Chapter 25: Getting Re-acquainted With Old Friends

              Tim and Lex had made their way out of the Herbivore Paddock, and had gone into the building they had seen. They had been inside, exploring, for about an hour. There was power, because it was quite cool in the building, but there were no lights turned on. They came upon a very large room that had dozens of clothing racks, along with some cash registers, in it. It was some sort of gift shop, where the "visitors" could buy Isla Norte merchandise. Tim closed the door behind him, as he looked around. He found a water fountain, and basically attacked it, since he hadn't had food or water for a while. Lex noticed Tim running at something. When she realized what it was, she ran over to the water fountain, too. They took turns drinking the ice cold water for several minutes. When she finally had enough water, Lex walked up to one of the clothing racks and looked through some of the T-shirts. She laughed, while reading some of them.

              "Isla Norte-Biological Preserve. Island of Interesting Sights and Sounds. Isla Norte-Where Man Meets Up With The Past. Norte-Where Man and Pre-History Collide. Visit Isla Norte-You'll See Things Never Seen Before By Man."

              Tim walked over to her and laughed, as well.

              "Do they have one that says 'Isla Norte-Where You Run For Your Life From Man Eating Dinosaurs'?"

              "I'm not seeing one, sorry," Lex said, laughing.

              As they carefully walked across the gift shop, Tim noticed that there were large double doors across the way, on the other side. They were closed. There were no light switches anywhere, that Tim could find, so the room was still quite dark. He motioned Lex to go in the direction of the double doors. She nodded and walked toward them. Tim was just about to follow her when . . . WHAM!

              The large door that Tim had just shut behind him, suddenly flew open! Tim let out a very loud scream, while Lex just dove down behind a nearby check out area. Tim glimpsed a figure coming straight for him. A very, very fast moving figure. Tim suddenly realized, to his relief, that it was a man - not a carnivorous dinosaur. The man wasn't looking in Tim's direction, though. He had been looking back at the door, and ran right into Tim, knocking him down to the concrete floor. Tim and the man came crashing down with a giant thud. Tim looked up at the man and thought he looked vaguely familiar.

              When something ran into the room and knocked Tim down, Lex took cover and started to search for a weapon. She found one. It was a part of one of the metal clothing racks. It was pretty big and a little awkward to swing around, but she managed. She started to run toward the man that tackled her brother. She figured it was Bodan.

              Tim was finally able to recognize the man. It wasn't Bodan, like he had guessed, too. It was Alan Grant! But how and why he was here was a mystery.

              Alan started to get up and apologize, but as he rose to his feet, Lex attacked him from behind. He fell right back to the ground, as he was struck in the head by the metal rack. He had his back to Lex, as she prepared for another attack. After a few moments to get his bearings back, he tried to turn over. As he did, he quickly had to get out of the way of approaching metal rack. It came crashing down next to his ribs, just missing him. He put his hands up, in a surrendering gesture.

              "I give up. I give up!" He shouted.

              He finished turning over and looked in the direction of his attacker. He saw that it was a young woman, but he didn't know who it was yet.

              Lex stood over him, yelling at the man to leave her brother alone. She was on her third swing, when she finally saw who she was attacking.

              "Dr. Grant? Oh, my god! I thought you were someone else! Dr. Grant? Dr. Grant? Are you okay? Dr. Grant?" Lex yelled, as she threw the clothing rack to the floor.

              Alan peered up at his attacker. His head was spinning. He was very lucky that it wasn't a direct hit to his head, as he could have been killed. He couldn't quite focus on the figure hoovering over him, ranting on and on and on. Then Lex came into focus.

              "I guess you're not happy to see me?" Alan said slowly.

              "Of course I'm happy to see you. I am so sorry. Are you okay?" She asked again.

              Lex helped Alan to his feet. His head was beginning to clear now, as the dizziness passed. He noticed how much older and mature she looked. She must have been in her twenties by now.

              Lex was beyond happy to see him. She immediately began to feel relieved. Not only did they run into an adult, but they ran into the adult she had longed to see more than anyone. Now she was positive about getting off the island alive.

              "I think I'm all right. Really. Just a little bump on the head, that's all," Alan said.

              Tim was equally happy to see Alan. He had just been sitting on the floor, staring at him, since Lex had attacked him. He noticed some blood on the back of Alan's head. He stood up and joined in on the conversation.

              "It looks like more than just a little bump to me. You're bleeding," Tim said.

              Alan reached around and touched the back of his head. He was bleeding, but mostly from the previous blow to the head . . . not Lex's attack.

              Lex frowned, as she thought about how she could have possibly killed him. She couldn't bring herself to look at him again. She looked down at the floor, in embarrassment.

              "Lex, it's okay. I was already bleeding before I ran into this room. Someone else had already attacked me."

              "Bodan?" Tim asked.

              Alan looked at Tim.

              "Yeah, Bodan. Well, Bodan and his henchman, Smith. Neither of them were very pleasant to me," Alan said.

              "We've met Bodan, too," Tim said. "Lex cut his face and we were able to get away from him."

              Alan was stunned that Lex could do a thing like that. He was impressed.

              "So you're the reason for that bandage that was on his face?" Alan asked.

              Lex didn't answer. She was still looking down.

              "Lex? What's wrong?" Alan asked softly, rubbing the back of his head.

              "I could have killed you," she said, finally looking up at him.

              Alan smiled. He took several steps in her direction.

              "Well, you didn't. So don't worry about it, okay?" Alan asked.

              Lex still didn't feel very good about attacking him. The longer she stood there, the more regretful she felt.

              "Let's just get this behind us," Alan said. "I'm all right." He took a good look at them. "It's really good to see the both of you. I just wish it was under different circumstances."

              "Yeah, like maybe a dinner or something," Tim said.

              Alan smiled. He looked over at Lex and noticed that she wasn't smiling. She had taken a few more steps toward him, though. There wasn't a whole lot of distance between them now.

              "Come here," Alan said, holding his arms out.

              Lex quickly went to his awaiting arms. He embraced her. She felt so completely safe. All the things she was remembering earlier to calm herself down, rushed back into her mind, as Alan held her. The one person she wished was here with her, was now here with her. And to make it even better, he was gently rocking her back and forth. She really felt like he had forgiven her for almost killing him. She stood there, in his arms, wishing the moment could last forever.

              Now that they were all calm, Alan looked over at Tim. The boy was all grown up now, and it looked like he was about as tall as himself. He was wearing black pants and a white buttoned down shirt, each of which were battered and torn. He was sporting his hair a little longer, than when he was a kid. It was very messy, but it looked like Tim still combed it to the side. Alan let Lex go, and looked her over, as well. She was wearing black pants, and some sort of dressy shirt, that was now torn in several places, with blood splattered across it. Her hair was long and flowing, just past her shoulders. She was a very beautiful young lady.

              "You two look like you've been holding your own fairly well," Alan said.

              "Barely," Tim commented.

              "How old are the two of you now?" Alan asked.

              "I'm 18. I just graduated . . . about 2 days ago . . . in these very clothes actually," Tim said, laughing.               "Well, congratulations," Alan said.

              "Thanks."

              Alan looked at Lex.

              "Tim's 18, so that makes you, what? Twenty-something?"

              "Twenty-two," she said.

              Alan laughed.

              "Wow. Where did the time go? I turn my back for a minute, and the two of you become adults," Alan said, smiling.

              Lex smiled back. She still thought he was handsome. He was her first crush. Alan Grant would always hold a place in her heart. He saved her life, after all. Several times.

              Tim burst into her thoughts.

              "Hey, Alan, what are you doing here?" He asked.

              Alan started to walk around all the merchandise racks, trying to get a feel for his surroundings.

              "Oh, that. Well, I was talked into going on another one of your Grandfather's missions. Right before we were supposed to leave, we found out that you and Lex were taken. Along with my cousin Jodie."

              "Your cousin is here, too?" Lex asked.

              "Yeah. I found her once, but then Bodan found us and knocked me out. I haven't been able to find her again."

              As Alan was looking around, he spotted the water fountain. He went in that direction. Tim watched Alan walk away, then he looked at Lex..

              "Seems you get hit in the head a lot," Tim commented to Alan, as he grinned at his sister.

              "Shut up, Tim," Lex said.

              Alan laughed. He reached the water fountain and took several big gulps of ice cold water, instantly feeling better. The heat had taken a toll on him outside. He was extremely happy to be in an air conditioned building, complete with an ice cold water fountain.

              Tim had wondered into the candy isle of the giant room. He stuffed his pockets with whatever he could find and Lex did the same. Tim called out to Alan, and when he looked, threw a candy bar his way. He caught it and ripped into it, as if he hadn't eaten in weeks.

              "Thanks," Alan said.

              "So, when did you see Jodie last?" Tim asked.

              "I think it's only been a few hours. I was unconscious, though, so I don't really know. I assume that Bodan took her with him. I was going to follow the jeep tracks, but then a Tyrannosaurus Rex had other plans for me," Alan said.

              "A T-Rex?" Lex repeated.

              "Yeah, it tried to follow me into this building."

              Alan shivered, as he thought about the chase that almost ended badly.

              "Wow," Tim said. "We're lucky that it didn't figure out a way to crush the building."

              "So, what did my Grandpa want you to do?" Lex asked.

              "Well, I was part of a small team that was supposed to go to an island owned by Biosyn. An island with offices only. We were supposed to get some information from the computers."

              "And?" Lex said, knowing that her Grandfather never gave all of the necessary details.

              "And then we came here instead, to rescue you, Tim, and Jodie. Only what I didn't know, was that the offices were on the same island. On the right portion of this island. There are two bridges connecting the two portions, so your Grandfather had told me that the island with computers was a separate island. He made it sound like there were two totally separate islands."

              Lex was angry with her Grandfather.

              "Well, isn't he the clever one? Lying to the only people who would actually care about his sorry butt."

              For some reason, Alan felt the need to defend Hammond.

              "Well, he didn't actually lie. He just didn't provide all the details, as usual," he said.

              "Alan?" Tim asked, interrupting them.

              "Yeah?"

              "What were you running from?" Tim asked.

              "Oh, that. It don't know. I thought I heard something back there. Must have been the T-Rex trying to get in, that's all."

              Alan went back towards the door he had just ran through. He carefully looked through the door. There was nothing there and he was relieved, as he was almost sure that the sounds were coming from inside the building. The fact that he hadn't run into anything, gave him reason to believe that it must have been the T-Rex, trying to find another way inside. Still, the noises had gotten him so spooked, that he had started running through every door he came to. Then, he had, literally, run into Tim . . . and Lex.

              Lex was getting slightly alarmed. Something about Alan's voice didn't seem right. It was like he was hiding something. She felt like she needed more of an explanation.

              "You really didn't see anything?" She asked. "Because you're starting to scare me a little bit."

              "Lex, don't worry, everything is fine," he pointed at the double doors. "You guys been through there, yet?"

              Tim and Lex both shook their heads no.

              "Well, let's just keep on going in this direction, okay?"

              The three of them went over to the other side of the room, and reached the double doors. Alan carefully peered through one of the doors. He didn't see anything out of the ordinary, so he motioned the kids to follow him.

              Now, they were well into the hallway. To the right, a dead end. To the left, a long hallway, then a door. Alan started to walk down the hallway to the left. He headed for the door over on that side, looking around as he did so.

              Tim and Lex were looking around, too. In front of them, along the whole outside edge of the wall, there were gigantic crates lined up all the way to the ceiling. In between the crates were a few rather large cages. Tim thought that a human adult could easily fit into one of those.

               Tim went closer to the crates to inspect them. Lex was right behind her brother, as he reached out and touched one of them. The tiny bit of force that Tim used was enough to topple over the crate. And then another, and then another. Like a chain reaction, all the crates fell to the floor one after another. As the first one started to fall, Tim quickly moved out of the way. He jumped so fast, he lost his balance and fell to the floor. Lex wasn't so lucky. The crate caught her leg, as she tried to dodge it. It landed on her leg and buried it up to her knee. She screamed out in pain. She tried pulling her leg out, but the crate was too heavy.

              Alan, who was almost to the door on the other side, ran quickly toward the two kids, just missing getting hit by the array of falling crates. He got there just as Tim got to his feet. Alan tried lifting the giant crate off of Lex, but it was too heavy, even for him. Together, with all their might, Alan and Tim managed to pick up the crate and Lex was able to get her leg out. When she was clear of the crate, Alan and Tim let it go. It fell back to the ground with a very powerful thud.

              "Lex, you okay?" Alan asked frantically. "Hey, you okay?"

              Lex just sat there crying. Her leg was throbbing, but she didn't think it was broken. She could wriggle her toes, so that was a good sign. She forced herself into not crying. She wasn't a baby anymore and she wasn't going to let her emotions pour out. She looked up at her brother, and then at Alan.

              "Yeah . . . I'm . . . I'm okay, guys," Lex said. "I saw that thing coming at me and thought I was going to be flattened. I'm okay, really. You think one of you could help me up, instead of just staring?"

              "Oh . . . yeah," Tim and Alan said simultaneously.

              Alan held out his hand to Lex and she took it. He pulled her up close to him, while she placed her right arm around his neck. Alan started to walk with her, to see if she could put weight on her leg. She didn't seem to be able to walk very well.

              "Come on Lex, I think you can walk on your own. It's not like you're dying or something," Tim said sarcastically, very aware of how his sister was hanging all over Dr. Grant. Not again.

              "Oh, yeah, Timmy. Sure. It only hurts when I WALK, you idiot!"

              That was the second time she had called him Timmy, and he was fed up with it.

              "Hey! Don't call me Timmy," he yelled at her.

              "I can if I want to. It's a free country, you idiot!" Lex yelled.

              "Come on guys, let's not fight," Alan managed to say.

              He was able to get a few words in during the sibling scuffle. Tim and Lex were fighting, just like they did when they were children. Alan had been baffled by it back then, and he still was now. He helped Lex get to the door that was at the end of the hallway. She was leaning on him pretty heavily. It seemed to him that she was seriously hurt, so he couldn't figure out why Tim was so mad. Kids. They're a very strange breed indeed, he thought. Then he corrected himself. Young adults. Another strange breed, with a whole new set of problems to deal with.

              The three of them got to the door. It was a different kind of door than the others. It was a very wide door, a little shorter, and very heavy. Alan tried to open it with his free hand, but couldn't.

              "Tim, could you open the door for me please?" Alan asked. "I got my hands full here."

              "Yeah, I'll say you do. Just drop her. She's being a baby."

              Lex had enough from that brother of hers now.

              "Tim, you better shut up, or I'll make you shut up."

              Alan gave them both a look of disappointment. He was just about to yell at the two of them, when Tim opened, and then pushed the large door forward. Tim pushed until the door wouldn't go any further. It stopped up against the side wall. When he let it go, it came back toward him. It was spring loaded. He pushed it back into the room again, and held it there, letting Alan and Lex enter the room. Alan noticed it looked like the room was air tight, the door was used to seal the room shut. As he looked inside, his mood became very serious. The kids saw his gaze and stopped fighting.

              The room they were walking into now was very tiny. There was another door straight across from them only about 20 feet away or so. There were a few of those same crates from the previous room here too, plus one of those cages. In addition, there was a hole in the ceiling tile, right above their heads.

              Alan helped Lex through the door and across the tiny room. Tim was behind them. Alan and Lex got to the door on the other side. Alan opened it slowly. It was a very noisy door. It seemed to be needing a little oil. As Alan opened the door, Tim let the other door go, allowing the springs to draw the door back to the closed position.

              When the three of them had first entered this tiny room, there was something hidden in the corner. After a slight mishap, it had found itself stuck in the tiny air tight room. When Tim opened the wide door and pushed it toward the wall, the beast was concealed behind the door. Because of the room being air tight, it didn't hear the children fighting before. But now, the noisy door that was opening across the tiny room, alerted it.

              Lex was the first one to see the thing, as it was now exposed, after the door had shut. It shrieked at the humans. She screamed. Alan quickly turned around to see a Velociraptor. It was full size and very angry. He figured it must have been accidently locked up in here, since the doors were spring loaded. It was tucked up against the wall and was now rolling itself out from the wall onto the concrete floor. It jumped out at them with amazing speed.

              Alan still had the other door held open. With a firm hold on Lex, he started to run out of the room. Tim was right behind them. Tim let the door go, as he passed through, hoping that would slow the Raptor down some. It didn't help. The Raptor just plowed right through the spring loaded door before it had the chance to shut. It wasn't about to get stuck in that tiny room again. It hurried after it's prey, sizing them up. After a quick inspection, it decided on the one that was wounded and limping.

              As the three of them ran from the room, there were two ways to go. Left and right. Alan chose the left and Tim ran to the right.

              Alan and Lex didn't get far. They took about 8 running steps and almost immediately came upon a dead end. Alan turned around and saw that Tim was well on his way down the long hallway and that the Raptor was not following Tim. The Raptor was standing in the hallway, looking directly at them. It wasn't moving, just staring.

              "Oh god," Lex whispered to Alan. "It's after me, I'm the wounded one."

              "Well, it's not getting you without a fight," Alan challenged.

              He put Lex behind him and started to take a small step backward, away from the Raptor. The Raptor stood up on its hind legs and let out a cry. This scared Alan a little bit. He backed up even more. Lex was behind Alan, holding onto him, hoping that he would somehow get them out of this. The last time she and Alan were surrounded by Raptors, the good ole T-Rex had saved the day. Lex didn't think that would happen again, since the hallway they were in wasn't big enough for such a large predator.

              The Raptor came back down from its high stance and slowly began to move toward Alan and Lex, in a very meticulous way. Alan really didn't have a clue of what to do. He remembered talking to the Raptors, back on Isla Sorna, years before. But without the resonating chamber to help him out, that wasn't going to work. He had to think of something quick.

              "Lex, let go for a minute, I've got an idea,"

              Alan waited for Lex to let go and made sure she was balanced up against the dead-end wall. He tried an aggressive approach to the situation. He moved his arms around and took a few quick steps toward the Raptor, yelling as he did so.

              The Raptor was slightly taken aback by the human's strange movements. Humans usually cowered when face to face with the 6-foot carnivore. The Raptor took one step back.

              Alan couldn't believe it. He was actually driving the Raptor back. The victory didn't last long, though. To Alan's horror, the Raptor didn't take any more steps back. Instead, it took a leap forward and lunged toward Alan with its toe claw aimed at his upper body. Alan was very close to the Raptor, as it jumped. He was sure it would connect with him. He started moving backwards with his eyes closed, waiting for the inevitable.

              Lex was still up against the wall. When she saw the Raptor leap toward Alan, she pushed herself off the wall, grabbed the back of his shirt, and pulled as hard as she could.

              With his eyes closed, Alan felt a sudden tug from behind him. Lex had pulled so hard, Alan fell backwards onto the floor. As he was falling, the Raptor had reached him. It buried its razor sharp claw into his left shoulder and fell down with him.

               Lex tried to limp back to the wall, but Alan and the Raptor knocked her over. She fell down and quickly crawled toward the dead-end wall, looking back to check on Alan. If Lex hadn't pulled him, the Raptor might have killed him instantly. Now the Raptor had missed its mark and had settled for his shoulder. She saw him on the ground, both he and the Raptor slightly dazed. She heard him scream in agony, and then she saw the Raptor slash out at him with the other foot. It missed its mark, as Alan moved his head, wincing as he did so. The Raptor opened its mouth and bent down to silence its prey. Using her good leg, Lex kicked at its head. It lifted back up, long enough for Alan to reach out with his right arm and push its head back. He had never, in his life, actually touched a live Raptor before. He continued to wrestle with it, the best he could.

              Alan was still struggling with the Raptor, when Tim showed up. He had ran back into the merchandising room and grabbed the metal clothing rack. He came up behind the Raptor and struck it, as hard as he could, hitting it in its back. It hardly did anything to distract the Raptor. It only succeeded in helping the Raptor push its claw further into Alan's shoulder. Alan screamed again. This time, Lex could see blood coming out from under him. She started to panic. She didn't want Alan to be hacked up into pieces, and especially not right in front of her.

              "Hit it again, Tim! In the head. Hit it hard. Really Hard!"

              Tim wound up and swung the rack at the Raptor's head, hitting it directly on the back of its head. This time he got the Raptor's attention! It pulled its claw out of Alan, making him wail in pain once again. It turned around and looked at its new adversary.

              Tim held his own against the Raptor . . . for a little while. As Tim fought off the Raptor, Lex quietly crawled to Alan, trying to help him.

              "Dr. Grant, are you all right? Alan?"

              Alan was feeling a bit woozy. There was blood everywhere and his shoulder was still bleeding heavily.

              "I . . . I'm not sure . . . I . . . I don't think so."

              Lex helped him sit up on the floor. She ripped a part of her shirt sleeve off and pushed it into his wound. He winced in pain. She saw how much pain he was in, but couldn't do a thing about it at the moment. The two of them sat on the floor for a few seconds, then Lex turned her attention toward Tim.

              The Raptor had backed Tim up almost all the way to the far side of the long hallway. Lex noticed that Tim was still swinging the metal clothing rack at the Raptor. It was working for now, but she knew she had to figure out a way to help him, and fast. She looked around quickly, trying to think of something to do.

              Alan was leaning against the dead-end wall, with his head slightly turned up. He noticed the crates high above them. He looked up and followed the crates with his eyes. They were lined up, all the way down the hallway. All the way to where Tim was. If Lex could somehow knock one down, it might be able to start another chain reaction in there.

              "Lex, can you get up?" He asked.

              "I think so," she said.

              He pointed up with his good arm.

              "Try and knock one of these crates down."

              Lex moved into a position where she would be able to get up. Her leg was really throbbing. Alan helped her the best that he could, but he felt like he was about to pass out. Lex began to panic again, but then stopped herself. She had to help save her brother.

              Lex put her back up against the dead-end wall, and then used it to help herself rise up. When she was on her feet, she looked up at the crates. She tried reaching for one, but it was up too far. She jumped for it and missed it. When she landed back on the floor, she screamed in agony. Her leg hit the floor just right, making her feel like passing out herself. Tears were streaming down her face, as she was about to jump again.

              Alan looked up at her. He could see how much pain she was in and how determined she was. His entire upper body, on the left side, was starting to feel numb. He began to feel like he was floating away. He guessed that the only way he was awake right now, was because his body was in shock.

              "Lex, wait," he said.

              Tim was all the way back against the far door now. He was still swinging at the Raptor, but he was getting tired. The Raptor was barely moving now, just watching and waiting for this human to tire itself out.

              Lex looked down at Alan.

              "Help me over to the other wall and I'll boost you up," he said.

              Lex didn't think that would work. Alan was way too weak for that. She looked back at Tim, watching him try and defend himself against the Raptor. The Raptor was snapping at him now, almost playing with him. She realized that Tim didn't have much longer.

              "Okay."

              Alan held out his right arm and Lex grabbed it. Holding his arm tightly, and with his help, she dragged Alan over to the other wall. He winced and grunted, as she pulled. She situated him right below the first crate. He looked up and motioned her to him. He held onto her and pushed her up and over his head. Lex heard his groans, as he lifted her. She put her good leg on his good shoulder to balance herself. She knew he couldn't hold her for very long. She reached up and with a quick shove, managed to knock the crate down!

              The crate came crashing down next to Alan and Lex, just missing them. Alan helped her down and the two of them went back to the dead-end wall for cover. Lex was in the front, and Alan was shielding her with his good arm.

              The crates came crashing down, one at a time, just as Alan had hoped. He watched as the falling crates keep getting closer and closer to where Tim and the Raptor were.

              Tim was about to give up. He couldn't hold his arms up anymore. He was totally exhausted. The Raptor saw this, and came in for the kill. Tim just threw the metal clothes rack at the beast and closed his eyes.

              Suddenly, he heard a succession of very loud thumps hitting the concrete floor. Tim opened his eyes, just in time to see the last crate come crashing down on the Raptor, which was directly in front of him.

              "Oh, my god, it worked! It really worked!" Lex yelled.

              She got up from the corner and half-hopped over toward Tim, on the other side. She was too happy to worry about the pain in her leg. She reached him.

              "Tim, you okay?"

              Tim was still standing there in disbelief. He was prepared to die just a few seconds ago, and now he was safe and sound, talking to his sister. She hugged him.

              "Yeah, I think I am. Good idea, using the crates," he managed to say.

              "Thanks. It was Alan's idea really. Right, Alan?"

              Tim and Lex looked back across the hallway. Alan was still in the corner, sitting there where Lex had left him minutes earlier. He wasn't moving.

Chapter 26: Envoy's Announcement

              Patrick Bodan was standing outside of the Main Control Room, smoking, yet again. Jacob walked outside and joined him.

              "What is it?" Jacob asked.

              "I received a call from Mr. Envoy this afternoon. He wanted an update on the whole Tim, Lex and Jodie thing," Bodan said.

              "So what did you tell him?"

              Jacob felt bad for how things had turned out for Bodan. But not that bad. He was hoping that Envoy would see the error of his ways, and appoint him new leader.

              "I told him there were some slight problems."

              "Slight? You call the power failing and the Raptors, almost all of the Raptors, escaping, a slight problem?"

              Bodan turned to Jacob and threw his cigarette to the ground, smashing it out with his foot.

              "Look. I don't think Mr. Envoy needs to know all the details right now."

              "Well, he's going to know soon enough," Jacob said.

              "Sooner than you think," Bodan said under his breath.

              "What?"

              "Mr. Envoy is coming here, today. He announced to me that he'll be here in about 3 hours."

              Jacob held back his happiness. He didn't want Bodan to know just how happy he was, that the boss was going to see what Bodan had managed to do, in only a few days. He continued to talk to Bodan in a serious tone.

              "So, are you going to tell him about Grant?"

              "What about Grant?"

              "That he's here . . . on the island. And that you had a T-Rex hunt him down and kill him."

              "Oh, that," Bodan said, grinning. "The T-Rex getting out was an unfortunate mistake, Jacob."

              "A mistake? Oh, I see. So, that's how we're going to play that?"

              Jacob would make sure that Envoy would know what happened out there today. He would have to plan it out very carefully, of course, but Envoy would hear the truth. Plus, he had Daniel to back up his story, and he knew how Envoy felt about Daniel. Daniel was Envoy's little "Mr. Do-No-Wrong".

              Bodan walked closer to Jacob.

              "That's our story, Jacob. The T-Rex getting out was an accident, and it forced us to leave Dr. Grant to fend for himself. Unfortunately for him, he didn't fend very well, that's all. End of story."

              "Whatever you say," Jacob said.

              From inside the building, they could hear Daniel shout.

              "Mr. Bodan! Good news, sir!"

              Bodan ran into the Main Control Center. After a few seconds, Jacob tossed his cigarette, and joined him. When Daniel saw that he had their full attention, he began to speak.

              "Okay, I was able to get a few more cameras online."

              "How?" Bodan asked.

              "It's very technical, sir. The point is . . . we can now see into a part of the mall, and into the middle section of the lab."

              Bodan wasn't following and Daniel could see that. He tried to guess what Bodan's next question would be, and answered it, before Bodan became irate.

              "Sir, we should be able to track the Raptors this way. I have reason to believe they must have scattered in one of those directions. Or possibly both."

              "And we should be able to see what happened in the lab, with the unidentified escaped dinosaur," Jacob added.

              Bodan nodded.

              "Okay. This is the plan, for now. Daniel you stay here. Jacob, get a pilot and get the helicopter up and flying. We need to get that T-Rex put to sleep, and hauled back over into its paddock. I'll take Smith and we'll go investigate this mysterious escaped dinosaur in the lab."

              Jacob and Daniel nodded. It was then that Bodan noticed someone was missing.

              "Where's Ethan?"

              "He's in Control Room 2, sir. I needed him there to reroute some of the fence power. He told me he was going to stay there. He didn't think it would be smart to be running around while the T-Rex was out in the open."

              "Daniel, the Rex is contained on the other portion of the island," Bodan pointed out.

              "I told him that, sir. But he is always worried about the unexpected. I think he's being cautious, that's all."

              Bodan shook his head. He looked at Jacob.

              "Well, when you get that T-Rex contained, let Daniel know, so that Ethan can get his ass back over here, where he's needed."

              "Okay," Jacob said.

              Bodan looked down at his watch.

              "We have exactly 2 hours and 52 minutes to get this island back in order, before Mr. Envoy gets here. So come on people. Let's move!"

              Bodan walked out of the building and into the waiting jeep. Smith was the driver. Bodan looked back at Jacob.

              "And Jacob, this time . . . let's not have another giant sleeping dinosaur collapse on an important building."

              Jacob couldn't help but laugh. He waved Bodan off, and got into another jeep. He started it and drove toward the helipad. He already had the walkie talkie on, telling the pilot to get the helicopter ready.

Chapter 27: Dr. Alexis Murphy

              Lex limped back across the hallway and reached Alan. Tim was right behind her. As they reached Alan, Tim stopped. The sight of blood all over was making him feel sick. Lex held onto her leg and carefully knelt down next to Alan. His eyes were closed. He looked very pale. She leaned in to check on him.

              "Is he all right?" Tim asked.

              "Well, he has a pulse. It's very weak and rapid, though. I think he's in shock," Lex answered.

              She looked at her torn shirt piece that was on his shoulder. It was completely blood soaked. There was blood on the floor, too. She moved the shirt, to see how bad the Raptor got him.

              When she moved it, Alan winced. He opened his eyes.

              "Alan?"

              He looked at her, but didn't say anything.

              "Alan? How do you feel?" Lex asked.

              He just stared at her.

              "Alan, is your shoulder numb?"

              He continued to stare.

              She pressed back down on the blood soaked shirt.

              He winced.

              "How about your fingers? Can you move the fingers on your left hand?" She asked.

              He didn't respond. It didn't even really seem like he was looking at her. He seemed to be staring straight through her, like she wasn't even there. She was about to ask him again, when she noticed his fingers moving slowly.

              "Okay. Okay, that's good. That's a very good sign."

              Tim came up right next to them. Lex noticed that he looked very pale, as well. But for different reasons.

              "Tim, I need to stop this bleeding and get him covered up. Could you see if you could find something?" She asked.

              "Sure," he said.

              Tim made his way back to the room where the Raptor was trapped. He was all too happy to get away from all of that blood. With every passing second, he was feeling more and more sick to his stomach.

              Lex looked back at Alan. His eyes were closed again.

              "No. Alan? Alan? Wake up, Alan!" She yelled.

              He opened his eyes again.

              "You're going to be just fine. I'm going to take care of you. I just need to stop the bleeding and you'll be okay."

              He just kept on staring. Lex kept on talking, trying to keep him awake and alert.

              "I'm a med student. In my third year. You're in good hands," she said in a calm voice.

              He nodded. Lex was happy that he did something besides stare at her. Then, he whispered something that she didn't hear.

              "What?" She asked.

              She leaned over and put her ear right next to his mouth. She heard him this time.

              "Thank you," he whispered.

              She noticed that his breathing was labored, as well. She tried not to let on that she was overly concerned.

              "You're welcome. Besides, I think I owe you at least that much," she said.

              He smiled slightly. She smiled back, and then turned to see where Tim was. He hadn't come back yet and she needed to get the bleeding stopped. She cupped her hands over her mouth and shouted to the other room.

              "TIM! Find anything yet?" She yelled.

              "No, nothing yet," he answered.

              Lex looked back at Alan. He was still awake, but he was staring just past her. She followed his gaze. He was looking at the Raptor that was lying unconscious at the far end of the hallway. Then, she looked past the Raptor, at the door at the far end. She was thinking about checking to see if it was unlocked, when Tim ran back into the room.

              "I found something."

              He ran over to Lex and Alan. He handed a stack of white T-shirts, from the merchandising room, to Lex.

              "Will these do?" He asked.

              "Yeah, I think so," she said.

              Lex quickly unfolded a few of the T-shirts and covered Alan up with them, for the shock. She left one of the shirts folded and pressed it against Alan's shoulder. The white shirt quickly turned a dark red.

              Alan groaned and winced.

              Tim thought that Alan looked very stressed. He looked down at all the blood and suddenly felt queasy again. He needed to excuse himself, before he made things worse by getting sick.

              "I . . . I need to get out of here."

              Lex looked at him. She totally understood how he felt. In her first year in med school, she had felt that same way.

              "Okay. Why don't you see if you can find a first aid kit. There's got to be one in this building somewhere," she said.

              Tim nodded and looked at Alan.

              "I'll be right back," he said.

              Alan nodded at him. Alan and Lex both watched Tim run from the hallway. Lex looked back at Alan. She noticed he still wasn't talking much.

              "So, why don't you talk to me a little bit?" She asked.

              "I don't want to," he whispered.

              Lex laughed.

              "Well, that certainly does hurt my feelings," she said.

              "Sorry," he said.

              Lex noticed how hoarse his voice sounded. She needed to get him some help. She really needed a first aid kit. She looked back toward the door that was down the long hallway again.

              "Alan, I'm going to go check on that door over there," she said, pointing. "If it's unlocked, there might be a first aid kit in that next room."

              Alan nodded.

              "Okay, I need you to hold this T-shirt on your shoulder for me," she said.

              He did what she told him. She noticed he moved very slowly. Using the wall for help, she got herself back to her feet. Her leg was really throbbing now, but she couldn't be bothered by that at the moment. She had to get Alan some help. She began to limp toward the far end of the hallway. After a few steps, she heard Alan call her name. She turned around.

              "Be careful," he whispered.

              "I will," she answered.

              She turned around and continued to limp down the hallway, navigating around all the fallen crates. She made it all the way to where the Raptor was and stopped for a minute. She looked at it. It was still unconscious. She could see it breathing and it was suddenly creeping her out. She slowly made her way past it and reached the door. She placed her hand on the doorknob . . . and turned it. It was unlocked. She took a deep breath, as she looked back at Alan. He was still awake, which was a good thing. She turned her attention back to the door. She pushed it open slowly. The room beyond the door was very dark. She couldn't see into it, so she took a few steps into the room. As she was about to feel around the wall for a light switch, she heard a noise. Her first thought was that it was another dinosaur, but she relaxed a little bit, when she heard crying.

              "Hello?"

              "Hello?" A voice asked from inside the dark room. It was a female voice.

              The person, belonging to the voice, came out into the light, so that Lex could see her. Lex guessed who she was.

              "Jodie Grant?"

              Jodie nodded. Lex smiled.

              "Alan is right in here. Come on, I'll show you," Lex said, gesturing toward Alan, in the next room.

              Jodie perked up immediately. She followed Lex and saw Alan across the long hallway, leaning up against the wall. Lex closed the door and motioned for Jodie to go. When she saw him, Jodie smiled at first, but her smile faded, the closer she got to him. There was blood all around him.

              "What happened?" Jodie asked Lex.

              They were just moving past the Raptor that lay unconsciousness in the floor, under the crates. Lex pointed to it.

              "Velociraptor. It jumped at him and sank its claw into him."

              Jodie shivered, as they walked closer. They were about half way to Alan, when Tim ran into the room, startling them.

              "I found a first aid kit!" He yelled, as he ran back into the hallway from the other side.

              Lex instinctively jumped back several steps when he yelled out. Jodie just moved against the wall, in a defensive posture. Lex was breathing very heavily by now, as she looked back at Tim.

              "You scared the hell out of me!" She yelled.

              In all the commotion, Jodie hadn't quite figured out who the other two people were.

              "Tim and Lex, right?" She asked.

              Tim nodded.

              "That would be us . . . and you are?"

              "Jodie."

              "Pleased to meet you, Jodie," Tim said. Then he looked at his sister. "Sorry about giving you a heart attack."

              He walked toward Lex and Jodie, with what looked like a medium sized toolbox in his hand. Lex was puzzled.

              "What did you find?" She asked, as she limped toward her brother.

              "It's a first aid kit. I know it doesn't look like one. I looked inside and found all sorts of medical things in it," he answered.

              "That's great," Lex said. "Now we can help him properly."

              She limped to Alan and carefully sat down next to him. He was still leaning up against the wall. Tim put the first aid kit box down, next to her. She opened it up. Everything she thought she might need, seemed to be in it. Jodie sat down on the other side of Alan and grabbed his right hand. Alan looked at her.

              "Hey, Jodie," he whispered. "How ya doing?"

              Jodie smiled, even though she was scared to death. She didn't want to alarm him.

              "I'm good. You don't look too good, though."

              Alan smiled.

              "See what happens when you leave me to my own devices?"

              Jodie laughed and relaxed next to him, still holding his hand. Lex looked up from the first aid kit, and looked at Alan.

              "Okay, let's get that laceration cleaned up," she said.

              Alan nodded.

              Lex began to run all the medical procedures through her mind. Wound care had three basic steps: Cleansing the wound, cleansing the skin around the wound, and protecting the wound from further contamination. She took the necessary supplies out of the box. She was ready to begin, but first she needed to cleanse her own hands. She took a cleansing pad and used it on her own hands. Then, she grabbed the small scissors and cut Alan's shirt, so that the entire wound was exposed. He moved a little, clearly uncomfortable. She grabbed another cleansing pad and looked at Alan.

              "This is probably going to hurt," she said, trying to be honest.

              He nodded.

              She placed the cleansing pad on the wound. Alan instantly began to wince and yell in pain, moving around as he did so. His grip tightened on Jodie's hand.

              "Tim! I need some help here. Hold him. Don't let him move," Lex said.

              Tim bent down and did what he was told. He looked at Alan and saw how truly unhappy he looked.

              "Lex, you sure you know what you're doing?" He asked.

              Alan managed to laugh a little bit.

              "Yeah, you sure you know what you're doing?" He echoed.

              Lex gave them both a stern and serious look.

              "Of course I do. Don't worry," she said. She looked at Alan. "Now, don't move," she commanded.

              Lex finished cleaning up the wound itself, so then she cleaned the area around the wound with antiseptic solution. Now that it was clean, it was easier to see the damage that was done by the Raptor. The laceration was about 2 inches long and very deep. Upon closer examination, she noticed that the gaping hole revealed some of the underlying tissues. She frowned.

              "You need stitches," she said.

              Alan frowned, too.

              She took a clean cloth from the box and pressed it into his shoulder, to stop the bleeding that was still occurring. She rummaged through the first aid box and was able to find the necessary supplies she needed for the new task at hand. She was very impressed with how this first aid kit was equipped.

              "I think everything that I need, is here." She said.

              Alan sat there quietly and watched her go through the box.

              "Have you done this before?" He asked. His voice was still like a whisper.

              Lex thought the question over.

              "Well, yes . . . and, no," she said.

              "You think you could elaborate?" He asked.

              She noticed he was talking more now. He must have been coming out of shock. Soon his pain would get even worse. She needed to suture him up as soon as possible.

              "Well, I've been tested on the proper procedures. I passed. I've practiced on pigs feet," she said.

              Tim started to turn pale again. Alan smiled at him, and then looked back at Lex.

              "Well, then. I guess that's good enough for me," he said.

              She smiled at him. She grabbed tweezers, hemostats, medical scissors, a small hooked needle, and the sutures from the box. She placed them all in an orderly fashion on the floor. As she looked over the inventory, she noticed something missing. There was nothing in the box to numb the wound.

              "Tim, did anything fall out of the box when you opened it?" She asked.

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

              "Could you go back to where you found it, and check?" She asked.

              "Sure."

              Tim got up and walked out of the hallway. Lex looked over at the Raptor again, and then she looked at Alan.

              "What are the chances that it will wake up?" She asked him, motioning to the Raptor.

              "Hopefully, not good. Was it breathing when you went past it?"

              "Yeah. It was very creepy," she said.

              "I hope there isn't more of them in this building," Jodie wandered out loud.

              Tim walked back into the room. Lex looked at him with hope in her eyes, but he shook his head.

              "Nothing," he said.

              "Damn," Lex said under her breath.

              "What's missing?" Tim asked.

              "The numbing agent. I don't have a way to numb the wound," she answered.

              Alan thought about it for a second.

              "Just stitch it up without numbing it," he said.

              Tim wasn't handling any of this very well.

              "Oh, god. Are you sure you want to do that?" Tim asked Alan.

              "I wouldn't want to do that," Jodie said, echoing Tim's thoughts.

              "It's going to hurt a lot more than that cleaning just did," Lex added.

              "Well, I know I don't want to be here when that Raptor wakes up. I think he might hurt me more than you can," Alan said.

              "Good point," Lex said.

              She looked back at all of her supplies, spread out neatly on a cloth. She grabbed some pills and a small bottle of water from the box.

              "Here. Take two of these," she said to Alan.

              "What are they?" He asked, as he held out his hand.

              "Darvocet. It'll help with the pain," she said.

              She handed the small bottle of water to him. She noticed that he had a little difficultly taking the pills, but he managed. He handed the water back to her and she put it down. She took the small bottle of pills and stuffed them in a pocket, for later.

              "Okay, I'm ready. Are you?" She asked.

              "Ready as I'll ever be," he answered.

              She nodded and picked up the sutures and threaded the first one through the sickle shaped needle. Then she put the needle in the hemostats, and picked up the tweezers. Everything was ready, expect for her leg. It was throbbing really bad now. She adjusted herself, and found a suitable way to sit, so that it wouldn't hurt as much.

              She leaned in and prepared to place the first suture. She looked at Tim.

              "Okay. I need you to use the scissors and cut each suture when I tell you," she explained.

              Tim nodded.

              Lex was about to place the first suture, when she noticed how much her hand was shaking. She steadied herself. Then, starting from the right, she placed the first one and tied a secure knot.

              Alan had decided on not looking. He had his head up against the wall, turned to the right. When Lex placed the first stitch, it hurt more than he thought it would. He clenched his teeth, though, and tried his best not to move. Jodie continued to hold his hand, as she whispered words of encouragement to him.

              Tim cut the first suture perfectly. Lex moved on to the second and third sutures. She kept mumbling something under her breath.

              " . . . simple interrupted pattern . . . hold skin up with tweezers . . . knots placed on side of wound . . ."

              Tim couldn't quite make out what she was talking about.

              "What?" He asked.

              "Nothing. I'm just playing out the procedure in my head."

              She placed the fourth suture. Tim cut it perfectly, once again.

              Alan's pain was getting worse. He was knocking his head back and forth, against the wall now. Jodie was getting very worried. Lex noticed, and tried to calm him down.

              "Four down, Alan. Only about five to go," she said.

              Alan muttered something under his breath.

              Lex wasn't sure she wanted to know what it was. She continued on. She placed the fifth and sixth sutures without incident. She and Tim were doing very well, almost falling into a pattern. Lex held up the seventh suture and leaned in to place it. She leaned in a little more than usual, this time. With her leg being hurt, she slightly lost her balance and tilted toward his shoulder, barely pressing against it. The gentle nudge was enough to cause blood to squirt out from the wound. Alan winced.

              Tim jumped backwards and landed on the floor. He instantly felt sick again. He got up and ran from the hallway again, holding his hand over his mouth. Jodie would have followed him, but Alan was still holding her hand. He had a very strong grip on it. She settled for just looking down at the floor, and then closing her eyes.

              Lex took it all in stride. She leaned down and grabbed another cloth and pressed it up against the wound. She held it there for a few minutes, checking to see if the bleeding had stopped. It finally did. She cleansed the wound, making Alan cry out again. She still had the seventh suture in her hand, so she attempted to place that one again. With Tim gone, she had to put the tweezers down and pick up the scissors that he had dropped. She cut it and went on to the eighth suture.

              Alan was running out of ways to cope with the pain. He finally let Jodie's hand go, made a fist, and began to pound it into the concrete floor, while clenching his teeth and grunting. Jodie stayed right by his side, whispering to him.

              "It's okay, Alan. You're going to be okay."

              Tim was standing in the tiny room where they had found the Raptor. He was bent over, taking in very deep breaths, trying to get himself together. After a few minutes, he felt better. He went back into the hallway.

              Lex looked up at him.

              "Good. You're just in time. Here. Cut this one, will you?" She asked.

              Tim nodded and went over there. He picked the scissors up and cut the eighth suture.

              Lex placed the ninth, and final suture. When Tim cut it, she held her hands up in a grand gesture.

              "Done."

              Alan was very relieved. His body relaxed and he started to breath easier. He looked at Lex.

              "Thank you," he said.

              Lex nodded. She noticed tears in his eyes. He really did take the whole thing quite well, she thought. She felt bad about having to hurt him though. She adjusted herself and realized that her leg was really hurting now. She lifted her pant leg up and was surprised to see how swelled up her leg was.

              She started to panic a little bit.

              "Oh, god," she said.

              She got all of their attention.

              "What is it?" Tim asked.

              "My leg. I think it might be broken," she said.

              She tried to move it a little bit more, but it felt like she had been in the same position for hours and hours. It wasn't moving like she wanted it to.

              "What can I do?" Tim asked.

              Lex had been strong for Alan, up to this point. But with him finished up, she was starting to come unraveled.

              "I . . .I don't know. I don't know what to do," she said.

              Alan had his head up against the wall, trying not to pass out. When he heard the urgency in her voice, he forced himself to look down at her leg. He examined it for a minute, and then pressed down on it in a couple of places.

              Lex winced and began to tear up. Alan stopped.

              "I don't think it's broken," he said.

              "How do you know?" She asked.

              She was losing more and more of her composure now. She kept replaying the crate falling on her leg over and over. With every passing second, her leg seemed to throb more and more.

              "There's no deformity or bruising. Swelling is very common in sprains. I think it's a sprain," Alan said.

              Alan could see that Lex wasn't believing him, so he explained further.

              "I broke my leg once. There was a lot of bruising and I could feel a jagged edge where it was broken. You don't have that."

              Tim was feeling slightly queasy, once again.

              "You guys are making me sick. I'm such a wimp," he said.

              Lex ignored her brother. She was starting to feel a little better now, as she got interested in Alan's story.

              "How did you break your leg?" She asked.

              "Well, I was alone . . . in my jeep, exploring the Badlands. I got lost. My jeep ended up sliding off a cliff and I was thrown from it."

              Jodie was very fascinated by what Alan was saying. She never knew of anything, like that, happening to any of her relatives. Most of the family were boring, she thought, as she continued to listen.

              Tim was interested now, too. As long as they weren't talking about gory details, he was okay with it.

              "How did you get help?" He asked.

              "I didn't at first. I had to walk about 2 miles before I found a house, and a nice lady, to call an ambulance for me."

              "God," Lex said, frowning.

              Alan didn't want to think about that anymore. It was making his leg hurt.

              "Anyway, I don't think your leg is broke."

              Lex was looking more like her strong self again. She nodded.

              Alan smiled.

              "You're going to be okay," he said. He looked at Tim. "Could you see if you can find a splint in that first aid kit?"

              "Sure," Tim said.

              He began searching through the first aid kit, wondering what a splint might look like. To his happiness, most of the things were labeled. He found one labeled "shin splint" and gave it to his sister.

              Lex took it and put it on carefully. Tim helped her with the straps. When it was on, Tim taped the top and bottom straps to secure it. When he did that, Lex suddenly remembered that she didn't quite finish with Alan.

              "I need to cover that wound," she said.

              Alan frowned. Lex smiled.

              "I can't believe that after a story like that, you could be worried about a little bandage," she said.

              He slightly smiled.

              She grabbed a sterile cloth from the box, placed it on Alan's shoulder, and taped it. When she was finished she sat back a little and stared at him. He looked awful. She had put him through a lot in the last half hour or so.

              Alan stared back at her and was thinking the same thing about her. That she looked awful. She looked like she might break down at any moment. He held out his good arm to her, as Jodie moved over.

              Lex didn't think about it for very long. She moved close to him and allowed him to embrace her. She rested her head on his right shoulder and closed her eyes.

              Tim was, at first, rolling his eyes again. She was hanging all over Alan again. He looked at Jodie.

              "She used to have a huge crush on him," he said. Jodie nodded. Tim gestured toward Alan and Lex.. "And I think she still does," he added.

              As he watched closer though, he realized that Alan was having a very calming affect on Lex. The more he thought about it, having Alan there with them now, was making him feel better, too. He knew his chances of getting off this island alive were better, with Alan around.

              As they were sitting there, Alan began to physically feel a little better. The Darvocet must have started to kick in for him. He was about to ask Tim to see if he could help him up, when he heard a snarling coming from the end of the long hallway.

              All of them heard it. They all looked and watched in horror, as the Raptor started to move.

© 2002 by Yvonne Bartha