Lexxi regained her balance after a few steps and pulled out of the guard's grip.  He looked startled, but kept his phaser aimed at her.  They were the head of a long line of captives and guards, herself no the worst off.

The Vulcan's face flashed through her mind.  The captain hadn't seen, but she had.  The look of immense pain and then nothing.  She wasn't healer, but she knew it was a bad thing.  What were those words?

It was becoming exceedingly difficult for Lexxi to concentrate.  Damn them!  They weren't supposed to come.  She was supposed to die.  No one else.  As they made their way through the dark and twisted hall, her thoughts moved to the Captain.

Captain Kirk.  The man was a legend.  Everyone in the galaxy knew him by sight.  But there was something else.  He stood, talked, acted as thought he could live up to the rumors she'd heard.  Such confidence and determination.  And he was the only captain in Starfleet to have a Vulcan first officer, Lexxi knew.  She wondered just what he was thinking at the moment.  What kind of spectacular plan was he hatching to ruin hers?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There were too many people, Kirk decided.  If it was just him, he knew he could make it.  Or him and Sulu, him and Spock.  Him, Spock, and Sulu even!  The thought of Spock pained him; he could see the Vulcan's limp figure just feet ahead of him.  This wasn't just in and out.  Everything was going wrong.

Just as he was about to mourn the loss of his communicator, Kirk caught himself.  It never did any good to dwell on the past.  Look ahead, he told himself.  The group has finally stopped, and he still had his phaser.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Scotty looked to Uhura for the eighteenth time.  His heart sank as she sadly shook her head.  He sighed.  "Try Mr. Spock."

Uhura nodded.

Back on the planet, in the hall, across form the last cell on the left, Mr. Spock's communicator began to bleep, right next to his phaser and tricorder.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each captured figure was stripped of all devices and shoved roughly into chairs, hands tied behind their backs.  Spock was between Kirk and Lexxi.  The impact brought him to and he slowly opened his eyes, unsure of where he was.  The haze slowly cleared from his vision and he looked around.  To his left sat the girl, eyes closed, her chest heaving up and down with labored breathing.  It was then that he realized his breath was also greatly constricted and his heart was pounding.

In front of them all, the leader of the group of guards dismissed his comrades.  To Spock's right, Kirk sat straight.  Spock was slumped, and it annoyed him greatly, but there was nothing he could do about it.  The loss of feeling in his limbs prevented most movement.  That, too, was an annoyance, but he pushed it out of his mind.

"Spock!"  Kirk's joyful whisper drew the Vulcan's attention from his inventory of the situation.  "Oh thank God!"

"I am sorry, Captain," Spock began, "I must have misread the energy readings.  This…"

"Shut up," Kirk commanded, turning to face forward as the man holding them captive began to speak, "You're alive, that's all the matters.  Save your energy, I have a plan."

Spock, too, faced forward as he became aware of an unstable sensation washing over him.  He fought to stay focused.