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Post by Jordanna on Jun 14, 2008 23:43:39 GMT -5
"You've still got your guns." Proteus scowled. "Threaten to kill Ashley if they try to grab you before you get clear."
Vance began to shake his head. "Proteus--"
"Hey!" Nate's voice suddenly cut in sharply, and he appeared at his father's side. "Where's Ashley?"
The Major caught his breath. "What?"
"He was right beside me and the Doc--now he's gone." Nate shook his head. "I didn't think he could move!"
"Look deeper in the tunnel," Vance growled. "Maybe he tried to crawl off somewhere--but it's not like there's anywhere to go."
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Post by skybright on Jun 14, 2008 23:54:56 GMT -5
Daws frowned in confusion and turned to peer into the darkness beyond the ring of the flashlight's beam. "I can't see him," she murmured, cautiously stepping deeper into the tunnel and scanning the blackness. "Colonel Ashley?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 15, 2008 0:11:45 GMT -5
Miriam, who had appeared to recover from the deaths of Vance's two men, suddenly stirred uncomfortably and shook her head. A puzzled frown crossed her lips. "Something feels strange..."
Vance's spine stiffened, and he rubbed his temple with two fingers. "Yeah. I feel it too." He glanced at Roger, who looked similarly ill at ease.
"Somebody's onto our extrasensory wavelength." He glanced around anxiously. "I don't know if it's them out there, or if it's Ashley... Nate, find him fast!"
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Post by skybright on Jun 15, 2008 0:19:47 GMT -5
Daws spared a quick glance back at Vance, then holstered her gun and plowed forward into the darkness, glancing into every cranny and listening intently for any trace of Ashley's rasping breathing.
"C'mon, c'mon . . ." She muttered, "He's gotta be somewhere . . ."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 15, 2008 0:28:52 GMT -5
Suddenly, for an instant, the tunnel was dazzlingly lit by a white flash that seemed to roll through it from its deeper depths. The light was accompanied by a shockwave that sounded and felt like some unearthly roaring wind, knocking the fighters flat on the tunnel floor.
Then the space was plunged into darkness again.
As Nate coughed and reached for his flashlight, Vance found Daws in the dark and squeezed her shoulder. "You alright?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 15, 2008 0:40:11 GMT -5
Daws sat up cautiously and rubbed her eyes with one hand. "That flash probably didn't do my eyes a whole lot of good, but I'll live." She turned her head towards him. "What on earth just happened?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 15, 2008 22:15:30 GMT -5
"I don't know..." Vance scowled into the dark. "I'm sorta wondering if Colonel Ashley's found some other muscles to flex. Nate?"
By this time a couple of Vance's men had turned on their own flashlights. Nate coughed again as he picked up his own, and peered blinkingly at his father. "I know, find him..." He moved off toward the darkness again, rubbing his eyes.
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Post by skybright on Jun 15, 2008 22:24:53 GMT -5
Daws looked around for a moment, squinting, then rubbed her eyes and glanced around again. Finally she reached out a bit uncertainly and grasped Vance's shoulder.
"Jerod." She said quietly, "I've got a slight problem."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 15, 2008 22:30:58 GMT -5
Vance caught his breath, and gripped Daws' arm.
"Not that..." he said, in a strained voice.
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Post by skybright on Jun 15, 2008 22:39:24 GMT -5
Daws shook her head quickly. "I can still see -- sort of. Everything's just . . . really foggy, and a lot darker than it should be."
She took a somewhat shaky breath. "I think it's just temporary flashburns . . . but I don't know how much use I'm gonna be like this."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 15, 2008 22:49:03 GMT -5
"Don't worry about that." Vance turned to find Miriam, and squeezed the pathologist's shoulder. "Doc, look after Regina."
Still looking dazed from the various psychic traumas she had been put through in rapid succession, Miriam moved toward Daws. Someone gave her a flashlight, and she mechanically made an examination of Daws' eyes.
"I think you'll be alright," she murmured at last. "But I can't do anything to help now. We should have Caddy look at you when--if--we get out of here."
As if to remind them of the unlikelihood of that, they heard once again the sounds of the enemy's digging and scraping. It had paused for a moment after the mysterious detonation, but now it resumed with more determination than ever.
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Post by skybright on Jun 15, 2008 22:57:29 GMT -5
Daws glanced briefly towards the source of the digging noise, then shook her head and leaned back against the wall of the tunnel. "We could sure use a little of that divine intervention the Padre talks about right now." She murmured wryly.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 16, 2008 21:59:30 GMT -5
Vance made a growling noise. "I'm gonna see if I can help Nate find Ashley," he muttered, and slipped beyond the dim ring of light made by his men's flashlights.
Sid squirmed over to the two women, holding a torn piece of cloth against his nose. "You gals okay?"
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Post by skybright on Jun 16, 2008 23:49:04 GMT -5
Daws smiled thinly in Sid's direction. "Yeah, I'm all right -- aside from not being able to see much besides a bunch of moving blobs." She extended the claws of one hand and nodded towards the door. "I can still do some damage to a moving blob or two, if I have to."
She turned her head towards Miriam, squinting. "What about you, Miriam?" She asked quietly. "How is it?"
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 17, 2008 22:37:25 GMT -5
Miriam frowned and shook her head slightly, as if she was being irritated by a sound no one else could hear. "I still feel whatever it was that started before the flash. It's even stronger now. I can only guess the Major's still getting it too."
She dropped her gaze. "As for other things... it's not much worse than it was after the Murfeeston Bridge. At least for now."
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Post by skybright on Jun 17, 2008 22:46:34 GMT -5
The grim implications of that for now weren't lost on Daws. She gave Miriam's shoulder a gentle squeeze, and glanced solemnly in Sid's direction.
The sound of digging continued from the other side of the rock wall.
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 17, 2008 22:50:48 GMT -5
A moment later, Vance emerged from the depths of the tunnel at a run, skidding into the group's feeble circle of light.
"The tunnel's clear," he gasped breathlessly.
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Post by skybright on Jun 17, 2008 22:54:38 GMT -5
Daws glanced up at him sharply. "Clear? You mean Colonel Ashley . . . ."
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Post by Jordanna on Jun 18, 2008 21:45:59 GMT -5
"We found him, too," Vance replied quickly. "I can only figure he did something. If anything, he looks even worse than he did earlier."
Before anyone could answer, he glanced over the entire group of fighters and raised his voice. "Come on, people. The way is clear--let's move!"
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Post by skybright on Jun 18, 2008 21:55:52 GMT -5
"You don't have to tell me twice." Daws clambered somewhat awkwardly to her feet, putting out one hand to steady herself against the tunnel wall.
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