Rockslide Chapter 1
It all happened in the space of two minutes. Kirk and the away team were exploring a cave that appeared to be a rich source of sought after minerals when the ground began shaking and rocks started falling around them. Kirk's voice could be heard yelling, "Get Back! Get Back! DOCTOR MARCUS!"
There was a loud rumbling sound, a spine-tingling scream, and then silence.
Emergency lights began to flicker on as pale faces stared at each other. In the hubbub of checking for injuries, no one noticed someone was missing.
Dr. McCoy was inspecting a gash on a red-shirt's arm when Spock spoke up, "Captain, are you injured?"
Silence.
"Captain, please report, what is your location?"
More deafening silence. A sickening sensation filled the doctor as he looked at the pile of rocks that had fallen during the quake. Jim could be buried underneath it. He had been closest to the slide.
"Has anyone located the Captain?" Spock repeated, "where was he prior to the disturbance?"
A wavering voice spoke up. "He-he was beside me, Commander," said a shaky Carol Marcus. "He shoved me out of the way of the slide and I lost sight of him after that." She choked back a sob.
"Lieutenant Sulu, scan for the captain's life signs. Lieutenants Hendorff and Richards, explore the perimeter of the rockfall and search for any sign of the Captain." Spock's voice was steady as he gave the orders, but those who knew him could tell he was very uneasy.
After a ten minute search that felt like eternity, Sulu's voice was heard shouting, "We've found him, Commander. He's pinned under a rock! It looks really bad! Get Doctor McCoy!"
Spock and both doctors followed the sound of the voice around the far side of the pile to where Sulu knelt beside the unconscious form of the captain. Jim was covered in bruises and cuts, but his legs were pinned by large boulder. Judging by the amount of blood seeping out from under him, they were badly injured if not completely crushed.
Spock looked very serious. Carol turned pale. Bones' face became grim. He didn't have the equipment to properly treat Jim here. They'd have to somehow get that rock off him and try to stabilize him enough for transport. Assuming Jim didn't bleed to death or die of shock.
"He's still breathing," Sulu informed him as the doctor knelt beside Jim's prone body. He scowled, seeing the damage up close.
"This is ugly, Sulu. You guys work on getting that rock off him so I can get him stabilized."
He ran his tricorder over the unburied parts of the Captain then set to work trying to keep him from bleeding out.
It was a tricky business, getting the rock off of Jim's legs without it rolling and causing more damage. Spock estimated that it weighed close to one and a half tons, Which meant they'd have to be very clever to get it to budge. While Carol returned to the Enterprise to to fetch Nurse Chapel and additional equipment, Sulu, Spock, and the security team began working on the problem.
Unfortunately, right at this moment, Jim awoke to great pain and confusion.
"Bones?", he gasped, clutching his friend, "Help me, Bones! It hurts like fire."
The Doctor reached for a hypo of painkiller and injected it in Jim's neck.
"Easy there, Jim," he soothed, "we're going to get you out of here, just stay still, okay?"
It pained him seeing Jim suffering so much. Now he understood how it must have been for Spock watching Jim in that death chamber.
"My legs are pretty much destroyed, considering they feel like pulp," Jim gritted out, trying to keep from throwing up at the thought. He felt the meds kick in and the pain eased a bit, much to his relief. "That's better, Bones. Thanks," he said gratefully. Jim's brow furrowed suddenly. "Was anyone else hurt?", he asked, concerned about his crew. There were a lot of rocks that came down, after all.
"Nothing more than cuts and bruises," Bones reassured him. "And Carol's going to be fine. She told me you saved her."
Spock interrupted Jim before he could backpedal and deny anything. "Doctor, we are prepared to move the boulder. Nurse Chapel has arrived to assist you with the Captain. Jim, are you in distress?"
Spock sounded human again. He very rarely referred to Kirk by his first name. Jim smiled a bit.
"Not as much right now, Spock," he managed. Doctor McCoy noted with alarm how much weaker he looked.
"Do it, Spock," he ordered, "if we wait any longer, I won't be able to save him."
Spock nodded and took up his position on the makeshift device they had constructed that would lift the rock up enough to get Jim out. Christine arrived, with a stretcher and medical bag.
"Hang in there, Captain. This is really going to hurt", she warned, taking one of Jim's cold hands in hers. He gave her a wan smile.
"Nice of you to drop by, Chapel. You're a refreshing change from staring at Bones' ugly mug."
"Watch it, Jim, muttered the doctor with a fake frown as he braced Jim on the other side.
"Are you ready, Doctor?", inquired Spock.
"As much as we can be," he answered, "go ahead and move it."
"Very well. Mr. Sulu, raise the lever."
The rock inched up. Jim's knuckles turned white while he gripped the hands of his CMO and head nurse, a scream of agony ripping from his throat as the Boulder moved off of him.
Christine and Leonard pulled the captain forward slowly so he was out of its path and lying on a relatively smooth patch of cave floor. Jim then made the mistake of trying to see his legs, resulting in a violent fit of retching.
"Not a good idea, Jim," sighed the doctor as he wiped his friend off. But Jim had passed out again.
The medical team flew into action, applying tourniquets and splints, to keep the pieces of his legs together and stem the blood flow. His black pants were already soaked in it. Bones gave him another dose of painkiller and the captain was placed on the stretcher and evacuated from the cave. Soon after, he was returned to his silver lady and rushed into surgery.