Episode Two -- Nix -- Saratoga Springs, UT

Mitch finally got over to the others in enough time to see Tam blow up on Joel. Tam cool it. I mean this guy's just the forman right. He probably dosen't have that kind of power to just shut this place down.......right? He said feeling another fit of nausia flowing over him.

"Yes, he does." She said, turning her head only slightly to regard him. "The foreman is in charge of the project. He's the project manager. He has the rights of planning, executing, and closing any project." She looked back at Joel. "He has every availible right to close the site."

"This lodge is a great oppurtunity for the town. Opens up jobs for people, brings in tourists..."

"Kills construction workers..." He tossed Tam an annoyed look. "Have they found the bodies yet, Joel? Have they dragged the lake?" He looked down, rubbing at his jaw. "They couldn't find anything, could they? It's not a big lake. There isn't anything that it opens out to. Where are they?" He placed his hands on his hips and looked at the sky.

"No. They never found the bodies." She flapped her hand out, silently saying There ya go. "What does that matter?"

She glanced at Emma, Mitch and Nathan and then further back at Ryan talking to some volunteers. She grabbed the crook of Joel's elbow and led him even farther away. "You've heard the reports. They go into the water with a purpose and no one comes back out. Can't even find the corpses." He made a grossed out sound. "What do you think is happening here, Joel? You think they're just deciding that they reeeeally wanna go for a swim?"

"I don't know. But clearly you do. So enlighten me, oh wise one." She raised an amused eyebrow at his sarcastic tone.

One last glance around to make sure no one else could hear them. "There's something in the lake. It feels threatened by the construction. All of the guys that died were working on the ramp, right? The people actually building were okay, right? But the guys cementing and digging...drowned." His eyebrows were raised and his expression was slightly blank.

"What?" He said, finally.

She huffed in exasperation. "Water spirits. Nixes, grindylows, whatever. We don't know for sure. If we take the threat of construction away, the threat of the lake killing people will go away." He was still staring at her like she had grown a second head. "I know it sounds...slightly deranged. But it makes sense, you can't tell me it doesn't make sense."

He nodded slowly and then raised a finger. "Okay. Fine. Okay, so you're telling me that..." He started walking over towards one of the diggers, still talking to her. "You're telling me that my guys are dying because they're digging on the lake." He hopped up into the cab. "So if I were to...start digging? The lake would...what? Leap out at me? Drag me in?" The machine started up with a roar, drawing the attention of many of the protestors. A hoard or signs lifted up in the air and they started slinging slogans.

"Joel. Yes. That is what I'm telling you. Stop." She said, moving closer to the digger, her hands up in a quelling manner. "It will lure you into the water and drown you."

He looked at her and 'hm'ed a bit, his lips pursed. With a grinding motion, he moved some levers and the claw set to work, moving and digging into the soil, scooping up a bucketful of dirt. "Watch out." He warned, rotating the cap and dumping the load onto the bank. He did it a few more times before stopping the machine again and climbing out. He patted himself down and looked at her, a look of mock surprise on his face.

"The lake didn't eat me! Gooollll-lly! Must be real lucky!" She was not amused.

"Fine. So you were able to dig a little hole in the lake. You made your point." She was about to start a new line of reasoning when his eyes went glassy. "Joel?" He nodded and started to walk away from her, up the ramp that was halfway dug and then across the grass and around to a natural ramp, near the floating docks. She followed behind him, looking over at Emma, Mitch and Nathan again, but keeping a few steps behind Joel at all time.

As he stepped one foot in the lake, she jumped forward, grabbing onto his arm tightly. "Hey! Joel! Wake up!"

He ignored her, continuing to try and walk into the lake further. Her feet slid in the mud, and she managed to dig her heels in enough to stop his forward motion. But only temporarily. She tried to shake her off so, still holding his wrist with all her might, she leaned back, pulling his arm behind him as he struggled forward. She reached into the water, picked up a piece of driftwood and then swung it at his head, clocking him.

She heard Ryan's voice call out with a "Whoa! Tam!" as Joel stumbled in his steps, swaying a bit. She raised it back again, prepared to swing again if he kept trying. But he fell forward onto his knees and started to drop face first, unconscious, into the water. She caught him with an arm around his chest and started to drag him back towards dry land. Ryan met her at the bank and helped get him stretched out, checking his head where it was bleeding.

He came to for a moment, blinking blearily. "The hell?"

"The lake tried to eat you." She said smugly. He grunted a bit before passing back out. "Well, let's get his stubborn ass to the hospital." She looked at Ryan, who helped her lift Joel by taking his shoulder while she took his feet. Together they got him slumped into the backseat. "I'll meet you guys there." She called over to Emma, Mitch and Nathan.

((Sorry. Got a little...inspired, I guess. but going to the hospital opens it up for Mitch having to leave for a little bit.))

Nathan watched as the scene played out ending with Joel getting ko'd . He helped Mitch back to the car and then followed behind to the hospital. Apon arriving he again helped Mitch into the building and set him down in a waiting chair. Dude something is seriously wrong with you. That's it i;m checking you into the hospital. Mitch began to protest but Nathan walked over to the reception desk and a few minutes later doctors came and took Mitch for observation. Nathan then ploped down into a chair and waited for Tam and Emma to show.

Tam walked out of the little exam room they had Joel in and nodded at Nathan, walking over to him.

"Where's your little buddy?" She asked, before waving him off. "Joel has a concussion and had to get stitches. Good news is he won't press charges against me."She shrugged. "He's resting now, but they're going to wake him every 30 minutes, what with the concussion."

Ryan slipped out from behind the exam curtain and sidled over to them. "Lady, gentleman. You going to talk to the forman about closing the site?" He asked.

"In half an hour." She agreed.

"Think hell give in now that you've resorted to physical violence?" She shrugged. "So...I know why I want to close it down. Why do YOU want to?"

"I'll explain that someday. Not now though." She chuckled as he muttered of course. "I'll see you back at the construction site." She said, patting his arm. He kissed her on the cheek and gave her shoulder a squeeze before leaving again. He'd had one of his little helpers follow behind in a car while he rode in the backseat to put pressure on Joel's headwound.

Nathan greeted Tam and smiled as she skillfully avoided Ryan's questions. As Tam left the building Nathan got up and walked out behind her and hopped back in his car and drove back to the construction site. When he arrived he got out and sat down on the hood of his car. Waiting for Tam to explain what her plan was if she had one.

Tam stuck around the hospital until Joel was woken back up and then ducked into his curtained off area for a quick chat.

"So..." She started.

"Shaddup. So the lake tried to eat me. Fine." Her eyebrows lifted hopefully.

"Fine, I was right and you'll shut down the site?" He nodded tiredly, lifting a hand up to gingerly prod at his stitches. "Sorry about that, by the way."

"Ugh. Yeah, whatever. Tell your little Greenpeace buddies to clear out. I'll make the call later on." His voice was rough from sleep and woundedness.

"I'm holding you to that." She said, backing out of the curtain. She turned around and walked out of the hospital and back to her car, then climbed in and headed back to the lake. Nathan and Ryan were already there and Tam headed over to Ryan first.

"He said he'll make the call later today to close the site down."

"Great. You've still gotta tell me why."

"Mysterious deaths," She answered carelessly, "What else."

"Right, d'uh, my bad." He muttered with an eye roll. "So we're done here? We didn't even really get to protest. I call that a good day."

With Tam and Emma no where in sight Nathan decided to see if he could find anything around the lake that might help. He went to the area Joel had been attacked but there was nothing. Aggitated he walked back to his car and called up some old friends to see if they had any idea how to deal with a water spirit

Mitch was laying down in the hospital bed that they had put him in. It ended up that Nathan had been right checking him into the hospital because as it turned out his appendex was on the verge of breaking. This pissed him off though because it meant that they would have to operate and that meant he would be out of commision for a few weeks. The nurse came in and brought him his lunch and he crniged he would much wrather take on a pissed off water spirit, or an entire pack of werewolves then have to eat that god awful stuff that passed for food in this place.

Tam headed over to Nathan's car when she saw him return from walking around the lake and then rapped on his window.

She waited until he was at a listening point and informed him, "Joel is going to make some calls. Get the construction shut down. So that's it. We should be done now." She shrugged. "I'll keep a feeler out, make sure nothing else happens at the lake, nothing should. But just in case." She nodded once and started backing away.

"So I'll see you around. I've already got something lined up that may need taking care of." She said, thinking back to a possible case she had read about in yesterday morning's newspaper.


((episode should be in the final wrap-up stages. leaving town, et cetera and then I'll set up the new episode.))

Nathan listened to Tam and nodded when she said the job was done more or less. She said she already had another job ready it interested him. Don't suppose you want to tell me what the job is? he said not expecting an answer and he gave her a smile indicating he was only jocking. He gave her a node and then started his car up.