Jurassic Park (Norminah)

Chp. 5: The Moment of Truth

Jurassic Park's control room resembled that of a mission control room for a space launch. It had several computer terminals and dozens of video screens that displayed images of various dinosaurs taken from all over the park. A large, glass map of the island was mounted at the front of the room, lit up like a Christmas tree with different colored lights. Each one had a number and identification code next to it. But a lot of the control room was still unfinished – unattached cables were laid out across the floor, construction materials were still being used, and ladders were scattered about.

The atmosphere was chaotic with half a dozen technicians rushing around to get some last-minute adjustments taken care of before everyone had to evacuate the park. While everyone was hard at work, Mark came in through the double doors with Chris beside him. They headed straight to the main console where Ray Arnold, one of the park's programmers, was seated.

"National Weather Service is tracking a tropical storm about seventy-five miles west of us," Chris said.

Mark sighed as he looked over Ray's shoulder at the monitor.

"Why didn't I build in Orlando?" the Korean-American uttered to himself.

"Don't worry," Chris chuckled before patting the man's shoulder. "I'll keep an eye on it. Maybe it'll swing south like the last one."

Mark nodded at Chris before looking back to the monitor.

"Ray, start the tour program."

Ray did exactly that by punching a button on the console. With a half of a cigarette in his mouth, he released a deep breath through his nose as camera feeds of the small group appeared on screen.

"Hold on to your butts," he said.

The small group watched as the massive double doors closed behind them, their vehicles cruising along the track as they began their tour. Michael, Halle, and Chloe occupied the front vehicle, while Dinah, Normani, and Victoria occupied the second one. Normani managed to get away with having Michael babysit the kids so she could keep an eye on Victoria. As a fanfare of trumpets sounded through the speakers, the interior video screen began to flash "Welcome to Jurassic Park" before a familiar voice began speaking.

"Welcome to Jurassic Park! You are now entering the lost world of the prehistoric past. You are privileged to see creatures who have been long gone from the face of the earth for the first time."

From the control room, Mark beamed at the excitement in his nieces faces.

"By the way," he spoke into his headpiece to them, "that's James Earl Jones narrating this tour. We spared no expense!"

As the tour began, Dinah smiled at the fact that the surrounding walls and fences were covered with greenery and growth to heighten the illusion of moving through an actual jungle. It made the tour more enjoyable. Eventually, the vehicles came to the top of a low rise, where a break in the foliage gave them a view down a sloping field that was broken by a river.

"To the right," the narrator continued, "you will see a herd of the first dinosaurs on our tour, called Dilophosaurus."

Chloe and Halle practically slammed themselves against the windows to get a look. The adults in the second vehicle did the same, only to become a little disappointed at the fact that there were no dinosaurs in sight.

"One of the earliest carnivores, we now know Dilophosaurus is actually poisonous, spitting its venom at its prey, causing blindness and eventually paralysis, allowing the carnivore to eat at its leisure. This makes Dilophosaurus a beautiful, but deadly addition to Jurassic Park."