Disclaimer: See part one
Part the Two - Where in which Voyager has lost Tom and Tom just looses it!
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Tom could remember landing heavily on his side, knocking the air from his lungs it took several precious moments to draw breath enough to contemplate moving. Cautiously he lifted his head; several feet away lay the still and pale form of Harry Kim, only the steady rise and fall of his chest reassuring a concerned Tom that the younger man was still alive and breathing.
"Harry? Hey Har are you ok?" Silence greeted his calls; it was then and only then that he realised that all noise and motion from the tremors had ceased.
Rising stiffly to his knees the rattled Pilot tapped at his comm-badge to contact Voyager only to discover it was no longer attached to his uniform; when his fingers slapped on his chest meeting soft material instead of the hard metal he was expecting. Deciding the missing device was the last of their problems he stood, his priority right then the still unconscious Harry, Harry who needed his help and with a bit of luck the younger man would still be in possession of his comm-badge.
Luck however seemed to be in short supply as the ground shifted beneath his feet, the soft lip of the ravine unable to support his weight, crumbling away without warning leaving him struggling for balance precariously close to the dark rift. Arms pin wheeling Tom found himself thrown back to the ground as a loud crack heralded the collapse of the unstable overhang; the section of soil now under his back and shoulders tilted alarmingly before crashing down into the depths, carrying the tall man along for the ride.
Fear gripped his throat, strangling his voice and stifling a scream as he fell for what seemed like hours, time distorting the few seconds stretching them out to his adrenaline heightened senses. Unable to control his freefall he crashed full length into one of the many massive white pillars of stone which supported the ceiling which the rift had torn open and through which Tom had fallen. Thumping against the vertical surface Tom felt his ribs flex and at least one crack under the force of the impact, the rough stone surface abrading the skin of his face and hands, his uniform snagging several times before tearing free; spinning him with some force away from the pillar and back out into the void. All too soon a dazzling white floor rushed up to meet him, his last thought prior to impact was a predictable, "Oho, I bet this is gonna hurt!"
Before he had a chance to confirm his suspicions as to the firmness and pain inducing properties of said immovable surface a beam of vibrant blue light swept his battered form, freezing his limp body, holding it suspended mere inches from the floor; arms held in front of his face, head tilted back braced for impact, eyes tightly screwed shut, all voluntary movement prevented by the light field yet blood from a particularly deep cut on Tom's forehead ran unhindered across his brow; mingling with dirt and sweat on the way before sliding down the aristocratic nose and falling free to splash a crimson stain on the pristine white tiles below.
Instantly the blue light field transformed to an angry pulsing red, unspoken words seemed to slam directly inside his skull, bypassing his ears altogether the enraged female voice screamed out.
"DESECRATION!"
"MALE!"
"DESPOILER!"
"BEAST!"
"DEFILER!"
"ANIMAL!"
Over and over the words repeated, cycling faster and faster, volume rising with each repetition until his mind was filled by a formless roar; so loud he couldn't hear his own voice, crying out in pain Tom begged for it to stop, yelling until his throat was raw, vocal cords strained until only a pitiful broken whimper issued from his abused larynx.
Battered in body and mind Tom welcomed the encroaching darkness, slipping into unconsciousness with a soft sigh, escaping reality and pain for a void of a different kind.
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Captain Janeway strode into Sickbay, the doors sliding shut behind her with a soft sound. Crossing to where Voyager's young Comm officer lay she addressed the EMH as he appeared from his office, alerted to her presence by the sound of the doors.
"Doctor, how is he?"
"A mild concussion, minor abrasion, all successfully treated, all easily within the scope of my abilities. He's asleep at the moment but I expect he'll awaken shortly if you care to wait. However if you do I would ask you not to excite my patient, he'll need to rest for the next few hours, the head injury means he needs to take it easy for the next twelve hours at least before I can release him back for duty."
As the Doctor spoke Harry's eyes began to flutter, dark lashes brushing the broad cheekbones. All professional the holographic doctor ran a medical tricorder over the recumbent form of the young Ensign, swiftly analyzing the scan, nodding as the results showed nothing untoward.
"Harry," the Captain asked, one small hand softly touching the young man's shoulder. "Harry."
"Uggnggg!"
"Mr Kim, open you eyes," the Doctor's voice was deeper if no less kind hastening Harry's return to consciousness.
"TOM!" Harry's eyes flew open, struggling to sit up as he cried out in alarm. The EMH and Captain both restraining the sudden movement, gently forcing him to lie back down.
"Take it easy Harry, you're in Sickbay."
"Sickbay, I'm back on Voyager?"
"Yes Mr Kim, you suffered a blow to the head and have been unconscious ever since we beamed you aboard.
"How's Tom, is he ok?" Aware of his surroundings Harry now noticed the total lack of complaints that usually accompanied his friend's enforced presence in Sickbay. "Tom?"
"I'm afraid we haven't yet located Mr Paris, we were hoping you would be able to help us Harry, tell us what happened."
"What do you mean? You're telling me you've lost Tom? But he was right behind me the whole time, we were running for the trail, the ground gave way collapsing ahead of us, there was no way I could avoid it. Tom, Tom must have pushed me, I can remember his hands on my back before I fell, nothing after that; that must have been when I hit my head. I'm sorry Captain he was right there with me."
"Thank you Mr Kim," the Captain responded to the Ensign's report, but it was Kathryn Janeway who touched the young man's arm, offering comfort. "Why don't you try and get some rest, we'll find him Harry." Nodding to the Doctor the Captain's mind was already back on the bridge, mentally preparing to rejoin the search for her missing Chief Pilot.
"Bridge to Captain Janeway."
"Janeway here, go ahead Tuvok."
"Captain, Lieutenant Torres has reconfigured the scanners to compensate for the interference. We are reading unusual energy pulses originating from Lieutenant Paris's last known location. Seismic activity has reduced to a minimum, however the ground remains unstable and I would suggest no more than a small four man search team as there is a high probability of aftershocks."
"Tuvok, inform Commander Chakotay of the situation and have him assemble a team from those already on the planet. Ensign Wildman should accompany them; her medical skills may be required."
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