SURVIVAL INSTINCT
by Avalon (avalon99@telusplanet.net)
http://members.dencity.com/avalon_online
J/C, PG-13, 3/3
SURVIVAL INSTINCT III
For a startled moment neither Janeway nor Chakotay spoke. Then, as one, they ducked under the nearest tree, taking what shelter they could find beneath its distant canopy. It wasn't much.
They were in a jungle. Thick undergrowth covered the ground while, high overhead, distant leaves shuddered in the downpour. Despite the rain, the air was still warm and smelled of decomposing foliage. A deep, green-tinted gloom had replaced the blinding glare of Deneb Prime.
Another wave of water hit them, and unconsciously they moved closer together, holding each other tightly against the deluge. The rain had become so thick they could barely see. Janeway shivered slightly, blinking water out of her eyes. How had she ended up here, she wondered randomly, clinging to her half-naked First Officer? This situation was adding new meaning to the word "irony"...
"Kathryn." He practically had to shout in her ear to be heard over the tempest.
"What?"
"Have you noticed that everytime you ask for something, the holodeck complies...dramatically."
He was right. When she had been soaking wet, she had asked aloud to be dry...and the ship's computer had produced a desert. Now she had wanted a little rain...and now they were in a raging tropical storm. It was a good thing she hadn't asked for a fire -- they probably would have found themselves in Dante's Inferno... Janeway braced herself a little more firmly against the tree, but did not relinquish her grasp on her First Officer. "I want to get out of the holodeck," she said, projecting her voice firmly over the storm. "I want to go back to Voyager...I want the rain to stop..." Nothing happened.
"Try clicking your heels together three times and saying 'there's no place like home'".
The look she gave him lost some of its force due to the bedraggled state of her hair and the water dripping from it into her eyes, but it sufficed. "That isn't very useful, Commander."
He opened his mouth to reply, then abruptly tightened his grip around her shoulders and without hesitation flung her to the ground, throwing his body over hers.
Thoughts of insanity, followed closely by mutiny, flickered through Janeway's mind. Then Chakotay shifted slightly and she could see past his shoulder...to the spot where they had been standing only moments ago...and the immense bough that had crashed to the ground. Janeway swallowed deeply as reaction and relief poured through her. They could have been killed...
"I guess we can say with some degree of certainty that the holodeck safety protocols are not functioning properly..." She was babbling, but she couldn't seem to help herself. The nearness of their escape, coupled with the strength of the storm had left her trembling like a leaf. And Chakotay knew it. He could hardly help it, given that he was still sprawled on top of her.
Janeway abruptly stilled. This was the second time today she had found herself lying underneath her First Officer. Her breath caught in her throat as his gaze met hers, rainwater pouring over them both. She could feel the heat of his body through their soaked clothing, feel the beat of his heart against hers, his breath against her cheek. They might as well have been naked...
Janeway opened her mouth to speak, though not at all sure what she was going to say. Blinding need was pouring through her with a force that rivalled the storm. "This is...insane," she thought wildly, "we're trapped on the holodeck, we could be killed at any moment, and all I can think about is... Chakotay." She swallowed deeply. He was staring into her eyes, his face reflecting the same emotions she felt sure was blazing on hers, his weight pressing her into the wet ground. It would take so little -- one word, one move...even a hint of invitation in her eyes, and...
A faint sound intruded. With an effort she managed to wrench her eyes away from the brown ones so close to hers, and glanced to the side...in time to see the heavy log swinging low on a rope, coming directly toward them.
"Hell!" Janeway instantly shifted her grip on her First Officer, levered one leg beneath her...and rolled, dragging him with her.
It almost worked. They were almost clear of the log's path when her momentum ran out. There was a moment of blinding agony as something hit her high on the right hip and then her leg went numb. They continued rolling together, driven now by Chakotay's strength...and then they were safe, the log whistling by above them. They both ducked as it arced back along its path and vanished into the undergrowth.
Janeway found herself lying once more beneath her First Officer but all thoughts of impropriety had vanished from her mind. She was too busy trying to cope with the sudden onslaught of pain shooting along her hip. Chakotay levered himself up, keeping an eye on the foliage in case the log should a reappear. He leaned over her worriedly.
"Kathryn?"
"I'm all right." 'Liar', her subconscious screamed at her. She wasn't all right. It hurt like hell and, for a moment, she was afraid to move. Then she realized that Chakotay was running his hands over her, but not in the manner she had considered only moments ago. Now he was clinically checking for injuries. His hand reached her hip and she stifled a yelp.
"No you're not." The concern in his face had changed to fear. Fear for her. "You're hurt. We've got to get you to sickbay." His hands were shaking slightly, she noticed distantly.
"I'm fine. Really." Gasping for breath, she pulled herself into a sitting position, ready to duck at any moment should more unseen traps strike them. "I'm just bruised. I only need a few minutes. Really." She gave him what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
Chakotay wanted to strangle her. She was lying to him. It was obvious that she was in pain -- her face had paled beneath the faint sunburn and shock was glazing her eyes. He glanced again at the nearby plant life. She could have been killed. If that log had hit anywhere else... "Why did you do that?" An undercurrent of anger laced his words and it was taking all his willpower not to seize her by the shoulders and... He fought to regain control of his emotions.
"Do what?" Pain coloured her voice as she clutched her hip with her right hand. She shifted slightly, trying to determine the extent of her injuries.
Chakotay gritted his teeth. "Throw yourself in that log's path," he answered.
She shot him a look, his tone finally beginning to register. A thin thread of ire went through her in turn. "I did not 'throw myself in that log's path'. I got you out of it!" She shrugged free of his hands and concentrated on getting her feet under her, biting her lip at the pain when she moved.
"That blow was meant for me. If you hadn't rolled like that..."
"It would have hit you on the side of the head and I'd be minus one First Officer."
His fists clenched. "You've got to stop taking risks like this..."
"Oh fine," she growled, her temper now thoroughly lost. "Next time I'll let it take your head off. Satisfied? Now either help me up or go away and let me do this in peace." Her gaze clashed with his for a long moment then finally he stood and silently reached a hand out. She took it and slowly clambered to her feet, balancing most of her weight on her left leg.
He was quick to release her hand, she noticed. What was wrong with him? She'd never seen Chakotay so...furious. For a moment his legend of the angry warrior came back to her, and now she could quite believe it. This man could be...dangerous. Unfortunately Janeway didn't respond very well to danger signs. The impulse to indulge in an all-out fight with him was so strong she could almost taste it. Logically she knew that both of their responses were due to the nearness of their escape and the shared stress they had endured in the last few hours...not to mention the sheer blazing sexual tension that had stormed through them mere moments ago, but still...
"No, Kathryn," she thought to herself, "he's concerned. That's why he's acting like this." She drew a deep breath. "Thank you," she managed to say in a relatively calm voice.
Chakotay was visibly struggling with himself. "You're welcome. How is your hip?" His voice was terse but the ominous undercurrents were gone.
She took an experimental pace forward, limping heavily. It hurt, but not quite so badly now. Or perhaps she was getting used to the pain. "I told you. It's just bruised. I'll be fine."
He narrowed his gaze but did not respond. Instead, he said: "I know where we are."
Janeway blinked slightly. "Where?"
"One of B'elanna's survival programs."
"B'elanna?" A sense of foreboding filled her. "What kind of survival program?"
"A very...Klingon...survival program. If you wanted to hone your skills, this is the place. And it's going to be twice as difficult now that you're injured."
She narrowed her eyes. "Well, I'll try not to slow you down too much, Commander," she said acidly.
Chakotay opened his mouth to reply, thought better of it, then turned to survey their surroundings. Above them, the torrential rains were beginning to slow slightly. Finally he glanced back at her. "Which way...Captain?" Their gazes clashed.
"Left." Her voice was clipped. Resolutely ignoring him, she turned and limped away down the narrow path. Chakotay paused for a long moment then followed, his face an expressionless mask.
* * *
It was difficult to keep her fury blazing away inside her when all of her strength was going towards fighting her way through this jungle, Janeway quickly discovered. The pain in her hip had ebbed somewhat but she still limped heavily. The unevenness of the ground didn't help -- several times she had had to catch herself against a tree when her foot had snagged on a snarled vine or exposed root.
At least the rain had stopped. Unfortunately though, great clouds of insects had emerged the instant the downpour stopped and launched an all-out attack on both of them. After the first few minutes of beating herself silly trying to keep them away, Janeway had given in to the inevitable and was steadfastly ignoring them...the same way she was ignoring her second in command.
Chakotay hadn't spoken a word but had silently brushed past her moments after she had stormed away and was now doing his best to clear a path for them through the thick jungle. Of course, without any tools or equipment, it wasn't easy. "My kingdom for a machete," Janeway thought wistfully. Although, given the current precarious state of her emotions, she wasn't sure if she would use it on the plant life or on her First Officer...
Anger still simmered within her. His belief that she had unnecessarily thrown herself into danger, and even worse, his implication that she was now a hindrance sent her anger soaring each time she thought of it. What gave him the right to...? No. It had been his fear and concern speaking. He hadn't meant it...
Lost in thought, Janeway didn't notice the root curling along the jungle floor. It hooked around her ankle and without warning she crashed to her knees. Hard. Great. Just what she needed -- more bruises... For a moment she paused, unable to move as the pain in her hip reached new heights and her vision blurred.
When it cleared, Chakotay was crouching in front of her. "Are you all right?" It was the first time he had spoken since their argument... She met his eyes.
"I'm fine," she said coolly, "and I am not slowing you down..." Tossing back a bedraggled lock of red hair that had fallen into her eyes, she clumsily climbed back to her feet.
It was at that moment that movement swirled on the edge of her vision. Unhesitatingly she leapt at her First Officer, throwing him unceremoniously to the ground. As she did, a sharpened stake flew overhead, burying itself in a nearby tree with a dull thud. It's metre-long shaft quivered for an instant, then stilled.
Janeway took a deep breath then looked down at Chakotay. Oops. That was a mistake. If he had been angry before, now he was overwhelmingly so. Seizing her by the shoulders, he surged to his feet, pulling her with him, then promptly dove for cover, off the path. Janeway ducked, wincing as a large frond slapped her in the face. She tried to slow their headlong flight but he had her wrist in a iron grip and she couldn't get enough leverage to dig her feet in and force him to a halt. And then the sounds of more stakes whistled through the jungle behind them and suddenly she didn't want to.
Finally, when she was breathless and exhausted, Chakotay came to a sudden halt beside a steep precipice and turned, her wrist still encased in his hand. In one smooth movement, he released her only to seize her by the upper arms. Hard. "Stop doing that!" It wasn't quite a shout, but it was the closest to it she had ever heard from him.
"Stop what?!"
His fingers tightened. "Stop putting yourself in danger for me. I can take care of myself!"
That did it. Janeway's tenuous hold on her fraying temper finally dissolved altogether. "Well that certainly hasn't been very evident lately. If I hadn't 'put myself in danger for you', you'd still have Eidolon as a permanent resident! You certainly weren't doing a very good job of taking care of yourself when..."
Raw emotion blazed up in his eyes and his grip tightened yet further. Janeway swallowed, wondering if she had finally driven him to violence. He opened his mouth to speak...and at that moment the ground crumbled beneath them. As one they toppled over the edge of the precipice.
* * *
It was a mudslide. The rains had obviously eroded the cliff-face to the extent that their weight had been enough to trigger the slide. Janeway found herself plunging at frightening speeds down a steep curving path, leaves and fronds whipping at her as she sailed by. Behind her, she could hear Chakotay's descent but could spare no thought for him. Instead she concentrated on trying to stay on her back and slow her progress as much as possible.
She wasn't doing too badly. So far, she had managed to keep her descent relatively controlled. And then, in a fast-moving blur, a large boulder appeared ahead...directly in her path. She had only an instant to act...and did so, by flinging herself into a shoulder roll, desperately trying to change directions. It worked. Sort of. Janeway missed the boulder by inches...but found herself falling completely out of control. There was a terrifying moment of blurred mud and tropical plants and then she reached the bottom with a bone-jarring thud -- and found herself once more submerged in water. She had only enough time to sit up in the waist-deep pool of mud and water, shaking her head once to clear her eyes...when Chakotay's body came catapulting toward her.
Janeway ducked. It didn't help. Like a photon torpedo locked on target, he flew straight toward her, plowing to a uncoordinated halt...right on top of her. For the third time that day, Janeway found herself pinned beneath her First Officer's weight. This was becoming ridiculous...
At least he wasn't dead or unconscious. He immediately opened his eyes and tried to sit back up, his face half-hidden by mud and water. One hand slipped and once more his full weight pressed her down. Janeway tried to wriggle aside, resolutely ignoring the fact that this was coming precariously close to mud-wrestling. Besides, she didn't have time to be embarrassed. She was still infuriated with the man... "At least you can't blame all this on me this time," she said as she finally managed to half-slide out from under him. "Unless you think I pushed you down that cliff to save your life again..."
Incredulity lit his face...what she could see of it and then it was replaced by another emotion entirely. With the speed of a striking snake he reached out and seized her by the arms once more, holding her in an unbreakable grip. "Damn you, Kathryn," he managed to say before he pulled her to him.
When his lips came down on hers with bruising force, Janeway stiffened in shock...and something else. She opened her mouth to protest...at least she thought she was going to protest...and then his hand moved up to the back of her neck, pulling her even closer, and the kiss changed subtly. He still held her tightly, his arms imprisoning her own against his chest, but his lips slowly softened, moving across her mouth in a sensuous exploration. She gasped as his tongue roamed freely, tracing the line of her lips until she found herself responding hungrily, drowning in the sensations. And then his tongue met hers and Janeway's self-control vanished like dust on the wind. Somehow she found herself kissing him back, one hand going up to pull him even closer, the other moving past his open tunic to caress his bare chest. His hand went up to cover her own and she quivered.
Chakotay was no longer in control of his emotions. The combined stresses of fear, concern, anger, and...everything else...had finally eroded his composure to the point where logic and decorum had been completely lost. All he knew was that he could have lost this woman... Despair, desire, fear, and a thousand other unnamed emotions welled up within him even as he pulled her closer, tilting her head back as he ravaged the depths of her mouth, running his hands freely over her body.
"I should stop this," Janeway thought muzzily. Then he broke the kiss enough to whisper her name, his voice hoarse with need...and all thought fled. She pulled him back down to her, her lips meeting his and their legs entwining. She could feel every inch of him pressing tightly to her, could feel desire throbbing through them both. And then there was nothing but sensation and need...
Neither of them noticed that the cliff and the pool of muddy water had vanished or heard the faint sounds around them...until a female voice close beside them said: "Lei?"
Both Janeway and Chakotay jumped apart, wrenching their mouths away from each other, their hearts hammering in shock...and the Polynesian girl in the red sarong smiled cheerfully at them, holding out a garland of pink tropical flowers. More holodeck characters passed by in the distance while the faint lapping of water in the nearby pool was echoed by the music in the air. Janeway and Chakotay blinked in astonishment
Chakotay suddenly felt eyes upon him and looked up...to the alternately stunned/amused/surprised gazes of Tom Paris, Harry Kim, and B'Elanna Torres standing in the still-open doorway. They were dressed in sarongs and beach wear, holding coconuts with straws in them, and were obviously prepared for a few hours on what Chakotay had privately dubbed "the hula-deck."
At that moment he also realized he was lying full-length on the floor on top of his Captain in a very compromising position, and that both of them were muddy, bruised, and definitely looking the worse for wear. Beneath him, Janeway twisted, sensing that they were no longer alone. She tilted her head, getting an upside-down view of the three newcomers...and winced. Immediately, she began to untangle herself from her First Officer.
It was not easy. Somehow she had managed to wrap one leg and both arms around the man and that, plus the fact that her bruised hip was beginning to stiffen up, made moving difficult. Sensing her difficulties, Chakotay climbed to his feet quickly and gracefully, pulling her up with him then releasing her immediately. She didn't look at him. She didn't especially want to look at the others either. Diving for the nearest cover was the most appealing option right now. Janeway took a deep breath and stiffened her shoulders. "Starfleet Captains do not hide under tables," she told herself firmly, a little surprised that she could still think after the intensity of the kiss..."No. Don't think about that. Just get out of here...fall back and retreat..."
"Er...Good workout, Captain?" Paris was the first to speak. From either side, Torres and Kim simultaneously elbowed him hard in the ribs and he winced, sloshing his coconut drink slightly. Chakotay stiffened and took a half-step forward. Imperceptibly Janeway edged into his path and he stopped, still bristling.
"There's been a problem with the holodeck. Various programs seem to be merging and the computer is not responding to voice commands." Janeway was vaguely surprised that her voice sounded firm and calm. She continued. "I want these problems fixed before anyone else uses it, Lieutenant. Understood?" She fixed a stern eye on Torres who had to swallow once or twice before her voice worked properly.
"Yes...Captain. I'll...see to it right away."
Nobody moved. The tension level soared. Finally Janeway nodded and stepped past them in a dignified manner. Or as dignified as she could manage given that she was soaking wet, covered in mud, her hair was tangled, and she had just been caught in a torrid embrace with her half-naked, similarly bedraggled First Officer. Cringing inwardly, she limped past them, ignoring the gazes of the three officers, flanked closely by Chakotay who likewise said nothing. Gritting her teeth, Janeway said over her shoulder: "I want that report on my desk by oh-six-hundred, Lieutenant." She did not wait for a reply. Together, she and Chakotay exited the holodeck.
* * *
Once outside, Janeway stopped. She didn't stop by choice but by necessity. Her hip had stiffened to the point that she was fairly sure that she would fall over if she took another step. As if sensing her difficulty, Chakotay took her arm, lightly steadying her.
It was no good. She was going to have to look at him. She did...and immediately felt the blood rushing to her face. She was certain she was turning the same colour as her hair.
For his part, Chakotay didn't look much better off. Almost every inch of him was covered in mud, there was a long scratch across his forehead and his tunic hung open to the waist. And he looked equally uncomfortable. The silence hung between them like knifepoints.
"Chakotay..."
"Kathryn..."
They both spoke at once then fell silent. A passing crewman gave them a quick glance then stopped dead, his mouth open in astonishment. At their dual frown, he hurriedly resumed his pace, staring incredulously over his shoulder at them as he walked away. Janeway stiffened and glanced down at herself. If anything, she looked even worse than Chakotay. Mud covered her from head to toe, half the jungle seemed to be caught in her tangled hair, and there were a couple of rips in her clothing that stopped just short of indecency. The urge to dive for cover increased. She straightened her shoulders. "Chakotay... Whatever we need to say to each other, I suggest it wait until later."
He looked as if he were about to argue then glanced down the corridor where other crewmembers were beginning to run into each other as those in front caught sight of their Captain and First Officer. "We are attracting a lot of attention, Captain. And you need to have the Doctor check your injuries."
"After I've had a shower."
"Captain..."
"After I've had a shower." Her tone permitted no argument. With a faint sigh, Chakotay tightened his grip on her arm, giving her some much-needed support. Together they set off down the corridor, leaning on each other slightly. The crew parted silently as they passed.
TO BE CONCLUDED IN "FULL CIRCLE"