Three Square Meals Ch. 108

Then he heard it... a girl softly crying in the dark. The sound nearly broke his heart, it was so filled with despair, even though he thought himself long inured to a woman's tears. Whoever it was sounded so alone, all hope lost as they waited for the inevitable end. He tried to sit up, then felt a throbbing pulse of pain as he moved his head, the swirling nausea threatening to drag him down into unconsciousness again. Managing to twist to one side, he was violently sick, the stew making an unwelcome reappearance.

Abruptly the crying stopped.

"Tony?!" Kelli gasped, almost sickeningly grateful to hear the sound of another person. "Oh thank God!"

In Tony's delirious state, the thought that she was so delighted to hear him spewing his guts out seemed almost amusing. Wiping the back of his hand over his mouth, he mumbled, "Yeah, it's me..."

"I'm trapped!" she called out to him, panic edging her voice. "I can't dig myself out!"

"Jus' gimme a second," he panted, trying to ignore the foul taste in his mouth. "Is Perl okay?"

"I don't know..." Kelli sobbed, trying not to start crying again. "I've been calling to you both for what seemed like hours... I thought you were dead!"

Tony reached out to find out what was on top of him, feeling the coarse surface of lumps of rock under his fingertips. He wasn't buried by the cave-in, but he was still covered by a pile of stones and dirt. Fumbling around in the darkness, he shoved the rock off his chest, letting him breathe easier again. It didn't take long before he was free and he slipped the backpack off his shoulders before trying to sit up. He did so much more carefully this time, trying to avoid any sudden movements that might set off another wave of nausea.

As he put his hands behind him, he felt the smooth coolness of metal next to his thumb and as he explored further, realised he'd fallen on his SMG when the ceiling collapsed. He pulled it clear, feeling his way around the familiar shape until he located the torch slung under the barrel. Holding his breath, he pushed the button to turn it on and a flickering beam of light illuminated the tunnel.

He heard Kelli sob again but with relief this time as the torch banished the blackness. The dust was cloying, particles reflecting the torchlight and adding an eerie sense of the surreal, as if he wasn't disorientated enough already. Shining the light around, he saw that he'd avoided the worst of the cave-in, but the blood smeared over the rock by his head told a grim story of its own.

"Where are you, Kelli?" he asked waving the torch around.

"Over here!"

A pale arm waved at him from back down the tunnel and as he focused the torch on her, he saw that she was lying face down, buried in rock and dirt up to her shoulders.

"Fuck me..." he muttered, seeing how close a call it had been.

He suddenly thought of Perl and swept the torch over the collapsed passage, not seeing any sign of her. His heart sank when he thought of that beautiful girl crushed to death by the cave-in, buried under thousands of tons of rock. After everything she'd been through to escape the bugs, it seemed like such a horrible and unfair way to go. Fighting back the sadness, he pulled aside the handful of stone chunks trapping his legs, then wriggled his way clear.

Doing his best not to aggravate his spinning head, he crawled over to the trapped brunette and clasped her waving hand. "I'll get you out, babe. Just chill a minute."

Kelli nodded, her eyes wide with fear as she stared up at him. "Okay, Tony." She turned to look over her shoulder, her voice trembling as she added, "My ankle really hurts..."

Tony knelt at her side and put his SMG down on the ground pointing towards the rocks covering Kelli. He wasn't a miner, but you didn't spend your life living in Karron's tunnels without experiencing your fair share of cave-ins. Working carefully, he eased out the bigger lumps of rock, checking the rest of the pile to make sure he wasn't going to trigger another collapse. He managed to dig out most of her upper body, finding that her flattened backpack had helped protect her from the rockfall. Unfortunately, several of the water bottles had cracked, soaking her to the skin.

"Nearly done," he said, trying to sound reassuring as she shivered in the darkness.

He tugged at a big piece of rock over her legs and Kelli let out a strangled shriek. "Ow! That really fucking hurt!"

"Sorry, babe, I'll just-"

An ominous creak above their heads made them both suck in their breath and he froze, not wanting to do anything to trigger another cave-in.

Kelli clung to him, the whites of her eyes showing in her terror. "Please, Tony! Don't let me die!"

"Gimme your pack!" he snapped urgently, clicking his fingers in front of her face.

She looked at him in shock, horrified that he was going to take her supplies and leave her behind. That fearful glance was like a stab in his heart and he wasn't sure who he felt sorrier for, himself because she still didn't trust him, or Kelli because she was so clearly accustomed to betrayal.

"It's less weight if I have to pull you out," he explained quietly. "I'm not stealin' your shit and leavin' you here."

Kelli heard the sadness in his voice and looked up at him with remorse. "I'm really sorry, Tony."

"Doesn't matter," he said gruffly, taking her pack when she slid the straps off her shoulders.

Staggering back up the tunnel, he dragged his discarded pack with him, then left them in a pile ten metres away from the cave-in. He returned to the flickering light from his SMG and squinted as he looked at the pile of dirt and stone trapping the young woman's leg.

"Alright... I'm gonna move that bigass rock, then you drag yourself clear..." he muttered, after another fearful glance at the ceiling.

"Okay..." she said, in a small scared voice.

He knelt down again, fighting off another wave of nausea and the grogginess from his head. "Here we go."

Brushing the smaller rocks and dirt from the big one, he gripped the edge and leaned backwards, using his bodyweight to lift it from her leg. Kelly squeaked as she tried to stifle the pain, then crawled out, whimpering as she slid away from the cave-in. Tony groaned and tried to slowly tilt the rock back, but it slipped from his fingers and landed with a thump. Stones started to shift and he stumbled backwards in fear, grabbing Kelli's arm with one hand and his SMG with the other.

He heard her scream in pain as he dragged her across the ground, her agonised cry was drowned out by the deep rumble of rock crashing down from the unstable ceiling above. Tony tripped over backwards as he yanked Kelli clear, pebbles bouncing around them as a fresh cloud of dust blanketed the tunnel.

They lay there together for a moment, coughing amongst the dust as the rocks settled again.

He turned to look at her, shining his torch at her face to check she was okay. "Sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you."

She looked at him in shock and shook her head. "Perl!"

Tony frowned in confusion. "She's gone, Kelli... I'm sorry."

"No, it wasn't me that screamed, it was Perl!" she gasped, turning to look back down the tunnel.

Shining the torch down the tunnel again, he saw that the ceiling hadn't totally collapsed after all. The second cave-in had shifted some of the rubble, opening up a gap at the side of the passageway.

"No fuckin' way..." he muttered, shaking his head in disbelief and immediately regretting it as he saw spots in front of his eyes. He clutched at his head, breathing deep to steady himself, then handed the SMG to Kelli. "Hold this a second, I'll grab another torch from the packs."

She nodded, pointing the flickering light at the backpacks as he flipped up the top and dug around until he found what he was looking for. Activating it, the beam from the flashlight was strong and steady, giving him a much better view of the partially collapsed tunnel.

"Be careful..." she said softly, as he headed back to the rockfall.

Tony nodded distractedly, his attention focused on the gap ahead of him. Being careful not to dislodge any more rocks, he peered around the gap, sweeping the area ahead for signs of life. The rest of the tunnel was blocked about five-metres further back, but a huge rocky slab had crashed down from the ceiling, protecting the crumpled form below. He felt a surge of relief when he saw Perl, the blonde still wearing her backpack and her long coat.

"You lucky little bitch," he muttered, astonished that she hadn't been flattened.

Crawling through the gap, while taking care not set off another collapse, he made his way down to the unconscious young woman. As he got closer the smile on his lips died. The slab of rock had crushed her arm, fresh blood smeared all over the rough edge that had mangled the limb. He could see bone poking through the ragged remnants of her coat sleeve, flesh pulped and torn just above the elbow.

Tony tried not to be sick again, as he fell to his knees at her side. "Oh fuck me..." he cursed as he pulled out his knife.

Shrugging off his own coat, he tossed it aside, then tore the bottom of his shirt into strips. Making a crude tourniquet, he wrapped it around her bicep to stem the blood flow, then used his belt to tighten it further. Grimacing in disgust, he used his knife to cut away the last of the flesh still connecting her bicep to the splattered remains of her forearm that lay crushed under the rock.

Perl moaned in pain, but thankfully she didn't wake up, the blonde blessedly oblivious to the sickening state of her arm. Tony carefully laid her down on his coat, then used it as a crude travois to drag her out of the cave. It was slow going as he had to stop a couple of times to let waves of dizziness pass, but he eventually managed to pull her free from the rockslide.

"Is she okay?" Kelli asked, hobbling over to his side. "What happe-" Her voice faded out as she gaped at her friend in horror. "Oh my God... Perl!"

"Yeah, she's really fucked up," Tony muttered, looking down at the blonde in anguish. He glanced at Kelli and continued quietly, "It might be kinder to... you know... end it."

Kelli saw his eyes dart to the SMG and looked at him in horror. "No way! After she survived that, we can't just kill her!"

"Alright..." he said with a shrug as he walked over to the backpacks. "But she needs a doc real bad... and I doubt there's any left in this shithole." He crouched down and dug a med-kit out of his pack.

"She might be okay..." Kelli said nervously, glancing back at her critically wounded friend. Perl looked deathly pale and it was obvious just how dangerously close she was to death's door.

Tony knelt at Perl's side and grimaced as he tore more of the sleeve clear so that he could access her severed arm. He unravelled the med-kit and took out a blood pack. "Here, find out how this works," he muttered, handing it over.

Kelli glanced at him for a second, but took the blood pack without comment, squatting down gingerly next to the blonde. "Universal donor... blah blah... locate the vein..."

She rolled up the sleeve on Perl's uninjured arm, then attached the pack to the exposed skin around her wrist, lining it up so that it fit correctly. She pressed the button and nodded with satisfaction as it began the automated transfusion process. Meanwhile, Tony had unpacked a bottle with a spray nozzle attachment and was frowning at the label.

Kelli glanced at the bottle and asked quietly, "Do you want me to use that antiseptic spray on her too?"

"Yeah, okay," he said gruffly, handing it over.

Grabbing a fresh water bottle out of one of the packs, Kelli gulped as she did her best to wash the dirt from the wound. Once she was reasonably satisfied it was clean, she read the instructions on the label, then sprayed the clear gel over the bloody remnants of Perl's arm. Tony had unfolded the trauma bandage and passed it to the brunette without comment. Kelli scanned through the care label, then carefully wrapped it around the wound, sealing it tight and activating the vacu-form casing. After making sure it was secure, she used the hypo-injector on Perl, giving her a strong dose of painkillers.

She sat back and saw that Tony was watching her, his face flushed with embarrassment. "I just never bothered to learn... I'm not stupid," he said defensively.

Kelli crawled around Perl to hug him. "I wasn't even thinking it, Tony, I promise." She gave him a soft kiss on the cheek. "Besides, we never would have made it this far without you looking after us. You're a real smart guy."

He relaxed when he saw that she was being sincere, then shook his head and let out a sardonic laugh. "Nah, not really. The miners blasted all the tunnels to stop the bugs comin' in... With the cave-in, we're trapped in here. So much for my escape plan."

She shrugged and gave him a brave smile. "It could be worse."

Tony looked at her incredulously.

"I'm serious!" Kelli exclaimed, then gave him a coy smile. "I actually quite like getting fucked in the ass, but I've got a feeling the Bugs aren't big on lube..."

He burst into laughter, then cringed as his head throbbed. "Yeah, you're right, it could be worse."

She looked at him in concern, then shone the torch from the SMG onto the back of his head. Her face paled as she gasped, "Fuck... you're covered in blood!"

Lurching to her feet, she grunted as she put her weight on her twisted ankle, then limped to a pack to get another med-kit. Pulling out blankets from the backpacks, she rolled them out on the ground, then tipped the pack over for a pillow. "Lie down. I need to take a look at your head."

Too tired and sore to argue, Tony pulled out some bottles of water and nutri-bars from the pack, then lay down on the blankets. The water Kelli splashed on the cut stung a bit, but the antiseptic gel felt cool and soothing as she sprayed it on the wound. He quenched his parched throat as she put on the bandage, then reluctantly let her apply the blood pack as he bit into the snack bar.

"There, all done," she said with satisfaction as she sat on the blanket.

Tony gave a wan smile. "That actually feels loads better, thanks."

"What do we do now?" Kelli asked, taking one of the bottles and drinking big gulps.

He glanced at Perl and he shook his head as he looked at her arm. "Well we can't drag her... We might as well get some sleep and hope Perl doesn't freak the fuck out when she wakes up."

The brunette nodded and helped him move Perl so that she was lying on the blankets, with her head resting on a pack. When Kelli was satisfied the blonde was as comfortable as she could make her, she turned off the flickering torch on the SMG, then snuggled in next to Tony for warmth, using his shoulder as a pillow.

"Tony... what are we going to do?" she murmured, glancing up at him as he reached for his flashlight.

"Get some sleep," he said firmly, flicking off the light.

Kelli was quiet for a minute, then her soft voice echoed in the darkness, "No, I mean if we get out of this?"

He paused, thinking it over. In truth, he'd been so focused on surviving the Kirrix invasion, he hadn't thought twice about what he would do afterwards. With the Diablos gang captured and hauled away by the Kirrix, there was no going back to his old life, even if he did manage to survive this nightmare.

"I'm not sure," he replied honestly. "Why, what do you want to do?"

"I want to see a sunset," she whispered, a wistful note to her voice. Kelli shifted and he knew she was looking at him again. "If that's alright with you?"

"No one owns you now," Tony said, with a vehemence that surprised him. "You can do whatever you want."

She hugged him tight and he could feel her slim body trembling next to him, his tattered shirt getting damp as tears rolled down her cheeks. Tony swallowed around the lump in his throat, then rubbed her back as he held her close.

***

The sound of soft singing woke John the following morning and he smiled when he opened his eyes to see Faye's elfin face beside him on the pillow. He lay still and listened attentively, amazed at the depth and range of her lovely voice. The song was in old Maliri and was a cautionary ballad, warning of the 'enthraller of maidens' who would capture the hearts of wayward young women.

When she was done, he kissed her on her the tip of her dainty little nose. "Good morning, beautiful."

Faye grinned and gave him a quick kiss in return. "Good morning to you, John! I hope you slept well?"

"Like a baby, thank you," he said gratefully. "That was a wonderful wake-up call, by the way; it was fascinating to hear an ancient Maliri song warning about Mael'nerak."

"It wasn't ancient Maliri," she replied with a twinkle in her luminous eyes.

He frowned at her in confusion. "It certainly sounded like it."

"Nope, it was a Faye song, warning about Baen'thelas! It's far too easy to fall for his charms," she explained, trying not to giggle too loud when she saw his startled expression.

"No one's ever written a song about me before," he said, touched by the effort she'd put into it.

Alyssa rolled over, revealing that she was awake too. "Stop it, Faye! You're going to give him a big head and he's got to fit into a Paragon suit in a few minutes..."

The purple sprite attempted to look contrite, but failed miserably.

John smiled at her, then glanced at the ship's chronometer. "Yeah, we better get moving. We'll be reaching the Nav beacon soon."

Faye nodded as she sat up. "Fourteen minutes until we arrive. The Terran Federation forces are approaching the rendezvous point."

Alyssa raised an eyebrow and all around them the girls started to yawn and stretch, gently nudged awake by her telepathic wake-up call. Soon the bedroom was a flurry of activity as the girls all sprang out of bed, knowing that they had a very busy day ahead.

"Where's Rachel?" John asked, the tawny-haired doctor conspicuously absent.

Taking his hand, Alyssa followed him into the shower. "Checking out my DNA... the cheeky minx was up an hour ago taking a sample. She'll be back in a minute."

As the water sluiced down over them, John brushed her golden hair back to uncover her enhanced new ears. He ran a finger from the lobe to the tip, smiling as the blonde shivered in delight. "Sensitive?"

She nodded, her eyelashes fluttering as he caressed her. "I didn't realise quite how much..."

Calara joined them a moment later and smiled when she saw what her lovers were doing. Alyssa groaned when the Latina leaned into her from behind and licked her girlfriend's new elongated ear tip.

"Keep that up and we'll never make the rendezvous," Alyssa said, turning around and pulling Calara into the middle of them. "And I'm very glad you're here, I want a word with you..."

The Latina suddenly looked pensive, glancing back at John over her shoulder, before focusing on the blonde again. "You do?"

Alyssa nodded and gave her a stern frown. "I heard you yesterday... how could you think that I might not want you as my girlfriend anymore?"

John looked shocked and he stepped to the side so he could see Calara's face. "Is that true? Why would you think that?"

She looked chagrined and struggled to meet his eye. "You two looked so much in love... and now you're both Progenitors too... I understand if you just want to focus on each other."

"I'm really sorry if we unsettled you," John said, wrapping her up in her arms. "I still love you just as much as ever."

Alyssa encircled the Latina in a loving embrace. "You were the first to join us, gorgeous girl. You will always hold a special place in our hearts... that's never going to change."

Calara looked immensely relieved and hugged her back fiercely. "I love you both so much... but I didn't want to get in the way if-"