AUSTRALIAN ADVENTURES

Part 12: Rock and Roll

Sid suddenly walked away into the gathering darkness. He was not ready to explain to anyone that his entire system of inner balances was controlled magnetically.

"I'm worried about him," Bunny commented, watching his back. "This could be a...bad...thing."
*********************
They camped for the night on the outskirts of the craters. Sid, who needed no sleep anyway, stayed out on the plains by himself counting dingoes. When he heard them breaking camp, he returned, not saying a word, and got silently behind the wheel of the SUV he drove.

 

 

Himself actually let them travel on real ROADS this day, Henbury being so close to the north/south highway 87 that ran through Alice Springs, then turning west on the smaller 4 that went directly to Yulara, the small town that had grown up just north of the Rock to accommodate the tourists. There were, of course, no tourists there at all today as word had spread that epifolk were coming and everyone wisely rearranged their touring schedules.

Jack was fascinated by the Sails In The Desert Hotel with its captainly-appealing array of sails spreading over the sands. "I may just stay right here!" he smiled. "It's almost...home."

"Turn around," Himself said, waiting for Aubrey to spy the distant Uluru on the southern horizon.

Biebe, seeing it at the same moment, exclaimed, "WOW!"

                              

"And that's from 10 miles away," Himself beamed, almost Aussiely bursting at the seams with pride. "In the beginning," he explained, "the earth was flat and there were no marks on the land. It was the 'Tjurkurpa', the 'Creation Time', and the heroic ancestors of the Aborigines lived on earth, finding the spirit in all life. As they traveled the land, they performed great deeds of both creation and destruction and, in time, Mother Earth gave forth a huge rock, unique, complete. For thousands of years it stood alone in the heart of Australia, as though it were protecting the Mother who had given it life as it vibrated the air with innocence and peace."

        

Annsmac sighed. "He really, really would have been good as the Storyteller."

"Maybe...yet," Terry smiled, nodding in agreement.

"Is..is...it an oval?" Anna asked.

"It looks that way from this perspective," Himself replied, "but seen from the air it's actually more of a rough-edged triangular shape."

                

"I've heard it's the world's largest monolith," Berti added."Can we get closer?"

"Of course," Himself smiled. "Is that not why we are here?"

Bunny kept a close eye on Sid's profile as they drove toward the parking area near the base of Ayres. It had been a long time since she had seen his jaw set like that, tight, the muscles working, the lips pressed together. It all seemed to intensify the closer they got.

"Sid," she said softly, "you don't have to go." The tip of his tongue appeared briefly between his lips, but he said nothing.

They stood there at the base of the trail leading to the summit. It was very steep, with just a simple rope railing along one side.

        

"Up...up...there?" Wanda gasped, the ascent of smooth, very, very high surfaces in 95 degree heat not being at the top of her 'to do' list.

"It'll be fun!" Lachlan laughed, taking her hand and pulling her slightly up the path.

                                    

"Only if you promise to recite a poem for me at the top," she bargained.

"I promise!" he said brightly, his eyes sparkling with eagerness to get going.

"What's on top?" Ando asked, hoping for a lemonade stand at the very least.

"White paint marks," Himself supplied.

                                 

"White paint marks?" she repeated.

 

"Yeah...they make the only trails on the summit. Just follow the white paint marks and you, most likely, won't fall off."

"Most likely?"

"Right...most likely," he agreed, winking at her.

"Why is it so...red?" Mary asked.

"The iron minerals in the surface rocks oxidize in the air," Himself explained.

Sid looked up at its top. It might be sacred to the Aborigines, but to him it loomed like some horrid rusty tumor on the land. He closed his eyes, aware of inner gears speeding up, of delicate balances becoming... unbalanced. The left side of his body began to feel heavier than the right. Still, he set his teeth grimly and followed Maximus up the trail.

                                      

Joimus was going to wait in a small spot of shade at the base, her sight not really being up for such a difficult ascent right yet.

Bunny was very aware as she walked closely behind Sid that his left foot was beginning to drag slightly. Jack, behind Bunny, was aware of it, too. "He's listing to the port bow," he whispered to Rose.

The ascent was, indeed, a bit frightening. Going down would probably be even worse. But once at the summit, the views were fantastic, especially off to the northwest where the Olgas reared their 36 dome-like humps.

                                  

"Kata Tjuta," Himself said, pointing at them.

"I bet they're magnificent up close," Zack whistled.

"We can go there later if you like," Himself offered.

"Sid," Maximus said, coming up beside him, "I...I...feel a disturbance in the Force. Are you greatly affected by the substance that forms this rock?"

Sid nodded, turning away. Maximus reached out, placing his hand affectionately on Sid's arm.

"Don't!" Sid said, brushing it off.

The General looked at him thoughtfully. "I think you should go back down now, Sid."

"Leave me alone!" Sid cried, striding unevenly further along the path.
                               

Jack, watching, narrowed his eyes. Maximus followed, really concerned. "Sid...stop!" he called.

Sid whirled. "Is it not YOU, General, to whom that line is usually delivered?" His jaw worked. "I will stop when I decide to stop. Leave me alone!"

Maximus rubbed his hand slowly over his chin, studying Sid. "You are not yourself," he said softly, unable to dismiss his memories of the blue aspect of the aurora.

Sid frowned. "I am not YOU, for certain!" he spat.

"That is enough, Sid," Maximus said, his voice lowering more than usual. "You forget yourself."

Sid's mind whirled. It seemed like invisible pieces of blue were being flung out of it, pulled down into the iron beneath his feet, dissolving into
nothingness. Suddenly his eyes locked on Maximus', a terror of great lostness filling them.

                                 
"Maximus!" he cried, holding his hands out toward the General desperately.

Maximus stepped toward him as Sid fell to his knees. He crouched in front of him, holding onto his shoulders with both hands, gripping hard. There was a crumpling sound coming from deep inside Sid, whose head was tipped so far down Maximus could no longer see his face. Slowly Sid lifted his head, looking into the General's eyes, with no particular expression at all in his own.

"Sid!" Maximus shouted, shaking him.

Sid blinked several times as though he were trying to regain some lost focus. A series of clicks came from his his head, a soft whir, and then his lips curved into a smirk as his seagreens glittered. "Wanna rock and...roll?" he purred, falling onto his back, pulling Maximus with him, then rolling toward the edge of the sharply curving summit.

                                  

"NO!" Jack shouted, racing toward them. "NO!" But he was too late. The two men disappeared from view, leaving only the sound of Sid's wild laughter in the air behind them.

Bunny had been deep in conversation with Franki about Sid and it was only at the Captain's frantic shout that she turned her head. She ran toward where they had disappeared, but Jack grabbed her. The curve was just too steep, with nothing to grab on to, and she would surely have plunged after them. The Captain stood there, holding her, both of them white and gasping.
         

Sid's grip on Maximus broke as they toppled over the edge. Being heavier because of his innards, Sid fell faster, spreading his arms and legs, smiling at the upcoming ground.

Maximus managed to turn himself, facing the the smooth side of Ayres, clawing at it, trying to find some purchase, some...anything.

Joimus, sitting alone, heard Sid laughing. It sounded as though he were getting rapidly closer to her. She was puzzled. The sound of it was as in the olden days...the days back...before. She tipped her head, trying to bring the fuzzy curve of Ayres into more focus.

*SPLAT* Something crashed practically at her feet, kicking up a small cloud of red dust. She looked at it. It was purple. "Sid?" she asked. "Is that...you?"

"Mumpfrpppssst," the purple blob replied.

She squatted beside it, reaching out exploring hands, finding a back. "Sid?" she asked again.

The blob rolled over. "Gimme a sec," a hoarse voice mumbled.

"Did you...fall?"

 
"Not in the way you mean," he said, his voice going all snake-in-the- gardenish, making the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. Turning his head, he noted there was no squished General beside him, so he looked back up the wall of solid rusty rock.
                                 

Maximus slid rapidly down the smooth curve, heading toward where it changed into a sheer drop of a couple of hundred feet. His fingers curved as he slid, frantically grasping for some fingerhold. Just as the curved-section ended, he latched onto a tiny ridge with both hands, his feet dangling over empty space. Bending his knees, he pressed his toes to the wall, finally finding a small irregularity with the tip of his right boot. Every muscle in his body strained with the effort to hold on. Tipping his head back, he looked up. He was completely out of sight from the top. He knew Jack had not been all that far from where he and Sid had toppled.

 

 

"JACK!" he bellowed. "JACK!"

The Captain heard the desperate cry. Letting go of Bunny, he turned toward the source, but could see no trace of the General.

         
 

"MAXIMUS!" he shouted back.

"DOWN HERE!" Maximus replied. "Just over the curve."

"My God!" Jack said, looking at Bunny, his eyes going all wide.

"How can we get to him?" Bunny asked, seeing that even one more step in that direction would cause a fall.

Jack sprinted back just a bit, looking for the others. "HURRY!" he called. "Maximus needs help!"

"Good Lord, what NOW?" Himself said, running toward him.

"It's Sid," Jack explained. "He went all weird, grabbed Maximus, and rolled...there."

"THERE?" Himself gasped.

Jack nodded. "MAXIMUS!" he called again.

"I'm hanging on...just barely," came a slightly more feeble reply.

Himself's mouth dropped open a bit. Sucking in a deep breath, he looked at Jack. "I don't suppose you still have that anchor rope you used to get us up the cliff to the cave of the Big Fish in Egypt...do you?" (Saving Captain Jack)

Jack nodded sadly. "We went down the steps into the tomb, remember? We never went back out that way."

"Right," Himself sighed. Sid had blocked that entrance anyway. Sid! "Is Sid with you?" he called down.

"No!" Maximus shouted back. "He fell all the way."

Bunny shuddered, picturing blue tubing and sparking circuits.

"Drat!" Sid said, still looking up the cliff.

"What's the matter?" Joimus asked worriedly.

"Your General is doing his human fly impersonation," he growled.

"What...what...do you mean, Sid?"

"He failed to accompany me on my return to your base camp."

She shook her head. "What are you talking about?"

"Ah, how sad it is that your vision has not returned well enough, my dear, and that you are, therefore, missing out on the wonderous sight of your beloved dangling 200 feet above us."

"SID!" she cried, not believing him. "That's not funny!"

"On the contrary, I find it rather delightful myself. Now he can contemplate the rest of his, um, 'descent'...in advance."

Getting stiffly to his feet, he wobbled a moment, then shook himself from head to toe. "Ah, that's better," he said. He saw a small rock near his feet, picked it up and hurled it at Maximus, striking him between his shoulder blades.

"Ahh!" the General cried, almost losing his grip from the unexpected blow.

"MAXIMUS!" Sid hollered up. "Guess who I'VE got??"

He leered at Joimus then turned his head to look back up. "We'll be leaving now," he taunted and, scooping her up in his arms, sprinted with amazing speed off across the flat, scrubby plain toward the Olgas far in the distance.

                                 
Maximus was unable to look down to where Sid was, but when he heard the taunting call, he knew it was true. A sick feeling rose up through his core, making him dizzy for a moment so that he feared he could hold on no longer. Sweat was running into his eyes, stinging harshly, but he managed to twist his head and wipe his brow a bit on one shoulder. Thank goodness he had left his cuirass and cape in the car! As it was, he could feel damp trickles of sweat down his back, down his chest, under his chin. The sun was baking down and the rocks felt hot under his fingers.

"Hurry!" he called faintly, unable to shout with any great strength. "He's... got Joimus."

"What did he say?" Jack asked.

"I couldn't make it out," Himself replied.

Terry was studying the situation. "There's no way we can get to him from below," he said. "We've got to do it from up here."

The cast gathered in a clump, taking stock of what possibilities they might have. "We need to lower someone down to him," Terry explained. "So we need things to make some sort of a rope."

Alex took off his rather yukky brown tie. "Here's a start," he said. Bud and Jeffrey added their ties, but not many of the characters were all that into the wearing of ties. Ando suggested the use of Hando's suspenders, but one suspected somewhat less than altruistic motivations on her part.

          

"I've got suspenders, too," Jim announced.

"Belts!" Sue the Vile shouted. "Who has belts?"

"OoooOoo!" Ando agreed, "Good idea! Belts!!"

Quickly they fashioned a very make-shift rope out the ties, suspenders, belts, with the addition of Zack and Bud's shoulder holsters (Berti had kept Bud's after she found it atop the Escarpment), Andy's dishtowel, and Steve's camera strap.

"I think this will do," Himself said, cocking one eyebrow as he held it. "I hope."

He headed toward the edge, but Terry put his hand on his arm. "No, I'll go," he said. "After all, I'm the rescue agent around here, right?"

Taking the 'rope', he tied it about his waist as several of the male
characters braced, holding the other end. He walked backwards over the curve, the 'rope' sliding through his hands as he went, making little "aah!" sounds as the belt buckles passed over his palms.
                                 

"Maximus!" he called. "I'm coming!" There was no answer.

Maximus' fingers had begun to slip. He pressed his cheek into the rock, closing his eyes. His arm muscles were vibrating with fatigue and his right thigh was cramping terribly.
                                    

"I...WILL...hold on!" he hissed between clenched teeth. He heard Terry's shout, but couldn't manage a reply. A bit of sandy crumble showered onto his head and he knew Terry must be right above him.

Terry leaned down, shouting, "Give me your hand!" But Maximus' fingers were flaming with pain and he simply could not uncurl them from the tiny ridge. Pushing with his boots, Terry swung slightly to the right of the General, lowering himself until he was completely beside him. He slipped his arms under Maximus' armpits and wrapped his legs tightly about him just below his hips.

"I've got you," he said, his voice level, calm. "Release your grip." It took a moment, but at last Maximus' hands came free and he sagged, completely drained, in Terry's arms.

"PULL!" Terry hollered. "I've got him! Pull NOW!"
                                 

Once back over the edge and onto the long curve, Terry put his boots back on the rock surface, half dragging, half carrying the General. At the top, Jack and Himself gripped Maximus' arms, pulling him onto the flat summit where he lay, gasping, on his back. His knees, forearms, and palms were skinned raw from his slide down the rocks as he had tried to find something to hold onto.

"Joimus," he murmured.

"She waiting for you at the base," Buggie said soothingly.

"No," he moaned, turning his head from side to side. "Sid. Sid took her."

"What?" Himself asked quickly.

"I heard him," Maximus said, looking at him with weary eyes. "He said he was...leaving."

                                    
"Where? Where would he go?"

Maximus shook his head again, then covered his eyes with his right palm.

"We need to get back down," Jack said. "Now." He looked seriously at Rose. "The sheepskin is off," he said quietly.

Maximus was simply too exhausted to stand alone, so the Captain and Biebe, supporting him on either side, helped him back down the trail. At the bottom, Franki wanted to put some ointment on his scrapes, but he insisted on going to where he had left Joimus earlier. Her gossamer backpack lay alone in the red dirt, all there was to show she had been there. Nearby was a small depression where Sid had impacted the ground. Only one set of footprints led away...Sid's.

"He's carrying her," Jack commented, narrowing his eyes.

"Going toward Kata Tjuta," Himself added, frowning. "Head for the SUVs," he shouted. "We have our villain back!"