To The Moon And Back

Chapter Ten

"Hey! Hey fella!" Scott called as he rounded a corner and spotted what looked to be another miner lying slumped against the far wall. "Are you okay?"

Vigorous shaking of the man's shoulder did nothing and Scott was forced to resort to lightly smacking his face until he got a reaction. The man groaned, his eyes scrunching shut tighter as he slowly came round. Scott shook his shoulder again when he looked like he was about to drift off, all the while performing a swift visual assessment of the man's person. No blood. No signs of injury or sickness that he could see. The man's skin was cool to the touch, with no fever or clamminess and, when Scott pressed his fingers to the man's throat, he felt his pulse thudding steadily. Nothing suspicious, nothing obviously wrong, just like the pilot.

"Hey!" Scott tried again, trying to keep his attention. "Can you tell me what happened?"

"I... I don't know," the man answered groggily, his voice little more than a croak.

"Take your time, it's alright," Scott assured him, patting his shoulder. "Can you sit up?"

The man nodded and Scott helped him upright. The movement set the man coughing.

"I was going on shift..." the man started, the coughing fit having cleared his throat although he still sounded distant as if he were half asleep.

"Go on," Scott encouraged.

"I saw two men," the man said, his forehead creasing as he strove to remember. "I didn't know them. Weird thing..."

"What was weird?"

The man cleared his throat again, trying to create some saliva as he blinked blearily. "One of them, he looked me dead in the eyes and I swear..."

"What? What do you swear?"

The man shook his head, then looked at Scott for the first time. "International Rescue?"

"Yeah, yeah, we're here, you're gonna be alright." He patted the man comfortingly on the shoulder. "Just keep talking, what were you saying?"

"It's impossible..." He chuckled to himself as if enjoying a private joke.

"Come on, buddy, focus," Scott ordered, shaking him for emphasis. "What's impossible?"

The man's eyes locked on Scott's. "I swear I saw his eyes glow."

Scott froze, cold fingers of fear crawling the length of his spine as realisation dawned. They only knew of one man who possessed eyes that glowed with an eerie unnatural light thanks to his unholy powers. And that man was their arch-enemy, known only as the Hood.

But how could he possibly be here, on the Moon? He was known to be a master of disguise. Could that explain why the protestors pilot had taken ill so suddenly?

Scott's mind raced with possibilities. Had this whole thing been a ploy to get International Rescue to come out? Was it all part of some elaborate plot to steal their secrets and cause them harm as he had tried so many times before? What if he wasn't the only one?

"I have to warn John," Scott growled, speaking out loud before returning his focus to the fallen miner. "Can you stand?"

"I... I think so."

Scott got to his feet and, sliding an arm around the miner's back, helped haul him to upright.

The miner wobbled unsteadily as he tried to find his balance, his eyes straying downwards.

"My pass."

"Huh?" Scott asked, too distracted to have caught his words.

"My pass," the man elaborated, "it's gone. Someone took my pass to the mine."