Previous Chapter: Chapter 8
Chapter 26: In it for the Duration
Danny woke with a strong ache in his shoulder. It took a moment for him to realize he'd rolled over in his sleep and had been resting on his injury. Biting back a groan, he pushed himself onto his back and squeezed his eyes closed as he rode out the sharper pain from the move. After a moment, the dull ache took its place again and Danny opened his eyes to look around.
The room was much darker than before, though that didn't really tell him much. The time of day was difficult to tell in the tunnels with no natural light source. Carefully, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, arm still cradled against his side with bandages. He glanced to the tunnel entrance, only just noticing the dark blanket that had been strung up across the opening. Cracks of light flickered around the edges giving him the impression of daytime, though the light was clearly artificial.
As gingerly as he sat up, Danny pushed himself to his feet. Beyond the curtain he could hear voices, the colonel and his men. He stumbled over, pushing back the curtain and blinking in the light. The men were gathered in a widened section of the tunnel a little way down from Danny's room. Hogan and several of his men were dressed in black, spreading dark grease over the faces.
Newkirk glanced toward Danny then Nudged Hogan in the arm with a chin lift in Danny's direction. "Well, someone's up and on their feet," Hogan said. "Somebody go get Joe."
The younger one, Carter, hurried down another tunnel. The rest of Hogan's men continued with their preparations. Their movements carried the easy coordination of a group that's worked together for countless missions.
"Are you going out?" Danny asked, taking a guess from their dark clothes and face camouflage.
"Duty calls," Hogan said, not really answering Danny's question. The others remained silent, though shot several glances toward their commanding officer.
"But aren't there patrols out there and what about the guards from the camp?" Danny asked, looking around the group. Thinking of going outside, with armed guards and patrols sent a thrill through Danny like he'd gotten when he'd first started going on ghost patrols. It was a mixture of excitement and dread that knotted his stomach.
"You worry about keeping out of trouble, leave the war to the adults," Hogan said, as he checked over his pistol.
Danny scowled, moving to fold his arms, but remembering at last minute that one arm was immobile. Instead, he hooked his working hand round his elbow. He'd been in war, not like the one raging outside, but the one against Pariah Dark. Plus, he'd been through plenty of fights. Of course he couldn't be specific about any of it. "I've been in some tough spots, before," Danny grumbled.
"I'm sure you have," Hogan said, dismissive as he leafed through some maps. "But you won't be getting into any while you're here, not if we can help it."
Joe appeared at that moment, followed by Carter. The medic nodded upon seeing Danny on his feet. "I need to check you injury." He gestured toward a rickety chair standing in the corner.
Danny hesitated, unsure how he would explain his injury being healed faster than the normal rate. Then there were also the scars…Looking down at his torso, Danny found he was wearing a faded green shirt, big on him and probably from one of the prisoners. So they'd already seen the scars.
"Don't be shy," Joe said, pulling the chair farther into the light.
Danny shuffled over to the chair, shoulder slumped. Joe helped him pull off the shirt and then carefully unwound the bandages. A few moments of poking and prodding followed along with a close examination of the stitches. All of the men stopped their preparations and watched the examination, Nellis standing off at the entrance of the tunnel.
"You're healing faster than I would have expected," Joe said, approving of the infection-free stitches and only mild curiosity.
"Yeah, well, I've always been a fast healer," Danny said, silently thanking the exhaustion and lack of food for slowing his healing down, something he never thought he'd do. His stomach rumbled at that moment, audible to everyone in the room and inciting a few chuckles. In an instant, Danny realized just how hungry he was.
"Just as well," Hogan said as he returned to his maps and papers, "The Underground contact will be here at any time to take you and Nellis off to the route out of Germany."
Danny's head spun round at that, jostling his shoulder as Joe bandaged it. The medic hissed a reprimand but continued wrapping the limb. "I thought it was going to be a couple more days," Danny said, alarmed at having the time line cut so drastically.
Hogan shook his head. "Rendezvous's been pushed up. You'll have to go tonight or wait a few weeks."
"And trust me, you don't want to be stuck down in these tunnels for a few weeks," Carter said, with a knowing nod.
Nellis stepped forward and handed off a dented metal plate with some cold food. It looked like a valiant attempt at some French cuisine with only the school's lunch menu as ingredients. "LeBeau made up some food earlier, but we weren't going to wake you. Eat up, we'll be leaving as soon as they get here."
Danny gaped at them, and then stared down at the plate of food with fork stuck in the center. Maybe he could sneak away, to use the bathroom or something and try to find the portal that brought him here in the first place. The only problem was he didn't even know where it was. There was no way to know with the darkness of the previous night and all the running they did in the forest. Danny was certain there'd be portals in England. With all the ghost stories from that place there had to be. He'd have to just take his chances.
Two more people came into view, one another prisoner Danny didn't know and the other a short man with a beard in civilian clothes. He plopped a bag from over his shoulder onto the ground. "I have brought clothes for the boy," the man said in a thick German accent. "But we must hurry. Our ride will only wait for so long."
Danny's eyes went wide. Time had already run out. Looking at Nellis, he realized the man was already dressed in an ill fitting suit complete with fedora hat. Danny shook his head and scarfed down the food before pulling on the clothes with Joe's help. Going to London would probably be the better choice. It would be easier to find portals into the Ghost Zone without having to worry about dodging a war zone. He'd find a way back to his own time, hopefully it just wouldn't be the slow way round.
::The End::