Connections

Rating: T
Disclaimer: I own nothing but my imagination
Starting point: Season 3, E2 - The crew on the alternate Enterprise have to come to terms with the fact they can't return to their own time and find a reason to go on.
Beta: Thanks to my wonderful husband for reading this and his many suggestions/improvements. Any errors found in the story are as a result of my inability to leave well alone and are therefore completely my fault!
Author's notes: This story was first posted at Triaxian Silk in 2007 and the text has been extensively revised prior to re-posting it here.

Chapter One

T'Pol looked out at the blackness dotted with countless pinpricks of starlight and allowed herself the indulgence of a barely audible sigh. She knew tomorrow's senior staff briefing was not going to be a comfortable experience. This was a vista she and the rest of the crew did not belong in.

Captain Archer had charged her to examine what had happened when Enterprise went through the wormhole and to ascertain if there was a way of reversing the process. T'Pol had been sequestrated in her quarters for almost two weeks and she knew the results of her work would end whatever hope there was left that they could finish their mission and then return home to their families.

She closed her eyes and was back in the courtyard of her family home, the hot arid air filling her lungs. She could feel the welcome red heat of the Vulcan Suns through her closed eyelids and hear the sound of precious water trickling from a small water feature in the shaded corner of the courtyard.

Then T'Pol saw her mother coming out to greet her. Although her welcome was formal, T'Pol sensed her concern for her only child that was always present behind her stoic facade. T'Pol's father had died much too young, leaving the two females to exist as best they could in this harsh environment. Her father had held a position of some influence. His death moving them so far down the rungs of Vulcan society T'Pol's betrothal to Koss, who hailed from a more prominent family, had been threatened. T'Les had fought hard to hold on to her daughter's birth right. T'Pol opened her eyes again and she was back in her new reality; no way home, no way back.

T'Pol had rejected the path laid down by her mother because she was unable to suppress her curiosity in what lay beyond her rigidly controlled world, and that had led her to Enterprise. She joined the ship expecting to be the teacher and while she had knowledge to impart, T'Pol found that she was rewarded with lessons in human loyalty and friendship. And when Earth was attacked T'Pol could not turn her back on her human colleagues even though she was forced to resign from the Vulcan High Command. The last communication from her mother before Enterprise entered the Expanse, again questioned T'Pol's decision to remain on the human vessel. T'Les would never be able to understand why T'Pol wanted to align herself with such violently emotional beings.

Of all the crew she was most affected by Commander Charles Tucker or "Trip" as he was known to his friends. She had considered Commander Tucker to be one of the most emotional humans she had ever encountered. However instead of being repelled T'Pol was fascinated by this aspect of his nature. She even found herself enjoying the act of disagreeing with him.

She had seen a marked change in Commander Tucker the very instant he realised he had lost his sister in the Xindi attack. He became another person, withdrawn, tense and on edge. T'Pol had studied him well enough to recognise he was possessed by a terrible grief and anger although he fought hard to ignore his own personal tragedy.

When Phlox suggested that he would benefit from Vulcan neuropressure T'Pol's first reaction was to dismiss this as inappropriate. For a Vulcan to touch or be touched by another individual was an extremely intimate act. She told Phlox this but his response was that Commander Tucker had suffered an imitate loss. T'Pol had overcome her initial reservations by reasoning that it was necessary for his health and well being was vital to the success of their mission. She also found the idea of spending time alone with him presented a challenge that she was keen to embrace. It offered her the chance to observe him and discover the reason she had formed an attachment to the one human on Enterprise who possessed the ability to provoke her almost at will.

However T'Pol had ended the neuropressure sessions after she had engaged in sexual relations with Commander Tucker. T'Pol knew she had gone too far so she shut herself off from him and concentrated on her work. Although T'Pol's imposed seclusion brought her some relief, she had found meditation difficult and was unable to achieve complete control. As tomorrow she would be interacting with the crew again she knew she must finally face the intrusion that stood in her way. T'Pol turned from her thoughts and went to her workstation where she transferred the last of the data to a PADD. She then commenced her regular night time preparations.

Once her quarters were lit only by flickering candles and she was seated on a cushion on the floor, T'Pol was ready to mediate. She gazed unblinking into the centre of the flame of the largest candle for a moment, before shutting her eyes so that the fiery image remained burning in her mind. It was always her starting point, a representation of why emotions must be trained and controlled. T'Pol breathed slowly and evenly as she led her mind towards the zone of total release. The tensions of the day dropped away as she approached the level treasured by Vulcans who embraced logic and distained emotion. As she opened her mind to accept the pure whiteness of the tranquil state she once again found her way barred by a ripple of disturbance. This time she allowed her mind to approach this dark blot in her otherwise perfectly ordered mind. The image wavered and flickered as if a blistering heat was emanating from it. She was suddenly caught and drawn towards the source as she struggled in vain to pull free from its influence. T'Pol fought and conquered a momentary lapse of control that released a tremor of fear and panic. She forced her mind to concentrate until a humanoid body formed lying in her tranquil zone.

As she focused on the body, T'Pol was shocked to identify that it was Commander Tucker, in full uniform although he appeared to be sleeping. She moved round so that she could see his face and saw that his eyes were scrunched tight shut as though in terror while his body was in a state of constant nervous flux. She could sense his tension; his hurt and pain were screaming at her, invading her mind and it took all of her training to retain the connection. Eventually the waves of his emotional distress began to overwhelm her. T'Pol managed to muster her remaining strength and rather then run from the experience she resolved to try and reach out to him. She moved her mind closer to his and stroked his face, her fingers lingering on his cheek which felt hot and sweaty from his fevered sleep.

T'Pol was then aware of a sudden stillness, as if Commander Tucker was uncertain what to make of her intrusion into his mind. T'Pol realised that she could not dismiss this as an apparition. He really was present in her mind and there was a telepathic connection between them. As she accepted this knowledge T'Pol could see that in order to achieve her goal she must first tend to the Commander's evident anguish. Therefore she continued to fill his mind with her calmness until T'Pol could feel his body relax and his breathing become regular and even. Only then was T'Pol finally able to achieve the total serenity that she had been craving for weeks.

Trip sat huddled at his work station in Main Engineering, three PADDs lined up in front him; the picture of deep concentration to a casual observer. The reality was that he had just read an engineering diagnostic for the fifth time and he was having difficulty finding some part of his brain willing to accept or do anything with the information. He had been working tirelessly for weeks engaged in a futile battle with the ever lengthening lists of urgent repairs while also struggling to keep Enterprise's Warp engines on line.

He was aware that he was not coping very well with the current situation. Trip couldn't count the number of times he had wished for a chance to go back in time, to stop the Xindi probe and save his sister and the millions of other innocent lives lost on the day of the attack. And now in a bitter twist of fate, Enterprise had indeed gone back in time, only too far, over a hundred years too far. He should have been more careful what he wished for.

Trip was a realist; from the data T'Pol had requested he'd already worked out that she was unable to find a way to reverse the process and return the crew and Enterprise to the 22nd century. He was fated to die before his other self and Lizzie would be born, hell, his parents weren't born yet, how weird was that. They couldn't warn Earth after all who would believe them never mind that they would be contaminating the past, which in turn could change the future and not necessarily for the better. Trip was surrounded by a hopeless anger he was unable to shake off. Time travel was a seriously confusing and illogical concept and he could fully appreciate the Vulcan Science Directorate's stance on it.

He hadn't seen T'Pol, or depending on his mood Princess Pointy Ears, for weeks. Her frequent requests for data and diagnostics were transmitted via the ships computer system to a terminal in Engineering. She was however a regular companion in his dreams. Every night he was treated to the vision of T'Pol standing very still with her back to him; stance ramrod straight with her arms crossed in front of her chest. Trip knew this pose well. It was the disapproving stance that ended many of his favourite arguments with T'Pol. His attempts to get her attention always ended in failure, his voice echoing back at him as though bouncing off an invisible barrier. The vision of T'Pol ignoring him would then dissolve into the familiar nightmare of seeing Lizzie and not being able to warn her to get away from the beam of fiery light blazing down on her. The end result was that Trip was getting by on very little sleep and it was really starting to show.

Then without warning last night's dream had changed everything. T'Pol had come to him, acknowledged his existence and gently reached out to soothe his troubled mind and gift him his first restful sleep in ages. Trip was still trying to figure out why this miracle had happened when he became aware of a figure hovering near his desk. He lifted his weary eyes from the pointless task of examining the PADD he was holding and saw that Lieutenant Hess was standing in front of him.

"Commander, the Warp field is fluctuating."

As Hess spoke, Trip registered the warning red lights and alarms that were currently the Engineering crew's faithful companions. He dragged himself up from his chair and with a resigned and tired grimace acknowledged Hess and issued a familiar order, "Shut down Warp drive, I'll inform the bridge that we're getting nowhere fast again."

Phlox locked the doors as soon as they shut behind Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed. He then keyed in the code to ensure a do not disturb notice was put on the comm link and at the entrance to Sick Bay.

"What on earth has happened to warrant…" Reed was cut off by Phlox who quickly moved past them and then beckoned for the two men to follow stating briskly, "Captain Archer, Lieutenant, please come with me. There has been a serious breach of security."

They were ushered into a small anti-room containing three stasis units which took up the whole of the far wall, a small table and one chair. Reed knew these secure units were where samples and any medical bio-hazard material were stored. He held access codes for two of the units but not the one Phlox was standing in front of.

"This unit contains the DNA and blood samples every crew member is required to provide when they first report for duty. I'm sure you understand the sensitivity of this information and that it must be retained safely and securely." Phlox paused; it was obvious he was upset; his voice which normally had a cheerful tone to a human ear was clipped and monotone while his face was pale and strained with worry. Phlox continued, "I am the only person on board allowed to access the samples, every access is checked and an automatic visual record retained in the main computer memory. Recently I have had the task of removing samples for destruction following the confirmed death of a crew member. Unless there is a medical reason the rest of samples should remain sealed in individual boxes."

What had happened to upset the usually unflappable Denobulan, Archer wondered as he intervened, his concern evident in his voice, "I hold the security access codes on my personal system and see the log of your access. The security system is robust."

Phlox didn't even acknowledge Archer's comment; he went on with his report as though on autopilot. "Recently there has been very little call on my services so I have been conducting a review of Sick Bay including a full check of the samples." Phlox turned to the unit and keyed in his security code. He opened the door and Archer and Reed moved so that they could see inside. It was split into two separate parts. The larger top half had an inner door while in the lower part there were ten narrow shelves with small boxes arranged on them. Each box had a six digit number marked on its front. The blue light in the unit shone through the boxes giving them a slivery opaque appearance. There were random spaces in the arrangement where once boxes had sat.

Archer quickly toted up the gaps and confirmed they related to the crew Enterprise had lost. Seeing that loss demonstrated in the missing boxes, the last link to the dead was a sobering one. It was made worse by their current circumstances; he had to ensure that those deaths would count for something. Archer broke the silence, "There would appear to be the right number of boxes for our current compliment, Phlox."

"Indeed," Phlox reached for the first box and taking it out of the unit placed it carefully on the table. He opened the lid of the box to display a small round container nestled inside insulating mesh. The lid of the container showed the same digits as recorded on the front of the box. "This is how each sample is stored. Unfortunately I have discovered that two containers have been removed from their respective boxes." Phlox shut the box and returned it to its place, locking the unit.

They had all been under a great deal of pressure. Archer thought it was possible and understandable in those circumstances that Phlox could have made a mistake. "If two DNA samples from crew still living have been destroyed in error, all you need to do is obtain fresh samples, these things happen."

Phlox began to get extremely agitated, his voice rising almost to a shout he retorted, "With all due respect, I am most particular in this regard. The rules concerning the disposal of genetic material are quite specific; the box as well as the container must be destroyed. There are two empty boxes and I did not remove the containers!"

"Why would anyone apart from you remove the samples?" Reed asked realising too late that his question could be construed by Phlox as apportioning blame to him. Phlox swung round to face him furious that his competency was being called into question. He literally spat out his response, "I can assure you Lieutenant I am not in the habit of taking security for granted!"

"Whose DNA samples are missing?" Archer asked, diverting Phlox's angry attention from Reed.

"The missing samples belong to Commander T'Pol and Commander Tucker."

Archer was shocked by the revelation that linked his two friends, could it be a coincidence? He ran through the security procedures in an attempt to convince himself there was nothing to worry about. "The encrypted list of names and related security digits are held in a secure programme which only you and the Director of Medicine at Starfleet headquarters have clearance to access. Whoever did this wouldn't have known whose samples they were taking."

Phlox shook his head as he returned to the unit and opening it once more, turned his attention to the upper compartment. He keyed in a further security code to open it and reveal more rows this time stacked with larger boxes. The back lighting shone through the boxes giving them a muted dark orange hue. He selected a box from the bottom row and brought it out. Again the box and round container were marked with a six digit code. Captain Archer and Lieutenant Reed could see that it held a dark red liquid. "Unfortunately I think they knew exactly what they were doing Captain, Sub-commander T'Pol's blood sample is also missing." Phlox immediately returned the box to its place and locked the unit.

Someone had managed to evade the visual sensors and break through two security codes without being detected. That was if Phlox had not made a mistake. Archer wanted to cling on to this option although he had to admit it would be a very big mistake for the doctor to make. He gave voice to his darker thoughts, "Once in the unit, it would be simple to pick out Vulcan blood and then match the code to T'Pol's DNA sample."

In trepidation for his friends, Reed asked, "What sort of things could someone do with DNA samples?"

This was the question Phlox did not want to address. He took a deep breath and turning to face Reed reeled off some of the unpleasant possibilities "All manner of things, for example; to design a DNA specific neuro-poison, or a disease designed to attack an individual, or to produce a clone."

"Did you take material from Trip's DNA sample, when you created Sim?" Archer asked looking to narrow the time frame.

"No I had to take the genetic material directly from Commander Tucker to ensure that Sim matured to the same age prior to the transplant. The Commander's DNA sample was taken when he first signed on to the Warp-5 programme. I have had no reason to access it. I checked my records and I last accessed Commander T'Pol's DNA sample two months before we were recalled to Earth after the Xindi attack."

Archer remembered the spy collecting data about human beings for the Xindi Reptilian Bio-weapon had been in Sick Bay, "Was Rajiin ever left on her own?"

"Captain Archer!" Phlox took that to mean that the Captain had also decided he had been lax in maintaining security. He was more than a little insulted, "I can assure you that I remained with her entire time and I lock up when I leave!"

Archer immediately reacted to calm the Doctor who had wheeled round and was heading briskly out of the room. He addressed the retreating figure, "Phlox, you have every reason to be upset but no one is suggesting you have been negligent."

Phlox stopped in the door-way and after a moment rejoined Archer and Reed. "I'm sorry Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed, the security of the samples is my responsibility and I am worried that my actions may have helped whoever did this."

Archer nodded to show he understood the doctor's concerns. He then turned to Reed, "I want you to review all of the recorded access to the unit and try and find out when this happened. Doctor Phlox, I am authorising you to allow Lieutenant Reed access to any restricted material he requires. I trust you both to be discrete; whoever did this could still be aboard. I will inform the commanders of the situation and ask them to provide new samples."