Next chapter! Sorry if this was a long wait, but I decided to release this chapter to coincide with a special event for motor racing. You'll see it at the end of this chapter.

It was a sunny day in Rio. A man aged 31 years old was walking through the market place. He was tall,with black hair and brown eyes. He had a military look to him. He was currently wearing a grey shirt, camo trousers and a holster with a Colt M1911 .45 handgun in it. His name was Tom Fortnell.

Born and raised in Orlando, Florida, he was a bright guy, and had joined the US Army when he was 21. In 2006, he became an Army Ranger, and one of the best ones at that. Cpt. Fortnell accepted an offer to join the elite Task Force 141, an international task force comprised of the best special ops soldiers in the world, in 2007. Taking part in several missions, it was during the manhunt for the terrorist Makarov in Tokyo that Fortnell saved the lives of two Japanese policewomen.

After leaving the military, he joined the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department. Becoming one of the best officers in the force, he was a force to be reckoned with, and criminals would wet themselves at the sight of his distinctive black 2009 Camaro 2SS. He served a 3 year term with the Bokuto precinct, before leaving in 2010. At the dawn of 2011, he decided to take the next plane to Rio De Janeiro. After arriving, he managed to get a job with the local bird sanctuary. There, he discovered his unusual ability to speak with, and understand the birds. He also met 2 of his new friends, Blu and Jewel, a pair of Spix's Macaws. After saving them multiple times, he earned their trust and they have been friends since. He also met other carnival loving birds, Nico, Pedro and Rafael, and he even made a new enemy, Nigel. He now works at the Blu Bird Sanctuary along with Linda and Tulio, and frequently cares for the birds.

Tom was now walking through the market. Noticing a tarp, he lifted it up. After that, he started speaking to the birds.

"Hi guys! How's the Branch going?"

"Alright." replied Kipo, the Roseate Spoonbill who frequented the club.

"You guys seen Blu or Jewel?"

"Nope. Not yet."

"Hmm. Weren't they scheduled to perform here today?"

"That is correct."

"How about Nico or Pedro?"

"No as well."

"That's strange. They practically spend half their lives here."

"Yep. So what do you think is going on?"

"I dunno" answered the ex-cop, "but I think I'll go now."

"OK, bye!" shouted the birds in the club. Lowering the tarp, Tom walked to a newspaper stand. Handing over 50 centavos to the cashier, he picked up a copy of The Rio Times. While heading towards his parked 1970 Dodge Charger, he was thinking about the mystery. "That's pretty strange. Nico and Pedro are almost always at the Branch. And Blu and Jewel are legends at that club, and wouldn't miss the chance to perform there. It's all very weird." Climbing inside the '70 Charger, he opened the newspaper. "In the news today" he read out loud, "Italy MPs endorse austerity law, Sebastien Loeb wins eighth world rally championship in a row, and...' Tom stopped at the article on page four. He scanned the article, bit his tongue to make sure he wasn't dreaming, and muttered "my god, this can't be happening."

The article looked like this:

BIRDS CAPTURED

"Today, there is a major amount of shock as a number of birds have been stolen. The theft took place at the Blu Bird Sanctuary late last night. It is believed that the priority targets were a pair of Spix's Macaws. A number of birds were also taken. These birds included a Yellow Canary, a Red-crested Cardinal, a Sulphur-crested Cockatoo, a Toco Toucan and two Canada Geese. Police have reason to believe Hernan Reyes, a known bird smuggler masterminded the crime. Reyes may be selling the birds off to the highest bidder, as these birds are rare, valuable, and the Blue Macaws are among the last of their species on Earth." Getting out of the black Charger, he quickly made his way to the Branch. Lifting up the tarp once more, the birds inside turned to face him.

"Any news?" asked one of the avians in the crowd.

Tom replied "I'm afraid we have ourselves a bird napping."

Rushing to the Charger, Tom jumped inside, and fired up the massive engine. He threw the car in gear, and left two big black skidmarks leading from the market down onto the main street, the roar of the engine quickly fading into the distance. Tom didn't stop until he reached the sanctuary, slid the car to a stop, got out and rushed into the main building.

"You guys OK?" He asked.

"Well, yes" Tulio answered, "apart from a missing Macaw and a crying Linda. Yes, we're alright." The ornithologist quickly called for Jewel to come. Giving it a minute, he noticed the female Macaw didn't come. "What gives?" Tom handed them the newspaper.

"Cheese and sprinkles... Them too?" Linda asked. Tom nodded in confirmation.

"Well guess what? I knew that leaving them with no security was a bad idea. And don't bother telling me you appointed me as security. I had other things to tend to. Now let's go and see if we can get some intel."

Later on in the day, they had done a headcount. This had confirmed their suspicions. Blu, Jewel, Nico, Pedro and Rafael were missing. Eva had reacted tearfully at the disappearance of her husband, but Tom knew better than to hang around the toucan too long. He didn't know how his special ops training would work when the 17 toucan children came at him. Meanwhile, Linda asked if anyone had seen any Blue Macaws, knowing that Blu and Jewel were the last ones alive. Some had seen Scarlet Macaws, but no Spix's Macaws. Tulio was looking for a canary with a bottlecap hat, and a samba loving Cardinal, but he had no luck either.

"Well that sucks." Linda said once they were seating in Tom's Charger. "Where are we going to check now?"

"Well it says in the newspaper that Hernan Reyes is one of the prime suspects." Tom answered.

"Hey, isn't he one of the most renowned bird smugglers in South America?" Tulio questioned.

"That's the one." Tom replied. "And it looks like he's hit the big one, the last Spix's Macaws that we know of, plus a few other choice birds. He'll make a tidy profit out of them." Suddenly, they saw a small boy approach the massive Dodge.

"Hey guys! How's it going?" Fernando shouted.

"Not good." Tom replied "Hernan Reyes. Yeah, the smuggler guy. He's struck again. Blu, Jewel, Nico, Pedro, Rafael, plus a few other birds. All captured. He's possibly planning to sell them off for a massive profit."

Fernando was visibly shocked at the news. But Tom was thinking. "You know the warehouse down near Botafogo? Warehouse 212? Come meet me there. I have a plan..."

Please take a moment to read this author's note.

The day of this update, 16th November 2011, marks one month since IndyCar racer Dan Wheldon died in a fiery crash at Las Vegas speedway. He was in the running to win a $2.5 million cash prize as a non-regular driver for a challenge, and had started from the back on October 16th, when on lap 11, he was involved in a 15 car pile up. He succumbed to his injuries the same day. The race was canceled and the remaining drivers whose cars could still drive did a 5 lap tribute to the lost Brit.

This incident really touched me. As a result, I dedicate this chapter to Dan Wheldon's memory, and hope that his loss will help prevent other drivers from crossing their life's finish line too soon.

Dan Wheldon

IndyCar Racer

22nd June 1978-16th October 2011

Rest In Peace