Hey everyone, hope you enjoy this chapter. Sorry that there aren't any breaks, but wasn't letting me do them. I kept getting a script error for some reason. If anyone had any idea as to why this is happening, let me know, I sure could use the help figuring out what's wrong.
>
"Wes!!" yelled Eric as he ran out the door. "Wes! Hey, will you wait up a minute?" Eric grabbed Wes by the shoulder, pulling him away from getting on the motorcycle.
"What do you want?" yelled Wes, facing Eric, anger in his eyes.
"What the hell was all that?" asked Eric, implying what had gone on between him and Alex.
"It was nothing!"
Eric crossed his arms against his chest. "Nothing my ass! Did you even see how upset she was?" Referring to how Jen had taken to the whole blowout between Wes and Alex.
Wes sighed, taking a deep breath. "Look, just get off my back, Eric. I don't need this right now." Wes stepped away from Eric and got on his motorcycle, putting his helmet on.
"Where are you going?"
"Does it matter?"
Before Eric could even respond Wes drove off. Eric shook his head sighing, as he headed back into the house. He found Alex standing in front of the door.
"I hope he does a better job with his behavior on the battlefield, than he does…"
Eric grabbed Alex by the throat. "You won't finish that sentence if you know what's good for you." The two stared grimly at each other for a brief moment until Eric released Alex from his grasp.
"You can't protect him forever, Eric," called out Alex, as he watched Eric move past him. Eric stopped for a moment as if he had something to say. But what could he say? A part of him knew that Alex was right. He couldn't protect Wes, not any more then he could tell Wes what to do. "You know I'm right about this."
>
Tommy stood next to a young man, in his early thirties. "Anton Mercer, I'd like you to meet Tommy Oliver. He's the young man I told you about."
Anton Mercer walked up to the two. "Oh yes, the one who knows it all."
Tommy chuckled. "I wouldn't say that."
"Well, either way, I am very interested in what you know about these gems. They are unlike anything I have ever seen before." Tommy nodded his head. "Shall we?" Mercer lead the way, as Tommy and the other man followed him.
It was barely into the evening, but Tommy had found himself slowly drifting off into a deep sleep.
"You're doing it wrong," laughed a man. He got down on his knees next to Tommy who was trying to brush away the dirt from the fossil.
Tommy laughed. "Think you can do any better?"
The man took the brush from Tommy's hand and began to brush away the dirt and debris from the fossil. "Nice and easy strokes." After a few moments Smitty handed back the brush to Tommy. "Now you try."
Tommy began to brush gently, swipes brushing away the dirt from the fossil. "I think you got it, kid." Smitty looked over his shoulder. "Hey Anton, looks like we'll make a scientist out of him yet."
Tommy tossed and turned in his sleep. Sweat covered his face. He was muttering something in his sleep.
Anton and Tommy were walking around the dig site. Anton had his arm around Tommy's shoulder, talking to him quietly.
Tommy looked at Anton, surprised and shocked. "Are you sure? I mean, Smitty knows more about this stuff than I do."
"That may be true, but you have more knowledge about these gems than he and I put together do. I need you, Tommy. I want you to step up and become my partner, we'll do great things together, to better mankind." Anton stopped and faced Tommy, holding out his hand. "What do you say, partner?"
Tommy seemed hesitant for a moment, then making a quick decision he held out his hand and shook Anton's.
Behind some large rocks, Smitty had watched the whole thing. His eyes filled with envy and jealousy.
Tommy turned over to his side. He flung his arms out and knocked a framed picture down to the ground.
"It wasn't my idea Smity, you have to understand I never had any intention of taking your spot," said Tommy.
"You still accepted his offer. My offer! After everything I've done for you, this is how you repay me, by taking my spot on the team!" yelled Smitty; anger burned in his eyes as they filled with envy.
Tommy sighed heavily. "Look, I'm sorry, but there's something about those gems..."
Tommy was cut off by Smitty. "The gems again! More secrets." Smitty got right into Tommy's face and pointed his finger directly at him. "Just remember it was me who had convinced Mercer to let you join this expedition! If it weren't for me you wouldn't even be here! Remember that when your big paycheck comes in!"
Tommy soon came out of the dream. He woke up with his face covered in sweat and heart racing. He sat up and flung his legs over the edge of the bed. "Ahh!" Tommy felt something sharp cut his foot. He moved his leg up and pulled out the piece of glass from his foot. He then looked down and saw which picture he had knocked down. He reached down and picked the picture up. It was a picture of Anton, Smitty and himself. It had been taken a few weeks after Tommy had joined up with Anton, before his friendship with Smitty went down the drain.
Tommy sighed heavily as he set the photo face down on his desk. A look of guilt and regret covered his face. "Smitty..."
>
Eric knocked onto the bedroom door. "Who is it!" he heard Jen yell.
"It's me, Eric," he responded softly. She probably had thought he was either Alex or Wes.
"Oh," she answered back, softer this time, probably relieved that it was him and not one of the others.
"Can I come in?"
"Yeah, sure."
Eric slowly opened the door and closed it behind him. He walked up to Jen who was sitting down on her bed. Her eyes were red and puffy. "I thought you might be hungry; you didn't come down to dinner," He handed her a plate with a sandwich on it and then held out a soda to her.
"Thanks." Jen took the food and set it down on the desk next to the bed.
Eric stood there for a moment feeling slightly uncomfortable. He wanted to say something, but he didn't know what to say. It wasn't like he had ever dealt with anything like this, not to mention he hardly knew Jen. But he had to say something. "You okay?"
"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "I just wish they would get along." She looked to Eric. "Is that too much to ask?"
Making a quick decision, Eric sat down next to her. "I don't know what to tell you. I don't know Alex." He paused for a moment. "But I do know Wes." Eric paused once again, wondering if he should even get involved with this. "Things actually haven't been easy for Wes lately. He's been through a lot."
Jen looked at Eric, concerned. "What do you mean? Is there something wrong with him?"
Eric hesitated for a moment. What he would say next could do more damage than good. Not to mention the fact that Wes would probably kill him for telling Jen. But he felt that Jen should know, maybe it would help for her to understand why Wes had been acting the way he was. "He was engaged, Jen, to a girl named Lisa."
Jen's eyes widened. Wes engaged? "Engaged? Are they going to get married?"
Eric sighed and shook his head. "A few days before they were going to get married Wes called it off."
"Why?" asked Jen. Why would he call something like that off? The chance to have a life, have someone to spend it with. She would give anything to be able to do that.
Eric turned away from her. How could he tell her that she was the reason? That Wes still wasn't over her. That he would never be over her.
Jen put her head down, sighing. Eric's silence answered it all. He still loved her. "Oh..." But there could never be anything between them, no matter how badly they both wanted it. It just would never work. Love just wasn't enough for them to have what they wanted.
>
A dark black figure threw an ax. The ax went flying towards the cave wall piercing a large photo nailed to the cave's wall. It was a picture of Tommy. The dark figure walked right up to it and laughed evilly as he pulled his ax free.
"Your time is coming, Tommy Oliver, soon you will be defeated and you will pay for the hell you have put me through! I will have my revenge!"