AN: Hello!! The wicked witch is back. Long AN at the bottom. Just need to say this first. I should warn you, geographically I had some problems with this chapter as it was harder than I thought to describe the picture I had in my mind of this setup on paper so, if there is any un clarity about anything just holler and I'll try to explain it again.
Chapter 27: Escape.
"I'm not that little girl." Joanie whimpered as she slowly became aware of her surroundings. She was literally hanging by nothing more than her one hand and knee. She bit back a sob and wrapped her other limbs around the cable.
The bag was slowly swinging underneath her
"Joanie! Joanie are you okay?!" Gone were the group's soft whispered tones as Jade called out to get the girl's attention. "Joanie please..."
The girl whimpered again and hugged the cable tighter.
"I'm not that little girl." She said again, stronger this time. She seemed totally unaware of their pleas.
"Joanie, come here." Slam tried, his voice a pitch higher than it usually was. "Come on Jones, you have to move forward."
Joanie blinked and glanced at them. She sniffed.
'I can't move!' Her mind shouted but she bit her tongue.
"I'm not that little girl." She whispered and slowly moved one hand forward. "I'm not that little girl..."
Slowly but surely Joanie began to move forward, her panicked breathing echoing above the students encouragement. When she reached the platform Slam, mindful of his wings, reached out and gave Joanie a boost up. The girl scrambled away from the ledge and clung to the generator. Shaking down her silent urge to sob, she blinked as she tasted blood. She sniffed startled and realized that she had stuck her thumb into her mouth. Muttering under her breath Joanie quickly removed it and noticed that the cable had taken some skin from her palm. She sniffed and squeezed her hand between her legs, with the other she rubbed the moisture from her face. Her heart rate was slowly returning to normal as she started getting angry again.
"Sniffling little coward." She berated herself and pulled the bag closer.
"Joanie are you okay?" Jade asked from below her.
The girl sniffed again and started taking out some crystals.
"Fine." She muttered. "Just bloody fine."
She picked up the first two crystals and, without even thinking about it twice, went down on her stomach. She had to fight down a wave of nausea as she looked over the edge but she pushed it away when she realized that the design of crystals below her was just as the Tinker explained. A spark of anticipation flared up in Joanie as she slowly brought her first crystal to the roof of the cage. Her curiosity was rewarded when the crystal practically jerked out of her hand and attached to its counterpart.
'This is easy enough.' Joanie tried to sooth herself as she did the rest of the crystals.
"What are you doing?" Breeze asked again as she finished with the last crystal. Joanie took a deep breath and sat back against the generator.
She had been ignoring the students but, realized that it was probably time to shed some light into their world.
"I ah... I have some crystals here that I have to place over similar ones on your cage." She said hesitantly as she slipped the bag over her shoulder. "It will kill the barrier that will... Hurt you."
That much she had understood.
"But, aren't you done?" Camille queried from below. "The barrier's still up."
Joanie tried to still her nerves as she shifted back to the edge.
"There's still some at the bottom."
A slow realization spread through the group when they saw Joanie slip her legs over the edge and turn around to start climbing down.
"Hey, I'll help you Jones." Slam said quickly. "Don't get a fright now, I'm going to guide your legs."
Joanie felt an uncharacteristic wave of relief as Slam put a secure grip around her legs and later, as she moved down, her waist.
"You're being very brave Joanie." Slam whispered as she slit past him. Joanie shook her head slight as her feet touched the bottom. Her arms itched where it was touching the strange barrier.
"Keep the bag with you." She said. "Could you pass me the crystals as I go along?"
Giving Joanie a warm smile Jade shifted in next to Slam and dipped her hand into the bag. She handed Joanie two crystals as the girl settled herself. Slam kept a firm grip on the front of her dungaree. Trusting Slam, Joanie leaned back and felt underneath the platform for the second batch of crystals. As it had done the previous time both crystals jerked out of her hands and attached to their counterparts.
The barrier flickered as a single open bar developed in the open space between the crystals.
Joanie's eyes sparkled in wonder. "The old man knows his shit." They heard her mutter under her breath.
Slowly but surely, with Sam's help, Joanie finished with the rest of the crystals.
When the last one moved into place the final streak flickered and died.
The barrier was gone.
Joanie stood up and pulled the bag back to her.
"We have to start picking up the pace." Breeze said as a soft cheer rose from the captured students. "We have no idea when Skyclone or his goons will return.
Joanie swallowed and hugged the bars.
"How're you going to get out?" She queried. "There's no lock."
"We've noticed." Camille said dryly. "I don't think he would've let us go even when Skyla gave him the lock."
Angelica smiled slightly. "That's why we like, already found a way to escape." She said and patted Breeze's shoulder. "We didn't exactly do nothing in this little bird cage."
Breeze motioned to the two girls to be quiet as he turned to Joanie.
"The way you came in," he began, "will we be able to use it as a way to escape?"
Joanie sniffed and shook her head. "I had some trouble with some of the turns." She confessed. "No offence but, I don't think you'll make it."
A soft quietness came over Breeze as he smiled and made a dismissive gesture.
"None taken." He said. "Then we'll just use the front door." He motioned towards the large tunnel entrance just below them."
Joanie frowned slight. "You still have to make these bars disappear." She said in a mild sarcastic tone.
Breeze didn't pay her any attention as he positioned himself in front of some bars in front of the entrance and closed his eyes. He began to chant softly in his native tongue and held his hands open before him.
A cold blue light began to from between them.
Joanie pulled herself closer to the bars and watched with nothing short of fascinated fear as he touched the light to a bar. The soft crackling of metal freezing and bending could be heard in the silence of the chamber.
When he was done Breeze looked at the bar and hit it hard.
The metal shattered like glass.
Breeze took a quick moment to glance back at Joanie's reaction before he took out five more bars.
"Come on in behind the bars Joanie." Jade said softly when Breeze did his last bar.
The girl shook herself and rejected the offer. "I still have to, ah, kill the generator." She said. "He'll... He'll have to give me a boost though."
Slam nodded and effortlessly picked Joanie up. Now that the barrier was one he could move more freely.
"Tell me when you're finished." He said as Joanie scrambled back to the middle of the platform. "You should come back down so that we can help you get to the tunnel."
Joanie didn't bother to nod as she took out the small gadget of the Tinker, turned it on and placed it close to the generator. She was suppose to put it there in the beginning but...
"Okay everybody and swing!"
Joanie went ice cold as she scrambled to the edge to see what they were up to. Each of the Skydancers had grabbed onto one of the remaining bars and was now starting to swing the cage back and forth. At first it didn't really move but as its momentum picked up - so did the angle it at which it was swinging.
Joanie moaned and moved back to the safety of the solid generator. "They're freaking crazy." She muttered. "The whole bloody... Hello?"
She noticed a small notebook, picked it up and put it into the bag.
There was a loud noise as the cage hit the platform.
Joanie squeaked protest and grabbed the gadget before it rolled off. Realizing that her arrangement wouldn't work she took the book from the bag, stuffed it into one of her larger pockets and tied the gadget up with the bag.
The platform shuddered again.
"Okay!" Came a voice from further below. "Let it settle again."
Joanie moved to the side and was surprised to see that both Breeze and Angelica was already on the other side.
"The jump is easy." Breeze was saying. "Just before it reaches the top, just jump and glide. Joanie, come on down when the cage is settled."
Joanie looked at Breeze as if he was mad and moved back to the generator. The Tinker had said that it would take at least an hour for the thing to reach critical capacity. Luckily he had bargained that there might be a small delay.
"Come on, quickly Joanie." Jade urged from below. "We'll help you."
She didn't want to, and more to the point she knew that she wouldn't be able to make that jump.
"I'll go back the way I came." She said from above. "You guys carry on. It's going to take to long for the cage to settle and..."
She was scared out of her wits.
"Will you be able to jump to the vent?" Slam asked skeptically.
"Yeah. It's easy." Joanie tried to convince him but she wasn't very enthusiastic.
She didn't hear his muttered protest but Breeze quickly intervened.
"If you think you can do it then that's okay." He said. "Guys, we have to start moving. Camille, Jade you two come over next. Slam..."
"I'll stay till Joanie's in the vent." Slam interrupted him.
Breeze gave him a look. "Just keep the cage swinging." Was all he said though.
Joanie took a deep breath and stood up slowly. As she looked at the cable she tried not to think of the last time she crossed it. She went to the edge of the cable and glanced down just in time to see Camille glide over the space.
The yellow vortex below the cage swirled as a strange red color started combining with the clouds.
Joanie swallowed and looked up.
"Coward." She muttered and took her first step.
Below her Jade glided over. She almost didn't make it and, if it hadn't been for Breeze waiting for her, she would've fallen.
Her knees buckled but she swallowed and stilled her nerves.
"You guys!" Angelica's panicked voice suddenly drifted up. "We have company!"
Something red rose up from underneath Joanie.
"Slam be careful! Don't jump!" Jade's frightened voice.
"Joanie don't look down!" Slam yelled at her. "It's coming for you MOVE!"
Puzzled by the pandemonium below her Joanie looked down.
A big red hand plucked her off of the cable...
AN: Honestly, this had been my hardest obstacle. I had had no idea how to get this group of misfits out of that damn cage without using their flight. So, yes, the plan's a tad bit ridicules but LUCKILY! This is a fantasy story so I know you'll humor me. Right? Please please please... :-P
Sorry if this is a bit... I don't know. I had a lot of trouble righting this. I kept changing this and that and, didn't like this and couldn't see that... It was like the song on an old tape just before the one you want to listen. You can't fast forward it because it will damage the tape so you'll have to listen through it... I'm taking this image to far.
Ah, I wanted to say something important...
Better action ahead... Can't remember what else.
Take care, till next time.
Alys.
Oh, yes. To ponywalker when you read this. Welcome luv! We're all in the same boat. I think you're more lucky than we or atleast I am though. I don't even have the tapes! Keep telling me what you think okay? I'm a feedback parasite.
Thanks for reading!!!