AN:I don't own anything related to Star Trek Enterprise.

And I am sorry for the delay, been on vacation and been busy doing nothing

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Chapter IX

Life

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the Beach

When he woke again he was lying on some kind of stretcher. "Where are you taking me?"

A hand was placed on his shoulder and the Tenndarian reached for something in his pocket. Apparently it was a translator. "You have been injured."

"Yes I know." Malcolm said sarcastically, instantly regretting his tone.

"I am doctor T'ela would you like to tell me yours?"

Malcolm hesitated for a moment. "Are you from the military?"

"Yes."

"Then you already know who I am."

"No, I was told to look for a body not a living person."

"Don't you ever wonder what is going on behind closed doors?"

"You didn't answer my question, the doctor said patiently."

"Lt. Malcolm Reed, USS Enterprise. Now that you know, why don't you just leave me here?"

"Lieutenant I don't understand."

"Do you think I fell off that edge on purpose?"

"I don't know what you are implying lieutenant."

"Oh come on doctor, they wanted a..." He suddenly fell into a coughing fit, T'ela unconsciously stepped back as more of the red substance poured out of the lieutenant's mouth. "..body."

"You are very unwell."

"Then they should be happy." Malcolm muttered silently.

"Did I forgot to mention that I know what you are doing back there?" He closed his eyes.

"You should not talk." The doctor sounded genially concerned.

He smiled slightly, he really hated this day.

"Lieutenant? Lieutenant Reed please wake up!"

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the Complex

Trip stared at the ceiling not daring to move his battered body. As strangely as it sounded he didn't have much ache but the sight of his own uniform told him he had lost a lot of blood. Sighing heavily he grabbed one of the metal bars trying to find a more comfortable position when Heza come back. He had learned that was the murderous lieutenant's name.

"Well you are up again." Trip looked at him.

"Why don't you just tell me what I want to know and I will let you walk out through that door." He pointed towards the corridor.

"Do you really expect me to believe that?"

"It is not nice to accuse anyone of lying commander."

"Really? It's not nice to kidnap someone lieutenant." Trip bit back.

Heza was just about to deliver his punishment when an alarm echoed through the walls.

"You are lucky this time!" He said running out of the holding cell.

Trip slowly dragged himself up in a standing position. It couldn't be the intruder alarm because that would not require everyone's attention. However Heza was a member of the guards. The room suddenly vibrated as it got struck by something. A phaser, he smiled looking up as if to see the sky. It had to be Enterprise.

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Enterprise, the bridge

"Are you sure this is the right co-ordinates?" Archer said leaning in beside Travis.

"Yes, we should have made contact with the building."

"Phasers has made contact and whatever it was it was not trees." T'Pol stated.

"Captain we have Chancellor Ajin on link." Hoshi said suddenly.

"Put it through."

"Captain Archer I demand to know what you are doing!"

"I am sorry we have been running a testing program on our weapons but don't worry we just hit a couple of trees." Archer smiled.

Ajin's voice became milder at once. "Of course but the woods are very important for our people you see so please try to avoid the tree regions."

"Chancellor do you have a problem with rebellions?" Archer suddenly changed subject.

"Why would you want to know?" The chancellor said sheepishly.

"We were attacked by one of your vessels."

"That must have been a mistake captain we don't have any ships near you for the moment." Archer smiled, he is a slimy little one, he thought. "Very well, I hope you don't mind if I bring up the last group of shore leave personal as precaution anyway."

"No not at all captain." The chancellor returned the smile.

As Hoshi cut the transmission Archer sat down in his chair.

"I have to give him credit."

"You where quite good yourself captain." Travis returned.

"All right that should have given us a couple of hours at most but they wont buy the testing thing again." He turned to his science officer and the stand in for Malcolm.

"T'Pol, Hogan any progress yet?"

"When we fired at the site sensors made contact with a building complex for 10 seconds."

"That would be enough for a transport." Archer mused.

"Unfortunately it is not enough time to localise and beam out, we must fire at least twice." T'Pol said.

"That is that we are assuming either Trip or Malcolm are in there." Hoshi said.

"Hoshi is right the forcefield covers ground outside it, at least 5 kilometres in every direction."

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the Complex, holding area

Trip smiled inwardly then doubled over grimacing hard.

"Hey human!" The smaller replacement guard rushed forward.

"Hurts." He mumbled.

"What?" The guard said desperately.

Trip opened his eyes with agony and threw himself at the unaware guard. He furiously got in a few punches then grabbing the gun from the holster. Breathing heavily leaning against the wall Trip checked it out.

"So tell me what would happen if I shoot you with this?"

"I will probably come to Ravaneez."

"I beg you pardon?"

"You would not understand."

"Does it kill!"

"Depends on how you set it." The guard blinked away a wave of dizziness.

"Yeah it has been nice to know you." He said coldly pushing down the trigger. He looked at the unconscious form lying on the floor.

"I am sorry I couldn't send you to wherever you wanted to go but you have a few things to sort out with your superiors first."

The alarm suddenly got silent, he tensed, the murderous lieutenant would probably be back soon. He had to find a place out of there. Trusting the only thing he could trust, his own instincts, he ran through the corridors of the complex hoping he was going in the right direction.

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the Complex, infirmary

He heard noises, unfamiliar noises around him.

"He is coming around." A nurse quickly relayed.

"Lt Reed?"

Opening his eyes he was almost certain he had Phlox bending over him with a scanner. Instead an older man in a military uniform carefully checked his vitals. The same older man that had been talking to him at the beach.

Suddenly he was overcome by impressions and memories from the past few days events. And now he was back at the place he had tried so hard to escape. He could only hope that Hoshi and Travis had better luck than he and Trip. Malcolm wondered where they had taken him, if he was still alive somewhere. Without scanner or communicator and obviously in a room shielded from outer noise there was not much that he could do.

"Lieutenant can you hear me?"

"Why am I still alive?"

A nurse looked strangely at him. T'ela flashed a quick smile at her. "He is still a bit delusive. Lieutenant we are no barbarians, we do not kill people. It must have been one of those dreams that you have been having lately. You are recovering from a grave disease, to be honest I didn't have much hope left that you would return to us."

"I was not ill."

"I don't expect you to remember, you were very weak."

"How long has it been?" Malcolm asked, clearly confused.

The doctor looked down on the floor then reaching for something that looked like a hypo.

"It's been ten days."

Malcolm briefly closed his eyes. "Where is Enterprise?"

"Your ship is in orbit, focus on getting well now."

He slowly nodded in agreement but deeply in thought as the doctor injected a fluid in his venom.

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the Complex, unknown location

Trip threw himself against the wall as fast as he could given the state that he was in and waited as the two security members went past him. The alarm had stopped right after he had left his cell, whatever caused it must have been discovered and maybe even eliminated. He inhaled deeply, Enterprise must be looking for them by now. Maybe Hoshi and Travis had made it. Heza's words rang in his ears. Lieutenant Reed is dead commander. A big part of him still hoped it wasn't true, a big part of him could not accept that. He was really looking forward to nail these bastards, it gave him strength to be able to move on. He focused on the present again. There must be a way to shut down the cloaking devise and forcefield, if he could find the command central. He tried to remember the symbols for weapons and controls Malcolm got up at the display before they had to run.

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To be continued