Spock and T'Mara are still lying close to each other, for the cot barely yields enough room for the two of them. He slowly sits up, as pain radiates from his lower back to his head. He maneuvers from the cot. He hobbles to the sink. He turns the water on, then washes his hands. He allows the water to run into his palms. He lowers his head and splashes water onto his face. As he turns around, he sees a hypo lying on the floor. He slowly approaches the hypo and vial. Despite the pain, he bends down and lifts the vial towards the light. He studies the glistening purple fluid. His mind reels with desire for the drug. He inserts the vial into the hypo. He walks to the cot, then sits on the end of it. He holds the hypodermic needle in his hand. The rational part of him wants to throw it into the trash receptacle, but his drug-craving mind and body wins the argument over his rational mind.
T'Mara wakes as he injects the quastene into his arm. She sits upright. Her body stiffens as she watches her usual strong-willed husband give in to the drug.
Seeing her, he smiles "Ah, you are awake."
She tries to smile, but seeing his dilated eyes makes her cringe. This man who she has loved over the years, the one she has seen as indestructible, logical, and always steadfast, now under control of a hideous drug. At the moment, if given the chance, she would choke the life out of Mr. Simon Gardner.
Spock sees her cringe. "My aisha, what has caused you to be disturbed?" He places his forefinger under her chin.
"I...it hurts me to see you succomb to the drug," she admits honestly.
He slowly drops his hand. "T'Mara...I am sorry."
She is about to speak when they both notice two men standing outside the entrance. The men hold clothes in their hands.
The taller man speaks. "Spock, T'Mara, here are your new uniforms. Come with us!" he barks. He then points a disruptor rifle toward them.
Spock and T'Mara walk up to the entrance.
The guard pushes a button, disengaging the force field, and they walk out.
One man pokes Spock in the back with his rifle, eliciting a slight wince. They proceed down the rows of cell rooms
"Enter the shower and then change into these clothes." He hands the clothes to T'Mara and Spock. She follows Spock into the shower room.
Now in the privacy of the shower, T'Mara turns to Spock while he turns the water on. "Are you okay?" she asks as she begins to wash her hair.
"Yes...I am functional, considering." He also washes his hair. Then he scrubs himself down.
She does likewise, but keeps her eyes on him. His movements are tentative. It does not escape her that on occasion his hands tremor. She dries herself off with a towel that was provided.
Spock now dons black jeans and a black tee shirt. T'Mara slips on a black tee shirt that matches her short skirt. She wishes she could brush out her hair. Spock stares his reflection in a mirror, then shakes his head.
His head bows. "T'Mara...what will become of me...of us...this drug...it now consumes me...but oddly, I desire it." The words are almost inaudible.
Anger boils within her – not towards her husband, but toward the man who was doing this to him. She breathes in to push the anger away. "My husband...I...we are bonded for life." She touches his wedding band. "Like this band, no end." Her fingers go to the side of his face. "Spock, you did not do this to yourself. He did this to you to keep you down. He knows this is the only way he could defeat you."
"Out, right now! Time is a wasting," the brute commands.
They walk out of the room side by side. They are guided out to a courtyard.
"Okay, this is where you two part ways." One man pushes Spock in his back.
The taller man pokes the rifle in T'Mara's back. "Come on." He leads her away. She looks back to Spock till the man forces her head around. He leads her to a large housing complex.
As they walk, T'Mara asks with a scowl, "What drug did they give my husband? This so-called painkiller. He didn't want any."
The man chuckles. "Well, I guess there's no harm in telling you. They gave him quastene."
T'Mara swallows and her eyes widen. "Quastene," she mutters to herself. "Paradise?" She has knowledge of the drug. She knows it is very habit forming. She heard that even after the first use, one can become addicted. Withdrawing from the drug could be devastating to one's body.
"Yes, the street name." The man laughs sadistically. "Yes, beautiful, ain't it. Your logical Vulcan husband hooked on Paradise."
T'Mara's hands ball into fists. Her eyes flame. She desires to kick him where the sun doesn't shine, but that would not be to her advantage. "You may think you destroyed my husband, but do not underestimate him. That man has conquered death. This is nothing." She speaks with more confidence than she feels. She wants the man to believe that her husband will not be defeated, but deep inside she is not sure.
He shoves her into an apartment. "Clean this place spotless. When you are done, I will escort you to the next apartment. Don't even try to escape. There will be a guard posted at the entrance, and all windows are electrified."
"Understood," T'Mara says. She heads straight to the kitchen. She begins her new detail as a house servant.
ooooooo
Three blocks away in a construction area, Spock and several other prisoners are ordered to dig ditches. As Spock lifts his shovel that holds a load of gravel, he feels a rib crack. The shooting pain causes him to fall to his knees. A guard runs to him and cracks a whip across his back. Spock closes his eyes as he flexes his hands.
"Get up, Vulcan! Now!" The man barks.
"I cannot...it is my ribs... I believe I just cracked another rib. A result of my beating yesterday." Spock struggles to catch his breath.
"I don't care. Get up!" The man raises his arm that holds the whip. He brings it down, and the long strap makes contact on Spock's back.
Gary comes from the corner. He runs up to them. "Stop" he says with unusual mercy. The man ceases whipping Spock. Gary helps Spock to his feet. "Follow me."
Gary leads him to a first aid station and helps Spock remove his shirt. He wraps a pressure bandage around Spock's midsection. He hands Spock a hypo. "Here, you will need this."
Spock takes the hypo, then injects the purple liquid into his arm. "Thank you."
He walks with a slow pace, for each movement bring pain that is difficult to control. He tries his best to continue digging. The bright sun begins to sink below the horizon. At last, his day of grueling work is over. They march him back to the cell.
T'Mara is already sitting on the cot when he arrives. Spock sits heavily next to her. A guard shoves a tray with their evening meal along the floor.
T'Mara retrieves the tray and brings it to Spock. "Here, you eat. I was able to eat before I got back here."
He looks at her. "Are you sure?"
"Yes... please eat." She hands the fork to him.
He takes it. He is sure of one thing; the drug did not curb his appetite. He eats rapidly, then T'Mara takes the empty tray over to the entrance. When she returns, Spock is injecting himself with the drug. T'Mara sits at his side and looks him over. She sees that the back of his shirt is torn.
"Spock, they whipped you today?"
"Yes, but I am... satisfactory. Gary stopped the guard from continuing. He put a fresh bandage around my torso, for I also suffered another injured rib."
She entwines her arm with his and they sit together for a few minutes, just absorbing their love. Spock is becoming aware that the drug enhances his sexual desires. He wants her at that moment. He turns and puts his arm around her waist. His lips part and meet hers. The kiss is long and searching.
When he moves his head away from hers, T'Mara studies him. "Spock, surely you don't want…right here…with the guards nearby."
"Perhaps it will entertain them."
T'Mara is well aware that he is not in his normal state, but even so, she is shocked. "No, Spock! I won't."
"Then just let me enjoy your body against mine." As he lies down, he pulls her on top of him. He feels her uneasiness and lets her lie beside him, instead. They fall asleep with his arm around her.
ooooooo
In the middle of the night, Spock hears the guard throw in a hypo filled with what his body, mind, and soul all crave. He quietly rises, picks it up, then goes back to the cot. He sits on the end of the cot and shoots the drug into his veins.
The next couple of days become much the same – rise, work, eat, and Paradise. Spock is back to digging ditches at the site for the new prison. T'Mara is cleaning the apartments that belong to Simon's team of thugs. Sometimes she has to clean Mr. Gardner's mansion.
Spock does not think of his cell as a prison, but as slave quarters. While at work, he manages to secretly converse with a couple of prisoners. He discovers that most of the inmates are there for going against Simon, whether just speaking out against him or actually attempting to take over. Spock assumes all this occurred before the mind controlling drug was added to their food. Now these once strong-minded individuals are men with no backbone. They cower whenever Mr. Gardner comes to the site.
T'Mara has surveyed the mansion for any sign of their phasers or communicators. She could not locate them, so she concludes that their items are probably in a safe. While she would clean the mansion, she on occasion had to dodge the groping hands of the men that came to visit Simon. She befriends a couple of the female captives. They would team up. If any man-made advances towards one of them, they would surround that woman. Sometimes they needed to protect each other from Mr. Gardner or his henchmen. Once in a while, whoever protects the other would get backhanded by his men.
oooooo
On their fifth day of captivity, T'Mara sits on the cot waiting for Spock's return. She bows her head and prays, "Oh Father, Spock shared John 14:27 before we ventured out on this mission, but I have not nor do I feel at peace. Where is that peace now, Lord? Why do we need to suffer? For how long? And my husband, who is now under the bondage of that...that hideous drug...Paradise. Oh, precious Father, how mentally defeated does he need to be before you heal him of this affliction? Are we here to live the life of Job? Our family removed from us, our friends, everything. My faith grows weak. How much more must we endure until this is over?"
As she waits silently, words come to her heart. "My daughter, remember it is not the peace of your understanding, but the peace that will help you endure during this time. And when I grow silent, do not believe I do not care or I will not answer your pleading. Daughter, you and your husband need to remember my words in James 1:2-4. 'Consider it pure joy my brothers whenever you face trials of various kinds for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness, steadfastness must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.'"
She lowers her head to her knees. She does not hear Spock enter the room.
He sits beside her and gently touches her hair. "T'Mara" His voice tender.
She sits up. "Oh...I was praying."
"I see...well, that is something I have not been able to do for obvious reasons...my faith has waned." His body shudders from the pain he is now suffering, for he badly needs another injection.
She leans back and notices his shirt is again ripped and stained with blood. "They punished you again, didn't they?"
"Yes...my ribs have not yet healed, so I cannot move as quickly as they wish. I am caught in what humans call a 'catch 22'. My ribs cannot heal properly because they force me to shovel gravel and push a wheel barrel full of bricks. Since they cannot heal, I cannot move easily. So then I receive discipline for being a slacker." He lets go a harsh chuckle.
She stands and goes to the sink. She runs a cloth under the cool water. He removes what is left of his shirt. She dabs his wounds with the wet cloth. She cringes as she sees the multitudes of fresh wounds on top and crossing his old scars. At that time, their evening meal arrives. On one tray is a tiny tube filled with a salve, and a vial of the purple liquid.
Once done their meals, T'Mara takes the tube and squeezes the salve on her fingers. He bends over so she could rub it onto his back.
Shivering, he reaches for the drug vial. He inserts it into the hypo.
T'Mara turns away as he injects the quastene into his arm. It grieves her soul, seeing him being dependent on the drug. Something she never imagined would ever happen to her unbreakable man. The one she always leans on in time of need. Now she will need to be his stronghold. He will need to lean on her.
As the fluid races through him, his mind begins feeling the effects. He throws the hypo away. He sits beside his wife. Passion rises in him and he reaches for her.
T'Mara shoves him away. "I told you no! Not like this. Not here."
For an instant his eyes blaze, and she wonders if he would intentionally hurt her. Then he lies down and turns to the wall. She waits until he is sleeping soundly to join him.
She begins to weep softly, and he awakens. With his back still toward her, he says, "T'Mara...do not burden yourself over me."
"You are my husband... my bond mate. You would feel the same about me if the roles were reversed."
"Yes, my love, but you have endured enough. As for my...addiction...we will deal with it when we return to the Surak."
"Do you really believe we will return? Why haven't they beamed us back or sent down a rescue team?"
"I am sure they would have, if it were possible. But Uhura is a very intelligent woman. She will arrive at a solution."
T'Mara can only hope that he is right.
ooooooo
Spock is at the construction site. Today he is laying bricks. After his midday break, Gary comes up to him. "We have another task for you, follow me."
Spock follows Gary. He flinches as he enters the punishment yard. He swallows hard, wondering why he is going to be punished. He sees a dark-skinned man whose hands are chained to the wall above his head. The man's back is facing outwards. His shirt had been removed. Like Spock, this man had been lashed several times. Another man walks up to Spock. He hands Spock the spiked leather strap. Gary turns sharply and shoves Spock toward the man.
"This prisoner attempted to escape. Give him twenty lashes."
"No, I will not," Spock says with pure defiance.
Gary shoves a rifle into Spock's ribs. "Whip him now!"
"No. As I said, I will not. No man deserves to be lashed. I will not participate in your sadistic practices of cruelty."
"So you refuse?" Gary asks, still jabbing the rifle into his ribs.
"Yes, I refuse." Spock's eyes narrow with defiance.
"You are willing to take his punishment for him?" Gary asks, eyes glaring.
"If need be. I will not whip this man."
Gary moves closer to Spock. "Even though he was caught escaping?"
"Escaping is not a valid reason to enforce extreme physical punishment."
"Okay, Vulcan... Unchain the man." Gary commands. Another man unchains the prisoner. "Watch, Tobias, as this foolish man takes your punishment." He escorts Tobias to the side. Gary now encourages Spock to move to the wall with his rifle.
"Remove your shirt!"
Spock removes his shirt. Then Gary slams Spock against the wall. He chains Spock's hands to the wall. Gary draws the whip back and cracks it against Spock's scarred back. Tobias turns his head away as Gary continues the punishment. The other man forces Tobias's head forward, so he does not miss any more of the lashes.
Mr. Gardner comes upon the scene. "Gary, cease!"
"But he hasn't received his full punishment," Gary protests.
"So be it."
Spock's heads turns so he can see Mr. Gardner. Through clench teeth, he says "Becoming soft, Simon?"
Mr. Simon Gardner laughs sadistically. "No, my half breed friend. I arranged a better punishment for you." Mr. Gardner removes Spock's hands from the chains. He picks up Spock's shirt. Spock slowly pulls the shirt over his head.
" You were a fool to take Tobias's whipping," Simon tells him.
"Perhaps."
Tobias walks up to Spock. "Sir, I owe you. You are a courageous man. Again, I thank you." He offers his hand to Spock.
Spock shakes the man's hand. "You are welcome, but you owe me nothing."
Gary yanks Spock away from Tobias. He then escorts Spock to the cell and shoves a vial and hypo into his hand. "Here."
Spock staggers to the cot and sits down. He lifts the vial up to the light and just stares at it. Giving in to its allure, he injects the liquid into his veins. He runs a hand through his hair and lies down.
Sometime later, he hears footsteps coming towards the cell room. T'Mara enters their tiny reprieve from slavery. She goes right to the cot. Seeing his eyes, she realizes he is under the influence. Then she looks behind him. His shirt is soaked with green blood.
Her breath catches before she can speak. "Spock...my love...the word was spread by the female slaves about what you did. You took another's whipping." Fighting back tears, she tends to his wounds.
Then, sitting close by him, she pulls out from her under her shirt a small pocket laser and a gold chain.
Spock brow rises. "My wife, how did you obtain those items?"
"The chain is from a slave named Shanna. Tobias is her husband. She said it is a gift from them to you."
T'Mara hands it to him, but he pushes her hand away and says, "No, you keep it."
She hands the small laser to him. "I slipped this under my duster in one of the apartments. Once out of camera range, I hid it in my bra."
He holds the laser. "I have an ingenious woman as my wife." Spock smiles a very unVulcan smile. "If my calculations are correct, I can cut a hole to expose the force field wires. I shall begin as soon we have our evening meal." They both raise their heads, for men can be heard walking to their cell. It is not the men who deliver the meals. It is Mr. Gardner and Gary.
"Hello, Spock. Surprised, huh? "Simon says, then smirks.
Spock stands, as does T'Mara. Mr. Gardner enters the cell, with Gary right behind him.
"Now Spock, you recall, I still need to finish your punishment." Simon points to T'Mara.
Gary shoves Spock towards the cell wall. He grabs T'Mara by her arms. He yanks her as she attempts to pull free. Spock's hands reach out for him, but due to his weakened condition, he cannot outmaneuver Gary.
Mr. Gardner points his disruptor at T'Mara's head. "Uh, no, no, my friend. Once again, your punishment is going to be her suffering. This time you cannot take her place."
Fearful of what Simon is planning, Spock pleads, "No... You must not... I beg of you…"
As Gary and Mr. Gardner drag T'Mara out, they both laugh mercilessly at Spock. "Don't worry, I'll have her back tonight," Simon sneers.
Spock charges, but the electrical field is back in place. He yells out in pain as it flings him to the floor.
Two hours pass. Food trays have been delivered, but he has no interest in eating. There is sudden noise in the corridor. He looks up to see a man holding his wife by her upper arm.
Spock rises as the man shoves her into the cell. He goes to T'Mara and holds her close. Her shirt is ripped down to her waist. He almost fears the question he needs to ask.
"Did he?" He barely gets the words out of his mouth.
She shakes her head no. "I was able to fight him off. I kicked him where it hurts." She buries her head in Spock's chest. "Now I know why he acts so tough. He needs to overcompensate for his...lack of manhood." She lets go a weak laugh. "When I delivered that kick, he crumpled to the ground squealing like a little girl."
Spock cocks his brow. "Fascinating." He slowly lets go of her. "Now to test out that laser. I would have sooner, but...I was in need of rest."
He goes to the wall nearest the entrance. He points the soundless laser at the wall where he predicts the wiring will lay. It sluggishly begins cutting into the wall. Spock turns off the laser and heads over to the cot. "It works, but could use more power."
T'Mara sits down beside him. "But it should help us escape."
"Escape, T'Mara...perhaps, but the odds are against us."
"Do we have any choice but to try? How much more can your body tolerate? The guards beat you almost daily. How long can we hang around here waiting for Simon to make his next move? He just attempted to rape me; maybe next time he will kill me." T'Mara voice shows how weary and discouraged she is feeling.
Spock knows his wife is correct. Though they only have been in prison for 8.68 days, it has become overwhelming for both of them. But escaping would not be easy, by any means. Where would they head? Could they find anyone willing to help them once they are out? And in the back of his mind is his addiction. Once out, how would they obtain the drug he needs?
"T'Mara, I agree we cannot stay here. There is much to consider. What of Dr. McCoy? We cannot leave him behind."
"I have been going over this. You've told me that many of the people are in this prison because they defied Mr. Gardner. They must have connections to others outside this prison. An underground group. Perhaps they are hiding on the outskirts of the city. Spock, we need to align ourselves with the other inmates. The news of what you did for Tobias has already spread. He's the first person you should go to. I can talk to Shanna. Remember the two women who escaped by stealing a flivver? They made it all the way to the space station. We must think positive. We have to. As for McCoy, I don't think Gardner will harm medical personnel. He needs his expertise. Spock, we have to try, not just for us but for the colonists. We need to get back to the ship and report all these atrocious crimes. It's our duty."
Spock gazes at his convincing wife. Then he reaches out and cups her chin with his hand. "You might have just given this Vulcan renewed focus. Yes, T'Mara, our duty is to these people. We will fulfill our mission." He kisses her on the lips.
A guard taps on the wall. "Hey, Vulcan, over here."
Spock walks cautiously to the entrance. The man deactivates the field, then hands Spock the hypo already filled with his fix. Spock thanks the guard, then walks back to the cot and sits next to T'Mara.
Her eyes move from the hypo to his face. She grasps his right wrist. "Do you really have to?
"Do I have to?" His voice becomes scratchy. He clears his throat. "That is a valid question. Do I need to? That, T'Mara, I can't honestly answer."
She slowly releases his wrist. She cannot watch, so she turns her head away. He jabs the hypo into his arm as if he wanted to cause himself pain. He could not wrap his logical mind around the fact that he could despise it and desire it at the same time. Maybe that is why it was so insidious.
He turns, then his fingers run through T'Mara's dark, curly locks. His hand ends up on the side of her face. "Please...I love you."
She takes hold of his fingers, then slowly moves his hand to his lap. "Tell me that when you are not under the influence." She turns away.
He sighs. He gets up and walks to the force field. As he observes the guards, his mind drifts to the liquid coursing through his veins. He has become well-acquainted with the drug. His adrenaline increases, his sexual desire also increases, and emotions are enhanced. Then there were the aftereffects when the drug left his system – nausea, chills, tremendous pain that travelled throughout his body, and at times tremors. He wonders how his body would react if he had to go more than a couple of hours past his usual time. Would it push him to insanity? He slightly shakes his head, trying to get his thoughts more positive.
Seeing that the guards are no longer being attentive to their duties, Spock pulls out the laser and begins to cut the wall. If there was some sort of monitor in the cell, the phaser would already have been discovered. He watches as the small line through the wall deepens. He ceases.
Going over to the cot, he quietly says, "T'Mara, we need to find something to cover this hole, in case someone walks in and notices it. To say I punched a hole in the wall with my fist is not believable." When there is no response from his wife, he realizes that she is sound asleep. He pulls the thin blanket up to her chin, and feeling tired, decides to join her.
oooooooo
"T'Sheika! T'Sheika!" Spock sits straight up so quickly, he experiences lightheadedness. He places his hand to his forehead to push back the feeling. He begins to breathe more normally, but his eyes are still a bit wide.
T'Mara stirs, then sits up next to him. She touches his forearm. "Spock?"
He turns his head toward her. "T'Sheika – she is with our other children?" His mind is still trapped between the drug-induced nightmare and reality.
T'Mara sees his distraught expression. "No...no, Spock don't you remember? Before we left earth, we...attended a remembrance service. We scattered her ashes in the Pacific Ocean."
His face contorts with emotional pain as the memories flood in. The medical center's emergency room, Doctor McCoy's efforts, the wrenching news of their premature baby's death. His mind flashes back to the memorial service, to watching T'Sheika's ashes get caught in the wind. His eyes grow moist. "My aisha, I remember now... she is dead. Lost forever to us." He chokes out the words. He lays his head on her shoulder. For the first time since T'Sheika died, he weeps.
T'Mara wraps her arms around him as she, too, cries. "Not forever, Spock. Not forever…"
ooooooo
In another building, Dr. McCoy lies awake. His thoughts are on Spock and T'Mara. Were they still alive? There were rumors of Spock being severely beaten. Other rumors of Spock being addicted to quastene, and T'Mara raped by Mr. Gardner. Then he thinks to himself, Spock, T'Mara, find a way to escape. Don't worry about me. I have lived a good life. You two still have perhaps 100 years or more. You have three wonderful children who need their parents back home. Also, this colony needs saving. Spock, if anyone, it is you that can help rescue these people.
McCoy closes his eyes, hoping for sleep.
oooooooo
The next few days, Spock befriends Tobias, along with a couple of other slaves. He learns of an underground group that stays at a building, five miles west of the city. He also learns about who to contact in the city.
Shanna tells T'Mara about the best escape route. There is an area of the complex that is not heavily guarded. T'Mara finds a small picture in the trash. It should suffice in covering the hole created by the laser. She successfully smuggles it into their cell.
Finally, the time comes.
"Tonight?" T'Mara looks to Spock.
"Yes."
"So you think that with your current state of mind you will able to induce uncertainty in one of the guards?"
"I don't believe the quastene will interfere. T'Mara, if we do not succeed and are recaptured…" He holds her hands.
"Yes. Can I pray for us?"
"Proceed."
"Oh heavenly Father, you know what we are about to do. Lord, you also know if we fail, we might die. Lord, I ask you to please guide our way. Jesus, if we are successful, help our friends aboard ship to rescue us. Sweet Lord, watch over Dr. McCoy. As you restore my faith, also restore my husband's faith. Amen." She lets go of his hands.
"Thank you, my wife." He stands. "Are you ready?"
"Ready, Captain." She walks to the wall's edge. She removes the picture. Spock goes to the other wall. He places one hand on the wall with his fingers spread. He closes his eyes, for he is in deep concentration. He feels his mind tap into the guard's mind.
On the other side of the wall, the guard shakes his head. Then mindlessly he leaves his post. Spock and T'Mara watch him walk past the cell. After a moment, she reaches inside the hole with one hand. She yanks the wires lose, and the field dissipates. Spock springs out of the cell. The other guard is taken by surprise. Spock grabs the man by the arm and lands a blow across his face. The man crumbles to the ground. Spock drags the man inside the cell. He removes the handcuffs off the man's belt and cuffs the man's hands while T'Mara binds the man's ankles with some binding tape she had smuggled from one of the apartments. He takes a small disruptor from the guard. Spock then pulls out the door entrance card from the fallen guard's shirt pocket. With it, they could gain entrance to the main buildings.
Cautiously, Spock and T'Mara make their way down the steps to the exit. He runs the card over the scanner. The exit door opens. They step into the dark street. Spock had memorized the instructions that Shanna gave T'Mara. He takes his wife's hand and swiftly dodges down darkened alleyways. The city is under a curfew. Searchlights sweep the neighborhoods, so at times they need to hide.
They stop to rest, leaning against a wall of a building. T'Mara turns her head to face her husband. "Wow, that was nerve-racking, but we made thus far."
"Yes, that indeed was a test of one's nerves. We must continue on."
He leads her through another series of alleyways, to an abandoned building. Spock finds a way into the windowless structure.
"We will spend the rest of the night here." Spock tells her.
He sits on the dirty floor and leans his back against the wall. T'Mara sits beside him. She notices that his face is becoming pale and his eyes could no longer hide his pain.
T'Mara reaches under her shirt. She has filled hypos taped to her midsection, and brings one out. "Here. I smuggled three of these from George's apartment."
He takes the hypo. "My wife, you risked everything for me?"
"Yes...I did." Her hand reaches out for his. "But I also took the risk because we could not afford being slowed down by withdraw symptoms."
"Logical, and thank you." He injects himself with the quastene. He kisses her on the cheek, then her lips. "Try to sleep." He strokes her hair from her eyes.
"And you... are you going to sleep?"
"No, I am going to keep guard." He stands, then walks to the doorway. He cracks the door open and peers outside.
Meantime, back at Simon's mansion, his phone rings impatiently. He stumbles out of his bed, then answers his phone. "Hello," his perturbed voice answers.
"Mr. Gardner, two prisoners have escaped. The Vulcan and his wife," the guard's voice surges over the phone.
"What! Escape! Immediately arrange to have the search teams comb the city with their dogs. Bring them back to me, preferably alive!" Gardner shouts out.
"Yes, sir."
Simon gets himself dressed. He makes his way out of the mansion. He enters his air car. He pilots it to the prison. He exits, then sprints toward the prison cell, determined to discover how they escaped. A tall guard with a worried look approaches Mr. Gardner. He glowers at the guard. "Explain!"
"Sir, my partner, for unexplained reasons, appeared to be confused and walked away from his post. I called out to him, but he kept on walking. Then the Vulcan sprang out of the cell. They cut somehow cut a hole in the wall and disabled the force field. The Vulcan overpowered me, then I woke handcuffed and ankles taped. They must have taken my disruptor and my door card."
"Unbelievable! You are on report! I will deal with your disciplinary action later. Once I find your partner...well, he will be whipped for leaving his post."
Mr. Gardner enters the cell and examines the hole. Then he turns on his heel and strides off.