The storm had picked up. Gusts of wind blew more waves of sand over them. Commander Errol walked with his head bowed to the wind, his racing mask pulled down over his face to stop the grit from stinging his eyes. He followed Count Veger into the mouth of a small cave, two Krimzon Guard escorts lumbering behind him. Errol was carrying the precious bundle close to him in effort to protect it from the weather. He peered under the blanket briefly to see the child's fearful blue eyes gaze back at him helplessly. Errol replaced the cloth and trudged the rest of the way into the cave. Veger was waiting for him inside, dropping his hood to his shoulders. The Guards were kicking the sand from their boots.

"Is he alright?" Veger inquired as Errol pushed the face plate to the top of his head.

The Commander removed the blanket from around the child, and he looked around worriedly, trembling against him. He noticed Veger and whimpered. Errol felt little fingers dig into his arm.

"He seems fine," he said, adjusting to the boy's weight, "The Underground was caught completely by surprise. They've been disposed of; we should have no interruptions."

Veger nodded in approval. "Good. Come this way; I will lead you to the cavern."

Errol followed him inside, having to duck his head only once. The boy continued whimpering from a gap in his arms. He looked up at him helplessly. Errol stared into the child's eyes, realizing this was the first time he'd ever really seen the boy. He saw the innocence still there, feeling a strange sense of sympathy fall over him. This was the Queen's son. He had her deep blue eyes…

Errol remembered her, how she had been nice to all the Guards, visiting the wounded and occasionally helping the doctors and nurses. How she had been there, when he had reached the end of his rope after Captain Phoenix's death. He tried to ignore the pangs of guilt as he held the child. What's done is done, he thought to himself, it is too late now.

He followed Veger through the craggy passages of the cave, kicking up the sand on the floor. The wind still blew the grit inside after them, and he squinted through the brief haze. The child hugged him, burying his face in Errol's chest. The guilt came rushing back. Briefly, he thought of protecting the child, in spite of knowing he couldn't.

It was not his place.

The boy was beginning to cry, cuddling closer to him. Errol sighed and marched on.

"The wells should be just ahead," Veger mused, "This is an ancient place."

Errol rolled his eyes, comfortably sliding back into his old self.

"Can we hurry this up? The little brat is getting on my nerves."

"Patience, Commander; we are almost there."

Veger sounded irritated. Errol continued following the Councilman, the KG escorts lumbering close behind. The child suddenly struggled in fear, having caught a glimpse of Veger. Errol held tight. Unfortunately, he kicked the Commander in right in the gut. Errol gasped, but managed to hang on. Behind him, a Guard snickered. He shot them a glare as Veger's voice sounded ahead.

"It's there! Around the bend!"

Errol hurried to catch up with him, his expression agitated. He turned the corner, almost running smack into Veger, who had stopped. Instead, the two Guards slammed into him, and he growled. The little boy giggled.

"Behold, Commander," Veger said, "The Eco Wells."

Errol stepped to the edge of the rocky platform they were on, gazing down in the chamber at several ancient silos that loomed up from below. Each was marked with the language of the Precursors and was capped off, though he could see through the covers. The eco inside them was still, as if frozen in ice. Errol gazed around them, squinting in the dim firelight, noticing that beneath them there was a deep pool of dark water. It was foreboding somehow. A wooden dock was positioned over the water, surrounding the silos.

"How do we get the child down there?" Errol asked, his voice echoing around them.

By now the kid had unburied his face from the Commander's chest, gaping down at the silos with wide eyes. Veger turned to face them.

"Just put him on the ground."

Errol did so, expecting him to run. Instead, the kid stood immobile at the edge of the cliff, amazed at what he saw. All at once, there was a rumbling sound. Platforms appeared from the side of the chamber, stopping at the child's feet. He looked back at them and smiled. Errol could only stare in astonishment.

"I don't believe it…"

Veger smirked at him. "And who lacks faith now?" he said.

Errol scowled. The child made a move to walk on the platforms, but the Commander seized his arm.

"It's alright," Veger told him.

Cautiously, Errol released his grip on the boy, allowing him to walk on the platforms. He was careful to place his steps; Veger and the Guards followed close behind. Soon they reached the wooden pier, and Errol picked up the child again. This time he was happier, proud at what he had accomplished. Veger walked in front of them, gazing up at the silos. Errol took note that there were three large silos before them and three behind. There were also two smaller ones that jutted out from the dark water.

"Which one first?" asked Errol.

He was steadily growing impatient; Veger appeared to be taking his time. When he received no reply, he rolled his eyes in frustration. The boy was apparently bored at the spectacle surrounding them, and had turned his attention back to the KG Commander. He yanked on his racing mask and it fell down over his face. Errol pushed it back to the top of his forehead, gritting his teeth.

"We don't have all night, Veger," he reminded the Councilman, "I wasn't expecting it to take this long."

"Then leave, Commander. Put down the child and go," Veger replied tersely.

Errol hesitated. He didn't want to leave the child for some reason, in spite of not wanting to be there. It was like some instinctive notion he had; he decided to stay. The boy suddenly whined.

"What?"

He whined again, pointing up at a corner of the cavern. Errol frowned.

"What do you see?" he asked him, not exactly sure how to speak to a child.

The boy squiggled desperately in Errol's grasp, kicking his legs. Errol fought to hang on to him.

"What is it?!"

The child finally wrestled out of his grasp, landing upright on the pier. He scurried past Veger, who seemed surprised at seeing him up and about. He jumped and pointed, whining once again. At that moment, the silos burst to life, each cap clattering to the boards of the dock. Errol watched as sparks of red, blue and dark eco floated through the air. Veger smiled wickedly. The boy seemed to be unfazed by this, still staring up at the ceiling of the cave. He pointed again, looking back at Errol. The Commander strode up to him, pulling him away from the edge of the platform. He looked up in the direction the boy had been pointing, his eyes scanning the darkened ceiling carefully. He noticed movement, and fired a shot up into the darkness. The shot ricochet, then faded. The Guards held their rifles trained on the spot, waiting. Errol pushed the little boy behind him protectively. He narrowed his eyes, tensed. The silo of Dark Eco gurgled before them in the charged silence that followed.

"Spies?" Veger suddenly demanded.

Errol shook his head. "I'm not sure…"

The boy whined from behind him, obviously worried. Without warning, a volley of gunfire spat out of the darkness. Errol ducked, taking the child with him. The Guards behind him were struck with the shots, grunting from the blows. They fell from the dock into the shadowy water and sank like stones. Errol rolled to his feet, scooping up the boy in his arms. He turned to Veger, grabbing him out of the line of fire.

"It's the Underground," Veger spat.

Errol growled. Panting, he said,

"We must have missed a few of them," his eyes widened and he screamed, "LOOK OUT!!"

He shoved Veger forward, watching as a lone grenade clunked on to the pier beside them. In that instant, the grenade burst and a bright flash of light masked their vision. Errol cried out as the dock shook beneath them. He fell to his back and the child rolled from his grasp. Coughing and squinting from the lingering flash, Errol struggled to his feet. A shadow had appeared in the cloud of smoke, and he could only watch as the boy was whisked away. Errol gritted his teeth, reaching for his pistol. He fired a few shots at the agent's feet, grinning evilly as they stumbled toward an open pool of Dark Eco.

"No!" Veger screamed, "The child!!"

Their eyes widened, watching in horror as the agent fell over. Surprisingly, they stopped just short of touching the Eco; the boy had activated another hidden platform. The agent stood up hurriedly, sprinting up the platforms as they appeared. The boy was laughing, waving to Errol from over his 'captor's' shoulder. The commander swore, unable to do anything, watching in fury as the Underground scum disappeared into the darkness of the cavern. He made a move to follow, but the platforms shuddered and vanished to opposite ends of the cave.

"Dammit!"

Errol spun on his heels, grabbing Veger by the arm.

"We can head them off at the surface; I'll call for back-up and we can sort this mess out," Errol growled, "I'll make sure of that."

***********

Keria was gasping for air, feeling as if she had run the entire perimeter of the Wasteland. The boy was clinging to her tightly, his face buried in her shoulder. Torn stopped them halfway through the tunnel. Keria wheezed, slumping up against the wall. The boy squealed and automatically hugged Torn upon seeing him. The ex-Guard smiled.

"Good to see you too, Kid," he said. Looking over at Keira, he asked, "You okay?"

She nodded, moving to take their tiny companion back in her arms. She straightened up, still slightly out of breath.

"I am never doing something like that again!" she declared.

Torn managed a wry smile as Keira hugged the child close to her.

"I'm just glad we have him back…"

"Let's get the hell out of here," said Torn.

He pulled on Keira's arm and she followed him quickly down the remaining stretch of tunnel. Torn still had a pistol drawn, listening for any 'surprises.' Sand was seeping in through the cracks in the walls. Keira made a face; she was sick of the stuff. Her face was stained a darker shade, clean smears on her cheeks from where she'd wiped off sweat. The air suddenly turned cooler, signifying they were coming to the surface. Keria knew they were there when a tidal wave of sand whipped at their faces. She started forward, protecting the boy with her arms, but Torn yanked her back.

"Hey, What-?!"

She never finished her sentence; the entrance exploded with a flourish of stone and sand. Keria screamed, watching as Torn threw the last of his grenades out the gaping hole. She began running back the way they'd come, then skidded to a halt her mind on the Underground leader.

"Torn!" she shouted.

He came sprinting around the corner, still clenching a pistol in his hand. He waved frantically at her.

"Go! They're coming!!"

"But-!"

"Go!!"

He shoved her and the boy forward. The latter was crying now, clinging tightly to Keria. She could barely hear gunfire echoing down the cave behind them. Her heart was pounding in her ears. She suddenly dug her heels into the dirt. Torn slammed into her, out of breath.

"What now?!" he gasped.

"I tried to tell you," Keira countered breathlessly, "There's no more ground to run on!!"

Torn swore. They were back at the edge of the cliff over looking the cavern. His eyes widened.

"Look out!"

He snatched Keira's collar in his fist and pulled her and the child to the floor. A KG rocket came screeching toward them, striking the rocks below the outcrop. A series of cracking sounds signaled the rocks underneath them were snapping apart. Torn felt the cliff shift beneath him, scrambling backward. He shouted for Keira to follow. She screamed, horrified. With a loud snap, the cliff gave way underneath them. Torn lunged forward after Keira, catching her wrist just in time. Her scream echoed throughout the cave as she dangled below him. Torn grimaced from the effort of hanging on to both her and the boy. He had wrapped his arms and legs around Keira, whimpering.

"Give me your other hand, Kid," Torn gasped, "I can't hold you…"

Below them, a group of Guards had gathered on the pier, barking orders for them to surrender. Torn presently ignored them.

"Keira, please…your hand."

She slapped her sweaty fingers on to his wrist, clinging tight.

"Torn…don't let go," she sobbed, tears starting to leak out of her eyes, "Don't…"

"I won't. Just hold on," he closed his eyes to gain some strength, "I'll get you up."

Torn looked around helplessly, horrible thoughts flashing through this mind. He could feel her fingers slipping.

"Torn!"

"It's alright, Keira," he told her.

He heard the scrape of combat boots behind him. There was the click of a safety, and the cool steel of a rifle dug into the back of his head.

"Arms up," barked a voice.

Torn winced. He couldn't let go. It couldn't happen like this- not again. Keira whimpered helplessly, struggling to find her footing. Her boots scratched against the stone. The voice sounded again.

"I said, 'Arms UP'!"

The Guard cracked his rifle across Torn's shoulders. Keira slipped out of his grasp. There came a piercing scream. Torn leaned over the cliff in horror.

"NOOOOOO!"

She fell further and further away from him, her green eyes wide in pure terror. The Guard yanked Torn away from the edge of the cliff, and he heard her hit the water with a sickening splash. He couldn't believe what he'd done.