The Rescue

The Cave: The Rescue Part 1
Vickie T. — 4 Oct 1998, 9:19 PM

Geesh, I've been trying all day to get on here to finish up my Cave story and I was getting quite agitated. I was beginning to think I was going to have to sign up for one of those internet addiction therapy groups. But now that I'm getting my fix again, I think I'll hold off on that therapy.

KABOOM!

The blast of an explosion reverberated around the cavern. Tom and Chakotay huddled together in an attempt to protect themselves from the rocks which fell from the roof. They both suffered from fits of violent coughing from dust cloud surrounding them.

"Great," said Tom, "the fall didn't kill us, but now we're going to die in a cave-in."

"Look on the bright side, Tom," offered Chakotay. "At least we're getting out of pulling of that hare-brained jail break your Mother insisted on."

"Well," Tom said with a small grin, "when you put it that way, a little rock rainshower doesn't seem so bad after all, does it?"

KABOOM!

"Damn, this is getting serious," Tom exclaimed, as the two men huddled ever closer, Tom doing his best to help shield Chakotay's broken leg from the rocks falling all around them. A boulder the size of a basketball fell, striking a glancing blow to Tom's shoulder and knocking him into Chakotay's lap. As Chakotay helped pull Tom back into a sitting position, he said, "Look, just because you intend to ask my daughter to marry you, doesn't mean we need to get to know each other that well." Tom just shook his head and rolled his lovely blue-gray eyes.

KABOOM!

The cavern wall across from Tom and Chakotay began to slowly disintegrate into fine dust and pebbles. Once again, rocks, dislodged from the cavern's wall and ceiling above the two men, fell down around and on them. By this time, both men were bleeding from head wounds, Tom's left arm was completely numb from being struck by a large rock, and Chakotay was in agony from the jostling of his broken leg. They could do no more than huddle together and endure whatever might befall them next.

"Tom, I know what a shock it was to you to lose your Pa in that stampede. And I know you think he was disappointed in you, wondering like he did about that jewelry. But I knew your Pa and I know this: If he could see the man you've become today, he'd be real proud."

RE: The Cave: The Rescue Part 2
Vickie T. — 4 Oct 1998, 9:48 PM

Tom looked up at Chakotay with tears in his eyes. "Dang dust," he muttered, "gettin' in my eyes." Chakotay merely nodded in agreement.

Then, both men looked up, mouths gaping open, dumbfounded with surprise. Some sort of apparition appeared to be standing where the far wall of the cavern had been only a few minutes before. As the dust in the cavern began to settle, the apparition took shape. It looked like...yes, it was...a tall man, with a beard, holding a miner's pick in one hand and a ceramic goose in the other. Old Man Miles, the prospector!

The men stared at one another in silence. Then, Old Man Miles spoke. "Yer wasting yer time, boys. This claim's mine. Already got her registered down to the deed office in Voyager City." As he turned and walked away, back down the tunnel through which he had entered the cavern, the prospector tossed these parting words over his shoulder, "And don't be thinking of pickin' up any of this here ore on yer way out, neither!"

As Tom and Chakotay made their way out of the tunnel, blinking furiously at the sunlight, they could see a group of riders in the canyon below. They recognized Miss Kathryn, B'Elanna, Lee-Marie and a handful of the Delta Q hands. Tom eased Chakotay to the ground and moved toward the group, shouting and waving his hands. "Ma!" "B'Elanna!" "Up here!"

The Delta Q riders spotted Tom and sprinted towards him. B'Elanna reached Tom first and flung herself off her horse and into Tom's arms. "Oh, Tom, I was so worried. What happened? Where's Pa?" Tom pointed a few yards back up the hill. Kathryn dismounted and started toward Chakotay, but she was nearly run down by Lee-Marie, who dashed at full speed to her foreman's side. Miss Kathryn's eyes narrowed as she paused, then turned to Tom, embracing him with tears of joy - and perhaps a few of frustration and jealousy - springing to her eyes.

"Let's get you two into town to the Doc," Miss Kathryn said.

The End...I'm Finished...Stick a fork in me 'cause I'm done. Hope you liked it.