Survival Island (reality show)

2. On the plane

He called the number and agreed to the Survival Island. The instructions he got sounded just like those on his last mission. One more clue that this weird The WIC. production company is somehow linked to his former life. No civilian speaks that way, not even if they tried. Sooner or later someone will slip up, but the person he was talking to was consistent all the way through the conversation.

So, here he is, following the instructions he got. Waiting on the side of the tarmac at the small hometown airport for his pick up. If the plane looks like a Cessna then he will put his reserves on the sideline and enjoy this thing, this reality show as they call it. Then he hears it, the unmistakable sound of a helicopter. And the thing that screams around the bend of the forest is a Sikorsky S-70. Oh, yeah! He was right. Military funded and probably supported thing, gig, sting, whatever. That’s how they found him.

He will keep his mouth shut and see what the real game is behind this so-called reality show. Gathering intel is an important part of every investigation and this one is no different, just because they disguised it as a reality show. It's not good to question the military if you don’t know who you’re asking. There are not many civilians that can afford a Sikorsky helicopter and he is pretty sure that no TV station has one. They don’t need speed and agility, they just need to be in the air and film. So, he looks at the helicopter as it lands and the door slides open before the rotor slows down to “safe”. A guy in jeans and jacket jumps down and runs to him.

“Are you Sebastian Wolfino? Can I see some ID?” He asks.

“Yes.” Sebastian chuckles and gives the man his passport. “Who else would be here in the middle of nowhere at the ass crack of dawn?”

“Hop on board and strap in, the plane is waiting in St. Louis.” The guy looks around the small airport and shrugs.

Sebastian nods and peaks inside the chopper before climbing in. Two men are already there and looking at him with interest. Civilian clothes, but the way they act tells him at least one has some military training, if not both. He nods to them and sits opposite of them. He stuffs his dufle under the seat and straps in. Just at the last moment, too. The pilot seems to be in a hurry, because they take off before he’s got his headset on. Nothing to hear, yet. No chit chat going on, but at least the foam of the headset will muffle the annoying sounds. 

‘Thanks for the small blessings. I hate helicopters.’ His wolf adds and covers his head with his paws.

‘I know. I don’t like them either.’ Sebastian answers and leans back in the seat. At least it will be a short flight. He wonders where they’re going next, the tropical island sounded intriguing.

The plane waiting at the St. Louis airport is a non-descript, nothing special charter. Sebastian shrugs and gets on board with the others. A quick glance around and he counts 15 men on board. Some of them look bored and a few that are the organizing team, guessed by their clipboards, smiles and questions. No uniforms to go by, so he shrugs and takes his seat by the window.

Shortly after take off, a guy from the crew hands out folders for them to read: “You have a more detailed outline of the show in your folders. Any questions can be answered by your coordinator when we get to Costa Rica. Enjoy the flight.”

“What?” Someone in the front yells. “Are you joking? It’s like three pages?”

“All your questions will be answered by your coordinator. I’m just a steward on the plane.” The young crew guy answers with a smile.

Opening the folder, Sebastian scans it fast for keywords. A few pop up and he smiles to himself. Definitely a military op. They try to hide it inside some meaningless jabber about the show, but he notices the mistakes. He wonders how many other contestants have seen the same things when reading the so-called details. There is nothing much there. It looks to him like a need to know folder. He reads it again a bit slower to catch the meaning behind the words. He was right about the information. The more he looks at it, the weirder it seems.

Well, they are going to Costa Rica, to a small island that is just remote enough that you can’t swim to the mainland. Is it private? Uninhabited? Do we still have islands like that? They will be chartered over by boat and they get an essentials kit to help them out on the island. All their personal belongings will stay on the boat. Hm? To keep it fair? That nobody can use anything they haven’t signed off on? To even the odds if they all have the same tools? Do they know he is a wolf? And he can swear at least one other contestant is a shifter, he just hasn’t figured out what kind. Do they know about it? He knows his military personnel file is confidential and the information that he is a shifter is not even in there. It’s a top secret thing.

He flips the pages to see what is in the essentials kit. A Bowie knife, a flask for water, a map and a fire starter kit. Wow! They plan to make it tough for them. Fine, he can work with that. Flipping back to the start, he reads on. The island is tropical and there is an obstacle course set all over. Traps to make it fun, Sebastian chuckles. The main objective is to get from the drop point to the designated pick up point in ten days. More military jargon popping up. Normal people would just use start and finish.

The blond guy sitting on the other side of the isle glances his way. He’s definitely ex military, his haircut screams it at Sebastian. The guy leans over and whisper to him:

“Is this show as fishy to you as it is to me?”

“Yeah. Military something.” Sebastian nods and glances around. The other guys are either sleeping or listening to music so their quiet conversation is private.

“I’m Magnus.” The guy introduces himself. “Have to get used to just using my name.”

“Sebastian. You’re ex military?” He asks.

“Yeah, marines.” Magnus tells him. “I think that’s how they found me.”

“Probably. I think so.” Sebastian whispers. He doesn’t want to draw attention to their conversation. You never know who’s listening. 

“What branch do you come from? ‘Coz I can tell you’re ex something.” Magnus inquires.

“Freshly retired, special forces.” Sebastian answers. “But I’d like to keep that to myself for now.”

“Green Berets? Nice.” Magnus smiles. “I’ll keep it to myself.”

“So? What’s your take on this?” Sebastian points to the folder they have received.

“It’s a game, alright. The question is what kind? They presented this like a reality show. You know those survival shows on Discovery? This is set up like those, but I have this feeling they haven’t told us anything useful.” Magnus smirks.

“They haven’t told us anything. This folder is like a ‘need to know’ mission outline. The CO knows everything and you get crumbs.” He answers and presses his finger over his mouth.

“I get it.” Magnus nods to him. “I’ll try to get some sleep. This flight will be a few hours.” 

“Wise choice. Who knows when we’ll sleep next.” Sebastian answers and leans his seat back. Lucky for him, he learned to take naps whenever there was time.

‘Wake up. Something is going on.’ His wolf shakes him.

‘What? Are we landing?’ He asks back and slowly opens his eyes. He looks around him and there is a heated argument going on in the front of the plane. The young air steward is trying his best to calm down two of the contestants. He can see all eyes are on the argument, but nobody shows any interest to calm the situation.

He glances at Magnus, but he’s got his headphones on and is sleeping like a stone. A fast decision to get things resolved and he is on his way up front. It only takes a few steps to get there on a plane this small.

“Guys? Some of us are trying to sleep.” Sebastian tells them. “If this is not important enough for all of us to hear, please keep it down.”

“Stay out of this! I’m gonna get what I want!” The short, nasty looking guy growls at him.

“And I told you a hundred times, I don’t know.” The steward repeats. “I’m paid by the airline. I have no idea what this show is about.”

“Fine.” Sebastian smiles. He grabs the other guy by the back of his neck and sits him back in his seat. He glares at him and shakes his head. “Are you the kind to molest any server or waitress for something they can’t do for you? We all want to know more, but we’re not barking at a kid who doesn’t know a thing. Sit your ass down and wait!”

“Or what?” The guy sneers at him.

“Or I’ll make you. You’re annoying and stressful and I really don’t need that.” Sebastian growls back and the guy loses his bravado fast. He's all bark and no bite. The paleness of his face tells Sebastian his words came over and he hopes it stays that way to the end of this flight. “Good. We can all use some rest before this thing starts for real.”

He goes back to his seat and all the others give him a thumbs up sign. He wonders what kind of people are in this contest. They look to him as grown, mature men in their thirties, but they were all just watching the argument and none came up to the young stewards help. The kid can’t be more than 22 and he told them before that he doesn’t know anything about the game, but some loser had the bright idea to interrogate him anyway. He will keep an eye on that guy on the island. His gut is telling him he will be a problem.

‘I could tell you that. One of those “look at me I’m important guys”. He needs attention to feel fulfilled.’ His wolf smirks. ‘I like the way you handled it. He needs to know his place.’

‘Thank you.’ Sebastian smiles inwards. ‘I really don’t like him.’

‘He’s trouble! But I like Magnus.’ The wolf says and curls up to sleep. The ability of his wolf to sleep at all times is astounding, but he’s not complaining. The wolf has nothing else to do and he doesn’t let him out much. The calm energy the wolf can lend him occasionally has saved his life on countless occasions on his job. He would be too tired to react if not for his wolf.

‘We make a good team. We can do this too.’ The wolf puffs.

‘I thought you’re asleep.’ Sebastian smirks.

‘Nah. I’m resting.’ The answer makes him smile and he leans back to get some rest too. It shouldn’t take much longer to get to Costa Rica.

After landing at the local airport, they are taken to the boat with a few rental Jeeps. The boat is a mix of a fishing ship and a research vessel. The amount of gear on it is a surprise. The cameras and drones and a crew that might pass for TV guys. And an old man that seems familiar but he can’t place him. Maybe he just looks like someone he knows? He shrugs the thought away, because this guy is willing to answer their questions.

“Contestants! Gather around, please. I hate shouting.” The old man calls them together. “If you have questions about the show, I’m here for you.”