Night Escape

(Cavegirls series, No. 7)
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"Damn it, you've got her locked up in a cage! How do you think you'll get away with that? You think your science foundation will put up with that?!""

Looking up from his laptop, the thin aesthetic face of Nathaniel Drinker showed no trace of emotion at the intrusion. He surveyed the man standing in the tent opening as though he were a potential specimen himself. Yes, thought the professor of Paleobiology, perhaps as a precursor to Neanderthal (giving the word the hard "T" and silent "H" in his mind) He allowed himself a rationed portion of amusement at this thought and then turned back to business.

"Well," he began, touching his fingertips together in his habitual pose while explaining wisdom to the unknowing, a prayerful attitude that belied his devotion to pure rationalism, "She does not show any intent of coming along on her own now does she? And as for my learned circles, well the Yahi Indian Ishi was kept in captivity as a museum specimen until his death... perhaps another such exception will be recognized for such an unusual specimen. I would have thought you would be more familiar with the kind of "circles" that keep women captive."

The man in the tent opening stood staring, his mouth hanging open, wrestling with the urge to do something quick and messy. The priggish scholar had been riding him for weeks about his occupation. "I suppose your brute nature, makes you the perfect candidate for this job, eh?" he had smirked when they first landed on the shores of the Lost Continent. But enough was enough.

"She's a human being, not some animal that you can add to your menagerie.. or your specimens. You have no legal right!"

"Reaaalllly?" The professor cooed "Since there is no national or international claim on this land, as of yet, other than mine own, how do you.... 'reason'... that, Peters?"

The reedy figure rose from his seat behind the desk. "The thing is," he continued, "We aren't doing her any harm. As soon as we can establish proper communications with her, we can come to some accord... but for the moment, we have no choice but to render all possible assistance."

"Assistance?!" Peters growled, "Capturing her like an animal, and using me to do it? Locking her in a specimen cage? How do you call that assisting her?!"

Drinker smiled, as though explaining something obvious to a child. "When a lifeguard rescues a drowning victim who is panicking dangerously, he is perfectly entitled to slap the person to facilitate the rescue." He began counting off points on his fingers as he continued, "There is no indication of any humans on this sizable island so far, so we must assume she is stranded here from the outside world. She is obviously unused to human company, other than the contact she sought out with you, and the girl is living in one of the most hostile environments imaginable..."

"Which she seems to have survived quite nicely without us!" Peters interrupted.

"Exactly!" Drinker snapped, finally letting a flicker of emotion show through. "And THAT is precisely the reason that we MUST establish communications with her. Her uncanny ability to deal with,... to COMMUNE with those specimens which you managed to gather alive on this expedition, is exactly the reason why she must be... rescued! She is a veritable Rosetta Stone for understanding this lost land!"

Drinker paused to glare straight into the hunter's own hooded eyes. He was the only complication in this plan. The girl had, for whatever reason, chosen Peters as her contact. He needed to be removed from the equation to eliminate the distraction he posed to her upcoming training.

He relaxed his posture and forced a smile into the moment. "As it stands, Peters, this situation will not be of any concern to you anymore. With our early successes in collecting and the new focus of our explorations, I find that the foundation will no longer have need of your services. You will be paid the full price for your contract, and sizable bonuses for the Megalodon, the Torosaurus and the Megalatherium specimens you acquired for us. The security personnel on hand will keep the research station safe enough. When the girl is transferred to her new, and comfortable quarters on the research ship tonight, you will be sent home with the cargo plane."

Peters began to say something, then snapped his mouth shut. Turning on his heel he stalked away through the organized chaos outside as the pre-fabricated research station was being erected. Drinker walked to the tent flaps and beckoned to an armed man nearby.

"Have extra guards placed around the supply hut and near the dock tonight," he ordered, "and make sure that our Great White Hunter doesn't do anything stupid..."





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Inspired by a photo [link] By my own little ~faondejade

Pen, pencil crayon and chalk pastel 8.5 x 11"