TITLE: Hidden Truths - Part Five
SUMMARY: Well, if you've come this far you probably already know the jist.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own any characters from Enterprise or anything.
NOTES: Just the one chapter for you today - next one is coming tomorrow. Oh, and just to let you know, I won't be revealing Trip's deal 'til like, chapter 11, so be warned!!! In the meantime feel free to guess all you want, mwa ha ha!
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Chapter Five
BUT WHEN THEY DO
"Hoshi? Hoshi, come on, wake up....." Trip whispered but he feared that the sweet innocent-faced body was already empty of life. Her skin was colder to the touch, there was no mistaking his own senses - no matter how much he craved them to be untrue. She wasn't breathing, there was no pulse. The dark red liquid seeped through her clothing and was held their by it's fibres, while some oozed onto the floor, and onto Trip as he cradled her.
How could he let this happen?
"Why the hell d'you show me if you knew I couldn't change it?!" He shouted into the air, not entirely sure who he was talking to. How cruel, to torture him by showing Hoshi's death in a twisted dream when there was nothing he could do to prevent it?
Another shudder reminded him mockingly that there were grander problems to be concerned about - though Trip certainly didn't feel that way. But his survival instincts pushed him to gather Hoshi's still form, his ribs only an insignificant pain compared to the anguish he felt, and head for the shuttle.
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Where are they? They should be here....Malcolm cursed inside his own mind. His thoughts were mirrored by Jon's words.
"They should be here by now."
The three had reached the shuttle and warned Enterprise. They'd now been waiting a good five minutes for the two absent crewmembers. (They gathered Hoshi must have been wrong about the estimated time until the generator blew.)
"Perhaps it took longer than we first assumed to go around the blocked path." T'Pol expressed, ever the voice of reason. None of the three wanted to address the mere possibility that Hoshi and Trip could have been buried back under the debris. Sure as hell they weren't going to leave until they were certain.
"Malcolm, how are you holding up?"
"I'll be fine." Malcolm exaggerated. In truth he felt as if a steel band had set up shop in his skull. He had pushed T'Pol out the way of a mass of falling brick and been rewarded for his bravery with a violent tear down the side of his face and a severe blow to the head. The rest of the journey to the shuttle was somewhat of a blur but T'Pol assured him (With little sympathy, or gratitude) that he would be fine once they were back on Enterprise. If we ever get back. Malcolm thought pessimistically while he held a bandage to his wound.
Jon was struggling internally, damning himself for leaving Trip and Hoshi behind, and pretty much raking through all the mistakes he made, the greatest one being to ever trust the Nistet.
Another quake hit. This one was larger and more violent than any of the others. Jon suspected they didn't have long.
"How long do we intend to wait?" T'Pol asked over the noise of more collapsing buildings. Jon made a mental observation that he was surprised any buildings were still standing long enough to fall down, then answered his Vulcan officer.
"Until they get here."
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Trip didn't know what was more painful - the pressure upon his crushed chest or the fact that he allowed Hoshi to die. The mere fact that his legs were moving at all was surprising seeing as his mind was still back in the alley, at that split second when everything changed.
Trip's sense of direction had returned, as if it were some irrelevant consolation, and he was sure that the shuttle was just ahead. The dust from the last quake had formed a fog that impeded his vision to an extent but it wasn't long before the indisputable shape of the shuttlepod began to form ahead. Trip saw it before Jon and T'Pol saw him. He knew Archer wouldn't leave.
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When a vague shape appeared through the dust, Jon thought he might be seeing things - wishful thinking and all that, but when the outline became clearer his mind allowed him to realise what the shapes were. It was definitely Trip, but Hoshi was not walking - she was being carried. The implications alone were enough for Jon's stomach to clench. She must be seriously hurt.
"Hoshi....is she alright? We need to get her to Enterprise...." He said hurriedly after ushering T'Pol and Trip into the shuttle.
The look on Trip's face could have given Jon the answer but Jon needed to hear it to believe.
"No, it's too late, she's dead."
"Enterprise to shuttle."
"Yes Ensign." T'Pol answered. (She feared no-one else could at that point.)
"I strongly recommend you take off now, I estimate the generator will explode in less than twenty seconds." Travis insisted.
"Acknowledged" T'Pol responded and started the shuttle. They were in the air only moments before the deafening sound and the sea of galloping fire scorched the ground below.
The short return to Enterprise was strangely silent. Jon wordlessly assisted T'Pol pilot the shuttle while Malcolm stared at Hoshi as if willing her to open her eyes. Trip noted his wound. This is all my fault. I knew. I knew and I should have stopped anyone from setting foot on that damn planet. It's my fault - all because I didn't want them to find out who I am. But even them knowing would be better than this.
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Word of Hoshi's death would have already reached the entire crew by now. Jon thought morbidly. I still better make an announcement. He supposed, before denouncing himself for treating Hoshi like some kind of formal task.
Enterprise hadn't been too heavily damaged by the explosion. T'Pol had suggested that the engines be turned off, to prevent any surges. They were still offline, probably a precaution until they could be safely reactivated.
Everyone (bar T'Pol who had gone to the bridge to assess the damage to the Ferra system.) was now in the medical bay being seen to by Phlox. Hoshi lay on the far bed and Phlox was treating Malcolm's head wound. Both men looked distant.
"That should do it. I don't think you have concussion, but you should rest for a few days." Phlox said, detached. "Captain, are you alright?"
"I'm fine." Jon answered.
"Commander?"
"Fine."
Phlox scanned the other two men anyway. He knew humans could often be stubborn about their health when it came to more important matters and he understood, nevertheless he had a job to do.
"Mr Tucker you have three broken and two fractured ribs." Phlox said bluntly.
"Huh?" Trip replied, before remembering about his injuries. Somehow they seemed unimportant to him now.
"I can treat them for you." Phlox carried on and went about doing so.
"I know you don't want to talk about it Trip, but I'm going to have to hear it at some - " Jon began, but Trip cut him off. Now was a good a time as any to explain how he got Hoshi killed.
"We were lost. Three Nistet approached us, wanting us to take them to the shuttle. We said you'd already left." He said, cramming the situation into as little words as possible. "They didn't agree." He finished with an empty voice.
"I suggest you all rest for at least three days, you included Captain. I'm done here." Phlox ordered.
The three men left sickbay going through the same thing. They were alike in many respects and different in so many others. But they were all missing something. Something that they would never get back.
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End of Part Five
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