Growing Danger

"Keep an eye out for those little green commie bastards, el-tee." Billy was saying. "They might not be good for much, but they can still ambush us with their fairy magic or something. Which reminds me... when we link back up with the batallion, do you think they'll take my Betty away from me? You know, to take her back to the Pentagon and find out what makes her tick? I really don't want anyone else disassembling her, el-tee, I'm... I'm kinda possessive that way."

"I'm not sure." Fred said, looking up at the sun. "I guess... you could just keep it a secret?"

In fact, Fred wasn't sure they would ever get back. He felt something here, a strange force that pulled him forward to some unknown destination. Ever since he was a child, Fred was certain that a strange and terrible fate awaited him - a fate that filled him with awe and dread and a sense of wonder, like climbing to the top of the Himalayas and looking down upon the Earth. Fred had been sent to Vietnam straight out of West Point, and for a time he was sure that this was his destiny. But now he was here. And he was sure that he was getting closer and closer.

"El-tee!" Billy was yelling. "Wake up! What the hell? Stop daydreaming!"

"Wha?" Fred blinked. He stopped just short of going over a steep slope into a gently-flowing jungle stream. "Oh. Sorry about that, Weston."

"How are we going to cross?" Billy said, looking down into the water. "It looks pretty deep, and it's a long way down, too."

"Over there." Fred pointed. "There's a bridge."

They trampled through the undergrowth and to an ornate wooden bridge crossing the river.

"Hunh." Billy said. "That's a pretty fancy bridge there, el-tee. Who do you suppose built it?"

Fred shrugged and stepped onto the wooden planks. Billy followed him, and within seconds they were at the center.

"Hey!" Billy yelled. "Check it out! Look at the water!"

Fred looked down to see the calm water below start to churn and swirl almost like a whirlpool.

"I don't like the looks of that. Let's hurry." Fred said. But before he could take another step, the water below surged up in a massive wave, that crashed into the bridge in front of them and then... stopped. Fred and Billy watched in disbelief as the water, suspended in a swirling column from the river to the bridge, flowed up over the bridge, rose several feet higher, and morphed into a vaguely solid female form that stood on the column of water and stared down at them.

"Humans." the undine said in a burbling voice. "Warriors from another world. Our quarrel is not with you. Turn back now, or die."

"What the hell are you talking about?" Billy yelled. "We're trying to go help our fellow humans who are being attacked by fairy communists!"

"You cannot help them. Their fate has already been sealed." the undine said. Water flowed out of her hands and suddenly froze to form a lance of ice. "Though you are not humans of this world, I will not hesitate to kill you if you interfere. Return to your own land and forget you ever set foot in Third Gaea."

"Geez, el-tee, would you look at the size of her knockers?" Billy whistled. "I mean, I know she's just water, but damn! And I like the curve of her hips, too. What should we do, el-tee?"

Fred looked at him with concern.

1. "We cannot return home." Fred said.
2. "We'll be going now. Forgive us for bothering you." Fred said.
3. Unleash Billy.

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