[IC] The Ministry Reborn (Silver & KiraVanhelsing)

[Silver]

Phineas nodded, considering the plan. It was a good idea to follow the river to the campsite, because although he wasn't particularly worried that the soldiers would be able to smell them, the river would take them past the camp and its rushing waters would block out the noise of their movements.
"We'll have to play it by hand, but the idea sounds good to me. However, I don't feel comfortable with you going for the oil. You're still injured. I think we should get to the campsite and get the lay of the land before deciding what to do."
Although he sounded unsure, Phineas had already began to form contingency plans for the possible outcomes of the movement. He holstered the pistol and slung his pack over his shoulder, gesturing to the cave entrance. "Lead the way."

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza pushed her body up slowly, stretching her limbs before heading out. She flinched slightly before righting herself and headed towards the entrance of the cave. She paused near the edge and looked out into the early dawn, She saw no movement, but she wanted to remain safe. She exited quietly, her feet well placed, as she stayed low against the wall of the mountain. She slapped her knife into her knickers and kept descending down the cliff, until her feet found soft foliage. Her breathing was heavy, and her hair clung to her face with sweat. She leaned forward clutching her knees as she tried to slow down her breathing and ease pressures off of her bruised ribs. She shut her eyes, taking another minute before standing up, and turning towards Phineas, "Sorry, just had to catch my breath. Went a little fast."

She kept moving, her knife clutched in her hand as she began moving into the jungle. She kept her eyes moving, checking for signs of movement and any potential danger in her view. She stepped over a few logs, and pushed past the large ferns and low hanging branches that surrounded her. The mossy forest floor was moist and felt warm on her toes. She smiled, to herself when running water was heard in the distance. She moved in that direction, and turned to Phineas whilst whispering, "We are close. You can hear it."

She kept moving reaching it within about 10 minutes where she stopped and took a seat on a rock, catching her breath again. "I..uh..I...think we should stop for a minute, so I can...um..nevermind..let's go. Forget it."

She was breathing heavily, as she stood up a little to quickly, but she was not willing to be a burden to Phineas. Any moments rest could mean death if those soldiers found them.. She wouldn't risk her partners life because she was stupid enough to get herself zapped by an eel. She came close to the water, and sunk down, preparing to step in.

[Silver]

As they trudged through the thick growth of the jungle, Phineas noted that Eliza seemed to grow more and more weary. When at last the river's roar could be heard up ahead, he put his hand on her shoulder. It was clear to him that either a strong sense of will and necessity or a hint of pride would not allow Eliza to rest.
"Hold up, it's okay..." Phineas said, stopping and taking several deep breaths. "You'll be useless if you collapse before we get there. Take a rest, we've got time." He set down his rucksack and breathed a sigh, stretching his back and shoulders. "Stay here and rest, I'm going to take a look ahead."
The patch of foliage the two were hiding in was only a few yards away from the river. Phineas pushed aside several tall ferns and shrubs and made his way to the shore. The river had no sand lining it, but was filled with round stones, smoothed by the current. In actuality, the river was rather shallow, and only a few yards across. Bending down to feel it, Phineas found that the water was ice cold, being mostly runoff from snow on the mountain. He shook his hands dry and shivered, standing back up.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza sat back down and gave him a weak smile, as he moved onwards. She kept silent, trying to listen for other movement, but it seemed the coast was clear. When she finally felt like she had a sufficient amount of time to rest, she followed Phineas' path and found him kneeling by the river. She came up to him slowly,"How does it look? I know it might be cold, but tracking wise I think it's worth it to take the chance."

Quickly she turned her knife in her hand as she looked out over the jungle with sharp eyes. She paused, her eyes cold, as she whispered quietly,"We need to go. Now."

She hoped into the water, and froze, shivering a moment, before beginning to move forward. She kept a slow pace, trying not to slip on the rocks below. She let Phineas take the lead, feeling he was the stronger of the two of them, he could notice danger before she could.

[Silver]

Phineas nodded and dropped into a crouch as he noticed Eliza's eyes become wary. He stepped over the soil cleft that hung above the river and slid down, feeling cold water soak his clothes. The water was waist-deep in some spots, but only reached their ankles in many.
Although the water hindered their movement, it was flowing fast in the direction they were walking, and provided much less resistance than it would in the other direction. The two were able to make good progress downstream and had traversed over a mile in less than half an hour.
As they rounded a bend, Phineas suddenly saw the brush ahead of them shift. He grabbed Eliza and pulled her into the water, with his back against a large white boulder. He held her close against his chest with one hand and kept his pistol out of the water with the other. Glancing quickly past the boulder, he could see a soldier leaning out over the water, scanning the river with his rifle held high.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza gasped, as Phineas suddenly pulled her against him behind a boulder. She covered her mouth quickly in order to withhold her gasp, hopefully not making to much commotion with an enemy nearby. The soldier, viewed the water with sharp eyes, his gun aimed at the ripples warily. He took a couple more steps closer, waiting for his prey to show themselves. Eliza, closed her eyes remaining still as her heartbeat began to thump wildly within her chest. She hoped to hell Phineas had a good shot if they were spotted, because her breath was running out fast. She looked up at him slowly, remaining still as she slid down his body to pick up a stone within the waters beneath them. She then moved up and looked slightly over the rock to find the soldier watching the north. She looked at Phineas with confidence before ripping her arm back and throwing the rock a good distance to the right. The soldiers neck snapped around the moment Eliza curled back down beside Phiny. She crossed her fingers hoping the noise would distract the soldier and give them a chance to escape, or if anything give Phineas a better shot.

[Silver]

As Eliza lobbed the rock past the soldier, Phineas shifted out from behind the boulder and stood, taking aim at the soldier with his pistol as the current buffeted his back. He peered down the sights and centered his view on the target. As his finger tightened around the trigger, he paused and reconsidered. He only had six bullets left, and they hadn't even reached the campsite. But if the soldier caught sight of them, they were as good as dead, corpses in the water. He picked the gun up again for the shot, but as he did the soldier trudged back into the forest, waving his rifle in search of the source of the noise.

Phineas let out his breath in a long side, dropping his arms to his sides. He turned back and motioned to Eliza, taking her hand and settling into the current. They floated around the bend and past another, out of the range of the soldier.

Within a few minutes, they arrived at a landing near the mouth of the river. The shore was covered in small, smooth stones that had been deposited over the years. As they arrived, Phineas took in his surroundings. They were only a few hundred yards from the campsite.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza bent low, her eyes shifting around her warily as she watched the campsite with predatory intent. She whispered to Phineas after a few minutes when she found the area clear,"We have to determine how close they are to our campsite before one of us tries to get the oil."

She looked around before her eyes settled on a large tree with a sharp prickly bark. She bit her lip then looked over to Phiny with a cheeky smile,"It might be better to tell our location and the position of the soldiers if we can get a different perspective. How are you at climbing?"

She clenched her fists over some small stones, hoping that he would volunteer. She was still sore from the waist down, and knew climbing would only irritate her more.

[Silver]

Phineas peered over the row of reeds lining the stony shore of the outlet. From this position, he could see the Libyan hover craft sitting obediently on the sand nearby. Around the remains of the campfire, one soldier was prodding through the ashes, looking for equipment the fugitives could have left behind. A second soldier was loitering within the open craft. The four soldiers that had been sent out into the jungle to find them had evidently not returned, and the three leaders were nowhere to be seen. With the element of surprise, Phineas reckoned that he and Eliza could overtake the guards without much risk.

Still, the embellished lookout that Phineas searched from provided a limited view. He could only see a narrow corridor down the beach. He glanced at Eliza, who had suggested that he climb a tree for a better view. He had shrugged off the suggestion, but he realized now that the risk of running into unexpected company could prove fatal. He glanced back at the tree.

He sighed. Six bullets.

Phineas slowly moved from the ground with a grunt, crouching as he prowled to the palm tree. He wrapped his hands around it, but recoiled, finding the bark sharper than he had expected. Using a technique he had discovered as a child at play, he ripped a strip of cloth off of his shirt, wrapping it around his hands and reaching around the tree. Using it was a handle, he shimmied up the tree, careful not to make his movements too sudden.

Phineas's head brushed painfully against a solid coconut, and he could tell he was near the top. Panting, he lifted his head and looked out over the beach. The two soldiers he had spotted earlier had not moved far. Satisfied, he was about to descend when a movement caught his eye. Squinting, he could see that two more figures sat under the shade of a tree on the outskirts of the jungle directly adjacent to the campsite. He swore under his breath; now they had four enemies to contend with. They were outnumbered.

He slid down the tree and landed in the sand with a soft thump. He walked back to Eliza and sat down.

"I was wrong, there are four of them." He said, and took a drink from the slightly salted water intermingling with the sea. Six bullets.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza smiled,"Only four. With your brain power and my bulging muscles we can take the lot of them down with ease." She hoped the joke would ease some of the tension before she reached down and pulled a knife out of her garter, "Where are they located?"

After listening to Phineas' descriptions, she pursed her lips and then spoke softly, her whispers barely audible over the running water,"I say we have three options. We either create a strategic plan of attack, which seems pretty futile with the gunfire they have at the ready, create a distraction, take out as many as we can, and try not to soil our knickers, or we walk out surrender and pray that the grace of god will save our dirty skins."

She sighed,"I wish I had some god damn dynamite right about now...I.." with a quick pause, Eliza blushed and tried to suppress a hysterical bout of laughter, "I..I think I might be a complete and utter idiot, but since we have no other bloody option, and you are going to make it seem like a stupid decision on my part, don't be too upset with me for this. When it's the right time, attack the man by our campsite then by the craft. If I get shot, leave me. Now. "

Without warning she grabbed his neck pulled him in for a warm kiss, before snatching the pistol out of his hand and running into the jungle, full force. She bit her lip pain shooting up her body as she got closer and closer to their original campsite. She knew she was being stupid and reckless, but it was what she was good for. Planning be damned. She hit the dirt hard, as she slowly sulked down to hide beneath a large batch of green bushes. She prayed that the other soldiers were hidden deep within the jungle, and didn't hear her. She waited patiently finding no noise or approaching footfalls. When she felt a bit calmer she slowly creeped forward, her eyes looking over their old campsite, her eyes looking for the one object that would hopefully save there souls. She began to panic after a few minutes when suddenly, she found it. Her eyes rested on the two soldiers and right smack dab in between them rested the little canister and her ruined dress that was left on the beach, among other of the small objects collected from the wreck.

She pulled out the pistol, and pointed it to the canister. After a few minutes she knew a clean shot was not going to be applicable so she took a deep breath, and prepared to move closer, the sand becoming warm underneath her toes. Her body sunk low, like a panther moving through the reeds she tried to get as close to the men as possible. Suddenly a soft crack echoed from behind her feet, and a pair of stale green eyes met her own. "Drat."

She raised the pistol as the man raised his and let forth a shot. Without warning, a large explosion burst forth, as a layer of blood, heat and vegetation splattered against the beach. Eliza hit the back of a trunk, the gun flying out of her hand and a sharp pain hit her in the shoulder. She collapsed forward, her eyes burning as gunfire began to go off and screaming surrounded her. She groaned, blood flowing down her face as she tried to crawl to the gun, hoping that she could reach it in time to help backup Phineas.

[Silver]

Phineas flinched when Eliza grabbed him, and softened as she kissed his lips. This one took him by surprise; there was no social subterfuge being made, no disguises being perpetuated. She had just kissed him. He was still slightly dumbfounded as she broke away and took off into the foliage, and it was several seconds before he realized she had taken the pistol.

"Eliza, wait!" he called after, but she was already out of earshot. He rose to his feet quickly and took a step onto the beach, only to be quickly met with a blast of heat, light and noise, sending him staggering back into the reeds. He picked himself up; the explosion had come from the trees near the campsite.

"Eliza!" he yelled, and took off running across the sand. In front of him, the guard near the fire had started toward the explosion. The soldier in the aircraft stepped down the back ramp onto the sand, looking after his companion. Only a few moments later, when Phineas was several strides away, the second soldier looked up and noticed his assailant. He let out a yell and fired a shot with his rifle from the hip, but the bullet screamed over Phineas's shoulder.

Before the soldier could take another shot, Phineas hit him hard, slamming him into the metal side of the hovercraft. He grabbed the rifle and pressed it against the soldier's throat, who recovered and struggled back desperately. The guard who had left the campsite now wheeled around and saw Phineas, raising his own rifle to his shoulder. Phineas shifted his hand down the rifle barrel to the stock and pulled the trigger. The bullet hit the guard in the neck, and he collapsed, choking on his own blood. Phineas then rapidly pulled back from the second soldier, wrenching the rifle from his hands. Before he could react, Phineas brought the butt of the rifle down hard on his temple, and he fell limp to the ground with a crack. Phineas could not determine whether he was dead or unconscious.

Phineas lowered the rifle and looked around. The forest was burning in an oily conflagration, sending black plumes of smoke into the heavens. There was no movement besides the restless flutter of birds fleeing the inferno.

"Eliza?" he called, but he could see nothing. "Eliza!" He stepped over the guard and jogged to the treeline. The two guards who had been resting were now covered in blood, next flaming chunks of an oil canister. Phineas looked around wildly, but couldn't find his partner.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza grunted, the call of her name jarring her from her ignorant stupor. She looked forward at the pistol and gripped it roughly, a sharp pain working her way down her shoulder. She gave a sharp yelp, before pushing to her feet and screaming at the top of her lungs, "PHINY!!"

She emerged out of the jungle a wreck. Her clothes were singed and parts of her skin seemed red and splotchy. Blood flowed from a variety of small cuts and her shoulder was impaled with a small chunk of wood. She stumbled forward, aching as she called again, "Phinn.."

Suddenly she caught sight of him, and slugged forward, her body growing heavy with every step she took. She was just about to slow when a shot went off behind her and hit a tree to her left. She screamed, her legs pushing her forward as she yelled at Phineas,"GET TO THE CRAFT. THEIR COMING. WE NEED TO LEAVE NOW!!!!!"

She ran at full speed, fear propelling her forward and ignoring the pain as she followed her partner into the craft. When she fell inside she turned and hit the inside wall of the door and let out a few shots to keep them back. She blinked, a darkness beginning to slip over her features as she shouted fervently,"GET US OUT OF HERE! THIS VACATION IS STARTING TO BORE ME!"

She let forth two more shots, and sunk to her knees, as she gave him a sultry smile, before covering her head as a few more shots hit the edge of the tank. The smell of blood, death and exhaust filling her lungs as she hoped Phineas could fly out of here without any severe damage to the craft.

[Silver]

Phineas lunged into the craft behind Eliza as bullets ricocheted off the riveted metal walls. Through the tinted window, Phineas could see the five remaining hostiles breaking out of the treeline from the direction of Joseph's craft, firing wildly toward the campsite. A bullet shot through the front window and cracked it as Phineas kicked the engine into power.

An overhead light flickered on and illuminated the cabin in a pale yellow luster. Across the dash, dials and meters spun to life, giving a reading of the ship's condition. Two worn leather seats sat behind the control panel, and six smaller seats lined the walls on either side. Phineas dropped his rifle and sat down, trying to quickly acquaint himself with the controls. Another bullet went through the windshield and hit one of the seats in the back, and a dozen more pattered off the outer wall.
Phineas identified a large lever as the primary elevation throttle. He pushed it forward hesitantly, and the ship's engine grew louder as it began to slowly rise out of its imprint in the sand. He pressed a large black button, and the ship's horn sounded loudly.

"Not that one," he said to himself, running his hand through his hair anxiously. He punched a metallic grey button adjacent to it, and the rear ramp rose to close the craft.

"Better." he said, and looked back out over the beach. The soldiers were getting closer, and he could faintly hear foreign shouts as they fired rushed, inaccurate shots and reloaded. Phineas grabbed hold of a handled steering column and was satisfied to feel the craft turn below him. He locked the elevator in position and pressed forward on the thrust, and the craft broke into motion, turning over the beach and south.

"Hell yeah!" Phineas said in spite of himself, and regained his composure as another bullet bounced off the exterior. He looked at a dial rimmed in Arabic text but accompanied by the universal droplet of oil. It read about three quarters full; they were safe, in that respect. Suddenly, he remembered himself and looked back to Eliza. She was visibly wounded; blood flowed slowly from several small lesions. He quickly checked that the controls were set to continue flying forward, then turned his seat around and crouched next to Eliza, gently grabbing her arm. He could not tell whether she was conscious.

"Eliza?" he asked, softly shaking her.

[KiraVanhelsing]

"Eliza?"

A smile crept up her lips,"You...owe me a new dress...all my clothing was lost on vacation, dear."

She looked at him painfully, trying to be playful,"Next time, we should try Figi. Heard there are....naked beaches. Savage ideas, my friend."

She slumped forward, dropping the pistol, before grabbing the thin root in her shoulder and pulling it out slowly. She sighed, before leaning back against the metal,"I am so grateful...that my hair wasn't burned off."

She reached forward and wrapped her hand around Phineas' arm, trying to imply that she was happy that they both survived without sounding too much of a sap. She looked him over checking for any wounds,. He looked good, slightly tan for an English man and dirty but she wasn't complaining. She sighed, another smile reaching up her lips.

[Silver]

Phineas let out his breath, relieved that Eliza was still with him. He patted her arm and stood up. The floor was speckled with her blood, though it seemed to be slowing down some. He stepped to the side of the ship and started cracking open the lockers that lined the wall. In addition to the rifle he had brought with him, he found four rifles and ammunition, two pistols, various pieces of equipment, rations of food and water, and four uniforms. In the last locker he opened he finally came across a square white medical kit. He took it off the wall and set it on the floor, kneeling beside Eliza.

He flipped it open and rustled through the contents. There was enough bandaging and ointment to do the job, as well as a variety of useless medical apparatuses. He gently pulled her dress down at the top, revealing enough of her shoulder to work with. He set to work applying the ointment to her wounds and wrapping them firmly.

"You need to be more careful," he said, brushing loose dirt off her neck. "Another reckless move like that and you could be killed." But thank God you weren't, he thought quietly. He cut a strip of bandage with scissors and applied it near her sternum. "This may sting a bit."

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza bit her lip, as he attended to her neck,"Owww...I know, I know. It did work though. Couple of bumps and cuts make a very interesting story. Also good partnership."

She sighed, trying to clear her mind,"We have to get back to the mission. We already are two days behind schedule, and have had two attempts on our lives. I'm thinking that someone really doesn't want us to take this case."

She shut her eyes, her fingernails digging into her legs as he applied some more bandage on a few other wounds,"I mean, taking down an entire air-ship just to kill two agents. Whoever wanted to pull that off has large bollix. Unless we weren't the only two agents on the ship. We need to get a hold of the ministry and give them our where abouts. I hope the boss doesn't can me for this. Obviously it wasn't my fault but perhaps we should have planned better."

She looked up at him earnestly,"What are you thinking?"

[Silver]

Phineas gazed out through the cracked front view port of the airship. The sun was setting to his right; they were going dead south.

"I'm thinking that we'll be in Egypt in a few hours at this rate." he said. "We'd better be ready for whatever's waiting."

He looked down at her again. "But you need some rest." He sat down in the pilot seat and turned to the dash, dimming the light in the cabin. The fuel gauge suggested that they had enough oil to reach land, but not much more. It was likely they'd have to land in the first settlement they found. Phineas turned back to Eliza.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?"

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza stood up slowly and hobbled to the row of seats, before laying across one side. She eyed him slowly,"I've had worse to be honest. When I was younger, this young lad named Arthur Dovak shot me three times in the leg, before jumping off a cliff into a little bay on the Chinese coastline. The bullets were coated with some burning poison that gave me a fever for three weak. I would say it was the worst pain of my life, but I think the utter embarrassment I felt from being betrayed by my current lover, was the cherry on top."

She sighed snuggling against the felt chairs,"Ahh memories...When I awake you should tell me a story from your past. It will be fun..."

With that, she was snoring within moments, weary eyes closed and cheeks lightly flushed.

[Silver]

Phineas turned in his chair and found that Eliza had already fallen asleep. He sighed. She was picturesque, if a little banged and bruised. If she'd chosen an easier life, she'd be truly beautiful. Not that he found that she wasn't, but he tried in vain to ignore such stirrings in favor of his job.

He turned back to the control board. The sun had set, and darkness had descended upon the Mediterranean. The sky was full of countless stars, and empty of the omnipresent lights of passing airships. He, they, were truly alone.

The shore was nowhere in sight, and Phineas found himself beginning to drift off. He resisted at first, but the stress of the week and the exertions of the day demanded rest. Finally, he succumbed to slumber.

---

A strong breeze buffeted the hovercraft, shaking Phineas from his sleep. He picked his head off the dashboard; it did not appear to have messed with any of the controls. The oil, however, was dangerously low, and a red light was blinking intermittently next to the dial. Phineas looked out the window and was startled to see lights in the distance. Under the moon, the shore was visible less than a mile away. Phineas kicked the ship into a quiet descent and turned in his chair, lightly shaking Eliza to wake her up.

[KiraVanhelsing]

Eliza yawned, her eyes slowly opening to peer at Phineas,"Good Morning.."

She sat up slowly, pushing her tangled hair away from her face and stretched looking out the dash to see land,"We made it! Is that Egypt??? Where do you think we are?"

She stood up quickly, moving over to stand beside him with her arms crossed, "Better yet, what story are we going to give when we land there? We commandeered an aircraft from a bunch of Arab soldiers. Un-bloody likely that is going to go over well."

She sighed, her eyes glued to the wide space set in front of her, a grim feeling beginning to move up her spine,