The arrow came from a place Eddy never would have suspected -- the water, off to one side of the nearest pier. [i]Thwack![/i] Eddy could feel the tendons of his knee separating; the patella pushed out of place. A normal arrow would have gone through-and-through, and Eddy would have pushed on, trusting his bioengineered accessories to keep his knee from tearing itself apart. 

This, however, couldn't have been worse. Who the hell made an arrow out of sharpened bamboo? It had shattered, naturally, sending hundreds of tiny splinters all through his joint. It would take hours and a pair of tweezers to get them all out. 

Fortunately, the pain only flared for a moment before the contra kicked in and dampened the signal. Eddy nodded at his companions, and gave a brief hand signal. One charged the reeds where the shot had come from, and the other tucked his arm under Eddy's and helped him hobble, as quickly as they could, toward the lighthouse. 

It was do-or-die, and dying wasn't Eddy's thing...so it would be done.