The cool fresh air of the Valley, scented with the smells of a forest gently warmed by the sun greeted them.  Wren staggered and Nat unthinkingly caught her around the waist.  She tried to draw back, afraid she was hurting him but his arm was like a steel bar.

“Spock, beam us all to Medical,” Archer snapped.

The world dissolved around them and was replaced by the sterile white of the medical facilities.

“I am fine,” Wren said, twisting away from Nat’s arm.  “I'll walk to my room from here, then.”

“Wren!” Archer’s voice was like a whip crack.  The girl turned to face him, ready to defy him.

“What? . . . sir.” She said.

Archer stepped on a button and one of the four pod-like autodocs hissed open. The lid hinged at the foot.

“Get in here,” he ordered.  He stepped around to the next, and popped it open.  He laid Jessy out on the bed and turned to Matt.  “How are you, son?”

“I am fine, sir,” Wren said.  “Thank you for your concern.”

“Wren!” he growled and for the first time, three of them saw Archer angry.  “NOW!”

The girl tried valiantly to glare at him, but right then, the only thing on the planet that might have been scarier was an angry Tsar.

His tone soften.

“Wren,” he said.  “You have frostbite.”  He pointed to the tips of her fingers.  They were white as snow.

For a few moments she maintained the glare but it slipped away from his and she said.  “Fine.  Sir.”

“And you have such a beautiful nose, I'd hate for you to lose the tip of it,” He said. 

The third autodoc popped open.

“Matt . . .” Archer gestured.

“Yeah?” Matt said.

“In, Matt.”

“In the future,” Wren said.  “Yelling at me, will not help your cause.  I am only doing this because I value my dancing career.”  She turned and gingerly lay down on the bed.

“Okay,” said Matt, climbing in.  “But polar bears don't get frost bite.”  He flopped back and got comfortable.

“Then you won't be in long,” the bowman said.  “Nat.”  He gestured to the fourth pod and the young giant lay down carefully.

He touched a button and a white shield cover Nat to the neck without touching him.  Archer laid a hand on his shoulder then moved to Matt.  He repeated the process.

“HEY!” Matt said, eyes big.  “My clothes!”

Archer closed the lid on him.  He moved to Wren.

“Sorry,” he apologized as the shield came up to cover her.  With a touch, she too found herself naked but concealed.

Jessy was staring over at the pod containing Nat and didn’t notice the shield coming up or the sudden absence of clothes.

“Nat will be okay, right,” she asked her father.

“Yes, he will be fine.”

Moments later the four pods pivoted up to a 45 degree angle and filled with warm liquid.  Archer moved from pod to pod checking each. 

“Spock . . . where are Nicky, Luthien and Aaron?” He asked.

“They are in their room, Archer,” the computer replied.

“Thank you, keep them there,” he instructed.

Jessy began to moan and thrash in her pod.  The father checked her then called for a sedative and she quieted.

“I already said I was fine, sir,” Wren said as he stepped to her pod.

“I'm sorry I yelled at you,” he said softly.  “But you don't have any idea how bad you are hurt.”  He checked a read out.  “You could have lost most of your toes and fingers, not to mention that beautiful nose.”

“All I know is that there is a boy over there who has nearly all his skin gone, all right?”  Wren said. She closed her eyes and shivered at the changing temperature.

“He's in better shape then you are, thanks to Aaron,” he told her.

Her eyes popped open.  “Promise?  Or is this one of those times where you try and make me feel better so I'll be quiet and go to sleep?”

“I am not going to lie to you, Wren, or soft soap the truth.  Things have gotten too serious for injured feelings.  He'll hurt for a couple hours but by tomorrow he'll be back up on his board,” Archer promised. “Matt, however,” he told her.  “Is in nearly perfect health.”

Wren smiled a little.

“Good then,” Wren said sleepily.  “Now, let me get better so that I can icily ignore your children in the future.”

He turned from Wren and popped open the shape-shifter’s pod.  “You can get out now, I guess ice doesn't bother the polar bears after all,” he said.

“Glad you're better, Matthew,” Wren said.

Matt slid out of the pod as a seal and reared back on his tail and clapped his front flippers together.

“Careful, Matt or I'll have Spock get you some fish,” Archer warned.

“I go to the sushi bar for my raw fish,” the seal barked.

“Spock can do that, so can Marie,” Archer advised him.

A tone interrupted him and he moved to Jessy’s pod.  She was still restless.  He adjusted the autodoc and she relaxed into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Matt returned to Matt form but curled up, trying to cover himself.  He had forgotten he was naked.  Archer pulled a robe from beneath the pod and tossed it to him.  He pulled it on keeping his back to the pods and Archer.

“Thanks,” he said, tying it.

Archer moved back to Wren.  “You might as well sleep too, you'll be in here for a few more hours.”

“I'm trying,” she said petulantly.  “You keep talking to me.  Sir.”

“Would you like a little help?”  He touched the sedative button.  “See you in a few hours.”

Wren blinked sleepily, her body trying to resist.  "Oh my.  Yes, thanks . . ."  She closed her eyes.

 “Sir, I do have to learn how to fight,” Matt said.  “I wasn't able to stop those men fast enough and we even ended up killing 3 of them and I don't have any idea what happened to their leader.”

“Tell me what happened, Matt,” the Archer said, putting a hand on the boy’s shoulder.  “Over something to eat.”