Carter dropped her pistol as she fell flat on her face. In an instant
she was being dragged back through foliage. She swore loudly as she hit various
rocks and other hard things along the way. She could feel her clothes and her
skin ripping as the wild ride continued and she was certain that she was going
to hit her head and die of a concussion. Mercifully, she passed out.
When she came round, her head was pounding and felt heavy. She realized that
the reason for this was that she was being held up by her feet and hanging
upside down. She opened her eyes and, after the blurryness and general
groginess subsided, looked around.
She was hanging from the ceiling a deep cavern. Although she was close the
floor, the cave stretched well back. The thing that really grabbed her
attention though, was the cocoons, which shook her quite badly.
There were hundreds of them, slimy, off-white coccons with several vines coming
out of each that extended to the walls. The walls were lined by more vines,
which had peculiar buds sprouting from them. She hoped it was her jumbled
senses, but it seemed like the buds were throbbing, or perhaps beating like
little hearts.
Littered on the floor was a variety of clothes and personal effects. As she
looked around with growing panic she caught sight of Henry's torn and blood-
stained jacket.
She looked at the bonds holding her up and tried desperatly to swing herself up
and loosen them, but with her own wobbly condition making near impossible, she
had to give the idea up. Her hand went to her holster, only to find it empty.
She remembered dropping the gun, damn it all!
It was then that she felt something creeping around her leg. She looked up and
saw that a vine was moving down her leg. She swore and began shaking and
swinging about ina useless attempt to get it off of her, but it continued,
unabated up to her waste.
A shot rang out above her, hitting the offending vine, causing it to jerk
around uncertainly, spraying a strange white fluid. Another shot severed it and
it fell to the ground where it continued to twitch.
Carter looked up and saw Lennier was nearby with her gun. He aimed for the
vines holding her up, "Don't move," he said. She covered her head as he fired a
couple of shots to break the vine. She crashed down onto the ground with a
grunt, rolled slightly and quickly jumped to her feet.
No sooner had she done this than other vines came from all over and attepted to
grab them. She whacked the nearest one away from her and Lennier shot a couple,
but they kept coming. They both turned and ran out of the cave, just evading
the swinging vines. Carter jumped the last few feet through the entrance, not
realizing that it opened to a slope, which she subsequently tumbled down, with
Lennier behind her.
She crashed down over rocks and other hard things, all while she attempted to
sheild her head. Eventually she came to a stop and landed on her back. A second
or so something heavy landed on top of her and groaned.
They lay there for several seconds before even trying, tentavly to move.
Lennier shifted himself to look down at her, "Are you alright?"
Carter burst out laughing, much to his confusion. She placed a hand on his
cheek and said, affectionatly, "Man, you keep saving my ass like this, I'm
gonna lose my reputation as a tough bitch."
He looked even more confused, and she moved her hand to behind his neck and
pulled him towards her. They met in a soft kiss, which, after a few seconds
became more intense as they wrapped their arms around eachother.
A snap and a rustle nearby, caused Carter to reluctantly seperate herself from
him, "Did you hear that?" she asked.
He nodded, "where's my gun?" she whispered.
He placed it in her hand, never taking his eyes from her's. She pointed the gun
towards the noise, sat up quickly and fired.
"Dammit!" Huntington said as he dived out of its path. He landed on the ground
with a thud and rolled slightly. "Jesus Christ!" he yelled.
Carter held her gun up, "Oh, ah, sorry," she looked embarressed for a few
seconds and then said, "What are you doing out here?"
"Well I was looking for you?" he spluttered, "but I didn't you were gonna get
all balmy on me for interupting your, ah, personal business."
Carter and Lennier looked at eachother, with slightly guilty expressions. She
was turning bright red, and he was sure that if he could, he would be too.
Huntington couldn't help but goad on, "You're supposed to be arranging an evac,
not fooling around!"
"Ah shove it," she said getting up and walking past him, "Come on," she said
brusquly, "we've got a major problem, and we need to get everyone into the
caves."
"What?" Huntington cried, "What if there's another quake, we'll all be trapped!"
Lennier said quietly, "If we stay outside, we'll definately be killed."
"Why?"
CArter looked at him, "We're on the lunch menu for some plants."
she was being dragged back through foliage. She swore loudly as she hit various
rocks and other hard things along the way. She could feel her clothes and her
skin ripping as the wild ride continued and she was certain that she was going
to hit her head and die of a concussion. Mercifully, she passed out.
When she came round, her head was pounding and felt heavy. She realized that
the reason for this was that she was being held up by her feet and hanging
upside down. She opened her eyes and, after the blurryness and general
groginess subsided, looked around.
She was hanging from the ceiling a deep cavern. Although she was close the
floor, the cave stretched well back. The thing that really grabbed her
attention though, was the cocoons, which shook her quite badly.
There were hundreds of them, slimy, off-white coccons with several vines coming
out of each that extended to the walls. The walls were lined by more vines,
which had peculiar buds sprouting from them. She hoped it was her jumbled
senses, but it seemed like the buds were throbbing, or perhaps beating like
little hearts.
Littered on the floor was a variety of clothes and personal effects. As she
looked around with growing panic she caught sight of Henry's torn and blood-
stained jacket.
She looked at the bonds holding her up and tried desperatly to swing herself up
and loosen them, but with her own wobbly condition making near impossible, she
had to give the idea up. Her hand went to her holster, only to find it empty.
She remembered dropping the gun, damn it all!
It was then that she felt something creeping around her leg. She looked up and
saw that a vine was moving down her leg. She swore and began shaking and
swinging about ina useless attempt to get it off of her, but it continued,
unabated up to her waste.
A shot rang out above her, hitting the offending vine, causing it to jerk
around uncertainly, spraying a strange white fluid. Another shot severed it and
it fell to the ground where it continued to twitch.
Carter looked up and saw Lennier was nearby with her gun. He aimed for the
vines holding her up, "Don't move," he said. She covered her head as he fired a
couple of shots to break the vine. She crashed down onto the ground with a
grunt, rolled slightly and quickly jumped to her feet.
No sooner had she done this than other vines came from all over and attepted to
grab them. She whacked the nearest one away from her and Lennier shot a couple,
but they kept coming. They both turned and ran out of the cave, just evading
the swinging vines. Carter jumped the last few feet through the entrance, not
realizing that it opened to a slope, which she subsequently tumbled down, with
Lennier behind her.
She crashed down over rocks and other hard things, all while she attempted to
sheild her head. Eventually she came to a stop and landed on her back. A second
or so something heavy landed on top of her and groaned.
They lay there for several seconds before even trying, tentavly to move.
Lennier shifted himself to look down at her, "Are you alright?"
Carter burst out laughing, much to his confusion. She placed a hand on his
cheek and said, affectionatly, "Man, you keep saving my ass like this, I'm
gonna lose my reputation as a tough bitch."
He looked even more confused, and she moved her hand to behind his neck and
pulled him towards her. They met in a soft kiss, which, after a few seconds
became more intense as they wrapped their arms around eachother.
A snap and a rustle nearby, caused Carter to reluctantly seperate herself from
him, "Did you hear that?" she asked.
He nodded, "where's my gun?" she whispered.
He placed it in her hand, never taking his eyes from her's. She pointed the gun
towards the noise, sat up quickly and fired.
"Dammit!" Huntington said as he dived out of its path. He landed on the ground
with a thud and rolled slightly. "Jesus Christ!" he yelled.
Carter held her gun up, "Oh, ah, sorry," she looked embarressed for a few
seconds and then said, "What are you doing out here?"
"Well I was looking for you?" he spluttered, "but I didn't you were gonna get
all balmy on me for interupting your, ah, personal business."
Carter and Lennier looked at eachother, with slightly guilty expressions. She
was turning bright red, and he was sure that if he could, he would be too.
Huntington couldn't help but goad on, "You're supposed to be arranging an evac,
not fooling around!"
"Ah shove it," she said getting up and walking past him, "Come on," she said
brusquly, "we've got a major problem, and we need to get everyone into the
caves."
"What?" Huntington cried, "What if there's another quake, we'll all be trapped!"
Lennier said quietly, "If we stay outside, we'll definately be killed."
"Why?"
CArter looked at him, "We're on the lunch menu for some plants."