The compound was crowded tonight, as evidenced by the row of cars parked adjacent to the lot. Many of them were higher end, Porches, Teslas, and Lamborghinis could be seen among them, as men in suits got out. They approached a guard station, and instead of presenting Ids, they'd give their names, and the man would check them against a list before allowing them entry.
As they walked in, they were greeted by another man wearing glasses, smiling. "I'm so glad that you could make it. I know it's short notice, but I promise you that it will be worth your while." His visitors bristled slightly, their expressions not saying much, as if they were already pretty practiced in keeping their feelings to themselves. That was quite allright, Eli Mills didn't need them to be big talkers.
What mattered was that they had the money to spend. He would lead them over to the center of the area, which was covered with barbed wire all around. There were signs all around saying that this was electrified fence as well, and so Mills was very careful to lead his visitors one at a time and single file through the doors. Not that he was worried about anything happening, this was mostly for show. They had nothing to worry about- at least for the most part.
Mills was confident about his ability to hold their attention. He had come from a background that might be considered 'street', as he tightened the tie that had come with his rental suit. Not that it would be noticeable to these people, as he could pass for one of them if needed. Graduating from fencing stolen cars to higher end merchandise had been a bit of a transition for him, but in a sense it was easier as he went along. It was all about managing your expectations, and knowing your audience. In this case… rich people and these who knew them.
"I would ask if you had a safe drive- but I think we all want to know just what you all are paying for." He smiled, the man had experience talking with investors, and this was right in his wheelhouse to be speaking in sales. That was how he'd got his start, it was all about working to ensure that the customers were happy with what they got, or what they thought they were getting. Not that he ever was going to cheat a customer- no, but he might be able to work a more advantageous deal for himself.
The section they were looking at was a small enclosure that was more like a pit, which was ringed by a security fence. Inside of the pit, there was a medium sized animal looking up at them. It was light-greenish in color, bipedal, and it was currently nibbling on a bevy of plants that were haphazardly scattered on the floor. "Gallimimus. We managed to get this specimen in the wild just before government containment units could finish tracking the herd."
The investors turned and looked, their faces boring into the animal almost, as it continued eating. Mills was not worried, this was not nearly the sort of animal that he would depend on to reach high prices. "This is one of the specimens that we consider to be mid-tier, it's the perfect size for a backyard pet, or however you'd want to enjoy it," he said finishing as he was still aware of how they were watching him.
Eli Mills turned, moving to the side, as he moved to a row of cages, in which there were several animals, all of them no bigger than an average chicken. But making that mistake would be costly ,as there was a sign that warned people to keep their hands away from the cages The one closest to them would look like a miniature version of a Triceratops, as it chirped, it's forelimbs batting against the cage in frustration.
"Microceratops. Perfect size. Yes, I know that we have that sign there. But don't worry, there's a guarantee we have, you get a free collar with each purchase. They acclimate well to them. Pidgeons get used to it, dinosaurs aren't any different, as we found out," he said this with a smile. Indeed, the ethics of treating dinosaurs were not his problem, considering what he was already doing. It was progressively easier to think of these as nothing other than assets.
One of the investors leaned in close, frowning. "You seem to have a lot of these. What's to prevent someone else from just going and ah- getting their own?" It was a question that Mills had anticipated though, and he was glad for it being brought up. It did save him from having to overtly explain what his role was here.
"Good luck." Mills shook his head, as he walked over to the other side, the cages up, down and around were also Microceratopsians, probably half a dozen. "If you know where to find them. Ones that don't have chips. Remember- it's hard enough to find them in the first place… you're paying for convenience and avoiding the hassle of having to deal with the government." It was true enough, what he didn't tell them was that a lot of their research…it came from the same sources. They had their own people, in this new age, it was smart to be a step ahead.
The investors stared at the animals a bit longer, before they seemed satisfied. At least, for a few seconds, as they would look content to move onto the next phase, at least except one. The same one from before. He seemed hesitant. "This is all well and good, but what makes you so sure that people will really show up to pay for these animals? You've shown us that you can acquire them, but what's there to really show just how desirable these are?"
Mills sighed, he hadn't really wanted to show his hand, but here, he'd been made to show it, as he stepped back a bit. There was a large cage in the back, this one covered by extra security. Nothing was really tied to the ground here, given the nature of their work, there was a lot of considerable effort devised to ensure that they could be as mobile as possible.
"Now, don't say I didn't do anything for you. I think that you'll like what I have to show you. This is one of the prizes that we have. I promise you on my mother's grave, Masrani doesn't know about this one." He felt rather confident about that last point, as he was going to just show them this, and hoped that was enough. He was a showman after all, and that was how he operated.
As they stood in front of the last one that he had to show them, the first thing they heard was an inhuman sound, like the shrill hunting cry of a bird. Well, not too far from the truth, as the animal came into view. It looked much like a combination of the world's largest ostrich, but had a large beak, pointing and curved like an eagle, and it's wings were close to it's body. The large bird stared at them with primeval eyes, as it squaked again, evidently in distress.
The cage was too small for it, being a repurposed lion cage, and it was pacing back and forth in some agitation. "Gastornis. Or a Terror bird." He was pleased to see that everyone was quiet now, including the man who had interrupted earlier. It was always a pleasure seeing people learn when they were beaten. "This was not on InGen's list. Indeed, it was found in Mexico of last year." More to the point, it had been found in the ruins of a large compound that had been leased to the Biosyn corporation.
Mills had no idea where the hell it had come from either, but it was above his paygrade. The important thing was that he could see the gears turning in the investor's heads. Yes, this was exactly the sort of thing that would grab the attention of bidders. "So is this something that your clients would bid on? She eats live meat. So far she's the only non-dinosaur clone that we have so far, which adds to her desirability."
Maybe that was selling it a bit hard, but he saw from their faces that perhaps he didn't need to go that far. Now to go in for the closer. "So just sign this if you'll be there. Sorry we can't provide a list, we just have names. Can't be too careful. Pick whichever ones you want," he said as an assistant would come in with a list of names, along with which were some code names next to them. It was part of the security measures. "Now Hold on- I have to take this-"
He stepped to the side, as he reached inside his pocket, feeling the cell phone vibrating. He'd been waiting on this call for a while, and it was good to finally be able to give an update. "Yes, things are going good so far," Mills said offhandedly as he moved to make sure that he was walking out of range of being overheard. He couldn't be too careful, and yet he looked back behind him just to be sure.
"We should be able to make our schedule. Don't worry about it. We have people interested, this latest batch seemed just a bit more willing than the last group. So far… roughly fifty names? Yes. Fifty. I think we can get double that." He waited, as the voice on the other end continued, smooth, calm…collected but there was a certain tone to it that he couldn't quite mistake.
"We're going to make a lot of money. Don't you worry. There's nothing that can cause this to be delayed in any way. I can guarantee you. I'll be willing to stake it on my mother's grave…" he nodded, although she couldn't see him, as the sincerity here was not coming through, but he could not turn the salesman pitch off. It was part and parcel of who he was.
Looking back at the Terror Bird, he watched is it pecked against it's cage, only to be repelled by a shock back. Yes, it wasn't getting out anytime soon, although…not for lack for trying. "Ms. King. I would say that your money is safe where it is, and you don't have anything to worry about." At least, he hoped so.