Work Text:
The cavern was large, but not dark. Not with all the phosphorescence glowing throughout the walls. Wherever Lieutenant Reed shone his flashlight, the glow intensified, and when he moved it away, the pale greenish light remained for several minutes before fading to a dimmer glow.
Dimmer, but still bright enough to see by, reducing her claustrophobia, Hoshi thought. No wonder she was able to keep going even though they were moving deeper underground.
They’d entered the cave at the bottom of a cliff on which stood an ancient forest, following faint markings Hoshi had identified as possible alien writing. Lieutenant Reed had accompanied her down the winding path from the cliff top and sent Ensign Zabel off with Ensign Tamras and Crewman Novakovich; for once he’d been allowed to bring along an extra security officer on a mission of exploration.
A narrow stream ran a few metres in front of the cave, the water somewhat murky but below the level of the entrance. The cave mouth had opened into a large room about twenty metres long and ten or so metres wide, the uneven ceiling - as high as the cave was wide - glowing faintly the further in they ventured. An opening on the opposite wall led to a slightly sloping tunnel that led downward. Wider and higher than the corridors of Enterprise, the walls and ceiling of this area, too, glowed under the light of the flashlight, and the faint daylight that was able to penetrate from outside.
Curving first right, then left, the tunnel opened into a larger cavern, with another, shorter tunnel that led into this third cavern they were currently engaged in exploring. Lieutenant Reed was exploring the left side of the cavern, his flashlight shining the way amongst the stalagmites littering the ground.
He’d taken eagerly to the exploration once he’d seen that the stream outside was too small to be of any danger; Hoshi found herself wondering about that, but put it from her mind and stuck close to him. Even though she wasn’t feeling particularly claustrophobic, his presence was reassuring as always.
She heard a splash, and directed her own light to the ground at her feet; they were walking through water. Water that was rising as she watched.
“Lieutenant?”
He stopped immediately as he heard the faint concern in her voice.
“Is something wrong, Ensign?”
“Sir … was there this much water before?” Her head was down, watching the water swirling around their boots, and she missed the brief look of panic that flashed through his eyes.
“No. There wasn’t any water at all.” Something about his voice caught her attention, though she couldn’t put her finger on exactly what it was. “Let’s head back outside.”
Suiting deed to word, he gestured for her to turn, and followed her toward the tunnel mouth they’d used to enter the cavern. They stopped dead as they reached the entrance. Water was rushing through, the flow increasing as they watched. The cavern was fairly large, which meant the water needed to cover the floor area first, but it was doing so rapidly.
“We have to get to the next cavern and see what’s happening,” Hoshi exclaimed. “This tunnel slopes downward toward us, so with any luck that cavern won’t be underwater yet.”
Malcolm said nothing; she looked at him and saw that he was bone white, his eyes wide and startled. His fingers were clenched around the flashlight, which was shaking slightly; she realised that he was trembling.
“Sir?” she said worriedly. “Are you alright?” He didn’t answer, his eyes fixed on the water, and she reached out and laid her hand on his forearm. He jumped, startled, and looked down at her hand and then up at her face. “Sir, we need to get through to the other cavern, before this tunnel becomes flooded.” He nodded, not speaking, but the tremors in his hand seemed to increase.
Hoshi took the scanner from his other hand, carefully sliding it out from under his fingers. He made no move to stop her; his fingers were slack. She tucked it into one of her chest pockets.
“I’ll go ahead, shall I? You shine the torch ahead. Stick close.” So saying, she stepped into the tunnel. The water reached halfway up her shins, the flow strong. Taking a few steps in, she looked back. Malcolm hadn’t moved. She retraced her steps and grabbed his hand. “Sir, I need you to come with me. I can’t leave you here, and I need the light from your torch.”
Looking at his face, she knew he wasn’t hearing her. Something was wrong, and given his fixation on the rushing water, it didn’t take a genius to figure out what that something was. She’d have to get him out as quickly as possible.
Squeezing his fingers, she said urgently, “Malcolm!” That got his attention, and his eyes focused on her. “I need you to come with me. We have to get out of this cave. The water level is still low enough that there’s air in the tunnel, but if we wait too long, we’ll have to go underwater. We don’t want to do that, not here. So come with me.” She tugged at his hand and stepped backward, and thankfully, he followed.
He still hadn’t said a word, but at this point that was the least of her worries. She led him into the tunnel, bracing herself against the strong flow of the water. It was almost at knee height, and still rising. They had to get to the next cave, and through its tunnel to the main cave.
“We can do this. One step at a time. Let’s go, I need to hold onto you here, the current’s pretty strong. I know you won’t let me fall, though, and I won’t let you fall, either. I’ve got you.” She kept talking, trying to distract him and keep him focused on her voice and not on the water; she could feel his trembling worsen the closer they got to the other cave.
Fortunately the tunnel was relatively short, and not very steep; the water rushing in from the cave was running strongly, but not raging, and they could make it through just by holding onto each other as support. They waded through the entrance, trying not to be knocked over by the current, and Hoshi moved them off to one side so they could look around.
It didn’t look very promising. The cave was flooded to about thigh-high on them, and water was pouring out of the first tunnel by which they’d entered, on the other side of the cave. That river was a lot higher and a lot stronger than the one through which they’d waded, and Hoshi knew there would probably need to be some underwater swimming involved. It would be an absolute nightmare for someone who feared drowning, as she was almost positive was the case with Lieutenant Reed.
First, she had to get him to that side of the cave, so she could work out the best way forward. She tightened her grip on his hand and began wading through the rising water, pulling him along beside her. For a moment Lieutenant Reed baulked, but she kept her grip firm and refused to let him go.
“Let’s keep going, Malcolm, we need to get to the other side, closer to the exit. I’ve got you. Stay close to me, I don’t want to be alone in here without you. Watch your step, there’s a rock ahead, no falling now. Keep the torch shining ahead, let’s light up the cave, shall we? Make the walls glow.”
She was rambling, trying to retain his attention by using his name instead of rank, working on getting him across the cave as the water kept rising, slowly but surely. He started to slow down as they approached the other entrance, and she veered off to one side, where there was a series of ledges and dents in the wall. Perhaps he’d feel better if they used these to keep them out of the water for a while, at least until the cave was more flooded.
Hoshi looked up at the roof of the cave; it wasn’t particularly high, maybe six or so metres. The water line was almost at the ceiling, but she could see that the cave roof was bumpy, allowing for a few hollows that would provide air pockets should the cave flood all the way. She hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“Come on, Malcolm, let’s light up the cave wall and then put the torch into your pocket while we climb up here, let’s get out of the water.” She had to take his hand to do it; he was alarmingly docile as she moved his hand to allow the torchlight to shine onto the walls for a minute, igniting the phosphorescence, before switching it off and putting it into his chest pocket, doing the same for hers. She urged him onto the ledges, refusing to let go of his hand; it made the climb a little difficult, but they managed to get higher, get their feet out of the water, by clambering up a few ledges until they were higher than the tunnel entrance.
She fumbled for her communicator; it was in one of the pockets on her chest, near the scanner, so she could keep it as dry as possible. Still, try as she might, she couldn’t raise Enterprise. Not even a hiss or crackle. They were truly cut off. Sighing, she put it away and leaned back beside Malcolm.
They were seated on a slightly wider part of the ledge they’d chosen, legs pulled up against their chests for warmth. She recalled the night, months ago now, when he’d pulled her into his lap in that prison cell and kept her warm, while soothing her frightened mind and heart with encouraging words and his proximity. This time it was up to her to offer him the same support.
She wrapped her arms around him, still holding his hand. The tremors in his hands had spread to the rest of his body; Hoshi recognised a panic attack when she saw one, but she wasn’t sure she’d be able to get him out of this one; not with what she’d have to ask him to do. She’d seen the strength of the water that was pouring into the cave, and estimated that they had probably half an hour before the water reached their position. And after that… well, she wouldn’t think about it right now.
Reaching up, she touched her forehead to Malcolm’s. His eyes were closed, his face pale, his breathing a little stertorous. He still hadn’t said a word since he’d turned them around in the other cave; she needed to get him out of himself before he became catatonic, she thought.
“Malcolm,” she said, “I need you to hear me.” His eyes remained closed, but his hand tightened on hers, and she took that as a sign that he was listening. “We’re not going to have very long before the water rises too high and we have to go underwater.” At that, he gave a start, and his eyes opened, staring into hers, looking wild and terrified. She tightened her other hand on his arm, digging in with her fingers. “I’m going to get us out of here, Malcolm. I’m going to go into the tunnel and map out a route for us. But I can’t leave you alone in this state. Do you understand me?”
No response other than increased rate of breathing; he was beginning to panic again. Letting go of his hand and arm, Hoshi brought her hands up to his face, gripping his jaw and turning him to face her. The skin contact seemed to jerk him back to awareness; he finally looked at her, and she saw the turmoil in his eyes. Stroking his skin with her thumbs, she kept talking, wanting to get him to engage with her.
“In a few minutes, I’m going to make my way through the tunnel, to the other cave. I’m going to see where there are air pockets along the way, and what the situation is like in the main cave. The ceiling is higher there, so it’s bound to be better for us than in here.” She kept his eyes pinned with hers, talking calmly, not wanting to shout, but pitching her voice to be heard over the water that was flowing in.
“Malcolm, do you understand me? I’ll have to leave you alone for a few minutes while I check out the route. I’ll come back, I promise.” He was paying attention to her, she could see, but the panic was lurking at the edges of his eyes. Then she felt him move, and his eyes closed as he swallowed hard. His hands came up to take hold of hers, and he opened his eyes again.
“Hoshi-” His voice was rough and constricted, as though he was having difficulty getting the words out. He looked away, coughing, and tried again. “Hoshi. You can’t go through the tunnel. You’ll d-drown.” He stumbled over the word and she could see how much it cost him to keep going. “We need to contact Enterprise.”
“I’ve tried, Malcolm. I can’t reach them. I think it’s some mineral in the rock that’s blocking the signal, which also means they probably can’t transport us.” She brought her face closer, refusing to let go of his. “Trust me. I can swim through the tunnel and into the cave. I can get us out.”
“The tunnel is too long,” he protested. “You’ll run out of air and drown.” His hands convulsed on hers at the thought, but she was just glad that he was talking.
“I won’t drown,” she said. He looked like he wanted to protest, and she finally turned her hands from his face and took hold of his fingers instead. “I promise you I won’t. I’m a free diver. I’ve been taught by some of the best in the world in Brazil. I can hold my breath for nine minutes, Malcolm. I can swim deeper and hold my breath longer than anyone else on Enterprise.”
Surprise flickered through his eyes, momentarily chasing away the demons of fear there. “I didn’t know that.”
“Not many people do, if any.” She gave him a small smile. “It’s in my file, so Doctor Phlox knows, but there hasn’t been much need for me to use the skill on a starship. Especially not in hand-to-hand combat training against the bravest man I know.”
His answering smile faltered. “Not that brave. I was almost catatonic earlier. And I’m about to let you go ahead of me, to find a way out of here, because I’m too terrified. Some senior officer you have with you today.” He looked away, anger at himself mingled with panic at the idea of being trapped underwater.
“Hey, what did you say to me when we were trapped in that cell? ‘Don’t ever let me hear you belittle yourself or your capabilities again.’ If it’s good enough for you to say to me, it’s good enough for you to be told the same thing.” She tapped her thumbs on his cheeks and made him look at her once more. “Now I need you to focus. I’m going to leave my uniform here with you for the moment. We’ll need them once we’re completely out. But for now they’ll just get in the way.” She let go of him and started removing her boots and socks, placing them neatly to one side.
“I need you to fold my uniform into a square, and put our boots in the middle. Then we’re going to tie everything onto my back with your uniform. That way we can leave our hands free and take everything with us. Okay?” He nodded, and she bumped his shoulder with hers. “Lieutenant, you always say I should use my words, so use yours.”
A little fire came back into his eyes, and he lifted his chin. “I’m still capable of understanding, Ensign, even if I am panicking. You’re wanting a sort of backpack of our uniforms and boots so we have something to wear outside. But I’m bigger than you and I can carry more weight. And I’m a decent swimmer, even if I’m petrified. I should wear it.”
“I’m the better swimmer and I’m not petrified. I’ll wear the backpack, I just need you to help me put it on. Now, let’s get ready.” She started stripping off her heavy twill uniform, which was soaked up to the waist; eventually Malcolm had to help her pull it off her legs. “I’ll be gone for at least ten minutes, possibly more,” she advised him as she prepared, now wearing only her blues. “Get the uniforms and boots ready while I’m gone. My communicator’s in my chest pocket, and we’ll want both torches to light the way and make the phosphorescence glow. I’m taking mine along now.” So saying, she slipped her torch into the top of her Starfleet-issue sports bra. “You should probably put what we need in your pockets and turn your uniform to face outward so you can get anything we need off my back without having to untie the bundle.”
Once again he nodded, busy stripping off his own uniform. “I don’t know if the communicators will work after they’ve been submerged, but we can hope so. The scanners, too. We should definitely look into having these waterproofed; I’ll speak to the commander when we get back.” He stilled, then looked up and saw her smiling at him. “When we get back,” he repeated.
“That’s right,” she affirmed, taking his hand. “We’re going to get back.” Giving his hand a quick squeeze, she released him and prepared to enter the water. It was almost to the top of the tunnel entrance, so the flow was less strong than it had been a short while earlier, and she wouldn’t have to fight as hard against the current.
“Wait,” Malcolm said, and she looked at him. “Take your phase pistol. Just in case.” Hoshi hesitated, but recognised the wisdom in his words, and attached the holster to the side of her standard-issue skants. “Here,” he added, handing her a sheathed knife. “Might as well take it, if you’re going out to explore. It might come in handy, especially if the pistol doesn’t fire underwater.”
Hoshi nodded and took the knife, strapping it to one calf. Any weapon was better than none, and a back-up for a phase pistol that might not fire wouldn’t go amiss.
She turned back to Malcolm. “When we get out of this, I insist that you take me up on the offer of enchiladas. You haven’t tried mine yet, and I’m damn sure they're better than Chef’s.” A startled grin met her, and he nodded. With an answering smile, she slipped into the water, gasping a little at the cold; it was bearable, thankfully. She looked up at him; he wasn’t that much higher than she was, which meant she had to act quickly. “See you in ten minutes,” she reassured him, giving a thumbs up. Looking pale again, he gave her a weak smile and tentative thumbs up in return.
She breast-stroked her way to the tunnel; then, purging her lungs and taking three deep breaths to oxygenate her blood, she prepared to enter it. Giving Malcolm one last look, she swam inside. The current was strong; she fought her way across it, to the wall, then started up the channel, pulling herself along the wall so she didn’t get swept out. This part of it was about ten metres, and as she recalled, the tunnel looped back on itself for about the same distance before emerging into the main cavern.
Hoshi was able to keep her head above water a good portion of the way, but the tunnel was filling quickly. Thankfully it was fairly wide and not completely pitch dark, thanks to the phosphorescence, so she didn’t have to worry about her claustrophobia. She switched on her torch and then replaced it in her bra to shine ahead, igniting the phosphorescence just a little more to allow for better visibility.
The tunnel roof had dips and hollows that should work as breathing points should it become necessary; she noted a hollow and crack nearby, followed by two near smallish stalactites and a fourth, quite deep, hollow just before the first corner, and made a mental marker of their positions. Then she turned the corner into the final stretch; the situation here was a little better, with at least four possible air pockets before the final shallow turn into the main cavern. She’d been able to keep her head above water all the way, but it was getting trickier, and she doubted that that was going to be possible once she’d made it back and was bringing Malcolm this way.
The tunnel exit was almost filled by water and she knew they’d have to go underwater here, at least - a prospect she was not looking forward to with Malcolm’s phobia likely to kick in. Ducking her head under, she pushed through strongly. The water was relatively clear, probably due to the lack of silt and sand in the caverns, and for which she thanked her lucky stars.
The main cavern was much fuller than the others, which was to be expected. The entrance was fully submerged; she dove down to it to look outside, and all she saw there was more water. The gorge must be flooded. Well, she could get Malcolm out; she would get Malcolm out. There was no room for maybe. Emerging from the cave mouth, she looked around; about ten metres of water separated her from sunlight; a doable distance. And the water looked relatively calm, so the rushing of a flash flood must have subsided by now. If they didn’t have to worry about trees and debris, so much the better.
She turned and swam back into the cave, surfacing for a breath, although she didn’t need it; while she could hold her breath for nine minutes, there was no reason she should while she could still get air. Looking around, she saw a few places with handholds that she could use to help steady Malcolm while he got his breath back; but the only thing for it was going to be to dive and swim out.
Hoshi swam back across the cave, took a breath, and ducked down into the tunnel, which was now fully submerged, too, as she’d expected. She navigated her way to the first air pocket - which would technically be the last - that would give Malcolm a decent breathing stop before they had to dive to get out of the tunnel and into the main cavern. The other three in that leg were smaller, but the shapes of the cavities meant they were unlikely to be completely filled.
She shone the torch as she went, lighting up the phosphorescence in trails up to the hollows. Turning the corner, she did the same for the other air pockets, all of which were bigger than the ones she’d just left. She was careful not to breathe while in any of the hollows; there was no need for her to do so and she didn’t want to use up any of the air that Malcolm would need.
Finally ducking down through the tunnel entrance, she emerged into the cave, having to swim upward a short distance to reach the ledge, where she could see Malcolm’s bare feet in the water. She surfaced beside him and he grabbed her under her arm and hauled her onto the ledge beside him.
“How bad is it?” he asked without preamble. His eyes were already starting to get that white look around the edges, and she knew that panic was not far off. There was no sugar-coating anything, not if she wanted him to trust her enough to be of any use.
“It’ll be hard, there will be a lot of swimming underwater, but it’s doable. I’ve mapped out eight air pockets that will get you through to the main cavern, where there’s still enough air to prep for getting out. Then I went outside the main cave, there’s about ten metres of water between the entrance and the surface.” She paused, and took his hand. “Malcolm, you’re going to have to swim underwater here, in most of the tunnel, and again when we dive to get out of the main cavern. Are you going to be able to do that?”
He looked down at her hand on his, then back up at her face. “I don’t know. Physically, yes. I’m a strong swimmer; I had to be, as part of the requirements to become the security chief. Not to mention that being able to swim is a good way to prevent drowning," he dead-panned. "Mentally?” He paused, actually taking the time to think about it. “I’m probably going to struggle. I know I sound fairly lucid now, and I can hold my breath pretty long - though not as long as you.” His grey-green eyes met hers again. “And I trust you, Hoshi. You’re the bravest person I know. I know you won’t let anything happen to me if you can help it. But the panic? I don’t know if I can keep it entirely at bay. And I’m worried that I might unintentionally harm you if I panic underwater.”
Hoshi leaned over and put her hand against his cheek. “Well, we’re going to focus on getting out of here, on staying alive so we can get out of here, and on looking after each other the whole way through. Because one thing I’ve learned about Lieutenant Malcolm Reed is that he won’t put someone else in harm’s way if he can help it, especially not through his actions. So I’m going to trust that your instincts will keep you rational for as long as possible.” She squeezed his hand and gave him the most confident, reassuring look she could, raising her eyebrows until he gave in and smiled ruefully at her in turn.
With a wink, she turned to the clothing he’d carefully stacked away from the water’s edge. “Let’s get this on me so we can get moving,” she said. “And we should definitely take our phase pistols out, just to be on the safe side. Though I don’t know if they’ll fire underwater.”
“Way ahead of you, Ensign,” said Malcolm, patting his phase pistol where he’d attached it to his blues. “I wouldn’t be a very good Armoury officer if I didn’t make a plan to keep at least one weapon available, and I have two.” He pointed to the long knife sheathed to his right calf, a match to the one on hers. “I had one on each leg,” he explained, seeing the question on her face. “Now you have one, too. Anyway, here’s your ‘backpack’.” He picked up the uniform bundle and indicated that she should turn around. “I put the boots inside your uniform and zipped it before I folded it,” he said, holding the bulky square against her back and reaching over her shoulder and around her waist to hand her one arm and one leg of his uniform so she could tie them diagonally across herself. “Less need to worry about anything falling out.”
“Good idea,” she agreed, taking the remaining arm and leg from him and finishing off the knots. Then she turned back to him for the final briefing. “Before we get started, here’s the situation,” she began. “We’re going to have to dive to get into the tunnel, and swim through it mostly underwater.” His eyes widened, and she took his hand reassuringly. “I’ve mapped out eight places where we can get air, and I didn’t breathe in any of them, so they should be fresh enough. Then underwater again until we come out in the main cavern. We’ll have a quick rest there, refresh our lungs, then it’s underwater again to get outside, and about ten metres to go to reach the surface.”
“I can’t hold my breath that long,” Malcolm interrupted, his voice cracking. “I’ll drown before we reach the surface!”
“No, you won’t,” Hoshi reassured him. “I can hold my breath that long, and I’ll give you air as we surface. No one is drowning today, not on my watch.” He looked unconvinced, and Hoshi let go of his hand and grabbed his face again, making him look at her. “Malcolm. Do you trust me?” For a long moment he just looked at her, then finally nodded slowly. “Then trust me when I say this: I won’t let you drown. We’re getting out of here, and off this planet, back to Enterprise. And we’ll have enchiladas together when we’re back home. Right?”
He stared at her a moment longer, then gave her a shaky smile. “I’m holding you to that, Ensign. Consider it a date.” Suddenly he realised what he’d said, and started stammering. “I mean … not a date, a-”
Laughing, Hoshi laid a finger on his lips. “I know what you meant, and either way, we’re going to have that meal together. That’s a promise.” Looking relieved, he nodded again. “Now, you can either hold onto the backpack, or take my hand - which I’d prefer, so I know where you are at all times. The tunnel is a bit dark and I want to get your head right up into the air pockets for our eight stops.”
Malcolm gripped her hand in response. “Hand it is,” he agreed, his voice still shaky, but determined. “Let’s do this.”
“Okay,” she said. “Let’s get into position and oxygenate our blood. You’ll need to hyperventilate - breathe out everything in your lungs and then take three deep breaths to fill them.”
So saying, they slipped into the water and swam over to the tunnel entrance. Hoshi looked into Malcolm’s eyes as she showed him how to hyperventilate; then she gave one final gulp and pointed down. His hand convulsed in hers, but he submerged with her and started swimming for the tunnel entrance.
They ducked inside, pushing against the current to reach the wall. Once there, they switched on their torches; Hoshi had tucked hers into her cleavage to free up her hands. She used the wall to guide Malcolm forward a couple of metres before taking him up to the surface. His head broke through into clear air and he exhaled, then gasped in air frantically. Hoshi did the same, and then counted off three deep breaths to calm him; then she tugged at his hand and he nodded, submerging again and swimming alongside her in the wide tunnel, phosphorescence lighting up in the glow of their torches. They emerged thrice more, taking the chance on the last rise to hyperventilate, clear their lungs and refill them, since the final air pocket on that leg was much larger than the others.
Swimming through the dark, even with torches and phosphorescence, was taking its toll on both of them, but the air pockets seemed to be staving off the worst of Malcolm’s panic. His hand was tight on Hoshi’s, holding fast to the one semblance of safety that he had. Only four more pockets and ten more metres left.
They made it through the rest of the tunnel with no incidents, emerging into the largest cavern with a gasp as they broke the surface. The cave was much fuller than when Hoshi had been here last; there was only about a metre of air left.
“Doing okay, Malcolm?” Hoshi asked, her grip on his hand still firm and reassuring. She shone her torch just past him, so she didn’t blind him. His eyes were wide and terrified, but he was clearly trying to hold onto some semblance of calm. He exhaled shakily.
“No,” he said frankly. “Doing terribly. But we’re almost out, right? Now comes the hard part.”
“Now comes the hard part,” she agreed. “Let’s go to the other side, near the entrance.” They kicked off, swimming in breast stroke, Malcolm refusing to let go of Hoshi’s hand even though it made their movements a little uneven. Once they reached the other wall, Hoshi paused them so they hung onto a ledge slightly above and to one side of the exit. “We need to hyperventilate here. That should help oxygenate your blood and allow you to hold your breath a little bit longer. But I’ll be right next to you all the way. As soon as you feel your breath failing, squeeze my hand, and I’ll take over from there. Okay?”
He nodded, closing his eyes briefly as he drew in a shaky breath, then looked at her again. “I trust you, Hoshi,” he said, his voice unsteady but determined. “You’ve trusted me to get you out of tight spots, after all. And you’re far more of an expert here than I am.” He swallowed hard. “Let’s get to it.”
She regarded him steadily, then raised her hand to his cheek. “You’re the bravest man I know, and everything you've done today has reinforced that for me,” she said quietly. “I won’t let you down, Malcolm. Enchiladas await.”
His eyes crinkled at the joke, and he started exhaling all his breath. The next few minutes were taken up with preparing their lungs. Then it was time to go.
Hoshi left her torch tucked into her bra, preferring to have her hand free. She kept it switched on to help provide light during their swim. Holding fast to Malcolm, she dove for the cave entrance, kicking strongly. They needed to get out into the open as quickly as possible, before Malcolm’s air ran out. Passing through the entrance, she righted them and jerked her thumb up. Malcolm nodded and they began rising, kicking their way to the surface.
They’d made it three metres when suddenly Malcolm was jerked to a halt. Kicking frantically, he looked down at his feet and back up at Hoshi, his eyes wide, bubbles streaming from his mouth. She let go of his hand and pulled herself down his body, so she could stay close. Reaching his feet, she saw the problem; his foot had become entangled in a vine that was floating above the cave entrance; she recalled seeing them protruding from the cliff face when they’d made their way to the entrance.
Tugging at the vine was ineffectual; Hoshi reached for the knife strapped to her leg and pulled it free; she made short work of the vine, then rose to face Malcolm again, still holding the knife; there was no time to resheath. He’d sunk a little while she’d worked, since he’d stopped kicking.
Time was running out; the incident with the vine had cost them almost a minute, a minute that Malcolm didn’t have to spare. Terror sparked in his eyes, though he tried to fight it back. Hoshi kept them moving as she pulled him along with her, her hand back in his. He started squeezing her hand frantically, his eyes wide.
Not slowing, she wrapped her arm around his neck, pommel and knife blade flat against his back, grabbed his chin and cheek with her other hand, then fitted her mouth to his, her head tilted to prevent air from getting past the seal of their mouths. His hands latched onto her wrist and waist, his eyes frantic. She breathed out slowly, letting air flow into his lungs. The panic in his grip subsided just a little, and she felt his body relax against hers as she breathed into him. From her peripheral vision, she could see the water lighten as they drew closer to the surface. Just a little way to go and they’d be free.
Then a familiar shimmer enveloped both of them. Hoshi closed her eyes, and when she reopened them, she and Malcolm were standing on the transporter pad, drenched, shivering, but alive. She pulled her mouth from his and for a moment they both took in great gasps of air, still holding onto each other’s hands. Malcolm dropped his forehead down to hers and squeezed her fingers tightly.
“Welcome back, you two,” said a familiar drawl. Hoshi had never been so glad to hear Trip’s Floridian accent. They both turned to see the blond chief engineer grinning at them from behind the transporter controls.
“Commander,” Malcolm said, a note of real relief in his voice, “I could kiss you.”
“You didn’t seem to be doin' too bad a job on Hoshi there, Loo-tenant,” Trip chuckled, deliberately massacring the word, and Malcolm sputtered in outrage.
“I was giving him air, Trip!” Hoshi growled, glaring at their friend. He might have saved them, but she could have happily kicked him in the shins at that moment.
“Sure, Hoshi,” he said, putting up his hands in mock surrender. “Whatever you say.”
She narrowed her eyes, threatening retribution with a look. “I'd be careful what stories I spread around if I were you, Commander,” she said in her sweetest voice. “You never know who might be listening.”
Trip gulped. Hoshi’s temper was not to be trifled with, junior officer or not. And she was holding a scary-looking knife in one hand; likely one of Malcolm’s. “Yes, of course,” he said hurriedly. “Just a little welcome-home humour.”
“Good to know, Trip,” she replied, voice still as sweet as pecan pie. “We’ll be heading off to Decon, then; I expect Doctor Phlox will want to make sure we’re not carrying any nasties.”
“What happened, anyway, Commander?” asked Malcolm. “And where are the others?”
“Seems there was a lunar alignment of the planet’s three moons,” explained the chief engineer. “There was one heck of a high tide, and what we didn’t see until too late was that the gorge you were in led directly to the ocean and ended in a small dam. So it filled up all the way to the top of the cliff." He shook his head, remembering. "We couldn’t warn you or even pick up your biosigns until you came out from inside the cave and neared the surface, and then I was able to grab you and bring you on board.”
“Glad to hear it,” said the armoury officer. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience in the caves when they started flooding. And the rest of the team?”
“Zabel’s flying them back now. They let us know about the floodin' and that they couldn’t reach you.”
They both breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing the news. “Thank goodness,” said Hoshi, sheathing her knife. "Then we can head off and not worry too much. Thanks, Trip,” she said, going up to the blond and hugging him fiercely. “Thanks for bringing us back in one piece.”
“Any time, darlin’,” he said with a grin, ignoring the water soaking into his uniform. “Glad I could latch on and grab you both.”
“And thank you, Ensign, for getting us out alive,” said Malcolm. “I’d never have made it out without you. When you said I should trust you, you were absolutely correct. So thank you. I owe you my life.”
Hoshi smiled and winked. “Well, Lieutenant, I’m holding you to your word. Let’s go and find out when we’ll be released to enjoy those enchiladas, shall we?”
With a last glance at Trip, they set off to the decon chamber, trailing water behind them, the uniforms tied around Hoshi dripping continuously.
Watching them go, Trip wondered if they realised they were still holding hands. He'd have to tease Malcolm about that - though not where Hoshi could hear. He grinned to himself. It was good to have his friends home again.