I do not own Star Trek or its characters. I make no profit from this work of fiction.

Jim groaned as his stomach heaved again, bringing up whatever meager rations he had managed to swallow earlier. He pressed a button to drain away the waste and flopped down his back. Shivers racked his body as his bare back hit the floor; he was clothed only in a set of scrub pants. It made the tested go faster when they didn't have to bother ripping his clothes to shreds.

He curled into a ball, trying to keep warm. He had known going in that the operation would be dangerous. He and Bones were investigating a defunct mining operation that suddenly seemed to be showing activity again. It turned out they had converted the mine into a crude medical research facility with human lab rats.

He and Bones just needed some photos and video to bring to the authorities to end it all. But while getting the evidence, they had been discovered. Bones had gotten away, but Jim had been dragged off, beaten, and then added to their test subject pool.

Jim looked over at the drain in the floor of the cell; strange noises were coming from it. Either that or he was hallucinating again.

"Jim?" a voice whispered fiercely.

Jim's eyes widened. "Bones?"

"Yeah. Help me get this thing off. I'm gettin' you out of here, kid."

Jim dragged himself over to the drain cover and struggled to get his fingers under it. "Bones, are we making an escape through the sewers?"

"No," Bones answered, grunting with effort as he pushed up on the drain cover. "They'd be able to track that too easily. I got us another way out."

Jim managed to get into a sitting position and pulled with all his remaining strength. He fell back when the cover came loose and dropped with a clatter.

"Hurry, get down here," Bones urged.

Jim crawled to the hole just big enough for him to fit and grinned down at Bones. "Hey. Thanks for coming back."

Bones reached up to help Jim down. "Wasn't gonna leave you here, kid. Now, come on."

Jim nodded and dropped his legs through the hole, easing himself down with his arms. He knees buckled the second they hit the dirt.

Bones caught him and swore, running his flashlight over Jim. "What'd they drug you with? Do you know?"

Jim moaned. "No. I may throw up on you."

"S'all right. We're not walkin' out anyway. We're crawlin'. I'll help you. C'mon." He half-dragged, half-carried Jim to a hole in the wall that looked just big enough for them to crawl through. "Managed to find an old tunnel to use. Let's get the hell out of here."

Leonard wasn't claustrophobic by nature. But crawling around in a narrow tunnel with only a flashlight pushed his limits just a bit. His shirt kept snagging on little sharp rocks, and he tried not to think about the infections that might result from it. He tried to concentrate on Jim, keep him talking, keep him lucid. He was too weak to do much except push with his legs as Leonard lay on his back and dragged them both backwards through the tunnel. The gun in his shoulder holster kept digging into him uncomfortably.

"Hang on, kid. Let's take a break," Leonard announced, panting heavily. He squirmed around to remove a water bottle from his utility belt and unscrewed the top. "Here, drink this."

"I might just bring it back up," Jim warned.

"You need to try, Jim." He put the bottle to Jim's lips and tipped it so he could drink. He relaxed a little as he watched Jim's Adam's apple work as he swallowed. "That's it, darlin'." He pulled the bottle back. "Slowly now."

"How much further?"

"We're about halfway."

Jim looked up at him with was supposed to be a glare. "How come you kept sayin' we were almost there?"

Leonard smiled and squeezed Jim's shoulder gently. "Just keepin' you motivated." He wished he could lean over to kiss him, but there wasn't enough room. Instead, he gave him more water to drink. "Okay. Ready to move on and get out of here?"

Jim nodded, and Leonard stowed the water bottle. Then he hooked his arms under Jim's and started to work his way backwards once more.

Jim felt bad that he had passed out twice as they continued on, waking up to Bones shaking him. His legs were numb from the cold, so he couldn't even help push them onward. He hated being so helpless.

"Just stay with me, Jim. Keep talking," Bones grunted as he kept pulling them.

"What's the plan once we get out of the tunnel?" Jim asked.

"I'll have to carry you through a bigger tunnel to the exit. A guy's waiting with a plane to take us back to the city; we need to get you to a hospital."

For once, Jim didn't argue. He felt so sick. He closed his eyes, since the crazy motion of the flashlight tucked under Bones's arm was making him even more dizzy.

"Jim?"

"Yeah. 'M awake."

"We're almost there. I promise. Just hang in there, kid."

"Sorry, Bones. Useless –"

"You hush that talk right now, Jim. This ain't your fault. We both know the risks when we do an investigation like this." The crawling stopped. "Jim?"

Jim's eyes popped open. "What?"

"You're … you're crying."

Jim reached a hand up to his face, wiping at the sudden wetness. "… the hell?"

Bones pulled him a little closer and wrapped warm arms around his chest. The light from the flashlight was partially obscured by their bodies. "Tell me what's wrong. Are you hurt?"

"Everything's a little numb, Bones," Jim answered, letting his eyes falling shut again. "Sorry … some of the drugs mess with my head."

"Shh, don't apologize. I've got you."

Jim leaned back into the embrace. "Can I just … sleep for a minute?"

"Sorry, kid. We need to keep movin'. You all right?"

Jim swallowed back more tears. "Yeah. Let's go." He thought he might have drifted off again even with all the jostling.

"Jim? Open your eyes."

Jim groaned. "Bones …"

"Trust me, it'll be worth it."

Jim forced his eyes open and saw more light spilling into the tunnel.

"Almost there, Jim."

Jim managed to keep his eyes open until Bones finally pulled the both clear of the tunnel. He could suddenly breathe more easily in the wider area. Bones gently set him down and pulled off his torn shirt. "How're you doing?"

"Better now we're out of there," Jim said with a smile.

Bones smiled and flopped beside him, head on Jim's shoulder. He pressed a kiss to Jim's chin. "Just need a minute to catch my breath. Then we'll get to the plane."

"Hey, if there's going to be kissing, take your time," Jim joked.

Bones laughed and slowly sat up, kissing him on the mouth. He stared down at Jim upside down. "Now if you throw up, I might be insulted."

Jim laughed. "I think I'm okay right now."

Bones nodded and hopped to his feet. "All right, let's get the hell out of here." He leaned down and grabbed Jim's arm, pulling him over his shoulder.

"Okay, now I might throw up," Jim groaned. Bones's shoulder was digging into his stomach as he dangled upside down over his back.

"It's not far. Just keep still."

Jim tried to keep his stomach in one place as Bones jogged along. The light continued to get brighter until he could feel warm sun on his skin. He heard Bones calling to another man, and after a moment, he was gently laid down into a seat.

"Jim? Still with me?" Bones asked, buckling him in.

"Yeah," Jim answered faintly, trying to get his eyes to focus.

"Once we're airborne, I'll look you over and see if I can get you more comfortable, okay? You're gonna be all right, darlin'." A soft kiss was pressed to his forehead before Bones moved away to help the pilot prep for takeoff.

A half hour later, Leonard had managed to lay Jim on the floor on top of a foam pad and covered him with a blanket. He worked to disinfect any open wounds he found and gave him an injection to help with the nausea.

He slid a pillow under Jim's head and stroked his hair. "Darlin'?"

"Mm?"

"We've got another hour to go. Get some sleep, all right?"

"Bones? The evidence. Did we lose it?"

"Yeah, we did, Jim. But I think a first-hand account from you will go a long way towards putting those bastards out of business."

Jim smiled. "Good." He shivered. "Still cold."

Leonard rummaged around and found another blanket, tucking it snugly around him. "That better?"

Jim settled, head lolling to one side. "Mm hm."

Leonard kissed his forehead and stroked his hair until his breathing evened out. "We'll get 'em, Jim. They'll pay for what they've done."

The End!