“Captain?  Captain? Captain Archer, come in.”

I am in, Archer thought blearily.  So shut the hell up already.  Slowly, his awareness returned.  He opened his eyes to find himself lying face-down on the rough-hewn rock of the tunnel floor.  Watch that first step.  It’s one hell of a drop.

”Captain?”  It took a moment to place that sound.  Reed.  Callling on the communicator.  Why hadn’t Trip answered? 

He sat up.  That had been one hell of a tackle.  Evidently, Trip hadn’t forgotten his high school football.  “Hey,” he said hoarsely.  No answer.  “Trip?”  He looked around.  And saw.  “Oh, my God!”

Several rocks had been shaken loose by the quake, and this was the reason Trip had tackled him; to push him well out of harm’s way.

Trip himself had not been so lucky.

One leg was pinned under a large boulder.  Another had hit him in the middle.  His blue eyes stared upward at the cave roof, and for one dreadful, heart-stopping moment, Archer was sure Trip was dead.

“Trip?”  Those eyes moved, looked over at him.  Trip started to raise his head.  “Don’t move,” Archer panted, crawling over to him, ignoring the communicator which continued its anxious crackling.  “Don’t move.” 

“… Jon … “ it was the barest whisper.  “… It hurts … “

“I know, brat,” Archer soothed.  “I know.”  There was no blood that Archer could see, but he was terribly afraid of what he would find under those rocks.  He fumbled, opened the still-squawking communicator.  “Malcolm – “

“Captain.”  The tactical officer’s relief was obvious.  “Are you all right, sir?”

“Get a team down here,” Archer replied.  “There’s been a cave-in.  We’re trapped.”

“Are you all right?”  Reed asked again.

“I’m fine.  But Trip … Trip’s been hurt.”

There was a sharp intake of breath.  “How badly?”

“I don’t know.  But hurry!”

Subcommander T’Pol’s voice broke in.  “I have been monitoring your communications, Captain.  Please wait a moment.” 

Trip moaned, and Archer placed a gentle hand on his forehead.  “Hang on, brat.  Help is coming.” 

Another voice broke in.  “This is Dr. Phlox.  What is your situation?”

“I’m fine, Doctor.  But Trip has been hurt.  He’s been hit by a couple of rocks.  His leg’s caught under one, and he’s taken a hit to his middle.”

“Is he conscious?”

“Barely. But he’s in one hell of a lot of pain.”

“Do not move him,” the doctor ordered.  “You may only exacerbate his injuries.”

“Shuttlepod two is ready, doctor,” T’Pol said calmly, breaking in on the transmission.

“Excellent.  I am on my way.  I will be there as soon as I can.”

Thank God.  “As fast as you can, Doc.”

“Understood.” 

Archer closed his communicator.  “Hear that?  The doc is on his way.”

Trip moaned again.  “I’m sorry,” he whispered.  “But Jon … it feels like all my insides have come loose.  Hurts like hell.”

“Hang in there.”  He took Trip’s hand between his own.  “Hang onto me, baby.  Don’t let go.  Help’s coming.”

As if his words had summoned them, voices could now be heard from behind the rock fall.  “Captain?”

Malcolm Reed.  He must have practically flown down here, Archer thought.  “We’re here, Malcolm.”

“We’re assessing the situation, Captain.”

“Less assessment, more action, Lieutenant.”

“Understood.”

Trip groaned.  His eyelids fluttered.  Archer stroked his hair, feeling worse than useless.  “Hang onto me, baby,” he said again, gently squeezing Trip’s hand. 

The Captain’s heart was hammering, as if he had just run ten miles.  Trip.  Oh, Trip.   If he were to die … No.  He pushed the thought away.  It wasn’t going to happen.  He wouldn’t allow it.  He knew how arrogant that sounded, but he’d get Trip out of here if he had to claw his way through those rocks with his bare hands.  “Malcolm!”

“Captain?”

“What the hell are you doing?”

“Sir,” Reed called back, sounding slightly flustered.  “This wall is unstable.  If we try and go through – “

“Then find somewhere else to go through, goddammit!  But move your British ass!”  He could imagine the shocked expressions on the other side of the wall, but he was long past caring by now.

“Yes, sir.”  Reed’s voice was almost a squeak.

Archer could now hear hurried, whispered conversations.  Trip whimpered softly.  Archer squeezed his hand again, bent and kissed his forehead.  “We’re going to get you out of here,” he assured the younger man.  Trip looked up at him.  His face twisted, he moaned again, then his eyes rolled back and he went limp.  He’d fainted.

Archer quickly sought, and found, a pulse.  It was weak and thready, and he knew that Trip was going into shock.  “What the hell are you doing out there?” he bellowed at his crew.

There was no response, but he heard a sound above him.  He looked up, then away, shielding his eyes.  Someone was using a phase pistol to cut through the tunnel roof.  As the rock was vaporized away, a small opening appeared.

An indefatigably cheerful voice called down; a voice that was the answer to his fervent prayers.  Phlox.  "Captain?"

He looked up, saw the doctor's round face looking down at him.  "Doc – I can't tell you how happy I am to see you."

"I'm sure you are."  Phlox disappeared from view. 

A moment later, a medkit, attached to a rope was pushed through the opening and lowered down.  Archer grabbed it, untied it.  "Got it!"  There was no answer.  Instead, he heard voices raised in a heated discussion.  What the hell ‑ ?

"What's going on up there?" he roared.

Silence.

Then Phlox peered down.  "If you would stand aside, Captain." 

Archer could hear Reed's voice, raised in protest.  Phlox cut him off with a mild but firm reply.  "My mind is made up, Lieutenant.  I have a patient who needs me."

And a moment later, the doctor himself followed his medkit down into the cavern.

Archer could have kissed him.

Phlox untied the harness holding him.  Reed looked down through the opening, his worry apparent.  "I have arrived safely," the doctor told him.  "And I believe you have work to do, Lieutenant."

"Yes, doctor," the tactical officer replied, and was gone.

Phlox brushed himself off, and headed over to Trip.  He knelt beside the engineer, his normally cheerful expression grave.  He extended a hand.  "My medkit," he ordered.  Archer quickly obeyed.  The doctor took out a scanner, ran it over Trip's prone form.  His grave expression became even graver, and he looked up at Archer.

"Tell Lieutenant Reed to hurry," he said.

*  *  *

"Ready?"

Archer nodded.  The two men grunted with effort, and after a moment, the stone lying on Trip's leg was finally pushed off.  "Quickly!"  Phlox snapped.  Archer slapped the cast dispenser into the doctor's outstretched hand.  "This is only temporary," Phlox said, more to himself than to Archer.  "To keep the leg straight."  He ran the dispenser along the engineer's shattered leg.  Foam flowed out of the nozzle, wrapped around Trip's leg, and hardened.  A similar first-aid cast was already around Trip's middle.

Finished, Phlox picked up his scanner.  Evidently, the readings were still not what he wished for.  He held out his hand, snapped his fingers impatiently.  "The hypospray.  Five cc's.  The blue vial."

"Again?  Isn't that too much - ?" Archer began.

"Captain!" Phlox snapped.  "Kindly do not presume to teach me my business.  Five cc's.  If you please.  Now."

Chastened, the Captain obeyed.  Phlox injected the contents, took another reading and frowned.  "Captain.  2 cc's.  The red vial."  Silently, Archer did as he was told.  Another hiss of the hypospray.  Another scan.

"Well?" Archer finally asked.

"He is stabilizing – for the time being."

Archer took Trip's hand, and laid his other hand on the engineer's forehead.  Phlox had cut the engineer's clothing away, and Archer thought how exposed, how vulnerable, his nakedness made him.

"Captain."

He looked up.  Reed was hanging down through the newly-enlarged opening in the ceiling.  "We're ready."

"Good."

Reed pulled himself back up.  Something scraped on the rock, and a moment later, a stretcher was lowered down through the hole.  Archer rose, grabbed it, untied it and carried it over to Trip, laid it beside him.

A cervical collar was attached to the stretcher.  Phlox placed it around Trip's neck.

Archer couldn't help himself.  "I thought you said he didn't have any spinal injuries."

"He doesn't.  But I want him immobilized.  This will help."

Trip moaned.  His eyelids fluttered, and he awoke.  Archer knelt, and the engineer looked up at him.  "Jon?"  His voice was the merest shadow of a whisper.

"Trip," Archer said gently.  "We're going to get you out of here."

"Try and lie still, Commander," Phlox added.

Trip's eyes turned towards the sound of Phlox's voice.  "Doc?"

"I'm here, Commander," the doctor assured him.  He looked at Archer.  "Ready?"

Archer nodded.  "We're going to move you, Trip. Let us do the work, okay?"  Trip closed his eyes in assent.

Carefully, the doctor and the captain slid the stretcher underneath the injured man.  Trip clenched his fists, bit his lower lip but was otherwise motionless.

"I'm sorry we hurt you, Trip."  Archer looked at Phlox.  "Can't you give him something?"

"No.  A painkiller could seriously harm him right now."  The doctor placed a gentle hand on Trip's forehead.  "I'll be able to give you something in a little while," he promised.  "Once we're back aboard Enterprise."

"Okay," Trip managed.  "But – can you hurry?"

"You bet," Archer told him.  Quickly, he and Phlox laid a blanket over the engineer, then buckled the stretcher's straps tightly around him.  "Trip," Archer said, "we're going to hook your stretcher up to some ropes, and Malcolm and his team are going to pull you up and out through a hole they've made in the roof.  Understand?"

"Up, up and away," Trip whispered.

Archer managed a smile.  "Right.  But it's probably going to hurt.  I'm sorry.  But I need you to lie as still as you can. Can you do that, Trip?"

"I'll try, Captain."

"Good." Archer kissed his forehead, not caring that Phlox and Reed were both watching.  "We're going to get you home.  That's a promise.  Okay?"

"Okay."

Archer looked at Phlox.  "On the count of three.  One. Two. Three!"  They lifted the stretcher, stood it on its foot.  Trip whimpered very quietly, but was otherwise silent.  Working quickly, they attached the ropes Reed had thrown down, then stepped back.

Trip suddenly looked frightened.  "Captain?"

"I'll see you soon.  That's another promise."  He looked up.  "Lieutenant!"

"Aye, aye sir."

There was a jerk on the ropes.  Trip moaned as the stretcher began to rise, and sway slightly.  His eyes rolled back into his head, and he was unconscious again.

"Hurry up!"  Archer ordered.  "He's out cold.  You don't have to worry about hurting him now."

Reed and his crew obeyed, and Trip was hauled up and out of sight in record time.  "Got him," Reed called down. 

"Get him onto the shuttlepod," the Captain commanded.  He turned to Phlox.  "You're next.  And when you get up there, I want you to accompany Trip. Getting him back to Enterprise is your first priority.  I'll follow." 

Phlox did not argue.  He slipped on the harness Reed had sent down.  As Archer helped him tighten the buckles, he asked, "Who's your pilot?"

"Ensign Mayweather."

"Good.  You tell Travis I want him to push the 'pod for all its worth. That's an order."  Phlox nodded, and Archer finished adjusting the harness.  "Go!"

The doctor obeyed.  A few minutes later, Archer himself was being hauled up.  He scrambled through the opening, and Reed, pale and perspiring, helped him to his feet.  Archer clapped the tactical officer on the shoulder.  "Good work, Malcolm."

"Thank you, sir."

"Trip?"

"On his way to Enterprise."

"Good. I'll follow shortly."

"Understood, sir.  In the interim, shall we begin with the dilithium extraction?"

Archer could not believe his ears.  "Lieutenant," he began angrily, glaring at Reed.

The tactical officer interrupted.  "Sir.  I know that sounds callous.  But I believe that Commander Tucker would not want you to pass up an opportunity to keep his engines well-stocked with such a rare commodity."  He looked at Archer.  "Whatever our personal feelings might be," he added, significantly.

Archer realized Reed was correct.  It would be folly to pass up a find like this.  And Trip would wring his neck if he wasn't able to stock up his precious engines with their much-needed dilithium.  "Very well," he said heavily.  "But proceed with caution, Lieutenant.  I don't want any more accidents."

Reed looked solemn.  "Understood, sir."

Back to Chapter 1

Payment in Full chapter listing

On to Chapter 3

To Pippin's page

To Main MEG Archive page