"DAAAAAAAAVE!"

His name screeched from her throat as she clung for her life onto the railing, feet dangling above what seemed an endless abyss. She managed to grab the railing as she was flung. The muscles in her arm strained as tried to pull herself up, only to have her grip slip. She screamed in fright, her heart pounding, and she felt adrenaline running like fire through her veins.

"Don't move!"

He shouted as he cut down foes, struggling to make it to her. He was bleeding heavily from a gash on his forehead, blinding him on his right side. He felt a blow hit him from his blind side, causing him to stagger. He saw stars for a brief moment as he spun, cutting down the assailant and kicking aside another. He brought his gaze up to see Jade clinging to the narrow catwalk rails. Her green eyes were wide, filled with the fear of death, but still intense with inner strength...she trusted he would get to her in time. Dave turned from her as another enemy came at him from the left.

"Damn it!"

The amount of enemies seemed endless, but he was the only thing between the writhing mass of devils and Jade. Her breaths came in gasps and she whimpered as she felt the burn of muscles straining out of place. She felt her hands slipping, palms sweaty. After slashing and fighting for what seemed hours more, Dave pushed the last assailant over the railing of the catwalk.

Now he had his break.

Quickly sheathing his sword, he threw himself onto his stomach and reached his arms out over the edge, grasping her upper arms. He had her. She latched onto his arms as tears of relief ran down her face.

"He's got me, he's got me, he's got me…"

Straining, he slowly pulled her up from dangling over the black abyss, onto the rickety catwalk. She swung a leg up and over a bar, pushing the rest of her body up as he pulled her arms. Finally, she rolled onto the platform, her forehead pressing into the grating as she gasped in relief to be on solid ground. Dave collapsed beside her on his back, a dizzy spell from the physical strain and his blood loss catching up to him. Sweat ran down his temple, his hair sticking to his face as he lay there catching his breath. The dizziness gradually left him, a throbbing in his head taking its place, and he rolled over. He winced, gritting his teeth as he brought a leg up under him. Looking towards Jade, he saw her lying face down, still catching her breath.

Suddenly the platform gave a jolt, creaking horribly, then shuddered as one end was ripped from the rock wall. Bodies fell from the platform as Jade and Dave tumbled along the falling catwalk, crashing into each other as the angle grew steeper and steeper. Thinking quickly Dave looked towards Jade and swung his arm out, catching and gripping onto her arm amidst the chaos of their tumbling. They were falling now, and Jade flung out her arm in desperation, and managed to catch onto a railing, their downward progress suddenly halted. She screamed in pain as she felt her arm dislocate from the force of their fall, but she held on. They hung suspended over the black pit as rocks and debris continued to fall around them. Tears pricked and streaked down her face again from the pain in her arm as she clutched onto the thin railing for dear life, gripping Dave's arm in her other hand. His hand clung onto her arm, locking their hold, a slight tremor vibrated through his wrist and fingers. They hung, swinging for a few heartbeats before Dave uttered.

"Harley, let me go."

She looked down at Dave in horror.

"What?"

"Let me go."

"No! Dave no! I won't!"

"You can't hold me for long. I'm too heavy. We'll both fall."

"No, no, no! I can do it! We will both make it!" Her cries were exasperated, desperate.

"Just try and reach the other bar! You can do it! I won't-"

"Jade!" He interrupted her desperate pleas.

She looked down at him again, silent besides her pained gasps.

"Jade…" He spoke softly. "Just let me go."

"No, no, no, no…"

"I don't want you sacrificing yourself… you can still make it…"

"So can you Dave! We can both survive!"

"I'm sorry… I can't…" his voice grew quieter, his breaths, labored.

"Dave?!" Her voice was panicked.

"I'm sorry Jade…" he murmured, his eyes slid shut and his head slumped forward, body going limp.

"Auuugh!" She strained to keep a hold on his arm.

"Dave! DAVE! WAKE UP!" She pleaded as she felt him slipping from her grip.

"No… no! NO! NOOOOOOO!"

The rough scream tore from her lips as she felt his arm slip from her grasp. She reached out towards his falling body with aching fingers… then he disappeared into the blackness. She hung there sobbing and screaming 'no' over and over, clutching onto the thin metal. Her body wracked with sobs and she gasped for breath, not seeming to take enough air in before coughing it out. Her muscles screamed in agony and she shifted her grip. The rig gave another shudder and lurched. She saw the metal she had been climbing rise away from her and she was falling… falling, falling, falling. Her black her whipped about her, arms reaching out as she fell, and the glow of the room faded above her. She whispered one word before falling into darkness.

"Dave…"

So... yeah. Dramatic beginning! What is to befall our hero and heroine? Is it an endless fall to death? ...Or something else. *dramatic noodling of arms* More characters to be introduced in the next chapter and thereafter! Please review, and follow to find out the next part of this tale.