In the Tunnels

As they hiked, Mike watched their captors carefully, and he was intrigued. They were all adults of varying ages. One thing he noticed was their clothing. Some of them were casually dressed and their clothing was ragged. Most of them wore expensive business style clothing that was equally ragged and grungy. A couple of the women were dressed in threadbare evening gowns, with fancy but broken dancing slippers on their feet. Mike looked over at Cap and knew that he had noticed the clothing and was just as puzzled as he was himself.

Eventually, after following several different tunnels, they came into a large open chamber which was lit all around with torches and was obviously the group's home. All around the room, people had set up rudimentary homes, using pallets, tarps and scraps of plywood to mark off individual living spaces. In another area, several cooking fires were being tended by residents.

Mike estimated there must have been somewhere around a hundred residents. The odd thing was, outside of a couple of infants and one or two toddlers, there was a distinct lack of children in the group. The different residents looked them over, but quickly returned to minding their own business.

Cap turned to the man nearest him. "Who are you people and why have you brought us here?"

A familiar figure stepped from out of the gloom. "We have need of men of your particular abilities."

Cap was startled when he recognized the man who had stolen his trophy. "You!" He lunged towards the man and was promptly restrained by the two men closest to him. The man smiled and chided. "I really wouldn't do that. I would hate to have to damage you or your friend. You see, we have no firemen here, and we have need of your skills. Recently, fires have broken out in some of the tunnels, and if they reach us here, it could jeopardize our homes, and we can't have that."

Mike was confused. He looked around. "For one thing, this whole place is a firetrap. It's just a disaster waiting to happen. One spark in here and you folks don't have a chance. Two firemen can't help you. Only a bulldozer can do that. For another thing, you brought us down here against our will. That's illegal. There is no way in the world you can expect us to help you, even if we wanted to, which we don't. You need to take us back to the laundry room door. Right now." He had hardly even paused for breath during this speech.

Cap stared at his best friend in shock. Never in his life had he ever heard the man string together more than ten words at a time. He looked at their antagonist. "He's absolutely right. You people are making a huge mistake. I don't know who you are, and frankly I don't really care, but my buddy here needs a doctor. We need out of this place."

The other man sighed. "Let me introduce myself. I am Robert Parrish. I generally stay below the surface, as I am a wanted man. But sometimes, the need outweighs the risk, if you will excuse the pun, Captain Stanley." He gave the captain a smarmy smile. "I knew of our need for a fireman. Some of our residents felt that one would not be adequate, and that we might have to continue our search for quite some time. I never expected to be able to kill two birds with one stone so to speak." He turned to Mike. "I do apologize for hitting you with the trophy. Our original plan was only to take Captain Stanley here. You really should not have gotten in the way. Your wound will be attended to, I assure you."

Mike shot him his best Are you serious? glare. He was also not too happy with Cap at the moment, considering his fame on the RISK tournament circuit, and the fact that he had been featured on the advertising posters for the final championship RISK battle that had likely gotten him in trouble. Much had been made of the fact he was a fire captain. His opponent had been a crane operator from New York. The battle had been advertised as "The Crusher vs. the Quencher."

Parrish ignored him and continued. "Well, regardless of your opinions on the matter, you will both help us, because you simply have no choice. You see, we hold all the cards, no pun intended." There was an appreciative, if ironic chuckle from some of the crowd as Parrish continued. "You see, I know for a fact that neither of you have any clue how to get back to the surface. You need one of us to guide you. And that is not going to happen. You could wander forever down here. It's been known to happen." He smiled malevolently. "So, gentlemen, welcome to your new home."

Parrish waved an arm to one side, toward a makeshift hut made of pallets and plywood. Two sleeping bags and a variety of household paraphernalia lay scattered about. The man behind Mike pushed him towards the living space as Parrish did the same to Cap. Parrish quirked an eyebrow at them. "Don't be thinking that making friends with anyone here will help you. It won't. They know what happens to those who disobey."

Mike couldn't help it. This guy just pissed him off. "Oh? What happens?"

Parrish turned bored eyes on the engineer. "I told you I'm a wanted man. I haven't told you what I'm wanted for." He smiled blandly and sauntered away. Several of his followers stationed themselves where they could continue their tasks but keep an eye on the newcomers at the same time.

Mike groaned as he sat down on the sleeping bag. "Just great. We landed ourselves right in the middle of a damned cult!"

They were startled by a low chuckle from behind them. They turned to see a young man watching from the next space over. He looked to be somewhere in his mid-twenties and though his casual clothes were somewhat ragged, he was definitely neater than the others. He smiled, and his smile seemed genuine. He was blond, and his green eyes had a spark of amusement to them. He stood and sauntered over to their space.

"Hi. May I join you?"

His voice was quiet and polite, and he seemed out of place here.

Intrigued, Cap nodded. The young man sat cross-legged on part of Mike's bag. He put out his hand. "Hi, I'm Eric." He kept his voice down, and so did the other two men.

Warily, Mike shook it, as did Cap. Finally, Cap asked the question that had been on his mind ever since they had first seen the shadows on the tunnel wall. "Can you tell me who the heck you people are and just what you're doing down here? Are you some kind of cult or something?"

Eric smiled. "No, we're not a cult. Far from it. Some of us are just dropouts from society because we choose to be. Others are here for more compelling reasons. Some are high-rollers who lost large amounts of money at the tables in Vegas and can't or don't want to face the consequences of their actions. Some are hiding from spouses, some are hiding from loan sharks, some from the mob, some from the law. There are a few, like Parrish who are genuine major criminals. He is a real bad guy, so you need to watch out for him."

Cap and Mike stared at their new acquaintance in amazement. Personally, Mike hoped he would wake up from this crazy dream really soon.

~51~

Los Angeles

Johnny found a strange message from Chet on his answering machine when he got home after his date that night. He was not in the best of moods anyway as the date had not ended very well, and the Phantom leaving cryptic messages about Cap and Mike missing in Vegas didn't make him feel any better. He called Chet and the lineman poured out everything they knew, which was admittedly not all that much. Johnny thanked him and hung up, confused and concerned. He checked the time and seeing that it was after two in the morning, decided he would talk to Roy in the morning unless Roy called him first. After all, he really did not relish waking up Jo or the kids. He was worried about Cap and Mike but figured the best way he could help them would be to get some rest and be ready to go help them if they needed him. With that in mind, he took a shower and hit the sack.

~51~

In the Tunnels

A woman Cap judged to be in her late 30's with dark hair and carrying a leather valise made her way over to them. Eric stood and introduced her. "Gentlemen, this is Jeanette. She's our doctor."

Jeanette smiled shyly and held out her hand to them. They both stood and introduced themselves, although they were still feeling a bit unsure about the whole situation. Jeanette seemed to understand. "I have been asked to check Mr. Stoker here over and render any treatment that may be needed."

Mike's doubts must have been obvious in his expression, because Jeanette was quick to offer, "I really am a medical doctor. I can help you."

Cap turned to Mike and shrugged. "Well, look at it this way, pal. What have you got to lose? You have been hurting and that's a pretty bad gash."

Mike sighed and nodded. "Yeah, that's true." He looked at the woman. "Okay. I guess I'll take you up on your offer. I've also had some double vision off and on."

Jeanette had Mike sit down, and she spoke softly to him as she examined him carefully. She had Cap and Eric hold Mike and Cap's Maglites, so she could do a preliminary examination. He hissed in pain as she gently probed the wound. After all the two had been through, it was in sorry shape. One of the other residents came over and asked her if she wanted him to fire up the generator. She nodded. "Thanks, Tim. We're going to need it." He nodded and hurried away.

"Mr. Stoker, as a firefighter, I doubt you'll be surprised if I tell you that I'm going to need to clean and debride your head wound, as well as stitch it. Now, I do have pain killers, as well as antibiotics. I would imagine your tetanus shot is up to date?"

Mike sighed. "Yeah. And I figured as much. Do what you need to do."

Jeanette nodded. She told him, "Okay, then. Come on over to my office."

Both Mike and Cap looked at her in surprise. She smiled and beckoned to them. They followed her across the room until they got to a door on the other side. She opened the door, and they stepped inside. They were shocked to discover a large, bright doctor's suite, with an examination room and an what looked like an operating theatre at one end.

In metal cabinets, they could see equipment, supplies and drugs of various sorts. Cap turned to Mike. "Well, now, this is more like it."

Mike nodded in relief. "Yeah." He moved to sit on the exam table.

One uncomfortable hour later, Jeanette had finished putting in eleven stitches, bandaged it the wound and given Mike an antibiotic injection. She had been able to numb the area with a topical painkiller, which helped. "I'll check on you in a couple of days. We'll see how it goes. Are you allergic to amoxicillin?"

Mike shook his head. "No, I'm not. I can take it."

Jeanette smiled in relief. "Good, because it's all I have. She walked over to a glass-fronted cupboard, unlocked it, and pulled out a large bottle and poured some tablets into an envelope, which she labeled for him. She replaced the bottle on the shelf. She handed the envelope to Mike. "Take those, two a day.

I can give you some Tylenol for the pain. I can't give you anything stronger because of the concussion."

Both men nodded, having dealt with the issue more times than they cared to remember. Mike smiled tiredly. "Tylenol is fine. I'd appreciate it."

Jeanette nodded and poured a small handful of the pills into another envelope. She handed him the envelope, after marking it as she had the other. She locked the cabinet and ushered them out of the office. Mike thanked her, and Eric escorted them back to their campsite.

They spent some time getting to know their new neighbor. It turned out Eric was not quite as young as he had first appeared. They learned more about him as they shared a meal and he showed him around the encampment. He had served a few years in the Army and then drifted across the country for a year or so after that. Like many other combat veterans, he had trouble fitting what he had witnessed overseas into his daily life, and into what society expected of him. Quite by accident he had come across the group of tunnel dwellers one night when he had been unable to sleep and dropped by the hotel bar, had a few too many and went wandering around where he didn't belong. He met a couple of the dwellers and got to know them. Unlike Mike and Cap, he had decided to stay on his own. He realized that he fit in with the misfit society that made its home below the bright lights and decadence of Sin City in a way he never would have thought possible.

Mike looked at him. "So you're happy down here?"

Eric nodded. "I am."

Mike frowned. "Well, I'm not. Cap and I have families, and we are not going to just sit down here and rot. There really isn't much we can do about any fires in the tunnels. Those need to be addressed by the city on a massive scale. That's the only way to stop them. And it's important that those fires be reported to the city as soon as possible. They aren't going to be stopped any other way. That will spell disaster for you and everyone else down here."

Cap nodded, "Yeah, and potentially, it could cause massive problems for the city as well. There is a lot of infrastructure in these tunnels for a lot of buildings. It could create damage on an incredible scale."

Eric sighed. "I know. I tried to talk to Parrish and the others, but they won't listen. Look, I can't help you get out of here directly because they're watching all the time, but if anyone comes looking for you, I will lead them here or tell them about you, about where you are if I can. I know they were wrong to bring you here by force."

Mike smiled at the other man. "Thanks Eric. We appreciate that." He looked down at the bowl of stew Eric had handed him earlier. "This is good. What is it?"

Eric grinned. "Beef stroganoff. Some of us take turns cooking. Evelyn made that. She's really good."

Cap raised an eyebrow. "How do you guys support yourselves?"

Eric chuckled. "Nothing illegal actually. There are a few legitimate members of our group who have trust funds… they help support us. They don't have families and nothing else to spend their money on."

Cap smirked, "So they became philanthropic dropouts, hmm?"

Eric grinned. "I suppose you could look at it that way. Anyway, you guys just hang out here and try not to draw attention to yourselves. I'll keep my eyes open and try to help if I can. You might as well try to get some sleep if you can." He pointed to the barrel that was against the wall behind them. "There's water over there. I wouldn't wander too much at night. If you have to, um, do your business, you can go to the tunnel over there." He pointed off to the far right. "There's some holes there in some boards over a cavern. It's crude, but it works. It's pretty much co-ed, so if you're shy, just be aware."

Mike scowled at the thought, but both men nodded.

Just as Eric started to turn away, Cap touched him on the sleeve. "I think I can speak for both Mike and I on this. We appreciate you being willing to help us on this one, but Parrish was pretty clear about his threats should anybody try to help us. Why are you willing to risk it?"

Eric's face lit up in an enigmatic smile. "Parrish and the others may not listen to my advice, but they won't lay a finger on me for any reason. Remember I mentioned there are a few members bankrolling this place?"

Both men nodded. Eric tapped his own chest and grinned. "I'm one of their biggest 'dropout philanthropists.'" He chuckled and left them with their mouths hanging open and went back to his own space. Mike and Cap eventually settled in for the night wondering what new surprises awaited them in this twisted wonderland they'd been dropped into.

~TBC~

A/N: "For the record, I am unaware of the existence of any sort of tunnel system under Las Vegas. It is strictly a plot device created by me for the purposes of this story."