Chapter 2: Reunion
She thought the sounds were receding ahead of her but, suddenly, the voices were getting louder. The sound of feet kicking up loose stones seemed to be coming from just around the next turn in the tunnel.
Looking back down the tunnel she had just traveled up, she could see nothing but straight walls, no side tunnels, nowhere to hide. New strength surged through her body and she bent down and picked up two rocks. Gripping the rocks firmly in each hand, Janeway took a deep breath and, screaming at the top of her lungs, she charged around the corner ready to kill or be killed.
Five humanoids jumped back in alarm as Kathryn Janeway came screaming and flailing her rock-laden arms at them. The three in the back hastily bend down and pick up rocks, too. But the two in the front seemed too stunned to do anything but gasp in surprise.
"Captain?" the front-most male whispered. Then he shouted, "Captain!"
Janeway stopped as her eyes came into focus. The rocks she was holding fell unnoticed at her feet. With a sob in her voice, she cried out.
"Tom, B'Elanna!"
Then her arms were around first one and then another of her away team as she hugged them all. Tears were streaming down her face and the faces of her crew. Cries of joy and wonder were on everyone's lips.
"They told us that you were dead." Tom reported. He hung his head in remembered grief. "We wouldn't believe them when they said they had killed you. They showed us a picture of your dead body. It's.it's not a picture I care to remember."
"They told me you were all dead, too!" She cried. "What happened? How did you escape?" Janeway frantically looked around, "Gods! Where's Chakotay? They showed me a picture, too. It was Chakotay. They killed him! B'Elanna, they killed him!
Janeway sank to the ground as her hysterical voice rose in volume, her grief finally overcoming her. B'Elanna slipped her arms around her, giving her a comforting hug. She whispered, "Shh, shh. He's."
Just then a voice hailed them from the trail up ahead. "B'Elanna? Tom? The passageway is blocked up there, but I think we can dig our way through."
Around the bend stepped a tall man. His broad shoulders were covered with a cloak and he was wearing pants that obviously were not his own. A dark tattoo over his left eye was only faintly visible through the dust that coated his skin. He stopped abruptly and stared at the silent tableau in front of him.
"What's going on?" he asked, staring at everyone staring at him.
"Chakotay? Chakotay?" A voice that he thought he would never hear again came from the crowd.
Slowly standing up, Janeway stepped away from B'Elanna's comforting arms and stared at the apparition in front of her.
"Chakotay?"
"Kathryn? But how.? They said.they showed us.???"
A petite form of black and red came rushing at him. He opened his arms and caught her up in a crushing hug. She locked her arms around his neck as he spun her around and around. Both of them saying the other's name as if they would never be able to say it enough.
Neelix, ever the diplomat, ushered the other members of the team forward, around the bend in the tunnel.
"Give them a minute alone." He suggested.
(TO BE CONTINUED) Chapter 3 coming up
She thought the sounds were receding ahead of her but, suddenly, the voices were getting louder. The sound of feet kicking up loose stones seemed to be coming from just around the next turn in the tunnel.
Looking back down the tunnel she had just traveled up, she could see nothing but straight walls, no side tunnels, nowhere to hide. New strength surged through her body and she bent down and picked up two rocks. Gripping the rocks firmly in each hand, Janeway took a deep breath and, screaming at the top of her lungs, she charged around the corner ready to kill or be killed.
Five humanoids jumped back in alarm as Kathryn Janeway came screaming and flailing her rock-laden arms at them. The three in the back hastily bend down and pick up rocks, too. But the two in the front seemed too stunned to do anything but gasp in surprise.
"Captain?" the front-most male whispered. Then he shouted, "Captain!"
Janeway stopped as her eyes came into focus. The rocks she was holding fell unnoticed at her feet. With a sob in her voice, she cried out.
"Tom, B'Elanna!"
Then her arms were around first one and then another of her away team as she hugged them all. Tears were streaming down her face and the faces of her crew. Cries of joy and wonder were on everyone's lips.
"They told us that you were dead." Tom reported. He hung his head in remembered grief. "We wouldn't believe them when they said they had killed you. They showed us a picture of your dead body. It's.it's not a picture I care to remember."
"They told me you were all dead, too!" She cried. "What happened? How did you escape?" Janeway frantically looked around, "Gods! Where's Chakotay? They showed me a picture, too. It was Chakotay. They killed him! B'Elanna, they killed him!
Janeway sank to the ground as her hysterical voice rose in volume, her grief finally overcoming her. B'Elanna slipped her arms around her, giving her a comforting hug. She whispered, "Shh, shh. He's."
Just then a voice hailed them from the trail up ahead. "B'Elanna? Tom? The passageway is blocked up there, but I think we can dig our way through."
Around the bend stepped a tall man. His broad shoulders were covered with a cloak and he was wearing pants that obviously were not his own. A dark tattoo over his left eye was only faintly visible through the dust that coated his skin. He stopped abruptly and stared at the silent tableau in front of him.
"What's going on?" he asked, staring at everyone staring at him.
"Chakotay? Chakotay?" A voice that he thought he would never hear again came from the crowd.
Slowly standing up, Janeway stepped away from B'Elanna's comforting arms and stared at the apparition in front of her.
"Chakotay?"
"Kathryn? But how.? They said.they showed us.???"
A petite form of black and red came rushing at him. He opened his arms and caught her up in a crushing hug. She locked her arms around his neck as he spun her around and around. Both of them saying the other's name as if they would never be able to say it enough.
Neelix, ever the diplomat, ushered the other members of the team forward, around the bend in the tunnel.
"Give them a minute alone." He suggested.
(TO BE CONTINUED) Chapter 3 coming up