"I hate this job." That was the first thing Kim heard as she woke. :At this point in time, I can't help but agree with him.: She reached to rub her head, or tried to. She found her right arm was trapped, under a rock, and she couldn't pull it free. She sighed and reached up with the other hand.
"Adam, are you alright?" Kim asked, hearing a cough. "And why in hell can't I see? Are we underground?"
"That is the single stupidest question on earth." Adam muttered. "Yes, I'm alright. Are we underground? That would sort of depend on your definition of under ground. If you mean in a cave, or villains lair, no. If you mean, under several tons of rock, that can be considered ground, then yes. As for why you can't see, there's a lot of dust in the air, if you blink a few times, you'll be able to get it out." Not really having a better idea, she did so. Her vision cleared up rapidly. It wasn't so much a cave, as it was rubble from the rock slide. Light, and air were filtering in from above, so they wouldn't suffocate, and they could see. "Are you trapped?" Adam asked.
"Yes, my arm, are you?" Kim responded.
"Yes, my leg. Can you pull free?" He asked.
"No, the rubble is packed in so close I can't get any room to move and there's more on top of it, so I can't move what's closer. Can you?"
"No." Adam replied. "Think you can reach my arm? Maybe we can pull each other free." She nodded and stretched. It was an enormous effort, and both had to rest a moment when they finally managed it. Adam sighed.
"What's the matter?" Kim asked.
"Nothing in particular." He muttered. "Ready? Pull." He did, and so did she. After a moment, there seemed to be nothing happening, and he stopped.
"What's the matter, we're almost there. You can do it. Pull!" She called. He stared at her, and his eyes changed. She knew instantly, she'd gone to far, but it was to late to stop. He pulled, much harder than last time, and she felt her arm scraping on the rock. She howled in pain, but then it was gone, and her arm was free. She could see in the dim light, where the rocks had scraped the arm, and the hand. :Might make nice looking scars. Wonder if Adam has any?: She mentally slapped herself. Now was not the time to be pursuing fantasies. She looked over to see if he was still trapped, and he was. "What do I do?"
"Hold still." He said, and waved her off. He braced his foot, and pushed, growling as the rock scraped his leg, ripping the pant leg of, from about mid calf. The skin was scraped deeper than hers she could see, but was startled when he pulled clear and the entire cave seemed to come down. When it finally settled, she looked up, and saw that the rocks had settled where she had been trapped. Each of them large enough to kill her on it's own, the one where her head had been was enough to have crushed it. Realization dawned, almost instantly. He could have gotten free on his own, but he'd waited for her to wake. He could have gotten out on his own, and left her there. They'd probably have never found the body. She turned, to find him staring at her. But there was nothing in those eyes, except that same ageless look.
"Ow." Kim said, and realized she'd brushed her arm on her pants. She lifted it up, and examined the wound. She saw out of the corner of her eye, Adam stick his hand in his jacket pocket. He pulled a bright red object from it, and handed it to her. She realized it was a flashlight, and she grinned. With a twist she lit up everything around them, and then she examined her wound more closely. They were long scrapes, but they were shallow, and would heal with time. She realized then she was without her backpack.
"How's your arm?" Adam asked quietly.
"It's a bit banged up, but it'll be fine. Want me to look at your leg?" She asked. He nodded. She climbed across the rubble trying her best not to shift it. When she reached him she lifted the leg, but thankfully the worst of the damage was on top. It was somewhat worse than her injuries though. She had expected it to be. "We really should bandage this." She pointed out.
"What about your arm?" He asked, with a measure of pain in his voice.
"It'll be fine, your leg is a more immediate concern." She replied calmly. :He wants a battle of wills, then that's fine by me.:
"If your arm is infected, who will take care of my leg? I can reach to deal with your arm, but I can't reach my leg, and it'll require both of your arms to deal with my leg. You wouldn't happen to have a first aid kit, would you?" He asked calmly.
"Yes, I always carry one in my backpack." Kim said. He grunted and laid back.
"Here's your back pack." He pointed over his head, and she shone the light, on the pitiful looking strap, running under a rock, resting on bare ground. Under all the other rubble. She sighed. The Kimmunicator was in there as well. "I've got some water, and you can use my shirt for bandages."
"Won't you need it?" Kim asked, as she took the flask of water.
"Let's save that question for later." He replied, dodging smoothly as he unbuttoned his jacket. She shrugged, and tipped a bit of water out into her own cuts. She looked up, and froze. The shirt he slid off was glowing. Green. "What happened?" Kim asked. Adam raised an eyebrow. There was concern in her voice, that he really felt was unwarranted.
"Shego got me, it's no big deal." He shrugged, and handed her the shirt. "She does seem to have managed to poison me though, so I'll need to find the cure for it. I don't know if there's any around."
Kim stared, wondering how he could be so casual. "Is it fatal?"
"Usually." He replied, and leaned back against his jacket. She stared a moment, though now at the fact he was shirtless.
"Then how in hell can you be so calm?" Kim snarled. He shrugged, and yawned. She sighed. :He looks good. Ack. Kim snap out of it. You're the leader, so he's letting you lead, now, do it.: She yelled at herself. She tore strips off the shirt, and wrapped them around her arm, then tied them off. She washed the injuries on his leg, and then bandaged them as well. He smiled, and slipped his jacket on. She ignored him and turned towards the rest of the cave, she shone the light around, and... "Look, metal. What do you think it is?"
"It's me." The Genesis replied. "I am a tad stuck though." The hologram appeared before them. "System report?"
"Go for it." Adam waved.
"Three engines non-functional, one destroyed. Transmitters off-line. GPS off-line. Weapons disabled. Command systems functional. Main Power functional at one-third capacity." She finished. "What about you guys?"
"I scraped my arm, and Adam hurt himself." Kim reported, with a slight grin.
"Did something stupid again?" Genny asked.
"He saved my life." Kim said. "Why didn't you say something earlier?" She said, remembering they'd been talking all that time.
"Light sensitive system on the side. I didn't activate until I saw the flash from Adam's light. It puts out a different wavelength than most others do. All of those that would be looking for me do." She grinned. "Having fun?"
"What do you mean, fun?" Kim asked, eyes flashing.
"Well, his shirt is gone, and you're trapped in a cave..." Genny left it hanging.
"I'm tired, and really, not in the mood." Adam replied, saving Kim who was blushing, and seemed unable to answer. "Can you tell how thick this rubble is?"
"About five feet." She replied, unfazed. Kim managed to regain her composure. "If you want, I can bring down part of the wall, and give you an escape route."
"Please and thank you." Kim answered, pleased with the change of topic. Adam rose to his feet, wincing as he moved. "What are you doing?" Kim asked, as he walked over to stand beside her.
"You'll see. Go for it Genesis." The hologram vanished, and the wall began to shake. Behind them, where Adam had lain, a huge rock dropped, large enough to kill him. After a moment, the wall collapsed. Light flooded in, and Kim stepped out first, being faster, with two uninjured legs. Adam hobbled out a moment later.
"The sun is... oh no." Kim pointed. Adam looked.
"What? Never been away from home over night?" He asked, grinning.
"Can you call another ride?" She asked. He shook his head, and held up the ends of his belt.
"Shego melted it, and the belt." He mumbled something. She elbowed him. He grunted.
"What, I didn't hit you that hard." Kim asked. He chuckled.
"Cracked ribs." He answered, grimacing. She sighed.
"Come on, you big baby." She said, and started to walk.
"Where are you going?" He asked, puzzled.
"I saw a town while I was fighting Drakken." Kim pointed. "Not far that way." Adam sighed.
"If you say so." He shrugged, and limped after her. The only problem, he found, with Kim's leadership, was that she tended towards the direct approach. A mass of brambles provided an excellent demonstration of this.
"Wait here, I'll break a path." Kim said, and started ahead. Adam stared a moment, and turned to the left, and searched a little bit. He was waiting for Kim on the other side of the patch. "How did you get here ahead of me?" She snapped at him.
"Trail, about a dozen feet to the left." He pointed.
"Show me." She demanded, and he did. He pointed it out, when she couldn't see it.
"That's a trail?" She asked, more than a little disbelieving. He nodded.
"Obviously not." He muttered. She heard him, even though he hadn't intended her to.
"Obviously not what?" She asked, bristling. He stood.
"Not an outdoorsman. Hunter or Fisher." He said with a shrug.
"I don't kill." Kim growled.
"If you're a vegetarian, I quit." Adam snapped.
"I never said that." Kim replied.
"Then don't complain. I meant that a hunter, or fisher would have recognized that as a game trail. A hunter as a rabbit trail, and a fisherman as a game trail. Neither would have left a path of wanton destruction." He pointed at the trail she'd smashed through. She bristled again.
"Now just wait one minute." Kim snarled, sticking her finger in his face. He bit it. "Ow, what was that for?"
"I hate people that do that." He said, and turned around, and walked away. Kim flushed, and then charged after him.
"What is your problem?" She asked as she caught him. He was fast for having such a limp. She grabbed him by the shoulder.
"You." He snapped, and stomped ahead. She caught up to him again.
"What about me?" She said, stopping in front of him.
"You're bossy." He raised a hand, and began ticking things off on his fingers. "Snotty, pushy, snobby, irritating. Let's see. Critical, controlling, an overachiever. And I'm attracted to you, but there's to much between... Nevermind. It's bloody distracting. I'm being a good little soldier, but you know what?" He snapped.
"What?" Kim snarled.
"I'm going to kiss you." He said, and did. She was surprised at first, then started to step back. Unfortunately, the ground gave out from under her foot, and they began to slide down the hill. He let go as soon as she began to fall, but she was determined to take him down with her, and grabbed his jacket. He stumbled forwards, and fell. She heard him screaming something, that she didn't catch, and for the second time in as many days, the world went black.