 Somewhere under a Bulgarian Monastery Kevin didn't know exactly the moment he realized who Jeffrey was but at least he'd discovered the truth before he killed the kid. And he could have done just that a few minutes ago. Easily. Introductions had been made and Boswell tended to Scarlett who was still unconscious and bleeding heavily. Luckily he knew about trauma injuries and stopped the bleeding, for a time. That left Jeffrey and Phoenix time to chat, and Kevin didn't like the direction of their conversation. "Kevin the spy." Phoenix said, testing the name. "Somehow it doesn't seem, I don't know - mysterious enough. What about Nick? Ever thought of yourself as a Nick? Now *there's* a spy name worth having." "He's right. It does lose something in the translation." Jeffrey smiled, attempting to joke along with Phoenix. Somehow the comment didn't come off as humourous as Phoenix's had. Causing an agent to become hostile wasn't something Jeffrey planned. It was something that just happened to him - often. And right now was one of those golden moments in Jeffrey Sogard's life. Kevin glared at him with a far from delighted expression on his face. "When I get to heaven I'll tell my old man that his pop's name wasn't good enough for you." He didn't know what it was that irked him the most. Jeffrey slamming his name or something that lie deeper in his psyche. Before he realized it, Kevin was balling up Jeffrey's collar. His fist tightly clutching the red cotton fabric. When Jeffrey's eyes turned back from scowling at Phoenix, they tried to refocus on an object that was much closer in proximity than before. Kevin's face was inches from his own. "I'm sorry," he said, trying to escape the bigger and better trained adversary. "I didn't mean it like that. I was just joking around. Like him." He thumbed his finger at Phoenix who feigned a 'who me?' act of innocence. In his frustration not only at Jeffrey but at the situation they found themselves in, Kevin pushed the young controller. Not hard, but just enough to unbalance him. He tumbled over an askew I-beam and fell face first into a pile of what had to be one hundred year old dust. It mushroomed a cloud of dirty powder into his face. Sputtering and coughing, Jeffrey tried to return to a standing position with some of his dignity left intact. He wasn't hurt, not physically. Maybe just his pride, but he'd live. As he attempted to get up a second time, his hand closed over a mound of loose Earth. His fingers gripped the unstable ground. As he steadied himself, the digits inched deeper into the combination of rubble and soil. He came back up with a handful of dirt clumps and rocks. Using his fingers like a sifter, Jeffrey shook away the remaining clods until only a metal object was left in the palm of his hand. It was a necklace attached to a crucifix. A very strangely designed crucifix. The gasp from behind him was barely audible but definitely there. Kevin forcibly snatched the necklace from Jeffrey's hand. Upon further examination, he found exactly what he thought he might. "It's Faith's," he said, his voice tight with emotion. Just then the building moaned, as if it too was saddened by Faith's disappearance. The rumbling began anew followed by a dirt shower. Huge parts of the ceiling came hurtling at them like meteors from outer space. It was definitely time to leave. Kevin knew the drill. Get the innocent to safety, then search for survivors. But no one said they couldn't do both at the same time. He began barking orders like a drill sergeant. "Jeffrey you take Mike. Boswell carry Scarlett and Phoenix, you're with me." "Me? You're leaving *me* here to die by lethal rock pelting? No way, Jose. Not me." Phoenix watched helplessly as the rest of their group made their way through the secret passage and up to the surface. "Why me? It's not like I'm Mr. Gung Ho or anything. *I* wasn't the one who talked me into this cockamamy adventure in the first place. So, tell me, why should *I* have to die in it?" Kevin placed his hand on the babbling boy's shoulder trying to calm him. "I trust you," Kevin said, with more honesty in his voice than he'd felt in a long time. "This is my kid sister we're talking about. Michaela and Scarlett are both injured. Jeffrey and Boswell don't know the area. That leaves just you and me. It's up to us. We have to save the day." "We don't need to do any day saving. How about we save our own butts and..." Phoenix started for the door but Kevin's stern glance stopped him. "Stop talking and look for her!" Kevin meant business. "Right. Looking. That's me..." "Shut up! You can search faster if you just be quiet!" "I'm sorry!" he stressed, with an anxious edge to his voice. "When I'm nervous I babble. One of my few foibles in life. Sue me!" For a few quiet minutes they searched. Neither finding what they hoped to see but both feeling the pressure put upon them. "I'm sure Faith is perfectly fine. She's a trooper. I doubt a little thing like a mountain caving in would get her down," Phoenix said, noticing the urgency with which Kevin hunted. "Yes, Faith is a trooper but she's hurt. You said that yourself. Don't you want to help me make sure she sees another day?" "Okay, all right. Yes. Where was Jeffrey when he found that necklace?" Kevin pointed the way. Phoenix drew closer to the area of loose dirt and brought his torch closer. The light played on an ornate cross lying across a huge hole. "Houston, we have a problem," said the younger man. Kevin and Phoenix both moved their torches so the light angled down the gaping rupture in the ground. "There she is!" Phoenix yelled. "But she's not moving." As he moved his light closer, the dirt around his feet crumbled. Fumbling for more stable ground, he lost his balance. The torch flew from his hand extinguishing as it made its journey across the what was left of the room. As the floor disappeared beneath him, he grabbed onto the only thing within his reach. The large ornate cross covering the hole. Phoenix tried to find a hand hole but the cross was slippery and the ornate features didn't lend much to holding on for dear life. The rumbling which had momentarily stopped during his fall suddenly started up again. Then a horrible thing happened. The entire left section of the room collapsed in on itself. Phoenix watched at Kevin performed an intricate dive roll landing on the other side of the hole. He was safe. At least for the time being. The rest of the monastery was bound to come tumbling down in the next few minutes. Somehow even in his terror, Phoenix knew this was his moment of truth. "Get out of here," he yelled. "If I live and she's alive..." he said as he searched for a better hand position. "I'll bring her home to youuuuuu." His last word echoed through the darkness of the hole as he lost his grip. "NO!" Kevin screamed. He lunged forward but it was too late. Phoenix was gone. His form angling awkwardly at the bottom of the pit. "Go." Kevin could barely hear the whisper, and he didn't know if it was really Phoenix's voice or just his own wishful thinking. "Go. Save yourself." Kevin made a mad dash for the passageway as the room imploded. To Be Continued in Season Two: C O N V E R G E N C E ! |
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