I'm sad that no one reviewed my last chapter. Maybe it wasn't that good.
Oh, well.
Chapter 9
"Aufstehen! Get up! Aufstehen! Los!"
Archer felt someone kick his leg violently. Archer opened his eyes and saw two guards standing over him. Commander Lee stood behind the guards. Her expression was difficult to read. Archer got up and rubbed his eyes. It was early and none of the other prisoners were up yet.
"What's going on?" Trip was lying on his side on the cement when he saw the captain standing.
Commander Lee stepped in front of Archer.
"The Colonel has requested a meeting with you, Captain."
"The Colonel," Archer said, surprised, "wants to speak with me?"
"Yes."
Archer blinked several times in uncertainty. "What about my mining job-"
"It will be taken care of. Come with me."
Commander Lee turned around sharply and walked swiftly out the door.
"Cap'n?" Tucker said sleepily.
"Stay here, Trip."
Commander Tucker hesitated, but then shrugged and laid back down on the cement.
Archer was led out of the barrack and out of the entire complex. Archer was brought, at gunpoint, to an automobile, perhaps a jeep. Archer sat in the backseat, in-between the two guards. Cmdr. Lee sat in the front seat with another officer who drove the jeep. The road that led through the jungle was paved and very smooth, unlike the road Archer and the others had traveled on. The road, or one could properly call a street, eventually came to an end in front of an old, but massive castle. The castle immediately reminded Archer of Europe's 15th century castles.
Trip would've loved to have seen this. Archer said.
The structure fascinated Archer to a high degree. It was somewhat odd, a fortress this large and old in the middle of a tropical forest. But it had a strange, enticing beauty to it that intrigued the Enterprise Captain.
Cmdr. Lee suddenly stepped into Archer's gaze. She looked annoyed.
"Yes, it is quite magnificent. Now come with me."
Archer was persuaded to follow the woman by the cold point of a gun on his back.
The castle was completely surrounded by guards. They eyed the captain suspiciously. Archer kept his head down. Tapestries covered the walls. They all revealed something related to the Nazis, especially the swastikas. Others had some kind of passages that were in German.
They all walked down the long, dark hallway for a long time. Torches lit up the passage. After a while, they came a large door. Cmdr. Lee knocked lightly which was accompanied by a gruff voice from inside.
"Hereinkommen!"
Lee pushed the wooden door open to reveal a surprisingly modern office. The room was huge with fancy furniture and a large desk made of some kind of wood that reminded Archer of cherry wood. The room had many photographs hung on the walls showing the Colonel happily shaking other people's hands.
Behind the desk was the Colonel who had a grumpy expression on his face. His head was down and he was concentrating on the scattered papers on his desk. Archer noticed a photo on the desk of a young, beautiful woman with wavy blond hair. She gave a mysterious smile that reminded the captain of the Mona Lisa.
"Colonel?" Lee said.
The Colonel grunted but didn't look up. "What is it, May Ling? I'm busy."
"I have the Human Captain here as you requested."
This caught the Colonel's attention and he finally lifted his gaze from his paperwork.
"Oh, yes," The Colonel leaned back in chair and tossed his pen to the desk. He then motioned his hand to the chair on the other side of the desk, "sit."
"I'd prefer to stand, Colonel." Archer said.
"And I'd prefer you to sit." Archer didn't have much choice as the guards roughly shoved him into the chair.
"So, Colonel, what did you want to talk about?"
"Your ship."
There was an awkward pause and then Archer spoke. "What about her?"
"What's her name?"
"Enterprise."
"Hm. Enterprise. I like the sound of it."
"I hope, Colonel, that you didn't have me dragged down here in the middle of the night just to talk about my ship which my officers and I would like to return to."
"Don't get your hopes up, Captain. I'm simply curious about the vessel hovering over my planet."
"From what I've noticed, this isn't exactly your planet."
The guards from behind Archer stiffened at the insult and awaited the Colonel's command to strike the prisoner. The Colonel merely chuckled.
"Technically, it's not. But I'm getting close. Now, please, do tell me about Enterprise."
"To know a ship like Enterprise could even exist, one would think that you'd have the technology to study my ship yourself."
"We did away with fancy technology and warp drive long ago, Captain. What we have now is quite fine."
"But you still can't study Enterprise. How naïve."
This Captain was really pushing it. But the Colonel let him talk. Let this starship captain build his confidence up until he would say something so stupid, the Colonel could just kill him right in his chair.
That would be exciting. The Colonel thought.
"Tell me more about your ship. What speed can you get her up to?"
The captain didn't answer. This was becoming frustrating.
"Captain, your stay at my camp can be made quite easy if you'd just answer my questions."
"You didn't really give us that option when we first came here now, did you? So why should I believe anything that you say?"
It was now obvious the captain was not going to be cooperative.
Oh, well, it was a nice try. Schneider thought.
The Colonel pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Archer. The captain remained stable. Schneider cocked the gun and then stopped and put it down.
"No, wait," the Colonel said and he shook his head, "this is too easy, too fast. Chances are if I get you in the head, you won't even feel a thing before you're dead," the colonel put his gun away, "and besides, this carpet is new. I'd rather not get any blood stains on it."
Schneider couldn't help but notice the small expression of relief on the captain's face and the angry scowl on Lee's.
"Hm, no I think, perhaps I have something better to torture you with," the colonel smothered a grin as the color drained from the captain's face, "Commander, when is the next scheduled decimation?"
"This morning at 0700."
"Where is that girl that the pointy-eared woman saved?"
"Wait-" The captain said with anxiety.
"I am sorry, Captain, but you had the choice to be cooperative, and you weren't. Now I'm just going to have to take it out on one of your friends. Commander, the girl?"
"She's stationed at the kitchen to peel potatoes."
"Hm, you know the drill, Commander. And please, take this pathetic man out of my sight."
"Yes, sir." Lee said blissfully.
"Wait, you can't do this! Please, I'll tell you all you want to know-ughh!" Lee smacked the captain over the head with her fist sending the man into unconsciousness.
"Be absolutely sure, Commander, that he's awake to witness the execution."
"Most certainly, Colonel."
* * *
T'Pol and Vian awoke early and got in line for roll call, or what T'Pol learned to be formally known as, "Zahlappell." The same officer that had come yesterday lightly tapped their heads and then proceeded out of the barracks with a nod to the guards.
"Go to your jobs." The guard said in a harsh tone, and he also left the barracks.
Vian followed T'Pol out of the barracks, and then she waved and slowly made her way to the kitchen. T'Pol was about to turn around, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw an unfamiliar guard step in front of Vian. T'Pol stopped and watched the guard's movement. He put his gun to Vian's head and motioned her to follow him.
T'Pol wasn't sure what she was doing when she walked swiftly towards Vian and the guard. The Vulcan was also uncertain as to why she stepped in front of the guard and demanded to know where the girl was being taken. The officer was equally surprised by T'Pol's actions. But his astonishment quickly turned into fury and he punched T'Pol, hard. The Vulcan staggered, but didn't fall. She was strong and could cope with some damage. But T'Pol's courage only enraged the guard further and he exploded into a storm of blows and punches. Vian stepped back and watched how T'Pol easily steered clear of the guard's strikes.
Other prisoners stopped their work and watched. None of the other guards stopped them or interfered. They watched the spectacle with great fascination and cheered the guard on.
T'Pol did not want to fight back. But, strangely, she did. T'Pol landed a hard punch into the guard's stomach followed by elbowing him in the face. The guard swayed and then tried desperately to knock T'Pol down. T'Pol avoided him by stepping to the side allowing the guard to fall flat on his face. T'Pol stood rigidly, ready for the guard to get back up, but he stayed down. The other guards around them groaned and yelled out protests for the man to get back up.
"You want to loose to a Frau, you Feigling?" One screamed.
Suddenly, the crowd started to quiet.
"Move! Was ist going on hier? Move! Zuruckziehen! Move back!" Cmdr. Lee hurriedly pushed her way through the crowd.
T'Pol stood straight and put her hands behind her back. Cmdr. Lee stopped when she saw the guard flat on the ground. Lee eyed T'Pol and then knelt down and felt for the guard's pulse.
"He is not dead, Commander."
Lee stood slowly. "Lucky enough for you. What the hell happened here?"
"He attacked me."
"So?!"
"I was merely defending myself."
Lee stepped up to T'Pol and put a fist in front of her face. "No prisoner of my colony dares attack a guard."
Lee delivered a solid punch to T'Pol's stomach. It was too fast and too close for T'Pol to evade and the outcome of the punch knocked the air out of the Vulcan. Lee backed up and turned around, appeared to be finished, but then she spun around again and kicked the Vulcan in face. This time, T'Pol fell to the ground putting a hand to her stomach as bright green blood oozed out of her cheek. The other guards were cheering again. Lee knelt down and grabbed T'Pol's head by her hair.
"There is one thing and one thing only that you should understand," Lee hissed, "You are nothing, a useless piece of skin. The only reason that you even exist is to work for others as a mindless servant. Because that's exactly what you are. Or for how much time you have left." T'Pol didn't say anything and she let her head be dropped again to the ground.
T'Pol looked up and saw Vian staring down at her in disbelief. The view from around T'Pol started to darken at the edges.
"Prepare the woman for decimation immediately." That was the last thing T'Pol heard before all turned to black.
* * *
Rain. It felt so good. The clean feeling of the water made T'Pol feel almost Vulcan again. T'Pol tried to move her hands. She couldn't. They were tied behind her back.
T'Pol opened her eyes to see herself surrounded by prisoners and guards. It was dawn, and T'Pol was tied to a wooden post. She looked to her right. Vian was tied to another post. Fifteen or so other prisoners were the same way. T'Pol tried to remember what she'd heard before she blacked out.
Decimation.
T'Pol had heard whispers of this cruel execution. The prisoners who were "guilty" were lined up at dawn and would face a firing squadron. And every tenth prisoner, by an officer's count, would be shot. No one ever knew where the count would start off or who the tenth would be until the shot would ring out. Sometimes, an officer would start count in the middle of the row, and then change direction. It was a frightening ordeal, and now T'Pol was going to experience it.
Prisoners were yelling and screaming protests, while the guards cheered happily.
"T'Pol!" Someone said her name in the distance. But it sounded so far away.
"T'Pol!" There it was again.
T'Pol forced herself to look up. She searched the crowd and caught sight of Captain Archer. Commander Tucker was with him, as well as Barik. Archer's eyes were wide and filled with deep concern. Barik saw T'Pol and then he saw Vian. His expression changed instantly. He shoved his way through the crowd until he got to where the guards were. Archer yelled at him to come back, but it didn't do any good. Barik wasn't able to do anything before to keep Vian from the concentration camp, but he was determined to do something now.
"No! Go back!" Vian said bravely.
The guards shoved the desperate man back threatening him with their guns.
T'Pol closed her eyes. She did not wish to see anything. The noise around her suddenly felt clogged. It sounded very distant. The screams sounded slow, and the only noise T'Pol heard was her heavy breathing and the slow thick raindrops.
T'Pol opened her eyes to see the firing squadron marching to their positions. There was one officer for each prisoner. T'Pol stared at the man standing four meters from her. He was too young; too young to take another's life. But he didn't show it. His expression was a hard mask. Nonetheless, T'Pol stared at him fiercely. She wanted this man to realize that she wasn't afraid.
She'd lived a long life. Yes, she could've lived much longer, but that wasn't the point. She'd accomplished much in her life. One thing she would regret, though, was never marrying or having children. But it was irrelevant to think about a future that would never be.
An order was given and the officers lifted their guns and pointed them at their prisoner. Then, the count started.
"Eins! Zwei! Drei! Vier! Funf! Sechs! Sieben! Acht! Neun!" T'Pol held her breath, "Zehn!"
A shot so piercing rang out. T'Pol shook and then realized it was not her. T'Pol looked up and down the rows. An old woman fell to her knees in a pool of blood. The counting began again.
"Eins! Zwei! Drei! Vier! Funf! Sechs! Sieben! Acht! Neun!"
They didn't even say ten this time when T'Pol heard the shot and saw a body to her left scream out and collapse to the ground.
The count started again and this time they only counted to seven. T'Pol heard two screams. She whipped her head around and saw in horror Vian's body slowly slide to the ground. The other scream came from the crowd. Barik frantically tried to get to the girl but he had no way of getting past the guards. T'Pol saw Archer and Tucker drag the helpless and weeping man back to the prisoner's crowd.
The counting began once again. T'Pol couldn't hear them anymore. Only saw the officer's mouth move and the officer's steadying their guns.
T'Pol felt more alone than she ever had in her life. And for once, T'Pol felt the overwhelming sensation of fear. Fear of death. She could almost smell it. Smell the blood. Another shot rang out. T'Pol looked around. No one fell. They were all staring at her. T'Pol looked down, and saw green blood staining her rust-colored unitard. Her stomach ached. T'Pol saw Archer and Tucker staring in disbelief. T'Pol felt her knees grow weak, and the Vulcan let herself slide down the pole and fall to the ground. So this was death. It had finally come. How unfortunate that it had finally come.
To Be Continued.
Chapter 9
"Aufstehen! Get up! Aufstehen! Los!"
Archer felt someone kick his leg violently. Archer opened his eyes and saw two guards standing over him. Commander Lee stood behind the guards. Her expression was difficult to read. Archer got up and rubbed his eyes. It was early and none of the other prisoners were up yet.
"What's going on?" Trip was lying on his side on the cement when he saw the captain standing.
Commander Lee stepped in front of Archer.
"The Colonel has requested a meeting with you, Captain."
"The Colonel," Archer said, surprised, "wants to speak with me?"
"Yes."
Archer blinked several times in uncertainty. "What about my mining job-"
"It will be taken care of. Come with me."
Commander Lee turned around sharply and walked swiftly out the door.
"Cap'n?" Tucker said sleepily.
"Stay here, Trip."
Commander Tucker hesitated, but then shrugged and laid back down on the cement.
Archer was led out of the barrack and out of the entire complex. Archer was brought, at gunpoint, to an automobile, perhaps a jeep. Archer sat in the backseat, in-between the two guards. Cmdr. Lee sat in the front seat with another officer who drove the jeep. The road that led through the jungle was paved and very smooth, unlike the road Archer and the others had traveled on. The road, or one could properly call a street, eventually came to an end in front of an old, but massive castle. The castle immediately reminded Archer of Europe's 15th century castles.
Trip would've loved to have seen this. Archer said.
The structure fascinated Archer to a high degree. It was somewhat odd, a fortress this large and old in the middle of a tropical forest. But it had a strange, enticing beauty to it that intrigued the Enterprise Captain.
Cmdr. Lee suddenly stepped into Archer's gaze. She looked annoyed.
"Yes, it is quite magnificent. Now come with me."
Archer was persuaded to follow the woman by the cold point of a gun on his back.
The castle was completely surrounded by guards. They eyed the captain suspiciously. Archer kept his head down. Tapestries covered the walls. They all revealed something related to the Nazis, especially the swastikas. Others had some kind of passages that were in German.
They all walked down the long, dark hallway for a long time. Torches lit up the passage. After a while, they came a large door. Cmdr. Lee knocked lightly which was accompanied by a gruff voice from inside.
"Hereinkommen!"
Lee pushed the wooden door open to reveal a surprisingly modern office. The room was huge with fancy furniture and a large desk made of some kind of wood that reminded Archer of cherry wood. The room had many photographs hung on the walls showing the Colonel happily shaking other people's hands.
Behind the desk was the Colonel who had a grumpy expression on his face. His head was down and he was concentrating on the scattered papers on his desk. Archer noticed a photo on the desk of a young, beautiful woman with wavy blond hair. She gave a mysterious smile that reminded the captain of the Mona Lisa.
"Colonel?" Lee said.
The Colonel grunted but didn't look up. "What is it, May Ling? I'm busy."
"I have the Human Captain here as you requested."
This caught the Colonel's attention and he finally lifted his gaze from his paperwork.
"Oh, yes," The Colonel leaned back in chair and tossed his pen to the desk. He then motioned his hand to the chair on the other side of the desk, "sit."
"I'd prefer to stand, Colonel." Archer said.
"And I'd prefer you to sit." Archer didn't have much choice as the guards roughly shoved him into the chair.
"So, Colonel, what did you want to talk about?"
"Your ship."
There was an awkward pause and then Archer spoke. "What about her?"
"What's her name?"
"Enterprise."
"Hm. Enterprise. I like the sound of it."
"I hope, Colonel, that you didn't have me dragged down here in the middle of the night just to talk about my ship which my officers and I would like to return to."
"Don't get your hopes up, Captain. I'm simply curious about the vessel hovering over my planet."
"From what I've noticed, this isn't exactly your planet."
The guards from behind Archer stiffened at the insult and awaited the Colonel's command to strike the prisoner. The Colonel merely chuckled.
"Technically, it's not. But I'm getting close. Now, please, do tell me about Enterprise."
"To know a ship like Enterprise could even exist, one would think that you'd have the technology to study my ship yourself."
"We did away with fancy technology and warp drive long ago, Captain. What we have now is quite fine."
"But you still can't study Enterprise. How naïve."
This Captain was really pushing it. But the Colonel let him talk. Let this starship captain build his confidence up until he would say something so stupid, the Colonel could just kill him right in his chair.
That would be exciting. The Colonel thought.
"Tell me more about your ship. What speed can you get her up to?"
The captain didn't answer. This was becoming frustrating.
"Captain, your stay at my camp can be made quite easy if you'd just answer my questions."
"You didn't really give us that option when we first came here now, did you? So why should I believe anything that you say?"
It was now obvious the captain was not going to be cooperative.
Oh, well, it was a nice try. Schneider thought.
The Colonel pulled out his pistol and pointed it at Archer. The captain remained stable. Schneider cocked the gun and then stopped and put it down.
"No, wait," the Colonel said and he shook his head, "this is too easy, too fast. Chances are if I get you in the head, you won't even feel a thing before you're dead," the colonel put his gun away, "and besides, this carpet is new. I'd rather not get any blood stains on it."
Schneider couldn't help but notice the small expression of relief on the captain's face and the angry scowl on Lee's.
"Hm, no I think, perhaps I have something better to torture you with," the colonel smothered a grin as the color drained from the captain's face, "Commander, when is the next scheduled decimation?"
"This morning at 0700."
"Where is that girl that the pointy-eared woman saved?"
"Wait-" The captain said with anxiety.
"I am sorry, Captain, but you had the choice to be cooperative, and you weren't. Now I'm just going to have to take it out on one of your friends. Commander, the girl?"
"She's stationed at the kitchen to peel potatoes."
"Hm, you know the drill, Commander. And please, take this pathetic man out of my sight."
"Yes, sir." Lee said blissfully.
"Wait, you can't do this! Please, I'll tell you all you want to know-ughh!" Lee smacked the captain over the head with her fist sending the man into unconsciousness.
"Be absolutely sure, Commander, that he's awake to witness the execution."
"Most certainly, Colonel."
* * *
T'Pol and Vian awoke early and got in line for roll call, or what T'Pol learned to be formally known as, "Zahlappell." The same officer that had come yesterday lightly tapped their heads and then proceeded out of the barracks with a nod to the guards.
"Go to your jobs." The guard said in a harsh tone, and he also left the barracks.
Vian followed T'Pol out of the barracks, and then she waved and slowly made her way to the kitchen. T'Pol was about to turn around, when out of the corner of her eye, she saw an unfamiliar guard step in front of Vian. T'Pol stopped and watched the guard's movement. He put his gun to Vian's head and motioned her to follow him.
T'Pol wasn't sure what she was doing when she walked swiftly towards Vian and the guard. The Vulcan was also uncertain as to why she stepped in front of the guard and demanded to know where the girl was being taken. The officer was equally surprised by T'Pol's actions. But his astonishment quickly turned into fury and he punched T'Pol, hard. The Vulcan staggered, but didn't fall. She was strong and could cope with some damage. But T'Pol's courage only enraged the guard further and he exploded into a storm of blows and punches. Vian stepped back and watched how T'Pol easily steered clear of the guard's strikes.
Other prisoners stopped their work and watched. None of the other guards stopped them or interfered. They watched the spectacle with great fascination and cheered the guard on.
T'Pol did not want to fight back. But, strangely, she did. T'Pol landed a hard punch into the guard's stomach followed by elbowing him in the face. The guard swayed and then tried desperately to knock T'Pol down. T'Pol avoided him by stepping to the side allowing the guard to fall flat on his face. T'Pol stood rigidly, ready for the guard to get back up, but he stayed down. The other guards around them groaned and yelled out protests for the man to get back up.
"You want to loose to a Frau, you Feigling?" One screamed.
Suddenly, the crowd started to quiet.
"Move! Was ist going on hier? Move! Zuruckziehen! Move back!" Cmdr. Lee hurriedly pushed her way through the crowd.
T'Pol stood straight and put her hands behind her back. Cmdr. Lee stopped when she saw the guard flat on the ground. Lee eyed T'Pol and then knelt down and felt for the guard's pulse.
"He is not dead, Commander."
Lee stood slowly. "Lucky enough for you. What the hell happened here?"
"He attacked me."
"So?!"
"I was merely defending myself."
Lee stepped up to T'Pol and put a fist in front of her face. "No prisoner of my colony dares attack a guard."
Lee delivered a solid punch to T'Pol's stomach. It was too fast and too close for T'Pol to evade and the outcome of the punch knocked the air out of the Vulcan. Lee backed up and turned around, appeared to be finished, but then she spun around again and kicked the Vulcan in face. This time, T'Pol fell to the ground putting a hand to her stomach as bright green blood oozed out of her cheek. The other guards were cheering again. Lee knelt down and grabbed T'Pol's head by her hair.
"There is one thing and one thing only that you should understand," Lee hissed, "You are nothing, a useless piece of skin. The only reason that you even exist is to work for others as a mindless servant. Because that's exactly what you are. Or for how much time you have left." T'Pol didn't say anything and she let her head be dropped again to the ground.
T'Pol looked up and saw Vian staring down at her in disbelief. The view from around T'Pol started to darken at the edges.
"Prepare the woman for decimation immediately." That was the last thing T'Pol heard before all turned to black.
* * *
Rain. It felt so good. The clean feeling of the water made T'Pol feel almost Vulcan again. T'Pol tried to move her hands. She couldn't. They were tied behind her back.
T'Pol opened her eyes to see herself surrounded by prisoners and guards. It was dawn, and T'Pol was tied to a wooden post. She looked to her right. Vian was tied to another post. Fifteen or so other prisoners were the same way. T'Pol tried to remember what she'd heard before she blacked out.
Decimation.
T'Pol had heard whispers of this cruel execution. The prisoners who were "guilty" were lined up at dawn and would face a firing squadron. And every tenth prisoner, by an officer's count, would be shot. No one ever knew where the count would start off or who the tenth would be until the shot would ring out. Sometimes, an officer would start count in the middle of the row, and then change direction. It was a frightening ordeal, and now T'Pol was going to experience it.
Prisoners were yelling and screaming protests, while the guards cheered happily.
"T'Pol!" Someone said her name in the distance. But it sounded so far away.
"T'Pol!" There it was again.
T'Pol forced herself to look up. She searched the crowd and caught sight of Captain Archer. Commander Tucker was with him, as well as Barik. Archer's eyes were wide and filled with deep concern. Barik saw T'Pol and then he saw Vian. His expression changed instantly. He shoved his way through the crowd until he got to where the guards were. Archer yelled at him to come back, but it didn't do any good. Barik wasn't able to do anything before to keep Vian from the concentration camp, but he was determined to do something now.
"No! Go back!" Vian said bravely.
The guards shoved the desperate man back threatening him with their guns.
T'Pol closed her eyes. She did not wish to see anything. The noise around her suddenly felt clogged. It sounded very distant. The screams sounded slow, and the only noise T'Pol heard was her heavy breathing and the slow thick raindrops.
T'Pol opened her eyes to see the firing squadron marching to their positions. There was one officer for each prisoner. T'Pol stared at the man standing four meters from her. He was too young; too young to take another's life. But he didn't show it. His expression was a hard mask. Nonetheless, T'Pol stared at him fiercely. She wanted this man to realize that she wasn't afraid.
She'd lived a long life. Yes, she could've lived much longer, but that wasn't the point. She'd accomplished much in her life. One thing she would regret, though, was never marrying or having children. But it was irrelevant to think about a future that would never be.
An order was given and the officers lifted their guns and pointed them at their prisoner. Then, the count started.
"Eins! Zwei! Drei! Vier! Funf! Sechs! Sieben! Acht! Neun!" T'Pol held her breath, "Zehn!"
A shot so piercing rang out. T'Pol shook and then realized it was not her. T'Pol looked up and down the rows. An old woman fell to her knees in a pool of blood. The counting began again.
"Eins! Zwei! Drei! Vier! Funf! Sechs! Sieben! Acht! Neun!"
They didn't even say ten this time when T'Pol heard the shot and saw a body to her left scream out and collapse to the ground.
The count started again and this time they only counted to seven. T'Pol heard two screams. She whipped her head around and saw in horror Vian's body slowly slide to the ground. The other scream came from the crowd. Barik frantically tried to get to the girl but he had no way of getting past the guards. T'Pol saw Archer and Tucker drag the helpless and weeping man back to the prisoner's crowd.
The counting began once again. T'Pol couldn't hear them anymore. Only saw the officer's mouth move and the officer's steadying their guns.
T'Pol felt more alone than she ever had in her life. And for once, T'Pol felt the overwhelming sensation of fear. Fear of death. She could almost smell it. Smell the blood. Another shot rang out. T'Pol looked around. No one fell. They were all staring at her. T'Pol looked down, and saw green blood staining her rust-colored unitard. Her stomach ached. T'Pol saw Archer and Tucker staring in disbelief. T'Pol felt her knees grow weak, and the Vulcan let herself slide down the pole and fall to the ground. So this was death. It had finally come. How unfortunate that it had finally come.
To Be Continued.