"we are all searching for someone whose demons play well with ours." -unknown
•••
two broken soldiers drunk on the idea of finding love.
[I do not own the plots or original characters of Skull Island; I only own Estella Moran and any added moments...
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"Hello and welcome. I am Landsat field supervisor, Victor Nieves. This is my colleague Steve Woodward, our data wrangler. Our expedition takes us to a place every nautical trade route known to man has avoided for centuries," Victor spoke in a drawling voice.
The large expedition crew of scientists and army men were sat in small chairs facing a slideshow of dated images. Estella could hear the shuffling of the projector working through the pictures. She found it funny the juxtaposition of serious scientists and bored soldiers who really didn't know what Victor was talking about.
"As our satellite shows, the island is surrounded by a perpetual storm system, allowing it to remain hidden from the outside world. But with Colonel Packard's helicopter transport, we will be the first to break through to the other side," Victor continued, "We're also pleased to be joined for the first time by the resource exploration team, led by Mr. Randa and accompanied by biologist Ms. San and geologist Mr. Brooks. Our focus will be on the island surface, their's what lies beneath. Mr. Brooks?"
A fairly skinny man with glasses and a thick vest on leapt at the chance to explain his geological plan exuberantly.
"Simple really. We are using explosives to shake the Earth and create vibrations helping us map the subsurface of the island. We will fly over the South shore and then strategically drop seismic chargers to better understand the density of the Earth," Houston rattled off, leaving most of the soldiers slightly confused.
"You're dropping bombs?" a dark British voice questioned.
Estella whipped around to see her challenge standing near the back of the room in a tight black shirt. She subconsciously bit her lip and smiled. Conrad made a fleetingly glance her way and tried to suppress the smirk on his face. All the soldier's heads were turned towards him now.
"Scientific instruments," Houston countered.
"You hear that boys? We're scientists now," Slivko joked, raising his voice.
His friends laughed and jostled his shoulders. Estella stifled a laugh and watched Conrad's reaction out of her peripheral vision. He was mostly passive and only leaned more heavily into the wall.
"We'll then land and make base camp for ground excursions led by Mr. Conrad," Victor pulled their attention back to the plan.
Conrad shifted awkwardly and crossed his arms tighter around his torso. He was beginning to get nervous on the reasoning behind the plan. Jack Chapman began to make his way towards the screen.
"Major Jack Chapman," Victor passed the torch along.
"Alright, once on the island the storm's interference will block all radio contact with the ship," Jack informed, "That means we will be by ourselves. Three days later, refuel team will meet us here on the North end of the island. That might be our only staff departure for an unknown period of time. So, a tip for everybody don't miss it. Please."
