| Subject: The Beach - 2 |
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~d
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Date Posted: 20:52:26 07/09/04 Fri
In reply to:
~delle
's message, "For Jean" on 20:49:40 07/09/04 Fri
The sun had dropped below the horizon while they were negotiating the road but the sky was still bright, streaked with lavender and violet, orange and rose. The wind had increased too; swinging down from the north it bit through the layers of damp clothing on his body. He ran an absent-minded hand through his tangled hair, forcing the thick curls off his face as he watched Nikita comb through her long locks with her uninjured hand. Another gust of wind whipped at them and she shivered. They would need to get off the beach as quickly as possible, Michael thought, if they wanted to avoid pneumonia and the approaching darkness.
He scanned the beach stretching in a pale streak ahead of them. The old road descended into a little cove, the blasted plane of the path simply dissolving into the natural curves of the rock. The incoming tide was pushing ever-increasingly closer to his feet. At the north end of the cove was another sheltered area, protected from the wind by a small outcropping of rock. On the other side of the protrusion was a small straight stretch of beach, then…
Michael bit back a curse. Beyond that was a rock fall, a large one that - even at low tide - nearly reached to the waterline. They had had to scramble over the boulders on the way south for the mission. Even disregarding Nikita’s injured ankle, at high tide it would simply be impassable.
He glanced at his watch. Dusk was falling fast, the encroaching darkness seeming more impenetrable than usual because of the lack of street or house lights above this stretch of beach. The luminescent dial indicated it would be another three [two] hours to the peak of high tide, several more hours until the ocean would recede sufficiently for them to pass the landslide.
He rubbed his lower lip with his index finger, thinking. They would have to remain here for the time being; there were no other alternatives. Attempting the risky crossing back over the point to return to where they started was not an option.
Nikita had stepped ahead of him, beginning to hobble painfully down the beach. She seemed to realize he wasn’t with her; as she turned to face him, he read her rising frustration in the set of her head, the tight jaw line that indicated clenched teeth.
“Michael?”
He tipped his head left - north - toward their egress route. “The rock fall.”
Comprehension, annoyance and frustration crossed her face. She crossed her arms over her chest and shivered again. Michael touched behind his ear, activating his communications unit again.
“Comm.”
“Yes, Michael?”
“We’re not going to be able to attain egress at this time.”
The communication channel transmitted the clatter of computer keys and the low murmur of voices.
“What’s your status?”
“There’s a landside ahead of us. Impassable until low tide.” In the background Michael could hear Operations’ voice, demanding information. Michael waited patiently. Quinn was experienced enough to know how to handle Operations and to prioritize resources.
“Do you want a helicopter sent in?”
“No. No place to land it on this side of the rockfall and too many houses further down on this beach. It’d be too hard to explain away. We’ll wait until low tide and proceed as planned.”
“Check in with me in six hours. Comm out.”
“Terrific.” Nikita sighed and turned to gaze around at their surroundings. “So what happens now?”
“We have to camp out for a while.” She frowned at him.
“Shit.” Her eyes drifted over the incoming ocean. “And the high tide is coming.” She paused a moment, her forehead creased in thought. “It’s a full moon, right? Meaning a higher tide than usual?” At Michael’s nod, she glanced around again, more intently. “Where are we going to wait? Not here...”
“The north side of the cove will be safer.” She shot him a quick glance, disbelief shining clearly in her eyes. “The cliff will protect us somewhat from the wind. And the riptide runs south, so the waves will be smaller at the north end, higher at the south end of the cove. We should stay dry.” Honesty made him clarify. “Pretty dry.”
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