I stood in the shade of the science center's awning, the faint hum of generators purring somewhere near me, as the holographic map of the island spun slowly before us.
"Right here," Denny said, pointing. "Smack in the center. Think about it, lush backdrop, panoramic fencing. First enclosure's got to make an impression."
Carlos, arms crossed, gave a little nod. "We could reinforce the slope here, turn that old stream bed into a grazing corridor."
The others murmured in agreement.
Jia, nearby, added, "The center's naturally photogenic. If we're starting with herbivores, we should—"
"No," I said.
Everyone turned toward me.
I stepped forward and tapped a section of the map, dead center, where the trees formed a near-perfect natural amphitheater.
"That area's reserved," I said. "For the lagoon, for the one and only Mosasaurus."
Jia blinked. "That's... a big statement for the middle of the park."
"It's supposed to be," I replied. "But not the first one. We start with something friendly. Approachable. The center's too dramatic. Gallimimus needs space. Energy and Motion."
Carlos rubbed his jaw. "So where then?"
I zoomed out the map, panned northward, and pointed to a stretch of irregular terrain near the monorail terminal, just off the right side of the incoming guest platform.
"Here," I said. "As soon as guests step off the monorail, this is what they see. Graceful, fast, harmless animals. It sets the tone."
Carlos frowned. "That area's wobbly, Uneven and also has Bad drainage."
"Then fix it," I said.
He grunted. "Sure. We could grade the soil, reinforce it with crushed stone and compaction mesh. Might need a retaining ridge on the east edge."
"How long?" I asked.
"Four days," he said. "Five if the soil fights me."
"Do it."
Denny made a few notes on his tablet. "We'll need a curving fence to follow the terrain, less intrusive visually. Small electrified posts, low voltage. More for show and control."
"Still," Carlos added, "each enclosure needs its own backup generator. No shared systems. That's non-negotiable."
"Agreed," I said.
Jia added, "And a hatchery. We can't cart eggs around the island every time."
"Build it on the back end of the enclosure," I said. "Make it Discrete, Out of guest view but close enough to operate fast."
Carlos looked up. "What about the response team building?"
"Right beside it," I said. "Visible to the guests. Let them see that we're prepared."
That made him smile. "Nice. Psychological safety."
"And two viewing galleries," I added. "Glass, elevated, curved with the fence line. Give them something beautiful to remember."
[Later – Science Center Genetics Lab]
Kamal leaned over the sequencing terminal, eyes sharp but calm. Data streamed down the glass like coded rainfall. Beside him, Jia hovered with folded arms.
Jia leaned over the data monitor, face lit by the scrolling genome readout. "Dr. Ghaddar, look at this. What if we introduced a gene from Chelonia mydas? The green sea turtle. Their metabolic repair rate is exceptional."
Kamal looked up from the console. "Turtle DNA?"
She nodded quickly. "Just one longevity marker. Nothing structural. I read a study from the Kyoto lab, slow cell degradation, fewer metabolic anomalies over time."
Kamal crossed his arms, thoughtful. "It's clever. And it wouldn't affect phenotype?"
"None that we've seen," she said. "We'd retain full skeletal growth rate and proportions. Just longer life expectancy. Lower internal stress."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're saying they'd age better."
Kamal gave a slight smile. "Essentially, yes. Slower metabolism, better cellular repair. They won't just stay healthier, they'll live longer."
"If everything goes as planned, we're looking at a 30 to 35-year lifespan,maybe more. No promises, but it's a big step up from the usual 20 years for a Gallimimus."
"Any risk?" I asked.
He shrugged. "Always. But the sequence is compatible. If we run it through the sandbox sim and get clean protein modeling... I'd say it's worth the test."
I nodded slowly. "Make the call."
Kamal tapped a command.
Sequencing initiated.
I smirked. "By the way, Jia, how does a paleontologist know so much about genetics? Planning to switch careers or just showing off?"
Jia smiled softly, looking down for a moment. "Well… I've been reading up a lot lately. Guess I just get curious sometimes. Someone has to understand how it all fits together, right?"
I nodded.
[72 Hours Later – Hatchery Observation Window]
We stood behind glass, watching as the first of the six viable eggs settled into the incubation trays. Out of ten embryos, these were the strong ones, smooth-shelled, mottled in color, gently pulsing under soft UV heat.
Carlos whistled low. "That's a big damn omelet."
"They'll hatch in two weeks," Jia said softly, eyes wide.
Kamal added, "And when they do, we'll have life. Real, running, living life."
I put a hand to the glass.
The beginning had just gotten real.
Three Days Later – Genetics Observation Deck in Hatchery
Kamal muttered to himself in Arabic as protein structures folded across the screen like time-lapsed origami.
"Three of them took the modifier perfectly," Kamal said. "Stable protein expression, no abnormalities in growth rate, no mutation cascade. It's… kind of beautiful."
"And the others?" I asked.
He exhaled. "Not failed. Just… different. They accepted the Chelonia marker, but something in their epigenetics slowed uptake. They're expressing behavioral shifts, slower response times, less exploratory behavior."
"They're timid," Jia said quietly, tapping through the neural development scan. "We ran a stimulus-response test. They group tighter. React slower. Follow more than lead."
Kamal added, "Possibly tied to delayed synaptic reinforcement during neural layering. It could wear off as they mature, or become a stable trait."
"Any health concerns?" I asked.
"None so far," Kamal said. "But it's worth tracking long term. Think of them like... introverts."
"Introvert dinosaurs," I said dryly. "Great. Do we build them a reading corner?"
Kamal smirked. "Only if we find a gene for glasses."
Later – North Gallimimus Enclosure Perimeter
The land was still in flux , graded but raw, smells of turned loam and wet rock drifting with the humid air.
Carlos and Denny along with thier teams were wrangling the outer fence grid when I spotted a new figure crouched by the edge of the artificial streambed.
Khaki work pants. Mud-streaked vest. Thick curly hair tied up in a knot that seemed to have declared war on combs.
She had a small drone controller in one hand and was carefully digging into the soil with the other.
I approached, boots crunching over dry gravel. She didn't look up.
"You the guy pretending to understand all this?" she asked.
"Depends," I said. "You the one pretending the dirt has opinions?"
That got a glance. Sharp eyes. Brown irises flecked with gold.
"Marin Saad," she said, standing. "Wildlife Biologist. Habitat Lead. I got dropped here two days ago while you were all busy naming things after yourselves."
"I'm Simon Masrani," I said, offering a hand.
"I know. I watched the TED Talk. Nice blazer."
I smiled. "And? Does the dirt approve?"
She gestured to the enclosure with a sweep of her drone controller. "You've got slope reinforcement.
That's good. Drainage's halfway fixed.
But your leaf litter is wrong, too sparse, wrong pH.
And the trees are too new. These birds evolved in semi-arid forests with dense ground cover and shallow, seasonal water bodies."
Carlos jogged over, wiping sweat from his neck. "We've got a water feature going in by the east tree line."
Marin nodded. "Make it bigger. They need a splash zone.
Also: Gallimimus are herding animals.
They need a minimum of six to feel secure.
With the three shy ones, that means we'll have unstable group dynamics unless you make environmental adjustments."
"Suggestions?" I asked.
"Group hide zones," she said, tapping her tablet. "Brush clusters, uneven terrain, shaded patches. Places to duck into. It'll calm the nervous ones and still give the bold ones room to show off."
"You're saying we build a playground" Carlos said.
"I'm saying if you want guests to see them run, you need them to feel safe enough to want to."
Carlos gave a low whistle. "She's good."
"I know," I said.
Marin looked between us. "Also, you're going to need dung beetles."
I blinked. "Come again?"
"Leaf litter plus droppings equals nitrogen. Nitrogen equals fungal blooms. You don't want fungal blooms. You want beetles. Or you'll be growing mushroom soup underfoot within a month."
"Sure I will get someone to order them" I said.
Carlos made a face. "Didn't even think of that."
"Thats why I am here. Welcome to biology," she said. "It never thinks of you either."
New Character :
Marin Saad – Habitat and Wildlife Specialist
Egyptian-American, early 30s. A sharp, hands-in-the-dirt biologist with a specialty in prehistoric behavioral ecology and habitat reconstruction. Formerly worked with ecological rewilding projects in Namibia and Southeast Asia. Brought onto the Jurassic World project to ensure every enclosure supports both physical and psychological animal health.
Blunt, observant, and not easily impressed. Has no patience for corporate showboating or theme park thinking. Speaks plainly but with a dry wit. Has an instinctive feel for animal needs, often spotting issues before they show up in data. Keeps her boots muddy and her reports late.