Allen took a path through the forest and finally  to his colleagues from the night shifts of the marine zoo, and talked a bit with them. Sources of Information said, that they found some rare minerals, but they seemed to be unapproachable, so most of the staff gathering them waited for some equipment to arrive and were a little idle.<br/><br/>The merman excused himself after catching up, and took a path towards the mountains. There were quite a few people out there, so, Allen gathered some plant and earth samples along the way, to look inconspicious.<br/><br/>Arriving at the foot of the mountain, he had to sigh though. Quite a few researchers and other helpers were here, and the hustle and bustle made it impossible for him to sneak past them all. A little impatient, he still decided to just lean against a tree in a shady place, pull his cap over his face, and take a little nap...<br/><br/>The night had been quite stressfull, so after a while in the mild wind, Allen dozed off.<br/><br/>"Hey.. Hey.. youngster! You allright?" He didnt know how much time had passed, but an older voice woke him up from his slumber.<br/>His cap had fallen off, and an elderly researcher had stumbled upon him in the bushes.<br/>"Mhm.. I'm sorry, I'mfine..." murmured Allen groggily. "Just took a little nap."<br/>Looking over Allens clothing, the man wanted to say something at first, but as Allen pulled the cap onto his head again, he finally nodded.<br/><br/>"Oh, yo you are one of the night caretakers at the Marine Life Zoo? Did you have a rough nightshift?"<br/><br/>Feeling a little guilty inside, Allen aswered. "Something like this, yeah."<br/><br/>"I am James McKenzie." the older introduced himself. "I am participating as free researcher."<br/><br/>Allen nodded, registering that this man must be a VIP. Only people somehow deeply connected to research institutes or Yates team would be here. For now it was not opened to public.<br/>So, the merman stood up and courteously introduced himself, as not to embarass his professor too much, later.<br/>"I'm Allen Walker, Mr. McKenzie. Part of the Marine zoo team and one of the students under Dr.Yates."<br/><br/>"I see." There was no big surprise in the man's eyes, but something irked Allen as he was looking at McKenzie. Still, it was better to be polite. He wanted to make an escape first, but the man interrupted him.<br/>"Well, its getting late, so if everything is fine, I will be going first."<br/>Surprised, the merman blinked at the researcher disappering into the forest.<br/>"Errr...Huh?"<br/>A little perplexed, Allen patted the fallen leaves from his shoulders and sighed, looking at the sky. It was already evening.<br/>Scratching his head a little, he didnt think that he would sleep for that long.<br/>Taking a path back, he suddenly stopped.<br/>~Wait, why did that guy go in<span style="font-style: italic">that</span>direction? Don't tell me he found the thing I found last time?~<br/>Being almost at the camp, Allen halted for a bit. His body sent out hot and cold waves at the same time, as he turned around.<br/>~ It might be 'just' research for the guys here, but my family's matters depend on this.~<br/>gritting his teeth, he started to sprint, and his cap flew away.<br/>He did not care though.<br/>Barely avoiding a collision with a suddenly appearing female in front of him, Allen swerved into a bush and cursed softly as the twigs ripped at his arms and hair.<br/>Last thing he wanted to do is miss the chance to explore the cave properly. Worming his way through the bushes, he hopped on the path again and continued sprinting, not looking back.