SYMBOLS

CHAPTER 36

The pink and purple skyline signaled the day was rapidly drawing to a close.

Chakotay watched the sun, that had glared down on his back for most of the day, disappear somewhere over the horizon. He was thankful for the cool freshness of evening.

Streetlights lit up and flared against the setting sunset, as the wind picked up strength and passed a chill through him, the icy breeze contacting with his sweaty skin. It was going to be a long, cold night at the top of the tower and an even colder night in the crypts, Chakotay thought, as his mind returned to Tuvok.

The sun was fading fast, and with the growing darkness, the city below became a mass of lights.

Chakotay caught sight of Masson's shifting shadow. The guard had moved away from his phaser cannon and was bundling up his meager collection of belongings. He watched the guard's silhouette jump down from the tower onto the adjoining wall, where he again lifted the hatch and began to disappear inside.

"And just where do you think you're going?" the guard covering the far west sector challenged. Masson turned at the question, his legs already hidden inside the stairwell. He shouted he was on border duty for the night and Chakotay heard the distant guard huff loudly in response, while Masson continued his exit without further comment.

***

There was a bright white roaming floodlight near the top of the guard tower, which had been turned on as the sun set. The away team took turns keeping watch, checking for the commander's silhouette as he stood at the top of the tower. They hoped he might be relieved of duty sometime soon.

A cold breeze had set in with nightfall. Janeway crossed her arms to ward off the chill as she stood next to Paris, who was taking his turn staring up through the white light to keep watch.

Paris was shivering and Janeway watched him breathe puffs of steamy warm air over his icy fingertips as he stared ahead.

"It's getting late," B'Elanna said, echoing all their unspoken feelings.

"For all we know, he could be up there all night," Harry said, referring to the commander, while trying to convince someone to make a move out of the cold. With the comment, he shifted slightly and uncovered Tayna's legs, which were being blanketed by his purple robe. The little girl quickly scrambled over the frosty grass to cover her bare legs.

For a couple of hours, they had stood on the hill and taken turns staring up at the tower, with no more knowledge about the location of Tuvok, or the Dimar colony, than they had when they first arrived in the Anawin City. Now it was night - a very cold night.

"You're right, Harry," Janeway finally spoke. She could hear his teeth chattering and watched him shift his weight from one foot to the other, as he constantly moved to try and keep warm. "We're going to need to find some shelter for the night. I think we'll have more luck finding somewhere safe to stay on the west side." She was unrelenting in her decision to rest away from the numerous priests and guards that roamed the east side of the city. "The streets are more crowded over there. It'll be easier for us to blend in and if we choose somewhere elevated, we can keep an eye on Chakotay."

The hill had provided them with a clear view of the tower, but it was nowhere near any of the huge residential blocks they had seen earlier that day. The basic civilian accommodation was definitely on the west side, so the captain proposed they start walking, if they ever hoped to find somewhere warm to rest for the night.

***

Chakotay observed the two guards that had kept watch alongside him all day. They had abandoned their phaser cannons and were collecting up their belongings. One guard held open the hatch, while the other began to climb down the steps and slowly disappeared inside the echoing blackness of the tower.