TITLE: None So Blind

AUTHOR: Tarlan

DATE: February 1993

E-MAIL ADRESS: TarlanX@aol.com

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT: Please feel free to distribute *but* let me know and please keep this header section with the story.

SPOILER WARNING: The whole series to be on the safe side!

RATING: PG-13

COMMENTS: This story was originally published by Deep Dark Press and I've bravely decided to release it *without* a rewrite!!

Feedback appreciated - please feed me... I'm starving!! Flames will be circulated around so we can all have a good laugh at *your* expense so if you don't want the publicity...

DISCLAIMER: Mike Donovan, Ham Tyler and all other V regulars belong to somebody else (Warner Bros Inc)... sigh.

No copyright infringement intended. Any characters you haven't heard of before, are copyrighted to me.

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None So Blind
By Tarlan
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The area surrounding the Visitor base was full of activity with red uniformed lizards running back and forth as explosions rocked around them. Tyler grinned. This was what he loved to see, the so called superior Visitor forces stampeding in panic before the small band of Resistance fighters. He spotted a number of lizards attempting to re-group around a laser cannon and hurled another grenade into their midst. The brilliant flash as the power packs exploded and the sight of twisted Visitor bodies tossed into the air like leaves on a windy day brought another self-satisfied grin to the ex-mercenary's face. The smile dropped just as suddenly as he brought his concentration back to the job at hand. By now Mike Donovan and Julie Parrish would have infiltrated the base and obtained the vital documents.

Tyler glanced at his watch, looked up and nodded as he spotted their familiar outlines silhouetted against the fiery back-drop as they made their way to safety. He watched for a few more seconds until he was certain they were safe. The sixth sense that had fared him well over the past decades cut in suddenly and he swung around in time to catch the full weight of the armour-clad Visitor as the guard leapt out from the dark shadows. They fell to the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, rolling over and over as each sought to gain the upper hand. A swift punch to the stomach doubled-up his assailant, giving Tyler the opportunity to get the lizard into a strangle-hold. Despite the lizard's superior strength, Tyler managed to hold on, gradually choking the life out of his attacker. A low reptilian growl rose from deep within and the orange-flame eyes, visible through the dislodged lenses, glowed brighter.

The sudden spray of burning liquid caught Tyler completely by suprise. He gasped in shock and felt some of the pungent fluid sear its way down his throat and into his lungs. Tyler let go of the Visitor instinctively as his hands swept to protect his face, barely managing to contain the scream of pain that filled his mind and body. The lizard, although weakened from the slow strangulation, shoved hard against the disabled human, knocking him to the ground. Survival instincts honed to perfection after a lifetime in the war zone took control of the pain-filled body and Tyler grabbed the mach 10 from his belt and pumped teflon-coated bullets in the last known direction of his attacker. The lizard jerked in the hail of bullets, green blood splattering Tyler's face and clothes as, with an inhuman scream, the lizard fell dead across the prone human.

Tyler lay still sucking deep breaths into his lungs as he fought to contain the pain. Already he could feel his face puffing. He tried to make sense of the darkness surrounding him as he forced his eyes open, certain that the burning fires within the camp should have afforded some light and started to panic as the obvious reason for the blackness crept into his mind. He was blind.

Tyler activated his self-defence mechanism and allowed anger to flood through him. Panic was forced back down as his formidable temper pumped adrenaline through his system. He pushed the dead weight off his legs, kicking at the body until it rolled away from him. Pulling off the leather jacket, he tugged his tee shirt over his head. The early morning air raised goosebumps and he juddered, partially in pain and partially from the cold. He shrugged on the leather and then tore the tee shirt into shreds so he could use the pieces of cloth to wipe his face. It didn't lessen the pain any but it gave him the illusion that he was doing something positive. Fervently, he wished he'd carried some water with him to soak the cloth but then berated himself. He'd have to make do with what he did have.

The sudden descent of silence caught his attention. He sat quietly, listening to the sounds drifting around him. In the distance he could hear the occasional hum of a laser rifle followed by the answering echo from an M16. The attack was winding down as the humans retreated, having obtained what they came for. Tyler knew all too well that he couldn't stay there any longer. Once the battle was over the lizards would search the surrounding area looking for the wounded and the dead. He couldn't afford to be found alive.

The temptation to rub his eyes was almost overpowering but he had the good sense to resist. Stuffing the remaining clean scraps of tee shirt into his jacket pocket, he slowly rose to his feet and turned until he was facing away from the remaining sounds of the recent battle. He started to walk forward carefully, hands outstretched. Tyler cursed quietly as tree roots threatened to trip him and then more vehemently, although still under his breath as his outstretched fingers were bent back by the sudden impact with a tree. He groped his way around the large object, his fingers catching on he rough bark then carried on moving away from the tree as quietly as possible, stretching out with his remaining senses.

Several times his head whipped around at a sudden noise, the snap of a twig, the rustle of a bush. Each time he halted, standing still, poised to defend himself but nothing leapt out at him in his darkness. Tyler licked swollen, dry lips but grimaced at the bitter taste of the remaining lizard venom and blood that coated his face. He needed to clean off the mess, to wash away the stinging liquid. The pain still held him but he savagely pushed it to the back of his mind. He had worse problems to deal with.

He felt his throat tighten where some of the venom had been inhaled and hoped the swelling wouldn't get worse. Doubts began to fill his mind as he placed one foot carefully in front of the other. What if he had gone the wrong way? He tried to visualise the area surrounding the Visitor base. If he was heading North then he should reach the highway within the next hour but if he was going in a north-east direction then.... Tyler tried to picture the map. If he was heading north-east then he would miss the highway completely as it curved west towards Hollywood and instead, he would be walking towards the Mojave desert.

********************

The first rendezvous point was fifteen miles north of the Visitor complex. Donovan pulled to a halt behind the nearly invisible black van as an old pick-up truck pulled in behind his jeep. He leapt into the back of the van with the grace of a dancer, his easy movements allowing him to drop comfortably next to the smaller frame of Kyle Bates. Both men grinned at each other with the knowledge of a job well done. Donovan allowed his grin to take in the others and especially the enigmatic man who had planned this attack so meticulously. The grin faded as he failed to make out the stocky figure within the dark confines of the van.

"Where's Tyler?"

"Dunno. Thought he might be with you. Perhaps he's in the other truck."

"No. Who saw him last?"

Geoffrey Davies spoke out.

"I saw him on the North side taking out a laser cannon just before you and Julie came out of the complex but then I got pinned down by that sniper. I heard a burst of fire coming from his direction shortly afterwards, then nothing."

"I'm going back..."

Kyle grabbed at the muscular shoulder as Donovan started to rise.

"Hey, it's suicide to go back now. The lizards'll be crawling all over the area."

"He's my friend. I'm not leaving him behind." Donovan shrugged out of the younger man's grasp and burst out of the van with Julie in hot pursuit.

"I'm coming with you."

"No. The wounded need you, and besides, someone has to deliver that document to the World Liberation Front."

Julie pulled up short. She cared for Tyler as much as Donovan and wanted to help but he was right. She also knew it would be a waste of breath arguing with Donovan once he had set his mind on a course of action, so she reached back into the van and pulled out her field medical kit.

"In case he's injured."

Donovan took it, gratitude written across his expressive face.

"Change the rendezvous point."

She nodded solemnly, hugged him tightly then waited until the jeep had disappeared into the darkness before climbing back into the van. Making her way to the front, she pulled back the partitioning curtain and ordered the driver to take off.

********************

Tyler moved slowly from tree to tree as he made his way across the lightly wooded area. He realised a split second too late that the ground had tilted sharply downwards as his foot failed to find solid earth where his mind had visualised it to be. His momentum, slow as it was, was enough to cause him to fall forward. His arms windmilled as he sought to regain his balance or catch a branch, anything, to stop the fall but the small twig he caught was ripped from his hand as gravity took him over the edge. He landed with a sharp crunch on his shoulder and then rolled and slid down the steep incline until his fall was broken by a tree. He didn't know whether to be grateful or not for he felt a rib crack as he slammed into the gnarled trunk. He lay still as wave after wave of pain swept across him, waiting for it to recede into a dull ache. As his harsh breathing slowed his ears picked up the sound of rushing water many feet below his position. He carefully reached past the tree and his probing fingers encountered nothing but exposed roots. His luck had held after all as he pictured the ten to fifteen foot drop to the small river that ran along the south border of the desert where the foothills gave way to the sparser shrub-covered terrain of the Mojave desert.

Tyler pushed his thoughts away from the pain by attempting to concentrate on something else. He tried to guess what time it was. Just before the guard attacked it had been fourteen minutes to four. In his darkness it seemed as if he had been walking for days but Tyler knew it could not be more than an hour. He hoped he was far enough away to allow himself time to rest but, to be honest, he doubted he could get to his feet. He had been badly winded by the fall. The dull pain emanating from every part of his body forced him to take stock of his condition.

The first thing he noticed was a throbbing pain from his left hand where he had tried to hold onto the small branch and he realised he must have lacerated his palm as the branch was wrenched through his closed fist. Tentatively probing the area, Tyler felt the torn skin and the tell-tale stickiness of blood. The smell of iron drifted up but he didn't think he was bleeding too hard. He moved to try and pull the shredded t-shirt from his pocket and gasped as the agony from his damaged shoulder and the cracked rib tore into him in unison.

"Shit!' Tyler lay back breathing harshly, gasping to force air through his swollen throat into his lungs as the pain ebbed to a dull ache once more.

********************

Donovan rolled the corpse over and stared into the dead Visitor's face. The ripped pseudo-skin and the dislodged lenses confirmed his suspicion that this Visitor had taken Tyler by suprise. The signs of a fight were obvious in the pre-dawn light. Donovan noted the spittle that had reacted with the pseudo-skin around the Visitor's mouth. The Visitor had spat a stream of venom and if Tyler had been hit in the face then the man was in trouble. The sound of approaching voices pulled Donovan's thoughts back to his own situation. He would have to get out of there now so he quickly checked for signs. Green blood on a nearby tree gave him the clue he was looking for. It was too far away to have been caused when the lizard was shot down and Donovan had seen no other sign of injury on the dead guard. He moved off in the north-easterly direction. If there had been time he would have tried to hide the route he had taken but instead, all he could do was hope the Visitors didn't stumble across their dead friend for a while yet.

Donovan's worst fears were confirmed when he spotted the obvious trail leading away from the Visitor base. Tyler was too much of a professional to leave such a trail under normal circumstances. Abandoning all attempts to hide his own passage, Donovan quickened his pace knowing that the lizards would not be far behind.

********************

Tyler froze as the sound of someone or something near the top of the slope filtered down to his position. He gritted his teeth against the pain as he reached for the s.m.g that was still, miraculously, attached to his side and wondered whether he looked as open and vulnerable as he felt. Raising the weapon until it was held in front of him, he listened carefully. There! He swiveled his head to where the sound of woodland debris being crushed underfoot emanated.

********************

Donovan's heart sank as he came to the edge of a steep slope. His eyes followed the path of destruction downwards. In the semi- darkness at the bottom of the slope he couldn't make out anything untoward yet some sixth sense told him that Tyler was down there.

A thought crossed his mind. If Tyler was still conscious but blind then the man would be dangerous to approach unannounced. He called out softly.

"Tyler? Tyler? Ham!"

Tyler sighed in relief as he recognised the friendly voice. He lowered the weapon.

"Donovan."

The soft cry carried up the slope and was followed by the sound of the large man descending rapidly. Moments later Tyler felt the warmth of another human body as Donovan sank down beside him.

"Not your day, is it Hardrock?"

"Yours neither if the lizards are on our trail."

Donovan gave a brisk laugh.

"Where're you hurting?"

"A better question would be where am I not hurting?" Tyler jerked back as he felt fingers on his face and then flushed in annoyance at himself as Donovan told him to hold still.

"Jesus, Tyler, you're a mess."

He heard the sound of a top being unscrewed and moments later felt a damp cloth pushed into his right hand. He rubbed delicately at his face finding the relief almost as unbearable as the previous pain. He stifled a cry as Donovan probed his shoulder.

"Dislocated or broken?" he asked through gritted teeth.

"Neither. Just badly bruised. You must have landed on it."

Tyler nodded his head to affirm Donovan's assumption.

"Any pain in your legs?"

This time Tyler shook his head in the negative. He was bruised all over but, apart from the shoulder and the cracked rib, he had survived the fall fairly well. He told Donovan so. The sound of a zipper was followed by the sudden feel of cold fingers against his naked chest. Tyler jumped and hissed as pain echoed across his sensitive nerve-endings.

"Christ, Tyler, will you hold still and let me do this."

"Sorry."

Donovan looked up into dark, unseeing eyes clouded with pain and felt ashamed at his angry outburst. He reached over and squeezed Tyler's undamaged shoulder.

"No. I'm sorry."

Tyler glanced away in embarrassment suddenly aware of how vulnerable he must seem to Donovan at this moment. He looked back as Donovan continued with the task of wrapping a bandage tightly around his chest.

"That should stop the rib moving too much, otherwise it could break and I can't deal with that. Likewise, I can't do anything about the shoulder except...."

He rummaged through the medical kit once more and this time remembered to inform Tyler of his intentions before he grabbed his arm and injected the painkiller.

"We'll give that a minute to start working then we're outta here."

Donovan felt a certain amount of relief as Tyler accepted his help in standing but felt the stocky body stiffen as he pulled Tyler's good arm across his shoulders and wrapped his own left arm around the injured man's waist. Logic prevailed as Tyler saw the necessity in this and relaxed slightly against the strong supporting body. They moved forward slowly and Tyler was surprised that he no longer felt afraid of his blindness. Another thought also demanded attention. Donovan could easily have deserted him and no-one would have blamed him but instead he had risked his life to come back. Tyler felt his face crumble as the magnitude of Donovan's act hit him. He knew his errant emotions were just the result of his injuries and the strong painkiller but couldn't prevent a tear from trickling through his tightly closed eyes.

"Tyler? You okay?" He nodded.

"Eyes are sore."

Donovan said nothing in reply as the body relaxed against his own in total trust. Instead he smiled. No doubt, when Tyler was healed, he would conveniently forget the closeness they shared at this moment but Donovan would always remember.

They covered a fair bit of ground in near silence as the pre-dawn light finally gave way to the full brightness of day. Donovan didn't need to tell Tyler that the lizards were closing the gap. With each passing minute, the noise of their trampling feet became louder through the still, morning air. They had been following the line of the small river trying to find a way down the steep embankment but Donovan could find no easy trail.

"Donovan. Stop."

Mike glanced at the injured man noticing the gray tinge to his complexion and the rapid, shallow breathing as Tyler fought to drag air passed his swollen throat. He forced Tyler a few more feet and then lowered him until his back was supported by another of the large trees at the edge of the embankment. Just like the one where he had found Tyler, this one was gradually being uprooted as the soil eroded away into the gully.

"Here."

Donovan pushed the water bottle into the dirty torn hands and watched as Tyler took a small sip. He grimaced as he saw the man choke on the trickle of water. The glands in Tyler's neck had swollen making it difficult for him to breath let alone swallow.

"Can't go on. Leave me."

Donovan didn't bother to reply. He wasn't going to leave Tyler no matter what. Sweat ran freely down the injured man's face and Donovan reached up to feel the pain-creased forehead. Hot. He looked over the edge to the cool, inviting water. If he could get Tyler into that water then that might reduce the swelling and bring down his temperature. If only there was a way down...

"If I had a rope..."

He stopped in mid sentence as he noticed the way the exposed roots formed a natural ladder leaving an eight foot drop at the bottom. It had to be worth the risk.

"We're gonna try and climb down."

Tyler looked up with an incredulous expression as Donovan outlined his plan but eventually realised that he was in no condition to argue it out. However, he couldn't prevent himself verbalizing his doubts.

"They'll never take our joint weight..."

"I'm the one with eyes, Tyler, and I say they will."

Tyler wasn't given the opportunity to reply as he felt his body being lifted onto Donovan's back. He held on tightly.

"Christ, you're heavy."

"It could've been worse."

"Yeah? How?"

Donovan grunted as he started to lower himself over the edge, holding on tightly until he had found a firm foothold. He grasped the next largest root and lowered himself a little further.

"I could've been Chris."

Donovan snorted at the thought. There was no way he could have carried Tyler's large associate down this embankment. As he slowly worked his way down, the vibration jarred more of the soil loose. Donovan coughed and spat as a clump of dry earth crumbled into his face. The climb down became more unstable the closer they came to the bottom of the root system until they were swinging precariously from the lower roots.

"About seven inches in front of your right hand is a root. Grab it. A foot upwards and to the left is another. Grab that one too."

Tyler complied slowly, his arms trembling from the strain of supporting his own weight in his weakened condition. He felt Donovan turn against him quickly until they were face to face and then felt the welcome relief as one of Donovan's arms snaked around him to take some of his weight once more. Following instructions he found himself slowly sliding down Donovan's body until the arm was extended downwards holding onto his wrist and he hung free. His face tightened in agony as his rib cage and shoulder were stretched.

"It's about four feet to the floor. You ready?"

Tyler nodded and then felt the hand release him. He fell awkwardly but had enough sense to stay loose.

"You okay?"

"Yeah. I'm okay."

"Good. Hang on. I'll be there soon."

Tyler turned his head away as more dislodged earth fell into his face. It seemed like a lifetime passed before he felt the larger man drop down beside him.

"I went back up to cover our trail. Should give us some more time but the sooner we get away from here...."

Without waiting for a response, Donovan hoisted Tyler over his shoulder and carried him as quickly as possible out of sight of their 'ladder'. He didn't slow down the pace until another ten minutes had passed. In all that time he heard only the occasional groan break the pattern of Tyler's harsh breathing.

********************

The small tributary that joined up with the river was like a dream come true. The steep embankment on either side formed a natural tent that could not have been more than a foot across at the top. Donovan carried Tyler into the natural cover and lowered the injured man to the ground. He'd already guessed that he was unconscious. He stripped off his own jacket, grateful to be able to remove the item that had been so necessary during the night raid but had become a liability in the stifling heat of the day. He gently raised Tyler's head and placed the crumpled jacket beneath him to act as a pillow. The dark tee shirt came off next. Mike dunked it into the cool stream and used it to cool the hot, sweating body of his companion. Tyler moaned and opened his eyes. Panic filled the dark depths.

"It's okay, Ham. It's okay."

Tyler calmed as the litany of gentle words and the soothing of the cool, damp cloth reached his fevered mind.

"Thirsty," he croaked through dry, swollen lips.

He felt his head being propped up and a trickle of water seeped into his mouth. He choked as the water caught in his throat and was held tightly in strong arms until the coughing fit passed.

Donovan laid his head back down on the bundled-up jacket and emptied the contents of the field medical kit onto the hard ground beside him. There had to be something in there to help. He froze at the sound overhead. Voices filtered through the small opening.

"Sir, they could have back-tracked...."

"No. They must have come this way. Look harder!"

The voices drifted into the distance. Donovan looked across the small river to the land beyond. There was less cover but a much greater chance of escape. He decided to wait another five minutes to give the Visitors time to move away and spent the time administering to Tyler's needs. He pulled back the leather jacket and hissed at the sight of blue-black bruises visible above and below the tight bandage. His first thought was to remove the leather and replace it with his own lighter jacket but he realized he wouldn't be able to do so without causing Tyler immense pain from his damaged shoulder.

Donovan glanced at the scattered contents from the medical kit and selected another phial of the painkiller. As he slid the needle into the soft flesh of Tyler's inner elbow he remembered how squeamish he had been the first time he'd had to administer an injection. Thoughts of 'Nam drifted back as he looked into the restless, swollen features.

He'd first run across Ham Tyler in the Mekong delta. Over the next decade they had exchanged angry words in a dozen different countries. Angola, Laos, Columbia... In fact, if someone had told him that one day he would consider Tyler to be one of his closest friends, almost a brother, he would have laughed in their face.

A soft moan brought his attention back to the present. It was time to move on. Donovan re-packed the medical kit, pulled on the wet t-shirt and tied his jacket around his waist before hoisting the unconscious man over his shoulder. The only sounds drifting down from above were natural to the environment so he decided to take the gamble. The cool water barely came up to his thighs but the current was a little stronger than he expected. He was half-way across the river when a laser bolt struck the water in a hiss of steam barely a yard away.

"Halt, or the next one will not miss."

Donovan cursed under his breath but complied.

"Now, turn around, human."

Donovan jerked as the sound of another laser blast echoed around him followed by the sound of more conventional gunfire. He turned in time to see a Visitor fall from the embankment to land in a twisted heap at the bottom and then whooped in relief as the familiar figure of Kyle Bates strode up to the edge.

"Figured you could use some help."

********************

The rest of the journey back to the LA Resistance headquarters had a dream-like quality for Tyler as he was placed into Julie's capable hands. When he awoke he was still in darkness and felt a momentary stab of panic until the gentleness of a well-remembered voice and the feel of strong fingers reached out to him. He relaxed, secure in the knowledge that Donovan was watching over him. The soothing voice faded as Tyler found himself being pulled deeper into the darkness. He fought to stay awake but his mind drifted back into unconsciousness.

His next conscious thought was of how pleasurable it was to feel warm sunshine on his skin. He opened his eyes to darkness and reached up to investigate the bandage covering them. The tug of an IV attached to his arm puzzled him just as much but a firm, restraining hand prevented him from pulling it out.

"Glad to see your awake. How're you feeling?"

Tyler recognized the soft, feminine voice.

"My eyes?"

"I've applied a lotion that should counteract the venom. Your sights going to be blurry for a few days but..." Julie smiled at the relief so clearly evident on the drawn features. "But for now you need to rest your eyes. The IV's to put some fluid back into your body. You were badly dehydrated. Probably a mixture of shock, fever and the venom. Once this current bag's used up I'll remove it."

The door opened suddenly.

"Hey, Tyler. Welcome back to the land of the living."

Donovan dropped into a chair beside the bed.

"I'll leave you two to talk."

Tyler waited until he heard the door close softly behind the doctor.

"Donovan..." He paused, finding the uncustomary words hard to say.

Mike waited patiently, part of him wanting to let Tyler off the hook by acknowledging his unspoken words, but the stronger part wanting to force the man into admitting how he felt. Tyler fought the inner battle and won. His whispered words barely carried across the small distance between them but to Donovan they were the peals of the Liberty Bell.

"Thank you for coming back for me."

The End
Tarlan
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