A/N: Happy Monday! Here's an update!
He knew that, in a dire situation, Starfleet-issue communicators were absolute garbage.
"McCoy to Enterprise! Enterprise, do you read me? Blast it all-!"
They were pinned down behind a rock. A large, snow-covered rock. That was all that stood between them, and a squad of angry Kzinti. The catlike warriors were trying their darnedest to gun McCoy and an already injured Sulu down.
"It's no use, Doc!" Sulu shouted over the wind. "The storm's blocking the signal!"
"What storm?" McCoy hollered. They were decked out in snow gear, but it was still frighteningly cold. "You call this a storm? It's barely a flurry! I've seen more snow in Texas than we're gettin'-" A disruptor blast chipped off a good portion of their shelter. McCoy shook the bits off and turned to check on Sulu. The Helmsman was holding up admirably, considering the hits he'd taken so far. When they'd been ambushed initially, the Kzinti had tried taking out the officers quietly. Sulu'd narrowly avoided getting clobbered on the back of the head. Still, Kzinti assassins weren't nothin' to sneeze at either. The Lieutenant had come away with a few less-critical knocks to the head, a stab wound in his upper thigh, and two broken ribs.
Another burst of disruptor fire. Something hit McCoy square in the back and forced him to eat snow. He turned his head to find that Sulu had tackled him.
"Just what do you think you're doing?" He shouted over the weapons barrage.
"Getting you out of the line of fire, Doc. I suggest you stay down." McCoy saw the Helmsman flinch as he reached for his phaser.
"With you in this condition? I think not!" Before he could so much as get his hands under him, the doctor found Sulu's knee planted firmly between his shoulder blades. All leverage gone, McCoy had to wait on the ground. The sounds of battle intensified briefly before the weight left his back. He could hear the Kzinti snarling off in the distance, but they had not retreated far. So that means…
McCoy pushed himself off the ground quickly. His worst fears were confirmed. Sulu was propped up against the rock just barely still sitting up. The Doctor rushed to his side. In the fight, he'd sustained additional injuries from both rock shrapnel and directs disruptor hits. McCoy thanked his lucky stars that the Kzinti hadn't had enough time to redevelop disintegration weapons. Still, the wounds weren't pretty. Sulu was breathing hard, clutching his phaser in one hand and his shoulder in the other. McCoy was at his side in an instant. He pulled back the Lieutenant's hand, which offered surprisingly little resistance, to reveal the shoulder wound first. The Kzinti disruptor had seared the muscled flesh between Sulu's neck and acromion. By the looks of things, the bolt had just missed Sulu's clavicle but had burned straight through his trapezius. Crap.
Sulu's head lolled to the side, revealing a singed patch of hair just above his ear. That was a close one. McCoy analyzed the situation. His piece of crap communicator was misbehaving, the Kzinti were regrouping, and he had a nearly unconscious officer to get to safety.
"Come on, Sulu. I'm getting' you outta here." He grabbed the Lieutenant's phaser and stuffed it in the back of his waistband for the time being. McCoy got down on one knee and pulled Sulu up and over his shoulders. The Helmsman groaned but made no other sound. One of the Kzinti called out behind them. No time like the present, McCoy mused. He ran.
The snow was still falling, and for that he was actually kind of grateful. Their Starfleet-issue Thermal Gear would disguise them pretty well from the Kzinti. Especially if he could gain some distance. His boots were getting pretty good traction on the slushy ground. We might just make it outta here.
Running was difficult, what with a whole grown man slung over his shoulders, but McCoy made pretty good time to the nearest cover. This planet was just full of ice dunes, land-bergs, or whatever the heck you called the random chunks poking up out of the ground. He was from the South, blast it all, and the terrain was more confusing than it needed to be.
Eventually, he spotted a pretty large stab that they could hide behind. He slid between the pointed masses and discovered a crevice big enough to conceal them both. It was a tight squeeze, but McCoy managed to slip inside and lower Sulu to the ground. He crouched down next to the inured pilot and pulled off his medical tricorder. The scans told him everything he already knew, and confirmed some additional hunches. Sulu was in pretty bad shape.
McCoy pulled his communicator back out of his pocket. He didn't know how close the Kzinti were, so he'd have to keep the volume to a minimum.
"Enterprise" He hissed, "Come in, please! We have severe casualties. Enterprise, do you read?" McCoy held his breath. The only sounds to be heard were the gusting winds from outside and the shallow gasps from Sulu. All was quiet. And then…
He did not know that sound was even possible.
The unholy screech that sprang to life was enough to make McCoy drop the possessed communicator. A pained look crossed Sulu's face. The Helmsman squirmed, caught between the pain in his ears and the rest of his body. McCoy bit the bullet and picked up the yowling box. Mashing buttons did nothing for several seconds. Eventually, he ended up just smashing the communicator against the wall. Sulu slumped further against the ice. McCoy sucked in a breath. He had just destroyed a piece of equipment 'valuable' to their escape effort. The doctor hoped that it wouldn't prove to be a real setback.
Something crunched outside.
McCoy spun around, planting himself between the entrance and his patient. He remembered Sulu's phaser. With the beam emitter aimed dead ahead, McCoy threw a glance over his shoulder. Suddenly, the trampling of snow was far too close. He whipped his head back around. The Kzinti had arrived. Before he could pop off a shot, a large paw circled his wrists and jerked the weapon down. McCoy stumbled forward, right into the recoil pad of a Kzinti disruptor rifle. He tried to free his phaser. A second Kzinti appeared and thrust the butt of his weapon into McCoy's face. The doctor fell back.
They were trapped. McCoy shook his head, trying to clear the stars that were flashing too close to his face. Somebody grabbed the collar of his coat. He was off the ground and kicking for footholds in an instant.
"Stop!"
The clear but quiet command halted the Kzinti warrior. Doctor and Assassin both turned. Sulu had an arm wrapped around his middle, but he was awake.
"Stop…" The Helmsman wheezed. "Let him go. Take me instead. He's just a doctor. I'm a starship pilot."
"Sulu! You cut th-" Chokehold strengthened, McCoy had no choice but to shut up. The first Kzinti turned to his companion and growled something. McCoy couldn't understand, but even if he could, he had more pressing concerns. Sulu's pullin' some fool-headed stunt, tryin'a' sacrifice himself. Pointless. Doesn't he know what these fellas'll do if they get their hands on 'im?
The Kzinti released his hold. McCoy dropped. He was trying to catch his breath when his attacker began advancing toward his patient. No. Not on your life, pal. He scanned the floor for something, anything, he could use to fight off the assassin.
In the end, he didn't need to. A high-pitched whine filled the crevice. It grew in intensity until the Kzinti found themselves on their knees, trying desperately to block out the sound. McCoy was about to join them, when a pained look from his patient told him it was time to act. He lunged. The second Kzinti had kicked his phaser away, but it was soon back where it belonged. He stunned both of the aliens and then sent a pleading look to Sulu, begging the Helmsman with his eyes to please kill that agonizing sound. The terror ended with a satisfying crunch.
"That… was our last one, Doc."
McCoy might've laughed, if the situation hadn't been this grim.
"That may be true, Sulu, but we've taken care of the main problem. Now all we have to do is contact the-"
There was another set of footsteps nearby. Running footsteps. Without a second thought, McCoy turned the phaser on his patient and fired. Sulu sagged, unconscious. Putting himself back in his defensive position, McCoy prepared for the worst. He leveled his weapon at the entrance. A second ticked by. Two. A shadow fell across the path. McCoy's finger tightened around the trigger.
"Bones! Bon- Geez, Bones, put that thing away!" The phaser dropped to his side.
"Took y'all long enough."
Jim cracked a smile. "Glad to see you too. Now where's…" The Captain's chipper expression vanished at the sight of the still Helmsman. "Sulu!" Jim was off like a shot, barreling past the doctor and over to the far end of the crevice.
"Sulu! Sulu, can you hear me? Sulu? No… Bones tell me he isn't-"
"He's not dead, Jim, just stunned."
The face Jim made was priceless, but McCoy knew he'd get a real flaying if he didn't explain things quickly.
"I had to. When the Kzinti ambushed us the first time, he made like he was going to sacrifice himself. I couldn't let him do it again." McCoy knelt down next to his patient and motioned for Jim to help.
"If there's one thing I know, it's that Sulu's one of the most selfless men on the whole ship, heck, probably in all of Starfleet." He hoisted one end of the Helmsman carefully while the Captain took care of the other.
"That, and these communicators are absolutely worthless. Remind me to file another complaint when we get back to he ship."
"Another? Bones, the admiralty has to have a stack of PADDs a mile high with the all the complaints you've sent in."
McCoy snorted. "Just shut up and help me move my patient."
A/N: Love me some Sulu. And I only have one more final before my schedule opens up completely.
Send me some prompts! Ha ha I have so many but I can't resist.
