Hi there!
Wow, it's REALLY been a while... (THREE MONTHS! D: *faints* ) That was something I was really not intending to happen, but from time to time things can get chaotic and one misfortune happens after another…I'm sure you can all relate (Overwhelming amounts of schoolwork, nasty injuries from dance, and more than a week of illness? Triple check. *sigh* Oh yeah, and I did change a plot point in the story as well…) But regardless of my crazy excuses, I really do apologize for keeping you waiting! (Especially on such a tantalizing cliffhanger as well! Tee hee! :D)
I'm pretty sure that by now Mary has probably fallen off the cliff (and by the way, I didn't think your first comment was offensive. In fact, I laughed out loud. Sorry to keep you waiting! Thanks for both of your lovely reviews! :D), RenaissanceElf probably thinks that the previous chapter was the end, Pink-Pencil-Girl303 must have flipped desk after desk, and this story has been permanently erased from the rest of your memories...
But anyway, I'm back again and hopefully updates will come more often from now on...and as a peace offering for not updating in so long, I hereby present to you an extra long chapter for your trouble!
And I should probably put one of these suckers in my story before I get sued…
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the Adventures of Tintin, and I am making no profit from this story whatsoever.
Enjoy!
Distorted voices finally bring me back to consciousness hours later, echoing over and over again in my mind as I try to regain my bearings.
"Lad, it's hopeless. I think Snowy is g…"
"Please, Captain."
I bitterly slide open my eyelids, groaning at the newfound ache in my head as I slowly begin to recall the series of events leading up to now, shifting from my somewhat fetal position on the cold concrete floor.
Ugh, Lord knows how long I've been out…
"Cluttered" is a pitiful understatement to describe our surroundings. Dozens of boxes and barrels are stacked precariously against the walls of gray peeling paint, and I swear that I can see mice scurrying about in the nooks and crannies, strangely reminding me of my old apartment back in New York. The only light comes from a single bulb in the center of the low cracked ceiling, casting a somewhat melancholy glow over the room as I spot Tintin and the Captain on the opposite side, tied up.
Despite my sore muscles, I struggle against the ropes binding my own wrists and ankles together, finally giving up with a sigh as Tintin looks at me somewhat solemnly.
"Wonderful for you to finally join us," The Captain remarks sourly.
I ignore him, despite the pang the words bring.
"How are you feeling, Katrina?" Tintin inquires, looking a bit distracted.
Firecrackers and a half! Can you stop asking me that already? I feel like shouting, but upon remembering the heated argument from yesterday, I decide against it.
"I've been better…" I say instead, wincing as I feel my still-sore arm ache against the tension of the ropes, the now-flimsy bandage having dropped to my wrists. "So what was it about Snowy?"
"He's…missing," Tintin says in a voice I can hardly hear, his blue eyes downcast. "And I'm afraid that Elizabeth is nowhere to be seen as well."
"Elizabeth's gone?" I exclaim incredulously, the image of her nearly lifeless body flashing through my mind.
"It wasn't like we knew who she was, lass. The way that she appeared out of nowhere and refused to tell us her reason for going to Khemikhal; there was something strange about how secretive she was behaving," The Captain pauses, eyeing me somewhat warily as his next phrase comes out in "Come to think of it, there's something strange about how secretive you…"
"Well she was shot, for heaven's sake!" I cut him off, not wanting to go down that road yet again. "And now she's gone! That doesn't bother you?"
"It's out of our hands!" The Captain bellows. "And you had better learn to hold your tongue in the future if you want to prevent something like this from happening again!"
"As if it was all my fault!" I snap, feeling my own temper rising.
"Why…" The Captain furrows his eyebrows as his face begins to turn a comical red. "YOU INSOLENT FRESHWATER SW…"
"All right! That's enough!" Tintin interrupts. "Arguing clearly isn't going to get us anywhere; what's done is done."
The young reporter looks up at the ceiling as his thoughtful expression returns.
"I do wish I knew who we're up against, though."
"What I'm wondering is why we weren't shot like Elizabeth and Ali," I state.
"Simple," Tintin replies. "If they have the Professor, most likely they need us either for information or to have us as easy targets if the Professor doesn't agree to certain terms."
"I suppose so," I shrug, once again trying to free my ropes. "Is there, by any chance, a way out of here?"
"I'm working on it," The young reporter hisses, also straining against the knots binding his wrists. "Unlike some other thugs I've met, these gangsters certainly must have been Boy Scouts…"
"Well, work faster, lad!" The Captain snaps. "We don't even know where we are! For all we know, these thugs could have taken us to Mars!"
Leaning against one of the boxes with a heaving sigh, the Captain continues to complain.
"Thundering typhoons, I really am getting too old for this. I could be safe back at Marlinspike right now with a cool drink and a good cigar, but you had to go and…"
"EUREKA!" Tintin's shrill and sudden exclamation causes both the Captain and I to jump, sending the stacked boxes behind me tumbling to the floor with a crash.
However, Tintin pays no attention as his expression immediately brightens.
"Captain, have you a cigarette lighter at hand?"
"Er…I think so…" The Captain's blue-gray eyes widen. "Wait. You don't suppose that…"
"Precisely," Tintin's smile widens, almost making my insides melt on the spot.
Katrina! For heaven's sake, get your act together! There's no time for wishful thinking right now!
I feel the heat rising to my cheeks as I remember the last time I felt this way.
The scary thing is that Tintin's smile reminds me of when…
"All right then!" Tintin seems to have miraculously retrieved the designated item from the Captain's pocket. "Now to work!"
Tintin scoots over, his back to me as I hear a resounding click before feeling the heat of the flame come into closer proximity.
"Gently does it." The ginger-haired journalist whispers to himself.
"Ouch!" I wince as the open flame licks at my bare wrist.
"So sorry." Tintin pulls the lighter away.
"It's fine," I squeeze my eyes shut. "Please proceed."
Firecrackers and a half! You'd wonder if I was destined to get back home in more than one piece. That is, if I ever do get back home…
"There." Tintin finishes as I quickly free my hands and the rest of my ropes, before hastening to untie his and the Captain's.
"Now, to get out of here," The young reporter thinks aloud. "It's too much to hope the door is unlocked…"
Sure enough, the knob refuses to budge as the Captain makes this attempt.
"Well, down the blasted door goes, then." He remarks, ramming his shoulder against the metal surface.
"No!" I warn. "They might hear us!"
"This is true," Tintin agrees as the Captain rolls his eyes. "This may sound silly, but do you have a hairpin, Katrina?"
"Do I look like I have a hairpin?" I say with a playful grin, gesturing to my tangled chestnut locks.
"All right, all right," Tintin smiles as well, putting his hands in his pockets. "We'll have to think of something else."
The young reporter pauses, his grin melting into a queer expression as he withdraws a shiny, red Swiss Army knife from his pocket.
"You had that the whole time?" I have to resist the undeniable urge to smack my forehead. "You could've mentioned it a bit sooner!"
I glance at the ever-growing welt on my wrist.
"Sorry, I'd assumed they had taken it!" Tintin defends.
"The Captain had his cigarette lighter, didn't he?" I point out.
"And you complain about me arguing, landlubber," The Captain mutters, shaking his head. "Are you going to pick that lock or not?"
Tintin makes no reply as he immediately sets to work.
Somewhat cautiously, we tiptoe through the doorway one by one, becoming immediately engulfed in the shadowy atmosphere on the other side, but despite this, I'm barely able to make out the silhouette of a narrow staircase.
As we begin to make our ascent, I am strangely aware of a thick and salty smell in the air.
We're most likely still in Khemikhal then. Considering it to be Khemed's main port…
My thoughts are interrupted by the sound of footsteps echoing somewhere nearby as we reach the top.
"Quick! Get back!" Tintin hisses into my ear, pressing against the far wall.
I quickly do the same as the footsteps get louder, holding my breath as two figures become visible in the now dim light of the main floor.
One is tall and muscular, sporting a dark goatee with a quiff hairstyle that eerily reminds me of Tintin's.
"Colonel Sponsz!" The Captain murmurs under his breath as I freeze at the sight of the other figure, feeling my heart skip a beat.
ELIZABETH?
I let out a gasp, clamping my hands over my mouth as I try to take this in.
Then why was she shot…?
"Please! Do we really have to leave them there? They could die!" The little girl whines, gripping her bandaged forearm as a lone tear works its way down her cheek. "Anyway, my arm hurts and I want to go back to Wadesdah!"
"Keep quiet!" The Colonel's voice is harsh as he grabs her roughly by the collar. "We're going to Szôhod whether you like it or not! We have the Professor waiting back at the government center and it's already been enough trouble coming here to get you and the others! "
It's all I can do to keep myself from jumping out to defend her, feeling my heart ache as the Colonel jerks poor Elizabeth towards the exit.
"And if I hear another word, I'll see to it that your friends ARE killed…along with Tintin's mangy mutt!"
"Snowy…" I hear Tintin say in a low, desperate whisper as he risks a glance around the corner when the voices have faded away.
Beckoning for us to follow him, the Captain and I continue after the young reporter down the hall.
I instantly begin worrying as we begin to make for the exit.
This escape is way too easy. What if someone heard the boxes falling downstairs? They could be coming after us any minute, waiting to capture us again and maybe this time not so forgiving with our lives…
We finally come outside into the cold night air, the salty sea breeze stronger as we continue on in the dark.
"There they are!" A voice rings out of nowhere. "After them!"
"This way!" Tintin races for the piers, the Captain following closely behind as I do my best to keep up with them, my ankle still somewhat hindering me from going as fast as I normally would.
I feel my now-sweaty skin prickle as gunshots once again resound in our direction, bringing back the horrible thoughts of Ali's motionless body and Elizabeth's agonized cries.
Stay focused. I try to encourage myself as I continue to run after what I hope are Tintin and the Captain's shadows, ignoring the rapidly approaching bullets. You know Elizabeth's fine…for now.
But even that does little to motivate me as I take off for the dock, feeling my energy begin to run low as Tintin and the Captain frantically try to yank open the door of a seaplane.
I finally catch up to them, cocking an eyebrow as they climb inside, Tintin immediately getting into the pilot's seat.
"Are you mad? It's stealing, plain and simple!" I hiss in a sharp whisper, crossing my arms.
"Lass, it could be our only means of survival," The Captain reasons as Tintin revs up the engine. "I highly doubt you want to stay here with these thugs."
"I don't, but…"
Sneaking a glance at the oncoming guards behind me, I quickly accept the hand the Captain offers to help me into the plane.
"Take the other seat, lass." The Captain says. "I'll be okay sitting on the floor in the back."
"Are you sure?" I turn around, surprised at his sudden generosity. "Because I'm more than willing to…"
"It's all right, lass. You have your injuries." The Captain raises a firm hand as he sits behind my seat.
"If you insist," I shrug. "Let me know if you change your mind."
Turning to Tintin as we become airborne, I take note of the late hour and his stories of his flight experience in the past.
"Er…you have flown at night before?" I ask him cautiously, though I dread the answer.
"Well…" Tintin begins.
"Christopher Columbus!" The Captain mutters under his breath.
Splendid. That's a fantastic comfort considering that all his other piloting experiences apparently turned out to be crash landings.
I must have dozed off at some point because the next thing I know, the sky has changed from its midnight blue tone and is now a light gray, indicating daybreak to be coming once again…
"I'm sorry, did I wake you?" Tintin wants to know.
"It's all right," I inhale slowly, rubbing my eyes as I sit up straight, feeling my mood to have remarkably improved. "How long was I asleep anyway?"
"Only for about two hours," Tintin states, not taking his eyes off of his steering. "We should be coming into Borduria at dawn."
I nod, noting the Captain still sleeping in the back with his hat over his eyes.
"How's your wrist, by the way?" Tintin suddenly says. "I'm sorry about burning it; I assure you it was an accident."
"I wouldn't blame you even if it wasn't," I smile, looking up at him sincerely. "With the way I was acting yesterday, I'm the one who owes you an apology."
"Even so, I understand that you were clearly having a bad day with your injuries and Elizabeth bringing up that personal topic for you. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you, Katrina and I'm sorry if I hurt you with my rash behavior."
"Behavior which you wouldn't have expressed if I hadn't provoked you and the Captain like that." I point out, though I'm thankful once again that he doesn't press me to further describe the 'personal topic.' "Listen, I'll forgive you if you'll forgive me. And then we can finally start to focus a bit more on finding your friend."
"Agreed," I can hear Tintin's smile as he says this.
For a minute, we both are silent, listening to the plane's engine whirring and the Captain snoring in the back.
"I'm still trying to figure all this out, though. Ali's been killed, Elizabeth shot, yet she appears to be with Sponsz, and Snowy's missing." I remark a few minutes later.
"Alas, yes." Tintin sighs. "I only hope that we are able to get to Szôhod in time to save him…and the Professor, of course."
"I'm sorry that it happened, though," I say sincerely. "I know he means a lot to you."
"Yes." Tintin replies plainly and I'm surprised to see his eyes getting misty.
How long have you had Snowy anyway?
"I really don't know…I've had him for as long as I can remember; I think he was a gift from someone."
"Oh…" I mentally slap myself upon the realization of the fact that I actually said that out loud. "I'm sure we'll find him, though. You'll find a way; you always seem to."
Before Tintin can respond, a sudden wave of turbulence throws us backward in our seats.
"Oh crumbs…" The young reporter frantically jams the controls.
I instantly panic, the words dying in my throat as the plane begins to lose altitude.
The Captain jolts awake, his blue-gray eyes wide as he grabs the back of my chair.
"She's sinking!"
But before I can stop him, he snatches a bottle of alcohol from the first aid kit under my seat, taking a quick swig of the contents as he grabs a parachute as well.
"Abandon ship! Every man for himself!" The Captain announces, opening the door as he leaps to the rapidly approaching ground.
I reach under the seat, groping for two more parachutes, but what I discover makes my blood run cold.
"Tintin, I'm afraid we have a problem here."
The ginger-haired journalist finally turns around as I hold up a solitary parachute, his blue eyes dilating as he comes to realize the dilemma.
"Take it." I hand it to him. "You have more use of it than I do."
"Katrina…" Tintin begins to contradict me before I cut him off.
"Please! Do it for Snowy! Do it for the Captain!"
Do it for me. I almost add, but I catch myself just in time.
Suddenly, we hear the bang of the engine exploding, setting the front of the plane into angry flames.
The rhythm of my heartbeat immediately doubles its speed, my breath getting caught in my throat as I begin to go through the memories of my relatively good life, knowing that it's the right thing for me to die instead of him.
"Katrina, I implore you! Take the parachute!" Tintin grabs my shoulder; the look in his eyes is almost enough to make me consider his words.
"Tintin, all I've done is slow you down on this trip. Please, save yourself!" I reply, the wind whipping at my hair as I look back at him with the same intensity.
"No," Tintin says firmly. "I won't lea…"
He widens his eyes and before I have time to react, he slams me against the pilot's seat, wrapping his arms around my waist in an attempt to support me for the throttling impact that comes shortly after.
So there you have it…
And yet another cliffhanger! Sorry, but I had to do that! (I'd like to say that I hated to do that as well, but that would be a lie and a half. LOL)
Man, is it good to be back! :D
How are things going to shape up now? Will Tintin and Katrina survive? How did the Captain do? Why is did Elizabeth get shot despite the fact that she appears to be with Sponsz? Better yet, will everything work out with finding Snowy and the Professor…before it's too late?
I'd love to hear your thoughts, whether it be about something in the chapter…or if you had a good…er…*counts on fingers*…Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break, Easter, April Fool's Day, Mother's Day…(Am I forgetting anything? Knowing myself, probably! ;D)
And virtual sweets seem to be an item right now, so… *brings out plate* I brought some fudge brownies! :D *raises glass* Here's to all of you that are still reading this! And to my new readers as well! You all are very much appreciated and any and all feedback is treasured! *hug*
And I think an update in the near future is REALLY in order…LOL :D
See you then!