Sheridan was running out of time. He tried to remember everything he'd read about the peculiarities of the station's construction. There were old service tunnels beneath every level of a sector; he just needed to find an entrance. He meticulously searched the floor and walls, as quietly as possible. He had no idea if the two strangers were still in the next room. Finally, he found a small hatch in one of the walls, but he needed something sharp to open it. He hurried back to Delenn, who looked at him, puzzled.
"I'll borrow this," he whispered to her, reaching for the brooch pinned to her robe at collarbone level. Using the pin attached to the brooch, Sheridan managed to release the hatch with a satisfying click. He then tucked the brooch into his trouser pocket. Delenn had crawled over to him. She handed him back the uniform jacket when she realized they would be climbing through the wall.
"It's going to be tight in there and dark in places," he helped her into the tunnel, then crawled behind her and carefully closed the hatch. It immediately became darker. Occasional glimmers of light shone through, but it took a while for Sheridan's eyes to adjust.
"I'll go first. We have to be quiet," he told her.
With that, they began to flee in the twilight. The tunnel was low, and only on their knees was it possible to move forward. Sheridan tried to estimate how long they would have to follow the tunnel to escape their pursuers, but to be on the safe side, it would take them quite a while. He urgently needed to get to a computer somewhere to reach Garibaldi, Ivanova, or whoever. He could only hope that the two strangers would take some time before checking on their prisoners. Every minute counted.
Delenn found it difficult to follow the captain. The tunnel was stuffy, and her robe was beyond practical for crawling on her hands and knees through the darkness. She tried not to think about anything else. She pushed aside the fear of her pursuers, the cold eyes of the human Cadir who had hurt her, the fact that she was completely dependent on Sheridan, and the feeling she had felt when Sheridan had wrapped her in his uniform.
What Delenn couldn't ignore, however, was the ever-increasing pain radiating from her stomach. Cadir had hit her hard, and that fact couldn't be ignored. Her palms and knees had long since been chafed by the hard surface of the tunnel, making it even more difficult for her to keep up with Sheridan's pace. Noticing her vision becoming increasingly blurry, she made a desperate attempt to ask Sheridan for a break.
"Captain," she whispered.
"Shh!" he hissed back.
"Please…"
Sheridan, who had difficulty turning around in the tunnel, seemed more than annoyed: "We have to be quiet. Not another word!"
With that, he crawled on, and Delenn could do nothing but force herself to move, but every movement was agony. She felt sick with pain. She knew she wouldn't be able to follow the captain any further. The image of him crawling ahead of her through the tunnel shook more and more. The rough ground was suddenly so close. Everything went black.
A strange muffled sound made Sheridan jump.
"Delenn?" he breathed, but received no answer.
He didn't like that. Nervously, he tried to see something behind him in the dim light.
"Delenn?"
This couldn't be true?! Sheridan had no choice but to crawl backward. He didn't have enough room to turn around.
He returned as carefully as possible until his foot struck something soft.
He carefully felt his way forward with his hand.
"Delenn! Is everything okay?"
No answer.
Now Sheridan couldn't stop the panic that crept through his veins. He had no choice but to practically climb over Delenn, who continued to lie motionless on the ground. Careful not to hurt her, he managed to get over her back so that she was finally lying beneath him. As lovingly as one could in a dark, narrow tunnel, he turned her onto her back. Now he was closer to the Minbari than he had ever thought possible. Her face was exactly at his level, and if he didn't brace himself, he would be lying directly on top of her in a very ambiguous position. He could feel her breathing, which immediately calmed him. He couldn't afford to worry about why she had collapsed. He had to wake her up. It was impossible to get her through the tunnel in this condition.
"Delenn, wake up!" he shook her gently by the shoulders.
It only took a moment before the Minbari flinched, her eyes widening. She was startled by the sudden proximity, and her knee unintentionally hit Sheridan right where it hurts more than a man could chew.
John Sheridan bit his lip, suppressing a cry of pain, but could no longer support himself and buried Delenn beneath him. She didn't resist, but remained lying beneath him, completely apathetic.
Delenn's heart pounded. The sudden weight on her, Sheridan's scent, and her disorientation made it impossible for her to even begin to understand the situation. Sheridan was panting heavily. She must have hurt him. She had collapsed in the tunnel, and he must have come back. The captain grumbled, pressing himself against her shoulder, then the weight on her lightened slightly, and she realized he was bracing himself with his hands.
He was looking directly at her now, and she was glad it was too dark for him to see how red she was.
"We... have to keep going," he gasped, "no breaks and... no more kicks."
She looked at him somewhat perplexed, but he offered no explanation. Instead, he helped her roll over onto her stomach.
"This time you go first," he ordered without further comment.