The equatorial sun radiated over the white beach that spread along the sea in a stunning ivory crescent. The choruses of the seagulls mingled with the constant drums of the thundering waves crashing against the rocky cliffs. Beyond the shore lay great expanses of tropical, untamed forest. Apart from the seagoing birds and the occasional hermit crab scavenging along the shore, the beach seemed to be utterly devoid of animal life.
Just offshore, a white luxury yacht lay anchored in the tropical lagoon, its occupants settled on the coast. A picnic table was carefully being prepared out by two ship hands, dressed in white uniforms, as they laid out luncheon service– fine china, silver, crystal decanters with red and white wine. Paul Bowman, a middle aged man sat off to the side in a heavily padded wooden chase lounge, his head buried in the monochromatic maze of his newspaper while his wife, a painfully thin woman who's had her eyes done more than once, supervised the settings of the table. "That looks wonderful. Beautiful day."
She looks up and sees a little girl, seven or eight years old, wandering off along the beach, a roast beef sandwich in hand.
"Sweetie, where are you going?"she asked.
"Eating my sandwich."the girl answered, hardly looking up.
"You'll ruin your appetite, darling. We're
having prawns, your favorite."
"I don't like prawns!"
"Now darling, don't wander off!"
Mr. Bowman looked up from his newspaper with a grim face, disturbed. Lowering his fluke of wine, he peered over at his wife and smirked. "For God's sake, leave her alone, Deidre."he said before returning his attention to the newspaper which had the headlines: Famous Zoologists Adopt Living Breathing Dinosaur. Mrs. Bowman, however, wasn't swayed; following close to her daughter, she insisted: "Sweetheart, we'll play with your ball–"
"Mother, don't be so annoying!"snapped the girl before resuming her stroll along the beach, leaving her mother behind. Dumbfounded, Mrs. Bowman turned around and walked over to her husband, still is sitting in the wooden lounge. A huge ocean wave crashed into a rock far behind them, sending a huge bulge of billowing white water shooting into the air. The yacht crew continued to work around the Bowmans.
"Darling, what about snakes?"questioned the woman in maternal worry.
"There aren't any snakes on the beach."retorted the man almost nonchalantly. "Just let her enjoy herself for once." Mrs. Bowman considered the idea, and began to walk away. She walked over to the small table with the bottle holder and empty fluke setting on top.
Meanwhile the little girl skipped along the other end of the beach, humming to herself. Sandwich in hand, she bent down to pick up a colorful shell on the sand before losing interest. A rustling sound soon drew her attention toward the edge of the forest where the thick jungle foliage gave way to white sand. A large bush, perhaps twelve feet high, moved, its branches swaying and shaking as its occupant slowly made its way through the undergrowth. Curiously, the girl approached the bush which abruptly ceased its movement. A long pause.. before a small, lizardlike animal, dark green with brown stripes along its back, stepped out from among the brush. Only about a foot tall, it stood on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail. Walking upright, the creature slowly approached her, all the while bobbing its head for all the world like a scaly chicken.
"Well, hello there!"said the girl, crouching down to the creature's level. The reptile simply stood there, tilting its head as curiously as the human before it. "What are you? Some sort of bird or something?" It simply chirped in response.
"Are you hungry? Here, take a bite." She tore off a piece of her sandwich and offered it to the tiny reptile, who peered at the food and chirped. "It's roast beef. It's good."
She held the offering to the animal, encouraging it to come closer. "Come on, I won't hurt you." The animal sniffed the food warily before snatching the morsel, swallowing it down. Enchanted, the girl broke into an enormous grin as she turned her head back toward the direction of the beach. "Mummy! Daddy! You've got to come see this! I found something!"
She turned her attention back to the strange green reptile where, to her shock and surprise, twenty or thirty more of its kind scampered out of the underbrush, standing there bobbing their heads anxiously, not unlike a flock of pigeons in the park. The girl's smile fades as they formed a semicircle around her, chirping and warbling. There was no mistaking that they were hungry.
"Are you looking at this? I'm afraid there isn't enough to go around." One of them leaped up at her, trying to take the sandwich from her hand, earning a shriek from the human, who threw the sandwich to the ground. Almost immediately a few of the reptiles began to devour it, but more still surrounded the girl before lunging at this strange provider of food. But just as they were closing in, a loud, primal shrieking was heard from among the trees, causing the girl and her assailants to freeze in fright. The green mob around her soon began to scatter in all directions like terrified rats as something began to crash through the undergrowth, slowly making its way toward her, uttering deep growls that sent shivers down the girl's spine. The foliage parted to reveal a most formidable animal.
The mysterious beast stood within the shadows, staring at the child with piercing red eyes. From her place in the sunlight, the girl could only see the creature's silhouette, but what she saw sent her heart racing. Almost six feet tall, it stood on its hind legs, not unlike the reptiles from just moments ago. Like them, it also had an S shaped neck and stood perfectly balanced on a long tail. But the hands and feet of this creature bristled with razor-sharp claws of black steel. There was also something about it that was not alive; it didn't blink, it didn't even breathe. It felt almost cold, calculating, almost mechanical in a way.
Then, without warning, the beast pounced.
Back at the beach, Mr. Bowman threw his newspaper down and listened. His wife and the crew ceased their activities to listen as well. Above the crashing waves and the harsh din of the seagulls came the terrified screams of their daughter.
Bowman hurled himself out of the chase lounge and ran out in front of Mrs. Bowman and the crew to investigate the commotion.
"Cathy!"
Without another moment to waste, both parents began running for their daughter, running as they had never ran before, the crew hurrying fast in front of them. They come to the other side of the beach, following Cathy's screams.
"Hurry! Hurry up!!!"shouted Mrs. Bowman, urging the men. The crew ran into the woods in the direction the screams came. Deidre Bowman stopped dead in her tracks, eyes widened in horror. She gasped for breath as she peered into the the foliage. What the woman saw was every mother's worst nightmare. She screamed.
****
"The hurricane seemed like a disaster at the time, but now I think it was a blessing, nature's way of freeing those animals from their human confines. Of giving them another chance to survive, but this time as they were meant to, without man's interference."
Twenty or more executives sat as still as stone around a conference table, heeding an old, gruff voice resounding throughout the boardroom of a monied corporation. All were wearing expensive suits, most were over sixty. There were rows of backbenchers too, whispering to their lawyers who sat behind their clients, whispering in their ears. Empty coffee cups and fast food containers on the table hint that everyone's been here a long time. The speaker was none other than John Hammond, the founder of InGen and the creator of Jurassic Park. But he wasn't present in the room; his image was on a closed circuit TV screen which was wheeled up at the end of the table. And he was in poor health; terribly informed, propping up on his bed, face pale and drawn, medical equipment beeping around him.
But that didn't in the least stop him as he continued: "There are some corporate issues that are not about the bottom line. We have so much still to learn about those creatures. A whole world of intricate, interlocking behaviors, vanished everywhere– except for Site B. Please. Let's not do what is good for more men at the expense at what is best for all mankind."
The chairman, a man in his seventies, nodded awkwardly to the television. "Thank you, John."he said after a moment's pause before turning his attention to a man in his late thirties. "Mr. Ludlow?"
Peter Ludlow said not a word as he rose to his feet while flipping open a file. He then pulled out a stack of black and white eight by tens, and tossed them on the table. And then he spoke.
"These pictures were taken in a hospital in Costa Rica forty-eight hours ago, after a British family on a yacht cruise stumbled onto Site B. The little girl will be fine, but her parents are wealthy, angry, and very fond of lawsuits. But that's hardly new to us, is it?" He took another paper from the file as he went on. "Wrongful death settlements, partial list: family of Donald Gennaro, 36.5 million dollars; family of John Arnold, 23 million; family of Robert Muldoon, 12.6 million. Damaged or destroyed equipment, 17.3 million. The list goes on, gentlemen– research, funding, media payoffs. Silence is expensive. This madness must stop.
"Now, this corporation has been bleeding from the throat for four years. You, our board of directors, have sat patiently and listened to ecology lectures while Mr. Hammond signed your checks and spent your money. You have watched your stock drop from seventy-eight and a quarter to nineteen flat with no good end in sight. And all along, we have held significant product asset, that we attempted to hide at great expense until recently, when we could have safely harvested and displayed for profit. Enormous profit."
He reached out to a model on the table and gave it a shove, sending it sliding down the length of the table in front of his audience. It was a mini-mall version of a zoo. Cages held tiny replicas of various kinds of dinosaurs while boy scout troops and tourists looked on in wonder.
"Enough money to wipe out four years of lawsuits and damage control and unpleasant infighting, enough to not only send our stock back to where it was but to double it. And the one thing, the only thing standing between us and this asset is a born-again naturalist who happens to be our own CEO."–here he paused, adjusting his glasses before continuing with a chuckle–"Believe me, I don't enjoy having to say these things about my own uncle. But, I don't work for Mother Nature. I work for you."
Two of his backbenchers distributed documents from a stack. Ludlow took one and read from it aloud: "'Whereas the Chief Executive Officer has engaged in wasteful and negligent business practices to further his own personal environmental beliefs, under the influence of a band of nature-loving vigilantes– Whereas these practices have affected the financial performance of the company by incurring significant losses— Whereas the shareholders have been materially harmed by these losses. Thereby, be it resolved that John Parker Hammond should be resolved from the office of Chief Executive Officer, affective immediately. And be it also resolved to withdraw all support from the Wild Kratts Foundation, as our dealings with them have only further led this company to its current state.' Mr. Nicholas, I move the resolution be put to an immediate vote. Do I have a second?"
"I second the motion, Mr. Nicholas."said another board member. "Please poll the members by a show of hands."
The chairman sighed heavily, feeling like a traitor. He couldn't bear to look at Hammond on the TV monitor.
"All those in favor of InGen Corporate Resolution 213C, please signify your approval by raising your right hand."
It started slowly, guiltily, but soon every hand in the room went up. Ludlow sits back, victorious. Hammond, furious and defeated, raised his right hand, which held a remote control, and pointed it at the TV screen. It went blank.
**** Later that evening...****
Ludlow sat in silence from his place in his personal limousine, raindrops drumming loudly on the roof and the windows. The skies were shrouded by dark storm clouds as rain poured heavily upon New York City. The monotonous sounds of the rolling thunder joined the hustle and bustle of people who walked along the ever busy streets, their umbrellas and raincoats shielding them from the ice cold torrents as they went about their evening. Many also were those who took shelter in whatever nook or cranny they could find to wait out the storm. Before long, the driver of the limo pulled in before its destination: a towering black skyscraper with a red V for a logo, among the tallest in the city. Flashes of lightning danced around in the surrounding clouds, giving the place a more foreboding atmosphere.
Ludlow had hardly taken three steps out of the vehicle when a blackish gray robot hovered before the stunned man. The robot resembled an oversized screw, wider around at the top where two red, unblinking eyes were situated on a domed head. Apart from a pair of hose-like arms on each side, it didn't appear to have any limbs. One of its pincer-like hands retracted back into its respective limb as it was replaced by a black umbrella, shielding Ludlow from the torrential downpour.
"Umm thank you."he said once he found the voice to speak. The only answer he received was a robotic voice that replied: "We've been expecting you."
No more was said as the mechanical doorman, gestured with its free hand, escorting Peter Ludlow into the building.
**** A Few Minutes Later...****
Ludlow followed his mechanical escort into a wide, dimly lighted dining hall painted black. Various pictures of jets, yachts and robots hung upon the walls. A velvet table sat in the center of the wide expanse of space, ringed by several bright red V shaped chairs. Torrents of rain water bombard the large, crystal clear window that, without the supports, looked for all the world like a giant mirror. Even the gray tiled floor he walked on had a shine of its own. It was clear that the owner of this place liked to keep his quarters in upmost cleanliness.
"You're just in time for our secret meeting."said a high, nasally voice from his place seated on one of the chairs at the end of the table, where two more robots hovered nearby. The chair spun, revealing a scrawny man who looked paler than even Death itself, all clad in black from head to toe. It was none other than robotics inventor Zach Varmitech, CEO of Varmitech Industries.
Once Ludlow seated himself on a chair across from Zach, the two discussed the events that had occurred as of late, and it wasn't long before the robotics inventor broached the subject of the InGen meeting earlier that afternoon. "So, I take it that the meeting at the boardroom went well?"he inquired.
"Absolutely."replied Ludlow, adjusting his glasses, a small smile on his features. "Hammond has been removed from the office of InGen CEO. And I guess I have you to thank for that."
With a flick of his master controller, the inventor revealed a holographic screen where a saurianlike machine was displayed. "See? I told you my Robo-raptors would work. Now they'll blame the animals for the attack on that little brat."
"Definitely would have fooled me."
Suddenly the deathly silence of the building was broken by the ringing of a doorbell. "Must be my associates. I mean, our associates."said Zach.
Before long, one of the red sliding doors opened, and at the doorway stood three other people escorted by a Zachbot; a woman whose taste in fashion was rather questionable at best, a tall muscular man who appeared to be her henchman, and a burly chef.
"About time you all showed up!"snapped the robotics inventor rather rudely as the trio made their way into the dining room.
"If it weren't for this intolerable weather, my jet would've arrived at the speed of style, darling."replied the woman dismissively with a wave of her hand. She had maroon hair and golden eyes that rested on a face covered in makeup. Lots of makeup. She wore a reddish-pink shirt adorned with dots with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, while long, blue-green earrings hung upon her ears. Her umber brown pants were worn up to waist level. "And who's your friend?"
"Peter Ludlow, InGen's Chief Executive Officer."came the courteous reply as said CEO offered his hand.
"Ah yes. Donita Donata. Pleased to meet you, darling."
"The pleasure is all mine, madam."greeted the newly appointed head of InGen with a slight bow. He was then approached by the tall, muscular man who was adorned with a turquoise t-shirt and white pants.
Ludlow offered his hand to the blonde giant who stared blankly at it for half a minute before taking it in a crushing handshake.
"Hi! I'm Dabio!"he greeted with a beaming smile.
As he gingerly cradled his bruised hand, Ludlow immediately guessed that Dabio wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.
Lastly came the chef. Dressed in a white jacket and black pants, he was rather well built with a huge upper body and big hairy arms. His eyes were grayish green, and above those were thick, bushy eyebrows. A small English mustache rested above his lips while a white, drooping chef's hat adorned his shaved head. But the one feature of his that stood out most was his abnormally large and bulbous nose. "Gaston Gourmand, endangered species chef, at your service."he greeted, and Ludlow noticed he had a strong southern accent.
Once everyone was seated, Zach once again withdrew his master controller from his pocket before pointing it at the ceiling where a wide projection screen slowly descended in full view of his audience. Taking a laser pen in hand, the evil inventor then cleared his throat before he spoke, saying: "This year, once and for all, we gotta get rid of the Wild Rats."
"Uhh aren't they called 'Wild Kratts'?"corrected the illegal chef.
"Who's side are you on? I am so sick of them helping the animals. It always ruins my inventions!"growled the inventor.
"And my meals! That gorilla casserole would've been a culinary delight!"added Gourmand, banging his huge fist on the table.
"I did not particularly care for the time they let the Dracos fly from my jewelry either."murmured Donita, her head resting on her hand.
"Uhh don't those lizards glide, not fly?"corrected her henchman. She simply rolled her eyes in annoyance. "Oh whatever Dabio."
"They– they're so annoying!"shouted the evil inventor.
"So's your whining!"snarked the fashionista.
"I'm not a whiner!"countered Zach.
"Yes you are!"
"No I'm not!"
"Yes you are!"
"Am not!"
As the inventor and fashionista continued their arguments, now practically in each other's faces, the illegal chef facepalmed with an irritated groan while InGen's new CEO sat patiently, twiddling his fingers as he waited for the fire to quell. Several more minutes passed. No such hope.
"You're lying!"
"No I'm not!"
It was the last straw for the chef as he stomped his way towards Donita and Zach. "Keep it down!"shouted Gourmand pushing himself between the bickering pair. "Now don't let your pots boil over! Remember the reason why we're all here." At this point he gestured to their guest who continued to sit patiently before clearing his throat, seeing all eyes in his direction.
"Ah yes. It is quite clear that we all have a common opposition."declared the new CEO of InGen. To this all present nodded in mutual agreement. "They've been a major thorn on each of our sides for years. But rest assured, with this partnership, we will soon be turning the tables on those nature-loving vigilantes. But first, let's get down to business; InGen has been on the verge of Chapter 11 for four years when all along, we had significant biological assets that could have successfully been displayed, which would have bailed us out."
"Significant bio say what?"asked Gourmand, scratching his shaved scalp.
"Simply put my friend: dinosaurs. Living breathing, genetically engineered dinosaurs."
The endangered species chef nearly choked on his bite of t-bone steak upon hearing this. "D-dinosaurs?"
"Dinosaurs? I don't believe you."said Donita skeptically, raising an eyebrow.
"Oh no, it's quite true madam, all courtesy of our top of the line geneticists. Mr. Varmitech can tell you more." Ludlow then handed out a document for the fashionista to look over. "But,"– momentary pause– "during all this time, we have been prevented from taking any such action by our very own CEO, out of his own environmental beliefs, along with the Wild Kratts team who have undoubtedly been a major influence." All three villains glared upon the mention of their shared enemy. "But that ends today."
"We are not gonna continue to let them get away with this."said Zach with as much determination as he could muster.
"How many times have they foiled our plans?"added Gourmand.
"All because they want to 'save the animals',"remarked Donita, making quotations with her fingers.
At this, the trio broke into laughter at the ridiculousness of the notion.
"If it means getting those Wild Croutons off our backs once and for all, then count me in!"
"Now what did InGen have in mind for these dinosaurs?"asked the fashionista once she had read over the documents, her initial doubts gone.
"What we have intended to do from the very beginning: to open up a biological theme park where–"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up."interrupted Zach, to which his mechanical minions all took several paces backwards. "Not you! Listen, Pete– can I call you Pete? Are you really just gonna use the animals to stock up a petting zoo? If you don't mind, we have a few suggestions. For starters, you could definitely use them for animal lab tests." Upon seeing his new associate raise an eyebrow, the evil inventor cleared his throat before he began, all the while pacing around in a circle.
"Let's face it, Pete; every year, around the world, there's more pressure not to use animals for testing and research. More demonstrations, more break-ins, more bad press, that sorta thing. First it was simple-minded zealots and Hollywood celebrities. But now it's a bandwagon; even university philosophers are beginning to argue that it's unethical for more monkeys, dogs, and even rats to be subjected to the "indignities" of laboratory research. Heck, there's even been some protests about the 'exploitation' of squid, even though they're on dinner tables all over the world. Eventually, somebody's gonna say we can't even use bacteria to make genetic products."
"Oh cher.."muttered Donita in disbelief.
"Just wait. It'll happen. And we'll be shut down. Unless, if we have genuinely created animals. Think about it, an animal that's extinct, and is brought back to life, is for all practical purposes not an animal at all. It can't have any rights. It's already dead for Pete's sake,"–here he was met by Ludlow's blank stare– "Hehe Sorry. So if it exists, it can only be something you guys made. You made it. You patent it. You own it. And it's the perfect test guinea pig. I think I read somewhere that the enzyme and hormone systems of dinosaurs are identical to mammalian systems. In the future, drugs can be tested on small dinosaurs just as successfully as they're now tested on dogs and rats– with much less risk of legal challenge. Besides, they're basically big lizards. And nobody loves a lizard. They're not like those disgustingly cute doggies that lick your hand and break your heart. Lizards got no personality. They're just snakes with legs."
Once Zach had finished, it was the chef's turn. "Because at the moment, everything, and I mean everything, to do with living animals is tied up in legal and moral knots. For example, big game hunters can't shoot a lion or an elephant– the same critters their pappies and grandpappies used to shoot, and then pose proudly for a photo. Now you got forms, licenses, expenses–and plenty of guilt to go around."added Gourmand who's favorite pastime involved hunting. "These days, you don't dare shoot a tiger and admit it afterward. These days, it's a worse crime to shoot a tiger than to shoot your own folks. Tigers have advocates. But now imagine my friend: a specially stocked hunting preserve, perhaps somewhere in Asia, where individuals of wealth and importance could hunt T-rexes and Triceratops in a natural setting. Now I know a guy in Kenya who would gladly accept such a challenge. It would be an incredibly desirable attraction. How many hunters have a stuffed elk head on their wall? Or a bearskin rug? The world's full of em. But how many can claim to have a snarlin Tyrannosaurus rex head, hanging above the wet bar?"
"See, the point is this, Pete: these animals are totally exploitable. We can do anything we want with them. Anything." said Zach with one arm over the businessman's shoulder as he gestured to all the possibilities with the other.
As Ludlow mulled over all he has been told, Gourmand then jumped onto the table in full view of his colleagues, saying: "Well then, how about we use the animals in one of our own endeavors? Like make delicious, never before tasted entrees? Like say, a dinosaur egg omelette!"
"No, darling."said Donita, feather pen and paper in hand. "I can't see how these big, ugly lizards have any future in the fashion department, but the assortment of small, feathered, and beautifully colored specimens will shine as top of the line prehistoric fashion accessories. And barrettes! La la la la la-lovely!"
"Oooh! They're so fluffy!"exclaimed Dabio who glanced through the various photographs of the prehistoric feathered variety.
"And umm... I will invent–" here the inventor paused, seeing the expectant looks of his peers. "Umm.. ummm.. I don't know! I'll use those dinosaurs in a robot or something. What's with the peer pressure?"
"Right. Very well. Provided that the expedition to Site B proves successful, you'll get your fair share in the assets, just as long as Varmitech Industries provides the funds needed for–"
"Oho, we'll do you one better."interrupted the robotics inventor. "I'll send over twenty Zachbots to help in your little expedition." Upon that, more than a dozen or so machines assembled behind their maker, red eyes blinking.
"And since no expedition is complete without a chef, I'll be more than happy to be of service. But umm.. those Wild Croutons aren't gonna be a problem now, are they?"asked the chef.
"Absolutely not, my culinary friend."reassured the new CEO with a wave of his hand. "InGen has withdrawn its financial support from them. And even though they're on Mr. Hammond's side, they won't have the funds to interfere."
The villainous trio exchanged glances before Zach asked: "So when do we begin?"
After all was said and done, the plans were arranged and a new alliance was formed.
"My dear friends, this looks like the start of a beautiful partnership."declared InGen's new head honcho as he sipped a cup of coffee while his newfound acquaintances all laughed evilly, a sudden crack of lightning flashing from outside the vast windows.
**** SURPRISE!!! Hey everyone, Stegz here. The highly anticipated sequel is here, and earlier than planned. Originally I was gonna start writing this after Of Raptors And Kratts, but part of me wanted to start this story while it's fresh. But don't get me wrong, I'll still continue writing ORAK. We see that there things aren't really looking up for InGen. To make matters worse, Ludlow has formed an alliance with the Wild Kratts' enemies against Hammond's wishes. And don't worry, we'll see the Wild Kratts team next in Chapter 2, which is coming up soon so stay tuned!
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The Lost World: Jurassic Kratts
FanfictionIt's been four years since the disaster of Jurassic Park, and the Wild Kratts team embark on their most dangerous mission yet: to assist a research team in studying the prehistoric inhabitants of an island lost in time. But another team has arrived...
