See Disclaimer in Part 1
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PART 24:
Reed entered Engineering and started to look around. Ensign Cordes stood atop the warp engine, watching him. He decided he couldn't stay quiet anymore and climbed down.
He walked up to Reed who was speaking to another engineer.
"Thank you," Reed said.
"Lieutenant Reed?" Cordes said.
"Yes, Ensign?"
"Ensign Cordes, sir."
"How can I help you?"
"I need to speak to you in private about what's going on with Commander Tucker."
"What do you think is going on with Commander Tucker?" Reed asked.
"Look I know he was arrested and taken to the Brig," Cordes said.
"How did you know that?"
"Ensign Driscoll has been telling everyone in engineering that Commander Tucker was arrested for using drugs."
Reed stared at Cordes. No one but himself, Archer, T'Pol and Doctor Phlox knew what happened to Trip and why.
"Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?"
"Okay. What do you know?"
"Not here," Cordes said and walked away.
Reed followed Cordes into a room off of Engineering. He turned to face Cordes as he shut the door.
"Okay, let's have it," Reed demanded.
"Ensign Driscoll's out to get Commander Tucker," Cordes said.
"And how sure are you about this?"
"Very sure," Cordes answered. "I should have done this when I saw him putting something into Commander Tucker's coffee."
"Wait. Start from the beginning," Reed said. "And for God sake explain why you didn't report this."
"Driscoll is very upset about the evaluation he got from Commander Tucker," Cordes went on. "He said he wanted to show him he could do his job, and that accidents could happen to the commander."
"What kind of accidents?"
"He never mentioned what kind," Cordes continued. "I thought maybe he was just blowing off steam. Then I caught him the next morning putting something into the Commanders coffee and I confronted him on it. That's why I never said anything until now, he threatened that if I said anything that I'd live to regret it."
"You didn't happen to get a look at what he was putting in the coffee?" Reed asked.
"All I saw was a small white packet, about this size." He showed Reed the size with his fingers. "I never saw what was in it."
"Are you willing to write up a report about everything you just told me?"
"If it's going to help Commander Tucker, yes I will."
"You think you can have it to me by the end of the day?" Reed asked.
"I'll start it right now," Cordes told him.
"Thank you, Ensign," Reed said and left the room through another door that led to the hallway.
Cordes went to walk out the other door leading back to engineering. Driscoll greeted him in the doorway.
"What are you doing in here, Cordes?" he asked and pushed him back into the room by stepping in himself.
"What I do every day at this time," Cordes said nervously. "Checking the instruments."
"Did I ever tell you how much I hate when people lie to me?"
"No and I really don't care," Cordes told him and tried to get past Driscoll.
Driscoll stepped in his way. "Someone told me you were in here with Lieutenant Reed."
Cordes looked around. "Do you see Lieutenant Reed anywhere?" he asked. "No, so how could I be in here with him?"
"Well someone is lying to me," Driscoll said moving closer to Cordes.
"And you know what?" he asked shooting Cordes with a phase pistol. "I think that someone was you."
He looked down at Cordes body and smiled. "I told you that you'd regret it if you spoke to anyone," he said. "Now I have to go and change my whole plan around because of you."
He dragged Cordes body over to a compartment on the wall. Opening it, he picked up the body and started to put it in.
"Now I have to take care of Commander Tucker in another way," he said satisfied that he got the body into the compartment well enough to close it. "Probably going to have to take care of Lieutenant Reed also, but that should be no problem."
He closed the compartment door and left the room.
End of Part 24
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PART 24:
Reed entered Engineering and started to look around. Ensign Cordes stood atop the warp engine, watching him. He decided he couldn't stay quiet anymore and climbed down.
He walked up to Reed who was speaking to another engineer.
"Thank you," Reed said.
"Lieutenant Reed?" Cordes said.
"Yes, Ensign?"
"Ensign Cordes, sir."
"How can I help you?"
"I need to speak to you in private about what's going on with Commander Tucker."
"What do you think is going on with Commander Tucker?" Reed asked.
"Look I know he was arrested and taken to the Brig," Cordes said.
"How did you know that?"
"Ensign Driscoll has been telling everyone in engineering that Commander Tucker was arrested for using drugs."
Reed stared at Cordes. No one but himself, Archer, T'Pol and Doctor Phlox knew what happened to Trip and why.
"Are you ready to listen to what I have to say?"
"Okay. What do you know?"
"Not here," Cordes said and walked away.
Reed followed Cordes into a room off of Engineering. He turned to face Cordes as he shut the door.
"Okay, let's have it," Reed demanded.
"Ensign Driscoll's out to get Commander Tucker," Cordes said.
"And how sure are you about this?"
"Very sure," Cordes answered. "I should have done this when I saw him putting something into Commander Tucker's coffee."
"Wait. Start from the beginning," Reed said. "And for God sake explain why you didn't report this."
"Driscoll is very upset about the evaluation he got from Commander Tucker," Cordes went on. "He said he wanted to show him he could do his job, and that accidents could happen to the commander."
"What kind of accidents?"
"He never mentioned what kind," Cordes continued. "I thought maybe he was just blowing off steam. Then I caught him the next morning putting something into the Commanders coffee and I confronted him on it. That's why I never said anything until now, he threatened that if I said anything that I'd live to regret it."
"You didn't happen to get a look at what he was putting in the coffee?" Reed asked.
"All I saw was a small white packet, about this size." He showed Reed the size with his fingers. "I never saw what was in it."
"Are you willing to write up a report about everything you just told me?"
"If it's going to help Commander Tucker, yes I will."
"You think you can have it to me by the end of the day?" Reed asked.
"I'll start it right now," Cordes told him.
"Thank you, Ensign," Reed said and left the room through another door that led to the hallway.
Cordes went to walk out the other door leading back to engineering. Driscoll greeted him in the doorway.
"What are you doing in here, Cordes?" he asked and pushed him back into the room by stepping in himself.
"What I do every day at this time," Cordes said nervously. "Checking the instruments."
"Did I ever tell you how much I hate when people lie to me?"
"No and I really don't care," Cordes told him and tried to get past Driscoll.
Driscoll stepped in his way. "Someone told me you were in here with Lieutenant Reed."
Cordes looked around. "Do you see Lieutenant Reed anywhere?" he asked. "No, so how could I be in here with him?"
"Well someone is lying to me," Driscoll said moving closer to Cordes.
"And you know what?" he asked shooting Cordes with a phase pistol. "I think that someone was you."
He looked down at Cordes body and smiled. "I told you that you'd regret it if you spoke to anyone," he said. "Now I have to go and change my whole plan around because of you."
He dragged Cordes body over to a compartment on the wall. Opening it, he picked up the body and started to put it in.
"Now I have to take care of Commander Tucker in another way," he said satisfied that he got the body into the compartment well enough to close it. "Probably going to have to take care of Lieutenant Reed also, but that should be no problem."
He closed the compartment door and left the room.
End of Part 24