Welcome to part four of my Sara Webb series.
As always, you don't necessarily need to read the previous three parts in the series to understand what is happening here, but it would be appreciated. And if you're new to my fics:
Italicized text can represent several things (dialogue in another language, inner thoughts, flashbacks, etc.) please be aware of this and the context to better understand what is happening!
"I want that quote from Dr. Sattler put on the floor at the entrance of the new exhibit." Sara Webb instructed as she walked around tarps and stepped carefully over large bundles of cables draped around the floor. Her assistant, Nora Smith, nodded and wrote down Sara's instructions. "And tell the designers the leaves need to be bigger, lusher," She waved her hand absentmindedly, "you know. Dinosaurs might eat anything in front of them, but this exhibit is meant to put guests in a jungle. We want it to feel like a jungle, yes?" She asked. "And I'd like the head of the design to give me an updated itinerary, we want the exhibit ready before spring."
"Absolutely ma'am." Nora answered. Sara resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Nora was the third assistant she'd had since she started working for the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History over ten years ago. All of them fresh, out of college students who were desperate to make an impression and work their way into the good graces of the higher ups. She wished they'd be more authentic with her.
Sara paused at the tarp that covered the new exhibit area from the rest of the museum and turned to Nora, "Is there anything else I seem to be missing?" She asked.
Nora thought for a moment, then her eyebrows shot up, "Oh, uhm, I did receive a call this morning while you were at the airport."
Sara cocked an eyebrow up, then lifted the tarp so she and Nora could step out. She gestured for Nora to go first, which she did with a respectful bow of her head, "From who? Did they leave a message?" She asked.
"It was your half-brother, ma'am." Nora scrolled on her Ipad until she got to the notes she'd written down. She handed the Ipad to Sara.
Sara took it, pursing her lips. Franklin, her half-brother, worked for InGen—off-site, thank goodness—but the two weren't particularly close. Why on earth would he have called her?
Franklin Webb
Half-brother to Ms. Webb
Mr. Masrani came to the office, talked to him about coming to see Sara, wanted to warn her
Sara inhaled deeply and exhaled slowly when she saw the notes. She handed the Ipad back to Nora, "But no word from Masrani himself?" She asked.
Nora shook her head, "No, ma'am." Sara scoffed as she turned and walked in the direction of the adjacent exhibit.
"Sorry, Ms. Webb, but what kind of business would Mr. Masrani have with you?" Sara turned back and eyed her curiously. "I mean," She gestured to the Hall of Fossils that they were in, "They are our biggest competitor, more or less."
"No, I know what you mean." Sara nodded. "Mr. Masrani has it in his head that I will eventually come around and see that he's achieved the impossible."
"The impossible?" Nora asked.
"Creating a Dinosaur theme park." Sara answered, deadpanned. Her eyes scanned the exhibit hall and she smiled, "That'll be all today, Nora." She dismissed her young assistant. Someone caught her eye.
Nora reassured Sara she would get the new instructions to the design and construction teams, and wished her a safe evening.
Sara tried to soften the click of her heels as she quickly crouched and snuck over to the young boy looking up at the Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. She stood behind him, arms up, and smiled deviously. Then, she pounced and grabbed the boys sides, tickling him through his coat.
"Gotcha!" She whisper-shouted in his ear.
The young boy nearly jumped out of his skin and he let out a startled shout. He turned, his curly black hair falling in his face as he panted heavily and tried to find the source of the attack. Sara stood back up, laughing as her son huffed and rolled his eyes. He blushed and swatted her hands away when she tried to fix his glasses.
"Sorry about the wait, kiddo." She said with a smile.
"It's fine." Her son, Jack Anthony, was the spitting image of his father—at least in Sara's eyes. The only thing he'd inherited from her was her love of old dead things, her hazel eyes, and her poor eyesight. Jack readjusted his coat and bent down to pick up his backpack, "Are you done now?" He asked.
Sara nodded, "Mhm. I just need to grab my coat from my office." She put an arm around his shoulders and steered him out of the exhibit. It was cold in Washington D.C., and the days were shorter, so the halls were more empty than usual. Sara didn't mind. She considered this the renovation season. They could work and disturb less guests, so it was a win-win.
"Dad texted and said he made it home safe." Jack said, his hands and eyes glued to his phone.
"I'm glad." Sara smiled. And she was. She hated that Jack had to spend his time split between them, but neither one had been willing to give up their dream jobs, so they made it work. All the presents Jack would receive from Max were already at her apartment, neatly wrapped and stacked in her closet.
Sara made a quick run to her office, grabbing her coat and scarf before she checked her answering machine. No new calls. She sighed with relief, "One more day to avoid Masrani." She nodded, content.
Her apartment was on the East End. Sara had stubbornly refused to give up her car, her old one had finally become too costly to repair, so she upgraded herself to a 2014 RAV4. But that meant she had to be the one to learn how to drive in the bustling streets of Washington D.C., and she had to be the one to learn how to deal with other drivers, the weather, and the traffic.
The one thing she disliked about her job was that it put her on the roads right in the middle of rush hour.
But just a short half an hour later, they were home.
"Here," Sara gave her son her house key, "You unlock the door, I'll grab your suitcase."
"Uhh, mom?" Jack sounded hesitant.
Sara looked out the passenger window, "Christ." She breathed out. Masrani stood on her front steps, he turned when he heard her car, and that sickeningly positive smile was quick to light up his face.
Sara sighed, "Come on, honey." She made sure the road was clear before she opened her door and slid out onto the wet pavement. She closed the door and glared at Masrani over the roof of her car.
"Ah! Ms. Webb!" Masrani did a light, careful jog down the steps. "It is so good to see you." He'd grown his hair out since they'd last spoken, and he had facial hair now. Two years was not enough time to recover from his last visit.
Sara grimaced as she walked around to the back of her car, she hoisted the trunk door up and Jack was quick to slip out of the passenger seat and duck around to the back to grab his suitcase. "What can I do for you, Mr. Masrani?" Sara asked. She and Max had been so careful to bounce Jack back and forth between D.C. and San Diego whenever Masrani happened to be hounding them. Sara didn't want Masrani using Jack to get her to the park. She walked around him, pushing Jack in front of her so they could get to the front door together and not be blocked off.
"I wanted to speak to you just," Masrani held up both of his pointer fingers, "one more time about that film."
Sara's hands were like ice, and she struggled to get her keys in the lock. She nearly cried out in relief when they finally slipped in. "And like I've told you, many times," She opened the door and Jack ran inside. She turned around and stopped Masrani from coming into her home. "I don't have it."
"We both know that's a lie, Sara." Masrani said, playfully waving her protests away. "But this time it's different."
"Oh, really?" Sara didn't sound convinced, she backed herself into her house and leaned against the door frame while still keeping a hand on the door and blocking Masrani from entering.
"Picture this," and Masrani spread his hands wide like he was presenting a camera angle, "The Hammond Legacy Exhibit." Sara raised her eyebrows. When she didn't answer, Masrani looked back at her, "No?" He waved her off again, "Well, the name is a work in progress, anyways. What it is though," He stood in front of her, and Sara had to lean back in order to look him in the eyes, '' is an exhibit marking the legacy of John Hammond and Jurassic Park. I want guests to see and understand all the steps that went into making the park. The good and the bad."
Sara took a deep breath and thought over his words. "And why do you need my pictures?"
Masrani had an answer for that, "As you know, several of the original animals Dr. Wu created have lived long enough for them to be legacy attractions at the park." And he began listing them off, "The brachiosaurus, the dilophosaurus, the T-Rex." Sara felt her blood run cold. She'd never recover from her repeated encounters with the animals. "I want to show the people the legacy John Hammond has gifted them." Then Masrani pressed his hands together, as if in prayer, and raised them to his lips. "All I need is those photos."
"Mr. Masrani," Sara sighed. She'd protected and preserved those photos since she was eighteen years old. More than half her life had been spent trying to keep those pictures from being revealed to the world. There was something special about them, about how only she had ever laid eyes on them. At this point, it felt like Masrani was asking her to give away part of her soul.
"Tell you what." Masrani pointed his still clasped hands at her, "We are building the exhibit now, why don't you come to the park and see for yourself? We have achieved Hammond's lost dream."
Sara shook her head, "I'm sorry, Mr. Masrani. My son is only here for the winter holidays, and I'd—I'd like to spend my time with him." She frowned.
"Bring the boy!" Masrani smiled. "Oh, he'll love it. We have all kinds of rides and things for a boy his age."
Sara hated this. This was exactly why they'd been so careful.
"Mom?" Jack's voice was quiet behind the door. Sara jumped out of her skin; she didn't even realize he was there. She turned and looked at him questioningly. "Are we going to Jurassic World?" His eyes were sparkling with a child-like wonder she hadn't seen in a long time. Sara drummed her fingers on the door for a moment.
She and Max had come up with every excuse in the book as to why Jack couldn't go to Jurassic World. Too expensive. The summers in Central America are too hot. You have school work. Dad's too busy with work to actually enjoy it with you. Mom's seen dinosaurs and isn't that impressed with them. They were running out of excuses.
She sighed and turned to Masrani, "I'll think about it." Was all she said. "Christ…Max is gonna kill me."
That night, after Jack had gone to bed, Sara knelt down beside her bed and pulled out an old, dented cardboard box. Years of dust had settled on the top flaps, but Sara ignored how gritty it felt under her hands as she opened it up. She pulled the box with her as she sat back and leaned against the wall. She was hidden between her desk and the wall.
"God…when's the last time I looked at these things?" She wondered. The first thing she pulled out was a photo album. It was slim, only eighty or so pages, and black. Indistinguishable from any other black, leather-bound book. She held the album in her hands and ran her fingers delicately down the spine, around the edges. She felt the pages, her nails catching on them and lightly popping them. She didn't open the book, instead she put it aside. She reached into the box and pulled out the only other thing inside. As she lifted it, she could hear the raptor claw rattle around inside. Sirens in the distance sounded like the cry of an animal.
Sara held the item on her lap.
An old, stained, half-broken, lumpy camera bag.