Only Shadows Ahead
Chapter Nine
They were alerted to trouble the moment the gunshot had gone off. Gi flinched, raising her eyes to Kwame's and they both broke into a run, traversing the maze of corridors and dead ends.
Linka's screams soon filled the air and they arrived at the lab just in time to see her dragged backwards into the void. Kwame stood, horrified as Gi had pounded on the windows, screaming her friend's name.
The vortex immediately shrunk back in on itself, decreasing until it had become a small beam of light rising in the air between the floor and the laser above. Rays of white light flickered and eventually dispersed.
Kwame bellowed for Gi to get down, shoving her to the ground and covering her body with his own as the shock wave hit them.
The explosion was extreme. It blew the roof off the lab complex and sent debris scattering in all directions. The lab doors buckled and blew off their hinges, crashing into the wall opposite, narrowly missing them. The heat was unbearable. The lab was on fire, completely destroyed.
Gi stood on shaky legs, tears streaming down her face as she used her ring to extinguish the flames, searching through the debris in vain. There was no sign of any of them. Defeated, she slumped against the wall, hugging her knees and sobbing quietly.
Kwame's first instinct was to continue the search for Linka, but the smoke and heat billowing out meant that simple task was impossible. Even though his brain refused to accept the phenomenon he had witnessed, he knew what he had seen.
Linka was gone.
He left Gi and raced to find the others. Kwame was numb, running on automatic. Adrenaline was pumping through his veins; his face a mask of grief and shock.
Kwame found them in the kitchen. Turning the corner, he spotted Wheeler first; sprawled and bloodied beside the bench-top. His face was swollen, his lip cut in two places, but he was stirring. Alive.
Kwame located Ma-Ti and dropped to his knees beside him. A significant amount of blood had pooled on the floor beside his leg and it took Kwame several moments of investigation to realise he'd been shot. He quickly removed his shirt, applying a tourniquet to help stem the bleeding. It was a flesh wound, but Ma-Ti seemed to be stable.
The distant drone of sirens was audible as Kwame placed his hand on his unconscious friend's forehead; noting more blood dripping from his temple. He was honestly at a loss.
"They were after her."
A rasping voice came from behind him and Kwame turned, observing Wheeler's sluggish attempt to sit up. Wheeler seemed disorientated, unsteady.
"Bastards wanted her all along. She all right?"
Kwame slumped. He sunk down onto the tiles, one hand steadying himself while the other rubbed his over-wrought face. He shook his head, not knowing where to begin.
"Where is she?" Louder now, Wheeler was on his feet. He stumbled, clutching the counter for support as he stared at Kwame. "What happ —"
"She's gone, Wheeler."
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Kwame sagged against the wall, watching his friend's face pale; eyes wide and uncomprehending. Disbelieving. Wheeler turned, clutching his ribs and staggering out the door in search of Linka.
Kwame stared ahead, barely noticing Wheeler's quick exit.
"I'm so sorry. She's gone."
One week later
A knock issued from outside, soft but insistent.
"Wheeler? Are you in here?" A wet sniff, then the shuffling of feet. "Wheeler, please. I need… I need to speak to you. Can I come in?"
Gi.
He ignored her, just as he had yesterday, and the day before. He knew she just wanted comfort. A hug, some reflective words. Reminiscing about the good ol' days. Some cheering up. An opportunity to express herself, to grieve the loss of her friend.
Wheeler wasn't having a bar of it.
He'd shut them out completely since that day. As far as he was concerned, they could all fuck right off. Dropping his face into his palms, he did his best to rub away the persistent headache that had plagued him since her loss.
Her loss.
Wheeler leaned back, bitterly aware of the irony of that statement.
Well, there's no body. Not like we can call it 'her death'.
But she was gone all the same. If the fall into Blight's spinning vortex of death didn't kill her, the fire in the lab sure as hell would have. Kwame had tried explaining the circumstances he'd witnessed to Wheeler after the emergency services had arrived, but by then he was so shell-shocked that it went in one ear and out the other.
The sound of departing footsteps broke the silence, heading back towards the common rooms. Gi had apparently given up.
He sighed, weary as he glanced out the window. All was quiet outside.
Rising to his feet, he stepped out of his hut, squinting at the harsh sunlight as he hurried towards the only place that held any solace for him at present. Slipping inside Linka's hut, he sank to the floor beside her bed, still neatly-made.
The blue floral cami-set lay peeking out from under her pillow and he reached for them, leaning his head against the mattress and inhaling her scent off the cotton. He felt a sharp stab of grief threaten to overwhelm him and he forced it back, wiping his face with the inside of his arm.
He'd been spending a lot of time here. It was the only way he could still be close to her. Wrapping his arms around his knees, Wheeler rested his head against her quilt and closed his eyes.
I should have told her.
Suddenly the years of shameless flirting seemed like a missed opportunity that he would never gain back. The chance was gone. He'd blown it on cocky ramblings and playful teasing; behaviour that had masked the truth that he'd been frightened to admit to himself, let alone to her.
I was in love with her.
With a heavy sigh, he distracted himself for a while with the contents of her bedside table. Alarm clock, phone charger, photo frame. He reached forward and grasped the pewter jewellery box sitting at the back edge. Placing it in his lap, he opened the lid and ran his fingers over the assortment of pieces inside. Rarely wearing costume jewellery, Linka had a small collection of silver rings and pendants, many passed down from her mother.
The thought occurred to him that the heirlooms would need to be returned to her family.
The inside casing shifted slightly and he frowned, realising that the box had a second level. He pulled the top tray out and peered into the base.
Wheeler pulled out a few items. A tattered newspaper clipping. He couldn't read it but recognised her surname in the Russian script near the top and dates/times towards the middle. A photo of a middle-aged man.
Her father's funeral notice.
A ticket stub, again in Russian with a symbol of a ballet dancer in the bottom-left corner.
A wedding photo; undated and very faded but so obviously her parents. She'd rarely spoke of them. In fact, this was the first time he'd even seen them. Posing stiffly with serious expressions for the camera, Wheeler ran his thumb over the surface. Linka had been the spitting image of her mother.
The last object was another ring, kept seperate from the valuable silver on the top level - chunky grey plastic with a pink fake stone. Completely tacky, it looked like something that had come out of a kids vending machine. He narrowed his eyes, holding the gaudy object up to the light, wondering why on earth Linka would have kept such a weird trinket.
Because I gave it to her.
And then it hit him. Like a tonne of bricks, the memory came flooding back.
Christmas dinner; a rather large, raucous affair around two years ago in London. He'd shared a Christmas cracker with Linka and the ring had been the prize within the centre. Never wanting to miss an opportunity for mischief, he'd dropped down to one knee in front of the mortified girl and 'proposed' to her in front of their fellow Planeteers and a number of foreign dignitaries.
Linka had blushed deep red as he'd slid the ring onto her finger. With bawdy shouts of "kiss her" ringing in the back ground, Wheeler had leaned in and given her a quick peck on the cheek.
Wheeler had always assumed she'd flung the ring to the furtherest reaches of the earth once it had left her finger. He remembered her embarrassment, taking it all in good humour but barely able to look anyone in the eye for the rest of the night.
But here it was, along with her most precious memories.
Wheeler hung his head, clutching the ring tightly and feeling tears welling in the corner of his eyes. It was the straw that broke the camel's back.
He broke down, sobbing quietly into his hands.
Two weeks later
Those last few seconds in the lab continued to haunt him. Kwame had awoken every morning since that day to the sound of Linka's screams. He'd always wake drenched with sweat, his body tense and heart pounding and this morning was no exception. The image of her face, twisted in fear as she disappeared into the void was now permanently imprinted on his mind.
He sat up, pulling his knees up and clutching the sheets, trying to control his breathing. The nightmares were vivid and unrelenting. Kwame rubbed his neck and gazed out the window. The sun was rising and it looked to be another beautiful day. He would usually already be up, tending to his garden, or baking bread in the kiln. A morning swim occasionally would be slipped in, depending on time.
But today - just as he had in the two weeks since Linka had been taken from them, Kwame's morning routine was altered. Sinking back against the pillows, he turned onto his side and breathed out, feeling the monumental weight and responsibility pressing down on him: that as their leader, he had failed her.
He knew he wasn't the only one who shared this view.
Gaia.
Gaia, who for all of her knowledge on the present and ability to see into the future - evidently she hadn't seen this major upheaval coming. She had been blind-sided and left reeling. They had questioned the Earth Spirit upon their return, desperate for answers but it appeared she was as lost as the rest of them.
"I… I'm so sorry, Planeteers. She's passed beyond my field of vision."
"What the fuck does that even mean?" Wheeler had exploded. "Where the fuck is she? Is she dead?"
A tear had tracked down Gaia's cheek as she held his gaze. "I don't know, Wheeler. I don't know. I didn't foresee any of this."
Kwame rolled onto his back, frowning up at the ceiling as his thoughts turned to the others.
Gi was inconsolable. She spent a lot of her time on the beach, sitting in the sand and staring out at the ocean. Sometimes Gaia would join her.
Ma-Ti was quiet. Reflective. The blow to the head had left him with some memory loss and he was utterly stunned to find out the sequence of events. He'd been discharged from hospital last week and was dividing his time between Kwame and Gi, offering quiet comfort.
Wheeler was an absolute mess. He'd locked himself away and refused to speak to anyone in the days following.
Kwame sighed and forced himself up from the mattress. He pulled a t-shirt over his head and padded outside, treading the familiar path towards the kitchen.
Entering, he was surprised to find Wheeler perched on a stool, his shoulders slumped and thick stubble covering his face and neck. His travel bag lay propped-up beside him and his fire ring was clutched between his fingers.
Kwame opened his mouth and closed it again. He knew what was about to go down.
"I can't stay," Wheeler said softly, meeting Kwame's eyes. He shook his head wearily. "I'm done."
Kwame breathed out slowly and nodded. "I think we all are."
The red-head reached out, passing his ring to Kwame's outstretched fingers and stood awkwardly. He held out his hand but Kwame ignored it, pulling him in for a hug instead. They embraced for a few moments before stepping away, composing themselves.
Wheeler bent down, grasping the handle of his bag and tossing it over his shoulder.
"Are you going to say goodbye to the others?"
Wheeler shook his head, gazing down at his sneakers and slightly ashamed. "Tell em' when I get myself together, I'll be in touch."
Kwame nodded. He raised his hand as Wheeler turned and departed, heading for the Crystal Chamber, no doubt where Gaia would be waiting for him.
He leaned against the fridge, glancing down at Wheeler's ring as the overwhelming truth bore down on him.
The Planeteers were indeed over.
Five weeks later
The cafe was crowded for a typical Friday lunch. A Japanese "Sushi-Train" style establishment in the centre of Seoul's business district, people had descended quickly during the daily lunch break rush-hour.
Gi sat squeezed between her parents, staring at the dishes as they passed her on the conveyor belt.
For marine biologists, they certainly eat a lot of fish.
She sighed, reaching for a plate of avocado rolls as it bobbed past her.
"You are not eating enough, Gi-Yeobo".
The girl shrugged, her shoulders hunched as she took a bite of her food. Gi felt her mother's hand rest between her shoulder blades, rubbing in gentle circles and the girl leaned in instinctively.
"I miss her," she whispered. She leaned back as her father reached across for a plate of salmon, feeling his knee bump against her leg.
"Your friend will always live on in your memory, Gi," her father spoke. He smiled, pinching her nose with his chopsticks. "Linka would be proud of the work you will do here with us."
They ate in silence for a while, finishing their meals before departing the cafe together. Gi stood on the street, clutching her arms about her as her father hailed a taxi and helped her inside.
The ride home to their waterfront estate took ten minutes. They alighted, her parents walking ahead and talking quietly to one another. Gi overheard the word counsellor and her eyes narrowed in frustration. They had barely let her out of their sight since her return back home. They had always had the tendency to be a little over-bearing.
She climbed the stairs to the attic where her room had remained much the same as when she left. Sprawling out on her bed, she stared up at the ceiling before reaching for the photo album on her bedside table and leafing through the pages.
Gi's phone buzzed beside her and she dropped the album onto the floor. Her heart lifted upon seeing the caller ID.
"Hey, creep."
"Hey, mermaid. How's things?"
She scoffed, turning onto her side. "Mum and Dad are two steps away from moving me into their bedroom. I'm okay. How are you?"
"Gettin' there," he said softly. "Doin' all right, I guess. Heard anything from Ma-Ti?"
"I think he's out of range, now."
"Okay."
She bit her lip. "Are you going to the public memorial?"
"Are you?"
"I asked you first," she said, a smile in her voice
He sighed. "In all honesty, I don't know. I'm not keen. The last few weeks have already been a media circus."
"Yeah, tell me about it. Kwame suggested we skip it and do something ourselves. More private."
"All right. I'm good for that."
"Wheeler?"
"Yeah?"
"You sure you're okay?"
There was a pause on the other end of the line. Gi twisted the phone cord between her fingers as she waited.
"I'm survivin'."
She nodded, wiping her eyes. "Yeah. I know what you mean."
"I can't…" he started, forming his words carefully. "I can't stop thinkin' about that day. She was so scared, Gi. They were after Linka, specifically. I couldn't stop em'."
Gi closed her eyes. Ma-Ti had no memory of the incident and Wheeler had refused to speak about it until now.
"It's not your fault," she began, feeling the lump in her throat rising again.
"That's the hardest thing, I think. I was right there and I couldn't keep her safe. And the way that animal was lookin' at her… I just…" A shuffling noise distracted him on the other end of the line and Gi waited patiently, hearing another voice in the background. "Gi, I gotta go. Mom needs the phone."
"All right." She smiled. "Good to hear your voice, Pyro. Take care of yourself."
"You too, hon."
The phone clicked, replaced by the dial-tone. Gi laid back against her pillows, reflecting on her short conversation and agreeing with one of Wheeler's statements.
They were all just surviving now.
END OF PART ONE
Author's note: Thank you to all my lovely reviewers, your support means a lot to me. This concludes the first part of the story. The second part will pick up elsewhere…
Please read and review, would love to hear your thoughts.