CHAPTER FIVE

John's gut instinct was to smash the man's head against the wall, to take the alien's weapon and shove it into his throat and force him to remove the implant from Trip's blood. For an instant, he almost did it, but the man was talking again.

"I know you think all you have to do is have me remove the information, but I don't have the key. This is a sensitive matter, Captain. The information will save countless lives. My planet is in the middle of an ugly war, which we are losing. Without the information that Commander Tucker is carrying, many people will die. Is it too much to ask you to make a small detour from wherever you were heading?"

"Ya might have asked!" Trip felt it was time he added his two cents' worth.

"I might have, indeed, but I couldn't take the risk of you refusing. After you've delivered the data, you'll all be free to resume your…explorations. Just consider this an adventure along the way."

"And what about your contact, Mendos? Will he be happy to just let us walk away?" John had never felt so helpless.

"There's no reason for him not to, but as I see it, you've little option. The deed is done, and if you refuse, you condemn the commander by your own hand."

Trip had been listening with a pounding heart and dry mouth, as his life was discussed in black and white. He wanted to yell, hit something or someone very hard, but most of all, he just wanted to get out of here.

"Cap'n, let's go. If I've only got seven days before I go 'kaboom', I don't want to waste them hangin' around here."

The alien nodded. "A wise decision, Commander. You have an adventure ahead of you, with who knows what obstacles to overcome before you reach your destination. It would be better not to be wasting time here."

"And who do we say to Mendos that you are?" John asked, not unreasonably, he thought.

"He'll know, but in case you fall into hostile hands, I'll keep that information to myself. If my cover's blown here, I'll no longer be able to filter out the vital data that I presently can. I'm sorry, I don't mean to be any more devious than I already have been, but this is to protect all of us. There will be forces out there that will try anything to prevent you from getting this data delivered. Be alert!"

The alien produced a small laser and severed his captive's bonds. Trip stood stiffly, trying not to gasp as the blood coursed through his numbed extremities, sending vicious pins and needles along his nerve endings. John placed his hand on his friend's shoulder to support him.

"Ok, you've got your messenger service, but if anything happens to Commander Tucker, I'll find you, no matter what rock you're hiding under. That's a promise!"

^*^*^*^*^*^.

Enterprise was under way, the new co-ordinates entered into the helm's computer. The senior officers were gathered in the captain's ready room, and their faces were grim as he apprised them of the situation. They looked at Trip with faces showing a mixture of sympathy and horror. Ordinarily, Trip hadn't a problem with being the centre of attention. As a handsome young man, he was well used to it, but this was different and it made him very uncomfortable.

Malcolm, especially, was having a hard time coming to terms with the situation.

"Commander, I'm so dreadfully sorry. I was supposed to be your back up, and I let you down. What sort of Security Officer am I that I can't even protect on a one-to-one basis?"

Trip felt compassionately for his too-serious friend; once before he'd called him a grim reaper, and he was determined not to let Malcolm slip back into his black moods. The others weren't much happier.

"Hey guys, I'm not dead yet. Let's put the long faces on hold for a while, huh?"

Even T'Pol seemed affected. "I am sorry for your predicament, Commander. I will assist the doctor in ascertaining if there is anything that can be done to remove the implant."

Trip simply nodded, embarrassed to his core.  John dismissed them, but stopped Trip as he was about to leave.

"You stopped off at sickbay, yet?"

"Nah, what's the point of wastin' the Doc's time an' mine? He doesn't have this key, an' we both know what's gonna happen if he tries anythin' without it. Anyway, I'm better keepin' busy, makin' sure the engines don't decide to pack up."

"Still, I'd feel happier if you kept in close contact with him, Trip. We don't know what way this might affect you."

"Ok, I'll stop off with him on the way to Engineerin' if it makes ya happy. But I feel fine. Maybe that guy was spinnin' us a line just to get us to do his dirty work."

^*^*^*^*^*^

Dr Phlox, the Denobulan Chief Medical Officer, had encountered a large variety of alien races, but he was unfamiliar with the readings he was getting from Commander Tucker's blood analysis. He crossed to the intercom.

"Captain Archer, would you come to sickbay, please?"

"On my way."

A few minutes later, John stepped into sickbay to find Phlox and Trip looking at the scan results.

"What have you found, Doctor?"

"This is really a most ingenious invention, Captain. The implant, as you know, was injected into Commander Tucker in its purest form, a chemical compound; I've detected at least six elements in the commander's blood. Very soon after that, it attached itself to the Autonomic Nervous System."

"That doesn't sound like good news!" John interjected.

Trip's response to his friend's somewhat guarded reaction was a rolling of the eyes in exasperation. "Ya think?"

"Indeed not, Captain. The ANS governs the human body's functions that are not consciously directed, for example, breathing, and the continued electrical contraction of the heart. These are things we take for granted, but on which our very existence depends. At present, the implant isn't interfering with Commander Tucker's physiology, but I don't know for how long that will continue."

"Ok Trip, you're staying here where the Doctor can keep an eye on you. If this thing starts messing with you, it would be better if you were within easy reach of help."

Trip's expressions were an open book, a mixture of anxiety and determination.

"Cap'n, I'm ok, honestly. At the first sign of anythin' happenin', I'll report to the Doc. An' I'm gonna call in each mornin' anyway. Sir, if this thing's gonna blow my brains out, I'd rather go…on active duty."

John took in his friend's pleading eyes and his heart went out to him. He knew Trip had to be frightened by what might happen, and being allowed to continue in his work was probably the only thing keeping him going.

"Ok, Trip, but I don't want you alone at any time."

"Cap'n that could get kinda embarrassin' for a guy," Trip blushed furiously.

"Get over it! Even when you have to answer the call of nature, somebody will wait outside for you. What if your heart decided to stop while you were alone, or you couldn't breathe? And as for sleeping arrangements…you've two choices: Dr Phlox moves in with you, or you move in here, with him."

Trip squirmed with embarrassment. "I guess I'm bunkin' in here, Doc. I hope ya don't snore!"

TBC

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