CHAPTER 18
F'linu watched from concealment as Hoshi and the other human left the shelter of the cave. She took the lead at a gesture from the man, who kept glancing warily around.
They were headed in the direction of the flooded stream, no doubt trying to get back to the LLL compound where there might be a vehicle waiting for them. If he could overpower the man, he could force Hoshi to go with him and get to the rendezvous point with his own men.
He would have to be careful, though. He had no weapons, other than what he could fashion from the materials at hand in the forest. The human, however, had all of F'linu's weapons -- a rifle, a handgun, and a knife. F'linu could see some other type of handgun holstered on the human's hip as well.
F'linu also knew the Lanari policeman wouldn't be put off too long by the false trail he had laid, and he would have to keep an eye out for him returning.
As the pair walked away, F'linu cautiously began moving again. Knowing they were heading for the stream, he struck out on a parallel course, hoping to get there before they did. If he could get there first, he could set up an ambush.
He'd have to find the most likely place where they could cross. When their attention was focused on making it to the other side, he'd spring his attack.
Smiling grimly as he hurried along, he began thinking about all the ways he could use Hoshi's money.
Kleth stood at the edge of the stream. The initial crest had subsided, but the water was still swift and dangerous, full of debris carried along by the current.
He let his gaze wander along the banks on both sides of the stream, searching for some way to cross. The tree trunk they had used earlier was gone, of course, swept away in splintered pieces when the leading edge of the flash flood had struck it.
He would not allow himself to be defeated by a force of nature. Perhaps there was a place where the stream broadened, and he would be able to wade across in shallower water. With that possibility in mind, he set out downstream, walking along the bank.
After a half hour's brisk walk, Kleth peered across the stream again. It was broader here and not as deep. Unfortunately, it was just as swift.
He was standing on a sandbar. Opposite was a tall cliff-like bank of stone. He couldn't see a path to the top, but there appeared to be adequate hand- and foot-holds. He had climbed much more difficult obstacles in his survival training. He should have no problem here after he crossed the stream.
The only difficulty he could see was that, once he got to the other side, he would have no place to stand before beginning to climb, and he couldn't tell how deep the water was at the base of the cliff. He would have to grab onto the cliff and begin his ascent immediately.
Savoring the challenge before him, he waded into the rushing water.
Trip groaned as he shifted position. The pain in his arm was getting worse. Or maybe it was because he was tired. Actually, exhausted was more like it.
Some help he'd been, he thought sarcastically. So far he'd fallen off a log into a flood-swollen stream and about drowned, breaking his arm in the process, and had lost the scanner to boot.
He could be in worse company, he supposed, blearily watching Slanea as she added more fuel to the fire. At least they weren't fighting constantly any more. She could be almost pleasant, once you got used to her style.
Funny. Despite his wet clothing, he was starting to feel hot. Must be a combination of the heat from the fire and having his stomach full. His eyelids began to droop, and he saw Slanea gaze at him in concern as he drifted off to sleep. He was glad they had become friends. Much easier than arguing all the time...
He didn't feel her place her hand on his forehead, or see her eyes widen as she felt the heat radiating off him.
Hoshi plodded on, heading in the direction of the stream. The rain had stopped, but water continued to drip from the leaves high overhead, occasionally pelting her in the face.
She looked over her shoulder at Malcolm. He hadn't talked much since they'd left the cave. She knew he was concerned that F'linu was following them. She was, too. She was glad Malcolm was able to keep a watchful eye out because she was too tired to do much more than put one foot in front of the other.
They had to get back to the others. If they could do that, there wouldn't be much F'linu could do to stop them. Strength in numbers and all that.
She wondered briefly about the Lanari policeman, P'kora, who was tracking F'linu. She desperately hoped F'linu hadn't done anything to hurt him, or worse, killed him. She would have to find out later how Malcolm had hooked up with him. From her limited contact with the Lanari government, she had gotten the impression most Lanaris wouldn't go out of their way to help anyone unless it was in their own interest.
Hoshi's foot suddenly slid on a wet patch of leaves. She fell, twisting at the last moment so that she wouldn't land on her stomach. At this early stage of pregnancy, a fall on her stomach probably wouldn't hurt the baby, she thought, but after all she'd been through the last few days, she wasn't going to take any chances.
"Hoshi!" she heard Malcolm call out as she hit the ground, the air knocked out of her.
She felt his hand grasp her upper arm as she pushed herself up to a sitting position.
"Are you OK?" he asked.
She looked up at him and nodded wearily. "Just tired. I want to go home so badly."
"We're getting there," he assured her. "But it's going to be a while yet." He paused, his blue-grey eyes filled with concern. "We can stop and rest if you need to."
"No. We need to keep going. No sense stopping now."
"You're sure?"
She nodded again. "Let's get moving," she said.
Malcolm helped her to her feet and they set off, Hoshi in the lead. Malcolm followed, glancing behind to see if he could spot anything out of the ordinary that would indicate they were being followed.
P'kora was frustrated and angry. He had followed F'linu's trail for an hour before losing it, and had then spent several fruitless hours trying to pick it up again before realizing it had been a decoy.
At that revelation, he had hurried back to the sheltered cave where he had left Captain Reed and Hoshi Sato.
Approaching the entrance, he could see the fire was out. He announced his arrival with a shout, but didn't get a reply.
He took a look around the area before sticking his head through the hanging vines shielding the cave opening. No one inside. Not that he expected to find them. But at least there didn't seem to be any sign of a struggle. They must have left on their own.
P'kora paused to take a drink from his canteen as he mulled over the situation. The humans were probably heading back to the stream, hoping to rejoin their friends.
He wasn't sure what F'linu would do. The man was clever. Somehow, though, he didn't think the LLL leader would be content just to get away. There was something else going on, and although P'kora didn't know what it was, his instincts were telling him that Captain Reed and his party were in danger.
Casting a glance overhead at the sky as he left the shelter, he was both glad and concerned that the rain was stopping. He would be able to travel faster, but so would F'linu.
Malcolm was worried. Hoshi's steps were unsteady. Only her stubbornness was keeping her moving.
He was tired, and he hadn't been through half of what she had been. She had to be exhausted. Plus, she had the added strain of being pregnant. Not only were there additional demands on her body because of that, but he knew she had to be worried about the well-being of the baby growing inside her. He was still awed that he had helped create a new life, and now, as they walked along, he was experiencing a strong protective urge he didn't find unwelcome.
He tried to divide his attention between scanning their surroundings and checking on Hoshi. As long as she continued to go in the direction of the stream, he wouldn't interfere with where she was leading or ask her to pick up the pace.
What they would do when they got to the stream was another matter. He had no idea how they would cross it. They would have to see what the situation was when they got there. It was probably too much to hope that the flood waters had receded enough to let them cross easily.
Perhaps by the time they got there, Kleth would have figured out a solution to that problem. The big Klingon was resourceful, more so than most people Malcolm knew.
On a hunch, Malcolm reached into his pocket as they walked along and pulled out his communicator. The distinctive beep as he opened it drew Hoshi's attention, and she stopped to let him catch up to her.
"Reed to Kleth," he said into the device. "Do you read me?"
He gazed down into Hoshi's hopeful eyes as the sound of static came back.
"Reed to Kleth," he repeated. "Come in."
He watched as the hope in Hoshi's eyes dimmed as the only answer was static.
"It was just a thought," he said softly as he closed the communicator.
"A good one," she said. "Too bad it didn't work."
He hugged her with one arm as he pocketed the communicator. He could feel her sigh as she leaned against him.
"Come on," he said, gently pushing her away. "We need to keep moving. You said so yourself."
She grumbled as she turned her back on him and began trudging along again.
"I didn't catch that," he said as he followed her.
More loudly she said, "I said, 'So this time you have to agree with me on something?"
Malcolm had to smile at her comment. She was tired, but she was still fiesty. That was a good sign. They might just make it.
F'linu made good time. He reached the stream well ahead of the humans and scouted both up- and downstream, looking for a likely place to ford.
He knew the stream was bounded on this side by a high bluff that ran for kilometers in both directions, so he looked for paths that animals may have made on their way down to drink. After several minutes of searching, he found exactly what he was looking for.
Positioning himself in some shrubbery, he settled down to wait. He couldn't see the stream from where he was, but that wasn't important. What he needed to see were the two humans when they approached, looking for a way down.
Again he began contemplating all the things he could do with Hoshi's fortune.
He knew she wouldn't give in willingly, so he would have to use the drugs he had told her about. Too bad they made the person little more than a stuffed doll, able only to speak when spoken to, with no will of his or her own.
But if it got him what he wanted, he could live with that. He'd keep her for her thumbprint and voice code recognition necessary to get to her fortune, and maybe allow the drugs to wear off occasionally for when he was in the mood for a combative bed partner.
With his lips stretched into a cruel smile, he settled in to wait for his quarry.