Chapter 7
Koss felt a presence approach him. He was loathe to move, but he opened his eyes anyway. Seeing her figure shimmer into his line of sight, he took a deep breath, letting the air expand his lungs completely. Releasing a huge breath, he moved to sit up. It was so hard. He could barely move. He was so weak. "T'Pol," he rasped.
She moved silently towards him, laying her hand on his shoulder, pressing him back down so he was lying on the ground once more. "I am here Koss. How bad is it," She asked.
"I feel I don't have much longer. I can feel the blood fever shutting down my organs," he replied.
"How long do you believe you have," she asked.
"Perhaps a day, a day and a half at most," he replied, coughing.
"Why are you letting this happen? Please do not let yourself die this way. Go home," She pleaded.
"I cannot. I am without honor, now. I chose to do this. This is how it must be," he reasoned.
"That is illogical! There is no honor in dying this way," She cried. He shook his head and swallowed. He couldn't return home now, he had dishonored his family by leaving, by being a coward. "You're mother wishes for you to return," T'Pol whispered.
"How do you know that? You are just a figment, a hallucination," Koss blurted.
The vision of T'Pol shook her head. "I am not a hallucination. I am real," she argued.
Koss furrowed his brow. What was she talking about? She could not be real. She was on Enterprise, he on Vulcan. "I do not understand," He said.
"I am unable to explain it, but trust me that I am here just as much as you are," She reached out and touched his cheek. "Feel my touch. I am real."
Unable to contain his emotion any longer, he let the tears come. It was so unfair; he wished she really was there.
"I just want to go home," He cried, upset with himself for feeling lonely and scared.
"It is all right, Koss. I'm with you," T'Pol said, running her fingers through his hair.
He looked at her and closed his eyes. Her presence made the palpitations of his heart, and his labored breathing feel better. When he opened his eyes again, she was gone and the sun was rising. He sat and watched it ease above the horizon on his last day. He knew today was his end. He cried.
T'Pol sat at her desk waiting for T'Kel to acknowledge her call. Suddenly the screen blinked and T'Kel appeared before her, looking tired and haggard. "T'Pol, you have something to relay to me," T'Kel acknowledged, not bothering with greetings.
"Yes, I believe I know where you son is located," She said.
T'Kel visibly relaxed. "Where," she asked.
"In my dream, I saw him asleep in the "El'ru," the hand at the bottom of the mountain," T'Pol explained, describing the rock formation outside of her old home city, the same city Koss lived in.
"The El'ru. Of course, that was where his father used to take him when he was young," T'Kel said out loud, though T'Pol believed she was most likely talking to herself. "Thank you T'Pol, I will contact you if we find him. T'Kel out," She said holding her hand up in the Vulcan greeting. The screen flashed once more as it turned black.
T'Pol stood up from her desk and walked to her door. Suddenly a wave of nausea overcame her, and she fell to the floor, panting.Another flash of pain swept through her body, and she suddenly became very aware that Koss was dying. "Please, hurry," She pleaded out loud, right before the darkness overtook her..
Archer looked over at the empty science station to his left for the tenth time in the last few minutes. He had been called to the bridge to go over a few security matters with Reed, and his concentration had been taken off of T'Pol and onto the matter at hand. Sighing out loud, he looked back at the view screen. He knew that T'Pol cherished her privacy, and that she did not want him near her as she was going through this Pon Farr, but he would at least appreciate her contacting the bridge, or himself, to let him know something was wrong.
Running his tongue over his teeth, he let out another loud, long sigh.
Hoshi turned around to look at him, an annoyed look on her face. "If you are that worried about her, why don't you go to her quarters to check on her," She suggested and turned back around before he could answer. She was right. He stood and made his way to the lift.
As soon as the doors closed, Travis looked over at Hoshi. "Thanks, his huffing was really getting on my nerves," Travis grinned.
"Yeah. Mine too," Hoshi smiled in response.
Koss took a deep breath, breathing getting harder after each breath. He silently wondered if each one would be his last. The Vulcan sun lay high in the sky, beating down on him. He shivered despite the heat. No longer did his body crave touch of a woman. No longer did he cry out in his desire. That was long gone. All that was left was the pain and anger and sadness: anger over his condition and sadness that he would soon be gone, just a memory to those who had known him. Would they even care? He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, this time harder than before. He couldn't feel anything anymore except for the heat and throbbing of his head. Silently he felt his organs give out one by one. He welcomed death and soon his breathing stopped and the blackness swallowed him whole.
The lift slowly made its way to C-Deck. Archer huffed his frustration and hit the button once again, irrationally thinking that it would make the lift go faster. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the doors opened. He was out of the lift before they even opened all the way. He walked towards T'Pol's suite with a fast pace. When he arrived he took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly to calm his rushing heart. Archer hit the button on T'Pol's keypad, signaling his arrival, and waited for her to answer. After a few seconds of no response, he tried again, pressing the button with more force then he had planned. When no response came again, he got worried and keyed in his overriding master pass code. The door swooshed open and he cried out at the sight that greeted his eyes. Tears sprang to his eyes. There on the floor lay T'Pol, lifeless.
Continued in Chapter 8
Koss felt a presence approach him. He was loathe to move, but he opened his eyes anyway. Seeing her figure shimmer into his line of sight, he took a deep breath, letting the air expand his lungs completely. Releasing a huge breath, he moved to sit up. It was so hard. He could barely move. He was so weak. "T'Pol," he rasped.
She moved silently towards him, laying her hand on his shoulder, pressing him back down so he was lying on the ground once more. "I am here Koss. How bad is it," She asked.
"I feel I don't have much longer. I can feel the blood fever shutting down my organs," he replied.
"How long do you believe you have," she asked.
"Perhaps a day, a day and a half at most," he replied, coughing.
"Why are you letting this happen? Please do not let yourself die this way. Go home," She pleaded.
"I cannot. I am without honor, now. I chose to do this. This is how it must be," he reasoned.
"That is illogical! There is no honor in dying this way," She cried. He shook his head and swallowed. He couldn't return home now, he had dishonored his family by leaving, by being a coward. "You're mother wishes for you to return," T'Pol whispered.
"How do you know that? You are just a figment, a hallucination," Koss blurted.
The vision of T'Pol shook her head. "I am not a hallucination. I am real," she argued.
Koss furrowed his brow. What was she talking about? She could not be real. She was on Enterprise, he on Vulcan. "I do not understand," He said.
"I am unable to explain it, but trust me that I am here just as much as you are," She reached out and touched his cheek. "Feel my touch. I am real."
Unable to contain his emotion any longer, he let the tears come. It was so unfair; he wished she really was there.
"I just want to go home," He cried, upset with himself for feeling lonely and scared.
"It is all right, Koss. I'm with you," T'Pol said, running her fingers through his hair.
He looked at her and closed his eyes. Her presence made the palpitations of his heart, and his labored breathing feel better. When he opened his eyes again, she was gone and the sun was rising. He sat and watched it ease above the horizon on his last day. He knew today was his end. He cried.
T'Pol sat at her desk waiting for T'Kel to acknowledge her call. Suddenly the screen blinked and T'Kel appeared before her, looking tired and haggard. "T'Pol, you have something to relay to me," T'Kel acknowledged, not bothering with greetings.
"Yes, I believe I know where you son is located," She said.
T'Kel visibly relaxed. "Where," she asked.
"In my dream, I saw him asleep in the "El'ru," the hand at the bottom of the mountain," T'Pol explained, describing the rock formation outside of her old home city, the same city Koss lived in.
"The El'ru. Of course, that was where his father used to take him when he was young," T'Kel said out loud, though T'Pol believed she was most likely talking to herself. "Thank you T'Pol, I will contact you if we find him. T'Kel out," She said holding her hand up in the Vulcan greeting. The screen flashed once more as it turned black.
T'Pol stood up from her desk and walked to her door. Suddenly a wave of nausea overcame her, and she fell to the floor, panting.Another flash of pain swept through her body, and she suddenly became very aware that Koss was dying. "Please, hurry," She pleaded out loud, right before the darkness overtook her..
Archer looked over at the empty science station to his left for the tenth time in the last few minutes. He had been called to the bridge to go over a few security matters with Reed, and his concentration had been taken off of T'Pol and onto the matter at hand. Sighing out loud, he looked back at the view screen. He knew that T'Pol cherished her privacy, and that she did not want him near her as she was going through this Pon Farr, but he would at least appreciate her contacting the bridge, or himself, to let him know something was wrong.
Running his tongue over his teeth, he let out another loud, long sigh.
Hoshi turned around to look at him, an annoyed look on her face. "If you are that worried about her, why don't you go to her quarters to check on her," She suggested and turned back around before he could answer. She was right. He stood and made his way to the lift.
As soon as the doors closed, Travis looked over at Hoshi. "Thanks, his huffing was really getting on my nerves," Travis grinned.
"Yeah. Mine too," Hoshi smiled in response.
Koss took a deep breath, breathing getting harder after each breath. He silently wondered if each one would be his last. The Vulcan sun lay high in the sky, beating down on him. He shivered despite the heat. No longer did his body crave touch of a woman. No longer did he cry out in his desire. That was long gone. All that was left was the pain and anger and sadness: anger over his condition and sadness that he would soon be gone, just a memory to those who had known him. Would they even care? He closed his eyes and took another deep breath, this time harder than before. He couldn't feel anything anymore except for the heat and throbbing of his head. Silently he felt his organs give out one by one. He welcomed death and soon his breathing stopped and the blackness swallowed him whole.
The lift slowly made its way to C-Deck. Archer huffed his frustration and hit the button once again, irrationally thinking that it would make the lift go faster. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the doors opened. He was out of the lift before they even opened all the way. He walked towards T'Pol's suite with a fast pace. When he arrived he took a deep breath, blowing it out slowly to calm his rushing heart. Archer hit the button on T'Pol's keypad, signaling his arrival, and waited for her to answer. After a few seconds of no response, he tried again, pressing the button with more force then he had planned. When no response came again, he got worried and keyed in his overriding master pass code. The door swooshed open and he cried out at the sight that greeted his eyes. Tears sprang to his eyes. There on the floor lay T'Pol, lifeless.
Continued in Chapter 8
