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“I didn’t catch anything!” I protested. “It flew at me like a bat out of hell and latched on to my sweater.”

He had the nerve to crack a smile. “You do attract them. It must be that soft heart of yours.” He looked over my shoulder and pointed out the window. “Look. We’ve got blue skies again. I think we’re past the worst of the storm.”

I followed his gaze and saw he was correct. Now that the Great Chicken Recapture had passed, I realized we’d descended quite low and must be near our destination. Sure enough, signs of a town soon appeared. I could even see the runway in the distance. By runway, I meant a tiny strip of road in the middle of a forest.

The landing was bumpier than I liked, but at least we hadn’t crashed, which was a miracle in itself. When the plane finally stopped and the door opened, the pilot saluted us cheerfully, as if nothing had happened. He took the chickens and disappeared down the stairs, and started walking down the runway toward a small building in the distance.

“Where’s he going?” I asked.

“His job is done,” Slash said, shrugging. “We’re here in one piece after all.”

“Barely,” I said in a huff.

Somehow, I managed to unbuckle my seat belt, get my carry-on and wobble off the plane. Once I was safely on the ground, I sank to my knees and kissed the runway—literally pressing my lips against the road. I sat there for another minute, letting my stomach settle and hoping no other plane wanted to land soon. I was still shaky, but so grateful we’d made it in one piece, I could live with the discomfort. In the meantime, Slash had collected the rest of our luggage and the equipment we’d carted on Vaccitex’s behalf and set it on the runway next to the plane.

We hadn’t been there for much more than ten minutes when I heard the rattle of an engine in the distance. A guy in an old faded red pickup truck drove toward us, honking and waving a hand out the window.

“That must be our ride,” Slash said, regarding the truck with arms crossed against his chest, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes.

The guy in the truck pulled up in front of Slash, cut the engine and hopped out. “Are you the scientists from Vaccitex?” he asked.

“We are.” Gwen stepped forward to stand next to Slash. “And you are?”

The man stuck out his hand. “Salvador Reis, at your service. I’m the resident guide. You’re right on time. Welcome to Coari.” His dark hair was plastered to his head from the humidity and despite the heat, he wore scuffed boots and a long-sleeve shirt. He had a neatly trimmed mustache and a wide smile.

Slash and Gwen introduced themselves first and he shook their hands. He waited for me to approach and I did, dragging my carry-on behind me.

“I’m Lexi Carmichael from X-Corp.”

“Lexi, yes. I’ve heard all about you...about all of you. Come, let’s load your luggage and equipment into the truck and I’ll get you to the research station.”

It took us about fifteen minutes to load everything. I worried that the old truck wouldn’t make it with the weight of four adults, our luggage and the boxes of equipment, but somehow the truck moved along. Since we were smaller than Slash, Gwen and I wedged into tiny jumper seats behind the driver and passenger seats. At five feet eleven, it was an uncomfortable position for me. At least my height permitted me to look out the window. Gwen, on the other hand, was shoehorned into the seat and trapped on either side by my long legs. Every minute of this trip would be too many.

Salvador sniffed the air. “Why do you guys smell like chickens?”

Slash glanced at me over his shoulder, his lips twitching. “It’s a long story. We had a close encounter with a few on the plane. Luckily, all ended well.”

As we tooled along, Slash made light conversation with Salvador, whose English was pretty good. We learned he was an official guide for this region of the country and was being paid by the Brazilian government to assist Vaccitex, leading them to the villages in remote areas. I had a lot of questions, but Salvador wouldn’t have been able to hear me over the roar of the engine. Besides, I had to clench my teeth to keep them from knocking together as we hit every bump in Brazil. So, onward we went.

To say the road was bumpy would be an understatement.

To call the road a road was an understatement.

There were long stretches of time where the road abruptly ended and we continued forward over grass and fields. The humidity was torture—I was sweating, rivulets dripping down my temples and neck and sliding down my back. There was no air conditioning in the car, just the open windows. I tried, mostly unsuccessfully, to angle my head to get a bit of the breeze.

It took us about an hour to reach the research station. The station was protected with barbed wire and armed guards standing in front of a handmade wooden barrier. Inside were roughhewn structures and one modern-looking white building. Antennas and communication devices sat atop the white structure. A large bonfire was roaring on one side of the camp and was being tended to by a couple of people.

“We are currently located at a central location of the rainforest, near to Coari, but also a good landing site for us to travel to the various villages,” Salvador announced. “Welcome to Vaccitex’s scientific research center.”

Chapter Seventeen

Lexi

The barrier was pulled aside and our truck drove inside and parked. We hopped out and started to help pull out the boxes and supplies as well as our suitcases. A bunch of people dressed in camouflage outfits and boots came to help us, chattering in Portuguese.

“Soldiers?” I whispered to Slash.

“Probably,” he answered. “I suspect they’re on loan from the government. This area is rampant with pirates and thieves, thus the barbed wire and guards out front and inside. The team needs them for protection here and in order to safely traverse to the villages.”