Her legs refused to even twitch.

She took another breath, trying to draw some strength out of the air itself. If she could just get enough power, she might be able to shake off the darkness and get out of wherever she was.

It was no use. Her body simply wouldn't respond to her commands.

Her heart was solidly pumping. Annja willed herself to stay relaxed and calm. Panic would rob her of whatever little bit of energy she could manage to muster.

And she needed every ounce of it.

She kept breathing, concentrating on just counting her breaths over and over again all the way up to fifty and then starting back at one again. Breathe, relax, breathe, relax, she told herself.

The darkness lightened. Annja could see a bit of light flashing in her eyes.

"Annja?"

That voice. She'd heard it before. But where?

"Annja?"

She opened her eyes. The wrecked corpse of a truck loomed over her, twisted and gnarled almost beyond recognition. She looked down and saw part of the front end was pinning her down.

She was trapped.

No wonder I couldn't feel anything down there, she thought. Still, it didn't look good, not one bit. She might have extensive damage to her limbs.

"She's awake."

Jenny's face came into blurry view. Annja had to blink several times to clear the picture.

She smiled at Annja. "Nice to have you back with us."

"Wh-what happened?"

Jenny shook her head. Annja cold see the streaks of dirt and grease across Jenny's face. "Some sort of explosion. It tossed the truck through the air and we came down pretty hard."

"You're okay?" Annja asked as everything came flooding back to her.

Jenny nodded. "Probably got a sprain or two, but nothing too serious."

"David?"

"He's okay, thank G.o.d. He's a pretty hardy guy. Got some cuts but nothing beyond that."

Annja frowned. "Looks as if I drew the short straw this time out, huh?"

"David says he's got a jack that must have gone flying when we exploded or whatever it was that happened. He thinks he can crank this off you and we'll be able to pull you out."

"Does it look bad from your angle?"

Jenny glanced down and then back at Annja. "I can't see your legs, so I'm not going to speculate on what it looks like."

Annja frowned. "I can't feel anything down there."

Jenny shook her head. "That doesn't mean anything. You could have no circulation right now. Sort of a pins-and-needles thing, you know? Once David gets the truck off you, we'll be in a better position to see the extent of the damage."

Annja nodded.

The darkness had vanished.

She heard movement around her and opened her eyes again. David smiled at her. "Hey."

"Hey, yourself."

"Found the jack. I'm going to try to get this rig off you. Don't try to move until I tell Jenny to start pulling, okay? I want to make sure you're all...connected down there before we try to move you. Understand?"

"Yeah."

David nodded. "Good. Just stay with me while I do this and we'll have you out in no time flat."

Jenny came around and took Annja's hands in hers. "I think I'll just hold on to your hands here in case I need to tug you out fast."

Annja smiled and looked around. "We're not still on the road?"

"Partially. We're also on the dirt."

Annja frowned. "Where's he setting up the jack?"

"On the asphalt," David called out. "Don't worry. It wouldn't do you much good if I set it up on the dirt and gravel, would it?"

Annja smiled. "Guess not."

"Here we go."

Annja closed her eyes and let the gray mist envelop her. She calmed herself down and relaxed her breathing even as she heard David start cranking the jack. She wondered if there would be a sudden onslaught of pain once the truck was lifted. Would she scream out in agony?

Her heart started beating faster but she kept focusing on her breathing. I just need to stay relaxed, she told herself. And the gray mist that enveloped her seemed to soothe her.

Annja had the sensation of a sudden release of pressure.

Jenny's voice was quiet in her ear. "It's up."

David came around. Annja kept her eyes closed. She was afraid. The prospect of losing her legs was terrifying.

"Well, that's interesting," David said.

Jenny started to giggle.

Annja opened her eyes.