Solomon and Todd had walked the entire afternoon, which in hindsight was perhaps not the best of ideas. Even desert traders waited until nightfall to travel. In any case, the sun was finally beginning to set when Solomon saw a splash of green cut across the arid landscape. "I'll be damned," he panted. Half blind with heat exhaustion, he couldn't be sure if it was just a hallucination, but it was a nicer hallucination than the awful plants that cut at his legs and tore into his coat. His chest began to throb again, as if the crucifix lodged inside was growing. Only a few miles to go, he told himself. Buck up, old man. 

Carefully, Todd helped him as much as he could to support him, as he himself was having trouble keeping himself up. Neither of them had brought any water, nor any container to hold it, and they hadn't come across any other sources. They had been careless. "Green... green means water!" Todd said, a little louder then he normally spoke. He could almost smell it.

Barely making it to the edge, Todd collasped, tearing off his goggles and crying as the foliage cooled his face, "We made it... we... made it."

Solomon crumpled to the ground with Todd, laughing breathlessly. A jungle was no safer but there was shade here, and water. That would have to do for now, he thought hazily. He crawled to the foot of a huge tree and fell to his side, passing out cold.

Todd didn't even make it that far, just smiling and crying before he too, blacked out from lack of water. The grin on his face didn't fade however.

Meanwhile, Divya and Emireth were hovering above the treeline. She was using her hover-boots to guide them. They were attatched to what looked like a glowing green belt, suspending her comrade.
She slowed down a bit, remembering that Emireth wasn't too fond of heights. Besides, they had gone a few miles at her top speed. Her boots needed recharging. Divya's eyes were glued onto the jungle swamp below, "Doesn't look like we will be able to see any food from up here but-" she bit her lip and raised the visor over her eyes, "I really don't want to find out what lives down there." 

Emireth's face was up to the sky. "I would much rather be down there than up here right now." he said, looking petrified out of his whits. "Could we please go down now?? I don't know how long those Sci-fi boots of yours can last, but I can pretty much figure not for long!!"

"Like you can talk!" Divya shot back, a bit annoyed. "Your state of living is so primitive that your puny little mind can't even fathom what mine would be like!" Diva argued. Although she agreed, they should land somewhere but she surely didn't want to drop down blind. She coasted along the boarder of trees until she saw them. Two humanoid figures, motionless on the outside of the jungle. "Look there!" Immediately, Divya lowered them and released her belt that connected to Emireth's right before landing.

Emireth landed on the ground with a thankful sigh. He looked at Divya, then at the motionless bodies. "And you thought there were no other people around..."

Divya knelt down by the two and quickly checked one's pulse, then the other. "Just shut up and get me some water from that swamp!" Divya shouted before she lifted Solomon's head up a bit. She started slapping him across the cheek, "Hey! Hey!" she called down.

Solomon stirred, groaning slightly, and squinted his eyes open to find himself staring up at a dark-skinned dame wearing a strange helmet. The throbbing pain in his chest brought him back to reality. "Wh..." He frowned, throwing up an arm to shield his face from further attacks. "Who are you?"

"Divya Meejiti, Chief, GPD." She said quickly as if it was scripted into her mind many years ago. "Just stay awake, alright? I'm going to try and wake up your friend." Divya gently rested Solomon's head back down. Lifting her eyes, she shouted in Emireth's direction, "ANY TIME WITH THAT WATER!"

Shuffling quickly over to the second body, Divya lifted her visor so she could better analyze the two men. Figuring it would work once more, she tried the same thing she did earlier and slapped Todd's face. "Come on- wake up!" 

Solomon groaned weakly and managed to prop himself up slightly to watch Divya strike Todd's unconscious mug. GPD? Police Department...Georgian...PD? She doesn't look Southern...well, there's..no, not European either. He furrowed his brow. ...Ghandi...Police..? Maybe part of some extremist group. That would explain the costume, he thought hazily, staring at her curvy, athletic frame. 

Emireth came back with water. "Good god woman.. you shouldn't be so pushy." he sighed, giving some water to Solomon. He noticed Solomon checking Divya out and chuckled. "I'd be careful... if she catches you looking at her like that she might shoot you with one of her guns." he whispered the warning to the other man.

Solomon gulped down the water as best he could; even as thirsty as he was, most of the water spilled down his front. He switched his gaze to the new boy. "Thank you," he rasped, his voice still weak. He looked to Todd. The pale man's skin was scorched to a pink that was deepening quite quickly. His own arms and neck were sensitive to the touch; that would hurt like a bitch in a few hours. The boy's words caught up to his ears, the word 'guns' sticking particularly. He shifted his hand to his hip and breathed a sigh of relief. He could feel the sword along his lower back and shifted his weight slightly. "You..wouldn't happen to be a surgeon, would you?" He asked, without much hope.

Todd groaned as his eyes fluttered beneath the goggles, "Bitte, Lassen Sie mich ein kleines länger schlafen..." He murmured, turning over, then falling asleep again.

"Please let...something...me...something else?" Divya roughly translated. She really didn't know German very well but she figured he meant for her to help. Taking off her helmet altogether, Divya lifted a hand to her comrade and snapped her fingers twice, "Hey! Why the hell are you chit-chatting?! Move your ninja-ass and get this man some water too!"

Emireth growled and threw the bottle of water he had found in his back pocket at the back of her head. "Stop calling me ninja, or restorting to calling anything about me that." he growled. Now he just didn't care if he got shot.

"I'll take it that's a no," Solomon muttered as Emireth completely ignored his question. He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on the treetrunk. He pressed his hand gently against the bloody rags wrapped around his chest, testing the wounds. The crucifix must have been near his heart, because it throbbed along with his pulse. 

Divya swatted it from hitting her head. "Shut up and grow a pair!" She leaned over and picked up the bottle. Directing her attention to the man asleep once more, she had completely lost her patience, "Wake your ass up!" she shouted down at him, splashing a bit of water onto his face.

Sputtering, "-For Gotte sake, what??" Todd propped himself up on his elbows and stared at the woman standing over him. "... Solomon?" He called, still staring, "Who is t'is strange person?" He didn't know if he was dreaming, or hallucinating.

"Polizei," Solomon replied grimly. "Chief Meejiti. She and her friend here found us, and they brought water." He struggled to his feet, leaning heavily on the tree trunk. "You alright?"

Emireth growled. "I am not her friend." he said. He looked back to Solomon. "And to answer your question, I do not know one. Maybe she knows something about surgery... but the most I know is CPR." he replied.

"Ahhh... Ja, I'm alright." Slipping his goggles back on, he looked at the woman more closely, which, unless you had the ability to see past his goggles one wouldn't notice. "It is good to see a woman rising to t'eh level of a man." Hopefully she would see that as a compliment and not an insult on her womanhood.

Solomon regarded Emireth with a raised eyebrow. "Ah," He said, assuming he was her prisoner, and disregarded him. "Yes," He agreed with Todd, suppressing a chuckle at the pink circles around his eyes and catching a glimpse of the color of them before the goggles went back on. "Very unusual." He turned to Divya. "Do you know of any settlements nearby?"

Divya raised a brow at Todd before her attention went to Solomon. "Do I look like I'm from around here?" she gestured to her spandex clothes and helmet. "Can you two walk? I'm not sure my boots can carry all four of us. It's getting late and I don't want to become some dinosaur's meal."

"Dino... sore?" Todd repeated, uncertain, "I do not know what t'at means." He looked to Solomon or Emireth for an explaination, then stood a little unsteady. "I'm Todd..." He held out a hand to Divya.

"Divya Mejitii, GPD." she said, shaking his hand. Judging by their clothing, they were from the ancient past as well. "Dinosaurs...big reptile things with teeth." she paused before adding, "Fuck- you're from what, the 1800s too?"

He stared at her again, "Well...yeah. I mean no! 1951."

"My mistake," Solomon said. "I must've thought that you had a precinct here, and that your title held any power. I'll think better of it next time," He told Divya. "51? I don't know how much you read, Todd, but yesterday's paper read 1961." He took his hat from the ground and dusted it off, setting it back on his head.

"Great. Just great." Divya rubbed her head. They were all from roughly the same time period- at least to her. "I'm from 2408."

Emireth sighed softly. "I'm from 2008. What is up with the time differences?!" he exclaimed in frustration. "If we're all from different times... what time are we in?!"

Solomon looked from Todd, to Emireth, to Divya. This was insane. He suddenly heard a growling noise and stared at the foliage behind him. "A distinctly unfriendly time," He said. "We should get moving."

"I concur." The German muttered, shaking off his pants briefly as he looked to the others for guidance, "Where should we go, where is it safe?"

"This place is nothing but plains and wetlands. We were trying to find somewhere in the trees to stay the night. Sleeping in shifts maybe." Divya explained as she stood up, facing Solomon now, "That isn't your blood...is it?" she asked, looking at his stained shirt.

"Yeah," Solomon replied grimly. "I'm sure there are a couple of flecks that belong to giant knife-tooth animals, but the rest of it I can account for." He touched the bloodied chain dangling from his chest and looked up at Divya. "Say, you wouldn't happen to have any experience as a field medic, would you?"

Divya made an uneasy face and walked to Solomon's side. She was taught all about the human body in police academy and how to deal with serious laser shots and injuries. But she surely had no true medical history to speak of. "How bad is it? It's not good to be bleeding out in a place like this." she asked, gently tugging on the collar of his shirt to get a peek. She didn't care about personal space when it was serious like this. Though they could all hear some sort of animal creeping in on the group.

"It's very deep, but it's stopped bleeding," Solomon said, unbuttoning his shirt and unwrapping Todd's bits of cloak gingerly, revealing his bloody wifebeater. On either side of his sternum, about three ribs down, were two holes the size of quarters, and another gash the same size on his left shoulder. His torso was covered with encrusted blood, and from the left hole dangled a bloodied chain, which he lifted gently with his fingers. "This, uh, is attached to a crucifix I think got wedged near my heart," He said uneasily.

"What?!" Divya gasped. This was bad. "Well- you can't be bleeding internally, otherwise you would be out cold or dead." She bit her lip, nervous for him. "How big is it? Would it be possible to pull out with my bare hands without damaging you?" Divya didn't know why she was asking him. He probably didn't know either. "We would have to wrap you VERY tightly afterward so you don't bleed out." 

Solomon's hands instinctively hid the chain from her. "I don't think that's a good idea," he said warily. "It's about yae big," He lifted one hand and connected his middle finger and thumb, making a circle about two inches high and an inch across. "I tugged on it earlier, very gently, and it wasn't a good idea then. No, I want a surgeon to look at it," He started to rewrap his chest. "I've survived it this long, I can wait a little longer."

Moving to Solomon's side, Todd helped him and used another scrap to help tie the knot. "We had best be going..." He muttered, wary of whatever it was that was stalking them.

"I spotted a really tall tree into the swamp more. It has thick, nest like branches. Maybe we could stay there." Divya suggested. The sun was set now and they really didn't have any other choice. She did something to her belt that erased the green glow around Emireth's hips. "I can help you guys up...but I want to be safe and do only one at a time. Espescially with you-" she pointed to Solomon. Pulling out a small gun, she didn't even seem to aim when she shot. A goop-like substance hit his hips lightly and wrapped around his waist like a belt. "It's nothing but water in there and the last thing we need you getting is an infection."

Todd's face twisted at that, his mouth dropping, "What t'eh fuck is t'at?"

Emireth shook his head and sighed softly. "You get used to what she uses... it's all Sci-fi crap." he said, arms crossed, waiting to just move. He took out the small stick which turned into a staff, but kept it in it's smallest form. He had heard the animal just as everyone else did.

"Like, Superman? And... t'at stick t'ing is not sci-fi?" Todd was a bit confused, but took out his own twin weapons, the carvings on them glistening in the light of the dusk.

"What is this, a comic book?" Solomon snarled, gripping the wierd green goop. It didn't seem to come off. He gave a suspicious glare at Divya, then at Emireth for whipping out the wierd staff thing. "You millenials are fucking wierd." He pulled his coat over his shoulders and rebuttoned it, leaving his hand rested on his revolver. He didn't want to let go of that ace until he needed to, and waited to move.

Moving his hands now so that his weapons were behind him, Todd nodded in agreeance, "Ja, sehr weird." Then he looked to the side, a soft and barely noticable flash of blue light flickered from the pendent beneath his shirt, "We should hurry."

Divya hopped a little, activating her boots. A light errupted from under feet and let her hover a few inches above the ground. She took out her real weapon now and kept an eye on the trees they were heading into. The moment her boots started, the belt around Solomon's hips glowed brighter, lifting him up as well. Although it was around his hims, the energy invisibly wrapped around his entire form so it was a strange floating sensation. "Yea...right-weird." she rolled her eyes, "You lot are dead in my time. Now let's move it." Divya adjusted and lifted higher into the air. "Follow the glow, alright?!" she called down, still keeping an eye on the trees around her comrades.

"The hell?!" Solomon exclaimed, surprised as he floated up and above the other two men. He certainly wasn't afraid of heights, but being so high with nothing below him was unnerving. His hand gripped his pistol until his knuckles were white, and he could feel the throbbing in his chest getting worse. Nothing much he could do about it now, though. He was entirely at the mercy of this woman cop, if she WAS a cop at all.

Quickly, Todd scampered up into the tree, "Come on, let's go." He ordered the other man of the group, not waiting for him and climbing higher.

Divya weaved through the trees with Solomon only a couple feet behind her. She slowed down, arriving at the bulk of the massive tree. There was a large, open dip in the center of the tree were all of the thick branches met. It would make a nice sleeping area for the four. Divya dropped Solomon gently onto the tree and removed the glowing waist band with a touch on her belt.

"Thanks," Solomon said shakily, just happy to have something solid underneath him. His chest hurt very badly, so he didn't say anything more. The instant she turned away he pulled his flask from his jacket and took a long drought, stuffing it back into his coat quickly.

Divya left her helmet with Solomon and jumped down. She hovered at Todd's level. She attached the belt to him and looked around into the dark abyss, "Where's the ninja?"

"Good grief Voman I was climbing by myself just fine." Then he glanced downwards, "He was just right t'ere..."

"You were passed out earlier- it was good measure." Divya turned off the belt all together. "Get your ass up here!" she shouted down the tree trunk. Probably not the best idea.

Emireth climbed up and yelped as something grabbed onto his pant leg; with teeth. He managed to get his leg out of the dino's grasp and climbed as if his life depended on it, which it did. He got up next to Divya, breathing hard to catch his breath, then checked his leg to see if the dino managed to take some leg with it. Luckily, his leg was still intact.

Divya backed away from the edge, just in case whatever it was down there could climb. "Well that was easy enough." Her stomach growled loudly, "You two don't happen to have a steak in your pockets, do you? They had steak back then, right?"

Todd grinned toothily, showing sharp canines, "Oh of course, doesn't mean I have one in my pocket however."

Solomon grinned at the thought, more of a grimace. "Let me guess: it's commonplace to walk around with steak dripping out your back pockets like masochistic vagabonds," He proposed sardonically. "The future certainly is a beautiful place." His eyes flashed over Emireth quickly to ensure he was still intact; the strange man seemed shaken, but otherwise alright.

Divya rubbed her temple and sat herself down against a thick tree branch. "Ugh..." she wasn't going to be eating tonight. She leaned forward and grabbed her helmet and rested it in her lap. "You sure you don't want me to examine that wound more?" she asked.

Solomon leaned his head against the tree and closed his eyes. "You've learned enough about field medicine in the past fifteen minutes to do something other than yank this thing outta my chest like a pullstring?" He asked.

Emireth shook his head. "You shouldn't play with it, especially if it is near his heart. You could cause him to go into cardiac arrest from shock. How long have you had it stuck like that?" he questioned. He wasn't a surgeon, but he did know a little bit about health and injuries. Working in a dojo, injuries happened all of the time.

Solomon glanced up at the sky; it was near to dusk now. "Assuming we didn't lose a day when we passed out, about six or seven hours now," He ventured. It almost surprised him; the pain in his chest made it feel like it'd been there all his life.

"I wasn't sure how stuck that thing actually was!" Divya argued, leaning forwards now. "If we just carefully slide it out the way it came in, we shouldn't do anymore damage that had already been done." It made sense to her at least. "The longer you wait- the more your body is going to heal all around it. Look, I'm not saying that I'm a surgeon, but where the fuck else are we going to find one?!" She blinked and lowered her voice, worried that something big with teeth was going to hear her. "I've assisted in removing a knife from my partner's hip a few years back." Divya maybe thought this would make her seem like the best candidate. "Don't be a baby-"

"Being a Kinder has not'ing to do wit' tis'. So far it seems to be doing fine, he isn't bleeding, but I'm sure he can wait a few days for a real doctor." Todd instantly said in an angry voice, sticking up for his new friend in a heartbeat. "He has t'eh right to say no to you."

Emireth nodded. "It'd be best if we left it alone for now. Especially since it's not bleeding at the moment. He isnt being a 'baby', he would probably just feel better if he had an actual doctor take care of it for him." he said calmly.

"And where the hell would there be a doctor?!" she shouted before grumbling lowly to herself, Men... Divya scowled. She turned away from the group and crossed her arms. "Fine. You'll just slow down the dinosaurs when we get chased." 

"I'll have a gaping hole in my chest regardless," Solomon noted. He looked out at the rampant jungle. She had a point. It was a miracle they had even found them, and if there was civilization here, it was likely still barbaric at best. And, although she was a fine pair of legs at best, she at least was the furthest into the future; the technology she carried reeked of science fiction. "Unless you have some serious painkillers to offer, we're done with this conversation." He pushed himself up against the treetrunk to a more comfortable position. "It'll be dark soon. We'll stay here for the night, sleep in shifts. We'll keep moving in the morning, try to find other people if we can."

THE NEXT MORNING

Divya sat up and rubbed her eyes. The pain in her stomach kept her up for most of the night but she managed to get a few hours of sleep. She got to her feet and stretched a moment. Already, she could hear the rumbling of animals stampeding on the outskirts of the swamp.

Solomon had slept fitfully, plagued by dreams of a stone growing heavier and heavier in his chest. He stared vacantly at the branch before him, exhausted. "Morning," He greeted Divya, still propped up against the tree trunk where she had left him.

"Hey." she said plainly. Divya was disappointed that she didn't wake up in her office or in her bed at home. Nope- she was stuck here with a bunch of egotistical men. Feeling that it was too early to fight, she asked Solomon, "So- how again did you get a necklace lodged in your chest?"

"Giant cat," Solomon mumbled, "with huge teeth. Bit me in the chest," he moved two curved fingers in mimicry. "Must've caught on one'a his canines or somethin'."

"A mammal?" Divya asked, "Odd. Maybe you jumped here from a different time period too. This whole thing is like an acid trip so I wouldn't doubt it." She took out her bun and let her chocolate hair fall on her shoulders. "I've given up with reality at this point." She looked down at the other two men sleeping. "Hey! Wake up guys!" she shouted.

"Verrückte Dame auf einem Toben in einem Baum in einer verdammten Wüste... was habe ich gemacht, dies zu verdienen?" Mumbled Todd, glaring up at her, even though with his goggles on she wouldn't be able to tell. "I've been awake, no need to yell."

Emireth groaned. "Quit your yelling you loudmouth..." he growled out. How anyone could sleep with the sounds of the creatures around them? Emireth didn't know.

"Good morning. First order of business, gentlemen, is to hunt down some grub," Solomon said. "I'll assume since this is a foreign land to all of us that you don't have any better understanding of edible flora and fauna than I do. That leaves those enormous animals that have been running around all night. Those of us who brought guns, raise your hands." He lifted two fingers.

Todd shook his head, "Sorry, I've only got my... modified pikes."

Divya grabbed the pistol from her belt and raised it up. She was not liking how no one respected her and that this Solomon guy was taking the lead with no questions asked. She was curious as to what he was going to do with his guns. It's not like the guy could move around a lot. Divya surely would speak up against him if all he did was sit around and bark orders.

Emireth shook his head. "I've only got a bo-staff."

"Figured as much." Solomon shifted his weight and stood with difficulty. "Alright, here's the plan. You and I, cheif, are going hunting. While we're gone, you two scout out the area, find a clean, reliable water source, and a better shelter if you can. This'll do us no good when it rains." He glanced up, then at Divya. "If you could give me a lift to the ground, I'd be much obliged."

Divya nodded. At least he was being nice about it. Sliding the gun back away, she activated her belt. Shooting it at Solomon, it wrapped around his hips like a firm jello. "Does this tree sound like a good meeting place? Perhaps in two hours or so?" she asked the group, trying her best to be...socially competent.

"Preferably before the sun is highest," Solomon agreed, reluctant about the wierd goop around his hips. "Never gonna get used to that," he muttered. "Let's get moving before it gets too hot."

Todd nodded, tucking away his weapons before climbing steadily to the ground. Maybe he would be able to find something, anything to create a container for water.

Divya used the same hair tie that she wore yesterday and put her hair up in a pony tail. Not wanting to leave anything here, she grabbed her helmet and slid it on with the visor up. After Divya turned her boots on, they glowed and allowed her to hover a few inches. Soon after, she descended down with Solomon trailing along. "There is a field that we ran into that way that had a bunch of them." Saying the word 'dinosaur' was a little too weird just yet.

"Then we'll start there," Solomon confirmed. Floating through the air gave him time to think, oddly enough. "What kind of gun is that, anyway? I've never seen one like it."

"I would imagine you haven't. It's a PMA-260." Divya said, not looking back. "It runs on solar energy or can convert it from DNA molecules." She took it out of her belt and held it up so he could see. It was a simple, round shape with a green tube extending a few inches out. Heck- it looked like a child's squirt gun. 

"How bizarre," Solmon said, examining it. "What caliber?" He couldn't tell from the barrel what kind of bullets it shot, and there was no loading chamber to speak of.

"I think it's probably a bit different then what you are thinking. It converts normal energy into a condensed form of it. A sort of 'bullet' I suppose you could call it..." Divya explained the best way she could to a man of the past.

"It's a laser gun," Solomon scoffed. "That's creative." He could see the pack of huge dinosaurs through the trees. "Set us down here, we don't wanna spook 'em."

Divya lowered them behind a tree. "Are you sure? Can't we find something a bit...smaller?"

"Have you seen anything smaller than this?" Solomon asked. "Even the goddamn desert tigers were easily twice my size. Unless you don't think your little lazer gun can take it."

"They can take it. They are the same ones the Ninja and I saw yesterday. I just hope their skin isn't too thick. Wait- how the heck are we bringing it back to the others?" Divya whispered as she kept her eyes on the dinosaurs through the trees.

"I was counting on your carrying goop to not have a weight limit," Solomon replied. "Otherwise we'll just have to hack off a limb or two and leave the rest." He reached back and felt the sword still in its place in his jacket.

"Myself aside I can only carry 350lbs." Divya explained, "Usually criminals aren't any bigger then that." She brought her gun up to her face and held it there with her back up against the tree trunk. Taking the safety off, it made a high-toned pitch that went higher until it was inaudible.

The animals seemed to startle at the sound of her gun after it passed through human range. Solomon held his breath, but their panic passed and they went back to grazing. "Usually," he muttered under his breath. He leaned around the tree to look at the animals. "There's a baby spiky thing over there," He whispered. "It'll be easier to bring down than the adults."

"You sure that's wise? We will have two pissed off 'spikey parents' coming to get us." Divya reminded, sneaking around to get closer. She slid the visor down over her eyes. The visor illuminated the animals through the trees so she could see them perfectly.

"If no other humans are here," Solomon explained, "Then they won't know what the report from a gun is, or where the wounds in the youngster are coming from. If we stay out of sight, they'll just panic."

"So we're going to kill the baby and wait until the parents leave it?" Divya raised a brow, "Works for me." Finally having a clear shot at one of the infants, she crouched down to one knee. Aiming her gun at the dinosaur's skull, she waited, "Ready?" she whispered, wondering if he was going to take a shot at the same time.

Solomon drew his gun and cocked it, taking aim. "On my count," He said. "Three, two.." He fired two shots on the one count, hitting the animal through the cheekbone. The herd panicked at the loud noise.

Divya fired at the same time. Her beam shot through it's skull plate and skimmed it's spine, forcing it to crumple to the ground. The animal let out a last cry before it's life slipped away in a pool of blood.

The herd stampeded---away from them, to there luck--leaving the animal lying on the ground. Solomon paused a moment then looked to Divya jerked his head towards the animal. He ran to the animal's side and drew the stranger's sword from its sheath. It was smaller than the others, but easily the size of a horse. "Probably weighs a good thousand pounds," He speculated, and picked the back leg. It looked meaty enough, and there were slender parts at the joints. "Alright, then," He muttered, raised the sword above his head and hacked into the knee with a sickening thunk. He sawed it back and forth, cutting through tendon with relative ease. "Decent blade," he noted, impressed. Even so, there was a lot of flesh and very tough sinew to go through before he could get the leg off, and a sizable amount of blood was pouring from the wound. "Keep an eye out for scavengers, wouldn't you, doll?" He said absentmindedly.

Divya was already scouting when he spoke. She wasn't going to say anything until that last word slipped out of his mouth. Taking her attention off of the field, she glared at him with a twitching eyelid. "'Scuse me?!" she asked, baffled that he called her 'doll' so casually.

"I said, keep an eye out for scavengers," He said a little louder, looking up at her and smirking slightly when he saw her glaring at him. "Try not to get distracted," He said, flicked an eye from her toe to her head, as if she were checking him out while his back was turned, and went back to sawing at the joint.

Divya flexed her chin, holding in her fury. She turned her attention to the wilderness with her gun up and ready. A hundred different cuss words rolled in her head but she bit her lip. No matter what century she was in, Divya had to deal with arrogant bullshit from men.

Solomon grinned and shook his head. Crazy dame, he thought, but awful cute when she's angry. He pushed the sword further through the ligaments, putting his shoulder into it.

With the small of blood in the air, it didn't take long for a predator to arrive. It's throat clicked in the trees behind them, ready to pounce.
Divya didn't see anything in the field anymore. Turning around to see how Solomon was doing, her visor caught the creature and illumuniated it through the trees for her to see. Divya could see the thing staring hungrily at them from only 15 feet away, hidding behind the treeline. "Abort- abort." she whispered firmly, her body freezing up a little. Luckily her gun was already up, but she didn't want to move too fast.

Something else flashed in her visor, but curiously enough the figure was hazed, as if a ghost. Todd came crashing down on the dinosaur, pressing a weapon to the neck as the blade errupted through the otherside. The beast, reared its head back to grab at him, but the German was prepared, with his other weapon and the blade already out. The head and neck fell in two pieces, Todd sliding from the body as it tettered and fell heavily, twitching. "I didn't find water t'eh way I went, so I changed directions."

Solomon finally hacked through the limb and pulled it off, distracted by the sudden decapitation show. "Dandy," He finally said, and looked back at Divya. "That'll do for breakfast, I think." Standing straight, he asked Todd, "Where's the ninja kid?"

He shrugged in a nonverbal response. Cleaning his blades on some spare clothe, Todd watched the blade that Solomon had, slightly saddened that such a fine weapon was used in such a way.

Divya used her belt to illuminate the chunk of meat. They needed to make a fire. They might be in primitive times, but she wasn't about to eat this thing rare. Curious as well to where the Emitreth was, she looked to Todd. She snickered a little under her breath, amused that Solomon called him the same name as she did.

Emireth jumped down from the trees, almost landing on the dinocorpse with a look of disgust looking at the other two with a slight grin. "Sorry, Todd's hard to keep up with." He said and chuckled lightly.

"Huh," Solomon grunted in reply. "Let's get these carved up for Christmas, then. C'mere and give me a hand with this. You can handle the giant chicken, right Todd?" He said. He lifted the thigh up behind the bloody stump and told Emireth, "Hold this here so I can cut it."

Emireth nodded and helded up the bloody thigh up so Solomon could cut it up. With all of the dinos and everything, Emireth was very tense, all of his senses on high alert.

Putting away his weapons, Todd murmured, "Do we need the... t'ing I killed as well? I t'ink t'at would be enough."

"Either that or get to work on one of the other legs," He told Todd, gesturing to the dead baby. "We can smoke it into jerky when we get back; who knows how long we'll be here?" He readied the sword and took a swing at the inside of the thigh like a baseball player, careful to avoid Emireth. The sword sliced cleanly through in a couple of hacks, and once most of the meat was cleaved off, he put the sword down and grabbed the end of the thigh with Emireth. "Just need to break it off," He groaned, pushing the leg back against the hip, relying on Emireth's added strength to snap it loose from the socket.

Todd made a face at what they were doing, one hand raised to his chest and to the stone hanging around his neck. Turning around, he tried as best as he could to ignore the calling of the blood. "I... would rat'er not be a butcher... I just kill."

"Jesus, Todd, I don't like it anymore than you do," Solomon said. "But you don't see me minding my nails and having tea with Divya over here. Quit being such a little girl about it. You act like you've never gone hunting before." He pushed his back into it, though the crucifix embedded in his chest sat like a stone against his heart. "Count on a kraut to get squeamish about the body he didn't think twice about killing," he muttered. With their combined strength, the bone popped out of the socket. "There we go!" Solomon said, grinning.

Flinching slightly at the name, "Solomon, may I talk to you, privatly?" Todd motioned back towards to swamp, "It... will just take a few minutes."

Divya illuminated the leg and lifted it off of the ground. Seeing Todd pull Solomon away, she rolled her eyes. "So- I take it you two couldn't even get water by yourselves. German over there missed his boyfriend too much." Divya gestured over to Solomon and Todd.

Emireth rolled his eyes and silently waited for something else to be asked of him. He didn't really want to get involved with drama, and only needed these people to really just survive. He didn't have to know anything about them, and they didn't need to know anything about him.

"Cute," He told Divya with half a smirk. He handed Emireth the sword. "Do me a favor and cut the last tendons free, will you?" The leg now dangled from the more stubborn ligaments. Taking his handkerchief from his pocket, he wiped the blood from his hands and arms while he walked with Todd into the swamp a bit, keeping Emireth and Divya in sight. "What's your trouble, Todd?" He asked, his voice low.

Emireth nodded slightly and looked at the tendons. With the sword, he started to expertly hack away at the last few left. He didn't like swords, but at least he knew how to use them.

Divya pulled at the leg using her gadgets. Emireth should have had a clean slice at the remaining leg now. After having it completely severed, she illuminated the entire thing and walked it away from the carcass. "I take that as a 'No, I didn't get any water- I can't handle the most simple tasks'..."

"Um..." Todd didn't really know how to tell this to the man but instead he rolled a shoulder and looked around them, nervous, "I... I'm not totally... human." He paused and took a breath, glancing at Solomon from his right eye through his goggles. "It is t'eh reason I don't want to be around blood and flesh in front of... t'em."

"Not human," Solomon repeated, looking Todd in the eye. He licked his lips and glanced away, grinning grimly. "Are you a werewolf? Or...perhaps a vampire of some sort? Part Martian?" He stared at him with exaggerated innocence. "Should we save you a hunk of raw meat and leave you alone? Because that can be arranged."

"None of t'ose..." He knew that he wouldn't believe him at first, but he had a way of showing him. Tearing off his goggles, Todd also took out a weapon, unsheathing the blade and glinted it against his pupil. It shone like an animal's did in the dark. "I do not t'ink t'is is a human feature."

Solomon gazed in suspicion at his flashing eyes, but was reminded by the gaping hole in his chest not to judge wierdness. He leaned close and touched above and below Todd's right eye with one hand, opening his eye a little wider for a closer look. "Interesting." He let go, but continued to peer. "How long have they been like that?"

"Since I was nineteen. It was when I received t'ese weapons as well. T'ey belonged to someone born long ago." He placed his goggles back on his head, "If I delve too much with blood, I... I will go into a frenzy. It was why I became a hermit."

"I see," Solomon said. "Which is why you make for a lousy butcher; you don't want to scare the lady and the kid." He nodded. "Any other exciting quirks I should know about?"

Lifting the chain from his neck, he showed him the pale blue stone that hung there, "Danken to t'is, if I am paying attention..." He took the blade that was in his hand and drew it across his palm. No blood dripped from him though. He wasn't at all cut and it was if the weapon had just slipped through his hand without touching him.

Solomon's heart caught in his throat as the lump in his chest suddenly pulsated. Catching his breath, he pressed a hand against his chest lightly. "That's.." He said, taking a deep breath to calm his angrily beating heart. "Like you're a ghost," he said in amazement, stepping back slightly. His mind raced for an explanation. He hadn't tried to kill Divya, so he probably wasn't a nazi. But they performed strange experiments on people in those holocaust camps; maybe he was the hapless victim of one such scientific horror. The only other explanation he could think of was it was connected to the stone and the blades, which seemed to fit the unpleasant science fiction aftertaste this place left in his mouth. "Quite the talent, Mr. Todd."

"According to the instructions left wit' my items, it will become a curse if I use my skills for... evil. It said t'at... I have anot'er soul wit'in me." Todd added quietly, giving a fleeted glance to the other two close by. "If I take the neck piece wi't us, I will eat it in privacy when we make camp."

"Didn't mark you a giblets fan," Solomon replied. "Alright. Keep your 'friend' quiet, and we shouldn't have problems." He clapped Todd's shoulder. "Come on." He turned headed back to Divya and Emireth. "Good," He said, approving the cuts of meat that Divya suspended. "That should be enough. Let's get moving."

Following Solomon, Todd grabbed the chunk of neck from the raptor. If he needed more he would come back later.

Divya took her attention off Emireth and spoke to Solomon, feeling he was the only one equal to her. "It would be perfect if group B did their job instead of trailing behind us!" From the tone of her voice, she was quite annoyed that the other two didn't do what they had planned to. Divya gave Solomon a cold glare, "What we have to get water AND build a fire? I doubt these two can handle that either."

Solomon gave Divya a wan smile. "Well, we can't all be interstellar police chiefs," He replied. He turned on his heel and walked backwards to shout back to Emireth. "Pick up firewood on your way," He told him, before turning again. Lucky he did, because he would've fallen over a protruding root. "Best to keep instructions simple and easy," He smirked at Divya. "What is his name, anyway?"

Hearing the shout, Todd murmured something in german before gathering up some wood in his other hand, while shouldering the hunk of meat. Silent, Emireth also took up some dry tree branches, "What does she t'ink we have, some container that holds vater that we didn't mention earlier?" Todd complained, following after them.

"Yea 'cause apparently they can't handle detailed instruction. 'Get clean water' was a bit too difficult." Divya grumbled. It was a good thing that Solomon changed the subject, otherwise she would just keep on bitching. She snapped her fingers, trying to think. "Uhh...umm...Ehh....Emi-something." She pondered before snapping her fingers one last time. "Emireth, that's it. Not a clue what nationality it is."

"Emireth, eh?" Solomon pondered. "He looks like a Jap, but," he waved his hand over his eye, "narrow eyes are hard to place countries." He suddenly fell quiet, gazing at the strange swamp around them as they walked.

Emireth growled under his breath about Divya as he picked up firewood. He hated her with a fiery passion. He couldn't stand how she treated him like he was stupid. The water here was contaminated with feces and other disgusting horrors. "If she doesn't like that we couldn't find clean water for her, she can go do it herself." he growled under his breath to Todd. "I can't stand that woman..."

The blood from the illuminated leg seemed to stop when it was being suspended. It looked as if it was frozen in time. Walking alongside Solomon, she kept a confident stride, like a soldier. "We should build a shelter or find a cave of some sort to stay. That is, unless we are going to travel-" Divya preferred the later. "There is nothing here that's going to bring us home. We should stay for one more night before leaving though."

Solomon kept stealing wierded-out glances at the suspended limbs. "I'm still not entirely convinced this is some drug trip gone horribly wrong." He glanced around again. "If we're going to keep moving, we ought to pick a direction and stay with it." He looked up through the canopy at the blazing sun. He was trained as a navigator, so assuming this was Earth, they'd be set. "I don't even know what continent this is. Could be South America, could be Africa. Hell, it could even be South Asia or the Pacific Islands for all we know."

"I can't go THAT high." Divya said before Solomon could suggest it. "I would run out of O2 before I really saw anything." As they headed for the swamp, Divya thought of something, "I'm not so sure we should be going back in that- the ground is probably too wet to make a fire."

The thought hadn't even occurred to Solomon, but he made a note of it. He turned around; he couldn't see the corpses anymore, so they were probably in the clear. "Good point," He said. "Here looks like a good spot for now."

Catching up to them Todd and Emireth dropped their armfuls, and Todd went around to the other side of a bush and dropped the meat, then came back. "T'is looks like a good spot."

"Echo." Divya mumbled, looking around. She really didn't care for this spot too much personally. Not caring, Divya dropped the leg of dinosaur down on the ground and turned off her belt-cuffs. Crouching, she started to stack the sticks and logs into a pile. "Alright, let's get this shit cooking. I'm starving."

Solomon gathered some rocks together and built the fire, dispersing leaves and twigs around the logs. He took out his matchbook and struck a match, carefully lighting the kindle. Luckily, the wood was fairly dry, and with a little patience he had a fullblown fire. Building a makeshift roast, he scorched a sturdy branch and skewered the meat. "I've never cooked spiky rhinoceros before, but I can't imagine it taking more than thirty, forty-five minutes," He told the group. He didn't mind; it was nice to sit down in one place and rest. The crucifix in his chest felt heavier by the minute, and he was beginning to have trouble breathing.

Watching Solomon, Todd frowned, and without a word turned and went back to his hunk of meat. Pulling out a very thin blade, he proceeded to skin the leathery scales off into a rough square, scraping off as much of the raw meat as he could before he took that with him back to the main group. "I'm going to try to find water again."

"You should bring Solomon's gun." Divya said, warming herself by the flames. She sat herself on her oddly shaped helmet and took off her boots. "Who knows what we are leading over here from the scent of that meat." Divya started to dry off her feet from the swamp water.

He stared at her. Is she crazy? "...I'll be fine. He," Todd pointed at the older man, "-Won't be fine if I don't find some sort of fresh water source." That said, Todd stalked off, blending into the growing shadows a little too easily.

Solomon brushed his coat back and held onto his revolver. Todd was fine without it and anyway, Solomon was a better shot. "Let'im go," He muttered, turning the spit half-heartedly. "Hey, where did that other kid go? Emireth. He still has my sword."

Emireth chuckled from under a tree. He was out of the light of the fire, but he had been there the whole time. He was just being quiet. "It's right here." he said, holding it out to him.

The scent of the cooking roast tickled Divya's nose. She stared into the fire, watching the liquids sizzle off of the flesh. "I wonder if this sort of thing happens all the time. You know, random people being sucked out of their places and times and tossed into one." She paused before going on, "There have been cases throughout history where people just vanish. No motive, no enemies, nothing- they are just, gone."

"Thank you," Solomon said, taking the sword from Emireth. He wiped it off on the leaves and resheathed it. "I'm surprised you don't do it all the time," He told Divya. "Hell, if I were in the future, I'd go back and mess with all sorts of history. Kill Hitler before he got any ideas, deflower Queen Victoria, that kinda thing."

"Which is probably exactly why it's illegal to experiment with things like that. Messing around in the past can fuck up the future." Divya rubbed her temples. "For example- if I die here, my boots are going to be found in some archeological dig and Earth is going to know about interstellar life before they need to. I mean, that could be potentially hilarious but still..not a good thing."

"Still," He leaned back against a treetrunk, letting the meat cook. "It would be revolutionary for detective work. To hit the scene of the crime at its freshest, or better, to go back and make sure it never happened," he said wistfully.

"But wouldn't that put you out of a job?" Divya said, glancing over from the fire to Solomon's face. The police department she was stationed at had a large detective floor and the fact he was one sparked her interest, even just a little. "If I may, what sort of detective are you?"

"Private," He smirked grimly. "The kind that gets in the police's way when he's not sitting in a car taking pictures of some chump's dumb, cheating broad," He said bitterly. Idly exploring the inside of his jacket, he pulled out a wad of cash. "Jesus," He snorted, an unbelieving grin on his face. "Figures I'd end up in a jungle the day after I finally get paid," He laughed. "So how did you end up in this line o'business? Most skirts settle for answering phones."

"Enough with the gender stereotyping already. It's a quick way to really piss me off!" Divya spat, looking away from him to glare at the roasting meat. She leaned forwards and turned it over so the other side would cook evenly as well. "My dad was an officer and I really looked up to him when I was younger."

"Don't get yer panties in a bunch," Solomon replied. "In my day, it's rare to find a colored badge, much less a lady cop. You probably got whole dyke platoons in the future for all I know." He muttered, shrugging. "So, your dad, huh? What division was he in?"

"He was in the general Administrative Police." Divya answered, feeling like it was just her and Solomon now. She ignored his little comment about homosexuals and took her hair out of her bun. The smell of the roast was becoming more inoxicating by the second. "Ugh...I could use a bath tomorrow." she mumbled randomly to herself.

"Heh," Solomon muttered. "If we find a hot spring I'll let you know." He took out his pocket knife and cut into the meat, which was cooked all the way through. "Alright," He said loudly, "Breakfast is ready!"

"About time." Divya said, shuffling in closer. "Though it would be more of a late lunch, don't you think?" With a swift hand, she tucked some of her chocolate hair behind her ear. Since Solomon had the knife, she waited for him to cut it.

"Found some vater," Mumbled Todd from a little ways away, a slight line of blood on his cheek but otherwise in the same condition that he left. The skin that hs had pealed off was now free of any flesh or dirt, held much like a sack of potatoes. He must have gotten at least a good gallon of water.

"Great," Solomon said, eyeing the makeshift bladder of water. He sliced off a piece for Divya, handing it to her by one end. "Careful, it's hot," he warned. Then he cut a piece for Emireth and Todd, and lastly for himself. He shifted the meat higher on the prongs so that it wouldn't cook much further and stabbed his knife into it for whoever wanted seconds. The meat was a little gamey, and tasted vaguely like lamb, but on an empty stomach it might as well have been the King's venison.

Emireth ate the meat calmly. He was usually a vegitarian, but with not having much else to keep him alive, he decided to abandon his ways for a while.

Taking some cloth from his cloak, Todd hung the water from a branch, frowning when some dripped out but was satisfied that it would hold long enough for later. "Danke." He murmured to Solomon, politely accepting the meat.

"Thanks." Divya said, taking the cooked meat. Wasted no time, she began scarfing down the meat as fast as she could. Divya hadn't eaten in nearly 40 hours and wasn't about to complain about the meat's flavor. Moving her hair away from her mouth as to not get food in it, she continued.

---

As the group ate and chitchatted awkwardly with eachother, the world around them seemed to grow eerily silent. Even the way that the wind crept through the trees was strange. As the group had been talking, the crackling of the fire drowned out the sound of an approaching rumble in the distance. Now however it was apparent that there was going to be a storm, and a big one at that. Unfortunately, the group had no shelter and the only light was from the fire. The moon had been completely covered by thick, black clouds. Before they could pack up and leave, the rain had begun, making communication with one another somewhat difficult.

The rain fell hard and fast in torrents so thick that Solomon couldn't see past a dozen yards through it. He wrapped himself tightly in his trenchcoat and pulled his hat down over his face. "Shit!" He yelled. "We gotta get outta this storm!" He struggled to his feet. The jabbing pains in his chest would have to be ignored for now. He pulled his collar up and took the rest of the meat from the stick, ripping it into pieces and storing them in his pockets. He would regret that later. Hell, he regretted it now, but what was there to do? He stumbled forward through the rain, looking for some kind of shelter, but never going out of eyesight of the others. They were generally useless, but there was some safety in numbers.

Divya put her helmet on and quickly followed behind Solomon into the darkness. Even though it was so difficult to see, her helmet was able to display where animals were sleeping. She would make sure that they didn't run into any unexpectedly. As the mud began to thicken underneath the group, she clicked on her boots and hovered along. "There is nothing but plains and trees around here!" she shouted so the others could hear. They needed some sort of unoccupied cave.

Todd, with his goggles on was probably having an easier time then either Solomon or Emireth, "I t'ought I saw some rocks to t'eh East," He yelled to the woman, tossing his head as he struggled to walk into the growing mess of ground. At least, they were together. "Maybe t'ere will be some shelter t'ere!"

Emireth was probably having the most trouble out of them all, wearing jeans and a flimsy cotton shirt. This made his clothes heavier, and the mud didn't help. Luckily, he had enough training to be able to deal with the extra weight. He groaned as the rain pounded down upon them. He personally hated water.

Divya shouted just in case the others didn't hear the German, "Alright- let's head to the rocks in the east!" She grabbed Solomon's coat and pulled him towards the location specified. She shifted her own direction a bit. When they would get close enough, the helmet would pick up on the rocky terrain but for now, there was too much interference. She was swaying a bit from the wind.

Throwing Emireth his scarf to put around his head, Todd followed Solomon and Divya cautiously. He kept an eye out for any beasts, one weapon out even in this torrent, though he kept the blade sheathed.

Solomon stumbled slightly when Divya yanked him by his lapel, but she was a strong woman and her momentum kept him on his feet. After a few yards he threw out his hand and held onto her by the forearm, clasped like a dangling man to whomever kept him from falling to his death. He kept his head low, although his hat was already soaked through, and his breath came in haggard gasps. He could feel his heartbeat batter against the crucifix, but pushed the pain out of his mind: Rocks to the east. Have to get to the caves. He was too busy keeping himself on his feet and attached to Divya to spare the energy to pay attention to how Todd or Emireth were holding up.

If Divya could hear Solomon's gasps, she would've helped him. However, the roaring storm that engulfed the four of them was making yelling nearly impossible to hear. "Come on! Move it!" she shouted back at the two stragglers. She brought her head up against the wind and her helmet was starting to pick up rocky shapes. They were getting closer. Whether or not there was an actual cave was unclear.

As Solomon clung to Divya's arm, they travelled over increasingly rocky and difficult terrain until they reached a huge waterfall, behind which stood the caves they were hoping for. Solomon's vision began to cloud, as the strenuous travel wasn't doing him any good. "There!" He shouted hoarsely, barely heard over the downpour. He jabbed with his finger at the waterfall, leaning very heavily on Divya.

Divya was alerted to Solomon's withering health. "Dammit!" she cussed, crouching down. She pulled his arm forward until his chest pressed onto her back. She swung her arms around and latched them behind his legs. It was a bit de-masculinizing to Solomon, but Divya had to get him up the rocky terrain and into the cave pronto...even if it meant giving him a piggy-back ride. "Hurry up you two!!" she shouted back before jolting up with her hover boots towards the waterfall. Divya hurried and snuck just between the roaring falls and the rocky wall, ending in the cave behind it. Getting as far away from the waterfall as she could, Divya set Solomon down gently. "I swear if you get any worse, I'm going to rip that thing out myself!" she shouted, annoyed at his arrogance.

Emireth followed soon after and wrung out his clothes. "... We need to find a doctor or something...." he said calmly.

Solomon snarled slightly at her, not really having the energy for it. "You know, I've never hit a woman before," He insinuated, folding his arms over his chest. Really, he was just happy to get out of the rain, but he knew taking the crucifix out would hurt like hell, and honestly he was afraid it might kill him. He had to agree with Emireth, but in a place like this, he might have to settle for Divya. He took off his hat and flopped it against a rock, trying to get some of the water out of it.

"IDIOT!" Divya shot back at Emireth. She grabbed her helmet and ripped it off, smashing it to the ground. "And where the FUCK do you think we are going to find one?! I swear if you suggest that one more time, I'll break your jaw!" She glared back at Solomon, "You-!" She pointed at him and started to breathe heavily, "Take your shirt off." she demanded.

Solomon, a little intimidated by her outburst and certainly smart enough not to anger a woman when she gets riled up like that, shrugged off his coat, unbuttoned his shirt and shrugged that off too, and peeled his wifebeater off his chest. "We really shouldn't rush into this--" He said as he undressed. He had the slightest bit of a beer belly, but otherwise was very well built, tanned, and healthy--besides the bloody chain dangling from one of the two holes in his chest. "Calm down, sweetheart, you're gonna rupture an artery," and it's likely to be mine, he added to himself.

Todd blushed mildly as he climbed up, wondering who she was going to ask to strip next. Then, after hesitating for a moment, "If you need rags I'm sure my scarf vill do." The German looked to Emireth briefly and his scarf that was around his head, before his gaze flickered back to Divya, though his goggles masked this movement.

Divya crouched down to Solomon's side, "Just let me look at this." She leaned in and examined the dent in his rib cage. Slipping her gloves off, she placed her fingers around the wound, trying to see all of the cross. Carefully, she pulled the skin apart- opening the gash a bit.

Solomon inhaled sharply through his teeth as the wound was exposed to air. The huge clumps of scabs cracked open slightly, but revealed only the chain disappearing into more jagged flesh. The wound looked about two inches deep.

"It's best that it comes out the same way it went in I guess." Divya lifted a brow, not phased by the blood. She saw that sort of thing every day. She grabbed chain with her two fingers, "You might want to bite down on somethin'." 

"Ahh, fuck, wait, wait," Solomon said, and reached back into his coat, pulling out a flask. He unscrewed the top and took a deep drought of liquid courage before taking off his leather belt and, wrapping it two or three lengths wide, bit down on it. No morphine, no sterilization. I sure as hell hope this doesn't throw me into shock, he thought. He looked up at Divya and nodded his assent.

Todd moved forward and placed his hands on Solomon's shoulders incase he recoiled.

Divya's brow started to sweat, nervous that this man's life was in her hands. Holding onto the chain firmly, she started to pull. She was very careful as to not have the chain snap. Then they would be really screwed. Divya had to act swift and cautious. She went on to pull it out as clean as it went in. Wincing herself, she could feel the scabs that had formed tear open. As more chain came out, it was followed by dried blood and pus.

Solomon couldn't have braced himself for this. Shooting pain wracked his chest as the chain pulled taut, then began to drag the crucifix, which felt more the size of a baseball than a two-inch medallion, back through the wound it tore in the first place. He screamed bloody murder, but it was muffled by the thick piece of leather he was punching new holes in it with his teeth. He kept his arms down, clenching his coat in his fists so he wouldn't cut into his palms. His body thrashed violently against Todd's restraint.

Gritting his teeth, Todd wished his pain wouldn't be so severe, glancing at the dripping chain Divya held. "Is... t'at a chunk of his flesh?" There was something round and red around the cross.

"A little busy here!" Divya shouted, concentrating as Solomon moved about. Worried that he may puncture himself and bleed out, Divya flipped her leg to his other side and straddled his hips, trying to keep him steady. With one hand on the chain, she kept pulling. With her other hand, she grabbed the blob of flesh- at least that's what it appeared to be and went to pull out what was left of it.

The crucifix popped out of the wound with a sucking noise as it spurted flows of blood. Solomon's screams died on his lips, and his eyes rolled back in his head. Penelope... was his last thought before he blacked out from shock.

"Shit!" Divya tossed the clot of necklace to the side and turned off of him. As fast as she could, she pulled out her gun and adjusted some settings. Waiting a moment for it to charge, she practically stuck the barrel entirely into the hole of Solomon's chest before she fired. A turquoise goop shot into him and looked as if it was crawling into his flesh. Globs separated like worms and slithered into Solomon's bloodstream. It was like a jolt of cocaine to speed up one's defense system. And in combination with this, it immediately started reforming cells like mad in his gash.

Trying to ignore the blood, Todd jerked back against his movements and when they subsided the German lowered him as gently to the ground as he could. His eyes wide, Todd watched her magic work, amazed he was seeing what he was. "You really are from t'eh future, aren't you?"

Divya released the trigger and sat back. That was all she could do for the next few minuets. Slipping her gun in her holster, she glanced up at Todd. "You are..." she paused, examining his face, "...a little slow, aren't you?" Her heart was racing from prying that necklace out, "At least you aren't as bad as 'let's get a doctor' over there." she cocked her head to Emireth. Daintily, she moved a few stray hairs out of her face. Probably the most feminine thing she has done for the past two days.

Todd snorted, "I live in the 1900's," he muttered back. Reminding himself why he kept to himself, he checked on Solomon before going off to a corner. Folding his arms, he closed his eyes and briefly rested.

"Wait wait wait- I just pulled out a huge bloody snot ball from this man's chest and you have the balls to take a nap without a word?!" Divya shouted, not liking how unappreciated she was right now. Really?! Wasn't he surging with adrenalin like she was? "Fuckin' GAH!" she shouted, scooting her back against the stone wall next to Solomon. Since this was partially her doing, she stayed near him just in case. "I don't believe this!" 

Leaping to his feet, "Listen Veibchen, if you veren't being such a controlling freak on a rampage, I vould help you! But no, you have to convince everyone you have a dicha in your pants. Fucking hell voman. Can't you relax slightly instead of taking up ALL teh' fucking responsibility t'ere is?!" Todd took a breath and grabbed his scarf from Emireth who wasn't helping either and drenched it in the rain and began to clean off the blood from Solomon's chest.

"At least I have more balls then you do!" she countered, "I'm keeping this forsaken group alive, dammit!" Divya shouted, leaning forward from her slouch. "I found your dead beat bodies drying out in the sun! Maybe it would've been easier if I left you and your lover for dino-meat?! Huh? How's that sound? It can still be arranged you little prick!"

Offended, "If t'at is vhat I am, I vould have never made it during the Holocaust." Todd replied coldly, his eyes flashing in his rage. "Just because you are saving our asses doesn't mean ve have to grovel at your feet. Just because you have all t'is technology doesn't make you better t'en us." Todd stood up and took a few steps towards her, grabbing at the air near his head before throwing his arms down. Angrily he tore his goggles off his head and touched his fingers to his temples. "You make me... so..." He growled, "So... fucking pissed off, yet so envious." He glared at her with his dark blue eyes as lightning struck outside, flashing light across his animalistic eyes and making his pupils glow like bright embers.

"Yes actually. This technology does make me superior." Divya scowled, catching a glimpse at his eyes. But she was too pissed off to comment about it. "I didn't even get a 'thank you' from when the ninja and I saved your asses from earlier! Just now! Just now I save your boyfriend's life and you crawl in that corner to nap without a word?! How dare you be so bold?"

"You don't understand." Todd replied coldly, "And for fucks sake he isn't my... I'm not a homeosexual! I happen to like, if not LIEBEN vomen. Strong vomen..." Such as yourself. "You don't understand t'at my life up to t'is point has been living hell, I have been in solitude for t'eh last two fucking years, I am in shock so naturally I vould seek a way to prevent any more damage to myself." He was hunched over slightly at this point, his hands in tight fists with the tendons bulging. "T'ank you for saving me, t'ank you for saving him, but fuck your superiority! I'm sure if you lacked t'ose special t'ings, you wouldn't be so high and mighty." He gritted his teeth, resisting the urge to pummel something. Finally he couldn't take the rage any longer. His body shook with the strain of it and to avoid doing something he would regret later, instead he stepped back outside into the rain. Standing for a moment in silence... then he screamed. It was almost more of a howl, a mix of human... and something else.

Emireth had been sitting against the stone wall the whole time. He never really liked the sight of blood, so he distanced himself in order to make sure he didn't pass out. He sighed softly. "Wow... that was a productive arguement..."

Divya just sat back against the wet, cold stone. At least Todd wasn't napping anymore. Though she couldn't say the same for Emireth. She closed her eyes as she sat next to Solomon. The cocaine-like worms should be hard at work fixing his body up.
Glaring at Emireth, she grumbled, "Please-- you are one to talk. That mindless argument was a lot more productive then you have been this whole time." Her eyes shifted to the waterfall where Todd just stood on the opposite side. Should she go talk to him? ...Nah.

The cocaine goop was working at an incredible rate. Solomon's shallow breathing seemed easier now, less labored. The crucifix still sat where Divya had thrown it, glistening red in the meager light of the cave.

It was then that Divya noticed her hands covered in Solomon's blood as well as some sort of puss-like substance. Frowning, she lazily wiped her hands on the cave floor. It barely worked and made little pebbles of dirt stick to her palm. Thankful that she had taken her gloves off, Divya stood and walked to the waterfall at the mouth of the cave. Reaching out, she washed her hands at the edge of the pouring water.

Tipping his head to watch her, Todd's eyes were unreadable and looked black in the darkness, until lightning crashed down again and showed the deep blue and glowing iris. "Vill you be missed...?" He asked her quietly, attempting at being polite.

Divya was a bit startled when she saw Todd next to her, standing in the middle of the rainstorm. "That's a bit personal, don't you think?" she asked with a certain annoyed tone that they were all used to. "What would it matter anyway? I'm never going to see anyone again."

"T'ere is a chance t'at ve vill be able to get back." He responded, still in a neutral voice, "You vere someone important... vhere as someone like me... no one vill even know." Todd slipped out one of his weapons, letting out the blade and cleaning off the dried blood in the rain.

Divya pulled her now clean hands out from the waterfall, "I don't appreciate your false flattery, bub. You don't know who I was." She noticed that he slid out his blade and took a step back- just in case.

"False flattery?" Todd was offended slightly, "Listen, voman, I am not someone who lies..." Then seeing her reaction, "Or someone who kills vomen. Relax." He slipped the knife back in his cloak.

Emireth rocked back and forth on his knees across the room from the dying man. His gurgling breaths crackled in his ears. The bitch cop was over talking to the German. Neither of them gave a shit about him. All of them hated him, and he just wanted to go home. Glaring miserably, he looked away from Solomon and saw his gun glinting from inside of his discarded coat. He stood and calmly crossed the room, crouching down next to Solomon with catlike grace. "I hope this helps," he whispered, and pushed his hand down on the older man's chest. A light glowed around him as his blood was filled with healing energies. Emireth poured his life into the other man, focusing until the wounds were no longer fatal. Exhausted, he collapsed next to him. "S-sorry," He panted. "That's all I have." He took the revolver from inside his coat and cocked it. Pressing the muzzle under his chin, he closed his eyes. A look of serenity overcame him. I'm going home, he thought, and pulled the trigger.

The gun's thunderous report echoed through the cave and splattered his brains all over the wall.

Divya's heart almost leapt out of her throat when she heard the gunshot. She immediately spun around until her eyes locked on Emireth and how he was suddenly limp next to Solomon. She immediately ran over. It was dark and she didn't notice the blood painted over the stone right away. She halted, getting close to Emireth's corpse. Seeing the gun in his hand, she kicked it out, just in case. "Son of a bitch."

His mouth agape from the gore, Todd swallowed heavily, then knelt at Solomon's side. The wound was mostly scar tissue now, which Todd could see due to his vision, then glanced back to Emireth's body. "He wasted a perfectly good bullet."

"You're joking!" Divya looked wide eyed at Todd. "For fuck's sake this is terrible! How can you say that?!" Sure she didn't really like the guy that much but they needed to use as many poeple as they could right now. In addition, Divya is strongly against suicide.

Todd shrugged, "Vell yeah, I agree, but he could have done the same t'ing but not using somet'ing we, as in us, need to survive. I'm t'inking long term Divya." This woman was almost unbearable, everything was someone elses fault to her, and the blame went everywhere except where it belonged. I'm sure your remarks to him will haunt you. Or so Todd hoped.

"You're not even going to say any regards for the fact Emireth killed himself so suddenly?! You are a heartless prick, aren't you?" Divya shouted. The fact that Todd went to kneel next to Solomon INSTEAD of the guy with a hole in his skull made her even more pissed off. She stepped forward and stood right in front of Todd with her hands clenched. It wouldn't be long before she threw a punch.

"He's dead. He chose to do so and it is a shame he chose t'at. Look at t'eh facts and stop being pissed off at me, I'm not t'eh one t'at constantly cut him down wit' harsh comments." He was still kneeling down, watching her with his dark eyes. If she tried to hit him she would find out on his other secret, or he would let her connect with his flesh to keep it hidden. Hell, maybe he should let her find out.

His words made something snap inside. Divya grabbed the collar of his shirt and yanked him up to her level. "How dare you!?" she shouted, outraged. She grit her teeth and breathed quickly.

Todd simply stared at her, not resisting, "How dare you." His tone went from angry as well to soft, "Vhy are you so mean, cutting everyone down around you, blaming everyt'ing on everyone else? Vhy can't you see beyond your own pride and accept teh' consequences? I didn't ask you for your help, but just because I haven't voiced my t'anks does not mean I don't appreciate it."

"It would still be nice to hear once in a while!" Divya shot back. "How can you say that THAT-" Divya looked at Emireth's corpse before glaring again at Todd, "-is my fault?! I had nothing to do with it!"

He gently took his hands and removed hers from his collar, "I didn't say it was your fault. It was his choice. I'm just saying you veren't nice to him at all. Showing some kindness can go a long vay, and I vould be more greatful to your help if you would be nicer about it."

Divya didn't like that he removed her hands from his clothing. She immediately shoved him back against the stone wall. "Don't touch me!"

"Is hypocrisy polite in t'eh future?" Todd asked sarcastically, taking the shove without another word.

"At least I'm not an emotionless asshole like you!" she shouted, pushing him back against the wall again, this time it was more forceful. "His suicide is NOT my fault!" In a flash, she lifted a hand back and slapped him clean across the face.

Solomon groaned gently, lifting his head slightly and grimacing.

Though her slap completely phased through Todd's face. Divya grit her teeth and went to punch him in the stomach while at the same time, coming in to headbutt his chest. She didn't really think much of the missed slap. Having her eyes welled up to the brim with tears had made her vision a bit blurry. Hysterical, she figured that she merely was out of his range.

By then Todd had pulled out his weapon and placed the end that the blade came out against her ribs. "Stop t'is nonsence violence." His other hand grabbed her fist and pushed her backwards, "Please." He didn't wish to hurt her, but she was leaving him with little choice.

Solomon did not feel like he was waking up from a traumatic surgical experience. He felt like he had just snorted half a gram of blow, fucked Marilyn Monroe, and ran three miles. "The hell..?" He muttered, rubbing his face and smearing Emireth's blood across his cheeks.

Divya just looked at Todd with water filled eyes. When she blinked, they flowed down her cheeks like mad. Uncontrollably, her knees buckled and gave way. She wasn't even able to get out how she felt through anger and violence anymore. Falling to the floor next to Solomon, she hid her face in her hands and screamed mixed with a hysterical cry.

"I'm sorry, Divya," Todd murmured, moving to the side to give her some space.

Solomon finally opened his eyes to find his chest completely healed but freshly spattered with blood, and Divya sobbing next to him. "Divya!" He exclaimed, reaching his arm around her instinctively. "Divya, sweetheart, c'mere, what's wrong?" He said softly, bringing her hysterical figure close to him. She was usually such a strong woman. Some crazy shit must've gone down while he was out. He may be a hardass, but he hated seeing women cry.

"Divya and I had a fight, Emiret' killed himself, and Divya tried to beat me up," Todd muttered to Solomon, moving back with a weapon sheathed in hand to the ninja boy's body. Maybe he could prove something to the woman by showing some emotion, or, sympathy. "I'm going to bury him." Picking up the body, Todd exited the cave, grunting at the weight over his shoulder and reached a point where there were lots of loose rocks.

Divya just helplessly cried. Todd's words were true- it WAS her fault. If not, her harsh words probably pushed him over the edge. She tucked her face inside of Solomon's jacket, not caring anymore. Divya gasped for air before crying some more, grabbing onto Solomon's arm tightly. She was like a scared child in his arms.

"Shh," Solomon crooned, holding her close and stroking her hair as she cried. There in that moment he couldn't shake how her grip on his arm reminded him of his little Katie. "Shhh, s'alright now," he murmured, rocking her gently. He watched Todd as he picked up the limp body of Emireth. As he walked, bits of brain fell from the hole in the corpse's skull and smacked wetly against the stone ground. He saw blood on his hand and looked over to see the rest of his brain splattered in a Rorschach on the wall next to him, his revolver lying not far away. No wonder Katie was bawling her eyes out into his jacket, the poor thing. "Jesus," Solomon muttered, "how long was I out?"

Divya sniffled and gasped for air as she broke down. "It's all my fault..." she confessed. Though it seemed that Solomon's comfort and the way he pet her hair calmed Divya. She was at least able to form words now.

"Oh, now that's not true," Solomon chided gently. "The boy was unwell. Separating yourself so completely from reality is a choice, and he took it well before you met him."

Divya sniffed and her crying faded. She didn't pull away from Solomon though. Although she would never admit to it, she enjoyed this comfort and had never had anything like it in years.

"That's better, see?" Solomon murmured with a smile. He looked down at Divya and squeezed her gently in a kind of hug, even though he couldn't see bupkiss in the dark. It must've been two in the morning. "What a day, huh?" He sighed, the low resonance of his voice rumbling in his chest.

Divya nodded, "Thanks." she said with an honest voice. It was completely void of anger and frustration- a tone that they hadn't heard from her. "I'm glad I didn't kill you as well." She pulled out of Solomon's arms when the hug was over, not feeling that she truly deserved one. Resting her back against the cold stone, Divya cocked her head back lazily and closed her eyes.


"Yeah, no kidding," Solomon chuckled unbelievingly. He shifted his weight to get to his backpack, where he pulled out a handkerchief. "Here," He handed it to Divya to wipe her face.

Divya opened her red eyes and looked at his offering. Without a reaction on her face, she took the cloth and cleaned up. Todd's words echoed in her ears. She was starting to realize that...no one would miss her now that she was in the stone age. With a mellow tone, she asked, "Did you leave anyone behind?" she asked all of a sudden, staring out to the waterfall at the cave entrance.

Solomon considered the question solemnly. He looked down and rubbed the gold ring around his finger with his thumb, watching it glint in the little light afforded to the cave. "No one who hadn't already left me," He said. He sat in silence a moment, then smirked. "Little miss Stronghart, maybe, but I think she'd be more relieved to find me out of the office for once."

Divya smiled. If it weren't for the fact she was balling her eyes out only moments earlier, she might have giggled. "Reminds me of Darcy. She was quite diligent." At least that was one thing the twenty-sixth century cop and the 1950's detective had in common.

"Yeah," Solomon smiled, an actual genuine smile. "Sweet kid." He felt for the roll of cash in his pocket. "I've still got her cut on me. She'll miss that, at least."

Her eyes relaxed and blinked slowly, tiredness finally catching up to her. "No one else drinks her coffee except for me." Divya said in calm tone, "She will probably miss that." She tried to imagine the taste of Darcy's freshly brewed coffee. "It's terrible."

Solomon chuckled softly. "Yeah, well, that's the perils of station coffee," He agreed, thinking back to his days in the force. "I had to tell Penelope to stop making coffee for me in the mornings so I could build up a tolerance to the sludge at the office."

Divya glanced over to Solomon for a moment, then back to the waterfall, "You didn't really come off as a 'married man' to me to tell you the truth." she said honestly, not thinking anything would come of it.

Solomon was quiet for a long time. The rushing sound of the waterfall and the downpour of rain filled the silence. "I used to be," He said, in a tone she had never heard before. "Once there was a time where all I wanted in the world was to be a family man. A good father, a good husband, a good cop, serve my term and get that pension, and settle down to watch the grandkids." He looked away into the darkness. "But things never turn out the way they should."

He was someone's father too? Divya was curious but felt that it wasn't her place to ask. Something aweful must've happened. Instead, she took a breath and leaned her head back on the stone wall. "At least you had it for a little while." she muttered, a little envious that he had a family..at least at one point. Divya had been single for the past seven years yet alone have any offspring. Well- it was too late for any of that now.

"Yeah, well," Solomon replied, "I've spent every moment since then trying to get it back." He stared at the hollow walls of the cavern as something howled in the distance like a lost wolf. "At least...until all this happened." His heart sank when he realized that if he never got out of this place, it was guaranteed he would never see his wife or his little girl again.

Divya tried to put the peices of his past together by what he gave her. Letting it go, she kept her eyes closed and leaned to the side, resting her head on his shoulder. Even as subtle as this was, Divya hoped he would feel comfted. She never really was good with this sort of thing, but it felt right. "I'm sorry." she said, feeling great sympathy for Solomon. The situation right now seemed as if none of them could ever get the life they once had back. ...and it felt like hers hadn't even started.

"Hmm," Was all Solomon said in reply, nodding slightly. His eyes drifted closed. The rush from before was wearing off and he was fading fast. "S'cuse," He said, shifting and leaning over to grab his gun. He settled back in his place, a little closer to Divya to encourage her that his shoulder was still open, and opened the chamber. One bullet remained. "Damn," He muttered, and holstered it. He wanted to reload it, but getting to the extra round he kept in his inside jacket pocket would require too much moving around and would probably convince Divya to move off completely. It was too chilly in the cave for that, anyway. He settled back down, his eyes falling shut.

Divya had gotten his shoulder warm from her cheek and didn't want to go back to the cold stone. She shifted closer and took back her warm spot. Her eyes were closed and her breathing slowed drastically. All the hype of yanking out Solomon's cross, fighting with Todd and seeing Emireth dead took all of the energy out of her. Divya was fast asleep almost instantly. Her raven hair fell down over her shoulder as well as onto his chest.

Solomon snorted gently as he noticed Divya fall asleep. Out like a light, he thought fondly, before he followed suit, fading back into feverless dreams.

---

When her senses returned to her Leilani was still standing in the pouring rain. The difference, however, was that she was alone and the water rushing beneath her feet threatened to suck her down. There was a loud, thunderous noise from somewhere nearby, she couldn't quite place it, however.

Slowly she began to trudge, her voice losing itself to the wind, "Hello?" She called, worry edging it's way into her tone, had they gone off towards the prospective shelter that Carlita had pointed out and left her behind?

Her footing was hesitant and none too good, the rocks beneath her thin-soled shoes were slippery and with the water pushing against her she lost her footing, falling fast on her rump. Goosebumps rose on her flesh, the temperature was definitely dropping, not as humid as it had been mere moments before. Just what was going on?

Todd clutched his chest a little ways away from her as he felt lightheaded after finishing burrying poor Emireth, then, he heard a voice. Straining his ears, "Someone t'ere?" The rain was heavy and he hadn't brought his goggles with him and he suddenly grew nervous. The voice sounded feminine.

Leilani froze once she'd dragged herself to her knees, there was somebody nearby and the accent, however distorted on the rain, did not belong to either of the two she'd met only a short time ago. She swallowed the lump in her throat quickly, whether the person was familiar or not, it was at least another living being. "Hello?" She called out, stumbling in the general direction of the voice.

Hoping there were no dinosaurs around, "Over here!" He took out a blade cautiously, the lightning flashing and making it so he could see the outline of someone in the distance against the harsh rock. Todd hastily brought his hand up to cover his eyes, so whoever was there wouldn't think he was an animal.

Leilani saw the lightning flash off metal and headed in that direction, she shortly saw the outline of his figure, a deeper shadow among shadows. She paused when she came within a few feet of him, uncertain of his own motives for being out in the storm, whether he was as lost as she or not.

"Who are you?" The German man asked, lowering his weapon incase he scared her, "Vhy are you out here alone?" The blood over his cloak and white shirt was a little too obvious, but he tried to make himself look nonthreatening.

Leilani brushed the water from her eyes to take his appearance in a little better, "I am Leilani, and I really don't know where here is... I was with two others recently, but they've vanished. Now how about yourself?" She was a bit leary at what appeared to be blood covering portions of his clothing, though said nothing on this point.

"Vas burying one of my late companions." He attempted to brush off some water before adding, "T'eh name's Todd. Rest of my group is in a cave below."

"Burying one of your late companions? What happened?" Leilani asked cautiously, "And... by chance, do you know where we are?"

"He... T'eh shock of being here drove him mad I imagine." Todd replied offhandedly, "One of my companions... is barely tolerable. I hope t'ings will be ok. It's dangerous out here, you shouldn't be out here alone Lay-lanni?" He cleared his throat, "Lei...lani. Come wit' me." He extended out his hand.

"That's terrible, how did he die?" Leilani asked, more than a little amused at his attempting to pronounce her name, though he got it pretty well in the end. She graciously accepted his arm, a little startled though she was, it'd been sometime since she'd spoken to anybody on equal terms, she'd almost forgotten the mannerisms drilled into her for years as a child.

"He killed himself," Replied Todd after a few seconds, making sure his gaze did not meet hers.

"Ah," Leilani said, falling into silence for a moment, "Will you be able to find the cave in this weather?"

"Believe it or not, but I can see just fine out here." He helped her down a rather difficult outcropping and onto more level ground, "Here ve are."

Leilani glanced at the waterfall that covered the entrance to the cave, "You can see out here?" She asked Todd in surprise.

"Ah... yeah," Trying to downplay it a little, "I mean, the vater hinders, but t'eh darkness not so much." Todd peeked inside, spotted the two sleeping and paused. "...Hmm." He put a finger to his lips, warning her to be quiet.

Leilani frowned thoughtfully, there seemed to be more to his ability to see in the dark and the downpour however she didn't push the subject. When he indicated her to be quiet she pressed her lips closed to silence further questioning.

Around the corner, though in complete darkness, Todd breathed easier, "Ve can talk here, if you want to, if not, I suggest getting some sleep."

"I just... wish I knew what was going on." Leilani replied softly, she felt completely drained, a noticeable difference from a few minutes prior. Instead of sitting as she wanted, she worked on squeezing the water from her clothing, hoping that she would dry faster.