Qtheomnipotentnightfury:Thanks :D And...well, you could be right ;) Maybe :P

"Peck, for the last time will you leave that and get moving!"

I glared at Decker from where I was attempting to relace my boots. "I didn't think there was any kinda time limit in these rooms, Decker."

"Which is why you got gassed and I didn't, remember? Just tuck them inside; we're not on a damn parade ground and there's nobody besides us who'll know!"

I wasn't sure about that. I also wasn't sure why I was still carrying the spark plug, but I wasn't about to drop it and so I shoved it in a pocket instead. Who knew; maybe it would make a nice souvenir.

Decker gestured to the small, dark crawlspace. "In you go."

"What? Why do I have to go first?"

"Because none of us have any experience of this and you're the most expendable." Decker's smirk bordered on the sadistic. "Besides, you're Special Forces. I've heard they spend days at a time crawling through mud and water, and that's just the training. This should be like a home from home for you, Peck."

I turned up the glare, which didn't have any effect but which made me feel a little better, then crawled into the...whatever it was. I don't think it was a ventilation duct. For one thing, whoever heard of putting a duct behind a full-sized door? For another, it was solid concrete.

It was also pitch black inside, which didn't do much for my nerves. Like I said, I really don't like the dark.

I guess it could have been worse, though. At least here, I wasn't balancing on a thin wooden beam who-knows-how-high above a pit containing who-knows-what. And at least here there were no shadows here to play tricks on my eyes, or if there were, it was too dark to see them.

Crawling through it was simple enough, although a very slow process since I insisted on stopping to feel ahead of me for broken glass or unexpected drops at every step. This resulted in Nadia accidentally crawling up my legs a few times, which was awkward but not as bad as it could have been. I mean, I'd rather it was Nadia than Decker.

The silence in that crawlspace was eerie, albeit somewhat relative. That is, the crawlspace and surrounding environment was quiet; we weren't. I could hear the three of us breathing, the shuffling, scraping noise as we each moved forward and the occasional intake of breath as we banged elbows or knees and on one occasion, Nadia saying, "Decker, if you get any closer I'll kick you in the head!"

I've no idea how far along we were, since I couldn't see the end of this tunnel, when the voices started.

They didn't say anything threatening...or at least, I didn't think they did. It was difficult to tell, since they were whispering too softly to make out any of the words.

"Is someone there?" Nadia sounded scared, probably because the voices seemed to be coming from the walls. I was glad she said it, though. I wouldn't want to think I was going mad.

"I don't hear anything." Decker, who was bringing up the rear – either to keep an eye on Nadia or to protect her – sounded dismissive.

I wasn't fooled, though. Something told me that Decker could hear the whispering around us just as easily as I (and presumably Nadia) could. It was infuriating; the noise would rise until you could almost make out what the speakers were saying, then it would drop back down again. They never came from in front or behind, only from both sides, and I couldn't work out if I was glad or sorry about that. I didn't like to think of those responsible waiting for us up ahead or creeping up behind us, but I didn't much like the thought of unseen whisperers keeping pace with us either.

Then, all at once, it stopped. The dead silence was somehow more unnerving than the noise.

"It must have been a recording." Still that same dismissive tone in Decker's voice. I was beginning to get sick of it.

"I thought you couldn't hear anything, Decker," I shot back.

More silence, only this time Decker managed to inject a subtle shade of pissed-offness into it. I couldn't say I blamed him, though; I didn't really want to admit to hearing voices either. If we were surrounded by...other people (even in my own mind, I refused to use the word ghosts; there were plenty of things which could have caused noises like this) then part of me couldn't stop wondering exactly what they wanted.

We kept going, I don't know how long for, until I crawled into a metal cover and swore viciously.

"I think I just found the way out."

"Do tell." Decker, who I think was still smarting over my earlier comment (some guys have no sense of humor!) said this just loud enough for me to hear while still being quiet enough for me to pretend I hadn't.

Not wanting to beat him in a battle of wits just then, I felt around the edges of the cover until I found some kind of catch. Fumbling in the dark, I managed to unfasten it and shove it off. It fell away with a loud clang that echoed not just in the room beyond but in this tiny little space as well.

Relieved to be getting out at last (and away from those damn voices, though I'd never admit as much) I scrambled out into what I'd assumed was a corridor and which instead turned out to be a tiny room about six foot by four. It was bare, dimly lit and freezing. I'd noticed the temperature dropping in that crawlspace, but the cold in this room hit you like a brick in a sock.

"Nadia?" My breath steamed in the icy air as I turned to see the other two climbing out after me. "Decker? Are you guys okay?"

Nadia looked a little frazzled. "I guess. I'm glad we're out of there though."

"Me too." I looked at Decker. "How about you?"

Decker, never one to admit to being happy about anything, shrugged. Taking that as all the yes I was going to get (I was sure that if he had been hurt, he would have mentioned it) I turned to walk toward the door and Nadia let out a gasp.

"Oh my god! Face, what happened to your leg?"

I glanced at her, surprised, then glanced down at my left leg. Nothing wrong there. Toes all present and correct. Leg working reasonably well. I shifted my gaze to my right leg and felt my heart stop.

Three needles were sticking out.

I stared at them, then up at her and Decker in bewilderment. "But...I didn't feel anything. I mean, I would have noticed."

"You don't feel nauseous? Dizzy?"

I shook my head. "No. Honestly, Decker, I had no idea they were in there."

Decker grabbed the needles and tried to yank them out, but failed.

"They seem to be stuck on something."

I slapped at his hand. "Will you get off my leg! I'm telling you, those things didn't get beyond my pocket!"

To prove it, I reached into the pocket in question, then froze.

"Something wrong, Peck?"

Without saying a word, I drew the needles through the fabric from inside my pocket (which took a little doing) and held them up. All three were embedded in the spark plug.

Decker looked at the spark plug, then at me and said, "Do I want to know?"

I rolled my eyes. "It's one of the ones from that car."

"I know that. Was there any particular reason for you to keep it, or did you just want a souvenir of your time here?"

I shrugged. "I dunno. I just figured maybe it could come in handy."

"Handy. A spark plug."

I shrugged again, working the needles out with my spare hand. "Well, you have to admit, I was right."

"There was no way you could have foreseen that, Peck."

"I never said I foresaw it, Decker. I said I was right about it coming in handy." I pulled the last needle out and examined it. I couldn't see if it had been tipped with anything, but it wouldn't have surprised me. Even if it hadn't, if those needles had gone that far into glass and metal, I shuddered to think how far they would have gone into my leg. Maybe all the way into the bone.

I dropped the needle on the ground and put my wonderful little spark plug back in my pocket. I'm not sure why – even I didn't believe that the same thing would happen again – but a small part of me felt better for having it.

Decker didn't comment, which I was grateful for. Leaving him to scowl at me, I strolled over to the door, humming a jaunty little tune. There's nothing like a near death experience to give a man a fresh, healthy zest for life. Either that or a nervous breakdown.

I'd just put my hand on the door handle – I had no time to try and turn it – when a shower of water cascaded over me.

Actually, that's putting it a little too poetically. The truth is that it was more like having a big bucket of water dumped on my head. And I should know; Hannibal has been known to do it on occasion, if he thinks I've slept too long, or what he thinks is too long. I hate getting wet. I look terrible with wet hair and if I towel it dry it ends up all fluffy and sticking out and...anyway. At least this time I wasn't the only one; when I glanced over my shoulder I saw that Decker and Nadia had been caught in the deluge too, which made me feel a little better.

"What...?" Nadia reached up to touch her hair with a trembling hand, as if to confirm that this really had happened.

"It's water," I informed her.

"Thank you, Peck, I think we gathered that." Decker, of course.

I folded my arms. "Oh really? Well, maybe you can gather this, Decker; why did this person drench us with water as opposed to ammonia or acid? It's not even scalding."

"Right now, Lieutenant, I've no idea beyond the obviousone that whatever the reason, it's not going to be good for us."

He was right about that, if everything else in this place was anything to go by. I reached out and pushed the door open, then I stared at what lay beyond before glancing over my shoulder.

"Uh...Decker? Nadia? I think I just figured it out."

Sorry this one's a little short, but I had to do a little rearranging on this fic, and a chunk of this chapter was moved to another one ;) Still, hope you liked it and if you read, please review!