A buzzer sounded somewhere, long and low and horribly untuned. Miral looked up. A voice came out of a loudspeaker somewhere, in a language she'd heard once before. Her hopes fell.

"Run!!" yelled Q, his voice frantic.

Miral jumped off the floor and ran around the others shouting the command in all the different languages she knew. People got up but looked around bewildered.

Without warning, something not unlike a phaser cannon fired from the wall. It was not aimed particularly at them but it was close and did much more to start the crew members running than the frantic shouting.

Everyone started running in the same direction. The other inmates, more familiar with the system, were already running.

The voice came over the loudspeaker again and ended with a sinister laugh. Miral knew what it meant but Q translated for the rest, "Faster, faster. Come on, those cannons did this to me, imagine what they will do to you."

The voice came on again. "Other way, turn around!" yelled Q, "Faster."

The voice shouted 'faster' over and over again. They had to reverse direction again and again. The phase cannons shot at numerous heels but hurt no one. This time, Miral suspected. Finally, it was over. Everyone was gasping for air, including the Klingon warriors.

Miral tried to uphold good spirits and joke with some of those around her, but she was given a discouraging look. She knew why, they had done this every day since they arrived and it never got easier.

"We've got to do something." breathed the Captain. She was bent over double, as were most of the crew after their frantic run.

"I think that's obvious." muttered a crewman close by.

"Well, what do you suppose we do?" shouted B'Elanna at the crewman.

"Okay, we're all frustrated." interrupted the calm voice of Tom.

"Shut it, Flyboy."

Miral and Q sat off in a corner.

"There must be something; just because no one has gotten out before doesn't mean we can't."

"You're a bold thinker, Miral, but this place is too great a challenge for even you."

"It's all just energy." she laughed, "Energy can be broken down and taken apart."

"Yes, but you need to find something to take it apart with."

"What about us?"

"I won't be much help, not here, not like this." Q sighed heavily. Miral noticed he wasn't getting better since before.

"Do you need anything?" she asked.

"No." he answered, "But I will lie down for a while, conserve some of the energy I've got left."

"I'll leave you alone then." Miral said sweetly as she tried to smile.

She started to walk away but Q reached out and grabbed her arm. She spun around and felt the life drain out of her as she looked at Q's face.

"Miral. You know this is serious, I may not have long left – and that's a serious problem for an eternal being. But I need you to know what you meant to me, how much more you mean than anyone else I've every known. Before I met you, I had no idea what kind of emotion love was. I've grown since I met you. I need you to know that you're not just some other girl like I used to know. I just – I just had to tell you before..."

"Q." she bit her lip, "We'll be out of here before any of that." She patted his hand and walked away, trying to hide the small tear rolling down her cheek.

Miral sat away from everyone else, where they couldn't see her. There had to be a way out. What she had said was true: it was only energy that needed to be broken down. She realized what she had to do.

B'Elanna was glad to see her daughter come up to her.

"Mom."

B'Elanna's gladness fell away as she heard he daughter's delicate suffering tone.

"Mum, I have to."

"Have to what, hon?"

"I have to get us out." she paused as her mother froze, "I can, I have to."

A/N Now, I don't normally get excited about cliffies, since all chapters should have them, but .... CLIFFIE, la la la. We are very very near the end, I can feel it. I was thinking about writing a sequel to this, good idea / bad idea ? Review please!!!