Author's Note: Oh deaaar.... 'tis been a long time since I've been updating! Well, hopefully everything's gonna be downhill from here. The next challenge has been planned, and I'm thinking of doing an intermission. I'll try updating sooner... but no guarantees! I'm even trying to make a comic, so, well...

Enjoy! ^^


Drip, drip, drip…

A loose drop of water fell into the rushing sewer water, with its dripping echoing into the tunnel. Although morbid as it may be, the dropping water was quite calming in the environment. Tranquil, even—with the drops of water making unassuming ripples onto the furious sewer waters. As they say, "Big things come from little steps."

FWOOOSH!!!

Which was albeit, if not entirely, the case of the Cahill clan.

"Dan!" Amy yelled, in amidst of the violent coughing and hacking she was subjected to. Hitting her head on one of the pipes, she was submerged once more into the rushing water that was now filling the cave. The Red Team had been struggling for a while now, some nearly drowning in the waters if they had not been helped by the others. Looking around frantically, Amy's mind spun as she searched for her brother. "Dan! Dan, where are you?!"

"Find an exit!" Ian yelled, struggling to keep himself afloat. Natalie, as refined as she was, was clinging onto her brother for air. Her beautiful red gem-studded outfit had been ruined, and judging by the sour look on her face, she wasn't pleased one bit.

"Ugh!" she groaned in disgust. "How dreadful! I knew we shouldn't have participated in that crazy man's schemes!"

"Reagan! REAGAN!" came the voices of Hamilton and Madison. They'd been yelling at the top of their lungs for hours, obviously guilt-stricken and worried. It was something to note that Madison's voice seemed to be louder than Hamilton's. "Reagan! REE-GAAN!"

"Dan! Dan!" Amy cried, with some tears rolling down her cheeks. This wasn't happening, she thought. No, this can't be happening! She couldn't bear to lose Dan, no matter how annoying he was. "Dan! C'mon, Dan… don't do this to me! Dan, where are you!?"

"We can't find an exit!" came the estranged voices of Ned and Ted as they groped the ceiling. The water had reached up to their shoulders, and by the looks of it, the water was rising higher. At this rate, they would be fully submerged in water in a few minutes, and possibly—Amy paled at this thought—they would drown. Instinctively, she started looking for Dan like a madwoman. That was the only thing on her mind, and there was nothing that could shake the thought out of her head.

"Dan! DAN!" her yells became louder and louder. If she couldn't find her brother—no, it was better not to think of it. After a while, two figures emerged from the freezing cold water of the sewer—garnering a sigh of relief from Amy and the Holts. The two children were clinging onto each onto each other desperately, with Reagan holding Dan up. Amy eagerly groped towards them against the current, bringing Dan nearer to her.

"Thanks," she whispered, before the Holts claimed Reagan. Hoisting Dan up to her shoulders, the boy began hacking violently. "You okay?"

Still coughing, he looked at her with drowsy eyes. "Took… too much… water…"

Lifting him up more, she looked down—noticing that the water was nearing her chin. "Just hold on."

"No exit!" Ian exclaimed, with his sister holding on to him tightly. The others were groping around frantically for a lid, something that would prevent themselves from drowning. But the water just kept on coming, rushing into their ears and submerging them momentarily. Amy took a quick gulp of air as she held on desperately on to one of the pipes, hoping that Dan was dealing better than she was.

FWOOOSH!!!

And with a last breath of air, the group was submerged into the cold depths of the sewer water.


They say that before you die, your whole life flashes before your eyes. Every minute and second of your life is replayed, either precious or forgettable; dream or reality. It is said that during those final moments, you come to realize what is important—those little pieces of knowledge that you would come to grasp in order that you may die happy. Yet as the water rushed above her head, Amy couldn't help but wonder whether she was going to die or not.

Dan floated beside her underwater, seemingly trying to conserve his breath. He was the only one she could see under the water due to its imminent murkiness—with the others shrouded in the green abyss. Looking up, she watched the water move above her as she made her final thoughts.

I'm sorry Grace, she thought defeatedly. I failed. I failed mom, dad, the whole family… especially you. I'm sorry I couldn't make you proud of me.

Memories of her deceased Grandmother filled her head, filling her heart with shame. You will make me proud, Amy, her grandmother once said. I had many adventures, but they will all pale compared to yours. Everyone said that Amy Cahill was nothing but a nerd, a bookworm, a geek. There was no way she could do great things, and she was beginning to believe this harsh statement as a reality. Perhaps… perhaps Grace was actually wrong this time.

I can't, she thought. I can't do great things. I'm nothing but a loser.

My dear, came Grace's voice. Don't put yourself down so much. I believe in you. Your parents believe in you.

How can I find the clues when I'm about to die? she thought despairingly.

By being yourself, the voice spoke. For when you believe in yourself, you will be able to find the light in the darkness.

She didn't know whether it was a trick of the light or a gift of Divine Providence. But just after she stopped hearing her Grandmother's voice in her head, a light shone above her. Her initial thought was that it was the light at the end of the tunnel that you usually see when you're about to die. But looking closer, it was more than that. Closer. And more life-saving.

She pressed the top. It moved, though it was quite heavy. Did Grace—?

A lone thought began to flood her mind with some kind of enlightenment, and suddenly she had an uncontrollable urge to survive. Holding onto some rungs she found in spite of the murky water, she bumped the lid with her shoulder. When it budged, she hit it harder. Harder and harder was the impact, until finally, the lid sprung up like a hidden spring. Bringing herself upwards, she inhaled so sharply that her chest hurt and landed onto the hard concrete with a dull thud!—something so ordinary that seemed miraculous to her.

Her relief had been cut short though, as she remembered the others that were still trapped down there.

Dan!

From above, she could spot the dark blond hair swishing about. With her hand jolting into the water again, she grabbed the boy by the shoulders and heaved him out. Once breathing in oxygen, the boy started to hack violently.

"Easy, easy…" she chanted as she placed the boy facing upwards. Another soul tried coming out of the hole, wriggling like a fish in the water.

"Boy, that was unpleasant!" exclaimed Jonah Wizard, putting himself in Recovery Position. He clutched his chest at the sudden intake of oxygen, looking at Amy. "Good job, cuz."

Some others seemed to have a difficult time pulling themselves out the manhole. Amy scrambled up to them, looking back down at the murky water. Plunging her hands into it, she pulled up 1/3 of the Starling triplets, Ned Starling. Coughing up some water, he wiped his mouth with the hem of his wet shirt. "That, dude," he muttered. "Was so not fun. At all."

It wasn't long before the other triplet came up. Ted spewed out some water at his ascent—garnering disgusted looks from the others but a big slap on the back by his brother. It wasn't long until they started laughing like maniacs, high-fiving each other and made a contest about who could spew water farther. Jonah just slapped his forehead at such lunacy. "Seriously, y'all look like you've forgotten that we almost drowned back there!" he scolded, clearly unimpressed.

Natalie was the next person to ascend. After the initial painful breath, she led out a scream that would probably break records. "THAT WAS A CUSTOM-MADE DRESS BY CALVIN KLEIN!" she screamed, looking clearly outraged. Beneath her, it was revealed that Ian carried her to the top.

"Yes, dear sister—but have you ever considered that you did not have a 90 pound burden on your shoulders for at least thirty seconds underwater?" he spoke sarcastically, shooting her a look. "No, I believe I was the one who did. As well, my Pierre Cardin polo is ruined, moreover." Dropping her to the ground, he got out of the hole with Natalie glaring daggers at him. Amy unconsciously glanced at him—feeling a bit sheepish afterwards at the gesture. The water in the manhole then bubbled, causing much concern within the group above ground.

"Another… alligator?" Dan wheezed, coughing out some more water.

Amy headed once more to the manhole, plunging her arms into its depths. Reagan Holt coughed instantly as she emerged from it; with her other siblings following suit. The impact was so strong that Amy toppled over onto the newly wet concrete. Soon, everyone was lying down.

"All y'all still conscious and breathing say 'Aye!'" Jonah muttered weakly, with a broken string of 'Aye!' s sounded out shortly afterwards. Ned and Ted brought themselves up slowly, looking at each other in concern. "Uh, guys?" spoke Ned. "Sinead didn't say 'Aye.'"

"Wait," spoke Madison. "Where is the auburn pixie anyway?"

Panic erupted within the group. "Sinead!"

Amy looked at the manhole, face pale. "I—I think she's still down there. M-maybe I can help her."

"It would probably be too risky." Spoke Ian Kabra, moving to Amy's side. Her cheeks suddenly felt hot—both with a fuzzy feeling and irritation. "W-why would you say that?" she muttered softly, hoping he hadn't heard her. She could've sworn she was shaking violently as she tried not to look at him. Not an easy feat for someone like her.

"Weight density. There's a large possibility that if you try to get her out of there you'd be swept back away with the current." Ian spoke as a matter-of-factly. Amy felt herself blush even deeper. And yet, that didn't stop the little twinge in her chest as he made a proposition. Looking at Ned and Ted, the boy sighed before he made his decision. "I'll go get her."

Plunging into the cold depths of the sewer, Ian disappeared into the murky water. For some odd reason, Amy's heart skipped a beat. Reagan scooted a little closer to Dan.

"He's not up yet," she whispered, looking a bit confused. Yet she was right. It seemed like a minute had passed after his murky descent, and Amy was starting to feel worried. But why, she thought sickly. Clasping her hands slowly, she tied to summon up that fateful day when he left her at Pukhansan. The seconds seemed to drag on, and the others were starting to show signs of agitation. Jonah Wizard groaned, furrowing his dark eyebrows.

"Don't tell me we lost two people!" Jonah whined, falling back to the ground with a dull thud!. He led out a disgruntled grunt. "And on our way to the next clue too. Stupid Blue Team probably made them big explosion."

Dan coughed up once more, glaring at Jonah. "Don't you dare think Uncle Alistair had something to do with this!"

"Calm down, Dan," Amy coaxed.

Natalie made sure she got involved too, with her face thoughtful. "I doubt what happened underground was of Ekaterina descent. Too stealthy, I should say. Ugh," she whined, pouting. "Blast it, when will that Ian come up! It's been eons and someone has to back me up with this little theo—"

A gurgle in the water sparked interest within the group. Everyone instantly scrambled near the hole in anticipation, looking at it with wide-eyed looks. At first, the gurgling stopped—leaving a sinking feeling lingering in the atmosphere. But after a while, the water began to bubble—clearing up slowly as dark locks came to play underneath it, slowly rising up like the sun. Everyone backed up as Ian Kabra finally ascended, placing an unconscious Sinead onto the cement before he himself hoisted himself up. Coughing up some water, he took a sharp inhalation before speaking.

"Unconscious," Ian spoke, looking at the group wearily. "Probably activated her survivor's reflex. Excuse me," he spoke, hacking violently. Regaining his composure, he looked up once more. "But she'll be okay. She'll have to rest for a while, though."

"So, do we have to get an ambulance or somethin'?" came Hamilton Holt's inquiry. Natalie looked on, flicking a lock of her hair.

"As I was saying," she spoke, irritated at the intrusion. "The explosion seemed to be of Lucian invention. I infer that Mum and Dad either set the trap, or they probably hired one of the agents to do the job for them. If my hypothesis is correct, I do believe we have to keep everything more… streamlined."

"Point taken," spoke Ian Kabra, carrying the unconscious girl. The Holts gave weary glances at each other, then looked at the rest of the group. "Maybe we can help," they spoke simultaneously. Everyone, excluding Amy and Dan, gave looks that yelled "you-have-got-to-be-kidding-me".

"Hey!" Madison yelled. "We don't care if you think we're really that dumb or not, but we actually have a plan."

"You're bluffing," Ted Starling spoke back, looking Madison straight in the eyes. They gave each other dirty looks for a long while, until Reagan interrupted. Hamilton was behind her, as if he was there to back her up.

"Hey, if we're gonna be all 'streamlined' and all that hooey, we hafta at least lay low. Ham knows how to drive a car, though it'll be a long way to Las Vegas. Maybe that'll be enough time to, like, get rid of your parents." Reagan spoke, looking at the Kabras. The two siblings looked at each other with wondering looks, then looked back at the girl with an air of finality. It was then when Ian spoke up.

"Perhaps. Well then," he spoke, straightening himself up. "We might as well purchase some items that will be relevant to us if we are to push through with that ruse."

Natalie barely concealed her disgusted cringe. "You're not saying that we actually have to dress like commoners, Ian! I mean, the mere idea of it—"

"Is dreadful, I know." He finished, looking at her. "But if we are to outwit mum and dad, we must use our resources." This garnered an anguished groan from Natalie, who made a barely concealed stomp and huff of irritation as she stood up. "Agh! Dressing up like some mere city kid? Ludicrous, I say! Simply absurd!"

"I'll go find a rent-a-car place or somethin'" Hamilton spoke, going into the city limits. He was shortly halted by Jonah Wizard, with a slightly displeased look on his face. "Hey, yo—I provided the jet. So that pretty much gives me the right to drive whatever we's gonna rent."

"I thought we talked about this already!" Reagan yelled.

"Look, man, we don't have much time!" Hamilton spoke, nearly on the rink of sucker-punching the star's face. Clenching his fists, he slammed the air in frustration. "Fine! As long as you can drive an automatic car, you can. Just don't go bumming on me!"

Amy and Dan looked at each other, and as if their minds melded, simultaneously shook their heads.

"Well what're we waiting for?" Ned spoke.

"Las Vegas, here we come!" yelled Ted enthusiastically, pointing at the air.


A/N: I know, I know. Kinda rushed at the end, and I think I turned Hamilton too OOC. Ah, well. Thanks to all those who reviewed, and hopefully I didn't disappoint you guys with this super-late update!