Jurassic Park (23 page)

    "Now then," Malcolm said. "Can you have the computer search for a different number of animals?"

    "Like what?" Arnold said.

    "Try two hundred thirty-nine."

    "Just a minute," Arnold said, frowning. A moment later the screen printed:

Total Animals                       239____________________________________                                                                                     

      Species                 Expected                Found             Ver

Tyrannosaurs                              2                 2                 4.1

 Maiasaurs                          21                21                3.3

 Stegosaurs                         4                 4                 3.9

 Triceratops                              8                 8                 3.1

 Procompsognathids                        49                50                3.9

 Othnielia                          16                16                3.1

 Velociraptors                            8                 8                 3.0

 Apatosaurs                         17                17                3.1

 Hadrosaurs                         11                11                3.1

 Dilophosaurs                             7                 7                 4.3

 Pterosaurs                         6                 6                 4.3

 Hypsilophodontids                        33                33                2.9

 Euoplocepbalids                    16                16                4.0

 Styracosaurs                             18                18                3.9

 Callovosaurs                             22                22                4.1

      Total                         238               239

    Hammond sat forward. "What the hell is that?"

    "We picked up another compy."

    "From where?"

    "I don't know!"

    The radio crackled. "Now, then: can you ask the computer to search for, let us say, three hundred animals?"

    "What is he talking about?" Hammond said, his voice rising. "Three hundred animals? What's he talking about?"

    "Just a minute," Arnold said. "Tbat'll take a few minutes." He punched buttons on the screen. The first line of the totals appeared:

Total Animals                       239____________________________________                                                                                      

    "I don't understand what he's driving at," Hammond said.  

    "I'm afraid I do," Arnold said. He watched the screen. The numbers on the first line were clicking:

Total Animals                       244____________________________________                                                                              

    "Two hundred forty-four?" Hammond said. "What's going on?"

    "The computer Is counting the animals in the park," Wu said. "All the animals."

    "I thought that's what it always did." He spun. "Nedry! Have you screwed up again?"

    "No," Nedry said, looking up from his console. "Computer allows the operator to enter an expected number of animals, in order to make the counting process faster. But it's a convenience, not a flaw."

    "He's right," Arnold said. "We just always used the base count of two hundred thirty-eight because we assumed there couldn't be more."

Total Animals                       262____________________________________                                                                              

    "Wait a minute," Hammond said. "These animals can't breed. The computer must be counting field mice or something."

    " I think so, too," Arnold said. "It's almost certainly an error in the visual tracking. But we'll know soon enough."

    Hammond turned to Wu. "They can't breed, can they?"

    "No," Wu said.

Total Animals                       270____________________________________                                                                             

    "Where are they coming from?" Arnold said,

    "Damned if I know," Wu said.

    They watched the numbers climb.

Total Animals                       283____________________________________                                                                             

    Over the radio, they heard Gennaro say, "Holy shit, how much more?"

    And they heard the girl say, "I'm getting hungry. When are we going home?"

    "Pretty soon, Lex. "

    On the screen, there was a flashing error message:

ERROR: Search Params: 3000 Animals Not Found _______________________________                                                                        

    "An error," Hammond said, nodding. "I thought so. I had the feeling all along there must be an error."

    But a moment later the screen printed:

Total Animals                       292____________________________________                                                                                     

      Species                 Expected                Found             Ver

Tyrannosaurs                              2                 2                 4.1

 Maiasaurs                          21                22                3.3

 Stegosaurs                         4                 4                 3.9

 Triceratops                              8                 8                 3.1

 Procompsognathids                        49                65                3.9

 Othnielia                          16                23                3.1

 Velociraptors                            8                 37                3.0

 Apatosaurs                         17                17                3.1

 Hadrosaurs                         11                11                3.1

 Dilophosaurs                             7                 7                 4.3

 Pterosaurs                         6                 6                 4.3

 Hypsilophodontids                        33                34                2.9

 Euoplocepbalids                    16                16                4.0

 Styracosaurs                             18                18                3.9

 Callovosaurs                             22                22                4.1

      Total                         238               292

    The radio crackled. "Now you see the flaw in your procedures," Malcolm said. "You only tracked the expected number of dinosaurs. You were worried about losing animals, and your procedures were designed to advise you instantly if you had less than the expected number. But that wasn't the problem. The problem was, you had more than the expected number."

    "Christ," Arnold said.

    "There can't be more," Wu said. "We know how many we've released. There can't be more than that."

    "Afraid so, Henry," Malcolm said. "They're breeding."

    "No."

    "Even if you don't accept Grant's eggshell, you can prove it with your own data. Take a look at the compy height graph. Arnold will put it up for you."

[picture]

    "Notice anything about it?" Malcolm said.

    "It's a Poisson distribution," Wu said. "Normal curve."

    "But didn't you say you introduced the compys in three batches? At six-month intervals?"

    " Yes . . ."

    "Then you should get a graph with peaks for each of the three separate batches that were introduced," Malcolm said, tapping the keyboard. "Like this."

[picture]

     "But you didn't get this graph," Malcolm said. "The graph you actually got is a graph of a breeding population. Your compys are breeding."

    Wu shook his head. "I don't see how."

    "They're breeding, and so are the othnielia, the maiasaurs, the hypsys-and the velociraptors."

    "Christ," Muldoon said. "There are raptors free in the park."

    "Well, it's not that bad," Hammond said, looking at the screen. "We have increases in just three categories-well, five categories. Very small increases in two of them . . ."

    "What are you talking about?" Wu said, loudly. "Don't you know what this means?"

    "Of course I know what this means, Henry," Hammond said. "It means you screwed up."

    "Absolutely not."

    "You've got breeding dinosaurs out there, Henry.'

    "But they're all female," Wu said. "It's impossible. There must be a mistake. And look at the numbers. A small increase in the big animals, the maiasaurs and the hypsys. And big increases in the number of small animals. It just doesn't make sense. It must be a mistake."

    The radio clicked. "Actually not," Grant said. "I think these numbers confirm that breeding is taking place. In seven different sites around the island."

Breeding Sites

The sky was growing darker. Thunder rumbled in the distance. Grant and the others leaned in the doors of the Jeep, staring at the screen on the dashboard. "Breeding sites?" Wu said, over the radio.

    "Nests," Grant said. "Assuming the average clutch is eight to twelve hatching eggs, these data would indicate the compys have two nests. The raptors have two nests. The othys have one nest. And the hypsys and the maias have one nest each."

    "Where are these nests?"

    "We'll have to find them," Grant said. "Dinosaurs build their nests in secluded places."

    "But why are there so few big animals?" Wu said. "If there is a maia nest of eight to twelve eggs, there should be eight to twelve new maias. Not just one."

    "That's right," Grant said. "Except that the raptors and the compys that are loose in the park are probably eating the eggs of the bigger animals and perhaps eating the newly hatched young, as well."

    "But we've never seen that," Arnold said, over the radio.

    "Raptors are nocturnal," he said. "Is anyone watching the park at night?"

    There was a long silence.

    "I didn't think so," Grant said.

    "It still doesn't make sense," Wu said. "You can't support fifty additional animals on a couple of nests of eggs."

    "No," Grant said. "I assume they are eating something else as well. Perhaps small rodents. Mice and rats?"

    There was another silence.

    "Let me guess," Grant said. "When you first came to the island, you had a problem with rats. But as time passed, the problem faded away."

    "Yes. That's true. . . "

    "And you never thought to investigate why."

    "Well, we just assumed . . ." Arnold said.

    "Look," Wu said, "the fact remains, all the animals are female. They can't breed."

    Grant had been thinking about that. He had recently learned of an intriguing West German study that he suspected held the answer. "When you made your dinosaur DNA," Grant said, "you were working with fragmentary pieces, is that right?"

    "Yes," Wu said.

    "In order to make a complete strand, we're you ever required to include DNA fragments from other species?"

    "Occasionally, yes," Wu said. "It's the only way to accomplish the job. Sometimes we included avian DNA, from a variety of birds, and sometimes reptilian DNA."

    "Any amphibian DNA? Specifically, frog DNA?"

    "Possibly. I'd have to check."

    "Check," Grant said. "I think you'll find that holds the answer."

    Malcolm said, "Frog DNA? Why frog DNA?"

    Gennaro said impatiently, "Listen, this is all very intriguing, but we're forgetting the main question: have any animals gotten off the island?"

    Grant said, "We can't tell from these data."

    "Then how are we going to find out?"

    "There's only one way I know," Grant said. "We'll have to find the individual dinosaur nests, inspect them, and count the remaining egg fragments. From that we may be able to determine how many animals were originally hatched. And we can begin to assess whether any are missing."

    Malcolm said, "Even so, you won't know if the missing animals are killed, or dead from natural causes, or whether they have left the island."

    "No," Grant said, "but it's a start. And I think we can get more information from an intensive look at the population graphs."

    "How are we going to find these nests?"

    "Actually," Grant said, "I think the computer will be able to help us with that."

    "Can we go back now?" Lex said. "I'm hungry."

    "Yes, let's go," Grant said, smiling at her. "You've been very patient."

    "You'll be able to eat in about twenty minutes," Ed Regis said, starting toward the two Land Cruisers.

    "I'll stay for a while," Ellie said, "and get photos of the stego with Dr. Harding's camera. Those vesicles in the mouth will have cleared up by tomorrow."

    "I want to get back," Grant said. "I'll go with the kids."

    "I will, too," Malcolm said.

    "I think I'll stay," Gennaro said, "and go back with Harding in his Jeep, with Dr. Sattler."

    "Fine, let's go."

    They started walking. Malcolm said, "Why exactly is our lawyer staying?"

    Grant shrugged. "I think it might have something to do with Dr. Sattler."

    "Really? The shorts, you think?"

    "It's happened before," Grant said.

    When they came to the Land Cruisers, Tim said, "I want to ride in the front one this time, with Dr. Grant."