Author's note: Thanks for the reviews - not a bad number for such a small fandom (blushes). And yes, I like evil cliffies…
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters of "Storm Hawks", nor am I making any type of profit from this story. It is a work of fan fiction, for enjoyment only.
Chapter 3 - Merb Physiology, or "Doomed!"
Stork returned to consciousness with a groan, wondering if his skull had cracked from the blow. He could almost hear the pounding in his head…only to realize that he did hear pounding, but it was external. Cracking open one eye, he noted that his surroundings were illuminated by a small glow-crystal, which was dim enough not to drive shards of agony into his eyeballs.
They were in a small, metallic room filled with ice. Probably a refrigeration chamber with ice bound for Terra Saharr. The single entrance was likewise solid metal, and actually showed some denting where Junko was pounding on it. Still, it was obvious to the Merb that they wouldn't be escaping through sheer force. Sitting slowly up, he managed to force down the bile that tried to make its way unbidden up his throat by taking a few deep, calming breaths. Next, he tried speech.
"Junko…" he began softly, unnoticed. "Junko," he repeated, louder.
Mercifully the hammering stopped before he had to raise his voice to a shout, and a relieved Wallop was suddenly at his side. "Stork, you're awake!" he cried out in delight, only to soften his voice as the pilot winced in pain.
Propping his elbows on his knees and cradling his head in his hands, Stork mumbled, "How long was I unconscious?"
Junko kept his whisper to a dull roar. "I don't know; they knocked me out, too."
"Did you get a look at the guys who did this?" Stork squinted up at his friend questioningly.
"Nuh-uh. They snuck up from behind." He rubbed a knot on the back of his head. "I woke up in here about an hour ago. They took my radio and my knuckle-busters, but nothing else." He pointed to the glow-crystal. "I had that in my pocket; set on low it'll probably last until they find us tomorrow."
Stork's eyes widened in alarm. Junko had appeared around 11 pm; most businesses on Terra Gnossus didn't open until 8 am - that left a good 8 or so hours of sitting in a sub-zero room full of ice before anyone would even come looking…
"Junko, I can't wait until morning; I need to get out of here tonight." He tried not to let the panic show in his voice, but he suspected that it crept in nevertheless.
The Wallop shrugged, pointing to the door. "I managed a few dents; do you want me to keep hitting it?"
Stork's eyes narrowed as he studied the entrance. "How long did that take you?" he asked, fearing the answer.
"Well, I've been awake for about an hour so….about an hour." He shrugged.
The Merb carefully shook his head. "Then, no. At this rate you won't make it through that door before they find us in the morning. Help me up."
Junko could be surprisingly gentle when he needed to be. Slipping a hand under each of Stork's arms, he lifted until the Merb was standing mostly-upright. Stork staggered over to the door and inspected both it and its frame, running his fingertips along the edges, searching for any defects that weren't evident to his eyes. After a good twenty minutes, however, he sighed, placing his back to the door and sliding down until he was seated once again.
"That's it. I'm doomed."
Junko moved over to comfort his despondent friend. "Come on, Stork. It's just a few hours of cold. We were out longer in colder weather at the Absolute Zeros' Festival!"
The pilot turned a baleful stare at the engineer. "First, I wasn't out in that cold for very long; I found heat. Second…what do you know about Merb physiology?"
The Wallop thought hard for a moment before hazarding, "Your skin is green?"
Stork's eyes narrowed in a glare. "I suspected as much." Sighing, he looked towards the far wall. "I can't really blame you, though. Even Piper forgot, and I'll bet she actually knows better."
Junko's eyebrows creased in confusion. "Am I missing something?"
"Junko…Merbs are cold-blooded."
The Wallop considered this statement for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm sorry. I don't get it."
Stork would have laughed if the situation hadn't been so desperate. "That means that, given time, my body takes on the ambient temperature of my surroundings. If my environment is below zero, my blood slowly cools until it, too, freezes. Cellular death on a catastrophic level." When Junko still looked unsure, he sighed and rephrased the problem. "If I'm in the cold too long, I can't heat myself; I'll die."
The Wallop nodded, finally understanding the problem. "Then we need to get you out of here!"
Stork snorted. "Don't you think I know that? There just isn't any way through that door with what I have on me."
"Then I'll try the walls," replied Junko. Standing, he began shifting ice blocks away from the nearest flat surface and started pounding. When that showed no signs of budging, he methodically began to work his way around the room.
After an hour of bashing, Junko paused to catch his breath and wipe the sweat out of his eyes. "Wow, these walls are strong!" When no reply was forthcoming from his companion, he turned to study the huddled form next to the door.
It might be his imagination, but Stork's normal green shade had paled to near-white. He was sitting with his knees drawn up and his arms wrapped tightly around them. His forehead rested on his knees, causing his long, dark hair to curtain his face. The only movements evident were the shivers that wracked his body every few minutes.
"Come on. We need to get you up and moving." Junko walked to stand over his teammate, hands on hips.
"W…wo…won't help…."chattered the Merb miserably, hugging his legs to his chest.
"Sure it will," replied the Wallop with forced cheerfulness. "Look at me - a couple of hours of exercise and I'm sweating!" When Stork still made no move, Junko reached down and lifted him gently to his feet.
The Merb folded his arms and glared at his friend until another chill made him look away.
"Now walk," encouraged the Wallop. "Come on; muscle movement generates heat."
Stork sighed and threw his arms up in surrender. "F…f…fine." He paced around the small chamber once before returning to his position by the door. "There, you happy?"
Junko shrugged. "Not really. Not until we get you out of here. Now you keep walking while I go back to working on these walls."
Stork rolled his eyes, but started moving. When he was satisfied that the Merb was following his instructions, Junko went back to bashing. Still, best to keep Stork talking as well…
"So…" he began, "If cold is this dangerous for you, why didn't you say something when we visited the Absolute Zeros last year? Weren't the heating coils in the Condor on the fritz?"
Junko was surprised at the anger he detected in the pilot's reply. "Oh, yes…" Stork hissed. "I told Aerrow that cold was a problem."
"And…?" Junko asked when no further comment was forthcoming.
"He essentially informed me that it was a mission of 'good will' that would solidify our two teams' working relationship in the future, and that I was exaggerating my problem."
"So…suck it up?" Junko summarized.
"Yeah. That about covers it," growled the Merb, now pacing angrily back and forth.
The Wallop didn't have any answer, so he went back to trying to beat down the wall. Perhaps he ought to mention this conversation to Aerrow after they escaped. He was three-quarters of the way around the room before Stork spoke again.
"I…I've got to…rest a minute…" the Merb chattered, sliding down the wall to a seat on the floor. "My muscles…are cramping…f…from the cold." He hugged his knees back to his chest miserably in a futile effort to conserve heat.
Junko glanced at him worriedly. While he'd been moving, Stork had looked a little better, but it was clear now that he was seriously hypothermic. Junko had pretty well determined that they weren't going to get out of the room by brute force, but he was sure going to examine every available surface for weak spots. After finishing the walls, he stopped to check on his somewhat panicky teammate before starting on the floor and ceiling.
"Hey, buddy, how're you doing?" he asked gently, resting a hand on the Merb's shaking shoulder. Despite their discussion, he was surprised at how cold his friend's skin felt.
"I'm doomed!" cackled Stork in a hysterical, 'I told you so' tone of voice, lifting his head from his knees. "Still, one thing about freezing to death - at least it doesn't hurt."
"Don't give up yet." Junko set his mouth in a determined line. "How about walking again?"
Stork shook his head. "C..can't. L…l…legs are numb…"
That disturbed Junko more than the coldness of the pilot's skin. "Don't worry. I'll get us out somehow." Stork didn't reply; he just let his forehead drop to his knees again in apparent exhaustion.
The Wallop energetically began testing the floor and, when that proved solid, stood on ice blocks and hammered the ceiling. At the end of another hour, panting and near tears, he slumped in defeat beside the huddled carrier pilot. "It's no good!" he wailed. "Nothing gives!"
The cold was beginning to seriously affect the Merb's thought processes by this point. Despite the noise from Junko's escape attempts, he found himself nodding off, only to jerk awake as he remembered his situation. Soon, though, he knew he'd fall asleep and not be arousable. Before that happened…
"Junko…" he slurred. "Got…gotta tell ya…"
"WHAT?" cried the Wallop in frustration. "That it's not my fault? But it is! If I hadn't showed up when I did…"
"I'd be here…all alone. Don' wan' tha. Not your fault… Important, tho….tell Piper…" he forced the words past stiffening lips.
"Yes?" Junko swiped a hand across his tear-stained face.
"Re-warm…slowly. Safest…she'll know. Jus' remin' 'er…" With that his eyes slid shut and he slumped into Junko's shoulder, unconscious.
"Stork? Stork?! Stay with me, buddy!" Junko shook the Merb, trying unsuccessfully to rouse him. In a panic, he leapt to his feet and pounded on the hatchway until his strength failed him and he slid, shuddering and crying, to the floor next to his friend.
As he calmed, he swiped a hand across his forehead, wiping the sweat caused by his exertion. "It's not fair!" he wailed. "You're freezing to death, and I'm not even cold!"
His eyes widened in surprise as his own words echoed in his head. "Maybe I can keep you warm…at least, warm enough not to die."
Clearing the ice from the corner next to the door, he sat down with his back propped in the angle. Satisfied that it would keep him upright, he reached over and pulled the unresisting Merb onto his lap, to get as much of his body away from the heat-leaching metal as possible. Skin to skin contact would be best at transmitting warmth, so he wrestled Stork out of his shirt and jacket before opening his own. Then, settling the pilot firmly against his chest, he draped Stork's jacket over his exposed skin before closing his own shirt around the two of them. Finally satisfied that he'd done all he could, Junko settled down to await rescue, with only the Merb's slow breathing for company.
But Stork's skin still felt ice cold to the worried Wallop…
TBC…..
AN: Heh, heh, heh. Told you I like evil cliffies!! I got to wondering after the episode 'Fire and Ice' about Stork's sarcastic statement about 'dying for such a critical mission' - what if it wasn't just sarcasm? What if cold was really a problem for Merbs? Anyway, tell me what you think...