Utah.
"Madeline, we need to clean the small cylinder first, then lower it down slowly."
"Be careful! Start filling and covering the other side."
Inside a towering loess cave, archaeologists dressed in modest attire moved back and forth, attempting to receive information from a hundred million years ago via communicators they jokingly called "rocks."
In stark contrast to the scholarly atmosphere were the makeshift guardrails and simple facilities set up for tourists.
"Why do we dig for fossils? Because paleontology is science, and science seeks the truth. Hidden within these rocks lies—"
"Pfft."
Alan Grant, who didn't look much different from when he helped construct the Primeval Ecological Zone, save for a slightly thicker growth of white hair, was interrupted. A young woman dressed in modern fashion couldn't help but let out a laugh.
"Don't laugh… my phone says Tyrannosaurus rex had a tiny brain."
Stupid tourist. If it weren't for a lack of research funding, you wouldn't even be allowed to lay eyes on these rocks.
Yes, Dr. Grant was broke again. The dig site Masrani had promised him was excellent, but why were the overhead costs so high?
Fortunately, this time he wasn't looking for kids on an island full of dinosaurs with a fake billionaire. He adjusted his demeanor, calmed his frustration, and explained to the tourist:
"In fact, T. rex was much smarter than we imagined. They had excellent memory, and they were loyal to their mates…"
If it weren't for the sake of being a good guide, Grant wanted to blurt out: T. rex was much smarter than you.
The female tourist held her phone out, displaying the screen.
"This is T. rex… they already appeared in the 90s. I don't understand why you're still here digging for bones. It seems… a bit of a waste of time."
Of course, it's a waste of time, unless I dig up a bone suitable to smash your skull with! Try this on for size! A Velociraptor claw attack, straight from the Jurassic!
Grant was speechless. Bound by non-disclosure agreements, he couldn't speak the truth. Even though Jurassic World had collapsed, International Genetic Technologies, and a series of other shareholders, still existed, and those NDAs were still in effect.
The dinosaurs of Jurassic World were never true dinosaurs; they were a fusion of ancient and modern biology, created ultimately for profit. That raised the question: if dinosaurs existed only to satisfy human imagination, could they still be considered true dinosaurs?
Grant didn't know how to answer. In his view, those creatures might not have been true dinosaurs, but he was still willing to acknowledge them as part of the lineage.
Except for the Velociraptors. He was skipping those. Definitely not because of personal grievances. Absolutely not.
"Right…"
Grant fell into deep thought, muttering to himself. The tourist assumed he was agreeing with her and smiled triumphantly.
Perhaps, from the moment dinosaurs were brought back into the world, true paleontology had ceased to exist. Paleontologists moved in the opposite direction of what the public perceived; false knowledge ascended to the throne, while the truth became a punchline ignored by all.
"Dr. Grant! Someone is looking for you!"
A middle-aged man dressed like an explorer shouted from the rock wall above the cave. Backlit by the sun, his face was obscured, but Grant recognized him instantly.
It was Billy, the guy who had once saved his hat.
Giving a hand signal to show he understood, Grant climbed the steps… though, why did he suddenly feel like a Velociraptor was crawling on him?
…
Passing through the wooden path and entering his research tent, Grant was startled by the familiar figure before him.
"Ellie Sattler."
Ellie noticed the movement, turned around, and returned the greeting with a nod, mimicking his style.
"Alan Grant… you really haven't changed a bit."
The last time they had met was during the construction of the Primeval Ecological Zone. Before that… Isla Sorna? Although he occasionally read her papers, opportunities to meet in person had become rare. After all, Ellie had her own family, and Dr. Grant had his own career… presumably.
Perhaps because of the awkwardness of years apart, Dr. Ellie Sattler took the initiative to find a topic.
"This place… it's just like you."
Experimental equipment cluttered the tent; filing cabinets and stacks of documents occupied one side. The center table was littered with notes and skeletal models. A pendant lamp hung in the middle, the spot originally meant for it had been replaced by Grant's collection of bones, among which a Velociraptor hand claw was particularly eye-catching.
"Uh… sorry. If I had known you were coming, I would have…"
Grant darted into the tent, putting on a show of tidying the desk while secretly tucking away an old photo of a young Ellie and himself sitting atop the filing cabinet.
"Would you like a beer, or…"
"Hmm… probably best not to drink beer at ten in the morning. Do you have iced tea or…"
"Ah… iced tea. I have that."
Grant realized he should play the part of the host. As for beer… only a miracle-man like Hammond would spontaneously pull out a beer in a trailer at the crack of dawn.
Clink…
Grant poured the tea into a cup and handed it to Dr. Sattler. She took it, not forgetting to break the ice.
"Thanks. You seem to have quite a few tourists here."
"Yeah, research funding is dry. Someone has to pay for the equipment."
Grant pulled out another cup, gesturing to his chaotic tent.
"I read your papers on soil science and regenerative agriculture. They were brilliant."
They seemed to warm up, and Grant took the chance to steer the conversation.
"Thanks."
"They made me feel like there's still hope for this world… there was also one about algae, right?"
Mentioning that set Ellie off. With her genuine passion for plants, she finally opened up.
"Oh, Alan, it's incredible! It's a completely viable carbon-neutral fuel. It's hard to imagine that the answer we've been chasing all this time has been in the ocean and the soil."
As she spoke, she gestured animatedly, looking strangely excited.
"Of course, it requires effort. But this world is falling apart. What are we supposed to do? Just watch? It's not like it's my problem… What's wrong?"
Ellie's words seemed to carry a hidden meaning. Dr. Grant caught it, waiting silently for her to continue, but Ellie didn't seem to want to elaborate.
"Uh… nothing. I just like listening to you talk."
Grant cleared his throat, adjusting his composure. Perhaps because they had spent time together during the Primeval Ecological Zone construction, he understood Ellie's personality well enough to cut straight to the chase.
"It's not easy to see you at a dig site, Ellie. You didn't come all this way just to reminisce, did you?"
While one doesn't visit a temple without a cause, seeing Ellie's knowing smile made Grant's own smile fade.
"Is that really not it?"
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