A/N: Sorry for the long wait! Things got hectic. I started a new position at my job, started some grad school classes, and got massively sick during the holidays (while also being rediculously busy). Here's a short chapter while I get my bearings and get back into it. I WILL finish this story!

Lor had the phaser aimed at him, nearly shooting him even, the moment he walked through the door. She let out her held breath when she realized it was Torin. Noticing his pinched expression and pale face, the distant look in his eye, she asked him what happened.

"It was Alieth," he said, holstering the phaser he'd taken off her body. The moment replayed itself — another moment he'd see in perfect clarity for the rest of his life, right alongside bludgeoning the creature to death. The way she screamed, the way her eyes begged him to help her, the bright green spattering the wall behind her. Torin tried to center himself.

"What do you mean it was Alieth?" Lor asked, walking towards him and glancing at the open door behind him warily.

"She was working with…those creatures. I don't know how or why, but she allowed them to break into the clinic and take people," He explained.

The sharp flash of the phaser as his cut easily through flesh — haunted eyes pleading-

"To what end? What does she stand to gain by sacrificing the colony?" Lor's mind picked apart the story, trying to tease out the logic. She held her hands behind her back in thought. "It is illogical."

Her voice calling out to make it stop, clutching her head. Torin's eyes narrowed in thought as he replayed the incident in his mind. She'd clutched her head and screamed. She'd been in severe pain. Her total loss of control was…alarming.

"She said they made her," he realized with sudden clarity. The creatures had telepathic abilities, much like Vulcans, which was another conversation point for another day, and had somehow controlled Alieth. He was certain.

"Torin?" She prompted. She sensed he'd stumbled upon the closest thing to the truth they had.

"I believe they have telepathic abilities." Her eyebrows rose at this. "Before she…before she took her own life, she was in pain. She held her head and said they'd made her. That they were trying to stop us," he explained.

"She took her own life?" Lor repeated. She'd heard the screaming…

Torin looked up and realized he hadn't actually told her what happened. He recounted the events as quickly as he could, his stomach churning. Lor was silent, though to her credit she remained in control of herself despite her anxiety and fear.

"They took my bondmate, Nia. I have to find her. Perhaps we should split up-"

"No." Lor cut him off and took a few steps towards him. "We need to stay together, at least until the civilians get the vaccine. We have to ensure the vaccine makes it safely to them. Torin mulled over her words. There were already so few Vulcan left. The remnants of his Pon Farr made it difficult to think rationally, and he hadn't had the opportunity to meditate and put his mind in order in several days. He shot another glance at the doctor.

"You are correct. It is most logical. Once the population is vaccinated, Starfleet will send us assistance." He pushed down his anxiety. He still couldn't feel Nia through their bond. Either she was unconscious, off planet, or dead. He took a slow breath.

"It would be prudent to arrive before nightfall." He held his tongue, but turned silently towards the door. If Nia were here, she'd make a comment about the passive aggressive comment.

"Let us proceed quickly, then."

He didn't look at the shapeless form, or the spray of green on the wall in the fading light. Torin clutched the phaser tightly as he peeked out the door. At a sprint, getting to the other civilians should take no more than 5 minutes.

He motioned for her to lead the way. Lor held the vaccines on her back and Torin would ensure it's safe transport. Lor nodded briefly before taking off out the door and into towards the center of town. Torin kept close behind her, phaser ready.

The setting sun cooled the air as the two sprinted to the bunker. The hair on the back of his neck stood on edge and he expected an ambush at any moment. The silence and lack of attack only served to put keep on edge. His hand shook slightly as he turned to keep an eye out, phaser ready, as Lor typed in the access code to the bunker. It had multiple fail-safes, but the fact it was still operating with full power surprised him. Why weren't they attacking? He could nearly picture a small smile growing on Nia's face as she said 'Don't look a gift horse in the mouth!' He never understood the human penchant for vague figurative language. The door slid open behind him, and he pushed the thought from his mind and follow Lor inside.

Despite the small space, they made do with what they had. A few of the children were asleep on makeshift beds made of blankets and folded up robes. All eyes were quick to turn to them as they entered the bunker. A few armed men jumped up ready to fight. Upon seeing Torin and Lor, they relaxed somewhat, though still kept a close eye on them. Lor, ever efficient, addressed them.

"We need to begin inoculating every here. Starfleet will not send aid until the contagion is under control." She began taking off her bag and taking out hypos. The room was silent. It only took a moment of deliberation for the majority to reach the collective decision that risking the vaccine was worth it if it meant Starfleet aid and the possibility of evacuation.

"Do you consent to the vaccination, Torin?" Torin opened his and looked at Lor, not realizing he'd nearly been asleep as he sat down to rest.

"Yes."

A quick press of the hypo to his neck, a brief sting, and she was on to the next one. He closed his eyes again, and took a few deep breathes. While he didn't need as much sleep as Nia, the lack of rest and meditation was catching up to him. His eyes felt heavier and he realized he felt…off.

"What.." He didn't have the strength to finish his thought.

"You need to rest," Lor replied quietly as she continued the vaccinations.

As he began to drift, unable to physically keep his eyes open, a sense of awareness pulsed through his consciousness. Nia.