As the five exited, they could see the scientists and workers coming out of
the building. As Kwame and Gi handed out protective lead suits to their
fellow Planeteers, one scientist caught sight of the group and frantically
ran up to them, grabbing hold on Wheeler's jacket and crying, "He's mad!
He's going to cause a meltdown! There's no way to escape!"
Wheeler pried the hysterical man off and took his lead suit from Gi. "Hey, pal, don't worry. We're here to put Nukem out of business!"
"You are? Oh, thank God!" The man abruptly straightened up and grabbed Wheeler, who had only gotten one leg of his suit on, in a bear hug and nearly knocked them both over. "Thank you!"
The Brooklynite once again pushed the lab-coated scientist back as he fought to maintain his balance. "But we can't help if you get in our way," he said, chuckling while finishing getting on his suit.
The scientist nodded and ran over to a small knot of coworkers. Now uninhibited, the Planeteers donned their helmets and put their rings back on over their gloves. Kwame picked up the Geiger counter, and they sprinted into the building. It was not hard to tell exactly where the radioactive hothead was currently causing his destruction. As they ran through the wide corridors, interrupted only by an occasional plant worker, the Geiger counter was constantly screeching its signal, indicating an over- abundance of REM's in the vicinity. Knowing that its noise would alert Nukem of their presence, Kwame lifted it and switched it off.
They slowed down as they reached a corner, and Wheeler, who was in the lead, held up his hand, signaling the others to stay back as he peeked around the edge to where Duke was trying unsuccessfully to punch his way through a thick, leaden door to the uranium rods contained within.
Wheeler turned back to his friends and told them what the mutant was doing. "We need to distract him somehow, guys."
"Then what?" asked Gi.
"Um, then..." He looked around, spotting a wrenched-open door that he realized belonged to a lead vault. "I've got it!" he said. "If someone could just get his attention and lure Nukem into that vault, then I could shut the door and seal it with my ring. Then we could call Cap and work on patching the leaks!"
Kwame spoke up. "It seems like a good plan. Who will get Nukem's attention, though?"
Linka raised her hand. "I vill go."
Surprised, Wheeler turned to her. "You sure you can handle him, babe?" He frowned, showing his concern for his Russian friend, not very happy with the idea of her being the bait.
She nodded, smiling in an attempt to alleviate his worrying over her. "If need be, I can use my ring to keep him back. Do not worry about me, Wheeler."
"So that's settled then," said Gi. "Kwame, Ma-Ti, and I will go make sure everyone is evacuated, just in case."
Wheeler nodded. "Just what I was about to suggest, Gi. Alright, Linka and I will meet you guys outside." As the other three ran off, he turned back to face Linka. "You're sure?" he asked once more. At her acknowledgement, he continued, "All right. I'll stand behind the door where he won't be able to see me. Just be careful, babe. I don't want you getting hurt." He made sure Nukem was still obsessed with the door the mutant was pounding as he spoke and slipped behind the already opened one.
Linka walked towards him. "You just vant to go on that date Friday," she chuckled.
"You know that's not true. I care about you."
She gave a small, knowing smile as she replied, "I know," and turned to her left to walk closer to Nukem.
Though he didn't like it, Wheeler forced himself to stay back out of sight and merely listen to what was going on, consoling himself with the knowledge that she was not exactly defenseless due to her ring.
Linka looked back for a second to make sure her American comrade was well- hidden and of the exact location of the vault's door and then faced the raging monster. "Hold it right there, Nukem!"
Duke spun around. "What?! Planet-brats!" Without hesitation, he snapped his fist up and fired a radioactive blast from his hand. Linka, not having expected such a fast reaction on his part, barely managed to avoid the beam and hastily backpedaled into the vault. Enraged, mostly by his inability to open the door to the plant's core, Duke charged after her.
Wheeler nervously waited outside for Linka's return, every fiber of his body screaming with an instinctual urge to go and protect her. He cringed at the sound of heavy barrels being thrown across the room and prayed they wouldn't connect.
Suddenly, an alarm began blaring on a console behind him, and the lighting turned from white to an angry, flashing red. He spun around and looked at the screen as he heard Linka use her ring, followed shortly by another crash. At the sound of Linka calling his name, Wheeler turned back. Realizing that she had already gotten out while his attention had been directed on the cause of the alarm, he threw himself against the heavy door with all his might and pushed it shut. Backing up to give himself some room, he shouted, "Fire!" He noticed just how hard he had to concentrate as he increased the power to his ring to fuse the beaten metal solidly to its frame. 'Probably due to the radioactivity he's emitting,' he thought and ran off after Linka when the door was fully sealed. 'She must be pretty far ahead,' he realized, noting as he ran that the others seemed to have done a thorough job of evacuating the building. When he finally reached the exit, he looked around a corner and saw where the other Planeteers had gathered. Kwame frowned as the redhead reached the group.
"Where is Linka?" he asked Wheeler.
Wheeler started, shocked. "You mean she's not with you?!" He began to become frantic, and as Kwame shook his head, he turned to Ma-Ti, asking, "Why don't you contact her, make sure she's alright? She must have come out another exit." This last bit he said hopefully. "What if she got lost inside?" He watched the doors anxiously as Ma-Ti tried to contact her.
"Heart! It is difficult... all the radiation... she is inside... I feel panic... and fear... I have contact!" the Kayapo said excitedly before talking telepathically to Linka. 'Linka! Where are you?!' After a moment of silence, he exclaimed, "She is still inside the vault!"
"What?!" came Wheeler's shocked cry. "Inside?!" He turned to run back to the building.
"Wait, she—augh!" Ma-Ti collapsed to the ground and curled up tightly, writhing in pain and agony, trying to break the telepathic link.
Kwame knelt down beside his friend in concern. "What is it, Ma-Ti?"
Having finally managed to cut the connection, Ma-Ti sat up and started, "It's... it's Linka, she—"
Wheeler fell to his knees. "No! No! No! Linka! What have I done?!" He jumped up and began to run to the building when suddenly there was a loud rumble, and he stood in shock as the plant fell down on itself and fires erupted throughout the rubble.
"Linka!"
Wheeler pried the hysterical man off and took his lead suit from Gi. "Hey, pal, don't worry. We're here to put Nukem out of business!"
"You are? Oh, thank God!" The man abruptly straightened up and grabbed Wheeler, who had only gotten one leg of his suit on, in a bear hug and nearly knocked them both over. "Thank you!"
The Brooklynite once again pushed the lab-coated scientist back as he fought to maintain his balance. "But we can't help if you get in our way," he said, chuckling while finishing getting on his suit.
The scientist nodded and ran over to a small knot of coworkers. Now uninhibited, the Planeteers donned their helmets and put their rings back on over their gloves. Kwame picked up the Geiger counter, and they sprinted into the building. It was not hard to tell exactly where the radioactive hothead was currently causing his destruction. As they ran through the wide corridors, interrupted only by an occasional plant worker, the Geiger counter was constantly screeching its signal, indicating an over- abundance of REM's in the vicinity. Knowing that its noise would alert Nukem of their presence, Kwame lifted it and switched it off.
They slowed down as they reached a corner, and Wheeler, who was in the lead, held up his hand, signaling the others to stay back as he peeked around the edge to where Duke was trying unsuccessfully to punch his way through a thick, leaden door to the uranium rods contained within.
Wheeler turned back to his friends and told them what the mutant was doing. "We need to distract him somehow, guys."
"Then what?" asked Gi.
"Um, then..." He looked around, spotting a wrenched-open door that he realized belonged to a lead vault. "I've got it!" he said. "If someone could just get his attention and lure Nukem into that vault, then I could shut the door and seal it with my ring. Then we could call Cap and work on patching the leaks!"
Kwame spoke up. "It seems like a good plan. Who will get Nukem's attention, though?"
Linka raised her hand. "I vill go."
Surprised, Wheeler turned to her. "You sure you can handle him, babe?" He frowned, showing his concern for his Russian friend, not very happy with the idea of her being the bait.
She nodded, smiling in an attempt to alleviate his worrying over her. "If need be, I can use my ring to keep him back. Do not worry about me, Wheeler."
"So that's settled then," said Gi. "Kwame, Ma-Ti, and I will go make sure everyone is evacuated, just in case."
Wheeler nodded. "Just what I was about to suggest, Gi. Alright, Linka and I will meet you guys outside." As the other three ran off, he turned back to face Linka. "You're sure?" he asked once more. At her acknowledgement, he continued, "All right. I'll stand behind the door where he won't be able to see me. Just be careful, babe. I don't want you getting hurt." He made sure Nukem was still obsessed with the door the mutant was pounding as he spoke and slipped behind the already opened one.
Linka walked towards him. "You just vant to go on that date Friday," she chuckled.
"You know that's not true. I care about you."
She gave a small, knowing smile as she replied, "I know," and turned to her left to walk closer to Nukem.
Though he didn't like it, Wheeler forced himself to stay back out of sight and merely listen to what was going on, consoling himself with the knowledge that she was not exactly defenseless due to her ring.
Linka looked back for a second to make sure her American comrade was well- hidden and of the exact location of the vault's door and then faced the raging monster. "Hold it right there, Nukem!"
Duke spun around. "What?! Planet-brats!" Without hesitation, he snapped his fist up and fired a radioactive blast from his hand. Linka, not having expected such a fast reaction on his part, barely managed to avoid the beam and hastily backpedaled into the vault. Enraged, mostly by his inability to open the door to the plant's core, Duke charged after her.
Wheeler nervously waited outside for Linka's return, every fiber of his body screaming with an instinctual urge to go and protect her. He cringed at the sound of heavy barrels being thrown across the room and prayed they wouldn't connect.
Suddenly, an alarm began blaring on a console behind him, and the lighting turned from white to an angry, flashing red. He spun around and looked at the screen as he heard Linka use her ring, followed shortly by another crash. At the sound of Linka calling his name, Wheeler turned back. Realizing that she had already gotten out while his attention had been directed on the cause of the alarm, he threw himself against the heavy door with all his might and pushed it shut. Backing up to give himself some room, he shouted, "Fire!" He noticed just how hard he had to concentrate as he increased the power to his ring to fuse the beaten metal solidly to its frame. 'Probably due to the radioactivity he's emitting,' he thought and ran off after Linka when the door was fully sealed. 'She must be pretty far ahead,' he realized, noting as he ran that the others seemed to have done a thorough job of evacuating the building. When he finally reached the exit, he looked around a corner and saw where the other Planeteers had gathered. Kwame frowned as the redhead reached the group.
"Where is Linka?" he asked Wheeler.
Wheeler started, shocked. "You mean she's not with you?!" He began to become frantic, and as Kwame shook his head, he turned to Ma-Ti, asking, "Why don't you contact her, make sure she's alright? She must have come out another exit." This last bit he said hopefully. "What if she got lost inside?" He watched the doors anxiously as Ma-Ti tried to contact her.
"Heart! It is difficult... all the radiation... she is inside... I feel panic... and fear... I have contact!" the Kayapo said excitedly before talking telepathically to Linka. 'Linka! Where are you?!' After a moment of silence, he exclaimed, "She is still inside the vault!"
"What?!" came Wheeler's shocked cry. "Inside?!" He turned to run back to the building.
"Wait, she—augh!" Ma-Ti collapsed to the ground and curled up tightly, writhing in pain and agony, trying to break the telepathic link.
Kwame knelt down beside his friend in concern. "What is it, Ma-Ti?"
Having finally managed to cut the connection, Ma-Ti sat up and started, "It's... it's Linka, she—"
Wheeler fell to his knees. "No! No! No! Linka! What have I done?!" He jumped up and began to run to the building when suddenly there was a loud rumble, and he stood in shock as the plant fell down on itself and fires erupted throughout the rubble.
"Linka!"
