do that, Henry. Just let it be. The bleeding will stop on its own."
"What're you talking about?" Wu pressed the cloth on the other side of his face. This incision wasn't as long and deep as the other.
"The incisions; they'll leave scars behind. I deserve it, after all the times I mocked Robert's scars."
"Don't be ridiculous. They'll get infected." As he pressed down on the cloth, he remembered how Nedry had gotten very little sleep, so it was obvious how Dodgson threw him off guard. Dodgson's about to be caught off guard himself…Wu thought, his mind racing with ideas.
"Since when do you care?"
"I don't care, just like you don't care." Wu tried to hold back a laugh.
"Yeah, sure. We're back on that 'caring' nonsense again. Spare me."
"I will spare you this one time. I'm gonna head to their meeting right now, so that I can find out all the juicy details of his next plan."
"Sounds good."
An awkward silence passed before Nedry spoke again.
"They came when I wasn't expecting it…I knew they would."
Wu thought for a moment about what he was about to say. "I'm sorry I wasn't here to stop them."
"Lew's a loon. He's a psycho…he thinks I have another laptop with InGen secrets on it."
Wu abruptly dropped the cloth on the gurney's rail. "He said that?!"
"Yeah, he—" Nedry stopped when he saw a strange expression flash across Wu's face.
Wu's eyebrows furrowed together, and he looked away quickly, like he was about to say something but couldn't find the right words. It was a mix of terror, guilt, and confusion like he had released a top secret that he had no permission revealing.
"Did you tell him?"
"Tell him what?" Wu asked as he picked up the bloodstained cloth. "Hold on, let me wash this." As he watched the blood swirl down the drain with the water, he sensed he was avoiding Nedry's question. He tried to remain calm when he returned and placed the cloth on Nedry's face with the longer incisions, applying gentle pressure.
"Did you tell him I had another laptop? A second one with InGen's research?" Nedry sounded like he didn't want to know the answer but had forced himself to ask the question.
Wu remembered when Dodgson first brought up the idea that Nedry might have a second secret laptop. Or rather, Lopez had mentioned it and Dodgson had jumped on the idea. Back then, Wu had agreed it might be a possibility…but he never imagined Dodgson would go to extreme measures to find out if it was true or not. He wanted to say Lopez had planted the seed, as he knew Nedry wouldn't be surprised given their shared hatred. At this point, it didn't matter who put the idea in Dodgson's head.
Wu exhaled, trying to calm his frayed nerves. He wanted to return to InGen now more than ever. Working for Hammond had been intense, but for much different and understandable reasons. They were venturing into the unknown when manipulating genetic sequences to recreate dinosaurs and the animals' behavior was unpredictable. But they were doing something amazing—astonishing, even. Hammond was a dreamer, and Dodgson was the very definition of sociopathic…
Nedry noticed Wu's silence and accepted it. "It's not your fault. It's how Dodgson operates; he gets an insane idea and runs with it."
Wu released the bloodstained cloth. The bleeding on Nedry's face had stopped. He sighed in relief and decided he would find some ointment after the meeting. Nedry mouthed thank you. Wu nodded. He didn't think he deserved gratitude, but he accepted it. He glanced at the door, not looking forward to the meeting, but knowing he had to be there to gather information that could be used against Dodgson. After that, he'd have to return to let Nedry know, so that they could discuss it and have it recorded. He would have to be discreet about his timing though, now that Dodgson had an inkling that they were talking. Dodgson had no clue of what they spoke about, but Wu knew he had to play it safe—for his and Nedry's sake.
"Bring me back snacks. You know how much I love my Butterfingers."
Wu knew what he meant. Talking in code. He responded likewise. "Mind your damn business and close your eyes already."
A wry smile flashed across his face as he left the room and closed the door behind him. As he made his way to the conference room, he hoped Nedry would get much-needed rest.
oOo
Wu entered the dimly lit conference room on the first floor. It was at the end of the hallway and the windows were tinted so that nobody could see into the room. Glancing at the table, he saw Lopez, Sonya, and Tembo sitting together at one end. Baselton and King were on the opposite end, while Dodgson sat in the middle. Wu found an empty seat next to Lopez just as Dodgson started. Wu noticed Dodgson looked in his direction and continued as though there had been no interruptions.
"I've got a brilliant fucking plan, bigger and better than ever."
Everyone waited. Curious looks were exchanged, but no one spoke. Every person sitting in that conference room had heard Dodgson speak like this before. It certainly wasn't the first time he was heard cooking up a crazy scheme, and it wouldn't be the last time.
"I have an idea of how to acquire Jurassic Park for good and this time it'll work—but I'm gonna need leverage."
"What type of leverage are we talking about?" Tembo asked.
"Hammond's grandchildren."
Wu sat back in his seat and made sure to maintain a blank façade. I've got quite the snack for you, Dennis. There was an eerie silence in the room as everyone slowly came to the realization of what Dodgson was implying.
"You want to kidnap…his grandchildren?!" King's tone was hitched. He couldn't hide his disbelief, even if he tried.
Wu blinked, shocked that King had said anything. He usually said nothing in these meetings and just went along with whatever whacky ideas Dodgson proposed. Wu glanced at Sonya, Tembo, and Lopez trying to gauge their reactions. Sonya had let out a sharp giggle and Tembo threw a sharp look her way. Then he looked up at Dodgson, questioning and uncertain. Wu could tell Tembo didn't like the idea; but he wouldn't say it aloud.
Lopez beamed and nodded in approval. That was no surprise to Wu. He had observed Lopez over time and how much he sucked up to Dodgson. Sometimes he was surprised that he and Lopez got along so well, given Lopez's history of hating anyone whom he felt got in his way of being Dodgson's favorite. He had been like that with Nedry, but with Wu, Wu knew Lopez had no problem with him because he had been the chief geneticist of Jurassic Park. Lopez worshipped the ground that Wu walked on.
Wu forced himself to focus on what Dodgson had revealed, and not on how his co-workers were reacting or not reacting. Right then, Lopez interrupted his thoughts.
"This is your idea?"
"It was all Dennis," Dodgson said, as he strolled around the conference room. "He had told me, 'you know, if you really wanted to scare him or give him a heart attack, all you'd have to do is kidnap his grandkids, Tim and Lex'. So that's exactly what we'll do and it's all thanks to our brilliant scumbag."
That's what he meant when he said Lew gets an insane idea and runs with it, Wu thought, realizing that it didn't take a lot for Dodgson to come up with crazy schemes. Either he dreamt them up himself, or someone would make a random comment, he'd snatch the idea, and completely distort and exploit it. Wu also remembered telling the team that Hammond's grandchildren were important to him, that he had legal guardianship over them…
He would do anything to relive that moment and take back his words.
Wu watched as Dodgson continued to circle the room in a relaxed manner, completely unlike his angry marching around. A sour aftertaste invaded his mouth as he allowed Dodgson's plan to sink in. Kidnapping a minor carried a lengthy prison sentence—Wu was sure of wasn't the worst part of it though. It was the idea of traumatizing Hammond's grandchildren that really pushed Wu over the edge. He had wanted fame, but how far was he willing to go for it—would he endanger the well-being and lives of his former employer's grandchildren? The fact that Dodgson sounded so blasé about kidnapping Tim and Lex Murphy sickened him.
Wu had a weakness for children. He didn't have any of his own, but he remembered that Donald Gennaro was a father. Gennaro would be outraged if he knew of Dodgson's plot. Wu thought King sounded disgusted too, and if memory served him right, King was a father to a young boy. He thought back to the first time he had met Hammond's grandchildren, and how he gave them their own personal tour of the genetics labs. He loved their enthusiasm and excitement to see how the dinosaurs had been engineered for Jurassic Park. Tim and Lex were amazed—especially Tim, who had tons of questions. Now they were teenagers and on their way to maturing into young adults, who were both responsible and helped around the island. Those were pleasant memories.
A heavy pit in his stomach expanded when he remembered how Tim and Lex avoided him after he was open about aligning with Biosyn. Then his chest tightened, and he had to make sure he didn't show clenched fists or speak in a hostile tone. He had to contain his anger while in the conference room—a rising fury that Dodgson would even consider harming Hammond's grandchildren. Wu felt his face heat up and he had to make sure that nothing in his body language indicated what he felt about Dodgson's twisted plans.
If Dodgson wasn't serious, or if anyone didn't know him, they might find the idea outlandish and at worst, laughable. By now, Wu knew—and everyone knew—that what Dodgson proposed was neither outlandish nor laughable. They had worked with Dodgson long enough to know that nothing stopped him from reaching his goals and that he had harmed many people along the way. This is nothing but cold-blooded revenge for how InGen humiliated him, Wu realized. There was a time when Dodgson wanted embryos, then considered dinosaur eggs. From there, he graduated to obtaining actual dinosaur specimens. Finally, he conquered InGen from within and took over the entire park and island. That backfired on him spectacularly thanks to Dennis, Wu thought, closing his eyes as he listened to the conversation.
"We need to get him where it hurts, where we know he'll cave," Dodgson was saying.
"Would we pretend to abduct them, or would we really do it?"
"Of course, we would really fucking do it, Howard. That's the only way to make this work. It wouldn't mean shit if I was pretending. We'd bring those brats right here or another secret location."
"And you'd request for Jurassic Park and Isla Nublar to be handed over? Or just the entire company?" Baselton was trying to discern how far Dodgson wanted to go with this plan.
That sounds like Baselton talking, Wu thought. You can tell he's questioning Lew's sanity but won't outright say it. No one will; we all know better.
Dodgson chuckled. "I wouldn't be requesting Jurassic Park. I'd be demanding it. Fuck that 'requesting' shit. Are you kidding me? Isla Nublar and Jurassic Park will be the ransom in exchange for his grandbrats!"
Wu opened his eyes just as Dodgson resumed his seat. He thought Lopez, Tembo, and Sonya were against the kidnapping plot. That idea was quickly disproven when Lopez spoke next.
"This is a great way to manipulate him into giving up what's rightfully ours."
It was never yours to begin with, Wu seethed inwardly. He knew not to voice his sentiments.
"I'm gonna do way more than make Jurassic Park be the ransom that he'll hand over—if he knows what's good for him."
"What else is there?" Sonya asked, wanting to know more.
"I'm gonna expose John Hammond for all his dirty little secrets, all the awful things that happened during the construction of Jurassic Park—things he doesn't want out in the public eye." Dodgson sounded gleeful now. "I'll threaten to go to every news media outlet if he doesn't hand over the damn park."
"Such as?" Tembo was skeptical.
"Several workers' deaths. Families' lawsuits." Dodgson grinned. "Trust me, InGen has a lot of dirt that they don't want the public to know. Otherwise, who would ever visit Jurassic Park?"
Wu rested his chin on his hand in deep thought. As if Biosyn is squeaky clean. He snorted and missed Lopez's quizzical glance.
"So, we kidnap them, hold them prisoner wherever and…" King's voice trailed off.
"And he gets Timmy and Lexy back once he decides to hand over all rights to Biosyn. Bill and Jeff will be pleased."
Wu's eyebrows rose and he glanced at everyone. What Dodgson had just said went over their heads, but it was obvious to him. He wants to be in Bill Steingarten's and Jeff Rossiter's good graces again.
"Let's face the fucking facts," Dodgson said, slamming a clenched fist on the table. "Jurassic Park means everything to that old bastard and so do his grandchildren. It's a win-win situation for us, and a lose-lose for them."
Wu had to agree with Dodgson: Hammond was close to his grandchildren, but he also knew Jurassic Park was extremely important to him. It suddenly hit Wu how it wasn't about acquiring InGen. Nor was it about having Biosyn pretend that they—and not InGen—had created genetically engineered dinosaurs. It was all about destroying John Hammond. The horrendous situation would break him if he had to choose between Jurassic Park and his two grandchildren. He would forfeit everything InGen owned if it would guarantee Tim's and Lex's safety, Wu thought.
Right then, he had an epiphany. It now dawned on Wu that when Dodgson had acquired him, this was another way to destroy Hammond. He was never going to help Wu reach his goals. It was all self-serving. If he had "The Miracle Worker of Jurassic Park" on Biosyn's side, they could compete with InGen to clone new dinosaurs—but also ruin John Hammond. Wu's heart raced when the realization became clearer to him: I've been a pawn all along. He glanced at his watch. It was after five in the evening when he had left Nedry and now it was almost six o'clock. He had made up his mind—
"Henry, you'll be involved in this," Dodgson said.
The entire conference room was silent as everyone stared at Wu. Based on how Dodgson spoke, everyone knew he left no room for Wu to choose. His wish was Wu's command. There was no option for "I'll think about it" or "let me get back to you." Wu simply gave a curt nod as acknowledgement. It was better to do that than to voice his consent aloud or openly disagree. The former would only energize Dodgson to go forward with his aberrant plans, while the latter would paint Wu as a target to be eliminated.
Dodgson flashed a triumphant grin. "Meet back in an hour so we can begin brainstorming." He pointed at Wu. "I need you to stay for a few minutes extra. The rest of you can leave and return in an hour on the dot."
Sonya was the first to leave the conference room. Wu watched her leave and then overheard a brief conversation between Tembo and Lopez. It sounded like they were deciding what to eat for dinner. It was strange to hear such an ordinary conversation considering what Dodgson was proposing. Wu watched them and then saw Dodgson beckoning him over. King and Baselton flanked Dodgson on both sides.
"You're gonna be the main one to pull this scheme off. We'll work out the details but be prepared."
Wu nodded. "Am I free to go now?"
"Be my guest," Dodgson said, pointing at the door.
oOo
It was shortly after six in the evening in the police precinct. Hammond, Muldoon, Malcolm, and Anderson were crowded around the listening station. They sat in stunned silence as they listened to Nedry and Wu talk in real time…
"Not surprised he'd do something this crazy like go after Hammond's grandchildren and use them as leverage."
"That's the exact word he used—leverage—and he wants me to do it."
Hammond and Muldoon exchanged a knowing glance. Muldoon knew this was confirmation for Hammond that Dodgson intended to sabotage Jurassic Park—and more so, that he intended to cause severe harm. This time, his grandchildren were the targets.
"Because he can't manipulate anyone else from InGen. Not Dr. Malcolm, not Dr. Sattler, not Dr. Grant, definitely not Ray or Gerry—and Robert?" Nedry laughed. "A giant lizard like a T-Rex would fly with wings before Robert Muldoon is ever manipulated by Lewis Dodgson. He has no one left from InGen that he can taint—not even me. That's why he's using you, Henry."
"I know."
"Precisely," Malcolm said. "Dennis described Dodgson's M.O. accurately. It's great that Henry has been enlightened and sees the writing on the wall too."
"Funny thing is if you go along with his crazy plan, you will be famous for sure—more like infamous. And you won't get the Noble Prize in Genetics. You'll get handed down a hefty prison sentence. You will know the joy of everyone knowing you and hating you."
"I didn't think he'd ever go this far." Wu sounded horrified.
"That's being willfully ignorant given all the severe harm he's caused others directly or through others."
"Give examples of what you mean."
"Directly: harassing Ellie. The rabies experiment on Chilean farmers. Bullying the InGen staff. Indirectly: I turned off the raptor fences for the team. John ends up with a stroke and Robert almost gets killed."
"You're right…I've seen him cause harm to others."
"When?"
"He targeted Tim and Dr. Sattler when Dr. Malcolm and Lex went to the mainland. That's when you and Dr. Grant came back. The InGen staff had to protect him. They called it 'strength' or 'safety in numbers'."
Anderson turned up the volume and flipped to a new page in his pocket notebook. He had been taking notes the entire time and continued to do so based on what was being revealed. This was the concrete evidence he needed to proceed forward.
"Did you stop him then?"
"No, I watched from afar."
Hammond looked serious as he listened to Wu's and Nedry's exchange. When he spoke, there was a bend in his voice, as though he felt hurt by Wu's decision to stand by while Dodgson intimidated Tim.
"Why didn't he stop Dodgson? He knows how I feel about my grandchildren." Hammond shook his head. "Sometimes listening to him, it's like I never knew him."
"I don't believe it was to hurt you, John," Malcolm started. He saw Hammond's face twist in anger and raised a hand in protest. "Let me explain—much of Henry's behavior was to impress Dodgson and prove his loyalty to Biosyn. He was never fully on board, he just would never admit that to anyone, not even himself."
Muldoon nodded. "Dr. Malcolm's right. Unlike Dennis, who was bloody glad to strike back at InGen, Henry, although he was terrible, you could see he was half-hearted. His actions still cut like a knife though."
"It's why we agreed that Dennis would be the best one to get through to him. He had gone down that path long before Henry did and turned himself around. His weakness was that he didn't intend to hurt you or Robert." Malcolm gestured at Muldoon. "His weakness is his strength in that he knew he had gone too far when you were both injured. Henry's weakness is that he doesn't want Dodgson to harm Lex and Tim. That's a strength of course, but to someone as deranged as Dodgson, that's being weak. He may want fame, but he doesn't want to risk the safety of your grandchildren. He knows that would destroy you."
Hammond couldn't say anything to that. Malcolm always spoke the truth directly. He never sugar-coated. It used to infuriate Hammond, but now he was appreciative of Malcolm's bluntness. He listened to the remaining conversation.
"He said the kidnapping was your idea. That you suggested it when you came back from that assignment to get the raptors."
"When I said that to him after Hammond's accident, I was being sarcastic. No way in hell would I be okay with pulling that crap—and you shouldn't be either!"
There was a long pause. It seemed as if time stood still, while everyone in the room waited to hear Wu's reaction. Hammond stared hard at the recording machine, hoping that the Henry Wu he had hired—the kind, intelligent, and well-read man would come through. That he would finally shed the cold and heartless persona he had masqueraded in for Dodgson's approval. When Wu spoke again, they could hear the seriousness in his voice.
"I'm not—I have my limits."
You see? Malcolm mouthed to Hammond.
Hammond nodded. He wasn't sure what to feel, but he thought it was good that Wu showed he hadn't completely lost himself. He wasn't too far gone. He was also grateful that it was Nedry, of all people, who was bringing Wu around.
"And Dodgson doesn't have any limits. He has no idea what the word means. Glad you finally see the truth."
The longest pause lasted a full minute and when Wu spoke again, he sounded firm.
"Me too."
"What's interesting about their conversation is we know how this will go down," Malcolm said.
"What do you mean?" Muldoon asked.
"Dennis convinced Henry, but it'll be Henry that gets them out of there."
Muldoon nodded. "That looks like the direction they're going in."
Anderson stood up, holding up his pocket notebook. "It's time to act. We know their location. All I need to do is get six arrest warrants, one search warrant, and then me and the guys will pay them a visit."