(The Girls to the Rescue)
"There's something in the water."
"Where? What?" K-Mart gave a frantic glance at the yellow square of light that had been her destination before looking wildly over what seemed to be a placid surface, protected from the waves that washed where the boats were docked. However she completely trusted her best friend and assisted her in pulling herself back to the rocky point and out of the water.
"I'm not sure," admitted Angie. "But I felt something."
For several seconds the two girls scanned the water. Then Angie gripped K-Mart's arm with one hand and pointed with the other.
"There!"
At first it was only ripples in the water. Then a triangular fin broke the surface, a fin that pointed right at them. The girls moved back instinctively although they were already well out of and above the water. A dark shadow could be made out through the water now. That shadow was large and moved slowly towards them. Then the shape slammed out of the concealing liquid and up against the rocks.
Both girls stifled screams. For the Great White shark whose massive head lunged out of the water at them not only displayed the huge mouthful of razor sharp teeth but was also molted and disfigured in a terrifying but familiar fashion.
"My GOD, it's infected," hissed Angie.
"How is that possible? I mean. Certainly nothing bit IT," K-mart replied. "Unless..."
"Unless what?"
K-Mart explained about the crows' attack on the convoy and how Alice and Claire had decided that they had caught the T-virus by feeding on infected bodies.
"Maybe it fed on zombies that fell over the cliff, were somehow washed out to sea or even came from infected ships," she concluded.
Angie thought for a moment. "Perhaps but there's even another possibility."
"What's that?"
"That this is the result of a deliberate experiment by Umbrella to create a perfect underwater guardian."
K-Mart shook her head. "I guess we really can't put anything past them but you would think after destroying most of the world they would learn. Anyway, what are we going to do? We can't depend on that search party being gone forever. Heck, someone might wander in here for some reason or another."
She glared at the shark, now slid back in the water, then looked over towards the cell window. Her gaze followed the rock wall from there back to them.
"That will work!" she exclaimed.
"What?"
"Look over there. The wave action over the years, or heck over the centuries for all I know, has worn away the rock. There's a shelf there just above the water line. I bet I could either crawl along it or stand with my back to the wall and inch along it all the way to the window."
"Even if you could, what could you do there?"
K-Mart grinned. "I found some goodies in the cavern that will take those bars out. And some more stuff to use once I get in there."
"That's great but I see one flaw in your plan," Angie told her friend. "The moment you crawl out on that ledge that shark is going to go for you. Look how far out of the water it lunged for us here. It wouldn't have any trouble reaching you."
"Then what are we going to do?" a nearly completely frustrated K-Mart asked.
Angie thought for a moment. "I wonder," she mused. She took K-Mart's hand. "Follow me."
The two girls moved quickly along the sand, passing the boats and reaching the other end of the cave. They stood silently and waited, K-Mart fidgeting but willing to wait for whatever it was Angie seemed to be expecting. As long as it wasn't TOO long the blonde teen told herself.
"There."
This time Angie's voice sounded almost satisfied as she pointed once more. K-Mart followed her finger again. Sure enough the menacing fin had appeared. It followed along the shoreline until it reached their position. This time it made no attempt to lunge up out of the water at them. Rather it remained motionless in the water.
"How is it following us, especially so quickly?" demanded K-Mart. "I know how keen a shark's sense of smell is but after all, we're NOT in the water."
"I suppose like a human zombie it can sense us as living creatures. But because a shark's senses are so much more acute than a human it finds us much more quickly."
"But why didn't it try to attack us this time?"
"Because," Angie seemed almost matter-of-fact, "Because I'm keeping it from attacking."
"WHAT?"
The shorter girl seemed surprised at herself. "I know."
"How?" Certain that nothing could surprise her anymore K-Mart found she was suddenly reduced to speaking in single word sentences.
"I've been thinking about it. You know your mom bonded with the T-virus in a way that no one else has. It gave her extraordinary powers that I don't think she even understands fully. One of those has been to do things with her mind, telekinesis if you will."
At K-Mart's nod Angie went on. "Well, the original T-virus was designed by my father, my birth father that is, to bond with my body. In my case it was designed for a specific function, to keep my nerve cells from degenerating and paralyzing my lower body. That happened but it didn't leave me immune to the full spectrum T-virus as modified by the Umbrella scientists from what my father first conceived."
"Which why you had those injectors filled with the anti-virus," interjected K-Mart, "which I'm very grateful for because it saved my dad's life."
"Uh-huh. We really never thought anything of it at the time but one of the reasons I suppose Umbrella is after me as well as your mom is the possibility that my body might bond with the virus as well. Until recently I would have said no way. But now..."
"So you can what, make the zombies move around? Push them like my mom can push things with her mind?" Even under the circumstances K-Mart was fascinated with the idea.
"Not exactly. Like I said your mom uses telekinesis. What I do is more along the lines of telepathy. It's like I can feel them and give them instructions. Well, this one anyway."
"Almost," K-Mart said thoughtfully, "the reverse of what Umbrella thought they had done with my mom. Mental control."
"Yes," said Angie. "There's not any real contact in some ways. They don't have thoughts or anything like that, just instincts. But I can urge them in some way to do or not do things. I can't even really explain it. It just started happening. In fact the first time I tried it was the day when my mom had us up on the roof for sniper practice. I couldn't do much but while you were shooting I tried to reach them and have them stand still." She paused. "I wonder why it took so long for this to start?"
"Maybe because you were still growing up?" suggested K-Mart.
"Could be."
"Anyway, how is this going to help us?"
"I think I can hold the shark here long enough for you to scoot along that ledge you showed me to the window. As long as you weren't telling tales about having something to get you into the cell."
"No, I can do that," K-Mart responded confidently.
The two girls hugged tightly.
"Be careful. And quick," Angie said as they broke the embrace.
K-Mart only nodded as she took off towards the other end of the cavern while Angie returned her attention to holding the zombie shark in place.
The blonde teen climbed over the rocks to the shelf. Placing her back against the stones of the cliff she inched sideways as quickly as she could without falling in the water. It took a bit of time but then she was at the barred window.
A glance inside made her sigh in relief. Everyone from their party was there as well as Sue; a man on a stretcher covered in bandages that K-Mart decided must be her husband and a group of four or five children.
Time for that latter. She grabbed the bars and whispered.
"Mom? Dad?"
In a flash her parents and Angie's as well were at the window.
"What are you doing here?" demanded her mom.
"Well at the moment I'm NOT being caught by the goons sent to pick up Angie and me. As for what I m doing HERE," the teen fumbled in her pockets and started laying out an assortment of items on the window's ledge that made everyone's eyes open wide. Well everyone except her dad, who simply got a big grin on his face.
"Where did you get that stuff? And where's Angie?" asked Jill urgently.
K-Mart rapidly explained what was going on as she opened a plastic vial and sprinkled the contents around the base of each bar. Carefully capping the vial she stowed it away before taking out a circular box. From that she unrolled a thin strip of metal, which she wrapped around the top of each bar and the laid through the powder at each one's base. She closed that, returned it to the different pocket she had taken it from and then pulled a plastic tube and connected two wires from it to the metal strip. She looked up on triumph.
"How's that daddy?"
Carlos studied his daughter's setup. "Let's see. Thermite, magnesium strip and igniter. All looks good. Remember to pull the igniter and get away; it's going to be hotter than hell."
"What in the world have you been teaching our daughter?" Alice asked her husband.
"Hey, in this world it's every dad's job to teach his daughter how to handle explosives properly. Everyone get BACK." After they all hastily complied he nodded. "Go ahead sweetheart."
K-Mart pulled the friction fuse of the igniter and backed away as best as she could, covering her eyes from the blinding light of the burning thermite and magnesium. In seconds it was all over and the metal bars were sagging, melted just about all the way through.
Alice eyed the still white hot metal. "Going to be a few minutes before they cool enough to pull free. But good job honey, although we really will have a discussion latter about you doing what you're told."
"Yes Ma'am," K-mart sighed. Then she brightened again. "But on the other hand, if I HAD..."
What the teen was going to say was never finished. For a near scream resounded in her ears, all the more intense when K-Mart realized the cry was not spoken aloud but rather was echoing in her mind. Amazingly it was still in Angie's voice.
"K-Mart! I can't hold it anymore! It's coming!"
The teen froze for a moment. Before she could move her mom and dad had exchanged glances and somehow unspoken words, for Carlos grabbed Alice under the shoulders and held her up as she lashed out at the bars with her boots. The more than human strength snapped them off and dropped several; of them hissing in the water. Then the woman was at the window and in one blinding movement she grabbed her daughter and drug her through the opening to safety. A crash against the wall of the cell told the trio their actions were just in time.
"What in the world was that?" asked Alice.
"And when, and how, in the world did Angie learn to do, well, whatever it was that just happened," added a early dazed Jill.
"Explanations can wait," interjected Sam, who had been listening at the door. I hear angry voices out there. I think that the party that was looking for K-Mart and Angie is back and that Major Halstead is pretty upset that they came back empty handed. I think they're headed this way."
Carlos looked at his daughter and lifted an eyebrow. She replied with a grin as she headed for the wooden door, once more reaching in her pockets.
"What else do you have sweetheart?" the ex-Umbrella soldier asked her.
"Some C-4, blasting caps and det cord," she answered.
"Let's make a shape charge and blow this door on top of our unwanted hosts. Everybody else back and everybody get ready."
(To be continued)