"Stuck Between A Rock And A Hard Place"
Previous Post: "Great Authority, Great Responsibility" by Michael
-=/\=-
Stardate: 60298.1455
Setting: TOLAR IV - Ruins
Twenty minutes seemed like an impossible eternity as the pair of women dug at the hardened snow, leaving laces of red fluid across it's crystalline icy surface. They had made enough headway that they could now see through the hole, not that it mattered, their visibility was completely voided by the blowing snow outside.
Glancing backward, Enaii watched as their enlarging opening increased the amount of light it let into the hallway, as of now there was not yet enough light to reach over the high pyramid stairs yet, however she was almost certain that in the next few minutes, once the hole was large enough for them to squeeze through, there would be no keeping their location secret from whoever might come up the hallway after them.
They could hear them now, footsteps echoing down the ancient corridor, assaulting their ears with promises of being captured. More fervently now, they dug at the snow, remaining outwardly calm, but knowing that this was their only chance at escape. Their pursuers had reached the stairs, at least three bodies fell and impacted on the unevenly carved structure, the thumps were unmistakable and unbearably close.
Feeling a tug on her shirt, Enaii turned to Nikita who was now pointing in terror out of the widening opening. Turning to see what her companion had been so concerned about, the Agent's face fell in disbelief. The snow had momentarily cleared, revealing a trio of Jem'Hadar soldiers heading, weapons out, toward the main entrance of the ruins. If the Cardassians were not going to be enough of a problem for them, the Jem'Hadar certainly would.
Deciding the hole was as big as it was going to get, Enaii removed the artefact from her shirt and slid it through. Without waiting another moment she contorted herself as much as humanly possible and began to force her way through the opening. With Nikita's forceful pushing and her own small stature, she managed to somehow pop out on the other side with an unceremonious crack of her ribs.
Wincing, but not daring to make a sound, she turned and propped her two legs on either side of the opening they had created, grasping the thin Marine's wrists tightly. Pulling, she felt one of her shoulders threaten to abandon it's socket, but she could not stop, their lives were at stake. She held her breath as she pulled, not daring to grunt for fear that the Jem'Hadar in the distance would become aware of their presence… their only saving grace having been that the wind was once again picking up and had reduced visibility to nothing once more.
With one final yank, the Marine came loose of the stone mouth that had contained her. There was much blood now covering the surface of the hole, probably from both of them, but their adrenaline did not allow them to settle down and check for wounds even for a moment. Grabbing up the stone tablet with her uninjured arm, Enaii quickly led them off into the white unknown of this frozen wasteland. Where there were three Jem'Hadar, there were usually six, and not wanting to encounter the others, the Operative led them off toward the last know location of the three they had seen. By now she was confident they would be in the Ruins, and thus the path that they had taken should be clear of threat… or so she hoped.
-=/\=-
Lisa Mac Isaac
{lisa_mac_isaac@hotmail.com}
Writing the hopes, dreams and future of:
Lieutenant Commander Enaii - Intelligence Liaison Officer
USS ANUBIS
And if you see no reason for giving thanks, rest assured that the fault is in yourself.
~~Chief Tecumseh 1813
