217

[mogwai_do]

Copyright Margaret Turner
22nd May 2009

They paused at the mouth of the tunnel, looking carefully each way along the main track. It was quiet, there was only the memory of the constant echoing rattle of the trains; it was almost still too, the warm air moving sluggishly instead of in the pulsing whistling changes of air pressure. "They've stopped the trains," Mike murmured in realisation.

He felt rather than saw Whisper move to his side, "Well that's one less thing to worry about," he commented quietly, but Mike knew as well as he that the trains had really been about the least of their concerns.

Mike stepped out onto the track, feeling oddly exposed after the closeness of the passages, but he didn't feel vulnerable. He couldn't see Whisper in the darkness, but he knew he was there, still hidden in the tunnel mouth, waiting to see if anyone was foolish enough to react to Mike's bravado. Nothing stirred and Mike closed his eyes, trying to filter out enough of the soot stink to find what lay beneath. There. He tilted his head, trying to catch it again as the air stirred with his movement. Humans, not the blurred, mingled mess of a carriage full of commuters, but something closer, some *things* closer, exposed to the air of the tunnel directly. He took a step, deliberately stirring the air again as he tried to learn more. He could feel the beginnings of a headache as he struggled to refine his focus enough, "Can you see anything?" he asked quietly, knowing Whisper would hear him.

"No," equally quiet, "The ambient temperature's too high for body heat traces and any tracks were erased when the last train went past."

Mike nodded and for the briefest moment he caught the elusive scent he sought, "Weapon discharge," he said because it could have been just workmen. He turned to where he thought he saw a blacker patch of darkness in the tunnel mouth, "Soldiers. Maybe half a dozen or more."

Whisper was just there in front of him with a lack of suddenness that was shocking in itself, Mike hadn't seen or heard him move. Whisper didn't ask if he was sure and Mike was glad because he wasn't and Gavin and Alison didn't have the time for him to indulge in self-doubt.

"That way?" Whisper asked, gesturing in the direction Mike had unconsciously turned to face. Mike nodded and they began to move, crossing to the narrow walkway because the trains would still have been running when their friends had fled. Travelling quickly and quietly Mike was sure they'd see the soldiers long before any soldiers noticed them. Every so often Mike would pause to taste the air, but he couldn't distinguish more and the effort it took to get past the overwhelming stink of the soot was quickly giving him a headache.

He was two steps past it before the sharp scent caught at him, drawing his attention even through the soot and grime. He'd only found one thing that did that. Mike stopped so suddenly he felt Whisper tense dangerously at his side, sharper than human eyes scanning their surroundings. "Blood," Mike said without explanation, a hard edge to his voice, "Gavin's." He knew he must have registered the teen's scent at some point, but it hadn't been a conscious thing and though he couldn't have given any reasoning for it now, he was absolutely certain of it.

He turned quickly trying to see in the darkness where the scent came from and seeing nothing but the vaguest of outlines. He was about to reach for his maglight, not caring that it could give them away to any possible watchers, but Whisper was already ahead of him and caught at his hand. "Above us," Whisper said softly, "There's a vent like the one we came through before." They would have missed it if Mike hadn't smelled blood, if Whisper hadn't the eyes to see.

Mike waited impatiently as Whisper found a footing in the pipes running along the wall and hoisted himself up to the gap then after a moment dropped down again, "Blood and fabric caught on a bit of metal." Mike hoisted himself up as Whisper had, not thinking about the way the other man guided his feet to the best places on the indistinct pipes. The blood scent filled his head and tightened his gut with fear for his friend far more than the instinctive inherited hunger. He glanced back down at Whisper, "Someone else came this way too," he murmured.

"Alison?" Whisper queried, but his voice was doubtful.

Mike shook his head, "Vampire scents fade too quickly. If it was more than half an hour ago, I'd never know if she was there or not." Mike didn't wait for a response, but hauled himself up and into the vent. It was similar dimensions to the one they had used before to come out near Westminster station and he was glad, a soldier would struggle to get through it with their gear. He could only smell one other person so he hoped they'd just sent the one through after Gavin and the rest had sought another route. He wasn't naive enough to believe they wouldn't find one, but it had at least given the teen a little more time.

He heard Whisper climb into the vent behind him as he worked his way along; it was a longer vent than the other one and turned twice before Mike thought he could see the other end. He wondered briefly if he should have let Whisper go first, the other man's eyes being better for finding out what lay beyond the end of the tunnel than Mike's nose. He wished he had let Whisper got first when he shuffled forward and placed his hand firmly on thin air. He barely stifled his shout of surprise and it took him a moment to find his breath again and realise that Whisper's weight was heavy across his ankles, holding him in place and stopping him from falling.

For a moment he just hung there, arms dangling into space, he breathed and caught the pungent tang of sweat, unfamiliar to him, and the lingering scent of Gavin, easier to discern even just this small distance from the stink of the main line. "They went down," he murmured, relying on the radio to reach Whisper without making noise that would only echo and exaggerate in the metal-walled vent. He reached out, finding the other edge of the hole with his hands, "Let go," he murmured and felt Whisper's weight vanish.

Mike drew himself forward with his arms until he could drop feet first into the chute. He hesitated for a second he didn't know what was at the bottom of the chute, but Gavin had already been this way so had an unknown soldier, and Whisper would be right behind him. Reminding himself of this, Mike let go.

tbc...

Comments

[lferion]

Oh Gavin.... *Worries*

Loving the teamwork here.

[mogwai_do]

They do make a very good team - fortunately for Gavin.