By David C. Daoust
Mari felt the blood rush from her face as she witnessed the small girl suddenly engulfed in debris. She threw her sons weight off her shoulder and onto the dark haired stranger that had assisted her thus far. She heard the man grunt at the sudden shift, but she was far too engrossed in helping the small girl as she rushed off into the pile of brick that was once a nearby building.
Horrified, she searched frantically through the mess. She was not sure what she expected to be able to do, though she hoped and prayed, all the same, that the small girl was somehow unscathed. She found a hand first, sticking up out of the debris. Shifting through the heavier bits, she followed the arm and uncovered the top of the girls head. There was not any blood that she could see, though the hunk of wall that collapsed over the rest of her was far too large for Mari to pull off the girl alone. She heard a muffled sound as the girl seemed to say something. The excitement that filled Mari was like nothing she’d ever felt, the tears welled up in her eyes as it seemed as though the young girl may be ok under there.
“Come quick,” Mari waved at the stranger to help, “I think she’s ok…”
After helping Craiden, still choking and wheezing, to the ground, the man did just that, though without the urgency Mari felt the situation called for. She could not believe the man was so careless about the situation. He seemed to want to say something but didn’t. The apprehension the man showed was unbelievable, a small girl was buried under tons of debris, possibly broken and bleeding out, he didn’t seem concerned at all!
“Quickly,” Mari chastened, “I can hear her. I think she’s saying something.”
Mari positioned herself over one end of the piece clamping the girl down as she waited for Colin to get a grip on his end, then they both heaved the section up, sent the shifting pile skittering all over the place.
“Oh! thank you! Thank you!” Mari heard the small girl’s voice as her big brown eyes and beaming smile came into view. The small girl, spry as can be, kicked her way out of the rest of the debris, “Colin! There you are! I was half frightened you were buried in a cell!”
“Hello, Margo,” Colin said, Mari finally catching a name to the man that had helped them through the disaster.
“My goodness,” Mari exclaimed as the young girl, Margo, seemed to be perfectly intact! Mari dropped her end once the girl was clear. Mari then rushed over and grabbed the girl in her arms, after examining her and embracing her for a good long while, she said aloud, mystified, “It’s a miracle!”
Colin shrugged and held his hands out before himself as the young girl laughed aloud.
“What?” Mari asked, once she realized that she missed something.
The two shared a glance, neither with any idea how to begin to explain to the genuinely concerned woman that Margo was not a little girl at all…
Though before either could, the massive, armored personnel carrier suddenly broke through the nearby disaster zone, its massive cannons firing over their head, plunging energy blasts into the massive battle drones in the distance. As it rolled to a stop, a soldiers head popped out of the top to greet them.
