Okay, we're back with Ch. 2! :D Things actually happen in this chapter... sort of.
Disclaimer: I do not own Star Trek!
Making a plan was harder than he thought it would be. Once he managed to call the group to some order, the warehouse door opened again and three of the kidnappers entered, interrupting their impromptu meeting.
"Play time," snarled a man in a beat-up black fedora. "Who's first?" Understandably, no one raised their hand.
"What's going on?" Jim whispered to Spock, his closest fellow captive. The Vulcan still hadn't moved and made no indication that he had heard. However…
"They intend to take us outside in pairs for the purpose of exercise. This usually involves a lap or two around the warehouse." His voice was soft enough that Jim had to lean closer to hear him.
"I see. How many goons come with us?"
"I would surmise that since two are present… two."
"Quit yer whispering," snapped the man in the hat. "You two have just volunteered." Using a rough iron key, quite old fashioned, really, he unlocked their cells. "Up 'n' at 'em." He hauled Kirk to his feet none too gently. Jim could feel the muzzle of a gun of some kind pressing into his back.
"C'mon, freak," said the other man, a real hefty sucker with a beard. Spock was subjected to the same treatment. As the Vulcan stumbled out of his cell, Kirk could see why he'd been so still: his arms and ankles were bound with heavy chain.
"What the hell!" said Kirk, but he received no explanation from either Spock or his captors as they were both dragged outside into the wintry day. It was quite cold outside the warehouse and Jim took a moment to adjust, examining his surroundings in the meantime.
The warehouse they had emerged from was only one in a complex of identical gray buildings set against a backdrop of mountains. Mountains? They clearly were not in Iowa any more. How long had he been unconscious? Snow capped the nearest peaks but so far had not crept into the valley. Jim supposed it was a blessing, considering he was still dressed for autumn on the farm.
"Lyle, let's get moving," grunted Spock's guard, pulling his prisoner along with a firm grip on his arm. Lyle – the one in the hat – nodded and yanked Kirk along as he strode off to the right. The rope around Jim's ankles was only loose enough to permit him shallow steps. Between the brutal pace and the loss of balance incurred by his bound arms, he was having a lot of difficulty keeping up.
That turned out to be okay. With all of his awkward flailing, he forced the kidnappers to keep stopping to wait for him. Mindful of the phaser trained on him, Kirk did not seek an escape route. Instead, he examined Spock, glad to get the opportunity. He had never seen a Vulcan before, but he'd read about them in school. First Contact was hit on from kindergarten to high school, and was often a major section of World History, Astronomy, and Physics.
Spock seemed to fit his expectations. He was tall and lean with a cap of shiny black hair, growing somewhat too long in the absence of regular care. His ears were, of course, pointed. His sharp eyebrows were drawn down now as he shuffled along, possibly in anger, though there were no other clues in his face. Jim had no problem vocalizing his discomfort, though Spock trudged in silence.
Their 'exercise' did not afford a very good tactical look at the camp. Nowhere could he see a base, or even an office. Nothing that might give him an idea of where the kidnappers spent their free time making ransom calls. Or whatever. This was extremely disheartening, because the only other details he knew were that they were in a storage camp somewhere in unfamiliar territory. He sighed.
"Oi!"
Jim drew himself up and peered ahead of him, wondering what the sudden commotion was about.
Behind the beefy guy, Jim could see that Spock had tripped over his chains and had fallen to his knees. Jim hadn't noticed before but the Vulcan was shivering rather badly, his lips and ears tinged rust-colored in the cold. Lyle swore under his breath.
"Pick him up, Spike." Spike – what the hell – dragged Spock unceremoniously to his feet, oblivious to or uncaring of his difficulties. Spock remained silent and did not fall again.
---
Back in the cells, Kirk waited until Chekov and Uhura had been taken outside to speak. "Spock." He thought he saw a slight inclination of the Vulcan's head in the darkness. "Are you okay?"
"I do not require your pity."
Kirk narrowed his eyes. "I'm not pitying you, I'm caring about your general well-being."
"…I am fine."
"Well, good. Wanna do a trade?" Kirk was maneuvering himself over to the barred wall separating their cells.
"What kind of trade?" Spock seemed curious, but wary.
"If you untie my hands, I'll give you my jacket."
Spock said nothing for a moment, then he seemed to choose the logical course. "Very well. Give me your hands." His long fingers found Kirk's wrists and set to work on the rope. In a minute or so, Kirk felt the coils loosen and drop away.
"Great." He pulled his arms away, wincing as his stiff muscles shrieked in protest. He gave his wrists a good rub, even though it did nothing for the chafing, and because you had to. It was a rule that if your wrists were tied, you had to rub them afterward. Stretching, he pulled off his leather jacket and shoved it through the bars behind him, draping it awkwardly on Spock. "Sorry, but I don't think there's anything I can do about those chains. Unless you happen to have a communicator or something I could take apart?"
"I do not." Spock paused. "But thank you."
"No problem." Jim quickly set to work on his ankle binding, which was a piece of cake to remove. Then he turned toward Sulu. The boy seemed to be paying pretty close attention. Jim guessed that he was eager to escape again. Speaking of which… "Hey Hikaru. You got out, right? How far did you get?"
He sighed. "Not very. I managed to get past the warehouses, but I didn't really see a road or anything." He had propped himself up against the wall, but didn't look at all comfortable.
"Yeah. I couldn't see one either." Kirk chewed on his knuckle, thinking. "Did you happen to see a… what, a base or something like that? Wherever the kidnappers are staying?"
Sulu sat up. "Actually, I did see a lodge up further on the mountain. It looked a little decrepit, but there was definitely smoke rising from the chimney."
"Where?" The gears in Kirk's head were whirling, putting together a map of the complex in his mind.
"North-northwest, maybe half a mile. If you can get past the buildings, it's impossible to miss." Some spirit was returning to Sulu's voice. Good.
"We need to get over there. I'm sure they have a car we could, heh, borrow. Then we'll be out of here like-"
"Quiet." The warning left Spock's mouth just before the door reopened. Kirk curled up, pretending hastily that his bonds were still in place while Lyle locked up Uhura and Chekov again.
"You don't get any," he growled to Sulu, like it was a punishment. "Not since you buggered."
Sulu, wisely, said nothing.
Lyle and Spike left the room, bitching to each other in some language Kirk couldn't identify. This time when the door shut, Kirk could here a bolt sliding home.
"No dinner?" he asked, half-serious.
"They're running out of supplies. Apparently, our parents are being uncooperative." Uhura looked faintly worried about that, wondering, no doubt, as they all were what would happen if the payments weren't made.
"How do you know that?" Kirk asked.
"She iz awesome," piped up Chekov. "Ven ve vere outside, zey vere speaking some crazy language, but she figured it out like it vas nothing!" Uhura blushed.
"It wasn't that hard. It's some sort of creole, a mixture of Middle Eastern and Slavic dialects."
"Impressive," said Jim, looking at her with new eyes.
"Thanks."
"Right then, you'll be in charge of translation. We're going to need someone with your talents if we're going to get out of here."
"Oh! Ve are still escaping, zen?" Chekov asked brightly. Jim laughed.
"Yep."
"Oh good. Zen ve ken use the road on the south side of camp to driwe avay."
Everyone stared at him.
"How do you know that?"
"Vat? Oh. Zis camp is similar in structure to a lumber camp I hawe wisited in Russia. Zere are usually about fifteen or tventy varehouses and an overseer cabin. Road access vas closest to truck loading area. South."
"Logical," said Spock, breaking the silence.
"Yeah, cool," said Jim. "All right then. Now all we need to know are patrol patterns. Since no one's killed us yet, I figure they don't have a camera in here. And finding food would be a good idea. And maybe a car." He sighed. "This would be so much easier if we had someone on the inside."
"What about the doctor?" asked Sulu. "He's not here of his free will either. I heard him muttering about it when he was fixing me up."
"Perfect," murmured Kirk, nodding to himself. "Yeah, that'd do it." He nodded once more, then clapped his hands together. "All right. Who here knows how to fight?"
Chapter three may take a little bit longer, but it's mostly written. Reviews make me happy!