A glimpse of the stars
After an hour or so of speeding through the countryside, Neva started to slow down. She checked the mirrors for any signs of approaching cars or other possible spectators. When she was satisfied with the lack of eyewitnesses, she gave her passengers a look and told them to hold on. The jeep slowed down further and then she abruptly turned hard left, aiming straight for the trees that lined the road.
"Whoa, watch were you're going, babe!" Dante gave the female in the driver seat a sideways look as he grabbed the sides of his seat, and saw her grin happily.
"Do not worry, my dear Sparda. I know what I am doing."
On that cue the jeep went of the road and dived into the ditch, nose first. The passengers was given a brief view of muddy water only to, in the next second, stare at the star filled sky as the rear sank into the ditch. The rear tires were slightly spinning against the slippery grass along the sides of the ditch, but the jeep was soon on level ground and Neva proceeded in among the trees until they could not be seen from the highway. There she killed the engine and got out.
"Wait here, I will just cover our tracks." She turned and broke of a thick branch from a nearby fir and walked back to the highway. When she reached the road, she started to sweep the branch over the gravel to cover the tire tracks. She lightly ruffled the grass, making it rise, and swept back the mud into the ditch. With a flat stone she scraped up the clots of mud that had fallen from the tread of the tires and threw it back where it belonged.
Finally she stepped back, scanning the ground to make sure there were no telltale signs of their unorthodox exit. Pleased with her work, Neva headed back among the trees, turning her attention to the jeep. She picked up a small twig and crouched down beside the vehicle. By pressing the twig into the air valve of each tire she let out some of the compressed air, improving traction. While airing the front tires she also turned the locking hubs to enable four wheel drive.
Climbing back into the driver seat she found Dante staring at her with his arms folded over his chest.
"Were exactly are you taking us?" he asked. He was clearly not happy with her habit of keeping them in the dark. Being dragged around by her to God knew where, was not Dante's idea of a good time and he started to lose his patience. Trish on the other hand was apparently having the time of her life.
"That was cool! Are we gonna drive through the woods? Can you do that? Is that's why this car has so big tires?"
Bouncing like an overexcited kid in the backseat, she fired questions at Neva. Her short time on earth had only exposed her to Dante's interests, involving bikes, drinking and killing. This mission would maybe give her a broader view of life. There were so much more in the world then the dusty innards of the Devil Never Cry. Besides, Trish felt a connection to the dark haired woman in the driver seat even though she sensed that Neva was trying to keep a distance to other people.
"There is a large underground facility up in the mountains an hour's drive from here. That is where we are going." Neva answered. "And yes, we are going to drive through the woods. There is a rough trail up ahead." Neva suppressed a smile at the sight of the she-devil's excited face.
The V8 roared to life and Neva slowly negotiated her way through the trees. After a short while they hit an old dirt road that had seen better days. Years of erosion and frost had taken its toll. The road was littered by potholes and large stones that had worked their way up through the ground.
With practiced ease Neva steered the jeep around and occasionally over the obstacles. She made sure to hit the larger stones that blocked their way front tire first so the jeep would not straddle them and bust the oil pan or any other vital parts.
After approximately an hour of constant climbing, the dirt road reached a rock wall and made a sharp turn. Neva stopped in front of the high rock face and leaned back to pull a walkie talkie from her backpack that was placed at Trish's feet.
Neva pushed the com button and mumbled something. A loud rumble was heard from the mountainside and a portion of the cliff right in front of the jeep started sliding inwards. It was a hidden door, large enough to let a tank through.
When the door had disappeared and revealed the opening Neva drove forward into a large tunnel stretching into the dark. She turned in the head lights and the light played across the grey concrete walls as they moved deeper into the mountain.