Ian took a deep breath and rang the bell. He would stick to the plan that had been worked out and hope it ended well. Ludlow didn't know what had been happening on the islands, the board only knew the lease was no longer with the Costa Rican government.
"Who shall I tell Mr. Hammond is calling?" The butler who opened the door asked.
"Ian Malcolm. I've been summoned," he answered and was allowed into the foyer, looking around. He much preferred the airy feeling of places back on the islands. He heard footsteps above him on the stairs and glanced up, smiling as he spotted two teenagers.
"Dr. Malcolm!" Tim called down happily, racing down the stairs.
"Hello, Dr. Malcolm," Lex walked down more slowly but her grin was just as big.
"Kids, kids." He hugged them both. "It's so great to see you." They'd only managed the one visit to the islands since Harry had bought them. Harry had seen them more recently when he'd come to visit John but other than that, there had been some emails from them. "It's so great to see you. Look at you." He grinned at them.
"You came to see Grandpa?" Lex asked, brushing back now very long hair. She looked very different in a summer dress than she had in her shorts and top when they first met.
"Yeah, he called me. Do you know what it's about?" He asked as if he didn't know but he doubted the kids were in on the plan. "I don't either. This joint's kind of creepy, isn't it?" he asked, catching the look the two kids exchanged, no longer happy and he frowned. "Is everything okay?"
"Well, not exactly," Lex admitted warily.
"Dr. Malcolm," a voice called, and Ian turned to look up the stairs. "Dr. Malcolm. Here to share a few campfire stories with my uncle?"
"Making up more cover stories?" Ian shot back. "You lied about the deaths of two people. You misinformed the public about what happened."
"That's your version of the truth."
"There are no 'versions' of the truth," he snapped. "InGen can't keep spewing out..."
"InGen is my responsibility now and I will jealously defend its interests," Ludlow smirked.
"Yours? What about Mr. Hammond?"
"It is our board of directors I must face, not my uncle. Trust me, your problems are about to be rendered moot. In a few weeks' time, they'll be long forgotten."
Ian grabbed his arm as he went to walk passed him.
"Not by me."
"Careful," he pulled Ian's hand off. "This suit cost more than your education." With that he left the house and Ian watched him go before heading upstairs to see John.
He entered the room and frowned at the medical equipment. "Have you seen the doctors on the island?" he asked, and John chuckled.
"There's no cure for old age," John struggled up and Ian moved to help him.
"The bait's been taken then?" Ian asked and John nodded.
"The board has used the incident to take control of InGen from me," John sighed and sat at his desk. "I hope this works."
"Me too, there is too much at stake," Ian agree, patting his shoulder.
"And how is your lady?" John teased and Ian chuckled.
"Back from another trip to Africa studying lions, and she jumped at the chance to help our little charade. So, who are the two lunatics you conned into this?"
"It was hard to convince them of what they would see...in the end had to use my checkbook," he chuckled but handed over the two files. "But there's Nick van Owen, a video documentarian...and Eddie Carr, who's a field equipment expert since you won't be using Sanctus equipment for this."
"Right, the teams are ready to go on our signal," Ian confirmed and then sighed, shaking his head.
"You're concerned." John stared at him and he nodded.
"I know I agreed to this, to ensure the protection of the islands and the animals but there is no way to guarantee safety."
John nodded, what could he say to that? He had seen how one small thing going wrong could cause catastrophe at the park, they were going to an island with no fences this time and while there would be armed men in bunkers in case help was needed, anything could happen.
~~
Harry looked at the message and then stood up to look out his window. All was ready. He wondered if it was necessary...but he'd seen Ludlow's type before, especially among magicals, looking for the quick and easy fix. He thought the dinosaurs were his way to fame and fortune. He had to be dealt with in a way that would ensure he couldn't cause further trouble and trespassing on Harry's land would do that. The penalty for doing so was rather harsh, if fully followed. Ludlow would be spending several years in jail, and would also have to pay a very substantial fine, and that was only so long as no people or animals were harmed. They had let the family off with just a fine, none of them wanting to further punish them after the attack on their daughter.
He wanted to be part of one of the teams going but everyone he loved had vetoed that idea in a heartbeat. Sometimes being King sucked, he could do a lot but some things he had to say no to. He couldn't take foolish risks; he had a nation depending on him after all. He had a will drawn up, should anything happen to him before he married or had children. Sanctus would have a Queen. That didn't mean he could take unnecessary risks just because he wanted to. Being sensible was all part of growing up.
~~
"So how bad do we think this is going to be?" Sirius asked as he watched Ian and Sarah get ready. They would be portkeying back to the mainland to meet the other two members of the 'team' and then arriving back by boat. They should still beat whatever team InGen sent. They would be there to document what they did, or tried to do, before the teams moved in to arrest them.
"If everything goes to plan there should be no problems," Ian snorted.
"Says the Chaotician. I'm just glad we talked Harry out of taking part."
"He loves the dinosaurs, I'm almost surprised he listened," Ian admitted as he shouldered his pack.
"Be careful, you've already been chewed on once."
"I'll keep him safe," Sarah grinned and kissed Ian briefly. With that the portkey activated, whisking them away to the US and Sirius headed back to the Palace and the control room there. He settled in at his desk and activated his console, keeping an eye on their airspace and the ocean around them since they didn't know which method InGen would be using. The navy had been alerted to allow both groups through and the broom squads would remain out of sight should they be spotted approaching.
~~
"You coming along?" Ian asked as they followed Eddie through the warehouse where the equipment was being tested. As far as he knew, they were going to create a photo record of the dinosaurs.
"I don't usually, but I can't resist," Eddie admitted as a van pulled in and another man got out, dressed for hiking.
"Thanks for the two-minute warning," the newcomer shot a glare at Eddie who shrugged. The timetable had been moved up because of how quickly Ludlow had moved.
"Nick van Owen, Ian Malcolm and Sarah Harding. Nick's our photographer."
"You do wildlife photography?" Sarah asked as he began unloading his equipment.
"Wildlife, combat, you name it. When I was with Nightline, I was in Rwanda, Chechnya, Bosnia. I do volunteer work for Greenpeace once in a while," he grinned at her.
That was a pretty impressive resume. "What drew you to Greenpeace?" Ian asked.
"Women," Nick smirked. "Greenpeace is 80-percent female."
"Noble."
"Noble was last year. This year I'm getting paid. Hammond's check cleared, or I wouldn't go on this wild-goose chase."
"You're going to the only place where the geese chase you," Ian called after him in warning as he went to store his gear in the trailer they were taking. He shook his head. "They have no clue."
"Neither did I, not really," Sarah offered. She'd been to both islands, safely in the bunkers or behind the new fences. Despite all of her study, nothing had prepared her for seeing a real, living dinosaur. "How'd Kelly take this trip?"
"Not happy. She's staying with the Lovegoods so at least she'll have fun."
~~
"Here they come," Harry commented as the ship appeared at the edge of their territory.
"Confirmed, it's Dr. Malcolm's group," Captain Miller's voice came from his mirror, his ship shadowing the incoming ship. "Course should bring them in at the lagoon of Isla Sorna."
"Right on schedule," Sirius nodded.
"Can we get ears and eyes on the deck?" Harry asked and soon an image appeared of the deck, showing Ian and the equipment man on the deck. Soon, audio kicked in as well.
"Lindstradt air rifle. Fires a subsonic Fluger dart. I loaded it with enhanced venom from Conus Purpurascens: South Sea cone shell, most powerful neurotoxin in the world. Acts within 0.002 of a second. Faster than nerve-conduction velocity. So the animal's down before it even feels the dart."
"Is there an antidote?" That was Ian's voice.
"Like if you shot yourself in the foot? Don't do that. You'd be dead before you realized it."
They watched as the cameraman and one of the crew approached the other two.
"He says he's unloading us here. He won't go further up the river. He's heard too many stories. He'll drop us off and anchor offshore."
"What kind of stories?" Ian asked and they were all curious what the more local people thought.
"Stories of fishermen that came too close to the island and never returned," was the answer which earnt several frowns, they turned fishing boats back, they did not make them disappear. The captain spoke in Spanish, too quietly for them to pick up to translate. "He has a radio. He has a satellite phone. When you need him, call and he'll be here in two hours. But he will not stay here. He won't stay anywhere near these islands."
Well that was very interesting and worrying. They would need to look more carefully into the various fishermen. It took another hour before the received confirmation from one of the island teams that Ian and co had landed safely and were on the move.
For two days the team moved safely along the perimeter of the island, Ian and Sarah ensuring they stayed clear of carnivore territory.
"Harry!" The call came in from one of the air squads, led by Oliver Wood.
"What've you got?"
"A fleet of military choppers heading for Isla Sorna, they've got various vehicles hanging from them and they all say InGen on the side."
"Keep out of sight but watch them."
"Understood," Oliver answered, and Harry watched the squad's marker move on the map.
"Call Ian and alert him," Harry ordered, and Sirius activated the right mirror.
~~
Ian slipped his mirror away and left the trailer, waiting to see if they would hear the choppers.
"What's that sound?" Nick called after a while and they looked up, spotting the choppers.
Eddie pulled out his binoculars and frowned. "I don't get it. It says InGen on the side of that chopper! Why would Hammond send two teams?"
"Doesn't he trust us? We've barely started," Nick grumbled.
Sarah glanced at Ian; this was it.
"Let's go see," Ian announced, and they took off in the jeep in the direction the choppers were going, eventually abandoning it to move up into the rocks to see what was happening. "This is why Hammond was in a hurry to get you here. He knew they were coming."
"My God, they are well-organised. Those are major-league toys," Eddie whispered, impressed.
"So they actually want to build another park here? After what you said happened on the other island?" Nick asked in concern.
"They're not building anything. They're taking these animals out of here. Back to the mainland," Sarah answered, pointing out the truck with transport cages.
"We have to stop them," Nick watched them as they took down another dinosaur.
"We don't have to lift a finger," Ian admitted, pointing into the tree line and they focused the binoculars there, seeing figures in black moving. "Let's just say they forgot to say please before landing," he smirked.