Chapter Six
Given how high he was above the cave and the darkness below, Chakotay could barely see Seven. Her fair hair caught the sunlight, glimmering against the dark backdrop, and that's how he knew it was her. She stood just off to the side beneath the hole and looked up with a quizzical expression on her face. Harry crouched down across the hole from Chakotay. He didn't hover over the hole though, there was only enough space for one of them to look down it at a time, and he could tell that the First Officer was eager to make sure everyone was alright.
"Seven, are you alright?" he pressed earnestly.
"I am undamaged," Seven replied evenly. Harry couldn't help but notice how calm she sounded given her current situation. Of course, if there was anyone who could remain so perfectly calm while being trapped in a cave, it would be her.
"Don't worry, Commander, I'm alright too," Tom teased as he appeared next to Seven with a smug look on his face. "Thanks for asking."
"Well isn't that a weight off my shoulders," Chakotay teased. "So you're both alright?"
"Yes, Sir," Tom confirmed. "What the hell happened?"
"The plasma storm caused a cave in," Chakotay replied. Tom couldn't help but roll his eyes. He was glad that the First Officer couldn't see it, not that he thought he would say anything about it.
"Well we figured that part out on our own," he griped. "Are you going to rescue us?"
"That's what we've been trying to do. If you stay where you are, we can use our phasers to blast through the rocks and get you out of there," Harry assured. "We should have you out of there within the hour." It was an easy plan, and then they would be able to focus on the real reason they're here: to help whoever sent out the distress call.
"That would be unwise," Seven interjected. "I have carefully analyzed the cave, and using any phasers will further damage its structural integrity." Chakotay's heart sank. The solution had seemed too good to be true, and he was right. Tom sighed. So much for getting them out of there within the hour.
"Okay, so what solution do you have?" he asked. His voice had an edge to it that gave away the fact that he was frustrated. If Seven disregarded their only solution to get them out of there, the least she could do was offer another more plausible solution.
"We will need to find another way out." So far, he hadn't heard any solutions from her, just more problems. "Based on our exploration of the region yesterday, there are caves scattered all across the region. I believe that these caves are connected."
"Oh that shouldn't be too hard," Tom commented sarcastically. "It's like a labyrinth down here, Commander. Each cave branches off to dozens of other cave. We'd be down here for weeks searching for the right cave to get out of here. We have no supplies. We'd be dead within a week."
"Commander, if you could give us some of the supplies meant for the rescue mission, we would be better provisioned for a long stay down here." Chakotay rubbed the back of his neck nervously. He had no idea how to come clean and admit that everything was gone.
"Uhh, that's not going to be very easy," Harry admitted hesitantly. Confusion flashed across Seven's face. While she understood that the supplies they brought were designated for whoever sent the distress call, now they were in need of some rescuing. It would be perfectly understandable to use those supplies for themselves. It would would be a wise to use at least some of the supplies accordingly.
"Why? What happened?" Tom questioned. Last night when searching through the shuttle for the missing tents, he saw everything in there. It was fully stocked with everything they could possibly need to survive for the long haul here; everything except tents that is.
"Someone broke into the shuttle," Chakotay replied. "Everything's gone." Further confusion flashed across Seven's face. That didn't make any sense. The plasma storm had made being outside dangerous. It would have been unwise and incredibly dangerous to venture out into a plasma storm. Additionally, there was no way the plasma storm could have somehow swept everything out of the shuttle, it had been sealed tight.
"Could it have been whoever sent the distress call?" she inquired. She knew it hadn't been any of them, so this seemed like the only logical cause. Harry shrugged.
"We don't know. Our main focus has been finding you guys, not figuring out who took out stuff."
"Well, you have located us. Your next course of action should be to find who sent the distress call while we find a way out of this cave," Seven stated. Chakotay hid his amusement. He knew giving orders were second nature to her, so he didn't take it as a personal affront; it was simply her personality.
"With what supplies?" Tom snapped bitterly. He was already starting to feel restless here. Seven made it sound like it was easy to get out of here, but the lack of supplies definitely made their situation more difficult. "We just established that we wouldn't survive down here. We don't even know if the water down here is safe enough to drink." Seven knew he was right. It would be highly improbable that they could survive more than a few days down here without water, and even if they had safe water, they didn't have food. Their bodies could only survive so long without the basic necessities.
Sighing, Chakotay rolled back on his heels. As commanding officer of this away mission, he needed to collect his thoughts and find some sort of solution to this problem. They had virtually no supplies, no communication with Voyager for the next week and half the away team was trapped in an underground labyrinth of caves. His time at the Academy and his time with the Maquis didn't prepare him for anything like this. He wondered what Kathryn would do, but he couldn't for the life of him think of what she would do. This was such a rare occurrence. Deep down inside, he knew Seven and Tom were right; they would need some sort of supplies to survive while they searched for some way out of the cave. While they could drop food down through the hole without any problem, they would need a tricorder as well. Thankfully, eh and Harry each had one. They could share one and give the other to Seven and Tom without a problem. The issue was getting the tricorder down to them. Tricorders were sturdy, but definitely not sturdy enough to survive the drop down to the bottom of the cave. There had to be some sort of solution. Compared to everything else going on, this seemed like a relatively small problem, but it would provide them with the ability to find fresh water and potentially a way out of the caves.
Like Chakotay, Harry was trying to think of a solution to this problem. Unfortunately, nothing immediately came to mind. He knew they would need to get Tom and Seven help somehow. If they got the supplies they needed to survive, he knew the pair were smart enough to work together and find a way out of there on their own. Suddenly, an idea dawned on him.
"Commander, we can weave together some thin branches from those bushes and use them to make a rope to lower the canteen with food and supplies down," he suggested. It was so simple, he couldn't figure out why he hadn't thought of it sooner. Chakotay carefully pondered the idea. His eyes scanned the bushes that dotted the landscape around him. His survivalist mindset immediately set in as he analyzed them to determine if any of them were suitable to make a rope out of. He figured he would be able to come up with something with the limited materials available.
"I agree." He leaned over to share the plan with Tom and Seven who stood below with curious expressions on their faces. They had no idea what was going on up on the surface, it was impossible for them to hear. "We're going to make a rope to lower the canteen down. We have a few rations we'll share with you and one of our tricorders. I want you to scan the water down there. If it's unsafe, we'll get you water from up here."
"Aye, Sir."
"We'll rendezvous here in an hour." While it wasn't the best plan, and it did absolutely nothing to get Tom and Seven out of the cave, at least they could get some supplies to survive while they tried to think of a better plan. It was better than nothing.
Chakotay lead the way as he and Harry gathered whatever pliable branches they could find to weave together. They carefully bent and twisted their branches to find ones that were sufficient. This was far easier said than done, as the desert produced mostly dry, brittle branches that snapped as soon as the men attempted to bend them. They did manage to find a collection of sturdy, pliable branches that Chakotay felt confident he could weave together to make a rope that would be sufficient. He just hoped that they had found enough branches to weave together, this rope needed to be pretty long.
As much as he hated to admit it, Harry was rusty on his survival skills. As soon as he sat down to weave the branches together across from Chakotay, he was at a loss as to what to do. Chakotay, on the other hand, seemed completely at ease with the task. His fingers flew across the tender branches in record time, and it wasn't long until he had a rope that was roughly twelve feet long in front of him. The rope seemed to grow out of thin air, flying forth from his tanned fingers and draping across the dusty ground in front of him as he sat cross legged and focused intently on the task. His dark brows knit together with extreme concentration, determined to do something to help Seven and Tom.
"I'm not very good at this," Harry admitted as yet another branch snapped in his hands. He tossed it to the side where there was a growing pile of rejected branches.
"Someone needs to brush up on his survivalist training," Chakotay teased. Although he was trying to lighten the mood, his tone gave away the fact that he was still stressed about everything going on with this away mission.
"I'll add it to my list of things to do," Harry quipped dryly. He barely had time to play his clarinet anymore, let alone take the time to learn how to survive out in the wilderness. Situations like this were so rare that it wasn't even worth it to him.
"If you can't help make the rope, then gather some of the fruit we ate for dinner last night. Rations won't be enough to sustain them."
"Aye, Sir." Glad to finally be free from trying and utterly failing to make the rope, Harry grabbed the canteen and went in search of the fruit. At least now he could be helpful doing something, even if that something was as simple as gathering fruit.
Ten minutes later, Harry returned to Chakotay's side with the canteen nearly full to the top with the small fruit. The bushes around here had been overwhelmed with them, giving him the impression that there wasn't anyone around to collect them. That further added to the mystery of where they were, because he knew someone had to be near here because they had broken into the shuttle. Harry's timing was perfect, because Chakotay was just about done with making the rope. He tied off the end of his rope and stood up. His legs ached as they adjusted to supporting his weight after sitting on the hard ground.
"Here, take this end and give it a pull," he directed as he handed Harry one end of the rope. Both men firmly grasped their end of the rope and pulled as hard as they could. Anyone passing by would have thought they were playing tug of war. The rope withstood the abuse without any problems. If it could handle two grown men pulling on it, then it could handle holding a simple canteen full of supplies.
Harry unshouldered the canteen and handed it off to Chakotay tied it off. He gave the rope another firm tug to make sure the knot was tight enough. The last thing he wanted to happen was for the knot to come undone, dropping the canteen in the process. They tossed half of the rations and a tricorder into the canteen on top of the fruit. The new additions ensured that the canteen was full to the top and nearly overflowing now. They were right on time to rendezvous with Tom and Seven. When they appeared at the hole, they could hear Seven and Tom talking down below. Neither man could tell what they were saying, all they could hear was the lilt of Seven's voice, followed by the deeper rumble of Tom's voice.
"Watch your head," Harry warned as he carefully lowered the canteen down below, essentially cutting off the conversation between Tom and Seven as they waited for their supplies to reappear.
"I want you to use the tricorder check the water supply you have down there. We'll wait here," Chakotay ordered. He hoped the water they found was safe to drink, as it would only complicate the matter even more if they didn't have fresh water to drink. It was one thing to provide them with food to eat, but it was another matter altogether to have to provide them with enough water every day to drink.
Tom and Seven moved to the side as they watched Harry lower the canteen to them below. It was a slow process. Harry didn't know how the rope would hold up, not that he doubted Chakotay's rope making ability, and he didn't want to accidentally spill anything, especially the tricorder. The canteen temporarily blocked the sunlight from streaming down below, which gave them a brief reprieve from the brightness. It came to a stop almost directly at eye level with the duo, the rope was the perfect length. Seven retrieved the tricorder and turned on the device. In her mind, the piece of machinery was far more important than the rations. At this time, neither of them required nourishment, but they did need safe drinking water, which the tricorder could help them find.
"Yes, Commander." She analyzed the results on the tricorder.. "I will return momentarily." With that being said, she disappeared back in the direction of the water she and Tom had found earlier in the day.
Tom watched Seven until she disappeared from sight to follow Chakotay's orders. Although his eyes were finally adjusting to the darkness, he still had pretty limited visibility down here. It made the cave even eerier than it already was. Although he was certain there was no one else down here, there was no way to be sure. Anyone or anything could be hiding in the shadows, and they would have absolutely no idea. Thankfully, now they had a tricorder, which would help them scan their surroundings and hopefully find a safe and quick way out of here. Tom knew that with the help of her optical implant, Seven had far better eyesight down here, which meant she was the obvious choice to go back to the water.
Seven walked in her usual quick stride towards the water source she and Tom had come across earlier that day. As she walked, a ringing began in her ears. At first, it was obnoxious but something she could easily ignore. Gradually, it became louder until it forced her to stop. She momentarily leaned against the wall of the cave and pressed her forehead against the cool stone, attempting to regain herself and put an end to the now piercing sound that swirled around her. She knew what the ringing meant: she needed to regenerate. It was her body telling her that she was starting to run low. She'd experienced these early symptoms once or twice, usually when when she was too focused on her work at astrometrics, but she never let it get past this. Usually these symptoms were easy to fix, but that wasn't the case now. The additional stress of her current situation probably wasn't helping the matter. Despite that, there was nothing she could do about it but ignore the discomfort and press on. Chakotay had given her orders, and she had to follow through with them no matter how she felt. Finding water for her and Tom was far more important than the fact that she needed to regenerate in the next few days. She would adapt, she always did.
Back at the hole, Tom, Harry and Chakotay all waited for Seven to return from her task. Tom hoped that the water they found was drinkable, because it would certainly make their lives easier.
Unable to stand the silence, he looked up at Harry and Chakotay and asked, "So what did you guys do to my shuttle?" There was a slightly joking tone to his question. He desperately needed to do something to lighten the mood, even just a little bit.
"We returned after the plasma storm, and the hatch was blasted off," Chakotay responded. It was obvious that he was feeling the pressure of leading this stressful away mission.
"Were there any signs of who did it?" Harry shook his head.
"Tricorder scans didn't pick up any signs of proteins," he replied. Confusion flashed across Tom's face. Even if the tricorder encountered proteins from an unknown alien race, it would still pick up those proteins. There should have been something left behind.
"That doesn't make any sense," he blurted out bluntly. "There should be some sort of signs of whoever was there."
"That's what we thought too," Chakotay commented. "But there's nothing there." Tom sighed. Nothing about this place made sense. Ever since they got here, they were met with one unexplainable phenomenon after another.
"Commander, I hate to say it, but I don't have a good feeling about this planet at all," he admitted. "Nothing here makes sense. It goes against everything we've been taught to prepare for." Now it was Chakotay's turn to sigh, but Tom was too far away to hear it. Harry wasn't. For a moment, more worry lines seemed to crease across the First Officer's face.
"I agree, Tom," he finally said.
The sound of Seven's heels clicking in her typically quick pace against the stone floor drew Tom's attention and told him that she was returning from checking the water. It wasn't until she was a few meters away did he finally see her.
"The water is potable," she announced as she closed the tricorder and handed it to Tom who put it in the holster on his hip.
"So I could have drank it earlier." Seven looked unamused by his attempt to lighten the mood. This wasn't the place for humor. They had to focus on survival, not making jokes.
"That would have been highly unwise. We had no way of knowing the safety of the water until a few moments ago. Are you always this reckless?" As soon as she asked the question, she knew the answer, anyone on Voyager could have answered that question without so much as a second thought.
"Yes," Harry and Chakotay replied in unison from up above. Tom rolled his eyes. He didn't think of himself as reckless, just brave and daring. He had a feeling that B'Elanna would disagree, but she wasn't here right now.
"We have digressed. The water is potable, which means we have sufficient supplies for right now to find an exit to the cave."
"Seven, if you can't find any way out of the cave, I want you to meet us back here at 1800 hours with a status update. We'll give you more food for the night then too," Chakotay instructed. He didn't like the thought of the pair being stuck in the cave overnight, but they needed to have a plan just in case.
"And what if we have found a way out of the cave?" Seven inquired.
"Then meet us at the camp. If we don't see you here at 1800 hours, then we're going to assume that you've found a way out of the cave. Understood?"
"Yes, Commander." Tom nodded in agreement. He hoped that when 1800 hours came around, they wouldn't be stuck in this cave but instead outside and reunited with the rest of the away team. Based on what he already saw down here in the caves, he had a feeling that it was a longshot though.
Tom fell into step alongside Seven as they wove their ways through the caves. With the small trickle of sunlight from the hole in the ceiling long gone, he was now relying on her eyesight to get them through the caves safely. It felt like forever since they parted ways with Harry and Chakotay. There was no real way for him to know how long had passed
"Are you sure we haven't been down this way before?" he asked. While it was a perfectly reasonable question, it was the fifth time he'd asked it in the past hour. Everywhere down here looked the same to him. For all he knew, they could have been walking in circles, and he would have been none the wiser.
"I have an eidetic memory," Seven replied with an undeniable confidence in her voice that told Tom that she wasn't pleased with being questioned. "I can assure you that we haven't been down this section of caves before."
"Are you sure? I mean, they all look the same." Seven stopped walking.
"If you are not confident in my navigational abilities, then I suggest you wait back at the rendezvous point until I return."
"And let you have all the fun? Not a chance." Tom continued walking. He didn't get very far before the cave branched off in two directions. He knew they had already been down one of the caves before, he simply didn't know which one. He glanced over his shoulder to where Seven stood a few feet behind him and could barely make out the amused expression on her face. She crossed her arms over her chest. Her body language spoke volumes. He was going to have to pick which way to go. His eyes flitted back and forth between the two caves. For the life of him, he couldn't remember which one they had already been down. Each second seemed to stretch on, and he knew he had to make a decision. He knew he had a 50/50 shot of picking the right cave, which weren't terrible odds. He sucked it up and randomly chose the cave to his left.
Tom had barely taken a few steps into the cave when Seven said, "We've already been that way." He turned around. Of course he would pick the wrong way.
"Why didn't you tell me?" he asked.
"You had to make a decision on your own. Besides, you seemed confidence in your navigational abilities. Clearly you're better suited to navigating starships." Tom rolled his eyes. The sarcasm sounded odd coming from her, he wasn't used to her unusual sense of humor. Besides, it only showed up once in awhile and without warning. He hoped they got out of here and quick, because he was pretty sure Seven's goal in life right now was to be as difficult as possible. "We should continue."
"Lead the way," Tom said as he motioned for Seven to take the lead. After what just happened, he was just going to follow her lead. If he ended up getting lost down here, then it would only make matters worse.
While Tom and Seven searched for an exit to the cave below the surface, Harry and Chakotay searched up above them for a way out for them to get out of the caves. As cold and dark as it was below the earth, it was just as bright and blazing hot above. Having given one of their tricorders to Seven and Tom, Harry and Chakotay had to share the remaining one. Harry kept his eyes glued to the device as Chakotay lead the way. They continued to walk above the surface of the cave, but they couldn't find any more holes or entrances.
"Any sign of anything?" Chakotay questioned with a faint glimmer of hope in his voice. Harry shook his head dejectedly.
"I'm sorry, Sir. It looks like the cave is getting deeper." The First Officer scowled. That was the last thing he wanted to hear right now. He had hoped that the cave would be ascending towards the surface. They were getting further away from Seven and Tom. If anything, this was little more than an exercise in futility.
"Let's head back to the rendezvous point." He hated the thought of heading back, almost like he was giving up for the day, but he had to think about himself and Harry as well. "We're going to be running out of light soon." Last night, Chakotay hadn't been worried about being out after dark, but now with their limited supplies and the fact that their shuttle had been broken into made him edgy about nightfall. There was no way to know who or what was out there that was causing this damage.
As Chakotay lead the way back to the rendezvous point, he silently prayed that Seven and Tom wouldn't be there. If they weren't there, that meant that they found a way out of the cave and were on their way back to their original campsite. It felt like a lifetime since he saw Seven face to face, although it hadn't even been twenty-four hours. The fact that he couldn't get anywhere near her and hold her in his arms was killing him. While it had been reassuring to hear her voice and see her from a distance, he wanted to hold her close and kiss her. To hell with Starfleet regulations, his emotions were starting to get the better of him already.
When Chakotay and Harry arrived at the hole, they both crouched down on either side of it. The sun overhead had already began to set, sending long shadows across the desert and causing the temperature to start to drop. It was starting to get cold. After seeing if Tom and Seven showed up, they would need to return to their own camp, start and fire and prepare some sort of meal with whatever they could find. The desert around them was eerily silent. It put them both on edge, because they knew that somewhere out there was whoever ransacked the shuttle. It was a sobering realization. While the thought consumed both of them while they anxiously waited for Tom and Seven, neither of them openly admitted it.
As they walked, Seven carefully analyzed the landscape within the cave to find the best place to make camp for the night. The task was made more difficult by the ringing that persisted in her ear and the sharp pain jabbing into her temple next to her optical implant. She brushed her fingers along her temple but otherwise did her best to ignore the pain and function normally. It was the first signs that she needed to regenerate, and she knew they would only continue as time progressed. There was nothing she could do about the pain though, so all she could do was ignore it and continue with her job. Right now, that included finding a place to make camp and settle in for what could be a difficult night..
"I believe the best place for camp tonight would be near the cave-in," she told Tom. He looked over at her. He hadn't even started thinking about where to make camp for the night, he was still hoping that they would find a way out of here before they had to rendezvous with Harry and Chakotay.
"Wouldn't it make more sense to sleep near the hole?" he pointed out. "That way we can quickly get to the supplies from Harry and Chakotay without having to go anywhere." She shook her head in disagreement.
"The hole is near where three separate tunnels come together. This would leave us open to attack. By setting up camp near the cave-in, nobody will be able to sneak up on us." It was such a logical move not to set up camp near the cave, she couldn't believe Tom hadn't seen it. She kept any cynical comments to herself though, they wouldn't help the situation.
"Who's going to sneak up on us, Seven? We've been all over these caves, and we haven't come across a single person. We're all alone down here." That was a sobering thought. There was nobody down here to help them or guide them. They were on their own.
"No, we have only explored a small percentage of the caves. You can sleep near the hole if you want, but I will be making camp near the cave-in." Tom sighed. He wasn't going to argue with her. He could tell that this wasn't a fight he was going to win, and it would be unsafe for them to separate. It looked like he would be sleeping near the cave-in.
"Fine," he relented. Seven could easily tell that he was displeased based on his tone. Ignoring his displeasure, she smiled smugly. She knew they had made the right decision, and he would see that in due time.
The distant sound of voices and the distinct sound of Seven's heels clicking against the stone floor caught the attention of Chakotay and Harry. Chakotay's heart immediately sank. He'd hoped more than anything not to see Tom and Seven here, because it meant they had found a way out of the cave. Yet, they were stuck there, at least until tomorrow. The voices grew louder until Tom's face appeared down below. Due to the setting sun, it was harder to see down below than before.
"Commander," Tom greeted with a polite nod.
Rather than beat around the bush, Chakotay asked, "No luck?"
"Well, we did find a way out, but we decided that we love it so much down here, we're just going to stay for a few days," the Lieutenant replied sarcastically. Chakotay's expression told him that he definitely wasn't in the mood for such comments, and he should have kept his mouth shut.
"Negative," Seven replied as she appeared next to Tom. She clearly looked unamused by his humor; now wasn't the time for such comments. While she did her best to keep her emotions in check, Chakotay knew her well enough to pick up on the subtle hints in her voice. She was just as disappointed as he was. Neither would admit it aloud though. They had to keep moving forward and find a solution to the problem.
"Looks like you guys are going to have to rough it in the cave tonight," he commented.
"Well damn, that sucks," Tom said. "You guys didn't have any luck either?"
"I'm afraid not," Chakotay replied.
"As we walked, we found that the caves got deeper," Harry added.
"Not exactly the news we wanted to hear," Tom teased.
"Well it's not like you guys were successful either."
"Okay you two, finish this argument later," Chakotay interrupted. "Right now, we need to get you guys supplies for the night and go make camp for ourselves." He started to pull up the rope attached to the canteen, carefully bringing it up to their level. It was empty. He untied it and pressed it into Harry's hands. "Fill this with fruit for them to eat tonight."
"Aye, Sir." Harry slung the strap over his shoulder and disappeared a few yards away to start hunting for the fruit.
"We're going to get you some fruit and firewood for the night. It's going to get cold in there tonight, so I want you guys to be careful."
"We can handle ourselves," Tom assured.
"Commander, did you find any signs of who sent the distress call?" Seven asked. She hadn't forgotten the real reason they were on this planet. Despite their current situation, there was still someone out there somewhere who also needed their help, perhaps even more than they did.
"We didn't find any signs of anyone; not whoever sent the distress call nor whoever damaged the shuttle."
"I hate to say it, but this may have been some sort of trick to get us here," Tom stated. Chakotay sighed. The same thought had been building up inside of him all day, but he didn't want to admit it. If he did, that meant admitting that he and the Captain had put the lives of some of the senior-most staff in grave jeopardy all for nothing. Now that To said it, however, he might as well acknowledge the idea.
"You may be right," Chakotay admitted dejectedly. "But until we know for certain, we are still going to act under the assumption that someone out there needs our help."
"How can we provide help if we don't have anything ourselves?"
"I don't know." This was starting to become a far more complex away mission than they originally intended. He figured he and Harry could look for the origins of the distress call as Seven and Tom tried to navigate their way out of the caves, but the idea didn't sit well with him. With both pairs working to find a way out of the cave, they had a better chance at finding a way out.
Once Chakotay made sure Tom and Seven had everything they needed, he found that he could take himself away from the hole and, by extension, Seven. At least when he was with her here, he knew she was safe. It wasn't that he didn't trust her survival abilities, he just liked knowing that she was safe. Sensing that the First Officer wanted some space, Harry silently excused himself and began to walk across the desert. After such a long day, both physically and emotionally, the least he could do is gather some fruit for dinner for themselves and wood for a fire. The least he could do was give him a tiny bit of privacy during this difficult situation. Chakotay had a feeling that Harry purposefully left him alone, although he didn't say anything about it.
In the darkness of the cave down below, Tom also got the sense that Seven wanted to take a few moments to talk to Chakotay. He could see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes when she looked up at the First Officer. It was faint, but definitely there. When he looked up at Chakotay, he could see the excitement and anticipation built up inside of him too. He pulled off his outer tunic and used it to gather up the fruit and wood to carry back to their camp alongside the cave in. It was roughly a ten minute walk with the awkwardly shaped bundle clutched in his hand, but he figured he could manage. Before disappearing from sight, he glanced back at Seven, who barely gave him the time of day now that she had a few minutes alone with Chakotay.
Finally alone, Chakotay was able to relax, at least a little bit. His shoulders slumped slightly in a way they only did when he was with Seven. No longer was he the First Officer leading a difficult away mission but a man spending a few precious minutes with his girlfriend. It still put him on edge that Seven was stuck in that cave, but at least now they had a few moments to themselves to speak openly. While it wasn't the same as the privacy of his quarters, but it was all they were going to get.
"How are you holding up?" he asked, although he knew Seven well enough to predict her answer.
"I am undamaged," she replied. Her response caused him to crack a small smile. He hadn't meant for her to take him so literally. He could see that she was undamaged, but there was so much more that went into her welfare, especially given the current situation.
"I can see that you're fine physically, but I'm talking about mentally. Are you feeling stressed? Are you worried at all?"
"I am Borg, I don't get stressed." She paused for a moment. That was a lie and both of them knew it. He'd seen her stressed, although those moments were few and far between. "But I am worried." His heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected her to talk so candidly. "I can see that you are stressed, and that is what is worrying me. I am undamaged, and so is Tom. We will find a way out, and Voyager will rescue us." Chakotay had to admit that it was flattering to know that Seven was more concerned about him than her own well being. At the same time, it was a sobering realization. He hated that he was causing her to worry.
"We just have to get through the next few days," he murmured just loud enough for her to hear.
"We have endured worse."
"Yeah, we have," Chakotay whispered with a small nod. As much as he hated it, he knew he had to get going. It wasn't fair to leave Harry to set up the entire camp for the night, especially since the Ensign had openly admitted earlier that he had no idea what he was doing. "Seven." Her head jerked up to look at him properly. "I lo-" As soon as the words were on his lips, Chakotay swallowed them. Now wasn't the time to make an admission like this. They needed to be together, face to face, where he could gauge her reaction before moving forward. Confused, Seven tilted her head to the side. Her heart momentarily fluttered as she put together the pieces and figured out what Chakotay was about to tell her. Her mind whirled as she tried to think of what she would have said to him. She didn't know. Thankfully, she didn't have to react to it, as he continued, "I'll see you at 0800 hours."
"I will be here for further directions." Her gaze lingered on his face for a few moments. One of them had to be the one to break the gaze they shared. Seven hated it, but it was necessary. With a sinking feeling building up inside of her, she looked away and walked back to camp.
As Seven walked back to the temporary camp that Tom was setting up, her mind drifted back to Chakotay. She felt completely justified in worrying about him; she knew this situation was stressful for him, although that wasn't her only concern. She also worried about his safety up on the surface of this strange planet. She and Tom were fortunate enough to be in the cave, which offered them some protection from the elements and whoever summoned them here in the first place. On the surface, however, there was someone out there who broke into the shuttle and stole all their supplies, which was an incredibly unsettling thought. Clearly this was someone who had no scruples, and that caused Seven to worry more than anything else. Who is to say they wouldn't come back in the middle of the night and do something worse than break into the shuttle and steal some supplies? The thought made her feel unnerved. It was an odd sensation; something she wasn't accustomed to. These emotions she felt towards Chakotay were still a strange phenomenon to her, but something she was growing accustomed to. Feeling such strong concern for someone caused her to feel torn on this unusual away mission. Logically, she knew that she should be more concerned about her and Tom's well being in this cave, but her mind continued to drift to Chakotay and his safety. Although it was a strange sensation, she knew what caused it. Her emotions for Chakotay were growing stronger and stronger with each passing moment, even when she wasn't with him.
After a particularly unfulfilling meal of fruit and rations, Tom and Seven settled around the fire. He carelessly tossed a few extra branches onto the dying fire, causing it to sputter and leap to life once again, sending warm light bouncing off the cool, damp walls of the cave. Letting out a sigh of contentment, he leaned against the wall. There was no way to know what time it was, but based on how tired he currently felt, he had a feeling that it was getting late in the day. Then again, between pulling doubles and his infant daughter, his sleep schedule was hardly consistent. Thoughts of Miral sent a sharp pang of despair and concern through his heart. He hoped B'Elanna was doing fine without him, neither of them had been away from their small family since Miral's birth. He knew he shouldn't have agreed to this away mission, something told him that from the very beginning, but he hadn't dared argue with the Captain, at the time, it had seemed like such a simple away mission. Now he wondered if he would ever see his girls again. Tom quickly banished the thought and mentally chastised himself for being ridiculous. Of course he would. The crew would realize that something was wrong as soon as the away team didn't return at its designated time and that would be all the Captain would need to send someone after them. They just had to wait until then.
Tom bent his knee and draped his arm along it casually. For a few moments, he stared at the flames a few feet away from him. The warmth wrapped around him, almost comforting him despite their current situation.
"So how long have you and Commander Chakotay been together?" he blurted out. He hadn't intended to ask, but the question had been building up inside of him all day until it finally boiled over. The question caught Seven off guard. Her eyes flitted up and quickly narrowed with anger and frustration. The least Tom could do was try to be more subtle, although she knew that subtlety wasn't exactly his strongest suit.
"I hardly see how that is any of your business," she snapped haughtily.
"You're right, it's not my business," Tom reasoned with a careless shrug. "I'm just curious." The conversation almost died then and there, but now Seven had a question of her own that she simply couldn't hold in.
"What makes you think Commander Chakotay and I are…'together'?" With the exception of Ensign Kim's unexpected visit to Chakotay's quarters the other night, they had done their best to be careful and discrete. If the Captain hadn't been able to pick up on their relationship while on Voyager, then she doubted that Tom would be able to put all the pieces together.
"Well, the first thing Chakotay asked as soon as we got in touch with him was if you're alright," Tom replied.
"Commander Chakotay's concern for my well-being hardly means we are in some sort of relationship."
"And I saw you guys talking last night when he had watch."
"I don't require as much sleep as other humans, so I decided to keep Commander Chakotay company. Besides, I have better sight than him, which would make me an asset during watch duty." Seven was starting to get frustrated. She felt that she didn't need to justify any of her actions to Tom. Besides they were all completely innocent, little more than a question and a few moments together around a campfire.
"Plus Harry told me about the other night," Tom added bluntly. He wanted to see if she would be able to find a logical explanation for that one. Based on her reaction, she didn't. Seven clenched her jaw. She hadn't expected Harry to be a gossip, especially so quickly, although it was to be expected since he and Tom were practically joined at the hip.
"Ensign Kim needs to learn to keep his mouth shut," she snapped.
"So it's true?" Tom pressed eagerly. His eyes immediately lit up at the prospect of the ship's First Officer being romantically involved with the last person he ever expected. Thoughts of the Doctor's little dating experiment a few years ago immediately came to mind. He wasn't even sure that Chakotay had been a prospective date for Seven at the time. It was a surprising and amusing realization.
"Once again, I hardly see how that is any of your business." This time Seven's tone told him that the conversation was over, but her reaction spoke volumes. She all but confirmed what he already knew.
"Alright," Tom relented as he pulled off the grey long sleeved shirt underneath his outer tunic, revealing a t-shirt. The flimsy fabric hugged the muscles on his arms. The t-shirt left nothing to the imagination as he pulled his tunic back on. While he normally slept in a t-shirt, he knew that it simply wasn't possible. The temperature around them was already dropping, and he had a feeling that it was just going to get colder as the night progressed. "Keep your little secrets." He balled up the grey shirt as a makeshift pillow. "If you're not going to come clean, then I'm going to get some sleep." The second he laid down, Tom knew he wasn't going to get much sleep. He was essentially sleeping on solid rock with a piece of thin, balled up fabric as a pillow. With any luck, they'd be out of here tomorrow, although it wasn't like Chakotay and Harry were living in the lap of luxury outside.