Shortly after everyone has completed the application and interview process, Jefferies returns to the drawing room. He marshals all of the applicants and Mr. Tempest. “Gentlemen, if you would be so kind as to follow me, we will continue these proceedings.”
He ushers into a ballroom which has been setup with various chairs from other parts of the house. A stage has been erected at the far end of the room. The maid, Adele and another man-servant, who clearly is unused to domestic tasks, supply you with refreshments. The fair is simple hors d'oeuvres and more cocktails. The young woman serves the plates of food while the older man pours the drinks.
After about 20 minutes, a man in his 30’s enters the ballroom through a door near the stage. He mounts the platform and clears his throat and gestures for the assembled to take seats. Once everyone is settled. He begins speaking.
“Thank you for coming. I am Vance Mercury. I am the nephew of Dr. Milton Mercury. Firstly, I am glad to inform you that your applications for the Explorer’s Club have been approved and you are now members in good standing. It is now time to tell you more about why you are here.”
The young man pauses before continuing, “Dr. Milton Mercury, his crew and their rocket ship, Icarus, have gone missing. The team had set out on the grand expedition of traveling the moon when their craft experienced difficulties as it approached the Antarctic continent en route to escape the Earth’s atmosphere near the southern pole. Some sort of problem or mechanical failure caused the Icarus to turn back and eventually crash over the Indian Ocean. That was 10 days ago.”
“We know that the Doctor and crew survived the crash as we were in radio contact shortly after the incident. All four expedition members were reported in good health and spirits but repairs to the Icarus seemed unlikely. Communication was sporadic but was maintained for two days. Messages were always brief and often broken but were enough to determine the crew’s location. We place the crash site somewhere on the interior of Skull Island. Yes, I mean that Skull Island.”
After waiting for the surprise and commotion to subside, Vance Mercury continues. “We have not had any communication with Icarus in the last week. This is where you come in. We are mounting a rescue mission. As luck would have it, there is already another expedition on its way to the Island. It is a scientific mission to study the island’s mysterious population and unique flora and fauna. They are provisioned for a long stay and should have all of the necessary equipment to affect a rescue. We have been in contact with this expedition. Their mission is one of science and exploration but they have been persuaded to assist in your humanitarian endeavor.”
“Your mission is to find the Icarus crash site and rescue the crew. Besides Dr. Mercury, there are the pilot, Stanley “Top Cow” Kowolski, the exploration specialist, Max Steele and a reporter, Ms. Juliette Karr. Beyond that, it would be a windfall if you can salvage the Icarus, in part or in whole. It would also be of great benefit to determine the cause of mechanical failure. All that is left to do is get you to the Project Legacy expedition.”
“We believe that we have that problem solved as well. Here on the grounds we have the first generation version of the Icarus rocket ship, the Daedalus. The Doctor deemed it unsuitable for the trip to space but it is still a functioning aircraft and it is very fast. You should be able to rendezvous with the Project Legacy expedition within a day. From there you can coordinate the rescue operation.”
“I am sure that you have questions. I will do my best to answer them.”
"Skull island? Isn't that where things grow, like REALLY big? Folks might want to upsize their guns an ammunition."
ReplyDeleteJock Brattle continues "While a really good shot can often put a small caliber shot thru an eye or something, those shots aren't always available, especially if'n the critter is coming at you fast."
ReplyDeleteOnce Vance Mercury finishes speaking, there are some worried conversations that have started amongst the other applicants. It seems the mentions of a mission to the moon and Skull Island have some doubting the sanity of this endeavor.
DeleteUpon arriving at the ballroom and seeing that additional refreshments are available, Bear politely returns the decanter he had brought along from the library to one of the attendants with a nod of thanks.
ReplyDeleteAt the mention of Skull Island, Bear strokes his chin in thought. "Now that's a tall order," he remarks. "Talk about starting things off with a bang."
He signals to get the young Mercury's attention. "Will we be taking this Daedalus, ah, 'rocket ship' along once we meet up with the expedition? Might be useful to have air support once we get there, assuming it doesn't decide to crash, too."
Vance Mercury answers Bear's question. "The plan was to turn the Daedalus over to the mission. Many of the applicants are qualified to fly it. To my understanding, it is not much different from any other aeroplane. I was not expecting it to return until the rescue had been achieved."
Delete"Not that this is an issue for some of us," Justin says, nodding at Tempest, "but what are we getting paid for this?"
ReplyDelete"I thought people like you "lived for the thrill" of the adventure" he says with a sarcastically raised eyebrow. "Do not talk to me about payments, I am just the investor, here to see that my company gains a quickly vanishing profit from his investment." He walks over to the servant with the decanter Grissom handed them and waves his now empty glass near them.
DeleteVance Mercury looks a bit troubled by Tylmaronde's question. "This is not a paying job but rather a chance to be a part of history. Your expenses will be covered and you will get the chance to see some remarkable things. Think of it as a working vacation to an exotic locale. I would expect that an enterprising fellow such as yourself could turn the experience to your financial advantage." He finishes his response with a much more confident smile.
DeleteThe man-servant quickly tries to refill Tempest's moving glass. The man pours whiskey rather than scotch and manages to spill so on Tempest.
Delete"CLUMSY OAF" Mr. Tempest snaps, then places the glass on the mans tray, then pulls a handkerchief from his pocket and begins drying his hand. "You are SUPPOSED to take the glass from my hand, refill it, then return it!" at the realization that his temper is somewhat showing, he straightens his tie and lowers his tone and says quietly "Now, go and bring me a clean glass, with scotch in it."
Delete"'Expenses covered,' eh? I suppose that'll do. Not many men can say they flew in a rocket ship to Skull Island." He flashes a lopsided grin. "The weather should be a damn sight better than Chicago in the fall, anyway."
DeleteThe servant returns with a glass of scotch in a new glass and hands it to Tempest. "My apologies, sir."
Delete"Skull Island? Another financially disasterous expedition to Skull Island?" Mr. Tempest says with a tone of (Harrumph). "The last company to invest in an expedition there is still paying on Insurance Liability policies." He then leans closer to Grissom and says in a low tone "although WE did make quite a profit buying up their defaulted collateral. quite a profit indeed."
ReplyDelete"So may I assume that my investment went toward this Greek Tragedy and now we must set out to recover what is left of the assets? And why could you not have come up with a better name for that Enterprise? Something financially sound and awe inspiring."
"You suppose correctly Mr. Tempest. The Icarus and the exploration of the moon was Dr. Mercury's current project. Uncle Milton, Dr. Mercury, was the one who named the ships. Is suppose he had some help there. Dr. Janet Wright was also involved in the early stages of the project. Unfortunately the two doctors could not see past their differences and went their seperate ways."
Delete"We currently have little interest in Skull Island beside it being the location of the Icarus and its crew. Project Legacy is a seperate expedition that has agreed to share resources to help recover our people."
"We have spent the week gathering some supplies of our own to help with the rescue effort. The additional expense has been minimal. After all, the Daedalus was constructed under the moon expedition project. That expense was covered by previous investment from yourself and others."
"We have not named the rescue mission, but for morale sake I think it would be a grand idea. Do you have a suggestion?"
"I am delighted to hear that this is a recovery mission as well, and that Skull Island is not part of the venture. THAT place is a financial death trap!" He looks around for a minute, then fumbles with the copy of First Men In The Moon that was sitting in his pocket. "And I am well aware of the original plans for my investment, and the substantial rewards that were to be received by it, but I was not told of Mrs. Wright's departure. Nor was I informed that anything more than a test flight had been made."
Delete"As for a "name" for this fiasco..." he looks around the room with a sly grin, then nods toward Grissom "perhaps our intellectually gifted friend here can find words to best describe this Grand Adventure?"
OOC: i do not have the book (First Men In The Moon; H.G.Wells, 1901) in his equipment list; but i would like to spend a Style Point (or 2 if necessary) to have an original copy in his vest pocket (opposite his cigars). forming a character idea here.
DeleteGiven Tempest's wealth, having the book is not an issue. No style cost required. (Plus it is for the sake of character development.)
DeleteLet's not call it the son of icarus. Have the design problems with the ship been recta . . er, fixed?
ReplyDeleteVance Mercury responds to Wally. "Daedalus is actually the 'father' of Icarus. It is the prototype. It flies just fine but not up to the rigors of space."
Delete"How soon do we leave?" asks Jock. "I will need to know how many are going, how long we expect to be there and what weight of supplies we can carry if'n I am to select the supplies we need. Be nice to have someone to pay fer the supplies along as well. Remember to account fer the folks and other things we might be picking up at the island. I know planes don't fly if'n they are loaded too heavily."
ReplyDeleteAgain Mercury answers, "The plan was to leave in the morning. Like I said, we have provisioned for the mission and the Project Legacy should be able to supply anything we may have missed. When we are done here you can tour the Daedalus and inventory the supplies."
Delete"Is there something specific you are looking to bring?"
"And lets not name the rescue mission as poorly as the original missions. Did they also fabricate all their seals and joints with wax, as their namesake did, no wonder it crashed."Dr. Lambshead says from the back."Hrumph, here nor there, lets be off to this amazing isle and see what we can do for those poor souls. Perhaps we'll have occasion to meet Kongs' mate, this will be a fun jaunt, indeed."
ReplyDeleteTempest's comment about naming the rescue mission interrupts Bear's apparent reverie.
ReplyDeleteHe grins and raises his glass towards the financier. "Well, seeing as it's your greenbacks that will be paying our way, I'm surprised you wouldn't see fit to name this garden stroll after yourself, Mr. Tempest.
"Besides," he continues after taking another swallow from his drink. "I'm just a simple grease monkey. I'll gladly leave all the high-order thinking to the eggheads."
Rubbing his chin some more. "I do have to say, though, the idea of pilotin' a rocket ship is mighty appealing."
With a twinkle in his eye, he quips, "Maybe I should change my name to 'Buck'."
Jock asks "Was anyone injured? Does the doc need ta get any special meds or equipment? Will we be able to land nearby or do we have a long hike in an out ahead of us?"
ReplyDeleteVance Mecury answers Jock, "There were no major injuries of which we are aware but they have been out of contact for over a week."
Delete"The island is not what one would call an optimal landing space. Likely you will need to travel by foot and possibly boat. The Legacy Project will have a large boat and I believe that they have a base camp from their first expedition last year."
"Never the less I shall make a list of medical supplies I think we might need, including the vaccinations we should all have before going to the South Sea islands." Lambshead says as he starts jotting a list of medicines.
DeleteTurning to Lambshead, Vance responds, "Very well doctor. As I told our hunter friend, I believe we have everything covered. Of course you can review what we have on hand. If we are short something I have it on good authority that the Legacy Project will likely have it on hand."
DeleteIts Saturday, but some outfitting stores should still be open fer a bit. We should get a few machetes since that island is like to be covered wid jungle.
ReplyDeleteAn frankly, while I wouldn't hesitate to hunt a Kodiak grizzly with ma rifle here, we might be safer if I get a bigger gun since...ahem...thet ape they talked about makes a grizzly look really small. An the reports I read said that other things on thet island were really big as well.
If'n I could have a look at the supplies already laid in I could have a better idea of what ta git so we will be ready to go in the morning.
Heck, considering that the island is off by half a day from being around the world we might want to leave earlier so we arrive earlier in the day...depending on how fast this craft it. Safer than arriving in the dark.
Vance responds to Jock, "I believe that we have all of the basic supplies required for overland travel on the island. This included machetes, firearms and ammunition. I certainly do not want to tell you how to execute your craft but the caution I have heard regarding larger guns is their rate of fire and bulk. They may have more stopping power but they only shoot so fast. They are also bulky and hard to transport while hiking and climbing. The island is teaming with dangers and speed is often the greatest asset."
Delete"You will be able to review our inventory shortly when we go to see the Daedalus. If you really think something is lacking, we can see what we can do to procure it. The mission needs to leave soon. I am not sure how much longer the crew can hold out on their own."
"Out of curiosity" Mr Tempest asks, "what is this Legacy Project you keep speaking of, and who is backing it?" he looks irritated toward the doorway, wondering where the clumsy oaf with his replacement drink is, then continues "and will we be splitting anything found with them? what are the percentages here man?"
ReplyDeleteVance responds to Tempest's inquiry, "Project Legacy is a scientific expedition lead by Carl Denham. It is privately funded affair combining the resources of several parties who have previously and unsuccessfully tried to further explore the island. Last year Denham successfully led a 3 month expedition. There was so much to study; they decided to make it an annual excursion. This year he is taking back a larger group with goals of exploring and mapping the island, cataloging the flora and fauna and studying the native inhabitants."
Delete"It is all quite interesting and glorious but it is not a reliable money maker as you have previously pointed out. Skull Island tends to chew up expeditions and suck up money like a plant in the desert."
"Denham?" Mr Tempest says with a sneer. "And I can only wonder who is backing him. Has his grubby little fingers into that island, does he?" He looks around for a minute, then flags one of the servants "Where is your tele'ophone?"
DeleteAdele answers. "It is in the sitting room. If you follow me I can show you."
Delete"Hmmmm. Thinking bout it, I want payment up front fer this rescue attempt. I'll swap all ma gun gear fer gear better able ta keep en expedition alive there. From what I heard it isn't us hunting so much as keeping us from being the hunted. Doubt any H&H Nitro Express's available an thet might not be tha bes rifle to have if attacked by a pack. So, thet semi-auto designed by John Browning, Remington Model 8 or thet new Model 81 Woodmaster (same gun really), a top notch scope an a Colt Ace an the gear to go with em and a good amount a ammo less what ya get fer my current gun gear would be my pay. If'n our lawman friend here could get a few of the extra long 15 or 20 round magazines fer the Woodsman thet ud help. Would want the biggest caliber it is available in, the point three five. Oh yeah, add a rain poncho, a Swiss Army knife, bottle a lighter fluid, 50 foot of rope, a pocket sewing kit, an ten dollars spending money fer what else I might see as necessary when we go to the outfitters."
ReplyDelete"Oh yeah, got a place to sight in guns an scopes?"
Jock Brattle continues "An we want everyone to have a pack, bedroll, skeeter net, rain slicker or poncho, a machete, an a gun wid ammo fer any who know how ta use em. Oh yeah, a couple of us ought ta have a compass and signal mirror jes in case we have ta split up or something. Bring boots an spare socks."
ReplyDeleteJock asks "Do ya have a map of the island? If so I'd kinda like ta sketch a copy inta my notebook here."
ReplyDeleteMercury reponds, "I am sorry, there is not a reliable map of the island available. That is part on the mandate of the Legacy Project this year. I am sure that they have someinformation from the last expedition that they can share once you get there."
Deletesounds like i'm going to need a fire arm of some sort. Is someone writing this down? and we might do with some binoculars, or some other way to know where the bad guys are. in all the inventing, has anyone come up with something better to sense what's going on? Sound amplifiers? just a rescue attempt. not trying to bring anything else back.
ReplyDeleteMercury looks Wally directly in the eye and says "We are looking to bring back our people and the Icarus if possible. We have no planning to bring back anything else."
Delete"The only souvenir that you should worry about, Mr Brown, is your own skin," Mr Tempest says with a half chuckled smile, "and bringing the Icarus back in one piece!"
DeleteGrowing frustrated with the endless shopping list, Vance Mercury responds, "Gentlemen, please, we have equipment. I will show it to you shortly. We are not going on a shopping spree. We are not handing out an allowance. If we do not have what you need, I am positive we can get it from Project Legacy. The Daedalus leaves at first light. If you plan to go you will be here."
ReplyDelete"Well," Mr. Tempest huffs, "I am not going to let one of your little trained minions look after my interests again. This time I will go along and make sure my investment is being properly handled!"
DeleteBear comments in an amused aside to Tempest, "Like kids in a toy store, eh?"
DeleteIn a louder voice, he states, "Sounds to me like we've got a bunch here just rarin' to go. Maybe it would reassure everybody about the preparations to let us go ahead and check out the gear and the ship?"
At Tempest's announcement, Bear raises an eyebrow.
Delete"Coming along to keep us honest?" he asks, then grins. "This getting more interesting every minute."
Turning to the assembled, Vance Mercury says, "We are about to get to that. So is everyone onboard?"
DeleteThere is some mumbling and shaking of heads as some present get up and walk out of the room. Words like 'suicide', 'insane' and 'hair-brained' can be heard as the men leave Dr. Mercury's manson.
There is a furrowing of his brow and a bit of a sour look on his face as Mercury wathes the men leave. After a moment he turns to the group and he says "Right. Well this is a much more manageably sized group. Are you ready to see the aeroplane?"
"As well it should be, Mr Grissom," he replies, "and it will get more interesting I am sure. I need to go speak to Mercury about assinging you as my body guard" he says as he walks off toward Mercury.
DeleteBear expertly snags a decanter from a passing servant and refills his glass.
DeleteWith a jaunty slaute, he says, "Lead on, MacDuff!"
"Mercury" Mr Tempest says as the tap-tap-tap of his cane announces his movement across the ballroom floor "I will be accompanying you on this expedition. Now, show us this airplane, and send someone over to my estate to collect my backpacks and travel gear."
DeleteMercury flushes slightly. "Mr. Tempest, I think you misunderstood me. I am not going with you. I will be attending things here in case you are unsuccessful."
Delete"Of course we can send for your belongings."
After jotting a couple notes in his book Lambshead says "Well lets get to it gentlemen."
ReplyDeleteSounds like they have equipment. Hope they plan to bring us back as well.
ReplyDeleteHeads in the direction that Mercury indicated that the stuff is.
Jock adds "If'n ya want ta not spend time cleanin' an cooking game we should each pack a few pounds of pemmican, beef jerky, an remember to have a canteen fer each of us. Jungles are hot when they aren't raining. We's gonna sweat a lot an we'll need to have water to avoid heat stroke."
ReplyDelete"Sure, lets see this amazing craft."
Dr.Lambshead says "As we are getting ready, and since we have our crew set, I would like to know if there are any medical conditions I should be aware of?"
ReplyDeleteJock mentions "Ah hope ya got anti-venom. Me an poisonous critters don't get along wid each other. Ain't zactly a medical condition, least not more than mos folks, but them venomous critters give me the willies."
ReplyDelete"Noted, sir."
Delete"Well, lets check out this equipment and this amazing craft they have." Jock says "Shall we? Gentlemen?"
ReplyDelete