A little later, Kaveman, who was totally exhausted, lay sleeping. They were still in the computer room.

Connor, after helping CG and Cole repair their injuries with the gel from the broken soul sphere, was tending to her own mangled foot.

CG got up and started checking around the room, stepping over stiffening enemies, looking for any kind of hidden niche. Hitting panels at random, he jumped back a little as one slid open, revealing a large washroom. He stepped in cautiously, seeing a row of stalls and sinks.

He walked farther in, seeing another turn and stumbled onto a shower room.

"Hey!!" he called out, grinning as Cole and Connor hurried in to see what he was yelling about.

"Whoa..." Cole said.

Connor looked at both of them, happily amazed.

This was good news indeed... They all were filthy, covered with blood, dirt and dust from the hallway collapse. The thought of a hot shower right now was just what they needed... CG and Cole looked at Connor, curiously. Obviously, the showers weren't intended to be co-ed, there were no partitions, just rows of dials and shower heads sticking out of the tiled walls on both sides.

Connor smiled slightly, somewhat embarrassed.

"Heh heh... uhh...you guys go ahead... I'll just wait 'till you get done, ...ok??" She started backing away, turning to leave.

CG shrugged his shoulders, grinning. "It's ok, we won't look..."

Connor stopped and turned around, deciding. She didn't really care about sharing a shower with CG, but she wasn't sure about Cole. She glanced at him, warily. He didn't say anything, but Connor didn't trust his expression. Connor shook her head, raising her hands, insisting.

"Naw... really... that's ok... I'm gonna go take a look outside. I can't even tell if it's starting to get dark out... I'll be back soon..." She turned and left.

CG turned on one of the showers, starting to undress. Cole stood there for a moment, thinking.

"I don't think she should be wandering around alone." he said.

CG, stepping into the hot spray, let out a satisfied groan. "What, Cole?" he said, concentrating on how good the water felt. Cole glanced at him, knowing CG was distracted, and headed out of the washroom.

As he emerged into the computer room, he stepped back, slightly out of sight as he spotted Connor, leaning over Kaveman, checking on him. Kaveman looked like he was still asleep.

Cole continued to peer out, watching her as she sat down and pulled on her boots, one of which was rather damaged, and stood up, grabbing her shotgun. She checked to see if it was loaded, then headed in his direction.

Cole jumped back out of sight as Connor passed by, not aware of his presence. Cole could hear CG singing noisily in the showers. He peered out, not seeing Connor. ...She must be heading out to that big window overlooking the ooze lake, he thought to himself.

He ran and grabbed his own shotgun and checked it, moving swiftly to catch up with her.

Trotting out to the entrance of the computer room, he climbed quickly over the window sill where the yellow key had been, not seeing her.

Jogging down the short hallway, he stopped at the opening to the bridge over the slime pool. He could see movement in the room at the end of the walkway.

It was Connor.

Silently, he brought the shotgun around in front of him, moving quietly along, edging toward her position. He could see she had her back to him, looking out through the blasted window. It was starting to get dark outside, and she was watching the ever-present clouds roll by. Her shotgun was slung back over her shoulder.

Cole crept up to the doorway, standing directly behind her, his heart beating hard in his chest. He wasn't exactly sure how he was gonna proceed...

Connor turned around, wanting to get back to the others. She jumped when she saw Cole. She stared at him, momentarily uncomprehending. Cole had his weapon on her. He looked scared.

"Get your hands up!!" he yelled at her. Connor immediately complied, shocked.

"...What??" she exclaimed, still staring at him. Cole shifted nervously, licking his lips. His mouth had gone suddenly dry...

Connor didn't move.

"Uhh..." Cole stammered, clearing his throat. "I want us to have sex. Right here… Now."

Connor's mouth dropped open in utter amazement. Did I hear him correctly??

"Are you crazy, Cole?? I can't believe you just said that!"

Cole stood there, waiting for her response, jabbing the shotgun at her threateningly.

Connor blinked, not sure if this was really happening... To Cole's horror, she started to crack a smile, which unexpectedly erupted into uncontrollable laughter.

Connor couldn't help it... This was way too absurd!

"Hey!" Cole yelled at her, getting angry. ...How dare she make fun of him! Connor put her arms down, still cracking up, even as Cole shouted at her to put them back up. She shook her head, amazed that he'd had the balls to do this...

Cole was starting to feel clastrophobic... This isn't going right! He took a few steps toward her, still holding the gun on her. Connor folded her arms across her chest and just stood there, defiantly, mocking him.

"Come on, Cole... CG put you up to this? Sorry buddy, I ain't interested… You gotta be kiddin' me..." She started to walk past him, scoffing, but he suddenly came at her, catching her by surprise as he shoved her back toward the wall. She was tripped up by a good chunk of the concrete debris directly behind her, and sat down hard on the brick floor, yelping as her head hit the wall with a loud thump. Ok, that's it, you little shit! Rubbing the sore spot gingerly, she started to get to her feet, angry enough to rip his head off. Looking up, however, she sat down again, slowly, her eyes widening in surprise. Cole had pulled the shotgun up to his shoulder and leveled it, inches away from her face.

She tried to see up inside the long barrel. Was it loaded??? It was too dark to tell. She swallowed hard, raising her arms non-threateningly.

"Uh... Cole?? Take it easy, ok? This ain't funny..." Cole frowned, tightening his finger on the trigger.

"C'mon Connor, I'm not kidding! You think Kaveman's so great, but he doesn't give a shit about you! You led me to believe we were such good friends, and then you dumped me for him! You both turned on me! I don't deserve that! If you're gonna put out for him, then I want the same!"

Connor wasn't sure what to do. If this was a bluff, it was a pretty damn good one... "I never led you on!" she said, nervously. Her weapon had clattered to the floor when she'd fallen, and was just out of her reach. Part of her wanted to reach out and grab the shotgun away from him, but he looked just a little too desperate... She was starting to get a sinking feeling that if she tried anything, he'd lose it.

"Yes you did!" Cole yelled at her. "You used to talk to me all the time, then you blew me off!"

"So?? Just because we used to be friends doesn't mean I wanted to screw you! Grow up, Cole!!"

"Did you lie about what you said? About you and Kaveman last night??"

How the fuck did I get into the Twilight Zone?? Connor thought. Is this REALLY happening??

Her eyes jumped a second, seeing a shadow cut across the doorway behind Cole.

It was Kaveman.

Cole hadn't noticed, thankfully. He was too busy trying to figure out what to do next. He shifted on his feet, his finger nervously tapping the trigger.

If I wasn't so disgusted, I'd almost feel sorry for him… Connor thought to herself.

She could see Kaveman in the background of her vision.

Connor didn't dare to glance away from Cole, not wanting to alert him. Kaveman had his revolver out. She could see it was trained on Cole's head. He was still in the shadows, just inside the doorway, very close. If Cole had picked that moment to turn around, he would've been practically face to face with Kaveman's weapon.

It was impossible to read Kaveman's face at the moment. He was expressionless, but scarily intense...

Connor bit her lip, her teeth were starting to chatter, involutarily... This is starting to get way out of control... She stared at Cole, who was staring back at her. He still wasn't aware of what was really going down... Kaveman hadn't moved a muscle.

"Cole, I think you better put down the gun…"

"I wanna know the truth! It's just not fair! I never have any luck with girls, but I thought maybe you were interested in me! I didn't want it to be this way, I just wanted to make sure you would really listen to me! I'm not a bad guy, if you'd just give me a chance!"

Connor wasn't sure how much Kaveman had overheard of their conversation, but she was pretty sure he'd heard enough…

"Cole, nothing happened between me and Kaveman, I was just bullshittin'! Now, put the gun down…"

"I hope you're not lying to me, Connor…"

"Hey, if you don't believe me, ask Kaveman…he's standing right behind you…"

Cole jerked around, horrified.

Kaveman immediately grabbed him by the neck, slamming him up against the wall, furious, jamming his revolver against his temple. Cole shrieked, throwing the shotgun off to the side. Connor quickly grabbed it and scrambled to her feet.

"Help!!" Cole yelled.

"I warned you, you little fucker…" Kaveman said, quietly, "but you wouldn't listen…"

"I…I wasn't gonna hurt her! The gun wasn’t even loaded!!" Connor immediately checked. He was telling the truth, the shotgun was empty.

"Maybe so…" Kaveman said, "but this one is…"

Kaveman started to squeeze the trigger, with every intention of blowing Cole's head off, but Connor grabbed him by the arm, scared to death.

"DON'T!!!" she yelled at him, trying to pull Kaveman away. Kaveman shrugged her off, suddenly slamming Cole dead in the face with the gun instead, knocking him out cold. He pulled back to hit him again but Connor grabbed his arm before he could continue, as Cole dropped like a stone on the floor, blood pouring from his nose.

"Kaveman, STOP!!!" she pleaded, horrified, as he reached for Cole again. He tried to shrug her off, but she was insistant. He growled, wanting to ignore her, but it suddenly hit him that he was about to commit cold-blooded murder... He stepped away from Cole and took a deep breath, allowing Connor to wrap her arms around him. He hugged her back, allowing himself a small evil grin, knowing that when Cole came to, he'd find out that his nightmare would be just beginning...

After a moment, Connor pushed away slightly and Kaveman let loose, allowing her to step away from him. Holstering his revolver, he took Cole's shotgun from Connor, glancing at the still unconcious form lying on the ground. Connor turned away and headed out the doorway facing the ooze moat.

Not looking at him, she quickly crossed back over the bridge, cutting sharply into the connecting corridor. Kaveman followed cautiously, not sure how to approach her.

Stopping short of the window leading to the computer room, Connor leaned back against the green bricks, thoroughly shook up. Dropping her head, she covered her face with her hands, not wanting Kaveman to see her cry.

Kaveman put his hand on her shoulder, soothingly, ...distressed to see her finally break down.

"I can't believe he did that!" she said. "Why won't he leave me alone?"

CG came down from the computer room, meeting them, wondering what had happened.

Kaveman told him as Connor tried to get a grip, taking a deep breath, wiping her face with her sleeve. She sat down on the window sill, utterly miserable. CG, shocked, wrapped his arms around her, giving her an encouraging hug.

"It's ok..." he said, as Kaveman, nodding silently to CG, strode back down the corridor, apparently heading back to Cole...

Connor, noticing, started to get up, alarmed.

CG held her by the shoulders, insisting she sit down again.

"What's he gonna do??" she whispered, eyes wide, looking at CG. He looked at her seriously.

"I think he's gonna make sure Cole doesn't bother you anymore." he said ominously. The sounds of some sort of commotion could be heard in the distance. Connor shrugged CG off, standing up anyway, but CG tugged at her arm, getting her to climb over the sill and put his arm around her shoulders, steering her toward the washroom. Connor was still trying to look back at the direction the sounds were coming from, worried...

CG took her shotgun from her shoulder and gently pushed her inside. "Take a hot shower, Connor... I guarantee you'll feel 100% better..."

She looked at him, uncertain... "It's ok," CG said, nodding. "I'll stand guard right here, nobody'll bother you..."

Connor sighed. "I'm not worried about that..." she said. "...Is he gonna kill him??" she asked. The noises had stopped now, and CG turned around as Kaveman reappeared, easily stepping over the sill and joining them.

He nonchalantly strolled over to them, still carrying Cole's shotgun in his hand, which he handed to CG. Cole was nowhere to be seen.

CG and Connor looked at each other as Kaveman studied one of his hands. Three of his knuckles were bleeding... Kaveman suddenly looked up, grinning amiably at Connor.

"Well..." he said, as if nothing had happened. "Let's get cleaned up, shall we? I could really use it..."

He walked past them and into the shower room, where they heard him turn on one of the shower heads. Connor and CG, both not sure what to think, just stood there.

"Hey..." Kaveman called, "Connor... it's ok... come on..."

Connor shrugged at CG, heading into the already steam-filled room, leaving CG still holding two shotguns with a perplexed expression on his face...

A little while later, CG, Connor and Kaveman sat down to eat. After everything that had

happened, it had been decided that they'd stay put in the computer room for the night, taking turns keeping watch. They were all too tired to try to finish the level until morning. Kaveman allowed himself to study Connor as she cracked up at one of CG's endless quips about the quality of the food. She seemed to be acting more like her old self again.

As they ate, Kaveman saw Cole limp over the window sill, peering in at them. CG and Connor both looked up to see what Kaveman was looking at. Connor almost choked, shocked at Cole's appearance... CG had to stifle a laugh...

Kaveman simply shook his head, disgustedly, ignoring him.

Cole was a mess... He almost seemed to blend in with the scattered remains of the PinkDemon. Obviously, Kaveman had spared no expense in getting his point across... Cole just stood in the other room, not sure what to do.

Kaveman, not looking up, pointed to the showers. "Go on Cole," he said, wearily, "get cleaned up, then come over here and get something to eat. We're spending the night right here..."

Cole, hanging his head dejectedly, limped over to the washroom, heading in, not saying a word.

Kaveman glanced up at CG and Connor, who were staring at him.

"...What?" he asked, looking innocent. "...We had a nice little talk, that's all..." He looked at Connor. She looked a little wary.

"You think you can stay out of trouble for the rest of the night?" he said, sternly.

Connor winced, embarassed.

"I'm really sorry…" she said, somewhat sheepishly. "How can I make it up to you?"

CG perked up, definitely intrigued now... Kaveman gave him a playful shove, reading the expression on his face. CG took a mock swing back at him, which Kaveman fended off.

"Don't say it, CG..." Kaveman warned.

"I got an idea..." CG started to say, but stopped with a grin, seeing the warning glare from Kaveman. Connor sat patiently, amused by their antics.

"C'mon..." she insisted, "There must be something I can do to get out of the doghouse. I'm serious, Kaveman... I feel really bad about all this."

Kaveman looked down, with a halfways grin. Getting up, he offered his hand to Connor.

"Come with me..." he said.

She looked at him, somewhat surprised. Kaveman helped her to her feet. CG started to get up, too, but a warning glance from Kaveman stopped him.

"Stay here, CG. Make sure Cole eats something, and don't come lookin' for us, ok?"

CG sat down, dejectedly.

"Aww... you guys are no fun..."

Kaveman threw him a glance, as he picked up and shouldered his shotgun. Connor started to get hers, but Kaveman shook his head. She stopped and came back over to him, taking his outstretched hand. Kaveman led the two of them back over the low wall leading to the yellow key bridge.

Connor followed wordlessly, wondering what he was thinking. Kaveman was silent. Still holding her hand, he led the way back over the bridge, and into the blasted room overlooking the courtyard. There were no lights in the room, but the glow from the corridor lended enough illumination for them to see each other.

Kaveman let go of Connor's hand and, stepping over debris, walked over to a nearby wall. He sat down on the ground, using the wall as a backrest. He laid the shotgun over his lap, just in case. Connor came and sat down next to him. She waited, feeling somewhat guilty. Is he mad at me?

Kaveman seemed to read her mind.

"I'm not gonna yell at you or anything. I just wanted to spend some time with you without the others."

Connor cracked up, relieved.

"How the hell do you always know what I'm thinkin?" she asked.

Kaveman just smiled slyly. He motioned for her to move closer. Connor complied and he put his arm around her shoulders, encouraging her to lean against him. She did, reassured by his close proximity.

They sat in companionable silence for a time, both preoccupied with their own thoughts. There were no distractions, just a quiet calm.

After a while, Connor broke the reverie.

"I cause you a lot of trouble, don't I?" she said, finally.

Kaveman laughed. "Yep, you do..."

She glanced at him, frowning. He cracked up at her expression.

"It's ok, Connor," he said, "I don't mind. You can't help being defenseless. I'd be scared stiff too if someone held an empty gun on me…" He laughed heartily.

Pissed off by his remark, Connor suddenly turned and shoved hard with a low growl, causing him to fall over on his side with her on top of him, holding him down.

"Hey!!!", Kaveman exclaimed, grinning. He'd expected a verbal retort, not a physical one! She was definitely angry, but still, she was no match for him.

"Stop it, Kaveman! I'm not helpless!!" she yelled at him.

Whoa! Kaveman thought, I guess I said the wrong thing… She still had him pinned. Kaveman wondered if she'd actually hit him. Best not to find out...

Connor hesitated just for a second, wanting to punch him in the face just to shut him up, but also not wanting to risk his wrath. It was a second too long, however, because, before she knew what was happening, Kaveman had grabbed her and flung her to the side, and now she was pinned, and Kaveman was glaring at her!

"Yikes!!" she yelped. What just happened here?? She couldn't move!

Kaveman looked almost predatory. He leaned over her, his face very close to hers. She turned her head, not wanting to look at him, but he felt her body relax just a fraction. He started kissing her neck, moving up to her ear. Unable to resist such a delicious sensation, Connor closed her eyes, feeling her breath catch as a pleasantly uncomfortable tingle ran up and down her spine.

"Kaveman…" Connor said, quietly, trying unsuccessfully to sound convincing, "Cut it out…"

"It's me, Cole… You know you want me…" he whispered seductively, as her eyes suddenly opened wide in astonishment. Kaveman sat up, laughing.

Now she was furious! Growling, she struggled hard against his grip on her, twisting quickly and feeling his hands loosen slightly. Breaking free, she punched him in the face, and he let loose immediately, shocked that she'd actually had the nerve to hit him!

Ooops!! I think I went too far... he thought, holding his jaw. Shit! That fuckin' hurt!

Connor shoved him off of her and jumped to her feet, grabbing his shotgun and cocking it.

Kaveman started to get to his feet, but she jumped back far enough to be out of his reach and leveled the shotgun at him.

"You take that back, Kaveman!! That wasn't funny!!", she yelled at him. He raised his arms in surrender, grimacing slightly.

Remind me not to do that again… he thought.

"Put it down, Connor, I'm sorry.... I don’t know what came over me..."

"Fuck you, Kaveman, I hate being laughed at!" She looked predatory now.

Kaveman couldn't help but be impressed. Yep, she's got me...

"C'mon, you know I didn't mean it!" She wouldn't REALLY pull the trigger... would she?

After a few tensely silent minutes, with neither combatant daring to move, Connor lowered the shotgun and turned around, walking out of the room and into the main corridor. Kaveman quickly got to his feet and followed cautiously, perplexed. Connor was standing in front of the slime river across from the entrance to this level. She heard him and turned around, stopping him in his tracks.

"Go away, Kaveman."

"You wouldn't do anything foolish, would you?" Kaveman asked, worried.

"No," she said. "Go away."

Kaveman lowered his head and turned away, starting to head back to the others, but stopped.

Fix this while you still can…he thought.

He came back over to her, and she wordlessly handed him the shotgun, glancing at him.

"I'm sorry I made fun of you... that was really cruel," he said.

"Yeah, it was."

"Forgive me, Connor?"

She thought about it for a moment.

"Shit, no way, Kaveman, you're a fuckin' asshole... I'll hate you forever, you goddamn jerk..." she said finally, but she was grinning slightly. Then she started cracking up, despite her own embarrasment. Kaveman looked apologetic.

"You still want me to leave?" he asked.

"No," she said with a wry grin.

He offered his hand, which she hesitantly shook.

"Still a team?" he asked.

"I guess. But you're still a jerk…" she said.

"Ok, I guess I deserve that," he said, smiling.

They both returned to the blasted area, sitting down in front of the remains of the window, looking out over the courtyard. Kaveman kept his finger on the trigger of the shotgun, just in case something moved down below.

"What should we do about Cole?" Connor asked.

Kaveman shrugged.

"He's screwed up. We'll just have to watch him. He didn't do anything to you, did he?"

Connor shook her head.

"No. Did you tell him anything?"

Kaveman smiled. "I told him a few things."

"Did you lie?"

"I told him what he wanted to hear."

Connor grimaced. "I just hope he doesn't try anything else."

"He'd better not be that stupid. I told him I wouldn't hesitate to kill him next time."

Connor said nothing, but she didn't doubt him.

"Would you have given in?" Kaveman asked.

Connor looked at him, smiling slightly. "What do you think?"

Kaveman looked out at the weird night sky.

"I think you would have injured him severely, he said. They both cracked up.

"Thanks for watchin' my back, Kaveman," she said.

"Always," he said.

Later that night, Kaveman, who'd been on first watch, shook CG's shoulder gently. CG stirred.

"...Huh?" he said, sitting up groggily.

It was his turn. CG stood up and stretched luxuriously, looking around at Connor, lying nearby.

At the sound of their movements, she opened her eyes, checking out what was going on. Cole was off by himself on one side of the room. He stirred slightly then settled down again.

CG nodded to Kaveman, shuffling off to hit the head before taking over on watch.

Kaveman stretched out on the ground, near Connor. She watched him get comfortable before closing her eyes again.

In the morning, Kaveman opened his eyes, expecting to see Connor asleep nearby, but she was awake, sitting quietly with her shotgun on her lap. Kaveman sat up, sleepily, looking around. CG was fast asleep, limbs sprawled... Cole was asleep too.

Connor was watching him, curiously. Kaveman motioned to her and she leaned forward to hear him.

"...Why are you still up?" he whispered. "This is supposed to be Cole's watch..."

She shook her head. "It's ok... I didn't think I could get back to sleep if I knew he'd be just sitting there, ... watching us..." Kaveman looked at her scoldingly, but he sure couldn't blame her. Connor just shrugged.

A little later, after a quick meal, everyone got geared up and ready to move out. Kaveman led the way back into the dark hidden corridor, CG beside him, then Cole and Connor. They had to practically crawl over the mountain of splayed imps just to get to the upper level watchpost containing the blue key.

Connor hit the switch on the wall, opening a hidden door on the bottom level of the courtyard, directly in front of the blue door. Kaveman picked up the blue key. Cole and CG leaned out the window overlooking the courtyard and whistled, trying to catch something's attention.

A Pink Demon and an imp both charged out of the hidden area, and Cole and CG cut loose on the monsters with the plasma gun and chaingun, reducing them to bloody masses.

Turning to each other, they gave high fives. Kaveman handed Cole the green armor

that had also been with the blue key, urging him to replace his damaged one. Then they headed down the narrow twisted side staircase leading to the blue door.

The BFG had regretfully been seriously damaged by the collapse of the ceiling. Kaveman had looked like he was saying goodbye to a loved one as he'd left it behind. Now, holding a chaingun, Kaveman inserted the blue key and heard the mechanism tumble. CG stood next to him, with the plasma gun. Cole and Connor brought up the rear, both also armed with chainguns, the other having been in the hidden nook in the computer room.

CG kicked the door and it flew upwards, revealing a dark maze-like chamber. Faint light

flickered intermittenly, causing a strobe-like effect.

They stepped inside.

At first, the place seemed empty, but the four companions knew it was a ruse. They proceeded cautiously to the left, pausing while Kaveman slipped into a nearly invisible nook containing illumination goggles. Cole, CG and Connor kept vigil at the opening, trying to see any sign of enemies in the eerie dark, puzzled by the tense silence.

Kaveman, inside the nook, pulled on the goggles and hurridly rejoined the others. He looked around, then froze, every muscle tense.

"What?" Connor breathed.

"Don't anybody lose their cool, cause we're being surrounded by lost souls..." Kaveman muttered.

Suddenly, they were set upon by the hideous banshees. Cole and CG, to Connor's astonishment, took off to the right, as suddenly, Connor found herself practically face to face with a screaming, slashing skull!

A feeling of metallic wind whipped past her face as Kaveman sprayed the flying skull with his chaingun, narrowly missing her. The banshee seemed to burst, causing Connor to jump back in alarm.

Four more moved in to take their place and this time, Connor had recovered enough composure to cut into them with her weapon. Kaveman was at her side, blowing the flaming specters into oblivion. Between onrushes, Connor and Kaveman, who threw the now ineffective goggles to the floor, could both see wild shots from the plasma gun from what seemed the other side of the chamber.

They tried to make their way left, around the perimeter, killing off incoming skulls which seemed to appear from everywhere.

They reached the access door to the exit about the same time that Cole and CG came around the far side, still shooting at everything that moved. A stray burst from the plasma gun caused Connor and Kaveman to dive out of the way as it burst upon the wall they'd been standing in front of.

"Shit!!" Kaveman exclaimed, "He's as bad as Cole!" CG and Cole had now caught up with them and they lunged for the access door, CG blowing to bits a lost soul waiting inside to surprise them.

They all shoved past each other, practically tumbling into the small room. They could hear more lost souls clawing at the access door, trying to get in.

"Grab onto each other!" Kaveman yelled, getting a grip on Connor's arm. She grabbed onto CG, and Cole grabbed onto Kaveman's pack just as the access door gave way, and lost souls started pouring in, screeching. Kaveman slammed his hand down on the exit switch...

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