Red.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ49fKIB3mBa
The sky, the burning ground, the jagged rocks.
Everything was a glaring, hazy red.
McCoy rubbed at his eyes. He stumbled, fell to his knees. The hot, gritty earth tore at his skin, rasping at the spots already raw and bloody.
"Dehydrating," he muttered through cracked lips. "Dehydrating."
He pushed at the ground with his battered hands, and managed to rise once again.
His jumpsuit was tattered. He felt as if he were made of sand---dry, blazing sand. After a few shallow breaths, which seemed to bring no air inside him at all, McCoy resumed his shambling progress.
"Look for signs," he said in a quaking voice. "Look for signs, like the manual says, of water...."
He fell down again.
Must have passed out for awhile. When he got to his feet, there was a different feel and look to things. The day felt older, the glaring light a little less intense.
McCoy stood there, palms pressed against his thighs, swaying. "Must go by the book," he told himself. "Look of signs----signs of water...."
He shambled on---swaying, stumbling, falling, rising.
It went on and on.
He lost his footing on the crushed edge of a dried-up riverbed. Down he rolled, coming to rest in its sandy bottom.
"Lowest part of----dried riverbed," he recited. "Lowest part----outside----of bend----look for-----bend...."
He made his way on hands and knees, ripping away the fresh scabs.
"Lowest part of----the bend...."
McCoy found what he thought must be the right place to dig for water. With unsteady hands, he dug into his shredded jumpsuit. "Where---is---where is that---damn...." His fingers located the half-mirror. He pulled it out.
The sun caught it and made it flare with light, as McCoy began to dig, with a weary frenzy, at the gritty riverbed.
"Going to find---find water---like the manual----manual promised----not going to----to dry up---blow away---shit---not going to do that...."
Sand. Nothing but sand. And after that, more sand.
He kept digging, until there was no strength left in him.
Fighting against it, McCoy sank down. "Not going to give up---Nancy, I know---water's here----it is---can't give you up, Nancy....if there was just only a----little bit----little bit of water---that's all I...."
He sprawled out, his hand clutching the chunk of mirror. The sun touched it once again, making light glint off it.
Maybe he lost a little more time. He wasn't sure. He felt rested. Yeah, he could keep digging. Find that water and then he'd be okay.
Something made him look up.
Two birds were way the hell up there, circling him. That was okay. Birds always circled over water. The manual told you that.
"Unless they're....." What was the name of those birds that came and ate you after you were dead. "They call 'em----shit----I know it...."
He kept staring up into the glare of the afternoon sky, watching the birds grow larger and larger and hearing their steady chuffing sound.
"Vultures," he remembered.
Only they weren't vultures. They weren't even birds to start with.
The sand began to swirl and spin, rushing at him in gritty clouds.
"I'm dead, Jim," he said, realizing the choppers had found him and the game was over.
Yesterday he would have gotten up and run from them, make them work to capture him.
That was yesterday.
Today he stayed where he was, caring only about one thing---hoping that maybe they'd let him have just a little bit of water.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXi2fxFbR5T
Roddenberry was back in his chilly air-conditioned office. He leaned back in his chair, studying the framed photos on the walls---especially those which showed him and Kirk together, arm in arm, side by side, smiling.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhBaW4lWks
"The good old days, he murmured. The phone rang. "Yes?"472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6IASvSnh7
"They've found one of them," came a crisp voice.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡh8sWF2m3hg
"Which one? Kirk?"472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡye8OgzIHxa
"McCoy."472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB7qVGu3x1r
"He was alone?"472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB4qIE28xO
"All alone. Apparently they split up."472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXNGpboPZW7
"Which direction was he heading from the jet?"472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeOTxImU8JQ
"North."472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡctOSF7WMNK
"Then all you have to do is look south and west from now on. Call off the other searchers and concentrate south and west."472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl980hl8Fv8
"Yes, we'd already decided on that." The phone was hung up.472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnrHNRTya1r
Roddenberry hung up on his end. He glanced again at the wall photos. "I hope you're alive when they find you, Jim," he said softly. 472Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxVmTH1JT4B
