Kohut informed the patrol of the situation. The on-duty soldiers would search the perimeter of the base while Kohut and Felix took to the air in a shuttle to scout out the outer reigns. Only one soldier had spotted her on her cruiser, but it wasn't unusual to for Sarge to fly around and Green thought nothing of it.
Tamora was out there somewhere in Hero's Duty. The worst case scenarios plagued Felix has he and Kohut shot off into the barren terrain. What if Tamora was hurt badly enough to not be able to return back to base? He imagined her trapped hidden in a hole somewhere eluding a cy-bug attack. She only carried a small pistol on her belt and a knife strapped to her leg when wearing civvies. Not a very helpful arsenal of weapons when fighting an onslaught of cy-bugs.
Felix never doubted his wife's ability to take on whatever the program flung at her. Tamora wasn't just a tough cookie; she was one of those cookies you bit into and almost chip a tooth on. She had to be okay.
The skin on her hands was rubbing thin, and the ground was somehow growing harder every time she fell. Tamora growled, beyond frustrated that she couldn't make the climb. Cy-Brad must have created this prison especially for just this purpose.
She sat back against the rocky wall, carefully leaning her aching head back. Cy-Brad would return at any moment. He wanted her to be his again, to possibly start off where his terrible fate had left them. She could only speculate the plans he had in store for her. She shivered at the thought that he could somehow turn her into a cy-bug, and hoped that that notion was impossible to achieve.
Tamora's thumb brushed across her bare ring finger, a habit she'd acquired since her and Felix's wedding day. A tight knot clinched in her stomach at the feel of bare skin. Out of all her possessions that ring meant the most to her. It wasn't just a band of gold; it was the physical representation of her love and commitment to her husband and losing it burned her inside.
She breathed in deep, and pushed off the wall to stand. Gazing up at the impossible climb, she set her jaw in determination.
Securing her right foot on a jetted rock, she hoisted herself up, her fingers grasping the opening of a hole in the wall. She continued to climb this way until the wall began to curve in. This was the spot where she would fall. Either her foot or hand would slip, and down she'd go.
Holding on as well as her sore fingers could, her legs dangled for a moment before she found her footing again. Another few feet and she'd make it to the top. She carefully crawled along the jagged wall, the closest she'd made it to escaping so far. She gripped the rocks so hard her fingers were beginning to numb. Just one more hoist up and she'd-
A small yelp escaped her throat before she could stop herself from making anymore sounds. Her foot slipped and she was dangling in the air. If she tried to swing her legs to catch the wall, she'd surely slip off. At this far up, she would most likely die or injuried badly.
Tamora's breath hitched as her muscles began to spasm. She was too close to give up now! She had to fight through the pain.
She steeled herself as her right hand released the grip on wall. Her fingers caught the edge of the opening, and with ragged breath, her other hands caught the edge as well. Her whole body felt as if it weighted the same as Ralph's massive body, her booted feet like bricks pulling her down.
Her arm muscles screamed death as she strained over the last hurtle. Inch by inch she slithered until her waist was equal with the opening's edge. With one more pulled, her legs made it over the side and Tamora collapsed onto her back.
Stars streaked behind the lids of her eyes as she recovered from the exhausting task. Every part of her hurt like hell, but Tamora knew she had to make haste before the creature that was her former fiancée returned or the excruciating effort would be in vain.
She shakily pushed off the ground to her feet, and examined at her surroundings. The hole she'd been held in was in the middle of a three-way tunnel. Skylight openings in the ceiling were scattered down every hole, casting a greenish filter on the tunnels' floor.
Tamora had no idea if there was even a way to escape from the underground lair, but she'd search every crevice of the tunnels until she found a way out. Looking straight ahead, she decided to move forward down the pathway directing in front of her prison.
Attentive to her surroundings and the any noises that would alert her of Cy-Brad's return, Tamora ventured forward. She'd trekked several yards before a tiny glimmer underneath a skylight caught her eye. She knelt down, her finger scooping up the object and it slid down to rest on her finger's knuckle.
Tamora's breath caught, her heart kicking up in her chest. Sitting on her finger was a ring – her wedding ring. She quickly brushed off any dirt and restored it to its rightful place. Relieved tears pricked at the corner of her eyes as she looked at it, the pad of her thumb rubbing across it – the feel of it soothing.
The weight of her exhaustion seemed lighter now, and Tamora trudged on driven to find her way home.