Chapter 11: Gaining Independence

              Tim and Lex were sound asleep in the mysterious building. They were awakened by the noise of the door unlocking. A man opened the door. As he did, the sunlight lit up the whole room. Tim got up. The man noticed.

              "Good morning. Please, relax. Mr. Bodan will be with the two of you in a moment," the man said.

              He went around the room and removed all of the barricades in the windows, exposing even the corners of the room with sunlight. He went back out the door and locked it again.

              Lex got up, too.

              "What do you think this place is?" She asked.

              Tim was already looking around the room, trying to figure out the very same thing. There were several desks in the room, along with a lot of file cabinets.

              "Looks like some sort of an office," he answered.

              Lex walked up to one of the file cabinets and opened it up.

              "Empty," she said. She tried a few more drawers. "All of these are empty."

              "I guess it's an abandoned office," Tim suggested.

              Lex shrugged him off and went toward one of the windows. She wanted to see if she could figure out where they were.

              "Hey, Lex?" Tim asked.

              She looked at him.

              "Did you hear . . . growling . . . last night?" He asked.

              "Yeah. It sounded like it was very close," she said.

              "Yeah," Tim agreed.

              Lex started to remember her time spent on Jurassic Park. She had put a lot of effort into forgetting about all of that.

              "It almost sounded like---"

              Lex's sentence was cut short by the sound of the door unlocking again. Another man was standing in the doorway this time. Tim and Lex both recognized the man right away. It was Patrick Bodan. He was accompanied by four other armed men.

              "I hear you were visited by Mr. Envoy himself last night? That is a very big honor," he said.

              Lex began to feel uncomfortable, with Bodan so close to her. She was still by the window. She casually moved back to where Tim was, in the center of the room.

              Tim wanted to know what he had heard, when it had been dark outside.

              "Mr. Bodan, may I ask a question?" He asked.

              Bodan was very impressed with the boy's manners.

              "Of course, Timothy," he said.

              "What is on this island?"

              "Dinosaurs," Bodan answered.

              Tim wasn't expecting such a straight answer from him. He thought Bodan would answer the question using a bunch of riddles and confusing statements.

              Lex began to look visibly shaken. She really didn't want her worst fears to become reality. She immediately started to relive every terrifying moment on that island, ten years ago. What seemed to happen, a lifetime ago, was suddenly back in her present mind.

              Tim noticed how frightened Lex looked. It had been a long time, since he had seen her vulnerable side. She had grown up to be such a strong-willed, independent, and confident, young woman. The Lex he was seeing now, was the 12 year little girl that was stuck on that island, all those years ago. He was very worried about her.

              Bodan spoke.

              "Now that we have the details out of the way, let's get a move on, shall we?" He said.

              He turned, and then looked at the four men behind him.

              "Mr. Smith. Why don't you lead," he said.

              Smith nodded and walked out of the building. One of the other men followed him.

              Bodan looked at Lex and Tim.

              "After you," he said, gesturing toward the doorway.

              Tim began to follow the two men, but noticed that Lex was just standing there. He gently grabbed her arm and led her to the door.

              Bodan smiled and followed them. Everyone made it outside. Tim took the chance to talk to Lex.

              "You okay?" He asked.

              Lex seemed to be a little better, now that they were outside in the fresh air.

              "Yeah," she answered.

              Bodan interrupted.

              "Let's move a little faster. We want to get to our destination as soon as possible," he said.

              "Mr. Bodan, where are we going?" Tim asked.

              "To your new home away from home," he said. He looked at Smith. "Walk down that path on the right."

              Smith noticed that they were walking past the jeeps and going in the direction of one of the many dirt paths.

              "Sir, we're not taking the jeeps?" He asked.

              Bodan stopped and looked at him. When he stopped, everyone stopped.

              "No, we're not. We cannot bring motorized vehicles into the paddock we need to go through. The . . . attraction . . . doesn't care for motorized vehicles," he answered.

              Smith nodded and began to walk again. Bodan had hoped to instill fear into Tim and Lex. There was nothing stopping them from taking the jeeps. He had lied. He just thought he might be able to scare them more if they were all walking. He studied Lex's reaction carefully. He smiled, as he could see she was terrified.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              Tim, Lex, Bodan, Smith, and the three other men had been walking for about an hour. They had gone over a bridge and were now in a very jungle-like area. Tim remembered thinking that they went from civilization, on one side of the bridge, to prehistoric times, after crossing it. There was a Maintenance Building, located in the opposite direction from where they were walking, making it the only real proof that they were still in civilization. The tops of the tress were so high and thick, that it was very difficult for him to see the sky. The trees made the ground area seem rather dark and menacing. Tim could make out the top of a large building, that was in the direction they were heading.

              Lex hadn't said a word, since they began walking. She was trying to stop herself from being terrified. She tried to think about happier things, to get her mind off of where she was. But no matter what she did, her mind would drift right back to being chased by Raptors and being face to face with Tyrannosaurs Rex. She could almost feel the breath of the carnivorous creature on her face.

              After she was almost ready to cry, she started to think about Alan Grant. She thought about him holding her, when the T-Rex was about to eat them. She thought about how safe she had felt, sleeping in a tree with him and her brother, on Jurassic Park. She thought about when she ran to him when the Raptors were chasing her and Tim out of the kitchen. He had managed to get a rifle by that time, making her feel much better. She thought about the helicopter ride that they all took to get off the island. She had asked to sit next to Alan and she had fallen asleep, leaning on his shoulder. Thinking of him was helping to ease her anxiety. That was the only thing that did.

              Smith was far ahead of the rest of them. Bodan had insisted that he went ahead to make sure it was safe. As he was walking, he stumbled onto something in need of immediate attention. There were several pairs of tiny footprints in the dirt.

              "Mr. Bodan?" He yelled.

              Bodan was walking behind Tim and Lex.

              "What is it?" He shouted back.

              "I think you should have a look at this, sir," Smith yelled. "Those Compy things must have gotten out of the lab again."

              Bodan stopped. Everyone else did, too. Bodan looked around. There was one other armed man just ahead of Tim and Lex, and then the other two men were bringing up the rear. He looked at the man in front.

              "Stay here," he said.

              "Yes, sir."

              Bodan walked past everyone and disappeared down the dirt trail. The other three men were all looking in that direction.

              Tim took the chance to talk to his sister. As he took a step forward, one of the men noticed and pointed his gun at him. Tim raised his hands.

              "Look. I just want to check on my sister. She's not doing too well," he said.

              The man nodded. Tim walked up to her.

              "How are you doing?" He asked.

              "I'm all right, Tim," she said.

              "That's a relief. I thought you were going to fall apart on me," he said.

              "No. I'm feeling better now," she said.

              She looked over at the other men. They were all looking the other way again.

              "We have to get away from them," she whispered.

              "I know. There was a small building about 10 minutes back," Tim suggested.

              Lex noticed one of the men looking at them again. She began to cry and grab Tim, faking brilliantly.

              "No! No! I don't want to be here anymore. I'm so scared, Tim!" She blurted out.

              The man looked away, not thinking the crying girl could be a threat. When he did, Lex became serious again.

              "Yeah, I saw that building, too," she whispered.

              "You think we could get to it?" He asked.

              "If we can cause some sort of diversion, I think we could make a run for it," she said.

              Tim thought about it for a second.

              "Okay. I've got an idea. I'll pretend to see something on the right, and then you fall down on the left and start freaking out. I'll try to wrestle one of the guns from the guy closest to me."

              Lex frowned.

              "It's not much of a plan," she whispered.

              "I know," Tim said.

              He noticed Bodan was coming back down the trail, toward them. Smith was right behind him.

              "That's all we have, though. So let's make it work," he whispered.

              Lex nodded. Tim let his sister go, as Bodan reached them. Bodan noticed how unraveled Lex looked. He smiled.

              "It was a false alarm, Alexis," he said. He looked back at Smith. "The next time you stop this convoy for something stupid, I will get very upset with you."

              "I'm sorry, sir," Smith said. "But it does confirm that they were out on the path."

              "Well, they're not there now, are they?"

              "No, sir."

              "Okay. Then, let's get moving," Bodan ordered. "Before they decide to visit again."

              They all continued to walk down the dirt path. Bodan hated those little evil creatures. They had already eaten several infant dinosaurs in the lab, but Envoy insisted on having the Compys to show off in the park's Visitors Center. He shrugged it off, as he constantly kept an eye out for them.

              After a few minutes of silent walking, Tim looked at Lex. She nodded. The plan was now underway.

              "Oh my god! Oh my god!" He screamed. Bodan was walking in front of Tim and Lex . He turned around and looked at Tim. "I just saw something! Back there! Something is moving over there!" Tim yelled, pointing.

              Tim was so convincing, that if Lex hadn't known he was lying, she would have believed him. Bodan held a hand up and everyone stopped again. He looked at one of the men in the back.

              "Check it out," he said.

              The man nodded and reluctantly went into the jungle, where Tim had pointed. Now it was Lex's turn. She moved to the opposite side of the path. She fell down to the ground and started screaming.

              "Ahhhhhh. Something just bit me!" She screamed.

              Everyone, including Bodan, looked at her.

              "What is it?" Bodan yelled.

              "A weird looking, little dinosaur just attacked me," she yelled, holding her leg and crying.

              She managed to get all of their attention. Even the man that just went into the jungle. They were all looking around, making sure that there were no Compys near them. Bodan walked up to her.

              "Get up," he said.

              "I can't," she said.

              As she laid there, talking to Bodan, she felt around the ground and grabbed a rock. It was very sharp on one end. She placed it in her hand just so. Bodan bent down and began to grab her arm. When he did, she quickly sprang up and used the sharp rock to cut into the right side of his face, from his eye, to just past his cheek. She pressed down as hard as she could, making him yell out in pain and fall to the ground.

              Tim seized the opportunity. As one of the men was looking in Bodan's direction, Tim tackled him from the side. They went quite a distance. As the men fell, he went headfirst into a tree, and knocked himself out. Tim scrambled on the ground, searching for the gun that was thrown onto the jungle floor.

              Lex saw Smith coming toward her, his gun drawn. She bent down, snatched up some dirt, and threw it at his face. He fired his gun, just missing her. She screamed and dove to the ground, her hands covering her head.

              The other two men were going toward Tim, guns out. As they drew closer, Tim found the gun. He stood up, with the gun pointed at them. There was a standoff.

              Lex was still on the ground. Smith was trying to get the dirt out of his eyes. He wasn't watching her anymore. As she went to get up, she was startled by a man's hand. It was Bodan. There was blood streaming all down his face and he looked very angry. He grabbed her arm and jerked her back to the ground.

              Tim saw Bodan grab Lex. He jumped over a fallen tree and came toward Bodan. He still had the gun pointed at the other two men, so they were backing up, leaving a safe distance. Either of the two men could have already shot Tim, but they knew Envoy didn't want Hammond's grandchildren killed.

              "Let her go, Mr. Bodan," Tim said.

              "I don't think so," Bodan said.

              Tim thought about what to do. He pointed his gun at Bodan.

              "Let her go, or I'll have to shoot you," he said.

              Bodan thought about for a second. He knew that the rest of the men could easily take the kid on, but only after the kid would shoot him. He decided to save himself, instead of the mission. He released Lex. She quickly stood up.

              "Okay, you win . . . for now, Timothy," he said, holding a hand up to his bleeding face.

              Tim nodded and looked back at the other two men. He still held his gun on Bodan.

              "Throw your guns out in the jungle, as far as you can," he said.

              They looked at Bodan for direction. He smiled.

              "Go ahead, do as he says," Bodan said.

              The two men threw their guns into the jungle. Tim looked at Smith. He noticed that he was still having a hard time seeing. His eyes were really red from the dirt Lex had thrown at him.

              "You, too, Mr. Smith. Throw your gun into the jungle," he said.

              Smith did what he was told. Tim looked back at Bodan.

              "Now, give your gun to my sister," he said.

              Bodan smiled, took his gun from the holster, and handed it to Lex. Things might have gone differently if he had taken his gun out earlier, but he hadn't thought about it. As Lex bent down to take the gun from him, Bodan stared directly at her, making her a little nervous.

              "I'll be getting that back later, my dear. And you will be very sorry," he whispered to her.

              She pretended not to be affected by his words. She turned away from him and walked over to Tim. Now they both had a weapon.

              "Let's get out of here," she whispered to her brother.

              Tim nodded. They both turned and began running back where they had come from.

              As the kids disappeared down the path, the men began to search for their guns in the jungle. Smith came up to Bodan.

              "Are you okay?" He asked.

              Bodan grabbed a Zippo lighter from his pocket. He looked at his reflection in it, and frowned.

              "That little witch has probably scarred me for life," he said, as he examined his cut.

              Bodan took off his long sleeved shirt and ripped off one of the sleeves. He pressed it against his face and winced. With every passing second, he became more and more furious.

              "Find your guns. Make sure they are set on STUN. We have some hunting to do," he said.

              Smith helped him up.

              "Maybe you should get that cut looked at first," he suggested.

              Bodan thought about it. Bleeding to death in the jungle wouldn't help find Tim and Lex any sooner.

              "Perhaps you're right, Mr. Smith."

              "Let's get to a building. Preferably, one away from this area."

              "Okay. I need to find my gun," Smith said.

              Bodan nodded and waited for Smith. With every passing second, his anger grew. He stood there holding his bloody face.

Chapter 12: Beware Of Thunder

              Jodie was sitting in a jeep. Jacob had told her to get in it, and then he had left in another jeep. Jodie was left alone with the other men. She overheard them talking about some incident that happened a little while ago. She thought she had heard that someone had gotten away.

              Three men got into the jeep with her, along with the driver. They drove north, and then stopped, as they approached an electric fence. While they were stopped, Jodie saw a sign that said SOUTH BRIDGE. The driver exited the jeep and swiftly walked to the keypad, next to the gate that was there. The gate opened and the man got back into the jeep and went through it. As they continued on, they passed several buildings. All of the buildings had signs. There was a Lodge, a Restaurant, and a Visitors Center. The jeep quickly passed all of these buildings up and went over a hill. As they were driving down the other side of the hill, there was another electric fence there. The driver, once again, exited the jeep and did the same thing. The gate opened and the jeep went through. The gate automatically closed after they had gone through it, and now Jodie could see a cluster of smaller buildings. There was a sign nearby that said BIOSYN OFFICES-ISLA NORTE. There were about 8 buildings, each with a number: OFFICE 1, OFFICE 2, etc. To the left of the cluster of small buildings was a bigger building that said MAIN CONTROL ROOM. All the signs were made out of wood. Jodie thought they looked very expensive.

              The jeep stopped next to the Main Control Room. Jodie noticed a sign here that said NORTH BRIDGE, with an arrow pointing toward a bridge. She turned the other way, as she heard the control room door open. A man stepped out, moving quite fast. He had a bandage on the right side of his face. He didn't look very happy. He walked up to the jeep.

              "Welcome, Ms. Grant," he said.

              Jodie nodded. The man smiled. He stared at the man in the passenger seat, until the man got out. There was another jeep parked there already and the man got into the driver's seat of that jeep. He was the only one in the second jeep, at this point.

              "My name is Patrick Bodan and I'll be accompanying you to your safe destination, here on the island."

              She nodded again. The man was creepy. Jodie didn't like him from the moment he spoke to her.

              Bodan got into the passenger seat of the jeep and gestured for the driver to go. The jeep was in motion again, driving back to the south, the way it had just come. The other jeep followed. They went through one of the electric gates again, and Jodie was able to see all of the same buildings. She tried to memorize where they all were, in case that information came in handy later. The jeep made a right turn, near the Restaurant. After opening yet another security gate, the jeep went through a long tunnel. Bodan turned and looked at her. He started to talk again.

              "I would like to advise you on the rules," he said.

              "Okay," she said.

              "First. No trying to escape. I had a little trouble with that very rule about an hour ago," he said, touching his face. "And I assure you, the escapees will be dealt with violently."

              Jodie just stared. She was scared again.

              "Second. Do everything that I say. You will be rewarded if you cooperate fully. You will be allowed to live."

              The jeep drove on. The driver glanced over at Bodan.

              "Mr. Bodan, did you get that cut cleaned up, sir? It still looks pretty bad."

              "Yes. I did. All the first aid kits on this island are supplied with sutures and everything that goes along with them."

              "That was good thinking, sir," the driver said.

              "Yes, except for no one thought of putting something in there to numb the wound with," Bodan said, holding his face. "When I find the incompetent one, he will be fired immediately."

              The driver didn't comment. He just kept quiet and continued through the tunnel. The jeep finally came out of the long tunnel, and turned left, and then took a quick right. It stopped in front of a building. Jodie didn't see a sign this time. The building looked new. It didn't even have the front windows installed yet. Jodie didn't know it, but this was the building that was modified to hold Tim and Lex. They were to be held in the rear of this building, in a separate and reinforced room.

              The driver beeped the horn a few times, and two more men came out. They had guns and rifles, that they passed out to Bodan and the two other men in the backseat. They quickly made their way to the other jeep and got in. There were five people, including Jodie, in the first jeep . . . and three men in the second.

              The jeeps were on the move again. They turned left and proceeded down the dirt road. That's when Jodie saw the fences. There were fences in every direction. They were very tall and made of very thick steel. Jodie also noticed that they all looked like electric fences. She closed her eyes, trying to picture the island in her head, from when she was in the air. She was fairly sure that she knew where she was. Brachiosaurus Cove must have been very close to where they were right now.

              They were moving very fast. Jodie heard a beeping noise from the front seat. She watched Bodan hold up a walkie talkie, and speak into it. They were going along so fast, and hitting so many bumps, that it was hard for Jodie to hear everything that he was saying.

              "Bodan here," he said.

              "Sir, the Baryonyx was accidently let out," the other voice said. Jodie couldn't quite hear what the man said.

              "What?" Bodan yelled.

              "There was a mis-communication problem with one of the new men, sir. He opened the wrong gate."

              "Well, get it back into its paddock. RIGHT NOW!" Bodan yelled.

              He motioned for the driver to stop. Both jeeps came to a halt. Bodan got out of the jeep and continued to yell at the voice on the other end of the walkie talkie. All the while, he was looking around cautiously.

              "What is its location?" He asked.

              "It was just seen on the Section 3 monitor. It ran right past it."

              Jodie was getting a little uneasy. Whatever had escaped, was really causing Bodan to panic.

              "Section 3? Near the mall?" Bodan asked.

              "Yes, sir."

              Bodan looked at the driver.

              "Where are we?" He asked.

              "Section 5," the driver answered.

              "Oh, that's not good," Bodan commented. He got back in the passenger seat. "Turn around. We need to get back to the safe half on the island, back over the bridge."

              "Which bridge, sir? North or South?"

              "Who cares! Just drive. Go the quickest way. Go. Now!" Bodan said.

              The jeeps quickly turned around and accelerated, with Bodan's jeep in the lead. It was too late, though. The Baryonyx had already tracked the sounds of the motors and was coming toward them. Bodan could hear the giant steps of the creature, as it advanced. There was no sign of it yet, but the proximity of the footsteps told the men it was closer than they had wished.

              Jodie was looking behind her, like everyone else. She was terrified of what might belong to those thundering footsteps. It wasn't long before the Baryonyx burst through some trees and showed itself. Jodie, as well as a few of the other men, screamed.

              Bodan glanced back. The Baryonyx wasn't directly behind them, as he expected. It had surprise attacked them from the side, darting out in between the two jeeps.

              "GO FASTER!" Bodan yelled, as the Baryonyx let out a long and terrifying roar.

              The driver stepped on the gas. Jodie watched as the enormous creature went after the second jeep. The second jeep, skidded and slid, as the Baryonyx stepped in front of it, cutting it off. The three men in the jeep began to shout for help. The Baryonyx began roaring at all of the noise. Bodan's driver spoke up.

              "Sir, should we try and help?" He asked, slowing down.

              "Hell No. Keep going! Now!" Bodan yelled. "Get us to the damn bridge!"

              The driver hesitated for a few seconds, clearly wanting to try to help, but then he accelerated once again. As Bodan's jeep raced away, everyone in it was watching the horrific scene unfold behind them.

              The Baryonyx reached its very long snout into the open jeep and came up with its first snack. Bodan couldn't tell who it was, only that the man was screaming in pain. It had its razor sharp teeth locked down on the man's upper body, with the man's head inside the massive crocodile-like jaws. As it had its first victim secured, it slammed one of its massive feet down onto the jeep, stopping the rest of them from driving away. It easily crushed the hood of the jeep, as it turned its attention back to the food in its mouth. The Baryonyx leaned its head back and crunched down on the man, silencing his cries for help. It easily swallowed the man, whole. It bent back down, hunting for more of the tasty morsels.

              Everyone in Bodan's jeep was still watching. Including the driver, through the rear-view mirror. With his attention drawn away from the road, the jeep drove slightly off the road. The driver attempted to correct it, but ended up overcorrecting. In a panic, the driver tried to regain control of the jeep, but it ended up sliding off the road, to the right. It did a few spins, before it would eventually come to a stop.

              Bodan tried to hold on, but couldn't quite manage. He was thrown from the jeep. He tumbled and tumbled, until a nearby tree stopped his momentum.

              Jodie looked around. The driver had managed to knock himself out. The two men who were on both sides of Jodie, quickly scattered in two different directions. One of the men crawled into the front seat and tried to push the driver out of the way. The other man jumped out to check on Bodan. In all the confusion, Jodie had been left alone. She jumped out and started to run for the jungle.

              The Baryonyx was still attacking the other jeep. It was able to use its long claw to grab onto another unfortunate man. The man was unwillingly pulled from the backseat floor, where he was attempting to hide. The third man, still in the jeep, began to shoot at the 2- ton beast. The bullets were no match for the thick hide of the Baryonyx. It didn't even feel it, as it crunched down on its second snack. Blood splattered this time, coming down on the man with the gun. He panicked and jumped out of the jeep. He crawled under it, trying to hide. Unfortunately for the man, the Baryonyx had been watching. It bent down and tried to get at the third man, but it couldn't quite reach him.

              Bodan had been dazed by the collision with the tree. As he tried to get up, one of the men was there to help him.

              "Where's the girl?" He asked.

              The man had forgotten all about her. He quickly looked toward the jeep. Jodie wasn't there.

              "I . . . I don't know."

              "You incompetent!" Bodan yelled.

              He got up and pushed the man out of his way. He scanned the area for the girl, and spotted her. She was almost to the tree line.

              "There she is!" He yelled, pointing. "Shoot at her!"

              The man hesitated for a second. He didn't want to shoot a little girl. But when he looked at Bodan shooting at her already, he knew that if he didn't shoot at her, Bodan would, more than likely, kill him. He reluctantly began to fire at Jodie.

              Jodie heard and felt the bullets whizzing by her head. She was crying pretty hard, as she finally made it to the jungle. She ran between the trees and bushes, where she was able to hide herself.

              Bodan was about to go after her, when he heard the very distinctive sound of metal grinding against metal. He looked in the direction of the second jeep. It didn't even resemble a jeep any longer. The Baryonyx had totally smashed it into the ground, mangling it. It tipped it over and exposed the third man, who had still managed to stay safely hidden under the rubble. It snatched up its third snack. When it was finished, it looked in Bodan's direction. It let out a roar and came rumbling toward him.

              Bodan ran for the jeep, along with the other man next to him. The man who was trying to get the driver out of the way, managed to get that done. The jeep was still running. Bodan and the other man reached the jeep, just as the ground began to shake. The Baryonyx was coming after them at its top speed. Lucky for them, that its top speed wasn't anywhere near the jeep's top speed.

              Jodie watched from the safety of the jungle, as the jeep disappeared down the road. The Baryonyx gave up the chase very quick, as the jeep put more and more distance between them. It sniffed at the air and looked around. Jodie froze in terror, as it suddenly seemed like it was looking directly at her. It turned away though, and began to walk back the way it had come from. Jodie began to relax a little, as the thundering footsteps were shaking the ground less and less, telling her that it was going in the opposite direction.

              Bodan began shouting orders into the walkie talkie.

              "Jacob! Get someone out in Sections 5, 6, 7 and possibly 8. Right now! The Baryonyx just had three of my men for lunch. Get that damn thing tranquilized."

              Jacob answered right back.

              "Okay. There's a helicopter team on its way."

              "Good," Bodan said.

              He turned the walkie talkie off and hit the dash of the jeep, as hard as he could.

              "Damn it! In the last 5 hours, I somehow managed to lose all three of those damn kids!" He looked at the driver. "Get us back to the Main Control Room."

              "Yes, sir," the driver said.

Chapter 13: Final Rest Stop

Southern Tip of the Baja Peninsula - Dusk

              Alan woke up as the helicopter was landing. Ellie was sitting right next to him. She was still asleep, leaning on him. When the helicopter touched ground, he watched the three mercenaries quickly exit. He woke Ellie up, by gently moving his shoulder back and forth. She opened her eyes and slowly stretched her arms. After a small yawn, she looked around.

              "Where are we?"

              "I don't know yet," he said.

              Alan looked over at Ian. He was the only one on the other side, now that Craig, Pete and Tilk had all left. He was directly across from Alan, leaning up against the side of the helicopter. He had his legs crossed.

              Alan took the liberty of waking him up. Using his leg, he kicked at Ian's leg, instantly waking him up. Ian, startled awake, jumped up. Alan smiled.

              "Get up. We're here," he said.

              "Alan," Ellie scolded him.

              "What?" Alan asked.

              "You know what," she said. "Quit acting childish. My 5 year old son acts more mature than you do."

              "Okay. Fine," Alan said, getting up. "I'll see you outside."

              He exited the helicopter, leaving Ellie alone with Ian. She looked at Ian. He looked like he was still half asleep.

              "Sorry about all that," she said.

              "Oh, that's okay. I shouldn't bother him as much as I do. I just can't help myself," Ian said, smiling.

              He opened the door for her and they got out of the helicopter. As they came out, Ian noticed Alan talking to a stranger on the tarmac, very close to the airport office.

              Ellie walked past Ian and saw that Craig, Pete and Tilk were already moving supplies from the helicopter to a boat. She walked in that direction. Ian followed her. She reached the dock and got a good look at the boat. It was some sort of tug boat, about 50 feet long. Not all that big really. She waited by the dock, for one of the men to come out. Tilk was the first one to appear.

              "Excuse me?" She said.

              Tilk stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. He didn't say anything. He just went back to work.

              "Hello?" Ellie yelled.

              She was getting very annoyed with all of these uptight men she was stuck with. She was about to yell at Tilk again, when Ian tapped her on the shoulder.

              "Maybe we shouldn't bother him," he suggested.

              "I want to know what's going on," she said. She looked back at Tilk. "Where are we and why are we going by boat now?" She yelled.

              Tilk continued to ignore her, but Pete was topside now. He answered her question.

              "We are on the Southern tip of the Baja Peninsula. We are going to take a very quiet boat ride the rest of the way. So that we aren't seen."

              "Well, thank you," she looked at Ian. "Finally, one of those neanderthals can speak."

              Ian smiled. He casually looked back at the boat and found Tilk staring at him. Just staring.

              "Uh, Ellie . . . let's go see what Alan is up to?" He said, pointing toward Alan. He looked back at Tilk, who was still staring. "That guy could easily kill us, you know."

              "Just a second," she said. She looked back at the boat. "When are we leaving?" She asked.

              Pete wasn't up there anymore. He had went back into the cabin of the boat. Tilk was the only one up there.

              "Oh, hell," she said, under her breath.

              She turned and went toward Alan. Ian followed, as he nervously glanced back at Tilk once more. As Ellie was almost to Alan, she could see him nodding his head at the man he was talking to. He shook hands with him and turned toward Ellie and Ian. Ellie hoped he got some answers out of the man.

              "We're leaving in about 30 minutes," Alan said, as he pointed toward the boat. "In that boat, previously owned by the Coast Guard."

              "How long is the boat ride?" She asked.

              "About three hours," he answered.

              "Three hours? It'll be pitch black when we get there. Won't that be a little dangerous?" Ian interrupted.

              "What? Would you rather go in the broad daylight and announce on a loudspeaker that we have arrived?" Alan snapped back.

              Ellie didn't really want to listen to another argument between Alan and Ian. She grabbed Alan's hand, before Ian could counter.

              "Let's go eat over at the airport restaurant," she said, not giving him a choice. She looked at Ian. "We'll meet you over by the boat in 25 minutes, okay?"

              Ian shrugged.

              "Yeah, okay, then."

              Ellie and Alan walked across the tarmac and headed toward the small restaurant. Neither of them spoke. When they got to the door, Alan opened it for her.

              "I really hate that guy," he said.

              "I know you do, Alan. But he's here to help. Honest."

              "Whatever."

              Ellie smiled. They found a place to sit down. She ordered some food for both of them.

              "Let's just forget about him, and eat in peace. Just the two of us, okay?" She asked.

              Alan finally smiled.

              "All right," he said. He chuckled. "You have always been my voice of reason, you know that?"

              "It's a wonder you haven't fallen apart in the last 7 years, then," she said, smiling.

              Alan gave her one of his looks.

              Ian had made his way to some vending machines. He searched for them for about 10 minutes, before he happened upon one. He bought a cup of coffee, some chips, and a few candy bars. He sat down to drink his coffee and to think about what he was getting himself into. He thought about going back to the states and letting Alan and Ellie handle things on their own. He couldn't do that, though. He needed to get there and help shut that park down, before more innocent people were killed. He had other personal reasons, too. He hoped to find the proper moment to let Alan and Ellie know. He looked at his watch. There was only about 5 minutes left before they were to leave.

              Ian got up and walked toward the boat. He noticed that his bag was there, sitting on the dock. Alan and Ellie's things were there, too. He grabbed his bag and walked across the small wooden bridge that lead to the boat. To his dismay, Tilk appeared on the other side. Ian tried to be friendly.

              "Hey, there. I think we may have gotten off on the wrong foot. You think we could start over, since we are on the same team and all?" Ian asked.

              Tilk walked up to him. Ian had to look up at the man, at quite a distance. He was very nervous, as Tilk continued to stare at him. Finally, and for the first time, Tilk spoke.

              "Look. You stay away from me. I'll stay away from you. That way I don't have to snap your neck."

              Ian nodded repeatedly.

              "Uh, that sounds like a good plan. Sure."

              Tilk nodded and pushed his way past Ian. Ian moved and watched the huge man walk toward the helicopter. He looked past Tilk, and saw Alan and Ellie walking toward him. He watched them grab their things and come across the wooden bridge.

              Ellie smiled.

              "Problems with Tilk?" She asked.

              "No. I think we have an understanding now," Ian said.

              The three of them boarded the boat.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

              Tilk was navigating the boat, while everyone else went below, in the cabin. While in the cabin, Craig filled everyone in on all the specifics.

              "We're going to approach from the South. There is a small bay located in between the two portions of the island."

              Alan was confused by that last statement.

              "There are two portions?" He asked.

              Craig nodded. He turned around and stretched his arm across the small desk and grabbed some papers. He handed them out to everyone.

              "This is a rough photograph of the island."

              "How did you get this?" Ellie asked.

              "Aerial photography."

              Alan examined the map carefully. The island was, indeed, divided into two portions. The larger portion, the portion on the left, was where all the attractions seemed to be located. There was an enormous amount of trees on this portion, blocking the view of what was actually there. The smaller portion, the portion on the right, was a lot less populated with plant life.

              "What's on this smaller portion?" Alan asked.

              "Offices belonging to the Biosyn Corporation."

              Alan looked at Ian and Ellie. They were all beginning to have the same idea.

              "John tricked us," Ian said, echoing everyone's thoughts.

              "What do you mean?" Craig asked.

              "At first, John told us we were going to a totally separate island. With the promise of no dinosaurs. We were supposed to get some information from the computers," Alan explained.

              "But it looks as though only one small part of the island is actually dinosaur-free," Ian added, and then he laughed. "That old fossil is very sneaky."

              Craig laughed, too.

              "Yeah, I'd say you've been tricked."

              "Well, it doesn't matter now. That plan was scrapped for this new and improved one," Alan said.

              "To continue on . . . we are going to enter from the South. We'll pass by the South Bridge, right here," Craig said, pointing at the map. "And then dock the boat, here," he pointed to a spot on the map that was in the southeast corner of the left portion.

              "Then what?" Ian asked.

              "That's where Pete comes in," Craig said. "Pete?"

              Pete had been sitting quietly, listening to the plan.

              "Next, we will take over this maintenance building," Pete said, pointing to a building very close to where the boat would be docked. "When we have all of our gear stowed in there, then we'll head for this building," he pointed to a larger building on the map. "The use for this building is still unknown. It is three times, maybe four times, the size of the smaller maintenance buildings that are scattered throughout the park."

              "We have reason to believe that Hammond's grandchildren are being held there," Craig added.

              "How do you know that?" Ellie asked.

              "And do you know where Jodie is located?" Alan asked.

              Craig held a hand up.

              "One question at a time. First, we have intelligence that this unfinished building has been modified in the last few days. Our guess is it's been modified to stash away the Murphy siblings. And to answer the second question, we have no idea. Ms. Grant's whereabouts are still unknown."

              Alan was understandably disappointed with the last part. He sat back, examining the map a little closer.

              "So, is everything on the island operational?" He asked.

              "Most everything, yes," Craig answered. "Electricity, water, and the like. It's all functioning."

              "What isn't working, then?" Ian asked.

              Craig looked at Pete, for the answer.

              "There was a small section added recently, on the northwestern side. It houses a smaller lab, a helipad, and a maintenance building. There is no power supplied to that area, as of yet. It's still being constructed. There is a temporary tunnel that connects it to the rest of the left portion, but there's not even a bridge yet," Pete explained.

              Ellie was looking at the map.

              "Where is the main lab. Do you know?" She asked.

              "Yes. Here," Pete said, pointing to a fairly large building on the east coast of the dinosaur portion. It has three separate sections, all of which are massive. It also has two levels," Pete answered.

              "Hopefully, we won't be needing to go there," Craig added. "According to intelligence, there are a lot of strange experiments locked up in there."

              Alan immediately thought of the strange looking creatures on Isla Sorna, Site B. It had really disturbed him, how InGen had been "growing" dinosaurs in that lab. He had planned on examining the lab further, but he hadn't had a whole lot of time to do that. The Raptors had infested the lab there, and had a different plan in mind.

              "So, do you know what kind of people we are dealing with?" Ellie asked.

              Craig nodded.

              "Yes. There is a handful of people who are always there. The programmers, the service personnel, the construction staff, and a few others."

              Pete interrupted.

              "And then there's the heavy muscle employed by Envoy."

              Craig nodded, and explained further.

              "Patrick Bodan. He runs the show. He's our first target."

              "Patrick Bodan?" Alan asked.

              "Yes. He is Envoy's bodyguard, and the one left in charge of island operations. He's not a very reputable man. He's wanted in several countries for various criminal activities. Murder, robbery, fraud, and, now . . . kidnaping," Craig answered.

              "Sounds like a delightful man," Ian commented, as he smirked.

              Craig continued.

              "And then there's Jacob Darnby. He's second in charge. He's a much more reasonable man. He has committed several crimes, too, but has never been caught . . . yet."

              "He's target number 2. After Bodan and Jacob are incapacitated, we'll then work on the programmers," Pete added.

              "There's two of them on the island. They are always there. Daniel Nupin and Ethan Davis," Craig said.

              Ian seemed to be very interested in the computer talk.

              "Where are they located?" He asked.

              "Right portion. In the main control room. To the north," Pete answered.

              "How much longer until we dock?" Ellie asked.

              Pete looked at his watch.

              "About 20 minutes."

              Ellie nodded. Ian stood up and looked at both Craig and Pete.

              "So . . . who are these people you call . . . intelligence?" Ian asked.

              Craig smiled.

              "That's classified."

              Ian smiled back.

              "Oh, I see. Of course it is."

© 2002 by Yvonne Bartha