Fan Fiction |
by Jenny Tran
The boats were set up as the team prepared to separate. Darren, Mia and Becca had maps in their hands while the other three were in charge of steering. Before they left, Ted turned to the team “Let’s stay in contact and don’t go anywhere without your partners.” They nodded in agreement and took off at the speed of light. The engine roared as the boat cascaded with the ocean.
Three boats separated in different directions. Mia and Ryan were the first to come upon a small island “Pisces and….we never gave you a sign.” She turned to Ryan.
“Call him Sagittarius.” Chuck already thought of his sign.
“Now that’s a tongue twister!” Becca cracked.
Mia turned to Ryan with a smile “Well, we’re on Island C. I doubt they’ll be here, it’s the closest one around. I think he would chose the furthest one.” She reported.
Chuck replied, “Just go in and take a look. Looks can be deceiving.”
“You could say that again.” Becca snorted.
Darren laughed “If you spent as much time concentrating as you do picking on Chuck, our missions would be a cinch.”
“And if you spent as much time criticizing me—”
“Guys, I think I found something.” Doug interrupted Becca and Darren’s quarrel.
“Elaborate Virgo.” Chuck said as he zoomed in on their location. In front of him were three screens, the cameras were on Doug, Ted and Mia’s sunglasses.
“It’s deserted.” Doug replied “Not a soul in sight. Do you see anything strange?” he asked Becca.
“Negative.” Becca replied. He turned to her with an exasperated look “What? You asked, I answered.”
Doug shook his head as he killed the engine “Let’s go check it out, smartass.” He jumped into the shallow waters as he turned and helped Becca down “Footsteps.” He reported “A lot of them. Could be TK’s.”
“Or maybe just a person that’s been abandoned?” Becca took a wild guess.
“Keep looking guys.” Chuck ordered “Ted how about you and Darren?” there was a moment of silence “Guys?” he asked again.
“I think we’ve lost them.” Mia sighed. She rushed back to the boat with Ryan on her heels “Island C is clear.”
“Okay, move on to D.” Chuck advised.
Darren turned to Ted after he just announced their arrival on Island A “I think we lost them.” He said gravely “Maybe we hit the jackpot.” He turned to the island.
Ted nodded “I’m thinking the same.” He reached up to touch his left ear where the black earpiece was “Scorpio, can you hear me? Scorpio?” he turned to Darren “She’s not responding.”
“Maybe she’s not here?” Darren wondered as they jumped off the boat and took a look around. It looked like a ghost town.
“Even if she’s not, our radar is supposed to pick up as long as she has her earpiece on.” Ted observed as he walked through the bushes and the tall trees covered an old stoned building “What do you think that is?” he pointed.
TK was smoking in the long corridors when he heard the sound of a speedboat getting closer “Shit!” he cursed and flicked the cigarette out of his fingers. He rushed towards the door and peeked through the crack, he saw Ted and Darren talking to each other in code. He quickly turned around the corner and saw a small fire had started on a group of twigs and leaves “Damn!” he cursed again, if they see the smoke, it will give his hideout away. He pulled off his jacket and began hitting the flames. Suddenly, the flames erupted at the collar of his jacket and made a bursting sound. He had drank the night before and spilled some alcohol on himself. The flames picked up too fast. He quickly dropped the jacket into the flames when a gust of wind blew in. He knew they had entered. TK didn’t have time to get the girls but he had time to get the Mayor who was hidden in the bathroom stall of the jail. There was an emergency exit there as he grabbed the gagged man and left.
Darren took a whiff “Do you smell that?”
“Is that smoke?” Ted asked as they rounded the corner and followed the scent. They saw the smoke and the fire was building by the second.
“Team, report to Island A. If you can hear me, everyone, report to Island A!” his gut feeling told him Erin and Shelly were there.
Ryan and Mia were on the verge of docking on Island D when they got Chuck’s message “Shortcut.” Mia turned the boat in a 90 degree turn and sped off so quick, it knocked Ryan off his feet. She glanced behind her “You okay?”
He nodded while laughing, “Warn me next time before you do that.”
“Dually noted.” Mia smiled.
Becca and Doug were on their way back to the boat when they heard Chuck’s call. The two picked up speed and began sprinting and hurdling through bushes to get to the boat quicker. Becca underestimated the height of the branch she jumped over and was pulled back when her leg got caught on the edge. There was a slight hill where they were at causing Becca to make a few flips before she caught herself.
Doug heard a loud thump as he turned “Becca!” he ran over to her and bent down “Are you okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded but the blood crawled up to her face “Just give me a hand.” She leaned onto Doug for support and he pulled her up with one arm “No…no…I’m not okay.” She groaned in pain as she sat back down “I think I broke it.” She bit her lip to keep from crying out in pain.
“Guys, we have an injured agent.” Doug replied, “I repeat, Gemini is hurt.”
“Maybe it’s just an excuse to get Virgo to touch her.” Mia teased while Ryan laughed.
Doug shook his head “No, she’s getting pale. I think she broke her ankle. Should I take her back Chuck?”
“No.” Becca replied as she wiped the cold sweat off her forehead “Keep going. They need help.” She pushed her hand onto Doug’s shoulder to try to get up on one leg “I can hop.”
Doug shook his head as he watched her reaching the trees for support. He let out a sigh and looked above the sky “I’m sorry Jessie.” He walked over and reached under her knees and wrapped one arm around her waist as he picked her up with ease. Becca was startled as she clumsily grabbed onto his shoulder “Hey, you’re not as heavy as I imagined.” He joked while walking briskly back to their boat.
“Is she heavier?” Ryan asked making Mia crack up. Then her face fell when she saw the smoke “Why is there smoke?” Ryan asked, fear taking over as they docked and he quickly jumped off the boat.
Mia pointed to Darren and Ted’s boat “I think we’re in the right place. Chuck, Pisces and Sagittarius are reporting…Chuck?” she turned to Ryan “Come on.” She rushed around the right side and they came upon the building that was burning “It’s stone…how could it be in flames?” she asked out loud.
“Looks like a jail.” He pointed to the small-barred windows. How do we get inside?” he took small steps around the corner and he felt something strange at the bottom of his foot. He bent down and pulled his shoe off.
“What is it?” Mia asked.
“Shelly’s necklace!” Ryan exclaimed. He stood up and began screaming “Shelly!!! Shelly! It’s me Ryan. Answer me!!!” he yelled.
“Maybe the smoke already got to her?” Mia asked.
Ryan turned to her and squatted down while his fingers interlinked and he straightened his arm “Come on.” He nodded to Mia. She knew what he meant as she stepped her foot onto his fingers and he pushed her up to look inside.
“Too much smoke.” She waved her hand in front of her face “I can’t see anything! Shelly!! Are you in there?”
“Help…help me…” Shelly barely had enough strength to call for help.
“She’s in there!” Mia hopped down to the ground. Ryan was ahead of her as he rushed back to the entrance. They came upon a door as he tried the knob, it was scalding hot “Careful.” Mia warned. She looked around and found an old rag as she picked it up and used it as a mitten. The door gave way and a gush of black smoke erupted.
Ryan took a deep breath as he pushed his way inside. He could barely see through the smoke but even that didn’t stop him from saving Shelly. He found her room and took a few steps back. Using his full strength he kicked the already opened door. It looked like someone had tried to let her out “Shelly!!” he called when he saw her unconscious. He picked her up and rushed her outside where the air was cleaner.
Mia bent down next to Ryan “You watch her, I’ll find the others.”
“Be careful.” He nodded as he watched her rush off.
“Erin!! ERIN, answer me!!!” Ted called but it seemed useless, she was not going to answer. The flames and smoke began to devour the corridors and if it wasn’t for the opened door, they would be suffocating.
“What now?” Darren asked anxiously “What if she’s unconscious?”
“I don’t care, I’ll find her.” Ted closed his nose vents and began walking around the flames to each door. He kicked them open one by one “Erin, I know you could hear me. Answer me, please…” he was desperately trying to get to her “I never told you this, but Brad called me two days before he was killed. He told me that if anything happened to him that he wanted me to take care of you. How could you have the heart to let him down like that? Don’t you see, he saw it coming. But his only concern was for you to be safe. Please…answer me.” His eyes were red from the smoke “Erin, if you don’t answer, I’m not leaving!”
Darren stood at the end of the hall as he noticed the flame taking over another bush of twigs. Parts of the jail were made of wood and that part was taken by the flames. “Ted!! Come on!!! The flames are growing!! You’ll be burned to death!!”
But Ted continued to ignore the warnings “I’m not leaving Erin.” Ted said solemnly.
Erin was curled up in the corner of her cell, her eyes wet with tears while the smoke continued to invade her lungs. She wanted to just die, she had lost hope when the smoke began. She only prayed that Shelly was saved, as for herself she didn’t care. She heard Ted’s call and the earpiece was in her ear the whole time but she didn’t want to reply. Her eyes felt heavy as they began to shut and that was when she saw Brad. He stood in a smoke filled room waving for her “Come on, Erin. You have to go.”
“Brad…” she called softly.
Ted paused when he heard her voice “Erin! Where are you? Erin! Answer me!!”
“You can’t stay here. You have to go.” Brad tried again with his hand hither her over.
“I have to go…” she repeated his words and slowly got up and walked over to Brad, his hand outstretched as it pulled her along. Erin’s eyes snapped opened “Ted…” she pushed herself up and felt her knees go weak. With the lack of food, she didn’t have the strength to walk “Ted.”
“Erin!” he was happy to hear her voice “Where are you? I need you to direct me.” Then he began coughing uncontrollably.
Darren was outside as he raced around the building to find another entrance that wasn’t trapped by smoke. He turned the corner at the same time Mia was coming and they collided “Mia…” he got up and rushed to her assistance “You okay?”
“Yeah.” She nodded “Where’s Ted?”
“He’s trying to find Erin. There’s too much smoke inside. I’m trying to find another entrance. Did you find Shelly?”
She nodded vigorously “Ryan is with her. What do we do now?”
He shook his head and looked around, he found a black box hidden to the side of a tree “What is that?” The two stepped closer and their earpieces began screeching in their ear drums. Mia and Darren winced painfully as they reached up and turned off their earpieces “We found his little magic box.” Darren reached down as he picked up the machine and hailed it into a tree. It crashed to the ground and they activated their head sets “Chuck, do you read me?”
He had been watching wavy lines for a whole ten minutes on his screen until he heard Darren’s voice. Chuck’s brows arched up “Yes. I can hear you. What is going on? I see smoke everywhere.” the pictures cleared up.
“This place is going to burn down. Erin and Ted are still inside!” Mia said with urgency.
“We have to save them!” Becca’s voice came on after they came upon the island.
“No! I don’t want any of you guys in danger. Ted will get her out.” Chuck was confident. With his fingers crossed, he silently prayed that Ted would not fail him “Is Shelly safe?”
“Yes, Ryan is with her now.” Mia reported.
Ted could hear the team on one side of his ear “Erin, I need your help! What room are you in?” he asked between coughs.
Erin knew she would only faint if she tried to stand again, instead she began slithering like a snake. She came upon the door and used her elbow to open it. But the door was scalding hot “It’s too hot. I don’t know which room this is. Just go Ted! Save yourself, I don’t want you to die with me.”
“You’re NOT going to die!!” Ted cried “I won’t let you!” he continued down the row and kicked down as many doors as he could. The fire caught up with Ted as it began to take his sleeve. He pat off the small flame and kicked the next door down. It swung open and he saw Erin sprawled out on the floor to his right “Erin!” he wasted no time as he reached down and picked her up.
“He’s found her!” Mia looked up at Darren with a beaming face. She reached out and hugged him suddenly “She’s okay.” Darren laughed as he spun her in circles. Her arms were wrapped around his neck and they slowly broke apart. Mia was blushing as she lowered her eyes “Sorry…”
He shook his head with a smile “Don’t apologize.”
Doug was supporting Becca when he saw the two embraced happily. The two exchanged glances “What’s with them?” Becca wondered.
“Team, come in.” Chuck called “Give me a status.”
Ted burst through the back door and saw Ryan with Shelly “Erin is okay.” His face was smeared with black soot “We might need an ambulance though.” He nodded at Ryan and then turned his head to Erin’s attention. She had fainted from exhaustion.
“It’s on its way.” Chuck replied. He had made a call for the Harbor Patrol when their signal was back up.