Chapter Two
The acrid scent of smoke hung low within the cabin as Wheeler stirred, his head pounding heavily. He registered a sharp pain in his shoulder and he raised his hand, feeling the jagged edge of a piece of metal jutting out of his flesh.
Wheeler pressed his eyes closed, gripping the twisted metal between his fingers and gritting his teeth as he pulled it out. It clattered to the ground as he strove to get his breathing under control, the pain causing him to nearly pass out.
He dropped his hand again and groaned, now aware of the fact that he was hanging upside down. Wheeler begun fumbling with the harness buckle with his right hand and he gasped, a new wave of agony shooting through his fore-arm.
Oh shit. What the fuck?
Wheeler's right hand was useless. He was unable to even clench his fist or wriggle his fingers. His eyes widened as he gingerly ran his gaze over his injured forearm, able to see the lump forming through the swollen skin despite the hazy conditions inside the fuselage.
He switched hands, using his good arm to release the latch on the safety harness. After several moments he succeeded, falling to the ground with a loud crash. He lay there, stunned for a minute, before rolling onto his side and stumbling to his feet, clutching his suspected broken arm against his stomach.
Wheeler reached Ma-Ti first, checking for a pulse as he glanced around towards the others, worry etched on his face. Kwame was slumped against the controls but had begun to stir, much to the American's relief.
"Ma-Ti? Ma-Ti, can you hear me, man?"
No response came from the Native American. Wheeler coughed as the fumes became thicker. Aware that they were slowly suffocating, he gently pushed Ma-Ti upwards against the seat using his shoulder and unhooked his colleague's harness, catching Ma-Ti's weight awkwardly as he fell.
"Kwame," he called, noting the African was now swaying, holding one hand against the dashboard in order to brace himself and holding his head with the other. "Kwame, we gotta' get outta' here."
Wheeler wrapped his good arm around Ma-Ti's chest and pulled him upright, dragging him through the cabin. The American scrambled through the hole made by the missile, pulling Ma-Ti through and dragging him to the safety of the trees beyond.
He laid the unconscious man down on his side and returned to assist Kwame, whose head appeared briefly as he tossed the first aid kit out and disappeared again. He returned with Gi slumped over his shoulder and was attempting to pull their combined weight both out of the cabin. Wheeler hoisted Gi up and together they carried her limp body to lay beside Ma-Ti. Together, the two men slumped to the ground, regaining their breath.
"Where is Linka?" Kwame asked, gasping as his chest was suddenly racked with a severe coughing fit.
Wheeler shook his head, staring ahead at the smoldering wreckage before them. He closed his eyes and swallowed, his brain working hard to piece together the details in a coherent manner. His voice came out as a mere whisper.
"She went over the side." Wheeler dropped his head down to avoid Kwame's stunned expression, his chin resting against his chest as his body shuddered at the memory. "Happened so fast. Couldn't get to her."
"What? How…"
Wheeler shook his head, tears streaming down his cheeks as he wiped them away with the back of his hand, his injured arm hanging loosely beside him.
Kwame stared at the American, his mouth open and his eyes uncomprehending. He glanced back towards the others, still lying unconscious where they had been left. The African moved closer to the American, placing a comforting arm around Wheeler's trembling shoulders.
"All right," he said softly. "For all we know, Linka could have used her ring on the way down. Correct?"
Wheeler nodded. "Yeah," he said, rubbing his hand over his face.
"We have little to no chance of finding her ourselves until Ma-Ti wakes up. True?"
Wheeler looked away, shuddering. "Can't find her if she's dead, man."
Kwame shook his head. "No, my friend. Ma-Ti and I spoke about this at length last year. He has always felt that if one of us died, the connection would break completely and our rings would become obsolete. All or nothing."
To prove his point, Kwame pointed his ring towards the Geo-Cruiser.
"Earth." A hole opened up underneath and the vehicle was soon buried and hidden from sight, but still accessible through the hole in the floor. Kwame seemed to be concentrating harder than usual however, his brow beaded with sweat as he struggled to direct the ring to do his bidding.
Kwame glanced at Wheeler with his eyebrows raised.
"See? Still working." Kwame scratched his head in confusion, wiping blood away and staring at the sight of it on his fingers. "Not working very well, granted… but still working."
Wheeler nodded, staring out at the forest beyond. It was then that Kwame noticed the American's injuries. The African man gave a sharp intake of breath as he saw Wheeler's blood-stained shirt and misshapen arm, currently lying across his lap at an unnatural angle.
"My God, Wheeler! Why didn't you say anything?" Kwame gasped as he surveyed the damage, facing the dawning comprehension that his colleague was probably in shock. Kwame jumped to his feet and jogged towards the first aid kit, intent on binding his friend's wound and tending towards the suspected broken arm.
Kwame sunk back down beside him and begun fashioning a splint using a piece of bark from a nearby tree. "This will have to do, my friend," he muttered, but Wheeler barely heard him.
The American simply gazed ahead, his eyes unfocused and his teeth pressing upon his bottom lip. He inhaled sharply as Kwame tightened the splint, breaking him from his dazed state. He bandaged the wound on the American's collarbone quickly as his fingers became slippery with Wheeler's blood. Kwame sighed, wiping his hands on his trousers as he sat back to check his handiwork.
A low groan came from behind them and the men turned, noting that Gi had turned over onto her back, her hands pressed against her forehead and her knees drawn up. Kwame placed a hand on Wheeler's good shoulder and stood, trotting over to check on the Water Planeteer.
Gi had a suspected concussion, whiplash and some minor facial injuries, but she seemed to have escaped major damage. She had dragged herself towards Wheeler's hunched figure immediately, her eyes wild as she scanned the area for Linka's whereabouts but Kwame had stopped her before she could reach him.
The African spoke to her in hushed tones and she started to sob, her gaze spiraling upwards towards the blue sky.
"Oh God no," she whimpered as tears began to fall. Kwame took her hand and together they sat beside Wheeler, contemplating their next move.
"We need to finish the job," Kwame said softly, his arm wrapped protectively around Gi's shoulders. "I know we have other more pressing things on our minds, but there is another shipment of animals due to leave tonight."
"What, so we just leave her out there?" Wheeler's said, his voice coming out harsher than Kwame had expected. The African man raised his palms in a gesture of solidarity.
"No, my friend. Like I said before, we have a job to do. We have no chance of finding Linka without Ma-Ti. The three of us need to move on Plunder and Sludge now, otherwise this whole mission will be for nothing. Ma-Ti will find Linka when he wakes."
"What if he doesn't wake up?"
Kwame sighed, his shoulders slumping. "That is a chance we will have to take."
Wheeler clenched his jaw but said nothing and Kwame knew that his point had been accepted, albeit reluctantly.
Gi instinctively moved closer to the American, resting her head on his good shoulder.
"She'll be okay, Wheeler. Linka's the most resourceful one out of all of us. She's probably already over there hen-pecking Plunder and wondering where we are."
Wheeler glanced at her, a ghost of a smile pulling at the corner of his lips. Gi hugged him in return, careful not to knock him in any sore places.
"Are you all right?" she asked, taking note of the bruises and injuries littering his body. The American didn't look good. Considering they'd been sitting at the front, Gi and Kwame had come away with comparatively minor injuries.
"Yeah," he said, getting unsteadily to his feet and helping Gi up. "Feel like I've been hit by a truck."
"Do we have a plan?" Gi asked, rubbing her neck as she turned to Kwame. "Please tell me you have a plan."
"I reckon we head in there and blow shit up," Wheeler muttered. "Those fuckers fired a missile at us."
Kwame shook his head. "Gi, you need to get to a phone and call in the authorities. Police AND medical. You'll need to tell them that we have someone missing in the field."
Gi nodded, wrapping her arms around herself and shivering in spite of the oppressive heat.
"What direction?"
Kwame turned and pointed in the direction they had just came. "Head north. Contact the embassy. Just be careful, as we are deep within Tuareg country."
"Okay. What are you guys going to do?"
"Wheeler and I will try to locate the container and free the latest shipment of animals. We'll need to detain Plunder and Sludge until the authorities can get there. We'll leave a note with Ma-Ti explaining the situation, just in case he can't reach us. Ma-Ti will track down Linka as soon as he's able."
Kwame looked at Wheeler with his eyebrows raised. "Okay?"
The American nodded, heading towards the cabin of the Geo-Cruiser.
"All right, yeah." Wheeler slid down into the damaged plane, using his fire ring to light up the cabin. He chanced one more glance towards the area where the missing fifth seat was located; his heartbeat quickening as he forced himself to search for supplies to stuff into his backpack.
Wheeler was about to leave when his ring picked up a glint of metal, lying among the glass and rubble strewn across the floor. He squatted down and picked up a dainty silver bracelet adorned with various charms.
The American recognized it immediately as belonging to Linka. He held it up to his eyes; sorrow furrowing his brow as he noticed the broken link in the chain, most likely torn during her struggle to stay inside the aircraft.
It had been a present from her nona for her 21st birthday, having once belonged to Linka's mother. Wheeler held his ring up to it, noting the dainty charms attached; a babushka doll, a figurine of the Kremlin, a bird, a musical note.
He exhaled as he noted the length of the chain, and the thin, delicate wrist that it was designed to fit. Tears started to fall again and he angrily brushed them aside, chastising himself as the brief image of that perfect wrist haunted him; potentially lying bruised or broken somewhere out of his reach.
Wheeler slipped the chain into his pocket and hoisted the backpack over his shoulder as he climbed out of the fuselage. He looked around, watching on as Gi and Kwame moved Ma-Ti into a make-shift shelter away from the ruins of the buried Geo-cruiser. They had tended to his wounds and attached a note to his wrist; bound with a bandage from the first aid kit.
Wake up soon, little buddy.
The three stood in the clearing, tiredness and pain punctuating the tense atmosphere as they contemplated their mission.
"Okay," Wheeler said, trudging in the direction of the airfield with the others close behind him. "Let's get this party started."
Thank you to the delightful Frankie A, Miss Mango, Becks 7 and my ever-present guest reviewer for their reviews on Chapter One :-)
Hope you like it guys! Please read and review, I love reading your thoughts :-)