His toes just barely scraped the bottom of the cave; he had to crane his neck to keep his chin out of the water. He was going to die like his uncle. He was going to drown, alone. Only he wouldn't have the distinction of going down saving everyone else on the ship. No, he was going to drown because he hadn't secured off properly and fell into an underground hole full of water and somehow between the thrashing and the flailing and the panic had ended up in this cave where the water didn't quite reach the roof and now here he was trying to stand in too deep water. On the bright side, he might end up with hypothermia and die from that first. How long had the Captain been gone? Malcolm knew he shouldn't have let him go, he'd let him drown, the Captain would never have even been here if it wasn't for Malcolm, he'd gone and pulled them both down, and how long had the Captain been gone, again? He said he was going to look for where they'd come in, but that was an age ago. The tight feeling in his throat that he'd felt since being in this cave was increasing, and he found himself trying to get a better grip on the rock half a foot above his head, his breath coming in gasps as he clawed at it, trying to hold onto anything. And now he was hallucinating, because there was no way there was a light coming towards him –

"Malcolm!" the Captain gasped as he surfaced, flashlight around his neck. "Still here?"

"Right here, sir," Malcolm replied, teeth chattering. Seeing Malcolm was struggling, the Captain reached out and held the back of Malcolm's jacket, helping him keep his head above water by the virtue of being a few inches taller and better able to stand.

"Good news, we can get back the way we came, it's over a metre behind me," Archer gestured over his shoulder, splashing the otherwise still water in the almost pitch-black cave – their only illumination was the flashlight around his neck, Malcolm having lost his as he fell. "Think you can hold your breath for a couple seconds?" Archer grinned.

Malcolm laughed nervously, which quickly turned hysterical. "No sir, no, I'm quite sure I can't." He scrabbled at the roof again, something, there had to be something to hold onto.

"Lieutenant –"

Malcolm cut him off "I can't do it, sir, I won't make it."

"Lieutenant, it's only a metre, less even," Archer said. "You can make it, I promise you. Malcolm," he cut the lieutenant off before he managed to get a word out. "The passage is wide enough for us to go side by side and it's short one. Come on, Trip is waiting on the other side for us… All you have to do is get your head a little wet."

Malcolm shook his head, his eyes wide. He pressed his fingers into the roof, trying futily to pull himself out of the water using his fingernails. "There has to be another way, sir, please, I can't go down there, please –"

"Malcolm," the Captain gave him a little shake. "The way we came in is the only way out, and you are going to have to follow me whether you like it or not. That's an order Lieutenant," he added forcefully when Malcolm shook his head. Archer dragged Malcolm towards the opening, telling him to look directly at him, that they were going to take a deep breath and dive. Into the freezing, black water. With a hidden exit. "I've got you, it's right here, I've got you. Three, two, one –" Archer ducked under the water, dragging Malcolm with him, down and towards the way out, but Malcolm panicked. The water closed over his head and he started gulping down water, wrenching himself free from the Captain's grasp and kicking out, his foot colliding with something. He broke the surface of the water, and started to hyperventilate, struggling to get his footing and ended up swallowing even more water. He started flailing, desperately trying to stand but he couldn't find the ground and he slipped back under. This must be what his uncle felt in his final moments, as the water rose all around him and the life started draining from his body… this was the end –

And then his head broke the surface and it was air he was gasping instead of water. He coughed and sputtered and was vaguely aware of someone gripping the back of his collar.

"Breath, just breath, nice and steady," Archer said from behind him, one hand under Malcolm's arm, the other holding a fistful of his jacket. Malcolm was still coughing up water and struggling slightly, not liking that he couldn't find the ground. "I've got you, you're all right."

Malcolm thought he was going to be sick; He felt like he'd swallowed half the cave water. As he calmed down, the Captain pulled him back towards him until he could put an arm around his waist and held him above the water that way – it was easier than holding his arm out trying to help his panicked lieutenant thread water.

"Okay," Archer said tersely, "Orders don't work with phobias, duly noted." He could feel Malcolm shaking against him, out of a combination of cold and terror. His breathing was coming fast and shallow and was still coughing slightly. At least he's stopped trying to reach the ground, now that his head was completely out of the water, though now Archer was the one who had to crane his neck, with Malcolm weighing him down.

"I guess not, sir," Malcolm said, grabbing Captain Archer's arm around his waist with both hands. Archer was breathing heavily from having to hold his breath, getting a quarter of the way through the passage, fighting with Malcolm, getting elbowed and then kicked in the ribs by Malcolm, having to then come back the way he came to get back to Malcolm… he was cold, he was tired, he was sore from the fall and he was fast losing his patience.

"If I go back to Trip," Archer started, "Are you going to be okay for five minutes?"

"Why?" Malcolm asked hurriedly, tightening his grip on Archer's arm.

"So, I can get some rope to lead us out. We can't stay here, it's been at least ten minutes and this water is less than 10*C. We won't last much longer. Do you understand?" Malcolm nodded. His teeth were beginning to audibly chatter. "So, will you be okay here until I come back with the rope?"

Alone. In the dark. In water. Malcolm started vigorously shaking his head. "No, no, don't leave me alone here, please –"

"Malcolm –"

"Please, no, I don't want to die here, don't let me drown, please don't let me drown –"

"Enough lieutenant," Archer snapped. "Enough. I will not let you drown, do you hear me? You are not going to drown." But if Archer couldn't get him out of here… He pushed that thought to the back of his mind and started wading backwards to where he knew the passage was. He was going to have to try and manhandle Malcolm back to Trip, if he left him here Malcom could panic and drown himself by the time Archer got back. "I'm going to take you under, I will be here the entire time," he added when Malcolm gave signs of protest. "I'm not going to let go of you; we're going to do this together, got it?" Malcolm nodded slowly. "Here's the plan: reach out your hand here, feel that? It's the roof entrance, it's just below the water line; okay, that's the side; we're going to go under, you're going to keep one hand on the roof to guide you through and walk along the bottom, it's only half a metre, 50cm, you can manage that. I'll have a hold of you the entire time."

"I'm sorry, I can't," Malcolm sounded desperate, his voice cracking. "I'm sorry, I'm so sorry."

"I don't need you to be sorry, Malcolm, I need you to be brave. You can do that." Archer had a sudden inspiration. "Remember when the Suliban commandeered the ship? And Hoshi had to crawl through the access panels to get to Phlox? She managed that despite being claustrophobic, remember? Do it for Hoshi, Malcolm, can you do that? Just be brave, you got this, we've got this."

Silence, and then "For Hoshi," Malcolm said, shivering violently.

"And for aquaphobes everywhere. We can do this," Archer was starting to lose sensation in his hands and feet.

Malcolm huffed in a way that Archer assumed was meant to be a laugh. He nodded after a moment. "For Hoshi, and aquaphobes everywhere."

"Three big, deep breaths in, then hold your breath, put your hand out, got it? Feel the roof? Half a metre, even less. One… two… three!"

Archer pushed them under and forward with one hand, his feet hitting the bottom. He could feel Malcolm's fingernails digging into his arm.

Malcolm nearly lost his resolve when the water covered his eyes. He kept one hand on the roof of the passage, one on Captain Archer's arm that held him securely around the waist. He took a few steps forward, but really the Captain was doing most of the work, using one hand and both of his feet to propel them forward. They'd been under for eternity. Then Malcolm felt the Captain let go and he tried to grab his arm again, bubbles escaping his mouth, water gushing into his lungs. Then hands on either hip, pushing him forward and up. Malcolm flailed and kicked, his foot colliding with something, his head broke the surface of the water, two pairs of hands were pulling him out, one lifting him up the incline and passing him off to another two pairs of hands. Before he knew it, Malcolm was sitting on a rock, with his back against the wall, a thermal blanket wrapped around him and someone administering a hypospray. The Captain fell heavily next to him, wrapped in his own blanket, his nose bloodied. There were others in the cavern besides Trip, though Malcolm could only be sure Trip was there because he heard him admonishing him for trying to give himself hypothermia. Malcolm spotted a pair of boots close by him and looked up to see their owner.

It was a Klingon.