After hours of lying awake in tense silence, gazing into the darkened jungle and waiting for the alarm to signal the arrival of a dangerous intruder, exhaustion finally overtook the two scientists who finally managed to drift off to sleep well into the night. They slept undisturbed for less than four hours before the very vocal howler monkeys in the treetops heralded the dawn with their loud calls.
Howler monkeys have a territorial habit of starting and ending each day by inquiring through their raucous calls where their nearest neighbors are. The calls are answered by other males within hearing distance, establishing boundaries and foraging rights. It was those loud calls that penetrated Ellie�s slumber, bringing her awake.
With a yawn, she rolled over onto her back and gazed up into the treetops overhead, mildly surprised that she had gotten any sleep at all. She could not see the noisemaker, for it was not directly above them, but perhaps a quarter mile away, and she understood that as long as they were in the monkeys� territory, they would likely be awakened each morning by their calls.
Turning her head, she looked over at the sensor panel to assure herself that all was well. A tremendous sense of relief washed over her at the sight of that tiny green light that glowed on Hammond�s generous and thoughtful gift. They had made it through the night with no events. Moving her eyes to Alan, she saw that he too was awake, his hands folded behind his head.
�We�ll start down the mountainside today, and hopefully we�ll be out of their territory soon,� he said, obvious indication of the monkeys.
�Good! That is not the kind of alarm clock I want to wake up to each day!�
�Well,� he said cheerfully. �I guess nothing came into the camp last night. I�m a little surprised we didn�t see any visitors at all, not even a curious monkey or kinkajou.�
�Speaking of which, I�m glad some native species have survived,� Ellie said, then looked up into the treetops and added, �Although I�d like to wring that howler�s scrawny little neck for waking us up at the crack of dawn! Especially since I had trouble going to sleep last night.�
�Yeah, I had a little trouble myself,� he admitted. �Our first night out in the open. I kept my ear cocked toward the console, expecting the alarm to go off.�
�Same here.�
Alan yawned and sat up, dragging his hand slowly across his bristly face. �I imagine I�m starting to look like a bum. If we find a fresh water source like a steam or river, I need to shave. I don�t want to use our drinking water for that.�
Ellie grinned, amused. She had rarely seen him so scruffy-looking. Even on dig sites, his morning routine had always included a shave. �I don�t know, I think you�re kind of cute with the hobo look.� Then she glanced at her legs and quickly changed her mind. Rubbing her hand up and down the stubbly hairs, she sighed. �Maybe I�d better join you at that creek.�
Now it was Alan�s turn to be amused. �What, the hobo look is okay for me but not for you?�
She pretended she had not heard that. �When we do find that fresh water source, think it would be okay to take a bath in it?� she asked, longingly. �I brought some soap with us, but I guess I didn�t give much thought to just how sweaty and grimy we would get out here. Do you realize how many days it�s been since either of us have had a shower?�
�Sure, I don�t see why we couldn�t bathe in a river or stream when we reach one,� he agreed. �The animals probably drink from the tributaries, but the current will dissipate the soap pretty quickly, so it shouldn�t have any effect on them.�
�That�s something to look forward to,� Ellie said. �It wouldn�t hurt to rinse out our clothes, either. I never really thought to ask; where does the water in the streams and rivers come from? This is an island, after all, and rivers don�t have a lot of space and tributaries to build from.�
He shrugged. �I never really thought about it, either. There�s a lot of runoff from all the rain around here, plus there may be some underground streams that make their way to the surface.�
�Well, I guess I�d better rustle us up something for breakfast, since there is no way we could get back to sleep with all that racket going on!�
While Ellie rummaged through the packs for something to prepare for their meal, Alan withdrew the map from his pack and plotted their course over the next few days. Unfortunately, the map did not have a mileage scale, making it difficult to calculate how far they could travel in a given amount of time, but he supposed there was no rush anyway. By the time he had decided upon the route and direction, Ellie was passing out fruit and nut bars.
Most of the day passed almost as uneventfully as it had the day before, with endless walking through the jungle in the shade of the high canopy. Occasionally they saw smaller inhabitants of the rain forest; tree frogs and poison dart frogs clung to the trunks and fronds with tiny suction-cup feet, a beautiful Blue Morpho butterfly rested on the lacy leaf of a fern, and the colorful but deadly coral snake was curled in a mossy nook beneath a shrub. Sometimes they saw hummingbirds flitting and darting among the jungle flowers, and they heard many cicadas in the trees calling incessantly for a mate. With each sighting of a native species, they stopped to record it on film.
�This must be the most beautiful spot on the island,� Ellie commented as she stopped to watch a hummingbird moving from one flower to another, its tiny wings a blur of motion. �We�re seeing nature in its purest form up here. We�ve heard frogs near water sources on the flatlands, but the colors of all the creatures up here are amazing. And I�ve never seen a blue morpho butterfly in the wild before. I�ve only seen them pinned to a mat and framed in museums.�
�I�ve seen some frogs and different colors of butterflies in the lower elevations, although not this abundant,� Alan told her. �The only dinosaurs that are small enough to bother with trying to catch them would be the compies, and I imagine they learned quickly to stay away from the toxic amphibians and poisonous snakes. I�ve seen them go for the butterflies and dragonflies, though. You know, we still haven�t seen any ground-dwelling mammals.�
Ellie sighed. �So, we�re back to the fact that the only animals here are those who tend to stay in the trees or have toxic defenses. As a human, that doesn�t build much confidence, you know.�
He shrugged. �Curious, isn�t it? Especially since we haven�t seen any evidence of the dinosaurs yet.� He looked around the jungle that surrounded them. �Still, I have the strangest feeling that they�re up here, somewhere.�
Ellie felt a shiver run up her spine. �I wish you hadn�t said that.�
They proceeded in the same general direction throughout the early morning hours, traveling along the mountain range�s natural line, but she knew Alan was plotting a route down the slopes using the map to determine the safest path. A few hours before noon, they shifted direction and began their trek down the mountainside. Some of the slopes were steeper than indicated on the diagram, forcing them to travel out of their way seeking a path that was more suitable for foot traffic.
�Unless there is an easier way up and down these slopes, it�s no wonder we haven�t seen any dinosaurs!� Ellie exclaimed as she maneuvered her way down a rocky grade. �It didn�t look this steep from the air.�
�The foliage is deceptive when viewed from the helicopter or airplane,� Alan agreed, several yards ahead of her. �You can�t see beneath it, so you have no idea what the terrain is. And this map isn�t much help, I�m afraid. It�s incomplete in some areas.�
He reached the bottom first, and reached up to offer his hand. She gladly accepted, placing her hand in his, and picked her way carefully down the remaining grade. The path leveled off again at the bottom, and they continued their way through the jungle.
The mountainous regions of Isla Sorna were very diverse, and by late afternoon, the jungle through which they were passing had increased in density. The towering ceiba trees grew farther apart, allowing smaller trees and shrubs access to light and forced Alan and Ellie into single file in some places just to get through the dense tangle of foliage.
Birds of varying species made their unique calls from the treetops and from the shrubs all around them. Sometimes one would take flight from a shrub as they pushed through it, startling them with its nearness, and one fluttered along the path in front of them, making distress calls and attempting to lure them away from its nest.
As they passed through one particularly dense section of the jungle, Alan paused to allow Ellie to take the lead. Using both hands, she pushed the fronds aside and pushed her way through. As he fell in line behind her, Alan heard a rustling in the foliage on his right and a twittering call that sounded similar to the many bird calls they had heard that day . . . and yet it sounded different enough to attract his attention.
Coming to a complete halt, he turned to his right and studied the many trees, ferns, and shrubs that made up the dense undergrowth. No bird materialized, but of the corner of his eye, he thought he detected the barest illusion of movement through the brush before it vanished, leaving him to wonder if he had seen it at all. Narrowing his eyes, he peered intently at the densely crowded cluster of jungle flora, but his careful scrutiny failed to pinpoint any living creature. He saw only the quiet trees and the gently nodding fronds.
An uneasy feeling crawled up his spine, like the feeling one has when being watched by an unseen entity. The jungle was unsettlingly eerie if one thought about it too long, and his puzzlement over the lack of ground-dwelling animals on this island was enough to spook anyone. They had seen no sign of dinosaurs at all in this location; no tracks, no droppings, no vocalizations. It would be easy to conclude that there were none at this altitude. But Alan was not convinced. His many months on the island had afforded him an instinct about the creatures that lived there, and at that moment all his senses were on high alert. Something was out there, and he knew it was near and probably watching him.
�Alan?� Ellie�s voice reached his ears from the other side of the frond-covered path. She had apparently stopped ahead of him to wait.
Alan flinched, startled by her sudden query, but covered it well. �I�m coming,� he replied, keeping his voice neutral, although he suddenly felt very anxious to keep her close to him. With one last glance around the jungle, he pushed his way through the fronds and branches until he caught up with her.
She was waiting for him on the other side of the clump of foliage, and smiled when she saw him. �Find anything interesting back there?� she asked. She was totally unconcerned that he had fallen behind, for he had occasionally stopped to scrutinize the ground or broken fronds more closely looking for tracks, scat, or other indications of animal or dinosaur habitation. Sometimes she stopped with him, sometimes she continued on, apparently finding some comfort in the fact that they had yet to encounter any danger and knowing that he would quickly catch up.
�No,� he lied, electing to keep his worries to himself for the moment. �Nothing yet.�
A guilty feeling washed over him like an unwelcome tide. He did not like withholding things from her, but he really had no tangible confirmation that anything was out there, only his gut feeling, and it seemed pointless to alarm her until he knew for certain. As they resumed their walk, he kept his eyes and ears tuned to the sounds of the jungle. From this point forward, he would have to be extra cautious.
They continued on for several more hours. The jungle began to open up a bit more, allowing room for the two humans to walk side by side and providing better visibility through the trees and shrubs, but Alan did not breathe any easier. He heard the peculiar calls again, this time on his left, and felt the hair on the back of his neck lift in response to it. His head automatically turned toward it, his eyes moving from shrub to shrub in search of it, but again he saw nothing. Whatever it was, it was not as near as the first time, but it seemed to be either following them or moving in the same general direction.
Without stopping or allowing Ellie to get ahead of him, he carefully reached behind and unzipped the side pocket on his backpack and reached inside, verifying that the pistol was within easy access. His hand closed briefly around the handle, but he did not withdraw it from the pack. Satisfied that he could get to it quickly, he removed his hand and zipped it only part way up, just enough to keep it from slipping out during the trek.
Ellie noticed the movement, but remained unsuspecting of its source. �Something wrong?� she asked, noticing that he had moved his hand from his back.
�Back pack�s getting a bit heavy.�
His reply was rather evasive, but she did not seem to notice. �Yeah, so�s mine.� She paused to listen as the peculiar twittering calls resonated through the jungle again. �That�s a strange sounding bird, isn�t it?�
If that�s what it is, Alan thought.
He stopped walking and placed a hand on her arm to stop her as well. If it was following them, then it was time to get to the bottom of it. �I�ve heard it several times, but I can�t place what it is. Let�s see if we can flush it out, just to satisfy my curiosity.�
She nodded her agreement, and they moved cautiously toward the direction of the sounds. Alan withdrew his shock prod from its loop and held it ready in the event of attack. For several moments, there was no sound at all, and then there was a sudden flutter of wings as an emerald toucanet burst from the brush and took flight, startling both humans into taking a quick step back to avoid the beating wings. At the same time, Alan�s sharp ears detected something else retreating through the brush in the opposite direction.
Ellie instinctively ducked as the bird soared past her head so close that she could feel the breeze generated by the flapping wings. Recovering from the surprise, she gave a shaky laugh. �Well, I guess that solves that mystery! I�ve heard it several times too, but had no idea what it was.�
Alan scanned the area, his eyes moving slowly from tree to shrub. �I don�t think that�s what made the sound, but whatever it was, I don�t think it�s here any more. At the same time the bird flew, I heard something else in the brush over there.� He pointed to his left. �It sounded like it was moving away from us.�
She eyed him carefully. She knew him well, and realized he wasn�t telling her everything. �Are you thinking it was some kind of dinosaur?�
�I don�t know,� he answered honestly. �I�ve seen and heard a lot of dinosaurs since coming to this island, but I�ve never heard one make a sound like that before. But we also know there may be species we�ve never seen before up here.�
They stood quietly for several moments, both of them contemplating the lush tropical foliage that surrounded them, observing and listening carefully. Except for the normal hoots and screeches of the birds in the trees and the shrill trilling of the cicadas, it was calm and quiet. The creatures in the tree tops were not disturbed, indicating that if it was a dangerous predator, it was not a large one.
Finally, Alan shook his head slowly. �Well, whatever it was, it�s gone,� he said with reasonable certainty.
Ellie rubbed her bare arms as if to smooth down the gooseflesh that had risen. �Maybe there was nothing there at all except the toucan we saw,� she said, hopefully. �Or maybe some small mammal scurrying away.�
�Maybe,� he agreed, but both of them knew he was not convinced.
After casting one last look around the area, Alan and Ellie resumed their original path. Alan continued to be extra observant of his surroundings, and his alert demeanor was a constant reminder to Ellie that he believed the animal in question was probably a dinosaur. Whether it was carnivore or herbivore, there was no way of knowing.
A short time later a small clearing opened up before them. Dominating the small open space was a tall, craggy bluff that rose more than twenty feet high, high enough to provide excellent protection against attack, and jutting off to one side was an extension that formed an L shape before bending back and continuing onward into the foliage. The area inside the L was more than ten feet deep.
Alan glanced at his watch and saw that it was only a little after four o�clock, far earlier than he had intended to stop, but the uneasy feeling persisted, and he was anxious to get settled within the protective laser barrier. Giving a cautious glance behind him into the jungle, a look that Ellie did not fail to notice, he said, �Well, it�s a bit early, but we�d be foolish to bypass a campsite like this one. This is better than I could have hoped for.�
His voice seemed a little too jovial for a casual observation, but Ellie was pleased that they would be making camp early. �That�s good,� she said. �My feet are getting sore.�
Alan looked at the bluff, his eyes tracking its position until it disappeared into the jungle. �Unfortunately, we�ll have to find a way around it in the morning,� he added. �It looks like it goes on for a long way in both directions.�
They walked into the L shape area of the bluff and deposited their gear near the earthen walls, looking around at their campsite. The walls were rough and ragged, and high above were trees growing near the edge that shaded the area below.
Ellie immediately sat down to rest. �Why haven�t we seen any streams or creeks?� she asked, her hand going to her shoulder to massage the soreness. �We�ve been walking for three days, and I know these animals have to drink!�
Alan sat down beside her. �Well, they�re here. Our path just doesn�t seem to be taking us close to one.� He indicated her shoulder. �Did you injure yourself?�
�No, it�s just sore from the weight of the pack. It�ll limber up. The blister on my foot hurts worse. Dipping it in a nice cool stream sure would have been nice.�
He gave a nod of understanding. �I know what you mean. My broken ribs are feeling a bit sore. The backpack rests right on that spot.�
Ellie was immediately concerned. It had been barely five weeks since he had been butted by the Pachycephalosaurus. He had not complained and many things had happened since then, so it had easily been forgotten, but obviously it was still causing some discomfort. �Maybe we should stay here for a few days, just until your ribs get to feeling better,� she suggested. �This is a pretty good spot, as far as shelter goes.�
�Nah, I�m all right. Besides, we haven�t yet seen any of the animals we�re looking for yet, so I�d rather not waste the time. There is a box canyon on the map that I�m thinking will make an excellent base camp once we get there, and it�ll give us both a rest from carrying all this gear around. There�s a water source there,� he added with a smile.
She perked up considerably. �Really? How far away is it?�
�I think a couple of days, if we make good time.� He knelt down and started gathering up stones that littered the ground inside their protective barrier. Ellie knew he was gathering stones for the fire pit, and squatted down to help. The stones were piled in one spot, and when they had enough they began clearing out a circular area for the fire pit, leaving plenty of room behind it for them to move around within the camping area. Then, to her surprise, Alan began making a second circle about ten feet away from the first one and closer to the bluff.
Ellie felt a sudden chill in spite of the warm temperature, understanding that he was making a fire barrier. For some reason he wanted extra protection that night. �Alan, did you see something out there that you haven�t told me?�
He paused briefly, confirming that he felt apprehensive about something, then said, ��Not really.�
�What do you mean, �not really�?�
�It�s more of a feeling. I don�t want you to feel alarmed because it may be my imagination, but . . . �
�But what?� she prompted when he paused. �Alan, you�re scaring me!�
He looked up. �I�m sorry. That isn�t my intent. I just can�t be sure. For a while when we were walking out there, I had the feeling that we were being watched. I never saw anything and I never heard anything except rustling in the bushes and that strange birdlike call that we couldn�t identify. I just felt . . . uneasy.�
Ellie�s scalp prickled, like an unseen hand tickling the roots of her hair, and she rubbed her hands nervously up and down her arms as she looked out at the jungle around them. It was dense, crowding close to their bluff in a formidable fashion. �Why didn�t you tell me?� she asked, feeling somewhat offended and more than a little nervous.
�I didn�t want to scare you because I couldn�t be sure there was anything out there. It could be the density of the jungle making me jittery. I haven�t seen anything at all to make me think it was a predator, so we�ll just go about our business as usual, but with a fire barrier between us and the outside. Just in case.�
Absently, she rearranged some of the rocks in the first fire pit, even though they were perfectly fine the way they were. After a few moments of silence that indicated she was still miffed, she nodded. �Okay, but don�t keep things like that from me again. If you feel there is danger out there, I deserve to know about it. I�m a part of this team, remember?�
He nodded. �I know you are. I just didn�t want to alarm you if it was nothing.�
�I appreciate that you wanted to spare me from worrying, but you aren�t being fair to me. I�m a scientist too, and I can�t be an effective part of this team unless you�re honest with me. Knowing there is danger out there is not going to make me panic or behave irrationally. I might be scared, but I am level headed, or at least that�s what you used to tell me.�
Alan smiled in response. �You are indeed level headed,� he agreed.
�Okay, now that we�ve got that straight, let�s get those sensors set up right away, before it starts getting dark.�
Without delay, they removed the sensors from their case, extended the rods, and began placing them in a semi-circle in front of the bluff, beginning at one side approximately thirty feet out, and ending at the other side of the bluff, still maintaining the thirty foot margin throughout. Because they were not completely encircling the campsite, they placed the sensor rods closer together. When they were all in position, they tested them to make certain it was working properly, then, as they returned to the camp, they paused to gather some dry wood from a nearby downed tree. Using dry leaves as kindling, Alan built a fire in the first pit, but placed both kindling and wood in the other pit, preparing it for use later in the night. Extra wood was gathered and stacked against the bluff. Alan hoped they would not need it, but he did not want to run out of wood at a crucial moment.
Then as they settled in for the evening, Alan leaned back against the stone wall of the bluff and withdrew his journal from his pack. After pressing the barrel of his ink pen against his lips for several moments in thought, he applied the pen to the paper and began documenting the strange sounds he had heard in the jungle and his feelings of being watched.
It still wasn�t dark yet, but Ellie opened up the ice chest and looked through the packages of food items to make a selection for supper. After a few moments of consideration, she withdrew the packet containing the chicken breasts. There was no flour or batter to fry them in, but they could be browned in the skillet and seasoned. She set them aside and withdrew the packet of instant mashed potatoes as a side dish. Again, there would be no gravy for them, but they could make due with the seasonings.
Just as she was grasping the packet of chicken above and below the small nick in the foil to aid in opening, she suddenly stopped. Turning it in her hand, she looked at the label with a sudden felling of trepidation.
�Damn it,� she said.
Ellie was not inclined to curse, so when she did it was unusual enough to make Alan look up from his journal. �What�s wrong?�
She turned the packet around for him to see. �I was going to fix us a chicken dinner, but if those things out there turn out to be predators, the smell of our food cooking will bring them right in.�
�They already know we�re here,� Alan mused. �They were either following us or going the same direction we were. But you�re right, if they hadn�t been inclined to come into the camp, cooking meat over an open fire would certainly be too tempting to resist. I guess we�d better save items of that nature for camps that are more secure, like that niche up on the bluff.�
�Camps like that are going to be few and far between, if we ever find another one at all,� Ellie said. With a sigh, she returned the packets to the cooler. �I guess its peanut butter sandwiches tonight, just to be safe.�
He smiled. �Chicken would have been good, but you�re right. Peanut butter is the safest choice.�
�We haven�t come across any of the dinosaurs yet,� she said. �Even if there are some in the area, they might not be predators.�
�That�s true,� he agreed, turning his attention back to his journal, but even though he was looking at the page, he wasn�t actually seeing it. It was true that they hadn�t seen any predators yet and as of yet there was no confirmation that the creatures they had heard in the jungle during the day were predators either, but that did not mean they weren�t there. They both knew all too well that caution was the key to survival out here.
Ellie opened the bread bag and withdrew four slices, then spread peanut butter on them. As she worked, she cast frequent glances into the jungle that surrounded them. The sun was beginning to slip behind the western mountain peaks, and dusk was settling over the campsite. �You know, anything we cook on the fire is likely to attract predators and scavengers, regardless of whether it�s meat or not� she mused. �Even something as mundane as pork and beans, which everyone knows doesn�t have any real pork in it, except that little bit of fat.�
�Pork and beans are good right out of the can.�
�What about those boil and serve packets?� she asked, her mind still pondering how she would keep them well-fed in such a dangerous area. �They�re heated inside the plastic, and won�t have any smell until we open them.�
He considered that for a moment, and the impact of John Hammond�s generosity was becoming clear. �You know, anything we fix, cooked or uncooked, is going to be detected by animals that are nearby. Their sense of smell is greater than ours. Look at all the predators that converged on the Spinosaurus, many of them from miles away.�
�Yet we have to eat.�
He gazed out into the darkening landscape for several moments, pondering the necessity of feeding themselves in a dangerous jungle. �All right, I guess we will do better to not cook anything unless we have a really safe place, like we did that first night. Even though predators might smell anything we eat, the fire and smoke will carry the smells farther into the jungle.�
�Okay,� she agreed. Completing the task of preparing their sandwiches, she secured the lid on the peanut butter jar and put it and the loaf of bread away.
Alan put away his journal, carefully securing it inside his backpack, and took the sandwich that Ellie offered. �You know, this is going to be the biggest book I�ve ever written. It�s going to take me a year just to go through the notes I�ve made in the journals to sort out what is relevant and what isn�t.�
�I�ll help you,� she offered. �And there are the photographs, too, for illustration. We�ll have to get those developed and decide which ones you want to include in the book. And the video we have would make a great television documentary.�
He looked up and quickly tried to swallow the bite of peanut butter sandwich, not an easy task for something that has a tendency to stick rather stubbornly to the roof of the mouth. �Television?�
�Sure. Why not? You know they�re going to ask.�
Alan gave a shrug and took a drink of water to wash down the bite of sandwich, giving the impression to Ellie that he was not interested. After a few minutes of thoughtful silence, he said, �There are a lot of legalities to muddle through.�
She looked up. �Hm?�
�With doing a television documentary. There will probably be a bunch of squabbling suits from the different networks vying for my attention.� He shook his head, apparently shying away from the idea. �I don�t know about this.�
�Are you actually considering it?� she asked, surprised.
�Maybe. I don�t know. I had been thinking more along the lines of using the footage as a teaching film for students of paleontology, not an entertainment venue.�
She looked at him for a long moment, recognizing again the longing in his eyes that she had seen many times since her arrival on the island. �You miss it, don�t you?�
�Yeah, I do.� He sighed, heavily. �I guess a teaching film for students is a moot subject, since I don�t know if paleontology courses will ever be offered again.�
�It can be made and produced as a documentary, which is still a teaching tool, even if we have to do it for the general public. Almost everyone is interested in dinosaurs. Alan, you�ve worked hard, even risked your life for this. There is nothing wrong with bringing it into the entertainment world. I keep thinking about something John Hammond said when we first arrived on Isla Nublar. He was very excited about what he had, and he made the comment that everyone in the world should be able to enjoy these animals. Of course I�m totally against opening another theme park, but they could see them on film. See what they are really like.�
Alan was quiet for several moments, thinking about that. It was true that people all over the world were interested in dinosaurs, and presenting them in a documentary had the potential of reaching a huge audience. But for some, he knew, seeing them on film would not be enough. There were always the daredevils and fools. �What if it makes everyone and their grannies want to come down here to see them for themselves? Then I�ve created something that could lead to a lot of deaths. I don�t want that on my head.�
�The Costa Rican government has already taken precautions by restricting the airspace and the surrounding waters. They�ve been pretty diligent about patrolling and enforcing it, especially after what happened with Eric and that guy parasailing near the shore last year. Besides, everyone already knows that this island exists and they know there are dinosaurs here.�
�And there have been deaths from curious fools who want to see them for themselves. A documentary might just make some people want to try to get under the radar, even some who might not otherwise do something so foolish.�
�Yeah, I know. That is something that will have to be considered. Maybe Hammond�s people should try to help come up with some new technology to help keep people away. After all, these are really InGen�s responsibility.�
�But if I release these images as a public documentary, then I bear some responsibility as well for generating more interest,� Alan insisted. �I have to reconcile myself with that. And then there are still the executives who know absolutely nothing about these animals, but will most certainly have their own idea of how it should be presented, which probably will not be anything akin to fact.�
She leaned forward eagerly. �You can lay out your own terms and stick to them. I guarantee, these guys are going to be falling all over themselves and each other to get your presentation on their network! They�ll almost certainly start out trying to play hardball, but you just wait and see. They�ll give in if you stand your ground. You have something here that no one else has ever done before, and they�re going to want it bad!�
�Everything I�ve done here, I�ve done for science, for knowledge, for learning. Not some kind of media sensationalism. And mark my word, that�s exactly what they�ll be shooting for. Some kind of melodramatic fictional account of life on this island. Monsters and theatrical exaggeration. Jaws meets Godzilla.�
�I�ll have Mark�s attorney review any contract they bring up, and we�ll make absolutely certain that it�s done OUR way.�
�If I decide to do this, and I haven�t made up my mind yet, there are still a lot of details to work out. You�ll help me with that?�
�Of course! You know I will!�
�Then I�ll think about it.�
After they finished their meal, they leaned back against the earthen walls of the bluff and listened to the sounds of the jungle, all the while keeping an ear cocked to the control panel. For the moment, it was silent.
�You�re sure that thing�s working, right?� Ellie asked, observing the tiny green light on the console.
�Positive. We checked and double checked.�
She yawned. �I�m pretty sleepy, after lying awake most of last night.�
�Maybe we should retire early. Get an early start in the morning.�
�Sounds like a good idea.�
Taking a burning twig from the main fire, he carried it to the second fire pit and ignited the kindling that he had already placed in it. He then added some more wood to both of them so that they would burn a while longer, then they spread their blankets on the hard ground and retired for the night.
Alan and Ellie were jolted from a sound sleep by a high pitched mechanical sound, so abrupt, loud, and foreign in this remote location that it seemed confusing and terribly out of place. Both sat bolt upright on their blankets, their eyes instantly drawn to the control panel; the source of the startling noise. The small green light had been replaced by a larger, bright red light that was blinking urgently, alerting them to the fact that something had broken one of the laser beams that marked the perimeter of their campsite.
Ellie�s heart leaped into her throat, making it suddenly difficult to breath for its anxious pounding. �Oh, God,� she groaned.
After the initial shock of being so suddenly awakened wore off, Alan felt surprisingly calm and composed, and his scientist�s mind quickly took control. First, they had to determine what it was and what the danger level was. If it was a dinosaur, then it was what they had come here for and what he had expected would eventually happen. It had been only a matter of time before something broke the sensor.
�Its sensor number three,� he said, pointing toward his left, to the area between #3 and #4. �It�s coming from over there.� He knew without looking at Ellie that she was likely very unsettled at being awakened so suddenly. �We knew this would happen eventually,� he reminded her. �It may be something harmless, and if it isn�t we have time to react.�
The piercing sounds from the console continued to buzz in a distracting fashion, so he reached for the control panel and pressed the button to cancel the alarm. Instantly, silence fell over the camp. For several moments, both of them peered in the general direction where they had placed the sensor, listening carefully. They saw nothing in the intense darkness of the jungle, but they could hear the sounds of something moving through the brush. Ellie felt the hair on the back of her neck come to attention.
�It�s coming toward us,� Alan confirmed.
The fires had died down to embers, which glowed dully as they struggled to stay alive as it consumed the last of the wood they had placed on it before retiring for the night. Quickly and calmly, Alan went to the woodpile and began adding sticks, dry rotted wood, and twigs to the embers to build up the fires again. Within moments, he had brought up the first fire enough that illuminated the campsite without turning it into a bonfire. Then he moved to the other fire pit and added wood to that one as well. His shadow flickered like a ghostly specter on the stone wall of the bluff behind them as he moved, and occasionally the burning wood popped and crackled as it greedily consumed the fresh fuel.
Ellie did not have to ask why he had built up the fire. Wild animals were generally wary of fire, and could be held at bay by a strong blaze. She remembered an incident in Montana where they had kept a curious mountain lion at bay by utilizing their campfire. She would never forget the wild beauty of the big cat as it had circled their camp, drawn by the smell of their food, or the hair-raising screams it made as it tried to get past the fire.
The strange twittering sounds they had heard earlier broke the silence of the jungle, attracting their attention again. Whatever the creature was, it was just out of reach of the light from their fire.
�Can you see it?� Ellie asked.
�Not yet.�
�Those are the same sounds we were hearing earlier,� Ellie observed. �You were right; they were obviously not a bird.�
Scooting backward to the gear she had stored against the bluff, she reached into her pack and groped around for her flashlight. When her fingers closed around the smooth object, she withdrew it and flipped it on, aiming the strong beam of light in the direction indicated by the sensor. For several moments she and Alan stared into the jungle, following the flashlight beam as she moved it slowly to the left, searching for the creature they knew was there. She stopped the beam briefly on a boulder that stood fifteen yards out before identifying it and proceeding again.
The first pass of the flashlight failed to reveal anything ominous, and for a few moments she dared to hope that perhaps the intruder was something innocuous, perhaps a lumbering sloth that had made a rare trip to the ground to change trees, but as she moved the light slowly back to the right the beam found a radiant yellow orb shining at roughly shoulder height and the dark silhouette of an unidentified creature some twenty yards back. The glowing orb briefly disappeared, and a second orb replaced it. Gooseflesh rose on her arms, and she could not suppress a shudder of fear. It had stopped, and was observing them, first through one eye and then the other, indicating that the eyes were on the sides of its head, confirming the genus but not the individual species.
�I can�t tell what it is,� she said, her voice trembling slightly at the eerie silhouette that was standing so near, watching them with those luminous eyes. �Can you see it?�
�Not very well. It�s bi-pedal, but I don�t think it�s a raptor.�
That was only small consolation, and Ellie took no great relief from that knowledge. The raptor was the most intelligent of the predators, but there were others that were just as deadly.
The alarm sounded again causing them both to jump in startled reflex, and they both glanced down at the second red light that was blinking on the control panel, indicating that another beam had been broken almost directly in front of them. Ellie�s heart took another leap. �There�s another one!� she exclaimed. There was a note of panic in her voice. �Number eight!�
Alan bent down to silence the alarm. Rising up again, he squinted into the darkness, seeking the identity of the intruders. As before, he could hear it moving through the brush. It did not step heavily, as a Tyrannosaurus Rex would, but moved slowly through the brush. It clearly was not trying to conceal its movements, indicating that it felt no need for stealth. It was almost certainly a predator.
Ellie�s flashlight abandoned the first creature and moved to the second, its beam quickly detecting the eerie eye shine, and experienced the same shudder of fear and revulsion that it had inspired before. Apparently apprehensive about the bright light shining in its face, it immediately came to a stop, as if trying to determine if they were dangerous to it.
Alan kept his eyes on the creature as he pulled his backpack toward him with the other, and fumbled inside it for the other flashlight. When he found it, he withdrew it and flipped it on, shining it directly at the first creature, the one on his left. While their attention had been directed at the second one, it had moved closer and now stood in full view, not more than eight yards from the campfire. It opened its jaws and roared as the bright light temporarily blinded it. Its mouth, he noticed, were filled with sharp teeth.
It was close enough now to distinguish physical characteristics, and Alan observed it carefully, noting the long neck and the pair of bony, almost semicircular crests on its head. �Dilophosaurus,� he said quietly. �A young one, from the size of it.�
Ellie�s scalp prickled, for it was another dangerous predator. �You haven�t mentioned them before. Is this the first one you�ve seen here?�
�Yes. I�ve been all over the area near the compound, and I�ve never encountered one. I know they had at least one on Nublar, but we didn�t get to see it. Malcolm�s expedition did not encounter them either. I was to the point of thinking that none had been released on this island. They must have established their own colony up here, away from the raptors and Rexes.� He glanced briefly at the fires, assuring himself that the protective fire barrier would continue blazing for a while. The fires were not extremely high, but he was confident that the wild animals would be stopped by the heat and flames.
Ellie was less convinced of that fact, for she backed away as far as she could, pressing her back against the stony bluff behind her, and wishing desperately that the face of the bluff was not so steep. The two fires offered a wall of flames to protect them, but she would have felt much better had she been able to climb out of reach.
The Dilophosaurus advanced a couple of steps, but then stopped, reluctant to approach the fire. It gave a low rumbling growl, a very different sound than the happy twittering noises it had been making before.
Alan picked up the pistol from its place beside his blanket, and joined Ellie against the bluff. Quickly, he checked the clip and released the safety, and then picked up the shock prod. �Did you bring your mace?�
In the confusion of being startled awake by the alarm on the console, she had forgotten about the mace that she kept in a pocket on her back pack, and she quickly knelt and withdrew it. She held it up so he could see that she had it.
�I don�t think they�ll get past the fires, but should one of them manage it, I�ll shock it first with the prod,� Alan said. �If that doesn�t stop it, blast it in the eyes with the mace. Just be careful that it doesn�t spray toward the fire, or the flames might travel up the fumes to the can.�
She nodded quickly.
�I don�t want to have to kill them,� Alan continued. �If I do, then we may have more, maybe even worse predators converging on us, interested in the kill. We�ll just hold them at bay and hope they�ll get tired of us and go away.�
�Do we have enough firewood to hold them back?� she asked.
He glanced at the stack of wood they had gathered. There was still enough to feed the flames several more times. �Let�s hope so.� He tucked the pistol into his belt, and knelt down again to withdraw the video camera from his pack. As he stood up, he pressed the �rec.� button. �It�s three twenty five a.m.,� he said to the camera after glancing quickly at his watch. He focused for several moments on each dinosaur, first one and then the other, obtaining close-ups through the zoom lens for later study. Then, to Ellie�s surprise, he placed the camera on a small rocky protrusion that existed naturally on the face of the bluff. With the camera recording from its perch, he picked up his weapons again and waited.
Ellie�s eyes held the camera for a long time, feeling strangely disturbed by its watchful, impartial eye. They were on a fact-finding mission in the mountains, to view, study, and document the animals, so it was not surprising that Alan would record this encounter. But if the creatures found a way to breach the fire, the camera could end up recording their deaths. With that troubling thought in mind, she set her mouth in grim determination to help Alan prevent that from happening. Clutching the can of mace in one hand and the flashlight in the other, she focused her attention on the danger at hand.
The heat from the fire was oppressive against their bodies and they were soon perspiring, but it also seemed to be bothering the two dinosaurs. The second Dilophosaurus moved into the light of the fire, and began pacing back and forth in front of it, but it was apparently frustrated and intimidated by the blaze, for it repeatedly dipped its head and shook it, as if irritated by the heat from the fire. The first creature continued to hang back farther than the other, but like its companion, it seemed uncomfortable with the blaze.
�They don�t like the fire,� Alan said, easily interpreting the behavior. �They�ve never felt anything that gives off heat like that.�
�I guess now we know why we haven�t seen any mammals on the ground,� Ellie said, shakily. �These things have been picking them off, so they�ve learned to stay out of reach in the trees.�
�Yeah,� Alan agreed. �I don�t think there is a large population, though, because if so then we should have seen evidence of them before now.�
�How many do you think there are?�
Alan shrugged. �There�s no way of knowing that. These two are juveniles, possibly siblings learning to hunt on their own, so there is at least one breeding pair out there, and probably more.� He paused, wiping his brow with the back of his arm. �Their youth is in our favor, I think.�
The second Dilophosaurus continued to pace back and forth in front of the fire, and once it paused to snap at its slightly smaller sibling, as if warning that it was dominant and therefore claimed feeding rights.
Ellie�s body shuddered violently at the fact that the dinosaurs thought of them as fresh food, and a moment later she felt Alan�s arm go around her shoulders, drawing her into a comforting embrace. �It�ll be okay,� he promised. �I have the gun to use as a last resort.�
Her arm encircled his waist, grateful for the physical contact as they settled back in the corner of their camp, both of them keeping a wary eye on the two predators.
After ten minutes with nothing new occurring in their behavior, Alan decided to turn off the camera to conserve the batteries, and he and Ellie had sat down, their backs against the earthen wall behind them, and watched as the two predators lurked on the other side of the fires. They remained like that for more than an hour, and during the entire time the two dinosaurs paced back and forth in front of the fires, as if trying to find a way to get around them.
�How long is this going to go on?� Ellie asked.
�I figured they would have given up by now,� Alan replied. �On the other hand, that mountain lion hung around the whole night that time in Montana. The fires are dying down,� he observed.
Leaving her, he moved to the wood pile and fed the flames again, depleting the size of their reserves even further.
�What will we do when the wood�s gone?� Ellie asked.
�We�ll have no choice but to take the offensive,� he said as he sat down beside her again.
�You mean shoot them, or throw rocks?� Ellie asked in an attempt at humor.
He chuckled, and to her surprise he picked up a small smooth stone and hurled it over the fire at the dominant creature. It was not a hard throw, but the rock glanced off its shoulder, and the young Dilophosaurus bellowed in anger and confusion, unable to determine what had caused the blow. It snapped at its sibling again, apparently thinking it had nipped. This time, the sibling snapped back resentfully, and a brawl ensued.
Immediately interested, Alan stood up again to better see what was going on, and after a moment picked up the video and turned it on again to record the scuffle. Dust and fronds were tossed into the air as the two juveniles fought, growling and snarling, sometimes rolling and tumbling. Neither seemed to have a clear advantage over the other, and it was apparent that it was not a serious fight, for neither inflicted any meaningful bites or scratches to the other. They were merely settling a dispute.
The skirmish finally ended when a louder, deeper cry erupted from farther out in the jungle, attracting the instant attention of the juveniles. Abandoning their quarrel, they stared into the darkness for several moments, then abandoned the dispute and trotted away. The console alarm sounded as the pair broke the laser beam again, this time going the other direction, and Alan quickly silenced it. The video camera was turned off and returned it to its place inside his pack.
Then he and Ellie stood listening to the fading sounds of the two dinosaurs as they retreated through the foliage into the darkness.
�So are the parents still feeding them?� Ellie wondered aloud.
Alan shrugged. �They�re not infants, but maybe they haven�t learned the skills yet to survive on their own, and mom is still looking out for them. I�ve seen a number of first time moms who looked after their young longer than experienced moms might. Most likely, though, the species travels in family units. These two may have wandered off, and the pack leader is calling them back. The group structure within each species is very interesting.�
Ellie sank down onto the ground again in relief. �That bigger one sure has a hair-trigger, doesn�t he?�
Alan sat down beside her, laying his pistol beside his blanket again. The shock prod was placed nearby. �Yeah. It�s amazing how these things all have their own personalities. Some are playful and docile, while others are dominant and easily angered. Permanently puts to rest the old theory that dinosaurs are stupid lumbering giants.�
�Think they�ll come back?�
�I don�t know, but I hope not.�
He held out his arm, an invitation for her to snuggle closer, and she was only too happy to oblige. Resting her body against his, she laid her head on his shoulder. �So, we survived our first nighttime visit.�
�We�re a good team.�
�And don�t you forget it.�
�Yes, ma�am,� he said with a smile as he rested his cheek against the top of her head.
Go to Chapter 38