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: Okay, this chapter is the big reveal I've been building up to. A lot of questions are answered, but some new ones will spring up as well. Here readers learn who I think Future Guy is and why he is interfering so strongly in the events taking place in my story. I made the conversation between Future Guy and Mac in a flashback form, so that is why it is all in italics. Other things about Mac and Archer are revealed as well. Little bread crumbs I've been leaving through out other chapters will bear fruit in this chapter. Did any one see these ideas coming? Some of you intuitive readers out there might have. I've hinted subtly at things, but always kept back some part. Hopefully, this will be a fun and entertaining chapter. It was one of my favorites to write. Please leave a review to tell me what you think. I only got one or two reviews the last few chapters, and that was sad. :( I know this is a long story; it is supposed to be long and complicated. Please hang in there with me, and you won't be disappointed; at least, I hope not. Thanks!!!!
Thanks once again to my awesome beta reader LadyRainbow. She always does such a good job of cleaning up my messes. Read and enjoy!!!!
Chapter 28
Lieutenant Malcolm Reed didn't know how the situation had gotten so bad, for the Enterprise had been so quickly invaded. It seemed like Suliban were coming out of the woodwork, or would that be metalwork? Reed and his team were cut off from the armory, and other security teams had failed to make it to the bridge. As the Suliban weapons' fire flew passed his head, Reed cursed for about the hundredth time. Communications had been jammed, so Reed had no way of knowing what was happening around the ship. The MACOs and his own security forces had tried valiantly to stop the sudden influx of Suliban, but their enemy was too fast and too stealthy.
Somehow, yet again, the Suliban had managed to board the Enterprise without being detected until it was too late, using their camouflage and stretching ability. They had knocked out many of the ESP conduits and main power for the ship was down. The Suliban's enhanced vision allowed them to see in the dark, as if it were noonday; the only reason that Reed and the MACOs had been able to hold them off for as long as they had was because of the MACOs forethought of carrying night vision goggles with them.
So far it seemed that the Suliban's weapons were set only on stun. Of the men and women downed by the aliens, none of them were dead, that Reed could tell. That was a great relief, for after the last attack, Reed had feared the worst. Suddenly a neon green face appeared right next to him and a fist threw him to the floor. When Reed tried to fight back, he was hit with a full-on stun blast. He crumpled to the ground, out cold.
"Take him to the bridge with the other senior officers," a harsh male voice commanded as the dozen or so Suliban warrior decloaked themselves. "Kajine will want him there."
Several minutes later they dumped Reed's unconscious form at T'Pol's feet as she sat in the captain's chair. She, along with Hoshi, Travis, and the rest of the bridge crew were surrounded by another two-dozen Suliban armed with phase weapons. One of the Suliban held something under the lieutenant's noise, and he was instantly awake again. A tall and slim Suliban female finally spoke. She directed her remarks to T'Pol. "I am Kajine of the Cabal."
"I think we figured that one out for ourselves," Hoshi blurted out sarcastically. "Only the Cabal would attack in such vicious and underhanded ways."
T'Pol stopped the communications officer from going any further. "That is enough, Ensign." Then she addressed her captor. "What is it that you want from us?"
Kajine regarded the Vulcan woman for a moment. The Suliban female was well aware of T'Pol's "feelings" for Commander Tucker. The Suliban had grown to like the human male; she could understand his appeal. "I apologize for such a use of force, but we have little time and cannot afford to take the time to convince you of our good intentions. We ambushed you because we didn't think you would listen to us otherwise."
"A logical assumption on your part," T'Pol told the Suliban with a raised eyebrow. "Our last encounter with your species almost forfeited the lives of many of our key personnel."
"That was a very regrettable incident, but it was not done out of malice or ill will. Our intention was not to kill any of your people. We were trying to aid McKenna in overcoming her more feral nature," Kajine explained. "I have been ordered to help you make contact with the Lasiterians. I understand that because of our earlier actions you and your people would be highly resistant to dealing with us again. I can only ask that you let us make amends now by allowing us facilitate your meeting with the Lasiterians."
T'Pol was unconvinced of the Suliban's real intentions. "How would assisting us benefit you or the being you serve?"
Kajine was under orders to be cryptic with her answers to any of the questions the Enterprise's crew might throw at her, but subterfuge and half-truths were not working. The Suliban knew she had to give a more concrete answer than those above her would wish, if she was going to win the crew's trust. "I have been charged with protecting McKenna at all costs. She is planning on going off to battle, but it is a battle she will not win. My benefactor from the future cannot risk any harm to come to her, especially harm that would end her life. She must live."
"Why is she so important to your mystery man from the future? Why is he causing you to interfere in all the events taking place here?" This came from Hoshi.
Kajine grew silent. Only she and Silik knew the full reasoning behind what their benefactor was doing. She could not divulge that critical information. It could destroy the entire future, as her master knew it. So would Mac's death, if the Suliban warrior didn't complete her mission with the crew of the Enterprise. "McKenna must survive. If we can help you get to the Lasiterians, gain their trust, and warn them of the Vorlorens' true designs before it is too late, then McKenna will not have to risk her life in a lost battle."
"You know for certain that she won't succeed and that the Vorlorens will end up slaughtering all the Lasiterians?" Reed finally found his voice. He was on his feet now, but he had to hold on to the arm of captain's chair to steady himself.
Kajine looked Reed straight in the eye and said, "Yes."
"How does it happen? Why can't Mac stop the Vorlorens?" Hoshi was full of fiery questions.
Kajine had had enough of the humans' need to understand what was going to happen. "I cannot give you details about a possible future, only that you have the ability to fix what is going to happen. Events should not be going down this path. Somehow the timeline is changing and the results are not good. If you want our assistance we must act now. The attack will be launched in just a few hours. We are wasting valuable time. You need to make a decision."
T'Pol slowly glanced at each of the senior officers present. All of them looked back at her with their eyes full of doubt mixed with resentment. The Captain had made it plain to her that meeting with the Lasiterians was a critical mission; one which he had entrusted to his first officer. The Suliban in front of her was offering to ameliorate the chances of that mission's success, but trusting these aliens was problematic at this point. T'Pol realized she was letting her agony and anger over Trip's recent condition to cloud her judgment. As a Vulcan this was an unacceptable slip in logic and reason. Working with the Suliban now was the only logical course of action that was presenting itself. Who else would she and the rest of the crew receive assistance from?
T'Pol made the command decision; she knew Archer would have come to the same conclusion that she had. "We accept your offer to help us meet with the Lasiterians. Your stealth capabilities would be most welcome to us."
"You have made the correct decision, Commander." Kajine seemed to relax as she took in T'Pol's answer. "It is nice to know that your Vulcan calmness and sound reasoning are still the stronger part of your being."
When Reed opened his mouth to speak, T'Pol thought it would be in protest, but he swallowed his disagreement and asked instead, "What do you propose we do? How do you suggest we go about our task successfully?"
Kajine turned to him with a new look of respect on her brightly colored face. Maybe these humans were more adaptable than she had been led to believe. "We plan on loaning you two of our cell ships that have cloaking devices installed in them. That way we can accommodate at least three of your people and three of ours, for a total of six. The smaller the contingent the better; the less likely we will be detected by any Vorloren surveillance. My men will pilot the cell ships and provide your people with transportation. Your people should initiate the contact with Lasiterians. My men will hang back in supporting positions only. It is not our intention to directly deal with the Lasiterians ourselves. That is your responsibility."
"You interfere with everything else that is going on here, but you don't want to deal directly with the Lasiterians? Why?" Hoshi just couldn't leave it alone. She had to know.
"Our benefactor realized the mistake he made trying to use the Vorlorens to further his agenda. It is a mistake he doesn't intent to make again. He has forbidden us from having any contact with the Lasiterians," Kajine expounded thinly. The last part she said with great pride. "He has learned that only the Suliban are trustworthy enough to carry out his wishes."
Hoshi rolled her eyes at the statement and received a cold glare from T'Pol. Then the Vulcan first officer returned her attention to the puffed up Suliban. "I suggest that your men take Lieutenant Reed, Ensign Sato, and Ensign Mayweather. They are the ones who had the greatest success at breaking the Lasiterians coded message, and they work well as a team. I am needed here commanding the Enterprise in Captain Archer's absence."
"Again I am relieved at your sound judgment, T'Pol," Kajine said with true respect. "You're reasoning matches my own." The Suliban warrior experienced an odd moment of compassion towards the Vulcan woman. She added, "The last time I saw Commander Tucker he was in good condition. You don't need to worry excessively about him." Little did Kajine know about the knockdown, drag-out fight he had recently had with his captain.
"Vulcans are not prone to 'worry excessively' about anyone, but I thank you for the information," T'Pol replied. She was not about to admit that she feared greatly about Trip's status. She had felt nothing through her bond with him for almost a week now. At one time that fact would have been extremely welcome, as the chief engineer could be a nuisance at times, but now T'Pol missed his comforting presence terribly. Oh how she truly hated not being able to control or suppress these irrational emotions!
"If your Lieutenant Reed is feeling up to it, he and the others should leave with us immediately," Kajine spoke proprietarily.
"Should I expect you to be leaving some of your men behind, or will you order them all to return to your ships?" T'Pol asked bluntly.
Kajine looked thoughtful for a moment. "Would you agree to let one or two of my men stay aboard the Enterprise, so you could be apprised of the situation involving your people? I would only station someone here to allow you be able to communicate with those of your crew who will be traveling with us."
"That doesn't sound too unreasonable," T'Pol told her. "I propose I keep three of your men here in exchange for the three of my people going with you." That idea seemed like a logical and fair trade to T'Pol. She wanted make sure she had a little leverage to get her friends back aboard Enterprise safely.
Kajine didn't miss the underlying message in T'Pol's counteroffer. "I think your proposal will work to our mutual benefit, Commander. We will teleport your people to our ships, using our technology. Even cloaked, trying to dock in your shuttle bay might be detected by the Vorlorens. Neither one of us can afford to have that happen."
"May I have a moment to give members of our away group some instructions?" T'Pol now asked.
"Of course," Kajine replied. "Just do it quickly. We are running out of time."
Mac stood with Romdel and Hister in Sinova's command center viewing a projected, three-dimensional, topographical map of the Lasiterians' supposed base camp. They, along with the head commander of the Vorloren super soldiers, a General Rosna Manglin, were strategizing their attack plan against the Lasiterians. He was not a genetically engineered super soldier himself, but he was the best of the Vorloren generals. He had attained landslide victories over the Lasiterians over the last three decades. This Vorloren was perfect to watch over Romdel's newly formed super soldier army, for Manglin had earned the right to command them, along with Mac.
The human super soldier only had half of her highly attuned attention on the conference going on in front of her. It was enough that she knew exactly what was being said, but it allowed the other half to be elsewhere. Mac could not stop thinking about her conversation with Future Guy. That being sure dumped a number on me, she thought to herself. The inner turmoil that she had considered herself finally rid of was back a hundred fold. She thought she'd made all the important decisions she needed to make. Mac was still at peace with her demon, but not with her decision to battle the Vorlorens and save the Lasiterians.
The genetically engineered super soldier thought she knew exactly what she had to do, until half an hour ago. Future Guy had turned her world and her focus completely upside down. It wasn't fair. She wished she had never let Silik lead her into the holographic chamber. Ignorance had been bliss; that bliss had been irrevocably shattered by the future being's revelations. Mac now had to rethink all of her previous plans she had been so confident about before. What Future Guy had shared with her, had shaken her to her very core. His deep and calm voice still hadn't left her.
When Mac had walked into the holographic chamber, Future Guy had been waiting for her. He stood in the middle of the room, surrounded by a bluish, pulsating light. It shimmered like an ocean wave, starting down low and rippling slowly up to the top. He kept himself in shadow, at first, not allowing her to see his true form. He was humanoid, there was no doubt about that, but Mac couldn't make out any distinct features, even with her enhanced vision. The warmth with which he had greeted her with had stunned her.
"McKenna, my beauty, it is an absolute honor to be able to meet you face to face. I have dreamed of this moment for so long. I am talking to a living legend," he gushed.
Mac felt herself blush at his flattery. Her a legend? She couldn't quite grasp that concept. "Who are you? How do you know me?" was all she could say.
"Surely Archer has told you about me?" Future Guy questioned with an amused tone.
"All I know is that you come from sometime in the future and you have given Jonathan nothing but trouble," Mac heard herself say. The situation didn't seem real.
Future Guy smiled. Yes, Mac saw him smile. Was that a slip or did he intentionally let her see that small gesture? "It figures Archer would be vague and misconstrue my character. It is true; I am from the future, about the twenty-ninth century to be exact." He paused to let his words sink in. They did.
"Holy shit!" Mac exclaimed in a whisper. "You really are Future Guy."
The veiled being before her chuckled right out loud. It was a friendly, hearty sound. "It seems the crew of the Enterprise have a creative streak in them. You, my dear, can call me Jack."
Mac couldn't keep her flippant response from coming out of her mouth. "What? Was Bob or Steve not original enough for you?"
Jack laughed robustly now. "You are truly a delight to converse with, McKenna," he said when he had recovered himself. "It is not often that I get to talk with someone with such a sense of humor. This is better than I could have ever imagined."
Mac had just stared at the cloaked being for a moment, and then she found her voice enough to ask, "Why does talking to me give you such a thrill?"
"Because, my dear, it is not every day that you get to talk to one of your ancestors, long since dead," Jack told her.
The genetically engineered woman felt her mouth hit the floor. Her knees weakened and she started to fall downward. Silik deftly caught her and held her upright. "Say that again?" she croaked out.
Mac saw Jack smile again. It would have lit up his entire face, if she could have seen it. "You, McKenna McKnight, are my twenty-second great-grandmother. Now do you understand why you are so important to me? I exist because of you. You are my direct ancestor. Many of the genes that you posses, I posses as well."
Silik was enjoying this. Supporting the powerful super soldier as she absorbed the information was a treat. Mac could not believe her genetically enhanced hearing. Future Guy was a descendant of hers? How was that possible? She had never had any children. With Khan she had taken very careful precautions not to get pregnant, even though it had been the dictator's deepest wish. There was no way in hell she going to reproduce with the vile bastard. Their two genomes would have created something extremely volatile and way too unpredictable. Mac knew for certain that before she was cryogenically frozen that she had never had any offspring.
Then everything hit her at once. The benefactor of the Suliban had tipped the Vorlorens where to find her in the middle of that asteroid field. The future being had lured the Enterprise to the Vorloren System, so Jonathan would meet her. The whole reason for the move to the palace had been to help push her and Jonathan together. The Suliban attack on Trip and the others had been to help her overcome her demon enough for Jonathan to want to be intimate with her. The whole episode with Silik's voyeurism was so the Suliban could witness her and Jonathan's mating practices because Future Guy had wanted to ensure he would be born.
If Future Guy, Jack, was her descendant and he had sent Silik to watch her and Jonathan, then that meant that Jack was also a descendant of Jonathan's, of she and Jonathan to be exact. "Jonathan's your ancestor too?" Mac's voice came out cracked and soft. How could she have not seen it? It was right in front of her the entire time, and she hadn't seen it. Mac suddenly felt silly and dim-witted.
"Yes, my dear, unfortunately yes," Jack replied. "I now regret some of my earlier actions that could have cost him his life. It wasn't until a short time ago that I traced my family tree back to him. You, I have known about for a very long time, but it was not known, until recently, that you had ever had any contact with Archer. I hate to admit that I was a bit disappointed. I was hoping your time with the great Khan Noonien Singh would have produced a child; to be his descendant would have been marvelous."
Mac shuddered at Jack's praise of Khan. How could he want to be a part of that evil megalomaniac? Jonathan was a much better choice for a father figure than Khan Noonien Singh. "You wouldn't think that if you had known him the way that I knew him," she told the future being bluntly. "He was a cold-blooded murderer, and he thought way too much of himself."
"His aims and goals were noble. He wanted to lift the human race out of its deplorable state and lead them in safety and peace," Jack spoke with true worship in his voice.
Mac shook her head. "He wanted to force everyone to do what he wanted, how he wanted, and when he wanted. His idea of leadership was purely tyrannical. He would make everyone behave or he would eliminate them. He took away people's right to choose their own way of life. He took way people's right to liberty and freedom. He tried to enslave the world."
"I am sorry you feel that way." Jack truly did sound disappointed. "But to many he is a hero, someone to emulate. It would have been an honor to have been related to him."
As Jack was speaking, Mac had another realization. She had been "in heat" from the moment she had been revived. Her body desperately wanting what came natural to a woman, a baby. Now, however, she no longer felt like she was; the urgency was gone. Her feeling of being off had disappeared after her last mating with Jonathan. That could only mean one thing, that and the fact that Jack was able to stand before her now and chat with her; she was pregnant. Mac had been so vigilant with Khan, but not at all with Jonathan. She loved him; she didn't fear him, like she had Khan. How could she forget that main purpose of mating was to perpetuate the species? In other words, how could she have not known consciously what her body obviously knew unconsciously? Part of her animal and human nature, as a female, was to bear children.
Both Silik and his benefactor had watched the emotions dance across Mac's face as she put all the pieces together. "I'm pregnant," she stated in shock.
"Thankfully, yes," Jack said with great relief in his deep voice. "It is nice to be confident of one's existence, even if its start wasn't what one thought it had been," he added as a side note. "That is why I asked Silik to bring you here. I must implore you to not go into battle. You cannot risk harm to come to you or the child you now carry with in you. Millions of your descendants are counting on your survival." Jack decided to throw the last bit in as a guilt trip. He knew his ancestor very well. Besides, he didn't want Mac to think it was all about him; most, but not all.
"Millions?" Mac said with a tongue that felt too big for her mouth. Even her genetically enhanced mind was having a hard time comprehending all that she was learning. How could this be? Was she truly responsible for posterity that number in the millions?
"It is surprising the kind of exponential growth two people can have over the centuries, isn't it?" Jack asked her, trying to be helpful. "I am sorry to have to surprise you with all of this, but you need to have all facts laid out in front of you to make the right decisions."
Mac genuinely couldn't believe any of this was happening; not in her wildest dreams did she ever see a future for herself like the one this being was revealed to her. "Are my child --- descendants all okay? I mean with my capricious nature and all?" She was envisioning all the horrors that her transgenic brothers and sisters went through.
Jack seemed pleased with her question. He knew he was getting to her by the fact that she wanted to know more about her "family". "Why do you think I have been trying to help you overcome your darker side? Once you conquer it, you, as a mother, are able to teach your children and their children's children how to live at peace with themselves. Eventually it is not a problem. Other sources of genetic material also help in diminishing the more feral parts of your nature."
"Then you really weren't trying to kill Trip and the others, but you wanted me to have to choose to help. You wanted me to be willing to sacrifice myself for somebody else. You knew that above all else would aid me in winning my inner battle," Mac said with a little awe in her voice.
"Yes," Jack said, "but that was not what was supposed to happen in the original timeline. The first time around you did not need such a hard push in the right direction. Archer's influence had been enough to guide you there pretty gently. In my zealousness to make sure that you and Archer came together I didn't realize that very inference would change events. I should have never brought the Vorlorens into the equation. Romdel has proven to be a disloyal, little traitor. I underestimated his treacherousness, and it almost cost me dearly.
"For a short time I feared that Commander Tucker would be a relation after I had one of my Suliban agents sneak him in to Sinova to help you overcome Romdel's drug. You and he were never supposed to take a romantic interest in each other. A close friendship you were to have, yes, but not a sexual relationship. You were never supposed to be exposed to the drug that Romdel inflicted upon you. For that I beg your forgiveness," Jack had confessed all. "I am so pleased that you were still strong enough to force your darker nature away and gain control of yourself. You are utterly amazing."
"How did Jonathan and I meet in the original timeline?" Mac wanted to know.
"It is of little importance now," Jack said brushing off her question. "What is important is that you have met and that you are with child. It is miraculous that it happened. To think that I almost wiped myself out before even my most distant relation was born."
Mac couldn't stop the dig from coming out of her mouth. She was having a hard time restraining her thoughts around this descendant of hers. "It serves you right for trying to mess around with time. You are as bad as the scientists that messed with the human genome and caused the Eugenics Wars and eventually World War III."
"I understand your anger," Jack's voice took on an apologetic tone, "but I have my reasons for interfering with timelines. History, in some places, needs to be rewritten. We, in the future, have the ability to do so, and we can fix many of the events that would make our lives so much the richer."
The human super soldier had started to become really angry then. He was beginning to sound a lot like Khan. "Just because you have the ability to do something doesn't mean you should. What gives you the right to rewrite the past just because you don't like the outcome in the future? How can a descendant of mine think such things? Did you ever stop and think that some things happen for a reason and that they shouldn't be changed?"
"McKenna, my dear, don't be so judgmental." Jack sounded a little hurt by her remarks. "What I do is not just for me, but for a large part of the galaxy, and for a variety of different species."
"Don't try and justify your actions to me, Jack," Mac snapped. "You do more harm than good." She had finally regained her senses, and she shook Silik off harshly. The Suliban wisely took a step back from her. "What if some of the life events you change undoes much of the good that came with the bad? What if you take away experiences from people that they needed to make them who they are supposed to be? Or put them in circumstances they were never meant to face?"
Suddenly, she saw Jack's eyes. They were a beautiful, dark blue color. He was looking at her in astonishment; she had now shocked him. "You don't act anything like I thought you would. I had such a vision conjured of you. I thought you would think more broadly than you do. Archer must have really corrupted you, changed you too much."
His eyes reminded Mac of someone, she couldn't place who, but there was a faint trace of something familiar in them. "Jonathan hasn't corrupted me. My father," she finally was able to say that phrase with pride, "instilled something good in me. All the things he taught me; the stories he told me. He gave me a strong foundation that Jonathan has only added to. I know what is right and I know what is wrong. You, my dear Jack, are wrong. I wish you could see your own corruption. I wish you believed differently." She had to make this child of her line see the errors of his ways.
"Are you going to follow my advice or not?" Jack had then asked in a clipped manner. It was obvious the discussion about the path he had followed was over.
"You mean to turn my back on people who desperately need my help?" Mac was indignant. "I don't think so."
Jack decided to go for the direct approach. "You will not succeed. You will fight and die and change nothing. The Vorlorens will wipe out the Lasiterians' existence and you will be dead. You can't sacrifice the future of millions of people for a lost cause. That, my beautiful McKenna, is wrong."
He had her there. If he was right about the outcome of the battle, how could she kill off an entire nation of her own people with nothing to show for it, some greater good? "Are you sure there is no way to save the Lasiterians?" she whispered, her anger gone.
"I know how important it is for you to have a purpose, McKenna," Jack spoke soothingly to her. "I know you wanted it to be heroically saving this poor, unfortunate race of people, but it can't be done that way. The Vorlorens have reached the point of no return in their deadly plans. There is no stopping them now. If they could be saved, I wouldn't try to stop you; I would try to do everything in my power to help you." He paused before he unfolded his plan to her; he had to be subtle. "There is another way besides battle. What little population of the Lasiterians is left can be spared if they are warned in time to flee the attack. In fact, I have agents now aiding some of Archer's crew in trying to at least warn the Lasiterians of the impending attack, so they might be able to flee and live out their lives far away from here. I owe you that much."
"But Romdel's super soldier army can't be beaten?" Mac heard the defeat in her voice. She didn't want to let the monstrous Vorlorens scatter the Lasiterians across the galaxy, but she also wanted the Lasiterians to survive in any way possible.
Jack quickly seized on her doubt. "No, they cannot. Their construction is too perfect, and their multitude is too great for even such as you." The Suliban benefactor went on trying to sway her to do what he wanted her to do. "You can still have purpose. You can still make a difference. Flee with the Lasiterians. They will need all the leadership and guidance you can offer them. Live among them, direct them, help them, and raise your child with them. Then you will allow all of your countless family members to fulfill their destinies as they need to be fulfilled."
"What about Jonathan?" Mac hadn't missed that Jack didn't mentioned living out her life with the human captain.
"This is going to be hard for you to hear, but I must tell you all." Future Guy spoke softly for the next sentence, "You cannot tell Archer about your child."
"What?!" Mac shouted. "Why?! He's its father!"
"Think carefully about the situation, McKenna," Jack ordered gently. "Archer is a starship captain. His ship and crew will always come first. He has many great endeavors still to perform as well. Events, that if he isn't a part of them, won't happen, and the very fabric of the future and the galaxy as we know it will be undone. Sadly, these events do not include you as a wife and your child as a family. That would only hold him back from his true destiny. He must be allowed to complete his life's path without you, for all our sakes."
Mac had been afraid Jack would say something like that. Deep down, she knew in a twisted way he was right. Jonathan's faint hope of having her travel amongst the stars with him was, at best, a hollow dream. His superiors would never allow it. They would recall him to Earth and force him to take permanent shore leave, if he wed her. He would not be allowed to explore the wonders of space anymore. They would never approve of a dangerous relic of the Eugenics Wars to run wild through out the galaxy. She would be held in "protective custody" and "studied". She couldn't let that happen to Jonathan or herself, and now she had a child to think about. The child could be taken from her. Oh God, how could this all have gone so wrong, so fast?
"It would be better for me not to say anything to Jonathan about the child, to ease his decision to leave me behind and live his life," Mac said when she had realized what Jack was trying to tell her. "It's a burden he doesn't need to bear. What he doesn't know will free him. He can't stay with me."
"There is an old Earth saying, 'If you love something, let it go.' I think that is what you need to do. If you need to sacrifice anything to be heroic, sacrifice your life with Archer, so both your futures will be bright, as well as all those whose futures you will be responsible for," Jack told her quietly.
Mac looked at her future descendant, feeling the familiarity of his dark blue eyes again. "Why should I believe a word you say? You won't even let me see what or who you really are. Why should I trust you?" Mac wasn't born yesterday; all this could be a big lie.
"Leave the chamber, Silik," Future Guy had commanded his servant.
Silik looked taken aback by this order, like he hadn't been expecting it. "Sir?" he questioned.
"You heard me, Silik. Leave now." The future being let no room for argument.
"As you wish," Silik said and gave Mac an ugly look. Then he was gone.
"You are the only person I would ever show myself to," Jack said very seriously. "I only do it to convince you that I am really only trying to look out for you. Despite the fact that we have differing views on time travel, I still love you. You remain my hero. The person I have most wanted to be like. You are my family and I am yours. We belong to each other. I only want what is best for you. Please believe what I tell you and listen to me." With that he had taken on real shape and form. The shadow effect faded, and Mac had seen what Future Guy really looked like.
After that Mac had felt drained. Part of her believed her progeny and part of her wanted to deny and pick apart what he had told her. In revealing his true identity, or what he really looked like had been a leap of faith on his part, faith in her. What she saw blew her mind. He had offered her just enough proof of his sincerity that her mind was filled with doubt about everything; her abilities, her training, her feelings about Khan, her love for Jonathan, and most of all, her recent choices. The sudden burst of faith in a being great than herself was slowly fading. It now appeared that Future Guy had controlled all of the events in her life of late, not some divine providence. Mac felt a little angry and a little betrayed. There was no soft voice now, no feeling of love or comfort; it was like she had been abandoned in her hour of need.
Where was the guidance of what was right and what was wrong? Why was she not getting a prompting to help her to know what to do? The human super soldier felt like the rug had been pulled abruptly out from under her and she had landed hard on her ass. What had she done now to deserve this? Hadn't she been trying to do the right thing? Why was her purpose being taken away from her? Why did she need to take a different path? She had been so sure before. She had sincerely thought she had known what course to take. Now everything was a confused mess.
The worst thing was that her dread of losing Jonathan had been made manifest. She would have to let him go, and it was killing her inside. Dying and leaving him knowing she had saved many others was one thing, but to live, and to live without him was devastating. The light she had walked into was now growing dim, and the darkness was calling her name once again.
Jack had instructed Silik to continue his masquerade as a Vorloren soldier and find a way to return Archer and Tucker to the Enterprise. Silik would be their escape plan. Mac would go and play the good little killer, until the Suliban could also extract her. She had to keep Romdel and the Vorlorens occupied to give Archer's people time to try and warn the Lasiterians. So here she was, standing in front of this damned map, working out how to best slaughter the Lasiterians' army. Pretending to be the Chimera was not really that much of an act now. The genetically engineered woman was royally pissed off. She took comfort in the slow building wrath inside her heart. Rage had always served to protect her in the past, she didn't see why it wouldn't now.
TBC
Now please tell me what you think. This is a very key part of the whole story. How does my vision of Future Guy go over with readers? Leave a review and make my day. Thanks!!!!
