Under My Skin

Under My Skin - Part 7

Will pressed closer to the rubble, wishing he could reach his partner. "Just breathe slowly; I'm not leaving until I get you out of there. Are you buried?"

"Y-yeah. There's a support beam wedged above me. It's the only thing keeping the rest of the rock... from crushing... God, get me out!"

"I'm trying." Will kept digging, frantic. A rumble from above made him duck, dust and pebbles raining down on him. His air sensor beeped, the yellow light turning red. "Do you still have your air mask on?"

"Yes, but I think it was damaged. The air canister is hissing."

Will dug lower, his eyes watering with frustration. Louis could not end this way. He *would* get him out, Louis *will* be fine, and then they'll leave the cave in one piece. "There's a gap... I can see you! But I can't get my hand in, the opening is too small."

"Too small..." murmured Louis in a daze. Then his voice snapped back to normal. "What can you see?"

"Your shoulder."

"I need you to shine your flashlight on me, and try to angle it towards my face."

"Okay." Will pressed his flashlight to the crack for a minute, and suddenly the rubble shifted. He couldn't see his partner anymore. "Louis?"

He heard panting over the SkySprecht.

"Just a minute. I'll be out in a bit, just don't move."

"Out? What on earth are you doing?"

"Shut up, and don't freak out, okay."

"Why would I..." Will's voice died on his lips. A small rock at his knee moved, and from behind it crawled out Louis... less than three inches tall, and indignant at the flashlight on him.

"How... how...?" stuttered Will as Louis grew back to his normal height before his eyes.

Louis was hunched over; wincing as he gingerly touched a deep scratch at his side. Even by flashlight, the bruises on his body were evident, and he was still shaking. "You just gonna sit there, Fanboy, or are we gonna get the hell out of here?"

It took a moment before Will got back to his feet, looking Louis up and down. Questions spun through his head. How was this possible? Was he dreaming? What caught his eye was the crack in the valve to the blonde's air canister.

"Damn, how much air have you got left?"

The air canister was empty, and the two of them had to share Will's air mask. The air sensor was firmly stuck on red, identifying a toxic amount of CO2. Louis, after some protesting, was coaxed into leaning on Will to walk. After five minutes Louis shoved the mask away.

"This isn't going to work; we're going through the air twice as fast at this rate. It took us two and a half hours to get here, and you only have two hours of air left for one person."

"We can't get another one," replied William. The air sensor was in the red and he shoved the mask back on Louis's face. "Even in all this stuff there isn't anything as practical as an air tank. We'll just have to hope that the air gets better as we get closer to the exit."

"And when it doesn't?"

"What do you suggest we do?"

Louis gritted his teeth, as if the suggestion pained him. "Rachel said last time, when I was shrunk, I was able to breathe in your stomach because my body became more efficient. I can breathe on my own if I shrink."

"And I carry you in my shirt pocket?"

"No, I'm going walk at three yards a minute," snapped Louis. "Yes, you'll have to carry me! I'm sure not going down your throat again."

"That wasn't exactly a picnic for me either," Will shot back. However much he and Louis had bonded during the experience, and the protective feelings Will had felt holding the blonde inside him, the memory of swallowing his partner wasn't a pleasant one. His throat ached just thinking about it.

Louis shrank again, outfit, virus canister and all, and then William gently lifted his partner's tiny body. The blonde was so small that he could lie across his palm with room to spare. He almost looked delicate, if it wasn't for the scorching glare on his face.

"Are you gonna stare at me or are we gonna leave?"

Will sighed and helped Louis into his pocket, the tiny agent throwing his arms over the cuff so he could see where his partner was going. He went five paces before Louis spoke up.

"D'you mind walking with a little more grace; I'm bouncing around up here."

It was going to be a very long walk.

***

Massaru looked up from the photo book as someone knocked.

"You know it's well past midnight," said Cetz as he came in.

"Is it?" After checking the clock, the Indian doctor signed and closed the photo book. Weariness settled upon his shoulders. "Still nothing, so far."

"You're going at this pretty hard." The head of Watch Two brought a seat by the bed.

"The sooner we can find out who is behind the leak, the sooner I can drop this sickly façade and go back to my family," replied Massaru. "Even I am starting to see why so many patients get cranky during hospital stays."

"You know the theory of a leak is conjecture on my part."

"It fits." The doctor pulled off his glasses and rubbed at his eyes. "And if I don't get this right, my interment in a hospital bed might become more realistic."

"There *has* been some questions coming from Watch One about your health," nodded Cetz. "They wanted to send a specialist our way to check on you. I had Rachel fob them off."

Massaru smiled. Cetz was born to lead the Watch, but the man had his doubts and fears all the same. It had to be hard to have such a burden on young shoulders. Cetz couldn't be older than thirty five.

"You should learn to trust your hunches more often. You've done a lot of good things and you have a lot of support behind you." Massaru pointed to the door, towards the Tech lab and office area. "All those people aren't afraid of you like some general and his soldiers; they admire you and want a better world."

Cetz laughed. "I didn't figure you for a man of motivational speeches."

"I'm not, I'm just tired. Any word from Louis and William?"

"No." Cetz's headset beeped. "Speak of the devil...? Oh, hello Zachs."

Cetz grimaced and motioned to the doctor that he had to take the call. Massaru waved it away as the man left the room.

He frowned as his head hit the pillow. Zachs... why was that name familiar?