It was closer to two hours before I heard the running footsteps. Rick and his partner were first to appear and then disappear. Both had emotionless faces. The other two were about a minute behind – similarly with blank looks. I waited until the sounds faded into nothingness and retraced Rick’s steps as quickly as I could to the brain-band and pinky computer caches. One trip wire was lying on the ground and the other was undisturbed. I hustled up the tree, grabbed my pinky ring computer and took off to where I had hidden my sleeping hammock with all of my summer gear.
# # # # # # # #
It didn't take long before I was sky-trekking to the cache holding my winter pack. I was now about ten klicks west of the outskirts of Calgary. There were no towns of any size west of Calgary – just the foothills and then the full Rocky Mountains. I could go north, south, or west and remain in deep, dark woods. Or, I could make my way northeast to Edmonton. But, what good would that do me? I couldn’t go around asking for a job – the IOF assigned everyone to their jobs and they stayed in that job for their entire lives. With no money, I wouldn’t be able to buy food or arrange lodgings. Cities were out. I’d have to live in the woods. Like a rabbit.
I had enough dried and packaged food to last a month. Two months if I cut my rations. I had the rest of July plus all of August and September before cold weather became a consideration. Even if I decided to winter in the woods, I knew that I could survive for years off the land once I had set up a base camp. Until then, I’d have two packs full of gear to hump. Right now, a mule would come in handy.
I rock climbed to the top of a steep cliff and stopped to enjoy the view before moving back from the cliff edge and out of sight from the forest below. I walked through a gentle meadow sprinkled with a few alder saplings until I reached the base of a rockslide. My second pack was about twenty-seconds away. I’d retrieve it after I had decided where I would go. North? West? South? I plopped down, leaned against a large boulder and stared off into nothingness. Waiting for an inspiration to strike.
I don’t know how long I was leaning against my boulder, but I came back to the real world stiff and with a sore bum. I stood up, walked around a bit, pulled a food bar out of my pack, and sat down against the boulder again. I might as well start half rations now. I chewed methodically, still enjoying the novelty of new tastes, but burdened by the situation facing me.
The meadow in front of me had ankle-high grasses. I began to dredge up what I could remember of my course on survival vegetation. Lots of grasses could be used for food, but some did not agree with the human digestive system. Then I realized that, thanks to Zurt the First, I had a bot containing all my woodcraft course assignments. That meant that I had access to pictures of the poisonous plants along with recipes for nutritious concoctions of other plants. Perhaps things were looking up. One of the grass stalks winked at me as though in encouragement.
Stretching, I got up again and found a more comfortable spot to rest. I took another bite from my bar, pulled my legs in tight, placed my elbows on my knees, rested my head in my hands as though in fatigue, and used the screen of my interlaced fingers to stare at the meadow. A stalk of what appeared to be a dead plant rotated slowly. I couldn’t see the lens, but it was there somewhere and I sensed it was looking right at me. A few centimeters away, another thick stalk protruded from the ground. It looked like an animal had bitten of its top. Air supply, I thought.
I changed position slightly to stare into nothingness again. In time, I got up, found my canteen, and strolled out of the meadow. I resisted the urge to scratch the back of my neck. Still facing away from the spy stalk, I tilted my head and squeezed a short stream of water from my canteen into my mouth. My other hand would be hidden from view so I took the opportunity to unbutton my shirt pocket and take out my knife. After a second drink, I opened the knife and shielded it behind my canteen as I slowly turned around. One stalk was gone. The air hole remained. The spy was blind.
With the vision-stalk withdrawn, I didn't have to hide what I was doing. After stowing my knife and canteen, I picked up a large boulder, carried it stiff-legged until I was directly over the air stalk, and let the boulder drop. There was a hollow thud. The spy wouldn't be going anywhere without my help. I assembled my bow, notched an arrow, put two others through the loops in my pants, and moved where I could watch the concealed pit. Some self-preservation instincts kicked in and I stood back from the turf that was hiding the spy. Rick’s people had guns. I sat on my haunches and waited for the oxygen in the pit to run low.
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Chapter 5
In about three minutes, the boulder started to jiggle, but the spy didn’t have the room to generate enough power to shift it. A minute later, I heard a muffled shout, “Let me out!” I rolled the boulder off the lid and stood back with my arrow notched and pulled.
The sod over the grave slid sideways and I could hear the spy gasping for breath but he hadn’t opened it enough to reveal his face. The sod was packed in some sort of hard plastic slat frame, presumably collapsible and portable. Right now, it had a big dent where the boulder had landed.
I moved to the foot of the shallow grave – that’s exactly what it looked like – and said loudly enough to gain his attention, “Slide the lid completely off and then don’t move. Just lie there.”
The guy was in full camouflage gear from top to bottom. Only his brown face and hands were exposed. A black and brown cap covered his head. He had some weird goggles over his forehead. The goggles, his face, and the entire front of his camouflage suit were covered in a dusting of silt. He moved his hands very slowly and brushed the dirt off his eyelids before complaining. “The least you could have done is say Peek-a-boo, I see you. You didn’t have to get nasty.”
“What’s that on your forehead?”
“Goggles.”
“Why?”
“To keep the dirt out of my eyes. Why do you think?”
“Why were they on your forehead?”
“I thought they were on my eyes. Sometimes, I get disoriented in the dark.”
“Your goggles have special lenses in them, don’t they?”
“No.”
“Take them off and throw them to me.”
“OK, you were right; they’re night goggles. They help me to see in the dark.”
“I’ve never heard of night goggles that let you see in the dark.”
“Guess you’re not as well informed as you thought you were.”
“Where’d you get them?”
“Family heirloom.”
“Toss them up. I want to see them.”
He did. I left the bow at half pull and lifted the goggles with my free hand to my eyes. They didn't make any difference. “Why’d you lie?”
“I didn’t lie. They don't work in the daytime.“
“Why did you have them on your head then?”
“I didn’t know how long you’d stay here and wanted to be ready.”
“How do they work?”
“I don’t know. I only know how to care for them and replace the batteries.”
“Batteries?”
“On the side.”
I felt for them and found two bumps. I didn’t see how the goggles could be a weapon, so I tossed them back into the pit. “Why were you spying on me?”
“End of school year assignment. Find the dumbest looking guy in the area and follow him around for a day or two without him finding out.”
“You’re a student?”
“What did you think I was?”
“You’re taking part in the grad’bration celebrations?”
“Yeah. I wasn’t interested in exploring my emotions, so I decided to see how long I could trail you. You seemed to know what you were doing in the woods.”
“Climb out of the pit. Slowly. Stay well away from me.”
He did. Arms folded across his chest. Defiant. He was about my height, perhaps a bit taller. Thicker eye brows, narrower nose, wider mouth, thinner neck, narrow
er chest, wider hips, but just a normal kid as far as I could see.
“I didn’t do you any harm. It was just a rush to see how long I could track you, that’s all.”
“What did you see?”
“You watched some guys who were running around in the woods this morning. They left. Then you left. I figured you’d stop to pick up your pack, so I dug a pit and waited for you to get here.”
“Where’d you get the lid?”
“So I came prepared. What’s it to you?”
“Take your cap off.”
He unfastened it and flipped it onto the ground. His short brown hair flopped over the top of his brain-band.
“What’s your name?”
“Izzy.”
“What school did you go to?”
“Lethbridge High.”
“That’s not one of the schools graduating.”
“Sure it is.”
“No it isn’t!” I said that as though I knew it to be true.
He shrugged.
“You don’t lie very well.”
He shrugged again. “I don’t like being interrogated with an arrow pointed at my throat. I wasn’t doing anything wrong. A little invasion of privacy. I’ll promise not to do it again and go on my way.”
I flexed the bow and he stayed where he was. “How long were you watching me?”
“Just today.”
“But, I didn’t cache my pack here today. How’d you know it was here?”
“Guess I got you confused with someone else.”
“Someone else stashed a pack here too?”
“Did they? Wow! What a coincidence.”
I took a deep breath. “Let’s start again. How long were you watching me?”
“I told you, just today. Rick didn’t look too happy when he got to your hiding spots. Just in case you’re interested, he never went near the tree with your pinky ring.”
“How do you know his name was Rick?”
“I don’t. He just looks like an R and I assumed his name was Rick.”
“How do you know that I had hidden things?”
“I watched you.”
“But that wasn’t today. That was yesterday.”
“Aha. So, you admit to hiding things yesterday. What else did you do yesterday?”
“Nothing,” I answered automatically.
“Are you sure? I may have been watching you, so you better not lie.”
“I’m not the one lying.”
“But, you just did. You said you didn’t do anything yesterday but I clearly saw you staking out a trail yesterday. You’ve probably lied about other things as well. I don’t know how I’m expected to trust you now. I’m through believing anything you say.”
He started to turn around. “Don’t move. I have more questions.”
My captive put his hand to his mouth to cover a big fake yawn. “Is this going anywhere soon? I have to get back in time for bunk-check.”
“How long were you watching me?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I was just lying here in my coffin, having a nice little nap, when you dropped a boulder on it.”
We had reached an impasse. All he had to do was deny everything or lie about it. There was nothing I could do to make him admit he was spying on me. But, I was now almost certain that he had been spying on me for several days at least. I remembered the itch at the back of my neck when I was watching Abby. A pit with a periscope, the night goggles – they’d give him a big advantage. But, why would he be watching me? The idea of picking me out at random and following me around wasn’t logical.
He hunched up a shoulder, put his head against it, and started to snore.
Then I understood. Rick had talked about using the Damsel in Distress ploy, but Gary had quashed it because they didn’t have the right agent available. Rick didn’t say anything because he didn’t want them to know that he had already put an agent into place. This wasn’t a guy – it was a girl! The one thing wrong with my theory was that the agent in front of me was a guy. Girls never grew that tall. Well, there was one way to find out if she or he really was this tall. “Take off your boots.”
“Why?”
“To slow you down in case you try to get away.”
He bent down and un-velcro’d them.
“Toss them over here.”
He did so with a large sigh of exasperation.
Again, I went with a one-hand hold on my bow, bent down and felt inside one of the boots. No height-enhancing insole. I tried the other one. Again, no insole. No weapons either.
“Lift one of your pant legs to your knee.”
“Why?"
“Checking for weapons.”
He did it without hesitation. His lower legs were bare and he didn’t blink an eye when I looked at them. A girl would have refused, I thought. “Now the other leg.”
“Satisfied?”
“Drop your pants.”
He did. He was wearing loose pantaloons with a bulge where there should have been a bulge.
“OK. Pull them up.”
“I don’t carry any weapons except for a knife in my shirt pocket. I use it only for getting fires started and things like that.”
He didn’t have a pack in the pit. Probably had it hidden somewhere near. It could have held a weapon, but I doubt I could convince him to show me where it was. I might as well finish the search for weapons.
“Toss your knife over here. Use two fingers. Be careful.”
He did as he was told and then got back into his defiant stance, arms crossed over his chest, legs wide apart, chin pointing straight at me. “Lift your top,” I instructed.
“Haven’t been getting enough shower time with the guys?” He lifted his shirt and at the same time turned away so that I could see his bare back. It was kind of scrawny, but otherwise just a normal brown back.
“See. No brace for a throwing knife. No hidden bow. Nothing.”
“Face me.”
He did. Shirt now about halfway down.
“All the way up,” I ordered.
“Not a chance, pervert!” a girl’s voice said.
# # # # # # # #
“So, you’re Rick’s damsel in distress,” I observed with some satisfaction.
“Dis old ting? Dis ting ain’t no dress!” She was speaking in a higher voice – her normal voice.
“What?”
“I’m not a damsel in dis dress. It’s not even close to being a dress. I’m a damsel in dis camouflage suit.”
“You’re working with Rick. You’re supposed to invent some terrible crisis and convince me to help you with it. After I trust you, you’ll lure me to Calgary where you’ll interrogate me and turn me into a zombie.”
“Me? I’m supposed to do all of that by myself? I’m just a damsel in dis-camouflage suit. How would I do all of that?”
“Stop saying that.”
“Stop saying How would I do all of that? I only said that once. Why can’t I say it again?”
“No – the bit about the damsel.”
“You don’t think I’m a damsel? Want to check out my ankles again?"
She lifted both pant legs, raised her legs, and waved them in the air. Since she was sitting on the edge of the pit at the time, that put her off balance and she flopped back onto her elbows. “Keep your eyes on the left leg. Those ankles are a little bit plumper. I’m quite proud of them. The right ones are a bit bony. Couldn’t be helped, I suppose. I’m thinking of getting an operation – you know – to make them bulge out more.”
She continued to wave her legs up and down.
“Stop doing that. It’s disgraceful. Put your feet on the ground. Cover your legs.”
She sat up again. She didn’t bother pulling her pant legs down. Her lower legs were exposed for anyone to see! “I’m hurt,” she said. "My ankles are every bit as attractive as Abby’s, yet you stared at hers for a full day and now you won’t look at mine for more than a minute.”
“I wasn’t staring
at Abby’s … legs. I had her under surveillance, that was all.”
“What’s she got that I don’t got?”
“I wasn't looking at her anklies!” I was getting so mad that the real word for anklies almost slipped out.
“I gave you a free look, and you didn’t even drool, not even a little. What’s the matter? You don’t like me?”
“You’re very exasperating.” I was getting real tired of her mouth.
“Thank you. It’s a pleasure to accept this honour. I’d like to thank the members of the academy….”
“Be serious.”
“OK, I’m serious. I used to be Izzy – a damsel in dis camouflage suit. But, I’ll be Serious if you want. You can call me Sery for short.”
I had to turn away to get control of myself. She made no attempt to bolt. I had put her boots with my pack.
Turning back to face her, I spaced out the words slowly, as though I was mad and exasperated. “What else did you see when you were watching me?” I didn’t have to act.
“I saw your naked ears. Whoo boy! It was all I could do to stop from throwing myself at your feet.”
My ear gear had been in my summer pack – the pack that had been up a tree. “You saw me without my ear-gear?”
“Yeah, but don’t worry. I didn’t take any pictures. I like how you fly through the trees, by the way. How do you get your rope to coil back to you?”
“What gives you the right to watch me naked?”
“What? You think I should have posted a sign saying. Don’t frolic naked in the woods. There’s a damsel in dis camouflage suit hidden nearby? Besides, you forced me to disrobe at the point of an arrow. I still think you could have drooled just a little.”
“What’s your story? What problem am I supposed to help you with?”
“You won’t believe me.”
“You’re right. I just want to know what you think I’d fall for.”
“OK, let’s try this one. I have a vegetable garden that’s getting out of hand. There are two rutting rutabagas in it and I’m too frightened to weed near them. Please come and protect me while I garden. I’d be VERY appreciative.” She winked at me, and then raised her eyebrows up and down several times.
I couldn’t believe that her brain-band would let her lie like that! “Get real!”
“As in real serious? Or just real. You gave me the name Serious and then you take it back? Perhaps you want me to keep it as my middle name? Can I keep Izzy in there somewhere? I’ve grown attached to it.”
I Got'cha! Page 4
