05/06/02 - 0655 hours

Malory rose with a luxurious stretch and gently disengaged herself from the soundly sleeping doctor so she could answer the call of nature; poking around the room curiously when she was finished, interested in everything that had to do with the little woman. Noting the photographs of her parents and smiling at a family of Teddy bears that resided upon one of her shelves.

The shrill blast of the alarm startled her and she leaped across the room to shut it off, chuckling at the small arm that was irritably swatting at it from underneath the blankets. She immediately dove under the covers and playfully snuggled up to the waking woman.

"You gonna get up?" she whispered into her ear, leaving a kiss behind.

"No," came the pathetic croak.

"Why not?"

"Were you wearing your gun last night?" Corky asked. "I need it."

"Why?" Malory asked with a chuckle.

"Because I have to kill myself."

Malory laughed. "Gee, it's not the end of the world. So what if everybody thinks you were in here thumpin' the man in the little canoe? It's not that big a deal."

Corky turned in Malory's embrace to regard her seriously. "Why do you say that?"

"Well shucks, Doctor," she said. "You're a young, healthy and, as far as everyone knows, single woman. What's there to be embarrassed about?"

"I was screaming like I was being burned at the stake," Corky said dryly. "If I had overheard that, I'd wonder what in the name of God had that woman been doing to herself."

A snicker.

"It's not funny."

"Geez, you're a doctor," Malory said. "You of all people should know that masturbation is normal and everybody does it."

"Do you?"

"Hell no! What do you think I am, some sort of sick freak?"

Corky snorted in annoyance and pulled the covers up over her head to hide, ignoring her delightedly laughing companion.

"Oh, come on," Malory chortled. "If anyone says anything you can just tell them you weren't alone."

"What if they ask who?" Corky inquired from under the covers.

"Say it's none of their business. They'll spend days mumbling amongst themselves trying to figure out who the lucky person was."

"What if someone asks you?"

"Asks me what? If I was the one banging the doc?"

"Yeah."

"Corky, there isn't a person in this place that will come out and ask me to my face about my sex life."

A sigh. "I wish I was the Commander."

"No you don't, the pay sucks."

"Really? I assumed you were pretty well off in that department."

"I do alright. I mean I make enough to keep me in tampons and 'roid cream."

A silent pause and then a chuckle. "You are so disgusting."

"But you love me."

An ambiguous grunt. "Did you mean what you said last night?"

"What did I say last night?"

"You know," Corky said softly.

"Yes, I do know and yes, I do." Malory said. "Now are you gonna come out of there? I'm horny."

"No way," Corky said quickly, pulling the blankets around her tightly. "Everyone would think I was a pervert."

"I could gag you," Malory offered.

"Shut up."

Malory sighed. "I should probably go anyway, McNeely will be looking for me any minute."

Corky poked her head out from under the blankets. "Will I see you tonight?"

"I'd like to see you."

A small smile.

Malory leaned in to place a soft kiss on her mouth. "Last night was unbelievable, thank you."

A chuckle. "I should be the one thanking you."

"You will later," Malory said with a goofy smile and rose to start dressing herself.

Corky smiled and cast worried eyes to the ceiling, trying not to imagine the horrors that were waiting to assail her when she emerged from her quarters.

Malory leaned over again to place a kiss on her cheek. "Ya gonna be okay?"

"I suppose I'll live."

Malory chuckled. "If anyone says anything inappropriate, you come tell me."

"I'm a big girl," Corky said, smiling at the offer.

"You sure are," Malory said with grin. "I'll see you later," she added and turned to exit the room.

Corky waited for the door to close and pulled the blankets back up over her head.

Corky snuck into Medical, foregoing her morning coffee for fear of entering the mess and encountering anyone. As a result, she had spent a cranky morning looking up sharply whenever she heard footsteps in the hall and sighing in relief every time they passed. Her thoughts swinging back and forth between contemplating the consequences of her inevitable humiliation and elating in the memory of the time shared the night before with Malory.

She was in the midst of reminiscing one of the latter thoughts when the sound of gunshots brought her out of her chair in both surprise and alarm. Seconds later, the klaxon went off followed shortly thereafter by rapidly pounding footsteps racing down the hall.

She ran into the hall and was almost trampled by Reynolds and DeSoto as they raced by, the Chief yelling into his radio.

"Say again?"

"They need a stretcher and…" the Commander's voice faded as the Chief got further away.

Corky waited in agitation, not knowing what was going on and somewhat surprised that nothing had been said over the intercom. At least she knew Malory was okay, relieved to have heard her voice over the Chief's radio. She looked up at the sound of another set of approaching footsteps and gazed at the approaching Lieutenant with anticipation.

"Dr. Rivers, you'll need to prepare Medical to receive wounded," Ring said.

"ETA?"

He reached for the radio on his belt. "ETA on that, Sergeant?"

"Thirty to forty minutes, out," Alvarez replied.

"From excavation I presume?"

"Yes, Doctor."

"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said and turned to reenter Medical.

The time passed slowly and she was eaten alive with curiosity and worry, hoping that all of her friends were okay and wondering why a weapon was fired. Thirty-five minutes later, her radio called for attention.

"ETA 5 minutes, Dr. Rivers," Percy said. "Ballenger incoming with suspected hip fracture, possible internal injuries. Currently stable and conscious."

"Understood," she answered. "Anyone else?"

"Nothing priority, out."

She took a deep breath to prepare for their arrival.

It was a little over two hours later when she emerged from behind the divider to find her domain filled to capacity with people waiting anxiously for news of their colleague. Percy followed behind her and she caught his arm, standing on her tiptoes to whisper in his ear.

"Excellent work today."

He smiled at the compliment and made his way through the crowd toward the exit.

"Well?" Clovis asked the question everyone wanted the answer to.

"He's okay," Corky said loud enough for everyone to hear. "But he's on his back for the duration and will be on the first flight out."

The news was met by communal relief and then disappointment.

"How bad…"

"Make a hole," Malory interrupted tersely from the doorway, waiting with a furious look for everyone to get out of the way so she could enter the room. She strode through their parting bodies and leveled a look at Clovis.

"Mr. Stokes, report to my office and wait there until I arrive," she ordered, her voice cold. "Now," she barked when he didn't immediately rush from the room, startling him and sending him packing.

"Airman Daly, report to the hall outside of my office and stand at attention," she added, her voice harsh and the man almost ran from the room. "The rest of you return to your quarters or stations immediately," she said, waiting for the room to empty before she turned to Corky.

"How is he?" she asked, her voice noticeably gentler.

"Fractured pelvis, a good deal of internal bleeding," Corky reported. "Could've been far worse if it had taken much longer to get him here. He'll be alright, but he'll need to go out with the first flight.

"I see."

Corky had a hundred questions to ask but settled for the most important. "Are you okay?"

Malory smiled with an effort. "I'm fine."

"You sure?"

"Yeah," she said with a nod. "I'll see you later, I have things I need to do."

"Okay," Corky said reluctantly, watching her hesitate as if she wanted to say something else and then turn to walk from the room.

Daly stood in the hall anxiously, the Commander had passed fifteen minutes prior to enter her office, not sparing him a glance and slamming the door shut with enough force to make him cringe.

His only hope was that the tirade she was currently directing at Mr. Stokes would tire her out before it was time to deal with him. Her voice occasionally thundered from inside the room and earlier he had heard something smash against the wall with enough power to shatter.

"Mr. McNeely report to my office, please," her voice suddenly blared over the intercom.

He stood ramrod straight, afraid to let the Sergeant Major see him at anything less than a rigid attention. Shortly, he heard the man's approaching heavy footsteps and McNeely paused in front of him to clap him on the shoulder.

"Stand easy, Daly," he said. "You might be out here awhile," he added, rapping a short knock on the Commander's door and stepping inside.

He sighed and slumped against the wall until the door opened almost half an hour later and Mr. Stokes stepped out. The huge man plodded silently down the hall looking as if he had just been spit out of a combine. He grimaced internally and braced himself; it didn't look good.

"Airman Daly," the Commander barked. "Your turn. Get in here."

He stepped into her office crisply and stood at attention, noting the shards of a broken coffee cup in the corner. "Commander," he said respectfully, not meeting her eyes as she sat glowering at him from behind her desk.

"Rest easy, Airman," she said in a friendly tone. "Take a seat," she said, gesturing to the chair next to the silent Sergeant Major.

He blinked confusedly but did as he was told.

"I'm glad I spoke to Mr. Stokes first or I would've had a lot of egg on my face," she said mildly. "Since it was my original intention to have your ass removed for discharging your weapon for no apparent reason. However, I've been informed that you probably saved Ballenger's life. Tell me, were you aware that Mr. Stokes allowed Ballenger to unclasp his safety rope?"

"No, Commander."

"That's what I hoped you'd say," she said, rising from her chair. "On your feet, Airman," she added authoritatively, waiting for him to rise. "In recognition for your quick thinking and action in the performance of your duty, I'm pleased to award you the JSAM. I'll make it official as soon as the new season permits. Do you have any objections?"

He smiled. "No, Ma…" he started, "…I mean no, Commander," he corrected hastily.

"Good, now go grab something to eat," she said with a grin. "Dismissed, please shut the door on the way out."

He saluted crisply before turning on his heel and marching out the door, immeasurably relieved and terribly proud of himself.

Corky stripped out of her scrubs and summoned Coy to watch over her patient for the night so she could make a beeline to the mess to collect the gossip. As soon as she entered, she was beckoned over by Dr. Lenard and company so she collected a tray and hurried over to take a seat.

"So what's the story?" she asked.

"We hit another pocket in excavation," Watkins said. "Not as bad as the first but Ballenger was right on top of it without a safety rope."

"Oh, my," Corky said. "I guess that's why the Commander was so pissed."

"Yeah," he agreed. "She confined Clovis to quarters."

"Why Clovis?"

"He gave Dr. Ballenger permission to disconnect his rope, it was giving him problems," Lenard explained.

"So what happened?"

"The pocket was situated right above the section we were working to uncover. He fell about twenty feet and landed on an exposed section of the spacecraft. We got down to him as soon as we could but there was a large sheet of ice pinning him down. We couldn't lift it so Daly used his rifle to break it in half and we were able to get him out of there," Watkins reported. "So how is Dr. Ballenger?"

Corky went through the medical laundry list. "… we'll have to watch him for the next few days, but I'm confident he'll fully recover."

"Damn," Lenard said. "It'll kill him not be involved in this."

"At least he has his life," Corky pointed out.

"Very true."

"Hmmm," Corky grunted. "So you found a big piece of the flying saucer?"

"Yes," Watkins said happily but then scowled. "No telling when we'll be allowed back down there though."

"Why?" Corky asked.

"Lovecraft threw a fit when she found out Dr. Ballenger disconnected his safety rope," Lenard said.

"A fit?"

"Oh, yeah," Watkins said. "Threw her hat on the ground and kicked it. Then told us all we'd be lucky if she allowed us to return and if we couldn't follow simple instructions for our own safety, perhaps the NSF could send another team that could."

"Ouch," Corky said. "So how long is Clovis incarcerated for?"

"He didn't say, but he looked like he had been read the riot act and I'm sure he's feeling bad over Dr. Ballenger. He told him to take off the rope only long enough to fix it," Lenard said. "It was just freak chance that what happened did when it did."

"Speaking of freaky things," Watkins said slyly. "Did you hear that screaming last night?"

Corky immediately tensed and reddened guiltily, flushing darker as the men began to chuckle.

"My goodness, Doctor," Lenard said with a teasing smile. "You shouldn't save it up like that, it's unhealthy."

"Yes," Watkins added. "For all of our sakes, please pace yourself in the future. I was jolted out of a dead slumber thinking I should run for my life."

Corky ground her teeth and crossed her arms over her chest as they laughed jubilantly over their jokes, her face a solid scarlet. "Are you guys finished?" she growled.

"Oh, come on, Corky," Watkins chuckled. "You should take our advice, Grey here does it twice a day, isn't that right?"

"Certainly," Grey admitted. "Keeps me on an even keel and I don't impose on my colleagues by carrying on loud enough to wake the dead."

Corky was assaulted by another round of teasing laughter but she set her jaw and held her ground, clamping down on the impulse to flee from the room. "I shall take your suggestions under advisement. Obviously, I'm not as skilled at it as the rest of you."

Her comment delighted the men and they laughed rowdily. Grudgingly, she found their antics to be infectious and began to laugh a little herself.

Malory remained at her desk until well after suppertime, attempting to fight off the straggling remains of anger that still stubbornly lingered. Since taking command, there had been several injuries to a staff that had endured exactly none prior to her arrival and she was feeling responsible. Firmly entrenched in her funk, it took her a moment to realize that Corky was waiting hesitantly in the doorway.

"Hiya," she said softly.

"Hi."

"Can I come in?"

"Of course," Malory said with a frown. "You can come see me whenever you want."

Corky entered and shut the door behind her. "You didn't come to dinner."

"I wasn't hungry."

"Someone looks like they're sulking," Corky teased, getting a small smile for her efforts.

"Maybe."

Corky walked around and scooted Malory's chair back so she could plop down on the desk in front of her. "I visited Clovis in his jail cell. He said you were so mad at him earlier he was afraid you were gonna order him shot."

"I considered it."

Corky chuckled and hooked her feet through the arms of the Commander's chair, slowly pulling her forward. "Expecting any company?"

"Nope."

"How fortunate," Corky said, leaning forward to kiss her tenderly.

"Well, Doctor," Malory said when she withdrew. "Whatever brought that on?"

"I just wanted to."

An evil smile.

Corky's brow wrinkled. "Why are you grinning like that?"

"Because you're mine now," she said wickedly.

"Is that so?"

"Uh huh," she purred. "You're powerless to resist me."

"Does this mean you're mine too?"

"I've always been yours, it just took me a while to find you."

Corky absorbed the words thoughtfully. "That was a sweet thing to say."

"It's true," Malory insisted. "I've waited my whole life for you."

Corky didn't know what to say in the face of such freely offered devotion, it touched her to the point of being unable to form words.

Malory read the emotions on her face. "I know."

"Y…you know what?"

"You love me too, you just can't bring yourself to admit it," Malory said smugly. "But you'll come around."

Corky smiled. " I want you to come around."

Crimson brows knitted. "What?"

For an answer, the doctor pulled her feet from Malory's chair and leaned forward to turn the Commander's chair around, wrapping her arms around her from behind and placing a kiss on her neck.

Malory leaned into the contact huskily. "Now I see what you meant."

"So, if you're mine, can I do anything I want with you?" Corky murmured sexily in her ear.

"Anything."

"I'd like to see if I could get you to be as loud as I was last night," Corky whispered, chewing on an ear playfully.

"I dunno about that, I'm pretty incredible."

Corky chuckled, dropping her hands to softly knead the Commander's breasts, pleased when she arched her back and purred at the contact. "I won't deny that you're very skilled."

"Gimme a break," Malory scoffed. "I was so good I almost screamed out my own name."

Corky laughed, momentarily pausing in the application of her attentions. "You kill me," she chuckled, leaning further over the Commander's shoulders to unclasp her belt, letting the gun and radio fall to the floor through the back of the chair and moving on to the buttons of her fatigues.

Malory's eyes dropped to the fingers at her waist, watching desirously as they lightly completed their task and a gentle hand snuck in under the elastic of her panties. She hooked her knees over the arms of her chair in anticipation, shivering with the sensation of the long awaited contact and slowly exhaling the deep breath of a softly contented moan.

"You're very wet," Corky whispered into her ear and curiously withdrew her hand to verify.

Malory watched the hand emerge excitedly, feeling the doctor's interested gaze over her shoulder as she examined her glistening fingers.

"Very wet," Corky confirmed, flushing powerfully in arousal when her hand was seized and Malory erotically sucked on her fingers, her knees wobbling weakly by the time she was finished.

"God, Malory."

"Touch me again."

Corky chewed on her neck passionately. "Why doesn't the Commander rate a larger bed?"

Malory blew out a frustrated breath, in no mood to have a conversation.

"I mean it's so hard to fit two on a cot comfortably," Corky said seductively, brushing her hands over Malory's breasts, smiling at the whimper she emitted at the touch.

"Don't tease me," Malory said. "Please touch me again."

"I know a way we can both fit on a cot," Corky whispered, teasing nipples so hard they stood out proudly through the fabric of Malory's shirt.

"I'll do anything you want, Corky," Malory said submissively, biting her lip at the stir created by the doctor's caresses.

"Would you like to be on the top or bottom?" Corky asked, pinching the nipples between her fingers painfully and gleefully soaking up the stifled weep of pleasure.

"Huh?" Malory rasped.

"I want to be on bottom, wanna know why?"

"Tell me," she squeaked.

"Because I want all of you."

Malory flew to her feet and shoved the chair out of the way, engulfing Corky within her arms and single-mindedly capturing the doctor's lips with her own.

Corky wrapped her legs tightly around Malory's waist as she was lifted bodily off the desk, returning the kiss with equal fervor while the Commander bounced them off the furniture and walls haphazardly in the haste to enter her quarters.

II

05/07/02 - 0745 hours

The first thing Corky noticed upon rising was Malory's ass, which was inevitable since her cheek was resting on it. They were spread out on the floor, their bodies forming a large 'T' in a mass of scattered blankets and an overturned cot. Her gaze traveled down the length of a shapely pair of legs to note that one foot was still wearing a sock. She smiled at the sight and rolled over onto her back for a long, satisfying stretch.

Her companion was apparently still dead to the world as her soft snoring indicated and Corky rolled back over to place a kiss on her new pillow, happily reliving the memories of the previous evening. Her new lover was relentless in her need to please and be pleased, wonderfully uninhibited, frighteningly passionate, surprisingly submissive, and energetically attentive. Abruptly, her thoughts turned dark and the sated smile she had been wearing slowly transformed into a scowl. Had Malory shared herself in the way she had last night with her previous lover? The idea raised her hackles in jealousy and she rolled over to glare at the sleeping mop of red hair, deciding to ask her about it when she woke.

Another thing that bothered her was Malory's easy confession of love. She seemed so convinced and cavalier about it that she felt guilty about not being able to say it back. The Commander began to stir so she put the thought away for later consideration and turned her attention upon her waking companion.

"Malory."

"Hmmm?" she purred.

"You gonna get up?"

"No."

Corky chuckled and craned her head around to bite her pillow.

"Hey!" Malory yelped.

"You didn't like?"

"It just tickled," Malory rumbled.

A smile. "Can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"How long were you with your lover?"

"Which one?"

Corky's brows knitted angrily. "What do you mean which one?"

Malory chuckled. "You're so easy."

She rolled her eyes. "I guess I set myself up for that," she said with a sigh. "Are you gonna answer my question?"

"I dunno," Malory said. "I wouldn't consider a few hours of teenage fumbling in the backseat of a car very long."

"Is that it?"

"Yeah, until I was with you."

"But…never mind."

"But what?"

Corky sighed. "You seem so experienced."

"I finally found the person I was meant to be with," Malory said. "I love her and I love being with her. I waited a long time to experience that."

"Malory," Corky sniffled, touched.

"Don't get all choked up on me or I'll have to fart to lighten the mood."

An involuntary snort of laughter. "How romantic."

"Ya think?" Malory said brightly, lifting a hand off the floor and waving it in Corky's face. "Here, pull my finger."

Corky slapped the hand away with a chuckle. "Don't be so gross."

Malory dropped the hand back to the floor and shrugged.

Corky raised herself to a seated position and pulled the covers off the Commander playfully. She frowned in disappointment when Malory didn't react in the slightest and slapped her pillow, which only resulted in an arousing rise of her hips.

"Oh," Malory purred. "Do that again."

Corky giggled. "Stop, won't someone be looking for you this morning?"

"Nope, McNeely has a crew in excavation today with a few of your nerdy friends."

"What are they doing?"

"Drilling and taking sonar readings to assure me that we'll not encounter any more pockets and clearing away the cave in from yesterday," she explained. "I'll be glad to see the summer."

"Why?" Corky asked. "You're not going anywhere are you?"

"No," she said. "But they'll be sending a lot more people and installing a long overdue elevator in that stupid pit."

"It's not stupid," Corky defended. "Think about the advances we could make in technology from a find like this. What we could learn."

"Did it ever occur to you that maybe we weren't meant to find this thing?"

"No," Corky said. "Why would you think that?"

"I find it odd that back in the day when the highest form of life on this planet was probably a lonely protein, those aliens chose the most remote and uninhabitable region on the globe to crash into. What if they did so intentionally? What if they were carrying something that they didn't want found?"

Corky hummed thoughtfully for a long moment. "I never considered that but I should point out that there are several planets in our system they could have chosen that offered them a better a chance of never being discovered. I mean, Earth is the only planet in the system that supports life."

"What kind of life are you talking about? According to what you guys tell me they would've found our atmosphere deadly and who knows, they might consider a planet like Jupiter paradise. And what if they didn't have the time to make a better choice and took the closest and best option?"

"Is that what you think?"

"I don't know what to think but I will say I could've lived my whole life without seeing that damn creature you guys pulled out of the ice. It gives me the heebie jeebies."

Corky giggled. "You mean our fearless leader is actually just a big 'fraidy cat?"

"Perhaps."

"How funny," Corky teased. "Wait 'til the guys hear."

Malory chuckled.

"Speaking of the guys, how long do you plan on imprisoning Clovis?" Corky asked. "He feels bad enough about it as it is and he only told Dr. Ballenger to take it off long enough to fix it."

"He should have clasped Ballenger to his own harness or instructed Daly to anchor another rope."

"Malory," Corky said. "Clovis isn't a soldier, he did what he thought was best, thinking it would only take a minute to correct the problem. It was just a freak accident; the odds of something happening when it did were astronomical. You were awfully hard on him and he was already coming down hard on himself."

"Did he ask you to plead his case?"

"No. He's a good man, Malory."

She sighed and grunted reflectively. "McNeely pretty much told me the same thing. Alright, I'll speak to your pal Clovis later today."

Corky smiled in satisfaction and let her eyes roam appreciatively over the form stretched out in front of her. "You know, if I had known how good you looked without your clothes and that dumb hat you wear, I might have warmed up to you sooner."

"Please, you were hot for me from the start," Malory said knowingly.

"I wanted to kill you."

"Fuckin' kill me," Malory agreed. "In that order."

A laugh. "God, you're vain."

"Nope, I just know the score."

"Uh huh, and how would you know I had anything else on my mind except your painful death?"

"Because every time you looked at me, angry or not, you had this little twinkle in your eye like someone was ticklin' your cooter with a feather."

"I did not," she said with a mixture of indignity and amusement.

Malory rolled over and cocked an elbow to support her head. "Oh, yes you did. Now, get out from under those blankets and let me look at you."

"No."

She rose to her hands and knees and advanced seductively, watching in amusement as Corky hastily scooted away only to be trapped against the overturned cot. She lifted the edge of the covers and crawled underneath them, tickling the quaking doctor as she slid up her body, her head emerging from underneath the blankets between Corky's breasts where she began a trail with her tongue that ended with a soft kiss.

"I love you."

Any reply on Corky's part was forgotten as the words were followed by a hand that touched her intimately. "Uhm…" she started but was silenced by another kiss.

"Tell me later, I'll be back in a little while," Malory whispered as she disappeared back under the blankets.

Malory almost skipped into the mess to grab lunch, having seen Corky off about an hour before and already missing her. The doctor had left her quarters reluctantly to go check in on her patient and she herself had gone to see Clovis and let the man off the hook.

She had just sat down with her long overdue cup of coffee and was eyeballing her burger and fries hungrily when her radio squawked for attention. She tried not to sigh.

"Commander?"

"This had better be good."

"The interior of the section unearthed yesterday is accessible, Commander," McNeely reported. "They're requesting more personnel to investigate."

Malory chewed on her lip. "And your feelings on the subject?"

"From what we gather, It's about as safe down here as we can make it, seems to be pretty solid."

"Let 'em have at it," she decided.

"Understood, McNeely out."

She tossed her radio on the table and dove into her food with abandon.

An hour later, Malory strode into the lounge and shook her head upon spotting Lieutenant Ring reclining in front of the television. Even though the man was second in rank only to her, she sort of envied him. His one and only job was to be a pilot, leaving him pretty much without a place in the chain of command. He had no responsibilities other than to fly the helicopter and since air travel during the Antarctic winter was a suicidal proposition, he pretty much had nothing but time on his hands.

"Lieutenant," she said. "Wanna arm wrestle for control of the television?"

He craned his neck around and gave her a smile. "If I won would I still retain control of the TV?"

"Nope, rank hath its privileges."

He chuckled and picked himself up off the couch. "Then I concede to your superior arm wrestling skills."

"Ahh, a wise officer," she said. "You'll have a long and prosperous career."

"Indeed," he agreed and handed her the remote as he passed. "Your command console, skipper."

"Why, thank you," she chuckled.

She waited for him to leave and ambled over to peruse the available selections, spending a moment in consideration prior to deciding on an oldie but goodie. She popped it into the machine happily and made herself comfortable on the couch, managing to stay awake just long enough to get through the opening titles.

Voices slowly pulled her from her slumber and she was dimly aware of being caked with sweat, a nagging fear surrounding her like a malignant mist. She struggled for consciousness, feeling it was just within her grasp as noises were already penetrating the fog, a man and woman were talking only a few feet away.

"But you need no doors to find God. If you believe…" the woman said.

"Believe?! If you believe you are gullible. Can you look around this world and believe in the goodness of a god who rules it? Famine, Pestilence, War, Disease, and Death! They rule this world."

"There is also love and life and hope."

"Very little hope I assure you. No. If a god of love and life ever did exist... he is long since dead. Someone... something rules in his place."

"Commander Lovecraft," McNeely said urgently.

Malory awoke with a start, springing from the couch in a near panic, gasping for air and tingling from the gooseflesh that covered every inch of her body.

"Commander," McNeely said, worry evident in his voice.

She shook her head violently to clear the cobwebs, unnerved by a clinging sense of dread. She had been dreaming, about what she couldn't remember nor did she especially want to. Her hands were trembling and she realized she was scared; shitless scared. Her eyes scanned the room frantically; searching for the spectre that she felt sure was stalking her.

"Commander," McNeely called again. "If you don't respond in the next fifteen seconds, I'm tripping the general alarm."

The words had a soothing effect on her near-hysteria and her eyes focused in on the television. That fucking eerie Vincent Price! Reality slowly began taking hold and she shook her head again.

"Last chance, Commander," McNeely barked.

She reached for her radio. "Go ahead."

"Are you alright?" McNeely asked. "I've been calling you for the last ten minutes."

"I…I'm sorry, Sergeant, I must have fallen asleep."

"You need some time?"

"No, I'm fine, thank you," she said slowly. "What's up?"

"They've found something down here they want to bring up."

A feeling of foreboding washed over her, making her shudder. She glanced again at the television and grabbed the remote, powering it off irritably.

"Commander?"

"What is it?"

"I have no clue, but its fuckin' with my backbone."

She closed her eyes. "Gimme the scoop."

"It appears to be a container of some sort, reminds me of that little puzzle box from the 'Hellraiser' movies but about the size of a washing machine. Know what I'm talking about?"

"Yeah, do we know what's in it?"

"It's a transparent box, holding some sort of large crystal suspended in the middle. Appears to be harmless but I gotta point out we found an identical container right next to it that is apparently empty."

"Do you believe it presents a danger?"

"I would lean toward no, but like you, this whole thing bugs me a little."

"Alright, let them bring it up but I want it stored securely in the lab and summon me when they get it stowed. I want to give it a look."

"Understood."

"Lovecraft, out."

The radio took its place on her belt and she sat down hard on the sofa, running her hands through sweat dampened hair. She couldn't remember experiencing such an intense fear at any other time in her life and it was still wreaking havoc on her composure. Her mind tried to rationalize it as having fallen asleep during a creepy movie, but a sense of sinister premonition insisted it was something else entirely. With a shaky, calming breath, she rose slowly and began the journey to the sanctuary of her office, wanting to be in comfortable surroundings while she waited to see what the hole in the ice had revealed.

The call came sooner than expected and Malory found herself in the lab, staring intently at a container that defied the laws of physics. McNeely had sized the object accurately for it was indeed about the size of a washing machine yet a perfect cube and almost completely transparent. A material, both gothic and technological in appearance, lined the edges of the container to present a visible outline but it was the item that resided inside that had Malory's total attention.

Floating magically in the exact center of the box was a long and narrow octahedron that glowed a distinctive Caribbean blue, the intensity of which would probably illuminate the room if someone turned off the overhead lights. Closer inspection revealed the crystal to be a second container for a substance residing within, which was the source of its distinct color. A substance that flawed the outward perfection of the crystal with a multitude of grooves that resembled brain matter.

"I was informed there was an identical container to this one that was apparently broken," she asked the audience in attendance. "What exactly was broken, the inside or the outside?"

"The outside," Lenard replied. "Though not exactly broken, is was just missing the top panel."

"Is it glass?"

"No, an unbreakable transparent epoxy from what we can gather at this time," Lenard said.

"Is the crystal itself holding some sort of material? It appears that way to me."

"That is our impression as well."

"Could it be an explosive of some sort?"

"Unknown, but doubtful."

"Can any of you tell me anything for certain?"

"The technological is not really our area of expertise, Commander," Lenard said dryly. "The majority of people here at the moment are archeologists and geologists. Excavation was not expected to uncover anything like this in nature until the end of the winter. The team assigned to research and technological development won't be arriving until summer."

Malory grunted. "Did we at least think to bring the empty container up as well? I want to look at it."

"They're working on it as we speak, Commander," McNeely answered.

She spared an approving nod. "Understandably, no one can tell me anything concrete, so I'd like to hear guesses. Do we think it's a power source of some kind? It appears to me that the box holds the crystal in a sort of stasis, anyone concur?"

"We tend to believe its not a power source, Commander," Lenard said, obviously the spokesman for the group. "The spacecraft we believe was of a 'Y' shape construction and we speculate that the center and most forward section was responsible for propulsion. In our estimation, any power source would most likely be found in that area. We assume this container to be nothing more than cargo."

"That would be the section as of yet uncovered and buried deepest within the ice, correct?"

"Yes."

"Why do we assume that the forward section would be responsible for propulsion?"

"It's all theory at this time, of course," Lenard said. "But the deepest section is buried a considerable distance from the others, suggesting an impact with an irresistible force behind it. The craft had to be traveling at an unimaginable speed to bury itself so deeply within the ice."

"Forgive me for being a layman, gentlemen," Malory said. "But if it was traveling at a speed anywhere near what you suggest, how did it survive so intact? I would think it would pretty much disintegrate on impact."

"The material that the craft is constructed from is impossibly resilient. We've been unable to damage it in the slightest, barring of course, exposing it to a nuclear blast."

"Alright, what do you make of this thing and do you believe it dangerous?"

"We're still very much differing in opinions at this time," Lenard said. "But we tend to think that the container is a kind of automobile airbag for the crystal inside."

"Hmmm," she grunted. "So you think the interior of the cube provides an impact cushion for the cargo?"

"Exactly, Commander," Lenard agreed. "How, we don't know or can even guess at this time."

"Very well," Malory said. "If the crystal inside this box was important enough to our alien friends that they felt the need to pack it in a safety box while gallivanting around in an almost invincible starship, we will follow their example. You have until tomorrow at noon to provide me with additional information. At that time, if opinion hasn't altered radically, and you can manage to convince me otherwise, the container will be isolated and secured from further study until it can be examined or transported to the appropriate authorities for investigation."

"But, Commander…" Lenard started.

Malory held up a hand. "You just stated that you're not the people qualified to investigate a discovery of this nature," she interrupted. "Honestly, I have a hard time picturing anyone that is, but I'll not have a potentially dangerous artifact being subjected to casual experimentation. You have until noon tomorrow to study it, then it will be shelved until the right people either take it away or offer me irrefutable proof that it presents no danger."

She paused and waited for her words to sink in. "Mr. McNeely, you will assign a guard to watch over the find until it is stowed."

"Aye, skipper."

"There will be no attempts to breach the interior of this box," she continued. "The guard will have instructions to intervene immediately if my orders are disobeyed in the slightest. Have I made myself clear?"

She met every pair of eyes in the room to convey her resolve and when satisfied, she turned to the Sergeant Major. "Join me outside, Mr. McNeely," she ordered and strode from the room.

Corky entered the mess that evening and smiled reflexively upon spotting Malory, a grin that quietly evaporated as she noted the Commander was conferring quietly with her noncommissioned officers and Lieutenant Ring.

Slightly disappointed that she couldn't join her, she got her meal and chose a seat next to Clovis, who was so deeply involved in a discussion with his gathered colleagues that he didn't notice her.

Feeling somewhat left out, she went about eating her dinner and let the surrounding whispers fly over her unheard as she was quickly immersed in her own thoughts. In fact, she had spent the better part of the day engrossed in the contemplation of her relationship with the infamous Malory Lovecraft. Where once the mere mention of the woman's name was a death by torture offense, it was currently cause for an internal celebration. Now that she had fully indulged in her attraction to the Commander, she couldn't deny the emotions the woman instilled within her. She still wasn't ready to openly admit the depth of her feelings, but internally, she could no longer deny the power of her sentiments.

"Hey, Corky," Clovis said.

"Hmmm?" she said distractedly, emerging from her thoughts.

Clovis chuckled knowingly. "Are you feeling alright, Doctor? You haven't been yourself lately."

Quiet chuckles rumbled from a few of the men and she began to blush in anticipation of another round of teasing. Thankfully, Clovis took pity on her before it got started.

"Give her a break, fellas. It's been an eventful winter."

She smiled gratefully at her friend, her blush painfully obvious.

"I was just telling my colleagues here," Clovis said, gesturing to the surrounding men. "That as much as we regret the Commander's decision it would be extremely foolish not to honor it."

Corky was suddenly curious. "What decision was that?"

"To isolate our discovery from study until the arrival of the R and D team."

"What discovery?"

"Where have you been today?" Clovis asked. "It's all anyone has been talking about."

"In Medical, of course."

"I'm surprised you don't know," Clovis said. "We were able to enter the section of spacecraft uncovered by the cave in the other day. We found a container with some sort of crystal floating inside."

"Really?" Corky asked. "What is it?"

"We don't know," Clovis replied. "We hadn't had it in the lab for half an hour when Lovecraft informed us that we only had until lunch tomorrow to study it before it went into storage."

"Why did she do that?"

"Because we don't know what it is or what it's capable of and admittedly, there is no one present really qualified to make a determination on its safety."

"That seems practical, what's the problem?"

"A few among us feel that we're here for investigation and study and to deny us that, defeats the purpose of our mission here."

"Well, that's a reasonable argument."

"That's what I was telling my friends here," Clovis said. "We have two opposing viewpoints with merit but the fact is, Lovecraft is in charge and she made an informed decision. And personally, after experiencing her ire firsthand, I can see why she was chosen to head our operation here."

"Why do you say that, Clovis?" she asked, interested in his opinion.

"Because she's no paper tiger," he replied. "Some of the guys think that just because she's virtually nonexistent in the day to day stuff around here that they can convince her to reverse her decision on today's find. I've been attempting to persuade them from trying."

"What would it hurt to try?"

"Because she's made a decision and it's final. Questioning that would only insure that the time we do have for study would be taken away immediately."

"I guess I don't understand."

"What we're doing here involves a new frontier, Corky," Clovis said. "Discovering technology a thousand years ahead of us implemented thousands of years before us is without precedent. We really have no idea how advanced these beings were and toying with that constitutes an unknown. Who knows how dangerous that could be? I agree with her decision."

Corky grunted thoughtfully, recalling Malory's thoughts on the subject from earlier.

"So how is Dr. Ballenger?" Dr. Tanaka asked, changing the subject.

Corky was in the middle of her answer when she saw Malory stand from her table to exit the room and she hurried through her response, anxious to be in the Commander's company.

III

When Corky entered Malory's quarters it was just in time to see her fasten the last button on a Red Sox baseball jersey that hung halfway down her thighs.

"Hey," she said brightly.

"Hey."

"You turning in early?"

"Yeah, but I was hoping you'd join me."

"Of course," she said. "You look kinda tired, is something wrong?"

"Just a strange day. Has me feeling a little weird."

"Want me to make you feel better?" she asked demurely.

"Is that a proposition?"

"Maybe," she teased. "Can I borrow a sleep shirt?"

"Sure," Malory replied, bending to pull one from her footlocker and tossing it over.

"Thanks," Corky said, immediately starting to strip out of her clothes and Malory took a seat on the end of her cot to watch the proceedings attentively.

Corky noted the hungry look being cast upon her body and relished the attention. She removed her bra teasingly and let it drop slowly to the ground, smiling happily as pupils dilated starkly against a pale blue background. She had never been looked at with such an open and needy desire and it made her feel both attractive and special.

"You're very beautiful," Malory whispered.

Corky pulled the gray Navy T-shirt over her head and grinned. "Nah, I'm just cute, you're the gorgeous one."

"Don't underestimate yourself. You're the most beautiful thing in the world to me."

Corky smiled and quickly came forward to gift her with a gentle kiss. "You're sweeter than you let on, Malory," she said, taking a seat on the other end of the cot and resting her back against the wall. "So tell me what's got you feeling weird," she added, patting her lap invitingly.

Malory didn't need to be asked twice and immediately lay down to snuggle up next to her. "This whole thing I guess. Sometimes I think we're messing with something that maybe we shouldn't."

Corky softly stroked the hair in her lap. "If we weren't meant to find it, we never would have."

"I wish I could subscribe to that."

"If you had objections, why did you agree to come here?"

"It was a last minute posting," Malory said. "I really had no idea what is was you guys were digging up. I was dispatched overnight and never bothered reading completely though the textbook they gave me in lieu of an in depth briefing. Not that it would've mattered, I had already committed myself."

"Are you sorry you came here?" Corky asked suddenly frightened of the answer.

"Not at all," Malory said. "I would have missed out on finding the rest of my life."

Corky sighed. "I would've never figured you for such a romantic."

Malory just shrugged and nestled deeper into her lap.

"Are you bothered by that thing they discovered today?"

"A little. It's kinda freaky and there's no tellin' what the damn thing actually is."

"Hmmm. So what's the rest?"

"The rest of what?"

"You said it only bothered you a little, what else is on your mind?"

Malory grunted.

"Come on, give it up."

"It's dumb."

"What's dumb?"

"I went to watch a movie this afternoon and fell asleep," Malory mumbled. "I had some sort of awful nightmare I can't remember and I woke up completely terrified. It's been bugging me all day."

"Ahh," Corky soothed. "Were you watching a scary movie?"

"Not really scary, just kinda creepy," Malory said. "An old Vincent Price flick."

"There ya go. Vincent Price always spooks me."

"Yeah, well that's what I keep telling myself," Malory said bringing up an inquisitive hand to pull out the front of Corky's underwear and curiously peeking inside.

Corky swatted her hand away. "Stop that."

Malory sighed in disappointment. "Yes, Mistress."

"Mistress?" Corky said. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Why nothing, my little dominatrix," she teased. "By the way, last night was the best night of my life," she added, placing a kiss on the thigh she was resting her cheek on.

"It was the best night of my life too," Corky whispered. "I sort of lost control, I'm sorry. I just wanted you really bad."

"That's nothing to be sorry for," Malory said. "I enjoy every second of being with you."

"Then what's with the dominatrix comment?"

"I was just teasing."

"Did I do something you didn't like?"

"Of course not," Malory soothed. "Short of beating me, I'd probably like anything you wanted to do to me. It excites me when you're excited and my body is as much yours as it is mine."

Corky hummed thoughtfully. "That leaves open a lot of possibilities."

"I hope so."

Corky stared fondly at the head in her lap. "You give yourself so completely, Malory. You're an unbelievable lover."

"Only for you."

"Why me?"

"Because I love you."

"How can you be so sure? We've only known each other for such a short time," she whispered.

"I trust my heart."

Corky debated with herself for a moment. "Then how is it you say you know I love you too?" she asked finally, eagerly interested in the answer.

"Because your heart shows what your mind is trying to reconcile."

"Huh?"

"Your mind tells you there's a thousand reasons not to love me, but it's arguing a case that's already lost to your heart. It's just being stubborn."

Corky dedicated a moment of thought to that. "And you obtained this mage-like wisdom exactly when in your thirty years?"

"The day I fell in love with you."

"And when was this, how did you know?"

"I suspected it from the start but I knew for certain the day I called you to my office," Malory said, rolling over and beaming a smile.

Corky frowned at the memory. "Uh huh," she mumbled. "Was that before or after you left me in there to converse with your dumbshit doll?"

Malory snickered. "It was when you smiled at me even though you hated me and suspected I was up to something."

A reluctant smile. "I remember doing that and actually thinking for a second you were charming."

"I am charming," Malory said. "And lovable," she added with a playful smile, looking up at her companion winningly.

Corky chuckled. "How do you walk through doorways with that fat head?"

"I take a deep breath."

"You're something else, Commander," Corky said, leaning over to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Tell me something I don't know," Malory responded, suddenly turning in the doctor's embrace and nipping playfully at her underwear.

"Stop," Corky exclaimed with a giggle. "That tickles," she added, hastily inserting an obstructing hand between her legs.

Malory grudgingly subsided and threw a quick glance up to meet smiling brown eyes. "Let me see."

"Let you see what?"

"Don't tease, let me see."

Corky immediately felt the flush of arousal and glanced down at blue eyes that were steadily transfixed upon their target.

"Let me see," Malory repeated impatiently.

The flush quickly became all consuming and Corky let a hand lower to pull aside her panties, revealing herself to avidly watching eyes. Her nipples hardened pleasantly in reaction to Malory's audible breath of anticipation and time dragged on excruciatingly as the Commander made no further movement or requests and just continued to study her from close range. She squirmed under the excitement generated by the intense scrutiny for as long as she could, trying not to crumble. Her resolve faded rapidly.

"Malory, please."

The request was all it took and she was instantly caressed by a long and agonizingly slow stroke of Malory's tongue that resulted in a sharp exhale and a shiver that ran length of her body. Grinding her teeth, she dislodged her lover gently and clasped her legs together in blockade. Breathing deeply of frustration, she turned a look into questioning blue eyes.

"I showed you mine, now show me yours."

Malory blinked confusedly but flopped over on her back almost immediately to wiggle out of her underwear, tossing them across the room hastily when they passed her ankles. Still on her back, she looked up at the doctor quizzically and received a raised eyebrow in response.

"I can't see you from there, turn around," Corky said, watching eagerly as Malory spun around and immodestly spread her legs over both sides of the cot to display herself, her eyes dark with expectation.

Corky leaned forward seductively to place both hands behind Malory's knees, slowly forcing her legs up and back until they rested on the panting Commander's chest.

"You'll need to hold these out of the way until I'm finished," Corky purred prettily. "I want you to watch me do this."

Malory readily put her knees behind her elbows, placing her hands under hips to allow herself an even better view of the impatiently awaited event. She bit down on her lip anxiously as Corky hovered and ran investigational fingers over her.

"God, look at you," Corky whispered. "You're so excited," she added and abruptly descended, receiving a hastily muffled squeal at the contact.

Malory's head lolled back in pleasure but snapped up almost instantly in perceived denial, shooting a pleading look at Corky that begged her to continue.

"You have to watch. If you don't, I'll stop."

Malory nodded urgently in acquiescence, rapt eyes ardently studying the proceedings and grunting in animalistic gratification as lips tenderly covered her. She tried desperately to prolong her release but the pointblank observation of Corky's attentions brought it forward irresistibly and when brown eyes glanced up from their task to meet hers lovingly, it was not to be denied.

"Corky," she whined and then it was upon her.

Corky smiled in satisfaction at Malory's quick and energetic climax, riding the resulting convulsions out merrily and meeting each thrust of her lover's hips with equal fervor. Waiting until legs dropped in an effort to get away before finally relenting and trapping Malory's body beneath her own, falling forward to place kisses on a belly that still shook with the occasional spasm. She waited a moment for Malory to subside and rose to undo the buttons of her jersey, receiving not a whimper of protest as she nursed heavily from the breasts her labor had exposed.

"Cor…" Malory started.

"Bend over," Corky interrupted, abandoning the attention she was lavishing on the chest below and rising to kneel on the floor.

Malory swallowed excitedly and rolled off onto the floor. Corky patted a space on the cot and she moved forward to obediently to rest her elbows on the spot the doctor had indicated. Meekly allowing Corky to position her as she wished and suddenly gasping when a hand seized her hair forcefully to pull her head back and the other stroked her skillfully, probing softly for access.

"Yes," she rasped, subserviently spreading her legs widely and arching her back in offering.

All of the fine hairs on Corky's body bristled with the thrill of Malory's gift and she placed a soft kiss on her hip before entering her delicately. Her mouth dropping open with desire as Malory gripped the far end of the cot with both hands and thrust backward onto her two extended fingers powerfully, imbedding them within her and crying out loudly. Malory trembled slightly in aftermath and then renewed her thrusts dynamically, moving wantonly with needy intent. Her aggressiveness was so passionate that Corky enthusiastically moved to meet her, moaning quietly as her own stimulation grew by leaps and bounds.

"Take me, Corky."

The breathlessly whined words only added fuel to the fire of her own already brightly burning libido and Corky lustfully increased the power and speed of her thrusts, her hand colliding into and against her lover forcefully. Malory responded to every stroke with a hedonistic grunt, her arousal so evident that Corky could feel it trickling down her arm.

Her whole body pulsated with a previously undiscovered yearning that clamored for immediate attention. Unable to refuse, Corky released the grip she had on Malory's hair to see to her own urgent demands.

Malory's head fell forward at the reprieve and she turned a glassy look over her shoulder, exultantly climaxing as eyes surveyed the scene that greeted her. Her whole body shook with the pleasure of it and she impaled herself on Corky deeply, crying out blissfully in gratification and collapsing to the floor to catch her breath. Letting the sweat of her effort dry slowly, she sighed in contentment as Corky withdrew from her slowly. After a long, calming moment, she rolled over to watch the doctor pleasure herself.

"I love you," she said.

Corky offered no response but a sharp intake of breath that was accompanied by a rapid escalation of movement from the hand within her underwear.

Malory moved forward gracefully, taking her time and watching the activity with fascination. "Let me take these off so I can see better," she requested quietly, pulling on the waistband of the doctor's underwear and smoothly removing them as Corky fell over onto her back.

Malory placed a kiss on the back of an occupied hand. "I like to watch."

Corky responded with a little moan, pulling the hem of her nightshirt up over her breasts and raising her legs to provide a better view.

Quickly captivated, it was only when Corky began to emit a series of rapid whimpers that Malory eased forward to gently replace the frantic finger, sighing happily as legs wrapped themselves around her head in ownership. Her eyes rose to catch Corky experimentally tasting the ends of her fingers and the beast within stirred again.

05/08/02 - 0700 hours

Malory awoke face down on the cot and shot an arm out blindly in annoyance, slapping the harshly screeching alarm across the room to crash into silence. She smiled at the weight still asleep directly on top of her, Corky's breath whispering along the skin of her back pleasingly .

"She loves me."

"We'll see," Corky mumbled and Malory chuckled.

"You weren't supposed to hear that."

"Uh huh," Corky said around a lengthy yawn. "What time did I fall asleep last night?"

"It was right after you sprayed me and proclaimed me your bitch."

"I did not," Corky giggled.

"Speaking of which," Malory said. "I need to use the little Commander's room."

Corky chuckled and rolled off to let her rise from the cot, watching in appreciation as she stretched extravagantly upon standing. Her spine popped audibly several times and she grunted in satisfaction.

"Geez," Corky laughed. "Did that feel good?"

"Yep," Malory said, striding over immodestly to sit down and relieve herself.

Corky observed in enjoyment. "You're not the least bit shy, are you?"

Malory shrugged. "I'm here with you, why should I be?"

"I dunno," Corky admitted. "I think it's sort of sexy actually."

"Watching me go to the bathroom is sexy?"

Corky snickered and rolled her eyes, flopping over on her back to stare at the ceiling. "So, what song are you named after?" she asked over the sound of a flushing toilet.

"What brought that to mind?"

"Dunno, suddenly curious I guess."

"An old Bob Dylan tune, 'Quinn, the Eskimo'," Malory said as she stood to wash her hands.

"Never heard of it," Corky said. "Are you part Eskimo?"

"No," she chuckled. "How many Eskimos have you ever seen with red hair and blue eyes?"

"Then I don't get it," Corky said, craning her head around to look at her. "How does it go?"

Malory finished drying her hands and turned to Corky with a smile. "Come all without!" she sang noisily as she gyrated ineptly and Corky instantly slapped a hand over her mouth. "Come all within. You'll not see nothing like the mighty Quinn!"

"Oh, my God! You're such a boner." Corky buried her face in the blankets and laughed delightedly.

"What?" Malory said indignantly, scowling.

Dancing brown eyes peeked out at her. "Was that the Cabbage Patch?" she snickered.

"What are you talking about?" Malory asked, placing her hands on her hips in annoyance.

"Never mind," Corky chuckled. "Maybe it was just funny because I never saw anyone do it in the nude or with such a complete lack of rhythm."

Malory stomped her foot irritably and Corky hid her face again to indulge in a fresh gale of laughter.

"I do too have rhythm," Malory protested.

Corky rolled over and regarded her lover with a teasing smile. "Whatever you say, Deputy Fife," she snickered and sat up to launch into a comically exaggerated and manic Don Knotts impersonation. "You've got to nip it! Nip it in the bud!"

Corky fell onto her back guffawing in hilarity and Malory pounced.

Corky shrieked with laughter and thrashed about wildly, struggling fruitlessly to get away from the Commander's tickling fingers.

"Malory stop!"

The tormenting fingers gradually came to a halt and Malory cast a narrow-eyed gaze upon her heavily breathing companion, waiting until she let her guard down and then darting forward to capture a nipple between her teeth.

Corky yelped and swatted the top of Malory's head. "Why did you do that?"

"Don't tease me."

Corky grinned. "Somebody can dish it out but can't take it."

"Maybe," Malory admitted, placing a tender, healing kiss on Corky's breast.

Corky petted the head on her chest softly. "Aww," she soothed. "Don't be such a big baby."

Malory mumbled incoherently and laid her head on Corky's stomach.

"I'm so exhausted," Corky said after a moment. "And my tummy kinda hurts."

"Maybe it's something you ate?"

"You think so?" Corky asked with a chuckle.

"Could be," Malory speculated. "Maybe from now on I should wipe front to back."

Corky's face slowly scrunched up in disgust. "That's revolting."

Malory chuckled.

"You would horrify my mother," Corky predicted sadly. "I'll have to train you before you meet my parents."

Malory smiled. "You want me to meet your parents?"

Corky groaned internally at the unconscious slip but forged ahead bravely. "Yeah," she said quietly. "Yeah, I do."

Malory squealed girlishly in delight and crushed the doctor in an enthusiastic embrace. "Told you."

Corky rolled her eyes but played along. "Told me what?"

"You love me," Malory stated triumphantly.

Corky grunted indifferently.

"Commander?" the radio squawked.

"Damn it," Malory exclaimed, rolling over Corky to snatch the radio from the nightstand. "Go ahead."

"You said you wanted to look at the second container this morning," McNeely said.

"Yeah, I do. But does it have to be so early?"

"No," McNeely chuckled. "I just assumed sailors rose with the sun like the rest of us grunts."

"Is the ship sinking?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Then let me take a shit, shower, and shave and I'll get with you later."

"Understood," he said around a laugh. "McNeely, out."

Corky listened to the conversation with interest, a small scowl etching her features, she opened her mouth to speak but was silenced by a heavy breast that squashed into her face as Malory rolled over her again to put the radio back.

"God, these cots suck," she said irritably. "They're too small."

"Tell you what," Malory said. "If you're a good girl, I'll requisition a larger one for summer."

"Really?" Corky asked. "Can you do that?"

"Sure," she said, noting the slight scowl being directed at her. "What's with the look?"

"It bothers me a little that you get along with everyone so easily," she admitted. "You can be one of the guys and one of the girls. How do you do that?"

"I never really thought about it. Why would that bother you?"

"I guess it makes me feel like I'm being left out of something."

"Corky," Malory soothed. "In an official capacity, I'm in charge here and there are parts of that you can't be involved in. But personally, I'm yours completely and would never intentionally exclude you from anything."

She grunted, slightly mollified.

"Would it make you feel better if I let you have your way with me?"

A small smile. "Would you let me spray you?"

Malory laughed. "You've already done a pretty thorough job of marking me. I wouldn't be surprised if there was another pack of cigarettes outside my door."

Corky's eyes widened in alarm.

"I'm just kidding," she chuckled. "My quarters are pretty isolated," she added and received a playful swat.

"Ha, ha."

"You never told me," Malory asked. "Anyone give you any grief?"

"I took some ribbing." Corky said. "But surprisingly, it wasn't as horrible as I imagined."

"I kinda figured."

"You did, huh?"

"Sure, these guys have been down here a long time. Unless some of them are butt buddies, I would think they all indulge on a regular basis," she speculated. "Of course, you don't hear them scream out in the middle of the night like they're being fucked with a chainsaw. They're much more discreet, unlike someone who shall remain nameless," she added with an irritating cackle.

Corky favored her with a displeased frown. "Do you ever listen to yourself? Your language is appalling and your terminology is offensive."

"What did I say?"

Brown eyes narrowed. "You're not meeting my Mommy until you clean up your act," she said sternly, crossing her arms over her chest.

Malory took her time getting to the lab, arriving just before lunchtime to pay heed to the gathered scientists. Judging by the expressions on those in attendance, she expected it to be a short meeting. Prior to hearing them out, she decided to inspect the second container and found it identical to the first with the exception of an empty interior and missing panel. She choked down a sudden feeling of uneasiness but kept a face of utter impassiveness, not entirely convinced that the vacant cube wasn't an omen of sorts.

"Okay," she said finally. "Let's hear it," she added, turning an expectant look on Dr. Lenard.

The man cleared his throat. "It seems there's no evidence or theory we can provide that would convince you that the find does not present a danger."

"That's pretty much what I expected."

"However," Lenard continued. "We believe we found out how to open it."

Blue eyes narrowed. "That's besides the point and you know it. Under no circumstances would I allow the contents to be exposed to the populace here without some pretty goddamn convincing assurances."

"No one is suggesting removing the crystal, just exposing it to a more informative study," he explained hastily.

"Out of the question."

Lenard opened his mouth to reply but paused thoughtfully, slowly nodding his consent.

"Very well," Malory said with a nod of her own. "I want both containers secure in cold storage within the hour."

"Alright, Commander," Lenard said, watching her turn and tread from the room.

"Damn it," Grey hissed as the door shut behind her.

"We knew hours ago what she would do," Lenard sighed. "Let's get them moved, we have a lot more to do in excavation."

"I'll take care of it," Grey offered. "Could someone send Cohen in to give me hand? Have him grab one of the flatbeds so we can haul 'em away."

Lenard nodded as he shuffled to the door to grab Cohen, waving for the rest of his companions to join him and eventually leaving Grey in the room alone and unguarded.

As the last body filtered out of sight, he immediately turned and ran his hand along one of the top seams, his fingertips deftly locating the small indentations. Knowing he didn't have much time, he rummaged through a nearby desk for two unsharpened pencils and gingerly pushed them, eraser first, into the small holes.

A second went by, then two without result and he began to think that they had been mistaken after all. Disappointed, he removed the pencils and was in the process of turning away when the clear top panel began to color a strange gray hue and then separate, retreating liquidly into the seams of all four sides.

As if sensing the change, the material inside the crystal began to churn within itself violently and then calmed as abruptly as it started; the color, once a brilliant blue, fading to a muddy red. Fascinated, Grey put the pencils in his pocket and leaned over to inspect, pulling his face away in surprise when the top of the crystal opened with a separation that made triangles out of the upper four sides of the octahedron.

Cautiously, he leaned over to look inside.

Malory was only a few potato chips into her lunch when the alarm klaxon brought her aggressively out of her seat. She shared a quick look at McNeely and got an unknowing shrug in return.

"I have a man down in the lab, request assistance," Cohen nervously reported over the intercom.

She tried to ignore the fear that clung to her spine and broke into a run, aware of McNeely's heavy footsteps pounding behind her. As she raced down the hall that led to her destination, she found several people already milling outside uncertainly and she brushed past them to enter the lab. She came to a complete halt as she met Cohen standing in front of the glass door and staring inside, her eyes followed his gaze to see both alien containers empty and Grey face down on the floor in front of them. Her fear strengthened its hold on her spine and for a second she was unable to find her voice. When she finally did, her tone was furious.

"Mother fucker!" she exclaimed. "What the hell happened?" she asked, turning a glare on the young Airman.

"I went to get a flatbed so we could transport the cubes," he said. "When I got here, the cube was empty and Dr. Grey was on the floor."

"Why didn't you go in?" McNeely asked.

"He was screaming," Cohen said nervously. "He was screaming like nothing I ever heard before. It was…it was…"

"Alright, son," McNeely interrupted. "We need to get him out of there."

Malory nodded absently, her eyes frantically searching the interior of the room.

"Commander," McNeely prompted.

She took a deep breath and held out a hand. "Airman, your rifle," she ordered and he handed it over inattentively.

"Commander, I don't think that's a good idea," McNeely said and turned to yell out into the hall. "Hanson, Terrel, get in here."

"No," Malory said. "I won't risk anyone else, just keep the door open and shut it as soon as I get back in here."

"Absolutely not," McNeely said. "I'll go in your place."

"I'm not going to argue with you, Sergeant."

"Malory don't," Corky whispered.

The Commander turned in surprise, unaware that Corky had entered the room and was staring at her fearfully, fretfully wringing her hands.

McNeely spared a confused glance at the doctor. "Commander, I insist," he said just as Hanson and Terrel burst through the bodies crowded in the hall.

"Commander, your rifle, please," McNeely requested, holding out a hand.

She spared Corky another glance and handed the Sergeant her rifle. "Cohen, clear the hall and get Percy or Coy in here with a stretcher. Move!" she ordered, turning her attention to McNeely as Cohen raced into the hall.

"I'll hold the door," she said. "Get Grey out of there as quickly as you can, don't stop to sightsee."

"Understood," McNeely said. "Move it, I'll cover," he added with a gesture to Hanson and Terrel. "Just grab him by the arms and yank him out of there."

They nodded and Malory moved to open the door. "Ready?"

She received nods in response and quickly wrenched the door open, allowing Hanson and Terrel to race through, followed closely by McNeely who stood by the door, his rifle raised to protect the scrambling men.

It was a quick exercise as both men roughly grabbed Grey by the arms and dragged him hastily across the floor, dumping him unceremoniously as they passed the threshold, McNeely jumping back in after them. Malory slammed the door and locked it, missing the darting Sergeant by a hairsbreadth in her haste.

Corky dropped to the body, rapidly checking his vitals as Percy and Coy rushed in with a stretcher. "He's alive but his pulse is weak. Let's move him," she said and Grey was hastily loaded onto the stretcher and rushed from the room.

Malory watched them go. "I want an armed guard posted exactly where I'm standing until I say otherwise. No one is to enter the lab under any circumstances and have Cohen and Lenard report to my office and then join me there, Mr. McNeely."

"Aye, skipper."

The Commander sat behind her desk glaring at both the young Airman and Dr. Lenard as she waited for McNeely to arrive. Her eyes kept straying to Cohen who was still pale from his earlier experience and seemingly unaffected by the irritated and upset scrutiny being cast upon him by his superior. On the outside she hoped she was portraying a countenance of confidence but was all too aware that on the inside, she was perilously close to an unreasoning fear. It was a feeling that had been growing exponentially since the discovery of an alien within the ice and had intensified itself dramatically upon recent experiences.

Finally, the Sergeant Major arrived, closing the door behind him and standing quietly just inside the room.

"Grab the chair out of my quarters, Sergeant," Malory offered and he gave her a slight nod. Entering her room and returning a second later to seat himself.

"Alright," she said after a deep breath. "What the fuck happened?"

Both men remained silent so she turned a glare on Lenard. "Well?"

"I'm afraid I don't know, Commander," he said. "Grey stayed behind after you left the lab to transport the cubes to storage. He instructed one of us to have Cohen grab a flatbed, which he did, and that's all I know."

"So he was alone in the lab?" she asked.

"I would assume so."

"Airman, how long were you away from your post?"

"No more than five minutes, Commander."

Malory leaned back in her chair. "Doctor, you told me you believed you could open the cube. Do you think Grey might have taken the opportunity to try?"

Lenard hummed thoughtfully. "I want to say no, but he was disappointed about your decision to shelve it. I'd like to think he's more responsible than that."

"Could he have opened it in five minutes?"

"Possibly," Lenard said. "Along the seams of the top panel there are two small holes. The depressions are sized and spaced to accommodate what we theorized was one of the alien's hands, or to be more precise, fingers. However, I stress that our assumption was just a theory."

She ground her teeth angrily. "Then our beloved Dr. Grey had more than enough time to test the theory."

"All he had to do was find something small enough to fit in the depressions," Lenard admitted. "But that, of course, isn't a guarantee to open the container. It was pretty much a guess on our part that it might be that simple."

"Airman," Malory sighed. "What exactly did you see when you returned with the flatbed?"

"He was lying face down on the floor, screaming," he said distantly. "Screaming, like… like…it was indescribable."

"Is that all?" Malory asked.

"Yes, Commander," Cohen answered. "He was just scre…" he paused, "…wait, I think… never mind."

"Please, continue," Malory prodded.

"It was hard to make out, his voice was so… so strained, but I think he might have said worms."

"Worms?" McNeely finally spoke.

"Yes, I think so, Sergeant."

Malory stiffened in an almost panic and sprang to her feet to grab her radio. "Dr. Rivers, respond immediately!"

A second that lasted ten years.

"Go ahead."

Malory almost swayed in relief. "Doctor, does Grey have any signs of being infected by an intruder?"

"What?"

"Cohen believes that Grey might have said worms before losing consciousness."

"Worms?"

"Yes."

"Not to my knowledge, but I'll reexamine his blood sample," Corky said confusedly. "Dr. Grey seems to be uninjured although comatose. His blood pressure and body temperature are extremely low, I can't find a reason for it."

"Please, let me know as soon as you learn anything."

"Alright," Corky said. "Rivers, out."

Malory sat the radio on her desk. "Mr. McNeely dispatch an armed guard to Medical and round up Reynolds, Alvarez, Hanson, and Terrel. We're going to go into that lab," she ordered and he stood to grab his radio.

"Oh, and Sergeant," she added before he could speak. "We'll need a couple of flamethrowers. Dr. Lenard, you'll be joining us."

IV

McNeely tore off his gas mask and kicked it down the hall in frustration; they had spent the last six hours searching every square centimeter of the lab and had come up empty. Malory echoed the man's sentiments as she slid down the wall she was leaning against and rested her rifle upright between her legs. She sighed and rested the back of her head against the wall.

"I don't get it," she murmured.

"I don't either," McNeely agreed.

"Commander," Reynolds said as he emerged from the lab and tore off his mask. "The cubes have been stored, any further orders?"

"Contact the appropriate authorities and inform them of the situation we've encountered," she ordered. "And you might as well let everybody loose for the evening except those on guard duty."

"Very well, Commander," he replied. "Have a good evening."

"You too, Chief," she said, sparing a small smile.

McNeely took a seat beside her in the hall as the rest of the men filtered past, waiting until everyone was out of earshot to speak. "What do you make of it, skipper?"

"I don't know, but I got a case of the crawling creeps."

"You think Grey opened the damn thing?"

"Yeah," Malory sighed. "Yeah, I do. I feel like an ass for not watching over it with my own eyes until it was stored. The idiot had to have done it right after I left the goddamn room."

"None of this is your fault."

She spared him a glance. "It feels like it."

"That's because you're the skipper and a damn good one," he said. "You're not responsible for the people that disobey your directives. Just as you're not responsible for the unstable conditions in excavation and you're most certainly not responsible because some jackass decided to open that damn box."

"But I am," Malory said. "I'm responsible for the actions of everyone under my command and that includes the civilians."

"Yes, to a point you are," he agreed. "But you're beating yourself up over something you're not expected to have complete control over."

"Maybe."

He sucked on his teeth. "Tell me, Commander. Why would a sailor with no climbing experience go over the edge of a lethal drop in order to save a life? While you're at it, tell me how a twenty-four year old junior Lieutenant with a gunshot wound and ruined arm could manage to keep herself and a man roughly twice her weight afloat in the ocean for almost two days? And please tell me how a woman who was obviously scared shitless found the courage to prepare to go alone into that lab earlier today?"

She turned a thoughtful look in his direction. "Adrenaline?"

He chuckled. "Don't hand me that shit."

She shrugged. "You obviously had a look at my file."

"Of course, I did. I expected a Colonel or above, not a female 0-4."

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"On the contrary, I don't think they could've picked a better person."

Malory smiled. "You trying to get a blush out of me or cheer me up?"

Another chuckle. "I would've liked the blush but I'll settle for a pick me up."

"You sly dog," she said amusedly. "Looks like you're not gonna let me feel sorry for myself."

"Nope," he agreed. "But I'll sober you up."

"I didn't know I was drunk."

"You keep an excellent poker face but your girlfriend doesn't."

Malory tensed. "My girlfriend?"

"The good doctor."

"Well, yes," Malory said. "We're friends."

"Don't bullshit a guy that has fifteen years on you," he chided. "I'm just pointing this out to you because if it became common knowledge, they'd pull you out of here at the first opportunity. I don't want that to happen."

Malory grunted. "Does anyone else know?"

"I imagine I'm the only one."

"How did you find out?"

"I caught the first clue today when she called you by name and looked about ready to cry to keep you from going into the lab. I knew for sure when you sent me into your quarters to get a chair and I found a set of medical scrubs draped over the back."

"Busted," she admitted. "I take it you don't have a problem?"

"Please," he scoffed. "I was actually kinda hoping you would share your technique with me."

"What?" Malory said around a surprised laugh.

"Now that I realize that the doctor wasn't alone in her quarters the other night, I'd like to know how you get a woman to scream like that. An aging stud like myself is always on the lookout for new pointers."

Malory had started laughing before he finished. "That is one discussion we will never have."

He laughed with her. "You won't even throw me a bone?"

Malory shook her head amusedly. "Try going without for thirteen years while spending half of each day thinking about it."

He chuckled quietly and grasped her on the shoulder companionably as he rose to his feet. "You're a stronger man than I am, Commander."

"That remains to be seen," she said, rising to her feet as well. "Let's keep a guard on Grey. I've got a bad feeling."

"I'll see to it."

She grinned, watching him walk away and letting him go a few steps. "And Doug?"

He stopped and turned a look over his shoulder.

"Thanks."

"My pleasure," he said with a rakish grin.

She watched him go with a genuine smile.

Corky watched Malory enter Medical and stop to speak quietly with the young, machinegun-toting Coy, who would be serving as both nurse and guard for the duration of the evening. When the conversation was over, she shot her a wink and went to share a few words with the convalescing Dr. Ballenger. Her rounds apparently completed, she favored her with a bright smile.

"Care to join me for dinner, Dr. Rivers?"

"Sure," Corky said. "Let me meet you there in about ten minutes?"

"Okay, see ya in a few," Malory agreed easily and turned to amble out into the hall.

Lest Coy might observe, Corky tried not to watch the sway of the Commander's hips as she walked away. She was only partially successful and mentally chastised herself for the failure. Earlier, she had come to the inescapable conclusion that she was in love with Lt. Commander Malory Lovecraft. The idea only so shocking because of her reluctance to admit it and the full weight of that knowledge had struck with the force of a ton bricks when she had watched her openly frightened lover prepare to enter the lab alone. Watching Malory struggle with her fear had scared her as well and when the Sergeant Major had intervened, it was all she could do to keep from hugging the man. With a sigh, she rose from her seat and looked in on her patients one last time prior to relaying last minute instructions to Coy.

When she entered the mess, she was disappointed to see Malory sitting across from McNeely and engaged in conversation. She scanned the room for alternative company and came up empty as the only other people present were DeSoto and Butler.

Scowling, she got a tray and made for a vacant table but paused uncertainly when Malory waved her over. She shot a cautious look at her companion and received a nod and another wave so she padded over, choosing a seat across from her and next to McNeely.

"Hi, guys."

"Good evening, Doctor," McNeely said with a curious smile.

"Dr. Rivers," Malory said amusedly. "How is Dr. Grey?"

Their demeanor instantly brought up her guard and she narrowed her eyes covertly at the intriguingly smiling Commander. "No change but stable," she said slowly. "I can't find a reason for his symptoms. I have several tests I'd like to run tomorrow, hopefully they'll be a little more conclusive."

"I see," Malory said. "No sign of an intruder in his system?"

"None that I can find at the moment."

Malory digested this as she slowly assumed an alarmingly innocent expression. "Mr. McNeely asked me a question earlier and was quite disappointed when I wouldn't answer it. Perhaps you'd have better luck with Dr. Rivers, Sergeant."

McNeely abruptly stopped chewing the food in his mouth, his eyes widening and then narrowing into deadly slits.

"What question is that?" Corky asked cautiously, not liking in the slightest the look on Malory's face.

McNeely hurriedly swallowed his food in one large gulp. "Nothing of any real importance, Doctor."

"Would it be easier if I presented it to Dr. Rivers for you, Sergeant?" Malory asked helpfully.

He pursed his lips. If the Commander presented the question, it would only succeed in embarrassing him and the doctor. In his estimation, it would only be fair to capture the devious woman in her own trap. "No, I can handle it. Dr. Rivers, I asked the Commander earlier if she would inform me as to what exactly she was doing to you the other night that resulted in the screams that woke the entire facility."

Corky gasped in surprise and McNeely ignored his own blush as he pleasantly observed the crimson beginning to flagrantly cover the Commander's face.

"You crafty bastard," Malory chuckled, amused at having been outmaneuvered. "Oww!" she yelped as her shin was kicked from across the table.

"I can't believe you," Corky hissed.

"I didn't tell him anything."

McNeely's blush faded and he went back to the business of eating his meal, casually observing the entertainment unfolding around him.

Corky fumed, her face an angry shade of red. "Do you want us both to lose our jobs?"

"That's not something we have to worry about as far as the Sergeant Major is concerned," Malory explained as she reached down to rub her wounded shin.

"You could have at least given me a little warning."

"Where would the fun be in that?" Malory replied with a chuckle.

Corky huffed and crossed her arms over chest, glaring dangerously at her moronic girlfriend. "Well, to answer your question, Sergeant," she growled. "I was screaming because our clueless leader could lick the stripes off an asphalt highway."

McNeely had to bring a hand up to cup his mouth in order to prevent spitting his food across the table and he struggled to get himself situated, risking a quick glance across the table. The Commander had her head stooped and a hand covering her eyes, the hand a severe white in contrast to the visible and almost purple forehead.

Corky smiled victoriously and haughtily went about finishing her dinner, occasionally casting triumphant little looks at the hiding Commander.

"On that note," Malory mumbled. "I'm obviously 0 for 2 this evening and will try to finish my dinner with a modicum of dignity," she added, emerging from her refuge bravely and pointedly ignoring the looks being cast upon her.

"Doctor, is there a series of exercises you could prescribe that might strengthen my skill in that area?" McNeely asked cheerfully, relishing Malory's sigh of defeat and Corky's fresh blush.

"Well, that could have gone better for me," Malory said as she flung herself onto her cot.

Corky shut the door to Malory's quarters and chuckled. "Ya know, I like that man. He had you twisting and churning."

"Yeah," Malory admitted. "He kicked my ass. I'll have to think up a suitable punishment."

"Don't be a poor sport," Corky chided. "You started it."

Malory grunted into the blankets.

"How long has he known?"

Malory rolled over onto her back. "Found out today."

"Is he the only one?"

"Yeah, unless your pal Clovis knows."

"He probably does. He knows about my preference but he hasn't said anything," Corky replied. "How did McNeely find out?"

"You called me by name earlier," she said sitting up to unlace her boots. "That and I sent him in here to get the extra chair and he found some of your scrubs."

"Oh," Corky said. "You scared me today."

"I was scared myself," she said, wiggling out of her pants. "This shit freaks me out."

"Do you think whatever was in that thing got inside Grey?"

Malory pulled her sweatshirt over her head and tossed it to the floor. "I have no idea but there wasn't a trace of anything left in the lab. Maybe it just emitted some sort of gas. I just don't know."

Corky came forward to kneel in front of her, reaching around to unclasp her bra. "Is that why you have Coy standing guard in Medical with a rifle?" she asked as she tossed the garment to the ground behind her.

"Yeah," Malory said distantly as Corky's eyes roamed over her chest. "Since you can't find anything wrong with him, I thought it prudent."

Corky leaned in to a pull a nipple into her mouth lovingly. "Do you love me, Malory?"

"You know I do."

Corky withdrew and flicked at the nipple with her tongue until it hardened. "Then say it."

"I love you, Corky."

"Are you wet?" she asked as she teased back and forth between breasts.

"Yes," Malory whispered.

"Do you want me?"

"Always."

With a delicate bite on an erect nipple, Corky rose to her feet and began to undress. "Why were you with your first for only one night?"

"Because I was just curious," Malory answered absentmindedly, her eyes riveted on the figure in front of her.

"Not curious enough to see her again?"

"It didn't work out and I'm glad it didn't."

"Why?"

"Uhm…" she stuttered as panties fell to the ground. "Because I wanted to wait until I felt what I feel with you."

"Was that the only reason?"

"Turn around."

"Why?"

"Because I want to see your ass."

Corky smiled and turned around to remove her T-shirt. "You didn't answer my question."

"Uh… yeah," she answered distractedly. "She didn't want to see me again anyway."

"Really? Why?"

"There was…oh, boy," she broke off abruptly as Corky bent over deeply at the waist, letting her bra slide off her arms to the floor.

Corky set her feet further apart and wiggled her rear provocatively. "You were saying?" she asked coyly over her shoulder.

"Uh… I don't know, what was I saying?"

"Do you like?"

Malory could only nod stupidly.

Corky stood and turned around. "Why didn't she want to see you again?"

"Don't tease."

"Tell me and I'm yours."

"Because when I took her home that night I ran over her dog when I pulled into the driveway," Malory said quickly.

A hand rose to hide a smile. "You're kidding me, right?"

"No," Malory said, moistening her lips with the tip of her tongue.

Corky couldn't contain her mirth and slowly went from chuckles to an all out belly laugh. She carried on long enough that it completely spoiled the mood for as far as Malory was concerned.

"It wasn't funny," she said indignantly after a moment.

"She had to know it was an accident," Corky laughed.

Malory gave up and flopped onto her back to glare off into space. "She loved that fuckin' dog. She dressed it up in a stupid knitted hat and carried a ridiculous picture of the mutt in her purse."

Corky's eyes twinkled in amusement. "It's not like you did it on purpose."

Malory rolled her eyes and sighed. "After I hit the brakes, she wouldn't move and made me get out to look. It was dark and the driveway was on an incline so when I got to the front of the car I slipped and fell on my ass in a puddle of blood. I freaked out and was hopping all over the place like a big sissy. Anyway, I tried to fling off the little pieces of doggie parts that were on my hands and ended up hurling the pooch's bloody little hat onto the windshield, where it landed with a gross little splat right in front of her face."

Corky brought both hands to her mouth and laughed..

Malory pretended to ignore her. "Understandably, she never called me again."

"You made that up," Corky accused between chuckles.

"Who in their right mind would make up a story like that and ruin a perfectly good turn on?"

Corky spent a moment working the giggles out of her system before sensuously climbing onto the cot to cover her lover's body with her own. Legs immediately wrapped themselves around her waist to trap her and she tenderly placed a kiss on Malory's lips. "I love you, Malory."

A small gasp was her reward. "Really?"

"Really," Corky confirmed with a whisper, placing gentle kisses on the throat below.

"Say it again," Malory sniffled.

Corky brought her head up in surprise and Malory quickly raised an embarrassed hand to wipe away the tear that had escaped. "I thought you knew?"

"I did," Malory sniffled again. "I just didn't realize how badly I wanted to hear it," she added, moving quickly to catch another tear but her hand was intercepted and Corky moved to kiss it away.

"There all better now."

Malory smiled. "Say it again."

"I love you, Malory."

Coy slouched in his chair by the door and yawned powerfully behind his hand. He spared a quick survey of his charges, lingering on the still immobile Dr. Grey before moving on to the sleeping Dr. Ballenger, noting nothing amiss.

When he joined the Coast Guard he never pictured himself performing guard duty in an underground complex at the bottom of the world, yet here he was. He ran a hand through short-cropped blonde hair and sighed, wondering what had possessed him to volunteer for Antarctica. He had spent six months under the tutelage of Dr. Rivers before being seconded to the Department of Defense and thus eventually falling under the command of the newly assigned Commander Lovecraft.

At first he didn't know what to make of the subtly hostile doctor, although he had to admit that she had certainly loosened up recently. She even flashed a smile in his direction from time to time. He wondered if it had anything to do with the presence of the easygoing Commander, who rumor had it, was extremely formidable if one was unlucky enough to pull a fuck up.

A small whisper of noise came to his ears and he raised his eyes to again scan the interior of the room. Spotting nothing out of the ordinary, he rose and padded across the room to check the status of Dr. Grey.

A few minutes later, he was treading back to his chair, pausing in the middle of his journey to indulge in a yawn and stretch that brought him to his tiptoes. The sound of a rasped gurgle from behind brought him to his heels and he spun to find himself face to face with Dr. Grey. Fear left him motionless as he met eyes rendered frighteningly insane.

Grey brought both hands up and inserted them into his mouth. Without anything but the sound of tearing tissue and cracking bone, he exerted enough force to savagely break his jaw. The corners of his mouth tearing bloodlessly like a fleshy cellophane.

Coy stood mesmerized in terror, all sound and action trapped within a motionless body that refused to respond. It was only when a nest of thick, muddy-red worms filled the doctor's mouth, their tubular bodies contorting in a maddening frenzy, that the rifle came up and he drew in a deep breath to scream.

All sound died in a macabre embrace as his mouth was engulfed by Grey's and filled with a nest of traveling worms, muffling his cries. The invaders fought through his gag reflex unhindered, forcing themselves forward and tearing through soft tissue like barbed needles. His mouth and throat filled with what he knew was blood and his agonized cries filtered silently into labored gurgles. He contorted violently as Grey's teeth cut through his cheeks to solidify their union and he felt his body burning in the wake of the frantically moving intruders. An unholy strength lifted him off his feet and his legs struggled desperately in the air until finally, his activity decreased to a lifeless standstill and his rifle fell uselessly to the floor at his feet.

05/09/02 - 0600 hours

Percy strolled carelessly down the hall to relieve Coy. His tour of duty ended with the impending summer and he had spent many happy hours contemplating how to enjoy his accumulated funds. In his view, there were benefits to spending a year underground and the best one, in his opinion, was the savings plan. Everything was provided for him and paychecks added up untouched, the funds waiting impatiently for his arrival in an economic environment.

So embroiled in his daydream of an irresponsible spending spree, it took him a moment to seriously register the abandoned rifle laying within a congealing puddle of blood just inside the door to Medical. Stopping in his tracks, he leaped backwards to place his back against the wall of the hallway and hurriedly pulled his gun from his holster. His head turned rapidly back and forth to make sure the hall was clear and he reached for his radio, every sense on heightened alert.

His terse report to the rapidly waking Sergeant Major resulted in the klaxon being activated not five seconds into his explanation.

"Commander Lovecraft and all military personnel report to the hall outside of Medical immediately with weaponry," McNeely barked urgently over the intercom. "All other personnel report to the mess and remain there. This is no drill. Move it people. I say again…"

Malory flew out of bed at the sound of klaxon, dumping a grumpy Corky on the floor.

"What the hell!" Corky complained loudly.

"The alarm," Malory explained, hurriedly slipping into her fatigues and sweatshirt without the benefit of underwear.

Corky sleepily and tardily noted the klaxon, preparing to speak when McNeely's voice reverberated through the complex.

"Jesus," Malory whispered when he was finished and fell to the floor to put on her boots. "Get dressed, hurry. I want you to come with me as far as the mess."

"Shouldn't I go to Medical too?" Corky asked worriedly, reading the depth of fear etched onto Malory's face.

"No!" Malory said. "Hurry, now," she added in a softer tone.

Corky frantically hopped up to get her clothes, trying unsuccessfully to hastily get into her bra when Malory pulled it out of her hands.

"Just pants, shirt, and shoes," she said. "Hurry, sweetheart."

Corky did as she was told, trying to choke down the lump in her throat. Malory's movements were tense and edgy. She got her boots on and had no sooner stood when her hand was grabbed and she found herself being pulled out of the room.

Malory drew her gun as soon as they entered the hall. "You stay in the mess with the others and don't let anybody leave," she ordered, pulling the frightened doctor down the hall rapidly.

They soon found themselves in front of the mess and Malory poked her head inside the door to see people already milling about confusedly. "Go on, now," she said, prodding Corky inside.

"Malory…"

"I'll be okay, please go inside now," she interrupted, pecking her cheek speedily and turning to run down the hall.

Corky bit her lower lip in anxiety, trying not to cry. Watching until Malory disappeared around a corner before turning to enter the mess.

As Malory approached Medical she found the soldiers grouped in the hall on either side of the door.

"Report," she said as she came abreast of the men.

"Coy is missing, his weapon is laying just inside the door covered in blood," McNeely whispered. "No one responds from inside and the divider has been drawn so we can't see the infirmary section."

Malory nodded grimly. "Make a hole," she said, waiting for the men to move aside so she could step forward and peek inside.

There was indeed a rifle in the middle of an alarming puddle of drying blood, but more disturbing was the gory footprints tracking from the pool to behind the divider. Even more frightening were the tracks that entered the hall and quickly faded, leaving no trace.

"There are tracks into the hall," she whispered in horror.

"Yes," McNeely confirmed.

She swallowed. "Alvarez, you're up," she said. "Report to the mess and stand guard."

"Aye, skipper," he said, immediately turning to run down the hall.

"Terrel and Cohen. You're to enter Medical and take positions on either side of the door. Reynolds and Hanson make sure they're clear and then mirror their location. Daly and DeSoto, you have their backs. Nod if you don't understand."

No one nodded.

"Do it."

Terrel and Cohen rushed into the room and slammed their backs against the wall just inside, dropping to a knee and leveling rifles forward. "Clear," Terrel whispered.

Reynolds and Hanson rushed into the room. "Clear."

When Daly and DeSoto were in place she turned to the rest of the men. "Ring, Butler, and Percy, watch the hall. McNeely, you're with me."

McNeely nodded and cocked his rifle. "Ready when you are."

"Let's go."

They entered the room slowly, weapons aimed at the curtain. "Chief, Hanson, take the corners," she ordered and they changed positions. "No one fires without orders."

Bracing herself and holding her pistol tightly, she slowly followed the trail of bloody footsteps to within a body length of the divider that closed off a large section of the room.

"Sergeant, I'll pull it back," she whispered. "You've got the call."

He dropped behind her to one knee. "Understood."

"Say when."

"Ready."

She surged forward and quickly pulled the divider open, folding it in upon itself as she hastily crossed the room and dropped to a knee when the journey was complete. She shot a look at McNeely who hadn't moved and was slowly tracking the interior with the barrel of his rifle. He held up a steadying hand, cautiously rising to his feet and making a hand signal that meant he was preparing to move forward.

Malory nodded and gestured Terrel and Cohen to move to cover. From her location she couldn't see but a fraction of the interior and tensely waited for word. It wasn't long in coming.

"Clear," McNeely said. "Commander, you'll need to see this."

Malory didn't like his tone of voice at all, feeling her backbone begin to fidget. "Everybody clear?"

An affirmative chorus greeted her and she rose to venture forward, closing her eyes briefly in preparation as she observed McNeely standing with his rifle in the crook of his arm, his other hand over his mouth.

Reluctantly, she peered around the broad shouldered Sergeant and instantly turned away with an involuntary gag. "Jesus Christ."

She forced herself not to look at the remains and took a deep breath before reaching for her radio. "Sergeant Alvarez?"

"Go ahead."

"Status?"

"Everyone safe and accounted for except Grey, Coy, and Ballenger."

She sighed in relief. "Stay put and drop anyone or anything that enters the mess without prior radio contact. Daly and Cohen incoming."

"Understood, out."

"Daly and Cohen, report to the mess to assist Tech Sergeant Alvarez. Don't dawdle, we have one dead here and two missing."

"Yes, ma'am," Daly said and they both ran out of the room, their footsteps pounding down the hall.

She put her radio back on her belt and holstered her weapon, taking a long moment to compose herself before turning to the sight that awaited.

"Is that Dr. Ballenger?"

"Yes," McNeely confirmed. "The pieces of broken plaster suggest that his cast was broken off before they ate him."

"God."

The corpse in front of her had been ravaged almost to the bone. Even the top of his skull had been broken open from the eye sockets to reach the brain matter inside, his chest cavity reduced to a gaping hole deep enough to expose his spine. His groin and legs nothing but a few strips of flesh that clung stubbornly to gleaming white bone.

"Percy," she barked suddenly. "Get a body bag. The rest of you gather around, we got a big fuckin' problem."

V

Corky sat fearfully next to a concerned Clovis. She had heard Malory issue the orders over Alvarez's radio to open fire on anyone who entered the mess without announcing themselves. She had no idea what could present that much of a danger and dwelling on it only succeeded in scaring her more than she already was. Since Daly and Cohen had arrived, there had been no further word nor any other developments and she was desperately worried about the Commander's welfare.

When the other two soldiers had arrived, they had conversed quietly in a corner of the room with Alvarez and she had forcefully clamped down on the desire to go ask them what was going on. Not that they would tell her, but the impulse to try and weasel something out of them was hard to deny.

"You okay, Corky?" Clovis asked. "You've been too quiet for a while now."

"Yeah, just scared."

"I know the feeling," he agreed. "Those guys look pretty damn serious," he added with a gesture to the soldiers.

She spared a glance at the grim looking men, holding their rifles at the ready. "Yeah, yeah they do."

"I'm sure it'll be okay."

"I hope so," she whispered.

He offered her an enormous hand. "Here," he said and she gratefully placed her hand in his.

"Thanks," she said with a little smile.

"I came by your quarters to get you when the alert sounded," he teased. "No one was home and the bed hadn't been slept in. Can I make a guess as to where you were?"

She spared an amused glance at her friend. "You'd probably get it right."

He chuckled. "She won ya over, did she?"

"Very much so."

"I'm happy for you," he said. "Never fear, I'll keep your secret."

"Thanks, Clovis."

"You worried about her?"

"Yeah, I think that's scaring me more than anything else."

"Don't be, that woman is hell on wheels when it comes down to the wire," Clovis said. "Trust me, she had me believing that she was going to kick the shit out of me the other day. No mean feat considering one of my arms is damn near the size of both of her legs."

Corky chuckled. "She's really not as tough as she lets on."

"No one is, Corky."

She turned a thoughtful look in his direction but was brought up short when Malory's voice came from the Alvarez's radio.

"We're coming in, Sergeant."

"Very well," Alvarez replied.

Every head in the room looked up anxiously as Malory entered the room followed by a squadron of heavily armed men. She strode to the front of the room and sat upon a folding table, placing her rifle between her legs.

"First of all," she started, "get comfortable because everyone is staying in this room until further notice."

Several questions rang out but she held up a hand to silence them. "As you may or may not know, the container discovered in excavation was opened by Dr. Grey, an action that appeared to leave him in a coma. That is until last night, when he apparently attacked Petty Officer Coy who was standing guard in Medical. It's our guess that Dr. Grey was infected by something from within that container, which he in turn infected Coy with."

"Why do you say that, Commander?" Lenard asked.

"Because Dr. Ballenger is dead," she said. "And both Grey and Coy are missing."

A horrified rumble.

"You think they killed Dr. Ballenger?" Clovis braved.

"We know they did," she said. "We know this because there were two sets of bloody foot prints leading away from and surrounding Dr. Ballenger's corpse."

"Why did they kill him?" Isaaks asked.

"They didn't just kill him, people," she said. "They ate him. We pretty much put a skeleton in a body bag."

"Oh, my God!"

"You can't be serious!"

"They ate him?"

"What?"

Malory again held up a hand. "In case, you missed it," she said. "There are two people walking around down here with full stomachs that are still unaccounted for. Until they are found and removed, no one leaves this room unless I say so. I would order an evacuation but we're in the middle of winter and travel isn't feasible. The weather outside is violent and will remain that way for weeks according to the last reports. Also, we cannot at this time send any word because communications are down and understandably, I won't be sending anyone to the silo to clear the dome until this is resolved."

She sighed in the silence that followed, sparing a quick glance at Corky and noting the regretful tears shining in her eyes, realizing she had lost a patient.

"What are we going to do?" Lenard asked.

"After we grab something to eat, I'm going to assemble teams to search and create a safety perimeter. And until we can expand that perimeter to include the central complex we'll all be stuck in here. No one is to go anywhere alone. Not even to the bathroom. Now, I'm in no mood to answer any questions and I have a long day ahead. I'll only say that I don't want to ever see anything again like I did this morning and if I have to issue orders to shoot those disobeying my directives from this point forward, I will. There are a lot of lives at stake here and I won't have one or two fools like Grey endangering the entire group as a whole. I hope I've made myself clear."

Her eyes roamed carefully over the assembled crowd. "Let's get some breakfast going so we can get started."

Malory conferred quietly with the soldiers until the food had been prepared then strode again to the front of the room.

"Lieutenant, Sergeants, Chief, Doctors Rivers, Stokes, Lenard, Watkins, and Isaaks, please join me," she called out and strode over to take a seat at a vacant table.

She played with her food until they arrived, happy when Corky sat down next to her and placed a possessive hand on her leg.

"Lieutenant," she started, "I know I should have asked earlier but what are the chances of flying out of here if the weather breaks?"

"A fraction above zero," he said. "We're too far away from any outpost, foreign or domestic, to hope for a suitable break in weather. There won't be one long enough until summer. The current temperatures would freeze the aircraft's hydraulic systems."

"I guess I knew that," she sighed. "Once we've cleared a safe perimeter and if at that time we haven't located Grey or Coy, we'll barricade ourselves in and proceed from there. That will at least allow us to return to quarters."

"We'll have to secure Operations and Mechanical, Commander," McNeely said.

"Good point," she agreed.

"Don't you think this may be a little drastic?" Watkins braved. "It's just two guys."

Malory favored him with a blank look. "Dr. Watkins," she said. "One of these men is apparently infected with something extraterrestrial and therefore outside of our experience. I might also point out that Grey was able to completely overpower a man armed with an automatic rifle without raising any alarm. And I should tell you that there isn't a man in this room strong enough to pull the top of Ballenger's head off from the eye sockets with his bare hands."

Corky gasped and Malory dropped a hand beneath the table to squeeze her apologetically.

"Jesus," Clovis whispered.

"What did you do with his body?" Corky asked.

"It's sealed in cold storage."

"Why did you ask to see us?" Lenard asked.

"Because there's a theory we want to run by you."

"Okay," Lenard said.

"As you know, we have a dead alien body and two empty containers in storage," McNeely said. "And it was your opinion that the aliens were cannibals. We're thinking that our current situation might have been previously experienced on board that spacecraft."

"Interesting," Lenard replied. "And not very farfetched. One empty container and a half eaten space alien. Now we have another open container and uh… well."

"Exactly," McNeely agreed.

"Unfortunately, it appears that our outer space buddies resolved their situation by crashing almost a mile deep into our planet," Malory pointed out. "Mass suicide isn't an option I'll consider so as soon as its feasible, I want that alien body dissected into particles in search of anything that might look like it doesn't belong there."

"Commander?" Daly said hesitantly as he approached.

"Yes?

"There are people who wish to leave the mess to use the facilities."

"Grab some of the guys and have them clear a path to the nearest head," Malory ordered. "Two guards in the hall and one at a time, another guard in the room with them."

"Yes, Commander," he said in and turned to carry out her orders.

"Uhm…" Corky said uncomfortably. "I don't think I could go with a guy standing watch over me."

A few chuckles and Corky blushed.

"I guess I could go with you," Malory said. "It depends on whether or not you gotta do number one or number two though."

Corky's blush and the beginnings of laughter vanished in a wave of automatic gunfire that echoed loudly through the room.

"Alvarez and Butler, stand fast. The rest with me now! Move!" she yelled, grabbing her rifle and running from the room.

Malory stormed out of the mess, the comforting sound of pounding footsteps echoing behind her. She spotted Daly a short distance down the hall hastily inserting a fresh magazine into his rifle. Several yards beyond him stood a bullet riddled Grey clutching a booted and fatigued leg in one hand by the ankle. He was dragging the severed member behind him as he advanced on Daly, creating a crimson smear on the floor.

She dropped to one knee and leveled her rifle. "Daly! Behind me now!" she yelled and he rose and ran back several yards to join the firing line.

Grey came forward undaunted, an insane gleam shining in otherwise lifeless eyes. Dried blood covered his face and chest, his jaw drooping malignantly at a grotesque and unnatural angle.

"Short burst," Malory ordered. "Go for the head on my command," she added, carefully taking aim.

She waited until he was only three body lengths away. "Fire!"

The brief roar of several rifles firing in unison filled the hall and Grey's head exploded from the neck up, coating the walls around him a bright red. Amazingly, he was still on his feet, the headless body still uncertainly moving forward.

"Fuck me," Reynolds whispered from beside her.

Several clumps of a fleshy substance fell to the floor in clusters from the stump of his neck and Malory had to fight back a dry heave to speak. "Half on right knee, half on left. I'm on right."

"Right."

"Right."

"Right."

"Left."

"Left."

"Left."

"Fire!"

Automatic gunfire thundered again in the hall and Grey fell forward, one leg completely blown off at the knee and the other attached by flimsy strands of tissue. When his torso struck the ground a glut of moist and writhing flesh resembling handfuls of ground beef spewed from the exposed orifice of his neck.

"Worms," McNeely said.

"Back up!" Malory almost screamed, her eyes transfixed in horror on the contorting piles. "Flamethrower, now!"

Terrel moved forward through the retreating crowd and doused the entire hallway with a bright orange flame, letting loose several bursts in the interest of diligence.

"Get the extinguishers," Malory ordered, watching the flames consume both the walls and what was left of Grey's body.

Hanson and DeSoto rushed forward to douse the flames and she reached out to stop them. "Let it burn a little longer."

She waited until she began to sweat through her shirt from the heat. "Go," she said finally and they rushed forward to put out the fire.

A few minutes later, the hall was filled with the stench of burning flesh and the only thing left of Grey was a blackened and smoldering lump.

"Daly," she said in the silence that followed. "What happened?"

"Cohen went to check the head in Danforth's quarters, he was turning to leave when Grey jumped out of the shower stall and started tearing him to pieces," Daly said in subdued tones.

"Christ," McNeely said, shaking his head.

Malory suddenly stiffened. "I told you two in the hall. Who else was with you?"

"Percy," Daly said in dawning horror. "God, he was right beside me firing at Grey."

Reynolds snatched the radio from his belt. "Percy?"

Malory grabbed hers as well. "Alvarez?"

"Go ahead."

"Is Percy in there with you?"

"Negative."

"Percy, respond," Reynolds yelled into his radio.

"Fuck!" Malory yelled in frustration, throwing her radio into the wall where it shattered and fell to the floor.

"Commander," Reynolds said quietly, lowering his radio as his eyes focused over her shoulder.

"What!" she snapped and he gestured behind her with a nod of his head.

"Gimme a fuckin' break," McNeely whispered.

Malory turned to see Cohen pulling himself out of Danforth's quarters using only the stump of his left arm, his other appendages in tatters or missing altogether. Blood flowed freely from his wounds, complicating his efforts to travel and creating a grisly path on the floor. Even as he tried to slink away he was ravenously feeding on what she nauseatingly recognized as one of his own severed hands. She wanted to cry. Instead, her face hardened.

"Terrel," she said. "Burn it. Then burn whatever he left behind in Danforth's quarters."

"Aye, skipper," Terrel said, advancing determinedly down the hallway.

"DeSoto, Hanson, back him up," she ordered and they followed in Terrel's wake.

"I want all of the remains collected and thrown into the incinerator, including Ballenger's and that alien we found," she said, leaning her back against the wall and sliding down to sit on the floor. "I also want Hanson equipped with a flamethrower and I want a shotgun. A big goddamn shotgun."

Corky spent the next three hours on the border of hysterics. She had chewed all of her fingernails down to nubs and the urgent need of her bladder only added to her agitation. After the loud and very close gun battle that had taken place earlier, there had been no word other than a hushed radio conversation that Alvarez had engaged in. Overhearing a snippet of Malory's voice had calmed her considerably but as the time dragged on with no word, her fears had reclaimed their hold on her.

She was more than a little surprised at how completely reluctant emotion for the Commander had transformed so thoroughly into such an engulfing need. The very thought of losing Malory scared her to the very core of her being and any reservations she had possessed only a few days before, had effectively evaporated.

The quick rattle of Alvarez's radio startled her and about a minute later the soldiers again entered the mess. Her eyes tracked to the smallest one that sported a head of dark red hair and she breathed a sigh of relief. Malory's shirt was soaked through in several places and even from a distance, Corky could tell she was exhausted. She smiled in response when blue eyes searched for her anxiously and then filled with relief.

Malory strode to the center of the room and sat down tiredly in her previous spot. "A perimeter has been established. The central complex has been cleared and the North and South fire doors have been sealed and reinforced with a weld. I have guards posted at each one. This means we don't have to camp in here and can return to our quarters," she reported indifferently. "However, pick a partner because you're bunking up two to a room tonight and for the foreseeable future. No one is be alone from this point forward. I know most of you need to use the facilities and I'll let you go in a minute. There are few things you have to know."

She sighed and took a deep breath. "At this time, Dr. Grey is dead as is Airman Cohen. PO's Percy and Coy are now missing."

She let them mumble amongst themselves for a moment. "We believe that Grey was originally infected by an alien intruder and then passed this intruder on to Coy. We suspect Percy to either be infected as well or dead."

"What kind of intruder is it, Commander?" Clovis asked.

"Worms."

"Excuse me?"

"Worms," she repeated loudly. "Dr. Grey was infested with them. Now, we have no idea what they do to you if you become infected but apparently, you develop superhuman strength and an appetite for your own kind. Grey tore Cohen to pieces with his bare hands and took unimaginable damage to his body before we were able to put him down. It also appears that whatever happens to you once you become infected, diminished intelligence is not a side effect."

A thoughtful silence.

"So what's our plan of action?" Lenard asked.

"Search and destroy," Malory said. "We can't evacuate and we have almost four months before leaving becomes a possibility. We're stuck here and until the threat is eliminated, none of us are safe."

"What about communications?" Clovis asked.

"Communications are down and I'm not sending anyone to the silo until I know they'll be able to come back. The complex is under computer lockdown. This means the vacuum doors to Operations and Mechanical have been sealed as have all other doors to areas deemed of importance. This means you better hope either I or Mr. McNeely survive or none of you are going anywhere."

A few minutes of rumbles and Malory stood from her seat. "Choose a roommate fellas and see to your needs. Dinner will be at 2100 hours, attendance is mandatory and I want a list provided to Mr. McNeely as to who you are bunking with," she ordered and strode over to confer in whispers with her men.

A short time later she looked up. "Dr. Rivers, pack a bag. You're with me," she called out with a wave and waited until Corky came forward before leading her out of the room.

Corky grabbed her hand as soon as the doors closed behind them. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah," she answered, bringing Corky's hand to her mouth for a kiss. "How are you doing?"

"Scared."

"You got the easy part."

"Was it really bad?" Corky asked reluctantly, not sure if she really wanted an answer.

"It was unspeakable."

Corky chewed on the words thoughtfully, taking comfort in the hand that grasped hers. She remained silent until they entered Malory's quarters and she let out an urgent squeak, her body giving her an ultimatum. Letting go of Malory's hand, she ran across the room frantically unbuttoning her pants and hastily plopped down on the toilet. She moaned climatically in relief.

Malory closed the door and laughed in amusement. "Would you listen to that?" she chuckled. "I'm surprised you're not launching yourself into the air."

Corky ignored her completely, concentrating on her moment of profoundly liberated bliss.

Malory grinned and propped her shotgun up against the wall and unslung the rifle from her back to keep it company. It was followed by a belt of shells and a bandolier of magazines. When she was done unburdening herself, she sat down on the cot and began to unlace her boots, her nose wrinkling.

"God, I stink."

Corky emerged from her euphoria. "Are we gonna be okay, Malory?"

"I think so."

"You need to know so," Corky said from her throne. "I can't lose you. I won't lose you."

Malory looked at her fondly. "Somebody loves me," she sang childishly.

Corky rolled her eyes. "Malory, this is serious."

"You don't need to tell me that."

"Then tell me we're going to be okay."

"I can't tell you that because I don't know. But I can tell you that I'm going to do my best," she said. "You're my world, Corky. I wish I could show everyone that."

"Your best is good enough for me," Corky whispered. "I never thought I would hear myself say this, but I can't imagine life without you."

Malory beamed a bright smile. "I shall try and bask in those words and pretend they weren't spoken to me while you sat upon the pot."

Corky giggled. "I guess I could've chosen a more romantic location."

"Wanna take a shower with me?"

"Yes."

Malory rose to her feet and stripped off her stinky shirt. "Let's ride."

Corky breathed deeply of the clean scent emanating from the warm body below hers. Despite the situation, the only thing she could concentrate on was how content she felt lying on top of her snoring lover. Malory lay flat on her belly, having collapsed onto the cot as soon as she finished her shower and had fallen asleep within minutes.

Corky turned slightly so she could cock an elbow to support her head and softly connected the freckles on Malory's back with a fingertip. When she was finished, she lifted a long strand of still-damp red hair and brushed through it gently with her fingers. She marveled at the depth of her feelings for a woman she had recently hated beyond compare. Malory had become a drug she was hopelessly addicted to and like any addict; she yearned to possess a constant line to her supply.

She placed a small kiss on her shoulder and traced a lingering trail down her spine, changing course as she reached the end to delicately squeeze an exposed cheek. Her hand ran itself inquisitively over the back of recently shaved legs and found them luxuriant to the touch. Unable to resist, she let her hand fall between the slightly parted legs and brought it up slowly until she met an exotically warm resistance.

Malory's breath hitched slightly and Corky paused to assure herself that her lover was still asleep. Once certain, she explored and teased deftly until she was able to enter her, freezing when the snores were interrupted by a small sigh. A grin came to her face as Malory shifted slightly in her slumber, unconsciously parting her legs further apart.

Wickedly wondering how far she could go before waking her, she began to stroke her gently. Her excitement growing as Malory's became obvious, she withdrew and teased at her playfully.

A low moan was a prelude to blue eyes snapping open in surprise and Corky went stock still, suddenly caught in the act.

Malory cleared her throat. "Enjoying yourself?" she asked sleepily.

"Uhm… yeah."

"Don't let me interrupt," she mumbled.

"I'm sorry, I know you're tired," she said bashfully. "I just wanted to feel you."

"You can have me anytime you want. Don't be sorry."

"Even if you're asleep?" Corky asked playfully.

"Of course," Malory said around a small yawn. "I belong to you."

"Really?"

"Really."

"Then I want you."

Malory raised her hips and brought herself to her knees, spreading her legs as far as the cot would allow. "Do anything you like, Corky," she whispered.

"God, Malory," Corky said, her eyes riveted on the endowment before her. "When you give yourself like that I soak myself."

"I'm not giving anything you don't already own," she offered submissively.

Corky inched forward to center herself, placing hands on supple hips in preparation. "I love you, Malory."

"I love you too," Malory gasped, pressing her face into her pillow pleasurably as Corky began to explore.

Dinner was uneventful, the mood very quiet and subdued. A corporeal undercurrent of unease permeating the room. The monotony only broken when Lenard and Watkins approached at the end of the meal.

"Commander?" Lenard said.

Malory looked up from her plate and gestured for the men to sit down next to McNeely and Reynolds. "What's up?"

"Uhm…" Watkins started hesitantly. "We'd like to be issued weapons."

Malory stared at them. "At the moment, that's out of the question."

"May I ask why?" Watkins countered.

"Because our enemy looks exactly like us and could be any one of us," Malory explained. "I won't create a bigger problem then we already have. Besides, if you encounter one of these things you can empty a weapon into it dozens of times and not even slow it down."

"You apparently killed Grey," Watkins pointed out.

Malory had to clamp down on an angry response. "Yes, we did," she said. "With seven people firing automatic rifles at precise targets. Grey didn't have a head or legs below the knees, yet he still kept coming. Terrel had to incinerate him with a flamethrower to finish him."

"God," Corky gasped from beside her.

"Yes," she agreed. "So unless you want to use the gun on yourself, issuing you one at this time would pretty much be a useless gesture."

The two men sat silently, considering her words. "Alright," Lenard said finally. "I see your point. What's our plan then?"

She took a deep breath. "Tomorrow morning, everybody spends the day in the mess while a group of us break the weld on the South door and either confirm the area clear or eliminate Percy and Coy."

"That's a lot of area to cover," Watkins said.

"Yes, it is," she agreed. "A lot of it is close quarters and we can't afford to lose anyone else to death or infection."

"Is there anyway we can help?" Lenard offered.

"The best way to help would be to do exactly as we ask," she said, not unkindly. "Stay in groups and don't let anyone stray."

Lenard nodded his consent. "Alright. Are we sure the doors can't be breached?"

"We couldn't dent those doors with a grenade." Reynolds said.

Malory rose from her seat. "On that note, I'm going to call it a night. Are you ready, Dr. Rivers?"

"Yes," Corky answered, coming to her feet.

McNeely watched them go, waiting prudently until they left the room to speak. "Chief, who volunteered?"

"Alvarez."

"Tell him to keep it quiet," McNeely advised. "She'll hand him his ass if she catches him watching over her."

Reynolds chuckled. "He knows."

Corky dumped her bag of clothes on the floor and flopped into Malory's chair. "Do you think anyone realized I was wearing one of your shirts?"

"Nah," Malory said as she seated herself on the end of her bunk and yawned tiredly.

"I'm glad we went to get some of my things," Corky said. "I don't think I've ever gone a full day in my life without wearing underwear."

"Actually," Malory considered. "I kinda like the way my pants ride up on me."

Corky giggled.

Malory chuckled and yawned again. "God, I'm tired."

A blush. "Sorry."

"Gee, and I thought I was a horny toad," Malory teased.

"Shut up."

Malory stood and closed the distance between them, reaching out a hand to gently cup the doctor's cheek. "Don't ever be sorry," she said, leaning forward to kiss her softly.

"Don't you leave me," Corky whispered when she withdrew.

"Never," she said, taking her hand and pulling her to her feet. "Now come to bed, it's gonna be a long day tomorrow."

Continued