Agusta A-109A

200 Miles off the Coast of Costa Rica

The setting sun cast its crimson glow over the water. “Mr. Dodgson, we’re ten minutes out. Please buckle up, sir.” The Pilot said over the intercom.

I buckled my seat belt. I was currently on my way to the Island of Isla Pena. In the 1980s, the islands of the Muertes Archipelago, including Isla Pena, were purchased from the Costa Rican government by InGen. However, after the incident at Jurassic Park, InGen was forced to sell off the other islands to keep themselves from bankruptcy. Biosyn bought Isla Pena to gain access to the research facility on the island.

InGen abandoned the facility when hurricane Clarissa hit it. The path of Hurricane Clarissa passed over most of the Muertes Archipelago. InGen had established many other facilities on the other islands. Biosyn could only purchase one island. But what we found in the facility made up for it.

I could see the long strip of land that was Isla Pena. It was the smallest island of the chain. The facility sat at on a high rise near the northern end of the island. They built the Helipad in a clearing on the south end. It was a ten-minute drive to the facility. The sheer winds where the facility was built made it too dangerous land near it.

The helicopter descended to the helipad landing with a slight jolt. I unbuckled my seat belt and retrieved my briefcase. A security guard opened the door for me. He escorted me to where a black Jeep wrangler was parked.

“Has Doctor Carson been informed of my arrival?” I asked the guard after I was seated.

“Yes, sir he’s waiting for you in the lab.” He started the car and drove away from the helipad. We had built no roads on the island. The jeep drove up and down kills and through gaps in the foliage, cut away my maintenance crews. Shipping materials to the island wouldn’t go unnoticed. Hiring men to clear trees and shrubs was cheaper and low-key.

Biosyn and other genetic companies were keeping low profiles, especially after the San Diego incident. The US and Costa Rican governments were watching genetic companies with microscopes, just waiting for a reason to pounce. The scrutiny nowadays was worse than my testing in Chile.

The facility's lights were clearly visible from the helipad and the closer we got the brighter they seemed. The facility was square and utilitarian, much like a hospital. A garage was located to the right of the building. The guard swiped an ID card and the metal barrier lifted. There were three other vehicles in the garage, all non-descript black jeeps.

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The guard parked the jeep next to the others. He exited the vehicle and opened the door for me. The guard escorted me into the building. From the garage, he led me down a long hallway. We passed through a door marked Animal Containment, and immediately all the dogs began barking, cats began meowing, birds and other animals began squawking and snarling. I cursed and covered my ears. We walked down the corridor between the rows of cages, stacked ten feet high on both sides.

At the end of the Corridor was a heavy metal door marked Quarantine. The door looked like something you’d see in a bank. It was big and circular. The guard swiped a card and entered a pin into a keypad. Two strobe lights started flashing next to the door and an alarm began blaring. There was a loud hiss of air and the door slowly open out.

I stepped into the room and looked around me. Along the walls were cages with thick metal bars. The cages were shrouded in darkness, but the center of the room was well lit. Dr. Carson, a balding man in his early fifties, was typing away at his computer. He stood and waved me over.

I scowled and walked forward. “Dr. Carson, I’m a very busy man. What was so important you needed the Department Head here?”

Dr. Carson turned the monitor to me. I looked at the image of a dinosaur. It was small and lean. It had black feathers down its head and back. Its skin was gray with large white pupil-less eyes. Its teeth were long and things like needles. It had long arms with four long fingers ending its razor claws. It had two toes with the third ending in a sickle claw.

“What the hell is that?”

“That.” Dr. Carson said, pointing to the screen. “Is a Troodon. It’s unlike any dinosaur we’ve seen before. And it is the answer to your prayer. This dinosaur has so many assassinations and combat use it’ll make your head spin. After a few fields test, Biosyn could charge as much as 50 grand a specimen.”

A trilling sound came from the darkness followed by low hissing. I looked up to see glowing white orbs staring at me from the darkness. I took a step towards it for a better look but was stopped by a hand on my arm.

“I wouldn’t if I were you.” Dr. Carson warned. “There bite is venomous. One bit causes paranoia, delirium, chills, toxoplasmosis, Bradycardia, high fever, and lastly a series of convulsions before paralysis and brain death.”

I quickly took several steps back. “What the fuck, doc?”

He chuckled. “They’re not like any dinosaur we’ve seen before. They're highly intelligent, maybe as smart as velociraptors or smarter. Troodons are pack hunters, but they lay their eggs in the corpses of the victim like insects. That’s what the venom does. It paralyzes the prey and kills the brain, leaving just the most basic of functions to keep the body technically alive. Then they lay their eggs in the warm bodies to incubate them. They’re brutally efficient. Hell, I Biosyn could make a fortune from the weaponisation of the venom alone.”

I smiled at the doctor, then at the glowing eyes in the cages. This was just what the company needed. With the venom, Biosyn could dominate the BOW market and maybe even find medical or cosmetic uses for the venom later. We’d just found our golden goose. ‘Thank you InGen.’ I turned and clapped the doctor on his shoulder. “Goodman. Run your tests and I’ll arrange for additional personnel so you can start analyzing that venom.”

I turned and left the doctor to his work, a shit-eating grin on my face. Biosyn’s profits would soar, and so would mine. I couldn’t wait to get back to headquarters and share the good news.