Chapter 36
Kamira kept her body lax in the grip of the creature's trunk as it thundered through the landscape.
She didn't know how long she and Kirk were carried, but soon a large white mountain was looming above them and they were entering a snowy cave.
The creature slowed its pace and stopped once inside, giving her a quick chance to look around. There were multiple other caves, all covered in the red and pink snow, light from the opening casting shadows. The creature walked towards one of the smaller caves.
She stretched out her arms and legs, ready for what was to come next.
The trunk loosened around her waist and she fell, letting out a small grunt as she landed in the soft snow. She heard another grunt as Kirk was also let go.
They were in a small cocoon in the back of the cave. There was only one exit, and that was into the creature's lair. The said creature stood above them, huffing as white steam emitted from its mouth, drool dripping down the long canines that poked through its multiple trunks.
It let out another loud screeching roar and Kamira closed her eyes at the sound.
When she opened them, the creature was gone.
"James?"
She heard him shuffle around in the snow.
"Kamira, you okay?"
She felt him grab her shoulders and turn her around to face him. He was frantic, his eyes glancing around her body, finally landing on her eyes. She nodded, slowly sitting up next to him, but he didn't pull back. He stayed close.
"The phasers did nothing… has that ever happened?" she asked.
"Not that I know of," he said, his voice strained.
"I feel like it broke my ribs," she muttered as she hoisted herself up to stand, using the cave wall to help her up.
Kirk got up as well and instantly started pacing.
"There's no easy way out, Kirk. There's only one exit, and that leads us right to whatever this thing is."
"We can get away when it's sleeping-"
"It probably heard my fall from under the ice! It could hear us in the snow too."
"There has to be something to use as a weapon…" Kirk faded off, shaking his head.
Kamira sighed, her mask fogging up.
"Do we have to keep these on? Wouldn't the air be cleaner in such an untouched environment?"
Kirk frowned.
"Hold on," he mumbled as he tapped at the control panel on the sleeve of the suit.
He nodded after a while.
"Yes, we should be fine, oxygen levels are normal. Honestly, the helmets were precautions from the storm, containment from possible toxic defenses – the water reads acidic but not in a lethal way."
Kamira brought her hands to her neck, finding the switch to take her helmet off. She breathed in the fresh air, smiling. It was refreshing; the air was crisp and clean.
Kirk had done the same, resting his helmet among a pile of snow. She set it down next to his.
"The best we can do is wait, right? They're making plans as we speak…" she muttered, more to herself.
Kirk sighed.
"Yeah, yeah, but Spock is going to take hours. He's very… thorough for rescue plans," he said, rubbing a hand over his face. He stopped, and looked at her, piercing her with his blue eyes.
"That's why it took me so long to get to you the second time."
She blinked, and then the corner of her mouth tugged down.
"Or it could be that you ran off and got drunk," she replied casually.
Kirk stared at the ground.
"Yeah, Uhura and I are pretty close," she muttered.
Kirk shook his head and kept pacing.
"I'd never lost control like that in front of an enemy. But he had you – and he knew that he was under my skin," he said, pacing faster, "He'd uncovered one of my few weaknesses…" he said, breathing harder, his face in a frown.
Without thinking she rushed towards him and threw her arms around him, tucking her head into his shoulder.
He stayed still for a second before his arms came around her, pulling her in tightly.
She didn't know how long they were holding each other – to her it didn't feel like a hug, but something more, if something like that even existed.
The beast's loud roar drew her from her thoughts and she pulled back, avoiding his gaze.
They walked to the mouth of their small prison/cave and saw the beast using it's trunks to build a large ball of snow. It then backed out of the cave, pulling the snowball to close the entrance behind it, bringing the entire cave into darkness.
The transport room was silent as the crew appeared in strings of light.
Spock cleared his throat.
"This is a time of emergency," he shakily started.
He shook his head, clearing his throat again.
"Everyone to their stations; we have work to do. I want all scans running on this planet: thermal heat, surface imaging, weather reports. None will rest until we have all members aboard this ship. Understood?" Spock said, unusually quickly with a sharp and stern voice.
"Yes, Captain!" the crew said, standing up a little straighter.
"Lieutenant," he snapped, turning to Uhura.
"Yes, Captain?"
"Please send comms to Starfleet, let them know what has transpired during today's mission when you arrive on the bridge."
"Yes, Captain," she said.
Spock gave a short nod and turned, walking off the platform and exiting the bay.
McCoy stayed, standing next to the engineers in the transport bay, unmoving as the crew dispersed from the platform and left.
Lena was on the platform, down on her knees, looking down at her hands.
McCoy looked around and settled a fierce glare on the three engineers remaining at the controls. They stood and left quickly, leaving him alone with her.
He walked forward quickly, moving to kneel right in front of her, putting his hands over hers.
"Lena-"
Without a word she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him tight as she let out a faint sob into his shoulder.
"Lena?"
"I'm so sorry," she whispered.
He frowned and pulled away so he could meet her teary gaze, still keeping her shaking body close. he reached forward and took her helmet off. She took in a shuddering breath, more tears falling down her cheeks, which he wiped away.
"For what? They were yards away, what could-"
"If I hadn't associated with the Callu… we wouldn't have hesitated to fire… they would've been here-"
He shook his head, and brushed his nose against hers.
She stopped her sentence with a gasp, her fingers tightening around his arms, their breaths mixing together. She closed her eyes tight.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again. "Kirk… Kamira… they-"
"Are the toughest on board this ship… they will do the same down there, with whatever the thing is that took them. But it is not your fault they were taken, Lena."
She kept her eyes closed, staying still as their noses brushed against each other.
"Lena," he whispered.
She stayed still, not sure what to do.
"It wasn't your fault Lena. Unexpected things happen in the field. Things nobody has control of."
He stood up and held out a hand. She frowned, but took it as she stood up.
McCoy took the advantage to draw her close and bring his lips to her ear.
"My patience is wearing thin…" he whispered.
She shivered and pulled back, shaking her head lightly as she left, leaving McCoy alone this time around.