[color=gold]"The same thought crossed my mind Maddie, trust me on that, although I think your better suited to kicking his ass then me as I have no training like you two do. However... if I might be presumptuous I don't really think he did this out of some self righteous arrogance. I am not a fighter or even an outdoors man but I am good at reading people. Even you must have noticed that something was bothering him long before and was even more so after the fact, I just... I don't think this was his plan from the start, I think he really was ready to work with us when we first meant regardless of how he felt personally but... well I think that may have changed after that phone call I walked in on. It was a couples hours or so before we were to depart and he had a conversation with our employers on speaker phone and I don't think he knew I was there."[/color] [centre][color=black]_________________________________________________________________________[/color][/centre] [i][color=red]"Face the facts Mr.Tembo, we are all aware of your disdain for our company, especially Ingen itself and even more so knowing that your fee for helping us is not money we were forced to hire others who would do what we asked. Let me put this in terms you can understand, your and unknown asset, a loose cannon on the deck. We are merely protecting our interests and quite honestly you should have expected this seeming you think you know so well what were capable of and what were willing to do to protect our interests. You can cast blame wherever you like but the fact of the matter is it was your fathers choice, your uncles choice to work for Ingen all those months ago and..."[/color] [color=tan]"Don't you dare talk of my father or my Uncle... its because of people like you, people with money that innocent life has been taken time and time again and for what? All in the name of protecting your "interests"? People like you don't even have the decency to admit the truth, no you sit in your offices in your fancy little suits and throw money around like its a commodity and then produce another story to tighten your plausible deniability. You didn't even have the decency to tell them what they were going to face on the island, you were sending them in blind because you knew, you damn well knew there was a chance if they found out that they would never have stepped five hundred miles within distance of that island. I don't give a damn about what you want, because I am not going to let one egg leave that island, you will never see your "samples" as you so like to call them."[/color] [color=red]"Oh you really think that at least one of your new team mates won't comply with us? As you so put it were just a bunch of greedy men in suits and fancy offices, so you would think that we could come up with a way to ensure, even with you there, that we would get our embryos. We have already made it quite clear to both Mrs. Ward and Mr.Carr that if they do not complete this operation to its fullest, including bringing us back those embryos that they will never see a cent from us. Face it Mr.Tembo were going to get what we want and you can't stop that, money makes the world go round and one way or another money is going to get us what we want."[/color] [color=tan]"Your so smug aren't you, so sure of yourself and your schemes, my father, my Uncle, even me, all of us have been hurt by people like you and I am sick of it. You think you have won but I promise you this, I will show you that there are things in this world money can't buy. I will deal with this my way and YOU won't be able to do anything about it."[/color][/i] [centre][color=black]_________________________________________________________________________[/color][/centre] [color=gold]"I am not saying I am not mad about what he did, he had no right to do that to me or you, but I also understand that there might be more to this then we have been lead to believe, and I think he knows a lot more then he is telling us. This whole situation has been presented in such a way with so much secrecy that even and idiot like me can see that nothing is as simple as it seems. But I did come to understand why someone inexperienced like me was allowed to come here, because I need that money and I would be willing to do anything to get it..."[/color] EJ would become silent as the scenery outside would begin to slow down, soon enough the RV came to halt with a subtle pull and the click of the engine was heard as the vehicles went completely silent once more. There would be a low ended click from the back of the RV signalling that one of the latches holding one of the smaller cars had been popped free. Robert stood in the foliage of the island interior as he looked around silently, he was close to where the scientists had based camped and this was as good a place as any to switch to a smaller vehicle. The area was a semi small clearing that was far enough out of the way of any main trail so nothing should bother the RV while he was gone. Shouldering his rifle he walked the length of the RV and approached one of the smaller vehicles, opening the door he placed both his rifle and the tranquilizer rifle in the passenger seat and started up the vehicle with a silent hum. He quickly pulled away and took a small trail to the left pulling out of sight. Robert was silent as he drove, in all honesty he wasn't exactly feeling in the greatest of spirits, when he had resolved to remove Maddie and EJ from the expedition he had convinced himself it was for the better. The truth though that ate at the back of his mind was he felt like scum because of it, at that moment in time he felt no better then the men that hired him in the first place. He had no such illusions that he was above it all in this world and that his wishes were more important then anyone else s, in fact in the past seven months he had learned to hate himself. An while he was prepared to take the hatred both Maddie and EJ must be feeling towards him it did not make the situation any easier to bare. If there had been another way, there was now no way of knowing because he took the high road instead of the low. It didn't matter thought, it was done and he couldn't take it back no matter how much guilt he felt now, he just took small comfort in the fact that they were both far from this island and safe on the mainland. It was too much to hope that they would understand and forgive his actions. Robert sighed heavily as he hated who he had become since the incident, he hated himself even more now, and before this was over he knew that he could never be the same person regardless of if he accomplished what he set out to do or not. [color=green][b]"Hey whats going on are we here? Is this the island with dinosaurs!? Are we here!?"[/b][/color] Roberts heart nearly skipped seven beats as brought the car to a quick but steady stop, turning in the seat he looked back as his eye's took on a rather wide glance, JC was sitting the in the bloody damn back seat of the car. What the hell... how the hell... what was JC doing here!? [color=green][b]"I wanna see the dinosaurs, are they near, where are they, all I see is jungle, can I touch one of them!?"[/b][/color] This couldn't be happening, this could not be happening, this was a dream and he was safe and sound back on his fathers ranch in Mombasa. Robert put his hand to his forehead and shook it, no this wasn't a dream because not even his dreams could take this wide of a detour into unknown lunacy. Robert quickly got out of the car and walked to the passenger side door opening it as JC quickly popped out looking around wildly for dinosaurs. It was in that small moment Robert noticed the black, the pillow, and a small goodybag still packed with a couple candybars and the various wrappers littering the car. If this had been any other kind of situation he would have to take his hat off to this kid for being so creative, but this was not the time or the place, Robert grabbed JC with a hand on each of his shoulders and bent down stopping him in his tracks. [color=tan][b]"JC you need to stop now. This is not a game, what the hell are you doing here JC? Don't you understand that this island is dangerous!? Didn't your father make this clear to you JC? Do you really want to put yourself in harms way!?"[/b][/color] Robert hissed the words angrily to the young boy as he shook him lightly but it was enough to bring on a rather sad yet scared look of confusion from the young boy as his baby eye's were caught in Roberts glare. To say he was seething from anger was an understatement, to go from one problem to another... it was as if God was punishing him time and time again. [color=tan][b]"Answer me JC! What were you thinking coming to this island!? You are more then old enough to understand that you are not suppose to be here so answer me!?"[/b][/color] [b][color=green]"I... I... I just wanted to see the dinosaurs... I didn't, I'm sorry Mr. Temboo I.. I..."[/color][/b] JC's eye's formed tears as he started to cry, he stammered out the words as Robert's anger quickly dropped at the site of the young man's tears. Robert sighed closing his eye's, what had he been thinking to be so hard on JC like that, he was just a young boy. [b][color=green]"I'm sorry... I'm sorry please don't be mad at me."[/color][/b] Robert pulled the boy in to a small hug as he cried, only a monster would have been so harsh. Robert shushed the boy trying to calm him down. [b][color=tan]"Its okay kid, calm down, I shouldn't... I shouldn't have been so angry with you like that. I'm sorry too, its okay JC its okay. Hey listen okay..."[/color][/b] Robert pulled JC back a little so the young boy could see him smile and try to calm him. [color=tan][b]"I understand kid, I used to do similar things when I was your age, oh I used to do so much and it drove my father crazy. He used to tell me that one day some kid was gonna drive me crazy too with stunts like I pulled, are you that kid who is meant to drive me crazy huh?"[/b][/color] Robert poked JC playfully in the stomach as the young boy gave off a small laugh and a smile shakily crossed his face. He gave a confirming nod to Robert as he smiled at JC nodding his head. [b][color=tan]"Okay how bout this you can drive me crazy but you have to listen to me okay? Your daddy would be mad at me if you got hurt by accident. So until we get back to your dad I need you to stick close to me and listen to everything I say. If you can do that for me I might be able to show you some really cool dinosaurs. Do we have a deal?"[/color][/b] JC's eye's lite up with an enthusiasm that Robert forgot even existed anymore as he shook his head really quick his excitement returning. [b][color=tan]"Good then get yourself situated in the car and get your seat belt on we need to get moving if were gonna find some dinosaurs at all."[/color][/b] JC quickly fled back to the car and jumped in the backseat making sure to buckle himself in, Robert returned to the car himself climbing in. It was not the ideal situation, but he had to make the best of what he had, there was no telling what they would find on the road ahead. But he couldn't leave JC alone in the RV with a clear conscious so for now he would have to keep him close and hope that nothing serious happened. Adjusting the mirror Robert looked at JC his eye's were diverting out the windows, it was a hard road ahead now but there was no turning back now. Robert restarted the car and headed for the scientists last known base camp.