Title: Low Clearance
Author: Karina
Rating: PG
Pairing: Milliardo
Notes: Challenge 207. Baby Series 4 #77. Takes place the day following Be Prepared.
Spoilers: None
Warnings:
Many thanks to ShenLopng Deb for her work betaing this set of fics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Gundam Wing or the Characters from the series but the baby is mine.
Title: Low Clearance
"Mind your head! Low clearance."
Blue eyes stared in consternation at the overhang, eyeing the ever decreasing ceiling height with disfavour. Being the tallest in the company he was conscious of the increasingly tight quarters, but there was nothing for it but to grin and bear the discomfort of walking at a stoop for a period of time.
It was freezing cold and wet, and ice coating the rocks did not help matters. One had to be careful of one's footing and stooping did not make life any easier, but it was not much further, if he was any judge of distance in this natural maze of caverns.
Winter was the only time of the year they could inspect this natural drain. Carved out by the waterfall over millennia, the tunnel system honeycombed the cliff rising over New Port City. Water from the falls drained through here, coursing down through the cliff and exiting through a natural drain that became a stream threading through a sprawling suburb of the city.
Reports during the summer suggested the water flow was partially obstructed, but they had had to wait for the winter to freeze over the waterfall and reduce the flow, allowing them to enter the cavern system to allow an inspection. The fact that he had been requested to enter the system following that inspection suggested something major had been discovered and his personal knowledge or his rank, would expedite action being taken.
It had been years since he had enjoyed the thrill of caving, but he had never actually entered an iced out cave. His fingers, despite heavy gloves, and his feet, despite thick woollen socks and fur lined boots designed to enter this very cave system without suffering frostbite, were feeling more than a little uncomfortably cold. He would be glad to return to the surface and find a fire to thaw his extremities, but...
It was magnificent. A wonderland of natural ice sculptures.
Despite the extreme cold and the icy conditions, he could not help but admire and stand in awe of the beauty of nature that so few would ever see. If not for the inaccessibility of the cave system through most of the year, it could have been a wonderful boost for tourism to the local economy. There were people out there who would pay well for the experience of exploring these hidden passages and chambers.
He eyed the runnel of water at his feet, mindful that it was more than a mere trickle. Sanc was warming up and whatever work needed to be done in the caves would need to be done quickly. Ahead the light of the expedition leader played over a jumble of boulders, glinting off the ice crystals, turning them into jewels. He sighed softly.
Rock fall. There would be no getting past that in a hurry. They would need to effect a clearance of the natural drain before the weather turned with catastrophic results.
End
Karina Robertson 2013