CHAPTER 17;
ANIMAL INSTINCTS
Jonathan Archer tried to ignore the beagle pacing along with him on the bridge, and turned to Hoshi. She had her eyes turned downwards; concentrating hard on the task he had set to her. She was trying to find unfamiliar noises throughout the ship, her trademark earpiece in firmly, concentration levels through the roof. He hated to disturb her, but he needed an update.
"Hoshi? Have you got anything?"
She looked to him, and her head was tilted slightly to one side, mainly to the left, where the earpiece was situated, as though she were listening harder than normal to try and hear something in particular.
"I'm not sure, sir," she replied, and her voice showed her distraction, "I think I hear something on G-deck, but I'm not sure. It could just be ventilation. or something like that."
He moved over, his hands resting on the handrail, his knuckles turning white, telling him he was gripping just a little too hard. He released his grip slightly, and looked her in the eye, eager for answers and clues. "What? What is it?"
She moistened her lips, and continued, "It sounds like. like whispering. Sort of like hushed voices, but a lot quieter. Like they're far away." Her brow was knitted, and she shook her head slightly. Her confusion equalled that of the Captain, and he wasn't even the one with the earpiece.
"Can you localise it?"
"Sir?"
"Can you determine exactly where it is?" he asked, Porthos wagging his tail at his feet. He ignored the small dog, and waited for a reply.
Hoshi shook her head again in the slightest fashion. "I'm not positive, but I think it's port side, near aft."
He allowed his own brow to furrow this time, and he glanced over his shoulder at the tactical station, where Ensign Bellamy sat, in the place of Lieutenant Reed. Crewman Falmer replaced Ensign Mayweather, and Ensign Markham sat at the science station, replacing T'Pol. With that, he nodded at Hoshi, and walked over to his chair.
Porthos followed, but suddenly, his tail dropped, and his head lowered, a menacing growl escaping his throat. His jowls curled upwards, displaying his teeth, and his eyes were focused on a point close to the turbolift.
Archer looked between the point and the dog, and he asked, "What is it, boy? What's wrong?"
The dog barked loudly, over and over again, and Hoshi winced. She pressed her earpiece into her ear further, and she looked at the point, and removed the device, staring fixatedly at the point Porthos was aggravated by.
"Captain, could you get him to be quiet?" she asked, her voice quieter for some reason, as though a deer had wandered onto the bridge, and she was afraid of startling it.
Archer nodded, intrigued by his comm officer's interest, and he bent down and picked up his pet, hushing it with a few soothing words. The growl remained, rumbling in the dog's throat, but quieter.
Hoshi's eyes narrowed, and then her head turned swiftly to the Captain, and she said, "There's something there, I don't know what it is, but I can hear it. it's like voices, almost like a crowd, but very quiet, and kind of melancholy."
Archer frowned in confusion, and said, "Where exactly?"
But before Hoshi could reply, she screamed, and struck out at something that wasn't there, a point in the air that was terrifying to her, and Archer recognised the behaviour from his Commander.
"Markham! Calm her down!" Archer ordered, and the Ensign moved from the science station over to Hoshi, and started trying to calm her down, with some success. Hoshi's eyes were wide, startled, like a rabbit in headlights.
Archer let Porthos leap down from his lap, and said to the dog in a quiet voice, "Where is it, boy. find it."
Porthos sniffed the air with his powerful nose, and then barked loudly twice, directly at the turbolift.
"Stay here! I'm going to follow this thing. it has to be a life form of some kind. Porthos can track it." Archer followed his dog to the turbolift, and opened the door.
All the while, Porthos kept the growling up, the sound becoming louder, and more threatening, as though he had run smack into some other dog he didn't like on his territory, and he were trying to protect that territory with ferocity.
"Keep it up, Porthos. I just hope your sense of smell holds up to G- deck, port side, aft," Archer mumbled. He watched the dog's body language, and sure enough, the hackles along the dog's spine rose up, giving the small animal a spiky appearance, which was a little comical, but also very menacing.
Porthos let out a loud bark, and Archer stopped the turbolift, opening the doors, watching as the dog trotted out, sniffing this way and that. After a moment, he took off at a run, satisfying the beagle's need for the hunt. He had a scent, and the dedicated little animal was determined to follow it, just so long as he could earn his supper, and please his master.
Archer followed as well as he could, pursuing the dog's barking more than his form, considering the little animal could run a hell of a lot faster than he could.
He took a brief stop, and pressed the comm button on the wall, "Doctor Phlox, could you meet me on G-deck, port side, aft. and bring a med kit. thank you."
Archer took off at a brisk pace after the dog again, who had slowed down a little, and was taking to smelling the air again. He let out a low howl, and bolted down another corridor adjacent to the one Archer was in. Archer followed again, hoping the animal wasn't going to have to go much farther.
After a few more intense minutes of running and smelling the air, and one more turbolift ride, Porthos had come to a stop. on G-deck. port side, aft. He seemed to have lost the scent, and was pining loudly, his tail low, his head to the ground, his nose tracking this way and that, searching for what he had obviously lost.
Archer heard the jogging footsteps, and he whirled, seeing Doctor Phlox running to join them, with a med kit firmly in his hands.
"Glad you could join us, Doctor," Archer panted, taking a deep breath in, and turning his gaze on his pet again, frowning as no evidence of picking up the scent showed.
"What is this all about, Captain?" Phlox was curious to know, and he too turned his attention on the animal, cocking his head slightly to one side.
"I think we've located the missing crew, but Porthos lost the scent of the life form he was tracking."
"A life form? Most interesting."
"Yes, and most helpful, or so I'd like to think. I bet this has something to do with my crew disappearing, and with any luck, they're around here somewhere."
Phlox raised a wispy eyebrow. "But Captain, I was led to believe the internal sensors had not picked up any sign of the missing crewmembers."
Archer nodded, keeping an eye on the dog. "Yes, that's true, but from what I just saw of Hoshi's behaviour up on the bridge, I have reason to believe that this life form has some psychic capability."
Phlox seemed fascinated, and took it upon himself to just shut up and watch, until his skills as a physician were required.
Porthos was sniffing at a particular bulkhead, and he cocked his small head this way and that, frantically trying to fathom something, or so it would seem.
Archer crouched to Porthos', and said, "What is it boy? Have you found something?" He looked up at the bulkhead, and he narrowed his eyes.
Why was this bulkhead so blank, so unmarred? There was absolutely no mark on it, as though it. as though it had just been put in.
"Wait a minute," he mumbled. He studied the wall intently, his eyes scanning it critically, searching for something, anything to validate his suspicions.
"Captain?" Phlox queried, looking down at the commanding officer.
"This wall. it was never here. I've never seen it before, and there's absolutely nothing on this wall. No comm link, no supports, no nothing." He looked back at the Doctor, a look of certainty on his face. "This wall isn't real."
"Are you telling me this wall is some kind of illusion, Captain?" Phlox asked, walking over closer to the wall, and taking a look for himself.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Archer stood, giving the dog a grateful scratch behind the ear, and a pat on he flank. He took a deep breath in, and reached out to touch the wall, his fingers coming closer and closer to the non-existent bulkhead.
Sure enough, as his fingers brushed against the surface, he felt a strange sensation sweep over him, much akin to that of a cold fog floating around him, and he pressed harder, his fingers passing straight through the surface.
He looked back at the Doctor, and it was clear the Denobulan had never quite seen anything like this in his life. He blinked once, and watched as Archer began to walk completely through the wall.
Porthos, with a pine, holding his head up high, trotted on through after his master, determined to stick right by his side, and not fail him, even if the situation was frightening to him.
With a sigh, and a thought about why humans were so damn curious, Phlox followed on through the wall.
ANIMAL INSTINCTS
Jonathan Archer tried to ignore the beagle pacing along with him on the bridge, and turned to Hoshi. She had her eyes turned downwards; concentrating hard on the task he had set to her. She was trying to find unfamiliar noises throughout the ship, her trademark earpiece in firmly, concentration levels through the roof. He hated to disturb her, but he needed an update.
"Hoshi? Have you got anything?"
She looked to him, and her head was tilted slightly to one side, mainly to the left, where the earpiece was situated, as though she were listening harder than normal to try and hear something in particular.
"I'm not sure, sir," she replied, and her voice showed her distraction, "I think I hear something on G-deck, but I'm not sure. It could just be ventilation. or something like that."
He moved over, his hands resting on the handrail, his knuckles turning white, telling him he was gripping just a little too hard. He released his grip slightly, and looked her in the eye, eager for answers and clues. "What? What is it?"
She moistened her lips, and continued, "It sounds like. like whispering. Sort of like hushed voices, but a lot quieter. Like they're far away." Her brow was knitted, and she shook her head slightly. Her confusion equalled that of the Captain, and he wasn't even the one with the earpiece.
"Can you localise it?"
"Sir?"
"Can you determine exactly where it is?" he asked, Porthos wagging his tail at his feet. He ignored the small dog, and waited for a reply.
Hoshi shook her head again in the slightest fashion. "I'm not positive, but I think it's port side, near aft."
He allowed his own brow to furrow this time, and he glanced over his shoulder at the tactical station, where Ensign Bellamy sat, in the place of Lieutenant Reed. Crewman Falmer replaced Ensign Mayweather, and Ensign Markham sat at the science station, replacing T'Pol. With that, he nodded at Hoshi, and walked over to his chair.
Porthos followed, but suddenly, his tail dropped, and his head lowered, a menacing growl escaping his throat. His jowls curled upwards, displaying his teeth, and his eyes were focused on a point close to the turbolift.
Archer looked between the point and the dog, and he asked, "What is it, boy? What's wrong?"
The dog barked loudly, over and over again, and Hoshi winced. She pressed her earpiece into her ear further, and she looked at the point, and removed the device, staring fixatedly at the point Porthos was aggravated by.
"Captain, could you get him to be quiet?" she asked, her voice quieter for some reason, as though a deer had wandered onto the bridge, and she was afraid of startling it.
Archer nodded, intrigued by his comm officer's interest, and he bent down and picked up his pet, hushing it with a few soothing words. The growl remained, rumbling in the dog's throat, but quieter.
Hoshi's eyes narrowed, and then her head turned swiftly to the Captain, and she said, "There's something there, I don't know what it is, but I can hear it. it's like voices, almost like a crowd, but very quiet, and kind of melancholy."
Archer frowned in confusion, and said, "Where exactly?"
But before Hoshi could reply, she screamed, and struck out at something that wasn't there, a point in the air that was terrifying to her, and Archer recognised the behaviour from his Commander.
"Markham! Calm her down!" Archer ordered, and the Ensign moved from the science station over to Hoshi, and started trying to calm her down, with some success. Hoshi's eyes were wide, startled, like a rabbit in headlights.
Archer let Porthos leap down from his lap, and said to the dog in a quiet voice, "Where is it, boy. find it."
Porthos sniffed the air with his powerful nose, and then barked loudly twice, directly at the turbolift.
"Stay here! I'm going to follow this thing. it has to be a life form of some kind. Porthos can track it." Archer followed his dog to the turbolift, and opened the door.
All the while, Porthos kept the growling up, the sound becoming louder, and more threatening, as though he had run smack into some other dog he didn't like on his territory, and he were trying to protect that territory with ferocity.
"Keep it up, Porthos. I just hope your sense of smell holds up to G- deck, port side, aft," Archer mumbled. He watched the dog's body language, and sure enough, the hackles along the dog's spine rose up, giving the small animal a spiky appearance, which was a little comical, but also very menacing.
Porthos let out a loud bark, and Archer stopped the turbolift, opening the doors, watching as the dog trotted out, sniffing this way and that. After a moment, he took off at a run, satisfying the beagle's need for the hunt. He had a scent, and the dedicated little animal was determined to follow it, just so long as he could earn his supper, and please his master.
Archer followed as well as he could, pursuing the dog's barking more than his form, considering the little animal could run a hell of a lot faster than he could.
He took a brief stop, and pressed the comm button on the wall, "Doctor Phlox, could you meet me on G-deck, port side, aft. and bring a med kit. thank you."
Archer took off at a brisk pace after the dog again, who had slowed down a little, and was taking to smelling the air again. He let out a low howl, and bolted down another corridor adjacent to the one Archer was in. Archer followed again, hoping the animal wasn't going to have to go much farther.
After a few more intense minutes of running and smelling the air, and one more turbolift ride, Porthos had come to a stop. on G-deck. port side, aft. He seemed to have lost the scent, and was pining loudly, his tail low, his head to the ground, his nose tracking this way and that, searching for what he had obviously lost.
Archer heard the jogging footsteps, and he whirled, seeing Doctor Phlox running to join them, with a med kit firmly in his hands.
"Glad you could join us, Doctor," Archer panted, taking a deep breath in, and turning his gaze on his pet again, frowning as no evidence of picking up the scent showed.
"What is this all about, Captain?" Phlox was curious to know, and he too turned his attention on the animal, cocking his head slightly to one side.
"I think we've located the missing crew, but Porthos lost the scent of the life form he was tracking."
"A life form? Most interesting."
"Yes, and most helpful, or so I'd like to think. I bet this has something to do with my crew disappearing, and with any luck, they're around here somewhere."
Phlox raised a wispy eyebrow. "But Captain, I was led to believe the internal sensors had not picked up any sign of the missing crewmembers."
Archer nodded, keeping an eye on the dog. "Yes, that's true, but from what I just saw of Hoshi's behaviour up on the bridge, I have reason to believe that this life form has some psychic capability."
Phlox seemed fascinated, and took it upon himself to just shut up and watch, until his skills as a physician were required.
Porthos was sniffing at a particular bulkhead, and he cocked his small head this way and that, frantically trying to fathom something, or so it would seem.
Archer crouched to Porthos', and said, "What is it boy? Have you found something?" He looked up at the bulkhead, and he narrowed his eyes.
Why was this bulkhead so blank, so unmarred? There was absolutely no mark on it, as though it. as though it had just been put in.
"Wait a minute," he mumbled. He studied the wall intently, his eyes scanning it critically, searching for something, anything to validate his suspicions.
"Captain?" Phlox queried, looking down at the commanding officer.
"This wall. it was never here. I've never seen it before, and there's absolutely nothing on this wall. No comm link, no supports, no nothing." He looked back at the Doctor, a look of certainty on his face. "This wall isn't real."
"Are you telling me this wall is some kind of illusion, Captain?" Phlox asked, walking over closer to the wall, and taking a look for himself.
"That's exactly what I'm saying." Archer stood, giving the dog a grateful scratch behind the ear, and a pat on he flank. He took a deep breath in, and reached out to touch the wall, his fingers coming closer and closer to the non-existent bulkhead.
Sure enough, as his fingers brushed against the surface, he felt a strange sensation sweep over him, much akin to that of a cold fog floating around him, and he pressed harder, his fingers passing straight through the surface.
He looked back at the Doctor, and it was clear the Denobulan had never quite seen anything like this in his life. He blinked once, and watched as Archer began to walk completely through the wall.
Porthos, with a pine, holding his head up high, trotted on through after his master, determined to stick right by his side, and not fail him, even if the situation was frightening to him.
With a sigh, and a thought about why humans were so damn curious, Phlox followed on through the wall.