A/N: I feel terrible. This is my last completed chapter and I'm still working to finish chapter 11. Hit a horrid writer's block, but I've finally passed through it. I should finish chapter 11 tonight and start 12 tomorrow so next Friday I should have one ready to post. I usually like to have a few done in advance so we'll see how it goes. Thank you all for the reviews, follows, and favorites. They really keep me going!
STARDATE 2260.061
Orbiting Planet MBY004
Beta Quadrant
Amelia fought rising nerves as she strapped herself into her seat. Jenna Carver, the biologist, sat across from her, seeming far more at ease with the situation than Amelia could ever hope to be. Though they had a rocky start in the ready room, an hour of sitting around discussing the plant life on the planet was enough proof that the woman was... as McCoy had put it, damn good.
Though Jenna didn't have the know-how when it came to horticulture, she understood life. Plant life, human life, animal life. What makes it thrive and what makes it die. What makes it sick and what heals it.
The lieutenant commander had graduated in the top ten of her class and later went on to join Starfleet when the civilian world just didn't have the amount of adventure she was looking for. Jenna was driven, wanting to be there for the next first contact. Wanting to be there to record every aspect of newest member to the federation. The Enterprise's five year mission had been a pull she couldn't resist.
After latching the final strap, Amelia glanced around the shuttle. It wasn't spacious, just a foot of space resting between her feet and Jenna's, but she wasn't cramped against the ensign either. Even still, she found herself inching to put a few more inches between herself and the sweating young man. At the back end of the shuttle were stacked containers, meant to hold the samples they intended to collect. Somewhere shoved between them was Amelia's empty backpack.
And a small narrow opening on the other side led to where the captain and the first officer sat as pilot and co-pilot. It reminded her of a van with no back windows and with far less standing room.
When Jenna finished buckling her own 'seat belt', Amelia managed to catch her attention. "How long do you think it will take to reach the planet?" The actual transport hadn't been covered in the brief, the captain eager to take the flight into his own hands.
Jenna, being far more familiar with this sort of mission, was quick to calculate the time. "Twenty minutes or so. It would be faster if it was uninhabited, but we have to travel in the stratosphere a little longer to avoid detection."
Detection? Amelia's head tilted to the side, her confusion obvious. "You said they weren't advanced. Technology wise, anyway."
"They aren't, but we can still be seen by the naked eye. Best to go with the planet's rotation and do a slow descend to the landing site." Though she didn't fully understand how that worked, Amelia nodded anyway.
She opened her mouth to ask about how long they planned on being on the surface, but voices from the front of the shuttle stopped her short. "You guys strapped in?" She couldn't see Jim, but she couldn't miss the excitement in his voice. There was no doubt that he was smiling.
One response of yep and two simultaneous calls of yes, sir was all that was needed for the shuttle to come to life. In a way, Amelia was glad she didn't have a direct view to outside, that added visual might be all that was needed for that nervous flutter in her stomach to explode into hyperventilation.
It was hard enough to stay calm as she felt the tilt and row of the space craft. The ensign was shaking beside her, but remained quiet. Jenna looked passive, almost bored. One of the pilots was probably stoked, while the other was busy calculating every probable scenario they could face.
Amelia looked over at the ensign, glad that his part was to just make sure the shuttle would get them back. If he had been assigned as security she might not have even shown up for the away mission.
For a good ten minutes the inside of the shuttle was lit only by the interior lights, but when the shuttle started to shake and they entered the atmosphere, the lighting inside was almost unnecessary. Sunlight poured in through the front window, and for a moment Amelia hoped that the captain wasn't blinded by the sudden brightness.
Kirk announced their descent, and Amelia leaned forward against her straps, struggling to see through the passage where the pilots were seated. The nose of the shuttle dipped, but she didn't jerk back against the seat. Instead she pulled forward just a touch more and caught sight of an expanse of blue through the windshield.
"It's beautiful." She whispered, surprised by how much it resembled Earth. Green, blue, and beige joined together to create the shore-line. When they moved closer, she could see the sandy beach shifting. No... it wasn't moving. Water lapped onto land, creating the illusion of shifting sand.
"Isn't it." Jenna had also moved forward, but her gaze was higher. Amelia followed it towards a wall of green. It wasn't just a forest. It was a jungle, so dense that she was certain the trees didn't allow much light to pass through. At least they had the foresight to plan for almost anything, including packing enough flashlights to get through the area.
"I think I'm going to be sick." The ensign muttered beside her, and once more Amelia found herself inching away.
"You'll be fine." Her words contradicted the paleness of his face.
From up front, they heard Kirk's voice calling out, "Brace for landing!"
This time, Amelia did tuck back against her seat, shooting a glance at Jenna. "I thought shuttles were a smooth ride?"
Jenna just smiled, seeming excited by the whole experience. "Usually, but since we're landing on the beach, it'll be a little rocky."
Amelia's idea of turbulence was far different than everyone else's. She had expected something akin to a plane passing through the clouds. The shuttle just vibrated, rowed forward, and then settled down. She'd experienced worse shakes on a kid's train ride at the fair. "Nothing to it." She muttered, shooting a glare at Kirk as he popped his head into the passage way. The man was grinning, as usual.
"Just making sure you were paying attention." He said with a wink.
Everyone was quick to release their straps and get to work. The ensign was to remain with the shuttle at all times, while she and Kirk would take the lead as far as exploration. Jenna and Spock were set to be the recorders, and both seemed quite pleased with the assignment.
The side doors of the shuttle pressed out before sliding back, revealing the brand new world they intended to explore. Amelia put a flat hand above her forehead, blocking out the brightness to see into the distance.
They had been right about the landing sites being few and far between. There was only twenty yards or so between the water and the jungle, the narrow line of sand just enough space for them to unload the containers.
Amelia snagged her backpack and shoved a few of the smaller boxes inside. As an afterthought, she packed up two of the sealed bags of water before pulling the strap across her shoulder.
Several times, the first officer was forced to reign in the captain, reminding him of all the tasks they had to complete before even entering into the wooded area. Amelia shared Kirk's anticipation. Between setting another box on the ground and pacing back to the shuttle, she found herself glancing at the dark green wall.
Trees, vines, bushes, and flowers were stacked closely together. If they wanted, they wouldn't even need to enter the area, a variety of prime samples lined up against the sand. Of course, the best soil readings would come from deep inside. If the large tree trunks, gigantic leaves, and thick stems of the flowers were any indication, they were receiving their fair share of nutrients.
Another thought suddenly came to mind and Amelia jogged over to where the lieutenant commander was fiddling with her tricorder. "Hey. Did they find anything concerning animal life?"
"Not in this area. About fifty kilometers to the west there was indication of herd animals, but we try to keep the first visit devoted to plant life. And we've set it far enough away that we won't interfere with the wildlife's habitation or grazing area. If we can make it back then we'll push for animal study." Jenna's explanation was concise, but effective. It made sense to conduct exploration in stages. Plant life. Animal life. And if possible, civilizations.
"Is it strange that there's such a large area without animals?"
Jenna gave her a small smile and shrugged, reminding Amelia of one very important fact. "It is an alien planet. What is strange to us may be normal for this environment."
Jenna's eyes darted to something behind Amelia and she turned her head just in time to see Kirk and Spock walking their way. Spock was the first to speak up, both his expression and voice blank. "We have finished unloading all the necessary equipment. As the captain is slowly losing patience, I recommend you both calibrate your tricorders and prepare to gather samples."
He shifted in the sand to stand in front of Amelia. "Miss Wright, please maintain a close perimeter to the captain. As you are not assigned a phaser, he will be tasked with ensuring you return safely to the shuttle." It was a wonder that the first officer was able to inspire any confidence at all. The past two times they had spoken to one another, he had made it seem like death was a very real possibility. Like it was imminent if she didn't follow his instructions...
Kirk gave an irritated sigh, waving a hand towards her as he studied her face. "You're making her worry for nothing, Spock. We'll be fine." Fine. As long as she maintained a 'close perimeter'.
As though he had completely ignored Kirk, Spock continued on to say, "the commander and I will be within communications range should anything occur." Then he spun around to walk away from the group. The act was just as effective as saying, now I am busy, so do not interrupt unless it's important. Amelia scowled at his backside.
Before Jenna followed, she held two fingers up to her forehead in a mock salute and said, "meet you in an hour."
Amelia's tricorder was in her palm a moment later, still set for the work in the hydroponics bay. Luckily she didn't have to change anything, the data she intended on recording the same kind as what she checked daily with her own plants. PH levels. Nitrogen. General soil nutrition.
Keeping Spock's warning in mind, Amelia stayed tight on Kirk's tail as they approached the jungle. Once they passed through the green barrier it was like walking into another world. She found herself looking around with child-like wonder, the scene around her enchanting, as though it were pulled from a fairy tale.
The tree roots were the size of her torso, dipping up and down out of the mossy ground. Dark green leaves hung from thick limbs, longer than she was tall. Vines hung from the tall trees, too heavy for them to push out of the way. And then there were the flowers, sporadically spread through the forest. Their blooms were larger than her head. She felt like Alice in Wonderland, half expecting them to start talking.
Then again, that hadn't been a pleasant experience for Alice.
She had been right about the trees blocking out light, but there was still enough that they had yet to use flashlights. Sunlight still peeked its way through to land on the moss covered ground.
Every now and then she would call for Kirk to stop so she could take a few readings from the soil. Given the size and mass of everything around her, she wasn't surprised to find the dirt at optimal levels. Everything just thrived.
"You ready to pick some flowers?" Kirk called over his shoulder, coming to a stop. She realized why he had halted as she peered around him.
A blooming field rested before them, a rainbow spread on the ground. They were fully open flowers, similar to a long stemmed rose, but so much larger. Their stems were shorter, however, keeping them close to the green floor of the jungle. "Wow."
Stepping around Kirk, she knelt next to an orange colored flower. It's petals were as large as her hand and smooth, save for the edges which were lined with tiny thorns. They almost looked like teeth. Amelia shrugged off her backpack, and pulled out one of the empty boxes. Behind her, Kirk watched on as she reached out to touch the flower.
Already, her mind was anticipating the feel of the petals. Would they be soft like a rose? They certainly looked like one.
She stopped just a centimeter away, her eyes trained on those thorns that lined the edges of the petals. Suddenly, she was hit with another familiar feature. "You know what this looks like?" She asked, casting a glance back at the captain.
"What?" Kirk asked, not really appearing to be interested, but doing his part to urge this along.
"A Venus fly trap." She recalled her second semester botany class and having to do a final project where she had to transplant and study five similar, but of different species, plants in a shoe box sized terrarium. She'd chosen a variety of bug eating plants. "These thorns... they're not like stem thorns. Too narrow at the base."
"Venus fly trap? Don't those eat slugs and stuff? What do they call them... Carnivore plants?"
"Carnivorous, but yeah. And the size of this one... it could eat-" A cat. A small dog. Some of the other blooms she had seen were larger than small children. Her back stiffened, a sudden wave of fear approaching. "People often build terrariums just for carnivorous plants. If there's one, several more varieties usually exist in the same exact environment. They thrive and die together, taking out waves of insects that would normally devour them. But their numbers only protect them for so long, until there is nothing left to eat."
Amelia shot a wide eyed glance at Kirk, then looked past him to find the closest tree. "I need a branch."
"Testing a theory?" He asked, as if aware of her train of thought.
"Something like that."
He pulled his phaser off his hip, following her gaze to the tree. As if reading her mind, he raised the gun-like device and pointed at a small limb that wouldn't be too large for her to wield. She'd never seen a phaser used, but just like she had mentally pictured it, a laser-beam sliced through the wood. "That's... efficient." Then again, everything about Starfleet was efficient.
Including the way Kirk took the branch by its end and tossed it onto the rainbow bed of flowers.
The reaction was as quick as it was violent, the beautiful blooming petals practically imploding into flat surfaces. Bits of bark flew, loud crunching sounds echoing beneath the trees as the carnivorous plants fought over their share. Amelia tucked her head into her elbow, protecting herself against the debris. If they could do that to a fresh solid branch the width of her wrist, she could only imagine what would have happened if her hand had been caught in one.
When she looked back, scattered wood rested at her feet. "Oh my god!"
"And that... is classified as hostile." Kirk pulled out his communicator, holding it up to his ear a second later. "Spock. Do not touch the flowers." The first officer said something that had him narrowing his eyes in annoyance and shouting. "And you didn't think to share with the class? Amelia almost got her arm taken off!"
The captain went silent for a while, listening intently to whatever it was Spock had to say. After a minute he snapped the communicator shut. His voice wasn't jovial and relaxed like she was used to. It deeper and quick. The unquestionable tone of a commanding officer. "We need to get to the shuttle. Now."
Amelia nodded, but didn't reach for her backpack. Instead she picked up the small box and opened it. "I'm going to grab a sample." She pulled a cloth glove from her backpack, sliding it on. Perhaps they could find a use for such strong plants. Since the rose like blooms had closed, she figured they wouldn't open until they were finished digesting whatever was trapped inside. That was usually how a snap trap worked on Earth anyway.
In any case, she steered clear of the pistil, her hand slowly reaching for a stem. It was about as thick as her finger, and when her first closed around it she made sure to snap it quickly at the base. A moment later she almost dropped it, a burning sensation erupting across her palm.
She gritted her teeth against the pain, focused on folding the plant into the box. When she finally snapped the box shut, she pulled the glove off, her eyes looked over the damage. "I think... there was a second defense." She looked across her shoulder to see Kirk eying her hand. Letting out a quick hiss, he reached for wrist to take a closer look.
Tiny dots of red littered her entire palm. "The stem must have micro needles. Like a bull nettle." The quick explanation was said through clenched teeth. She should have never touched it in the first place, too focused on comparing it to the plants of Earth even though she'd bore witness to how very different the plants were.
"I don't have a dermal regenerator with me, but there is one in the shuttle. The wounds look superficial." Neither of them were carrying anything to wrap her hand with, but since the cuts were so small, they had already stopped bleeding. They still burned though, like tiny paper-cuts.
With a sigh she rubbed her hand against the leg of her white uniform, the blood transferring and leaving her palm with a few caked red spots. She hoped McCoy wasn't going to be there when the away team returned. "You're accident prone." He had correctly stated and she could only imagine what he would say if she came back covered in blood.
Kirk shot a glance at the closed flowers behind them and she tossed her backpack across her shoulders. "At least getting back will be faster." She said as she followed the captain, taking the path they had come through.
"You'd think so, but..." He stopped suddenly, and she almost ran into him. Leaning over to look around him, she could see their footprints in the moss. Blue flowers interrupted the path, larger than the ones they had watched destroy the tree branch. "I don't recall seeing those on the way in."
As he spoke, the flowers seemed to rotate their direction. Amelia's heart thudded in her chest. "Kirk... they're looking at us." On instinct, Amelia stepped back.
Kirk's arm shot out instantly, clutching the front of her uniform in a hard grip. "Don't move." She swerved her head to see the reason he'd stopped her. A flower bloomed just behind her. Another step back and she would have been limping for the rest of her life.
More flowers popped up through the moss, opening into full blooms in the blink of an eye. Within seconds they were surrounded by a terrifying display of pink, purple, and green. Kirk dropped his hand from her uniform, pulling out his phaser.
"I think now is a good time to go." She said, receiving a short nod in response. Kirk aimed the phaser at the closest plant, the first one standing in their path to the shuttle, and fired. The bloom disintegrated and Kirk took a single step forward. Just as his rear foot left the moss, another plant sprung up from the ground to rest between them.
She took great care not to brush against the petals that were just centimeters from her legs.
"Did you ever consider the fact that this continent wasn't inhabited for a reason?" He fired more phaser shots, tugging her along with every step he took. Behind them, plants continued to sprout.
He huffed, not sparing a glance back as he continued to pull her along the freshly cleared path. "Yeah. I'm starting to get that."
Something wet landed on her cheek, a drop of water. She reached up to touch it, surprised by how sticky it was. Another drop, this time larger, hit her shoulder. Rotating her head she looked at the amber colored liquid.
"Is that sap?" Apparently Kirk was also getting a light drizzle. His hand ran through his hair, the strands ending in points and maintaining that shape. He groaned, "My hair's all sticky."
Amelia rubbed her hand across her cheek, smearing the sticky substance and having no luck removing it. A numb sensation crept in around the skin of her palm and on the side of her face. A third drop landed against her right eyebrow, sliding down past the corner of her eye. "You think the trees want to eat us too?"
"Pull your backpack over your head. This stuff seems to have some kind of tranq quality." His instructions were quickly followed, but it seemed like the damage was done. Her fingers twitched, pins and needles spreading across her skin.
Whatever was in that sap was acting fast, the vision in her right eye blurring. "I can't feel my hand or my face. And I can't see from my right eye."
"Well you're one better than me." Kirk turned to face her and, despite the numbness, her other eye still went wide. Through her half gaze, she could see that amber liquid was spread across his forehead, and though his head was turned in her direction, he wasn't looking at her.
"Don't panic, Amelia-" Why did that phrase have a tendency to inspire the opposite?"-but you're going to have to take my phaser. I'm walking blind here."
"Kirk, I don't even know how to use the phaser." Contradictory to her words, she was already taking it from his outstretched arm.
And even though their odds of making it out were slowly dwindling, he grinned. That small expression was enough to ease the pounding in her chest. "It's easy. Point and shoot. It's already on the right setting." His hands moved unsteady in the air until he touched her arm. "You're guiding us out of here."
She nodded, being extra careful as she moved around him. They were forced to stand hip to hip, too many flowers surrounding them for any maneuvering space. But when she was settled up front, she pointed the strange gun at the next plant in their way.
Kirk still had a firm grip on her arm, so when she fired and took a step forward, he moved in tandem with her. Drops of sap continued to fall, some large enough to soak through her uniform. Splotches of skin lost sensation, but she kept moving.
And so did Kirk. He didn't say anything else about not being able to see, but every now and then he would give a frustrated sigh. After ten minutes of a slow shoot and step pace, she could see a break in the jungle. The shore-line was visible now, and she could hear voices rising above the sound of water.
Spock and Jenna.
The sound of phaser fire followed, but this time it wasn't Amelia who had pulled the trigger. Light made it's way into the jungle, landing to illuminate her path. Spock approached her and Kirk from the shore-line, carefully navigating around the flowers that hadn't been there when they'd entered.
"I'm afraid our exploration of this planet must come to an end." Again with that Vulcan humor.
Behind her, Kirk laughed. "And I thought we were going to stay. Camping, s'mores. The whole shebang." How he managed to laugh, she didn't have a clue.
Spock's eyes traveled up and down her form, landing on the red smear on her pant leg. "You are injured?"
"Superficial." She muttered, holding up her hand that still carried dots of red. "But Kirk can't see."
"You should have hailed for a transport." This time, emotion did make its way into Spock's voice. Disappointment filtered into his tone.
"I tried." She watched as Kirk tapped the silver emblem against his chest. "Emergency transponder doesn't seem to be working."
She shot him an accusing glare, though without his vision it was a wasted effort. He had planned to transport her? Without permission? She'd just have to use her words to convey how upset the idea made her. "You were going to transport us?"
He gave an unapologetic shrug. "I didn't want to say anything. Not with your phobia. Figured I would just take the beating back on the Enterprise." And then, with a small grin, he added. "Hey, Spock, can you tell me if she's scowling?"
Spock ignored the question, still focused on the transporter issue. He tapped his own Starfleet insignia. When nothing happened he looked up to the giant trees above them. "Perhaps the plant life is interfering somehow."
Spock reached to his belt, pulling out his communicator. He hit a few buttons, then held it to his ear. After a long silence he snapped it back against his belt. "I cannot reach the Enterprise."
"It's a little early to start panicking. We still have the shuttle and check in is about two hours from now. If we don't reach them, they will find a way to reach us." His lack of sight wasn't slowing him down. Instead Kirk squinted his eyes and tilted his head, as if searching for a ship he couldn't possibly see. Now there was a man who inspired confidence.
The Vulcan turned abruptly, waving them to follow. It was a short walk to the sandy beach and she sighed when she saw that it was free of flowers. She'd half expected them to pop out of the sand. The irony of her relief didn't escape her either...
Behind her, Kirk spoke up. "I don't hear Carver anywhere."
As if on cue, Jenna Carver screamed.