I'm having a lot of fun with this story. Thanks for the reviews. For
those of you who hoped Eckhart was gone . sorry.
Don threw Eckhart down hard onto the floor of the Helix. Eckhart had come to about halfway back. He was cold, wet and terrified. The stench of the beasts was literally unbearable and Eckhart was not in a good mood. "What's the meaning of this?" Eckhart demanded. He looked around at the beasts that were not responding. "I demand an answer!" Eckhart commanded. Don leaned into him and breathed into his face. Eckhart recoiled and partially closed his eyes and turned his face from the putrid smell. "Draper has been waiting for you," Don seethed showing his fangs. Drool ran from his mouth and dripped onto Eckhart. "We have to wait out the storm before we can bring you back so sit here and SHUT UP!" Don ordered. Eckhart cast his head down to the floor careful not to challenge this beast. He moved his eyes upward without moving his head and watched Don walk back toward the other beasts. Eckhart took the opportunity to look at where he was. "Oh Dear God," Eckhart whispered. He realized that he was on board the Helix. Eckhart surveyed the damage to the vehicle and smiled. He couldn't wait to talk with Draper.
XXX
Shalimar pulled Emma up to the top of the hatch and got her on the other side of the chamber with little effort. She looked back down and screamed for Adam and Jesse. "ADAM! JESSE!" No response. Shalimar took her flashlight and illuminated the interior of the chamber. She realized that the water level was almost at the bottom and she didn't see anyone - not Jesse - not Adam and not Brennan. "Oh God," she whispered. "Shalimar!" Adam yelled from a duct that entered the side of the chamber. He had found refuge there when the current began pulling him under.
"Adam?" Shalimar yelled back. "Where are you?"
"Staying right where he is!" Draper yelled from behind them. In an instant, Shalimar was on her feet and Emma was behind her. Beasts surrounded them and Draper was standing right in front of them.
"Emma? Shalimar?" Adam yelled from the chamber. "What's going on?" Adam couldn't tell from his vantage point what was happening. Suddenly, the light from above ceased to illuminate the chamber - someone closed the hatch. "EMMA! SHALIMAR!" Adam yelled at the top of his lungs. The only sounds returned to him were the echoes of his own screams and the distant sound of water dripping. "SHALIMARRRR!"
XXX
Shalimar and Emma were held in place by Samuel and his minions and watched as Draper slammed the chamber door on Adam. He looked back up at the girls and smiled a rotten-toothed smile. He came right into Shalimar's face and licked her from her chin all the way up to her forehead. Shalimar recoiled and spit in his face. "You filthy bastard!" Shalimar screamed. Draper only smiled. "It's such a shame I have to give you over to Eckhart now. Maybe later I can watch the beasts have a bit of fun with you. They've never had the pleasure of a feral more human than animal."
Emma was visibly disgusted. Her eyes turned black and she was about to go broadband when Draper stormed into her face and grabbed both sides of her head. "EMMA!" Shalimar screamed. Draper was on top of Emma on the floor. The beasts held Shalimar back. She was screaming for him to get off of her.
Emma felt Draper's steel mind flatten hers like a vice. The pain was unbelievable. He had her. Every safe haven her mind ran in retreat, Draper invaded. She couldn't escape him. He was pure evil and the wickedness of that evil penetrated every synapse of her conscious. He commanded her to stop. He ordered her to sleep. Emma had no choice. Her mind was now his. She fell lifeless into darkness. Her eyes black and unseeing stared at Shalimar; they were wide open.
"EMMA!" Shalimar screamed. "Emma," she cried. "You bastard! You KILLER!" Shalimar screamed at Draper. Draper paid her no attention.
"Pick her up and bring her to the ready room. Take that feral as well. We have a show to put on."
Shalimar struggled and fought the whole way but Samuel was much too powerful for her. He held her in his arms and drooled all over her. He was marking her. Shalimar could sense it.
XXX
Jesse moved Brennan slowly along the rocky tunnel floor trying carefully not to jar him too much. Every now and then he would hit a tight spot and the stretcher would stop hard. "Ahh, God!" Brennan cried out when Jesse hit yet another bump. "Jesse, Jesse stop for a minute K?" Brennan was out of breath and was trying to get over a wave of pain. He began coughing. Jesse laid the line down and hurried over to his side. He leaned down and wiped the hair out of his face.
"Brennan, hey, you OK?" Jesse heard the wheezing and raspy breath-sounds Brennan was producing. Brennan began vomiting sputum again from his ravaged lungs.
When he was done and the coughing calmed down, Jesse wiped his mouth and face with gauze he had in his med kit.
"I can't breathe anymore Jesse," Brennan whispered. Even saying just that much took everything Brennan had.
Jesse placed both hands on either side of Brennan's head and looked him square in his eyes. "Brennan," Jesse said as he gently shook his head in effort to get his eyes to open. Brennan opened his eyes halfway and swallowed the gorge that was ever present in his throat. "Now you listen to me." Jesse continued. He took one of his hands and swept it over Brennan's forehead in an attempt to provide comfort. "I am not going to let anything else happen to you. Do you understand?" Brennan rolled his eyes back and forth and blinked them slowly. He looked at Jesse and nodded his head. Jesse smiled at his injured friend and re-secured him on the stretcher. "Now, let's get you out of this place." Jesse said as he stood up and took hold of the stretcher again. There was no way he was going to fail. They were getting out of there.
XXX
Adam was petrified. He knew only one person could have closed that hatch. Now, it was dark as night again and he was trapped about 20 feet up from the floor. He thought that he could jump down but if he did that, what if it left him with no where to go again? "Jesse!" Adam yelled. Nothing. If he and Brennan were down there, odds were they had drowned. They may need his help. Adam didn't know what to do. He didn't notice an immediate exit from the tunnel he was now in so he decided to jump down and hope for the best. As Adam hit the ground, he fell onto the rope that Shalimar had thrown back down from the hatch. It was still secured to the top somehow. Adam got up and pulled on it. It seemed secure enough. "The hatch, itself, must be holding it," Adam said to himself. Just as Adam began to climb, the hatch opened from above and he fell as the rope detached and collapsed at the bottom of the chamber. Adam looked up and saw the all-too- familiar face of Draper looking in on him. "Eckhart's here!" Draper yelled down to Adam. "Let the show begin!" Draper laughed as he closed the hatch.
"Draper!" Adam yelled from his tomb.
Don threw Eckhart down hard onto the floor of the Helix. Eckhart had come to about halfway back. He was cold, wet and terrified. The stench of the beasts was literally unbearable and Eckhart was not in a good mood. "What's the meaning of this?" Eckhart demanded. He looked around at the beasts that were not responding. "I demand an answer!" Eckhart commanded. Don leaned into him and breathed into his face. Eckhart recoiled and partially closed his eyes and turned his face from the putrid smell. "Draper has been waiting for you," Don seethed showing his fangs. Drool ran from his mouth and dripped onto Eckhart. "We have to wait out the storm before we can bring you back so sit here and SHUT UP!" Don ordered. Eckhart cast his head down to the floor careful not to challenge this beast. He moved his eyes upward without moving his head and watched Don walk back toward the other beasts. Eckhart took the opportunity to look at where he was. "Oh Dear God," Eckhart whispered. He realized that he was on board the Helix. Eckhart surveyed the damage to the vehicle and smiled. He couldn't wait to talk with Draper.
XXX
Shalimar pulled Emma up to the top of the hatch and got her on the other side of the chamber with little effort. She looked back down and screamed for Adam and Jesse. "ADAM! JESSE!" No response. Shalimar took her flashlight and illuminated the interior of the chamber. She realized that the water level was almost at the bottom and she didn't see anyone - not Jesse - not Adam and not Brennan. "Oh God," she whispered. "Shalimar!" Adam yelled from a duct that entered the side of the chamber. He had found refuge there when the current began pulling him under.
"Adam?" Shalimar yelled back. "Where are you?"
"Staying right where he is!" Draper yelled from behind them. In an instant, Shalimar was on her feet and Emma was behind her. Beasts surrounded them and Draper was standing right in front of them.
"Emma? Shalimar?" Adam yelled from the chamber. "What's going on?" Adam couldn't tell from his vantage point what was happening. Suddenly, the light from above ceased to illuminate the chamber - someone closed the hatch. "EMMA! SHALIMAR!" Adam yelled at the top of his lungs. The only sounds returned to him were the echoes of his own screams and the distant sound of water dripping. "SHALIMARRRR!"
XXX
Shalimar and Emma were held in place by Samuel and his minions and watched as Draper slammed the chamber door on Adam. He looked back up at the girls and smiled a rotten-toothed smile. He came right into Shalimar's face and licked her from her chin all the way up to her forehead. Shalimar recoiled and spit in his face. "You filthy bastard!" Shalimar screamed. Draper only smiled. "It's such a shame I have to give you over to Eckhart now. Maybe later I can watch the beasts have a bit of fun with you. They've never had the pleasure of a feral more human than animal."
Emma was visibly disgusted. Her eyes turned black and she was about to go broadband when Draper stormed into her face and grabbed both sides of her head. "EMMA!" Shalimar screamed. Draper was on top of Emma on the floor. The beasts held Shalimar back. She was screaming for him to get off of her.
Emma felt Draper's steel mind flatten hers like a vice. The pain was unbelievable. He had her. Every safe haven her mind ran in retreat, Draper invaded. She couldn't escape him. He was pure evil and the wickedness of that evil penetrated every synapse of her conscious. He commanded her to stop. He ordered her to sleep. Emma had no choice. Her mind was now his. She fell lifeless into darkness. Her eyes black and unseeing stared at Shalimar; they were wide open.
"EMMA!" Shalimar screamed. "Emma," she cried. "You bastard! You KILLER!" Shalimar screamed at Draper. Draper paid her no attention.
"Pick her up and bring her to the ready room. Take that feral as well. We have a show to put on."
Shalimar struggled and fought the whole way but Samuel was much too powerful for her. He held her in his arms and drooled all over her. He was marking her. Shalimar could sense it.
XXX
Jesse moved Brennan slowly along the rocky tunnel floor trying carefully not to jar him too much. Every now and then he would hit a tight spot and the stretcher would stop hard. "Ahh, God!" Brennan cried out when Jesse hit yet another bump. "Jesse, Jesse stop for a minute K?" Brennan was out of breath and was trying to get over a wave of pain. He began coughing. Jesse laid the line down and hurried over to his side. He leaned down and wiped the hair out of his face.
"Brennan, hey, you OK?" Jesse heard the wheezing and raspy breath-sounds Brennan was producing. Brennan began vomiting sputum again from his ravaged lungs.
When he was done and the coughing calmed down, Jesse wiped his mouth and face with gauze he had in his med kit.
"I can't breathe anymore Jesse," Brennan whispered. Even saying just that much took everything Brennan had.
Jesse placed both hands on either side of Brennan's head and looked him square in his eyes. "Brennan," Jesse said as he gently shook his head in effort to get his eyes to open. Brennan opened his eyes halfway and swallowed the gorge that was ever present in his throat. "Now you listen to me." Jesse continued. He took one of his hands and swept it over Brennan's forehead in an attempt to provide comfort. "I am not going to let anything else happen to you. Do you understand?" Brennan rolled his eyes back and forth and blinked them slowly. He looked at Jesse and nodded his head. Jesse smiled at his injured friend and re-secured him on the stretcher. "Now, let's get you out of this place." Jesse said as he stood up and took hold of the stretcher again. There was no way he was going to fail. They were getting out of there.
XXX
Adam was petrified. He knew only one person could have closed that hatch. Now, it was dark as night again and he was trapped about 20 feet up from the floor. He thought that he could jump down but if he did that, what if it left him with no where to go again? "Jesse!" Adam yelled. Nothing. If he and Brennan were down there, odds were they had drowned. They may need his help. Adam didn't know what to do. He didn't notice an immediate exit from the tunnel he was now in so he decided to jump down and hope for the best. As Adam hit the ground, he fell onto the rope that Shalimar had thrown back down from the hatch. It was still secured to the top somehow. Adam got up and pulled on it. It seemed secure enough. "The hatch, itself, must be holding it," Adam said to himself. Just as Adam began to climb, the hatch opened from above and he fell as the rope detached and collapsed at the bottom of the chamber. Adam looked up and saw the all-too- familiar face of Draper looking in on him. "Eckhart's here!" Draper yelled down to Adam. "Let the show begin!" Draper laughed as he closed the hatch.
"Draper!" Adam yelled from his tomb.
