You awoke to the unwanted feeling of hands prodding at your back and thighs. You opened your eyes to glare at the intrusion of personal space to be met with wide brown eyes.

    “Uh… I wasn’t doing anything.” the lame excuse came to your ears. You pointedly stared at the arms leading to the hands still placed somewhat beneath your body. “Nothing!” came your employer's final defense quickly taking back his hands to show them open palmed by his head-- a signal of surrender.

    He backed away to give you room to step out of the taxi car. You somewhat sluggishly take a step out wobbling only slightly as you continued the process of waking up from your nap. You took a look at your surroundings. The car had been parked on a dirt road and surrounding you was nothing but an sloping expanse of green. You had stopped but was this actually your destination? A blustery unattended field? Sure it had its own windy charm but where was the cover? This was not a safe place to lay low from whoever it was that insisted on putting bullet holes in your front door, and if they could, probably your head as well. You turned to look at the man who dragged you into this mess and had promised safety. He was staring over the horizon of the grassy hill seemingly enjoying the breeze. The wind blew his hair slightly off his forehead, despite the coolness he had only draped his returned sweatshirt over his shoulder. He looked alert but not as wired as earlier. He looked to The8 who still stood by the opened driver’s door.

    “Like the remodel?” the shorter man seemed to goad the informant.

    This rhetorical question set the weasel to action. His eyes narrowed as he seemed to actually analyze the landscape. It only took half a second before he smirked zeroing in on a cement box, a water aeration system you realized, situated next to a rolling hill. He moved off towards the system with a lazy swinging gate, eyeing The8 triumphantly as he sauntered past him. With the way The8 was glaring at him, you knew he must be onto something. You followed behind him. Upon reaching the grated water aeration system, your blond partner stopped and looked to you.

    “Notice anything strange?” he asks you still smiling secretively.

    You paused staring at the grated cement box. Nothing looked wrong with the system. Old and rusted in places, but that was something you expected from anything built out in the middle of nowhere like this. You stared a bit longer at the empty grate.

    ‘Wait, empty.’

    “There’s no water.” you replied.

    “Yeah, yeah very good junior detectives, now get out of the way.” The8 came behind you grumbling.

    “Aw, did we ruin someone’s fun?” mocked the informant. He really was a childish man sometimes.

    The8 ignored his jibes and instead set to turning the metal gear at the side of the aeration system, as he did, the grate started to angle up until standing straight up and down. Leaving the 3 foot by 4 foot cement box completely uncovered.

    “The drop is only about 6 feet. Then walk to your left until the drop off. There’s a ladder; go to the bottom. From there everything should be easy.

    “Where are you going?” you questioned almost panicked that he was leaving you and the weasel alone in uncharted territory as far as you knew.

    “Someone’s got to take care of the car right?” he looked almost affectionately at your innocent question as he nodded in the direction of the parked taxi. “I’ll be around.”

    With a nod to your employer,  The8 looked about ready to walk off before being stopped by the other man. The blond clapped his hand against The8’s shoulder in a grip of camaraderie.

    “I appreciate it.” he said with a sincere nod.

    The8 gave a small tight lipped smile before leaving you two. You both waited for The8 to drive away before facing the open grate. You looked to the male expectantly. He looked at you with a similar expression, eyebrows raised.

    “Ladies first.” he gestured grandiosely towards the dark drop.

    “No, I think I’m okay. You go first, Strong Man.” you nodded at the drop.

    He quickly glanced around the empty field once more before tossing one leg over the side of the closest wall of cement, straddling it while looking at you.

    “You’re coming in right after me, right?” he looked at you with very slight worry. You almost felt a soft spot for him in that moment. Almost.

    “No, I came all this way running from gunshots and being crammed into a cabbie for hours just to call it quits here in the middle of nowhere with no way to go back home. Which, I don’t know if you’ve heard, was recently shot up by the way.” he snorted. You stood there with your arms crossed in an act of teasing before looking him in the eyes, “I’m not leaving yet. I’ll be down right after you.” you continued softer than before.

    Seemingly satisfied he brought his other leg over sitting on the ledge. With one more scan of the