Off-world, MACO Training Site
Stardate: December 2156, 1300 hours
*****
The next few hours were spent in silence, dozing on and off, with Gabriel wondering from time to time how he finally managed to shut her trap. Perhaps he stunned her with the offer. She certainly didn't seem to want to believe him. Hayes could not help but think how the old adage worked to her disadvantage. 'Be careful on what you wish for. You just might get it.' Captain Sloane McRae got it alright and in delivering, he shoved his whole thirty men down her throat. He'd watch from a distance of course. She might be a very ambitious Captain, whom he felt needed a lot of direction. Perhaps he was wrong. Gabriel was taking her seriously and lifted his gloved hand to scratch his head in the darkness. He rested his head back, trying to rest, but it was too god damn cold. Lifting his wrist, Hayes pushed back the uniform and checked out the time from his night-glo watch. It was probably the twentieth time he'd done so.
God he was freezing. His knees had been drawn up as close as he could get them without impaling his own chest. Another glance in her direction as they both sat in the pitch dark on the ledge. "Do you play chess, McRae?"
"Hmm?" Sloane was pulled from her light slumber. She swallowed slowly, trying to stretch her body a bit but all that achieved was start those shakes again. This was getting rather dangerous. Letting herself be lulled to sleep by the cold. What had he asked? "Chess, sir?" She could easily see him pull out a marble set from his right side pocket and nearly chuckled at that.
"Yes, McRae. Chess. It's a game. Do you play?" Even after so much peace he sounded like an asshole.
"Yes," Sloane replied tightly. A thing she enjoyed with the likes of Louis Brennan, another MACO.
'It's a game, McRae, you dimwit,' her mind imitated his voice and tone. So much for his support. Oh boy, her life was turning into a right living hell and would just carry on sinking down further the minute they got out of here and he'd give her the gig and watch her make an ass of herself. He was so sure of the outcome. Thinking on it, it was the only reason he was doing this. To watch her fail, in front of everyone and what was left of 'God and Country', so afterwards she would shut up forever and ever. Well, he could only hope. Hope and dream.
"Good." The voice still sounded off in normal Hayes routine, "Come over here. Or I'll meet you half way. Either way, the padd is small and if we don't huddle up we're both going to be dead if the temperature continues to drop at this rapid pace."
Reaching into his uniform, Gabriel undid the internal zipper and took out the small device that normally acted as his sidekick during the course of any given day. Scooting near her, he turned it on. The unit came to life and green light flooded his features in light. He almost looked pleasant, a kind look to his face despite the usual tone of his voice.
"Are you any good? I'd hate to lead us down the wrong tunnel, cause you to rip up your arm, insult you, tell you you're not doing a good job and smear what's left of you across this ledge by kicking your Air Force ass in chess."
The man was offering a gentle smile.
Ha! Sloane gave him a sidelong glance. "If it's your way of coming on to me, sir, it's working."
The smirk on her face was unmistakable as she pushed off the wall and moved closer to him. Closer. To. Him. Arrgh. But he had a point and Sloane had more common sense than letting her personal feelings for the jerk come into it. She held on to the thought that he was surely hating this more than she was. Sloane settled down, hissing at the cold rock underneath her. Somehow, over the course of the past few hours, she had managed to heat her original spot some. Still unable to stop the trembling of her body, she bumped into his shoulder and thigh.
"Sorry." She winced. "How's your shoulder?"
Her first comment immediately got a hold of his attention, he was about to protest that he would never, under no circumstances, do such a thing, but upon further investigation, Hayes found she was kidding. A feeling of irritation took hold of him and as she moved next to him, a new concern came into play. "Shoulder's fine. Thanks." A pause. "You're freezing, McRae." And sitting next to him but far away. "Don't take this the wrong way, but." Did he dare? She was a god damn female MACO under his command.
'And she could die, Hayes,' he rationalized.
"Come here." He put his arm around to take hold of her and pull her near, concentrating on the chess game that formed a small holo-image on the tiny grid. "Black or White?"
Not just standing rigid strictly due to the cold, Sloane scooted closer and let him pull her flush against his body. Shaking in his hold, she felt bloody embarrassed but tried to relax nonetheless. "I'm the black sheep, right?" she teased, despite herself, despite being so close to him he could strangle her easily.
Gabriel did not remove his arm, but held her to him, rubbing her arm up and down to try and encourage proper blood flow. "Black sheep suits you, although I would venture to say it's a role you've already mastered." A feminine scent reached his nose and the Major recalled every reason he became a MACO. "You can verbally tell the padd the moves you wish. It knows my voice always as White and usually asks for no prompting for the second voice." He knew this only because someone walked in on him when he was playing himself to figure out strategies. A joke, someone called out a move and caused his Queen to be captured.
"I'm sorry I put you into this spot, and more so that now you have to huddle against me for warmth." Okay. He wasn't really all that sorry all of a sudden. Fuck. Looking to the game, Gabriel said, "White pawn, position four, up two." The holo-image took the white pawn on the left side, the fourth pawn in, and advanced it two squares towards the black pieces. "Your move, McRae." The gentle rubbing of her uniformed arm continued.
An apology? Sloane nearly lost her voice. Forget the 'nearly'; she did. For a moment at least. Acutely aware of his arm around her and the motion of his hand... hell, of his body, his heat - wasn't the man cold at all? - and smell, for Major Hayes did wear a subtle dab of aftershave, Sloane kept feeling the need to pinch herself. This was Hardass, nose-in-regs-book Hayes, and he was breaking all the rules to get a squeeze out of her - to keep warm, mind you. If she wasn't freezing so damn much, she'd be laughing.
No, to be honest she knew the man had integrity and this was not some cheap excuse to feel her up. He was trying to do right by her after fucking up. Hell, even if he hadn't fucked he'd be looking out for her. Despite hating her guts. This was who her CO was. Why Sloane McRae put up with Gabriel Hayes at all.
"Don't worry about it, sir. You couldn't know the rock was so brittle. As for me having to cuddle you," Sloane chuckled, "hey, think about how jealous that is going to make the other MACOs..." A wide smile, Sloane called her move, starting with a pawn of her own.
The man nearly gave himself whiplash, hearing her talk like that. Quickly recovering, because she was his Captain, a person he had tried not to like for the past two years, Gabriel responded, "I'm sure every MACO will be jealous that they didn't get to sit down here, freezing their ass off while listening to your banter and witty insults." He was growing colder too, and the game in his hand began to slightly shake. Catching that, Gabriel moved it slightly away to rest on his knee. "Quit trying to distract me and play, McRae." He moved his knight out into the playing field. Suddenly threatening her pawn.
Quite proud of the reaction she had managed to rise out of him, Sloane corrected him, "I meant jealous of me, sir, not you." Hell, that thought had never crossed her mind. No, it was the ridicule of their situation she was joking about. And how many of his fine men she supposedly insulted every day with her 'cavalier behaviour' would actually be envious of her position. None. She was about ready to bet a limb on that fact.
She blocked his knight. "I thought you were good at multitasking...."
"One of the best," he sounded in reply.
A few more rounds, the cold causing his fingers to slip on the game a couple of times as his extremities began to cease pumping blood. The gloves had done all they could do and his uniform was beginning to no longer keep the cold out. Another few moves and the game almost did a Peter Pan right off his knee and possibly flying off the ledge all together. They were even, round for round, but he conceded defeat. "We're going to have to pick this up another time. For now, I call a forfeit." Not waiting for her to respond he shut the padd down, the game being saved by his set default. "How are you holding up, Captain?"
Her body slumped against his, still shaking every once on a while when she lost control over it, Sloane turned her head to him, putting her face close to his neck. "Kinda chilly. You?" she returned with a chatter of teeth.
She was sad he had to turn the game off but understood. Damn though. Because it had been helping her concentrate and forget about cataloguing the many body parts she could no longer feel.
"Same," he replied. The internal debate had been going on in his head between survival training and crossing a line that didn't need to occur. Shit. They were going to die because she was a woman? If this had been any other MACO, he would have told the soldier to suck it up and huddle. "McRae?" God help them both. "This isn't cutting it, McRae, and we're not being very smart. Lunar Survival training, out in the extremities of the night, dictates under chapter ten, section seven, that sitting in a row as we are is about seventy-five percent less efficient than if the soldiers line up front to back to maximize their area of body heat."
Jesus Christ. "Do you have the strength to be moved, soldier? If not, there's no shame in having me help you. Two ways. I'll let you pick the best based on your personal comfort level. I can sit in front of you, so your back is against the wall but I'm guessing it's going to be too cold. You're body mass won't last as long as mine in these temperatures." Somehow, despite the precariousness of their situation, what he was suggesting, Gabriel managed to desensitise it. "If I sit against the wall, you can warm your back against me. If the temperatures continue to drop, using my limbs, it is possible to protect more of you from the front side." Jesus Christ. He was about to have an internal heart attack.
Of course, he was right. And if they had had a sleeping bag, she would have been the first to mention stripping naked to maximize their combined body heat. Both a real suggestion and one to just irk his strong sense of propriety. But for some reason, she said none of that as something inside of her felt for the major. Hell, him bringing up their 'cuddling arrangement' must be so hard for him - not to say it was easier for her but she wasn't as stuck up as he was by a gazillion miles or so.
Not starting with one her usual jab about him quoting the Manual, Sloane nodded jerkily and started to unfold herself . "I can move. I think." She tried and fell to the side, her arm too frozen and stiff to move fast enough to catch her. "Shit... alright." She righted herself and moved forward, careful not to go too far and fall off the edge.
Settling into the wall, Gabriel heard her shuffling around in the darkness. A torch. Why didn't they have any sort of flame that would ignite rock? It was a stupid idea, but giving the extreme stress of his circumstances, Hayes was all for thinking outside of the box, tunnel and crater. Moving his legs forward and out, so she had a semi-cosy perch, he caught her torso as she fell into him.
"Easy now, McRae. It's going to be alright." Taking hold of her, Gabriel was careful to put her into position against him. Without asking if she wanted it, gathering from the state his soldier was in, Gabriel wrapped his legs around her legs and rested his head against her shoulder. He could smell her now and something deep within stirred at the pleasure of the scent. Immediately he thought of his first commanding officer and the many push ups he had to do in the rain. Cold, pounding rain. Yes. That was working. Thank God. "We'll get you warmed up there, soldier." He kept calling her that because it was easier to categorize her as under his watch. Under his command.
Fuck. Under his care. Resting his cheek against her back, he continued thinking on the pouring thunderstorm while something internal was loyally attaching itself to her strength.
Hayes was larger than she was and for once, since she wasn't facing him on a wrestling mat, Sloane was damn grateful for it. He all but enveloped her and all she could do was nestle against him, within his hold. She didn't fight it and she hoped he wouldn't read anything into it. She let out a ragged breath after a moment. She was still cold and they both more or less shook in time with each other now, but it was starting to work. She could feel his warmth seeping in slowly where they made contact.
Flexing her hands was getting ridiculously difficult and painful, so she took her gloves off, her teeth biting the end of each leather-covered finger to pull it. "Gimme your hands, sir." She went for them before he could react, finding them about her ribcage. She pulled his gloves off as well and held both his hands in hers, bringing them near her mouth to breathe on them. The heat was almost a burning feeling and she relished it.
"Thank you for catching me earlier, Boss," Sloane said, a bit out of the blue. She could feel his heart beat against her back and hear his breathing near her ear, and it reminded her they were still alive. They could do this.
"Another twelve hours or so, if the weather holds," she said with a grin, "and we'll be out of here." She didn't believe it could get any colder than this, not from the meteorological reports she had read before coming down to the surface, and that with accounting for the fact the caves were always fifteen to twenty degrees colder than the outdoors. "We should trade places later. There's no way you're getting enough heat protecting me..." She hated the fact that even if he wouldn't fight her on that, there was no way she could cover him as much as he did her.
"If we trade places you'll freeze to death," he commented, sitting there in silence when she took off his gloves and began to rub his fingers. He had been quiet this entire time in a reflective state, as he usually remained. Gabriel rather liked where he was sitting and to get up to move would pain his legs. He knew that they were becoming stiff and cold. A few more hours. He could make it for a few more hours like this. Especially when she tended to his hands.
Major Hayes offered, "I've survived colder nights on the polar caps of Mars. This will be a cake walk, McRae." He was starting to feel his fingers and gritted his teeth at life slowly sliced their way back in.
"And you're welcome."
Sloane nodded and bit her tongue. She had had the same training but if she spoke up now he'd say she was at it again so she packed it in. And maybe he was right. But she didn't like to think he would expose himself and die for her. Hell, where was that coming from anyway? Was the freezing cold altering her mental capabilities? She didn't even like the man. Would shoot him herself if she thought she could get away with it. Why did she care all of a sudden if he wanted to play hero? Hell, girl. You're way too empathic. Empathic but also too proud that he would think you inferior, that you couldn't cut it without him.
No, she wouldn't let him work her up again, despite the warming effect it would inevitably have on her. No way. She sighed, letting go. It was too damn cold to get worked up about anything anyway.
Besides, how could she get mad at him when he was wrapped around her like that?
"Hands a bitch when you start feeling them again, huh?" She spoke about her hands but figured he'd be feeling the same she did.
From behind her, he nodded. "Yes. It feels like you're slicing them off with a blunt object, but it's better than having them become useless and fall off." Making a bit of a joke, Hayes smiled and swore the night air wasn't getting any better. He had been losing sense of time and to maintain body heat, hadn't pulled his arm away to check. "What does my watch say?" His fingers were useless in her grip, mostly numb but slowly coming about. Like large water balloons at the end of his wrists. Closing his eyes, resting his head against her back, Gabriel pressed into Sloane so she might have enough slack of his arm to see. His teeth were slowly chattering.
Sloane shifted, moving an arm out to grab his wrist and have a look. Her breath fogged the face of the watch and she had to wipe it before she could see anything. "Just after nine. I don't think anyone missed us at dinner after all..." That was a given. "Must be your charming personality." A jab she couldn't not hold back.
"Thank you, McRae. That was comforting." Gabriel rolled his eyes internally, glad her mouth was going again because it reminded him exactly how much he detested her lack of respect to her superiors. He'd dealt with worse in his youth, so in all honesty, the Captain was a pain in the ass, but not a champion. "After I die you can put that on my headstone. 'Here lies Major Hayes, pissed. His charming personality was never missed.'"
"A bit melodramatic, don't you think, sir?" Sloane was chuckling, despite her body protesting the movement. "Nah, I'd mention something about you being one hell of a human blanket. Even saved his insufferable captain."
If he saved her. Otherwise he was gonna get a very boring headstone. She'd see to it from beyond the grave.
His voice was quick to the chase, "You can say that again." A smirk forming on his lips, Gabriel shook his head. "Human blanket. Thanks. It's nice to know you at least find me good for something, McRae."
"Uncalled for, sir. I find you good for a lot of things..." But snuggled up close to his chest like this, yeah, the human blanket angle won hands down.
"I'm all ears, McRae." Taking that as an okay cue, Gabriel re-shifted his body, and held her closer in his arms. "I hope this is alright. The temperature's dropping." Qualifying his bull shit move.
"Quite alright." Though she didn't think the temperature was dropping anymore. At least not their environment's. No, it was their bodies'. Hypothermia had set in and the body was shutting down, trying to keep the little warm blood left close to the heart.
"You really want me to start naming all the good things about you, sir? That would suspectly start to look like ass-kissing to me..."
"Unless your lips are attached to this wall.." he began, but understood her point. "No. You should know I have never in my whole career given any respect for ass-kissing." A pause, and he ventured, "But after the day I've had, hearing what you believe, especially if you can come up with just one, would be warming to the soul."
Wow. Despite the usual mask of decorum of the Major, Sloane was hearing a man speak candidly to her. Most likely a first. An event she would have to highlight in her personal padd's calendar when they got back. Slightly taken aback, Sloane thought on it for a moment. "I trust you." She did, despite butting heads with him on a daily basis, she did.
He started to laugh. "Okay. Alright. I suppose I was asking for too much." Hayes rested his cheek against her back, ready to fall into silence since he was obviously barking up the wrong tree. "Forget I said anything."
"Too much? Hang on a minute," Sloane said, trying to turn a bit so she could catch his face. Damn muscles and damn darkness. She was tempted to switch her light on to see if he was serious despite his laughter. "You think just because they put you in charge you automatically deserve or get the trust of the men under you?" She couldn't believe he would belittle her admission like that.
That comment made Gabriel laugh even more. "No, McRae." The man might have been laughing harder if it didn't hurt so damn bad. "I simply get that you're pulling my leg. You. Trusting me. Now that's something worth a laugh." His tear ducts were drying in the cold so he closed his eyes to keep them moist. Still slightly chuckling.
"Generally, sir, I don't say what I don't mean." If Hayes ever looked at her without seeing the shit-stirrer he had labelled her as, he would know that.
Sloane turned back and tried to settle against him as they had been. Annoyed and tense at first, it took a moment for her body to relax. It had stopped shaking a while ago, either too tired and crampy or way past that normal reaction to the cold.
She was sincere? "Oh." The Major lifted his head and looked at her, hardly believing it for himself. "Well. I." He was crossing too many lines and becoming sloppy down here. Hugging his female Captain? What in the hell was he thinking? "I didn't realize, McRae." Gabriel felt like he was stumbling all over the place or swimming upstream without the water. Forget the paddle. Very sloppy indeed. Another awkward pause. "Thank you."
"Hmpf." Yeah, whatever. Sloane fell quiet, listening to Hayes' breathing. All of a sudden, she tightened her limbs on herself even more, shuddering violently, unable to stop it. Christ, maybe they wouldn't be making it out alive after all.
"Captain," he said sternly. "I didn't realize, alright? I'm sorry, McRae. Sincerely, thank you." Hayes felt her withdraw a bit, which was hard to do considering he was wrapped around her, but hell. Leave it to her to figure out a way.
Regrouping, he realized she was shivering. Badly now. "McRae? McRae, would you say something, please?" He lifted his hands, useless now that they were exposed to the night air, but he rubbed them against her body. Two limp apples at the end of his arms beat themselves up and down in order to try and keep her warm.
"I'm okay... just can't stop this one. Just hold me, alright?" She was grateful for his attempts but it was wasted on her arms. "And give me back those hands."
Blinking in the darkness, Hayes found her tone calm and forgiving. Leaning forward again, he lowered his arms so his hands rested into her lap. Gabriel pulled McRae to him and rested his head on her shoulder, trying to give her the maximum amount of heat coverage.
He was helping to save her. Thinking on warming her. Sloane.
The captain wouldn't admit it to him or herself - or anyone else for that matter - but she was just thinking on how comfortable it could be to be held like this if it wasn't this damn cold. His openly laying his head on her shoulder stirred some confusion within her, and other feelings she wasn't prepared to figure out. Of course, it was just to cover her body this little extra bit with his. Yeah.
She picked up his hands again, bringing them to her mouth. Her hot breath on both pairs, she went back to trying to restore some feeling to them. Anything to help her stay focused and not fall asleep to the cold. And maybe it could help the shakes to subside.
"Hayes, I bet you didn't expect this when you got out of bed this morning, huh?" she asked, her voice wavering.
"Not in a million years, McRae. Not in a million years." He was growing tired and her touch on his hands was well received. The blood in his body pumping slower and slower. He knew it was wrong, and that he should stay awake, but Hayes rationalized that he deserved to shut his eyes for a second or two. Surely the quick rest would do his body well. Leaning his cheek against her back once more, Gabriel relaxed in her touch. His body pressing more into hers as it went slightly limp.
With a false sense of security brought on by his nearness and embrace, Sloane found her body mimicking his for a while, feeling the little warmth he provided her despite freezing himself. But she soon shook herself back to awareness.
"Major." Her tone didn't allow for no response. Though only a captain, she would be damned if she was going to let him give up now. "Talk to me. You have to stay awake."
And as the words left her, she wondered if it would make any difference anyway.
He could hear her, but if he ignored her for now, she might go away. That is what he always did anyway when her mouth started flapping and her hair-brained ideas of talking about nothing and everything filled the room. Yes. This was the right thing to do. She would warm his hands, she would go silent, and he could rest.
"Hayes." She jerked within his hold, trying to get him to stir. "Damn it," her voice broke. She was so tired and for the first time since their little trip down the hole she was beginning to contemplate that this could really be the end. Maybe Hayes already knew this. Tears prickled her eyes and she fought them. She didn't even have the energy to cry, let alone the want. She let her forehead rest on their hands and closed her eyes.
He didn't answer her and unable to fight off the logic of his training, Gabriel fell asleep. In his dreams he was young again, and curled up against Marli. The two of them having early morning pillow talk with the sheets over their heads. He was holding her. Kissing her. About to sweet talk her into not going to the zoo and staying in bed to make love to him all afternoon. Marli protested lightly, turning around so he could spoon her from behind. She began to talk, but what she said didn't make any sense. What she said was slightly garbled and her voice was funny. "MyyLov. MyyLov." He looked at her sweet, delicate back, not understanding. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Instead, Marli continued her strange call. "ZZyEs. CiiimZnHaZZes."
On the ledge, both Major Hayes and Captain McRae's comms were sounding off. Fuzzy, as the electromagnetic fields surrounded these rocks, the words were not understandable, but the haze of different voices rang true. A hint of light far, down into the chasm, swooped upward, held, then arced down and away.
Her eyes snapped open and a moment later she was letting go of his hands and fumbling for the light. "Hayes. Hayes, wake up." Sloane was nudging him as she found her light and struggled with the damn switch. There. Her beam flooded the cavernous surroundings they had plunged into and she shifted against the major, her hand going for his face and neck. She had sensed something wrong when the noisy comms had roused her and now that she could see him, she realised what it had been. She could no longer feel his heart beat reverberating against her. Panicked, she cursed when she found a slow pulse at his neck. "Bastard. You scared the shit out of me," she let out in a croaky voice.
The radio. She needed to respond. "Hayes!" She couldn't get her hand to find the pocket to pull her radio unit out, no matter how she tried. The damn limb had a mind of its own. She shouldn't have let herself doze off, not with her hands exposed.
Marli pushed him away. One minute her back was to him, comfortably warming his body in a spooning fashion, and the next thing he knew, she managed to push him away with much force. It made no sense.
Neither did hearing Captain McRae's voice in his dreams as she slept in Marli's bed.
Jolting awake, Gabriel's mind was slow to think and he blinked back the light that had invaded his world. "Ma..McRae?" he weakly called her name. "What's with." His lungs hurt to talk. "The fucking." Burned. "Light."
"Fuck the light, sir. I need your comms." She was still much against him, her body too useless and sluggish to support itself, but she was tapping his uniform, willing her hands to feel enough to find where he'd put the damn thing. She was just about to say that someone was out there looking for them both when the radio came to life again, sprouting mangled words, riddled with static and distortion.
When she kept brushing against him, with her limp hand against his limp... Holy shit. Gabriel shook his head and his eyes rounded wide. What was she doing? Bad timing on his behalf, or perhaps the most blessed gift in disguise, his blood was a commodity in high demand but low resource. Had this been going on when they first fell, she would have for sure felt.... "What are you...." The garbled voices began to register in his head and Gabriel was quick to try and help her. The comm was inside his pocket and he was quick to instruct. "Left." His voice soft still. "Left, McRae. Left!"
"Sorry, sir. My hand isn't exactly cooperating. Can you grab mine?" She pulled back a bit to give him space to move, relief evident on her face that he was now awake. "Right breast pocket."
"Right." Survival. Someone was trying to contact them. Not even thinking, he dove his hand in her uniform, hearing the cracking getting fainter on the comm. "God Dammit," the Major cursed, his fingers useless in there. Pulling his hand towards him, causing her comm unit to flatten against the fabric, his survival skills were kicking adrenaline into his body. His mind on one thing and one thing only.
"Hold still, Captain!" Leaning forward, he pulled his arm upward, the blob on the end of his wrist forcing the comm to slide slightly out. Manoeuvring his head about, Gabriel clamped down with his teeth on the unit. It was big and hard in his mouth, making breathing impossible and considering her uniform was smashing his nose, the man resisted the urge to cough and spit out his load. Carefully pulling out, Major Hayes grunted at McRae so she could hear that he had a successful release. Bringing his hands about, he was afraid to drop the comm unit, for his fingers had gone useless hours ago. Another grunt. He needed her help.
Thank god for the freezing cold was all Sloane's mind could think on when she felt his hand dive in there, pushing against her breast in no uncertain terms. Yes, thank god the cold had somewhat dulled those senses when Hayes bent down, bringing his mouth near said breast. No matter how many layers of clothes she might have been wearing - and in this instance, it wasn't more that the usual aboard the ship - there was something slightly unsettling to see your CO do that. A CO who couldn't stand you and one you couldn't stand either. And when she started feeling his breath through the cloth and then the vibrations his grunting did against her skin, Sloane nearly lost it. Head thrown back, she held her eyes shut tight until she realised he was waiting for her to do something.
Like she could hold that radio any better than his mouth did.
Right.
Looking down, eyes turning on a wicked glint all of a sudden, she burst out laughing and shook her head. "Th-thank... thank you, sir." She struggled to grab the radio and, when she felt her hold solid on it, pulled it out from between his lips. STOP. LOOKING. AT. THEM. Her laughter died down instantly and giving him a tilt of her head in apology for where she had been staring, she brought the radio near her face.
"This is Captain McRae. Do you copy?" Not getting a reply right away, she wondered if her finger was even pressing the right button.
The joy of getting out of there, into something warm, caused for him to join her in laughter. Especially once his mouth was free of the comm. Gabriel Loman Hayes muttered, "You're welcome." His voice feeling slightly stronger now that it had more use. Eagerly listening, his eyes glued on the small red light in the corner of the comm. Waiting.
Waiting.
Nothing.
"Did you depress it?" he asked, reaching forward with his hand. What the Major did not know was that she didn't have that secure of a grip either and he knocked the unit clear out of her hands. The small red light arced in slow motion in the air, just as a new crackling came through. "Cazztain? Mzzjor Hazze? CazzYouHezzUs?" Up into the air it went, as Gabriel felt his entire body freeze, but not only because of the temperature. Up. Up. Up it went. Out. And down. Out. Arcing away from the ledge, speeding past their faces, shoulders, torsos, and cross-legged feet. Over the edge. Down. The tiny red light continued to grow smaller and smaller as it fell.
The Captain and the Major wouldn't even hear it crash once it hit the bottom.
"Hmm," Sloane let out as she moved forward a bit to see past the ledge. "You just did that to get me to go into *your* pocket, didn't you?" It was a joke, and only meant as that. Humour, she found, helped most people deal with shitty situations getting horrendously worse by the second. She wasn't about to scream or cry about something neither of them could change. Now, his radio. Left pocket of his pants. Where she had already failed once to reach.
Gabriel glanced at McRae, raising a brow. "Right. That's exactly it, Captain." Despite the scenario, or what he wanted, Hayes still had it in him to remind her of their military rank. In fact, now more than ever he stressed the word. Moving over so she could get to him, he even made a false attempt to pull the comm out. Man's grievance in life was not having the flexibility or length of spine like a dog, it was impossible for him to reached down and get the comm for himself.
"Don't feel bad, I know I'm irresistible." Another crack as what she had to do now made her nervous. Hell, a choice between the possibility of raising someone on the comms or death by Popsicle and she was having second thoughts? Well, not everyone had to go dig in their stern bastard of a CO's pants with unresponsive hands. A CO, Sloane might add, who had admitted openly to hating her guts. To keep her mind busy on something remotely funny, she wondered why he had caught her at all... fear of paperwork? Surely it wasn't just to have someone to huddle with. Sloane smiled, a feat by all accounts with her frozen face muscles, as she glanced at the major.
Legs to one side and still facing him after having turned away from the distressing sight of the Flying Radio, Sloane leaned into Hayes again and he seemed to just shift slightly to accommodate her, his crossed legs tightening around her hips and arms pulling her close once more. Yep, face to face. With the light on. With his hazel eyes following her every movement. (Hazel? When had she started noticing the colour of his eyes?) Her body's need for survival obliterated her reason and did that to seek the warmth they had been sharing. But she also had an ulterior motive.
"Slide down a bit, if you can, sir," she let out as she pressed into him even more. Not wanting to lose the contact, her legs stretched out above one of his, her thighs settling across his. Not that she could feel any of it. One hand went around his waist while the other slid between them and sought out his pocket when he managed to recline some. Even with the light, she fumbled and met his hipbone before she could force her hand into his... well, pant pocket.
"I think I got it, but don't expect me to go down you with my teeth," she cracked, glancing up to wink at him.
Jesus Christ. It was the only phrase he could think as she did this. Go down on him, indeed.
Was her fingers even wrapped around the thing, she couldn't tell, but time was wasting as the signal had already been getting weaker and weaker, and so she pulled out her hand, hoping against all hope.
Christ. The size of an acorn and she was prodding around down there. Jesus Christ.
And sure enough, her frozen stiff fingers had grabbed thin air. Freezing cold air but thin air all the same.
"Damn it," her voice cracked as a little bit of her desperation showed through.
"What's going on down there, McRae?" His voice terse and uncomfortable. At least his throat was slowly moistening as his body stirred, pumped blood and his brain was awake. Wide awake. There was no way he could miss a detail.
"Err..." she started, eyes on his face.
But as the fates would have it, when she pulled her hand out, a snag in the cotton thread lining her sleeve caught on one of the comm unit's knobs and dragged it out in the same movement.
"Well, I'll be damned," Sloane let out when she felt the pull and her eyes dropped back to his groin area, spotting the radio that dangled off her cuff.
Glancing down, then back up, Gabriel smirked. "Next time you want to go down on me, McRae, make sure you quit the MACOs first," he teased. Sort of.
Her head snapped up. The bugger could banter back? Surprise kept her from replying with her usual wit.
"When I hit the button, we're going to have to start calling out as loud as we can. I don't want to chance this one going over the edge." Catching her eye, Hayes added, "On Three. One. Two. Three." Pushing his dead hand into the activation button, the Major began to holler for somebody. Anybody. As he called, his voice not even one third of its normal power, he stole a glance at Sloane.
As Sloane did as ordered, she wondered if she sounded as bad as he did. A look at his face, she caught his glance and quickly moved her eyes back on the radio, which for now, despite their subdued yells, remained depressingly quiet.
Damn it all to hell. All this shifting around had used much of her reserves and, despite knowing better, having the light on top of the cold reminding her of where they were stuck just sapped some of her spirit. Speaking of cold, having moved from the cocoon Hayes provided, her teeth started their chattering once more as her body trembled. For fuck sake, let there be someone still in hearing range!
A pause, the comm crackled, the red light shining as the only hopeful beacon to this night. Another crackle. Then, in full volume, it came in clear. "Over here!"
"What?"
"Up there! See the light?"
These voices did not come on over the comm unit, but rather from below. About a hundred feet below them, poking their head out of a large hole, four MACOs in large, heavy coats pointed towards Sloane's light. "Sir! Ma'am! Are you alright?"
Gabriel glanced over at Sloane with relief over his face.
The MACO CO called out, "We need help." But his voice barely made it past their area. The men below couldn't hear him.
"Sir? Major? Captain? We can't hear you. Are you okay?" The four men talked quickly in a huddle and then the one called out again, "Hang tight, Sirs. We're coming to get you." Their light and voices disappeared as they retreated back into the tunnels of the rock and left the Major and the Captain alone.
What did that mean? Did they have a fix on their location? Head still perked up to hear everything and anything, when only silence remained, Sloane sighed heavily. Ever so slowly, she slumped against the major's chest, tucking her head under his chin. Her legs brought up high and close to his side, she wondered if she should switch her light off for now. Save the power cell.
"You think they heard you, sir? I don't think they heard you." A beat. "You think they heard you?"
He wrapped an arm around the Captain, for he needed her warmth as much as she needed his. "Shh." He wasn't sure, but she was borderline panic as she shivered. He whispered near her ear, "I'm positive they heard me and they're coming to get us." It was a lie, Gabriel knew that. There was no way in hell they heard them. Saw them, perhaps but once they went into the tunnels, this deep, it would be a race of mouse maze against time. With their bodies unprotected for so long, Hayes was betting his pay check that time would win.
They weren't going to make it.
Sloane kept quiet for a while, not wanting to miss any signs of the others' approach. But after a while, she gave up. "Sir, you still awake?" her voice was scratchy. Hayes had been awfully quiet and though he still held her, Sloane wasn't sure if it was by will or because he was frozen in that posture. "We never got around to do those battles..." Why the hell she was thinking about that, she didn't know. Her mind was a little muddled. Maybe it was her recalling her dead family she was about to join? Yeah. Her dad and his ships... and that had brought her to a conversation she had had with Hayes in his 'museum'.
McRae's voice wasn't answered at first, for he had been dozing in and out of sleep. "That's my fault." What did it matter now who's fault it was? Perhaps he felt a twinge of guilt for pegging her as insubordinate when she pegged him as stunting her growth. Gabriel couldn't think. None of this was making sense. "We'll do it when we get back. Tomorrow evening. After my five o'clock with Tucker." Fuck. He wanted to sleep and fought against it. What if those men had a clue? What if? What. If?
His mention of his appointment with Tucker rose a weak chuckle out of her. "You're on, sir. Though I don't think it was your fault. You invited me and I never showed up." A shuddering breath and another long moment in silence. Was it really that long? Sloane couldn't tell. It could be time was so cold itself that it went by much slower.
"Sir?" Her voice was sleepy and soft. "Who is Marli?"
It was hard to believe, but hearing that name from her lips made his heart go cold. "Marli? Where did you hear that name?" Out of spite, he could not fall asleep now. Not with wondering how anybody really knew that name unless they were somehow connected to Marcus Harris and for all intents and purposes, Hayes knew them to be dead.
Even in her state, Sloane heard the warning bells loud and clear. This was a no fly zone she had unwittingly entered and it was while treading carefully that she answered, "You. You were calling out to her- well, that name, earlier..."
"I. I don't remember." He closed his eyes, the Major did, trying to pretend this was not a name he had been thinking on. More so, that he had spoken? Gabriel hated Marli. Despised the German slut. Hayes said nothing more, nor offered anything else.
There was something in his tone, his voice. And it wasn't just due to the cold and their current situation. "Sorry," Sloane whispered.
Her ears and nose had past the stage of painfully freezing to become totally unfeeling. They could have fallen off and she wouldn't know. Same with her hands, which in all that shuffle she had forgotten to protect, just like his. Damn it, her job had been to keep his hands warm and she hadn't. Another thing she was sorry about. She sighed - or at least she thought she did. Idly, she wondered why she hadn't undone her hair. It could have kept her neck a little warmer. Hmm. Her bum was so numb if it wasn't for the light letting her see they were still sitting, she could have believed they were both in some stasis. With gravity. Bugger of a physical fact that. If it wasn't for gravity... and her mind slowly stopped wandering, losing the thread to her previous thought and where it could have taken her next.
Her eyelids felt like lead and the thin layer of ice that had formed around her eyelashes due to her breath condensing made them sticky. Heavy and wanting to seal shut, Sloane realised she couldn't be bothered to fight it anymore. She didn't even remember why she had wanted to in the first instance. An oddly comforting dark slumber beckoned, promising warmth her mind could no longer logically counter as fake and fatal. Finally closing her eyes, her breathing, having turned a little wheezy, further slowed down and evened out. She jerked lightly once, a common spasm of someone giving in to sleep, though for one Sloane McRae it felt like she was fighting for air, her chest constricting, while she slipped under the surface of a calm dark lake, its cold water permeating everything.
The two MACOs lay down to rest on that ledge, and as Gabriel was knocking on death's door, unknowingly with Sloane at his side, voice above chimed on. "Over here! I see the light!" A lot of noise came into the Major's brain, but he didn't respond to any of it. Someone was above them, calling up overhead. Movement was going on all around him, but Hayes was oblivious to it all. To all of it. Even after he heard they had hooked up Captain McRae and had already hoisted her safely above. Another MACO was strapping the tethers around the Major's chest and soon the might of men began to rise the leader of the MACOs out of the cavern. More talk. Something about someone's breathing slowing and they had to hurry back to camp. Something in Gabriel's mind clicked on that and he hoped to god he hadn't killed Sloane McRae.
*****
Sloane was on the medbed, sipping a cup a hot cocoa. A remedy Capt. Tucker had said she couldn't do without, despite the CMO's comments to having doubts about that. Of course, that had made Sloane chuckle, the reaction Trip had been after all along.
"What happened down there, Captain?" Trip finally asked, once the ice was broken. Ice. He winced internally as he recalled his own brush with a similar death years ago now, whilst trapped on Shuttlepod One with Reed.
Sloane shrugged, looking around. Since she had awakened, folks had come and gone to check on them but now there was only Tucker left. And the med staff in the background. Looking to her left, she saw Hayes lying there, still asleep. Frostbites on his face and hands and deep shadows under his eyes. Sloane didn't believe she fared any better. "They looked at his shoulder? 'Cause he dislocated it..."
"We know, McRae. Doc saw to it. And to your arm," Trip added, indicating her bandaged arm.
"Oh." She had forgotten about that.
"So, you remember anything? Why you and the Major ended up in that area?" Trip tried again.
Hell, Sloane could play dumb or blame a fuzzy memory but she didn't. Looking away, she grimaced. "My fault, sir. I read the map wrong. As simple as that." Her gaze moving back on the Enterprise Captain, Sloane hung her head dejectedly. "Bloody dumb mistake, wasn't it? I'm sorry, sir. Could have killed us both." She glanced at Hayes again before eyeing Tucker, waiting for a reprimand.
MACO captains making mistakes reading maps? Trip wasn't sure he was ready to believe that. "Alright, Captain. That's all for now. Get some rest." He patted her shoulder, giving her a reassuring smile. He would speak with Hayes later, get to the bottom of this.
"Captain Tucker," Sloane called out before he left. "Was anyone injured getting us out?"
Trip cocked his head, turning away from the doors to look back at the woman on the bed. "Nah. Went smoothly. A good rescue mission practice. Now finish that fine drink and sleep, McRae. I don't want to have to make it an order."
Sloane nodded, putting the mug down, and with that she let her head fall against the soft cushion beneath it. A slow sigh left her and she blinked her eyes closed. Her extremities burned a little, and felt like pins and needles. Nothing really painful, just uncomfortable. She was still feeling an overall cold and had told the doctor about that but the man had assured her it was just an illusion. The temperature in his sickbay was a fine, invariable twenty degrees. Right. She pulled the blanket high to her neck.
Out of the silence, as Sloane lay there, a voice asked meekly, "Why did you. Do that?" Gabriel's eyelids had half risen, looking over at her. When the Captain came down and asked 'What happened down there?', in his sleep, Major Hayes began to answer it. No sound came, and his lips barely moved, but Sloane's inquiry slowly began to stir his brain into a wakeful state. They talked about somebody's shoulder and her arm. Oh. Wait. His shoulder. Then they talked about how the two leader of the MACOs ended up down there in the first place. He listened along, nodding in his head as she told the story. Charles' countering comments as it sounded to him like there should have been more.
A slight nod of Gabriel's chin as he unknowingly eavesdropped. They fell and no MACOs were hurt. That was good to hear that it was being seen as nothing more than a simple exercise seeing as how the Captain and the Major took the brunt of it. Hayes was about to fall back asleep when he heard Tucker departing and something nagging at the back of his mind refused his body to slip back into slumber. That was when he snapped opened his eyes as much as they would allow, and before his mind caught up with his mouth, he asked her why she lied to Captain Tucker.
Sloane reopened her eyes, turning her head towards the croaky voice. "Hmm? Do what, sir?" She hadn't realised he was awake.
"Tell the Captain." God, his chest hurt. "That *you* read the maps. Wrong." Hayes glanced at his Captain, feeling parts of his face only when he spoke. It was an odd feeling but he was too tired to lift his hand to touch his face. Gabriel had no idea his fingers had been treated and were wrapped as well.
Sloane frowned. Did it matter? "I didn't want to disappoint you, sir, and act out of character," she replied flippantly, a smirk on her face she wasn't sure Hayes could see. "Look, it's less embarrassing that way, right? For both of us." That was honest enough.
Sinking back into the pillow, Gabriel let out a breath and closed his eyes. "I take my lumps, McRae." A soft protest and for a moment, it would seem that the man might have fallen back asleep. His voice broke that assumption however as his voice found a bit of strength in volume. "All that. Shit. You gave me. Just to. Take the blame in the end." One eye open, he was looking at her. Almost amused? It was hard to tell with the man who offered nothing but a dead expression on his face, but there was a bit of a playfulness behind that eye.
"Yeah..." she sighed, a tired smile pulling at her mouth. "Call me crazy."
"You are crazy, Captain, but I think. Everybody knows that already." God he was tired. "For what it's worth. Thank you." Both eyes shut again. "When I'm thinking straight, you'll need to tell me exactly what you told Tucker."
"Sure." Gingerly, she turned on her side to face him, eyes struggling to stay open. "And... well, I guess you're welcome. Want some hot cocoa?"
The idea of 'hot cocoa' brought a smile to his lips and he opened both eyes halfway again. Looking at her. "That sounds warm, but no thank you." In all honesty, he couldn't move to drink it and the idea of having someone help him was too tiresome for the Major. It was best to lie there and rest.
"Your loss, Capt'n Tucker would say," she replied with a shrug, mimicking the man's accent. Sloane fell into silence after that, half-dozing off. She was finally starting to feel warmer. Her mind half in the room and half wandering elsewhere, she suddenly locked on something. "Sir?"
"Captain?" He too was dozing, but in more comfort as the next round of drugs began to drip their way into his IV and system.
"Remember Asumi..." Sluggish, that's how her mouth and thoughts felt to Sloane. "That thing Commander T'Pol was trying to get all MACOs interested in...?"
He shifted in his bed, releasing a small, soft noise as his body relaxed and settled in once more. "I recall the practice." T'Pol had tried to sell him on the idea a few weeks back but at the time Gabriel was dealing with explosive devices wrongly stored in his armoury. He hadn't given the Vulcan much in terms of time of day.
Sloane hesitated only a second. If she hadn't been so exhausted and on painkillers, well, maybe it would have ended there. But it didn't. Like Hayes often accused her of talking too much, her mouth ran away from her again. "You're looking for a partner? 'Cause I was kind of intrigued..." Had she just asked him to be her partner?! Christ, for what?! No, not like that, one part of her brain said. Sparring. T'Pol... the Vulcan martial art. Oh. Yeah, that. Right.
The Major was about to go on how he thought that T'Pol should mind her own business and stop filling his men with the fighting techniques that weren't regulation. Something clicked in his mind however, luckily the state of the body keeping his reaction time slow, and Gabriel answered, "I haven't one yet." Hayes looked over at his Captain. Confused and intrigued all at once. "I'd be honoured."
Meeting his gaze, she nodded, the movement barely there. "Me too. Sir." Blinking, her eyes finally closed. "Warmer here, isn't it? 'Night, sir."
"It's somewhat warmer," Gabriel added in a poor attempt for a joke and a poor attempt at something else. "McRae?" His face wore a small, genuine smile.
"Hmm?" She didn't move, the sound a vibration coming only from her throat. But she was listening.
She wasn't exactly looking at him, that he could tell, but that didn't stop Gabriel.
"You look like hell, McRae. Shut up and go to sleep." Knowing he probably was not in any better shape, the man still enjoyed his joke. His eyes were kept on her for a moment longer, wondering if she would not get it and perhaps be set off or accept his token of peace between them.
She caught his gaze, as if to tell him to shut up and leave her alone. Only she was smiling.
Laying his head back on the pillow, closing his eyes, Major Hayes would not admit it to himself, but the recent crisis had the Captain growing on him. Sloane McRae. Perhaps with their newfound trust and bond, having her continue as his right hand man wouldn't be so bad.