Chapter Twenty Three: In which Karina and Chekov are going to make GREAT partners in combat (just saying), Andrei probably bursts a few blood vessels, and the three rescuers confirm the fact that Karina has, in fact, gone crazy. Well, as crazy as they are. Also, Bones is becoming self-aware.

A bit short, but lots of action!

Just a bit of an author's note: It has recently occurred to me that my earlier installments in this series do not exactly hold to specific parts of the environment of the Star Trek universe. Therefore, as I am officially off of school for a month, I have massive amounts of time to edit. So if anyone has any desire to go back and read Breathe again once that happens, please do! I hope it'll be even better this time around! Shout out to the beta reader, HeartofFyrwinde, for editing this series!

Can you tell I'm fond of exclamation marks?!

Anywho, that will be happening over the next month. In the meanwhile, enjoy the chapter, and PLEASE review! :)

Karina wriggled her wrists in the rope, trying to make it come loose. While Andrei Chekov was not exactly an amateur when it came to knots, he was also not an expert, and she allowed herself a small smile, as both Andrei and Vladimir's backs were turned. The slightest give of the rope, and she was free.

Making sure the adults had their backs to them still, she lifted her freed right hand slightly, waving it at Pavel. His eyes widened, and a grin broke out on his face, as well.

She jerked her head toward the exit, hoping that his third dialect was body language. He seemed to understand and nodded. But there was something different about the gesture. He didn't know she meant him, too.

Not knowing how to convey this, but knowing she had to try. Karina awkwardly stretched her neck out toward him, indicating that he was to come with her as well. Fortunately for her, Pavel was a pretty smart guy.

Unfortunately for her, he started shaking his head. Karina wasn't the best at reading people, but she knew him well enough to know exactly what he was thinking. He was going to let her escape, give her the best chance of getting away by going with his father willingly.

She started shaking her own head just as vigorously, hoping that, among other things, he was also a mind reader. Now is not the time to be a hero, you little Russian punk! Now, as soon as we can, we bolt! Together, or not at all, okay?

If he'd understood any of that, she imagined the look he gave her back to say, Look, I at least get out of this alive. You don't. You've got to go alone, understand?

Karina glared at him, hoping she might at least intimidate him into coming with her. Pavel Andreievich –

But then it occurred to her – this wasn't a completely bad idea. If she escaped, she could go get Starfleet authority to back her. Phasers. Lots of them. Those would be good. All preferably set on kill so as to make Andrei's little phaser rifle look like a child's toy.

Her features set, demonstrating clearly how much she hated this but knew it couldn't be helped, she turned back to him and nodded once more, and attempted finally to put everything she was thinking into her eyes. I'm coming back for you. Don't you dare even think I'm not. If I have to haul Pike, Marcus, and anyone else I can get on my side over to Russia, I'll be back.

At that moment, Andrei and Vladimir turned back to them, and she quickly forced her hands back into a position that made her look as though she were still tied up. Thinking fast, she knew she had to distract the men somehow. Talking seemed like her best option.

"So, Andrei," she began, scrabbling for words. "You seem to me like a man who's up for a negotiation every now and then. So tell me, how much is my freedom going to cost me? Admission that my parents were no match for you? The deed to Alaska? Seriously! I can get Alaska back for the Russians and you will go back to the mother country a hero. How does that sound?"

Vladimir moved to stand by her, his phaser rifle hanging limply at his side. "Bargaining for your life won't help you now, child," he told her. "Best to just leave it be."

Andrei whirled on him. "Actually, I'd like to hear what else Miss Bartowski here has in mind," he said. Walking up to her, he said, "You actually dare to plead with me at this point in time, rather than just accepting your inevitable doom? Oh, you have spirit. I'm going to enjoy this."

Karina looked at Pavel, and saw in his eyes a mix of loathing for his father and stark terror for her. Andrei leaned down in front of her and leaned in, whispering, "Do you have any idea what I'm going to do to you, girl? Let me tell you, it won't be quick like it was for your parents, but just as painful. Now you know this, what 'negotiations' do you have in mind, pray tell, Karina?"

Karina looked him straight in the eyes. "I guess…you can do what you want with me, sir. If you can catch me first."

As if they were linked mentally, Pavel and Karina acted at the same instant. As he lashed out with his legs, sweeping his father's feet out from under him, Karina lunged upward, slamming into Vladimir and knocking him to the side. It honestly shocked her how well that went. Vladimir was a relatively solid man, and Karina, while she knew how to defend herself, wasn't the strongest of girls. But somehow, she managed to make him lose his balance. His grip on his phaser rifle loosened, and Karina grabbed for it.

It fell into her hands with relative ease. She didn't turn around to see Andrei fall flat on his back, sit up, and let out a cry of rage. All she did was take off running, leaping over her overturned chair and flying down the corridor, screaming back at them, "Da svendanya, comrades!"

Andrei surged to his feet, another cry of rage emitting from deep within his gut. The girl was far down the corridor by now. Both he and Vladimir had been so thrown off by the sudden moves of the children. Andrei scowled down the hallway, knowing that even if he tried to keep up with her, she'd gotten enough of a headstart that he would be unable to. This complicated things a bit. Even if they managed to get out of Starfleet, they would never get out of the country. Not for at least a month while he arranged something illicit and they laid low.

Rounding on his son, he lunged at him, ready to make any form of violence he'd used in previous years look like child's play. "You traitorous little – "

A hand grabbed his arm, and he looked over at his partner, who was shaking his head. "Not now," Vladimir told him. "Don't waste your time venting your anger, Andrei."

Hating it but realizing Vladimir was right, he drew in a deep shuddering breath. Not caring to be gentle, he grabbed Pavel by the arm and hauled him to his feet. "We're getting out of here. Go."

Karina ran for about five minutes straight before needing to pause for breath. Maybe she should utilize that track more often. She should realistically have been able to run much farther – Starfleet encouraged its members to excel in fitness, and right now she was failing.

Leaning back against the wall, she looked back the way she'd come, and finally allowed herself to worry. She certainly hadn't expected Pavel to assist in her escape, though she wasn't necessarily surprised that he had. What would his father do to him now? Resolve turned her lungs to iron. She couldn't stop now. He'd helped her escape, now she'd return the favor. Preferably with some heavily-armed back-up.

Taking off down the tunnel once more, she didn't even notice the faint figures growing in the corners of her night vision.

Camille, reflexes sharp as ever, saw her friend coming at top speed and cried, "Scatter!" to Jim and Bones, leaping out of the way. Jim wasn't quite sure why they were doing such a thing, but figured Cam was normally right about these things and followed suit. Bones, however, had slightly slower reflexes, and Karina crashed into him at full speed.

She rolled off of him, and they both lay on the ground, winded. Bones groaned in pain, and Karina stared up at the ceiling, muttering, "Well, broke that chain."

"What?" he moaned.

"Nothing."

"Kari!" Jim exclaimed, his voice a few octaves higher than he would have liked. He ran to her, pulled her to her feet, and practically shouted, "Don't do that to me, kid! At least have the decency to let me know when you're being nabbed, right?"

Karina, however, was having none of it. She pulled away from him and shouted, "Thank goodness I found you guys! We've got to go back!"

Camille nodded. "You're certainly right, we need to go back! Marcus or somebody needs to know so they can seal off the tunnels and – "

Karina shook her head vigorously, panic rising in her eyes and her throat. "No, no!" she exclaimed. "We need to go back where I came from!"

"Vermont?" Jim asked, tilting his head to the side, confused.

Karina groaned and did what the other three could only describe as an interpretive dance of frustration. "NO! I meant back there!" She pointed in the direction she'd come.

Camille eyed her. "Did those Russians brainwash you or something?"

"Camille, Pavel's still back there, okay? I'm not leaving here without him – now that I've got backup, anyway. No way I could take them on my own, but with you three, and a phaser rifle of my own, I think we're pretty well matched. Now, come on!"

She ran back down the corridor, Camille chasing after her, screaming, "Kari, wait! You can't just go charging back in there! Granted, that's what I would do, but you can't! Dammit, kid, why do you ever listen to me? Or not? COME ON!"

Bones and Jim stared after their girls, then back at each other.

"Do you think Kari knows we're not armed?" Bones asked, conversationally, as though discussing the weather.

"Nope. Not at all," Jim replied. "Kind of nice that she has that much faith in us, right?"

"This is all just a really stupid idea," Bones growled.

"Oh, yes," Jim quipped. "Completely foolhardy."

"We could die horribly."

"Horribly. Horribly indeed."

Bones stared. Was Jim actually going to agree with him and insist that they run after the females and haul them back? He would carve this day into his memory for all of –

"Wheeeeee!" Jim cried, taking off after the girls, raising his hands in the air and hollering like a madman.

Bones facepalmed. "Typical," he muttered. "Why am I the only responsible one here?"

He ran after them, muttering, "You'd think at least one other person would see the stupidity of this, but no! Honestly, why I hang out with younger people is beyond me! Why would I choose to subject myself to this complete torment…"

His words faded out as he rounded a corner and followed his friends.