Episode Two -- Nix -- Saratoga Springs, UT

Nathan got the feeling that he wasn't to liked from the way Tam and Emma kept talking to him. But he really didn't care as long as they got the job done he could live with two people not liking him. "Well then any ideas on what we should do now? Nathan asked. He could suggest some ideas but he got the feeling that they wouldn't go over to well.

"Well, I was going to just go back to my room and watch TV." She said blandly and in all seriousness. There wasn't much for them to do, really. She looked over at where the teenagers in the truck were as their truck roared to life. There was a man in a white hard hat watching them pull away and Tam furrowed her brow. Construction was off.

She walked back around to his side of the lake and lifted a hand in greeting as he watched her approach. "Can I help you?"

"I thought construction was closed." He nodded in agreement.

Yes, it was. We're going to be resuming the plans next week. I'm here to check on the site, make sure no one did anything. We just closed down for a breif mourning period for the workers we lost. But in order to pay their families the compensation they deserve, we need to finish this job." He gestured to the abandoned equipment.

"Oh. Aren't you worried about more accidents?"

He paused and narrowed his eyes. "Are you a reporter?" At her denial he continued. "We've instructed all of our workers to stay away from the lake."

"I dunno. Seems like five deaths is kind of the lake's way of saying back off."

"This lodge would be a valuable commodity to the town." She nodded.

"Yeah. Just don't think it's worth people dying over." The foreman sighed.

"I would tend to agree." Tam hmmed a bit, eyeing him speculatively.

"Just...don't look over at the lake, okay? Or try not to. Take your own advice to your workers and stay away from it." She said by way of a parting. He gave her a small smile and nodded.

"I will." Tam nodded and headed back over to the other three.

"Construction starts next week." She informed them. "So we need to kill this thing."

"One week. We still have no idea how to find the thing let alone kill it." Mitch said knowing that didn't matter they were gonna have to find some way of doing those two things.

Emma listened as Tam told them what the construction worker had said, raising an eyebrow as Mitch basically repeated it.

"Maybe.. maybe we can't kill it." She said after a couple minutes of thinking. She realized how lame it sounded as soon as she said it but her mind was on a roll and she had to get her theory out. "I mean, maybe we're going about this the wrong way. The thing is only killing the people who are hurting it right? Well maybe if we just get people to leave the lake alone it will be fine." She finished, chewing on her lip some more and waiting for the others to rip her idea apart. Hell, even she thought it was somewhat lame.

Nathan listened as Emma made her point but then said. "That could work except it'll take longer then one week to stop the construction. We have to go through court systems and all that." Nathan said but then he started to think about it a little harder. "Of course this place is insured right. If it happened to blow up the company would get their money back plus enough to pay the families right?" He said rasing his eyebrows.

Tam slowly swivled her head to look at him.

"The lake is killing people because it's being threatened. If it raised up right now and ate you I would not be surprised."

She gave him an incredulous look. "Blowing it up is a huge threat. We don't have to stop it entirely before the week is up. We just have to get it postponed long enough to get it stopped permanently." She started heading over to her car, pulling her cell phone out as she went. "I have a few people I know involved in Greenpeace. I'll call them up, it should only take them a day or two to get out here, start up a protest. That should get the site closed down, at least temporarily. If not permanently." She opened her car door and sat in the driver's seat, letting her left leg rest on the grass still as she called up her contacts. "Hey, Ryan, I got a favor to ask you."

"It was only a joke." Nathan said as after Tam made her threat. She then called her friend at Greenpeace. He turned and looked out toward the lake seeing if he could catch a glimps of the water spirit. "So if the Greenpeace thing doesn't work out then what?" Nathan asked wanting to make sure their bases were covered.

Tam said her goodbyes to Ryan after he assured her that he'd gather up some people from the group to come check it out. They went way back, he knew about Cale and the baby. Knew her even before all that. So when she asked for him to just trust that the construction needed to be stopped, he didn't question her.

"I'll see you in a few days, RyRo." She said with a grin, hanging up.

"So if this Greenpeace thing doesn't work out, then what?" She tapped her her phone against her chin, looking at him.

"We go to the families and talk to them, convince them the construction is dangerous, that they don't want it to happen to anyone else." She tossed her phone onto the seat next to her. "And they'll probably bring a civil suit up against the company." She shrugged, unconcerned. Greenpeace usually got things done.

There was nothing more for them to do until Ryan arrived with his team, so Tam left the others to go back to her room, leaving the others to do what they wanted. Tam checked in on the site pretty much every day.

She woke up, got dressed, went to the site, chatted with Joel Acklebaum the Forman a bit about the site, then headed out for food and back to her room. After the second day of doing it, she went out to a bar to kill time between sundown and sleep time and ran into Joel.

They acknowledged each other with a nod and then later, the bartender gave her a drink, "compliments of the gentleman". She moved down the bar to join him and they chatted a bit about movies, TV and everything not involving the construction.

After that, her day consisted of: wake up, get dressed, check the site, chat to Joel, go to lunch with him, run errands, meet him at the bar for a nightcap.

Ryan showed up a few days after she had called, he and his team checked out the lake and surounding area and agreed that it would be better as a nature preserve. Construction was to pick back up on Tuesday. On Saturday, Ryan got his team assembled with volunteers from the town and they set up tents and little fire pits and camped out. In the middle of the construction site.

Tam headed to the site that morning and clapped Ryan on the shoulder. "Niiice. I'm impressed." She had contacted the others, told them to meet her at the site that morning. They would probably arrive soon.

With a few days to kill and nothing to do Nathan decided to clean the arsenal that he had in the back of his trunk. Hidden away in bags and suitcases. Within two day he had his entire trunk completly orginized. Then that Ryan guy Tam had called rolled into town and set up a camp at the construction site. So he headed over there to make sure that nothing was gonna go wrong like the construction workers throwing down with the Greenpeace people. When he arrived Tam was talking to a guy he assumed was Ryan. So he sat in his car and waited.

Tam glanced over as she heard a car approaching. It was Nathan's car, she couldn't see through his windshield through the glare of the sun but she assumed Mitch was with him. Emma would probably arrive shortly after. One of the Greenpeace members approached, saying "Excuse me, Mr. Roland?". Tam excused herself by patting Ryan on the arm. She headed over to Nate's car, thumbs hooked in her back pockets.

"So they're in place now. Figure we should hang out, make sure nothing goes wrong. The forman, Joel, will probably be by soon so there might be a few issues there." She explained.

Nathan nodded as Tam gave him the down low on what was going on. "And what if something does go wrong. We still have no idea how to kill it." Nathan said looking out at all the people. Mitch hadn't been feeling to good and had decided to lay down in the back seat. Nathan turned to see how he was doing and saw he was asleep.

Mitch was sick. He had spent the last couple of nights in the bathroom by the toilet but insisted on coming with Nathan. He had climbed in the back seat when they left and had fallen asleep. He awoke to Tam and Nathan talking. We there already? He asked sitting up.

Tam glanced at Mitch before answering Nate's question. "Then we stop them before they get in the water."

She leaned her elbow on the hood of his car and peered in at them through the water. "I honestly don't think we need to kill it. Almost everything I have ever read about water spirits said that they are usually benevolent. Once the threat from the lake is gone, the threat from the spirit will probably be gone too." Tam straightened away from his car as the white truck she recognized as Joel's pulled up and parked next to the cars from the protesters. She held up a 'be right back' finger and headed over to Joel.

"What the hell?" He asked as she approached. "Do you know what's going on?"

She tilted her head and grimaced a little. "Greenpeace is protesting the construction." He sighed in frustration, throwing his arms into the air and pacing away. "They, uh, showed up and set up camp this morning."

"What a bunch of shit. They had no problem before!"

Nathan looked in one of the mirrors and watched Tam talk to Joel. He then heard Mitch in the back. Mornin sleepy head. he said looking at Mitch.

Mornin sleepy head. Nathan had said. Mitch looked around and saw that they were at the lake. But now there were Greenpeace members setting up camp. Mitch then turned and looked at what Nathan was looking at. What's going on? Mitch asked still feeling like shit.

What's going on? Mitch had asked. Nathan turned so he could see him. He looked like shit he was pale and his eyes were bloodshot from throwing up Nathan didn't think that he should have come but he couldn't say no to the kid. After all after what he had done for him in New Mexico it was the least he could do. Tam's friend Ryan set up a camp with some Greenpease people. Now Tam is back there talking to the forman. Nathan said giving him a half smile. He looked around and started to wonder what was taking Emma so long. Oh well if she missed out on all the fun it was her own fault.

Emma had spent the last couple days hanging out in town and waiting for Tam's friends to show up. She'd go check out the lake everyday, mainly to sit out and work on her tan, and seeing nothing being disturbed wasn't too worried. It was then off to the bar to hang out and con guys into both buying her beer and betting against her in pool. The previous night she had stayed out later than normal and had a few more than she probably should have.

This is why she chose to show up later than usual to the lake, sunglasses over her eyes and having a slight headache but for the most part being perfectly ok now she had slept it off. She spotted the boys and walked over to them, knocking on the window and waiting until it was rolled down to lean into the car. "Morning boys, anything exciting happen?" She asked and then getting a good look at Mitch, she winced.

"Rough night?" She added, figuring he had just not been able to handle his alcohol or something the night before. Its not like she had been keeping tabs on them, hell she hadn't seen them since they had decided to send the Greenpeace freaks in until this moment.

Round night? Emma had asked. Mitch looked at her and said Don't drink. It's more like the flu. He then grabbed his stomach fighting back the earger to throw up.

Emma raised an eyebrow and looked at Mitch in disbelief as he said he didn't drink. She didn't know there were still guys out there who didn't. "Ouch that sucks. Have I missed anything important?" She asked glancing around at all the people camped out before looking back at Nate and Mitch.

Mitch looked at Emma and said Not much. Nathan will you fill her in i'm gonna go hurl. Mitch then hoped out of the back seat and walked out into the woods near the construction. He slunched over awaiting the inevitable vomit that was gonna be comming.

Tam glanced away from Joel's ranting about Greenpeace long enough to see Emma leaving her car and approaching Nate's.

"Hey -" She said, cutting him off. "Maybe you should just...close the site." Joel's eyebrows rose, almost humorously high.

"Why would I do that?" He asked slowly and deliberately.

"Because maybe they have a point. People keep dying. You said it yourself, it isn't really worth it." He huffed out a laugh.

"I...I mean...you're kidding, right? You aren't the one who tipped these guys off, are you?"

Tam didn't even blink at the on-point accusation. "Why would I do that?" But of course, Ryan, having wonderful timing...

"Hey, Tam. Is this the forman? You the forman?" He said, pulling himself to his full height and rushing on, not giving her time to react. "I'm Ryan Roland. And we're here to stop you from ruining this beautiful area."

"We aren't ruining it!" Joel defended. "We're turning it into a valuable economic commodity!"

"You're tearing up the banks of the lake for a boat ramp!" Ryan fired back, poking Joel in the chest. Joel pulled himself higher, swatting Ryan's hand away and poking him in the chest in return.

"It's not doing that much harm! It happens to lakes all over the country! We aren't killing animals!"

They went back and forth for a bit, hollering in each other's faces until Tam squeezed herself between them, putting a hand on each of their chests and holding them apart.

"Okay! That's...quite enough." She yelled above their voices. "Back to your corners, come on." She kept her hand on Joel's arm, moving him further away from Ryan. "They're going to stay here until you permanently shut down the site." She told him.

Nathan hit all the big things that had happened since he had gotten there. He told Emma about the Greenpeace people and then what they would do if the water spirit dicided to make an apperance and about how that Joel guy could casue a problem. "And that about sums it up." Nathan said looking at Emma. He then turned to look in the direction Mitch had gone off in and saw that he was returning not looking to much better then when he had left. "He shouldn't have come." Nathan said mainly to himself but loud enough so that Emma could hear. Then he heard Tam talking to Ryan and Joel and saw that something might be going down.

"And I thought me being slightly hung over was bad.." Emma muttered as she watched Mitch go off to puke and then turned her attention to Nathan as he explained what had happened which was pretty much nothing exciting.

"Everything ok?" She called out as she saw Tam break up the fight that was starting. She seemed to have things under control so there was no need to run over but she figured she'd check anyway.

Mitch came back out of the woods not feeling to much better then when he had left. He looked at Nathan's car and saw that no one was in it so he looked over at where Tam was and sure enough Nathan and Emma were there. So Mitch walked over there grabbing his stomach the entire way.

Tam hadn't seen Emma and Nathan approach, and turned to them when Emma asked if everything was alright.

"Yeah, it's okay. I got it."

"Oh, yeah, it's great." Joel drawled sarcastically. "Wonderful timing calling in your buddy Ryan, there, Tam. Thanks."

"It's a safety issue. That's all." She defended.

"A safety issue? Are you kidding? Freak. Accidents."

"One is a freak accident. Two, maybe. Four, five? That's not freak. That's a trend." Joel huffed in annoyance, pacing away and then back again.

"Look-""No, you look." She interrupted, getting annoyed. "People are dying. And they will keep dying unless you shut down the site. So shut. It. Down." His eyebrows rose as she took a rough tone with him.