Author's Note: Please see other notes. Anything in italics is a bond interaction.
XXX
Trip and T'Pol walked purposefully down the halls of Soweto hospital, his hand firmly griping hers. They drew the attention of everyone they passed because of their quickness and because a Vulcan was holding the hand of a human.
Trip abruptly stopped when T'Pol pulled out her comm and called Phlox. She listened to him quietly and nodded.
"Past the main reception, to the right, just down a hall," T'Pol said to him in his head.
"Where the hell is the main reception?" Trip asked back.
Her eye caught a diagram on the wall.
"Over there," she said as she walked toward it with his hand clamped in hers.
They studied the directory for a minute and determined their position (the back of the hospital) and the main reception (the front of the hospital).
"If we take this hallway and the elevator…" Trip said as he pointed to the map.
"Agreed," T'Pol replied before the couple set off again with those around them still watching in amazement.
They followed the hallway to the elevator and found themselves standing in it with another six people, including a Vulcan couple.
The Vulcan man made a derisive noise and the female nodded her head in agreement. Trip immediately felt embarrassment across their bond. He looked toward T'Pol and, to anyone else, she appeared unaffected, but he could see that look in her eye.
"Excuse me, do we have a problem?" Trip asked them, acid in his voice.
"Trip, don't…" T'Pol said emphatically.
"You have no reason to be embarrassed that you are holding my hand," Trip said back.
"Just please, leave it," T'Pol pleaded.
Neither the Vulcan male or female replied, and they got off at the next floor.
"Close-minded…" Trip mumbled under his breath.
T'Pol closed her eyes and sighed.
"You know I mean that, don't you?" Trip asked her.
"I know," T'Pol said softly.
"But you still feel it? The embarrassment?"
"I…"
Just then the bell dinged to indicate their floor and T'Pol pulled Trip out of the elevator. They both looked side to side and went to the right towards the reception.
"There!" T'Pol said as she pointed toward Phlox who was trying to not look suspicious standing in the hallway.
"She still in there?" Trip asked as he approached Phlox.
"Shh, Vulcan hearing…" T'Pol cautioned him.
"Sorry," Trip apologized.
"Yes, but she is done eating and has looked out the window three times to check the hallway," Phlox explained. "The first and third times I was in view; I pretended to be an employee of the hospital but I'm not sure she bought it."
Trip and T'Pol exchanged looks and nodded; they were going to go in together.
"Call Jon," Trip said before he reached ahead and pushed open the door to reveal a startled six-year-old that was the spitting image of him.
XXX
Jon sat in a coffee shop a block away from MACO HQ. He was supposed to go out on the next search party but had delayed that when Fielding, Section 31 Commander had finally contacted him and set up a location to meet.
"You look younger in person," a man said as he approached Jon.
"Fielding?" Jon asked as he stood.
"Have a seat Commodore," Fielding said as he sat across from Jon. He was a tall man, dark skin, heavy, with deep-set eyes and sporting a thick beard.
"Where's Nova?" Jon asked as he sat down.
"We're waiting for the MACO's to find her," Fielding said as he motioned for the waitress.
"So, you lost her as well?" Jon asked, annoyed. "Because I have two biological parents that are frantic to get to her."
"T'Pol and Tucker?" Fielding asked before the waitress approached. "Black coffee please."
"Yes, the parents you have not bothered to inform of their daughter," Jon said with venom.
"We contacted their homes two days ago," Fielding said. "We have yet to get a response. They're here?"
"You know they are here, they've been searching with MACOs all night," Jon said with a raised voice.
"Calm down Commodore," Fielding cautioned.
"I'll calm down when you explain yourself!" Jon snapped. "You have been keeping their daughter without reason and preventing…"
"We didn't know she was theirs until a few days ago," Fielding supplied. "DNA testing is more time consuming on Mars."
"What are you saying?" Jon asked.
"I'm telling you that when she was arrested with her 'parents'" he said using air quotes. His coffee was placed before him and he smiled at the waitress. "Child services was contacted to take her. She was with them for a few days until we noted that she was Vulcan-Human, and then we started to investigate."
"Testing her? Is that part of investigating?"
"We saw an opportunity while we waited for the DNA results," Fielding said casually.
"So, you are trying to tell me that you only learned she was Trip and T'Pol's two days ago and contacted them immediately?" Jon asked, knowing he was catching the man in a lie.
"Officially, yes," Fielding supplied.
"Unofficially?" Jon asked.
"We've known for a week," Fielding answered before he picked up his coffee to drink.
"So, for 5 days you knew she was theirs and it wasn't until day 6 you contacted them?" Jon asked.
Fielding just looked at Jon and said nothing.
"You people are unbelievable!" Jon snapped.
"You people also includes your people Jon, so don't be too hasty pointing any fingers," Fielding said as he sat back in his chair.
"Starfleet knew?" Jon asked.
Fielding nodded.
"Come on," Jon scoffed. "I can't believe they would keep this information from two senior officers who have careers with…"
"They are just as interested in Human-Vulcan capabilities as the MACOs," Fielding noted.
"How did she come to be? She's not a clone?" Jon asked, deciding he needed to ask different questions.
"She's not a clone," Fielding said. "As for how she came to be…we're still investigating."
"What do you know?" Jon asked.
"We know Kim Yaz worked as a researcher for Terra Prime," Fielding said. "We have been unable to ascertain her employment records, so we don't know which facility she worked out of. We know she carried and birthed Nova Yaz in the spring six years ago but there were several dates on Nova's interplanetary records that don't all match. We know she and Jellun raised the child as their own on their ship with few planet stops that involved stays on-world. We know they were criminals dealing in arms and had ties to many underworld organizations through their business. We know that there are no medical records for Nova beyond what we have ascertained, so either she's never been sick, or her parents had her treated off-record. We know that the child is, biologically, that of Captain T'Pol and Chief Commander Tucker of Starfleet but that the DNA material to create her was probably harvested between ten and twelve years ago."
"Why do you think that?" Jon asked.
"Terra Prime was operating facilities then, but they were all shut down approximately 10-12 years ago," Fielding explained. "There is a higher likelihood that the embryo was frozen for a period, then that some researcher had the facilities and capabilities to steal sperm and ova from two high ranking officers and create the child in her make-shift lab."
"But the material to make Nova was stolen?" Jon asked.
"Tucker's was stolen from the Pre-space storage facility," Fielding explained. "We're combing the records and the actual material still at the facility to try and determine date."
"T'Pol's as well?" Jon asked.
"Hers is a little more complicated," Fielding hesitated. "We're not sure how they got their hands on her ova."
"Excuse me?" Jon asked as he leaned in.
"She didn't do the pre-space storage because she was with the High Command at the start of her career," Fielding explained. "And she chose not to store when the opportunity was made available to her when she became a Starfleet member."
"So, how did…?"
"We're investigating," Fielding groaned.
"It seems to me like you are investigating a lot and you have few answers," Jon said.
"Look," Fielding said as he stood from his chair. "I have told you more than I should have. What I'd like to know is how they found out?"
Jon stood with him as well and put money down for his coffee.
"Don't you know? You called them, remember? Two days ago," Jon said with a smirk.
"So, you're giving me nothing back?" Fielding asked, annoyed.
Jon just smiled at him before he walked away.
He looked down a his comm and noticed that there was a message from Phlox.
He immediately dialed the number without listening to the message and it went to Phlox's message.
Jon disconnected his comm and walked toward MACO HQ.
XXX
"Nova?" Trip asked softly as he and T'Pol walked into the room hand-in-hand.
The little girl pressed her back against the window behind her.
"Darlin' we're not going to hurt you," Trip said softly. "And we're not with the people who have been holding you."
Nova just looked at him scared. It was then that she noticed the Denobulan man come in behind them.
"We spoke with your father," T'Pol said as she let go of Trip's hand and crouched down to appear less intimidating. "He asked us to take care of you."
"Who are you?!" Nova yelled.
"I'm Charles Tucker and this is T'Pol," Trip said as he followed T'Pol's lead and crouched down. "And this is Phlox."
"Nice to meet you Nova," Phlox said with a large smile.
Nova couldn't help but smile back at him; his face was friendly.
"How do you know my father?!" Nova demanded.
"We visited him where he was being held and he told us about your star," Trip said as he met her eyes; it was like looking at himself in a small little girl form.
"I told Dr. Penny about my star!" Nova said as she scooted further into the corner. She was calculating a way to get away from these people and screaming may be her best option at this point as the window was inaccessible.
"Your bunny," T'Pol said. "He asked us to get it for you, but we've been unable to locate it yet."
Nova's eyes went wide. Could these people really be sent by her father?
T'Pol reached out to see if there was any kind of bond with the child; she was unsure if there would be one considering how Nova was created, born and raised separately from her. She sensed nothing.
"He is real worried about you and doesn't want the doctors testing you anymore," Trip said. "You also met a friend of ours who is a MACO. Daniel Chang? He's the one who helped us find you."
"He was mad at them when they took my blood," Nova said, relaxing slightly.
"That's right," Trip smiled at her. "He came all the way to Earth to tell me about you and your parents, so I could help you."
"And Tara from daycare is worried about you," T'Pol said gently. "We were at Happy Times yesterday looking for you, but you ran away?"
Nova nodded. "I want to see my mummy. She's at a hospital."
"Shit," Trip swore in T'Pol's head.
"I don't know anything about your mother's current condition, but we can find out together," T'Pol lied.
"Where's Jazz?" Nova asked.
"Jazz? The MACO?" Trip asked, confused.
"As we said," T'Pol clarified. "We are opposed to the MACOs and doctors holding and testing you; it was not what your parents wanted, and we have spoken to the doctors about that. There will be no more testing, Nova."
"How do you know my parents?" Nova asked, confused. She'd never met either of these people before.
"We just met your father yesterday, and we have not met your mother," T'Pol explained.
"Then why would they want you to help me?" Nova asked.
T'Pol felt Trip take a deep cleansing breath next to her.
"Your father, Jellun, trusts us," T'Pol said softly, they had decided to not discuss their biological ties right away.
"Why?" Nova asked, her brow furrowing.
Nova noted that the Phlox Denobulan man seemed to shift uncomfortably behind the couple.
"Because we are Starfleet officers and we are trying to help him," T'Pol said as she considered the young girl's eyes. It was like looking into Trip's eyes. Nova's long blonde hair was covering her ears but T'Pol was pretty sure they'd be pointed as not much else about her identified her as a Vulcan. Even her skin tone was pale.
Nova looked at them perplexed.
"It's not safe for a child to be wandering Mars on her own," T'Pol said. "Allow us to help you?"
Nova looked at all three people and narrowed her eyes. It could just be a trap.
"I need to see some identification," Nova said as she crossed her arms over her chest.
Trip chuckled and T'Pol gave Nova a curious look.
They both stood and pulled out wallets from their pockets and produced cards. Trip took his, T'Pol's and Phlox's and carefully walked toward Nova, but instead of walking all the way up to her, he stopped and placed them on the window ledge for her to examine. He could tell, from her reaction to his approach that it was the better choice.
Nova stepped towards the cards and, without taking her eyes off the people, picked up the first one. It was the man's. It said he was a Chief Commander and an Engineer. She was confused when she looked at the picture because he looked a lot like her; she hadn't noticed that until that moment. Setting aside that knowledge for further contemplation later, she picked up the woman's card. She was a Captain. Nova had noticed from the moment she walked into the room that she was a Vulcan, but she acted and spoke differently from the one Vulcan family Nova had ever met. She was…softer. Then Nova picked up the Denobulan's card and her eyes went wide; he was a doctor, just like the others.
"I am a doctor," Phlox said, breaking the silence in the room. "I work with miner's who have lung disease on Mensa One, but I also served with Trip and T'Pol on board a Starfleet vessel two years ago. I am not here to study you or test you, just to help my friends."
Nova looked at him confused; he seemed honest. None of the doctors so far had told her anything about themselves; this man was different.
"Trip?" Nova asked.
Trip smiled at her. "It's my nickname. Not many people call me Charles."
Nova nodded. Her mother had a friend who went by the name Kitty but that wasn't her name.
"I require more evidence that you will not harm me," Nova said as she stood a little taller and piled up their identification cards.
"Would you like us to call Tara or…?"
"Yes," Nova said.
"Oh, okay," Trip said as he looked toward T'Pol. He had not brought his comm to Mars, so she was the only one who could call Happy Times.
T'Pol stood and stepped away from Trip and dialed a number.
"So, what do you like to do for fun?" Trip asked, trying to gain her trust.
"That is classified," Nova said as she met his eyes.
Trip chuckled.
"Have you ever gone swimming?" Trip asked.
Nova just looked at him.
"In water?" Trip asked.
"I do know what swimming is," Nova replied.
Trip smiled. "I love swimming. I used to be a life guard on a beach, making sure no one got hurt or swam too far out and couldn't get back to shore. I scuba dive too."
Nova looked intrigued. "Scuba?"
"When you attach a breathing apparatus to your mouth, so you can swim deeper and longer under water," Trip explained.
Nova nodded.
"Do you like books?" Trip asked, thinking of other topics of conversation. "Have any pets?"
Nova looked at him not knowing what to make of this odd man who wanted to know about her. No one except doctors asked her about herself and they always took notes.
"You are an engineer?" Nova inquired. She was half listening to him and half to the Vulcan woman, T'Pol, on the phone. Apparently, Tara was out. She was attempting to get the person on the other side of the conversation to relinquish Tara's personal comm information.
"I am," Trip said. "I work in design at Starfleet Headquarters in San Diego, on Earth."
"And she's a Captain, what's the name of her ship?" Nova asked as she nodded toward T'Pol.
"She's in charge of ship building for Starfleet here on Mars," Trip said as he looked over his shoulder briefly at T'Pol. "She's got her own ship though, Ursula One."
"She lives here?" Nova asked.
"On Mars, yes, but on the other side of the planet, in a place called Drona," Trip explained.
"And you live on Earth and he lives on Mensa One?" Nova clarified as she looked toward Phlox.
"Yep," Trip chuckled. "We're a pretty interstellar bunch. We all used to work together on a ship called Enterprise. But two years ago, it was decommissioned, that means…"
"Retired," Nova interrupted.
Trip smiled at her. She may look like him, but Jellun was right, she had T'Pol's disposition.
"That's right," he said. It was then that he heard Jon's voice loud in the hallway. "Phlox can you…?"
"Of course," Phlox said before he left the room.
"Where is he going?" Nova asked as she heard T'Pol place a call to Tara, finally.
"Another friend is out there, his name is Jon, and he's been trying to find you as well," Trip explained.
"Why is everyone trying to find me?" Nova asked, confused.
"Well, it's not right that you were being held by the MACOs and doctors and we were trying to help you, but you ran away…"
"I want Tara to take me to see my mother," Nova said. These Charles, T'Pol and Phlox people seemed nice enough, but she was pretty sure she could trust Tara.
"Okay," Trip agreed, not sure if it was the right thing to do. He didn't want to spook the child, but he also didn't want to lie to her.
As if on cue, Tara walked into the room holding her comm.
"You're here?" Trip asked, confused as he turned to look at her.
"She was with Jon," T'Pol explained in his head.
"Hi Nova," Tara said, ignoring Trip's question.
"Tara," Nova said with a nod.
"How are you doing?" Tara asked as she approached Nova. Trip and T'Pol both noted that Nova didn't tense when Tara approached.
"I am in need of a bath and an adequate meal, but I wish to see my mother first," Nova said firmly.
"Okay, I can…we can go see her," Tara said hesitantly. The Commodore, Jon, had explained the true story to her and the MACOs had confirmed it. Nova's adoptive parents weren't both dead, just her mother. Her father had been extradited to Xindi. Her biological parents were obviously waiting to inform Nova of their link.
"Thank you," Nova said. "I wish to leave now."
"I can call a land car," T'Pol said as she dialed a number.
When Nova heard her order two cars her brow crinkled. Why would she and Tara need their own cars?
"How are you really?" Tara asked in a low whisper.
"Scared," Nova admitted.
"Understandable," Tara nodded.
When T'Pol disconnected the call, Nova looked toward her.
"Why two cars?" Nova asked.
"We promised your father we would take care of you and keep you safe," T'Pol said. "We will accompany you to your mother's hospital."
"But Tara and I…" Nova started.
"We promised your father," T'Pol said gently. "I don't break my promises."
Nova nodded; somehow, she knew this woman was very serious about keeping her safe.
XXX
TBC
