by Mosaic
Tuvok scanned once again: Neelix and his group were nearing his location; the Kazon were behind them and moving steadily. It was imperative they find cover.
He turned to eye the members of his squad, who were investigating the terrain for some kind of protection against the Kazon. It did not look promising. There was no high ground to hold, no cover except the woods through which Neelix was now proceeding. Tuvok disliked the prospect of a ground battle with the Kazon without some tactical advantage, but at the moment he saw none.
He turned to see Ensign Kim scanning the ground intently. The young man had been trying to discern a pattern of some kind that could be seen from the air and that might mark the location of a protected tomb or tombs; before they had realized the Kazon were on the planet Kim believed he had identified such a pattern. But that search had stopped as soon as the dangerous intruders had been identified. Now everyone was scanning for caves, which might provide protection.
"Lieutenant Tuvok!" Kim's voice rang through the air. "I've found something!"
Tuvok turned to see Harry standing about fifty meters away, waving at him. Then the young man abruptly disappeared. Tuvok was on the run instantly, plunging through the brushy weedbed. As he neared the spot where Kim had disappeared, he could hear the young ensign calling to him.
"This is it, Lieutenant-this is it!"
As Tuvok approached, he realized that a circle of earth had collapsed, not haphazardly, but symmetrically, as though triangular quarters of the circle had given way from the center. A series of gentle ramps was formed, which Tuvok now descended carefully to join Kim, who was standing at the conflux of the triangles, which had deposited him in the center of a huge and cavernous underground vault.
"This must be the tomb. We can use it to take cover."
"Quite right, Mr. Kim. I'll get the others."
Tuvok climbed to the surface once more and hit his commbadge. "Tuvok to all hands. Regroup immediately."
At that moment, he saw Neelix and his group emerging from the forest. He could tell they had wounded among them, and Kes was already on her way to give aid. They were a motley-looking group, hair full of twigs and leaves, uniforms covered with mud and slime, faces bloody. A few were limping; Ensign Kale was carried by Neelix and LeFevre; all bore the signs of trauma. What had they endured?
"This way, Mr. Neelix. We've found cover." The Talaxian gave him a wan smile and herded his group toward Tuvok. Kes was scanning Ensign Kale, assessing her condition.
"We've had quite an adventure, Mr. Vulcan," Neelix began. "I'm sure you'll want to hear all about it-as soon as we've taken cover, of course."
"Of course." Tuvok did not look forward to another of Neelix' endless discourses. The Talaxian had somehow gotten the impression that Tuvok looked forward to hearing him describe his many adventures, in tedious and incessant detail. Even Tuvok's great store of patience was tested by the Talaxian's congenial wordiness.
Tuvok insured that everyone made it safely into the underground cavern, then approached Kim, who was scanning the carved rock wall of the chamber. "There must be a control apparatus down here to close this thing up. There's one on the surface, pressureactivated. It was disguised in the stonework, but its gravimetric signature was different from the surrounding matter." He moved his tricorder systematically over the wall, looking for any anomalous readings or energy signatures.
"Funny," he mused as he scanned, "I can't figure out what these walls are constructed of. It looks like some kind of stone, but I'm getting strong organic readings from it as well."
"The Delta Quadrant possesses many materials which are unknown to Federation science," offered Tuvok.
"I just hope, whatever it is, it's strong. Strong enough to keep the Kazon out."
"Let us also hope they cannot activate it as we did."
Most of the others had begun to fan out, scanning and exploring. Neelix' group simply sat down, clearly exhausted. Kes moved among them, tending to the injured.
"Ah," said Kim with obvious satisfaction. "Stand back, everybody, I think I've got it." He put his palm on a particular panel in the wall, andwitha whoosh of air the ramps began to lift quietly, fitting perfectly together to form a ceiling piece, inexorably shutting out the sunlight. It was pitch black. Wrist beacons began to snap on, and Tuvok spied magnesite, which he infused with phaser energy for light and heat. Others did the same. A warm glow began to illuminate their new surroundings, erasing ominous shadows and creating an environment that Tuvok hoped would soothe his team. For the moment, they were safe, even if safety lay in the mysterious underground vault of an unknown alien species on a planet sixty-eight thousand light-years from home.
In that way, they waited for the Kazon.
CHAPTER 8
THE GROUND WAS ROUGH AND ROCKY; A JAGGED STONE BIT into Kathryn's leg as she lay, facedown, at the top of the stone quarry, peering at the swimmers below. The sun was high overhead, but unlike the muggy summers at home it was never hot on Mars. She turned her head toward Emma North, lying next to her; Mary O'Connell was just beyond. All were in swimmers and shirts, and carried bags jammed with music and games, snacks, sun protector, and other items designed for an afternoon of swimming.
"If they see us, they'll tell our folks," Mary said in a hoarse whisper. "I can't believe I let you talk me into this."
Swimming at the quarries on Mars Colony was dangerous and strictly forbidden by their parents. The water was deep and cold, access was difficult, and jagged rock wasn't kind to bare skin. The girls knew, though, that everyone did it at some time or another; it had become a rite of passage.
Kathryn had wanted for years to swim the quarries. Starfleet had extensive officers' facilities on Mars Colony, and her family had visited there on a number of summer vacations, but her parents had always kept a close eye on her. Now that she was fourteen, they had relaxed their guard somewhat. "What are you worried about? People have been swimming here for years. Decades."
"We're still not supposed to be here."
"No one will ever know."
"They will if those people down there see us."
"They won't," said Kathryn confidently. "We're not going there." Now Emmy look vaguely concerned. "But... that's the quarry everybody goes to."
"Not us. I know where there's a smaller one. There are lots of them, actually, a whole network of them that stretch for kilometers through these hills."
"How do you know?"
Kathryn smiled, remembering the day five years before that still was etched indelibly in her memory. "Someone I used to know showed me. He took me all around the colony. Did you know if you use a breathing gill and swim underwater in some of these quarries you can access the cave system under Olympus Mons? There's a whole honeycomb of caves and underwater lakes. To get through them, you have to stay underwater for as much as a kilometer at a time until you reach the next cave. Someday I'm going to do that." Both girls looked at her as though she'd sprouted warts. "That sounds awful, was said Mary, and Emma nodded in vigorous agreement. "And dangerous."
"I think it sounds exciting. I know others have done it."
"Have they all come out alive?"
Kathryn hesitated. Data had in fact mentioned a fatality that had occurred during the Olympus Mons cave trek, but that had only intrigued Kathryn, made her more determined to take the challenge someday. She knew, however, that Emma and Mary wouldn't share that response. "As long as you're an experienced diver it's not dangerous," she said firmly.
"Are you experienced?"
"I have my certification now. I need more practice. That's why I want to go to the quarries."
"I thought we were just going to swim and have fun." This from Emma, who was looking more dubious all the time.
Kathryn sighed. It was getting harder and harder to enjoy Emma and Mary's company. They'd been her best friends since they were little, but it seemed lately they'd become fearful and nervous about every activity she suggested. She was glad she wouldn't be going to school with them a
ny longer.
At long last, she would be attending the Academy Institute. She had battled her parents for years over this issue, and they finally relented when she won the prestigious state mathematics award. She would spend her final four years of preparatory school at the place she knew she should have been attending long ago.
There, at the Institute, she would find new friends, friends more like her who were curious about things, and liked adventure and new experiences. No more tennis, no more piano and ballet. She was finally going to be allowed to enter the twenty-fourth century, and she couldn't wait. "How far away are these quarries?" Mary sounded uneasy, and Kathryn knew she and Mary were both getting nervous about being so far from the colony. "Not much farther. Just beyond that next rise."
"We're pretty far away from anyone. What if something happens?"
"Like what?"
"An accident."
Kathryn shot her a look of disdain. "There are three of us. Someone can always go for help." But she knew from the guarded glance the other girls exchanged that they weren't comforted. Kathryn stopped abruptly and faced them.
"Do you want to go back? If so, go ahead. I'll swim by myself."
"Kathryn, that's dangerous. You should never swim alone."
"I'd rather do that than spend time with people who are going to be moping around waiting for dire things to happen." She stood rock still, eyeing Mary and Emma sternly. As she expected, they couldn't hold the look; their eyes danced away nervously and scanned the Martian hills. "Well?" Kathryn shot at them, and Mary looked back at her first. "We said we'd come and we did. Let's not argue about it." Kathryn nodded and turned back in the direction of the quarry, heard the other two follow her, and breathed a sigh of resignation. They seemed so young to her. How could they all possibly be the same age? They were climbing a rise that was studded with huge boulders and rocky outcroppings; they had to weave their way through narrow passageways that twisted and wound like a maze. Then they emerged into the open, and found themselves standing on an upward-sloping expanse of flat rock beyond which they could see nothing except sky; a sheer drop-off awaited them. As they neared the edge Emma and Mary hung back, approaching slowly. Kathryn went to all fours and then stretched herself out, inching toward the drop-off. The abandoned quarry was arrayed before her: steep, chiseled stone walls that still bore the marks of ultrasonic drills, plummeting down fifty meters to the surface of a clear lake some five hundred meters in diameter. It was a foreboding sight, stark and mysterious, and Kathryn felt her blood tingle with a mixture of apprehension and excitement.
"How are we supposed to get down there?" whispered Emma. Kathryn turned to her.
"Why are you whispering?"
Emma turned to her, dark eyes wide, face pale. "I don't know. It just seems weird here."
"It's strange and beautiful-kind of wild. I like it." Kathryn's eyes were scanning the terrain as she spoke, looking for a route to the water below. The quarry walls weren't smooth, but craggy, with plenty of handholds. They could make it down.
"We climb. With rough rock like that, it'll be easy."
"I'm not doing that." Mary stood up, looking down at them with total resolve. "That's just asking for trouble."
Kathryn started to retort, but suddenly they all heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps-someone was climbing the rise behind them, moving through the maze of rocks. Mary dropped back to her knees, and guiltily, they all tried to press themselves behind outcroppings. Was it one of their parents? Had someone seen them leave the colony and strike out across the Tharsis plain?
The footsteps came nearer, scuffling on the gravelly ground. A few steps more and the person would emerge from the rocks and out into the open. Kathryn held her breath; she was sure it would be her father, furious with her for having broken an explicit rule.
A figure emerged from the passageway, backlit by the sun and unidentifiable, but it was a man, and he was tall and slender-and Kathryn's stomach turned queasy. It had to be her father.
"Hello, ladies. Going swimming?" The voice was familiar but was definitely not her father's. Kathryn rose and as the figure moved closer, he turned and his face was illuminated.
Hobbes Johnson.
Relief and dismay struggled for supremacy inside Kathryn: that it wasn't her father was a vast comfort, but the sight of Hobbes Johnson, lanky and dull, was about the final dismal touch in a day that had been rapidly going downhill.
"Hobbes, what are you doing here?"
"I could ask you the same thing. Aren't the quarries offlimits to you?"
"At least there are three of us. You came by yourself. That's foolish."
"No, it wasn't. I saw you leaving. I figured you were going to the quarries."
Kathryn felt a rush of annoyance, which, on top of her frustrations with Emma and Mary, pushed her from irritation to anger. "Don't you think if we'd wanted your company, we'd have asked you?" Hobbes paled at the attack, and Kathryn was immediately sorry. She didn't mean to hurt his feelings, she was just irked. But she saw Mary and Emma looking at her in shocked surprise, and realized she'd gone too far. "I'm sorry, Hobbes. I didn't mean it... it's just been a frustrating day. I really want to go swimming, and I can't seem to get any enthusiasm from these two."
Mary's dander was still up. "I was enthusiastic-until I realized how reckless and dangerous this is. Kathryn wants to climb down the face of the quarry. That's ridiculous."
"Only way to get there," said Hobbes mildly.
"Well, I'm not doing it. I'm going back."
"Me, too," chimed in Emma, and both rose to their feet.
Kathryn stared at them. were they abandoning her? Leaving her here with Hobbes Johnson? She glared in disbelief.
"Fine," she heard herself saying. "Go on back. If you're not brave enough to do it, I don't want you around." Again, she immediately regretted her words. It was as though her mouth were an organism unto itself, acting without her permission. She saw Mary draw herself up, hurt and angry. "If you have any sense at all, you'll come back with us. Face it, Kathryn-this was a terrible idea."
"If I decide to do something, I'm not going to back out just because it gets a little difficult. But you do whatever you want." Kathryn's face felt hot, and she realized she was just being stubborn, but the more the conversation went on, the more she felt herself dig in. "Come on, Mary. Let's go." Emma looked eager to leave the quarry and the unpleasantness. Mary gave Kathryn one more somber look. "Kathryn?" Kathryn merely shook her head, obstinate. The two other girls shrugged, lifted their bags, and headed for the maze of rocks that would lead them away from the quarry and back toward the colony. Kathryn watched them leave, suddenly feeling alone and friendless. And worst of all, now she was stuck with Hobbes Johnson. She gave him an awkward glance. He was watching the retreating girls, face impassive. What should she do? Wait a decent interval and then follow them? She couldn't imagine spending another two minutes with Hobbes. She looked down at the water below, remembering her determination to make it down there, to swim in the clear waters of the quarry, to practice her diving techniques. She felt Hobbes' eyes on her and looked up at him. He wasn't quite as vulky-looking as he used to be, but no one would ever call him attractive. He no longer wore braces, but a few red pimples dotted his face; apparently even dermal-regeneration treatments didn't work on his acne. Kathryn thought it looked disgusting. And he was as thin as ever, a long, reedy boy with a skinny neck and hair that tufted in unruly patches on his head. And there they were, alone together at the top of the quarry. Now what?
"Want to give it a try?" Hobbes' voice was as neutral as ever. It was as though he were suggesting they take a walk through the cornfields. Kathryn hesitated, options warring within her. She really, really wanted to swim in that quarry. She really, really didn't want to do it with Hobbes Johnson. She glanced down again, saw the clear water below, beckoning to her.
She shrugged, feigning tedium. "Might as well." She hefted her bag, rearranged the straps to carry it on her back, and edged t
oward the cliff wall to search for the best starting place.
"It's over here," said Hobbes, walking to a small crevasse a few meters away. He stepped easily into it, swinging his body around and deftly grasping handholds. He began climbing confidently down the quarry face, hands and feet finding their way with ease and efficiency. Kathryn was impressed. She'd done her share of rock climbing-credit The Meadows with that, for including this ancient sport in their physical curriculum-and had always enjoyed the challenge, but she lacked ease and style. She moved to the crevasse, immediately saw the places where Hobbes had found purchase, and began to follow him down the steep wall of the quarry.
Ten minutes later, they stood on a stone shelf that protruded over the water, a natural diving platform.
Hobbes had already opened his bag and was removing his breathing gill and thermal tripolymer suit. Kathryn looked at him in surprise. "You're going to dive?"