Chapter 4

"I love snow," Sulu sighed in relief from the powdery snow bank they had landed in.

"Yeah because it does wonderful things for you right?" McCoy snapped checking over his equipment. "Pain medication is gone. So is some of the antibiotics. Back up tricorder is broken though."

"My communicator is broken as well as most of my equipment," McCoy looked up at Spock. "Only 20% of it survived."

"Any of it working?"

"I am afraid that the 20% is not compatible with each other," McCoy huffed.

"Course you break the expensive 'I'm only giving you one of these' machines," McCoy looked at Sulu. "Where's your pack?"

The helmsman pointed up to where the pack hung on a small outcropping of ice. "Came off on the way down. My com's out too."

"Hopefully the tricorder isn't malfunctioning because it says you two are alright minus the bruises and cuts," McCoy rubbed his arms furtively. "My com's buried beneath the snow so we're shit out of lu-"

Sulu grabbed McCoy and pulled him to the ground, his phaser out and locked onto the same movement as Spock's. "Commander?"

"I believe it is one of the people who is taking care of the Captain," McCoy looked up and dusted himself off, yet again. He stood up and stepped out from behind cover. "Dr. it is ill-advised to leave cover when we are uncertain as to whether they are hostile or not."

"Spock. It's a child," McCoy rolled his eyes. "And they know we're coming. There is logic in this."

"It is illogical to assume a child is incapable of harming an elder being," Spock reasoned. Sulu looked back and forth between the two officers before the girl looked out. She had the same pale skin of her people and the same pearl grey eyes and silver hair.

"The iceman was watching me dance so my friends helped me to bring him to Lady Mystral," The girl said clearly. "He had the same clothes as you."

"Can you take us to him?" McCoy asked climbing from the small impression in the snow. She nodded once and then waved them forward.

"Hurry. Lady Mystral wants you to help the people here," She grabbed a hold of McCoy's hand and tugged him along, Spock and Sulu following closely. The girl couldn't be older than five but she navigated the hallways like an expert. "The iceman was tired when he came and he kept calling me a mystical fairy. What's a fairy because he couldn't tell me?"

"It's a beautiful little creature with cool abilities," Sulu offered earning a raised eyebrow from Spock and McCoy.

"It does not exist-"

"On our planet," McCoy interrupted glaring at Spock. "Maybe they exist here."

"Well I've never heard of them," They turned a corner and entered a cavern bathed in fire light. "I don't like this room. The fire makes it hot."

McCoy broke free from her grip as he saw the form of Jim shivering beneath a blanket closest to the fire. A women with long silver hair stood as he neared. She bowed slightly. "I am unable to wake him. You are the Dr. Bones he mumbles for?"

"Yes," Bones had his tricorder out and was pulling two thermal blankets from his pack and over Jim's body as he scanned. "How long has he been out?"

"Almost 5 hours since he collapsed," She replied. "Another 2 since he has spoken in his sleep."

"Damn it," McCoy began prepping hypos. "I need another set of blankets underneath him."

"We don't have any-" Sulu said.

"I know!" McCoy snapped, his eyes flaming angrily.

Spock inclined his head to the woman. "You are the lady called Mystral?"

"Yes, I am," She bowed her head. "You are of importance to the Captain?"

"I am his first officer, Commander Spock. It is a pleasure to meet you,"

"Same to you," She glanced to where McCoy was jamming steroids into Jim's neck and glaring at the unsatisfactory readings. "Your doctor seems to be very agitated. Has his condition deteriorated that much?"

"Yeah," McCoy growled jamming another hypo into Jim's neck and rubbing his hands over the thermal blanket covering his chest. "His core temperature has dropped to 10 degrees Celsius. He's got 4 hours tops."

"We need to contact our ship," Spock said. He looked at Mystral who shook her head.

"I am afraid we do not have that technology out here," She said. "We are outcasts from society for going against the government. They would not allow us the luxury. You're arrival here is needed more than we can possibly express."

"Sir!" Sulu produced Jim's com from his frozen hand and tossed it to the Commander. He opened it efficiently.

"Commander Spock to Enterprise," He said. "Lt. Uhura do you read?"

"Good to hear your voice, Commander," It was a bare whisper and covered in static but they had made contact.

"We have found the Captain however he needs immediate medical evac,"

"The storm is still prewenting us from allowving any form of transportation," Chekov's Russian accented voice came over the line. "Commander Scott is vworking to boost the signal. The strength of the storm is vweakening howvever there is still too much time."

"How much time?" McCoy asked, glancing away from Jim for a few precious seconds to eye Spock carefully. The Vulcan nodded and relayed the message.

"Two maybe three hours, sir,"

"He can't wait that long," McCoy ran the tricorder over his body again watching the life signs drop slowly. "Jim's body is freezing and unless we get him on board within the next 3-4 hours, he's going to die. I'm not even going to waste my breath on the irreversible damage that could have been done."

Spock nodded and began to talk rapidly with Chekov and Scotty about boosting the signal. Sulu was wandering around the cave, noticing the people coming out of the cave after they had been deemed unthreatening.

"'m not gun-gun-gunna d-d-die," Jim's thready and husky voice murmured quietly from his cocoon.

"Don't move," McCoy rested his hand on Jim's shoulder and eased him back to the cot. "Save your energy."

"M tired, B'nes," Jim mumbled, snuggling into the warmth. "N really co-cold."

"I know," McCoy pulled Jim's hand out from beneath the blankets and frowned at the lack of gloves. "You lost your gloves?"

"Don remember," Jim slurred. McCoy squeezed Jim's finger and worked his way up Jim's hand and to his forearm assessing the deep blue almost black skin.

"Jim. Tell me when you can feel my hand, alright? Jim? You understand?" He nodded and McCoy started the process again. He got up to Jim's wrist the frown deepening into his face.

"Win you gu-gunna st-start?" McCoy lifted up Jim's hand so he could see it.

"Jim. Look at me," Jim rolled his head to look at his arm as McCoy pressed Jim's palm between his fingers. The doctor repeated the pinch a few more times before setting Jim's hand down and pushing it under the blanket.

"Thas…Thas snot good," Jim's eyes were wide and slightly frightened.

"No. No it's not, Jim,"

1188

A/N: So.... The temperatures in this chapter and the previous chapters have been taken and converted from a website I found. i'm sorry if they are not accurate but as soon as I find the time (and am not coughing my lungs up) I'll look into more websites to decide whether or not they are true. Thank you for reading up to this point! Keep up with the reviews! Update will be on Thursday.

Iluvwind