Chapter 11

Revelations

Dr. Norman Atherton led the way into the massive InGen laboratory, Gennaro, Muldoon, and Ross being ushered to follow him by several Mantah Corp Special Forces. There were a lot of people hard at work, packing up boxes of files and old devices from the various rooms that they passed.

"Do not worry, my friends," Atherton stated joyfully. "My men aren't going to hurt you as long as I'm here."

"Not if Tasha has anything to say about it," Gennaro said.

Atherton chuckled. "You should know as well as anyone, Donald, that her bark is worse than her bite."

"So, I take it, you're not going to be using any of this facility?" Gennaro asked with a nod outward, toward all of the thieves of the past.

"We have facilities that we've been working on for quite some time elsewhere," Atherton explained. "This island is out of date and worthless. Only the software is needed."

"So you're bloody strip mining Site B," Muldoon growled. "If Hammond's park didn't work, what makes you so certain what you're going to do will?"

Atherton stopped, turning to Muldoon. "John was blinded by his greed and his need to see the project through to the end. He spent so much time concerned about the Japanese investors and what Donald's law film felt, and with wanting to make everything his vision, and his alone. What I don't believe you realize is that John was always like that." Atherton stepped closer to Muldoon. "I had terminal cancer, but was he worried about that? No. He was only concerned with the miniature elephant that I made for him and with being worried about if I would ever be able to successfully make another."

"An elephant that, because of the miniaturization, was unpredictable," Gennaro reminded. "It moved quickly and was mean-tempered. The poor thing was kept caged up all the time."

Atherton sighed. "I know. I may be old, but I do know the details."

"That's the thing," Gennaro began, "you don't look much older now than you did back then. It's almost like -"

"My death wasn't an exaggeration," Atherton interrupted. "I did die. Well, the original. Atherton Prime, as I call him."

"What are you talking about?" Ross asked, unable to understand where this was going.

Atherton smiled to her. "I fear you don't really know what John and others were actually up to, Dr. Ross."

"Bringing extinct animals back from the grave," Ross said.

"Not so zombie-like," Atherton said. "Cloning. Genetic techniques from cloning the animals from their basic DNA."

"My God," Gennaro stated. The revelation had come to him. "Certainly you're not implying that you're a clone."

Atherton nodded. "You're correct. Atherton Prime used one of his artificial wombs that were for the miniature elephants for myself. The cloning process wasn't perfect. I aged rather quickly. Too quickly for that matter. I should be a teenager right now. Instead I'm around the same age as Atherton Prime. At least I managed to learn everything I needed from his books and notes to become a passing version of himself. I'm far from perfect, and that's why I'm working tirelessly to do it again. I'll get it right where Atherton Prime failed."

"This is insane," Gennaro stated.

"I'm sure you believe this entire project is insane," Atherton observed. "But, perhaps, in time, you'll feel differently. This is a chance for immortality, Donald. Humans strive to live longer as the years pass. I'm going to give them that."

"You don't have the real Atherton's memories," Gennaro told him. "You don't have his soul. You're just a copy. That isn't immortality. It's just offspring, carrying onward where their parent left off. All you are is Norman Atherton's son."

"Perhaps," Atherton said. "Though, mapping the human brain and even the soul could very well by part of my plans."

"You're bloody nuts," Muldoon said.

"Regardless, I have plans, and you're going to help with them," Atherton said. "It would be a shame to see such good talent go to waste."

"You can threaten us all you want," Muldoon told him. "But it doesn't change a bloody thing."

"For now," Atherton said. "Tell me, do you know why Jurassic Park fell?"

"Hammond trusted a slob," Muldoon replied. "And the idiot tried to steal embryos. He knocked out the power to cover his escape, but he was killed by a Dilophosaurus."

"We assumed he was going to sell the embryos on The Black Market," Gennaro added.

"That's where you're wrong, Donald," Atherton said. "He was hired by Biosyn, John's rivals, and specifically Dr. Lewis Dodgson."

"Why am I not bloody surprised?" Muldoon asked.

"Biosyn were out quite a bit from the money that Nedry was fronted," Atherton explained. "But Dodgson wanted one more chance to make it right when he caught wind that the dinosaurs could've still been alive."

"Is he on this island?" Gennaro asked.

"Possibly," Atherton replied. "He was. I don't know if he still is or not."

"The Biosyn guy we met: Ed James," Gennaro said.

Atherton nodded. "He is how we found out a great deal of what we needed to know. I wasn't even sure this island still functioned after the hurricane that wiped out the facilities. Without Mr. James' assistance, we might've never found out."

Moving to a computer set up in an office space, Atherton typed away on the keyboard. "Someone that was on this island managed to get the systems back up a couple days ago. I tracked the start up to the convenience store down the way, but that's all I know about it. It was probably someone from Dr. Malcolm's team."

"Malcolm!" Gennaro exclaimed.

"Yes," Atherton stated. "He was here too, not with Dodgson, but here. I'm sure he'll be able to tell you all about it soon."

"I haven't spoken to Ian since we all parted ways in Costa Rica," Gennaro said. "Why would I-"

Atherton chuckled. "You'll see."