Tim slumps in his seat as the cars start moving again, "Hey, is it just me or do you see the lights reflecting off of the shiny metal?" Lex asks both Tim and I, and I look and notice as we are driving through a shady area that the headlights are on, "Yup, they're on Lex…great way to scare away the dinosaurs…that's for sure."
"Hey, computer Geek in the control center, get your ass working on working out the bugs, I'm sure you've made a lot of money off this gig even if you underbid it." I say into the cameras that face the occupants, hoping Denis Nerdy sees it.
'You're gonna make me so much money, Dennis!'
"Really? that was mean." Lex says to me and I look into the backseat apologetically, before turning back to the cameras.
"Sorry, computer enthusiast, you are doing a very good job at not fixing the issues in your system." I nod and smile, and turn around to look at Lex who exasperatedly rolls her eyes at me even as she smiles, and her shoulders shake with suppressed laughter.
I see Tim looking between us smirking, he looks happy to see his sister happy though.
'I think we're getting close to the Tyrannosaur Paddock.' I think as our Explorer drives along a high ridge and stops at the edge of a large, open plain that is separated from the road by a fifteen foot fence, clearly marked with "DANGER!" and "HIGH VOLTAGE!" signs.
I smirk as Lex slips into the passenger seat, because of the way she sticks her ass out as she leans forward and presses her face against the window, a quick look to the back seat shows Tim is also pressing his face against the rear window, eyes wide, waiting for you-know-who.
Lex does throw a furtive glance over her shoulder, her eyes shining with pride as she catches me looking at her ass, she gives it a little shake, I look up at her but find that she's back to looking out of the window.
'Really, bringing your grandkids here…when you cheaped out on the security, safety and computer systems, Nerdy using his little buried program, should not have caused such a massive failure, there should have been at least half a dozen IT personnel and dozens of redundancies for the systems keeping the animals in their paddock's, especially animals as dangerous as Raptor should have had their own independent system keeping it powered 24/7, even though their paddock was temporary.'
'And doesn't Arnold mention something about Hammond cheaping out on making a true dock for ships and boats, or was that not in the movie, but the book?'
The digital tour guide's voice starts up again droning on through the Explorer's radio speakers, but none of us are even truly listening to it anymore, because just like Lex and Tim I am dying of anticipation, of seeing Rexy and there's already been so many divergences from the movie it's possible.
"The mighty tyrannosaurus arose late in dinosaur history. Dinosaurs ruled the earth for a hundred and fifty million years, but it wasn't until the last."
"Will you turn that thing off?" I ask Lex, who is the one who turned it on and knows how to use it, "Sure…the view's nice isn't it?" Lex asks me as she wiggles her butt closer to as she reaches back with her left hand, and flips a switch allowing us to wait in silence.
'Okay, is she just teasing me or is she actually interested?' I wonder curiously.
"Yeah, it's a great view of leaves and trees." I joke with a smirk starting at the corners of my lips, at Lex's pout before she turns back to looking out the window.
Suddenly in the paddock, a small cage rises up into view, lifted on hydraulics from underground, The cage bars slide down, leaving the cage's occupant standing alone in the middle of the field.
It's a goat, one leg chained to a stake. It looks around, confused, and bleats.
"What's going to happen to the goat?" Lex asks worriedly.
"I'd say the T-Rex is going to eat,
the goat!" I murmur softly.
"Excellent!" Tim cheers.
"What's the matter, Lex, you squeamish…or a vegetarian…or something?" I ask Lex and she nods, and puts a little bit of defensive attitude in her words, "I happen to be a vegetarian."
"Whoa, no reason to get defensive, I wasn't asking to be mean I was just curious." I tell her and relax back against the driver's door while looking out of the large plexi glass window roof.
"Oh, sorry." Lex apologizes, shaking my head, "Don't worry about it." I easily say back to her before sighing, "This is sad, a T-Rex doesn't want to be fed like some pet dog, it wants to hunt, I don't know what your grandfather is thinking but you can't just suppress sixty-five million years of gut instinct, like it's nothing it took hundreds of years to domesticate dogs, and still if they get hungry enough they'll really on instincts…and hunt prey." I say and we wait…and wait some more, all of us waiting expectantly, as the goat tugs on its chain, it walks back and forth, the goats four legs trembling from nerves.
"This is just fucking sad." I curse in a grumble, "You know what would probably work better is ballistic glass steel reinforced tunnels, that span the inside of paddocks just high enough out of reach that the animals can't jump up and bite into them but low enough to offer great views while setting loss prey for the Rex to chase on timed schedules." I brainstorm an idea similar to what Jurassic World does.
Tim and Lex don't seem to hear me or can't tear their eyes away, to give any input on my idea, but if there was ever an indication that Rexy isn't making an appearance today it's that, Mr.Goat lays down on the ground and starts chilling.
Tim and Lex both sit back in their seats, their disappointment is again obvious, a few more seconds of waiting and the car starts to roll forward continuing the tour.
Everything's going along fine when suddenly I spot a down Triceratops in a field, looking in the rearview, I see Dad throwing open the backdoor of the still moving car, and bolts towards the field, "Let's go see a dino." I turn to face the two and smile, the three of us hope out of the Explorer just as it comes to a stop and catch up with Dad and Ellie just as they enter the field.
We walk through the field with Dad in the lead, Ellie to his left and half a step behind him, Gennaro, and Malcolm at the back of the pack as we "kids" on his right heading towards a small stand of trees.
Looking up for the first time, I notice the sky is darkening rather quickly and that the temperature has become more bearable, I try not to laugh as Tim dogs my dad's footsteps like a bloodhound on a scent, and he's so excited that he can hardly keep his feet underneath himself.
Tim is starting to ramble so I reach over and rest my hand on his shoulder. "Tim, how about you talk to him about this later like after dinner, we're walking through a field that potentially has dinosaurs." Tim blushes in embarrassment but nods shyly as I take my hand off his shoulder, casting a look behind me.
I see Gennaro is scared as hell, as he follows us, his head darting from left and right.
'Can see the opportunity for profit…buf still scared shitless because you know this place isn't safe.'
"Alan? Where are we going? You see something?" Ellie asks and I wonder how she couldn't see the triceratops too, even though it is laying on it's side.
"Uh, does anybody else think we shouldn't be out here?" Gennaro asks with a trembling voice.
"Anybody at all… feel free to speak up." Gennaro says, "Feel free to return to the cars." I speak up just as he wanted, Lex stumbles and I grab her by her waist to keep her from falling.
She looks up at me and smiles at me, her pretty eyes practically glowing, feeling a little uncomfortable, I smile back at her and move to let go of her but Lex grabs and holds my hand tightly.
I hear a certain someone snicker and know that Ellie has noticed this little predicament.
A low rumbling sound of pain, sounds as the Triceratops comes into full view, we all come to a sudden stop in our tracks, a huge smile spreads across my face and I'm certain it's mirrored across the faces of both Tim and Dad.
Dad, Tim and I walk forward, "Wait, you three get back here!" Ellie calls out.
"Hey, come back here, blanket head, and you don't pull me along towards that thing!"
'You're the one holding my hand you can let go at any time.' I think as Dad, Tim and I fearlessly walk forward.
"Hi, everybody, don't be scared!" A man wearing a Jurassic Park branded safari outfit says, now up close you can really see how big a Triceratops, is even lying on its side, it has an enormous curved shell that flanks its head, two big horns over its eyes, and a third on the end of its nose, it doesn't move, just breathes, loud and raspy, blowing up a little clouds of dust with every exhale.
Dad walks up and stands next to…I think his name is Harding, almost in a daze.
"Beautiful, Is it okay? Can I touch it?" Dad asks, sounding like an excited little kid.
"Sure." Harding shrugs and gives him the go ahead gesture, Dad walks up next to the animal and strokes its head.
Ellie moves forward to the animal, "Oh Ellie, Alex, It's so beautiful. It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen, it was my favorite as a kid." Dad murmurs and they both kneel on the ground and lean against the animal and begin checking the animal over.
Dad furrows his bow, noticing something with his professional
curiosity, that something may just be the animal's discolored, dark purple, tongue dropping limply from its mouth…
"Ellie, take a look at this." Dad says in concern for the animal.
"Yeah, oh you poor baby girl, it's okay." Ellie says as she scratches the
tongue with her index fingernail, and pulls her head back nail stained by a clear liquid leaking from the broken blisters.
"Micro vesicles, that's interesting." Ellie murmurs.
Dad, being fascinated by all of this, wanders all the way around to the back of the animal.
"Do you have a light?" Ellie asks.
"Yes." Harding says and joins Ellie and hands her his penlight, I start looking around too, wanting to look good for Lex…and maybe Ellie.
"What are her symptoms?" Ellie asks, and transitioning into doctor mode.
"Imbalance, disorientation, labored breathing. Seems to happen about every six weeks or so."
"Six weeks?" Ellie uses the penlight she has taken from the veterinarian and shines it in the animal's eyes.
"Are there pupillary effects from the tranquilizer?
"Yes, mitotic pupils should be constricted."
"These are dilated. Take a look."
"They are?" Harding asks and checks it out, "I'll be damned!"
"This is definitely a pharmacological reaction, something caused by the local plant life."
"Ellie, isn't this West Indian Lilac?" I ask her and point to a set of bushes that make Ellie turn towards me and
study the surrounding landscape.
The gears turning in her mind,
really at work, puzzling over each piece of foliage.
"Good catch, yes it is, we know they're toxic, but the animals don't eat them." Harding says to me.
"Are you sure? Because these signs say otherwise." Is Ellie's reply.
"Pretty sure…" Harding says while trailing off.
"There's only one way to be positive. I need to see some droppings." Ellie all but demands, causing Harding to chuckle, "You won't be able to miss them."
"Ellie hold up." I say and walk over to the lilac plants and find rounded stones, surrounded by the lilacs.
"What are you thinking Alec?" Ellie asks me as she walks up to me, "Gall stones…maybe the poor girl didn't intentionally eat them, but…ate the lilac plants or seeds trying to get stones to help process the berries…" I offer up.
"Good theory Alec, and probably correct but I still need to inspect the droppings." Ellie says to me and starts to walk away, Malcolm walks up to her, "Dino droppings?" He asks.
"Dinosaur shit…" I offer, Ellie looks over her shoulder at me and smirks, "Yeah, Dinosaur poop!" Ellie says with a smile on her face, she walks away and Malcolm and I get entranced by the hypnotic sway, Lex's hand holding mine tightens its grip.
'Its more than a little sus/weird that she's still holding my hand.'
~ — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — ~
If you like the story and want to show me your support please do so on here.
Ko-Fi.com_/shane_town
Remove slant between .com and /
Or on Pa-treon
patreon.com/user?u=109932335