Chapter 5

Warrick Returns

Grissom pulled up alongside the two wreckages of previously occupied jeeps.

"They must have crashed here," he muttered, resting an arm in his window and looking across the two crashes.

"No duh Sherlock," Sara said. She was seated in the passenger seat of the SUV, plate of broccoli on her lap; still brimming with the vegetable.

Grissom shrugged off the comment and opened his door, stepping over a watery mudhole and over to the pile of metal. Sara followed quickly, shifting the broccoli to one hand and opening the door with her other. She stepped up behind Grissom and followed his eyes surveying the jeeps.

"Soo…where are they? I don't see any footprints."

Grissom didn't answer. He had stepped forward to two trees at the foot of a vegetation-covered knoll and was now staring at the expanse of air between them.

"Hey, hey Grissom, are you listening to me?"

"Shut up," Grissom snapped, waving his hand at her and squinting between the two plants. Sara narrowed her eyes at him and attempted to forget the abrupt remark.

"They're just through these two trees." Grissom declared, backing away slightly from the plants. He put his hands on his hips and smiled in a victorious pose.

"Oh really?" Sara raised a skeptical eyebrow.

"What, do you doubt me?"

"I never doubt you Grissom."

"Good." And at that moment, Grissom placed his hands at the small of Sara's back and shoved. Sara tumbled forward between the two trees with a gasp of surprise and was swallowed by a chameleon-like force-field.

"Oh crap, what did I just do?" Grissom said airily, as though he could are less. He picked interestedly at a nail then stepped through the bubble that had disappeared with Sara.

Once through the shield, Grissom opened his eyes to a forest; towering pine trees and an expanse of mountain. He paid no attention to anything except what his precursory glance could tell him. Then suddenly, a sudden jabbing pain in his left arm caused him to yelp and look around. Sara stood next to him, spork held threateningly in her right hand.

"That was for making me almost spill my veggies." Sara hissed.

Grissom stuck out his tongue at her, a gesture that was returned, and then they forgot the ordeal and turned to the forest.

"See anybody?" Sara asked aloud.

"No. But I see footprint—" But suddenly a shriek brought both of them to attention.

"You heard that right?" Sara said, shoveling broccoli into her mouth to calm her nerves.

Grissom answered by running forward through the forest, towards the scream. Sara broke out into a run behind him, balancing her broccoli carefully. They hit the edge of the forest and the sun glared down at them. Sara dug into her pocket and pulled out a pair of sunglasses and slipped them on. Grissom did the same and when they could see clearly, panic and slight amusement filled them.

Liz, Molly, and Mindy were running around in circles, waving around at a dozen eagles flying around their heads, pecking at their hair and trying to fly off with it, attacking their faces and leaving scratches.

"Grissom!" Sara shrieked. "Do something!"

"Like what?"

"Anything!"

"Why not you?"

"My hands are full you nitwit!"

Grissom pouted then ran forward into the crowd of screaming girls and feathers. Sara watched, dancing from foot to foot in anxiety, managing to fit spork-fulls of food into her mouth all the same. The sun glinted off her sunglasses and her shiny black boots. Completely unbeknownst to her, she had attracted the attention of two of the assaulting eagles.

The two birds tore away from the fray and zoomed toward Sara, who yelped and ducked. The eagles entwined their claws in her hair, their sharp beaks pecking at her head. She waved frantically at them with her spork, but one of the eagles had migrated to her feet, pecking at them with ferocity.

"Gerroff!" she shouted, attempting to jab one with her spork. "Gerroff me!"

The second eagle, at her feet, hopped behind and pecked at Sara's ankles and the eagle atop her head jumped onto her hands clutching hopelessly to the broccoli platter. The bird poked at her hands while the second clambered up to her belt buckle and attacked that as well.

"I said—"

But the first bird had just jabbed at her watch, missed and hit the inside of her palm instead, causing her to gasp and on reflex release the plate with the broccoli on it.

The world seemed hung in time, slowing to an unbearable pace.

Sara's eyes widened in terror as she stared at the toppled plate of broccoli.

"NOOOO!"

With a single sweep, she reached for her gun holster and pulled out her gun.

"Eat bullet and die, winged-spawn of Satan!" she screeched, opening fire on the two birds that were now pecking at the contaminated broccoli.

One dead, two dead; Sara turned her aim to the horde of birds attacking Grissom, Liz, Molly, and Mindy and fired. After five of them were lifeless on the ground, the remaining seven zoomed away, screeching agonized calls of bird-speak.

Grissom, Liz, Molly, and Mindy stood doubled-over, panting, bird poop and feathers covering them along with numerous cuts and scratches. Sara moved her gun back to her holster, but just then, an enormous golden eagle rocketed towards them. She readied her gun and fired at the bird, which dropped instantly, and who should stumble off the back of the simply gargantuan beast…but Warrick Brown.