A/N: This story is written in conjunction with Arones. I wanted to try and combine Emma and Tegan (our OFC's) but we realized timing wise it wouldn't really work out, so we a new OFC to fill our desire to write together. Here it is, the product of our efforts. More is to come, and we both sincerely hope you enjoy.
Arones will also be posting this on her account as well if you care to review twice, I know it would be appreciated. Thank you all. ~~GPW
The rope in her fingers was warm from holding on for so long. She had been there for about an hour following the bunch in after they'd gotten to the cave. She had waited twenty minutes after they left before she put on her own gear and started into the dark rock formation. She was now suspended above the deep crevice about two hundred feet below the cave entrance watching the three flashlights below flicker onto the walls and listening to the conversation as it flowed up to her ears. She tightened her grip on the rope again and shifted her feet hoping the rustling noise of rubber against rock didn't make too much noise. She was startled out of her movements by a loud and frustrated voice.
"Why are we here again? You sure the information said this cave?" The accent was bland at best, but she could still make out small nuances in the words he issued, as well as the terseness he spoke with.
"Will, I trust the source; we're in the right place."
"So, exactly how big is this thing... this bat that we're looking for?" It was the same whiny male voice she had heard before and she wondered if the voice holding the third flashlight ever spoke.
There was a silence that overtook them as the woman spoke, her accept clipped and sharp. British. But she didn't slur her words like some Brits did, it was odd. "Not very large." She noticed a rustling sound and when looking down one of the flashlights were being muffled, probably by a bag. She must have been searching for something. "Perhaps they're further down."
"Further down?" There was a groan that sounded. "There isn't a further down Magnus. And you didn't answer my question."
She couldn't see their faces, but she imaged the whiny man was receiving a particular look. She would have given him one for sure. "About a meter and a half."
"A meter-what? That's not small!"
There wasn't a moment's pause before the Brit woman answered again. "I don't believe I said 'small,' I believe I said not very large. There is a modicum of difference."
"I'd argue that there was a very large modicum of difference." Will threw the oxymoron out as a complaint.
She grinned slightly and brushed at the tickling on her leg; she was certain it was a spider and didn't really want to see the offending creature. She wished she could move further down to hear them a bit better, but until they moved into one of the branches of the cave system she was stuck halfway in her descent. She smiled as the third voice finally spoke up. "We've handled bigger."
"Yeah, but..." There was that whiny voice again. If she were down there she would have slapped him already. "What if it has really big sharp fangs?"
"They don't call them 'vampire bats' for nothing, William." There was a hint of humor in the British woman's statement.
Ah, she finally had a name for the whiny voice: William Zimmerman, mid-thirties, second in command to the woman, previously worked law enforcement and trained by the FBI. Now she knew who was who. It would help her once she descended. She had seen pictures of all of them, knew which was which from sight, but in the dark cave she could make nothing out other than their voices. Repositioning slightly, she felt her foot slip. Leaning into the wall she caught herself and pulled tight on the rope again. Air flowed into her lungs through her nostrils and once again she focused on the three below her. She really wished they would start to move along soon, the straps on her ass were starting to cut circulation and the tingling was beginning to unnerve her.
"Least you're not calling them docile." She heard him speak just as a loose rock slipped and ricocheted off the stone walls further down until it landed loudly below. Everyone in the cave held their breath tightly in their chests.
Helen was the first to recover and let the air she held in her lungs slowly escape. She lifted her hand above her eyes and glanced up at the mouth of the cave that was still directly above them. It was so far away that the light entering through the opening was a jagged oval of bright white and everything else was black. The actual light dissipated before it reached them and she couldn't make out anything above. It was basically shadow and darkness. She lowered her hand and swung her light around. "Door number one?"
"How many choices do we have?" Will spoke, moving his own light from one small opening to another.
"Eenie meenie minie moe, that one is too tiny for my big toe." She thought she might like the one she had deduced was Henry. He seemed chipper enough.
Sighing a breath of relief that the light never traversed in her direction she glanced down again to see the three starting to pick up their gear and head towards the larger cave. Will looked from Henry to the handful of small tunnels branching out of the main chamber. "I really hope this doesn't turn into a 'Sanctum' remake." She waited until they disappeared before releasing her tight grip on the rope sliding down the wall of the cave. Pushing out with her feet she scaled the rock about twenty feet when she heard a loud bang and the fluttering of wings.
"Shit." She muttered when the three lights flashed in panic where they had just come from and the flurry of bats emerged. Holding on tightly to the rope and pressing her face into the rock she closed her eyes and waited for noises to end. It seemed to take minutes before the last flap of a wing lingered in her hearing range. Breathing heavily she moved her head back and tried to get her bearings. The lights were starting to move below her too, so she was sure that the bats were gone. Calming, she moved and scrunched her nose at the smell that rose from her body. She was covered in bat feces. Shuddering at the realization she groaned.
"This is disgusting." The whiny one, Will again. She was now sure that he complained about everything. The woman started giggling and it made her smile; at least she found the man amusing. "Magnus…"
She felt something on her flesh then. Breathing deeply she moved her arm to try and shake off whatever it was that was moving along her skin. It was starting to freak her out. She flapped her arm harder but felt a sting in the top muscle of her forearm. Screaming she let go of the rope and tumbled to the dark cave floor below.
Helen heard the commotion above her and thought it was a remaining bat or two fluttering against a vine; that was until she heard the scream. She looked up and stepped back just in time to not be hit by the falling and flailing body which thudded on the packed dirt and rock at her feet. "Bloody hell."
She moaned as the three bodies above her shone their lights in her face and couldn't see anything beyond blinding white. She wasn't sure what hurt and what didn't hurt. Currently the rush of blood returning to her ass and legs left them throbbing. At least she had worn a helmet and it had protected her head which she was certain had ricocheted off the ground when it hit.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" She couldn't make out Helen's features past the blazing light pointing directly in her honey hazel eyes. All she could think was, what kind of doctor doesn't ask if you are ok first? She let out another moan. Helen was staring down at her, her eyes not leaving the woman's face. She didn't recognize her; there was nothing familiar about those features. "I asked who you were. Answer me." The tones turned harsh and the woman's body lifted off the ground in a slight convulsion. She rasped in a deep breath that had Helen kneeling down. "Who are you?" The light was still shining in her face and she tried to turn away from it but found that she wasn't able to move as easily as she thought she could.
"Eh—ee…" The words were garbled and intangible. It wasn't until that moment that Helen reached her hand forward to touch the woman's face.
As her hand touched her check Helen watched her pallor increase and her eyes roll back in her head as her body went completely limp. "Will, I need my medical kit."
He dug through his pack wondering why he was always stuck carrying the medical supplies; he finally surmised it was because he was the most accident prone. He found the requested bundle and pulled it out reaching across the prone woman to hand it to Helen.
She opened the flap and immediately her hand landed on the stethoscope she was looking for. Pulling it out placing it in her ears, she slipped the bell inside the woman's shirt pressing the cool metal against her skin. Her respirations were shallow and her pulse was a little faster than Helen would have liked. She should have also regained consciousness by now. With that thought there was a low grumble from the fallen body. She pulled her the stethoscope out and laid it on the bag.
"Maybe we should start again." This time Helen's voice was softer with a hint of compassion. "Where are you hurting?"
"I'm not." She pushed herself up regretting the movement, but did her best to cover it. She felt hands grab her arms helping her to stay upright as Helen pulled out a small pen light.
"Eyes: look at me." Helen turned the smaller light on and waited until the woman obliged. "What's your name?" She asked while shining the light back and forth checking her pupil reactions.
"Jeci." When the woman was done she closed her eyes and breathed deeply. "I'm fine, thank you." Trying to shove herself up to stand was quite an effort, but with the help of whiny William and chipper Henry she managed to stand on her own, that along with help of the wall that she was leaning on. "I'm fine." Stating it once again just for practical purposes she started to tie herself in again to climb back out. Her plan had to be scratched.
Helen put her hands on Jeci's to stop her. "Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh... um... up?" She looked up at the mouth of the cave longing to be over the edge and deep in the rainforest on her own to rethink and, hopefully, get over the embarrassment of her failure.
Henry shook his head. "Yeah, I don't think so."
The boss lady nodded her head and added to what Henry had to say. "I have to agree. After that fall you don't need to be climbing right now, especially not alone. Why exactly are you in the middle of South America spelunking alone? You're obviously not from around here."
She looked at Helen for a minute and blinked quickly. "I'm an explorer and an adrenaline junkie to boot. What can I say?" Her back was resting against the wall otherwise she might have shrugged. "You can't stop me from leaving."
"You obviously don't know her then either." Will muttered under his breath earning a sharp look from Magnus.
Helen turned to the woman, her hands still holding on tightly. "You have a concussion from that fall, there is no doubt of it. You are going to need medical attention and I just so happen to be a doctor."
"Of torture."
"William." That earned another glance from his boss. He was really striking out. "I assure you, I am a doctor, and I can provide care for you."
Jeci nodded slightly her eyes scanning each face. She knew who they were. She knew they wouldn't hurt her. "Then how do you suggest we get out of the cave, because I really don't think any of you can carry me out of here and it's quite a climb."
Helen looked around her letting out an almost imperceptible sigh. Thanks to this 'kid' she was going to have to give up the search for the giant vampire bat that may or may not exist in the first place. She looked up at the entrance of the cave; she was probably the best climber out of the group of them, which wasn't saying much. Judging from the gear Jeci had she wasn't nearly as accomplished as she would have others believe. "Henry and I are going to have to climb up and pull you to the surface."
"Like hell you are." Jeci pushed off the wall only to fall back against it with a soft thud. That was about how much strength she could muster. "I can climb myself."
"Of course, and Elvis is still alive." Will didn't bother to mutter; he was sure Magnus would find amusement in what he was saying and he didn't care what this Jeci person thought of him. She had dropped in on them not the other way around and he wanted answers. Still he knew he had to let Magnus take the lead and play his cards right if they were going to get the girl to actually tell the truth.
Jeci sighed and nodded her head towards Magnus giving full permission for whatever plan she had. "Right, Henry. Upwards we go." Helen grinned and the younger man and sorted their gear. She started the climb and was only a few feet above them when Jeci and Will could no longer see their bodies, only the light from their headlamps. Will tried talking to her but Jeci ignored him, her head was pounding her sides hurt and she really didn't want to hear his voice. Eventually he picked up on her disregard of him and fiddled around with whatever was in the bag.
His radio sounded and he picked it up. "We're ready, hook her up; then you can start up after."
"Right boss." Will turned to Jeci and looked her over in the light he had. "Ready?"
"Do I have a choice?" He shook his head and hooked her up.
"She's ready." Will spoke into his walkie before pocketing it as she was starting to be pulled up. He connected his own harness to the rope Henry had used and started up behind her.
It was a long and somewhat bumpy trip up and took quite a good amount of time before the light from the opening hit her eyes. Finally she saw the edge and tried to prepare herself for the last leg. "Fuck." Jeci cried out when she reached the top and Helen and Henry had to grab her arms to pull her over the ledge and onto the soft ground of the rainforest floor. She lay there for a minute trying to catch her breath but the harder she tried the more elusive it seemed.
Helen watched her for a minute before she realized what was going on. They must have displaced one of her rib fractures when they pulled her up and inadvertently punctured her lung. Before Will could finish scrambling over the edge Helen was already rummaging through his pack and pulling out the med kit grabbing the supplies she would need to put in a rudimentary chest tube in the field. She handed the vial of Lidocaine to Will as he stood.
"Draw up ten cc for me. Henry I need you to find some type of rigid tubing." Hearing the fabric and zippers move off to her side she was handed the Lidocaine just as she noted the sound of success from Henry. Glancing over, she saw him pulling out the bladder and tubing out of his camel pack, the one he'd bought just for this trip. She grinned at his ingenuity. "Well done Henry." She handed him the bottle of Betadine and asked him to clean the end of it while she prepped Jeci's chest.
"You aren't going to do…what I think you're going to do..." Jeci gasped and eyed the scalpel Helen was wielding, knowing it wasn't going to matter that Helen had just shot the area up with Lidocaine. This was going to hurt.
"Afraid so." She didn't give her time to second guess what was about to happen. Instead with a steady hand, Helen made a small incision and took the waiting tube from Henry's outstretched fingers. "You're going to feel some pressure."
"Like hell in a freezer drawer." Jeci grunted as Helen pushed the tubing in the incision and between her ribs until it punctured into the chest cavity allowing the blood and fluid that was pressing against her lung to evacuate. Almost immediately she was able to breathe easier. "Thank you." She was relieved to instantly have air flowing in and out of lungs at a more normal rate. Her eyes glided over to the brunette who was still bent over her.
"Better?"
"Yes." She looked at Henry who was avoiding her and Will who was giving her a hard stare. "Now what?"
"Considering the hospitals here are few and far between, I think you'll be going back with us so I can take care of you and find out just what other injuries you sustained."
That might not be a bad plan, but she couldn't seem eager. "Surely there is a hospital closer to us then where ever you're from."
"Do you really want me dropping you off in some jungle hospital where they use rusty needles and only speak Spanish?" Helen was packing her stuff up again as she spoke and Will took the opportunity to add to the threat. "Not to mention the hospitals here are probably surrounded by armed guerillas."
"No." Jeci whispered and then spoke slightly louder. "I guess not, but there's no way I can walk out of here."
Helen eyed her curiously, knowing her current lung condition would leave her weak along with the concussion. She wondered why she wasn't already tossing her cookies from the sluggish reaction of her pupils. She began to wonder just what other injuries she was hiding. "Just before you fell you screamed?"
She blushed sheepishly. "Spider."
"You screamed because of a little spider?" Will asked incredulously.
"I didn't say little, it was big and it bit me." Her voice was higher pitched than normal and it rang in her ears after she finished speaking.
Helen again turned her full attention on the interesting girl who fell from the sky. "Where?"
"Here." She pointed to the offending bite. "It's nothing."
Helen twisted the arm in her fingers and looked cautiously at the bite. There was a small red welt but it didn't look bad by any standards. "Anything else?" She watched Jeci shake her head slowly and her eyes fluttered. "Nauseous?" Her only answer was a slight nod. "Alright, we have ATV's, but it's going to be a rough ride." Again a nod. "Ready?"
"Yeah, might have to stop on the way though."
"If it's necessary, we will." They maneuvered the woman on the ATV that Helen would be riding and started off at a slower pace than either Will or Henry ever wanted to go.