Майкл Крайтон – Jurassic Park / Парк Юрского периода (страница 8)
“How did the baby die?” one of the workers asked.
“I doubt we’ll know,” Grant replied. “Infant mortality in the wild is high. In African parks, it runs seventy percent among some carnivores. It could have been anything – disease, separation from the group, anything. Or even attack by an adult. We know these animals hunted in packs, but we don’t know anything about their social behavior in a group.”
The students nodded. They had all studied animal behavior, and they knew, for example, that when a new male took over a lion pride, the first thing he did was kill all the cubs. The reason was genetic: the male had evolved to disseminate his genes as widely as possible, and by killing the cubs he brought all the females into heat, so that he could impregnate them. It also prevented the females from wasting their time nurturing the offspring of another male.
Perhaps the velociraptor hunting pack was also ruled by a dominant male. They knew so little about dinosaurs, Grant thought. After 150 years of research and excavation all around the world, they still knew almost nothing about what the dinosaurs had really been like.
“We’ve got to go,” Ellie said, “if we’re going to get to Choteau by five.”
Gennaro’s secretary ran in with a new suitcase. It still had the sales tags on it. “You know, Mr. Gennaro,” she said severely, “when you forget to pack it makes me think you don’t really want to go on this trip.”
“Maybe you’re right,” Gennaro said. “I’m missing my kid’s birthday.”
“Well, I did the best I could on short notice,” his secretary said. “There’s running shoes your size, and khaki shorts and shirts, and a shaving kit. A pair of jeans and a sweatshirt if it gets cold. The car is downstairs to take you to the airport. You have to leave now to make the flight.”
She left. Gennaro walked down the hallway, tearing the sales tags off the suitcase. As he passed the all-glass conference room, Dan Ross left the table and came outside.
“Have a good trip,” Ross said. “But let’s be very clear about one thing. I don’t know how bad this situation actually is, Donald. But if there’s a problem on that island, burn it to the ground.”
“Jesus, Dan… We’re talking about a big investment.”
“Don’t hesitate. Don’t think about it. Just do it. Hear me?”
Gennaro nodded. “I hear you,” he said. “But Hammond – ”
“Screw Hammond,” Ross said.
“My boy, my boy,” the familiar raspy voice said. “How have you been, my boy?”
“Very well, sir,” Gennaro replied. He leaned back in the padded leather chair of the Gulfstream II jet as it flew east, toward the Rocky Mountains.
“You never call me any more,” Hammond said reproachfully. “I’ve missed you, Donald. How is your lovely wife?”
“She’s fine. Elizabeth’s fine. We have a little girl now.”
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