Episode 27 Vacation (part 1/2) (Patreon)

Episode 27 Vacation (part 1/2)

Taylor Swift

Jack Routh was a jerk.

First, he backed out of performing a tour with her, and she was forced to perform their songs with a guest singers. They were good, but singing Somebody I Used to Know did not have that same amount energy when she performed it with her original partner. Second, Jack begged off from going with her to Pennsylvania. Didn’t he enjoy her private jet?

Now, she was surprised to learn that he was participating in a reality survival show!

“Ha! Take that mister survival expert!” Her father was watching the two hour highlights of each day that the show runners published with that Bear Grylls narrating.

“What’s happening?” She asked.

“The first group voted for a new leader.” Her dad replied. “Fred was being a know it all. No wonder Jack left the same day he met him.”

She was too late to watch the first day, and so she had to catch up. She really liked this new format, it felt like she could check up on Jack at any time through the video stream.

What’s this? They could vote for items to be sent to their favorite participants? She eyed the selection and she zeroed in on one object. Perfect. She took a screenshot of the object she liked and quickly made a post in instargram.

@Please vote to send this to our favorite Sugar! #BearGrylls  #7DaysIslandSurvival #Sugar

She watched as the number of likes and engagements steadily increased. Perfect.

She sat beside her dad and leaned on his shoulder. She wondered why they were talking about a snake in the comments.

“What’s happening now?” She asked.

“The first group’s trying to fish with the fishing rod they got.” Her father explained. “Second group is still lost in the jungle, but they’re trying to make their way to the first group.”

“I mean what about Jack?” She asked.

“Oh. He made an amazing breakfast for his girls.”

His girls? She quickly opened her tablet to watch the feed for Jack while her father continued to watch the recap for the first day and put on her headphones.

She immediately screamed and took off her headphones.

“Honey! What’s wrong?”

“There’s a dead wild boar in there!” She couldn’t believe what Jack just did. He killed a wild boar!

“It’s an invasive species, just like the snake.” Her father replied as he leaned over. “You’re over acting sweetie.”

“Still! It’s a wild boar!” And Jack killed it with a spear through the eye. The dying screams were horrible.

“What are they supposed to eat then?”

“I don’t know! But that’s still… ughh.” It was hard to explain. She did not like to eat her food that reminded her that they were alive before. It was just not done.

She stayed on the couch and spent the rest of the day just watching Jack. She was a bit jealous of Liz that she now had so much alone time with him. Well not alone, there was the blonde tomboy. She couldn’t believe she was a firefighter.

Their camp was coming along. Who knew bamboo had so much uses? And it looked pretty too!

The next morning, she was excited to see that her plan from yesterday worked. The producers visited Jack’s group from a speedboat and delivered the items. Liz got a feminine care kit, the firefighter got a metal jerry can and Jack got her ukulele!

She spent the day in various meetings with her agency but her mind was still mostly on the new show. Their numbers were up, way up. Her new songs, along with her new masters were outselling her old album, essentially making the label that she was previously under slowly lose one of their most valuable IPs. They didn’t want to sell? She would make her old songs incapable of generating income for them.

Somebody I used to know was everywhere, and Unwell was everyone’s favorite introvert song. There were many covers already popping up, some from famous artists. They were nothing though compared to the original video with the two songs back to back that had now crossed into a billion views and was still rising.

Ariana was really pushing for a collaboration with Jack, but too bad for her, she held all the keys and had already placed all the locks on the doors. No one was getting Jack, his elusiveness added to his branding of a simple police officer who sings and create songs for a hobby. She needed to maintain that appeal, the rebel who didn’t do it for money or fame but for the love of music itself. It was something she could deeply relate to.

Attaching herself to his name brought in those who were into the less mainstream scene and preferred indie music. She got home late at night and decided to check in on Jack. It was late now, and with the time difference that should mean they were at around sunset.

Jack was sitting on what looked like a newly built bamboo bench. She couldn’t see him, as it was from the point of view of his camera, but she did see the gorgeous sunset on the island. It even looked like they were filtered by a golden color. Not satisfied and wanting to see Jack, she shifted the stream to Liz’s and turned up the volume.

Oh wow. He looked gorgeous with the golden rays hitting his bare torso and face. Hello old friend in the sock again later and she started to screenshot the image for visual aid. She badly wanted to run her hands along his arms and chest. Good thing she already brought extra batteries.

“...the music?” The blonde firefighter asked. “I mean how can you come up with such interesting lyrics? Do you like brainstorm the words with a group or something?”

“You read, you get out, and experience life to the fullest.” Jack replied. As she suspected, he also knew how to play the small instrument. Her gamble paid off. He was playing her ukulele, once again producing beautiful notes from it.

“But a song doesn’t need elaborate lyrics to make it great.” Jack explained. “Anything can be an inspiration.”

“Like this amazing sunset.” Liz added. “This wonderful amber color.”

“See? We can make a song about that.” Jack replied and leaned back against the pole of their bamboo hut.

“Like… you’re singing a song now?” Liz asked.

She sat up. She could recognize that look on Jack’s face, the smile, the far-away look in his eyes. He was cooking something… did she dare to hope?

“Let’s call this one, Amber.” Jack stated and started playing the ukulele. A set of new notes started coming out of the instrument. It had a relaxed, almost lazy quality to it.

[Amber – 311]

Brainstorm, take me away from the norm…

I got to tell you something…

This phenomenon…

I had to put in a song…

And it goes like…

Whoa! Amber is the color of your energy…

Whoa! Shades of gold displayed naturally…

Holy shit. Jack was creating a song just from a simple conversation. She pressed the volume button up, and almost screamed in frustration that she wasn’t there in person in that secluded beach to see a once in a lifetime performance.

You wanna know what brings me here... oh…

You glide through my head, blind to fear

And I know, why…

Whoa! Amber is the color of your energy…

Whoa! Shades of gold displayed naturally…

Jack started playing a solo, and she watched with an open mouth as her fellow blonde on the beach started using the empty jerry can between her legs like a drum with her hands. This… this was such a random, unexpected moment. This was Jack’s appeal, and what made his songs precious and unique. She heard her phone ringing and she quickly pressed the ignore button.

What other instruments can he play? He was as good at the ukulele as he was in her guitars.

Whoa! Amber is the color of your energy…

Whoa! Shades of gold displayed naturally…

The ukulele produced such pure and relaxed notes that she had to smile. This… this was the perfect sunset song. Her phone rang again.

“Stop calling!” She buried it under her pillows.

You live too far away

Your voice rings like a bell anyway…

Don’t give up your independence

Unless it feels so right

Nothing good comes easily

Sometimes you got to fight

Whoa! Amber is the color of your energy…

Whoa! Shades of gold displayed naturally…

Launched a thousand ships in my heart, so easy

Still, it’s fine from afar and you know that..

Whoa! Brainstorm, take me away from the norm…

Whoa! I got to tell you something…

Jack stopped playing and the blonde stopped the beat with the jerry can. They were silent for a moment before the two women erupted in applause.

“That. Was. Amazing!” Liz exclaimed.

No shit Liz. That was probably the greatest musical moment you might have experienced. Okay, she was jealous that she missed out and only got to see it from a screen. The annoying buzzing sound reminded her of her phone and she fished it out from her under her pillows.

“What?” She asked as she answered the call.

“Taylor, thank god you answered! We already typed the lyrics! Copyright?” One of her staff asked.

Right. That must be taken care of. She knew better than anyone about protecting intellectual property. “Go ahead, and thank you. Please rush this.”

“You got it. Good night Taylor.”

“Good night.”

She wished there was a replay button, but unfortunately it was a live stream. Damn. She needed to listen to it again. His impromptu performance transported her to that very beach for those few minutes. She suddenly had an idea for Jack’s surprise and started messaging Angela. She was sure a boat would have a better view of that amber sky.

Zoe Andersen Routh

There was a deeper meaning to the lyrics. While the rest of her guests discussed her husband’s latest musical performance, she fell deep in thought.

Don’t give up your independence

Unless it feels so right

Nothing good comes easily

Sometimes you got to fight

Was it his subconscious that made those words pour out of his mouth? She had no idea, but it fit perfectly, another piece to the complex puzzle that was her husband. She tried to recall some of his songs, their lyrics and the deep meaning behind them. From See you again, to Payphone and now Amber. Some of his lyrics spoke of almost a past life that was far removed from where they were now.

Mother told me, yes she told me

 I’d meet boys like you.

She also told me stay away,

You’ll never know what you’ll catch

“Wow! Go Liz!” Jessica cheered.

She focused back on the screen and realized that her friend could also carry a tune. She was singing a song that sounded vaguely familiar, but it sounded like it was from the 70s or 80s.

Mommy’s alright, Daddy’s alright

They just seem a little weird

Surrender, Surrender

But don’t give yourself away, hey, hey!

“What’s she singing?” She asked. Mommy. Daddy. Jack’s parents… they were the key.

“Surrender, by Cheap Trick.” Jessica replied. “She changed a few words though.”

“They’re goofing around.” Pam observed. “Still, I’m somewhat jealous with their vacation.”

“It becomes more evident when you compare their small group with the other two.” Reese added. “The rest are suffering from starvation and thirst, while they’re literally having a musical session with their bellies full.”

“You husband’s carrying them.” Jessica glanced at her.

“It helped that Liz and that… Lucy are team players.” She replied. The two women clearly recognized her husband’s contributions and were trying to be helpful in return.

“So, are you packed yet?” Pam asked. She noticed both her best friends were interested in her upcoming vacation. She wondered if they were planning a trip in the future to Hawaii, since they kept asking her for details about her trip. Where will she stay, the itinerary and even her flight.

“Nearly there.” She replied. “I just need to add some last minute purchases.”

That was the price Jack demanded when she asked him to join the survival show. She hoped her husband will appreciate those wicked weasel bikinis she had in store for him. Everyone on the station was in vacation mode. Despite her best efforts, even Gray was less strict with the men and women of her division who couldn’t stop talking about their Hawaii trip even during their working hours.

She would meet Jack in Honolulu, since he was already in the area. She couldn’t wait to see him again. Watching him anytime she wanted, 24/7 did ease her worries a little.

Edward Michael “Bear” Grylls

The show was even better than he expected. The prototype body camera they were using was a game changer. What he didn’t account for was the need for more editors to review footage from all 24 participants.

There was so much drama, that they were barely able to submit a final cut for the first episode. Another problem that cropped up was the disproportionate amount of interest from the public that was focused on the smallest group in the island.

Who knew Jack Routh, celebrity cop and musician, was also a survival expert? He was even blown away by the larger man’s competency and adaptability. Then the man started performing what looked like a brand new song, as the interns informed him.

There was a sudden surge of votes for the ukulele to be delivered to the celebrity cop. He realized Routh’s fans were more organized than he expected.

“Here are the latest figures.” His producer handed him a report, containing all sorts of metrics.

“These are in the millions?” He asked.

“Several companies are sending representatives to negotiate product placement.” The producer grinned. “We made bank, Grylls.”

He focused on his medical team after reviewing the report and observed as they carefully monitored the individual streams.

“How are they doing?” He asked.

“Some are dehydrated.” The medic reported. “If it goes on like this for a few more days, we might have to intervene.”

“I doubt it.” One producer replied. “Weather forecast says it’s going to rain extensively tomorrow. They’ll have enough water with that.”

“They might have to switch over to the spare cameras.” He remarked.

“Battery should hold out.” His technician explained. “They do go on a low power mode when the participants are sleeping.”

“What about the splinter group?” As of the second day, Two large groups have formed with the two camps within sight of one another. Karen and Fred did not get along, just as he predicted.  He did not anticipate Routh breaking off and establishing his own camp at a more remote beach on the other side of the island. There were talks among some of the participants about reaching out to the trio that left, but he doubted if anyone could find them through the dense jungle and into their secluded area.

“They’re eating well.” The medic replied. “Routh did just catch a pig after all. That should last them a couple of days before it goes bad.”

“He also killed a large python.” His producer added. “Those three are in a vacation.”

“And their hut is coming along nicely.” He observed.

Being so close to the source, he was not surprised that they had the best accommodations. They had a raised, bamboo floor, a mosquito net and a roof. Every hour the trio of Jack, Elizabeth and Lucy were continually adding more material to their temporary shelter, with sturdier supports and roof. They had even stacked dry wood inside their hut, and he had to applaud Routh for his foresight.

Despite Jack being the primary provider, the two women were pulling their own weight. Their only issue was a regular source of water, since not every bamboo stored enough liquid to properly hydrate the trio.

He can confidently say that the three would last the longest out of all the participants.

 “See if you can put an angle with Winstead and Routh. Let’s see if that will attract more attention for the edit of Episode 2.” He ordered. “Highlight the shots of them frolicking on the beach with her in a bikini and him in just his shorts.”  

That would prove irresistible to the public. A budding affair in a deserted island with a known home wrecker and an attractive, married younger man. It was a pity Lucy had to join them, but they can edit the teaser in a way that there was a growing attraction between the two famous celebrities. The public would eat that up.

Jack Routh

The morning of day four started out with clear blue skies. They just had to smoke the remains of the boar for food. He continued to reinforce their bamboo hut while the girls started in their own project.

 Lucy decided that they needed a better fire pit and she and Liz had been collecting large rocks to serve as a base and perimeter. He humored the two after his own task of adding braces to the support poles was done and started on creating a small roof to cover their firepit.

What started as a relaxing morning turned frantic after their mid day lunch of smoked boar meat and mussels. They all saw the gray, ominous clouds forming over the horizon and heading their way.

It was a frantic push to finish their tasks after that. He quickly finished the roof of the fire pit and stocked on more dry wood inside their hut. Everything was finally prepared and they spent the time resting while watching the clouds come closer. The wind grew colder, forcing the girls to wear their windbreakers once more.

“We’re like stranded pirates.” Lucy had tied a shirt around her head and waved her walking stick like as sword. “In a deserted island with buried treasure like Captain Jack Sparrow! The only thing missing is the booze.”

“I did enjoy the movies.” Liz replied. “What about you, Jack?”

“Pirate movies are fun, but not accurate.” He watched with amusement as Lucy started fighting with an imaginary foe. “They romanticized the idea of pirates.”

“Romanticized?” Lucy asked.

“Pirates during their height were hated.” He explained. “That’s why they were hanged or executed by firing squad. You can say they’re the terrorists of their age.”

“What did Captain Sparrow say again? Raid, Pillage and Plunder?” Liz asked.

“That was in the movie?” He asked. He never watched the pirates of the Caribbean movie series before, though he did hear of Johnny Depp playing that iconic character whose costume became popular with kids during Halloween.

Seeing the nods from the two he continued speaking. “They probably changed that line to make it sound tamer. Pirates raped, pillaged and plundered. These are the worst of the worst men. I find it amusing that we have romanticized them, to the point that we’re calling sports teams pirates and little kids wearing their costumes pretending to be one.”

“Now that you explained it like that, it is disturbing.” Liz commented.

“Time changes views.” He shrugged. “Who knows, maybe two hundred years from now there will be a sports team called the Los Angeles Terrorists and stores will be selling trick or treat costumes of suicide vests. Their parents will think it’s cute, not understanding what we had to go through.

“Can you tell me more about pirates?” Lucy asked.

With nothing else to do he decided to indulge the blonde.

“The word Pirate came from the Latin word Pirata, which came from the Greek word Peirates. The word Peirates means anyone who attempts something. Pirates are a constant presence even in ancient history. They just came to prominence in the 1700s at the age of sail. Then in 1724, a writer gathered information of known pirates of the day and wrote a book about it. He even wrote under a fake name, Captain Charles Johnson to make it appear that he knew what he was talking about, but he didn’t.”

“So this man published that book called A General History of Pyrates.” He continued speaking. The wind grew colder and he felt the two girls shift closer to him. “He invented things about those pirates, literal fan fiction, but it caught on. Hidden treasures, secret pirate bases, pirate lore, it all came from that book. It even came with illustrations so it became widely popular.”

Using his stick, he drew a rough drawing in the sand that everyone recognized. A skull with crossbones at the back. “This, the Jolly Roger, came from that book, and look how widely recognized it is today.”

“All from one book?” Lucy asked.

“You could say that book is the bible for pirate enthusiasts, and completely ignored historical accuracy and facts.” He replied. “It became so popular that it birthed modern works, like Captain Hook from Peter Pan and that movie Treasure Island from Disney.”

“So who would you say is the most successful pirate?” Lucy asked.

“Some would say it was Edward Teach, also known as the Blackbeard.” He answered. “But I would argue that Bartholomew Roberts is the most successful. He pioneered the flag that would later inspire that author to create the Jolly Roger. He raided over 400 ships and attacked coasts from the Americas all the way to West Africa. He was so well known that he was called the Great Pyrate, and sometimes the Black Bart.”

“He also inspired the character Dread Pirate Roberts, if you’re familiar with the character.” He laughed at the surprise in his two student’s faces.

“No way!” Liz grinned. “I love princess bride!”

“What’s that about?” Lucy asked.

As the two women talked about the book and the movie, he got up and took one last look around their hut. The cordage he made from the thin strips of bamboo looked to be holding well, adding strength to the slotted notches of the bamboo frame.

A crack of thunder caused him to look up as he felt drops of rain on his bare shoulders. It looked like their water problem was answered for the time being. Now he just needed to collect enough of it to last for three more days.

The rain grew stronger and lightning flashes lit up the cloudy sky. He knew it was late afternoon, but it felt like the sun had set already with how dark the sky was. He angled Lucy’s metal jerry can and their water bottles to collect the rain water dripping from the roof.

The girls had run inside the hut to stay dry, and he could hear them shout for him to get in. He set up the last few improvised water containers from bamboo to collect rainwater as well and hurried inside.

“You stubborn idiot.” Liz handed him his dry shirt. “I don’t want you to get sick.”

“It’s a good opportunity to collect water. We were running low.” He explained. His own water bottle was nearly full and he took it inside and quickly emptied it. Refreshed, he put it back outside and it started to collect water once more from the roof.

Liz and Lucy copied his actions while he checked the fire. It looked like the logs were still burning, and the roof high above it was giving it some protection from the rain.

With nothing else to do, and with spare materials around him, he decided to make a fish trap. It would do to have some variety in their food for tomorrow.

“What are you doing?” Lucy asked.

“I’m chopping thin strips of bamboo for the basket I’m making.” He answered.

“What for?” He felt Liz look over his shoulder.

“It’s for a fish trap.”

“Can I help? I want to learn that.” Liz asked.

He explained his process, and once he had more than enough strips, he started teaching the two women about the first few steps in making a basic frame. They spent the rainy afternoon making baskets and the two quickly got the hang of it.

“Let’s deploy it.” Lucy suggested. The blonde was eager to see her trap at work. “I can’t wait to have fish for breakfast.”

“Let’s look for a chance when the rain stops or weakens from this downpour.” He answered. “It’s too dark outside.”

“I’ll prepare some torches.” Liz added and started stripping off bits of cloth from her shirt.

Lucy Chen

“Okay, I’m officially jealous.” She stared at the TV screen, using her namesake Lucy’s stream for the moment since it provided a nice view of Jack’s bare back. “24/7 beside a shirtless Jack Routh? I should have signed up for that.”

“You would just starve.” Rachel replied.

They were having a watch party at her apartment. Tim couldn’t come, but Tamara had shown up at the last minute to her delight.  

“I still can’t believe he sang in my dorm room.” The teen sighed. The girl had a massive crush on her fellow rookie ever since he agreed with her request.

“What are they doing now?” Rachel asked.

“They’re deploying the fish traps, I think.” She replied.

“Smart.” Rachel replied. “They’re so different compared to the other group.”

“That Karen was so annoying.” Tamara shared. “They haven’t even figured out their food situation. Those two other groups are barely surviving. They hadn’t had a decent meal since day 1.”

“Did you have survival training like that in the academy?” Her best friend asked.

She kept her eyes glue to the screen, watching as Jack weighed down the three traps with rocks in the shallow waters in the dark while the two women held up their torches.

“No.” She finally replied. “We’re cops, not rangers.”

“So how did Jack learn how to do all that stuff?” Tamara asked.

“I don’t know.” She’d ask him in Hawaii. He’d surprise him many times since he arrived at Mid-Wilshire, but he didn’t look the part of a survival expert. He made it look so easy, but she was sure anyone else in their division would struggle when placed in a similar type of environment.

She made a mental note to ask her fellow rookie for wilderness survival lessons if she ever gets the chance. Those skills he displayed could be the difference between a life of comfort, or misery as she watched another feed of one of the two groups on the other side of the island.

They looked miserable, cold and wet. The fire they struggled to keep alive had died, and she knew they would have a challenge to start one again, with how wet and damp everything was.

Jack and the two girls with him had gone back to their sturdy looking hut. They were dry, warm, comfortable, and most of all, insect bite free thanks to the actress’ mosquito net. Their skins were smooth and tanned, unlike the other participants who had numerous small red bumps from being feasted upon by mosquitoes and other insects.

That translated to better quality of sleep, and more energy for the day. It was starting to look like Jack had been given an unfair extra one week of vacation. No matter, she would soon join him soon in Hawaii.

“I’m so jealous.” Tamara confessed as the conversation turned to her upcoming Hawaii trip. Rachel was coming since she was invited by Tim and her best friend had shown her photos of what she would be wearing throughout the trip.

“You have classes, Tamara.” She told the teen. Maybe she’d meet a nice, handsome guy on the islands. She made sure her bikinis were attractive enough to catch their attention.

“I know, but Hawaii?” The girl looked wistful and then gestured to a shirtless Jack whose body was illuminated by torchlight. “Seven days, with that guy?”

“You do know he’s married, and his wife is my boss.” She replied.

“I can look. He’s basically eye candy.” Tamara replied.

She was surprised by the laughter that came out of her and Rachel had joined in, leaving a bewildered looking teen who was staring at the two of them in confusion. That comment was so appropriate.

“Okay girl.” Rachel put a hand over the teen’s shoulder. “Let me show you a particular website.”

“Website?” Tamara perked up.

“Rachel!” She hissed at her best friend, but she was ignored. She knew what website she was talking about. “That’s inappropriate!”

“Chill Lucy, it’s only looking!” Rachel replied as she fiddled with her phone for a few moments and then handed it to Tamara.

“Oh my god.” The teen’s eyes widened with surprise.

She didn’t have to look. She had seen the website herself many times, and it contained high quality pictures and gifs of her fellow rookie. She may have saved a few of them, but it was not like she had a secret folder for both Jack and Tim on her phone containing her favorites, sorted and renamed according to date and location.

She definitely did not download a fake calculator app with a secret password which was her old school ID number, containing that folder that she sometimes used whenever she was feeling a little… stressed. And she definitely did not have secret fantasies about those two men, or even about both of them taking her together in a passionate warm night.

 Nope, she didn’t do that at all.