Copyright. Paramount owns Star Trek and all it characters.

Captains and Officers

by Rea

"Come on Pavel, hurry up! We're going to be late!"

Fifteen-year-old Pavel Chekov looked up to see Elora Dannon tapping her foot impatiently. Elora's family was Canadian. Her parents were scientists who were temporarily stationed in Leningrad. Pavel had met her at a boring luncheon his mother had insisted he attend. Elora had turned out to be extremely amusing. It had been magnificent luck that she was attending the same school as he.

Pavel took a moment to contemplate his friend. Her light brown hair had just recently been cut, so that it ended at the tips of her ears. She was about his height, which was a good thing. For a change he didn't have to look up. She had the most beautiful brown eyes he had ever seen, and an impish smile he couldn't resist. All in all, she was the best friend he had ever had.

"Sorry 'Lora but my binder fell open and my report pages are all over the street!"

"Oh, well here, let me help you." Elora bent to help him retrieve the scattered papers. "Sorry, I hadn't realized." Handing Pavel the last of the report, she glanced down at her watch. "Oh shit, Pavel, we're going to miss the train. We gotta move!"

Gathering up his bookbag, Pavel raced after his friend. They had reached the subway just in time to watch their transport pulling away from the platform. Turning to Elora, Pavel shrugged.

"Well, so much for taking the subway to school. I could call Papa and have him give us a ride." he offered, "He'll be pretty pissed though."

Elora gave Pavel the Look. Pavel knew it well. It meant he was going to get into trouble.

Grinning her most impish gin, Elora put her hands on Pavel's shoulders and pinned him to the station wall.

"You know what I think Pavel, I think we should just bugger off school for today. We can fake notes for each other and hand those into the teachers tomorrow. We're such dedicated and diligent students, they won't suspect a thing. No one will ever know the difference!"

Pushing her arms away. Pavel regarded his friend seriously. "Elora I am the dedicated and diligent student, not you. And besides, they will know, they always know. My mother had radar. I can't lie to her. Anyway, all she would have to do is call the transit station to know that we weren't on that train!"

"Pavel Andreievich Chekov! You have no sense of adventure! Besides, it isn't like we are going to do something stupid and pointless. We are going to work on our science projects. I heard my Dad say that there have been strange reports of a new breed of bug in the city. Guess where those reports came from?"

Pavel gulped nervously. "Here?" he ventured to guess.

Elora grinned triumphantly. "Yup." Pulling him toward the now abandoned tracks with one hand, Elora used the other to pull a map and flashlight out of her bag. "Come on, it will be fun. We can pretend we are in Starfleet. I'll be the Captain which leads the team-"

"Hey," Pavel interrupted, "how come you get to be the captain?"

"Because, I thought of this first. As I was saying, I am the captain, and you can be the science officer. You're not captain material anyway."

Pavel crossed his arms and came to a halt. "Exactly what do you mean, I am not Captain material?"

"For starters, you're a follower, not a leader. If you were a leader, I wouldn't have been able to persuade you to come down here with me so easily."

Pavel shuffled his feet, well she sort of had a point there, not that he was going to admit it! "Secondly, you analyize things too much. Captains are more spontaneous, and adventurous! You're logical, calculating, and way to easy to intimidate!" Pavel scowled at her. "Da, well, Starfleet would never put you in charge of a ship. You would use it to run around the quadrant exploring strange new shopping malls. To boldly shop where no woman has dared to shop before!"

Elora stopped and looked back. "well of course I would! Why else have ship? I mean, if you're in charge you may as well do what you want to!"

Pavel sighed and shook his head. Women. Was there no way to decipher them? Realizing that Elora was still walking, he hurried to catch up. "Wait for me, 'Lora, I'm coming!"

The two youngsters continued to walk through the subway tunnels, laughing and chasing each other. Unbeknownst to either that something was watching.

***

"Pavel, can we stop for lunch? I am practically starving here!"

Pavel turned to his friend and shrugged. "Okay. I don't have a lunch though. Mama gave me rubles for the cafeteria today."

Throwing her bookbag onto an abandoned platform, Elora hopped up beside it and began to rummage through its contents.

"No problem Pasha. I have extra. Mom always packs too much. Want some chips and half a sandwich?"

"Sure." Pavel took the offered food and climbed up to sit beside Elora. Eating with one hand, Pavel picked up the flashlight with other and scanned the walls of the old subway tunnel.

Munching on a sandwich, Pavel remarked conversationally, "You know, for being so far into the old part of the station, I thought that we would've seen some rats or mole people. We haven't come across any.

"Maybe that's cuz the bugs ate them all." interjected Elora.

Pavel glanced worried around. "I hope not. Lora, I think we should go back. I have a very bad feeling-"

"Pasha, you always have a "very bad feeling." Now come on, we still have more exploring to do!" Grabbing the flashlight from her friend, she started following the train lines again.

Pavel scowled at her disappearing back, and then hurried to catch up.

***

"Pasha look at this! This is so cool! I have never seen anything like this before. Definitely nothing this big!' Touching the outside of the cocoon, she pulled her hand back and examined her fingers. "Ohhh, gross. Pav, this thing is really slimy, and it smells too. Yuk. Any idea what this is?"

Pavel stood stubbornly in the doorway of the old station office. He shook his head. "No way am I going in here Elora. This place is creepy. Let's go see the old transit car instead. It doesn't have any weird egg cocoons in it. Or better yet, let's go home."

"Egg cocoon? Is that what this is? Oh wicked! Do you have a knife? I want to see what the eggs look like!" Elora saw a ridge, which she was sure was an opening to the cocoon. "Pavel, will you just come in here for a second? I'm sure that this is the opening! Pavel will you-"

Elora jumped as Pavel's hand clamped over her mouth. "Shh, Lora, do you hear that clicking?"

They listened for moment. It was still there, but now it was louder. The sound reminded Elora of her uncle when he played the spoons. It also sounded like the crickets in the summer, back home in Canada... Bugs made those sounds.

Pavel seemed to have come to the same conclusion. Lifting his hand from her mouth, he whispered, "Walk to the opening and then run for the subway car. We can hide there."

Too scared to speak, Elora nodded. The two crept toward the opening. Pavel poked his head around the corner and froze. IT wasn't a bug, but a person. Pavel blinked. Something wasn't right. It was too small to be an adult. It looked like it was just a little taller than he. The face, Pavel squinted, the face was hard to see.

Elora poked her head around the corner and breathed a sigh of relief. It wasn't a bug, just another person. Before Pavel could stop her, she walked into the open, waving.

"Hello, can you help us? We found a strange nest and-"

Elora screamed as the "person" dropped to the ground and hissed, revealing a large set of fangs, and two protruding incisors. Elora's scream broke Pavel's paralysis. He raced forward and grabbed Elora.

"Lora, run! Don't look back." Pavel knew he didn't need to look back to know the insect was chasing them. He could hear the click of its feet on the floor. Elora and Pavel dove into the abandoned car and moved to close the door.

"Hurry Pavel," shouted Elora, "It's coming!"

Just as the door was sliding shut, the insect pushed a claw in and caught Pavel's arm. Pavel screamed as flesh was ripped. Blood splattered the door window, but miraculously, the door heaved shut, snapping the pincer in two. The insect howled and disappeared. Pavel kicked away the severed claw and slumped against the door. Elora sat next to him and grabbed his arm.

"Omigod, Pavel, are you all right?" I am so sorry, this is all my fault. If I hadn't wanted to go exploring none of this would have happened. Oh Pavel, your arm! Here let me help."

Ripping off a piece of her sweater, she tightly would the material over the lacerated arm. With a painful cry, Pavel pulled his arm away, and curled into a tight ball. Tears formed around his eyes. Pavel angrily clamped his eyes shut. His arm hurt so much. And they were trapped. What were they going to do now?

Pavel lifted his head when he felt Elora put her arms around him. Giving him a comforting squeeze, she pulled back and peaked out the transit window. Seeing nothing, she settled back onto her knees. Pulling her map out of her pocket, she studied the schematics, before again turning to Pavel.

"Pasha, they're gone. Now is out chance to get out of here." Putting the map in front of his face, she outlined the tunnels they would follow. "Look, if we go back the way we came, they'll probably get us. But if we take the tunnel where the trains are still running, we should be all right." Starring into Pavel's blank face, she tried again. "Okay. You said that there weren't any rats in the abandoned tunnels right? Well, there are in the new ones. I saw one the other day."

Still not getting a response, she angrily reached over and shook him. "For god's sake, listen to what I'm telling you, eh? There are rats, so that means those monsters don't go there! Pasha, snap out of it!"

Pavel was still for a moment, but then started to shake. "Elora, I am so cold. I don't think I can make it. You should go without me. Get help."

Elora shrugged out of her jacket and placed it around Pavel. "Forget it. I refuse to do that. I am not leaving you here. Listen to me Pavel, you can do this. I know that your arm hurts, but if we can just get to the station platform, we can get you to a doctor. Please Pasha?"

Seeing the terror in her eyes, Pavel tried to pull himself together. /I'm in shock, and she wants me to out race some gigantic insects. Crazy girl./ Somehow finding this funny, Pavel started to laugh.

Looking into Elora's worried face he giggled and gestured towards the door. "All right you crazy Canadian, let's go before I totally bleed to death and die on you. We go, da?"

Elora regarded him warily for a moment before standing and, nodding, pushed open the door. Creeping out, the two youngsters scrutinized their surroundings, but saw only shadows. Elora strained her ears, but could hear only Pavel's strained breathing. The clicks of the insect were silent.

Seeing their turn for the transit platform, Elora moved closer to Pavel and gently touched his shoulder. "This way. If we follow the subway tracks it should take us back to the transit platform."

Pavel grinned and gave her a thumbs up. Elora could see blood seeping through her makeshift bandage. /What's wrong with him? He's bleeding and he laughs and smiles? I better get him to a doctor./

***

They were almost to the platform when she heard it. It was a clicking noise. Actually it was a lot of clicking noises. Breaking into a run Elora grabbed Pavel and propelled him forward.

"Shit, Pasha, they've found us! Run like hell, we have to make the platform!"

Pavel staggered against her. Looking over his shoulder he could see dark shapes speeding towards them. His eye fell to floor of the tunnel, and to the sticky trail of blood he was leaving behind. The sick realization suddenly hit home.

Turning frantically to Elora, he hissed, "Lora, the blood, it's the blood. They can smell it. That's why they're here. Bozhe moi, Elora, I'm sorry. I'm endangering you!" Pavel pulled away from her and headed at full tilt in the opposite direction. "Get help Elora, tell your Dad what's down here!"

"PASHA, NO! Don't do it!" Elora watched her friend disappear down the opposite tunnel. Falling to her knees, she realized Pavel was right. It was the smell of the blood. None of the insects turned to her. Pulling herself together, she rose and sprinted towards the transit station. She had to get there. She had to get help.

***

Pavel had the calm feeling of an individual who knows he is about to die. He could sense the shadows closing in. The clicking rang loud in his ears. Yet, there was another sound too. A louder, more powerful sound. One that could drown out the insects. It was familiar. It was a transit. The spotlight on the front of the engine nearly blinded Pavel as it rounded the corner. Putting his courage to the sticking place, Pavel pooled the last of his strength into a forward sprint towards the oncoming train.

Feeling their presence directly behind him now, Pavel thundered towards the transit. /Not yet. Just a little closer, a little closer, NOW/

Moments before the train made contact, Pavel dove towards the side. The insects behind him were not so fortunate. Pavel could hear the sickening crunch of their bodies being crushed beneath the transit wheels. Insect entrails flew everywhere and Pavel shielded his face from them. Curling up against the tunnel wall, Pavel gave into the pain in his arm.

***

"And so Dad sent in some guys with phasers and some kind of bug spray, and totally annihilated those freaks! Isn't that great Pavel?" Elora exclaimed from her perch on the end of her friend's hospital bed.

Pavel smiled weakly. He was still so tired. He didn't know how long he had been in the tunnel. Not long enough, he supposed, to be run over by an oncoming train. Instead, he had awoken in the hospital to his mother's lullaby. Even though he was far too old for such things, it was comforting to know she was there. As he lay back enjoying his warm bed, a thought occurred to him.

"Elora, where did the insects come from? They couldn't have just appeared. How did they come to Leningrad and how could they have stayed here for so long without someone noticing? The transit officers have regular sweeps of subway lines to get rid of people trying to live down there. How could no one notice?"

Elora regarded Pavel seriously for a moment, before smiling fondly. "That's my Pasha, always wondering and asking questions. They aren't sure where the bugs came from. One thing they do know though, is that they were evolving to mimic us."

Seeing Pavel's confused look, she went on to explain. "Remember, when we were in science class? A fly can look like a spider. A caterpillar can make itself look like its predator, the snake. These insects were trying to look like us. That was why I mistook that insect for human. It was disguising itself."

Pavel shivered. "Well, I'm glad we can still tell the difference. That would be really freaky, if they could walk around without anyone noticing. What happened after that?"

"Dad kept some specimens. He had one sent to the lab. They should be dissecting it now. As for your next question, well, that nest we found wasn't laid it the same spot as the others. The hive was actually farther in. The city had sealed off a quarter of the subway system last year when they had all those cave-ins, remember?"

Pavel nodded and waited for her to continue.

"They discovered the nest and found a whole bunch of really pissed-off bugs. When they were done, their phasers were completely drained of energy." Pausing, she continued, "So that's why no one noticed. Transit didn't do sweeps there, so they wouldn't know right? By the way, how's the arm?"

"Fine. But I have to do exercises to get all the movements back. When the Cossack bug attacked me, it ripped a lot of my muscle and tendons. It will get better though. Lora, can I ask you to leave? I am getting very tired. We can visit more in the morning. When we are writing apology letters to our parents and teachers for skipping school and nearly getting ourselves killed. And one to the transit station apologizing for snooping around and discovering a new insect before it could come and kill everyone." Pavel said sarcastically. "If you ask me though, we should be getting medals, not punishments. We are heroes, after all."

Elora laughed on her way out. "Yeah, and," she added, "we discovered a new bug. Those critters should be named after us."

Pavel grimaced. "Forget it. We can name them after you, if you want. I do not want something that ugly to be named for me."

"Oh, why not Pavel? It would be fitting. They have your temperament, after all."

Dodging a pillow, Elora scampered out the door, stopping long enough to add, "Besides, we have more exploring to do. If that's what is in the tunnels, imagine what's in the sewers!"

Pavel groaned and laid back on the bed. As he drifted off to sleep he decided that the next they went exploring he would be the captain.

The End.