Survivors - Past and Present
by
Nicol Leoraine
and Anon
aka VirtualQueens
Chapter 4
B'Elanna had never thought it was so easy to get lost. But the storm had hit with a speed and ferocity she'd never seen before and only generations of well tuned Klingon instincts kept her from being killed when the storm swept over them. She'd felt the pressure drop even before Harry had and instantly knew what it meant. Dragging a somewhat bewildered Starfleet ensign behind her she veered left, away from the cliffs, caves and city and towards another, much closer, outcropping of rocks. They reached the first small boulders within seconds but B'Elanna kept running, knowing that to the storm the rocks were mere pebbles.
"What's going on!" Harry gasped as he struggled to keep up with his surefooted companion.
"The storm." B'Elanna answered shortly, sparing the gasping man a glance as she dodged a larger collection of boulders.
B'Elanna finally stopped when they were well into a deep gorge in the hillside. Rocks littered the ground and the steep sides soared up for at least eighty feet.
The air was still, and the planet seemed deadly calm but B'Elanna knew it was only a matter of time. She shivered, looking around them. She had the same sort of feeling that you got when someone was behind pointing a phaser with no safety at your head.
In the distance she heard a faint crackle and she groaned.
"Come on." B'Elanna said, pulling at Harry's sleeve. "The storm´s getting closer. I've seen canyons like this before, there's probably a few caves, or at least an indent in the walls somewhere. We can't survive an electrical storm out in the open."
He risked a glance behind him anyway and the view almost stopped him. Harry didn´t know much about electrical storms, but the brownish blue cloud heading their way didn´t look very inviting at all. So he ran, trailing behind B´Elanna by several feet, attempting to match her speed and deftness over the rock strewn ground.
"I see something!" B'Elanna yelled, far ahead of him and the wind that died down, was back with vengeance.
"Good." Wheezed Harry, stumbling over a little dirt clod and nearly falling to his knees.
"RUN!" B'Elanna screamed when she reached the safety of trees and turned to look at him. Harry speed up, but he could feel he won´t make it. The wind roared and the thunder made him stumble. He cried out as his right leg buckled, stopped by some unseen rock. His head smacked the ground and flickers of light-not from the storm-danced in front of his eyes.
The half Klingon cursed as the young ensign remained in his prone position, one leg twisted painfully beneath him. Glancing at the fast approaching storm, and the dust that was pushed ahead of it, she saw it was only yards from him.
Breathing would be impossible once that dust cloud reached them and B'Elanna knew it. Cursing again she darted out from behind her shelter of trees and ran to Harry's side, pulling him up. He didn´t hear B´Elanna scream into his ear, only felt her supporting hand.
B´Elanna half dragged, half carried Kim back to where she´d found shelter. It was hidden behind a small collection of scrubby tress and bushes, a small cave entrance. Choking on the swirling dust B'Elanna shoved Harry inside. Using one arm to hold the ensign, and the other to navigate by the rough stone wall, B'Elanna jogged around a gentle curve and stopped in a medium sized, dust free, cave. She stood in the center for a few moments, swaying, and then sunk to the ground.
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Some twenty minutes later B'Elanna had recovered her strength and Harry had regained consciousness.
"I don't think it's broken." B'Elanna said as she probed Harry's ankle. He hissed in pain as the woman continued her none to gentle examination, then glared at his 'doctor'.
"I know it's not broken," he grumbled, "there's no way I could have walked in here on a broken leg."
"Ankle. And you didn't walk, I carried you." B'Elanna said bluntly, pulling off her lightweight jacket.
"What are you doing?"
"Tying your ankle up."
"Do you know what you´re doing?" Harry asked, watching her.
"Of course I do. In the Maquis everyone had at least some medic training." After a moment B'Elanna sat back and nodded slightly. "There. It's pretty swollen but if you don't try to walk around to much you should be fine."
"Oh. Thanks for... well, thanks for pulling me inside." Harry glanced up at his companion for the first time and noted the bloody scratch across her face.
"Are you alright?" He asked, motioning to her face.
B'Elanna touched the cut gently, then shrugged.
"It's already stopped bleeding." She said, standing up and dusting her uniform off. It was a futile effort but she managed to get the worst of it off.
She offered her hand to Harry and he took it, gingerly trying out his leg.
"Okay?" B'Elanna asked, watching him lean against the smooth wall of the cave.
"I think so." Harry replied, carefuly taking a step forward. He wasn't going to be running any marathons but he could hobble around if he took it slow.
"Where are we?" he asked, examining their surroundings closely. The cave was a rough circular shape, with a dirt floor and smooth walls. Somewhere in the distance Harry could swear he heard a waterfall, but it might have just been his imagination.
"This looks-" B'Elanna paused, turning in a slow circle "This doesn't look natural." She said finally.
Harry nodded in agreement as he continued to inch his way around the room.
"It's too smooth." He said, running a hand over the wall.
"Here!" B'Elanna called, waving to a small indent in the wall. As Harry drew closer he realized it wasn't an indent at all, but a passageway.
"Maybe we should..." he trailed off, watching B'Elanna's retreating back. With a sigh he hobbled after her, watching the ground to avoid any more hazardous rocks. Which was precisely why he bumped into B'Elanna.
"Wha-" His words died in his mouth as he looked up, and followed B'Elanna's gaze. The short passage way had led them to another cavern, and this one was most defiantly not of natures own design. It was the same light, brownish red stone as the other cave had been, but the walls were covered in silver writing. Harry brushed a finger over one of the curving silver letters and pulled back, surprised.
"It's cool to the touch." He said, moving further into the cavern.
"Kahless," B'Elanna muttered in awe as she examined the wall nearest her carefully. There were motifs of animals on the wall, engraved with the cool silver metal. Some of the larger scenes showed grassy hills and several depicted the city they'd seen after landing. Beneath the drawings was a curving, gracefully and most defiantly alien script. And beneath that, scratched on with far less artistry in dark brown ink, were more words. English words.
Harry blinked, then leaned in closer to examining the writing. It was different than the terrane he was used to reading, and the dark ink was harder to read than the silver stuff above it. He was just starting with the first lines when B'Elanna's gasp made him straighten up quickly. He hobbled over to his shipmate and then he too gasped. The room was roughly L shaped and they'd come in the short end of the L. B'Elanna had made her way around the corner, to the long side, and there she had found something most unexpected.
A Gate. Not a bare cave, but a big, ornate silver gate, maderom the same cool metal that was on the walls.
"Should we knock?" B'Elanna said finally, cracking a small smile.
"It doesn't look very inviting." Harry gulped. Despite the fact the gate was a shining silver and made of smooth curves and flowing lines, there was something distinctly sinister about it.
"It's like a giant do not disturb sign." He said, stepping forward despite his misgivings.
B'Elanna sighed, turning from the gate. "Well I guess we should listen. Besides we need to get back to the shuttle, make sure Chakotay and Paris are ok."
"What if the storm hits again?"
"Then we'll hide. Look, once we get out of the caves we can follow the cliff's all the way to the city. From there it's not to long to the shuttle, or the other set of caves we were heading for."
"Fine." Harry muttered "But I should warn you I'm not the best runner these days." He added, glancing at his ankle.
B'Elanna was about to say that he didn't need to run that fast anyways when something behind them creaked. It was the sound of a long unused gate opening. They turned around, slowly, as if afraid of what they'd see. There were four men facing them, dressed in what had to be ancient Starfleet uniform, complete with Starfleet insignias, and each was pointing a crude looking phaser at the two intruders. The tallest of the man looked panicked at best, and the three behind him looked positively petrified.
"Klingon!" The man screamed, finger twitching on the phaser. A red bolt of energy hit B'Elanna in the shoulder and she collapsed without a word. Harry watched her fall with a stunned sort of fascination. He never saw the second bolt of energy though he felt it hit his back. He didn't even have time to scream.
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A/N-Anon: Hey thanks so much for all the reviews! It's so nice to know that people are reading our story, and it's great motivation to keep If you have any comments on the story, suggestions for making it better, or just want to say that you read and enjoyed it, please review!
A/N-Nicol: Anon practically said it all-) We like reviews, they´re helping us write. The next chapter should have more Paris in it -grin, so stay tuned.