CHAPTER 102
By the time Dr. Conners had been summoned to the boardroom he had had more time than he would've liked to stew over what was happening. His blood had been boiling for the past hour and he felt as though he were going to burst out of his skin. He was pacing in front of the doors to the room with another cup of coffee. Dianna was squatting on the floor nearby, watching him wear away at the carpet with each pass.
Joan appeared through the heavy, stained, wooden doors, each side bearing a carved relief of tyrannosaur bones. Dr. Conner's snapped his head in her direction as she said, "He'll see you now." Ms. Murdock lowered her voice and leaned in close to his ear. "Easy does it, Dr. Conners." He passed through the doors and Joan shut them behind him with a heavy thunk.
The boardroom was the fanciest of rooms on Isla Sorna. It was where corporate officials of the highest echelons met to discuss matters while visiting the island. In the middle of the room was a long table that had been fashioned out of a slab of sequoia. It would have been illegal had it not come from one of INGEN's genetically modified trees.
Peter Ludlow was waiting at the far end, standing beside a high-backed leather chair. Dr. Conners marched past a line of slightly less ostentatious office chairs and slammed his foam coffee cup down on the glossy finish of the sequoia. "Where the hell is our god damned helicopter?"
Mr. Ludlow held up an almost empty glass of bourbon, extending his index finger to hush Dr. Conners. He didn't give the slightest indication of being shaken by the hostile approach. Going over to a nearby mini bar he topped off the glass. His movements were calm and nonchalant yet to the point. When he came back he took a sip and set his cup down with a light touch, noting with a subtle sour face the puddle of coffee that expanded around Dr. Conner's foam cup. Mr. Ludlow reached out and pressed the record button on a tape recorder that rested beside an open briefcase. As the reels began to spin the two men locked eyes in a staring contest but said nothing. Dr. Conners shifted his gaze when a movement behind Mr. Ludlow caught his attention.
The back wall of the boardroom was made of thick aquarium glass and faced what was referred to as the triassic swamp. Through a glow of green sunlit water a ten foot long amphibian drifted against the glass. Two round eyes akin to those of a frog stared into the boardroom as the large newt-like creature pressed its broad flat head to the glass. The fat beast, with its stubby alligator-like limbs, looked dead in the water but every so often would gently paddle its four feet to stay in place.
Dr. Conners shifted his gaze back to Mr. Ludlow. "Where the hell is our chopper?"
"I'm afraid we're dealing with a very delicate situation here, doctor. No one is to leave the island until I've received statements from everyone, and we've sorted out this debacle."
"You can't honestly expect the children to stay here. Haven't they already been through enough?"
"They should never have been here to begin with. After all, this isn't a playground. Nevertheless, as it stands I will be needing statements from them as well."
"You son of a bitch." Dr. Conners took an aggressive step toward Mr. Ludlow.
"This isn't helpful, doctor."
Bryce backed him up against the glass. "You stay the hell away from my daughter, and you stay the hell away from the others. They are not at your disposal."
"I think, doctor, that you don't understand the extremely limited nature of your options in this matter. My dear uncle is occupied, ergo you're dealing with me, and I can assure you that no one is leaving until I've receive statements." Mr. Ludlow extended his hand. "Have a seat, doctor."
"I'll stand."
Mr. Ludlow repositioned his spectacles with a delicate finger. "It makes no difference to me."
"Shouldn't there be some lawyers present, legal advisors, that sort of thing?"
Mr. Ludlow ignored the inquisition.
Dr. Conners continued to ramble. "No? Well, there's obviously nothing shady or illegal going on here, so why would there be, right? I mean-"
Mr. Ludlow cut him off. "Tell me about the lysine contingency."
"Every moment you keep us here is jeopardizing the lives of everyone on the island."
"According to Ms. Murdock the operations compound is secure."
"I wouldn't bet my life on it."
"Why aren't these rogue assets affected by their lysine deficiency?"
"I believe Dr. Wu should be answering that question. Don't you? But hell, he's conveniently just removed himself from the situation. Hasn't he?"
"Dr. Wu's whereabouts are none of your concern, and I'm asking you."
"It's not my damned mistake. Do I look like a geneticist to you?"
"Then perhaps you'd like to tell me how four adolescents ended up in restricted areas, resulting not only in the death of one teenage boy but half the rescue party as well."
"I'm confident that Ms. Murdock's recount of the situation should be enough for you."
"Once again, I'm asking you."
"Once again, I'm inclined to withhold any statement. Get me a god damned helicopter!"
Mr. Ludlow picked up a silver pen from the table and worked it between his fingers before clicking its end. "INGEN has a lot of money tied into the Costa Rican government. We have a particular amount of influence here. You and your daughter may be here a while, doctor. It's going to be difficult for me to convince the board to let anyone currently on Site-B off the island without your cooperation. And even if I let you off the island you know how international travel can be. Sometimes issues with passports and identification can just pop up. It'd be a shame if you became trapped in Costa Rica over some happenstance of human error."
Dr. Conners exploded at Mr. Ludlow. His white knuckled fists shot out and snatched his lapels. With a jarring thrust he threw him against the aquarium glass so hard his glasses fell off his face. "You don't get to play with people's lives, Peter! This whole island needs to be evacuated now. If there's not a chopper here before nightfall I'm throwing you over the god damned fence. And I'm seeing to it personally that your uncle understands every last detail of what went on here."
As Dr. Conners released Mr. Ludlow he slumped against the glass. His composure had been rattled, his ego temporarily diminished. Bryce turned and walked to exit the room. At the door he threw a middle finger over his shoulder and said, "I quit."
Outside the boardroom Dr. Conners picked Dianna up from the ground. "Come on. We're done here."
"What? Why? What happened?"
"Mr. Ludlow has all the information he needs. Come on."