Eli Mills opened the door as the first guests arrived. The guests would come in pairs, or in small groups, each of them dressed in their very best. Suites and ties and dresses, it didn't really matter to him, as he would see these people in rather simple terms even as he shook hands with a false smile on his lips. Tonight, had been marketed as a very special one, once in a lifetime. As he stepped away from the foyer, leading his other associates, he would walk through the rooms of the manor, mingling with the guests in turn.
Taking a glass of wine from a waiter, Mills, would sip it silently, as he would smile. Almost a hundred guests tonight, this would line his pockets fairly well. A hundred dollars a ticket just for the chance to bid in tonight's auction, and the guests here were all the sort that would choose to stay as discrete as possible. They were not polite society, although they did a good job of pretending to be, in their ties and polished shoes. Checking his watch, he knew that it wouldn't be long now, although the guest of honor was still to arrive.
Oh, not her…she was still too delicately placed. But someone else, something that would fit the bill rather well, as he looked down at his phone, seeing a text message already there. 'Ten Minutes' From the asset handlers. Well, it was good to know that he was on schedule. Finishing the drink, Mills placed it on the mantle, as he looked briefly at the photographs on the mantle. Shit, they'd almost forgotten to clean sweep this place, as he'd take the frame with him, walking casually enough so that it wouldn't be that noticeable or obvious.
Not that he thought it was going to be anything to worry about. Nobody here should recognize that face… at least not with that hair color, he thought as he looked at the picture of the woman in the frame. Either way, it was time to get this out of the way, he thought as he found a closet, stuffing the picture frame in there and turning away, straightening his own tie, as he would reach for the microphone, ready to make his announcement.
"Everyone- the main event is about to begin. Please follow me downstairs. If you are planning to take part, we have paddles at the foot of the stairs, although observation is allowed. Please understand no cameras are permitted, and violators will be removed." That should be enough, he thought as he watched the rooms occupants moving, following him as one, as he took the lead, stepping down the stairs with a spring in his step.
The room below was a huge basement, and there were several folding chairs in two and three rows, in front of which was a podium with screens adjacent to it. On the side, there was a track, with a cage mounted on it. The track led onto a loading bay situated on the wall. There were guards with stun batons on the side, as they would watch the guests arrive. Mills had spared no expense in all of this, as he had really his benefactor to thank for this.
It had been a pain in the ass trying to get a venue for this place, especially given the sensitive nature of the auction. The Masrani team was usually on top o any reports of these animals. So, finding a discrete place, and making sure that guests were able to be vetted had proved an additional challenge. The funding too, not only in acquiring the animals, as well as containment and concealment costs…
It seemed to have paid dividends, as he stepped up to the podium. "Thank you all for coming. We have a lot to show you today, and just be advised that we accept multiple forms of currency-" the screen next to him would show a table showcasing various exchange rates between the US dollar and several other currencies. "Now how about we get started with our first one- bring it out!" He pressed a button, alerting the handlers back in the loading bay to get ready.
The cage went along the track to the end of the bay, where it would open, and a animal was being loaded into the cage. Bringing it back up to the front, a medium-sized animal could be seen, about the size of a dog. However, it was gray-green in color, and there was a short frill around its head, crowned by what could be seen the emerging nubs of horns. It mewed, clearly frightened, as the animal looked around, trying to turn around in it's cage. There was barely enough room for it to do so though, as it tried to bat its way out.
"A juvenile Triceratops. This one is something that we don't see very often. It's getting harder to find the offspring of the bigger species these days. Although we are pleased to be able to present her- she's perfect for any backyard menagerie, child pet, or however you might think- Let's start the bidding shall we? Four Million?" He felt that was priced very fairly, an assertation that was reinforced by a bill being flipped right away. He smiled, this was going fairly well.
The price kept rising as he worked the audience. Five Million. Then six…then seven. Then there was somewhat of a bidding war in the front rows. "Going once…going twice…sold to the man in the front row at eight million dollars!" That was just the first one, he thought as he wrote it down in a ledger, as the assistants came over to take the man's name and payment details. It was time for the next one up, as he pressed a button, the cage moving in and out, unloading the Trike as a new one was brought out to the crowd.
In the cage this time was another animal, a Pachycelphalosaurus. Much like the one that had made headlines a few months ago, but this one was distinguished by a scar on it's eye, as it batted it's skull against the bars of it's cage. The cage made a sharp rattling sound, although they did not give an inch. The crowd seemed to titter a bit at that though, as Mills began his speech.
"For our second one tonight, we have a Pachycephalosaurus. It's dome makes it a formidable opponent, one of these herbivores that is truly a challenge to take down on it's own, these things can be a handful on their own. I think six million is a fair price for this one… what do you all say? Six Million from the back? Seven?" He was in his element, and the crowd was as appreciative as he was, this was something which he could feel that he was born to do. The bidding was equally fierce as he might have imagined, with the final bidding settling somewhere down around eleven million.
Wonderful. Granted, Mills would've loved to have gotten the one from the amusement park for this one, although it wasn't in the cards. His sponsor couldn't do everything at once, some things were simply not within the realm of possibility, at least without attracting undue suspicion. Still, he had a good roster of assets for sale, as he watched the Pachy being taken away. The animal bellowed again, this time more aggressive, as it would begin hitting the bars faster. However, it did not have the space needed to gain any sort of momentum.
Mills cleared his throat, as he was setting up for a rather long night. It seemed that the bidders did not lose their taste for spending the more animals went up, which was good. "And now…we have another one, this one is a special treat for you all. This is a creature that was never on any official list, and you can be assured that whoever wins this bid will have a unique specimen." The cage would come up to the front again, as the form of a large flightless bird took shape. Much larger than any ostrich though, it glared down from it's large hooked beak at the audience.
"Gastornis, I believe…a Terror Bird hailing from past the age of dinosaurs. It is very ferocious, so watch out for it's beak!" He saw heads turning, as some would casually look it over. Now it was not a dinosaur per se, so he wondered if that would affect any bids as he began ."Now let's start the bidding at six million for this one?" He looked around, as the crowd seemed to be silent. Strange, he thought, as he had understood that it was more of an obscure species.
Finally, someone lifted their paddle from somewhere in the back. "Six million- anyone want to beat six million?" He would query the audience, looking around. Someone put up the paddle again after a second. "Seven. Seven, do we have eight million?" The bird squawked from the side, rattling it's beak on the edges of the bars, as it would walk back and forth as much as its small cage allowed it to, which was not that much at all. He held up the gavel, slightly disappointed. Going once…. "Wait eight million!" He smiled as he would find some relief that he had managed to drive it up slightly. "Going once…going twice…sold to the gentleman in the back!" He turned, looking t the next one up on the docket.
As he watched, a man got up, walking over to the back, as to his surprise, he was greeted with a check right away. That was…unusual. Usually, these types of people waited for a bit. But this was a good sign, as he assumed this spoke to the possibility of further impulse decisions from the buyers within the audience.
"Now…we're going to have to turn the video screens for this, as a special treat I have to show you something from an undisclosed location, it's a sail-backed terror from Egypt some of you might know…"