December 2256 II

Flames and ceiling debris surrounded Arianne as she looked down at Soval, grateful that she had covered him from the falling debris. She could feel Jim on top of her, likewise providing protection.

Arianne felt Jim help her up and was horrified to see that there was now a nasty gash on his head and burns on his face, "The ceiling caved in and I think that everyone from the party is down here now," she said, wincing as she suddenly heard screams of terror and moaning. "Thank you for protecting me."

"Always," Jim replied in a pained voice. "I'll stay with Soval and you go see who else needs help."

Nodding, Arianne ignored the pounding of her heart and shoved her way through the debris fields and growing flames to the end of the basement that was below the common room. She could see many cadets scattered across the debris and underneath. Pavel and Hikaru both looked like they had been bruised and burned in the chaos, but they were trying to move the debris to free trapped cadets.

"Arianne?" Nyota suddenly called out from the far left corner of the room. "Gary's hurt badly."

Trying to remember everything she had learned in Med-Sim class, Arianne made her way over to where Nyota was sitting beside Mitchell, who was lying helpless with debris sticking out of his abdomen and his uniform was burned to nearly a crisp. Finnegan was lying nearby, trying to get up off the debris.

"Christine?" Arianne yelled in a loud voice, hoping that Christine had survived and could help her.

There was a loud gasp and Christine coughed, trapped in the far right corner with a group of three first year cadets who were gravitating in and out of shock from falling through the floor and from the fire.

"I have three first-years over here with me and we're trapped," Christine replied, coughing anxiously.

Arianne sighed and coughed, "Listen up!" she yelled in a strained voice. "I'm officially taking command and anyone who can walk should report to Cadet Uhura; she'll help you all get out of here safely. Uhura, there's an emergency passageway on the other side of the room that will eventually lead you outside."

Murmurs and coughing filled the basement as the many who were shaken, but able to walk without help made their way over to Nyota, "Once you've got them out, don't come back in," Arianne said as she made her way over to where Mitchell lay. "Gary, I need you to stay still and awake while I assess you."

"It hurts," Gary moaned as Arianne knelt down next to him. "Please, Arianne; don't leave me here."

Even though she had no medical tools, Arianne shook her head and began doing a basic assessment in her mind to record later, "I'm not going to, Gary," she said in an anxious tone. "Just stay awake."

"I'm going to ask you ONE MORE TIME!" Leonard roared, fighting the urge to knock Elizabeth into a snowdrift. "HOW DID YOU GET OUT OF THE CADET CENTER WITHOUT SO MUCH AS A SCRATCH…?"

The clearing of a throat prompted Leonard to look away from Elizabeth and he was embarrassed to see Admiral Archer, Captain Pike, Madame Guinan, Commander Harriman, and Lara Harriman standing there, all of them looking concerned, "Doctor McCoy, explain yourself," Captain Pike said tonelessly.

"Arianne's nothing but a disabled tramp!" Elizabeth yelled before Leonard could speak. "She had favors granted to her all the time and did NOTHING to earn them! I hope she DIES in this beautiful explosion!"

Admiral Archer suddenly looked angry and Elizabeth suddenly felt hands clamp around her wrists, "Commander Spock, take Miss Dehner to Starfleet Security," he said in a commanding voice. "Now."

"I have RIGHTS!" Elizabeth yelled, straining to pull away from Spock. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

As Spock dragged Elizabeth away, Leonard looked towards the burning building, "Doctor McCoy and myself will go and see to those who are trapped," Lara suddenly spoke up in an unusually official voice as she noticed fear in Leonard's eyes. "Under Starfleet regulations, commissions can be activated in times of great emergency and I believe this is one of those times. Tell Doctor Puri to get some supplies."

"Doctor Puri's already got some supplies," Dr. Puri's voice suddenly filtered into Lara's ear. "Doctor Harriman, it's been a while since you were on active duty; are you sure you're feeling up to it?"

Lara gave Dr. Puri a look, "I am a skilled surgeon and Arianne Pike is the reason I now have the courage to face reality," she said in a no-nonsense voice. "Now, Doctor Puri, please give me the supplies we need and let's stop wasting time that those trapped people do not have. Every minute counts in this crisis."

"You heard Doctor Harriman," Admiral Archer spoke up in a sharp tone. "Let's get on with our efforts."

"Nyet, I vill not leave Keptin Pike's daughter in zees mess," Pavel said as he stood there, watching as Arianne talked to Gary softly enough to keep him from moving. "You must go vithout me, Hikaru."

Hikaru silently looked at the shellshocked cadets who had made a sloppy single-file line and were slowly filing out of the basement ruins with Uhura guiding them, "Hikaru, help Jim with Soval if you're too stubborn to leave with those who can walk out. I need to stay with Gary til medical help gets here."

"Please, just let me pass quietly," Gary whispered in a pained voice. "Others need your help too."

Before Arianne could reply, there was loud shouting and Lara Harriman and Leonard came into the mess with their arms filled with medical supplies, "Those who can get out on their own, keep moving!" Lara yelled in an anxious voice as she suddenly spotted Arianne kneeling beside Gary. "Ensign Pike, report!"

"Lara?" Arianne asked as she turned and saw Lara coming towards her carrying medical supplies.

Lara nodded as she reached Arianne, "Doctor Harriman, actually, my dear Ensign Pike," she replied as she gazed down at Gary. "Cadet Mitchell, just lie still and relax. I'm a very skilled Starfleet surgeon."

"It hurts," Mitchell whispered as he gazed up at her. "I just want to pull it out and end it all."

Lara looked to Arianne, "Ensign Pike, go assist Doctor McCoy in freeing those who are trapped and help him give treatment to any wounded," Lara said in a commanding tone. "I can care for Mitchell now."

Arianne nodded and, getting to her feet, she walked over to where Jim and Leonard were trying to assess Soval; rather, Leonard was trying to assess Soval and Jim was trying to tell Leonard to escape while the building was stable, seemingly unable to remember that Leonard had just gotten there.

"Jim, let's go for a walk," Arianne said as she gently took his arm. "How's Soval, Doctor McCoy?"

Leonard sighed as he scanned the unconscious Soval, "Critical," he replied in an aggravated voice.

"Bones, this building's probably gonna collapse," Jim replied in an unsteady voice. "You gotta go."

Arianne sighed at the look on Leonard's face, "Jim, come on," she said in a gentle voice, fully intending to get him outside through the passageway and into the hands of medical personnel. "Walk with me."

"I have a headache," Jim commented quietly as he let Arianne guide him across the debris. "It hurts."

Arianne nodded and Jim suddenly put a hand to the side of his head and groaned, "I have to sit or I'm gonna puke all over the place," he said in a pained voice. "That ceiling debris must have bounced…"

"All right," Arianne replied softly as she guided him over to an empty corner of the basement near the blocked stairwell. She helped him to sit on the bottom stair and gently took his hand in her own.

Jim swallowed hard, "You and Bones need to get out of here while you can," he said pitifully. "I don't really have anyone who will miss me if I die in this, but you have your dad and Bones has his mom…"

"We'll get out through the passageway when you've had a moment to rest," Arianne said, frowning at how tired Jim looked as the cut on his forehead continued to bleed. "Let me look at your forehead."

Jim coughed, but silently allowed her to touch his forehead, "It'll need cleaning and stitches," Arianne said in a gentle voice as she offered her hands to him. "Let's get in line to get out of here, okay?"

Ignoring the sudden throbbing in his head, Jim got to his feet and immediately leaned against Arianne for support, "Shouldn't more rescuers be in here?" he asked as they slowly made their way across the debris towards the lineup at the emergency exit. "There's still a lot of people trapped and dying."

"Cadet Scott was one of the first out and he's trying to determine how long we have before this upper level completely collapses, I'm sure," Arianne replied as they joined the line. "He's some sort of Engineering genius and reads architecture plans in his spare time; he doesn't like holidays or spare time either."

Just outside the building, meanwhile, Monty had gathered the data he had gotten on the structural integrity of the Cadet Center during the weekends since the start of the semester. Nobody was paying attention to him, as Dr. Puri was helping the small trickle of escaping cadets towards waiting medical personnel and shuttles that had gathered on the path closest to the center.

Admiral Archer and Captain Pike were helping the cadets towards the shuttles, as were the other Admirals and Academy personnel who had gotten a Red Alert call from Spock. Monty was fine with being ignored, but as he studied the data gathered and watched the inferno grow, his worry grew.

"Cadet Scott?" Madame Guinan, who was told by an overstressed Admiral Barnett to just stay out of the way during the evacuation, asked as she walked over to him. "Is that part of one of your projects?"

Monty nodded and showed her the PADD that he had been reading, "The structural integrity of the upper level of the building is weak and the rest of it will cave in pretty soon according to the calculations I just made," he explained in a worried voice. "There'll be a heck of a struggle to get everyone oot then."

Before Madame Guinan could reply, there was a loud cracking noise, "GET BACK!" Monty yelled in an anxious voice as he hurried over to the group. "The upper level is gonna come down like a hail storm!"

Without warning, the upper level of the Cadet Center collapsed in on itself, effectively blocking the emergency exit, trapping escaping cadets under rubble, and trapping hundreds more inside.

"Wake up every member of Starfleet Engineering and get them down here with all of their machines as fast as they can come," Admiral Archer snapped, his anxiety growing. "Our problem just got bigger."

"Jim, wake up," Arianne whispered as she sat up and saw that Jim was sprawled on the dilapidated stairs unconscious and partially covered by dust-covered debris. She coughed, but didn't try to move him. They had been in line to evacuate when the rest of the ceiling had caved and she had pulled him back.

Loud groans and soft coughing could be heard all the way throughout the basement, "Doctor McCoy, are you all right?" Lara asked as she stood up and touched her back. She had immediately covered the injured Mitchell when debris began to come down on them so he wouldn't be injured any worse.

"I'm fine, but I think that this Vulcan man is dying," Leonard answered in a hoarse voice. "We're probably all going to die in the next few hours now. The rest of the top floor caved in on us."

Hearing Leonard's voice made Arianne's heart jump, "Leonard, did you say Soval's probably going to die from his injuries?" she asked as she quickly gazed in his direction. "Vulcan's not going to like that at all."

"Don't get me started on those green-blooded hobgoblins," Leonard snapped, aggravated that Arianne was talking about Vulcans as if they were her own flesh and blood. "They're way, way too smart…"

Arianne sighed, "I know you have xenophobia, Leonard, but now is not the time for it," she replied in a firm voice as she got to her feet. "Jim got knocked out when the rest of the ceiling fell in."

Swallowing hard, Leonard made his way across the piles of rubble to where Jim lay, "Go help Doctor Harriman," he said in a gruff voice as he knelt beside his unconscious friend. "Be careful darlin, okay?"

Nodding, Arianne moved across the debris to where Lara was, "At least a hundred cadets are trapped and can't be recovered without special equipment," Lara stated in a somber voice. "Nearly two hundred made it out because of Cadet Uhura and the collapse put out the fires, but we are still in deep trouble."

"How's Mitchell?" Arianne asked in a concerned voice. "His injuries are severe; will he live?"

A hacking cough suddenly emerged from a pile of collapsed ceiling and Pavel came out being supported by a shellshocked looking Hikaru, "Vat happened?" Pavel asked in a scared voice. "It vas like a bomb."

"Pavel broke his arm, I think," Hikaru finally spoke in a worried voice. "He was protecting me."

Lara sighed, "Ensign Pike, you examine Hikaru please," she said in a gentle voice. "I'll care for Pavel."

"Vhere is Christine?" Pavel asked in a worried voice as Lara came to him. "I vanted a dance wiff her."

Arianne sighed as she forced Hikaru to sit on a pile of debris, "Christine was one of the very last out of the passageway before the cave-in," she explained, remembering the look Christine had given her.

"Zat Dehner woman did zis," Pavel commented, having grown very afraid of Elizabeth Dehner over the past several weeks as he saw her become more detached from reality with each passing day. "I saw her reading books about bombs in ze library and tried to tell her off, but she told me to keep quiet."

For a moment, Arianne was silent, "You're telling me that Elizabeth Dehner blew up the Cadet Center and trapped hundreds of people just because I chose you over her?" Leonard, who had overheard Pavel and couldn't believe what he had heard. "I think that's a little over the top, even for Elizabeth Dehner."

"I have to contact Ambassador Sarek when we're rescued," Arianne commented as she suddenly began to feel pain in her stomach for the second time that day. "He'll want Soval's body returned to Vulcan."

Lara gazed at Arianne and caught the look of pain on her face, "Are you all right, Ensign Pike?" she asked in a concerned voice as she gently sat Pavel on a pile of debris. "Perhaps you should rest for a bit."

"It's just feminine problems," Arianne replied softly even though a rest sounded very appealing to her.

A sudden pain shot through Arianne's abdomen, causing her to whimper, "Might be the endometriosis progressing," she said in a distressed voice. "I was taking hormones, but they're obviously not working."

A loud alarm suddenly went off and loud groaning filled the air, "Never mind my cramps," Arianne said in an anxious voice as she began to wander over to where she knew at least 20 cadets were buried. "We need to start clearing what we can so that other cadets have a fighting chance. Pavel, Hikaru, Doctor Harriman, and anyone else who isn't injured can feel free to join me in digging people out of death."

As If making herself very clear, Arianne knelt down and began to pick pieces of debris without so much as a whimper emerging from her mouth. Pavel and Hikaru looked at each other for a moment and then walked over to where she was. They immediately knelt down on either side of her and started working.

"What's happening?" Jim suddenly mumbled groggily even though his eyes remained closed.

Arianne gazed over at Leonard, who was sitting with Jim and then over at Pavel, "Pavel, come here a moment," she said in a tone that told Pavel she meant serious business. "I need you to do me a favor."

"Right now?" Pavel asked as he slowly crawled across the debris to where Arianne and Lara were.

Arianne nodded, "You mentioned in one of our talks that you know a great deal about primitive methods of communication," she said in a quiet voice. "Does that include Morse Code, by chance?"

"Da, it does," Pavel replied in a confused voice. "Vat do you vant me to use Morse Code for?"

Arianne smiled, "To let the people outside know where we are and how many of us are trapped," she replied in a gentle voice. "A lot of cadets are trapped, but alive. I need you to tell the outside world."

"Pavel, you can do it," Lara whispered in an encouraging voice. "Remember what I've told you."

Pavel was silent for a moment and then walked over to the caved in emergency exit. He picked up a piece of debris and began to systematically tap it against the wall loudly, "What good will Morse Code do?" Leonard asked in a doubtful tone, irritated by the tapping. "Do you think it will actually work?"

"Bones, it works," Jim spoke in a faint voice. "Morse Code got Starfleet to find all of us kids."

Arianne's eyes widened, "Jim, can you open your eyes and look at Leonard, please?" she asked in a worried voice, quickly ignoring the cramps that threatened to make her cry. "You're scaring him."

Jim's eyes slowly opened, "Bones, my head hurts," Arianne heard Jim say weakly. "Why is that?"

"You have a concussion," Leonard replied as he continued to stabilize Jim's neck. "Don't move."

Lara looked up from where she was tending to Mitchell, "Cadet Mitchell needs pain relief because his vitals are beginning to suffer because of the pain he's in," she said in an anxious voice as she opened the med-kit Dr. Puri had given her. "Ensign Pike, will you please come over here and assist me?"

"Keep tapping, Pavel, that's an order," Arianne said in a no-nonsense voice as she crawled over to where Mitchell was laying with a pained expression and beads of sweat on his face. "Gary, how are you doing?"

Mitchell sighed and winced, "It hurts," he replied in a faint voice. "Doctor Harriman won't let me take it out because I'll bleed to death without proper surgery. How long are we going to be trapped in here?"

There was a sound of laser fire and Christine suddenly wriggled out of the debris in the corner with three of the cadets trailing her like a nervous row of ducklings following their mother, "Um, Cadet Rossini shot himself with his phaser," she said in a worried voice. I tried to get him to come with us, but he was really insistent and said that he'd kill all of us, one at a time, if I didn't take the others and go."

"I should probably make a report of this," Arianne muttered as she fumbled around in her pockets and pulled out a PADD that she had meant to use later for homework. "Command will want a report."

Mitchell raised an eyebrow, "Can you stay here while you make it?" he asked in a weak voice. "It's boring watching people make logs, but it beats listening to Cadet Chekov do that tapping."

"Of course," Arianne replied, suddenly noticing that Lara was gently massaging Gary's feet.

While Arianne made the log, Christine whispered to the three cadets and made her way over to where Leonard was stabilizing Jim's neck, "Doctor McCoy, can I relieve you in stabilizing Cadet Kirk's neck?"

"Bones, don't leave me," Jim groaned in a weak voice. "I'm scared to death."

Leonard sighed, but moved his hands, "Just behave yourself and talk to Cadet Chapel," he replied as Christine moved in and quickly stabilized Jim's neck. "I have to go see who else needs my help."

"What on earth is that infernal tapping?" Admiral Barnett asked as he checked a crane sensor that an engineer had attached to a piece of the caved-in floor as part of a crane that would lift the upper debris off of the trapped cadets. "Cadet Scott, this crane idea is a little risky for this operation; maybe…"

Admiral Archer and Monty came over to where Admiral Barnett was, "I trust Cadet Scott's judgment, Admiral Barnett," Admiral Archer said in a no-nonsense voice. "What tapping are you talking about?"

"I think we ought tae get on with moving the debris," Monty said in a worried voice. "It will be a process, but the cadets are gonna run out of air if we don't get tae this soon. Is Starfleet Medical packed?"

Admiral Archer nodded, "I just was on the comm-channel with Doctor Puri and more medi-shuttles are en route," he replied. "Admiral Barnett, if you are concerned about some sort of tapping, go and tell Starfleet Communications about it; it may be some sort of communication from the cadets…"

"You mentioned that there was tapping?" Professor Khan, who had just arrived on the scene after hearing from the comm channels that Marla had attended the party, asked as he walked over to where Admiral Barnett, Admiral Archer, and Monty were standing. "It could be a variant of Morse Code."

Admiral Barnett scowled, "Nobody around here knows Morse Code," he answered in a cynical voice.

"I believe Commander Spock may know something about Morse Code since he teaches several Communication classes," Admiral Archer said in an annoyed voice. "He took Cadet Dehner to Starfleet Security and I believe he's still there; go and find him and see to it that he comes back here."

Continuing to scowl, Admiral Barnett nodded and took off across the grass, "Is there any way for another person to fit into the basement?" Professor Khan asked in a curious voice. "I am rather strong and can help free any trapped cadets. Serij is off-duty this evening and I hate to bother him with this."

In all actuality, Khan reasoned, Serij had heard of the explosion and had most likely gone to Starfleet Security to assist in Elizabeth Dehner's interrogation using his mind-meld talents; why, he didn't know.\

"I wouldn't advise going in there, Professor," Monty replied in a concerned voice. "It's too dangerous."

Professor Khan looked amused, "I assure you, Cadet Scott, I do not fear danger," he replied in a smooth voice as he huddled himself in his cloak. "It is very cold out here tonight and it might be warmer inside."

"Professor Khan, with all due respect…" Admiral Archer began, wondering if his colleague was all right.

Professor Khan raised an eyebrow, "Look, Professor Khan, just wait until the crane does its work and then we can see if it's safe, all right?" Admiral Archer asked, not wanting to upset his colleague.

"I'll get the crane started," Monty said in a hasty voice as he hurried over to where the apparatus was.

Admiral Archer sighed, "This Academy is quite different from other places I have worked," Professor Khan commented in an intrigued voice. "There is a deeper process here than I am used to. I do not understand why I am not allowed in to help, but you allowed others in before the ceiling collapsed."

"Medical personnel have special clearance in emergency situations," Admiral Archer replied, gazing at the older man with a look of intrigue on his face. "Doctor Puri's the CMO of Starfleet Medical, but he's claustrophobic and Doctor Harriman and Doctor McCoy volunteered to go in first, anyway…"

Professor Khan looked intrigued, "This Doctor McCoy, I thought he was a cadet?" he asked.

"Leonard McCoy IS a cadet, but he's also a very qualified medical doctor that joined up in Iowa after practicing medicine in Georgia for a while," Admiral Archer replied. "He's become an asset to us."

Professor Khan's eyes widened, "Leonard McCoy?" he asked in an almost horrified voice. "Admiral Archer, I apologize, but I am suddenly not feeling very well. I must go back to my residence."

"Should I call Doctor Puri to let him know?" Admiral Archer asked, concerned by how pale and sick looking Professor Khan had suddenly become. "If you're sick, maybe Starfleet Medical is where…"

Professor Khan held up a hand, "No, I will be fine," he replied weakly. "I am just in need of rest."

As Professor Khan walked off across the snow, a loud cracking sound filled the air and Admiral Archer turned just in time to see a crane lift the biggest piece of debris off the decimated Cadet Center.

"Even though I am half-Vulcan, I am about to lose my patience," Spock stated as he glared through the forcefield at Elizabeth Dehner, who was sitting on the bench in her cadet uniform looking angry. "Why on earth would you commit such a horrific action against Starfleet because you dislike Ensign Pike?"

Elizabeth sniffed, "I don't dislike Ensign Pike," she replied bitterly. "I hate her and want her to die."

"I do not understand why you hate Ensign Pike," Spock stated tonelessly. "She does not hate you."

Elizabeth snarled, "She stole Leonard McCoy from me and always gets special favors," she replied in an angry voice as she stood up and glared at Spock. "Disabled tramps don't belong in Starfleet at all!"

The door to the Brig suddenly slid open and Sarek, Amanda, T'Pau, and several elderly looking Vulcans entered the Brig looking very serious. Elizabeth gasped in shock and Spock quickly turned around.

"Spock, we were alerted to the crisis by Captain Pike and the High Council insisted on travelling to San Francisco to see if we could do anything to help," Amanda explained as she came forward and noticed Elizabeth standing in the Brig looking ready to kill someone. "Is she responsible for the explosion?"

Spock nodded, "I got some crazy old Vulcan named Soval to help me plant a bomb in the basement of the Cadet Center," Elizabeth spoke up in a toneless voice. "The cadets were having a party there…"

Amanda suddenly looked heartsick and turned away from Elizabeth, "Spock, how many are trapped in the wreckage?" she asked in a worried voice. "Is there anything any of us can do to help?"

"I do not know," Spock replied in a toneless voice as the wall intercom suddenly beeped. "Excuse me."

Sarek, Amanda, T'Pau, and the Vulcan High Council were silent as Spock walked over to the wall intercom and pressed the button, "Commander Spock here," Spock stated tonelessly. "May I help you?"

"Commander Spock, Admiral Barnett here," the voice spoke. "There is reason to believe that one of the trapped cadets is using Morse Code, but nobody can tell for sure. Could you be of assistance?"

Spock was silent for a moment, "Admiral, the Vulcan High Command has arrived to be of assistance in the situation," he replied in a toneless voice. "Where should I direct them to while I come assist?"

The door suddenly slid open and a distressed looking Admiral Barnett entered the room, "I'll see to the High Command," he replied in a distressed voice. "Please proceed to the Cadet Center immediately."

Spock nodded and quickly left, "What of Soval of Vulcan?" a timid voice suddenly spoke behind them.

Amanda turned and saw a shaken looking Serij standing there looking like he'd seen a ghost, "I had heard of the human ritual and was on my way there when I saw the collapse," he said in a faint voice as he gripped the wall and immediately noticed the Vulcan High Council members. "Elders, forgive me…"

"My wife, please take Serij to the Vulcan Embassy," Sarek stated as he turned and gazed at her. "We must discuss the situation with Admiral Barnett and we will tend to Serij's emotional needs later."

Amanda nodded and gently took Serij's arm, "Lady Amanda," Serij said weakly. "Please, let us go."

As Amanda and Serij left, Sarek and T'Pau turned their attention towards Admiral Barnett to discuss how to proceed now that the culprit had been caught and the rescue of Soval and the cadets was proceeding.

CRAAAACK!

"It's dark out," Jim commented as he suddenly saw the night sky and stars looming down on them.

A pile of dust suddenly showered down on the people who weren't buried in debris, "I kent tap on da vall any longer," Pavel said in a tired voice as he lowered his shaking arm and dropped the piece of debris on the growing pile. "My arm eez shaking madly. I hope zey find us soon; I am cold and sleepy."

"We all are, Pavel," Arianne replied as she checked Mitchell, who was now barely conscious. "Crap."

Lara nodded, "Crap is right, Ensign Pike," she said, gazing up at the sky. "When did that happen?"

"Just a minute ago," Arianne stated in an official voice as she saw that Lara was holding a hypospray in one hand. "Doctor Harriman, did you give Gary medication so he would be stable enough to move?"

Lara nodded and sighed, "Do you think there are enough people to form some sort of a human ladder?" Arianne asked as she gazed up at the open ceiling. "If there was some sort of a stretcher available that we could slide under Gary and tie him to, we could get him up to where he could get medical help."

"Chekov, Sulu, McCoy, Finnegan, and anyone else who can help Ensign Pike, go assemble near the wall," Lara stated in a commanding voice. "I think that your idea about a human ladder is very intriguing."

Arianne got up and hurried over to the wall, "Pavel, climb the human ladder and get them to send a stretcher down here," she said in a commanding voice as Finnegan, Hikaru, Pavel, Leonard, Marla, and three other cadets came over to the wall. "Tell them that there are many cadets still trapped."

"I don't know if you should be in this ladder, Arianne," Leonard said in a worried voice. "You don't have a lot of physical strength because of the health challenges you've faced since you've been here…"

Arianne's eyes suddenly widened, "Shut up NOW," she hissed in an infuriated voice. "How dare you…"

"Bones, don't leave," Jim moaned in a pained voice. "I'm scared that I'm gonna be left in here to die."

Arianne sighed and walked over to where Jim was laying, "Christine, join the ladder and get out of here," she said in a commanding voice. "I'll stay and make sure Jim doesn't move; you need to get out."

Looking rather frightened, Christine moved her hands and stepped aside so Arianne could come and stabilize Jim's neck, "Arianne, I didn't mean to imply that you were weak," Leonard said in a worried voice as Arianne knelt and stabilized Jim's neck. "I just don't want you overdoing it again so soon."

"You had better hurry," Arianne replied in a frosty tone. "Mitchell's fighting just to hang on."

Leonard sighed and got down on all fours, nodding to Hikaru to climb on his back. Once Hikaru was in place, Marla climbed on top of him and gestured to the three other cadets to take their places in the human ladder, which they quickly did. Finnegan then clilmbed up the ladder and touched the ceiling.

"Nyet, I do not vant to leave Keptin Pike's daughter in danger," Pavel said, suddenly realizing that Arianne was going to stay in the basement while he climbed out. "Keptin Pike vill murder me."

Arianne sighed, "Pavel, I order you to get out of here," she replied in a commanding voice. "I'll be fine."

Pavel sighed, muttered what sounded like a Russian swearword, and slowly climbed the human ladder to the very top, where he slowly hoisted himself out of the debris. Everyone in the ladder and throughout the basement could hear people talking to Pavel and Pavel responding in a calm manner.

A loud rumble could suddenly be heard, "Is that an earthquake?" Christine asked in a horrified voice.

Before anyone could answer, the ground began to tremble violently, sending the human ladder and loose ceiling debris to the floor. Arianne quickly covered Jim with her body, but fortunately, they weren't hit by any debris. Hikaru, Christine, Finnegan, Marla, and the three other cadets were all sprawled out across the flatter debris, but looked all right as far as Arianne saw. Leonard, however, was lying face down on the debris looking as if he were dead; he wasn't moving or breathing at all.

"Doctor McCoy?" Sulu asked as he slowly sat up and crawled over to Leonard. "He won't wake up."

There was a hushed silence and then Leonard let out a groan, "I was holding my breath," he said as he slowly sat up, revealing simple bruises and scratches on his face. "I'm fine; how's everyone else?"

There was a loud crash and a pile of debris in the corner suddenly crumbled, revealing two very shaken, but uninjured cadets whom Arianne recognized as Kevin Riley and Ben Finney, "ATTENTION, WE ARE NOW SENDING RESCUE PERSONNEL TO EVACUATE THOSE WHO ARE NOT TRAPPED!" a loud voice suddenly filtered down into the basement. "WE WILL EVACUATE THE CRITICALLY INJURED FIRST…"

"Doctor Harriman, you and Mitchell go first," Arianne said as stepladders suddenly were dropped into the basement and medics, who were loaded down with all kinds of emergency gear, came down.

The medics immediately travelled over to where Mitchell lay, "Strap him to a stretcher and let's get him back to Starfleet Medical," Lara ordered as the medics came over to them. "Hang on, Cadet Mitchell."

"Doctor McCoy and Cadet Kirk should be next," Arianne stated in a firm voice. "I'll wait down here."

As if to prove her point, Arianne moved over to where Soval lay as more medics came down into the destroyed basement, "The Vulcan High Council will want him protected," she said in a formal tone.

"I'll help," Jim said in a groggy voice as he slowly got up and moved over to where Arianne stood.

Leonard scoffed, "You infant, you could have a neck injury," he hissed. "You should lie down."

Before Jim could reply, Arianne suddenly winced and doubled over, "Stupid cramps," she muttered as she slowly sat down and hugged her knees. "Jim, can you go with Leonard when he goes up, please?"

"I'm not leaving you or any of the kids behind," Jim replied in a nervous voice. "He'll kill you all."

Arianne slowly straightened up and motioned to Jim to kneel down, which he did, "Jimmy, you need to go and make sure they know about the rest of us," she said as she reached into her pocket and pulled out a hypospray that she had taken out of the med-kit earlier. "I'm gonna give you a little something that will help you focus on what you're supposed to do, okay? I put some stuff in it to make you brave."

Before Jim had a chance to react, Arianne quickly injected the hypospray into his neck, "What did you do that…" Jim mumbled as it quickly took effect and he slumped forward into her arms.

As the medics and Lara took Mitchell up the ladder, Leonard came over to where Arianne was holding Jim carefully against her, "Are you going to be okay?" Leonard asked as he knelt down beside her.

"I'll be fine," Arianne replied softly as she gently eased Jim off of her. "Take care of him up there."

Leonard nodded, "When Jim's safe at Starfleet Medical, I'm coming back for you," he promised.

"Not if there are others who need your help more," Arianne replied. "Focus on helping the injured."

Another set of medics came down with another stretcher and Leonard sighed, "You're so stubborn," he stated in a deeply concerned voice as he really meant 'take care of yourself.' "Medics, over here."

Arianne nodded as the medics came over to them, "Cadet Kirk sustained a concussion and I was forced to sedate him due to his altered status," she stated in an official voice. "Get him out of here right away."

"Arianne, can you come help me with trying to dig out other people?" Christine, who was quickly becoming emotionally overwhelmed with having to keep an eye on the many injured and try to dig out as many of her buried friends as possible, suddenly asked in an anxious voice. "I can hear them…"

Letting out a sigh, Arianne slowly got to her feet, "Wanimo aisha," she said in a quiet voice as she gazed at Leonard briefly before turning away and heading over to where Christine was.

Dust, frost, and falling snow were filling the open ruins by the time personnel from Starfleet Medical and Starfleet Engineering had evacuated all those who weren't buried in debris.

A lot of cadets trapped under the debris were still alive and awake only because Arianne had stayed in the basement with them and talked with them while others were escorted up and out.

As she sat on a pile of debris, hampered by the same temporary cramps that had hindered her since early that morning, Arianne was vaguely aware that someone was climbing down the ladder to come and tell her that It was time to leave; she didn't want to leave anyone behind.

Along with the many whop weren't buried, the medics had taken Soval and promised Arianne that they would look after him for both her sake and that of the Vulcan High Council.

"Daydreaming, Arianne?" a gentle, very familiar voice suddenly asked, causing Arianne to jump.

Arianne looked up and was surprised to see her father standing there in his gray uniform with a blanket tucked under his arm, "Captain Pike?" she asked in a tired voice. "What are you…?"

"You can call me 'Dad' right now, Arianne," Chris replied gently as he draped the blanket around her frost covered cadet uniform. "I'm assuming the endometriosis has progressed a lot?"

Arianne nodded and slowly got to her feet, "Yeah, but it's something that can wait til the New Year to be dealt with," she replied as her father helped her walk to the ladder. "I'm assuming that Engineering and every other able bodied officer are going to dig through the rubble now?"

"As soon as we're out," Chris replied. "Do you need help getting up the ladder at all, Arianne?"

Swallowing hard, Arianne gripped the ladder and silently hoisted herself up. As she climbed, she could hear her father behind her and was grateful that he was there in case she fell.

Flashing lights and loud chattering greeted Arianne as she climbed out of the basement and she was horrified to see a horde of reporters with cameras, recorders and video recorders pointed all at her and her father, "As I have already stated this evening, there will be a press conference scheduled for the middle of January to coincide with the hearing," Chris stated calmly as he climbed out and put an arm around Arianne. "In cooperation with the media ban that Admiral Archer has instituted in light of this crisis, I now ask for all of you to leave the campus."

Without waiting for any replies, Chris carefully and quickly escorted Arianne towards a golf cart-sized hovercar that was away from the reporters, "Let's go by Starfleet Medical," he said as he helped her into the car. "No doubt you could use some time to rest in a quiet place."

Trying to not show how worried she was about the people still trapped beneath the debris, Arianne was silent as her father got into the car, revved the engine, and drove off into the night.

Two Days Later

Starfleet Medical - Time: Unknown

A nasty hacking cough filled Arianne's ears as she suddenly came back to awareness and realized that she was laying on something soft with something soft covering her body.

"...Get that tricorder away from me!" an annoyed, very gruff voice suddenly snapped.

Arianne opened her eyes and realized that she was lying in an upright position; she could see a nervous looking Leonard huddled against the corner with Dr. Puri lingering close to him.

"Ensign Pike, glad to see you awake," Dr. Puri commented, seeing that she was awake.

Leonard nodded and again coughed so much that he nearly collapsed, "I-I never get sick," he gasped in an annoyed voice, flinching as Dr. Puri came closer. "The last time I got sick, it took me six weeks to fully get over it and I was only a teenager. It's so horribly warm in here…"

"Leonard, don't be stubborn," Arianne said in a commanding voice as she slowly got off the biobed and walked over to him, suddenly noticing that he was very pale, sweaty, and had dark circles underneath his eyes. She gently touched his arm and he didn't pull away from her.

Leonard coughed, "Even if I am sick, all the resources are used up," he protested weakly.

"Performing over 100 surgeries over the course of two days without taking any personal breaks is bound to make anyone sick, Doctor McCoy," Dr. Puri replied in a gentle voice as he held out his hand. "Take your jacket off and lie down on the bed. You'll feel more comfortable without it."

Leonard scowled, but removed his jacket with trembling hands, revealing a sweat-encrusted white shirt. He then lay down on the nearest biobed and dropped his jacket on the floor.

"Ensign Pike, would you please go get Doctor McCoy some proper pajamas while I conduct a thorough examination?" Dr. Puri asked in an official tone. "He'll probably be here for a while."

As Arianne nodded and left the room, she heard Leonard let out a very weak groan.

It didn't take Arianne long to find a clean pair of pajamas from a nearby storage locker, as the Housekeeping personnel, like everyone else at Starfleet Medical, had been working overtime without breaks since the explosion and had just barely been given mandatory time off to rest.

Being a counselor, she had caught a few hours of sleep after being brought to Starfleet Medical by her father and then had turned her attention to assisting with the many that needed help. She had been on her only break in the last two days when Leonard's cough had woken her up.

Doctors and other medically trained personnel, however, weren't lucky enough to get time off as they were needed to monitor the hundreds of patients who were recovering from the various surgeries that Phlox, Dr. Puri, Dr. Piper, and Leonard had performed over the last two days.

As she moved back towards the patient bay where Dr. Puri and Leonard were, Arianne saw a crowd of scared looking cadets, including Pavel and Hikaru, sitting in the waiting area with a very concerned Professor Guinan and Professor Khan talking to them. At the far end of the waiting area, she saw several members of the Vulcan High Council gathered in a huddle.

Everyone, even the Vulcans, looked as if they had been through a war and nobody looked ready to leave their respective groups anytime soon, Arianne observed. She was sure that various members of both Starfleet and Academy Command had tried to get people to leave the building and have downtime, but Arianne was very aware of how stubborn cadets could be.

A tear suddenly fell down Arianne's cheek and she turned away so nobody would see her crying and be even more unnerved than they already were; Soval had made it all the way to an operating table at Starfleet Medical before he had succumbed to his injuries and died.

Before he actually died, however, Soval had had a private audience with Admiral Archer and the Vulcan High Command so that his experiences and wishes could be carefully recorded for the hearing in January that would determine Elizabeth Dehner's fate for her serious crimes.

In the meantime, Arianne knew that she had to stay strong and be aware of everything at all times just in case someone wanted to talk. She had been a counselor for Starfleet for several years and knew that she had earned the respect of both her superiors and fellow cadets.

"Ensign Pike?" a nervous, yet very familiar voice suddenly asked, causing Arianne to stop.

Arianne turned and saw a nervous looking Kevin Riley standing there, "Cadet Riley, what can I do for you?" she asked in a very kind voice as she smiled at him. "You're looking tired."

"I was just wondering if JT made it," Riley replied softly. "I haven't seen him in two days and…"

Arianne nodded, "JT's fine and he's resting comfortably," she replied gently. "He made it, Kev."

Kevin nodded, let out a sigh of relief, and silently returned to the waiting room. Arianne watched as he joined the throng of cadets and talked to them. She then sighed and turned away, remembering that Leonard needed the pajamas so that he would feel more comfortable. Her job was to help all those in need, including Leonard.

When Arianne returned to the patient room where Leonard was, she was surprised to see him sitting up on the biobed facing a communications screen while Dr. Puri lingered near the door, silently watching him, "…Len, honey, you shouldn't try to come out to Georgia if you're sick," a Southern female was saying in a gentle voice. "You're best off listening to your doctor and staying in San Francisco; it took you nearly two months to get better last time, remember?"

A tear slid down Leonard's tired face as he nodded and coughed, "I'm just so exhausted and I hate that I can't stay awake to talk to you," he replied weakly. "I love you, Mama; I'm so sorry."

"Get some rest, Len," the Southern female voice replied gently. "I love you so much my baby."

Leonard nodded, switched off the viewscreen, and slowly lowered his head, "Leonard, I brought you some pajamas so you'd be more comfortable," Arianne said in a cautious voice as she approached the biobed and set the pajamas down beside him. "Was that your mother?"

"I'm so sick I can't even get off this bed, let alone take the train out to Georgia for Christmas in a couple of weeks," Leonard replied in a semi-aggravated voice. "I know I'm not gonna be fully better by Christmas and I really wanted to visit my mama at her country home this year."

Arianne nodded, wrapped her arms around him, and gently pulled him close to her, "Thank you," Leonard whispered as he allowed himself to be held. "I shouldn't cry about that…"

Leonard sighed and gently pulled away, "I shouldn't complain," he stated in a tired voice as he slowly picked up the pajamas. "A lot of people don't have a mama at all, so I'm really lucky."

"Leonard, you should do as your mother says and get some rest," Arianne said in a gentle voice, not wanting him to do anything that he might regret later. "I'll go check on Jim for you."

Before Leonard could reply, Arianne smiled at Dr. Puri and quickly left the room. She didn't want Leonard, who was obviously beginning to love her, to worry about her when he was really sick.

The silence was a comfort to Arianne as she made her way down the corridor past the filled patient rooms and came to a stop outside a room that had 'Kirk, James T' on a neon sign just to the right of the door with detailed care instructions on an electronic chart underneath it.

Letting out a sigh, Arianne waited as the door slid open and she entered the room, not at all surprised to see Jim in his hospital pajamas but out of bed, instead sitting in a visitor's chair with a bandage around his forehead and a PADD in the other. A nebulizer sat on a nearby tray.

"I heard Bones is sick," Jim commented as he looked up from his PADD. "Will he be okay?"

Arianne sighed, "He'll be fine with some rest," she replied softly. "How are you feeling, Jim?"

"I'm gonna be here for at least two more days because of my head injury and whatever I inhaled down there," Jim replied as he set the PADD on the tray and picked up the nebulizer. "Doctor Puri told me to use this when I feel sick, but all I want to do is visit Bones. Wanna you help me?"

Arianne smiled and shook her head, "Nope," she replied gently. "You need to have a rest too."

"Yeah, but I don't wanna go to bed," Jim whined, grinning. "Can you get me my pillow?"

Nodding, Arianne grabbed the pillow off the bed and carefully slipped it behind Jim's head, "Can you stay with me a while, Arianne?" he asked in a sleepy voice. "I really hate hospitals…"

"I know," Arianne replied softly as she accessed the computer next to where Jim was slowly falling asleep. "I'll stay with you a while and check my messages while you sleep, okay?"

A loud snore was the only reply Arianne got and, smiling, she quickly logged into the computer using her Academy ID and special passcode. Several unread emails immediately popped up.

The first 50 emails or so were cadets who had either been in the explosion or had heard of it and had lost friends and needed to make appointments for sessions after finals and Christmas holidays were over. Arianne made short work of them, scheduling the emails in alphabetical order and sending out quick replies with promises to speak with each of them in the New Year.

Once that was done, Arianne turned her attention to several emails sent to her by Starfleet Command, all of them asking for her report on what happened. There was also an email from the Vulcan High Council inviting her to Soval's burial ceremony on Vulcan in the New Year after Elizabeth Dehner's trial, which was going to be handled by a joint Starfleet-Vulcan judicial council with testimony from various cadets who were involved, including Leonard and Jim.

To her surprise, Professor Khan had sent out a mass email stating that in light of the situation and its aftermath, the training simulations would be postponed until further notice. Admiral Archer had also sent out a campus-wide email cancelling all final exams and offering every cadet on campus the chance to contact their families and begin their vacations early.

The last email was from Admiral Barnett; it commended everyone involved for their role in rescuing the many trapped, but the death toll had topped nearly 150 and a mass funeral service would also take place in the New Year once the families of all the deceased had been contacted. Until her hearing, Elizabeth Dehner would be held in Starfleet custody.

Arianne sighed and gazed at Jim, who was now sleeping peacefully; they and the many that had gotten out were certainly fortunate to have survived such a terrible act caused by one who was so full of hatred.

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