Hey guys! Hope you enjoy this chapter! After the light and airy cuteness of my last fic, this story is going to be a bit of a departure from that. I'm going for dark and suspenseful. This chapter contains violence and adult themes.

Guide You Home

Chapter Three

The flies were horrendous. Between the oppressive heat and the insects, they were proving to be an almost welcome distraction against the turbulent thoughts circulating through Wheeler's head.

He swatted at another black mass buzzing around his face, cursing at their persistent nature.

Behind him, Kwame had stopped; doubling over as yet another coughing fit took over his body.

Wheeler halted and turned, observing his friend's hunched over form; his hands on his knees in an effort to regain his composure. Kwame met the American's worried glance and shook his head, beads of sweat dripping down his forehead.

"Sorry," he gasped, holding out his hand and gripping Wheeler's shoulder as he pulled himself upright. "I need to rest."

Wheeler nodded, leaning against a tree as Kwame dropped himself down to the ground. The African man was pale and clutching his ribs. It was then that Wheeler noticed fresh blood on his friend's mouth and chin.

"You're bleeding," he said quietly, crouching down in front of Kwame with concern. "Reckon you've cracked a rib, man… or worse."

Kwame nodded, clutching his chest with a pained expression. He absently wiped his lower face with the back of his hand, noting the scarlet blood against his dark skin. Kwame sat back and closed his eyes, using the tree trunk to rest his back against.

They sat in silence for several moments, gathering their strength.

They'd been walking now for roughly an hour in the general direction of the air-field. There was little cover available to them so they stayed adjacent to a dirt road, as close to the rock formations and shrubbery as they could. Planes were passing overhead at regular intervals and the pair did not want to draw attention to their location.

Gi had separated from them about 30 minutes into their journey, in a bid to contact the authorities. She had gone in search of a village they had passed in the Geo-Cruiser before everything had gone to hell, intent on getting access to a phone or CB Radio since their own hadn't survived the crash.

Kwame had been the first to admit that they were in way over their head on this particular mission.

The African man sat with his legs out straight, his palms lying flat against the ground as he regarded his friend and colleague quietly. He was concerned about Wheeler's condition. The American had lost a great deal of blood already and was looking extremely pale, a faraway look evident in his blue eyes.

Kwame sighed, raising his eyes as another aircraft passed over their heads. The engine droned loudly as it swept past them. Kwame held his breath as Wheeler also raised his head; a worried crease in his brow as the plane seemed to circle, then glide off in another direction.

"They're looking for us." Kwame shifted slightly, raising his knees and straightening his posture to alleviate the pressure on his ribs. "Same plane as last time."

"Yeah," Wheeler breathed, his eyes still raised to the sky as his thoughts turned to Linka. "You think they've found her?"

"I honestly do not know, my friend. Would we even want them to find Linka?" Kwame sighed, meeting Wheeler's troubled glance. "Plunder and his mates seem pretty intent on killing us these days, after all."

"Friggin' missiles, seriously?" Wheeler muttered, kicking the dry dirt with his sneaker. "How the hell is that considered modern warfare against a group of environmentalists?"

"I think we have wrecked far too many of Looten Plunder's ventures, Wheeler." Kwame said, shielding his eyes against the late afternoon sun. "I honestly think they all want us gone. Blight and Plunder especially…"

Wheeler didn't respond, his eyes downcast as he clutched his arm. The pain was intense, radiating from his wrist to his elbow in waves that were causing him to puncture the skin of his bottom lip with his teeth. The American sighed, knowing they had to get up and keep moving.

"You gonna' be all right to…" Wheeler started, but Kwame held his hand up, his eyes wide with fear as he jumped to his feet, dragging Wheeler up and pushing him in the direction of a thick baobab tree. They ducked behind it and held their breath as the sound of a vehicle approached; it's sputtering engine echoing through the sparse landscape.

Kwame squinted at the vehicle, taking note of the driver and his passenger, both wearing khaki uniforms with an emblem emblazoned on the chest pocket. The jeep went by and stopped about one hundred meters past their location. Wheeler could hear the occupants arguing with each other, their arms gesturing wildly about their faces.

Kwame listened intently from their vantage point as the driver exited the vehicle and trotted into the brush. His intention became clear as the employee dropped his pants and begun relieving himself against an acacia shrub, whistling away like he didn't have a care in the world.

"Oh, Jesus…" Wheeler muttered, disgust fleeting across his face. He slapped Kwame on the back and nodded towards the man in the passenger seat, currently fanning himself with a magazine. "You take that one. I'll take wee-man."

Kwame nodded, suppressing a grin as he raised his ring and directed a wave of power towards the man in the jeep. His aim was to summon a mountain, designed to erupt under the vehicle and thereby jolt the unsuspecting employee out.

What actually followed was a minor earth tremor that would barely rate a mention on the Richter scale. To Kwame's horror, the vehicle merely shuddered, caused their intended target to jump to his feet and leap from the jeep as his eyes soon settled on Kwame.

Uh oh.

The employee reached down and fumbled with the holster attached to his hip. Kwame turned to Wheeler, who had skidded to a halt at Kwame's apparent lack of earth-power. Wheeler switched his ring quickly to his left hand and raised it. It was a token gesture borne out of habit- but the American already knew his ring would offer no better use than Kwame's.

"Fire!"

The jeep passenger had raised his gun, his lips shrinking back in fear as the metal glowed bright red. The man gave a pained expression as it seared the flesh on his hand- a far cry from the fireball that Wheeler had attempted to muster. The employee threw the gun in the air and Kwame took the opportunity to streak towards him, swinging a well-aimed punch into the side of his head.

A bullet whizzed by and Kwame turned, his mouth agape as he watched Wheeler cover the distance and throw himself at the second man over by the bushes, who had sufficiently recovered from his toilet stop and was also brandishing a pistol. Kwame leapt towards them, his heart in his mouth as he watched Wheeler sink his knee into the prone man's stomach, attempting to wrestle the gun away from the driver.

On a normal day, Wheeler would have easily out-maneuvered his target, but this was no normal day. The American's injuries were too severe and the driver quickly got the upper hand.

Plunder's employee tackled Wheeler to the ground, pinning his ring arm above his head and shifting his body-weight to hold the struggling American in place. The driver jammed the muzzle of the gun against the red-head's forehead. Wheeler squeezed his eyes shut, his heart racing as he threw his head to the side and waited for the shot.

There was a flurry of activity as the gun exploded, sending dirt, grass and shrapnel flying everywhere.

Oh God. I'm dead.

Wheeler kept his eyes tightly shut, rolling onto his side with a groan. His ears were ringing as he felt strong hands shaking him. A muffled voice called his name and he groaned again.

"Wheeler? Are you all right?"

The American opened his eyes, blinking as Kwame's face came into focus.

"WHEELER!"

Kwame's usual calm and authoritative demeanor had slipped significantly. His facial features were contorted with fear and uncertainty as he peered down at his friend.

"Yeah, yeah." Wheeler exhaled shakily, allowing Kwame to help him into a sitting position. The American glanced at the jeep driver lying unconscious beside him- a broken tree branch lay several feet away, having been brandished by Kwame in the nick of time. "Thanks, man."

The red-head raised his hand to his throbbing forehead, feeling the familiar sensation of slippery blood close to his right temple.

Wheeler shuddered, mortified at how close he'd come to a bullet entering his brain. "Let's not do that again."

"C'mon," Kwame muttered, pulling Wheeler to his feet. Together they jogged towards the vehicle and climbed in. Wheeler dropped himself into the passenger seat, his head resting tiredly against the window as Kwame hit the accelerator.

They bounced and rocketed along the dirt road at high speed. Another plane flew by and Wheeler glanced upwards, rubbing his forehead with the pad of his thumb. He was exhausted, nauseous and starting to feel rather light-headed; no doubt due to the various injuries he'd sustained.

The American closed his eyes, finding it hard to avoid slurring his words. "Why don't… why don't our rings work?"

Kwame pursed his lips, perturbed at the fact that he didn't have an answer. "I don't know, Wheeler. In all honesty, I don't know."

The African glanced over at his colleague, watching Wheeler's head lolling towards his chest.

"Wheeler?" He reached out and gently prodded his shoulder. No response.

He's out.

Kwame sighed, raising his ring to his head in a desperate attempt to reach Ma-Ti. Disheartened upon receiving no response, Kwame increased the pressure on the accelerator as the airfield came into view. He reefed the steering wheel to the left and hurtled towards an empty hanger.

Throwing the brakes on, Kwame jumped out and jogged towards the heavy metal doors. He swung them open, looking over his shoulder as he hurried back to the car.

The African parked the jeep in the far corner of the hanger. He secured the vehicle and moved to the passenger side, reaching in and pressing his fingers to the pulse in Wheeler's neck.

Satisfied that Wheeler had passed out and wasn't in any immediate danger, Kwame grabbed a tarp and covered the jeep as best he could, shielding his friend's location from unwanted eyes. His thoughts briefly turned to the others and he dismissed them with a groan, trying to stay focused on the task at hand.

He pressed his ring to his head in a last ditch attempt to reach Ma-Ti. Still finding no response, the Earth Planeteer went on alone, determined to locate the next shipment and summon assistance in case Gi was unsuccessful.

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