“These are new and fresh out of the factory and you’re all going to be wearing one.” Smiling, he turned, pointing to the helmet in his hand. “They’re equipped with a video recorder, which can and will pick up everything you say, mutter, or whisper. It has the capabilities of recording a full three days before it needs changing. It runs on solar power batteries, which means it charges in the sun. In other words, you won’t run out power unless you’re lost in a cave with no sun for more than a week.”
Daphne Gretchen was the girl most of his students hated. Not only was she the teacher’s pet, but she had all the right answers to his questions. She was also his assistant and had accompanied him on many of his adventures. With her gentle disposition, one might get the impression she was sweet and kind, but they would be wrong. She had a temper that wouldn’t quit when pushed and it wasn’t because of her red hair. Piercing blue eyes looked as if they could see through to the closet of skeletons that people had hidden in the back of their minds. As if one look was all she needed to tell every bad thing a person did in life. Dressed in the same exact clothes as the doctor, she could be his twin, except that she had the delicious body of a young woman, which gravity hadn’t bothered to peek at yet.
“Well isn’t that special? I need one of those for my cell phone.” She fastened the helmet under her chin. Tilting her head to the right and left, she tried getting a feel for the weight on her head. “It’s a little awkward, but I guess do able.”
“I’m so glad you approve.”
“Why do we all get one? Wouldn’t it be cheaper for just one of us to wear it?”
“It is, but this way, if something happened to that person, we’re covered. You can never have too much footage. One of you might capture something amazing that the others do not.”
“As long as these things can be turned off. That’s all I need is for you to do a seminar and have the whole auditorium seeing me wiping my hoo-ha.”
The rest of the group laughed and a few murmured, “Can I see your hoo-ha?”
He stroked his beard, thinking over her statement. It was one of his habits - always touching his beard or mustache. “Hmm, that’s a very good point. Might I suggest you remember you’re recording and look in another direction?”
“I’ll just take it off if I have to go.”
“I never get over you young kids and your questions.”
“Careful there, Father Time. Remember, you’re almost eighty-one years old and those bones aren’t as young as they used to be.”
“This is my smart ass assistant who’s going to be in charge of introducing the rest of the group. Daphne has been my star pupil since she walked into my classroom five years ago. I dare say that her mother probably wishes she’d just go off and get married and have a few children, but she much prefers the lonely environment of the jungles.”
“And then some. I’m also a perfectionist. There’s a place for everything and everything has its place. Since he feels the same way, we get along perfectly. That and I’m happiest on an expedition.”
“She’s been on an African Safari being chased by wild animals. Fighting the rapids while hanging on for dear life on a white-water rafting expedition through the twisting waters. As well as canoeing down the Nile Rivers: both white and blue. Not to mention, scuba diving in the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by every shark known to man. All of this, while searching for a rare underwater plant, which we found.”
“It was all worth it. Not many people can say they live their life for the next adventure and mean it, but I can,” she said, turning the camera on him. “And this handsome, white-bearded man is Dr. Tiberous. Once a combat medic in World War Two, Korea and in ‘Nam. He has spent his lifetime looking for this one flower, which we will find today!”
Smiling, he turned to her. “All to find the Bella Morté, which indeed we’ll find today. Make sure you do a cameo of everyone on the team. Give a brief history of them as well, but before you do that, what does Bella Morté mean?”
“It’s the Italian name for Beautiful Death.”
“It must be named after you. For you’re the beauty who’s going to be the death of me,” the man said coming around the side of her, pinching her butt as he passed.
The man was quite the looker with dark brown hair and blue eyes. He had a body on him made for these adventures. Dressed in the usual researching garb, khakis, tank top, with a cover shirt, and brown hiking boots, he looked comfortable in the heat.
She jumped, laughing while turning the camera on him. “This is Ron Danner and he too has made every adventure. He’s our class clown. He just turned twenty-eight, though he’s still as much of eighteen as he was ten years ago. They claim men grow up, but some don’t and this is one of them.”
“Oh, how you flatter me.”
Another dark haired man loomed into view with brown beady eyes. He followed Dr. Tiberous closely. His clothing was the same as everyone else’s, but they hung off his rather skinny frame horribly. “Yes, the reason they call it Beautiful Death is because to be touched by the thorns causes five days of the worst sickness ever known to man. Those people have suffered with bouts of high fever ranging from one-hundred-two to as high as one-hundred-seven, which definitely classifies as a brain fryer,” he said all in one breath.
Daphne rolled her eyes. “This is Phillip Norway who is a twenty-six year old, ass-kissing rookie. This is his first adventure and he’s already mastered the art of kissing ass as his major.”
Ron chuckled. “And Phillip believes that everything is like a big Broadway play and that’s why he uses his spirit fingers so willingly with such details in speaking with his hands.”
Walking over and joining them, John leaned in to whisper. “I wondered what that brown smudge on his nose was. I guess the case has been solved now without the need for any DNA testing.”
Phillip scoffed. “What you people fail to understand is that Phillip is going to be a famous scientist one day. You’ll all look back on this day and wish you were a little nicer to him.”
“Ooh, and he talks in the third person too? This isn’t a good start.”
Daphne chuckled. “Dream big, Phillip.” She turned back to John. “John Wallace has been with us on every journey. He’s more into it for the money, not so much the learning experience. He’s been a huge help on our missions. Back at the college, some of the girls swear he’s related to John Stamos because of his good looks.”
“Hell yeah, I’m not an idiot. Just going on one of these missions, keeps me set for the year. I pay my rent in advance, not to mention my bills, and my college tuition is paid well in advance, so why wouldn’t I? And no comment on the relation referral for good looks.”
Phillip rolled his eyes. “Yes, but with only a few slots available, you take away from someone who might want to come along for the learning experience.”
“Then they should’ve been faster than I was at signing up for the best job ever. I work a couple of months and I’m off for the rest of the year. I buy all kinds of little luxuries working here.”
“Some of us have a wedding to pay for and don’t really have a choice,” another man said as he leaned in, wiggling brows at Daphne.
She laughed, pushing him away from her. “Oh yes, our confirmed bachelor is no longer confirmed. That’s right ladies and gents you heard it here first! Tony Roberts is off the market! With his blonde hair and blue eyes, he’s breaking the hearts of women everywhere! He’s getting married in a few short weeks. He’s going to be a first time daddy in a few months. Tony’s twenty-eight and he too has been with us on every mission.”
Dr. Tiberous chuckled, clapping his hands. “Very good. I like the way you threw in a little something from each person. It adds to their individual personality, at the same time tells people what to expect.”
“I’m glad you like. Now, where are we headed this time?”
“We’re on our way to the Pericoloso Falls, where my sources tell me this flower’s rumored to grow. This plant is going
to help with medicine in more than one way.”
Phillip nodded. “Using plants for medicinal purposes should be no surprise since it’s been done for many years. When people break bones, doctors use calcium carbonate from coral reef to mend them. When someone gets sick they use chemical compounds from the reefs.”
Not to be outdone, Daphne finished. “With coral reefs dying, we need to find a new method to mimic those actions before they’re all gone and we get pushed back decades in medicine.”
Dr. Tiberous stopped. They could hear the faint sound of a waterfall in the distance. “We’re almost there. I can hear the falls. I don’t need to tell you how dangerous this flower is, so whatever you do, don’t touch it.”
The sky crackled and it started raining. The solid ground under their feet turned sponge-like and muddy.
“I’d like to be a weather man around here. It’s always raining so it’s not like you’ll ever get it wrong.” Ron stopped. Taking the hat visor off his head, he wrung it out before putting it back over his eyes.
Daphne smirked. “Think how I feel, wearing a shirt that looks like a wet T-shirt contest.”
“Oh, but I so love the fact that you’re a gorgeous woman.”
Phillip rolled his eyes. “Spare us the intense sexual innuendos. Some of us are here to learn, remember?”
John shook his head. “You went to school to learn how to kiss ass, right? Is that what your degree is in?”
Dr. Tiberous glanced at the group before turning and pointing behind him. “Pay attention people. There will be no accidents. I don’t even want to hear about a scraped knee. Remember, safety is the number one rule above all.”
“We got it boss. Don’t touch the flower. Remember our safety rules, and above all else always keep your safety line attached.”
“Good. You remember.”
“It’s kind of hard not to. You’ve drilled that in our heads since day one.”
They continued following the trail, which led to overhanging, green trees. They looked like heavy curtains. They had to brush them aside to keep moving. Everyone traveled at an even brisk walk until one by one; they stopped dead in their tracks.
“What the hell is this?” Phillip asked, looking up.
Chuckling, Dr. Tiberous took off his pack. “This is why I had you all learn to rock climb. We might be doing much of this. Especially since Bella Morté resides on the peak of a mountain.”
John took out his harness. “Well, I guess that explains why we didn’t find it at the bottom of the ocean.”
Tony held his hand out catching the rain, looking at the doctor with concern. “Isn’t rock climbing in the rain dangerous? My instructor said it’s not safe to go in bad weather.”
“No more dangerous than swimming with sharks. You just have to be careful. Around here, if we waited until it was safe to climb, we’d be old enough to get our retirement checks.” He pointed to certain sections on the wall. “If we stay to this side, there are lots of rocks and crannies for us to grab. Besides, we’ll be anchored in just in case we slip and fall.” He walked over with his harness on and clapped him on the back. “Or you could always wait here for us.”
Ron finished putting on his harness. “If you fall, the safety line will catch you. Stop being such a pussy and let’s get this done.”
Daphne smirked. “It’s not one of the harder rock walls, Tony. This is easy for us.”
Tony took out his harness, putting it on. “You’re right. It will be fine. I just have a lot on my mind with this wedding, I guess.”
“Well sure, that’s understandable.”
Dr. Tiberous stood at the bottom of the wall with grappling hook in hand. “Back up everyone and give me some room.”
Daphne backed them up. “Yeah, you don’t want to get hit with that thing.”
When the area was clear, he swung it in a circle before releasing it to top of the wall. He tugged gently at first. When it caught and grabbed, he pulled on it, jumping up and down. He had all of them try to pull it down; adding to the weight to make sure it was safe enough for them. Satisfied it was, he scaled up the wall. Once he was far enough away, he set another anchor, securing the first part of the safety line, and saluted down at them. “Remember, use the safety line. That’s why it’s here.”
Daphne watched as he slowly made his way up and hooked her harness in, climbing up after him. Putting her hands and feet into the notches, she pulled herself up the wall behind him. “Okay boys, this is going to be an easy trip up the wall.”
Ron was the next in line. “Well, at least I get the best view of all.” He secured his line, climbing up after her in much the same fashion that she did, using all the same notches in the wall.
When Ron had gone up a safe distance, John was the next to anchor in, climbing up after him. “Yeah, this isn’t a biggie at all. The grips are easy to snag. The wall is a little slippery so just be careful.”
Phillip was the next one up after he secured his harness. He put his hands and feet into the notches and climbed. “I’m not so sure I would say this is easy.” He was much slower than the others were.
“Yeah, well we’ve done this before. You’re new at it. Before too long, you’ll be running up these walls.”
“I seriously doubt that.”
After a few minutes, John looked down to Tony who just stood staring at the wall. “Yo Tony! Are you just going to stand there and hope you can will yourself up, or are you going to climb with the rest of us? I don’t think it’s going to stop the rain either way.”
Shaking his head, Tony walked over. Laughing, he took a hold of the wall. Using the same footings as everyone before him, he climbed up after Phillip. “It’s not that I’m afraid. It’s that I have a lot on my mind with the wedding and the baby. You guys wouldn’t believe how much a wedding cost. Speaking of costs, have you priced cribs lately? Some of them are more than my mortgage.”
John shook his head as he continued to climb. “I’m sure you’ve got a lot on your plate. I’m never getting married or having kids, so I don’t have to worry about that shit.”
“Yeah, it’s like every day she’s got just one more thing to get. Oh, and let’s not mention how all the guests have to get along with whoever is sitting at each table. If that’s not bad enough, she has invited two-hundred-fifty people, and the list keeps growing. Hell, I didn’t realize she knew that many people! Do you know how hard it is to have to play musical chairs to fix a possible knock down between families?”
Daphne chuckled. “See Dr. T, that’s why I’m never getting married. There’s too much bullshit to have to deal with other families.”
“I told her we should put boxing gloves on the tables for a centerpiece and whoever wins gets to sit where they want.”
Ron laughed. “Oh shit! I like that idea! That would give weddings a whole new look. It might attract more single guys too.”
“Yeah, well she didn’t like that idea,” he said, laughing as he climbed.
“I blame Venus.”
“I swear she thinks the more costly the wedding, the better the marriage is going to be.”
Ron laughed, climbing up higher. “A lot of women think that way or they just want to show off to their friends.”
“Yeah, but when did a wedding go to such financial lengths versus emotional strengths?”
Daphne chuckled. “Son, we’ve met your wife-to-be, so next question.”
They continued to talk about the pros and cons of a wedding. They were high up the wall when it started raining harder. It spilled down the rock wall like a waterfall in some places and made it very slippery. Each of them slipped but gripped the wall before falling away.
John stopped for a breather and looked down. “Wow, it didn’t look this high from down there.”
Ron chuckled. “Who are you kidding? I knew this bitch was going to be high!”
Tony’s foot slipped. He reached over grabbing another section of the rock, catching himself. He sighed. “Damn, that was too close!”
He laughed. “Whew, that’s enough to make you wake up!”
Dr. Tiberous looked below. “You better be awake.” He did a double take. “Tony, are you connected to the safety line?”
“Of course I am.” He looked at the safety line. “I think.”
“Are you sure? It doesn’t look like it from here.”
When he reached down with one hand to check, he lost his grip. He slid down the rock wall, screaming as he fell. He grabbed at every ledge, rock, and tuft of grass he saw. He ripped three nails off on one hand. He tried stopping his descent by gripping the wall. Grinding his nails against the wall, ripped another four nails off.
He screamed out in pain, frustration, and fear as he kept falling. His face dragged against the rocky slope like cheddar cheese on a grate as it sliced, diced, and peeled the flesh right off. Seeing a ledge, being his last hope, he grabbed it, stopping his fall over the cliff.
He hung half on and half off. His feet dangled off the side as he gripped the ledge with every bit of energy he had left. The blood from his broken nails mixed with the water, turning it bright pink as it splashed down into his rock-grated face. “Oh God, somebody help me! I feel faint. I can’t hold on much longer. It hurts!”
Dr. Tiberous checked the line. “Oh shit, everyone check your safety lines!” Everyone reached over; checking their lines, making sure it was taut and secure. The only one who wasn’t connected was Tony.
John shook his head. “The line’s secure. I don’t think Tony was connected.”
Ron looked down. “Does anyone see his line? Maybe we can get him hooked before he loses his grip.”
“It’s hanging off the side of the cliff with his feet.”
“Can anyone get to him safely? There’s nothing I can do from up here.”
Phillip shook his head. “Hell no, because that someone would have to get off the safety line and go get his stupid ass.”
“Someone has to get him. We’re a team here. We’re also a family. We look out for each other. Consider this your one and only chance to be initiated into the family.”
“I didn’t sign up for a rescue mission, and I have enough family members, thanks.”
Beautiful Death (Bella Morté Trilogy Book 1) Page 35
