Biosyn Valley (Dolomite Mountains, Italy)
A man with short black hair, brown eyes, a lab coat, and blue pants walked down the aisles of the Biosyn HQ. He was being summoned to a sort of meeting. Hopefully it'll be quick so he can get back to his work.
While walking, he looked out into the valley through the windows. He can barely see a large two legged carnivore with a row of spikes on its back. His boss was very proud of this creature, but in the man's eyes it was little more than a footnote. A flawed creation that will be outdone by the next. Of course, he doesn't want his superiors to know what he thinks about it, but that thing is far from perfect.
This man was a geneticist. The company's best in fact, but recently he hasn't had much luck. Some of his plans haven't gone as smoothly as he wanted to and he's wondering if he'll even be able to get the approval he needs for his next project. Which will hopefully bring about a breakthrough in his research.
He stopped when he saw automated doors nearby. He pulled out his ID and scanned it through a scanner right beside the doors. The doors moved aside as he walked into the room.
It was a fairly large room. At the right side of the room was a gigantic skull replica of some kind of carnivorous dinosaur. This one in particular was the exact creature the geneticist was looking at earlier.
At the middle of the room, there sat an elderly man at a desk. He had short, grey hair, dark blue eyes, glasses, a black jacket, a dark purple undershirt and black pants. This was the company's CEO, he had his hands rested on the desk and gestured for the geneticist to approach. And he proceeded, albeit with a sense of hesitance.
"Sit down, Henry." The CEO requested calmly.
The geneticist did as his boss instructed him to do. He used to work for InGen. However, after the fall of Jurassic World and his demotion he sought out other sources that could further his research. One of those sources happened to be Biosyn which supplied him with enough resources to continue experimenting with his ideas.
It was Henry Wu. Former lead geneticist of Jurassic World and the creator of almost every single hybrid that has ever graced the earth.
"Sir, if this is about the stock market, I'd rather not tackle that kind of thing. I'm not knowledgeable when it comes to the subject." Henry started.
"Your job doesn't need to be concerned with stock. It's doing good actually. But that's not why I called you here." The CEO, Lewis Dodgson free responded.
"Then, what is it, sir?" Henry asked.
"Tell me, remember when I requested for the creation of your 'Ravager Squad'? Did it ever occur to you that there has been no sign of them ever since you sent them on that mission to get rid of I-9?" Lewis interrogated.
"Y-yes, well. I'm sure they'll turn up eventual-" Henry was stopped dead in his tracks when his superior tapped the desk.
He may be this company's lead geneticist, but he can be easily replaced if they find someone who is as good as he is. Maybe even someone better than him who can be more reliable.
"It's been eight months, doctor. Not a single one has been seen. In fact, George has told me that you had a theory that one of your hybrids, Nemesis, hijacked the plan and destroyed the remote that controlled all of the hybrid's shock collars." Lewis interjected.
Henry gulped. He was just theorizing based on what he could understand from that event. Part of the reason he thought it was Nemesis was because of his hatred for the hybrid's stubbornness at times. He just assumed it had to be him considering how rebellious he used to be. He didn't think anyone would take him seriously.
"With all due respect, sir. We have no way of knowing that. And I've already sent some survey teams to look for them." Henry tried to de-escalate the situation as fast as he could. He may not have another shot at furthering his work if this goes wrong.
"You know, it's funny you think you'll be able to find them before someone else does. Because imagine if they do and they trace those hybrids back to us. All of this, your research, your samples, it'll be gone if a person finds out who made those hybrids. We just got the approval of the government to have collection rights to every prehistoric animal on the planet. If they somehow found out we made illegal hybrids I won't be there to protect you." Lewis shot back.
This reminded Henry of a conversation he used to have with Masrani Global's CEO, Simon Masrani. He also said something similar about not protecting Henry if the company goes under. But this time it might be an even more likely outcome.
With those hybrids out there, there's no telling what other people will do once they find them. They could either use them to accuse Biosyn if illegal activities or they could sell them to people who are undeserving of touching Henry's hard work.
Little did the man know, their fate has already been sealed. They are hidden, but not in the forest. In an InGen facility where their corpses being studied and investigated to find out who made them and why.
"Sir, we wouldn't have all of this if it weren't for me. All of your prized assets over there? I made them." Henry said as he pointed to the outside.
Lewis nodded in a sarcastic way. Doesn't he know what'll happen if he rebels against this man? Would be best to remind him of his mistakes now wouldn't it?
"Yes we wouldn't. We also wouldn't have lost the Ultimasaurus if you allowed your facility's guards to take down the Indoraptor and his accomplices. All of that effort, all of that DNA, down the drain in one night. The damn thing didn't even last a month before dying and you're saying that if we lose you we'll have nobody else to rely on when making these? You should think more realistically, Henry. You're not the only geneticist in this company capable of this kind of thing." Lewis retorted.
For a moment, Henry didn't know how to respond. He could simply say that it was because the Ultimasaurus hadn't developed proper learning skills yet, but that's also his fault for rushing the creature's creation.
He was in desperate need to make a hybrid that was more suitable for physical combat, he forgot to develop it's intelligence. Due to that, the Ultimasaurus was a flawed, incomplete mess that wasn't really used for anything outside of a failed attempt at ending Ripper's life.
Henry sighed.
"Just let me try again, sir. Aren't there already plans to possibly make a second one?" Henry replied.
"After some careful consideration, I've realized that making Ultimasaurus Gen 2 is a mistake waiting to happen. Besides, almost all of them seem to turn on you eventually." Lewis corrected.
"W-what?" Henry stuttered.
"Your first hybrid, the Scorpios, turned on you. The Indoraptors turned on you. I wouldn't be surprised if the Ravagers turned on you. See a pattern there, Henry? Apart from the Indominus and the Ultimasaurus I can't name a single hybrid you've made that hasn't had second thoughts about their creator. That tells me you're doing something wrong." Lewis explained.
Though Henry didn't like being insulted like this, Lewis was right about one thing. He has been doing something wrong.
He isn't sure what it actually is that he's not doing right, but every single hybrid, no, every one of his creations has a flaw. For Ripper, it was his free will and bond with his siblings. With the Ultimasaurus, it was his lack of intelligence. This is what drove Henry to making more and more hybrids. To make something flawless, he thought he would achieve that when making Ripper. Sadly, it didn't happen. And he is probably the one that hates Henry the most after what he's done.
"Just give me more time please, Lewis. I'll make sure the next one will be rid of flaws." Henry begged.
"Heh, "Rid of flaws." Yeah, right. Then it turns on you like the rest of them. I'll give you one last chance. That's all you get, Henry. And if you mess it up I'll make sure you don't make another mistake again. It's better to throw away a rotten fruit than to hope it tastes as good as the others." Lewis finished.
Henry nodded in defeat and left the office. The nerve this man has to tell him that he can't improve on his last idea. It's what science is about. If you fail once you can test again and again until you get it right and a solution is made.
Once Henry got out of the office, he turned to his right and noticed that someone was listening to the conversation the whole time.
The man beside him resembled him, he had the same black hair but had black eyes instead. His hair was much longer and he had a ponytail. He had a light brown jacket with a white undershirt, dark brown pants and caramel colored shoes.
"What now, Elliot? Here to gloat?" Henry hissed at his brother as he stormed off.
His brother placed a hand on Henry's right shoulder when he tried to ignore him.
"When are you going to realize that every creature is flawed? There is no such thing as perfection, Henry. You can try as many times as you want but in the end, you'll end up with the same result. Just stop, alright? You'll only embarrass yourself." Elliot spoke in a calm manner.
"Easy for you to say, you were practically invisible before you came here. Nobody knew who you were, but me? I'm the lead geneticist, I'm the one who innovates-" Henry was interrupted again.
"And if you don't do it, somebody else will? I've heard this talk before, brother. Listen, I'm not insulting you, far from it actually. I'm just... Trying to stop you from making another mistake. For all you know you might not come back from it." Elliot replied.
"And what do you know? How to be a condescending cloud who follows me around? This is none of your concern." Henry growled, he continued to walk off to his lab. Shoving his brother aside.
Elliot sighed. He does care for him. They're brothers after all. But ever since he created the Scorpios, he's started to change. He's not sure when this change occured but Henry has become more focused on making a masterpiece instead of being satisfied with his work.
He wasn't like this when Jurassic Park was still a thing. When Elliot was invited to the park once, he could tell that his brother was more than happy with his work. What happened to him? Why strive for the best results when every other outcome that has resulted from your previous work has been failure?
"I'm your brother. It very much is my concern." Elliot called out.
He could hear Henry scoff. He's become far distant ever since the Indominus Rex. It's almost like that failure made Henry snap or something. When Elliot tried to comfort Henry after he was demoted, he just ignored his brother as if he wasn't there.
It may be connected to his work. He's so stressed out, he doesn't think he has time to bond with him anymore or that he doesn't need to. Maybe all that matters to him now is his research and nothing else and if that's the truth, then it's very concerning.
If this turns out to be the case, this is not just him trying to innovate any more, it's an obsession.
"Henry, what happened to you?" Elliot said under his breath.
West Texas
A simple farm sat in the middle of a giant field. Two children were walking towards a henhouse. One boy and a girl. The boy went over to collect the eggs that the chickens have laid.
The girl went over to the chickens who were being fed grains. The flightless birds all gather to feast on the food that was handed to them. Sometimes it's hard to believe that these small, almost harmless animals are related to something like a Velociraptor.
As the children were heading back to the barn, they heard some kind of sound. It sounded like some kind of cicada. Odd thing was, this "Cicada" was crackling much louder than what they usually sound like.
Initially, they shrugged it off. Cicadas aren't exactly known for being dangerous. They are bugs but not the kind you need to worry about. They don't sting, they don't bite. They don't really seem to do anything at all to humans. They just seem to want to hang around whenever they want and leave as they please.
But curiosity eventually got the best of them and they chose to see what was making that noise because of how loud it was. For all they know it might be some kind of bug they don't know about that could be harmful.
Too bad they didn't know how truly harmful these beasts were.
When they got to the location of the sound, they saw something crawling behind the fence. They couldn't see it clearly but they did see multiple legs. The insect then made it's way over to the top of the fence and what they saw made them shiver.
A locust. Now, normally they wouldn't be scared since these creatures only aim for crops and wood. But there was something about this one that alarmed both of them. And it may make people think otherwise about the diet of these ones.
It was massive. The insect must have been about a foot long. That shouldn't be possible. They're only supposed to be six centimeters. There's no bug alive that was as big as this monster.
As the bug looked at the kids they started to walk back slowly. The insect jerks back and flies away in the opposite direction. The kids were relieved, they thought that they had seen something like that in a horror movie. But thankfully nothing happened.
Well, that's what they thought at least.
When the kids looked over to where the locust went, a giant black mass began to form underneath the crops. From it, arose an army of locusts. Thousands, possibly millions of bugs started swarming.
The kids screamed and ran in the direction of the barn as the gargantuan swarm began to follow them. A group of normal bugs is already a problem for children. But most of the time it's because they're disgusted. But here, not only are they disgusted, they're horrified.
Insects the size of these haven't been seen on earth since the prehistoric ages. Humans have never had the misfortune of coming across an eagle sized dragonfly. But this is way worse than even that.
It almost looked like a black cloud was forming as the locusts were inching ever so closely towards the kids. They charged into the barn and locked the doors behind them. The sounds of the locusts scraping the roof made the children scream.
The girl quickly grabbed a nearby shovel. If anything can kill a bug, it's force. The sunlight from outside was beginning to darken due to the abundance of locusts that were flying outside of the barn.
A ray of light broke through the door. Sometimes this could be a good thing for people since if they've been trapped in a dark place and a ray of light shines, it must mean there's a hole they can escape out of. But in this situation, a ray of light doesn't signal relief, but terror.
Because of the ability to tear through wood, a single locust managed to burst into the barn. The bug started to flail on the floor. The girl wanted to smack it with the shovel but she was too afraid that it might fly into her face and bite her if it has the necessary tools to do so.
If there's anything that makes a person's skin crawl, it's watching a bug rapidly shaking on the ground trying to reorganize itself. And when it's a big this big nobody would blame you if you passed out.
The boy used this opportunity to snatch a bucket. As the locust was still flailing on the ground, the bucket was slammed onto the bug as it kept on struggling. It's feet were sticking out of the bucket but the boy was keep it from flying again.
Outside, the rest of the swarm ignored the barn and went over to the family's crops. They started to tear into almost every last bit of crop on the their field. Oddly enough though, the crop on the other side of the field was left untouched.
The menacing flyers then took to the skies, in search of another feeding site. Either that or they'll simply wait until the crops here are grown again then they can begin a second assault.
Much later on, the mother of the children came home to find her kids sitting on the bucket they used to capture the vicious insect. She would then put it inside of a rabbit cage because she didn't want to simply dispose of it.
Bugs don't just get this big for no reason. She needed to have this studied by someone because these things have been like a plague. It doesn't matter where they are, wherever they go they just cause trouble. They need to be eradicated as soon as possible and the only way to do that is if they are thoroughly investigated.
A car pulls up to the barn. There were three people inside of it. One man and two women. The lead of the group of was an elderly woman at the age of 53, she had bright blonde hair, faded blue eyes, red sunglasses, a red jacket, a blue undershirt, and dark blue pants.
Their lead was a paleobotanist. An expert in prehistoric plants. Not only that but a survivor of the Jurassic Park Incident from 1993. Doctor Ellie Sattler.
She and her team came out of the car and approached the farmer who was the mother of the children that were attacked.
"Thanks for coming. Didn't really know who to call since the DFW didn't want to see it if it wasn't a dinosaur." The farmer started.
"Yeah, well, they get all the attention. Can you guys vary the sampling plots a hundred yards each?" Ellie called out to her colleagues.
"Your students?" The farmer asked.
"This kind of thing is right up our alley." Ellie replied.
The field was turned into a lifeless wasteland. The crops were torn down and nothing was left. The kids were lucky they weren't the ones who suffered this fate. If those things could harm them in any way.
"They've done this to sixty fields in the county. Ever seen something like it?" The farmer queried.
"No, not like this. They've been leaving fields like this all across the Midwest. Ironic how big companies try to kill off all the insects. Now this." Ellie looked over the field to find something of interest.
These creatures only started to show up six months ago. And ever since then they've been a massive problem, at least in the US. It's currently unknown if they've also done the same thing in other countries.
Ellie then notices an area of green that seemed to have been left alone by the ravenous bugs.
"Does that land belong to you?" Ellie asked.
"That's the Bennett's. They didn't eat that." The former answered.
"You plant the same seeds as the Bennetts?" Ellie wondered.
"No. We're independent. They use seeds from Biosyn." The farmer started.
Biosyn? Isn't that the pharmaceutical company responsible for attaining some of the escaped animals from Isla Nublar? How come the bugs didn't target their crops when they were just sitting there for the taking?
Bugs don't do that. If there's any kind of food they'll strip it down to it's last. How come they decided to avoid that patch of land?
"You said you caught a live one, right?" Ellie called out.
"My kids did. They said it scared the ever living hell out of them. I can see why." The farmer finished.
Utah
A dig site was slowly being uncovered. The fossilized creature found underneath the dig was a large Dromeosaur. Quite possibly the biggest one of them all.
Utahraptor. With it's bulky build and immense size compared to it's relatives, it's unmistakable. Most of it's kind were thought to be small and nimble, Utahraptor on the other hand, was big and was as imposing as a Raptor could be.
A man approached the skeleton and ran his hands over the sickle claws. He had a stetson hat, grey hair, a grey beard, faded blue eyes, a brown checkered jacket, a grey undershirt and brown pants.
He's never found a Utahraptor before. To him, it was one of the most elusive dinosaurs to search for in this part of the country. Back then all he used to dig up were Velociraptors in Montana's Badlands.
The man was approached by a teenager. He had tall black hair, brown skin, faded yellow eyes, a vibrant yellow jacket, and blue pants.
"Is that it?" The teenager asked in an intrigued voice.
"Looks like it. You can't believe how long I've wanted to see one of these." The elderly man replied.
"Well, probably a breath of fresh air after digging up Velociraptors for so long, huh?" The boy added.
"Yes. I'll give you this, in this age where dinosaurs are now roaming around in our domain, it's amazing how kids like you can still make time for stuff like this. Might get boring ya know." The old man teased.
"Oh don't worry about that, Dr. Grant. I never get bored of this kind of stuff. It's kind of like my thing." The boy commented.
Another survivor of Jurassic Park, Alan Grant has had not one but two encounters with the dinosaur infested islands. One on Isla Nublar and one on Sorna. Both of which may have granted him an experience, but they're not ones he looks back on fondly.
Grant believes that we should still dig for fossils. Because within them is knowledge. Knowledge, that if we do not discover and study, will be lost to time. Besides, it's not like InGen resurrected every dinosaur, there is still much to learn about them. And he's happy enough with his job as it is.
He placed a hand on the boy's left shoulder.
"You know, Mr. Bowman, it's a miracle how you're still invested in this kind of thing even after what you've told me." Alan said.
"I mean, sure, being lost for a year and having to live with dinosaurs wasn't easy. But hey, it grows on you. Also, just call me Darius." The boy responded.
Alan could relate, even though he disliked what he had to endure during his two trips to both of InGen's islands, he can't say that it was completely fruitless.
There were some good moments. Being able to see living dinosaurs was of course one of them. Even if some of them tried to maul his flesh off, at the end of the day he still acknowledges that they are animals. He has grown out of the idea of them being monsters especially after his last encounter with a Velociraptor pack.
"Also, someone told me that there's a lady waiting in your tent. She seems to know you." Darius added.
"Okay, I'll be right there. Tell the team to cover this to prevent damage." Alan pointed at the skeleton.
As Alan walked off to go to his tent, the dig was covered up with a tarp. Preserving fossils is almost as hard as finding them. Do one wrong thing and it'll shatter into pieces. Certainly wouldn't be the first time in history that has ever happened.
He's impressed that some of the youth are still interested in becoming paleontologists despite the fact that there are dinosaurs in modern day. It gives Alan hope that maybe dinosaurs being on mainland won't overshadow the newer discoveries made by paleontologists.
It's amazing how this has been going on for two years, yet Grant has never had an encounter with any of the dinosaurs. Maybe spending most of his time digging up bones sometimes has its benefits other than discovery.
When Alan got to the tent, he entered expecting to see the usual. Either someone who wanted to volunteer to help with his work or a person who would offer him some money to continue digging. The one he saw however, was the last person he'd expect to be there.
"Ellie Sattler." Alan said, bewildered.
"Alan Grant, you look the same. And this place it's so... You." Ellie greeted.
Why was she here? She hasn't seen him in years. Sure, she'd send a postcard or two or communicate with him over the phone, but ever since the incident in 2001 they haven't been interacting too much due to her raising two children and him wanting to resume his work.
"If I knew you were coming I would've... Can I get you a beer or...?" Alan asked.
"Um, maybe not now. But iced tea, maybe." Ellie replied.
"Tea, yeah. I can do that." Alan went over to the table.
After making tea for his former colleague, he wanted to ask her a few things. Mainly about why she was here but also about how her life has been doing.
"Saw a lot of tourists on the way in." Ellie commented.
"Well, someone's gotta pay for this place now that the funding has dried up. Hard to make a living digging bones when live dinosaurs are everywhere." Alan responded.
For the past year or so, Alan hasn't had too much luck with discovering anything new. His latest dig was probably a lucky find since he couldn't find too many new dinosaurs. Utahraptor may not be a newly discovered dinosaur but it is one he hasn't dug up before so there is that.
Alan wonders how they got here. Those creatures were on an isolated island back then. These days, someone might stumble upon a Baryonyx on accident while swimming in a pool.
"I read your articles about soil science and regenerative farming. Gave me grounds for some hope, how are your kids?" Alan wondered.
"Amazing. Grown. They're both in college. Time flies fast, hmm?" Ellie took a sip out of a mug.
"And Mark?" Alan queried, referring to Ellie's husband.
Ellie frowned a little. Grant could already tell that the answer she was going to give wasn't a positive one.
"It's over." Ellie said bluntly.
Grant raised an eyebrow. What happened to them? Sure, Alan didn't see them often due to his work but from what he did see of them, they seemed to have no problems. And she never spoke about this in her letters.
"Oh, sorry to hear that." Alan replied.
"It's okay. I'm back to me, my work. Living the Alan Grant life. It's just..." Ellie trailed off.
"Can be lonely." Alan added.
"And free." Ellie shrugged.
"Ellie, you didn't come here just to catch up, right? I mean if you wanted to, you could've done it over the phone." Alan questioned.
Ellie then went over to a cage that wasn't in the tent before. As she held it up, Grant could hear a crackling sound from the cage. Sattler then set the cage onto a table and Alan moved in to inspect the subject laid out before him.
"So, I assume this is what's been tearing up the crops. Definitely a locust, but I've never heard of one growing to these sizes." Grant observed the bug.
"It has genes that have been lost since the Cretaceous. They started decimating crops in Iowa and moved onto Texas. By the end of the summer there could be millions. Worst of all, there won't be any grains left to feed the chickens, cattle, the entire food chain would go-" Ellie was cut off.
"Into chaos." Alan finished.
This was very different. In terms of stuff related to the environment, none of the escaped creatures apart from the Mosasaurus have been damaging it. But that's because they don't need to.
Herbivores eat plants but they don't go too far to preserve some. And the predators don't over hunt the herbivores for fear of losing their food source. The decimation of other food sources for other animals makes these locusts arguably even more of a threat than some of the dinosaurs.
"Looks like it's been designed by someone. Who would do that, I have no idea." Alan added.
"I do. None of the crops they eat are ones from Biosyn." Ellie answered.
"Biosyn? As in Biology Synthetics Technologies Incorporated? You think they're the ones that made this?" Was she just making things up? They're a pharmaceutical company, they wouldn't make something that could potentially destroy an ecosystem.
"Wouldn't be surprising that they're trying to control the world's food supply. What was that saying? "We're three meals away of anarchy?" If this doesn't stop, you can pick your last three meals." Ellie responded.
"Wait, slow down. Why bring me into all of this?" Alan asked.
"I need concrete evidence. We need to go to their Sanctuary and get DNA from another locust there. But I need a witness. And you command respect." Ellie clarified.
Alan sighed. He's already been through two problematic situations involving prehistoric animals. If this goes wrong he's setting himself up for a third.
"Ellie, you know why I'm here. It's quiet. I'm done with all of that." Alan scratched his head.
"Really? I'm sorry, Alan. Nobody gets that luxury anymore. Not even you, and know you what? You're the only one I trust, I bet my kids wouldn't even believe me if I tried." Ellie was just about to leave the tent.
Alan thought about this more clearly. If he stays here, he will be out of danger, but what about the rest of the world? They don't even know the limit of what kind of things these insects could devour. It's possible that in time, they'll soon recognize living creatures as food and not just wood.
"Their Sanctuary is a hundred miles away. How does someone even get there?" Alan questioned.
"I got an invite from their in-house philosopher. Seems like chaoticians get a lot of money these days." Ellie placed a book on Alan's table.
The man couldn't believe his eyes. But part of him wasn't surprised by who was it was. On the book's cover, was Ian Malcolm. He always had a sort of distain to companies like InGen and Biosyn so it shouldn't be a surprise to anyone that he's been planning something against them.
"And he just happened to invite you out of the blue?" Alan queried.
"He said there was stuff I might be interested in. Are you coming or not?" Ellie wanted to make sure before she left.
Alan looked down and started thinking. He turned to look at something he had been taking with him ever since he went to Isla Sorna.
He approached one of his shelves and took out what looked to be a fossil. But it was actually a 3D replica. It was the same Velociraptor resonating chamber he used to confuse a Velociraptor pack during his stay on Site B.
"Just to be safe." Alan then placed the replica in a bag and smiled to Ellie, signaling to her that he will in fact be coming with her.
U.S Wildlife Relocation Facility, Pennsylvania.
This place was where the DFW would transport the captured animals to the Biosyn Valley. The whole facility looked like a zoo, there were many paddocks and cargo trucks everywhere. However, this was no park, the dinosaurs were held in holding pens before getting transported.
Although, their holding pens are far more hospitable than the ones black market dealers use to contain the creatures. Theirs are a more like the ones used in Jurassic Park. They're simple electric fences. It helps that they know how to keep the animals calm without hurting them.
Alan and Ellie were being escorted over to a plane that will take them straight to the Dolomite Mountains. They were accompanied by a DFW employee named Shira.
"All animals captured on mainland come through here before being sent to the Dolomites. We make sure to give them medical check ups beforehand so that they'll leave healthy." Shira explained.
Both of the scientists looked around and saw a Stegosaurus calmly resting in a paddock while it was being checked by doctors. They also spotted some capture vehicles right beside the pen.
Even though their setup was similar to InGen's back in the 90s, the fences seemed to be far more protected. Not only are there fences, but walls as well.
"So much security. Have you ever had an issue with break-ins or breakouts?" Ellie asked.
"Oh, no. Not at all. There are three types of pens, all made for specific dinosaur sizes. Small, Medium, and Apex. That last category is where we store the large theropods. Nobody's been able to break in either. There's a lot of shady people out there, but most of them want the little ones like these." Shira said as she pointed at a smaller pen that wasn't electrified.
Alan and Ellie then see a baby Nasutocerarops. It was Biva, the same one that Claire saved from that illegal breeding site. He was a lot more active thanks to the care he was given after he was taken here.
Ellie looked at the young dinosaur. She hasn't been in close contact with these creatures because she's been trying to avoid it for fear of repeating what happened years ago. After she was ambushed in the maintenance shed by a Velociraptor she had convinced herself that she didn't want any part of that kind of life anymore.
But in recent months, she has accepted the fact that they are still just animals. The Raptor that attacked her wanted to kill her because it hated humans. This baby probably doesn't have a problem with them.
"Your plane's almost ready. It's tough trying to get an invite to Biosyn. You guys must know someone." Shira commented.
"Is it okay if I..?" Ellie asked pointing at Biva.
"Oh, of course, doctor." Shira replied.
Sattler approached the young Ceratopsian and places a hand in between his underdeveloped horns. She started stroking his head as Alan watched in awe.
Back then he wasn't able to spend this much time with the dinosaurs because he always had carnivores running after him. The only time he did get to experience joy was when he was with the sauropods.
"Such a good boy." Ellie smiled.
"We rescued this guy and a few others from an illegal farm in Nevada. The place was shut down two days ago. The person who told us about it is unknown though." Shira added.
After that, Alan and Ellie got onto their plane which headed for Italy. Since the Valley held multiple dinosaurs, Alan wondered if there was at least one that he might recognize. Preferably not one who tried to kill him in the past.
While on the plane, Grant fell asleep almost instantly. But what he was thinking about during his sleep made him bolt his eyes open.
Some would call it a nightmare. A fever dream. But it was more than just that. It was a memory. During his rest, Alan thought back to the night where everything went wrong. When the power to Jurassic Park was shut down which led to the release... Of him.
Never had Alan seen so much hatred in an animal's eyes before. That thing wasn't just angry. He wanted to kill him along with Hammond's grandkids.
When Alan woke up, he was breathing heavily and Ellie noticed this.
"Bad dream?" Ellie queried.
"Bad memory. Real bad." Alan corrected.
"You still get nightmares about that?" Ellie wondered.
"It's hard to forget when I was literally just a few inches away from the jaws of one of the mightiest predators to ever walk the earth. Once you escape that, it's hard not to think about." Alan answered.
Terror is something that is instilled in everything we fear. But what Alan experienced during that night was something else. Such a predator wasn't supposed to meet man, and yet, there it was breathing down his neck.
Later on, they finally reached their destination as the plane had arrived at the Dolomite Mountains and landed on a runaway.
On the runaway there was a N117AVJ helicopter waiting for them. From it, walked out an American Mauritanian man. He had short black hair, a moustache, and a small beard on his chin. He wore a dark grey business suit with a red and green patterned shirt underneath along with light brown pants.
"Doctor Sattler, Doctor Grant. Ramsay Cole, Head of Communications." The man greeted them.
"Oh, thank you." Ellie said.
"I have to warn you that everyone's excited to have you here. You guys are pretty much legends." Ramsay complimented.
"You must be talking about someone else then." Alan chuckled.
"It's great that you guys are still so close with Doctor Malcolm. I mean, they sometimes say don't meet your heroes but he's exactly the way you'd want him to be. Such fertility of thought, it's amazing." Ramsay continued.
"How much time do you spend with him?" Alan queried.
"Well, he's a nice guy to be around. He can come off as condescending sometimes though." Ramsay replied.
"Yep, sounds like Ian." Alan added.
All three of them get onto the helicopter. It then begins to speed through the mountains towards the facility.
Alan looked around the valley, spotting many herbivores, namely Brachiosaurus. He's forgotten how nice of a feeling it was to be in the presence of living dinosaurs. But this is one of the reasons he's not completely against the idea.
With this valley, there was no way for the dinosaurs to escape since there was a massive dam covering one part of the area and the outer parts were being monitored by security.
"Our company bought this land in the 90s for the amber deposits. Almost 30 species are accounted for. Even ones from Sorna." Ramsay explained.
The moment Grant heard Sorna, he wanted to ask about a particular dinosaur that has haunted him as well.
"There's no Spinosaurus in there, right?" Alan asked nervously.
"Right now, that one has gone M.I.A. we don't know where he went but some have said the last time he was spotted was somewhere near Oakland." Ramsay answered.
Alan sighed in relief. That thing was a handful to deal with. Being able to tear down a inactive electric fence is one thing. But breaking down a metal one is something else entirely. That animal's strength was almost supernatural.
As Alan peaked out the window, he saw a gargantuan sauropod. It was no Brachiosaurus, and it looked like it was slightly larger.
"Is that Dreadnoughtus?" Alan pointed. Ellie also wanted to take a look at the lumbering giant as it rested in the water.
"That one is Donya. She's the youngest of her herd but she can still pack a punch with that tail of hers. Those guys have no natural predators here. I mean, their name translates to "fear nothing" so I guess it's not much of a surprise." Ramsay explained.
"Huh, they have names too. Cute." Ellie observed.
"Aerial Deterrent System is active." A voice said over the radio.
"What was that?" Ellie queried.
"Oh, it's just a system we use to keep the Pterosaurs below 500 feet. Also, the herbivores are fed hawthorn and fern. An indigenous, nothing stocked. Except for the deers. They're for the predators." Ramsay furthered.
"You don't let people in there, right?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.
"No. Our research outposts are connected to an underground system. If we have to, we could just herd the animals remotely using a chip that sends electric signals directly to the brain." Ramsay answered.
That made Alan pause for a moment. Chips? As in neuro implants? Since when did people start incorporating those ito dinosaurs?
"Like shocks?" Alan wondered.
"No, just signals." Ramsay said.
"Doesn't that strike you as a bit, uh..." Alan trailed off.
"Cruel?" Ellie finished.
"Did you know how much voltage were in the fences on Isla Nublar?" Ramsay retorted.
Admittedly, it was unconventional. But from what Ramsay has said, it doesn't seem to affect the animals negatively. And he does have a point about the electric shocks the Nublar dinosaurs would be faced with if they did touch the fences.
While looking at the surrounding area, Ellie manage to spot something that wasn't a herbivore. It was a brown scaled creature. With multiple scars on its neck. This made Ellie's blood run cold.
"A-alan. I think you better see this." Ellie stuttered.
Alan looked over to where Ellie was pointing, and what he saw shocked him. Not only does this valley have predators. It has mega theropods.
"There's a Tyrannosaurus down there?" Alan questioned.
"That's Terry, he's an elder. And from what we've researched, he seems to have had some history with you." Ramsay replied.
Grant gulped.
"Ellie, it's him." Alan whispered.
The one bad memory he keeps coming back to was the night where he, along with John Hammond's grandchildren, Alexis and Timothy were terrorized by a Tyrannosaurus. Alan thought that when he left Nublar, that thing would die of old age eventually. It's been 27 years, how come he's still breathing?
He wished that the fight at Jurassic Park's Visitor Center would've been the last he would see of this beast. But even now he still manages to creep his way back into Alan's life.
"There's nothing to worry about, though. He's not as aggressive as he used to be. In fact, he mostly doesn't mind humans." Ramsay assured them.
"No offense Mr. Cole. I find that very hard to believe." Alan shot back.
Terry's golden eyes then caught a sight of the helicopter. It was like he knew Grant was on it. But he quickly got back to wandering around the forest.
After what that thing has done, Alan's not sure if anything can convince him that 27 years have changed that animal. Out of all the dinosaurs he's encountered, this and the Spino stuck out to him the most, along with the Raptors.
He's just thankful Lex and Tim aren't here. Considering what they had to go through during that night, they'll be lucky if they don't pass out just by getting a glimpse of that beast. Out of all the dinosaurs that escaped that island, this one was the last thing Alan expected to get to mainland. But there he was. Almost as if he's trying to follow Alan whenever he goes.
The kids weren't the only ones who were traumatized by that event, he was as well. Dinosaurs are fascinating beings, but Alan would be lying if he said that his encounter with Terry didn't do anything to him. Almost every time he sees, thinks, or hears something related to Tyrannosaurus, his mind immediately goes back to Terry. He hasn't been able to shake him out of his head ever since that incident and it doesn't seem like that will be happening anytime soon.
But Terry wasn't this valley's apex. That title belonged to someone else.
A brown colored, blue striped behemoth saw the helicopter. This must mean that there are visitors coming to this place. The creature couldn't care less though. It's not like they matter as much as he does.
This animal was even bigger than Terry, and even the Tyrant King himself fears this creature on some level. And why wouldn't he?
This was the Giant Lizard of the South.
TO BE CONTINUED
Author's Notes:
At last, Alan and Ellie make their first appearance in my stories. By the way, the scene with Alan was completely redone from the one in Jurassic World Dominion. It now features an appearance by Utahraptor, even if it's just a fossil. And a cameo by Darius Bowman from Camp Cretaceous. And by the looks of it, Grant and the Tyrant King aren't exactly fond of each other. If you watched the original Jurassic Park, you'd know why.
SEE YA NEXT TIME!