Title: Empire of the Sun: Chapter 3
Rating: R just in case (K+)
Summary: The agents are sent to the ancient ruins of Machu Pichu for a possible Warehouse emergency. (I suck at summaries)
Pairings: Myka/H.G.
Disclaimer 1: Warehouse 13 and characters are not mine, just playing around with them.
Disclaimer 2: To anyone who is from Peru, I apologize for making some stuff up. I did do some researchn but for story purposes, I had to use my imagination :) I've been there once a few years ago and completely fell in love with the country.
Disclaimer 3: First fan fic so any feedback and constructive critcism will be greatly appreciated.
Author's note: The events here take place aprox. one year after Helena joins the Warehouse and assume she decided not to go along with the whole blowing up the world incident. So, no Steve Jinks (for now).
I also forgot to mention, this hasn't been beta'd so sorry for any mistakes.
...
Pete looked excitedly out the window as the black SUV slowed down near a shallow river. They had been driving down a main road for about an hour and had finally turned into a less travelled path and the Warehouse agent was itching to get out and take in the new sights. Chincha was anything but what he had been expecting.
They had passed what seemed like endless cotton and cornfields and little else on their three hour long journey, so when they had finally come across civilization, he had been awed by what had greeted them. The small countryside province was made up of simple, mismatched houses each painted with a unique color. The dirt roads were used by cars, mules and horses alike. There were very few trees in the part of the city where they were currently at but he could see that up river, there was a thick forest that went on for miles.
The best part though seemed to be the people. Roberto had explained that Chincha was mostly populated by afroperuvians whose ancestors had come as slaves with the first Spaniards and whose families had united with native tribes and Spanish settlers alike giving the city a distinct feel. Chincha's inhabitants seemed to be warm and fun loving; many of them had run up to the slowly moving vehicle in order to see who the new visitors were and to give them a friendly wave hello, happily inviting them to join their festivities.
It was around eleven am on a Saturday morning and the agent could see the beginnings of some sort of fair taking place at the end of a market. People were already starting to open up beers and prepare for lunch, setting up picnic and Barbeque spots. Pete's stomach grumbled at the thought of food.
"Why'd we stop?" A groggy Claudia asked as she leaned across Myka in the back seat and stared out the window, her nostrils filling with the mouth-watering smell of pork and spices. That, fused with the distinct countryside aroma of fresh grass, clean air and compost made her want to immediately get out of the car and explore.
"We can't go any further with the car" Explained Roberto as he smiled enigmatically at her from his seat behind the steering wheel and got out.
"I didn't like how he said that" Claudia murmured to a grumpy looking Helena who was sitting to her right, head leaning against the window.
"Nor did I, my dear" Helena agreed miserably, rubbing her temple in a circular motion.
The inventor had had a sleepless night and despite the beautiful day and the excitement of the new case, her body was protesting every waking minute. To top it all off, Myka had been decidedly keeping her at arms length, addressing her only when absolutely necessary and always in a detached and professional manner. She wasn't surprised, feeling a pang of guilt and a deep ache as she thought back to the previous night. The way the younger woman had looked at her, had touched her; it sent her heart racing even now. She raised her hand to her chest and clasped her cherished locket and with a resigned sigh, stepped out of the vehicle.
As they got their gear from out of the back of the SUV, a young woman who had been talking to a group of people gathered around a grill turned and smiled at Amaru. She waved happily and ran up to meet the tall man, giving him a friendly hug and greeting him in Spanish before turning her attention to the others.
"Everyone this is Adriana Fernandez, an old friend." He said as way of introduction.
"Watch who you call old" She replied in perfect English bathed in a rich Spanish accent. The agents introduced themselves as the coppered skinned woman shook their hands warmly and gave them the accustomed kiss on the cheek.
"I hope you're not too tired from your trip; we still have some ways to go" She said with a friendly smile.
"How far is this place?" Pete asked as they made their way through the market.
"The Hacienda is about 70 miles up stream" Adriana answered, guiding them towards the far end of the market.
Pete looked at the river that wound it's way uphill and disappeared within a dense forest several miles above them.
"So, How are we supposed to get there without a car?" Claudia asked. "—oh, never mind" She immediately exclaimed dryly as she saw the woman walking towards a group of horses carelessly grazing on some dry weed growing along the dirt road.
Pete ran up to the nearest one; a white and brown mare, with black hair which had been braided lovingly to one side. "Dibs!" he called out as he clumsily mounted the docile animal.
"Her name is Quilla…she's the sweetest one of the bunch, good choice" Adriana complemented Pete as she strapped his pack to the back of the animal.
Meanwhile, the rest of the group picked out their horses and did the same.
Soon, they were all riding down an almost none existent road, Adriana leading the way with Roberto. Helena rode Atoq, a brown stallion; the tallest one in the bunch and whose temper rivaled her own. He had almost bitten Roberto when he had tried to pet him and Helena had immediately taken a liking to him.
Myka was riding a young light brown mare, Inti, and Claudia was beside her on the smallest horse, Supay.
The party was quiet except for Adriana who was giving them some background on the estate they were heading towards.
The "San Rafael Hacienda" had been built in the early XVII century by African slaves brought there by Jesuits priests. The priests had become immensely prosperous thanks to the copious amounts of sugar their slaves cultivated but, there had also been much abuse and torture within its walls and after decades of this, the slaves rebelled and murdered the landlords. The hacienda was left abandoned for centuries, no one wanting to buy what was considered to be damned. Then, Hiram Bingham's son came along and bought the land, making it into a tourist attraction, renting out small cabins and offering guided tours. Now Gustavo, his great grandson, was the current owner. The lands were known to hold various artifacts. These had not been procured by the Warehouse because they held great esteem within the community and because they were deemed harmless. So, as long as Gustavo agreed to act as a point of contact and help out the Warehouse agents whenever needed, he was awarded leeway with the artifacts in his lands.
"Yo, Amaru" Pete called out as he rode up to the archeologist.
"Yes Agent Lattimer?" Amaru tentatively asked, not knowing what to expect from the younger man after last nights events.
"About last night…I'm sorry I got all rallied up. I saw you with Mykes and she was all sad and doey – eyed and I-I misread the whole thing" He finished quickly, wanting to be on good terms with the man who had been nothing but respectful and friendly since they had arrived. Pete had confronted Myka at the hotel that morning and had made her remember her promise to talk about what had happened with Amaru. Upon hearing her version of the events, the agent's aggression towards the archaeologist had vanished completely.
"Not a problem. I don't think I'd act any differently if I thought someone had upset Agent Bering" Roberto confessed, while he adjusted the reigns on his horse, avoiding eye contact with the younger man.
Pete nodded absentmindedly, before his eyes opened wide in realization "Oh..you—"
"Agent Lattimer, please don't yell out what I think you're going to yell out" Roberto interrupted as he eyed him quickly before clearing his throat in discomfort and looking away, pretending to see something immensely interesting in the barren landscape around him.
Pete gave a short bark of laughter before guiding his horse closer to the archeologist's "You've got a thing for Mykes?" He asked in what could barely be construed as a whisper.
"If by 'thing' you mean that I find her to be a smart, well-spoken and beautiful woman then yes, I guess you can say that" Roberto clarified, becoming increasingly uncomfortable with the conversation.
"Speaking of agent Bering, is she currently seeing anyone?" He continued, figuring that he was already neck deep in the conversation, so he might as well get some useful information out of it.
"Pffft, Myka?...No, she hasn't been on a date since she started working at the Warehouse. I mean, who can blame her?…She's been working with this the past two years" Pete said as he puffed out his chest and pointed at himself proudly. "-I practically ruined all other men for her."
"Pete! Did you just fart?!" Claudia called from a few feet behind him, waving her hand across her scrunched up face.
Roberto looked at the younger agent expectantly while Pete smiled and put up a finger signaling him to wait "It was the horse!" Pete shot back as he turned and glared at the young tech.
"So…I'm assuming then that I can ask Agent Bering out once our work in Machu Picchu is finished?" He continued, ignoring the muttered "It sure smells like yours" coming from behind them.
"Uuum, yeah, I guess...I mean, It's already a plus that you know about the Warehouse and everything it implies for us…I got to tell ya, it's a killer being an agent and trying to be in a relationship…believe me." Pete confessed to the doctor who simply nodded his understanding and looked behind his shoulder at Myka who was riding silently behind Claudia.
"We'll be entering the Cumbemayo forest when we reach the next bend" Adriana announced from her place in front of the line. She turned her horse to face the others and waited for the party to stop.
"Ok, a word of warning…we must not make too much noise in these woods" Adriana spoke in a hushed voice "There are things that reside within its depths that do not want us there" She continued solemnly, giving everyone a pointed look.
"Oh, now she tells us" Claudia mumbled next to Pete as she unconsciously guided her horse closer to his.
"Ah, might I ask why this wasn't mentioned earlier?" A sullen looking Helena pondered from behind Myka who in turn cringed at the sound of the other woman's voice. She was trying to avoid as best she could any interaction with the writer. Her nerves and her heart couldn't stand to be so close to her after what had happened the previous night. She had been floundering all day long between being completely heart broken and utterly mortified at the way she had practically thrown herself at the older woman. The inventor's presence only seemed to intensify those feelings so Myka had ended up becoming completely irritated by any contact or comment that came from Helena.
"Well, from what Doctor Amaru says you need something from Gustavo so we have no other choice than to cross the wood. I've made this trip many times, so have most of the villagers. As long as we don't make too much of a racket and are respectful, we will be safe." She explained, sensing the unease from the others in the group.
As Roberto, Adriana and the agents entered the forest, Pete felt a chill run down his back. The warm sun that had kept them company all day disappeared from one minute to the next, the dense foliage above them blocking out most of the light. The cold wind blowing through the trees made a howling noise and startled their horses every so often. Pete heard a rustling from somewhere to his right and he was sure he saw a pair of dark eyes staring at him from a bush a few feet away. He turned and grabbed his jacket, which had been neatly placed behind him by Adriana. He didn't know if he was shivering from the cold or from the uneasy feeling he had gotten ever since they had entered.
"I don't like the vibes this place is giving me" Pete confessed to Claudia as he started to put on his jacket, then thinking better of it, placed it over the red head's shoulders.
"Yeah, well I think some of your super powers have finally rubbed off on me 'cause I am definitely getting some major vibes here…and not the good kind" Claudia whispered back as she gratefully accepted the jacket and introduced her arms into the sleeves. She then turned to see where the other two agents had gone to.
Myka was directly behind her, trying to sooth her nervous mare by patting her lightly on the neck. She gave Claudia a small smile but the young tech could tell she was just doing it for her benefit; she could clearly see the anxiousness in the older woman's eyes.
Helena rounded out the group, right behind Myka. Her expression serious and her eyes constantly moving through the dark landscape.
"Isn't there another way to get to the estate? – I thought it was supposed to be some kind of tourist attraction" Myka questioned, thinking that if there was indeed some other way, she would not think twice about turning back and trying it, no matter what it entailed.
"We usually use the river to take the tourists, but it is dry season so, the river stops a few kilometers ahead; there's no way of getting there that way at the moment" Adriana explained calmly.
"What exactly lives in this forest?" Claudia asked, lifting the collar of Pete's jacket and zipping it up, trying to fend off the bone deep chill that had suddenly taken over her.
"We are not sure, but based on some of the accounts from the villagers…it is best that we keep it that way, little one" Roberto finally spoke up, turning around to address the young tech. Claudia was surprised to see the usually jovial archeologist so serious. 'That can't be good' She mused to herself as she nodded her understanding.
"Have people actually died in here?" Pete had to know.
"Sadly, yes…but, it's been many years since the last incident. The Hacienda is one of the main sources of income for a lot of the farmers and merchants here, so during dry season they take their chances with the forest. Most make it back but some…" Roberto let his words fade out; his meaning all too clear.
"H.G. come here, please" Mika called out to the writer. She hadn't liked what Roberto was implying and she felt uneasy having her friend defenseless at the back of the line.
The writer was all too happy to oblige. The fine hairs at the back of her neck were standing on end. She had felt a presence behind her ever since they had entered but every time she had looked back, there was nothing.
"So, we're on speaking terms again, I gather?" She mused, as she rode up to Myka's right.
"No, but I don't like this place and I won't have you riding about unprotected" She explained matter-of-factly.
Helena blew out a resigned puff of air as she looked longingly for a way out of the dark forest. She could see her breath in the dim light and she shivered unexpectedly, trying to keep her teeth from chattering.
"I have an extra jacket strapped to my backpack…" Myka absently offered, without taking her protective eyes from Pete and Claudia in front of her. She could also see her breath as she exhaled and quickly zipped up her own jacket, trying to protect herself from the numbing wind.
"Here" She heard H.G.'s gentle voice beside her. She turned and saw one of her old scarves being held by an outstretched hand.
"I hope you don't mind. With you being ill last week, I placed it with my belongings…just in case" The older woman said as way of explanation.
Myka stared blankly at the scarf for a few moments, remembering last week when she had come down with the flu.
...
"Mykes, you don't look so good" Pete stated from his seat across from her at the kitchen table.
"What do you mean? I feel perfectly fine" Myka assured her partner, trying to will away the splitting headache that had rooted itself in her skull about an hour ago.
"-Now zip it and let me finish reading" She finished as she placed her head in her hand and resumed trying to finish the report in front of her.
"Ok, now I know something's wrong…I've already finished reading mine…I never finish before you-ever" Pete said as he stood from his chair and made his way towards his partner.
¨Don't you dare touch me with those hands" the curly haired agent warned, cringing her nose at Pete's chocolate smattered hand which was at the moment reaching out to feel her forehead. He had been occupying himself while Myka read by preparing a Nutella and banana sandwich and in the process had made a mess of his jeans and shirt, not to mention most of the kitchen.
"What? It's just Nutella" He said as he sucked on his chocolate covered thumb.
"Nuh-huh" Myka protested again, leaning as far away from the man-child as she possibly could.
"Pete, Myka? What's this then?" Helena asked as she entered the kitchen and saw Pete looming over a disheveled looking Myka.
"Myka's come down with the fluand she has something against Nutella" Pete answered as he stepped back from a glowering Myka.
"I don't have the flu and I have nothing against Nutella as long as it's nowhere near my hair" Myka defended herself lamely.
"Is that so?" Helena played along as she walked over to her seated friend and placed a hand on her forehead. Myka leaned into the cool touch, completely annoyed with her headache and the fact that her colleagues were treating her like a five year old.
"Myka dear, you're burning up" a worried lilt could be heard in H.G.'s voice. "Come, we must put you to bed immediately" She stated as she put her arms around the younger woman and helped her up.
"Helena, I am completely capable of walking myself to my own room" She protested as she leaned heavily into the other woman's side.
"Yes well, you will humor me won't you, darling?" Helena asked as she gave Pete a crooked smile. Their friend could be so terribly stubborn, even to the point of her own detriment. Pete smiled back "Told you" he mumbled as he cleared a path to the stairs.
"Helena, you really don't have to do this." Myka said, wincing at the sound of her hoarse voice. Helena had helped her to her room and was now helping to unzip her jacket.
"Don't be ridiculous darling…what are friends for?" H.G. reassured her as she helped Myka ease out of the jacket and guided her to sit on the bed. She kneeled in front of her and started to unzip her boots as well.
"Yeah well, friends we definitely are"Myka spoke in a low tone, almost to herself. Helena looked up, a questioning look in her eyes.
"Myka? Is something the matter?"
"It's nothing…pull, please" She stated as she splayed out on the bed and stretched her legs out. Helena smiled at the uncharacteristic childish behavior and stood, pulling off the woman's boots in the process.
"Ah! There we go" Helena declared with satisfaction as she finished her task. She leaned over her friend and touched her forehead, wiping the damp strands gently away. Myka was sure the fever was making her bolder than she normally would be as she felt herself move her hand and place it over the other woman's, squeezing it meaningfully.
"How are you feeling?" Helena whispered as she sat on the bed beside her, her thumb making circular motions over Myka's temple, trying to sooth away her headache. Myka opened her mouth to reassure the writer once again that she was fine, but seeing the openly worried expression on the other woman's face, she quickly thought better of it. "Truthfully? I feel like crap…I think my brain is actually trying to leak out of my ears and I'm cold…really, really cold." She finished just as a shiver ran up her body.
Helena listened patiently for her to finish and ran a comforting hand up and down the younger agent's arm.
Helena stood up and went to the agent's small wardrobe and searched through some of the drawers, taking out a few items of clothing.
"Ah, here we go" She exclaimed and turned to face Myka only to realize that the young woman had fallen asleep. She exhaled as she took in the woman's pale features. She walked over to the bed and placed a delicate hand on the agent's cheek. She looked down at the damp clothes she was wearing and taking a deep breath made up her mind. She placed an arm around Myka's neck and helped her into a sitting position, crouching so she could be at eye level with her sick friend.
"He-Helena…what are you doing?" Myka's slurred as she opened her groggy eyes.
"Shhh…we're just going to put something a bit more comfortable on you, how's that sound?" She explained in a hushed voice, feeling all of a sudden nervous as her hands went to the buttons on the green eyed woman's blouse.
"Oh…okay" Myka said in surprise, her dazed eyes fixed on the hands unbuttoning her blouse. She instinctively leaned her forehead against the older agents shoulder and closed her eyes, too tired to even process that the woman who she harbored some not so friendly feelings for was undressing her.
"Oh, Bollocks!" H.G. cursed under her breath when she couldn't get the last button undone. She wiped her suddenly clammy hand on her pant leg and tried it once more, successfully. Myka chuckled at the woman's obvious discomfort, eliciting a smirk and a raised eyebrow from the inventor.
"Am I amusing you with my clumsiness, Agent Bering?" Helena playfully asked, glad that some of the tension she had been feeling had broken.
"I thought all you inventor types had steady hands" Myka mocked lightly, her face still buried in the crook of. H.G.'s neck. Helena looked down at her slightly trembling fingers and knew she had been caught.
"Ah well, when it comes to handling gadgets and tools us inventor types are as steady as they come ...undressing beautiful women on the other hand, it seems that we become fumbling fifteen year old boys, I'm afraid" She half joked, wanting to kick herself for letting herself become agitated by her friend once again.
Myka looked up at the comment. "You think I'm beautiful?" Myka asked, her old insecurities making themselves known. Helena forced herself not to look away from Myka's questioning eyes.
"Myka…I don't think you're beautiful -" She began and Myka quickly cast her eyes down, stung more than she thought possible by the inventor's words. Helena looked away and grabbed the clothes she had placed on the bed, gently setting them on Myka's lap as she got to her feet and made her way to the door.
"I don't think you're beautiful –" she repeated safely from the door "I know you are, I was simply stating a fact" She said as she turned the door handle and finally made eye contact with the agent.
"Why don't you finish dressing while I go prepare some tea and soup?" She proposed as she opened the door, leaving Myka to stare dumbfound after her.
...
Myka took the offered scarf and placed it around her neck. "Thanks" She said, stubbornly averting her eyes from H.G.'s.
"You are very welcome" Helena politely stated, absolutely detesting the awkwardness into which they had fallen ever since last night. She proceeded to silently free the jacket in Myka's pack and put it on, guiltily inhaling the other woman's scent.
After a few minutes of silence, Adriana pulled on her horse's reigns, stopping him from continuing any further. The rest of the group followed suit, their eyes and ears alert, trying to pick out anything out of the ordinary.
Pete felt it before anyone else. The feeling started at the base of his neck and spread out throughout his body, like warm liquid. He turned on his saddle, now absolutely sure there was something out there, following them.
"Guys, there's something definitely wrong here." He said just as his horse whinnied and gave a small jump, clearly frightened. The rest of the horses soon did the same, Claudia's actually standing up on his hind legs before trying to bolt out of there. Thankfully, Pete got a hold of the reigns and steadied him before Claudia could fall.
The young woman grabbed his arm to steady herself and was about to thank him when she got a look at Adriana's face. She was painfully pale and she had broken out into a cold sweat. She was staring at something behind them but, before she could think to look back, their guide steadied her horse once more and yelled "Everyone, run!…go!, go!" She commanded as she pointed to a clearing still a ways off.
"Do not look back!" She practically shrieked as she used her heels to get her horse to run. Claudia looked up at Pete, a panicked expression on her face. She could feel the ground under them shake and she could hear the sound of underbrush and small trees being pushed aside. She was pretty sure she could also hear something panting heavily and a sound which could barley be discerned from the howling wind, but which was a bit wilder and much more sinister.
"Claudia, go, run!" Pete shouted, as he smacked Supay's backside and sent the small horse running towards the clearing. "Pete! No! Wait!" She protested, but it was too late. Her horse was now consumed with fear and no matter how much she pulled on the reigns and applied pressure to his sides, he would not bend to her will. Roberto suddenly appeared and grabbed Supay's throat latch, making him ride along side his own bigger horse.
"Keep your head down little one" He instructed, still looking ahead of him. She could tell that he was having a difficult time controlling his own horse but, he was thankfully pulling it off so far. She leaned forward and hugged Suppay's sweaty neck for dear life. She wanted to look back, wanted to see if her friends were all right but Adriana's last words kept ringing in her ears. "Don't look back, don't look back…" She repeated to herself over and over. She closed her eyes and focused on listening, worry clenching her heart when she couldn't discern any of her friends' voices or horses behind them.
"Over here!" She heard Adriana instruct and after what seemed like a lifetime, she felt the warmth of the sun on her face, the mind numbing cold disappearing as quickly as it had come. She looked up and breathed in the warm air. As soon as Roberto halted their horses she jumped off and looked back into the forest. There was only darkness.
"We have to go back! We have to back!…They're not coming out!" She yelled in a frantic voice. She looked back at Amaru who had also dismounted and stood anxiously behind her, searching the darkness they had just escaped from.
When he did not reply, she huffed out an angry breath and made her way to her horse. "Wait a second Claudia" She felt Adriana place a calming hand on her shoulder. "You can't go back there. I don't know what set it off, but you can't go back in, trust me" She tried to reason with the younger woman.
"There's not a chance in hell I'm leaving them in there" She exclaimed as she continued to make her way to Supay, causing the hand on her shoulder to fall away.
"Wait a moment Claudia, they'll make it" Roberto tried to assure her, his worried eyes never leaving the forest. He stepped closer, wanting to try to get a better look.
Claudia heeded no mind to what was said and quickly mounted the small horse, preparing herself for whatever she had to come up against. She felt the Tesla safely tucked into the harness under her vest. She unzipped Pete's jacket and took it out. Adriana took a step back when she saw the strange looking gun and the determined look on the red head's face.
"Claudia wait! Just, just listen!" Roberto finally turned and extended his hand in a halting motion.
The young Warehouse agent strained her neck, trying to make out any sound from within the forest. She heard a rustling and then she could clearly hear Myka yelling out something indiscernible. The fist that had been clenching her heart ever since Pete had smacked her horse into a run, loosened up a bit, hope filling her chest once more.
"I can hear their horses!" Roberto exclaimed with a relieved smile, pacing back and forth in agitation as he tried to discern where the sounds were coming from.
Claudia jumped off her horse again and almost fell on her face when her right foot gave out. She tried to run past Roberto but he grabbed her by the arms and kept her in place in front of him. She was about to elbow him in the stomach, when she saw two figures appear from the forest's depths. Claudia cried out in relief when she saw Myka and Helena riding to where they were. They had come out of the forest from a different spot than the redhead had so, they had clearly gone off course for some reason. The two women did not descend from their horses though, and Claudia immediately new why. Pete had still not made it out. She knew they would go back for him if he didn't come out within the next few seconds. She freed herself from Amaru's grasp and ran up to Myka who was nearest, wrapping an arm around her hip and leaning her forehead on her thigh. Myka placed a hand on her friend's head, running her fingers soothingly through the soft strands. "Where's Pete?!" She asked as she looked up at the agent. She had cuts and scrapes all over her face but she was in one piece, which was all that mattered.
"He was right behind us" She said in a worried voice, her eyes set in front of her.
"I will go back for him, Myka stay here with Claudia" Helena announced as she kicked her horse into a gallop.
"Helena!"
"H.G. Wait!"
Both Myka and Claudia protested.
"Dr. Amaru, Adriana…" Helena forcefully instructed over her shoulder. Adriana ran up to Claudia and put an arm around her shoulders while Roberto ran up to Myka and held Inti in place by her breast collar.
"Amaru, let go" Myka warned, her heart in her chest as she saw Helena recklessly making her way towards the forest. She had to go find Pete and she was sure as hell not going to let Helena go in there alone.
She kicked Inti's sides with her heels and the mare jumped in surprise. Amaru lost his grip on her and Myka kicked the horse again, running off at break neck speed to catch up to the writer.
As Helena entered the first patch of trees, she skillfully unholstered her Tesla, her eyes scanning her surroundings for any sign of Pete. She heard something from somewhere to her right and as she turned, she felt herself being tackled to the floor. As her body hit the ground, the wind was knocked out of her but, she had no time to catch her breath. Someone was pulling her up by the arm. She looked up and saw Pete had been the lout who had almost broken her neck. She didn't know whether to punch him or hug him. "Keep running!" He yelled as he guided her to the clearing. She wordlessly turned on her heels and kept pace with Pete who was still holding her arm. She heard her horse running in a different direction and she thought she felt hot, damp breath at the base of her neck. Pete took a couple of more strides before he grabbed her by the waist and jumped the last few feet towards the clearing. They fell on warm, green grass and continued to move away from the forest, stumbling ungracefully on their hands and knees. Myka dismounted Inti and ran to her friends while Claudia, who was further back, did the same.
Myka grabbed a hold of Helena and Pete's arms and helped them to a standing position. She did a quick inventory of each of them and released the breath she had been holding when she saw that apart from some scrapes and bruises, they were no worse for wear.
"Pete, what happened? Are you alright?" She said; her eyes darting every few seconds to the forest, half expecting some crazed, oversized wild boar to come out and shred them to pieces.
"I'm fine…something just knocked me off my saddle" He said, as he massaged his sore neck. "I don't think I've ever ran so fast in my life…I was about to clear the forest when I saw Rambo here, guns a-blazing about to get herself killed." He explained, looking at Helena with worry and appreciation, just now realizing that she had put her life at risk to go looking for him.
"Thanks for that H.G." He said sincerely.
Myka looked at Helena, shaking her head in frustration as she turned and made her way back to her horse.
"What could I have possibly done now?" Helena barked at no one in particular as she eyed Myka's retreating form.
Claudia ran past the aggravated curly haired agent and jumped into Pete's arms. He hugged her back with the same force before placing her back on the ground and loosening his grip. After she let go of him, she quickly straightened the jacket he had given her and punched him lightly on the arm, trying to appear like her stoic self again and failing miserably. She then turned to Helena and walked up to her. Both of them, not being innately touchy or sentimental people, squared their shoulders in preparation for what was about to come. They awkwardly put their arms around each other " That. Was. Awesome." Claudia whispered before she pulled back, giving her friend a small, appreciative smile.
"Well, I didn't quite think that one through, now did I?" The inventor chastised herself "It appears that I should be the one thanking you, Peter." She said as she turned to look at the dark eyed man.
Pete walked over to her and placed a firm hand on her shoulder, giving her a grave stare before speaking, "If you never call me Peter again, we can call it even" He proposed, his deadpan stare still in place.
"Agent Lattimer" She replied with a slight nod and a small quirk of her lips before making her way to the others.
"A simple 'Pete' will do, you know" He spoke out to her retreating back.
"Ok guys, how are we sure that poltergeist in there won't be chasing after us and use our bones as toothpicks?" Claudia mused nervously as she patted her horse's sweaty neck.
"There has never been a report of it leaving the woods, I think it simply can't to be honest with you" Roberto replied as he mounted his horse.
"-We should be safe out here" He continued when he settled himself in his saddle.
"It's getting dark, we should not waste any more time" Adriana warned, calming her horse with a steady hand and turning to search the forest's depths with forlorn eyes.
"What about the horses? Do you think they'll be alright?" Helena tentatively asked, feeling incredibly guilty she had most likely led the stallion to his death.
"They know their way back to the village. I'm sure they'll be fine" Roberto reassured, focusing on Adriana who was mounting her white mare with heavy set shoulders. The horses had been born in the estate and Adriana had raised them all from birth.
"I'm sure you're right my friend." She answered with an uneven smile and extended her arm out to Pete in a tacit invitation to ride with her. Helena closed her eyes, feeling even more foolish confronted with their guide's obvious pain.
"Come on H.G. you can ride with me the rest of the way" Claudia provided helpfully, guiding Supay towards her forlorn looking friend.
The inventor looked at the small horse and cringed inwardly, directing a hopeful glance at Myka who had already remounted her own, bigger, horse and who was at the moment doing a wonderful job of ignoring her. When she saw Amaru lead his horse her way, obviously intent on offering to share his saddle, the writer immediately grabbed the young tech's hand and with some effort climbed behind her. The ride to the estate was going to be torture on her back, she knew; and as she watched Amaru ride up to Myka who greeted him with a soft smile, she knew that it was going to be trying on her patience as well.
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Thanks for all your comments guys. As always, feedback is greatly appreciated.