Episode 26 Impact (part 2/2) (Patreon)

(Part 2/2)

Jack Routh

The terminal was a mess. There were hundreds of passengers inside, being attended to by first aid responders. Families and friends had reunited while reporters at the perimeter barley held back by security shouted questions, desperate for interviews.

Captain Cortez had arrived with Agent Russo, and the two were surrounded by multiple alphabet agencies as they conducted a briefing. It was equally messy in their make shift crisis response center, and he could feel the tension in their corner.

“It’s more than just a simple hijacking.” The metro captain stated.

Pam and the other flight stewardess’ statements were incredibly helpful for the investigation, and gave a clearer picture for the events that had just unfolded. The LAPD and DHS were on the hunt for the fifth suspect, looking for the mysterious airport worker.

“They had an actual objective, stealing the external hard drives from one of the passengers.” Russo shared. “Lucas Henares, age 38. He’s an accountant that works for drug cartels in South America, and they killed him.”

“Hard drives?” Hondo asked.

“Crypto currency. The four men are from a Venezuelan drug cartel. Ex-military.” Russo replied. “We can’t interview the one that survived since he’s still in surgery, but my theory is they were planning to fly to Venezuela.”

“Our target now is this man. Cesar Fuentes.” The captain pointed to the picture of the missing airport worker. “He’s just been working here for 3 months. We don’t know if he’s working for the cartel, or coerced to help them. Either way, he’s still missing.”

“I’ve got the LAPD and DHS sweeping the terminal as we speak while it’s in lockdown.” Russo added.

“He could have been long gone by now. Why don’t we increase the perimeter, lock down the whole LAX?” Hondo suggested.  

“That would be even worse.” Russo shook her head. “The disruption to air traffic, not to mention the international arrivals is already causing panic from the higher ups. He won’t be able to escape through the usual entrances anyway, since we have his picture and name.”

The lines leading in and out of the airport was getting bigger, as cops and security staff checked every person and vehicle leaving the complex and that took time.

“We could send units to check the other parts of the airport.” He spoke up. “The suspect might be waiting for the heat to die down before he makes his move and attempt an escape.”

“Good idea.” Captain Cortez nodded at him. “While they continue to search Teminal 3, C and D platoon will split off into pairs and check all areas. Get to it.”

“Routh, you’re with Alonso.” Hondo started handing out assignments.

He reviewed his search assigned area and took a moment to familiarize himself with their patrol route. It was the two adjacent parking buildings near the administration building that connected to the skyway ramp leading to the terminal hubs.

With a borrowed Ford Crown Victoria that needed a good wash, he readily agreed when Chris asked him to drive. They drove through every parking floor, checking every car while they kept their eyes out for their suspect. Chris used the radio to coordinate with other law enforcement units.

He weaved around stranded passengers and civilians loitering at the barred entrance to terminal 3 and continued his route. Sirens blared out as other units continued their search, and he knew it was a tactic meant to flush out their suspect. The presence of patrolling cops would only cause the suspect to panic, and hopefully make a mistake.

“All units, be advised. Suspect’s car is a blue civic, 2012 model.”

The radio blared out, giving updated information.

He tried to recall if they saw a car with that model and color, but he didn’t see one in the two parking buildings they checked. They tensed when they heard more news from the radio.

“In pursuit of suspect, chasing at high speeds at east way. Turning to World way, west bound.”

Another voice reported, and he could clearly hear the strain in the man’s voice.

Chris looked at him, alarmed. “They’re nearby, and coming back to the road we passed by. Jack, all those people outside arrivals…”

He didn’t have to think twice. Hundreds of people were on the path of the ongoing chase. Many were sitting on the sidewalk with their luggage, and dozens had spilled into the streets due to the lack of space. He had to use his horn and siren multiple times just to get through.

He stepped on the accelerator and headed to the direction of the chase.

“27-David, joining pursuit.” Chris reported to dispatch.

He let his partner deal with the radio chatter and focused on driving. There. A blue civic rushed past, followed by two LAPD SUV shops. He followed behind the two vehicles, his foot on the floor as the engine of the Ford he was driving roared. They looped around World Way, and he could see from the skyway from his peripheral that the crowd was still there, seemingly clueless as to what was about to head their way.

The suspect didn’t seem to care as he even increased his speed. He had an idea as they were about to head to the ramp to the people below.

“Hold on. Lean away from the door.” He told Chris.

“Jack what are you doing?” Chris asked. He could hear the raised pitch of her voice in panic.

He understood her reaction. While the civic and the two shops took the inside of the curve and slowed down, he was headed towards the outside while maintaining his speed. The car vibrated violently as the right side of the car made contact with the outside wall.

“Fuck!” Chris yelled.

He struggled to control the steering and slowly adjusted and made corrections.  He zoomed past the two shops behind the civic and as they exited the ramp, and he pulled the steering to the left. The Crown Victoria collided with the blue Civic’s side, forcing it away from the crowd in the streets and into the cement barrier.

There was a loud shrieking sound of metal as he forcefully pinned the other car to the wall. The civilians ahead rushed out of the way as their speed decreased. He could see the driver was panicking, as he covered his head as the glass from his car window had shattered. He was not alone, with the passenger staring at him with wide eyes, looking scared. Their speed quickly decreased from the collision, allowing one of the SUV shops to move ahead, blocking the blue civic from the front.

They gradually stopped, with the remaining shop blocking the civic from the rear. They had the car pinned and trapped, unable to move.

“Show me your hands!” Chris screamed.

Chris already had her weapon out, pointed at the two suspects while the other officers got out of their vehicles and surrounded the car.

He also pulled out his weapon, aiming at the driver in case he tried anything. They didn’t. The two men were clearly rattled by the collision. It was funny that he had to move his car so that the suspects could leave their vehicle.

The two of them stood back, watching as the two suspects were cuffed. They were no longer needed. Around them civilians watched, with phones and cameras recording to the event.

“Where did you learn that move?” Chris asked. He saw she was giving him the look. “It’s the cooper move, from a racing game.”

“Cooper move?”

He didn’t need to explain to Chris that he got the idea when he watched one of the few sessions of Sheldon Cooper in a driving simulator. The theoretical physicist made it by accident, and he did fly off the skyway eventually and landed in front of a few civilians. The result was gory, and he had to agree with Howard that it was a very realistic simulator.

Zoe Andersen Routh

Due to the restricted airspace of LAX, news choppers and even LAPD aircraft couldn’t provide an overhead view of the ongoing police chase, but there were a few news vans with high powered cameras to provide more than enough coverage.

“An amazing move by the police car, to take down the blue Honda Civic. We can assume that this chase is related to the hijacking incident, although the authorities have not yet released an official statement. In other news…”

She gave a sigh of relief. The crisis was over, thanks to the quick actions of the LAPD. The city had been on standstill, and she knew the incident will be discussed for weeks. The blame game would start, and she felt pity towards her counterpart at the LAXPD. They were a separate organization, not part of the LAPD. To allow a mistake of this magnitude from even happening was a big pie on their face.

“The driver of the vehicle that stopped the civic appears to be from LAPD’s elite SWAT unit.” The news anchor continued to give commentary. “We’re trying to contact Sheryll, who is on the ground, but we appear to be suffering from some technical issues. As you can see, the suspects are being escorted to waiting police cars as more emergency vehicles arrive on the scene. The two swat officers, one appears to be a female are standing guard. Can we get a closer zoom in, Mike?”

The camera operator must have heard the request as it zoomed in on the two metro officers in their tactical gear. Wait a minute, that’s her husband.

“That’s Jack, isn’t it?” Chief Williams asked. He had called for an emergency crisis meeting for all captains in central as the situation unfolded in LAX. They were preparing for the fallout from the incident, as politicians would soon start pointing finger to who was at fault. The chief was making sure their backs were covered, and now with the intervention of their infamous LAPD, they basically pulled the LAXP out of the fire.

It shouldn’t have happened, and the LAXP were caught with their pants down. They had their own elite units, but it was Metro that made that successful assault after a request for aid.

“Yes, Chief.” She replied. She watched as Chief Stevens leaned back in his chair with a smug expression on his face. She could see how proud he was with the performance of D-platoon.

“I told you, he’d be perfect for the show.” The Chief replied. “And your division is participating in that Honolulu conference anyway, so think of it as a reward for your husband.”

“Reward, sir?” She was 100% sure Jack would be pissed when he hears this. She was too. Her man had just come back from the east coast, and now they were sending him away again, for a stupid publicity campaign.

“We need more positive P.R. more than ever.” Captain Taggart stated. “Your… husband will represent the competency of the department.”

“That’s right.” The Chief gave a wide smile. “It’s a win-win situation for all of us. Your husband gets us good publicity, Jack gets an extended vacation in a tropical beach. Right, Captain Routh?”

“It’s as you say, sir.” She replied with a stiff nod. “I’ll relay your orders to my husband when he gets back.”

An hour later, with statements prepared and contingency plans formed, they were all dismissed. The chief was in high spirits, despite what happened in the airport.

“See you soon.” She wondered why the Chief’s eyes were giving her that weird look.

Her husband received a standing ovation hours later when he arrived at the bullpen. He looked like he had just taken a shower as he ran his fingers through his damp hair. Jack stood out in his civilian clothes as various patrol officers and detectives gave him slaps on the back.

“It was Sergeant Hondo’s plan.” He replied after being congratulated on their successful breach of the airplane.

“Officer Routh.” She called out from the second floor. Instantly the bullpen quieted as eyes stared at her. “Congratulations on a successful operation.”

She allowed the applause to resume for half a minute and the raised her hand.

“My office, please.”

She needed to deliver the bad news in the privacy of her office. She ran strategies on what she could do to convince her husband as she sat back on her seat and waited for Jack to come up. Moments later she heard a knock.

“Come in.”

She could see he was in high spirits as he entered.

“Please close the door.”

“It has to be bad news.” Jack sighed as he sat down in front of her. “Hi honey.”

 She wondered how Jack was able to deduce that after one look at her.  

“What made you say that?” She asked.

“Your clothes.” Jack nodded at her buttoned cream blouse and gray pencil skirt. “If you were just here to check up on things, you’d just be in jeans and something casual. And I remember you packed that outfit before and stored it here in your office for emergency meetings at central.”

“Emergency meetings at central usually mean bad news and it must have pissed you off with the way you press your lips together.” Jack finished.

She should have gotten used to Jack’s deduction skills by now, but she was still amazed to see how he casually picked up clues from just a mere glance.

His reaction was just as she expected. The tight narrowing of his eyes and the frown appeared. She watched as his expression grew more and more annoyed as she explained the situation.

“Anything at all?” Jack asked when she promised to make it up to him for being forced yet again to participate in a publicity stunt.

“Within reason…” She allowed.

“Then let’s go, there’s no time to waste.” Jack stood up and picked up her bag that contained her casual outfit that she wore when she went to the station that morning.

“Where are we going?” She asked.

“Shopping.” Her husband replied.

About forty-five minutes later she was covering her face with her hands in embarrassment. Jack took her to a bikini store in one of the nearby malls, and the things he picked up for her to wear in Hawaii was… scandalous.

“Oh god.” She muttered. The bikinis had no lining, and worse, she had a feeling they will be nearly transparent when they got wet.

“I’ll make sure we have privacy, honey.” Jack said cheerfully. He then picked up one that was pure mesh, and that was it. She knew her nipple will be poking out of that top. She thought it couldn’t get worse but it did when he picked the final outfit. It was a micro bikini from a brand called Microminus, and she might as well be naked wearing it.

The top was so tiny it barely covered her nipples, and the bottom. Yeah her labia might get sunburned if she wore that! It only covered her slit and the rest will be exposed. Her husband better take her to a place where there were no cops to see her parade wearing those bikinis.

“You don’t want me to try them here?” She asked.

“No, let’s have that when we meet up in Hawaii after this survival show.” Jack replied. “Now what’s next?”

“Sunblock.” She replied. She made a note to buy the one with highest SPF rating. Her bits will be sunburned if she didn’t.

Jack Routh

The two day survival lessons were laughable.

 He listened to the sermon by the various experts and watched the demonstrations from the back of the group.

He thought the survival lessons should be given in an environment similar to the island they were going but these show runners thought differently. Bear Grylls was teaching them about gathering kindling and how to start a fire, and he made it look so easy with a fire starter in the back parking lot of a hotel in Honolulu.

He took a look at the various men and women he would go to the island with. Soft, manicured hands. High heels. Expensive suits and branded leather shoes. A watch that he knew costs more than his bike and his wife’s car combined. He knew he shouldn’t judge them based on their appearance but from what he could see, he was not confident of the survival of some of these participants.

“What about food for vegetarians?” One of the women raised her hand, attracting the attention of the foraging expert.

“If you’re resourceful enough, I’m sure you can find the proper resources to feed yourself.” The expert replied. He then started showing them a power point that had pictures of various plants that can be used to survive. Don’t eat this, but you can eat that. It was confusing.

If it weren’t for Zoe he would have walked out of this…session.

The staff led them to a table filled with various outdoor camping gear and they were told that they can pick an item that they can bring to the island along with a water bottle.  One man picked what looked like a straw that purified water as soon as it was sucked on. Others took nets, some a fishing rod with hooks. He observed the knives that were left and picked the bowie knife.

They were invited to join a party that night, and he decided to stuff himself with what was on the buffet spread. He remained polite but reserved as various people came to talk to him and ask for photographs, but he wasn’t in the mood to socialize that much. With short but curt answers to their questions, he was mostly left alone to eat in peace.  

That morning they were given clothes to wear, and all had the logo of the show printed on them. He felt a relief that they were given sandals at the very least. Walking in a jungle barefoot was a bitch. He knew, from Reacher’s memories during his time spent when he was stationed in Subic Bay, Philippines. The jungle course taught to Reacher by those native Aetas were more helpful than what he was just given by the show’s organizers.

Heading to the dock, he was surprised to see a familiar face rushing towards him. What was Liz doing here?

“Jack!” The actress grinned as she reached him. “Surprised you, didn’t I?”

“Liz, what are you doing here?” He asked after he returned the other woman’s greeting with a quick hug.

“I’m part of the show!” The actress grinned. “Zoe already knows weeks before, and we decided to surprise you.”

“I didn’t see you yesterday for the orientation, and the survival classes.” He stated.

Liz frowned at that. “My flight got delayed, so I missed my connection. I called the producers, and they told me it will be fine. I’m worried about the online survival lessons they gave me. Once I got to the dock, one of the staff handed me this.”

He saw what looked like a folded piece of net in her hands. Looking closer, he realized what it was. A mosquito net. “That’s a good item to have… don’t worry about the remedial lessons. I’ll teach you myself.”

“Thanks, Jack.” Liz replied and gave him a warm smile. “I was still hesitant about accepting this offer, no matter how desperate I am for projects right now. Then Zoe told me that you’re coming here too, and that made me agree.”

He would need to talk to his wife after this trip. She was too crafty, springing surprises like this on him.

“So…” Liz looked around the group that would head to the island. “What’s the plan once we reached the island?”

“Observe first.” He replied, looking around the spread out group. A few of the participants were giving Liz curious looks. “Check out the group dynamics, and go from there.”

“But honestly?” He sat down on a bench and leaned forward a bit and placed his elbows on his knees. “I’m not confident about the group. We’re all too different from each other, and they’re expecting us to work instantly?”

“That’s reality TV.” Liz grinned. “Drama and conflict. That’s what draws in the viewers and I think they did this on purpose.”

“I don’t have the patience for that.” He replied. Yes, he was basically ordered to be here, but that does not mean he would tolerate any bullshit. “If I don’t like what I see, I’ll just leave and set up my own camp.”

“You better bring me with you.” Liz nudged him with her shoulder. “I can already see a few girls giving me the look like I’ll steal their husbands. Anyway, let’s give it a try first, and see if we can work like a community.”

The show technicians started handing the participants what looked like specially made cameras. It looked similar to his body cam, but a bit larger and thicker. It also had solar cells built behind it.

One of the technicians started giving instructions about the camera. It was built to be sturdy enough to be water resistant for up to five meters while streaming. It had a long battery life, and could be charged with solar power. They were given two sets and each camera was designed with straps to allow for attachment on the chest. It was also designed to stream videos, autofocus and record audio.

“So we’re supposed to wear these all the time?” Liz asked as she struggled with the straps.

“You get used to it.” He adjusted his own straps and stored the secondary camera with the belt bag they were provided. “It’s similar to what we wear when we’re on duty. Here, let me show you.”

Fully kitted, they all turned on their cameras.

“We’re live!” The producer proclaimed. The man was holding a tablet, seemingly looking at their individual video streams.

Individual interviews began, and he could sense the frustration of one of the producers as they interviewed him.

“I’m Jack Routh, and I’m a Los Angeles Law Enforcement Officer.” He looked at the camera aimed at him. “I was told to be here.”

“How do you think you will do for the challenge?” The producer asked from behind the camera.

“I’ll manage.” He gave a shrug. “You all gave us survival lessons, so it’s about practicing what you showed us.”

“What’s your relationship with the actress Mary Elizabeth Winstead?”

“She’s a friend.”

“Just friends?”

What were they playing at? He was expecting the usual questions about jungle survival and the challenges they will face.

“She hangs out mostly with my wife. Is that all?” He stood up from the chair and took off the microphone clipped to his jacket, not giving them any choice in the matter.    

Two hours later they were on a speed boat, heading for the island they would be stuck for 7 days. Camera men focused on them as they struggled to remain seated due to the choppy waters.

“All right, this is your deployment area. We can’t get closer due to the rocks.” Grylls told them.

“We’re supposed to jump in the water?” One of the women complained.

“That’s the idea.” The host replied with a smile. They could have easily been dropped off at the beach on the other side where they were informed a good place for a camp was located, but he knew the producers needed content. They wanted the participants to face challenges.

A few of the men jumped first, and he quickly followed them, easily reaching the rocky shore in less than a minute. They all turned to the rest of the participants as they jumped off the boat one by one. A few struggled, but he could see some in high spirits.

Everyone was wet and soaking as they all gathered in a group. They were left alone by themselves and he looked up at the sky. It was mid morning, and he knew they needed to move if they wanted to reach the suggested location to set up their base camp, but some of the group were just content to chat away.

“Listen up!” One of the men, a self professed survival expert stepped forward. He remembered his name was Fred. “We need to head to the beach before it gets dark. So I suggest we start moving now.”

A few men nodded in agreement and started heading into the jungle.

“Who elected you the leader?” One of the women asked. What was her name again? Ah right. Karen.

“No one, but we can’t just stand around here all day, we’re wasting the day.” The man replied with a frown.

Lines were already being drawn. In the end and thirty minutes later they were all making their way through the thick jungle. He could see there was plenty of wildlife in the area, judging by the trails they made.

“I’m tired. Can we rest for a few minutes?” One of the men complained, the one that he remembered was a lawyer.

“We need to push through.” The survival expert insisted.

“You’re not the leader.” The same woman from before rolled her eyes. “I’m tired too. I say we rest here for a few hours.”

“It gets darker in the jungle quickly, and we’re wasting precious sunlight.” The expert seemed to be losing his patience. “I’m going ahead, whoever wants to do the same, follow me. I don’t want to spend a night in the jungle.”

Majority of the men and a few women followed the expert. He stayed behind since Liz looked like she needed to rest.

“You’re not following them?” Karen asked him.

“I’m waiting for Liz to rest, and then I’m heading out.” He replied. “The man was right, it gets darker here quickly. It’s difficult to navigate at night in the jungle, and I want to avoid that.”

“Men.” Karen muttered. “I need to rest for a few hours. My feet are killing me. Can’t you just wait?”

“Sorry but no.” He shook his head. He wanted to set up a base camp as soon as possible.

“Aren’t you supposed to be a famous cop?” One of the women asked.

“I’m not a cop here.”

Liz decided to defuse the situation and stood up. “I’m fine. I just needed a quick breather.”

The two of them left the other group and followed the trail the expert made through the thick vegetation. He took a few mores rest breaks for Liz and made a pair of walking sticks from thick branches and an hour later they could hear the waves.

“We’re near.” He told Liz.

“Oh thank Gods.” Liz breathed a sigh of relief.

They arrived at a nice beach, and he could see the first group were resting and drinking their water. A few were out in the water, seemingly having fun. He could see they were surprised to see them.

“Where are the others?” The carpenter asked once he realized it was just the two of them.

“They wanted to rest longer, so we went ahead.” He explained.

“They didn’t want to listen.” The expert muttered.

It was past noon, and the other group had not yet shown up. He wanted to explore the area, but the expert did not agree with his idea. He was now assigning tasks to each member, and now he wanted him to chop firewood and even told him the best way to use his knife. Fred meant well, but he was too much.

“This isn’t the best wood to sustain a fire.” Fred examined the pile he brought. “It’s too wet. And Liz and Lucy, you need to gather more vines. These aren’t the correct length or thickness.”

He realized the man was a bit of a control freak.

He dropped the pile of wood in his arms. “I’m going to explore.”

“No. it’s not safe, and you’ll just get lost.” Fred stated.

“You’re not the only expert here.”

“What are you going to do here in the island? Sing?” One of the men joked. That caused the others to laugh.

“Maybe later.” He could see where this was going and he didn’t want to be a part of it. “I’m out, don’t look for me.”

“You’re just going to leave?” Fred asked with a frown.

“Yeah.” He nodded as he started picking up his belongings.

“But you can’t.” Fred stepped forward. “That’s against the rules.”

“There aren’t any rules.” He wondered how the man came up with that. The premise was of the show was to survive, and they were all given the freedom to decide how to accomplish that. “Anyway, see you in seven days.”

“Wait!” Liz hurriedly followed after him. “I’m coming too!”

“Me too!” The blonde firefighter Lucy quickly packed her belongings.

Fred continued to discourage them, and even placed an arm on his shoulder to stop him from leaving. “I said you can’t go.”

He grabbed the man’s wrist and easily pulled it away.

“You don’t get to order me around.” He stared at the man’s eyes as he increased his grip on the man’s wrist. There was a staring contest, and Fred backed down after a few tense moments.

“Fine. Die for all I care.” Fred replied. He felt the man try and snatch his wrist away but he held firm. “Now let me go.”

“I’m glad we have an understanding.” He let go of the man’s wrist and moved out.

Further down the shore after a few minutes of waking Liz finally broke the silence. “That was tense. I thought it would come to blows.”

“Yeah.” The other blonde nodded. “It was scary, and I don’t know if we could stop the two biggest men in the group from brawling.”

“Lucy, right?” He turned to the other woman. “What made you come with us?”

“I didn’t sign up here to be treated like that. Fred was insufferable on the way here.” Lucy replied. “I mean vine thickness? Really?”

“So where are we going?” Liz asked.

“I saw a smaller beach from the boat on our way here.” He explained. “It’s surrounded by rocks, and I thought that would be an ideal place for camp.”

There was also the fact that he spotted bamboo in the area, a perfect material to make shelters.

“So how long would it take there?” Liz asked.

“Two hours, tops.” He replied.

He made another walking stick for Lucy and started sharpening the end of his to make a rough spear. It proved timely, as he spotted a python nearby where the girls were resting on a rock. With a quick thrust of his newly made spear on the snake’s head and it was instantly killed, though its body still writhed and moved.

“Fuck!” Liz screamed.

“That’s fucking huge!” Lucy declared.

“It was sunning itself.” He raised it above his head to see how long it was. It must have been twelve feet long from the way the rest of its body trailed on the grass.

“And you just killed it.” Liz whispered.

“It’s our late lunch.” He smiled at the two women.

“We’re going to eat snake?” Liz asked.

“It tastes just like chicken.” He wrapped it around his neck and resumed their trek. He didn’t have to turn around to see the two women were still in shock.

Lucy joining them proved to be lucky, as she had brought a fire started kit with her. When they reached the area he spotted from the boat, he was surprised at how much better it was compared to the suggested camp location from the producers.

The small beach of around a hundred feet was line on each end by tall sharp rocks. The elevation was enough that he was confident the water wouldn’t reach them on high tide, and the land between the forest and the beach was ideal to make their camp.

A few chops of one of the larger bamboo and he quickly made a make shift fire and rack. The two women watched as he skinned and chopped their future meal. Bamboo was everything as he even made rough utensils and even plates.

“You’re like McGyver, but way more buff.” Lucy observed. He speared pieces of the snake and put them over the fire.

“That smells good. I didn’t realize I was that hungry.” Liz came back with a stack of firewood she collected. “What do we do for water?”

“We look for a stream or a source nearby.” He pointed to the bamboo forest behind them. “And those store water in them, and they’re safe to drink too.”

After their late lunch, they started building their camp. With an abundance of material nearby, it was easy to create a rough frame with a roof. Liz and Lucy collected more materials while he made notches on the four bamboo poles so they would slot together with the beams.

It was getting dark and they set up Liz’s mosquito net. They hadn’t finished the roof yet, but it looked like it was going to rain that night.

“I didn’t realize when I signed up for the show that I’d be sleeping next to Sugar and Mary Elizabeth Winstead.” Lucy shared. They were all lying on the raised bamboo floor, watching the night sky.

“Just Liz, please.” His actress friend replied. “Why did you sign up for the show anyway?”

“It seemed fun, and it can be boring in Tacoma.” Lucy answered. “My dad’s the fire chief.”

“We all watched those reality adventure shows, and I always wondered how I would do if I joined.” Lucy continued. “And here we are.”

“How do you think the others are doing?” Liz wondered. “Do you think they’re in one group or they split up into smaller ones?”

“They’re probably in two groups.” He replied. “One led by Fred, and the other by Karen.”

“I certainly wouldn’t want to be around those two.” Lucy chuckled. “I came here to have a great time. I want to show my dad and the guys at the station that I can kick ass and tough it out.”

“You did just eat a snake for lunch and dinner.” Liz giggled. “Do you think they’re watching?”

“I’m sure.” Lucy answered confidently. “I’m willing to bet that even more people are watching your two streams. You guys are famous.”

“I’m not sure about that, but Jack here is certainly popular.” He heard the teasing tone in Liz’s voice.

“Yeah, I’m on a bamboo bed sleeping next to Sugar.” Lucy added. “This has to be a dream. Do you think he snores?”

“I can hear, you know.” He reminded the two girls.

“Yeah we know.” Liz laughed. “I just liked teasing you.”

The next morning, he left to explore more if their area and reached a game trail past the bamboo forest. He spotted tracks and decided to make a trap. While the girls were having a bath on the beach he dug a pit using a make shift shovel.

It took all morning but he eventually reached the desired depth he wanted. He covered the pit with thin bamboo strips and scattered dried leaves over it and placed the remains of the snake they ate yesterday on top of it.

With the trap set, he headed back to camp to see the girls weaving palm leaves to turn into their roof.

“Where were you?” Liz asked.

“I made a trap that could feed us for the rest of our stay here.” He explained. “I’ll head to the tide pools and check if we can have breakfast.”

“Alright stay safe.” Liz replied.

Zoe Andersen Routh

She watched the stream with mixed feelings. The show was receiving massive attention, with its new format incorporating state of the art body cams that ensured real time viewing for each person and less interference from camera men or staff that was common in reality survivor shows.

Jack really didn’t want to participate, but he was the logical choice. With his increased popularity, it proved too dangerous for him to do regular patrol work at the moment. She had to resort to finally bribing her husband to agree. Now she just watched her husband make a trap after sleeping besides two women.

“He really killed a snake?” She heard Reese ask.

“He did. One strike and it was dead.” Pam answered. “You could even see it was wriggling around after it was killed.”

“Gross.” Jessica gagged.

“When he chopped them and placed it in skewers, it didn’t look bad.” Pam replied. “Besides, what are they going to eat there? Doughnuts?”

“I’m glad they split up from those two groups.” Reese added.

 She had to agree with Jack’s decision. The few hours he spent being micromanaged by that survival expert was annoying, and she already had an idea what her husband would do if he didn’t like something. Liz joining him was not a surprise, but that pretty tomboy firefighter made her raise an eyebrow.

“What a nice view.” Liz commented.

“Yeah, and the beach is okay too.” The other woman replied.

The two paused for a moment, admiring her shirtless husband in just board shorts wandering around the shallow pools. He had taken off his shirt and was using it as a makeshift sack to store what he found.

“Well, it is a nice view.” Jessica repeated Liz’s comment. She saw the redhead was sporting a grin.

She didn’t blame her. She might be used to seeing her husband shirtless, and often naked, but even she had to pause for a moment to admire his figure from time to time. Perfect proportions, muscled and washboard abs. His body was one not one formed from bodybuilding in the gym, but from constant training in Metro and his natural genetics.

“If you think Jack was famous before…” She felt Pam looking at her. “A shirtless Jack Routh would double that. Damn!”

“You should have seen him in a loin cloth.” Reese sipped her wine. “Now that was a sight.”

She tamped down the jealousy bubbling inside her and shook her head. At least LAPD were represented well in this unique survival show.

“So what do we send Liz and Jack?” Jessica asked.

Aside from the one item they were allowed to bring to the island, she learned that fans could vote to have one item from a selection be brought to the person. The choices were random, from a book, a water container, a flashlight and even a ukulele. Once a certain threshold was met, the organizers of the show would deliver the items to the contestants.

“They already have water…” Jessica mused. “And that bamboo is really a versatile material. Who knew you could cook using wood?”

“Your husband’s really resourceful. How did he know that stuff?” Pam asked.

“I’m not sure. Maybe he learned it when he was younger.” She would have to ask that question when Jack came back.

As far as she knew, Jack didn’t have any knowledge of wilderness survival. He was a city boy, and his first time outside the state was when he went to New York. He certainly didn’t have any opportunity to know how to survive in a tropical climate, unless… No. She would get to that later.

She was coming to a logical, yet disturbing conclusion. Her husband was raised as a child soldier, and judging from his training, it was their own country that provided it. An undisclosed black ops program perhaps? There were just too many coincidences.

Jack spoke several languages fluently, and he was skilled in armed and unarmed combat. She did not miss how observant he was, always looking for threats before relaxing and then his incredible deductive reasoning.

There were other things as well. Small things, that at first she didn’t pay attention to before. He was very organized, and neat. The way he folded their sheets after waking up, with crisp, military like precision without a crease in sight that would make a drill sergeant proud. The way he was familiar with military jargon and culture that she rarely had to explain further whenever she shared her military past with him.

Now he was showing his impressive survival skills on a deserted island, as if he was given extensive survival training like he was part of the navy seals. She needed to investigate this.

“With the way this group is eating, I don’t think they will lose any weight when the week is over.”  Pam observed.

She looked at the screen once more and watched as Jack placed what he caught in the tide pools, a crab, mussels, and some sort of octopus inside a large bamboo filled with saltwater. He then placed the whole bamboo log over the fire in a slanted position.

She watched as Liz clapped her hands in delight when the quick cooking time was over. She could hear the bubbling noise of water inside the bamboo container and saw steam coming out of it. With a quick chop of his knife on the sealed end, Jack cracked the whole bamboo apart, revealing the cooked seafood bounty inside it.

“Wow. It even looks good.” Jessica breathed out.

“Now that’s a presentation.” Pam added.