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Ezra walked up to the fallen tree and gave it a swift kick before turning around and dropping down upon it with a loud “harrumph”.
He knew with certainty that he had been here before.
Dropping his head into his hands he muttered to himself. “Circle….you’ve been walking in a large circle…and now look, you’re talking to yourself!”
Ezra P. Standish, undercover specialist for the ATF was out of his element.
He had questioned Chris when the order came through requesting that he take a survival test. It was clear that the order had come from the top and there was no way around it. In hindsight, perhaps he should have thought twice before calling the Deputy Director an imbecile. However, in his defense he had not immediately recognized the man who had run into him in the hall, causing the latte he carried to splatter all over his new suit, and once realizing his error it was too late. It would appear the man expected a bit more respect than he had received from the disgruntled southerner and was wanting his pound of flesh.
As a result he now sat dropped in the middle of the forest with no compass, no supplies and no gun. His task was simply, to make his way to civilization. A simple task for the other members of his team but the woods were as foreign to him as the spending the evening alone on New Year’s Eve was to Buck Wilmington.
“Now drop me in the inner city with drug dealers, or rival gangs trying to run illegal guns and I’m your man,” Ezra muttered, looking around at his surroundings and realizing he was truly lost and alone.
“Easy to see why they didn’t leave me with a gun,” Ezra’s voice rose with every word, “they were afraid I’d shoot myself!”
With a deep sigh Ezra gained control of his emotions. “Enough pity party, so what would Mr. Tanner do if lost and alone in the woods?” Ezra chuckled, realizing that Vin would never become lost to start with. No, his friend would pick himself up, take in his surroundings, decide on a plan of attack, and move ahead.
Ezra looked up at the canopy of leaves obscuring the sun. No help there. With just a small beam of sunlight making it through the lush growth he could have used it to guide him. Keeping him on a straight course until he crossed a trail.
Standing, Ezra closed his eyes and listened to the sounds around him, hunting for what Vin would have called his inner compass. While he could hear no cars or sound of civilization to direct him, he did hear the wind blowing through the trees, a few birds chirping and the sound of something scurrying across the forest floor. He felt a calmness wash over him and then he heard it. The trickle of a stream off to the left.
That was it! Follow the water! Water runs downstream. If he followed the water it would lead him down the mountain, out of the forest, and back to civilization.
Moving in the direction of the sound Ezra soon found himself by a mountain brook. He stopped long enough to take a sip of the cold, clear water.
Continuing on his journey Ezra realized that while he might have been momentarily lost, he had never felt alone. The southerner smiled at the insight. Even here, in the middle of nowhere, he knew for certain that his team, his friends, had his back. Then Ezra did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He began to whistle. The jaunty melody drifting off with the breeze.
***********
Vin watched the blip on the screen as the microscopic tracking beacon he had slipped into Ezra’s jacket sent back the man’s location. It had been questionable for a while but he knew his friend had worked it out.
“How’s he doing?” Chris asked, stepping into the back of the van and glancing at the monitor. “Is that whistling I hear?”
“Yep. He'll be at the road in about 20 minutes. Probably should head that way and pick him up.”
“Take the jeep and I’ll head back to the office with the equipment. Oh and Vin,” Chris smiled, “let’s keep this little surveillance detail just between the two of us.”
The End