Blood Brothers by Vicky Seleya

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"Do you think there's much more we can recover?" Alonzo asked Danziger, as the salvage crew sped toward the cargo pod the next day.

"Not much left. I'm hoping we can still recover some relays and smaller components from the TransRover. Those parts are hard to replace and we're dead in the water without them." Danziger shrugged. "The Grendlers pretty much cleaned us out. I would have given my right arm for some crystal fuses."

"Don't let the Grendlers hear you say that," Alonzo cautioned with a grin. "They may take you up on the offer."

"That isn't very funny, Alonzo," Morgan piped up from the back seat of the DuneRail.

Alonzo flashed a smile at Danziger as he spoke over his shoulder. "Who was joking?"

Danziger rolled his eyes at the pilot, who started to laugh. Glancing over his shoulder, the mechanic could see Morgan watching the scenery, pointedly ignoring the pilot's merriment.

As they crested the hill next to the pod, Alonzo shot upright. "Grendlers! Look!" He pointed toward two lumbering figures scrambling from the cargo pod, heavily laden with equipment.

Danziger angrily accelerated, immediately giving chase across the uneven ground. At the sign of pursuit, the Grendlers increased their pace. They ran deceptively fast, but the DuneRail rapidly narrowed the gap.

"Morgan, call the 'Rover and tell them to get to work on the pod," Danziger shouted. "We're going to try to find their stash."

Morgan busied himself calling the other vehicle as the Grendlers disappeared into the woodlands beyond. Danziger slowed the vehicle, carefully weaving it through the widely spaced trees. The DuneRail bounced through the forest, skidding around trees and crashing through the underbrush. After a short while, the trees thinned to reveal a vast swath where a fire had recently raged, leaving the area barren with only blackened stumps remaining. Ahead, the Grendlers scooted across the devastated area in the open, scrambling over the fire's debris. Focusing on their prey, Danziger quickly wound the DuneRail through the clearing after them. Suddenly, the Grendlers stopped next to a large tree and disappeared from view.

Alonzo carefully stood in the lurching DuneRail, using the jumpers to search for the creatures. "Looks like there's a hole or something next to that tree," he shouted.

Danziger nodded. "That's hopefully what we're looking for. Think they'd lead us right to it?"

"Who knows what they're capable of. For all we know, it's a trap," Morgan groused from the back seat.

The two men in the front seat exchanged long-suffering looks as they plowed on to the site where the Grendlers had disappeared. Danziger skidded the DuneRail to a stop next to the hole and climbed off, joining Alonzo who was already investigating it. Morgan hovered nearby, his lack of enthusiasm evident.

"See them?" Danziger asked the pilot who shook his head.

"Looks like it's pretty deep," Alonzo observed, stepping back to consider the hole from a different angle. He grimaced at the deep mud, which seemed to pull at his feet as he stepped.

Alonzo jumped in alarm as the edge beneath his feet suddenly shifted then abruptly began to slide into the hole, first slowly, then with growing momentum, dragging the three men with it. He shouted out to the other men as he turned to scramble away from the ever widening maw of the pit, bending low, scrabbling with his hands as well as his feet as the ground slipped out from under him. Behind, Alonzo could hear the others' struggles over his own pounding heart. Just as his purchase on solid ground seemed assured, a hand closed on his ankle. The sudden shift of weight pulled his body backwards, flinging the pilot headfirst into the hole.

________________________________________

John Danziger hurt. He hurt into the very core of his being. The first thing he noticed as his senses slowly returned was the pain as it radiated up his back and, seemingly, out of every pore of his skin. He lay still, hoping to allow his body time to recover from the shock of his fall. Gingerly, the mechanic tested for sensitive spots. He moaned softly as he adjusted his position to better survey his surroundings.

Danziger lay, half-buried, on a ledge fifteen feet below the pit's opening. Above, the late afternoon sun filtered through the darkening clouds. To his left, the hole continued down in a steep incline. Cautiously sitting up, Danziger frowned as the wall crumbled at his touch. From below, he could hear a low murmuring accompanied by a scuffling sound.

"Danziger? Alonzo?" The sound solidified into Morgan Martin's voice, before disappearing in a fit of coughing.

Danziger attempted to answer, but could only wheeze in reply. He swallowed several times and tried again. "Morgan? Where are you?"

"Down here. I'm stuck and I can't get out. Where's Alonzo?"

"He was ahead of us. Maybe he made it out." Danziger licked his lips before attempting to shout. "'Lonz?! Hey, Solace! Where are you?!" He glanced around again, then back up to the opening. Not hearing a response, he turned his attention to Morgan. "Morgan, are you hurt or stuck?"

"As far as I can tell, just stuck. I rolled into something and my legs are pinned."

"Well, Alonzo isn't answering, so he's either gone for help or in worse shape than we are. Let's get ourselves sorted out, then worry about him, OK?" Danziger dusted the soil off his legs, inventorying any additional damage. He carefully rose, catching himself as he started to slide in the loose dirt.

"Hey, come on!" Morgan gagged below him. "What are you doing? You're covering me in dirt!"

"Take it easy, Martin. I'm looking for my lumalight," Danziger snapped in annoyance as he sifted around the shelf. He picked up the small cylindrical object with a satisfied smile and switched it on. The mechanic shone the light around his immediate area, then up to the rim, looking for any avenue of escape. Seeing none, he directed the beam down towards Morgan Martin.

Roots surrounded the trapped man. Danziger realized undoubtedly they were what held his legs. He tried to see further down the pit, but the slope increased beyond where Morgan lay, obscuring his view.

"Morgan, do you have a lumalight on you?" the mechanic asked.

"No. Why?"

"I just want to know how far this hole goes. Toss a rock down, let's see how deep it is." He watched as Morgan tossed a rock further down the hole. The rock hit bottom with a soft thud. "Sounds like another 30 feet or so. Cover your eyes, I'm coming down." Danziger carefully slid toward the trapped man, catching himself on the roots, then working his way through the roots to Morgan. "By the way, you still have your gear?"

"I think so. They were in my back pocket when we fell."

Danziger pried the roots off Morgan's legs, allowing the other man to wriggle free.

Morgan stood carefully, holding a root for stability. He flipped his coat out of the way to reach into his pocket only to groan in frustration as he removed what remained of his crushed gear. Morgan looked worriedly at Danziger. "Please tell me you have your gear on you this once," he pleaded.

Danziger wordlessly directed his lumalight down the shaft. He heard Morgan snort in frustration as his answer became evident.

"Well, at least Alonzo should have his on..." Morgan remarked irritably.

Danziger continued to survey the pit, the lumalight reaching deep into the murk to the floor below. A flash of black in the dirt caught his attention. He froze as he realized what he saw, then turned his face towards the rim once more. "DuneRail. Copy. Confirm!" Danziger shouted. At the sound of three chirps from the vehicle, he continued, "Last journey. Reverse. Now! Confirm!"

"What are you doing?" Morgan shouted. He slipped in his haste to reach the mechanic and clung precariously to the roots. "You're sending the DuneRail back to camp? What about us? What about Alonzo? DuneRail! Abort last command!" Morgan's heart sank as the vehicle obediently chirped its reply to Danziger and could be heard driving away.

"Morgan, we aren't going anywhere without help," Danziger explained tiredly. "And I found Alonzo." He shone the lumalight down to the bottom of the slope.

Morgan peered down to where Danziger indicated, then he saw it. One of Alonzo's boots was sticking out of the rubble at the bottom of the pit.

________________________________________

Danziger slid down the slope with Morgan cautiously following. As soon as they reached the pilot, they started digging. Once Alonzo's back was exposed, Danziger was relieved to see the steady rise and fall of his chest. The pilot had ended up head down at the bottom of the slope, one arm outflung, the other curled protectively across his face, his head coming to rest on a large stone, leaving an airpocket between the stone and his chest. Blood ran freely from his forehead and cheek.

Danziger shook the pilot gently and frowned at the lack of response. He carefully turned him over with Morgan's help and checked more thoroughly for injuries. Alonzo's hands and face bore especially graphic testimony to his rough slide down the slope, with all his exposed skin displaying a sobering assortment of lacerations and contusions. As rain started to fall, the two men dragged their friend into the shelter of a tunnel they found winding away from the pit.

"Now what?" Morgan asked plaintively, displaying the pilot's destroyed gear in his hands.

Danziger took the gear from Morgan, turned it over in his hands then returned it to him as he sighed, "We wait."

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