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Standard FF disclaimers apply.

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I Need You. Reality.

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The assignment to Ecuador was to have been an in and out, one day affair. Ed Aslak, Vice President of the company, and his director of Research & Development, Leo Markus, were chosen to represent the Humelik Corporation. It had been assumed, on their end, that having high ranking officers coming to give their blessing would show good faith to the government officials that they were working with in Ecuador. They also thought that it would be the best way to pacify the doctors and keep them happy so that they would continue to comply with the requests that had been made concerning their research findings.

With the expense and commitment that Humelik had made to this lab and to the research, they were sure that there would be no problems. They anticipated one hundred percent cooperation from them, and they were here to collect the first installment on that obligation. Whether the doctors knew it or not.

Their plane arrived at nearly five in the morning local time. This was intentional. They had factored in another hour or so of travel time to reach the lab, getting them there long before anyone else would even think of arriving. They were wrong.

"What the …!" Showing his displeasure by using enough expletives to make a sailor blush, Leo was the first to notice. They could see the lights glowing in the near darkness of the overgrown jungle as they approached the lab. Adding some choice words of his own, Ed joined him in his frustration. Someone was in the building, before six o'clock in the morning! It took a few minutes for both men to calm themselves down enough to walk into the lab and meet whoever it was that had ruined their plans by showing up this early.

As it frequently happened, Dr Brian Taylor had had some trouble sleeping last night. Ideas for some new calculations and a list of small tests that he wanted to run had taken over his thoughts. After several hours of trying, he realized that he would not be able to get any sleep. It would be best if he could do something useful, so he went in to the lab. Until he left his room, he truly did not know exactly how early it was. It didn't really matter. The important thing was getting on with his research. That was always his first thought.

Brian walked down the street and was met by the delicious aromas of Lucio's Panaderia. Lucio Zarate, the baker, was the other human being in this town crazy enough to be up this early too. He got to work before 3am so that his first batch of pan dulce or small sweet rolls would be hot out of the oven by five o'clock in the morning. The perfect time for Brian to grab a few on his way into the lab. In a last minute decision this morning, he decided to grab extra rolls to have on hand for the big inspection. The men from Humelik would be here later that day and he figured that they might as well make a little party out of the occasion.

Once in the lab, Brian slipped into his scientist mode immediately. He was intently working with some chemical compounds, breaking down the substance that he had found in some water and plant samples. He had some suspicions of what this substance was, but to prove his hypothesis, he needed to run some extensive tests. Several sheets of notes were spread out along the counter. He referred to them often and added calculations and notations about the results of the experiments. Brian was so absorbed in the work that he did not notice the two men standing in the doorway, watching him.

"Ahmm," Ed cleared his throat in the universal signal of getting attention. It worked, Brian's head snapped up and he glared at them. He hated having his work interrupted, that was another one of the reasons he frequently came into the lab when no one else would be here. It took him a few seconds, staring at them to see just who it was that was standing there. The Humelik people? He blinked a few times, just to be sure he was not seeing things. 'Why were they here now?' he wondered.

He recovered quickly, and in the time it took him to stride over with his hand extended in welcome, Brian Taylor had transformed himself from intense scientist to efficient business man. He ushered the men into the office and offered to make some coffee. Polite conversation dominated the next few minutes, all the men were a bit distracted, eager to get on to their work at hand. None of them aware of what the other was planning to do.

Leo finally excused himself to find the restroom. Brian talked to Ed and offered to drive the men into the small town where individual rooms to rent were as close as they were going to get to a hotel. But Ed declined. Instead, he asked for a tour of the facilities and something to eat. The former request to get a good idea of the lay of the land, and the later to get rid of Dr Taylor long enough to make the private search that they were here for.

Brian complied to his requests, but much to Ed's surprise, the tour ended in the back of the lab where a small kitchenette of sorts had been thrown together. Brian took some fresh fruit from the mini fridge, and placed it on the rolling cart. He grabbed the paper bag with Lucio's rolls, and the basket that Maria had arranged with napkins and flat bowls and a few forks. "Shall we?" he said, as he rolled the cart back to the office.

Once the small feast was laid out, Ed and Leo had no choice but to sit down and enjoy it. With another pot of coffee brewing, they settled into a discussion about the latest tests that Brian had run. In excruciatingly minute detail, he described the problems that he had noticed in the Buenaventura fungi, relating a few of the reasons that he was concerned about the insect life because of the problems he had detected. Although Leo did follow much of what he was saying, Ed had not been in the research end of the operations of the company, and he was lost in the terminology from the start.

All of the men were frustrated. Their own agendas interrupted. And they were all trying to figure out a way to get on with what they wanted to do when Dr Dunne arrived. Brian was at once relieved. He made the necessary introductions and left the men in the capable hands of his partner.

Having learned that the men had arrived unexpectedly early and had already taken a tour of the labs, Tom suggested that they might want to get a look around the grounds where they kept many of the plants that they were studying in what could only be very loosely described as gardens. He also showed them the greenhouse where more experimental plants were being watched. He also thought that they might be interested in the number of birds that they had attracted to this natural aviary.

Tom proceeded to point out the hummingbirds, and Toucans, and grey hawks. When he heard the distinct call of the Jocotoco bird, Tom directed their eyes back down to the ground where they could see the endangered bird hopping at the base of the trees.

Just as Leo was losing patience with the whole thing, they heard a loud commotion around the front of the building. All three men raced around the corner to see several trucks full of men armed with guns. Before they were spotted, Tom quickly pulled them around to go in the back door.

The next few minutes were chaotic and very tense. The reality of the situation left them in a panic. But no one could have predicted what would happen next.

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It was just a short way, comparatively, but after her walk from the village, Maria was soaked with sweat by the time she arrived at the lab. The humidity levels seemed higher lately, even for being this close to the rainforest. So she had started bringing a bag with a change of clothing and a few items to help her freshen up in the restroom once she got to work. As she entered the building, she smiled, enjoying the contrast of how was cool it was inside. With a touch of pride, she noticed how clean everything was too. That was her job and she had been very good at it. But today, she had been asked to be an interpreter for the important businessmen who were coming to inspect, now that the building was completed and the work had started in the labs.

No one saw her as she hurried to the restroom to get ready. Maria took extra care to fix herself up. She wanted to help her Dr Tom to impress the visitors. So she swept her shiny, black hair up into a pretty twist. She did not need any makeup, her dark lashes defined her dark brown eyes, and the flush from pregnancy brought all the color she needed to her cheeks. All she added was a bit of pink tint to her lips. And instead of the loose pants and tunic that she usually wore, today Maria had a soft cotton dress that flowed gracefully over her slight form. With one last inspection in the mirror, she was satisfied. She packed her travel clothes into bag and hurried down to the lab where she would leave the bag out of the way on a lower shelf.

Just as she entered the room, she heard shouting. Angry voices like those that she had heard before. Her heart stopped beating and she stood paralyzed in her place. Tom came running toward her. He grabbed her arm and pulled her further into the lab. He looked frantic and she was even more scared than ever now. Tom was looking around the room, but she was not sure what he was looking for, but apparently he found it and he spun around with her, taking her back to a metal locker in the corner. He opened the door and apologetically asked her to get inside, Maria was confused, she took a step backwards and her bag bumped into a stack of papers on the counter behind her and they fluttered down to the floor. "Please!" begged Dr Tom, looking so worried. So she stepped inside.

He had just started to close the door when the voices came closer. In just a few seconds she heard him move away from her. screaming at the people who had entered the lab. His protests were silenced by a blow that Maria could actually hear, bones cracking on bones. She did not hear Tom say anything else, but she knew that he had been dragged out of the room. Maria held her breath and tried to shrink even further back into the locker in an effort to not be seen. The noise had now receded into the hall and she peeked out of her hiding place. This was all wrong, and she knew that they were in big trouble.

Tom had said that he wished that he could get her out of here, and she now agreed wholeheartedly with that. She decided to try to crawl away to safety out the back door, just down the hallway. She listened carefully, the noises were all in the front hallway now. she hoped that it was safe to leave. When she crouched down, she noticed all the papers. Something told her to gather them up and take them with her. An effort to keep the lab looking tidy? Or did they look important? Not willing to spend time wondering why, she scooped up all that she could reach and stuffed them into her bag. There were also paper balls all over the floor that had not been there when she cleaned up last night. She knew that Dr Brian must have come in early this morning, again. He had often worked at odd hours, and he always tossed crumpled papers at the trash can but he often missed the mark. She gathered up as many of those as she could too, still not knowing exactly why. Hastily she tucked her head and arm through the wide strap, slinging her bag across her chest and holding it close to her as she crawled out of the room. She had almost made it down the hall when the back door burst open and several men in uniforms were pushed inside. She froze. The ugly men who followed them were from the cartel. It all got worse from that point on. She was dragged down the hall with the policemen and forced to sit near them. Without warning, the men were shot and they fell at her feet.

Tom gasped and threw himself across the room to pull her into his arms, tucking her head into his shoulder so that she did not have to look at the bloody sight. It was the last thing that she remembered. When she awoke, she was in a dark hut. It must have been very late. Her head hurt and she reached up to feel a gash on her forehead that felt like it was still bleeding. She was alone.

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Filtered sunlight angled down through the narrow basement windows, spotlighting the twin chests of drawers that sat side by side against the opposite wall. There were also two hope chests lined up next to the drawers and a pair of beautifully carved rocking chairs near the center of the spacious storage room. The chairs were covered with sheets protecting the needlepoint seats from dust, and they looked like ghostly sentries keeping watch over the assortment of furniture and boxes that occupied the room.

Helen Plum reached the bottom of the stairs and took a quick look around the large basement, nodding with satisfaction. Although she seldom spent a lot of time down here these days, it was still as orderly and tidy as the rest of her house. Along with the other furniture, storage boxes were neatly stacked along one of the walls, and several portable wardrobes with canvas covers occupied another.

With a purposeful stride Helen entered the room and opened the top drawer of one of the chests. After removing the contents and cradling them in her arms, she sat down on the nearest hope chest. Stephanie's hope chest. The one that Helen had helped her fill with domestic items for her marriage. Stephanie had brought it back home after the divorce from Dickie. Helen couldn't blame her, those were not great memories. She wondered if her new circumstances would change her feelings about the chest, and its contents.

Gently the items in her arms were placed on her lap. For a long moment, she sat very still. The conversation that she had earlier, with her daughter, was still was ringing in her mind. Stephanie was married! The shock had not worn off yet. And strangely enough, a ceremony over the phone seemed perfect for this couple. Even Helen, as hard as she tried, could not see Ranger and Stephanie having a large, fancy wedding. The circumstances may have been unusual, but everything seemed to feel so right. Even hearing about the baby had only been a momentary surprise. Believe it or not, this is what she had always wished for her younger daughter. A man who loved her and a beautiful family. It just had to be done in Stephanie's own way, in her own time. That may have been a hard lesson for Helen to learn, but seeing what Stephanie had now, she was so glad that this is the way things had worked out.

One by one, Helen held up the tiny outfits. Tears filled her eyes and she blinked them away as quickly as she could. There would be time for her trip down memory lane another time. Right now she needed to help Stephanie get ready for the arrival of her new baby. But still, she let herself take a moment to remember how cute her baby girls had been.

Both Valerie and Stephanie had worn these clothes when they were babies. The blessing gown she held up now was three feet long, with a scalloped and embroidered hem that had flowed gracefully during their christenings. The tiny pleats around the collar were embroidered with geometric patterns in curved rows holding the pleats in place. Helen always thought that the white on white design made it appropriate for a boy or a girl. She had once hoped that she would use it for both. But she had never been blessed with a boy, so only her girls had worn it.

She carefully folded it and placed in the basket that she had brought down with her. It was Stephanie's turn to use the gown now. The other very girly clothes were packed in new white sheets of tissue paper and placed back in the drawer. Maybe Stephanie would have a girl sometime too. This thought caused a smile to spread across her face. She just knew that Stephanie would be one of those women who were absolutely radiant when they were pregnant. Someday.

Brand new Layette blankets and bibs and burp clothes were taken out of the next several drawers and added to the basket. Helen had been adding to the collection since the day Stephanie had been married. Even after the divorce, she had continued to add new items whenever she found a good sale. Score a point for wishful thinking!

As the drawers were emptied, Helen realized just how many things she had purchased over the past several years. Always with the hope that Stephanie would find her prince charming and live happily ever after. She could not be more thrilled that her daughter had found him, and that he had found her. The photo of Ranger and the tiny little boy was etched in her mind. The love that she had seen in his eyes had spoken more than a million words ever could. She no longer had any doubts that they would make their happily ever after a reality.

She day dreamed a little bit, wishing wonderful things for Stephanie and remembering her days as a new mother. Those were some precious times. As busy as her little girls kept her, she would never trade those moments for anything in the world.

When she looked back down at the basket, Helen realized that it was already overflowing, it was not nearly large enough to put everything in. With a shrug and a self-conscious smile, Helen found a few empty boxes and she started to carefully pack everything away.

When she got to the bottom drawer, she felt tears on her cheeks again. Lifting out several padded books she set them down next to her. First she opened up Stephanie's baby book. Once again she was taken back to that first year of her life. She smoothed the lock of hair, straitening the bow that tied the tight little curl to the page. Looking at page after page of photos and handwritten notes, Helen swallowed the lump in her throat. A lifetime ago Stephanie was her baby girl. Now she was suddenly a mother herself. Life could be so sweet.

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Lester found his destination in the middle of a lush green jungle setting. The Humelik labs were housed in a low roofed building that blended into the natural surroundings. The structure itself was constructed with walls a foot thick of cinder block type materials. The exterior walls were covered with bamboo slats, mimicking the local native custom of construction. The roof was tightly thatched, and he had no doubt that the thatching covered efficient, modern roofing materials. The door was hollow steel painted to look like wood, it was closed and locked with a simple latch which took him all of five seconds to open.

Inside, he noticed that the air was cool. Not an easy thing to accomplish in this humidity, he figured that there must be some very good insulation in these walls. Lester was impressed, he could tell that they had spared no expense in building the labs.

Without touching anything, he walked through the building, scoping it out and getting a feel for the layout. The lab was clean, no evidence of the attack, no blood on the floors. Not one thing was out of place. He knew that it must have been thoroughly searched and cleaned after the incident. But the reality was that whoever had done it had not been nearly as talented as Lester was. He snapped photos with his high tech digital camera, documenting his visit here. He carefully made his way through the two rooms set up as labs. There was also an office and a storage room and at the back of the building was a decent sized restroom.

Once he had been through the whole place, he went back, meticulously searching every inch. His brow furrowed in frustration at times and in doubt at others. Finally in the front lab, a smile wiped away the wrinkles of concern in his forehead. He had found what they all knew had to be here. In a metal cabinet in the back corner, he discovered that there was a false back. Behind the original cabinet was a space built into the interior wall. It looked to be a somewhat amateur job, one that the doctors must have done by themselves after the construction of the building had been finished. Smart move, he admired the ingenuity and cunning that it had taken to come up with this hiding place.

As soon as the back was removed it revealed a whole collection of research manuals and notebooks filled with notations. There were also several boxes of loose pages, and again they were filled with all kinds of notations and paragraphs of explanations. From the dates on these papers, Lester surmised that one or both of the doctors placed their findings back here at the end of each day. The last date he saw being the day before they had been abducted from the facility.

The bottom row held loose-leaf binders filled with research from previous expeditions mostly from Dr Taylor, but there were some books from Dr Dutton as well. Lester was pretty sure that this was a treasure trove of information that the Doctors would be very glad to learn had remained safely hidden away. He remembered that Dr Taylor had been particularly nervous about his work. Now he realized just how protective he had been.

Taking every precaution he could, Lester packed up all the materials in several flat bottom duffle bags. Then he replaced the back of the cabinet and contacted Tank, smirking at, but grateful for the simple walkie talkies that they had with them, since their cell phones did not work out here. He waited by the back door of the building with the bags. By now it was dark outside. Lester heard Tank pull up behind the building. They had borrowed a jeep with canvas side and top covers. Military issue. That gave them some credibility in the town, and they would be able to easily blend into the regular street traffic as they left Tiputini behind.

As Lester placed the bags inside the back flap, he noticed a strange collection of things already piled in the jeep. He raised an eyebrow in confusion. It looked like Tank had gone shopping at the local market street. That didn't really make much sense, so he jumped into the passenger seat without saying a word. If he needed to know, Tank would tell him when he was ready.

Everything that they had found was taken back to the base where they were staying. It was time for some answers before they headed home in another day or so.

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