Prompt #18 Voted most likely to end up in prison

Public Enemy Number One

Dennis Nedry didn't know why he forced himself to go to the staff lodge, but he did so anyway, after getting the call in the control room from a very drunk Henry Wu that his presence was requested in the recreation room. He had an inkling of what was going on. The park staff was at it again. Nedry knew the InGen staff loved to get drunk and act silly. Although it was a fun way to relieve the stress of running Jurassic Park, Nedry didn't usually join in the festivities. He was only here this weekend to check on the systems, and then he'd have to return to Cambridge by Monday. His time was short, and he couldn't be bothered to hang around with the rest of the staff—especially not with John Hammond breathing down his back every five seconds about how he should've designed the computer systems right the first time...

He headed down the hallway to the recreation room, wondering what he'd find when he got there. It didn't take him long to discover the shenanigans taking place. Nedry opened the door and came upon Ray Arnold, Robert Muldoon, Gerry Harding, and Henry Wu crowded around a table and taking shots. The shot glasses must've been taken from the visitor center's gift store because they all bore the black, red, and yellow Jurassic Park logo. The sofa was pushed against the wall and the television was blaring loud 80s music. Bottles of all shapes and sizes were scattered throughout. The smell of alcohol permeated the room. Nedry wrinkled his nose—he hated that pungent odor. He saw Wu stand up and point at him.

"Dennis, you made it! Come in!" Wu started towards Nedry, who took a step back, determined to remain outside of the room. "Don't play hard to get!"

Nedry noticed Wu was uncoordinated. Wu must've known too because he reached out to grab the wall to steady himself. Once he was stable, he offered Nedry a lop-sided grin.

"You made it just in time! We're playing our favorite game. Wanna play?"

"Not really." Nedry looked over his shoulder at the hallway he was standing in. He really needed to get back to the control room before Hammond realized he wasn't there. There would be hell to pay, and as always, it would be Nedry doing the paying up.

"We're playing 'Most Likely'," Wu's words were slurred.

Nedry folded his arms across his chest. "That's fantastic."

Muldoon, Arnold, and Harding looked in his direction as though noticing him for the first time. Harding pointed at the empty chair next to him, indicating Nedry should join them. Nedry shook his head. He had to go back to the control room soon or Hammond would have a fit if he didn't see him there. Hammond wanted him to review the systems—again for the umpteenth time.

"We're playing 'Most Likely'," Harding repeated, and Nedry thought he sounded more sober than Wu.

"How do you play?" Nedry asked, remaining in the doorway.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Wu had slid down and was now sitting crossed legged against the wall.

"We just pick what we think we're most likely to do or how we'll end up in the future," Arnold said. He quickly lit a cigarette. "Nothing to it."

"What we're most likely to do?"

"Yeah, it's not that complicated."

"Who goes first?" Nedry asked. He stepped inside the recreation room but stayed near the door.

"I'll run it down for you," Arnold said as tapped his cigarette over the ash tray that had the Jurassic Park logo on it. "Robert was voted Most Likely to end up in the newspaper."

"Why's that?"

"Because I told John if he didn't get the bloody weapons that I asked for, I'd quit and go to the press."

Nedry noticed that Muldoon had answered for himself. His words were slurred, much like Wu's. Nedry wasn't surprised as Muldoon was usually intoxicated.

"Must feel great to be listened to." Nedry didn't attempt to mask his bitterness.

He remembered that conflict between Muldoon and Hammond. Muldoon had wanted weapons on the island in case anything happened with a dinosaur escaping its paddock. He had requested guns and shoulder-mounted LAW-missile launchers. After much whining ("bloody bitching and moaning" as Muldoon accurately phrased it) from Hammond about "don't hurt my animals", he finally acquiesced to Muldoon's request. Probably because he knew he'd never find someone to fill Muldoon's shoes. And Muldoon threatened to quit and go to the press to expose InGen if Hammond didn't follow through.

"I got voted Most Likely to win the Nobel Prize—for genetics in resurrecting dinosaurs." Wu still sat on the floor, rocking back and forth.

"Congrats," Nedry muttered.

"I got voted Most Likely to insult you when you least expect it," Harding said, as he opened a can of beer. "It's fitting."

Nedry agreed with Harding's 'Most Likely' position. Everyone on staff knew Harding was quiet and kept to himself, but he had zingers up his sleeve that he'd use when you least expected it.

"That must be quite the honor," Nedry said, forcing himself to smile. "I guess that leaves you, Ray."

Arnold took a drag from his cigarette. "You know me, I got voted Most Likely to have a panic attack on the day Jurassic Park opens to the world."

Wu found this hilarious and burst out laughing. At the same time, he tried to stand up. Once again, he held onto the wall to keep from falling. "That leaves you, Dennis. You get to play too."

Nedry's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "I don't really want to play this game."

"You have no choice," Arnold said.

"We all played, so now it's your turn," Harding said.

"Tell him," Muldoon said. "We all voted for this one."

Wu cheered, excitedly. "Drum roll please!"

Harding started pounding on the table when Nedry waved his hand away.

"No drum roll for me. Just spit it out, I have to get back to the control room before John notices I snuck away."

"I'll say it," Muldoon said. "You were voted Most Likely to end up in prison. It was that or Most Likely to end up dead before your time."

A long painful silence filled the recreation room. Nedry stared at all four men, uncertain of how to respond. They stared back at him. "Most Likely" to end up in prison? Or even, "Most Likely" to end up as a frigid corpse? How the hell did they come up with these awful options?!

At that moment, Nedry heard Hammond's voice ringing in his mind. Fat slob. You screwed up again. Sometimes the voice morphed into Arnold's or Muldoon's—he had heard them call him a "slob" several times when they thought he couldn't hear them. Most times, Nedry pretended to be unaware of what they said about him. He had always been able to block them out…but this time, he couldn't.

Now he had been voted as the InGen employee Most Likely to end up behind bars… Locked up. Incarcerated. The alternative wasn't appealing either: dead. Six feet under. Expired, slaughtered, the departed. Nedry's chest tightened with anger. He was so sick of working for InGen, and he was fed up with everything. The lack of communication, the outward disrespect and disdain from his coworkers, the mounting pressure and threats from Hammond, everything being placed on him to build the park's computer systems from the ground up—and all he ever got was shit for it…

"I'm glad you find it funny," Nedry seethed.

Wu suddenly sobered up as though he had woken up from a long nap. Harding visibly recoiled. Muldoon maintained a stoic expression. Arnold, who was tense by nature, attempted to break the awkward silence that hung over the group like a thick fog.

Arnold tried to laugh it off. "C'mon, I've been voted as Most Likely to have a panic attack—"

"That's because you're anxiety disorder personified," Nedry said.

Arnold immediately stopped laughing and pulled himself together.

Muldoon stood up from the table to face Nedry. "You'll either end up locked up or dead. Take your pick."

"None of the above," Nedry snapped.

"It's one or the other. Dead or alive. Dead, I find your bloated corpse and leave it out in the open to rot. Alive, I'll make sure you get locked up."

A deathly silence filled the recreation room. Harding, Wu, and Arnold looked back and forth between Nedry and Muldoon. The tension was suffocating, and it wasn't about to let up.

"You're taking this seriously because you know it's the bloody truth," Muldoon continued.

"'The bloody truth'?" Nedry repeated.

"The bloody truth." Muldoon didn't waver. "It wouldn't surprise me if you ended up betraying InGen to fill your pockets."

That was a wild assumption on Muldoon's part and Nedry had no idea where it came from. Still, Nedry wasn't one to back down, nor would he allow himself to be intimidated. Or have his character assassinated. "Maybe one day I will. Guess I'll be public enemy number one then, huh?"

"You will be, and heaven help you if I'm the one that discovers the truth."

"No, heaven help you if I escape from prison, after being there—since you all agree that's what's gonna happen. That or me taking a dirt nap, right? Heaven help you because if you have a hand in putting me there, I'll find you when I get out…"

He never completed the threat.

Arnold coughed. Harding and Wu looked from Nedry to Muldoon, and then back again.

Nedry blinked. He realized he had imagined the entire conversation, starting from when he said I'm glad you find it funny. No one had said anything to him. Muldoon was staring at him, as so was Arnold. There was no indication that they had that back-and-forth exchange, where Nedry threatened Muldoon, after Muldoon predicted that Nedry would betray InGen. Even Nedry's venomous insult about Arnold being anxiety disorder personified—that was all a figment of his imagination.

"It's just a joke," Harding said. "Don't take what we say seriously, Dennis. We're just blowing off steam."

"We don't think you'll end up in prison, or that you'll die before your time." Wu sounded like himself again, serious and reserved. He stepped towards Nedry; his gait and coordination were normal. "Why don't we get you a drink?"

Nedry watched as Wu went over to the table to pour him a shot. He still couldn't speak. The fact that he didn't know how to respond to their joke was starting to eat away at him. Usually, Nedry was quick-thinking, witty, and sarcastic…but something about their joke struck a chord in him. He couldn't put his finger on it. Maybe it was because it indicated that they didn't trust him. Who knew if Hammond had poisoned their minds against him, since he was always ranting about Nedry being sloppy. Or maybe it was because he knew that Hammond valued him the least. Wu came over with a shot glass filled with alcohol, and Nedry thought of how he was Hammond's golden child.

Out of everyone on the staff, Hammond valued Wu the most. The reason was obvious: Wu managed to perform the ultimate miracle of science by genetically engineering the dinosaurs for Jurassic Park. Harding and Muldoon were tied since they worked directly with the dinosaurs. Then there was Arnold, who had experience in building theme parks. Hammond wasn't a fuzzy teddy bear with Wu, Harding, Muldoon, and Arnold—but he didn't treat them the way he treated Nedry. Hammond treated Nedry like a nuisance, as though his expertise in designing computer systems was a waste of time or an afterthought. They had a strained working relationship as employer and employee, and it had worsened over time.

"Here, drink up!" Wu smiled as he held the shot glass to Nedry.

Nedry was tempted to snatch the shot glass and pour the drink on the carpet in the recreation room. Just as he was about to do that, he saw the exchanged glance between Arnold and Muldoon. Their silent communication annoyed him, like they were sharing a private joke. Finally, he found the words that he wanted to say. Maybe his imagination hadn't run away from him after all.

"I'm glad you all find it funny." He looked at Wu now, who stood in front of him. Without a word, he shook his head, indicating his refusal to accept the drink.

Wu lowered the shot glass when it was apparent Nedry wasn't going to receive it.

"I have to get back to the control room and review the systems for Hammond. Have fun with your stupid game."

He stormed out of the recreation room.

oOo

By the time Nedry sat down at his console in the corner of the control room, the impact from the recent exchange had diminished. He was glad because he felt completely isolated from the rest of the InGen staff. Nedry knew he was the heart of the issue. He didn't attempt to be friendly to any of them, he walked around with the proverbial chip on his shoulder, and his surly attitude alienated him. At first, Nedry was glad to be back in the control room, until he imagined the walls pressing in on him, confining him, as though he were in a prison cell with no escape. Their joke that he was most likely to end up in prison—maybe it was a premonition?

Just then, the control room's door buzzed open, and John Hammond marched in, his face beet red.

"Where the hell were you?!"

Nedry looked up as Hammond approached his workstation. "I just—"

"You need to fix these systems. They're a headache to deal with! If you had done things right the first time, then I would've already opened the park to the world. You need to start making the changes we talked about!"

Nedry shook his head. Hammond could lie to himself all he liked. Both men knew—and the rest of the InGen staff knew—the real reasons why Jurassic Park hadn't opened to the world yet. There had been accidents…and a few deaths that couldn't be satisfactorily explained away. Hammond was under pressure from his lawyer, Donald Gennaro, and his investors, to invite consultants to the park to give their assessment and professional opinion. The truth was, Hammond wanted them to say what he wanted to hear: that Jurassic Park was safe to open to the public. Hammond had an idea of who he planned to invite, but that didn't matter. What mattered was that he blamed Nedry for everything, and Nedry was done.

"What you need to do is let me work in peace."

"Excuse me?" Hammond's voice rose. "Do you know who you're talking to?!"

Nedry turned in his swiveling chair to face Hammond. "Yes, I know who I'm talking to. John Hammond, CEO of InGen."

Hammond started rising up and down on the balls of his feet. He did that whenever he was on the verge of losing his temper. "You should've been here when I came in a half hour ago. Where did you go?"

Nedry grabbed a Snickers bar laying near his keyboard and counted to ten in his mind as he unwrapped the candy bar. "I wasn't aware that I had to answer to you about every movement I make on this island, sir."

"You're a slob. You screwed up, and I'm calling my lawyer."

"Good." Nedry bit down on the Snickers bar and chewed heartily. "Call him." He turned back to his console so that he could focus on his work.

He didn't look up when Hammond left the control room, slamming the door behind him.

oOo

One week later, Nedry sat in his office in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Integrated Computer Systems, Inc. was his life's calling, his passion. However, the work he was doing for InGen was becoming increasingly frustrating. He wished he could cancel the contract, but Hammond was making it impossible. The harassment wasn't going to end anytime soon. Tomorrow, he had to fly out to Palo Alto, California, to meet with InGen management. He wasn't looking forward to it, but he didn't have a choice. The growing tension between him and Hammond put him in a foul mood, and he didn't want to displace his frustrations on anyone in the office. For the time being he kept the door closed as he sifted through his mail.

He was about to open another letter when his phone rang. Nedry glared at the phone, as though its very presence offended him. He let it ring several times before he finally picked it up—and then immediately hung it up. He just wanted to be left alone. The silence lasted for less than a minute before the phone began ringing again. Irritated, Nedry rubbed his temples and then snatched the phone off the hook.

"Hello?" He didn't care if he sounded angry.

"Am I speaking with Dennis Nedry?"

Nedry's eyebrows rose. He didn't recognize the caller's voice. The person sounded eager, as though he had been searching forever and was finally glad to have found the right person. Nedry just hoped it wasn't another one of his clients calling to tell him that they would no longer be using his services. Hammond had started targeting his other clients, to let them know Nedry wasn't responsible, and that they shouldn't hire him…

"You are. Who's calling?"

There was a pause, and then the man answered. "My name is Lewis Dodgson, and I'd like to have a moment of your time."