The Miles That Lay Ahead- Chapter 23

The Miles That Lay Ahead

by Gabi

Genre: Action/Adventure/Angst
Rating: PG-13 (one or two chapters will be rated R later on)

Disclaimer: in chapter 1.

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Chapter 23

"Who are these people?" Malcolm asked as they walked through the entrance door to the left wing.

"Two of the consultants who kindly agreed to keep the doors open." Jeren let his eyes wander across the long hallway.

"You know where to go?" Malcolm asked.

"It's the second-to-last door on the right side of the hallway."

"Okay." Weapon in hand, Malcolm took the lead, staying close to the wall as they crept forward. Jeren walked closely behind him and Erianna who was holding Trip's weapon was last.

"There seems to be no one here, is that normal?" Nervously, Malcolm kept an eye on their surroundings.

"Yes, quite," Jeren explained. "Not many physicians are allowed to work in here. Usually, there are only two or three of them and their assistants on duty. I guess Dorsik keeps them busy in the laboratories. And I hope that's exactly where they're going to stay."

Malcolm raised his hand when a door at the end of the hallway opened. Quickly, they pressed themselves against the wall, but it was only a matter of time until the two men who entered the hallway would spot them. Malcolm raised his weapon. Because of the distance he feared that he wasn't going to be able to aim properly, but he had to give it a try. The first man held his companion's arm in a firm grip, pressing a weapon against his ribcage. Malcolm fired and the beam of light hit the guard's side, sending him to the floor with a dull thud. Surprised, the other man looked up, but didn't get the chance to react when Malcolm fired again. Only a split second later he joined the guard on the floor.

"A counselor," Jeren said hoarsely. "If Dorsik told the guard to take him out, then we don't have much time left."

Malcolm gritted his teeth. He was beside himself with worry about Trip as it was. All he wanted to do was charge into the Dying Room right away, but the door was electronically secured.

Jeren tried to open the door with the consultant's keycard, but it wouldn't budge. The three of them exchanged desperate looks. Malcolm licked his lips. They had no time to look for another way to get inside. Coming to a decision, he raised his phaser and fired at the panel. Jeren and Erianna barely had time to step back when the panel began to sparkle and sizzle. Malcolm pulled away the covering, revealing the wires. Normally, this would have been Trip's job, but in the meantime Malcolm had learned a lot from his friend. Within a minute he found the right wires and short-circuited them. Weapon at the ready, Malcolm barged inside as soon as the door slid open. The room was empty.

-###-

Trip lay on his back, waiting for the end to come. He could feel the poison paralyzing his body. It burnt like hell, but the band-aid over his mouth muffled every cry of pain. He felt the poison burning its way down through his body, numbing every part of it. His head fell to one side, he couldn't swallow his saliva any longer, his fingers clenched painfully under his back and then went limp, and eventually he couldn't feel his body anymore. Trip tried to catch his breath. Now that he couldn't open his mouth anymore, it was getting more difficult with every second to draw air into his lungs; his unshed tears had run back down the tear duct and were now clogging his nose. His heartbeat grew slower and unsteady, but it refused to stop. The ten seconds had to be over by now, but he was still alive.

Suddenly, with a cold chill, Trip realized what was going on. His breathing problems weren't only due to his clogged nose. T-18 might stop a Renelan's heart, but with a human it affected the lungs. Like T-14, the weaker substance. Trip heard his own labored breathing and wild panic began to rise in his throat. This wasn't to be a quick death. Like before, he was going to suffocate. But this time Jon wasn't going to bring an antidote, and Phlox wasn't here to hook him up to life support. This time no one would help him. As the realization hit him, Trip could no longer hold back the tears that welled from his eyes and ran down his cheeks.

Dorsik bent over him and checked his pulse. "His heart's still beating," he told his colleague. "I don't understand. How can that be possible?"

"He's not a Renelan," the other physician drew the right conclusion. "His metabolism works differently. It looks like the Tetraparcyllin affects his respiratory system a lot more than it does his heart. He's going to suffocate."

If you already know that then remove the band-aid so I can breathe, Trip pleaded silently, but Dorsik and his colleague only stood there, watching his agony with cold, scientific interest.

-###-

Silently, Jeren pointed at a connecting door. Low murmurs could be heard from the other side. "The laboratory," Jeren told them.

Malcolm nodded at Erianna to step up beside him. It looked like the door wasn't secured. Malcolm took a run, jumped and slammed the door open with both his feet. He fell to the floor and executed a perfect drop and roll. Getting back to his feet in one smooth movement, he needed only a second to know what was going on. He saw Trip strapped down on the examination table, Dorsik and another man standing next to him, their faces taking on an expression of surprise as the intruders burst into the room. What caught Malcolm's attention, however, was the empty syringe in Dorsik's hand. They had come too late. Dorsik had already injected Trip with the poison. Malcolm supposed that his best friend was already dead, killed by these two men. Filled with hatred, anger and desperation, Malcolm aimed his weapon at Dorsik and pulled the trigger. The same moment another phaser beam whizzed past his ear and hit the other man. The two men barely had time to look surprised when they already dropped to the floor, unconscious.

Jeren was at Trip's side in one single stride. "He's alive," he shouted.

Phaser still in hand and his attention still focused on the door, Malcolm stepped up beside him. When he saw Trip, however, the hope that Jeren's words had raised within him vanished. The labored breathing and the panic in Trip's eyes weren’t a good sign. He had seen Trip like that before and knew only too well what it meant.

Hastily, Jeren removed the band-aid from Trip's mouth. At once, Trip gasped for air, his mouth wide open to draw in as much oxygen as possible.

The labored panting frightened Erianna. "What's happening to him?" she asked. "Did they administer the T-18...?"

"Yes," Jeren nodded curtly. Frantically, he examined Trip's body.

"But.... but, shouldn't he...?"

"...be dead by now? Trip's not from Renelan. His heart will be able to fight the poison for a while longer, but his respiratory system is affected."

Malcolm closed his eyes for a split second to get rid of the burning sensation. It was true, then. Trip was suffocating. He could feel his hands growing cold. "Do something, Jeren," he whispered hoarsely, his voice trembling slightly. "There must be something you can do, what are you waiting for!"

"I extracted the cure from Trip's blood, but I don't know how it's going to react to the T-18. To ensure a quick reaction, I have to inject it into the same vein they injected the poison. I need to find the puncture."

Tears were streaming down Erianna's cheeks as she watched Trip's breathing become slower and more pained. "How are you going to find such a little mark?"

"I don't know. It could be every vein in his body." Jeren tried to calm down, thinking. Dorsik hadn't injected the poison into Trip's spine, since the engineer was lying on his back. He hadn't used the arm veins, either, Trip's hands being tied behind his back. Trip's t-shirt was slightly crumpled, so perhaps Dorsik had injected the substance into his stomach. Or directly into the heart, like most physicians did in order to shorten the procedure. But then, even his naked feet were a possibility. Jeren sighed. What would Dorsik do? Panic began to overwhelm him. Trip needed his help, but he still stood here, syringe in hand and had no idea where to inject the substance into Trip's system. He felt panic close up his throat as the seconds rushed by.

"Damn," he cursed. "Come on, Trip, help me. Where did he inject you with the poison?"

Trip's lips moved, but no sound came out.

Gently, Malcolm put his hand on Trip's cheek and turned his head so he could look at him. "Say it again," he said. Bending over Trip's face, he watched his friend's lips, and a second later recognized the word Trip's lips were forming.

"His neck, Jeren! It's his neck!"

Jeren inhaled sharply. Dorsik was a bastard. It was forbidden to inject T-18 into the neck, since the poison would burn his way all through the body before it reached its destination, causing the patient extreme pain in the process. Figures, he thought, that Dorsik would find pleasure in such an additional act of cruelty.

Now that he knew where he had to search, it took Jeren only a few seconds to find the small puncture on Trip's neck. Not wasting any time, he pressed the hypospray with the cure against the same place.

"Will it help him?"

Jeren glanced at Malcolm and tried to look confident. "I hope so," he said quietly, so that only the lieutenant could hear him. "But the T-18 has already infiltrated his whole body. It seems that he is already completely paralyzed." Jeren saw that Trip's eyes were wide with fear, and laid a reassuring hand on his shoulder. "Try to calm down, Trip, it's over. Dorsik can't harm you anymore. You're going to feel better soon. Try to breathe slowly and evenly."

"Why can't he talk?" Malcolm asked worriedly, while he unfastened the straps that held Trip on the examination table.

Jeren watched Trip's breathing as it grew steadier with every minute. The cure was taking effect. Jeren felt a burning sensation in his eyes, and blinked as pure relief washed over him. "Dorsik is a fucking bastard," he said in a quiet, angry voice. "It was pure cruelty to inject the poison into Trip's neck. I believe it paralyzed his vocal cords and the muscles in his neck only seconds after it entered his bloodstream. Normally the patients are given a local anesthetic and then the T-18 is injected right into the heart or the spine. If it is done right, death comes quickly and the patients are spared these kinds of side effects." He wiped the sweat off Trip's forehead. "Don't worry, Trip. I'm afraid the next few hours aren't going to be easy, but you're going to be alright. We're going to get you away from this place." Carefully, he shoved his arms under Trip's motionless body and picked him up. "Could you give me a hand, Malcolm?"

Malcolm rested Trip's head on Jeren's shoulder. "What about his hands?"

"There'll be enough time to take care of that when we're back in the flitter. It’s a miracle that no one's noticed us as it is. You'd better check if the corridor is clear."

Malcolm and Erianna glanced out the door and found the hallway empty. Carefully and at the same time as quickly as possible they made their way to the exit. Suddenly, Erianna stopped in her tracks.

"What's the matter?" Malcolm whispered, but the same moment he saw what was wrong. The big double-doors were closed, the consultants and even their chairs had disappeared.

Malcolm had less than two seconds to adapt to the new tactical situation when a door flew open and Harek and Rassik jumped out of the next room, weapons raised. They began firing immediately. Malcolm pushed Erianna out of harm's way and took cover behind a doorframe. He supposed Jeren had taken cover to protect Trip from the weapon's fire, but right now, he couldn't check on them. His combat instincts kicked in as the first bullets whizzed past his ears. Malcolm remembered that Rassik was Tasur's best shot. He had to be careful. When the shooting stopped for a moment, Malcolm risked a short glance. At once, a weapon was fired and he heard the sound of a bullet passing closely by his left ear. Malcolm fired as well, but his opponent had already scrambled for cover again. Erianna threw him a desperate look. They needed to get out of here. Malcolm nodded, his mind racing as he tried to think of a way out.

Suddenly there was a faint whoosh as the double-doors slid open. Surprised, Harek turned around and lost his cover by doing so. Lousy tactics, Malcolm thought as he left his hiding place, aimed and hit Harek directly in the back. Never allow yourself to get so distracted as to leave your cover. But by leaving the hiding place he had lost his own cover, and could only hope Erianna wouldn't hesitate to keep Rassik at bay. Had it been Harek, he wouldn't have been so certain of this fact.

Rassik left his cover to shoot Malcolm, and only a second later Erianna fired her phaser. Unfortunately, she missed Rassik, but the man started momentarily, giving Malcolm the chance to jump to his feet and fire a well aimed shot. His phaser beam hit Rassik the moment the guard fired his own weapon. The bullet hit the ceiling as Rassik dropped to the floor, stunned.

Relieved, they took a brief look around. Tasur's men, however, seemed to have had enough target practice, lying motionless on the floor. Malcolm supposed that it was going to be a while until any of them would move as much as a finger, let alone fire a weapon. Behind them, they heard several doors open and surprised voices asking what was going on.

All of a sudden, Kenan showed up in the doorway. "Come on, guys," he called, glancing at Trip as Jeren passed him by. "Did you get there still in time?"

"No." Jeren shook his head. "But I injected him with the cure."

"You did what?" Running alongside Jeren, Kenan shot him a surprised look. "Well, never mind now, you've got to leave immediately. You can't go back to your place. Do you have somewhere to go into hiding?"

"We'll stay with some friends for the time being. Thanks for distracting the guards. How did you manage to open the door?"

"Oh, Sista's computer is full of interesting functions. Can I come with you?"

"No, Kenan, you need to stay here. I can't come back here any time soon. Dorsik recognized me and I guess so did the counselor. My job at the Health Center is history. But no one knows that you were involved as well. Inform security as soon as we're gone. Tell them what happened and that I stunned you or knocked you unconscious or whatever."

"But I want to..."

"You'll help us a lot more if you stay here and keep your eyes and ears open. I'll find a way to contact you."

Kenan opened the entrance door. "Okay, whatever you say. I'll take care of everything here. Good luck." He nodded to Trip. "Especially for him."

"Thanks, Kenan. And... I apologize."

Kenan grinned. "It's okay. Maybe I should have told you earlier what I think about the goings-on around here. We can talk when all of this is over."

On the stairs, Erianna passed by her brother and opened the flitter's hatch. Pushing a button, she folded up the seats in the rear so that they were out of the way. Then she sat down at the helm and boosted the engines.

"Sit down on the floor, Malcolm," Jeren said and helped the lieutenant to take Trip in his arms. With a start, Malcolm realized that Trip's eyes still were open. Despite his condition, the commander was fully aware of what was going on. His breathing was still labored, but he wasn't panting as badly as before.

"Will the cure take effect?" Malcolm asked anxiously.

Jeren closed the hatch and nodded to Erianna that they were ready to take off. Then he sat down across from Malcolm and began to untie Trip's hands. "It is already working," he said calmly.

"Last time it took hours for the cure to show only the slightest effect," Malcolm pointed out.

"But it's not the same cure anymore. It's been fighting the T-14 for quite a long time, and should have adapted to Trip's metabolism in the meantime. I hope it has adapted enough to finish off the T-18."

"But you can't be sure?"

"Not absolutely sure, I'm afraid." Jeren massaged Trip's wrists to restart the blood circulation. "Of course I don't have any experience with T-18 or the cure. I don't know what the T-18 has done to Trip's body and I don't know exactly how the cure works. But it looks like it is strong enough. Trip would be dead by now if it wasn't working. He's breathing a lot easier than before and his heartbeat is steadying. He will be alright, just have a little faith."

-###-

Trip would have loved to tell them that the cure was indeed starting to take effect. Tell them that Jeren was right and that breathing had become less difficult for him. But he still couldn't make a sound. His throat was burning like fire and the muscles in his neck were hurting. His head was the only part of his body that he had been able to feel the whole time, while the rest of his body hadn't seemed to belong to him anymore. It had been a strange feeling, but now it was slowly starting to wear off. He was able to feel his arms and legs again. He could clearly feel Jeren massaging his wrists and the prickling pain that seemed to crawl through his nerves as the blood circulation got better.

Malcolm held him as closely as if he was never going to let go again. Trip knew that his friend felt guilty because he hadn't been able to stop Dorsik's men from kidnapping him. It was the second time that he had almost been killed by this damned poison. But he wasn't dead. Trip felt a vague relief replace the agony and fear he had suffered. He still couldn't move, couldn't talk, but he was alive. His life wasn't in danger any longer, and he trusted Jeren. He was sure that his new friend would find a way to neutralize the poison Dorsik had injected into his system. Trip had no strength left to worry what was going to happen to him, or to feel anxious. At the moment he was simply glad that he had escaped Dorsik and his team of mad scientists. Glad he could lay back and allow his friends to take over.

As he relaxed a little, Trip felt that the arms holding him were extremely tense. Malcolm just couldn't let go right now. Trip sensed his friend's worry even though Malcolm was trying not to let it show, and wished he were able to reassure him, or show him somehow that he was feeling better already. Or, at least, tell him that he didn't blame him for anything of what had happened.

"What's going to happen next?" the lieutenant asked.

"Tasur is going to be furious," Jeren said with a bitter smile. "And of course he's going to search for us. But he's not going to find us, at least not any time soon. Still, as soon as Trip feels better we'll have to think of something." He checked Trip's heartbeat and breathing and his features softened. "You'll be okay," he told him gently. He turned Trip's head that lay in the crook of Malcom's arm and smiled at him. "You just have to be patient."

Trip closed his eyes, feeling every nerve in his body starting to itch. He guessed the fact that the feeling was returning to his body was a good sign, but he still hoped the itching and other side effects wouldn't get worse. Well, all he could do was to wait and see. In the meantime, he had learned to be patient about his condition.

TBC

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