Holland, his youthful-looking honey-blond security chief. Three men in dark suits were waiting.
Roger Hearne, the spokesman for the group, riffled through his briefcase. He withdrew a handful of files as he prepared to address Alan and Deborah in the conference room.
Alan leaned in close to Deborah’s ear and nodded toward Hearne. “A GQ model with an MBA. Perhaps the most threatening predator of all.”
“Want me to take him down with a tranquilizer dart?” Deborah asked.
“We’ll see,” said Alan.
Hearne cleared his throat and Alan leaned back and sighed. He’d been through enough meetings with representatives from the investment board that he felt he could recite their dialogue for them.
Hearne addressed a laundry list of concerns. Most notable, as always, was the lack of income this dinosaur preserve and research facility was generating. He ran through the costs for today’s “exercise,” as he called it, and discussed how he would have to hide the related expenditures under various “extraneous expenses” to keep even more investors from pulling their support.
“Mr. Hearne,” Alan said, “I’d like to point out that the super-predator we captured and relocated today had already single-handedly wiped out several other species of dinosaurs on this island. I know you’d like us to study the amazingly advanced immune systems of these genetically engineered animals. But before we can even think of devoting our time to potential income- generating operations, we must stabilize this out-of-balance ecology. Otherwise, there won’t be any dinosaurs left to study.”
Hearne frowned. “Why can’t these operations be handled at the same time?”
“Some are,” Alan said. He looked away and muttered, “Which you’d know if you bothered to read those files you people like to shuffle so much.”
“Pardon?” Hearne asked.
Deborah smiled. “He was just asking me if Cook was already fixing our dinners. It’s been a long day and we’re starved.”
Alan nodded, grateful for Deborah’s powers of diplomacy. “As I said, some operations are already under way, but results will not come overnight. Research takes time.”
“Time’s not an issue,” Hearne said. “Money is. For that reason, we’ve scheduled a group of goodwill appearances for you over the next few weeks to help remind the general public—
and
our skittish investment groups—of all the good work you’re doing out here and the potential benefit for us all. The research into dinosaur immune systems alone could yield a hundred million in new medicines.”
Hearne slid a file across the table to Alan. Grimacing, the scientist reviewed the enclosed documents.
“I’m not agreeing to go—” Alan started.
“Orlando, Florida? Oh, cool!” Deborah exclaimed, glancing at the pages over Alan’s shoulder.
“But not for this,” Alan said. “What’s next? I get to appear on the celebrity version of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
”
Hearne smiled, breaking out a ballpoint to take notes. “Good idea. We could use the additional income. . . .”
CHAPTER 2
Eric Kirby couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He’d seen amazing things in his thirteen years, but nothing quite like this. He sat at the author signing table at Mysterious Galaxy, a bookstore in San Diego. Outside it looked as if an endless line of people had shown up just to see him!
“The line’s all the way around the block,” said one of the owners: a thin, bearded man with glasses, named Jeff. He wandered through the crowded store with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, helping to keep the lines orderly.
Eric shook his head in disbelief as he signed yet another book. His mother sat beside him. Amanda Kirby put her hand on her son’s shoulder.
“Did you hear that, honey?” Amanda asked.
Eric nodded, but he was too busy to answer. A whole family was gathered in front of his table, and every member wanted a signed copy of his book. His hand was actually starting to
Roger Hearne, the spokesman for the group, riffled through his briefcase. He withdrew a handful of files as he prepared to address Alan and Deborah in the conference room.
Alan leaned in close to Deborah’s ear and nodded toward Hearne. “A GQ model with an MBA. Perhaps the most threatening predator of all.”
“Want me to take him down with a tranquilizer dart?” Deborah asked.
“We’ll see,” said Alan.
Hearne cleared his throat and Alan leaned back and sighed. He’d been through enough meetings with representatives from the investment board that he felt he could recite their dialogue for them.
Hearne addressed a laundry list of concerns. Most notable, as always, was the lack of income this dinosaur preserve and research facility was generating. He ran through the costs for today’s “exercise,” as he called it, and discussed how he would have to hide the related expenditures under various “extraneous expenses” to keep even more investors from pulling their support.
“Mr. Hearne,” Alan said, “I’d like to point out that the super-predator we captured and relocated today had already single-handedly wiped out several other species of dinosaurs on this island. I know you’d like us to study the amazingly advanced immune systems of these genetically engineered animals. But before we can even think of devoting our time to potential income- generating operations, we must stabilize this out-of-balance ecology. Otherwise, there won’t be any dinosaurs left to study.”
Hearne frowned. “Why can’t these operations be handled at the same time?”
“Some are,” Alan said. He looked away and muttered, “Which you’d know if you bothered to read those files you people like to shuffle so much.”
“Pardon?” Hearne asked.
Deborah smiled. “He was just asking me if Cook was already fixing our dinners. It’s been a long day and we’re starved.”
Alan nodded, grateful for Deborah’s powers of diplomacy. “As I said, some operations are already under way, but results will not come overnight. Research takes time.”
“Time’s not an issue,” Hearne said. “Money is. For that reason, we’ve scheduled a group of goodwill appearances for you over the next few weeks to help remind the general public—
and
our skittish investment groups—of all the good work you’re doing out here and the potential benefit for us all. The research into dinosaur immune systems alone could yield a hundred million in new medicines.”
Hearne slid a file across the table to Alan. Grimacing, the scientist reviewed the enclosed documents.
“I’m not agreeing to go—” Alan started.
“Orlando, Florida? Oh, cool!” Deborah exclaimed, glancing at the pages over Alan’s shoulder.
“But not for this,” Alan said. “What’s next? I get to appear on the celebrity version of
Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?
”
Hearne smiled, breaking out a ballpoint to take notes. “Good idea. We could use the additional income. . . .”
CHAPTER 2
Eric Kirby couldn’t believe what he was looking at. He’d seen amazing things in his thirteen years, but nothing quite like this. He sat at the author signing table at Mysterious Galaxy, a bookstore in San Diego. Outside it looked as if an endless line of people had shown up just to see him!
“The line’s all the way around the block,” said one of the owners: a thin, bearded man with glasses, named Jeff. He wandered through the crowded store with his wife, Mary Elizabeth, helping to keep the lines orderly.
Eric shook his head in disbelief as he signed yet another book. His mother sat beside him. Amanda Kirby put her hand on her son’s shoulder.
“Did you hear that, honey?” Amanda asked.
Eric nodded, but he was too busy to answer. A whole family was gathered in front of his table, and every member wanted a signed copy of his book. His hand was actually starting to
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