Jurassic Park: The Broken Lives Saga by Dinohunter55
Prologue: Genesis
April 24, 1986
InGen - Embryonics Administration
Isla Sorna (Site B)
From the dark came light, a glowing cinder danced upon a gentle breeze, burned bright, and then winked out as a rain drop drove it earthbound. James Howell sighed and then flicked the butt of his cigarette into the pond several meters below. He looked around but the electric hum of a dull light and tat-tat-tat of rain on metal were his only companions. Somewhere beyond the mountains and dark rain clouds, the first light of dawn crept up the horizon. He doubted he would see it before his head hit the pillow.
A glance at his watch told him to head back before he was missed. It was unfortunate that the clouds rolled in when they did otherwise he might of have witness a partial lunar eclipse. Or at least that is what a few of the regular stargazers from the night shift told him. They thrived in the long silent hours monitoring the machines and incubating eggs. James did not.
With a final sigh that misted the air, James wandered back towards the doors. The tall windows let him see clearly into the main lobby. It was basically empty, though that was not unusual during the day either. The only noteworthy figure was that of the sleeping security guard at the front desk. His mud caked boots on the counter top would earn him an earful from the secretary in a few hours.
The only people on the island were InGen employees and the odd Bribri local that snuck back to the islands. The Bribri kept to their ancestral homes however so even when one trespassed on the island they posed little risk to the main operations. Regardless, the night shift only consisted of a skeleton crew and most of those were cleaning staff. It had been even fewer but a member of the cleaning staff accidentally turned off an expensive machine while it was running one night. This error went unnoticed until morning when the damage could not be reversed and the project set back weeks.
Beyond the lobby sat a break room with several vending machines, water jug, and washrooms. James grabbed a chocolate bar and a swig of water before heading down the hallway leading to the hatchery. He came out on the raised grated walkway overlooking an impressive display of machines. Large rounded tables hummed with machinery. Glass domes provided a misty view of the prize, dinosaur eggs. It was all a lie.
Everything on this production line was made for the investors and higher ups to tour. Sure it was the final stage of the process, a neat and tidy display that had yet to provide results. They had yet to actually have a dinosaur survive to hatching. Partially developed embryos floated in tanks behind one row of incubators. The eggs were artificial, though some emu and ostrich eggs were used infrequently due to the number needed, and set in a carefully controlled environment meant to represent their original habitat. But it was only a best guess. 65 million years ago was a long stretch to get a completely accurate measurement from old rocks and fossilized bones. Some species were far older than that to his knowledge.
The true nature of the laboratory complex sat in another building nearby. A massive production line of machines formed the eggshells into shape, inserted organic materials, and stamped each egg with a serial number. They then were placed on long tables where technicians would inspect them multiple times daily. Only a handful of every thousand were viable enough to last longer than a week before they were recycled. The furthest along were analyzed and the genetic material modified so the process could begin again. The few eggs that matured were moved to this room where even further care was provided.
Yet for all his misgivings, likely brought about by his forced change from days to nights in recent weeks, James felt the utter awe it inspired. He still got goosebumps each time they made progress. They were close now and soon the first dinosaurs in 65 million years would walk the earth once again.
The two night technicians working in this part of the lab were gathered around the incubator at the far end of the room. They seemed in deep conversation and so James paid little attention to them. James entered a room off to the side and scrubbed in, cleaning himself and getting gowned up for the task added to his list tonight. He soon returned to the main room and his attention turned to checking the various outputs on the first incubator and reading the printouts of reports for activity over the last hour. He would open it soon to do a manual inspection and thus he needed to gown up to prevent potential contamination of either the eggs or himself. Sometimes an egg failed and then rotted quickly in the high heat and humidity. Sometimes those failed eggs exploded when touched, an unfortunate flaw of the artificial eggshells allowed gas to build up at pressure. James wrinkled his nose. If not for the gown, the clothes were not worth washing when that happened. Sterile gloves sat ready in packages near each incubator.
"Hey James," one of the technicians called. His name was Moussa. He was Senegalese, tall, with only a hint of his native accent. "Can you come here?"
James nodded and wanderer over to the men. His eyes darted between the incubators along the way. All was in order at the moment.
"Simone says he saw one of the eggs moving," Moussa said, a barely contained grin parted his lips slightly.
"I swear! The egg was rocking back and forth." Simone said, brushing aside the dark hair that fell in front of his glasses as he bent to get a better look in the incubator. He was short and wide with pale freckled skin. "It just stopped before Moussa got here."
"Is this another one of your pranks?" James said, crossing his arms. Simone had a long history of amusing himself at the expense of his other colleges, though nothing dangerous or harmful. Most were funny, most.
"No, I swear it." Simone pushed the glasses up the bridge of his nose. He moved around to the panel at the side of the incubator. "See," he said pointing at the monitor. "There was increased activity inside one of the eggs."
"Then let us hope it was not the death throes of another one of Dr. Wu's failed experiments," Moussa said, exchanging a glance with James and then the nearby embryo tanks.
James said nothing but learned in and watched the egg for a long while. "Which species do we think this is?"
"Velociraptor," Simone said.
"Lots of people are going to lose money on the bet," James chuckled. "Most people wagered that since the triceratops genome was the furthest along it would be first."
"The triceratops is more viable." Moussa said.
"It doesn't matter which is more viable, only who's first." James grinned. Moussa was one of those with money on the triceratops. While James was not in on the bet, he secretly hoped that the tyrannosaurus rex was first. It was his favorite dinosaur as a kid.
Over the next few minutes, the excitement died down a little as the egg remained still. Moussa and Simone started up a conversation over the readings. James looked over the readings and decided to continue his work at the other incubator. As James turned his back, a single sharp crack came from the incubator.
James spun around to see the egg rocking again. He hurried to get sterile gloves on while Simone and Moussa perked up. "Open the incubator," James said as he snapped the gloves in place.
The dome hissed as Simone pressed the release. Warm fog rolled out over the table and then spilled over the edge to the floor. From the mist nine eggs emerged in a bed of moss. The rocking egg stilled. James touched it gently. He felt the tiny creature shift inside. The artificial eggshells were not as ridged as a normal egg. Moisture gathered at the edge of his eyes.
A faint chirp came from within. "It's alive," James said. It took all his willpower not to shout the words.
Simone and Moussa cheered and hugged.
James looked for the crack but did not see it. Then another egg rocked. A second chirp came from this new egg. Gently, James lifted the egg up. Colorless ooze seeped from a crack on the bottom of the egg. He realized the serial number was upside down.
"Damn it," James looked at Simone and Moussa. "Someone rotated the eggs the wrong way. They're upside down!"
James righted the egg. Animals often attached to the shell of the egg and grew accordingly in that direction. If the egg was disrupted then it was possible for the creature inside to die or be unable to break out. Being upside down would hamper any attempt to break the eggs from within.
"What do you need us to do?"
James caught a glimpse of the serial number and paled. It was not possible.
"James?"
James covered the number with his finger. "I need you… I need you to go and get scrubbed in to help me. Simone, call Dr. Wu and Mr. Hammond. Then get the hatchery team here. Let them know we are having several potential live births."
"Why do I have to call Dr. Wu?" Simone protested.
"Because out of the three of us, he likes you more," James snapped, "now go!"
"Not by much," Simone mumbled but went to the nearest phone.
As they raced off, James quickly rotated the other eggs until their seral numbers were visible. Four of the nine eggs were from a destroyed batch. James felt dizzy. "How did you slip through?"
Over a month earlier, a serious breach of security occurred. A man died. James was blamed by Dr. Wu for it since he was supposed to be at the station. A thousand eggs were contaminated with human brain matter and an experimental serum. In the subsequent discovery of the accident they were marked for destruction. James saw to that destruction personally as part of a series of punishments by Dr. Wu. While corporate blamed the use of a local fungus that people smoked to get high and the man who died while using it, Dr. Wu laid the blame at the feet of James and reassigned him to nights not long after since he could not explicitly fire him without proper cause.
James looked around. The serial numbers were nearly identical, only a slight version difference. He looked around. Moussa was distracted as he scrubbed his hands and Simone stuttered apologies over the phone while pacing. James closed his eyes and breathed deep.
The little creature chirped again from within the egg.
James widened the crack with his fingers, deliberately breaking the shell over the serial number so that it became unreadable. He repeated this with the second and third eggs that had cracked. The fourth, he forced a crack, not a large one but small and deliberate that could have easily come from anything, like the technician who put the eggs upside down in the first place. How the discrepancy in serial numbers escaped notice this long was a miracle of its own. By the time Moussa reached him and Simone began scrubbing in, the deed was done. No one would know the difference.
"What are you doing?" Moussa said, a little breathless. "What do you need me to do?"
"I'm helping them. They were upside down for who knows how long and are probably exhausted from trying to break out the wrong way." James replied.
Through the widened crack of the first egg, James saw the movement of pale blue flesh beneath clear slime. It stopped. A large crimson eye blinked and then focused on the green of his.
Reality slowed for James as he stared into the crimson eye. He saw his own lightly tanned and clean shaven face reflected back in the black center. He saw a curiosity in those eyes and intelligence. James smiled. His heart melted. An overwhelming sense of joy swelled within and his body trembled.
The little creature pushed free of the egg and the crack widened until it spilled the infant out of the egg and onto the soft moss. Gingerly, James reached down and picked up the velociraptor. It was blue in color with a pale underbelly. Small arms and legs moved jerkily and the long tail uncurled and straightened.
Moussa was speaking but James did not hear a word of it.
The velociraptor squeaked and coughed up a little fluid. James saw the tiny needles that filled its mouth. It would be a terrible bite once it was older. The claws too were worrisome and already looked sharp. Those were problems for later he decided.
The velociraptor locked eyes with James again and chirped at him.
James smiled, "I'm going to call you Seth."