( closed ) lost research

[winscenario]

who: Jim Kirk, Leonard McCoy, Peggy Carter, Re-L Mayer, Shai Ebbisaryn, Sans, Dick Grayson, Scott Lang, Yuuri Katsuki, Victor Nikiforov
what: a rescue mission
when: from May 15th through to the end of the month
where: abandoned area, along the river, the delta and the waterfalls; between the first and second walls
warnings: monster attacks, probably some injuries/blood, don't expect anything more than that; add any needed warnings on your own threads as needed, please!


Despite the risks, most of the journey was a fairly quiet one. A lot of hours walking, making their way along the riverside, trekking through the woods and across small clearings. When the sun set they'd set up camp somewhere, and as soon as it rose they got back to their feet and out towards the Delta underneath the waterfalls.

Jim made sure they had all they needed; maps, compasses, whatever devices that could help them navigate the terrain. As far as supplies went, they had plenty of covers and extra clothes to make sure they didn't suffer through the colder nights, but there were no luxuries out here. If it rained, they'd be mostly unprotected, and they could only shower and wash their clothes so long as they had the time and access to the stream of the river. There was plenty of food, hopefully enough to last them the round trip, but they also had a myriad of tools and weaponry needed for any hunting and scavenging so they didn't always have to consume from the food they'd brought along for the trip.

The creatures living out here were another concern, and on a journey this long, they were bound to run into something sooner or later. They should be packing enough weaponry to keep the team safe and everyone in one piece, though.

Hopefully, it would be worth it. Jim didn't even care if they didn't get their hands on any of that research— all he cared about was that there were people possibly lost and in danger out there, and he wanted to try and save them.

[ ooc: this is a mingle log, so everyone feel free to write up your own top levels and/or tag around as much as you like! ]

Comments

For all things medically related!

[legendary_hands]

For Yuuri: Setting up and medic talk!

[legendary_hands]

Being lassoed into this likely went easier on Jim than he expected. Except Jim might've realized that the entire reason he didn't argue as much was cause he'd rather risk his life and follow Jim into danger than let him go without someone to patch him back up. Which was part of why he was working to get what medical supplies he'd need for a mission like this.

Going over the list one more time, he glanced over at his young 'apprentice' and handed him the list. "Could'ja check this one more time for me, Yuuri? Sometimes I miss things without someone to look over it the second time." Usually he did the process in reverse. Someone else checked then he did, but since the younger was just learnin', he didn't want him to feel that kind of pressure.

"You feelin' up to this? Don't know what's gonna be out there." Granted the doctor felt that Yuuri was pickin' things up real fast, even if he knew he'd been taught before he'd picked up again here in Riverview.

AWWW YEAH

[toolatetochangethename]

You know, in the realm of probabilities, Scott was kicking absolute ass. It's just that probabilities mean nothing's ever 100%, including his ability to dodge some monster limbs. It had something with a bit of claw to it, at least that might explain the whole bleeding scalp he's staggering around with.

"You got a bandaid or something?" The whole nonchalant act would probably work a bit better if he didn't look about ready to keel over.

[greyjane]

Shai's always held a soft spot in her heart for doctors and the medically inclined. She's mostly dealt with regenerists back home, but the presence of a competent sawbones is always welcome, and Jim had spoken quite highly of the man at their first encounter. That she hasn't had cause to speak with him yet is a damned tragedy, one she intends to rectify. During a moment of downtime at the camp, she approaches him to that end, a bowl of something hot between her hands that she fully and clearly intends to foist on him.

"Evening, Doctor. You a mind for a moment's company?"

because she cannot help herself..

[realimperfect]

[ Of course, at some point Re-L has to wander off somewhere, and, of course, manages to get herself attacked by some form of beast. This time, at least, she's coming back directly after injury, and it's not quite as bad as it had been back on the Eluvio. Not that McCoy would remember it, but she's pretty proud of herself at the moment. Well, slightly. She's not very happy that she's managed to get herself hurt, nor that she'd made enough of a commotion to warrant being checked on, even if Dick had been perfectly kind about it.

Her palm is still bleeding, and fairly liberally, which is what prompts a visit to the good doctor - clutching some kind of cloth in her hand to try and stem the flow. ]

McCoy? I think I may have a problem...

jim kirk ▹▹ ota!

[winscenario]

I ▹ CAMPING

[ A long trip requires some rest, especially if they want to keep everyone alert for the dangers and make sure their mission will be a successful one. To add to that, they'll gain nothing by walking around in the dark of the night, as they might just end up getting lost, tripping up and getting injured, or getting ambushed by some creature out of the blue. So when the sun sets and it starts getting too dark, that's when they start looking around for a place to camp.

For ease's sake, a lot of times they stay somewhere near the river, so they can use the water for a myriad of things. If there's some rock formation where they can take shelter from the cold or (should it happen) the rain, they'll set up near it too. Jim makes sure everything and everyone's alright, that someone's keeping watch too, and that they have enough food for everyone before he actually takes care of himself.

Between taking his clothes off to wash at least some of them and take a dip himself in the river, studying the maps and any information he has, and helping with preparations for dinner, he can be found just about anywhere. If anyone needs help with anything he'll promptly offer, and later at night, he might be the one taking a lookout shift while everyone else sleeps, or he may not be able to sleep so keeping whoever's on watch company seems like a good way to pass the time. ]

II ▹ MONSTERS

[ It was bound to happen, eventually. Jim at least is familiar with sightings by now, as he spends a lot of his time out here during his shifts, but head-on confrontations still aren't his favorite thing.

Maybe it's just some smaller animal, but still aggressive. Maybe someone else is in trouble so he'll jump in to help them, putting himself between them and the creature if need be. It'll likely get him a little banged up but nothing he can't survive. Or maybe he's the one in a bit of trouble and needing a hand to fight off some large creature that's a little more than he can handle on his own.

Or you might catch him in the aftermath, trying to wash off some cut or scrape and doing his best to do a quick patch-up job before they actually can stop and he can get Bones to take a better look at it. ]

III ▹ WILDCARD!

[ Anything else you'd like to do? Go for it! ]

ii

[toolatetochangethename]

[It was definitely not a smaller animal this time. Though, yeah, that tiny little broken branch snap thing had been pretty deceptive. What actually comes around the stand of trees was, well, you know, roughly the size of Luis's van. And just about as ugly.

This is the perfect time for a Heroic One Liner.

Really. It's perfect. Just a great opportunity for a real, snazzy hero style zinger.

Nope. He's got nothin'.]

...well, shit.

II

[yokunaru]

[It's just as well that Yuuri finds Jim after the scuffle's over, considering how useless he'd be just standing off to the side. There's a glint of something metallic floating behind Yuuri for a second before it vanishes.]

Jim! I heard fighting from this direction. [He clutches at his first aid kid, eyes darting around the area nervously as if looking for more of the monsters, before he finally spots the blood.] Oh--you're hurt!

1

[greyjane]

[She's spent most of her young life in the comfort of a well-kept home in Eyteri, and most of her adult life aboard a ship. Tromping through the bush is unfamiliar but not entirely unwelcome - she takes to it well and there's not a word of complaint. She's an efficient member of the team, and she works well enough alongside Jim, though she takes care not to encroach upon his authority. It's not a matter of rank but one of respect; she likes the man, and she honestly functions better as an SiC to a competent officer than the commanding officer herself.

It's late evening, they've settled in for the night and it's only just starting to rain. Too late to pull up their tents and jockey for position elsewhere, she just makes the executive decision to put a crackling dome of crisply blue energy over the camp. It's small enough it doesn't take much energy for her to maintain, and she ends it about a foot off the ground to allow oxygen transference. If anyone touches it, it will melt away under their touch in a roughly door-shaped gap to allow them through.

She gives Jim a sort of 'what can you do' shrug.]

Lovely weather we're having.

i

[realimperfect]

[ A bit of a night owl herself, Re-L finds herself awake when most of the others had retire to their tents or other shelters for the night, mostly taking a look at the stars. After all, she'd talked to Gladio about trying to find something that looked familiar - and truthfully, trying to find something that looked like what she'd seen in books seemed near on impossible with a sky so full of different stars and glittering things. So it looked like she'd have a whole lot of nothing to report back to him, but it was something, right?

Either way, she's wandered far enough to grab some water to drink before making her way back, catching sight of Jim on the way. There's a part of her that hesitates to stop and talking, liking the idea of being by her lonesome for the moment, but she also can't help but to be curious - ]

Do you see anything familiar, star wise, out here?

[realimperfect]

i. camping

[ Camping outside the quarantine was just about as entertaining as it had been on her mission to Oros - just as shitty, but at least there was running water to wash up in every once in a while unlike on a desert planet. In general, this part of things was always a recipe to make Re-L utterly annoyed about one neurosis or another, though mostly it's an issue with washing up, with her. Or getting out of the rain, if that's the current mission at hand. At least while they're moving she's too preoccupied with watching for clues or making sure nothing is going to attack to find anything to whinge about.

Any time there is a body of water nearby it's safe to say that she'll be the first to bolt over to make sure she's washed up, offering up a rare chance to catch her without her make-up on and as scantily clad as she could bear to be with the temperature at the time. There's no shame in her for showing skin (how could she, really, as engineered as she was?) - though the prospect of washing clothing seems to give her more than a moment's worth of irritation. Of course, everything still gets washed and hung to dry, as they should, just as she's dressed and make-up reapplied shortly after her expeditions to bathe.

Nights where she can't sleep but isn't on watch are spent just outside of her tent observing stars - the shine of those still hasn't worn off yet, for a girl that had never sen clear blue sky before the year she'd turned 19. Otherwise, her evening free time is spent tucked away in her tent as snugly as she could be reviewing her notes for the day. Come pester her as wanted/needed of course. ]

ii. encounters of the monstrous kind

[ Of course any outside exploration is going to have to have a few little hang ups. The variety of animals outside of the quarantine's walls don't necessarily spook her, and in true Re-L fashion their first spotting doesn't seem to move her in any way, shape or form. That's not saying much for a girl who's been trained in the art of the blank expression, but there's a certain care taken in watching every animal that they pass by to make sure it's not going to try anything funny.

Smaller animals she meets with a general disinterest and the quick discharge of a pistol, pausing a moment to make sure the animal is officially and truly dead before tucking the weapon away and moving on. The larger beasts, though - they're a different story. More often than not she'll opt to stay away and not engage. After all, animals the size of vehicles are more likely to be pissed off instead of dead from being shot the first time. If it comes down to it though, there's always two consecutive rounds of a shotgun to state where she is and what the threat is - or was.

Any mishaps are met with a plethora of explanations of shit! before she moves to take care of them - a wrapping around her small ankle after a tripping incident whilst on the run, or a field bandage of a cut from some sort of savage bramble or not-quite dodged animal. ]

iii. note taking

[ Re-L's most important job, in all of this adventuring up the delta and camping, is what it's always been - looking for anything out of the ordinary, any clues as to where these scientists may be. It's not unusual to see her break off from the group to inspect something that seems out of place, or a notebook quickly drawn out to make note of some thought or another toward where they might find their missing targets.

In the low light of the setting sun she's found herself distracted away from camp by the glint of something in the base of tall bushes and weeds, picking her way through the flora with a degree of caution and a pistol drawn in case this ends up being a predator ploy.

- Instead, she happens on some kind of metal instrument, turning it over in her hands where she found it, reeds nearly six feet tall, tall enough to obscure most of her silhouette in the falling light.]

What the hell is this doing here?

iv. choose your own adventure

If there's a prompt you'd like to go with that I've missed, throw one at me!

III

[yokunaru]

[When he spots Re-L heading away from camp on her own, apparently having seen something, Yuuri hesitates for a second or two before he follows after her. Though he's still wary of their surroundings, almost expecting monsters to jump out at them at any minute, Yuuri's still curious enough about the abandoned area to seize opportunities like this to have a look around.

He frowns when the reeds make it difficult to see anything, though, and turns toward the sound of her voice.]

Re-L? Did you find something?

i;

[greyjane]

[She doesn't know the girl, but Shai has cause to trust Jim's judgement, and if he wanted her along she'll cop to the assumption she knows her business. Still, she contents herself with an introduction and a few professional nods.

Until she's headed back from a dip in a nearby stream and she passes her by. A warning's well in order, then, and she slows and then stops, lifting a hand to get the girl's attention.]

Might want to avoid that watering hole.

[She says it cheerfully enough, pointing back the way she'd come.]

Had a spot of trouble with the monsters, one of them had the discourtesy to bleed right into the damn water. Dragged the corpse out, but it's still a bit murky. There's a better place upstream.

i. stargazing? stargazing.

[bone_idle]

[ The peculiar skeleton who plagues their days with a seemingly inexhaustible bad puns and dad-jokes (and inopportune naps) doesn't seem to sleep much at night; while never volunteering for watch unless forced to, Sans nevertheless can often be found sitting out and, weather permitting, watching the night sky too.

On this particular night, Re-L gets around to it first. ]

Wouldja getta load of that? Never gets old.

[ Sans stands a short distance away, having made perhaps surprising little noise on his approach for someone who is little more than bones swaddled in track shorts, a blue hoodie, and fuzzy pink slippers -- and is rattling the ice cubes in a fountain soda cup in one hand, complete with a bendy straw.

Printed on the cup, barely visible between his white phalanges, is the name of a fast food shop back at the quarantine zone. ]

ii

[fingerstripes]

[ Whether it's the sound of a gunshot or just a scuffle, Dick's running as soon as he hears it, heart already in his throat. He breaks through just in time to miss whatever caused the upset, but he spots Re-L, patching herself up. ]

Re-L? [ He moves in cautiously, scanning the edges of the clearing for any sign of the threat. ]

Hey, are you hurt?

peggy carter » ota

[mannerism]

( 1 ) ✤ trek + camp;

[ a relic from the 40s, or not, it soon becomes clear that this is hardly the first time peggy carter had taken part of this manner of an expedition. It may take a moment for those who know her to recognize her as the curls and the heels are gone. the red lipstick and the sharp attitude are still in place, however.

sharpness aside, she would occasionally offer anyone who walks near a drink out of her bottle of water, not without a courteous nod. just try to shield her during the rain, however! any manner of offer of blankets or sympathy would be answered with a glare that would soon make it clear, this is not a woman that needs to be coddled.

and mind you, if you come upon her while she's disrobing for a quick bath, you'd get a huff and a very proper turn your back for a moment, would you? ]

( 2 ) ✤ nighttime;

[ she always volunteers for more than one watch.

a restless sleeper, she might yet join the one in charge of the night watch, even if it is not required of her, tossing a teabag into the little pot of boiling water over the small fire. ]

All quiet.

( 3 ) ✤ monsters;

[ why she's here would become clear if they stumble across one of the beasts ( she so stubbornly refuses to call them monsters ). an attack would result in a quick reaction, a roll on a ground, kicks and hits that are nearly ferocious in nature.

it would always end in the same manner, whether she's standing or on the ground, there would be a bullet or two between the eyes and a skeptical: ]

Think it would be good for dinner at all?

( 4 ) ✤ wildcard;

[ anything else? ]

2

[yokunaru]

[Volunteering for a part of the night watch had been a no-brainer in a way that many other things weren't. He has a limited skill set compared to the others on the mission, for one, and with this, Yuuri feels like he's actually helping. Besides, with his anxiety nagging at his thoughts, it's unlikely that he'll get that much rest anyway. It's better for those actually in charge of the group's safety to get a good sleep.

Yuuri looks up, surprised, when Peggy joins him by the fire.]

All quiet. [He agrees, glancing toward the edge of their camp, where a sword pokemon's floating quietly, ready to sound an alarm if it notices anything strange.] You couldn't sleep?

1

[realimperfect]

[ She has to give Peggy at least a little credit - she's more able to let go of her make-up and predilection toward being put together. Re-L, however, isn't quite the same. Maybe it's the virtue of being so young or just.. a virtue of 'training' so to speak. There's an obsession with keeping up appearances, which means that even if they're hiking or in the rain, she'll be dressed and made up as if they're not out in the wilds.

Re-L has wandered off from camp to go ahead and get herself at least slightly cleaned up - washing her face to prevent typical teenage issues - the lot. She's not run in to anyone previously on these trips, but if it's Peggy -

There's less of an urge to buzz off immediately, at least. ]

It's Re-L. [ As if she's telling her she's fine from being oogled or something since it's her, fingers working in a practiced manner to peel away black clothing. Thankfully she's already not a fan of exposing her skin too long, with how damned pale she is, but gets to washing fairly fast, kneeling down on the river bank so as not to become a beacon for where they are. ]

I think the last time I was out on a desert planet was almost better than this delta, if I'm honest.

2;

[greyjane]

[She's not one to turn down company, especially of the charming sort. Shai is plenty restless herself, she rarely sleeps more than a few hours a day and that rarely in one set stretch.

Somehow, she's not surprised that Peggy's the same. Shai makes room for her beside her at the fire, and gestures to the pot of tea she's put on for herself.]

Plenty to go around, sweetheart, if you're in the mood.

Clearly someone needs to get all #3 up in here

[toolatetochangethename]

[Scott's being doing his Tiny Ant thing, but after the monster falls, he pops back to normal size, right next to her, looking down at the still-twitching monster, dubiously.]

So what you're saying is that everything I've heard about British cooking is true.

[Because he ain't eatin' that, no matter how long it suffers a Proper English Boil.]

[yokunaru]

I. Around the campfire

[Sheltered as he might be, Yuuri's well aware that camping's not at all fun and games--he'd gotten a taste of that back in the other universe. Still, he does his best to adapt with as little complaining as possible, so that he doesn't burden the others. When dinner time rolls around, Yuuri takes over and digs through the supplies that he'd brought along in preparation.]

I have some trail bars and...um, mystery meat. [Yuuri bites his lip as he glances at the skewers cooking on the fire. He's added some seasoning to the meat skewers to make them more palatable, but considering it's probably from some monster they killed earlier in the day--best not to think too hard about it.]

II. Rough Terrain

[It's a relief when Yuuri realizes that he's not lagging behind the group, even when they hit the rockier parts of the path they're following. Silently, he thanks his past self for deciding to stick with his rigorous training schedule and keeping himself at a certain level of fitness.

When someone else stumbles near him, Yuuri reaches out to steady them with one hand before he can even think about it.]

Are you okay? [Though there's concern in his voice, his expression's a bit strange--if only because he's so unused to helping someone else out in a situation like this.]

III. Wildcard

[Let me know if there's anything else!]

[realimperfect]

'Mystery meat' doesn't sound all that appetizing. [ Of course she has to rib him, it isn't Re-L Mayer if she isn't finding some way to give someone shit that they don't need or want in the moment, probably. She takes a seat next to the fire, missing the short stools she and Vincent had found specifically for this kind of thing if only because sitting on the ground was not always all that comfortable for her in that moment. ] - But it's better than beans and dressing day in and day out. Or noodles with different sauces.

[ Scavenging compared to what high end foods she'd been accustomed to in Romdeau had done a lot to solve her picky eating - and fast. So, regardless, she's going to eat whatever it is that they have. ]

Provided you're not going to make me cook I'm sure it'll be fine, though. Mystery meat or not.

Dick Grayson | ota

[fingerstripes]

[ He's here as an agent of the police rather than here as Nightwing, which had been a practical decision as much as a tactical one. Better to try and blend a little, when standing out in this context will only be a drawback for the team. Better not to put his own effectiveness at risk with worries about how to keep a mask in place during a weeks-long excursion with strangers.

Still, it's an unfamiliar position to be in, and it has him more than a little off-balance. A little more on edge than the regular obligations of police work tend to inspire. The gun strapped prominently to his hip feels a little more out of place today than it ever does when he's in uniform. He wears it because it would be more conspicuous for an off-duty officer not to, though it's probably noticeable to the team by now that the weapon isn't ever drawn. There are always other options for him in a fight, and he uses them. Carefully held back. Curtailed. No bat-ninja skills here, no sir. Just unvarnished, art-less competence. ]


Climbing

[ The rougher terrain is where he tends to let go of a little of that facade. He makes quick work of the cliff face even without the help of bat equipment, and there's a smooth, natural grace to the way he moves above the ground that no amount of feigning can really hide.

He flips in a smooth arc, dangling somehow from his feet off that terrifying overhang and turning to extend a confident hand down. ]

Here. You need a hand? [ He won't snatch without permission. ]


Nightfall

[ When his watch is wrapped and dinner stashed for the night, Dick often kills the sleepless hours in the loftiest perch he can find. Usually that's a tree close to the camp, and tonight he's taken the bat-binocs (emblem carefully filed off) to catch the long view of where they're heading. The end game.

Make a sound below and he'll likely engage in his invitingly friendly way, or surprise him while he's distracted and risk a reflexive attack. ]


Training

[ But he needs to train sometime. Keep up the regime or lose it, and he won't lose it when lives are depending on him.

And okay, maybe days on end of pent up competence with no break, no relief at all, is starting to get to him after a while. He's close enough to be shouted for, far enough away that you'll probably need to stumble across him by accident to actually find him, a makeshift staff in hand as he cycles through a few dramatic bat ninja routines, all flipping, twisting, kicks. ]

Delta Explorations / Scientist Finding for Re-L, Sans, Victor & Dick!

[realimperfect]

[ Unfortunately, camping where it was quiet the entire time wasn't getting them anywhere in their investigations on what exactly had happened to the scientists they were in search of. Eventually they have to set out and get down to business so far as finding who they're looking for or at least what's left of them.

Most of the terrain is wet, crawling with bugs and reeds almost as tall as the lot of them, swaying in the breeze and making tracking of any animal movement all that much harder for their efforts. Thankfully they'd had a relatively quiet time of it, so far, as even large hunting animals aren't fans of moving through long reeds and muck for the evening dinner when there were smaller animals ashore. How the hell anyone was meant to find anything out here was a mystery to her, tugging her foot out of another sinking pit of mud with a small growl of irritation. They would be caked in mud and probably miserable by the end of this excursion, but keeping the entire pack of them together through all of this may have been even more headache inducing than keeping track of four people.

Re-L takes a moment, breathing deeply and reminding herself that making a fuss out here would more than likely not at all work in her favor, with her teammates or attracting animals that they didn't want to. ]

I feel as though if these scientists got caught out here we may as well start digging in mud for bones.. this is the direction we indicated on the map, correct?

Delta exploration » scientist & research finding » Jim, Peggy and Yuuri

[winscenario]

[ Reaching the delta takes a few days, but overall they do fairly well, not running into any major issues with supplies, dangers or injuries too severe for them to manage. Considering he doesn't know the people on the team nearly well enough yet to be sure whether they'd cope well while out on a mission like this, he feels both confident and pleased as they reach the delta.

They've got their work cut out for them here, he knows that. Finding those scientists will be no easy task, if the natives themselves seem to have only vague clues as to their whereabouts, but Jim is a firm believer of a more active and practical approach, rather than just sit around and talk and wait for some clue to fall magically on their laps.

The team's pretty big and varied, and since it's such a large area, Jim splits them up into smaller groups to cover more ground. Some people he knows will do well against any potential dangers; honestly his biggest concern is Yuuri and Victor, who don't seem like the fighting type at all. One of them, at least, Jim keeps close to himself, knowing by now that both he and Peggy would be more than capable of protecting him should he end up in a more dangerous situation.

The vegetation is tall and dense out here, although there are smaller patches of clearings, especially closer to the water streams. The ground is wet and slippery, though, and it only gets worse the closer they get to those streams. At least they haven't found that many animals of any size lurking around, aside from some nasty annoying bugs, and Jim tries not to rush either of them as he makes sure to mark down the areas they're exploring as they go on his digital map. ]

Keep your eyes peeled for caves and the like. Anything they might've used as shelter, or places where they could've set up camp. [ And where they would be likelier to find either some scientists or some of their research. ] We could try closer to the waterfalls.

[yokunaru]

[Though part of him's worried about how Viktor's faring with the other group, Yuuri keeps his wits about him, keeping his steps careful as they pick their way through the slippery grassy area.]

The scientists must've had equipment with them. Do you think if we'd be able to pick any signals up once we're in range?

[Even after all this traveling, he's only slightly winded. It's not the first time Yuuri's been thankful for the grueling training schedule he puts himself through. Though he isn't as capable in combat, he's not lagging behind the main group, at least.]

Mission wrap-up » Bones & Re-L

[winscenario]

It's a couple of hours after they've reached the delta, and Jim's wandered away from Peggy and Yuuri by now, in hopes of covering more ground now that they've established that the area seems to be fairly safe. Maybe Jim hadn't planned to wander this far off, but once he realizes it, he doesn't turn back or try to find them, either.

Especially when he finally comes upon some sort of scanning device. Broken and whatever charge it had is depleted, but it might still have relevant information stored in it, so he puts it in his bag and keeps on going.

His own scanner picks up trace amounts of energy, as well as a very weak signal coming from just a few meters ahead. He keeps on walking and practically stumbles onto a small entrance to a cave, hidden between some rocks, seemingly leading downwards and underneath the ground.

It's not a large area, but more than enough to serve as some kind of hideout. His thoughts get interrupted when he spots someone leaning against a wall, seemingly passed out, and he makes his way over slowly, making sure they're not likely to attack before he kneels next to them.

It's a man, looking weak and tired, the clothes tattered and torn. Jim can't tell if he's one of the scientists but he's definitely not with their group, so he grabs his comm device and calls out to anyone who might hear him.

"Kirk here. Found something— or rather, someone. Might be one of our scientists. Sending out my coordinates, anyone who can just meet me out here. Kirk out."

[realimperfect]

Re-L's gone and wandered off from her group as well, predictably, following what looks to be a patch of reeds that had been stomped down by feet or, at the very least, predators in search of what they wanted. She's got a keen eye ut to make sure she doesn't come back with more injuries for Bones to treat - at least, as best as she possibly can, following a smaller path in a weaving trail. Not much comes of that one, and as Re-L turns and picks her way back to her original path the communicators crackle to life -

It's Jim, reporting that he's found someone. She takes a moment to let that sink in as well as triangulate where she is versus where Kirk ins before responding, wanting to be sure she was giving the correct information and trajectories before speaking up. There's no way in hell Jim is getting to explore and actually finds leads all by himself, that she's already resolved for herself, and once she's managed to lock on to his position and begin her navigations sh's tromping through reeds at her slower, more careful speed, not wanting to become too militant and miss any clues she may find as well.

"What do you mean, might be?" She doesn't bother with the whole naming herself thing - a bad habit from her inspecting years. "I'm coming your way but I'm a ways out West. Maybe take me 20 minutes to reach you with these reeds but I'll be - " She stops, the sound of both recognition and mild disgust fairly clear.

"Something around here is rotting."