A Dream Deferred
�Good morning, Dr. Grant,� greeted John Hilman, a light haired man of thirty. A long overcoat that nearly touched the ground concealed his shadowy figure; his face was shrouded in the shadow of a hat. Removing his right hand from his pocket, he reached out to greet Alan.
�Morning Chancellor. I don�t think I�ll ever get accustomed to this weather. Too use to the warmth of Montana,� he jested, reaching out to meet the Chancellor�s hand.
Hillman had approached Alan four years earlier on the helicopter back from Isla Sorna.
�Dr. Grant! We finally meet in person.� he recalled John saying.
�Yes. And you are?�
�John Hilman, Chancellor for the United States of America. I represent home, Dr. Grant. Our office got a call from a friend of yours, Dr. Sattler about 5 hours ago. She alerted us to your situation here. Threw the office into an uproar!�
�She has a way of doing that,� Alan laughed awkwardly.
�Well, it�s good to see you�re in good spirits. How are they?� he asked, nodding towards the Kirby�s.
�Alive, which is more than I can say for the others-�
�Others?�
�There were several, yes,� Grant answered painfully.
�You realize this is a serious violation of the agreements established between the U.S. and the Costa Rican governments? I�ts going to be a while before this whole matter is resolved. If you work with us, we�ll do our best to avoid any serious penalization.�
Hilman easily cleaned up the matter. The fault lay scapegoat to the Costa Rican government which knew of the plane�s approach and did not take proper procedures to protect the islands. During the ordeal, a mutual respect grew between Grant and Hilman and eventually, the two having kept in touch, become close friends.
By now, Hilman and Grant were in a limousine heading towards the UN building.
�Won�t you have a drink?� Hilman asked, gesturing to the mini-bar.
�Not this early, John,� Grant said, holding up his hand.
�Well Alan, let�s get down to business.� Alan nodded in agreement.
�As you already know, the UN is expecting you to give a speech on the preservation of the InGen islands. Afterwards, the floor will be open to questions: be careful. You thought they could twist words on Matlock, wait until you see these guys.�
Alan smirked lightly.
�I understand, John. What I�m not sure about is why the islands should be preserved. There nothing but monsters: Gorgo and Godzilla. I�ve had my run-ins with them twice now��
�And survived! You see Alan, that�s the point. Remember when we first rescued you and the group. Several of those, uh, Terro-terrosauruses��
�Pteronodons.�
�Yes, those. You remember what I had asked you? I asked if we should shoot them down-if they posed a serious threat to anyone. You said they were priceless creatures: that it ought to be a crime to kill such an animal. And I�m sure by now you realize that the only way your field of study can make any more progress is if they resurrected the animals: they did, and they are living, breathing, breeding fossil specimens on those islands.�
Alan looked down towards his feet, and, taking off his hat, proceeded to play with its rim. A moment passed and then leaning back, Grant shut his eyes and exhale: Hilman was right.
�You alright Alan?� Hilman asked, leaning forward.
�I�ll take that drink now.�
