Contagion -The Hybrid War - Book Three

The Journey.

Jamey eventually led the group to the entrance to the vast underground lake, although it was only just accessible; and it took over three hours before the group had made their way into the first of the five caverns. Amazingly the walls were coated in a beautiful blue and white crystal, which reflected even the smallest amount of light.

At first, when the occasional lighting flashes lit the sky; the entrance to the cavern was filled with sharp white blinding light which hurt the eyes and caused momentary blindness. It was not until the group had passed through a second passage and left the crystallized walls that they were able to precede with more ease.

Their progress had improved, however when they came to the fourth cavern, it was then that they were presented with a problem as there had been a shifting of the rocks. “Ahr…, I am so sorry, I had not realised this had happened.”

Jamie had only ever visited the area on a few occasions with his father, however since then earth tremors had caused a section of passage to narrow.

“Jamie...is this the only way forward?” enquired Robert.

Jamie looked considerably embarrassed. “To my knowledge sir, there is no other way than this.”

It was Graham who came up with an unexpected solution. “Robert, I don’t know if it would work, but what if we were to use small quantities of Jamie’s Paa’s home brew?”

Robert raised his eyes and smiled; however it was Jamie who answered.

“In truth Sir, I do not feel that would be such a good idea, even small quantities of that could do considerable damage.”

“We know son, Michael revealed to us the power behind this home brew of your fathers.”

“Please Sir, I would prefer if you and your kin could find another way, it’s not that I am scared, I just don’t feel in such a confined area, that such a substance should be used.”

Jamie’s words were noted then discussed, but it was decided to go ahead anyway. On seen Jamie’s considerable discomfort, Juliet walked over to his side and stood by him. Less than a third of a thimble full was used and packed into a small natural crevice within the rocks structure. As the group took cover, it was Robert that took aim, and then fired his rifle, sending the bullet directly into the centre of the crevice.

The resulting explosion echoed like thunder as it bounced off the cavern walls. Suddenly the ground beneath Jamie and Juliet opened and swallowed them, sending them plummeting down a natural furrow over one hundred and nine meters downwards. If it had not been for the funnelling and sideward slant to the furrow, both Jamie and Juliet would have met an instant death.

It was Juliet’s telepathic ability that alerted her family, informing them of what had happened; moments later a large section of roof collapsed and fell over the open furrow, covering it instantly.

“Robert...help, Jamie and I are in some kind of cavern, and I can’t tell if Jamie is injured, but I seem to be alright.”

Robert struggled to regain his stance and to find some clean air, there was dust blinding him and those with him, it was a miracle that not one of them had been killed.

“Can you find your way back to where we are?”

“No, my love, I would say from the fall that we are some considerable distance below you, and we appear to be trapped in some kind of funnel.”

As the dust later settled, Robert and the others could see that Jamie’s warning should have been taken more seriously. The entrance to the cavern was now completely sealed under tons of rock.

“Dear lord what have we done; can you see what we are looking at?” Juliet answered.

“Yes, my love, listen there must be another way into the cavern, if there is water here, then it had to have found a way in. Take yourself and the others to safety and look for another way of entering these caves.”

As Juliet spoke, Jamie lit a torch made from torn clothing. It was just enough to illuminate their immediate surroundings. As the group above viewed the scene from Juliet’s eyes, there view rested on Jamie. Just beneath a ledge where he and Juliet were sitting, was an opening only just large enough for a child to pass through.

“Juliet, ask Jamie to drop the torch into that hole.” Said Robert.

Juliet was just going to ask Jamie, when he lowered the torch, viewed the hole, and then dropped it. As it fell through the opening it revealed that the passage opened wider some three meters down, then a blinding light flashed in their eyes.

“Dear lord that hurt.” Jamie had been taken by surprise and was temporary blinded. It was Juliet that heard the hiss, as the torch touched the water below them.

“Did you hear that my love, we must somehow be above the lake that Jamie was leading us towards?” Robert thought for some moments, and then continued talking through telepathy.

“Alex and the others have tried to move some of these rocks, but in truth they are jammed in tightly, and we only have limited light and air in here.” He coughed as some dust entered his lungs.

“I am going to have to leave you with the human child, keep him safe, our family owe that young man a debt far greater than we could ever repay, anyway we have already lost his brother, and I don’t want to return to face his mother having lost both of her sons.”

Juliet understood instantly his last comment.

“She is one very formidable woman, and she has already born Michael triplets and has a second brood on the way, we cannot afford for the upset to cause her to lose the babies.”

As the group eventually made their way above ground, the electrical storm eased, instantly Robert was in contact with Michael and the others and updated them as to what had been happening.

“Listen Michael, in one of the caves that we sheltered in, we have left a party of women and children, they will make good breeding stock, and even now we cannot afford to allow the blood line to break.”

Michael spoke to Mary Jane and explained to her what had been happening, he had promised her that however distressing a situation was that they should hide nothing from each other, and also treat each other with respect and love. Mary Jane held the tears back, gulped, swallowed, and then she spoke.

“If Jamie has taken them to the underground lake, then there is another way in, Paa found it by accident one day while out hunting. It is some seven hours travelling to the east of where they are, he had climbed one of the ridges to hunt, only Minstrel had somehow seen him and had been stalking him.”

Mary Jane paused for a moment and wiped away a tear, which she had failed to hold back. “Take your time my love.” Said Robert.

“I can’t, there is no saying when you may lose the telepathic connection.” Replied Mary Jane.

As she was speaking, the extended family could hear her words and view her through Michael’s eyes. Even Elaine, Peter and Alex could see what was happening. Mary Jane breathed in deeply, and then continued talking.

“Well Paa suddenly found he was trapped on this ledge, and with fast flowing water to one side, and with the bear almost upon him, and at least a seventy meter drop below him.”

Mary Jane paused and wiped away a tear, and then continued.

“Within seconds the bear had reached where Paa had been standing and rose to his full height, Paa took a step backwards to try and raise his rifle, but lost his balance and fell into the river. Within seconds he found himself cascading over the water fall and hitting the river below.”

Michael and the others listened with interest, while Mary Jane continued talking.

“Well it would seem that Paa must have been knocked unconscious like, because he said, when he came to open his eyes, he found himself floating upright in the underground lake. When he eventually made his way home, we talked over the incident and decided that there must be some kind of entrance from under the fall.”

“Did you ever tell Jamie of this?” asked Robert.

“Are you kidding, that kid has a mind of his own, had he known of that, then he would have been jumping off the fall, just to try and find the entrance.”

Her words caused a laugh from her unseen audience.

“Michael, its Elaine, is there anything that I can do to help.”

“Thank you, Mam, but in truth everything this end is under way, you could however dispatch some of those military boys to rescue my kin, and the women and children. Be warned though, that they will need at least three telepaths with them to avoid that cat and its family.”

No sooner had he made the request than Elaine had instigated instruction to Seth to organize a rescue party.

“Seth, I want you to furnish me with whatever information you can, on the Undraus research, which was been undertaken in Nevada.”

Mary Jane looked up at Michael, she could no longer contain her tears, and it was then that a thought occurred to her. “Michael...do you remember when we were under attack from Minstrel, and that other bear, there was the occasional craft seen in the sky on the distant horizon.”

Michael understood what Mary Jane was leading towards.

“No, my love, those craft cannot work in such conditions, the motors cannot cope with the severity of the dust and wind, also they would be prone to been struck by lightning.”