Anonymous Rex

[Ducky123]

"Vincent's a pro at investigating so he should know how to move without being obvious," Heather spoke up in a response to Karl. "And yeah, I agree. I'd highly prefer NOT to be seen by anyone... at all."

Heather feared a physical fight but at the same time she somehow seeked to get into one... as long as there weren't any guns involved, that was...

[bushwacked]

Nicky met Circe's smirk with a tilt of his head. "And I didn't get you anything," he muttered, reaching out a claw as Circe tossed the keys over to him. Stepping around her, he eased himself into the driver's seat, the land rover's failing suspension causing the car to bounce a little, and felt a warm wetness against his tail. Grimacing, he reached down and, after hesitating for a second, pulled out the remains of a burst juice box. Nicky dropped it outside with a shudder. "Watch it, " he grumbled, "Whoever owns this doesn't know the meaning of hygiene..."

Once the others had let themselves in, he turned the key and the engine rumbled to life. Luckily, it was quieter than he'd been expecting. He left the headlights off for the time being - there was just enough moonlight to see by, and the less chance of being seen for the moment, the better.

 "Alright, let's pick Vincent up and get this show on the road," Nicky said, starting to pull the vehicle forwards slowly towards the area of road the raptor would emerge.

[Kor]

"I would guess considering how the progressives act, hygiene is something they don't care about." Karl said as he got into his seat.  

"I do hope Vincent is done with what he was doing and can go right away.  The longer we are here the higher the chance we'll be discovered." Karl said.

[Pterano]

As Nicky slowly pulled ahead, Vincent emerged from the jungle and ran over to them, opening the back door and sliding in. "Sorry! Raft is pretty well hidden though!" he exclaimed breathlessly. As they moved down the dirt road now in the Land Rover, the trip was just as bumpy as the last time Vincent remembered it. It was no smooth ride by any means, as the road was pockmarked and not paved.

"It'll be a mile or so ahead." Circe instructed Nicky, sitting next to him in the passenger seat while Vincent sat next to Heather and Karl. "Just drive... normally I guess. The road will branch ahead. One leads up to my former mansion, the other... deeper into the jungle, towards the labs. I recommend taking the latter for now when we get there." she suggested.

As they got closer, bright lights suddenly appeared through the treetops. "The hell?" Circe murmured. "This wasn't here last time..."

Floodlights shone around what looked like a massive pit which had been dug out of the center of the island. Unguised dinos of all descriptions scurried about its perimeter, gazing down and carrying out excavation work. It was truly colossal, big enough to easily swallow 50 Land Rovers and have plenty of room leftover. Dinos armed with FN SCARs patrolled the perimeter, and one particular iguanodon held up his hand and began walking towards their vehicle. "Halt!" he called.

"Mm... say we're part of security... or the dig team. You're a cop, think on your feet." Circe murmured as she rested her hand on the window and her head against that, looking away from the approaching iguanodon just in case.

He motioned for Nicky to roll down the window. "What are you doing here? Never seen you before." he pointed out.

[bushwacked]

Nicky rolled down his window, trying to make himself look as small and insignificant as possible. The cacophony of rumbling machinery and raised voices assaulted his ears. "Oh, hello sir," he said, plastering a smile over his face, his voice up-beat and out going. "Yeah, we haven't been here too long - we're part of the new team that's been brought in for the excavation... They told us it was a hell of a job, but when you see it up close..." Nicky whistled. He glanced back at the others in the car, catching a glimpse of an old magazine in the back seat as he did so. It was open on an advert for an electric toothbrush - The new model 18 Z Max... Try it now! "Biggest project we've ever done, right guys?"

Resting his elbow on the windowsill casually, he turned back and looked up at the iguanodon. "We were just bringing back a replacement for the 18 Z Max drill piece that broke. You know, just between us, I think the 20 Z is a better choice... more efficient, and it won't snap every time you look at it wrong." He chuckled and shared a knowing smile. "But hey, they don't pay me to run my mouth, right?"

[Pterano]

((Totally pictured this playing for this scene.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OvjRSUOU_6A ))

The guard looked at Nicky curiously, and it was clear he was lost a few sentences back when Nicky had mentioned the Z 18. "Uhhh... you brought the drill bit?" he asked now. "Well... OK. Get out then." He nodded with his head.

"We already unloaded it!" Vincent quickly cut in. "It's down at the docks. Too big for the Land Rover, but another team is handling it, don't worry."

"Oh... all right. Well... get moving then!" the igaunodon ordered again, motioning for them to exit.

Vincent needed no second urging, and quietly exited the vehicle. Circe did the same, keeping her back to the guard. The guard waited to make sure they were walking towards the excavation site, and then called out to them. "Halt! Why do you have a sidearm?" he asked, nodding at Nicky.

"Oh he's our security detail! That's why he was driving!" Vincent turned around now and smiled nervously. "Us workers can't wander around on our own, after all! He picked us up!"

"Oh... right." the guard nodded, and moved off now.

"Phew... right let's take a look at this thing." Vincent murmured, and approached the edge of the pit, which yawned before them. Whistling as he gazed down, the raptor's eyes were met with the blackest stone he'd ever seen. It was a massive stone slab, or... what looked like stone. Black as tar, it was strangely reflective, and had what appeared to be a giant 32-point compass rose emblazoned upon its top in highly decorative yellow and blue spikes that ended in sharp tips. "What... the hell?" Vincent breathed, confusion washing over his features. "What the hell is this?" He noticed as he looked further, that the ground around it had been dug out, and it wasn't just a slab... it was a massive rectangle of the stuff, extending down like a giant block as far as the eye could see. It's sheer scale was daunting, to say the least.

"I don't know..." Circe said, shaking her head slowly, entranced by the thing below them. "I've never seen it before in my life! I never even knew this was under the island!"

"I don't suppose any of you know what this is..." Vincent said, trailing off.

"Um... Vincent, dear? Perhaps it's best not to loiter. I suggest we head for the labs. Dinos are gonna start wondering why we're gawking and not working." Circe murmured.

[Kor]

"Yes, best to continue onto the labs and do why we're here. " Karl said, keeping things vague and wording it as best as he could so if any overheard their conversation it would not sound suspicious, "After all this is another department." He said indicting the digging going on vaguely with one hand.

[bushwacked]

Nicky stared down at the massive black slab, a frown creasing his face. "That symbol's got to mean something..." he muttered, crossing his arms as his eyes hovered over the shape printed on it's top. "You didn't know this was here?" Nicky asked, half-turning his head in Circe's direction. "How did Raal find out about it? And why take the time to dig it up? Sure, it looks... impressive but..." His voice trailed off. He hadn't known what to expect when they arrived, but this sure wasn't it. He hated to admit it to himself, but he was completely thrown by the situation.

Tearing his attention away, Nicky glanced around and saw that, as Circe had predicted, a few of the workers milling around had started to look curiously in their direction. "Right, let's get moving." He glanced around at the group and cocked an eyebrow. "Which one of us could fool a group of scientists that we know what we're talking about?"

[Pterano]

"No..." Circe breathed, shaking her head. "I had no idea... and I'm not sure how Raal would know... he always spoke about the Ancestors but... this can't possibly have anything to do with them... can it?" she asked warily.

"You always spoke of how advanced they were... how they could build anything." Vincent said softly as they began wandering away from the pit. "Is that... one of theirs?"

"How can it be?" she asked. "I never thought they actually built stuff like that!" Circe insisted. "Just stories... and none about anything like that."

"Always suppose I could ask." Vincent tried, walking off.

"I wouldn't..." Circe cautioned but Vincent was already doing so.

"Hey! We're uh... new here!" He introduced himself to an allosaur, who narrowed his eyes at him, the hard hat he was wearing making him looking even more menacing.

"Yeah... clearly... this is a hard hat only area, bub!" the allosaur shot back.

"Oho, right! Well we aren't here for too long! Been tasked with taking some supplies to the lab guys! We just couldn't help but gawk at that thing over there... we're not on the dig team so... I thought the virus was the only thing we had going on..."

"Virus? Boy are you out of the loop!" the allosaur chuckled menacingly. "That 'thing' as you put it, will change everything. The mammals will go the way of our Ancestors once we get that thing in operation, rest assured! But if you aren't on the dig team, I can't say more than that, for security reasons. You know how it is."

"Right, right..." Vincent gulped, backing away. "That's... good to know."

"Say if you're lab guys... where's your badges?" the allosaur asked, suspiciously now.

"Oh uh... uh..." Vincent grinned nervously.

Circe sighed and stepped forward, unleashing a high dose of her pheromones as she leaned directly into the allosaurus, and as the bigger dino gasped and recoiled a bit, Circe reached out and put her arm on his back, pulling him gently in to her. A glazed, distant expression passed over his face now, accompanied by a dopey smile. Vincent knew that sensation well enough... he wasn't even standing at the dig site anymore... his mind had taken a trip back to the Jurassic. "There we go... now... you don't remember any of what just happened... it's gone from your mind like an early morning mist." Circe spoke softly and seductively into the allosaur's ear. "Do something useful... wander towards that waterfall in the distance, and gaze at it... lose yourself for ten minutes within its falling torrents... zone out... go on." she instructed, patting his back as he stepped forward in a daze, heading towards a waterfall only he could now see.

Circe smirked at this and Vincent smiled. "Waterfall?" he asked. "I don't see no waterfall."

"I could make you see it if you wanted." she informed him, slapping his back with her tail. "Anyway... I had to do something to erase his mind about that little incident. Let's go." she suggested, continuing on the path to the labs. She smirked at Nicky. "I bet you didn't fully believe me when I told you about my pheromones."

"Heh... wish I could do that..." Vincent murmured. "I'd be a REAL hit with the ladies, I bet." he joked.

"And why would you want to be, Mr. Rubio?" Circe chided him now.

"Uh... right. Oh! There's the labs!" he quickly interjected, pointing ahead. The laboratory building stretched ahead of them, long and sleek as it jutted out of the jungle like the prow of a ship. It was modern but somehow threatening at the same time.

"I don't suppose anyone brought a camera, did they?" Circe asked, suddenly thinking of it. "Not that we necessarily need photos, as all of us telling the Council what we saw should be sufficient for them to dispatch a spy plane out here but..."

"Greetings brothers and sisters!" A beaming ankylosaurus stood ahead of them now, grinning as they approached the building. "It's good to see new recruits about our fair island! What can I help you with, brothers and sisters?" he asked.

"Uh... the new lab guys! Reporting in!" Vincent spoke up.

"Fine, fine! Your badges, please?" the anky asked as he stepped forward.

Circe subtly tapped Nicky's backside with a bade she'd swiped off the allosaurus. She had noted it was a general permit or something. "Well you're our escort... escort." she muttered to him, holding it behind his back for him to take.

"I'm Ernie Carlson." Vincent introduced himself now. "Biochemist, and these are my colleagues, doctors..." he trailed off here, letting Karl, Circe, and Heather introduce themselves in whatever fashion they pleased.

"Well you're kinda cute." the anky complimented and interrupted Heather. "You free later tonight for some herb chewing down by the beach? I know this great little quiet spot we could go..." he began, giving her what he assumed was a charming look.

[Kor]

Karl stood fully erect.  "I'm John Erickson." He said in a very good British Accent (different from his normal American accent) & using different body postures and language then he normally used.  He had taken some drama classes in the time he went to university, for fun, including studding how to do accents.  He thought it was fun and may help him in his writing.  The character name he got from a 2 characters of a book a friend of his and he were co writing.

[bushwacked]

Nicky held up the pass that Circe had slipped to him, waving it in the anky's leering face. "Hey, keep your little friend to yourself... brother." He put it down and frowned at the larger dinosaur, tapping his gun pointedly with a claw. "Unless you want their security escort to report any advances that are keeping the staff from their work..."

[Ducky123]

Heather stared at the anky in disgust. "No thanks!" she stated. "I don't like herbs and I'm here for business!"

[Pterano]

"Oh uh... sorry!" The anky said now, growing nervous as Nicky subtly threatened him. "I just thought you know... no harm in trying to have some fun every now and again, right?" he said sheepishly. His distracted state meant he only briefly glanced at the security badge that Nicky waved in front of him. "Yes... go on through." he waved now, more wanting to avoid Nicky reporting him than being concerned what the badge said, which was lucky, since it wasn't authorization for this area, and just a general security badge.

As they proceeded to enter the labs now, Circe could immediately tell this building had gone through an extensive overhaul. No longer were they designing and creating false fossils for paleontologists to discover. Instead, banks of computers whirred and hummed as unguised dinos sat in front of their screens and plugged away. Oddly enough, despite noticing some biology labs further ahead, it didn't look as if biology and virus manufacturing was the main thing going on here.

"Well this place has certainly gotten an upgrade." she muttered as they began walking down the rows of computers. Casually glancing at a few of the screens, Circe could see what looked like orthographic projections on the screens relating to that massive structure that was sitting outside. Words like "Crystallization" "Pillar" "Pandora" "Power Grid" and the like could be seen, but she had no idea about any of these.

She noticed that despite the dinos' fixation on their monitors, she was getting some... looks as she wandered by, being quite the attractive raptor and all. "Don't understand... current studies aren't matching up with previous data." she spoke up now, hoping the others would catch on. "We previously thought data on the virus would be more... abundant, but results aren't showing that."

"Oh! Right!" Vincent replied, nodding now and picking up on the code. Glancing up, Vincent almost choked as he saw a particular gray-scaled diplodocus standing up in a glassed in control room high above them conferring with some more dinos in front of computers. "It's...!" he began, and only nodded upward once before looking down and keeping his gaze away.

Circe's eyes darted upward, and a sudden fire came into them now and her face hardened. "Raal!" she hissed under her breath. Good thing his name was more a guttural dinosaur sound than it was a proper noun, and she was able to convey this quite well. She led the way towards the bio labs, but stopped short as they exited the bank of computers, and motioned with her tail for them to follow her off to the side of an adjoining hallway.

"Guys... that diplodocus up there... it's Raal. I'd never forget him." she murmured. "Whatever he's discussing... it can't be good. I thought we'd find proof of the virus and while there are some bio labs here... they aren't as big as I was expecting. Instead... it seems that thing they're digging up is the main focus here. We have to find out more about it... I think one of us should go up and try and either listen in on what Raal's saying or even try and approach him. It can't be myself or Vincent however... he knows both our faces. But whoever does this is gonna have to be extremely careful... his pheromones are even more powerful than mine... so don't give him any reason to suspect that you aren't who you say you are." she cautioned.

"Circe... I don't know... are you sure about this?" Vincent asked.

"You want to try chatting up one of the guys you see in front of the computers? There's too many of them... and Raal's only got a few up there in the control room with him. I think it's our only option." she insisted. "Besides... these guys all look like they're working on something different... who's to say they'd have the whole story?" she asked now.

[Kor]

"Hmm." Karl said, not sure what to do.  "If it helps any I do have a small digital camera.  I keep on on the yacht in case I'm here and want to take pictures of something.  It's a small compact type since it's easier to carry around then a large one.  And you can use interchangeable lenses for night shots, zoom, and the like.  I like to have small gadgets in various pockets." He said in a low whisper, opening his vest to start to pull out the compact digital camera and a few interchangeable lenses with his other hand he kept in another nearby pocket.   He put them back.  "So what do you think we should do next?  I've never done anything like this before."

[bushwacked]

Nicky shook his head at Karl. "The camera might be useful later, but if they see us using it here things could turn bad." He cocked his head. "Raal's up there... I'm with them, if one of us can catch what he's discussing, maybe we won't be wandering around in the dark here." Nicky paused and glanced around at the group. "I'm the 'one of us', aren't I?" He grimaced. "Oh, good. Alright, I'll see what I can do. Be back soon... I hope." He split off from the group and made his way for the stairwell leading up to the control room.

As he wound his way up, he could feel his heart thumping in his chest. Of course, he'd had to deal with some shady and downright scary people in his job... but this was something else altogether. Eventually, he reached the top and came to a closed metal door. He could faint electrical beeping on the other side, and muted voices, but nothing he could eavesdrop on. Taking a deep breath, Nicky knocked on the door.

[Pterano]

"Yeah I'd say the main thing to take pictures of would be that... thing outside." Vincent said in a low voice. "In here there's too many dinos. They'd see us easily. Let's just keep a low profile... maybe check out the virus labs while Nicky goes up there?"

"Yes but someone's got to keep an eye on Nicky... just in case." Circe pointed out.

"Yeah... Karl, how about you stay here and wait for him?" Vincent suggested. "Circe, Heather, and I will check out the labs. Good luck, Nicky." Vincent placed a clawed hand on his shoulder now. "You get what you need, and get out. Don't prolong it any longer than you have to."

"He's a detective. I'm sure he'll be fine, dear." Circe reminded the PI.

"I know... I'm just nervous... didn't think I'd actually see Raal amongst the living." Vincent spoke up here. "But yeah, good luck." he reiterated again. As Nicky headed up to the control room, Vincent nodded at Heather and Circe. "Right... let's go check out these labs." he murmured, beginning to lead the way further down the hall.


As Nicky knocked, there was a pause, then the door swung open, and a stegosaur shushed him, motioning for the compy to quickly enter the room. Raal was on the far side, leaning over a computer worked by a coelophysis technician. "OK so last week we were discussing the shield generators that the Ancestors had installed in the Mojave Desert. They predicted that was the most likely spot for the next event to occur... well they were right. According to my our own findings, the resonance of that area is strong." His claw tapped the mouse and froze an image on the screen. "Now as we also discussed, the shield generators were enough to completely cancel out Pandora's signal... see?" he hit another button, and demonstrated. An image of that large, black device suddenly appeared, hovering over a circular array of crystal like boxes below it. A red box appeared on the screen saying "No Resonance."

"Please tell me you found a way around that. I haven't waited this long only only to be defeated by the Ancestors." Raal growled, his voice a very even baritone, though there were hints of anxiety underneath.

"Ah but we have!" the coelo stated, raising a claw. "By carefully analyzing the frequency emitted by the generators, we were able to determine that while Pandora's signal alone isn't strong enough to overcome said frequency... this... you're gonna like." He hit a few more buttons, and a wave appeared on the screen now, emanating from the black device. "By installing a device that emits a certain frequency of its own, combined with that emitted by Pandora... check it out." The monitor now showed the two frequencies overpowering the field coming from the circular array on the ground. "It should be enough to overload the generators and force their shutdown or destruction. Now this is all theoretical of course... we have no way to test it without actually well... testing it, but it should work."

A look of triumph passed over Raal's features now, and he beamed in a rather threatening, wicked fashion. "Excellent! This is precisely what I pay you for!" he exclaimed, slapping the coelo on the side of his arm. Straightening up, Raal noticed Nicky now. A curious look crossed the diplodocus's features. "And who are you?" he asked, noting the gun the detective carried. "Don't believe I've seen you here before, brother." he commented coolly.


Down below, Vincent stood outside the labs with Circe and Heather. They were able to look into them through the glass windows, and Vincent turned to the hadrosaur. "Heather, I don't suppose you were a biology major in school... were you?" he asked hopefully.

[bushwacked]

Nicky kept quiet as Raal and the coelo technician talked, keeping his expression neutral as he tried to listen and make sense of what they were saying. Pandora... Is that the name of that thing in the ground? He could just about see the screen in front of the coelo. Who were the Ancestors? What's going to happen in the Mojave Desert? And how was the black slab... Pandora, responsible for it? Nicky clenched his jaw. So many questions... this is bigger than we thought...

He blinked when Raal called over to him, interrupting his thoughts. Clearing his throat, he stepped forwards. "I try to keep my head down, sir," he said, "Being part of security and all. I figure it makes more sense for the science nerds to speak up, and for us dumb grunts to shut up and do what we're told." He offered a quick smile. "Speaking of which... I'm here because a member of the dig crew fancies himself a scientist, starting to ask questions and throw around theories. I was just wondering how much I should let him know? I figure that if we give him something, he'll keep his mouth shut and get back to work." Nicky held his breath, hoping that, with all the security and pass checking he'd seen, information was usually on a need to know basis.

[Ducky123]

"Biology? P.E. was my only strong subject in school," Heather replied, musing about her rather average school grades in certain subjects. "I was doing okay in biology but I don't think I remember much. Maybe our unfortunately small knowledge of biology will complement when we help each other. Or maybe Circe is a biology major?" Heather responded. She hoped Nicky was doing okay, albeit she didn't really know him that much. Being part of their team was seemingly enough to wake her motherly instincts...

[Kor]

Karl nodded, and looked for an unobtrusive place to wait for Nicky, crouching down so he'd not be seen by passerby.  He had though of if found he'd rub one of his calf muscles, pretending he had overexercised it.  A bit vague, but maybe believable.  He hoped Nicky would not be long.  He glanced in the direction where the others had gone in, hoping they as well as Nicky were all doing ok.

[Pterano]

"Mmmm, just so." Raal responded, giving the compy a cadaverous smile. "Oh is he now?" Raal inquired. "Just tell him what we've been telling them all along. It will change everything, and lead to the mammals' extinction and the glorious revolution for our kind. It will mark our ascendancy as the new, dominant race on this planet. No more guises... no more hiding in fear... say when did you join us, brother? You must be new. I take it the path to Progress is one to your liking?" he asked, giving him another death-like smile.


"Me? No, no... I never made it past the Catholic school I started out at. Never went to college." Circe shook her head. "When Raal adopted me... that was it. He educated me... much to my regret." she murmured.

"All right well... it looks like a standard lab. Cultures and all that. Centrifuges... it's gotta be the virus." Vincent took out his phone, and pretended to be texting, but in reality, he was snapping a few photos. "Maybe someone else with a biology degree can tell us what's up." he stated. "I suppose we could always 'accidentally' knock one of those vials onto the floor and watch and see if the science dudes choke and die or not... but then again... it's not meant to affect our kind so... guess that wouldn't work." Vincent chuckled nervously here.

"You've seen too many movies, I think." Circe shook her head. "Anyway... I think we've seen enough here without actually entering the labs. Shall we head back?"

Vincent nodded, and began heading back down the hall to link up with Karl now. He noted Nicky wasn't present, but as Karl showed no signs of alarm, that was a good thing. "Must be working Raal for information." the PI suggested.

"Well I remember your methods of trying to get information out of me... attempting to seduce me didn't exactly work out too well for you." she smirked.

"Errr... well... I think I DID get stuff out of you... not much but some... stuff." Vincent defended himself.

"Oh yes, but I think we can make the case that I got far more 'out' of you than you did of me." she was still smirking playfully, and gave him a light pinch as they walked.

Vincent only murmured something inaudible in response, but smile all the same even as he dropped his head to look at the floor.