Chapter 1: Hunger for Strawberries

[Linnea Korpela]

Linnea sighed heavily, she hated work but thank God the day was almost over. She had finished everything for that day and was left watching the clock and waiting on the phone. The end of the day was always the worst, it dragged on forever. It was as if time were teasing her, keeping her bored not allowing her to leave until the shift was over.
It had been a slow day to begin with but this particular day no one was close by to socialize with till it was time to leave.
Sighing again she slumped forward a little and plopped her chin in her hand as she continued to stare at the clock.

[Jumala Keitoleinen]

After catching up with all of the scientists, Keitoleinen decides to check on Linnea Korpela, his secretary. He wanders into her office and sits down on her desk. "How is your day going, secretary? Anything unusual happen at work today?" He asks her with a smirk.

[Jack Kruschev]

“Like beauty, quality is in the eye of the beholder. All the products you mentioned have already been developed, however, they are all very expensive to produce. Example,” Anthony indicates to Toolah, “Kittens that grow slowly must be tampered with to grow slowly. Their hormones be must drastically changed, their bodies re-organized to prevent defects in their growth. This all takes time, I’m not going to lie about that.”

Anthony turns back to his computer and presses some buttons to bring up a picture of a terribly deformed rat. “This rat,” he continues, “was the first experiment of the growth hormones. Certain hormones did and didn’t take action when need or unwanted and the result was this. This will take time, with current techniques, a failure is roughly one in 25. This includes all defects including mental retardation.”

[Linnea Korpela]

Linnea scooted back in her chair slightly, she couldn't stand Jumala and didn't want to be near him. It was him that had gotten her this job but it was also him that abused her growing up.
"No nothing unusual happened. I'm just waiting till it's time to go home. That's all."
She didn't offer anything back to him, she was sure he knew how much she disliked him and the sooner he left the better.

[Jumala Keitoleinen]

"You know, everyone is jealous of my beautiful secretary. They think that maybe you were one of Genetech's creations." He states as a creepy compliment. "I know you loathe me. You make little secret of it. But..I've been good to you. I protect you from the Manalists." He reminds her and leans towards her a bit.

[Dinari Dollar]

"Genetech seems like quite the business. I wish I had a business like that instead of retail, but hey, I do make pretty good money myself. Someone has to sell the stuff other people make." Dinari says. For a moment he feels a little jealous of Genetech. It passes.

"You seem pretty young Anthony. How did you end up where you are at?"

[Linnea Korpela]

Linnea leaned back as he leaned forward.
"But who protects me from you?" she said as she turned her head away.
Well she now knew that he was fully aware she didn't like him. She glanced at the clock, it wasn't any sooner to leaving so she was stuck here a little longer dealing with Jumula.
"So what is it that you want?" she said as she folded her arms over her chest.

[Jumala Keitoleinen]

"Protect you from me? Really, is that a joke? I adore you. I am your benefactor. I would do anything for you. You are like my dear Celeste...who is now gone. She was killed by Father Manala." Keitoleinen says sadly, but perhaps is feigning the sadness for all anyone knows.

"Linnea, you are important to me. You are more than just an employee here. I would give you anything you like."

[Linnea Korpela]

Linnea scoffed, "Right. Important. We've been through this before, what I went through didn't make me seem very important. And there is nothing I want from you."
She sighed and for a moment her mind wondered off to a free world where there wasn't a group of people deciding the every movement of the people under them, a world where she could do as she pleased and didn't worry about if it would come with consequences. Her art suffered underneath the rule of these people.
"There isn't anything you could give me anyway."
She thought about retorting with something snide but she didn't want to compromise what she had already, and she didn't want to risk Jumula reacting. After all she was alone with the only one to "look after" her being Jumula.

[Hilja Kukkanen/Sasha Pisarev]

I wake up early and decide that maybe today I should try to find another job. I am having a hard time making ends meet, so, maybe taking on a new job would be good for me. I have little time of course, but, I also have little choice.

I get ready, putting on another black dress and a red cape. I then head out to buy a paper and check the want ads for any jobs.

I see one working for a Charon Desjardins as a garden helper. I like flowers, so, maybe that sort of job will be fun. The ad says to stop by his place, and so, I leave at once to find his home and ask about the position.

[Jumala Keitoleinen]

Keitoleinen bites his lip in frustration. "I am a very powerful person. I could do whatever I want to you or with you, and yet I have chosen to give you a job and treat you with kindness." He says calmly, although he is very annoyed with her.

"I have...so much power over you. You do see that, don't you?" He asks her. "I could tell the Manalists that you are a rebel angel. I could do that...and yet I don't."

He gets off the desk and tilts his head to the side. "You are so beautiful Linnea."

[Jack Kruschev]

“Working for Genetech is a pleasure. I experiment and make my life rock and they pay for me it,” Anthony laughs. Turning serious, Anthony continues, “I got where I am the same way you did; hard work. I was born on the radiation-ravaged East coast of America, but did, certain things, to get a fair self-education. I advanced quickly when it became my passion and life, and am here now. Dr.Hoito is the only scientist above me currently, after a while, I hope to take his place.”

[Peter "Levitas" Barak]

Peter starts to correct Dollar but pauses. Unleashing dinosaurs had that movie fun quality, to be sure, but it wasn't a far sighted plan. "Sir," he said after a moment's thought, "Do you remember when we tried that same plan with lions in Orlando? To remove the squatters? And we just ended up with a town full of man eating lions that smelled like rotting flesh?

As I recall you had the whole town bulldozed and fired the vice-president you said suggested the idea to you. I can't help but think that, perhaps, filling a space with dinosaurs and giving them a taste for human flesh would be a bad idea, especially since your planning to use said island to attract tourists."

When dealing with Dollar it was best to redirect rather than shot down. He didn't handle generating new ideas well (or being shot down, he tended to get into a firing mood when people didn't like his ideas). "Maybe you would be better off giving the dinosaurs their own town here in Florida, something close to the Everglades. Then you can dump people you don't like into that town and not have to worry about the dinosaurs escaping or shipping them. It's much cheaper to ship people than large, man eating reptiles."

[Jack Kruschev]

Anthony sat and waited for Dollar to take in what Peter had just said. It was now or seemingly never; would Dollar take his product or would he regect. Either way, Anthony would have his job, but if he rejected his work animal, Anthony would have wasted weeks of his time developing it. Anthony held his concentration to make sure he didn't allow a single bead of sweat down his face.

[Toolah "Tuvi" Renee]

Tuvi considers what Peter is saying. True, the lions thing was extra nasty and rotting flesh... She shuddered at the thought. "And, you could... I don't know.... put a kill switch in the dinosaurs? Right? Just in case they try to leave a certain area outside the Everglades?"

"I think Peter's idea is good but we should make sure they cannot spread or reproduce. Then Flordia would be overrun."