Disclaimer: I don't own any of the rights to anything Star Trek. That credit goes to Paramount/CBS. I'm only playing with the characters and their environment. I'm not making any money off of this. I'm doing this for plan old fun. Any of the ideas that seem to come from the TV show Dark Angel belong to 2oth Century Fox. And any of the ideas that seem to come from the Resident Evil franchise belong to Capcom. No copyright infringement is meant. Thanks.

A/N: I'm a little disappointed no one reviewed chapter 19 :( . I can tell that people have a least looked at it, but no reviews is really sad. Please let me know what you think about this chapter. It moves the plot along and has some good moments among the senior staff. In the next upcoming chapters there will be some events that knock your socks off, but you will have to bear with me. :) It will be worth it I promise. Oh, and there is a little content and language warning for this chapter; nothing over the top, but just a little to spice things up a bit.

Thanks LadyRainbow for all your hard beta work!!

Chapter 20

"I think I need to interject at this point, ladies and gentlemen," Phlox spoke up. "I don't think McKenna is in any condition to lead an assault team. She is still recovering from acute blood loss. Need I remind everyone that we nearly lost her twice because of her choice to give half her blood volume to Commander Tucker? She should not go into battle in her current state."

Archer could have kissed Phlox for his interruption. He had just provided the perfect excuse for the Captain to turn down the Vorlorens' request. Before he could speak, Romdel beat him to it. "She seemed entirely able to defend herself and take out the Suliban warrior she found hiding out on Archer's balcony." That statement deflated Archer's hope of getting out of this predicament.

"That was one alien she took on, not dozens or hundreds as she may have to engage with in a hostage rescue," Phlox shot back at Romdel. "McKenna may have been able to have her full abilities and strength for a short time, but over an extended period her body would give out. Even as genetically enhanced as she is, she does have limits. I would strongly recommend that she not lead an assault against hostile terrorists at this time. Maybe in a few more days, when her body has completely returned to normal she could go into battle. There is also the problem of McKenna's system being out of balance still as well. Her readings are much improved, but not where I would like them to be." This was partly an untruth, Phlox admitted to himself; Mac's systems were very near normal now, but he knew the Captain would not want the Vorlorens to know that yet.

Urasia seemed a little peeved at Phlox's comments. "We do not have a few days, Doctor," she said defensively. "All the hostages could be dead by then. The young woman is our only hope of a positive outcome."

Reed had a thought. "It probably wouldn't hurt to have her help you plan your extraction strategies. From what I have gathered about her, her understanding of military battle planning is extensive. Could she provide your men with tactical support, by working in conjunction with them, drawing up possible scenarios that would have the greatest chance of success? I myself could help in that department, as well as many of our key MACO personnel."

Archer loved his people; they were saving his bacon. They were coming to Mac's aid and his aid without him having to say a word. Kamen appeared thoughtful as he took in what Phlox and Reed had said.

The councilmen looked at Romdel and said, "What do you think, Director? It is not all we hoped for, but her experience and know-how would be of great assistance."

Romdel pretended to consider the compromise. He was thinking this was the perfect way to get the transgenic under his influence. It would buy him the time he needed to bring out the feral part of her. The human and his friends thought they were avoiding the knife; when they were actually throwing themselves directly into its path. He would agree to the proposal and use it against the humans. "I would much rather have her lead the fight, but at this point we need any help we can get. I think we should agree to what the humans are suggesting. She is our best chance of getting those people out of there alive."

Jonathan turned to Mac, who had been silently taking in all that was being said. She liked the idea of being able to help, without having to be in the thick of things. Part of her loved the thrill of battle, but right now, she truly didn't feel up to it. Maybe Phlox was right and she did need more time to let her body completely heal itself from what she had put it through.

"I'd be happy to help plan a rescue operation," Mac finally said. "Phlox is right about how I feel. I don't feel at one hundred percent. What happened with Silik took a lot out of me, but I won't stand back and watch innocent people die either." She was firm on that point. Mac really did not feel well; she didn't know why, but she felt a little off at the moment.

Kamen smiled warmly at the transgenic. "Thank you, milady. We appreciate any assistance you could provide."

T'Pol had a question. "Have the Lasiterians given you any demands? Have you tried negotiating with them?" Archer thought they were good and valid questions, ones he had been about to ask himself.

"We don't negotiate with terrorists," Romdel said with unconcealed contempt in his voice. "We annihilate them."

T'Pol raised a slender eyebrow at Romdel's harsh words. Hoshi beat her to a reply, however. "Have you really been fighting so long that you don't even try to communicate with your enemy? Maybe if you did, you could save yourselves a lot of trouble."

"The Lasiterians have not changed in the last three hundred years and they will never change," this came from Urasia. "They murder and destroy any Vorloren that comes across their path. They have no interest in talking to us, nor we to them. We need to defeat them and restore the proper order of things."

The Enterprise crew were all surprised at the intensity of the hatred they heard in the councilwoman's voice. They all realized that none of the Vorlorens had answered one of T'Pol's key questions. The Vorlorens didn't comment on what the Lasiterians had demanded in exchange for the hostages they had taken. Usually, the purpose of taking hostages was to get something in return, or make some kind of statement. The Vorlorens either didn't know what the Lasiterians wanted, or they were unwilling to share it with the humans.

Mac made a decision based on what she had just heard. "I will agree to help you rescue the hostages, but that is all. I don't want to sound ungrateful for all your people have done for me, and I want to make up for the lives I have cost you, but I will help not you to annihilate your enemy. I already have enough blood on my hands. I'm not going to add any more to it, if I can help it."

Jonathan came to stand behind her, leaned against the back of the loveseat, and placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He was letting her know that she had his full support in her decision. At his touch, Mac swore she knew exactly what he was feeling. She wasn't reading his mind; she didn't know his thoughts, just what his emotions were. He was deeply worried about her and his crew. Mac sensed that this mission was not turning out the way he had expected. She also knew that he didn't trust the Vorlorens as far as he could throw them; she didn't either.

They had to discover more clues as to what was going on. They needed more information about the Lasiterians. Maybe she could hack into the Vorloren's computer network and do some investigating. If she played up feeling unwell, maybe she could put off meeting with the Vorloren assault team for a little while longer and have some time with a computer terminal.

"We understand your reluctance to become involved in our war," Kamen said to the super soldier, breaking into her thoughts. "All we really want from you is to help get the innocent men, women, and children out of harm's way."

"We are assembling our team together and gathering all the intelligence we can," Urasia said. "We would like you to join them as soon as possible."

Mac hoped Jonathan would know what she was doing; she would help the hostages, but just not right away. "Could I join them later this evening?" Mac began her charade. "I truly need to lie down for a while. I really don't feel well." What she said was actually closer to the truth than Mac wanted to admit.

Jonathan caught her eye and she pleaded with him to go along with her. She felt his instant worry that something was truly wrong with her, but then he seemed to get what she was really doing. "Phlox, don't you think Mac needs to rest a little before she commits herself to anything right now?" The Captain glanced at the doctor meaningfully.

Phlox, too, seemed to understand Mac's intentions. "I think that would be the best thing for her and Commander Tucker as well. He's still recovering himself." Trip smiled weakly and nodded. He was looking a little wiped out.

"All right," Kamen said clearly seeing that the humans and the Denobulan were ganging up on him. "Please join the assault team after dinner this evening. I think we can allow McKenna that much time to regain her strength." He didn't sound happy about the situation, but he was not willing to risk pushing the humans too far.

Romdel, though he had a neutral look on his face, was frowning inside. Was the transgenic really not feeling well, or was she faking it? Both options worried him. He needed her at full capacity; it concerned him that something could be wrong with her. On the other hand, it concerned him that she, along with the other humans, could be questioning the situation.

As the Director was mulling over these thoughts, a young serving girl came into the parlor with a tray full of drinks. She was very young, maybe eighteen standard years. She must have been a new addition to the kitchen because Romdel didn't recognize her. The girl had beautiful brown hair pulled tight into a bun and her translucent skin was almost gleaming. Her skill at serving guests seemed a little lacking, only adding to Romdel's thought that she must be new.

She was having a difficult time holding the tray steady and she nearly spilled a drink all over Ensign Mayweather. She apologized profusely and tried again to perform her job. Romdel shook his head at the inept creature; he could sense her nervousness. She must have been picked for her beauty and not her actual ability, which was fine by him. Her short, light blue dress, allowed him a pleasant view.

The young serving girl smiled nervously at Captain Archer as he took a drink from her. He only smiled kindly back at her. When the young woman got to Mac she seemed to completely lose her nerve. The tray, already swaying precariously in her hands, tipped completely over and the last few drinks spilled all over the genetically engineered woman. Mac gasped as the cool liquid and ice drenched her clothing and the loveseat.

"Ohhhhh, I am so, so sorry, milady," the young girl gushed. "I didn't mean to…," she broke off, very embarrassed. She quickly began trying to clean up her mess with a towel she had over her left arm.

Mac allowed the young girl to dab at her and then helped her clean up the glasses and pieces of ice. "It's okay," Mac told her gently. "Things like that just happen sometimes." As Mac was helping the young serving girl clean up, she felt something hard in the towel as it brushed across her. The girl seemed to wipe a little more forcefully than she needed to a couple of times. Then all was cleaned up and the young woman hurried from the room, either to get more drinks or to save herself from further embarrassment.

Mac's brow furrowed as she realized the young maid had slipped something into the low neck of her uniform. She tried not to show her surprise. The young Vorloren must have dumped the drinks on her on purpose. The girl had been trying to pass her something; this was certainly getting interesting. Jonathan caught her eye again and gave her a questioning look. She subtly shook her head to let him know that now was not the time for an explanation. He tipped his head in understanding.

Chief Suran was apologizing for the clumsiness of the young maid. It was not the usual style of the palace staff. "I'm fine," Mac told him. "It's no big deal." With that the meeting broke up. The two council members signed off and the screens went blank. Romdel stood and chose to talk to Chief Suran for a moment.

Mac jumped up and whispered in Archer's ear. "We need to talk somewhere without any Vorlorens around. Let's take a walk to one of the courtyards."

Jonathan nodded his agreement and spoke to Reed and Hoshi. "Mac and I are going to sit in one of the palace courtyards for a few minutes before I make her go to bed. Would you two like to join us?"

"Certainly, sir," Reed and Hoshi said together.

"Just a minute, Captain," Phlox stopped the group and made sure that any Vorlorens were out of earshot. "I need you up in sickbay as soon as possible."

"Now?" Archer said tellingly.

Phlox relented a bit. "Well, as soon as you get McKenna resting. I am close to figuring out what is going on between the two of you, but I need to run a few more tests to be certain. How are you feeling by the way?"

"Me?" Archer asked, then answered Phlox's question when the doctor nodded. "I am feeling much better. Why?"

Phlox smiled a wide, all-knowing smile. "Let's just say, I know what you and she have been up to and I think it's part of the reason. I've been sneaking scans of the both of you, and you both appear to be doing much better than before."

Jonathan felt his jaw drop, not just at the fact that obviously his crew, Reed, in particular, had been gossiping about he and Mac, but also that Phlox had been monitoring he and Mac's condition without telling him. Could having been intimate with Mac really have helped their circumstance? Archer knew that sex really allowed two people to merge together into one, but could that oneness really be that complete? "I'll definitely keep my appointment then," Archer told Phlox.

Phlox looked at Mac before he let them leave the parlor. "Are you really not feeling well?" he asked her. "Your scans show your systems are balancing themselves much better than earlier."

Mac was honest when she said, "I really don't feel too red hot, but it's nothing that I can really define. I just feel a little off."

"Maybe your body has never experienced a normally balanced state," Phlox stated. "It may make you feel a little different."

"You are probably right, Phlox," Mac said with a sigh. "It's just a bit disquieting."

Phlox made her an offer. "I can run some more detailed exams later, if it would make you feel better."

"Sounds good," Mac said and she and Jonathan made their way out of the parlor, followed by Malcolm and Hoshi.

Romdel watched them go, arms around each other, and knew he had to act soon. He would let her "rest" and then he would begin his work on her. It was already apparent that even though the transgenic was designed to be a soldier, she had picked up the bad habit of having a conscience. She hadn't wanted to help eliminate the Vorloren's enemies; she only wanted to rescue the hostages. The Director would have to expunge that reluctance from her and turn her back into the killing machine she was suppose to be.

Once the group of four humans had reached the main courtyard with its exquisite marble looking fountains, fertile gardens, tall hedges, and blooming trees, Jonathan wanted to know what Mac was planning. "Okay, Mac, spill it. What is going on in that head of yours?"

Reed and Hoshi gathered around the transgenic as she sat down on a bench in the middle of the courtyard. It was mid afternoon and the sky was a sapphire blue. The rich and lush greenery around the group was breath taking. The colorful flowers added a bit of old-fashioned charm. The gentle rush and gurgle of the fountains was soothing. They all felt like they were in an English garden.

"I think that Vorloren maid slip me something," Mac stated as she zipped down the front of her uniform and felt down her chest, searching for the small object she could feel down there somewhere.

Reed couldn't help but enjoy seeing a bit of flesh from the gorgeous super soldier. Hoshi smacked him upside the head for his gawking and laughed at his momentary embarrassment. Archer felt his blood stir watching Mac unzip her uniform, but didn't let it show on the outside. He gave Reed a disapproving glare to hide his own interest.

"Sorry, guys," Mac laughed as she realized the commotion she was causing, "but the girl stuffed it down the front of my uniform when she was pretending to dry me off."

Reed bit back a remark about how he wished he could have done that, when the Captain glared at him angrily once again, noticing where Reed's gaze continued to be focused.

"Here it is!" Mac exclaimed triumphantly. She pulled out a tiny round disk, the size of a penny.

"That looks like some kind of data disk," Reed said excitedly. "May I see it?" Mac handed it over to him with a small smile of amusement at his giddiness.

Hoshi stepped right next to Malcolm to examine it with him. "I bet Enterprise's computers could make short work of figuring out what is on it," the communications officer commented. "Why would a Vorloren maid sneak this to you?"

"I have no idea," Mac responded.

Archer had a few ideas. "Maybe she's working in an underground movement against the current Vorloren regime. Or maybe she's trying to help the Lasiterians contact us without the Vorlorens knowing about it."

"I willing to bet that it is a little bit of both," Reed stated. "I was wondering how long it would take for Lasiterians to try and contact us. I thought they would have tried to much sooner than this. From what T'Pol has told me about this civil war, both sides have openly and actively sought out help from other species. Why wouldn't they have tried to contact us when the Vorlorens did?"

"That big space battle we witnessed upon coming into the system may have something to do with that," Hoshi offered. "I've been monitoring communications between battle groups, and the Vorlorens completely decimated the Lasiterians forces. They may have been unable to contact us, or they may have been too busy to even know we had arrived in their system until now."

"And they might have wanted to observe us to see if we would be sympathetic to their cause," Archer put in. "They may have been let down so many times before that they needed to see how trustworthy we might be."

"Does anybody else here think that the Vorlorens' side of this war is complete bullshit?" Mac spoke up colorfully. Malcolm smiled at her curse, as did Jonathan. It was nice to know Mac spoke her mind and expressed the sentiment that every one of them was thinking and feeling.

"I would say most definitely. It may have started they way they laid it out in their history, but I think their goals and aims have become much more sinister than they would lead others to believe. Why else keep it going for three hundred years? I think the Vorlorens want to eradicate every last one of the Lasiterians, otherwise a peaceful resolution would have come long before now," Reed summed up.

"You mean like complete and total genocide?" Mac asked horrified. She had seen that one too many times back on the Earth of her time and years before.

Reed's expression was grim. "Unfortunately, that is what I am beginning to believe. Finding out what is on this disk may shed some light on what is really going on here."

"I'm almost afraid to find out," Archer rejoined. "If the fact that genocide is what is taking place, and we uncover that members of our newly formed alliance have actively aided the Vorlorens to accomplish that goal, we may have to rethink our affiliations."

Hoshi thought that was a very depressing thought. After all the trouble the Enterprise crew, and especially Captain Archer himself, had gone to, and had been so instrumental in creating the multi-species alliance just months ago, it would be a damn shame to have to dismantle it, but Earth in good conscience could not be allies with those that condoned or supported the complete destruction of an entire species. "We really need to flush out the Vorlorens' true intentions and learn if the Lasiterians are any better, so we can make the right decisions," Hoshi stated.

Mac broke back in. "That was why I was trying to play up not feeling well. It's true that something about how I feel is not quite copasetic, but it's not debilitating or anything genuinely serious. I just wanted some time to hack into the Vorlorens' data systems and see if I could find any proof or evidence of authentic wrong doing on their part."

Archer took this opportunity to explain to Hoshi and Malcolm what Mac had been able to do to retrieve classified data from Enterprise's computer files. Reed didn't know whether to be happy the super soldier could be so stealthy or worried about it. Things didn't slip past him that easily and it angered and frustrated him slightly that Mac had been able to. He prided himself on his security protocols. Mac had just blown many of them out of the water. Hoshi couldn't believe she had not been able to detect any sign of what Mac had done either. It miffed her that she had been fooled and that her sensitive ear and prodigal talent hadn't caught Mac's breach into the Enterprise's computer systems.

"I relayed most of my communications signal through one of the more basic Vorloren satellite systems. It was one that they use to broadcast their version of television throughout their group of planets. I made my signal simply mimic one of the signals of a news broadcast," Mac explained to her audience. "That way no one would notice the difference. To the Vorlorens and anybody monitoring from Enterprise, it would appear to be a benign and innocent looking transmission."

"It obviously worked like a charm because neither Hoshi nor I detected it, and it seems the Vorlorens themselves are none the wiser," Reed commented, after he pushed his mild annoyance away. Mac could be very useful on their side. "You really think you could do it again?" he asked.

"I don't see why not," Mac responded. "Getting through the Vorlorens' deflector shield is the hardest part, but I have memorized the codes, all one hundred and twenty of them." When she got surprised stares she elaborated. "I have a photographic memory. Once I see something or learn something, I never forget it," she reminded them.

"Let's have you delve into their data files and learn all you can, Mac," Jonathan told her. "I will have Hoshi, Malcolm, and T'Pol work on the information contained on the data disk. I think that would be safer to do aboard the Enterprise."

Reed nodded his complete agreement. "Agreed," he said.

"If it is encrypted in any way, we may need Mac's help," Hoshi informed them, "but we can cross that bridge when we come to it." Mac smiled again at hearing, yet another old familiar Earth saying. It was comforting to know the oldies but goodies never died.

"You, young lady, I will escort back to your room," Jonathan told Mac. "Then I have a doctor's appointment."

TBC

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