Hey guys.....Thanks to my lovely regulars who keep reviewing! It's much appreciated. The longest chapter so far, I was on a roll and worked on it until midnight on a school night! I was a little crabby with the kids the following day............

The Tunnel

Chapter Five

"God-dammit, Gi! Would ya' slow down?" Wheeler complained as Gi sped over the third pot-hole within the space of 5 minutes. Ignoring him, she continued her break-neck speed along the gravel road, oblivious to the fact that her passengers were being thrown around violently in the back seat. Wheeler was unsucessfully attempting to keep an unconscious Mishka immobile and to process the new information Gi was relaying to him. So far, the American had pieced together a little of what had happened to the others. The remaining Planeteers had touched down in an isolated area not far from their current position. Gi had exited the Geo Cruiser with the others with the belief that they had been summoned due to severe logging and de-forestation. Upon inspecting the heavily-wooded grounds, the group had been momentarily confused.....

"There's no evidence to suggest illegal logging...." Kwame had commented quietly, after surveying the area with a deep frown etched into his forehead.

"Maybe Gaia made a mistake?" suggested Ma-Ti, feeling slightly perturbed. It wasn't like Gaia to get her wires crossed. "Wait a minute..... we're near Linka's house, aren't we!"

"Oh, to hell with it. Let's go and surprise her! There's nothing here to take care off, anyway." Gi said excitedly, grinning hopefully at Kwame.

The African man shrugged his shoulders and nodded, taking one last look around before moving back towards their transport. "Where is Cheyla?" Kwame asked over his shoulder, receiving an unflattering and unsavoury response from Gi. Chuckling at Gi's intense dislike for the new girl, Kwame entered the vehicle and turned the appropriate switches, before it made several spluttering noises and fell silent once again.

"Now what?" Gi complained loudly, moving to the front and lifting the engine hood. Annoyance turned to shock as she called Kwame over. The two Planeteers stared at the mangled parts and broken hoses, lost for words. "How did this...? When did it...? How...?" Kwame wondered aloud, unable to finish his sentences.

"Cheyla..." Gi seethed angrily. "What I wouldn't give to smash that pointy little face of ...."

"There are people coming!" Ma-Ti interrupted urgently. Urging them to be silent, he called upon the power of 'heart'.

"Gaia is gone......Linka is nearby....she is frightened.....in pain.....I see darkness around her.......under the surface........we must find Whee...."

Ma-Ti's vision was cut short by a low whistling sound that punctuated the air. Turning his head in surprise, he was struck on the cheek by a fist-sized rock and slumped to the ground, unconscious. Gi and Kwame moved instinctively together, searching blindly for their attackers as more rocks were hurled from all directions. Spotting a poorly hidden man in a red shirt through the trees, Kwame seized his chance. "Earth!" He commanded, returning a massive amount of rocks, dirt and grass towards the unprepared individual. Gi felt utterly helpless: there was no water within her sight to manipulate. As they dodged another barrage of rocks, Kwame must have realised her dilemma as well.

"Run!" He hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "I'll keep them occupied. Try and find Wheeler!" Pointing his ring at the ground, he bellowed "EARTH!" once more, before pushing Gi in the direction of the earthquake he had created.

Running at full pelt, she dodged the fallen men who had been thrown several metres at the force of the tremors. One grabbed at her ankle as she passed, causing her to stumble. Kicking out, she felt the connection, before tearing through the forest, cursing at having to leave her friends behind. Weaving through the twisted limbs, a clearing became visable through the dense foliage. Slowing down to a jog, she observed an old, early model car with the engine running. Sighting a figure approaching, Gi darted behind a tree as a woman hurried towards the driver's side door. Throwing her handbag onto the back seat, the woman stopped and listened intently to the yells eminating from the direction Gi had escaped from. Smiling, Cheyla grabbed her cell phone and made a quick phone call.

"Yes, darling, It's done.Yes, I have the 'Wind' ring. The American is still a threat, though......no, I'll take care of him myself."

"Like hell you will!" Gi muttered after the call had ended. Sensing her chance, she pointed her ring towards the car radiator.

"WATER!"

Green liquid suddenly shot out and hit the startled woman in the face, along with the radiator cap that had been dislodged in the process. Gasping and spluttering, Cheyla turned and swung, but Gi was too quick for her. The Planeteer ran forward and tackled her violently to the ground. Muttering loudly to herself, Gi forced her into the back seat and bound Cheyla's hands and legs, before hopping into the driver's seat and heading to the only place she could think of: Linka's house.

Jumping behind the wheel (despite Gi's protestations), Wheeler waited until the nurses had wheeled Mishka into the emergency room before he drove away. Finding the old access road had been a breeze: too easy, Gi had commented as they spent the next 45 minutes winding their way over hazardous terrain. "A 4WD would be good right about now!" Wheeler had said in an effort to lighten up the sombre mood. The car spluttered and heaved its way over steep inclines, rocky ditches and areas with water over the road.

"Is it my imagination, or are we getting higher? Gi inquired, adjusting to the pressure building up in her ears.

"That doesn't make any sense: Gaia said this Ba'ra dude needed to be closer to the Earths... SHIT!" Wheeler exclaimed loudly, quickly applying the brakes and throwing his arm across Gi's chest to prevent her from hitting the dashboard. While Wheeler caught his breath, Gi peered through the front windshield. They had stopped just in time: the road had ended in a 100 metre drop!

Below was a hive of activity: hundreds of little people were scurrying around like ants in what looked like a massive, hollow crater. Trucks, pulleys and other various machinery could be seen, as well as a large hole to the bottom left of where they were standing, obviously the entrance to the mine. Moving the car to a less visible spot, the Planeteers jumped out and crept to the rim, watching the happenings below for several minutes.

"How the hell do we get down there?" Wheeler whispered to Gi. "Any ideas, brainiac?" Gi shook her head morosely, worrying about her three missing companions.

"Are you working, my friends, or relaxing on the job?" asked a third, deep voice who proceeded to thump Wheeler on the back affectionately. Spinning around wildly, Wheeler nearly toppled over the cliff, saved only by Kwame's quick reflexes. The African man grabbed his collar and wrenched him back to safety, as Gi threw her arms around Kwame's shoulders, relieved that he had escaped in one piece.

"Don't do that, man.... you scared the living shit out of us! Where's Ma-Ti?" Wheeler asked, still looking pale and shaken from the experience.

"I could not help Ma-Ti. I had to leave him there. Linka?"

"They got to her as soon as she arrived home, I'm guessing"

"Well, let's go find our friends, shall we?"

Linka meanwhile, had been roused from a troubled sleep by the sound of a familiar voice. William had been sitting and watching her intently for about half an hour and had also heard the shouting. Feigning sleep, she listened to the man rise from his chair and exit the room.

Getting up from the small, single bed, she crept cautiously to the arch and listened through the curtain, certain that she had heard Ma-Ti's voice. Moving the material slightly, she peered out at the huge, domed space and gasped as she watched Ma-Ti being dragged into one of the endless tunnels adjoining the area. William was barking out orders to the same heavily muscled man she had seen before. Moving the fabric further for a closer inspection, an ugly, smiling, toothless face suddenly replaced the view. Stumbling backwards in shock, Linka barely had time to register who the familiar, unwelcome face was.

"Oh, lookee' ere! You Planet brats turn up in the weirdest of places!" Rigger exclaimed, entering the room and grabbing her arm as she attempted to move away. Before he could say anything else, William had swiftly re-entered the room and grabbed Looten Plunder's right hand man by the neck and hurled him outside. "Aw right, aw right...." Rigger muttered, moving off with his proverbial tail between his legs.

Linka stood her ground, glaring defiantly at her captor as he approached and now wishing that Rigger had stayed behind. Face to face, noses almost touching, William reached out and snaked his arm around her waist, pulling her closer. With his free hand, he trailed his fingertips down Linka's throat towards her chest. Gathering whatever reserves of strength she had left, she pushed him away and looked directly into his eyes:

"Touch me again and I'll make sure you never experience fatherhood, creep......"

After he had left (swearing angrily), she sat down on the edge of the bed and smiled for the first time since her capture. Feeling utterly relieved, she had both managed to fend off his advances and seen proof that at least one of her friends was indeed alive: Plunder had been wrong! Her heart sung with excitement as she hopefully contemplated a potential rescue. Sitting back, she listened to the sounds of drilling and grinding coming from outside her room, and whether Wheeler was nearby..............

Next Chapters: What's William up to? Where is Ba'ra? Gi and Kwame take an unsuccessful detour, Ma-Ti meets some inmates and Wheeler reluctantly runs afoul of the muscle man.....