(Thanks for the positive reception on Chapter One guys - really appreciate it! 
)
Chapter 2 – The Key Is DNA
The interior of the Research building was bustling with life – with scientists in long white lab coats walking between small compartmentalised testing rooms as announcements over a loud speaker pointed personnel in the directions they need to go. The entrance – a small atrium area, was state-of-the-art – with smart amber sculptures enclosing a small seating area which was headed by a rectangular white reception desk. By the double doors, one of Lambert’s Security Personnel stood guard – wearing a similar uniform to the standard ACU personnel found around the island, but equipped with a shock baton which hung from his belt. Here and there – ACU personnel were on station around the facility, positioned just in case an unsavoury situation developed which would be best kept from the public eye as the facilities across the five deaths continued to grow and expand. While the exciting research took place across Nublar and Sorna – just as prevalent, was the research which Dr Dua was tasked with completing on Isla Matanceros.
It was early one morning in April of 2015 when Dr Dua received an urgent request to attend the arrival area within the building. Usually, she would be the person requesting additional personnel or visitors attend the facility – so she was a little perplexed by the request, but she proceeded to head to the atrium area regardless. She left her lab – walking past rows of Amber specimens stored in tightly-packed shelving units, and passing a couple of Hammond XB20 gene sequencing units. The islands had the best technology that In-Gen could create – and Dua was certainly thankful for the proficiency of the XB20s. As she proceeded down a long, clinically-white corridor, she passed a couple of members of the security detail who eyed her cautiously. She always felt there was a lot of tension between the different leadership divisions which had been put in place on the island – and often wondered if any of the security personnel would be so brazen as so attempt sabotage. She had her doubts – afterall, they were all professionals – but there was something which always made her a little uneasy when she passed Lambert’s men. Still, she proceeded past, and headed down the stairs into the well-polished reception area. Immediately she noticed her guest – and she was filled with dread as he looked up and smiled dryly.
“Ah…Kajal. How are my research projects going?” Dr Henry Wu asked – cutting straight to the chase.
Dr Dua wasn’t a fan of Henry Wu. As far as bosses went, he was incredibly self-indulgent – and very much considered all the research work under Masrani Global to be his. While he wasn’t wrong – as he did set the research directives and goals, he often failed to see the necessity for a team and failed to value the people who worked the hard graft to make his success possible. He was very dismissive – immediately jumping into work and putting Dr Dua on edge. She supposed that part of her disdain for people had come from working under Wu – as she had needed to learn quickly how to keep an edge about herself.
“Dr Wu – work is going well. Asset viability is increasing day by day, and we are continuing to experiment with genetic-” – She stopped abruptly as Wu cut her off.
“Good I am glad, but now isn’t the time to focus on what we are already doing – but rather to continue building. Can we head up to your lab? I have a specimen I’d like you to finalise.” He interjected.
Dr Dua sighed. She had been enjoying her work on enhanced genetics and behavioural traits, but knew that it would now need to take a back burner to follow Wu’s direction. She nodded reluctantly.
“Of course, Dr. Follow me.” She said, waving him up the stairs.
Dr Wu picked up a large, industrial-grade briefcase and began to follow Dr Dua up the stairs to her office. As they walked down the hallway, the security guards nodded to Dr Wu – infuriating Dr Dua further. She bit her tongue. She had her own way of doing things, and she knew she could be a little bit frosty at times, but she couldn’t stand when one person got respect whilst she didn’t. Still – Wu had an air about him, and there wasn’t much she could do – as much as she wanted to. She swallowed hard, and guided Wu into her laboratory space.
Inside the lab – Wu placed the briefcase down on Dr Dua’s desk and began looking around the office. He examined the Amber specimens on her shelving units – picking them up and glancing them over with some interest. He picked up one specimen – labelled ‘Tyrannosaurus’ – and a smile almost crossed his face before he placed it back down and continue to walk around the laboratory. He played with one of the XB20s for a second – pressing a couple of buttons and reviewing what they had been used for recently, before he crossed to the other side of Dua’s office. A large, rectangular window offered a fantastic view out across the facilities stationed on Matanceros – including some of the holding pens which were relatively close to the research facility. From the window, Wu could make out some small shapes moving around in one of the paddocks. Not breaking contact with them – he called out to Dua.
“Kajal – are those Struthiomimus I can see in that enclosure?” He asked sharply.
“Yes – we had most of the genome for them already, so we figured it would-” Again, Wu cut her off.
“Nublar already has Gallimimus Kajal – there is no need for similar Dinosaurs.” Wu said. For the first time, however – he showed a mark of respect. “I do, however, appreciate the sentiment. Still – we have worked to do.”
He motioned for Dr Dua to open the briefcase which he had placed on her desk as he took a seat in one of the office chairs opposite her plush desk chair. She clicked the security locks, and then looked up, motioning to a keypad.
“Do you have the key code, Dr Wu?” She asked.
“Of course.” He sighed – clearly amused that she thought he would not have come prepared. “It’s 1-9-9-4.”
With a hiss, the briefcase unlocked itself. When it opened, a handful of vials were revealed – including blood, DNA, and other genetic properties. They had been sealed in an industrial cooling briefcase – clearly using cryogenic cooling properties to keep the vials viable. Above the vials, a short piece of documentation listed them as all the genetic properties necessary to hatch a Ceratosaurus – a carnivorous theropod from the Late Jurassic period. Dr Dua looked up at Wu – clearly quite confused.
“Dr Wu, I appreciate the opportunity to work on a Carnivore – but hasn’t this dinosaur been hatched before? I am sure I remember reading reports of there being a couple of Ceratosaurus present on Isla Sorna.” Dua asked, looking confused.
For the first time since entering her office, Henry Wu smiled.
“I must say – I’m impressed Kajal. Clearly, you’ve done your research. Yes – the Ceratosaurus was based on Isla Sorna. However, when my little…experiment…got released, the living specimens we had on the island were killed, and we lost the locations of some of our genetic facilities on the island. During our recent renovation works to contain, and where necessary, kill, older dinosaurs, we have been able to re-access some of our older facilities thought long forgotten. One of the facilities had an assortment of dead embryos from various species – including Apatosaurus – but also included the DNA from many of the species on the Island, alongside viable samples.” Wu explained.
Dua nodded. It made sense that a vast amount of the necessary data would have been copied somewhere – as if specimens died and more were needed, it streamlined the cloning process. However – she still wasn’t sure where she fit in to the brief.
“Okay – so that all makes sense. But where do I fit into this?” She asked. “I thought my job was developing new genomes – not working on ones which we already have access to? Surely this is a job for the hatchery on Sorna?”
Wu shook his head.
“The DNA, the blood and the genetic data is quite old. I don’t have complete confidence it will hatch correctly – and so I want you to try. Clean up the genetic code as much as you can, and see if you can hatch a Ceratosaurus, right here on Matanceros.”
Dua’s eyes widened. Authorisation to hatch a carnivore on Matanceros? Wu must be crazy. She was about to question it further, when there was a knock at the door and a security officer walked in.
“Dr Dua, Dr Wu. Hoskins is requesting you back on Nublar, Dr Wu. Something to do with contingency planning. We’ve got a helicopter spinning-up at the ACU facility to take you down there but you’ve got to move now to avoid a tropical storm.”
Wu nodded, standing up and following the guard to the door. Before exiting, he turned to look at Dua.
“Good luck, Kajal. Don’t disappoint me.”
With that, he was gone, and Dr Dua sat, staring blankly at the vials which were now laid out before her. Lambert was going to hate this.
)Chapter 2 – The Key Is DNA
The interior of the Research building was bustling with life – with scientists in long white lab coats walking between small compartmentalised testing rooms as announcements over a loud speaker pointed personnel in the directions they need to go. The entrance – a small atrium area, was state-of-the-art – with smart amber sculptures enclosing a small seating area which was headed by a rectangular white reception desk. By the double doors, one of Lambert’s Security Personnel stood guard – wearing a similar uniform to the standard ACU personnel found around the island, but equipped with a shock baton which hung from his belt. Here and there – ACU personnel were on station around the facility, positioned just in case an unsavoury situation developed which would be best kept from the public eye as the facilities across the five deaths continued to grow and expand. While the exciting research took place across Nublar and Sorna – just as prevalent, was the research which Dr Dua was tasked with completing on Isla Matanceros.
It was early one morning in April of 2015 when Dr Dua received an urgent request to attend the arrival area within the building. Usually, she would be the person requesting additional personnel or visitors attend the facility – so she was a little perplexed by the request, but she proceeded to head to the atrium area regardless. She left her lab – walking past rows of Amber specimens stored in tightly-packed shelving units, and passing a couple of Hammond XB20 gene sequencing units. The islands had the best technology that In-Gen could create – and Dua was certainly thankful for the proficiency of the XB20s. As she proceeded down a long, clinically-white corridor, she passed a couple of members of the security detail who eyed her cautiously. She always felt there was a lot of tension between the different leadership divisions which had been put in place on the island – and often wondered if any of the security personnel would be so brazen as so attempt sabotage. She had her doubts – afterall, they were all professionals – but there was something which always made her a little uneasy when she passed Lambert’s men. Still, she proceeded past, and headed down the stairs into the well-polished reception area. Immediately she noticed her guest – and she was filled with dread as he looked up and smiled dryly.
“Ah…Kajal. How are my research projects going?” Dr Henry Wu asked – cutting straight to the chase.
Dr Dua wasn’t a fan of Henry Wu. As far as bosses went, he was incredibly self-indulgent – and very much considered all the research work under Masrani Global to be his. While he wasn’t wrong – as he did set the research directives and goals, he often failed to see the necessity for a team and failed to value the people who worked the hard graft to make his success possible. He was very dismissive – immediately jumping into work and putting Dr Dua on edge. She supposed that part of her disdain for people had come from working under Wu – as she had needed to learn quickly how to keep an edge about herself.
“Dr Wu – work is going well. Asset viability is increasing day by day, and we are continuing to experiment with genetic-” – She stopped abruptly as Wu cut her off.
“Good I am glad, but now isn’t the time to focus on what we are already doing – but rather to continue building. Can we head up to your lab? I have a specimen I’d like you to finalise.” He interjected.
Dr Dua sighed. She had been enjoying her work on enhanced genetics and behavioural traits, but knew that it would now need to take a back burner to follow Wu’s direction. She nodded reluctantly.
“Of course, Dr. Follow me.” She said, waving him up the stairs.
Dr Wu picked up a large, industrial-grade briefcase and began to follow Dr Dua up the stairs to her office. As they walked down the hallway, the security guards nodded to Dr Wu – infuriating Dr Dua further. She bit her tongue. She had her own way of doing things, and she knew she could be a little bit frosty at times, but she couldn’t stand when one person got respect whilst she didn’t. Still – Wu had an air about him, and there wasn’t much she could do – as much as she wanted to. She swallowed hard, and guided Wu into her laboratory space.
Inside the lab – Wu placed the briefcase down on Dr Dua’s desk and began looking around the office. He examined the Amber specimens on her shelving units – picking them up and glancing them over with some interest. He picked up one specimen – labelled ‘Tyrannosaurus’ – and a smile almost crossed his face before he placed it back down and continue to walk around the laboratory. He played with one of the XB20s for a second – pressing a couple of buttons and reviewing what they had been used for recently, before he crossed to the other side of Dua’s office. A large, rectangular window offered a fantastic view out across the facilities stationed on Matanceros – including some of the holding pens which were relatively close to the research facility. From the window, Wu could make out some small shapes moving around in one of the paddocks. Not breaking contact with them – he called out to Dua.
“Kajal – are those Struthiomimus I can see in that enclosure?” He asked sharply.
“Yes – we had most of the genome for them already, so we figured it would-” Again, Wu cut her off.
“Nublar already has Gallimimus Kajal – there is no need for similar Dinosaurs.” Wu said. For the first time, however – he showed a mark of respect. “I do, however, appreciate the sentiment. Still – we have worked to do.”
He motioned for Dr Dua to open the briefcase which he had placed on her desk as he took a seat in one of the office chairs opposite her plush desk chair. She clicked the security locks, and then looked up, motioning to a keypad.
“Do you have the key code, Dr Wu?” She asked.
“Of course.” He sighed – clearly amused that she thought he would not have come prepared. “It’s 1-9-9-4.”
With a hiss, the briefcase unlocked itself. When it opened, a handful of vials were revealed – including blood, DNA, and other genetic properties. They had been sealed in an industrial cooling briefcase – clearly using cryogenic cooling properties to keep the vials viable. Above the vials, a short piece of documentation listed them as all the genetic properties necessary to hatch a Ceratosaurus – a carnivorous theropod from the Late Jurassic period. Dr Dua looked up at Wu – clearly quite confused.
“Dr Wu, I appreciate the opportunity to work on a Carnivore – but hasn’t this dinosaur been hatched before? I am sure I remember reading reports of there being a couple of Ceratosaurus present on Isla Sorna.” Dua asked, looking confused.
For the first time since entering her office, Henry Wu smiled.
“I must say – I’m impressed Kajal. Clearly, you’ve done your research. Yes – the Ceratosaurus was based on Isla Sorna. However, when my little…experiment…got released, the living specimens we had on the island were killed, and we lost the locations of some of our genetic facilities on the island. During our recent renovation works to contain, and where necessary, kill, older dinosaurs, we have been able to re-access some of our older facilities thought long forgotten. One of the facilities had an assortment of dead embryos from various species – including Apatosaurus – but also included the DNA from many of the species on the Island, alongside viable samples.” Wu explained.
Dua nodded. It made sense that a vast amount of the necessary data would have been copied somewhere – as if specimens died and more were needed, it streamlined the cloning process. However – she still wasn’t sure where she fit in to the brief.
“Okay – so that all makes sense. But where do I fit into this?” She asked. “I thought my job was developing new genomes – not working on ones which we already have access to? Surely this is a job for the hatchery on Sorna?”
Wu shook his head.
“The DNA, the blood and the genetic data is quite old. I don’t have complete confidence it will hatch correctly – and so I want you to try. Clean up the genetic code as much as you can, and see if you can hatch a Ceratosaurus, right here on Matanceros.”
Dua’s eyes widened. Authorisation to hatch a carnivore on Matanceros? Wu must be crazy. She was about to question it further, when there was a knock at the door and a security officer walked in.
“Dr Dua, Dr Wu. Hoskins is requesting you back on Nublar, Dr Wu. Something to do with contingency planning. We’ve got a helicopter spinning-up at the ACU facility to take you down there but you’ve got to move now to avoid a tropical storm.”
Wu nodded, standing up and following the guard to the door. Before exiting, he turned to look at Dua.
“Good luck, Kajal. Don’t disappoint me.”
With that, he was gone, and Dr Dua sat, staring blankly at the vials which were now laid out before her. Lambert was going to hate this.
