King (chapter)

As the boat carrying Dodgson and his cargo to Isla Sorna left the harbor, a nervous Howard King recalls his life prior to meeting Dodgson. Hired out of Berkeley, King had a promising career ahead of him and was working on a substance called Hemaglutten V-5 which was to be used to treat blood clots. When it came time for human trials, the substance failed to dissolve clots and those injected developed serious side effects; soon after the project was halted, all the funding was pulled and King lost his lab. Having lost his confidence, his next project involving horny toad secretions being used for painkillers was dismissed due to his research being poorly documented. It was soon after this he met Dodgson, who recognized King's talent and swayed him to his way of thinking. King was then made Dodgson's assistant in Biosyn's "Department of Future Biogenic Trends" division, which is what the company privately referred to its industrial espionage efforts. King rose swiftly among the ranks, all thanks to Dodgson.

Back on board the boat, King begins to have doubts about the trip and why he decided to take Sarah Harding with him. Despite his trepidation, he asks Dodgson for a moment of his time and Dodgson says sure and gives King a smile that always unnerves him.