XXXV

"I could get used to this."

Lore dropped another log onto the fire and watched the flames lick around it. The campfire was high and entrenched now, putting off warmth that would last till dawn at least. But just in case, Lore grabbed another low hanging branch with one hand and tore it down with a frightening crack. He looked over his shoulder again, as he had at least a dozen times in the last ten minutes, but still Anna did not look anywhere close to waking. She had stirred several times, groaning in pain, and he had been tempted to use the one and only vial of painkillers that they had, but he resisted. She would need it far more when she was fully awake.

The fire cracked and snapped loudly, for the only wood in the immediate area was of a sappy, pine-like quality. It released a pleasantly sweet smell that, luckily for Anna, seemed to be a natural insect repellent. Lore walked a few yards toward the thicker tree line and looked out over the valley below. If they were to be followed, the pursuers would have no choice but to come the same way that he had, and now he scanned every pitch black void for the slightest glimmer of light. Only the moon reflecting off a far off stream pierced the black. As he looked and listened, dread forced its way through him like a wind into a sail. If Reed did come it would be highly unlikely that he would come alone, and despite all Lore's speed and strength it might not be enough to save Anna and himself.

I'm sorry, Anna. This is all my fault.He traced his fingers over the crooked lines of the tree bark with an absent look. It had been his idea to leave the Enterprise for some stupid errand. Yes, it had been primarily to have Anna alone, but he had to admit to himself that he wanted his old ship. He wanted it because…he couldn't decide why he had wanted the damn thing! It was true that he did not wish to leave the Enterprise, but something about the possibility that he couldhad intrigued him so. As devastating as almost all of his memories of his old life were, he could at least still savor the fact that he had been completely free to come and go as he pleased, whenever he pleased. The potential for such a feeling again had grabbed him the moment he heard the word Martzy. If only he had considered the possible danger. If only he had been smart enough to go alone.

But what freedom is this? Hiding from a human!He pushed himself away from the tree, angry and worried at once, and looked back toward the fire.

Anna was staring at him.

Oh!He bounded down from the low hill and was at her side in an instant. "Don't move so much." He whispered quickly, for she had already placed her hands on the ground as if she meant to rise. "I don't know how else you might be injured."

Anna clenched and opened her eyes several times, as if she could not get them to focus. Finally, she took in a long view of the dark forest that surrounded them. Her face was still frightfully pale, and mild shadows had formed under eyes. For Lore it still changed nothing. She was still so beautiful.

"How do you feel?" He asked.

Anna tilted her head back to look up, but the motion was just the trigger she needed. She leaned forward in a painful gasp and tried to press her hand to her head. "Oh, God!" She gasped again, "My head…."

Lore grabbed her wrist before she had a chance to disturb her bandages. "No. Don't touch it. The wound is still open." He guided her wrist back to her side and reached around her to grab the cloth bag he had brought.

"What…happened?" She said between sharp, painful breaths. "Where are we?"

"Martzy Prime. I had to make an emergency landing." He pulled the hypo-spray and the vial from the bag. Pressing them together, he gently brushed the hair away from her neck and placed his hand against her cheek, "Be still."

Anna cringed as the hypo-spray hissed, but only a moment later she drew a full breath and closed her eyes. "Thanks. It's better." Opening her eyes again, she took another look at the surroundings and the fire. Eventually she looked at her own hands and the long black sleeves that reached a few inches past her fingertips. In fact, she took a moment too look down at herself and see the thick black sweater floating around her small frame.

Lore shifted his eyes wearily. Somehow he had not thought of embarrassment when he had taken off his sweater and fitted it onto her hours ago. He had only thought that the temperature was falling and that hypothermia was the last thing she needed. Now, naked from the waist up and with no alternative, he felt a little foolish.

"Thank you." She smiled and hugged herself against the cold. She continued to look up at him, her eyes fixed on his in a most unabashed way. "Where's the shuttle? How did we get here?"

It took a moment for him to register her question. He had been too much off guard by the undeterred way in which she looked at him. "We were being pursued and had to leave the shuttle. I don't know if Reed or his men survived their landing. We could have been followed."

She nodded slowly, accepting the information while not liking it at all. "I must have hit my head pretty hard. I don't remember the descent or leaving the shuttle."

Lore's face alighted with a pleased smile that he could not resist. "You shouldn't remember. You weren't awake. I carried you here."

It was just what he wanted to see. Anna's pale cheeks turned a peachy hue, the best she could do under the circumstances. She lowered her eyes finally and looked off into the fire. "Tell me everything that happened. What do we do from here?"

Lore seated himself on the ground, facing her, and tried to decide how to put it. The details of the crash were simple enough. He told her that they had been attacked by Reed and another of the Corona Six shuttles, a fact she could not remember in the slightest, and that they had been hit several times before she crashed into the viewport and lost consciousness. It would have been easy to simply stick to the facts of the events, but something was pushing him. He didn't want her to know just what he had done, he wanted her to know why he had done it.

"I thought about giving myself up to stop the attack, but I was sure he would kill you anyway." He wanted to reach out and take her hands, but he resisted the temptation.

Anna's lips parted and she starred up at him with wide eyes. "You wouldn't have really turned yourself over to Reed, would you? He would have killed you."

He shrugged, "Better than killing you just to get to me. If I had believed that he would actually honor a bargain, I would have gone."

"No!" She protested, her eyes widening in genuine alarm. "You can't do that!"

"There's no point in arguing about it now. It's over. Besides, you would much rather be alive in the shuttle than dead with me." He smiled playfully. Despite his intent to be honest, he was slipping once again into his protective façade.

"I―" She stumbled over some sudden words and shook her head. "I would have felt bad when I woke up."

Lore pulled his hands closer to himself, resisting even more the urge to touch her in some way. "Of course you would have. But, better than being dead."

Anna did not blink, "I would have been heartbroken."

Oh.His careless smile faded until he was staring at her with the same kind of recklessness. Heartbroken?He said the word again in his own mind and marveled at it. His death would have broken her heart? "I―I'm sorry. I couldn't let you die, Anna. I don't know what I would have done." He saw the change in her eyes, the sudden burst of shock that caught her breath and left her speechless. He continued before she could find words, for something almost panicky seemed to be driving him, "I thought about what it would be like to go back to the Enterprise without you and…I don't think I could. I wouldn't have. There wouldn't be anything there for me."

Anna hugged herself again and drew her knees up to her chest. She clenched her eyes tight for only a moment before she darted them up again, "You know, this is all your fault."

If it was possible for a machine to know the sensation of a battering ram, this was it. Lore sank into the ground.

"If I had just stayed mad at you, I wouldn't have joined you in the shuttle." Anna continued, smiling, "But I can't stay angry at you. I hope you're happy. Now I'm going to miss my holodeck reservation."

Lore smiled in amazement and laughed, "Don't you ever get upset about anything? We're stranded, Anna. I have one plan that might—might—get us out of here, and if that doesn't work we have to wait and hope that the Enterprise comes back for us. We have no idea what they're situation is now."

"I know, Lore." She sighed heavily, but the smile was still there. "What is your plan that mightget us out of here?"

As much as he wanted to just sit and talk to her about other things, their situation didn't allow for the luxury. He told her quickly about the unique electromagnetic field that surrounded Martzy Prime and of how it had made their landing more like a crash. "Nothing that requires a stable power matrix can last here for more than a few minutes without particular alterations. That's why we have no communicators and why…" He reached up and ran his fingers very lightly over her cotton bandages, "…we have no medical supplies."

The blood ran from Anna's face and she looked at him, aghast, "But―How long can yoube here?"

He couldn't help but be heartened by the concern in her voice. It genuinely thrilled him! But, her concern was misplaced, which led him to smile. "I have a micro-dilithium core with a ten thousand year half life. Even at this rate, it would take this planet a hundred years to kill me."

Anna blushed, but for what reason he could not tell. She continued, "What are we going to do?"

"We lost the port nacelle during our descent. We don't have any means to track it, but I noted it's trajectory before the crash."

Anna's sat up, "The backup comms! The power supply and manual command box are both in the port nacelle."

"Exactly. If it isn't too heavily damaged, I can use it to remotely access the commands on my ship and transport us aboard. It's ideal that we get there before the moon's orbit passes our current position, otherwise we will have to wait another thirty-six hours for our next window."

Anna narrowed her eyes while a mischievous smile played on her lips. "I win."

"You win what?" He countered.

"Your ship. You just mentioned that you had a ship. I knew it must be something good." Her smile widened further as she enjoyed her small victory. "What kind of ship?"

"Oh, no. I'm still keeping some mystery in this, for my own amusement." He took her hands in his and stood, pulling her up with him. "Let's go."

Anna blinked, "Shouldn't we wait till morning?"

"That will be in fourteen hours." He reminded her. "We can't wait that long."

Anna sighed, clearly still groggy from her ordeal. After all, they had not treated her injuries, only the symptoms. "Lead the way."

Lore bent down next to the fire and began scooping the moist black soil onto the embers. The fire died quickly, sending the forest into utter darkness. He gathered the bag and what few useful things remained in it, and came to Anna's side. He wanted to lift her up into his arms again, if not wholly for her comfort than at least for his own, but now that she was actually awake he thought twice on it.

"How far are we from the nacelle?" Anna asked as she began the awkward descent down the hill.

"Six point three kilometers." He replied.

Anna leaned against a tree and sighed for a short moment before doggedly continuing her descent. Lore watched her carefully as they made their way down the rough, forested hillside. The moon was full, but the cloud cover was heavy and continued to block any kind of useful light from human eyes. He, however, could choose to see the world as brightly or as darkly as he wanted.

"Agh!" Anna grunted as she stumbled over an exposed root and fell back against the hillside.

"Are you all right?" He asked as he took both her hands and pulled her up.

"Yes, I'm fine." She said quickly, dusting the leaves from her backside. "Were you able to get any reading on the terrain between us and the nacelle before we crashed?"

He could see the small bit of hope in her expression, but he could not satisfy it. "Every indication is that it's all exactly like this."

"Great. It reminds me of Idaho." She muttered and continued on. Lore moved a few steps ahead of her, ready to be her net should she fall forward. After a few minutes they reached the bottom of the small hill and their feet sloshed into the smooth rock bed of a shallow creak.

"Lore?" Anna whispered, looking up at him. "This is going to sound ridiculous, but how the hell are you not cold?"

Lore smiled at the rhetorical question but felt more profoundly his own exposure. How odd it was to care about such a thing. After all, what was modesty but some ridiculous human concept? Still, he found himself wondering about her thoughts. "I'm freezing. You just can't tell."

"Mmm." She looked at him sideways for a moment, but her smile faded under heavier thoughts. "Thank you, Lore, for everything. You know, this makes the third time you've saved my life."

He shrugged his shoulders as best he could, but what a futile show! "Too bad I can't say the act was completely selfless. It wasn't." He glanced down at her meaningfully, half hoping that she did not see the meaning, but what was he hiding? Had he not allowed himself to slip so many times already?

Anna hugged herself against the cold as they moved slowly through the ankle-deep water. As soon as they made the far bank, she looked up again, "Did you mean what you said? About not going back to the Enterprise if something happened to me?"

"Yes." He said instantly, his voice low. He could not think of how any answer to that could be playful or guarded. He was running out of ideas.

Anna stopped. "Why? It's your home now."

You are my home.He waited for her to reach his side again, but instead of answering the question, he swiped his left arm behind her knees while simultaneous catching her with his right. She cried out from shock and fixed her arms around his neck as if she would fall, but he held her easily and securely against him.

"Ah! Lore!" She laughed and tried to sit up as if he would put her down right away, but when he did not she looked up at the sky with flushed cheeks. "I can walk, you know."

"You can swim too, but I don't recommend it." He said as he left the soft mud of the creek bed and moved into the dark forest. His pace was fast, just less than a jog, but far more than Anna would have been capable of under the circumstances. "We will never make it in time if you walk."

It was a lie, of course. At Anna's rate, they would have reached the site still with two hours to spare.

"Um…"Anna struggled for words and composure, still clinging to his neck tensely. "Can you see?"

"Perfectly." He replied, glad that she was not objecting. "Don't worry." The forest was reasonably level for a short distance, but the descent continued soon again. This time it was not so steep and covered with trees, but sharp boulders jutted from the hillside here and there, some completely covered it slick moss. He was glad he had decided to carry her. Moving down the hill sideways, but still at the same smooth, fast pace, he noticed that Anna's body had relaxed. She still held her arms around his neck, but she had allowed her head to rest on the inside of his shoulder, and her legs were comfortably slack. He smiled, "Are you alright with this?"

"Being personally chauffeured? I think I could get used to this." She said with a laugh.

Lore stepped to the edge of a sharp boulder and jumped the short distance to the ground. Anna gasped and instinctively tightened her hold. "Don't be afraid." Lore said, "I won't drop you."

Anna relaxed again, more quickly than Lore would have expected, and she rested her head back against his shoulder. "I know. I trust you."

He smiled, sure that she was not looking up at him, and continued his steady pace. He was not surprised when she said nothing further, but he was surprised an hour later when he said her name and received no response. She was sound asleep. Her arms had long since fallen into her lap, and her cheek rested against his chest and shoulder. A wonderful feeling washed over him and he wanted so desperately to wake her and hear the sound of her voice. But he did not need her to say again that she trusted him. Her closed eyes were all the proof he needed.

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ONE HOUR EARLIER

Reed pressed his body to the moist ground and starred with unblinking eyes through the screen of underbrush. His heart thumped so violently that he wondered if Lore could hear it over the expanse of the narrow valley. He remained utterly still, hardly wishing to breathe as he starred in unmoving rage at the marble statue before him. Across the ravine, no more than a hundred yards at most, Lore stood next to a tree with a sentinel's pose, his gold eyes trailing over the forest like a hawk. At least Reed imagined those gold eyes, for in the darkness he could only make out the bare white-gold skin of the android's chest and arms, like one of those unpainted Roman statues left in the forest.

But why does he go undressed?Reed gritted his teeth like a caged animal. He didn't care. He only cared about the target he saw and that it was now more accessible for its own mistakes. He reached slowly—very slowly—to his side and pulled his disruptor from the holster. With one hand he popped open the panel at the bottom of the handle and turned the power core to lock it into the place. As the weapon began to draw power, he knew he would have only moments before the EM field killed it. He would get one shot, maybe two.

"Don't." Buel whispered from behind him. It was the quietest sound, barely a breath, but it grated on Reed like a bark.

He flashed his eyes at her dangerously.

"You'll never make it." She whispered again, just as quietly. "He'll move before the blast reaches him…Have to be closer."

Reed gripped the weapon so tightly that the casing began to pop and strain. He knew she was right, knew it and hated it, but the weapon was the only recourse they had. Without the disruptor, there would be no killing Lore. There would be no escaping him either.

"There's a fire." Klar whispered, so quietly that it was mostly from reading his lips that the others understood him. "The human must be with him, and alive."

Reed sneered. It didn't matter. What would some human matter! In fact, it might work to his advantage. Perhaps this human would slow him down, distract him in some way. He nodded, "If he's helping this human survive, it must be to his benefit. Perhaps if she dies, his position with Starfleet will be damaged somehow." His own words disgusted him. Damaged! Starfleet should have killed that thing years ago. Where was their precious Starfleet justice then! He turned his eyes back to the narrow slits of light and scanned the opposing hillside, but the bright statue was gone. A plume of grey smoke rose through the trees and into the moonlight, signaling that the campfire had been extinguished.

Damnit!Reed disconnected his disruptor's power core and shoved it back into the holster. "Come on." He bounded down the hillside at a fevered pace with Buel and Klar fast behind him. As he thrust the branches out of his way and clawed for any hold, he could not deny the possibility that he was running head long to his own death. If so, he would make sure that he would not be going alone.