Hey everybody! Hope you all had a good Christmas and New Year. Thanks for the continuing reviews, I can't believe I'm past fifty! Keep going, by all means. I'm formulating a one shot fic in the near future as well, so I'll keep you updated. A big hello to everyone on the CPC for their feedback.

The Tunnel

Chapter Eight

"I'm not going in there." Plunder Jr stated firmly, with a small amount of fear thrown in for good measure. Backing away from the door, William shook his head hesitantly, unwilling to follow his father into Ba'ra's lair.

"Well, someone's going in with me! I'm not taking the blame for this mess, if you hadn't insisted on grabbing 'blondie' in the first place, those Planet-Weasels wouldn't be prowling around down here...." Plunder Senior was towering over his son now, cursing the moment he'd allowed the boy to join his scheme. Everything had been going so well..........the alterations to the old mine had been secretly going on now for 18 months, Gaia was gone and the weapon everyone had been unsuccessfully trying to get a glimpse of, was apparently ready to use.

The arguing intensified until the two men came to blows, each furious with the other's failings. William had little respect left for his father, barely having known him until recently. Besides, it was his mother who had contacted the busy entrepreneur, manipulating Looten into accepting the kid into an 'apprentice' of sorts. Manipulation was one of his mother's many talents, as well as wrapping men around her little finger. This was how William had came into this existence. His scientist mother had been looking into purchasing a complex computer system, and had used her charms to gain the money from Plunder. Describing the experience as the "best two and a half minutes of my life", Barbara Blight had bought 'MAL' and returned to her laboratory alone and pregnant. Nine months later, she gave birth and raised William on her own until the age of 12, when she shipped him off to boarding school. An explosion in her lab followed these events, leaving her face horribly disfigured on one side and "slightly mentally unhinged".

William was by now gripped in a fierce headlock and turning red. Argos Bleak had by now arrived, chuckling in amusement and leaning casually against a support beam. His grin soon turned sour as two women entered the area, one striding purposefully towards Plunder, the other younger woman trailing behind with her eyes downcast.

Father and son froze as all eyes were drawn to the blonde woman in the pink jumpsuit, shoving various henchmen out of her way. Grabbing the elder by his collar, she dragged him upright. "Do I have to take care of everything myself, Plunder-Baby? Let go of your son, he's having a coronary. BLEAK! COME HERE, NOW!" Striding purposefully into Ba'ra's cave, Dr Blight dragged Plunder in by his ear, followed hesitantly by Bleak, knowing that the final set of instructions were about to be discovered.

Muttering angrily at being made a fool of, William turned and flounced out of the room, ignoring the beady, taunting stares of the remaining henchmen. "A few words, please...." The man hissed at the other woman waiting patiently where Blight had left her. Sighing, Cheyla followed closely, resigning herself to the dressing down she was about to get.
Barely able to keep his head above the surface, Wheeler found himself thrown violently against the chamber walls by the torrent of water carrying him and his friends further downwards. Likening the sensation to that of a washing machine, the group were constantly battered by jagged outcrops of rocks and further inconvenienced by the fact that they couldn't see the oncoming obstructions.

Somewhere ahead, Wheeler could hear Gi and Ma-Ti cursing in pain as they made contact with the sharp corners, their voices echoing amongst the other cries. Relying on one of the only senses still functioning properly, the American listened intently over the swell for any sign of Linka, receiving no clue to her progress. Shouting her name, he was still unable to hear a response as a loud churning noise replaced the steady swishing that had until then, assaulted his ears. A whining panic began to build as Wheeler kicked out with his legs, descending more rapidly than before in an effort to find his friend. A piercing scream faded to nothingness as Wheeler realised Gi must have found the end of the tunnel.

Swimming faster, his outstretched hand made contact with fine strands of hair. Gathering the last of his strength, Wheeler lurched forward and grabbed her with his good arm, holding her securely against him above the flow of water. Gasping for breath, Linka coughed up the murky water that had filled her lungs as they were swept towards a dim light rapidly approaching them. The roar of water now overwhelmed them as Wheeler realised they were about to go over a man made waterfall.

"TAKE A DEEP BREATH, BABE: WE'RE IN FOR A BIG DROP!" he bellowed over the noise, feeling her shudder against him in fear. With no time to offer words of comfort, they were both sent sprawling over the edge, plummeting helplessly into the hidden depths below.

"Ow." Gi complained, crawling towards the shallow embankment and collapsing on her back in the water, gingerly touching a fresh wound on her forehead.

"Oh God, let's never speak of this again....." She commented to an exhausted Ma-Ti who had dragged himself up next to her. Looking around, she noticed an assortment of similarly disorientated workers, as well as the odd henchman dragging themselves from the underground dam and nursing their injuries.

"I'm glad I left Sutchi at home: he hates the water." Ma-Ti chuckled softly, before choking and throwing up a mass of brown liquid. Nodding in agreement, Gi watched as two familiar figures appeared together at the edge, before dropping heavily into the water. Nudging her friend, Gi stood and dove back into the depths as Wheeler bobbed back up to the surface, once again maintaining his secure grip around Linka's neck. With Gi's assistance they dragged Linka to the shore, the water gently lapping at their toes as they fell down on either side of her.

"She's turning blue, guys!" Gi exclaimed worriedly as Wheeler pulled her upright until she was sitting on his lap. His injured arm around her waist, he leaned her forward and gave her several hard thumps on her back. This method seemed to have the desired effect, as she lurched violently and threw up the water that had again been obstructing her breathing.

Sighing deeply, Gi and Ma-Ti plopped back down to the ground and resumed catching their breath (and sanity) as a couple of the other survivors explored the cavern for a means of escape.

"See what happens when you try to leave, Linka? All hell breaks loose." Wheeler commented quietly in her ear, delighting in the wistful smile that appeared briefly on her lips. Shuddering slightly, she closed her eyes and leaned back, resting the back of her head on his shoulder. At peace for the first time in what seemed an eternity, Wheeler placed his other arm around her and hugged her deeply, burying his face in her neck.

After several moments, Wheeler felt a soft tapping on his shoulder. Tilting his head, he came face to face with Ma-Ti's worried expression, beckoning for him to follow. Disentangling his arms, Wheeler gently lowered Linka's sleeping form to the sand where she maintained a foetal position: still shivering, even though the air and water was humid by comparison. Barely aware that his hand was aching with greater intensity, he followed Ma-Ti to the edge of the cavern, where Gi was also waiting.

"There's no way out! Nothing, just walls of rock! What are we going to do?" Her voice rising slightly, Gi nonetheless maintained her calm composure, something that Wheeler had always admired about her.

"We could use Kwame right about now." Wheeler stated sarcastically, glancing back at Linka's form, her body still racked with tremors. A scream jolted them from their thoughts as the American swiveled around quickly, ring raised and ready. The threat was minimal, however. A woman had obviously lost control of her senses and was wailing hysterically, fending off those who had gone to comfort her. Shaking his head in sorrow, Ma-Ti went to offer assistance: even without his heart ring, he was very attune to peoples emotions. Turning back, he noticed Gi observing Linka, a worried frown etched on her forehead.

"She's not well, is she?" Wheeler asked, looking in the same direction. Biting her lip, Gi shook her head. "She's been down here longer than us. Could be the flu or something. This much exposure to water and the humidity of the mine.....I say we get an hour or so rest, then figure out what to do before more people start losing it."

Feeling exhausted and out of ideas, Wheeler agreed and returned to Linka, leaving Gi to ponder the situation alone. With the hysterical woman's cries still assaulting everyone's ears, he settled himself down behind the shuddering girl and wrapped his arms around her, moving as close as was humanly possible. Moving upward, he settled his chin against the top of her head and lay quietly, listening to her irregular breathing. The tremors began to subside as Wheeler affectionately brushed stray clumps of hair that had become plastered to the side of her face. Sighing softly, she surprised him by turning around and snuggling into his chest, her arm resting on his hip.

"Where are we?" She asked in a muffled voice.

"Dunno', babe. Underground reservoir of some kind, maybe. Little Mermaid's trying to work something out. You feelin' OK?"

"Nyet, my head hurts."

Drawing back, he took her face in his hands and studied her puffy, dark eyes and pale skin. "I'm sorry I didn't say goodbye to you, Linka. You know how I am with that sort of stuff......."

Smiling shyly, she broke the eye contact once she realised his hand was injured. "Does it hurt?"

"Shit, yeah! Well and truly pulverized." He replied, wincing as she retrieved her hand from his hip and touched a cut on his forehead.

Silence pervaded for several moments as they contemplated their situation. Linka opened her mouth to say something, then stopped, overwhelmed by both the previous chain of events and the close proximity to the man who she knew had saved her with complete disregard for his own safety. This was simply part of Wheeler's nature and personality, influenced heavily by the fact he had a massive crush on her (something she was fully aware of, too).

"Oh, shit! I forgot, we found Mishka and your Grandmother, they're fine!" Relief poured through her as she hugged him tightly.

"I thought Mishka was dead: I fell over his body when I arrived home....." She listened intently as he relayed the story of how they had came to be here. Silently contemplating the new information, she raised her head and met his concerned gaze.

"Do you now understand why I wanted to leave, Wheeler? We are getting too old for this. I want to have a normal life, maybe raise a family in the future. I don't want to die down here. My father lived his life in the mines, working 18 hour days to support my family. Look where it got him! He died of cancer at 50 years of age. I do not want to suffer a similar fate knowing I could have prevented it. N'yet, I will not repeat his mistakes."

Nodding, Wheeler pulled her into his embrace once again and kissed the top of her head, determined to get her out at all costs. As his eyes closed involuntarily, he briefly felt a soft vibration through the dark sand, followed by a low roar. Dismissing it as nothing, he drifted off to sleep with troubled, worrying thoughts plaguing his restless dreams.

OK, I was gunna go further, but It's midnight again, and I've been typing now for seven hours straight. Must sleep......

Next chapters: Ba'ra unveils his weapon, William aspires to be a naughty Planeteer (with the aid of Linka's ring), Gi unleashes more cans of 'whip-ass' on the delightful Cheyla, and Kwame makes a grand entrance. Please keep continuing with the reviews!

I'll be on holidays for the next week and a half, so I'll hopefully post the next chapter sometime after that.

Cheers, guys! Luv Sarah.