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She didn't even think about it. She took two quick, running steps and plummeted straight out into nothing, out of the tunnel and into the shimmering air of the open volcano. She heard Wheeler cry out her name in a panic, but it was too late to stop.
The heat hit her immediately and for an awful moment she felt faint and stupid.
This is a terrible idea, Linka. What are you doing?
As she started to fall, she closed her eyes in concentration.
"Wind!"
The heat sucked her breath away, but her ring glowed blissfully, surrounding her in a strong swirl of air that slowed her pace and allowed her to hover. Below her, she could see Lanai clinging desperately to the outcrop of rock, which shimmered and baked in the heat.
She could feel the draining weight of her own body dragging her down. She panted desperately, the air scorching her lungs. She coughed and called out, thankfully sounding braver than she felt.
"Lanai, catch me as I pass you!"
It was a wonder the other girl heard her. Linka's voice was hoarse and weak. She knew, instinctively, that she would not be able to fly her own weight, plus Lanai's, back up to the safety of the ledge she'd left Wheeler on.
As soon as Lanai was caught up into Linka's hurricane, the Wind Planeteer felt her strength waning. A splitting headache joined the lead that seemed to be replacing her muscles, and it was getting harder and harder to breathe. Had it been cool enough, Linka was sure she'd be soaked in sweat – but any moisture was immediately sucked away by the rough draughts of hot air that seemed to assault her from every angle.
She looked up desperately. Wheeler seemed terribly far away. She could see panic and fear in his eyes, and it did nothing to reassure her. Still, he called out to her, giving her a shaky smile.
"That's it, babe! Almost there!"
She wanted to smile back at him, but it would take too much energy. Too much time. Too much focus.
He was still so far away.
She gave a small, helpless cry as she finally failed, and she and Lanai both tumbled down the edge, skidding to a desperate halt on the ledge Linka had attempted to rescue her from.
Linka panted desperately, sucking the air into her lungs. The rock was scorching hot against her back and the sky spun above her. She closed her eyes.
We don't have long.
She could feel Lanai patting her face gently. Over the pounding noise in her head, and the belching gasses and popping rocks below, she could hear her pleading.
"Linka? Please wake up..."
She tried to wave her away tiredly, intent on sitting up, but she could barely move. She had never really attempted to fly like that before... It was so draining compared to everything else she was capable of doing. She wanted to cry at the unfairness of it all.
The rock was starting to burn her bare legs. She shifted uncomfortably and Lanai gave a sigh of relief and helped her up.
Linka gave her a weary smile. "I am sorry, Lanai," she said softly. Her mouth was dry.
Lanai looked too panicked to even register what Linka had said. "We have to get out of here!" she said desperately. "What do we do now?"
Linka dared a glanced down to the lava below. It popped and swam, looking incandescent as it shifted and burst continuously. It was still far below, but the heat of it was so intense it hurt her eyes and stole her breath away.
"Look!" Lanai gasped, pointing at the sky.
Linka tipped her head back tiredly, feeling dizzy. She smiled when she saw the two long, straight beams of light. One green. One red.
She lifted her arm and her muscles seemed to scream in protest, still aching from the tension she had forced upon them moments before.
"Wind," she whispered. She watched as the light-blue streak of light raced towards the others, shaking and trembling as she waited for Gi and Ma-Ti to join their powers with the others.
The flash of light that meant Captain Planet's arrival barely registered in her mind. Everything around her was orange and glowing. Rocks and ledges closer to the surface of the glowing lava burst and exploded. The smell of sulphur and burning dust was thick in the air.
"Are you okay?" Lanai leaned over Linka anxiously. The Wind Planeteer noticed her face was red and hot, and her hair drifted and moved in the currents of air and gas that shifted around them.
We're not going to last, here. We need to get out.
Linka gave her a weak smile and looked hopefully towards the sky. Captain Planet was tearing towards them both, wearing a slight look of concentration and worry on his face.
"Fancy a lift?" he asked, grinning at Linka and holding a hand out to Lanai.
Lanai appeared too terrified to question anything. She let Captain Planet hold her around the waist, her feet dangling uselessly over the edge of the ledge she and Linka had been perched on.
"I tried to fly," Linka gasped, wanting to explain her current state of exhaustion and distress. "I tried to fly."
"Let me take care of that, now," Captain Planet said calmly, reaching for her. She rested her head against his shoulder like a tired child, his skin blissfully cool against her cheek.
She was dizzy and disorientated. It took her several minutes to realise Captain Planet had flown both her and Lanai to safety, depositing them both gently upon the ground down near the beach.
Wheeler bent over her anxiously. "Okay, babe?"
"How did you get here?" she muttered, pushing him away gently.
"Cap," he answered, frowning and resisting her attempts to get rid of him. As always.
She flopped back into the sand. "Is it over?"
"Not yet," he answered cheerfully. "Almost. Are you feelin' any better?"
"Perfect," she answered, closing her eyes. "Almost."
"You scared the hell out of me, you know," he said, refusing to leave her alone. She felt his arm dig underneath her into the sand, lifting her gently into a sitting position. Her dizziness instantly returned and she mentally cursed him.
"We've gotta move," he said apologetically, almost sensing the frustration and dislike she was silently directing at him. "That volcano god is pissed."
Now that he'd mentioned it, she could hear the volcano rumbling and popping. Cracking her eyes open, a tall column of ash and smoke was drifting into the sky.
We only just made it.
"Where are we going?" she asked tiredly, only vaguely aware that Wheeler was carrying her. "Where is Lanai?"
"She's okay," Wheeler answered. "She's with her brother. Cap and the others are gonna take care of that volcano, but I'm gonna get you back to the eco-sub, okay?"
"I tried to fly," she said miserably, looking up at him.
He grinned at her. "You did a pretty good job of it. I can make an airplane noise now, if you want, and we could pretend –"
"Oh, eediote," she mumbled, closing her eyes again.
"I can understand that one," he said in a hurt voice. Hurt, though she knew he was grinning.
She was suddenly aware that though she had been well and truly distanced from the volcano, her closeness to him rivalled the heat she had felt earlier.
She smiled up at him. "Make the airplane noise, eediote," she said. "Make me fly."
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