Big Shots

Chapter 1: Taking the Plunge

Walkie?  I patted my belt holster. Check. Mace?  I tapped my pocket. Yep, still there. Hat about to fall off?  Raising my eyebrow, I reached up and adjusted it. Mm, I squinted, it's still not right.

It was one of those bizarre days when the sun could be shining in your eyes, but ten feet either way from you, it was dark.

What time is it, anyway?

Even though I was trying to keep a steady pace, I settled on backtracking toward the mudpuddles and logs to take a breather, and hopefully, catch a glance at my reflection. It wasn't my favorite idea to backpedal through this natural labyrinth of a place, but since I needed this hat secure enough to keep the sun out of my face...

I scanned my pocket journal with my roughly sketched map and some timestamps. Looks like I hit the mudpuddles at ~12:52. And... I traced the map with my finger. It should beee... that-a-way. I pointed west with a deciding nod.

"Hey, Dr. Meyer, wait!"

Someone else is here?!

"Stop! Underneath the mud and the leaves there's-"

I bounced my gaze around, pacing back and forth, trying to find the owner of the voice. This wouldn't be the first time I was trailed, though I'm not usually so distracted. Why am I so off my game?  With all this circling around in my head, I finally I started processing what I was being told.

"Please just hold on a second and don't move-"

Glubbblublublublublublub...!

Flailing about as I was, I was whisked out of the thick, polluted water and set back on my feet. A hidden ravine, huh. So I was heading the wrong way after all. I guess I won't be missing--I inspected my sopping journal--this, I thought, tossing it in my knapsack. What's up with me today?  Feeling both indebted and surrounded, I devised to see what this guy was all about. I took solace in my waterproof walkie talkie. I was alone, but never completely alone. I could still get in touch with my team.

"Hey, thanks, you really had my back—what's your name, pal?" I asked as I rubbed the gunk out of my eyes, grimacing at the soiled state of my hat as I wrung it out.

A few garbled noises of hesitation later, I was becoming concerned, but as I composed myself to inquire with the mystery voice again, it spilled out, dumbly, "Do you promise not to rat me out?"

"I'm not a snitch," I reassured, "whoever you are, you've already got me on your side," I shrugged.

"'You sure?" He pressed. "I-- don't think I'm what you're expecting, Doc," sounding somehow both skittish and teasing.

I eyed the roundabout direction of the voice, which seemed to be in the treetops. My eyes narrowed. I could only reason out that the guy happened to be a staunch tree climber, or a secret agent aboard the world's most silent helicopter. There was a lot of vacant, imposing nothingness.

The warm, humid air felt like it was coiling around my neck as I shifted my glance back to the grass. My fingers discreetly glided over the small mace canister in my back pocket. I had to keep my composed demeanor, just in case...

"Don't worry about me, I've seen a whole hell of a lo-" I started, then abruptly stopped as I felt something snatched out of my hands.

"Hey! My hat!" I sputtered. "Did you do that?"

I felt my eyes widen as the suspense surrounding this mystery-man started making me antsy, but I wasn't so much upset as I was amazed. When some moments passed by and again I didn't hear anything coherent back, I tried a more amicable route.

"I didn't even catch you doing it. Actually, it's impressive." I'd pay him to teach me stealthy moves like that.

The leaves began rustling about, followed by two hearty pounding noises on the ground. Booby-traps?  "Whoa! 'You alright?" I flinched at the creeping vibrations, but I still couldn't spot the source of the sound. "Be careful there, you're most likely in a booby-trapped area."

"Ah? Oh, I'm okay--you should probably stay where you are, though. I'm sorry about your hat, Dr. Meyer. I might be able to fix it up for you in my shop, though." He paused. "If you let me."

I nodded. "I'm an independent party. I get paid privately, so I'm not beholden to anyone. You can trust that I'm really no snitch. And," I inhaled, "I'm not the fainthearted type. So you can come out," I waved emphatically, if not looking a bit insecure.

"Hm, alright Dr. Meyer, maybe I'll show my face, but you've got to hold up your end of the deal." There was a sigh. "S-so you can't run awa- well-" he cleared his throat, "I'd have to ask that you keep my identity a secret." There was playful but nervous chuckle. "And please don't panic, because if another woman cries at the sight of me, my self-esteem is done for."

The adrenaline in me rallied, and the corners of my lips curled up into a grin. "Okay, well let's see you then," I called, "and I'll try not to puke," I jested.

...

.......

B O O M! B O O M! BOOM BOOM BOOM BOOM  ᴮᴼᴼᴹ ᴮᴼᴼᴹ Bₒₒₘ Bₒₒₘ

"Holy-" I clenched my hands up against my ears as I attempted to keep my balance straight. Racing toward the explosive noises, I scoped out the premises. "Are you alright?!"

The raging dust clouds were slowly dissipating as I tried to keep my eyes open. I extended my arm out desperately in hopes that someone would find it. Evidently, this man didn't know how to navigate booby-traps. "This isn't the time to be shy! I can help you!"

For several minutes, I scanned the wooded alcove high and low in confusion, wondering why an otherwise mundane woodland would have these few isolated traps, when it finally occurred to me that the one waiting for me was...

...No one. There was nobody and nothing here.

I kicked over a rock...sat down for a minute on a log...reflected...

What happened? I... Do I just- I gulped. -Search for a body?

As I wiped the beaded sweat off my forehead, I considered the dangers I could be facing here, now that I knew this place was booby-trapped. 

But something in me chose not to believe that this was a setup. It was like flexing an unused muscle, relying like this on what was largely my intuition--he was negotiating with me not to come out here, and my mind circled around what his intention was. If he had some knowledge that I didn't, was he trying to protect me?

...What a day, huh?

I felt a pain in the pit of my stomach and decided to call it a day.