riverviewlogs | ( closed ) lost research

Entry tags:

( closed ) lost research

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! ]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

Sliding his pack off, he dug through the supplies he meticulously packed for any sort of situation. He'd brought surgical masks at the very least because he never knew if and when he'd have to do some unsavory surgery out in the middle of nowhere. It was more habit than anything else. He'd brought along four, mainly cause he considered possibilities of contamination and sanitation needs. Not that they were good enough in his mind to protect them entirely. Still better than nothing.

"Well, I'm glad that you have a heart of gold like that, Re-L. But I don't plan to make myself dead weight if I can help it." He ignored Jim's smart ass remark and held up the surgical masks to each of them. "It's not the quality we likely need to filter out as much as I'd like.. but it will keep you from breathing in ninety percent of it."

And it would be easier than trying to breathe through something improvised. "Just... be careful." He stated that softer before turning to the man and pulling out some temporary fixes to get the man a little more hydrated. Pulling out gloves as well, he started to started to work to inject him with some fluids in hopes of getting him at least coherent to drink something. "We should likely get him out of the cave and away from whatever put him in this situation."

Jim shoots Re-L a brief look, an eyebrow slightly raised, though there's a trace of an amused smile tugging at the corner of his lips. "I think we'll be fine, but the generosity is appreciated." He has a feeling she'd care more than that, really, despite her nonchalant attitude. It's one of those small things he's still learning to navigate when it comes to Re-L, but it's not like emotionally stunted or repressed people are something new to him. One could say he has some extensive and prolonged experience in that department.

Nodding at Bones's explanation, he puts on his mask, though admittedly more for Bones's sake than his own. "Alright," he moves closer, leaning down to put a hand carefully on the guy's shoulder. He's still unconscious, but Jim just doesn't want him to wake up suddenly and get scared about a complete stranger carrying him around.

He'll have to risk it, though, it looks like. Sighing, he hands his scanner and light over to Bones, freeing up his hands so he can curl one around the scientist's back, the other hooking underneath his legs, then slowly he lifts him up from the ground. "Come on, lead the way. Let's get out of here."

Something was better than nothing for sure. Even if it kept out some of the pollen in the air and kept their heads on their shoulders Re-L would be glad for it. She takes the mask without a fight, carefully arranging it on her face so that (she hopes) it's filtering as much air she's breathing as possible. Though it's not something she puts voice to, the fact that she's lacking in terms of resistance to anything, pollens included, is weighing heavily on her mind at the moment. Thankfully she's masterful at the art of the poker face, too, as none of it shows as they banter back and forth about her statement before.

"Don't get cocky. We still don't fully know what the hell's going on." The pollen could be the tip of the iceburg, really, and she wasn't about to write anything off when it came to alien moons and the lot. Still, the mission at hand is most important, and Re-L nods as Bones suggests leaving the cave. It's a bit stale in there, after all, and she'd prefer to be back out in the open. Turning to the body further back in the cave, and then back to hr companions in this excursion, she tips her head slightly for indication.

"What about this one? I can carry him if need be... Or leave that for another recovery crew?" Not that she's all that keen to pick up a dead body, but. She's also very capable of carrying it out, at least.

Taking Jim's scanner, he started to protest about Jim doing the carrying alone, but he ended up stopping and lettin' it go. Putting his own mask on, he moved to the cave entrance while rolling his eyes a bit at the other two. Least Jim was playin' along to appease him and Re-L understood what he meant about how severe it could be with an unknown airborne threat. They'd have to deal with the body carefully of the dead as well. No need contaminating themselves.

Looking back at the body that Re-L indicated, he shook his head. "I think the bodies of the dead shouldn't be moved without more protective gear. I say mark the location of the dead and we'll either recover them later, or come back for them. The living is always the priority."

Not that he didn't respect the dead... He just knew they had more important things to deal with. The dead would have to wait a little longer. "Let's get him out of here and get to the research facility so we can get a better idea of what all is goin' on."

Well, he's not just doing it for Bones's sake. Whatever happened to this scientist, he definitely doesn't want it happening to him, and though he might risk a lot in dangerous situations out of sheer necessity, it seems stupid to risk his safety with an unknown pollen just because he doesn't feel like wearing a mask.

Not that the mask would change all that much, but it's better than nothing.

Nodding, Jim follows after the other two, keeping a good distance from them until they're out of the cave. Once out there, he lets Bones lead the way to the campsite, since he knows where it is, with Re-L following behind them to cover the rear. It'd be a problem if some creature were to sneak up on them now.

"Fair enough." That's a bit of a relief, anyway. She hadn't necessarily wanted to fool with the bodies or touching them in any facet, but.. if she'd been out voted it would've just been something she'd had to deal with. Having already marked where one body lay she makes sure the one in the cave is marked as well before following behind.

Following at the back to keep an eye out is understood without words, listening and watching with a keen sense of what they would be up against if they were taken by surprise. For a bit it seems as though they'll get there without incident, though movement further to their left has Re-L stopping, a finger moving to the trigger on her gun.

"Stop for a second. Something's moving at 3 o'clock."

The moment Re-L spoke, the doctor came to a complete halt and turned slowly to look in the direction she indicated. His eyes scanned the foliage of the area carefully looking for any indicator of it being human or not. Enough creatures had attacked them on their way that he felt a helluva lot more gun shy over it, that was for sure.

Reaching down to put his hand on his own gun, he saw the flora rustle as the rustle and cracking of limbs underfoot got more pronounced. He'd just managed to pull the weapon from it's holster when a figure, definitely humanoid burst from the forest's dense foliage and ran toward them with sheer terror in her eyes. Blinking in surprise, he barely had time to move the gun out of the way before the person flung herself at him and clung to his shoulders screaming, "Please, help me!"

He started to tell her to calm down, his hands awkwardly balancing his tricorder and weapon as they came to rest on her shoulders. That was when he realized the rustling in the brush hadn't stopped and something much bigger was starting to emerge with a loud roar like sound heading straight toward their little group.

Jim draws to a halt too, only taking a couple of steps so he can put himself between Bones and the source of the sound that caught Re-L's attention. Having to carry someone in his arms is now proving to be something of a hindrance, though, but he doesn't have the time to set him down or hand him over to Bones, not when that woman emerges suddenly from the foliage, running frantically towards him.

"Shit—" It's about all Jim can let out before a massive creature pounds its way through the foliage, its massive body only barely hidden behind an equally huge head, out of which three large horns stick out. Close enough to a rhino for Jim to make a connection, except... with larger and pointier horns. And also teeth. That's new.

With the scientist in his arms, there's not much he can do but run, at least at first. "Come on!" He urges Bones and Re-L to follow him, rushing into the tall grass, hoping they can at least distract the animal or hide from it for long enough for him to put the guy down in a safer spot and grab for his own gun.

Re-L doesn't move from her standing position other than to raise her weapon as the rustling and cracking grows louder, clearly coming their way. Thankfully the experience of coming out here had taught her a little bit more about waiting to see what was waiting for them on the other side of the brush, but doesn't stop her from training the weapon on whatever it was that may come through if it was a threat. The human that comes first she passes on shooting (thankfully) - glad that Bones is the one she chooses to fall on to, screaming, all that hysterical non-sense that's drawing whatever is following her their way.

"Shit - " She and Jim may sound a bit like a chorus on that one, but the thud of her gun going off that follows it is punctuating enough. "Go!"

She's quick to cock the rifle again, even while they move, keeping an eye out. Thankfully, with such a long gate, it's easy enough for Re-L to keep up, checking over her shoulder to see where the beast is in relation to them every few steps. Thankfully the bulk of it seems to make the creature a bit slow in comparison to faster, smaller moving bodies, and Re-L calls ahead :

"It's falling behind. Get down somewhere and make sure we're quiet and hopefully it'll go away. There's no shooting through that head!"

Just seeing that monstrous… thing… burst from the brush was enough to get the doctor moving. Pushing the woman awkwardly, he knew calming her down right this second was not going to help. “Ma’am, you gotta run.” His voice sounded harried even through the forced calm as he urged her to run after Jim. When he finally managed, he fumbled with the tricorder to put it away all while keeping an eye on the frantic person that just might climb Jim’s back if he didn’t get her to calm the hell down.

Something that he hoped he could do in a dead run. Luckily, he’d had plenty of practice pulling things out of his med kit while running after Jim in the past. It made the efforts quick and only a little fumbled to get a sedative into the hypospray. Leonard just had to rely on Re-L following up the rear to be good as their only gunman for the moment.

When she yelled that they were far enough to hide, he caught the woman’s arm before she could climb the captain’s back like a damn tree and pressed the hypo to the crook of her neck. She had been mid hysterical scream of another cry from help when he got her, and the words softened, slurred off and she slowed a bit. It wasn’t too strong, but it was enough to get her to be loose and calm. At this rate he’d be better off carrying her anyway.

Dragging the woman’s arm over his shoulder, she slumped against him and blinked in confusion as the look of terror melted into relaxed confusion on her face. “Pick a spot, Jim! I’ll make sure she gets there.” Least she stopped the damn screaming.

Jim would be impressed by Bones's quick thinking and apparent calm, if it weren't for the fact he's currently more focused on getting them as far away from that animal as possible. They do manage to gain some ground once they get deeper into the tall grass, but it's not until Bones manages to silence the woman that Jim starts feeling more confident about their chances.

"A cave would come in handy right now," he mutters, looking around them briefly before spotting a tall and wide boulder. He nods and urges Bones towards it, looking over his shoulder to keep an eye on where the animal is. "There. Come on, let's get you two up there."

For a moment Re-L debates asking them about a way to knock her out before she finds a way herself, but in the long run, actually running and escaping seems to be the better option. For the moment. If it continued to be a problem... well, she's think about it then. At the moment surviving and making it out of the woods was her first instinct, and though the beast was large, it didn't seem particularly... intelligent.

She fires a shot toward the middle of it's thick skull again, watching as it tries to shake off the wound, now a bit bloody bit otherwise not all that shaken. If she was the type, she'd want to know if it had a thick skull, or what, but right now scientific exploration is not what they're here for.

"Sooner than later!" Re-L adds shortly after Bones, keeping a slower lope, but still far enough ahead that they were in a safe range from charging. For her part, Re-L fired a few distraction shots, checking back to make sure that everyone was still moving and finding some kind of solution to this mess.

"You're going to put them up there?" Both just asking the question and sort of.. disbelieving at the same time. "What if it head butts that? Then we're out Bones and he's more useful."

The doctor has always worked on absolute faith in Jim. Which was why it was so quick for him to go in the direction Jim indicated. There was nothing to question or consider, just doing what he said. He solved the problem of the wild patient, Jim got them to safety. It was a balance he was used to.

Granted, trying to get a sedated and loopy patient up to higher ground would be complicated. But he'd manage. She was lighter than Spock at least.

Though, as he puzzled out Re-L's question, he furrowed his brow at her. "Hey there, now... I ain't gonna fall out that easy. Just cause I'm a doctor doesn't mean I can't take care of myself." And well, hopefully the two injured. That just meant those two needed to get rid of the problem. Which was exactly why, he got right back to work dragging her up to the place Jim indicated. "Could also get it away from here after you get the liabilities out of the way."

Not that he particularly liked referring to himself and patients that way, but he knew they likely thought it.

It's a large rock, with a wide and sturdy base, seemingly sinking in deep into the ground. Jim has a hard time imagining the creature, large and strong though it is, would manage to tip it over or break it down so easily.

He doesn't bother answering Re-L's question— they don't have the time for that, anyway. He starts towards the rock, and once they're close enough, he reaches out to take the woman from Bones's arms. "Come on, you climb up first. I'll pass her on to you."

Once Bones manages to do that, Jim tries to find some leverage, lifting the woman's weight up enough that Bones can reach down for her. He glances over his own shoulder in the meantime, making sure the animal isn't headed straight towards them again.

"Keep an eye out for our big friend, will you?" He speaks to Re-L, though he's fairly sure she's already standing guard, just in case.

"I wasn't referring to you, Bones." There's a little roll of her eyes, as if that should've been obvious. She values her body in one piece and her health too - so thinking Bones a liability would've been foolish. "The only liability here is the one who nearly blew my ear drums out not too long ago." But then again, Re-L was also the type that wouldn't have batted an eye lash if she'd managed to fall behind, either. If it was a choice between this team or their new hanger on...

Well, let's hope it doesn't come to a decision making moment.

For the moment, though, Re-L is a little preoccupied with keeping an eye out for their larger hunter, or, hell, maybe something smaller than had been scared up and now wanted what they could get. "No, I think I might as well just watch you climb the rock." Another one of those sarcastic glances over her shoulder, fleeting because she does have a job to do, after all.

Their large friend is prowling not too far off, bleeding from its forehead and clearly agitated, trying to decide what to do next, she thinks.

"It's trying to figure out it's next move. Don't give it too long."

Well, that was good to know. He really wasn't too fond of the idea of being considered a some sort of drawback. Though, he was fully aware the scientists were at this point. Once he perched up on the rock, he leaned down and pulled the woman up carefully with what help Jim could give him. Pushing her back and out of the way, he hesitated only long enough to see her sit there looking dazed before he moved back to the edge.

"Gonna be a bit harder, but let's get the other guy up here, too." Dead weight though the comatose guy was, he still wanted him out of harms way. This kind of moving is not good for either he nor Jim, but it's better than getting trampled, that's for sure.

Sending Re-L another glance, he tracked her gaze to where the creature seemed to be and frowned. "Either way. Get us up here, I'll mind them... if you want to deal with our unwanted guest." That last part was turned to Jim as he reached down to grab on as best he could to the other scientist. "You better keep yourself in one piece regardless."

Jim rolls his eyes at Re-L's answer, though really he should expect no less. At least he's abundantly used to sarcasm, so he breezes through it without a word, while he helps Bones hoist the woman up onto the boulder. Once that's done, he picks the unconscious scientist back up, finding himself having to struggle a little as he balances himself between holding his weight with one arm, and climbing the rock partly with the other. Bones is reaching down just enough that he can catch him at least, and Jim focuses his strength on pushing him up once Bones has a good grip.

He groans at first, then lets out a relieved sigh once the weight's off of him, and the man is pulled completely onto the rock. He nods at Bones's last words, catching the doctor's hand and squeezing it briefly, if only because the moment doesn't exactly lend itself to deeper and more meaningful shows of affection. "We'll be fine. Promise."

Hopping back down onto the ground, he finally pulls out his gun, still set on stun rather than kill. If he can manage, he'd rather be able to find a solution that wouldn't involve killing the animal. Nodding to Re-L, he starts walking calmly back towards the foliage, though not headed straight to the animal. "Come on, let's see if we can get it farther away from here."

"Don't waste too much strength on them." Of course, they'd do what they wanted to anyways and she knew it, but it stood to be said. There's no use in running themselves down for people that may be debatably helpful, but, there again... she's also from the kind of place where they don't really spare other lives as a rule. It helped to travel with a literal personification of Death, but... well, none of that was important to note right now. Not when there's a monster prowling just within her sight line, blue eyes watching intently. There's a bit of a look back at them, for a moment, Re-L's eyes still glued to the creature as she puts her gun in its holster, beginning to shed an outer layer or two of her favored outfit.

It will eventually do nothing but get her stuck, and really, she doesn't need that much fabric over her if they're going crawling through jungle.

"Keep ahold of these, will you?" She hands the cloth to Bones with a little nod, feeling a little lighter to be rid of it. "I'll keep Jim in one piece."

With Jim down on the ground again she cocks her rifle again, the spent shells falling to the ground beside them and the weapon loaded to bare once more.

"Why waste time with that? Take it out and move along. You're going to need your energy to drag along our hangers on, now, too. It's just a matter of finding a good angle at which to dispose of it from."

Jim doesn't try to let it get to him much, especially when he knows Re-L's attitude is merely a product of the place where she comes from, but the ease with which she seems so willing to dispose of 'dead weight', as she'd call it, is a little jarring. it's not how things are where Jim comes from, at least not among Starfleet officers. They're here to help and save those scientists, and useless though they may seem, Jim's purpose is to get them back to the Quarantine safely, with or without the records.

He follows after Re-L, not too bothered by her rifle. He'd expect the same sort of attitude from just about anyone, really, and it's not like he's a stranger to firearms either. He just likes to avoid them if he can.

"You'll have to forgive me if I'm not eager to kill the animal," he breathes, voice quiet as he follows after Re-L into the dense vegetation. He's keeping an eye and ear on the creature, while looking for any kind of landform that he can use to trick the animal and get it away from them, and into a position where it can't come after them again.

"We're not here to be an animal welfare group." It's a simple thing, so far as she's concerned - the less time they waste here with this animal meant more time to get their patients back to where they needed to be, back to the others in their camp so that they could call for them to be picked up. Surely the Quarantine would want their scientists back, would know what was going on with these mysterious yellow kits and why every single one of them looked as though they'd been rolling in pollen. At the same time it's all a bit suspicious, and if they aren't provided answers -

It's safe to say she'll have to investigate herself. For the moment, though, she sinks down behind a larger tree trunk, seemingly toppled some time ago, but she suspects by a very like creature by the damage done. She can see it, still pacing agitated and still bleeding, blue eyes darting across it's body as if trying to discern a weak spot before she has to find one on the fly, not keen to play that game of Russian roulette, if she's being honest -

"If it tries to kill me, I'll kill it first. That's it. If you can find a way to get it off our case without neutralizing it, then you can have your way." A pause, and then, as if she was going to take any other deal -

"Deal?"

He gets that, he really does. It's just a matter of survival, not that Re-L takes pleasure in killing the animal. But it's difficult to explain, for him. There are so many animals gone back home, so many species extinct, plenty wiped out by humans no less, it's just hard for him to cope with having to kill an animal. So if he has another alternative, he's definitely going with it.

That, of course, depends on Re-L giving him that chance too, because he has a feeling that given the opportunity, she wouldn't miss a clean shot. So when she speaks again, he breathes a soft sigh of relief, smiling faintly as he nods at her. "Deal."

Better than nothing. Anyway, first step is to get the animal farther away from Bones and the scientists, so glancing around, he draws a path in his head, then gets out from behind the fallen tree, starting on a trail rounding the creature, trying to keep the same distance while doing as little noise as possible. Re-L can either follow after or watch his back, he's fine with both options.

For her they're all long gone - and by that she means long gone. Most animals she's ever seen had been in film and books instead of actually real and breathing in front of her, and perhaps that's why there's such a cut off, for her. She's never had a pet, or the experience of dealing with animals to soften her a little past knowing that if this came for her, she was going to kill it. Though she'd never exactly been a terribly soft girl, dealing with absolute destruction and surviving on their own hadn't exactly been an easy lesson, and Romdeau's fall..

Well, life has a way of teaching even Re-L Mayer lessons she doesn't want to deal with or hear. "Then we'll go from here." She agrees with a little nod, no hint of a smile, but he's used to that by now.

Re-L follows behind at a careful pace, far enough that she feels she could at least take a distracting shot or two before the animal got too close, and what she felt was an advantageous angle. Thick skin would make a lot of the difference, here, and shooting for soft underbellies or recesses would more than likely be her best bet. "What's your plan, here?" She asks, voice low, too curious for her own damn good.

Honestly, Jim's just glad she's at least giving him the chance to try for something other than simply putting down the animal. Sure, it's massive, wild and an outright confrontation would likely end in death for him, but it's also just an animal. Whatever the reason for attacking them, it's only acting on instinct, and Jim's the one trespassing on its space, not the other way around.

There's a hint of tension when she speaks up, and Jim shifts and tries to get a look at the creature, to see if it responds to the sound of Re-L's voice. His hand raises to her in the meantime, as if telling her to stay silent, then once he's sure the animal hasn't spotted them yet, he resumes his walk across the field of tall grass.

"We need to be on higher ground," he murmurs, voice barely there. "If we could find a hill or something..."

Jim remembers some of the trek across the delta, and he's hoping to find one of those steep falls he'd seen before. Ideally, he'd be able to do that before the animal was made aware of their presence, but just as he trails off he hears the faint ruffling turning louder, and a deeper growl turned their way just before the animal starts charging towards their location.

"Oh, great," he breathes, then nudges Re-L forward. "Run!"

Of course, here they are, deep in grass and the lot, precisely the kind of place she generally did not want to be while being chased by a gigantic animal hell bent on killing her - and it turns toward them. Thoughts of getting to a higher ground disappear fairly quickly as Jim nudges her. But once she's off, she's off like a flash. For things like this being generally lanky pays off - running away with a long stride makes it somewhat less of a struggle.. besides the high grass of course.

There's no real plan to which way she goes - the animal didn't seem to be too entirely intelligent, so she hopes a sort of zig-zagging pattern might confuse it some, even if it just buys them time.

"Now would be a good time for a better plan than 'high ground', Jim!" Lest she decides to just take matters in to her own hands, but, for the moment she isn't worn down and won't resort to shooting. Yet.

The high grass is as much a hindrance as it is an advantage. While it makes it harder for them to move, it also means they're somewhat hidden from the animal's sight, and evidently it relies on that sense more so than the others. Thankfully for them.

Re-L's running ahead of him and he keeps it that way, making sure to stay just a couple of feet behind, so he's between her and the creature. Whichever way she runs, he'll follow after her. Well, at least at first. When she speaks up again, a thought pops into his head, and he takes a few sharp breaths before answering.

"Run left," he says. "Run left, and keep running!"

He's fairly sure the steep hillside he'd spotted before is nearby. Of course he can't be absolutely sure, but if it's not anywhere near, then at least the creature will only be chasing one of them. Once he gets Re-L running left, he turns to the right, lifting up his gun and aiming a few shots at the sky, so the laser light and the sound will catch the creature's attention. Hopefully.

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