| The Free Site | vBuddy - social networking for webmasters | Cheap Web Hosting - starting at $5 |
Chapter 30: An Unexpected Savior
Bodan pushed Ian outside and toward a jeep, that was waiting outside of the lab. Smith escorted Ellie at gunpoint. As they got closer to the jeep, Bodan spoke.
"Okay, Dr. Sattler. You're in the passenger seat. Dr. Malcolm, you join Mr. Smith in the back."
Ian had his hands up. He nodded and got into the backseat, behind the driver's side. Smith got in next to him, still pointing his gun at him. Ellie quickly got in, as well. Bodan sat in the driver's seat and started the jeep. Before he put in into gear, he looked at Ellie.
"I must say, Dr. Sattler. I really didn't think Dr. Grant had a chance of still being alive, until I just heard him talking on that intercom."
Ellie was growing more angry with this man every passing second. She suddenly had stronger feelings about Alan, than she had ever had before. After almost losing him twice in just a couple of days, she had become very protective of him. She tried not to let it show, though.
"Why's that?"
"Well, how should I put this? A Tyrannosaurus Rex was accidently released, while Dr. Grant was known to be roaming the nearby grounds," Bodan said, smiling.
Ellie couldn't hold her anger in much longer. She knew she was about to lose it and start yelling at this dangerous man. It would do no one any good, least of all, herself.
"Mr. Bodan, is it?" She asked.
Bodan put the jeep in gear and began to turn to the left and in the direction of the South Bridge.
"Yes, it is, my dear," he answered without looking at her.
"Mr. Bodan, why in the hell would you take innocent children hostage?"
Ian was in the backseat, getting a little uneasy.
"Ellie, that's probably not---"
"It's quite all right, Dr. Malcolm. Let the lady speak," Bodan said, glancing at Ellie, and then looking back at the road.
Ellie took a deep breath. She had no idea where this surge of courage was coming from. The man could easily harm her, that was for sure. She just didn't seem to care at this moment.
"Why, Mr. Bodan? Money? Social standing in your little corrupt bunch? Or maybe it's just because you genuinely like to harm children? Please, I'd love to know."
The jeep came to the South Bridge and stopped. Bodan stared at Ellie for a few seconds, before he stepped out of the jeep and went to the keypad. As Bodan left, Ian tried to warn Ellie to be quiet.
"Ellie, please don't get this guy angry. We're in big enough trouble here, don't you think?"
Smith interrupted what Ellie was going to say.
"Stop the talking. Mr. Bodan doesn't like talk that occurs behind his back," he said.
Ian put his hands up again, as Smith pointed his gun at him.
"Sorry. Won't happen again," Ian said.
Bodan had entered a code and watched the gate open. He turned around and started back for the jeep. As he got into the driver's seat, he smiled coldly at Ellie.
"Dr. Sattler, if it weren't for a few unforseen events happening this evening, I would have already killed the both of you. But it looks as if I'll have to wait for my employer to get here. You're not entitled to answers, my dear. You are the unwanted one here. Not me. You are the one trying to end my employment here, by putting us all in jail. I've been briefed on you, Malcolm and your dear Dr. Grant. You have no secrets to hide with me, so why don't you stop your babbling now, and just sit there like a good girl."
Ellie wasn't feeling quite so courageous anymore. She couldn't hardly bring herself to even look at the man. He spoke with such confidence and intelligence, and he knew so much about her. He had already succeeded in making her uncomfortable, when he added something that really sealed her silence.
"I don't want to have to beat you into minding your own business, dear. After all, isn't that what your husband is for?"
"Okay, that's just about enough," Ian interrupted from the backseat.
Bodan smiled at Ellie, as she glanced over at him. She looked away. He put the jeep in gear and drove over the bridge. He got out, to put a code in at the other side, and then drove the jeep away from the South Bridge and toward the Visitors Center.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Alan was sitting on the stool near the controls of the monorail car. Jodie was sitting in the first row of seats, right behind him, looking at the small track map she had found. Tim and Lex were back further, in the third row of seats. Lex was also studying one of the track maps. None of them had said much since Alan had talked with Ellie. They were just sitting quietly, resting, and collecting their thoughts. Alan finally broke the silence.
"Tim, I have to say that was a great idea with the fire."
Tim perked up a little bit.
"Thanks. It was the only thing I could think of."
"Well, it worked perfectly. You saved all of us," Alan said.
Lex was studying the map, and not really paying attention to the conversation. She noticed something questionable on it.
"What's an Albertosaurus?" Lex asked, interrupting them.
"It looks like a T-Rex, only smaller," Jodie answered.
"And it can see a hell of a lot better, too," Alan added.
Lex looked at the both of them.
"Sounds like you found that out personally," she said.
"Yes, we did. Not a very pleasant dinosaur," Alan said.
"I was attacked by another dinosaur when I first got here, too. A Barysomething, or a Suchasomething," Jodie said.
Alan laughed.
"Baryonyx or Suchomimus," he corrected her.
"Yeah, one of those," Jodie said, joining him in a laugh.
"Well, there's one of each of those, here on this island," Lex added, looking at the map.
"What? Suchomimus and Baryonyx?" Alan asked, surprised.
"Yeah, she's right. Both of them are here on the map," Jodie said, looking down at her own map again.
Alan pulled the map a little closer, and took a look for himself.
"Why would they produce both species? They've got to be out of their minds!" Alan yelled to no one in particular.
"Well, they did kidnap kids, you know. I think that makes them certifiable, right there," Tim added.
Lex couldn't quite place what either of the dinosaurs looked like.
"What is a Suchomimus and a Baryonyx? Or would I rather not know?"
Alan was about to explain, but Tim beat him to it.
"Suchomimus was a carnivorous dinosaur that lived in the Cretaceous Period. It was about 36 feet long, 12 feet high at the hip, and weighed about 3 to 4 tons. Baryonyx was also carnivorous and from the Cretaceous Period. It was about 32 feet long, 15 feet high at the hip, and weighed about 2 tons."
"Very well said, Tim," Alan said, clearly proud of him.
"Thanks," he said.
Lex was impressed with Tim's knowledge, as well. But she wasn't happy with the actual information. Jodie felt the same way. Jodie moved back to where Lex was, while Tim went to the front of the car to talk to Alan.
"So, how does one have a wealth of dinosaur knowledge, that he's able to just rattle off at will?" Alan asked, smiling.
Tim smiled, too.
"I have dinosaurs on the brain, remember?"
Alan laughed and readjusted his shoulder, to try to stop it from throbbing.
"Oh yes, I seem to remember that now," Alan said, in a joking manner.
"Seriously though, I'm all set up to go the University of California, Berkeley. I have a scholarship."
"That's wonderful, Tim," Alan said.
"I have an internship set up at the University of California Museum of Paleontology for the summer, too. Only I was supposed to meet with someone about that already."
Alan smiled.
"Well, when we get out of here, I'll put in a good word for you."
"That would be most helpful, Alan. Thank you," Tim said.
Tim was feeling like he was on top of the world. He was talking to his inspiration about paleontology. It couldn't get much better than it was, at that moment.
"It would be my pleasure," Alan said, and then he added, "I've always had a feeling you would go down the paleontology path."
"I had planned on that, all my young life. And then when I was 8 years old, I visited Jurassic Park and met you, and decided that I wanted to do what you do."
"Even after being chased by the very thing you admire?" Alan asked.
Alan asked the one question he was always asking himself. Part of him wanted to see his life's work, alive and walking in front of him. That was an obvious conclusion, but seeing living and breathing dinosaurs, produced by scientists, was hardly the same thing as going back in time. There was no way to observe any kind of natural behavior, since there were electric fences and human integration involved. The question had always been a difficult one for Alan to answer, and he wanted to get Tim's point of view on the subject.
"Yes, even after that," was Tim's simple answer. "These things, here and in Jurassic Park, are living and breathing creatures that have no idea what era they're in. They have no idea of how to act, so they're not real dinosaurs from the past. You can't compare the two. I want to study the past, not these things here. They're mostly just---"
"Theme park monsters," Alan said.
"Yes. Theme park monsters. Exactly," Tim agreed.
Lex interrupted.
"Like you haven't heard that before, Tim," she said. Then she looked at Alan. "He has all of your speeches on tape, Alan. He listens to them over and over."
Tim felt slightly embarrassed, but not enough to get up and smack his sister. He settled for scolding her.
"Shut up, Lex," he said, and then he looked back at Alan. "I have listened to all of your speeches, that's true. But over the years, I've been able to formulate my own opinions. It's just that my opinions are very similar to yours, that's all."
Alan was beginning to feel awkward at all of the attention. He never coped with praise very well. He nodded and smiled at Tim. The young man was very intelligent, Alan could easily see that much. And Alan, himself, may have had something to do with that, which made him understandably happy.
"I'm very impressed with what you've decided to do with your life, Tim. I'm very proud of you."
"Thank you," Tim said.
Alan looked at Lex.
"And you, too. Medical school is very demanding. It takes a lot of hard work and resilience."
Lex smiled, clearly happy that he noticed.
"Plus, I believe it saved my life," he said, gesturing toward his bandage.
"I'm glad I was able to help," she said.
Alan looked over to Jodie, who was being very quiet, studying her map. He tried to get her into the conversation.
"So, Jodie, how much longer til we get to the Visitors Center?"
Jodie studied the track map a little bit longer.
"I think we're over the Baryonyx right now. Then we have to pass the T-Rex, the Pterodactyls, and the Megalodon."
They all looked out of the monorail windows to see if they could spot the Baryonyx down below. It was nowhere to be seen. Lex sulked back into the seat, clearly disappointed by not seeing the dangerous dinosaur from such a safe viewpoint. Everyone followed her lead. After a short pause, Lex broke the silence.
"Megalodon? Isn't that a big shark?" She asked.
"Give the girl a medal," Tim said, sarcastically.
Lex was about to counter, and start off another small sibling battle, but Alan cut in.
"If this is going to be another fight, I'm jumping out right here."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
After going through one more security fence, Bodan's jeep pulled up in front of the Visitors Center. The building was three stories high and had two side entrances, in addition to the main entrance. They were parked in front of the South Entrance, one of the smaller ones. Bodan stepped out of the jeep, and then looked over at Ellie.
"Let's go meet Dr. Grant," he said, looking at his watch. "He, and the other guests, should arrive in about 20 minutes."
Ellie didn't say a word. She slowly got of the jeep, looking back at Ian. Smith was already motioning for him to get out. The four of them walked to the door and Bodan opened it, with a keycard.
When they went inside, Ian and Ellie were blown away with the look of the Visitors Center. It was quite impressive, with its high pillars, moving all the way up to the very top of the building. There were skeletons of dinosaurs here, as well, including Albertosaurus, Velociraptor, Tyrannosaurus Rex, and Baryonyx. There was so much room in the building, that all four skeletons easily fit into it, leaving room for additions.
As they were walking inside, they could now see the Main Entrance. The double doors used for it were about 15 feet high and had a wooden look to them. There were signs in every direction, explaining where everything was located. The monorail was located on the second floor, while the "Meg" was located on the "Underground Floor", according to the advertisement banner across the entire back of the Visitors Center.
Bodan didn't waste time.
"Okay, let's get up to the second floor. I don't want to miss the look on Grant's face when he sets his eyes upon me once again."
Things were finally going Bodan's way. Envoy was due on the island in less than two hours, the dinosaurs were mostly under control, and the hostages were about to be recaptured, along with their would-be rescuers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The monorail slowed to almost a stop, as it approached a very different looking paddock. Jodie was the first to look ahead.
"We're at the Pterodactyl Aviary," she said, looking down at the map and up ahead over and over again.
Alan sat up a little straighter, as the monorail car entered into a small fenced in area that was obviously separate from the rest of the aviary. It was just big enough to allow the monorail to go through. The fence looked to be very durable.
"Well, at least it looks like they can't get to the monorail," he commented.
Alan took a good look at his new surroundings. It seemed that they had entered a whole new place. There were several small canyons below, along with mountains that protruded all the way up and over the monorail. This area looked like it might have been the leftovers from the volcano that used to reside on the island. There were also several caves visible. Alan imagined all of the caverns that must have existed throughout this area. There were a great many places for a Pterodactyl to hide.
Lex had moved to the back of the monorail car, and was looking down.
"I don't see any of them. Do you guys?"
"No, I don't," Tim said, looking all around.
"Same here," Jodie said.
Alan hadn't answered. Lex looked at him, and saw him looking in the opposite direction from everyone else.
"What is it, Alan? Do you see one?"
"I see four."
"Really?" Lex asked.
Jodie, Tim, and Lex quickly made their way to the front of the monorail. None of them could see even one.
"Where?" Jodie asked.
Alan pointed. There, in the distance, perched on an outcropping in the rocks, were all four Pterodactyls. They stayed perched there, unmoving. The daylight was beginning to slightly fade now, making strange shadows loom around them. It was a very eerie sight. Lex shivered.
"They look like buzzards. Buzzards waiting around to eat something that might have died down there," she said, pointing below.
"Yeah, they do," Jodie agreed, suddenly frightened.
She moved right next to Alan. He put an arm around her, as they all continued to stare at the spooky prehistoric birds. Then, Alan breathed a little easier, as the monorail slowed again, and gently made its way out of the aviary and back out into the open. Lex noticed Alan looked like he was in more pain than earlier.
"You okay? Want another pain pill?"
"You have more of those?" He asked.
"Yeah, I took the whole bottle. It was only about half full, but there's enough to give you another one."
"Sure, thanks."
Lex handed him another Darvicet and he swallowed it without water this time.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ethan Davis opened the door to the Main Control Room. Daniel was still in there, along with Jacob, who had come back after the Rex had been taken care of. When he walked in, Daniel looked at him.
"It's about time," he said. "You missed quite a few happenings, Ethan."
Ethan came inside.
"Like what?"
"Well, let's see . . . there was the finding the hostages thing," Daniel said, looking at Jacob.
"And Bodan also managed to capture some of the people Hammond sent to rescue the kids," Jacob added.
"Any idea who they are yet?" Ethan asked.
"Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm," Jacob answered.
Ethan was shocked by the news. Daniel and Jacob noticed.
"What is it?" Daniel asked.
"Nothing. I just didn't think that Hammond could talk them into coming to another dinosaur island," Ethan said.
Jacob smiled.
"Money does wonders for most people," he said.
Ethan sat down in front of his work station. Daniel quickly started barking orders at him.
"Do another sweep of the paddocks, to make sure all of the animals are accounted for. And watch the videotapes, to see if you can spot the Raptors."
"What are you going to do?" Ethan asked.
"He's going to run the rest of the park, Ethan," Jacob answered. "Just do what you're told."
Ethan nodded and began to type. Jacob looked at Daniel.
"I'm going to head to the Visitors Center. Bodan may need help, when the monorail, and Grant, get there."
"Okay. I'll let you know when the Raptors are contained and when Mr. Envoy arrives," Daniel said.
"Thank you."
Jacob left the building. Daniel watched him get into one of the jeeps parked out front and drive away. After a pause, he went back to typing.
Ethan ran the dinosaur field test program and was satisfied with the results.
"Everything's accounted for, except for the eleven Raptors and that one dead Elasmosaurus," he said to Daniel.
"Bodan found one dead Raptor in the lab. So we can bring that down to ten missing."
"Okay. Ten Raptors missing, then," Ethan restated.
"That's a relief. We're finally getting control back," Daniel said, smiling. "Now that Bodan has Malcolm and Sattler . . . and Grant and the kids soon . . . things are lining up nicely. With some luck, Mr. Envoy won't even know things went wrong."
Ethan smiled back. He got up and went to the time delay VCRs that were under the monitors. He retrieved the videotapes from them, and looked at Daniel.
"I'm going into the other room, where there's a bigger monitor to watch these on," he said, holding the tapes up awkwardly.
Daniel never looked up. He just nodded, as he continued typing something on his keyboard. Ethan went into the other room, shaking his head.
"God, that guy is an asshole," Ethan whispered to himself, finally saying out loud how he really felt.
Ethan put the tapes down, next to the VCR in the room, and put one of them in it. After he pressed play, he quickly looked around for Daniel's laptop computer. He found it, sitting on a table near the back door of the room. He smiled and took it from the table, tucked it under his arm, and quietly went to the back door. Next to the door was a gun rack. He grabbed one of the guns and tucked it in the back of his pants.
"It's time I put a stop to this," he whispered to himself, as he slowly opened the back door.
Chapter 31: Rescue Operation, Standing By
John Hammond was in his office, waiting rather impatiently for a phone call. Henry was right next to him.
"Mr. Hammond, why don't you try to relax some, sir. You're going to weaken yourself."
"Henry, we should have heard from our people by now. I'm just anxious. Don't worry yourself over it."
"I'm sure everything is coming together adequately, sir."
Hammond was about to disagree, once again, when the phone rang. He held back his words, smiled, and picked up the phone.
"Yes. Hammond here."
Henry watched as Hammond talked to the unknown person on the other end. Hammond nodded and said 'yes' a lot. After about a two minute conversation, he hung up the phone.
"Henry, we're in luck. Everything is prepared. All they need is a green light from me, and they can be to Isla Norte in under a half an hour."
"That's great, sir. I told you not to worry."
Hammond smiled.
"Yes, you did. And you were right, my dear friend."
There was a knock on the front door of the mansion. Henry excused himself and left the office, leaving Hammond alone. He came back a few minutes later, with a package in his hand.
"Here's the information you requested, sir," Henry said.
He handed the package to Hammond.
"Thank you, Henry. It's good to have something else to wrap my mind around. I'm growing tired of all the worrying and waiting."
"Yes, sir."
Hammond laughed. He hadn't laughed one time, since the events of a few nights ago. He opened up the package and a rather large manilla folder was revealed.
"Now let's find out everything there is to know about Mr. Mark Degler," he said, opening up the folder across his desk.
Chapter 32: The Showdown
The monorail had arrived at the Visitors Center. Alan pushed the button to open the door. The four of them stood quietly, as the door slowly slid open. There were no signs of Ellie or Ian. In fact, there were no signs of anything. Just complete silence, all around them.
"I don't like this," Lex said.
Alan was the first one to step out of the monorail car. The others followed him. They walked into the main lobby area of the second floor. Alan saw a sign that said "AERIAL TOURS! PLEASE GO TO FIRST FLOOR LOBBY FOR DETAILS!" He looked at Lex.
"Wanna go on an airplane ride?"
"Funny," she said, smirking at him.
He laughed. They continued on. Jodie didn't leave Alan's side. Mostly because he was hurt and she wanted to help, but also because she was scared to death. The quietness was getting to her.
"Where are they?" She finally asked.
"I don't know," Alan answered.
Tim and Lex were lagging behind, as Tim stayed with his limping sister. Alan turned to look at them.
"How are you feeling, Lex?"
"Not bad. Really. I'll make it. How about you?"
"Oh, yeah, I'm fine. I think you gave me too many of those pills. I feel a bit out of it."
Lex smiled.
"That was the plan," she said.
Alan smiled at her, and then he turned back around and continued to walk. Jodie was still right next to him.
"Alan, why didn't we see the Meg thing while we were out there?" Jodie asked.
"I guess it's shy," he answered.
Jodie shrugged that comment off, as she and Alan came to a door. It looked as though it hadn't been finished yet. There was a giant piece of cardboard taped fully across the middle of it, making it look like they were planning on installing glass at a later time. Tim and Lex were still behind, and getting farther behind, as Tim was helping Lex walk. Alan opened the door and saw five people standing all the way in the back. He smiled, as he instantly recognized one of them.
"Ellie!" He shouted.
Ellie smiled, but she didn't move.
Alan stepped closer to the them. Ian was there, too, as well as three more men. He recognized two of the men right away. Bodan and Smith. The wonderful duo who had previously knocked him out cold. Jodie recognized the other man.
"That other guy is Jacob," she whispered.
Alan nodded, as he watched Bodan hold Ellie against her will.
"Dr. Grant. How's the head?" Bodan asked, from across the room.
Alan didn't answer him.
"You're not displaying favorable manners," Bodan said.
Alan didn't answer him again. He looked at Ian.
"You guys all right?" He asked Ian.
"Yes. You?" Ian asked.
"Fine, fine. We took the tour," Alan said, looking at Bodan. "Very nice, I must say."
Bodan smiled coldly. He was about to come closer to him, when he was distracted by the door opening again. Tim and Lex walked into the room. They had finally caught up with Alan and stopped, just as they got inside.
"Welcome to the party," Bodan said.
Lex was instantly frightened by his voice. He had promised that the next time they met, he would get even with her. Tim noticed how she reverted back to her young self again. She thought about running, but then Bodan's two men aimed their guns at her and Tim. She tried to fight back her panic. She tried thinking of Alan again. This time, he was actually right in the same room with her, which helped her ease her panic quicker. She knew he was wounded, but she hoped that he would get them out of the situation . . . somehow.
"Why don't the two of you join Dr. Grant and his lovely cousin," Bodan demanded.
Bodan was pleased with Lex's reaction to him. He looked back at Alan, who had walked to about the middle of the room, and had now stopped. After a quick evaluation, he spoke.
"Looks like something . . . attacked you, doctor."
Alan didn't answer him. Bodan continued.
"Looks like someone mended you, as well."
Alan was looking at Ellie, as Bodan spoke. He noticed that she looked frightened. It made him really angry to know that Bodan had frightened her. There was enough to worry about on this island, besides the crazed humans.
Bodan was very much aware that Alan was worried about Ellie. He played on that. He grabbed Ellie's right arm and forced it behind her. She didn't make a sound, but it was clear, by the look on her face, that Bodan was hurting her.
Alan, as expected, took a few steps forward. By this time, Tim and Lex were next to him. Lex grabbed his right arm, in an attempt to change his mind. He stopped.
Bodan looked disappointed.
"Oh, my dear Alexis. Why don't you permit Dr. Grant to do as he wishes. You're not allowing me to have any fun."
Alan just wanted to get Ellie away from Bodan.
"Please, just let her go," he said.
"You remember what happened to you the last time you demanded things, don't you?" Bodan asked.
Alan didn't answer again. He didn't want to get Bodan any more worked up than he already was. Bodan looked at Smith and smiled.
"Mr. Smith, why don't you remind the good doctor," Bodan said.
Smith walked up next to Bodan. He was about to attack Alan, when Bodan's walkie talkie beeped.
"Hold on," he said, as he answered it. "Bodan, here."
"Mr. Bodan, it's Daniel. We have a situation here."
Bodan looked over at Alan and company. They were all listening. He looked at Smith.
"Here. Take Dr. Sattler," he said.
Smith took her and Bodan walked a little way from everyone and began to talk on the walkie talkie again.
"What sort of situation?"
"Ethan has disappeared. And I think he took the laptop."
"What does that have to do with me?" Bodan asked.
"I don't think Ethan has our best interests in mind. He's already changed some of the system passwords," Daniel answered.
"Well, can't you just reset the passwords?"
"Yes, of course, but every time I reset them, he changes them again."
"Well, I suggest you go find him."
"Yes, sir," Daniel said, and then there was a pause, as Bodan could hear a phone ringing in the background. Daniel came back to the walkie talkie. "Sir, Mr. Envoy is here."
Bodan looked over at everyone in his captivity.
"He's early. Well, at least we have the people situation under control. How's the situation with the Raptors?"
"I was able to trap one of them in the lab, and two of them in one of the mall rooms. That's it so far, though."
"That's better than nothing. Keep working on that. Which helipad is Envoy landing on?"
"Helipad 2, sir."
"Okay, I guess I'll have to meet with him. He will expect that."
"What are you going to do with the prisoners?" Daniel asked.
"The Visitors Center is adequate for the purpose. Jacob can stay with them. I'll bring Mr. Envoy back here, and then we can discuss what to do with them."
"Okay, sir. I'm going to find Ethan, then. I have an extra laptop to monitor any other changes he may attempt. I'll bring the walkie talkie, too."
"Let me know when you have Ethan."
"Yes, sir."
Bodan turned the walkie talkie on standby, and walked back to where everyone was. He took Ellie back from Smith.
"Well, it looks like I'm needed somewhere else right now," he said. "We'll have to pick this up at a later time, I'm afraid."
He noticed how relieved they all looked.
"Jacob, stay here with them. Take them underground. There's less ways to escape from down there. Smith will back you up," he said.
Jacob and Smith nodded.
Bodan still had a hold of Ellie. He was about to make his exit, when he looked at Lex.. He made direct eye contact with her. As he did, she looked away from him. He decided to start getting even with her a little at that moment. He knew that she cared about Alan and Ellie. He looked at Alan and saw how anxious he was to get Ellie back unharmed. And Alan had upset him a few times already, so getting on his nerves would be a bonus. He had the perfect idea for a good first step in getting even.
He grabbed Ellie's right hand and twisted it, until he heard the desired "pop". Ellie screamed in agony.
Alan moved forward in a rage, but Smith fired two shots just over his head. He stopped immediately and covered his head. The shots just missed Tim, as well, who was standing on Alan's left. Ian was also ready to fight. Jacob had his gun already aimed at his head, even before Bodan attacked Ellie, so he reluctantly stood by.
Bodan smiled.
"Watch it, Dr. Grant. You could get yourself accidently shot very easily."
He let Ellie's arm go and shoved her toward Alan. Alan moved forward to catch her, as she almost tumbled to the floor. She grabbed onto him tight, trying not to break down.
Bodan turned to leave.
"Well, I'm off. At least you will have something to keep your interest while I'm away," Bodan said.
He left the building. The sound of the jeep starting and driving off could be heard.
Jacob and Smith were left alone with the six of them now. It wouldn't take Bodan long to get to Helipad 2 and back, so Jacob and Smith just had to keep an eye on them for a short time.
Alan was holding Ellie. She was holding her hand up close to her body.
"Let me see your hand," he asked.
"No."
The pain was very intense. Her fingers already felt numb.
"Ellie," Alan said.
"Just give me a minute," she said, fighting back tears.
"Okay."
Ellie was leaning her head on his right shoulder. She could see his other shoulder up close now.
"What happened to your shoulder?" She whispered in his ear.
"Raptor," he said.
"Oh, god," she whispered.
"I'm doing pretty well. Lex mended me."
"Lex?" She asked.
Lex moved so that Ellie could see her.
"Yeah. She's a 3rd year med student. She even stitched me up," he explained. "You should let her see your hand."
Ellie lifted her head up and turned toward Lex. She let her examine it. Lex moved her wrist back and forth and checked the placement of all the tiny bones. Ellie winced.
"Sorry."
"It's not your fault," Ellie said.
"It looks like some of the carpal bones are broken. And possibly the ulna."
"Can you put them back?" Tim asked.
"Not really. Without an x-ray, it's very hard to put those bones back. The carpal bones are very tiny. People usually go to an orthopedic surgeon for hand and wrist injuries, because of how delicate those tiny bones are."
Ellie nodded. There were tears coming down her face. She went back to holding onto Alan. Smith walked closer to them. He pointed the gun at Alan.
"No more talking. Let's get moving. We have two floors to go through," he said.
"Sorry," Alan said.
Jacob lead everyone down to the underground level of the Visitors Center. Smith was bringing up the rear, watching the prisoners closely. As they got down there, the two underwater viewing areas were easily seen. There was nothing but murky water there, though. No sign of the Megalodons, which made Jacob happy. The Meg was one of the creepiest things there, in his opinion, and he had no desire to see it slowly swimming by. Jacob looked back at his task at hand. He was uncomfortable with them all standing in a cluster. He decided to separate them. He looked over at the wall to the right, and then he looked at Alan and Ellie.
"I want the two of you to sit down. Over there," he said, pointing to the wall.
Alan helped Ellie get to the wall and they slowly sat down. Ellie edged up close to him and he put his arm around her, whispering reassurances to her.
Jacob turned to Tim and Lex.
"You two, over there and sit down," he said, pointing to the left.
Tim helped his sister sit down, and then he sat down himself. Satisfied, Jacob looked at the two remaining people. Ian and Jodie.
"Go to the far wall," he said, pointing behind him.
Jodie looked at Alan. He nodded to her, so she quickly went with Ian. She didn't really know him, but she knew enough about him to trust him. They sat down where Jacob had instructed.
With all of them against separate walls, Jacob felt like he had a better handle on the situation. Just as he was feeling like he was in control, there was a strange noise coming from near one of the underwater viewing areas. Everyone in the room had heard it, and all of them looked. There was nothing to see, though.
While Jacob and Smith were looking toward the underwater viewing areas, Alan leaned forward and got Ian's attention. Ian leaned forward.
"We cannot be here when Bodan comes back," Alan whispered.
"I know," Ian whispered. "Any ideas?"
"Not really," Alan said.
Jacob was looking through the reinforced glass, when he heard whispering, coming from behind him. He looked at Smith, who was standing right next to him.
"Keep a lookout for that damned fish. I'll be right back."
Smith nodded, while Jacob walked toward where he had heard the whispering. He walked to Alan, and looked down at him.
"Didn't I say no talking?"
"Yes. I'm sorry," Alan said.
Jacob kicked him in his wounded shoulder. Alan immediately hunched over in pain, grabbing it. Jodie instinctively began to get up, to try and help him, but Ian grasped her arm and talked her into sitting back down before Jacob saw her.
"Apology accepted, Dr. Grant. Now, please don't talk again," Jacob said, and then he glanced around the room. "That goes for all of you."
Ellie was watching Alan carefully. At first she thought he was going to pass out, but he managed to calm his breathing down and relax. He looked at her and saw the concern on her face.
"I'm okay," he whispered.
Ellie nodded and held onto him. Jacob was thinking of punishing him again for whispering. He walked toward Alan, but was interrupted by something else. A new voice entered the mix.
"Leave him alone, Jacob," the voice said.
Jacob turned around and saw Ethan. Ethan had a gun and he was pointing it at him.
"What is this? A change of sides?"
"You could say that," Ethan said, and then he looked over at Ian. "Hello, Ian."
Ian smiled.
"Hi there, Ethan."
Alan and Ellie looked at each other in a puzzled manner. They had no idea what was going on. There was no time for explanations either. Suddenly, one of the Megs appeared in the underwater viewing area to the left, startling everyone. Jacob took the opportunity to shoot at Ethan. Tim was right there though, and pushed Jacob from behind, causing the shot to go off in a wild direction, scaring the Meg away. Jacob still managed to push the young programmer to the floor, and the two of them began the desperate struggle for control of the guns.
Ian had also seized the opportunity and rushed Smith, who was right in front of the area that the Meg had just appeared in. Smith was looking into the eyes of the menacing shark, when it suddenly swam away, after hearing the gunshot. As Smith looked toward the noise, Ian tackled him and wrestled him for the gun, hitting Smith every chance that he got.
Alan watched, as Tim and Ethan were struggling with Jacob. He looked over at Ian and saw him fighting with Smith alone. Smith was shorter than Jacob and Bodan, but he was pure muscle, giving Ian a very hard time. Alan pressed up against the wall and began to boost himself up. Ellie looked at him with concern.
"What are you doing?" She whispered.
"Helping hopefully," Alan whispered.
Tim was still trying to help Ethan. He grabbed one of Jacob's arms and the three of them began to wrestle for the gun. Another shot went off, striking the ceiling, going clear up to the second floor.
Alan was all the way up by now. He ran toward Ian and Smith. He was able to surprise Smith and swipe the gun from his hand. He didn't get a chance to point it or use it. When Smith saw that Alan grabbed the gun, he turned and punched Ian in the face, knocking him down, and then turned in Alan's direction. Alan and Smith were about in the middle of the room, with Alan's back to Ellie. Smith didn't waste anytime, as he violently went after Alan's weak spot. He squeezed his shoulder and ran him backwards toward the wall. Alan managed to hold onto the gun. He collided with the wall at full force and collapsed. Amazingly, he still managed to hold onto the gun with his right hand.
Tim and Ethan turned out to be a very successful duo. They were much younger and faster than Jacob, and were able to double team him successfully. As Tim pushed Jacob forward, Ethan hit him in the back of the head, causing Jacob to drop his gun. It was making Jacob very angry that they were getting the upper hand, and that he couldn't do a thing about it.
Jodie had ran to Ellie and was helping her up, when Alan and Smith came running toward them. Ellie moved out of the way, when they came crashing into the wall. After Alan was rammed into the wall, Jodie helped break the rest of his fall, as he slumped to the floor. Smith, still trying to get possession of the elusive gun, began kicking at Alan. Alan put the gun in his left hand and raised his right hand over his head, protecting himself. Lex was up by this time and Smith had his back to her, as he continued to kick at Alan. She limped toward him and jumped on his back, wrapping her arms around his head and pulling his hair.
Ian was sprawled out on the floor, still dazed by the forceful punch. His attention was directed at the commotion going on near the underwater viewing area. The Meg had come back and had begun to ram its body into the reinforced glass, in what looked like some sort of defensive posture.
Alan was still on the floor, trying his best to deflect Smith's kicks. Smith was finally successful, though. He was able to kick the gun out of Alan's grasp. It didn't go where he had hoped. It skidded across the floor, away from them. Lex was still hanging on Smith's back. When he realized he had kicked the gun free, he stopped beating on Alan and focused on Lex. He stretched an arm back, grabbed her, and threw her to the side. She hit the ground with a thud.
Ian was about to get up off of the floor, when the gun came spinning up right to him. He picked it up and half-ran toward Smith. After Smith was able to get Lex off of him, he turned to go after the gun. Ian was right there in front of him, with the butt of the gun ready. As Smith turned, Ian struck him in the side of the head, as hard as he could. Smith collapsed in a heap, just missing Ellie. Ian knelt down by Alan.
"You okay?" He asked.
"That went well, don't you think?" Alan said, half laughing and half-wincing.
Ian smiled. He was glad Alan seemed okay. He had taken a few harsh hits. He looked over at Ethan and Tim and saw that they had managed to knock Jacob out somehow.
"Looks like the boys took care of Jacob, too," he said.
The Meg was still ramming the glass and it was starting to generate tiny cracks, causing a little bit of water to drip down the glass. Tim was the first to notice.
"The Meg is breaking the glass. We have to go. Now!"
Lex got herself up off the floor and joined her brother and Ethan. Ian and Jodie helped Alan and Ellie up. After Ethan gathered up all of his computer equipment, the seven of them quickly went up the stairs and got to the first floor, where they stopped for a rest and a regrouping. When they were finally out of sight, the Meg stopped ramming the glass. It made a few passes near the glass, but then gave up and swam away, disappearing in the mucky water.
Lex limped to Alan, who, by this time, was sort of just slumped up against a wall, trying to hold himself up. Ellie and Jodie were close to him, assisting him. Lex took a good and long look at him, and shook her head. She reached over Alan and gently took off the bandage. He winced.
"Don't you try anything like that again. You could easily bleed to death," she scolded him.
"Yes, mother," he said.
Lex gave him a dirty look.
Ellie took a look at Lex's handy work. Alan was breathing heavily from the fight. His chest was moving up and down quite rapidly, but the stitches were lined up very well and there was just a little bit of bleeding.
"You did a great job, Lex," she said.
"Yeah, she did," Alan agreed. "I'm sure she saved my life," he added.
"Okay, you're embarrassing me," Lex said.
"Don't be embarrassed. That's a wonderful profession to get into. The fact that you're very good at it, shouldn't embarrass you. It should make you proud," Ellie said.
Lex smiled at Ellie, and then carefully put Alan's bandage back.
"Let's get out of here before Bodan comes back," Lex said.
"Good idea," Ellie agreed.
Ian walked over to Tim and Ethan.
"I'll take that," he said, taking the gun from Ethan's hand.
"It's good to see you," Ethan said, surrendering his weapon.
"Well, it's certainly a pleasure to see you, that's for sure," Ian said in return.
Alan felt the need to know what was going on. He asked the question that everyone in the room wanted to know.
"Who are you?" He asked the young man.
Ethan smiled, as he looked in Alan's direction. Jodie, Lex, and Ellie were next to Alan and all of them were looking his way, waiting for an answer.
"Ethan Davis. Ian Malcolm is my step dad."
"And what a great step dad I am, too," Ian added.
Ethan laughed.
"Yeah, you're better than average, I suppose."
Ian smiled, clearly proud of Ethan's sense of humor. Alan was totally caught off guard with Ethan's previous statement.
"How is that---, why is he---," Alan couldn't formulate an entire question.
Ian smiled.
"He's my second wife's child from her first marriage."
Alan just stared at Ian. He was beginning to get a headache, when Ethan came to his rescue and interrupted.
"Like I said. He's my step dad," Ethan looked at Ian. "Why do you always have to make things so difficult to understand?"
Ian smiled. All of them quickly left the building.
© 2002 by Yvonne Bartha