A/N: The holidays are upon us and it is very hectic here. Hopefully, there will be a Chapter 5 before Christmas, but it will be touch and go. Happy Holidays to all!
"Broken Promises"
Chapter 4-
The storm raged outside. The beating rain pounded on the shed roof and lashed at the sides of the structure. Trip huddled in the corner, trying to stay warm and dry. The leaks were numerous and he dodged the pelting drops. When the lightening sprayed white through the cracks, his eyes blinked instinctively. He knew with the sudden storm the captain hadn't made it back down to the surface with the doctor in time. But, ironically, that was a good thing.
He sighed and shook his head. Nes had left only about an hour before the storm hit and he was glad she wasn't caught with him. It would've been very hard to explain to her family. But what was harder right now was trying to figure out how they were going to stop Phlox from testing Nes for the attacker's DNA.
Those two kids, Nes and Pros, were madly in love with each other. All they wanted was to be together, which was impossible in their society. It looked like Trip had to be the sacrificial lamb, because there was no way in hell he was going to tell on those two kids to save his skin.
The cold air swept over him as rain sprayed in from the open door. He looked up and felt his heart start beating faster. His throat was dry and his tongue felt like a wad of cotton. There, in the doorway, the massive frame of Cly stood.
"Get up!" Cly shouted above the storm.
Trip saw the chain Cly held in his hand, once again, swaying slowly back and forth. He shivered, not sure whether it was from the cold or from fear. Slowly he rose to his feet and started toward the door. Cly stepped aside to let Trip out, but grabbed his upper arm tightly with his free hand.
Sheets of rain skirted sideways across the yard. It was dark. The late afternoon sky was blackened by ominous clouds that moved quickly in and out of view. Trip squinted and covered his forehead with the crook of his arm to shield his eyes. It didn't help much, but some.
Cly pushed and pulled him in the direction he wanted him to go, which didn't ease Trip's mind at all. They were headed for the woods. The very woods where Trip had left Nes the night before. Where Kel had attacked her and took her innocence.
"Cly!" Trip called back. "Ya got it all wrong, buddy!"
"I did not say you could speak!" Cly said, swinging the chain and slamming Trip in the upper back.
Trip let out a holler as his back arched. He almost lost his balance, except for the fact that Cly held onto him firmly.
"Speak again," Cly yelled above the thunder. "And you will get worse sooner!"
Trip swallowed hard, trying to wash down his rapidly beating heart that was now lodged in his throat. But there was little saliva to do the job. His feet skidded to a halt in the mud as Cly pulled him back.
There they stood in a small clearing where a large boulder sat smacked dab in the middle. Cly let go of Trip's arm and circled around front.
"I never trusted you and the others." Cly told Trip. "My father and my brother and sister are too trusting."
"Cly..." Trip held up his hands and backed up.
"Do not move!" Cly warned, raising the chain.
"Okay, okay!" Trip replied. "I won't move, but ya gotta hear me out, Cly!"
The storm was becoming more fierce. The lightening was brighter and the thunder sounded quickly after the flashes. It seemed that the storm was feeding off of Cly's anger and Trip's fear.
"Why?!" Cly lowered the chain. "You should not have any rights to your fate. You gave my sister none when you took her last night!"
"Cly," Trip shook his head. "Ya don't understand. I can't tell ya what ya want to hear, but I can tell ya that if I did tell ya the truth...it'd hurt your sister more!"
"You talk in circles!" Cly said, raising the chain. "No more talk! Now you will pay for what you have done!"
One of Cly's big meaty hands grabbed the front of Trip's uniform and pulled him to the boulder. The next thing Trip knew he was lying, face down, over the boulder with his legs and arms dangling freely. He momentarily had the wind knocked out of him from the force of the rock connecting with his midsection. He didn't feel Cly's hand on his back, so he grabbed the sides of the rock and started to push himself up. That's when the pain shot through his back.
Cly knew he could not kill this one. Their planet's laws were an eye for an eye. If Trip had killed Nes, then he would die. But he had only attacked her and she was able to walk away. Only attacked her, Cly thought. His anger was strong, but he tried to pull back on his strikes. The chain slammed down onto the human's back repeatedly, eliciting a cry of pain and then groans. He watched as the human tried to get up.
Trip couldn't believe the pain that pulsated through his lower back. Couldn't this guy aim somewhere else for a change? All he could think of was trying to get up. But every time he started to he was struck down by that damned chain. Even if he did get up, Trip knew the only thing he could do was run. He couldn't fight this bruiser.
"Stop!" A voice screamed above the storm.
Cly turned to see his father standing at the edge of the woods, with Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed and another alien, not human, beside him. It had been his father that called out.
"I will not kill him, father." Cly promised. "But he must pay..."
"Enough!" Rul hollered, moving on Cly and snatching the chain from his son's hand.
Archer and Phlox rushed to Tucker's side, as Reed stood nearby with a watchful eye on Cly. Phlox ran a scanner over Trip, as Archer lifted the commander's chin. Trip's eyes were blinking slowly, fighting the rain and his fatigue.
"Doc?" Archer looked to Phlox.
"We need to get him back to Enterprise." Phlox told him.
Archer looked over at Rul and Cly.
"What do you say, Rul?" The captain asked. "Are you satisfied that he's been punished for a crime he didn't commit?"
"Go!" Rul said with a dismissing hand gesture.
"Cap'n..." Trip forced out.
"Shh, it's over, Trip." Archer told him. "Let's just get the hell out of here."
"No..." Trip countered. He couldn't leave without talking to Nes. She'd be wrought with guilt that she hurt him this way. He had to let her know he was going to be all right.
But it was no use. The captain and Phlox hauled him up to his feet and half dragged him off, with Malcolm close behind. Trip's head was swimming and his back felt heavy and weighted. Every bump caused pain to jar his lower back, but then travel around front.
Once in the shuttlepod, Malcolm took the controls as Phlox and Archer deposited Trip on the bench. Phlox looked over at the captain as he sat down next to Reed.
"Captain, this storm has gotten worse since we landed." Reed told Archer. "We never should've tried coming down in it then, let alone leave during this."
"Doc?" Archer turned to Phlox. "Can we wait it out here?"
"I wouldn't advise it, Captain." Phlox told him. "There is damage to his right kidney."
"How bad?" The captain asked, his face turning pale.
"I can't be sure." Phlox told him. "Not without a complete scan."
"This isn't over yet, Malcolm." Archer turned to his armory officer.
"Sir?" Reed asked.
"Take us up." The captain ordered. "But we'll be back when the storm clears. We'll get that sample for the DNA test from Nes."
"They think they've carried out their justice." Reed said. "Why can't we just leave it at that?"
"Because we can't just let these people think Trip assaulted that girl." Archer barked. "We have to clear him."
"No..." Trip moaned from the bench. "Leave...just leave..."
Archer looked from Phlox to Reed.
"Even if he doesn't want us to?" Reed asked.
"Especially because he doesn't want us to." Archer answered. He never believed Trip was capable of doing what Nes described happened to her last night. But Trip was hiding something. Whatever reason Trip wouldn't clear himself was something Archer was determined to find out.
The shuttlepod rocked and jerked, causing Phlox to brace himself and take the brunt of Trip's body rolling into him. Trip let out a holler and curled up into a ball, clutching his stomach.
"Malcolm!" Archer called.
"I got it, sir." Reed assured him.
"Doc?" Archer looked back at Phlox.
"He's going to go into shock, Captain." Phlox told him as he fiddled in his bag for a hypospray. "I don't have what I need to stablize him if he does."
Archer jumped up and went for a thermal blanket, throwing it over Trip. He watched as Trip shook violently, sweat beading his face. Phlox injected Trip with something.
"What was that?" Archer asked.
"For the pain." Phlox told him. "But he seems to be fighting it and that's not good for him. He needs to relax."
Trip felt as if he was slipping away and he was scared to. He had to fight to stay awake. The voices were humming in his ear, undecipherable noises. He wanted to understand, but he couldn't. He wanted the pain in his back and lower abdomen to stop, but it wouldn't. Then he felt himself being picked up by strong hands and cradled against a body. He forced his eyes open and saw a blurry image of Jonathan Archer looking down at him saying something. But, again, it was all just humming noise. Yet, the tone was soothing, not urgent or loud. He felt a hand brush his forehead and then slowly his body was moving slightly back and forth. Not enough to cause pain, or further damage to his body, but rhythmic movement. Rocking. That was it. Jon was rocking him. He couldn't fight it anymore. His eyes fluttered closed purely against his will. The last things he was conscious of was the humming fading and the hand that brushed his cheek.
TO BE CONTINUED
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"Broken Promises"
Chapter 4-
The storm raged outside. The beating rain pounded on the shed roof and lashed at the sides of the structure. Trip huddled in the corner, trying to stay warm and dry. The leaks were numerous and he dodged the pelting drops. When the lightening sprayed white through the cracks, his eyes blinked instinctively. He knew with the sudden storm the captain hadn't made it back down to the surface with the doctor in time. But, ironically, that was a good thing.
He sighed and shook his head. Nes had left only about an hour before the storm hit and he was glad she wasn't caught with him. It would've been very hard to explain to her family. But what was harder right now was trying to figure out how they were going to stop Phlox from testing Nes for the attacker's DNA.
Those two kids, Nes and Pros, were madly in love with each other. All they wanted was to be together, which was impossible in their society. It looked like Trip had to be the sacrificial lamb, because there was no way in hell he was going to tell on those two kids to save his skin.
The cold air swept over him as rain sprayed in from the open door. He looked up and felt his heart start beating faster. His throat was dry and his tongue felt like a wad of cotton. There, in the doorway, the massive frame of Cly stood.
"Get up!" Cly shouted above the storm.
Trip saw the chain Cly held in his hand, once again, swaying slowly back and forth. He shivered, not sure whether it was from the cold or from fear. Slowly he rose to his feet and started toward the door. Cly stepped aside to let Trip out, but grabbed his upper arm tightly with his free hand.
Sheets of rain skirted sideways across the yard. It was dark. The late afternoon sky was blackened by ominous clouds that moved quickly in and out of view. Trip squinted and covered his forehead with the crook of his arm to shield his eyes. It didn't help much, but some.
Cly pushed and pulled him in the direction he wanted him to go, which didn't ease Trip's mind at all. They were headed for the woods. The very woods where Trip had left Nes the night before. Where Kel had attacked her and took her innocence.
"Cly!" Trip called back. "Ya got it all wrong, buddy!"
"I did not say you could speak!" Cly said, swinging the chain and slamming Trip in the upper back.
Trip let out a holler as his back arched. He almost lost his balance, except for the fact that Cly held onto him firmly.
"Speak again," Cly yelled above the thunder. "And you will get worse sooner!"
Trip swallowed hard, trying to wash down his rapidly beating heart that was now lodged in his throat. But there was little saliva to do the job. His feet skidded to a halt in the mud as Cly pulled him back.
There they stood in a small clearing where a large boulder sat smacked dab in the middle. Cly let go of Trip's arm and circled around front.
"I never trusted you and the others." Cly told Trip. "My father and my brother and sister are too trusting."
"Cly..." Trip held up his hands and backed up.
"Do not move!" Cly warned, raising the chain.
"Okay, okay!" Trip replied. "I won't move, but ya gotta hear me out, Cly!"
The storm was becoming more fierce. The lightening was brighter and the thunder sounded quickly after the flashes. It seemed that the storm was feeding off of Cly's anger and Trip's fear.
"Why?!" Cly lowered the chain. "You should not have any rights to your fate. You gave my sister none when you took her last night!"
"Cly," Trip shook his head. "Ya don't understand. I can't tell ya what ya want to hear, but I can tell ya that if I did tell ya the truth...it'd hurt your sister more!"
"You talk in circles!" Cly said, raising the chain. "No more talk! Now you will pay for what you have done!"
One of Cly's big meaty hands grabbed the front of Trip's uniform and pulled him to the boulder. The next thing Trip knew he was lying, face down, over the boulder with his legs and arms dangling freely. He momentarily had the wind knocked out of him from the force of the rock connecting with his midsection. He didn't feel Cly's hand on his back, so he grabbed the sides of the rock and started to push himself up. That's when the pain shot through his back.
Cly knew he could not kill this one. Their planet's laws were an eye for an eye. If Trip had killed Nes, then he would die. But he had only attacked her and she was able to walk away. Only attacked her, Cly thought. His anger was strong, but he tried to pull back on his strikes. The chain slammed down onto the human's back repeatedly, eliciting a cry of pain and then groans. He watched as the human tried to get up.
Trip couldn't believe the pain that pulsated through his lower back. Couldn't this guy aim somewhere else for a change? All he could think of was trying to get up. But every time he started to he was struck down by that damned chain. Even if he did get up, Trip knew the only thing he could do was run. He couldn't fight this bruiser.
"Stop!" A voice screamed above the storm.
Cly turned to see his father standing at the edge of the woods, with Captain Archer, Lieutenant Reed and another alien, not human, beside him. It had been his father that called out.
"I will not kill him, father." Cly promised. "But he must pay..."
"Enough!" Rul hollered, moving on Cly and snatching the chain from his son's hand.
Archer and Phlox rushed to Tucker's side, as Reed stood nearby with a watchful eye on Cly. Phlox ran a scanner over Trip, as Archer lifted the commander's chin. Trip's eyes were blinking slowly, fighting the rain and his fatigue.
"Doc?" Archer looked to Phlox.
"We need to get him back to Enterprise." Phlox told him.
Archer looked over at Rul and Cly.
"What do you say, Rul?" The captain asked. "Are you satisfied that he's been punished for a crime he didn't commit?"
"Go!" Rul said with a dismissing hand gesture.
"Cap'n..." Trip forced out.
"Shh, it's over, Trip." Archer told him. "Let's just get the hell out of here."
"No..." Trip countered. He couldn't leave without talking to Nes. She'd be wrought with guilt that she hurt him this way. He had to let her know he was going to be all right.
But it was no use. The captain and Phlox hauled him up to his feet and half dragged him off, with Malcolm close behind. Trip's head was swimming and his back felt heavy and weighted. Every bump caused pain to jar his lower back, but then travel around front.
Once in the shuttlepod, Malcolm took the controls as Phlox and Archer deposited Trip on the bench. Phlox looked over at the captain as he sat down next to Reed.
"Captain, this storm has gotten worse since we landed." Reed told Archer. "We never should've tried coming down in it then, let alone leave during this."
"Doc?" Archer turned to Phlox. "Can we wait it out here?"
"I wouldn't advise it, Captain." Phlox told him. "There is damage to his right kidney."
"How bad?" The captain asked, his face turning pale.
"I can't be sure." Phlox told him. "Not without a complete scan."
"This isn't over yet, Malcolm." Archer turned to his armory officer.
"Sir?" Reed asked.
"Take us up." The captain ordered. "But we'll be back when the storm clears. We'll get that sample for the DNA test from Nes."
"They think they've carried out their justice." Reed said. "Why can't we just leave it at that?"
"Because we can't just let these people think Trip assaulted that girl." Archer barked. "We have to clear him."
"No..." Trip moaned from the bench. "Leave...just leave..."
Archer looked from Phlox to Reed.
"Even if he doesn't want us to?" Reed asked.
"Especially because he doesn't want us to." Archer answered. He never believed Trip was capable of doing what Nes described happened to her last night. But Trip was hiding something. Whatever reason Trip wouldn't clear himself was something Archer was determined to find out.
The shuttlepod rocked and jerked, causing Phlox to brace himself and take the brunt of Trip's body rolling into him. Trip let out a holler and curled up into a ball, clutching his stomach.
"Malcolm!" Archer called.
"I got it, sir." Reed assured him.
"Doc?" Archer looked back at Phlox.
"He's going to go into shock, Captain." Phlox told him as he fiddled in his bag for a hypospray. "I don't have what I need to stablize him if he does."
Archer jumped up and went for a thermal blanket, throwing it over Trip. He watched as Trip shook violently, sweat beading his face. Phlox injected Trip with something.
"What was that?" Archer asked.
"For the pain." Phlox told him. "But he seems to be fighting it and that's not good for him. He needs to relax."
Trip felt as if he was slipping away and he was scared to. He had to fight to stay awake. The voices were humming in his ear, undecipherable noises. He wanted to understand, but he couldn't. He wanted the pain in his back and lower abdomen to stop, but it wouldn't. Then he felt himself being picked up by strong hands and cradled against a body. He forced his eyes open and saw a blurry image of Jonathan Archer looking down at him saying something. But, again, it was all just humming noise. Yet, the tone was soothing, not urgent or loud. He felt a hand brush his forehead and then slowly his body was moving slightly back and forth. Not enough to cause pain, or further damage to his body, but rhythmic movement. Rocking. That was it. Jon was rocking him. He couldn't fight it anymore. His eyes fluttered closed purely against his will. The last things he was conscious of was the humming fading and the hand that brushed his cheek.
TO BE CONTINUED
----------