International Incident

[Croco†]

When Vesa Turunen stood up and began to survey his surroundings, he was surprised to see himself in the small farmhouse - and even more surprising was the fact that he was rising out of the bed in one of the spare bedrooms.  Tucked neatly against the wall closest to the door was the overnight bag he had taken for the camping trip he was so looking forward to going on...but there was another bag next to it.  Vesa picked up both bags and threw what he could on the bag; the first one had all his belongings for the trip, minus the guitar he had just bought the week before.  He muttered an obscenity to himself in his native Finnish before he saw it...a white 3-foot by 5-foot flag with the familiar blue Nordic cross...the flag of Finland that he had intended to fly at his campsite.  A bright smile formed as he clutched the flag, then went back to packing it up again.  The spool of twine that he had packed was gone as well as the Swiss Army knife he had packed along with it.

But the contents of the other pack were a bit surprising to Vesa...he was expecting to find more camping supplies in it.  What he found was a compass, map, a tin with what appeared to be combat rations, a flashlight(his own was confiscated as well, apparently), a first-aid kit and what looked like some kind of guide.

"Mitä vittua on nyt kuluva?" (What the fuck is this?) Vesa asked himself out loud...but then he saw it in the form of a diving knife.  Then he looked at the guide and he slowly started to put two-and-two together as he packed up the second bag, which had enough room for his first pack as well before heading out the door.  He had been in the extreme wilds of northern Finland before and had enough knowledge to figure out what was happening...this was a survival test...the ultimate survival test.  Only this time, he wouldn't have his father or his brothers to rely on for backup if something were to happen.

"Damn it, Papa...damn it, Aki...where are you when I really need you guys?" he thought to himself as he slowly made his way out of the farmhouse and into the cornfield, the young Finn's golden hair seeming to blend in well as he made a mental note before continuing the exploration of his new - and what could possibly be his final - surroundings.

[Croco†]

Meanwhile, back in Denton...

"Hello?!?  Can you get me the number to the Finnish embassy in Washington?!?" a frantic Carola Soranen screamed into the phone as the news report played in the background...it had happened again.  Another group of students had been abducted and led off to start another round of the bloodsport that had become known as Survival of the Fittest.  But that wasn't known yet...even though the sackings had the appearance of the one that took place a year ago.  All Carola knew was that one of the schools that was mentioned was Franklyn Senior School...the school that the student they took in as part of the Global Partners program went to...was one with students missing.  And she knew that her 'adoptive son' was among the missing as she got the number and dialed it.  It took one ring before she was greeted.  "Hello, is this the Embassy of Finland?"

"Yes it is, ma'am," said the voice on the other end, which belonged to a young lady, "how can I help you?"

"My name is Carola Soranen and I live in Denton, New Jersey.  I saw the news report about those kids that were taken, and one of those kids is a Finnish national.  Please, you must find a way to rescue him and at least bring him back either here or to his family back in Finland!"  The lady could tell that she was desperate.

"Please, calm down, Carola...I have just been informed about this tragedy as well.  What is the child's name?"

"His name is Vesa Turunen and he goes to Franklyn Senior School...we took him in as part of the Global Partners student exchange program for this year and..."

"Okay...how long has he been missing?"

"We last saw him on the 18th...that was when he left to go on his class camping trip."

"Okay...I'll see that everything is resolved..."  A sigh of relief came from Carola as she was put through to someone who could better assess the situation.


Back on the island...

Vesa emerged from the cornstalks and could see an old mansion in the distance...perhaps he could find someone that could tell him what was going on as he trotted, then picked up to a jog as he approached the burned-out manor...


((Continued in Live for him...))