A Question of Humanity

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:31 am

Zachary mentally kicked himself. He'd forgotten to check vitals, which really ought to have been one of the first steps. Whatever. Head feels a bit fuzzy, wonder what else I've missed.

He grabbed Nadya's wrist to check her pulse, and watched her chest to measure her breathing. Next, he rechecked the bandage on her foot.

Zach's attention returned to her face. "You okay to move? We should probably get a bit of distance between us and the plane. I can help you if you need it."

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:26 am

Nadya looked up in surprise as the man's movements became far less assured, and he fumbled for her wrist.

Spoke too soon

"I can move...I think." Unsteadily, she got to her feet and, fighting back waves of nausea, began the precipitous climb down the inclined isle.

---------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 11:58 am

Some of the bags of overhead luggage had survived the crash in better condition than their owners. Dane went through them hastily. One had some bottle water and a Tylenol-3. Christ, this is the best I can do for a dying man? Some fucking Tylenol-3? Fuck it.

The headed back over to where he had been sitting. The man was dead. Dane let a long sigh. "Sorry," he whispered.

"Can take a hit . . ." he heard from behind him.

He turned. "Yeah," he said as he moved over to help. "I told you it would be the winds that fucked us."

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 1:10 pm

Outside the plane it was the proverbial torrential downpour, the rain chilling the tropical forest to frigid levels, and the only movement the swaying of the trees lashed by the wind. Darkness sought to overwhelm the entire region, to mask the grasping branches, tripping roots, and clawing shards of plane, but it was held at bay by three factors in a failing rearguard action. The first was the inconstant but regular apocalyptic crash of lightning, the thunder that accompanied it undelayed by distance. The second was a suffuse, sodium yellow glow from somewhere through the trees. The third was from what was going on uphill.

Their section of the plane had rolled most of the way down a valley, only arrested at the end by the trees refusing to be rolled over and smashed to kindling. Up the hill though, all that smashed kindling had mixed with the spray of fuel from the plane, and despite the moisture, ignition had occurred. Dense, choking grey smoke from the inefficient was starting to roll down the hill, while distant, obscured orange flames danced in the darkness, playing a game with the rain to see which one of them would give up first. For the moment the jet fuel seemed stronger than the rain.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 3:59 pm

Nadya was carefully making her way down the aisle, trying to favor her wounded leg as much as she could. The blood and...other fluids on the floor and the steep incline made a fall all but certain, each one potentially fatal, as the impact turned the cabin into a nightmarish landscape of jagged, razor-sharp metal. The going was slow, but she was making progress, and she was still alive.

The smell of burning fuel had gotten stronger, and the cabin was slowly filling with smoke. Nadya coughed and increased her pace.

Immediately, she almost slipped, arresting herself only at the last moment. Better safe than sorry, she decided.

She judiciously kept her eyes on the ground ahead of her, trying to watch her footing.

A loud cough close by caught her completely by surprise, and she gave out a startled yelp.

Turning to look at it's source, she saw a man doubled over in a coughing fit, one hand on the back of a seat for support, the other on his stomach. Immediately, she recognized him- it was the guy who kept staring at her when he thought she wasn't looking.

Great, of all the people on the plane, the creep survives, she thought with annoyance before turning to Zach following her closely behind.

"We have a live one here!"

----------------------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Soontir948 · Post by **Soontir948** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 8:03 pm

Andy had saw the man rummage through the carry-on luggages before being helped. "Yea, thanks. I'm aching but I'll be fine. We should keep getting what we need outta the plane before that fire grows further."

The sound of thunder and intermittent darkness of night must have masked her presence but near them, Andy saw the beautiful Russian girl that was seated luckily in field of his vision; she was a good substitution for the lack of the in-flight movie. He was glad she survived. A hottie like her didn't deserve to die. Though he noticed she seemed to have an air of annoyance about her but he put on his best smile and said, "Well hello sweetheart, I'm Andy."

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Sat Jul 18, 2009 10:02 pm

Zach sighed and moved over to help pick Andy up. "You gonna need any help walking? The plane is somehow becoming even less attractive by the minute. Must be the firelight."

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 3:21 am

Nadya barely suppressed the urge to give in to the nausea and throw up on the leering man. Somehow, even being in a burning plane was not enough to take his mind out of the gutter.

This one might be a problem, she thought. What a creep!

She gave Andy a glare and walked past him with as much dignity she could muster under the circumstances, leaving Zach to help him out of the plane.

And then, after more climbing, the three of them were finally outside.

A wall of rain hit Nadya's face like a bucket of cold water, immediately soaking her through to the bone. She winced as the gash on her face stinged under the icy torrent. She shivered.

There was a clash of thunder, and in the brilliant flash she saw the scene on the hill above. She stared, transfixed, at the horror above- the mangled trees, the shredded metal, and worst of all, the burning stream of jet fuel.

"Oh my God...." she whispered. Whatever fears she harbored, the reality was far worse. She turned to her companions

"We have to get out of here!"

She turned and broke into a slow run, limping heavily

----------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 11:12 am

"Aw fuck. There goes our margin. Anyone else alive in here?!" he called out. No answer. There wasn't time to check everyone individually. "Okay, let's get the fuck out. Calm, steady, watch where you're putting your feet. You need help, ask for it." He began to move.

Soontir948 · Post by **Soontir948** » Sun Jul 19, 2009 10:25 pm

"Ah you've got to be shitting me!" Andy yelled back. With the flames licking closer and closer and the rain pouring like it was quenching a desert's thirst outside, he tried to decide which was worse. Dying in flames or by hypothermia. "Fuck it", he said and grabbed a nearby carry-on luggage and ran with the rest as fast as he could. "We should try and grab a bag and have some amount of supplies or we're dead anyway!"

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 1:13 pm

Zach finally caught up with the others, clutching yet another head injury incurred from banging his head on the way out of the wreckage.

I swear to god, if I live through this and the worst I've gotten is a missing eye I'll count myself lucky.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 2:32 pm

Dane exited the wreck. "Everyone, stay together and move away from the plane!" Running through this mess was asking for a broken ankle. He walked swiftly into the jungle.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Tue Jul 21, 2009 5:57 pm

Nadya glanced back at her companions. The creep who ogled her was struggling to run with a small suitcase, the medic was stumbling, barely able too keep up with the rest, and clutching his head. The big man was trying to keep them all together, and, it seemed, failing quite miserably. She knew which one she wanted to stick close to.

She slowed her pace to match Dane's own, and fell into stride next to him

----------------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:34 pm

As the bedraggled survivors of the crash move into the jungle away from the wreckage of the plane, the source of the diffuse yellow light begins to become apparent. Steady and strong, it is clearly artificial and electric, bright enough to pierce through the thick cover of the jungle and the shadows of the night.

Following the light back to its source yields a perhaps a hundred metres through the jungle. Numerous brilliant yellow search lights powered by several diesel roaring generators were pointed skyward and into the jungle, illuminating the camp with a weird almost daylight. There were five smaller canvas tents, probably living quarters, two larger long tents, and one large circular that partially overlapped the hillside. One of the long tents also has a large metal mast sticking out of it with a satellite dish perched at the top.

Despite the still running electricity though, the camp is completely empty, seemingly recently so. Objects lay strewn about as if all dropped at the same instant by their now vanished holders in some blind panic. There are signs of vehicles having been here once along a crudely cut road that led deep out into the rainforest, although in this rain it has already turned to a treacherous mud track likely strewn with fallen debris. Most troubling of all though is the radio in what is quickly apparent as the command tent, for all the connecting wire, including the microphone, are just missing.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 1:46 pm

"Holy fuck," said Dane as he walked towards the camp. "What are the fucking odds?"

He headed to the long tent without the mast. Probably the mess/cook tent and good odds as the place to find food and water.

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:11 pm

The long tent without the mast next to it was in fact the mess hall, and it was in the same state of abandonment as everything else. A single plate of what looked like it had been porridge or the like sat half eaten and alone on one of the tables, a dirty spoon lying next to it, perhaps a late night snack for one of the people who had been here. There were enough tables and chairs to serve perhaps two dozen people at a time, consistent with the size of the smaller tents outside.

In the back there were signs of something happening very quickly as packages of preserved food, including more than a few MREs, were scattered about, tossed aside as if someone were searching for something in a great rush and never bothered to clean up after. Scattered in amongst the piles there were a few rolls of gauze, fasteners, bits of adhesive tape, and other paraphenalia that suggested that perhaps a first aid kit had burst open and then hastily been scooped back up.

Worst of all in the ransacking was the water jug. A large, fifty litre container had been knocked over in the haste and cracked. Someone had clearly tried to right it, but it looked like most of the water had leaked away since it had happened. There were maybe a few cups within. Of course, such a jug would be insufficient for the whole camp, so there had to be a well or a larger container around somewhere.

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Wed Jul 22, 2009 3:23 pm

Dane dropped the bags in the center of the table and then gathered up the food and the items from the missing first aid kit and then set several saucers outside to collect rain water.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Thu Jul 23, 2009 12:00 am

"What the hell happened here?"

Nadya was staring at the deserted camp. The first realization that the lights she was seeing were artificial in nature had given her strength for the freezing, nightmarish trek pushing through the dark dense jungle undergrowth. It was only through the efforts of her companions that she was even able to reach the camp.

When the small group finally made it to the outskirts of the wide clearing which contained the tents, she discovered she didn't really care even if the camp was, say, an outpost of the local drug cartel and they would all be shot. Anything to get out of this goddamned rain and mud.

Whatever she was expecting, the reality turned out to be far stranger. The camp was entirely deserted, assorted pieces of equipment strewn about. Still, there might be food and water here, and definitely shelter.

The small group entered the camp, with the big leader heading towards a large tent, looking for supplies. Nadya made her way to one of the smaller sleeping tents and opened the flap.

-------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 4:56 pm

Nadya opened the flap to the tent and climbed into it, eager to get out of the cold rain. As her eyes took in the scene of utter chaos inside- clothing, books, and personal items strewn about without any semblance of order, mosquito nets torn from their hooks in the roof of the tent, one actually sliced to shreds as its occupant simply cut their way out to freedom, she realized that her initial guess was correct. The tent- the smallest one in the camp, housed the female members of the expedition.

"Oh t-t-thank G-g-god," she exhaled, teeth chattering, and, after sealing the entrance (always a prudent precaution, but now doubly so, given certain members of the group), began rummaging through the abandoned clothing looking for anything that would fit her. Anything to get her out of this wet, blood-and-vomit stained clothing.

She had little trouble finding herself a thin long-sleeved shirt, and pair of pants, only slightly too big for her- cheap sturdy stuff she had seen the locals wear in the jungle, and, spotting a rain poncho at the far end if the tent, reached for it. The book it was covering made her pause for a second, and she examined more closely. It was a ledger of some sort, filled with figures and numbers. The handwriting, small and precise, was in a language she did not recognize. She saw umlauts, and yet it was not German. Finnish, perhaps, or Hungarian. Or maybe Turkish. She tossed the book aside. The clarity and the calm with which she saw the world were finally gone, and Nadya wanted nothing more than to curl unto a ball and sleep for a week. But first, warmth,

She took off her mud-soaked hiking shoes and took a spare pair of cheap knee-length rubber boots. She remembered seeing a pair just like this in a store in San Jose. "Proudly made right here in Costa Rica," the shopkeeper bragged. She was decidedly unimpressed, and decided to stick with her Timberlands. Perhaps, I should have listened she thought, grabbing a boot. It was half a size larger than she needed, but it would have to do. Then, something grabbed her attention.

The tag, she realized, said "Sunrise Corporation. Made in Mexico." So, the owner was lying after all. Or maybe not- half of the clothing in that store was blatant knock-offs of brand names, proudly made in its basement or in the warehouse next door. She shrugged and went looking for something to stuff into the boot.

And then she stopped, remembering something, and pulled off her shirt, turning it over to read the tag. "How curious," she frowned.

She shook her head to clear the mist in her brain, and immediately felt another wave of nausea. "Great, just what I need, throw up again, " she muttered, but tempered her movements. Moving as fast as she could, she picked up every other bit of clothing in the tent, and looked it over. "Sunrise Corporation. Made in Mexico." Again, and again, and again.

That makes no sense whatsoever. If they would counterfeit clothing, they would do it to brand name clothing, not some....shipping company? She vaguely remembered seeing the name on some containers in New York. I didn't even know they made clothing at all..

And then she realized something that has been nagging at the back of her mind ever since she set foot in the camp. The jungle is full of life- snakes, insects, birds, small mammals all got in her way as they made their way from the plane and earned a curse or a yelp of fright from her. And, yet, inside the camp, there was nothing. Nothing at all.

"What the hell kind of expedition is this, anyway?" she said, a chill making its way up her spine, and clearing the fog in her mind. And then, she practically leaped up, and scurried around the tent, looking through the items left there. Perhaps, whatever caused the people to leave is still around.

To her surprise, she found no photos, no diaries, nothing to identify the women who lived and worked here. She looked at the books lying there, and found most of them to be way more technical than she could understand with her three years of High School Spanish.

"Commercio en el golfo de Nicoya en los siglos XI-XIV" read the title of one of the easier ones which she could sort of understand. Others had photos of assorted ruins in the jungle, so she supposed them to be archeological books of some sort.

One of the books made her start in surprise. "Снотов В, Гротес. А, Торговля древнейших цивилизаций мезоамерики," published by the Faculty of History of MGU, Russia's premier university. Her Russian suffered badly during her time in the States, but she was still able to understand that the paper was a study done in the 1970s as part of a joint Cuban-Soviet study of pre-Columbian Cultures. The text, while technical and hard to understand and talked mostly about Carribean and Mesoamerican trade patterns in the 13th century, much like the Spanish book she picked up.

Why would the camp of a historical and archeological expedition in the middle of the rainforest be hurriedly abandoned? Costa Rica was a safe place, its jungles free of rebels and drug lords. The clothing was an oddity, but perhaps the women simply ordered their gear together from this company. She needed more information, she realized.

She had noticed that whenever she was faced with an intellectual mystery, whether a riddle to be solved or a question on a test, she immediately felt better, no matter how ill she was beforehand. She had come down with a pneumonia after a lingerie shoot on a cold March night and took her SATs while running a fever. She did well enough to get into Columbia.

And so, it was this mystery that made her get up once more, pack anything useful left in the tent into a small bag, and, tightening the rain poncho around her, step out into the freezing rain once again.

Limping, she ran to the larger tent next to the one she exited, and dived inside. The tent looked much like the one she left, save for the fact that there were five mosquito nets, and the clothing strewn about was clearly male. She checked the tags on the clothes. One of the shirts was local Denim knockoff. Every other piece of clothing had the exact same tag: "Sunrise Corporation. Made in Mexico." Curiouser and curiouser.

A search for books revealed a translation of a Michael Crighton novel, two back copies of Playboy, a local San Jose magazine, and;she chuckled; a 2008 swimwear catalogue featuring on page three a heavily photoshopped creature, that might have passed for her on a dimly-lit street at night. She took the catalogue in her, just in case. Maybe, she could use it to her advantage if the previous owners of the camp returned suddenly, and it sure as hell beat letting it fall into the hands of her team. She folded it carefully and put it in her pack, next to the waterproof matches, bandanna, and sierra cup.

And so she checked every tent, one by one. One, used by male scientists in the expedition had papers on geology, metallurgy (she caught the word "iridio" in the title of one), and, to her surprise, a physics paper full of advanced math equations. The two others had more books, local magazines, and porn. Aside from a few pieces of underwear, socks, and one t-shirt, all had clothing made by Sunrise Corporation. None had any diaries, journals, or photographs.

She was just finishing up her search of the last tent, when a noise outside caught her attention. Gripping her machete- a parting gift from one of the expedition members, she stepped outside.

-----------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Losonti Tokash · Post by **Losonti Tokash** » Fri Jul 24, 2009 6:04 pm

Zach had helped Dane gather up some of the junk from the mess tent, and set about taking inventory while the other man set up his rain traps. Finding a bottle of ibuprofen, he immediately dry swallowed nearly a whole gram of the stuff and took a more contemplative look around the mess hall, checking for anything they might have missed the first time around before he went to examine the other tents.

Academia Nut · Post by **Academia Nut** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 12:28 am

The sound Nadya heard from outside the tent was the sputtering cough of one of the many droning diesel electric generators running out of fuel and dying away, several of the brilliant spotlights pointed skywards flickering and dying away, the clearing becoming just a little bit darker, just a little bit more oppressive.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 9:06 am

Back outside in the cold rain ("why the hell is it cold? Are we that high up in the mountains?" she wondered idly once again), Nadya saw the generators die away.

Fuck, we might need those generators later, to signal the rescuers.

She was about to suggest turning them off for now, until there is a rescue, to her companions, when she realized something. This whole damn thing didn't make sense. Why keep them pointed up in the sky in the first place? And she still didn't know the answer to most important question- what caused the expedition to abandon the camp in a hurry?

The answer to that probably lies in the command tent.

She made her way to the tent without the mast. She ran into the leader, Dane, outside the large tent, collecting rainwater. She noticed surprise in his eyes when he saw her new kit.

"There are dry clothes and supplies in the tents," she explained. "And survival tools- I've taken some, we'll do an inventory later. First, we have to find out what the hell happened here. An scientific expedition does not abandon camp suddenly in the middle of a storm like this. Something happened, and I want to know what, in case it's still here."

She walked past him as she said that, and reaching the command tent, opened the flap and peeked inside.

------------------------------------------------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Cynical Cat · Post by **Cynical Cat** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 10:43 am

"I don't think this was a scientific expedition," said Dane. "Look-I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name. I'm Dane." He held out his hand.

fgalkin · Post by **fgalkin** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:06 am

"I'm Nadya," she shook the big man's hand. "I looked through the books left in the tents. The looks to be an archeological expedition of some sort. We should know more if we find their diaries and reports"

----------------------

Have a very nice day.
-fgalkin

Soontir948 · Post by **Soontir948** » Sat Jul 25, 2009 11:26 am

Andy using what he learned scrapping together anything edible in his college days for a meal was in the mess hall preparing the preserve food and MREs into a hopefully passable dinner or early breakfast for his group of survivors. He took a finger's quantity and ate it. "Hmm, not bad."

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A Question of Humanity

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