CSI: Miami - Conspiracy

2. The crash

So here's chapter two! Couldn't stop writing and certainly couldn't resist publishing this right away ;)

A dull, throbbing pain was the only thing that seemed to exist in this world.

A dull, throbbing pain surrounded by darkness. 'What had happened?' his mind wondered, but he couldn't figure it out. In the back of his head, he knew there must be more. There must be so much more than the darkness surrounding him, but he couldn't reach it. He didn't know how. As the pain got worse, his thoughts became more foggy. He tried to fight it but the darkness seemed to overpower him and just as he was about to surrender, there was light. A modest illuminated spot in the endless black scenery. He immediately felt its warmth and attraction and tried to reach for the nameless though familiar light which seemed to reduce his pain. He was certain he knew its source but he just couldn't wrap his head around it. Suddenly, a blurred sound ascended from somewhere. He couldn't quite place it, it seemed to be all around him and at the same time coming from the illuminated spot which was also located 'somewhere'. But where was it? Where was he? Slowly, the sound distorted into something more concrete and he realized it was a voice, but not just any voice, Calleigh's voice. Repeating his name over and over again. 'Eric?'
All of the sudden it struck him. The plane! The accident! Calleigh!
The dim light increased and with all his strength Eric opened his eyes.

He immediately regretted his decision. Once he opened them, the bright light surrounding him pierced right through his brain. His head was pounding and he closed his eyelids again while he grabbed both sides of his head with his hands, a slight groan escaping from his mouth.

'Eric?'

For a moment all his mind wanted was to go back to the darkness, where his pain was just half as horrible as it was now. At that moment he realized what he had opened his eyes for in the first place and to make sure his reason was still there he opened them again. Ignoring the pounding headache his eyes needed a second to adjust to the bright light, but once they did the first thing he saw where two concerned emerald pools looking at him.

'Jesus Christ, you scared the living hell outta me,' the blonde ballistics expert exclaimed with a relieved sigh.

'Cal you're okay?' He asked. His immediate concern almost making him forget his own pain. Calleigh chuckled lightly, 'really? You've just woken up from a plane crash with a hole in your head and you're asking me if I'm okay?' Eric brought a hand to his head and when he looked at it he noticed the blood on his fingertips. 'Relax, it isn't that deep,' she said, incredibly glad he's as good as okay.

Slowly, Eric got aware of his environment and he realized the two CSI's were surrounded by an endless load of trees. A few meters behind Calleigh lay what was left of their plane. He recalled the last images from before the crash in his mind and realized they had basically been flying above a huge forest for who knows how long. He looked up at Calleigh, 'Richard?'

Calleigh looked down and shook her head. No words were needed, Eric understood the gesture. He noticed his headache was slowly decreasing and automatically started going over all their possibilities in his head. What's the first thing you should do when your plane crashes somewhere in a forest?

The petite blonde tried to follow his line of thought, attentively studying his facial expression. Somehow she could guess what he was thinking about, she simply knew her colleague too well. 'I'm pretty positive Richard had a radio,' she said, slightly smiling. Electronics were never her expertise. They were Erics area and she was well aware of that. The tanned cuban immediately looked her in the eyes and a grin appeared on his face, 'you knew exactly what I was trying to figure out didn't ya?' Calleigh nodded and stood up from their spot on the ground offering him a hand, still smiling at him.

Eric got up and the two walked over to the plane wreck. Although his head still hurt, he was determined to get the radio working. And besides, if his wound were too bad, Calleigh wouldn't have let him move from his previous spot anyway. The blonde decided to check what was left of their luggage, since the whole luggage compartment appeared to have survived the crash, while her partner inspected the radio in the front.

About five minutes later, while Calleigh was busy unloading their bags, Eric got out of the cockpit and walked over to her with a defeated and slightly angry expression displayed on his face. 'The radio is dead.' He exclaimed right away, his expression getting darker, 'and it wasn't caused by the crash.' Calleigh looked up, slightly confused, 'what do you mean?'

'I wonder what other defects we would encounter if we started looking,' he growled.

'Eric what are you talking about?'

He sighed, 'the radio was sabotaged and I bet so was the plane.'

'What?' Calleigh's expression went from confused to shocked. 'How can you be certain?' Eric sighed again, 'because a crash doesn't cause wires to cut themselves through, especially not when they're safely tucked away in a panel,' he said, sounding more annoyed than he meant to.

'Eric, what does this mean?' The blonde CSI asked, although she could already suspect the answer.

His deep brown eyes met her emerald gaze again as he spoke the words that were on both their minds. 'Firstly this means that no one knows where we are and secondly...' He paused for a short moment before Calleigh finished his sentence.

'Someone wants us dead.'