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Disclaimer (Which I forgot to mention in first chapter, silly me!)
I don't own Captain Planet, nor do I make any money out of this little story.
Alternate Destination
(Revised 16/7/06 for continuity)
Chapter Two
Sombre, shell-shocked faces. Familiar figures toil in the debris, allies who had flown in immediately without question or complaint. Commander Clash is standing to the right of where the Chrystal Chamber once stood, a smear of white dust evident on his brown skin. He looks confused, uncertain: an expression which doesn't suit his profession or persona. Others are surveying the detestation, unsure of how to proceed.
No one is speaking. A pervading silence had followed since the storm abated several hours earlier. Kwame is assisting with the clean-up, his senses aware of the stillness. He seems thoughtful but uncomprehending, unable to process what has happened. He wonders where Gaia is. Her disappearance has shaken them. They need her wisdom and soothing words now more than ever, but she is nowhere to be found.
Gi is searching through what used to be her tidy, organized room. She wipes her eyes with the back of her hand and continues her attempt to salvage what is left. The tears wont stop coming now and she sinks heavily to the floor, weeping quietly so that the boys don't hear her. She finally gets herself under control. The structure of her room is still standing, however their is about 5 inches of water present on the floor. She grabs as many belongings as she can and exits through the door, attached to the wall by one remaining hinge.
Her eyes keep drifting to the cabin next to hers, the massive tree branch still sticking into the air at an odd angle. She looks away as a wave of grief hits her again. Ma-Ti passes her and asks if she needs any help but she doesn't answer. He sighs. The power of heart can only do so much. He sits and rests, gathering his thoughts.
Ma-Ti looks out at the bay. The water, normally a bright aquamarine color is now a murky brown. The heavy winds and resulting tidal activity have dislodged the silt from the ocean floor. The young boy doubts whether the bay will ever return to its former glory.
He glances at the wreckage of the Geo-Cruiser, laying upside down close to where they had left it last night. The windows had shattered and numerous dents were visible on the exterior of the craft. It would obviously never fly again.
He stands and heads into the forest, feeling both weary and restless at the same time. He can't bear to hear Kwame and Clash whispering quietly to each other. Ma-Ti knows what they are talking about. The future. Their future... Hope Island will no longer support them. They cannot stay any longer, especially after what has happened. He passes another upturned tree, it's root system flailing gently in the breeze. Calm after the storm.
Soft voices. Ma-Ti slows down and moves out of sight as two figures become apparent. Broken rays of light stream down through the forest canopy, illuminating a slightly transparent woman with billowing mauve robes. She kneels before another seated figure who holds his head in his hands, red hair ablaze in the sunlight. He is a broken man, shaking his head in grief to everything the earth spirit whispers soothingly in his ear.
She senses Ma-Ti and turns to him. Observing him serenely for several moments, she shakes her head ever so slightly. Ma-Ti understands her wish. He turns and leaves, hands in pockets and eyes downcast, kicking at the dirt recklessly.
How could Gaia let this happen? She was the Spirit of Earth, why didn't she intervene? Ma-Ti kicks out again at the ground, sending a rock tumbling into the undergrowth. He stays on the well-worn trail until it winds out into the clearing, the bay again visible. Kwame beckons him over and he follows. Gi sits at his side, red eyes and a faraway look on her face. Ma-Ti sits in front of them, crossing his legs and dreading the conversation that was to follow.
"We are leaving tomorrow."
"You too, Gi?" No reply, but Ma-Ti could guess the answer.
"Does Wheeler know?"
"We will tell him when he returns. Give him some time."
Ma-Ti tells them about the forest. Kwame nods, knowing that Gaia would have been close by. The African man sighs and fidgets uncomfortably, unsure of how to proceed with the next topic. He hesitantly asks the question that everyone had been avoiding for the past few hours.
"What do we do about Linka?"
Gi's attention snaps back to Kwame in an instant. "Can she go back to her family?"
A new voice interrupts. "She can't go to her Grandmother... she passed away shortly away after Clash rung them with the news." Wheeler had returned. He sits down next to Gi and puts a comforting arm around her. Gi bites her bottom lip and hugs the American back. The tears were welling up again and she didn't want them to see her cry.
"Her Grandmother too? What about Mishka?" asks Ma-Ti, his eyes resembling round saucers.
No-one answers.
They sit in silence, deep in thought. Commander Clash joins them after a while, followed by a few others that had participated in their adventures at one time or another. Truthfully, Wheeler could only recognize a few, random faces and even then, would be hard pressed to remember those names. It was so surreal. So shocking. They had been totally unprepared for the consequences of the storm.
He half expected her to come bounding out of the forest at breakneck speed like she had the week before, ranting about the rare bird she had observed on the other side of the island. Wheeler had been a little distracted by the size of the waves that day, but she had persisted, walking out into the surf in her shorts and bikini top, grabbing his surf board (while he was still on it) and regaling him with her story. In fact, the only was he'd been able to stop her talking about the subject was by grabbing her by the elbows and pulling her onto the surfboard. Together, they had floated around in the waves for an hour or two, chatting comfortably. Those moments were rare and he treasured them, especially now.
Groaning at the memory, he laid down on his back and flung his arm over his red eyes, too overwhelmed to think about anything now. Kwame however, pressed on regardless with several thoughts on the decision at hand.
"We could take her back to the mainland with us, then onto Russia."
"Why? Linka had nothing but bad memories there. She'd be all alone in a cold country..." Gi was starting to lose her composure, her breath now coming in ragged bursts.
Wheeler already knew the answer. It was so painfully obvious, he wondered why they hadn't spoken of it yet. In fact, he'd first thought of it when he and Kwame had carried her lifeless body out of the compound. Ma-Ti had stood at Linka's door, holding a hysterical, sobbing Gi.
He had see from her injuries that there was nothing they could have done for her. He had consoled himself with the fact that it must have been painless. She wouldn't have known what had hit her.
Gi had realized it too, her face white as a sheet. The feelings of panic and disbelief were building up inside her as she had watched the grim procession make it's way up the hill to Gaia. The earth spirit had seemed utterly devastated at the sight. She looked as confused and uncomprehending as they felt.
Wheeler felt someone shuffle in beside him and he repositioned himself to accommodate Gi's body. He put his arm around her and closed his eyes again, not wanting to face reality just yet. Kwame finally came to the same conclusion as Wheeler had several moments ago.
"We should bury Linka on the island."
They left immediately after the burial. Clash had arranged transport to the nearest main port of Suva, Fiji. Before they departed, each Planeteer had placed one of Linka's favored personal items on or beside her grave, which had been abundantly decorated with wild flowers edged in small white stones.. Her synthesizer was there, bird whistle, and photos of Linka with her family and many friends. The survivors were shell shocked, grief stricken and about to leave the only life they had known for many years.
Upon reaching the mainland, they had hugged and promised to write, call and visit each other as often as possible. Wheeler had doubted that they would. It wouldn't be the same without Linka's smiling face and boundless energy. After the initial shock had cleared, he would pine for her more than he ever thought he was capable of.
Settled as best he could into the uncomfortable Boeing 747 seats, Wheeler dreaded what awaited him in down-town New York. He was leaving the only real family he had ever known... and the only girl he had loved with a passion.
Okay: before you all hex me into next millennium, let me reassure you! ALL IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS...
Stay tuned for next chapter and unexpected developments.