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.
Rated T for language and some romance.
A/N: Here you learn what happened to poor Captain Archer and the trouble he decides to give Phlox. After that the chapter deals with Trip and the Chimera. Trip is the only one in any position to try and get through to her softer side. I rewrote this chapter like three times, trying to get the right tone and feel. I think this final revision works; at least I hope it does. I wanted to get the angst and struggle just right. That's why I took so long to post. You can tell that I'm a fan of Archer and a fan of Tucker. I've made Mac have a soulmate-type relationship with Archer, but Trip is the friend that just understands her the best. Please leave a review and let me know what you think.
Thanks to LadyRainbow for her suggested improvements and for betaing this monster twice!!
Chapter 24
Captain Archer came back to consciousness with a marvelous headache. He found himself lying in one of the medical beds in Sickbay, soaked with sweat. He groaned as the intense feeling of dread threatened to overwhelm him again. The lights were down low and Sickbay was relatively dark and unusually quiet.
Phlox's voice startled him. "At last you're awake. You had us all extremely worried. How do you feel, Captain?" The doctor had been sitting in a chair next to Archer's bed.
The Captain found that his throat was parched, and his voice was hoarse when he answered. "Like I got run over by a cargo hauler. What happened?"
"As far as I can tell the cause of your collapse was nothing physical," Phlox informed him. "Your body appears to be reacting to something with physical symptoms, but the root cause seems to stem from your psychic-emotional link with McKenna. You are being affected by her thoughts, emotions, and her bodily systems. She must be very unbalanced again, and you are feeling it."
"Did something happen to Mac? Is she all right?" Archer was almost in a panic. He tried to sit up, but instantly regretted the action as blinding pain stabbed through his head.
Phlox pushed him back down onto the bed gently. "Take it easy, Captain. You are really unwell. Your body temperature is up to one hundred and one degrees and your hormones are all over the place." The doctor paused a moment, and then went on to give Archer more bad news. "When I had Hoshi contact Chief Suran, he reported that McKenna could not be found anywhere in the palace or on its grounds. She has disappeared."
"What?" the feeling of dread increased ten fold as he spoke. Archer's first thought was that the Suliban must have abducted her, that Future Guy had them claim her for him. But then, another more dastardly thought occurred to him: Romdel must have done something her.
Phlox went over to a small, clear tank of ice water and pulled a large, soaked cloth out of it. He started to wrap the cloth around the Captain's body. "This is to help bring your fever down. Your entire body is affected. All injections of medication and use of technological means have failed to bring it down. I am now resorting to old-fashioned methods to try and cool you." Phlox felt the need to explain to his captain what he was doing. He then went on about Mac. "Chief Suran has sent out a search party to try and find McKenna, but all attempts have turned up nothing."
"Romdel," Archer said weakly. "Has anyone questioned Romdel?"
"He is not responding to any communications from us or Chief Suran," Phlox said as he finished mummifying the Captain. To Archer the chilled cloth felt like heaven, refreshing and soothing.
"I've got to find him and beat him into the ground!" the Captain said full of vehemence.
Phlox knew this threat of violence was from Archer's testosterone levels climbing through the roof. The Captain would become continually more and more aggressive if his body didn't start checking itself. "You are in no condition to do anything to anybody, Captain," Phlox stated calmly. "Lieutenant Reed is working with Chief Suran to get to the bottom of the situation. They will find out where Romdel has gone and what he has done."
At that moment the sickbay doors swooshed open and T'Pol stepped gracefully through them. "How is he?" she asked immediately.
"He is conscious, fevered, and extremely agitated," Phlox warned the commander.
"But I'm still able to ask for a status report," Archer said forcefully.
T'Pol cautiously approached the Captain lying on the medical bed. "I have good news and bad news," she stated gravely.
"Let's hear the good first, please," Archer's voice was weak again.
"Ensign Sato and Ensign Mayweather are exceptionally close to figuring out the Lasiterians' message from the data disk that was given to McKenna," T'Pol began. "They believe they have cracked the code the Lasiterians used to protect their communication. When you are feeling up to it, they will brief you on what they have discovered. It appears that the message contains directions to a secret base and a desire to meet us there. They want us to respond and give them an answer to their invitation."
At least one thing had gone right. "That was fast," Archer commented on the translation and decoding process. T'Pol looked at Phlox with a pained expression. "What?"
"Phlox hasn't told you?" she then asked becoming more stoic.
"I hadn't gotten a chance to get into that little detail," Phlox said guiltily.
T'Pol raised one of her pointed eyebrows in response before saying, "You have been unconscious for four days, Captain."
"Four days!?" Archer growled. "You are telling me that Mac has been missing for four days and nobody seems to know where she is?!"
T'Pol answered him with her typical Vulcan calmness. "We are fairly certain that Romdel is responsible for her disappearance, and that he has secured himself in Sinova. Chief Suran and Lieutenant Reed are trying to get the Vorloren government to force Romdel talk to us, but they claim he is not responding to any of their inquiries and has locked down the facility at Sinova."
Archer could tell that T'Pol was holding something back, some other piece of bad news. "Is there something else you need to tell me?"
The commander shifted uncomfortably in front of the Captain's glare. She took a deep breath and said, "Trip is missing as well."
That got Archer's attention. He sat up again, straining against the cool wrappings around his body and ignoring the pounding pain in his head. "How did that happen?" he demanded.
"He went for a walk in the gardens in front of the palace and never came back," T'Pol tried to keep the emotions she shouldn't be feeling out of her voice. "It seems he disappeared about the same time McKenna did."
"Do you think Romdel snatched him too?" Archer said as he worked at freeing himself from the cold cloth. Phlox had grabbed his wrists and was attempting to stop him.
"Captain, you must lie back down and keep the cloth wrapped around you to help relieve your fever," the doctor told him harshly, cutting off whatever reply T'Pol was going to make.
"Sorry, Phlox, but I don't have time to just lie here," the Captain ripped his wrists out of the doctor's grasp. "Besides, I don't think anything but helping Mac will bring down my fever. I feel that she is in serious trouble, not physically, but emotionally and mentally."
Phlox tried again to restrain his unruly patient. "As I said before, you are in no condition to go anywhere, Captain. You will be of no use in helping McKenna if your fever kills you."
"Phlox is right." T'Pol took the doctor's side. "Everything that can be done to resolve the situation is being done. Your involvement at this point would be illogical. You cannot add anything to the equation right now."
Ferocious anger seared through Archer; he would not be kept from finding his mate. "I will not stand by and do nothing. You won't stop me from going and helping her."
Both T'Pol and Phlox were shocked by the primal rage that was evident in the Captain's voice. He would soon become excessively violent, they feared. His pupils were almost fully dilated. The depths of his anger could be viewed through his eyes. Phlox looked meaningfully at T'Pol.
"Don't force me to call security, Captain," T'Pol said with more confidence than she felt. "You must do as Phlox has ordered you to do."
"I don't think so, Commander," he hissed at the Vulcan. He struck out at Phlox with surprising force, the blow knocking Phlox to the ground. The Denobulan's lip was now bleeding. This was no small feat, since Denobulans were stronger than humans. While Archer was preoccupied with the doctor, T'Pol moved swiftly around behind him and gave him a Vulcan nerve pitch near his neck. Instantly the Captain arched under the nerve pressure and then passed out, falling back down on to the medical bed.
T'Pol then turned her attention to aiding Phlox to his feet. "Are you all right?" she asked with the doctor with concern.
"I'm fine," he stated as he wiped at his mouth, for Archer had bloodied him. "The Captain just caught me off guard, that is all. I may have to find a way to keep him unconscious for a while. He is reverting to some very basic instincts. Whatever is happening to our dear transgenic is overflowing into the Captain. Her primal nature must be at the forefront and in control. It is the only thing I can assume to be the cause. Her link with Captain Archer genuinely goes both ways. We need to find her and as quickly as possible, if not for her sake, then for Captain Archer's."
"And that is proving to be very difficult," T'Pol commented. "The Vorlorens don't seem to want be of any real assistance."
"Let's hope that Lieutenant Reed will prove to be as resourceful as we give him credit for," Phlox said as he rewrapped Archer with another cold cloth.
"Indeed," T'Pol replied.
Once the Chimera had uncovered Commander Tucker, Romdel had instantly ordered a search for any Suliban in the complex. It was the only explanation as to how Tucker had gotten into the highly secured, underground facility. Romdel knew that the humans possessed no such stealth ability or technology. He also ordered the Chimera to add in the search; her acute sense of smell and her other heighten abilities would greatly aid in discovering any Suliban's presence.
The Chimera had done as Romdel had commanded, but very reluctantly, for it meant having to leave Trip in the hands of the Vorlorens and not her own. She liked Trip almost as much as Mac did. He was very attractive and smelled so delightful. She liked the way she felt around him and wanted to explore her feelings in more depth and detail. But finding and eliminating a threat was the bigger priority right now, and the soldier part of her, along with her hunting instincts, couldn't be denied. She went and did what she was designed to do: search and destroy.
Kajine had fled when Trip was discovered. The commander didn't blame her in the least. He fervently hoped that she gotten away and would alert someone, anyone, to what was going on with Mac and the Vorloren super soldier army. She was about the only hope of that happening now. Trip was glad that he had been caught, for now he could try and influence the Chimera. He was in the perfect position to help his friend, the angel that had saved his life. He didn't like that he was in the custody of Romdel and his people, however; that was down right scary.
Romdel wasted no time in securing Trip and locking him up. At least he hadn't thrown Trip into a six by six cell. He was put in what he assumed had to be some type of living quarters. There was a small main room, a bedroom, and a washroom. It was spartan, but better than a jail cell. The Vorloren director couldn't afford Trip running loose with all the information he had learned; it would blow all his secret plans to hell and back. But the director knew he couldn't kill or dispose of the chief engineer either. The Chimera would go ballistic if that happened, and right now Romdel wanted to keep her as happy as possible.
It was obvious to Trip that Romdel was now using him as leverage against the Chimera to keep her under his thumb. The chief engineer was another bargaining chip for Romdel to use against the Chimera, besides the damn drug the director kept feeding to her to encourage her to work with the Vorloren leader. The drug seemed to be allowing the Chimera to be in full control, but it took more and more of it at a time to keep things that way. It seemed that the Gen Virus was well on its way to overcoming the poison the drug represented to the transgenic's body. Romdel wanted to make sure that if the drug failed to be compelling enough, that the holding of the chief engineer would be.
The feral beauty came to visit him; she seemed to seek him out. At first, it seemed like she was trying to question him; get information from him. She began with, "How did you get in here, Trip?' Her wolfen eyes were surprisingly pretty, when she wanted them to be.
He answered her question with some of his own, trying to see if Mac was there at all. "What happened to you, Mac? What's goin' on with you?"
"It's Chimera, Trip," she had then hissed at him; her loveliness turning dangerous and deadly. "Do not call me by that weak fool's name."
"You're not weak, Mac," Trip insisted. "You're probably the strongest person I know, and the most kind and merciful too," he added, attempting to reach that part of her.
The Chimera snorted at him. "Mac is a stupid child. Mercy is for sick little pups. I'm a hunter, a killer; I have no room for mercy within me."
"Then why I'm I still alive?" he asked her, but he gave her no time to answer. He answered his own question. "It's because we're friends, because you care about me. You saved my life, remember? You were goin' to sacrifice yourself for me. That takes a helluva a lot of strength." He had to get her recognize that selfless part of herself.
That seemed to make the Chimera pause. Romdel, who was watching the visit via a camera, was extremely worried that Commander Tucker's influence would help Mac reassert herself. He was letting the interaction between them happen because he wanted to see just how strong Hister's drug really was.
Finally the Chimera replied with, "You're alive because we are pack, nothing more. If I find you lacking, I could kill you." Her voice was very low as she spoke.
That comment had taken Trip by surprise; he guess he was a little bit like her now. Her blood flowed through his veins as much as his did. "You're more than just a hunter, more than just a killer; you're a good person, Mac. Don't let some chemical control you. Fight its hold on you; you're stronger than it is."
Her face seemed to soften for a moment. "Maybe you need a demonstration on how what kind of creature I am," she then growled, and with blinding speed she had him in a choke hold, claws ready to rip his throat open. Then her voice was in his ear, "I could tear you apart with my bare hands, Trip."
The chief engineer about peed his pants, she scared him so badly. Sweat broke out on his forehead, his breathe came in ragged spurts, and his heart was about to leap out of his chest. He felt the sharpness of her claws and the power to crush him in her grip. She could probably smell his fear. Then as suddenly as she had grabbed him, she let him go. "But, I don't want to," she then said. She appeared puzzled by this. "We are pack, and pack doesn't hurt pack."
Trip realized she was admitting she cared about him, although it was in a very distorted way. Maybe he could work with that. "You're right. Members of a family protect one another, care for one another, and help one another. You don't want to hurt me because you care about me. We have a connection. Use the feelin's that connection gives you to fight Romdel's drug."
For a small moment Romdel thought Mac would fight the drug and the Chimera would end up back in her cage; that Tucker was getting through to her. He gripped his desk in front of him with white knuckles. His anger was steadily growing and a hatred of Tucker was too. Then it hit him: Tucker had been a recipient of her blood donation. His bloodstream was flowing with the Gen Virus. Wouldn't it be extremely interesting to study its effects on the human? How it affected him might give Hister some of the clues he needed to replicate the virus without the human super soldier, if she failed to be controlled. This wicked thought comforted the Vorloren director as he continued to watch.
Romdel soon learned that his fear of the Chimera's control slipping was unfounded. She was still very much in control, liked it, and let Tucker know it. "I don't want to fight it, Trip. I'm finally free of my cage; no worries and no regrets. Mac can't be my master anymore," she threw back at the commander.
"You don't mean that, Mac," he said softly, feeling a little deflated.
"Oh, but I do," she said menacingly, stepping closer to him. "I can't wait until we attack the Lasiterians. I will enjoy hunting them down and ripping them apart. If they taste as sweet as the Vorlorens do, it will be a delightful treat."
Trip stared at her aghast as she laughed at him with devilish glee. She looked every bit the monster from out of one of his old horror movies. Not one glimpse of Mac showed through. The beast - the demon - was in full control and having the time of its life. Reality tilted for Trip; everything felt surreal. She had left him like that, to wallow in his failure to turn her around. Romdel felt a smug confidence wash over him at the Chimera's performance. The drug truly was working, and it was proving resilient against both the Gen Virus and Tucker's attempt to find the good in her, even though the dosage had to be continually increased.
Time passed slowly for Trip; he wasn't sure how long, but it seemed like forever. He was totally surprised to find the Chimera coming to see him a second time. He'd gotten the impression that she had been trying to stay away, but somehow couldn't. She needed to see him again. Trip took that as a good sign; something that gave him a sliver of hope.
"You failed to answer my question last time," she told him brusquely. "We know you didn't get in here with out help. There is too much security for a lowly human to breach. Who helped you slip in? Why did you even bother?" Trip felt her attempt at interrogating him was a rouse; she just wanted to see him and talk to him.
He decided to respond to the last question she'd asked in an effort to reach his beloved Mac; his angel. She had to be in there. Why else would she be using an excuse to be here, talking to him again? "Because I want to help you, darlin'. I care about what happens to you. I don't want to see the Vorlorens use you like this. I want my angel back."
The Chimera laughed cruelly at him once again. "I'm no angel, Trip. I never have been. I'm a demon, a devil, and you know what?" She paused to get his full attention. "I really like being one." She smiled and showed her fangs for dramatic affect.
"Bullshit," Trip came back at her with. "I think you're tryin' to convince yourself you do, but I don't think it's true at all."
"Once you see me tear into the Lasiterians, I think you'll see how wrong your assumption is," she replied.
"Just refuse Romdel's drug, and you'll feel differently," Trip tried make her understand. "It is confusin' you; bringin' your dark side to the forefront. You can fight through it, let your better nature break through." He was almost pleading with her.
"For the first time I feel good, Trip; really, really good," she informed him. "I'm not going to give that up."
He got brave then and reached out and touched her face. "What can I say to snap you out of this. I care so much about you. I wanna help you, sweetheart," he said desperately.
She seemed to consider his words and appeared calmed by his caress. She was like a great cat about to purr. Then her posture stiffened, and she tried to bite his hand. "I don't want your help. You are useless to me," she spat and had left him to himself once again.
Every time Trip thought he had gotten through to her, she turned around and became that much more vindictive, purposely rebellious. It was like she wanted to prove him wrong and do the exact opposite of what he advised her to do. The drug was too powerful for him to overcome. Trip cursed himself for his lack of success. What was he going to do now?
Romdel observed this last interaction through his video surveillance, and it worried him once more for a moment, but Hister's drug was a complete triumph. The Chimera was here to stay. The Vorloren director wanted to go and rub it in Tucker's face. The human thought he was so noble, so valiant. He was nothing but a little piece of goop between Romdel's translucent toes.
Trip thought he had entered the "Twilight Zone," for the Chimera came and saw him for a third time, and her attitude was much different. She didn't say anything, but actively tried to seduce him. It appeared her need to see him had escalated to a whole need level; it was something he wasn't prepared for. She suddenly came at him, pushing him into one of the walls of his "residence".
"Whatta ya doin'?" he asked in shock, as she rubbed her body against his, and allowed herself to enjoy his scent by sniffing him deeply.
"What does it feel like I'm doing?" she purred at him. "I want you, Trip. I need you."
Trip froze in place, but replied, "You know this is wrong, Mac, right?" He still refused to call her by her demon's name, which aggravated her to no end. "You're Jon's girl, not mine. His friendship means too much to me to do somethin' like that to him. And I and T'Pol are finally gettin' somewhere; I don't wanna mess that--," he tried to tactfully refuse her, but her warm lips on his stopped his words cold.
She was a very stunning woman, and the fact that she was as dangerous as she was, was also a pretty big turn on. It took him a moment to think straight and get his bearings as she invaded his senses. "Mac, stop," he said gently and attempted to push her away from him slightly. "I don't know where this is comin' from, but I'm not cheatin' with another man's girl. Maybe you're confused right now because Jon's not here and you know we're friends. Maybe you're not sure how to deal with the deep connection we do have, our deep attachment to each other, our friendship, and you're tranlatin' it into somethin' more primal." He was trying to reason with her.
The Chimera didn't want t listen to reason. She nuzzled his neck, running her lips from his throat, up his cheek, and to his ear, scraping gently with her teeth. She was using her enhanced strength to pin him to the wall. Her fingers locked firmly around his wrists, so he couldn't stop her movements, holding them above his head. She then bit his shoulder.
"Ow!!" Trip exclaimed, both liking it and not liking it at the same time. "What did you do that for?!"
"I'm claiming what's mine," she whispered in his ear. Her voice had taken on that hypnotic edge to it had when she wanted it to. "You're mine, Trip. My blood flows in your veins now. We are pack."
He knew this was true, but what did it mean? What other effects was her genetically engineered and virus infected blood having on him? It was singing to him to let her follow through with her actions to their natural conclusion. He worked to struggle against her, trying to fight her off. That only brought their bodies in closer contact. She brushed her lip against his again. He couldn't stop the pleasurable shutter he felt. "Mac, stop this please," he begged her.
"We have gone over that before, Trip," she replied as her lips slid to his chin and his neck again. "I am not Mac."
"Yes, you are," he insisted. "At least part of you is, and all of you could be if you just let it happen."
The Chimera was not going to be deterred by his choice of names. "Call me whatever you want, just make love to me," she demanded softly. "I need you, Trip." She said again and kissed his mouth, deepening it this time. Trip resisted, but his body was starting to turn traitor on him. A slow burning had begun to build inside him and it was steadily growing hotter and hotter.
"You don't need me, you need Jon," Trip said, thinking using the Captain's name would have an effect on her, cause her to pause. He wanted it to cause him to pause too.
"True," the transgenic said. "But right now it is you who is accessible and desirable." She pressed herself against him more heavily, letting her weight sink onto him. She kissed him again almost savagely, and he found himself kissing her back. His resolve was cracking. The Chimera was enjoying the power she had over him. It thrilled her to think that because her blood rain through his veins she could influence him and make him hers. "I know you want me too, Trip," she said his name sensuously, and it sent warmth throughout his body.
"We can't do this," he said between her mouth covering his and his meeting hers. "It isn't right and you know it," repeated his earlier thought. He didn't know who he was trying to convince, her or himself. "You're better than this; this isn't you. You really don't want me. If you thought about it long enough you'd realize your not thinkin' straight, and not doin' the right thing."
"I don't care. I don't play by the rules, Trip. I never have and never will," she said huskily as she held his hands with only one of her own above his head still and allowed the other to caress his face. She stroked his cheek with feather lightness. Then she reached down and ran the hand up and down his chest. Again, he shuttered at her touch. Even though the gray T-shirt he had on, he felt the heat and softness of her caress. She was wearing some brown leather outfit that didn't help his situation. Their lips met again, this kiss full-blown and all fire. Trip knew it was only a matter of time before he would give into her and succumb to his desire for her. He was a human male after all, and she knew exactly what buttons to push.
The com buzzed, offering him a small interruption. "Romdel to Chimera, please respond."
He hesitated for a moment, a last chance to resist her, but then the Chimera released his hands allowing him to finally touch her, and as she did, they roamed her body; his male instincts taking control. He found that his hands had decided to caress her torso, and he kissed her with enough passion to consume both of them. The human super soldier had won; he was choosing to give in. She was too much to resist.
Then the com sounded again. "Romdel to Chimera, please respond."
"Damn that little squid," she hissed and gently pulled away from Trip to answer Romdel's page. Between the com and her comment, the spell he was under lessened just a bit. He couldn't help but chuckle at her name-calling; for some reason it fit the Vorloren director.
It suddenly occurred to him that he had been given a reprieve. He sprang as quickly as he could to the other end of the room to place as much distance between himself and the Chimera as possible. That had been way too close. He ran his hands through his short, blondish hair and took deep, deep breaths. He had to recover from the arousal the Chimera had caused. He decided to listen to the heated conversation between Romdel and the Chimera to get his mind off of other things.
"Chimera, here," she said testily as she punched the com button on the wall.
Romdel did not mince any words. "I need you down in the lab, immediately!" He was clearly angry. Trip watched as the Chimera smirked. "You have a lot to answer for!"
"I'm on my way," she replied with mock respect and then she clicked off the com.
Trip couldn't help but asked, "Whatcha do now?"
The Chimera's glittering amber eyes met his blue ones. He shivered at the pure meanness he saw there. It cooled him off faster than a cold shower ever could. "Oh, I decided to play with a few of his new super soldiers," she informed the commander casually.
"I take it that when you say you played with them, that you --," Trip started to say, but the Chimera interrupted and finished his sentence for him.
"I fought with them and killed them," she said totally unashamed. "They were actually quite challenging, but not very imaginative thinkers. They are extremely strong, but not very bright. And before you ask, yes, I did it all behind Romdel's back."
Trip just stared at her. He was greatly disturbed by the fact that the Chimera had been able to take out the Vorloren super soldiers; they were not designed to be wimps. On the one hand, it was good to learn that the transgenic could defeat them if she needed to, but on the other hand, it was down right scary that she was that strong. No wonder Romdel sounded so pissed. Trip needed to break through the Chimera's steel barrier and stop her before things really took a turn for the worse. She was heading toward a point of no return, and he couldn't let that happen.
The chief engineer was suddenly inspired with an idea of what he needed to do to help Mac break the Chimera's hold on her. He didn't know, however, if he was brave enough, or foolish enough, depending upon how one looked at it, to take the tact that he had been being mysteriously prompted to take. Something told him it would work if he had patience, courage, faith, and he must not fall under her spell again. He had to be the strong one right now.
"How many did you kill?" he found himself asking.
"I think it was around seven or eight," the Chimera said proudly. "The key was to let them pummel me for a while, making them tire themselves out, and allowing me time to observe them for weaknesses. Once I had identified where they were weak, I used that weakness against them, and then I killed them. They die like any other living thing." She started to cross the room, coming towards him, closing the distance between them.
"I thought you were going to go see Romdel," Trip backed away from her, and he didn't try to hide the fact that he was.
"I will," she said and gave him a funny look, "when I have finished with you." She reached out to touch him.
It was now or never to put his new plan into action. He silently prayed that it would work. "Don't touch me, Mac. Don't even come near me," he tried to sound aggravated, and he slapped her hand away. He hoped she wouldn't turn violent on him, but it was risk he would have to take.
"You don't mean that, Trip," she said, letting her voice drop to a husky purr. From viewing her facial expression, Trip saw that she didn't like his words and actions.
"Yes, I do," he sounded firm, even though he was shaking inside. "I don't want to be around you until you can act like a civilized human bein'. I don't like you the way you are now. I can't stand the vileness I see in you. I don't want to have anythin' to do with you. You're as bad as those Augment bastards from the Eugenics wars; all violence, hatred, and arrogance. No I take that back, you're worse than they were. You make me sick." He hated himself for saying these things, but he knew he had to.
The Chimera faltered. The emotional pain she felt at what he said was worse than any physical blow any creature could lay upon her. The only time she had experienced this much hurt was when Jonathan had looked at her with disappointment and revulsion when she had tried to get him to feed on the Vorloren meat with her. Now Trip was looking at her the exact same way as Archer had. His words pierced through her brick wall and chained heart; they stabbed at her very being. The transgenic thought she was losing the only good thing in her life, besides her Jonathan. It was almost unbearable. Then the fear of losing Jonathan as well, hit her full force. If Trip thought so lowly of her right now, what would her Jonathan think? Romdel had not even attempted to bring Jonathan to her. That's why she had sought Trip out; she needed somebody to physically love her, someone she trusted. What if she could never be in Jonathan's arms again?
She wanted to slit Trip's throat and bleed him dry for what he was doing to her, what he was making her think, but she couldn't hurt him; not Trip, anyone but Trip. The Chimera felt hot tears burning her eyes. She tried to hold them back. She would be damned if she would let Trip see what kind of reaction he was causing. The human super soldier finally spoke. "You will regret this, Trip; you will regret this," she threatened.
"So you're gonna to kill me too, huh?" He now stepped closer to her. He did tower over her, just like the Captain did; he was that much taller than her. That didn't mean much, but he wanted to try and intimidate her if he could. "Then go on, do it! End my life! End the life you risked your own to save not so long ago! Destroy all the good in yourself by wipin' me out!" He was almost yelling at her. "Seems like that's what you really want!"
The transgenic backed away from his tirade. She didn't like hearing what Trip was saying, didn't like the truth in his words. Somehow he knew that she couldn't bring herself to hurt him, no matter how enraged he made her, and he was trying to enrage her, hurt her. She loved him too much to strike out at him. What? Yes, she loved Trip. He was her friend, her family, and her pack. She truly loved him and she could not harm him, and now she had lost him. He wanted nothing to do with her. She repulsed him and he hated her. She couldn't bear it; she turned from him and fled the room afraid of what she was feeling. She was now totally alone.
TBC
Ya gotta let me know what you thought of this chapter. It was a bugger to write, so I need to know if it works. Is it any good? How do you think it turned out? Thanks!