by Ford, Lizzy
“You.”
“Don’t think I won’t use it against you.”
What the fuck did I expect? Kimber turned away and climbed into the horizontal shaft leading to the pipe that dropped straight down. He hadn’t wanted a profession of love, but was a temporary truce too much to ask? How about just not being a bitch until they escaped?
Furious with himself for caring about a woman like her, he was jarred back into his surroundings when he dropped the first few feet down into the pipe.
Kimber braced his arms and legs against the walls. He tested himself, hunching and straightening his shoulders. If he sucked himself in, he slid down the pipe with ease. Bracing his shoulders was enough to slow his descent, and using his legs would stop him. When comfortable with his own movement, he looked up into the darkness.
“Reader! Come –”
She slammed into him, too small to brace herself against the sides of the pipe like he could. Her knee smashed into his head, and lights exploded into Kimber’s mind. They dropped, and he frantically strained not to let them fall all the way down the hundred and fifty foot long pipe.
He was about to snap at her for not warning him before smashing into him, when he heard the distant roar. Kimber cocked his head, waiting until he could confirm it. It reminded him of the sound of a tropical storm smashing into the side of his home, as he’d heard during a brief stay with his mother in Cuba during hurricane season.
“Go!” Keladry urged, shifting above him. Her awkward position was tenuous at best. One of her legs was down his spine while her other foot was on his shoulder. Her crotch was at the back of his head.
The roar grew closer, coming from above them.
Kimber rolled his shoulders and limbs inwards and sucked in a breath. They plummeted towards the ground, faster now with her weight propelling them downward. He counted to ten and then braced his legs against the sides of the pipe to slow them, so they didn’t hit the ninety-degree turn at the bottom of the pipe at full speed.
A cold stream of water splashed over him as the roar grew almost deafening and shook the pipe from the force of water chasing them down the narrow tunnel.
Fearing what would happen if they didn’t make it out of the tunnel before the flood hit, Kimber released his grip on the pipe and let them fall.
He smashed into the bottom with force that sent pain radiating through him. Wriggling down, he maneuvered out of the vertical pipe and into the six-foot wide access tunnel leading to the smaller maintenance room lined with pipes. Water shot past him, and he grabbed Keladry’s legs and hauled her out of the pipe with him. Before either of them could stand, the water slamming through the pipes smashed into them and hurled them into the maintenance access room.
Kimber landed in the center of the room, in the river of sludge, which was being sucked ferociously in one direction. He clawed his way back onto the cement pathway lining one side. Reader had been shot across the room and was struggling to her feet.
Water flooded in from every pipe but one. In the time it took Kimber to stand, the water was up to his waist and rising with terrifying speed.
“We need to go there!” he shouted above the roar of water. He pointed to the pipe six feet from the ground that led towards the shit pond. Off-balance, straining against the force of water, he attempted to jump over the river of sludge only to feel the cement beneath his feet give way without reaching the opposite side. The riptide of the sludge seized his legs and yanked him into the water.
Kimber was submerged in water, fighting the current, and feeling himself lose the battle, when something caught his arm and pulled him back to the surface.
Keladry hauled him out of the water and towards the wall. He caught himself against it, panting. The water was almost to her chin. Her features were tight with pain. He instinctively reached out to touch her face and cupped it gently in one hand before the flooding water pushed him off balance.
He caught himself and motioned upward, toward the mouth of the pipe. She nodded.
Fighting to stay on his feet amidst the currents battering his body, Kimber lifted her to the pipe. Keladry hauled herself into it. He grabbed the metal pipe and pulled himself up and out of the water.
“Holy … shit,” he breathed, collapsing for a brief reprieve in the dry tunnel. “You okay?”
“Not really. I’ve got shit in my hair.”
Kimber snorted.
The water reached the mouth of the pipe and began to trickle into it. “C’mon.” He nudged her towards their destination. “We need to keep moving.”
Keladry was slow to move, and he crouched, moving with her and wrapping his arm around her shoulders to help her along when she began to lag. Water began to push them from behind and soon, it reached their chins as they crawled towards the shit pond.
Warm water soon lapped his neck, originating in front of them and smelling so rank, he resisted the urge to throw up.
“Shit pond must be overflowing,” he murmured. “No matter what happens, we have to keep going this way. It’s not far. Just don’t stop, Keladry.”
For the first time ever, she didn’t correct him. But she was moving too slow for his comfort.
Cold water pressed him from behind while the warm water in front of them left him nauseated.
“You can hate me for this later,” he said, alarmed by how fast the waters were rising. Kimber gripped her under the arms and hauled her against him. He rolled onto his back and began kicking with his legs, using his strength to propel them towards the shit pond and their last obstacle.
Keladry didn’t fight him. She went limp in his arms and kicked as well to help.
The waters closed over their heads. Kimber sucked in one last breath and freed one arm, using it, too, to propel them forward.
Just when his lungs began to burn, and he feared they’d never make it, the constriction of the pipe disappeared. They were immersed in warm, sludgy water on the other side. He kept his grip on her and kicked towards the ceiling, praying the water hadn’t reached the top of the room yet.
His head broke free, and Kimber sucked in a deep breath and then gagged at the smell. Keladry coughed. She was moving and alive.
Kimber reached up to see if he could feel the ceiling. It was far enough he didn’t have to worry about drowning yet. Treading water, he spun in a circle, trying to spot the door leading to the cliff.
Nothing. The water was too high for him to see the moon.
“Flashlight,” Keladry breathed. “It’s been … smacking me in the head.”
He flipped it on and lifted it to see. The chamber was too large for him to see the wall where the door should have been – but he spotted two things that gave him hope. The first: the bubble of water from where the pipe had dumped them into the room. The second: the slow current of water as it moved in the direction of the only outlet it had, the door he couldn’t see.
“That way,” he said and shined the light on Keladry.
She nodded. Her eyes had taken on an unhealthy glow, and the instincts of a physician warned him she was going into shock. Concerned, he didn’t want to dwell on the unsanitary conditions the wounded woman was swimming in or how much longer she was going to hold up before collapsing completely.
“Stay close,” he instructed her. Kimber began to swim towards the swirling waters.
The water rose around them as they swam. He kept his gaze pinned in the direction they were headed, not about to fail now, when their freedom was so close. The grueling swim felt like a lifetime in hell, and he listened for the sounds of Keladry following.
At last, he reached the opposite wall. Kimber dragged Keladry the last few feet to the wall, and they rested against it. He aimed the flashlight down into the murky water but didn’t need to see the rippling of water. The suction, created by the only outlet in the room, was tugging at his feet and legs.
“Almost there,” he said and turned off the flashlight. “Hang in there.”
“I’m not a fucking damsel in distre
ss.”
“Get over it,” he retorted, too exhausted and wired for her attitude. “You’re the strongest person I’ve ever known. But that doesn’t mean you don’t need help every once in a while like everyone else.”
“You choose the worst times to lecture me.”
“You kick my ass every other time we meet. When else am I supposed to go superhero on you?”
“Then superhero us out of here,” she snapped.
You’re welcome for rescuing you, he replied silently. Kimber took her hand and placed it on his backpack. “Keep in contact with me. We’ve gotta go under and out the door.”
“I’m ready.”
“Deep breath.” Kimber sucked in one and then ducked under the water. He dove downwards, towards the suction. Within seconds, the sense of being tugged turned into a violent pull, and he was swept towards the exit. Alarmed, his thoughts went to the possibility they’d be shot out over the cliff into the air and end up falling two hundred feet to the ground.
He flung his arms and legs out, stretching to feel something, anything, that he might grab. He lost all track of Keladry’s presence. Yanked downward, he felt the difference in pressure around him when he shot through the door. One of his arms smashed into the doorway, cutting him from shoulder to wrist, and then, he was free … flying in a combination of water and air, hurling into the night sky towards the moon.
His belt caught on something, and he was snapped back from the sky, through water, and dropped onto his back.
Kimber lay still, chest heaving. He coughed up water, his senses reeling at the sudden, jarring cessation of movement. He heard Keladry coughing from nearby and the sound of a waterfall as the flood fell down the cliff and smacked against the ground far below.
“Sorry about the alligators,” Igor said, leaning over him. His dark features were lit by a green flare, and he was drenched. He wore a climbing harness.
“It’s … okay,” Kimber said and staggered into a seated position. He sucked in deep breaths until his lungs caught up with him. His arm was bloodied, the material of his uniform soaked and heavy with maroon. When he looked down, the wound from the door had already begun to heal. The bleeding had stopped.
He gazed around to orient himself. Officer Ford was beside Keladry, and he quickly assessed what had happened. The men had scaled the cliff and hauled the two of them out of the water shooting out of the mountain fortress.
Wobbling to his feet, Kimber approached Keladry and dropped heavily beside her.
“Is there really a bomb in you?” he asked.
“Probably.”
“Where?”
She lifted her shirt and patted the side of her abdomen, where an unnatural bulge had formed. Kimber examined her abdomen gently and grimly. Her father hadn’t placed the explosion beneath her skin, but tucked it much deeper, far enough into her body, Kimber couldn’t tell what organs he might have to go through to get to it.
“We need to leave,” Officer Ford said as he gathered the climbing rope.
Chink.
“In a minute,” Kimber responded. Busy studying Keladry, he paid the odd sound no heed.
Chink. Chink. Chink.
He glanced in the direction of the sound.
“No, now,” Igor said grimly. “The snipers are out.”
“Snipers.” Kimber leaned back and craned his head up towards the top of the mountain. Unable to spot the men with rifles, he jerked when the next shot grazed his arm. “Igor, we can’t move her too far without getting rid of the bomb first.”
“We’re completely exposed here,” Officer Ford said, clipping his harness to the anchored rope. “We can’t deal with that when we’re sitting ducks.”
“There are places to hide at the base of the cliff,” Igor added. His worried gaze was on Keladry. He went to her and picked her up with ease. “We need to go.”
Kimber rose, a little less steady on his feet than the two men who saved them. They hurried to the cliff’s edge. With Keladry over his shoulder, Igor went first, followed by Officer Ford and finally Kimber, who took a bullet to the shin before he was able to duck behind the protection of the cliff.
They scaled downwards fast and sought cover behind the van they’d rented for the night.
Igor laid Keladry out on the ground and then pulled a first aid kit from the van. Before Kimber could kneel, something large slammed into the roof of the van. His gaze flew to the roof.
“That’s the biggest fucking alligator I’ve ever seen,” Officer Ford voiced what Kimber was thinking. The motionless critter stretched the length of the van, and its tail reached the ground behind it.
“After this, we need to have a talk about improving the flow of information to your friendly neighborhood superhero before sending him in to face a fucking dinosaur he doesn’t know exists,” Kimber said, eyeing Igor in disapproval.
The sudden raining of bullets against the van saved Igor from having to respond. Kimber lurched and stumbled to Keladry’s side. He dropped to the ground, hating the pain being shot caused but grateful he healed so fast. Crawling to Keladry, he ripped open the first aid kit.
“I need a really sharp knife,” he said and pulled on protective gloves.
Officer Ford presented him with a hunting knife.
“This is going to hurt like hell, Reader,” Kimber said as he prodded the area around the bomb again.
“Hit me, Doc,” she replied.
“She can’t heal around you,” Igor reminded him, concern knitting his brow. “You’ll have to be careful. You guys can be killed, if enough damage is done.”
“Fortunately, I’m a professional.” Kimber glanced up. “As soon as I’m done, you take her and Ford to safety.”
“Fifteen feet,” Keladry said with a grunt. “I’ve measured the effectiveness of your power.”
Because that’s what supervillains do. Plot to kill superheroes with every waking moment. Kimber pursed his lips. “Drive them to safety then come back for me, Igor.”
He drew a deep breath, not wanting to hurt her more than he had to but aware of the urgency of their situation.
“Hold her, Igor. Ford, put something in her mouth so she doesn’t bite her tongue off,” he ordered.
They obeyed. Igor pinned her shoulders. Officer Ford placed his belt between her teeth then sat across her thighs. Everyone but Keladry appeared worried about the lack of anesthesia being used for the impromptu surgery.
Sorry, Kimber said silently. He made the first incision, the second, the third … and then very carefully sliced the knife deeper, maneuvering between her kidney and liver towards her stomach.
Keladry’s body went rigid, but she didn’t scream or fight those holding her.
Blocking out the sound of sniper fire, Kimber widened the incision until he could fit his fingers inside her. He ignored the blood and gently worked his way towards the small box of explosives tucked inside her abdomen.
Keladry jerked suddenly and then went limp, passing out from the pain.
He glanced at her features and then began to work the box out of her stomach with his fingers.
Several minutes after he cut her, he held the plastic explosives in his hands. A digital timer was embedded on one side of the box with all of ten minutes left on it. General Savage hadn’t taken chances that she wouldn’t leave the area; he was going to blow up his daughter no matter what.
“Let me have it,” Officer Ford said. He held out his hand, which was covered by a glove.
Kimber handed the bloody explosives over, and Officer Ford stood long enough to fling it into the surrounding forest before ducking back down. With expertise and speed born of routine, Kimber sewed the wound closed the best he could, not at all certain he hadn’t damaged her organs in the process of removing the explosives.
“Go, Igor,” he ordered and sat back. “Get them out of here first and come back for me. I’ll be as close to the end of this road as I can be.”
Igor swept Keladry up and hurried to the van.
&nb
sp; “I’m staying,” Officer Ford said.
“You can’t heal like I can,” Kimber replied.
“You have no operational sense or knowledge how to outmaneuver a sniper. You need a sidekick.”
Bet he refuses to wear a cape, too. Kimber said nothing aloud. He peeled off the gloves and tossed them in the van.
Igor started it and shifted into gear.
“Follow me!” Officer Ford said and bolted towards the forest.
Exhausted, concerned, Kimber trailed him.
The van tore off down the road, back towards the main street leading out from the mountain. Kimber hid behind the wide trunk of a tree to watch. Only when Igor turned out of sight did he step back.
Bark exploded in his face, and Kimber stumbled back.
“Behind that rock!” Officer Ford called. He hunched behind another boulder nearby.
Kimber stood and hurried towards the boulder nearest him. Just as he reached it, he felt another flash of fire, as if a bullet had grazed his ass.
He dropped down. Within seconds, a rush spread through him, lighting his nerve endings on fire and filling him with a sense of contentment and euphoria. His muscles relaxed, and sheer bliss began to descend through him.
“Oh … fuck …” he whispered, recognizing the sensations. Reaching back with heavy, clumsy hands, he pulled the dart from his backside. It blurred before his eyes, but not before he realized it had contained what he feared the most.
And then he was falling, becoming blissfully unaware of his surroundings, his mind, his pain.
I missed this so much, he thought and let the drug sweep him towards oblivion and peace.
Eight: Sometimes a superhero needs rescuing from himself
Reader rolled the junkie at her feet onto his back to get a look at his face before moving on to the next one. Thick smoke originating from the smokers’ room permeated every inch of the six-story drug den. Soft music – a mix of orchestral and electronica – drifted from the bottom floor. Some of the customers were awake or coherent, while most were lying or sitting – asleep - or enjoying their highs with expressions of ecstasy. An orgy had been going on in in one room, and quiet discussions among casual drug users in another, while the spaced out marijuana and opium smokers in the smokers’ section were so quiet in their entrancements, she’d had to look twice to make sure they were alive.
