MagRowan: Thanks for the review! I was there this last summer, visiting a
friend of mine who is in the Peace Corps. She spent a week showing me
around the country, going from the capital, Managua up to Leon and down to
Granada. It was a lot of fun. I got to meet quite a few of the natives as
well, but since my Spanish is very basic, I did a lot of nodding and
smiling. :o) Hope you enjoy this next bit!
keemew2: Nope, not going slash/yaoi. While I believe that the show has very slashy overtones, I don't feel capable of writing that, so this is very much gen. Though I do have to admit, occasionally they get a bit sappy. But hey, their buddies! They can handle it! :o) Let me know what you think of the rest of the fic.I'm interested to know!
Note: Translations once again, done mainly on a web free translation site. Excuse the mistakes, and let me know so I can fix them. Thanks! (English is at the end of the story.)
*****
The silence that filled the bus was palpable. The only noise came from the back of the bus from where more guerrillas entered the bus. The students realized the seriousness of the situation and remained silent. The silence was drawn out as the man in front decided what he wanted to do. Jim and Blair grew uneasy, feeling there was something they were both missing. When two more men, one older than the rest, came in, they knew what it was. THIS was the leader, the one that would decide their fate. A quick conversation between the original gun welder and the new man. He glanced over to Jim, accessing the danger. A quick command had Jim covered by one soldier. Jim asked again, *"¿Quién es usted y qué usted quieren? Nosotros no tenemos nada usted'la necesidad."
The man with salt and pepper hair responded, **"No, usted se pone'T. Sin embargo, yo podría obtener todavía algún uso de usted. Bien, no usted, pero algunos de sus compatriotas." With this he quickly shouted commands to his men to take two hostages. His men moved to follow his orders and reached for some students.
"NO!" Shouts came from three directions. All three adults had raised their voices and objected. Blair spoke alone, ***"Tómeme - los niños son de ningún uso - la mayoría de Los 'T habla el español y sería más problema que ellos'D vale. Yo'll hace cualquier usted quiere." He made to move forward but was held back by Jim.
****"No, Blair puede controlar los niños, me toman en lugar. Yo'D vale más en el comercio." He too was cut off by another.
Eli spoke up last, *****"No, usted podría obtener más nota para cualquier su objetivo es del mundo académico con mí. Yo'll va con gusto si usted sale todos más sólo."
The leader chuckled, ******"Tan muchos héroes. ¿Qué lo hace piensa yo'D permitió que usted escogiera quién yo tomo? Aunque usted tiene un punto." With this he rapidly gave orders to his second in command in a low voice. Jim could not dial up fast enough to catch what he said and in doing so, missed the command calling for him to be shot and Eli and Blair to be taken. Number 2 made the appropriate hand signals and Blair and Eli were taken and pulled off the bus. For a few seconds, only sobs from one of the students were heard.
Breaking the silence, a shot rang out, with a tortured, "Jim!" from outside.
Still no one moved on the bus until the rest of the gunmen left the bus. Then several students moved to the tall, blue-eyed man who was bleeding from his right shoulder. Those with first aid skills quickly accessed the situation and bandaged the bleeding Sentinel. Jim had blacked out with the unexpected assault on his senses.
"Wha, what happened? Blair?"
"Mr. Sandburg and Dr. Stoddard were taken. They left right away."
Jim struggled to his feet, making his way towards his supplies. Salia and George ran after him and tried to get him to explain what he was doing.
"Mr. Ellison! Mr. Ellison! JIM!" Salia called as she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? You're injured and need to rest."
"Let go of me," Jim growled, fully in rescue the guide mood. He shrugged off the shocked girl's arm. She let it fall as she had never seen Ellison be mean before.
"Mr. Ellison, don't be an ass." George knew Jim was distressed because of the loss of Blair, but he didn't feel he had the right to growl at innocents. Salia was only trying to help and nothing would be accomplished by taking out his frustrations on her.
The crude, frank language seemed to snap Jim out of his mindless rescue zone. Jim's head came up and he glared at George. "I am going to rescue Sandburg. Stoddard, too. I am getting the supplies to do so. You two will stay here with the bus. Actually, I'm going to send you back to the hotel where you will do nothing. You will wait for me or instructions from me. If it's not me personally, the instructions will start and stop with a code word - panther - and you'll follow those directions down to the letter. Any other instructions that you receive you will ignore. Do you understand?" Jim's cold voice carried throughout the bus, filling the students with a mixture of hope and trepidation. No one wanted Jim on their bad side, but he seemed like the best hope to get their professors back.
George made agreeing noises but Salia spoke up, "How? You're hurt and need a doctor."
"I'll be fine, I'm not hurt that bad."
"How will you follow? They could be miles from here and you don't have transportation."
"Don't worry. I am sure they have a hideout somewhere nearby and I've lived in the jungle before. My tracking skills are better than most. Now go and get the driver."
George and Salia looked at each other and shrugged. They realized the futility in getting Ellison to change his mind. George went and got the driver, bringing him to the back of the bus.
He and Jim conversed quickly while Jim finished preparing. He told the driver the instructions; bring the children back to Leon and the hotel. The driver agreed (he'd already been paid and that was the original agreement anyway).
Jim picked up the pack he'd fill with food, water and weapons and walked to the front of the bus. "Listen up. You will stay together. Stay on the bus and it will take you back to the city. I'm putting Salia and George in charge. Listen to them, they've been told what to do. I'm going after Blair and Eli. We'll try to be back by tomorrow or the next day. I'll contact you if I'm not back by then."
With that, Jim hopped off the bus and blended into the jungle quickly. He waited until the bus turned around and headed back to civilization. He followed Blair's trail for several hours, relieved that the guerrillas never took to vehicles. Blair had successfully left a subtle trail that only Jim could follow. Scent marks splashed throughout the jungle as well as some of Blair's jewelry, infused with his scent.
Eli's fear came through as well and Jim had great concern for the older man. This was rough traveling and Jim hoped that Eli could keep up for awhile longer. As the night wore on, Jim took a quick break, eating and drinking to keep up strength. By now, he looked more like the man in the spirit realm than the detective he was. Jim blended in well with the jungle, so much so the animals treated him as one of their own and not as a man. The jungle noises kept Jim focused and on track, eliminating much of the danger of zoning. By this time, Jim had caught up to the outlaws, but he stayed well behind, to keep an accidental premature discovery of himself from happening.
Close to dawn, the jungle fell silent. Jim extended his hearing and determined that the group he had been following had stopped in front of him. He had reached the camp. He heard scattered conversations and determined he friends would be safe for the day while Jim planned their escape.
With this in mind, Jim faded back into the jungle, mentally preparing for the day and night ahead. He'd need rest to be able to pull the maneuvers he had started to plan off.
Meanwhile:
Blair and Eli had been pulled through the jungle. Neither talked or made any threatening moves. Blair made sure to touch everything he could. He dropped his earrings, necklace and bracelets, trying to make sure Jim could follow the trail. He saw Eli eyeing him and hoped that Eli realized what he was doing. He assumed so as Eli was not a stupid man.
Once or twice Blair could have sworn he saw a black jaguar in the trees, but he purposely showed no signs of recognition. Once they reached the clearing filled with tents, the kidnappers threw the two men into a tent alone. Shortly after, they were brought food and water and then led to the privy. Back in the tent they had their hands tied to a metal ring in the ground with rope. They had enough play in the line to move around, but not enough to go outside.
After an hour passed, Blair took the opportunity and told Eli, "I saw Jim. He followed us from the bus. He'll get us out."
"Of that, Blair, I have no doubt. When should we be prepared to go?"
"About sunset. It'll give him time to stake out the site, come up with a plan and get some rest. Us too - we should get some sleep." With that, Blair got as comfortable as he could and encouraged Eli to do the same. Within a short time, both men were sleeping lightly, neither fully comfortable in and with their surroundings.
Around dusk they awoke to someone entering the tent. One of the soldiers from the night before was bringing them water and food. Blair and Eli silently took the offerings and ate and drank. The man waited until they were done and retrieved the utensils and dishes they had used. He called out and another man, one they hadn't before seen, came and untied them from the ring. The two were taken to the privy and then quickly back to the tent. Blair kept an eye out for Jim, but didn't see him. Eli and Blair made it back to the tent without a problem.
"When do you think your friend will come?" Eli nervously asked, as he had half expected something to happen while they were outside.
"Soon. Right after dark. Jim'll try to get us out without them finding out. I'd think anytime now, actually. He'll try to get in and out without being noticed."
Eli settled down and mentally prepared himself for a quick burst of energy he'd need to help him escape. In the background he heard Blair mumble to himself; Eli only caught a few words. "Jim," "tent," "get your ass" were some of the phrases he heard. He smiled to himself. While suspecting the true relationship between the two men, having confirmation was good for his anthropologist's soul.
Back in the Jungle:
Jim had settled down for the day near enough to the camp to hear it, but far enough to stay out of sight of the patrols. He awoke about an hour before sunset. Quickly eating from the supply in his pack, Jim moved towards the camp. He reached the perimeter and stretched his ears towards the area he last heard his partner. His sensitive ears picked up Eli's and Blair's voices and he made sure to tag them and their location.
When the guards came in for food and bathroom privileges, Jim decided to wait until full sunset. His plans, if carried out correctly, would allow him to get in and out without notice. He continued to follow Blair's voice when he was talking to Eli and managed to keep track of his partner. He was starting to focus better when Blair started talking directly to him.
"Jim, we're in a tent. We're ready to go when you are. I hope you have a knife; we're tied with a rope to a metal ring in the middle of the tent. Come on, Jim, I'm getting bored. Get your ass over here. We need to get back to the students soon. Rainier will not be impressed with this little snafu. So Jim, did you know that astronauts claim that the moon smells like exploded firecrackers, and that one out of every three snakebite victims is drunk? Yup, that's right. One out of every three."******* Blair continued to talk, grounding Jim until he finally made his way to the tent. On the way, Jim made several strategic stops, planting numerous devices along the way. Even with the stops, he quickly reached where Eli and Blair were being held captive. Taking his knife, Jim sliced his way into the tent from the back.
"So, did you miss me, Chief?"
"Jim, it's about time. Eli and I were about to settle down for a nap before you came in."
"Sure you were, Chief. Want out of here? Or do you want your nap?" Belying his words, Jim took the knife and started cutting the rope that tied the two professors to the floor.
Blair rubbed his wrists; his ropes were tied tight, causing a lack of circulation. "So how do we get out of here?"
"Same way I got in. But I'm going to take a small detour. Got some business to take care of, but you two need to be safe first."
"Jim, you're not going after the leader, especially alone. If you're sense of justice is that strong, I'm going with you."
"No, you're not; we don't have time to do this right now. Come on, argument over, let's go. Jim led the men out the back and managed to escape the compound without encountering any guards.
Blair gave in gracefully, when they reached the campsite, he'd make sure his Sentinel knew that he wasn't going anywhere without him. Who knows how much he would get injured without him. Blair gasped, "Jim! The gunshot at the bus! Who did they shot? Was anyone hurt?" Blair had blocked the event from his mind; anyone under his responsibility being hurt would devastate the young man and make it impossible for him to function under the harsh conditions he was being subjected to.
"Relax, Blair, everybody is fine. They shot at me, but it was just a graze. It hurt worse because I wasn't expecting it and the dials went haywire on me." Jim, belatedly remembered Eli's presence, but mentally shrugged. He was sure that Eli knew the truth and as he hadn't said anything yet, doubted he ever would.
"When we reach the campsite, you will let me take a look at it and judge for myself."
"Whatever, Chief. It's fine."
"You will let me look at it James Ellison, or." Jim interrupted him.
"Or what, Sandburg? You'll put me in time out and place me in a corner?" Jim snickered at his partner's expression, but Blair soon recovered.
"No, or I'll make sure that Simon knows who replaced his super deluxe, 10 dollar a pound coffee with decaf."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Blair knew he had his Sentinel between a rock and hard place. Jim would submit to the guide's care whether he liked it or not.
"Fine," Jim grumbled, "when we get to the campsite, I'll let you look."
The rest of the walk to the campsite was undertaken in silence. Jim was pouting, Eli was trying not to laugh at the two men, and Blair was smug that he had gotten his way again. Nobody was going to ignore his Sentinel, not even the Sentinel himself.
When they reached Jim's campsite, Jim instructed his guide and Eli to rest and get some food in them. Blair insisted on checking Jim's wound and after pronouncing it infection free, re-bandaged it. Then, and only then, did he accept Jim's offer of food.
After eating the snacks and drinking the water Jim provided, the two fell asleep. Jim smirked to himself. He still had it. He had put sleeping pills in the water that put his guide and the professor out. He really needed to neutralize the threat and his guide would never have let him do his job. Hopefully Blair would never realize that Jim had drugged them. The pills would work for several hours, but wear off naturally by dawn. Jim would be back by then and hopefully, Blair would never find out about the extra journey Jim took. Jim winced, thinking what Blair would do to him if he ever found out. However, the pills Jim had slipped him shouldn't leave any residue hangover alerting Blair to Jim's deception.
After camouflaging the site and making sure that his guide would be safe in his absence, Jim quickly rearmed himself and quickly marched back to the compound. Jim had already marked where the leader stayed and after making sure the camp was still quiet and not alerted to the escape of their captives, broke into the tent. The old man was sleeping on a cot. Covering his mouth, Jim placed the knife to his throat and shook him awake.
The man opened his eyes and tried to sit up. After realizing someone held him down, he tensed up, but didn't struggle.
Jim whispered in the man's ear, "Who are you and who do you work for?" The only thing visible was the glint from the blade and Jim's eyes, which seemed to glow in the darkness.
"My name is Juan. I work for no one. I fight for the freedom of my people!"
Jim carefully registered his reaction and was convinced that he was scared, but telling the truth. "I'm taking my friends with me. If you try to do anything while we escape, I'll kill you. I want you and your group to stay out of sight for two months; otherwise, I'll kill you. Do you understand? If I even think I see you, I'll come back and make sure you and your entire entourage is annihilated."
"Sí, sí, I understand. I'll do nothing. Just leave." While his words at first encouraged Jim, the quickening heartbeat gave the old man's thoughts away. 'But the minute you leave the tent you're a dead man and so are your friends.' The man was not about to let Jim go without a fight.
"You should know," Jim started, "I lied. I already got my guys out of here. You won't be able to find them, they're safe." With that, Jim took a small box out of his pocket and pressed the button. Immediately an explosion occurred.
"What did you do?" the man yelped.
"That was your supply tent," another explosion occurred, "that was your communications tent." Jim got up and walked towards the entrance. "Those were your warnings. You try anything, anything at all, and your whole compound goes up. Understood?"
"Sí, I understand." The man's voice was resigned. He knew he had met his match. He could not afford to lose more supplies or men to this mad American. He had seriously underestimated the man when they met on the bus. He would lay low until this American and his tribe left the country. He could not afford anymore set backs than had already occurred and he was sure this steel-eyed American would make good on his promise of destruction.
Jim slipped out of the campsite, please that his threats had worked and that no alarm had been raised. He hoped that would be the last time he would see these people again. He made his way quickly through the jungle to reach his sleeping guide. After making sure that Blair and Eli were unharmed during his absence, Jim settled down next to his chronically cold guide and lent his body warmth to the shivering young man. Jim stayed awake, keeping guard and reveling in the feel of his guide next to him and safe. A safe guide made for a happy Sentinel, and a happy Sentinel was what Jim was at that point in time.
Jim watched the sun come up with a satisfaction that all was right in his world. He soon noticed signs that Blair and Eli were waking up and began to prepare the camp for breakfast. He started a fire and put a pot of water on to boil. He knew that his guide was not a morning person and coffee was first on the list to do. After breakfast, they had to start making their way towards civilization and it would be a long walk for the men.
Jim waited until Blair was fully awake and had had a cup of coffee before asking him for help with his senses. He wanted to extend them further to see which way would be the easiest to get out of the jungle. A town may be closer to the other side of the camp than the way they had come through the jungle.
Blair helped to ground Jim. Jim concentrated on the feel of Blair's hand on his arm; this and Blair's voice helped Jim to split his focus and extend his abilities until he could hear for miles. After dismissing the noise from the guerilla camp, Jim went past it and discovered they were really not that far from a small village. Hopefully, once they reached the village they could hitch a ride either back to Leon or back to a bigger city where they could catch a bus to the city.
Jim withdrew his senses and for once, thanked Blair for his help. "Thanks, buddy, I think that saved us a couple days of walking. There's a village about 5 hours walk on the other side of the camp you were held in. Otherwise, I'm not sure how close the nearest encampment of people was other than the camp. We should get started soon though; otherwise we'll end up having to stay the night there."
Blair was momentarily stunned that Jim thanked him. He chalked it up to the idea that Jim thought he had gotten away with leaving last night. Blair knew that Jim had done something to the food he and Eli had eaten last night. They had fallen asleep to quickly for anything else to have happened. Blair had also woken up in the middle of the night and Jim had been missing. He was okay in letting it go, as he knew that Jim needed some assurance that his guide would not be a target again and he also knew that Jim's Sentinel instincts had been calling out for justice. No one hurt or took the guide without punishment.
"Okay, give us ten minutes to clear the site and we'll be ready to go." Blair raised his voice, "Eli, ten minutes till we start walking."
"Okay, I'll be ready."
The next several hours were fairly quiet as the three made their way around the encampment and towards the small village. They saved their energy for walking, and took several breaks, making sure they didn't over extend themselves. The jungle was no place to be injured in.
Several villagers were startled when they came out of the jungle. Luckily for them, a truck was headed for Leon that afternoon and they were able to catch it to the city for a small fee. All three men were grateful that they would be able to take a break from walking and were looking forward to indoor plumbing. They were filthy from all the walking they had done in the last couple days. And after the shower, all they were interested in was a soft bed to collapse in.
The drive was fairly short; they reached the city in just 3 hours. The truck passed within blocks of the hotel and as they walked up the street, they heard their names being called.
The students had waited on the balconies of the hotel, waiting and watching for their guardians. The past two days had been hard on them, as they were all worried about Jim, Blair and Eli. As Jim's deadline had begun to wind down without word from Jim, small fights had occurred. No one knew what to do and they needed reassurance and instructions in this extremely stressful situation. When the men turned the corner and were close enough to be recognized, a cheer went up.
The students were extremely relieved when all three men walked in, relatively unhurt and un-traumatized. Blair and Eli quickly reassured the group that everyone safe and that the guerrillas would not be coming after them. They reassured them that the trip would go on and that after a day or two of recouping, they would go on traveling. With that, Blair, Eli and Jim made their way to their rooms and took the showers they had been craving and fell into bed. None of them woke until the afternoon of the next day. They awoke refreshed and ready to go.
Gathering the group together, the guardians asked for ideas on what the group wanted to do. The students had three more places they wanted to see for sure, and everyone agreed that they wanted to go somewhere where they could sit on a beach and just relax. Masaya, Granada and the Corn Islands were the last three places on people's lists and the islands were the perfect place to be tourists. The resorts on the islands catered to tourists and were perfect for rest and relaxation that the group needed after the past two days. **** Translations: * Who are you and what do you want? We have nothing you'd want. ** No, you don't. However, I could still get some use from you. Well, not you, but some of your compatriots. *** Take me - the kids are of no use - most don't speak Spanish and would be more trouble than they'd be worth. I'll do whatever you want. **** No, Blair can control the kids, take me instead. I'd be worth more in trade. ***** No, you could get more notice for whatever your objective is from the academic world with me. I'll go willingly if you leave everyone else alone. ****** So many heroes. What makes you think I'd let you choose who I take? Though you do have a point. ******* According to the game show "Cram."
keemew2: Nope, not going slash/yaoi. While I believe that the show has very slashy overtones, I don't feel capable of writing that, so this is very much gen. Though I do have to admit, occasionally they get a bit sappy. But hey, their buddies! They can handle it! :o) Let me know what you think of the rest of the fic.I'm interested to know!
Note: Translations once again, done mainly on a web free translation site. Excuse the mistakes, and let me know so I can fix them. Thanks! (English is at the end of the story.)
*****
The silence that filled the bus was palpable. The only noise came from the back of the bus from where more guerrillas entered the bus. The students realized the seriousness of the situation and remained silent. The silence was drawn out as the man in front decided what he wanted to do. Jim and Blair grew uneasy, feeling there was something they were both missing. When two more men, one older than the rest, came in, they knew what it was. THIS was the leader, the one that would decide their fate. A quick conversation between the original gun welder and the new man. He glanced over to Jim, accessing the danger. A quick command had Jim covered by one soldier. Jim asked again, *"¿Quién es usted y qué usted quieren? Nosotros no tenemos nada usted'la necesidad."
The man with salt and pepper hair responded, **"No, usted se pone'T. Sin embargo, yo podría obtener todavía algún uso de usted. Bien, no usted, pero algunos de sus compatriotas." With this he quickly shouted commands to his men to take two hostages. His men moved to follow his orders and reached for some students.
"NO!" Shouts came from three directions. All three adults had raised their voices and objected. Blair spoke alone, ***"Tómeme - los niños son de ningún uso - la mayoría de Los 'T habla el español y sería más problema que ellos'D vale. Yo'll hace cualquier usted quiere." He made to move forward but was held back by Jim.
****"No, Blair puede controlar los niños, me toman en lugar. Yo'D vale más en el comercio." He too was cut off by another.
Eli spoke up last, *****"No, usted podría obtener más nota para cualquier su objetivo es del mundo académico con mí. Yo'll va con gusto si usted sale todos más sólo."
The leader chuckled, ******"Tan muchos héroes. ¿Qué lo hace piensa yo'D permitió que usted escogiera quién yo tomo? Aunque usted tiene un punto." With this he rapidly gave orders to his second in command in a low voice. Jim could not dial up fast enough to catch what he said and in doing so, missed the command calling for him to be shot and Eli and Blair to be taken. Number 2 made the appropriate hand signals and Blair and Eli were taken and pulled off the bus. For a few seconds, only sobs from one of the students were heard.
Breaking the silence, a shot rang out, with a tortured, "Jim!" from outside.
Still no one moved on the bus until the rest of the gunmen left the bus. Then several students moved to the tall, blue-eyed man who was bleeding from his right shoulder. Those with first aid skills quickly accessed the situation and bandaged the bleeding Sentinel. Jim had blacked out with the unexpected assault on his senses.
"Wha, what happened? Blair?"
"Mr. Sandburg and Dr. Stoddard were taken. They left right away."
Jim struggled to his feet, making his way towards his supplies. Salia and George ran after him and tried to get him to explain what he was doing.
"Mr. Ellison! Mr. Ellison! JIM!" Salia called as she grabbed his arm. "What are you doing? You're injured and need to rest."
"Let go of me," Jim growled, fully in rescue the guide mood. He shrugged off the shocked girl's arm. She let it fall as she had never seen Ellison be mean before.
"Mr. Ellison, don't be an ass." George knew Jim was distressed because of the loss of Blair, but he didn't feel he had the right to growl at innocents. Salia was only trying to help and nothing would be accomplished by taking out his frustrations on her.
The crude, frank language seemed to snap Jim out of his mindless rescue zone. Jim's head came up and he glared at George. "I am going to rescue Sandburg. Stoddard, too. I am getting the supplies to do so. You two will stay here with the bus. Actually, I'm going to send you back to the hotel where you will do nothing. You will wait for me or instructions from me. If it's not me personally, the instructions will start and stop with a code word - panther - and you'll follow those directions down to the letter. Any other instructions that you receive you will ignore. Do you understand?" Jim's cold voice carried throughout the bus, filling the students with a mixture of hope and trepidation. No one wanted Jim on their bad side, but he seemed like the best hope to get their professors back.
George made agreeing noises but Salia spoke up, "How? You're hurt and need a doctor."
"I'll be fine, I'm not hurt that bad."
"How will you follow? They could be miles from here and you don't have transportation."
"Don't worry. I am sure they have a hideout somewhere nearby and I've lived in the jungle before. My tracking skills are better than most. Now go and get the driver."
George and Salia looked at each other and shrugged. They realized the futility in getting Ellison to change his mind. George went and got the driver, bringing him to the back of the bus.
He and Jim conversed quickly while Jim finished preparing. He told the driver the instructions; bring the children back to Leon and the hotel. The driver agreed (he'd already been paid and that was the original agreement anyway).
Jim picked up the pack he'd fill with food, water and weapons and walked to the front of the bus. "Listen up. You will stay together. Stay on the bus and it will take you back to the city. I'm putting Salia and George in charge. Listen to them, they've been told what to do. I'm going after Blair and Eli. We'll try to be back by tomorrow or the next day. I'll contact you if I'm not back by then."
With that, Jim hopped off the bus and blended into the jungle quickly. He waited until the bus turned around and headed back to civilization. He followed Blair's trail for several hours, relieved that the guerrillas never took to vehicles. Blair had successfully left a subtle trail that only Jim could follow. Scent marks splashed throughout the jungle as well as some of Blair's jewelry, infused with his scent.
Eli's fear came through as well and Jim had great concern for the older man. This was rough traveling and Jim hoped that Eli could keep up for awhile longer. As the night wore on, Jim took a quick break, eating and drinking to keep up strength. By now, he looked more like the man in the spirit realm than the detective he was. Jim blended in well with the jungle, so much so the animals treated him as one of their own and not as a man. The jungle noises kept Jim focused and on track, eliminating much of the danger of zoning. By this time, Jim had caught up to the outlaws, but he stayed well behind, to keep an accidental premature discovery of himself from happening.
Close to dawn, the jungle fell silent. Jim extended his hearing and determined that the group he had been following had stopped in front of him. He had reached the camp. He heard scattered conversations and determined he friends would be safe for the day while Jim planned their escape.
With this in mind, Jim faded back into the jungle, mentally preparing for the day and night ahead. He'd need rest to be able to pull the maneuvers he had started to plan off.
Meanwhile:
Blair and Eli had been pulled through the jungle. Neither talked or made any threatening moves. Blair made sure to touch everything he could. He dropped his earrings, necklace and bracelets, trying to make sure Jim could follow the trail. He saw Eli eyeing him and hoped that Eli realized what he was doing. He assumed so as Eli was not a stupid man.
Once or twice Blair could have sworn he saw a black jaguar in the trees, but he purposely showed no signs of recognition. Once they reached the clearing filled with tents, the kidnappers threw the two men into a tent alone. Shortly after, they were brought food and water and then led to the privy. Back in the tent they had their hands tied to a metal ring in the ground with rope. They had enough play in the line to move around, but not enough to go outside.
After an hour passed, Blair took the opportunity and told Eli, "I saw Jim. He followed us from the bus. He'll get us out."
"Of that, Blair, I have no doubt. When should we be prepared to go?"
"About sunset. It'll give him time to stake out the site, come up with a plan and get some rest. Us too - we should get some sleep." With that, Blair got as comfortable as he could and encouraged Eli to do the same. Within a short time, both men were sleeping lightly, neither fully comfortable in and with their surroundings.
Around dusk they awoke to someone entering the tent. One of the soldiers from the night before was bringing them water and food. Blair and Eli silently took the offerings and ate and drank. The man waited until they were done and retrieved the utensils and dishes they had used. He called out and another man, one they hadn't before seen, came and untied them from the ring. The two were taken to the privy and then quickly back to the tent. Blair kept an eye out for Jim, but didn't see him. Eli and Blair made it back to the tent without a problem.
"When do you think your friend will come?" Eli nervously asked, as he had half expected something to happen while they were outside.
"Soon. Right after dark. Jim'll try to get us out without them finding out. I'd think anytime now, actually. He'll try to get in and out without being noticed."
Eli settled down and mentally prepared himself for a quick burst of energy he'd need to help him escape. In the background he heard Blair mumble to himself; Eli only caught a few words. "Jim," "tent," "get your ass" were some of the phrases he heard. He smiled to himself. While suspecting the true relationship between the two men, having confirmation was good for his anthropologist's soul.
Back in the Jungle:
Jim had settled down for the day near enough to the camp to hear it, but far enough to stay out of sight of the patrols. He awoke about an hour before sunset. Quickly eating from the supply in his pack, Jim moved towards the camp. He reached the perimeter and stretched his ears towards the area he last heard his partner. His sensitive ears picked up Eli's and Blair's voices and he made sure to tag them and their location.
When the guards came in for food and bathroom privileges, Jim decided to wait until full sunset. His plans, if carried out correctly, would allow him to get in and out without notice. He continued to follow Blair's voice when he was talking to Eli and managed to keep track of his partner. He was starting to focus better when Blair started talking directly to him.
"Jim, we're in a tent. We're ready to go when you are. I hope you have a knife; we're tied with a rope to a metal ring in the middle of the tent. Come on, Jim, I'm getting bored. Get your ass over here. We need to get back to the students soon. Rainier will not be impressed with this little snafu. So Jim, did you know that astronauts claim that the moon smells like exploded firecrackers, and that one out of every three snakebite victims is drunk? Yup, that's right. One out of every three."******* Blair continued to talk, grounding Jim until he finally made his way to the tent. On the way, Jim made several strategic stops, planting numerous devices along the way. Even with the stops, he quickly reached where Eli and Blair were being held captive. Taking his knife, Jim sliced his way into the tent from the back.
"So, did you miss me, Chief?"
"Jim, it's about time. Eli and I were about to settle down for a nap before you came in."
"Sure you were, Chief. Want out of here? Or do you want your nap?" Belying his words, Jim took the knife and started cutting the rope that tied the two professors to the floor.
Blair rubbed his wrists; his ropes were tied tight, causing a lack of circulation. "So how do we get out of here?"
"Same way I got in. But I'm going to take a small detour. Got some business to take care of, but you two need to be safe first."
"Jim, you're not going after the leader, especially alone. If you're sense of justice is that strong, I'm going with you."
"No, you're not; we don't have time to do this right now. Come on, argument over, let's go. Jim led the men out the back and managed to escape the compound without encountering any guards.
Blair gave in gracefully, when they reached the campsite, he'd make sure his Sentinel knew that he wasn't going anywhere without him. Who knows how much he would get injured without him. Blair gasped, "Jim! The gunshot at the bus! Who did they shot? Was anyone hurt?" Blair had blocked the event from his mind; anyone under his responsibility being hurt would devastate the young man and make it impossible for him to function under the harsh conditions he was being subjected to.
"Relax, Blair, everybody is fine. They shot at me, but it was just a graze. It hurt worse because I wasn't expecting it and the dials went haywire on me." Jim, belatedly remembered Eli's presence, but mentally shrugged. He was sure that Eli knew the truth and as he hadn't said anything yet, doubted he ever would.
"When we reach the campsite, you will let me take a look at it and judge for myself."
"Whatever, Chief. It's fine."
"You will let me look at it James Ellison, or." Jim interrupted him.
"Or what, Sandburg? You'll put me in time out and place me in a corner?" Jim snickered at his partner's expression, but Blair soon recovered.
"No, or I'll make sure that Simon knows who replaced his super deluxe, 10 dollar a pound coffee with decaf."
"You wouldn't."
"Oh, wouldn't I?" Blair knew he had his Sentinel between a rock and hard place. Jim would submit to the guide's care whether he liked it or not.
"Fine," Jim grumbled, "when we get to the campsite, I'll let you look."
The rest of the walk to the campsite was undertaken in silence. Jim was pouting, Eli was trying not to laugh at the two men, and Blair was smug that he had gotten his way again. Nobody was going to ignore his Sentinel, not even the Sentinel himself.
When they reached Jim's campsite, Jim instructed his guide and Eli to rest and get some food in them. Blair insisted on checking Jim's wound and after pronouncing it infection free, re-bandaged it. Then, and only then, did he accept Jim's offer of food.
After eating the snacks and drinking the water Jim provided, the two fell asleep. Jim smirked to himself. He still had it. He had put sleeping pills in the water that put his guide and the professor out. He really needed to neutralize the threat and his guide would never have let him do his job. Hopefully Blair would never realize that Jim had drugged them. The pills would work for several hours, but wear off naturally by dawn. Jim would be back by then and hopefully, Blair would never find out about the extra journey Jim took. Jim winced, thinking what Blair would do to him if he ever found out. However, the pills Jim had slipped him shouldn't leave any residue hangover alerting Blair to Jim's deception.
After camouflaging the site and making sure that his guide would be safe in his absence, Jim quickly rearmed himself and quickly marched back to the compound. Jim had already marked where the leader stayed and after making sure the camp was still quiet and not alerted to the escape of their captives, broke into the tent. The old man was sleeping on a cot. Covering his mouth, Jim placed the knife to his throat and shook him awake.
The man opened his eyes and tried to sit up. After realizing someone held him down, he tensed up, but didn't struggle.
Jim whispered in the man's ear, "Who are you and who do you work for?" The only thing visible was the glint from the blade and Jim's eyes, which seemed to glow in the darkness.
"My name is Juan. I work for no one. I fight for the freedom of my people!"
Jim carefully registered his reaction and was convinced that he was scared, but telling the truth. "I'm taking my friends with me. If you try to do anything while we escape, I'll kill you. I want you and your group to stay out of sight for two months; otherwise, I'll kill you. Do you understand? If I even think I see you, I'll come back and make sure you and your entire entourage is annihilated."
"Sí, sí, I understand. I'll do nothing. Just leave." While his words at first encouraged Jim, the quickening heartbeat gave the old man's thoughts away. 'But the minute you leave the tent you're a dead man and so are your friends.' The man was not about to let Jim go without a fight.
"You should know," Jim started, "I lied. I already got my guys out of here. You won't be able to find them, they're safe." With that, Jim took a small box out of his pocket and pressed the button. Immediately an explosion occurred.
"What did you do?" the man yelped.
"That was your supply tent," another explosion occurred, "that was your communications tent." Jim got up and walked towards the entrance. "Those were your warnings. You try anything, anything at all, and your whole compound goes up. Understood?"
"Sí, I understand." The man's voice was resigned. He knew he had met his match. He could not afford to lose more supplies or men to this mad American. He had seriously underestimated the man when they met on the bus. He would lay low until this American and his tribe left the country. He could not afford anymore set backs than had already occurred and he was sure this steel-eyed American would make good on his promise of destruction.
Jim slipped out of the campsite, please that his threats had worked and that no alarm had been raised. He hoped that would be the last time he would see these people again. He made his way quickly through the jungle to reach his sleeping guide. After making sure that Blair and Eli were unharmed during his absence, Jim settled down next to his chronically cold guide and lent his body warmth to the shivering young man. Jim stayed awake, keeping guard and reveling in the feel of his guide next to him and safe. A safe guide made for a happy Sentinel, and a happy Sentinel was what Jim was at that point in time.
Jim watched the sun come up with a satisfaction that all was right in his world. He soon noticed signs that Blair and Eli were waking up and began to prepare the camp for breakfast. He started a fire and put a pot of water on to boil. He knew that his guide was not a morning person and coffee was first on the list to do. After breakfast, they had to start making their way towards civilization and it would be a long walk for the men.
Jim waited until Blair was fully awake and had had a cup of coffee before asking him for help with his senses. He wanted to extend them further to see which way would be the easiest to get out of the jungle. A town may be closer to the other side of the camp than the way they had come through the jungle.
Blair helped to ground Jim. Jim concentrated on the feel of Blair's hand on his arm; this and Blair's voice helped Jim to split his focus and extend his abilities until he could hear for miles. After dismissing the noise from the guerilla camp, Jim went past it and discovered they were really not that far from a small village. Hopefully, once they reached the village they could hitch a ride either back to Leon or back to a bigger city where they could catch a bus to the city.
Jim withdrew his senses and for once, thanked Blair for his help. "Thanks, buddy, I think that saved us a couple days of walking. There's a village about 5 hours walk on the other side of the camp you were held in. Otherwise, I'm not sure how close the nearest encampment of people was other than the camp. We should get started soon though; otherwise we'll end up having to stay the night there."
Blair was momentarily stunned that Jim thanked him. He chalked it up to the idea that Jim thought he had gotten away with leaving last night. Blair knew that Jim had done something to the food he and Eli had eaten last night. They had fallen asleep to quickly for anything else to have happened. Blair had also woken up in the middle of the night and Jim had been missing. He was okay in letting it go, as he knew that Jim needed some assurance that his guide would not be a target again and he also knew that Jim's Sentinel instincts had been calling out for justice. No one hurt or took the guide without punishment.
"Okay, give us ten minutes to clear the site and we'll be ready to go." Blair raised his voice, "Eli, ten minutes till we start walking."
"Okay, I'll be ready."
The next several hours were fairly quiet as the three made their way around the encampment and towards the small village. They saved their energy for walking, and took several breaks, making sure they didn't over extend themselves. The jungle was no place to be injured in.
Several villagers were startled when they came out of the jungle. Luckily for them, a truck was headed for Leon that afternoon and they were able to catch it to the city for a small fee. All three men were grateful that they would be able to take a break from walking and were looking forward to indoor plumbing. They were filthy from all the walking they had done in the last couple days. And after the shower, all they were interested in was a soft bed to collapse in.
The drive was fairly short; they reached the city in just 3 hours. The truck passed within blocks of the hotel and as they walked up the street, they heard their names being called.
The students had waited on the balconies of the hotel, waiting and watching for their guardians. The past two days had been hard on them, as they were all worried about Jim, Blair and Eli. As Jim's deadline had begun to wind down without word from Jim, small fights had occurred. No one knew what to do and they needed reassurance and instructions in this extremely stressful situation. When the men turned the corner and were close enough to be recognized, a cheer went up.
The students were extremely relieved when all three men walked in, relatively unhurt and un-traumatized. Blair and Eli quickly reassured the group that everyone safe and that the guerrillas would not be coming after them. They reassured them that the trip would go on and that after a day or two of recouping, they would go on traveling. With that, Blair, Eli and Jim made their way to their rooms and took the showers they had been craving and fell into bed. None of them woke until the afternoon of the next day. They awoke refreshed and ready to go.
Gathering the group together, the guardians asked for ideas on what the group wanted to do. The students had three more places they wanted to see for sure, and everyone agreed that they wanted to go somewhere where they could sit on a beach and just relax. Masaya, Granada and the Corn Islands were the last three places on people's lists and the islands were the perfect place to be tourists. The resorts on the islands catered to tourists and were perfect for rest and relaxation that the group needed after the past two days. **** Translations: * Who are you and what do you want? We have nothing you'd want. ** No, you don't. However, I could still get some use from you. Well, not you, but some of your compatriots. *** Take me - the kids are of no use - most don't speak Spanish and would be more trouble than they'd be worth. I'll do whatever you want. **** No, Blair can control the kids, take me instead. I'd be worth more in trade. ***** No, you could get more notice for whatever your objective is from the academic world with me. I'll go willingly if you leave everyone else alone. ****** So many heroes. What makes you think I'd let you choose who I take? Though you do have a point. ******* According to the game show "Cram."