Terra Nova Sector
I.S.S. Gladius
(5 days earlier)

Hess entered the bridge, the box of console components she carried already forcing her to sweat and her back to ache. She strode past Archer, ignoring him, to drop the box haphazardly near the engineering station.

She barely registered the muffled babbling behind her and went to work quickly. In short order she had the main panel off and the station's innards, for all appearances, yanked about randomly in a tangled mess.

It wasn't that complicated a procedure, really. But like anything else it took time. She'd pretty much been at this all day.

But at least this was the last one. Once completed they'd be able to monitor and control all ship functions from engineering. This running around trying to do things from ten different points on the ship with only five crewman was just for the birds.

And it's not like they didn't have plenty of time. Kelby and Freeman would be another day at least getting the warp engine back online, after what that son of bitch Tucker had done to it.

Mistake. Shouldn't have thought of him.

Hess stopped working and stared off into space. Hard to focus. She was tired, dirty and vacillating wildly between depression and slow burning fury. When she wasn't just plain numb, anyway.

She rubbed her eyes. Then rubbed them again a bit more forcefully when whatever that was gunked up on her hands got in her eyes.

Damn him.

Rubbing herself desperately against him, trying to pin him to the wall of the shuttle so he couldn't get away.

"Please. Trip, please." She'd begged. "Stay."

"God…Hess…Hess, stop…" He'd breathed.

She'd tried to stop his mouth with hers…and she'd had him...he was hers…for a moment…

And, God, the thrill of that. When she just knew she had him. That he was going to be hers…

But he'd pushed her away. Weakly, yes. But still.

"Hess." He'd gasped. "Dammit…don't do this to me."

And then she'd lost it. Screwed up. Blew it.

She slammed her palm against the locker door behind him. And started crying.

"It's her, isn't it? That Vulcan bitch!"

"Hess…"

She'd swung away, zipping her jumpsuit right back up, thank you very much.

"She not real, you know." She'd snapped. "And I'm not letting you do this, you son of a bitch."

That's when he'd starting getting a little angry.

"Hess." He'd warned. "I'm sorry, but I'm leaving. You've always been a friend…"

"Friends." She'd snorted. "You wanted more than that before you found out about that Vulcan slut."

He'd sighed.

"No, Hess. I didn't."

And ouch.

So screw him.

"Well." She announced, hands on her hips. "You're not going anywhere. Not with that database."

And she'd marched right over to it.

That's when it got ugly.

Hess rubbed her eyes again, on her sleeve this time. Not that it helped much, since there wasn't an inch of her body or her uniform that had enjoyed a good wash in the last three days.

That son of a bitch. He was going to pay.

More muffled demands behind her.

"Shut up." She muttered, jamming the last port interface back into position. She reached down and grabbed the panel, tossing it casually back on top, not bothering to refasten it. She wouldn't have cared if it had slid off and fallen back to the floor, really.

She did spare Archer a glance as she passed by. And found it funny that his arm looked like it was getting infected.

Well, whatever. His problem. Shouldn't have come at her screaming like that. Not when she had a flux coupler in her hand.

"What have we got?" She demanded, walking briskly into engineering.

"I think it's working." Rodriguez said. "I haven't tried everything and I'm not a pilot but…I guess."

"Fine. Get the rest of them in here. No one leaves Engineering from here out."

Rodriguez left quickly. They shouldn't be roaming around. There was work to do.

The steward, Jenson, arrived first.

"Is the captain okay?" He asked, desperately.

"He's fine." Hess snapped. "Now get Connors and go get those converter assemblies installed like Kelby showed you."

"The doctor said he should have recovered by now…"

"Get to work!"

The rest of them were trickling in now, of course.

"The captain's still crazy?" Connors asked.

Hess ignored him, turning to get to work pulling panels along the warp engine housing.

"Go help Jenson." Rodriguez ordered, passing by him to kneel next to Hess.

Connors left. With some reluctance. When he was gone, Rodriguez worked up the nerve to ask.

"Is Archer still out of it?"

Hess ignored him.

"I think…I'm pretty sure some of the others might be coming out of it…"

"Shut up."

Rodriguez wasn't sure how to deal with this situation, really. But…if they were coming out of it, getting their heads together…they could really use the help. And they really shouldn't be leaving all those people tied up all over the ship…

"Lieutenant…I just think, maybe.."

"I'm busy!" Hess screamed, tossing a panel aside. It rang loudly as it bounce across the floor, impacting the far wall.

"You have work to do. Go do it." She said.

Calmly, as if she hadn't screamed maniacally only a second before.

"Hess, don't. Think about what you're doing."

"I'm stopping a deserter from stealing a shuttle!"

"You're not going to shoot me, Hess."

"Try me."

"Is this about Starfleet or about me? The database or me leaving you, Hess?"

"It doesn't matter. You're not going anywhere."

"This is crazy."

"I'm not crazy! You're the one running off to try to find some stupid Vulcan whore! Who probably doesn't even exist! How are you going to find her, huh?"

"This isn't about her! This is about the database!"

"You're lying! I know what you're doing. Don't move!"

"Dammit, Lieutenant. You're not going to shoot me. And I don't have time for this. I'm leaving, right now."

"I said don't move!"

"Lieutenant?"

Hess startled. Then snapped.

"What? What is it?"

"Uh…we've got impulse up again. Warp's still no go…"

"Get us moving, top speed. I want us at Cor Caroli as soon as possible."

"Ma'am…we've been talking and…"

"Don't care. Get to work."

"It's about the rest of the crew…"

"I said get back to work!"

He had her arm hopelessly pinned. But it didn't matter. She was suddenly too tired to fight anymore anyway.

And her nose was bleeding. Which was humiliating.

So she just cried.

"Dammit, Hess." Holding her down that way, his face was right against her neck. And of course it still sounded…and felt…and smelled…wonderful. The son of bitch.

"I'm sorry. But you're not leaving me any choice here…"

"How can you do this?" She'd demanded, still sobbing. "Throw everything away. For some slut you've only read about?"

"This isn't about that." He'd said. "It's all over for me anyway. At least with this database I can disappear. Find…something…some place…"

"God, Trip!" She'd huffed. He was full of crap. Who was he trying to fool?"

"I'm leaving. And I can't let you stop me." He'd said. "I'm sorry."

With a shocking amount of regret and grief.

Which finally caused her to realize what he might mean by that.

When he shoved himself off of her and away, taking to his feet again, she was still too shocked to even think of trying to get away. When he pointed the phase pistol at her, it was too late anyway.

"Trip…"

"I'm sorry."

"Trip, no…wait…!"

And he'd shot her. Just like that.

Stunned her, of course. But she hadn't known it was set to stun at the time. Which was just a horribly cruel joke to play on someone in that kind of situation.

That son of bitch.

Hess dropped the heavy bundle of cord off her shoulder next to Kelby, where he crouched beneath the matter injector assembly.

"Deuterium hose. I patched it." She said, already moving beyond to her next goal.

"Lieutenant, wait!" Kelby said. But she was almost gone already. He had to run to catch up.

"Lieutenant!" He called. "Hess! Wait!"

She stopped just ahead, suddenly enough that he nearly ran over her.

"What?" She snapped, turning on him.

"I…look, it's the others…"

She turned away just as quickly, marching off again.

"Don't care."

"This is getting out of hand!" He yelled.

"Then shoot someone!"

"Lieutenant! We can't leave the rest of crew locked up! Restrained all over the…!"

And she was marching back. Closing in, like…well…menacingly enough that he took a step back.

He was sure she was coming to attack him.

"Kelby." She growled. "You get back in there and you explain to them what Commander Tucker stole."

She was halfway back to him. Closing in fast.

"And that every second we dick around here wasting time is more distance he gains on us!"

Closer. Almost close enough to...

"And you explain to them that if we almost catch him…"

She had her fist wrapped into the front of his uniform. Tightly wound. Pushing him back…

"…if we just miss him. By a minute or an hour…"

Shoving him into the wall. A lot more forcefully than a woman her size should ever have been able to…

"…then I'm going to remember every whining little delay I've had to put up with here…"

…yanking him up slightly and quickly back into the wall again…almost knocking the breath out of him…

"…and I'm going to execute every one of you for insubordination. And you last, Kelby. So you have time to see it coming."

She was in his face. Snarling. Teeth bared, lips twisted in a grimace that was…almost inhuman…

"Do you understand me, Kelby?"

"Yes, lieutenant." He whispered.

She dropped him. Turned away and stormed down the corridor again.

Snarling over her shoulder. "Get to work."