While the crew from Animalia Ambassadoria returned to Animalia and Lyre after their scouting mission to the abandoned hotel outside Manaus with their end report on what they had found and what would need to be done to get the hotel up and running again as a new Animalian colony, Melbourne remained behind. The work that would need to be done was extensive. The underbrush and grasses that had grown up around the hotel would need to be cleared and Melbourne made that point quite clear when it was suggested that they leave the undergrowth alone. He wasn't a structural engineer, but even he knew that if left to grow into the building the large trees and other plants in the area would undermine the hotel's structure on the whole. While Animalia had some agreements with the Brazilian national government and the local authorities in Manaus for the use of the hotel as a new Animalian colony, that didn't mean they would pay for the building of a whole new hotel if the present building collapsed because outside plants grew through internal supports to the building. And with the likely high labor costs that Horizon would have to pay just to get the hotel refurbished, which included Melbourne's services in catching the animals that Animalia Ambassadoria took back for uplifting and his present supervising of the work to get the hotel rebuilt and ready to be a new colony, the risk of a structural collapse was not something Horizon wished to take.
"You're going to actually stay here?" a Horizon representative asked Melbourne as they came off a small boat and onto the pier in front of the hotel.
Melbourne looked over to the Horizon representative. He wasn't a scientist, but more a business representative, which made him all the more interest with many of the financial risks that Horizon was taking with regard to many of the Animalian colony ideas. He looked to be a fairly nervous looking individual and Melbourne knew he'd need to assure him that he would be safe and okay.
"Given that Animalia's ambassadors found a group of drug dealers or drug doers camped on the ground floor, it'd be clear that people know that the hotel isn't in active use, and because of that... they're willing to take those sorts of risks as if the law isn't here, the only thing they need to contend with is nature..." Melbourne answered, "and nature can be dealt with. As such... someone will need to be here, especially while the restoration and rebuilding efforts are only just starting."
The Horizon representative looked at the building with all its broken windows and in many places looking like various jungle bushes and shrubs were crowding around the building. Some of it even looked more like the imported bushes and shrubs that were brought in when the hotel was first built were even growing wild around the building's foundation. It reinforced the reports that Animalia Ambassadoria gave on their online posts for their show and to Horizon directly. There was a lot of work to be done, and while labor might not be a major issue in the end, getting the resources, technology, and equipment there WOULD be a big thing that would take time to put work together.
"I take it that this is also why you called me to come out here with a dose of the serum?" the Horizon representative asked.
Melbourne nodded. Animalia Ambassadoria had gotten permission to uplift several local animals that would ultimately come back to form the basis for the Animalian colony when the hotel was up and running again, but most of them were taken back to Lyre and Animalia with them. The lone exception was a the young Black Caiman that Melbourne had caught when they first arrived and started exploring the abandoned hotel. At full size, a Black Caiman had the potential to be bigger than the American Alligator, which was a large animal in its own right. The American Alligator had a larger maximum size, but due to close contact with humans, it rarely lived long enough to reach that size and as such, the Black Caiman had a larger average size as many parts of its range in the Amazon river basin were not heavily populated. The one that Melbourne had caught, however, was a young one.
"Yeah," Melbourne nodded, "It's a youngster, but uplifting him... or her... will be a big thing for both the security of the site and assuring that a lot of the work can be done. And I'll be staying here to help him or her with all that work. In that sense, it'd be a neat camping trip. And with permission to go fishing while we're here... it's not like we have to worry about food."
They then made their way up and into the hotel. There was still a lot of ambient noise, mostly birds that drew the Horizon representative's attention up toward the trees that were around the abandoned hotel. In a sense would make the new colony come off as part of a sort of paradise and he figured that once it went through, it'd work out well. However, the Horizon representative was a bit curious on something that Melbourne had mentioned.
"You say it's a youngster...?" the Horizon representative began slowly and letting his comment fall off at the end.
"Well, it's not full grown... but it is independent of its mother," Melbourne answered, "which should make it easier to work with physically."
"Okay," the Horizon representative said slowly as they entered the building. He remained behind Melbourne and walked quietly as they entered. Dirt and leaf litter crunched underneath their feet. Melbourne ultimately lead him towards an interior office area with a large sort of catch pole leaning against the wall next to the door. As they reached the door, Melbourne looked back to him.
"Okay, while the guy is small, he can be fairly active," Melbourne spoke, "all your job is to inject the serum to uplift him. I'll move to get him in a position where you won't have any problem. I'll give you a call when I'm ready for you, okay?"
The representative nodded and stepped back as Melbourne opened the door and looked inside the room. The look was quick and Melbourne made his way in to the internal office. He waited quietly, but couldn't bring himself to watch. After a few moments there was a series of crashing noises and a mix of angry sounding hisses and reptilian growls. It wasn't super deep in the sense that it sounded like an alligator or crocodile from various National Geographic specials, but then the representative did have to remember that Melbourne had said that this Black Caiman was not fully grown. He stood by nervously listening and glancing out toward the broken glass to the "back" doors and preyed that something didn't come in out of the jungle. So far, though, nothing came in from outside and it wasn't too long before he heard Melbourne's voice.
"Okay, mate," Melbourne called, "come on in... and be quick. He may not be full grown but that doesn't mean he's weak!"
The representative rushed in to find what had been a small office area that was about eight feet by twelve feet. There was a small wooden table that was on its side against a far wall and a series of smashed cupboards near the doorway where the representative stood. Near another wall, Melbourne had again managed to get the caiman in a grasp that had him holding it by its head so that its jaws were shut and its muzzle pointed up toward the ceiling. The caiman was hissing and growling with its rear limbs digging into the layers of dirt and leaves that had been tracked in. The representative thought he heard the sound of ripping carpet, but he wasn't sure.
Pulling a small syringe from his pocket, he then moved forward and removed the safety cap. The needle itself was a bit longer and sturdier than normal, but according to the directions he'd gotten, it was used in zoos when their crocodilians needed vaccinations. The representative came forward and got down on one knee and then carefully injected the needle into the caiman's shoulder area, though on its underside where the scales were thinner. It gave a growling hiss again and thrashed its tail, but it wasn't enough to weaken Melbourne's grip on it. That allowed the representative to depress the plunger and inject the Animalia Virus into it. With that, Melbourne jumped off the caiman's back and the representative backed away after removing the syringe.
They backed away and watched as the caiman began to grow and change. For a few moments it thrashed on the floor for a few moments, but the representative soon saw that the caiman's forelegs and rear legs were growing longer. Its "hands" also seemed to grow more dexterous with the webbing between its fingers not growing out. Eventually the growth was enough that the caiman's spine and hip configuration altered to allow it to stand upright, which it soon did. It moved up toward the wrecked cupboards and began to pull itself up, as it did so. As it did so, it soon revealed its gender as both Melbourne and the representative could see budding breasts developing on the caiman's chest.
"It's a female," the Horizon representative spoke to Melbourne.
"I can see that," Melbourne answered, "you have clothing, right?"
"Yeah, back in the boat," the Horizon representative as they looked to the newly uplifted Black Caiman, standing shakily on her feet and looking more like a teenager than an adult, though it might be possible that she was physically on par with an eighteen year old. Neither of them were sure. The Horizon representative had no younger siblings and Melbourne had often been away enough that he wasn't able to see his younger siblings often, and for the moment the Horizon representative didn't have time for it. He rushed out and quickly ran for the boat to get a bag that would have clothing it.
"This... this is weird," the young caiman said looking at herself.
"I'm sure it's something different for you," Melbourne spoke, "but... you've been uplifted... as an Animalian, you'll be part of a colony for other Animalians."
"Animalians?" the young caiman looked up to Melbourne.
"Yeah, animals that have gained attributes and abilities that make them very human like," Melbourne spoke, "So that you're like me..."
"Like you..." the caiman said slowly, and then blinked with realization, "YOU! You're the one that jumped at me in the water! You're the one that held me here!"
"It was part of the plan for the uplifting of animals here," Melbourne spoke, "From what I was told, Animalian society wants to establish a colony at this old hotel. And before now... it's not like anyone could talk to you about that idea."
"And what am I to do, sit pretty for you?" the caiman challenged.
"Well... right now the plan was more that you'd help lead the colony and be part of the work to help restore the hotel," Melbourne said slowly, "but I'm not sure on how the people in Manaus will respond to you given that right now you look like a teenager rather than as an adult person... Their ambassadors had some comment on "double dosing" but I'm not quite sure on what that means... but I'd suppose a lot of your future is up to you. My associate has gone to get you some cloths and from there, if you want to go and interact with the people in Manaus, that's up to you..."
"Why would I need clothes?" the caiman asked raising an eye-ridge.
"Human society will prefer you wear clothing in most public places," Melbourne spoke as he looked away, "Humanity is funny that way."
The caiman humphed at that.
"I assure you, miss, that nothing was intended to do you harm or belittle you," Melbourne spoke, "and if you want to take a leadership role in the colony... I wouldn't mind having your input. Especially when it will come to dealing with water way issues, as you are likely to be more familiar with things here than I am."
The caiman tilted her head but then shrugged. Melbourne assumed that meant she agreed with the idea and then moved onto actual introductions.
"People call me Melbourne, what can I call you?"
"Mandíbula," the caiman answered.
Melbourne blinked, "Portuguese for jaw..."
"You have a problem with that?" the caiman, Mandibula, growled while bearing her teeth.
"No," Melbourne spoke raising his hands, "No problem."
"Good," Mandibula calmed down a bit, "now we can discuss this colony..."