Enterprise 08
Alex and Tyler set up their tent. For some reason, they were right beside Trip and Malcolm's tent. They looked at the blue fabric of the tent apprehensivley. There was something very odd about that. Or was it just coincidence that on their ther side was Hoshi and Anne's tent, forcing them to take that last spot around the fire? The way Tyler's life was going lately, he opted for the not-coincidence option. Dinner smelled wonderful, making stomachs growl and mouths water impatiently. Anne was in charge of dinner and threatened to beat anyone trying to swipe an early mouthful with a very large stick. She shot a meaningful glance at Tyler, who bowed his head sheepishly. "So, Alex, what was that odd shaped thing you were carrying earlier?" Malcolm asked conversationally. In repsonse, she went into the tenst and came back out wtih an acoustic guitar. "What, you mean this?" She sat down and placed it across her lap, strumming a few experimental chords. "I didn't know you played." "There's a lot abou' Alex tha' ye don' ken." Tyler sid sagely, nodding. "A lot about you that we don't know wither, Commander." Malcolm replied. He pointedly ignored it and turned back to Alex. "Play us a tune, there, Alex." "And what exaclty would you want me to play?" He shrugged. "I don' ken. Jus' something simple." Alex thought about that for a moment and began to play. After a minute, she bean to sing.
Told myself for a long time don't go there you will only be sorry Told myself so many times I just had to take a look in those faraway eyes..
In them I saw a longing for something Maybe I couldn't give you Said it's all in my mind "It ain't nothing"
Don't say that Don't say that darling no Don't say anything at all Because I've seen it now Can't pretend anymore "It ain't nothing"
*Chorus* Do you know what I mean? And have you seen it too? Do you know what I mean? Do you know? And I'll do anything just tell me what it means Cause I can't live in doubt anymore Do we try or should we just say goodbye
If you'd rather be somewhere that's not here then you just gotta tell me Cause there's so much more to life, than pretending
Don't you know Don't you know darling for you I'd do anything at all I wanna be with you but that look in your eyes tells me something
*Chorus repeat*
I wanna know can you tell me I wanna know will you tell me is it hello is it good bye
I gotta know won't you tell me I gotta know you can tell me is it hello or just goodbye
I gotta know can you tell me I gotta know will you tell me is it hello is it goodbye
I gotta know won't you tell me I gotta know You can tell me is it hello is it goodbye
There was silence for a few minutes after she'd finished before anyone managed to say anyhting. It was Malcolm who recovered his voice first. "That was absolutely wonderful, Alex." He smiled warmly at her. "I've never heard anyone sing so beutifully before." "You should ask Captain Kyle to sing then. I sound like a dying crow in comparison. Tyler sounds better than I do anyways." "You sing Tyler?" Trip asked, startled. He shook his head. "No' any more. Don' e'en think o' askin' me t' do so. I might have t' hurt ye if ye do." He nodded, mind racing. 'These two get stranger and stranger the more I learn about them. There's something there that isn't right and I can't put my thumb on it. I wish I could figure him out. It's starting to drive me crazy.' he thought to himself. Outloud, he said, "Earlier, we saw some really gret caves, and Anne tells me that you like to explore caves. If you like, I could show you the one I'm surveying tomorrow when I go back." Tyler looked at him, his expression unreadable. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but curiosity got the better of him. "I'd like tha'. Thank ye Trip. Tha' was nice o' ye t' offer." Trip relaxed slightly and applied himself to the bowl of stew that Anne handed him. Malcolm shot him a congratulatory look when no one was looking. Now if Malcolm coudl find a reason to get Alex aside, he'd be a lot happier, too. After dinner was cleaned up, Alex picked up the guitar and played a few tunes, but didn't sing again. For a few songs, Anne sang wtih her, but for the most part it was just unacompanied guitar. Malcolm sat and stared at her hands, watching teh firelight glint of the strings. He blinked. He'd never noticed the silver ring on her ring finger. It was a plain silver band wtih an oval pieve of obsidian set into it. He hadn't noticed it on that night they'd spent together. 'Ah.' He thought. 'maybe she isn't allowed to wear it on duty.' He frowned. 'So what does this mean? If she was involved wtih someone, I think she would have said something.' He mentioned his observation to Trip later that night in their tent. He just shrugged, saying it was probably nothing to worry about. If had meant anything like that, she probably would have said something about it. Malcolm nodded and curled up in his sleeping bag.
Tyler and alex were up and in uniform before Trip and malcolm were. Tyler was crouched beside the fire, pokinga t something in a frying pan. From the smell, it was bacon. "Smells good, there, Tyler." Trip said, sniffing appreciatively. "I didn't know that you could cook." "I canna." he said simply. "I doesna take a genius t' make bacon though." Malcolm laughed. "That's a good point, but don't let chefd hear you say that. He's quite proud of his bacon." Tyler looked a bit puzzled, but continued to poke at it. On the other side, Anne was scrambling some eggs to go wtih the stack of toast on a plate beside her and the bacon Tyler was making. When they were done, Anne served breakfast, appologizing that the toast had to be eaten plain. No one said anything about it, content to just be able to eat something in the morning. "So, Trip, when were ye plannin' on headin' out t' these caves o' yers?" Tyler asked, nibbling on his toast. "As soon as possible. I don't like leaving engineering alone for too long, so the sooner it gets done the better off I am. Is after breakfast ok?" He nodded. "Sounds good t' me. Jus' let me grab my tricorder before we leave." "What's everyone else up to today?" Malcolm asked. "The captain asked me to have a look around for any lifeforms. Our scanners didn't detect anything, but that doesn't man that there coudln't be a sub terranean race living here. We had trouble scanning below the surface." "Did he also tell you to keep an eye out for any flowers that mihgt have hallucinogens in their pollen?" Trip asked, remembering the last time he'd been on a world like this. "Tha's my job." Anne said. "Being the doctor here, I'd think tha' I'm a good deal more qualified to identify things like tha'. No offense to ye're skills, Lieutenant, but tha's the truth o' the matter." "None taken." "Hoshi? Travis? What are your plans?" Alex asked. "I'm going to explore that other caves we found." Travis said. "Mine are the same as Malcolm's. Look for new lifeforms and possibly make contact with any that I find." She made a face. "Well. I guess I'm not going with you then. Anne bores me to tears when she gets into her medical stuff, so I guess I'll just guard the campsite." "Or you coudl come wtih me." Malcolm offered hoepfully. "Thanks, but no thanks, Lieutenant. I really should brush up on my hand to hand techniques anyways. It's been a while since I've had an open space this large to practrice in." "And becasue 'tis grass and soft earth under ye, ye won' bruise as much as ye do on the Genesis." Tyler said, grey eyes full of mischief. "Most of the major ones were caused by sparing wtih you, remember?" "Me? I canna believe ye'd say that o' me." Tyler said, faking wide eyed innocence. "I'd ne'er hurt a fly." "Sure ye would. If that fly was in ye're way." Anne told her. Tyler stuck his tongue out at her and the three laughed at some private joke. "Well, we should be off then." Trip said, standing up. "Thansk for breakfast. I forgot how god outdoor cooking can be." Anne nodded and took his plaet from him. "Since ye're staying behind, Alex, ye coud tidy up before ye get t' practicing." Alex sighed, but agreed anyways. Soon afterwards, everyone went off their own ways.
"So how much farther t' these caves ye found?" "Just over these hills." Trip paused to rearange his pack of supplies. "So tell me about yourself, Tyler." "Like wha'?" "What kind of things do you likt to do? What's your family like? I heard that you like caves and have a twin, but I don't know much else." He paused. "I also herad some really odd rumour about you." "Wouldna be the first time." Tyler growled. "Which one was it this time?" Trip passed on to her what Malcolm had told him. "He says that Alex told him that." "Aye. I'll believe tha'. Jus' t' let ye ken, 'tis entirely false. She tells that t' people t' keep them away from me. Anne and most of the bridge crew will tell ye the same thing." He paused, turning away from Trip. "I like my privacy. If people are truly interested in gettin' t' ken me, they can damn well come and ask me themselves instead of going the roundabout way. It really annoys me." "Ah. I see. So I'm doing this the right way." "No' really. Ye did find that out through Lieutenant Reed." "He told me. I didn't ask him about it." Tyler relaxed a bit. "Good. I also figured tha' if people hear tha' story, they won' be able t' figure me out, won' come near me. I'll be honest wi' ye Trip. There are things about me tha' most people would rather no' ken and I'd like t' keep it tha' way." "You do know you can tell me aything, right?" Trip asked him. "Anything. I won't judge you. I promise." Tyler laughed. The sound was more bitter than anything else. "I thank ye, but ye don' want t' ken more about me than the utmost basics. I promise ye that much." He pasued. "My life isna really tha' interesting. I do have a twin. A sister, younger than me. I have one older brother, married now with two children. My family constantly gets after me to find a partner and start my own family." "Just haven't found the right person yet?" He shook his head sadly. "No, and 'tis looking like tha' person doesna exist outside of my deams." he sighed. "No use worryin' about it though. If it doesna happen, it doesna happen. I won' worry about it." "And if you do meet that someone? What then? Will you give up Starfleet?" "I'll worry about that if it happens but no' a moment before. I'd rather work on the ship than spend my time worryinga bout something that' might ne'er happen." "A sound philosophy." Trip pointed up ahead. "That's the cave I found the other day." "Looks like a regular cave t' me." "From the outside, yes, but it's different on the inside." They turned on their flashlights and went inside. The floor was covered by a fine sand, to rock wall warm to the touch. Trip led Tyler to the end of the cave where the wterfall was and instructed him to turn off the flashlight. Tyler narrowed his eyes supiciously, but turned it off anyways. It was dark for a few moments until the waterfall began to glow softly. Tyler sat down beside it, whistling appreciatively. "This is one o' the most beutiful things I have e're seen! I love waterfalls. They're so peaceful." "I've seen prettier things than this, but the prettiest thing i've ever seen doesn't like complements or having attention drawn to them, so I'm stuck with praising this waterfall for it's beauty." "Oh come now Trip." Tyler scolded. "Ye're a wonderful person. What kind o' idiot would refuse praise from ye?" "You'd be surprised. I don't have much luck with relationships." "Neither do I." He paused. "I'm wonderful?" "I like ye. Ye're always nice t' me e'en though ye've only kent me a short time now. Ye're thoughtful, kenning that I'd like t' see this and invitin' me t' come wi' ye. Any woman wouild be happy wi' ye." "You think so?" He asked and Tyler nodded. "And therein lies my problem. I haven't found a woman that I'm interested in yet." "I see." There was a long silence before Trip pulled out his tricorder to scan the area. he wandered around for a while, eventually leaving teh area. Tyler drew his knees up to his chest and lowered his chin down to rest on them. 'I'm such an idiot. There's no way tha' this could work. He doesna ken about me and I canna bring myself t' tell him. He might think tha' I'm a freak o' the worst kind if he e'er found out. Why am I doin' this t' myself? I could be out doin' something yet I sit here waitin' for him t' come back. Tha's it. I'm going t' go now. I'll appologize t' him later.'
Trip wandered around, not really looking at the readings his tricorder was taking. He was toio busy mentally hitting himself over the head for his stupidity. He could have handled that much better than he had. He had the chance to tell tyler how h felt and he'd botched it so badly he wouldn't blame him if he never talked to him again becasue of it. He crouched down, leaning his head on a wall, reisting the urge to bang his head against it. He sat there for a while, trying to figure out ho to fix this situation. Before he could come up with a plausable solution, he was disrtacted by a scream of pain from just outside the cave. He stodd and ran as fast as he could towards it, noting that Tyler wasn't at the waterfall. Maybe he was already outside? When he got there, he found out how true that was. "Silik." Trip said, his voice ful of venom. "Let Tyler go!" The Suliban had Tyler's arms pinned behind his back and a knife at his throat. "Ah. Commander Tucker. So good to see you again." "Let him go Silik. i'm warning you." "Him?" Silik looked momentarily confused. "Ah. You're refering no doubt to my little prisoner. You are quite mistake about his identity it seems. It was amusing, you know. Watching you attempting to talk to him. It's rather hard to talk to someone who doesn't really exist, you know." "What?" "Tell Captain Kyle that Commander Wolffe is now in the possesion of the Kabal and tht she shoudln't expect to ever have her chief engineer back." Laughing, he entered a ship that uncloaked behind him. Once he was onboard, the ship took off and recloaked. Anne, Hoshi, and Alex came running up moments after it had taken off to find Trip on his knees in the sand in front of the cave staring upwards wtih a look of pain on his face. "What happened?" Alex demanded. "We heard a scream and came to investigate." she looked around. "Where's Tyler?" "Gone." he whispered. "He's gone and it's all my fault." "Commander, ye have t' tell su wha' happened here. Where did Tyler go? Why are ye blamin' yerself like tha'?" "We'd best get back to camp so that I don't have to repeat this to Malcolm and Travis." Once back at camp, Malcolm and Travis weren't long in returning. Malcolm looked alarmed that Tyler wasn't with them. Trip sat down on a log and told them everything from his feelings all the way to the set up he and Malcolm had planned, including the plot for Malcolm to get Alex alone wtih him. Alex gazed at Malcolm contemplatively for a moment, then returned her attention to Trip. He told them about Silik taking him away. Everything rushed out and before he knew it there were tears streaming down his face. Anne looked at him, sorrow in her eyes. "Ye really do love Tyler don' ye?" He nodded. "Silik was right, ye ken. Tyler doesna exist." "Are you telling me that we've all hallucinated him?" "No. I canna tel ye anythin' down here. I have t' get to the Genesis and talk t' Cap'n Kyle. She needs t' learn wha' happened here." Alex nodded soberly. "This is too important to leave. If we loose Wolffe again, things could get very bad."
Note: The song Alex sings in this part is called Vector and is performed by Maaya Sakamoto. I can send you the song if you don't have a file sharing program should you wish to hear it. It's really quite pretty.
Alex and Tyler set up their tent. For some reason, they were right beside Trip and Malcolm's tent. They looked at the blue fabric of the tent apprehensivley. There was something very odd about that. Or was it just coincidence that on their ther side was Hoshi and Anne's tent, forcing them to take that last spot around the fire? The way Tyler's life was going lately, he opted for the not-coincidence option. Dinner smelled wonderful, making stomachs growl and mouths water impatiently. Anne was in charge of dinner and threatened to beat anyone trying to swipe an early mouthful with a very large stick. She shot a meaningful glance at Tyler, who bowed his head sheepishly. "So, Alex, what was that odd shaped thing you were carrying earlier?" Malcolm asked conversationally. In repsonse, she went into the tenst and came back out wtih an acoustic guitar. "What, you mean this?" She sat down and placed it across her lap, strumming a few experimental chords. "I didn't know you played." "There's a lot abou' Alex tha' ye don' ken." Tyler sid sagely, nodding. "A lot about you that we don't know wither, Commander." Malcolm replied. He pointedly ignored it and turned back to Alex. "Play us a tune, there, Alex." "And what exaclty would you want me to play?" He shrugged. "I don' ken. Jus' something simple." Alex thought about that for a moment and began to play. After a minute, she bean to sing.
Told myself for a long time don't go there you will only be sorry Told myself so many times I just had to take a look in those faraway eyes..
In them I saw a longing for something Maybe I couldn't give you Said it's all in my mind "It ain't nothing"
Don't say that Don't say that darling no Don't say anything at all Because I've seen it now Can't pretend anymore "It ain't nothing"
*Chorus* Do you know what I mean? And have you seen it too? Do you know what I mean? Do you know? And I'll do anything just tell me what it means Cause I can't live in doubt anymore Do we try or should we just say goodbye
If you'd rather be somewhere that's not here then you just gotta tell me Cause there's so much more to life, than pretending
Don't you know Don't you know darling for you I'd do anything at all I wanna be with you but that look in your eyes tells me something
*Chorus repeat*
I wanna know can you tell me I wanna know will you tell me is it hello is it good bye
I gotta know won't you tell me I gotta know you can tell me is it hello or just goodbye
I gotta know can you tell me I gotta know will you tell me is it hello is it goodbye
I gotta know won't you tell me I gotta know You can tell me is it hello is it goodbye
There was silence for a few minutes after she'd finished before anyone managed to say anyhting. It was Malcolm who recovered his voice first. "That was absolutely wonderful, Alex." He smiled warmly at her. "I've never heard anyone sing so beutifully before." "You should ask Captain Kyle to sing then. I sound like a dying crow in comparison. Tyler sounds better than I do anyways." "You sing Tyler?" Trip asked, startled. He shook his head. "No' any more. Don' e'en think o' askin' me t' do so. I might have t' hurt ye if ye do." He nodded, mind racing. 'These two get stranger and stranger the more I learn about them. There's something there that isn't right and I can't put my thumb on it. I wish I could figure him out. It's starting to drive me crazy.' he thought to himself. Outloud, he said, "Earlier, we saw some really gret caves, and Anne tells me that you like to explore caves. If you like, I could show you the one I'm surveying tomorrow when I go back." Tyler looked at him, his expression unreadable. His eyes narrowed suspiciously, but curiosity got the better of him. "I'd like tha'. Thank ye Trip. Tha' was nice o' ye t' offer." Trip relaxed slightly and applied himself to the bowl of stew that Anne handed him. Malcolm shot him a congratulatory look when no one was looking. Now if Malcolm coudl find a reason to get Alex aside, he'd be a lot happier, too. After dinner was cleaned up, Alex picked up the guitar and played a few tunes, but didn't sing again. For a few songs, Anne sang wtih her, but for the most part it was just unacompanied guitar. Malcolm sat and stared at her hands, watching teh firelight glint of the strings. He blinked. He'd never noticed the silver ring on her ring finger. It was a plain silver band wtih an oval pieve of obsidian set into it. He hadn't noticed it on that night they'd spent together. 'Ah.' He thought. 'maybe she isn't allowed to wear it on duty.' He frowned. 'So what does this mean? If she was involved wtih someone, I think she would have said something.' He mentioned his observation to Trip later that night in their tent. He just shrugged, saying it was probably nothing to worry about. If had meant anything like that, she probably would have said something about it. Malcolm nodded and curled up in his sleeping bag.
Tyler and alex were up and in uniform before Trip and malcolm were. Tyler was crouched beside the fire, pokinga t something in a frying pan. From the smell, it was bacon. "Smells good, there, Tyler." Trip said, sniffing appreciatively. "I didn't know that you could cook." "I canna." he said simply. "I doesna take a genius t' make bacon though." Malcolm laughed. "That's a good point, but don't let chefd hear you say that. He's quite proud of his bacon." Tyler looked a bit puzzled, but continued to poke at it. On the other side, Anne was scrambling some eggs to go wtih the stack of toast on a plate beside her and the bacon Tyler was making. When they were done, Anne served breakfast, appologizing that the toast had to be eaten plain. No one said anything about it, content to just be able to eat something in the morning. "So, Trip, when were ye plannin' on headin' out t' these caves o' yers?" Tyler asked, nibbling on his toast. "As soon as possible. I don't like leaving engineering alone for too long, so the sooner it gets done the better off I am. Is after breakfast ok?" He nodded. "Sounds good t' me. Jus' let me grab my tricorder before we leave." "What's everyone else up to today?" Malcolm asked. "The captain asked me to have a look around for any lifeforms. Our scanners didn't detect anything, but that doesn't man that there coudln't be a sub terranean race living here. We had trouble scanning below the surface." "Did he also tell you to keep an eye out for any flowers that mihgt have hallucinogens in their pollen?" Trip asked, remembering the last time he'd been on a world like this. "Tha's my job." Anne said. "Being the doctor here, I'd think tha' I'm a good deal more qualified to identify things like tha'. No offense to ye're skills, Lieutenant, but tha's the truth o' the matter." "None taken." "Hoshi? Travis? What are your plans?" Alex asked. "I'm going to explore that other caves we found." Travis said. "Mine are the same as Malcolm's. Look for new lifeforms and possibly make contact with any that I find." She made a face. "Well. I guess I'm not going with you then. Anne bores me to tears when she gets into her medical stuff, so I guess I'll just guard the campsite." "Or you coudl come wtih me." Malcolm offered hoepfully. "Thanks, but no thanks, Lieutenant. I really should brush up on my hand to hand techniques anyways. It's been a while since I've had an open space this large to practrice in." "And becasue 'tis grass and soft earth under ye, ye won' bruise as much as ye do on the Genesis." Tyler said, grey eyes full of mischief. "Most of the major ones were caused by sparing wtih you, remember?" "Me? I canna believe ye'd say that o' me." Tyler said, faking wide eyed innocence. "I'd ne'er hurt a fly." "Sure ye would. If that fly was in ye're way." Anne told her. Tyler stuck his tongue out at her and the three laughed at some private joke. "Well, we should be off then." Trip said, standing up. "Thansk for breakfast. I forgot how god outdoor cooking can be." Anne nodded and took his plaet from him. "Since ye're staying behind, Alex, ye coud tidy up before ye get t' practicing." Alex sighed, but agreed anyways. Soon afterwards, everyone went off their own ways.
"So how much farther t' these caves ye found?" "Just over these hills." Trip paused to rearange his pack of supplies. "So tell me about yourself, Tyler." "Like wha'?" "What kind of things do you likt to do? What's your family like? I heard that you like caves and have a twin, but I don't know much else." He paused. "I also herad some really odd rumour about you." "Wouldna be the first time." Tyler growled. "Which one was it this time?" Trip passed on to her what Malcolm had told him. "He says that Alex told him that." "Aye. I'll believe tha'. Jus' t' let ye ken, 'tis entirely false. She tells that t' people t' keep them away from me. Anne and most of the bridge crew will tell ye the same thing." He paused, turning away from Trip. "I like my privacy. If people are truly interested in gettin' t' ken me, they can damn well come and ask me themselves instead of going the roundabout way. It really annoys me." "Ah. I see. So I'm doing this the right way." "No' really. Ye did find that out through Lieutenant Reed." "He told me. I didn't ask him about it." Tyler relaxed a bit. "Good. I also figured tha' if people hear tha' story, they won' be able t' figure me out, won' come near me. I'll be honest wi' ye Trip. There are things about me tha' most people would rather no' ken and I'd like t' keep it tha' way." "You do know you can tell me aything, right?" Trip asked him. "Anything. I won't judge you. I promise." Tyler laughed. The sound was more bitter than anything else. "I thank ye, but ye don' want t' ken more about me than the utmost basics. I promise ye that much." He pasued. "My life isna really tha' interesting. I do have a twin. A sister, younger than me. I have one older brother, married now with two children. My family constantly gets after me to find a partner and start my own family." "Just haven't found the right person yet?" He shook his head sadly. "No, and 'tis looking like tha' person doesna exist outside of my deams." he sighed. "No use worryin' about it though. If it doesna happen, it doesna happen. I won' worry about it." "And if you do meet that someone? What then? Will you give up Starfleet?" "I'll worry about that if it happens but no' a moment before. I'd rather work on the ship than spend my time worryinga bout something that' might ne'er happen." "A sound philosophy." Trip pointed up ahead. "That's the cave I found the other day." "Looks like a regular cave t' me." "From the outside, yes, but it's different on the inside." They turned on their flashlights and went inside. The floor was covered by a fine sand, to rock wall warm to the touch. Trip led Tyler to the end of the cave where the wterfall was and instructed him to turn off the flashlight. Tyler narrowed his eyes supiciously, but turned it off anyways. It was dark for a few moments until the waterfall began to glow softly. Tyler sat down beside it, whistling appreciatively. "This is one o' the most beutiful things I have e're seen! I love waterfalls. They're so peaceful." "I've seen prettier things than this, but the prettiest thing i've ever seen doesn't like complements or having attention drawn to them, so I'm stuck with praising this waterfall for it's beauty." "Oh come now Trip." Tyler scolded. "Ye're a wonderful person. What kind o' idiot would refuse praise from ye?" "You'd be surprised. I don't have much luck with relationships." "Neither do I." He paused. "I'm wonderful?" "I like ye. Ye're always nice t' me e'en though ye've only kent me a short time now. Ye're thoughtful, kenning that I'd like t' see this and invitin' me t' come wi' ye. Any woman wouild be happy wi' ye." "You think so?" He asked and Tyler nodded. "And therein lies my problem. I haven't found a woman that I'm interested in yet." "I see." There was a long silence before Trip pulled out his tricorder to scan the area. he wandered around for a while, eventually leaving teh area. Tyler drew his knees up to his chest and lowered his chin down to rest on them. 'I'm such an idiot. There's no way tha' this could work. He doesna ken about me and I canna bring myself t' tell him. He might think tha' I'm a freak o' the worst kind if he e'er found out. Why am I doin' this t' myself? I could be out doin' something yet I sit here waitin' for him t' come back. Tha's it. I'm going t' go now. I'll appologize t' him later.'
Trip wandered around, not really looking at the readings his tricorder was taking. He was toio busy mentally hitting himself over the head for his stupidity. He could have handled that much better than he had. He had the chance to tell tyler how h felt and he'd botched it so badly he wouldn't blame him if he never talked to him again becasue of it. He crouched down, leaning his head on a wall, reisting the urge to bang his head against it. He sat there for a while, trying to figure out ho to fix this situation. Before he could come up with a plausable solution, he was disrtacted by a scream of pain from just outside the cave. He stodd and ran as fast as he could towards it, noting that Tyler wasn't at the waterfall. Maybe he was already outside? When he got there, he found out how true that was. "Silik." Trip said, his voice ful of venom. "Let Tyler go!" The Suliban had Tyler's arms pinned behind his back and a knife at his throat. "Ah. Commander Tucker. So good to see you again." "Let him go Silik. i'm warning you." "Him?" Silik looked momentarily confused. "Ah. You're refering no doubt to my little prisoner. You are quite mistake about his identity it seems. It was amusing, you know. Watching you attempting to talk to him. It's rather hard to talk to someone who doesn't really exist, you know." "What?" "Tell Captain Kyle that Commander Wolffe is now in the possesion of the Kabal and tht she shoudln't expect to ever have her chief engineer back." Laughing, he entered a ship that uncloaked behind him. Once he was onboard, the ship took off and recloaked. Anne, Hoshi, and Alex came running up moments after it had taken off to find Trip on his knees in the sand in front of the cave staring upwards wtih a look of pain on his face. "What happened?" Alex demanded. "We heard a scream and came to investigate." she looked around. "Where's Tyler?" "Gone." he whispered. "He's gone and it's all my fault." "Commander, ye have t' tell su wha' happened here. Where did Tyler go? Why are ye blamin' yerself like tha'?" "We'd best get back to camp so that I don't have to repeat this to Malcolm and Travis." Once back at camp, Malcolm and Travis weren't long in returning. Malcolm looked alarmed that Tyler wasn't with them. Trip sat down on a log and told them everything from his feelings all the way to the set up he and Malcolm had planned, including the plot for Malcolm to get Alex alone wtih him. Alex gazed at Malcolm contemplatively for a moment, then returned her attention to Trip. He told them about Silik taking him away. Everything rushed out and before he knew it there were tears streaming down his face. Anne looked at him, sorrow in her eyes. "Ye really do love Tyler don' ye?" He nodded. "Silik was right, ye ken. Tyler doesna exist." "Are you telling me that we've all hallucinated him?" "No. I canna tel ye anythin' down here. I have t' get to the Genesis and talk t' Cap'n Kyle. She needs t' learn wha' happened here." Alex nodded soberly. "This is too important to leave. If we loose Wolffe again, things could get very bad."
Note: The song Alex sings in this part is called Vector and is performed by Maaya Sakamoto. I can send you the song if you don't have a file sharing program should you wish to hear it. It's really quite pretty.