Chapter 8. Survivors or no survivors?
Disclaimer: Sorry,it took me quite long to write this! There's not any violence or torture in this part though. (But you know,the story's rated PG13.)What I must say again is, that only the non - Roughnecks characters belong to me. And now on with the story!
Johnny Rico and his team entered the ruins of the Cassiopeia Outpost. The mess hall was empty, but there were several things on the floor.
Goss lit his lamp on his helmet and lent down to take a closer look at some stuff in his way.
"Rico, take a look at this! It looks like Jenkins' writing on this map."
"Yep, it's his. And look at those stuff. There must be some survivors."
"It seems, somebody was sleeping here." – said Dizzy.
Just then Rico heard Colonel Christalis' voice on his comm.
"Lt. Rico, Lt. Rico! This is Col. Christalis, Armstrong Base. Do you copy?"
"Roger, here's Lt. Rico."
"Where are you?"
"At Cassiopeia."
"Anything?"
"Looks like there are some survivors left. But they aren't here."
"Then where are they?"
"I don't know Ma'am."
"Any signs of Lt. Jenkins?" Rico clunched his teeth. He now understood that only Carl was important out of the survivors. It's inhuman. – he thought. Christalis, who was psy too, cruelly grinned to herself when she picked up Johnny's thought.
"Lt. Rico? Do you copy?"
"Roger Colonel."
"I had a question Lt. Any sign of that second class psychic?"
"I don't know who you're referring to."
"Don't try to fool me Rico. Of course you know who I'm talking about. Your friend, Carl."
"He's not here."
"Not there? Where is he then?"
"Like I said I don't know where those survivors are, but one thing's certain, there are survivors Colonel. We've found a piece of a map with Jenkins' writing on it."
"Good. You need to return here ASAP!"
"But Ma'am, shouldn't we wait for the survivors?"
"Return to Armstrong ASAP! That's an order Lt.! Over and out!"
"Yes Ma'am! Over and out!"
Rico turned around but avoided looking at the faces of his men.
"I'm sure you've heard the Colonel. Let's fall back Roughnecks!"
As they were leaving the mess hall, Dizzy scratched the word Rico in the wall with her field knife.
Just as the Roughnecks left the area the survivors returned to the Cassiopeia.
They didn't have much time.
Sparco sealed the tunnel and turned on another oxygen tank.
"One tank of oxygen left." – he sighted as he put down his helmet.
Meanwhile Helen created a strecher out of a table, which she, with Amy's help, pulled to the end of the room. Peterson and Lt. Twynce layed the unconcious Jenkins on it. Amy took down his helmet and ran her fingers softly through Carl's almost – colourless blonde hair. But the young psychic didn't open his pale blue eyes.
"Carl? Please wake up!" – Amy pleaded him.
"He won't! He's not here." – Helen said rather roughly, taking down the right – hand piece of Jenkins' suit.
"What d'ya mean he's not here? I see him, you see him! What are you talking about?" – Amy shouted.
"Shh! Don't make such a fuss! He's body is here, but his mind is elsewhere."
"Where?" - asked Amy. Tears started to blur her view.
"I don't know. And I don't have the abilities to figure it out. But we must hurry, if we want to see him concious again. Look at that hand wound!"
Amy looked down to Carl's hand: it was an open bloody mess.
"I must give him as much blood as possible, though most of the plasma was in THERE" – she referred to the now tunnelled part of the base.
"Let's see. He has A + type blood." – she started to search for some plasma of the same type in her medical equipment. – "Would you seal that wound with this. Be very careful, though his hand isn't broken!"
Amy carfully bandaged Carl's right hand while Helen got an IV going in his other hand. Amy could see several scars of previous IV's round Carl's vein. Amy wondered about how those wounds got there. He must have been to hospital. – Bredston thought.
She finished her job and gently placed Carl's wounded hand on his chest. The young psychic still didn't move.
"What know?" – Bredston asked.
"This is the best I can do. I have another bag of plasma and that's all. Let's hope he returns soon."
Amy sighted heavily. A teardrop ran down her face.
"Get some sleep Private! I stay here. When you wake up, we change shift, OK?"
"OK."
Helen followed Bredston with her eyes.
Come back to us Carl! Please! If not for all of us but for Amy! She loves you so!
Armstrong Base:
"This map with his writing is all we have Sky Marshall." – Christalis reported to the elderly man on the screen of the videophone.
"That doesn't prove anything. I'm sorry Colonel, but I'll order the Fleet to wipe the area of Cassiopeia off the Moon's surface."
"Oh-oh guys. Looks like we must figure out how to save Carl and the others." - Rico said as he turned away from the window which opened to the comm. room.
"But Rico, how d'ya know they're alive?"
"I can't give a clear explanation T'phai, I just FEEL like it."
This seemed to be enough for the others.Somehow they all believed that there are survivors who must be saved before it's too late.The Roughnecks soon agreed to plan a rule-braking rescue mission through the comm. tunnels.
They met up at the opening of the tunnel at 2310.
