Hello Everyone!
First of all, a belated Merry Christmas and a late Happy New Year to you all! Second off, I apologise for my seeming non-existence on this site of late; between work, social life and illness, I haven't had much time! Still, here's chapter 26; please feel free to write a constructively critical review! I know the chapters of late have not been...well...the best, and I apologise; please bear with me, Im trying to tie up all the loose ends. You'll be pleased to know that, from this point on, things will start to pick up, be explained, and resolved! That's right folks; the end of the story is nearing :D Please read and review! -x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-
I've already gotten half of 27 written up, and bits of 28-30, so there should be a much shorter gap between this and 27 than there was between this one and 25! Anyways, I hope you enjoy :)
Manny smiled at the irony; just as they had found a decent cave to fit everyone into, the rain lessened into a mild drizzle. Still, it felt good to be in the relative warmth and dry of the cave. He watched as the humans struggled with soaked wood, in an attempt to light a fire. Slowly, painstakingly, they succeeded, and the heat was most welcome to everyone, even though the air was intensely smoky, due to the wetness of the wood.
The mood was subdued, as one would expect from such a drenched, bedraggled and weary bunch. The warmth and sunshine of the day before seemed far removed from it all.
The possums, Mark, Peaches and Ben were already fast asleep, sprawled wherever they could fit, leaving the rest to sit around the fire. After a while, most of the sabres also retired, leaving just the herd and the humans around the fire.
Sam, wet and bedraggled, sat shivering, staring blankly into the flames.
"I sure hope Frank's ok," she murmured. Terry wrapped his arms around her, planting a gentle kiss on her head.
"He's an arrogant son of a bitch," he muttered. "And too stubborn to die at anything's hands; he'll be alright, and probably in good enough shape to be just as annoying as he always is!"
Sam chuckled, "I'm sure he thinks the same of you, my dear." She gave him a playful, yet hard, punch. "And that's for bad-mouthing my brother!"
"Worth it," Terry remarked cheekily before wrapping her even more deeply in his arms.
"We'll find out soon enough," Manny stated. "We've been travelling for four days, and for much longer than we normally would. Glacier Pass should be just around the corner."
"One would hope so!" Hudson added. "The sooner we get to the bottom of this mess, the better."
"At least we don't have Soto to worry about," Terry mused. "With the valley now a crater, it'll be months before that cat's trailin' our haunches."
Manny blinked; all this time he had assumed they could be running into Soto within weeks, only now to be told he could well be months behind them.
"Now hold on!" He said. "Why did we agree to wait for him at Glacier Pass then? If he's months behind us, we could just keep heading north!"
"Because the winter's coming," Hudson interjected. "Sooner or later, we're going to have to turn around and head back south, or we'll freeze to death," He took one look at the mammoth and quickly corrected himself. "Well, the less sizeable of us will anyway."
"I'm not fat!" Manny retorted, but no one paid him heed.
Nigel slumped where he sat, looking ruefully at the wolf. "Wonderful," he said sarcastically. "So we have a choice between heading north and dying, and heading south and potentially dying. What a horrid mess we're in!"
"Made all the more problematic by human bases, collapsing valleys and futuremen," Hudson added quietly.
Manny was reminded by the wolf's comment during the last face to face conversation he had with Frank, and the questions it had left unanswered. He looked around at the five humans now circling the fire with interest.
Now's as good a time as any to ask, he reasoned mentally. "Why are you all here?" He asked plainly. Sam looked at him with curiosity,
"I assume you're not asking why we're in this cave..." she insinuated.
"No, I mean why are you here, in the ice age," Manny quizzed. "Why did you come if you knew this could happen?"
Claire leant forward, offended. "We had no idea this could happen!" She snapped.
"Frank did," Manny stated. "He said so before he went to the complex in the valley."
Every human sat up, looking shocked. Manny shifted uncomfortably, realizing suddenly that they genuinely didn't know.
"That makes no sense," Sam muttered. "Why would he go ahead with the expedition if he knew this would happen?"
Claire sat silently, mulling over the question at hand. She remembered all the discussions, rows and arguments she had with him over this; she knew something was missing, some piece of the puzzle she hadn't thought to ask about.
"I don't think he went ahead with this willingly," she murmured, looking up at all the faces now staring intently back. "I think he was forced."
Sam gawped. "Forced?" She repeated incredulously. "And how did you come to that conclusion?"
Claire paused to recollect her thoughts, piecing together the many hints he had thrown out over the years.
"He never talked about an expedition in the early days, just after he told myself and Ben," She began. "At least not until he went on a trip for a few days to America. He was so excited about the possibilities for his discovery to change the way we studied and understood science, history and a million other fields. He saw it as a force for good," She paused, letting out a long sigh. "He came back different; angry, disappointed, disillusioned...although you wouldn't know it from his TV interviews." She smiled bleakly. "It was only after that trip he started planning the expedition. Begrudgingly at first, but he got into it eventually. All along I knew something didn't quite add up, but I let it pass; he needed my support, not my questions - the one time I did ask we had a huge row over it - but it all got so hard...especially when people started trying to kill us..."
Claire burst into tears plunging her face into her arms. Ellie immediately wrapped her trunk around her, glaring at Manny.
"Why'd you go and bring that up?" she whispered harshly.
"What?" he asked defensively. "I was only asking a question. She's overreacting!"
Ellie's eyes narrowed into slits. "I think its time you go for a walk Manny; you've done enough here," she muttered through gritted teeth. "And you'd better have a decent apology when you're back."
Manny wanted to argue, defend his position and apologize all at the same time, but he knew that the look she was giving him meant she'd brook none of it.
"Fine," He huffed as he stood up. "I'll be back later."
Everyone watched him leave in a silence broken only by Claire's sobbing. To everyone's surprise, Hudson stood up and began to go after him.
"Where are you going?" Ellie asked in a tone much harsher than she intended.
"To go talk to him," the wolf replied. "And to help him with that apology."
Ellie's mood shifted a little and she smiled. "Thanks James," She mussitated. "You're a good friend."
Hudson smiled, nodded, and left.
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To Manny's relief, the rain had stopped and the sky had cleared, a half moon hanging in the starry sky above him. He walked to a nearby pool and stared at the stars, regretting his decision to ever open his mouth. But he knew his questions still hadn't been answered, and he still had a nagging feeling that everything unusual he had seen was connected to the humans now a part of his herd...
"Well done Manfred, that was a spectacular show you just put on!" Hudson said sarcastically as he came alongside him. "Maybe for the encore you could proceed to insult their parents, or better yet just simply accuse them of genocide...oh wait, you've already done that one!" He made a mock gesture of apology. "Silly me, what was I thinking!"
"What do you want," Manny asked gruffly; he was in no mood to put up with the wolf's cruel sense of humour.
"I'm here to help you with your problem," Hudson stated plainly. Manny looked askance at him.
"I don't have the problem, she does!" He spluttered. "She overreacted!"
Hudson looked at him menacingly. "Do you even realise what you insinuated back there?" He spat, pointing in the direction of they had come from. "You just accused them of causing everything we've seen; all the chaos and destruction, and the destruction of the meltdown valley."
"I didn't say that!" He shouted back. "I was asking why Frank and these people came here knowing full well this could happen!"
"That's not how I heard it," Hudson retorted. "On that night I distinctly heard him say he had no choice."
Manny looked at him furiously. "You were eavesdropping?" He growled. "You spied on us!"
"And you are distorting the truth," Hudson snapped. "Both to others and yourself. Which one's worse?"
"I'm not distorting anything!" Manny spat defensively.
"Oh really?" Hudson prodded. "Claire just suggested Frank was forced into leading this expedition - a claim backed up by what he said to you - and you still think they're to blame for this?" He let out a cold laugh. "Face it Manny, you want to believe they're guilty! you want to blame them for all that's happened."
Manny lunged at him, pressing him up against the wall with his tusks. Hudson yelped as the wind was smacked out of him by the sheer ferocity of the impact.
"How dare you!" Manny growled, pressing his tusks harder into the wolf. "They are my friends! I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for them! They saved us!"
"Then why do you think he's guilty of this?" The wolf grouched, barely able to breathe.
"Because it fits!" Manny bellowed.
Hudson looked at him and grimaced, but could breathe a little more easily as Manny let off a little in sheer surprise.
He couldn't believe what he just said. As his voice echoed off the walls, he listened to it with growing shock. Without a word, he let go of Hudson and sat down, his own voice rolling through his head.
"I can't believe I just said that," he muttered.
"I can," Hudson wheezed. "Because I can tell that's what you've been thinking deep down all along, and that's your problem Manny." The wolf moved right up to the mammoth's face, still panting. "You are so wrapped up in your own problems you refuse to see that these humans are just as scared and frightened of what they've seen as you are, and they have come on an expedition that their own leader didn't want to embark on." His gaze softened slightly as he saw the reality sinking into Manny. "What you failed to realise is that we are all in the same boat; they were forced here, just as you have been forced here by Soto. We are all refugees in this God-damned mess." He took one last look at Manny before he started to walk back in the direction of the cave. "And remember that the next time you want to accuse them. Enjoy your walk, Manfred."
Manny was left alone, with Hudson's words reverberating in his mind, to stare at the starry sky in the reflection of the pool and to think.
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The sun rose slowly above the cliffs, though slightly concealed by the early morning mist. As the herd woke up, everybody noticed - with alarm - that Manny hadn't returned. Panicked, Ellie rushed outside, calling Manny's name with greater urgency. Woken by her cries, everyone moved outside and joined in the search for the pachyderm. With every shout, Ellie became more and more distraught, tears streaking down her face.
"I shouldn't have been so hard on him," Ellie quivered. "What if he's hurt? Or in trouble? What have I done..."
Sam and Claire both came alongside her, comforting her.
"I'm sure he's fine," Sam said gently. "We'll find him soon enough."
Sam stepped away from Ellie for a moment, grabbing the radio from her pocket. "Sam to Manny," she said into it. "Manny do you read me?"
She waited for a reply but none came.
She looked over at Hudson, who was keenly sniffing the air, trying to pick up a fresh scent.
"James, where did you leave him last night?" She asked.
Hudson snapped round, looking distractedly at her.
"By the lake, ten minutes walk from here," He replied. "I'll go and have a look."
Sam nodded and watched as the wolf sprinted out of sight.
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Yet another day had passed uneventfully at Fort Halstead. Whilst Sid and Buck had virtually vanished, spending much of their day in the base's cinema, lapping up the seemingly infinite number of films they had to choose from, Diego decided to go in search of their equally absent fourth member, following Frank's scent. He weaved through the numerous corridors, finally entering the control centre.
A shiver went down the sabre's spine as memories of Rudy's attack floated back, so similar did the room look to him. He shook the thoughts away and continued tracking, eventually walking into a room like he had never seen before. He looked at the pictures on the wall, marvelling at how life-like they looked.
They've sure come a long way from cave drawings! He mused. He looked round further and found Frank at the desk, face planted on it's surface, in a deep sleep.
The smilodon smiled slightly. "Evening, Frank!" He said loudly.
Frank jerked up, staring blearily at his surroundings. Diego grinned even more as a piece of paper remained stuck to the human's face.
"I'm up!" He blurted automatically. "Sorry Claire, I must have worked lat..." Frank stopped as he took account of his surroundings, eyes landing on Diego, who seemed massively amused by the statement. He blinked and wiped his eyes and stretched his arms. "What time is it?" He murmured.
"The sun's gone down," Diego replied. "You missed breakfast, lunch...well, practically everything, buddy."
Frank rubbed his face, brushing the paper back onto the desk. "Sorry," He muttered. "I didn't intend to. I got...distracted."
The sabre could sense something was wrong; even though he was groggy, he could see a stony, perturbed look in the human's eyes.
"Is everything aright, Frank?" He asked.
Frank planted his face in his hands, massaging the bags under his eyes. He let out a mirthless, disturbing laugh.
"Not exactly," He said plainly, leaning back in his chair. "Not in the slightest really..." He looked Diego squarely in the eyes. "I've found out what happened here," Frank murmured. "And why..."
"Ok," Diego replied. "What happened?"
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To Hudson's surprise, he found Manny in exactly the same place he had left him the night before, still sitting on the ground and staring into the water.
"Manny!" Hudson said in relief. "Thank God! We've been looking everywhere for you; Ellie's been so worried!"
Manny remained motionless, still staring into the water. The wolf moved closer, looking more and more concerned. "Manny?" He asked gently.
The mammoth let out a deep sigh before turning to face Hudson. The wolf could see sorrow in his eyes.
"I'm sorry," He mumbled. "You were right; I was so ea..."
"Save the apology," Hudson interjected. "I'm not the one who needs to hear it. Come on, let's get back to the others."
Manny nodded and gingerly followed the wolf.
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Relief flooded everyone when they saw Hudson return with the wayward mammoth.
"Manny!" Ellie cried, rushing headlong at her mate, embracing him as warmly as she could. "I was so worried! Why didn't you come back?"
Manny returned the hug, "I needed time to think," he replied. As soon as Ellie let go, he walked across to the humans, pondering how to frame his words as he did so.
"I owe you an apology..." He began.
"No you don't," Claire said softly, smiling. "I know you didn't mean it..." Manny shook his head.
"No, I really do," he said, cutting her off. He took a deep breath.
"My first mate...and my son...were killed by humans. Whilst Pinky helped me move on from that, I've never trusted humans because of it. I was quick to blame you guys for all of this because I couldn't see past my own hurt to see that you're just as confused and worried and scared about all this as I am. You've... saved my family more times than I can count, and you have been so good to us that you're practically family to all of us, especially Peaches. You've done nothing but good, and I repaid you with suspicion. Claire, I'm sorry." He looked all the humans in the eye. "I'm sorry to all of you."
Claire was in tears once more. She wrapped her arms around Manny's neck and squeezed.
"Oh Manny," She fumbled. "Thank you. For what it's worth, you are among one of the most noble and honest people I've ever known. Thank you..."
Neither of them could find any more words to say, but they didn't need to; Manny knew his apology was accepted, and he knew something much deeper had happened. At long last, he had found the words, the place, the time to forgive humanity and truly move on. Deep down, he knew that would be what his first mate, and his son, would want... He gave the human one last big tug with his trunk, trying desperately to hide the fact his eyes were welling up.
Slowly, the tangled mass of human and mammoth disconnected, both quickly rubbing their eyes. Hudson, Ellie and Sam all met each other's gazes, smiling as they did so.
"Right, um," Manny mumbled, embarrassed by his sudden show of emotion. "We should probably, er, get going."
Ellie chuckled. "Sure thing, big guy!" She glanced over at Hudson and the sabres. "Guys, you care to lead the way?"
Hudson bowed, still smiling. "With pleasure, ma'am."
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"No!" Diego bellowed. "That can't be right! It shouldn't be right, it isn't right!"
"I'm sorry but it's the only thing that fits," Frank said flatly, keeping his gaze on the tiger, who now paced frantically around the office. "Believe me, I've checked the sources over and over again..."
"Well check them again!" Diego growled desperately. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. He didn't want to believe what he was hearing. Frank seemed calm, though Diego sensed that it may well be that he was simply numb beyond caring.
"There's one sure fire way of proving my theory," Frank muttered quietly. Diego stopped pacing and looked at him intently.
"Then do it!" Diego replied angrily. Both of them knew he wasn't angry at Frank, and the human took it accordingly.
"All right then," Frank stated. He got out of the chair, having to stretch as he did so. "Follow me."
Diego followed the human absentmindedly, Frank's theory rattling through his mind, even his very soul. He refused to believe it. He hoped that Frank was wrong, that he made a mistake, or overlooked something...anything...
Before long, Frank had led him into a gigantic warehouse, filled with trucks much like the battered one they had arrived in. At the end of the room stood a large, hulking disc surrounded by reams and reams of technology that Diego had never seen before. Frank walked up to the machine, eventually edging towards one of the larger computers that were strapped onto the massive machine and started typing wildly. Streams of data flowed across the screen, Frank reading it emotionlessly. For what felt like hours, Diego paced back and forth, his eyes fixed keenly on the motionless human. He suddenly froze; underneath the hum of the machine, he could hear sounds...voices even. Even as he glanced over at Frank, still unmoving from the computer, he quickly jerked around as yet more voices screamed faintly, as if heard only through a long tunnel,
Oh no...it's happening...
Set the base for twenty minutes...
We're too close...WE'RE TOO CLOSE!"You can hear them too, can't you." Frank stated, not taking his eyes off of the screen. Diego knew it wasn't a question, and merely nodded.
"What are they?" Diego asked.
Frank didnt immediately reply; in fact he gave Diego no hint at all that he had even heard him.
Just as the sabre was getting ready to ask again, Frank finally spoke up,
"I have had to partially activate the machine to run the diagnostic," He muttered. "The voices we are hearing are snippets being picked up from another time to which this time machine seems to be linked." He looked over at Diego and smiled slightly. "Ghost voices, if you will."
Diego looked more perturbed,
"Then why do the voices sound like us?" Diego asked. Frank shot a disturbed glance over at Diego. The sabre could tell that the human was horrified at the realisation, but a series of noises from the machine distracted him.
"The diagnostic still has about fifteen minutes to run," Frank finally muttered, eyes still glued to the screen. "But I can see enough information here to see that its sustained a lot of damage, but it is still stable for travel, which means it can be used," He turned to Diego and stared blankly. "This machine is still working, so there's no other explanation."
Diego visibly deflated in dismay but quickly regained his composure, albeit begrudgingly. "Should we tell Buck and Sid?" He asked stonily.
Frank shook his head. "Let them enjoy what time of happy ignorance they left," he muttered. "They'll find out soon enough."
Diego nodded, clearly showing he didn't agree. "Ok then, when will you tell then?" He quizzed pointedly.
Frank sighed, rubbing his eyes. "I'll tell them when everyone else gets here," he grumbled. "I'm not going to repeat it over and over again."
"But why wait?" Diego retorted. "Maybe we could come up with a plan..."
Frank slammed his fist suddenly into the nearest solid surface a massive thump,
"There is nothing we can do!" He yelled.
Diego took a step back in consternation; he had never seen Frank with the look he now had in his eyes. The usual warmth and friendliness in Frank's eyes had been replaced with coldness. In that brief moment Diego could almost have believed Frank saw him as an enemy.
"What do you think could happen?" Frank snapped. "That somehow Buck and Sid will come up with some bloody ingenious plan and all will be well? What the hell are you thinki..." The human closed his eyes and took several deep breaths. He looked again at Diego with a calm, yet fiery intensity. "No Diego," He said in a forcibly flat tone. "There is nothing we can do but wait." And pray. He added mentally.
Diego scowled, his gaze quickly hardening. "Alright," He murmured. "But I don't think it's right that they should be kept in the dark."
"So you would want them to feel the same way we do now?" Frank pressed. "No. Leave them be," Frank sighed, regaining some of his composure. " There's plenty of time left for groping in sackcloth and ashes."
Diego watched as Frank leant against the side of the machine, silently sliding to the floor in pure resignation. He sighed, eventually sitting next to the human. He tried to find the right words to say, but none came. They sat there in silence, waiting for the other to speak.
Frank chuckled harshly. "I told them this could happen," he muttered distantly. "I actually even cited this as a potential effect of their plans."
Diego shot him a curious glance. "What?" Was all he could manage. Frank looked at him wearily and sighed.
"It can wait," he muttered. He paused briefly. "I'm so sorry, Diego. We dragged you all into this mess..."
"Don't apologize for that, Frank," Diego interjected. "You have earned the trust, and gained the love, of this herd. I know I can speak for all of the others when I say we don't regret the past few months," He said, smiling. "Not one second."
Frank smiled, the usual warmth slowly returning, and placed his hand firmly on Diego's shoulder and squeezed. He was too worn to even try to hide the fact his eyes were welling up.
"Truth be told," Frank admitted. "Even though we're in this god awful mess, I don't regret it either. It's better to have..."
"Frank, Diego, can you 'ear me?" Buck's voice blurted from Frank's jacket pocket. Surprised, he pulled out his radio.
"Frank here, what is it Buck?" He asked.
"The computer's just warned us of something comin' our way," Buck replied. "And it's almost 'ere mate."
Frank and Diego shared a glance. "Could that be the herd?" He asked. Diego shook his head in dismay.
"Not unless they've been travelling day and night," He replied. Frank closed his eyes.
"Somehow, I knew you were gonna say that," He murmured.
He pressed the radio to his face. "Buck, get Sid and meet us by our truck, we might have company."
-x-x-x-x-x-x- Thanks for reading all! Please do review :) See you at chapter 27, till then, take care y'all!
END OF CHAPTER 26
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