Chapter 20
A quiet day on Hope Island afforded the five eco-heroes time to catch up on their favorite pastime of reading, and each settled comfortably in the common room with their favorite genre. Sitting on the sofa with a cushion behind his back for support Wheeler allowed himself to slip into A Zoo in my Luggage by Gerald Durrell; it was not a book he would have deliberately chosen. This work was written by an eminent zoologist just after the war years, and it talked about the capture of different species for the famous zoological park on Jersey, an island off the United Kingdom. The fire Planeteer had found that the fact based story was really fascinating, and he reminded himself it was only recently that zoos had been getting a bad rep. In those early days of discovery and conservation, they were the best thing for some species, and it was believed that captivity was the only way to keep some animals safe.
After pausing for a minute and allowing the book to rest on his rapidly growing belly, the redhead glanced at his friends and firmly pushed his fringe back with his fingers. It was no good; his hair was getting too long and desperately needed cutting, but he doubted that even he could bluff this belly to Lisa, his usual stylist.
Gi glanced up from her own novel and noticed Wheelers movement "Would you like me to cut your hair, Wheeler? It's obviously annoying you," she offered with a smile.
"I dunno, Gi, I've always gone to Lisa to get my hair cut, and I don't feel very comfortable going to someone else . . . no offence meant," Wheeler replied thoughtfully, he appreciated the offer of course and he really did want to have his hair cut shorter but it still felt strange trusting the young Asian woman who was sitting by him..
"None taken," Gi shrugged with a wink of the eye.
"But somehow, I think you will have a hard time arguing that as weight gain, Wheeler. You said that Lisa noticed you were bigger the last time you went in, and you were only 10 weeks then." Linka looked up from her study book and added her own logical argument.
"Yeah, ok, its driving me nuts like this," Wheeler sighed as he flipped his mop top and replaced the bookmark in the pages of his story; He quickly realized that pregnancy would force him out of his comfort zone many times, and he'd just have to trust the 21-year-old.
"Ok, come on over to the sink and I'll wash your hair for you," Gi stood up and stretched lightly.
"I can wash my own hair," Wheeler started to argue as he stood up and followed Gi through to the kitchen.
"Yeah but its part of the service, are you telling me that Lisa makes you wash your own hair when you go to her?" the young Thai woman quickly set a chair in front of the sink and laid an old cushion along the counters edge.
"Well no…. I guess I'll get the shampoo for you then." Wheeler turned and headed for his room, all the while, thinking about what was happening. He would most certainly trust Gi with his life, but he still wasn't sure about her cutting his hair; after all, he had been going to Lisa since the dawn of time. He knew her and she knew exactly how he liked his hair cut. How could Gi possibly get it right?
Leaning back against the sink as Gi massaged his scalp with the shampoo, Wheeler felt himself relax a little; if nothing else, Gi had a really nice touch. The water Planeteer noticed that Wheeler shut his eyes as she carefully applied the shampoo, and it was obvious he was enjoying the attention of her fingers even if he was dreading the actual cut. Of course, it was understandable he had always been to one person; she had felt the same way when she first joined the Planeteers. However, it had quickly become too awkward for her to return to her home town every time she needed a hair cut, so she had asked Linka to give her a trim. The result hadn't been brilliant. Unlike Gi, Linka had never cut anyone's hair before, and the session had left the Asian girl a little lopsided. Gi remembered she had made a joke of it to reassure her friend that everything was all right, and she had insisted that Linka try again the next time. After 6 years, Linka was almost as good as Gi but she did not have the confidence to act as a personal stylist to her other friends, so Gi had always cut everyone's hair - except Wheeler, who had still insisted on returning to New York and his regular stylist every six weeks.
"Wow your hair is really thick," The Thai woman commented lightly; she was momentarily disturbed from her thoughts as her customer moved slightly. It was obvious that the lack of support afforded by leaning back against the sink was already making Wheeler's back ache. Just in the last couple of days, his back had been worse than usual, especially when he didn't have enough support. Carrying a large baby, as Kristine had predicted, meant that the young man was experiencing even more pressure on his back than usual, and he was just at the point now when his centre of balance was changing to allow for the extra weight in his belly. All the Planeteers had noticed how he would stretch, trying to relieve some of the stiffness, and they had all tried to help by propping him up with cushions or taking him for a walk; after all, the book suggested exercise and a good posture to help keep a bad back at bay.
After having finished washing the fire Planeteer's hair, Gi retrieved her hair cutting supplies and then led her customer out the door and over to a chair by the picnic table. Once Wheeler was seated, she carefully applied a wrap around cape, making sure to fasten it snuggly at the man's neck. He looked worried, and she was sure she noticed his flinching as she retrieved her scissors.
"Wheeler you really have nothing to be nervous about," the Thai girl giggled as she rested her hands on his shoulders to reassure him that everything was going to be all right.
"I can't help it," the young man retorted, too nervous to sit still and make eye contact with his friend of 6 years. "One goof up, and you'll try to fix it and before I know it, Badabing, I look like Patrick Stewart!" he stated his nervousness, making his temporary stylist snort with laughter.
"If that happens, I'll buy you a star trek uniform and you can attend the next convention. You'll be fine Wheeler; Ma-Ti and Kwame have let me cut their hair since we moved here six years ago, and they look fine."
Resigned to the fact that he had to have his hair cut at some point, Wheeler nervously allowed his friend to continue with her task, all the while enjoying her cheerful chatter about various marine creatures that had been around Hope Island in the last week "All right, that should do it, I'll just get the dryer. Don't move," she ordered and quickly ran back and ducked into her hut.
Despite the casual banter that took place between the fire and water Planeteers, Wheeler couldn't help feeling fretful when he saw the bright red strands that were falling all around him. He gingerly reached up and was relieved to find he was not bald headed as he had feared; and he quickly settled back as he heard Gi return.
"Did you move?" the Asian woman asked jovially as she noted that the cape had shifted and that there were scattered hair clippings still sliding from the drape and onto the ground.
"Just checking," the redhead shrugged with a slight smile.
Gi smirked as she rolled her eyes and flicked the hair dryer on a medium setting. She then held it up and carefully brushed Wheelers hair back into a nice style.
After having switched the machine off Gi proudly admired her handiwork. "Do you want a mirror?" she asked the American.
"How 'bout a do rag?" he responded jokingly. "Hey geroff!" Wheeler reacted as the young woman gave him a noogie.
"You deserved that, you big baby," Gi retorted smartly as she laid the mirror in Wheelers lap and shot him a stare as if to force him to see how his hair had turned out.
"Here goes nothing," Wheeler quietly whispered as he slowly pulled one hand out from under the cape and wrapped his fingers around the hand held mirror's stem. He cautiously turned it until his freckled face showed up on the shiny surface, and he found he had a pleasant surprise! Apparently a do rag was not needed after all!
"Not bad huh?" the stylist asked, seeing his stunned face.
"Woa! Gi, it looks awesome!" the young man replied, surprised at the outcome.
"I cut it a little shorter than usual to suit your face, since it's a little rounder now," Gi explained as she removed the cape and brushed the few stray hairs from Wheelers neck, she noticed the young man pout slightly when she mentioned his face filling out, but decided not to say anything.
"It's really cool. Thanks," Wheeler brightened almost immediately and gingerly ran his hair through the soft new do, wanting to see how it felt.
"Didn't I tell you, you'd look good?" the young woman gently wrapped her arms around Wheelers neck and firmly planted a kiss on his cheek. Now it was time for a little fun; after all, he had accused her of turning him into Patrick Stewart and asked for a do rag before admiring her work. "Let me just write up your bill," she spoke in a professional tone as she quickly scribbled on a notepad she had retrieved from her shorts pocket while Wheeler looked on with an amused expression; surely, this had to be a type of payback. "Let's see you owe me an entire pan of marshmallow squares," she stated as she handed him the slip of paper with a playful smile.
Wheeler laughed. "You got it, Little Mermaid," he said as he cautiously stood back up and groaned.
"Are you OK?" Gi asked as she finished packing away the hairdressing kit.
"I'm fine . . . just gone stiff . . . gonna go and show off my new hair do to the others," he grinned again, starting to leave, only to be beckoned back by his female friend.
"Oh, Wheeler, I meant to tell you . . . Kristine called while you were staying at your parents' house, something about not being able to find your medical records. I gave her your Social Security number . . . is that all right? She did promise to destroy the scrap paper she used to jot it down." the water Planeteer, who had been bugged by the feeling she had forgotten to tell Wheeler something that was very important, suddenly remembered what she had meant to tell him when they had returned from Brooklyn.
"Ok, no probs," Wheeler called back as he departed with a cheerful wave and returned to the common hut. "So what do you think?" he asked as he glided in as if he were in a male beauty contest and stopped in a central position. "Do I look good or what?" he said with a smirk and a wink.
"Wow! That does look really nice," Linka gasped in delight, looking up from her task at hand to admire her compadre's new look.
"Yes, my friend, Gi has done an excellent job," Kwame agreed that Wheeler looked much better now that his mop top had been trimmed and cleaned up.
"It really suits you, Wheeler," Ma-Ti also concurred with his friends and laughed when Suchi squeaked and made a noise like a wolf whistle.
Before another word could be spoken, the phone rang and Wheeler picked up the receiver. "Hello, your through to Hope Island how may I direct your call?" he asked, obviously showing that he was in a playful mood.
"Hello, Wheeler, its Kristine. I just wanted to check something that is a little confusing. This may sound odd, but . . . did you give me the right name at our first meeting?"
"Er yeah . . . why . . . is there a problem?"
"Well I'm sure Gi told you I was having trouble finding your records; there were no Jesse Wheelers of the right age or location as far as I could see; so I used your social security number to track your prior charts down. Strange thing is that my search turned up the record for Jesse Wheeler Sloane. After seeing this, I felt about as straight as a warped cork screw; have you been telling me fibs, Mr. Mom?"
The other Planeteers couldn't hear the phone conversation, but they saw Wheelers face fall as he realized he had had the ultimate in mental lapses.
"Oh man . . . mando brain fart! I'm so sorry. My real last name is Sloane. Our family doesn't really use it, and I had completely forgotten it was on my original medical records. My pop changed it after he got home from Vietnam . . . I guess to get away from his past or something . . . as long as I can remember, I've gone by Jesse Wheeler. Has this caused a huge problem?"
"No, don't worry about it, Wheeler. I have a similar thing in my family. You know that time we were emailing, and I told you I was half German, that my great grandfather came here right from Stuttgart? Well, during the First World War, my great Uncle changed his family name to avoid association with the enemy. My grandfather didn't, but if there was any trouble, he pointed out that as far as he was concerned he was American no matter what his name was and that he was happy to fight on the side of the US."
"Well it's a relief to know it's not just my family that's awkward with names."
"No. So how have you been doing? Still ok?"
"Yep, been busy . . . finally told my parents about the baby so they're bouncing around and preparing for their first grandchild. First day after they found out, they started buying baby stuff for me. Oh . . . before I forget to tell ya, doc, as of about 5 minutes ago I have a cool new haircut so I'm showing off in front of the other Planeteers now."
Upon clamping the phone between his ear and shoulder, Wheeler quickly flexed his arm muscles in a body builder type stance, making his friends burst into loud roars of laughter.
"I can hear Linka laughing; what are you doing?" Kristine immediately wanted to know the joke.
"I was doing my body builder routine and Linka said I definitely have the gut of a body builder," he momentarily paused and stuck his tongue out in response.
"Oh, boy," Kristine giggled lightly, for she could just imagine the scene that was going on at the other end of the line. "All right, since everything's taken care of, and I have . . . urgh . . . paper work to do, I will see you in 3 weeks. Take care of yourself, Wheeler," the doctor hailed, resigned to the fact that the stack of work on her desk had to be done, even if she wanted to talk to Wheeler all day.
"Ok, see ya," Wheeler responded and hung up the handset.
"Was that Kristine on the phone, Yankee?" Linka asked as the redhead flopped beside her.
"Yeah, I forgot my medical record is under Sloane, since I never use the name and it was causing confusion . . . that's all," Wheeler grinned and picked his book up, thinking that it was time to return to Bafut and the adventures of Gerald Durrell.
Another week had brought Wheeler to a shape that was making his pregnancy more obvious than ever; and the overwhelming thing was that he knew he was just going to get bigger in the months to come. He had been filming a lovely scene on the beach when he heard the familiar voice of the maternal spirit who had been looking after the five eco-activists over the last 6 years. The call to action had forced him to cut his filming short, drop his mini-cam off in his room and move as fast as he could to the sparkling hut the transparent entity called home.
"Planeteers, we have an eco-emergency!" Gaia urgently called as she summoned her heroes for earth to the crystal chamber.
"What's goin' on, Gaia?" Wheeler asked as he and the other Planeteers gathered around the large screen.
At 18 weeks, the fire Planeteer was already looking noticeably pregnant, and the kindly spirit wondered whether it was really responsible to continue sending him into dangerous situations, especially since he seemed to have become a favored target for the eco-villains. However, Wheeler still seemed determined that Blights experiment was not going to stop him from protecting the planet, and Gaia realized this was the sign of a true Planeteer.
"Verminous Skumm has made a new batch of his 'Skummy brew' and is planning to use it to infect the world once again. He's planning to try out the formula on the citizens of Marietta, Ohio before he unleashes it on the rest of the world. You must stop him before he can do permanent harm to lots of innocent people." Gaia explained the situation and showed her team the last area where Skumm had been seen.
"We are on it, Gaia!" Kwame raised his fist in the air.
"You can count on us, Gaia!" Ma-Ti added as the group turned and headed for the Geo-cruiser.
"Good luck, my Planeteers, and please be careful." The spirits image glowed brightly as she faded from view.
"Boss, the Planeteers are here," henchman #one announced summoning his seven foot master to the screen as the geo-cruiser came into view.
"Good, use the cannon. That should ground them for a while; then we can go hunting for our test subject. He'll be just what I need to test my 'skummy brew'," Verminous Skumm snarled as he rubbed his hands gleefully, and his latest toxic invention was released from the cannon, hitting the eco-heroes solar craft head on.
"Oh no! We've been hit, and the steering is jammed!" Gi cried out as she fought with the Geo-cruisers controls; however, she was unsuccessful, and the plane plummeted toward the ground.
"Bozhe Moy! I cannot open the window to free the control!" Linka shouted.
"No problem, babe! Fire!" Wheeler quickly willed his ring and took out the side window.
"Wind!" Linka ordered her ring into activation using her own power to blow some of the toxic sludge from the aircrafts steering control.
"Brace yourselves, guys, its going to be a bumpy landing!" The Thai girl felt the control over the air craft return, but they were already too close to the ground to completely come out of the nose dive.
The Geo-cruiser hit the ground with a bump, causing all the warning lights to flash brightly.
"Is everyone ok?" Gi asked, carefully rubbing her head, popping the buckle of her seat belt, and looking around to make sure her friends were safe.
"Da." Linka leaned back and unbuckled her seatbelt, feeling like the breath had been knocked from her very essence.
"We are ok," Kwame quickly answered as he and Ma-Ti freed themselves and checked each other for injuries.
"Wheeler, are you ok?" the dark haired girl shouted. So far he was the only one who hadn't answered.
"Ptooy . . . yeah," Wheeler emerged from a pile of equipment that had erupted from the crafts overhead compartments upon landing and spat out a couple of metal clasps that had hit him point blank in the face. He sounded dazed and everyone looked around as he released the seatbelt and stood up.
"Are you sure? Is the baby ok?" Linka queried, noticing her friend as he wobbled a little while he worked to regain his balance.
"Yeah, just a bit shook up . . . baby's fine. It's just lucky I remembered to do the belt up under the bulge huh?" the redhead grinned as he turned and followed Kwame and Ma-Ti outside.
"We'll have to do some repairs," Gi stated as she surveyed the damage the small solar power vehicle had suffered.
"Well, at least it looks like we found Skumm," Wheeler commented dryly. "So what do we do first?" he added with a shrug as the others shot him an exasperated look.
"We are not going to do anything," Kwame stated with the most serious expression he ever had crossing his strong, black features. "You are going to take it easy while the rest of us do the repairs."
"Kwame is right, Yankee. You should go and stand over there," Linka pointed to a nearby monument of Rufus Putnam, the town's founder.
"What… why?" the redhead protested, wondering why he was being side lined all of a sudden.
"Because you are expecting a baby, and you have just been in a plane crash. You might think you feel fine, but I would rather you took it easy for a few minutes than risk hurting yourself and the little one," the blonde spoke a little more softly and gave the fire Planeteer a gentle push.
"Fine," Wheeler sighed as he sloped off and leaned against the large stone statue. It was clear he was not going to win this argument. It was at times like this when he felt that being pregnant really sucked!
"Are you in position?" Skumm spoke into the mouth piece of his radio.
"Yes, boss" Henchman #2 replied as he crouched behind the monument, ready to nab the unsuspecting 22 year old.
Wheeler reached into the pocket of his light weight jeans jacket and pulled a box of nerds out. Popping two of the sweets into his mouth he leaned back against the statue, savoring the sour flavor and watching his friends repair the Geo-cruiser. A sudden noise behind him made the idle man turn, and he found an empty coke can lying on the ground. The true blue Planeteer found himself silently griping about people's apparent apathy over the care of the Earth; why couldn't people take their cans to the recycling center; it wasn't hard. He wandered over, bent down, and picked the aluminum object up. With no warning, the American felt a splitting pain erupt in his head, and everything went black.
"Quick, bring him here!" Skumm grinned excitedly as he watched his evil ratty crew tow the unconscious Planeteer down into the sewer and rubbed his hands, soon the most precious of the eco-warriors would be in his hairy clutches, and the other eco-geeks would have no choice but to let him release his plague upon the world.
"He's heavy, boss," Henchman #1 complained as he struggled to lift Wheeler above the rim of the sewer pipe that would lead to the rat packs disgusting lair.
"Well that's what pregnancy will do to you Hahasssshassss!" Verminous laughed gleefully as his test subject was presented at his feet. "Excellent, put him in the net, the net!" Hopping up and down with excitement, the 7ft rodent shouted his orders and watched as Wheeler was quickly hoisted from the ground. Finally, everything was ready for when he would wake up.
"All right, that should do it until we get back to Hope Island; ready to go Whee-" Linka turned and found the redhead was gone without a trace! "Wheeler?" Linka dashed over to the monument and tried calling her friend but received no reply.
"Is something wrong, Linka?" Ma-Ti noticed the Russian was looking frantically around with a puzzled expression coloring her fair features.
"I cannot find Wheeler anywhere; I do not understand where he could have gone," the blonde shrugged as the other Planeteers wandered over to join her.
"Wheeler knew we were going to be leaving soon, so why would he disappear?" Gi looked equally as puzzled as each Planeteer set off to look for their missing companion.
"What if he did not walk off?" Kwame asked as his search of the local area proved fruitless.
"You do not mean…" Linka immediately realized the grim possibility the African was considering
"Planeteers, look at this!" Ma-Ti called his friends over to a point near the monument where their fellow Planeteer was last seen.
"What is it, Ma-Ti?" Gi asked as she approached the Kyapo.
"A coke can? Bozhe Moy, I thought you had found something!" Linka started to turn away in disgust.
"It is something, Linka, these are the sweets that Wheeler was eating while we were working on the geo-cruiser," the young man quickly pointed out the packet of spilled candy, "and these look like drag marks." The South American stood up and started to follow the skids behind the monument. "From the evidence, I would say that someone caught Wheelers attention by throwing a coke can, and then when he bent down to pick it up, they captured him and dragged him off."
"You mean Skumm has him?" Gi posed her question with a worried tone in her voice.
"I would say that is a strong possibility," the South American Indian replied with the most serious of vocal tones.
"Oh, poor Wheeler . . . and I told him to stand there. What are we going to do? We have to find him before that rat hurts him!" Linka looked determinedly towards the horizon; wherever that rat was hiding she planned to seek him out. Skumm had been responsible for the death of her beloved cousin Boris and her short-term drug problem, and she was fiercely determined that the ugly rodent wouldn't harm Wheeler too!
"Linka is right. If we can work out where that toxic bomb came from, we can find Skumm's lair," Kwame quickly returned to the Geo-cruiser to run the tests.
"Ohhh what hit me . . . " Wheeler groaned as he made a move to rub the goose egg that was making its presence well known on the back of his head "What the…?" Noticing that his wrists were chained together immediately brought the redhead out of his semi-comatose state and he realized with some horror that he was suspended in a net above a pit filled with dozens of mutated and boil ridden rats. "Not again," he growled through gritted teeth.
"Welcome back, my little eco-test subject," Verminous Skumm stood before the captive and sniggered loudly.
"Skumm, what have you done to me!" Wheeler shouted, he could feel his blood run hot as he realized he had been captured yet again!
"Nothing… yet! Allow me to introduce you to my little friends here." Standing over the pit Skumm beckoned to a particularly disgusting looking rat and cradled it in his arms "This little beauty is the result of many months of research, one bite and you will be infected with an ultimately deadly plague that is completely incurable. Anyone who is bitten by one of these babies will become so paralyzed that they can't even blink or swallow; they'll linger on for a few days in agony and then die a slow and painful death. This disease would make the Rat Rot look like a runny nose! Hahasssshassss!" Skumm laughed again loudly, the sound seeming to ring in the pyro-Planeteers ears "Feel free to burn your way out of there pregnateer, my rats could use a nice plump meal before they're released. Come on, rat pack, we have work to do," Summoning his gang of mutant creatures, the 7ft rodent left, content that absolutely nothing could stop his plan now.
"Nobody's gonna make eco-burgers outta me and the munchkin," Wheeler softly hissed to himself. Struggling against his bonds, he soon became aware that the only way he could possibly get out of there was to use his ring; however, that would certainly mean being bitten and permanently infected by one or several of Skumm's rats, he doubted that he would have been able to avoid getting bitten when he was at the peak of fitness, especially if he were tangled in a net and chained up; now he had no hope, thanks to his condition. Strongly wrenching sideways in anger, the redhead winced in pain as the jagged metal from the crude shackles sliced his forearm, he had no choice but to call his friends. He gingerly lifted his restricted hand toward his forehead, but found he had to bow his head slightly forward in order to make contact with his ring and send a silent message to the youngest Planeteer. "Ma-Ti, I sure hope you can hear me, little buddy…" the American sent his silent message and hoped that his friends would get there before Skumm got bored and used him as a super-sized meal for the plague army that waited hungrily below him.
"Ma-Ti, I sure hope you can hear me, little buddy..." the message suddenly erupted in the Kyapo's mind, and he immediately sat up. The search for Skumm's lair had been fruitless so far; and as each minute passed, the Planeteers became more worried about their expectant friends safety. "It is Wheeler! …. Where are you? Are you alright?" Ma-Ti retuned the message and waited impatiently for the response.
"I'm somewhere in the sewer. Skumm's rat pack knocked me out, so I'm not sure exactly where. The slimy rodent has me chained up and hanging in a net over a pit full of ugly mutant rats. Skumm has been breeding them with an incurable plague and is planning to release them so they can spread this horrible, debilitating disease around the world," Wheeler quickly sent the message, filling his friends in on what was happening, after all they were here to stop Skumm.
"You cannot burn your way out of the net and find a way to escape, Wheeler?"
"No can do; that's what Skumm wants. If I burn myself out, I'll fall right into the pit full of the rats he's gonna use to infect the world. One bite from them, and I'm toast."
"We will find you, Wheeler," Ma-Ti concentrated to send his friend some comfort.
"Hurry, Ma-Ti, or I'm gonna be rat-bate!"
"We must move quickly! Skumm has Wheeler suspended in a net over a pit of infected rats; and if he burns his way out, he is going to be the farewell dinner." Ma-Ti quickly re-laid the details he'd learned as he continued concentrating and followed Wheelers signal to the sewers entrance.
"I am going to kill that rat!" Linka seethed, as her feelings for Wheeler sparked her anger and she clenched her fists determinedly. As she ran, she silently vowed that if the Brooklynite were harmed, they would be gathering what would be left of Skumm's remains with a pair of tweezers and have to burry him in a match box!
"I just hope we can find him in time," Gi put words to everyone's thoughts; however trying Wheeler could be at times, he was like a brother to the Asian woman, and she didn't plan on her family shrinking anytime soon.
"Still here pregnateer Hahasssshassss," Verminous Skumm sniggered loudly. "Put them over there," he ordered as his henchmen appeared, carrying more cages that were full of mutated, plague infested rats.
"You won't get away with this, Skumm!" Wheeler shouted, his head still throbbed from the earlier clobbering, and his forced position was causing his back to ache, rapidly darkening his already black mood.
"You think your little friends will save you Planet-pain, if they try anything, I'll…." Skumm lifted a leaver on the wall, causing the net to drop about a foot. His victim's shout of alarm was like music to the villains ears, and he quickly stopped the descent with an evil grin twisting his rat-like features.
Hurrying around the corner, the remaining Planeteers watched in horror as their friend appeared to drop towards the pit of infected rats below, but it soon became obvious that Verminous Skumm was teasing; and the resolve to rescue the pyro Planeteer turned out to be more urgent!
"I have an idea . . ." Gi whispered pulling her friends close so she could communicate her plan to save the firey father-to-be and the little unborn spark within his pooch.
"Wheeler we are here, burn through the ropes" Ma-Ti sent the instruction to his friend and watched for the fire Planeteer's compliance.
"Are you wacked? What about the rats I can't move fast enough to avoid getting bitten!" Wheeler worriedly returned the telepathic message and tried to see his friends without alerting the pestilent villain before him.
"Trust me Wheeler; you will not fall into the pit now burn through the ropes before it is too late!" Ma-Ti repeated the instruction firmly and watched as Wheeler struggled to move his arms to a position where he could use his power.
Feeling absolutely terrified of what would happen once he burned his way out of the net, Wheeler swallowed hard. "F...f...fire," he summoned weakly, sending a small laser beam from his ring and igniting the rope cage around him. After closing his eyes as he felt the binding give way, the redhead suddenly heard a familiar voice yelling, "Wind!" and he was entirely grateful to have found himself suspended in a small tornado that carried him safely away from the horrible pit. Linka stood nearby with a smile on her face and as the huge villainous rodent started to react, she set an unharmed Wheeler on the ground. The partially freed Planeteer immediately knew what was needed as he aimed for the only source of light he could see.
Kwame started the chain of events the eco-activists used to call captain planet. "Let our powers combine . . . Earth!"
Upon dodging a toxic bullet from the gun of Skumm's henchmen, Wheeler fell to his knees behind a barrel. "Fire!" he yelled, doing his best to aim his beam despite the restriction on his wrists.
"Wind!" Linka quickly joined her friends in the team beam process.
"Water!" Gi shouted.
"Heart!" Ma-Ti finished the sequence as a stream of corrosive sludge shot past his arm.
"By your powers combined I am captain planet!" the blue superhero erupted from the centre of the Earth and quickly zoomed into action after the 5 eco-warriors called out, "Go Planet!"
"Well Skumm, looks like your plaguing society again. You are one sick rodent!" Cap laughed as the villains scurried beneath him.
"I'll get you planet!" the 7ft rodent sneered angrily as he fired a polluted shot from his toxic cannon, only to have Cap dodge out of the way. Seeing no other alternative, he escaped through a sewer pipe and retreated deeper underground.
"Looks like an exterminator is required, just hope my warm nature can denature these disgusting vermin," the Captain commented as his shape shimmered, and he transformed into a powerful flame, diving into the pit destroying every last infected rat, and putting a permanent end to the latest threat to the health of the Midwestern community. Once he returned to his normal form, cap zoomed overhead and gathered all of Skumm's lab equipment and hurled it into the sun, where it could never be used to threaten or harm anyone again.
"Wheeler, are you ok?" Linka ran around the barrels where she had seen her friend dive a few moments ago.
"Yeah, thanks for the rescue Ruski," Wheeler quipped with gratitude in his eyes as Kwame and Ma-Ti carefully helped their still bound friend to his feet and examined the shackles around his wrists.
"It'll take forever to get these off," Gi sighed, looking at the tight metal clasps and wondering just how they would remove them without a key.
"Did I hear a call for a blacksmith?" Zooming back to join his team, Captain Planet quickly willed his finger into a hot blow torch flame and released the redhead's wrists from the uncomfortable bonds.
"Man that's better, thanks, cap." Wheeler smiled gratefully as he was finally able to correct his posture.
"Well, Wheeler, you've sure filled out a bit since the last time I saw you; ahem, you sure that's all baby and not too many burgers?" The captain laughed merrily as he noted Wheelers belly.
"Yep I'm sure; I've given up burgers," the redhead retorted with a gentle smile.
"Well looks like we won't be hearing from Skumm for a while, good job Planeteers. The power is yours!"
The five youths watched as the superhero rose into the sky and returned to the centre of the Earth, leaving the tiny balls of elemental power to float back to their owner's rings since the planet was safe once again.
"Are you alright?" Gi gently rested her hand on Wheelers shoulder as the group exited the sewer and began the trip back to the Geo-cruiser.
"Yeah, I've got a splitting headache; my backs giving me problems since it was in that curved position for so long; and I've got a nasty cut on my wrist . . . but at least I'm not plague ridden or rat meal." The redhead gave his friend a wane smile and sighed tiredly.
"How did you cut your wrist?" Gi asked quickly, for if Wheeler was injured he needed medical attention.
"Trying to get outta those chains," the American replied as he studied the red wound on his wrist.
Gi had made her way to the geo-cruiser and immediately retrieved the medical kit and positioned herself next to the redhead. "Let's see," the acting nurse commanded
"What is to be going on?" Linka immediately wanted to know.
"Wheeler cut his wrist on the restraints, I just want to make sure it doesn't get infected; after all, Skumm is no stickler for cleanliness, and we don't know where those shackles have been." the Thai girl replied as she gently pushed the sleeve of Wheelers jacket back a little farther so she had plenty of room to work.
"Ouch!" Ma-Ti exclaimed as he saw the deep gash in Wheelers arm.
"That looks very sore my friend," Kwame observed with a gasp.
"Its ok, to be honest I couldn't feel anything till just after Cap got me outta those things," the redhead bit his lip as Gi carefully examined the wound for foreign bodies. Satisfied that there was nothing in the cut she put some disinfectant on a piece of gauze and gently dabbed at the young mans wrist "OW!" Wheeler jerked away as the stinging sensation sent bolts of imaginary lightning throughout his body.
"I'm sorry Wheeler, I know it stings but I need to clean this up to stop it from getting infected," the young woman muttered, pulling his hand back and gently resuming her task.
"Ch'yaah . . . Gaarrrr . . . Yaayaayaay!" the injured man grunted as the stinging continued.
"I know it doesn't feel good, Wheeler, but the more it stings the better it works." Gi did her best to administer the first aid without causing her friend further pain. "When I was little and I would scrape my knee, my mother told me to blow as hard as I could when the stinging would start. Somehow it helped. She always told me that tensing like that," she indicated the twisted faces Wheeler was making, ". . . well it would just make you feel worse."
Wheeler acted on his surrogate sister's advice, and he blew really hard every time the stinging sensation became too much to bear, and he did discover that it worked.
"Thanks Gi," Wheeler expressed his gratitude as he examined the neat bandage that was snuggly wrapped around his arm.
"Your welcome" the Thai girl stood and headed back to the pilots seat "Lets go home" she motioned as Linka settled next to the redhead and applied both their seatbelts, providing her pregnant companion with a little help, as his wrists were stiff from the dressing and any bruises caused by the metal bonds.
Gi charged up the plane's engine and plotted her course, ready for the journey back to the tropical paradise in which she and her teammates had been living for the last 6 years.
"Are you feeling ok, Wheeler?" Kwame asked as the group trudged back into the common room
"Yeah, just a bit tired . . . " the redhead yawned with a gentle smile as he rested his hand on the black Planeteers shoulder, and the two wandered through the door to the eco-activists' communal room.
"How's your back?" Gi asked as Wheeler came into view and stretched his arms up, apparently still experiencing some discomfort.
"Still a little sore, it'll pass," the American answered as he flopped onto the sofa, yawned, and clicked the TV on.
"Here, let me help you, Wheeler," Ma-Ti offered, placing an extra cushion behind his friends back. "Better?" he asked as Wheeler leaned back against the extra pads.
"Thanks, little buddy," the pregnant man smiled; the pillow wasn't really helping but the South American didn't need to know that, for he was trying his best to help the older guy.
"Awww look," Linka nudged her cooking partner as the two girls prepared a quick dinner only a few moments later.
When she looked up from her task, Gi smiled as she noticed that Wheeler had fallen fast asleep while propped up against the arm of the sofa with the remote still in his hand.
"Awww, how sweet, think he's ok?" she whispered quietly.
"Da, I think missions just wear him out at the moment that is all." the Russian gently responded, knowing too well that it would be best to keep her own worries for the young man to herself.
"Are you sure that Skumm is down here?" Linka queried as she and the rest of the Planeteers sneaked through the sewers in search of the mutant rat that was threatening to make an entire college campus sick with an insidious disease by polluting the school's water supply.
"It's a dead give-away, Babe," Wheeler answered back as he lead the five eco-warriors through the smelly underground passage way, using his ring as a light source. "Leave it to Skumm and the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles to hang out in the sewers."
"Planeteers . . . I can sense . . . Heart . . ." Ma-Ti placed his hand to his forehead, and he used his ring to tune into the unwanted company that he knew was down there with them. "Oh, no! We must get out of-" Before he could finish his warning, the sewer echoed loudly with horrible, high pitched squeaks and scratching noises, but it was still too dark for any of them to see beyond Wheeler's flame.
Suddenly, the unsuspecting Planeteers found that the source of the terrible sounds was a pack of giant rats that jumped for the five human's intent on inflicting so many injuries that they would be sure to land in the hospital. The Planeteers let out blood curdling shrieks as Wheeler's flame went out and they were accosted in total darkness. The piercing screams were deafening, and Wheeler soon became aware that some of the rats were clawing and biting at his stomach. Knowing that this would certainly endanger the baby, he tried to fight off the hideous rodents without success; they just kept on coming in an endless stream. He could already feel the sticky blood through his top as the rats found their purchase and strove to devour their prey, he was sure that in only one more second the creatures would bite right through and kill the baby within, probably eating it for dessert.
"WHEELER, WAKE UP!" Someone's voice could be heard attempting to bring the frightened youth out of his disturbing state of being, but he was too groggy to determine who was calling out to him.
With a violent shake Wheeler woke to find the Planeteers and Gaia gathered around him with worried expressions on their faces.
"What happened?" Linka asked the expectant North American as he placed a pale and shaking hand on his stomach and took a deep breath.
"Bad d-dream, there was just this . . . this s-swarm of rats, attacking us and I could feel them biting and clawing my belly like they were trying to get in. They . . . they were about to eat my baby!" Wheeler stared straight forward and numbly recounted the nightmare that was still so fresh in his troubled mind.
"You were screaming, and we were worried," Gi spoke gently as she retrieved the remote Wheeler had dropped and laid it back in its place on the end table.
"You have been having more nightmares recently; maybe it is a result of the pregnancy?" Linka wondered out loud.
"This is not the first nightmare?" Kwame asked feeling an instant wave of concern splashing over him.
"No, I had one after Nukem had me; and I had one just after I found out I was . . . you know . . . " Wheeler murmured, tenderly stroking his belly and feeling hot tears running down his face.
His most recent vision had left his blood running cold with fear, he felt like a small boy who was lost in some nightmare world. Unfortunately, his friends' comforts fell upon deaf ears as he slowly curled up into a ball and started sucking his thumb.
"Wheeler . . ." gliding forward as if floating on air Gaia settled next to her eldest Planeteer and gently drew him into a hug, the young man had been coping so well with the rigors of pregnancy that she couldn't help but be proud of him, and yet these nightmares were obviously real enough to make the pyro-Planeteer regress back to his childish habits of hiding away and trying to comfort himself, the other Planeteers attempts at comforting words were having no effect on the terrified youth and so Gaia began to sing quietly to him as she gently rocked him in her arms.
The lovely melody that rang out through the room was one with no real lyrics, and the notes were hauntingly beautiful. It didn't take the Planeteers long to remember the only other time they had heard this mysterious lullaby once before The four clear headed eco-warriors found themselves mentally transported back to that autumn day in 1991, a day that changed Linka's life forever…
The Planeteers first heard Gaia's song after Skumm had forced Linka to take and become addicted to his own pleasure inducing drug, Bliss. The withdrawal symptoms were hard to deal with, and the young woman had been very ill and deeply depressed about the death of her cousin Boris at the time. She had sunk so deeply into depression that she took to her bed even after her physical symptoms had gone away. Even though Wheeler had been there for her almost around the clock, like a guardian angel and encouraged her to carry on, she had still been unable to see any end to the pain she felt within. Gaia had come to her bedside, and she gently sang a strange and lyrical song. The others hadn't been able to understand what was happening, for they had never seen Gaia sing before; and the melody seemed so strange, ghost like, almost haunting, yet strangely peaceful.
As the tune swelled in her ears, Linka found herself unable to stay awake, and she lay in the first restful slumber she had had since she came home from that terrible mission. Many visions flashed through her troubled mind; they were memories of a happy day that seemed to be so long ago. For a brief time, she could swear that she was 6 years old again and back there at Boris's 5th birthday party. There was jelly and ice cream, her ambassador uncle's attempt at the American lifestyle, and balloons everywhere. It had been her first time on an airplane and the first time she had left her home country. Everything was new; the grass was sweet and green underneath a beautiful blue sky; the sun shone above, warming the gentle earth; and she was happy - oh so happy!
In her state of sleep, a smile curved her ragged lips, and her weary face relaxed. The smothering black cloud that Skumm's awful drug had left over her began to lift as sadness drained from every pore of her body. She awoke later realizing the music had stopped and that she felt good, not perfect; no that would take work; but she was ready. She felt a new confidence that she could get through this ordeal with a renewed sense of hope glowing deep within her soul. For the first time in days, she donned her emerald green bathrobe and stepped outside her hut and into the fresh air.
Wheeler sat at the table, looking quite exhausted himself. Throughout the horrible time the blonde was going through withdrawal, he had been her rock, her pillar of strength; and she had never thanked him for all he had done for her. Slowly walking over the young woman gently settled on his lap, and wrapped her arms around his neck. The stunned young man hadn't known quite how to react, and he had only gingerly hugged her back.
"You look like your feeling better, Linka," Gi offered her compliment, still feeling quite nervous that she was dreaming her friend's improved state into existence.
"I do feel better," the Russian smiled as she ran her fingers through her long, blonde hair that had not been gathered into a pony tail in ages.
"What happened?" Ma-Ti asked as he allowed his face to show how curious he was currently feeling.
"I do not know, I am feeling sleepy when Gaia sings and then I have a dream about a time I was happy and it feels like I am there, I can smell the same smells, and reach out and touch stuff. I wake up and I feel happy like I know I can get through this, with a little help" then turning and once again hugging Wheeler she whispered "Thank you, my rock!"
Since that time the Planeteers had learned that what they had heard was Gaia's song, a melody to lift the greatest depression, and chase away the worst of fears, it was there when nothing else could help, when comforting words fell on deaf ears or when a Planeteer had a great mental anguish that they could not solve. This was to be a song they had christened Natures Remedy.
As the familiar song began Wheeler felt a peaceful wave wash over him, seeping deep within his soul and seeking out the knot of fear that was preventing him from forgetting the terrible nightmare. It wasn't just that of course, dreams came and went but for the first time since finding out he was going to have a baby he realized that he could loose the child, after everything he had been through he could end up with nothing and that really scared him, more than rats more than the prospect of fatherhood more than anything he just couldn't fail now! As the redheads eyes closed he felt himself transported as if on some magical carpet back to the memory of his perfect day. The sun glittered above him and he watched the lazy ocean as it lapped at the sand, sending up little puffs of white, cresting as if trying to make itself bigger. He could feel the individual grains of soft white sand beneath his body and, grabbing a handful, he watched as it trickled through. The sand may have been so insignificant; and yet he thought each of these tiny grains could have once been part of a mountain on the other side of the world, maybe even part of a meteor. He could just imagine that he could be holding an alien rock in his hand "Wheeler what are you doing?" looking up he saw Linka had appeared before him, she was even more beautiful than he remembered and was standing looking at him with a crinkled smile "Come on lazy, we are waiting for you," she commented, offering her hand to pull him to his feet and lead him to the volleyball court on such a perfect day, warm and lightly covered with a breeze that occasionally ruffled the young mans hair. As the images flowed through Wheelers mind he slept peacefully and Gaia gently settled him back among the cushions, he could now rest quietly and recover from the days adventures.
"Do you think we should wake him?" Gi glanced over at the still slumbering redhead as she began to serve dinner later that evening "Nyet, it will be better if he wakes up naturally" Linka shook her head, after the ordeals of the day and the terrible nightmare that had followed Wheeler needed to rest and wake up on his own, waking him up now would make him jump and risk undoing the good of Gaia's healing vision. With a nod Gi carefully placed Wheelers portion in the oven to keep warm and served the remaining Planeteers before settling in her own seat.
A few moments later Wheeler stirred and groaned quietly as he pushed himself up into a sitting position and felt his back protest. Carefully standing up the young man stretched and yawned deeply "Hey, how are you to be feeling?" Linka asked as Wheeler turned to face his friends at the table.
"Better, sorry 'bout earlier . . ." Wheeler looked regretfully at the four faces of the allies with whom he had shared some of the most intimate details of his life.
"You do not need to apologize, Wheeler, we all have nightmares," Ma-Ti assured his big buddy as he shoveled some of his dinner into his spoon.
"We saved you some stew," Gi said as she pointed to the stove.
"We thought you should wake up on your own and eat when you are ready," Kwame quickly explained as Wheeler looked slightly confused as to why no one had told him that supper was ready.
With an understanding nod, he crossed to the kitchen and retrieved his plate before settling down with his friends at the table. "Smells good," he commented, feeling a familiar pang of hunger stir within his belly. Normally, after having been captured on a mission, he never felt much like eating much more than just a granola bar; however, his hunger seemed to be insatiable at the moment, and he gladly dug in and consumed his dinner.