Chapter Forty-Seven

 

The three of them ran full out, barely ahead of the mercenaries. Choo-Choo leapt a rocky outcropping, landing in a stream that crossed the fungus-illuminated cavern. The staccato pulse of gunfire echoed, bullets pinging against the rocks as he threw himself into the next tunnel.

"We can't take them back to Vasy," he said to Yara, who was in the lead.

The former Razor member hesitated, then cursed under her breath as she veered the opposite direction, taking them towards the southwest.

"They have stones," said Tick. "We can't outrun them."

"Give me your backpack," said Choo-Choo.

Awkwardly removing himself from the straps, Tick tossed the pack, which Choo-Choo caught and immediately unzipped. Holding the brick of explosives and attaching the detonation device while running made him slower and he fell behind the others. He set the timer for fifteen seconds, and when they passed through a narrow tunnel, he dropped it behind him.

"Go!"

He made it to the opposite side of the cavern before it blew. The concussive wave knocked him off his feet and slammed him into the ground. Pain shot through his shoulder as he tried to climb to his feet, but his legs wouldn't work. Yara appeared at his side, hauling him up.

"You set it too low," she said, her voice coming through muted. His ears rung. Choo-Choo wiped blood from his nose as Yara led him forward.

He thought he'd lost the backpack until he realized that Yara had it. They ran for another half hour before she let them rest. The moment he was no longer moving, Choo-Choo lost the contents of his stomach.

"You're concussed, you idiot."

"Did we lose them?"

"Yes. I'm not sure if you killed any, but they had to go around the collapsed tunnel. It worked."

"We need to get back to Vasy," he said, trying to stand, but she pushed him down.

"You can barely move. We've been moving at a rock slime's pace for the last ten minutes. I need to take a look at you."

Choo-Choo tried rising, but she held him down. He felt like a child, even though they had equal stones.

"Lean back, let me look into your eyes."

He did as he was told. She sighed. "Concussed for sure. We're waiting here until you can stand without looking like a drunken fool."

"But Vasy—"

"You're not going to do her any good like this."

"Then one of you go," he said. "Or both. I'd rather you save her."

Yara and Tick exchanged glances, the latter lifting a shoulder.

"I could go," said the diminutive waku. "With Koro, I'm best equipped to make it without getting caught."

"Except you can't carry her with your stones," said Yara with a heavy sigh. "It'll have to be me. You can wait with Choo-Choo until he's better."

"Thanks, Yara," he said, burying his head in his hands. He wanted to lie down and sleep for a century. A pounding headache was making his vision blurry.

Tick forced him to drink water and rest, but after an hour he stood up, focusing on not wavering.

"I'm going."

"If we run into the mercs, you're a dead man."

He forced a smile. "I can't wait here."

Tick put a hand on his arm. "Emilio..."

"You can either come with me or not, but I'm going."

Tick sighed. "Fine, but let me scout."

He was relieved to have Tick stay in front where he didn't see his struggles as he moved through the caverns and tunnels. He'd never felt so useless. At the pace they were moving, the finals would be over and Pandora would likely have lost without their help. Not that he could do anything right now. Lying down and sleeping for a year was all he wanted to do, but he kept moving. For Vasy's sake. For his clan. The one that didn't exist.

Tick led them on a circuitous route. Choo-Choo had wanted to check on Vasy's location, but they had to assume that Yara had found her. Returning to the Terreno took three times as long as reaching the wastelands and that was without the normal patrols they'd had to avoid in past times. Either the bulk of the Alliance was at the tournament or somewhere else entirely. They certainly weren't in the caverns.

The hidden tunnel they'd used to get out of the Terreno was directly ahead. Tick froze at the edge of the cavern, sending waves of concern through Choo-Choo. He hurried to his friend's side, spotting what had brought the unease. A single shape lay unmoving on a bed of moss near the back of the cavern wearing the clothes that Vasilisa had been in when he left her.

Choo-Choo ran ahead, fighting through the lingering vertigo. He threw himself at his sister's side and tentatively placed his hands on her shoulder, fearing that the body would be cold. He had a gun barrel in his face before he realized it.

"Shadows below, Emilio, I almost shot you."

"Are you okay? Where's Yara? Did they get her?"

His sister was pale, dark circles around her eyes. Her clothes were soaked through with old blood.

"I couldn't move anymore. Carrying me kept opening up the wound and crawling through the tunnel was out of the question. She went to find someone with an opal, even if she had to bring them back at gunpoint."

He let out a quivering breath. "I'm was afraid that, you know..."

"I know, Emilio," she said, putting a hand on his arm. She screwed up her face. "You look like shit by the way. Not as bad as me, I imagine, but you should probably sit before you fall over."

He plopped onto his rear next to her. "Hey, Tick—"

"I'm on it. No one will get within a quarter mile without me knowing what they had for breakfast."

Choo-Choo leaned against the mossy wall and Vasilisa leaned against him. Time slowed down as they sat in absolute quiet. He could hear her shallow breathing and the slow beat of her heart. None of it would have been worth it had she died. He slept for an unknown time, waking when he felt his sister shifting into an upright position.

"Did you really blow up their entire camp and the elevator?" she asked after sitting quietly for a time.

"Yeah," he said, chuckling as he pulled a water bottle from the backpack, noting that two bricks of explosives yet remained. "Would have been cooler if we'd been at a safe distance, but I think we successfully pulled off the distraction." He paused. "What time is it?"

"Morning of the finals."

"Shit. Where's Tick?"

"He checked on us a short time ago," she said.

"Poor bastard. He didn't get to sleep."

"You needed it. You could barely stand without wobbling." She checked her watch again. "If you have to go, I understand."

"No," he said. "I'm not leaving you if you're not healed. Your shirt is wet. You've been bleeding again."

Vasilisa said nothing. The corners of her lips twitched, but refused to curl into a smile. She laid her head on his shoulder and they stared into the darkness waiting for help.