Forwarded by the ASC-VSO Posted: Sun, 25 Jan 2004 15:50:39 GMT In: alt.startrek.creative From: "Heather Smyth" picard5@bigpond.com Title: Vengance From The Past Author: Heather Smyth Series: TNG Part: 2/? Rating: R Code: P/C Disclaimer: Paramount owns all Startrek and I derive no financial gain from this story...just a little fun. Summary: See part one. Down on the planet Data repeated his warning. "It was definitely an explosion. You stay here, I will investigate." Ensign Orrop nodded enthusiastically, not wishing to venture out into the deluge. "Yes Sir." Data Left the shelter and struck off towards where he thought the sound had come from. With the thunder crashing overhead, he cast about, trying to get his bearings. The sounds were echoing through the ruined buildings making it very difficult for even his enhanced hearing to decipher. He was moving up a street towards the outer circle when he was hailed. "Commander Data!" He stopped and, using a very Human gesture, raised his hand over his brow, shielding it from the rain. Seeing Lieutenant Parkes in the rubble, he trotted over. "What is it Lieutenant?" "Sir, I thought I heard.that is I." "You thought you heard an explosion?" "Yes Sir!" Data nodded and looked up the street. "I also heard something Lieutenant, but I am unable to pinpoint it. Do you have any suggestions?" Parkes shrugged and said disappointedly, "Not really Sir. What with the thunder and all." "I see. I am going to look in that direction. Would you care to accompany me?" "Aye Sir." The two officers set of at a trot but soon slowed when Data raised his hand. "No, not this way. We should back track and try over there." They had covered some metres when Parkes voiced his question. "What are you looking for Sir?" "Not looking Lieutenant, smelling." "Smelling Sir?" "Yes. I hope to smell the residue of material used as the blast initiator. However this wind and the rain are hampering my olfactory senses." They trotted on in silence for a while before Data once again stopped them. "No, not this way. Perhaps over there." Jean-Luc rolled onto his right side and tried to stifle the moan of agony that slipped through his bloodied lips. Uncaring of his injuries, he dragged himself slowly over the muddy ground towards his beloved Beverly. Centimetre by agonising centimetre, he endured the pain, dragging his useless legs behind him. It took an interminable time, but eventually he reached her. He tried to sit up and failed. As he lay gasping on his back, he could hear Beverly softly whimpering. His voice but a whisper, he said her name. "Beverly." Even through the roar of the pelting rain, she heard him. She tried to answer him, but there was something wrong with her mouth. She allowed her body to relax and she fell sideways onto her back. The agony washed over her and she cried out inarticulately. He raised his hand and touched her shoulder. "Steady Beverly my love", he whispered. "I'm with you." He could see metal fragments sticking out of her body and her jaw was obviously broken. Blood flowed freely from head wounds, the gore quickly carried away by the rain. One eye was swollen shut and she seemed to be unable to move her head. Thunder rumbled overhead and lightning flashed. He scoured the land within his scope of vision and saw nothing that could help them. In desperation he again tried to sit up, but the pain defeated him. The effort caused a bout of coughing, a gout of blood escaping his mouth. As he lay whimpering, he wondered if they would survive. Data and John Parkes had moved through the outskirts of the town and, as Data checked his tricorder, he noted a small anomaly. A Human might've missed it, but not Data. He sniffed the air and moved off with alacrity, Parkes running to keep up. "Sir?" "This way Lieutenant. I detect blast residue!" They ran perhaps half a kilometre when Data suddenly stopped. He turned in a small circle and struck off slightly to his left. He almost ran over the Captain and the Doctor. He fell immediately to his knees and scanned the pair with the instrument. Turning to the panting Parkes, he said, "Go back and gather the others. Go to the centre circle and bring all the equipment here. There are buildings nearby where we can shelter. Hurry." Without another word, Parkes left at a run, leaving Data to tend to his friends. "Sir, can you hear me?" Jean-Luc groaned and opened his eyes. "Data?" "Yes Sir. You and Doctor Crusher have been hurt in an explosion. I have sent Lieutenant Parkes to bring back all the equipment. I will have a med kit soon. I advise you to lie still until he returns." Jean-Luc nodded weakly and raised his hand. "Doctor Crusher." Data moved and scanned Beverly. She stared listlessly through her one functioning eye and didn't acknowledge him. "She is badly injured Sir." "Data.what..?" "I will see Sir." He left them briefly and trotted to the epicentre of the blast. Scanning with the tricorder, he went down on one knee and sifted through the mud, eventually extracting the remains of the mine casing. He then returned to his Commanding Officer. "Sir?" Jean-Luc wearily opened his eyes, but said nothing. Data took that as permission to continue. "It would appear you have activated a fragmentary land mine, a relic of the conflict. You are bleeding Sir. I will use my clothing to stem the flow." He managed to shake his head. "No, Beverly first." Data frowned, but did his Captain's bidding. He moved to Beverly, took off his tunic top and proceeded to tear it into strips. He bandaged her head and applied a tourniquet to her left leg. He then moved to the Captain and, after removing his uniform trousers, tore them into strips and bandaged the Captain's wounds. When he came to the shattered legs he hesitated. "Sir your legs are.badly damaged. There is a large piece of metal embedded in your groin. I am concerned that the femoral artery may be compromised if I move you. I will tie your legs together in the interim and I will endeavour to come up with a solution." Jean-Luc nodded then groaned as a wave of pain washed over him. When he was able, he called softly to his Second Officer. "Data.your first priority is to get Doctor Crusher to Sickbay. Do you understand?" Data knelt by his Captain and gently held his hand. "Aye Sir." It was the last thing Jean-Luc heard for a good while. Will Riker was pacing impatiently when the call came from Engineering. "Engineering to Bridge." "Riker here Geordie, what have you got?" "Well, we can send a short message, but I don't know if he'll be able to reply. He'll only have a tricorder and communicator to work with. It's a big ask, even for Data." "Understood. When can we send?" "In about an hour." Will looked at Deanna, stroking his dark beard. "What will you say?" "Something simple.like, what happened?" "Ok, make it so." Will turned back to the view screen and scowled at the serene looking planet rotating idly below. Over his shoulder he muttered, "What can you feel?" Deanna came and stood by her friend and rubbed his arm. "They have both been badly injured and are experiencing a lot of pain. Beverly is unconscious and the Captain is just holding on. As a matter of fact." She stilled and closed her eyes, her features relaxing. ".He's just lost consciousness." Will sighed expansively and lowered his head. "What the hell could've happened? This was supposed to be a simple away mission. Find out what happened to the population. Where in that does it say that anyone gets hurt? Ops what's the latest on the storm?" Ensign Steve Danthrop ran his nimble fingers across the console, calling up the latest data. "It's still raging Sir. No signs yet that it will abate any time soon." "And the ionisation?" "Still a soup Sir. Nothing can go down and nothing can come up." "Dammit!" He stalked over to the centre seat and sat down, the scowl never leaving his face. Deanna continued to stare at the planet, willing her friends to survive. In all, it took two hours for the three crewmembers to carry all the equipment through the driving rain to the injured couple. At Data's direction, they took the gear to the power station and set up what they could. Parkes and James returned to Data and very carefully carried Beverly into the building. After careful consideration, Data requested his crew find a plank wide and strong enough to carry the Captain on. He intended to tie the Captain to it to disturb him as little as possible. A tabletop was found that would do the job and the two crewmen took it to their android officer, along with some extra material strips. Gently rolling the somnambulant patient onto the tabletop, they tied him down and carried him out of the downpour and into the remains of the power station. There they got the med kits and started to give first aid. Stripping the Captain of his uniform, they found numerous metal pieces embedded in his body. Some small, some large, they had torn through muscle and bone making a devastating mess of his lean body. In the right side of his chest, a sinister shard protruded, blood leaking around it. The tricorder confirmed what Data already knew.the lung was lacerated and he was bleeding into it. But by far worse were his legs. His right leg was completely shattered, the breaks so numerous the tricorder had difficulty in cataloguing them all. Only the stout boots he wore saved his feet. His left leg was little better, the kneecap gone completely, exposing the bones underneath. The metal shard in his groin was bleeding badly and resisted all efforts to quell it. Eventually Data devised a bandage that exerted enough pressure to at least slow the flow. His eyebrow and cheek were flayed and the top of his left ear was missing. Beverly was similarly injured. Like Jean-Luc, she had metal pieces piercing all over the front of her body. One shard had severed the bone of her lower jaw and displaced several teeth. There was a particularly bad piece embedded in her stomach and, like Jean-Luc, her legs were a mess, but somehow she had fared slightly better than he. At least she'd lost less blood. The injury to her neck, caused when she was hurled backwards, was isolated with a cervical collar. There were several nasty lacerations to her face and head, but both pupils reacted to light so Data was relatively sure there were no permanent brain injuries. Antibiotics and analgesics were administered and all the small cuts and abrasions were healed. While Data and two crewmen worked on the injured pair, the other busied himself by lighting a fire. The warmth was welcome as was the chance to dry their soaking uniforms. In amongst the gear they had transported were cots, food, tents, sleeping bags, scanners, computers, in fact everything they needed for a four-day camping trip. The estimates of the storm's duration had been vague, so they erred on the side of caution, allowing four days worth of comestibles and equipment. They soon had a good site set up within the building and Data sent two of the crew to explore the ruin, bearing in mind what had happened to their compatriots and taking the necessary precautions. When Data was satisfied his two patients were resting comfortably, he secured a tricorder and removed his combadge. Taking the back off his communicator, he set up a link between the two instruments and waited for what he was sure would be a message from the Enterprise. He knew Deanna would've sensed what had happened and he also knew they would make every effort to contact them. Calling up and discarding one theory after another, he was left with only one conclusion. They would most likely try to use an encoded neutrino beam and he intended to be ready for it. With the sensitivity of the combadge set at maximum and with the added power of the tricorder to back it up, he waited patiently, as ready as he could be. Geordie's voice shattered the tension on the Bridge. "Engineering to Bridge." "Yes Geordie." "We're ready down here." "Ok, do it." "Sending now." Data was calculating how much blood the Captain had lost, while estimating the ambient temperature of the fire, when the combadge trilled. Directing his attention to the tricorder, he watched as the instrument downloaded the incoming stream of information. When the transmission ceased, he reprogrammed the tricorder and deciphered what had been sent. It was a simple message. *What happened? * Using the same method, he encrypted a short message. *Landmine. Capt. And Doc badly injured. Need help.* He paused, as he was about to press the send key. Should he offer a prayer? To whom should he pray? What would a Human do? In the end he shrugged his shoulders and hit the key, but his fingers were crossed. After all, it couldn't hurt. Jean-Luc was dreaming. He was on a beach; the startling white sand seemed to go on forever. The surf boomed as the breakers rolled endlessly onto the shore. He turned a small circle, looking for his partner. He found her lying on a towel. He stood and let his eyes wander over her curvaceous form. Clad in a sea-green one-piece suit, her hair was loose and falling about her shoulders. Her long slender legs were crossed at the ankles and he was utterly positive he'd never seen a more beautiful woman. He stepped closer, his shadow falling across her face. She frowned and raised her hand to shield her eyes. The smile that slowly spread across her face warmed him immensely. "Hello Jean-Luc, what are you doing here?" He shook out his towel and spread it beside her. Sitting down he turned his grinning face to her. "Looking for you, actually." "Well, you found me." She giggled. She lowered her sunglasses and admired his well-muscled form, the black speedos he wore accentuating his body deliciously. He looked away, towards the water. "Have you been for a swim?" "Not yet. Care to join me?" He lifted his chin and pursed his lips. Nodding, his noble face broke into another grin. "Yes. Yes I would." Beverly sat up and brushed the sand from her hands. Rising gracefully, she held out her hand. "Come on then!" He rose to his feet with equal grace and they walked hand in hand to the water, pausing briefly to test the temperature, then entering swiftly. They strode out through the waves, but when one larger wave hit him in the chest, he realised something was very wrong. It hurt! He tried to call to her. "Beverly! Help!" But she was nowhere to be seen. The next wave hit him and he lost his breath. Gasping and coughing, the pain engulfed him and he went under. It was freezing. The water was everywhere, in his mouth, his nose.he couldn't breathe. "Commander! He's choking!" Data pushed aside his instruments and rushed to the Captain's side. He was indeed choking.on his own blood. Data took him and rolled him onto his side, his fingers going to Jean-Luc's mouth to clear the blood. Another cough wracked his frame and a clot was expelled forcibly. Abruptly he breathed in and coughed again. More blood was forced out as well as a cry of pain. "Captain, you must try and control your breathing!" Jean-Luc weakly grasped Data's sleeve and nodded. A shiver passed through his body then he slowly relaxed, breathing slightly easier. Data assessed the situation and came to a decision. "Sir, I will put some packs behind your back. I think you should stay on your side. It will aid you in breathing." Jean-Luc blinked slowly, his only way of answering. Data and Parkes laid some packs at his back and leaned him gently on them. Having got him in position, Data asked, "Are you in pain Sir?" Again Jean-Luc blinked and Data took it as an affirmative answer. Taking a hypospray, he loaded it with an analgesic and injected his Captain. "That should ease your discomfort Sir." Jean-Luc swallowed and took a shallow breath. Whispering, he said, "Thank you." Data nodded and went back to his computer. Ensign Danthrop was relieved when the console beeped to relay the incoming message. "Sir, we have a message coming up from the surface." Will stood stiffly, the tension evident in his body. "It's garbled Sir. I'll have to send it to Commander LaForge to clean it up." "Do it." Steve pressed the requisite panels and sent the message to Engineering. "Geordie, this is Riker." "Yes Sir." "We need that message deciphered. Best speed." "I'm on it. Engineering out." Tense minutes passed. Suddenly Geordie's voice rang out clearly. "It's on its way up to you now." "Ops?" "Getting it now Sir. It reads. Landmine. Captain and Doctor badly injured. Need help." Deanna gasped. "Oh God." Will looked at the ceiling and called Engineering. "Geordie, come up to the Bridge." "On my way." "Will we've got to get them up here!" "I know Dee, I know." The turbolift doors opened and Geordie stepped onto the Bridge. "Geordie we have to find a way to transport through that ionisation. We need to get medical supplies down there.quickly and then we need to be able to transport two people up here. What do you think?" "What I think is that we've got a very big problem. Look I'm willing to try and send some pattern enhancers down there and maybe some supplies, but there's no way we'll be able to transport living people through that soup Commander." "Well if we don't some of the people won't be living much longer! Did you read the message?" "Yes Sir." "Well you know what's at stake. Work on it Geordie.at least get the medical supples down there." "I'll give it my best shot Commander, but it'll be a shot in the dark." Will nodded as Geordie left the Bridge. "Ops can you send another message?" "Yes Sir. Commander LaForge has configured the computer up here." "Good. Send this.Trying to send med supplies. Standby." "Aye Sir." "Bridge to Sickbay." "Sickbay here. Selar speaking." "Doctor Selar, come to the Bridge." "Aye Sir." Will paced as he waited for the Doctor, Deanna sat in her chair focussing on the planet below. Presently Doctor Selar arrived, the Vulcan's cool demeanour in stark contrast to the tension felt by everyone else. "Selar the Captain and Doctor Crusher have been badly injured by a landmine. We can't transport them up through the ionisation. We intend to attempt to send medical supplies. I want you to make up a parcel of what you think they will need. Keep it simple and compact. I'll let you know when we'll need it." "Aye Sir." Having dismissed the Doctor, Will gently took Deanna's arm. "I want you to go and get some rest. Who knows how long this will take." She was about to argue, but saw the logic in his words. "You'll call me if." "You bet." Deanna left the Bridge and Will settled into the Command chair to do what he liked least of all.wait. -- Stephen Ratliff ASC Stories Only Forwarding In the Pattern Buffer at: http//trekiverse.crosswinds.net/feed/ Yahoo! Groups Links To visit your group on the web, go to:http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ASCL/ To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:ASCL-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service. From ???@??? Sun Jan 25 19:34:45 2004 Status: U Return-Path: Received: from n21.grp.scd.yahoo.com ([66.218.66.77]) by cockatoo (EarthLink SMTP Server) with SMTP id 1aKUGa2Cv3NZFkl1 for ; Sun, 25 Jan 2004 16:32:38 -0800 (PST) X-eGroups-Return: sentto-1977044-13008-1075077022-stephenbratliff=earthlink.net@returns.groups.yahoo.