Through the Jungle

Untouched by Man

Jo found her bunking room and slung her bag off of her shoulder, tossing it onto her bed before sitting down and running her hands through her red hair. The curls caught on her wedding ring, the diamond tangling her locks and making her wince when she tugged it out. Sighing, she gazed at the ring and marveled how even in the dim lighting of the bunk, it still sparkled. Shaking her head, she slipped the ring off and zipped it away in a pocket of her bag, just as the door swung open and 2 more ladies entered the bunk.

"Oh, hello," The blonde smiled, shoving her bag off her shoulder and onto the bed across from Jo. "You must be Jocelyn, it's nice to meet you, I'm Mason Weaver."

"Pleasure."

"I'm San Lin, one of the lead scientists."

"Again, a pleasure," Jo nodded, watching as the small Asian woman tossed her much smaller and lighter bag onto the top bunk that was settled over Mason's bunk.

"You're one of the escorts, right?" Mason asked, sitting on her bed to face the red head.

"Uh, yeah, something like that," Jo nodded, smiling briefly at the girls. "You?"

"War photographer."

"Anti-war photographer," Mason amended her scientist friend.

Jo nodded her head in understanding, "So what's an anti-war photographer doing on some exploration expedition?"

"Well, I had 3 separate sources tell me the exact same thing. That doesn't happen unless everyone is well rehearsed and programmed to say the same things. It's a cover story. They're hiding something, they're lying to everyone, and I'm here to witness it all."

"Ever think that they might be lying for a reason and that you just willingly signed up for a suicide mission?" Jo asked, leaning back into her bunk, eyeing the women carefully. "What about you, Lin?"

"I'm here to conduct experiments and collect data. I'm here to work with Mr. Brooks and Mr. Randa."

Jo eyed her for a moment before deciding she was innocent enough and was telling the truth about her purpose on this mission. She nodded and smiled briefly, moving to settle her bag on the floor beneath her bunk. The ladies spent another 45 minutes together, getting to know each other and effectively breaking Jo out of her shell. Her red hair was tossed into a messy bun on the tops of her head, shedding her jacket and finding comfort in the cool room as she now lounged in a tank top and pants.

There was a knock at the door, a light voice calling out, "Ladies?"

"Come in!" Mason called, the 3 looking towards the door to see who it was.

Slivko stood at the door with a smile on his face, "Dinner is ready, I'm here to escort you 3 to the dining hall. After that, we're to have a debriefing meeting before bed. We're all to be in attendance."

Jo nodded and stood, following her newly formed friends out of the door and walking after the young soldier. He must have barely been 18-19, trigger happy to join the war and fight for his country. Now he was heading head first into one last mission that could be his last. Wouldn't that be horrible; they survived the war but died on some expedition.

Arriving at the dining hall, Jo greeted Colonel Packard. The two other ladies went ahead to get their dinner, keeping an eye on their friend as she spoke to the intimidating Colonel.

"Conrad." He nodded.

"Just Jo, please. I don't go by that name."

"Easy enough, all the better to keep you two apart."

"Sir?"

"There's two Conrads on this ship so it's all the easier if I can call you by a different name, for the sake of confusion. I've heard about you Miss Jo."