Chapter 24
The creature bodily threw Spock into the cave then left. Spock landed and hit his head in the process. He struggled and sat up. He felt hot sticky blood trickle down his face from the open gash on his forehead. It was pitch black and the smell offended his nostrils.
Dizziness seemed to overwhelm him. He could no longer control it. Finally Spock slid back down and fell into unconsciousness.
The creatures came into the cave and took away many more of the Drolinian survivors. There was panic everywhere and people ran in a delirium of sheer terror.
Saavik stood with K'Rissel and her baby along with the landing party in a shadowed corner away from the creatures. They had learned that the beings had a poor sense of smell and were completely blind. At least they had that advantage.
One of the beings held up a burning stick that it had taken from the campfire with one short stubby black arm. It swayed it back and forth as a measure of order.
People were marched away, men, woman, and children. The being deliberately dropped the torch, which it carried. Everything caught fire and was transformed into flames. Apparently the aliens had selected whom they considered necessary for their task and were leaving the rest to perish in flames.
Saavik wondered how the crew of her ship was coping, assuming that there was anyone left aboard her alive. She gazed dispassionately at the scene going on before her. The creatures could do what they wished and no one stood in their way. She noticed something. On each creature was a small glowing prism of light. Saavik frowned and watched.
The crew learned that the aliens spoke with a primitive mechanical language. Each time they spoke the small box, which was attached near the head region, flickered more vibrantly and the pulse between each flicker was more frequent.
The Vulcan had speculated that the aliens were not what they actually appeared to be.
"We have to get out of 'ere," said K'Rissel nervously. Tears stung her eyes from the choking black smoke that was quickly filling the air. It was terrible. People and objects were igniting all around them. The reek of burning flesh over took the scent of smoke.
The humans were gagging and tried desperately not to choke. K'Rissel's people were doomed.
They managed to run for their lives toward the corridor. Away from the ones which were impossible to save.
Of the fifteen who remained, there were five who escaped; these included three young children named Doi, Atorl, and Thei. With them K'Rissel and her baby. Her husband was long since gone. He had been one of the people who the creatures had chosen. Brown took the children by the hand and everyone ran for the tunnel.
Protection wouldn't last long though, but there had to be a way out somewhere. They ran through the pitch darkness, only lit up by the flaming bodies of the soon to be dead. Hearts were racing and breathing was laboured. The outer cavern would soon be in sight. They hurried. Suddenly Saavik stopped.
"This is all wrong," she said frowning. "I do not remember there being other tunnels within here." Nether the less they continued to go. It didn't really matter because anywhere they went would result in oxygen starvation.
She knew that they probably wouldn't die from the flames. It would more likely be the smoke inhalation, which would gradually cause them to suffocate to death.
They came to a hollow. It was very low and narrow. Everyone squeezed into the passage then emerged out into the other side. It was over a hundred feet wide. Above sunlight beamed through.
They guessed that either the aliens didn't know about this area or that they thought that the people would be too wide to slip through the compressed space leading into it. This place would shelter them. The smoke would take a while before it penetrated into the chamber.
Saavik looked into the murky darkness. She could smell water. To the far right behind the reservoir there stood a steep rocky dike perhaps fifteen or twenty feet high. It led up to the open. Leading to the wall was a narrow platform coming around the water's edge. Everyone realised that this was the only way to escape.
"This is the way out," the Vulcan woman murmured.
Brown stopped beside her and looked up. "I hope everyone can climb," she said. For the Starfleet officers it would be easier enough, but for three small children and a mother with a baby it would prove a difficult task ahead.
The children which comprised of one baby boy, a four year old boy, and two eight year old twin sisters looked fearful and gazed up with wide terrified eyes at the opening. For them it appeared even higher to climb. Saavik glanced in the other direction, which lead way back to the outer cavern.
"It is VA only way?" Murmured one of the girls called Thei. The first officer squeezed her hand.
"Don't be scared. Think of it as an adventure."
"We don't like adventures," murmured the three older children in unison.
"We'll be free in no time. Look," said K'Rissel pointing across and up. "We can see va light. That means it's not far up. Looks can be deceptive." The youngest of the three, the boy whimpered.
"Your be okay," said Brown.
Spock awoke in the damp musty cave. The walls were running with icy cold water. The floor was slimy with algae growth. He tried desperately to suppress the shuddering, which raked his body. The cold was quite intolerable to him since he was more used to hotter climates.
The Vulcan drew his robes tighter around his body to conserve body warmth. He realised there was an extremely high percentage that he going to die. To die of the chill, or the misery of Pon Farr?
It was deadly condition if not resolved. It was a kind of punishment for controlling strong emotions for the rest of time. The high concentration of adrenaline pumping through his veins made him want to runaway, but the fever and sickness left him physically exhausted.
Spock felt pain. He wanted to break, but he held back and he longed for Saavik to be with him despite his actual fear of closeness. If he ever did see her again he could never allow himself to become so vulnerable in front of her, despite the terrifying thought of the actual mating ritual he illogically found himself fantasising that she was in his arms.
Spock leaned back against the wall trembling and chiding himself for illogical lascivious visioning. That would not cure his condition no matter how detailed the images were. He pulled his arms even tighter around his body in desperation to keep warm. One moment he was shivering uncontrollably from the cold, then the next moment he was burning with fever.
He had no idea how long he had been laying unconscious there in the damp cave. He guessed it had been days judging by the acceleration of the illness. Inside his mind he fought not to break until finally he could stand it no longer. In desperation he finally cried out. It was a sound of absolute remorse.
The air became thick with smoke and was almost up to the point that he was gasping for oxygen, but it didn't matter any more. Some how the Vulcan could no longer struggle against the inner torture, which for so long had tormented him deeply. He prayed it would end fast.
From inside the water cavern Saavik heard the cry. It must have echoed throughout the many chambers. At first she thought it was only coming from the cave they had just left. Her ears told her otherwise. She stopped abruptly and listened.
"I hear something," she said. "Wait here. I'm going back. Someone may be following us."
Brown grabbed her arm almost savagely. "Saavik there is no chance of saving him. Our own lives are in jeopardy. Save yourself. Save us." But Saavik was determined.
"I can not leave anyone behind who may have a chance to escape." She said remembering her troubled past and the man who had brought her through it and into modern civilisation.
"Don't be a fool. This isn't logical Captain and you know it," said Brown. "What's happened to your certitude, your faith if I can call it that?" Saavik shook her head. "You are a Starfleet captain. You may well be condemning us to death. You could countermand your rank, your career. You could be stepping into a trap."
"This is what I have to do."
"Are you going mad?" The doctor sneered. Saavik said nothing. "You won't have a chance in hell." She ignored him.
"If I'm not back in five minutes then go on with out me," she said. Saavik turned and ran before any one else could make further protests.
She found the outer cave. The one, which they had originally tried to find again. She made her way towards the man sat huddled against the far wall. The air was choking with carbon dioxide fumes.
He was lying in the foetal position on the floor. He was violently shivering. Saavik knelt down. She had no idea who it was. Cautiously she reached out her hand, but thought better of it and drew it away quickly.
"Come," she said. "Let me help you." Spock looked up. It was Saavik's voice and he thought he was going mad. Abruptly a hacking cough racked him and he feared he could not stop. He could taste blood bubbling in his throat.
Saavik saw his face through the gloom. She was surprised to see that he was a Vulcan. She had no idea how a Vulcan had got down here. Perhaps other crewmembers from the ship or other ships had followed Picard down when no message was received and he had been taken prisoner by the aliens ending up the same way she had.
Judging by his condition he had been here for quite a while. He appeared to be quite delirious. Saavik reached out again, careful not to disturb him too much. She touched his arm for a brief second. The material was damp. The Vulcan tensed.
She kept her mental restraint held up tightly as not to distribute her thoughts. Being in so close proximity would cause great mental fatigue for him. Despite the marginal physical distance she could feel heat from his body.
He was burning up and his face was damp with perspiration. It was rare that a Vulcan would sweat. Saavik leaned closer frowning. She gazed at his face. There was shock flourishing in her dark eyes. It was Captain Spock!
At first she didn't know what to say or do. Saavik knew she had to get him out of there fast. The five minutes were up by four point one minutes. The others would undoubtedly be climbing to safety. If there was such a place on this planet.
She leaned over and cautiously touched his arm again. He gasped out loud and violently pulled away.
"Spock, this is Saavik," she said quietly to him in Vulcan. He repeatedly shook his head. Telling him over and over again that he was hallucinating.
"We must leave now." She said firmly, but kindly. Saavik took his hand. He could no longer fight the mirage in front of him.
He roughly pulled his hand away. Spock squeezed his eye's shut while pressing both hands as hard as he could over his ears endeavouring to make his ramming pulse in his head cease.
All he could feel and see was blood pulsating through his body. Spock gasped for air, but to him there didn't seem to be any left. Panic swept through him, down his spine through to every nerve. He felt suffocated and was hyperventilating. He tried to relax, to ease the thumping of his heart and to stop the adrenaline rush.
Saavik impulsively pulled him up and close to her. He was struggling desperately not to break down and weep. Suddenly he felt strength plunge into him. He looked up to see Saavik's face close to his. She was passive and her eyes were closed.
Her fingers were positioned against his face on the melding points upon the temples. She was giving him her strength. Her energy began to pick him up until he felt a little stronger. He realised that she wasn't a mirage after all. She was completely real.
Saavik withdrew from the outer core of his mind. He could only hope that she still didn't know that he was suffering from Pon Farr. Her mind did not penetrate any deeper than the outer edges of his consciousness. She opened her eyes and gazed at him. His breathing slowed and his mind was calmer.
Saavik pulled her fingers away slowly. She leant him against the wall for support. For a long moment there was silence.
Finally Saavik averted her eyes and gazed through the darkness. She heard the thunder of flames coming through from the outside of the cave. Soon they would swallow this one up.
Saavik stood up and straightened her heavy-duty regulation coat. Spock let her pull him to his feet, but he doubled over coughing. She herself struggled to calm the persistent hacking her own lungs began to retch out. She could taste the smoke that was leaking through into the chamber.
Saavik pulled him close and practically dragged him through the flame tunnels towards the water cavern. Three or four times they had to stop because his legs gave way.
The landing party and the five members of the Drolinian inhabitancy emerged at the top of the cliff and clambered onto blue green grass. They came into bright sunshine. Surprisingly here the planet was relatively undamaged.
They made it to the cave. The others had gone. Saavik helped to ease Spock to a protruding rock and he sat down.
Trees grew. Brown slumped down onto the embankment. If only Saavik had listened to me, she thought. Then maybe she would still be alive. For the moment this place would be their safe haven and she prayed that she was correct.
Brown helped the doctor up the cliff and pulled him over. Next came the children and then K'Rissel. He baby was tightly secured on her back with the use of McMeres uniform jacket.
The sleeves have been tied securely to form shoulder straps and the body of the jacket folded over and knotted together at the corners. Her baby had cried and wailed all the way up to the top. McMeres flopped down.
"I never ever want to go through that again," he managed to say.
"It is not far," Saavik said. "I will help you." Spock closed his eyes. The water cave was much lighter than the others due to the sunlight coming through a great cavity from above. Saavik could now clearly see him. He had a cut on his forehead that would not heal.
Despite her help he was still very unwell. There was something wrong other than the results of the freezing environment. She worried how she could get him up the precipice. His skin felt clammy, yet benumbed. Saavik feared he was suffering from hypothermia. They had no choice but to climb.
"It is not far," she said taking his hand and struggling to get him to rise.
"I cannot...No further...Please...leave me alone." He clutched his head. "This is only a dream," he muttered.
"This is no dream," said Saavik wishing that it were. Spock looked down at the floor. "Look at me," she commanded. He did not respond. Saavik gently lifted his chin to face her. "This is no dream," she repeated. "This is reality."
"We must succeed." He did not seem to acknowledge her. Nothing stirred in him. She for one wanted to escape, but she wasn't prepared to simply leave him behind. Desperately she reached out and touched his face. Spock abruptly looked up with wide eyes.
"Saavikam?" He questioned in Vulcan.
"Yes, you remember me," she said in the same language. "It is all right." Her fingers brushed against his cheek not at all unlike a caress. "We must go. It is safe beyond the light." She could only hope. For all she knew her crewmates could be dead when they emerged at the other side. "The others will be waiting for us." Captain Spock seemed to pale again. Saavik's expression was one of concern.
"I feel quite sick," he managed to say. Saavik crouched beside him.
"We can wait a little longer." His face continued to ashen.
"Why didn't you tell me about T'Sharl?" He said. For a brief moment Saavik didn't know what to say.
"I wanted to tell you. Each time it became more and more difficult." Her voice trailed off.
"You were afraid?"
She lowered her long eyelashes in a defeated response and gazed down at the ground.
"Perhaps I was," she murmured.
"Then you were ashamed of me?" She suddenly looked deep into his brown eyes.
"No." Saavik shook her head. "I was not ashamed of you," she said trying to reassure him. Spock doubled over choking.
"Let me help." He didn't struggle when she slid her arm around him. He was too enveloped in his own suffering to care. He wasn't sick, but it left him exhausted. Finally the impulse to vomit subsided and he slumped back against Saavik's shoulder completely fatigued.
"How are you feeling now?" She asked.
"Indisposed," was his response as he quickly pulled away. Saavik nodded.
"I can help you again with your pain," said the younger Vulcan.
"I will be able to function without your assistance," he said in a strained voice.
"Then will you come with me? I will not leave you here alone." Spock realised he had no choice. He took in a big shaky breath. Saavik took his arm and they followed the narrow path towards the far rocky wall. She walked with caution, as the floor was slimy with green algae. They stopped in front of the wall and Spock looked up.
"I am not sure that I can climb," he said.
"You can. You go first. I shall be right behind you." Spock stared up. At the top there appeared to be rough grass growing, which dangled down the edge towards the water below.
Spock reached up his hand and felt for something to lever himself up with. Luckily the wall was very jagged so he found notches in the rock very easy to find.
In normal conditions the rock would be easy to climb. In his present state it was very daunting. He pulled himself up with strength he previously didn't know he possessed.
Behind him Saavik followed. Finally the weeds growing at the top came in sight. Spock stopped. He could no longer travel any further. The Vulcan slumped his body against the wall face and was shattered.
He struggled to keep his legs from buckling. Vertigo paralysed him. Spock tried to suppress it, but the illness, which consumed him, thought otherwise. Saavik came up and positioned herself beside him.
"Are you all right?" She said.
"I...I cannot move," he murmured while holding on for dear life. Saavik noticed his hands were shaking.
"Stay here," she ordered. She climbed above him and made it to the top. "Give me your hands." Spock reached up. Saavik grabbed him and yanked him over. They made it. He collapsed against the bank breathing laboriously.
It was warm here and the sun was shining down on the ground. Strangely it emerged through the grey sky displaying the natural pale blue above the storm clouds. Saavik pulled Spock onto his side into the recovery position. The other members of the away team came to their assistance.
"Saavik!" Exclaimed Brown and the doctor together. "It's a miracle you survived." The doctor knelt down to where the exhausted Vulcan lay. "We must get him to the warmth."
"Picard. Help me lift him," said the doctor. Together they heaved Spock over to the campfire that was blazing near by. The landing party had luckily managed to salvage enough wood to build one.
The doctor had applied an old survival method to light the fire by using a piece of dry wood he had selected and a small mirror he kept in his medical pouch. By aiming the mirror at the sun the piece of wood caught light in around fifteen minutes.
"He should get warm soon." Said Picard gazing down amazed at the Vulcan. Then he recognised him. "It's SPOCK," he said loudly. The doctor administered a shot of Triox Compound in Spock's arm.
"How is he doctor?" Said Saavik.
"I'd say he's in severe shock. Any idea how long he was down there?"
"A few days I would say, but that wouldn't account for his present condition. He was delirious when I found him."
"Vulcan anatomy is considerably different to ours. It's quite possible that the freezing cold down there has upset his metabolism. The air wasn't very good either. I'm surprised he managed to cope at all."
He didn't, Saavik thought. "I managed to keep him stable enough and gave him my strength so we could climb out." The doctor nodded.
"You did a fine job," praised the medic. "What about you?"
"I managed."
"That was not what I meant," said McMeres. "I mean how did you cope with that environment? You appear fairly unfazed by the whole event."
"Perhaps my Romulan inheritance has granted me extra protection against the cold. I believe Romulas is considered cooler than your Earth."
"Well, It's fairly warm at the moment. His clothes are wet through," said the doctor pointing to the sleeping Vulcan. "Have you two taken' a swim?"
"Of course not," Saavik said with an exonerate tone.
"He'll have to dry as he is we've got no blankets. I'm not letting him lie around naked. His clothes won't take long to dry around that fire. The doctor administered another jab. Saavik watched. "This'll help him fight off hypothermia. Come to think of it you better have a shot too. Give me your arm." The spray hissed.
"Why is Captain Spock on Droline in the first place?" Said Georga walking towards them.
"I am uncertain," Saavik said kneeling down beside him.
