Return to Atlantis

Chapter 26 - Home

All four materialized; half their bodies submerged in a murky forest swamp. But as the crashing alien spacecraft they've just been on hurtled above their heads with a booming sound and in great speed, their first attention was towards it, their necks arching up in quick motion. They looked through the foliage of trees, the midday sun glaring through it, and out into a clearing as the alien ship careened out of control, crashing against the height of a mountain. The explosion looked like a tiny speck from where they stood, the blast inaudible.

"Wow!" Sanders broke the quiet spectacle. "That was really cool!" he exclaimed in utter relish...at the transportal experience, that is, reverting everyone to his attention....and then to the marshy waters and greeneries - mainly of bamboo trees - surrounding them, much to their surprise.

"What the! Of all places!" Phil blabbered.

"Still better than being on that exploding ship!" pointed out Sanders gaily.

"I can't believe we managed to get out of that ship alive," Alec said. 

She got us out of there. His thoughts trailed as he turned his head towards Ava whose gazed has not left the skies. WDF fighter spaceships and the enemy continue to lock against each other in combat. Seconds later, they took the fight somewhere else in the sky, clearing the atmosphere above them, oblivious to the escapees hidden under the foliage on the ground.

"Aw, darn!" Sanders muttered under his breath, holding out his soaked mobile comm and shaking his head.

Alec and Phil immediately felt for their mobile comms attached to their waist belt and realised they were soaked to worthlessness.

"With all these advanced technologies, WDF can't even give us waterproof mobiles," Alec remarked.

"Because it is not necessary for spacefighter pilots," Phil quipped defensively.

"I bet you would kill for one right now," Alex retorted.

"Ah yes, I would. There is no way to contact the headquarters now and we are here stuck in the middle of nowhere, or wherever this jungle is," Phil was clearly annoyed at the turn out of events. "We'd better find a phone somewhere and find a way to get in contact," he stomped ahead, eager to get out of the swamp.

As they started to move out to anywhere but waist-deep waters, Ava remained rooted where she was, in  her own world as usual.

"Hey Miss Kinski - we have to go," Sanders called out.

But Ava stood there unperturbed and Alec couldn't help but watch as he stood not too far from her side.

He couldn't help but note the downtrodden look in her eyes. Well he thought she always wear the same downtrodden expression all the time but this one was different. Her eyes weren't dim...they were seething. Something is bothering her....and nothing bothers her as far as he knows.

She seemed to have noted him watching her. "Do not pull another 'rescue act' on me ever again. Do you hear?" she said to him under her breath.

Alec, slightly fluttered, could not and did not respond to that somewhat unexpected remonstration. She started to move away. Sanders sidled next to her. "How did you know how to get out of there? We would have been doomed if not for you, Miss Kinski," Sanders said to her.

Ignoring Sanders, she pressed on against the waist-deep water.

"Why don't you want to be save, Miss Kinski?" Sanders raised a different question as he followed her closely behind. 

At that, Ava abruptly halted, her head straight, her gaze fixed. "You all have nothing to do with me," she said clearly and firmly. "Leave me. Do not follow me."