You open your eyes to bright sunlight beaming through the window. You shield your eyes as you sit up, stretching luxuriously. A yawn escapes your mouth as you hang your feet over the side of the bed. "Morning." You look up to see Ben smiling at you from the chair in the corner of the room. "Were you watching me sleep?" You ask laughing. "I was just about to wake you up." He replies with a smirk. "Well I'm up now." You say, grabbing the cup of water from your night stand and taking a sip. Walking over to the window, you reach up and close the curtains, blocking out some of the harsh light. You feel strong hands slide around your hips from behind and Ben's lips brush against your neck. Suddenly something shakes your shoulders violently. Matt's worried face comes blurring into view as your eyelids fly open. Sadly, you realize that it was all just a dream. "Wake up! Wake up!" Matt is saying as you rub your eyes. "It's Ben. He's gone!" You find yourself suddenly wide awake. "What? No. Did you check everywhere?" You ask, thinking that Ben couldn't have run away. You just saw him last night, there's no way he would have just left. Matt nodded vigorously. "We even checked the nearby roads to see if he just went off on a walk or something. No one can find him anywhere and dad is worried that he left for good this time." He says, panic pulsing through his voice. "Hal sent me to come get you. He says you were the last one to see Ben. He wants you to meet him, dad, and Weaver down in Weaver's office." As you start to realize that Ben might have actually taken off, your heart sinks. Had you done something wrong last night? "Tell them I'll be right there Matt, honey." You say smiling tiredly at him. The boy takes off down the hallway. Closing the door behind him, you slip into some regular clothes and tie your hair up in a messy bun.
When you get to the office, everyone is sitting around the coffee table waiting for you. Tom Mason stands up when he sees you, running a hand anxiously through his dark hair. "What happened last night. Did Ben mention anything about leaving?" He asks quickly. When Weaver pats the chair next to him, you sit down, clasping your hands nervously in your lap. "We need you to go through the events of last night so we have an idea of what happened." Weaver explains. "Can you tell us?" As much as they need you to, you are hesitant to admit what happened. You were talking to Ben's father and brothers after all. Finally and reluctantly, you agree to tell them. "When we came home last night, Ben walked me back to my room. He must have been high on adrenaline because he kissed me goodnight." All eyes are focused on you. "Is that it?" Hal asks. You lick your lips nervously. "Not exactly." Swallowing hard, you brace yourself and continue. "Somehow we ended up in my room and we were kissing on my bed. Then he just got up, said goodnight and left." You finish. Shifting uncomfortably under their gazes you refuse to look up. "He didn't really say anything to me. I don't know where he could have gone." You add. Tom paces anxiously. "We need to send a patrol to look for him."
"I'll go." Hal says. Maggie nods in agreement. You didn't even know she was there. "Can I go?" Matt asks, a pleading tone in his voice. "No Matt. Not with the skitters so close to home yesterday." He pouts. "I'm going." You announce. Tom gives you a concerned look. "I'm not sure that's such a good idea. You are new to this team and we don't even know if you can shoot. I think you should sit this one out." Slipping your pistol from its sheath at your side, you fire a shot through the brightly colored vase sitting on a table across the room. "With all due respect sir, I wasn't asking. I know Ben is your son, but he's also my best friend." You say, staring determinedly at him. Hal chuckles and you both look at him. "What?" You say simultaneously. He laughs again. "Do you make out with all your 'friends'?" You glare at him. "If you weren't his brother I swear I would kick your ass." You snap. No longer able to control your annoyance and embarrassment, you flee into the hallway and around the corner, sliding you back down the wall and placing your forehead on your bent knees. A few seconds later you feel someone sit down beside you. "Hal can be an ass sometimes." Maggie says. Barely lifting your head, you turn to smile weakly at her. "Do you think he left us?" You ask. "Ben, I mean."
"Honestly, I don't know. I don't think he would do that to you, but it wouldn't be the first time he's left us." You nod. "Yeah I know, but last time he told us he was leaving." Tears well up in your eyes and you turn away. "I can't lose him, Maggie. Not now." You choke out. Maggie rubs her hand on your shoulder. "Hey. It will be alright. We'll find him and bring him back." You force the tears away and set your jaw determined to get ahold of yourself. "You're right. The only thing I have to worry about is Tom. I think he still sees me as some low rank kid. I wonder how Ben talked him into getting me on the team in the first place."
"I'll handle Tom. You go prep a pack because you ARE coming with us." Maggie instructs you. You look at her curiously. "Why are you helping me? I've never done anything for you." The look on her face reminds you of the look on Ben's face when they brought him back harnessed; blank and distant. Then she smiles softly. "Because I know if it was Hal I would want to go at all costs."
"Can I say something sort of personal?" You ask, needing desperately to talk to someone. "I don't do well with feelings and all that so if you need advice I can't help. I'll listen though." You nod. "When Ben kissed me...Man it feels weird to say that, but when he did I didn't expect it. Do you know why he did it?" Maggie presses her lips together. "No sorry. Ben doesn't tell me things. I would say ask Tom but he's a bit stressed at the moment." Disappointed that you still don't know what got into Ben, you nod slowly and stand up. "Thanks Maggie."
"We're leaving right after I talk to Tom so hurry up and prep." Maggie says, turning and leaving down the hallway. Pulling yourself together, you walk steadily down the dimly lit hallway and into your room. You imagine Ben standing and leaning in the doorway, smiling that half smile you hate so much. It makes you feel bittersweet. Quickly prepping for the mission, you start to think more logically. 'Ben probably just needs time to think' you think to yourself and you realize that you probably need time to think too. Then you think a more horrifying thought. grabbing your things, you sprint to Weaver's office and throwing the doors open, you storm inside. Everyone looks up, alarmed at your sudden intrusion. "Is everything alright?" Tom asks and for a second you want to say, 'like you care.' Instead you focus on what you rushed here for. Breathless and shaky, you try to speak but the sentences come out in chunks.
"What...what if Ben...didn't just wander...off?" You choke out, pausing to catch your breath. "What do you mean?" Weaver asks. Sucking in a large breath, you continue. "What if the skitters...came back for him?" Tom looked like he was about to cry or punch someone. "How could they have taken him without us knowing?" He hissed through gritted teeth. "It makes perfect sense really." You say. "Ben. He has this hiding spot down by the river that only he can get to. Its beautiful really, a cave with a pool of water coming in from the river itself. The way the light ripples on the limestone walls, it's simply breathtaking."
"How would you know, if only Ben can get there?" One of them interjects. "Ben took me there once. He had to carry me up this cliff-like rock surface and a few feet from the top, the entrance to the cave was hidden. Anyway, let's say he went there to clear his head. He's sitting there thinking when the skitters find him. There isn't another exit, so it would have been extremely simple for them to take him." There is a long pause and then Tom says, "He would have heard the skitters coming." It's a good point, but not solid enough. "Are you always alert when you're deep in thought, Tom Mason?"
The next thing you know, everyone is donning their packs and grabbing various things from the weapons locker. You grab you new rifle, a few unowned daggers and your pistol. Since you have to travel mostly off-road to get to Ben's hideout, you all decide to walk on foot. Tom had decided that the first order of business would be to check on your theory. It takes a while, but you lead them to the cliff. For a mile or so you had them walk blindfolded. Tom and Weaver didn't like the idea but you insisted that Ben wouldn't want them to know the way and reluctantly they agreed to do it. "You can take your blindfolds off now." You tell them. Everyone reaches up and pulls the strips of fabric from their heads. "Holy shit!" Hal exclaims, staring at the sheer side of the cliff. The others' expressions mirrored his tone. "How the hell did Ben get up there? There aren't any footholds." Weaver says, bemused. "He just kinda jumped on and he stuck." You reply. Instantly you regret it because they look really freaked out. You let out a snort. "Now I know why Ben's all self-conscious." Tom opens his mouth to say something but Weaver cuts him off. "So how do we get up there?" Something that Ben had said pops into your head. "Well, if we go left along the cliff face the. There will be a tunnel leading up to the top, but that might take hours."
"Well, let's go." Maggie says. When you reach the tunnel it looks black and foreboding Tom insists on leading the way and you're grateful because secretly you don't want to go first. Darkness can be deceiving and dangerous especially with the threat if crawlers. It takes a very long time to travel up the winding tunnel. Many times you have to stop and take a break. Other than that, the air is thick with humidity and your shirt is sticking to your back. You peel off your shirt but even in your tank top you don't feel any cooler than before. Pitch black is all you can see and the smell is musty and a bit salty, like the smell of minerals. When you finally break out into the sunlight it stabs at your eyes with blinding light. You let out a grunt of pain. Slowly and painfully your eyes adjust and you lead the team to the edge of the cliff. They all let out cries of alarm as you drop over the edge. Landing easily on your feet, you stare up at them from a ledge about ten feet down. "Relax." You say with a laugh, walking into the entrance to the cave. The sounds of them jumping down echo off of the smooth rocky walls. The path slopes up and empties out into the cave. It looks exactly like it had when Ben took you there, but the dirt on the floor was all scuffed around and there was a blood splatter on the wall next to the body of a skitter.
"Looks like you were right, rookie." Weaver said, patting your shoulder blade. "It looks as though Ben was sitting here when they attacked. There was a struggle and then Ben shot the one skitter but another one came up behind him and knocked him out on the rock wall. It looks like the son of a bitch dragged him out through here." Weaver points to the entrance. Although they left shoe marks in the dirt, you can still clearly see the dragging marks underneath. Once you're all back on top of the cliff, (you used a short rope to get back up) you look around, trying to see any sign of which direction they took him.
"Over here." Hal calls and everyone rushes over to him. There's a trail of blood drops leading in a northern direction. "Ok listen up everybody." Weaver says. "Have your weapons ready and be on alert. We don't know what we're gonna find on the other end if this trail, but I can guarantee it ain't gonna be pretty." You slide you rifle off your shoulder and cock it, holding it in front of you while you follow Hal and Maggie down the trail. Weaver leads and Tom takes the rear. Suddenly Maggie and Hal stop and you slam into Hal's back. "Sorry." He whispers. Looking past him, you see that Weaver is holding up his hand. You push past Hal and Maggie and peer over his shoulder.
Some sort of alien facility stands in a clearing in front of you. There are beamers circling the top and skitters patrolling the entrance. "We can only send one person if we want to go unnoticed." Weaver says. "I nominate you rookie." Much to your surprise, Tom Mason is the one speaking. "Why? I thought you didn't want me on this mission in the first place." You say. With a long sigh, he fixes you with an intense look. "Watching you today, your ideas and your determination. Your love for my son is respectable. I thought maybe you only wanted to use him to get ranked up, I mean why else would anyone want to befriend my lizard boy...as Pope would put it. But now I realize that your motives were pure. He always talks about you, you know." Blushing, you duck your head shyly. "I never realized that's why you hated me." Tom smiles. "I never hated you. I just never trusted you until now."
"Ok. I'll go." You agree. You raise your rifle and take step forward. "Good luck rookie." Maggie says teasingly and you smile. "Thanks." You head around the edge of the clearing to the back side of the building. There are a few skitters but it's less guarded. There's a hole in the 'building' large enough to crawl through if you can make it past the skitters. Something taps your shoulder and you flip around, aiming your gun and putting slight pressure on the trigger. Matt drops to the ground, hands above his head. "Don't shoot." He whispers loudly. You quickly lower the gun and help him up. "Matty, what the hell are you doing here? I almost shot you. You could be dead now!" You yell-whisper at him. "Well I'm not. I followed you here because I knew dad wouldn't let me come. I want to be a part of rescuing Ben." He tells you. "I'm coming with you."
"Ha ha, like hell you are. Go find Hal and Maggie, they'll take you home." You instruct him. Then you turn and start creeping toward the skitters. "I'll run out there." Matt threatens. When you dont say anything, he starts to run ahead of you, making a lot more noise than he should. "Fine!" You whisper. "Just get back here." He grins as he quietly makes his way back to stand beside you. "I knew you'd see it my way." He says smugly. "Damn it Matt, your dad's gonna have my ass for this." You mutter. "Follow me and keep your mouth shut." You tell him, more than a little annoyed at his blackmail. You lead the way, ducking behind large objects that hum or vibrate and eventually making it to the hole. There's a skitter blocking your path. Looking around and seeing no other skitters close by, you run up to it and pull out the dagger. When it flips around to see who's coming, you shove the knife up through its mouth and into its brain. An eerie sound emits from the skitter, but none of the other skitters are close enough to hear. After you pull the knife out, you crawl through the hole, followed by Matt.
On the other side there's a creepy red glow. It looks like a giant hallway. There are a bunch if doors on either side and you cautiously approach one. They each have a sort of window. You check the rooms on the left while Matt checks the ones on the right. Neither if you find Ben. At the end of the hall you turn a corner and walk up a ramp that twists like a staircase. Pinkish red lights pulse on and off everywhere. When you reach the top it opens up into another large hallway. There's only one room on the left and one on the right ar opposite ends of the hall. The one closest to you is on the right. You peer inside and see a bunch of metal tables. Some have teenagers strapped down and others are empty. There are no skitters inside at the moment. You throw open the door and walk inside. In the room there is a large tank filled with pinkish orange liquid. Long slimy bugs swim around inside the tank. You realize that those bugs are the harnesses. Then you see the metal chutes connecting the tank to the tables. "What the hell are you doing here?" A slightly hoarse voice calls out. Ben is tied to one of the tables, his shirt missing. "Ben!" Matt exclaims, running over to him and undoing the straps that bind him. You start to help him, but Ben shakes his head. "Go untie the others." You do as he says and pretty soon all of the teenagers are untied and fleeing out the door. "Let's get out of here before they come back." Ben says, standing with Matt in the doorway. You cut the last one loose and she runs past them with a thank you. "Ok." You reply, then you follow Ben and Matt down the hall and around a corner. "This isn't the way we came." You tell Ben. He grabs you hand, twining his finders with yours. "I know. It's safer though." Suddenly Matt trips over a metal pipe and it breaks off, clattering noisily down the hall. The sound echoes off of the walls. You all start to run but it's too late, the skitters are coming behind you. One grabs you by the waist and yanks you back. "Ben!" You yell, struggling to cling to his hand. He tries to pull you back but the skitter matches his strength. The sound of more skitters reaches your ears. You relax you hand. "Go." Ben shakes his head and grips you tighter. "No way. I'm not leaving you with them!" You gently squeeze his hand. "You have to get Matt out of here. And you need to go NOW." Ben pushes his lips together and nods. "I...uh." He starts to say. "I know. Me too." You say smiling. "Go, I'll be fine." You lie. A sad smile crosses his face and then he lets go of your hand and picks Matt up, disappearing from sight at a sprints. A tear rolls down your face as the skitter drags you back to the harnessing room.