Dr. Rider looked round at Collin, almost surprised, the noise of the ocean covering his approach. He paused, digesting Collins question. His stomach dropped. This trip was so sacred to him, his one chance to find the rarest of birds that he was convinced lived on this very island. If he could prove the existence of the small population he believed still thrived here, he would be the pioneer of the biggest discovery of modern day in the science of biological species. If he had broadcast his plans for the mission, he would be at risk exposing his research for other scientists to claim as their own; it would have been a frenzied race to the island. If they knew what he knew, he would lose this opportunity. That's why he couldn't tell anyone. He just had to keep it quiet. He tried to remember exactly who knew of his departure, and whether they would realise what had happened. How long would it take? He highly doubted anyone would have a clue, never mind think to come looking for them. Was this a total mistake? Was there something he could have done to prevent this mess? There must have been someone to trust, a backup plan to put in place. But the doctor had been so confident that this would be the pursuit of a lifetime and everything would fall into place. A reckless optimist, he supposed.

Dr. Rider debated in his mind, knowing very well that telling the honest truth would do nothing but drag the poor young botanist into despair. The only thing he could hold onto was the fact that he was here, on the island that he had dreamed about for years, and somewhere in the forest hid the most majestic bird he knew of. It was still possible after all; the discovery.

Dr. Rider snapped out of his trance, "Uh.. soon, I suppose" he said nodding, convincing not only Collin but also himself. "I'm sure they will be on their way" he continued "But we mustn't sit around and wait" reaching forward to drag the boxes toward the shallow water.

Under the shelter, Will appreciated the shade, the salt water and sweat drying on his bare skin as he cooled down a couple of degrees. "Well.." Will replied "I can't exactly see it" he said and gave a small chuckle. The laugh felt surreal, as if wrong, but also exactly what they needed. "But from what I can tell, I'll live" he joked, flashing a genuine smile. "I just need to wrap it up for now, just like your leg" he said and looked out to the ocean, a look of concern replacing the smile "I just hope that's possible".