Missions of the Retrieval Team - Land of the Kilts

[Standard]

Oooohh a new story! ith: int:
I wonder what exciting things are about to slowly be revealed to us this time. Nice day to start a good tale while it is beginning to spit snow here in Illinois.

[davedove]

Scene 1

A spa owned by the League of Moderators and located on the French Rivera

Ms. Hawk, Ms. Swan, Ms. Falcon, and I were relaxing at the League’s retreat on the French Riviera. All of us were lying face down on massage tables as a masseuse worked on our knotted muscles.

“This is certainly nicer than climbing up a frozen mountain,” said Ms. Hawk.

“I’ll second that,” said Ms. Swan.

“Yes, the League certainly does things right for its members here,” I replied.

A young woman approached me carrying a telephone receiver. “Monsieur Dove?” she asked.

“Yes,” I answered, looking up from the table.

She handed me the receiver. “A Ms. Partridge, monsieur.”

“Thank you,” I answered, taking the receiver and placing it to my ear. “Yes, Ms. Partridge.”

“Mr. Dove,” she answered, “Ms. Pleater wishes for me to express her gratitude on the task you completed for her and for retrieving the remains of our fallen sisters. And I would personally like to thank you for allowing me to work with your team. I look forward to doing so again in the future.”

“You’re welcome to join us any time, Ms. Partridge. Again, let me convey our condolences over your lost friends.”

“Thank you, I will let you get back to your holiday. Good-bye.”

I handed the phone back to the attendant, but as she was starting to walk away it rang again.

“Oui,” she answered.

After listening for a few moments, she handed the phone back to me.

“It is for you again, monsieur, the Moderator Bradley.”

“Thank you,” I said, taking the receiver. “What is it Bradley?” I asked.

“Dave,” he answered, “I hate to do this to you, but we need you to cut your leave short and return to the Great Hall.”

“Why?” I asked, sitting up on my table.

“The expedition to South America, we’ve lost contact with them.”

A few weeks previously, Jamie and Todd had organized a mission to the jungles of the Amazon to track down an old legend. Ms. Stork had gone with them, as had a few other members.

“For how long?” I asked.

“They have missed their daily check-in for three days now. We really need you to come to the Great Hall immediately.”

I knew the Moderators would be anxious, but I couldn’t help toying with Bradley a little. “I’m sorry, Brad, but we can’t come immediately. The ladies and I were in the middle of something when you interrupted and we’d like to finish. Then we’ll have to get cleaned up and put our clothes back on before we can leave.”

“Excuse me?” he demanded.

I laughed at his response. “We were in the middle of a massage,” I told him. “We can be on our way within an hour.”

[starbkjrus]

snip...


I knew the Moderators would be anxious, but I couldn’t help toying with Bradley a little. “I’m sorry, Brad, but we can’t come immediately. The ladies and I were in the middle of something when you interrupted and we’d like to finish. Then we’ll have to get cleaned up and put our clothes back on before we can leave.”

“Excuse me?” he demanded.

I laughed at his response. “We were in the middle of a massage,” I told him. “We can be on our way within an hour.”

[Jack Daw]

Ah, the chicks are birds!

[davedove]

Scene 2

Media Room, Great Hall of X Marks the Scot

As we landed at Charleston International Airport, Dee was waiting for us with transportation to the Great Hall. We quickly got into the car and he drove us to the mountain.

Once at the Great Hall, Dee directed us to the Media Room for a briefing. Bradley was waiting for us there, along with a few other people.

“Oh good, you’re here,” he said, as we walked into the room. “Please, grab a drink and be seated.”

My associates and I all grabbed a glass of sweet tea from the table and took our seats. When we had all settled, Bradley stood at the front of the room.

“First of all,” he said, “I would like to thank everyone here for coming on such short notice. We were very short-handed and your offer to help is greatly appreciated.”

“Now,” he continued, “our reason for calling you here. Three weeks ago, an expedition was organized here at the Great Hall to explore a section of the Amazon jungle in search of a legend. Todd had been doing some research on the story of the MacGregor Expedition when he uncovered some clues.”

“Excuse me,” someone interrupted. Looking over I saw that it was Clockwork John. “What is the MacGregor Expedition?”

“Of course,” Bradley answered. “I’m sorry John, and the rest of you who weren’t aware of the expedition. In 1832, shortly after the establishment of British Guiana, what is now the country of Guyana; the British Crown ordered an exploration of the colony. They called upon a Colonel James MacGregor, a highly decorated officer of the42nd Royal Highland Regiment of Foot. Colonel MacGregor’s mission was to set out from the Capitol of Georgetown and move south, traveling until he reached the waters of the Amazon River. Once he reached the river, he was to explore its banks downstream to the Atlantic Ocean. He and his party were never seen again.”

“And where do Todd and the others come in?” someone else asked, this time Livingston.

“Well Greg,” Bradley addressed him. “For several months, Todd was doing research on the expedition, with the help of Ms. Stork. Between the two of them, they assembled several stories that later explorers had gathered from the natives, stories of a tribe of natives that wore kilt-like clothing. This tribe supposedly lived atop one of the tepuis the region is known for.”

“Uh, tepuis?” Greg asked.

“Yes, a tepui is a table-top mountain, or mesa, found only in the Guyana highlands of South America, primarily in Venezuela, but also in Guyana and Brazil. They are typically composed of sheer blocks of Precambrian sandstone or quartzite rocks rising abruptly from the jungle. Because of their height and the sheer rock walls, the plateaus of the mesas are completely isolated from the ground forest. They are ecological islands, with an ecosystem vastly different from the surrounding jungle. One such tepui, Mount Roraima, inspired the Scottish author, Arthur Conan Doyle, to write his novel The Lost World.”

“So Todd went looking for this mountain?” John asked.

“Yes and Ms. Stork went with him. Two other members went along, Standard as a wilderness expert and Coemgen went, well, he went so he could wear his pith helmet. They picked up Wompet for extra security. Jamie went along as well, probably for the adventure.”

“When did you lose contact with them?” I asked.

“Their last contact was three days ago. They were just entering the highlands.”

“What about their tracking signals?”

“Their signals disappeared yesterday afternoon. So far as we can tell from here, they’ve disappeared from the face of the earth."

[Livingston]

Inventory time.....kevlar kilt - check, kevlar shirt - check, kevlar kilt hose - check, extra large first aid kit - check, kevlar pith helmet - check. I THINK I'm ready for this. ith:

[davedove]

Inventory time.....kevlar kilt - check, kevlar shirt - check, kevlar kilt hose - check, extra large first aid kit - check, kevlar pith helmet - check. I THINK I'm ready for this. ith:

Don't forget, there are lots of wild animals in the jungle.

[unaspenser]

Ooh this is getting good!

*steals some of Arlen's popcorn*

So what happens next?

[Southern Breeze]

I'll just sit back and watch as my investment in Popcorn futures grows.

[Wompet]

They picked up Wompet for extra security.

Oh boy oh boy oh boy - I'm going for a romp in the woods, I'm going for a romp in the woods!!



Eww - just had a thought: large shaggy dog + tropical rainforest
I hope no one minds the smell of wet dog ...