Group two had spent what seemed like a short time in the tunnels and soon emerged to see in the distance The lead truck. Gask and Sadie shared a smile finally they had been reunited with the lead truck Gask hit the CB turning it on. “Good to see your arse’s people. We’re right behind yeah.” He said. Group two soon pulled up behind the main truck.
Group three emerged from the dark Tunnels with the view of a grey sky and plain white landscape. Eve decided to continue on in hope she would be reunited with the others. Group three came out thirsty miles south east from |Group One and Two. And will travel the Califair dune alone.
Helena and drake watcjhed as the grey sky emerged from the tunnels to the sight of track marks they soon realised it was two of the group and headed out in pursuit. Group 4 is one hour behind group two and One.
Eve stopped the carrier for a moment as the cold began to bite at her face. She kicked the heater back to life as the engine stalled. “Frakk.” She screamed in anger. “Scchh.” Lewis said. “What.” Asked Omar. “Listen.” Lewis said. The group heard the distant sound of motors. Something coming from behind. “Oh Crap.” Omar said as he saw a group of bikes with their riders dressed in fur. Eve started up the engine again and forced the carrier to move forwards even theough the engine was cooling when suddenly it stalled. “Nooo.” She screamed. Suddenly the bikers had surrounded the Carrier and the riders where off and banging their clubs on the hull and rocking the carrier from side to side. More Bikes emerged fifteen in total now. The large dark skinned warrior with dreadlocks jumped off his bike with a crunch in the snow he carried a large sword and walked towards the hatch of the carrier. “Fresh meat C’mon Out Side.” He taunted. I am Rabbaddon you will be my meat.” He said his voice deep.
"You know, Drake, they say if you hold your breath the entire way through a tunnel then make a wish, your wish will come true." Helena smiled at her passenger. "That was a little too long for that trick to work." Helena was much relieved to discover the tracks of the other trucks.
"So, who's 'Kazlia', then?" Stewards head spun round at the sound of the name, muscles pulled causing a sharp pain to surge. "How?...." the doctor cut in before he could finish off "You shouted the name in your sleep. Memory's obviously got you worked up... want to talk about it?" Shocked, he sat staring at the doctor. Dropping his gaze to the floor of the convoy, he released a sigh "It's not something...." before he could finish he noticed Chris's head look at him with eager from the stubber. Sighing he said "Okay...... My mother had not long given birth to me, We was heading for my grandfathers house...." a sharp pain stabbed at Stewards throat he coughed "We was ambushed by Rabbaddon and a group of Velidians. I was found laying in the snow by my grandfather, he took me in raised me to about four years of age," A tear swelled in his eye the "One night, Two Reavers found house. My grandfather hid me in a wardrobe," he paused reliving the memories in his head "I never saw him again. All i remember was gunfire. Then a Reaver entered, he said he wanted to 'tear and cut me and wear my silky soft skin'" he released a weird smile "Not so silky anymore," He found me and grabbed me by the hair, but a women was with him she saved me, she took his life" he looked up to see the doc, Chris and Eve looking at him " She raised me till the age of eight, then she decided it was to risky to keep going the way we were incase she encountered Reavers who knew her, so, she abandoned me at an English colony....... thats who Kazlia was... my mother maybe not by birth but as good as any" He turned back towards the window
Shιt shιt shιt shιt shιt shιt shιt shιt... Omar's mind was racing. "Hey," he said, thinking aloud. "Rabbaddon? Isn't he the same guy you were just..." The doctor was thoughtful for a moment. "Alright, we need a plan. There's no way we can take them all on with a 50. cal. They've got us surrounded, and you can bet your ass they'll gun you down the moment you pop your head out to shoot at them. Okay... okay... calm down. Ooh, here's something. I remember hearing that the Veridians have this belief that if they consume the flesh of their enemies, they gain their enemy's abilities in combat... but only if their enemy is killed by their own hand. So, so, the leader always tells his men to save the best warrior for him. Y'know, so he gets the best... spirit. Or whatever. Anyway, maybe he'll, like, agree to fight one of us in single combat...? I call not being it!"
Artie took Spencer's seat as Spencer took his. Artie seemed to get the better of that exchange. To his side was a sassy Skarren woman that nodded at him, he nodded back. He was getting ready to be friendly with her, then she fidgeted in her seat, unzipping her coat. Artie raised an eyebrow with one side of his mouth curled up. She was observing a picture of the Captain. She was inquisitive about a woman and kids in the picture, so Artie would have to put the intro on hold. He did, however, continue to enjoy the view. Damn, what a view.
Eve looked about in terror, this was going to be entertaining. If they got on the 50 Cal they ran the risk of killing themselves. The enemies range was to close for the gun to be of any use. Eve snatched up her shotgun and flicked off the safety. “I am Rabbaddon you will be my meat.” the leader said in a deep voice. Eve laughed, “Bring it on then, you want us come get us.” One of the convoys attackers jumped on the trucks hood, Eve fired and he was thrown back in a smouldering heap on the snow. Another Veridian clambered down from the roof and using his feet swung them at Eve. She took the blow and waited for him to follow through with another move as he grabbed at her she used the rifle to shove him back. Eve knew there’d be no guns how ever the risk of bolt wounds was high. She rose from her seat it didn’t matter what happened to her, the Veridian scum had to go. “Whose on the fifty cal?” she shouted. “I‘m bailing this truck in a moment and luring these guys away you take out whatever follows me.”
“I‘m bailing this truck in a moment and luring these guys away you take out whatever follows me.” "Are you insane?" Omar said, fully awake now. "Or just suicidal? Not only is there a very substantial chance of getting twenty bolts in your back, but what if the gunner misses? Big bloody machine guns aren't exactly the most accurate things in the world!" Exhaustion weighed on the doctor's brow like a ton of bricks. "As the senior physician of this team, I-I forbid it. Like, doctor's orders, or something. Just keep driving, we'll figure something out!"
Hawke had already leaned his head back and didn't reply. Mika suddenly realized that she wasn't going to get an answer because he'd fallen asleep. She shrugged back into her seat, the coat loosely around her and began to break down the shotgun to clean it. "Glad to be out of the cold?" She asked the young man with the wild mop of red hair.
"Are you insane?" Omar said. "Or just suicidal? Not only is there a very substantial chance of getting twenty bolts in your back, but what if the gunner misses? Big bloody machine guns aren't exactly the most accurate things in the world!" “Listen to me doc, if we stay in this truck they are going to rip us apart. there are more of them then there are of us. If I die then I‘m bait either way. I can‘t think of any other way we can end this. And how do we know that challenging their leader is actually going to work?” Eve sighed. The chances weren’t good, no she didn’t want to die. What else could they do? If they tore the truck up any more it wouldn’t even be able to move she didn’t want to freeze to death out here.
"Glad to be out of the cold?" She asked the young man with the wild mop of red hair. Artie was actually curious about who the other people were in the photo as well. Maybe he was nosy. Once the woman asked him about his opportunity to warm up, he smiled and faced her. "Yes, that is one helluva storm we have out there. Besides, the view in here is MUCH better. I'm Arthur, but all my friends call me Artie." He gave the Skarren woman another view from top to bottom, trying not to stare at her top torso, which was somewhat exposed. "I like your parka, wanna trade?"
Mika noticed the direction of his glances and the corner of her mouth twitched up in a smile as she raised the shotgun barrel and squinted down it before going back to cleaning. She didn't mind his looking. Life was short and there wasn't much nice to look at in the world. She laughed at the parka comment. "I doubt it would fit you. I made it myself and it's got all my things in it." She paused in polishing the shotgun and flipped open the coat, showing him the pockets that lined the inside. "Just a habit to carry my things with me." She let the coat fall and went back to her work, flicking small glances at him. She thought she saw the gleam of a wedding ring. "Married?" she asked economically.
Artie Boy seemed to be making a little progress early with the gorgeous woman. She gave a little smile until he asked about her parka. She had a sexy laugh, which interested him further, seeing how his wife laughs like a man. She went on to mention that the parka might not fit him, which would actually surprise him, given his wiry frame. Maybe the sleeves would be short. He watched on as she spoke while polishing her shotgun, nodding between her statements to show she had his attention, as if she didn't already know. The way she flipped the coat open, he would have sworn she was doing it on purpose. Maybe Artie's eyes need to quicken when taking in the beautiful scenery. Once it fell, he knew she saw him looking. He smiled, but struggled to keep it a small twitching of the lips instead of a wide grin or cheesing. She looked back at him a few times as she cleaned her gun, allowing him to believe he was doing well for himself. Then she asked the question. "Married?" Damn. He wasn't quite expecting that one. It was his own fault for wearing the silly thing. Roughnecks didn't really believe in lying, although Chris had wooed a few women with sweet nothings that lived up to the name. He figured she'd understand, so he went with the honesty once again. "Unfortunately, yes." Then he added a joke. "But she's more like a family pet. The kids seem to like her a lot."
Mika raised her eyebrows briefly as she clicked the gun back closed and together. Her hands were deft as she had done the same task many times. "You must miss them." She ruffled her unruly hair and sank back into the parka, allowing it to swallow her, glad to be at a comfortable temperature for once and have some company, the fur of the hood edging tickled her cheek. "So why'd a family man come out on a mission like this?" Mika was very aware that all of them could die trying this.
Attempting to read her body language, Arthur wasn't sure if she had lost interest or if he was just reading too much into her actions. The raised eyebrows and clicking of the shotgun startled him to some degree, but he played it cool. "You must miss them." He gave a slight nod. The nod was for the kids, not his crazy ass wife. He was hypnotized as she brought attention to her hair before slipping back into her very decorative parka. He was still amazed at all those pockets. He smiled inwardly as he thought about it. Her putting her coat back on was the end of the peep show. That prompted him to concentrate on looking into her eyes as opposed to her figure. Which was fine by him, she had strikingly beautiful eyes as well. If Artie wasn't careful, he'd fall for her fast. She spoke again. "So why'd a family man come out on a mission like this?" He remembered the meeting he and Chris had with their elder, letting them know they'd be on the mission as mechanics at the least. He remembered a few weeks before when his wife cut half of his pinky finger off because she thought he had eyes for a thirteen year old girl. He laughed at the gesture. It was really funny considering she cheated on him before with some English guy. And once with one of his Roughneck friends' wives. He was ready to answer the pretty lady now. "Well, I needed a vacation, and my travel agent said a trek across the ice might really relax me." he said with a wink.
Drake smiled at the statement by Helena and replied, "A superstition I have also heard. Any sign of truck 3?'"
Hawke turned to Mika smoke blowing from his lips. “They are my Wife and Daughter.” Hawke looked back at the photo head sank low. Outside the view was just that of flat white land and a clear grey sky. Mika had been talking with Artie before Hawke had spoken and now the cabin filled with a silence. Hawke merely blew smoke across the window feeling the warmth from the heating. Hawke noted the curiosity with their faces. “Once this mission has been completed I will be reunited with them.” Hawke said with a soft smile.
Mika couldn't help but like the Roughneck to a degree even if he was just hitting on her. He had a friendly smile and a good sense of humor. "Travel agent, huh?" She grinned, "sounds like they wanted to get rid of you." Just then Hawke spoke up, answering Mika's earlier question. “They are my Wife and Daughter.” Hawke looked back at the photo.“Once this mission has been completed I will be reunited with them.” Hawke said with a soft smile. Mika caught sight of Hawke's reflection in the window. It was almost ghostly, glimmering against the backdrop of snow outside, and the look on his face was gentle. A real smile. She looked away. There would be no such reunion with Boris. Her heart lurched and seemed to free-fall for a second before she got a grip on herself and shook off sorrow. "I could really use something to eat," Mika remarked, rummaging in the packs that were jammed in behind her seat and Artie's.
"I could really use something to eat," Remarked Mika. Hawke looked through the window reflection he saw a sadness in her face. He too felt that same sadness. “What makes you said Mika?” Hawke asked while enjoying his cigar.
Mika found a packet of something from the food stores and worked at tearing the corner as she replied to Hawke. "You must not have met Boris. I thought maybe you had." She sighed as the corner gave away and busied herself sniffing to see what it was as it was unlabeled. It smelled vaguely of powdery cheese and corn. She shrugged and tasted. It was ok. "Anyway, he was my husband. He died two years ago." Tears threatened to well up and she blinked them away. No sense crying.
"Anyway, he was my husband. He died two years ago." Mika Explained. Hawke looked back at his photo he knew her pain all too well. But soon he would be reunited with his two girls. “What did Boris die off?” Hawke asked in a more polite tone.
I snored as I gripped the steering. My eyes wide open but not blinking. My body had become accustom to the idea of driving and in a straight line. Speed was a constant and the Behemoth did very little rocking back and forth. Hopefully I still had some eye drops with me in my boot.
Mika fished an unnamed crunchy object out of the bag and ate it as she thought of how to reply. It wasn't bad. Pretty dry, though. "We had our own rig," she explained, "ice drilling, mostly finding water. Moved around quite a bit but there was always work." She thought of that day, the sound of the ice cracking beneath the wheels and anchoring supports of the rig as they drilled. "There was some fault in the ice. Perhaps a warm current." She remembered Boris screaming at her to run as he and the others fought to get the bit up, to get everything together, to get off the ice. She remembered the cataclysmic report like a gunshot as the ice gave way. She had lost everything in one moment. She had gone as close to the hole as she dared, the icy wind whipping the tears from her eyes as she tried to find him. He and the other two team members had not surfaced again. Perhaps their clothes had caught on the rig or they got trapped under the ice, she never knew. She was almost frozen when the English scouting party had found her. "It was an accident." She said finally, finished with the subject. Suddenly she wasn't hungry anymore. She handed the snack to Artie and snuggled into her parka, wanting nothing more than to doze and forget.
