Max hadn't been a park ranger for that long, around six months. Previously, she was a cop, and kind of still worked for the C.S.A. It was complicated. She kept quiet about her past, and working as a Ranger allowed her to escape.Max loved the outdoors, and the job fitted around her training which she had got back into. Years ago, Max had was a rising star in fitness and bodybuilding with a bright future ahead of her, but fate changed things as it does for everyone. She loved most things; if it involved iron and lifting, she was interested in it. Max had an impressive physique; everyone could see her muscles as her shirt was tight around her arms, even though it was a Means XL. Max enjoyed her job and was already building up quite a bit of knowledge about the surrounding area, the habitat, and the wildlife. The area where Max patrolled used to be called Sasquatch Forest, but it was renamed after many hoax sightings and media attention back in the 1970s. She much preferred its more recent name, "Bluebell Forest."
It would be another day, a mixture of hiking the trails, guiding people and talking to tourists, patrolling on her electric motorcycle, and taking in all that natural beauty. The first call of her shift was to a family broken down on Route Seventy, which ran through Bluebell Forest, near a fire route O.P. Max was the nearest ranger, so she was dispatched. She had no mechanical knowledge whatsoever., but it was what she liked. It was almost being a cop but without the shit. She unplugged the charging plug and pressed the button on her electric motorcycle. She likened her electric bike to a horse and quietly rode off to see if she could help.
It was a 20-minute ride to the location; she took the old track, which had been disused for years, but it effectively avoided the tourists. It wasn't long before Max spotted a car with its hazard indicators on.
"Hi, what seems to be the problem?" asked Max as she dismounted her electrical steed, removing her gloves and helmet.
"Oh, hi. "Erm, yep, I've got a flat," said the tourist.
"Okay, you must put out your warning triangle and get your jack. I've got some glow sticks I can put down so you can change your wheel safely," advised Max.
"Erm, miss, I've never changed a wheel before."
Max swore under her breath.
Max looked at him. He looked like a typical unprepared tourist. There was a young girl and a young boy in the rear of the car. Max smiled, family. Seeing the kids made Max a little softer.
"Just the three of you?" enquired Max
"Erm, yes, this is our first trip away." explained the tourist.
Without prompt, he added- "My wife left me,"
"Okay, I'm sorry to hear that, but it's no excuse not to be prepared. I'll help," Max said, quickly changing the subject before she got too much of a sad story.
"Let's unload some of that luggage and get the spare, Jack, and tyre iron. I'll have you on the move in no time!" Max was reassuring to the family. Max laid out a few glow sticks to make it safer; the traffic sometimes comes up on you too fast and in a train-like formation, holiday-makers desperate for their vacation.
Max spoke to the girl, who was 12, and the boy, 14, while the dad started to dig towards the spare wheel.
Xxcxxx
The young girl kept looking at Max's biceps.
"You have some big muscles," she said.
"Yes, I do. Is that okay?" asked Max.
"Are you a superhero?" Max smiled.
She went closer to the girl's ear and whispered, "Yes, I am, but so are you." Max loved planting seeds of wisdom in young minds.
YOU ARE READING
Project Xx-Time Out.
Short StoryPart 4 in the Project Xx series. Max needed to disappear and get away from things for a while. She needed time to think about things. However long it took. She was hurt, and she was angry. Even though technically she was still a C.S.A. agent, she...
