Disclaimer: Star Trek Enterprise is the property of Paramount Pictures, not mine.
Chapter 7
Harbinger
The late hour quiet in the gym was rhythmically interrupted by loud exhalations of the man training in front of the mirror, observing his form and making adjustments as needed.
The bulkhead door clicked, admitting Major Hayes, who looked like he planned to use the empty dojo for his own exercise. When he noticed the man already training, his face momentarily blanked and then he moved to leave.
"Oh my, you leaving so soon?" came the half-taunting call from the other side of the gym.
Major breathed in, obviously centering himself and trying not to rise to the bait. "I don't want to distract you."
"It's no distraction. In fact, I could use a sparring partner, if you are up for it," Lieutenant Reed issued his invitation, eyes bright from the endorphins already released by his workout and maybe a bit of a challenge resonating there as well.
The MACO didn't hesitate this time, taking his jacket off. "Always."
They both started to circle at the same time, looking for an opening and holding their guards ready, sizing each other up.
The Tactical officer started the spar, the MACO major reacting.
"Good forearm block. Nice back fist. Show me the combination." Hayes assessed his superior on the fly, as any good sparring partner would.
The tempo of the exchange started to quicken.
Suddenly, Major Hayes threw Lieutenant Reed to the floor, calmly commenting.
"Faster on that combination. You are improving."
The Armory officer picked himself up, starting to get angry and stepping up the tempo even more. His next left hook landed in the face of his sparring partner.
"You want to keep that left up," the condescending tone of his counterpart fanned the Major's temper in an unbelievably short amount of time to a roaring inferno.
"That's it. Stay loose. Excellent," Lieutenant Reed spaced the punches between the sentences, throwing Hayes' earlier words back at him as taunts. The Tactical Officer slipped under the MACO's guard, delivering a vicious jab to his lower back.
"You are improving," Reed threw Hayes's own words back at him again, a slightly maniacal grin on his face.
Hayes was still pulling the following blows, aware that he was sparring with his superior officer, earning himself a takedown to the floor in the end for that, right arm extended up and to the side. Reed was holding him down like a disobedient puppy at that moment.
The MACO's blood started to boil, quickly slipping from sparring to fighting.
"OK, Lieutenant."
"Major?" The little come hither gesture, coupled with the manic smile used to send Section 31 recruits running for the closest cover. Instructor Jaguar was unpredictable and ready to teach a painful lesson to anyone unlucky enough to be on the receiving end when looking like this.
The fight morphed from a sparring session into a brutal one afterwards. Both participants stopped to pull the punches, trying to hit and down their opponent with the single-mindedness that was trained into them over long years.
Slowly and surely, the MACO started to gain the upper hand. He managed to land a nice uppercut, momentarily stunning Reed, helping it with a kick to the chest.
"I have no problems taking orders from you," the Major all but bellowed, enthralled by the adrenaline rushing through him and diminishing his common sense.
The high kick to the head of his opponent as well as the dull thud of the limp body felt immensely satisfying.
"After lunar survival training, I can handle just about anything. Good sparring with you," he stomped to his discarded jacket, fully intent on marching straight out of the gym and to the shower, to leave the Enterprise's Tactical officer to be found by whoever happens to be by first. A bit of humiliation is going to serve you right, asshole.
The MACO was almost out of the doors when his adrenaline addled common sense proverbially kicked him in the head. He might detest the Lieutenant for being a monumental pain in the ass, but there were rules to be followed – and one of them was clear on not leaving your sparring partner on the tatami after they went down without checking on them first.
Major Hayes reluctantly turned back to the dojo and immediately froze in his tracks. His brain was shouting at him, pointing out that Lieutenant Reed had not moved at all from the heap he landed in.
Oh, bloody shit. Hayes was not sure how he traversed the gym, but the next thing he remembered was being on his knees next to the prone body of Lieutenant Reed, trying and failing to find a heartbeat. His stunned brain also helpfully supplied him with the bit about Reed not breathing, as his lips and tip of his nose were starting to turn purplish-blue.
There was a sound behind him from the direction of the bulkhead. He didn't care who it was, as they were currently closer to the wall-mounted communicator.
"Call Sickbay! Now! Medical Emergency!"
When the Engineering crew managed to deal with their roaming alien problem, Major Hayes almost immediately got a very terse summons to the Captain's ready room.
"Major. Care to explain, why Doctor Phlox called me to report that my Chief Tactical officer's corpse was delivered to the Sickbay from the gym and is currently undergoing an autopsy to determine the cause of death. And that it was not from the marauding alien."
Major Hayes was standing at attention, determinedly staring at the bulkhead slightly over the Captain's right shoulder. He didn't have the guts to face his commanding officer at the moment. He used excessive force during the sparring session and it caused his direct superior's demise. He was aware of the sheer stupidity of it – he was a seasoned officer, not some rookie, for fuck's sake! And yet, it happened.
"I used excessive force during a training session with Lieutenant Reed. The force used was the direct cause of his demise, of which I am fully aware and ready to bear consequences for, sir." Hayes blandly offered to the bulkhead, still holding himself rigidly at attention.
From the corner of his eye, he noticed how livid Archer must be – the usually jovial Captain had a face set in stone, with eyes narrowed and staring at him, resembling a predator seizing his prey before pouncing on it.
"Excessive force, Major? You are supposed to be a fucking professional! These kinds of things should not happen to you!" Archer all but bellowed at the end, restlessly stalking to the door leading from his Ready room to the corridor outside.
"I am confining you to Brig, for the time being, Major." Archer all but spat at his back, pinging the door.
It opened to two Armory Ensigns standing at attention behind, unmoving but eyes ablaze with fury.
"Please escort and confine Major Hayes to the Brig. He has been relieved of duty as of now."
The only response Archer got for that pronouncement was a smart about face from the MACO major.
Author's note: Have fun reading, when Im on my holiday. I will love to read your reviews when Im back!
