Underground (3)

A freezing cold jarred Cody back to reality. Well... a reality.

Passed out on the stone cave floor, Cody's body heat had been slowly wicked away. He awoke with chattering teeth and skin like ice.

Cody's eyes opened once more in the dimly lit cavern. {There's no way that actually happened.}

The still-glowing pools of blood indicated otherwise.

Cody began to try to rise up on his hands and knees with some difficulty. He's arms and legs were incredibly sore, and his clothing had become stiff with dried blood, quite a bit of which was his own.

"You should probably take it easy there, bud."

Cody's head whipped up to look in the direction the voice had come. He immediately winced, as the sudden motion sent waves of pain through his damaged body. Feelings of nausea welled up, and shortly found himself dry heaving towards the cave floor.

"Hey! What did I tell you?!" The voice shouted at Cody, nearer this time.

Cody felt an arm weave under his armpit and try to help lift him to his feet. He could feel the arm, but when he looked down, he couldn't see one.

"What the hell are you?" Cody's voice was hoarse, he hadn't had a drink since entering the dungeon.

"Oh, that! Sorry, my mistake. I almost always stay cloaked while I'm inside a Dungeon." As the voice continued speaking, Cody could see an arm materializing, then a torso, legs, and finally a head. He was older than Cody expected, somewhere in his late 40's, with gray hair. The man was still in shape physically, but he didn't seem like the rugged type. He was wearing a black flak jacket over his shirt. {This guy looks like he could be my parents accountant.}

The man chuckled as Cody continued to stare at him in disbelief. "What? You didn't think you were the only Enabled person did you? There are already several in the United States alone." As Cody got to his feet, the man dropped his arm, but Cody immediately started toppling over again.

"Whoa there! Alright, I'll help steady you and we can get out of here." The man let Cody lean on him, and they were about to make their way out of the dungeon when Cody remembered the Goblin's Sword.

"Wait, I need to take that sword," Cody told him. The man looked from Cody to the sword, and after staring for several moments, sighed loudly and nodded his head. Together they hobbled over next to where it had been thrown clear from the goblin when Cody had smashed him into the next life.

"I'll grab it," The man said, and after making sure Cody was steady, he bent down to grab it with one hand. It was so heavy he could barely lift it. Using both hands, he was able to tilt the sword vertically so the tip was still resting on the ground. "Sorry, kid. I don't think this thing is coming with us. It's a pretty long walk back to the Breach."

"I can do it." Cody took a few careful, limping steps in order to square up with the sword. {It must be heavy if he can't lift it with his powers.}

Cody grabbed the hilt with both hands, "I'm good, I have it."

"Sure, if you think so..." The man released the sword, and waited for Cody to collapse.

The tip of the blade came off the ground smoothly, and Cody let go with his left hand, letting the blade fall back to rest against his shoulder, tip pointed towards the ceiling.

"Gotcha, super-strength. Okay, let's go." He threw Cody's left arm across his shoulder and they started slowly walking back towards the portal. Mark's comment had Cody's mind spinning. {The sword doesn't feel heavy to me, but Mark could barely move it. Other people have different skills...}

After a few minutes of labored hobbling down the narrow tunnels, Cody broke the silence. "Who are you? How did you find me?"

"I apologize for not being more forthright. Dungeons are pretty sketchy under even the best of circumstances. My name is Mark. My last name is classified as I'm a member of a newly functioning branch of the Department of Defense.

"I'm Cody-" Cody began to introduce himself, but Mark cut him off quickly.

"I've been briefed, I know a bit about you and have surmised what has happened. I'm sure there will be some explanations given once we exit the Dungeon. I really shouldn't say more."

The response stymied Cody's questions, and gave him a lot to think about. {He called us "Enabled". I wonder how long this has been happening? What is going on? Why me?}

As time passed, Mark cleared his throat and began to make small talk, "This tunnel system is pretty complicated, it would have taken me some time to find you if you hadn't made all those marks. Must have been a pretty gnarly few days to fully clear a place like this-"

"A few days? What day is it?" Cody searched Mark's face, but the man just kept his same congenial smile and ignored Cody's probing.

"Portland seems like a nice city! I always watch those travel shows where the guy goes out and eats all over town…" Mark kept talking, but Cody had stopped listening as he was too deep in his own thoughts.

Though the answers were right in front of him, the strain of the last few days had really taken a toll on his ability to sift through new information.

{Dungeons, portals, monsters, powers… It's like I'm trapped in a game. I'm even carrying an over-sized sword!} The irony was not lost on him. Half his childhood had been spent killing monsters in virtual dungeons and collecting loot.

{I'm living that life right now! Mark is a G-man for an agency that deals with dungeons and monsters! This is legit! This is like the beginning of Men in Black, and I'm the Fresh Prince!}

Cody straightened his back in an effort to appear more brave and stately, like an adventurer instead of some moronic construction worker that nearly died in a dungeon because he leapt in alone with no prior knowledge or preparation.

Cody recognized a few of his earliest markings on the tunnel walls and knew they were only minutes from reaching the black portal. With everything that happened, he felt as though a totally different person had entered through that tunnel before. He was coming back a changed man. {How am I going to just go home after this? What am I going to tell my family?}

{Will the government even let me go home?!}

Thinking he might get to be some kind of secret government operative seemed like a fun lark, but how many movies and television shows revolved around the trope that the government would arrest and imprison anyone that it deemed a threat?

Cody was anxious about what was going to happen. {What if I have to fight my way out? I am not as invulnerable as I thought I was. I stopped a needle in the real world, could I deflect a bullet?} The daggers and swords of the dungeon had cut him easily and he wasn't feeling nearly as unstoppable as he had before.

As if sensing his thoughts, Mark released a long breath and began to speak in a more serious tone. "Look, kid, you're going to have a lot of questions. I have to give a report on everything I see, but you don't. If I were you, I'd play my cards close to the chest.

"The government is struggling to manage the situation. This isn't a localized issue, and there is only so much control they are going to be able to exert… You seem like a good guy and you've got a strong gift. If I were in your shoes I'd wait and see what kind of opportunities present themselves."

Cody respectfully listened to his advice; Mark seemed like he offered it genuinely. He opened his mouth to thank the man for his help, but Mark began talking again.

"Whatever you ultimately decide, I'll give you fair warning right now: if you use your gift to harm people or to commit crimes, they'll send me out for you." Mark held his left hand up and made a fist as he talked, "and believe me, you won't see me coming." Mark's hand vanished to punctuate his point.

The hand re-materialized and Mark's voice returned to its normal, welcoming candor, "Here we are!"

The portal was now in view, and although it looked unchanged from when Cody had been sealed inside, he thought the air smelled cleaner as they came closer.

On his first trip through the portal, Cody had to twist his shoulders slightly to fit through the opening. It was slightly too narrow for his wide shoulders, and it definitely wouldn't fit two at a time.

Mark helped Cody step up to the portal first. "You look pretty rough, so be polite. They are probably going to think a monster is coming through the Breach when they see you." He grinned as he shoved Cody into the blackness.