Authors note: For a good illustration to this chapter, go to Wikimedia commons and look at File:Visby_Ostergravar_03
Chapter 5 - No Exit Strategy
"Now smile and look happy, all right guys? We don't want to look like we're escaping, try to look like we were acquitted. Walk, don't run. Everybody else is running towards the square, it seems."
"This place is like a damn labyrinth of alleys. Besides, my ribs hurt like hell so excuse me if I'm not waving. How are we going to find our way out? "
"That will not take any great skill, doctor. We can see the city wall from here. If we walk along it we will surely come to a gate, or, failing that, to the harbour."
"Try your best, Bones. I don't know how far we have to walk to get in contact with the ship. This strange time field seems to reach outside the city walls and then some. There's a gate! Open, too."
"Unguarded. Seems like Lily-Lee created a pretty powerful diversion."
Outside the gate there was a line of carts and farmers carrying goods, waiting to enter the city of Visby. With the guards and the custom collectors gone to the square, the line was just getting longer and longer. The road ran east across a flat flowery landscape, dotted with houses and groves of low trees.
"Let's take that footpath northeast instead of the main road, there's less traffic." The footpath went up a slight incline and eventually ended on a cliff where they were rewarded with a view over the Baltic Sea, and down over the small semi-circular town.
"Sorry, boys, but I have to sit down for a while."
"Go ahead and rest, Bones. Nobody is following us, not yet anyway. We can see all the way down to the east gate from here. Spock, see if you can contact the ship. When you do, you beam aboard with McCoy and help Scotty figure out this time field. I'm waiting for Lily-Lee."
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Later, when he was alone on the cliff, Kirk looked down on the city. Where is she? Is she captured, put in a cage perhaps? They wouldn't kill a latin-speaking ape, would they? Is she counting on a rescue, or does she have some plan to get away? When I find her, I'll have to talk to her about her behaviour. Can't have her pulling stunts like that, it was . . . not appropriate. If I go back in, I have to disguise myself or I may get arrested. Perhaps I could . . . there she is!
Something was climbing over the city wall, close to the north gate. At that point, the houses leaned up against the wall on the inside, one of the oldest was actually built with the wall above and around it. When she was climbing, Lily-Lee looked more ape-like than ever, partially because she had no clothes on. Kirk saw her struggle for a hold, but lose her grip. Fortunately the drop on the outside wasn't very high and below the wall was a grass-covered wide dry ditch that she rolled down into. Did the guards see that? Damn, they did. I'm going to have to risk a phaser shot. The guards on the northeast tower were aiming with bows and arrows, but apparently they decided she was running too fast. Instead they stepped aside to let a guard with a crossbow and bolt come up to the ledge. No, we can't have that. I've already lost two crewmembers on this mission. Kirk aimed his phaser and hit the crossbow before the guard fired. But Lily-Lee was running in the wrong direction, north and down to the sea. Kirk yelled but he had the wind in his face and it was impossible for her to hear. He still had his phaser out, so he aimed and fired a shot in front of her that tore up a scorched strip of grass turf. She stopped with a somersault and looked up at the cliff. That was closer than I intended. Still worked, though. Lily-Lee had changed direction and was running toward the cliff where he was standing. When she finally reached him he could see in her eyes that she was in full flight mode.
"We have to hide, come on!"
"They are not following you, look! Besides, I'm armed."
"We have to HIDE!" Panic was making her eyes shine.
"Okay, fine, here is a hole in the ground, we'll stay down here. Come here, I'll hold you. We should stay here, you see, because Scott will be looking for us here when the time field retracts."
She wasn't happy with the hiding place, which was just a slight rectangular depression in the ground, probably from some farmer cutting slabs of stone for the wall nearby. If you were lying down nobody could see you, but if you sat up then your head would show. Lily-Lee still wanted to flee further away and Kirk had to hold her down. It was like trying to hold a scared rabbit. It would be still for a while, but then it would start kicking again. Kirk got a swift kick in the stomach from her heel.
"Ooof!" He spooned her, held his grip and didn't let go. He stroked her skin to calm her down and tried not to hold too tight. He spoke softly and she started to relax a bit, her breathing slowed down. All four nostrils opened and closed for every breath. The heart rate was dropping, still very fast compared to his own but more or less normal for her. She took two deep breaths and found her voice.
"Could you please let go of my boobs? This is not the time."
"What? You snap out of you panic just to be prudish for the first time ever? Oh, it's ON, woman, I have a score to settle."
–***–