Alex Rider: A Billionaires Paradise

Secret Stache

Alex got up. Yesterday had been possibly the most fun he'd had in years. He'd been water-boarding, and then done some indoor climbing. There was complete 360 degree area, that crossed over the ceiling. He'd nearly managed it, starting at the bottom, and climbing the steadily increasing gradient. He had clipped himself in at every available carabiner. He almost got to the top, when his hand slipped on a grip and he fell, his attachments holding him firmly as he dangled, suspended awkwardly in mid air. Much to his surprise, a few of the people gave him a round of applause. Apparently not that many people could get to completely hanging. 

When he woke up in the morning, his shoulders and forearms ached. Not without reason though. He slid out of his bunk bed, half crawled to the sink, and splashed cold water over his face. He changed into some more practical trousers. He'd seen on a map that there was a geocache trail nearby. He'd done a few with Ian, but they were more a sudden "Within twenty meters of you there is a hidden piece of evidence. Find it." He knew that with geocache etiquette that if you take something, you leave something. He searched through his bag. A pencil sharpener, a small role of tape, a packet of safety pins, a fridge magnet from a gift shop. It'd do. 
He put on his hiking gear, and filled his water bottles. He walked to the canteen. He grabbed a bacon roll as he passed by, putting another in his bag. He took out the map. There were three levels of description. Easy, medium and hard, which he had taken. He Took a moment to get his bearings. If that was the canteen, that was the direction of the loch, then the path should be...on the other side of that car park. He crossed, and turned left. Apparently they got harder to find as the trail went on. He quickly found himself climbing a set of stairs, up a steep hill.

He reached the first sign post. He took out the map, reading the set of instructions. The instructions read "Gravity." Interesting. Very vague. He took a look around. There were thick trees. They go up, he'd start there. Upon initial inspection, there was noting odd about these trees. As he checked trees further and further away, he began to suspect he was wrong about the trees. He went back, checking the closer ones again. As he ran his hand around the base, he felt it catch on something. A brown nylon cord. He pulled it. A loud rustling noise followed from above. Looking up, he saw a box descending as he pulled on the rope more. When it reached him, he noticed a hook in the tree. He looped the rope around it, to keep the box at that level. Opening the box, he saw the usual array of items. A pack of cigarettes, a note book, plastic whistle, a small lock with a key, a painted rock. He put the fridge magnet it, taking the cigarettes. They just stuck out. He let go of the rope, and the box was pulled up, presumably by a hidden weight.
He passed a bin after not to long. He deposited the pack, that he found only had two left.

The next post. By now he'd left the forest, and was in a grassy field. The instructions on the map said "disguised." Possible less useful than the first. The easy one probably said something like "its under some rocks" He searched through the grass for anything obvious. Nothing. He looked for a nearby rock or something. About twenty meters away, a large boulder was barely poking out of the grass. It didn't seem like it was disguised. He checked it none the less. Nothing. He went back to the post. Had he missed one? No, this was in the right place. He went to check if it was numbered. There was a number two on it, engraved into the wood. He ran his finger through it thoughtfully. Surprisingly, the top of the post moved a little. He felt it again. He grabbed the top and lifted it off. Underneath was the stash of items. A clip on mustache, a tiny magnifying glass, a pack of gum from two years ago. He put the tape in. He didn't want anything from in there, so he left without taking anything. 

As he approached the next location he saw someone sitting on fallen tree. It was back into forest, but the trees were much larger, and there was less shrubbery.
"Looking for the geocache?"
"Yep. But don't tell me where it is."
"As if i knew. I've been here for half an hour!"
Something about this person was familiar. 
"The instructions say that it's touching the ground. What's that supposed to mean?"
"Maybe it's something obvious. Like behind some ferns."
"Yeah. I mean, you're the expert in this kind of thing."