A Shard of Amber

Part 1

Badlands- near Snakewater, Montana 1993

Sweat drips down the side of my face as the sun beats down on my back. I grip the brush exactly how my father showed me as I carefully brush off the velociraptor toe claw. The fossil is beautiful. We found a whole skeleton. 

My father, Dr. Alan Grant, and a family friend, Dr. Ellie Sattler, sit nearby also brushing away grains of sand. Carefully I edge one of my tools under the claw. I can feel my father's gaze on me as I work. "Stop staring you're making me nervous," I mutter. 

"You're making me nervous." My father responds. 

I roll my eyes and finally get the claw out of the ground. I lift it up to examine it closer in the sun. I smirk triumphantly as I hand the fossil over to my father. "There see. Not a scratch." 

My father smirks a little as he looks at the fossil in my hands. "Good job, y/n." 

"Dr. Grant, Dr. Sattler, we're ready to try again." A man shouts as he walks up the hill toward us. 

"I hate computers." My father mutters as Ellie stands next to him and ties his scarf around his neck. 

"The feeling's mutual!" She says. They smile at each other as they turn to head down the hill. Ellie places her hand on my father's back as she walks. I smirk to myself. I've always sensed they've had a thing for each other, but apparently, I'm the only one who senses it.  

I quickly set my brush down as I race off to follow them. When we reach the bottom of the hill two men are standing on a strange red machine that I haven't quite figured out yet. All I understand is that it somehow gives us a picture of the fossils underground. 

We all crowd around the computer as a different man works the controls. I hear people muttering to themselves asking if it worked. Being the shortest person there I'm right up in front as we all crowd around the computer screen. My father standing right behind me. 

"How long does it usually take?" Ellie asks as she leans over to get a better view of the screen. 

"Should bring an immediate return. Shoot the radar into the ground, and the bone bounces the image," The man explains as he clicks a button, "back. Bounces it back..." Slowly the screen reveals a skeleton. "This new program's incredible. A few more years of development and we won't even have to dig anymore." The man says. 

"Where's the fun in that?" I ask. I glance at Ellie who has her hand on my shoulder. She smiles at me her face bright. I smile in return and focus back on the computer.

"It's a little distorted, but I don't think it's the computer." The man says as the full skeleton comes into view.

Ellie steps forward to get a closer look. "Look. Post-mortem contraction of the posterior neck ligaments. Velociraptor?" She asks turning toward my father. 

He steps up as well. "Yes. Good shape, too." He says in amazement. 

I point to the skeleton on the screen, "It looks to be five... six feet high. I'm guessing nine feet long." I say following the curve of the tail. Dad puts his hand on my shoulder and I drop my finger down. 

This time he points to the screen, "Look at the extraordinary--" He touches the screen and the image flickers. 

"What'd you do?" The man asks. 

"He touched it!" I giggle. 

Ellie laughs as well as dad touches the top of the computer a few times and the screen flickers some more. "Dr. Grant's not machine compatible!"