TRADING SPACES (please don't sue me for that either)
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"Oh, gods, your humble servant implores you, remove me from this place of demons and send me back to the green hills of my home," he moaned. "Please, please, please, I beg of you. Anari Moon, Rafiziel Ravenswing, please hear me. I beseech you to remember me and rescue me... Tobin Northwind of Sief Talber, please..."
The gods, if indeed they heard his prayers, did not heed them, and so Tobin kept up his monologue and shivered against the cold metal wall of the demons' home. Strange demons, these, not a bit like the engravings in the Sadhraf. They could almost be idun'yll. He moaned again as he looked at his own hand, five (oh, gods, five) pink fingers wrapped around his makeshift club.
"Please, please, please," he whispered under his breath. The air here was dry and his throat scratched. His own mellifluous language jangled and clashed in his mouth so that nothing sounded as it should. This body was wrong, so very wrong... His limbs trembled and threatened to collapse. They wanted him weak, all the better to take over his senses with demonic insanity.
The tallest demon spoke to him, and Tobin wailed aloud in fear. He did not understand their words at all and yet something had happened to turn him into one of them! It came closer, and despite his alarm Tobin noted with satisfaction that the demon seemed wary of him.
"So the power of an acolyte of great Albion Doveheart bears some strength in your world!" he cried, and when the demon came in range he darted forward and dealt a heavy blow across its forehead. It fell with a grunt; Tobin shouted and leapt over it, swinging his club wildly at the other demons. He backed towards the door; a smaller one cried out in the demon language and pointed at him.
"Gods, give me the strength to escape the inner reaches of the demon stronghold," he murmured, and turned around as the doors swished open. No idun'yll hand helped them move, and he made the god-sign over his left eye, stopping dead in fear.
The hiss of cold metal against his neck served as a potent reminder of the other demons in the room. "Never turn your back on an enemy," he whispered as the chill poison swept through his veins. "I have failed you, gods... forgive your servant..."
Darkness slipped about his eyes, and his knees buckled beneath him. He felt hands about his body, lifting him, and barely had the presence of mind to strike out, slowly and weakly, before oblivion won.
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"Tell me again, Hoshi," said Archer quietly, rubbing his temples, "exactly what happened down on the surface." He winced as his fingers brushed over the growing bruise.
"I told you all I know, Jon," said Hoshi apologetically.
He waved his fingers at her. "Humor me," he said, and winced again as a lance of pain shot through his mind.
"Like I said before," she continued, and Archer caught a hint of exasperation in her voice, "we went into the caves because they looked unnatural, made instead of naturally formed. We found a sort of temple, pictures and mosaics and everything all over the walls and floors. I had the recorder and was taking pictures of everything. It stopped working and Trip came over to help me. Malcolm saw something up ahead and went to look at it alone."
"And then you heard him yell and found him unconscious," said Archer.
"Twitching all over and struggling to breathe," said Hoshi, and buried her face in her hands. "And then he just stopped, everything just stopped
"Are you sure, absolutely sure, that's everything?" asked Archer. Hoshi did not answer him.
"Yes, Jon, that's it!" said Trip as he followed Phlox out of the adjoining room, carrying an armload of restraints. Phlox took the straps from Tucker's hands and began to affix them over Malcolm's prone form. "She's gone over it four times, there's nothin' else, I tell ya! I was there, too, and that's all that happened." He glared at his friend and put a protective arm around Hoshi's shoulder. The straps clinked as Doctor Phlox snapped them into place.
The captain closed his eyes. He didn't want to watch as the doctor tied Malcolm Reed to the biobed as if the lieutenant were some kind of criminal.
"It's for his own protection," said the doctor quietly.
He opened his eyes again and glanced at Malcolm, pale and wan on the sickbay bed. "Damn it!" snapped Archer. Trip and Hoshi both looked up, startled. "Sorry," apologized the captain. "I hate seeing a member of my crew like this."
"He didn't know us at all," said Hoshi. She wiped her eyes and sniffled. "He didn't know where he was or anything."
"His physical symptoms appear as if a rather large electric shock went through his body," said Phlox bluntly. "It is quite possible that the brain and nervous systems could suffer adverse reactions, even memory loss."
"He seemed like he was tryin' to talk, Doc," said Trip.
"I expect that his frontal lobe has been damaged," said the doctor. "He would have difficulty formulating a correct sentence if that were so. I will do more detailed scans and see if I can turn up anything that could help him." He glanced back at the patient. "In all reality, there may be nothing I can do," he added grimly. "The human brain is a delicate organ."
The three humans sighed, and Hoshi wiped away another tear.
"Trip, I want you and T'Pol to go down to the planet again and examine that cave as thoroughly as possible. Leave no stone unturned," ordered the captain. "Maybe we can find out what did this to him. That would help, wouldn't it, Doctor? Hoshi, study the photos you took on the surface. Maybe we can find a clue there."
The two officers nodded and left, casting a last glance over their shoulders at Malcolm's unconscious figure.
The captain met the doctor's eyes and sighed.
"I want you to do everything you can to help Malcolm, Doctor Phlox," said the captain firmly. "Let me know if anything comes up."
And he too exited, leaving the doctor alone with the lieutenant.
"What if I cannot do anything?" asked the doctor of his silent patient. "What then?" He got no answer.
But, of course, he hadn't really expected one.
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I've been toying around with this idea since Voyager with various characters, and I think I've finally made it work. Posting may be erratic since soccer just started, but hopefully I won't make you wait too long. Please review. I always appreciate any advice, especially since these posts are nearly always first drafts and could use some work. ~Catspaw