by Sydnie MacElroy
[MD1, subway tunnel]
>Leo nodded to himself. "Which is why these things >are now attacking anyone unfortunate enough to be >straying into the tunnels. It makes sense. Anyone got >a good look at these things?"
>Crystal shook her head. "At least, no one alive."
>Zenya took out the map from Leo's backpack and >spread it out on the ground in front of them. "Can >you mark off where all of the attacks have been made? >We need to see if there's a pattern somewhere...."
A small crowd gathered around the map and an animated discussion began over what had happened where and to whom. A young man leaned over the map, produced a pen and assumed the task of making notations and keeping order among the group. The Elder stepped back from the crowd and waited for Leo and Zenya to join him. Crystal, who had been participating in the discussion, joined them as well. She had been keeping a constant eye on the newcomers, particularly Leo, and as a result, Zenya had been watching her just as closely, more out of amusement than anything, since Leo hadn't noticed it yet. As she came up to them, Crystal glanced back at the man leaning over the map and shook her head. Judging from the girl's expression, Zenya guessed that he was her boyfriend, but didn't quite measure up to the presence of a real, live legendary hero.
"How long has this been going on," Leo asked.
The Elder nodded and led them to a corner where a conglomeration of tattered furniture had been arranged. "I'm sure you noticed the absence of animals in the tunnels," he said. "They disappeared so gradually that we didn't notice at first." He shrugged. "And if someone did notice that there happened to be fewer rats running around, who was going to complain about it. About a year ago, a cat disappeared. It belonged to a little boy, Scott. He'd found it when it was just a kitten. The mother cat had apparently been killed and this kitten was the last survivor of the litter. Scott had been born in these tunnels, too, and later orphaned, so he felt a sort of kinship with it."
"They were inseparable," Crystal added. "You never saw Scott without the cat, or the cat without Scott. But one day, it disappeared."
"He knew these tunnels like the back of his hand," the Elder said. "So no one thought anything of it when he went off to look for it."
"He didn't come back," Zenya stated.
"No, he didn't. We found .. what was left of him the next day. He was the first human victim that we know of. There wasn't another for several months, but it was then that we began to notice that there were almost no animals around anymore. Now, we occasionally see a rat, a stray dog, but we rarely see them again."
"Almost like whatever it is can sense the presence of vulnerable prey," Crystal said.
"On that note," the Elder said, "it looks like they've finished with the map."
The young man came up to them, smiled at Crystal and handed the map to the Elder. "Thank you, Jay," the Elder said and passed the map to Leo.
"It's as precise as we could make it," Jay said. "But some of the bodies were never found. I also tried to note the order of the attacks. The first ones were all centered around here," he said and pointed at a spot on the map. "I think that might be where they live. They started hunting close to their lair, and when the food supply ran out, they had to start venturing out farther."
Crystal shook her head. "I disagree," she said. "If there's an intelligence involved, they wouldn't hunt in their own back yard and lead us right to them. Besides, that area has been searched half a dozen times."
"Oh," was all that Jay said.
"What's over here," Zenya asked. She pointed at a section of the map where no notations had been made. Before she could hear the answer, her cell phone rang in spite of the fact that only one signal indicator light was on, and that one was wavering.
"Those tunnels are closed off now," the Elder answered while Zenya was on the phone. "You see that there are only two openings leading into that area? One of them was sealed off during a construction project several years ago. The other one is blocked by a cave-in just about here." He pointed to the spot he was talking about.
"That would make a convenient hiding place if they could find a way in," Leo said. "Has anyone checked it out?"
"I considered that, too," the Elder said. "We haven't been able to find anyplace where anything bigger than a cockroach could get in there."
"All right, we'll be there," Zenya said into the phone. Leo turned to look at her. "That was Jordan," she said. "He wants us back at the hotel as soon as possible."
Leo nodded and exchanged farewells with the Elder and Crystal, who was less than anxious to see him go. "You probably shouldn't be wandering through the tunnels alone. Just the two of you," she said. "We could have a group come with you."
Leo started to reply, but Zenya stepped forward before he had a chance. "Thank you, Crystal, but I don't think that will be necessary. Are you ready, Deadeye," she asked with a grin and patted his arm affectionately - that latter for Crystal's benefit. "Oh Great Hunter," she added in an almost silent whisper.
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NRPG:
Jeff - I'm assuming Leo and Zenya will make it back to the hotel without any further adventures, but who knows. Whaddya think? ;)
Krister - That Delta/Zulu crossover I promised *is* coming. I'm going to get it written this weekend sometime. I hope.