“Your ass is still there. I can see it from up here,” a voice said from above.
All heads turned.
“I was wondering where you wandered off too. What are you doing up there?” Natasha asked.
“You know me. I like to get multiple views on life. If I looked at things only from one plane, I’d be just another sheep grazing in the field. That’s why football coaches are on the field and up in the stands. See, I did learn something valuable from playing high school football.” Ben Wilson peered down from atop the row of shelves above his zoology associates. He wore a tee shirt with the sleeves crudely cut to the shoulders. Sweat glistened from ebony arms sculpted from countless hours in the gym. The shirt fit tightly enough to outline his washboard abs.
“Hey, Superman, why don’t you come down here and put that hot bod of yours to work,” Logan said, taking a moment to flex built tension from his shoulders.
“I’m not Superman. I’m the Beast,” Ben said.
“The Beast, really?” Logan said.
“Yeah. The Beast was my favorite X-Man. You know, he was super smart, strong, and agile. When I was young, I didn’t like school or reading or anything. I wasted a lot of time playing video games and watching cartoons. One day, I was at my aunt’s house and found a stack of my cousin’s old X-Men comics. I started looking at the pictures, and then I started reading. I was hooked instantly. After that, I spent my free time with studies and sports, sneaking in a little X-Men time along the way. Now, here I am. I’m the Beast.”
“If I had to pick which of the X-Men I’d like to be, I’d be Rogue. I just love me some Anna Paquin,” Logan said.
“You’re not a girl, so you can’t be Rogue. Besides, I’m picking Rogue,” Natasha said.
Logan frowned. “Okay, then. I’ll be Northstar—he has superhuman stamina, you know.”
“Matt, how about you?” Ben asked.
Matt rolled his eyes. “Eh? Not really into superheroes. I’d don’t think I’d look very good in yellow Spandex.”
The whine of an electric forklift rose as the machine turned down the aisle and headed toward the group.
“Look, it’s Professor X,” Ben said, and laughed.
“At least our Professor X has hair,” Logan said.
“Crap, more stuff to unload. I thought this was the last of it.” Natasha crossed her arms and shifted her weight to her left foot. “I’m ready to go shopping for a few things before we leave.”
Professor Klasse carefully maneuvered the forklift past his mates and in front of an empty shelf.
Natasha couldn’t tell if the hardhat on his head cocked to one side was a fashion statement or if it had been bumped out of place. Either way, it complemented his looks well. Alex Klasse was twice her age, and that fact didn’t make him look any less attractive.
Alex set the pallet of sugar on the floor and turned off the forklift. “Last one. We’ve put in a good day. I hope there’re enough volunteers to take up our slack while we’re away.”
Ben grabbed onto the shelves’ framework and quickly stepped his way down as if it were second nature.
Alex opened his mouth, perhaps to admonish a warning, but held his words before they came out. He just stared until Ben’s shoes hit the floor, and the young man approached him.
“What?” Ben asked, obviously feeling the gaze of his Professor.
“I can’t believe you did that,” Alex said. “You could have hurt yourself.”
“I know what I’m doing. My girlfriend back in high school was a gymnast. I used to practice with her back then. I do a little indoor rock climbing too. No worries,” Ben said.
“Okay, I guess I shouldn’t treat you like a kid. But I will be responsible for you—all of you—on the trip to South America. I honestly don’t know what to expect. It could all prove to be some grand waste of time. Someone could get hurt—break a bone or fall. There will, more than likely, not be any dinosaurs for us to find. But I do expect a region that has been this isolated over this many centuries to have species of animals totally unique to anywhere else. Just like the two thousand and nine Son Doong Cave discovery in Vietnam. The animal life we find in Patagonia is potentially dangerous. We must keep our wits about, and safety is our number one priority.”
“We know, Professor Klasse. You told us this several times now. We all know what to expect and what you expect from us.” Matt reached over and placed his hand on Alex’s shoulder.
Alex turned his attention back to Ben. “What did you mean when you said, ‘Look, it’s Professor X?’ ”
“You heard that? Damn, you have good ears. It wasn’t anything, really. I said my favorite X-Man was the Beast, and the others picked who they wanted to be.”
Alex grinned. The wrinkles on the sides of his eyes increased, making him look wiser. “I’d take a forklift over a wheelchair any day.”
Professor Klasse turned the forklift’s key and shifted into reverse, and over the annoying backup beep, he said, “To me, my X-Men.”
After a few moments of blank stares showing his way, he said, “When I was a boy, I used to read the X-Men comics from the early sixties. ‘To me, my X-Men,’ was Professor X’s battle cry to assemble his band of teenaged mutants.” He released the brake, and the forklift moved backward.
Natasha saw what Alex did there, and she appreciated that he bridged the gap between the generations when appropriate. She was sure it was a tough job, no different than a parent-child relationship where you have to limit friendship so as not to diminish your authority. And if a professor at a university became too close a friend with his students, it invited a ton of complications for those involved. Complications of which she was well aware. Complications that seemed to weigh on her every waking minute of late.
“Let’s get this over with.” Natasha pulled a box cutter from her pocket and extended the blade.
Matt raised a hand. “We’ve got this, Natasha. You said you wanted to get some shopping in, so go ahead.”
“Yeah, between me and the Beast here, we’ll wrap things up in no time.” Logan stepped up and pulled at the plastic wrap securing the stack of sugar. It stretched a bit, but didn’t tear, so he reached an open hand out to Natasha.
“Really, you don’t mind?” she asked.
“Nah, just go,” Ben said.
“Thanks. I guess I’ll see you guys when we get the call.” She handed Logan the box cutter and headed to lockers in the break room.
Logan carefully sliced the layers of plastic, avoiding cutting into the sugar’s protective bag. “Y’all packed up and ready to go? It’s been awhile since I’ve been camping. I was in the Boy Scouts. My biggest concern is not having enough clean underwear.”
“I’m ready. I had to sacrifice a few things to have room for my nutritional supplements. I hope the TSA doesn’t go ape-shit and want me to throw them away. I’ve never flown before, and I’m not sure of all the rules. Seems like I read every other day the rules change.” Ben picked up two sacks of sugar and placed them on a shelf.
“You’re okay as long as the stuff isn’t in your carry-on. Be careful, though, with aerosols. Pressure changes can cause them to leak,” Matt said, while joining in on the work.
“Yep. I just bought a new tube of hair mousse. I usually buy pressurized mousse in a can. The last time I flew it leaked all inside my luggage. When I opened it, it looked like somebody had jizzed all over my stuff.”
Ben laughed, and Matt grunted as he placed down his load.
Matt brushed his hands together, knocking off stray grains of sugar. “Logan, I finished reading the research paper you did for me. I forgot to thank you earlier. Sorry for that, but thank you—so much.”
Logan stopped working and rubbed his hands free of sugar. He slightly turned his head, and his lips curled a shy smile. “You’re welcome, Matt. I actually had fun doing it. You know you can always count on me.”
“The semester’s over. What’s up with a research paper?” Ben asked, still lugging sacks.
/> Matt picked up another load. “I’m working on my PhD. Logan volunteered to help me continue my research without interruption while I was busy compiling final grades. My plan is to submit my thesis by the end of the year.”
Ben turned to Logan. “What kind of research?”
“Emerging fungal pathogens and their effect on amphibians. There have been a lot of independent studies all over the world. I collected all the data, compared test results where experiments were duplicated, and added unique data. Pretty scary stuff, actually.”
“Yeah, I’ve read about chytridiomycosis. If something isn’t done, frog legs will be worth more than gold. I like fried frog legs more than chicken wings,” Ben said.
“Ben, really? That’s the kind of attitude you take about an entire class of creatures? Don’t you realize the balance of nature is sensitive?” Matt had his hands firmly placed on hips, speaking like it was first hour biology 101.
Ben rolled his eyes. “Yeah, I know. I was making a joke. Sounds to me like you’ve had your nose to the grindstone for too long. You need to lighten up a bit. If I had a Snickers bar, I’d give it to you.”
“Hah! I love those commercials. Yeah, who do you think he’d turn into?” Logan chimed.
“Hmmm,” Ben pondered. “Steve Irwin.”
Matt raised his finger in protest, but Logan’s hysterical laughter forced a pause.
“Crikey, mate. I think you’ve nailed it,” Logan said in his best Aussie accent.
A discomfited smirk widened across Matt’s mouth. “Okay, okay, I get it. I have been wound a little tight lately.”
“Just lately?” Ben said.
“Don’t pile on. My life’s been hectic these past several months. I was keeping my head barely above water, and now that we’re leaving on the three week excursion, I’m not sure how I’m going to keep my research schedule.” Matt rubbed the back of his neck.
“Don’t worry, Matt. Either we’ll discover something really important in Patagonia, or we’ll come back empty handed. Previous plans won’t matter if we discover new species. But if we find nothing, I’ll help you catch up anyway I can,” Logan said.
“I appreciate that. We’ll just cross that bridge when we come to it.” Matt grabbed another sack, and the other two followed his lead.
Natasha had just removed her purse from the locker in the break room when Alex Klasse walked in. She looked up at him, her eyes wide with vibrant youth. Something else was there, something he hoped would last forever. A longing; a sadness; a wanting.
“Leaving early?” he asked.
“Yeah. The guys said they’d take care of the last pallet. I wanted to do some shopping.”
“I’m really looking forward to the trip. Hopefully, we’ll be able to sally forth on our own and do some research.” His eyebrows raised in anticipation.
“Are you crazy? Your wife is coming with us. I’m going to pretend you have the plague and avoid you and her as much as possible.” Natasha had lowered her voice into a whisper, looking past Alex’s shoulder through the doorway.
Alex wanted to take her in his arms and kiss the full lips on her radiant, mocha brown face. Natasha had resurrected the young man he once was from layers of life’s trials and scars. The greatest poison, he came to realize, was Susan, his wife of twenty years.
“I was shocked when Susan said she wanted to come. She’s never asked to go with me on my other finds. Of course, she has little tolerance for Cryptozoology—throwing it in with UFOs and ghost stories. At first she placated me—went along with my hobby, but as the years went on, she became more and more bitter about it. Saying the time I wasted on following up on sightings would be better spent on time spent with her. At first, I did see her point, but didn’t want to give up something that has fascinated me all my life. Susan’s not one to compromise. So the distance between us has only grown since then.”
“So get a divorce.”
Natasha had finally said the D word. She had drawn a line in the sand. Alex had wondered how deep they would go in the relationship before she hinted at ultimatums.
“It’s not that simple,” Alex said, rubbing his bottom teeth on his upper lip.
“I know divorce isn’t simple. But it can take a long time. So after the trip, get it started. The sooner it starts, the sooner it ends.”
“Natasha…I…” Alex heaved out a breath of air. “A few years back I skimmed some money from one of my university grants and used the funds for a Bigfoot trip in northern California. I actually got away with it, but Susan found out. We had a big fight over it—me risking our livelihood over some, ‘stupid bullshit,’ as she called it. I threatened divorce then. She made it clear that if I divorced her she’d expose the theft. We eventually made up and continued our benign relationship. She had me then, and still has me where she wants me. The only way I can divorce her is for it to be her idea. She needs to want to leave me. I’ve been hoping she’d meet someone else and have an affair. I’ve even thought of sending her an anonymous free membership to Ashley Madison.”
“Ashley Madison, what’s that?”
“It’s a website where married people join to find others to have affairs with. It’s like Match dot com or other dating sites.”
“Why’d they name it Ashley Madison? That’s a strange name for a dating service.”
“I don’t know. But I guess Fuck dot com was a little too in your face.” Alex grinned, and then felt Natasha’s finger poke him in the ribs.
She giggled.
Natasha got his humor—that was one reason why he was so enamored with her. And she had said his humor was one reason she was so enamored with him.
The East Indian beauty leaned toward him as if she were hungry for a kiss.
“I thought you went shopping?” Matt’s voice called from the doorway.
Alex’s heart plunged to his stomach. He was mere seconds from getting busted red-handed. That wouldn’t be good at any time, but had that happened now before the trip—total disaster. From now on he had to do a better job at keeping his guard up, at least until he found a way to get Susan out of his life.
Natasha coolly tilted her head around Alex, who then moved out of the way and to her side. “I’m leaving now. I had a couple of things to discuss with the professor.” She stepped toward the doorway and passed Matt, with Ben and Logan behind him. “See you guys later,” she said, not looking back.
Alex saw Matt turn his head and give him a discerning gaze. How long had he been there at the doorway? Did Matt hear anything? He didn’t think so. When Natasha lowered her voice, Alex had lowered his. Still, if Matt heard them whispering that would raise some suspicion. But for now there was no use in worrying about the unknown.
“I guess it’s time for me to shove off too. When we get the call, I’ll meet you guys at the airport.” Alex removed his hardhat, placed it on a shelf next to others, and used his fingers to comb his hair over to the side.
He strode out of the break room doorway past Matt, Ben, and Logan, shoving off with a wink and a nod.
Chapter 5
The whine of the Chinook’s Honeywell twin turboshaft engines mixed with the tandem rotors 60-foot blades chopping the air. The headphones Natasha wore reduced the noise inside the cabin to a warm hum. Curious, she slightly pulled one side of the headphones away from her ear. The roar thumped her hard, shocking her a bit. She quickly secured the headphone back in place.
Two hours had passed from the time Ace Corporation’s private jet touched down at a remote airport in Chile. The flight left at 10 p.m. from Miami and had taken close to twelve hours to get there. Once the plane rolled to a stop, she and the others stepped off the plane onto rollup stairs, and then climbed aboard the massive helicopter waiting to bring them to their final destination. It took less than a half hour from touchdown for the airport employees to unload and ferry their gear to the Chinook. Once everything had been secured, the three-man crew fired up the engines and flew the aircraft into the sky.
The time zone
had shifted by two hours. Everyone advanced their watches. The satellite phones issued by Ace Corporation automatically updated.
Natasha brought the back of her hand up to her mouth and hid a yawn. Jetlag had been weighing on her before arriving in Chile. She managed to catch a few hours of sleep, but that only happened after cutting up with the others on the jet. Everyone was wired to the max—excited to finally be on the way. Well, not everyone. Susan Klasse had separated herself early on during the festivities, choosing a seat near the back of the jet, and spending quality time with a thick paperback.
The group had been told to eat a good meal before departing. But to everyone’s delight, Ace Corporation had stocked the jet with a variety of meats and cheeses, as well as bread, crackers, fruit, and pastries. No rubber chicken and plastic peas for this in-flight meal. To top that, the refrigerator was stocked with various brands of beer and an assortment of wine, as well as bottled water and soft drinks.
At first, Professor Klasse forbade anyone from drinking alcohol. Shocked expressions and silence immediately followed his declaration. Ben being Ben, and thank goodness for it, had no problem challenging Alex for making such a pointless demand. Ben stiffened to attention, and said, “Yes sir, oh great and wise B’wana.”
Alex turned a bit red while the others laughed. He cast his gaze to the floor, and after a few moments, lifted it back up and shrugged his shoulders. All he said was, Sorry, and the party began. Apparently, Alex had realized he overreacted. Either that, or he had spied the opened bottles of Guinness Ben held in his hands. Every man has a weakness. Alex Klasse never met an open bottle of Guinness he didn’t drink.
The Chinook’s cabin wasn’t nearly as comfortable as the jet’s. The seat’s cushion had little spring left; its construction engineered with strength and weight in mind. The back of the seat irritated her left shoulder blade. Natasha estimated up to 50 people could cramp onboard. There were only six members of their group, and everyone except Alex and Susan had marked off a good piece of personal space.
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