Jurassic Park Page 2

  The steer seemed frightened. Its legs were still attached to the crane by a thick rope. They flailed wildly as it fell. Then the animal disappeared behind some trees and the rope went slack.

  Suddenly the rope jerked, like a fishing rod that had just caught a fish. Then it twisted and turned every which way. Plants shook back and forth. Alan heard vicious growls and a crunching sound. Seconds later, all was quiet.

  The crane pulled up the rope. There was nothing on the end. The steer was gone. Every bit of it had been eaten.

  Everyone stood in silence. They were too shocked to speak.

  “The Raptors,” said a grim voice. “They should all be destroyed.”

  Robert Muldoon, the park’s game warden, was standing behind them. He had a hard look on his face.

  “They’re killers at eight months old,” he continued. “They move at cheetah speed—sixty miles an hour. And they’re amazing jumpers.”

  “Are they intelligent?” asked Alan.

  “Very.”

  Mr. Hammond clapped his hands together. He wanted everyone’s attention. “Yes, but we’ve taken steps for safety,” he said. “We have the electrical fence. We’ll have steel frames on all the windows. Everything is under control. Now, who’s hungry?”

  Lunch was served in the Visitor’s Center restaurant. Afterward, everyone stayed at the table. They were talking about the park.

  “We’re going to make a fortune,” Gennaro said happily. “And we can charge anything we want!” His earlier fears had been replaced by greed.

  Mr. Hammond frowned at him. That wasn’t why he built the park. He built it for dinosaur lovers. For children. Eagerly, he listened to the others.

  “Don’t you see the danger?” Ian Malcolm was saying. “You’ve used scientific power like a child who found his father’s gun. You don’t know what you’ve created.”

  Then Ellie spoke up. “The question is, how much can you know about an extinct system?”

  Mr. Hammond looked upset. Two experts thought the park would fail. And Alan, after thinking long and hard, had to agree. Dinosaurs and humans—together! No one knew what would happen!

  Outside a horn blasted. Mr. Hammond stood up and said, “You four are going to have a little company when you visit the park.” He was hoping a Jurassic Park tour would change their minds. “Maybe Tim and Alexis will help you get into the spirit!”

  “Who?” said Alan.

  Mr. Hammond ushered his grandchildren into the room. Tim looked like he was about nine years old. His sister, Alexis, looked about twelve. “After all,” said Mr. Hammond, introducing them all, “kids are our real audience.”

  Kids here, too? Alan thought. He’d never escape them.

  Two electric cars pulled up in front of the Visitor’s Center. They were running along a rail, almost like a train.

  “I read your book,” Tim said to Alan as they waited to board. He was looking at the paleontologist with wide eyes. Tim was a dinosaur nut, and Dr. Alan Grant was his hero. “Do you really think dinosaurs turned into birds?”

  “Well, uh, a few species may have evolved…,” Alan stammered. For some reason, this kid was making him nervous. He tried to move away, but Tim kept on his heels. Alan walked around and around the two cars, trying to lose him. Finally everyone settled into the cars’ seats. Alan relaxed. Tim sat with Alexis and Gennaro in the front car. Alan was in the second one with Ellie and Ian Malcolm.

  “We’ll be watching from the control room,” Mr. Hammond said to them.

  The cars jerked forward. They passed through big iron gates. Seconds later, they were in the jungle.

  A voice came over the speakers in both cars.

  “Welcome to Jurassic Park,” it said.

  Inside the first car, Gennaro hit the buttons on a video display. “What’s wrong with this computer?” he muttered. “I can’t make it work.”

  “It’s an interactive CD-ROM,” Alexis explained. She took over the controls.

  “Lex is a computer nerd,” Tim said.

  Lex corrected him. “I’m a hacker.”

  Just then the cars came to a stop. They were on top of a hill. Below them was a field with a river running through it.

  “Look to your right,” the recorded voice was saying. “You will see a herd of dinosaurs called Dilophosaurus. This carnivore—or meat-eater—is poisonous. The Dilophosaurus spits venom, which blinds and paralyzes the prey so that it can’t see or move.”

  The passengers pressed up against the car windows. They heard a faint hooting sound, but they didn’t see a single dinosaur. After a few frustrating moments, the cars started up again and moved along a high ridge. At last they stopped at the edge of a large, open plain. A tall fence stood in front of the cars, and danger signs were posted all around.

  The cars were right next to the Tyrannosaur paddock. Once again, everyone squirmed in their seats for a better look. But there was nothing. No Tyrannosaurus rex. They sat back, disappointed.

  Ian picked up a microphone that connected him to the control room.

  “You do plan to have dinosaurs on this dinosaur tour, right?” he asked Mr. Hammond.

  Alan stared out the window. He thought he saw…There! At the far end of the field, outside the fence—he saw something. But the cars were moving again. Alan had to see what it was. He pushed open the door and jumped out.

  “Alan?” Ellie said, surprised. She jumped out, too.

  “That’s chaos theory in action,” Ian muttered to himself. “Nobody could have predicted they’d jump out of a moving vehicle.” Then he left the car.

  Soon everybody was out in the open, following Alan Grant down the hill.

  Back in the control room, Mr. Hammond was watching everything on video screens. There were dozens of screens set up around the room. They showed different parts of the park—and all the different dinosaurs.

  There were computer terminals, too. They worked the video screens and kept the phones in order, the fences electrified, and all the security systems operating. They controlled Jurassic Park. They also made the room look like mission control for a space launch.

  But the control room wasn’t finished yet. People were bustling about, making sure everything worked. Ladders were scattered here and there. And cables were still lying around. Muldoon pushed one aside as he made his way over to Mr. Hammond.

  “National Weather Service says a storm is heading this way,” he said. “It could be dangerous. We’ll have to stop the tour.”

  Ray Arnold, the head technician, shook his head with worry. He leaned over to look at the screen with Mr. Hammond. Then he jotted down some notes.

  “Headlights broken,” he said, looking at the electric cars. “This computer’s not on its feet yet.”

  “Dennis!” Mr. Hammond called out to Dennis Nedry, the computer expert. “These lives are in your hands.” Then his eyes widened in shock. Alan and the others were leaving the cars!

  Dennis Nedry wasn’t interested in the tour group. Or in the problems with the computer system. It was time to execute his plan to steal the dinosaur specimens for Dodgson. On his computer screen, he called up a picture of a supply ship by a dock. The ship was pitching back and forth on rough waters. Then Nedry pressed another button and the screen changed. Now it showed a steel door marked RESTRICTED. Nedry knew dinosaur specimens were kept behind that door.

  Nedry went over his plan in his head: Shut down the security system. Put the dinosaur specimens in the fake shaving can. Then drive to the dock and hand them over to the ship worker. That was all he had to do. The ship worker would take the specimens to Dodgson on the mainland. Then Dodgson would pay him the rest of the money, and Nedry would be a rich man!

  Nedry picked up the phone and called the ship.

  “We have to leave,” the sailor told him. “The storm is coming.”

  “I’ll be there in fi
fteen minutes,” Nedry said. He knew he should wait for Alan and the others to get back. They could have trouble when the security system went off. But Nedry didn’t have time. And the money was too important to him. He turned back to the computer. Making sure no one was looking, Nedry entered a series of commands. A red box appeared. Inside it was one word: EXECUTE.

  The skies over Jurassic Park had grown dark. The storm was coming closer.

  “Uh, anybody think we shouldn’t be out here?” Gennaro said. He looked to the right, then to the left. He hoped there weren’t any dinosaurs out here.

  But Alan knew something was out here. And he wanted to investigate. He kept going down the hill, and the others followed. Lex, though, wasn’t looking where she was going. She stumbled on a loose rock. Alan grabbed her hand, stopping her from a fall. Lex smiled up at him. And when he tried to let go, she held tight.

  Suddenly, the group stopped in its tracks. There it was! A Triceratops, lying on its side. Its big frill circled its head like a bonnet. Tim stared at its three horns—one above each eye and one on the end of its nose. He grinned.

  “I’m scared,” said Lex.

  Tim wasn’t. He ran up to the dinosaur, with Alan right behind. Poor Trike, thought Alan. It’s barely moving.

  Next to the Triceratops crouched Dr. Gerry Harding. Dr. Harding was the animal caretaker for the park. He was examining the dinosaur.

  “It’s okay,” he said, gesturing everyone else over, too. “She’s been tranquilized. She seems to get sick like this every six weeks. We can’t figure out what’s wrong.”

  Alan bent close to the dinosaur. Its dark-purple tongue hung limply from its mouth. “Ellie, look at this,” he said.

  Ellie examined the tongue. Then she took a penlight and shined it in the Triceratops’ eyes. “What are its symptoms?” she asked Dr. Harding.

  “Trouble breathing. Trouble walking,” he answered.

  Alan and Ellie talked to the doctor for a while. Then Ellie walked into the open field, searching for an answer. Minutes later she came back to the group. The three doctors stood together, thinking.

  “She must be sick from eating those berry plants in the field,” Ellie finally said. “They could be poisonous.”

  Alan shook his head. “But Triceratops was a constant browser. And constant browsers would always be sick—not sick every six weeks. Something doesn’t add up.”

  Tim, meanwhile, had wandered behind the dinosaur. He noticed a pile of smooth rocks on the ground by the Trike. Picking one up, he stared at it curiously.

  “These look kind of familiar,” he called out shyly. He hated to interrupt the doctors. “I’ve seen pictures of them.”

  “Where?” said Alan, not really paying attention. Tim was just a kid, after all.

  “Um—in your book.”

  Still, Alan ignored him. But Ellie joined Tim and peered at the stones. Suddenly her eyes lit up. She knew the answer!

  “Gizzard stones!” she said.

  Alan rushed over, excited. “That’s it!” he cried.

  “What do you mean?” Tim was confused.

  “It’s very simple,” Ellie explained. “Some animals that don’t have teeth—”

  “—like birds,” Alan continued. Just like before, they were finishing each other’s sentences. “What some of them do is swallow rocks. They keep them in a sac in their stomachs—”

  “—called a gizzard,” said Ellie, taking over. “The gizzard helps them mash their food, and what happens—”

  “—is after six weeks,” Alan said, “the rocks get worn smooth. So the animal regurgitates them—”

  “…barfs them up,” Ellie added, for Tim’s benefit.

  “…and swallows fresh ones.”

  “And when this Triceratops did,” Ellie finished triumphantly, “it swallowed poisonous berries and got sick. Good work, Tim.”

  Alan grunted.

  Just then Gennaro broke into the conversation. “Doctors, if you please. I have to insist we get moving.”

  The sky was even darker now. Thunder rumbled. Whoosh! A strong wind swept through the trees.

  “I’d like to stay with Dr. Harding,” Ellie said, “and spend more time with the Trike.”

  “Sure,” said Dr. Harding. “I’ve got a gas-powered vehicle. I can drop her off at the Visitor’s Center before I take the boat out of here.”

  Lightning flashed. Gennaro was already pushing Tim and Lex back to the cars, while Ian Malcolm trailed behind.

  “Go ahead, Alan,” Ellie said as large drops of rain began to fall.

  Alan felt strange leaving Ellie. He had a feeling that something would go wrong. But Ellie was determined to stay, so he followed the others. A minute later, he raised his hand to wave, but Ellie wasn’t looking. Then Ellie had the same idea. She waved to Alan. But it was too late. Alan had his back turned and was already up the hill.

  Ellie sighed. It didn’t really matter, she thought. They’d be together in just a little while. What could happen?

  Mr. Hammond was still watching the video screens. “Good,” he said. “They’re in the cars again.” The rain was coming down in driving sheets now.

  “I’m turning the cars around,” Ray Arnold said to him. “They’re coming back.”

  Dennis Nedry stood and pretended to stretch. “Anybody want a Coke?” he asked. Everyone shook their heads, too busy to pay attention. Nedry grabbed the fake shaving can and took a step toward the door. Then he turned, as if he had just remembered something.

  “Oh, I had to debug a few things in the computer. One or two little systems might be off.”

  Mr. Hammond nodded absently. He wasn’t even looking at Nedry. Nedry saw his chance. Quickly, he reached back to the computer and pressed EXECUTE.

  Now he had one minute before the security systems would shut down. He raced to the specimen room. Just as he approached the door, the security lock clicked off. Perfect timing! The door swung open, and Nedry hurried inside. He saw a rack of glass slides. They were tagged APATOSAURUS, TYRANNOSAURUS, STEGOSAURUS, and so on. Nedry found just what he was looking for.

  Ray Arnold sat at his computer, looking confused. On the screen, red lights were blinking one by one.

  “That’s odd,” he said to Mr. Hammond. “Door security systems are shutting down.”

  “Well, Nedry said a few systems would go offline, didn’t he?” Mr. Hammond said calmly.

  Arnold kept staring at his computer screen. Blue lines started to flicker off, too.

  “Now fences are failing,” he called out urgently. Then, “The phones are out.”

  Pffft! Suddenly all the video screens in the control room went black.

  “Power is out everywhere!” Arnold shouted. “A few little systems? Ha!”

  In a panic, Arnold raced over to Nedry’s computer. He punched one button after another. He couldn’t change the screen. Nedry had jammed the computer! He was the only person who could turn everything back on.

  “The electric cars must have stopped, too,” said Mr. Hammond, beginning to look concerned. “But where?”

  Tim and Alexis sat with Gennaro in one car. Alan and Ian Malcolm were in the other. They were right outside the Tyrannosaurus paddock.

  “Gennaro said to sit tight,” Alan told Ian. He’d just come back from the other car and was soaking wet. “Their power is out, too. Nothing to worry about. Probably just a little hiccup in the system.”

  All they could do was wait. In the front car, Tim and Lex were getting bored. The rain drummed on the roof. It was driving Tim crazy. He felt like they’d been there for hours.

  “I think Mr. Grant is really…smart,” Lex said dreamily. She thought he was cute, too. But she’d never say that to her brother. Besides, he was staring out the window—ignoring her as usual.

  “Did you feel that?” Tim asked. At first Lex didn’t know what he
was talking about. But then she felt it, also. The car was shaking.

  There were loud quaking sounds and it seemed as though the earth was moving—like something was taking giant footsteps.

  Gennaro’s eyes widened in fear. The sound got louder. The vibrations felt stronger. Whatever it was, it was coming closer. And then they all saw it. Tyrannosaurus rex. It was gripping the fence. Gennaro stared in horror. Oh no, he thought. The dinosaur should have felt an electric shock. The power must be out in the fences, too! But would it break through?

  The T. rex swung its mighty head. Tim gasped. Its boxy head was bigger than Tim’s whole body. And its body was bigger than a bus. The dinosaur waved its short, silly-looking arms in the air. Then it clawed the fence. The Tyrannosaurus was tearing it down!

  All at once Gennaro bolted out of the car. He didn’t say a word. He just ran, leaving Tim and Lex all alone. Lex began to scream. But Gennaro didn’t stop. He raced toward a small building a short distance down the road. Moments later, he reached it and ran inside. But the building wasn’t finished yet. Gennaro couldn’t lock the wooden door behind him.

  “What’s he doing?” Ian asked Alan. They hadn’t noticed the Tyrannosaurus yet.

  Then they saw the fence come down. The Tyrannosaurus was free! It stood on the park road, eyeing the two cars.

  “Don’t move,” Alan whispered to Ian. “It can’t see us if we don’t move.”

  The T. rex bent down. It peered through the car window at Ian. Ian froze. He couldn’t have moved if he’d wanted to.

  Suddenly the first car lit up like a beacon. Lex had turned on a flashlight. The dinosaur raised its head. It was drawn to the light.

  “I’m sorry, sorry, sorry,” Lex mumbled to Tim as the T. rex thudded closer. It lifted its head high. Tim and Lex could see it through the sunroof.

  Roar! The dinosaur opened its mouth wide. It roared again. It was so loud, the car windows rattled.

  Then the T. rex struck.

  The dinosaur lifted its powerful leg. Smash! It kicked the car. Windows shattered, and the car tilted on its side. The dinosaur lowered its head and butted the car off the rail.