I'm back, now that I have a break from college. This is one I've wanted to post in a while, and have only just not got around to doing it. Updates are coming to at least one other of my stories (hint: it's Fragments) as well as hopefully somewhat regular ones to this. Beware, there will be much Teslen.
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The valley nestled between the snow-capped mountains was one of the coldest they had been to in a while. The surface of the ground was covered in alternating layers of snow and ice, the temperature well below zero. The winds had finally stopped, as had the snow, leaving the area rather silent and beautiful. Four figures could be identified among the snow, walking in separate directions. All four were wrapped in so many layers that they gave the appearance of snow-creatures, or fluffed marshmallows, as Nikola had so disgustingly noted before they'd left the warmth of the snow plow behind and started out on foot.
"This is pointless."
"We need to figure out where that abnormal is." Henry replied as he caught up with Nikola, meeting at the designated point. He tugged the hood of his bubble coat tighter around his face, readjusting the goggles that were starting to ice over. The air was bitter cold, even without the addition of the wind, making it difficult for the four person team that had been searching the surface of the valley for several hours already.
"We've scanned this entire glacier and there's no signs of one of those weird things frozen in the ice." Nikola pointed out, voice muffled by his own coat. Despite not being nearly as afflicted by the cold as the others, he'd worn one to appease Helen. He looked thoroughly irritated he'd been dragged along.
"Suck it up, Nikola." Helen said as she neared them, having caught the last bit of their conversation. Her lips were curled upward at the corners, smirking at the fact she had caught Nikola complaining again. Beside her, Kate looked equally as amused at Nikola's apparent suffering.
"You're the one who wanted me to come in the first place, Helen. Can't stand to be parted from me?"
"On the contrary. I was hoping we'd find an ice cave to stuff you in and keep you frozen for the next few centuries." She shot him a look that he returned with a vague eye roll. "I take it you haven't found anything?"
"Nothing yet. As much as I want to believe that map you found in one of your dad's journals, I don't think we'll find anything. Just more snow and ice." Henry spoke, pulling the tablet in his gloved hands up to his face so he could see it clearer because of the glare. Helen sighed, visibly disappointed.
"My father wouldn't have hidden it so well if it didn't have value. I'm confident it's here somewhere." Four days ago she'd discovered a map upon clearing out some of her father's old journals, mapping out a valley in the Himalayas that offered the promise of a rare species frozen in the ice and snow by some distant tribe for the safety of all parties. At least, from what she'd been able to make out of it. The map hadn't been drawn by him – it appeared much older, and he'd simply been hanging on to it. A lot of the markings had been faded, but it had been a map to an abnormal. She was certain of it. And now to turn up empty handed after coming this far, she was rather disappointed.
Taking one long glance around the area, Helen frowned. It couldn't be a dead end. Although it was entirely possible someone had gotten here long ago and discovered the frozen creature – or it really wasn't real. Another legend, perhaps, untrue. But why hide the map so well?
The wind began to pick up again and she flinched as the bitter cold stung her exposed cheeks and nose.
"Let's get back to the vehicles and take a break. I'll look at the map again and see if I can't figure out another option."
"Are you sure about that, Doc?" Kate asked, shifting her backpack uneasily. "It's going to be dark soon. It'll be colder."
"This may be the only break we have in the weather." Helen glanced at Henry. "Can you do one more quick sweep before we head back? Just in case we don't get that second chance?" He nodded and reset the tablet in his hand, before began on another slow sweep of the general area. Helen crossed to stand near Nikola, watching as Kate seemed suddenly invested in seeing how many footprints she could trail across the snow several feet away.
"If you were going to drag me on a treasure hunt, you could have at least made sure the treasure was real." Nikola muttered to Helen, who shot him another look. "Or at least brought wine."
"If you quit complaining, I promise you any wine you'd like back at the hotel." She scowled faintly, exhausted of his constant complaining that had not eased since the plane had landed.
"Makes me miss England, you know. And Serbia. We had snow like this quite frequently." Nikola said quietly, putting his head down in an attempt to block the wind from cutting into his face for a moment.
"What? Biting cold, nothing to see for miles but snow and ice?" Helen inquired with slight amusement in her tone. Nikola glanced sideways at her with a nod.
"Drove away the cold with hot coffee. But since you despise the substance something fierce - care to join me for a cup of hot chocolate later?"
"After this cold, that sounds perfect," Helen replied. "But we'd better hurry. I think Kate and Henry will end up leaving us behind in the cold."
"Oh, of that I have no doubt." Nikola laughed and the pair of them began to jog to catch up with the others, who had started drifting back in the direction of the snow-plows, Henry still staring endlessly down at the table in his hand. The wind blew harder against them in gusts, silencing only for a moment occasionally. Helen kept her head down as much as possible as she jogged, glancing up only when the silence came. Her mind was still busy at work, trying to figure out what they were missing. Perhaps there was something she hadn't noticed on the map. Shifting her backpack on her shoulder, she continued forward.
However, during one moment of silence, an unmistakable sound caught her attention. She slowed to a stop, Nikola mirroring her actions a moment later. They were still a few feet away from Kate and Henry. Another gust of wind followed by silence, but the noise was there.
The sound of ice cracking.
Her head snapped down and she saw it. The snow beneath their feet wasn't snow at all, but ice - and a very thin layer, it appeared. It was likely there was water beneath it, and Helen began to calculate in her head. If the ice cracked they'd be plunged into freezing waters and suffer hypothermia before they could pull themselves out. Moving would cause it to crack more and send them under.
"Nobody move." She threw out her hand to stop Nikola from coming closer, which his intent seemed to be. "Look at your feet."
The others did, seeing what Helen had heard and seen first. From that point onward, they were frozen solid, buffeted by the winds that continued to blow, careless of their current predicament.
"Can we call for an air lift out?" Henry asked, nearly yelling over the sound of the winds that had steadily begun to pick up once more.
"Not with the weather moving back in!" Helen heard Kate reply.
"We'll have to try and run. Quickly and as light-footed as possible." Helen muttered. Nikola shook his head.
"It would crack if we all ran at once. Not all of us are your size and weight."
"Are you calling us fat?" Kate called and Helen threw a glare. Now was not the time to be kidding around. She silenced immediately.
"Then we run one at a time. Henry and Kate first since they're closest to what I assume to be the edge of the water, then us." Helen decided, looking up at the other two, praying the ice would hold long enough for them to get off of it. She had no idea for how far it stretched, either, another concern weighing in the back of her mind. This had been a terrible idea. Absolutely horrendous.
"Kate! You first!" Helen ordered over the wind and she nodded. Kate turned back around toward the way they'd been headed back and seemed to study the area between her and the edge of the valley before she broke off at a solid run. Helen watched anxiously as she charged across the ice at the fastest pace imaginable - the layers of clothing kept her from running too quickly, but thankfully, it was quickly enough. She nearly slipped and fell, but she managed to keep it together. Helen heard the ice crack once beneath her feet before she made it some distance and stopped. She saw her figure kneel and study the ground, then give a thumbs up toward them. Apparently, the ice didn't stretch all the way to the edge of the valley, which made her feel a bit better. Still, the distance from where she stood to Kate would be quite the challenge.
"Henry! Go!" Helen said and watched as Henry took off next, running across the ice as well. Helen flinched and bit down on her lip as the ice cracked further. Henry fell and she winced again, watching as he slid the rest of the way across the ice on his back, flailing limbs and all.
She looked over at Nikola.
"You go first. If it holds you, I know it'll hold me."
"But what if it cracks from me running across it and you don't have the chance?" He said and Helen waved a dismissive hand at him.
"Go, Nikola." She nudged his arm. He gave her what appeared to be a pleading look - it could have been something else, but she couldn't tell behind the fur of the coat hood and the goggles. Yet the action was familiar, and it made her heart hit her chest. This would not be another suicide mission.
He hesitated, but broke off at a full, near vampiric run across the ice.
Helen heard the ice crack much more than before and knew it wouldn't hold much longer. Without much of a choice, she took off after him, watching her feet the entire time. Dark veins of cracks appeared like spider webs every time her boot hit the ice. Breath coming in short gasps and her lungs burning from the cold air, she kept going. Nikola wasn't that much farther ahead of her, and she could see Kate and Henry waving frantically from the edge of the ice.
She heard the shattering before she saw it. The ice had finally given away, only it wasn't water beneath. It was a gaping cavern of sorts, an opening springing up between her and Nikola as the ice shattered away. The ice fell right behind him, and he threatened to fall in at any moment. One hesitation and he would.
The noise that escaped her lips as Kate and Henry ran back out onto the ice in an attempt to help them was the distraction that made Nikola pause. He caught her gaze as he tried to come to a halt. She watched as the ice gave out beneath his feet and he disappeared below. His name escaped her lips in a harsh scream - it was then she felt the ice fall from beneath her own feet and she went into a freefall. She caught a glimpse Henry, who'd run ahead of Kate, falling as the ice shattered under him as well.
Her scream was lost in the air as she plummeted, chest constricting as she waited for the ground to rush up and meet her. Death was coming, she knew, and there was no way to stop it. For her, for Nikola, or for Henry, all who would be dead within moments as soon as they hit the bottom of the cavern. This wasn't how she'd expected to die. Certainly she deserved better than this. And after everything she had worked for -
Except Helen didn't hit solid rock.
Suddenly, she plunged into surprisingly warm water. She hit on her side and plummeted down several more feet into the water, not having time to even take a breath before she went under. Her wrist, shoulder, and entire left side exploded in pain as the layers of clothing began to retain water. They pulled her down like a weight and she struggled with her non-throbbing arm in an attempt to pull them off. It was dark and her lungs were burning, making concentrating difficult as she struggled beneath the water.
Hands hooked under her arms and pulled her toward the surface, working off the layers of clothing as they did. She managed to shed her clothing all the way down to the tank and pants she had worn under the layers before she broke the surface with whoever was pulling her up.
Gasping for air the minute she broke the surface, Helen filled her lungs deeply several times, coughing up water a second afterwards. Her nose and throat burned with a terrible pain, but a few gulps of air calmed the pain well enough.
"Are you all right?" Nikola's familiar voice sounded just beside her and she nodded. Light from the opening above shone down on them - the opening hadn't been that large to begin with, so it was obviously sheer bad luck they'd managed to find the right place to fall. Helen didn't even want to think about what else was under the ice.
"What an odd way for me to get you out of your clothing." He mused and she shot him a look. He chuckled, then turned his attention elsewhere.
"Henrich?" Nikola called loudly and there was a splashing from the left. Henry surfaced, coughing and spluttering just as much as Helen had been a moment ago.
"Are you both all right?" Helen got out once she was assured her coughing fit had subsided. Her entire side was still screaming in pain, but she ignored it. The pain wasn't intense enough for her to worry about at that moment - besides, it only hurt from the way she had landed. Nothing was broken, and while she probably had a solid bruise running up her side, she'd live. Her body was starting to shiver from the sudden change in temperature, but she was at least glad for the warmth. It was better than on the surface.
"Landed feet first. I'm fine." Nikola replied. "Vampire, remember?"
"I'll live." Henry muttered and rolled his right shoulder.
She looked directly up at the opening, frowning slightly as she treaded water. There was a long pause, then Henry sighed.
"I was hoping for a vacation. Not this."
She looked over – Nikola had busied himself pulling the dark floating objects over to them. Their backpacks. Helen was suddenly grateful she had thought to invest in waterproof ones.
"We'll need to find another way out." She said after a moment, looking up. It was at least four hundred feet up, and the walls were nearly sheer vertical drops with no ledges of any sort. Light from the sky shone in, illuminating the area.
"There's an exit somewhere - otherwise the entire cavern would be filled with water." Henry pointed out and Helen nodded.
They continued to tread water for a moment longer, glancing at each other in turn. Helen couldn't help but think of the hot chocolate she'd intended to drink - it was likely to change to a cup of strong tea after she got out of this hole now. Either sounded good at the moment.
"Let's spread out and see if we can find any ledges to climb." Nikola broke the silence, his voice echoing around the cavern. "Or at least a way out of here."
They split up, taking their wet packs with them. Helen headed for one of the farther parts of the cavern wall that rose up out of the water, looking for any sort of ledge. Anything that would get them out of the water. Underground caverns were a possibility as the water had to go somewhere, but she had no idea how far back they could even go and she wasn't sure she could hold her breath that long. Not to mention what could possibly be in the water. That thought was at the back of her mind as they had been treading water. It still was, and she kept glancing back at the surface of the dark water out of worry.
"It's a sheer rock face. There's no ledges anywhere." She heard Henry complain somewhere to her left. Indeed he was right - there appeared to be no ledges to climb at all, not even at this level. So much for climbing out - although, she was almost grateful. Hitting the icy wind above while soaking wet was not something she'd been looking forward to.
Helen continued along the wall she was at, just in case, noticing it was starting to curve outward, away from the main cavern. Following the slope of the wall, she found an area of shore that stretched back, eventually leading back to a dark opening that could only be a cave entrance.
"Over here!" She called, swimming toward the shore. Her boots finally hit solid land and she pulled herself out of the water and onto the rocky shore. Her side protested weakly in pain as she took a few steps toward the impossibly dark cave entrance, resting a hand on the stone face.
She turned when she heard the noises of Nikola and Henry coming up onto the shore, the crunch of rocks beneath their boots, Henry wringing out his shirt.
"This looks promising." Helen gestured to the cave. "How's your night vision, Nikola?"
"Working. Sure you want to hold my hand that long?" He replied with the flash of a smirk.
"We can feel along the walls," Helen replied, rolling her eyes. "It's better than waiting in the water. We don't know anything about this place; there could be something in it yet."
"If there was something in it, it probably would have already attacked one of us," Nikola pointed out. Helen fixed him with a glare and turned her attention back to the cave. It was as good of as an escape as any.
"Fine. You two can stay here. I'll go," she said at last.
"You're not going alone, Doc." Henry protested as she took a step into the cave. Helen twisted to look at him.
"You can come too, Henry."
Nikola gave a resounding sigh and stepped in front of Helen, almost protectively.
"We'll all go. I'll take point."
"I'm perfectly capable of taking point." Helen protested.
"Yes, well, if something in there decides to eat us, I'll let you take over."
Helen rolled her eyes, but allowed him to step into the dark entrance. He seemed unfazed by the darkness, his hand holding hers tightly. Her own other free hand was latched tightly around Henry's behind her.
"This is leading us lower." Henry said quietly behind her. She had noticed the floor starting to slope downward gradually now that he mentioned it and frowned.
"There's got to be another way out of here." Helen replied, determined. The Cabal and the government hadn't killed her and she was going to be damned if some cavern got the honor.
"At least it's warm." Nikola offered. He did have a point. It was starting to get rather warm in the cave. Clearly it didn't faze him, but his concern was almost . . . genuine.
"This area probably has caverns like this everywhere. If we're lucky, this cave system will lead into one of the other caverns, which will have a way for us to get back to the surface." Nikola continued.
"You forget the surface is covered with ice." Helen pointed out.
"If it's as thin as the ice we fell through, it shouldn't be hard to break." He replied. Helen said nothing, but allowed him to continue. The floor had evened out again, but it was still impossibly pitch black. At least they hadn't run into anything yet, which made her feel a bit better about their luck. Hopefully, it would stay that way.
Of course not.
She felt the tug on her hand as Nikola suddenly slipped, it seemed. Her grip tightened on his to help pull him back up, but she realized he wasn't stopping. A moment later, she realized why as she was pulled down with him. Too wet to hold on to, her hand slipped out of Henry's.
The cave floor sloped suddenly downward, into a slick forty-five degree angle. Almost like a slide, she noted, as she landed hard on her stomach, sliding headfirst down the decline. Her grip lost on both Nikola and Henry, she tried to twist herself so she wasn't face first - or on her stomach - but her side screamed in pain as she did so. Her day had just gotten steadily worse once more.
Glowing light ahead caught her attention and she frowned, forced to duck as the silhouette of a low overhanging rock nearly took her head off. The glowing increased the moment she was past it - veins of something embedded into the rock walls were giving off an eerie glow, lighting up the entire cavern. At first she thought it was crystals, but as whatever slide from hell she was on passed closer to them, she realized it was some sort of rock that gave off the unnatural, but rather helpful glow.
Helen didn't have much time to dwell on it as the cave floor suddenly bottomed out and dropped, sending her nearly flying off the small ledge that marked the end of the slide. A long skid across another part of the floor and she fell right onto something soft and warm - Nikola. He let out a noise of pain as she slammed into him.
"Sorry."
Henry's cry of protest met her ears a moment later and a third body slammed into her and Nikola.
"Sorry!"
"I'm so glad I could offer my assistance as an airbag," came Nikola's grumbled reply from beneath Helen. Henry quickly picked himself up and helped Helen, the pair of them helping up Nikola, who flinched - he was bleeding from his temple.
"I hit the overhang," he said at Helen's questioning look as the skin was already stitching itself back together.
"You should have ducked. Besides, didn't see that in the dark? Or the fun-slide, for that matter?"
He growled in return, but switched the subject. "Did you see that rock on the way down?"
"Bioluminescent. I didn't get a good look at it, but I've never seen anything like it." She moved toward the mouth of the slide, peering up into the dimly lit area. "I'd like to get samples."
"Good luck with that."
"Perhaps I'll send you up after it."
"I'm not climbing that again."
"Not that sliding hundreds of feet down a rock slide and listening to the you and the vampire argue isn't fun, but I think you should take a look at this," Henry's voice spoke from their left. Helen looked over, rolling her neck and shoulders as the tension and stress had built too far into them for her liking. This mission had turned into something quite unexpected – blasted map.
She saw what Henry was seeing - along one entire wall of the cave appeared to be several crude drawings. Nothing of distinguishable quality, but it caused her pause.
"There were others down here."
"How the hell did they get down here?" Henry muttered, running a hand along the rock face with the etched in sketching, trailing over to another set of markings. "These are claw marks."
Helen stepped closer, running her fingers along the marks Henry had indicated. It was impossible to miss – they were indeed some harsh claw marks that had been scratched into the wall.
"What kind of creature can claw solid rock and do damage like that?" Henry wondered out loud and looked to Nikola, who made a face.
"Not even close. I'd break a nail." He muttered. "Though I doubt whatever did it, we don't want to be around if it comes back."
"The cavern goes only one way. I think it's save to assume we go that way - unless you want to try to climb back up the slide," Helen said after a moment, gesturing to the way the cavern narrowed and continued forward into darkness.
"No thanks," Henry said quickly. "I'll take my chances with the tunnel."
"Tunnel it is, then."
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I promise much more Teslen in later chapters. They are in a vague relationship (if you can call it that) at this point, but still the same old bickering pair.