After waking Kali up, we all headed out to a local diner across the street, taking seats at the bar.

   "So, what's on the agenda for today?" Kali asked.

   Noel opened her folder on the bar. "I was told about a contact living here. Klaus Friedrich. Apparently he found an old Nazi base out in the jungle. I figure that's a good a place as any to start."

   "Alright, let's go find him." I said, absentmindedly reaching for my wallet to pay.

   "Looking for this?" I heard, turning around on the barstool to see a tall man in a nice suit. He held my wallet in his hands.

I stood, taking the wallet. "Yes, thank you. Where'd you find it?"

He clasped his hands together, speaking with a German accent. "My... Associate had it... I believe you two have already met."

He gestured to a woman sitting at a back table. The same woman who bumped into me yesterday. "She lifted my wallet? Why?"

The man shrugged. "Let's call it... A curiosity." He stuck his hand towards me, then. "Klaus Friedrich, pleasure to meet you."

I hesitantly shook his hand, flipping my gaze to the woman as she stood.

Klaus shook Noel and Kali's hands before introducing us to the woman. "Ladies, this is Heidi. The wallet thief." He said with a laugh.

The woman sized me up, that same smirk playing at her lips.

I just stared into her eyes, refusing to back down, a silent intensity dancing through the air.

Noel rested her hand on my shoulder, then, whispering into my ear. "Easy now... We need them..."

I finally backed down, Heidi flashing me a wink.

"So, now that we are all acquainted, are we ready to go?" Klaus asked.

I shook my head. "Not yet, I forgot my gear at our hotel."

"No problem at all, we'll be in the black Mercedes across the street." Klaus said, leading Heidi out of the diner.

Kali let out a breath. "Did that seem super suspicious to anyone else? Or just me?"

I turned to her. "It was definitely weird."

"Weird or not, we still need them. So, let's grab your stuff." Noel said, leading us back to the hotel.

Kali headed to her room to grab her things while Noel and I stepped into our room.

I set my back pack on the table, pulling a small, locked case out of it.

"What's that?" Noel asked, slinging her bag over her shoulders.

I unlocked the case, flipping the lid open to reveal a pistol. A Walther PPK to be exact. Just like James Bond.

"Just a little extra insurance." I said, flipping the safety on before sliding it into my belt.

Noel eyed me, but didn't say anything.

I pulled my back pack on. "C'mon, let's get moving."

Kali followed us out towards the black, Mercedes SUV parked in front of the hotel.

I held the back door open, allowing Kali and Noel to slide in first, before getting in next to them.

Klaus started the car. "Alright, ladies, off we go."

The ride was mostly silent, the old streets of the town eventually giving way to dirt trails, jungle surrounding us.

   "So..." I spoke up. "How'd you two find this place?"

   Klaus gave me a quick look through the rear view mirror. "We were on a hike through the jungle when we stumbled upon it."

   "How do you know it's a Nazi base?" Kali asked.

   Heidi eyed her through the rear view mirror this time. "Educated guess." She said.

   Kali sunk back into her seat, whispering to me. "Why is she looking at me like that?"

   "Was there anything else there? Maps? Documents? Artifacts?" Noel asked.

   Klaus shook his head. "Not that we could find... That's what you are here for, no?"

   "If there's something still there, I'll find it." I chimed in.

   The trail in front of started to narrow before disappearing completely, prompting Klaus to stop the car. "Alright, we go by foot from here."

   We shared a look as Klaus and Heidi stepped out of the car.

   "I'm getting a seriously bad vibe from them." Kali said.

   "Me to... Stay alert." I replied.

We stepped out of the car, then, following Klaus and Heidi deep into the jungle...

Heidi walked out in front of everyone, slashing her machete through the foliage, Noel and I were in the rear.

"So, if you're not dating, what have you been up to?" She asked.

   I smacked the back of my neck, hopefully killing the mosquito. "I was in Brazil last month, Scotland a few months before that and I was supposed to be on my way to Egypt right about now."

   Noel lowered her head. "So, work..."

   I looked to her. "Yes? What else would I be doing?"

   She sighed. "Living your life. Building friendships, relationships... Starting a family."

   "Work is my life. It's my passion... I know you could never seem to understand that-"

   "I understood it all to well..." She cut off. "But, once you get started on an adventure, the people around you... The people who love you... We all just become white noise. Like whatever thousand year old trinket your digging for is more important... I loved your job, I loved the adventure... And, I loved you to... But I seemed to take a back seat to history."

   "What're you saying?"

   She threw her arms up. "I'm saying, it would've been nice if you looked at me the same way you look at a mummy or a priceless statue."

   I stopped walking, turning to her. "Noel... I did love you and I did look at you like that... But, I love my job to and I didn't want to be put in a position where I'd have to choose..."

   She looked down. "I didn't want you to choose between me and your job... I just wanted you to take me out on a date every once in a while..."

   "I took you out to that really nice restaurant in Rome." I defended.

   She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, because there were unexplored catacombs underneath the floor."

   I rubbed my chin. "Oh, yeah... Well, what about our trip to Japan?"

   She crossed her arms over her chest. "The remains of an ancient Japanese emperor."

   I scratched my head. "Africa?"

   "Tribal mask."

   I let out a long breath. "I guess you're right... I was so caught up in the adventure, I just assumed you were as well."

   She took my hands in hers. "I was, Nat, for a long time... But, as you get older you just want different things... I was ready to settle down and it was clear you weren't."

   I finally looked into her eyes, giving her hands a squeeze. "I'm sorry, Noel..."

   A small smile tugged at her lips. "It's ok, Nat... No harm, no foul."

   I returned it, the jungle growing quiet as we looked into each other's eyes... Totally lost in the moment...

   Then, we heard Kali clear her throat, causing us to jump apart. "So, that was weird."

   I rubbed the back of my neck. "What's up, Kali?"

   "We're setting up camp over there." She said, pointing her thumb behind her.

   Noel and I shared a look before walking off towards the others...