A/n: Chapter two, hopefully it keeps the air of seriousness I'm trying to write. As for Scarlett's reaction to Snake Eyes death, well, I won't say anything since it is key to the story. Shh. Also, this chapter may seem choppy, since it's going back and forth between characters. I hope it isn't confusing.

Disclaimer: I do not own G. I. Joe in anyway. They belong to their rightful owners.

Chapter Two: Buried

There was no room to move. Never before in his life had he been claustrophobic, but now he was feeling its effects. Enclosed in the wooden box, buried beneath the ground, he could feel the panic start to settle in. His lungs felt heavy, and sweat was rolling down his brow. He had to stay calm, he had to stay as relaxed as possible. He was running on a limited amount of oxygen.

His mind was blurred, he had no idea of how he got here. Buried alive in a coffin. He grasped around, trying to locate the radio he had found earlier, where the cold voice of Cobra had told him about his situation. Violent shivers ran through his body. This was inhumane treatment, but Cobra didn't care.

"Hello, Nicky. So nice to see you awake. How are you enjoying your new accommodations? Don't worry, you may survive this situation, but only if your friends can dig fast enough."

Time was running out. The clock was nearing the end. Would this coffin be his final resting place? The irony of the whole situation. How pointless it would have once seemed, being afraid of being buried alive. Things like this just didn't happen in these times. It was a pointless phobia, but now faced with this current situation, Nicky knew just how terrifying it was.

The terror of his situation was strong, its long cold finger gripping his heart in a tight hold. It was near impossible for him to calm his frantic heart. How many movies had he watched like this? In each one, he had made fun of the main character for being such a wuss and panicking. Now though, he had a whole new respect for them, for being able to be as calm as they were. He wanted to scream and beat frantically on the walls of the coffin. The urge to break the lid and dig his way up was strong, but it was stupid. There was no guarantee that he would be able to make it.

Memories of his childhood flashed before his eyes. The first time he had ever went into the sewers, the one day his brother had been home sick, unable to watch out for him. He hadn't climbed down there on purpose, but had more or less been shoved into an uncovered manhole. After that day, he learned the safety that the foul smelling tunnels offered to him. A scrawny Asian kid, with a family that was considered unusual. They never did celebrate western holidays.

Duke dug frantically at the ground, his nails bleeding in pain. The night was dark, rain pouring from the sky. The clothes he wore were soaked, caked in mud. Fatigue chewed at him, but he still continued to dig. He had to rescue his team mate.

He wasn't sure how this had exactly happened. At one moment, they had all been in their own cells, left to pass the time with only their thoughts to entertain them, and the next, the blonde haired man had awoken to find him and the other two in a cage, with a large board in the distance.

Where were the others? How were they doing on their assigned locations?

Cobra had set up three different sites, marked by bright yellow flags. They had been told that under one of the flags, their missing team mate had been buried. Six feet under, in a wooden coffin. They had set a timer, for three painfully long minutes. Once the minutes had been up, they had been let loose in the caged courtyard, left to try and save Tunnel Rat.

They had ran to the flags, their hearts pounding in their chests. They had already lost one member of their make shift family. Duke refused to lose an other. The pain of loosing Snake Eyes was still all too present in his memory. And the sudden change in Scarlett afterwards... Duke had known there was something going on between the two, but he had never figured out just exactly what it was.

The mud was flung as far as possible away from him, hoping it wouldn't slide back into his hole. If Tunnel Rat was truly under there, then he had to hurry. In order to save time, Duke was trying to dig the narrowest hole possible, so that way he could speed up the process. If the coffin was under there, he could break a hole through the wood, and let fresh air in. A breathing hole so he could widen the hole, and get TR out of there.

Adrenaline rushed through his veins, his eyes narrowed. The rain stung as it pounded against his back, like icy cold knives. The wind howled in his ears, like tortured souls, crying for help. Duke's fingers felt a rock, and he swore, and began digging it out. He had to hurry. Time was running out for Tunnel Rat.

"Come on!" he shouted into the darkness, digging as fast as he could. He had to be at least four feet down by now. Duke couldn't tell, everything was a mess in his mind right now. He was one of the only hopes for Tunnel Rat.

Scarlett had guessed that Nicky could stay alive for up to four hours in the coffin, but nobody knew how long he had been buried, or if he was panicking or not. And then factoring in the size of the coffin... Duke had told Scarlett to shut up by then, unable to stand hearing the odds growing against them.

His arms felt like they would fall off, but he kept digging. What if he was too late? What if time had already run out? What if one of the others had already found the coffin? Thoughts ran a muck in his mind, some pessimistic, and others only slightly optimistic. Time was running out. What would happen if they failed to save Tunnel Rat?

Road Block was unbelievably happy about his great strength and size, as he shovelled away large amounts of mud. He was almost there... Almost size feet down... Almost there to save Tunnel Rat!

A grin that put the Chesire Cat's too shame was spread across his face, growing wider, and more maniacal as his fingers hit wood. A few minutes later saw him uncovering a section of wood. He had done it! He beat down on the wood, splintering it. The splinters got under his skin, but he didn't care. He grabbed a piece of broken wood, and pulled it back, hearing it groan as it peeled back. The moment was finally here! He was going to save Tunnel Rat! A final burst of adrenaline shot through his body, putting his muscles into over drive.

He soon had opened up an area large enough for the small man to get his head through, and get fresh air. Joy coursed through his being, but vanished when nothing happened. Reaching in, Road Block grasped something and pulled up. A cry of shock escaped his lips.

A detached skull looked at him, bearing the grin of death. Horrified, the man threw it away, and climbed out of the hole. He looked back into the hole, and yelled as a swarm of insects and rats poured out of the opening. Road Block scrambled to his feet, and began to ran.

Maybe it was just an illusion, or maybe those really were rats and insects. Road Block didn't want to find out. Fear and adrenaline rushed through his body, and his feet hit the ground, slapping into the mud. Tunnel Rat wasn't in that coffin. It would be best for him too go help one of the others. Unsure what direction he was going, the large man hoped and prayed that he was heading towards one of his fellow team mates.

Road Block ran until his legs began to shake, finally giving out on him. He panted heavily, trying to catch his breath. His eyes frantically searched the clearing, looking for some sign of his team mates. There! He could make out the outline of mud being piled up, and with mud, that meant someone had to be digging!

Ecstatic, Road Block managed to force himself back onto his feet, and made his way over to where the person was digging. A wide grin split his face when he saw Duke.

"Any luck?" the man asked, looking up at Road Block with wide, hopeful eyes. The hope was so clear in them, but how they fell when the response was negative. The hurt overfilled the blue hues, and even though Road Block couldn't see their actual colour, he could guess they were darkening. Something he had noticed rarely happened, but when it did, Duke was slipping into depression.

Road Block got down on his knees, and began shovelling away mud with his large hands, and Duke seemed to recall not all hope was lost. The bigger's heart clenched when he saw the tired, worn smile he received from the blonde before he returned to digging.

Scarlett stared down at the ground before her. She had yet to start digging, and from the looks of it, she wouldn't be starting to dig any time soon. It was pointless. Tunnel Rat was already dead, she knew it in the pit of her stomach. The odds were against him, and he had probably been dead for awhile. A strange sort of numbness had spread through out her body.

There was no hope, so why bother? It was all so pointless. How could she hope, when she knew it would only be fake? No, he was her team mate... He at least deserved for her to try and save him. What would it prove about herself if she sat here, and let him die? It was better to fail trying, then not to.

Her nails ripped at the grass, and she began digging, not caring that she had cut her finger slightly as she dug. She couldn't give up.

Time was running out for him. The air was becoming harder to breathe, and he was becoming hotter and hotter. He knew enough that when the human body got hot, it needed to take in more oxygen. Oxygen, the key component that would allow him to survive down here. Six feet under, waiting for one of his friends to hopefully save him.

Fear ran through his veins, and he struggled to rein it in. Would this truly be his final resting place? What would happen to his team mates if he died? The thought of them having to face Cobra's clutches without him there, it just made his kin crawl. He'd rather face torture with them, then to die and let them face it alone!

In a last attempt of survival, he began to beat on the roof of the coffin, screaming. If they were coming for him, then they might hear him right? His brain was in too much of a panic to even think about if what he was doing was wise. He wanted out and he wanted it now!

'Come, come now. With all that racket, how can anyone possibly get their work done?' The voice came out smooth and soft, growing higher as it spoke, and ending in a diabolical laugh.

"You t'ink dis is funny! Ya overgrown snake! Lemme outta 'ere!" Tunnel Rat yelled, beating with new gusto. He could hear the wood cracking, splintering. There! With his fingers, he began to pry open a crack, grunting in effort. Just a little more... Come on...

"Need a hand?"

"Duke!" The wood was ripped out of his line of view, and fresh air assaulted his lungs. The smaller male launched himself at the larger, laughing in relief. Oh god how he had missed the sweet smell of fresh air! Duke laughed as well, relief over coming him. Tunnel Rat was okay, and alive. Alive. Unlike Snake Eyes...

"Yo! T-Rat! Don't forget me!" Road Block said, wrapping his arms around Duke and Tunnel Rat both. The two squirmed in his arms, feeling like they were being juiced like oranges. Not that anyone minded. They had done it! Tunnel Rat was alive! The smallest male laughed, tears streaming down his face. He gripped at Duke and Roadblock, and his laughter stopped, replaced by sobbing. The others held him, supporting him through his emotional outburst. After a few minutes, Tunnel Rat calmed down, and looked up at them, his face stained with tears, and a weak smile playing across his lips.

"We should probably go find Scarlett now..." he said, before slumping forward, exhausted. Duke and Road Block looked at each other, before Duke released his grasp on the smaller man, allowing Road Block to lift him into his arms. Together, they set off, in search of Scarlett.

What they found when they reached the final flag mark, neither would ever be able to erase the image from their memories.