The Other Path ~ Season 1
By Thomas Mc

Author's Note:

This is the conclusion of Ozymandias as well as part 3 of the Crocodile Dundee Trilogy.

Ozymandias – Part 2

Six hard faced men and two Aboriginals were camped out by the side of the dirt airstrip near Walkabout Creek. The six men were sweating from mid day heat. Two Aboriginals seemed to be unaffected by the heat. The hard-faced men were from Brisbane and were the entire compliment of the Australian branch of Rico's far flung operation. There was a man, with a stocky grizzled look, named Frank that appeared to be the leader of the group. He had been forced to flee New York when things had become too hot for him to remain. He had also been a longtime friend of Miguel. His second in command was a tall slender man named Erskine. He had been recruited by Frank. Jose was a transplant from Mexico where he had become too hot to remain. The other three were local thugs that had been recruited by Erskine.

After a long wait a small chartered plane appeared in the sky. They watched tensely as the aircraft approached. The six men grabbed their guns and prepared to fight if those onboard the plane turned out to be government or otherwise hostile.

When Rico and Miguel appeared at the plane's open hatch they all relaxed and stood straighter yet there was still a slight edge of fear that engulfed them all. Rico and Miguel exited the plane and were followed by six more very dangerous looking men.

Frank stepped forward while nervously watching the other six newcomers. "G'day, mister Rico. We've got everything you asked for." He tuned to Miguel with a more enthusiastic greeting then he pulled a very expensive shiny silver revolver with a jet-black onyx handle and handed it to Miguel. "I have a gift for you."

Rico and Miguel each was given a rifle with attached scope. The other six newcomers were given similar weapons.

Rico lifted the rifle and held it pointed straight up while he examined it from all angles. Finally, he nodded his approval and the welcoming committee relaxed. "I think I will make good use of this." Rico remarked with a wicked grin then loaded the rifle and slung it over his shoulder. He pulled his favorite semi-automatic pistol from his waist. "Now what about Dundee?"

Frank glanced at his companions then continued. We got word that Dundee and two women arrived a week ago and headed into the bush." He shrugged. "No one has seen him since. He's like a ghost." He indicated the two Aboriginals crouched on the ground nearby. "I got us the two best trackers on the continent. If Dundee is anywhere on this rock, they will find him."

Rico raised his hand, his expression showed intense determination. "Soon I will have this, ghost, Dundee within my grasp." He closed his fist in evil glee.

One of the trackers stood up and stepped forward then addressed the group. "Is that Mick Dundee you are talking about?"

"Yea, What about it?" Responded the one of Franks men.

The tracker simply turned and went back to his companion. After a few seconds Frank returned his attention to the group as they discussed the coming hunt. Rico's contribution was mostly comments about the destruction he planned to heap upon Dundee and the two women with him. Nobody noticed the two trackers gathering their equipment and walking away.

Just before the trackers reached the tall brush. Miguel noticed them. "Where are they going?"

Frank looked back in surprised. "Hey, get back here." He called out as one of his men started walking after them.

The next second the trackers reached the tall brush and vanished. The henchman took two more steps then stopped, staring in the direction they had gone in disbelief. Finally, he turned to face the rest of the party with a helpless shrug.

"I, I . . . don't know what happened, mister Rico." Frank was getting very nervous at the scowl on Rico's face. "We're going to have to go back to town to find another tracker." The thunder clouds in Rico's eyes promised swift retribution if things did not start going more smoothly very soon.

~ o ~

For the last several hours, Mick, Sue, Catherine, and Vincent had headed west from where they had hidden their Vehicle. During that time several small groups of Aboriginals appeared out of the bush and traveled for a short time with them. Catherine guessed that during that time they must have encountered four or five dozen individuals. To the last one, they all had the same reaction to Vincent, surprise, amazement, curiosity, and respect. They would talk to Mick in a totally incomprehensible language then split off and disappear into the surrounding Bush. Their reactions to Catherine, while talking to Mick, were also universal; first disbelief, then overwhelming amazement. Eventually there were no more Aboriginals and they were left on their own.

Eventually they reached what was a fairly picturesque lake where they stopped, and Mick announced that they should all take a little while to rest then they would set up camp for the night. A few minutes later two Aboriginals showed up in their campsite. The two new Aboriginals were apparently going to stay with them for a while. They had been there for about a half-hour or so sitting on the sandy beach and staring out at the lake when Vincent's curiosity got the better of him. "You said that this region we have been walking through for the last two hours is called Belongamik. What does that name mean?"

Mick scratched his chin a moment then responded. "It means Mick's Place."

Catherine looked up in surprise. "Why is it called that?" She inquired.

Sue was also looking at Mick in surprise.

Mick shrugged. "Because I own it." He responded.

"You own all of this?" Sue asked in surprise. "This place is huge!" She looked closely at Mick and thought to herself. 'Apparently there is still a lot that I don't know about him.' She grinned. 'But it was sure going to be fun exploring the enigma that is Michael J Dundee.' She glanced over at Catherine and Vincent. 'I wonder if she ever feels the same about Vincent.' Sue sighed with contentment and looked out over the lake. 'I wonder what the J stands for.'

Catherine glanced over at Sue, sitting beside Mick and gazing out at the lake. 'She sure has some interesting times ahead of her . . . lucky girl.' She thought with a smile.

After a few more minutes Catherine turned her attention to Mick. Something had been niggling at the back of her mind for a while now. "Mick . . .why have the natives been looking at me so strangely after they talk to you?"

Vincent chimed in. "I have the same question. I could feel their emotions and they were more intense than I would expect, and they sometimes don't make sense." He paused blushing. "And often there is a very strong erotic component mixed in." He shrugged.

Mick burst out laughing. Once he stopped laughing, he thought a moment before speaking. He grinned. "To begin they believe that you are a spirit and, the spirits are said to have incredibly voracious sexual appetites." His grin expanded. "Far more than any female could possibly endure." He chuckled. "So, you can imagine the kinds of thoughts that go through their minds when they hear that not only are you two 'married', you two have been married for 'years'." He shrugged as a hint of mischief invaded his grin.

Sue cracked up at this revelation. Catherine turned bright red. Vincent hung his head as his face turned pink enough to be seen through his fur.

Then Catherine got control of her voice and commented. "I can't believe they know about that."

Vincent groaned and turned pinker. Sue shrieked into another round of laughter. Mick laughed so hard that he fell over and barely avoided rolling on the beach. Catherine turned redder wondering what possessed her to say that. The two Aboriginal companions simply looked at each other and shrugged, though their lips did curl up at the corners.

As they were setting up camp, Mick informed them that they would head out to Jabba Point in the morning. As the evening sky began to darken, Mick walked out of the camp, commenting that he was going to take a quick look around before settling in for the night. A half-hour later, everyone became alert when a strange thrumming sound was heard that was constantly changing pitch and timbre.

"What is that?" Catherine inquired in a nervous voice while drawing closer to Vincent.

"That's what I want to know." Remarked Sue as she looked around nervously.

Their two aboriginal companions just shrugged and concentrated on the hunk of meat that they just begun cooking.

A few minutes later Mick appeared, striding out of the growing shadows. No sooner had he settled on the ground next to Sue when the strange thrumming sound returned. Though it sounded like it was further away.

"There it is again!" exclaimed Catherine.

At the same time Sue got closer to Mick. "Mick?"

Mick held up his hand for silence. Then the sound ceased, and Mick relaxed. "It's about Wally. He must have gotten lost." He nodded to the two aboriginals who stood up and headed into the bush that surrounded the lake. Mick took over tending the cooking fire.

Twenty minutes later the aboriginals emerged from the bush with Walter and Carol walking between them.

Five minutes after that they were all enjoying a fairly tasty dinner.

~ o ~

After a couple of hours of fruitless searching for any native trackers, Rico and his band stopped at a local bar.

"This is ridiculous." Rico ranted.

"I can just grab a local and force him to tell us what we want to know." Growled Miguel.

At this point Erskine spoke up for the first time. "That might not be necessary. I overheard that there's supposed to be someone that knows everything there is to know about Dundee. He is supposed to frequent a small joint over in the village of Walkabout Creek."

Rico hit the table with his fist. "Then let's go get him." He faced the other men. "Go back and wait for us at the camp by the air strip. Make sure everything is packed up and ready to go as soon as we get back."

A short time later, Rico, Miguel and Erskine stood looking around the main watering hole in Walkabout Creek in frustration. The only information that they had learned from the locals, was that Walter O'Reily had lit out of there in a hurry yesterday morning

The next minute Devin walked into the place, a dark scowl on his face and radiating animosity. Everyone else in the place seemed to be staying out of his way. He ordered a pint and settled at the end of the bar.

Erskine nudged Miguel and pointed at Devin. "We missed O'Reily, but I think that one may be the other person that I heard about. He might even be more useful than O'Reilly."

The three men approached the bar. Rico settled on a spot close to Devin, drawing a darker scowl from him, and ordered a beer. After taking a sip of his beer, Rico finally spoke. "I hear that you know a Mick Dundee."

Devin looked directly at Rico, his whole body radiating hostility. "What's it ta ya."

Rico raised an eyebrow at being addressed in such a surly manner, but he held his temper. After a short spate of rather curt back and forth, Rico was convinced that Devin hated and to some extent feared Mick Dundee. With a promise of a tidy financial incentive and a chance at personal vengeance Rico convinced a reluctant Devin to help them track down Mick and the two women that had accompanied him.

"Right." Rico remarked. "Where do we start?"

"Knowing Dundee, I would suggest we start by heading for Belongamik." Devin commented. "That's where he would feel most secure." He glanced appraisingly at Rico and his two companions then continued. "Dundee will be in his element up there. He will be hard to find, much less dig out of there."

Rico responded with a sinister grin. "I have men with big guns, and I have you."

"I hope you have more men than those three." Devin replied sourly as he nodded toward Miguel, Frank and Erskine. "I don't fancy going up against him with just the four of you."

"Don't worry." Rico responded as he puffed up his chest. "I brought plenty of men and firepower."

Devin simply nodded and took another swig of his drink.

~ o ~

Early the next morning Mick rousted everyone for a hurried early breakfast. As soon as breakfast was completed, they quickly packed up the camp. "We should reach Belongamik by mid-afternoon. That area is very rocky and there are several caves for shelter." Mick told them.

"What about Rico?" Catherine asked.

"He's over a day behind us." He glanced back the way that they had originally come from. "Depending on how long it takes him to locate Devin, he should reach this lake no sooner than tomorrow evening."

As they walked, the terrain grew steadily rougher leaving them little breath left for talking. By mid-afternoon they started to climb a low mountain and soon arrived at a dry shallow cave. Everyone settled gratefully onto the floor of the cave.

~ o ~

Early the next morning they started moving again. After an hour they came to a strange small six-foot by six-foot structure that seemed to be made of pieces of corrugated tin, various automobile parts, odd shaped pieces of wood and broken furniture.

Mick retrieved a beat-up old backpack then led them toward a low mountainous area.

After half a day of steady uphill hiking Mick stopped in a large relatively comfortable looking cave. "You can rest safely here. We will be staying here for a while." Mick remarked. "Vincent, you and I have a few things to take care of while they rest."

With a quick nod, Vincent joined Mick and they left the cave. Catherine and Sue looked at each other and shrugged. They both knew that their 'boys' were up to something but who knew what Mick had in mind.

~ o ~

It had taken a day-and-a-half for Rico and his men to reach the small lake where Devin had suggested that they stop for the night. Because of the increasingly heavy bush and the lack of any sign of a discernable road, they had been forced to leave their vehicles a few miles back.

Rico was feeling hot and irritable and confronted Devin. "We've been on foot for nearly an hour now. When do we reach the place you were talking about?" He inquired irritably.

Devin cocked his head. "We're already here." He waved his hand at the terrain around them. "We crossed into Belongamik over an hour and a half ago." He pointed at the small lake. "Dundee is sure to have stopped here for the night, so tomorrow morning I will scout out the surrounding area and try to pick up his trail."

Rico frowned. "You said you knew where Dundee was headed." He accused.

Devin frowned back. "I knew that he would head for Belongamik, but this is a very large region and he could be anywhere in it. I also knew that he would stop here, and this is where I would be able to pick up his trail."

Rico was not mollified. "If Dundee came this way, then why . . ."

Devin yelled at one of the men that was walking toward the lake holding a canteen. "Hey! Don't drink the water from that lake. It will make you very sick." He took in the faces around him, all showing surprise and suspicion. "One of the reasons this is a safe place to camp is because there are no crocks here. They don't like the water." He returned his attention to an irritated Rico.

Rico was not happy as he demanded answers. "We had to leave our trucks behind so why didn't we see Dundee's vehicle on our way here?"

"There are dozens of interconnecting trails throughout this area. It is highly unlikely that we took the exact same path as he did. Also, there is the possibility that he could have left it at one of the villages scattered around the area." He turned to the rest of the men and called out. "Get plenty of rest tonight. We will be on foot from here on out. Past this lake the terrain gets pretty rough in places."

Later, as they were all sitting around the campfire, Rico was going on about his plans to destroy Dundee and the two women, when everyone was startled by a distant roaring that was heard coming from out of the growing darkness.

Everyone was staring nervously into shadows deep within the surrounding bush. "What the hell was that?" Frank inquired, nervously.

With surprising self control, Devin suppressed a knowing grin as he responded. "I've only heard that sound once before. The natives I was with at the time called it a Bush Lion. Legend says that it is supposed to be half-man and half-lion." He raised his hand to touch the three long prominent scars on his left cheek. "A local witch doctor claims that it was a Bush Lion that did this to me."

"You don't know?" asked Erskine.

Devin continued to rub the scars as he answered. "I never got a good look at it. It burst out of the darkness, attacked me, then it disappeared back into the darkness." He dropped his hand and shook his head. "It made no sound and it was moving so fast that all I saw was a large dark shape."

Again, the group was startled by an irregular thrumming sound came from a different direction. "And what is that." One of Rico's thugs asked as he glanced in the direction of the sound.

Devin thought franticly for about a second before he spoke. "Oh, that is the hunting call of the Jabba Jabba bird." He shrugged. "Sorta like an ugly oversized emu . . . meat eater. If it catches you, it will rip your belly open with its six-inch talons and begin eating your guts while you're still alive." It was difficult for Devin to conceal his amusement at the reactions to the strange sounds and his explanations. "Many of the locals claim that Dundee can make the animals do his bidding." He shrugged. "I think it's just a lot of ignorant superstition."

Again, the evening was disturbed by the sound of distant roaring. Devin looked around acting nervous and a bit unsure of himself then seemed to regain his cocky attitude.

Conversation around the campfire became quieter and more stilted as they consumed their cold canned meals and glanced nervously at the dark bush around them.

After awhile Devin detected a faint but distinctly unpleasant odor. He glanced up just in time to catch a glimpse of a hand appearing momentarily out of the foliage and drop something on to the hat of one of the men. He had spent enough time in the outback to recognize the odor and figure out what was coming next. He settled down in his bed roll and pulled the blanket over his head as the distant roar again echoed across the landscape.

A few seconds later Devin heard the camp breakout in pandemonium as men cried out in surprise and fear. He glanced out from under his blanket to see the camp full of swirling bats and running men. He pulled the blanket back over his head to wait it out.

After a few more minutes three shots rang out and the chaos quickly died down. Devin peeked out from under his blanket. Rico was standing in the middle of the camp and slowly lowering his gun. The rest of the men were scattered around looking dazed or scared. "It's going to take a lot more than this to scare me off, Dundee!" Rico called out.

The only response was the silence of the outback broken only by the returning sounds of the local wildlife.

~ o ~

Sue and Catherine looked at each other as the distant roaring sound echoed across the mountainside. Sue took note of the half smile on Catherine's face. "Was that Vincent?" She asked.

Catherine nodded. "Yup, that's Vincent."

Carol shivered as she spoke up. "Even knowing that's Vincent out there making that sound it still sends a chill up my spine." A hint of a smile graced her lips. "I'll bet it isn't doing much good for the morale of Rico's bunch."

Walter spoke up. "I'm glad you explained it. That roaring scared the willies out of me." He shivered as he looked around. "You are sure that it was Vincent making that sound?"

Catherine chuckled and grinned at Walter. "Oh, that was my Vincent. I'd know that roar anywhere. I've heard it many times."

A minute later they all jumped at the sound of three gunshots.

"Oh no! Mick!" Sue exclaimed as she jumped to her feet.

Catherine jumped to her feet and gently grabbed Sue's arm. "Don't worry. Mick is fine." She told Sue. "If anything bad happened, I would have sensed it in Vincent's emotions."

"You're referring to that bond you told me about on the flight down, aren't you?" Sue asked hopefully.

Catherine nodded. "Yes, it really comes in handy at times like this." Catherine smiled. "Not only is Vincent unconcerned but I'm getting a strong sense of amusement. I'm also getting a faint echo of humor from someone else. I think it must be Mick echoed through Vincent."

Sue was now giving Catherine a look of curiosity mixed with uncertainty. Walter and the two Aboriginals were also looking at her a bit skeptically.

Catherine shrugged, faced Wally and explained. "Vincent is an empath. He can sense the emotions of those near him. He and I have formed a permanent empathic link between us. We always know what the other is feeling. This bond also allows me to get an echo of the emotions of others that he is sensing." She grinned. "I sometimes wish I could have him in court with me during trials. It would make my job so much easier."

After a moment Walter spoke hesitantly. "Wouldn't that be cheating?"

Catherine laughed. "Probably." She paused for a moment. "Vincent and Mick are coming back this way. I think that they are through for the night."

~ o ~

Once order had been returned to the camp, Rico turned to Devin, a look of deadly determination in his eyes. "Tell me about this Dundee . . . everything that you know."

Devin thought for a minute then looking at Rico began to spin his tale.

"My knowledge is a bit sketchy." Devin scratched at his scars for a moment then continued. "The stories I've heard are that he was raised by a reclusive tribe of Aboriginals from deep in the Outback. Nobody knows how he ended up with them or who his parents were. Anyway he learned the ways of several of the local shamen . . . He learned their . . . magic . . . their black magic. I've heard some of the more primitive tribes claim that he can change shape . . ." He surreptitiously watched his audience as he paused for effect. Many of the men were glancing nervously around.

Devin let a barely suppressed shiver pass over his body. As he expected, several of the men noticed. "The Aboriginals call him . . ." He spouted a string of nonsense syllables. ". . . which roughly translates to 'The Dark Spirit That Walks Like A Man'." He shrugged. "Not that I believe that stuff, but the locals take their spirits very seriously. They would not bestow such a title lightly."

Devin sat there quietly staring into the fire and let a troubled frown pass across his face. As he had hoped, several of the men had noticed. Devin looked up at Rico. "Of course, we all know that is a lot of hooey." His face and voice carried a distinct lack of conviction. "But he does know the Outback better than anyone else that I know of and he is as devious as they come."

After a moment Rico cleared the troubled look from his face and glared defiantly into the darkness. "Your Dundee sounds like some sort of Superman." After a second, Rico held up his pistol. "He doesn't worry me. I have his Kryptonite right here."

Devin cocked his head at Rico and shrugged. "Whatever you say, boss."

~ o ~

That morning as they were getting themselves organized, Mick gazed at Sue for a moment then . . . "I need you to take off your bra."

Sue tilted her head slightly forward and looked up at him with a shy smile. "This is neither the time nor the place." She remarked, almost seductively. She then proceeded to perform seemingly impossible contortions that ended with her handing a rather lacy bra over to Mick without ever removing her blouse. Her face sported a self-satisfied grin while everyone else looked on in amazement.

Mick looked over at Vincent. "OK, let's go have some fun."

As soon as they were out of sight, Sue grabbed up one of the two riffles left in the cave. She quickly checked that it was loaded as she mumbled to herself. "He thinks this is just a game. He's going to get himself killed." She turned toward the cave opening.

Catherine grabbed her arm, stopping her. "No Sue. He doesn't think it's a game or a joke." She brought Sue around to face her. "Vincent and I talked last night. Mick knows exactly what the stakes are, and he knows what he is doing. Vincent told me that Mick's attitude is his way of dealing with the seriousness of the situation. It helps him push the fear into the background so that he can think clearly."

Carol had stepped up next to them. "She's right Sue. My Devin is the same way. They both deal with serious situations by making fun of them." She looked Sue in the eye. "Besides, with my Devin leading the bad guys, there is no way they will find Mick and Vincent until they want them to." She smiled. "And considering the kind of hair-raising stories that Devin is probably telling them, I suspect that they are already getting pretty un-nerved right about now."

~ o ~

Rico woke to the first rays of the rising sun. He saw Devin standing at the edge of the beach where it gave way to the thick undergrowth and apparently staring into the bush. A quick look around established that they were the only two people awake though he could hear some of them starting to stir. He got up and went over to join Devin.

Devin pointed to a bush with several broken branches. "Someone passed this way last night." He pulled free one of the broken branches and touched the broken end with his fingertip. He rubbed two fingers together then smelled the fingertip. He glanced at his watch. "Some time around two o'clock . . . give or take an hour." He dropped the branch and stared intently at the ground.

After several seconds watching Devin examining the ground Rico finally had to ask. "What are you looking for?"

After a momentary pause Devin looked up with a perplexed expression. "No prints."

"What?"

Devin shook his head. "Something at least as big as a man came out of the jungle back there yet there are no tracks. No indication who or what it was."

By now the rest of the camp was stirring. Rico stomped up to one of the men getting right in his face and began speaking in a voice raised in anger. "You! … You were on watch last night! … Why didn't you see who came into our camp?"

The man on watch began loudly proclaiming that no one had entered the camp. Very shortly the entire camp was a chaos of blame and recrimination. Rico finally had to result to a shot into the air to force the camp back into some semblance of order.

Devin addressed Rico. "While you get the camp packed up, I'm going to continue scouting the area and figure out which way Dundee went." He gave one more worried look at the ground then strode off into the bush. As soon as he was out of sight of the men in the campground he broke into a broad grin. This was fun.

~ o ~

Shortly after the camp was packed, Devin returned and reported to Rico. "Mick was a lot harder to track than I expected. But I'm better than most and I found signs. He is headed west."

"Then it is time we went after him." Rico declared and indicated for Devin to show them the way.

Soon Devin was leading them along a barely perceptible trail. After about an hour Devin stopped. He pointed at a spot of color and slight movement ahead of them.

Rico silently selected Frank and sent him to investigate. The man cautiously moved toward the barely moving spot of color.

After about fifty feet Frank stopped. A second later he held up what was now clearly a lacy bra and grinned back at them. Devin shook his head and remarked in an urgent voice. "It's a trap." He called out. "Get away . . ." Just as Frank looked down in surprise he suddenly went down, disappearing into the thick undergrowth. The man's screams could be heard moving rapidly away to the left. His screams quickly became even more shrill then suddenly ceased, leaving only an oppressive silence in their wake. Everyone else stood rooted to the spot, too shocked to move.

Rico and his men rushed forward. They found the bra on the ground and a clear trail of torn shrubbery leading off to the left. Brandishing their guns, the group took off down the easy to follow trail. They had gone no more than a hundred yards when the trail of torn foliage just stopped.

Devin quickly searched the immediate area around the spot closely followed by Rico He unobtrusively scuffed out one boot print without Rico noticing. He thought to himself that Mick was a bit careless to leave such a sign of his presence. The intent at this point was to leave no solid clues and thereby spook Rico's henchmen. Devin finally looked at Rico with a shrug, a worried frown and a shake of his head. "There's no prints, no signs of any kind past this point. I know Mick is good but not this good." He shook his head again. "There must be something else going on here."

From high up in a nearby tree and completely hidden by the dense foliage, Vincent quietly watched Devin's act and smiled. The unconscious henchman was draped over another branch close by. The man's frightened screams had become very shrill when he had caught sight of Vincent, then he had passed out when Vincent had raised his clawed hand as if to strike.

An angry and frustrated Rico returned to the group followed by an obviously upset Devin. Rico spoke angrily to his men as he told them that the missing man was gone. "He was a fool to fall for such an obvious trap and we are better off without him." He swept the group with a hard, cold stare. "This Dundee thinks he's smart but I'm smarter and I will tolerate no more such stupidity from any of you." He paused a moment then continued. "No more distractions. We will go back and follow Dundee's trail and if anyone else gets careless I will leave you behind." He then marched back to where the bra had been found, followed by a nervous and upset crew. Devin had to work hard to conceal his amusement at the effects the engineered disasters were having on the men.

Ten minutes after the group of men had moved on, Vincent, carefully, lowered the unconscious man to the ground by the rope that was still tied around his feet. Then Vincent dropped silently to the ground, picked up the man and headed off at a fast loping run. He had to get this man back to the cave and then rejoin Mick for the next planned encounter.

~ o ~

By mid day the men were hot and thirsty, and they were still spooked by what had happened to Frank.

They spotted water through a break in the trees and started rushing forward. Devin yelled for them to stop. They all stopped, mostly out of habit and looked at Devin. Rico looked particularly angry at Devin's temerity. Devin pointed to the far shore where several crocodiles could be seen sunning themselves. "For every crocodile you can see there are, at least, four more that you can't see." He pointed toward the ground. "The trail turns north here." He pointed. "We go that way."

Rico was angry at Devin for daring to give orders and for his superior tone, but this was not a good time to get rid of him. He needed Devin to find Dundee's trail. There would be plenty of time to deal with this arrogant twerp after he had dealt with Dundee and the two women.

Some of the men were grumbling about the shortage of water as they continued following Mick's trail.

Devin stopped at a small clearing. "This is a good place to stop and rest for a few minutes." He pointed to an area of the clearing. "Mick and the women stopped here for a short while." He pulled up a blade of grass and examined it. "Looks like it was two days ago."

Rico looked at the area indicated but could see nothing unusual. "How do you know this?"

"The grass has been compressed but it has already sprung back almost back to normal so they couldn't have been here long enough to do any real damage." He held up the broken blade in his hand. "The break on the end of this blade is about two days old." He dropped the blade. "The conclusion is obvious." Devon finished smugly. He knew that he was pushing it but he knew that he was safe as long as Rico thought he needed him. His departure was already planned for tomorrow.

The water supply was down to a bit more than half what they had started with and the men were grumbling about it.

Rico turned to Devin. "Where is the nearest water supply?"

Devin pointed westward. "The river should be about a hundred and fifty yards in that direction."

Rico gathered the five empty canteens and handed them the man that had been on guard last night when the camp had apparently been entered. "Go fill these up." He ordered.

Devin added a warning. "Keep your eyes open and be careful. This is not a safe area."

A couple of minutes later they heard a man's scream come from the direction he had gone. Rico, Miguel and Erskine ran off toward the sound with their guns at the ready. Devin was following close behind. This was not a planned ambush.

They quickly arrived at the edge of the river. There was a canteen on the ground next to the water's edge and a torn hat drifting down the slow-moving river. Devin pointed to a single clawed print in the mud. "Crock musta got'im." He picked up the canteen which turned out to be full and handed it to Erskine who seemed to be the most creeped out at the moment. Devin scanned the edge of the shore for a couple of seconds then reached down to recover a canteen from just under the surface of the water. He handed it to Rico. "Well, at least, you got two full canteens for your trouble." He remarked with a shake of his head then walked away from the river. Inside he wondered what had really happened.

~ o ~

Mick and Vincent had been shadowing Rico's group when they had reached the clearing. A few minutes later Vincent had warned Mick that someone was coming their way. A man carrying canteens appeared, heading for the river. Mick and Vincent ducked into the thick bushes on either side of the small clear area at the water's edge. While the henchman was filling the second canteen a strange looking bird behind Vincent squawked un-expectantly. The man looked up straight into Vincent's eyes.

The henchman dropped the canteen and screamed in fear as Vincent leaped out at him. The next instant Mick grabbed the man from behind and dragged him into the dense bush. Mick put one hand over the man's mouth and with the other hand, he held his knife against the man's throat. Vincent snatched the man's hat and ripped it with his teeth then threw it into the river. Vincent melted into the thick undergrowth and glared at the now thoroughly cowed henchman.

Seconds later Devin and three others arrived at the river's edge. After a minute or so Devin announced that a crock had taken the henchman. Soon after they left Mick and Vincent took the now bound and gagged henchman back to their cave.

As Rico's group continued northward Devin noticed how nervous the men were becoming. One or two of them would jump at the any unusual sound. He grinned to himself. So far, the plan was working out better than expected.

~ o ~

Back at the cave Mick relieved the new prisoner of the extra canteens then settled him next to the other prisoner. He then stared intently at the two men. Mick pointed to Carol, Catherine and Sue who were sitting around a small campfire cooking some kind of unidentified meat. All three women were armed with rifles. "You may think that those three are there to keep you from running away." He paused a moment. "They're not. They're there to protect you . . . from him." He nodded toward Vincent.

Shortly after that Mick and Vincent left the cave.

A few hours later Vincent watched bemused as Mick tied a red bandana, much like those worn by some of Rico's men, around the neck of a four-and-a-half-foot long lizard then gently urged it into a large burlap bag. Mick glanced at the setting sun. "It's about time for you to put on your act." He remarked to Vincent then picked up a large python that they had found earlier that afternoon. "I'll meet you at the north side of their camp an hour after midnight."

Vincent nodded and soon disappeared into the darkening woods.

Mick watched Vincent disappear, amazed at how skillfully he did it. Even the best of the locals, as good as they were, could not move as stealthily as Vincent could. Mick shook his head and addressed his next comments to the python draped over his shoulders. "Come on, Monty, we have some preparations of our own to make while Vincent is out making scary noises." He picked up the end of the bag containing the lizard and headed off in a different direction.

~ o ~

Eventually Rico and his men stopped for the night. Once again, as they consumed a somber meal, Devin was regaling them with stories of the outback and the strange creatures to be found there. Just as they were eating their evening meal, the normal wildlife symphony was shattered by the same roar that they had heard the previous night. It was followed by the strange thrumming noise that they had heard several times since this expedition had begun. After that, the camp was unusually quiet as each man dealt with his own fears. The watch was set, and everyone prepared their bedrolls.

Rico's men had finally settled in for the night when the nocturnal symphony was again disturbed by a loud roar that echoed for several seconds and left dead silence in its wake. Into that silence intruded the low murmuring of several frightened men. It was over an hour before the men calmed down enough to begin falling into an uneasy asleep.

~ o ~

Around midnight Mick and Vincent met just north of Rico's encampment to begin the next phase of their campaign. After a few quick words, Mick handed Vincent the python then hefted the sack containing the lizard and circled to the east. Meanwhile Vincent circled to the west carrying the Monty.

Once he reached his designated position, Vincent waited to give Mick time to prepare for his part of tonight's mission. Once Vincent felt Mick's satisfaction of accomplishment, he broke into a fast sprint into the encampment.

~ o ~

It was well after midnight when a drowsy Erskine, that had been on guard, looked up to see what looked like a large fierce lion-man come running silently out of the surrounding darkness. The fearsome apparition was moving so fast that it was on him before he had a chance to react and without breaking stride it tossed a large snake at his feet then disappeared back into the darkness just as quickly.

Erskine's cry of fear roused the camp and soon everyone was talking at once except Erskine. He was staring down at the snake at his feet and looking like he had seen a ghost. With a semi articulate moan, he pointed at the snake near his feet.

Devin reached down and picked up the snake. "This is just a python. He's harmless . . . unless you happen to be a small rodent." He walked to the edge of the dark bush and released the snake into the woods.

Rico strode up to the dazed man and demanded to know what had happened.

Erskine's eyes reflected fear as he looked nervously from one man to the other, looking for sympathy, and desperately searching for a rational answer. "It must have been Dundee. A dark shape appeared out of the shadows. It ran through the camp and threw the snake at me as it passed."

"And you couldn't get a single shot off." Rico remarked, his voice full of derision.

"It wasn't human. It moved like lightning I never even had a chance to pull my gun. Nothing moves that fast." He glanced at the other men and saw no sympathy . . . only annoyance and derision. He felt an intense need to justify himself as he haltingly continued. "And there was no noise. Not a single sound as he went past. It was like he was a ghost or something."

Rico spat on the ground and turned his back on the guard. The look of true fear on the man's face left him with a sense of disquiet. Even Miguel was looking around nervously.

Rico had the uneasy feeling that he was losing control of the situation. He couldn't let the men see him as weak. "This Dundee thinks his tricks are going to scare us." He called out loudly as he drew out his pistol. "But when we catch up to him, I'll show him what real power is. My empire will last long after him and those two women are dead." Rico skewered each man with his gaze. "Everyone get some rest. Tomorrow we run down Dundee and end this." He turned on Devin. "He ran through the camp. There must be tracks. Find them!"

Devin nodded then began to study the ground along the path the guard said his apparition had taken. A few minutes later Devin was pointing to two large unusual clawed paw prints just inside the camp area. "Those were not there yesterday evening." He suggested.

Rico strode quickly to where Devin was standing and looked down. He felt his heart lurch against his ribs as he stared at the two clawed footprints Devin had found. He looked up at Devin to catch a deep frown, consisting of equal parts fear and doubt, clouding his face. The expression cleared quickly to be replaced by the bland unconcerned expression that was more typical of their guide.

A shiver ran up Rico's spine. "What kind of animal is that?" He asked in a very quiet voice.

A clear look of doubt flashed momentarily across Devin's face as he responded in a low voice. "I've never seen anything like that before." He shook his head.

Fighting the shiver that ran down his back, Rico scuffed out the two prints then turned and walked back to his bedroll.

Much later as he lay in his bed-roll Devin allowed a smile to sneak across his face. His little act had worked. Rico was unsettled and his men were getting more nervous by the hour.

~ o ~

The next morning the camp site began to stir. Rico quickly noticed that they were one man short. "Where is Jose?"

One of the men pointed toward a bedroll that shifted slightly but the man inside apparently remained asleep. With an annoyed snort, Miguel strode over to the faintly moving bedroll. "Get up Jose." He demanded as he grabbed the blanket and yanked it off.

With a shout of surprise and fear Miguel jumped back from what he saw. Inside the bedroll was a huge lizard with a red bandana around its neck. Miguel waved the blanket while yelling to drive it off.

"I don't believe all that crap the natives spew about spirits and magic." He glanced over where the giant lizard was disappearing into the bush. His voice dropped several notches, though Rico still heard what he said next "But sometimes I wonder."

Rico was irritated and just a bit scared himself, but he could never admit it if he wanted to keep control of his men.

"I need to scout out the area." Devin remarked, turning toward the edge of the clearing. "See which way he went."

"You do that." Rico responded harshly, still very annoyed. "Miguel, go with him!" He glared at Devin. The twerp was getting on his nerves and Rico vowed that he would get rid of him the moment he no longer needed him.

Devin would have preferred to go out by himself, but he would just have to be more careful now. As he walked around the camp, he stopped occasionally to look at a plant or a spot on the ground. He spotted what he was looking for and paused to study the ground while keeping his body between Miguel and the symbols etched in the dirt. With a single quick innocuous wipe of his hand to obliterate the symbols, he straightened and looked at Miguel. He allowed Miguel to see an expression of worry show on his face before replacing it with his usual, semi-sarcastic, expression. "Right, I know where he's going now." Devin turned around and strode confidently back to the camp.

Before following, Miguel glanced down and saw a clawed footprint that had been partially wiped away. A spurt of fear shot up his spine before he snorted his defiance and followed Devin.

Rico looked up expectantly as Devin approached. "He's headed for the north side of Jabba Point. There's water and caves and it's the highest and most rugged land around here."

It was at that point that they heard another loud roar echo across the landscape. Vincent's occasional roars were really starting to unnerve the villains.

After a moment to shake off the hint of fear, Rico addressed Devin, almost casually. "And just where is this Jabba point that we are headed for?"

Devin paused for a moment to analyze the situation then looked at Rico with slightly narrowed eyes. He pointed in the same direction that the roar had just come from. A low craggy mountain could be seen above the surrounding forest. "That is Jabba point . . . If you think you can get there without me . . . you are quite right, but the landscape covering that mountain is very rough and it is extremely easy to get lost on the side of that mountain or worse fall into one of the hundreds of unexpected pitfalls hidden all over it." With that, he turned his back on Rico and Miguel, and began packing up his gear.

~ o ~

A couple of hours later the group stood at the riverbank, looking at Jabba Point, about a mile away on the other side. Devin was just a bit nervous and he let it show in his expression. What happened next was critical and a bit risky. "There it is. Jabba point." He took a deep breath. "It's fairly deep here but there is a shallow ford about six miles upriver from here."

Rico had his pistol out. "I think we will cross here." He waved the gun. "You go first."

Soon Devin was slowly feeling his way forward as he waded through the chest deep water. Once he had passed the halfway point, Rico and his men began to follow. At the two-thirds point he found what he was looking for. Devin stopped and looked around nervously as he felt the rope moving across his shins. Seconds later he felt the loop tighten around his legs and took a slow deep breath. The next second Devin suddenly vanished beneath the surface of the water.

Rico watched as Devin stopped and appeared to be searching for something in the water. The next instant Devin suddenly dropped beneath the surface. For several stunned seconds everyone stared at the point where their guide had just disappeared. Then fear set in as they all saw three crocodiles coming out of the bush on the other side and moving toward the water.

No one noticed the six natives hiding in the thickest part of the bush next to the shore. Nor did they realize that the crocodiles were much smaller than the other's they had seen on this trip. Full blown panic set in as everyone scrambled to make it back to the shore where they had started.

Meanwhile a hundred yards down river, Devin sat on the far bank hidden by the thick undergrowth and watched the show while removing the rope from around his ankles. Mick was crouched beside him and they both chuckled at the panic-stricken antics of Rico's men. A minute later Vincent arrived, coiling the rope that had recently been tied around Devin's ankles.

Mick nodded at Vincent and Devin. "It will take them about an hour and a half to reach the ford and cross. That will give us plenty of time to get ready for this evenings show."

The three of them walked away from the river while discussing the situation.

~ o ~

Rico was tired, frustrated, angry, and a bit frightened. It had been several hours since they had lost their guide. The grumbling among his men had grown. The peak of Jabba point was clearly visible but getting to it was getting harder by the hour. It seemed that the closer they got, the more difficult the terrain became. The occasional echoing roars were very unnerving and always seemed to come from different directions.

It was getting late and the treacherous terrain was too dangerous in the waning light. He had to stop for the night and make camp. They were unable to find a suitable camp site and the strange and pervasive animal sounds turned it into a particularly uncomfortable and cheerless night. Rico suffered a particularly restless night as his fears of failure began to haunt his dreams.

~ o ~

Rico was startled awake by a loud roar that sounded uncomfortably close. He glanced around the camp and quickly realized that, with the exception of Miguel, the camp was deserted. Miguel was looking around, his eyes wide with fright. Most of their supplies and all of their weapons were gone. The new pistol that had been rolled up in the poncho that served as Miguel's pillow and Rico's pistol were the only weapons that they had left.

Somewhere to his left the deep irregular thrumming sound began. A minute later it was answered by another in the opposite direction. Then that horrible roaring sound split the air from a third direction, and it sounded too close. In a panic Rico fired off three shots in the direction of the roar. Silence descended. Rico and Miguel looked around nervously.

After a few minutes the normal wildlife sounds resumed. Then the air was again shattered by another roar from another direction and even closer. Rico fired off four more shots in that direction. The fear in Miguel's eyes was almost as frightening as those roars. Rico's heart was beating hard and fast. Miguel's eyes were wide with fear and his heart beat was in a dead heat with Rico's.

The sound of movement disturbed the tall grass directly behind Rico. He pivoted and fired. He got two shots and two rather impotent sounding clicks.

Just to the right of where Rico had fired, Vincent sprang from the tall grass straight at Rico. With a scream of pure terror Rico went down under Vincent's massive weight. Miguel's eyes rolled back, and he passed out from terror.

Mick came over and stood next to Vincent looking down at the two unconscious men. Rico's shirt was shredded, and he had three bloody but surprisingly shallow gashes across his chest.

It would be tomorrow morning before the local authorities arrived to take Rico and his remaining men into custody. In the meantime, Mick and Vincent tied Rico and Miguel up and transported them to the cave and dumped them with the rest of Rico's remaining men. Mick treated Rico's wounds with a foul-smelling paste. It would prevent infection and speed healing, but he would come out of this with three very prominent scars and a memory of several terrifying days in the Australian Outback.

By the time Rico and Miguel woke up Vincent, Catherine, Walter and an Aboriginal guide had left the cave on their way back to the generally abandoned airstrip where they had first arrived. Mick assured them that the jet should be waiting for them by the time they arrived.

As The four of them crossed the bridge located several miles downriver, they heard the irregular thrumming sound that passed for the Outback equivalent of jungle drums or the pipes from Vincent's tunnel community.

~ o ~

Three days later Catherine, Vincent and Charles were on their way back to New York. Mick and Sue had decided to stay in Australia for a while to testify against Rico and his men. Walter, Devin and Carol returned to Walkabout creek to run 'Never, Never Safaris'.

Trent listened in fascination to the stories of their adventure in the Outback. "So, the cops never saw Vincent when Mick turned Rico and the men you captured over to them?"

Catherine shook her head. "We were long gone by the time they arrived. I'm sure that they thought that the henchmen had gone crazy from the stress of being subjected to Mick's tricks while being lost in the outback." She broke into a big grin. "Mick and Devin are well known to the authorities in that region."

Trent smiled at the thought the henchmen trying to explain the lion-man attacks to the local cops. "But what about the men that ran away that last night? What happened to them?"

Charles responded. "They were in a state of panic when they ran away. They ended up scattered all over the place and were easily picked off one-by-one by the natives and turned over to the authorities."

"How do you know all this if you were no longer there?"

"Mick was sending out updates with that weird thrumming sound." Vincent responded. "Our guide was able to interpret the messages for us."

Trent nodded then glanced at his watch. "We're about to enter Brisbane airspace so I need to get back to the cockpit. We will be stopping there to refuel." He looked over at Vincent. "Want to join me and see if you can land this bird?"

Vincent's eyes lit up with excitement. "Do you really think I can?"

Trent nodded. "You're one of the best natural born pilots I have ever encountered. I have no doubt that you can do it."

Catherine laughed. "Oh Lord, we're in for a wild ride now."

Trent and Vincent went forward to the cockpit to prepare for landing. Thirty minutes later, under Trent's tutelage, the jet set down in a surprisingly smooth landing. Vincent retreated to the galley while Trent saw to the refueling. An hour later, Vincent taxied the plane out to the runway and lifted off with no trouble. When Vincent came back to join his wife and father-in-law, his chest was so puffed out with pride that Catherine couldn't help but laugh.

The trip back to New York was long but filled with companionship, anecdotes about their time in Australia, and a few good movies. Vincent, Charles and Trent traded off flying the plane in approximately three-hour shifts. Because of the much heavier air traffic over Hawaii, Trent handled flight duties there. He also took over when they approached the American continent.

After pulling up to the home hanger Trent pulled Charles aside. "Anytime you want to use my boss's plane, be sure to ask for me as the pilot; especially if Vincent will be with you."

Charles nodded. "I will remember that, and it was a pleasure flying with you."

"Same here." Trent responded. "You and Vincent are two of the best co-pilots I have ever worked with."

Catherine spoke next. "Whenever you're in town, you are welcome to come by for a visit. Charles can give you our address and phone number"

"I second that invitation." Vincent added. "There is no way I can ever express how great it was flying with you. It was an experience beyond even my wildest dreams."

Vincent pulled up his hood and Trent pulled the lever to open the door. Vincent, Catherine and Charles descended to the tarmac and entered the van that was waiting for them.

Joe, who was in the driver's seat, turned to face them. "How was your trip?"

"You would not believe what all happened." Catherine remarked. She glanced over at Vincent and grinned. "Vincent can now qualify for his pilot's license. He already has twelve hours of flight time, including eight hours solo time, to his credit."

Agent James McClendon turned to face them from the shotgun seat, shaking his head in amazement. "You're joking . . . right?"

Catherine laughed. "Nope. It's the truth. It turned out that our pilot has his flight instructor's certificate. He even invited Vincent to go flying with him any time he wanted to get in more hours."

Joe laughed. "I'd give anything to have been there to see that." He shook his head. "I intend to be there when you tell Father about it."

Catherine laughed at the picture of Father's reaction to that bit of news. Then her demeanor became more serious. "What about Rico's organization?"

Joe responded. "The DEA has finally managed to break up his entire American operation. His Columbian organization is under attack from all sides and is starting to fall apart."

James added to Joe's comment. "His empire is crumbling. Even if Rico should get loose again there is nothing left for him to return to."

"Well enough of this serious stuff. How is everything going with little Edward?"

Joe laughed. "Sammy is bonkers over him and everyone below has been spoiling him rotten."

"Great." She huffed. "That means I will be up to me to get him back to his normal unspoiled self."

Vincent laughed. "Spoiled is his normal self."

The End (of episode 21)

'Beauty and the Beast' and its characters are owned by Witt-Thomas Productions and Republic Pictures. 'Crocodile Dundee' and its characters are owned by Paramount Pictures. No infringement on copyrights is intended. This story is presented merely for the enjoyment of fans. Original concepts and story elements may be used by other authors as long as appropriate credit is given.