Shining her torch around the dark, mossy cave, Kathryn watched as the light danced between the ground and walls. The air around her was thinner than she was used to and the air held a very unpleasant smell but it didn't deter her from her mission. There was supposed to be dilithium veins running through the walls of the caves but neither her or Tom had found any evidence of it as of yet.
Taking a few steps closer to Tom, she shined her light where his was and saw what he was looking at; a mushroom that had somehow ended up growing on the ceiling of the cave. Looking at his tricorder readings she was surprised to find out they were edible. Any food, even if it was a fungus, was better than some of the meals Neelix had tried making recently which were mostly some forms of mushy soup or dehydrated alien fruit.
Hearing something dripping, Kathryn concentrated on the sound for a few moments and her eyes lit up. She was almost positive it was the sound of water dripping into a larger source of water; she knew that sound anywhere. Running a quick scan of the caves around them, she furrowed her brows in confusion when nothing came back on her readings. Knowing what she was hearing wasn't in her head, she made a quick decision.
"Tom, I think I hear water dripping which may lead to something but I'm not sure yet. If you keep on checking for the dilithium veins and more of those mushroom things, I'm going to go investigate the dripping and check for the dilithium while I'm there. We'll keep an open communication line just in case we spot something. Does that sound okay with you?" Kathryn said, opening the link between their comm. badges.
"If you need me for any reason just give me a yell. Be safe please," Tom replied, gently taking Kathryn's hand for a moment and giving it a quick squeeze.
"I will, be safe too." Smiling at Tom, she felt him let go of her hand as he went back to slowly exploring the part of the cave he was in. It was large, like a dome, the roof was at least twelve feet high and it had five tunnels leading in an out of it.
Not able to get the smile off her face as she headed towards the sound of the dripping water, she thought back to when she and Tom had first got together. Out of all places it was on the holodeck and she was dressed as Queen Arachnia and Tom as Captain Proton. They had just finished a chapter of the holonovel together, one where Queen Arachnia tried to seduce Captain Proton, and once it had finished the sexual tension she felt between them boiled over, and Tom, ever so smoothly, pulled her close and pressed a searing kiss to her lips and she had kissed him back with just as much passion.
Now here there were, four months later, on an abandoned planet together trying to find dilithium. She wasn't usually one to go on away missions but the ship was badly damaged and it needed all hands on deck to help fix it. Being the captain, she didn't want to put any extra stress on her crew so she grabbed Tom and said they'd do the scout mission using the Delta Flyer.
Taking a moment to stand still and listen for the dripping, Kathryn faced each direction and ran her hand over the cave walls, finally deciding to go left. Shining her torch all around the chamber she entered, she noticed more of the mushrooms and decided to follow the small trail of them which lead further into the cave. Taking turn after turn down some smaller corridors, Kathryn could hear the water drops getting louder and louder. Turning one last corner, she stopped dead and pushed herself against the wall.
Listening to the area around her, she could still hear the sound of dripping water but something else caught her attention. Something sounded like very soft whispers and it put her on high alert. Taking a cautious step forward while keeping her torch facing the ground, a blinding light shone all around her. Unable to see anything, she backed up against the wall and screamed out as a sharp, burning pain engulfed her left shoulder.
Falling to her knees, she held her shoulder tightly, waiting for the pain to subside. Watching as the source of the light disappeared; she shone her torch around and saw nothing. Trying her open line with Tom, she got no response. Hitting her communications badge once more, she swore under her breath as she realised something must be blocking its signal.
Noticing blood on her right hand, she touched her shoulder and gasped. The wound was bleeding and the initial pain had gone but boy was she in agony. It still felt as if someone had sliced through her skin with a butter knife. Gripping her shoulder, she put pressure on the wound and tried to remember the way she had come.
Turning corner after corner, she felt her head start to spin and keeping her focus was becoming harder. Seeing the faint glow of the beam of a flashlight, Kathryn headed towards it. She tried to call out for help but no sound would come out her mouth. She felt the air around her getting thinner and thinner. Taking a few more steps forward she saw Tom in the distance. Gathering all of her strength, she called out to him, letting out a small gasp as the pain in her shoulder shot through her body.
"Kathryn!" Tom called back, the light of his torch landing on her; the red blood from her shoulder glistening in the beam.
Watching as Tom ran over to her, she tried to take a step forward but everything started to spin, her vision went funny, and she could hear a loud ringing in her ear. Closing her eyes for a moment she felt weightless and like she was falling. Feeling strong arms wrap around her, she opened her eyes long enough to look at Tom. His blue eyes were full of worry and concern, he was whispering something to her but she couldn't understand it. She felt herself being picked up, her feet leaving the ground, as Tom carried her. She could make out some shapes but it was getting harder to keep her eyes open. Her shoulder was on fire, sending pain into her arm and neck but none of that could top the tiredness she felt as she closed her eyes and everything around her went black.