Hi there lovely people. Now that I've finished After the Fall, I'd planned on continuing Still Breathing. But this fic seems to be a little louder in my head, demanding to be written.
So I have surrendered to it's insistant whining for attention. Not sure where it's gonna go, but lets head there together.
Hope you like it.
The title is taken from the beautifully haunting Coldplay track "Fix You"
Cheers,
Sarah xxx
Disclaimer: I don't own CP or any of the characters. I definitely don't make any money from this modest hobby.
Guide You Home
Chapter One
Wheeler couldn't shake the thought, the overwhelming feeling of dread that had been slowly seeping into his subconscious.
The American crouched behind a pile of timber pallets, the strain of the day's events evident on his pale, sweaty face. He risked a quick glance over the top, worry creasing his brow as he realized that Kwame was no longer in sight.
Shit.
He pursed his lips, looking down at his mud and blood-streaked hands and cursing the fact that his ring was currently no more use than a cigarette lighter. It simply wasn't working, merely a small flame dancing from the centre of the ring. He wondered what that meant.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He slumped against the pallets, using his good arm to steady himself as he considered the implications of his distinct lack of fire-power. Wheeler lowered his head, resting his chin on his knees as several possible scenarios danced wildly through his head.
Pollution. Negativity overload. Connection's broken. Ring's broken. Hope Gaia kept her receipt. Faulty goods, man. No exchanges, no refunds.
His thoughts had now taken on a hysterical edge as tiredness and worry crept in.
God, I hope she's all right.
A scream issued from the direction of the hanger and he froze, listening and straining to hear something more. Anything. But the only sounds that greeted him were the monotonous beeping from the fork-lifts travelling between the docks.
The American gritted his teeth, wiping his forehead and face with the sleeve of his shirt. He registered the sharp, throbbing pain in his left arm and collarbone. He had assumed the arm was broken, or at the very least fractured due to the amount of swelling over the past few hours.
The collarbone was a whole other story. He'd been impaled by a piece of shrapnel, both injuries rendering his ring finger practically useless anyway
He'd had a bad feeling about this mission from the beginning. A sense of unease, a feeling of dread- from the initial meeting in the Crystal Chamber, to prepping the vehicle and packing the supplies.
Even the light brush of Linka's fingertips over his hand had barely made an impact as he had passed her the last of the heavy canvas bags. As Kwame had started the pre-flight checks, Wheeler had hoisted himself into the vehicle and dropped into his seat, gazing sullenly out the window.
Bad things are gonna' happen.
Civil war had broken out in southern Mali, so the eco-alert was dangerous enough without the need to involve eco-villains. Trying to stay diplomatic while encountering rival gangs armed with machine-guns was challenging enough. Adding Looten Plunder and Sly Sludge into the mix had been the icing on the cake.
A typical half-baked scheme involving the exportation of rare animals, Plunder had really outdone himself this time. His last shipment of 'product' hadn't made it to their destination alive. Plunder hadn't ensured adequate air-flow inside the shipping container and the poor local wildlife caged inside had slowly suffocated to death.
This was what had brought them to their current location: two landing strips in the middle of nowhere, with several large hangers and corrugated shacks punctuating the vast surroundings. The heat here was oppressive and the humidity rose from the tarmac in glimmering waves.
The trip to Mali had been mostly uneventful, but Plunder had obviously anticipated their arrival.
The Geo-Cruiser system quickly detected the heat signature from the missile streaking towards them but by then it was too late. The alarm systems began to sound and Gi had gasped, horror etched on her face as she turned and pointed out the back window, towards the telltale white cloud following the metallic object roaring towards them.
"Guys," Gi had shrieked, a hysterical edge to her voice. "We've got incoming!"
Kwame hadn't even bothered giving his customary warning about combining their powers. Piloting the Geo-cruiser with one hand, he simply raised his fist and started the process, fear and terror etched on his strong features. Wheeler followed his lead as the missile impacted, tearing a hole through the hull.
The noise was deafening. The cruiser lurched violently, pitching to the left as it began to descend rapidly. He remembered Linka screaming, her voice barely audible against the howling wind buffeting the cabin.
He tore his eyes upwards at that point, seeing only four beams of light dancing above them.
Who's missing?
He broke his beam off and looked around wildly, his eyes wide with fear as his gaze finally settled on the Heart Planeteer.
Ma-Ti was hunched over in his seat, his head lolling and blood streaming down his face. The cabin lurched again and the young boy's body jerked along with it.
Shit.
"You all right, buddy?" Wheeler had yelled over the howling din, as his teammate remained unresponsive. "Ma-Ti! Can you hear me?"
Nothing.
The fuselage jerked and vibrated, and Wheeler saw with detached horror that a piece of the wing had now broken off. It flapped for a moment before finally tearing free, bouncing along the outside of the cabin and beginning it's lonely descent to the ground.
"KWAME, WE NEED A PLAN B! CAP AINT COMING," Wheeler bellowed, his eyes sweeping toward the gaping hole in the floor where trees and other landmarks were now distinguishable.
Their leader nodded, still resolute in his efforts to land them safely under such strenuous circumstances. It was times like these that Wheeler appreciated Kwame's calm and controlled demeanor. The African murmured something to his frightened co-pilot, who glanced back at Ma-Ti before checking the instrument gauge.
"400 metres," Gi cried, propping her hands against the dashboard, her lips shrinking back from her teeth.
"Gotta' get the nose up, man!" Wheeler's breath hitched in his chest as he saw the tree line come into view.
"I know," Kwame called back, his face tense with concentration as he struggled to hold onto the jittery controls.
"300 metres," Gi called above the roar. "Where are we landing?"
The side window suddenly shattered from the outside pressure, showering Linka in glass. Gi turned at the sound and shrieked her name as the g-forces whipped the Russian's body around like a rag doll, her safety harness the only thing keeping her from being sucked out the window.
Linka's seat was clattering loudly and Wheeler looked on in dawning horror at the realization that two of the metallic legs that were welded to the floor of the cabin had torn loose.
"Linka!"
He'd reached blindly across the cabin for Linka's hand, but the cabin had lurched again and he couldn't reach the distance. She raised her pale face to his and his heart stopped, blind terror reflected within her green eyes.
He heard another metallic clang as Linka's seat dragged against the floor, catching on the edge of the damaged window. Her hair whipped wildly around her face as she struggled to grab onto something, feeling the force of the air trying to suck her outwards.
The Russian's body jolted painfully as her shoulder hit the window rim. Wheeler's fingers started fumbling with his own harness, his heart in his throat and desperate to reach her.
The shrieking winds had become an almost mechanical roar as Linka grabbed hold of the windowsill with both hands, trying to anchor herself. She locked eyes with Wheeler again, her face taut with terror and the dawning comprehension that what was about to happen next was inevitable.
Wheeler heard her voice call his name as he frantically tried to unbuckle his belt. The cabin again lurched violently, their predicament unnoticed by Kwame and Gi who were arguing over where to attempt a landing.
And in the blink of an eye she was gone.
Linka toppled sideways, still strapped to her chair and disappeared from the Geo-Cruiser without so much as a scream. Wheeler gripped the seat in front, screaming her name as another alarm system went off, indicating their close proximity to the ground.
"100 METRES!"
"SHE"S GONE! SHE'S FUCKING GONE!"
"BRACE FOR IMPACT!" Kwame crossed his arms in front of his face as the windshield was obliterated.
Trees and foliage whipped against the fuselage and the smell of smoke filled Wheeler's lungs. He turned and braced himself against the seat in front, gazing across in shock at the empty spot where Linka had sat only moments before.
He closed his eyes tightly, clutching his head in his hands as the geo-cruiser made impact. The seat buckled and Wheeler was thrown forwards, his limbs almost weightless as the harness did the job it was intended for.
The shattered vehicle bounced and surged forward, the cabin airborne once again and seemingly unstoppable as it ploughed through the forest.
The world tilted and shifted sideways. The American gasped as he registered a hot, searing pain in his collarbone, before the fuselage flipped and skidded to a halt. Wheeler dimly felt the impact of the supplies crashing down on him, before darkness claimed him.
He thankfully surrendered to it.
Always love your reviews, guys