Oh my. Was the last chapter that bad? Yikes. Well, hopefully this one might
spark at least one review. Besides, it's the conclusion! That's right! I'm
gonna finish this if it kills me! Cause, to tell the truth, I've never, um,
actually finished a long story before. But, I know how to end this, plus
there will be an epilogue attached with this.
And I have a bunch of ideas for another Enterprise story, which I've already started called:
"L.G.L: Little Girl Lost." First chapter comes out soon!
And, I'd just like to say, since this is my first fanfic, I'd really like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed. At first, I didn't think I was going to do much with this story and all of you guys who reviewed really helped to give me that inspiring boost. I've had the idea for The Forth Reich for some time now, and I'm glad it's finally out there for other teens to read. Thank you SO much all of you wonderful people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (
Chapter 14: Conclusion
"What do we do now?" Loupa asked.
Archer and Trip had stopped searching for T'Pol a little after they found the children. The sight of them had shaken the chief engineer into a state of pure silence. Captain Archer also sat quietly except for a few mumbles or grunts he made every once and a while.
"Well," Lieutenant replied, "Since I still have a job to take care of, I need to get Captain Archer and Commander Tucker to our main camp-"
"We need to get back to my ship." Archer said faintly.
Lieutenant made a sad smile. "With all do respect, the only way I could get you back to your ship was to get you back to your shuttle. And who knows what Colonel Schneider's done with it."
Archer's brow furrowed. "Don't you have any communicators we can use so I can contact my ship?"
Lieutenant grunted. "Nothing modern enough."
"You mean to tell me there isn't one solitary piece of advanced technology on this planet?"
Lieutenant shook his head. "Everything was destroyed when the Nazis decided to 'change' things."
"That sucks." Trip said numbly.
Archer raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the input, Trip."
"Any time" was the engineer's lethargic answer.
"Anyway," Lieutenant said, "I need to get you and Mr. Tucker to our main camp to figure out what to do with you. I've got bosses like everybody else, Captain."
Archer nodded in understanding. "When do we set off for the camp?"
"As soon as possible would be nice."
Archer glanced over at Trip. Trip made a face that said, "I don't care."
Archer sighed and rubbed his temple. "I-"
Lieutenant's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
The captain bit his lip. "It's just-something doesn't feel right about leaving."
Trip glanced up. "You got that feeling too?"
Archer nodded. "It's like, we're still supposed to do something, or find someone. I know it seems, impossible, but I have this feeling that T'Pol's still alive."
Lieutenant threw his arms up and sat down on a log. "I knew this would happen," He mumbled to himself, "Captain, T'Pol was staying at this camp, she was recovering. And something tells me she's smart enough not to go anywhere or stage a rescue mission without somebody else's help." Lieutenant crossed his arms. "And everyone here has orders. They wouldn't let her leave."
Archer shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I can't ignore this feeling." Archer peered out into the jungle. "She's out there somewhere. And I'm going to find her."
* * *
"Everyone set their phase pistols to stun?" Reed asked.
Hoshi and Travis both nodded.
"Doctor?"
The Denobulan sighed as he stared down at the weapon in his hand. "I'm a doctor, Mr. Reed. Not a soldier."
"Doctor, we need you to be able to protect yourself. I'd like to have our physician *alive* to treat our officers."
Phlox raised an eyebrow. "Hm, well, I suppose so. Setting the phaser to stun." Phlox then put his phaser back in the holster.
Reed made eye contact with each member of his team. "All right, then." Reed took some phase rifles from a container and set them to stun as well.
Dr. Phlox eyed the armory officer curiously. "Are we sure that we need this much-artillery?"
Reed frowned. "I like my phase pistols as much as the next person, but the phase rifles are a must."
"I must say, Lieutenant, I neglect to see why you have such a strong passion for something that only causes destruction."
Travis chuckled softly.
"You have something to add, Ensign?" Reed said, somewhat sarcastically.
Travis straightened and clamped his mouth shut. "No, sir."
"We really should be going." Hoshi piped in.
"Right. Now, remember," Reed said, "whatever happens down there, our main and only goal is to retrieve the captain, Mr. Tucker, and T'Pol." The team nodded.
Reed turned towards the shuttle and mumbled under his breath, "And pray that they're still alive."
* * *
"You know, T'Pol," Ja'an said, following close behind, "I knew that you had guts, and-and that you'd pretty much do anything logical for a worthy cause. But this?! This is just ridiculous!"
"I would not be doing this unless I knew that it was a logical plan. And it is. Watch out for the log." It was too late; the man stumbled a little but regained his balance.
"Thanks," He mumbled, "but I just don't see why this is so important. Why can't we walk?"
"That would take too long and we don't have enough food or equipment sufficient for such an excursion."
"So we're going to steal?"
"We're not stealing. We are simply gaining resources by unlawful means."
"Therefore, stealing."
"You are mistaken. Stealing is merely 'taking for the taking.' We are taking because we need those few items more than the Nazi's do."
"I think officer uniforms, food, and a truck is a bit more than just a 'few items.' "
"You need to be more positive. At the moment, you are being very pessimistic."
Ja'an scoffed. "Pessimistic?! For your information, T'Pol, my family, friends, and colleagues are dead! I think I have a right to be a little pessimistic!"
T'Pol stopped walking and faced her friend. "I meant no insult, Ja'an."
The surgeon huffed angrily. "Yeah, I know."
T'Pol put her hands behind her back. "Ja'an, your pain is understandable. You've suffered a great loss. But I need your mentality to be optimistic. I don't believe I can get through this mission without your help."
T'Pol stepped closer. "Ja'an, I need to know. Can I depend on you to help me?"
Ja'an swallowed. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
T'Pol stiffened and she straightened her spine. "Thank you."
Ja'an sighed and looked into his pack. He started to dig through it. "There's got to be something in here to eat-hey, look at this!" Ja'an grabbed something from his pack and held it up.
"The walkie-talkie you were working on!" He exclaimed.
T'Pol grabbed the device and sat down on a log. "I believe I may had fixed it before we left. Do you think you can contact the main camp?"
Ja'an shrugged. "Maybe, lemme see it." Ja'an took the communicator and turned a dial a few times. "I think they go by this frequency. Say a prayer. If this works, we could have fighter planes and military backing us up." Ja'an bit his lip and pushed the button.
"This is Dr. Ja'an of camp 26. Camp 26 has been destroyed, I repeat, camp 26 has been destroyed. Two survivors. We are heading to concentration camp 2. Bring backup, over."
Ja'an listened to the static a bit and then repeated the message. They heard a couple of breaks in the static, but nothing else. Ja'an sighed and put the communicator away.
"They may have gotten the message. Now all have to do is continue on our way and hope this thing worked."
* * *
"What the bloody hell is that place?" Reed was hovering over Travis's right shoulder and Hoshi was hovering over the other. Dr. Phlox was sitting in his seat reading from a PADD.
"It's huge!" Travis stated.
Hoshi pointed at the barbed wire fence. "Looks hostile." Hoshi said.
"Hm," Reed grumbled, "they probably have very primitive weaponry as well. I'd like to see that."
"Remember the mission, Lieutenant." Hoshi said with a smirk.
"Right. Travis, find a safe-deserted-place to land the shuttle. Once we've done that, I want you, Hoshi to try and contact that building. It's the closest thing to where the other pod had landed."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
"Keep low, Ja'an."
"I'll stay as low as you need me to."
T'Pol peered through the gate at the square. Two guards were at the watchtower talking frantically to another officer.
"Describe him." The officer said.
"He was tall," one of the guards exclaimed, "Probably six feet. Around 380 Kilos. Skinny fellow. Had a standard SS uniform on. We thought he was one of us. Gave us some ale. We were out in seconds flat."
"You didn't recognize him, at all?"
"Well, it was dark."
"It was very dark." The other said.
"So let me get this straight," The officer said, "you drank some ale, that eventually knocked you out, given to you from an unknown officer in the middle of the night," he paused, "on duty."
"It was cold." The guard declared.
The other guard nodded. "It was very cold."
The officer, shaking his head, jot down the information on a notepad. "I've got to say, gentlemen, this is pretty pathetic. But, thank you for your help. It may help us find the escaped unit."
T'Pol felt her stomach do a flip-flop. So, Archer's entire unit had come along. But, who was this "unknown officer?"
The officer thanked the guards again and stuck his notepad in his coat pocket. After the officer left the premises, the two guards started to chat.
"What kind of description was that?" One of them said.
"What? I described him the best I could!"
"How about the fact that he had perfectly white teeth, or-or that he had blond hair or that-"
"Hey-hey, I only described what I remembered."
"Well, your memory must be shot because-"
"Don't you accuse me of that, you-you brainless scum!"
"Oh, that's original!"
This banter went on for several minutes until T'Pol was entirely convinced of these men's stupidity.
"I believe we can easily deceive those two guards." T'Pol said.
"Hmph-good." T'Pol turned around and saw Ja'an happily eating away at a piece of fruit he'd picked from the tree branch hanging over their heads.
T'Pol cocked an eyebrow. "I'm glad to see you're paying so much attention."
"Huh?"
"Come this way."
* * *
"This is unbelievable, Lieutenant. I can't get through to the compound."
"Not even audio only?"
Hoshi shook her head. "Nothing. I can't believe how primitive everything is."
Reed sighed with disgust. "Well, can you isolate any Human or Vulcan life signs?" Reed asked impatiently.
"Give me a second, sir." Hoshi replied. "No-wait." Hoshi squinted at the console in front of her and then started to point excitedly. "I think I found T'Pol!"
Reed pat Hoshi on the shoulder. "Good going, Hoshi. Travis, Doctor, let's get her."
Hoshi quickly looked up from her console. "Wait, what about me?! You promised to let me go on this mission!"
"And you're on it, aren't you? Hoshi, someone has to stay here and guard the pod. I think the best choice would be you."
Hoshi opened her mouth to protest, but Malcolm stopped her. "It's for the best, Hoshi. Now, please, stay here."
Hoshi clenched her teeth, but didn't say anything.
"Right then people, let's go. Hoshi, watch the pod."
The ensign grunted a "yes sir."
* * *
"I never liked jungles. Too many bugs. And poison ivy. Got to watch out for them poisonous frogs too." Reed shook his head and he brushed away a beetle from his sleeve.
"Poisonous frogs?" Phlox said uncertainly.
"Yes. Some, they're poisonous at the touch. Some frogs even have a certain defense mechanism that allows them to spit blood from their eyeballs." Reed put a hand to his phase pistol.
"Ew." Travis said.
"Really?" Phlox cocked his head sideways, "That's fascinating. I wouldn't mind studying one of those."
Reed held out his scanner and moved it back and forth. "There you are." Reed said, "She's this way. But she's moving quickly. Let's go."
* * *
"I can't believe you did that." Ja'an shook his head as he buttoned the guard jacket on.
T'Pol finished getting ready by putting her black, knee-high boots on. "I did what was necessary in order to obtain the uniforms. Though, I must say, it was somewhat.unsettling."
Ja'an tossed the rifle strap over his shoulder. "Unsettling? You came onto those guards like a-"
"I know what I did, Ja'an. But it was also crucial so I could get close enough to give them the Vulcan pinch. It was successful, wasn't it?" T'Pol stood, waiting for the surgeon's answer. Ja'an bit his lip and started to say something, but stopped himself.
"Yeah, I guess it was."
"Now, you stay outside the watchtower and I'll get the supplies and the truck."
Ja'an cleared his throat. "And just how do you plan on persuading those guards to let you do that," Ja'an chuckled, "I mean, don't you think seeing some mundane guard driving a truck out of-"
T'Pol stuck her chin up. "I plan to try and stay out of sight. These uniforms are for insurance purposes, Ja'an. If I get caught in the act, the uniform will allow me some excuse until I can create an alibi." T'Pol thought for a moment, "but, I'm hoping it will not come to that."
Ja'an looked at the Vulcan with wonder. This woman had gone through so much: hard labor, starvation, torture, a rather close brush with death, and grief. Yet she remained strong in every way. Willing to risk her life for others. Fight for others. T'Pol had said she wasn't an emotional person, but she didn't realize how truly wrong she was. From Ja'an's understanding of Vulcans, as diminutive as it was, led him to believe that these pointy- eared aliens did things that only meant well for themselves. In other words- selfish. But, apparently, this Vulcan was different. She cared about others, indirectly of course. She'd voluntarily looked after a young girl she'd known for only a couple of hours. Risked her life for her. This remarkable woman had also, despite her injuries, went on a trek through the perilous jungle, *back* to the very place she had narrowly escaped from.
Ja'an decided then that he would never let T'Pol down.
Ever.
* * *
"Looks like, one guard at the watchtower door," Reed whispered while peering through brush, "One up top. Shouldn't be too difficult to take them out."
Travis looked at the square. "Where's T'Pol? I thought you said she was right there."
"She was. A few minutes ago. There was someone else with her too. Probably that guard." Reed looked at his scanner. "Wait, there are two others behind the watchtower. Very weak life signs."
Travis took his phase pistol out. "We need to get into that compound. And from the looks of it," Travis pointed at the gate, "that's the only entrance and exit."
* * *
Commander Lee handed the document to the Colonel.
"Here's the report on the spy. Apparently, he drugged our watchtower guards to get the unit out."
Schneider grunted as he looked the document over. "Not a very good description of the perpetrator."
Lee nodded in concurrence. "I believe we should replace the guards with more.competent officers."
Schneider tapped his fingers on the desk and gazed over at the woman in the photograph. The Colonel sighed, staring at her beautiful, mysterious smile. All of it was for her. Everything he did. Every decision. It was meant for her. And whenever he wasn't sure of a decision, he'd just look into those eyes, twinkling back at him through that single, black and white photograph, and he'd know what to do. That photo was the only thing he had left of his past. The last thin string of his early existence.
Colonel Schneider tore away his gaze from his wife. Whenever he saw her face, he usually saw happiness. But, sometimes, her expression made him feel awkward, like he wasn't supposed to be doing this. It was almost like she was angry with him. But-but it was all for her! How could she refuse! Still, she seemed to be telling him to stop. To let it go. To let everything be as it was. But he couldn't just give up. Not now. Not when they were so close to ridding the world of the weak and the ignorant. But then what would he do? The war would end. There would be nothing left to conquer. He would be alone once again. Alone in all his riches and power.
That wouldn't be too much fun after a while.
* * *
Hoshi lazily leaned back in her seat. This wasn't an away mission. Not for her, anyway. Sitting in a shuttle pod staring out the window watching some sort of small monkey-like creatures eating bugs wasn't her idea of an away mission. Hoshi huffed in anger. In fact, in the ensign's current condition, she almost missed the blips on her console of the two human life signs a few miles away. Hoshi jumped up in excitement.
"Oh, my God! I found them!" Hoshi did more scans and caught the signature of one of their communicators, a few meters away from the blips on the screen.
* * *
Loupa stopped in his tracks. "Did you hear that?"
Barik perked up and looked in all directions. The rest of the party did the same.
"It sounds like a kind of chirping." Barik noted.
Trip and Archer looked at each other quickly. "The communicator!" They both said excitedly.
"Everyone start lookin' for it," Trip said, "It sounds close!"
The entire party fanned out and frantically searched for the little device.
"It sounds closer over here!" Loupa exclaimed. Loupa pushed away some tall grass and yipped in excitement as he grabbed the mechanism. "I found it! Over here!"
Archer hurriedly ran over to the boy, grabbed the communicator, and flipped it open.
"This is Archer!"
* * *
"So, what, do we just knock and say, 'could you let us in?' " Travis said.
Lt. Reed shrugged. "What else can we do? We won't have much of an element of surprise, seeing that this is a gate, not doorway."
"Mr. Reed," Phlox interrupted, "this is a war planet, people don't just come running up to a concentration camp asking to be let in-"
Malcolm and Travis turned to the Doctor-smirking.
~~~~~A Few Minutes Later~~~~~
"Uh, excuse me? Sir?" Travis waved from the gate at the guard standing at the door to the watchtower. The man looked quite nervous and his hands twitched. He seemed unsure whether he should speak to the pilot.
"Wha-what do you want?" The guard asked timidly.
Travis contained a smile seeing that this man could be easily apprehended. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but my hunting party and I have gotten lost. So, do you mind letting us in and giving us some directions? We won't cause any trouble."
The guard squinted at Travis a moment. Staring at his clothes and then at his face again. Suddenly the guard gave a small yelp and ran to the gate.
"You're humans! You-you belong to that ship, Enterprise!" Travis stared at the man in disbelief.
"How the hell could you know that?" Reed and the Doctor came up from behind Travis and eyed the man curiously.
The guard moved his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed his eyes a moment and then tried to speak again, but only stuttered.
"You-you-I mean, I have your-your." The guard snapped his fingers trying to remember something. "T'Pol!" He suddenly exclaimed.
Travis, Malcolm and Phlox all felt their mouths drop open. Malcolm stepped beside Travis immediately.
"You know, T'Pol?"
The man smiled, grateful that he got these people to understand. "Yes," The man whispered, "I'm not actually a guard. My name is Ja'an. I'm a surgeon. I-I'm undercover-sort of. T'Pol is inside the camp disguised at a guard. She's trying to get a truck, some food and other stuff."
Malcolm was about to respond when his communicator chirped. He unzipped his breast pocket and took the device out.
"Reed here."
"Malcolm, it's Hoshi. I found the captain and Trip. They're on their way to the shuttle."
"Excellent, Hoshi. We've just got to get T'Pol out of here. We've made a friend along the way that may be able to help us."
"Acknowledged. Captain Archer said he and Trip were pretty beat up. Could you get the Doctor back here?"
The Denobulan nodded. "Yes, Hoshi. He'll be there in a few minutes. Reed out." Malcolm put the communicator away and faced Phlox and Mayweather.
"Travis, escort the Doctor back to the shuttle-"
"Malcolm, you shouldn't go in there alone-"
"I'll be fine, Ensign. I'd rather risk two lives instead of three."
Travis nodded and turned around to lead the way back to the shuttle.
* * *
T'Pol stood rigidly trying to think up an alibi for her actions. The officer in front of her pointed the gun at her head, yelling out questions. Of course, T'Pol had no idea what he was saying, or how to explain why she had the packs of food in her hands or why she had one foot on the step of the truck. So, instead, T'Pol figured she could throw the food at the officer, which would give her enough time to pinch him in the neck.
The officer shouted out more demands. T'Pol carried out her plan by throwing all the food at the officer. He was caught by surprise and T'Pol gave him the pinch. The man crumbled to the floor. T'Pol sighed and glanced around and listened for any footsteps to make sure no one had heard her or the officer.
There was silence. Good.
T'Pol quickly gathered the food and stepped up into the truck and into the driver's seat. Now, if only she could figure out a way to get this bucket to work and drive it out of the garage. T'Pol hadn't thought of that. The Vulcan stared down at the controls in front of her. There was a large wheel with different levers protruding from it. All right, that's interesting; the wheel must have to be used for steering the truck. T'Pol felt something below her feet. More clunky levers. Great. Okay, there are some dials over there. T'Pol twisted them around. Nothing.
You had to turn the truck on first. But, how to do that? T'Pol looked around a bit and found a little hole with a metal piece stuck in it. T'Pol put a hand on it, and turned it.
The automobile came to life and it's engines vibrated. At first, T'Pol had thought she set the vehicle on self-destruct mode, but she quickly came to realize that she'd only turned it on. The Vulcan was satisfied with her first move. T'Pol tried the little dials again, and an annoyingly loud voice boomed from it. T'Pol instantly turned the dial again and the noise stopped.
T'Pol remembered the levers by her feet. She put her foot on the long pedal on the right. The vehicle lurched backward. T'Pol took her foot off the pedal and the truck slowed. T'Pol tried the other pedal. The truck stopped moving instantly. The Vulcan sighed. Why did humans always make things so difficult?
T'Pol looked around at a lever by her feet. There were a few letters on it. She moved the lever back and then tried the gas pedal again, slowly. The truck crawled forward a bit. Relieved, T'Pol fiddled with a few other levers and accidentally leaned on the steering wheel causing it to make a loud obnoxious noise that made the usually composed Vulcan jump in her seat.
* * *
"T'Pol has got to be at the garage by now. We should go there." Ja'an said.
Reed rubbed his temple. "Yes, but just how do you expect to get me there without a little suspicion from the other officers?"
Ja'an scratched his head. "You could be my prisoner?"
Reed scoffed. "Oh, please, that's the oldest one in the book."
Ja'an's brow furrowed. "What book? Are there rules for this sort of thing?"
Reed smirked. "Or it could be the newest trend. Let's try that. Here, take my weapon-don't touch that. Right, just, keep it there. That's good." Reed ruffed his hair up a bit. "Now," he said, "hit me."
Ja'an looked up in surprise. "What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I couldn't. Wha- why would you want me to do that?"
Reed rolled his eyes. "So I look a bit beat up. How could I be a prisoner if I'm spick and span?"
Ja'an widened his eyes. "Spick and what?
"Just-punch me! Hard!"
Ja'an bit his lip. "Um, okay. Here it goes." Ja'an brought his fist back and stopped. "Wait, where do I hit you?"
"Anywhere, hit me for bloody sake-" The blast to his face made the Brit stagger back into the fence. The vision around him darkened a little but then cleared. Reed then felt an overwhelming throbbing from his left eye. Ja'an's startled face suddenly filled Malcolm's field of vision.
"Are you all right, Mr. Reed?" Ja'an said, his voice panicky. Reed wondered how T'Pol was ever able to tolerate this man.
Reed shoved the man away from him. Reed then pointed at his eye. "Does it look bad?"
Ja'an swallowed and concurred. "It definitely looks like I hit ya."
Reed straightened his spine and nodded quickly. "That's good. Now, tie my hands behind my back and escort me to the garage. Remember to push and shove me as well. We got to make it look as real as possible."
Ja'an nervously looked down at his feet. "I, uh, don't exactly know where the garage is."
* * *
After a few minutes of driving around the large garage, T'Pol got a feel for what she was doing. She then drove the truck up and out of the large doorway onto a dirt road. There was a gate, and T'Pol recognized it as the "prisoner entrance" as she'd heard it called. Perhaps of she continued on this road, it would circle to the main entrance, where Ja'an was.
So, T'Pol continued down the roadway, taking in the sites she never saw when she was last here.
* * *
Reed grabbed the phase pistol from Ja'an. "Are you telling me you just hit me for nothing?!" Reed tried to restrain his voice from getting too loud, but couldn't help himself at times.
Ja'an cowered to the corner of the fence. "I thought you knew where the garage was!"
"How the bloody hell would I know?!"
"I dunno, I just assumed!"
Reed buried his head into his hands. How could he be dealing with such an imbecile?
Reed was about to say more when he heard a voice coming from the other side of the watchtower. Ja'an's eyes got big and he whimpered. Reed ran over to the Ja'an.
"Get rid of him."
"Why me?"
"You have an army uniform on."
Ja'an looked down, as if to make sure the Lieutenant's information was correct. Ja'an groaned, and inched his way to the front of the watchtower. Reed backed against the wall and held his phaser up, just in case things got bad. Reed listened to the conversation. The mystery man on the other side was harsh and barked out questions. Reed could here Ja'an's weak response.
There was a pause in the conversation. Then, Reed heard a click and Ja'an gasp. That couldn't be good. Reed risked it and ran out into the front of the watchtower. Once there, Reed saw a primitive weapon pointed at Ja'an head. Ja'an looked like he was about to cry. The man with the weapon was wearing a black uniform. He was older, in his forties. The man didn't see Reed. The Lieutenant hadn't said anything. And, apparently, this man had really bad peripheral vision. Reed was right *there*, phase pistol pointed. Reed figured he could take out the guy right away, if only Ja'an hadn't glanced over at Malcolm.
The man was fast, a shot rang out and Reed suddenly felt excruciating pain from his side. Reed fell to the ground and howled in pain. The man walked over to Reed and glared down at him, grinning evilly. The man raised the gun and pointed it at Malcolm's head. Reed closed his eyes, ready for what was sure to come. But, Reed only heard a growl. A shot fired, and a body fell onto him. Reed looked quickly and saw the old man's face staring at his-eye's wide. Reed slid away and glimpsed up to see who his rescuer was. Ja'an stood there the gun still pointed at the man. His face was twisted into an angry glare. Small tears formed around Ja'an's eyes.
"That was for my family and my friends," Ja'an choked out, " you-you Nazi bastard."
Ja'an put the gun away slowly and put his hand out to Reed. Malcolm smiled. The man had somehow under a minute found courage. Ja'an helped Malcolm up, still staring at the fallen Nazi.
"Colonel Schneider!" Reed heard a woman's voice and glanced around to see an oriental woman rushing to the Colonel's side. She didn't give a second thought to Malcolm or Ja'an.
The woman put two fingers to the Colonel's temple for a moment. The woman then slowly lifted her gaze to the two men before her. Ja'an smiled, waved at the woman and lifted his gun.
"Hi, Commander Lee," Ja'an cocked the gun, "Don't try anything stupid, now. I've figured out how to work these things since the last time we met."
This Commander Lee snarled and kicked the weapon out of Ja'an's hands. Ja'an stared in shock at his empty hands. Reed, on instinct reached for his phase pistol. It wasn't there. Malcolm looked around and spotted his weapon by the watchtower door. It obviously had flung out of his hands when he was shot.
Lee took out a revolver and a ka-bar knife and pointed them at the two men.
"You have no idea what you've done. Now, you will pay for it."
Lee cocked the gun and spun the knife in her hand, ready to attack.
Then, there was a rumbling in the distance. Lee looked up and saw the tips of the trees beyond the road tousling violently and a flock of birds flew away. The rumbling grew nearer to the gate entrance. Lee's first thought was that it was a pa'lapus, but they make a high screeching sound when attacking. No, this came from a machine. It came from-
"A truck?" Reed said aloud.
The large automobile crashed through the gate just missing Reed and Ja'an. But it had hit its target. And the target lied motionless on the ground. Reed and Ja'an stared in disbelief at the truck standing five inches from their noses. Ja'an grew weak in the knees and he half tumbled to the ground. Reed stared at the door, waiting to see their rescuer. The door opened to the reveal the still ever-calm Vulcan who had a satisfied gaze in her dark eyes.
"Mr. Reed, it's a pleasure to see you."
By now, the entire camp had been alerted and guards and officers were running to the scene. "I think that's our cue to leave." Reed said.
Malcolm, T'Pol and Ja'an started to run when a small, military jet flew over the camp.
Ja'an pointed excitedly. "T'Pol! Look! They got the message!" Suddenly, a massive group of Karthanian military soldiers swarmed from the jungle and into the camp. The Nazi guards and officers stared incredulously and dropped their weapons as the soldiers gathered the pathetic men.
* * *
"Oh, my God, T'POL!" The Vulcan cocked an eyebrow as her two fellow officers embraced her when she climbed into the shuttle.
"Captain, Commander, please restrain yourselves." They let go of her but not before T'Pol slightly returned the embrace. The Vulcan had to admit it; she was quite relieved to see the men alive and well.
"T'Pol, we-we thought-no, we *knew* you were dead! How did you-?"
Archer and Tucker were at a loss for words, and frankly so was this Vulcan. She'd learned something about emotion over the past few days. She'd come in close contact with it. So close, she could almost feel the tears that threatened her this very moment, but she kept it back. Kept it all hidden as she always had. But, that never meant she would always hide it. She'd proven Surak wrong. She'd proven that Vulcan's certainly could be emotional people.
* * *
T'Pol gazed at the candle before her. She'd forgotten how peaceful and comforting the single flame could be. While on the war planet, her meditations consisted of short prayers, certainly not all she should have had, but it was enough. Now, she was back in her comfortable meditation robes, in her warm quarters, with a cup of hot green tea sitting next to her. No small whimpers, no bugs, and no screams in the middle of the night.
She almost felt selfish. T'Pol was about to blow out the candle when her door chimed.
"Come."
The door swooshed open and Captain Archer walked in. It seemed like the captain aged about five years, but T'Pol knew it was only the lingering pain of their ordeal.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. Please." T'Pol put out her hand, offering the cushion across from her.
"Thanks." Archer said and he sat down. T'Pol waited patiently for him to speak.
"Since what happened to Schneider and Lee, a lot of other concentration camps are surrendering. People are being set free."
"That is very good." T'Pol replied.
Archer chuckled softly. "Yeah, it certainly is. Um, Barik, amazingly, found his wife in all the mess, and they've decided to adopt Loupa. Your friend, Ja'an, was given an award for his braveries and, apparently is being given a whole new respect," T'Pol suppressed a smile, "and a ceremony is being held for the loss of camp 26." Archer glanced at the candle, and then looked back up at his science officer.
"You know, T'Pol, the Karthanian military had been planning on attacking the concentration camp for a while. But they weren't going to attack for another week. It's a good thing your message got through. You guys were lucky."
T'Pol almost corrected him by saying that Vulcans did not believe in luck, but stopped herself. "All very good news, Captain. Thank you for delivering it."
Archer stared into T'Pol's eyes. The Vulcan could tell there was something else on his mind.
"T'Pol, there's something else on my mind," T'Pol inwardly congratulated herself.
The captain sighed. "I thought I almost lost you down there."
T'Pol turned her gaze to the small flame. "I believed that I had 'lost' you as well."
Archer regarded her a moment. "T'Pol, being down there amidst all that- death, it's made me rethink my values. And," Archer chuckled, "I definitely think I'm going to start listening to your advice more often." T'Pol figured if she were human, she would've chuckled, but instead, she nodded coolly.
Archer nodded too. "Well, I guess that's it. You and Trip are on leave for the next few days."
T'Pol was about to argue, but she chose not to. "Thank you, Captain."
Archer exhaled and stood to leave, T'Pol also stood. They both locked gazes for a moment, then Archer spoke. "Live long and prosper, Sub-Commander."
"Live long and prosper."
The Captain left and T'Pol sat down and stared at the candle again. She'd always known that Archer cared for her, but T'Pol would never forget the tears that welled in his eyes when he saw her, alive. They'd all been through so much; a happy ending was just what they needed.
T'Pol blew out the candle and went over to her bed. The Vulcan got under the covers and pulled them close. But, before she slipped into a dreamless slumber, T'Pol considered a most peculiar deliberation. If Vulcans tried hard enough, perhaps, just once, they could cry.
~The End~
~Epilogue~
Mrs. Olivia Schneider looked down at the photograph of her husband on the desk. He had a proud, prideful smile curving his features. She hated that smile.
Olivia had heard rumors that some captain of some glorious starship had helped liberate the prisoners on Karthania. Olivia was glad. She'd been burdened by the thought of her husband doing all that damage-for her. It was daunting. But, then, he had no idea that she was still alive, or that she'd had better plans in store for him. But, perhaps the rumors were true, and that her husband had been overthrown along with that wench, Commander Lee. Olivia couldn't help but being mad, though. She'd wanted to take care of Schneider herself. In fact, it infuriated her. Perhaps she would get back at that starship captain. Make him suffer for doing something she wanted to finish herself.
"Miss Schneider, you are stressed. Repress the emotion. Return to your studies."
Olivia regarded the Vulcan elder, and glanced over at the window, staring at the barren and desert terrain. Olivia then returned her attention to the book in front of her. Yes, she would have her revenge. Her sweet revenge. But until then, she had to return to her studies.
~END~
Well, that's it! Please tell me what you think! But, be gentle, I'm very happy I finally completed this, and I don't like getting yelled at!!!
And I have a bunch of ideas for another Enterprise story, which I've already started called:
"L.G.L: Little Girl Lost." First chapter comes out soon!
And, I'd just like to say, since this is my first fanfic, I'd really like to thank EVERYONE who reviewed. At first, I didn't think I was going to do much with this story and all of you guys who reviewed really helped to give me that inspiring boost. I've had the idea for The Forth Reich for some time now, and I'm glad it's finally out there for other teens to read. Thank you SO much all of you wonderful people!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (
Chapter 14: Conclusion
"What do we do now?" Loupa asked.
Archer and Trip had stopped searching for T'Pol a little after they found the children. The sight of them had shaken the chief engineer into a state of pure silence. Captain Archer also sat quietly except for a few mumbles or grunts he made every once and a while.
"Well," Lieutenant replied, "Since I still have a job to take care of, I need to get Captain Archer and Commander Tucker to our main camp-"
"We need to get back to my ship." Archer said faintly.
Lieutenant made a sad smile. "With all do respect, the only way I could get you back to your ship was to get you back to your shuttle. And who knows what Colonel Schneider's done with it."
Archer's brow furrowed. "Don't you have any communicators we can use so I can contact my ship?"
Lieutenant grunted. "Nothing modern enough."
"You mean to tell me there isn't one solitary piece of advanced technology on this planet?"
Lieutenant shook his head. "Everything was destroyed when the Nazis decided to 'change' things."
"That sucks." Trip said numbly.
Archer raised an eyebrow. "Thanks for the input, Trip."
"Any time" was the engineer's lethargic answer.
"Anyway," Lieutenant said, "I need to get you and Mr. Tucker to our main camp to figure out what to do with you. I've got bosses like everybody else, Captain."
Archer nodded in understanding. "When do we set off for the camp?"
"As soon as possible would be nice."
Archer glanced over at Trip. Trip made a face that said, "I don't care."
Archer sighed and rubbed his temple. "I-"
Lieutenant's brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"
The captain bit his lip. "It's just-something doesn't feel right about leaving."
Trip glanced up. "You got that feeling too?"
Archer nodded. "It's like, we're still supposed to do something, or find someone. I know it seems, impossible, but I have this feeling that T'Pol's still alive."
Lieutenant threw his arms up and sat down on a log. "I knew this would happen," He mumbled to himself, "Captain, T'Pol was staying at this camp, she was recovering. And something tells me she's smart enough not to go anywhere or stage a rescue mission without somebody else's help." Lieutenant crossed his arms. "And everyone here has orders. They wouldn't let her leave."
Archer shook his head. "No. I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I can't ignore this feeling." Archer peered out into the jungle. "She's out there somewhere. And I'm going to find her."
* * *
"Everyone set their phase pistols to stun?" Reed asked.
Hoshi and Travis both nodded.
"Doctor?"
The Denobulan sighed as he stared down at the weapon in his hand. "I'm a doctor, Mr. Reed. Not a soldier."
"Doctor, we need you to be able to protect yourself. I'd like to have our physician *alive* to treat our officers."
Phlox raised an eyebrow. "Hm, well, I suppose so. Setting the phaser to stun." Phlox then put his phaser back in the holster.
Reed made eye contact with each member of his team. "All right, then." Reed took some phase rifles from a container and set them to stun as well.
Dr. Phlox eyed the armory officer curiously. "Are we sure that we need this much-artillery?"
Reed frowned. "I like my phase pistols as much as the next person, but the phase rifles are a must."
"I must say, Lieutenant, I neglect to see why you have such a strong passion for something that only causes destruction."
Travis chuckled softly.
"You have something to add, Ensign?" Reed said, somewhat sarcastically.
Travis straightened and clamped his mouth shut. "No, sir."
"We really should be going." Hoshi piped in.
"Right. Now, remember," Reed said, "whatever happens down there, our main and only goal is to retrieve the captain, Mr. Tucker, and T'Pol." The team nodded.
Reed turned towards the shuttle and mumbled under his breath, "And pray that they're still alive."
* * *
"You know, T'Pol," Ja'an said, following close behind, "I knew that you had guts, and-and that you'd pretty much do anything logical for a worthy cause. But this?! This is just ridiculous!"
"I would not be doing this unless I knew that it was a logical plan. And it is. Watch out for the log." It was too late; the man stumbled a little but regained his balance.
"Thanks," He mumbled, "but I just don't see why this is so important. Why can't we walk?"
"That would take too long and we don't have enough food or equipment sufficient for such an excursion."
"So we're going to steal?"
"We're not stealing. We are simply gaining resources by unlawful means."
"Therefore, stealing."
"You are mistaken. Stealing is merely 'taking for the taking.' We are taking because we need those few items more than the Nazi's do."
"I think officer uniforms, food, and a truck is a bit more than just a 'few items.' "
"You need to be more positive. At the moment, you are being very pessimistic."
Ja'an scoffed. "Pessimistic?! For your information, T'Pol, my family, friends, and colleagues are dead! I think I have a right to be a little pessimistic!"
T'Pol stopped walking and faced her friend. "I meant no insult, Ja'an."
The surgeon huffed angrily. "Yeah, I know."
T'Pol put her hands behind her back. "Ja'an, your pain is understandable. You've suffered a great loss. But I need your mentality to be optimistic. I don't believe I can get through this mission without your help."
T'Pol stepped closer. "Ja'an, I need to know. Can I depend on you to help me?"
Ja'an swallowed. "Yeah. I'll be fine."
T'Pol stiffened and she straightened her spine. "Thank you."
Ja'an sighed and looked into his pack. He started to dig through it. "There's got to be something in here to eat-hey, look at this!" Ja'an grabbed something from his pack and held it up.
"The walkie-talkie you were working on!" He exclaimed.
T'Pol grabbed the device and sat down on a log. "I believe I may had fixed it before we left. Do you think you can contact the main camp?"
Ja'an shrugged. "Maybe, lemme see it." Ja'an took the communicator and turned a dial a few times. "I think they go by this frequency. Say a prayer. If this works, we could have fighter planes and military backing us up." Ja'an bit his lip and pushed the button.
"This is Dr. Ja'an of camp 26. Camp 26 has been destroyed, I repeat, camp 26 has been destroyed. Two survivors. We are heading to concentration camp 2. Bring backup, over."
Ja'an listened to the static a bit and then repeated the message. They heard a couple of breaks in the static, but nothing else. Ja'an sighed and put the communicator away.
"They may have gotten the message. Now all have to do is continue on our way and hope this thing worked."
* * *
"What the bloody hell is that place?" Reed was hovering over Travis's right shoulder and Hoshi was hovering over the other. Dr. Phlox was sitting in his seat reading from a PADD.
"It's huge!" Travis stated.
Hoshi pointed at the barbed wire fence. "Looks hostile." Hoshi said.
"Hm," Reed grumbled, "they probably have very primitive weaponry as well. I'd like to see that."
"Remember the mission, Lieutenant." Hoshi said with a smirk.
"Right. Travis, find a safe-deserted-place to land the shuttle. Once we've done that, I want you, Hoshi to try and contact that building. It's the closest thing to where the other pod had landed."
"Yes, sir."
* * *
"Keep low, Ja'an."
"I'll stay as low as you need me to."
T'Pol peered through the gate at the square. Two guards were at the watchtower talking frantically to another officer.
"Describe him." The officer said.
"He was tall," one of the guards exclaimed, "Probably six feet. Around 380 Kilos. Skinny fellow. Had a standard SS uniform on. We thought he was one of us. Gave us some ale. We were out in seconds flat."
"You didn't recognize him, at all?"
"Well, it was dark."
"It was very dark." The other said.
"So let me get this straight," The officer said, "you drank some ale, that eventually knocked you out, given to you from an unknown officer in the middle of the night," he paused, "on duty."
"It was cold." The guard declared.
The other guard nodded. "It was very cold."
The officer, shaking his head, jot down the information on a notepad. "I've got to say, gentlemen, this is pretty pathetic. But, thank you for your help. It may help us find the escaped unit."
T'Pol felt her stomach do a flip-flop. So, Archer's entire unit had come along. But, who was this "unknown officer?"
The officer thanked the guards again and stuck his notepad in his coat pocket. After the officer left the premises, the two guards started to chat.
"What kind of description was that?" One of them said.
"What? I described him the best I could!"
"How about the fact that he had perfectly white teeth, or-or that he had blond hair or that-"
"Hey-hey, I only described what I remembered."
"Well, your memory must be shot because-"
"Don't you accuse me of that, you-you brainless scum!"
"Oh, that's original!"
This banter went on for several minutes until T'Pol was entirely convinced of these men's stupidity.
"I believe we can easily deceive those two guards." T'Pol said.
"Hmph-good." T'Pol turned around and saw Ja'an happily eating away at a piece of fruit he'd picked from the tree branch hanging over their heads.
T'Pol cocked an eyebrow. "I'm glad to see you're paying so much attention."
"Huh?"
"Come this way."
* * *
"This is unbelievable, Lieutenant. I can't get through to the compound."
"Not even audio only?"
Hoshi shook her head. "Nothing. I can't believe how primitive everything is."
Reed sighed with disgust. "Well, can you isolate any Human or Vulcan life signs?" Reed asked impatiently.
"Give me a second, sir." Hoshi replied. "No-wait." Hoshi squinted at the console in front of her and then started to point excitedly. "I think I found T'Pol!"
Reed pat Hoshi on the shoulder. "Good going, Hoshi. Travis, Doctor, let's get her."
Hoshi quickly looked up from her console. "Wait, what about me?! You promised to let me go on this mission!"
"And you're on it, aren't you? Hoshi, someone has to stay here and guard the pod. I think the best choice would be you."
Hoshi opened her mouth to protest, but Malcolm stopped her. "It's for the best, Hoshi. Now, please, stay here."
Hoshi clenched her teeth, but didn't say anything.
"Right then people, let's go. Hoshi, watch the pod."
The ensign grunted a "yes sir."
* * *
"I never liked jungles. Too many bugs. And poison ivy. Got to watch out for them poisonous frogs too." Reed shook his head and he brushed away a beetle from his sleeve.
"Poisonous frogs?" Phlox said uncertainly.
"Yes. Some, they're poisonous at the touch. Some frogs even have a certain defense mechanism that allows them to spit blood from their eyeballs." Reed put a hand to his phase pistol.
"Ew." Travis said.
"Really?" Phlox cocked his head sideways, "That's fascinating. I wouldn't mind studying one of those."
Reed held out his scanner and moved it back and forth. "There you are." Reed said, "She's this way. But she's moving quickly. Let's go."
* * *
"I can't believe you did that." Ja'an shook his head as he buttoned the guard jacket on.
T'Pol finished getting ready by putting her black, knee-high boots on. "I did what was necessary in order to obtain the uniforms. Though, I must say, it was somewhat.unsettling."
Ja'an tossed the rifle strap over his shoulder. "Unsettling? You came onto those guards like a-"
"I know what I did, Ja'an. But it was also crucial so I could get close enough to give them the Vulcan pinch. It was successful, wasn't it?" T'Pol stood, waiting for the surgeon's answer. Ja'an bit his lip and started to say something, but stopped himself.
"Yeah, I guess it was."
"Now, you stay outside the watchtower and I'll get the supplies and the truck."
Ja'an cleared his throat. "And just how do you plan on persuading those guards to let you do that," Ja'an chuckled, "I mean, don't you think seeing some mundane guard driving a truck out of-"
T'Pol stuck her chin up. "I plan to try and stay out of sight. These uniforms are for insurance purposes, Ja'an. If I get caught in the act, the uniform will allow me some excuse until I can create an alibi." T'Pol thought for a moment, "but, I'm hoping it will not come to that."
Ja'an looked at the Vulcan with wonder. This woman had gone through so much: hard labor, starvation, torture, a rather close brush with death, and grief. Yet she remained strong in every way. Willing to risk her life for others. Fight for others. T'Pol had said she wasn't an emotional person, but she didn't realize how truly wrong she was. From Ja'an's understanding of Vulcans, as diminutive as it was, led him to believe that these pointy- eared aliens did things that only meant well for themselves. In other words- selfish. But, apparently, this Vulcan was different. She cared about others, indirectly of course. She'd voluntarily looked after a young girl she'd known for only a couple of hours. Risked her life for her. This remarkable woman had also, despite her injuries, went on a trek through the perilous jungle, *back* to the very place she had narrowly escaped from.
Ja'an decided then that he would never let T'Pol down.
Ever.
* * *
"Looks like, one guard at the watchtower door," Reed whispered while peering through brush, "One up top. Shouldn't be too difficult to take them out."
Travis looked at the square. "Where's T'Pol? I thought you said she was right there."
"She was. A few minutes ago. There was someone else with her too. Probably that guard." Reed looked at his scanner. "Wait, there are two others behind the watchtower. Very weak life signs."
Travis took his phase pistol out. "We need to get into that compound. And from the looks of it," Travis pointed at the gate, "that's the only entrance and exit."
* * *
Commander Lee handed the document to the Colonel.
"Here's the report on the spy. Apparently, he drugged our watchtower guards to get the unit out."
Schneider grunted as he looked the document over. "Not a very good description of the perpetrator."
Lee nodded in concurrence. "I believe we should replace the guards with more.competent officers."
Schneider tapped his fingers on the desk and gazed over at the woman in the photograph. The Colonel sighed, staring at her beautiful, mysterious smile. All of it was for her. Everything he did. Every decision. It was meant for her. And whenever he wasn't sure of a decision, he'd just look into those eyes, twinkling back at him through that single, black and white photograph, and he'd know what to do. That photo was the only thing he had left of his past. The last thin string of his early existence.
Colonel Schneider tore away his gaze from his wife. Whenever he saw her face, he usually saw happiness. But, sometimes, her expression made him feel awkward, like he wasn't supposed to be doing this. It was almost like she was angry with him. But-but it was all for her! How could she refuse! Still, she seemed to be telling him to stop. To let it go. To let everything be as it was. But he couldn't just give up. Not now. Not when they were so close to ridding the world of the weak and the ignorant. But then what would he do? The war would end. There would be nothing left to conquer. He would be alone once again. Alone in all his riches and power.
That wouldn't be too much fun after a while.
* * *
Hoshi lazily leaned back in her seat. This wasn't an away mission. Not for her, anyway. Sitting in a shuttle pod staring out the window watching some sort of small monkey-like creatures eating bugs wasn't her idea of an away mission. Hoshi huffed in anger. In fact, in the ensign's current condition, she almost missed the blips on her console of the two human life signs a few miles away. Hoshi jumped up in excitement.
"Oh, my God! I found them!" Hoshi did more scans and caught the signature of one of their communicators, a few meters away from the blips on the screen.
* * *
Loupa stopped in his tracks. "Did you hear that?"
Barik perked up and looked in all directions. The rest of the party did the same.
"It sounds like a kind of chirping." Barik noted.
Trip and Archer looked at each other quickly. "The communicator!" They both said excitedly.
"Everyone start lookin' for it," Trip said, "It sounds close!"
The entire party fanned out and frantically searched for the little device.
"It sounds closer over here!" Loupa exclaimed. Loupa pushed away some tall grass and yipped in excitement as he grabbed the mechanism. "I found it! Over here!"
Archer hurriedly ran over to the boy, grabbed the communicator, and flipped it open.
"This is Archer!"
* * *
"So, what, do we just knock and say, 'could you let us in?' " Travis said.
Lt. Reed shrugged. "What else can we do? We won't have much of an element of surprise, seeing that this is a gate, not doorway."
"Mr. Reed," Phlox interrupted, "this is a war planet, people don't just come running up to a concentration camp asking to be let in-"
Malcolm and Travis turned to the Doctor-smirking.
~~~~~A Few Minutes Later~~~~~
"Uh, excuse me? Sir?" Travis waved from the gate at the guard standing at the door to the watchtower. The man looked quite nervous and his hands twitched. He seemed unsure whether he should speak to the pilot.
"Wha-what do you want?" The guard asked timidly.
Travis contained a smile seeing that this man could be easily apprehended. "Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but my hunting party and I have gotten lost. So, do you mind letting us in and giving us some directions? We won't cause any trouble."
The guard squinted at Travis a moment. Staring at his clothes and then at his face again. Suddenly the guard gave a small yelp and ran to the gate.
"You're humans! You-you belong to that ship, Enterprise!" Travis stared at the man in disbelief.
"How the hell could you know that?" Reed and the Doctor came up from behind Travis and eyed the man curiously.
The guard moved his mouth, but nothing came out. He closed his eyes a moment and then tried to speak again, but only stuttered.
"You-you-I mean, I have your-your." The guard snapped his fingers trying to remember something. "T'Pol!" He suddenly exclaimed.
Travis, Malcolm and Phlox all felt their mouths drop open. Malcolm stepped beside Travis immediately.
"You know, T'Pol?"
The man smiled, grateful that he got these people to understand. "Yes," The man whispered, "I'm not actually a guard. My name is Ja'an. I'm a surgeon. I-I'm undercover-sort of. T'Pol is inside the camp disguised at a guard. She's trying to get a truck, some food and other stuff."
Malcolm was about to respond when his communicator chirped. He unzipped his breast pocket and took the device out.
"Reed here."
"Malcolm, it's Hoshi. I found the captain and Trip. They're on their way to the shuttle."
"Excellent, Hoshi. We've just got to get T'Pol out of here. We've made a friend along the way that may be able to help us."
"Acknowledged. Captain Archer said he and Trip were pretty beat up. Could you get the Doctor back here?"
The Denobulan nodded. "Yes, Hoshi. He'll be there in a few minutes. Reed out." Malcolm put the communicator away and faced Phlox and Mayweather.
"Travis, escort the Doctor back to the shuttle-"
"Malcolm, you shouldn't go in there alone-"
"I'll be fine, Ensign. I'd rather risk two lives instead of three."
Travis nodded and turned around to lead the way back to the shuttle.
* * *
T'Pol stood rigidly trying to think up an alibi for her actions. The officer in front of her pointed the gun at her head, yelling out questions. Of course, T'Pol had no idea what he was saying, or how to explain why she had the packs of food in her hands or why she had one foot on the step of the truck. So, instead, T'Pol figured she could throw the food at the officer, which would give her enough time to pinch him in the neck.
The officer shouted out more demands. T'Pol carried out her plan by throwing all the food at the officer. He was caught by surprise and T'Pol gave him the pinch. The man crumbled to the floor. T'Pol sighed and glanced around and listened for any footsteps to make sure no one had heard her or the officer.
There was silence. Good.
T'Pol quickly gathered the food and stepped up into the truck and into the driver's seat. Now, if only she could figure out a way to get this bucket to work and drive it out of the garage. T'Pol hadn't thought of that. The Vulcan stared down at the controls in front of her. There was a large wheel with different levers protruding from it. All right, that's interesting; the wheel must have to be used for steering the truck. T'Pol felt something below her feet. More clunky levers. Great. Okay, there are some dials over there. T'Pol twisted them around. Nothing.
You had to turn the truck on first. But, how to do that? T'Pol looked around a bit and found a little hole with a metal piece stuck in it. T'Pol put a hand on it, and turned it.
The automobile came to life and it's engines vibrated. At first, T'Pol had thought she set the vehicle on self-destruct mode, but she quickly came to realize that she'd only turned it on. The Vulcan was satisfied with her first move. T'Pol tried the little dials again, and an annoyingly loud voice boomed from it. T'Pol instantly turned the dial again and the noise stopped.
T'Pol remembered the levers by her feet. She put her foot on the long pedal on the right. The vehicle lurched backward. T'Pol took her foot off the pedal and the truck slowed. T'Pol tried the other pedal. The truck stopped moving instantly. The Vulcan sighed. Why did humans always make things so difficult?
T'Pol looked around at a lever by her feet. There were a few letters on it. She moved the lever back and then tried the gas pedal again, slowly. The truck crawled forward a bit. Relieved, T'Pol fiddled with a few other levers and accidentally leaned on the steering wheel causing it to make a loud obnoxious noise that made the usually composed Vulcan jump in her seat.
* * *
"T'Pol has got to be at the garage by now. We should go there." Ja'an said.
Reed rubbed his temple. "Yes, but just how do you expect to get me there without a little suspicion from the other officers?"
Ja'an scratched his head. "You could be my prisoner?"
Reed scoffed. "Oh, please, that's the oldest one in the book."
Ja'an's brow furrowed. "What book? Are there rules for this sort of thing?"
Reed smirked. "Or it could be the newest trend. Let's try that. Here, take my weapon-don't touch that. Right, just, keep it there. That's good." Reed ruffed his hair up a bit. "Now," he said, "hit me."
Ja'an looked up in surprise. "What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no, I couldn't. Wha- why would you want me to do that?"
Reed rolled his eyes. "So I look a bit beat up. How could I be a prisoner if I'm spick and span?"
Ja'an widened his eyes. "Spick and what?
"Just-punch me! Hard!"
Ja'an bit his lip. "Um, okay. Here it goes." Ja'an brought his fist back and stopped. "Wait, where do I hit you?"
"Anywhere, hit me for bloody sake-" The blast to his face made the Brit stagger back into the fence. The vision around him darkened a little but then cleared. Reed then felt an overwhelming throbbing from his left eye. Ja'an's startled face suddenly filled Malcolm's field of vision.
"Are you all right, Mr. Reed?" Ja'an said, his voice panicky. Reed wondered how T'Pol was ever able to tolerate this man.
Reed shoved the man away from him. Reed then pointed at his eye. "Does it look bad?"
Ja'an swallowed and concurred. "It definitely looks like I hit ya."
Reed straightened his spine and nodded quickly. "That's good. Now, tie my hands behind my back and escort me to the garage. Remember to push and shove me as well. We got to make it look as real as possible."
Ja'an nervously looked down at his feet. "I, uh, don't exactly know where the garage is."
* * *
After a few minutes of driving around the large garage, T'Pol got a feel for what she was doing. She then drove the truck up and out of the large doorway onto a dirt road. There was a gate, and T'Pol recognized it as the "prisoner entrance" as she'd heard it called. Perhaps of she continued on this road, it would circle to the main entrance, where Ja'an was.
So, T'Pol continued down the roadway, taking in the sites she never saw when she was last here.
* * *
Reed grabbed the phase pistol from Ja'an. "Are you telling me you just hit me for nothing?!" Reed tried to restrain his voice from getting too loud, but couldn't help himself at times.
Ja'an cowered to the corner of the fence. "I thought you knew where the garage was!"
"How the bloody hell would I know?!"
"I dunno, I just assumed!"
Reed buried his head into his hands. How could he be dealing with such an imbecile?
Reed was about to say more when he heard a voice coming from the other side of the watchtower. Ja'an's eyes got big and he whimpered. Reed ran over to the Ja'an.
"Get rid of him."
"Why me?"
"You have an army uniform on."
Ja'an looked down, as if to make sure the Lieutenant's information was correct. Ja'an groaned, and inched his way to the front of the watchtower. Reed backed against the wall and held his phaser up, just in case things got bad. Reed listened to the conversation. The mystery man on the other side was harsh and barked out questions. Reed could here Ja'an's weak response.
There was a pause in the conversation. Then, Reed heard a click and Ja'an gasp. That couldn't be good. Reed risked it and ran out into the front of the watchtower. Once there, Reed saw a primitive weapon pointed at Ja'an head. Ja'an looked like he was about to cry. The man with the weapon was wearing a black uniform. He was older, in his forties. The man didn't see Reed. The Lieutenant hadn't said anything. And, apparently, this man had really bad peripheral vision. Reed was right *there*, phase pistol pointed. Reed figured he could take out the guy right away, if only Ja'an hadn't glanced over at Malcolm.
The man was fast, a shot rang out and Reed suddenly felt excruciating pain from his side. Reed fell to the ground and howled in pain. The man walked over to Reed and glared down at him, grinning evilly. The man raised the gun and pointed it at Malcolm's head. Reed closed his eyes, ready for what was sure to come. But, Reed only heard a growl. A shot fired, and a body fell onto him. Reed looked quickly and saw the old man's face staring at his-eye's wide. Reed slid away and glimpsed up to see who his rescuer was. Ja'an stood there the gun still pointed at the man. His face was twisted into an angry glare. Small tears formed around Ja'an's eyes.
"That was for my family and my friends," Ja'an choked out, " you-you Nazi bastard."
Ja'an put the gun away slowly and put his hand out to Reed. Malcolm smiled. The man had somehow under a minute found courage. Ja'an helped Malcolm up, still staring at the fallen Nazi.
"Colonel Schneider!" Reed heard a woman's voice and glanced around to see an oriental woman rushing to the Colonel's side. She didn't give a second thought to Malcolm or Ja'an.
The woman put two fingers to the Colonel's temple for a moment. The woman then slowly lifted her gaze to the two men before her. Ja'an smiled, waved at the woman and lifted his gun.
"Hi, Commander Lee," Ja'an cocked the gun, "Don't try anything stupid, now. I've figured out how to work these things since the last time we met."
This Commander Lee snarled and kicked the weapon out of Ja'an's hands. Ja'an stared in shock at his empty hands. Reed, on instinct reached for his phase pistol. It wasn't there. Malcolm looked around and spotted his weapon by the watchtower door. It obviously had flung out of his hands when he was shot.
Lee took out a revolver and a ka-bar knife and pointed them at the two men.
"You have no idea what you've done. Now, you will pay for it."
Lee cocked the gun and spun the knife in her hand, ready to attack.
Then, there was a rumbling in the distance. Lee looked up and saw the tips of the trees beyond the road tousling violently and a flock of birds flew away. The rumbling grew nearer to the gate entrance. Lee's first thought was that it was a pa'lapus, but they make a high screeching sound when attacking. No, this came from a machine. It came from-
"A truck?" Reed said aloud.
The large automobile crashed through the gate just missing Reed and Ja'an. But it had hit its target. And the target lied motionless on the ground. Reed and Ja'an stared in disbelief at the truck standing five inches from their noses. Ja'an grew weak in the knees and he half tumbled to the ground. Reed stared at the door, waiting to see their rescuer. The door opened to the reveal the still ever-calm Vulcan who had a satisfied gaze in her dark eyes.
"Mr. Reed, it's a pleasure to see you."
By now, the entire camp had been alerted and guards and officers were running to the scene. "I think that's our cue to leave." Reed said.
Malcolm, T'Pol and Ja'an started to run when a small, military jet flew over the camp.
Ja'an pointed excitedly. "T'Pol! Look! They got the message!" Suddenly, a massive group of Karthanian military soldiers swarmed from the jungle and into the camp. The Nazi guards and officers stared incredulously and dropped their weapons as the soldiers gathered the pathetic men.
* * *
"Oh, my God, T'POL!" The Vulcan cocked an eyebrow as her two fellow officers embraced her when she climbed into the shuttle.
"Captain, Commander, please restrain yourselves." They let go of her but not before T'Pol slightly returned the embrace. The Vulcan had to admit it; she was quite relieved to see the men alive and well.
"T'Pol, we-we thought-no, we *knew* you were dead! How did you-?"
Archer and Tucker were at a loss for words, and frankly so was this Vulcan. She'd learned something about emotion over the past few days. She'd come in close contact with it. So close, she could almost feel the tears that threatened her this very moment, but she kept it back. Kept it all hidden as she always had. But, that never meant she would always hide it. She'd proven Surak wrong. She'd proven that Vulcan's certainly could be emotional people.
* * *
T'Pol gazed at the candle before her. She'd forgotten how peaceful and comforting the single flame could be. While on the war planet, her meditations consisted of short prayers, certainly not all she should have had, but it was enough. Now, she was back in her comfortable meditation robes, in her warm quarters, with a cup of hot green tea sitting next to her. No small whimpers, no bugs, and no screams in the middle of the night.
She almost felt selfish. T'Pol was about to blow out the candle when her door chimed.
"Come."
The door swooshed open and Captain Archer walked in. It seemed like the captain aged about five years, but T'Pol knew it was only the lingering pain of their ordeal.
"Am I interrupting?"
"Not at all. Please." T'Pol put out her hand, offering the cushion across from her.
"Thanks." Archer said and he sat down. T'Pol waited patiently for him to speak.
"Since what happened to Schneider and Lee, a lot of other concentration camps are surrendering. People are being set free."
"That is very good." T'Pol replied.
Archer chuckled softly. "Yeah, it certainly is. Um, Barik, amazingly, found his wife in all the mess, and they've decided to adopt Loupa. Your friend, Ja'an, was given an award for his braveries and, apparently is being given a whole new respect," T'Pol suppressed a smile, "and a ceremony is being held for the loss of camp 26." Archer glanced at the candle, and then looked back up at his science officer.
"You know, T'Pol, the Karthanian military had been planning on attacking the concentration camp for a while. But they weren't going to attack for another week. It's a good thing your message got through. You guys were lucky."
T'Pol almost corrected him by saying that Vulcans did not believe in luck, but stopped herself. "All very good news, Captain. Thank you for delivering it."
Archer stared into T'Pol's eyes. The Vulcan could tell there was something else on his mind.
"T'Pol, there's something else on my mind," T'Pol inwardly congratulated herself.
The captain sighed. "I thought I almost lost you down there."
T'Pol turned her gaze to the small flame. "I believed that I had 'lost' you as well."
Archer regarded her a moment. "T'Pol, being down there amidst all that- death, it's made me rethink my values. And," Archer chuckled, "I definitely think I'm going to start listening to your advice more often." T'Pol figured if she were human, she would've chuckled, but instead, she nodded coolly.
Archer nodded too. "Well, I guess that's it. You and Trip are on leave for the next few days."
T'Pol was about to argue, but she chose not to. "Thank you, Captain."
Archer exhaled and stood to leave, T'Pol also stood. They both locked gazes for a moment, then Archer spoke. "Live long and prosper, Sub-Commander."
"Live long and prosper."
The Captain left and T'Pol sat down and stared at the candle again. She'd always known that Archer cared for her, but T'Pol would never forget the tears that welled in his eyes when he saw her, alive. They'd all been through so much; a happy ending was just what they needed.
T'Pol blew out the candle and went over to her bed. The Vulcan got under the covers and pulled them close. But, before she slipped into a dreamless slumber, T'Pol considered a most peculiar deliberation. If Vulcans tried hard enough, perhaps, just once, they could cry.
~The End~
~Epilogue~
Mrs. Olivia Schneider looked down at the photograph of her husband on the desk. He had a proud, prideful smile curving his features. She hated that smile.
Olivia had heard rumors that some captain of some glorious starship had helped liberate the prisoners on Karthania. Olivia was glad. She'd been burdened by the thought of her husband doing all that damage-for her. It was daunting. But, then, he had no idea that she was still alive, or that she'd had better plans in store for him. But, perhaps the rumors were true, and that her husband had been overthrown along with that wench, Commander Lee. Olivia couldn't help but being mad, though. She'd wanted to take care of Schneider herself. In fact, it infuriated her. Perhaps she would get back at that starship captain. Make him suffer for doing something she wanted to finish herself.
"Miss Schneider, you are stressed. Repress the emotion. Return to your studies."
Olivia regarded the Vulcan elder, and glanced over at the window, staring at the barren and desert terrain. Olivia then returned her attention to the book in front of her. Yes, she would have her revenge. Her sweet revenge. But until then, she had to return to her studies.
~END~
Well, that's it! Please tell me what you think! But, be gentle, I'm very happy I finally completed this, and I don't like getting yelled at!!!