Revolutions

Author's Note:

I don't own any CBS characters. All reviews, positive and negative (I think constructive crit is necessary in the evolution of all writers) are welcome.

Enjoy!!

I.

Nick ran for all he was worth. Heart slamming in his ribcage he hurtled through the woods, heedless to the barbs that snatched and tore at his clothing or the stinging slap of pine boughs across his face. His side burned and the gash running down his calf throbbed in raw agony. Breath came in short desperate bursts while his mind focused on only one thing.

Run

The forest floor was intense with shrubbery making it difficult to navigate. Nick used a thick sapling for support as he moved swiftly downhill. It was then that he saw a woman running out of a dense canopy of trees coming from the east. With only enough time to realize that her wrists were bound together, he lost his footing and slammed face first onto the thick, moss covered roots of a pine. Rolling head over feet Nick came to rest only a few yards from her.

Brilliant green eyes bored into his and to his surprise she was crouched in front of him holding a jagged rock. She was fast; his fall couldn't have lasted for more than a few seconds. Dressed in the same garb has he, a camel colored long sleeved shirt and green scrub pants, she also wore an identical expression—terror. Nick sat on the frozen ground panting hoping she would decide that he wasn't a threat.

"You're still tied up," he muttered eyeing her, "nobody came to untie you?" Her hair was streaked with mud and covered in nettles. With her hands bound she struggled to her feet and again lurched into a run. "This way!" he called out as he quickly stood. Startled, she paused and blinked at him. Even underneath the layers of grime Nick noticed her beauty. "We've gotta move downhill, downhill!" Still she looked confused and made as if she were going to continue moving in her original direction. "We need to get off this mountain and find a stream; Stream to river, river to people." He explained.

"I was…I…," she murmured looking back east, "where are we?" All too soon, a burly looking man came crashing though the forest somewhere behind them and screamed, "I got one! I got one!"

Oh no, not me you son of a bitch. Not me. Nick grabbed the woman by the elbow and pulled her downhill. They trod through the forest, not caring if they were leaving a trail—just as long as they got far enough away. Hot sweat stung his eyes and ran in rivulets down his back, soaking his shirt. There was no escaping the tree roots that sent them mercilessly tumbling and crashing. Nick looked back every few meters to make sure she was still with him. She was small, but she could move quickly.

To his sudden joy, Nick heard the unmistakable sound of moving water and scrambled over a small outcropping of rock. There was a small bank in front of them that lead to a stream, swollen with mountain runoff. Nick dashed to the edge taking note of the depth and speed. A branch broke behind him, making his heart lurch painfully before he realized it was the woman walking wearily up beside him.

"Water," she murmured dreamily.

"Safety," he said. "C'mon, we gotta stay with the bank just incase—"

"Incase they have dogs," she finished, still staring into the water.

"Let's hope not."

Over an hour had passed since the man had yelled out after them and there was no sign of their pursuer. Still, Nick refused to believe that they had lost them. Sticking to the stream had proved difficult. The rocks were wet and slick and as the stream slowly began widening into a river, the bank began to disappear. This made running and even trotting nearly impossible, but it also made it harder for them to be tracked. As hard as they tried to stay clear of the icy water, it quickly invaded their soft-soled shoes and soaked their feet and legs. The two did not speak, they knew better than to give away their position to the men above them. So far, it seemed, following the stream was paying off.

The wind whistled past them and sliced easily through their thin, wet clothing. Even if they made it far enough through the woods, they might not survive being wet in this weather, he thought bitterly. The woman slipped and stumbled on a moss covered rock, nearly falling bodily into the water. Nick quickly stuck his arms out and steadied her. "Alright?" he asked, and she nodded.

The water was moving more swiftly now and if he listened closely Nick could hear the gathering roar of a waterfall. The embankment was beginning to widen into a smooth, pebbled shore, dotted with man-sized bolders. With his ears trained on the forest around them, Nick began looking for a sharp rock to cut away her bonds. Their path along the river was now wide enough to easily fit six men walking side by side. The woman moved further away from him and squinted into the distance. Less than one hundred meters away, Nick could make out a cloud of mist coming off the torrent of water now tumbling off the edge of the cliff. The roar was nearly deafening and he was singularly aware that they could be easily ambushed without the slightest forewarning. She moved lithely around him to his left and with her back against a massive flat boulder, six times his height; she inched closer to the mouth of the waterfall and peered down.

Nick stared at her nervously and resisted the urge to grab her by the arm and snatch her back from the drop. Instead he moved forward himself and was relieved to see that the water only fell about forty feet into the river below, but was equally dismayed to find that there was no immediate way down. The woman backed away from the edge and watched him rake his hands through his hair in frustration. Together they scanned the forest in front of them looking for a way down. She looked up at him and pointed to a slope south east of the falls. It was steep yet passable. When he didn't respond she stepped closer to him and mouthed something that he couldn't hear over the waterfall. Nick hissed through his teeth and shrank a few inches. He didn't need to hear her to know that she told him it was their only way down. The slope was a quarter of a mile away through dense forest. It would take them at least an hour to hike that and they'd have to backtrack to where the river was passable to get across.

Time had been wasted; they had stopped for too long. He had led to them to a fall of forty feet and now there was nothing for it but to go back the way they came. The small woman looked at him imploringly and tugged at his sleeve. "I know!" he yelled, but the roar of the water dampened his words. As she looked up at him her eyes grew startlingly wide and her mouth opened in a scream that he couldn't hear.

Whomp

A man jumped off the boulder behind them and fell onto Nick's back. He sagged under the weight crashing to the ground. Nick blinked and tried to breathe in, but the enormous weight on his back pushed the air out of his lungs. They had lost; it was over. He knew he would never get out of the woods alive. The weight left him abruptly and as Nick struggled to fill his lungs he felt the large man thud on the pebbled ground next to him. Blood spattered the man's shirt and gushed from a gash behind his ear. With the quickness of an athlete and blonde hair whirling, the woman raised a large rock stained with red and came again for the man next to him. Nick watched as time slowed and the man pulled out a small hunting knife from his belt.

She had no chance.

Silver flashed through the air coming towards her in an upward arch. Nick hadn't realized he'd moved until his body collided with their pursuer. The blade caught him just under his hairline, separating skin, hair and thin muscle. Blood poured down the side of his face like hot silk. Time sped up. Again and again came the flashes of silver as he and the man danced around each other. Half blinded by blood and unarmed, Nick was undoubtedly disadvantaged. With a cry of fury the man launched himself at Nick. The woman wasted no time and dashed behind him with the large rock. The man noticed her shadow coming towards him and whirled around in time for the rock to connect with his face. The sound was sickening. Even over the roar of the water Nick could the man's bones crunch against the rock. Staggering backward, he sagged to his knees with a cry. Blood and spittle poured from his mouth and nose. Before Nick could even take a step, the man, dazed and with startling speed, sprang forward and rammed his head into her middle. Nick would never forget the look of shock on her face as they both tumbled into the raging water and disappeared over the edge.

"NOOO!" He ran to the edge of the bolder and looked down into the churning water. He saw a heavy workman's boot, a swirl blonde hair and then nothing. "SHIT!" he cried. He looked longingly at the slope on the other side of the river, but there would be no time. He clutched his hair only to further separate the flap of skin under his hairline. Cursing bitterly Nick toed the edge of the cliff. Still he scanned the water hopefully, praying that the woman who saved him would break through the surface of the restless water, but there was nothing. He inched closer to the edge and balanced himself. He tried to slow his breathing and the hammering of his heart to no avail. Nick took two, deep lungfulls of air, covered his balls with his right hand and jumped.

--------

More Chapters Coming Your Way! Comments? Please Review, Thanks!