Prompt #17 Don't touch me.
"Keep your hands off me!"
Dennis Nedry sat in a booth in the back area of Carlos and Charlie's in Silicon Valley. He drank his Coke and grinned when he saw Lewis Dodgson slide into the seat across from him. As usual, Dodgson showed up in one of his silly disguises. Today, he was dressed like he had just come from playing tennis all day. He even carried a tennis racket with him and a container of tennis balls to give the impression he had left the court and had walked to the restaurant. Nedry couldn't resist calling attention to it.
"Did you make it to the playoffs, or did you get your ass beat?" He took a hearty bite of his beef taco. Nedry hadn't bothered to wait for Dodgson and had eaten half his meal. After he swallowed his food, he continued to poke fun at Dodgson's disguise. "I bet they saw through your silly Halloween costume!"
Dodgson clenched his teeth. "I do what I need to do to blend in. You should consider doing the same during these meetings."
Nedry shook his head. "Nope, I'll be my wonderful personable self!"
Dodgson decided to get straight to the point. "I'm usually the one that sets up these meetings, but this time, you set it up. What's going on?"
Nedry looked over his shoulder and scanned the restaurant, making sure nobody, not even the restaurant staff, was within earshot for what he was about to reveal. "Hammond plans on inviting consultants to the island to ensure the park is safe and can open to the public."
Dodgson was silent as he contemplated the significance of what Nedry had shared. Then it hit him—they could put their plan into action! First, he needed to find out who was attending the trip. Dodgson took out a mini notepad and pen from his jacket, ready to jot down information.
"Put that away," Nedry said, pointing at the notepad. "I'll tell you who. Commit it to memory."
Dodgson reluctantly put away his notepad and pen and waited for Nedry to spill the details. "Well…? What's the info?"
"Dr. Ian Malcolm, a mathematician. Dr. Alan Grant, a paleontologist, and Dr. Ellie Sattler, his student and a paleobotanist. Hammond's lawyer, Donald Gennaro, will be there too."
"Will you have any contact with them?"
"Very little, if any. I need to go to the island that weekend too—that's when we can put our plan into action."
A wide knowing smile spread across Dodgson's face when he heard Nedry repeat the same words that he had been thinking. They had waited months for the perfect time to execute their plan: Nedry would have access to InGen's frozen embryo storage. He would commit the theft! After all these years, Biosyn would finally catch up to InGen, in terms of genetic engineering and biotechnology. Of course, he still wanted to have monthly meetings to prepare Nedry, but they had finally reached the point in time they had been waiting for.
Dodgson was so thrilled that he barely heard when Nedry asked for the check, paid for his meal, and signed the receipt. He only looked up when he saw Nedry place a ten-dollar tip on the table under the saltshaker. Both men stood up at the same time and started making their way to the restaurant's entrance. Once in the parking lot, Dodgson put his arm around Nedry's shoulder. He was still in a jubilant mood and couldn't contain his excitement.
"It pays to have contacts in high places—glad we're friends!"
Nedry rolled his eyes, annoyed. This wasn't the first time Dodgson had done this. He hated how Dodgson enjoyed behaving too familiar with him as though they had known each other for years and were close friends. In his mind, Dodgson was there to hand over his paycheck after he successfully stole the embryos. They weren't friends, buddies, acquaintances, or even coworkers. He shoved Dodgson's arm off him, making it clear what he thought of Dodgson and his over-the-top flattery.
"First, we're not friends. Second, do not forget that fact. Third, and this is the most important thing to remember—keep your hands off me!"