Authors Notes: Heres a chapter early...because I'm bored. Enjoy :D Don't forget to review please. Honestly I want to hear what you think!?

Master of String

Chapter 4

Trying

The wind whipped around the couple. It was whipping the snow so hard around them that they had to tie themselves together with a rope in Kates bag. Echo kept in touch with his brother through their link. But Kate couldn't hear anything save for the wind blowing past her ears. Every so often Echo would turn and look to see if she was alright. As long as they kept moving they would be. He couldn't see much of her face because it had a scarf around it and goggles over her eyes. All he could really see was the bits of red hair pocking through the top of her hood.

They had been out in the snow for some time now. Probably about five hours waiting for the Bounty to find them. Kate knew that they wouldn't be found easily since they had to keep moving. The constant walking would keep their systems pumping blood. Although Echos system didn't have blood. Oil didn't freeze very easily. Yet Kate could see Echo was becoming sluggish. His limbs were locking up. She herself felt like her brain was freezing in her skull. Her ears were ringing too.

"Echo…" Kate tried to say, but she couldn't get her voice above a whisper. She tried again. She tugged on the rope. Echo turned and looked at Kate who looked up at him tiredly. He walked back and put his hand on her shoulder.

"We can't stop. I'm sorry. I know you're tired. So am I. But if we stop we'll freeze to death." She could hear him breathing through his own scarf. It was a scarf she had given him. But him breathing was a bad sign. It meant his systems were firing off properly. Zanes did the same thing.

"Echo...your systems."

"I'm fine Kate...please. Lets just keep going." He turned and started to walk again. Kate had to move her legs a little to actually get them to function properly. Echo waited patiently understanding the condition she was in. Suddenly grateful for the fact that she herself wasn't pregnant or the baby would probably have died out in this.

It had nearly been an hour when Echo felt a tug again, he was ready to argue his point again. He turned to see Kate on her knees. She tried to stand up, but her legs wouldn't move properly. She looked up at Echo apologetically. He ran over to her and picked her up. Her head rested on his shoulder. She was so tired, she had to rest. Her brain felt like pudding now. Frozen, slushy pudding.

"Kate you've got to keep moving." Echos voice was slow, and choppy.

"Echo I...can't feel my legs." She whispered and gasped seeing a light flashing down at them. Echo looked up and fell to his knees. His optics froze up finally he couldn't see much.

"Kate…" He fell to his side Kate being held protectively in his arms. "Zane...brother. She's passed out." He told him.

"We're here. Don't worry. I see you. Hang on a little longer." Zane landed close to him having jumped down the rope. He ran over to his brother and pulled the scarf from his face. Echo fought him for a moment not to sure what was going on. Kate had been pulled from his arms by someone he was unable to see. He felt himself being sat up, something warm being pressed against his mouth. He heard his brothers voice in his ear.

"Its warm oil Echo...drink it." He slowly opened his mouth and felt the warm liquid slide slide down his throat. To him it tasted like the best oil ever. Warm, creamy, and Zane probably made it himself. He opened his eyes to see that he was in a nice warm bed within the Bounty. Kate was laying next to him in an electric blanket. Her cheeks were flushed and she was sweating profusely.

"Zane?" His voice cracked again. Zane looked at his brother, the cup in his hands.

"She's alright. Just a touch of hypothermia." Pixal said from the corner where she was sitting down her legs propped up on the bed. In her hands was a tablet. She handed it to Zane. Zane held it out so Echo could see.

"We set up a few security cameras in the basement of your house so we can keep an eye on the development." Pixal told him. Echo looked at it and smiled warmly.

"She looks to be developing perfectly." Someone else said in the corner. Echo slowly turned his head to see Borg. "Assuming she stays a she. Have you decided?"

"She will stay a girl." Echo said and smiled sitting back. His eyes drifted to Kate. She looked to be having a dream. She mumbled something and smiled. Echo wondered just who she was dreaming about. His eyes drifted over her form and shook his head. Her smiled however disappeared and she looked horrified for a moment before her eyes shot open. She gasped when she realized a lot of people were looking at her.

"Um…" She scooted a little closer to Echo. Echo smiled down at her until her mind wrapped around who these people were. She tried to speak, but nothing came out.

"Its alright you've just got a bit of hypothermia. Your voice will return when your not to sick anymore." Borg told her. Kate nodded her head and lay back down. Her head felt heavy, and still filled with cotton. At least it didn't feel frozen anymore. Actually she felt warm now. She rolled over pressing her forehead to Echos shoulder. He scooted over a little and pulled her in.

Borg smiled at them and looked up at Zane.

"Perhaps some soup? I'd go make it myself, but I can't reach your stove. The Bounty isn't actually wheelchair friendly."

"I'll go Zane. You can stay with your brother." Pixal said and kissed his cheek on her way out. Zane chuckled before turning back to see his brother looking at him slyly.

"You do not have to be here if you want to be with her." Echo said. Zane smiled and shook his head.

"I almost lost you again brother. Forgive me if I say I'm fine where I am." He said and scanned Kate once again. Her temperature was still in the three digits. Echo looked at the display on the monitor as Zane updated it.

"How long were we out?" Echo asked. Zane sat back down on a chair beside his brother.

"Close to three days." He said looking back at the tablet for a few moments to see his brand new niece seeing if she was alright. The counter still said One hundred and seventy eight days. It was taking to long in Zanes opinion. He was never one for impatience but here he was tapping his finger on his knee.

"Three days. Has Misako been informed that we are alright?"

"Echo...Misako is missing." Zane said. Echo sat up suddenly causing Kate to wake up and look around wondering what was wrong with her husband.

"Echo?" Kate whispered. Echo put his hands on her shoulders lowering her back down onto the pillow coaxing her to get some more rest.

"Its alright, just a bit of bad news." Echo said. Kate sat up and looked at Echo in the optics.

"The baby?" The sudden worried look on her face had almost automatic tears in her eyes.

"No no the babies fine." Zane said showing her a tablet with the feed on it. She sighed laying back down watching the feed for a moment. Her eyes seemed to grow heavier and heavier as she watched it. Echo leaned over and nuzzled her for a moment. He looked up at his brother.

"We don't know yet. Thats where Cole and Jay are right now."

"What about the people inside the cave?" Echo asked

"All in custody at the border." Zane said watching his brother lean back. He shivered involuntarily. He looked at Kate again seeing the scratch on her cheek. It still made his oil boil for doing that to her.

"You should have seen her brother." Zane leaned forward pushing his brother back into a laying position. Apparently his scans were showing fatigue in him. He put the oil back up to his brothers lips and let him drink the warm liquid again before Echos optics flashed a few times. "She was...beautiful." His optics went out completely.

"Yes. I'm sure she was." He pulled the blankets back up to his neck. He looked up when Pixal came inside with the tray. She sat down at the other end and cracked a few crackers in the broth and let them soak for a moment. She looked around at Zane who was picking up his own tray to take it back to the kitchen.

"Finally asleep again huh?" She said touching Kates elbow. Kate turned slowly to look at Pixal. "Come...lets get you to eat something?" Pixal said and helped her to sit up. Kate looked around at Echo. She leaned over and kissed his helm. Echos optics onlined for but a moment to look at her smile at him. He sighed contently before closing his optics again.

"You both scared us." Pixal said holding up the spoon.

"I scared me." Kate smiled and let her put the spoon in her mouth. She found that chewing was a taxing job. After chewing the crackers she sat back and sighed.

"Kate?"

"I feel so tired."

"Your body is still waking up after being almost frozen completely. Your heart beat was incredibly slow." Pixal said holding up another spoonful. Kate took the bite. It actually felt warmer now that she was eating something nice and hot.

"Its alright. You'll be able to sleep when your done." Pixal said.

"Where are we?" Kate asked seeing trees by the Bountys window.

"Hiding." Pixal said offering another spoonful.

"From who?"

"We don't know just yet. But Misako is missing. Cole and Jay are searching for her as we speak. Lloyd is at the museum talking to the people there."

"Oh no poor Lloyd he's got to be worried sick." Kate didn't have much a care for parentage. She was sure their were some parents out there that actually cared for their kids. But hers...didn't. Her mother died when she was really young, her brother Ronin left when he was a teenager, her father was an abusive jerk. Kate was sure his belt raised her rather then her father.

"Yes...he is worried." Pixal saw the solemn look on Kates face. Borg turned his chair around again and he wheeled over to Kate taking her hand in his. Two fingers on her wrist and his eyes on the clock in the corner.

"Your pulse is almost back to normal." He told her and smiled. Kate blushed at Borg holding her hand. She didn't to much like being touched by many people. Specially other men. She cleared her throat and pulled her hand away from Borg before he was finished looking through his manual.

"Oh...apologies." Borg said and moved so Pixal could finish. "You'll be back up and running in no time. I'm sure with Echo by your side it'll be much quicker." Borg said and waved at Pixal before wheeling out of the room.

"You do not have to worry about Mr. Borg He will not harm you." Pixal said. Kate blushed and looked down at her hands.

"I'm just not used to being touched by other men." Kate said blushing. Pixal had been informed of her passed by Zane.

"That is understandable." Pixal said holding out a spoon. Kate took a bite and lay back again.