Author's Note: I'm posting 2 chapters today, so go read Ch. 9 first, if you haven't already.
CHAPTER 10
F'linu brought her more food later that day. This time it was some sort of watery soup accompanied by bread. Her stomach rumbling with hunger, Hoshi sat down at the table and began to eat as he stood by the door and watched her.
"I understand your first meal with us was not to your liking," F'linu said.
Scowling at him, she said, "I don't know what was in it, but it made me sick."
It was just her luck that the LLL leader had brought the food this time, she thought as she looked with distaste at the unappealing repast before her. He was more attentive than the others she'd seen so far, and would be harder to fool.
"Let's hope this food is more to your liking," he said. "We're moving tonight."
Hoshi stopped eating, the spoon halfway to her mouth. "What do you mean -- moving?"
F'linu looked at her for a few moments, as if weighing how much to tell her. "We have a contact in the local police. He's found out that one of the supervisors has figured out where you are."
"I'm surprised you haven't moved already if you know that," she said, trying to keep the hope out of her voice. They knew where she was! Someone was looking for her.
A slight frown crossed her face, and she looked down at the soup again to hide her thoughts from F'linu. She'd have to make her escape as soon as possible. Waiting to be rescued when help was on the way was one thing, but she would be back in the same fix if F'linu moved her. No one would know where she was -- again.
She slowly began spooning some of the soup into her mouth. She wished F'linu would leave. His watchfulness was making her nervous, not to mention killing what little appetite she had. With a sigh, she put down the spoon and broke off a small piece of the bread, dipping it in the soup to moisten it before popping it in her mouth.
As the silence stretched, she became more uncomfortable under his scrutiny. She hated it when people who weren't eating watched her eat.
"Next time I eat, why don't you join me?" she asked sarcastically.
Her tone of voice wasn't lost on him. He smiled as he walked over and sat on the other chair at the table. "I'm sorry if I make you nervous," he said. "I don't mean to."
She grumbled under her breath, not looking at him.
When she didn't say anything directly to him, he said, "Under other circumstances, we probably could be friends."
Great. Now he was trying to butter her up. What was he doing? Trying to induce Stockholm syndrome in her? There was no way she was going to like him. He'd kidnapped her, making a mess of the good work she was trying to do. Worse, he wouldn't let her leave.
"You're angry with me," he said.
"Is there any reason I shouldn't be?" she asked incredulously as she jerked her head up to look at him.
He shrugged. "For some reason, I thought perhaps you might be frightened. Maybe even hysterical. But I never guessed you would be so defiant."
"Get used to it," she spat. "I have no intention of helping you."
His lips pursed into a small moue. "We'll see about that. I had intended to earn your sympathy, and perhaps a few other things, but we don't have time for that now."
What other things, she wondered. Surely he didn't think he could make a few advances and she'd fall for him. The idea was appalling, and the thought of him touching her was repulsive, more so now that she was carrying Malcolm's child.
Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because his eyes suddenly narrowed, the golden rings around his irises expanding in a Lanari display of displeasure.
"Finish your food," he ordered. "We'll be leaving soon."
Her mind in a whirl, she pushed back from the table. "I...I need to...use the bathroom first," she said in what she hoped was a convincing display of meekness.
She held her breath, waiting to see if he would honor her request. This might be her last chance to get away before they moved her. She had to try.
With a sense of relief she watched as he stood up and walked over to the door, opened it, and gestured for her to walk out into the corridor in front of him.
"I can't believe how long this is takin'!" Trip's voice came from over Malcolm's shoulder.
Malcolm didn't say anything but he heartily agreed. His impatience had been increasing with each kilometer they traveled.
The simple solution would have been to beam up to the Morning Star and beam down again closer to their destination, but P'kora had quickly shot down that idea. Just because the groups opposing the government were insurgents didn't mean they were poorly equipped, he had said. They had monitoring equipment that scanned for transporter activity. The rebels would know if anyone tried to sneak up on them that way, and the element of surprise would be lost.
A chill had run through Malcolm when P'kora had informed him that some opposition groups killed hostages rather than let them be freed.
Malcolm glanced into the back seat. Trip was seated between Slanea and Kleth. Since Trip was hanging on to the back of the front seat and trying to get a better look at the surrounding countryside through the front windshield, the two Klingons had an unobstructed view of each other. Slanea was ignoring Kleth, who was watching her as one might a dangerous animal.
He sighed and turned his attention back to the road. The city had given way to the countryside, with a few fields and farm operations scattered about. But even those were beginning to dwindle in number as the landscape changed again. He shifted his gaze farther into the distance, and was startled to see thick foliage lining the sides of the road ahead.
"Jungle or rain forest?" he asked P'kora.
"A little of both," was P'kora's reply. "Not many Lanari live in the area where we are going. It's too difficult to make a living from the soil, and other than lumber, there are not many resources."
As he tugged at the collar of his police uniform with one finger, P'kora added with a wry grimace, "The weather isn't exactly comfortable, either."
Malcolm had noticed the humidity was increasing. He glanced at Trip, who had a sheen of sweat on his face. The Klingons, however, didn't seem the least bit bothered by the climate.
Turning his back attention to P'kora he asked, "How did you find out Hoshi was here?"
"I grew up in this area. I've known about this place for a long time." With a harsh laugh, he added, "As you've noticed, the government isn't too worried about the safety of Ms. Sato. Right now D'rima and all the other ministers are more worried about trying to blame each other for her disappearance than they are in actually finding her."
His voice becoming even harder, the Lanari continued. "The corruption has reached all the way down to the lowest levels. If I had tried to mount a raid with the sanction of the police force, the LLL would know we were coming. They have spies and informants everywhere, even in headquarters."
"I appreciate what you're doing to help me," Malcolm said. "This can't be easy for you."
"No, it isn't," admitted P'kora. "But it feels good to finally be doing something."
Hoshi was surprised to find there was a lock on the inside of the bathroom door. As quietly as possible, she engaged it, then turned on the water in the sink to help cover any sound she might make.
Inspecting the window, she found it opened outward. Only a simple latch held it closed. After a quick glance at the door, she unlatched the window and slowly pushed it open. She stuck her head out and looked around. No one was in sight.
Putting one foot on the commode, she was able to push herself up onto the sill and, with a little manuevering, was able to slide first one leg, then the other, out the opening. It was a short drop, and as soon as her feet hit the ground, she sprinted toward the foliage about ten meters away.
She plunged into the shrubbery, thrusting her arms out to keep from being hit in the face by the taller branches. The blue-green foliage was so thick that she barely made any headway at first, but the farther she moved into it, the less dense it became. Stopping for a moment to get her bearings, she understood why.
She was coming to the edge of some old tree growth. Behind her, the trees had been felled to make a clearing for the building, and the loss of canopy had allowed smaller, jungle-like plants to flourish in the unobstructed sunlight.
Pushing on again, each step becoming easier as the smaller plants thinned out, she saw large trees reaching so far up that she couldn't tell where the tops were. A few more steps, and she was in their enveloping shade.
Another glance behind showed that her path into the forest would be readily found. She had trampled and broken many of the plants and bushes in her headlong dash. Once she got into the forest, it would also be easy to spot her, she realized, as there wasn't much undergrowth.
She set off at a quick jog, trying to put as much distance between her and F'linu as she could before he realized she was gone.
F'linu reached over from where he was leaning against the wall in the corridor and rapped on the bathroom door.
"Come out of there!" he said. "You've been in there long enough."
When he didn't get a response, his eyes narrowed and he pounded on the door again. If she thought she could stay in there until the authorities arrived, she was wrong.
He tried the handle but the door wouldn't open. Stepping back, he kicked at the door and it flew open, slamming back on its hinges against the interior wall. One glance was enough to show she wasn't in the room, and that the window was open.
Cursing under his breath, F'linu ran down the hall, calling for the others.
"What's wrong?" asked a man who came out of a side room.
"She's gone! She got out through the window in the bathroom."
As more men came running, F'linu began issuing instructions. "We still need to leave this place. Keep packing up and as soon as everything is ready, move out."
Walking into the room the first man had come out of, he glanced around until he found what he wanted. He picked out a rifle from several stacked against the wall, checked the power level, and slung it by the carrying strap over his shoulder. Next, he grabbed a canteen and shook it to see if it contained any water. Satisfied by the sloshing sound, he hung it on his belt.
"Get to the rendezvous spot. I'll meet you there," F'linu said as he headed to the door.
"What about you?" the first man asked.
"I'm going after her. She's too valuable to let get away."
Outside, he had no trouble finding where she had left the compound. The foliage was pushed down and trampled. Hitching the rifle up on his shoulder to a more comfortable position, he set off at a steady pace. If he didn't catch up to her soon, the jungle most likely would take care of her for him.