Communication

Chapter Ten

The first sound Hoshi heard was a low modulating hissing noise which then rapidly increased in volume only to be overtaken by a sensation so intense and powerful she had to tear out her earpiece because she was frightened of being deafened. She swiveled round in her chair to meet the concerned stare of Captain Archer. Hoshi then noticed that Lieutenant Rae was leaning forward and scrutinizing the science station monitors intently while holding up her hand to indicate that she needed time to analyse what she had seen before making a report.

Finally Rae sat back in her seat and with a puzzled look on her face met Hoshi's gaze, "Did you get something as well?"

"Some sort of energy burst targeted at Enterprise, it used our transmission frequencies, so yes I got it and it felt as though it was blasting right through my head." Hoshi replied as she gently cradled the ear that had been assaulted.

"Rae I need a report, what the hell happened?" ordered Archer, as he walked over to the science station from the command chair.

"A powerful stream of energy entered Enterprise and then bounced back however I have not been able to locate either the source or where the energy was targeted Sir. I can't even identify the composition of the energy produced although I can report that there is no damage to the ship."

"Could we have been caught by an energy flare discharged by the anomaly field?"

"No Sir, I have compared the energy emitted by the field with this targeted burst and the signature is completely different."

Lieutenant Reed interrupted with a report from the tactical station, "Sir, my scans of the anomaly field have detected that an isolated area has started to exhibit a different and more systemic pattern of disturbance."

"Okay Malcolm, I'd say that's our cue to go and investigate, transmit the co-ordinates for that area to Ensign Thomson. Let's hope it's a sign that Travis has found a way to shut down the anomaly field."

"Aye Sir, co-ordinates transmitted to the helm."

"In your own time Thomson, just keep the ship at a safe distance from the outer edges of the field."

"Aye, aye Sir," Thomson responded as he plotted the safest course then added in a little extra distance from the anomaly field to ensure there was a margin of error in his favour. He coaxed Enterprise on impulse drive towards the whirling dancing madness of the field debris that filled the view screen...

Travis stopped at the entrance of the fully operational control room and warily took in the scene in front of him. All of the stations inside the room were lit up with banks of flashing coloured lights indicating continued activity. When he had first seen the room like this he had noticed that one of the stations was smeared with the same rust coloured stains he had found in the dormitory. As he had investigated, Travis had been repeatedly drawn to this station as if the blood split over it marked it out as having a special importance.

After Trip had made telepathic contact with T'Pol; a concept which he would never have believed if he had not witnessed his friend's reaction, he had spent hours in this room. He had pressed all of the seemingly active controls and buttons without any affect. Then after going to talk the matter over with Trip he had prized open the panels beneath the consoles and crawled about on the floor checking the paths of the numerous conduits and wires that fed the machines. They had decided that there must be a central locking system, a code of some sort that he would have to find in order to gain control of the systems.

However Travis had quickly realized that he lacked the skills necessary for this job; as he was not an engineer he could not make sense of the mechanics and he was no linguist so the alien letters might as well be a form of decoration for all the good they were to him. All he could rely on was his determination and patience, both qualities which were essential to be a good helmsman. Then for some unknown reason the control room had started to object to his presence there.

Travis had returned to the station where a being had been killed leaving behind the mark of their final moments of life spread out over the metallic surface. He had been trying to decide which button he should press when he heard a buzzing sound as though an angry insect had entered the room. Travis had swung round and his gaze had immediately been drawn to the round disc at the centre of the ceiling. A dot of orange light was moving at speed around the outer ring of the flat white disc creating a mechanical crackling hiss. Travis had tried to remain as still as possible in case this phenomenon was the reason he had been transported from the control room the first time he had been there.

Suddenly the dot of orange light had slowed and it came to a stop opposite Travis' position and then the whole disc started to glow red.

"Shit!" Travis had exclaimed as he shuffled to his left only for the ominous dot to follow his movement. Not knowing what to expect Travis had then decided to stand his ground ignoring the message his hammering heart was sending him that he really needed to make a run for it. A translucent wall of orange light was emitted from the intense red dot which reached from floor to ceiling on his right side and barred his only exit from the control room. Travis had then braced himself knowing that escape was no longer an option as the wall of light advanced steadily towards him, causing the surfaces it came into contact with to spark. However when it moved across his body he was surprised to find that it was pleasant sensation which made his skin tingle. He had guessed that he was been scanned because as soon as the wall of light had passed over him it disappeared. Then once more the red dot had started to whirl around the outside edge of the disc. Only then had Travis realised that he had been holding his breath and assuming that the danger had gone he exhaled deeply and with relief returned to his examination of the station consol.

The flash of light had captured him without warning in the brilliance of its glare which had left him stunned and powerless to react or take evasive action. For a few seconds it had seemed to Travis that his body had been lifted off the ground and he was floating suspended in mid air then a forward momentum caused his body to be flung against the end of the table on which Trip was trying to rest. Travis had been disorientated for a few seconds before the sickening realisation had hit him that he was back in the medical centre.

Two further attempts to investigate the control room had ended in a similar fashion except that each time Travis felt the computer brain that controlled this facility was becoming more and more irate with his persistence. He got this notion from the increasing force that was being used to dump him back in the medical centre. Even Trip seemed to have become bored with Travis materialising to disturb his rest at regular intervals because he had given up offering any concern or attempts at humour.

Travis remained hovering at the entrance to the control room as he desperately tried to formulate a way of getting into the room and then being able to stay there long enough to do some good…

"We are in position Sir," Ensign Thomson advised as he allowed himself to relax momentarily, his body easing ever so slightly back in the seat attached to the helm station. He needed to release the nervous tension that had built up across his shoulders and the back of his neck as he guided the ship to the required location. Even at this distance Thomson could feel an obvious pull from the anomaly and he knew Engineering would have to compensate by supplying extra energy to the impulse engines to ensure they held their current position.

Then Lieutenant Reed's voice interrupted the tense silence, "Sir there are areas of open space appearing inside the anomaly, the scans indicate that it is being pulled apart along a line that dissects this section of the field."

Puzzled by this information Captain Archer glanced over at him as he manned his station monitoring the data from the scans, "Is this change only restricted to this sector?"

"Aye Sir, the majority of the anomaly field has not been affected in this way."

Archer activated the comm control on his command chair, "Commander T'Pol report immediately to the bridge."

Suddenly everyone on the bridge ceased what they were doing as they became transfixed by the scene on the view screen. They watched as the anomaly field started to contract violently to form an extremely narrow channel through the field. The force that was squeezing and pulling the anomaly apart caused the rocks and debris contained within the field to shoot with considerable force into the surrounding area on either side of the rift. Then the clear space that had formed started to widen until it was large enough for Enterprise to travel between two sheer towering walls that were holding back the active anomaly field.

T'Pol arrived on the bridge while this process was happening and as she waited to speak to the captain she found it therapeutic to examine the unfolding process from a scientist's perspective as she considered the massive resources and energy needed to exert that level of control. It helped relieve her concern for Trip for a moment to deduce that the power required to control the violent anomaly was inordinately excessive.

Archer was finally able to drag his eyes away from a vision he still found hard to believe even though it had developed right in front of him. He acknowledged T'Pol who was standing patiently beside his chair with her hands clasped behind her back. He then stood up and leaned as close as he dared to her in such a public place so that he could quietly ask, "How is he doing?"

"He still lives, "was T'Pol's brief reply which was also delivered in hushed tones.

Watching them, Hoshi only managed to catch the gist of the Captain's question and as she was aware that no messages had been received via the communications system, she wondered exactly what method of communication Commander T'Pol was utilising. However there was no time to ponder the matter further as the captain started issuing orders.

"Lieutenant Reed you are with me, contact Major Hayes and Doctor Phlox and tell them to meet us on the hanger deck. Lieutenant Sato open communication channels and see if you can establish contact with Travis. Commander T'Pol, you will take command Enterprise, bring the ship through this channel and once the sphere is in your sights locate a point of entry."

He got the expected chorus of responses accepting his orders but he was heartened that Hoshi decided to add an impromptu "good luck!" to her acknowledgement.

As he left the bridge Archer willed that this mission be successful for all their sakes…

"Cannot verify, cannot verify."

Travis was petrified with fear on hearing the disembodied voice coming from behind him. His body was flooded with adrenalin as he twisted round to see that the entire disc had turned a vibrant orange colour and the dot that was facing him was pulsing from orange to red, then from vivid red to a deep dark brown.

It was the first time that this automated computer system had surprised him in this way and it was made worse by the fact that it was using the same synthetic version of his voice that the medical centre computer had used. It was another ominous development and Travis waited horror struck as the dot continued to pulse with darker and darker hues.

"Restricted area, no clearance, restricted area, no clear…"

"My friend is injured and needs help," Travis pleaded over the monotonous tone of the computer as he felt despair at his lack of progress. He was also worried that the rust coloured stains were in fact an indication of the fate of previous intruders. The thought had crossed his mind that it was the computer mind that had actually killed all of the beings who had once resided there. He remembered hearing a story of a computer on an out-stationed world that had later been discovered to have developed a fatal flaw in its reasoning processers. In a terrible disaster that had cost thousands of beings their lives, the computer system had flushed the air out of the living quarters without warning because it had become irritated by the fact the occupants' were exhaling what it had decided were unacceptable levels of H2O into the artificial environment. The computer had made its judgement in a perfectly logical way; the level of humidity, even though it remained well within permitted limits, was a potential future hazard so it had acted to stop an attack on its continued viability.

However Travis was also aware that he had not yet been zapped back to the medical centre which could be either a good or very bad sign. He decided to try and continue to communicate with the computer mind, "Our ship, Enterprise, is on its way to rescue us. Please understand that we are no threat to you. We just want to be allowed to leave!"

"The controller is coming, will help friend."

Oh damn, that's not good, with our luck the controller, whoever the hell he is, will not be pleased to find us here, Travis thought as a surge of panic left him feeling like he was clutching at a very slippery slender straw. Although he desperately tried to divert the artificial mind from this course of action and convince it that Enterprise was all the help they needed, "There is someone on my ship who can help him. We definitely do not need your controller's help, please let… "

"The controller is coming, will help friend, you must leave restricted area."

"Disable the anomaly field and lower your shields so Enterprise can find us!" Travis shouted out, his frustration finally spilling over at the pointlessness of speaking to an artificial intelligence still obsessed with a nameless all powerful "controller". Then he purposefully strode to the nearest consol and started randomly hitting buttons. He was not surprised to feel what was becoming a familiar sensation and the next thing he was aware of was his body hitting the floor of the medical centre very fast and hard…

Captain Archer was piloting the shuttlepod with Reed sitting behind him and Doctor Phlox and Major Hayes taking up the passenger seats. They were all wearing EV suits and two extra ones were hanging up at the back of the pod. Archer and Reed were running through their last checks when T'Pol's voice came through on the comm, "Captain we have reached the sphere and are in orbit around it. It is of exactly the same design as the others we have encountered therefore locating the entry point will be relatively straightforward. However the channel we travelled through closed behind us so once we have retrieved our crewmembers it will be necessary to ascertain a way to either reopen the channel or disable the anomaly field."

"Understood Commander, decompress the hanger bay, I'm commencing launch procedure now."

When the pod emerged from the safety of Enterprise it was dwarfed by the oppressively massive grey metallic sphere as it moved towards the entry portal. For such an impressive structure the doors that provided the only access were extremely easy to open. As had happened on the first occasion they had encountered a sphere, a well aimed blast from a phase cannon disabled the locking device allowing the doors to slide open.

Once inside Archer could see that the sphere had the same internal design as the others they had entered. As its main purpose was to generate the vast amounts of energy required to alter the Expanse until eventually it would meet the needs of beings from a different dimension and time, the interior was of a purely functional design. The first sphere that they had quantum scanned had been found to be almost one thousand years old so the changes that would make this area of space inhospitable for the species living there had already taken considerable time and energy. As Archer piloted the pod towards the centre of the sphere he thought again about the idea of disabling or destroying the network of spheres. That action alone would make the Expanse safer to travel and live in but after consultation with his senior officers the idea had been dismissed. By travelling back in time they had already changed the timeline so taking such decisive action would only attract the attention of the sphere builders who could then seek retribution by speeding up the timetable for the Xindi attack on Earth. He could not contemplate an action which could in the end result in Enterprise being the cause of the destruction of their home world. So they would have to remain in the shadows, an unnamed vessel in the Expanse waiting for their one true chance to change history by stopping the Xindi probe; an event that should never have happened in the first place.

In this sphere five of the seven fusion reactors were still operational and their energy emissions provided an eerie sizzling blue light to guide them through the interior. Gigantic struts zigzagged across the sphere to add strength to the outer structure and directly below him Archer located the habitation modules nestling in the junction of three of the widest support girders. He directed the pod to descend, aiming straight for a landing pad located next to the living quarters.

As he came in to land Archer got his first sight of the battered remains of Shuttlepod One. Involuntarily he gasped in horror at the state of the tiny vessel and then became aware that Reed was leaning against his chair to get a better look at the crippled pod which lay splayed open below them; like a dissected lab rat after a biology class. Archer noted that the top half of the pod had been discarded alongside the main body leaving limited space for them to land safely.

"Reed return to your seat, I'm going to have to land close to Shuttlepod One," Archer ordered, his mind still reeling with renewed concern at the ordeal Trip and Travis had gone through.

Archer could hear Reed at work trying to contact Travis as he brought the pod down. It was worrying that there continued to be no response apart from the crackle of static. Hoshi had already reported that she had not managed to get through before they had left Enterprise. If as suspected the sphere shields remained in place then Enterprise would be also be out of reach to the away team so there would be no backup if they got into any trouble. Archer knew that this was definitely not how he had wanted this mission to play out as he ordered everyone to make final checks on their EV suits and prepare to leave the relative safety of the pod. The image of the broken Shuttlepod One played on his mind and he felt compelled to allow his superstitious nature make a another silent plea to any higher deity that their mission would succeed.

Archer, Phlox, Reed and Major Hayes then carefully made their way along the narrow gangway that linked the landing area to the modules; Archer and Hayes were both carrying a spare EV suit while Phlox was in charge of the precious medical kit. From where they were, the monumental structure of the sphere towered over them with the vivid light from the reactors casting eerie dancing shadows around the landing party.

Ahead of them was a outer metallic door with a round hatch cut into its top half. Hayes and Reed went forward to examine the locking mechanism which consisted of a small square pad with nine buttons arranged in three vertical rows, each displaying a different symbol. Archer walked over to join them and then ran his hand around the small hatch to see if he could find a means of access, but without any luck.

"Any suggestions Lieutenant…Major?"

"Sir, you were in contact with Travis, and he was able to open up a way through the anomaly field. Why can't we contact Travis again and tell him we're here?" Major Hayes asked, while continuing his examination of the area around the door.

"Unfortunately Major that means of communication is no longer available to us."

Hayes cast Archer a puzzled glance but he decided not to probe further and instead offered up another option," Then I suggest using force, a burst from a phase rifle should disable the lock."

Reluctantly Reed was forced to agree with Hayes' solution even though it went against the grain, given his continuing enmity towards the MACO Major, "Sir, we don't have time to try any other means of gaining entry and using force has proved successful before."

"Well I think it could be dangerous to discharge weapons…in here." Phlox noted as he nervously eyed his surroundings.

"And what do you suggest that we do, knock on the door?"

"Major," Archer warned, not liking Hayes' patronizing tone towards Phlox.

"Reed can you scan the living quarters before we start any shooting."

"Aye Sir," Reed said to acknowledge the order, as he activated a scanner and started a sweep of the modules.

He was quick to report back, "No luck Sir, the scans cannot penetrate the outer skin, the modules are heavily protected."

"So Travis may not even know that we are here," Archer stated as he stepped back in a futile search for any other potential access points. "Yes I agree we have no other choice. Hayes, I need you to destroy the locking mechanism, so that we can override it manually."

Major Hayes set down the EV suit he was carrying and made his phase rifle ready. Then just as he was about to pull the trigger the weapon was brutally ripped from his grasp without warning and he could only watch as it spun away from him until it smashed against a metallic strut and then fell straight down into the abyss below. Hayes clutched his aching right hand and arm to his chest as he glared towards the source of the narrow beam of red hot light which had suddenly shot from the panel situated above the doorway to effectively disarm him.

"What the hell was that?" He snarled as he turned back towards the rest of the team just in time to catch their shock filled faces as a wall of orange light swung in towards them.

When the light reached and then passed over Phlox, he was pleased to find that he was still in one piece, as he commented, "I believe we have just been scanned."

Then the outer door leading to the modules swung slowly open. "And we are now being invited in," Archer added as they cautiously walked towards the entrance. There was a small airlock beyond the door. Archer went in first and then beckoned for Phlox to follow him so that he could judge the available space left in the airlock. "There isn't enough space for all of us, not if we want to bring Travis and Trip out together. Reed, Hayes, you will remain outside for now. If I need you, I'll find a way to attract your attention."

As he finished issuing the order, the outer door started to close leaving the two long term antagonists outside cooling their heels…

Travis was finally able to pick himself off the floor of the medical centre after getting his breath back. Trip was silent this time and when he went over to check on him it was obvious that he had slipped into an unconscious state. He was worried about his friend's condition and panicked by the news this mysterious controller was apparently going to arrive soon. First and foremost he needed to protect Trip so he decided to search for something to arm himself with. He had already checked the sleeping quarters when he had taken bedding to help Trip feel more comfortable and knew that there were no weapons to be found there.

However there was a small store room behind the kitchen area that had not been completely cleared out. Travis had managed to find food tubes in a wooden crate there that he had forced himself to try in order to quell his increasing hunger and which he found to be just about palatable. Although it had not surprised him that he had been unable to tempt Trip to try the mucky green coloured paste the tubes contained.

He ran to the storeroom and started to rummage through the shelving units for a suitable weapon. Lying among discarded odds and ends was a length of heavy metal pipe and a bent blunt metal implement that could have been used to lever open crates. In the end he selected a length of heavy metal pipe even though it was difficult to hold one handed never mind control; its sheer weight made him feel better and if he hit someone with this, he felt confident it would slow them down. He then took up position in the mess room hiding behind the wall that ran alongside the entrance to the anteroom. Travis did not have too long to wait to hear the sound of inner door of the air lock opening. His heart in his mouth, Travis lifted the metal bar to rest on his shoulder and then prepared himself to launch his attack when the intruder entered the mess hall…

As soon as the inner door of the airlock opened Archer checked that the air was breathable and then raised his visor and signaled to Phlox that he could do the same. They looked around the anteroom which was empty apart from a low narrow couch at the far end of the room and Archer who had expected Travis to be there waiting for them was spooked by the eerie silence. He drew his phase pistol in case this was a trap and used hand signals to advise Phlox to wait there while he checked out the next room.

Archer took up position at the left side of the opening which led to the next room. His field of vision was partially obscured by his helmet and as he edged around the doorway the first he knew that something was wrong was when he felt a displacement of the air on his right side and then he watched in shock as a length of metal pipe narrowly missed his shoulder as it shot past him and crashed against the floor. Archer instinctively backed away from his attacker but before he could take up a defensive position he was caught in a partial bear hug.

"I'm so sorry Sir I didn't know it was you!"

Archer put his hands on his assailant's shoulders and gave him a gentle shove so that he would back off and let Archer have a good look at the being who sounded just like Travis. Holding him at arms length Archer was able to ascertain that it was actually Ensign Travis Mayweather. It had been a long time since Archer had felt real happiness and he was able to summon up a broad smile as he greeted his helmsman, "Travis, you have no idea how good it is to see you."

Travis grinned back at Archer as relief flooded through his body that his nightmare was over, "And me you Sir."

"I'll even overlook the fact that you just tried to kill me," Archer said as he gave him a slap on the back and a brief hug.

"But how did you find us, I wasn't able to lower the shields or disable the anomaly…?"

"Well you must have done something because we're here and you're coming home with us as soon as Phlox has assessed Trip."

"Then you'd better come with me Sir; we need to hurry because he's no longer responding, I think he's in a coma."