A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed, as well as to those who took time to read the first chapter. I hope you're all enjoying this story.

CHAPTER 2

Malcolm took the cat carrier from Hoshi as they walked down the corridor to the Southern Cross's crew quarters. Hoshi smiled to herself. Malcolm always wanted to be out in front, leading the way and checking for any danger, but for now he had to follow her, as she was the one with the scanner showing them which way to go. Not that she was expecting any trouble. They were on a Boomer cargo ship, not a Klingon battle cruiser. But, they still didn't know what type of animal Batty was.

"With a name like that, it's probably another flying rodent for Doctor Phlox's collection of alien animals," Malcolm said.

"I think that's what the captain is afraid of," Hoshi confided as they walked. "But, for your information, bats are the only flying mammals on Earth, and they're actually more closely related to primates than to rodents."

"How do you know so much about bats?" he asked.

"I like animals. When I became acquainted with Phlox's Pyrithian bat, I did some research." As she glanced again at the scanner readout, she said, "Whatever Batty is, it's a pet. Surely it can't be dangerous."

Malcolm grunted and shifted the carrier to his left hand. Hoshi could see the fingers on his right hand twitching. She was suddenly glad that he hadn't brought along a phase pistol. How would she ever explain to Hannah if their security officer shot one of her pets? Still, Malcolm was right to be cautious. Sometimes pets that were perfectly docile for their owners could act unpredictably around people they didn't know.

They turned a corner to find a corridor lined with doors. In the dim emergency lighting, Hoshi was just able to see an open area with tables and chairs at the other end of the hall. "This must be the crew's living area," she said.

Malcolm peered over her shoulder at the scanner. "Looks like they're in the third compartment on the right."

When they reached the proper door, Hoshi turned to Malcolm. "We need to be careful that they don't run out into the corridor. We may never be able to catch them if they do that."

"I'm not concerned about Torpedo and Warp Core," Malcolm said. "Knowing them, they're probably hiding, given the change in their routine. I'm more worried about whatever the third animal is." He huffed. "I should have talked to Phlox about an animal tranquilizer."

"Would you stop it!" Hoshi said, amused and annoyed at the same time. If she would have known Malcolm would be so anxious about tracking down one little pet, she would have asked for a tranquilizer for him. "I'm sure Hannah's parents won't have a dangerous animal on board, not with children around. This is a family-operated cargo ship, remember?" She took a deep breath. "Here we go."

The door slid open when she pushed the access button. At least there was enough power to operate the ship's internal mechanisms, Hoshi thought gratefully. Otherwise, they would have had to wait until the generators were on line or use hand-grips to physically pull open the door.

The interior of the room was pitch black. Hoshi and Malcolm cautiously stepped in, the beam of Hoshi's flashlight illuminating only a tiny sliver of the inky darkness. Either there was no emergency lighting in this room, or there was but it wasn't working. She jumped as the door suddenly slid shut behind them.

"Sorry," Malcolm said, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "Don't want them escaping, do we?"

"Right," she said breathlessly. Any more surprises and she was liable to hyperventilate. She took a deep gulp of air, hoping that Trip got life support back up soon. As if on cue, she felt a slight breeze caress her cheek.

"The portable generators are hooked up," Malcolm said. He put the carrier on the deck next to the door and peered around. "Well, where are they?"

A faint meow came out of the darkness.

"Torpedo? Warp Core?" Hoshi called quietly. "Is that you?"

Another meow, louder, came from her right. She turned the flashlight in that direction and saw a neatly made bunk with several bundles of fur near the pillow. For a moment, she thought she'd found the cats, but the animals on the bed were of the stuffed toy variety. They must be in Hannah's cabin, Hoshi realized, seeing other toys and games on shelves above the bed. She aimed the light under the bunk. Two real cats -- one fluffy orange and one gray with black stripes -- were lying next to each other, their legs tucked under them in the classic meatloaf position. Their eyes looked enormous in the darkness. The orange one -- Warp Core -- mouthed a silent meow.

"There you guys are!" Hoshi said. She handed the flashlight to Malcolm, then got down on her knees to reach for the cats as Malcolm directed the light under the bed. Torpedo sniffed warily at her hand, as did Warp Core, who licked her fingers.

"I think they remember me," Hoshi said happily.

"Ssssshhhh!" Malcolm said.

Hoshi, grasping Warp Core by the scruff of his neck and pulling him out from under the bunk -- no easy feat considering how large he was -- asked, "What's the matter?"

"We still don't know what the third animal is," Malcolm said. "It's in here, right?"

Hoshi glanced at the scanner, which she had placed on the deck next to her. Despite the darkness, she could read the information on the glowing screen. "Yes. That's what the readout says."

A high-pitched, blood-curdling shriek issued from behind them.

Malcolm whirled around, the beam of the flashlight whipping about erratically. "What the bloody hell was that?"

Hoshi, her ears ringing, wondered the same thing. Still on hands and knees, she scrambled around to face the direction from which the screech had come. Warp Core, free from her hold, headed in the other direction, skittering back under the bed where he joined Torpedo backed up against the bulkhead.

The bobbing beam of light revealed a desk, a chair, and a built-in dresser, its empty drawers open as if someone had packed in a hurry and hadn't bothered to close them. Malcolm had started to aim the flashlight in another direction when a slight movement on top of the dresser caught his eye. He jerked the beam back. Perched atop the dresser, almost invisible in the darkness, was a small black cat. It blinked twice, as if to say the bright light annoyed it.

"Batty, I presume?" Malcolm asked sarcastically, adding, "What a stupid name for a cat!"

"Oh, I don't know," Hoshi said, slowly getting to her feet and approaching the watchful creature. "It's black, like many bats, and look at the size of those ears!"

Indeed, the cat's pointed ears looked too large for its small head. That, and its seated position on the edge of the dresser, conjured up an image of a bat ready to launch itself into the darkness. Or maybe a gargoyle. But Hoshi wasn't about to tell Malcolm that. He was pessimistic enough as it was.

Hoshi carefully extended her hand toward the creature. After a moment, the cat stretched out its neck to sniff her. Then it resettled in its seated position, all four paws lined up with white claws standing out starkly where they hung over the edge of the dresser top, and gazed steadily at her.

A plaintive meow came from under the bunk. The black cat turned its head in that direction and hissed loudly.

"Maybe 'Bossy' would have been a better name," Malcolm said, warily eyeing the black cat. "I think the other two are afraid of it."

Hoshi began petting the black cat, rubbing her fingers over its head between its ears. The cat tilted its head so that her fingers could scratch behind one of its ears. "I think it likes me," she said in relief.

Ever practical, Malcolm said, "They won't all fit in the cat carrier at the same time."

"Maybe I can carry this one," Hoshi suggested. "Try putting the other two in the carrier."

Malcolm retrieved the metal cage from where he'd left it by the door and brought it closer to the bunk under which Warp Core and Torpedo were hiding. He opened the door and stepped back. During their previous stay aboard Enterprise, the cats hadn't shown any qualms about getting in the carrier, but this time, neither of the cats under the bed stirred.

"Time for your secret weapon?" Hoshi suggested.

Malcolm nodded and dug into one of his pockets for the tuna. He handed the flashlight to Hoshi before placing the can on the desk and tugging the lid off. As soon as he opened it, the aroma of fish floated on the newly recirculated air.

Immediately, the sound of demanding meows filled the room. Torpedo and Warp Core slunk out from under the bunk, going over to twine around Malcolm's ankles. He looked down at them, leaving him unprepared for an attack from another quarter. "What the--!" he exclaimed, jumping, as Batty landed with a thunk on the desk next to him.

"I think it's hungry," Hoshi said.

The tiny cat was gobbling down the tuna as if it hadn't eaten in days. For all Hoshi knew, maybe it hadn't. She hadn't seen any food bowls in the cabin.

"Now I know there's a definite hierarchy among them," Malcolm said, gazing down at the two larger cats on the deck. They'd stopped rubbing against his legs and were sitting patiently, staring intently at the little cat gorging itself. "Batty must get to eat first."

"Well, if it eats it all, that won't help us any," Hoshi said. She edged closer to the small cat and slid the can away from it. Batty, watching Hoshi's hand closely, licked its lips several times but made no move to protest. Turning so that her back wasn't to the small cat -- and earning a chuckle from Malcolm because of it -- Hoshi leaned over and put the can inside the cat carrier.

Torpedo dashed for the carrier, beating Warp Core inside by a whisker. As they voraciously attacked what was left of the tuna, Malcolm tucked their tails into the carrier and closed the door.

Malcolm straightened and indicated the black cat. "Maybe I ought to carry that one. It might put up a fuss."

Hoshi murmured her agreement and moved aside. The two larger cats had finished off the tuna and seemed perfectly content in the carrier. Warp Core was purring loudly. He blinked at her before settling down on his haunches. Next to him, Torpedo rubbed his chin on the bars of the carrier's door. Hoshi looked back at Malcolm as he approached the small cat, which was engrossed in grooming itself. He slowly held out his hand, only to hastily withdraw it when the cat spat at him, raising one paw with claws extended as if to strike him.

"Well," Malcolm said, somewhat taken aback. "Perhaps it was named Batty because it likes to bat at things."

"Or maybe it's not quite sane," Hoshi said, teasing.

Malcolm shot her a glare. "I have never met a cat that didn't know exactly what it was doing. Why don't you try it?" he dared her. "I'll get the bandages ready for after it slices you into little ribbons."

Batty's claws, even though they were small, did look sharp. Hoshi took a deep breath and tried to project an aura of calm. She extended her hand, allowing the little cat to sniff her. Then she rubbed under its chin. The cat closed its eyes, a barely perceptible purr issuing from it.

"All right, sweetheart," she said softly. "We need to get you out of here. I'm going to pick you up now."

She cautiously moved a little closer, put one hand under the cat's belly and another under its hindquarters, and slowly scooped it up. When the cat didn't protest this maneuver, Hoshi let out a small sigh of relief and carefully brought the cat to nestle against her chest. Its purring became louder.

"You really do have a way with animals, don't you?" Malcolm said.

Hoshi smiled in the darkness at the note of envy in his voice. Sometimes a non-threatening posture worked better than a big stick, or in the case of a security officer, a phase pistol.

"Let's get them to sickbay," she said. "Phlox needs to check them out to make sure they didn't suffer any ill effects from the ion storm."

A/N: Still more to come.