landing party ( for thecanarylives )

[dark_ages]

[ He comes to with his head pounding, his vision blurred, and a persistent ringing in his ears. It takes him a while-- a good while, maybe seconds or maybe minutes, to even regain his vision properly, and to take in his surroundings. He's in a shuttle, which is completely wrecked, panels broken and burnt, wires hanging from everywhere, sparks going off and small fires here or there. They're also tilted forward slightly, so he can feel his weight pushing against the belts keeping him strapped to his chair. He looks beyond the window and he sees a lush forest just outside, trees and blue skies as far as the eye can see. It'd be pretty if not for the fact that they've clearly crashed on the planet they were supposed to land on.

Shit. Holy shit, they crashed. How the fuck did they crash? Leonard just wanted to gather some samples from the surface, it didn't even warrant a landing party bigger than two people, how the fuck did they end up like this?

That thought gets his brain into gear. Because he's not alone. He looks over to find Sara passed out, though at least thankfully still strapped to her seat. He lets out a shuddered breath, trying not to panic as he struggles to undo his own safety belt. ]

Sara!! Come on, you piece of shi-- [ His panicked grousing is cut off as his belt comes undone, and he just barely manages to brace himself against the controls rather than slam right into them. Head still spinning, he nevertheless forces himself to stumble towards her, looking her over briefly for possible injuries before he cups her face, trying to wake her up. ] Sara. Hey, can you hear me? Come on, open your eyes...

Comments

[thecanarylives]

[ The darkness pulls at her. Blurred and disorienting, with echoes of static voices and the sharp sting of metal on metal.

It was an easy enough mission. Boring, almost. Accompany the CMO on a quick trip to the surface to gather a few samples and make sure none of the locals spot them in the process. She'd have sent another security officer in her place, had the Captain not been so insistent someone with high combat training accompany a lone officer so crucial to the crew.

Or Kirk was just playing favorites.

It should've been simple, but something had interfered with their frequency on the way down. Everything - their controls, their comms, even their engine - had shorted out, leaving them to steer a crash landing into the forest with not much to cushion them but the trees.

She stirs at the sound of her name, eyes blinking open once - twice - vision swimming in front of her and barely able to hold together. Something warm and wet trickles down her temple, a faint stinging tugging at her right shoulder. Shutting her eyes a moment, she sucks in a breath and forces her eyes open, willing them to steady - and meet a familiar gaze. ]

Nice landing, Doc. [ She quirks a small smile, glancing around at the mess of shrapnel and wires that used to be their away ship. Her vision drags, like it's on some kind of delay, and she frowns up at a communications panel that dislodged and, presumably, smashed her in the head. ]

Great...

[dark_ages]

[ His eyes widen as her own open, a faint smile when she speaks, albeit sluggishly. She seems to be at least a little coherent, and she evidently recognizes him too, which is a fairly good start. She's bleeding but-- well, he'd be more worried if she weren't. Doesn't rule out that she might be bleeding internally too, but one drama at a time.

One would think that Leonard doesn't do well with stressful situations, but here's the thing: he's a doctor, he's been dealing with stress since residency, since even before then. He may grouse and yell and complain but he damn well can handle stress, probably better than just about anyone on the Enterprise, despite appearances. ]

Well, at least you can still recognize my handsome face, [ He jokes, already taking her vitals, listening to her breathing. He reaches down to pinch her legs, and her hands. Just making sure there's no damage to her spine he'll somehow make worse. ]

Can you feel that? Talk to me, Sara. Need you to tell me so I can get you out of this chair, alright?

[thecanarylives]

[ She's not all that averse to pain. Had come to an agreement with it years ago, in another life. Still, she recognizes it well enough - knows when she's taken damage and just how bad that damage can be.

Wrinkling her nose, she shifts both legs in response to his touch, then her arms. ]

I'm fine. Quit pinching me.

[ She reaches a hand out to steady herself on his shoulder, though, gripping it tightly before unbuckling the fastener on her belt. She lurches forward with the pull of gravity, stumbling into his arms a moment before managing to find her footing. ]

Ah, shit- [ She uses another hand to steady herself again the wall, hitting her Starfleet badge and frowning at its silence. ] Lance to Enterprise, come in. [ Nothing. ] Lance to Enterprise- shit.

[dark_ages]

[ Leonard lets out a relieved sigh. That's a start, he supposes. In an ideal situation he'd go through a whole lot more before getting her out of that chair, but given their precarious situation, and his own state, there's not much he can do to stop her from unbuckling her harness.

He lets out a huffed groan when she lands on him, but he offers her the support she needs, not even a little bit surprised that she doesn't manage to connect with the ship. Of course she wouldn't. ]

The shuttle's lost. Come on, Sara, we have to get out of here.

[thecanarylives]

[ They don't really have time for a full examination. Not by the way the pod's tilting so precariously over this ledge. She frowns as the metal starts to creak around them, grip tightening on him as he speaks. ]

There's a survival pack underneath your chair. Grab it. M'right behind you.

[ She stoops to unhitch her own pack from under her seat, hissing at the sharp sting that works its way from her shoulder blade down the length of her arm. Gonna need to deal with that later. And the blurred vision. And the nausea. That's probably a bad sign.

Gritting her teeth, she gathers a black case of weapons from a compartment next to her seat before quickly following him towards the exit. ]

[dark_ages]

I know. I'm on it.

[ He's already moving the moment he sees that she can move. As bad as it is for her to be moving around right now, they really have no other choice. They need to get out of the shuttle before it either tips over, or it blows up for whatever reason.

He yanks the pack from underneath his seat, bringing his own medkit along as well. No way he's going anywhere without that. Both in hand, he rushes towards the exit, making sure Sara's following right after as he leaps out of the shuttle, stumbling onto the ground with a somewhat ungraceful grunt. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ The stinging in her right shoulder grows into a persistent yank as she moves around, but she grits her teeth and ignores it in favor of focusing on the task at hand. Which is mostly not to trip over herself as she finds the exit. Difficult, considering the fact that her vision is still lagging - it feels a little like trudging through a thick fog, but eventually she can feel solid ground beneath her.

Just in time, too. With both their weight lifted from the vessel, there's a large groan of machinery and the thing rolls - groaning on its way over the ledge and down into a chasm.

She grimaces as the sound echoes through the trees, adjusting the pack on her good shoulder and turning towards him. ]

W'gotta go. Before any locals come running.

[dark_ages]

[ McCoy stares with wide eyes as the shuttle goes over the edge, creaking and falling with a loud sound that echoes all around.

Sara doesn't need to tell him twice; he's already nodding and walking, bag shouldered while the medkit's tight on his hand. He has a phaser strapped to his thigh but he's not really planning on reaching for it unless he absolutely has to.

The forest is thick, which is good because it provides them with some cover. It's also bad because they won't be able to see too ahead of time if any locals are coming their way. Still, for now they have to move fast, until they find some kind of shelter.

He's sure that's what she's thinking too, but she might not be able to even stay upright for long, let alone be able to find a cave or something, so he keeps his eyes peeled for any little corner they can hide in. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ She has her own phaser and a vast array of knives hidden throughout her uniform, but she clutches the bag of weapons and survival pack tight under her arm as they make their way into the woods.

If she was dizzy before, it's only getting worse now. The double vision echoes in her brain and she has to blink constantly to get herself to focus in. The best she can do in their defense - besides not hurl the contents of her stomach into the nearest tree - is listen. Their footsteps are loud with the crunch of leaves beneath them, but it's inevitable at the pace they're trying to set. More important is to put distance between themselves and the wreckage.

She's not sure how long they walk for. It feels like ages, but it can't be more than a mile or two. Eventually she spots a small cave tucked into the side of another ledge. ]

Here. [ Her voice is shallow, tight as she leads him to it, digging into her pack for a flashlight and a blaster. If the thing's already occupied, they'll need to be quick. ]

[dark_ages]

[ McCoy practically makes a beeline for the cave as soon as she points it out, drawing his phaser halfway there and readying it to aim, even with the bag on his back and the med kit strapped to his side. She doesn't look all that great and he doesn't think she'll be able to deal with whatever might come running out of that cave.

Luckily, the biggest thing to rush out is a fairly large rodent, though it looks more scared than confrontational. It scurries off and disappears into the woods, and the cave is small enough that a quick look around reveals that it's otherwise empty.

It'll do. For a couple days if need be-- in the meantime, hopefully the crew's working on coming down here and saving their asses. ]

Alright. Let's have a look at your injuries.

[ He sets down the med kit and lets the bag slide off his shoulders, already pulling out the blanket and stretching it out across the floor. ]

Have a seat.

[thecanarylives]

[ Sara manages to hold her fire at the flinch of movement, watching the large, rat-like creature scurry away. Thankfully, there's no nest inside to be seen, so it's unlikely it or any of its friends will return knowing it's now occupied by something larger.

She ducks her head and follows McCoy inside, scanning the area carefully - as carefully as she can, considering the dizziness is only getting worse.

She claims a seat on the blanket he lays out, setting her bags down and groping around for the water bottle. Her skin is pale and clammy, and when he inspects her further he'll very quickly find out why. There's a large gash running from the top of her shoulder blade down towards her side, the blood thick and soaked through her uniform. ]

Your med kit comes with a bottle of whiskey, right?

[dark_ages]

[ Kneeling next to her, he just shoots her a look at that, taking her bottle away. ]

No. And don't drink water yet, let me do a scan first. Drinkin' water may do more harm than good.

[ He'll just have to figure out how to hydrate her if he can't heal whatever is wrong with her. For now he grabs his tricorder to get some readings, more or less satisfied with what he gets, all things considered. Before he goes for the diagnostic wrap, he first shifts closer so he can look her over, feeling first along her nape, tracing the spine over her clothes. ]

I'm gonna need to get your shirt off. Think we can get it off or should I cut it?

[ It's all said very bluntly and practically, he's definitely not playing here. She doesn't look too gravely wounded, but he won't risk it, not when they might be stuck here for a while. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ Her lips pull into a pout when he takes her bottle, mouth already dry and getting dryer knowing she can't have it. ]

Fine. Not like I'm suffering blood loss or just hiked through a forest or anything.

[ She stays still as he scans her, skin still clammy with cold sweat as his fingertips skin her bones. ]

Just cut it. S'ruined anyway.

[ Her voice is tight, irritated at her current state. She's not much use as a bodyguard concussed and with a gaping hole in her shoulder. She helps him peel the fabric of her shirt away from her skin, leaving it in a pile on the floor. ]

You hurt at all?

[dark_ages]

[ Leonard didn't end up not being the one to do that last check-up on her, though in his defense, it wasn't because he chickened out of it. Truth is, he didn't have to. He was called to accompany a team back down to the planet, as they tried to retrieve the shuttle and any other evidence that they'd ever been on the surface, and in the end he had to leave the task of doing a final check-up on Sara to another doctor.

He's thinking that's probably some stroke of good luck, until he finds himself stuck again while back down on the planet. No strange storms this time, but they do end up getting captured by the locals, or at least some of them do, Leonard being among them. Shoved into a deep cave, he can only guess that in there, there's no way the ship will be able to pick up on his and the other crew members' signals, so he's stuck with having to wait until the remaining members of the team manage to get in contact and ask for help with the rescue mission.

It would be just fine and dandy if it weren't for the fact that the locals aren't too happy about their presence, and they can't seem to establish communication with them either. Chances are they'd all end up getting killed if they were there for long enough. But the Enterprise comes to the rescue in the nick of time yet again, though Leonard doesn't look very happy about being beamed onto sick bay covered in bruises and cuts, some fractured ribs, a broken nose and a broken leg, too. In fact, as soon as he's ungracefully plopped on one of the beds, he immediately starts barking out orders rather than letting himself be treated. ]

No! I don't want any fucking painkillers, goddamnit. Just give me that damn shit and I'll set my own nose myself, thanks!

[thecanarylives]

[ She'd raised hell when she found out the Captain was sending a team back to the planet's surface without her. He'd insisted it was just a routine clean up crew, and there was no need for her to accompany the handful of officers - especially when she hadn't yet been cleared for active duty after her injury.

Had she and Jim been a little closer, she would've been more inclined to tell him where he could stick his active duty clearance.

Still, at the very least the team was fitted with equipment that would make it easier to beam back up if another storm hit. McCoy was only there to retrace their steps. The mission should've been in and out. A few hours, tops.

Three days later, there was no sign of them. She'd been heading up tactical for the last 36 hours straight, running on fumes and determined to get the remainder of the team back in one piece. And her short fuse and extra irritability had absolutely nothing to do with the unknown whereabouts of a certain CMO, thank you very much.

Except that the moment they confirm he's on board, she's booking it out of the control room and down the hall to sick bay, damn near trampling two lower level officers on the way. ]

Where is he?

[ Her tone is clipped, and she doesn't wait for an answer. Just bee-lines it to the sound of gruff, accented yelling, turning the corner and feeling her heart hammering hard up out of her ribcage and into the base of her throat. ]

[dark_ages]

[ It really isn't Jim's fault that this has happened. Leonard just got reckless and stupid, letting himself relax when he should've been alert for native presence. After all, he and Sara had gathered a bit of attention to themselves down there, and leading the way to where the shuttle was, he just got too relaxed and they were caught halfway there.

He's yet to learn that the ship did in fact manage to get the shuttle back, as well as their makeshift satellite device. But right now his focus is on the team, although none of them seem to have suffered quite as much as he has, probably the result of some of the locals recognizing his face from before. Still, he's acting like none of it affects him, and with one hand on his nose and another on a bone healing tool aimed at his own face, he pulls and yanks on his own nose, setting it straight again.

It comes with a loud, pained yell and a few colorful expletives, but with the bone healing tool the bleeding quickly stops and the swelling soon starts to go down, only leaving the ugly splotches of blood behind to be cleaned.

Still panting and reeling from that pain, his eyes move across the room, only to find Sara standing in the middle of medical. ]

Sara? What the hell are you doing here?

[ Basically, if she's here to yell at him for being an idiot, please don't. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ She's kept herself busy the past few days, blaming herself for the mission gone south. If she hadn't been so sloppy and gotten herself stabbed, if she'd followed her instincts and headed off the locals before they'd gotten the chance to attack, she could've been on the clean up mission and none of this would've happened. They wouldn't have been so bent on revenge, she could've been there protect him - them. The team.

The sharp grunt of pain sends a shudder up her spine and she clenches her fists instinctively, fingertips itching to do something, anything that might help. When she finally lays eyes on him, the worn, beaten down, bloodied state of him, her gaze softens and something in the pit of her gut twists hard, stopping her in her tracks. ]

Christ, what the hell did they do to you? [ Her words are just above a murmur, and she draws closer to his bed, gaze scanning him up and down. ]

[dark_ages]

What does it look like they did to me?

[ Looks like they beat him up, is what. He says it in a softer tone regardless, an eyebrow raising despite his state once that initial pain and shock subsides, and the regenerator is done healing his nose. ]

I'm fine. Nothing some good reliable modern medicine won't fix, and I'll be on my feet by the end of today. I'd say you should've seen the other guy, but...

[ Well, Leonard didn't really put up much of a fight, particularly knowing he'd just end up getting killed faster if he stood up to such a large group. Or forced to watch as they killed the others on the team. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ The quip is probably supposed to be light-hearted, like knowing he'll heal is supposed to be comforting, make it okay that he looks like he's just been put through a garbage disposal. But Sara's brow just furrows, something defeated in her eyes as she reaches out, but thinks better of it and sets her hands on the arm rest of his bed. ]

I should've been there.

[ She shakes her head. She should be relieved that he's back in one pieces, but now that it's over there's only that flood of guilt. That she should've done better. ]

[dark_ages]

[ His eyes flicker to her when she approaches, noting the way she almost reaches out, then retreats. It's weirdly nice, even if only for a moment, to think that all this time she was this worried about him specifically. But he also doesn't want that to weigh on her mind. ]

So what, you should just be on every away mission that ever happens? You know that's not happening, Sara. There are always going to be other missions, and there will be times where we'll get a little more banged up. It's par for the course. I know what I signed up for.

[ He may be a doctor above all else, but he is a Starfleet Officer too. He may lack the level of skill or practice that she has, but he's gone through the training, the experience, all that jazz. She shouldn't be feeling like he constantly needs someone there to save his useless ass. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ For the first day or so, she'd made a fairly concerted effort to pretend all that stress and anxiety was for the good of the whole team. But as the hours ticked by, and news came back that McCoy himself had been taken, she was fairly sure the crew was starting to get a clearer picture of just why she was getting so upset at a side mission gone south. ]

It was my fault. [ Her voice is tight, clipped. Her brow furrowed down as she stares down at her hands, grasping the arm rest at his side. ] They took you because of what I did to their tribe. If I hadn't... [ She shakes her head again. ] If they'd... Leonard, they could've killed you...

[dark_ages]

[ Yeah, he's starting to get the feeling that the crew is getting all sorts of clear pictures, and he can only imagine how affected Sara must've looked by all this for them to be watched as intently as they are being now. He manages to glare at one of the ensigns that's hanging by his bed just because, scaring him into dropping a tray with various tools before he hastily picks them up and makes a run for it. ]

Shit. Okay, I'm too banged up for this conversation. Hold on.

[ He barks at a nurse to bring the wrap leg regenerator, which is going to be a pain to get around his own leg but he'll manage. Then he nods to Sara. ]

Get me a decent scanner, then pull the privacy dividers.

[ It's not a room so it's not perfect, but it will block out most of their conversation, so no one can listen in or try to take a peek like it's any of their damn business. ]

[thecanarylives]

[ It's likely a combination of his sleeping next to her bed after her stab wound and her irritability and worry after he went missing, plus the mildly unprofessional profile picture that's still up on her social profile. She's past caring what the crew thinks, though, too caught up in the anxiety of possibly losing him the past few days to pay attention to the gossip.

Now, though, she's realizing the hole she's dug herself into. How stupid and reckless all of it was, how completely unprepared she is for whatever conversation he's planning on having.

Her attention flits to the nurse, then back at him, and she straightens a little, taking her hands off the bedside. ]

No, it's fine. I'll get out of your way. [ She puts on a small smile, attempting to at least feign professionalism, pretend like now that he's back, the job's done. Mission complete. ]

[dark_ages]

[ Leonard realizes the moment that she decides that it's best to just up and leave now, in the way her frame straightens and she pulls her hands from the bed. He reaches out for her arm before she can go, urging her to look at him. Too late for damage control now, he's pretty sure. ]

Then why come here in the first place? Why show that you care only to act like it's no big deal after all?

[ He presses his lips in, knowing full well that this is possibly the worst place to have this conversation, but he can't just let her go like that. ]

Why won't you just talk to me, Sara?

[thecanarylives]

[ She stiffens at his touch, but doesn't pull away. Glancing up to meet his gaze, she lingers for a moment, the breath tight in her throat. Already all too aware of the many pairs of eyes currently on them, she lets her voice drop to a soft murmur. ]

Not here, okay? [ If she has to do this - and she does owe him that much - then she sure as hell isn't doing it with an audience. She shifts to take his hand from her arm, brushing her thumb over the back of his wrist and setting it back on the bed. ] Get some rest. I'll come by tonight.