Note: A little late but it's so much easier to polish it when it's finished than scramble to write it all now. This week hopefully won't disappoint as there's a lot of action crammed in. Also a cameo (with a few slight alterations) by a beloved B movie monster we all know and love. Here's a hint, Kevin Bacon starred). I really do want to improve my action writing since I think it's a bit lacking but the more I do it the better it'll get. Thanks to everyone reading and coming back each week, you guys help motivate me! C&C of course is always welcome.
When the attack comes, Garak wonders if anyone is actually surprised by it. He'd felt the faint tremor beneath his feet well in advance for the last several minutes. It was difficult to pretend that he didn't notice it; it went against his every instinct to be party so such obvious and amateurish subterfuge. Surely those for whom the trap was set were not meant to be made aware of their impending fate, but even so, it confounded him how anyone could be so completely oblivious to their surroundings. And given any lack of obvious suspicion, Julian, along with Molly and Jadzia had played it straight. Nog was also a much better actor than Garak had given him credit for. He could tell that sensitive Ferengi hearing was aware of some nightmare sound that was completely beyond him. He tried not to pay it any mind as they continued their trek through sand to slightly more hard packed clay and dirt. But while it was a blessed relief to have more solid footing beneath him, it was then that he more acutely felt the rumble and paused, debating whether or not now would be a good time to shake the sand out of his boots.
Julian had put a hand on his arm discreetly, not looking at him but rather ahead to the open sky with a deep almost anxious breath. Garak had to strain to hear just a bit, his translation abilities far weaker with softer sounds, but the words were not spoken in Standard, but his own language.
"Don't stop, stay alert, You won't have much time." Garak had nearly stumbled as Julian had spoken to him, nerves entirely on edge. He watched as Watters walked nearly beside Molly, Farris at his right, the remaining three taking up the lead. He could see Nog make a few false starts as his steps grew slightly erratic, doubtless, Garak imagined finding the effort of not instinctively protecting his lover difficult to overcome. Fancy that, such a strange Ferengi, indeed. But speaking of instinct... He'd looked down at that thought, seeing Julian's hand still tight on his arm as if it might migrate down to his wrist and he felt warmed by that notion, cursing such sentimentality even as he did.
For Gul's sake Elim, don't let yourself become overly attached to him. Use this to your advantage. If anything, whatever is coming is clearly enough of a threat to warrant such a reaction, you could use this to take care of every problem you have right about now. Of course, his intelligence on the issue had been shamefully lacking. Between the recovery of his eye at the time and the migraines, he hadn't thought to further research the finer points of the trip, content to miserably lay in bed and let Julian make the arrangements. He'd also assumed that air travel was the fastest, the most expedient but he realized that error as the tremors grew to a level that could no longer be written off even by the humans in the lead, and now all he could do was adapt and survive.
"I won't let anything happen to you," Julian had whispered with one last squeeze to his arm before letting go. There was a pause at that declaration, the look of faint disbelief on Julian's face clearly indicating that he hadn't meant to say those words out loud. He had Garak's sympathies; Garak above anyone else certainly knew the burden of loyalties and self preservation coming together in a miserable contradiction.
"What was that?" Shepard had asked first, reaching for a phaser that he surely expected to find. Of course, Garak mused, even if he was still in possession of such a thing on world, if he'd arrived at the same time as Watters, the odds of it still working were pathetically slim. Molly had stopped as well, shooting a nervous look to Keiko, laughing a short, uneasy bark even as she took a step back.
"Noise?" Her voice cracked, that affront to deception obvious, but by then it was already too late. Garak checked the firearm holstered behind his back even as he watched Jadzia remove the hat and pull from underneath it a series of what appeared to be metal tubes connected by a cord linking each piece. What he witnessed then, was truly a masterpiece, watching her hands deftly turn and twist the tubes, connecting, fastening them into a crude weapon of some sort, something called a crossbow if he remembered her review of various Westworld weaponry.
That hardly bodes well, he thought as the rumble beneath the ground grew to earthquake like intensity. The last thing he had a chance to catch sight of was Jadzia pulling a slender pointed projectile from inside her boot. Which of course leads back to present and the look of horror crossing many a Starfleet face when the ground cracks and a beast the likes of which he's never seen before bursts forth in a spray of dirt and sand in between the entire group. It separates them- Nog and Starfleet on one side and the rest of them on the other. Ah, that would be the worm... Squinting behind the creature he can see the faint furrow of upturned ground, the trail before it split the surface. He takes in the size of it with a tight smile. It's easily a good ten meters long judging by the raised dirt still covering its body and its jaw, open wide in a rather unfortunate sounding scream could easily swallow any one of them whole. It's tan, nearly the color of the soil and sand itself, a mottled skin that he has a sinking feeling is even harder than it looks covered with thick protrusions, likely for pushing it through the soft ground.
Immediately there's a spray of gunfire; he wouldn't be surprised if Watters unloaded the entire chamber of his weapon already, and much to Garak's surprise, even the heavy bullets- perhaps even jacketed- do not seem to effectively pierce that hide. He makes a note of the fact that Molly has not unholstered her own guns but has instead settled for calmly, carefully stalking around the beast instead, shouting something harsh, hissed to Keiko. And that would explain the crossbow as well but as for where she intends to shoot it... But surely this thing has to have a more effective means of catching prey than... "Julian?" Garak just now notices as he instinctively steps back that Julian hasn't moved. As of a matter of fact Julian seems unable to move, sweating, panting, hands up over his ears as those shrieks intensify. Nog as well is frozen by that piercing wail. Their hearing then. But then again, you know better than anyone that even the most advantageous ability can be turned against a person in an instant. To his surprise, Molly does not seem to be similarly affected and it leaves Garak absolutely fascinated to see that she doesn't posses completely identical attributes to her sire.
That also is another mark against Watters' assertion that Julian's in vitro tampering was part of some nefarious plot, but that is a thought for another day. The creature is thrashing wildly, almost angrily hurtling its girth towards them and Julian seems content to stand there with his eyes shut. Garak grimaces, knowing that Julian is a touch heavier than one would think, nonetheless, he tackles him out of the way rather impressed with just how far he was able to throw the both of them to the ground. He expects the beast to swing in turn, but he realizes it doesn't seem to possess any eyes, and in fact seems content to drop to the ground with its mouth open. He's about to scream at the idiots firing at its clearly armored sides to perhaps aim for the delicate looking pink sacks bared in its open maw but amidst the shouts and surprising chaos that quickly descends, he doesn't have an opportunity. As he rolls over, brushing himself off, a brief moment of silence letting Julian blink to what is hopefully a quick recovery, he pulls out his gun to do just that. Really, if this group of fumbling children is the best that Section 31 can produce, a group of reckless youth screaming in terror at the first sign of true conflict, one really must wonder if the stories of their vaunted efficacy and ruthlessness are but exaggerations.
Garak aims quickly, not quite sure that he's out of the range of whatever attack it might throw their way, when he sees the true reason for the beast flopping so unceremoniously on the ground. Of course the armored body protecting the rest but then... oh... that may pose a problem. His eyes go wide as it rolls faster than he'd have thought possible, Watters clearing the way, five officers diving in different directions when that mouth splits wider to reveal at least half a dozen snakes shooting out with uncanny quickness. Those snakes are not eyeless, their eyes narrow things that track their movements, each of them attacking furiously. They're relentless. Garak fires off a round just in time to keep the jaws of one from attaching to his leg as another already is taking its place.
"Julian!" He shouts, seeing those eyes blinking at him almost dumbly, but he cannot afford to take the time to spare concern for Julian's lingering disorientation. Well, Elim, it appears as if you're going to be protecting him after all. I do hope there wasn't anything breakable in that sack of his.
Garak takes just a moment as that second snake head lashes out, even as the other writhes in pain. It nearly knocks him over. He barely hits it out of the way with his forearm. It's strong, even with a hole blown through it, whatever prehensile control they create possesses is strong is strong and unpredictable. He can see that the man Auren has been tagged by one, jaws sinking into his back. Garak has a clear shot where the rest do not, embattled as they are, but he does not immediately fire. Instinct is all well and good, but far better not to react without thought but instead to train one's thoughts to process so quickly that every action is initiated seemingly without them. And in this case, that initial question is whether or not to rescue one whose demise would be advantageous, not only to his plans but his allies as well. One glimpse to Molly, her eyes darting over as she quickly rummages through Keiko's pack pretending not to notice, biting her lip uneasily, is all the confirmation that he needs. So that was the plan after all then.
The pieces fall together quickly, and Garak instead works on getting Julian back to his feet, highly trained focus able to tune out the shriek of what is clearly a man being pulled backwards towards the maw of the beast amidst a flurry of gunfire. Of course they cannot shoot at the mouth now, he realizes grimly or they risk hitting him. It's a particularly ugly sound but he's heard worse- far far worse- in his lifetime. He doesn't tune out the conversation, acutely aware that he may miss vital information during that exchange, though it would seem from the sound, one enterprising young woman has decided to try and pull him back. Garak takes fast aim in that moment, sure to shoot a snake coming towards him and Julian, and incidentally piercing through one about to hit that little fool as well. He supposes that it cannot be helped and if anything that little display will belay some of the suspicion on the entire scenario.
Garak isn't sure exactly what the next move is, but he can see Jadzia make her way to both Molly and Keiko. She takes that moment to fire, the bolt piercing another snake but just coincidentally, the tip hitting the arm of the arm of that woman as well. The three of them now are backing away from the fight just as Garak feels another subtle rumble beneath his feet. And here you were deriding yourself for missing out on seeing the quaint local fauna by using air travel. It's clear, of course that they'll need to head back to the rocky plateau, and equally clear why Nog had balked at the shorter route. It would seem then that this will be a delightful survival game, but then as for those three, if anything they appear to be headed in the opposite direction we need to go...
"Garak-" Julian's voice cuts through that reverie as he steadies himself, head turning wildly from Molly to him. Garak sees her gesture again quickly, and right at the time he notices in Keiko's hand a small round object with a wick at the end and he has a particularly sinking feeling.
He doesn't have time to contemplate it, or ever even know what Julian was about to say. The ground erupts again, this time in a pincer to Watters' motley formation. He quickly searches for Nog seeing him struggle to stand behind the first creature, clearly still disoriented. Garak can only imagine another auditory attack is coming and before Julian becomes a liability once more, he realizes they need to get out of here. That's not to say that he doesn't feel a bit of guilt at deserting the Ferengi, but he can only carry Julian in a pinch, and Watters, Farris, along with Collins are the key holders, not Nog. Garak does have a flash of concern for the safety of said keys when Watters jumps back from the second creature, just as Jadzia fires another one of those bolts straight into its mouth.
Garak hears a secondary shriek now and as Julian freezes stone, Garak sighs and squats, awkwardly upending him knowing their only chance is the rocks. Yes, the rocks some few kilometers east, my you're certainly going to work off those few extra kilo you've gained enjoying Leeta's rich food. Julian might express concern were the circumstances different, about sudden forced activity still being one of the leading causes of heart attacks in older men, human and Cardassian alike, but Garak supposes that's a risk he'll need to take. There's another wave of tremors rocking the ground violently beneath him and he has far more confidence in his heart than their current circumstances.
"Cover!" he hears shrieked not sure from who but likely Molly and he's no Guls damned idea how he's supposed to manage that right now of all times but he's certain the warning isn't shouted in vain. Some thirty feet out, Garak drops to his knees, fighting that instant erratic thought to use Julian's body for cover. Instead he throws an arm- the left, he needs it less- over the back of Julian's head since he seems incapable of doing so himself.
It's then the explosion rocks the ground hard, sand flying, more screams come from Guls only knows who. He doesn't dare look, another explosion immediately following, further out but just as intense. His sense of time is scrambled. His perception has also doubtlessly slowed as the delay between the blasts and the rain of blood down on the two of them seems to be at least several seconds. From the smell alone, he's sure that the majority of the innards and outerds? Is that even a word, Elim? ...belong to the creature. But there is also the smell of human blood mixed in there as well and he certainly hopes that Julian has a strong stomach because experience reminds him that it's hardly uncommon for men and women to violently retch when the insides of one's comrade are splattered across one's outsides... Garak has always despised vomit.
He hears a scream then, though not from the creature but some female that he cannot quite identify.
"Keep going..." Julian's voice gasps to him as another rumble starts and he knows he doesn't have much time to question what's going on behind them. He knows that he needs to get them far away fast and let whoever follow as they will but without the map... He hesitates, hardly relishing the thought of being trapped to die in the hot desert sun, but then comes another explosion. There's one after another following, the wind kicking dust and debris everywhere, before a final explosion- a slightly softer different pitch- is nothing but smoke. Well, that certainly answers several questions as Julian grimaces, half throwing Garak's arm off, standing shakily. "Keep going," he repeats only sounding marginally more steady, and Garak can see, or rather can't see anything behind them. A diversion. And a rather lethal one at that, but it seems that was the intent the entire time.
Then presumably the three of them have some plan in mind to retake Yoshi. The grim expression on Jadzia's face loading that crossbow immediately is at the forefront of his thoughts. He doesn't dare look back since this has also afforded them time. But that still leaves the matter of the keys. Surely if they were relying on the Ferengi to obtain the keys from the others then...
"Nog's meeting us. Go," Julian growls in a low voice that is so remnant of their torrid nights aboard the ship that Garak quite nearly mentally blushes. But he recovers without missing a beat, and he laces his arm with Julian's, helping him along while he struggles with his equilibrium. Garak doesn't share Julian's confidence in Nog, but he hardly has much choice in the matter. He hears another blast, much farther out, and he determines that it will just need to sort itself out, as he and Julian start running in earnest. He prays they're headed in the direction of the rock. For even if Julian were not still half disoriented, Garak has yet to witness any hint of avian magnetic orientation.
But what he does notice is that the vibrations are starting to grow more faint along with the blasts. So they hunt by sound, by vibration through the ground. It's obvious then why we should have stayed on the rock. Ah, but that would hardly have afford so rich an opportunity. Eliminate the enemy and then take care of the liability. He bites back that nasty smile thinking that Julian may very well cut his throat were he to say such a thing out loud. But of course, family or no, better not to have any liabilities and surely any upstanding young man would gladly sacrifice himself for the necessity of the greater good. Ah, but you're not thinking like a human now, are you? You know they're going on a rescue mission no matter how foolish. That's the way of humans. They wouldn't even consider removing Section 31's precious bargaining chip, no, they'd sooner risk what's likely more valuable personnel, again for one augmented onworlder.
But that's merely another character flaw of his and he forces himself back to the immediate and out of other people's problems. Garak almost doesn't dare look back, but he knows that whatever danger may lie, keeping his face turned away will not make it disappear. And he has a rather keen sense developed over the years to feel eyes on his back, especially malicious ones. But as he turns he sees nothing, and not a sign of those he should be meeting with. He hadn't quite expected such however but still, he's almost afraid for a moment that they may have met a similar fate as those left behind. But you know better. Your colleagues know enough about gathering information not to blindly rush in. No, that's probably who you sense after all which means the rock should be nearby. He certainly hopes so, because adrenaline can only carry him so far, and with the fading sound of the blasts and the realization that they've surely run clear- the ground growing sandy then hard again- that jog is catching up with him.
Julian, of course is disgustingly fresh, and Garak finds it sickening that a man nearly as old as he is can tackle such an exercise with such little exertion. Garak almost has a mind to trip him as Julian passes him, that rock coming into view at last.
"Well then, Garak," he says when Garak nearly stumbles over the first raise of stone. "Shall I tell you what the plan is from here, or shall I leave that to our hungry little friends out there?" His look is so dark and ominous, that Garak finds himself almost inappropriately aroused. "I think we understand now who truly has the advantage." He files that away for a later time perhaps and forgets that automatic reminder to himself that there will be no later. He smiles at Julian, thinking how fortuitous it will be indeed to only have to contend with him and Watters' crew at most. Whatever Julian is carrying in that bag, tugs insistently at Garak's curiosity, but he has his own secrets kept carefully hidden. The sedative, after all, is still neatly and safely tucked away until he needs it.
"I'm all ears, my dear," he says with the innocence of a human saint, practically glowing when Julian shoots him another darkly suspicious look.And as they say here onworld, Happy Birthday to me.
