A Ford truck was driving down a quiet rode through a dense forest and inside it behind the wheel was a man sixty something years old listening to some country music playing from the radio.

Driving on he then turned down a dusty road into the forest and drove on it all the way to a small cabin located in the middle of nowhere. It was a small two story cabin, fit for one person, and there was an old beat up truck parked out front.

The man pulled up his truck in front of the cabin and getting out the front door of the cabin swung open and a man walked out, dressed in a grey vest and dirty jeans. His name was Shane and he had a well-built body with blonde hair that he had tied back in a small pony tail.

"Dr. Briggs," Shane said walking up to the top of the steps.

"Hello Shane," Dr. Briggs said and looked around. "Interesting little life you’ve got going on for yourself here?"

"Yeah well things have definitely been better."

"I can see that. How have you been?"

"Getting by," Shane answered.

"Long time, good to see you."

"Good to see you too. How'd you find me?"

"I asked around," Dr. Briggs said.

"Right."

"How have you been holding up?"

"Just about enough to not lose my damn mind," Shane answered.

"Been out here this whole time?"

"Yep."

"Quiet," Dr. Briggs.

"Yeah, that was the main reason why I moved out here. I needed a quiet place to kind of help me deal with all the stuff that happened."

"Right. And how has that been going?"

"Well I'm still out here so not too bad," Shane responded.

"You working?"

"Uh . . Yeah. I met a man who was kind enough to give me a job as a mechanic in his garage. It's where I've been working this whole time."

"Good," Dr. Briggs said.

"Doesn't pay as well as my previous job did obviously but it puts food on the table and that's all that matters."

"Right," he said and they just stood there looking at each other for a good while. "Listen Shane I’m really sorry about how things played out."

"Don’t be, I deserved exactly what I got, I made a series of very bad decisions and put a lot of my teammates in danger. I got exactly what was coming to me."

"You could’ve tried to appeal to the board," Dr. Briggs said.

"Appeal for what? They were right, I pushed the team too far, I’m even surprised I got off with a 4 year suspension, with what I did I should’ve been banned for life."

"Stop it, you’re being way too hard on yourself, we all makes mistakes."

"Yes but not ones that could cause people to lose their lives," Shane said.

"Roberts is fine, he pulled through you don’t have to hold that over your head anymore."

"Yeah but what if he didn’t? What if he died? That would’ve been the end of me not just with my job but as a human being, how was I going to be able to live with myself after having caused the death of a friend? How do I live with that?"

"Hey stop beating yourself up, he’s fine and he doesn’t hold you responsible for what happened," Dr. Briggs said. "It could have happened to anyone."

"No, it happened because I made a bad call that put his life in danger. Had I not, Roberts wouldn't have almost died. It was all my fault." He gave out a heavy sigh trying to hold his tears back. "So, is relieving my horrible past why you came here or you need something? Or maybe you’re lost?"

"Nope I’m right where I want to be."

"O.k. so what can I do for you?" Shane asked.

"You know I’ve always wanted you to succeed and so when the decision was made to kick you out, it hurt me just as much as it did you. You’re brilliant Shane, to see you like this is really heart breaking, so much potential you have going to waste." Shane looked down. "Which brings me to why I’m here. How would you like to be given a chance to redeem yourself?" Shane raised his head.

"What?"

"Yeah," Dr. Briggs went and Shane gave a chuckle.

"Are things really that bad that you had to come and ask for help from a misfit like me?"

"Correction we are not asking for your help, we are merely on a brink of discovering something massive and since I care about you I was hoping you’d be smart enough to accept this offer to be a part of it, you know and use it as a way to prove yourself and get your life back but if you’re fine with this then that’s fine too."

"Are you serious?" Shane asked.

"Would I come all this way to lie to you?"

"But what about all that stuff I've done and the suspension?"

"I went to talk to the board and they said they’re willing to give you a probation period, if you’re willing to make the best of it, if you’re willing to be a team player and play by the rules and prove to be the archaeologist we all know you still are," Dr. Briggs said.

"You mean I could get my job back?"

"If you can see through this project and help us get the results we hope to, then you can consider your old job already yours." Shane thought to himself about it.

"You’re not messing with me."

"Why would I do that?"

"Coz I screwed up and maybe you wanna punish me for it," Shane said.

"I told you before I was always rooting for you, I still am. The only person punishing you . . . Is you."

"And the others? What do they think about this?"

"They’re taking it a little rough but I’ve already run everything by them, they know you're good at what you do so I'm certain they'll come around. All that remains now is for you to show up and give it a 110%," Dr. Briggs said.

"Are you being really serious with me right now?"

"Yes I am, everyone deserves a second chance, don’t you think?"

"Yeah," Shane said and thought some more to himself. "What’s the job?"

"Give me your final answer and we’ll fill you in when we get to the facility, let’s just hope that all these years of being away haven't made you rusty."

"Old man please I was born to do artifacts and relics, it was implanted in my system way before I was even born."

"Good, so are you in?" Dr. Briggs asked.

"Yeah."

"Alright, go get your bag packed and let's go."

"What? Right now?" Shane asked.

"Yes now, am I not standing right in front of you? Let's go," he said and Shane just chuckled to himself shaking his head and walked back into the cabin as Dr. Briggs walked up the steps and joined him inside the cabin.

He closed the door behind him and stood looking around; it was a comfy space but was not really the kind of set up he had in mind for someone as intelligent and educated as Shane; he had a good number of papers and had worked his way up to being head archaeologist at the facility but his recklessness caused him to get banned and lose it all.

"You know I’m actually shocked I managed to convince you without moving on to plan B," Dr. Briggs said.

"Plan B?" Shane asked from upstairs.

"Yeah plan B." Shane came down the stairs changed in clean clothes and a packed travelling bag in his hand.

"And what if I may ask was plan B?"

"Deckerman," Dr. Briggs answered.

"You should’ve started with that, we would’ve been half way there by now." They chuckled.

"Still thinking about her huh?"

"I never stopped," Shane said.

"That’s good so maybe you could also use this as that long awaited opportunity to try and patch things up between you two and hopefully try and finish what you started; if you’re man enough to that is?"

"What are you talking about? I’ve always been . . ."

"Finish that sentence and I’ll slap you stupid across your face right now," Dr. Briggs said and Shane laughed.

"Still the over protective one I see."

"Someone’s got to be." Shane took a moment.

"I never wanted to hurt her."

"I know."

"But I ended up doing so any way," Shane said.

"It sucks how life makes you do that."

"It sucks so bad."

"But there's nothing that's too big to not bounce back from so you can do this," Dr. Briggs said. "You just have to believe you can do it and you will."

"You really do believe in me?"

"Trust me, I wouldn't be here if I didn't. Though you sometimes get completely clouded, impulsive and become a danger to yourself and the people around you and are one heck of a smart Alick, you’re still one of the best archaeologists I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and working with in my entire life. You’re brilliant, sharp and confident, exactly what my team needs in a leader."

"Wow that was a lot of good words in there."

"Yep and you’re every one of them," Dr. Briggs said. "Question is are you going to prove the good to me or the bad?"

"I've changed. I'm not the man I was before. I've learned from the mistakes I made and it is safe to say that I am a better man."

"That's what I came here to hear."

"Deckerman huh? . . . Where do I sign," Shane said and Dr. Briggs chuckled as he just smiled to himself ready to get back in the game.

An hour later, Dr. Briggs and Shane arrived at the facility. It was called Norton's Archaeological Facility and was the size of a small university. It had a main building where the offices, labs, board rooms, library, dining hall and kitchen were with hostels in the back where the archaeologists lived.

Dr. Brigg's truck pulled up in the car park and a certain look came over Shane's face.

"You doing o.k. over there," Dr. Briggs said.

"Uh yeah just uh . . . It just feels a little weird to be back. Been away for quite a while," Shane said. "The place has really grown."

"Yeah, we got some great funding and managed to expand."

"It looks very good."

"Thank you," Dr. Briggs said.

"Anybody from back in the day still here?"

"You mean anybody from your team still here?"

"Yeah," Shane responded.

"Yes. We got a few more archaeologists but all the ones you worked with before are still here. Except Roberts. He's spear heading a project in Egypt and is doing very well for himself," Dr. Briggs said.

"Oh wow, that's what he always wanted. Good for him."

"Yeah, other than him the whole team is pretty much still here so you shouldn't feel out of place."

"I think I'd feel less out of place if there were less familiar faces," Shane said.

"Less faces to pull you back into the past?"

"Yep."

"Listen we all make mistakes. You acknowledged that what you did was wrong and you learned from it and you're here now to try and turn your life around, no one should be mad at you for that," Dr. Briggs said.

"I know but it's going to be hard to get them to trust me again."

"That will be hard but you just have to show them that you're a much better man now and that you're just here to make the most out of the opportunity you've been given."

"Right," Shane said.

"Alright get in there. We've prepared a room for you so why don’t you get there, rest for a little bit until you’re all called in for a briefing. Ask the woman at the front desk and she'll give you the key and the directions to your room."

"Thank you Dr. Briggs."

"No problem," Dr. Briggs said and Shane got out of the truck, grabbed his bag from the back seat and walked into the facility as he remained smiling to himself; glad to have him back.

A moment later, Dr. Briggs was in his office. He was sitting by his desk working when just then his door burst open.

"I cannot believe you actually went through with this Shane thing," Alex said; a thirty-five year old long haired beauty with a body that looked like it belonged on the cover of a swim suit magazine. "Seriously!"

"Hello my love please do come in," Dr. Briggs said in a very calm tone, like he was expecting her.

"No, he is reckless and will get us all killed."

"He’s the best option there is and you know it."

"No he isn’t, I am the best option there is. Me as the head archaeologist here at the facility. Me not him. Me!" she said.

"You are more qualified on paper there is no denying that but in reality he has headed more expeditions than you have which makes him the better candidate to lead the team. And not just that but he has studied tracking, levelling and environment analysis and is the only one among you guys who has actually tracked across that sort of terrain this expedition is taking us to and so no one is truly better to lead the team than he is. If we want to find out just what is going on up there, he’s the guy for the job."