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He's in it now ain't he.

Jeremy woke perhaps half an hour later at a nudge from Major Ferris. It was time to get back to work. The new day was much like the previous. He stayed at the major's side and relayed orders and information. She occasionally asked Jeremy's advice on situations. While his advice was often followed he felt she was simply testing him. After the night's latest desertions she was left as the ranking officer north of the river.

The worst of the casualties were going out by helicopter to be cared for elsewhere but too few at a time. The damaged runways had to be abandoned, instead they'd graded the ground to the side until it was suitably level and smooth. It was just before noon when they started landing cargo planes loaded with supplies. Even as swamped as he'd felt the night before the relief efforts arriving now were stretching the ability to get the much needed supplies across the river. The one bridge remaining intact had been deemed safe the day before but the roadways leading to it were still all but impassable. They too were being worked on but there was limited equipment, and unfortunately personnel.

The rest of the team from Nicholson was now across the river in the city. There were also several other groups arriving, mostly medical professionals and aid workers. They too needed a way across, and were taken by small boats. all air traffic was still being routed to the damaged airport. Jeremy had by then gotten used to the occasional aftershock.

It was a new behavior to him. He'd stop along with everyone else at the first feel of the ground under him suddenly moving. After a few seconds the shaking subsided and the ground would settle once again, but the whole experience left nerves unsettled. Jeremy was walking with Major Ferris toward the medical tent when the ground started shaking once more. Pausing as usual when it started they were all too soon thrown to the ground a second later as proof it was a much stronger jolt.

Jeremy landed face down bracing himself with his arms and paws. Unharmed he lifted himself up to his elbows to see everyone around them doing the same. The Major righted herself and stayed on the ground next to him. Jeremy's fur bristled at the power of the shaking. This was far stronger than any of the aftershocks. He was literally bouncing on the ground from the intensity of the shaking.

"Shit." Was all Ferris said as the shaking continued past ten seconds. She continued repeating the same word over and over. It was her litany against the sudden chaos.

Jeremy rolled to his back and pulled the satellite phone from his pocket. He knew better than to try and reach Gakota at the moment. He'd wait for the ocelot to call once the shaking ended, he just needed something to do. He held onto the phone with both hands not caring how futile it seemed or how embarrassed he would have felt seeing the same reaction in any one else only seconds before. For the moment the phone represented his lifeline. He needed to feel it in his paws, needed to hold onto something from the normal world. It represented his only path back to a sane world.

He turned his body to bounce on his side and looked at the river. At first his eyes were drawn to the city across the water. Several more buildings were succumbing to the power of the earth. Dust clouds rose in the place of the toppling buildings. He forced himself to watch the river. They were disturbingly close to the coast, any change in the water level would be a signal of greater danger. He was shocked at the sight.

Jeremy had once conducted an experiment while studying physics at the academy. It had been one where he'd created ripples in a shallow pan of water using only sound waves. He'd been curious and fascinated at the time. It had been a fun experiment. In adjusting the amplitude and frequency of the sound waves he could create standing waves in the water. The surface of the river looked like the result of that experiment, only scaled up to terrifying proportions. The boats ferrying people and supplies across were being whipped up and down on the water without mercy.

What seemed like ten minutes but had only been two and a half once the shaking stopped. Getting to his feet Jeremy assessed their new situation. He had no idea how strong the aftershock had been, but the grim look of the major's face confirmed it was close to the power of the first earthquake. In the near distance he could see the medical tent had collapsed but people were already moving toward it. The major was also scanning the area. Across the bay looked largely the same but for hew fires sprouting up. The phone beeped in his paw signaling an incoming call.

Gakota asked without preamble "Are you in sight of the river?"

"Yes." Jeremy answered again focusing his attention on the water level. "There's no change so far. I'm not sure of the condition of the boats caught out there." He held the phone out from his ear so that the major could also hear as she stepped up to him.

"Keep watch on it for now. Let us know of anything, yes?"

"Yes." Jeremy acknowledged with a questioning glance to Ferris. With a shake of her head he said "We'll be in touch."

They both heard the squelch of Gakota changing channels. Jeremy stared at the boats making their way upriver. He wondered why they were changing corse. Major Ferris was talking with a subordinate that had arrived but he listened with only half an ear. All the boats were moving upriver.

"That's not normal. Something's wrong, they're avoiding something." Jeremy observed. He could see nothing else on the river. There was no reason for their sudden change of course.

Ferris stopped at his speech and followed his gaze. After a few seconds she started walking in the direction of the river. The small group that had formed around her followed. Judging by the direction she was moving her intent was not in crossing the half mile distance. Instead she moved toward higher ground of the rubble left by the collapse of the conning tower. Scaling the lowest pile of rubble they observed the activity on the river from there. Jeremy and the others watched in amazement.

The river had changed direction, it was flowing inland. That should have sent everyone running for higher ground except that the water level was also dropping. The previous earthquake and lifted the city an as yet unknown amount. The latest one must have only added to that total. They were watching the river in the process of it changing corse. To Jeremy it was an incredible sight. He brought the phone up and signaled an alert to Gakota.

In only seconds they heard the squelch and "Yes? What is it?"

"The river's changing corse. We can see the level dropping and its flowing inland from where we are."

The implications were enormous. If the water could not find a way to the sea they would have widespread flooding to deal with until the water found its way to the sea, or it formed a new inland lake. With no way to know the new topography after the latest shaking they were all in the dark.

"We've all got our hands full here. Take the next available chopper and see whats happening."

"Yes, sir." Jeremy answered. He looked to Ferris.

She nodded with an even grimmer expression than her normal. In a few minutes she delegated several tasks to the subordinates at her side. Together she and Jeremy watched the latest helicopter come in and start unloading. She entered and quickly explained the situation. In just a few minutes they were airborne.

They followed the river upstream, flying low enough to discern the direction and speed of the current. Five miles east of the city the terrain had undergone dramatic changes. They could see the demarkation line where the areas that had been uplifted met a much larger area of downshift. The river had been dammed by the fault line and was already beginning to back up and form a lake.

They rose higher to get a better view of the changes the last earthquake had wrought. A massive strip of land had dropped. Fifteen miles wide and stretching for as far north and south as they could see a huge band had simply dropped in elevation. To Jeremy it looked as though the area beyond had also been uplifted.

As they flew further Jeremy had the area's features explained to him by Ferris. The lake district to the east had also been completely changed. The river system was being redrawn. It looked as though everything was now trying to find a way south to drain into the sea. They followed the down thrust south to find the huge bay had also been drained to half its previous size. There was now much more land exposed.

They returned to Valdivia along the coast. There too the sea had been forced to recede leaving a small strip of beach above a newer and muddy silty coastline. Jeremy and the rest onboard were in awe at the changes. No one spoke, they just scanned the landscape below taking in the enormous havoc.

On landing Jeremy walked far enough from the helicopter to be heard over the noise and imparted what they'd seen. He could hear the shock in his own voice, as well as in Gakota's as he replied.

From then it was a matter of managing the situation just to keep from falling into chaos. The days became a blur, slowly melding into weeks. Fortunately the earth had released whatever stresses that had built up over the centuries. Afterward they only had to deal with relatively minor aftershocks. It seemed non-ending to Jeremy. He constantly felt exhausted, but like everyone else could not bring himself to give up. There was too much at stake.

His mind still tried to find a way to sort out the puzzle from within even though he now understood in this situation the only real answer was surviving to carry on the next day. After a few weeks they had information from hastily conducted land surveys. The strip they's seen from the air and had assumed was down thrust was also higher than it had been. That area had simply been lifted less than the surroundings. a meager five feet of uplift compared against almost thirty for the nearest edges. The mountains to the east had lifted an incredible fifty feet over the course of days.

Major Ferris was promoted to Colonel with a month. It that week when the lizards under the new colonel made an effort to resume a daily schedule. Jeremy having worked with them closely for more than a month was invited to join their training regime. He agreed mostly out of habit but was also glad to have some kind of normalcy imposed to his day. He regretted his decision after the first day.

He found that the lizards under Colonel Ferris were actually the equivalent of special forces. While he sensed an undertone of smug satisfaction in so easily besting a mammal they also treated Jeremy with a good deal of respect. He'd struggled to keep up with them even knowing they were noticeably taking it easy because of his presence. At the end of the two hour training session he all but collapsed to his knees exhausted by the pace they'd kept.

The next day when he showed up for the beginning of the day's session he was met with accepting nods and more than a few appreciative smiles. Jeremy struggled to keep up for weeks but continued to join in their training. He felt as though he were not only representing mammals but dominants as well. Once they'd given him the respect the invite represented he'd rather be asked to step down than quit. There was also the aspect of the training being the one constant and predictable thing in the daily schedule. It mattered little that he was left sore the rest of the day and woke stiff the next day.

After another month Ferris was promoted again to General. There had been a lot of sudden vacancies in the ranks from the desertions and subsequent arrests. Those that had stayed and distinguished themselves were being tasked with more and when proven capable, well rewarded. Jeremy's duties expanded as a result of working so closely with the female.

General Ferris now had a full staff around her. Jeremy no longer stayed at her side but still worked with her. They were now handling the mass migrations forced by the changed landscape and the river's changing course. He never asked but it also felt as though the daily training expanded as an unanticipated result of her promotion. He was included in several areas of their training that he was certain few outside the military were even aware of. As the hustle of the emergency started to fade his inclusion in more of their training kept him busy for entire days. After a time it felt as though his duties shifted in order for him to attend or participate in even more training.

Eventually he lost track of time. When it snowed things seemed slightly better, but only because the devastation was blanketed with a clean white shroud. He took a moment to look at the city to the south. It looked clean and peaceful under the blanket of snow. The only sign of the recent disaster were the remaining burn marks on the sides of buildings.

If anyone were to ask him what day it was he would have only stared. He was only focused on the day at hand. There was no time for any other considerations. He never noticed when his mind stopped trying to find a solution to the puzzle. He was being pushed hard by the lizard forces, he found he enjoyed the constant pressure to compete with professional ass-kickers.

When someone came to tell him he was being relieved he didn't understand for several minutes. When he did finally understand he didn't want to leave. As stunning as it seemed he wanted more than anything to see things through to the end. He only then came to appreciate how much he'd enjoyed working with and being trained by Chile's special forces. When General Ferris was informed of Jeremy's impending departure she actually took the time and sought him out.

The lizard said nothing. She only walked up to him and saluted. He returned the lizard's salute and after a moments hesitation offered his paw one last time in the civilian's greeting.

Jeremy was among the last three of the original team to be relieved. He learned it had been little more than six months but it had felt like years. He sat on the flight out, numb and just staring at the phone in his paws. Gakota and Makannish were to his left quietly talking. All he had left were the borrowed military clothes he wore and the tattered charging vest for the phone he constantly turned over in his paws. The small flight crew were the only other people on board the corporate jet. They stood at the front of the cabin and surreptitiously stared at them.

He looked forward to getting home again. Thinking back he had to struggle to remember that he'd arranged for his rent and all his other bills to be automatically deducted from this account. He realized with shock he'd not talked with any of his family in almost four months. He felt terrible at the broken promise to keep in touch.

He turned at Gakota standing from his seat and watched as the cat stepped over to sit next to him.

"I know you're still numb right now, but I want you to know that I think you did an amazing job."

He looked at the ocelot. He only nodded and hummed his acknowledgment. He had to admit at the gesture more than training from the Chilean lizards had rubbed off on him. Gakota too was wearing clothes that were not the ones he'd brought. None of them had anything personal left that had been brought to Chile. They'd boarded the flight carrying nothing but the few things stuffed into pockets.

"I imagine after this the routine of the Bureau is going to seem boring."

Jeremy looked at him a second before he made the connection. He'd not thought of going back to his job in months.

"Oh, I hadn't even thought about it." He confessed.

"Well, we'll have a month off as compensation. Once you're back I'd like you to take Jean's place." Gakota said.

"What? What happened to him?" Jeremy asked. He'd not heard of anything about the bear after he'd been relieved and gone home.

"He decided to retire." the feline answered leaning back and looking at the seat-back in front of him.

"Oh, can't say I blame him after this." Jeremy said.

Gakota leaned forward to look at Jeremy closer. "Is that humor making its reappearance?"

Jeremy shrugged. "I don't know. I just want to get cleaned up and sleep for a few days."

The ocelot sighed and rested his head back on the seat. "Yeah, me too."

They sat in silence for a while. Jeremy glanced across at the fox when he started snoring. With his head tilted back and tongue lolling out he looked the epitome of exhausted. Looking at Gakota he too had his head tucked down and was breathing slowly, already falling asleep. The flight crew were still seemingly afraid to approach the three of them. He looked down at the phone he still rolled in his paws.

Jeremy wondered where he'd picked up that habit. He closed his eyes from the sight and forced himself to stop. With a sigh he shifted to a double handed grip on the phone and concentrated on just holding it in place.

He barely heard when it slipped from this paws and dropped to the floor.

* * * *

Last week I got a really good question. They were wondering what species were dominant on what continent. My first thought was to share part of my story notes here. I always intended to keep this section short. Considering the section involved is about he length of a chapter thats not possible. I'll be posting it as a separate submission today.