The Escape (21 page)

Drickel held her arm so that she remained in the booth until the shuttle settled. A heavyset middleaged man wearing a bright-almost neon red-wig grinned at Drickel.

"Man, you sure like doing reports," he said.

Drickel grinned in return.

A woman approached the booth.

"Well," she said. "I don't." Janeway recognized her voice. Noughi.

She was as slight as the man was large, and on her the extended chin and tiny forehead of these people looked startlingly attractive. She wore a black shirt layered over a white one. They were opened at the collars and cuffs, but shiny buttons indicated that the fashion could go either way. Her tight leggings tied at the ankles and on her tiny feet she wore the largest, most useless pair of shoes that Janeway had ever seen.

"Captain Janeway," Drickel said. "This is Noughi, and my good friend Red." Red was certainly well named. Janeway nodded to both of them. Then she looked at Drickel. He was flirting with Noughi. Another side to him. A side Janeway liked.

"Welcome," Noughi said. She didn't even totter on those amazing shoes. "Your people were fabulous. Outside the Back Room, minor 'crats were laying wagers on how many Time Alarms would sound before Control managed to outfox them." Janeway suppressed a shudder. These people had built up so many rules and regulations that they often forgot they were dealing with living beings.

"Noughi," Red said, with a bit of reprimand in his voice. "This woman-has come to recover them." Noughi blushed. The color that rose in her skin was a dull yellow, which clashed with the white of her underblouse. "I didn't mean to insult-was "You didn't," Janeway said. "It's nice to know some people here were pulling for my team." "You headed for Period One, I assume?" Red said to Drickel. Drickel nodded. "Would you tell Rawlik we're coming?" "Be glad to," Noughi said. "Good luck." "I'll walk you to the shuttle," Red said.

They left through a door Janeway hadn't even seen on the side of the room. She almost wished she had brought Tuvok here. He would have been fascinated by the look of these caverns three hundred thousand years in the past. The hallways were still stone, but there was no dust. She patted herself, and dust came off her. She must look a fright. No matter. Soon she would have her crew and be able to return to Voyager.

The corridor they entered had the faint scent of burning pitch. They had entered at a fork. She looked over her shoulder down the other fork. Trees lined the walls and were probably the source of the scent. Th6y they stepped into a side room that seemed oddly familiar to Janeway. The room was wide and tall and the stone had a flat, utilitarian feel, although the floor was covered with concrete that had long since been covered by dust.

One ship sat in the center of that floor. The ship was a miniature version of the shuttles that were on the surface. It lacked the long landing legs, and the tall ramp, and its circumference was smaller, but its design was essentially the same.

Drickel opened the ramp. Red moved close to him. "You're taking quite a risk that Rawlik will work with you, friend," he said. 230 Drickel grinned. "I specialize in risk, Red. You know that." "Well," Red said, "for what it's worth, I'm cheering for you." Drickel grasped Red's hand in a formal gesture. "It's worth a lot." Then he climbed inside.

Janeway followed.

The small craft had ten seats and no apparent controls. There was no one else on board.

Drickel took a deep breath and smiled at Janeway. Then he sat down. Janeway did as well.

The seat was softer than she had expected, yet it didn't invite comfort. A moment after she sat, the door thumped closed. The ship lifted off the platform and gently returned to the same place.

"Was there a problem?" Janeway asked.

"No," Drickel said. "You've just traveled over four hundred million years into the past." Janeway still had the dust from the future on her clothing. These time distances seemed so fantastic to her that she had no real conception of them. Yet she did feel very far away from Paris, Tuvok, and Voyager. It took the door longer to open than it had taken them to travel in time. When it did, Drickel stood and walked to the ramp. Janeway did the same. If she hadn't known she had traveled in time, she wouldn't have been able to tell at first glance. The room appeared the same-the single shuttle, the concrete floor, the stone corridor leading away. Only the cast outside the ship had changed.

Several people wearing orange suits stood comnear the corridor door. Before them a man who had the same M

general build as Paris stood waiting, his hands behind his back. He had the characteristic Alcawellian features, but on his large chin, he wore a goatee. His hair was brown and he had apparently forgone the wig that was custom to his people.

Beside him were three long black boxes.

Apparently coffins looked the same on every world.

Janeway put a hand to her forehead, feeling momentarily dizzy. Drickel had said she might spend three months here, fighting their bureaucracy.

Well, she'd stay years if she had to.

Drickel hesitated at the sight of the coffins.

Then his hesitation changed. A smile played at his lips. "Success," he whispered to Janeway.

"Let me do most of the talking." Drickel came forward, his hand out, and he and Rawlik repeated the gesture that he and Red had just done. "Thanks for meeting us," Drickel said.

"You know," Rawlik said, "you're causing me two extra Personal Involvement citations." "You might want to go to the Regulation Bureau," Drickel said. "The rules on dispensing bodies to the families should be the same for PlanetHoppers as they are for Alcawellians." Rawlik shook his head. "I've had enough red tape for this Real Time year." A smile hovered around his mouth as well.

Janeway's throat was dry.

Drickel had said they had success, but she didn't know how he could tell. Her uniform was still covered with dust from the future, and those coffins looked very, very real. 232 Janeway walked to Drickel's side.

"Captain," Rawlik said, and Janeway almost jumped. She hadn't been introduced. This man acted as if he knew her. Perhaps he did. He took her hand in his warm one. "Let me express my sympathies for the fate of your crew." His voice was louder than it needed to be. "Our laws are harsh, but they are just. We protect our society as best we c$59 No answer was probably the best answer. It was good that she hadn't allowed Paris to come in her place. He probably would have expressed to Rawlik and his companions his exact opinion of bureaucracy. And Paris didn't handle flexible bureaucracies well.

He wouldn't have tolerated this one at all. Rawlik was still holding her hand, and something had dug into her palm. He was giving her something. It took all of her control not to look at her hand in surprise.

Then he let go. She cupped her palm. He had given her a piece of paper. Rawlik turned to the people in orange. "Load the coffins," he said. "The captain is here to claim her dead." I The orange suits picked up the coffins and carried them like garish pallbearers into the shuttle. A shudder ran down Janeway's back. She had hoped she would never witness this, but always knew she would. A captain lost crew.

That was part of the risk.

After they had placed the coffins inside, the orange 233 suits left the shuttlebay. Rawlik took a step closer to her and spoke softly. "Captain, you have the antidote in your hand. We had to use a drug that simulated death. Couldn't reduce the dosage because it would have been too obvious. I'm afraid you only have an hour Real Time, otherwise they will truly die." "Will that be enough?" Janeway asked Drickel.

He nodded. "If we move now." "I can't thank you enough," Janeway said to Rawlik. He grinned. "Actually, it was my pleasure. Working with Drickel and you these last few months felt like the old days, and we got to do some good." Drickel chuckled. "I told you not to take that desk job," he said. Rawlik shrugged. "It has its benefits." "This is one," Drickel said to Rawlik.

"Tell me, how long did it take us to get this through the council?" "Three months Real Time." "Three months?" Janeway said. "I've been here three months?" "Yes," Rawlik said. "And we even found time to help you clean that dust off your uniform." She smiled too.

"Go now," he said. "You're losing Real Time." Janeway nodded. "Thank you. And thank Control." "You already did," he said and smiled. "Very eloquently, I might add." Drickel took her arm, and together they Went up the ramp. The coffins sat just inside the door, grim and dark.

"Oh, one more thing," Rawlik said. He came close 234 to the ramp, Janeway crouched so that she could hear him. "Please tell Torres that I was only doing my job." Janeway nodded and squeezed his hand. "As are we all$99 She entered the shuttle, trailing her fingers on the polished surface of all three coffins. The paper was tilde afely tucked in her left hand. "Let's go, Mr.

Drickel." "Sit down," he said. "This thing won't go otherwise." She sat beside him and stared at the coffins. She could almost hear the hour ticking away around her.

The door closed, the shuttle rose and then landed softly. Such an easy way to travel. And so very quick. The door opened, and Red was where they had left him.

Only more orange suits stood around him. His hair clashed with their outfits.

"Let's move," Drickel said. "We only have permission to allow this PlanetHopper here for a few more Real Time minutes. These coffins go with her." The orange suits grabbed the coffins like cordwood and hurried them to the door to the Back Room. Then they set them down. "Security Regulation 111.42," Drickel said, as if that were explanation enough. At Janeway's confusion, he added, "They can't come in here." In fact, Red waited until the orange suits were out of the corridor before opening the door. Noughi stood inside, her shoes on the desk. They looked like oddly shaped vases from that perspective.

She came out and together the four of them carried the coffins inside the Back Room. 235 They loaded the first coffin onto the shuttle with Drickel aboard. The coffin barely fit within the confines of it, sliding icross, the seat beside Drickel.

"Get me at ten minutes from last departure," Drickel said. "I'll unload and come right back for the others." "I'd like to go with you," Janeway said.

"Sorry," Noughi said. "This machine can only carry two large items at a time." "Very well," Janeway said. Drickel had to go since she didn't know how to operate the machine.

"Give this to Tuvok." She handed Drickel the paperwith the antidote, on it.

"Will do. I'll take care of things." She nodded and stood back from the shuttle.

"What's the hurry?" Red asked. Then he glanced at the captain. "Man, I can be as callous as Noughi. And here I scolded her for that remark earlier." Janeway smiled at him, making certain the smile had a sadness to it. "We just want to get our crew taken care of and get on with our mission." Red nodded as Drickel gave Noughi the go ahead. He and the coffin disappeared.

Thirty seconds Real Time later, which seemed like an eternity to Janeway, Drickel's voice sa * id, "Noughi, pull me back." A moment later he and the shuttle appeared.

He repeated the process twice more and then smiled at Janeway as he appeared again. He patted the seat beside him and said. "You ready to go back to your ship?" "Absolutely," she said.

With a wave at Noughi and a quick shake of Red's hand, she climbed in beside Drickel.

Noughi looked at Drickel. "You're going to have to help me with all this paperwork," she said.

He smiled. "Gladly." A moment later the very dusty room surrounded her.

Paris was holding a lantern, looking like the lamppost he had said he would be. Except that he was coughing in the waves of dust.

He was the best thing she had seen in ages.

Literally. f tilde I

Il

JANEWAY HAD HERSELF, PARIS, AND DRICKEL BEAMED DIRECTLY to sickbay.

She couldn't wait to see if her team made it. As she materialized near the door she saw the doctor look up. He was standing near Kim, who was blinking groggily. Torres was sitting up. Neelix had one of Kes's hands trapped beneath his own and was talking softly to her. Janeway smiled. They had made it.

They had survived.

"No, no, no," Doc Zimmerman said.

"Absolutely not. Get out of here now. I warned you before, especially you, Mr. Paris. You would not be allowed in here again in that condition." "I'll do double duty to clean this place," Paris said as he walked over to Kim. He clasped Kim's hand in a modified high-five.

"Kid, you gotta stop going places 238 without me. I'da got you outta that mess in an instant." "Yeah, right," Torres said. "Mr. High and Mighty. You didn't face the Bureaucracy from Hell." "You've never been in a Federation Penal Settlement," Paris said. "I'm sorry, Doctor," Janeway said. "Let us see the away team and then we shall leave you alone." Doc Zimmerman shook his head. "No understanding of medicine, no understanding of protocol, and no understanding of cleanliness. It's a wonder this place isn't a breeding ground for all sorts of exotic dis-eases." He picked up his tricorder and leaned over Kim again. "My darling, you should have seen us," Neelix was saying to Kes in as soft a tone as he could manage. "We were brilliant. Never, they said, never had they known such daring, such persistence." "I missed you, Neelix," Kes said. "I'm just glad you're back." "Frankly, my darling, so am 1. 1 thought of you constantly-was "And spoke of you even more," Kim said.

"You will not move or speak until I tell you to," Doc Zimmerman snapped. "Now I have to run these readings all over again." "Sorry, Doc," Mm said.

661 warned YOU-19 Janeway's smile grew. She had missed these people. She was very relieved to have them back. She tapped Drickel on the arm and nodded her thanks.

He smiled as well. Then she went to Torres's side.

"How are you feeling?" Janeway asked.

Torres gave Drickel a questioning glance and then looked at the captain. "Very lucky to be alive, actually, Captain. how did you ever manage to beat that system? We tried everything." Janeway glanced at Drickel. "It's a long story that I don't even know parts of Suffice it to say that Mr. Drickel here backed you out." "Backtimed." The word exploded from Torres.