Jurassic Park: In the Shadow of Giants [IC]

[Erasmas]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/BannerFinal_zpsd19a18f0.jpg~original

Three months ago, when you had been contacted by Virgil Blankenship about this gig, you had little idea about what you might be getting yourself into. But, with the promise of a one million dollar paycheck at the end of it... it was too good to pass up. After a little bit of research into who this man was (and whether or not he would even be able to actually pay you that much), you found that he was the son and future heir to Gabriel Blankenship. Gabriel was the owner and CEO of Blankenship Enterprises, an international shipping corporation that apparently was used more than you might think. And you found the senior Blankenship's name on list after list of "the Richest People in the World". Your research also led you to the information that Virgil was a little bit of an adventure nut - sailing across the Atlantic by himself in a thirty-foot long sailboat; climbing Mt. Everest; hang gliding in the Australian Outback; that kind of thing. So, it may or may not have come as a surprise that he sought you out and invited you to come along on this trip of his to some island off of Costa Rica.

At some point during the last three months, arrangements had been made for you to come individually to New York City for the initial meeting between you and Virgil. There, you were put up in a penthouse suite in the Wyndham New Yorker Hotel for the night and had dinner with Virgil in the private room of Le Bernadin, a seafood place where the prices listed on the menu were more than you saw on some of you paydays. But it wasn't how rich this man obviously was that made the most lasting impression upon you that night. It was what he told you, in that candlelit room, that had caused at least one sleepless night. Over twenty years ago, on this island where you would be headed, a company called InGen had done the unthinkable - they had recreated dinosaurs by cloning their genetics stored in the blood of mosquitoes, trapped in amber. You had nearly spit out your drink in disbelief when he first told you this, but the seriousness on his face made you stay to hear more. You knew that cloning was a thing... recalling something several years back about a sheep named Dolly, or something similar. Could it be true?

He proceeded to tell you that there was supposed to be an attraction built around these creatures, an amusement park of sorts. But, before this place could open, an incident occurred and six people died, including John Hammond, the head of InGen... man that had built the entire place. Several more people came very, very close to meeting the same end - two of them the grandchildren of this Hammond fellow. InGen apparently settled out of court with the individuals and families involved, forcing them to all sign NDA documents as a part of their settlements. However, the young boy, one Timothy Murphy, is grown and has been talking about what happened. Virgil then tells you, as a matter of full disclosure he says, that Tim has been through some trouble in his adolescence and twenties... having trouble with drug addiction and even spending some time committed to a mental hospital. No one will listen to what he has to say, y'know... since he is a certified lunatic. This, again apparently, is why InGen has not gone after him and why no one else has heard what he has to say. However, Virgil found him and got a video testimony out of the man... which he played for you. From what you could tell - this guy didn't sound crazy. Virgil's plan was to go to the island, carefully document and profile the animals, and cut it all into an "explosive" documentary that would bring the sins of InGen out into the stark light. He even said that it would make Black Fish look like a tabloid headline. And again, one million dollars sure did sound nice. And so, you agreed, signed papers, and were told that you would be contacted when further details were made.

And then a week ago, you received a plane ticket in the mail along with a letter outlining the plan - you were to fly to San Jose in Costa Rica, where you would then board a private jet that would take you to Playa Tambor in Ballena Bay. Arrangements could be made for any... senstive cargo that might be needed, and it would be waiting for you on the plane in San Jose. Yesterday, you arrived at the Juan Santamaría International Airport, noting that it was actually quite busy for a Thursday morning. You made your way to the Blankenship jet and found yourself onboard with thirteen other people, excluding the pilots. Through light conversation, you made the discovery that you were all here for the expedition... a robust team of scientists, mercenaries, and various other specialists. You were treated to a lunch of chicken cordon bleu with a very fine Chardonnay on the comparatively short flight to Playa Tambor.

As you came in over the resort, you realized that there was little more to this "town" than the hotels, a golf course, and a small airport... but the visage was breath-taking none the less. You all loaded your cargo and yourselves onto military-style trucks, and rode a little over an hour to a very remote and secluded... 'compound' was really the word for it. Driving through the gated wall that surrounded the place, you saw a massive house that sat atop the hill that overlooked the nearby ocean, and with many, many outbuildings of an undisclosed nature. The trucks pulled up to a rather large one of these buildings and parked.

You were then informed that you had reached your destination.

Out of the building in front of the trucks, Virgil exits, smiling widely and already dressed for the excursion.

"Heeey... you guys made it! Excellent! Stretch your legs; I know it was a long trip getting here. Come on in, get comfortable. We've still got a few hours until we can leave. Can I get anyone anything to drink?", he said casually. As you followed him into the shed-like building, you saw a bunch of people moving this way and that... already beginning to load equipment onto several camouflaged dune-buggies that looked like they were built for the apocalypse. A severely-tattooed Hispanic man approaches Virgil, his eyes on the lot of you.

"Oh, Santi. Come here and meet everyone! Everybody, this is Santi. This is his people's compound, and it's their boat that we'll be using to get to the island."



Gabriel Blankenship
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/NPC-GabrielBlankenship1_zps45ea2f68.jpg~original
Virgil Blankenship
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/NPC-VirgilBlankenship1_zpsa01672a6.jpg~original
Timothy Murphy
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/NPC-TimothyTimMurphy_zps55705236.jpg~original

[darklink_shadow]

Normally spending all day sitting on a plane was exhausting, but today Captain Harlock was too alert to feel any fatigue. He listened to the chatter, both idle and otherwise, and spoke very little himself. He needed to stay sharp so he turned away the wine. He didn't much care for the stuff anyways.

When he had been asked questions, he gave short vague responses. He thought some of the people recognized him from the video the terrorists had put online, but if they did, they had the good judgement not to ask the burly man in such close quarters, and his somber attitude seemed to deflect most of the curiosity anyone had about him, especially when there were plenty of Chatty Cathys.

Harlock wasn't much interested in the excitement of "What did it mean for science?" or any of the other topics they spoke of much. This place was going to be dangerous, and Harlock was more interested in finishing the job as soon as he could. A million bucks and the ability to enlist into the Marine Corps again sounded good, but more and more he wondered if he would live to see the money. He decided that if anyone survived, it would be him. He wasn't going to do anything foolish and get himself killed.

The truck ride to the compound was more relaxing; it felt more familiar. When he jumped out, he helped the next person down, some woman, but by then Virgil was upon them, dressed like some kind of fool. Harlock realized he needed to keep him alive as well, if he wanted his payday.

Just water will be fine. He said in response to the man, but Harlock expect the man to give him some kind of fancy newfangled super water. The man they were introduced to looked suspicious, but he'd met plenty of Hispanics that looked intimidating, but we're really just tough to look at; deep down, most of them were trustworthy enough. Harlock didn't plan on getting burned though. He didn't trust the tiny Asian girl with the goofy hat, and he didn't trust the Hispanic guy with more ink than anyone would ever need. But if he had to, he trusted the darker man would at least be useful if all hell broke loose.

Half the team looked to be all brains and no brawn. Not exactly who he would have brought to go defend a rich boy from giant man eating lizards.

[zabbarot]

Santi sauntered up with significant swagger. He eyed the group as he took a deep hit off a cigarillo. "¿Qué onda? These your people?" He wore fatigues, but it was obvious he had no military background. He kept the top tied around his waste and had a gold pistol prominently displayed on his belt. In sharp contrast he was wearing large rubber boots. In fact most the people on the compound wore rubber boots. Not much else held up in this climate.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís had spent the majority of the plane ride asleep, though Oso's nudging had woken him up for the chicken. The giant dog had insisted on having his own plate, though none of his whining had convinced Luís to give him any wine.

The crew makeup wasn't particularly surprising. It looked to be a collection of scientists and toughs, exactly the sort of people you'd want to send to an island full of (and Luís still quite hadn't got used to this part yet) dinosaurs. He wasn't particularly worried about the scientists. People smart and accomplished enough to earn the sort of payday that was being offered here were generally able to handle themselves fairly well. The military types were a bit more concerning. Knowing when to shut up and hide was just as important as being able to shoot well, and in Luís' experience, the military folks could all too often be counted on to be confrontational. A border crossing in Thailand had once gone sideways just because the ex-general that had accompanied the expedition, one of those things in which a bunch of old men want to relive their glory days, had refused to just pay the bribe to the border guard. Still, it would be good to have someone to help keep watch over the scientists.

"Coffee, black." A good cup of strong, quality coffee was one of the few vices Luís could afford to indulge himself in, and it seemed unlikely that such a thing would be easily available in the coming weeks.

[DoctorFaust]

Dr. LaFollet waves the man away, muttering, "I had enough to drink on the plane, but thank you."

As their guide approaches, his already low confidence begins to fall even more. They were about to embark on what could be the most scientifically beneficial expedition to his fields that he can remember, and the man approaching them reeked of tobacco smoke and was carrying, of all things, a gold plated pistol of some kind. Not a very good sign.

[NeverSleep]

On the plane Yeti had ordered the finest scotch they had - demanded the bottle afterwords. Filling his own 4 jumbo flasks after pouring out the vodka. One never knew when the last time a person would get to enjoy the finer things in life.

After having about three of those, he had tried to light a cigarette.

After settling in, he started about his business of "photography". Though he and everyone around him probably knew after seeing him that "photographer" was likely not his only roll.

To each passenger in turn, he merely said:

Look

Snapped a picture wether they looked or not, and went on to the next. If someone was sleeping, the picture was taken of them sleeping.

Once back at his computer, he crudely uploaded the photos and a description of the trip so far onto a secure server which was only accessible by him. Only his daughter would have means to get in with out the password(DNA).

@Yetiisthesh!t

The only folks he gave their space were the other "roughs". People who looked like they may be equally equipped for real danger. And the asian girl. For some reason Yeti could never predict if an asian person was a real threat.

Once they arrived in the hangar, after looking around the place for anybody or anything out of place…

Anybody who seems to not be doing a job. Counting weapons, guards visible in the room. Checking for cameras, and areas cameras may not be covering. Any suspicious cargo, making sure the cargo being loaded seems to be the right amount for the job they are heading for etc… etc...

This would all be second nature to Yeti once "on the job".

Yeti lit up another cigarette, and took off the jacket of the suit he had been wearing. Two enormous hand cannons of "pistols" hung loosely around his massive barrel of a chest, as if they were bouquets of flowers, and not practiced instruments of death. One could easily observe a bullet proof vest peaking out of the simple white dress shirt he had been wearing.

Without bothering to find any privacy he removed the shirt and slacks revealing tighty whities, and a body full of scars that felt to him like a lifetime's work of art. A masterpiece of experience on display.

He then donned the camouflage that was more appropriate to the final destination, and threw his pants at someone who was carrying a box, making sure to hit her in the face, a smile slowly crossing his face afterwords.

When the obviously overconfident man spoke he looked daggers into him, curled a lip, and listened, waited.

[Jenerix525]

"Come on, guys. We've got hours to sleep it off and you're all avoiding alcohol? It could've been a great bonding experience for the team!"
Fred smiled as he said this. The whole team just seemed so interesting. He was well aware that he had no clue how competent they were, but everything was sure to work out fine in the end.

[zabbarot]

Santi met and returned Yeti's stare. "Ey Virgil, your pet bear is glaring at me. He keep it up, he can swim." He ashed his cigarillo, still staring at Yeti, but speaking to Virgil. "My boys will be ready to go soon, but we leave at sunset. Marcos can help you stow your gear." He turned an pointed to a younger man standing in the back of a truck directing a few guys. "¡Oi, Pendejo! ¡Ayudar estas gringos!" Marcos shouted something back, and a short argument flared up. Those familiar with Spanish and Mexican slang would catch the general gist as "I'm busy" and "I don't care".

[NeverSleep]

Earlier:
Yeti's appreciated Fred's seemingly genuine enthusiasm, as poorly placed as he thought it to be.

I insist. You take.

The scotch is probably gasonline to anybody without a taste for it. Let's see how this guy does.


--


A wide genuine smile passed across Yeti's scarred face.

Santi had passed. Sizing him up like this gave him the impression that he hadn't simply been the son of a powerful man and been handed the reigns. Likely Santi maintained control over his operations(like many cartels are known to do) through cash and threats of violence. Make good on both, and everything runs fine.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock glared at the men who argued with Santi. The man was clearly in charge of the others, and they defied him. That wouldn't fly in a better structured system.

Removing his glare, Harlock moved back to the truck, and gathered up his own gear, strapping it onto himself. Being a combat engineer before, he was used to the heavy loads that were nearly twice the weight of a typical Marine. He pulled out his weapons, each finding a place somewhere on his body, a holster under his arm, a sheath at his hip.

The big gun stayed in his left hand, having no place to be stowed.
Los pendejos son demasiado pequeños para llevar mis cosas. He said to Santi with a grim look. He was a large, barrel chested man, so it was probably true. He spoke his words slowly, as if each syllable was cumbersome. His accent came across much more thickly than when he spoke English, and it was clear he felt uncomfortable with the language.

Marcos complains too much to be trusted with this beauty of a gun.

[zabbarot]

Santi laughed. A good genuine laugh, and a good break from the cold stare he had shared with the Rusky. "Don't hurt yourself, cowboy. I can handle Inglés*. You wanta carry your own stuff, that's fine. There is space in the trucks if you need it though." He looked at Marcos and laughed again, "Marcos is my half brother, meaning he's half as talented and half as good looking. He complains but he'll get the work done." He smiled at his own joke, it seemed like he'd told it before.



*English

[Space Lawyer]

With the two largest men apparently competing to see who had the biggest. . . guns, and the tattooed one (Santi, that was his name) swaggering about like a fool, Luís quickly resolved himself to the fact that this was going to be like so many other expeditions that came with a high price tag. He was going to have to babysit a group of volatile personalities. He turns to look at Oso, who tilts his massive head toward Luís and gives a look that could be interpreted as exasperation. "Lo sé."

[Erasmas]

The drink requests are translated into Spanish by Virgil to a waiting man that looked like he was waiting for such. After each request had been taken and spoken to the man, he nodded in understanding and shuffled off to a nearby golf cart that was loaded down with several coolers. Harlock's water was a bottle of Ozarka, nothing fancy and definitely American - one of the only countries in the western hemisphere to really buy and sell bottled water. But still probably a safer bet for a foreigner in a remote part of the world. The coffee took only a few moments longer to deliver, but when it came, it was piping hot. Luis could tell from the first sip... it was Colombian.

When Yeti strips down and changes right in front of everyone, there is one groan that is louder than the rest - a younger American that most of you had heard introduce himself as Calhoun.

"Aww, man... c'mon! Jesus! I thought we weren't going to be seeing any of the weird and scary sh!t until we got to the island!", he laments, shielding his eyes from the hairy Russian in his underwear.

Virgil choose not to intervene when Yeti and Santi tried to establish dominance between one another. However, when Santi announced that they wouldn't be leaving until sunset, he moved to follow with a plea to his voice. Interjecting his argument between that which the trafficker was having with Marcos, he tried to be persuasive, "Sunset?! Look, that's going to put us like seven hours behind schedule, Santi. Isn't there any way that we could get out of here around noon?"



Calhoun
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/NPC-BenjaminCalhounJr_zps1055c6ab.jpg~original

Virgil's Persuasion
Charisma (5) + Friendly (2): [roll0]


Alejandro Morales, the kingpin that owns this entire compound (and who you are currently working for), made it clear that you were to keep Mr. Blankenship happy. He does some business with Gabriel Blankenship and hopes to do increased business with the tycoon in the future.

However, if you wish to resist the urge to give in to Virgil's plea... go ahead and roll Wisdom + Fast Talker.

[theskorpionking]

The call from Hiro-san had been unexpected. But when Akiko had heard that a million US dollars was hers for just going to an island, she was in. That money could fund expeditions for years. She just wasn’t sure about the dinosaur thing. They couldn’t really have cloned dinosaurs, could’ve they? Well, she was going to find out. The trip to New York was amazing. It was Akiko’s first trip to America. She was glad that she had learned English, otherwise it would have made the trip a little harder for her. It was hard to believe everything that man had told her, but wouldn’t it be so cool to see real live dinosaurs. Just think if the field research it would net. Akiko could write books about it, then she wouldn’t have to take the job at the museum. And father would be so proud.

Then the ticket showed up, she told her mother about the trip shortly thereafter. Mother had insisted on getting her a fancy dress to wear, so she could impress the people who hired her. Akiko left the dress in her closet.

She arrived at the airport and quickly made her way the private jet. She wore her favorite anime inspired beanie, it helped to calm her when she was nervous. But, when she arrived at the gate, she suddenly became very self conscious about the hat. They were a lot of people there. A few looked like they could be trusted, but the others scared her. There was a very big man smiling, Akiko took her hat off and hid it in her hoodie pocket. The plane ride had been almost fun for her. She only talked when spoken too, but when the big scary man looked at her and said “Look”, she almost jumped out of her seat.

Once their had arrived at their destination, a man had helped Akiko out of the truck, “Arigato gozaimasu” , and bowed. She then straightened up looked around in an embarrassed state and then in a rushed English she said, “Thank you much.” The look he had given her made her feel a little uncomfortable, but she couldn’t tell why. When the offer of a drink came around, she just shook her hear.

[zabbarot]

"Mr. Virgil, I have seen your schedule, but it doesn't account for the Guardia Civil as far as I can tell. The government of Costa Rica declared the area off limits, and it's easier to avoid them at night." Santi's face hardened. "Safety first. I promise the delay will be less than we risk if the Guardia stops us."

Isla Nublar is supposed to be 190km from the Costa Rican coast. So, presuming we're using typical trafficking type boats, we have a 1.5-3 hour trip depending on weather. Eh? Slip right past 'em.

Rolling:
Wisdom+Fast Talk 6d6 [roll0]
*realized while editing that editing might break the roll... (6d6)[5][6][6][4][4][6](31)*

Gonna edit what I say a bit depending on the roll.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock grinned at Santi and chuckled, before opening his bottle of water and taking a large draft of it. Well, that explains it, I guess. I'd prefer to manage my gear though. It can't be tossed around by the half-talented. 'Sides, it isn't all too heavy. Just bulky, and ... fragile.

Harlock let his eyes wander a little, keeping tabs on everyone, before returning to Santi. While the payday came from Virgil, he wasn't really in charge of the men with guns. And the man in charge of the men with guns trumps the man in charge of the money. Santi deserved respect, even if Harlock was leery about him deserving much trust.

Harlock decided that the Ruskie was likely not much of a threat, so long as things went smoothly. But he was sure to be an annoyance. The tiny Asian was too timid to be worried about too much. She seemed like the kind to obey orders barked in the heat of the moment. He worried briefly about her grasp of English, but he decided he didn't have cause for concern yet. Santi was an immediate and clear threat, but perhaps only a threat to Harlock's enemies.

Harlock finished his bottle of water, and shoved the empty vessel into his pocket. These Dinosaurs, do they hunt at night, or during the day? I'd rather land on the island while they're sleeping. One of you must be the expert of dinos, right?

Harlock gave the pair of paleontologists a raised eyebrow. Dr. Reeves, Dr. Imamaru? They'd been listed as the paleontologists, Harlock remember. He thought there might have been a third, but he couldn't recall.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko's head popped up when she heard her name called. "Uh, well. It's not really known. You...you can't really tell that from their bones. I, I guess we'll find out together, right?" She said in near perfect English. She even offered up an optimistic smile.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel interjects into the discussion after Akiko finishes talking. "If the scientist who has spent his whole professional career studying what they should be like could offer his opinion?" he says in a thick french accent. "We can, from analysis of the scleral ring on more intact skulls, hypothesis that there were indeed a fair number of nocturnal hunters among smaller carnivores. In fact, the first one that comes to mind is the velociraptor."

[Erasmas]

Virgil sighed and shook his head. It was clear that he wasn't pleased with the answer, but that he wasn't going to fight it any further. "Alright, Santi. I'll trust your judgement. But I want to be out of here as soon as is humanly possible, bueno?"


"While Dr. Imamaru... I hope I'm saying that correctly... is mostly, well... correct...", Dr. Reeves stumbles for a moment, realizing the awkward repetition of his word choice, "... there are theories about the behavioral sleeping patterns of many species. While many carnivorous are thought to have been diurnal, or active during the day, there certainly are some species that were nocturnal... active at night, that is. Studies of the scleral ring, like Dr. LaFollet just mentioned, show that nocturnal animals have a larger opening in the middle of the ring. In diurnal animals, the opening is much smaller."

[darklink_shadow]

Huh. Harlock grunts disappointed with Dr. Imamura's response.

When the other man spoke up, he turned and focused his gaze on him. Oh, is that right? Well thank you, doctor. I was expecting the opposite, on account of how their lizards, an' lizards are cold blooded or whatnot. Thought, maybe, they'd only hunt when the sun was out to keep em warm.

Harlock shrugged. I do remember a thing or two about dinos. I even read a bit about 'em, but I'm not expert, like you, Doctor .. Lafayette?

And thank you, Dr. Reeves for the explaination. Not sure what scleral ring deal is, but I'm not paid to know that sort of thing. Glad to know someone here can tell us about the critters.

Harlock grabbed his chin, and rubbed at a beard that wasn't there. Don't like that answer though. There gonna be critters that want to eat us at all hours of the day, is it? Well fine. The big man sighed, exasperated, but he looked more annoyed than anything.

[DoctorFaust]

"LaFollet. Daniel LaFollet, Soldat de première classe, armée de terre." He pauses for a moment, thinking, and then adds, "Ph.D"

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock frowned and knit his brows at Dr. LaFollet's name. Awful long at the end there, Doc. I'm going to have to stick with Dr. LaFollet.

He approached the man and offered his right hand. You can call me Captain Harlock. You can throw in my PhD at the end if you want. Most people don't. Just Harlock is fine most days, too.

[DoctorFaust]

Though Daniel is surprised by the Captain's name, he manages to hide it well. Well enough to smile and return the handshake normally, anyway. "You did say your name was Harlock, yes?" he asks, keeping his voice pleasant.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock stiffened, a little at the question, his handshake ending with a too tight squeeze, but he managed to keep from groaning. Instead, he nodded and said. Yep.

Harlock tried to hide his feelings on what was likely a question confirming he was that Harlock. His claim to fame; a shameful and unwanted fame.

Captain Anakin T. Harlock. I don't really have a PhD. It's a ScD from MIT. But most people don't know the difference.

[DoctorFaust]

"From my understanding, your name being that would be similar to mine being Arsène Lupin. Regardless, good to meet you, Captain Harlock."

[Erasmas]

"Everyone... everyone, if you would please move inside, I...", Virgil started, though it was clear that most of the people meant for the expedition were involved with side conversations or checking their gear... and thus paid little attention to the man when he called out. However, a tall and incredibly dark-skinned man stepped up beside Virgil and stood at a military-style attention, his hands both cradled behind his back. When he spoke, it was a booming noise, thickly underpinned by an African accent.

"People! Mr. Blankenship is speaking now. He wishes for us all to move inside the building. We should do this."


Manyara
Charisma (3) + Leader (2): [roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

Whether the man didn't know after all, or he hide it welll. Harlock relaxed a little. Arsene Lupine? Sounds like ... Krieg Hund. I don't speak much French, I'm afraid. Barely passed back in school, and that was a long time ago. But the pleasure is ... mine.

Harlock was cut off by a big man yelling, and he decided to obey the loud man by heading towards a building.

[NeverSleep]

Yeti is managing the packing of his things.

A glance over his shoulder would let someone see that he is ruthlessly organized for someone coming off so brash. Everything has it's own flight case, and padded dividers for everything. And compact - Apple would be jealous.

No touch this one.

He said, afterwords revealing that the contents were highly explosive. He placed that one gingerly in a spot he considered to be stable enough.

He offers to help *Akiko* with her things. Looks for any signs of a black belt in the process.

At a moment when Santi is available for a relatively private conversation:

If I can help, I will. You just ask. *Ypa.

*Cheers - Russian

When bidden inside, Yeti immediatly finishes his task and briskly walks toward the client, likely being among the first few to arrive.

[Erasmas]

Once you all made your way back inside of the warehouse type building, you saw Virgil approaching the dune buggy type vehicles. There looked to be five of them in total, and they were designated with black numbers that were almost invisible amongst the camouflage paint job. Once at the nearest one them, Virgil turns with a massive and proud smile upon his face.

"These are the Raptors. They'll be our transportation while we're on the island. Numbers One, Two, and Three are set up for four passengers apiece. Four and Five only have two seats, with the rest of the space assigned for gear. Manyara and Zizi are in Raptor Five, myself and Ivan are in Raptor Four... the rest of you can divide up however you see fit. Now...", he turned back to the dune buggy and began making his way around it, illustrating the various points as he brought them to your attention.

"My friend Elon and I designed these... they have some cutting-edge stuff to them, so I'm really excited. Both of the prototypes did really well in the Mojave this past summer. They're hybrids, but not in the traditional sense; they're solar-powered electric engines. They run all but silent. But, if you need a little extra speed or towing power, they have a secondary hydrogen engine in them too. You pour in clean water, it filters it, separates the hydrogen from the water molecules, burns that as fuel, and spits out pure O2 as exhaust. Pretty cool, huh? Anywho... the tires are airless, so no worrying about punctures, but there is still a spare... just in case. Cable wench, here on the front. Steel reinforced roll cages, grill guards, and bars on the windows... which are bulletproof glass. The body, including the doors, is sealed below the window line, making them amphibious... and yeah, they float! And the treads on the tires are deep enough to be perfect for off-roading, as well as causing enough drag in the water for forward propulsion. The windows open up seagull style, and you just climb in like you're a Duke of Hazzard.", he stops for a moment and looks at the crowd of you gathered around. It is obvious that he realizes, from the confused looks of some of you, that not everyone caught the reference. "Sorry. Anywho... here they are. These are going to be loaded onto the boat and we'll be dropped off just off the beach, and just paddle on way to shore."

When he finished, he climbed back out of the driver's seat of the one he had been using to demonstrate, his smile never having faded. Like a kid with a new toy, it was painfully obvious that he was pleased with these things.



Overall Idea
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Vehicle-RaptorCollage_zps9b368c76.jpg~original
How it's Represented on Your Sheet
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Vehicle-Raptor2_zpsa06f4b0e.jpg~original
How it Will be Represented on the Battle Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Vehicle-Raptor_zpsc042b049.png~original

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock smiled a little at the vehicles. They were pretty nice. Some of the others might not appreciate it as much, but a slick ride like that made Harlock plenty happy.

Well, you assigned most the brawn already. Probably be a good idea to divide the rest a little. I don't have much to say about it other than that. I'd rather have Dr. LaFollet in my car, so I can chat with him about the critters. Eh, maybe Kip, there and Dr. Imamura. Might be a good idea to have a photographer in every group, if we can help it. And some smart guys to do live commentary with em. Mission is about a documentary, right? Eh, well if that's the case, we got how many Dino PhDs? I probably shouldn't get two of them in the same car. I'll take Dr. Cho, instead.

Harlock had led men into battle plenty of times, he was used to taking charge. And he didn't want to get saddled with another guy who seemed like they'd want to be the boss. Santi and the big Russian were great to have along, but he'd rather have them in charge of their own people, than to have to argue with them. The only non-Asian woman was supposed to be some sort of merc too. He'd wager she could keep a few fools in line.

He put a hand on the vehicle marked with a two. Sound good?

[NeverSleep]

I shall drive the lead car. I'll need a confident gunner with me.

I'm looking at Harlock, Samantha, Rivera, Santi, Cho. Volunteers?

We'll also take Kip, as we might accidently get a close-up.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock make a Tsk sound. Yeti, right? Ain't you a camera guy? You were playing around with a camera quite a bit before. Don't reckon we can take all the cameras in the same car. I'll take Kip.

[Erasmas]

"I can't be in two places at once, mates. I'll stick with the fella that don't get down to his skivvies. 'Sides, I speak better Yank than I do Ruskie. And, like old Blue Eyes there said, might be better to have our cameras split up a bit, get more coverage that way.", the older man named Kip proclaimed, in his all-too stereotypical Australian accent.

"'Hana'; just 'Hana'.", Dr. Cho corrected. Even though she was certainly a natural-born Japanese citizen, judging by her manner of speaking and accent, she didn't hold herself in the usual demure manner that most might expect from Asian women. "I don't really care where I end up. Car Number Two is fine by me."

[darklink_shadow]

Glad to hear it. Harlock said, tapping the hood again with his knuckle.

Hana, it is. And I promise, Kip. You won't be catching me in my skivvies, if I have any say about it.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís probably needed to be in the lead car to help keep a lookout, but riding with the loud, oversized Russian was not a thought he relished. If anything, he'd prefer to ride in the back of one of the cargo vehicles with Oso, but that probably wasn't an option. Well, maybe it was. It certainly couldn't hurt to ask.

He walks over to one of the two-seaters and places his hand on it. Oso steps up into the back with little effort. "Mr. Blankenship, you hired me to act as a guide for this expedition. I can't very well do that if I'm stuck in in a car with many others. I should take one of these, so I can scout ahead. Oso needs his space too, and I can assure you that riding in a car with him isn't the most pleasant thing. I believe Ms. Greene or Mr. Silvers accompanying would be for the best."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock bit his lip, and then thumped the hood of his claimed car again. That actually makes a lot of sense. At least from a tactical point of view. No point in stuffing the scout in with the infantry, as the saying goes.


Soldier + Charisma
[roll0]

[Erasmas]

Virgil looks to Ivan, as if he was expecting the quiet man to nix the idea. Instead, however, the Russian bodyguard tightens his mouth and nods, "Is okay. We go in Raptor Three instead."

With that, Virgil seemed to accept the proposal without any further convincing. "Uh, yeah... okay. Sure thing."

[Jenerix525]

"To new friends! Cheers!"
Fred took a hefty swig of the proffered drink
*Cough. Hack. Splutter*
"A sweet... ambrosia"

I doubt I'll be much tactical use in the cars, but I'll be happy to keep this sweet pup company."
Fred moved to take a closer look at the hound, and fishes out a small treat.

Charisma + Animal Empath = 4+4 =
[roll0]

[Space Lawyer]

Oso perks up his head and sniffs cautiously at the treat. He deftly nips it out of Fred's hand and swallows it down, then covers the side of Fred's head in slobber with a lick. "Oso seems to like you, so I'll take that as a sign of good character. Most people who wave treats in front of him risk a limb."

[NeverSleep]

Or perhaps I take wheel for scout car. I set up with video streaming to your cars, experts can tell us what we're looking at.

The Russian held out an open hand below his waist towards Osu.

I don't mind dogs.

Charisma only roll to introduce myself to dog.
[roll0]

And don't worry, I can drive and I prefer silent expeditions. You just say where you want to go.

[Space Lawyer]

Oso perks his head up, and his ears go flat. He bares his teeth and a rumbling growl sounds like a thunderstorm in his chest. "You might want to move your hand back. He really doesn't like it when people with guns, other than me, come near him."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock watched people interact with the dog, but Harlock wouldn't want everyone crowding around and pestering his dog, so he wasn't about to participate in doing that to Oso.

Perhaps later he'd see if the dog was interested in being friends. But if not, that was fine. Harlock was here to get his children's college funds, not make friends with dogs.

He did really like dogs, and dogs seemed to like him, though. He found himself hoping the dog would like him after all, and he set his jaw in a firm line.

If we're not leaving till dusk, what're we doing until then?

[NeverSleep]

I want to review what we know about the island's building structures.

Also, I take test drive, yes?

[Jenerix525]

Fred wipes the slobber from his face to reveal a childish grin.
"I guess it's a compliment to my cooking. Smart boy knows I can't make any more without both hands." He wiggles his fingers there.

"And I believe my ability to keep animals calm is a good part of the reason I'm here. Be rather embarrassing to screw up before we even leave."

[zabbarot]

A bit earlier; Santi nodded silently to Yeti. It was a quick turn around in demeanor, but that's how things went between men like them.

Presently in the warehous; Santi was quick to sidle up next to Virgil. If anything happened to the man it would end badly for his paycheck, and with that in mind he hopped in car three. "I figure you wanna drive. I'm fine being a ride-along." He let out a low whistle. "This is some nice interior for a work vehicle. How fast is it?"

[Erasmas]

"Uhh, sure. You can take a test drive with Raptor One, but keep it close by and take it easy, okay? I want these babies top notch when we drive them onto the island.", Virgil gave the okay to Yeti, somewhat uneasily... it was clear that the boisterous Russian's mannerisms and nature were already a growing concern in the billionaire's mind. "They can get up to about a hundred miles per hour, if they are running their hydrogen engine. On electric... they top out around seventy or so.", he added in reply to Santi's question.

He then turned to the rest of the group, "As to what we're going to do until we're able to leave...", he addressed, pausing to consider that exact point. It was equally clear that he hadn't planned on this delay. "I guess Yeti has about as good an idea as any - we could go over the known qualities about the island... of which there aren't many. It seems like InGen did a good job of covering their tracks. But...", he wagged his finger as he jaunted over to Raptor Four and frees what you could only guess was his gray-green slingpack. He unzips a pocket and fishes out a folded and laminated map, unfolding it on the hood of the vehicle.

"We know that there is a visitor's center and resort hotel, somewhere in the valley that divides the western half of the island. The majority of the eastern part of the island is lowlands, where it's likely that most of the holding pens where built... as the rest of the island has too steep a change in elevation to do a lot with. Now, we also know that there is a small airstrip, a helipad, and a dock - but we only know the location of the dock, which is here... at the mouth of the river. Our exit strategy is going to be that airstrip, and we have to be there and ready to go on Sunday at four o'clock PM. That's when the plane that is returning us will be leaving, and the only pilot I could get isn't willing to wait beyond that. So that's one of our priorities once we get there."

[NeverSleep]

With the maps committed to memory, Yeti sets about to field test the machines.

He looks under the hood for any obvious defects, and compares the machines to each other before taking off in #1. Tests all lights and gadgets essential for driving.

He then rigs up the "Yeti cam". An internal wifi network connects the cam to a single user on a remote tablet or PC. Gives instructions for viewing to anybody who's interested. The cam is attached just above the ear, and points where his head faces.

Any volunteers to ride along?

Once set out, he begins to take the machine through the paces.

Any observer would plainly see a straight run speed test, breaking tests and similar.

Anybody who is looking closely, or experienced:
Yeti tests for maximum and funtional turning radius at a few different speeds, surface tension and skidding posibilities, balance/tipping point. On and off road capabilities.

After those, he practices a few emergencey manuevers, setting in place the muscle memory needed for these things.

[Erasmas]

Virgil visibly cringes as Yeti takes his Raptor through a tight turn and nearly rolls it over. However, nothing happens to the vehicle as the Russian ex-hitman puts it through its paces, and he brings it back to the warehouse with nothing more than a little bit of dirt on it.



►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Thursday, January 29th, 2015
17:30

The seven hours had passed agonizingly slowly, your anticipation dragging it out unnaturally long. However, once the sky above the compound began to shift into beautiful shades of orange and purple and the sun grew closer to the western ridge behind the main house, it became apparent that it was finally time to go. The workers that had been making sure that everything was packed onto the Raptors earlier, now reappeared and drove the buggies out of the warehouse and down towards the private dock, where a ferry had arrived within the last hour or so. It was obvious that it belonged to the same man as the rest of this place, Santi's employer... whomever that was. The pilot was a man by the name of Enrique, and he oversaw the careful loading of each Raptor on board. Within fifteen minutes, you were informed that the La Llamado de Sirena was ready to launch. You all walked the gangplank down to the deck, where there was an enclosed lounge that you could spend the voyage inside of, complete with comfortable couches and a big screen television. It was lined on three sides with large plate glass windows that would look out onto the water while you traveled. Above you, accessed by two sets of stairs on the fourth wall, was the captain's cabin and helm. Tucked away in one of the corners of the lounge area was a refrigerator, and inside it... several bottles of champagne.

"Alright everyone, I did the headcount and it doesn't look like anyone's getting left behind. Go ahead and get settled; relax, enjoy! We should be at the island at around...", he checks his expensive and durable-looking watch, "... eight-thirty or so."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock gets on board, and rolls his eyes at the extravagance. Might I get that map to study a bit? I'd prefer to be more than a little familiar. And, if possible, I think it'd be wise if us ... security types are given a better idea from the science types on how to hunt, avoid, and kill the beasties, should it come down to it. Plus, ain't nothing like a body to prove that a dino was real. Film can be faked. Critters can't be, so easily.

[NeverSleep]

Not much one for champaign, nor was it the time yet - Yeti took a round of pictures and fired off another update to the remote server. It would likely be his last until the return trip.

Likely the best shots would be from the deck, so he parked it up there, set-up a few shots, and kept his rifle nearby.

Yeti kept an eye on the staff of the skiff, but wasn't to worried by this time.

A few good shots as the sun went down would make a great juxtaposition against the surreal visuals that were surely his to collect.

[DoctorFaust]

Having parked himself a fair distance away from the others, and having waved off the champagne, Daniel is taking the opportunity to review and rereview all of the research he was able to compile before coming on the expedition.

[Space Lawyer]

Luis and Oso move over to Harlock to study the map. While a simple Google Maps search would probably show the island and reveal the ruins of the buildings, it would be smart to see what the research obviously done for this expedition had produced. Luis considered himself a decent scout, and the largest part of that was knowing where he was going.

[darklink_shadow]

Hello, pup. Harlock said warmly, setting his gun on the table. Harlock remembered that Oso didn't like men with guns, but he doubted just setting it down would make him all that friendly. Never the less, he knelt, and offered a hand to him, just below his nose, but nearly a full foot away. If the dog lunged, Harlock would let him bite. He'd been bitten before, and the last time it seemed to help the dog bound with him. The offending dog of the past had ended up being a good friend after the bite, and never seemed anything less than ecstatic about Harlock's presence.

No matter the dog's response, he would soon stand again, and gesture at the map. You're the expert scout. What do you think is reasonable? Can we make it around the island pretty well before we need to get back? I'd like us to assume every critter we see tries to murder us, and we'd have to proceed through hostile territory. I'd rather get to the LZ way early than half a second late.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko felt that this trip was just like her brief time at high school. No fun. She had been told by many of her older cousins that high school was the best time in their lives. Akiko wasn't even the same age as the other students, which made things difficult for her. She was never teased or bullied, but most of the students steered clear of her. She had seen that one of the other doctors had some research with him, she had never thought about doing research on the island. She was over-excited about the prospect of seeing real life dinosaurs. She had politely declined the champagne that was being offered and made her way around the deck, once again being photographed by the big scary Russian. She walked over to the railing and watched as the waves that the ship had made went by.

[Space Lawyer]

Oso looks warily at the gun, then sniffs at Harlock. Satisfied that the man is unarmed, the giant dog consents to be scratched behind the ears.

Luis looks at the map, surveying the terrain. "Nothing but jungle and mountains for the most part; the worst terrain there is. With years of uninterrupted growth to deal with, not to mention all the things that wouldn't mind making a meal out of us, the going will be slow. Even Oso and I alone wouldn't be able to make it around the whole island in a single day, not safely at least."

[roll0]

"We're going to have to set up a base camp, and divide this into sectors. We'll cover and clear a loop each day. We'll need to set up a rendezvous point if our base camp turns out to not be safe."

[Erasmas]

"Sure, of course!", Virgil had said, digging the previous map as well as a secondary one out of his pack and flattening them out on the table in the lounge. Once Harlock and Luis had gathered nearer, he shook his head slightly. "Now, there isn't much to see sadly... on account of the jungle having taken back so much. The canopy is thick enough that satellite imagery doesn't net us much. But, like I said, we know approximately where some of the buildings were."

He produces a red grease pencil and drew two circles on the second map as he explained. First, a small one, "This is the rough location of the visitor's center... the lodge, we're thinking, must be somewhat nearby. We know that there are at least some of the computer systems that were located within the center itself. Now, we don't think that they'll be operational obviously, but it might be worth snooping around there for information." The second circle was much larger, encompassing almost the entire eastern half of the island, "This is where we think the majority of the animal paddocks were located. But we have no way of knowing what is where until we get down there."



First Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Map-IslaNublar3_zps957563fb.jpg~original

Secondary Map
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Map-IslaNublarMarked_zps95bb78d1.jpg~original

[NeverSleep]

--sometime during the twighlight--

Yeti approaches Akiko loudly enough to be heard, but not so loud to be intimidating. Given enough time for observation Yeti had no reason to believe she would be an immediate danger to him or the mission.

He asks:

Where is your hat? I liked that hat.

You see

Yeti's cat story:
I love cats. They are beautiful hunters. They choose their prey carefully and take full advantage of their surroundings and the element of surprise.

It doesn't give away position like the dog.

I would first trust the man who's house was guarded by a feline. In fact, the only time I missed my mark after infiltration was because I was caught off-guard by a bengali tiger.

Selfie?

Yeti extends his camera arm and puts two fingers out next to his mouth(like cat whiskers), making sure to have Akiko in the frame.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko wasn't sure what to do at first when she heard the Russian nearing her, but he asked her about her hat. She told herself that this trip was going to get her out of her shell, that she was going to be brave for the first time in her life. "It's a dumb hat. My father bought it for me when I was little. I had seen a group of girls wearing them and wanted one." She said, lying to herself. It was true that she saw a group of girls wearing similar hats, and her father had bought her one because of it. But, to her, it was the best hat in the world. When he asked for a selfie, Akiko couldn't help but smile and said, "Sure." She was about to make a peace sign, like she had seen so many other people doing in their selfies, but her glasses began to slip. So the picture turned out with the big Russian doing his cat whisker thing and Akiko pushing her glasses up.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock squinted at the map for a little bit, then nodded. Mind putting an X over the LZ we'll be picked up at? After being satisfied with the map, he looked it over for a while, before gesturing to the french geneticist.

Dr. LaFollett! Tell me what I need to know about these critters to bring them down, or avoid them if I need to. Or best guess, at least.

[Erasmas]

"Yeah, sure thing!", Virgil bent over the map again with his pencil in-hand. He studied it briefly and then declared, "Here. That's where Ed will be."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock looked at the map again. Maybe we should send one raptor up to the lodge... And send up one of the cargo cars up with them. The other three of us should spread out and look around a little. RIvera here is definitely our best scout... what do you think is the harder job, scouting up to the lodge, or all of this area here? Looks like the path up to the lodge might be nastier... but have less ground to cover...

Harlock thought out loud, rubbing his jawline with a finger and a thumb. I've got our only Medic in our car. Best if she goes with the larger group. Probably'll want a camera guy up there and down here. That Yeti could take his car up. What do you think Rivera? Maybe we should get Yeti over here and ask him, too.

Harlock walked away from the map, and then yelled: YETI! Come on over here, would ya?!

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel walks over to to the table where Harlock and Virgil are discussing the maps, and sits down opposite the ex-soldier. "Well, as far as I have been able to tell, the larger the caliber of the rifle, the better chance you have of bringing it down, up to a point. And just like many other big game, you want to aim for the heart and lungs, if you're going to shoot at all. As for avoiding, I can speak with much less confidence. I would've preferred to have access to InGen's files on behavioral patterns, in addition to feeding and mating schedules, but I could not get those, even with my contacts among paleontology and genetics researchers. In fact, all that I can truly say with confidence is that we aren't that likely to be hunted by packs of most carnivores, and that the larger ones should be relatively easy to run away from."

[NeverSleep]

Harlock's call came only a moment after snapping a picture with Akiko, after which he said to her.

When you want to be the tiger. You wear the hat.

He joined the others at the table to discuss travel plans.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock snorted at the geneticist. Your days in the army teach you that big guns make big holes? He laughed a little, then sighed, disappointed.

I was hoping you know some sort of secret stuff. Like covering ourselves in mud makes us smell like not food. Well, whatever. May be we find out they are just as scared of loud noises, or fire as a wolf is.

[Erasmas]

"Tino fanira kwete adambura kumusoro.", came a deep voice from the corner of the lounge. Looking over, you saw the one identified as Zizi leaning forward, his forearms resting on his knees and his black National Geographic baseball cap wadded up in his dark hands. You had hardly heard a word out of the man and, now that you have, it was in a foreign language. But the look on his face told you that whatever he had said, he was very serious. Luckily, Manyara was close by, listening in to your discussion as well, it would seem. He stood up and approached, translating what his friend had said in his thick accent.

"Zizi has said that we should not separate. And I think I agree with him about this. If this place is as dangerous as it seems... then being apart should not be the plan."

[Space Lawyer]

Luis gives a rueful chuckle. "You would be surprised at just how unafraid of fire a wolf is when it is hungry. Still, Dr. LaFollet is right; the best way to deal with something that really wants a bite of you and won't be dissuaded is to put a bullet in it. It is best not get to that point though, so lets try to avoid it."

[Erasmas]

Virgil shook his head at both recommendations, "I agree. I think all effort should be taken to avoid agitating the animals."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock nodded. Of course, I'd rather avoid as many animals as I can. But second to that, I'd like them to fear me. Only if I must, would I like to fend them off, let alone kill them.

With a half-hearted shrug, he waved off his initial thought to separate. We can all stick together, even if that all but guarantees that we will agitate the beasts. It'd be easy to ignore one or two humans. But a whole fleet of us? I'm sure they are bound to get curious, and notice us.

[roll0] Soldier + Charisma to convince them splitting up will help us be stealthy.

[Erasmas]

"Apo ingava aka chibviko ku i.", Manyara said to Zizi after a pensive moment. The other man set his jaw taut, but said nothing in return; he simply nodded.

[NeverSleep]

No use doing anything tonight. We find an easily defendable place to stay the night.

I can't see in the dark, but I don't know if they can.

Best to start exploring in the morning when we can see.

Yeti suggested:

Maybe a beach with escape either direction along the beach where these machines are known to be able to move fast.

We camp. No noise, no smoke, no fire. We pray they don't get the jump on us tonight.

Tomorrow we make plans to visit the interior.

[DoctorFaust]

"Or we could set a watch."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock nodded to Yeti, and rapped his knuckle on the table. And we set a watch. A solid plan Yeti. But I'd rather not camp on the beach. Not that I have a better plan just yet, but I'd rather find a good cave to hunker down in.

[NeverSleep]

The watch is assumed. Doctor.

I'll still be praying.

Harlock - If you want to find one of these caves, in the dark, with predators likely around... Good luck. I hope you come back alive.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock scratched the back of his neck. Nah, well, if it'll be that dangerous, we'll just sit tight. You're assuming it'll be pretty dicey... The Docs have got me convinced it won't be that bad right away, at least. We can sit tight on the beach. For a moment, I forgot we aren't dealing with guns. All that open ground will make seeing them come running at us easier. Assuming no birds try to swoop down, the open ground is purely advantageous.

[NeverSleep]

We need to give ourselves every advantage we know of. They know the island. We don't.

We'll have two strikes against us if we move out in the dark.

Santi - can the put us on a long stretch of beach somewhere?

[Erasmas]

At some point during the trek, the captain informs you that he sees lights off the starboard side, far in the distance. After conferring with both Santi and Virgil, you turn off all of your own lights and press on. In the pitch black darkness, the stars above are mirrored in the flat surface of the ocean, giving the illusion that you were floating through space. After about thirty minutes, the all clear is given, the lights having come closer and then disappeared into the night. The remainder of the voyage went smoothly, and soon... a massive dark shape loomed on the horizon ahead of your vessel.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Thursday, January 29th, 2015
20:53

Just a little over three hours after you had set sail from Playa Tambor, Enrique informed your crew that Isla Nublar, the Island of Clouds, lay straight ahead. He brought you in closer to the eastern shore of the island, more an enormous negative space blotting out the starlight than anything else, and the waves began to tell you that you were indeed close to land. Virgil ordered everyone to wrap up their business, finish their champagne (for those that were partaking), and get into their assigned Raptors. Enrique moved in to about the one hundred yard mark out and dropped anchor, refusing to go any closer. He was afraid of hitting a sandbar in the dark and getting stranded out here with you "locos". Instead, he moves over to the stern gate and opens it, allowing your amphibious vehicles access to the ocean. A sheet of heavy plywood, with holes in two of the corners of the same side, was tied off tightly, forming a makeshift ramp for the Raptors to make a smoother transition.

One by one, the vehicles were driven gingerly into the ocean; many of you still afraid of sinking when yours hit the water, though you had seen Raptor Five do so with no problems. In a caravan of silent and lighted boat-buggies, you made your way towards the beach. Then, one by one, the vehicles emerged onto the sand, the only sound marking their presence the water draining off of their camouflaged shells. The internal CB radio squawked.

"Alright, Luis... where to?"

[NeverSleep]

Yeti moved his vehicle to a leading position, making sure to be as quiet as possible in the turns and kicking up no sand on the acceleration.

He used his binoculars to can what he could in the dark, then dropped his night vision goggles down and check using that as well. Thirdly, heat sensor check.

He wasted no time in consulting his equipment. He only lingured for a moment if something seemed out of place.

He reports his findings over the radio as soon as he's finished.

Rolling to spot things:
6d6

[zabbarot]

Santi enjoys the champagne even if no one else will, though he spends most of the ride with the captain. It wasn't Santi's first time on this boat afterall, and the captain was his older brother's ex-girlfriend's cousin, so they hung out plenty. After they hit lights out Santi found a good spot high on the boat and played look out. It was smooth sailing though, and the Guardia never got wind of them.

He was pretty calm as the car plunged into the water, the whole operation was pretty similar to a dead drop he'd been part of in Cuba when he was younger. They'd left him there for three weeks though. That part had sucked. Hopefully this would be better. A relaxing car ride. Maybe some hunting. A fat check at the end of the week. It sounded like a dream.

[Space Lawyer]

"First, we're going to find the highest point within one kilometer of the beach that has clear sightlines around it. Then most of you need to set up camp. Oso and I will scout around a bit while you're doing that. I'd recommend not lighting a fire, but doing so shouldn't be too dangerous around here. I've seen a lot of apex predators in my time, and few stick near the beach. There just isn't enough food there for them.

Either way, when the tents and everything are set up, you'll need to set up a watch. Oso and I won't be sleeping with the rest of you, so counting on us for that won't do."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock drove out smoothly, and stopped up at the edge of the beach. After Luis' spoke, he picked up the radio. Ten Four, Rivera. No fire, we'll just have to enjoy the warm winter nights. With you off on your own, I guess we'll have 15 for a watch. We should do a rotation on who watches. I don't think there much good in a watch shorter than an hour. You get too sleepy eye'd the whole damn time. 9 people taking an hour watch lets the watchers get 8 hours, and gives the 6 who aren't an hour to clear the majority of the camp, and make breakfast. Over.

Harlock let the radio fall from his hand, and turned to drive over a ways before picking up the radio again. Rivera, there was a hill a bit north of here, right? Want to check if that's a viable spot? There was another one south, on the other side of the river, but it's quite a bit further away. Or was it closer? Over.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís pulls out a copy of the map he had snagged, and checks the spots that Harlock had identified. "Go to the north hill first. No reason to cover a lot of ground at night. Dr. Silvers and I will take a quick look around, and see what there is. I'll return him to you before heading out to make my own camp. Don't worry, I'll find the nearest trees I can to set up in and keep a watch out over you."

He goes into his luggage and pulls out a pistol, handing it to Fred. "Hopefully you won't have to use this, but it would be stupid for you to not be armed. Just point it at what you want dead and squeeze the trigger." He then looks at Oso, and points to Fred. "Oso, naiz bolokh."

[Erasmas]

The Raptors part ways, Raptor Four with Luis and Fred making their way more westward, further up the beach. The remaining vehicles, with Yeti out front, scanning the darkness ahead, all turn north and begin to ascend the slope. All was quiet on the island, and not a single living thing crosses either of the teams' paths... as least so far as they saw sign of.

At almost the same time, Calhoun, Ivan, and Harold all spot something to the east of your position - a tall dark shape that was too regular against the night sky to be just a tree. Making your way a little closer, and using some of the night vision goggles that several of your team brought along, it becomes clear that it is a tower. "It's a lighthouse! Yes, that makes sense!", Harold blurts out as he points out the window. Indeed, located beyond the docks, it appeared to have been a lighthouse at one point. It was certainly the tallest thing around this close to the beach. It would have excellent visibility of the immediate area. And, with any luck, it was secure and fortifiable. And from the look of it, it was only about a half a mile away from where you were.

[NeverSleep]

Rivera - We're going to check out this lighthouse before we start setting up.

Gives coordinates/directions/visual location.

Might be a more defensable position than the open beach. Over.

Having announced the plan to the group, he turned the Raptor towards the structure and started taking note of the closest areas where something could stay hidden longer than he was comfortable.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko looked up at the almost invisible lighthouse. Part of her was scared to go there, but the other part of her was excited to go to the top and see what she could see. She had come to the conclusion that the big scary Russian wasn't quite as scary as she thought he was. She had put her cat eared hat back on when she found out that she was riding with him. The man named Calhoun, on the other hand, came off as kinda creepy. The ride ashore he kept smiling at her, making her feel uncomfortable.

[Jenerix525]

"Congratulations, you found one of the few things about guns I already knew.
And it's Mister Silvers to you. And anyone else. But I prefer 'Fred'."
Fred takes the gun, taking care to avoid the trigger.

As they travel, Fred seems impatient.
"Shouldn't we have seen something by now. I was hoping for a few more dinosaurs."

[Space Lawyer]

"Fred it is then. I spend a lot of my time with people who are very taken with their own importance, and titles mean a lot to them." Luís observes Fred's handling of the gun with approval. It would have been concerning if Fred had treated like it was about to explode, or like it wasn't a weapon. He replies to Yeti, acknowledging the movement and marking the lighthouse on his own map.

When Fred comments on the lack of dinosaurs, Luís says "I'll admit to being eager to see some dinosaurs myself, but I'd prefer to do so on my terms, in the daytime. Remember, the last time people were on this island, a number of them ended up dead."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock made a mental note of where the lighthouse was, and then picked up his radio. Confirmed, Yeti. I'll stay behind and watch your six. Over.

Harlock moved to drive up the the lighthouse. While the others looked around, he'd set up the camp while they were gone.

[Erasmas]

Raptors One, Two, Three, and Five turn eastbound and make their way towards the dark tower near the coast. You all passed through a wide-opened gate that permitted entrance through the rusted and dilapidated chain link fencing; past an overgrown guard shack with a symbol peaking out from beneath the kudzu-like growth - a silhouetted dinosaur fossil on a circular field of red. The dead leaves and detritus gave way between the airless tires of your vehicles and the buried concrete beneath, causing only minimal loss of traction. The East Docks, as you saw a sign denoting this place, had been a compound of its own, apparently - with nearly half a dozen outbuildings or warehouses, including the lighthouse situated at the far end of this fenced-in area. The dock itself ran a fair bit of the length of this place, giving the impression that it must have been a deep-water dock... where the large cargo ships would have pulled right up to the pier itself. The large mooring pylons stood like giant chess pieces all in a row alongside the water. Crossing the grounds of the East Docks took less than five minutes, even with having to circumvent a fallen tree that had crushed a section of fence and an entire corner of one of the larger buildings. Pulling up outside, the tower itself looked to be over two hundred feet high, and almost entirely made out of concrete. The paint must have been fairly bright some time past, but was now weather-beaten and flaking off, the hues sun-faded into something more akin to pastels. A single door was set deeply into the bottom of the tall building, a steel door that stood open about eight inches to reveal a pitch black space beyond. The crunch of glass beneath the tires of the Raptors, as well as your boots once you exit them, tells you that the windows and perhaps even the top section of the lighthouse must be busted out.

Meanwhile, Raptor Four took the time to pull out his own map and make a mark of the indicating lighthouse. Luis then turns the vehicle further west and moves inlaid, still following the beach along the river's mouth. After about a half mile or so, he turns north and begins heading up the incline that led down to the beach itself. It was difficult to see much of what the island had to offer... between the dark moonless night and the extremely dense foliage of the jungle. Sadly, for some, there was no sign of any of the creatures that you were warned about being here.


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Thursday, January 29th, 2015
21:37

It had been only about half an hour since you had arrived, but already the night seemed like it might stretch on far beyond reason. You hoped that you would be able to find restful sleep here, wherever it was going to be that you found to lay your head. As the two parts of the expedition team go about their separate business... a godawful racket picks up west of Raptor Four's position. Something is crashing through the trees and underbrush with tremendous speed and force - heading in their direction. Suddenly, there is a ground-shaking roar, followed by a terrible shrieking noise... and then all goes eerily silent. Even those at the lighthouse could hear the roar and the shriek, but nothing else over the sound of the waves nearby. And while Oso's eyes were fixed on a spot outside of the windows, somewhere in the black night, neither Luis nor Fred could see a single thing aside from the trees.

[DoctorFaust]

Unhurriedly, Daniel chambers a shell into his rifle. "Harlock, Yeti," he mutters. "Your orders?"

[NeverSleep]

I need gunners in raptor one. Harlock, Santi, Samantha.

The rest of you stay put and radio silent - watch on the Yeti cam.

Be ready to move out.

Over the radio:

Raptor 4, report.

Yeti then proceeded to get back in the driver seat, and drive towards the last known location of R4 and the sound, once passengers were in.

[zabbarot]

On one hand staying together is probably safer and protecting Virgil is his job, but on the other... Santi reaches for the radio. "Let's go shoot a pinche dinosaurio!" Like most his weapons were right at hand, so it wasn't long before he was climbing in Raptor 1.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís is out of the Raptor in a flash, rifle in hand. He braces himself against the vehicle and toggles the scope to night-vision. Oso, seremjtei." The dog springs out of the car, hackles raised, gazing into the night. Only then does Luís radio in.

Raptor Four here. There is movement in the trees. I'm not sure what it was, but it sounded big. We're holding position for now. Hopefully whatever it was found the meal it was looking for, and won't feel like coming after us. All of you stay put; I don't want you drawing any attention."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock grabbed his own radio, and broadcasted quickly. We'll stay put for a hot minute, but I want you back here asap. I have no use for a guide who gets himself killed on the first night. This lighthouse is defendable, even from armed gun men. You can go out and sleep on your own tomorrow night.

After that, he hopped out of the car, and reached back in to grab his hefty gun. Dr. LaFollet, if I go rushing out into the night with that big russian, keep everyone else safe inside. Hana, keep yourself ready until we get back. No telling if we bring everyone back in one piece or three. Kip, the least you can do is get some of this on film, pull out your camera, man!

He rapped his knuckles on the hood of the car, and then ran off to join Yeti's car.

-----

Ripping the passenger door open, Harlock settles in. If he gets quiet, or you start to thinking that maybe the dinos are after him, get going. I'll be damned if we lose a man for his pride. Pull us out of the complex once everyone gets inside. Do you have a pistol? I bet you can drive one handed.

[NeverSleep]

Over the radio.

Raptor 4, report location. We'll hold, but report updates immediatly.

To the others:

We'll hold at the edge of the complex. You all sit tight.

At Harlock's question, he simply pulled his jacket aside to reveal an oversized revolver.

If there are no further objections, Yeti pulls the firepower team out to the gate of the complex and waits for a radio report from Rivera, or for more indication of danger.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel finishes loading the magazine of his rifle, clicks the safety off and then back on, and then begins issuing orders to the remaining group. "You all heard what the Captain said, no? For the immediate future, no one goes outside. If you have a gun, I want you to be ready to cover anyone coming back in, but I want your chambers cleared, your safeties on, and the barrel pointed down at all times. Do you understand me?"

[Erasmas]

The Western Position: Raptor Four

Switching the scope over to the green-tinted enhancement of night vision, Luis peers through the lens and out into the jungle night. The dense foliage prevents him from being able to see very far, however, even with the aid of his gun. Some of the leaves and vines could be seen moving... about 150 yards away, but there was nothing else to see.

Aside from the feint sound of rustling foliage and the rushing of the not-so-distant river, the jungle around you remained completely quiet. That silence, however, was all but shattered by the sound of the radio inside the Raptor, whose door had been left wide open.

"We'll stay put for a hot minute, but I want you back here asap. I have no use for a guide who gets himself killed on the first night. This lighthouse is defendable, even from armed gun men. You can go out and sleep on your own tomorrow night.", came Harlock's voice first.

"Raptor 4, report location. We'll hold, but report updates immediately.", came that of Yeti.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
The East Docks

Calhoun, already having exited his vehicle links his tablet up to Yeti's camera and sets it on the hood of Raptor Five. He then retrieves a black hardcase and opens it up, pulling his drone out. He then begins working with it.

Hana was already prepping what looked like an impromptu hospital bed by clearing debris off of a section of concrete belonging to nearby loading dock. She replied coolly, "Way ahead of you, Captain Harlock. I recognize a fool's errand when I see it."

Kip, on the other hand, simply hoisted his camera up to show that he already had it out and still on it's strap around his neck. "What would you like me to shoot, mate? That patch of black over that way? Or that patch of black over there? It's so blooming dark out here I couldn't find a hole to sh!t in if I wanted.", he explained colorfully. The photographer then interjected, "Besides, if what the Argentinian says is right, and whatever that was just made a kill... then we best not be disturbing it. If it's anything like the predators I've seen before, it won't take too kindly to having company for dinner."

"I got this.", Calohoun said, setting his drone down on Hana's cleared space. "Hey!", came her lament.

"Sorry, sorry. Be out of your way in just..." he activates the controller in his hands and the thing takes off straight up into the air, "... a jiffy."

He gets the drone to hover about twenty feet up and retreats to where he laid his tablet down and presses a few buttons on it. In moments, he has a live feed for the camera on his drone up... with Yeti's feed in a small window in the corner. He then smiled a Cheshire-Cat-like grin as he looked about at the rest of you, like he wanted a trophy or congratulations for his deed.

"Not to sound callous...", Virgil added, "... but Raptor Four also has a lot of our gear on it. So, aside from not wanting either our guide or resident animal expert to die a horrendous death, I'd rather not risk having all that gear abandoned."

[NeverSleep]

Yeti had many times taken advantage of people when their position was given away by their radio. He didn't want Rivera to fall to the same fate if things got more hairy than they already were.

Before speeding off.

Radio silence - EVERYONE.

Only call if emergency.

He gave the Captain a stern look. He was one who probably should have known better. The mistake was one he hoped the man understood now, so that if Yeti's skin was on the line - the same wouldn't happen.

Still he had faith in the tracker. The "dino-whisperer" on the other hand... he probably needed extraction.

[Erasmas]

The East Docks

Manyara leans against his Raptor, watching Calhoun's drone take off. He then retrieves his automatic shotgun from inside and chambers a round, checking the safety.

"Should the rest of us sweep and clear the lighthouse, Mr. Virgil?", he asks of the man who hired you all.

Virgil looks to Daniel, since he was seemingly who had been left in charge. "Doctor?"

[Jenerix525]

Fred whispers to Luís.
"I'll have my torch ready. Tell me when more light is useful"

Fred's search might be a touch faster if he weren't distracted by a sudden idea he found... amusing.
A good bit of his focus was on committing the sounds he had just heard to memory.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel nods in response. "Yes. Even if we don't end up staying here, it would be a good idea to make sure we don't get jumped from behind." He turns to the group and calls out, "How many of you have combat experience? Whether military or otherwise?"

[Erasmas]

Dr. Cho, Ivan, Manyara, and Zizi raise their hands, all indicate that they have seen combat. Calhoun simply offers a weak, "Yo. But I'm a bit busy at the moment..."

The young man never took his eyes off of his tablet when he answered, squinting intently at the green-washed screen depicting jungle foliage and the river bank whisking by.

[DoctorFaust]

"Alright then. Ivan, Manyara, Zizi, grab your guns and come with me. Calhoun, keep doing... whatever it is you're doing. Dr. Cho, stay and keep watch. Again, though, keep your safety on." Daniel walks over to where the supplies had been piled, sets his rifle against a convenient stack, draws his pistol and checks its magazine and sight. "We're going to do this textbook. Open the door, check the corners, clear the room. Repeat ad nauseam. It might be quicker to do this individually, but I'd prefer we stay as a group. Any questions?"

[theskorpionking]

Akiko watched everything going on. The people going about their business, knowing exactly what to do. She had no idea what she was supposed to be doing. When the French doctor had asked about combat experience, Akiko's stomach became queasy. After the meeting in New York, all she could think about was seeing real live dinosaurs. She had never thought about the real live dinosaurs in a combat sort of way. When the French doctor had gone off with his group, Akiko walked over to Dr. Cho. <May I watch with you?>, she asked in Japanese.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís, comfortable that nothing was immediately charging out of the jungle to eat himself, Fred, and Oso, motions the other two back into the vehicle. "Keep the light off, Fred. Our best friends are going to be speed and stealth. We're heading to the lighthouse. Looks like a decent scouting of the land will have to wait until sun-up. Mind taking the wheel? I'd prefer to be able to shoot at anything that decides to follow us."

[Erasmas]

The Western Position: Raptor Four

Fred slides over into the driver's seat and starts up the electric engine with the push of a button. Luis climbs in through the passenger window after letting Oso bound in himself. Situated back inside the Raptor, the animal handler turns around and heads eastward... back towards the docks where the others were waiting.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
The East Docks

"If I go, Mr. Blankenship go with also. I will keep eyes on him at all times.", Ivan issues in his thick Russian accent, drawing his "sidearm" and chambering a round. Virgil laughed a little uneasily, but grabbed his sidearm as well... a hand-cannon that some of you may recognize by its street name, 'the Judge'. He loaded six 410 shotgun shells into the revolver and closed it, sticking it into a holster on his hip.

"Y'know... while you sound nothing like my father, I can somehow still hear his words when you state demands like that, Ivan."

The bodyguard shrugged, "Is my job. I cannot protect you if cannot see."

With that exchange complete, Daniel, Ivan, Virgil, Manyara, and Zizi move into the lighthouse. That just left Akiko, Hana, Harold, Kip, and Calhoun outside. Calhoun was completed invested in his tablet and the drone controller and Hana was still messing about with her improvised field hospital. When Akiko approached her and asked if she could help watch, she replied, [Japanese]"Of course. I noticed that you did not bring any weapons with you. Are you uncomfortable with them?"


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Lighthouse Excursion

It took Manyara and Zizi both pushing on the rusted door to get it to open enough so that you could file in one at a time. With the windows above having shattered long ago, falling leaves and various other debris had piled up against the back side of the door, which was in addition corroded in place be having been exposed to the sea air and moisture without any sort of maintenance for over the last two decades. The racket the door made scraping open was surprisingly made all the louder by the narrowly enclosed concrete space. Once inside, you could see why, however - the space was open from here on the ground, all the way up to what you guessed was the top. Shining your light sources upwards, as that was the only hope you had of piercing the darkness overheard, you could see a nearly endless set of rusty steel stairs extending towards the end of your light. The wind whistled occasionally through one of the open portals above you, but nothing else caught your attention.

[DoctorFaust]

"Alright," Daniel says, looking slightly worried. "I take point, then Manyara, and then Zizi. Ivan, Mr. Blankenship, I'd like for you to stay at the rear of the group and cover our backs. I don't think anything is going to come up behind us, but I do not think it would hurt to be prepared." He places a foot on the first step, testing if it will hold his weight, and then starts ascending the lighthouse.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís keeps a sharp eye on the dark. There wasn't much to be seen by the lights of the moon and stars, but Luís stays alert. When they arrive at the lighthouse, he keeps looking out into the night. Whatever had made that noise was still out there. A high vantage on the lighthouse would be a good place to sleep tonight.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko thought about the question, then gave her answer. [Japanese] "I have never had the need to learn. The only digs that I had been on for my degrees were done in Japan. There may have been some security people, but they never actually had any of us carry a weapon of any kind. If Hiro-san had told me that it was going to be dangerous, I may not have come. Perhaps I should have done more research like the others had. I was stupid in thinking that we were going to observe live dinosaurs. Who knows, maybe when we get off this island I can publish a book, or many books, on the things we learn here." She sighed, feeling a little better for getting her feelings out.

[NeverSleep]

And now, wait.

Waiting had always been unusally easy for Yeti. He handled the anxiety and boredom by playing out possible scenarios in his head and studying the details of his surroundings, looking for inconguities or hidden solutions or clues to the situation at hand.

Yeti lit a smoke after a few minuets waiting, and opened the window.

[Erasmas]

At the Gatehouse

Yeti and the rest sat in the dark, the nearby overgrown gatehouse standing sentry with you. The night seemed almost oppressive as you waited, though small noises abounded all around you in the jungle - you couldn't tell if it was frogs, monkeys, insects, or something else entirely... but it appeared to just be the kind of persistent background noise that was a part of such a place. It had already ceased to cause you any alarm. But suddenly, the noises ahead of you shift - growing somewhat quieter at first. And then... a rustling... followed by a fallen branch snapping. You ready yourselves, weapons locked and loaded.

Then Raptor Four bursts forth from the underbrush, nearly causing you to shoot your own comrades. Fred behind the wheel, Luis with his rifle at the ready, and Oso's face between them... his tongue lazily hanging out to one side. The buggy pulls up beside yours and comes to a stop.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
The East Docks

[Japanese]"I've seen your dossier; you're anything but stupid. Naive, maybe, but not stupid. And hopefully we won't have any reason to have to use them on this trip... but it's better to have knowledge that you don't need than to need knowledge that you don't have.", Hana recommends, un-Velcroing her handgun from its holster within her harness and removing the magazine in a fairly fluid motion. She then cycles the chamber to eject the round that was in it and picks it up from the ground, pocketing it. The medic then offers the empty weapon to Akiko with a smile.

[Japanese]"Here. The safety is on and now it's empty too. Just so that you can get used to the weight of it in your hands."


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Lighthouse Excursion

"Da.", Ivan affirms.

The tall African simply nods in understanding of Daniel's instructions, he and Zizi falling into step right behind the geneticist. The first step groans with disuse and age as the Frenchman places his full weight upon it, but it holds steady. You make the slow ascent, carefully testing each step that gives any sign of wear when approached. Somewhere between thirty and forty feet up, nearly half-way, Daniel's foot goes straight through a rusted stair situated directly beneath one of the windows on the lighthouse. Luckily, Manyara is there right behind him, as the handrail likewise crumbles when leaned against. A few of the steps above the failed one are in a similar state of corrosion, though putting your weight nearest the wall on those allows you to pass without further incident. Soon, you have climbed the rest of the stairs and find yourself at a short ladder that leads up to a trap door in the ceiling above you. Luckily, the metal of the ladder, as well as that of the sliding bolt latch that is keeping the trap door shut, seem to have been far better sheltered and are in much better condition.

[NeverSleep]

Over the radio:

Radio communication open. Ranger Rick and the gang are back.

Spoken to his car-mates:

What? I used to love Ranger Rick. Don't you?

Finally some good news. He wasn't going to start losing people on day 1. It seems so much harder to work as a team than what he was usefull.

To all at raptor location:

We go back now. Enough excitement for tonight. Lighthouse is safe enough. We sleep -start tomorrow yes?

The question was more of an insistance. Somebody had to take a hard line or everybody would wind up being sleep deprived when it really counted. Though he knew he could operate longer than most without rest, surely the doctors and other civilian types were not assumed as hearty.

If there's no objection, Raptor 1 begins to lead back to the lighthouse.

[darklink_shadow]

Ranger Rick? No, never mind, I don't really care to know. Take us back in. We need to secure the area within the fence and set up a watch.

After Raptor 1 pulled up, Harlock jumped out and headed to look for the Frenchman he had left in charge. Failing to spot him, he approached Calhoun. A drone controller, huh? Let me know what you find out. Is Daniel and all them inside the lighthouse?

With Calhoun's affirmation, Harlock headed back to the fence to keep watch for now.

[DoctorFaust]

"Ah. Well, damn." Daniel passes his rifle back to Manyara, unvelcros his pistol holster, and climbs up the ladder. Once he reaches the top, he tests the sliding bolt to see if it's unlocked. If it is, Daniel lifts the hatch just enough to look out from underneath it.

[Erasmas]

Lighthouse Excursion

Daniel finds the sliding bolt unlocked and, with a little bit of elbow grease, gets it to slide open and lifts the hatch up. Peering out from the metal trapdoor, he sees nothing but broken glass on the floor. Finally opening it all of the way, he finds himself in the top space of the lighthouse, with the darkened lamp to the left of him and the openings where windows had been to his right. The crunch of broken glass underneath his bootfalls might seem loud, if not for the roaring wind that whipped through the tower at this height. Looking down revealed that the smaller group had traveled no small amount of distance upwards, the ground a dizzying measure below. It took less than a minute to walk the entire roundabout that surrounded the lighthouse light, with nothing of importance to note... aside from it being an excellent vantage point indeed. But now, during such a dark night, it wouldn't do much good towards that end.

With that bit of exploration complete, the team headed back down.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Thursday, January 29th, 2015
23:37

It was now approaching midnight, but everyone had made it back to base camp safe and sound. Luis still sounded like he was contemplating sleeping somewhere else. Calhoun had managed to find what he thought might be a dinosaur corpse near where Raptor Four had reported hearing the strange noises... but the drone could not get much through the thick canopy here near the river and the beach. In addition, it had put the flying machine towards the extremes of its range and your field technician wasn't comfortable pushing it in these current circumstances. So, he flew it back and packed it away for another time.

"Alright everyone. There's plenty of room in the bottom of the lighthouse I am told, so anyone that would like... we can set up camp in there for tonight. It would be a good idea for everybody to go ahead and get some sleep; I want to get an early start tomorrow to make up for the time that we lost today."

[Space Lawyer]

Luís and Oso make their way back to the top of the lighthouse. With Luís sweeping the glass out of the way for Oso, the pair selects a vantage point allowing a view inland across the high grass. Reaching into his pack, Luís produces a camp hammock and a rolled up pad. He strings up the hammock for himself, and unrolls the pad on the ground for Oso. He keeps his rifle near at hand, and settles in for the night.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock took the first watch, as restless as he was. He pulled out the picture of his family, and looked at it for a long part of his watch. He worried about his children, and how they would fare with their useless father, and always too busy mother. When he was done with this gig, maybe he wouldn't take the job to be a Seal. It was his life's dream, but sometimes that didn't matter as much as just being there.

Then again, he was decidedly not good at being much more than a provider of food and money. He didn't understand his kids at all, and despite their unending love for him, he always wondered if he was doing anything right by them.

When the Russian relieved him, he clamored into his tent, and get snug in his sleeping bag. From the depths of the bag laying beside him, he pulled out his daughter's stuffed rabbit. She'd given it to him so he wouldn't be lonely on his trip, nearly three years ago, and the little furball had gone with him everywhere he went since. That bit of fluff and cloth had seen more combat than most of the people on this trip, and he been to more countries than any other stuffed rabbit had ever been to.

He held it in one massive hand, and sighed heavily. No, they'd be better off with me working, than staying home and doing nothing. What kind of message would it send if I stayed at home and didn't work?

Or at least that's what he told himself. He dreamed of dinosaurs playing with their children peacefully and woke at first light, stuffing the rabbit back into its hiding spot within his bag.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko held the gun in her hands, even though there was no ammo in the gun it was still heavy. At least it was to her. She handed it back to Hana, [Japanese] Uh, thank you. But I think I'll just stick to my spade and brushes. When the call came for bedtime Akiko got her sleeping bag out and unrolled it. Inside were a pair of pajamas her mother had packed for her, they were pink with clouds on them. She quickly stuffed them into the bottom of the bag. She slipped her shoes and sock off and carefully removed her shirt, glad that she had worn a tank top underneath it. She climbed into her sleeping bag and closed her eyes, trying her best to fall asleep.

[Erasmas]

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Friday, January 30th, 2015
07:44

Those on last watch roused the still-sleeping members of your crew and, within about fifteen minutes, camp was struck and the Raptors had been loaded back up. The East Docks looked different in the light of day - smaller and maybe a little more secure than you had thought last night. Though the jungle was encroaching into the man-made space, the fences were still largely intact and holding the greenery at bay in most places. Even though the vines and whatnot had breached it, it was unlikely that anything else was able to. The jungle itself seemed a lot more benign now as well, not the oppressive presence that it had held in the darkness and in your imaginations. Still, you weren't going to allow yourself to be fooled... you were all aware that there were things out there, within that same tropical 'paradise', that could kill you without a second's hesitation.

"Alright then, ladies and gentlemen!, Virgil's voice boomed out over the din of random noises that everyone was making getting packed up and ready to move out. He was nibbling on the energy bar he held in one hand, the breakfast of champions, you had thought to yourself when you had been tossed yours. Once everyone had gathered a bit closer and grown quiet, he continued, lowering his volume as well, "We're about to head out. Firstly, I'd like to make it as far as the Visitor's Center by mid day, if at all possible; I think it'd be a good place to make our base camp. From there, we should be able to strike out and explore a lot of the island that way. Now, it's about five miles as the crow flies... but it is an increase in elevation, we don't know what's between here and there, and we don't have an exact location for the Center... so, I'm expecting that it'll take us the better part of the morning to find it. It stands to reason that the roadway that leads up to the gatehouse eventually makes its way back there, so we'll start with that. I know that you guys want to check out whatever that noise was last night, so we can head there first. But I don't want to spend too much time on it, unless we can get some footage of the dinos there. Anybody have anything else they want to bring up?"

[NeverSleep]

--Shift switch--

Yeti had insisted on a middle of the night shift. He had become very used to bolting awake for duty, as well as sleeping even under worrisome conditions.

You sleep good ok?

Said Yeti to Harlock, a bit of a grin slipping across his face.

--Morning--

Why we look for trouble first? No need. We go to base camp first, see what we see along the way.

After making sure his effects were on his Raptor, Yeti rushed the others along.

A few minutes before all were ready, Yeti could be found atop the lighthouse, scoping the scenery out and seeing if he could locate any points of interest.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel, still groggily chewing on his energy bar, shakes his head. "I'm fine with that. The sooner we can get around to finding the labs, the better."

[darklink_shadow]

The Russian has the right of it. Going off exploring is foolhardy without a base camp set up first. Where will we fall back to, if attacked? Where will we meet up if separated? To the visitor's center, our base camp. It would make no sense to secure that location AFTER we've run into some trouble. Someone gets lost and hurt and goes wandering in there while it's full of... whatever dinos are out here, and they're dead. I'd rather nobody get dead.

Harlock gave Yeti a nod. I was unsure of him before, stripping, joyriding, and taking pictures like a buffoon, but he's got his head in the game. He can watch my back any day.

[Space Lawyer]

With a light sheen of sweat, Luís returns from his morning jog and calisthenics. He hadn't been able to go far, given the location, but it was still an important part of his morning routine. It kept him alert and ready, especially in the absence of decent coffee.

He towels off, puts on his field clothes, and clambers into Raptor Four. "If we're going to make it to the Visitor's Center by mid-day and do it safely, we need to get a move on."

[Erasmas]

You set out from the East Docks, taking the higher elevation dirt road that Yeti had spotted, heading northward for a short distance before coming to some sort of entrance gate that was meant for the park. The overgrown stone pillars rose up some fifty feet high, housing two massive wooden doors. A sign was situated between the pillars and above the doors, which read "Jurassic Park" in what once had to have been bold red lettering. With the doors shut, you were probably going to have to push them open in order to get through. Luis drove his lead Raptor right up to the doors and nudged them a bit, trying to convince them to open up. And while they gave a little bit, it wasn't enough to pass... and when he let his foot off of the accelerator, they swung back closed, rolling the Raptor back a few feet.

"Alright. First obstacle of the day, I'm sure. No big deal. Let's get out and figure out how to overcome it!", came Virgil's voice over the radios.

Climbing out of the vehicles, you all began to scout around. A small bit of looking told you that they were electric at one point, which obviously should not be the problem now. Eventually, your group figures out that the overgrowth of the vines looked like they were attached enough to the hinges and the doors themselves that they were the culprit.



What It Looked Like When It Was New
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Locations-TheGate_zps92939596.jpg~original

[zabbarot]

Santi packed up his sleeping bag quietly. He hadn't actually found a place for his hammock, but luckily they didn't have to contend with too many bugs in the old buildings. It felt like a late start to him. It got hot early in this part of the world. Hopefully they could find the visitor center and some shade by noon.

"Are these things really that dangerous? Long as we see 'em coming **** should be easy, yeah?"

[NeverSleep]

Is OK. I go.

With that Yeti clipped some climbing aperatuses onto his boots, and used the wall, vines, and gate to climb up to the places where the more difficult to reach overgrowth had jammed up the hinges.

Once there, he unsheathes a machete which was strapped to his thigh, and went about freeing the gate from the oppressive vegetation.

He made no care to "save" the plants, in fact he was a bit overly violent to any observer - hacking away at even some bits that were only questionably affecting the door's ability to move.

Practiced violent movements, all with a nearly blank expression on his face.

[Erasmas]

"In theory, at least...", Dr. Reeves began in answer to Santi, "... some of them are incredibly dangerous. Velociraptors, the creatures that our buggies get their namesake from, are thought to have been very fast. And T-Rex has some teeth that are the size of butter knives and the assumed bite strength of ten times that of the American Alligator. I have heard stories about hunters having to put multiple shots into bears to stop them from an attack. I dare say, Mr. Santi, that the predators among these beasts will be far more ferocious than any bear."

While the good doctor's 'lesson' was less than encouraging, it came as perhaps only a mild shock to some of you. Meanwhile, Ivan, Manyara, and Zizi took out their various cutting implements and helped to hack away the vines and growth from the ground. Yeti had climbed to the top and was doing inspired work there, like a madman that was as comfortable at such a height as he was anywhere else. Within thirty minutes or so, the two Russians and the two Zimbabweans pushed against the tall heavy doors with all of their might, finally causing them to swing away. With massive thuds, the two barricades came to rest in an open position.

"Excellent, gentlemen. Good work. Take a small water break; then we move on."


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Friday, January 30th, 2015
08:31

[Space Lawyer]

While the giant Russian is hacking away at the vines, Luís gets out for a look at the flora. It all started with plants; if you could figure out what plants were here, you could figure out what would be showing up to eat the plants, and from there what was around to eat the herbivores. A few of these plants were unfamiliar even to Luís. That wasn't surprising though; the people who had created the dinosaurs that had inhabited this place had undoubtedly made the appropriate plant life to go with them. Hopefully, some of them would prove edible if it came to that.

He whistles to Oso, and the pair inspects the ground, the former by sight and the latter by smell. It didn't seem particularly likely that any critters would lurking around the gate, but Luís wanted to be sure.

Wisdom + Survivalist Guide to examine the flora and inspect the surrounding area: [roll0]

[Erasmas]

Luis and Oso made their way around while the others worked to get the gate opened. The guide was correct in his hunch - even with the time that he had spent in Costa Rica and on tropical islands around the world, some of these plants were entirely foreign to him. What he did know, however, was that the jungle was filled with plants that could provide nourishment... as well as many that could kill a grown man in a matter of minutes if consumed. While the Argentinian's attentions were on the flora, Oso's nose sensed something that had gone unnoticed to his master's eyes. The dog had inspected the trunk of a nearby tree, sniffing it intently for a moment before letting out a low growl of notification. Upon closer inspection, Luis was able to tell that something had marked this tree, likely spraying it with urine... though it did not smell like any waste that he had ever smelled before.

[NeverSleep]

What you say ranger? Is this protection or an escape route?

Yeti referred to the door, wondering inside his head if they should keep it open or shut upon leaving this location.

He went for a cool drink of water and rested his weight upon a downed tree trunk that had signs of moss and mushrooms starting to set in.

[Space Lawyer]

Luis pulls out his knife and cuts away a bit of the bark. Maybe one of the scientists could tell him what had marked the tree when they got to the center.

"I can't really say. I certainly don't want to be trapped in an enclosed area though. If there is something there that we can't deal with, I'd want to be able to make a hasty retreat." He looks into the forbidding greenery. It wasn't the scream from last night, the alienness of it all, or anything like that that had him worried. No, it was that they hadn't seen any dinosaurs. These were gigantic creatures, in a world of abundant food. So where were they?

[Erasmas]

You all load back up into your Raptors and head out once more. Pressing on as the jungle closes in around you, your caravan makes its way westward following the dirt road. However, after only about a quarter mile more... something else blocks your path. This time, it isn't a gate. This time, Luis spots a rusted and moss-covered steel cable running across the road. Once again, you all pull up to the blockade and get out in order to deal with it. One end of the cable is looped around a nearby tree on the right side of the road... though it looked as though the tree had grown around the cable. The other side went up a somewhat steep incline to the left, straight up a cascading stair step waterfall. But it was what was sitting atop of that waterfall that was really strange - a Jeep, weathered and abandoned out here for some time, was parked straddling a log. The canvas canopy on the back was torn and tattered, though it looked like it likewise bore the red and black dino emblem that apparently had represented the park. Only a small volume of water ran down the rocks beneath the Jeep, keeping the road here muddy from wherever this run-off was coming.



Like This, Only During the Day and No Lights
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Locations-NedrysClearing2_zps0b96a728.jpg~original

[darklink_shadow]

Captain Harlock got out and looked around for a moment. Jeeps aren't as heavy as they seem. I bet we could yank it on over here... once it's off the log it'll be easy. Getting it off the log... Hm. I don't see a way around. Unless we got something to cut it. Either way, we'll want to have a look out. Both options will be noisy, and we might attract some unwanted attention.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel likewise exits the Raptor, and starts climbing up the incline to reach the Jeep. At the top, he pauses for a moment to catch his breath, and then calls down to the others. "If the cable is not too rusted, why do we not just attach the winch to it and pull it back down the road, while also having people up here pushing the Jeep?"

[NeverSleep]

I push.

Yeti had been aching to get his boots on the ground in the unique foliage, and getting to stretch out a bit was welcome. Seems the cabin of the Raptor was likely built with someone a bit smaller than him in mind.

After snapping a few pictures, and some basic video - he conferred with Kip, making sure somebody was on actice photo-duty.

Then he activated the Yeti-cam and headed up to the vehicle. All the time half-ready to draw his handgun.

[theskorpionking]

As the others talked about what to do with the jeep, Akiko decided to get out of the raptor and do some exploring of her own. She looks at some of the plant life and even uses her tablet to film and take photographs of them. Something had caught her attention. She bent down to look at it, then covered her mouth to stifle a scream. She ran back to the rest of the group, only after taking a picture of what she saw. She found the man who had taken charge of the group the night before. In a heavily accented English she said, "Mr. Captain sir, I have found something."

[NeverSleep]

Thinking to himself on the way up to the Jeep, Yeti surmises that he may be able to just start the thing if the damage isn't to bad. If they were originally built to be sturdy for the island, it's possible that the relatively stable weather kept things from going to out of wack.

Without a second thought to the pale thing, Yeti pulls hard on the driver's side door, hoping to find the keys in the ignition.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock turned to the Japanese woman, and inclined his head slightly. Alright, what have you found?

[theskorpionking]

Akiko had suddenly become nervous. It had happened a lot whenever she would get called upon, especially growing up a genius and everyone else in school was a few years older than you. She did quickly did the mental exercises that she had been taught, then she took a breath in then let it out. "Uh, right, sir. I found this." She showed him the image of the skull on her tablet. "I thought it best not to disturb it, so I took a picture with my tablet. It appears to be old. Not more than a few decades, if my calculations are correct. Judging by that and this jeep. It could possible belong to the driver or perhaps a passenger. Though that is only a hypothesis. Tests would have to be done and...." Akiko's voice trailed off as she realized that she was rambling. She then quickly bowed and in Japanese said, "Watashi o yuru****ekudasai." She then walked back to the raptor and climb back inside it.

[Erasmas]

"Yeah, mate... I've got it.", Kip responded to Yeti's request that someone be shooting. The Aussie hadn't removed the camera from around his neck since you landed here; even having slept with it slowly rising and lowering on his chest last night. He was currently halfway up the waterfall's steps, crouching down and taking shots of the Jeep from what you could only guess where interesting angles.

When the Russian ex-hitman moves to the driver's side door of the abandoned Jeep, it takes him two significant pulls on the handle to get it to open. Inside, he sees bones in the seat and floorboard, also glancing another orangey-yellow colored bone sticking up out of a hiking boot in the backseat. Almost the entire interior of the front is covered with a thick black crust... that Yeti recognizes as old blood and bits of organic matter. Scattered about the inside of the Jeep where also bits and pieces of clothing, mostly what looked to have been a yellow raincoat at one point. Yeti found the keys in the ignition, but turning them yielded no results.

Meanwhile, Zizi has knelt down nearer to the waterfall and, lifting a large leaf out of the way, he pulls up a pair of eyeglasses, "Ndino funga Ndawana hindava a apera kumusoro apo."

"Zizi found some glasses. Maybe they belonged to the driver.", Manyara roughly translated what the other Zimbabwean had said.

Suddenly, the little clearing that you all have found yourselves in is filled with a strange noise... a high-pitched trill... something akin to a bird call. Fred, who was one of the members of your group that had made his way over the cable and was scouting out the immediate area, spoke up, "That call sounded a little like a swan! But there shouldn't be any swan's in this part of the world."

"Umm... guys? I think I found one over here. But it isn't a swan.", Samantha called over her shoulder, just ahead of Fred up the road, while keeping her eyes and her Winchester leveled towards the jungle. Just through the foliage, a lizard-like head moved just a little bit, looking straight at the South African. It had two flared ridges on its head, which was about the size of Oso's. It made the noise again, kind of like a cooing warble, tilting its head curiously as Samantha spoke.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/126981_Dilophosaurus_Pose_1_007.jpgdabaa394-064a-4eeb-b987-c5068658f9dcOriginal_zpszuicg54l.jpg~original

[zabbarot]

Santi, who had been relaxing in the raptor smoking a cigarillo and waiting for the road to be cleared, was finally too bored to remain sitting, and stepped out. "Oi! ¿Qué pasó? What's the hold up?" He walked up to Harlock to get a better look at the stuck jeep.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel unslings his rifle and begins heading back down the slope towards Samantha. "What is it then? Do you recognize it?"

[NeverSleep]

This guy is dead. Old blood and orange bones.

Yeti said this loud enough for all to hear, but to no-one in particular. Since his cam is set to record mode now, he made sure to peek inside and get a good look around for the tape.

He swore softly after bumping the back of his head.

He also pocketed the keys just in case, and dug through the over head visor and center console.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís unslings his rifle and shifts his body to put his back towards the Raptors. He raises the weapon and keeps it loosely pointed at the southeastern arc. Not quite the giant I was expecting, but I guess it is a dinosaur. Doesn't look like a particularly friendly one though. Not sure if it's a scavenger or a hunter, but that thing eats meat. Oso's ears go flat, and his hackles go up.

The guide speaks in a calm, even tone, so as not to spook the creature. "Fred, Samantha, Daniel, that thing doesn't look so friendly. Don't make any sudden movements. Just walk backwards slowly and get ready to hit the deck." The first two might be able to keep the overgrown lizard-chicken calm, but why take the risk?

[NeverSleep]

Yeti sees where the attention is focused and goes into stalking mode. He moves as far towards N11, taking cover and care to move as quietly as possible.

Stealth movement roll, same stats hitman4 and dex5:
9d6

If he arrives with incredible skill and time leftover, he snaps into target acquisition mode, the same action described before.
Original Action:
Yeti draws a single handgun and levels it at the dino, taking a few extra moments to home in an accurate shot while the rest of this plays out.

This was just like that hit in Warsaw. Close range - target potentially on the move, pistol not rifle.

Luckily I won't have to do the usual clean up after this one...Readied action:

1 accurate shot preferrably in the chest cavity/center mass of the beast. If not a stop/kill - fires the rest of chamber unless friendlies to close.

Triggers on:

Aggressive action or obvious combat motion.

Hitman 4 + Dex 5
[roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock noticed the dinosaur and laughed, and then covered his mouth. The little fellow seems interested in us. Probably would be best if it was afraid of us instead, though. Gunfire might draw too much attention though. Maybe if we yell at it? Some animals from from yelling... wolves right?

[Erasmas]

Luis and Oso stand their ground, the guide with his rifle at the ready but pointed in a safe direction. So far, the creature hasn't made any other move than to turn its head this way and that... though it looks like it wants to move out of the relative safety of the jungle, out onto the road.

Yeti splashes his way quickly down the steps of the waterfall, hugging the foliage to his left. He does so with a surprising amount of grace and silence, despite how fast he was moving. He positions himself just to the left of Zizi and peers around the trunk of a smaller tree near the road, seeing the dinosaur partially hidden in the jungle.

In answer to Santi's question, Calhoun simply points towards where all of the action is unfolding, seemingly okay with remaining where he was. "Looks like we got our first dino, bro. Makin' the trigger people all jumpy too."

Kip hurriedly spins on his heels and likewise makes his way down the waterfall and hops over the cable. Moving up the road with his viewfinder pressed to his eye, a rapid series of quiet clicks sound from his camera... almost thunderous in the relative silence that has fallen over the clearing.

Zizi, who had already pulled his Beretta ARX-160 to bear, backed slowly up to the cable that bisected the road to stand beside Manyara. You notice that this move also gave him a clearer line of sight to the dinosaur.

Samantha put her one hand up in front of her, while stealthily drawing her sidearm with the other, turning her armed side away from the creature. She then began to slowly back away, as Luis had bid her.

The Benelli M4 of Manyara had already snapped up into position, looking almost as if it were half on instinct. He jaw tenses and his nostrils flared, but his eyes do not waver. When Zizi had stepped back beside him he pulled his forward hand from his gun for a moment and made a motion for the other Zimbabwean to back up further. "Isa konji pakati isu ne chikara. Kwira pa denga re Raptors.", he said quietly in a commanding voice. He then stepped over the cable and immediately turned to cover Zizi so that he could do the same, moving back towards the Raptors.

Harlock's suggestion to yell at it wasn't met with any kind of answer right away. However, Doctor Reeves eventually said, "I'm... not so sure that that will work. It might. But I'm not feeling particularly brave right this minute."

Hana stepped just a bit forward, beside Virgil and leveled her M16 in the dinosaur's direction. "Why don't I just shoot it? Then we won't have to worry about it any more."

Ivan stood silently next to Virgil, not moving a muscle aside from turning his attention to what was going on up the road. His eyes moved from person to beast, back to person, back to beast... darting around to process everything. And even though the M134 was out on in his hand, the barrel was still pointed towards the ground.

Fred, however, panics slightly. Instead of "slowly backing away", as Luis had recommended, he turns and bolts towards the rest of you. And that's when things drastically change. The dinosaur in front of Samantha opens its mouth wide and emits a terrible hissing noise as it fans out a large colorful neck frill. It then darts forward, giving chase.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Dilophosaurus1_zpsysq4ljkc.jpeg~original


Virgil quickly makes his way back to his Raptor and climbs inside, Ivan on his tale... but the Russian moves with much more reserve than the American.

Daniel had made it just a short ways into the dense jungle whenever the situation went volatile. People were starting to scream and there was a noise that sounded a lot like a rattlesnake shaking its tail... and the warning hiss that sounded rather dangerous. Daniel likewise heard something moving up ahead of him in the brush, a mere ten yards or so away.

Harold, who had begun to make his way up front, now froze mid step. He stopped and stared, his mouth hanging open in stunned disbelief.

"Sh!t. F^ck this noise!", Calhoun uttered to himself as he ran the short distance to Raptor 1 and climbed inside through the window, nearly kicking Akiko in the head with his boot.

Suddenly, it became apparent that the dinosaur that Samantha had been squared off with was not alone. Movement from all over the eastern side of the clearing sprang up... accompanied by more hisses and rattling.


Kip:
(Moves to K12)

Zizi:
(Moves to I11)

Samantha:
(Moves to O15)

Virgil:
(Moves to Raptor3)

Harold:
(Moves to F12)

[Space Lawyer]

Luís and Oso spring into action. The big dog goes for the immediate threat. His breed was created for big-game hunting; this sort of thing was what he really lived for.

The human, on the other hand, reacts to the rattling in the bushes. He switches to burst-fire with a flip of a switch and unleashes a metal hell into the foliage. Animals only hunted for food, and when the prey proved to be too fearsome to take without severe injury or extreme effort, they usually backed off. All he had to do was wound a few of the critters to keep the group safe.

Dexterity + Hunter [roll0]

[NeverSleep]

Yeti peaked around the small tree and had visual on the target.

He did as he had practiced many times, shallow breath, focus, squeeze - not pull, both eyes open, control heart rate...

Fire.

[darklink_shadow]

Goddamn it, Fred. Sombitch. Give 'em hell, gents. Harlock hissed, and grabbed his gun before leveling it towards the forest and spraying, and praying, and gritting his teeth. The big boom, boom, boom of his gun wouldn't go unnoticed in the forest, but would it frighten things away, or draw curious predators in?

[roll0] Dex (4) + Soldier (3)

[Erasmas]

The creature moved with incredible speed as it darted out from the jungle. Samantha barely had enough time to bring his handgun around as the thing leapt up onto her, taking her to the ground. She fired a single shot into the air as she fell screaming to the dirt road, the thing already clawing open her soft belly and attacking her throat with its viciously sharp little teeth.

Oso charged the creature, quickly closing the distance to where it was tearing the South African apart. Luis, meanwhile, fires blindly into the jungle to his left. But because it was next to impossible to see what was causing the noise, it rendered the guide frustrated in the process.

Yeti fired his handgun at the beast that had lunged at Samantha, but his shot only managed to hit her in the thigh on the way down to the ground - an image that the Russian may not easily shake.

Both of the remaining Africans opened fire as well, and both of them struck the dinosaur, winging it. Zizi's bullet passes through the thing's frill, while Manyara's slug takes of half of the dino's undersized left hand.

Suddenly, another of the creatures emerges from the jungle, only a few steps away from Daniel! It pauses momentarily, with its lips curled back slightly.

Doctor Cho also shot at the creature gnawing upon Samantha, but freaked and missed when...

Back on the road, another one of the creatures explodes from the slope beside the waterfall, so close to Yeti that it was a wonder it had not heard or seen him. Instead, the creature seemed intent to attack Fred. A stream of thick black stuff shot out of the beast's mouth, striking the animal handler right in the face. The sticky, tar-like substance seemed to have stuck his glasses to his face as the man howled in fear and pain.

[NeverSleep]

Grrr....

His anger rising and blood boiling, his hands were less sure than they were moments ago. The job though, was obvious. No looking back at the loss from only moments ago.

Cheating a few steps towards the Raptors, Yeti fired 3 shots into whatever it was that had spit at Fred.

5 foot step to M11?

Pause, squeeze. Fire.

Hitman4 + Dex4
[roll0]
[roll1]
[roll2]
If you only need 1 roll, use the first please!


Get in the Jeep up there!

He shouted at the Dr., whom he realized he had left awfully by himself near the top of the waterfall...

[DoctorFaust]

Without hesitating, Daniel fires a round at the dinosaur that just sprung from the jungle, and then turns and runs into the jeep, slamming both doors behind him.

Dex+Soldier:[roll0]

And then moving to L2

[Erasmas]

Yeti shoots at the one that had nearly barged into him as it jumped from hiding and attacked Fred. However, with the surprise of the creature's appearance, he had to adjust his grip on his gun and the slide action nicked his hand.

The Aussie photographer quickly falls back, opting to roll underneath the cable while holding his camera out away from his body. Somewhat surprising to some of you, it doesn't look like it's the first time that Kip has done something like this. He gets back to his feet between Raptor Two and Four. He then levels his camera once again and begins rapid firing pictures as the events unfold in the dirt road.

Zizi takes the opportunity offered to him by his countryman and steps over the cable, then spinning about and firing at the dinosaur that was closest... the one that had spit something at Fred. Another bullet finds its mark for the mercenary.

Manyara likewise turns his attentions on the closer threat and attempts to pump it full of lead. However, having his attention mainly on covering Zizi's crossing of the cable, he nearly hits Luis, frustrating him. Both of the Zimbabweans then steadily fall back to take position behind Raptor Four.

Harlock fires at the one pressing the advantage on Dr. LaFollet. But the foliage of the jungle proves too dense. The American loses a bit of hope that another of their team may not survive.

Hana targets the one snacking on Samantha, perhaps in an attempt to save the woman's life... though that seems like a dim prospect at this point. Another bullet wounds the creature, which looks up for a moment and hisses at all of your gathered on the road.

Ivan approaches Raptor Three on the driver's side and opens the window, placing his machine gun in the back seat. "Move over. I drive now.", he said authoritatively to Virgil, who sat somewhat frozen behind the steering wheel. Virgil complied, lifting himself over the gearshift and into the passenger seat.

Fred wanders somewhat aimlessly, clawing feebly at his glasses and face, where the thick black gooey stuff clung in a spattered mess. He wailed loudly, stumbling in a manic frenzy. Eventually, the poor man's foot catches a tree root near the side of the road and he goes down.

Meanwhile, at the top of the waterfall, Daniel shoots at the dinosaur that was bearing down on him and then bolts for the Jeep. The shot, unfortunately, hits a branch near the thing's head, missing it and rattling the doctor's nerves. Once he reached the abandoned vehicle, he leaps inside and turns to slam the door shut. Something akin to black tar hits the glass of the driver's side and flowers out against the barrier.

Harold remained where he was, paralyzed with fear and confusion. His rifle, still slung over his shoulder, hadn't even been touched by the man.

Calhoun begins climbing between the two front seats of Raptor One, situating himself into the driver's seat. "You okay?! You hurt?!", he stammers out to Akiko.

The first dinosaur, now fairly wounded, grabs Samantha's leg with its mouth, just above her boot. It then turns and sprints off into the jungle where it had come from. The other creature on the road pounces on the downed Fred and grabs either side of his head between its rows of sharp teeth. You didn't think that it was possible, but the man's screams grew even more frantic. That beast too turns and follows its wounded counterpart. In another few steps, it too would disappear with a member of your team.



Kip:
(Moves to F11)

Zizi:
(Moves to D11)
Dexterity (5) + Soldier (4): [roll0] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus3)

Manyara:
(Moves to D13)
Dexterity (4) + Soldier (3): [roll1] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus3)

Hana:
Dexterity (4) + Soldier (2): [roll2] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus1)

Ivan:
(Moves to B8)


Dilophosaurus Rolls (Again, these will resolve in order):
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll3] - Countering Yeti: Target won; Yeti loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll4] - Countering Zizi: Zizi won; Target loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll5] [down 1 die; -1] - Countering Manyara: Target won; Manyara loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll6] - Countering Harlock: Target won; Harlock loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (6) + Fast (2) - [roll7] - Countering Hana: Hana won; Target loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll8] - Countering Daniel: Target won; Daniel loses 1 DEX die.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock sees the one he was firing at seem to run too far to fire upon well, and wheels to unleash controlled fire onto the creature attacking Fred. However, seeing the beast grappling with Fred, Harlock decides it would be best to fire off just one or two shots at the critter with his smaller pistol. And that is exactly what he does; dropping to a knee, and letting his big gun fall to the ground, Harlock quickly draws his pistol and fires two shots at the dinosaur mauling the blinded man.


Sheesh they have a lot of dice!
[roll0] Dex 3 + soldier 3

[NeverSleep]

Still carrying only one pistol out, Yeti stalks back up the river with as great a speed as he can muster. If there is a dino target along the way, he takes a shot with the pistol.

M5

Athlete4+Dex4
[roll0]

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel lets his rifle fall into the seat beside him, and draws his pistol with shaky hands. He points it blindly out the window, and squeezes the trigger until the slide locks back.

Assuming there's a dino in range, attacking it.

[roll0]

[zabbarot]

This was all pretty intense, but far as Santi could tell they were still just animals looking for an easy meal. Santi climbed to the top of the nearest Raptor and yelled "Oi! **** ****** vamos! Get. I'm the biggest baddest ******** out here." and to accentuate his point he fired his AK-47 wildly in the air.


Roll to scare the dinosaurs off.
Charisma 4+Fast Talker3 [roll0]

[Space Lawyer]

Luís begins firing in a wide arc, not aiming for anything in particular. All they had to do was scare the dinos off, not necessarily kill them. Having no exposure to humans, they sensibly weren't scared of the walking monkeys, but loud noises and exploding leaves and branches would drive them off.

Oso doesn't take such a non-confrontational response. He leaps for the dino on top of Fred, biting at the creature's belly.

Luís, shooting for fear with Dex (-1) + Survival Guide: [roll0]
Oso, biting the dino with Str + Hunting dog: [roll1]

[Erasmas]

Luis fires wildly into the trees, only really concerned with scaring the things off. Even though it looked as though they were already intent on running away, the last visible one seemed to quicken its pace in doing so. As it tried to get away, Oso lunged out at the thing, but as the creature took its next step, it clocked the dog in the lower jaw.

Yeti, hustles as quickly as he can back up the waterfall's steps, pushing low-hanging branches out of his way as he went. However, as he nears about ten feet away from the Jeep... he sees no sign of Doctor LaFollet! That's when the sound of a handgun blasts out the driver's side glass, firing until the clip was empty and the Russian could hear the distinct CLICK of the slide locking open. However, the doctor's inability to see through the window before he began firing blindly at his target, causes him to miss terribly. The ringing from firing the handgun inside of an enclosed space is intensely painful.

Santi clambers up onto Raptor Three, where Virgil and Ivan were inside, and fired his assault rifle into the air, firing randomly while shouting. The one dragging Fred hastens its step even more, disappearing into the foliage. The screams of Fred, still flailing and trying to hit the beast, as you last see him, soon die out somewhere in the dense jungle ahead of you on the road.

Zizi, Manyara, Harlock, and Hana all take parting shots at the dinosaur as it was leaving. Zizi nails the creature once again, this time in its hind quarters. Manyara, however, accidentally shoots Fred in the hand. Harlock's shot is a far shot from where he has been standing, and it comes nowhere near the fleeing beast. Hana, the medic, attempts to stop the creature as well... but fails to do so... shaking her emotions and further jeopardizing her ability to continue fighting.

The dinosaurs are then completely gone, the crashing through the trees soon fading behind them. Within moments, you are left in the clearing, accompanied only by the silence that follows such a clamorous exchange.


Zizi:
Dexterity (5) + Soldier (4): [roll0] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus3)

Manyara:
Dexterity (3) + Soldier (3): [roll1] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus3)

Hana:
Dexterity (3) + Soldier (2): [rollv]5d6[/rolv] (Attack - versus Dilophosaurus3)


Dilophosaurus Rolls (Again, these will resolve in order):
Cannot beat Luis on his "fear" roll - Target loses 1 WIS die.
Dexterity (7) + Fast (2) - [roll2] - Countering Oso: Target won; Oso loses 1 STR die.
Dexterity (8) + Fast (2) - [roll3] - Countering Daniel:
Likewise cannot beat Santi on his "fear" roll - Target loses 1 WIS die. (this is all the WIS they had, so this defeats the beasts and imparts a 'wound' to their Wisdoms)
Dexterity (7) + Fast (2) - [roll4] - Countering Zizi: Zizi won; Target loses 1 DEX die.
Dexterity (7) + Fast (2) - [roll5] [-1 additional die] - Countering Manyara:
Dexterity (7) + Fast (2) - [roll6] - Countering Harlock:
Dexterity (7) + Fast (2) - [roll7] - Countering Hana:

[NeverSleep]

Hey doc, is me. They gone.

Yeti went to pull on the driver's side door and help the good doctor out an awkward position.

Then he went around back of the Jeep and started to push it down, trying to give slack in the line.

Str5+Athlete4
[roll0]

[Erasmas]

At first, the Jeep simply rocks a little back and forth on the log that was keeping its front end held up off of the ground. However, with the brutish persistence of the Russian ex-hitman, the rotten wood beneath began to crumble and gave way. The red and gray vehicle then lurched forward and bounded down three steps of the waterfall, where the long-decayed rubber of the front two tires likewise came apart. The Jeep finally cam to a crashing and screeching rest upon the two red rims.

The rusted and moss-draped cable that had been spanning the road, now lies flaccid upon the bloodied ground. Your passage, it would appear, was cleared.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko's eyes went wide once the action had started. She closed her eyes when the screaming and gunfire started. It was now definitely to late to go home now. She opened her eyes when Calhoun talks to her. She quickly shakes her head, "No, yes. I mean no I am not hurt and all things considered, I'm fine. I'm just really scared."

[NeverSleep]

Ok, we free to leave.

Maybe we take what is left?

Yeti hadn't been made aware of a plan for "disposal" of any companions. It seemed best that they at least have a proper burial somewhere along the way?

Kip, we look for science.

Knowing that he wasn't likely the one who would learn from the way these people were torn apart, he wasn't about to let it go undocumented for the science types.

Probably shouldn't stick around to long though.

[Erasmas]

"Okay... okay.... good deal. Awesome.", Calhoun said in response to Akiko. He had started the engine up on the Raptor but, taking another look outside, he could tell that the situation had diffused and he exhaled lengthily. He cautiously opened the driver's side window and leaned out.

"So... what do we do now?"

A few people may have looked towards Virgil for guidance, since he had been the one giving suggestions thus far. However, he simply sat, pale as a ghost, staring at the dashboard of the Raptor he was in. Ivan was saying something to him, but no one outside of their Raptor could hear it. It didn't seem like he was responding anyways. There was only a few beats of quiet before Manyara stepped forward.

"Okay everyone, listen now. Fred and Samantha are dead. There is nothing to be done about it.", his accented voice laid out very matter-of-factly as he looked around at the group. "Yeti is correct; we cannot stay here. This place is a hunting ground for these beasts, and if they do not return... others could. I don't know about all of you, but I do not want to be here if they do. So, everyone back into their car and we stay with the plan - to reach the Visitor Center. Yes?"

[NeverSleep]

Knowing he was on the clock, and likely the only one experienced in this sort of thing - Yeti set to the all to familiar work of body disposal.

First he unceremoniously flopped the body remainders, only a few guts and bits of gore here and there... in a pile next to the river.

Then he grabbed one of the shovels from a Raptor, and dug into the fresh soft earth near the river. This was sure to be the quickest, though it may not be a permenant resting place for the bones because of the river.

This work was both respectful of the human life lost, and served to prevent scavengers and other hunters from considering this path a prime buffet table.

All done with surprising speed, and likely to most - with unreal composure.

Hitman4+Str5 to dig/dispose as quickly as humanly possible.
[roll0]

My guess is it takes around 4 minutes.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock chewed his lip for a moment, and looked at the ground. He'd have liked to bury the fallen, but that didn't seem possible. Son of a bitch. What did I get myself into? I need to get myself off this goddamned island.

Without giving protest, or any words of consent, Harlock gets into his Raptor. Once everyone is inside, Harlock addresses them as he starts to drive off to follow the Yeti. Hana, you alright? Just try to breath, alright? You're shaking awful bad. Just try to... well, look, now we know, we don't play calm around the critters, and we don't run from them, or they'll treat us like food. Daniel, buddy, you alright? Kip? Us four, we're Raptor 2. We're gonna stick together and look out for each other. That Yeti character is dependable too, we can certainly trust him. And I know all of you are smart enough to listen, but for God's sake, remember that all this happened because someone didn't listen. If someone says "Don't run" don't you f*ckin' run. We've got a job to do still, and if we're smart, we won't have any more incidents like this one. That's what I'd like us to be: smart. So Kip'll get a few more pictures, we'll look at a few places, and we'll get to the LZ nice and early, and hunker down there. Or we'll do whatever else we're told. Sticking together, and following orders will keep us as a collective unit. We're all military, except maybe for Kip, who might just be some sort of badass. Or maybe he's just an Aussie and that's just how they are. But in any case... just follow orders. We'll be fine.

Harlock is talking just mostly to distract Hana, who is obviously shaken up as per the IC posts. He is also giving rhetoric about "follow orders like a good soldier" to reinforce that idea. He's also keeping his own nerves steady by talkin, rather than thinking too much.

Should probably roll something... maybe Solider + CHA? I don't think so. He's more talking it out than being persuasive. This is almost like a heal check, but for minds not bodies, so maybe wisdom? Plus survival? Or Soldier? I'll just roll 8 dice (which is my maximum possible!) and you decide which skill set makes the most sense. Rhetoric and logic are INT based. His general topic is being a soldier and surviving. But I don't know.

[roll0]

[DoctorFaust]

Still shaky with adrenaline, Daniel climbs out of the Jeep before Yeti pushes it down the hill, and then follows the Russian down the slope and into his Raptor. "I... think I will be." He laughs bitterly, and starts reloading his guns. "It is not like I have not seen people die before."

[NeverSleep]

After gathering the bits he could, and ceremonailly placing them near the river to rest, first in Russian, then English:

A Prayer for the Fallen:
O God of spirits and of all flesh, Who hast trampled down death and overthrown the Devil, and given life to Thy world, do Thou, the same Lord, give rest to the souls of Thy departed servants in a place of brightness, a place of refreshment, a place of repose, where all sickness, sighing, and sorrow have fled away. Pardon every transgression which they have committed, whether by word or deed or thought. For Thou art a good God and lovest mankind; because there is no man who lives yet does not sin, for Thou only art without sin, Thy righteousness is to all eternity, and Thy word is truth.

For Thou are the Resurrection, the Life, and the Repose of Thy servants who have fallen asleep, O Christ our God, and unto Thee we ascribe glory, together with Thy Father, who is from everlasting, and Thine all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit, now and ever unto ages of ages. Amen.


These words held new meaning this time for Yeti. He was visibly moved afterword.

[Space Lawyer]

With the adrenaline fading, Luís takes a moment to collect himself. Two of the members of the expedition had died within seconds. He had seen people die from animal attacks many times before, of course, but it had rarely been something so coordinated and vicious. Humanity was largely protected in the modern world from the wild by the fear that had been imparted on the wildlife. Out here though, the dinosaurs were in charge.

Luís keeps on watch, ready to blast anything that moves in the jungle to small red chunks.

[zabbarot]

"¡No manches! What was that? I thought you were professionals. ¡Vales verga! How did nobody manage to kill one? They're ****ing lizards!" Santi jumped down from the roof of the Raptor, visibly enraged, but otherwise unaffected by what had just happened. He launched into a lengthy tirade. "I should have brought my own ****ing men. Worthless ****ing ****s. I can't ****ing believe this ****. These people are going to get me killed. Can't shoot a goddamn lizard..." He trailed off as he got back into the Raptor, never making eye contact with anyone. Next chance he had he was making a phone call.

[Erasmas]

Harold barely made it off of the road before he threw up into the brush, signifying his return to the present. Meanwhile, Yeti does what he can for the remains of your fallen counterparts... making a quick and hasty burial. He then gathered what gear of theirs managed to get dropped in the scuffle and loaded it back into the dune buggies.

As Harlock talked to Hana, she just nodded her head affirmatively, "I've been around death plenty of times, just... just not like that. And I've never been in a firefight with something so... fierce... so savage. I'll be alright in a few minutes.", she said, drinking deeply from her water bottle. Kip, on the other hand, seemed as cool as steel. He confirms the captain's point, "No, mate. Ain't never been much for soldiering. Though I have seen plenty of conflicts from the ground; been in seven wars since I stopped shooting nudies back home. Somalia was pretty bad; toughened me up, I reckon. Don't know about being no 'badass' though, mate... just a guy doing his job, s'all."

When Santi had his little tirade, Zizi simply replied, "Amwe e isu yenzana apfura ku tatedvinyu.", to which Manyara nodded in agreement.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Friday, January 30th, 2015
08:56

After several minutes, you all returned to your respective Raptors. Raptor One now with an empty seat and Raptor Four with Oso now riding passenger. And, once again with Luis in number Four in the lead, you set back out on the dirt road. After another mile or so, you were coming down from the eastern rise in the island, out into more prairie. You passed a few intersecting roads, but voted to stay with your present course... as all of the signs had long since rotted or fallen over, making it impossible to tell where any of them led. A moat had appeared on the left of the road and you managed to spot a herd of stegosauruses on that side, moving and grazing in peaceful contrast to your initial interaction with these extinct animals. Kip was alright with taking pictures from the road, only asking for you to slow or stop a handful of times. Sometime around the two mile mark, you came to another gate... this one much smaller and less ornate. It was situated in the northern edge of a large metal meshed dome. Someone got out and forced open the gate, closing it behind the last of your caravan. You then crossed the covered area, which must have been about a half-mile in diameter, and repeated the process on the other side. You crossed two forks of a river, which you determined must be the one that feeds out near the east docks and then were back on the road. Eventually, your caravan merged onto what once must have been a more finished road, perhaps a part of whatever tour this park was going to offer; a 5-foot tall electrical fence running along the left of the road. You then passed through yet another gate around the third mile, this one set into a 25-foot tall electrical fence and made out of heavy steel.

You saw a few more dinosaurs of various types along your travel, all which were documented along the way... which helped to somewhat alleviate the oppressive events of the morning. You then passed through two more gates, subsequent of one another, one in heavy steel and the other the same as the large decorative ones that you had passed through this morning. This was at around the four mile mark. And before you hit the fifth, you all spotted what you were looking for on the left of the road up ahead. Despite the jungle having struggled to take back what man had placed here, the light-colored concrete and stone would not be denied... standing out in stark contrast to the surrounding lush greenery.

The Raptors pulled to a stop in front of a grand set of stairs that led up to a large set of double doors.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Friday, January 30th, 2015
11:03

[NeverSleep]

Having finally arrived at a location that might be a bit more permenant, Yeti was happy to finally unsheath his prized equipmet, though he wished he had done it this morning.

After pulling up and stopping, Yeti began to assemble his sniper rifle. Including the attachment.

Then he sets about scouting the area for unusal movement, especially in the building and immediate foliage nearby.

Hitman4+Wis2
[roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock pulled up the raptor, and got out. Daniel, Hana, would you two come with me to scout out our new base of operations? Though I don't know if we will want to stay in somewhere so... open. We might pick just one smaller location to hole up in. Kip, when I get back, I would like to look over some of those shots you took. Did you get the one with the triceratops yawning?

Harlock grabbed the radio, and leaded inside to talk into it. Hey, Calhoun? Mind checking if you can get the electric gate up and deterring visitors? Even if there are some holes in it, it'll probably convince someone not to come knocking at our door. If it's already up, then never mind. Thanks.

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed his gun and double checked that it was ready for action. Ah, there goes Yeti. Nobody should be alone. The captain thought for a moment, then harrumphed. That big old russian is something. But he still shouldn't go it alone. Daniel, why don't you and Hana take a look over there, and I'll go with the Yeti. Unless you want to back him up.

[DoctorFaust]

"Very well." Daniel climbs out of the Raptor, checks to make sure that his rifle's safety is one, and walks around to the other side to wait for Hana. When she joins him, he gestures off to the side opposite the way Yeti and Harlock went. "We'll go this way, meet them on the other side."

WIS (5) + Soldier (1)

[roll0]

[Erasmas]

"I think I got a few of him, yeah.", Kip replied as he and some of the others began unloading the gear from the Raptors. Hana grabbed her gun and with a simple, "Hai.", joins Daniel. Yeti, satisfied that nothing seemed out of the ordinary... as least at the moment... is joined by Harlock on the right of the building, on its western side. Daniel and Hana quickly move to the east, and scout around the left side.

The windows of the building were difficult to see through, because of the decades' build-up of grime, mildew, and misuse. However, several of them were broken out, which provided a view into some of the areas of the complex - which looked much like you might expect it to. Luckily, enough light still filtered through the windows, especially those high up near the ceiling, that allowed you to see inside. Dust and leaves had settled along nearly every flat surface and collected in banks against the places that the wind deposited them. In the main circular room, at the Center's heart, a large pile of fossilized bones lay heaped up in the middle of the space. A singular winding staircase led up to a second level, where some scaffolding was still present from whatever work was still being done before the park was to open.

Around the right side, Harlock and Yeti found what would have been an outdoor cafe; the tables, chairs, and umbrellas strewn about in chaos now.

Daniel and Hana found a bunker-like building that was a part of the main one that was discretely marked with a "Control Room Access" plaque on one of the steel doors, which was locked. In the middle of the door, faded somewhat with age, was emblazoned a logo that read "InGen".

The two scouting parties eventually met on the backside of the complex, where a smaller building stood on its own, connected with a covered walkway. It was marked with a large red cross on the side, indicating that it must be some kind of medical facility.



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Locations%20-%20Visitors%20Center_zps70td0h4d.jpg~original
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/InGen%20Logo_zpsnn8mf7jy.png~original
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Map%20-%20Visitors%20Center_zps4mh0ef3l.jpg~original

[darklink_shadow]

When Harlock joined the man, he gave Yeti a single nod. Don't go it alone, friend. You saw those raptors... if you ran across one, you'd be hard pressed to get away without some back up. I'd like today's casualties to be our only ones.

Whether or not the Russian consented, Harlock followed him, keeping a keen eye out. This place is in shambles... and it doesn't look all that defendable. Too many entry points. I'd like it better if we could find a bunker, or security point to get into. Maybe we can camp in the garage. What do you think, Yeti?

When they spotted Daniel and Hana, Harlock waved with a smile. Anything worth mentioning? We found a cafe.... some dino bones. Nothing exciting. Hmm, what's this? A medical facility? Let's take a look inside, see if our good doctor can find anything worth taking.

[NeverSleep]

To Harlock(on defensible position):
That would be smart.

Yeti checks the door to the apparent med center, and with a pistol at the ready tests the door with the rest of the scouting crew behind him...

[DoctorFaust]

"A room labeled 'Control Room Access', but it was locked." Daniel nods in agreement, and shoulders his rifle. "I'll be behind you two, if you don't mind."

[zabbarot]

Santi stayed back while others went ahead to scout, somebody needed to protect the gear. He kept eyes on the jungle behind them at all times, but was a bit distracted by thoughts of the earlier run in with the acid-spitters. He'd seen men attacked by panthers, snakes, crocodiles, even fish, but they had always been able to kill them. A bunch of trained professionals had failed to kill even one of the dinosaurs. It was disappointing to say the least. Santi was going to need a souvenir.

[Erasmas]

"It would be nice, if this place has managed to stay sealed up. I have a lot of supplies with me, but after today... I am afraid that I may have underestimated how much I might end up needing. Too bad most of the stuff in there is going to have gone bad after so long.", Hana agreed about checking out the hospital.

When Yeti tried the doors, they were securely locked. As were all of the rest of them that you could check here on the ground floor. All of the windows appeared to be intact, crisscrossed with metal wire inside the glass, and were narrow on this level. The thought crossed all four of your minds that this could make for a fairly secured place... if it isn't already compromised somehow. First, however, you would have to find a way inside.

Back around the front of the Visitor Center, Santi and the rest milled about the Raptors and the front steps of the place. Something passing under the midday sun caught the Mexican's attention, the shadow racing across the ground. Looking up, Santi could see fast-moving clouds crossing the blue sky and, turning east, he could see a massive bank of dark blue-gray storm clouds looming behind those that had caused the shadows. They were some distance off... but there was no doubt that a storm was coming.

As if on cue, Calhoun called out from inside his Raptor, through the open window where he was busy once again with his tablet. "Uh... guys. I don't wanna be a buzzkill or anything, but they're saying that there's a tropical storm warning about two hundred miles to the southeast of the island. I think we might get wet; and not in the good way.", he says, looking up for approval of his crass joke with a smile.

[NeverSleep]

Doc, you try these keys.

He tossed Nedry's keys to the doctor nearby. Yeti would prefer to have his fingers near a trigger if there was another surprise visitor.

[theskorpionking]

When Harlock had asked about pictures that had been taken of the yawning triceratops, Akiko perked up. She had managed to get a few pictures of that. She swallowed her nervousness and approached the captain. “Excuse me, captain sir. I too have some pictures that you may like.” She took her tablet out and started showing him the pictures. She was glad when he didn’t ask about the dino droppings she had taken pictures of. She smiled when he did ask about the picture she had accidentally taken of Yeti picking his nose. She laughed and said it was for science.

Once they had reached the visitor’s center Akiko had taken a few shots of the buildings and the surrounding area. She didn’t venture far from the raptors, it seemed safer to stay with a large group. She watched the scout groups do their thing. Getting bored she eventually sat on the front steps, typing some notes on her tablet. When Calhoun had said something about a tropical storm, Akiko looked up into the sky, ignoring his joke. She cold see some dark clouds forming in the distance. Growing up in Japan, she knew that those kinds of storms were no joke. “Not to be painfully obvious, but we need to find shelter and soon.”

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel grabs the keys out of the air with his off hand, and after spending a few moments fumbling with his rifle and pistol, moves towards the door with his gun held in his right hand. "Where did you get these?" he asks, as he starts trying keys in the lock.

[NeverSleep]

The orange man from the jeep didn't need them.

[Erasmas]

Manyara eyes followed to where Akiko and Santi were looking and his jawline tensed. The tall African looked to Virgil, who was still too shaken to take up his position as the leader of this expedition. Manyara made his decision, "Alright, everyone! We have a storm approaching. So, we this gear unpacked and moved up to the front doors right now! Nobody goes inside until the others return. We give them five more minutes and then Zizi, Ivan, Calhoun, and I will sweep the lobby. Let's go!"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa... man. Look no offense, but I don't really wanna go inside until I know that it's safe!", Calhoun lamented as he wriggled his way out of the Raptor and began unloading his gear.

Manyara approached him, "You served in the military, yes?"

"Yeah..."

"The Navy of the United States, yes?"

"Yeah..."

"Then be a soldier. We are in a situation where people have died; where more people may die. You have training that can save those lives; use it.", the mercenary finished, then turning and picking up one of Calhoun's pieces of luggage and carrying it up the front steps of the visitor's center. Calhoun called after him, "Be careful with that!", he then lowered his voice and mumbled to himself, "I was a radio control technician... I barely qualified in my marksman test."


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄


Daniel took the keys and and tried them on the door, but none of them fit the lock. Whoever these had belonged to didn't appear to have direct access to this facility. Suddenly from the front, there is some commotion... and it sounds like someone is yelling. Hana quickly pulls her radio from her harness and depresses the button, "Is everything okay? What's going on?!"

"Everything's fine, love.", came Kip's voice back after only a moment, "Manyara's just whipping everyone up into a frenzy to get ready for going inside, is all. Looks like we've got a storm moving in and it's got us all a little jumpy, s'all. How're things going back in your necka the woods?"

[NeverSleep]

Maybe we try this universal key?

Yeti had taken a small pack of C4 out of his bag and had begun unwrapping it. He'd wait for approval before blowing something up, but he was kind of looking forward to it.

Or maybe we try the other door first? Or check around the sides here?

Hitman4+Wis2 to determine if able, and how to explode the locks out of this door while potentially still using it defensively later.
[roll0]

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel looks down at the ring of keys in his hand and grimaces. "Wonderful. Did you at least clean them first? And perhaps we could try to pick the lock before we blow it out?"

[NeverSleep]

I thought we were in a rush. This might take a minute.

I didn't explicitly say I have a lockpick set, but it seems Hitman standard issue gear.
Hitman4+Dex5 to pick the lock:
[roll0]

[darklink_shadow]

I would prefer if we didn't have any damages to the structure, or loud noises that might be investigated by the local fauna. Harlock said, before moving to Daniel. I think they can deal with this, let's go take a peek at that bunker you found. Bring the keys? Maybe they will work there, but I doubt it.

The Captain grabbed his radio from his bag, having forgotten he had it until now. Everything is fine here Kip. We might have found a bunker to shelter in. The Yeti and Hana are working to get inside a medical station. The outside seem clear, and there was no activity inside that we could see through the glass. Tell Manyara that I'd like everyone moved back here. I left the keys to the raptor on the seat, if he wants to move the raptors too. It might be good if we can find some shelter for them.

[NeverSleep]

To Harlock:

You take keys. They no good here.

Depending on how complex this lock was, it could take anywhere from a few minutes to an hour or more. Hopefully the storm would hold up long enough for him to work in a dry environment.

[Erasmas]

{{Original post accidentally scrubbed!!!}}

[NeverSleep]

Over radio:

Just got in to the med center. This place looks untouched.

While waiting to hear back, Yeti clears the immediate area with Hana - walking through each space methodically checking the corners. He tests the doors that seem to go into the next space, but is happy to keep them locked and/or shut for the moment with only half a team.

He figures to let the science people do any searching for documents or looking through these old computers.

Then, confident of a few moments of reprieve, he jumps onto one of the couches in the waiting room and lays down to rest his eyes.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko knew that she wouldn't be much help, but it didn't stop her from helping. She was given the task to take any small boxes and set them near the door. She had even helped Calhoun with the luggage.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock grabbed his radio, and reported in. We were able to get into the bunker. It looks like it might lead to a number of places. Once we're done sweeping the medical area, let's get some groups to sweep around here. If this place is secure, it looks like it might make for a good base of operations, and a shelter from the storm. We need to dig in our heels and weather this storm before we go out again, but hopefully that will give us some time to do anything we have to do to get ready.

Harlock paused, thinking before adding, How much time until the storm hits us?

[NeverSleep]

Well f~ck.

Yeti got up, 10-4'd the message, and did a quick look through the receptionists desk, especially looking for keys to this place, or anything else that stood out as useful. He'd also try the office. Any more than 3 minutes at each location and he'd put it off for later.

You good here?

He asked Hana, half hoping she didn't want to fully evaluate this location until later.

[Space Lawyer]

Luís and Oso make their way to the cafe's outdoor balcony. There wasn't likely much to be found there, but it was a decently defensible position, and well-situated to allow the pair to quickly make their way to any other part of the facility to deal with any threats.

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

They found no sign of anything having "moved in" here; nothing was disheveled of compromised in any way... aside from having been left untouched for twenty years. The sense of danger certainly subsided here. While the ex-hitman throws himself down onto one of the bench seats in the waiting room, Hana pessimistically tries the computer. Not surprisingly, there is no response from the dated machine.

When Yeti got back up and started rifling through things, but his search yielded nothing that seemed immediately helpful. The door to the office was locked, though it had a large glass window dominating its upper half with the word "OFFICE" stenciled in black paint at its center.

The medic nodded when asked if she was ready to move on, and she turned to leave.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Harlock & Daniel

"Calhoun is sayin' two to three hours on the outside. Conservative guess says it'll start dropping on us in about one or two. Looks like there's also two garage ramps that lead underground here at the front... they're a little overgrown right now, though. So, we're sending the Raptors 'round back to you, mate. But the rest of us have already unloaded the gear, so we're gonna push on inside the front doors here. Wherever it is you are has gotta meet up inside somewhere's.", Kip radioed back. Within seconds, the four Raptors pulled around towards the back, coming to a stop in the driveway between the hospital building and the door where the two of you were. Ivan, Virgil, Calhoun, and Santi exited each of the vehicles.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Out Front

"Alright, Captain Harlock wants the Raptors around the back of this building. Since these entrances to the garage are covered by the plants, we will wait on parking them down there. Virgil, Calhoun, Santi and Akiko... can you drive the cars around to the...", Manyara had begun.

"I go with Virgil. It is job. No other way. He take one Raptor, I take other.", Ivan objected. It was clear that he was determined to not let the billionaire out of his sights. Akiko was then freed up from having to drive one of the things to the back... however that did mean that she was going to have to be part of the team that went in through the front doors.

The four Raptors pulled silently away, disappearing around the edge of the building as Kip radioed back, "Calhoun is sayin' two to three hours on the outside. Conservative guess says it'll start dropping on us in about one or two. Looks like there's also two garage ramps that lead underground here at the front... they're a little overgrown right now, though. So, we're sending the Raptors 'round back to you, mate. But the rest of us have already unloaded the gear, so we're gonna push on inside the front doors here. Wherever it is you are has gotta meet up inside somewhere's."

The two Africans then mounted the front steps and readied their weapons, motioning for the rest of you to do the same. Manyara then reached for one of the main doors.

[NeverSleep]

Wait, I got a feelin'.

Yeti first checked the glass to make sure it wasn't some crazy bullet or break-proof glass then...

Wraps up his hand in some sort of material - then smashes through the glass with the but of one of his pistols.

Str5+Hitman4
[roll0]

If he gets in, he takes a more thourough look through here.

Why someone lock this door when they leave?

In his experience, things behind locked doors were often more valuable...

[darklink_shadow]

Hey. Harlock waved at the raptors as they arrived. Glad you're here. Let's sweep this bunker. It looks a little more secure, so there could be a good place for us to hide out, should we need to, and even better for you, Virgil, this looks like a base of operations. You should get plenty of answers in here, without needing to see anything dangerous up close. Two groups of three sounds good, Ivan and Virgil, why don't you come with me down below, and you three go look upstairs. If there isn't much up there, you could sweep wherever. Let's just keep in contact. We don't want anymore accidents.

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

Hana seemed a little shocked at the brashness of the Russian, but did not question it out loud. Yeti easily smashed in the glass, using a jacket that someone had left on the back of an office chair that was pushed up against this side of the counter. Thankfully, the cloth protected his hand enough to avoid anything more that a couple of small scratches. Seconds later, Yeti reached inside and turned the deadbolt and the thumb bolt on the door, gaining access to the office. It was a small space, maybe ten feet squared, dominated by a desk and more filing cabinets. Another bulking computer monitor took up one entire corner of the desk, with papers and office supplies organized in a neat fashion taking up most of the rest of the surface area.

"Sensitive information, maybe? Looks like it could be insurance files, patient records, that kind of thing.", Hana says as she shines her small maglight at the labels stuck onto the front of each drawer. There was a small safe on the floor beside the desk, probably three feet cubed... and one side of the desk's drawers were locked. Other than that, the room did not seem to hold anything of note.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Harlock, Ivan & Virgil

"Yeah. If in fact this is the control room; that would be very beneficial.", Virgil said, a little less distracted than he had been previously since the attack. After syncing up channels on the radios, the three other men made their way inside of the concrete staircase and began their trek upstairs.

The three of you make your descent, passing the door on the ground level and the sound of your footfalls echoing loudly throughout. Virgil fell in right behind you, his Judge held at the ready since his rifle was too long ranged for anything that you might come across indoors. And behind him came Ivan, his massive machine gun held out in front of him and the bullet feed running up his arm to the ammo pack he wore underneath his backpack. After only one flight of stairs, you came to an identical door to the one you had seen on the ground floor... except that this one had a plaque on the wall indicating it as "Garage A", instead of "Level 1". The door did not appear to have any kind of keyed lock in it, nor did you see any kind of magnetic reader or keypad for any kind of restricted entry.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

You trudged upstairs, and only made one full flight before you reached an upper landing where they continued no higher. A single door marked with a "Level 2" on it blocked the way forward. The door was locked, and it looked as though either a key or a security card had to be used to get past it... but you were all certain that even if you had a security card, that it would be unlikely to work right now, given the utter lack of power.

[darklink_shadow]

Well, we might as well take a look around down here, we can go up and take a look at the files later.

Harlock attempted to open the door to the garage, ready to shoot anything that jumped out with teeth or claws.

[zabbarot]

Santi stayed in back with one hand on his pistol. He was still unnerved by the earlier situation and working out some trust issues. "Oi, maybe we can get in through a window or something? A building this old in the jungle has to have some holes somewhere."

[NeverSleep]

I come back for this one. Who should we join?

Yeti wondered where his guns might be of best use. Perhaps there was an overwatch possibility?

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

"Well, it sounded like Harlock had a team heading upstairs and one heading down. What about scouting out the ground floor?", Hana proposed with a shrug of her shoulders. She then made her way back out of the hospital building with a final, "I would like to come back here and check things out, though. I'm sure that they have things that might still be useful... and it's just too good to pass up. Especially with how dangerous this island seems to be."


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Harlock, Ivan & Virgil

Ivan nodded to the captain as he looked back to check if the others were ready. He flung open the door and stepped into the dark cavernous space beyond. It was large enough that you were fairly certain that it passed entirely beneath the visitor's center, and incorporated the entrances that Manyara had radioed about. However, it was pitch black down here, and you could only hazard these guesses by the light of your flashlight. Ivan had lowered his nightvision goggles down onto his face, and was purposefully looking around in the areas where Harlock's light was not pointed. Exploring around a little bit, you found the garage to be mostly empty... though there was a row of Jeeps that looked like they were the same as the one found at the waterfall earlier that day - though these were in much better condition, having been stored inside all this time.


What it Might Look Like with the Lights On

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Locations%20-%20The%20Garage_zpsbs1suxda.jpg~original



►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

"Hang on, hang on. I might be able to bypass this.", Calhoun exhaled, as if someone had asked a monumental task of him. He produced a battery-powered lantern and handed it to Daniel. "Hold this."

He then set about opening the cover of the magnetic reader, exposing a series of brightly-colored wires and circuitry. Calhoun then manifested a small zippered black kit seemingly from nowhere and set to work. Most of what he was doing made very little sense to the other two men that watched him. Santi did recognize the alligator clips he was using, but they were usually used for an entirely different purpose from when he was familiar with them. He hooked the wires up to his tablet and, after a small shock that made him jump and curse, brought up some kind of command program, entering code frantically.

"All that I should have to do is just give the thing a little bit of juice.", he said as he hit a final keystroke. A little light appeared on the cover to the magnetic reader... however, it was red and the door did not budge. "Hmm.... okay. Now all that I need to do is just find the default settings in this thing and set it to 'open'. In theory.", he tilted his head as he looked at the screen of his tablet for a moment. His fingers then went back to the digital keyboard and began checking through line after line of what looked like gibberish. Finally, he said, "Ahh ha! Behold... the wonder that is Calhoun!"

He then clicked on a small button that said "Run" and immediately the little red light turned to green and there was an audible CLICK from inside the door. Calhoun looked up from where he had been crouched under the reader, a ridiculous smile on his stubbly face.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko waited patiently outside for someone to give the all clear. She did what she could to keep her mind occupied, but she kept looking at the sky. She really hoped that the all clear would be soon.

[NeverSleep]

Let's clear the area outside this door then. Seems everyone is teamed up. We'll be ready to move it anybody runs into danger.

Yeti was referring to the center doors leading further into the complex.

I was looking back trying to remember the doors, and I think the info had goten scrubbed when you lost that draft.

Over the radio:

Yeti here - Hana and I going deeper into this med building, over.

[DoctorFaust]

"Good job," Daniel says, clapping Calhoun on the back. "Now let us see what is inside."

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

"Okay, sure. I'm okay to do that now.", Hana said, stopping in the main doorway to the hospital area and coming back. She moved to the other doors, which lead into the rest of the place and pushed open one of the doors. She pointed her M16 down the long dark hallway that now lay out before you... flanked by doors every fifteen feet or so... for as far back as you could see. You could tell from the outside that this building was only one story. It was so quiet here that you could have heard a pin drop.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

Calhoun packed up his things and pulled out what looked like an old camcorder or a large battery pack of some kind. He then began moving pieces and unfolding the thing... and before either of you knew it... he was holding what seemed to be an automatic pistol with a butt-stock and an extended magazine. He looks at both of you and, in a dead serious tone, says, "Let's rock and roll.", before proceeding through the open door.

You move into the space beyond, able to see only by the light of Calhoun's pitiful little lantern, which he held above his head in his off hand. This room looked like it was some sort of office suite, with several sequestered smaller rooms equipped with their own doors and interior windows with blinds in them. Each looked to have a small desk and a few chairs, as well as bulking computer monitors and various office supplies. In the common space, a water cooler stood with about six inches of thick green sludge in the bottom of its upside-down jug.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Out Front

Finally, Kip came back out of the front doors, after what seemed like a hour. He moved over to some of the bags and began lifting them to carry them inside. As he did so, he told Akiko, "Place is in a bit of a shambles, but it looks safe enough for now. Sounds like the other teams are just about wrapping things up on the other floors. But, keep a lookout all the same, yeah?"

The others then returned and began helping to move the luggage all into the lobby. It was a massive space, with some fossils hanging by wire from the ceiling of the middle of the rotunda. And there were even more scattered on the floor, many of which were broken. From the look of it, some of the cables must have simply collapsed with the passage of so much time. A long vinyl banner lay swept up against the inside wall, reading an ironic message of 'When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth' in the same bold red font you had seen on the gate this morning. A painted glass mural that formed the back wall illustrated a sinister looking kind of dinosaur... similar to those that had attacked you, but lacking the brightly-colored frill. In addition, these had a maliciously large claw on each of their feet.

"The cafe is through any of these doors.", Manyara announced as he came out from a set of wooden double doors in the same wall as the glass mural. A second set of identical doors flanked the painting and must lead into the same space on the other side. Within several minutes, all of the gear was inside, and Zizi shut the front doors, and inserting one of the smaller T-Rex fossilized bones into the two handles... essentially barring the entrance.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock moved forward to inspect the car. Let me check out if these guys are in working order. Why don't you two make a quick sweep to be sure we're alone down here. If we are, I'll be done shortly, and then we can sweep the first floor.


Engineer (3) + Intelligence (5) = [roll0] to inspect the first car for condition. Or all of them, or whatever.

I'll had a few more of these checks just in case you need one per car. I don't expect he'd check out more than 3 if they were all working well, but he'd remember that he only checked the first 3. If some were broken, he'd start taking notes about which were broken, and which weren't and he'd stop once he had enough pieces for 3 working jeeps. For example, if the first two were fine, but the third needed a new [carpart2], he'd check until he found a working [carpart2] for the third car to take.

[roll1]
[roll2]
[roll3]
[roll4]
[roll5]
[roll6]
[roll7]

[NeverSleep]

Let's make this quick.

Yeti set off to go through every door in the medical joint, taking literally 3 seconds for every small patient's room. Fastest pace they could manage without seriously missing something major. He's not interested in the drawers or desks at this point, just to make sure no eggs, or dinosaurs had gotten in anywhere.

[theskorpionking]

When Kip had returned and started bringing things inside, Akiko did her best to help out. "I'll....I'll do my best." She said.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel pokes his head inside one of the offices, and, assuming that nothing jumps out to attack him, he walks over to the nearest desk, slides underneath it, and begins trying to disassemble the computer tower.

Just in case this requires a roll, Computers and INT.

[roll0]

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

The two of you moved down the corridor with quick efficiency, Hana falling in-line well after only the first room or two... it was clear that she had had some military training before. You swept left and she swept right on every room, moving on to the next when nothing was found. There were only two rooms where she lingered for longer than was absolutely necessary - the Operating Room and the Pharmaceutical Storage Closet (which had to be broken into). In these two rooms, it looked as though she was taking a quick stock of what she saw, with intent to come back for it later. She even pulled out a red Sharpie marker and wrote a few choice items down on her forearm.

You did the same thing on another adjoining hallway, making your way back to the front and crossing a connecting corridor between the two, back to the double doors that you came through. All in all, you swept nearly forty patient rooms, bathrooms, storage closets, etc.

Kip's voice broadcast over the radio, "Alright, mates. We're all squared away here in the main building's lobby. The sweep was clear and the gear's all inside. Everybody still doing okay?"


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

Daniel had no problem disconnecting the ancient machine, winding up the cords and making sure to grab the keyboard and mouse as well. Calhoun, seeing what he was doing, chuckled a little bit but moved to help, lugging the monitor.

"Sh!t this thing is heavy. When they said there'd be dinosaurs on this island, this wasn't what I thought about.", he snickered at his own joke.

Kip's voice broadcast over the radio, "Alright, mates. We're all squared away here in the main building's lobby. The sweep was clear and the gear's all inside. Everybody still doing okay?"


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Harlock, Ivan & Virgil

Ivan and Virgil disappear into the darkness of the remainder of the garage, the big Russian leading the way with his enhanced vision. Harlock gets busy looking under the hood of several of the Jeeps, finding them all to be in fantastic shape... except that they have sat here unused for so long. The batteries were likely to have evaporated by this point, and the gasoline would have separated inside the tanks and become useless. However, if they siphoned the bad fuel out and found a different power source... these things would be good to go. Although, that could prove difficult in the present location.

In a matter of minutes, Harlock had finished his evaluation of all of the Jeeps... which all seemed to have been kept in tiptop working order up until their abandonment along with everything else on this island. And as he was finishing up, the other two men returned, with Ivan giving a thickly-accented, "All clear."

Kip's voice broadcast over the radio, "Alright, mates. We're all squared away here in the main building's lobby. The sweep was clear and the gear's all inside. Everybody still doing okay?"

Virgil suggested, "Maybe we should clear out one of the entrances, so we can bring the Raptors down here before the storm hits."


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Out Front

Zizi had managed to gather up Luis and Oso before the last of you and the gear got inside.

Kip radioed out, "Alright, mates. We're all squared away here in the main building's lobby. The sweep was clear and the gear's all inside. Everybody still doing okay?"

Looking around, Akiko could imagine how amazing this place would have been as an amusement park... especially as a kid. The mammoth T-Rex skull was still incredibly and impressively ferocious, even though it sat cracked and haphazardly atop of the pile of brown bones in the middle of the floor.

[zabbarot]

Santi looked around the room, checking for signs of struggle. They'd need somewhere safe to sleep tonight. Since they were on a second floor with a locked door this might be their best bet. "You think any of these dinosaurs still work?" He motioned to the computers with the butt of his AK.

[DoctorFaust]

"I do not know," Daniel grunts. "I am very much hoping that they do, since any data that InGen had on their experiments would be incredibly valuable. Si Dieu le veut, the hard drives will at least have survived moderately intact, and my laptop will be able to read any files they have."

When the transmission comes in, he reaches up to the strap on his pack and pulls out his radio. "I, Calhoun, and Santi are all fine up here. Planning on bringing back at least one of the computers they had in the offices to see if we can get any data off of them."

[NeverSleep]

You take some time here, I'll be nearby.

Over the radio:

Medical center cleared. Going to give this doctor some time to look around.

Then nodding to her, Yeti went off to search the less technical areas more thuroughly. Starting first with the nurses station, then lounge/staff private areeas(perhaps with personal lockers?), then offices, then utility/storage areas, then patient rooms.

Opening up drawers, busting small locks, digging through pockets of uniforms and clothes left behind, rifeling through personal effects with no regard for privacy.

Looking for things like ID's, keycards, keys, non-human medical devices, weapons or unusually private paperwork or areas, passwords written on sticky notes, radios or telephones that might have stored info before everyody left, etc...

Hitman4+Wis2 = Looking for things out of place/unusual/especially useful, rather than just spotting things that exsist...
[roll0]

[theskorpionking]

Akiko managed to take a lot of pictures of the main lobby. She took several of the bones that were strewn about. She talked quietly to herself when she was examining the mural, naming the various dinosaurs pictures on it.

[Erasmas]

Yeti & Hana

"Okay. Thank you.", Hana then turned and got to work. In the meantime, Yeti stared going through things in a different fashion... all but tearing the place apart for anything useful. He did not find any ID cards, keys, weapons, or anything that struck him as out of the ordinary. However, he did find a small bank of four radios and a Post-It note stuck to one of the monitors that looked like it might have a password on it. It read, simply, in obviously feminine handwriting, 'ingensiteamedical'.

After a few minutes, the doctor returned and indicated that she was ready to leave whenever the Russian was ready. He could see that she had taken a closer inventory of what this place had, as well as stocked her harness with a few more medical supplies.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

Here, especially on the second floor and behind a security door, there was no sign of any kind of a struggle. This place had not been compromised until just a few minutes ago when you three had broken in here. When Santi asks about the computers, Calhoun also replies, "Yeah, I mean... they should be fine. In theory, they should just need juice. Now, getting that might be an issue. But, like the good doc here said, we might just be able to jack right into their hard drives. Not sure that I have any connectors that'll work, but I could just..."

He continued to rattle on to himself as he helps carry the monitor wherever it was the Daniel was now headed.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

In the Rotunda

Suddenly, there was a lot of excited conversation coming from the kitchen. As everyone gathered there, the first thing they noticed was a horrible smell. Secondary to this, they found Manyara and Zizi talking near the deep freezer. Both men's faces were obviously contorted in an effort to ignore the foul stench. Finally, seeing the rest of you come in with looks of concerns, he tries to explain.

"Zizi was looking around this place and opened the cold freezer. There is a dead dinosaur inside it, but it has been dead for a long, long time. But the... what is the word... sanitation?"

"Insulation?", Harold attempts helpfully.

The African snaps his fingers and nods his head vehemently, "Yes! The insulation of the cold freezer kept everything sealed in. I think it might be best to keep it closed, no?"

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock grunted his approval. We should, but I don't have the tools for the job. We need axes or machetes for this density of overgrowth. Let's head upstairs and get some, or maybe even get someone else on this. I thought they might have built something underground, but it looks like they never expected to need a defensive bunker... what is this place? Not many bright minds could have come together and not thought to build a defensive point and stuck their computers there. Unless this isn't a research station, or a hunting ground. Let's go to the top floor, and see if there are computers up there.

[NeverSleep]

Yeti has got to check these radio units out. He checks the battery packs, and if they are standard sized batteries he'll make a note to Calhoun over the radio, and ask if they'd be any use to get up and running again.

He also takes a picture of the password note.

Calhoun. You need password for medical computers you try Indigo, Nancy, Gemini, Europe, Nancy, Indigo, Santi, Indigo, Terminator, Europe, America, Medical, Europe, Dentist, Indigo, Cheeto, American, Lazy.

Its ingensiteamedical. All tiny letters.


Yeti has unfinished business with a lock in the other room. Asks Hana to join him there, then takes 10-15 to crack that lock if able.

[Space Lawyer]

Luis makes a timely entrance into the garage, a sheathed machete swinging at his side. "Going to a jungle island without a machete is just poor planning."

[DoctorFaust]

"There are always the generators in the Raptors, no?" Daniel pauses for a moment and switches his grip to a more secure location. "We may as well take them down to the cars now, since my laptop and solar charger are with my bags."

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock frowned at Luis, but nodded. I'm more inclined to want an axe, but have at it if you want. I'm pretty sure my machete should be in my rucksack in the raptor I was driving. I didn't expect to need it inside a building. I'm going to finish my sweep first though, but I'll come back and help you after that.

[zabbarot]

Santi called over the radio, specifically to Virgil, "Hey jefe, second floor looks uncompromised. We could probably sleep safe up here tonight."

[Erasmas]

Harlock, Luis, Ivan, & Virgil

"Maybe we just haven't found it yet.", Virgil added, hope underlying his voice. Luis came out of the stairwell door, joining you with serendipity in every stride he made across the garage. After the briefest of discussions, it was discovered that a blade was needed to clear the growth from at least one of the vehicle entrances.

Ivan moved to follow the Argentinian, drawing his wicked-looking bladed tool, with only a simple, "I help." The two men found the ramp easily enough with the aid of some light and got to work. After only the first layer or two was gone, some natural light began to spill into the underground space... along with some fresh ozone-rich air.

"Oh man, that storm smells like it's coming in fast!", Virgil moved to where Luis and Ivan were busy hacking away the plants that had become entirely intertwined with the lowered rolling metal gate.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Yeti & Hana

"Got it, Big Guy. And yeah, bring those radios back in with you.", Calhoun radioed in after a few seconds. The entire radio bank was long since dead, but the good news is that they were standard sized.

Hana and Yeti then move back into the office and the Russian kneels down to start working on cracking the safe. After a moment of trouble, the doctor says, "Here. Try this.", and tosses him her newly-acquired stethoscope. Yeti puts the things on and places the drum up against the tumbler as he turns the dial. It's incredibly difficult to hear even the faintest of changes. However, since it was only himself and Hana present, it was almost entirely silent in here. After several painstakingly long moments, there is a very audible CLICK and, with the turning of the handle, the safe pops open. Inside are folders of documents, a .358 Special handgun, and a tray full of bullets to go with it.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

Daniel, Santi & Calhoun

"All of our stuff got taken off of the Raptors. I think Akiko and the other guys were supposed to be bringing it inside; since that storm's looking like it's about to take a massive dump on top of us.", he explained, in his usually elegant manner. He knocked a stapler off of a nearby desk and began kicking it towards the stairs.

"But yeah, let's head back downstairs. We can tell them that we found a pretty good place to crash up here."

With that, Calhoun headed towards the stairs and opened the door. Using just his feet, he managed to wedge the stapler underneath the door to prop it open. Once again, he looked to the two of you for approval with a smile on his face so large that it squinted his eyes almost completely shut.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄

In the Rotunda

Akiko, while looking around, happened upon a small metal stand that had toppled over behind a planter. In a small pile, she found dozens of pamphlets for this Jurassic Park place which had, among other things inside it, a map of the entire island. This map, unlike those that your team already had, depicted where several of the animal pens were... as well as many other places scattered around the island!


Minus the Pink-Dotted Points

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v71/Erasmas/Jurassic%20Park/Map%20-%20Isla%20Nublar_zpsxbm5fy6p.jpg~original

[NeverSleep]

Not exactly a tool of healing.

He pulled the pistol out with a gloved hand, and with a bit of flare checked to see if it was loaded then placed it safely off to the side. Eventually he would carry this weapon on his person, unloaded, in order to bring it back to camp.

While still kneeling down, he opened the documents.
If they are medical or scientific in nature, he hands them immediatly to Hana after glancing at the headlines.

Otherwise, he'll read to get the just of what he's looking at, and plan to read them later - keeping them on his person unless Hana requests to look through them(which would be granted).

Yeti took some extra time to check the safe for any secret compartments or hidden parcels:

Hitman4+Wis2
[roll0]
Yeti didn't much enjoy the grunt work of carrying around radios, but he did as asked anyway - eventually he and Hanna meet up with the group with Calhoun in it.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel laughs at Calhoun's expression, and crosses through the doorway. "A very good job," he says. "We wouldn't want your hard work to be undone, would we?"

[theskorpionking]

Akiko had never seen the map that Calhoun had shown some of the others, so she picked one up and put it in her pack. She decided to grab another one, just in case it showed something that the other maps didn't show. She walked over to Kip, "Uh, excuse me, Mr. Kip? I found this over there." Akiko pointed in the direction of the metal stand. "Do you think that maybe Mr. Calhoun would be interested in it?"

[Erasmas]

"I dunno about Calhoun... that guy's kinduvva clown, ain't he? But I bet old Virgil'll find it interestin' alright. Good on ya, Akiko.", Kip said, clapping the paleontologist gently on the shoulder in a reassuring fashion. The Aussie smiled at the young woman and handed her back the pamphlet.

Finally done with their separate tasks, each group found one another back in the main lobby. There was still two doors on the first floor that had not been fully explored, however. One was marked as the Control Room, while the other had a sign that read "Tour" above it. Manyara reveals that this was simply a strange room with many chairs in it, fitted with a lap bar, all facing a large projection screen.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Friday, January 30th, 2015
13:13

[NeverSleep]

Why we wait? Here are radios.

Yeti and Hana hadn't hardly walked through the door when he hastily crossed the room and unceremoniously put the radio equiment near Calhoun, then took a place near the door looking back toward the military types seeing who was going to participate in clearing out the next room.

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel motions to Calhoun to place the computer down next to his bags, and pulls out his laptop and a few cords. "Would you mind helping me set this up?" he asks, as he begins comparing leads to ports on the computer. "I do not have much familiarity with systems as old as this one, and if we can, I do not want to lose any data that is on the computer."

[Erasmas]

"Huh?", Calhoun asked as Yeti approached him with the radios. "Oh, yeah... right. Thanks."

He took them and set them down on top of one of his hard travel cases nearby, preoccupied with what he was helping Daniel with. The two men then began to pull out all manner of cables and connectors and got to work.


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Yeti, Hana, Manyara, & Zizi

The Russian was joined by the two Zimbabweans, and Dr. Cho. The four of them readied their weapons and picked their way through the door marked as the Control Room. Once inside, they found a few more doors that lead from a central corridor. One door had a plaque that said "Server Room" while another said "To Laboratories". Along an opposite wall, there were three large round windows that looked into the Control Room, a door in the same wall that granted access to this sizable room stood slightly open. The door was covered in scratches and claw marks... most especially around the handle.

[NeverSleep]

Yeti cam gets turned on - record mode.

Over the radio:

We got signs of claw marks in here. Be on alert.

To the team:

Likely old right? Still, be ready.

And with that Yeti motioned the team towards the door with the scratch marks and headed that way.

[darklink_shadow]

Harlock resigned himself to the sudden importance of the task at hand, and decided to help. Alright, I will bring around the raptors then, and retrieve my Machete before coming back in through the front to help.

With that, Harlock set off to do just as he said he would, driving each car near the entrance they were clearing before grabbing his Machete to aid in the removal of foliage.

[Erasmas]

Yeti, Hana, Manyara, & Zizi

With Yeti on point, Manyara and Hana took up his flanks, with Zizi bringing up the rear guard. They moved into the Control Room with silent precision, sweeping the space filled with computers and all manner of monitors and screens situated throughout. Although the dimensions of the room were somewhat large, clearing it took no real time at all... since there weren't many places that something could hide. The only really strange thing about the room, aside from the claw marks on the door, was a fallen ladder in the middle of the room... directly beneath a section of the ceiling that was missing its steel mesh tiling. The tiling itself was found easily enough, just a few feet away, twisted and laying on the floor.


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Harlock, Luis, Harold, Ivan, & Virgil

"No reason for you to do that by yourself, Captain.", Virgil had commented. He and Ivan followed, with Dr. Reeves and Luis offering to help as well. The former mentioned something about feeling useless so far and that he was looking forward to getting behind the wheel of one of the Raptors anyway.

Once enough of the foliage had been removed from the gate, it was easy to open them by hand by pulling on a nearby chain. And within minutes, the five all terrain vehicles were secured safely in the underground garage.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
Daniel & Calhoun

Meanwhile, the French geneticist and the field expert finally figured out a way to access the hard drive on the old computer. They had had to remove it from the case and disconnect it from all of the wires and cables it had been plugged into. Then, after finding the right converter cables that would fit, were able to plug it in as a slave drive to Daniel's laptop. With them being Apple machines, Calhoun had to install a program from his own tablet that would translate between the two operating systems. Finally, the drive showed up and when Dr. LaFollet clicked to open it, it naturally brought up a prompt for a password.

[NeverSleep]

After the room has been cleared Yeti offered:

I'm going up.

And with that, he arranged the ladder, double checked that his camera was on record, then ascended the ladder with intent to piece together what might have happened here.

Rolls in OOC.

[darklink_shadow]

Well, the captain said, as he got out of the raptor, job well done. I think it must be about chow time. My stomach sure seems to think so.

As if to agree, his stomach growled its complaint before the big man patted it. I'm gonna go check up on that medical facility, and then I say we get everyone rounded up, grab a bite, and plot our next move. What do you say, Virgil?

[DoctorFaust]

"Merde." Daniel rocks back on his knees, thinking. "The password for the medical computers was ingen site a medical, correct? Do you know what section of the facility we retrieved this computer from?"

[Erasmas]

Yeti, Hana, Manyara, & Zizi

The Russian has no problems setting up the ladder and climbing up into the open ceiling. A grid that hung from the actual roof of the building held these tiles in place, which allowed a buffer against the heat, keeping the room below cooler (when there was conditioned air, that is). Looking around at first, he saw no other signs that would indicate that anything had transpired up here at all. But then, just about the time that you was going to climb back down, his nightvision goggles picked up on a dark rectangle in the far wall.

"What is it, Yeti? What do you see?", Manyara called from below, at the foot of the ladder.

Peering more directly at the object, Yeti could just barely make out that it was some kind of access hatch, it's grating pulled free and set beside it.


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Harlock, Luis, Harold, Ivan, & Virgil

"Yeah, I definitely could eat something. I've been feeling a little piqued ever since this morning.", Virgil admitted. The group began to make their way back upstairs. Ivan commented on Harlock's plan as you went, "Dr. Cho and Yeti check medical building already, no?"

Within mere moments, you found yourselves in the Lobby of the Visitor's Center. Doctor LaFollet and Calhoun were off to one side, near where the majority of the gear had been piled, doing something with their computers. Akiko and Kip were sitting quietly on the bottom step of the big staircase that lead to the upper floor. Santi was lounging on a chair that appeared to have come from another room entirely.

You could also tell, that it had begun to rain... hard.


►►►►►◊◊◊◄◄◄◄◄
In the Lobby

Akiko and Kip were sitting quietly on the bottom step of the big staircase that lead to the upper floor. Santi was lounging on a chair that appeared to have come from another room entirely. A low rumble of thunder rolled somewhere off in the distance outside, and then the drops began to pepper the roof above the rotunda... TINK TINKing off of the panes of amber-colored glass that surrounded the highest portion of the room. Within moments, it began to pour.

Daniel and Calhoun continued to mess with the computer that they had found. When asked about the other password, Calhoun nodded, "Yeah, yeah! That's what that crazy Russian dude said - ingensiteamedical, all lower case. So, try maybe... 'office'? 'Administration'? Just 'admin'?"

A door opened and the five who had gone to move the Raptors came in - Captain Harlock, Luis and Oso, Dr. Reeves, Ivan, and Virgil.

[NeverSleep]

Is another open hatch here. I'm going in further.

With that, Yeti crawled further into the space. It reminded him of a few different occasions where hiding and moving around in the mechanical areas of buildings kept him alive. Luckily, at this moment, nobody/nothing was after him.

Pondering that, he took out his camera for a quick selfie.

With the next open panel in the background, and once out of sight of the folks on the ground.

[darklink_shadow]

Yeah, they did, but I'd like to take a look. I guess that can wait until later, though. I also want to take a look upstairs, and take a look around the ground floor. I want to know the whole lay of the land first hand. There's little details you can only get from looking yourself.

Despite his desire to explore, he did wait to do so, leaving it for after the meal.

Arriving, he looked at the two on their computers. What's up, Cal?

[DoctorFaust]

Daniel nods, and types that into the password prompt. If that doesn't work, he then types "ingensiteasecurity" in as well.

[theskorpionking]

Akiko had gotten up from where she was sitting. She had seen Virgil return from the garage and wanted to show him the pamphlet. She had to slowdown, she didn't want to seem to eager. "Excuse me, Mr. Virgil. I had found this earlier and thought that it might be of some use I our little endeavor."

[Erasmas]

Yeti, Hana, Manyara, & Zizi

Hana came up the ladder, just barely missing the selfie that Yeti had taken. She whispered, "Do you want someone to come up here with you?"

Manyara and Zizi could be heard below, discussing something quietly in their native tongue.


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In the Lobby

Ivan shrugged in response to Harlock, "Is probably good idea. Other two say is okay; then is safe enough to go... if you want."

Daniel tried plugging in 'office', 'administration', 'admin', and 'security' into the string of letters meant for the password... all of which caused a secondary, smaller window to pop up with an emboldened exclamation point and text that read - "PASSWORD INCORRECT: ACCESS DENIED". Along with this, there was an attempt counter that had started at 10 and had ticked down by one with each unsuccessful try. Six attempts remained before Daniel was pretty sure they would be locked out on this hard drive.

When Harlock asked what was going on, Calhoun responded in a far-and-away kind of voice, his eyes never leaving Dr. LaFollet's screen, "Found an old CPU upstairs; trying to get into its brain. What about the dude's name?"

Virgil turned around as Akiko spoke to him, the corner of an energy bar wrapper between his teeth as he tried to tear open the packaging. He let the thing go with his hand, letting it dangling from his mouth as he craned his neck to see what she was showing him. As she handed it to him, he turned it over in his hand... at first confused about its relevance. Finally, he opened the pamphlet up and his eyebrows rose and he began to pace aimlessly. "Excellent! Wonderful, Dr. Imamura! What a great find... this should help a ton. Thank you! May I hold on to this?"

[theskorpionking]

Akiko smiled. She had always liked it when she was given positive reinforcement from her superiors. She thought that it had something to do with her always looking for acceptance from her peers, something hard to do when you were only half the age of regular highs school students. "Uh, sure. There are more where I found this one. Um, just in case some of the others wanted one." She smiled again.

[NeverSleep]

No. No room up here. You wait.

He moved closer to the panel to investigate...

[darklink_shadow]

With a nod, Harlock moved closer to look at the screen. If you can't figure it out, we could always try a brutal intrusion. If I can remember the script. But it brute forces into the system, and it shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes. Give me your pc and a flash drive, Cal. I'll get on it. Unless you have internet... then I will just FTP the script from my server.

If you want a computer roll, here it is. But there are a great number of ways to break into a pc without needing anything as trivial as a password.

[roll0]

[Space Lawyer]

Luís continues to hack away the at the tangled vines, careful to avoid mangling any entangled equipment. Oso, for his part, isn't quite as careful, gleefully tugging at the growth and chewing on the ripped-away pieces.

[Erasmas]

Yeti, Hana, Manyara, & Zizi

"You got it.", Hana said, somewhat incredulously. Yeti crawled closer to the open port, finding what looked to be the air ducting system... which was quite large. Once he had gotten this close, the Russian could hear talking echoing within the small metal corridor. After a moment, he could tell that it sounded like the others that they had left behind in the Lobby.


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In the Lobby

"Yeah, yeah. That's a really good idea, actually. If there's enough, would you mind passing them out to everyone, just so that we each have one?", Virgil asked Akiko while he stuffed the one that she had given him into the pocket on his pack where he had the other maps. Finally, he got the package open on the energy bar he had been working on and starting chowing down on it.

Calhoun whooped loudly, somewhat startling some of the others, when Daniel finally found the password that worked... 'accounting'... with only two attempts left. Once inside the system, they were able to locate a ton of folders and files that ran the gamut of bookkeeping information - where the money had come from, where it had been spent, etc. Hell, there was even an entire folder entitled "Lawsuits".

[NeverSleep]

Why would this ladder be here? So strange. Somebody must have needed to get in or out of here in a hurry. Let's look further.

With that thought Yeti looked around the air duct to see if there was any evidence of struggle or if any other person came through here in an apparent hurry. Then he tested it to make sure it would hold his weight - then away he went. Not his first time using this method to get through a building, and hopefully not the last.

He moves along silently as he's able, and if he gets a chance...

If he winds up over the other group in the lobby, as long as he's not been heard, he starts ominously tapping in morse code:

C.A.L.H.O.U.N.S.U.C.K.S.L.O.V.E.Y.E.T.I.