Prologue
Looking for a Thrill
To say that Eric Matthew Kirby had thrill seeker and adventurer as traits to put on his resume someday would've been an understatement. The fourteen year old kid might've been a spoilt rich brat, but at least he took advantage of the unending bank account that his father, Paul Alexander Kirby, owner of Kirby Enterprises in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, had to offer him. Part of it was from his parents' divorce, since his mother, Amanda Ross, had gotten a very hefty settlement, but the other part was from his absentee father actually caring enough to still want to give Eric a good childhood.
Whether he knew it or not, Paul Kirby had bankrolled the vacation that Eric was on with his mother and her boyfriend, Ben Hildebrand, in Costa Rica, which was a location that Eric himself had chosen as their destination, pleased with himself that Ben had agreed and they both overruled his mother wanting to go to Hawaii. They were on the lookout for something exciting to keep Eric's interest, which wasn't an issue, because Ben enjoyed a little excitement from time to time too. He wouldn't have chosen to date Amanda in the first place otherwise, because Eric's mother was a bit of a handful. Even her own son knew that much.
In the end, that had probably been why his parents had gotten a divorce. Amanda Ross-Kirby had been a reckless lunatic in different ways, but one of the biggest was her horrible driving. She had totaled three cars in three years time. The cost to repair or replace the vehicles weren't the problem. The press surrounding it had been. Too many noisy journalists and high society pricks liked to make everything their business, and, as such, it always hurt Kirby Enterprises' bottom line.
Imports and exports were the name of his father's game, and business boomed, but what didn't was his social life. People on the board of directors didn't like the image Amanda had been giving Paul the last three years, and apparently, he had agreed with them on it.
However, the one thing Paul didn't count on was Grandpa Daniel taking him to the cleaners when court time finally came. There was a reason his law firm out in San Francisco was one of the most sought after. It ultimately didn't matter to Paul in the end, because he had the money, the properties, and the business to keep things booming and recover from the divorce losses.
The only thing his dad hadn't wanted to lose was his first business: Kirby Paint & Tile Plus in The Westgate Shopping Center of Enid, Oklahoma. Amanda had demanded to take that business. She fought long and hard to take away the one thing that Paul truly cherished from his past. It had been a symbol of everything he had accomplished with his life. It felt bitter and resentful to Eric at the time, but Grandpa Daniel got the business for her, and that had been reason enough to move out of Oklahoma City.
Eric hated Enid with a passion. It wasn't the same. He missed his friends, his teachers, and the hangouts. The only good thing that had come out of the move had been his mother meeting Ben Hildebrand. He wasn't Paul Kirby, but at least, unlike his dad, Ben was into thrill seeking. That had to stand for something.
"They just arrived," Eric heard a voice call out. This drew his attention as he stopped moving with his mother and Ben in the market. That was the first he had heard the English language so far today. Sure there were sparse amounts of English each day they'd been down, but to hear it in this marketplace rose his curiosity level.
Looking around a corner, Eric saw someone that looked American enough speaking with a man in a lab coat. He couldn't tell if the lab coat wearer was a doctor or a scientist.
"Did they say anything, Marty?" the lab coat asked.
The one named Marty shrugged his shoulders. "Richard only confirmed what I told you, Miguel. Those animal corpses were from Las Cinco Muertes."
"So it's happening again," Miguel stated in horror. "We'll end up having animal bites again. I bet that poor American girl still has nightmares. Not to mention all the babies that were -"
"It isn't going to come to that," Marty told him. "We will deal with the situation as quickly as possible. InGen's mistakes are not going to become our burden again."
Eric raised an eyebrow. 'InGen? Why does that sound… Dr. Grant's second book!'
"They already are!" Miguel exclaimed, Marty suddenly shushing him.
"Keep your voice down," Marty commanded. "The locals know us both well enough to know Dr. Cruz's voice when they hear it."
Dr. Miguel Cruz nodded quickly and wiped sweat from his brow. "You're right, of course."
Eric moved into a crouch and tried to slowly make his way closer, hiding behind a dumpster.
Marty sighed. "Besides, we're probably not going to have to worry much longer anyway. Richard said that Dr. Malcolm and Dr. Harding found documentation stating that the animals weren't going to make it. There's a disease on Isla Sorna."
Eric mouthed out 'Isla Sorna.'
"So that's the reason for the corpses?" Cruz asked.
Marty nodded. "Precisely. They're dying out."
Cruz moved in close. "What about that company that's been asking questions around San Jose?"
"Richard said that some company called Biosyn were on the island as well," Marty replied. "They all died."
Eric's eyes widened.
"No, no, not Biosyn," Cruz stated. "They had some animal name or something."
Marty raised eyebrow. "You're talking about Mantah Corp. They're just looking for sightseeing and treasure hunting. Bunch of thrill seekers. They're not a threat."
"Sounds like my kind of group," Eric whispered to himself.
"Eric!" a loud, annoying female voice called out from a distance.
Eric winced, knowing his mother had finally realized he wasn't with them.
Marty and Cruz both looked in the direction of the yell and then Marty patted Cruz on the shoulder. "Let's go. If there are Americans around, we don't need them hearing about this."
Marty and Cruz turned, going off down the alley.
"Eric!" Amanda Ross called out again.
Eric shook his head. "Oh, no, mom. I want the whole story." moving to a crouch, he followed slowly after the two men.
"I want to meet this Richard," Cruz said. "Maybe he can put my mind at ease."
"Can be arranged," Marty said. "The team isn't returning to the states for a few days anyway. Richard's got cameras on that island to observe the animals. He won't get the research he really wants, but at least -"
"What if there are more of them on the other islands?" Cruz asked.
Marty stopped, causing Cruz to stop as well.
Eric quickly moved into a dark corner.
"You think Las Cinco Muertes is covered with them?" Marty asked.
"That island chain doesn't stretch that far from each other," Cruz told him. "Some of the ones that are capable of swimming could be all over. Just because one island -"
"All of those animals are infected with what they called The DX Virus," Marty tried to assure him. "They'll all die out no matter what island they're on."
Cruz tilted his head. "You're a brilliant man. Everyone in this country loves what Dr. Marty Guitierrez has provided over the years, but what's to say that you don't have all of the facts? What if Richard doesn't either? What if there is another island that InGen owns?"
"You mean, like a Site C?" Guitierrez asked with a laugh.
Cruz pointed at Guitierrez. "Don't be so quick to assume anything in this situation. We're dealing with the impossible. We have been since 1989. Senor Hammond left this country in a wreck, and we've been trying ever since to repair it."
Guitierrez nodded. "And we're going to, but to throw out wild accusations, that Mantah Corp is up to something like Biosyn was, or that there's a third dinosaur island won't get us anywhere."
Eric's mouth dropped. "Dinosaurs," was barely audible as it came out of his mouth. "That's why Dr. Grant's second book felt the way it did."
To say that Eric was a dinosaur nut would've been an understatement. A lot of kids loved dinosaurs. That was basically a cliché, but some usually grew out of it. That would never be the case for him, as far as Eric was concerned. He had read several books when he was younger, including both of Dr. Alan Grant's, and he had… That was when it occurred to him. If these two doctors were referring to dinosaurs this whole time, then Richard had to be… no, there was no way. Not Dr. Richard Levine. He had to know.
"Eric Matthew Kirby, where are you!?" Amanda's shrill voice resounded all over.
Eric looked around, trying to make sure he hadn't been spotted, and amazingly he hadn't. His mother and Ben still had no clue that he had left the marketplace at all.
"That woman has some pipes on her to still be this loud," Guitierrez commented. "Let's go."
Guitierrez and Cruz moved off again. Eric moved out of the darkness, suddenly being grabbed, a hand going over his mouth to keep his scream muffled.
Ben Hildebrand placed a figure to his mouth to keep Eric quiet. "What are you doing? Your mother's worried sick."
Eric pointed toward the departing Guitierrez and Cruz. "They have an adventure waiting for us."
Ben's eyes suddenly lit up. "Tell me."
Eric grinned, his usual mischievous smile. "I'll tell you all about it on the way back to mom, but I'm gonna do better by showing you. We need to find someone willing to take us to an island chain called Las Cinco Muertes and specifically to Isla Sorna."
"Couple of idiots," Amanda Ross stated, shaking her head, as she led the way down the dock.
"Come on, babe," Ben said, moving up beside her. "I found him, didn't I?"
Amanda stopped, pointing at Ben, her finger right on his chest. "The point is that you want to reward him. Someone could've taken him."
"I'm fine, mom," Eric said as he moved up to them.
"But you might not have been," Amanda said. "I can't lose you." She bent down to him. "I just lost your Aunt. Do you know how devastated I would've been? You can't just wonder off like that."
"I can take care of myself," Eric said.
Amanda shook her head. "Just like your aunt."
"Better than Aunt Karen," Eric corrected her. "She was always proud of me."
"Parasailing tours!" a voice with the local accent called out in the distance. "Last ride for the day!"
Ben pulled out money and counted it. "That sounds like a good bet. I'll see."
Eric pulled away from his mother. "Isla Sorna."
"I remember!" Ben called back as he moved off.
Amanda stood up and turned, watching Ben move off. She pulled out her camcorder and took some shots of the dock area. "Pretty clean dock."
"They probably just take good care of it," Eric said.
"Good news!" Ben exclaimed as he moved to them. "They know where I'm talking about, and I even talked them into a discount."
Eric grinned and took off down the dock.
Ben looked to Amanda. "Hey, let me take that." He pointed to the camcorder.
Amanda stepped back, pulling the camera toward her.
"Come on, let me take that," Ben said.
Amanda played a little keep away, a grin forming on her face.
"Come on, baby," Ben said, pouting slightly.
Amanda handed out the camcorder. "You take care of him."
Ben kissed her on the lips. "Always."
Amanda watched as Ben moved off to join Eric, not a single clue what awaited them, or herself, in the near future.