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“How do you plan on doing that?” Gus inquired.
“Easy,” she stated holding up the walkie and turning it on. “Let’s just hope they’re conserving power and only have one on at a time…”
She fiddled with the channels on it and heard nothing but static.
Come on Paige think, she told herself. What was she thinking? It was Joel and there was only one channel he’d put it on.
“Alphas, anyone there?” she asked pressing the button. “Alphas, this is base, can anyone hear me?”
Silence followed each of her requests and she tried again, “Alphas, this is base, can anyone hear me?”
More silence caused her to lose her cool and she added, “Alphas I swear you’d better answer me; I don’t get out of bed at three a.m. for just anyone…”
“Paige?” came a static reply and she smiled pushing the tears that threatened her back.
“Joel? Is that you? Are the four of you okay?” she managed to get out.
“Paige, honey,” her father’s voice sounded and felt her tension ease the tiniest millimeter. “You picked a crappy time to come home for a visit angel.”
“You picked a crappy time to make me come home for a visit, Dad,” she returned, her heart racing with relief and adrenaline now that she knew for certain they were still alive. “Are you all okay? Sam, Uncle Ed?”
“Fine Sis,” Sam answered her. “Ed’s got a bit of a limp but we’re okay.”
“Where exactly are you?” she inquired.
“Past the blunt rocks,” Joel replied.
“The high side or the low?” she asked unrolling the map of the mine and locating the place he was talking about with ease.
“The low,” he answered, “didn’t you check our locators?”
“No Joel, I didn’t have them turn the locators on before I’d even gotten dressed and hopped on a helicopter giving up sleep because I was worried about you morons because you’d gone into a mine that’d already had one accident,” she threw out letting her fear pour out through her frustration. “What the hell were you thinking letting my father in there? You promised me you wouldn’t…”
“Paige, would you shut the hell up for once?” Joel demanded. “I’m sorry,” he added when there was silence on her end. “It’s been a long night and I didn’t think. But I know I can speak for all of us down here when I say I’m glad you’re up there working on getting us out.”
“Yeah Sis, I’d like to get home to my wife, you remember her, right? Your good friend who you haven’t spoken to in nearly two years…she’s almost due so if you and your ex here could wait until we’re all topside to have it out I’d like to be there when our kid’s born.”
“Sam, shut up. I need to know what happened to cause the first accident. When I flew in there was a major cave-in over the east corridor, I’d say between the gulf and the rabbit.”
“How major are we talking Paige?” Joel asked telling her everything she needed to know.
“Epic Joel…I’m guessing you were trying to clear the path on four with the explosives and that’s what trapped you?” she stated.
“You always were too damned smart for your own good,” Ed said, answering her question with a slight laugh.
“Told you that stuff would get you one of these days,” she teased trying to lighten the mood for them. “Luckily I’m still brilliant enough to come up with a way to get you out of there, all of you.”
“You’ve come up with a plan already honey?” her father asked.
“It’s coming to me,” she said with a forced chuckle. “Just please tell me you all have enough water to tide you until we get down there.”
“We’ve got plenty of water Sis,” Sam assured her. “The lines are still working, and we’ve got bottles.”
“Okay, hey Joel, can you do a bit of scouting for me?” she asked needing to get some harsh facts without worrying that her father would hear her fear.
“Yeah, which way do you want me to go?” he stated.
“Towards the bluff,” she said knowing the voices travelled less that way.
