"Done planting the explosives?"

"Heh." Omi flashed a devious smile at Yohji, the soft crunch of twigs and dead leaves cushioning his sneakers. "Come on; let's get to the rendezvous point. Better not to blow up their factory until we're ready for them to know they have company."

Sylvan midnight whisked by with songs of cricket and thrush. Under the light perfume of rain and pine lay hints of dirt and rotting wood. Eager fingers tingled with adrenaline rushing through his veins.

Early. Omi sat down and leaned against a tree, listening for trouble. Pale moonlight signed a dance of leafy shadow against gargantuan rock. The eerie crackle of their movement overhead excited him.

Five minutes and the breeze grew irritated. Yohji watched an owl scan the ground for breakfast. Omi reviewed their next plans. As soon as Ken and Aya arrived...

Ten minutes, then seventeen. It was fine; they'd been early.

Time oozed and the wind whirled around them-- twenty-four minutes. Omi contacted them; on their way. Twenty-seven, thirty, a cloud drifted over the moon. The air stilled and light faded, and all the adrenaline that had once flooded Omi's veins now sat curdling in his stomach.

"Try not to worry..." Yohji advised. He pulled the cigarette from his mouth and shrugged resignedly. "They're probably caught up in another argument."

"I don't like this feeling..."

-------------------------

"Aya, this can't be right!" Ken slowed to a stop amidst the trees. "We better just call Omi and tell him we're lost. He'll be calling us again wondering where we are if we don't."

Aya, having begrudgingly stopped when Ken had, leveled a steady gaze on his teammate. "This is the correct way," he said. "Let's go."

"Obviously, it's not the right way if we're still not there. We've run a good mile past what we should have. That mile didn't just appear out of thin air!" Ken hesitated, setting his hands on his hips. "Look. I don't like it any more than you do, but we're wasting time and getting further and further from where we're supposed to be going, which means the longer we run -this- way," he gestured ahead of them, "the longer it's going to take to get back."

"This is the right way. I checked our GPS before we left. This," Aya backhanded toward the ground, "is setting us back."

"No, this," Ken mimicked Aya's gesture and paused there, frustration hitting its peak as he realized he didn't have actually have a solid counter to follow that.

"This is just stupid! Who cares what the GPS is saying? Listen to common sense!"

"Common sense says satellites can see our position much better than we can. Your move."

"And how much longer do you plan to run this way with no sign of Omi and Yohji because a bundle of circuitry told you to?!"

Aya showed the GPS to Ken. "We're only a quarter of a mile from the rendezvous point... Three more minutes. Then we'll call."

"I'm counting the seconds." Looking back ahead, Ken broke into another run, making exactly one step before the ground gave way beneath him. Momentum propelled him beyond the point of regaining balance. With a strangled cry he flailed his arm, instinctively groping for the nearest thing he could hold onto-- Aya.

Limbs tangled. Tumble and crash to the base of the muddy pit. Ken groaned and waited for his vision to settle. One more screw-up for the record books. For the first time he found himself cursing his fast reflexes.

Aya's crotch in his face helped put his irritation back where it belonged. With a cry of disgust he shoved him off. He got to his feet and brushed the mucky clumps from his jacket and hair, discerning in the process that at least the fall hadn't resulted in any fractures. He looked up the fifteen feet of muddy wall.

"Fantastic." Ken groused, folding his arms. "Well, now we've got no choice. We have to call Omi."

And there was the Look: I'm pissed and I'm going to make sure everybody knows it. Bloody hell.

"Don't start with that! If we'd turned around when I said we should have this never woulda happened. You're the one that was so sure about keeping on this path instead of calling Omi for directions."

"Then call him and get them now." Aya turned his attention to looking around for possible methods of escape.

Goddamn him. Why did he always have to act so cool? Why did he have to be right? Ken sharply flicked the headset from standby to talk. "Omi. We're gonna need some back-up. We're kinda stuck here."

"Ehh?" Omi straightened. "What happened, Ken-kun?!"

Ken sighed. "Aya an' I fell in a trap. We're stuck in a pit and it's too deep for us to climb out. We need a hand. Or a rope."

Yohji and Omi exchanged faces. Omi held back a sigh. "Un, I understand. I'll send Yohji-kun to get you out-- where are you?"

"Ah..." Ken looked around, seeing nothing but dirt wall. "Damn it how should I know? We're in a giant pit! It can't be that hard to miss!"

"Ken-kuuun...! Calm down, please. It would still be helpful to have your coordinates." As Omi said this, he prompted Yohji to run while he listened.

Ken turned his eyes towards Aya expectantly. Aya ignored his look and simply reported the coordinates.

"Sou ka..." Movement out of the corner of his eye. Omi whipped his head around. The owl swooped to the ground, talons flexed for capture. "Yohji-kun will be there in just a minute, okay?"

"Wait a minute, what's going on? How come we're not there yet?"

"I really don't know, Ken-kun. I agree it seems a little odd but..." He looked down, checking the coordinates on their own GPS. Blinked. "Eh?"

"What?"

"I..." Crunch. Omi tensed and looked over his shoulder.

"...Omi? Omi?" No answer. Ken switched the headset back to standby and looked at Aya, whose eyes were fixated on the top of the pit.

"Ken. We need to get out. Now." Aya walked over, sparing a momentary glare at the brunet. "Can you support my weight on your hands?"

Ken tightened his fists. "...Yeah. I could do that."

"Get down. I'll stand on your shoulders first. Our combined heights and reaches will put me close enough to pull myself out."

He'll stand on him. Ken knelt by the wall. "How come I have to be on the bottom?"

"Drop it. You're stronger." Aya braced the bulk of his weight against the wall and stepped onto Ken's shoulders. Though it took some effort, Ken managed to stand back up to his full height.

"Lift your arms and lock your elbows."

Ken obeyed, mind on Omi. What had happened? Was he okay? It wasn't like him to cut off like that. And Yohji! Why hadn't he reached them yet? Ken's stomach clenched.

Aya steadied himself against the wall, gaze set on the top. He jumped to the ledge. Arms grappled around the top for something solid, crinkling leaves until they found purchase with some clumps of grass. Finally, he dragged his body out of the vacuum of the pit's gravity field.

And saw rows of boots. Boots connected to legs of several armed men, rifles pointed right at him.

He almost got the chance to move.