"That's the last stop, end of the line!" The bus driver called to the back of the bus. The bus from the airport by now only had one passenger. He didn't respond though, he was just sitting staring out the window. The driver picked up a newspaper and threw it at him, hitting the young man, who was just staring out the window, causing him to jump with a start. "KID! IT'S TIME TO GET OFF!"
Chase carefully removed one of his ear buds, looking to the driver a little irritated.
"What?" He asked.
"Last stop!" The driver stated, pointing to the door. "Out!"
Chase just got up, gathering his bag on his shoulder, before picking up his skateboard and walking to the front of the bus. He stopped by the driver.
"I'm looking for the Anton Mercer Industries building." He told him. "Can you tell me where...?"
"Kid, my shift finished half an hour ago, do I LOOK like a tour guide?" The bus driver interrupted him sharply, pointing again to the door. Chase held up his hands defensively and just backed off the bus, which pulled away so quickly that it almost spun him onto the pavement. He just sighed.
"Welcome to New York." He said sarcastically, before looking around the street. He didn't know the city well, he had been given instructions to get on the airport bus, but looking at the neighbourhood he wasn't sure he had gotten on the RIGHT bus. He had to admit that right now, he was completely lost.
He headed down the street, looking for any signs that he recognised from the description he had received. He had to admit that he wasn't really paying much attention when he got the directions. The way he heard it, Anton Mercer was a big deal and he just presumed everyone would know where his building was. He went up to some kids that were skateboarding on the sidewalk and smiled.
"Hey, pretty slick moves there." He complimented them, holding up his board. He hoped that the solidarity of the half-pipe would bear some fruit. "I do a little skating myself."
"Wow, sweet board!" One of the kids responded, admiring the board. Chase wasn't exactly a competitive skater, he just used it to get around, but he did spend a fair bit of time, effort and money on it. His board was a custom job, built pretty much from scratch using the best parts he could afford. He had even paid for a custom paint job, even if it was a simple design. It was plain black, with a white picture of a Parasaurolophus on it. "Can I see it?"
"Sure thing." Chase told him, handing over the board, but keeping a careful eye on it. "Say, I was looking for some directions. Would any of you know where the Anton Mercer Industries building is?"
"Are you serious?" One of the kids snorted, as the others started laughing. Chase just smiled.
"I'm not exactly from around here." He replied. "Is it close?"
"Try looking up." One of them told him. Chase did exactly as he was told, seeing one building standing prominently above any other in the area. "It's the big one there, it's about four blocks over and two blocks down."
"Thanks." Chase replied, retrieving his board.
"I'd be careful if I were you." One of the others called after him. "Freaky things happen around that building."
"I'll bet." Chase responded. "Like what?"
"A while back a cop car was thrashed by Tarzan near there." The one of them informed him. "The only reason it never hit the news is because someone from that lab told the cops to keep it under wraps. Everyone knows that."
"Yeah, I'll keep an eye out for that." Chase replied as he tossed down the board and hopped on, beginning his journey. He just popped his ear bud back in, shaking his head in disbelief and sniggering. "Tarzan? Kids today."
Meanwhile, at the laboratory, Kendall came into the room, carrying a small bag with her. The two observers were watching as Koda prepared for his journey. He really didn't have much, only a few bits and pieces that had been provided for him by the lab.
"Packing light?" One of them commented, seeing Kendall's luggage. She just pulled it up on her shoulder.
"I don't keep much." She told them. "I don't know how long I'm going to be staying anywhere."
She looked into the enclosure, where Koda was just figuring out how best to fit his few possessions into the canvas bag she had provided him.
"He's taking his sweet time." One of them commented. "He only has about three outfits."
"He was frozen for over a hundred thousand years, everything he ever knew is long since gone." Kendall reminded them. "Now he's leaving the first home he's managed to make since then. I think we can forgive him for being a little nostalgic."
With that, she went into the enclosure, approaching Koda as he looked to his possessions. She touched his shoulder to let him know she was there.
"It's nearly time." She told him. "Is that everything?"
"My story." Koda responded. "I can't take it."
Kendall saw him pointing to the cave and knew what he meant. Like most people of his time, he had painted a few rough paintings in his cave depicting important things that had happened to him. It was in many ways, his way of taking photographs. Kendall just nodded in understanding, pulling out her cell phone.
"Can we have someone come to the enclosure?" Kendall asked. "Tell them to bring some stone working tools. Tell them I'd like them to remove the paintings from the enclosure and have them FedExed to Amber Beach Museum."
Koda looked to Kendall with a smile.
"Kendall bring my stories?" He asked. She just shook her head.
"No, but they will be there when we get to your new home." She assured him. "Now, it's nearly time to go. The other researcher should be here soon."
Koda followed Kendall out of the enclosure, just as a team went in with tools to begin work on removing his paintings. He cast one last look back at his home, before heading off to follow Kendall.
Chase arrived outside the Anton Mercer Industries building, kicking his board up into his hands. Opening the door, he went inside.
The lobby was incredibly impressive. There were black marble floors, and tall, white columns. There were numerous planters, containing a variety of tropical plants, and a few fossils in glass display cases. Chase stopped next to one, which appeared to be the skull of a Parasaurolophus. He smiled and tapped the case with a knuckle.
"Hello there mate." He quipped cheerfully, before hearing a little cough. He looked over to the reception desk. It was a large, black marble desk, but with glass extending from it to the ceiling, with only a small open window. The glass extended across the breadth of the lobby, leaving only one entrance through a metal detector arch. The lobby extended behind the glass, with some elevators at the end. The stern-looking woman at the desk just glared at him.
"Please don't touch the displays." She told him. Chase approached the desk.
"Sorry, was just saying hi to a friend." He told her.
"Can I help you with anything?" She asked him. He got the distinct impression she wasn't exactly in a welcoming mood. It was something of a recurring theme in this city.
"Well pretty lady, I...have an appointment." He told her. "You see, I'm a very important person."
"You have an appointment?" She asked. Chase approached the desk, propping his board up against it. He couldn't help noticing security staff in suits on the other side of the glass. "You?"
"Are you surprised someone this good-looking would show up here?" He asked her. "Listen, let's cut to the Chase..."
"Let's cut to the chase, if you have an appointment, I'm going to need to see a letter." She cut him off. Typical, he thought, it seemed his charms were lost on her. He started scrambling around in his pockets, only for his face to fall.
"Wait, I've got it here somewhere." He told her, putting his bag on the desk. He started to rummage around in it, finding nothing. He started to search more frantically. "Look, I have an appointment..."
"Please take your things and leave." The receptionist told him. "This is private property."
"I'm telling you, I have an appointment! Shit, I must have left my letter on the bus." He said as the realisation came to him. "Look, I'm here to see Mr Morgan..."
"There is no Mr Morgan here." The receptionist stated flatly. "Now, this is private property, so if you don't gather your belongings and leave, I will call security."
Chase couldn't help noticing the suits in the back becoming restless.
"OK, there's been a misunderstanding here." He told her. "If I could just talk to..."
A buzzer sounded, and he realised he had stepped through the metal detector as he went to meet the security staff. Suddenly, they were going for pepper sprays.
"Alright, hold it right there!" One of them screamed at him. "Hands where I can see them!"
"Listen, if I could just talk to Mr Morgan, I'm sure we could straighten this out." Chase stated as they started to search him. "For God's sake, I don't have any weapons!"
"Just keep your hands where I can see them!" The security guard reiterated as his colleagues gathered around. Chase just did as he was told. They pulled out his wallet, his keys, and his I-pod, confirming he had nothing else on him.
"If you could just call..."
"Whatever, just get going kid!" The security guard replied. "You don't think we get this shit all the time?"
"Can I at least have my stuff back?" Chase asked, figuring he could call Anton and have this straightened out. The guard just threw his stuff on the floor. Chase watched as his I-pod smashed into several pieces. He just looked back to the guard.
"OK, now...now I'm annoyed." He said coldly.
Up in the main laboratory, Kendall and Koda were waiting for Chase's arrival. They were scheduled to get transport to Amber Beach as soon as he arrived, but he was due some time ago. Kendall checked her watch, and then the clock on the wall again. He was now twenty minutes late.
"Whoever this guy is Anton, he better be something special." Kendall muttered as she looked to Koda, who was already getting restless. Just then, an alarm sounded, and Kendall could see security running down the hall. She snapped up to her feet.
"What happened? What's going on?" She demanded.
"There's been a security breach!" One of the staff informed her. "Someone hit the panic button, it's a full-on call."
Kendall went to the monitors and started to flick through. She could see plenty of security running around, both the suits, and also the back-up. They wore coveralls and body armour. They were there in case the security breach was more serious than just an unarmed protest. The corridors by now looked more like a military base than a private laboratory. There was one thing Kendall could notice was missing though.
"Where's the breach?" She asked. "Who's in the building?"
She flicked frantically through several monitors, but she could only find one view that showed any kind of activity. In the lobby area, there was some guy she hadn't seen before fending off security. Flicking through all the angles she could find, she could still only see one assailant, but she could see several security staff littering the floor.
"OK, this is..." She turned around as she heard a sound, only to see the door flapping, and Koda nowhere in sight. "OK, this can't be good!"
Down in the lobby, Chase caught a guard's attack as he went for him with a truncheon, kicking him hard in the ribs, before launching him face-first through a planter. He threw up his hands and looked around.
"I didn't want this!" He told them. "I just wanted to see K Morgan!"
"You leave NOW!" Koda growled as he arrived in the lobby. Chase looked to him, seeing the scruffy looking savage before him.
"Look Shaggy, I don't want trouble, these guys started it!" Chase told him. "I just want to see K Morgan and..."
With a huge yell, Koda moved far faster than Chase could have anticipated, and tackled him, straight through the security glass into the other part of the lobby. The two men rolled back to their feet, at which Koda punched Chase hard across the face, sprawling him across the floor. Chase got up, stroking his jaw.
"Alright, I'll give you that Shaggy. You can dish it out!" Chase stated. "Let's see if you can take it!"
Chase and Koda traded blows back and forth, wrecking more of the lobby in their wake. By the time Kendall got there, it looked like a bomb site.
"Koda, no!" She screamed, running towards them. As she got close to them, she slipped on some broken glass and landed hard on the ground between them. Koda saw her and abandoned the fight.
"Kendall!" He yelled, running over to check on her. He knelt over her, facing Chase. "Bad man not hurt Kendall!"
"Koda, it's fine, I'm alright." She assured him as more security arrived, this time carrying guns. They were taking no chances now, and aimed at him. Kendall held up a hand. "Stand down for God's sake, he's meant to be here! I'm guessing you're Chase."
"Finally someone just wants to talk!" Chase responded bad-temperedly. "All of these guys were all batons and pepper spray, I just defended myself."
"Defended yourself?" One of the security staff replied. "You put half our staff in the hospital!"
"Exactly, he single-handedly defeated twenty five military-trained security staff unarmed!" Kendall pointed out. "And he and Koda just went through twin-pained bullet-proof glass unprotected and they're still on their feet, does that sound like normal human behaviour to you?"
The security team just put their weapons down and started to help their injured. Chase pointed to one of the suits.
"That guy owes me an I-pod." He told her. "He smashed mine."
Kendall just grabbed the security guard's I-pod, handing it to Chase. She knew Anton would replace it, and just wanted to smooth things over with Chase right now. He checked the playlist.
"One Direction?" He asked, looking to the suit. "Trust me mate, I'm doing you a favour taking this off your hands."
"Alright, so you're Chase Matthews." Kendall stated. "Anton sent you here."
"That's right little lady." He replied, giving her a bright smile. "Now, let's cut to the Chase. I'm here to see K Morgan..."
"I'm Kendall Morgan." She told him. He just looked to her.
"Really? You are?" He asked. "I was expecting..."
"Well, we can discuss what you were expecting another time." Kendall interrupted him. "For now, we've got a plane to catch."
As she left, Chase watched her go, with a huge smirk on his face.
"So that's the genius that's leading this team?" He asked. "This might not be such a bad move after all."
Koda just shoved him roughly.
"Not like you." Koda stated bluntly. "Kendall nice."
"Whatever man." Chase replied. "But I had your number and you know it."
"Koda not have number!" Koda called after him as he gathered up his bag and followed them.