Five days later, and after a virtually sleepless night in the San Jos� hotel in which Kevin had made her reservation, Ellie dressed in a pair of faded blue jeans, a sleeveless blouse, and sneakers, then repacked the few items she had required during her one night stay in Costa Rica. She left a generous tip for the maid on her pillow, a privilege afforded her by her marriage to a wealthy government employee. Then she summoned a porter to carry her luggage outside to the sidewalk to await the transportation that would carry her to the private airstrip.
It was a beautiful morning. The huge yellow sun shown brightly over the tropical plants that decorated the hotel�s landscape, and already, she could hear the splashing and happy shouting and laughter of the vacationing children and adults who now played in the swimming pool, enjoying the warm climate.
The night before, when she had arrived in Costa Rica, she had marveled at the irony of it all, for Kevin had made her reservations in the same hotel in which she and the other survivors of the incident on Isla Nublar had stayed eight years earlier. She fondly recalled that John Hammond�s grandchildren, Lex and Tim, had played in the hotel swimming pool while the government authorities had questioned her, Alan, and Hammond about the events at the island. Ian Malcolm had been taken immediately to the hospital to recover from his injuries, but she learned later that he had been questioned as well.
"Shall I summon a taxi, Se�ora?" the porter asked.
"No, I have a ride," she responded, placing a tip in his hand.
His eyes lit up with delight. "Gracias, Se�ora, gracias."
She sat down on one of the suitcases to wait. She was still sitting on her suitcase fifteen minutes later when an automobile pulled into the parking lot, hesitated briefly, as if searching for something, then approached her and stopped at the curb before her. The driver�s door opened, and a burly Costa Rican man emerged from it.
"Se�ora Degler?" he asked with a cheerful smile.
"Yes," she replied, rising from her crude seat. "Do you speak English?" she asked, hopefully.
"I speak English, s�." He opened the trunk of his vehicle and began loading her luggage. "My name is Miguel Alvarado. My cousin and I own a sightseeing tour nearby. We fly tourists wherever they want to go -- over the rain forests, to the neighboring islands; wherever they want. Se�or Grant, he hire us to bring supplies to him every six weeks." He placed the last piece of luggage inside the trunk, closed the lid, and turned to scrutinize her appearance. She was decidedly pretty, but appeared pale and drawn, as if in poor health. "I can�t help but wonder why a pretty lady like you wish to go to a dangerous place like Isla Sorna."
She shrugged. It seemed everyone, even perfect strangers, questioned her motives in regards to the notion of her going to the island. "I�ve come to help Dr. Grant in his research."
Miguel�s dark eyes twinkled with amusement. "Research? I see!"
Heat crept into Ellie�s cheeks in response to his unspoken insinuation. "Yes, truly. We used to work together digging up fossils in Montana. Now, I�m going to help him with this project." She did not specify precisely what the project was, as she did not know the specific nature of the research he was conducting.
"You are scientist, s�?" he asked.
"Yes. I�m a paleobotonist." Understanding from his puzzled expression that the title meant nothing to him, she added, "I study the plants that dinosaurs used to eat. Or, in this case, what they are now eating on Isla Sorna."
"This is interesting work?" he asked, skeptically.
"To a scientist, it is," she replied, "although I can see where it might not impress everyone." It had not really impressed Mark, who did not understand her fascination with the fossil records. He had patiently pretended to listen whenever she had eagerly wanted to discuss a new fossil find she had read about in the newspaper, but she knew he was not interested in her past life.
Miguel opened the passenger door, and Ellie slid into the front passenger seat. He then closed the door, and walked around to the driver�s side. After settling his large frame into the bucket seat, he shifted the car into drive, and sped away from the hotel.
They conversed very little during the drive to the small airport. Miguel would normally have been generating conversation with his passenger. Foreigners were particularly interesting to him, for their lifestyles were frequently far removed from his, but Ellie Degler was different. He sensed that the American woman was not looking for a conversation. She was quiet, distracted, and, he assumed, worried about the project she was undertaking. Tossing an occasional curious glance her direction, he concentrated primarily on navigating the narrow, rough roads that led into the rural areas of Costa Rica, and left her alone with her thoughts.
Ellie pressed close to the window on the passenger seat, unaware that she was practically molded to the door. Before the life-altering accident, she had been a cheerful, outgoing individual who could carry a conversation with almost anyone. She hoped one day to recapture her natural interest in other people, but for now, she preferred to simply keep to herself, and sit in silence, gazing at the lush forested mountains that jutted up from the flat farmland.
Geographically, Costa Rica was a lovely place with a rugged terrain, but she knew that the place she was going to was far more primitive than the hills and mountains of Costa Rica; more primitive even than the badlands of Montana, in which she had spent so many summers with Alan, excavating ancient bones from the dry earth. It was a way of life she was beginning to miss.
Again, she wondered why Alan had returned to the islands after stating so vehemently that he would never, ever go back there. And why was he now so concerned that the animals would escape into civilization? They were, for the most part, large, cumbersome animals, and although she knew that they could probably swim, it was unlikely they were capable of swimming the great distance required to reach the mainland.
On the other hand, she could not so easily dismiss Alan�s concerns. His instincts and theories almost always proved correct, and if he believed it were possible that the animals could get off the island, then his concerns must be not only valid, but also probable.
The airport out of which Miguel and his cousin conducted their guided aerial tours was a small, private field on land that was probably family-owned. It consisted only of a couple of small airplanes, and one rickety hanger constructed of corrugated sheet metal.
Miguel parked the car beside the hanger and got out.
The knot in Ellie�s stomach tightened another notch, hoping the aircraft was in better condition that its crudely built shelter.
Ellie got out of the car and stood with her hands shoved into the hip pockets of her jeans as she gazed at the two airplanes. One was a Cessna 402B, the other a Kingair 200. To her great relief, both planes appeared, visually, at least, to be in a good state of repair.
Another man, presumably Miguel�s cousin, was on the tarmac inspecting the Cessna. Miguel led her across the hard surface to the other man.
"This is my cousin, Eustacio Delgado," Miguel said. "He�s our pilot." He spoke several words to his cousin in Spanish.
"Buenos dias, Se�ora," he said, dipping his head in a polite nod.
"He no speak English," Miguel told her. "That�s why he be pilot, and I be in charge of rounding up business. Most of our customers are American."
"Buenos dias," Ellie responded, using what little Spanish she remembered from her high school days.
"Come, I show you the plane," Miguel said, leading her up the steps and into the cylindrical body of the aircraft.
The plane was tall enough to stand without stooping, but there was only one seat beneath each window on either side of the narrow aisle. There were two seats in the open cockpit.
Shifting her eyes to the rear of the plane, she observed the boxes of supplies, stacked against the rear bulkhead, that would see Alan --- and her --- through the next six weeks, until the next scheduled delivery.
Miguel saw her looking at the boxes. "Your amigo, Se�or Buchanan, sent us a supply list for you."
She nodded. "Did you receive the money I sent you?"
"S�. You are very generous, Se�ora."
"Good pay yields good results," she stated.
"Unfortunately, not everyone lives by your philosophy. You can sit anywhere you wish. You�re our only passenger today. We�ll get your luggage on board."
Ellie slipped into one of the plush gray seats and stared out the oval window. The palms of her hands were moist with nervous anticipation, and she wiped them on her thighs to dry them on the rough denim. She wondered silently: Was she nervous about being on the island, or was she nervous about being with Alan again?
A pensive frown creased Miguel�s brow as he watched her, struck by the sadness in her eyes when she turned back to look at him, as if wondering why he was still standing there observing her. He shrugged, assuming perhaps she was nervous about the project she was undertaking. He knew he would be nervous if he was going to live on that island!
Turning, he trotted back down the stairs and walked back to the car. He and Eustacio quickly added Ellie�s luggage to the stacks of supplies.
Then, Eustacio sat down in the pilot�s seat to fire up the engines while Miguel pulled up the attached staircase and closed and secured the hatch. Then he took his place in the co-pilot�s seat.
Ellie sat three seats behind them, her seat belt fastened across her abdomen in preparation for the take-off.
The plane accelerated down the runway and lifted into the brilliant blue sky. Minutes later, they were over the water flying westward from Costa Rica toward their destination, 207 miles from the Central American country.
In all directions, the Pacific Ocean was a vast expanse of dazzling blue and shimmering gold, reflected from the sky and the sun. Fortunately, the air was calm, or the journey would have been an unbearably rough ride in the small craft. Ellie�s stomach was tense enough without the added burden of a rough flight.
At the controls, Eustacio guided the Cessna above the water with the experience of a man familiar with his job. Miguel sat in the co-pilot�s seat, conversing in Spanish with his cousin. Ellie did not bother trying to understand what they were saying.
The last time she had made this journey, it had been made in the quiet comfort of an InGen helicopter. With her had been an eccentric mathematician by the name of Ian Malcolm, an attorney named Donald Gennaro, John Hammond himself, and Alan Grant. Their destination had been Isla Sorna�s sister island, Isla Nublar, where multi-millionaire John Hammond had sought to establish Jurassic Park, a high dollar theme park featuring living dinosaurs as the primary attraction. The guests were there to observe, and, Hammond hoped, to endorse the park for the benefit of the nervous investors. Because of the greed of a saboteur, the visit had been a disaster, resulting in the deaths of three innocent people, who had been eaten alive by carnivorous dinosaurs. The saboteur had never been found, but because he had not been seen on the boat that had left for the mainland just prior to the power outage that had culminated into disaster, it was believed that he had been among the fatalities.
Four years after Isla Nublar had been abandoned, it was revealed that the actual breeding facility had been on nearby Isla Sorna, known in the corporation�s records as Site B. Left on their own, the dinosaurs on Site B had thrived, much as they had millions of years ago.
Ellie had never intended to return to this part of the world. Both islands were dangerous, inhabited by predators not seen since the great extinction millions of years ago. Subsequent expeditions to check the animals� progress and to rescue a lost child had resulted in more deaths. Fishermen who had come ashore had disappeared without a trace, causing locals to refer to the island as Death Island. Closing her eyes, she silently prayed that Alan would not be among them.
Deep in thought, she did not know how long they had been traveling when she sensed a presence beside her. She opened her eyes again and was startled to find Miguel Alvardo standing beside her, a wide smile on his dark face.
"Pardon�, Se�ora," he apologized in a thick Hispanic accent. "I no intend to frighten."
She waved away his concern. "That�s okay."
"We make good time. We be there soon."
A knot of dread began to twist in her stomach at the mere thought of setting foot on an island inhabited by dinosaurs. What insanity had possessed her to make this trip? In response to Miguel�s comment, she nodded. Then, she reached into the pocket of her jeans and withdrew a one hundred dollar bill. "I�m offering you an extra hundred if you will leave the island before Dr. Grant has a chance to say no."
Miguel�s eyes lit up at the sight of the American currency and the ease with which he could earn it. Without hesitation, he reached out and accepted the bill. With a knowing smile, he asked, "Se�or Grant, he no be es�pecting you, eh?"
"No, he�s not expecting me."
"He be pleasantly surprised, then?" he asked, his grin broadening.
"I hope so," she replied with a doubtful edge to her voice. The truth was, she had no idea how he would react to her presence. He would probably be furious with her. He would almost certainly try to send her back.
"Take my word for it, Se�ora. He be on that island all alone for more than six months with no lady friend --- only dinosaurs to keep him company. He be glad to see you!"
Ellie felt her cheeks grow warm. "It isn�t like that, Miguel," she explained. "We�re old friends. We used to work together."
His smile did not fade, and his dark eyes twinkled with merriment. "Amigos, si�. I understand. Is none of my business."
Embarrassed, she looked away to hide her reddening face.
Laughing heartily, Miguel returned to the front of the Cessna to share a laugh with his cousin. Her face flamed with humiliation, understanding that they were sharing a private joke at her expense. Putting their amusement out of her mind, Ellie rested her forehead on the cool Plexiglas window, and squinted across the rippling, shimmering water toward the horizon.
The last time she had seen Alan had been eight months ago. He had been in Arlington to speak at a local university in an attempt to obtain funding for his dig site in Montana. The fundraiser had been a devastating failure for him, but he had dropped by the house for a brief visit, his first since her marriage, five years earlier.
With a sigh, she closed her eyes. How she had cherished those few hours with him! At her insistence, he had agreed to stay for supper, but all too soon his visit was over. As she had watched him drive away in his rental car, an empty spot in her heart had filled with a lonely ache, longing for what might have been if only he had loved her as she had loved him. Never once had he spoken those words she had so longed to hear.
She had loved her husband, but she knew her mother had been correct in the statement that she had unresolved feelings for the charismatic paleontologist. Even when Mark was alive, Alan had crept into her thoughts and into her conversations. With a pang of guilt, she wondered if Mark had been aware of those deep obsessive feelings she had possessed for another man, a man she had never quite gotten over. If he had, he had never spoken of them, apparently trusting her to work through them.
Then again, perhaps he had been too busy to notice. Like Alan, Mark�s time had frequently been consumed by his work. His position at the State Department was not nine to five. It had been necessary for him to be available when needed. Many meals and birthday parties had been interrupted when he had been called away on some emergency that required his attention.
Less than a week after his visit, Alan had called her on a satellite phone with a brief but desperate cry for help. "Ellie!" he had shouted to be heard over the angry roar of a huge carnivore that had almost drowned out his voice. "Site B!" At that moment, the call had been disconnected, striking immediate fear in her heart for his safety. She knew where he was, and that he was in mortal danger.
She had summoned her husband, Mark, for help, and he had given it, sending squadrons of navy and marines to the island to rescue the survivors of the expedition, but her worry did not abate until she heard Alan�s voice on the phone, assuring her of his well-being, and thanking her for her quick action. She had saved his life, he had told her gratefully. She had sensed something else in his voice, something on his mind that he wanted to say to her, but in the end, it had remained unspoken. She had not spoken to him since. A few months later, her entire world had caved in around her, and Alan had not so much as phoned to offer his condolences. Although she had defended him against her mother�s criticism, she was beginning to wonder if Ilene had been correct. Perhaps Alan really didn�t care for her as she had believed.
She felt a hand on her arm, and she raised her head, startled by the touch. Miguel was leaning over her, concern on his dark face.
"Are you ill, Se�ora?" he asked.
She shook her head. "No, I�m all right."
"Are you sure? You no look so good."
She managed a weak smile. "I�m fine. How much longer?"
"That�s what I come to tell you. You can see it from here." He raised his arm, pointing out the cockpit window.
Ellie rose slowly to her feet, clinging to the seatbacks for support as she made her way toward the front of the plane to stare at the swatch of land that had appeared on the western horizon. At first, it was little more than a gray shadow lying on top of the brilliant blue of the ocean, but as they drew nearer, the topographical characteristics began to take shape.
In appearance, Isla Sorna was very similar to Isla Nublar, but on a much larger scale. She had known that it would have to be larger to support the colonies of large plant eaters. She could see the dense forests that blanketed the slopes and rises, a beautiful, rugged wilderness that belied the savagery of the creatures that inhabited it.
Eustacio began talking excitedly, inciting alarm in the woman who could not understand what he was saying.
She turned to Miguel. "What�s wrong?"
Miguel pointed to a dark object that was flying toward them from the island.
She looked, but did not instantly understand his concern. The object appeared to be nothing more than a large bird skimming the surface for fish. At first, the bird seemed to fly aimlessly, changing direction and speed, an action typical of a sea gull or pelican searching the shallows for fish.
Finally, the creature spied the Cessna and moved in for a closer look. It�s long wings lifted and soared, carrying it effortlessly on the currents and updrafts above the water. It slowed as it neared the Cessna, its eyes curiously observing the aircraft. It was much larger than a gull or a pelican, and Ellie felt a jolt, recognizing the creature for what it was. The featherless body, the long leathery, bat like wings, and the conical protrusion on its head left no doubt that this was another of InGen�s unholy creations, and was likely the creature that had inspired Alan�s concerns about possible migration from the island.
"Oh, my God!" she gasped in disbelief.
She sat down and pressed her face against the window to watch with mute fascination as the Pteranodon tilted its head to look at her with a yellow eye as it soared past. She saw its beak open as it uttered a malevolent cry that Ellie could not hear through the thick window, then it moved off, apparently having lost interest, or perhaps realizing that it could not reach the humans inside. A moment later, it dipped one clawed foot beneath the water�s surface, and withdrew a large fish. With the fish clutched in its grasp, it shifted direction back to the island.
"The first time we came, they swarmed around us," Miguel explained. "We thought they were going to attack the plane, but they backed off. Since then, they no bother us. They just look, and then fly away."
Ellie�s heart was pounding with the unexpected excitement and astonishment of seeing the winged beast. "A Pteranodon!" she exclaimed. "I never expected to see one!"
Miguel nodded. "Si�. That�s what Se�or Grant called them. You must be careful. Maybe they could carry you off, eh?"
"Maybe," she responded.
The Cessna was nearing the island. They were near enough, now, to see the pristine sandy beaches, unmarred by trash and other garbage discarded by humans in civilization. Beyond the beach was the primeval forest.
The airplane soared over the beach and over the lush green forests until they found the narrow airstrip that cut a concrete path through a long meadow.
Ellie felt somewhat surprised to see the long strip of concrete in the middle of such a primitive place, a reminder of the purpose it had served during InGen�s days of research and creativity.
The pilot gradually reduced altitude, and came in for the landing. It glided to a stop, and Miguel opened the hatch and stepped outside on the top step to look around, as if reluctant to leave the shelter of the aircraft. Ellie knew the airplane would be little protection against a T-Rex attack, but she made no comment as she joined him at the door.
There was no sign of Alan.
Fear gripped Ellie�s heart. "I don�t see him," she said, speaking almost in Miguel�s ear from behind.
He jumped, alarmed by at her abrupt comment, and glanced at her over his shoulder.
"Maybe he be late," he suggested.
"Alan�s never late for anything," Ellie replied, anxiously.
Eustacio crowded close to his cousin, and the American woman, and all three stared at the treeline, searching for any indication of human life. All they saw was the fronds and leaves waving softly in the gentle breeze. There was no sound, only an intense, eerie silence.
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