Chapter 1

Downhill

"…Compass?"

"Check."

"Binoculars?"

"Check."

"Water?"

"Check."

"First-aid kit, batteries, headlamps?"

"Check, check, check," Martin sighed, leaning back against the Tortuga's main computer control panel. "Chris, this is the third time we've been over the packing list for today's wildlife mapping trip. I'm pretty sure we've got everything."

Chris opened his mouth to answer, but at that moment, the side doors slid apart and Aviva trotted in.

"Not so fast." She held out a hand. "Creature pods. You two aren't going anywhere without these."

Chris grinned at his brother as Aviva handed them over. "See? I knew we were forgetting something."

"Alright, alright." Martin grabbed his backpack and threw it over his shoulders. "But I'm ready to get out there and start mapping! Let's go! Woo-hoo!" He did an impressive about-face and was through the doors in two seconds flat.

Chris and Aviva exchanged a glance.

"You'd better catch up before he gets into trouble," she said.

Chris failed miserably at hiding a smile. "Right. You guys hang out here and we'll send the mapping data as we go. We should be back before dark—"

"WAAAAIT!" Without warning, Jimmy burst into the room, dashed over, and skidded to a stop. Gasping, he pushed two sandwiches into Chris's hands like it was a matter of life and death. "You forgot…lunch…uugh…" He sank to the floor, completely winded.

"Oh yeah." Chris slid the PB and J's into his pack, then waved. "Thanks, Jimmy!"

Without so much as a backward glance, he took off hot on his brother's tail.

Aviva sighed, folding her arms. "Aaand they're off again."

xxxx

Twenty minutes later, Chris came to a standstill under a cluster of pine trees to take a look around. The terrain was mountainous and rocky, covered in scrubby forest, and very easy to get disoriented or lost in. In fact, that was exactly what was on his mind at the moment. He'd been wandering through the wilderness this whole time looking for Martin, but he hadn't turned up yet.

He'd tried contacting him on the creature pod without any luck. After that, he'd resorted to calling out his name. Unfortunately, that didn't prompt a response either. He'd even gone so far as to try the old "Marco Polo" bit, but all he got out of that was the echo of his own voice bouncing around between the hills. It was way too early to be worried yet and it wasn't as if Martin couldn't take care of himself, he just tended to rush into things and get distracted.

That must be it, Chris thought, he probably found something cool and lost track of time.

If that was the case, Martin would stay put for a while giving Chris time to take a break. He slipped off one strap of his pack and swung it forward to reach for his water bottle, completely oblivious to the pair of eyes watching his every move from inside a dense clump of brush.

After a couple gulps, Chris froze, suddenly aware that he wasn't alone. Slowly, he lowered the bottle and turned, listening hard.

For a moment, he couldn't hear anything but his own heartbeat and the normal ambiance of the woods. Whatever was there knew he was on to them, which sort of creeped him out. He didn't know why, though, since it was probably just an animal. After all, that was what they were out here to track in the first place. He relaxed a bit and decided it might be better to leave this particular creature alone for the time being—

Chris tensed up again. He could've sworn he'd just seen a shape scrabble up the tree nearest to the clump of brush. And the thing was big. Had somebody spiked his breakfast this morning, or was he seeing things?

"Maybe it's just my imagination…"

"Or maybe it's your BROTHER! YAAHAHA!"

"AAA—OOMF!"

Before Chris could make a move, Martin jumped out of the tree and flattened him. Seconds later, he was back on his feet and laughing hysterically. Chris, on the other hand, didn't have any air left in his lungs to do anything.

"Ha! You shoulda seen your face!" Martin was bent over double, hands on his knees, still busting a gut. "I got you good, bro! Man, I wish I had instant replay for that one!"

Chris spit out the mouthful of dirt he'd acquired on impact with the ground and pushed up to all-fours.

"How long have you been following me?"

"Since you hightailed it out of the Tortuga half an hour ago."

Chris blinked, then smiled sheepishly. "Wow. That's kind of embarrassing."

"Sorry, dude. Couldn't resist." Martin offered his younger brother a hand and pulled him to his feet. "I gotta say, though, you looked pretty funny walking around yelling 'Marco' over and over again—ow!"

Chris folded his arms after punching Martin in the shoulder. "You just watch it. I'm gonna get you back for that."

xxxx

After a small hike and a lengthy discussion—laced with promises of revenge from Chris—the two decided they could get twice as much mapping done if they split up. Martin would continue up the mountainside while Chris descended into the wide ravine at the bottom. The plan was to check in every hour and meet back at the Tortuga before nightfall.

Well, it had been a good plan at the beginning. As far as Martin was concerned it was fantastic. He'd touched base with his brother regularly since going his way with news of some awesome new animal find or another. Chris, on the other hand, was starting to get the impression that today was not his day. It all started with Martin's prank and then went downhill from there. Literally.

He'd traipsed the bottom of that ravine all day and hadn't come across anything more exciting than a couple squirrels and a snail. It was almost laughable the way his measly hourly reports differed from Martin's.

Now it was late evening and starting to get dark. The shadows seemed to creep up especially fast down in the gorge where Chris had parked himself with his back to a tree. He'd all but given up on the whole expedition over an hour ago and resigned himself to the quiet of the forest. In other words, he was bored out of his mind.

He didn't know how long he'd been sitting and staring off into space when he realized he had that odd feeling again. Was it Déjà vu, or was he being watched? Quickly, Chris jumped to his feet and whipped around.

Nothing was there.

"Hmm. Martin, are you trying to sneak up on me again?" he called, partly to reassure himself, but mostly to make some noise in the unsettling silence. "It won't work this time. I'm on to you!"

He waited. Something had to be there and he knew it. Several seconds later, a rustling in the brush behind the tree confirmed his suspicions. Already on edge from the day's previous incident, Chris hunched down, arms in front of him, preparing for whatever else his brother could dish out. He wasn't going to let Martin get away with this a second time.

All at once, the bushes quivered violently, causing Chris to jump in surprise. A couple frustrated grunts followed. That definitely wasn't Martin.

Chris gulped, not sure what to think. "Oh great. If that's not you, Martin…"

The bushes shuddered again and he took a step back.

"Maybe it's a bobcat…or a mountain lion…"

Another shake sent leaves and twigs scattering. Whoever it was was having a rough time untangling himself in order to pounce.

"Maybe it really is just my imagination. I've been out here too way too long."

As soon as those words left his mouth, a large, chunky, blonde shape burst through the underbrush.

"AAGH! Dabio?!"