Title: Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water 13/17
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language, adult situations
Spoilers: Through Season Six
Keywords: M/S UST, S/Other Romance
Summary: Sequel to "Not the Doctor." Their partnership on shaky ground, Mulder
and Scully are called in to investigate the mysterious death of two teenagers in
a Hawaiian cave. While exploring the crime scene and its vicinity, they are
trapped by a cave-in. Will they be able to find their way out--without killing
each other first?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 13
Once they resumed their hike, Scully and Riskey found that the ledge connected
with solid ground. Before long, the path widened and they were once again able
to walk side-by-side. Both were utterly exhausted by their latest venture, but
were nonetheless hopeful that the exit was nearby. They decided to continue
walking for another hour, and if they had not made significant progress, they
would then stop to rest. For the most part, they journeyed in silence; neither
had enough energy to engage in a meaningful conversation, let along small talk
to just pass the time.
"I don't know what I want more right now," Scully remarked after about forty
minutes, "to get out of here, or to seem hopelessly lost so that I can curl up
and take a nap."
"The only danger with stopping is that we may never want to get back up again.
Especially once the aches and pains start to set in."
"What do you mean 'start to'? What I wouldn't give for a nice, long, hot soak in
a tub."
"Forget the tub. I could sure go for a big meal. A nice, juicy steak and a cold
beer."
"A nice, soft bed."
"With satin sheets."
She raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"Hey, once you've experienced satin sheets, there's no going back."
They laughed.
"Do you think the others got out okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do. Socks is a good leader, a competent soldier. I'm sure he got them
out hours ago. By now, Robbins has probably been choppered to a hospital. How
bad do you think he leg looked? Honestly."
Scully sighed. "It's hard to say. Because of the high-energy nature of the
trauma, the massive soft tissue damage, and the arterial injury, I'd classify it
as the most severe kind of open fracture. In general, any kind of open fracture
is a nasty sort of break. As I said earlier, because of the nature of the wound,
it's automatically considered contaminated. Given the conditions of the injury
and the less-than-aseptic techniques we were forced to work in, plus the time
delay until he gets to a hospital--he has a significant chance of getting an
infection. If it gets into the bone, and he develops osteomyelitis, it gets a
little tricky to treat."
"Could he lose his leg?"
"I won't lie to you, Commander. Even without infection, if the blood supply gets
cut off, or if there's severe nerve damage, there's a chance he could lose it. I
stabilized it the best I could given the circumstances. Hopefully, they'll bring
in good orthopedic and vascular surgeons. Then only time will tell."
"Dammit!" Riskey cursed, shaking his head. "He's still a kid. I shouldn't have
left him to cross the ravine after everyone else. I should have been the one to
go last."
"It's not your fault."
"I'm team leader. All that goes on during an op is my responsibility. Whatever
happens to Robbins is on my head."
"Commander, it's not your fault," Scully repeated, gently touching his arm.
"What happened to Robbins was an unfortunate accident. Completely beyond your
control. If not for your quick thinking and that crazy stunt you pulled, he
might not be alive at all. Whatever happens now is out of your hands. So please
stop beating yourself up about it. Hell, if anyone's to blame, it's Mulder and
me. If we hadn't slowed you down, all four of you would have been across the
ravine before the rope snapped."
"Now that's ridiculous. You had nothing to do with it."
"No more ridiculous than you blaming yourself. Which just goes to prove that
it's nobody's fault."
"I guess so."
"Don't guess. Know." She squeezed his arm and offered him a warm smile.
He returned it before they continued on.
"Hey, Commander, is it me, or have we been heading downhill?"
"It's definitely not you, Scully. The path has been sloping steadily downward
for the past half hour or so." He looked down at the ground. "It also seems to
be getting progressively wetter."
"And more humid," she added, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "Why do
I get the feeling that this is not a good thing?"
Scully's words proved portentous. After ten minutes, they were splashing through
scattered puddles. After twenty, they were wading through ankle-high water. By
the time it reached their knees, Scully was growing increasingly apprehensive.
"Do you think we should turn back?"
"And go where? There have been no turnoffs, no alternative paths. I don't see
what choice we have but to go on."
"All right." Resignedly, Scully and Riskey pushed on.
When the water reached her waist, Scully was duly agitated. "I suppose that nap
is out of the question now."
"Not unless you want to float on your back for a while."
"So do we just press on until we have to start swimming?"
"I'm open to suggestions."
Scully remained silent for a long time. She looked around. "Shine the light over
there," she said, pointing to an area in the wall.
Riskey detached the LED light from his belt and directed it toward the spot she
indicated.
"Does that look like an opening in the wall?"
"Could be."
"I want to take a closer look."
"Be careful, Scully."
She slowly made her way across the passageway until she reached the wall. She
peered her head through the hole, which was at shoulder height, almost two feet
above the water level. "Hey, I think there's a room down there. And it looks
pretty dry."
"Let me see." He waded over to where she stood and shone the beam down into the
hole. "Yeah, it looks like a chamber of some sort."
"Think it warrants us checking it out?"
"Well, there's a chance there could be another opening on the other side,
possibly one that has a path that leads out of here."
"Sounds good to me. So, any ideas on how we get down there? It looks to be a
good twenty, thirty feet."
"You still have that mini-launcher?" Riskey asked as he clipped the light back
onto his belt before rummaging through his pockets.
"Yeah. A little wet, but none too the worse for wear. Here you go," she said,
handing it to him.
"Well, I've got one last cartridge. This one's got wire rather than rope
attached, but it should do. The question is where to attach the hook."
"How about up there?" Scully suggested, pointing to the roof of the gap in the
wall.
Riskey tested the rock with his hand. "Seems pretty solid. Okay, stand back."
Scully got out of the way, and he took aim and fired. The metal hook shot out
and embedded in the rock. He unwound the thick wire and tugged on it to test its
weight.
"Looks like it should hold just fine." He started rummaging through his pockets
again, and soon found what he was searching for. "I've only got the one harness.
You up to going one at a time, or would you rather climb down together?"
Scully considered. Rappelling was definitely not her forte. And the thought of
holding tight to the commander's body as he slowly lowered them to the ground
sent a thrill of pleasure rushing through her. But then the rational part of her
mind quickly asserted itself. He had been through a lot of exertion-filled
exercises today--most of which had relied on sheer physical strength. No, it
would be far better not to tax his muscles any further by making him carry her
down.
"I think I can handle it solo," she told him.
"You sure? It's no big deal for us to go together."
"No, really, I'll be fine. As a matter of fact, why don't I go first? That way
you can show me the correct way to put on the harness."
"Suit yourself."
He unbuckled the harness and then helped her get into it--which was a bit of a
feat in and of itself since her bottom half was submerged in water. Soon, he had
it fastened around her, and he made sure that it was secure. He hooked the
harness onto the wire with metal biners. Then he attached a metal object to the
wire before handing it to her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Well, a wire's a bit different from a rope. If you try to hold onto it to slow
your fall, it'll cut into your hands. If you squeeze this belay device here," he
said, demonstrating, "it increases the friction, and it'll stop you where you
are. Let up a little, and you'll descend slowly. Let up entirely, and you'll
slide quickly toward the ground."
"So, it's like a brake?"
"Exactly. I suggest starting out with it completely squeezed and then gradually
letting up on the pressure. You can go down by little hops. Here, give it a
try."
Scully tested out the belay device. "Seems simple enough."
"You sure you're okay doing this? It's not too late to change your mind."
"I'll be fine, Commander. Here, help me through the hole."
He had to admit, she had a lot of spunk. Most of the women he knew would have
been a hysterical mess since their attempt to navigate the ravine on that narrow
ledge. If any of them had managed to grab onto his leg during the fall, they
sure as hell would not have been able to hold on for long--let along manage to
pull themselves up his body to reach the ledge. And certainly none of them would
willingly rappel down this small wall alone. No, Dana Scully was definitely not
your ordinary woman. The more he learned about her, the more he liked--and the
more he wanted to know.
He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto the edge of the aperture in
the wall. Holding onto his shoulder for support, she carefully stood up on the
other side of the wall until only her feet were on the narrow ridge. Grasping
the belay device tightly, she slowly leaned backwards until the wire went
taught.
"That's it," he said, watching her movements carefully. "Now let up a bit, get
some slack, and cast off."
Closing her eyes, Scully nodded her head. She took a deep breath, cleared her
mind. Opening them, she looked at the brake. She released the pressure a tad,
watched the belay device slide down about a foot, felt her body fall back a bit
more.
*C'mon, Dana, you can do this. No big deal. Just jump. One little leap. That's
all.*
"Scully?" Riskey called to her. "You okay?" It looked like she had frozen. "You
want me to come up there and get you down?"
She shook her head. "Just mentally preparing myself." She took another deep
breath. *Just do it, Dana. Don't think about it. Just do it.*
"Bonsai!" Scully shouted as she stepped off the edge.
Her body fell down, but as she held tight to the belay, she stopped descending
after only a foot or so. She used her feet to grab hold of the cave wall.
"Good job!" Riskey called down to her. "Now just let up again on the brake, and
repeat the jump."
Scully did as he said, except this time she released a tad of pressure on the
belay at the same moment she cast off with her feet. She slid down the wall
another couple of feet.
"That's it! Damn, Scully, you're a natural!"
Scully smiled at his words of praise. This actually was not too difficult. The
hardest part seemed to be coordinating operating the brake and the movement of
her legs. She had a couple false starts, a few jerky movements, but before long
she was coasting down the wall with little effort. By the time she had gotten
the hang of it, she felt her feet strike ground. She was actually somewhat
disappointed that she had reached bottom already.
"Made it!" she called up to him, waving.
"Woo hoo! You go, girl! A few weeks from now, you're gonna be rappelling down
mountains!"
She beamed up at him. "We'll see. Now what?"
"Take off the harness and then hook it onto the wire. I'll pull it up and be
down to join you shortly."
"Okay!" Scully quickly extricated herself from the harness and secured it to the
wire. She made sure the belay device was also attached before tugging on the
wire. "All yours!"
"Thanks!" Riskey quickly pulled the wire back up the wall. He donned the
harness, fastened it to the wire, and began to rappel down the wall. His
movements were graceful and fluid, each of his leaps spanning nearly an entire
body-length. Less than two minutes after she had tugged on the wire, he was
standing on the ground beside her.
"What'd I tell ya, Scully? Easy as pie." He began to take off the harness.
"For you, maybe. You look like you could do that in your sleep. For me, that
required a hell of a lot of concentration."
"You were great, Scully. I've seen SEALs who wiped out multiple times when they
first tried to rappel. You sure you haven't done this before?"
"Nope. This was my first time."
He gave her a suggestive look. "A rappelling virgin, eh? Wait'll the guys hear
about this."
"Yeah, I'd love to see the look on Mulder's face when you do." With a wink and a
grin, she turned around to get a better look at the chamber they now occupied.
"Hmm, this doesn't look quite as promising as I had hoped," Riskey said as he
slowly panned the halogen beam along the walls.
"Why don't we get a closer look at the walls, see if there are any other
openings or tunnels?"
Ten minutes later, they had completed their circuit of the circular chamber.
Unfortunately, all of the walls appeared solid. Other than the way they had come
in, there appeared to be no other way out.
"Dammit!" Scully cursed. "I really thought we had found a way out."
"I know, I know. Me, too."
"Now what are we going to do?"
Riskey directed his light up the wire, back toward the opening. "Climb back up,
I guess, and press on."
Scully groaned loudly. "I don't think I have the energy to walk another step,
let along pull myself up that wall."
Riskey sighed. "That makes two of us."
"This day keeps getting worse and worse."
"Look on the bright side, Scully."
"What bright side?"
"At least the ground is dry. In fact, it's looking pretty comfy to me."
She gave him a sly look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think so."
"Nap time!" they both sang in unison.
"Here, this looks like a good spot," he said, indicating a concave depression in
the wall behind them.
"The way I feel right now, I think I bed of nails would look inviting." She
walked over to where he stood and promptly plopped down on the ground.
He soon joined her.
Scully leaned back against the cool rock surface. "Not quite satin, but it'll
do."
He chuckled as he too leaned back.
From beside him, Scully shivered. "It's a lot cooler in this part of the cave.
Must be because we've been going more underground."
"That, and the fact that we're both soaked from the waist down."
"Good point. Well, we could. . . ." She let her voice trail off.
"We could what?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
"No, go ahead," he prompted her. "What were you going to say?"
Scully hesitated. *Get over it, Dana. You're both adults. These are extenuating
circumstances. You need to do whatever you have to to survive.*
She licked her suddenly dry lips. "I was going to suggest that we huddle
together. For body warmth."
"Well, if you don't mind the stink of a sweaty, dirty SEAL. . . ."
"I'll see your sweat and dirt, and raise you dried bat guano."
"Is *that* what that white stuff is all over your pants? I've been wondering
about that all day!"
"Surprisingly, it seems to lose its odor as it dries. Which is a damned good
thing considering how much the fresh stuff reeked."
Laughing, he held out his arm.
With a smile, she hunkered down against his chest, wrapping her arm across his
rib cage. He wrapped his arm across her back, pulling her close.
"Better?" he asked her softly.
"Mmm," she murmured, eyes already drifting closed.
*Just like satin,* he thought as he rested his cheek on top of her head.
In less than a minute, they were both fast asleep.
End Chapter 13
*****
Author: Somogyi
Email: somogyi02@yahoo.com
Category: SRA
Rating: R for language, adult situations
Spoilers: Through Season Six
Keywords: M/S UST, S/Other Romance
Summary: Sequel to "Not the Doctor." Their partnership on shaky ground, Mulder
and Scully are called in to investigate the mysterious death of two teenagers in
a Hawaiian cave. While exploring the crime scene and its vicinity, they are
trapped by a cave-in. Will they be able to find their way out--without killing
each other first?
Disclaimer: The X-Files, Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, and all other characters
associated with the series are the property of Chris Carter, Ten-Thirteen
Productions, and the Fox Network. Characters are used without permission and no
profit is being made.
*****
Blessed Union of Souls II: Deep Water
by Somogyi
somogyi02@yahoo.com
Chapter 13
Once they resumed their hike, Scully and Riskey found that the ledge connected
with solid ground. Before long, the path widened and they were once again able
to walk side-by-side. Both were utterly exhausted by their latest venture, but
were nonetheless hopeful that the exit was nearby. They decided to continue
walking for another hour, and if they had not made significant progress, they
would then stop to rest. For the most part, they journeyed in silence; neither
had enough energy to engage in a meaningful conversation, let along small talk
to just pass the time.
"I don't know what I want more right now," Scully remarked after about forty
minutes, "to get out of here, or to seem hopelessly lost so that I can curl up
and take a nap."
"The only danger with stopping is that we may never want to get back up again.
Especially once the aches and pains start to set in."
"What do you mean 'start to'? What I wouldn't give for a nice, long, hot soak in
a tub."
"Forget the tub. I could sure go for a big meal. A nice, juicy steak and a cold
beer."
"A nice, soft bed."
"With satin sheets."
She raised an eyebrow in his direction.
"Hey, once you've experienced satin sheets, there's no going back."
They laughed.
"Do you think the others got out okay?" she asked.
"Yeah, I do. Socks is a good leader, a competent soldier. I'm sure he got them
out hours ago. By now, Robbins has probably been choppered to a hospital. How
bad do you think he leg looked? Honestly."
Scully sighed. "It's hard to say. Because of the high-energy nature of the
trauma, the massive soft tissue damage, and the arterial injury, I'd classify it
as the most severe kind of open fracture. In general, any kind of open fracture
is a nasty sort of break. As I said earlier, because of the nature of the wound,
it's automatically considered contaminated. Given the conditions of the injury
and the less-than-aseptic techniques we were forced to work in, plus the time
delay until he gets to a hospital--he has a significant chance of getting an
infection. If it gets into the bone, and he develops osteomyelitis, it gets a
little tricky to treat."
"Could he lose his leg?"
"I won't lie to you, Commander. Even without infection, if the blood supply gets
cut off, or if there's severe nerve damage, there's a chance he could lose it. I
stabilized it the best I could given the circumstances. Hopefully, they'll bring
in good orthopedic and vascular surgeons. Then only time will tell."
"Dammit!" Riskey cursed, shaking his head. "He's still a kid. I shouldn't have
left him to cross the ravine after everyone else. I should have been the one to
go last."
"It's not your fault."
"I'm team leader. All that goes on during an op is my responsibility. Whatever
happens to Robbins is on my head."
"Commander, it's not your fault," Scully repeated, gently touching his arm.
"What happened to Robbins was an unfortunate accident. Completely beyond your
control. If not for your quick thinking and that crazy stunt you pulled, he
might not be alive at all. Whatever happens now is out of your hands. So please
stop beating yourself up about it. Hell, if anyone's to blame, it's Mulder and
me. If we hadn't slowed you down, all four of you would have been across the
ravine before the rope snapped."
"Now that's ridiculous. You had nothing to do with it."
"No more ridiculous than you blaming yourself. Which just goes to prove that
it's nobody's fault."
"I guess so."
"Don't guess. Know." She squeezed his arm and offered him a warm smile.
He returned it before they continued on.
"Hey, Commander, is it me, or have we been heading downhill?"
"It's definitely not you, Scully. The path has been sloping steadily downward
for the past half hour or so." He looked down at the ground. "It also seems to
be getting progressively wetter."
"And more humid," she added, wiping the perspiration from her forehead. "Why do
I get the feeling that this is not a good thing?"
Scully's words proved portentous. After ten minutes, they were splashing through
scattered puddles. After twenty, they were wading through ankle-high water. By
the time it reached their knees, Scully was growing increasingly apprehensive.
"Do you think we should turn back?"
"And go where? There have been no turnoffs, no alternative paths. I don't see
what choice we have but to go on."
"All right." Resignedly, Scully and Riskey pushed on.
When the water reached her waist, Scully was duly agitated. "I suppose that nap
is out of the question now."
"Not unless you want to float on your back for a while."
"So do we just press on until we have to start swimming?"
"I'm open to suggestions."
Scully remained silent for a long time. She looked around. "Shine the light over
there," she said, pointing to an area in the wall.
Riskey detached the LED light from his belt and directed it toward the spot she
indicated.
"Does that look like an opening in the wall?"
"Could be."
"I want to take a closer look."
"Be careful, Scully."
She slowly made her way across the passageway until she reached the wall. She
peered her head through the hole, which was at shoulder height, almost two feet
above the water level. "Hey, I think there's a room down there. And it looks
pretty dry."
"Let me see." He waded over to where she stood and shone the beam down into the
hole. "Yeah, it looks like a chamber of some sort."
"Think it warrants us checking it out?"
"Well, there's a chance there could be another opening on the other side,
possibly one that has a path that leads out of here."
"Sounds good to me. So, any ideas on how we get down there? It looks to be a
good twenty, thirty feet."
"You still have that mini-launcher?" Riskey asked as he clipped the light back
onto his belt before rummaging through his pockets.
"Yeah. A little wet, but none too the worse for wear. Here you go," she said,
handing it to him.
"Well, I've got one last cartridge. This one's got wire rather than rope
attached, but it should do. The question is where to attach the hook."
"How about up there?" Scully suggested, pointing to the roof of the gap in the
wall.
Riskey tested the rock with his hand. "Seems pretty solid. Okay, stand back."
Scully got out of the way, and he took aim and fired. The metal hook shot out
and embedded in the rock. He unwound the thick wire and tugged on it to test its
weight.
"Looks like it should hold just fine." He started rummaging through his pockets
again, and soon found what he was searching for. "I've only got the one harness.
You up to going one at a time, or would you rather climb down together?"
Scully considered. Rappelling was definitely not her forte. And the thought of
holding tight to the commander's body as he slowly lowered them to the ground
sent a thrill of pleasure rushing through her. But then the rational part of her
mind quickly asserted itself. He had been through a lot of exertion-filled
exercises today--most of which had relied on sheer physical strength. No, it
would be far better not to tax his muscles any further by making him carry her
down.
"I think I can handle it solo," she told him.
"You sure? It's no big deal for us to go together."
"No, really, I'll be fine. As a matter of fact, why don't I go first? That way
you can show me the correct way to put on the harness."
"Suit yourself."
He unbuckled the harness and then helped her get into it--which was a bit of a
feat in and of itself since her bottom half was submerged in water. Soon, he had
it fastened around her, and he made sure that it was secure. He hooked the
harness onto the wire with metal biners. Then he attached a metal object to the
wire before handing it to her.
"What's this?" she asked.
"Well, a wire's a bit different from a rope. If you try to hold onto it to slow
your fall, it'll cut into your hands. If you squeeze this belay device here," he
said, demonstrating, "it increases the friction, and it'll stop you where you
are. Let up a little, and you'll descend slowly. Let up entirely, and you'll
slide quickly toward the ground."
"So, it's like a brake?"
"Exactly. I suggest starting out with it completely squeezed and then gradually
letting up on the pressure. You can go down by little hops. Here, give it a
try."
Scully tested out the belay device. "Seems simple enough."
"You sure you're okay doing this? It's not too late to change your mind."
"I'll be fine, Commander. Here, help me through the hole."
He had to admit, she had a lot of spunk. Most of the women he knew would have
been a hysterical mess since their attempt to navigate the ravine on that narrow
ledge. If any of them had managed to grab onto his leg during the fall, they
sure as hell would not have been able to hold on for long--let along manage to
pull themselves up his body to reach the ledge. And certainly none of them would
willingly rappel down this small wall alone. No, Dana Scully was definitely not
your ordinary woman. The more he learned about her, the more he liked--and the
more he wanted to know.
He grabbed her by the waist and hoisted her up onto the edge of the aperture in
the wall. Holding onto his shoulder for support, she carefully stood up on the
other side of the wall until only her feet were on the narrow ridge. Grasping
the belay device tightly, she slowly leaned backwards until the wire went
taught.
"That's it," he said, watching her movements carefully. "Now let up a bit, get
some slack, and cast off."
Closing her eyes, Scully nodded her head. She took a deep breath, cleared her
mind. Opening them, she looked at the brake. She released the pressure a tad,
watched the belay device slide down about a foot, felt her body fall back a bit
more.
*C'mon, Dana, you can do this. No big deal. Just jump. One little leap. That's
all.*
"Scully?" Riskey called to her. "You okay?" It looked like she had frozen. "You
want me to come up there and get you down?"
She shook her head. "Just mentally preparing myself." She took another deep
breath. *Just do it, Dana. Don't think about it. Just do it.*
"Bonsai!" Scully shouted as she stepped off the edge.
Her body fell down, but as she held tight to the belay, she stopped descending
after only a foot or so. She used her feet to grab hold of the cave wall.
"Good job!" Riskey called down to her. "Now just let up again on the brake, and
repeat the jump."
Scully did as he said, except this time she released a tad of pressure on the
belay at the same moment she cast off with her feet. She slid down the wall
another couple of feet.
"That's it! Damn, Scully, you're a natural!"
Scully smiled at his words of praise. This actually was not too difficult. The
hardest part seemed to be coordinating operating the brake and the movement of
her legs. She had a couple false starts, a few jerky movements, but before long
she was coasting down the wall with little effort. By the time she had gotten
the hang of it, she felt her feet strike ground. She was actually somewhat
disappointed that she had reached bottom already.
"Made it!" she called up to him, waving.
"Woo hoo! You go, girl! A few weeks from now, you're gonna be rappelling down
mountains!"
She beamed up at him. "We'll see. Now what?"
"Take off the harness and then hook it onto the wire. I'll pull it up and be
down to join you shortly."
"Okay!" Scully quickly extricated herself from the harness and secured it to the
wire. She made sure the belay device was also attached before tugging on the
wire. "All yours!"
"Thanks!" Riskey quickly pulled the wire back up the wall. He donned the
harness, fastened it to the wire, and began to rappel down the wall. His
movements were graceful and fluid, each of his leaps spanning nearly an entire
body-length. Less than two minutes after she had tugged on the wire, he was
standing on the ground beside her.
"What'd I tell ya, Scully? Easy as pie." He began to take off the harness.
"For you, maybe. You look like you could do that in your sleep. For me, that
required a hell of a lot of concentration."
"You were great, Scully. I've seen SEALs who wiped out multiple times when they
first tried to rappel. You sure you haven't done this before?"
"Nope. This was my first time."
He gave her a suggestive look. "A rappelling virgin, eh? Wait'll the guys hear
about this."
"Yeah, I'd love to see the look on Mulder's face when you do." With a wink and a
grin, she turned around to get a better look at the chamber they now occupied.
"Hmm, this doesn't look quite as promising as I had hoped," Riskey said as he
slowly panned the halogen beam along the walls.
"Why don't we get a closer look at the walls, see if there are any other
openings or tunnels?"
Ten minutes later, they had completed their circuit of the circular chamber.
Unfortunately, all of the walls appeared solid. Other than the way they had come
in, there appeared to be no other way out.
"Dammit!" Scully cursed. "I really thought we had found a way out."
"I know, I know. Me, too."
"Now what are we going to do?"
Riskey directed his light up the wire, back toward the opening. "Climb back up,
I guess, and press on."
Scully groaned loudly. "I don't think I have the energy to walk another step,
let along pull myself up that wall."
Riskey sighed. "That makes two of us."
"This day keeps getting worse and worse."
"Look on the bright side, Scully."
"What bright side?"
"At least the ground is dry. In fact, it's looking pretty comfy to me."
She gave him a sly look. "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"
"I think so."
"Nap time!" they both sang in unison.
"Here, this looks like a good spot," he said, indicating a concave depression in
the wall behind them.
"The way I feel right now, I think I bed of nails would look inviting." She
walked over to where he stood and promptly plopped down on the ground.
He soon joined her.
Scully leaned back against the cool rock surface. "Not quite satin, but it'll
do."
He chuckled as he too leaned back.
From beside him, Scully shivered. "It's a lot cooler in this part of the cave.
Must be because we've been going more underground."
"That, and the fact that we're both soaked from the waist down."
"Good point. Well, we could. . . ." She let her voice trail off.
"We could what?"
"Nothing. Never mind."
"No, go ahead," he prompted her. "What were you going to say?"
Scully hesitated. *Get over it, Dana. You're both adults. These are extenuating
circumstances. You need to do whatever you have to to survive.*
She licked her suddenly dry lips. "I was going to suggest that we huddle
together. For body warmth."
"Well, if you don't mind the stink of a sweaty, dirty SEAL. . . ."
"I'll see your sweat and dirt, and raise you dried bat guano."
"Is *that* what that white stuff is all over your pants? I've been wondering
about that all day!"
"Surprisingly, it seems to lose its odor as it dries. Which is a damned good
thing considering how much the fresh stuff reeked."
Laughing, he held out his arm.
With a smile, she hunkered down against his chest, wrapping her arm across his
rib cage. He wrapped his arm across her back, pulling her close.
"Better?" he asked her softly.
"Mmm," she murmured, eyes already drifting closed.
*Just like satin,* he thought as he rested his cheek on top of her head.
In less than a minute, they were both fast asleep.
End Chapter 13
*****