Phineas was deep in the forest now, the rooted ground turning into an incline as they approached the center of the island. He almost didn't notice Eliza talking in his arms. He caught her last few words and slowed down, winded.
"Libyan... special forces.... found us." he managed, catching his breath. "They're here to finish the job, it must've been them who bombed the Ventra. They got Joseph. A dozen or so of them, all armed." Phineas had more to discuss, but the implications of the event would have to wait for later.
"Can you walk?" he asked.

She gasped at the mention of Joseph's death, her expression growing hard as she sensed his panic. She nodded solemnly and as he stopped and lowered her to the ground she gripped his arm firmly to hold her weak knees up for a few moments. When she found some balance, she groaned and let go of him. She bit her lip, as she sucked up the pain from her waist. She then turned to him, "I'm fine now, there is a cave a few miles northwest from here, that might give us a place to..ugh..make a plan." She breathed out slowly placing her hand around her corset. She didn't wait for a confirmation knowing she was either going to have to rest or move before the pain really got to her. She grit her teeth then began to run.

It pained Phineas to watch Eliza run in her condition, but his mind told him it was necessary. He picked up the pace and soon they were running rapidly through the jungle. The trees thickened and the path blurred as they got deeper in, but the knowledge of what lay behind them pushed aside all hesitations. The island itself was several miles wide, but only a little over one mile across. Before long, they had ascended the rocky incline that marked the middle. As they neared the top, Phineas's eye caught sight of a gap in one of the rock formations, partially obscured by vines.
"Is that the cave?" he asked Eliza, gasping for breath.

Silver said
It pained Phineas to watch Eliza run in her condition, but his mind told him it was necessary. He picked up the pace and soon they were running rapidly through the jungle. The trees thickened and the path blurred as they got deeper in, but the knowledge of what lay behind them pushed aside all hesitations. The island itself was several miles wide, but only a little over one mile across. Before long, they had ascended the rocky incline that marked the middle. As they neared the top, Phineas's eye caught sight of a gap in one of the rock formations, partially obscured by vines. "Is that the cave?" he asked Eliza, gasping for breath.

She stopped, a feet before him and tried catching her breath. She clenched her eyes shut as she tried to breath out the pain that seemed to shoot through her ribs, "Yes. I noted it earlier when..I went hunting." She gasped her face turning towards the forest when a male's scream echoed through the air. After a few minutes she flinched, when a gunshot echoed through the air. She closed her eyes, and let go of her throbbing chest, to face back towards the cave determined,"We have to keep moving." She clenched her fists and forced her feet to move forward. After about an hour, she fell face first in the cave, completely exhausted. She rolled over and eyed her corset angrily. She looked over at Phineas and decided female propriety at this point was ridiculous. She began to pull at the strings, whilst trying not to groan or flinch. When she found enough room, she yanked it off, and looked down at the slightly bruised skin. Bollox. She pulled herself to the edge of the cave and leaned against the damp mossy wall,"I think we will be safe for awhile."

Phineas hesitated a few moments, but the sound of another gunshot prompted him to enter the cave without a second thought. The cave was far deeper than he had anticipated, it's dark annals echoing with distant droplets of water. They walked for what felt like days, though couldn't truly be more than an hour, the light growing steadily dimmer around them. Just as the last shards of light were starting to disappear, Eliza dropped in front of Phineas. Phineas moved to help her up, but she recovered quickly on her own, standing up with a groan. He watched as she began the fumble with her dress, then realized with a thick blush that she was removing her corset. Prone to a lifetime of respectful ignorance, Phin turned slightly, averting his eyes and his reddened face.

She looked up at Phineas' turned back and tried to hide a laugh,"Oh Phiny, for blimey's sake we are in the middle of the jungle and I am wearing a shift underneath so you can't ruin my dignity. Let propriety die for christ's sake. Besides better get a good look at a woman's body now, might be the last ones you get to see if they find this cave." She smirked trying to ease the tension whilst making the mood lighter. She then gasped at a sharp pain coming from her waist,"Oh Jesus." She clenched her fists and closed her eyes while she waited for the pain to subside before speaking again, "We need to make a plan. Do we have any supplies or weapons?"

Phineas' face was still red, but he regained his dignity and spoke up.
"I still have the pistol, but other than that I only have some of the emergency supplies from Joseph's airship." He fumbled through his various pockets and found a few matches, a flare, and a bottle of iodine tablets. He cursed himself silently. "I must have left the rest at camp. Hopefully we can find the means to start a fire, we'll need some way to keep warm tonight." Even as he spoke, the chill was beginning to set in.

Silver said
Phineas' face was still red, but he regained his dignity and spoke up. "I still have the pistol, but other than that I only have some of the emergency supplies from Joseph's airship." He fumbled through his various pockets and found a few matches, a flare, and a bottle of iodine tablets. He cursed himself silently. "I must have left the rest at camp. Hopefully we can find the means to start a fire, we'll need some way to keep warm tonight." Even as he spoke, the chill was beginning to set in.

She shivered, "I suppose that's better then nothing." She moved slightly trying to hike her body up the wall. "We can't risk a fire. They were to close behind us and we are at to high of a point for them to not notice it. What we do have is cave moss, and guano." She reached up to grab a root in order to hoist herself up. I am going to look a bit deeper in the cave for..for..." She turned staring at him with wide eyes,"I like dresses Phineas. I like expensive shoes, travelling, and explosives, My life up until now has for the most part been exciting, full of adventure and pure excitement. But now, noting that our situation is quite dire and we might die soon, I have to say I'm a rather lonely person. I fill my walls with foreign objects and play around with foolish boys but at the end of each mission, when I'm home alone the brave and happy woman I strive to emulate seems to feel rather silly. I know that this is not the time to be expressing such things, but I think that it would be a shame to not tell anyone." She clenched her fists settng her jaw and nodded, "Yes..that needed to be said."

Phineas nodded slowly, leaning his body on the cave wall and lowering himself next to her. The confession came as a surprise, given the tough, proud shell Eliza seemed to have thrown around herself. Having listened to her empty her heart like that, Phineas thought it would only be comforting to offer something in return.
"I wanted to be a writer," he said. It sounded stupid coming out of his mouth, but it seemed to be fitting. "The thought of being able to make a living from the comfort of my apartment fascinated me. But then I realized I could live these adventure stories instead of put them to paper, and my life began. I don't regret a minute of my work in the Ministry..." his voice trailed off. "But look at us now. Thousands of miles for home, no food or water, surrounded by men who want to kill us." He sighed, letting the sentence hang in the air rather than dragging the morale down further. He pulled the clip out of his pistol and inspected it. Six bullets.

She listened quietly, a smile appearing on her lips, "A writer huh...Surprisingly I can see that. You sitting in a little nook and typing away. God I guess we are just a couple of right fools. Lets make a deal Phiny." She paused turning to look at him,"If we survive this. I will buy you a very expensive typewriter and then we should just get married. I mean I'm old enough now to be a spinster and there is really no one who is a proper subject for a husband. I mean we could be happy..I think..I would even let you be unfaithful as long as you never bring her home. I'm flexible...and rambling. God...I shouldn't have mentioned anything this is ridiculous...we barely even know each other." She turned to sit back down her expression both red and flurried.

Phineas stared at her intently, listening carefully to each of her words. When she had finished, he paused, seemingly in thought. But after a few seconds, he burst into laughter. Surprising himself, he leaned over and hugged Eliza tightly.
"Eliza..." he said, recovering but still smiling widely, "I don't know if we'll ever make it home, but given the circumstances your idea sounds as good as any." He leaned against her on the wall. She was warm.

She smiled back at him, and laid her head against his shoulder," I'm glad you see my point of view. Most men would probably be insulted, but thank you anyway for humouring me anyway." She closed her eyes for a few minutes trying to think of a plan, "Phineas, can you recall how many men chased us? Because by calculations, there were about 4 and that would mean their would be two left by the craft. I think the odds of beating two guards is better then one. Even when I'm in this condition." She grit her teeth anger apparent in her voice, "You could pilot that hovercraft quite well right? Do you think you could fly the craft they flew in on?" She leaned up to look at him, expectantly.

Phineas considered her idea ponderously, looking at the dark ceiling in thought.
"Two soldiers.... yeah, that sounds about right." he said, "But there were three more men, the leaders. I'm not sure where they went. There's two ways out of this, then. Either we take out those guards and steal their hovership, which would be tricky at best, or we sneak down to the beach and grab the oil, then try to make a run for it in Joseph's hovership. Neither of these are preferable, but we're running out of options quick and time quicker. What do you think?" he asked. He retained his firm grip on the pistol, clutching it like a lifeline.

(Sorry been super busy with finals! x])
She held back a wince trying to put on a brave face,"The only problem is we don't know the location of the men following us. It might be to risky to head past them for escape."
I think that we should wait for awhile and attack at early dawn. This is a good spot and I think we have a better chance getting past them if they are worn out and tired. They have to sleep at some point. Then we can run for the oil." She sunk tighter against the wall her eyes drooping, "Plus I need to rest. I am sore and it hurts to breath." She closed her eyes, and groaned as she tried to adjust herself, "Thank you for not leaving me behind. Your chances would be better if you did."

(Not a problem! :D)
Phineas glanced at her, regarding her comment with an light air.
"Nonsense. You've been my partner for less than a week and already you've saved me more times than I can remember. I need you just the same."
He lay back, resting his arms under his head and closing his eyes. The area of the cave they were in had warmed up simply due to the two warm bodies now sharing the space, and a fire seemed unnecessary. Hidden here, it was likely they could get some rest in peace.
He smiled. "Not to mention you're easy on the eyes."

Eliza smiled, her cheeks reddening slightly. She spoke up with a cheesy texas drawl, "Oh Phineas, you do know how to make a gal blush." She laughed then winced groaning in an aggravated manner, "Hehe, no Sparky you ain't so bad yourself." She curled up against him, trying to be more comfortable, "I think you'll make a good writer, when we survive this." She yawned, sleep pulling her away from the horrible situation and the pain digging into her ribs.

Phineas smiled and let his eyes draw to a close, Eliza's warm body comforting him in the darkness of the cave. He listened to distant droplets of water striking a pool, and slowly fell asleep.

---

When Phineas awoke, he was at first utterly confused at his lack of vision, and the cold air surrounding him. But within a moment, he recovered his senses and remembered the situation with a sigh. He reached down and found Eliza still nestled close to him, and he decided to let her rest, although his stirrings had no doubt troubled her sleep.

Eliza slept quietly but with a few brief movements she jerked awake her eyes adjusting to the darkness of the cave. She moved quietly whispering, "P.Phiny? You awake?" She could hear him breathing so she sat up and stretched quickly. Her ribs felt better. She would have a wicked bruise but at least the pain was lighter. She would be more use today for when they tried to escape. Her stomach grumbled and she groaned at dull hunger she could feel surfacing within her. The cave itself was moist and slightly warm, and as she stood up to stretch her legs she could feel the cool moss beneath her feet. She moved near the entrance looking out quickly to see the silence expanse of jungle beneath their position. There was no movement below which comforted her. She turned back to Phineas, "I don't see anything, so I think we are fine for now."

Phineas looked up, slightly startled by Eliza's voice even though he'd watched her get up. He rose to his feet, the muscles in his joints cracking from having slept on a hard surface. He looked down to see that the pistol had never left his hand. Most handguns in England were revolvers; that was the style. Phineas, however, had acquired a military issue pistol during his previous career, which had nine shots in the clip, one in the chamber. He pulled the clip out of the handle and inspected it; he had only six bullets left. He slid the clip back into position and sighed.
"If we move," Phineas said, "We'll have to do it quietly. I've only got six shots left so we can't risk a frontal confrontation. Any ideas?"

Eliza slowly pulled a sharp knife out of her knickers and gripped it fiercely, as she slowly crawled back towards Phineas. "Here's the plan. It's about four o'clock in the morning, and I am going to assume those soldiers have headed back to their camp. Just in case though, there is a river about a mile northeast from here. It should lead out about 6 miles from our campsite, but it's safer to stay near it, because of our scent. We don't have to travel to the end, we just have to make it about three quarters through, then head back to our camp. It will take time, but I say it's worth it, for a bit of safety. When we arrive at our spot. I will sneak out and try to grab the oil. I'm smaller, and you have the gun so you can cover me. The only thing I can't plan for is getting to Joseph's craft, and above all getting out of here without being seen, when we fly off. Do you think if we are pursued, that the craft will be fast enough? If it had a defense mechanism that might help, but I haven't got a good look at the inside." She frowned, hating the fact that she keeps getting herself hurt during this mission. She waited for his reply hoping that her plan would give them an advantage.