Devon, Isis, Renata, but no Garrett and no Richelle.
Hunter put on his hardhat, slipped on his boots, then stood up. He took out his Vimap and called up a display of the party's homing identifiers. Eight yellow dots appeared on the screen, all within the campsite. He counted them again just to be sure. He entered a command to locate Richelle and Garrett. The immediate response was an ominous flashing red message: Unable to Locate Ivers and Jansen.
"How can that be?" he whispered. Even if the identifiers were destroyed or damaged, the Vimap should tell him that. He woke Trent and filled him in.
"That doesn't make sense," said Trent groggily. He put on his boots, hardhat, and jacket, then yawned. "Let me see that." He took the Vimap, and they began slowly walking away from the camp. He input a series of search commands, but it continued to flash: Unable to Locate Ivers and Jansen.
A nasty bile rose in Hunter's throat. He swallowed hard.
"Calm down," said Trent, noticing Hunter's nervousness. "Maybe there's some strange metal in the rocks or frequency absorbing substance that's blocking their signals. I'll run some signal analyses through one of the Kalo ACPUs and see what I can determine." Trent input some commands, and after a moment a wide smile came to his face. "There. There they are. On the other side of the spring."
Hunter looked at the screen; two yellow dots showed Garrett and Richelle were about fifty meters away in a passage about four meters below them. "How come I didn't find them before?"
"Hard to say," said Trent, shrugging. "Let's find out what's going on." He began walking around the edge of the spring, following the route of a magnified map on his screen, his symotes turned to maximum.
Hunter followed anxiously.
When they reached the passage, which was wide but had a low ceiling and a shallow downward grade, they stood at its entrance briefly, then stepped inside. Within just a few minutes, they were standing at the top of a keyhole passage in the floor, its walls comprised of blocky greenish-gray limestones.
Trent checked the Vimap again. "Follow me." He sat down and entered the passage, clinging tenaciously to some foothold rocks on the walls.
After a moment, he was out of sight, and Hunter began climbing down the winding, steep, narrow hole. About two body lengths beneath the top, it leveled out. He began pushing himself feet-first through it.
"Garrett," he heard Trent's voice call over his com.
Once Hunter had worked his way out of the keyhole, he stood up and brushed off his hands. Then he hurried after Trent, watching the glow of Trent's lights. After a short distance, the passage widened and he could see the lights of all three ahead. He broke into long strides. "Didn't you hear Trent's transmissions?" he asked angrily.
Richelle was sitting on the ground, her legs crossed beneath her; Garrett was standing over her. Neither wearing a hardhat, they shook their heads in unison.
Trent spoke into his com, his voice coming clearly over theirs.
"What gives?" asked Hunter. "What are you doing here?"
Richelle turned off her Vimap and placed it in her pocket. She looked up. "I needed to urinate. Garrett thought it b-b-best to accompany me."
"Why down here?" asked Hunter.
Garrett slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"It's secluded," she said.
Hunter began searching the ground. "Okay," he said after a moment, even though he hadn't found anything to corroborate her story. "You've relieved yourself, so let's get going."
"Quite a distance just for a potty break," said Trent.
"You heard me," said Richelle.
"There's no suitable place up above?" asked Trent. "Even though everyone's asleep."
"You aren't. W-W-What do you want, proof or something?"
"Why? Should I need it?"
"Listen, Trent. I d-d-don't need your approval to take a
Hunter put on his hardhat, slipped on his boots, then stood up. He took out his Vimap and called up a display of the party's homing identifiers. Eight yellow dots appeared on the screen, all within the campsite. He counted them again just to be sure. He entered a command to locate Richelle and Garrett. The immediate response was an ominous flashing red message: Unable to Locate Ivers and Jansen.
"How can that be?" he whispered. Even if the identifiers were destroyed or damaged, the Vimap should tell him that. He woke Trent and filled him in.
"That doesn't make sense," said Trent groggily. He put on his boots, hardhat, and jacket, then yawned. "Let me see that." He took the Vimap, and they began slowly walking away from the camp. He input a series of search commands, but it continued to flash: Unable to Locate Ivers and Jansen.
A nasty bile rose in Hunter's throat. He swallowed hard.
"Calm down," said Trent, noticing Hunter's nervousness. "Maybe there's some strange metal in the rocks or frequency absorbing substance that's blocking their signals. I'll run some signal analyses through one of the Kalo ACPUs and see what I can determine." Trent input some commands, and after a moment a wide smile came to his face. "There. There they are. On the other side of the spring."
Hunter looked at the screen; two yellow dots showed Garrett and Richelle were about fifty meters away in a passage about four meters below them. "How come I didn't find them before?"
"Hard to say," said Trent, shrugging. "Let's find out what's going on." He began walking around the edge of the spring, following the route of a magnified map on his screen, his symotes turned to maximum.
Hunter followed anxiously.
When they reached the passage, which was wide but had a low ceiling and a shallow downward grade, they stood at its entrance briefly, then stepped inside. Within just a few minutes, they were standing at the top of a keyhole passage in the floor, its walls comprised of blocky greenish-gray limestones.
Trent checked the Vimap again. "Follow me." He sat down and entered the passage, clinging tenaciously to some foothold rocks on the walls.
After a moment, he was out of sight, and Hunter began climbing down the winding, steep, narrow hole. About two body lengths beneath the top, it leveled out. He began pushing himself feet-first through it.
"Garrett," he heard Trent's voice call over his com.
Once Hunter had worked his way out of the keyhole, he stood up and brushed off his hands. Then he hurried after Trent, watching the glow of Trent's lights. After a short distance, the passage widened and he could see the lights of all three ahead. He broke into long strides. "Didn't you hear Trent's transmissions?" he asked angrily.
Richelle was sitting on the ground, her legs crossed beneath her; Garrett was standing over her. Neither wearing a hardhat, they shook their heads in unison.
Trent spoke into his com, his voice coming clearly over theirs.
"What gives?" asked Hunter. "What are you doing here?"
Richelle turned off her Vimap and placed it in her pocket. She looked up. "I needed to urinate. Garrett thought it b-b-best to accompany me."
"Why down here?" asked Hunter.
Garrett slung his rifle over his shoulder.
"It's secluded," she said.
Hunter began searching the ground. "Okay," he said after a moment, even though he hadn't found anything to corroborate her story. "You've relieved yourself, so let's get going."
"Quite a distance just for a potty break," said Trent.
"You heard me," said Richelle.
"There's no suitable place up above?" asked Trent. "Even though everyone's asleep."
"You aren't. W-W-What do you want, proof or something?"
"Why? Should I need it?"
"Listen, Trent. I d-d-don't need your approval to take a
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