Chapter 25

25

K ira was so proud of Fisher for accomplishing the mission in the same amount of time as she had taken. She'd set the record for wolves, but she was happy to share it with her mate. She had been serious when she had told him to leave her and rescue the boy instead. But she was glad her mate hadn't left her behind in the event the coordinators had decided to use her as bait again.

They headed to the dining room, and she asked, "What made you go in the same direction I had gone in?"

"First, I felt going in the same direction as the teen had was probably the wrong choice because it would make the quest too simple. But also because I had smelled that you had gone the way I had planned to go and I knew you wouldn't try to entrap me."

"What if I had? I would have been obligated to do what they had told me. Even if I had wanted to help you, they had cameras everywhere watching what we did."

"Yeah, right." He sounded like he didn't believe her.

She really would have helped him in any way that she could have if she had been able to if her role had been to thwart him in his mission. She suspected they knew that and would have wanted to see how she had reacted to helping him. But she knew he had to do it alone—unless of course she had needed to jump in and assist him.

They walked into the dining room where Everett and Demetria were sitting at a table waiting for them. A buffet bar was set up and long tables accommodated maybe sixty or seventy people but no one was there eating yet.

"They have a great buffet here, free of charge for new trainees," Demetria said, motioning to the food bar. "Let's get something to eat. Maybe during the next phase of your mission, I can even play."

Everett shook his head, smiling. "I didn't get to play either. I did a lot of pacing, leaping around, and sitting on top of boxes. I thought I heard Fisher going through the maze but when I checked it out, I didn't smell him or see any glimpses of him. I figured I had imagined he had come my way. I never expected him to slip by me without me even noticing. Even when he went through the doorway, I thought that would have alerted me."

"I was sweating it out a few times when I heard you draw close," Fisher said, "and I wasn't really sure I was headed in the right direction." He served up some lasagna and garlic toast, salad, fried chicken wings, and grabbed a bottle of water. "If you had heard me go through the exit door, would you have come after me?"

"No. I would have had to stay in the maze until I was given the okay to move in the event you backtracked. Others were supposed to stop you in the next area," Everett said.

"Where were you, Demetria?" Fisher asked.

"I was in another part of the building where we thought you might go. It was a much longer route and five of us were monitoring various sections there. We should have figured you would take the path that led away from where the teen had gone." Demetria got a lunch similar to Fisher's, minus the chicken wings and she added cantaloupe and honeydew melon to her plate.

Everett picked up a hamburger, french fries, and some strawberries and blueberries. Kira dished up haddock and chips, tomatoes, strawberries, and pineapple and they all grabbed bottles of water and returned to their table. Other jaguars began drifting into the lunchroom, looking like they had been having a workout in another part of the facilities while they joked about their successes and failures.

Kira thought everyone looked like they were glad to be here no matter what the rigorous training they were going through entailed.

"Those are jaguar enforcers here for training. Some are new, some are learning to be teachers who train newbies or are retesting for other purposes," Demetria said.

"I never realized how structured your organization is," Fisher said. "So why wasn't anyone in the room with you , Kira?"

"Oh, what role did you play?" Demetria asked. "When Martin said you would be helping us, Everett and I figured right away you would be assisting your mate."

"I was the bait," Kira said.

Demetria and Everett chuckled.

"My guard had been complaining about stomach issues and so he told me he had to put a gag on me just so I wouldn't alert Fisher where I was and that I was in trouble, which would have been silly because I was supposed to be the bait. When the guard left to go to the bathroom, several rooms away, I heard Fisher enter the room, or at least I thought it was him. Unless of course it was another guard. I was so proud of Fisher for making it as far as he had in such a short time. I told him to leave me behind, but he wouldn't think of it. But I didn't help him with his mission."

"Unless he had needed assistance." Demetria ate some more of her lasagna.

Kira smiled at her.

"They were testing the two of you in that situation," Everett said.

"That's what we figured." Kira ate another bite of delicious haddock cooked to perfection. "To see how we worked together in a difficult scenario while under observation."

"Where will the next part of the mission be?" Fisher asked.

"You'll have to take Parker out of the facility. Once you reach the door that leads out into the woods, you'll find your way to a safehouse. Fourteen houses are located on the grounds, rock walls concealing the bad guys, tunnels that can be watched or someone could be waiting there for you," Everett said. "We haven't been given our roles yet. I'm sure the trainers knew we would be talking about the course so they wouldn't want anyone to let anything slip during the lunch break."

"But you know the layout? Kira said they've changed a lot of things since she had gone through this last," Fisher said.

"Yeah," Demetria said. "Inside, they change it up every year. Outside, they make some temporary changes—but the houses, forest, major water features, and rock walls have been there from the time they first built the whole outdoor area. We don't know which of the homes is considered the safehouse this time. A map shows the area that you'll be traversing, and you'll have to memorize as much of it as you can before you leave the swimming pool room."

After they finished lunch, Fisher and Kira hugged and kissed, then Kira and Demetria left for their prearranged tasks. Everett escorted Fisher back to the changing room.

"David messaged me to tell you that you'll take the shortcut path you used to get here," Everett said to Fisher as they began undressing. "You'll need to take the door to the north of the pool where Parker was being held hostage. He'll be there, waiting for you, still in his human form. You'll have to find the safehouse. All organization members who are involved in the mission will be given this information. The house is red with a metal roof, and you'll see it in a southeasterly direction on the map. The property consists of ten-thousand acres of jaguar land. But of course, the safehouse won't be that far away.

"You'll want to make your way there as quickly and safely as possible. You have five hours to accomplish the mission. If any of us catch you, the boy would be taken hostage again, and you would be eliminated—in a simulated way. Water obstacles—rivers, streams, lakes, rocky hills, forests, meadows, and houses fill the landscape. Active patrols will be watching for the two of you. When you're on your own, it's easier to keep yourself from being seen. When you must guarantee the safety of a civilian, you never know what to expect. Just a warning, Parker is going to give you some difficulties—just to show you what some freed hostages can be like in the real world—so you'll have to figure out a way to move him without him giving the two of you away. That's about it. Hydration stations are available for the two of you. When you reach them, you can rest, and no one will come for you there. But remember the exercise is timed and you'll need to get Parker to the safe house as fast as you're able to safely. Be sure to study the map in the swimming pool room and pick the way you want to go. It'll show the forest, river, creeks, bridges, trails, roads, and the houses—including the safehouse you need to reach. Good luck, Fisher. We're all rooting for you."

"Thanks, Everett. See you soon, but after the mission, hopefully not on the course."

Everett laughed and the two of them shifted. Everett exited through a door to the left, while Fisher headed through the passageway that took him back to the swimming pool where Parker was waiting for him.

Fisher shifted. "We're headed for a red house with a metal roof in a southeasterly direction." He felt it was important to share everything he knew with the teen to make him part of the mission to get there safely. "At all times, watch for my cue. No talking whatsoever unless you whisper. Think of this as you being in training and testing just like me. We work together as a team, and I'll get you to the safehouse safely. At the same time, you can help us accomplish the mission."

"But I'm supposed to talk, complain, fuss about going in another direction, and even do so, forcing you to make me behave," Parker said.

"Right. But if you think of this as a test to help us get safely to the house, you'll have the advantage when you go through the training when you're the right age to be a special agent also."

"Oh, okay."

Fisher smiled. "We're going through that door. If you smell the enemy or see one of them and I miss a cue, signal to me. But no talking, or just whisper."

"Yeah, okay." Parker seemed eager to follow the new instructions and be like Fisher rather than try to sabotage the mission like an unruly kid. So far, so good, if it all worked out and Parker didn't go back on his word.

They studied the map first and saw where the house was located. Fisher said, "We won't discuss how we're going to go until we get outside."

Parker glanced at one of the security cameras and nodded.

Fisher shifted into his wolf, and they headed to the door, it opened, and they peered out. He suspected nothing would happen right away, not when they were just exiting the building and they needed to check out their surroundings. Rocky hills, tall wildflower meadows and a river encompassed the area. The river ran from north to south, a forest along the eastern boundary, and extending northwest and a couple of hundred yards due south of the building they were in. A one-story log cabin was sitting in the woods, the front door and patio facing them a few hundred feet from the river to their east.

Fisher pointed in the direction he wanted them to go, and Parker nodded, but before they moved, Parker began removing his clothes. Fisher hadn't expected that, but he figured it might work out better for both of them if Parker was running as a jaguar. No one told Fisher that Parker had to remain in his human form.

As soon as Parker had removed his clothes, he shifted into his jaguar form. Then the two moved low through the wildflowers blooming from goldenrod to purple and white asters and magenta ironweed toward the river. Unless anyone was sitting high above in one of the giant live oak trees scattered all over and could see them, Fisher thought they would be safe. Once they reached the bank of the river, they didn't move to the rocky bank just yet. They listened, smelled the air, and watched for any signs of anyone patrolling the area.

Unlike when he went after Parker to begin with, he was taking a more direct path this time to reach the safehouse. The river turned and headed in a southeasterly direction. The currents could carry them close to the red house, but they would be more exposed while they were in the water. Though he hadn't planned to explain to Parker about his intentions or reasonings, he thought it was a good teaching experience and he wanted to give the boy options to help them find their way.

Fisher shifted. "Swimming down the river would take us closer to the safehouse, rather than us running through the woods but we would be more exposed while swimming."

Parker shifted. "I was thinking the same thing. Should we go around that way? More northeast? And circle around?"

"Yeah, if we go directly southeast, the most direct route to the safehouse, I'm afraid they'll have shifters watching for us. We will still need to cross the river or take one of either of the two bridges that cross it and I'm certain they would be watching for us there."

"Yeah, I agree."

They both shifted and Fisher was glad that Parker was thinking along the same lines. He would make a great agent someday. He was sure that was why Parker was the teen chosen to participate in this exercise.

They waited, watching, making sure no one was nearby. The river's current was swift, and they would have a difficult time crossing it. He wanted them to go one at a time, better not to be seen, but if the boy got into trouble in the water, Fisher wanted to be there for him.

He nudged Parker to go, and the jaguar moved cautiously onto the bank of the river. Fisher quickly joined him. They both went into the water and began to swim across the river to the other side. Despite both being excellent swimmers, they struggled against the strong current.

Fisher suspected they didn't have anyone out here waiting to grab Parker and "eliminate" Fisher as part of the simulated exercise, more concerned that they got across and didn't have a medical emergency.

When they were halfway to the other bank, Parker was struggling to get to shore. Fisher swam up beside him, acting as a barrier against the current until their feet finally touched the rocky bottom and they both managed to climb out of the water. Exhausted, they quickly moved into the trees where Fisher shook off the excess water from his fur. Parker shook off his paws first, then his whole body, and finally, he licked his fur. In the meantime, they took a moment to catch their breaths.

Parker shifted. "Should we head maybe straight east now?"

Fisher shifted. "Northeast, like we first said. They shouldn't expect us to head in that direction. Hopefully."

"Okay."

Fisher led the way through the tangled brush at the base of the oaks and pines. Then he had an idea. With Parker on his side and running as a jaguar, he could leap into trees and see if he could spy anyone off in the distance. He might be able to see the other houses, roads, landmarks, and eventually, the safehouse. He paused and shifted and told Parker the plan.

Parker beamed, nodding. Parker's mission would be even more important during the operation to get them safely "home."

First, they headed northeast for half an hour. The trees were thinning out and they could see hills of rocks with a few scattered trees and shrubs. They would be exposed out there. Now Fisher wondered if they would have had more cover if they had gone straight east like Parker had mentioned earlier.

Fisher shifted. "Can you climb the live oak tree without being seen?"

Parker nodded. With his magnificently muscled jaguar legs, he jumped onto a tree branch, then another, higher and higher, until he could see what he needed to.

Man, what Fisher would give to be able to see the terrain features for himself and plan their next move.

For a long while, Parker observed their surroundings. To Fisher's surprise, Parker shifted in the tree while sitting on a branch high above. "A farm with a white farmhouse and a red barn is to the northeast of us. Trees surround the farm, and the field is filled with crops. A grove of pecan trees borders the north side of the farmhouse. Cattle are in a pasture next to the red barn and lots of haystacks are sitting in huge rolls farther out. Due west are the elevated rock hills and shrubs. Tall flowery meadows lead up to the farmland. To the southeast is a creek and a gravel road. We could possibly go low through the—" Parker stopped whispering and waited.

Fisher was dying to know what he was seeing.

"A farmer is feeding his cows."

Fisher shifted. "Will he be able to see us if we head directly east or southeast?"

"There's a jaguar, oh, it's Demetria Anderson. She's patrolling the rocky hill to the east. If we watch for her, maybe when she goes back to the other side of the hill, we can make a dash for either the pecan grove north of her or go south and keep low among the meadow grasses and the rocky terrain."

"What's the distance to the rocky terrain southeast of us?"

"Maybe sixty yards. The distance to the pecan grove is about a hundred yards."

Fisher so wished he could see the terrain.

"She has gone back to the other side of the rocks."

"Let me leave the woods and have a look. You tell me if you see her returning."

"Alright."

Fisher moved out of the woods cautiously. He looked at the terrain features from a different perspective. The rocky hills were taller than he expected. They would have to move from one rock to another to keep out of sight. Though they would be exposed in some of the areas. Still, he felt there would be more patrols going southeast that way.

He moved back into the woods and shifted. "Let's go to the farmhouse and the pecan grove. Probably there are more patrols the other way."

"Gotcha." Parker shifted and gracefully jumped from branch to branch until he was down on the ground.

"Follow my lead. Unless Demetria heads over to the farmhouse, we can avoid the farm and reach the pecan grove. As long as the farmer doesn't have any dogs and alerts him that we are in the area."

Then they shifted and they sneaked low through the meadow, passing the edge of the farm where bushels of hay were perfect for hiding behind. The wind was blowing in their favor. They could smell the farmer's scent. He was a jaguar—no big surprise. But was he just a farmer, or an agent, pretending to be a farmer?

They moved slowly, cautiously through the meadow, avoiding catching the farmer's eye. He turned in their direction and they immediately crouched down. Parker shifted. "Maybe we could sneak into the house and borrow some of the farmer's clothes. No one would suspect we were traveling as humans. Or at least you and I would be wearing something else."

Fisher shifted. "Were you being tracked?"

"I don't know. They gave me the clothes to wear."

Fisher smiled. "I'm glad you shifted then. Your suggestion of shifting and dressing in different clothes was a good idea, but I'm supposed to accomplish this as a wolf. In a real-world situation, we could sure do that."

"Okay."

They shifted back and headed out again, finally reaching the pecan grove and moved through it with caution. It was clean underneath, no undergrowth that would help hide them, but they didn't smell any scents of jaguars or wolves either if some of them were nearby.

Then they saw a patch of pumpkins and a gray-haired woman in a long sweater tunic, blue jeans and boots, and a cowboy hat crouching down among them. Their scents or movement must have caught her attention because she looked sharply in their direction. They flattened themselves against the ground, but they figured it was too late for that. She smiled and waved at them.

Thinking it might be a trap and that she would call reinforcements, Fisher nudged Parker to move again because she was still smiling at them and watching them so they were no longer undercover.

Parker began moving through the pecan grove at a more cautious pace like they had been doing initially, but Fisher hurried him up. There was no need for secrecy now.

Then they saw a designated water station near the farmhouse with a bench sitting beside it. A freshwater fountain for shifters in his or her fur coat and a water fountain for humans were both set up. Both of them shifted to drink from the human fountain.

"This is a safe zone so no one can come here to bother us," Fisher said.

Then they saw the woman, who had been tending to the pumpkins, head their way. They immediately shifted.

She was carrying terrycloth bathrobes. "Would you like to grab a slice of freshly baked apple pie that I just pulled out of the oven before you continue on your way?"

Fisher shook his head. She might be harmless, but if she wasn't, if they went with her to the farmhouse, they would be out of the safe zone. Wouldn't that be an embarrassing way to fail a mission? Stopping to get a slice of apple pie from an innocent-looking civilian?

She smiled again. "Oh, I see. I'll bring the pie out here and cut it. I'll eat a slice too. That way you know I haven't tampered with it. But you know, this is a safe zone, so I couldn't do anything to you if I was one of the ‘bad' guys." She set the bathrobes on the bench. "I'll be right back." Then she went to the farmhouse.

Fisher felt they should just get on their way, but the older woman hurried back with a freshly baked pie still in its glass baking pan and some plates and a pie cutter. She cut them each a slice of pie.

"My husband and I retired from the JAG Corp. We were both Guardians. We loved our job and helping our shifter kind. Who would have ever thought wolf shifters were real and they would help us find bad guys now?"

Fisher knew that eating the pie wasn't part of his mission, and this could mess up his score. But she seemed delighted to meet them and offer them some of her special dessert. Parker looked hopeful that Fisher would agree to eating the pie. She began eating her slice of pie and Fisher shifted, then pulled on a robe. Park hurried to do the same.

Then they saw the farmer coming. He was all smiles and Fisher was afraid that they had made the ultimate mistake.

"Howdy!" the farmer said. "I imagine my mate, Mabel, told you already that we were Guardians in the organization. Training missions are going on here all the time. But we've never visited with any agents-in-training before. We own all the acreage around the farm, about two hundred acres. We retired and they made a deal with us that we could continue to work our farm in retirement because it's in the middle of the ten thousand acres the JAG organization had purchased. If we hadn't been jaguars and part of the organization, they might have forced us out. But we love being here."

"It's beautiful," Fisher said.

"They got right past you, dear," Mabel said, cutting a slice of pie for him. "Not me. I saw them in the pecan grove. It doesn't have any ground cover, but we own it, so no one is supposed to come onto our acreage to capture the good guys."

"What about the water station?" Fisher asked.

"Oh, we copied one that they had created at different areas on their acreage so that any of you knew it was safe to go to and hydrate. We wanted you to know it's safe for you here too. Both Meyers and I use it when we get thirsty out here while working on the farm."

"So all of your land is safe," Fisher said. "And in a way, your farmhouse is a safehouse. We're supposed to go to the red house with a metal roof south of here though."

"Sure, technically, this is as safe as they go," Mabel said. "You're welcome to stay and use our phone to call whoever is in charge to tell them you've gotten your freed hostage to a safehouse."

"They might not count your house as the correct one and then I wouldn't accomplish the mission. They would know just where we are, and we wouldn't be able to leave here without getting stopped."

"I could give you a lift," the farmer said. "I was going to take some pumpkins to market, and I'll be using the road near where the safehouse is located. I'll stop at a discreet spot, let you out, and you can make the rest of your way through the woods. No doubt you'll encounter some trouble the closer you get to the house, but I would love to be part of your adventure like in the good old days. A good agent helping other good agents."

Fisher really liked Meyers and his wife. "You have never done this before for anyone?"

The farmer hurried to eat his piece of pie. "Nope. You're the first we've had the pleasure of meeting. So what do you say?"

"Sure." Again, Fisher hoped he wouldn't regret the decision he was now making, but no one stated there was any rule against it, and as long as the farmer and his wife weren't really working with the "bad guys," it couldn't hurt. Hopefully.

In a real-life situation, he could have used whatever resource he could to accomplish the mission, after all.