"Alright! Everyone gather round! We didn't have time before the flight left, but now that we're here, I'd like to take a brief moment to introduce the fine men who are going to be keeping you safe for the next ten days." Dr. Carson, the professor in charge of the research group, indicated the group of serious, stone-faced men standing near by them in the airport lobby. "I'll pass it over to Charlie now. He's head of all security."

"Thank you," A big, dark, burly man built like a brick house came to stand before them all. He reminded Jess of a drill sergeant from every movie she'd ever watched and his voice was that of a bass singer. "Let me make this short and sweet. My name is Charlie. I am in charge of the group that's here to keep you all safe. There are fifteen of you and eight of us, which makes keeping an eye on every single one of you a bit of a challenge. This trip is not for going exploring, visiting the local towns or going to bars, nor is it a time to practice your rebellious spirit or wander off into the trees after a monkey. Therefore, you listen to what we tell you, when we tell you and you follow the rules without asking why. Do that and you'll be just fine, returning home in one piece. Am I clear?!"

The loud, booming voice brought a quick response from the group of young adults, all agreeing to behave and listen.

"Good. We got ten minutes before the transport arrives to take us to the Lodge where you'll be housed and making trips from. Since you don't know any of us, and it makes it hard to trust someone you don't know with your safety, I'm going to have each of my people introduce themselves and share a brief titbit about themselves. Starting with Joshua. Go."

Another well built man stepped forward, scruffy face, cropped hair. "Hi, I'm Joshua. I'm a former Marine. I like soccer and football, and my daughter sometimes paints my nails orange when I'm sleeping on the couch because she's an adorable little shit."

Jess's brain immediately stopped listening soon after the introductions began. She tried to listen, but she was wiped. Her neck hurt. She was overwhelmed and her nerves were frayed at the edges. All she wanted was to go lay down.

Staring around the airport, she saw it was drizzling outside and one or two of her classmates were casually trying to check their phones at the same time as they were listening to the security personnel.

Another man, lean and tall, came forward and said briskly, "Hi, I'm Jerry with a J. I'm former CIA. I mostly just play video games when I'm not training for this job and Marathons.""

Huh. Video games. Jess was not expecting that one.

Shifting and feeling the weight of the singular pack that Scott managed to get everything she needed into, Jess tried to concentrate and failed once more. She wondered if maybe she should check her phone and see if there was Wifi. She could let Scott know that she got here safe- OH!

Jess's hand flew to her neck, clasping around the necklace Scott gave her. She was supposed to turn it on. How did it work again? Right. Twist-and

"Hi. I'm Rob. I'm a former Navy Seal. I used to work with metal, but now I own a gym and teach self defense."

Vaguely listening, Jess tuned into 'Seal' and 'metal' before musing how neat it would be to work with metal and make knives and stuff like on Forged in Fire. She and Scott watched that sometimes.

Flicking her eyes up to scan the group of security, she noted the man who just finished speaking. She'd already forgotten his name…oh man. That was sad. Why did she have to forget names the second she heard them!?

He wasn't overly tall, about medium height, sorta like Brock. Wiry too, with a lean face, terribly sharp eyes and a mop of dark hair. There was an air about him as he settled back into the group that was more subtle and powerful than the vibe she got from the others. It was sort of like he could just look at you and you knew if you messed with him you'd end up on the ground.

Hunger gurgled in her gut and Jess wished it was time to go.

Trying to forget about that, she finally caved and slipped out her phone, hunting for free wifi and finding some. Then she opened the app she used for talking to the guys sometimes and typed

-Landed 😀- Jess

The reply was almost instantaneous.

-Good. Flight ok?- Scott

-Yup! I couldn't sleep though- Jess

-That's ok. You'll sleep better tonight. Don't forget to use the hammock and net I sent with you. Don't need any creepy crawlies- Sonny

Groaning internally, Jess typed quickly because she wasn't sure when she would have access to the internet again. Reports said the coverage out at the Lodge was hit and miss.

-Thanks for that, Sonny. I'll sleep so well now!- Jess

-Well, yeah, you should! That hammock and net are a Sonny Quinn fool proof method!- Sonny

-Acutally, I taught him that!- Trent

-I thought I taught you- Brock

-No, I learned it from Ray!- Sonny

-Doing ok Jess?- Scott

Tears almost threatened to gather and Jess sternly schooled them away. She couldn't fall apart on the first day! And she couldn't answer with anything that would make any of them worry.

-Yup! Super excited to be here!- Jess

-Good. Check in when you can.- Jason

-And Naima says not to forgot to use those tablets in the water, even if it's bottled and from the group.- Ray

-What Lodge is the first one again?- Clay

-Cristalino Jungle Lodge. Then I think we're doing a trip deeper in to one that's four hours north and we'll be there two days- Jess

-You paying attention to what you're supposed to?- Scott

-😁- Jess

"Jess! Hey!" Alyssa nudged her arm. "Come on! We're leaving."

Typing furiously, Jess wrote -Got to go. I love you all!-

Shoving her phone back deep into her inside pocket, Jess hurried to stay with the group.


The first two days at the Lodge were a whirlwind and rough for Jess, but thanks to Sonny's hammock and net attachment, she slept without fear of bugs, unlike her classmates who were cranky and paranoid for the first while.

For the most part they engaged in exploring the forest around the Lodge and getting used to the climate, working through training sessions and refreshers with their teacher about how to properly sample, label and store. They had an afternoon of their forest guide walking them through a list and examples of what not to touch, what they could survive touching, and what they could touch and for sure not die. Sonny would have liked him.

Many of the items to watch out for had been in Sonny's guide book. Giant centipedes, huge ass snakes, electric els, venomous frogs, The Brazilian Wandering Spider, other spiders, ants, and a whole list of plants came from the guide. The dangerous plants were the most important. That's why sample taking had to be done so carefully.

Jess was thankful for the clothing she had with her. The stuff Scott had Lisa find for her was perfect. It kept her cool and dried quickly when it got wet, which was often, plus it kept bugs from crawling up her legs and they didn't like fabric of any clothing item for some miraculous reason. That and the bug spray she had was fantastic. She had to be careful because all her peers wanted to borrow it.

Cell and internet coverage at the Lodge wasn't too bad, so Jess managed to send pictures and a few updates throughout the day for the first bit. She had fun with that. Her one peer, Mae, loved snakes and she happily picked up the non venomous ones, plus a tarantula that they found in one of the girls' rooms. Apparently she'd had one as a pet when she was a kid and said they were very sweet.

Seeing an opportunity, Jess got her to hold both and took a video of it, pretending it was her holding it and then sending it for Sonny. Then, because he didn't believe her, she couldn't help upping the anti.

Really holding the spider in the palm of her hand was the only way to prove to Sonny she really did have more guts than him. Well, that and she figured if she got one on her she would want to feel confident about ushering the 'sweet little guy' off her again.

Shuddering, Jess held out her palms, mouth dry as the three of them stood quietly in the hall near one of the patio doors.

"Ok. So just hold your hands like this…yeah, and then see, he'll just wander on over and chill because you're warm!" Mae let the spider walk off her hand onto Jess's.

"Ahhhh….I don't think I like thissss!" Jess breathed, trying so hard not to just drop it as it crept onto her skin. "Ewwww….."

"Stay calm! They're very sensitive! He'll be scared if you are. Just think how scary you must be to him!"

Letting out a long breath, Jess focused the same energy she used when working with scared dogs and looked at the camera, ignoring the hairy, leggy creature sitting quietly in her hands and grinning convincingly for the camera.

"Got it!" Alyssa said quickly, slightly pale.

"Ok! Get it off me!" Jess hissed, staying still.

Mae held out her hand and the thing walked right back to her as if it liked her. Jess supposed maybe it could sense her energy and knew Mae was more fond of it.

"What is going on over here?"

All three girls flinched in the hallway of the Lodge and turned guilty to one of the security personnel. Jess couldn't remember their name for the life of her, but Mae did.

"Oh hi, Joshua! We're just putting a poor lost spider back outside! See?"

The big man nearly leapt back, hands pulled comically to his chest as he swore loudly.

"What in the HELL-"

"Shhhhh. Loud noises scare them!" Mae hissed, shielding the creature protectively from the big man with a mild glare.

"Put it down."

"It's just chillin- they're super gentle. I had on as a kid-"

"Down. NOW. That is not a pet!"

"He's fine!" Mae walked to the door and set him down, letting him wander off her hand into the outdoors to hide somewhere a bird couldn't get him. "See?"

"Don't you do something like that again!" Joshua snapped, closing the door with a swift click and shuddering when he looked at the big spider outside the door. "What is wrong with you!?"

Jess quietly took her phone from Alyssa and moved the pictures of them holding it to a secure folder, deciding maybe it was better not to let her brothers see it if this guy reacted the way he did. It probably was a stupid thing to do. Oddly satisfying though. Maybe she would send them anyway.

Shuddering, Jess started for her room before lunch when she caught sight of another one of their security detail. The lurking guy.

Once again, Jess found him watching from afar. Once again it felt like he was watching her. That put her hair on end more than the spider did.

Like all of them other than Charlie, she couldn't remember his name. He scared her a little though and she couldn't figure out why, or what the intensity around him was all about. He seemed like a regular dude at first. Days old scruff, built a bit like Brock. But it felt like he hardly took his eyes off her and always seemed to be where she was even though she kinda tried to avoid him. Mentally she named him 'Puma' because he made no noise when he walked and he moved about like a predator, haunting her steps.

Pretending she hadn't seen him in the shadows, Jess slipped off to her room, dodging the few other guests at the Lodge on her way and deciding to send a different update to Scott and the others.

She wouldn't mention the guy though. 'Puma' was probably just doing his job and she didn't need to be so suspicious of him. There was so much more positive to tell.

Tomorrow they headed deeper into the Jungle for their first real day of sample gathering. She would tell them that and ignore the paranoia in her mind that what if the man had been bought off by her step-dad and meant to hurt her or something.


On day four, the second day of being deep in the forest, Jess started to find her happy place. Once she got used to the world around her and knew what to look out for and how to move through the absolute splendor, she relaxed considerably.

Out in the trees Jess lost track of her mild discomfort and paranoia despite being forced into closer quarters with 'Puma'.

She wandered around, careful to stay near the group as instructed and hunted for samples, mentally listing off plants as she went until she found one she didn't recognize.

Without meaning to, she drifted from the group because she saw something just out of reach.

A little voice growled darkly that she was chasing rainbows again and that Scott would be upset with her. It hissed that she promised not to, but she couldn't help it. That plant was not one she knew. She wanted to collect a specimen.

Assuring herself she would only take a few minutes, Jess got to work and hummed softly to herself as she put on the correct protective equipment and got out her kit, documenting correctly as she went.

Once she was happy with the samples she'd taken, Jess stood and turned to return to the group. She could still hear them just a little ways away.

Her soul immediately left her body when she found 'Puma' right behind her, leaning against a tree and cleaning his nails with a knife tip.

Her gasp was audible in the space between them and he smiled ever so slightly without looking up from his nail cleaning.

"Never know what could sneak up on you out here," 'Puma' said casually. "You'd be wiser to pay attention and follow the rules. Wouldn't want you getting hurt."

The words weren't threatening in any way, not even the way they were said. However, Jess's mind was still in shock and her brain was screaming 'danger'.

Something in her face must have translated her alarm and distrust because when he looked up, there was a brief gathering of his brows and a frown that pulled the corners of his mouth, followed by a softening of his demeanor.

"Worst would be if I had to report this…" 'Puma' continued with more care. "To Bravo."

It took a moment for the last word to sink in and Jess just blinked at him, confused.

'Puma' raised an eyebrow and said more pointedly, "More specifically, I'd have to tell Metal if something happened to you and he'd probably bury me."

Brain still refusing to catch up, Jess felt her own brows pulling together and her heart began to slow its thundering beat.

"Metal?" Jess said dumbly.

The flat, guarded expression lifted and he shook his head at her slowly with a 'you poor thing' sort of attitude as he said, "You really are just as observant as he said you were. Geez. I thought that when they introduced us and we told a bit about ourselves you would have figured it out. Hi! I'm Rob. I used to spend a lot of time with Metal and now I own a gym and teach self defense. Ring any bells? I said the part about Metal just for you."

Again Jess blinked at him slowly, feeling vaguely dismayed now because what the hell did she miss? Rob? Why was that familiar…spending time with metal? Why was metal working important?! Wait…did he mean Metal!? Her Metal?!

"Did Scott not mention anything about this?!" Rob asked, squinting at her. "Because if he's never mentioned me, I'm going to be a little offended, given that he asked me to look after you if you ever asked for my help over a year ago in the event that he wasn't-"

Jess's eyes went huge and her mouth dropped open as pieces finally fell in place. Scott's buddy Rob.

"Wait! You're that Rob!?"

The stiff, ready posture lifted entirely now and he rocked forward away from the tree, absentmindedly brushing himself off as he chuckled, "Yeah, kid, I'm that Rob."

"Oh!" Jess was properly flustered now and clutched her sample kit in both hands. "Hi! Nice to finally meet you? Ahh…what are you doing…here?"

"I was in a slow spell at the gym I run, so I took a gig…that might have been suggested by our mutual friend, Full Metal." Rob jerked his head, leading her back toward the group and still shaking his head a bit. "Did that bastard really not tell you I'd be here?"

"Not a word!" Jess stressed earnestly. "Other than…shit…he did say right before I left that if I didn't follow the rules and wandered off he would know…that sneaky ass! He was so smug when he told me too!"

Rob laughed outright, "Yeah, that sounds about right. That's ok. We'll give him hell for it. Explains a lot actually. I couldn't figure out why you were so skittish around me."

"Oh…ahh…well," Jess fumbled through an explanation. "You're a little on the intimidating side so…yeah. Sorry."

"No, it's ok. You're fine." Rob's expression shifted back into his sterner, blank 'don't fuck with me' stare and he frowned, "Intimidating? Me?"

Now sensing a familiar type of teasing coming from the man that she'd grown to know and love from her family, Jess smiled shyly and mumbled, "Yeah."

Rob hummed and said with a sweet kind of sincerity that was so different from Scott's gruffness, "Sorry if I scared you. Wasn't my intention. Just keeping an eye on you like I promised Metal I would…and also you really can't wander off like that again, ok? Nearly gave me a heart attack."

Instantly feeling terrible for ever suspecting the man of being a bad guy and for worrying him, Jess gasped, "Oh my gosh, I am so sorry!"

"Ahh, I'll forgive you this time," Rob quirked a half smile and snickered again. "Yeah, Metal really is an ass. He probably was just waiting to see if you'd wander off like that. He mentioned you had a habit of that in the woods. Something about chasing rainbows, butterflies and unicorns?"

Cheeks going pink, Jess mumbled with minor self consciousness, "I'm sorry!"

"Don't do it again, please."

"Ok." Jess offered another apologetic smile as she approached the table for storing and containing samples. "Thank you!"

"Anytime, kid." Rob padded off without a sound, still stealthy as a cat, but much less terrifying.


"When is she calling?" Jason asked as he paced the cage. "I can only make excuses for us to be in here with a phone for so long."

"Should be any second now." Metal growled, throwing a glare at the impatient man.

They'd all been on edge lately, but the intermittent updates from Jess put his own irritation on the back burner. He couldn't deny he was eager to hear her voice though. The house was too quiet without her and he missed her warmth and cheer.

"Maybe she forgot." Ray suggested. "This is Jess we're talking about."

"She'll call." Metal said firmly.

As if by his willpower alone, the phone lit up with an incoming call.

Metal answered it.

"Hi Scott!" Jess's voice came through loud and clear before he could say anything, and with it on speaker they could all hear her. The kid really could brighten any room, even through a phone.

"Hey! Pipsqueak! How are you doing?"

"Good! I can't believe it's been six days already! Just got back from the deep Lodge! It was incredible! I got so many cool samples and I found this super rare one and another that we had to look up and ask a local shaman about! Oh! Did you get the pictures I sent?"

"Yup!" Shaking his head, Metal bit back a smile. He'd been almost momentarily mad when he saw her holding a huge, venomous spider, but the reaction out of Sonny was priceless and all things considered, it was one of the less aggressive and dangerous ones she could have held.

"Did you show the one to Sonny?

"Yup!"

"And?" Jess sounded both nervous and eager, causing Jason to crack a smile as he paced.

"He nearly got on a plane to come drag your ass home for scaring him like that."

From his cage Sonny yelled, "STOP TOUCHING SHIT! DIDN'T YOU READ THE GUIDEBOOK I MADE YOU?!"

"Hi Sonny! Oh! Wait! ROB! Come over here! Scott! Did you just so happen to forget to mention that this guy was going to be here?!"

A smirk appeared and Metal shrugged as he guessed where this one was going.

"Nope."

Jess laughed on the other end and demanded, "Why didn't you tell me!?"

"He's kinda of an ass like that," Rob's distinctive voice chirped. "How's it going, you ugly bastard?"

"Not terrible." Metal's tone warmed with gratitude. "Make anyone cry yet?"

"Well, I almost made Jess cry, actually!" Rob told him. "You know, since someone forgot to mention me. I'm kind of offended!"

"Get over it." Metal pushed aside the slight guilt over the idea of gentle, kind, sensitive, 'drop anything to help you out' Rob somehow managed to scare Jess. "She behaving herself?"

"Mostly."

"Hey! On that nooottteee…I think I hear lunch is ready!"

"Oh no you don't, pips!" Metal glared at the floor. "Let me talk to him. What did you do?!"

"Nothing!" Jess almost whined.

There was a small scuffle with snorts and giggles that hinted Rob swiped her phone and held it up high so she couldn't reach, saying, "Well, she wandered off into a jungle where everything wants to eat her…alone."

"Seriously!?" Metal pinched the bridge of his nose and drew a long breath in. "Jess…we talked about this. No fuckin rainbows, butterflies and unicorns!"

"I didn't go far." Jess's voice was almost sulky as well as embarrassed. "And you'd be happy to know that Rob scared the shit out of me. Twice. So I won't do it again."

"You do and I'm comin down there to scare the shit out of you instead!" Metal almost snarled. "Stay. With. The. Group. Rob, she done anything else?"

"Nah, she's been pretty smart overall. Minus holding the spider. Oh, and other than not drinking enough water-"

"You said you wouldn't tell on me!" Jess exclaimed in the same tone she used with all of them.

Clay sat up from his hammock and got an almost wistful smile on his face.

"No, no," Rob countered lightly. "I said I wouldn't tell Trent. There's a difference."

"Trent knows now!" Called Trent as he leaned on the table and cleaned one of his guns. "Drink water, Jess."

"Hi Trent!"

"Hey, what about the rest of us?!" Brock asked, pretending to be upset and Cerberus woofed in agreement as he stalked around Metal's leg and sniffed at the phone.

"Oh! Wait. Are you all there?! I'm sorry! Ray?"

"Hey Jess!"

"Hi! And Hi Brock and Cerbie! Who else is there…OH! Jason?"

"Hey, kid. You wanna stop giving us all heart attacks?"

"Yes, dad." Jess snarked lightly in response to the teasing. What she didn't see was the way Jason's eyes warmed with pure happiness when she said it.

"What about me!?" Clay called out. "You forget about me already?"

"Awww, of course not! You're like…the sibling closest in age to me! I can't forget you, Clay!"

Metal snorted softly and had to agree. They were like the two babies of the group. Damn he felt old some days.

"So, what's the coolest thing you've seen so far?" Brock asked.

"Oh! Oh, yesterday we saw pink dolphins! And then two days ago we saw a jaguar but it was on the other side of the river. Oh! And there was a huge, disgusting snake that scared the crap out of me and I almost didn't sleep because of it, but then it was fine because I put that stuff Sonny gave me out and honestly, I think it worked to keep everything away from me!"

"See, my old wives tales aren't complete nonsense!" Sonny called. Then he muttered softly to Trent, "I don't think that shit actually works, but I'm glad she slept."

"So, four more days and then we can all breath again, huh?" Ray asked, grinning when he caught over half of them nod in agreement.

"Four more days! I could spend months- no- years here and not even scratch the surface. I hope I find an undocumented plant before I leave though. That would be cool!"

"Well, you just keep looking, kid," Brock said warmly.

"And stay with the group."

Metal and Jason said it at the same time.

"I'll stay with the group and I stopped wandering away alone already! I take Rob with me now! Oh…shoot. I have to go guys! It's Alyssa's turn to use this phone now. It's the only one with bars. Sorry!"

"That's ok. We'll see you in four days." Metal told her gruffly. "Stay safe, ok?"

"I will!"

The call ended and there was a short silence before the rest all turned to Metal and Ray asked, "When the hell were you going to tell us that 'Ghostwalker' Rob was part of her security detail?!"

Metal shrugged and muttered, "Must have slipped my mind."

"Uh huh. I don't think so," Sonny pushed the issue next. "You mean to say, that after all those speeches about it being her decision and that it would all be fine and we all just needed to calm the fuck down about it…you planted your own buddy on the security team!?"

"He needed some work, I heard there was an opening."

"You could have saved us all some sleepless nights by sharing that one," Clay grumbled.

"I knew." Jason volunteered.

"Seriously?" Brock lifted his head.

"So did I." Said Trent.

"Can we all please get the memo next time?!" Ray shook his head. "I think we don't need to pretend anymore that Jess isn't our girl. We all care about her, so let's not keep relevant information to ourselves again, ok? Would have been nice to know she had some extra protection, someone we know and trust, with her."

Shoving back guilt, Metal snapped, "Thought it was overkill, alright?"

"Yeah but-"

"Alright, you know what? Let's get back to work." Jason grabbed his gear. "We've spent enough time here. Time to do our jobs. Mandy's probably gonna get us spun up in the next day or so. Let's be ready."

Grudgingly grateful that this wasn't going to turn into a long debate, Metal followed.


Four days flew past without Jess's permission. She loved every minute of it and the time spent with her peers, laughing, loving life, discovering plants and exploring the amazing Amazon was the best experience of her life. Nothing could ever take that from her. Not even the sting she got form a less venomous bug, or the aching limbs and exhaustion that set in around day nine.

Day ten arrived and the group was shuttled back to the city for a small, controlled shopping trip in one of the safer parts of the country before they got on a plane and headed home again.

Jess didn't love shopping, but she wandered the little square of vendors anyway with Alyssa and Mae, periodically bumping into others from their group. She could see their detail watching like hawks from the sidelines and they'd had strict instructions not to leave the square. She had no intention of that. She'd felt safer in the jungle full of things that could easily kill her than she did around people.

"Oh, just look at this!" Mae gushed, picking up a necklace with a little spider on it. "It looks like that little guy we found!"

Peering at the table too, Jess wandered around the outside of it. It was the last one in the line, closer to the road. The artwork caught her attention and she paused, looking at paintings of monkeys and parrots. She didn't notice that Mae and Alyssa moved on to the next table without her.

Behind her, a vehicle slowed down near the curb and out of the corner of her eye she saw a man approaching quickly.

Her senses prickled and she looked over her shoulder.

"Come with me and nobody get's hurt," The approaching man said in a low enough voice that only she could hear.

Instantly Jess backed away, her voice lost in her throat along with her heart.

A heavy hand grabbed her shoulder from behind, drawing a small gasping shriek from her until she registered it was Rob dragging her back, putting himself between her and the man.

"You don't want to do this." Rob stated confidently, his hand never leaving her arm. "Walk away now."

"Americans." The man scoffed. "Think you're so much better than everyone else. How are you against bullets?"

"You don't want to shoot with this crowd here watching."

"You're right."

Suddenly there was screaming and a great big fuss between two men on the other side of the square, drawing all the attention of everyone from them.

Rob gripped Jess's arm harder and then shoved her to the side, further behind him, right before he stopped the man trying to take her from drawing a gun

Stunned, terrified and speechless, Jess watched the two fight for possession of it.

"Jess! Run!" Rob snarled when he noticed she hadn't left. Then his eyes went big and he saw something over her shoulder that she didn't. "No!"

Someone grabbed her from behind and she felt a foul smelling cloth get put over her face. She struggled, trying to get it off, but in seconds she felt weak and sick.

Just as the world went dark, Jess heard a gunshot ring out, and Rob's body dropped to the ground.