Data File One: See the World
The waterfall was rushing down, orchestrating its beautiful backbeat. It was a massive fall, at least forty feet wide and maybe eighty to a hundred feet down. The sound was the sound of a perpetual rain of over several million gallons of water a second. Thudding into a modest pool that pushes out into a thin river to the east of the fall. The waterfall created periodical gusts of cold air and a nice even mist.
Kent Gannon was standing, in all his splendor, on an overhand behind the falls. It was a public park but he dared to bet none of the public was where he was. He watched the endless supply of water tumble and spill downward. If he wanted to see illegal turbines powering a company base, hidden inside caves, under the waterfall he need only lean forward and look up.
Gannon shivered and pulled his white company coat up over his shoulders. Gannon was a tall muscular fellow. He had carrot red hair, and pale white skin. He was wearing a thin tank top with his thick company coat hanging over it. He was wearing navy blue casual slacks. His right ear was pierced with a modest little metal dot of an earring. It was the insignia for the company (A 'K' over the face of a clock.). Anybody who knew what the insignia stood for was his business. He was sort of the internal affairs. With the business the company was in to, you had to be sure everybody was on the level, even upper management.
"Cold, Mr. Gannon?"
Gannon turned to the man who had addressed him.
He was tall with dark black hair down to the base of his neck. He had a pin sharp nose and brown to black eyes. He had on a dark purple company uniform.
'The Uniform' thought Gannon in disgust.
"Not at all, Mr. Nichols. I'm quite comfortable with lower temperatures."
Richard Nichols' corners of his mouth turned up with a weak smile. "How very convenient, Mr. Gannon. Because you know, you'll need that resilient behavior."
Richard pulled out of his uniform pocket a folded up paper and a micro recorder and handed it to him. "A slight relocation you know."
Gannon unfolded the paper and carefully read line to line of company talk and then folded the paper back up.
Gannon felt the sudden urge to throw both Richard and piece of paper off the side of the fall.
"Why would they need anyone in such a Godforsaken piece of land?" Richard shook his head. "That's not the issue. They don't need anyone. They need you, Mr. Gannon. They needed some sort of liaison with the main branch, someone who can reports steps or missteps and make suggestions and orders." He smiled cruelly. "I'm sure even you can handle that Mr. Gannon."
Kent felt his temperature raise and his blood pressure rise. He clenched his fist and pounded it into the rock side of the fall.
Richard's smile was still hanging off his face, but even wider. "I see you should have some time to yourself, Mr. Gannon. That paper holds you airline tickets. Enjoy, Mr. Gannon."
Nichols turned about and marched back into the company base.
Gannon looked at his fist. The thin covering of skin had been ground off his knuckles, and they were beginning to bleed. He stuck his fist out into the fall and walked back out to the parking lot.
'Damn Nichols! He enjoyed every bit of that. And damn the company!'
Gannon's eyes wandered from car to car in the lot. His eyes rested on a hunter green Lamborghini. He pulled his keys out and pressed down on the button. The doors unlocked and it sped to the sidewalk nearest Gannon. He pulled the door up and slid inside the driver's side seat.
He started in the direction of the airport, to take the flights to Antarctica.
Gannon rested back in the comfortable airplane seat; the airplane was barely full. There were three to four seats he could see that were vacant and God knows how many there were in the back. Couldn't blame anyone, who would want to go north when it was winter?
Gannon pulled out the Micro Recorder. It was more company instructions.
Gannon clicked the Micro Recorder on and Mr. Nichols' sick voice came pouring out.
"In the Antarctic company outpost you'll find a number of characters to deal with. The resident physician is Dr. Harry Landis. Medical college graduate. Liola University. Was Highly Recommended and is here as a paid hand. Dr. Jason Yonts. Noted Geologist. Many pole assignments and achievements. Loves Antarctica and is there by request. David Zimmerman. Self-Made Man. Biologist Legend. Invented the DSL, DNA Signature Library. Database for identifying unique differences in animal DNA. We were lucky to get this one Mr. Gannon. He's the diamond in the rough, his demands are law. Calvin Bartlett. Widely published fiction author. Is helping as a helicopter pilot. He is here on persistent requests. Quite the trophy layman. Zachary Kraid. Our Geneticist. Not exactly the company's ideal man for the job but he is of utmost importance to this project. Kris Landen. Archaeologist extraordinaire. Has a more than impressive record. Easy to work with, and quite the brains of the outfit. Mr. Gannon, Please take care of these Personnel. They were hand picked and assembled by the company. Do not let them to succumb to cabin fever, or some other unfortunate crisis. Please keep your past duties in mind, if any discrepancies are found to be linked to these you are to report them, be it Mr. Bartlett or Mr. Zimmerman."
The waterfall was rushing down, orchestrating its beautiful backbeat. It was a massive fall, at least forty feet wide and maybe eighty to a hundred feet down. The sound was the sound of a perpetual rain of over several million gallons of water a second. Thudding into a modest pool that pushes out into a thin river to the east of the fall. The waterfall created periodical gusts of cold air and a nice even mist.
Kent Gannon was standing, in all his splendor, on an overhand behind the falls. It was a public park but he dared to bet none of the public was where he was. He watched the endless supply of water tumble and spill downward. If he wanted to see illegal turbines powering a company base, hidden inside caves, under the waterfall he need only lean forward and look up.
Gannon shivered and pulled his white company coat up over his shoulders. Gannon was a tall muscular fellow. He had carrot red hair, and pale white skin. He was wearing a thin tank top with his thick company coat hanging over it. He was wearing navy blue casual slacks. His right ear was pierced with a modest little metal dot of an earring. It was the insignia for the company (A 'K' over the face of a clock.). Anybody who knew what the insignia stood for was his business. He was sort of the internal affairs. With the business the company was in to, you had to be sure everybody was on the level, even upper management.
"Cold, Mr. Gannon?"
Gannon turned to the man who had addressed him.
He was tall with dark black hair down to the base of his neck. He had a pin sharp nose and brown to black eyes. He had on a dark purple company uniform.
'The Uniform' thought Gannon in disgust.
"Not at all, Mr. Nichols. I'm quite comfortable with lower temperatures."
Richard Nichols' corners of his mouth turned up with a weak smile. "How very convenient, Mr. Gannon. Because you know, you'll need that resilient behavior."
Richard pulled out of his uniform pocket a folded up paper and a micro recorder and handed it to him. "A slight relocation you know."
Gannon unfolded the paper and carefully read line to line of company talk and then folded the paper back up.
Gannon felt the sudden urge to throw both Richard and piece of paper off the side of the fall.
"Why would they need anyone in such a Godforsaken piece of land?" Richard shook his head. "That's not the issue. They don't need anyone. They need you, Mr. Gannon. They needed some sort of liaison with the main branch, someone who can reports steps or missteps and make suggestions and orders." He smiled cruelly. "I'm sure even you can handle that Mr. Gannon."
Kent felt his temperature raise and his blood pressure rise. He clenched his fist and pounded it into the rock side of the fall.
Richard's smile was still hanging off his face, but even wider. "I see you should have some time to yourself, Mr. Gannon. That paper holds you airline tickets. Enjoy, Mr. Gannon."
Nichols turned about and marched back into the company base.
Gannon looked at his fist. The thin covering of skin had been ground off his knuckles, and they were beginning to bleed. He stuck his fist out into the fall and walked back out to the parking lot.
'Damn Nichols! He enjoyed every bit of that. And damn the company!'
Gannon's eyes wandered from car to car in the lot. His eyes rested on a hunter green Lamborghini. He pulled his keys out and pressed down on the button. The doors unlocked and it sped to the sidewalk nearest Gannon. He pulled the door up and slid inside the driver's side seat.
He started in the direction of the airport, to take the flights to Antarctica.
Gannon rested back in the comfortable airplane seat; the airplane was barely full. There were three to four seats he could see that were vacant and God knows how many there were in the back. Couldn't blame anyone, who would want to go north when it was winter?
Gannon pulled out the Micro Recorder. It was more company instructions.
Gannon clicked the Micro Recorder on and Mr. Nichols' sick voice came pouring out.
"In the Antarctic company outpost you'll find a number of characters to deal with. The resident physician is Dr. Harry Landis. Medical college graduate. Liola University. Was Highly Recommended and is here as a paid hand. Dr. Jason Yonts. Noted Geologist. Many pole assignments and achievements. Loves Antarctica and is there by request. David Zimmerman. Self-Made Man. Biologist Legend. Invented the DSL, DNA Signature Library. Database for identifying unique differences in animal DNA. We were lucky to get this one Mr. Gannon. He's the diamond in the rough, his demands are law. Calvin Bartlett. Widely published fiction author. Is helping as a helicopter pilot. He is here on persistent requests. Quite the trophy layman. Zachary Kraid. Our Geneticist. Not exactly the company's ideal man for the job but he is of utmost importance to this project. Kris Landen. Archaeologist extraordinaire. Has a more than impressive record. Easy to work with, and quite the brains of the outfit. Mr. Gannon, Please take care of these Personnel. They were hand picked and assembled by the company. Do not let them to succumb to cabin fever, or some other unfortunate crisis. Please keep your past duties in mind, if any discrepancies are found to be linked to these you are to report them, be it Mr. Bartlett or Mr. Zimmerman."