Nine
*Riker*
We perched behind a rock face inside the cave, waiting silently. Beverly wouldn't stop ringing her hands, despite having four calming hyposprays. Deanna let her squeeze her hand, looking more and more concerned as the minutes passed.
It had taken hours for Wesley's captors to stop beating him. The muffled screams were continuous, along with shouts of glee from those who attacked him. Every lash sent another tear leaking out of Beverly's eyes. I wasn't sure who was suffering more at that point.
At about three hundred hours the commotion stopped, the only sounds remaining being Wesley's crying and some snoring. Worf scanned while Deanna sensed the area, giving us a nod that everyone was asleep.
"He's very unstable," Deanna whispered. "We can't take him by surprise."
Will agreed, motioning to the ensigns to dash to the next rock face. We moved silently, tiptoeing behind gaps and sliding in and out of crevices. It took a while before we encountered the first captor, curled around around a rock pillow. He looked younger than Wesley initially, but the lines under his eyes showed age.
Of course I had to stumble and drop my phaser, creating a loud clatter.
The boy woke instantly and was prepared to scream, but restrained himself at the sight of Worf's phaser pointed at his head. I put my finger to my lips and dragged him up, but he shook himself free. "Are you here to help him?"
Deanna glanced around, giving me the all-clear to return his question. "Yes-"
"If I help you, will you get me out of here too?" The boy whispered. "I am essentially a slave to these men and I want to help your friend."
While Beverly looked apprehensive, Deanna nodded in approval. "He's telling the truth, Will."
I pondered for a moment. "Alright. But you need to follow every single thing I say-"
"Yessir!" The lad agreed. "He's being held not far from here. I think they've broken his leg..and he lost a lot of blood-"
"Don't worry, we've brought equipment with us. He'll be okay," I said hurriedly. "Lead us on."
The boy obeyed, nimbly shuffling in between crevices and jumping over rocks, as though he'd been living in this cave his entire life. He would've been excellent at the Academy's athletics carnival; he was as graceful as a swan while still being very athletic.
We continued into the darkness, not daring to use lights for fear of our detection. Beverly walked in front of me, her silhouette trembling. I wanted to comfort her, but decided it could wait until later.
The boy suddenly stopped, his arm held out in warning. A faint light was visible ahead of us, with the muffled crying much more prominent than before. A glance at my tricorder showed the single human life sign was starting to fade.
"Let's hurry," I whispered, urging the boy forward.
