Funding Body Advisor & Media Liason: Daniel Carter

[Laraqua]

Background music.

There are numerous photographs of about a hundred people, each taken within the room, and with no two photographs of the same person. There were no text messages or audio files registered. The dial tone currently selected was exceedingly feminine and childish.

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel uses the mobile to take a photo of himself, then looks through the photos on it for one of Angela.

[Laraqua]

Background music.

Its the second most recent photograph. The most recent, other than the one he just took of himself, is that of an unfamiliar man.

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel makes a mental note of what the other faces look like. Out of curiosity, he looks at the last few faces, paying special attention to the last one. That must be the first person who was in this room, he thinks. Then he looks through the pages of the coloring book to see what other images are there and if anything is written on them.

[Laraqua]

Background Music.

The last few faces seem to depict a group of brunettes in their early teens. The very last one is an older man. Few of the faces seem to be regarding the mobile phone and most seem to be in the midst of speaking when their photographs were taken.

The drawings are largely of a mundane nature - mostly wild life and happy families. All are drawn as though with a child's hand. There are no words written on them though there are a few lonely letters placed on random pages.

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel walks over to the mirror and peers into it, to see what his own face and the rest of the room look like when reflected in it.

[Laraqua]

It's like peering into a reflective surface of water. The rest of the room seems to ripple and his own face seems somewhat blurred. From somewhere within the room, music starts, and he had come back to his senses, as though not a second additional had passed, still pouring that coffee.

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel sets the coffee down quickly before he spills it. His hands are shaking uncontrollably after his experience. He fumbles in his pocket and pulls out a matchbook, then takes one of the matches and strikes it. It takes a few tries considering how jittery he is, but he finally gets it to light. He focuses his vision on the flame and begins to take deep breaths. Once he calms down sufficiently, he blows out the match and tosses it in the rubbish bin. Then he goes to get a notebook and a pen, so he can write down every detail he remembers.

[Laraqua]

That was the main sum of it that was written down in his notebook. On different occasions, there were different ... changes. Twice there was an SMS on the phone that seemed to be for him and from someone, but such messages seemed to be near gibberish. On one occasion, the picture book seemed to contain pictures of his childhood hand and the pictures had bizarrely shaped hands much as Carter used to draw back when he was little.

[Mr. Handy]

Next, Daniel reviews the background and personnel files of the other members of the expedition.

[Laraqua]

Carter is interrupted by a buzz on the the intercom. "Hi, I'll be your temp for the next few hours. Seems the first few interviewees are here already. Shall I buzz the first one in?"

[Mr. Handy]

"Yes, thank you, Miss Chiang," replies Daniel. "Please do."

[Laraqua]

As he waits a few moments for the potential cameraman to enter, his gaze brushes over the personnel files for Natasha Chaikovskaya.

[Laraqua]

A stout fellow with brilliant green eyes enters, teeth flashing white, as he approaches the desk and reaches out to shake Carter's hand. "Carl Noether, your new cameraman."

[Mr. Handy]

Daniel Carter rises and shakes Carl Noether's hand. "I'm Daniel Carter, the Media Development Chief Marketing Officer here at Ophidian Enterprises." he says. "I appreciate that you're confident, but it has yet to be decided who our new cameraman - or woman - will be. Please, have a seat." He motions to the chair across from the desk while studying the man, getting a decent read on him.

[Laraqua]

Carl Noether smoothly picks up the chair, spins it around and sits so that his crotch is facing the back of the chair and his legs jut out from under the arms. He seems to be trying to put his best foot forward ... and his best foot, in his mind, seems to involve his ego first and foremost. "If you hire me, you will most assuredly get the peace of mind you deserve. I am skilled, I have experience, and I am eager to try out this fascinating expedition, Danny, may I call you Danny?"

[Mr. Handy]

Well, if this guy's half as good as he thinks he is... thinks Daniel. "I think it would be best to keep things professional for this interview, Mr. Noether," he says. "If you are hired, there will be plenty of opportunities to socailize and things may get less formal. So, what exactly about this expedition fascinates you? Why do you want to join it?"

[Laraqua]

"The place sounds like a dream, or a nightmare, and I want in on seeing the whole scene unfold, be right there, capturing it and the lovely lady presenter," he says with a smile. He holds his hands up, making a grand gesture. "Milly LeCrique, Science Geek."

[Mr. Handy]

"So you're a fan of hers?" says Daniel. "I can't stress enough that this expedition will be physically grueling. There will be a lot of hiking involved, and we'll all need to carry heavy equipment. We need every member to be in top physical condition. Are you in good shape? Do you have any medical problems we should know about?"

[Laraqua]

Noether gives him a wry look. "Did you want me to flex for you or you okay with just taking my word for it? Because I am at my peak. Absolute peak. Grueling? Schmueling. There ain't nothing I can't handle. I haven't been up a mountain before but I do a daily physical fitness regimen that I'd call grueling."