CHAPTER 16
Dr. Conners was still sprawled in the grass as two identical vehicles pulled up. As he lay there a compsognathus ran by and nipped him on the arm.
"Jeeze!" He swatted his hand haphazardly.
The rovers were custom designed. With large, knobby, off-road tires and thick metal caging in front of bulletproof windows, they looked like a cross between a dune buggy and a demolition derby car. They were painted a green camouflage. Across the roof and the grill guard were rows of high-powered floodlights.
As the motors slowed to an idol Dr. Conners heard voices of concern.
"Are you alright?" Robinson was climbing out of the vehicle with a number two stenciled on the back quarter panel. A shotgun was in his hand. "Dr. Conners! Are you injured?"
Bryce jumped to his feet as Robinson reached him. "Give me your pistol." He ordered without an ounce of pleasantry.
Robinson un-holstered a 9mm from his waist, and Dr. Conners snatched it out of his hand while simultaneously casting his tranquilizer rifle into the grass.
"Come with me." Dr. Conners released the safety on his pistol and led Robinson into the foliage where the raptors had fled.
A moment later Dr. Dianna Johnson was powerwalking behind them. A shotgun was defensively cradled in her arms.
The jungle got thick quick, and Bryce slowed down after only twenty or thirty feet in. After a few more cautious steps he stopped altogether and listened to the island wilderness.
Dr. Johnson and Robinson stood quietly behind him, their weapons poised at the ready. Bryce examined the tropical forest with his shifting eyes, his sight dodging over the glowing greens and duller browns. He was looking for something specific, but he did not see it. Bryce took another few steps into the jungle. Unexpectedly he clapped his hands with a sharp crack.
"Shit, Bryce!" Dianna gasped.
Dr. Conners took another step forward and clapped to his left. Then he clapped to his right. Dianna and Robinson exchanged glances. They didn't know what to make of it. Bryce wadded into the jungle another six feet and clapped his palms together once more. This time he did not move. He merely continued to clap once every couple of seconds.
"Dr. Conners?" Robinson finally questioned him.
"Listen." Bryce popped the air between his hands again. "You hear that?"
Dianna and Robinson both heard it. After the clap there was a subtle hollow echo as though Dr. Conners were clapping near an open sewer pipe. Bryce continued to clap for several more intervals until he seemed to locate the general area the echo was coming from. Dr. Conners crouched down, pushing away wet palm fronds to reveal a hole big enough for a large man or a velociraptor to squeeze through.
"Jesus. Did they burrow that?" Robinson was beside himself.
"No." Dr. Conners responded. "It's a lava tube."
Robinson cocked his head. He looked confused.
Dr. Conners explained. "Lava tubes form when rivers of molten rock solidify on the surface. The hardened crust acts as an insulator, keeping the lava super heated and fast flowing. When the tubes become inactive they drain out, leaving a hollow cavity behind. They're likely all over the island."
Robinson was stern. "And nobody considered this an issue when they built the place?"
"That was all INGEN's doing." Dr. Conners shook his head. "They didn't hire anyone who might have known better until long after the facility was built."
"They could be anywhere." Robinson put a palm to his sweating forehead.
"That isn't quite the extent of it." Dr. Conners cautiously peered down the throat of the lava tube. He kept the 9mm diligently aimed out in front of him.
"What are you talking about?" Dianna's voice became hostile, as though she already knew the answer but didn't want to hear it.
"I spotted three adults helping the adolescents." Bryce was hesitant to admit it, as if not speaking the truth would make it all go away.
"Are you telling me the adult raptor compound has been breeched?" Robinson looked on the verge of actually being afraid.
Dr. Conners shook his head. "Not quite. Some of the specimens I saw were likely males. They didn't look like the others. I believe they've been breeding like the comps and escaping while they're young."
"You've got to be kidding me." Robinson was getting mad now. "How the hell are we supposed to contain a situation like this?"
Dianna shook her head at Bryce. Her mannerisms were full of disappointment.
"This is not my fault." Bryce raised his voice. "I was in no position to prevent this. We don't even know what 'this' really is."
A heavy authoritative voice cut into the conversation. "Quiet, all of you!"
The three of them snapped their heads towards the sun lit field. A tall woman's silhouette was circumscribed by the bathing light. The sharp brim of her black bush hat was pulled low. As she advanced forward her leg muscles flexed out of her slate gray shorts like those of an Olympic runner. Her face held an expression of utmost seriousness.
Her frowning lips moved subtly as she said, "They've entered the tyrannosaur paddock."
The woman's name was Joan Murdock. She was the chief of security for the Isla Sorna facility.
"Come on. We can't stand around and argue. We've got a mess to clean up." The way she spoke was commanding but also sounded as though she were deeply annoyed.
Ms. Murdock turned around without another word and stormed back up to the number two rover. The others followed hastily in silence. Joan charged up to the open driver's side door and thrust her index finger.
"There!" She said, pointing to a monitor in the center of the dashboard.
Dr. Conners and Dr. Johnson hung their head in to look. The screen displayed a topographical map of the island that in addition also marked fences and building structures. The map was zoomed in on a specific part of the island that was close by but clearly within the confines of the rex enclosure. Six yellow dots moved across the screen, furthering their way into the pen.
Ms. Murdock turned her head toward the doctors. A deep scar carved a ditch down the right side of her face. It raked across her orbit while spearing her eye and sliced through her cheek. The surrounding divots left by stitches were all too visible. Bryce and Dianna found themselves looking into the shine of a deadpan, icy, blue eye that seemed too brilliantly colorful to be accompanied by such mutilation.
Bits of sweaty dark hair hung down Ms. Murdock's face, framing it unevenly. "Doctors, I strongly suggest you find your way to the raptor enclosure and apply your expertise. Find out what the devil is going on. My crew and I will hunt these creatures down."