2263 – On board USS Enterprise-A
She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt so alone.
She could, actually, but the last thing she needed was to focus on exactly what had happened in the Laurentian System almost a decade ago. Ignoring the excruciating pain in her leg – a souvenir from her time in that part of space that she was forced to live with – she continued to limp her way further into the cave-like opening.
There was a good chance that she'd be stuck in here forever if another earthquake struck, she mused, but she didn't have a choice anymore. It was all her fault. The paranoid fear of someone finding her had meant that she hadn't done her job as a Starfleet science officer, the same job she was always telling Jim she was so good at. She had let someone inexperienced handle the mission brief, and now she was stuck limping her way into the cave, possibly the only conscious member of a rescue team that should never have had to have been sent down in the first place. She only hoped she found some of them, any of them, in a condition to get back to the surface.
A fresh pile of rocks tumbled down from the ceiling of the cave in front of her, and she hissed in pain as a few stray pieces hit her shoulder. If it wasn't already dislocated, she would definitely be supporting a bruise tomorrow.
If she even made it to tomorrow.
Cursing herself one last time, she continued to make her way through the narrow passage. There was no light at the end of this tunnel, but the air was fresh, which meant that wherever it ended, it would probably be above ground. A few steps further in, however, she was forced to stop. Her leg was killing her. If she didn't rest now, she wouldn't make it to the end, and then they'd really be screwed.
"As if this could get any worse," she spoke out loud, and the resounding echo assured her that she had a very long way to go before she hit the surface.
Gingerly, she rested her back against the crumbly wall behind her, testing out its strength. Clearly, it wasn't meant to take any support, because she heard the cracking right before she felt the structure give way behind her. Squeezing her eyes shut against the dust and debris, she pushed herself back, hoping to hit some kind of barrier that would save her from the onslaught of rocks.
Instead, her back collided with something hard and warm, and definitely not inanimate. Before she could react, a pair of strong and decidedly human arms were wrapped around her middle, twirling her around and pushing her face-first against the very wall she had been hoping to hit with her back. The person who had saved her pressed up against her, their taller body shielding her from the falling rocks. The noise was deafening, but she was sure she could hear a masculine voice swearing profusely near her ear.
Suddenly, she realized why her heart was racing. The near-death experience via a rock avalanche wasn't what scared her. What terrified her was that this person felt familiar.
Her worst nightmare was confirmed when the noise ceased and the person pulled away slightly, cursing under his breath as he walked a few steps away from her. The next second, a small light was being shone right at her.
"Who the hell are you?" asked a decidedly familiar voice, the gruff tone easily recognizable.
She grimaced and turned around, meeting a pair of hazel eyes that made her heart skip a beat despite the situation. Sheepishly, she raised a hand in greeting. No point in hiding now. "Hey?"
Leonard McCoy almost dropped his penlight.