NOVEL NEXT Chapter 8: Foundations
Command Center, Masrani's Office, Early Morning
The sun hadn't quite cleared the ridge when I made the call from my private terminal.
It had no cloud access, no smart routing, just old-fashioned hardline security.
The kind they stopped teaching people to use.
A woman's voice came through, both neutral and professional.
InGen internal comms
"Good morning, Mr. Masrani. What can I do for you?"
I kept my tone light. "I need two operatives reassigned. Nothing overt.
They'll be listed under administrative review, one flagged for logistics oversight, while the other under general asset control."
She hesitated, just a beat. "Understood and what would be the destination?"
"InGen's satellite facility in Patagonia. You'll file it as a quiet audit, along with a systems and operations sweep, just... show it as quality assurance test or something if asked."
"And who do they report to?"
"To me," I said, still watching the treeline outside the glass. "No formal channels and I want everything routed directly through this terminal. Whatever Hoskins says, does, signs, requests, I want to know."
She paused again. "Ok and Sir... does he know?"
"He doesn't need to."
Another pause. Then a quiet: "Yes, Mr. Masrani. I'll see it done."
I ended the call and stared out across the canopy, where the faint sound of hammering echoed through the morning mist.
Somewhere out there, we were building the future.
I just had to make sure no one poisoned the foundation.
Perimeter Road, Sector Three, Mid-Morning
Carlos was halfway down the slope, covered in dirt and fuel stains, waving his tablet like it owed him money.
"Boss the generator's drinking diesel like it's happy hour," he said, not even bothering with a greeting.
"Yea its a heavy drinker that one, by the way is it still working on the non-renewable stuff?" I asked
" yep it is and it also requires manual refill each time. We've got a good buffer right now, but once we flip the guest systems on? Lighting, hotels, monorail loading... it'll choke us."
" and what Options do we have ?" I asked
He wiped his brow with the back of his glove. "We can install solar panels along the monorail pylons. South-facing from here and then Feed it into a buried storage grid we're already trenching near Sector Five. It's not going to be cheap, but we'll cut diesel by at least eighty percent eventually."
"Hmm Do it then," I said. "Quietly though, Just get it done."
He nodded, then added, "Speaking of guest systems... You still want that hotel on the ridge?"
"Absolutely," I said. "I want the entire east-facing line turned into a guest experience zone.
Hotel just opposite the enclosure, with glass balconies, and panoramic view of the Gallimimus-Parasaurolophus enclosure, all of it should make them feel like they're living in the middle of the Jurassic."
He smirked. "You want it to be that immersive? Then sure I'll show you how much better I can make it look."
"I also want three shops on the ground level for now," I added. "One for drinks, One for food and One for action figures.
They need to be Clustered tightly though, and each one should be flanked with four palm trees, make them symmetrical and also photo-worthy. We want the guests to advertise it for us."
Carlos raised an eyebrow. "ok so you want soda, lunch, and T. rex bobbleheads all in one row?"
"If we're bringing dinosaurs back from extinction, then we can surely bring back some smart retail layouts too." I added.
He laughed, jotting it down. "I'll start then digging." Carlos replied.
Later at Innovation Center Rotunda
The Innovation Center was still half scaffolding and fresh tile glue, but the bones were beautiful.
A spiraled gallery looped around a glass elevator, with fossil displays taking shape along the outer rim.
Avery along with Carlos was standing over a schematic table with Jia, reviewing guest route overlays.
"Right now we're feeding three walking routes into the main lobby," Carlos said. "First comes straight from the monorail. Then the Second passes through the research center and Third loops around the hotel and brings guests into the rear atrium."
Jia tapped one corner of the model. "And whats this? is it the Cinema dome. I think there we should run short features, during the day all about dino biology, fossil recovery, and time-lapse hatchings."
"We need to look beyond simple entertainment here," I said. "We will also be educating them here. Every building, every bench, every corridor should teach them something and make them curious."
Jia smiled faintly. "That's poetic."
"and also profitable," I said. " cause curiosity makes people linger and lingering requires money."
Marisol arrived at that moment, slightly out of breath and said "I talked to the landscape team.
We can get the palms installed around the shops by next week and by the way, do you want real wood benches, or composite?"
"I want Pure Wood only," I said. "I am building a dream project here gentlemen"
Carlos slid over another layer of the schematic. "We've installed the supports for the elevated viewing platform, so Guests will be able to walk above the paddock trail along the glass railings, and feel the open-air, with this they can get the full view of the mixed enclosure."
"Perfect," I said. "Its better for them to watch from above. It's safer, and it makes the animals feel less... on display."
Later at Shared Enclosure Gate, Early Afternoon
The viewing platform swayed gently in the wind as we looked down into the expanded enclosure. The Gallimimus flock, now over a dozen strong, moved in a synchronized manner.
Marin leaned on the railing beside me.
"Second batch has integrated well with the previous ones," she said. "No pecking, no segregation, they're a single flock now."
"And what about the Paras?" I asked
"Four made it, in total, not bad for our first try, though One's weaker, it should be fine for now."
The Hatchery gate began to open with a soft mechanical hiss.
The Parasaurolophus emerged slowly large, sleek, their skin a patchwork of greens and bronzes. Their crests gleamed in the sun, casting long shadows as they took their first cautious steps into the open.
The Gallimimus froze at first, watching them.
Then, one chirped.
A younger one broke into a run, playful, darting past the Paras.
and shortly another followed it and then another.
Soon the flock was circling the new arrivals like ripples in a pond, full of curiousity.
"They're studying each other," Marin said. " and that's a good sign."
"They'll either learn to share space," Marin said, "or invent new rules we haven't written yet."
I stayed silent, just watching.
The herds were merging slowly.
New Innovation Center Rooftop, Late Afternoon
The wind was calm at the top.
Below us, the hotel site had begun to take shape, steel beams marking outlines of walls not yet standing.
Workers moved like ants through the retail square, trenching foundations for the shops.
In the far distance, the new palms cast shadows across fresh soil.
I looked down at the forest that stretched beyond the fencing.
I turned back towards the Innovation Center, thinking about the new Dinosaur I was planning to create.