A/N: Hey, look at this - two chapters in one day!

Chapter 13

Weapons fire slewed towards them as they reached the third level – a hurtling ricochet of crude projectiles glancing off the rock walls as they ran. It turned out to be a brief burst, the sound of angry shouts forestalling the attack, presumably the yells of a commander who knew what his quarry was worth alive, and the complete devaluation of that worth should they be killed. Chakotay risked looking over the rail, back down to the ground level far below, and could just make out shapes pouring into the shaft, followed by the clang and rattle of heavy boots as their pursuers began to race towards them up the steps.

Ahead of him, the Captain upped her pace. She'd been breathing hard even before, he'd noted, and Chakotay suspected Janeway was harbouring injuries she hadn't shared with him. His own legs were burning, the pain matching the tearing ache he still felt in his arms and shoulders.

Janeway glanced back at him, then shouted to urge him on. "Move it, Commander! Stay close!"

He bolted up the stairs between them, closing the distance until they were barely a step apart. Her concern was borne of the fact that they had only one weak locator beacon between them, housed in the flashlight still clutched in her hand. Voyager wouldn't be able to distinguish their individual life-signs, the ship would only be able to lock on to the beacon and any life forms in its immediate vicinity. Both Harry and B'Elanna had proven themselves talented at manual transporting in tricky situations, but getting them both out of there would be like flying blind through the Nekrit Expanse.

They reached the fourth turn. Under their feet the metal shook with the pressure of so many heavy, running feet. Chakotay's own were throbbing with each strike of metal against the inadequate cloth soles of his makeshift shoes.

Just ahead of him, Janeway shouted a warning. He looked over their heads to see another door opening far above them, more figures pouring in through the oblong of white light. The metal beneath them shook even more violently, and Chakotay had a fraction of a second to wonder what load it could take before he collided with Kathryn, who had stopped dead in front of him and was leaning over the rail. He came to a stop with his arms around her and she turned to him.

"We're trapped."

"We have to keep going up," he said, over the noise of shouting and running feet. "If we're close enough to the surface…"

She nodded, grabbing his arm and pulling his hand up to her shoulder as she turned to face the stairs again. "Don't let go," she shouted back to him. "Understand? No matter what. Don't let go."

He did understand. If they made it at all, this was going to be close. Fingers tight on her shoulder, Chakotay gripped her hip with his other hand and they stumbled upwards, away from one adversary and towards another. Moving in tandem was awkward and difficult, but right now their proximity was more important than their speed. They were going to be taken again, that much was clear – their only hope was that their captors would take them out onto the surface to put them in one of the swifter elevators rather than trundling them back down the stairs again. If they did, that would be Voyager's – their – only chance. The transporter would pick up the locator beacon and there would be nothing the Vorbrath could do about it.

They were surrounded in seconds, the pale, blunt faces of the Vorbrath streaming towards them out of the dim light, their wide shoulders casting even wider shadows on the walls. These were obviously security personnel – no sign of the heavy, concealing cloaks here, these beings were all dressed in the heavy black uniforms that had typified Voyager's earlier interactions with the species.

Rough hands grasped at them, forcing them apart. Chakotay fought his way back to Janeway, who turned as his hands slipped away from her. She reached out, grabbing his arms, then shaking off her attackers long enough to fling herself against his chest. They held on to each other, buffeted by the maelstrom around them, the torch striking him in the back as her arms bound to him like iron.

"Don't let go," she shouted again, her voice reverberating against his chest. "Chakotay, don't-"

He felt her being wrenched from his arms, the force of her grip pulling him along too, but behind him, hands were dragging him backwards. Chakotay felt their bodies separating, the many angry hands around them prising them away from each other. Kathryn's hands found his and he gripped her wrists, but as she was pulled further away from him out of his grasp, he felt her seeking his palm, trying to thrust something into it.

Chakotay glanced down to see the flashlight. Janeway was trying to pass it to him, trying to force him to take it from her as the Vorbrath succeeded in dragging them apart. She knew they couldn't hold on – there were too many of them to resist. She was trying to force him to take hold of their only escape route.

He opened his hand, feeling hers fingers slip from his, ensuring she was left still holding the torch. He let go.

"Chakotay!" Janeway fought, but they already had her by both arms, dragging her backwards up the steps, closer and closer to the surface with every second. "Chakotay – no!"

He struggled, but rough hands held him fast. In the last second before she was completely obscured from his sight by the rush of bodies, Chakotay saw a shimmer in the air. It passed through Janeway and two of the Vorbrath holding her, a ripple of energy casting blue from her core, accompanied by a faint, silvery hum.

[TBC]