its the end of the world as we know it (and i feel fine) // ian malcolm

ix. and a government for hire and a combat site

The ride to the main structure had been a quiet one. Nobody knew what to do. Dinosaurs were real. Or rather, they were alive. How had they done it? That was the question bouncing around in Ronnie's brain. In everyone's brain, honestly. How was it possible?

"You know, we really are going to make a fortune with this place."

Or rather, the ride had been mostly quiet.

"The amount of cash to build it, your investors were suspicious, but this is- this is opportunity. We're all going to be rich." Gennaro, the lawyer and the real reason all of them were here, was petting his briefcase somewhat obsessively and watching the prehistoric world go by.

"Really. How much money could we charge? Ridiculous amounts. We don't need to put a limit on it." He hadn't stopped babbling the whole trip. Ronnie was impressed Malcolm put up with him.

"You had me going, John, really, you did, but this-this is incredible."

Yes, it is, isn't it," Hammond said with no small amount of pride. The jeeps pulled to a stop at their final resting place, in front of a huge stone building labeled Visitors Center with enormous stone columns and high chain-linked fences that read 'high voltage.' Everyone got out of the jeeps and followed after John Hammond and Gennaro, who was still talking Hammond's ear off.

Dennis Nedry lumbered off somewhere else without them, but Hammond didn't seem too concerned, so Ronnie assumed he had other sanctioned business to attend to. Gennaro opened the door to the grand building and held it for Hammond. He tried to pawn it off to Ellie, but either she didn't notice or was as fed up with his pesky voice as Ronnie was, and walked past him. Everyone followed suit, leaving the lawyer to be in the back of the pack.

The inside of the Visitor's Center was just as impressive as the outside. A huge T-rex skeleton took up the middle of the foyer, with an enormous red banner overhead reading 'when dinosaurs ruled the earth.' People were at work around them, fixing and cleaning or whatever it is you do when you work at a fucking dinosaur-themed theme park.

"It wasn't easy, you know," Hammond said, free of Gennaro's inisistant talking about money. "This is the most advanced theme park in the world, all the latest technologies. I'm not talking about just rides, no. Everyone has rides. I'm talking about living, breathing, biological attractions, so astonishing they will capture the hearts and imagination of the planet!"

This place would capture the public eye, that was for sure. And make a ridiculous amount of money. But was it safe? Accidents happened every day at Harambe, some deadly, but those animals were nowhere near as dangerous as these ones.

Hammond lead them up the grandiose stairs. The whole place was very pretty. Ronnie reached her hand out and pet the tip T-rex skull as she passed. It felt real.

One of it's teeth dropped out of the head and into Ronnie's hand. It was as big as her forefinger. And it was one of the smaller ones. Ronnie palmed it, deciding that nobody was going to look at the skeleton anyway when they had the real thing to gawk at.

"What are you thinking?" Ronnie heard Ellie say.