Is it hot in here, or is it just me?

[logical_hobgoblin]

The sandstorm seemed to come out of the blue, a sudden gust of wind that turned into a maelstrom of dust and particles that blocked visibility and made breathing difficult. It hit while the party was scattered, Spock and McCoy scouting for life forms, Kirk and the others... unknown, at this point.

The storm lasts for two hours, but it's enough to bury them and their makeshift shelter of a tarp under two feet of sand, so Spock digs them out, pushing up until he breaks back out into dusty air. "Are you well, Doctor?"

Comments

[therealmccoy_1701]

When the storm hit them, he only had one concern: To get to the others. Jim, most of all, of course, but it's not just about him. There's a whole crew with the captain that he also worried about. They were all his responsibility. He was their doctor. He had to get to them to make sure they didn't lose one.

The cloud of dust and sand made it impossible to see, the loud winds made it impossible for him to hear what Spock was saying, but the grip on his arm was unrelenting, refusing to let him go, and dragging him down underneath that damn tarp. He fought it even then, but eventually realized that the Vulcan's grip wasn't something he could get out of.

Then the tarp started sagging with the weight of the sand being piled on top of it and, instead of trying to move away, McCoy shuffled just a little bit closer. Being buried alive wasn't a fear he'd ever even considered...until this very moment when it seemed he wouldn't just die here, but also spend eternity buried next to the most annoying, infuriating being in existence.

Hours later everything is quiet, but it's an eerie sort of silence, not a calm one. It's a dead sort of quiet. One that makes his chest tighten a little. What if...?

"I'm fine," he grumbles as he stands up and dusts himself off, looking around the virgin sea of sand. No trace of anything anywhere. He had been sitting under that tarp the entire time, swearing to himself that, if they got out alive, the first thing he would do would be to punch the Vulcan right in that logical, robotic face of his. Punch him for not letting him go after the others and instead forcing him to hide like some coward, but now he finds he doesn't have the will or the energy.

"We gotta find the others."

That's all that matters now.

[logical_hobgoblin]

They cannot help the others if they are dead. That was the driving force behind Spock's decision. Sandstorms are dangerous, and although his Vulcan anatomy would have protected him from the worst of it, his human companion would not be so lucky. So, Spock had forced them into shelter.

"I agree." He scans their surroundings, the lingering haze of dust making it difficult to see. "You should still protect your airways, Doctor." Spock holds out his canister of water. "If you wet a portion of your shirt to hold over your mouth and nose, that should suffice. I will head to the top of that dune to examine our surroundings." He gestures at the hill next to them, and then sets off, working his way carefully up its loose sides. From the top, he will hopefully have some sort of view of the captain and the others.

[therealmccoy_1701]

"Gee, thanks. I never would have figured that out on my own."

He rolls his eyes and snorts, but he also accepts the canteen to wet his blue tunic. He pulls it off first, it's warm enough that he can walk around in just the black undershirt, and he only uses a couple of drops to create the breathing filter. Best not waste too much of their limited water supply. Who knows what's waiting out there for them.

He comes up the dune to hand the water back, and to look for himself. He might look a little ridiculous now with his shirt wrapped around his nose and mouth like pirate's scarf, but he still has that no-nonsense frown going.

"You see anything?"

[logical_hobgoblin]

Spock pays the new getup no mind. It is, after all, eminently practical. He takes the water and slips it back onto his belt, although he does not plan on drinking any of it during their stay on this planet. He does not rely on perspiration to keep his internal temperature regulated, so his ability to retain water is much greater than a human's. So, he has reserved that water for Doctor McCoy's usage.

"Unfortunately, I do not, nor do my tricorder readings indicate their presence." He holds up his communicator with his other hand. "Additionally, it seems there is some sort of energy source that is interfering with communications. It is possible that U-283 is generating the disturbance."

U-283, the sun at the center of this particular system, is rather unpredictable. It has a high frequency of sun spots, solar flares, and coronal mass ejections. Due to this, the worlds surrounding it are generally devoid of atmosphere, except in the case of this one. The magnetic field generated by the core was enough to ward off the solar winds and maintain that thin blue line necessary for carbon-based life. It is, however, apparently too hot and dry for life as humans know it.

"It is possible the captain and the others were beamed back to the ship before the interference began."

[therealmccoy_1701]

"Great. Just great. Of course we can't communicate with the ship and just ask. Why would it be that easy..."

Muffled curses come from under his makeshift mask and he rolls his eyes. Why can't they ever land on a nice planet with a warm beach and good drinks, and a nice cool shade to nap in?

He can already feel that it's too hot for him. He can feel the dry air sucking the moisture out of his skin. He'd read the files before they beamed down. He knows just how long he can survive on the surface with water, and how fast he'll be useless once that water runs out.

Not that it's much of a concern.

"Guess we better go look then," he says and starts walking in the direction of where they last had contact with the other party.

[logical_hobgoblin]

"Perhaps it would be easy if we had been on shore leave, although that would not be guaranteed, either. The statistical likelihood of the crew of the Enterprise encountering trouble while on shore leave is higher than that of other vessels'. I believe this is due to the captain's inexplicable ability to attract misfortune." Is this Spock's attempt at lightening the mood with humor? Yes. Because he's heard that works with humans in times of stress and the captain has put it to good use on many occasions, even if the Vulcan does not necessarily fully understand the mechanics of it.

Though, Spock does follow after McCoy, subtly correcting the doctor's course when it starts to waver in the disorienting hills of sand and the haze of dust.

[therealmccoy_1701]

It doesn't really work on Bones unless he's the one making the cracks, but it's... appreciated. It's a whole damn better than the usual refusal to see the dark humor in things. So he turns to smirk, even if it's weak. "Careful, elf-boy. Might make me think you're callin' the captain an idiot." Not that it would be a bad thing. The whole crew knows Bones calls the captain 'idiot' more often than he calls him by his name.

"Think the heat's fryin' that oversized brain of yours."

[logical_hobgoblin]

"It would 'fry' yours before it would 'fry' mine, Doctor," Spock dutifully reminds him with a quirk of his eyebrow. As they crest another hill, he pauses to check their surrounding readings.

"There are still no signs of the captain and communications are still down." Spock will give them a maximum of an hour in this heat. McCoy will likely suffer heat stroke beyond that, even with access to water. Shelter will be crucial at that point.

[therealmccoy_1701]

"HAH! Your circuits are gonna blow long before mine. Last I checked, computers didn't do to well in the heat..."

Now that's definitely just a joke. The heat must be getting to him already. Though, he frowns when Spock continues on. Worry darkens the hint of amusement there was,, and he moves a little faster. He needs to find Jim, dammit.

"All the more reason to get to them sooner."

[logical_hobgoblin]

"I agree, provided that they are still on this planet. Without communications, it is impossible to know whether Mr. Scott was able to lock onto the captain's signal and beam him and the others to safety before the interference began. If that is the case, then we will be wandering the desert aimlessly in search of nothing."

Spock glances down at his tricorder, as if hoping for some faint blip, and then he looks back up at McCoy. "The ideal option would be to find shelter for you, and then I will search for the others on my own."

[therealmccoy_1701]

He almost squeaks with insult.

"Absolutely NOT! You think I'm just gonna sit on my ass while you're out doing all the work? Gimme that!"

Doesn't matter that Bones has his own tricorder. He'll still yank Spock's out of his hands. It's a symbolic gesture.

[logical_hobgoblin]

He will not sigh. Sighing is a sign of exasperation. Exasperation is an emotion. He will not sigh.

"It is the most logical option, Doctor. You are more susceptible to the heat as you are not adapted to survive in this type of desert climate." Though, Spock does not realistically expect that McCoy will listen to him, especially now that he does not have a tricorder. Apparently, that somehow makes him less correct? He doesn't understand the logic behind it, but he suspects it is an inherently emotional gesture.

"In addition, I do not expect you to 'sit on your ass'. I expect you to take all measures to contact the Enterprise while I am otherwise occupied. Dividing our attentions in this manner would be beneficial, as it will optimize our success rates with both."

[therealmccoy_1701]

To hell with you and your logic, Spock!

"Even if I did agree with you, which I don't, there ain't that many places I could seek shelter in. Do you see something other than sanddunes around? 'Cause I don't."

[logical_hobgoblin]

"That would be the purpose of searching, Doctor," Spock replies with that serene patience of his that he knows tends to infuriate people. Especially McCoy. It's not deliberate, really.

[therealmccoy_1701]

"I hate you."

There's no real fire behind that. Even Spock should be able to pick up on it being said out of annoyance rather than hatred. But he also sounds tired. Heat is already getting to him, despite what he says.

[logical_hobgoblin]

"Then let us find shelter for you so you may get rid of me, at least for a time."

Spock takes his tricorder back, adjusting the settings to look for geological formations rather than life signs. "There may be a rocky outcropping three kilometers from here." Spock nods in the direction. For now, all they need is shade. They have a cover that will provide protection from the wind, but it's not enough to keep McCoy out of direct heat. Spock will search for water as he looks for signs of the captain.

One step at a time.