FORESIGHT and SCOPE: BOOK TWO

C H A P T E R F I F T Y

"Crevasse. Waterfall. Cavern. Lake." I listed aloud, then gulped, then scoffed with slight hysteria. "Déjà vu is the understatement of the year..." My throat chortled nervously. "Not sure I can handle more than I've already experienced today, but...Hang tight. We are on our way. Fern out." I switched off my comm, pocketed it, and slipped my body through the hole with ease. As I inched my toes at the edge of the natural shelf, carefully leaning over to gaze down our avenue, Hunter and Wrecker collected the rest of Tech's and Omega's belongings. My fingers still gripped the young girl's helmet.

"Ugh, you got to be kidding me!" The big guy groaned once he fully realized our tricky scenario. "I hate this planet!"

"My sentiments exactly." I muttered. Rotating around, I held out my hand to Hunter. "I'll carry the ipsium vials in my pack." The sergeant complied and handed me Omega's knapsack that contained the minerals. Before I worked on arranging the entire emsemble in my bag, I peered inside and counted almost a dozen glowing cylinders; excitable shivers wriggled up my spine. Okay, I may have an obsession with fortune and treasure... Once I was confident it was all safely secured, I shouldered my bag and breathed deeply, facing our downward adversary. "Okay, Fern," I scolded myself. "stop stalling. One of you boys have rope?"

No, but Wrecker still had his grappling line. Lucky break...

Once we firmly and certainly fastened the steel cable, cascading its opposite end down the pitch-black abyss, Hunter volunteered to descend first. I was to tag behind him. Depending on the situation below the layer of darkness, Wrecker was to wait for our signal, for obvious reasons, and we would instruct him the next course of action once we surveyed the situation up close. While Hunter carefully scaled down, I stuffed Omega's helmet into the top of my bag and managed to secure the flap. Hunter offered to handle the young girl's plasma bow, and while Wrecker was to haul Tech's pack, I volunteered to carry the latter's headgear...

"I've always wanted to try this thing on." I contained my untimely excitement. After quickly rearranging my discombobulated braid into a tangled excuse for a low bun, I slipped it on. "Woah." It was heavier than I expected and I probably appeared sillier than I felt. At least, it fit nicely. Nevertheless, my fingers twitched to flip down the computer visor, but I had a feeling I would relieve that impulse sooner rather than later.

I waited my turn to disembark into the seemingly nothingness until Hunter was a couple yards down. Once I confirmed a strong grip on the line, I lowered my weight off the ledge and settled my body comfortably enough before actually descending. Heaving a deep breath throught my lips underneath Tech's helmet, I skillfully zipped down after the sergeant, the skin on my palms and fingers rubbed irritably against the leaden cord.

No jacket? No gloves? Yep, I'd made intelligent decisions today.

My surroundings became indistinct, to say the least, the farther I scaled down. This method, nonetheless, was highly preferrable compared to the last time I fell down a chasm. After about twenty feet deep into the conduit, the definite rush of water echoed off the cave walls and grew more intense the closer we arrived. I felt my warm breath ricochet off the inside of the headgear and consume the tight vicinity. Eventually, we sank through the egress and entered what I assumed was a vast horizonal underpass. The diluted rapids roared below us, but my eyes had yet to adjust to the darkness, making it futile and dangerous to proceed any further.

"Oh, scrag...Oh, wait." I mentally slapped myself upside my temple. I poked out two fingers from the cable and activated the computer visor. The yellow-orange screen nearly blinded me, causing my eyes to blink furiously before I could access anything around me. However, once they adapted to the cutting-edge features, I grew eager to test all of them. "Dank ferrik, Tech, I knew you has the best helmet, but this is just unfair."