Janeway sat at her desk in her ready room. She had to get away from the reminder that they had again lost the Lyante ship. She rubbed her temples, and tried to think through the headache.
It is not hopeless, she reasured herself, We will find that damn ship again.
"Captain," Tuvok's voice came to her ears, "We found the ship's signature again. They are not far away."
Janeway closed her eyes. They couldn't convince the Lyante to hand Paris and Torres over. The ship's shields prevented a beam out. They had to find another way to get them out of there.
"Keep them in sight, Tuvok," she said, "Chakotay, to my ready room."
"On my way," the commander's voice answered.
A couple minutes later, Chakotay was standing in front of Janeway's desk. He was concerned, for she looked tired. He knew that she felt tired as well.
Janeway looked up with eyes that showed frustration.
"We need help in getting Tom and B'Elanna back."
"We can't waste any more time," Chakotay mentioned.
"I know, but there has to be someone out there that can help."
"You mean someone with enough of a grudge against the Lyante that they will align with anyone to get back at them?"
"Call it what you want, Chakotay," Janeway said, "but you have to amit we need help."
"Their shields are low. If we can get to them, and destroy the shields, we can get Paris and Torres back. We don't need to bring anyone else into this."
Janeway rubbed her temples again. The strain was almost unbearable. They had been chasing the cursed Lyante ship for six days now. She was on the verge of doing something she knew she'd regrete. She looked at Chakotay, who had a concerned expression on his face.
She sighed and said, "No, we can't. Let's just hope they don't fix their shields."
Chakotay nodded, "I know you won't, but you need some sleep."
"I know, but I won't until we get Tom and B'Elanna back."

"Is it just me or are we going nowhere?" Paris whispered.
"It's just a really long corridor,Tom," Torres answered.
Paris turned around for the fifth time, and again saw nothing. He didn't like it at all.
Where are they? He thought.
He soon got his answer when he saw glowing eyes at the end of the hall.
"We have company," he whispered.
Torres spun around, and saw the eyes. The aliens seemed to be running toward them.
"Let's move," she said as she quickly went the other way, "We have to find the control room."
Yellow light flew toward them as the creatures fired upon them. Paris fired back as he followed Torres down the tunnel.
"It must be at the end of this hallway," Torres said hopefully.
"I hope you're right," Paris said as he dodged a beam of light.
Paris turned and almost ran into Torres, who had stopped short.
"I think I found it," she said as she searched for a panel. She found it after a moment. She started punching buttons as Paris fired back at the aliens.
"Hurry, B'Elanna. They're getting closer."
Torres didn't answer as she tried one last combination. The door hissed open, and the two rushed inside. They forced the door shut, then took a moment to relax.
"I'm really sick of the dark," Paris growled as he stared into the darkness.
Torres ignored his comment as she headed toward a huge silouhette that spead out before her.
"It's the control room," she announced, "now to find out if we can turn on the lights and signal Voyager."
"'Bout time," Paris said bitterly, "I don't want to stay here any longer."
Torres ran her hands over the control panels, and began tapping buttons. She felt Paris' presence beside her also punching buttons. Suddenly, water poured down upon them.
"Guess we don't have to wait till we get back to Voyager to take a shower," Paris said, running a hand through his wet hair.
"We more than need it," Torres agreed as she continued to press buttons.
The indoor rainfall continued as they tried to find the light. Suddenly, they heard the door hiss behind them. Paris spun around, weapon in hand, and saw the glowing eyes. He fired at them, not waiting for them to enter the room.
"Keep at it, B'Elanna. I'll keep them at bay."
"You didn't need to tell me that!" Torres said, "Just keep them from firing at me!"
A beam of light hit the console beside Paris, causing it explode in sparks. The flash of light illuminated the room for a couple of seconds. In that time, he got a quick look at the aliens. They appeared to be seven feet tall and dressed in black. He fired at them, and saw one hit the floor before the light faded.
"No lights," Torres mentioned, "I'm going to try to send a signal to Voyager."
"Make it fast. I think there are more creatures on the way."
A console exploded beside Torres, but she kept pressing buttons. She had no time to notice what was going on around her. She had to concentrate on contacting the ship.
Paris moved to stand behind Torres. He had to protect her as she tried to signal Voyager.He fired again at the aliens, and dodged the return fire. A console exploded very close to Torres. She gasped in surprise, but said nothing. Paris fired back, and heard a thud as another creature fell.
"They're either poor shots or they don't want to hurt us," he said beside Torres.
"Shut up and keep firing," Torres growled, "I'm almost done."
Another beam hit a console beside Paris and sparks flew. He jumped out of the way to stand behind Torres again. He fired back, and hit the wall beside one of the creatures.
Paris aimed his weapon, but didn't get to fire a shot. He saw a yellow beam heading toward him. He stayed where he was, knowing that if he moved, the beam would have hit Torres. He felt himself being tossed backward and into Torres. He heard her shout in anger as he sank to the floor.

"Something is coming from the ship," Kim announced suddenly.
Janeway turned around, hope filling up inside her, "What is it?"
Kim stared at his console for a moment then looked up, "It's from B'Elanna. They escaped and found the main control room. She's going to try to get their shields offline."
Janeway smiled and turned to Tuvok,"Let me know when those shields are down, so we can get them out of there."
The Vulcan nodded, and Janeway turned back around.
"They are alive," she whispered to Chakotay.

"I sent the message, Tom," Torres announced. The console beside her exploded again. She spun around, and fired at the aliens, not realizing that Paris was lying at her feet. She was aiming at random and firing. The glowing eyes reduced in number until the door hissed shut.
Torres breathed heavily as she whiped her wet hair out of her face. She looked around for Paris, but didn't see his silouhette anywhere.
"Tom? Where are you?"
Her right foot bumbed into a leg, and she froze. She fought back the panic that threatened to over take her. She knelt down, and felt around for Paris' hand. She found his right hand lying across his stomach. She wrapped two of her fingers around his wrist to check for a pulse. She found a weak one, and she attempted to wake him.
She heard the door hiss open, and she tried even harder to wake Paris. She heard him moan then cough.
"Did you send the signal?" His voice was barely a whisper.
Torres saw several pairs of eyes heading toward them. She picked up her weapon, and aimed it at the aliens.
"Yes, Tom, it was sent," she answered before she fired at the glowing eyes.
"I'm not in the mood for company," Paris whispered.
Torres didn't answer. She kept firing, more than determained to keep the creatures away from her and Paris. He protected her from the aliens fire as she was sending the message. She just hoped it hadn't cost him his life.
The console behind her exploded. She quickly covered Paris' body with her own. A fire had started, but she knew the falling water would put it out in minutes. She took advantage of the brief light to look at Paris' wound.
Some of his uniform was torn, revealing a bloody wound in his stomach. She tore the sleeve of her uniform, and placed it over the wound. She pressed hard, and he gasped in pain. She looked at him to see that he was staring back at her.
"It's bad, isn't it?" He asked, knowing the answer.
She nodded as the remaining light from the fire faded away. They were again plunged into darkness. She looked over to her left, and saw the remaining eyes cautiously walking toward them. She reached for her weapon, but Paris' hand on hers stopped her.
"Forget it," he gasped, "if Voyager got the message they'll be coming soon."
Torres let go of the weapon, and lifted Paris to a sitting position. She heard him cry out in pain, but she held him close as she glared at the glowing eyes.
She then felt Paris' hands touch her face, and turn her head to face him. She could barely see him as he drew closer to her. She felt his lips press against hers as she ran her hand through his wet hair.
The two only kissed for a moment before they were pulled apart. Torres tried to grab her weapon, but it was out of reach as she was lifted to her feet. She struggled against the creatures' grip, but they held her arms tight. She then felt her skin being pricked and she roared in anger. She kicked at them as best she could before she slipped into unconsciousness.

Continue on to Chapter Nine
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