Disclaimer: I really write this without any profit. And I do not own the rights of the series nor of any of the songs by evanescence used in this short story.
I hope you guys like it. It's more an emotional piece than anything even closely related to what's happening in the series.
______---------_____
ENTERPRISE - WORLD GONE MAD
# Chapter 1 - A Vision Recovered
~*~
Closing your eyes to disappear
You pray your dreams will leave you here
But still you wake and know the truth
~*~
Charles "Trip" Tucker III monitored the panels and typed something into the padd lying in front of him. He mumbled to himself from time to time when things were not working out correctly.
It was around the time that he got melancholic. Archer had seen it coming and wanted him off duty for shore leave, but as usual, he had refused. Since the two of them had been aboard the Enterprise NX-01, Trip had refused to go home ever then. Jonathan was worried about his friend, because this time it was worse then ever before.
"Commanding Staff, report to bridge!" The captain's voice croaked through the loudspeakers.
Trip silently cursed when the tricorder he had been holding crashed to the ground. "Damnit!"
"We're returning to Earth for a couple of days. We need to refill our plasma-tanks. Enterprise was never meant to go on that kind of expedition, now they want to make it official. As soon as we get back to the base, we will be instructed to go on exploring. But they need to make a few changes, though." Archer explained to the crew on the bridge. "Weapons will be installed. No offense, Malcolm, but those plasma cannons of yours will work better with the suiting power relays, won't they?"
His armory officer nodded his head in agreement.
"And I guess all of you could need some time off this ship. Maybe to meet up with friends or visit the family." Jonathan Archer tried to think out more reasons, but all he could think of was friends and family.
T´Pol raised an eyebrow and looked at the captain inquiringly. "Is that so?"
Archer nodded.
"I hope it's none of your weird Vulcan fellows ordering us home to keep us there!" Trip muttered.
"If so, I wouldn't know about it." T´Pol held her voice low and without emotion.
"Yes, as usual..."
"Don't you think it's fun to be home again? I can't wait to see another baseball-game. And Porthos definitely wouldn't mind taking a long walk." Jonathan tried to cheer his chief engineer up a little bit. He, perhaps, was the only one on board the enterprise who wasn't looking forward to get home.
"Yeah, whatever." Trip turned and left.
This night he lay awake for long hours, unable to sleep. Thoughts haunted his mind, thoughts from someone who only existed in his memory. From time to time he couldn't even remember the name, yet this person had been present until he left for duty on Enterprise.
Someone knocked the door. He flicked a glance at the neon clock on the head side of the bed. It showed 3.22 am.
"Come in!" he grumbled.
It was Archer. "Trip...Did I wake you? I thought you were awake."
"Guess what, you're right!" The blond haired man didn't move. "I am sorry, I couldn't sleep..."
"I am sorry, I should have told you sooner. I mean...isn't she better by now?"
"Why would she? That sickness of hers is nothing you can get rid of as easy as flu. Wish it was, though..." Trip turned around and stared at the wall.
"Listen...why don't we go and visit her when we've arrived?"
"Are you kiddin`? Visit her? It almost kills her when I simply think of her. Who am I to go there?"
"You're her friend, aren't you?" Archer received no answer. "Trip, for how long have we been knowing each other? 8 years? Don't you think that I'd come to know you a little?"
Still, Trip didn't answer.
"Well, I can't make you. I just thought it would be nice...!" Archer heard him snort to this comment. "You can stay aboard this ship while everyone else gets the fun!"
"Nice? Fun? Do you know what it means to me to see her again? She's the only one that's been on my mind for...forever. And it keeps driving me mad that I can't touch her or even be near her without causing her so much pain." Trip's voice sounded edgy and very angry.
"I understand that, but didn't you once tell me that you love her? And she loves you back?" Jonathan tried to keep it calm and cool, but Trip just didn't want to calm down.
"Yeah, I did, that was about 16 months ago."
"It was 10 months ago! Do you remember? When we first boarded this vessel, you had just come back from visiting her in the hospital. 10 months! Many of the crewmembers are waiting to finally be home again, even if it's only for a couple of days. To call someone using subspace amplifiers isn't the coolest thing..." Archer choked down a laugh, seeing Trip's sad face.
"Even 10 months is a devil of a long time. They say long distance relationships never work. This is about as long distance as you can get."
"Are you ok?" Archer patted his mate's shoulder.
"Not really..."
"Maybe you should sleep a little. Try to think out some important things to do during the time until we reach Earth. Get your mind off it for a moment, will you?" Jonathan turned and pushed the button to open the door.
"You have never really talked about it with her? You've never talked things through, haven't you?" The captain asked without turning.
"No...She was too weak. Maybe I was, too."
"G'night, Trip." Archer said softly, moving out of the room.
"G'night..." his chief engineer whispered back.
I hope you guys like it. It's more an emotional piece than anything even closely related to what's happening in the series.
______---------_____
ENTERPRISE - WORLD GONE MAD
# Chapter 1 - A Vision Recovered
~*~
Closing your eyes to disappear
You pray your dreams will leave you here
But still you wake and know the truth
~*~
Charles "Trip" Tucker III monitored the panels and typed something into the padd lying in front of him. He mumbled to himself from time to time when things were not working out correctly.
It was around the time that he got melancholic. Archer had seen it coming and wanted him off duty for shore leave, but as usual, he had refused. Since the two of them had been aboard the Enterprise NX-01, Trip had refused to go home ever then. Jonathan was worried about his friend, because this time it was worse then ever before.
"Commanding Staff, report to bridge!" The captain's voice croaked through the loudspeakers.
Trip silently cursed when the tricorder he had been holding crashed to the ground. "Damnit!"
"We're returning to Earth for a couple of days. We need to refill our plasma-tanks. Enterprise was never meant to go on that kind of expedition, now they want to make it official. As soon as we get back to the base, we will be instructed to go on exploring. But they need to make a few changes, though." Archer explained to the crew on the bridge. "Weapons will be installed. No offense, Malcolm, but those plasma cannons of yours will work better with the suiting power relays, won't they?"
His armory officer nodded his head in agreement.
"And I guess all of you could need some time off this ship. Maybe to meet up with friends or visit the family." Jonathan Archer tried to think out more reasons, but all he could think of was friends and family.
T´Pol raised an eyebrow and looked at the captain inquiringly. "Is that so?"
Archer nodded.
"I hope it's none of your weird Vulcan fellows ordering us home to keep us there!" Trip muttered.
"If so, I wouldn't know about it." T´Pol held her voice low and without emotion.
"Yes, as usual..."
"Don't you think it's fun to be home again? I can't wait to see another baseball-game. And Porthos definitely wouldn't mind taking a long walk." Jonathan tried to cheer his chief engineer up a little bit. He, perhaps, was the only one on board the enterprise who wasn't looking forward to get home.
"Yeah, whatever." Trip turned and left.
This night he lay awake for long hours, unable to sleep. Thoughts haunted his mind, thoughts from someone who only existed in his memory. From time to time he couldn't even remember the name, yet this person had been present until he left for duty on Enterprise.
Someone knocked the door. He flicked a glance at the neon clock on the head side of the bed. It showed 3.22 am.
"Come in!" he grumbled.
It was Archer. "Trip...Did I wake you? I thought you were awake."
"Guess what, you're right!" The blond haired man didn't move. "I am sorry, I couldn't sleep..."
"I am sorry, I should have told you sooner. I mean...isn't she better by now?"
"Why would she? That sickness of hers is nothing you can get rid of as easy as flu. Wish it was, though..." Trip turned around and stared at the wall.
"Listen...why don't we go and visit her when we've arrived?"
"Are you kiddin`? Visit her? It almost kills her when I simply think of her. Who am I to go there?"
"You're her friend, aren't you?" Archer received no answer. "Trip, for how long have we been knowing each other? 8 years? Don't you think that I'd come to know you a little?"
Still, Trip didn't answer.
"Well, I can't make you. I just thought it would be nice...!" Archer heard him snort to this comment. "You can stay aboard this ship while everyone else gets the fun!"
"Nice? Fun? Do you know what it means to me to see her again? She's the only one that's been on my mind for...forever. And it keeps driving me mad that I can't touch her or even be near her without causing her so much pain." Trip's voice sounded edgy and very angry.
"I understand that, but didn't you once tell me that you love her? And she loves you back?" Jonathan tried to keep it calm and cool, but Trip just didn't want to calm down.
"Yeah, I did, that was about 16 months ago."
"It was 10 months ago! Do you remember? When we first boarded this vessel, you had just come back from visiting her in the hospital. 10 months! Many of the crewmembers are waiting to finally be home again, even if it's only for a couple of days. To call someone using subspace amplifiers isn't the coolest thing..." Archer choked down a laugh, seeing Trip's sad face.
"Even 10 months is a devil of a long time. They say long distance relationships never work. This is about as long distance as you can get."
"Are you ok?" Archer patted his mate's shoulder.
"Not really..."
"Maybe you should sleep a little. Try to think out some important things to do during the time until we reach Earth. Get your mind off it for a moment, will you?" Jonathan turned and pushed the button to open the door.
"You have never really talked about it with her? You've never talked things through, haven't you?" The captain asked without turning.
"No...She was too weak. Maybe I was, too."
"G'night, Trip." Archer said softly, moving out of the room.
"G'night..." his chief engineer whispered back.