Chapter 66: Movie directors and preparing expeditions

Mitch had returned to his university professorship. After what had happened he had agreed with Jamie and Max that it was better to abandon the expedition: with such an intelligent dinosaur they risked of being eaten. They also no longer had the helicopter, so tracking it would have been impossible. Although a little disappointed, all three agreed that continuing with the search would be too expensive and dangerous. After all, they already had enough material. They had recovered countless samples of teeth, blood, scales, feces and they even had a close encounter with whom they had discovered sensational things about the spinosaurus. After Jamie's footage was released, even Max couldn't believe it. However, after several experts had authenticated it, the scientific community could only admit that they had found the smartest animal after the humans! A creature that didn't fear the fire was something no one had never heard before. It meant that it had the cognitive abilities necessary to understand when the fire was dangerous and when it wasn't, as in the case of the helicopter which, being close to the shore, didn't risked of spreading uncontrollably. Mitch had heard that a great amount of scientists had initially thought of going in search of the animal, but they all had quickly given up. They couldn't joke with such a beast. They didn't want to take the risk of killing it, since it was too precious, but neither they could get too close to it without risking their lives. The name 'Spinosaurus superior' was quickly accepted by the scientific community. Mitch and Max had studied it first, so they had the right to name it whatever they liked. Biology books and university texts were quickly updated and entire seminars were held to explain the existence of this magnificent animal to students. If Sobek had been awake he would have noticed that his fame points had already gone from 27 million to 62 million! He had assumed he would have reached just one third of the one hundred million that he needed for the third evolution, but thanks to Mitch's expedition that number he had obtained was far higher! When Sobek would have waken up he would have had a nice surprise. Mitch in those days had received messages from professors, lecturers, scholars, students and even cryptozoologists to know all about the dinosaur. He knew that Max was in the same situation as him, but unlike him he had much more patience, and also he was able to find the bright side in every situation... or so he said. He knew very well what his father was doing: Mitch knew from certain rumors that he had been seen with three girls on the same day, and when he spoke to him he could tell by his tone of voice that he was having a great time. Mitch really couldn't endure his father's behavior, but much more he couldn't understand people's mind. Come on, he and Jamie were the ones who 'fearlessly' filmed the creature, so why they not receive a great reputation among the opposite sex, but his father can? He couldn't comprehend that. While he was lost in his reflections, someone knocked on the door. "You can enter, it's open" he said. The door opened and a man of about fifty entered, but still with gray hair and lively eyes. "Good morning, professor Morgan. Forgive my unexpected visit, it is an honor to make your acquaintance" "The pleasure is mine, Mr..." Mitch replied shaking his hand. The man gave a chuckle. "You are not very used to the world of cinema, are you? Michael Crichton, movie director and producer" Mitch almost choked on his saliva: "Wait... that Michael Crichton? The famous movie director of international fame?" he asked with a broken breath. "Yes, it's me" the man answered smiling. Mitch called himself stupid: how could he not recognize him!? Michael Crichton was the author of nearly half of the masterpieces that cinema could boast of, the creator of truly innovative special effects and the creator of a whole new genre of film. He had won four Oscars and was said to be on the verge of winning a fifth. "Forgive me, I..." "Don't worry. I guess a man like you has better things to do than waste time in front of a screen" Crichton reassured him. "And seeing the results of your research, I would say that your time was excellently spent" Mitch was about to thank him, but Crichton continued before he could talk: "I'll go straight to the point: I want to make a documentary, and I'd like you to be there. Your comment would be of great value" "Uh? A documentary?" Mitch was surprised. "And about what?" "But about that spinosaurus, of course! It's the star of the moment" Crichton laughed. "I have already made arrangements with the Jersey family to let young Jocelyne participate. We will start filming very soon. It will be something classic: a filmed reconstruction of the events, interspersed with interviews with those directly involved and the commentary of various experts. And I'd like you to be among these experts, professor Morgan. You have brought back important material about that spinosaurus and so far you are one of the few who have actively studied it, so your share will be of paramount importance" Crichton widened his smile: "In exchange, I will finance the university for the next five years" Mitch's eyes sparkled. The pay was tempting, but he didn't mind the project either. Talking about the spinosaurus in front of a large audience, comparing himself with other experts and increasing the fame of that extraordinary animal did not displease him at all. "I can only accept" he answered smiling in turn. "Very well!" Crichton laughed. "Oh, and if it doesn't bother you, I'd like you to help me persuade professor Morg... well, your father to join. His comment will also be very important... and obviously also that of your students, especially miss Campbell" "There won't be any problems" Mitch confirmed. He detested the idea of work with his father again, but he couldn't refuse such a request. Crichton smiled with satisfaction and shook his hand again. This time Mitch returned with a much firmer squeeze. ************* "Er ... Dr. Hardy? Someone wants to talk to you." The blonde woman sitting at her desk barely looked up when she heard her secretary call her. "I'd be busy right now" she just said. "He says it's important" "Okay. Who is he?" "He didn't say his name, but I can describe him. He is a man, tall, thin, with a sculpted physique, sunglasses, a shaved beard, a dress similar to the one of a rock star..." The blonde woman immediately put away the files she was reading. "I understand who he is. Kick him away" "Oh come on, Sarah!" A guy appeared behind the secretary suddenly, and she winced at the sudden appearance. "Is this the way to treat your boyfriend?" "The last time the so-called boyfriend came to see me at work, he only caused me trouble with his unkind speeches towards my managers" the woman said as soon as she saw him, but then she gestured for him to ente. "Come inside. I'll give you five minutes, then you'll disappear" "What an unkind welcome! I took an entire hour in traffic to come here only to be treated in this uncivilized manner" the man said, sitting down on a chair. "What do you want, Ian?" "Oh, nothing. Just a little bird informed me that my girlfriend is preparing an expedition into the forest to look for Spinosaurus superior, and I hadn't been warned" The woman sighed. "So that's what you're here for. Who spied on?" "I don't reveal my sources, you know. I'm bound by silence" the man laughed, and then took on a more severe tone: "Really, Sarah? After all this time we've been together, are you keeping such a secret from me?" "Of course, because I know that now you will try to stop me from leaving" "Sure. I really think I'll tie you to the bed." "Ian..." "Okay, I'll stop joking. Anyway, if I'm here it's only because I wanted to scold you for not trusting me... and to tell you that I approve of your decision" Sarah raised an eyebrow, not convinced at all. "Seriously?" "Yes. I admit that I don't like the thought of you in that forest, and I don't even like that you are looking for the most dangerous animal we've ever come across..." "It is intelligent, not dangerous" "The most dangerous animals are the smartest ones. What I meant was that, as much as I don't appreciate your decision, I will support you as a good boyfriend" Sarah smiled. She didn't expect Ian to come up with that speech. "I really appreciate your support and..." "And of course, as a good boyfriend, I'll be there too!" the man interrupted with an irritating expression. The vein on Sarah's forehead began to throb. "Why should the prestigious Professor Malcolm be interested in such an expedition?" she asked trying to not openly show her hostility. "I'm not so prestigious anymore... and besides, if my woman is over there, in the midst of danger, how could I call myself a man if I stayed here?" "Maybe a man who cares about his daughter? With me away, who's gonna take care of Kelly if you leave too?" "Nah, Kelly will be fine. I'd already talked to her, and even though she was a little annoyed that I'll miss her gymnastics competition, she approved of my decision" Sarah knew it was much more likely that Kelly had punched Ian and then she resigned herself to her departure, as she practically always did from when she had had the misfortune to be born with he as her father. "Sometimes I wonder if you're such an asshole by nature or you do it on purpose" "I don't act. It's all natural" the man replied with a smile. "Being an asshole is part of my character. If I weren't, I couldn't call myself Ian Malcolm!" =+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+=+= AUTHOR'S THOUGHTS Hi! Here we are with another of our private teachings. This time around, there are far more references than paleontological explanations. After all, now that humans are starting to have a more active part in the story, I couldn't avoid to insert a lot of references. 1) 'To a predator's sensitive ears the sound was incredibly painful'; this phrase, from chapter 63, is a reference of the 2004 British docufiction 'Dragons: a fantasy made real', that I personally consider a truly masterpiece despite some biological inaccuracies. This fake documentary speculates that dragons really existed and therefore traces their evolution from the era of the dinosaurs to their extinction caused by the indiscriminate hunting of humans, explaining in a scientific way how they could breathe fire and fly despite their enormous size. In the documentary, this phrase is said during the battle between a t-rex and a dragon's offspring: the young dragon, in fact, use a powerful cry to hurt the sensitive ears of the dinosaur. 2) 'Hot rod' is how Weathley call the Indoraptor in the movie 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom' when he tries to take one of its teeth. 3) 'Clever boy' is a reference of the first 'Jurassic Park' movie: in the film, in fact, the park gamekeeper Muldoon tries to shot a velociraptor, but he falls into an ambush hatched by the dinosaur and its companions; before the velociraptor tears him to pieces, Muldoon calls it 'clever girl'. In the story Mitch does the same, with the difference that he calls Sobek 'clever boy' since he is a male. 4) Now let's move to the references from chapter 64. The way in which Sobek destroys the helicopter is the same with which the spinosaurus of 'Jurassic Park 3' destroys the plane of the protagonists. 5) 'It was potentially the second most intelligent piece of life on the planet!' is again a reference of 'Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom'. It's what the villain Eli Mills said to Claire when he asks her to convince Owen to help them to find the velociraptor Blue. 6) Now, let's talk a little abount paleontology. Ceratosaurus (meaning 'horned lizard') was a medium-sized theropod that lived about 153-148 million years ago in what is now North America and Portugal. It featured large jaws bristling with blade-like teeth, forelimbs were very stout but small compared to the rest of the body, legs were long and muscular perfectly equipped for running, and most importantly, a bizarre nasal horn, which was none other than an extension of the nasal bones, and the two horn-shaped structures that protected the eyes, also extensions of the lacrimal bones, which gave the animal an even more unique appearance. Its length was between 5.5 and 6 meters, consequently it was much smaller than other predators with which it shared its environment, such as the allosaurus or the torvosaurus; because of this it was probably a scavenger animal. However, some recent studies have speculated that it could have filled an ecological niche different of the one of the other large predators, hunting in dense forests, while allosaurus and torvosaurus preferred the great plains. Although it is not very well known, it has gained a certain popularity: it appears in the films 'Jurassic Park 3' and 'Fantasia' and in the documentaries 'When Dinosaurs Roamed America' and 'Jurassic Fight Club', and even in the 1966 movie 'One Million Years B.C.' 7) Irritator (whose name derives from the fact that paleontologists were angered to discover that the skull had been artificially elongated) is a spinosaurid theropod that lived about 110 million years ago in what is now Brazil. Current estimates of its size indicate a length of 8 meters, although lower estimates of 7.5 meters were proposed in 2010. For now the only fossil found attributable with certainty to the animal is a fossil skull that is very reminiscent of suchomimus' and spinosaurus' skulls, consequently it is very likely that it occupied a very similar ecological niche and fed on fishes. It is often considered today synonymous of angaturama, another spinosaurid that lived at the same time and in the same place (if this theory will turn out to be correct, the name 'irritator' will still remain the name of the species since it was proposed earlier). Along with oxalaia and sigilmassasaurus, it is considered the closest relative to Spinosaurus aegyptiacus, so much so that they can be called 'distant cousins'. 8) Since the references are getting more numerous, I remind you all that, if you want to be mentioned in the story, you just have to write a comment where you will guess one or more references. Anyone who succeeds in this will be mentioned in the next column of 'author's thoughts'. Therefore, don't miss the chance! In this chapter there are three references that to define obvious would be an understatement: let's see how many of you want to be mentioned in my story!