CHAPTER 2;
THE HAUNTING OF COMMANDER TUCKER
He had been waiting over twenty minutes, and he was feeling more concerned than anything. When people were late on this ship, it usually wasn't butterflies.
Trip looked around himself at the other people present. No one was even looking towards him, or even wondering why he was sitting all alone at an empty table.
Where is she? he thought to himself, brow furrowing.
Another ten minutes passed by quickly, and still there was no sign of Matheson. The concern grew.
He stood from the table, and walked over to the comm panel at the side of the mess hall.
"Commander Tucker to Crewman Matheson."
He waited.
There was silence.
"Tucker to Matheson. Matheson, are you there?"
Still, there was nothing but silence.
"O-Kay," he mumbled to himself, "this is weird."
It occurred to him then that perhaps someone had pulled a prank on him… they liked to do that sometimes. But this just wasn't funny. This was strange.
He left the mess hall, and made his way to a turbo lift access. It opened when he pressed the call button, and he stepped inside.
Within moments, he was on the bridge, and walking towards Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, who looked up to see him approaching.
"Commander? I thought you had the day off," Reed said, sitting back a little in his chair.
Trip looked behind him, for the first time noticing that the Captain was missing.
He must be in his quarters, Trip realised, coming to a stop by Reed.
At their stations, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather looked up momentarily. They glanced back to their work when Trip looked at them.
"Do you know if anyone's heard anything from Crewman Matheson?" Trip asked, leaning with both hands on the station in front of him.
Reed became suspicious. "Crewman Matheson? Sorry, Commander… I can't say I've heard of him."
"It's a her," Trip corrected quickly. "I thought you knew just about everyone on Enterprise."
"I do. Just not a Crewman Matheson. Are you sure you didn't imagine her, Commander?" Reed smiled.
Trip did not.
"I don't imagine people, Lieutenant. A simple 'no, sir' would have done me fine."
With that, Trip walked away.
Malcolm Reed knew he looked like someone had just thrown a bucket of water in his face. He had never seen Commander Tucker act that way… unless somebody had messed up big time… which he had not.
Reed glanced over at Hoshi, who was looking right at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What was all that about?" she asked, glancing momentarily down at Mayweather, who shrugged.
Reed had finished his latest scans, so he stood, and -as the Captain had asked upon leaving- took command of the bridge. He seated himself in the large chair, and sighed.
"I don't know what's wrong with Trip," he told the two, "but I hope he finds her. If not, I think we're all going to have to undergo one of the interrogations I just suffered." He said it with a light smile, hoping to alleviate some of the tension Commander Tucker had caused during his swift visit.
Hoshi Sato sighed too, and continued with her work at the communications station, shaking her head ever so slightly at the strange scene that had just unfolded around her.
Trip had made his way to the Captain's quarters and was now standing outside the door, waiting to be invited in.
"Come in," came the polite voice of his commanding officer.
Trip opened the door, and stepped inside.
As he had thought, Captain Jonathan Archer had taken the remainder of the day off himself, and had exchanged his uniform for a sweatshirt and cargo pants.
Trip waited to be addressed.
"Hey, Trip. What's up? Enjoying your day off?" Jon smiled broadly, petting the young beagle, Porthos, happily. The young dog's tongue lolled as he jumped off the bed, and trotted up to Trip.
Trip crouched down to Porthos, giving him an affectionate scratch behind the ear. "It's great. But, um… I was supposed to meet someone for dinner almost an hour ago, and there's still no trace of 'em."
Jonathan Archer smiled, breaking off a small piece of cheese from the lump he held to get the dog off of Trip.
Porthos quickly ran over to Jon, accepting the piece of cheese… the one food the Doctor had told Jon not to feed the dog.
Trip smiled wanly.
"Have you tried with Doctor Phlox? She might have come down with something. That's not so rare on Enterprise," Jon explained, picking up Porthos.
The dog yawned, and curled up on Archer's lap.
Trip smiled again. "I hadn't thought of that, Cap'n. Thanks."
"Was that all? I'm thinking of hitting the sack like Porthos here." Jon indicated the dog, who was now snoring lightly.
Trip gave a quiet laugh. "That was it, Jon. I'll see ya' tomorrow."
Okay… now I'm really worried, he thought, upon leaving sickbay. Matheson hadn't so much as come near Dr. Phlox ever since their initial health checks.
"Maybe I did imagine her asking me to dinner," Trip mused, frowning.
The corridor was deserted, and he glanced at his watch. It was near to nine now, and if Matheson was just late, then Trip was now standing her up.
He stopped by a comm panel one last time. "Commander Tucker to Crewman Matheson."
Again, just like the last ten times he had tried, there was no reply.
He sighed. "Oh well… maybe I'll see her tomorrow."
There came a noise from the far end of the corridor, and he whirled, expecting to see someone approaching.
Empty.
"What the hell?" he muttered, hearing the noise again.
It sounded almost like a laugh now that he listened, and it was slightly echoed in the corridor. But come to think of it, he had never heard a voice echo in these corridors before.
He rounded the corner, just to see nothing there. But the laughter still sounded every now and then, seemingly drawing closer. The sound was menacing, and Trip admitted to himself that he was starting to get a little afraid.
"Hello?" he called, looking around frantically, trying to identify the source of the sound.
He felt something brush past his shoulder, and he turned immediately, becoming a little more panicked. He breathed more rapidly now.
"Who's there? This isn't funny."
The laughter sounded again, and it seemed as though the origin was right next to him, and it was being whispered down his ear.
When he turned, he saw something that scared him more than anything he had ever seen before.
THE HAUNTING OF COMMANDER TUCKER
He had been waiting over twenty minutes, and he was feeling more concerned than anything. When people were late on this ship, it usually wasn't butterflies.
Trip looked around himself at the other people present. No one was even looking towards him, or even wondering why he was sitting all alone at an empty table.
Where is she? he thought to himself, brow furrowing.
Another ten minutes passed by quickly, and still there was no sign of Matheson. The concern grew.
He stood from the table, and walked over to the comm panel at the side of the mess hall.
"Commander Tucker to Crewman Matheson."
He waited.
There was silence.
"Tucker to Matheson. Matheson, are you there?"
Still, there was nothing but silence.
"O-Kay," he mumbled to himself, "this is weird."
It occurred to him then that perhaps someone had pulled a prank on him… they liked to do that sometimes. But this just wasn't funny. This was strange.
He left the mess hall, and made his way to a turbo lift access. It opened when he pressed the call button, and he stepped inside.
Within moments, he was on the bridge, and walking towards Lieutenant Malcolm Reed, who looked up to see him approaching.
"Commander? I thought you had the day off," Reed said, sitting back a little in his chair.
Trip looked behind him, for the first time noticing that the Captain was missing.
He must be in his quarters, Trip realised, coming to a stop by Reed.
At their stations, Ensigns Hoshi Sato and Travis Mayweather looked up momentarily. They glanced back to their work when Trip looked at them.
"Do you know if anyone's heard anything from Crewman Matheson?" Trip asked, leaning with both hands on the station in front of him.
Reed became suspicious. "Crewman Matheson? Sorry, Commander… I can't say I've heard of him."
"It's a her," Trip corrected quickly. "I thought you knew just about everyone on Enterprise."
"I do. Just not a Crewman Matheson. Are you sure you didn't imagine her, Commander?" Reed smiled.
Trip did not.
"I don't imagine people, Lieutenant. A simple 'no, sir' would have done me fine."
With that, Trip walked away.
Malcolm Reed knew he looked like someone had just thrown a bucket of water in his face. He had never seen Commander Tucker act that way… unless somebody had messed up big time… which he had not.
Reed glanced over at Hoshi, who was looking right at him, her eyes narrowed in confusion.
"What was all that about?" she asked, glancing momentarily down at Mayweather, who shrugged.
Reed had finished his latest scans, so he stood, and -as the Captain had asked upon leaving- took command of the bridge. He seated himself in the large chair, and sighed.
"I don't know what's wrong with Trip," he told the two, "but I hope he finds her. If not, I think we're all going to have to undergo one of the interrogations I just suffered." He said it with a light smile, hoping to alleviate some of the tension Commander Tucker had caused during his swift visit.
Hoshi Sato sighed too, and continued with her work at the communications station, shaking her head ever so slightly at the strange scene that had just unfolded around her.
Trip had made his way to the Captain's quarters and was now standing outside the door, waiting to be invited in.
"Come in," came the polite voice of his commanding officer.
Trip opened the door, and stepped inside.
As he had thought, Captain Jonathan Archer had taken the remainder of the day off himself, and had exchanged his uniform for a sweatshirt and cargo pants.
Trip waited to be addressed.
"Hey, Trip. What's up? Enjoying your day off?" Jon smiled broadly, petting the young beagle, Porthos, happily. The young dog's tongue lolled as he jumped off the bed, and trotted up to Trip.
Trip crouched down to Porthos, giving him an affectionate scratch behind the ear. "It's great. But, um… I was supposed to meet someone for dinner almost an hour ago, and there's still no trace of 'em."
Jonathan Archer smiled, breaking off a small piece of cheese from the lump he held to get the dog off of Trip.
Porthos quickly ran over to Jon, accepting the piece of cheese… the one food the Doctor had told Jon not to feed the dog.
Trip smiled wanly.
"Have you tried with Doctor Phlox? She might have come down with something. That's not so rare on Enterprise," Jon explained, picking up Porthos.
The dog yawned, and curled up on Archer's lap.
Trip smiled again. "I hadn't thought of that, Cap'n. Thanks."
"Was that all? I'm thinking of hitting the sack like Porthos here." Jon indicated the dog, who was now snoring lightly.
Trip gave a quiet laugh. "That was it, Jon. I'll see ya' tomorrow."
Okay… now I'm really worried, he thought, upon leaving sickbay. Matheson hadn't so much as come near Dr. Phlox ever since their initial health checks.
"Maybe I did imagine her asking me to dinner," Trip mused, frowning.
The corridor was deserted, and he glanced at his watch. It was near to nine now, and if Matheson was just late, then Trip was now standing her up.
He stopped by a comm panel one last time. "Commander Tucker to Crewman Matheson."
Again, just like the last ten times he had tried, there was no reply.
He sighed. "Oh well… maybe I'll see her tomorrow."
There came a noise from the far end of the corridor, and he whirled, expecting to see someone approaching.
Empty.
"What the hell?" he muttered, hearing the noise again.
It sounded almost like a laugh now that he listened, and it was slightly echoed in the corridor. But come to think of it, he had never heard a voice echo in these corridors before.
He rounded the corner, just to see nothing there. But the laughter still sounded every now and then, seemingly drawing closer. The sound was menacing, and Trip admitted to himself that he was starting to get a little afraid.
"Hello?" he called, looking around frantically, trying to identify the source of the sound.
He felt something brush past his shoulder, and he turned immediately, becoming a little more panicked. He breathed more rapidly now.
"Who's there? This isn't funny."
The laughter sounded again, and it seemed as though the origin was right next to him, and it was being whispered down his ear.
When he turned, he saw something that scared him more than anything he had ever seen before.