Island of Kauai/ Hawaii

I brought my fist down on the fax machine. It hissed and flashed at me in defiance. "Piece of shit. Work! Or I'll scrap you for parts." I threatened.

"You will do no such thing." Said a voice from behind me. "JJ Muldoon, your mother raised you better."

I turned to see my office manager Margeret. Aunt Maggy. A friend of the family. A friend of the family. She'd been with me for years. She was a second mother to me. "If you have a solution, please show me."

She strolled up to the machine and pressed a few buttons, took the documents I was trying to fax, and, like magic, the machine whirred and processed the papers. I looked at Margaret in disbelief. "How the fuck did you do that?"

She gave me a light slap on the cheek. "Language, young man. Your mother raised you better." She scolded me before leaving the fax room.

I smiled and shook my head as I watched her leave. I hated machines. They never worked for me. My whole life technology would malfunction around me. My mother used to call me the techno disaster.

I walked back towards my office. Through the large floor-to-ceiling windows, I could see LB running exercises with his dogs. I waved to him and he waved back.

I entered my office to find a strange man sitting in my quest chair. The man was baby-faced in a red shirt with khaki pants. He wore black aviator sunglasses.

I sat down in my chair and looked at the man across from me. I didn't much appreciate theatrics. I also didn't appreciate someone helping themselves into my office. As I addressed him, I kept my face neutral. "I'm assuming you don't have an appointment."

The man smirked at me. "That would be correct. You'll forgive the cloak and daggers, but I can't afford to be seen here." He said before taking off his sunglasses. His eyes were hard and calculating. They were the eyes of a predator. I held his gaze, not giving an inch. "My name is Lewis Dodgson. I work for BIOSYN genetics."

I knew the name. I knew the company as well. BIOSYN had been INGEN's biggest rival. Lewis Dodgson was a name many people knew. The man had tested a rabies cure on some farmers in Chile without their knowledge or consent. Ten men had lost their lives and there were rumors of even more heinous things done by this man.

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"I'm sorry, mister Dodgson, but whatever the job, whatever the story, the answer is no," I told him. "I know your type all too well. I'm not interested in associating myself with you or your company."

He leaned forward. "Be reasonable Mr. Muldoon. People's lives are counting on you. There are 20 million dollars in it for you."

I drummed my fingers on the surface of my desk. I didn't like this man, and I didn't want to be involved with him. But I needed the money. Repair and maintenance took their toll.

"I'm listening," I said reluctantly.

He smiled smugly and continued. "One of the research facilities in Costa Rica went dark. We can reach them. We set in a rescue team of our own but we haven't heard from them either. The company can't afford to draw attention to ourselves at the moment. That's why we need you. We need you to go in find out what happened and, if necessary, extract our staff safely from the island."

I rubbed my chin, thinking it over. "Let me be clear, Mr. Dodgson, I won't be involved in any illegal activity. I promise discretion to all my clients. I'll go in assess the situation, but if you've done anything inhuman on that island, I won't be part of a cover-up."

"I am aware of my reputation, Mr. Muldoon, but in this case, my motives are transparent. One of our best scientific minds is on that island. He's invaluable to the company. We need him to be alive and well. DO we have a deal?"

"We have a deal. Since I know your reputation, I'll accept half the payment now the rest upon completion."

He smirked and replaced his sunglasses. "That's fine Mr. Muldoon. I look forward to your success. My assistant will forward all the permanent details for the mission within the hour." He stood and waltzed out of my office.

The whole encounter left a sour taste in my mouth. I stood and went outside to join LB and his dogs. The moment the dogs saw me, they bayed and tackled me to the ground. They licked and nuzzled me with affection. I loved LB's dogs. James 'Little Bear' Johnson was an old friend and my right-hand man. He was a Chayanne tracker who used to track game for hunters. LB had been with me since I started Soaring Star Rescue. I trusted him completely. I trusted his opinion even more. When I told him about my meeting with Lews Dodgson, I asked him what he thought about it.

"Bad medicine, my friend. I don't trust the man. The entire mission is sour." He said, echoing my own feelings. "But I've seen the books. A job is a job and we can't afford to be picky."

I sighed and scratched behind one of his dog's ears. "Your right. I know you're right. I just hope this doesn't come back to bite us in the ass."

"No worries. We've been through some tough times, you and I. We'll make it through this too."

I smiled and gave the man a hug. "Thank you for the vote of confidence. Can you go Find Loni? We'll need her for this mission. I'll go look for Hector and tell him to get the Challenger ready." Lb nodded and whistled for his dogs to follow.

I smiled as I watched the furry animals chase after their owner. Resigned to the mission and the situation. I walked back into the main offices of Soaring Star Rescue to look for my helicopter pilot.