Disclaimer: see chapter one
a/n: Hey! I'm so glad you're reviewing this! Thanks! -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
A cool wind blew steadily through the tall trees growing on the mountainside. Trip and Malcolm steadily made their way up it.
After recovering from the surprise, and disorientation upon opening the hut's door, they'd made the unfortunate discovery that the only place to go from this point was up. The dirt path they were on, when traced back down the hillside a few yards, led to a sheer cliff face rising high above the ocean.
So they began to climb. And as they did, Malcolm had informed Trip of what that thing had told him.
"Sounds like this thing has the complex of a psychopath," Trip had grunted. He wasn't entirely convinced the purple-eyed creature and whatever Malcolm had encounter were two separate entities. The Lieutenant, on the other hand, was thoroughly convinced they were dealing with two beings.
"I can't explain it, but I got the distinct impression that these two things are completely independent of one another." Malcolm panted following Trip up the path.
"Yeah, well, isn't that how psychotic people are? Flip personalities?" Trip suggested. Malcolm was thoughtful,
"I think you mean schizophrenic people, but were not dealing with people here." He corrected, "But I really don't think that it's the same creature. It's hard to explain."
"I guess I'll reserve judgment until I meet personality number two." Trip commented, mind clearly already made up. Malcolm's jaw tightened ever so slightly as he attempted to keep his indignation in check. His head was throbbing and Trip, he thought, insisted on provoking him.
"Where are we going anyhow? We don't even know if were on the same continent anymore!" The Lieutenant exclaimed in exasperation. Trip turned around, brow furrowed,
"I don't know about you, but I'm getting of this damn mountain." He said mildly in comparison to his word choice, "We can't have gone too far; these clouds have been growin' since this morning. If we were on the other side of the world I'd think the weather would be different." He said, squinting at the white clouds that were beginning to stack themselves like towers in the sky. "Do you…" Trip began but suddenly noticed the other man leaning on a rock structure that jutted out of the hillside. His forehead was pressed into the palm of his hand. "Malcolm, sit down. Ya should of said your head was botherin' you." Trip frowned slinging the pack he carried off his shoulders.
"I-It's fine." Malcolm drew a shaky breath, wincing a little, "We should keep going." Trip looked at him skeptically, obviously not convinced,
"Sit. We're in no hurry. And as you pointed out, we're doin' little more then wander." He said softly. Malcolm sank down into the gravely dirt, wishing the world would stop spinning so. He felt like he might be sick. Trip produced the mangled remains of the only medical kit he'd been able to recover. He looked at the Lieutenant's flushed face with concern. He knew that Malcolm had probably developed a fever. "Tip your head this way," Trip instructed, squatting by the injured man. Malcolm's eyes squeezed shut as the Commander carefully examined the wound. The whole area around the foreign object wedged firmly into bone, was puffed up and red. A liquid, rather milky in appearance oozed around it,
"Well," Trip said looking at the pathetic treatment options he had, "I can dress it, but I'm not sure these hypo sprays will work." He held up the bent devise.
"I suppose I'll have to go without the anesthetic. Wouldn't be wise for you to inject me with at faulty instrument, with my luck I'd have an air bubble go strait to my heart." Malcolm tried to joke, "Is it getting hotter up here?" he breathed. Trip didn't answer as he began to clean the wound, but his face was lined with worry. Gently, he wrapped some length of white gauze around Malcolm's head, just above the ears.
"How do you feel?" Trip asked eyeing the Lieutenant carefully.
"I've been better." Malcolm said faintly, then attempted to rise,
"Whoa, Whoa!" Trip exclaimed, "I think that, uh, we, can afford to rest a while." He said laying a hand on Malcolm's shoulder. Malcolm offered little physical resistance to the pressure Trip applied; he sank back down.
"Right here? In the open?" The Lieutenant seemed dubious.
"Aw, we'll be fine. I'll keep my eyes open." Malcolm muttered something that sounded an awful lot like 'look where that landed us last time.'
"What was that Lieutenant?" Trip asked sharply,
"Brilliant plan Sir." Malcolm said in a falsely cheery voice.
"That's what I thought." Trip said, amused. Silence lapsed, not uncomfortable, between them. Malcolm tried to steady his breathing.
"Ya know, in that hut, just before it vanished, did you feel anything?" Malcolm looked over at him,
"Feel?"
"Yeah, did you notice anything?"
"You mean besides the temperature drop?" Trip nodded, "Not that I remember, why?"
"I dunno, it's just… I thought I felt something. Something, kinda familiar…like the transporter I think." Malcolm frowned,
"You think someone used transporter technology on us?"
"I don't know." There was a rumble in the distance. Trip's gaze shifted upward, the clouds had fast formed spotty squalls moving towards the coastline. The breeze picked up. Malcolm closed his eyes as it lifted his hair off his hot forehead, cooling it delightfully.
"Hey, Mal?" came Trip's voice, much too gently, Malcolm knew he was worried.
"Hmm?"
"Do you think you could go on for a bit now? Looks like storms are comin'." Truthfully, Malcolm felt that he could just sit forever on this rocky spot with the blessedly cool breeze. With a nod he accepted Trip's help in getting to his feet, and the pair began their climb again.
Trip was sure he'd seen some outcroppings of rock farther up. Perhaps they could provide some shelter where they could wait out the weather. The sky continued to become increasingly cloudy and dark. He glanced back over his shoulder every few minutes to make sure Malcolm was keeping up. The wind had picked up; the tree limbs above groaned and swished noisily.
"You okay back there?" he called.
"For the moment," Malcolm panted.
"See that concave rock face over there?" The Commander said loudly over the rising wind, "I'm betting it'll give us some shelter 'till this passes." Malcolm squinted up the direction Trip was gesturing,
"Possibly, but if we go past it another twenty yards or so, we should find a cave." Trip gave him an odd look,
"What?"
"Trust me Commander. I still remember some of the things I read while earning my geology badge." He explained briefly, and took the lead. He heard Trip make some comment ending in 'boy scouts' as he passed, but did not ask him to repeat it.
The cave was not as poorly lit as it might have been. The mouth of it was wide and flat, they had to duck in order to enter in. Malcolm lowered himself slowly to the floor. The first clap of thunder echoed around the hollow chamber.
"I'll be right back," Trip said with a bit of a shiver, "I've a feeling it's gonna get cold and we are going to need dry wood for a fire." He disappeared outside. Malcolm looked about the cave. It was shallow, but wide, with stalagmite shooting up from the ground towards the back, many had met a stalactite coming down from the ceiling and merged into one stony post. There was a quite dripping somewhere. He moved his legs, and the shifting stones under them rang out rather obnoxiously loud for his sore head. Quite minutes passed. Just as he closed his eyes, something jolted him awake; it raised the hair on the back of his neck. Tensing he looked around the suddenly ominous interior. There was a soft hiss.
"Who's there?" he called out rising part way to his feet. The hiss continued like a steady exhale. "Answer me!" he shouted backing up against the wall, his voice echoed mimicking his demand mockingly. There was another clap of thunder that shook the ground.
"Whew, it really started coming down all at once." Trip said coming back with an armful of twigs and sticks. Malcolm looked towards the opening, rain dripped off it forming a shimming curtain. The rain hissed as it struck fallen foliage. It was the rain. He'd only heard the rain.
"Are you okay?" Trip asked inclining his head ever so slightly to the side.
"Yes," Malcolm breathed sinking back down to the ground, "fine."
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"Ya know, most things taste better when they're cooked over an open flame," Trip said stirring around his freeze dried rations together, "but this actually tastes worse."
Malcolm observed him with a degree of disdain,
"They might have been better if you hadn't blended the entire plate together." He stated, keeping his entrée and side dish a respectable distance from one another.
"Mixin' it might not improve it, but I doubt it makes it taste much worse."
"Each to his own I suppose." The Lieutenant curtailed the conversation before it could escalate. Trip smirked, and then coughed setting aside his half finished plate. Malcolm raised an eyebrow, and said:
"Well I must say that's has to be a first." Trip shrugged,
"Eh, I suddenly don't feel that hungry." He said easing himself into a lying position on the ground. Malcolm watched him carefully,
"How is your side?" he asked pointedly. Trip rolled his head toward him,
"What? Oh. It comes and goes. Mostly it hasn't bothered me." He shrugged it off, not wanting to concern him. But it was too late for that, Malcolm easily saw through this.
"You're not very apt when it comes to hiding things." He said noting the Commander's pale face. Trip raised an eyebrow,
"Are you calling me transparent or a bad liar?"
"A little of both, I should think." Trip only nodded, evidently satisfied by that answer.
"Well, it's time you let me take a look at it." Malcolm eased himself down by the other man.
"Hey, careful now, you should be the one resting." He said rummaging through his pack, and producing a couple of blankets. "Here," he handed one to Malcolm. The Lieutenant patiently put it aside,
"You can't buy me off with a blanket. Have you even looked at it yet?" He said refusing to be distracted. Trip sighed wearily, and unzipped his jumpsuit to the waist working his arms out of his sleeves. He shivered as he pulled up his black undershirt. There was a rather large discolored spot, raised slightly, on his side just below his ribs.
"See? Nothin' but a bruise." He said with a bit of a smile. Malcolm gave him a dark look,
"That doesn't look like a bruise." He said pressing slightly on in with the back of his hand, it was warmer, and more ridged then the rest of his skin.
"Easy!" Trip gasped at his touch. Malcolm frowned,
"This doesn't look good. It could be internal injuries." He stated seriously.
"Great. I knew doin' this would only end depressingly." He said quickly putting his arms back into his sleeves, "Go on and get some sleep first." He said, not wanting to think about what he couldn't fix. Malcolm shook his head,
"I'm fine, really. You go first." Trip looked at him steadily. Malcolm looked evenly back, he effortlessly hid the fact his head was burning. Trip hated his stubbornness, and gave in.
"Alright, fine, if you're sure,"
"I am." He was reassured, and Trip laid down huddling beneath the blanket.
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Blinding pain and nothing else. It hurt like nothing ever had before.
"Trip!" came Malcolm's voice through the haze, "Trip!" Blearily he looked up into the very anxious face of the Lieutenant, before another wave of agonizing pain washed over him, he groaned. Malcolm laid his hand softly on the Commander's side,
"Is it very bad?"
"Malcolm?" Trip asked not being able to focus on his words.
"Shhh, just lie still." He said for lack of better advice, hoping it would pass. Trip's face was pale and clammy. Slowly, it subsided.
"I'm thirsty," he panted. Malcolm helped him sit up far enough to drink some of what had been taken from the shuttle.
"How do you feel?" he asked pulling Trip's blanket around him again in a parental fashion. Through the subsiding pain he gave him a wry look,
"S-seems were askin' each other that more and more." Malcolm smiled tightly using only the corners of his mouth.
"I believe you're right Commander." A stone shifted somewhere towards the back of the cavern. Both men started, staring through fire's flames.
"Did you hear that?" Malcolm asked. Trip nodded. Lighting flickered outside, lighting up the cave in an eerie manner. The moment the extra light vanished, two large violet eyes appeared on the opposite end of the cave. They came so suddenly it was as though they'd arrived on the thunder, shinning with a strange incandescence they stared unblinkingly. Malcolm scrambled back, Trip couldn't quite get himself off the floor. The eyes moved, almost with a serpentine motion, closer, and closer.
"Go! Now!" Trip said low, reaching for the pack of supplies, "Ahhgg," he clutched his side.
"No time!" Malcolm said, trying to help Trip up. There was a strange, low growl; the eyes were hidden in the shadows not four feet away. They narrowed, the creature sprang. Malcolm to Trips utter astonishment stepped in front of him. Malcolm saw a flash of claws and teeth, thunder clapped deafeningly, and something happened. He couldn't be sure, it all happened so fast, the thing seemed to freeze in mid leap, flickered (if that was possible) and was gone. Vanished. He wondered briefly about his sanity, but glancing down at his uniform he saw four new slashes in the fabric across his chest. There was the sound of more stones toppling.
"Run!" Trip yelled, Malcolm snatched the supplies and they fled out into the stormy night.
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TBC As always, reviews of all sorts are most welcome!