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PART NINE(9)
~~~~~~~~~~
Left alone where he stood and turning towards the passageway, OCley
realized that he had no way to contact and recall Two Dash Two; Rendal had his
Lowi, and the man had no comm. unit of his own.
"He needs my comm.," he decided after a few moment's
hesitation. "He can't be looking back over his shoulder every five
seconds, if he's pressed to keep our 'neighbors' away. I can signal him with
the HoCra's unit, when the time comes." Of course, it was doubtful that a
bunch of archeologists would brave rifle fire, so he figured Two Dash Two
shouldn't have a problem keeping them pinned down.
He turned back, and began to make his own way to the look-out. Another
thought struck him suddenly, and he muttered regretfully, "That 'all
clear' bait signal might open up a can of shuckles we aren't going to want to
deal with."
He knew that most archeologists had a passion for their work, and if they
thought precious artifacts from the past were being destroyed or stolen, they
could very well do something incredibly brave ~ And stupid.
'Like, maybe, try to storm Two Dash Two's position,' he admitted
to himself darkly. He knew it was definitely too late to catch Rendal ~ the
signal was certainly sent out by now ~ but he COULD have One Dash One bring an
extra piece along and give TDT support.
"Potshots at archeologists," he growled disbelievingly, shaking
his head. There had been so many unexpected twists and unplanned actions, to
this point in the mission.
'Right now there is something I don't expect, that I would LIKE to
happen,' he thought to himself sourly, as he topped a crest of rubble and
saw the look-out point ahead of him another twenty yards or so. 'It would be
too bloody convenient, if Insider manages to hold his colleagues in the camp,
somehow.'
He felt so mad at the course events on this mission had taken so far,
that he did the proverbial thing ~ And spit disgustedly. Then he reflected, 'The
only part of the plan left, that can still go according to it, is when we're
all in the HoCra and making the getaway!"
The tides of fortune had turned so far against them, this night, that
there was only one fortunate thing he could think positively about, in
connection with the getaway; 'At least we won't get a flat tire.' he
thought sarcastically and with only the barest bones of amusement, as he
reached for his comm. unit.
[:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:][:^:]
If the five down below had been dressed any differently, they would most
certainly have looked like drowned rattatas. As it was, OLie figured they all
felt pretty close to that descriptive mark.
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About three minutes ago, the breath's force had died away, after howling
for about fifteen seconds. And then first Dee Two and the rest had caught the
sound of the down flow of water ~ They thought from the topside end of the
excavation cease-section.
"A bit of water, that," observed
Deciding extra protection would not be a bad idea, OLie shouted
desperately, "Into the cells! Use one of the prism-drill cases to make
sure the doors don't--"
His orders were superseded by the mounting roar of the tidal front's
approach, and he had no sooner signaled two of the team to go with him into one
cell, and snatched one of the drill cases from Two Dash One, than it burst out
of the through arch's mouth, and caught them all exposed, out in the dungeon
level's hall...
(:)-(:)-(:)-(:)-(:)
They had been collectively washed to the far end of the dungeon's
hallway, and had been spared the full explosive force of the tidal wave, because
most of it had passed through this landing and down to the chamber, OLie knew.
Still, he felt nicely bruised all over, and when he clicked on his Lowi,
its awash glow revealed Two Dash One treading the water beside him, who was
holding his head with one hand and had a pained expression on his face.
"Are you alright, Amigo?" he asked the injured man, and
reminded him softly and quite unnecessarily, "Now would not be a good time
to have a concussion."
Two Dash One forced himself to smile wanly and replied groaningly.
"I am not lagging in my will to survive, Sir. If this is a concussive
injury, I don't intend to let it effect me until we get out of here."
'Which we should make haste in doing,' OLie Three thought to
himself, and moved his hand under the water, from the Lowi to the comm. unit.
It was not waterproof, so there was no point in trying it, to see if it still
worked.
He could see three vague outlines behind Two Dash One, and assumed they
were his other ~ hopefully conscious ~ teamers.
"Where did this gawdawful lot of water come from?" Three Dash
Two asked pointlessly, of no one in particular.
"With a change of our luck," answered OLie meaningfully,
"it won't really matter." He wasn't counting on good fortune,
however. They might ever get out of there, simply if nothing further went
against them.
"
"Here and good to go," came
There was a moment’s pause, and then
"Yes you will," his dive partner assured him, and inquired
concernedly, "Are you hurt very bad?"
"Broken arm," the slim
If that was the man's only injury, then OLie figured
"Let's move out of here!" he said forcefully and began to
propel himself back down the dungeon's hall, using a modified version of the
'Diver's Tread walk'. The others followed him.
When he reached the upwards arch, OLie moved to the far side, and
motioned his teamers to go up ahead of him.
First went
OLie could only look surprised for a moment, then commend him. "Good
news; you can't have a concussion if you thought of the drills and I completely
forgot about them." He supposed that had been the case, simply because he
should have thought they wouldn't float.
Two Dash One continued on buoyed by the drills slightly, and Three Dash
Two paused and ventured to his superior in a hushed tone of voice, "What
about the seznak, Sir?"
That had occurred to OLie, and he hated to say what he felt was true in
the poke`mon's case, so he rejoined, "What with the force of that tidal
wave of water? What do you think?"
"Stunned and drowned," his subordinate responded sorrowfully,
and pointed out with feeling, "There is no issue of having enough air,
now; Can't we use the badolphi to at least recover Reith's body?"
"If you get your water-logged butt moving, I'll leave her behind to
make a thorough-but-quick search," OLie informed him open-hintingly.
"And the third drill?" Three Dash
Two suggested flatly.
OLie Three gritted his teeth, maddened by this man's attention to detail.
"I'll get it!" he growled, and added with pleading urgency,
"Just get up the flaming passage and out of my sight."
He didn't reach for the badolphi's poke`ball, until the man was well past
the archway, and it was then that Three Dash Two turned and asked hesitantly,
"What am I forgetting, Sir? Why the urgency in your voice?"
OLie sighed wearily and made reply in a voice to match. "The damned
Tremors," he said simply.
He saw TDT's eyes close with the shock of the possibilities, and beyond
him, the other three were about halfway to the first switch-back.
OLie had chosen to face the facts sooner than later, and he had already
admitted to himself that for all any of them knew, the tremors they had felt,
before the water had reached down to their level, had resulted in or been the
result of, a major collapse in the passage somewhere above.
Three Dash Two opened his eyes, haunted look in them now, but his voice
was determinedly upbeat. "I'll wait and say my goodbyes for when we know
for certain, if you don't mind, Sir," he announced with a wanly cheerful
smile.
"I wouldn't have it any other way," OLie seconded, as the man
slowly spun around in the water, and followed after the trio ahead of him.
His eyes stayed on the steadily receding figures for several seconds, and
then he roused himself, repeating bitterly, "The Tremors."
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