Hi guys, thought I'd get another chapter done before the end of the weekend. Hope you enjoy it. There should only be a couple more chapters to go. As always, I love reading your reviews and encourage you to leave your feedback.
Guide You Home
Chapter Seven
The boy moaned as he rolled onto his back, raising a shaking hand to his face. He opened his eyes, his gaze unfocused as he squinted upwards at the darkening sky.
Ma-Ti blinked, aware of a throbbing sensation across the center of his face. He gingerly touched the bridge of his nose and gasped as pain radiated outwards towards his cheekbones.
He groaned again as he rolled onto his side and pulled himself up into a sitting position. The world spun for a moment and he had to steady himself, hand clutching the dry earth. Ma-Ti glanced down, noting blood covering his fingers and staining the front of his shirt.
Wha…?
The mission came flooding back and he staggered to his feet, swaying as another dizzy spell came over him. He lurched forward, looking around wildly for his friends but finding no trace of them.
The sun had set, casting a pinkish hue across the horizon. It was getting cold now; the heat of the day giving way to the night-time chill that only the desert could bring.
He wiped the back of his hand across his forehead, his face worn and haggard. It was then that Ma-Ti noticed the piece of paper wrapped around his wrist, tied securely with a muslin bandage.
He pulled it out with narrowed eyes, having to concentrate harder than usual to read Kwame's distinctive writing in the diminishing light.
"Hope you are okay. Wheeler, Gi and I have gone on ahead. Linka is missing, she fell from the GC just after the missile hit. Need you to locate her, our rings are playing up. Be safe."
"Oh my god," he breathed, immediately raising his ring to his head and seeking a connection with the Wind Planeteer. Ma-Ti paced back and forth across the sand before crouching in front of the buried Geo-Cruiser, desperately trying to lock on to Linka.
He gazed upwards at the sky, fear mounting as he received no response, not even the faintest glimmer of her energy. Linka's aura was always blue when he attempted a connection. Cool, calm and collected, always the easiest energy to seek out.
Ma-Ti's lips pressed into a tight line as he broke off the attempt after several minutes, truly concerned now. He re-focused and sought out Kwame instead, a sick feeling bubbling away in the pit of his stomach. He sensed a small spark of light immediately, blinking faintly but it was there and it was tangible.
Ma-Ti mentally grabbed hold of the spark and forced his telepathy onward, hoping that Kwame would be in a position to receive him.
Sludge's muffled voice was audible through the corrugated iron walls of the next room.
"You brats are in for it now," he said, grinning as he stood in front of Gi, kicking the sole of her shoe with his own. She withdrew her leg and glared up at the Eco-Villain. "The Doc's outdone herself this time."
"Mmmph," was all she could muster.
"Oh, it's a thing of beauty," he said.
The gun remained in his possession and he passed it back and forth between his hands, enjoying the effect it was happening on the nervous Planeteer. "MAL finally cracked the jackpot."
Gi rolled her eyes but remained quiet, her eyes flicking towards the doorway. Her breath caught as she saw a shadowy figure pass through and disappear behind a tractor.
"Rings not working?" Sludge was still grinning, kicking Gi's foot again with the front of his steel-capped boots. "No Captain Punk-Ass to rescue you, you meddling little twerps."
Gi's eyes flicked sideways for a moment, spotting the figure again. Recognition - and intense relief – overcame her. Gi clenched her fists against the pole, pressing her self up into the best sitting position she could muster.
She extended her legs out and resumed glaring at Sludge who was still toying with her. He prodded her ankle with his foot and she lashed out, kicking him in the shin.
"Ooooh, she's a feisty one," he laughed.
Gi's lips curved into a smile as she met Sludge's stare, her eyebrows raised.
"What are you smilin' at?" he sneered.
Sludge noticed the movement to his left but by then it was too late. A steel bar was brought down on his hands and he screamed, dropping the gun as agony flared in his fingers. The gun skidded to the floor. Sludge acted on instinct and lashed out at the surprise intruder, throwing a punch that glanced off the unknown man's shoulder.
Gi took the opportunity to wrap her legs tightly around Sludge's ankles and she wrenched her knees upwards, causing the Eco-Villain to lose his balance. He tried to compensate by turning slightly and grasping for the pole, but Kwame managed to land a punch of his own. Sludge lost momentum, falling heavily across Gi's lap.
She groaned as Sludge's chin made contact with her hip, reefing her leg up and kneeing him in the ribs for good measure.
Kwame gripped Sludge by the shoulders and threw him onto his back, keeping his forearm pressed tightly against his throat. Sludge briefly struggled again, his eyes bulging but the African man was able to hold him down securely by pressing his knee against his chest.
Kwame turned to Gi, concern etched across his tired face. "Are you all right?"
Gi nodded, feeling breathless as Kwame retrieved a length of rope from the waistband of his trousers. He secured the Eco-Villain's limbs and once satisfied he was no danger to them, moved to remove the gag wrapped around Gi's mouth.
"Any sign of Linka?" Gi whispered, wincing as Kwame untied the knots digging into her wrists. He threw the rope aside as she rubbed the chafed skin, staring up at him with wide eyes.
He shook his head, a grim look on his face. "Nothing. I'm sorry Gi."
She lowered her head and looked away, tears welling in the corners of her eyes as she contemplated her friend's whereabouts.
He gripped her by the elbows and pulled his tired colleague to her feet, setting her down gently.
"Where's Wheeler?" she asked, steadying herself against him.
"Wheeler passed out on the way here, but that was several hours ago," he said, staring out towards the darkness beyond the structure. It was night-time now, cold enough to induce shivering due to being clad in t-shirts.
Kwame sighed, pressing his palm against his forehead. "I do not know where Wheeler is currently."
Sludge rolled over, having recovered from his fall and glared at the pair. "Stupid brats, you're in over your heads this time, aren't you! You can't stop us, Blight's made…"
Kwame had reached his limit. He rounded on Sludge, quiet fury emanating from the Earth Planeteer in waves. Pressing his forearm back against Sludge's throat, he increased the pressure until the eco-villain started wheezing.
"What has Blight made?"
Sludge narrowed his eyes, throwing his head to the side as Kwame released the pressure for a moment. He coughed, still gasping for air.
"That missile… Blight's been experimenting with radiation. Your rings," he gasped, shaking his head in an effort to free himself from Kwame's grip. "She narrowed down the mineral composition. The radiation attaches itself to your rings. Something about breaking down the properties…"
Gi stared down at him, trying to make sense of his ramblings. "What, so Blight has infected us with radiation?" She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry as she gave Kwame a frightened look.
Sludge rolled his eyes. "I don't fucking know, you'll have to ask the good doctor. All I know was that it was designed to wreck havoc with Captain Tight-Pants. But you idiots didn't bother calling him."
Gi glared at him. "Sorry to wreck your plans," she replied hotly. "Thanks to you we're down two members."
"Oh, my heart bleeds for you." Sludge rolled his eyes, fixing his eyes upon the beams criss-crossing the spaces above their heads. "No one asked you to come… as per usual."
Kwame shook his head, shoving him back towards the floor when he attempted to sit up. Sludge immediately started complaining as Kwame moved aside and staggered to his feet, hunching over as another coughing fit took hold. He managed to steady himself, before stepping towards his colleague.
"What do we do with him?" Gi interrupted, cocking her thumb in Sludge's direction and doing her best to be heard over Sludge's furious rant.
Kwame grabbed the gag off the ground and rounded on the prone figure lying on the ground.
"Don't you dare…" Sludge started to say, his face red and sweating. The rest of the sentence was muffled as Kwame tied the material tightly across Sludge's mouth. The African gripped Sludge under the arms and hauled him towards the storeroom he'd been hiding in earlier in the day.
Gi followed the pair, keeping an eye out for unwelcome visitors. "Where are we putting him?"
Kwame grunted, nodding in the direction of a large scrap bin filled with cardboard and paper. "Can you give me a hand?"
Sludge's muffled protestations were ignored as together the two Planeteer's managed to drag him towards the skip. Keeping his arm firmly wrapped around the Eco-Villain's chest, Kwame reached out for the crates he was standing on earlier, moving them into position in front of the container. He was able to haul Sludge upwards with Gi's help, until the wriggling figure was perched on the edge of the metal.
"Bon voyage, moron," Gi muttered, lifting Sludge's legs and sending him crashing into the contents below. "What now?"
Kwame didn't answer. He stood quietly, placing his ring against his head. Gi raised her hands, a question forming on her lips but Kwame shook his head, signaling for her to wait.
Kwame, are you there? Ma-Ti's voice was faint, but definitely not a figment of his imagination.
Kwame's shoulders slumped in relief. "Yes! Yes, we're here. Are you all right?"
I think my nose may be broken, but otherwise I am fine.
"Have you located Linka?"
Gi crept forward, placing her hand on Kwame's shoulder as Ma-Ti extended his signal. He felt the Water Planeteer's presence and projected his thoughts towards her as well.
No. No, I cannot reach her. Even telepathically, Kwame could hear the fear in the Native American's voice. I am not getting anything at all.
Kwame glanced at Gi who had sunk to the ground, her arms wrapped around her knees as she sobbed quietly. He closed his eyes, concentrating hard on replying to Ma-Ti.
"All right, my friend. I think Plunder is up to more than animal exportation here. Can you lock onto Wheeler?"
Hang on…
Kwame sighed, clutching his ribs as he sat himself down next to Gi, placing a comforting arm around her. He felt her shoulders shaking as a result of the sobs wracking her body. Gi wiped her eyes on the back of her hand and stared ahead, leaning her head against Kwame's chest. He gave her a tight squeeze.
"We will find her," he said softly and she turned to look at him, her face blotchy and tear-streaked. She nodded, sniffing slightly. "We will find her, but I have a feeling there may be others we need to locate first."
They waited quietly for word from Ma-Ti, continuing to ignore the shuffling and grunting coming from the container they were perched against.
Sure enough, Ma-Ti's voice soon penetrated their thoughts.
Wheeler is at the main hanger. He has contacted the American embassy. They are on their way, but they are not going to arrive in time. He says there are about 20-30 girls locked inside a shipping container. From what he can see, they are quite young.
Gi gasped as Kwame turned and glanced at her. She seemed completely stunned by the revelation.
The animals are also in a container at the other end of the hanger. Bleak is there, along with 5-6 armed guards. They are beating some of the older girls. Wheeler is asking if you can create a diversion?
Kwame jumped to his feet and looked around, followed shortly afterwards by Gi as she trailed him around the storeroom.
"Absolutely. What does he need?"
"Shut them up!" Argos Bleak bellowed, shoving a tall girl of about 12 against the front of the shipping container. "Tell them to shut up. If I hear one more whine out of any of them, I'm gonna' tan your hide."
The young girl glanced at Bleak and the guards with terrified eyes, gripping the bars at the front and talking in a hushed voice to the frightened and dirty faces within. Dressed in a white blouse and navy skirt, the girl appeared to be wearing a school uniform… and could obviously speak English.
From what Wheeler could see, Bleak and the guards appeared to be using her to communicate with the rest of the captives.
The American watched as Bleak tightened his hold on the back of the schoolgirl's neck, causing her to gasp with pain. He pushed her forwards and she stumbled, falling to the ground where she curled into a fetal position, fearful of another kick to the stomach.
"Good girl, Amadia." He nodded at the child and a guard moved forward, hauling her to her feet and pushing her towards the container door. Bleak unlocked the padlock and she was pushed inside, her feet skidding across the corrugated surface.
"Fucking kids and animals," Bleak muttered. He motioned towards one of the guards again. "Go and get the forklift. It's time to move 'em."
Wheeler clenched his fists, glaring down at Bleak from his hiding place. He'd managed to sneak in and avoid detection by climbing into the cabin of a tractor and leaving the door slightly ajar. He had a good vantage point from where he was.
He exhaled, watching drops of blood falling from his shoulder onto the floor of the cabin.
Stick a fork in me. I think I'm just about done.
He sighed and leaned against the control panel, his shoulders slumped tiredly before reaching out to Ma-Ti again.
"Dude, how close are Gi and Kwame? The plane's arriving in half an hour. They're getting the forklift."
The response was immediate. They are nearly ready. Are you all right?
"Nope, but that's never stopped me before," he muttered, chancing another look out the window. "Any sign of Linka?"
I'm so sorry Wheeler. Still nothing.
He dropped his head, rubbing the babushka doll between his fingers again. "Okay."
There will be people out there looking for her by now, if they don't already have her. Anything from your ring?
Wheeler raised his hand and sent a silent command, watching the fire ignite from the center. The flame seemed to flare, increasing and decreasing in intensity at spontaneous intervals, almost like a faulty gas cooktop.
"Dude, I'm just getting weird flames from my ring. It's more than I had after the crash but still nothing usef..."
A loud explosion interrupted his thoughts and he jumped, turning in the direction of the sound. He raised his head and peered out beyond the shed doors. A large fireball had erupted in the vicinity of the office area. Wheeler's mouth dropped open, feeling the heat of the blast from across the field.
Holy shit. Awesome diversion, Kwame.
There was smoke and debris raining down on the other side of the airfield, as well as the sound of glass continuing to shatter.
"Bloody hell, what now?"
Wheeler smirked as Bleak hurried towards the entrance, screaming instructions at the confused guards.
They ran in all directions, jumping into their jeeps and peeling off towards the admin building. Bleak remained behind, swearing angrily as he yelled for the last retreating guard to bring the forklift.
"All right, little buddy. I'm outta' time. Gotta make a move on Bleak."
What are you going to do?
"I'm gonna do what I do best," he muttered, climbing down from the tractor. He grabbed the ether bottle out of his pocket and started making preparations, keeping an eye on Bleak's movements. "I'm gonna piss him off."