Driver Pt 13

Driver pt. 13 Lords of the Underworld

This is a work of fiction. All characters depicted are over the age of 18.

Mack was last down, out of the service duct into the cave, wriggling through the narrow crack feet first, Sardonic and Rivera hauling on his ankles. Dropping to the floor he stood, knees knocking, face streaming rivulets of sweat. The first thing he saw when the VR refreshed was Echo nearby, face in her hands, crying. "Echo?" he asked, "Sweetheart?"

"I've gone blind!" Echo keened while Viviani rubbed her back.

Standing beside her, Nyamjargal quavered, "Me too."

Mack took Echo's chin in his big, grimy paw, turning her face this way and that. Viewed through his own goggles, the mirrored lens of her VR wearables had gone pitch black. "Out of range maybe." he muttered, "Or maybe it's the AI."

"I can't see a fucking thing!" Echo cried.

Opening her mouth to admonish her twin, Viviani closed it again. "It's okay, Coco, we can guide you."

"Why do I always have to be such a fff... flippin' burden?"

"Come on, Sweetheart," Mack joked lamely, tousling her hair, "someone has to do it."

"It's not funny, Pool Man."

"Won't be long, Darling," Wendy said, hugging her shoulders, "we're almost there. Once we get home we'll find a way to get those bloody things off. Claire will know."

"WHEN we get home?" Sardonic said under his breath, bent at the waist, sorting through the contents of his ruck. "The whole world loves an optimist."

Rivera turned on the spot, viewing the cavern as a grey-scale 3D-dot matrix. "This is neat." he beamed like a kid on an outing. "How the hell did you find this place?"

"You'll have to ask Vivi." Wendy replied. "And if you think this is awesome, you just wait."

"And this will take us outside?"

"Eventually. But like Sardonic Phil says, we're not out of the woods just yet."

Sardonic gave a grunt of laughter. "Or the cave at least. The goddam woods are next."

"Guys?" Echo piped up, hands cupped around her goggles hoping to see someone, something, anything at all. All she got for her trouble was bottomless black. "How are we gonna do this if we-two can't see? Jarga and me?"

"No sweat, Sweetheart," Mack replied, "you're gonna take the old Pool Man express. Phil? Why don't you take N... N... Nam.. Namja..."

"Nyamjargal." Echo said.

"The little one." Sardonic nodded. "Got it." Reaching out, he took the girl's tiny hand. What should have been the stuff of fantasy, the thought of having a small, naked teen on his back evoked instead a sense of grave responsibility. "Miss?" he said. "If you will allow me. Miss Wendy? My pack?"

"You want me to carry it?"

Sardonic nodded. "You'll have to. It's got my last few mags of conventional, and three or four Claymores. We might still be needing them."

"Gotcha!" Wendy said, setting the pack down, very carefully, beside the pile of clothing they'd discarded on the way in. "Vivi?" she said, "wanna get into your fatigues?"

Viviani stood looking at the proffered clothes. "What about the others? I mean Echo and her little friend?"

"Nyamjargal." Echo said testily. "Sheesh, it's not that hard."

"Settle down, Echo." Viviani scolded. "We're all doing this for you."

"Oh, right. Go ahead and guilt-trip me why don't you."

"Well stop acting like a spoiled brat."

"ME a spoiled brat? What about-"

"Girls!" Wendy snapped in warning. "Enough! Echo, we all came because we wanted to. Never forget that. Including you, Vivi, remember?" Rummaging through the discards, she came across a black XXL. "Here. Vivi. Give this to Echo."

Holding it up, Viviani turned the garment side to side. "This was Mister Chimbo's."

"Uh huh." Wendy said, head down sorting through the pile like some bargain hunter at a jumble sale.

"Let me wear it." Viviani said.

Wendy looked up. "You know, I think he'd like that." Extracting another shirt she turned to Sardonic. "Phil? Okay if I give yours to Echo?"

"It would be my honour." Sardonic dipped his head, mentally adding, 'As long as you DO NOT wash it when you give it back.'

That left the cringing little Mongolian girl. Wendy came to Mack's gear, thought about it, then tossed the shirt aside and pulled out her own. "There!" she said, helping Nyamjargal dress, while Viviani looked after her twin. Looking at the 3 little waifs, in what resembled baggy, black, knee-length dresses with, sleeves flopping around half-empty, Wendy had to bite back her laughter. "Oh, you poor little things."

"There's gotta be an arm in here somewhere." Sardonic tutted, rolling Nyamjargal's sleeve up. "Ah!" he said, tickling her palm, "Found it."

Nyamjargal giggled, "What's your name again?"

"You can call me Phil." Sardonic replied, ignoring cries of 'Sardonic' behind.

"I can't wait to meet you in hardcopy." Nyamjargal said. "In fact that goes for all of you."

Sardonic pinched her cheek. "Well, little Princess. Prepare to be underwhelmed."

Dressed, in the loosest possible sense of the word, Nyamjargal felt her way onto Sardonic's back, while Echo climbed onboard her own mount as he waited patiently, bent double at the waist. "Who wants to go point?" Mack asked, straightening, bouncing Echo into position, arm under her bottom supporting her weight. Like Sardonic, he had disavowed the carnal side of the coin in preference for the side that said 'Duty'.

"Let me." Viviani said, stepping up.

"Who besides you?" Mack countered. "Sorry, Sweetheart but it's just too risky."

"I'll go." Wendy said but as she went to push past, Viviani grabbed her.

"I said I'll do it. This is my train set, after all. You have to give me some kind of ownership."

The three swapped glances then Sardonic hefted a shoulder. "Okay then." he said, handing her a yard-long web sling with a karabiner each end. "Hook this onto the filament but be careful. It's thin as a razor so don't cut yourself. Just follow it all the way out."

About to set off, AR in one hand, Echo on his back with her arms around his neck, peering sightlessly over his shoulder, Mack turned to look at Rivera. "Rambo? You coming with?"

Teetering on the brink, Rivera looked around. Overhead lay Xibalba. His job, his colleagues, his home, his life. Before him lay a great big unknown. "Ummm..." he hedged, "Well, that depends."

"On what?"

"When we get out of here. Are you guys gonna... like... just ditch me?"

"Man," Mack said then heaved an exasperated sigh, "do we look like the type?"

"Then... what?"

"What's your name again?" Viviani asked.

"Carlos."

"Carlos. Listen. When we make it out of here, if you wanna come along, my dad will give you a job. After everything you've done for us he will, I promise."

Mack wagged a finger. "IF we make it out. IF."

Rivera fought back a big, happy grin. "What sort of job?"

"Resident pain in the-" Mack began.

"Driver?" Viviani said, cutting him off, "Minder? You name it."

Rivera raised one of his weapons. "Shooter?"

Viviani shrugged. "If that's what you want."

"Neat!"

"The bad news," Mack piped up, "is now you're going ass-end Charlie. Are we ready gang? Then let's make like the geese and get the fuck outa' here."

***********************************************************************************

They'd only gone twenty meters when the girls had to dismount, to be guided inch by inch through the first tight squeeze. Into the first cavern, where they saddled up again for the fifty-meter traverse to the next obstacle. Halfway across, a distant sound echoed through the cave.

"Guys?" Wendy said, "Everyone? Did you hear that?"

"Here we go again." Mack said, heart hitting the soles of his boots, having all along thought this was all too easy.

"Fuck!" Sardonic swore. "Oh well, I knew it couldn't last. Where are we in the scheme of things?"

Viviani said, "About half way." and Sardonic checked his watch. A reading from the filament confirmed her estimate. "We're coming up to the pothole at the end of that great big chamber."

"Now THAT'S gonna be fun." Mack breathed. "What was it? Like, a 10-foot drop? Getting down was the easy part."

"What should we do?" Wendy asked.

"Not stand around here talking. Come on, gang, let's keep moving."

No words were spoken during the 5 minute traverse, the silence broken now and then by distant, indistinct sounds. Neither bat nor water-drop, the dull scuffs and thuds had 'hot pursuit' written all over them. Reaching the dead-end at a pile of waterworn boulders, heads back, peering at the black hole above, Mack and Sardonic had a quick debate. "How do we fuck this pig?"

Mack rubbed his jaw. "Ever heard of the wolf, the sheep and the cabbage? Here, Carlos my man."

The young Xibalban jerked upright at the sound of his name. "Sir?"

"Travis, for fuck's sake."

"Or Pool Man." Viviani cut in. "And don't swear."

"Rambo. You're nice and light. Phil and me are gonna hoist you on our shoulders. Once you're up, you help Wendy."

Rivera circled the opening, peering upwards. "What's up there?"

"Oh, you know," Mack said airily, "baa-lambs and bunny-wabbits, golden fields of wheat, with gingerbread houses and unicorns. It's a ffff... a goddam cave for god's sake."

"Got it." Rivera gave a thumbs up. "I go up and help pull up the others." Slinging off his 3 stolen rifles, he rubbed his hands and an instant later felt himself propelled straight upwards towards the hole in the roof. Kicking and scrabbling, he clawed his way over the waterworn rim, then turned around and lay on his belly.

Wendy went next, her lightweight frame hoisted vertically from below, then dragged clear above with much huffing and grunting. The girls were next, Echo first, then Nyamjargal, still utterly blind behind their eyeware, and finally Viviani, the three of them so light they were almost thrown rather than lifted. "Well, Buddy," Mack said, "that leaves you and me."

"What do we do?"

"Reckon you could stand on my shoulders?"

Sardonic shrugged. "Reckon you could hold me?"

"I'll give it red hot go."

"So how do we do this?"

Mack doubled over, hands braced on his knees. "Climb up my back."

"You know," Sardonic breathed, "if any other dude ever said that to me."

"I won't tell if you don't."

With Sardonic sat on his shoulders, Mack straightened, cupping Sardonic's foot in his hands as the hulking great trooped tried to stand. Overbalancing, he fell forward, taking Mack with him and after a moment's huffing and cursing they tried it again.

"I just can't fuckin' balance." Sardonic fumed, on his back on the rockpile rubbing a knee."

Wendy, who'd been watching, waiting with Rivera to take Sardonic's hand, called down. "You're not auditioning for the circus you idiots."

Sardonic looked up. "Well you try and balance on some dude's shoulders."

"We did."

"But there was two of us holding you."

"Hang on," Viviani cut in, "hang on."

Mack and Sardonic picked their contusions up off the rocks. "What are we hanging on for?" Mack asked. "Just out of interest."

Mack heard Wendy say, 'Ohhhhh...' and a moment later the sleeve of a black Kevlar shirt appeared, dangling through the hole. As more and more appeared, they saw the other sleeve knotted to a second shirt, and then a third. "Mister Phil," Viviani said, "if you can sit on Pool Man's shoulders again, the rest of us can help you up."

"Did anyone ever tell you you're a genius?" Sardonic asked, manoeuvring into position.

"Well, yes, I am. But this was Namjargal's idea."

"It's NYAM!" Echo said hotly. "NYAM-jargal."

"Close enough. Ready?"

The process went like clockwork, Mack lifting while the other pulled Sardonic's bulk upwards through the portal. Leaving Mack the lucky last. As he waited, listening to the sounds of high-fives and laughter above, the hair stood up on the back of his neck and he cocked his ear. Wendy's face appeared. "Travis? You-"

Mack put a finger to his lips. "Shhhhh...."

"Wha-"

"Shhhhh!"

There it was again, and this time there was no mistaking. The sound of a human voice.

"Incoming!" Mack whispered hoarsely, gesturing for the makeshift rope.

Down it came, a literal lifeline, 3 Kevlar shirts tied together at the sleeves. As Mack took hold the others began to heave, Wendy, Sardonic, Rivera, even Viviani, pulling for all they were worth, a dead lift of 200 pounds. Almost at the top, reaching for the rim with one hand, clutching the makeshift rope with the other, Mack heard a meaty 'rrr-riip' and down he went the way he'd come, crashing down onto the boulders below.

Even as he got to his feet Mack heard voices again, closer now, questions, expletives, grunts of exertion. Alone with his back to the wall and salvation out of reach above, he unlimbered his weapon, deadly afraid yet mortally calm. This, after all, was how it was meant to end. With a bang, not a whimper.

"Ssssst!" Wendy whispered angrily, "Travis! Look up for fuck's sake!"

Sardonic's Kevlar backpack appeared, shoulder straps unbuckled, waist strap proving additional length. But still short. Making a jump for it, missing the first few times, Mack looked around in a panic, the sound of feet sloshing through crystal pools now plainly audible. Any second now they would appear around those stalagmites and it would be on.

"Travis!" Sardonic whispered, "Clear the decks! I'm comin' down!"

Two big boot appeared but before he could commit, Mack called, "Wait!" Hefting 120-pound boulders like feather pillows, he stacked one on another, on another, as Phil reversed course.

"Jesus Christ!" he piped, voice pitched an octave higher than normal, as the gang dragged his carcass bodily clear of the pothole, "They should make this into movie! Cliffhanger be stuffed! Thanks guys."

"Soon as we get back," Wendy said, "you are going on a diet! You great lump!"

"You guys go." Sardonic said, down on one knee prepping a Claymore, focussed and deliberate, like Mack, in spite of the looming threat. They could all hear them now, the sounds of pursuit, boots on the rocks, voices calling.

Throwing Echo over his back like a rucksack, scooping Nyamjargal up in one arm, Mack set off, following Viviani with Wendy behind him. The girls were naked again, after sacrificing their shirts, yet no one bothered to notice. "Want me to hang back with you, Sir?" Rivera asked.

"I'm fine, thanks buddy." Sardonic replied. "Stay visual with the others. Won't take me long."

Placing one Claymore facing the hole a meter from the rim, he set the proximity fuse, a greeting card for the first lucky volunteer to make it up through. Backing away, he set 2 more as added disincentives, 10 meters back into the cavern, far enough, with luck, that the pursuers would have gathered in a knot before setting them off. Job done, he jogged off to join the others, and had barely reached them, when a massive overpressure swept through the cave like a hammer-blow. The girls screamed and Wendy ducked while Mack almost voided his bowels. Only Sardonic stood grinning. "Guess they found it."

Nyamjargal clung to Mack, shaking uncontrollably as she wept, "Wh... wh... what was that?"

"It's okay, Sweetheart," Mack said, "it's okay. That was one of OUR kabooms. Phil?"

Taking Nyamjargal under the arms, Sardonic Phil manoeuvred the crying girl onto his back. "It IS a bit scary, isn't it little lady? Never mind, we're almost there."

The blast had freaked-out every single vampire bat for a hundred miles around and the last few hundred meters were gained in a whirling vortex of fluttering black shapes. Then the ground pitched upwards and Mack picked up a whiff of the jungle outside.

Everyone cringed at the sound of a second, double-explosion, though this time the girls held their nerve. "Remind me to never get on your bad side, Phil." Wendy said.

"Bah! If they can't take a joke they shouldn't have come."

The first hints of manufactured environment appeared and Viviani threw off an involuntary shudder. In her mind's eye, she saw the chamber heaped with bones, and the skeletal remains of a child. "We're getting close."

"Here's where it all began." Sardonic nodded, taking the Karabiner from Viviani's hand. He ticked her under the chin. "Good job, Scout. You can come with us any old time."

Finally, mercifully, they reached the end of the line and pulled up for a breather. "What now?" Echo asked.

"Get to the choppa!" Mack said, summoning his inner Arnie Schwarzenegger.

The night was black as ink when they finally emerged onto the grassy clearing surrounding the ruins. And it was raining, just for laughs, pouring down like the end of the world. Skirting the temple, Mack followed the nav display, making for the tree-line, and the looping animal track that had delivered them here. A few yards in front of him, Viviani stubbed her toe on some unseen object and hopped around, holding her foot, muttering what might have been profanities under her breath. Catching up, Wendy lay an arm across her shoulders. "Are you okay?"

"My feet were as tough as nails when I was a kid."

"You gonna be okay, Darling? I can carry you if you want."

"NO! I mean, no. Thanks. I walked in and I wanna walk out."

Sardonic set Nyamjargal down. "Why don't we wrap your poor little feet at least?"

"With what?"

"Couple of battle dressings should do. Just enough to-"

Something went, 'WHACK!' and Sardonic spun through one and a half turns. As he hit the deck, Mack shrugged Echo off his back. "Wendy! Quick! Get the girls out of here."

"Quickly, girls!" Wendy huffed, seizing Echo and Nyamjargal by the wrists, following Viviani into the deep dark woods. Turning, Mack had taken a single step towards Sardonic when he took a round to the chest plate, the blow sitting him on his ass like a kick from a mule.

"They're just not taking the hint." Sardonic rasped, face down in the grass. On his belly beyond the tree line, Rivera lit up, sending short, 3-round bursts back in reply.

Winded, stung, but more or less intact, Mack flopped onto his back, fumbling in a pouch of his flak vest. "Fairy lights, guys, keep your heads down." Unpinning one pink grenade, then another, he lobbed them into the trees, 10 yards to the left, 10 to the right, where they detonated, hurling inch-long pellets into the undergrowth. Like magic popcorn, they blossomed into vaguely human-shaped heat sources, an instant phantom army that immediately drew fire.

With the baddies busy unloading on decoys, Mack rolled over and crawled to Sardonic's side. "Phil? Buddy? Are you hit?"

"No," he rasped, "just taking a nap. Of course I'm fuckin' hit."

"Where?"

"Shoulder I think. On the right."

"Oh, well, there's that shoulder reconstruction you wanted." Getting to his feet, waiting for that fabled round with his name on it, Mack dragged Sardonic into the dubious sanctuary of the bush. He looked around. Rivera was still out in the open, his muzzle-flash and heat-signature luring incoming rounds like moths to a flame. "Rambo!" Mack snapped in a hoarse whisper, "Rambo! Get the fuck back here you fuckin' idiot."

Rising to a crouch, Rivera scuttled back and dropped down beside him. "Boss?"

Mack eyed him shrewdly. "Sure you haven't done this before?"

"Only on Call Of Duty."

"Well fuck me, you must be a natural. Phil? Can you stand?"

"Let me get back to you."

"Right! Rambo! Under his left arm."

Huffing and grunting, random rounds snapping round their ears, they hauled Sardonic to his feet. "Rambo." Mack panted, "Listen. There's an animal track just over there, just past that big-ass tree. It should take you all the way to the chopper. Give me your ammo."

"Why? What are you gonna do with it?"

"Play fuckin' tiddlywinks, you dumbass. What do you think?"

"Want me to stay instead while you take Phil?"

Mack looked at him. "No, I want you to do what you're fuckin' told."