Hey guys. We're really bubbling along now, aren't we!

I don't own Captain Planet. But, hey! I'll happily write for Season Seven if the relevant producers/creators will let me? Please? I promise to include environmental issues and stuff? Please? Anyone?

Site wont let me put line breaks in for some reason, so I'll have to denote them in another way... watch for the 'X'!

X

Alternate Destination

Chapter Nineteen

The unnatural stillness that pervaded the city was beginning to rattle Linka's nerves. She shuffled slightly, at a loss to explain or rationalize her present circumstances.

I should be curled up in bed with a decent book and a block of dark chocolate... in my own time, that is.

She smiled, a wistful expression passing over her face as she processed this reflection. Looking around, Linka guessed that many others were probably sharing similar thoughts at this very moment.

The survivors had emerged in small groups at first, shell-shocked and numb. Some were grieving for lost ones, missing amongst the ruins and feared dead. There had been many causalities, and just as many injuries, mostly due to the fact that there had been no way to warn the residents. Linka wasn't aware of how far the devastation spread, but she could only guess that most of New York had been flattened during the so-called 'quake'.

Rather than take their chances inside some of the remaining buildings, the survivors had set up a 'camp' of sorts. Garbage cans had been gathered and filled with flammable materials in a bid to stay warm. They were scattered as far as the eye could see, usually in areas which were well clear of the buildings which were still left standing... for now.

Linka was perched on the edge of the curb between Wheeler and Ma-Ti, her knees drawn up to her chest as she scanned the immediate area. There were maybe 300 men, women and children huddled around the flames, attempting to fend of the rapidly decreasing temperature. She was so very cold... a white mist accompanied her breathing and no matter how much closer they inched towards the fire, her body remained stiff and frozen. Adding to the overall discomfort were the ever-present tremors which continued to shake the ground, a menacing reminder that the danger was still lurking within the shadows. She and Ma-Ti had been talking in low voices since the others had left.

Wheeler remained quiet and edgy, as if expecting something to burst out from the darkness and bear down upon them. The unidentified thing that he and Kwame had glimpsed earlier was troubling him relentlessly. What scared Wheeler the most was the fact that the shadow had seemed aware of them. The American could have sworn that there was something within the mass that had been staring at them, registering their presence. He quickly pushed the notion aside, listening to the steady banter between his two friends.

"Do you think they have found him, yet?"

Linka turned towards Ma-Ti, who looked about as miserable as she felt. Kwame and Gi had set off in search of Captain Planet, hoping that perhaps he had simply been trapped between the moving tectonic plates on his way up, or that he was waiting to fully recharge (it had been a long time between beams, after all). Wheeler had not expressed their optimism, and had advised them against searching.

"Are you guys nuts? That thing's still out there and we're out of action as far as our rings."

The American's protestations had fallen upon deaf ears. The pair had set off about an hour ago, although Linka knew that Gi was desperately worried about her family still stranded in the Philippines and needed time to adjust. Kwame was also concerned about his partner, and would probably attempt to find her and bring her back to the camp.

An elbow caught her in the ribs and she gasped, shooting a pained look towards Ma-Ti. The man was obviously restless. He was fidgeting beside her, his hands clenched and shoulders hunched over.

"Are you all right, Ma-Ti?"

"They should have been back by now." The Indian sighed, a frosty cloud billowing from his numb lips. Wheeler glanced in their direction but remained silent and watchful.

"Give them time, Ma-Ti," she said, confident that they would return in one piece.

He nodded, rubbing his hands together in a vain effort to stay warm. After ten minutes of sitting in an awkward silence, Ma-Ti's attention was soon diverted when a small boy rounded the intersection alone and disheveled. No older than seven or eight, he froze when he saw the mass of people gathered in the middle of the street. Even without his ring, Ma-Ti was highly attuned to others, especially children. The boy turned and began to retreat, but stopped again, as if he was not sure of how to proceed.

"Back in a minute, guys," he announced, wrapping his jacket around himself securely.

Ma-Ti jumped to his feet and jogged towards the frightened child, leaving Wheeler and Linka on their own. She turned and watched him for a while, simply content to observe the long lashes which framed his blue eyes. Her gaze fell to his hands and as she flexed her smaller, more delicate digits, she wondered how her own hands would appear, clutched within his own. After a few moments of abject daydreaming, Linka's thoughts soon drifted to a place where even the cold couldn't distract her. She sighed, as a few other scenarios entered her mind (although much less innocent than the last).

Her return to reality was swift. Wheeler has noticed her open appraisal and was staring back at her, with his eyebrows raised and a bemused expression on his face.

"What?"

She recovered admirably, buttoning up the coat he had given her for added warmth. She looked away for a moment, composing herself before she returned her gaze towards the American with a bashful grin.

"You are very quiet, Yankee," she said softly, brushing pieces of white plasterboard and dust form his head and shoulders. "Boshe moy, you are filthy!"

"Thanks," he replied, wincing as her hand passed over a sore spot. "You always had a knack for making me feel better, babe."

"Da, that is true," she replied, before reluctantly removing her hand and placing it between her knees in an effort to bring some feeling back into the joints. "Someone had to bring that over-sized ego back down."

He chuckled, giving her an amused sideways glance before returning his gaze to Ma-Ti, who was gallantly trying to coax the child back towards the safety of the camp.

He nodded, tossing a few well-aimed blocks of wood into the fire. The American opened his mouth to say something, but seemed to reconsider, before lowering his eyes again towards the embers dancing merrily above the metal cannister.

She sighed, knowing that something was on his mind. Quiet periods for Wheeler usually indicated that he was unhappy, or perhaps that he had a burden to unload and was waiting for the right moment . After all this time, she hadn't really expected him to have changed much.

Linka shook her head, not liking the awkward silence. She shivered slightly as another tremor shook the ground, dislodging a TV antenna from one of the few buildings that remained standing. The metal contraption bounced down the tile roof, before hitting the ground beside a neighboring bonfire. Several people jumped out of the way as it's twisted metal limbs shattered, sending sharp spikes clattering along the sidewalk.

Boshe moy... that could have hit someone.

As two long-haired teenagers removed the offending object from the ground, Linka turned and glanced down at her frozen feet, wiggling her toes to encourage the blood flow. She exhaled, simply content to watch the white fog billowing from her mouth in one, long puff. Her thoughts soon drifted to Wheeler again as he shuffled beside her, his shoulder nudging hers in a pleasant fashion.

It was his long absence which deeply unsettled her the most. For the life of her, Linka just couldn't understand why he would purposely ignore Kwame and the others. Even now, in the middle of the chaos that surrounded them, he was on edge. The old Wheeler was gone, replaced by a quiet, pensive and almost distrustful shell of his former self. Flashes of Wheeler's old personality would occasionally surface, but disappear almost as quickly.

She risked another glance towards him. Even his stance was different. The confidence and bravado was completely gone, replaced by a hunched, almost forlorn individual. Linka's blue-tinged lips formed the question before she even had the chance to consider the consequences.

"What happened to you, Wheeler?"

He stared at her in surprise, as if the answer should have been plainly obvious. She trembled as another wave of cold assaulted her body, but her quest for answers overtook all other basic functions.

"You died, Linka." The brutal honesty of the statement made Linka gasp aloud, but she pressed forward, nonetheless.

"That is hardly an excuse, Wheeler," she said, holding out her hand as his temper flared considerably. "Just wait and hear me out, all ri..."

"I hardly feel that I need to explain my reasons to you, or anyone else, for that matter," he spat, anger surging through his veins. He jumped to his feet and strode away from her, heading towards the northern end of the street. Not to be deterred, she ran after him, passing Ma-Ti, who stared after them both with his mouth hanging open in confusion.

He approached a smaller fire with a few individuals gathered around it, but groaned as Linka sidled up beside him and grabbed his arm. He rounded on Linka angrily.

"God-damn it, Linka!" he said, fury punctuating every word at his inability to get away from her. At the same time, the irony of the thought was not totally lost on him. The knowledge seemed to calm him, knowing that immediately after the events that had contributed to her death, he would have given his soul to hear her chastising him one last time.

Her hand traveled down to his arm and she was again struck by how much thinner he was. She grasped his wrist tightly and placed her remaining hand on his chest in a conciliatory manner. She stared ahead at the collar of his jacket, feeling a little self conscious but knowing that the subject needed to be brought up.

She sighed, psyching herself up for the inevitable war of words. She spoke softly, hoping that her calm manner would prevent further outbursts. "Wheel... Jacob. I can understand that you would be upset at my... passing. But..." she continued, staring up at him beseechingly, "the others were suffering too. For the life of me, I do not understand why you would completely isa... um... isol..."

"Isolate?" He contributed the word through gritted teeth, refusing to meet her eyes.

Linka nodded, her brow creased in frustration as she struggled to find the words. "Da." She exhaled, clearly wishing that this was going better. Wheeler's stony expression was doing nothing to calm her nerves. "Why would you isolate yourself from them? I mean, Kwame was... is your best friend?"

"Linka, would ya' get off my back? It was the choice I made at the time. I can't do anything about..."

"But why would you do that to them? Boshe moy, Wheeler! They must have felt like they were losing two friends!"

"Hey," he responded furiously as he rounded on her, shaking of her hand and grabbing her forcibly by the shoulders. Linka gasped, startled and a little frightened but he took no notice. "I had every intention of contacting them after my contract was up!"

"BUT YOU DIDN'T!" she exclaimed, her own voice rising to match his. "You didn't even try! No letters, no phone calls! That is not the Wheeler that I knew..."

He shook her, his furious face barely inches from her own. "Just lay off, Linka! What's done is done. I can't do anything about it now."

She persisted despite her fear. "I don't think you have been entirely honest with me, Wheeler. I simply do not believe that you would desert them like that for all this time." She stared up at him unflinchingly, his blue eyes reflecting the turbulence within. She swallowed nervously, aware that the next confession was probably coming four years too late.

But I owe it to him.

Placing her cold hand to his cheek, she grazed the pad of her thumb over his rough cheek. It had the desired effect... he relaxed enough for her to know that she could continue. Wheeler held out his hands, palms out to indicate that she could continue. She did just this, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"You are the most caring, compassionate person that I know. I am the first to admit that I probably didn't tell you this enough," she said, shaking her head as the American moved to interrupt. He bit his tongue, repressing the retort which had jumped into his head uninvited. Linka exhaled unsteadily, although the fact that Wheeler was clutching his upper-right rib cage hadn't escaped her attention either. She continued with a concerned frown. "It just surprises me, that is all. You have always been a loyal friend, all of your life..."

"Yeah, well life sucks, hon'," he said, leaning against a crooked power pole and staring in the direction of the crowd. It was at this point in which Linka caught sight of a dark stain, barely hidden beneath his fingers.

Linka gasped in horror. She reached out and tried to wrestle his hand away from the afflicted area. He responded with a startled "Hey!", but she ignored his protestations.

"Wheeler, you are hurt!"

"... just a cut," he mumbled, still trying to fend off Linka's prying hands. "Would you get off me, woman?"

"Stubborn Yankee! Let me take a look at it..."

"No, damn-it! It's fine, really... OW!"

"Quit being such a baby..." she said, a hint of a smile playing at the corners of her lips. After a few more rounds, he finally threw his hands up in the air and swore under his breath, defeated.

"Sexual harassment..." he grumbled. Linka raised her eyebrows, but chose not to dignify that particular comment with a response.

She unbuttoned the top two buttons of his shirt and examined the wound. In the light of the fire, she could see a laceration beneath the breast-bone, perhaps two inches in length. Luckily, the cut was shallow and was probably sustained after the fall at the hotel.

"See? Told you it was nothing to worry about..." he began, but he soon saw that her attention was elsewhere. Linka moved closer to him, squinting at a massive scar which snaked around and disappeared beneath his right armpit.

"What ..." she begun slowly, but soon saw that the scar was more extensive that she first thought. "Boshe moy, Wheeler..." she breathed, tracing the tip of her index finger over the gnarled skin. Her finger ceased it's exploration at the crease of his armpit where she found a strange depression, almost as if...

She stepped back, meeting his eyes in an almost accusatory manner.

"You have had surgery?" She stepped back and stared at him, dumbfounded and a little unsettled.

It wasn't a question. It was an accusation, a rhetorical statement to which Wheeler simply couldn't find the words to explain.

Shit...

Far from deterred, Linka had resumed her exploration and was now trying in vain to lift his arm to gain a better view of the jagged scar .

"Hey, back off, babe!" he said half-heartedly, although more because of the fact that her cold fingers were tickling the underside of his ribs.

Linka took no notice. Her mind raced back to the science textbooks she had read in her younger years, human biology images flashing through her brain as she struggled to recall the organs which had obviously been removed recently.

But why? Why the operation. No answers were forthcoming, frustrating her further.

"What... why the operation, Yankee? What happened? What did they take out?" She frowned as the realization dawned upon her. " Wait... glands?" she breathed, looking up at him for confirmation. "You would have had a set of lymph glands there," she said, tracing the scar again with the tip of her finger. He nodded, before glancing downwards and doing his best to ignore the effect her gentle touch was causing on his body.

She stepped back again, breaking the contact and cramming her cold hands into the pockets of her jeans. Her brow remained furrowed in concentration. "Why were they taken out, Wheeler?" she said softly, although her heart was doing back flips as the only possible cause of his disappearance, weight loss, surgery and the position of the missing organs began to sink in.

Yet another tremor reverberated from beneath their feet, this one causing the pair to stumble slightly. Each quake seemed to be gradually increasing in intensity and this one lasted for about ten seconds. A car alarm sounded as roof tiles crashed onto the bonnet of an old VW parked down the road.

"They're getting worse," Wheeler observed, his attention diverted towards the car. Linka groaned, throwing her hands into the air in frustration.

"Do not change the subject!" she snapped, pulling him around to face her. "You have the attention span of an ant, Yankee... it was cancer, wasn't it?" she added as an afterthought, her intuition serving her well on this particular occasion. He looked at her in both surprise and open admiration. She shrugged dismissively. "It is the only thing that would make sense."

He nodded again. As the wailing car alarm was beaten into submission by some helpful bystanders, he pulled the collar of his shirt aside and exposed another scar, this one smaller in diameter but deeper than the last. "Okay, smarty-pants," he murmured as Linka cocked her head to the side and squinted in the limited light. "You're half right... so what type of cancer was it, then?"

"Skin cancer..." she replied without hesitation. "Mela...melana..." She looked away, frustrated at her inability to pronounce the word.

"Melanoma."

She groaned, the harsh reality of the word a stark reminder that anyone was susceptible. "Da... it spread into your lymph nodes, I am guessing?" she asked, an infinite sadness overwhelming her at this point in time. "Boshe moy, Wheeler! Tell me that you did not go through this alone?"

He shook his head, before buttoning up his shirt and jacket to ward off the frigid air. "Nah, I had plenty of people around," he said, although he chose not to elaborate as to who had nursed him back to health. Unable to bear Linka's sorrowful face any longer, he glanced back towards their original camp for a glimpse of Kwame or Gi. Neither seemed to have returned, although Ma-Ti's bulky form was easily identifiable amongst the crowd.

Linka wiped a stray tear away, still coming to terms with the knowledge. "Are you cured?" she asked, her voice so small that he had to strain closer to hear her. Wheeler shrugged, although his nonchalant response only served to alarm the Russian further.

"I was due for another check-up yesterday, actually... but," he added hastily as Linka clapped her hand over her mouth in horror, "the doctors seem to think they got it all... stop stressing, Linka!"

At that moment, Linka could say that she honestly felt like throttling him. His blasé attitude was frustrating, to say the least. Here she was, a blubbering, emotional wreck and Wheeler was the one comforting her.

How can he be so... calm?

Without thought or consideration, she moved forward and wrapped her arms around his neck in a close embrace. He slowly returned the gesture, simply content to hug her back for however long she was willing. She sniffed, then kissed him lightly on the side of the neck. Wheeler tightened his grip around her waist and closed his eyes, wishing to God that they were somewhere else... and preferably, on their own.

Neither saw Ma-Ti's frantic gesturing at the other end of the street.

X

The ground shook for about ten seconds, before falling silent and still once again. The two shadowy figures moved rapidly, occasionally having to dodge or climb debris which had fallen into their path. They passed a few ragged individuals, loitering within the shadowy depths but kept moving, maintaining the steady pace.

"The tremors are getting stronger again..."

Gi rolled her eyes, her impatience finally getting the better of her. "I don't need the running commentary, Kwame," she snapped, giving the surprised African an icy stare, "I'm not stupid, you know."

Kwame wisely chose to remain quiet. He could see that Gi was worried about her small family (especially the fact that the last news coverage out of Asia had indicated wide-spread flooding). He shook his head, before stopping dead in the middle of what used to be a busy, residential street. Gi kept walking for several strides, before realizing that her companion was no longer beside her. She came to a halt and looked back, squinting at Kwame through the haze of dust particles floating through the air.

"What?" she called, rubbing her arms to stay warm.

They had come to a dead end. Kwame could just make out a blockage further ahead, silhouetted against the crescent of the half-moon.

"I do not know where we are," he said, straining to recognize any familiar landmarks within the street scape. He raised his hands in defeat, although the gesture was unseen by Gi, anyway.

She groaned, her frustration ebbing to dangerous levels as she kicked out at a loose brick lying in her path. "Let's just go back, Kwame," she said. "We've been walking for ages. We're not going to find anyone out here in these conditions."

Kwame's shoulder's slumped in defeat. He sincerely hoped that Sophie had gotten out before the city had fallen. "All right," he agreed. As he waited for Gi to return, the African stiffened, his demeanor suddenly alert and watchful. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he heard it again, a sound emitting from his left, like the scattering of small stones. Kwame tensed, grabbing Gi as she moved to pass him.

"Wait," he hissed and she stopped. A question formed but it died before leaving her lips as she, too heard it. A melodious tinkling now floated through the air, rather like a set of brass wind chimes but with harsh, jagged notes intermingling with the scattering sounds. It ceased as quickly as it had begun, leaving Kwame with a sense of fear and foreboding.

Something isn't right...

"Keep moving," he hissed and this time, Gi didn't argue. They hurried back in the direction they had came from, approaching the end of a dusky, narrow street. The strange noise rose once again, blaring rapidly across the area directly behind them before fading. Gi whirled around in fright and grabbed Kwame's arm, her lips moving in a soundless cry for help. Another burst of noise passed through the air above them, this time sounding like radio static combined with a deep, chanting voice. It only lasted a few seconds, but Gi's first instinct was to duck and she did so, pulling Kwame down with her. He struggled, trying to wrench the frightened woman back onto her feet.

"We have to get out of here," he pleaded, dragging her as far as he could manage. "Get up, Gi" he said as another burst of static whizzed past his face, a droning voice accompanying the din. Whatever it was, it seemed to be attacking them as the intensity increased to fever pitch. Gi stumbled as the noise became unbearable. The air pulsated with it, assaulting their senses in a terrifying way. Kwame raised his hands to his ears and closed his eyes. Therefore, only Gi saw the shadow flit across the street in front of them at first, effectively blocking their escape route. It flew back again, and Gi could have sworn that it was taunting them, waiting for the Planeteers to make their move. She gasped, pinching Kwame and pointing at the presence in their path. He recognized the form immediately. He and Wheeler had seen in back at the hotel, before the chaos had begun. The shadow hovered idly for a moment, before shooting towards them with frightening speed.

"GET DOWN!" Kwame bellowed as they hit the ground. The form whipped over them, disappearing into the shadows once again. With the static still buzzing in his ears, Kwame pushed Gi forwards and they ran for safety. "Go!" he urged, frantically glancing behind him for any sign of the ghastly form. For a moment, he thought that they were clear of it. As he whipped his head back around, though, he saw it moving alongside them, the blackness of it quite apparent against the darkness. It shot past, turned effortlessly and bore down upon Gi and Kwame who again fell t the ground, to shocked to put up any further defense.

Gi screamed in terror as wing-like limbs closed around them. She gasped for oxygen and flailed her arms blindly, but those hands met nothing but air. As the blackness overwhelmed them both, Kwame barely heard the angry voice issuing from somewhere close. The static rose to match the outside voice, until the cacophony shattered in an ear-splitting blast. The shadow disintegrated around the pair and reappeared above them for a moment, hovering uncertainly. In a flash it was gone, flashing away from them and disappearing into the darkness from where it had originated.

The Planeteers gulped the frigid air into their lungs, recovering from the after-effects of their ordeal. Kwame was the first to glance up at their savior, barely recognizing the 'man' who had assisted them during countless missions in the past. The man was leaning unsteadily against a crooked power-pole, his blue skin now tinged with unhealthy gray tones. His eyes were glazed over, devoid of the usual confidence he was so well known for. He stepped forwards but stumbled, before regaining his composure and approaching them. Kwame felt no fear, only wonder and... confusion.

Dear God... what happened to him?

Gi was also aware of the third presence and regarded him with narrowed eyes as he slumped beside them, shaking dirt and rock from his green locks. Kwame drew his knees up and beheld the rather disheveled-looking Captain Planet. The African man began to speak, but Gi beat him to it.

"You took your sweet time getting here."

X

Ma-Ti sighed, tapping his foot impatiently on the concrete. Kwame and Gi were yet to return, and Wheeler and Linka seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument, evident in the way that the American was flailing his arms around in the air.

He smiled. Some things never change, he thought warmly. Ma-Ti hoped that they would resolve their complex issues before Linka had to return... to wherever she was going.

He looked away, feeling a little lonely even with the company of young Jason beside him. The boy had been walking home from a friend's house down the street when the major quake had it. Unable to find his house within the destruction, he had wandered around for a while until the security and warmth of the bonfires had caught his attention. He didn't seem to talk much, but Ma-Ti guessed that this was probably an understandable reaction. So they say quietly on the curb, once again. After a while, a woman approached them and asked if Jason would like to roast some marshmallows with the other children. He jumped at the chance, leaving Ma-Ti to ponder the state of things on his own. So he remained seated, feeling lonely and a little despondent.

Great... where's Sutchi when you need him?

The thought sobered him. The smile quickly turned into a grimace and Ma-Ti glanced down, sending out a sincere hello to his little friend.

Ma-Ti quickly changed gears, re-directing his attention towards Wheeler and Linka again. The Indian raised his eyebrows. They seemed to have patched things up, although they showed no sign of returning. A flash of pink obscured his view of the pair for a moment, but the figure passed without issue. A throaty voice was only just audible over the din of the camp and Ma-Ti's blood ran cold at the sound.

Ma-Ti's mouth dropped open in surprise as the figure stopped about halfway between himself and Wheeler, whose arms seemed to be gesturing theatrically again. Ma-Ti stood up in shock as the pink-clad figure beckoned a second person onwards, who trailed resentfully behind her. The pair seemed to be looking for something... or someone, he thought with a start. Dr Blight suddenly turned and looked in his direction, her sight moving towards Ma-Ti. He ducked out of sight and watched as they continued on, scanning the crowd and talking in low voices. Ma-Ti was perhaps 20 feet from the eco-villains.

They're heading towards Wheeler and Linka, he thought with mounting dread. Ma-Ti suddenly jumped up and down , waving his arms around and desperately trying to get their attention. The attempt was proving unsuccessful.

Damn, they cannot see me!

He cursed, wishing that his power had remained. He and his fiends were literally at Blight and Plunder's mercy if found, and Ma-Ti was in no mood to put up with their antics (whatever they might be). He started to move, hoping that the suspicious pair had not spotted them. Another tremor caused him to stumble, but he pushed on, regardless of the unsteady ground and the nagging feeling that this was only the beginning of what lay ahead for them.

X

Thanks for reading, guys! I'll be wrapping it up in the next few chapters, so get ready for the mayhem...

Read and review, guys... you know I love it! Thanks to those who have been consistently reviewing... I really appreciate the effort, guys!